#monsters are real (the sheriffs are supposed to protect the town)

[assiraphales]

fuck it. fantasy old western au where zoro is a bounty hunter chasing down outlaws & pisses off the wrong sheriff at a saloon (axe hand morgan). he’s sent to the stocks, hours from dying from heat exhaustion under the hot desert sun, when young upstart monkey d luffy (in search of a stockpile of hidden gold that infamous outlaw gol d roger hid in the mountains) enters the scene guns literally a blazing

[damonsalvatorefanfiction]

Home // Damon Salvatore x Reader

Description: You’d lost everything, and you just wanted to find home again. Slight AU, major cannon divergence

Words: 20,424

Warnings: Sexual Themes, Violence, Blood Sharing, Semi Slow-Burn

Pairings: Damon Salvatore x Fem!Reader

Mystic Falls had been the only home you’d known. For most of your life, you’d never considered leaving. Not until your parents died. Then, you’d left to run away from the memories and predetermined obligations. It had taken you several years and many mistakes to find your way back. At first, you couldn’t call it home, It had taken you a while to get even close to that point. Living in your childhood house definitely didn’t help. Slowly, you’d found a purpose again, working as a deputy with Sheriff Forbes. It helped that you were now on the counsel, working closely with the woman you considered a mentor. 

None of you were expecting Zach Salvatore to move out of town unexpectedly, his spot being filled by his nephew, Damon. The first time you saw Damon, you had a gut instinct that something wasn’t quite what it seemed. His chiseled features were like a marble statue, his pale blue eyes like a lake you could let yourself drown in. You had standards. Your unapproachable demeanor, however, was not heeded by the man.

“I’m Damon Salvatore,” he said, hand extending to take yours. You gave him a courteous smile, shaking his hand.

“Y/N Gilbert,” you answered. 

“As in John Gilbert?” You just nodded to answer, taking your hand away after he held onto it for a few seconds too long. 

“Yes. And you’re descended from Giuseppe Salvatore. His what? Great-great-great-great nephew?” You grabbed one of the glasses off of Mayor Lockwood’s bar, pouring yourself a glass of scotch, not offering to pour Damon one. 

“Something like that.” The way he looked at you was inquisitive, yet also predatory. It sent shivers down your spine, but you shrugged it off. He was more or less a stranger in this small, tight knit circle. 

“Well, Mr Salvatore,” you told him, downing the scotch in one go, “We should get back to the party. They’ll start to wonder where we’ve gone.” 

“Well, Ms Gilbert. Save a dance for me?” You couldn’t help but laugh, knowing that wasn’t going to happen.

“These events aren’t my cup of tea. I’m probably going to head home here soon. Maybe next time?” you suggested, getting a nod from the man. “Goodnight, Damon.”

As you walked away, you couldn’t help but seem to recognize him from somewhere. You weren’t sure where, but it started nagging you that night as soon as you got home. 

-----

You’d dug out the old journals. Vampires were something you’d known about for as long as you could remember. Your father had made sure you knew, had made sure you were protected with both the knowledge and with the magic. Though, he was never sure why Vervain worked so well. You had to figure out why you felt Damon was hiding something. It didn’t make sense that Zach would leave town so suddenly, and have Damon replace him. That’s not how any of this worked. 

The journals were spread out, flipping through them until you got to 1864. 1864 was a big year for Mystic Falls. That was the year they’d burned all the vampires. Or so they thought, as you looked through the photo albums that had been meticulously passed down through the generations. 1864. 1864. You couldn’t get the year out of your head as you read the name ‘Damon Salvatore’ on the page in front of you. 1864. A labeled photograph of the man in a Confederate uniform. A dead ringer for the man you’d just met that day, his brother to his left and his father to the right. 

There was no way the Damon Salvatore you’d met was the same as the one on the page. In your years you’d been gone, you’d studied everything you could get your hands on when it came to the vampires. You’d heard of doppelgangers, but this was different. As far as you knew, that was one lineage, one that Damon didn’t belong to. Either the genetics passed through his family were...coincidental, or Damon Salvatore was a vampire.

You weren’t sure what to do with that information, but you knew you had to find out for sure. 

-----

The next morning, you’d driven to the Salvatore Boarding House, knocking on the door. Instead of Damon, you were met by his brother Stefan, your breath catching at the back of your throat. You couldn’t act nervous or scared. So, you cleared your throat.

“Hi. I’m Y/N. I’m looking for Damon,” you told him with a faux smile. This couldn’t be happening, this wasn’t supposed to be happening. All the vampires were supposed to be out of Mystic Falls. But with the string of animal attacks, the counsel knew they were back. And here they were. It had to have been the Salvatore brothers. But again, you had to be sure before making accusations. 

“Yeah, he’s upstairs. Come on in, make yourself comfortable. I’ll go get him,” Stefan told you, motioning for you to join him inside. You followed, sitting on the couch and sitting your bag down next to you. 

You looked around, taking in everything you saw. It was no secret the Salvatores had always had money, dating back beyond Mystic Falls. Not to mention, if you were right about them, an additional one-hundred sixty four years give or take. 

“Ms Gilbert,” Damon said with a smile, rolling up the sleeves of his black-button-down. 

“Please, I think we can be on a first name basis, Damon. Especially considering I know,” you answered, starting with a smile before quickly dropping it. 

“And what is it you think you know?” he asked, pouring himself a drink. 

You sighed, pulling out John Gilbert’s journal from 1864 as well as the photo you’d pulled from the album. 

“I thought I’d recognized you from somewhere,” you told him. “I mean, I know you didn’t go to school with me. Or college. I really couldn’t figure it out. But then I got to thinking. I mean, my father would read these old journals to me when I was a kid. He wanted me to know what my destiny would be as a Gilbert. It was gnawing at me all of last night, on my way home. I knew I recognized your name.”

He took a seat next to you, looking at what you were pulling out.

“Giuseppe’s oldest boy, Damon, has returned from the war. My friend is ashamed of his boy, the fact that he has deserted his cause. I know though, that Damon doesn’t share my friend’s beliefs,” you read from the old journal. 

“I saw them,” you continued. “It’s impossible, seeing as though they died that night trying to save the Pierce vampire. But I saw them. I don’t understand why they took pity on me. I am the reason she was taken from them, why they are who they are now. They killed him, Giuseppe, their own father.” When you put the book down, you handed him the photo you’d brought. The one of him as a human.

“It’s no use in trying to lie, is it?” he asked. “You’re on vervain, the entire counsel is. Well, almost the entire counsel.” He took a drink from his glass, fingers tracing over the photo. “Why did you come here, Y/N? If you knew, why risk coming here to confront me about it?”

“I just came back to Mystic Falls less than a year ago, Damon. I got thrown back into the world of hating vampires. In my time gone, I did a lot of soul searching, Occult research. Coming from Mystic Falls, I knew vampires were real. You’re not the first I’ve met. Your brother isn’t the first I’ve met.” 

“Again, you haven’t answered my question. Why did you come here?” he asked again.

“I don’t know, honestly,” you finally answered. “I needed to know it was true. As a kid, I just thought the vampire stories were just that, stories. Until my parents were killed. An animal attack. You and I both know it wasn’t an animal attack, not in this town. Yet, I know not all vampires are ravenous monsters. So, which one are you, Damon?”

“I mean,” he smirked. “A little ravenous monster here, a little not so ravenous monster there. Depends on my mood.” As you watched him, you couldn’t help but watch his facial expressions. They were unique, almost exaggerated, not all of them though. Just some. And the way he looked at you, still that borderline predatory look, yet he seemed interested in what you were telling him.

“Still doesn’t make a lot of sense, but okay. I’m sure I’ll understand eventually. So, what do you want out of this? I mean, surely this is blackmail.” You couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Do you think I’m stupid enough to blackmail a vampire that could easily kill me in two seconds flat, Damon?” you asked, getting a shrug as a response. “I’m not that stupid. There’s nothing I want from you. I just need to know one thing. The string of animal attacks that happened a few weeks ago. Who was it?”

“Me.” 

-----

You woke from your nap on the couch to the sound of somebody knocking on your front door. You’d had a late night at work, offering to take the dreaded night-shift for Sheriff Forbes. You knew Liz was worried since the animal attacks started that a vampire was in town. Little did she know the vampire was hiding right under their noses. Except yours, obviously. All thanks to your father. 

Groaning, you got up and rubbed your eyes. The incessant knocking didn’t stop.

“Coming!” you called out, tying your robe over your pajamas before opening the door. “Damon? What do you want?” you asked, leaning against the door-frame. 

“Well, seeing as you’re the only one who knows about us, figured we might as well get to know each other,” he suggested.

“As much as I would love to, Damon, I worked last night and I work tonight, so…” You let yourself trail off, hoping he would get the hint. 

“Come on, Y/N. A drink, some lunch. I can cook.” He was tempting, but you knew better.

“Goodbye, Damon.” You shut the door in his face, seeing the look of confusion on his face right before the door shut. 

-----

Damon was incessant on trying to get to know you, showing up at your house every few days with offers of wine and food. And each time, you made him stay outside, trying to find a reason to not be around him. He was a killer, a vampire. Why would you even want to spend time with him? Yet, you did. 

"Damon, I swear to God I'll get a restraining order," you said, pulling the door open. 

He was leaning against the door-frame again, smirk on his face as always. This time, in his hands he held a to-go bag and a bottle of wine. 

"Look, you don't have to let me in. But at least eat lunch with me on the porch. Please?" he asked, trying to play the sweet guy. 

"Fine. I'll get glasses. You stay out there." You weren't sure why you agreed. Maybe it was the interest you had, wanting to learn more about vampires. And maybe deep down, you wanted to learn more about Damon. 

You joined him on the porch swing, setting the wine glasses on the patio table. He'd already started setting out the carry out boxes,  opening them up. 

"Burgers from The Grill," he told you, sliding one over to you. If he was going to annoy you every day for the past two weeks, you were going to have a little fun with him. 

"Damon, I'm vegetarian," you said, looking at the burger before looking back at him with a sad look. 

"Oh, well I'll just go back and get you a veggie burger," he said, brows furrowing as he stood up, going to grab the box. At that point, you laughed, slapping his hand away from the burger box.

“I’m kidding, Damon,” you assured him, picking up the burger and taking a bite. He scowled and shook his head, sitting next to you again. “So, why have you been hounding me for weeks about having a meal together?” you then asked as he poured the wine. 

“Because it took you all of less than twelve hours for you to figure out our secret. You...intrigue me,” he answered, taking a drink from his wine glass. “And it’s a plus you didn’t try to kill us, though you are a Gilbert.” 

“Well, I’ve learned to give people the benefit of the doubt. But I don’t easily give second chances, Damon. That’s something you need to understand. And I expect the truth.” He nodded, the two of you eating in relative silence aside from the sounds of the town around you. 

“From what I gathered, your parents died and you left. Why? If you knew how they died, why not try to get revenge?” he asked you. 

“Not everybody wants revenge. It wasn’t going to bring them back. Not to mention, whoever it was was long gone by the time we found them.” You took a drink, not expecting him to bring up this line of conversation so soon. 

“But you knew how they died. Why not just go full vampire hunter at that point? You had every right to do so, Y/N.” He didn’t seem to understand your first answer. 

“Like I said, it wasn’t going to bring them back, Damon. Now, my turn. Why did you come back after all this time?” You propped your feet up on the patio table, crossing your ankles with wine glass in hand. You didn’t see a reason to not make yourself comfortable. 

“My little bro decided to come back. Figured we hadn’t seen each other in a few decades.” His cockiness radiated off of him as he spoke, shrugging off his leather jacket to show a grey v-neck. 

“And the trail of bodies you’ve left in your wake?” you continued.

“Look, I’m not the best of guys. And I mean, I am a vampire after all. But no worries, I’m reformed. For the most part. No more drink and dump. Now, drink and erase. No more bodies, cross my heart,” he assured you, making an X over his heart with his index finger. 

“Why do I intrigue you?” That was something you needed to know. 

“Ah-ah-ah,” he tutted. “It’s my turn to ask. Why won’t you let me in?” 

“I don’t fully trust you yet, Damon. Trust is something you have to earn, especially since you’ve infiltrated the counsel.” He nodded, seeming to understand your hesitation, but he seemed hurt.

You could tell he tried to hide how he felt, tried to not show any emotion on his face as to not give himself away. 

“We should do this more often, Y/N, but I have business to attend to. I’ll see you around,” he told you, getting up, leaving the half-drank bottle of wine and dishes for you to clean up.  

-----

It became routine. Once a week, Damon would bring take-out and you’d eat on the porch, learning new things, learning about each other. It was fun, interesting. You’d learned about the daylight rings, which explained how he walked in the sun. It took several months, but he finally started to earn your trust.

“I got Italian this time,” Damon told you with that cocky smile. Just opening the door was enough to make you sweat. 

“Damon, how are you not sweltering in that jacket?” you asked him. You’d prepared for a hot day by dressing in a tank top and shorts, but even then, it wasn’t enough, and yet here Damon was in a leather jacket. 

“I really don’t feel temperature like humans do,” he reminded you. “Now, you coming outside or what?” You couldn’t help but chuckle at that, shaking your head. 

“It’s too hot outside. So…” You smiled, stepping out of his path in front of the door. “Come inside, Damon.” 

You could definitely tell his smile was of the cocky nature, knowing he finally had access to your house whenever he wanted. He walked over to the dining room table, setting everything up as you grabbed plates. 

“Now, I have some ground rules, Damon. Because I know you,” you told him, the both of you sitting down. He raised an eyebrow, so you continued. “No breaking and entering when I’m not home. Don’t randomly be in my house when I get home. No creepy stalker stuff, got it?”

“Don’t watch you as you sleep. Don’t watch you in the shower. Don’t show up when you’re not here. Got it,” he repeated back. 

“Why is it as soon as I say no creepy stalker stuff, you automatically go to watching me sleep, or in the shower?” you asked, separating the food onto the plates as he poured the wine. “And plus, how many bottles of wine have you bought for our lunches since we started hanging out?”

“Too many,” he answered with a laugh. “So, what will we talk about today?”

You leaned back, taking a drink from your glass and looking at him. There wasn’t anything the two of you hadn’t talked about in the twelve weeks you’d been hanging out. 

“What’s with the look?” he then asked, which confused you. 

“What look?” you countered. 

“That look,” he said, motioning to your face. “That look of...I’m not sure what.”

“Damon, of all the things you could be doing on Wednesday afternoons, all of the girls you could take home, or the drinks at the bar you could be having with Alaric. Why do you spend Wednesdays with me?” you asked. 

“You’re...a friend, Y/N. I like spending time with you, just how I like spending time with Rick,” he told you. 

“I’m not that interesting. What’s the phrase? Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer?” you countered. Surely that had to be why he’d stuck around. You knew his secret, so that had to be it. You regretted it as soon as you’d said it, though, the look of hurt on his face obvious for a split second. If you hadn’t known him, you would have missed his tell, then the stoic Damon showed up again.

“You think that little of me?” He downed the rest of his glass. 

“Damon, that’s not-” He held up his hand, cutting you off. 

“I’ll see you at the Founders Party tomorrow,” he said, getting up, and leaving without letting you say anything else.

-----

You’d felt bad about what you’d implied the day before, and you were determined to apologize. As much as you hated the Founders Party, you knew you had to go to keep up appearances and fulfill obligations. Not to mention, you could see Damon. You did your hair with simple curls. It took a minute to figure out what to wear. It had to be elegant, but not extravagant. Which is why you chose a burgundy, long sleeve lace cocktail dress and a pair of black heels to accentuate your legs.

You showed up, looking around for Damon but not being able to find him. Not for a while, not until the counsel meeting started. The two of you shared looks from across the room as the meeting talked about how there’d been no more animal attacks -- having been months ago, that it seems like it might have just been a vampire passing through. There was nothing anybody had to do for a while. 

“Damon,” you said, grabbing his wrist before he could leave the room. You’d asked Liz to make sure you could have the room with Damon, that the two of you needed to talk about some stuff. You didn’t elaborate further with her. She didn’t need to know. 

“There’s nothing to talk about, Y/N,” he told you, clenching his jaw. 

“Yes there is, Damon. I’m sorry about yesterday. It’s just...It’s going to take a while for me to get used to it all,” you reminded him. 

“It’s not like I’ve been tricking you like everyone else,” he reminded you. “It’s not like you found out months after the fact that I was a vampire,” he said, hissing the last word so nobody could hear. 

“I know.” You squeezed his hand. “But it’s been ingrained in my brain to hate vampires for my entire life. I invited you in my house, Damon. That took a lot of trust. I trust you because you’re my friend.”

“So, you’re lowkey saying you’re worried I’m going to come in and kill you in the middle of the night. Or at least feed on you. Because I know you don’t drink vervain like most of the others. You wear yours.” His fingers toyed with your bracelet.  

“I trust you, Damon,” you assured him with a tight smile. 

“Good, because I would never do that to you.” You nodded, taking him in a hug. He stiffened up for a moment before hesitantly doing the same. When you pulled away, you couldn’t help but smile.

“Good. I think I owe you a dance.” He gave you that smug smirk again, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Now, no tricks, Damon.” 

“I mean, you already agreed to a dance. All the tricks are fair game.” You couldn’t help but laugh as the two of you made your way to the dance floor, Damon pulling you close. You let him lead, not being much of a dancer, not taking your eyes off him. As much as you didn’t want to admit it, Damon was your closest friend. Even if he was a vampire. 

You saw him glance around the room before looking at you again. But he didn’t try any tricks. Once the song was done, he let you go with a smile. 

“I really don’t like these things,” you told him. “So I’m going to go home.” It was just like you’d told him when you’d first met. You really didn’t like these kinds of parties. 

“I’ll walk with you.” You smiled and nodded, taking his arm as the two of you walked out of the party. You couldn’t help but feel some eyes on the two of you as you left. “You know,” he said, speaking softly, almost a whisper in your ear, “I was at the first Founders Party. You can see my name on the original guest list.”

“I don’t know why that surprises me. Maybe it’s the way John wrote about you, how much you seemed to hate your father.” Again, you felt him stiffen against you. “I don’t mean to make assumptions, Damon.”

“It’s no secret my father and I didn’t get along,” he told you. “But that doesn’t mean I didn’t go for other reasons. Let’s just say, I was young and in love. We’ve never talked about how I got in this vampire situation. And that will be a discussion for another day.” 

The rest of the walk went by in silence, you leaning into him a little more. You didn’t live far from the Lockwood’s, but the heels were still a pain. Once you were on your porch, if you were being honest, you didn’t want to let him go. You didn’t want the night to end, but you knew it had to. Because Damon was your friend. 

“Goodnight, Damon,” you told him with a smile, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. 

“Goodnight, Y/N.” He gave you a smile, making sure you got inside before leaving. 

-----

“Damon, what did I say about breaking and entering?” you asked as you tossed your backpack on the couch, seeing him rummaging around in your kitchen. 

“What do you know about werewolves?” he asked, continuing to search until he pulled out your grandmother’s silverware. 

“Not much. I mean, in my travels, I’ve heard of a few packs here and there. But for the most part, they’re almost extinct. Why?” He grabbed the silver knife out of the box, twirling it in his hand as he turned to look at you. You were in the middle of taking off your work uniform, stripping down to your tank top and compression shorts. “Don’t ogle, Damon.” 

“Not ogling, just admiring,” he assured you as you ran upstairs to put actual pants on, though that was the exact same thing. 

“What’s with the interest in werewolves, Dae?” He looked at you confused. “Your name can be a mouthful sometimes. Just trying something new.” He just shrugged. “Now, answer my question. Why the interest in werewolves?”

“Because one just strolled into town. Mason Lockwood,” he answered. “Also, keep this if you need it.” He put a baggie of some herb on the counter. 

“What is it?” you asked, picking it up. You knew he was freaking out, even if he didn’t want to admit it. “And when is the next full moon?” 

“Wolfsbane. Think of it like the vervain to werewolves. And tonight.” You nodded. “I want you to stay here. Call of work. Please? I pissed off Mason Lockwood, and he’s got murder on the mind.”

“Damon, I knew what I was signing up for when I took the job. Vampires, definitely. Werewolves, not so much. But I can’t just not go into work.” It wasn’t possible, not sure what excuse you’d come up with. Not to mention your perfect track record of attendance. Plus, you wouldn’t want Liz to be the one out there with a werewolf on the loose. 

“For me.” He took your hands in his, squeezing gently.

“Dae...I can’t. Because then it would be Liz out there. And she has a daughter at home. I’ll be fine.” He shook his head, grabbing the knife. 

“I guess I’ll have to deal with Mason before the full moon then. I’ll get this back to you.” He put the knife in his jacket before heading towards the door. 

“Be careful out there, okay? A werewolf bite is lethal to vampires,” you warned him, thinking he probably already knew. However, his sudden stop and the look of confusion on his face said otherwise. “You didn’t know?”

“Up until like three days ago, I thought the mutts were extinct!” he told you aggressively. “Which given the fact that a bite will kill me is a pretty damn good reason for you to stay home. Because if I can’t kill Mason before the full-moon, I’m going to be too worried about you.”

You sighed, leaning against the counter. It was a predicament. You didn’t want anything to happen to him. Plus, if he was too worried about you, it would put him at risk. 

“Fine. I’ll tell Liz I’m sick, but I stay at your place. It would make me feel a bit better if there’s a werewolf on the loose.” 

“Okay. Pack a bag,” he agreed. “We’ll go now, and then I’ll start my hunt for the big bad wolf.” 

-----

“You know, in the what...nine months? That we’ve been friends I’ve only been to your place once,” you reminded him in the car on the drive. “We need to have lunch at your place sometime because mine is getting boring. Plus, I want to know more about you Damon Salvatore.”

“No going snooping in the underwear drawer,” he warned you with a mischievous grin.

“Oh you’re one to talk about boundaries. Because I clearly remember telling you not to break into my house. And what did you do today? Broke into my house.” He just shrugged with an ‘eh’ which earned him a slap on the arm. 

When the two of you arrived, he gave you almost the grand tour. He left out the juicy bits, like his bedroom and Stefan’s. He focused on the guest room and the main floor, leading you around until the two of you were back in the living room. 

“Bourbon?” he asked, pouring himself one. You just shook your head, knowing it was too early in the day for you. 

“I’m going to head upstairs and to bed. Because one of us works the night shift, and you’ve kept me up most of the morning when I’m usually asleep.” You went to stand up when all of a sudden he was right in front of you. It was just part of the ‘my best friend is a vampire’ life.

“What if you tell me everything you know about werewolves, and if you fall asleep, I’ll make sure you get to bed?” he suggested. You couldn’t help but sigh, knowing he needed the information if he was going to go up against Mason Lockwood. Which was insane, because you’d gone to school with the guy -- albeit being a couple years younger than him. 

“Fine, because I don’t need you getting yourself killed,” you agreed, laying down on the couch. He sat at the opposite end, your legs and feet propped up on his lap as he nursed his bourbon. “What do you know?”

“Werewolves turn with the full moon. Silver kills them. Wolfsbane hurts them. And oh yeah, if I get bitten, I’m dead,” he answered, setting his glass down on the table before rubbing your feet. You could almost melt into the couch.

“First of all, the silver does nothing to them. In fact, they heal faster with silver than anything else. So give me my grandmother’s knife back,” you told him with a sigh.

“I’ll make sure you get it back. Continue,” he urged, needing to know. 

“Kill them like you would anybody else. Severe blood loss, suffocation, decapitation. In human form, they’re fast and strong and usually need some anger management, and in wolf form...Well, I don’t really know that one. Tell me, why do you want to kill Mason? And why am I helping you?”

“You’re helping me because you don’t want to see me die. And let’s just say Mason and I had a disagreement, and werewolves are the mortal enemy of vampires. The rest of the details are unimportant in this situation.”

“The details are important because, one, I’m the deputy in this town, and two, you’re telling me you’re going to kill someone I’ve known almost my entire life. I deserve an answer since I’m helping you after all.” 

“Fine. Mason and I had an argument. He threatened to out me and Stefan to the counsel -- which included his brother, the mayor. Who doesn’t seem to know about the whole werewolf thing. Unless I give him something he wants, which I won’t do. Family heirlooms and all that.” You nodded, eyes drifting shut.

This wasn’t something you were going to agree with, ever. But you knew there was no talking Damon out of it. His mind was made up, and you didn’t want to get hurt by either man. You’d learned in your years away from home not to get in the middle of a pissing match, figuring Damon wouldn’t actually kill Mason, just teach him a lesson.

-----

You woke to a heated argument downstairs. Looking outside, you saw that it was sunrise, so you figured it was Damon downstairs. You were surprised you’d slept that long, but whatever. Making your way downstairs, you could tell the other voice was Stefan, but still couldn’t really make out what they were saying. 

“How’d it go?” you asked, rubbing your eyes as you entered the room, Damon quickly rolling down his sleeves, a layer of gleaming sweat on his skin. 

“Well, Mason Lockwood is still alive, if that’s what you’re asking,” Damon answered, taking a shot of one of the alcohols on the table, not sure which one. Stefan shot his brother a look before stalking out of the room. 

“What’s up with your brother?” You sat down on the couch next to him, taking your own shot. He stared at the fire going in the fireplace, jaw clenched. Something wasn’t right when he wouldn’t even look at you. “Dae, talk to me.”

It took him a while to say anything, his hand resting on your knee, your hand resting on the top of his. After a few minutes, you leaned your head on his shoulder, which made him relax just a little, but not enough. 

“Damon, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?” you finally asked again after nearly fifteen minutes of silence, of him just watching the fire. 

He pulled his hand away from your knee, which got your attention, so you leaned away from him, watching as he slid the sleeve up on his other arm to reveal a bite mark. You couldn’t help but gasp, grabbing his arm to inspect it. The sudden contact caused him to hiss in pain, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that the wound already looked infected, necrotic at the point of contact. Damon was going to die. 

“How are you feeling?” He scoffed at the question, pulling his arm away and quickly getting up. 

“How-How am I feeling?” he asked, angry, not trying to hide it. “For once in my existence, things were going right for me, Y/N! I’m feeling angry! I want to rip that mutt’s heart out. Stefan thinks he can find a cure, but...” He leaned against the chair with his good hand before a coughing fit wracked through his body. 

“Why don’t you go lay down, Damon?” you suggested, but he just shook his head. 

“I’m not spending what could be my last day in bed, Y/N. I don’t want that.” 

You understood where he was coming from. If it was you, you’d want to spend as much time as you could with those you cared about. 

“Do you want me to call Rick and get him over here?” you asked as you stood, walking over to him as he began coughing again. 

“No. No, I don’t want him knowing. Stefan will tell him later,” he assured you as his breathing became more labored. “Maybe laying down will be a good thing. Come with me?” 

“Of course.” 

You let him drape an arm around your shoulders as you hooked one around his waist, slowly making your way up the stairs to his bedroom. You didn’t want to admit it, but you were terrified to lose him. This wasn’t supposed to be happening, and if something happened to Damon, you would kill Mason yourself. 

“Lay down,” you instructed as Damon sat on the edge of the bed. “What do you need to be comfortable?” All you wanted was for him to be comfortable.

“In the basement there’s a cooler,” he told you. “With blood bags. Can you-?” 

You didn’t let him finish the sentence, knowing what he was getting at, quickly agreeing. You wanted to scream, to throw something. But you didn’t, you couldn’t. Instead, all you could do was be there for him. You grabbed a couple of the bags from the cooler, letting out a sigh before turning around and being startled by Stefan standing there.

“Stefan, you scared me,” you admitted with a nervous laugh. “It’s not good is it?” You could tell by the solemn look on the younger Salvatore’s face.

“I have a friend, Lexi, who might know somebody who knows somebody who knows a cure. But it might take a while. And we don’t know how long Damon has.” You nodded, not wanting to hear what he was saying. But you had to. “You’re good for him, you know. I haven’t seen him this happy in a long time.”

“Out of curiosity, how long?” Damon had only given you bits and pieces of the story of his existence. You understood though, considering how long he’d been around. Some stories he’d think would scare you off. 

“Not since 1864. Go, be with him. He needs you now more than ever,” Stefan told you, stepping out of your way so you could make your way back upstairs. On the way, you grabbed a bowl of cold water and a washcloth. 

When you got back up to Damon’s room, his eyes were closed and he looked peaceful. He’d unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, had kicked his shoes off which landed just off the foot of his bed. He looked almost peaceful, if you didn’t know that he was dying. Which was brought back to your attention quickly as another coughing fit started deep in his chest. This time though, you saw blood come from his lips, landing on the palm of his hand. 

“You’re okay,” you assured, rushing to his side to clean the blood off his hand. 

“Don’t lie to me, Y/N,” he said softly. “I’m not going to be okay.” 

“Let me have my hope, Mr Pessimistic.” You joined him in bed, his head resting on your lap for the time being as your hand stroked through his hair. His breathing evened out as he fell asleep. 

You did everything you could to not cry, trying to tell yourself that he’d lived a long life. But what Stefan had told you echoed through your head. Was this really the happiest he’d been since his human life had ended? You didn’t want to believe it to be true, but he did seem a lot happier than when you first met him. He seemed more relaxed, less high strung. 

Every once in a while he would cough hard enough to wake himself up, the thin layer of sweat becoming thicker, his skin getting hotter. You’d started dabbing his face with the wet washcloth, trying to cool him down, to buy you time. That’s when it really started to get worse. 

“Katherine, I’ll follow you forever,” he said, eyes drifting open and shut. “Turn me so we can be together forever.” 

“Hey, it’s okay, Damon. It’s Y/N,” you reminded him as he sat up. “Here, drink.” 

You handed him one of the blood bags which he quickly downed. You’d never seen him feed, never seen his face change. Not until that moment. The human survival instinct inside of you said to run, to be terrified of the monster. But you couldn’t. Not when your heart started pounding, the sinking feeling in your gut telling you to stay because you didn’t want to be away from him. Not now, not ever. When he finished, he laid back down, this time with his head on your chest, his hands on his own. Instinctively, you wrapped your arms around him, continuing to try and keep him cool with the towel. 

“Tell me about her, Damon,” you told him. “Tell me about Katherine.” He just groaned, and you weren’t sure if it was from pain or from mentioning her.

“She was the most beautiful woman I’d met,” he started. “And she broke my heart. She changed us both, but we both knew she’d chosen Stefan as her favorite, as the one to have her heart. And then she died. What more is there to say?” You rested your chin on the top of his head. 

“Talk to me, Damon, about anything. Everything.” 

You just wanted to hear his voice, tears welling up in your eyes. But he didn’t, falling back asleep. The sun continued its progression through the sky, and you couldn’t help but wonder how much longer he had. 

It felt like you’d dozed off for only a few minutes when you realized he wasn’t there in bed with you, panic filling your body. You searched the house, trying to find him, not sure if he’d left. If he’d left, you didn’t know what to do, not sure what his mind was thinking. That was until you’d found him in the basement with at least ten blood bags around him.

“Damon,” you said softly, trying not to startle him. He looked up at you, hands and mouth covered in blood, but it was more like he looked through you, as if you weren’t really there. “Dae, come back to bed.” 

He didn’t move, and neither did you. “It’s me, Damon. Y/N,” you reminded him, taking a small step towards him. It was the wrong move though, with him being in front of you in a blink of an eye. Your hand grabbed his wrist lightly, hoping that maybe it would ground him. “Come back to bed.”

He didn’t move to leave the basement, though, backing you up until your back was pressed against the cold, concrete wall. You could feel the heat radiating off of him, as if he was going to catch fire any second. Your heart pounded in your chest as you tried to keep your breathing calm and even. You brought your other hand up, cupping his cheek. There was no telling what he was going to do. The black veins around his eyes were visible, fangs protruding.

“Damon, you don’t want to do this,” you reminded him. “I’m your best friend. You always said you would never hurt me.” 

“Y/N,” he said softly, backing away as his face became his again. You gave a pitiful smile as he fell to his knees, groaning in pain as he clutched his chest. 

“Hey, hey.” You knelt in front of him, pulling him close to you. “You’re going to be okay. Stefan is working on finding a cure. Let’s get you back upstairs.”

“I don’t know what’s happening to me,” he half cried as you got him to his feet. 

It took longer than you’d hoped it would to get him up the stairs. Once you got him in bed, you weren’t sure what to do. You had two options. Stay and comfort him and watch him die, or leave and let him die alone. You didn’t even have to weigh your options, joining him on the bed, cleaning the blood off of him before laying next to him with your head on his chest. His breaths were labored and shallow, able to hear him wheeze with every breath. 

“This is even more pitiful than I thought,” he managed to say, eyes half open as you looked up at him. 

“There’s still hope, though. I’m not giving up on you. Just hold on as long as you can, okay?” He nodded weakly. 

“I’ve made a lot of choices that have gotten me here. I deserve this. I deserve to die.”

“No. You don’t,” you said adamantly, tears stinging your eyes. 

“I do, Y/N, it’s okay though. Because if I’d have chosen differently, I wouldn’t have met you. I’m glad to have met you.” His voice was raspy, speaking slowly as if he couldn’t breathe. It was obvious he couldn’t. “You should have met me in 1864. You would have liked me more.”

“I like you just the way you are, Damon.” You held onto his hand, not wanting to let go. 

“You would have loved me back then, Y/N. I’m glad you came into my life when you did. I love you, you should know that. It’s why we had all the lunches, why we hung out so often, why I didn’t try anything. Because I love you,” his voice cracked, every few words interrupted with coughs. Your heart felt like it skipped a beat, hearing him say that. It didn’t come as much of a surprise though.

“I know, Damon. I love you too.” His eyes fluttered open, looking at you with tears in his own eyes, blue eyes glistening. 

“I’ve waited over a century for someone to say that.” Your heart felt like it was breaking. Because this wasn’t enough time for the two of you. Nine months wasn’t long enough. You wanted a lifetime with him. A long, long lifetime. You cupped his cheek, pressing your lips against his softly, moving together until he pulled away, coughing again. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. 

“Damon Salvatore, I love you,” you said again, the corners of his lips pulling up into a weak smile. “I just need you to hold on, okay? I’m sure Stefan will have a cure soon. You can’t leave me yet.”

“Keep an eye on Rick for me,” he told you. “He’s going to need someone there for him. Stefan...He has Lexi. Rick doesn’t have anybody.”

“What about me, Damon? What am I supposed to do?” you asked him, voice cracking.

“You’re going to live a long, happy life without me.” 

You felt him squeeze your hand, and all you wanted to do was run away. You weren’t sure if you could watch him die, because that’s what you’d been doing for the past eight hours, slowly watching him die.

“Is it going to be a happy life, when you’d be my greatest what-if?” you asked softly as he pressed a kiss to the top of your head. 

You couldn’t close your eyes, couldn’t move away from him. You had to make sure he was still alive, still breathing as you held back sobs. You’d lost so many people in your life, you didn’t know if you’d be able to handle another one. Especially not Damon. 

“Lexi is almost here,” Stefan told you from the doorway in a hushed voice, trying not to wake Damon. This got your attention, sitting up to look at him, wiping away your tears.

“She found a cure?” He nodded with a sad smile. The only thing you could do was wait and hope that she got to Damon in time. “I can’t lose him, Stefan.”

“I know. Neither can I. So I need to ask you something, Y/N.” You held onto Damon’s hand, feeling the pulse in his wrist continuing to beat. 

“You would never hurt him, right? Katherine...she was the last person he really loved, aside from himself. And she broke him, and he’s never been the same. You’re not just telling him you love him because he’s dying, right?” A part of you wanted to be offended, but you understood where Stefan was coming from. 

“If I wanted to hurt him, I would have told the counsel months ago that he was a vampire. I do love him, Stefan. That isn’t a lie, it could never be a lie. Maybe him dying is what made me realize it, but it doesn’t make it less true.” Stefan nodded as a blonde woman came to stand next to him, a vial in her hand. 

“Sorry to interrupt the moment, but we have a brother to save,” she said with a smile, walking into the room as she popped the cap on the vial. “Damon!” That got him to open his eyes, squinting as his lips parted to say something. “You’re a lucky bastard. Drink this.” 

She put the vial up to his lips, pouring it in his mouth. He grimaced, but swallowed before coughing. 

“Tastes like wet dog,” he mumbled, head falling back on the pillows. 

“Suck it up. Stefan and I are going to go get some drinks and catch up. You should be feeling better soon. You’re welcome!” she told him as she walked out of the room. It didn’t take a genius to realize they didn’t get along the greatest. 

“How are you feeling?” you asked softly, looking him over. His pale skin was slowly getting color back, his breathing less labored. 

“A little better. Doesn’t feel like I’m drowning anymore,” he admitted, reaching out to hold your hand. “Did you mean what you said?”

“Of course I did, Damon.” His face softened, looking like he was going to cry. But he didn’t, because he was Damon afterall. He rarely showed actual emotion. 

“Come’ere,” he told you, pulling you to him. Your face nuzzled in his neck, breathing him in. His shirt was soaking wet, skin sticky, but you didn’t care. He was alive, he was going to be fine. 

“I thought I was going to lose you,” you said against his skin, letting yourself cry. He held you tight, rubbing circles on your back. It took a few minutes for it to die down, pulling back just to have him wipe the tears from your eyes. 

“You can’t get rid of me that easily. You should probably head home. I’ll pick the car up tomorrow.” There was no way of hiding the look of confusion and hurt on your face. He’d just survived almost dying, and now he was kicking you out? 

“I want to stay with you.” He shook his head no. “Why not?”

“When vampires almost die or get hurt, we need to feed. And I vaguely remember finishing up our stash in the basement. I don’t want to hurt you.” 

That made you understand. He just wanted you safe, but that wasn’t enough. Because he was just going to end up hurting someone else. You couldn’t let him do that. 

“Damon, I trust you.” That got you his usual confused look, eyes squinting in curiosity. “You’re just going to end up going out there and hurting someone else. I trust you won’t kill me though.” You offered him your wrist. 

“Y/N, I can’t,” he insisted, leaning away. 

“Yes you can. I trust you. I would trust you with my life. Now, you need to feed. You have someone here who is willing to let you do so. No strings attached.” He didn’t move, staying where he was. “Damon, please.”

He took your arm, bringing your wrist to his mouth. He didn’t bite though, kissing the inside of your wrist. Your free hand combed through his hair. That was until he did bite down, grimacing in pain as his fangs tore through your skin. It didn’t hurt as bad as you thought it would, but it was an odd feeling. As if you’d cut yourself, but the blood never reached your hand, fingers going numb. You continued to comb through his hair with your free hand, assuring him it was okay. Until it wasn’t. 

“Damon,” you said softly, trying to get his attention. “Damon, stop. Stop.” He didn’t though, feeling lightheaded as he continued on. “Enough, Damon. Please.” You pulled at his hair, which was enough to finally get his attention. He pulled away, face going back to normal. You were still lightheaded, but knew it would go away. 

“I’m sorry,” he told you, getting up and walking into the bathroom. You would have followed him, had you thought you’d be able to make it. He came back a minute later with a first aid kit. 

“It’s okay. I told you I trusted you. I still do,” you assured him as he bandaged your wrist. There was something about his silence that spoke volumes about how he felt. Damon wasn’t one to just not say anything, always having an opinion or something to stay. “I don’t want you feeling bad, okay? I offered. I told you I trust you. And I still love you.” 

“I’m going to get changed.” You didn’t think Damon felt guilt, or really anything. But his reaction changed that perception of him. He put on the tough guy persona, but he did feel underneath it all. While he was gone, you slipped out of your jeans, not wanting to get up to put pajama pants on. 

When he came back in, he was in his boxers. You couldn’t help but take the sight in, defined muscles, flawless skin, abs. He really was like a living marble statue, and he was there with you. 

“I’d understand if you wanted to stay in the guestroom tonight,” he said softly, standing at the end of the bed, fidgeting with his ring. 

“I’m not going anywhere. I almost lost you today. Everything that I said, everything that I feel is true. And me staying right here with you is the first step of proving it to you. I can tell you don’t trust easily, Dae. But I need you to trust me just like I trust you. Now come to bed,” you insisted.

It took another minute for him to move to lay down with you. The two of you laid on your sides, facing each other. You couldn’t help but cup his cheek with your hand, thumb rubbing along his cheekbone. He held your waist, thumb sliding under your shirt, pressing against your skin. 

“I love you, Damon,” you assured him again, looking into his eyes.

It was something you’d told people before, but you’d never meant it more than in that moment. 

-----

You woke to the sun shining through the curtains, warm on your skin. You almost didn’t want to open your eyes, until you felt someone laying next to you, the memories of the previous day rushing back. You didn’t move as you felt his fingers trace your face, light as a feather. This was your new happy place. 

“Morning,” he said softly as the corners of your lips pulled into a small, relaxed smile. When you opened your eyes, you were taken away by the sight. His usually very tame hair was in loose curls. The dark circles under his eyes long gone. He looked like his usually cocky self, in boxers. 

“I could get used to waking up like this, with you.” He smiled as you moved closer to him, pressing against his chest. 

“There’s still so much you don’t know, Y/N.” You cut him off with a kiss before he could say anything else. 

“You can tell me all of it later, okay? But right now, I just want to enjoy laying here in bed with a still very alive you,” you told him before kissing him again. You knew it wasn’t going to go anywhere, at least not that day. You could tell he was hesitant, a stark contrast to his usual very self assured behavior. “Okay, what’s on your mind?” You sat up, back against the headboard as you looked at him. He wasn’t going to relax until you let him talk.

“I could have killed you last night,” he finally said. You were about to say something when he shook his head, silencing you. “I know I didn’t, but I could have. I don’t know what I would do if I ever hurt you. No amount of trust, no amount of…”

“I don’t want you carrying that guilt, that fear. I trusted you from the time I met you at the counsel meeting. Why else would I have come here to confront you about it?” 

“If you trusted me, why keep me out of your house for six months? You’d even said it yourself the first day we had lunch that you didn’t trust me yet,” he reminded you, which caused you to sigh. 

“I did trust you, but I was still trying to find a reason not to. I was scared, thinking that maybe I was going to end up like my parents. Dead. I trusted you, and that idea scared me at the time,” you countered, trying to make him understand. “I trust you with my life, Damon.”

He smiled, toying with your bracelet. “I could take this off, make you forget everything. You’d be safe.”

“Don’t,” you whispered, scared that he might. “I haven’t had a family since I was a teenager. Then, when I left, I never stayed in one place long enough to make a home. I never found the right place. You’re both of those.”

“I’m too selfish to do that,” he sighed, letting go of the bracelet. “I haven’t loved someone in a very long time, and I forgot how good it felt.”

“Stefan told me he hasn’t seen you this happy since 1864,” you admitted. “You mentioned her. I’m not sure if you were hallucinating or not.”

“I don’t want to talk about Katherine right now. Because she’s not here. You are.” 

That made you smile, hoping it was a good sign that he was choosing being with you over talking about his dead vampire ex. You just leaned your head against his shoulder, his arm wrapping around you. 

“Vampire blood heals humans,” he said after a few minutes of just enjoying being there with him. 

“I know. And you won’t do anything if something happens to me, Damon. Because as much as I love you, I don’t want that existence,” you told him, not getting an answer in response. You could tell he didn’t like that, but didn’t bring it up again. “I should get home. As much as I want to stay here with you, I have to go back to work tonight.” 

“I’ll drive you home.” 

The two of you got up, getting dressed. You were still a little woozy from the night before, but not as bad. Sleep had definitely helped. By the time you’d finished getting dressed, Damon was leaning against the bathroom door frame watching you which got you to smile, walking over to him to kiss him. This was something you could get used to.

-----

“Mason,” you said with a smile as you sat across from him at a table at The Grill, sliding a glass of scotch to him. “You’ve been in town for two months, and you have yet to stop by and say hi.” 

You hated him with every fiber in your being for almost killing Damon. Damon, who had given up on his warpath to kill the werewolf after much pleading with him since nobody knew how to get more of the cure. You’d convinced him it wasn’t worth it, that you’d make sure Mason kept his mouth shut. 

“I’ve been keeping busy. Plus, I didn’t realize you were back in town considering you jumped ship right after you graduated,” he answered, mirroring your smile. 

“Tell me, what brought you back? Weren’t you enjoying your time in Florida?” You drank from your own glass, hoping it would make him more comfortable. 

“Time of my life, but Richard called saying he needed some help with Tyler. He’s been going through a rough time since Sarah died.” You remembered that. A freak accident where Sarah fell down the stairs at the Lockwood house one night when Tyler’s parents were out of town. You’d been the first on scene, trying to comfort Tyler -- who was freaking out.

“You mean because Tyler triggered the curse, and Richard hasn’t?” you asked, Mason shooting you a shocked and angry look. “I’m in the loop about a lot of things, Mason.”

“So you know about the Salvatores? How’s Damon doing? Haven’t seen him around.” You chuckled at first before he mentioned Damon, your face dropping as you finished off your drink. 

“Damon’s alive no thanks to you, Mason. Whatever pissing match you two had, or are still having, it’s over. You’re going to keep your mouth shut and so is Damon, got it?” He nodded, taking a drink from the glass you’d slid his way, quickly spitting it out. You didn’t say anything as you stood up, walking out and to your car.

You hated it. Mason had been one of your closest friends growing up, and now it came down to this. As much as you cared about your friend, neither of you were the same as you were in high school. You’d both changed too much. And you were always going to take Damon’s side, because you loved him.

The drive to the Salvatore Boarding House was a quiet one, not even knowing if Damon was going to be home. You just needed to see him, wanted to see him. Your entire life, everyone that you’d cared about had left you in one way or another. Seeing Mason, confronting Mason just confirmed that for you. You had no friends from your old life. Instead, you’d made new ones. But that didn’t make it hurt any less. 

You parked in the drive, about to get out of the car when it all came crashing down around you. You’d worked so hard to build a new life, to try and be happy, but you weren’t. You felt stuck. Sure, you loved your job, loved working with Liz, loved being in love with Damon. But for the life of you, you couldn’t figure out why you’d gone back to Mystic Falls in the first place. Your hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white. You couldn’t bring yourself to get out of the car.

The car door opened as you cried, chest tight. Strong arms pulled you close to a warm body, breathing in his scent as you clutched his shirt. He didn’t say anything, letting you cry, letting you grieve. When your sobs finally died down, you couldn’t let him go.

“Talk to me,” he said softly, kissing your temple. “Let’s go inside and talk.” You nodded, letting him help you out of the car, leaning into him as the two of you walked up to his room. 

“I saw Mason today,” you told him. “He’s not the same person I knew, Damon.”

“Is that why you were in your car crying?” You shook your head before sighing, wiping away newly forming tears. 

“I mean partly. Damon, this isn’t what I was expecting my life to be.” He sat down next to you, holding you against him. “My parents are supposed to be alive. I was supposed to go to college, to create an amazing life. But now, Mystic Falls seems far from home.”

“Let’s take a trip, just for a weekend. Let’s get your mind off all of this,” he said, motioning around. “Clear your mind.”

“I have a better idea to clear my mind,” you suggested, turning to kiss him, one hand on his cheek, the other hand on the back of his neck. You could feel him smiling against your lips as the two of you kissed. 

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what you wanted, quickly moving to straddle him. His hands were on your lower back, sliding up the back of your shirt, palms pressed against your skin to pull you closer to him. 

“Y/N,” he sighed against your lips as your hips moved against his. 

This was what you wanted. Despite the sadness you felt, Damon made you feel like you mattered, like you belonged somewhere. You pulled back only to pull his shirt off him, lips back on his before the fabric even hit the floor.

The two of you fit, like he was a missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle that was your life. Mason didn’t fit anymore, you’re parents' pieces missing since they died. 

“Tell me what you want, and you can have it,” Damon said as he kissed down your neck, ravishing you, not taking his time at all. 

“Make me forget,” you answered before he flipped the two of you over. He took the opportunity to get your shirt off before attaching his lips to your skin again. And make you forget he did. 

-----

“Rick conned me into helping him chaperone for the decades dance tomorrow,” Damon told you as the two of you cuddled on your couch. “Want to be my plus one?”

“Which decade?” You weren’t going to tell him no, but you were going to make him think that you were debating it before agreeing. You relaxed further into him -- if that was even possible -- as he traced an invisible pattern on your side. 

“Seventies.” You hummed for a minute before looking up at him with a smile. 

“I guess, if you insist.” He smiled back, kissing you softly. “But tell me, what were you up to in the seventies?” 

“Well, in the seventies, I was in New York. It was a very bad time for me. A lot of parties, a lot of drugs, a lot of people,” he answered, and you could tell he didn’t want to answer. 

“Whatever you’ve done in the past, I can’t hold it against you. I won’t. Okay?” you reminded him with an assuring smile. He just nodded, holding you a little tighter. 

“We have the option to turn off our humanity. It stops us from being able to feel whatever we’re feeling. Usually it’s pain and grief that pushes us to that point. Pretty much from 1958 to the early 2000s, that’s what I was doing. I didn’t care who I hurt. The seventies weren’t a pretty time for me,” he continued. You could tell it bothered him, but not enough to not talk about it. 

The next day, you told Damon you’d meet him at the high school. You were running late, so you shot him a quick text to let him know you were on your way. When you got there, you had to scan through the crowd of hormonal teenagers to find him standing with Alaric at the punch table. How ironic it was that your alcoholic boyfriend was supposed to be making sure nobody spiked the punchbowl. 

“Wassup, foxy mama,” Damon called out as you approached. 

“Careful, casanova,” you replied, stopping him from kissing you as you got to his side. “Children are present.” That got Alaric to laugh, kissing Damon on the cheek instead. 

“You two look good together,” Alaric told you both. You appreciated the compliment, knowing that he was really Damon’s only other friend. 

“Thanks, Rick. You need to come over for dinner some time. We could all use a little bonding,” you suggested as Damon’s arm snaked around your waist.

The night droned on, making idle conversation with Damon and Rick. You and Damon were nearly inseparable except for when you needed a human moment or two, or to break up some shenanigans the highschoolers were getting up to. 

“Think I can have this dance?” he asked, extending his hand as Make it With You began playing. You smiled, shaking your head, but taking his hand, letting him pull you to the edge of the gym. 

“We need to talk, Y/N,” he told you. “About why you don’t want me saving you.”

“We will. When we go home, okay?” He nodded, the two of you finishing the dance with your head resting on his chest. 

The two of you typically rotated whose house you’d stay at each night, but this time he’d suggested your place. It made you wonder how serious of a conversation this was going to be. Especially since he’d suggested having this discussion in the living room, and not trying to sweep you off your feet to the bedroom as soon as you stepped through the door. 

“Damon, as much as I want to spend eternity with you...I can’t risk it. I just...I want to see my parents again,” you told him, knowing where this was going.

“So, you want me to stand idly by and watch you die is what you’re telling me. You don’t want me to save you, even if it doesn’t change you. Am I not worth it, Y/N?” he asked, leaning against the fireplace. 

“You are everything to me, Damon.” It broke your heart that he thought he wasn’t enough. He was more than enough, but the thought of living forever...even if it was with Damon. It wasn’t enough. “But your life...I don’t want that for me. I want to live like a normal human being. I want to live my life to the fullest. I want to experience everything humanity has to offer. And being magically saved by my vampire boyfriend every time I get hurt? That isn’t my idea of life.”

Damon had tells, but he was hiding them so well. Until you saw him swallow hard, looking like he wanted to break something. 

“So, I’m enough...Until it comes to experiencing everything humanity has to offer. There are things I can’t give you, Y/N!” he reminded you. “Because experiencing humanity means getting married, having children, growing old together, dying! I can give you only one of those things, and it’s the one that means the least. And if something were to happen to you? Today, tomorrow, next week, next year. I won’t be able to handle saying goodbye. Because I’m selfish!” 

“I know you are, Damon.” You stood up, walking over to him. He didn’t move a muscle, looking at you with icy blue eyes as you held his face in your hands. “I know you’re selfish. But so am I. But I know you’ll be able to live without me.”

“How?” That’s when he let the facade drop, face soft, eyes sad. 

“Because you’ve lived this long without me. I’m going to be just a blip in your existence. In ten, twenty years after I’m gone, you’ll find somebody else that makes you feel this way. There’s not just one soulmate for everybody. Katherine, me...There will be others.” He just shook his head.

“I don’t want there to be others, Y/N. I want you.” You kissed him softly.

“Just promise me you won’t do anything if something happens to me,” you requested, getting a nod in response. You didn’t know if you were going to believe him, but for now you were going to. 

-----

“Damon, can I just go take a bath in that nice bathtub of yours and take a nap?” you whined, hands on your knees as you bent over to catch your breath. He’d been training you on how to protect yourself from vampires if the need ever arose. A water bottle was placed in front of your face, quickly grabbing it from Damon and taking a drink.

“We’ve been out here for less than an hour, Y/N. Humor me a little, for my own peace of mind.” You huffed, setting the bottle down, going back to running drills. Occasionally you’d try to trick him into letting you go early, but it never worked. He’d kept you at it for three hours before you called it quits, saying you needed food. 

“Why is this so important to you?” you asked him as you ate the sandwich he’d made you. 

“Well, if you won’t let me save you, at least I know you tried to save yourself,” he answered, drinking from the blood bag in his hands. “There’s one more thing to teach you, after you eat.” You nodded as he headed upstairs. 

You knew he was just trying to make himself feel better. From your conversations with Stefan, you knew this was the tame version of Damon. When he was upset, he usually lashed out, pushed people away. Stefan had never seen him hold someone closer. 

When you were done, you’d meandered your way to Damon’s bedroom, hearing the shower going. You smirked, a dirty thought in your mind. Might as well follow it, seeing as you told Damon you wanted to experience everything humanity had to offer. Stripping down, you joined him in the shower.

“Saving water?” he asked as the shower door shut behind you.

“Something like that.” Both of you couldn’t help but smile, Damon pulling you close, making sure your hand came to rest on his chest. His hair was wet, sticking to his forehead. But you were too focused on his eyes, always his eyes. 

“This is the sternum,” he told you. “Trying to attack here will just piss a vampire off.” He moved your hand slightly to the right, over his heart. “This is where you want to go if you’re coming from the front. You have the chance of hitting a rib, but even if you do, the likelihood of you hitting the heart is still high. The best place though.” He spun you around, making sure you didn’t fall. His hand came to rest just below the left side of your rib cage, just next to your spine. “Here and up.” 

“Aren’t you worried? I mean, you’re teaching a Gilbert, someone who had her parents killed by vampires, the secrets to killing one?” you asked, breathless as he pressed against you. 

“I trust you.”

-----

“Damon,” you said over the phone. You hated that you had to make this call, the mechanical beeping of the EKG hurting your ears. Everything hurt, and all you wanted was for Damon to be there.

“Hey, you didn’t show up for lunch. Started to get worried,” he told you. You could hear the concern in his voice over the phone. “You alright?”

“I don’t want you to freak out.”

“By you telling me not to freak out, I’m starting to freak out,” he warned you.

“I got into a car accident. I’m at the hospital.” Before you could say anything else, you heard him hang up, sighing as you knew he was freaking out. You knew it was only a matter of time before he stormed in, so you decided a quick power nap was in the cards. You were exhausted.

“Y/N,” you heard through the fog of sleep, a pressure on your hand. “Wakey, wakey.”

“Damon,” you mumbled, opening your eyes to see his gorgeous face in front of you, a goofy grin on your face.

“They have you on some good drugs, don’t they,” he said, mostly to himself as he pushed your hair out of your face. You just nodded, squeezing his hand. “What happened?”

“I got t-boned in the square by some idiot drunk,” you answered. “Few broken ribs, broken humerus, tore my knee.” He nodded, a look of pain on his face. “I’ll be fine. No worries. I’ll just need some help for eight to twelve weeks.”

“I could help you,” he offered. You just shook your head, not wanting that. It was too risky for you. “I know. Figured I’d just remind you.”

“Whose house are we staying at for the next few months?” He just shrugged, and you figured you guys would decide that later.  "What's going through your head, Dae?"

"I just really hate hospitals. And I hate seeing you in one even more,” he answered, holding your hand up to his lips, kissing your skin softly. 

“Well, they’re sending me home tomorrow. So you only have to deal with the hospital for a day.” That got him to smile and relax a little. “If you’re not careful, all that frowning is going to give you wrinkles.” 

“Frowning? What frowning?” He kept the small smile on his face to prove a point, getting you to kiss him. “Scoot over.” 

Damon had his dark moments, his angry moments. But he also had moments like these, the sweet ones. He wasn’t a monster like he thought he was, he wasn’t selfish. He cared to a fault. His heart was his weakness, and you’d managed to hold it in your hands. Much like he held you close, careful not to jostle your arm or leg.  

"I love you," you told him, half asleep. He just kissed your forehead and let you fall into a deep sleep. 

-----

You woke up to the sound of your alarm going off, dreading getting up. But this was different. You had a test that you didn’t want to take, one that you hadn’t studied for. Sitting up, you stretched as the sun shone in your eyes through the window. 

“Y/N!” your mom yelled from downstairs. “Breakfast is ready!”

“I’m getting dressed! I’ll be done in a minute, Mom,” you replied, grabbing a pair of skinny jeans and your favorite shirt. You bounded down the stairs, your mom standing in the kitchen and your dad already sitting at the table reading the paper like he did every morning. For some reason, you felt sad, as if you missed this.

“You seemed happy,” Damon told you as he stood from the couch. 

“This is a dream?” you asked, wanting it to be real. Damon nodded, as you focused on your parents and not him. “I miss them so much.” 

“Then go be with them, Y/N. This is your dream.” You nodded, kissing him before going about your morning routine with them. This wasn’t the first time you’d had this dream, but it was the first time Damon showed up. It was curious. 

-----

“I had the greatest dream,” you told him when you woke up the next morning. 

“I know.” You were confused. Was that why he had shown up? Had he gotten into your head somehow. “I didn’t mean to invade. I just...I wanted to make sure you were really okay.” 

“It’s okay. It was just...unusual that you were there. That’s all,” you assured him, kissing him softly.

“Well, you’re all good to go,” Doctor Fell told you as she walked in the room, looking between you and Damon. “I see your ride is already here. Just no strenuous activities. Try to stay off your feet since you can’t use crutches yet. And follow up with the orthopedic surgeon who will track your progress for your arm and leg. Do you have any questions?”

“I think we’ll be able to figure it out,” Damon answered for you. Doctor Fell nodded, leaving the room after leaving your paperwork on the table. It took a few minutes for you and Damon to figure out how to get you dressed with your cast and knee immobilizer, but you managed. 

“Damon the wheelchair isn’t necessary,” you whined as he sat you down. 

“Yes it is, at least to get you to the car. You heard the doc, got to keep you off your feet as much as possible.”

“She also said no strenuous activity, but I have a feeling you won’t be listening to that once we get home,” you countered, Damon glaring at you as you looked up at him with a smirk. He wheeled you out to the car, helping you in as carefully as he could. But it was difficult seeing as he drove a sports car. Plus, he couldn’t drive your car since it was definitely totaled from the car accident. 

“Can we stay at my place?” you asked Damon softly once he got in. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to spend time at his place, but you just felt safer at home. He and Stefan were the only vampires you’d invited in. And you couldn’t protect yourself, knowing you had to rely solely on Damon for the next couple of months. 

“Of course.” He reached across to hold your hand gently, not wanting to hurt you. 

The drive to your house was a silent one, neither of you really speaking to each other. It was a comfortable silence, though. It wasn’t uncommon to have silent car rides with Damon, just enjoying each other’s company. It was nice. You didn’t realize you’d dozed off until you woke up to him carrying you up your front porch steps, your good arm around his neck while you cradled your bad one to your chest.  

“Go back to sleep,” he whispered, kissing your forehead as he carried you through the threshold and up the stairs to your bedroom. You just hummed in agreement, letting your eyes drift shut again. 

The next time you woke up was in pain. Not as bad as when you’d first crashed your car, but pretty bad. Your entire body ached, head pounding. The doctors said it was normal and to be expected. That didn’t make it any better though. It definitely didn’t help that Damon wasn’t there. Sitting up with a groan, you rubbed the sleep out of your eyes. 

“Damon!” you called out, knowing you couldn’t get up. It was physically impossible. 

It took a minute before he showed up in your room in one of his t-shirts and pajama pants. You smiled, loving seeing him somewhat relaxed. You could still tell he was carrying some weight of something on his shoulders. 

“Can you bring me some of my painkillers? And then come to bed?” you asked him, Damon holding up the pill bottles and water glass as if he’d read your mind. You rubbed your face again as Damon sat next to you, the bed dipping underneath him. 

“What did I do to deserve you?” you asked him before popping the pills, quickly chasing them with water. 

“I ask myself that question all the time,” he replied as you leaned over to kiss him. 

-----

It had been a long twelve weeks, wanting to tear his head off at times. Occasionally, he’d leave to get some air when things started getting tense. Each time, he came back when you called. You were both thrilled when you were given the all clear to get around on your own. It was odd though, being home alone. You’d gotten used to his company. But both of you were stubborn, both of you having what you considered ‘home’ even when being with each other felt even more right. You couldn’t give up your family home, and he loved the freedom he had at his. 

So, things went back to normal. The two of you would rotate where you stayed, partly dependent on Stefan and when he was going to be home. Lexi had stuck around after saving Damon, and you could tell she was good for Stefan. 

Things were just still...off with Damon. You really couldn’t figure it out, couldn’t figure him out. You’d tried talking, but Damon wasn’t in a talking kind of mood every time you tried. It was frustrating. You’d even tried getting Rick to get him to talk, but with no luck, so the two of you had come up with a plan. Which is how you ended up sitting on the couch in front of a burning fireplace with a bottle of wine in your hand as you waited for Damon to get home. You knew it would take a while for Rick to get Damon drunk, so you sat back and relaxed. 

“Funny seeing you here!” he sing-songed from the foyer. “I thought you had work tonight.” You heard him stumble, knocking something over that sounded pretty expensive. Everything in his house was expensive. 

“I lied,” you answered, turning to see him stumbling towards his alcohol display, pouring himself another drink. “Haven’t you had enough?”

“No because I have a bad feeling about why you’re here,” he answered with a laugh, not looking at you. You couldn’t help but scoff. That got him to look at you. “What?”

“Whatever has been weighing on you for the past few months, whatever you’ve kept bottled up. Talk to me,” you told him. The smile dropped as he shook his head, downing the drink in one go. 

“Is that why Rick suggested tonight? You behind all this?” 

“Guilty as charged. Now, Damon. Talk to me.” 

You could tell he wasn’t going to talk, the brooding look plastered on his face. There was no way you were taking ‘no’ for an answer this time. Definitely not this time. 

“Damon. I swear to god. I can tell something has been bothering you for a while. And I haven't pushed it much. Until now. Because it’s bothering me that something is bothering you. And I have a feeling it’s about me,” you finally said, getting him to look at you. “This is me telling you. Whatever is bothering you, we need to talk about. Or this-” You pointed between the two of you, closing the distance between the two of you, “isn’t going to work.”

His jaw clenched as your palm rested on his chest. You heard the glass shatter in his hand, hearing the pieces of glass hit the floor as he opened his bleeding hand. You knew he would heal quickly, not worried. 

“Maybe that’s for the best,” he finally said, breaking the tense silence. Your heart dropped, not wanting to believe what he just said. 

“Dam-” He didn’t let you finish, taking a step back. 

“No, Y/N. You can’t make it better!” he told you. “You and me, this puts you in danger. Just being near me is dangerous. And you are all too human.” 

“So, that’s what this is about? My vulnerability?” He didn’t answer, and you couldn’t help but scoff again. 

“What’s with all the?” He mimicked your scoffing noise. 

“Because we’ve been over this, Damon! It’s a risk I’m willing to take. Because I love you.” You didn’t want to believe you were having this conversation again, but it was obviously something that had to be talked about. 

“I want to say the same, Y/N, but for once I’m being selfless. Or maybe I’m still selfish. I’m not sure which. Because everything in me wants to keep you by my side! Everything in me says to never let you go!” You could see the look of pain on his face, his bottom lip quivering. “But I have to let you go. I almost lost you, Y/N. And I had to be there every step of the way, helping you get better. Because you’re stubborn.” He let out a small chuckle at that. “You’re so strong willed. Despite having a fix it all cure literally right in front of you, you decided to take the human way through things.” 

“What are you saying, Damon?” You didn’t want to believe what he was saying. His hand held your wrist before snatching your vervain bracelet, hissing in pain as he dropped it on the floor. You went to grab it, but he kept a hold of you. “Damon, what are you doing?”

“I want you to live a long and happy life, Y/N,” he told you. “And you can’t do that with me.” Tears burned your eyes, knowing what he was doing. 

“Damon, don’t. Please, Damon,” you begged, but he just gave you a sad smile. 

“You’re going to forget we were together,” he told you, your eyes captivated by his. “You’re going to leave here, thinking we decided to break up. If anybody asks, you’re going to say it’s for the best. We’re going to be friends again, just friends. You’ll be able to think back on our relationship and not be sad.” His voice cracked as he nodded. “You’re going to be happier without me, Y/N. You’re going to find a nice human boy who is going to be right for you. And you’re going to fill in love. And you’re gonna love him more than me. And you’re going to forget this conversation, forget I took your bracelet off. You’re going to be fine.” 

As much as you didn’t want to listen, every fiber in your being telling you to listen to him instead. When he looked away, that’s what you thought was the truth. Your bracelet back on your wrist before you even realized it was gone.  

“I have to go home, Damon. Lunch on Wednesday?” He just nodded as you walked out of the door. 

-----

You had gone on several dates since breaking up with Damon. The two of you still had weekly lunches, and he seemed more than okay. Occasionally, you’d see him flirting with other women. But for some reason it didn’t bother you. You weren’t exactly sure why. You thought seeing him with other people would hurt more, but it didn’t. 

And then you met a nice guy. Something inside you was drawn to him, and all you wanted was to be around him. Call it fate or love, you weren’t sure. Damon took it better than you thought he would when you introduced your new boyfriend, Klaus. There was something simmering under the surface, though. Maybe Damon wasn’t as happy with it as he tried to make it seem, though you didn’t question it.  

“Klaus suggested you come over tonight for dinner,” you told Damon over the phone when you called him. Klaus was laying next to you, fingers tracing patterns on your side, getting you to giggle. 

“Sure, I’ll be over at six,” he agreed, quickly hanging up. You rolled over to look at Klaus, his blue eyes staring into yours. They weren’t as piercing as Damon’s were, but you still were caught up in them. 

“Good job, darling,” he cooed. “Now, where were we?” His lips pressed against yours, rolling on top of you with a smile.

-----

You’d gotten dressed in the dress Klaus had laid out for you, a nice black dress. It wasn’t too formal for a friend dinner, but just formal enough to make you feel sexy. He’d also set out a set of thick bracelets for you to wear to cover the bite marks -- the ones you didn’t know he’d compelled you to forget about how you got them.

“Darling, Damon is here!” Klaus called from the kitchen. You just put on a smile, clasping the bracelet before going downstairs. Klaus made you happy, it just felt right. When you saw Damon you gave him a hug with a smile before going over to Klaus who gave you a quick kiss. “So, what’s with the impromptu dinner party?” Damon asked, hanging his jacket on the coat rack. 

“Well, Klaus wanted to get to know you better, Damon. I mean, you are my best friend, and he’s my boyfriend.” Damon rolled his eyes, but sat at the table anyway. He watched the two of you move around the kitchen, watching you be happy with Klaus. 

“What happened to your wrist?” Damon asked when your bracelet slid up your arm when you reached for the plates in the cabinet. 

“Cut myself on some broken glass. It’s nothing,” you assured him. You saw the disbelief on his face, looking between you and Klaus. 

“So, Y/N tells me you know Katherine Pierce,” Klaus said, speaking to your best friend for the first time. “I know her too.”

“Wait, how do you know Katherine?” you asked, confused. There was no possible way Klaus knew Katherine. She’d been dead since 1864. 

“I knew her before she was Katherine Pierce. Back when she was Katerina Petrova. Back when she ripped my family from me,” Klaus answered. You looked between him and Damon as the latter stood up slowly. You still didn’t understand. “Damon, did you notice something missing from your best friend?” 

“Y/N, where’s your vervain bracelet?” he asked. Your brows furrowed as you looked at your wrists, not seeing it. “Run.”

“Ah-ah,” Klaus ticked, your legs not moving. As much as you wanted to move, you couldn’t. And that was terrifying.

“What do you want, Klaus?” Damon asked, anger evident on his face. “Or is that even your name?”

“No, Klaus is my name. Where is Katerina Petrova?” Klaus handed you a knife, and you weren’t sure why you took it. You knew you had to. 

“Kiss my ass,” Damon growled, eyes dark as he scowled. 

“That’s not a good answer. Darling,” Klaus said, getting your attention to look at him. When your eyes met, he spoke. “You’re going to stab yourself in the abdomen now, just like we talked about.” 

“No!” Damon said, rushing towards you as the blade plunged into your flesh, a scream ripping through your throat. You fell to your knees, blood already seeping from around the blade and covering your hands. Klaus stepped to the side as Damon joined you on the floor. “No, no, no,” he kept repeating, your face going pale.

“Dae,” you whimpered as he pulled the knife out, the blood coming out faster. You fell into his chest, his hands becoming covered with our blood. “You’ll be okay,” you assured him, hand reaching up to cup his cheek, smearing your blood on his perfect face. 

“Screw that,” he growled, biting open his wrist before pressing it to your lips. You resisted, not wanting to risk it. But you felt his blood running down your throat. “You’re the one who’s going to be okay.” 

You felt him lay you on the ground, lightheaded. You knew what he’d just done, the one thing you told him never to do. But here you were, wounds healing because Damon saved you. And you could hear your ex and your soon to be ex fighting in your house, breaking god knows what. You knew you heard a chair break, and you were stuck staring at the ceiling as your breathing evened out. 

“Sorry to tell you,” you heard Damon groan, sounding like he was probably being choked. “Katherine died in 1864.” 

“Well then, you’re no longer useful. And since you’re no longer useful, she’s no longer useful,” Klaus replied, Damon groaning again. 

“I swear to god if you hurt her, I will kill you,” your friend growled. You heard bones break, and nothing else from Damon. The next thing you knew, Klaus was looking over you. 

“I could kill you. Or…” The world went black.

-----

The first thing you noticed when consciousness started to come back was the pain in your neck. It was a deep ache, like when you broke your arm. The next thing you realized was that you weren’t on the ground like you remembered. You were in a soft bed, no longer in the dress, but in pajamas. The last thing you noticed was the deep hunger inside of you, one that you didn’t want. It was the one thing you didn’t want. 

When you opened your eyes, it wasn’t your house. It was Damon’s guest room - the one you’d only seen once before. The night before in the back of your mind, slowly coming through. You’d stabbed yourself because Klaus had compelled you. Klaus, your boyfriend. Klaus, the vampire. How did you fall for another vampire? How did he trick you into falling for him? Or maybe it was just you. Maybe that’s just the girl you were, the one who fell for the undead. 

“You’re awake,” Damon said softly. When you opened your eyes, he was sitting on the side of the bed, looking at you. When you saw him, it was like a fire inside of you started all over again, one that had never left. It felt like it was going to consume you. Overwhelmingly so. “How are you feeling?” 

Then the world came crashing back down. You were supposed to be dead. And you weren’t. You’d died. And then Damon had saved you. And then Klaus had killed you again. Which meant…

“Is that a trick question, Damon?” you asked, sitting up. “What happens now?”

“There’s two options. You either drink blood and finish your transformation. Or you don’t and you die for good.” You nodded, not sure what you wanted. You were angry and upset. You weren’t supposed to be alive. Damon did the one thing you were the most adamant about. “What’s going through your head?”

“A lot. Damon, a lot.” You stood up, stretching out your neck. “There’s a lot of conflict in my head. I’m angry, and upset, and those are the first things in my head because if I focus on anything else, I feel like I’m going to...I don’t know.” 

“Being a vampire makes everything heightened. All those feelings, all those emotions are on overdrive. Especially if you haven’t completed your transformation.” That made you snap. All of that anger bubbling inside of you.

“I wouldn’t be dealing with these emotions if you hadn’t saved me, Damon! This isn’t what I wanted and you knew that!” Tears filled your eyes, hand raking through your hair. 

“Yes, Y/N, I know,” he said softly, looking at you with those eyes. “But Klaus couldn’t win.”

“No, don’t bring Klaus into this, Damon! This is about you! This is about you being too selfish to just let me have what I wanted!” With each word, you stepped closer to him until you were nearly nose to nose. “I didn’t want this, Damon!”

“I know you didn’t.” His hand reached out to push your hair out of your face. “And I swear, I didn’t mean for this to happen. But had I waited, you would have died. Because of him, because of me. I tried...I tried to keep you safe.”

“Why, Damon? Why not just let me die like I wanted?” you asked. 

“Because I still love you.” You didn’t know how to react, especially as his lips were on yours. It was as if every spot he touched was sparking with electricity, like you were a candle that he was trying to light with every touch. You couldn’t help but whine as he pulled away. “And you need to make a decision, Y/N. Because you don’t have a lot of time.”

“I don’t know, Damon.” You squeezed your eyes shut, gripping his shirt. 

“You know I want you to do it, want to keep you around forever.” The back of his hand caressed your cheek. Again, you couldn’t tear your eyes off his, but this was different. It was like you would do anything to make him happy. 

“I want to do it,” you nodded. He nodded with you before the two of you walking down to the basement to get a blood bag for you. 

“Are you sure?” he asked again as he opened the bag. You could feel the pain in your gums, causing you to groan in pain as your hand came up to your mouth, feeling the fangs protruding. 

“I’m sure.” You grabbed the bag out of his hands, quickly sucking it empty, blood on the corners of your mouth. You smiled, dropping the bag in the trash. “That was good.” 

“Good. In time, I can teach you how to feed, how to control the urges,” he assured you. “But we need to get you a daylight ring, which might take some time to find a witch to do it who knows how to do it.” 

“What ever are we going to do until then?” You smirked, pulling him closer by the collar of his shirt. “You don’t have to worry about breaking me,” you then reminded him before crashing your lips against his, backing him up against the wall. 

You couldn’t help it, Damon was just so irresistible. And it felt so right. Before you knew it, he’d lifted you up, your legs on his waist as he carried you upstairs -- all the way upstairs to his bedroom. Your hands were in his hair, nails gently scratching at his scalp as his tongue invaded your mouth. This time, your back was pressed up against the wall, giving the two of you the leverage needed to grind your hips together. You could feel his erection against you. 

“Damon,” you moaned softly as his lips were against your neck, your jaw, your shoulder. His teeth grazed along your skin, marking you with hickies along the way. “Need you.” 

He pulled back to look at you with a smile before throwing you on the bed. You propped yourself up on your elbows to look at him before he leaned down, lips against yours again. It was as if you had been stranded in a desert and he was the first drink you’d found. You needed him, craved him. There was no hesitation as you tore open his shirt, the buttons scattering on the floor. Your hands slid down his chest, down to the waist of his jeans. 

His hands, though, were not so tame compared to yours. You could feel one hand slide up your shirt, the other slipping down into your pajama pants. Your nails scratched down his chest, not realizing you drew blood until you felt the stickiness on your hands, but he didn’t stop. 

“Oh, god,” you moaned, skilled hands playing you like his own personal instrument. 

“I want to say the same, Y/N, but for once I’m being selfless. Or maybe I’m still selfish. I’m not sure which. Because everything in me wants to keep you by my side! Everything in me says to never let you go!” You could see the look of pain on his face, his bottom lip quivering. “But I have to let you go. I almost lost you, Y/N. And I had to be there every step of the way, helping you get better. Because you’re stubborn.” He let out a small chuckle at that. “You’re so strong willed. Despite having a fix it all cure literally right in front of you, you decided to take the human way through things.” 

“What are you saying, Damon?” You didn’t want to believe what he was saying. His hand held your wrist before snatching your vervain bracelet, hissing in pain as he dropped it on the floor. You went to grab it, but he kept a hold of you. “Damon, what are you doing?”

“I want you to live a long and happy life, Y/N,” he told you. “And you can’t do that with me.” Tears burned your eyes, knowing what he was doing. 

“Damon, don’t. Please, Damon,” you begged, but he just gave you a sad smile. 

“You’re going to forget we were together,” he told you, your eyes captivated by his. “You’re going to leave here, thinking we decided to break up. If anybody asks, you’re going to say it’s for the best. We’re going to be friends again, just friends. You’ll be able to think back on our relationship and not be sad.” His voice cracked as he nodded. “You’re going to be happier without me, Y/N. You’re going to find a nice human boy who is going to be right for you. And you’re going to fill in love. And you’re gonna love him more than me. And you’re going to forget this conversation, forget I took your bracelet off. You’re going to be fine.” 

As much as you didn’t want to listen, every fiber in your being telling you to listen to him instead. When he looked away, that’s what you thought was the truth. Your bracelet back on your wrist before you even realized it was gone.  

“I have to go home, Damon. Lunch on Wednesday?” He just nodded as you walked out of the door. 

“Oh. My. God,” you said again, this time, shoving him off you with anger as your breaths came faster, hands clutching your head. 

“What?” he asked, confused, as if he didn’t know. As if he didn’t have a clue as to what he’d done. 

“What?” you repeated back. “What! Oh my, God, Damon!” 

You got up, pacing the room, not sure what to say. Damon just looked at you as if you had a second head. You couldn’t believe what he’d done, what he’d made you forget. You couldn’t believe what he’d made you forget, the feelings, the memories, the love. You couldn’t understand.  

“Talk to me,” he told you, using your own words against you. Which pissed you off even more. 

“Oh, you’re one to talk, Damon,” you growled. “I tried talking to you that night! I tried getting you to talk to me so we could work through it! I…” You violently shook your head, trying to wrap your head around it. “I trusted you, Damon! But I remember! I begged you not to. I. God Damon, you’re so selfish! As if I wouldn’t remember!” 

“Y/N, I can explain.” That got a vase thrown at his head, which he quickly ducked. 

“Damon, you don’t understand do you? How can you not fucking understand! If you hadn’t compelled a break-up! If you hadn’t compelled me to start moving on! I wouldn’t have met Klaus, Damon! I wouldn’t...I wouldn’t be this!” The anger quickly turned to grief, tears starting to drip down your face. 

All of the anger. All the frustration. All the hurt. It all shifted. Instead, it was grief and sadness as you dropped to your knees. You remembered the day you showed up at Damon’s house after confronting Mason. You’d felt so alone. And it was even worse now. You’d had one person in the world that was family. You had one person who you trusted more than anything. And now you had nothing. Sobs wracked through your body, tearing at the back of your throat. Your chest hurt. And he didn’t move to touch you. He didn't do anything besides stand there. He wasn’t saying any comforting words, he wasn’t pulling you in. Which made you feel even more alone.

You wanted it to stop. You wanted it all to stop. And then you remembered what he’d told you once. We have the option to turn off our humanity. It stops us from being able to feel whatever we’re feeling. Usually it’s pain and grief that pushes us to that point. The sobs died down as you looked up at him. 

“Y/N,” he said, realizing what was going on. “Don’t do this.” He dropped to his knees in front of you, taking your face in his hands as he looked at you. “Please don’t do this.”

“I said the same thing once,” you sniffled. “And you didn’t listen.” Your facial expression evened out as you flipped the switch. “So why would I?”

-----

It had been three days since you’d flipped your switch, packing a bag at your place. It wasn’t home. It hadn’t been home since your parents died. You couldn’t understand why you thought you could make it work, really. There was nothing left for you in Mystic Falls.

“Where are you going?” Damon asked you from the doorway of your bedroom. 

“I don’t think that’s any of your business, Damon. You’re not in my life anymore. Remember?” you reminded him. 

“I’m not giving up on you that easily, Y/N.” You couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of that statement. 

“Oh, you gave up on me months ago, Damon. So I suggest you leave. Now.” Your meticulous packing turned into throwing clothes into a bag. The longer Damon was there, the more annoyed you were. That was the only thing you felt now, annoyance. And hunger. 

“If I had given up on you, I would have made you completely forget me,” he corrected with that smug smirk. 

“Either way, Damon. I’m done. I. Am. Done,” you growled, finishing packing your bag. You’d compel some movers to get the rest of your stuff later. You heard him walk up behind you, quickly turning around to face him. All you saw was a future you had wanted. You would have been more than willing to spend eternity with him, especially once you’d turned. And he had royally fucked it up. He had ruined you, to the point that your only option to try and function was to turn off whatever you felt for him. 

“Y/N.” You just shook your head. “I don’t care. I don’t care that you hate me. Because this. You and I are not a lost cause. I will follow you to the ends of the Earth, to the end of time until you turn your humanity back on. Until the balance in the universe is restored.”

-----

Damon wasn’t lying. He followed you everywhere. Occasionally, you’d get away for a couple of years, but soon he found you. You got tired of running, though. It seemed like you were always running from his judgemental eyes. 

You’d found yourself at a club in downtown Chicago. It had been fifteen years of avoiding Damon like your life depended on it. It was fifteen years of starting over, of learning on your own because you would refuse his help every time he started lurking. You had just wanted away from him, but this...He definitely wasn’t lying. 

This club, though, was different. This one was run by a witch. She had it enchanted, or something. It was a safe haven for the supernatural, a place where you could just relax and enjoy your time. The vibrations of the music through the speakers flowed through you, making you feel alive. And whatever Y/BF/N put in your drink made you feel even more alive. You just closed your eyes and danced, without a care in the world. 

There was so much you had learned without Damon. And there was so much you still had to learn that you hadn’t even heard about. Even with your emotions off, even with your best witch friend more or less drugging you, Damon was in your head. 

You could feel somebody’s hands roaming your sides, very familiar hands. He pressed against your back, feeling his face in the crook of your neck, lips on your skin. It felt good, but even that didn’t erase the fact that it was Damon. 

“What are you doing here?” you asked softly, hand coming up to encourage his ministrations on your neck.

“Mmm,” he hummed, feeling the smile on your neck. “I missed you.”

“You just saw me, at that diner a few months ago in Denver,” you reminded him, eyes fluttering shut as he licked a stripe up your neck to your ear before nipping at your ear. Your other hand ran down his side, hooking your finger in his belt loop. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t miss this, didn’t miss him. 

“I meant being this close to you,” he corrected. “Do you trust me?”

“Is that a trick question?” you countered before pressing against him even more. His hands moved from your side to your stomach, one sliding up your shirt. 

The next thing you knew, his teeth were in your neck, your breath catching in the back of your throat before moaning. Your eyes slipped close, that feeling of every fiber of your being being on fire coming back. It was dulled, but it was there. 

“Damon, we can’t do this,” you reminded him right before he spun you around to face him, your palm resting on his chest as you looked up at him. He was still the same, cocky Damon you remembered. 

“Yes, we can, Y/N. We can do anything, everything we want to. Just… turn it back on. Please.”

“Not here,” you replied, taking a step back and taking his hand. You knew he would follow you blindly anywhere. It had been fifteen years and you were ready to stop running. It was a lonely existence, even if you didn’t fully realize it. 

You took him back to your hotel room, not saying anything on the walk or on the elevator ride up. Had you compelled the penthouse suite? Definitely. You were used to the best, because of Damon.

“Why should I turn it back on?” you asked softly, staring out the window. You could see his reflection behind you, not touching you, but being close enough to feel his breath on your neck. 

“You’ve been running for fifteen years,” he reminded you, as if you didn’t already know that. “Don’t you want more out of your life? Aren’t you tired of it just being an existence? I know what it’s like to have it off for so long. It’s not going to be pretty, Y/N. But I will be there every step of the way.” 

“Again, why Damon? Give me one good reason. One. Just one,” you said again, almost pleading with him. You couldn’t look at him, not directly. Instead, you looked at his reflection mixed with the sea of the city.

“Because I still love you,” he finally said. “I couldn’t stop trying to save you. Because you are worth saving. Because I couldn’t go a single day knowing that I was the reason…” His chin rested on your shoulder as he finally looped an arm around your waist. “I couldn’t let you go. I…” You’d never seen Damon Salvatore at a loss for words. His cockiness and arrogance had all but faded. This was who he really was. A man so desperately in love that he would give up everything for you. 

“I want you to say it, Damon.” Your voice on the other hand was unwavering. 

“I’ve spent the past fifteen years regretting that night.” He sighed. “It was one of my weakest moments. I thought I was keeping you safe. I thought...I am sorry. I am sorry. Because of me, you are a vampire. I am reckless. And I am selfish. Except when it comes to you.”

“But that’s not true,” you corrected, not moving. “You are selfish even when it comes to me. Compelling me to forget was selfish because it kept me in your life. Saving me when Klaus made me stab myself? Selfish because it kept me in your life. Suggesting I complete the transition? Selfish. Following me for the past fifteen years? Do you see where I’m going with this?” He nodded, eyes closing as he took a deep breath. 

“What are you thinking?” he asked as your hand rested on his. You were debating if you should push him away or pull him closer. 

“You are the most selfish person I know, Damon Salvatore.” You pulled away, only to look at him. He looked like the same man as that you’d met fifteen years ago at the Founders Counsel. He was the same man that wormed his way into your heart all those years ago, but there was something different about him. “And I am not the same person I was.” 

“You don’t think I know that? I’ve seen you grow into an amazing person over the past fifteen years. You’ve evolved, you’ve changed. You’re more confident.” 

“Damon,” you said softly, hand reaching up to cup his cheek as it all came crashing down. Everything you’ve done over the past fifteen years. Everything you’ve tried not to feel. “When…” You choked out a sob as he pulled you to his chest. You clutched him close, like a child’s security blanket. 

“It’s going to be okay,” he assured you. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” His fingers combed through your hair. 

The next morning you woke up to an empty bed. It took you a minute before it all came crashing back down. You weren’t expecting to feel so...alone again. It was the reason you’d shut it all off in the first place. Until Damon walked through the door with breakfast in his hands. 

“Morning, sleepyhead,” he said when he saw you were awake. “I would have ordered room service, but I wanted to feel nostalgic.” You understood what he meant, feeling like it was fifteen years ago all over again with Damon bringing you lunch and wine every Wednesday. If only it was a Wednesday. 

“I have to tell you something, Damon,” you said before he even had a chance to sit down. He just sighed.

“Can we just have breakfast first, and then we can continue our tour of humanity and feelings?” He pulled out two fresh blood bags, tossing you one. It wasn’t as glamorous as old times, but you figured you guys would probably have plenty of time. 

“I turned it off, Damon,” you reminded him as you began drinking. He just nodded, able to sense the sarcasm on his face. “Do you remember after Mason almost killed you, when you found me crying in my car?”

“Yeah. What about it?” He kicked off his shoes before sitting cross-legged next to you on the bed. 

“I told you Mystic Falls didn’t feel like home,” you continued, Damon nodding along. “You were the first thing that felt real in a long time. When I was with you...I didn’t feel alone anymore. You’ve had Stefan your entire life. I lost everyone years before I met you. Mason was one of my closest friends when I was in school, so when he tried to kill you it was like I had finally lost everyone I cared about. Except for you.” He had a pained look on his face, as if he knew where this was going. 

“And when I found out what you did.”

“That loneliness was magnified,” he finished for you, dropping his head before looking at you with those sad Damon eyes. 

“I loved you, Damon. With everything in my being. I would have walked to the ends of the Earth with you. And I felt like I had lost you that night, lost this idea that I had of you in my head.” You could tell saying you loved him in the past tense hurt him. 

“I’ve told you, I’m not the good guy,” he reminded you. You nodded, knowing that was true. 

“I didn’t want to feel lonely or hurt or angry anymore, so I decided not to. And then you spent fifteen years following me. I was just waiting for you to decide I wasn’t worth saving anymore. Maybe it would be one person too many. But you never gave up.”

“I couldn’t give up. I blamed myself every day. So I couldn’t give up until I knew that you were happy. Not numb, but actually happy. Even if it wasn’t with me.” 

“I was the happiest when I was with you. You made me feel like I belonged somewhere again.” 

“Until I didn’t,” he corrected, taking your empty blood bag, tossing it in the garbage can. “I can’t take back what I did, though I’ve wished every day that I could. I can only try and show you everyday how much I love you.” 

“Then show me, Damon,” you told him in a hushed voice. “Show me what I’ve been missing for the past fifteen years. Remind me what I’ve been missing.” 

Your eyes fluttered closed as you felt his hand on your cheek, his lips on yours as he laid you back on the bed. There were plenty of times you and Damon were rough and passionate. This was different. You remembered the lazy mornings, the noon quickies, the passionate late nights. But there were a handful of times that it was like coming home. That it felt as easy as breathing. Like it was the rightest thing in the world. 

You remembered when you kissed him right after your transition. When it felt like electricity running through your skin, like every touch was going to set you on fire. It was something you had dreamt about, something you had only in your memories. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, his thumb brushing the tears off your cheeks. You hadn’t realized you’d started crying again. Fifteen years of pent up feelings would do that to a girl. 

“I missed this. Missed you,” you told him as your hand rested on the back of his neck, fingers tangling in the hairs on the back of his neck. “Do you feel it when we touch? The fire, the electricity?” He nodded, capturing your lips again. 

You’d spent so many years alone after your parents died, sure that you’d never find home again. For fifteen years, you’d run away from the idea of home. You’d never thought home would be in a person, would be in Damon. 

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” you reminded him, your hands sliding up his shirt as his hands slid down to your waist. You were still just in your tank-top and underwear, and here he was completely dressed. He only pulled away to let you pull his shirt over his head, tossing it to the floor. 

“God, I missed you,” he told you, staring into your y/e/c eyes. 

You didn’t move, not wanting to miss a second of this. Sure, you two now had forever, but this moment was the best moment of your existence. Your hands slid down his chest, feeling the smooth expanse of skin. Though your exploration was cut short as he peppered kissing along your jaw, your eyes closing and head falling back on the pillows. 

You just let yourself feel. Feel him. Feel the emotions that came with being so close to him. You couldn’t deny that the bad feelings were just there under the surface, but you tried to just focus on him. Which worked, your hands holding onto his biceps. 

His lips continued down your neck, one hand holding onto your waist as the other came up to gently push away the strap of your tank-top, giving him access to your shoulder. Your breaths came a little faster out of anticipation. He was everything you’d ever wanted. 

He pulled you up a little bit to slide your shirt off. You thought you’d feel more self conscious after all this time, but the only you felt was desire as you undid his belt buckle before sliding your hands down the waistband of his pants and boxers. 

“Dae,” you sighed as his lips found your breast. He knew exactly how to make you want more, peppering kisses before toying with your nipple with a mix of teeth and tongue. 

He didn’t stay long, continuing to work his way down to your stomach, sucking hickies along your hip bone that you both know would heal within minutes. It didn’t matter though. You were with Damon, close to him again. This reminded you of when you were the happiest. 

It came as no surprise when he pushed your underwear down your legs, letting you kick them the rest of the way off as he stood to drop his pants and boxers. You propped yourself up on your elbows, taking in the glory that was Damon Salvatore. 

“Come here,” you told him, taking your bottom lip between your teeth in anticipation. 

You saw him look at you, much like you were looking at him, licking his lips. You just couldn’t tear your eyes off his as he joined you on the bed again, kissing him like your life depended on it. One of your legs hooked around his waist, not wanting to waste any more time.  

The feeling of him sliding into you was more intense than you’d ever remembered, thinking it was probably because of your heightened senses. You hissed at first, burying your face in the crook of his neck, teeth biting into his skin. Until he started moving, moans falling from your lips, mingling with Damon’s. 

Your nails dug into his shoulders as you kissed anywhere you could reach -- his lips, neck, arms. You hadn’t been this happy in fifteen years. You hadn’t wanted someone as much as you wanted him in fifteen years. There were no words between the two of you, just the sounds of two people being together in the rawest form possible. You felt it build up and build up until it all came out, Damon following you. 

“I love you, Damon,” you finally told him, his face softening. You looked into his eyes and you saw endless possibilities. You saw a future you could have only dreamed of having as a human. You had eternity with him. For the first time since you were a teenager, you’d found home. 

[princeescaluswords]

The line Noshiko said when telling Stiles that "you have everything you wanted" and she says "the pack is rich, strong and secure" has really stuck with me. The way you wrote the pack was so good. It makes me think of how stans sneered at Scott for not killing yet wanted his blood for him *considering* keeping that money (with Stiles insistence, which they conveniently forget). But now, in this timeline, the pack has the wealth from Peter, and they have clear open communication and no secrets among each other, the town is safer. But it all came at a cost, of Scott having to take lives and burdened by guilt with Allison, Melissa and Sheriff. The pack kinda deals with paranoia because any newcomer could be a threat, their home is like a fortress. I'm having trouble articulating but I loved the portrayal of Scott and the pack and how its different from most other fics

This ask talks about my story, Cicada. 

There’s a tendency in Teen Wolf fanfictions (and I suspect in many other fictions as well, but I focus on the things I know the most about), especially those which deal with Alpha Derek or Alpha Peter, to brush off the cost of violence as a foundation of safety and security.  These stories imagine that there are no consequences for Derek or Peter or Stiles murdering their enemies like the Argents, or the Alpha Pack, or Theo and the Dread Doctors.  The characters kill the bad guys; they go back to their mansion in the woods; they live happily ever after; and never think twice about the people who they gutted and killed because they were “bad.”

In doing this, the authors completely miss one of the major themes of Teen Wolf in its entirety.  The production had a lot of things wrong with it, and I’ll be the first to talk about them, but one of the things it got right was the spiral of revenge and its cost.

Fandom seems to want to believe that as long as you’re rich and safe, it doesn’t matter how you got there.  Nothing exemplifies this more than the Cult of Peter.  Not only do these members of the fandom think that Stiles or Lydia or self-insert OC would want to get all up on that blood-soaked con artist who murdered his niece for power and sent his daughter after a nagual werewolf hunter with the power to transform people into bone-clad killers, but they also think that somehow, miraculously, Peter would suddenly stop being a person willing to sacrifice his loved ones to get what he wants.  

On the other hand, parts of the fandom don’t understand that Scott’s pack in the show was held up as an example not because Scott was the strongest alpha or the most lethal alpha or the smartest alpha.  It’s because the foundation of his pack was the value of all individual lives  They recognize it to a certain degree, which is why anti-Scott people become so desperate to create situations where that isn’t true.  

Let’s take Hayden, Scott and his pack attempted to protect her after she was revealed as a chimera.  Now, there was a conflict because the second part (my emphasis) of the plan was to try to capture the Dread Doctors when they came for her.  While Scott and Liam fought over it, Scott’s point “do you have any better ideas?” is something that his detractors can’t counter.  Where else were they going to take her?  The police station, where the Doctors had just walked in and freed Donovan?  Eichen House?  Would that have been safer?   Yes, Scott didn’t tell Hayden and Liam about the chance to capture a Dread Doctor, but the primary focus of the plan was to protect Hayden.  Hayden recognized this, and later on, after she overheard the pack in the middle of a lacrosse game working desperately on trying to figure out who the last chimera was, she decided that she wanted to be a part of a pack who believed in it.  She saw that Scott and Liam and Stiles  and the others weren’t chimeras, but they still fought to protect others, even though it put them in danger. 

Compare that to Peter and life in his pack? No character was even remotely fooled into thinking that Peter did anything except for his own advantage.  He might promise security, power and wealth but as Stiles put it “Who would ever come for you?”  Any pack founded by Peter would be a pack run by fear and self-interest and the iron hand of a violent alpha -- i.e. not much of a pack at all. 

In my story, when Noshiko condemns Stiles to spend the rest of his life ‘with the monster he’s created,’ she’s pointing out that no matter how secure they are now, Scott and the rest are going to have to spend the rest of their lives watching Stiles to make sure he doesn’t go to the cops.   They’re going to be wary of any newcomer or complication, constantly worried about consequences delayed. I had Boyd point out that Scott, especially, is miserable, because he “did what was necessary.”    All the money and mansions and fancy cars aren’t going to eliminate that the pack has them because they murdered people, and that Stiles caused this by promoting security through violence.

It’s one of the lessons of the show and it’s a good lesson.  Even in the real world, there’s discussion about our own country and whether we can truly live out its supposed promise if we don’t recognize that a lot of what we have was violently taken from others.   A foundation of bloodshed doesn’t build a good home.

[khoicesbyk]

A/N: I'm officially obsessed with Wolf Bride and what does one do when she's obsessed with a certain book? She writes an AU about it! 😁 So, Talley Ho! *in my Sherlock Holmes voice*

Rated: Mature. | Contains sexual content and strong language. (You know? The usual from me. 😁) | Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters. | Main Characters: Roman (LI) and Naia Evans (MC) | All Characters and names: (except MC and certain original characters, created by me) are property of Pixelberry.

Current Word Count: 2,630 words. (more or less. I stop counting after editing and re-editing. 🤷🏾‍♀️)

Song And Story Inspiration: A Dream-Mary J. Blige | Beautiful Monster-Ne-Yo | Lady In My Life-Marc Nelson

Tag List: @shewillreadyou @queenjilian @choiceslady @secretaryunpaid @aussieez @pixie88 @txemrn @hopefulmoonobject @texaskitten30 @glaimtruelovealways @lucy-268 @otherworldlypresents @choicesficwriterscreations

This series is rated Mature. It is NOT reading material that is safe for those under 18. Reader discretion is STRONGLY advised!

If you’d like to be added to my tag list. Just reblog or dm me and I will gladly add you. 😁😘

This series may contain spoilers. If you wish not to see spoilers, please do not read any further.

Chapter 4.) Beautiful Monster.

All my life.

And the hereafter.

I've never seen.

Seen one like you.

You're a knife.

Sharp and deadly.

And it's me.

That you cut into.

But I don't mind.

In fact I like it.

Though I'm terrified.

I'm turned on but scared of you…

Oh…

She's a monster.

Beautiful monster.

Beautiful monster.

But I don't mind.

And I need her.

Said I need her.

Beautiful monster.

But I don't mind.

No I don't mind (I don't mind I don't I don't mind).

No I don't mind (I don't mind I don't I don't mind).

No I don't mind (I don't mind I don't I don't mind).

No I don't mind (I don't mind I don't I don't mind).

Naia stood frozen and at a loss for words as she stared at the man she’s been dreaming about.

“It can’t be! You can’t be real.” She stammered.

He looked deep in her eyes.

“This is real Beloved. I’m here.” He said to her.

She still couldn’t believe it.

“But how? You…you aren’t supposed to be real.”

His gaze was soft and she didn’t feel threatened by him. She was just confused and shocked.

“I have been waiting for you Beloved. Welcome home.”

“Home? You mean Hunt’s Peak? I’ve never been there. I literally just got here.”

“I know. Your uncle said you’d be here.”

“Uncle Zane told you I’d be here? I briefly talked to him before I left home.”

“Yes he told me and I couldn’t wait to meet you. May I?” He asked.

She stepped aside to let him in.

“What did my uncle tell you about me?” She asked.

“Well…he failed to say how beautiful you are.” He replied.

She bit her bottom lip and blushed.

“Thank you I think? I’m sorry I don’t even know your name.”

“My name is Roman.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Naia.”

“I know. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.”

And as strange it was to her she felt calm. She wasn’t scared of him. She was more curious than anything.

“It’s okay. But how did you know I was here?” She asked.

“I have eyes and ears everywhere. But one of the employees is a friend of mine and the manager knows your uncle.” He replied.

“So what are you like the sheriff or something?” She asked.

“Something like that. I protect the forest.” He replied.  

“So you're a park ranger?” She asked.

“You could say that.” He replied.

The more she looked at him, the stronger this strange pull between the two grew. There was something about him. That was both thrilling and terrifying. But she felt like a moth to a flame.

In her eyes.

There's love and fire.

And my heart.

She's burning through.

But I don't mind.

In fact I like it.

Though I'm terrified.

I'm turned on but scared of you.

She's a monster (she's a monster).

Beautiful monster (beautiful monster).

Beautiful monster (beautiful monster yeah).

But I don't mind (I don't mind).

And I need her (and I need her).

Said I need her (said I need her).

Beautiful monster (whoa).

But I don't mind (I don't mind I don't I don't mind).

No I don't mind.

She invited him to sit down next to her on the bed. She wanted to know more about him. So she decided to test him.

“Tell me how far is town from here?” She asked him.

“It’s about an hour.” He replied.

“Good. I’ll be there later.”

“It is better for you to leave in the morning.”

“Why?” She asked.

“It’s dark and the road is very treacherous at night. Many dangers.” He replies.  

“Dangers? What like zombies?” She asked.

“Yes. Something like that.” He replies.

She stared at him like he had lost his mind.

“That’s a joke right?” She asked.  

“I never joke Naia.” He replies.

“Ooooooooooooookaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy…so you’re Mister Serious. Got it.”

The way he looked at her, made the blood rush to her cheeks. She loved it but didn’t want to admit it. At least not out loud.

“So do you always haunt a girl’s dream?” She asked.

“I’m not a magician if that’s what you’re asking.” He replies.

Just as she was about to ask him another question, she heard a howl.

“What was that?“ she started to ask before he answered quickly. “A wolf. It’s coming from the North.”

“How do you know?” She asked.

“I know these woods and mountains. I know what lives and thrives here.” He replies.

“Is there anything you don’t know?” She asked.

“I don’t know you.” He replies.

“Touché. So what is it you want to know?” She asks.

“Everything. I want to know you. Who are you Naia?” He replies.

“You don’t really want to know everything about me, do you?” She asks.

“Yes. Tell me.” He replies.

“You asked for it.”

When he smiled softly at her, she felt her heart flutter. There was something about him. She felt compelled to bare her soul to him. There she was looking at this strange man and telling him everything about herself. Her successes, her failures, her career, her fears, her joys she even told him about her former lovers.

“Fascinating. You are quite the remarkable woman.”

“Was it too much for you?” She asked shyly.

“No. I like learning about you. You’re not like any woman I have ever met.”

“I hope that’s a good thing.”

“Yes, I assure you that it is.”

Just then there was another howl. This one was different from the last. Roman stood up hastily and moved towards the door.

“I must go. I’m sorry.”

“Wait what? But I know nothing about you! How will I find you?” She asked.

He looked at her then held out his right hand. When she took his hand in her own, something sparked. She couldn’t explain it but she felt something deep within her bones. She couldn’t explain what this feeling was. What she didn’t know was that feeling is her bond with him. Soon, she found herself in his arms, gazing up into his eyes.

“Roman I…” she started to say before he silenced her with a kiss.

It was deeper, more intense and powerful than any kiss that she had ever experienced. It wasn’t like the kisses she felt in her dreams. It was real. It was happening. And she couldn’t get enough. When their kiss was over, she felt drunk. And she wasn’t trying to let him go.

“Please don’t go.” She begged.

“I must. But do not worry Beloved. You will see me again real soon.”

“You promise?” She asked.

“Yes Beloved. I promise, you’ll see me again. Especially after tonight.” He replies.

With one last long kiss, Roman was gone. And Naia’s heartbeat and mind were racing. She missed him. She needed him. She longed for him. She couldn’t wait to see and feel him again.

The next day Naia arrived at her uncle’s house and was happy to see him.

“Hi uncle Zane!” She said as greeted him.

“Hey sweetheart! It’s great to see you! Welcome to Hunt’s Peak! Let me look at you. Yup! You look just like your mother!” He said as they hugged.

“It’s good to be here.”

“Come on in the house! I got a pot of my world famous venison stew with your name on it.”

After eating and getting settled in her mother’s old room, she was sitting in the living room with her uncle.  

“It’s great to have you here, Naia.”

“It’s good to be here. I’ve been dying to visit for ages.”

“Good I’m glad. I’m happy that Laurie let you come. How is she by the way?” He asked.

“About that…she doesn’t know that I’m here.” She replied.

“What do you mean your mother doesn’t know?” He asked.

“Her and daddy are in Paris for 2 weeks for their anniversary. I left after they did.” She replied.

Zane sighed heavily.

“Well that explains why you’re here. I should’ve known she’d never change her mind.”

“She mentioned that something happened. Something bad. And it was enough to make her leave and never look back. What happened, uncle Zane? Why did my mom leave?” She asked him.

Zane ran a hand through his hair and over his face before answering.

“Whatever she’s told you, she's right. Something bad did happen and I didn’t believe her. I didn’t protect her. She’s my sister and I should’ve known that she was telling the truth. But I didn’t. We got into an argument one day and I told her that she was lying. I shouldn’t have said that to her. 2 days later she was gone. And I haven’t seen her since. I’ve missed her you know?”

“I understand. I’m sure she misses you too. Even though she’d never say it out loud.”

He smiled softly at his niece.

“How’s your dad?” He asks.

“He’s good. His architecture business is really booming.” She replied.

“I remember when they met. No one was happy about them being together. Least of all me.”

“Daddy’s said something like that before. But he always said it’s because he was an outsider.”

“That’s partially true.”

“What do you mean partially? What’s the other part?” She asked.

“That’s a story for another time, I’m afraid.” He replied.

“Are you sure? You know you can tell me. I won’t be mad.” She asks.

“Yes Naia, I’m sure. You know? You should go to town. Meet the people. I’m sure that they’ll be a lot more fun than sitting in the house with me.”

“I actually met someone as a matter of fact. Met him yesterday.”

“You did? Who did you meet?” He asks, surprised by her revelation.

“Someone named Roman. He said that he was a friend of yours.” She replied clearly lying. But she wanted to know if he’d lie to her.

He swallowed hard and cleared his throat.

“Yes I know him. He’s well known all around town. I’m surprised you met him already. I didn’t think you two would meet so soon.” He replied.

Naia instantly picked up on the slightly nervous tone in her uncle’s voice. But she decided to keep that to herself as a mental note.

“Besides stare at the woods all day and night, what’s there to actually do around here?” She asked.

“Go down to Buck’s! Best bar and pool hall in West Virginia!” He replied enthusiastically.

“I guess it’s settled. To Buck’s I go!”

After changing, Naia headed to Buck’s. She walked into Buck’s and took a seat at the bar before looking around. She saw people dancing, playing pool, playing poker, drinking and otherwise having a good time. As she turned back to the bar to order a drink, there was a tap on her shoulder. She turned to her left and saw a gorgeous black woman sitting on the stool next to her.

“Hi! You must be Naia!” She said to Naia.

“Ummmmmm yeah…how did you know?” She asked the woman.

“Your uncle called the bar and said you’d be here. I’m Layla. I own the place.” Layla replied.

“Ohhh okay.”

“Yeah so what can I get you?” Layla asks.

“Whiskey double.” Naia replies.

“Coming right up.”

It wasn’t until Layla stood up that Naia noticed that she’s pregnant.

“Oh my goodness! You’re pregnant!”

“Yup! This little one is nearly ready to make their debut.” She said before walking behind the bar.

“Are you sure you should be behind the bar?” Naia asks.

“As sole owner and proprietor? Yeah. I’m fine.” Layla replies as she hands Naia her drink.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. Sooooo how do you like town so far?” Layla asks.

“It’s okay. I’m a city girl so this is an adjustment for me.” Naia replies.

“I think it’ll grow on you.”

“You sound confident. How long have you lived here?” Naia asked.

“My whole life. Met my man here too.” Layla replies.

“Ohhh! Didn’t know you were in a relationship.”

“Yeah. He doesn’t live in town but he loves me and our little one just the same.”

“Well that’s good.”

“Why are you still sitting here?” Layla asks.

“Because I don’t know anyone and it would be awkward to just walk up to random strangers?” Naia replies.

“No it wouldn’t. Everyone here is friendly! As the boss of this place I say go mingle!”

Just as Naia got ready to go mingle with others, Roman walked in and Buck’s went silent. He was flanked by 3 men and a woman. When Naia locked eyes with him, she felt her heart and the butterflies in her stomach flutter. He nodded to his crew to take a seat then he turned his attention back to Naia. As he walked towards her, Naia felt like she could attach herself to him.

“I better go fill their orders.” Layla said which seemingly snapped Naia out the trance she was in.

“Huh? What? You say something?” Naia asks.

“Yeah. I’ll be right back.” Layla replied.

Naia watched her walk over towards Roman’s crew before turning her attention to him. He was gorgeous to her. When he sat down beside her, she felt her knees turn into jello.

“Well hello there.”

“Hello yourself.”

Her heart was doing backflips as she looked at him.

“I went by your uncle’s house and you weren’t there.”

She was taken aback.

“You did?” Naia asks, wanting to see where these questions were going.

“Yes I did. I promised you that I would see you again.” He replies.  

“Yes you did but I didn’t think it would be today.”

His eyes roamed up and down her body and it a shiver running down her spine.

“Why are sitting here by yourself Naia?” He asked.

“I was gonna go play a few rounds of pool but then you and your friends showed up.” She replied.

He looked at her with an eyebrow raised. He looked as if he was taking her answer into consideration.

“Dance with me.”

She stared at him.

“Dance with you? Like now?!” She asked.  

He never answered, he just stood up and held out his hand. As of on command she took his hand. He led her to the dance floor as Beautiful Monster by Ne-Yo played in the background.

Naia tried to make sense of what was happening but the more she danced with him, the more she didn’t care. She felt free with him. And ever since their kiss all she wanted was to be close to him.

As the song swelled, he spun her around then pulled her back flush to his chest. She loved the feeling of his arms around her as they danced.

Playing with my heart, mmm.

And she's playing with my mind.

And I don't mind, I don't mind.

No I don't mind, I don't I don't mind.

No I don't mind, I don't I don't mind.

No I don't mind, I don't I don't mind.

And I don't mind.

(I don't mind I don't I don't mind) Said I don't mind.

(I don't mind I don't I don't mind) And I don't mind.

(I don't mind I don't I don't mind) Beautiful monster.

She's a monster (she's a monster).

Beautiful monster (beautiful monster).

Beautiful monster (ooh).

But I don't mind (but I don't mind).

And I need her (and I need her).

Said I need her (said I need her).

Beautiful monster (beautiful monster).

But I don't mind (ooh).

No I don't mind.

No I don't mind.

(I don't mind I don't I don't mind) no I don't mind.

(I don't mind I don't I don't mind ooh) no I don't mind.

Everything in that moment with her felt right. But soon she’d discover that she’d wind up getting more than she ever bargained for.

[stevebillyrecs]

Halloween Fic Recs

+ 1k Followers! Thank you guys so much. I love sharing my fave fics with you here, so I’m really happy that you’re having as much fun as i do!

Now, this is a bit last minute, but it’s definitely still October in some parts of the world, so let’s go! Here’s an incomplete collection of Halloween-themed fics full of parties, costumes, magic, creatures, horror, gore, and pumpkins. 

Included: Halloween, horror, or monster themed fics. Not included: The usual canon-typical Upside Down shenanigans, unless there’s a special spooky twist to it, or that one very particular Halloween ‘84.

31 fics under the cut  – Happy Halloween!

Heaven is a Place on Earth by CeruleanHeart / @highon85 (3k, T, Winged!Billy)

One late summer night Steve finds an angel crash-landed in a dirty alleyway. Or so Steve thinks, until the guy opens his mouth. Billy is a mess, drunk and mean and not angelic in the least. But he’s also hurt and beautiful so Steve stays to help despite better judgement.

taste you on my tongue by callunavulgari / @callunavulgari (2k, E, Vampire!Billy)

“You’ve never felt pleasure like it, Steve,” an old girlfriend had told him once, her eyes bright with memory. She’d been from the big city, where the vampires had their pick of willing donors, where all they had to do to get a meal was walk into a club. Some of them, the older, better known vamps wouldn’t even have to do that. They could pull someone straight off the street, roll down their windows and beckon. Steve shrugged. “No vampires here, though.” They’d broken up a few days later, and he hadn’t given it much thought. After all, what were the chances that a vampire would end up in boring, small town Hawkins, Indiana?

Gee My Life’s a Funny Thing by moonflowers / @eatingmoonflowers (7k, T, Mermaid!Billy)

Steve finds a boy in the water.

867-5309 (billy) by reject_mikeyy / @reject-mikeyy (14k, NR, Halloween)

Once he is done vomiting, Steve takes a second to rest his head on the cool toilet seat before realizing that. Wow. Ew. Not in the boys’ bathroom, thanks. Not in a homophobic way, don’t get him wrong, he’s eaten his fair share of ass but just. Germs and shit. Anyway. When he looks up from the bowl for the first time, he notices something scrawled on the wall at eye level. For a good time, text: 221-867-5309 Eyeroll. Or: In which Billy is the unlucky sucker with his number written on a bathroom stall, and Steve is the oblivious fool who actually texts him.

the wild hunt by celoica / @celoica​ (3k, E, Witch!Steve, Werewolf!Billy)

It had been his idea. Everything had been his idea. From the day Billy Hargrove had rolled up in his vintage car to the day Steve had walked into school with a fresh bite on his neck, proudly scabbed over and on display for his entire class to see, it had been all Steve’s idea. Billy did something witchy to his blood, thickening it under his skin and making it hard for him to think about anything else. At first, he’d thought maybe an incubus, something demonic and lust-driven and so out of place in tiny Hawkins, Indiana, until Laurie had leaned over and whispered about the new kid being a werewolf. The last time they’d had one of those in Roane County had been before Steve had been born. Even without the full moon to influence him, Billy was everything Steve had imagined a werewolf to be; aggressive and larger than life, in tune with the people who watched him with curious eyes, charming until it made Steve’s stomach clench in jealousy when his attention was on anyone but him. Witchy. To him. The witch.

bury a friend (try to wake up) by callunavulgari / @callunavulgari (1k, M, Witch!Steve)

Steve digs up Billy’s body on a Tuesday.

been crawling by kate_button / @un-buttoned (3k, E, Halloween)

The crop top was right there on the main aisle in the women’s section. Steve’s not entirely sure, like, why it exists, but he’s not disappointed about it. The rest of it came together pretty quickly (and cheaply) after that. So anyway, that’s how he finds himself drinking jungle juice out of a red solo cup looking like the twenty-two-year-old-man version of Karen Smith, animal ears and too much skin, bada boom, costume. I’m a dog. Duh.

journeys end by gothyringwald / @gothyringwald  (11k, M, Ghosts)

When Billy convinces Steve to spend Halloween at the Vance house—an abandoned house on the outskirts of Hawkins rumoured to be haunted—they discover that the Upside Down doesn’t have the monopoly on otherworldly.

Tell Me, What Did You Expect? by trashcangimmick / @trashcangimmick (2k, E, Tentacles!Billy)

After the battle of Starcourt, Steve wakes up on his living room couch with Billy Hargrove standing over him. There’s something a little different about Billy.

i shot the sheriff by ToAStranger / @toast-ranger-to-a-stranger (800, T, Halloween)

Drunk shenanigans.

tides will bring me back to you by eternalgoldfish / @eternalgoldfish (32k, M, Ghost!Billy)

It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. Billy sat in the dark, eyes closed, listening to the clock on the mantle tick and the refrigerator hum. Steve Harrington was nothing to him, a regret, maybe, a bitter taste in his mouth, but not a friend. If Billy was resentful, he thought maybe he’d see the logic in the afterlife pinning them together, but he didn’t feel a sense of longing or torment, didn’t feel like he was being pulled between life and death, or between realms. He just was, painless, lead in his belly as he sat on the floor by Steve’s feet. If he was meant to be trying to get somewhere, he didn’t know where. Was he supposed to pass on? He curled his knees up to his chest and watched Steve sleep, Steve’s lips shiny with spit and hair hanging over his forehead. Or, how to find love as a ghost.

Haunted House Workers by prettyboiiharringrove / @prettyboiiharringrove (1k, T, Costumes)

It’s far from the easiest job in the world, but Billy met the love of his life through this gig and he gets to scare people on a daily basis, so most of the time it’s a fucking dream, but tonight, well tonight Billy is feeling a little concerned and a lot murderous.

teeth only for you by gothyringwald / @gothyringwald (2k, M, Vampire!Steve)

Steve has a secret. Billy thinks he knows what it is, but he couldn’t be more wrong.

No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross by Your_Iron_Lung / @godshattered​(WIP, 66k, T, Werewolf!Billy)

A strange string of parties held out in the deep woods of Hawkins, Indiana, plays host to Steve Harrington and his doubts about his future. Every weekend the party is relocated, and somehow Steve is always privy to the knowledge of where it’s going to be. What he doesn’t know is who’s hosting them, or why. There’s something weird about them that he can’t quite place, but he still finds himself drawn to them week after week, if only to use them as an escape from his stressful post-Upside Down reality. The weirdest part of all, however, is the fact that Billy Hargrove seems to be invited to them as well, and- There’s something in the woods.

a whisper in my bones (keeps me restless, whole) by tol_sirion / @etterklang (3k, E, Demon!Billy)

Steve knows not to wander off alone in the woods, has been told not to so many times. He’s never been very good at listening. It pays off.

Never Seen That Color Blue by Kerasines / @kerasines (WIP, 4k, E, Tentacles!Billy)

Billy doesn’t want to think it, but Steve goes ahead and says it anyway. “A tentacle.” He looks as apprehensive as Billy feels at the thought of a fucking tentacle being attached to Billy’s body in any way, let alone spontaneously growing out of his back. Jesus, what the fuck. But it’s undeniable that that’s what it looked like. What it felt like. “Fuck you. Christ. What the fuck.” Billy rubs his eyes until he sees stars.

You’re Dead and Out of this World by shocked_into_shame (2k, E, Vampire!Billy)

Billy’s a vampire and Steve is his familiar, toiling after him with the promise that one day he’ll become immortal too. You’d think that Steve would have a certain amount of reverence for the dead - but all he can muster is annoyance these days.

Through The Forest, Through The Trees by trashcangimmick / @trashcangimmick (WIP, 24k, E, Were-demogorgon!Billy)

Billy gets bitten by something strange in the woods. After that, life becomes even stranger.

Hawkins Hunting Ground by lonelytarot / @lonelytarot (1k, NR, Vampire!Steve, Vampire!Billy)

Hawkins is a mess, that’s normal. But Steve isn’t the only vampire in Hawkins? That’s a surprise.

like real people do by callunavulgari / @callunavulgari (2k, M, Ghost!Billy)

“No one told me that you molest people in their sleep,” he mutters, trying to keep his voice quiet. Above him, Johnny grunts and turns over. The hand goes still. “You can see me,” a voice murmurs. “Yeah.” Steve sighs. “I can see you.” “How?” Steve’s been able to see dead people since he was four years old. But people don’t tend to respond well when children tell them that the old man across the street watering his lawn had a bullet through his head, so after the fourth therapist, Steve had learned that it was something best kept secret. “I’ve got the sight, man,” he says with a small shrug. “And look, I feel for you. You’re dead and I’m not, and that sucks, but unless you’re planning on doing something about it, I’d really appreciate it if you could stop feeling me up and let me get back to sleep.”

A love of violence by gideongrace / @gideongrace (6k, E, Serial killer!Billy)

Billy and Neil are serial killers. One night, Neil brings Billy a present. The boy he’s been lusting after - Steve Harrington - blindfolded and tied to a bed in a motel room. Neil clearly thinks this is a good idea. He almost certainly wouldn’t think it would end in his death. (He’s wrong.)

this sweet plague by gothyringwald / @gothyringwald (1k, M, Zombie!Steve, Zombie!Billy)

In 1985 Steve Harrington dies. His parents and the people of Hawkins all believe it was a tragic accident. Only a small group of people know he died valiantly protecting his friends from monsters. Six months later, he is one of the dead who rise again.

unbutton my shirt, i’ve a hard day (i hate my work) by asphaltworld / @asphaltworld (WIP, 2k, M, Halloween)

Billy’s stuck working for a food delivery app on Halloween night to pay off a traffic ticket. Somebody in the rich part of town places a weird, annoying order. But he hoofs it over anyway, because he needs the cash.

a tent(acle)ative understanding by ToAStranger / @toast-ranger-to-a-stranger(WIP, 3k, E, Tentacles!Billy)

“Are you going to eat me?” Billy pauses, tongue out, halfway across the wound. He withdraws. Curiosity. Trouble. “Would you like me to?”

teething vampire Billy, okay? that’s what this is by womenseemwicked / @women-seem-wicked (1k, T, Vampire!Steve, Vampire!Billy)

Billy’s a recently turned vampire. Steve is his comforting vampire boyfriend. I don’t even know, guys. this just happened.

getting better at becoming a ghost by thecopperkid / @the-copperkid (4k, E, Halloween, Serial killer)

“What? You’re not scared, are you?” “No,” he answers, indignant, but he doesn’t even convince himself. “No, I just --” “You know what they say about fear, right?” the voice asks. “That it’s almost indistinguishable from arousal. That your body can’t tell the difference.” “They don’t say that,” Steve says, poking his head out the door and looking left to right. He’s just fucking exasperated. “Nobody says that.” “I say that.” Or: Steve gets a Scream-style call while he's babysitting the kids on Halloween night, and right now would be a really good fucking time for Billy to get home from work. Billy likes masks.

The Seventh Life by Klayr_de_Gall / @klayr-de-gall (WIP, 7k, M, Witch!Steve, Familiar!Billy)

With Allhallowtide looming two nights over, Steve feels restless and irritated, a bit on edge. The pull of that powerful event makes his bones arch stronger every year. The last thing he needs is some Californian Hotshot swaggering into his life, carrying the smell of trouble and a curse.

If You Need It (Do It For Me) by youcallherhephanie / @harring-rove (2k, T, Vampire!Steve)

Suffice to say, Billy’s neighbour was weird. Not the usual type of weird; you didn’t catch him smelling someone’s hair or lingering in an alleyway like a creep. No, he wasn’t weird weird, but there was something off about the guy. Whenever he was coming back from his morning runs, up in the early morning when the sun just barely peaked over the city, Billy’d see the guy walking through the apartment building. Sometimes, they’d bump into each other when collecting their mail, when using the elevator. It was always a nod, a hello from Billy and a terse smile from the guy - Harrington, he’d found out from the group of grannies who lived in the building. That was where their interactions left. But maybe things were in for a change.

It Happened at the Halloween Fair by gothyringwald / @gothyringwald & socknonny / @socknonny (9k, T, Halloween, Monsters)

All Steve wants is to enter his mom’s pie at the Halloween Fair… what he doesn’t expect is Billy Hargrove, sentient teddy bears, and a giant, pink monstrosity. Seems like Halloween is about to get a whole lot weirder.

Effective Immediately by lololaufeyson / @lokibi (WIP, 22k, E, Vampire!Billy)

A what-if alternate ending and continuation of the season three finale where Billy tries to get out of dodge, but finds a few too many strings tethering him in Hawkins. Now if only he can find some damn scissors....

Where the wolf bane blooms by Confettibites / @confettibites (2k, E, Werewolf!Billy)

Steve Harrington stays behind in the school gym and something very odd happens when Billy shows up.

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

Rock You Like a Hurricane (The Eighties Blasts Collection, Part 12.)

Description: Jim Hopper died as a hero. But with that, one certain problem rises up - who will now lead the cops of Hawkins? Hopper thought of that - he decided to write a letter, naming his niece, nineteen-year-old student of Indianapolis police academy, Y/N Hopper as a sheriff deputy in a letter. But anybody in the town doesn’t have a clue that being a cop in Hawkins is way more dangerous than it might seem.

Part Summary: The whole party has finally assembled and there's only one more thing that needs to be done - Hopper needs to test if the monster is really connected to her like the first Demogorgon was to Eleven.

A/N: Song is a shoutout to Billy Hargrove - he might be not the best guy, but he did some pretty nice things in the end.

Word Count: 3 K

Tagging: @charmed-asylum​ @nemodoren​

Master list: The Eighties Blast Collection

It took two other days until everyone was able to meet up - it was a pretty Saturday night and everyone decided to meet up at the old car graveyard. Kids were calling it Junkyard, but the old car graveyard was a better name in your opinion. 

You and Steve were there two hours before the sunset, waiting on everybody else to show up. You sat on the top of an old school bus and watched the sun slowly disappearing behind the trees. It was truly beautiful, but it still was a bit cold. It was almost December after all - you just hugged yourself tighter and pushed the big, winter, lumberjack coat which you found in Hoppers cabin tighter on your body.

“How are you feeling?” - Steve asked suddenly. There were many things you could talk about and yet, you decided to keep your mouth shut. For example, you could ask him about him and Nance. You could talk about the last years you haven't seen each other. You could start asking questions, and a lot of them, but you were mostly just joking around.

Mostly, you were thinking about the vision the Shapeshifter showed you. If you had to be honest, you were everything but brave even if you tried to act like a tough cookie. Seriously, you were terrified out of your mind. What if the visions showed to be false? What if the Shapeshifter tried to play mind games with you? But what if they were real? There were at least dozen of Demogorgons somewhere in the world, kept at one place and there were probably even more which you couldn't see with your own eyes, and that was... Surreal. You have seen and heard what one Demogorgon can do. What could dozens of them do?

And there, of course, there was Jim. Was he alive or dead? Was he somewhere out there and was he waiting for your help? Or was he a lie as well? You needed to speak to somebody so bad, but the only person you would tell all of this was dead, currently MIA.

“Yeah, thanks for asking. Do I look bad or something?” - You joked, not sure if you're funny. Steve had an answer on his tongue, but he just swallowed it down. You thought that he doesn't see how many times you wake up in the night, panting and mumbling something, being completely disoriented for a few seconds until you realized where you were. You were quiet enough not to wake anyone, but Steve wasn't able to fall asleep most of both nights - you were in his room and there was a Shapeshifter roaming around in the woods.

“I just think it can be all a bit too much to handle singlehandedly, that's all.” - Steve mumbled to you before turning back to the sunset. 

“But I'm not alone in this one, Steve. There's five kids, two childhood friends, and Robin who are helping me handle this. Otherwise, I would simply go insane.” - You answered honestly, thinking that your whole talk is over. It wasn't.

“I don't have this situation on my mind. I mean the situation in your head.” - Steve slowly dropped the knees down from the top to swing them around as a small boy. - “Listen, Hoper, I know how does it feel like to be alone. For a time, I had no-one. My girlfriend left me, I realized that my best friends are just jerks and the only person I relied on, my dad, told me that I am his biggest disappointment since I didn't make it to college. If you need to talk to someone, a heart to heart talk, just remember that I'm here.” - Steve gave you a small smile, and you just looked at him without having anything to say. - “I just don't think it's fair that you were left alone, without Hopper. And I don't think it's fair that the Shapeshifter gave as much hope as it did.”

Alone. To feel alone. Such a strange feeling. To feel like no-one understands you, that you don't belong anywhere and to anyone. When you felt alone, it felt like you were floating, like an airship without an anchor. 

“I really hope that he's somewhere out there.” - You told Steve quietly, playing with the hem of the lumberjack coat with your thumb. - “I just really miss him. He really was like a dad to me, you know?” 

“I know, Hopper, I know. I remember the time you were living at his place in New York and came back for the holidays. We were together most of the time and we always went for a swim to Nancy's. We were six or something.” - Steve said with a smile, watching his old Converse shoes swinging in the air. 

That was a dark time in your life - or so you were told. Hopper made it the best year and a half of your life. You hadn't got a single bad memory on the time you've been living at his house in New York while he took you back here to have holidays in Hawkins. Sara took you as a sister, Hopper definitely took you as his little present, as he always called you. After that, it all crumbled down - your life, Hopper's life, Sara's life. But you didn't want to focus on that story. - “You never looked happier than here, when Hopper was taking care of you. We will do our best to find him, for you and Eleven. It's the least he deserves from us as payback for everything he's done to keep our asses safe.” - Steve promised and rose his pinkie for you to hold it. He could see the tears in your eyes and even though, you still rose yours to hug his. You tried to act so toughly, but Steve knew that it's just a mask you're wearing.

There was a whole story to be told, yours and Hopper's, but at the time, you didn't want to focus on any of it. Also, you heard the first bikes arriving at the old car graveyard, so it was finally the time to stop being so serious. It was Dustin with Lucas and Max, each of them holding a bucket of leftovers from the butcher's. Sometime after that, Mike with Nancy and Robin came out of the woods - Robin surely took them in her car. 

You started to prepare the playground - you made sure that the bus will be a totally safe space for the kids, you also made sure that the flashlights are lighting every small corner of the old car graveyard. Steve with Dustin prepared way made out of meat from the butcher's, telling everyone that they've done it already. The rest was securing the small meadow inside the junkyard - Max made herself one watchtower away from everyone where she was sitting with radio and with a sling by her side. 

Lucas made himself a bird's nest on the of the old school bust you and Steve were sitting at previously. Nancy had a revolver by her side just as you did, Steve came back with a baseball bat that had nails hammered in. Max and Lucas had slingshots and Robin found herself an old, rusty pipe. Dustin and Mike were the second radio tower on the bus, sitting alongside Lucas. Nancy was supposed to have a watch on the stairs of the bus meanwhile Robin and Steve were with you outside, protecting your right side and your back.

“Whatever happens, we're in this together.” - Mike told everyone just a quarter to ten o'clock remaining. You were standing next to a huge pile of meat that was supposed to be the main catch for the Shapeshifter. - “We won't leave anyone behind. If anyone dies, we're dying with them.” - Wheeler said as if that was for sure, which, of course, terrified you. 

“Nobodys going to die, dingus. We secured the junkyard, we are equipped, Lucas and Max have the best firecrackers around.” - Steve chuckled and each one of you put your palm into the middle of a circle, you bent forwards and yelled Hey ho, let's go! just like in The Ramones song.

You trusted each one of them and took a knife out of your pocket, opening it up. Your hands were trembling as you tried to catch your breath. Everyone was getting on their positions and those who already got there, watched your silhouette standing in all the lights coming from the flashlights. Nancy could exactly name the feeling you had - an endless fear from whatever was about to happen. You lingered the tip over your hand and when you wanted to cut the skin, you couldn't bring yourself to. That was when Steve appeared next to you.

"Need a little help with this?" - He asked, visibly as nervous as you were. You looked him in the eyes and handed him the knife. Steve exhaled, a cloud of mist coming out of his mouth. What if you were wrong? What if the Shapeshifter isn't connected to you in any way? What if it doesn't come and you just cut your palm for nothing?

Before you could tell any of your thoughts to Steve, you felt the knife opening up the skin on your palm as Steve gently pushed it in. His palm was supporting yours so it didn't move a bit even if it was visibly trembling. You looked at the blood rushing out of your body, instantly making your whole forearm and palm sticky, red and weirdly hot and cold at the same time.

"Thanks." - You mumbled and positioned the palm so the blood was dripping down on the meat beside you. Now, you only needed to wait and test out the theory. If it comes, it can sense you by the smell of your blood. You were pretty afraid of that. Steve just nodded and went back to position himself to protect your back.

You stood there until the blood stopped dripping, which took at least fifteen minutes. Steve was really precise with the cut, to say the least. It almost looked like that even the Shapeshifter will let you all alone with a cut on your hand, but then the lights started flickering. Mist covered the most of the small meadow you created and everyone was set in action - you saw Nancy stand up and Mike with Dustin were calling Max like crazy just to get some information. Robin and Steve got nervous and you looked around, searching for it.

You didn't know what form will it have or if more will come to get you - that was maybe why it's appearance shocked you so much. You were looking at Barb Holland coming directly from the place where Max was sitting. She had her ginger hair perfectly fixed, her glasses were neatly clean; Nancy could even say she had the exact same outfit she had the day she had disappeared. Anyone could tell a single word. You weren't able to. She was smiling and walking to you, her honest eyes were aimed at you. She looked just like you remembered her, not a single hair on her hair changed.

"Shoot it! Come on! I don't know who it is, but the monster is just fucking with you!" - Max yelled at you, ruining the moment completely. Until that second it looked like Barb, Shapeshifter of whatever the fuck it was, was coming in peace.

That was the moment when Shapeshifter came out of Barb, becoming a weird mix of her facial features and the Shapeshifter's body, now crawling on all-four, jumping directly at you as it mouths opened up. Not a second after that, Steve swung his bat to hit the target precisely, but even the small contact of you and the Shapeshifter was enough for you to roll your eyes backward. It was happening again - the time was slowed down and you were looking at Steve, who was yelling something at someone while you were falling on your hip. Whatever it was showing you previously, it had more story to tell.

The Mind Flayer has taken control over you once again and this time, you could actually see how it dragged you all over the planet since you didn't keep your eyes closed. You weren't even joking, you were just traveling through various places - you've seen the Eiffel tower in Paris, the Colosseum in Rome, the Prague castle in Czechoslovakia. And it dragged you further and further away from there - to a land covered in snow, where you were freezing to death. You stood knee-deep in the snow again, looking into woods. There were high trees around you and completely white snow.

“Can you hear me?” - You asked the misty ball, this time its tentacle was hugging your shoulders - it didn't respond back. Not a move, not a sound, not a signal. Your voice sounded somehow muted down as if you were trying to speak underwater. What were supposed to see? It was just a random forest. Until you were turned around harshly to face a huge rail track leading as far as you could see. A rail track? For what? 

You bit your lip, coming closer to the track, the ball on your shoulders still remaining on your shoulders. This couldn't be a normal rail track - it seemed to be new, barely used. It was placed in the heart of the wilderness, so the ones building it were trying to keep it away from people. Could it have something in common with the Demogorgons? 

“What on earth are you trying to show me?” - You asked before the misty ball dragged you off to somewhere again. It didn't step away from the snowy rail track, dragging along the construction. The length of it was... Insane. It was hundreds and hundreds of miles long. You stopped nearby a group of workers. There were men in long, warm coats, but it still seemed that they are not working on the rail track because they would love it so much. When you counted it down, you counted two guards looking after one person - ones were standing in watchtowers, presumably snipers, guards with dogs and ones holding AK-47.

Wait a minute. AK-47? Of course, you knew the machine guns, they told you about this type of machine guns at school. You wouldn't find a soldier with this gun in America - because this family of guns started and was distributed by soviets in...

Russia. You were in Russia. These people were Russians. You still couldn't understand a shit they said, but you noticed the small red stars on their apparel, the furry coats, atypical types of work equipment. If these were Russians and the Mind Flayer took you there, that meant that the pack of Demogorgons was in Russia.

You got even close since you were sure that these jackasses can't see you and looked at the men building the rail track. They were dirty, surely freezing. Each one of them looked almost extremely underweighted and tired - these men weren't workers, no. These ones were imprisoned, slaves to say the least.

“What is all of this?” - You asked the ball and suddenly, one of the men turned at you with disbelief in their face. This time, you got enough time to look at him - but you had trouble with saying that's Hopper for sure. These blue eyes were the only thing that made you sure - his skin was basically transparent, he was dirty with huge bags under his eyes, he didn't have any hair or beard. But in the short second you watched each other, the Mind Flayer showed you that it is truly Hopper. 

You suddenly had way more questions than answers - why was Hopper in Russia and how did he survive the explosion? What were the Russians doing with Demogorgons? What was the rail track for? And on whose side Shapeshifter was? You took a breath to say something to Hopper, at least a word, but you suddenly fell onto the ground, seeing and hearing Harrington yell something. 

Blood was dripping from your nose again, but this time, you knew you won't pass out. You heard shrieking, growling and shouting, some gunshots, yelling and hits with the baseball bat and rusty pipe, but you just watched the Shapeshifter running off. 

“Hopper, Jesus Christ!” - Dustin's face appeared just inches from yours, so you naturally jumped a bit. That boy was destined to be your death one day. - “What did you see? The end of the world? Explosions? People yelling?” 

“Dude, calm down.” - Steve dragged him away and you felt Nancy and Robin helping you with standing up. They held you on your feet until your head stopped spinning and the blood stopped dripping. - “You okay? You seem to be... I don't know, confused?” - Which was weird since the Demogorgon almost bit your whole head off.

“It isn't trying to kill me.” - You whispered quietly and looked at Mike. You didn't know why or how, but your gaze just gravitated towards him - so you just stared him down while you were lost in your own thoughts. 

“As far as I am concerned, this looked like attempted murder, Hopper.” - Lucas spoke from somewhere behind your back, but your head just shook on its own. 

“Why would it show me that the Demogorgons are in Russia, then? And that hopper is there too?” - You asked back and everyone suddenly shut up. 

[chobit92]

Home: Jacob Seed/OC Chapter 28

Warnings: Violence, Child Abuse, Rape, Drugs 

 (2 days later: Friday: Faith is sitting in Joseph’s church arranging flowers into bunches. Joseph is writing in a book. Just then Lexi walks in with a man.). Lexi: Faith your sister has agreed to join us. Faith: What? She has? How do you know? Man: You need to see this. (The man turns on the TV and tunes it to a channel. Faith gasps as she sees Mara on the screen sat in a chair. Her surroundings are dark but she can just make out where she is.). Faith: Is she... Man: John’s bunker. Lexi: Will saw it in the canteen he just came and told us. (Faith stands up and watches as Mara looks at the camera.). John: Are you going to confess? Mara: Yes. John: You will confess and you will atone? Mara: Yes. (Faith watches in shock as John moves into view. Faith gasps as John grabs Mara’s hair and yanks her head back. She then stares as John jams the screwdriver into her sisters neck making her bleed.). Lexi: John ain’t playing. Man: She don’t look too scared though. John: Confess. Mara: Just remember that you asked for it.

(John takes the screwdriver away from Mara’s neck and disappears from view. Mara sighs and looks at the camera.). Mara: Um...I don’t know if there’s a specific way of doing this. Things your meant to say. I’m just gonna start at the beginning. (Joseph is looking at the TV. Will walks in.). Will: Have you seen it? Faith: Yes. I don’t understand why he is broadcasting it. Will: I don’t know. Mara: Some of you may think I’m mad. Some of you might think I’m a monster. Maybe some of you will understand what I did. I was born to parents who did nothing but sell drugs and abuse. My mother always wished that she had just had an abortion. I was never wanted. By her or my father. She kept me locked in the basement. Coming into this bunker today was the hardest thing I’ve done in years. All I can see is that basement. Still hear my mom screaming about what a mistake I am. How useless I am. She believed that I was the devil. Hell maybe she was right. Faith: No sis she wasn’t. (Will rubs Faiths shoulder.). Mara: She would whip me until my back was red raw. She would starve me for days and give me no water. It was dark down there and damp. I was always cold, always hungry and always in pain. Alone in the dark. (Tears roll down Mara’s cheeks. Faith is also crying. Will puts his arm around her.). Will: You know what she did don’t you Faith? Faith: Yes. (Faith lets out a sob and buries her head in Wills Jacket.). Mara: I was never allowed out of the basement because my mother didn’t want anyone to know I existed. In fact nobody did. My mother never told anyone she was pregnant. She never went to a doctor. She gave birth at home. She said it was agony. That I was a little bitch for putting her through so much pain. As if I had somehow decided to be there. She told me that the pain was Gods punishment for giving birth to the devil. She was delusional. Probably all the drugs she took. I was surprised when my father let me out of the basement. It was a strange experience. Being kept underground then suddenly seeing the rest of the house. The window and...Outside. It was confusing. My dad was friends with the priest who used to run the church in Falls End. Some priest he was, turned out he liked children. He liked them a lot. Will: Ah hell. (Joseph is watching the screen with interest.). Mara: I didn’t like him second I saw him. The way he looked at me. The way he spoke. My dad told me to help my mom so I went to the living room. Mom was there and I helped her clean the living room then I was shoved back down in the basement. My sister wasn’t kept in the basement like me. She had her own room. I thought she was loved and cared for. John: You were jealous of her? Mara: No. Worse than that. I was happy for her. I thought she was loved and cared for. She wasn’t. Least in the basement I was left alone most of the time. My baby sister went through hell and I didn’t even know anything about it. I had no clue. That priest came down to the basement one day and started touching me. I had found a large nail, I was using it to draw on the wall. I stuck it in his face, took a load of skin off and left him with a nasty scar. He screamed. My mom came down and got real angry with me. Called me ‘Devil’ again. Then she carved the word into my back. I was six years old. Man: Damn. (Will lets out a breath. Faith is still crying.). Mara: My sister sometimes visited me in the basement. She would sneak me a drink or some food. I remember being so happy that she was okay. She was never dirty, always dressed nice. While my parents were out we would sit and talk to each other for ages. We would play games and cuddle. Over time me and my sister grew close. She was sad that I was kept in the basement. But I looked forward to her visits. When I was a teenager I was finally let out of the basement. I think my mom hoped I would leave the house and not come back. My father told me to piss off to my face. ‘Go on go you little bitch’ he spat. I finally got to see the world. Well...Hope County anyway. It was hard at first. Especially talking to people. But I met some nice people who became my friends. Most people knew who my parents were. They were the ones that dealt drugs to everyone. Even young kids who were still in school. I learned that the drugs my dad sold had already killed two kids. I wondered why the police hadn’t arrested him. Turned out the Sheriff at the time and my dad were best mates. Just like he was best mates with the priest too. Could get away with whatever he wanted. I finally thought that things could be okay. I’d managed to make friends and I was finally out of the basement. I still had to sleep down there though. I thought that once I was a bit older I could take my sister and go. Get our own place together. It’s amazing what you think is possible when you’re a kid. When I was fourteen my sister told me that she was being bullied at school. She showed me bruises on her ribs and a cut on her arm where they’d attacked her. So I went up the school when it finished and waited. I saw my sister walking out and then I saw them. Three of ‘em. One of ‘em grabbed her and pulled her hair while the other one pulled out a little flick knife. I marched over to them and punched the first one. I got the knife off the other one and stuck it in his arm. He was crying like a baby. The other one ran off. Oh my mom was furious when she heard what I’d done. Locked me back in the basement after whipping me again. The boys didn’t bully my sister again though. When I was fifteen my parents went away for the weekend. They took my sister with them and left me on my own. (Mara sighs.). Mara: It was Saturday night and I was looking around the house. I’d found my dad’s whiskey and decided to have some. I was looking around upstairs and that’s when I found them. In my parents’ wardrobe there was a box of tapes. I was curious as to what they were, they didn’t have anything written on them. Curiosity killed the cat though right? I couldn’t believe what I was watching. My baby sister being violated over and over again by my dad and that priest. My mom was there watching. Who does that to their daughter? In the first video she could only be about six. There were over thirty tapes. All filled with images of my baby sister being raped repeatedly. I couldn’t watch it all. I went to the church in Falls End. He looked surprised when he saw me. He looked even more surprised when he saw the kitchen knife I’d bought with me. (Will sighs. Faith is still crying quietly.). Mara: I lost count of how many times I stabbed that dirty raping bastard. I should have cut his dick off. He had this ornate cross on his table. I don’t really know what made me do it but I thought it was fitting. I picked up the cross and shoved it through his chest. Then I went back home. The priest wasn’t found until the morning. Sunday. Church day. Not that day. Church was closed, surrounded by crime scene tape. Who would do such a thing? (Mara laughs.). John: You let your anger take control of you. Your sin is wrath. Mara: Yeah. You can put the screwdriver down though. I ain’t finished yet. I walked around town and listened to what everyone was saying about the grisly murder. I even heard that people were coming forward to say that the priest had abused them. He hadn’t just done it to my sister. He was a paedophile. Not a priest. I ended up hanging out with Wheaty in the woods. I didn’t get home until late. My parents were back by then. They had heard about their beloved friend being killed. My father had lost his temper. He thought it was all my sisters fault. My father was worried that they would find drugs in the church and other things...When I came home my father had beaten my sister so badly I could hardly recognise her. She was curled up in the corner of the lounge sobbing. Her little dress was covered in blood. She had a lot of broken bones, her jaw, her nose. She was broken. So was I, I guess. I was tired. I’d had enough. Seeing my sister like that was awful. I was supposed to protect her. I had one fucking job. I failed. My dad noticed that I was back and he started shouting and swearing at me. Then he said that he would drown me first. Mom was upstairs running the bath. She was going to drown my sister. (Faith is sobbing.). Mara: I wasn’t going to fail her again. I went to the kitchen and got the knife. Same one I used on the priest. I went back to the lounge and my dad just stared at me. I told him I was the one who killed his friend. Gave him what he deserved. He said he always knew I was a head case. That I wasn’t normal. That I was different. A mistake. He said I was nothing but demon spawn. So I thought alright then...I’ll show him then. My father started yelling that I was done for now. He’d drown me himself and nobody would know coz nobody really knew I existed. I then did the unthinkable, the unforgiveable, the ultimate sin. I started stabbing my father. Will: Jesus. Man: My God. Mara: My sister could only watch in horror screaming from the floor as I stabbed daddy again and again. My mother came flying down the stairs and she screamed when she saw what I had done. She pointed at me and screamed ‘I knew it, Devil’. I guess you can’t kill a monster without becoming one. I stabbed my mother repeatedly before slitting her throat. My sister was crying and I hugged her and told her everything was going to be fine. I called an ambulance for my sister. When they saw my parents they were horrified. The police arrived a little while later. My sister was screaming for me. Begging for me not to be taken away. I told her I loved her and that I’d see her again. I thought I was going to prison but oh no. They thought I was insane. They found out I’d killed the priest too. I was placed in a psychiatric facility. I was released when I was eighteen. I was stunned. I never thought I’d see the light of day again. Seemed a bit stupid to me. I told them I’d been locked in a basement for years. So what do they do? Why they lock me in a tiny room of course. Coz that makes sense. I had nowhere to live and no money so...I lived on the streets. I was sleeping in an abandoned apartment block that had turned into a den for junkies and gang members. The leader of the gang was always there dealing drugs. One day though I noticed that he had two young girls handcuffed to an old bed with a rusty frame. I spoke to them. Turned out they had run away from their abusive parents. Sisters. They reminded me so much of my sister and me. They were just trying to get somewhere better. They didn’t though. Ivan was the leader of the local gang. Into all kinds of shit. Nobody messed with him. Those that did ended up dead. One of the girls was seventeen the other was twelve. I didn’t want to get involved. I was on my own and had myself to look out for. But later that night I saw a man in the room with Ivan and the girls. He was handing Ivan a large wad of cash and the girls were crying. Their trousers were around their ankles. Ivan was selling them to dirty pervs. Pimping them out. I weren’t having that. You should know what happened next John. Seeing as you know me well by now. John: You killed them. Mara: Yeah. That’s where I got the revolver from. I took it from Ivan. Then I used it to help the girls escape after stabbing Ivan and the perv. One of Ivan’s mates always watched the door of the crack den. Knew he wouldn’t just let us leave. He had a gun too. He raised it to shoot me but luckily for me I was quicker. Shot him in the head. His blood spattered the wall and I didn’t even care. I still don’t. I gave the girls the money that perv had given to Ivan and told them about a shelter I knew about that wasn’t far. I hope they went there. I hope they were okay. I met Franky not long after and we hung out for a bit just trying to get by on the streets. Until she buggered off. Then I met Bonnie and Alex and stayed with them. I kept looking for my sister. Came here seven years ago then again four years ago. I always hoped to find her. I hoped to see her again and I did. Came back here and met up with her again. Killed more people. Thirteen members of the Whitetail Militia. Also killed that guy that came to your ranch and threatened to shoot us. It gets hard to keep count after a while. I am a killer. That’s it. Now I am going to be that psycho girl again that everyone looks at funny. The girl that killed her parents. Coz you know there must be something wrong with me right? I must be insane. Normal people don’t kill people. Except they seem to forget that way back when they probably did. All the time. People have always killed people. We’re good at destruction. It’s what we do. (Mara finally stops talking. She just sits there looking blank.). John: That is your full confession? Mara: That’s everything. John: No other sins? Mara: Not that I know of. Ain’t got anything to be greedy with and I have no Lust in my life. Ain’t never even had a boyfriend. Never will neither. Not now. Can’t have much pride coz I hate myself. John: Hm. I see. (The camera moves and John’s face can now be seen. He smiles.). John: I told you dear Faith that your sister would join us. That she would say yes. (Faith gasps.). John: You might not want to watch this next part though. (The video feed suddenly disappears and ‘No Signal’ now displays on the blank screen. Faith lets out a whimper and Will wraps his arms around her.

 ---Jacob sits in the makeshift mess hall of the veterans center. Terry came racing into his office telling him about the broadcast. Everyone sat watching as Mara confessed to John. Jacob couldn’t stop staring at her. He tells himself that he is intrigued by her. The way she has killed without hesitation that’s all that draws him to her. Nothing else. She would probably be no good to him anyway. Not really. Not like his men. She wouldn’t be able to pass the trials. She is pretty though. He can’t deny that. So beautiful. He tries to remember what she felt like. What she smelled like but he can’t. He barely remembers much about that night. Only that he fucked her. That she cried his name and called him a grizzly bear. He gets up and goes back up to his office. He sighs as he flicks through the days reports. He didn’t get much sleep last night and he is tired. He struggles to sleep. He didn’t struggle when Mara was sleeping next to him though. He didn’t have any nightmares either. He sighs and picks up the report about the latest Militia sightings.

  ---John walks into Josephs church. Faith looks up her eyes red from crying. Joseph stands up and greets him.). Faith: Why did you broadcast it? John: Your sisters confession? I thought you would want to see it. Faith: How did you get here so quickly? John: I didn’t. Faith: But we were just watching you with my sister in your bunker. John: That was filmed two days ago. It wasn’t live. Faith: Two days...Where is she now? John: I don’t know. After her atonement I baptised her in the river. I also gave her the Edens Gate tattoo. She wanted it on the back of her neck. Then she left for the Whitetail Mountains. She said she was going to collect her things then meet up with you in the Henbane. Faith: I haven’t seen her. John: Hm. I’m sure she’ll be back. She wouldn’t leave you. She cares for you too much. Faith: I know.

 ---11.23pm. Mara stumbles into the bathroom. She groans in pain and wipes the dirty mirror and pulls her top down. She stares at the word ‘Wrath’ carved across her chest. She sighs. Now she hates her body even more. The word ‘Devil’ on her back along with all the scars from the whip now this. Tears sting her eyes. John has serious issues. He enjoyed slicing into her skin. He enjoyed the way she cried out in pain. She didn’t mind the pain. She has found that she likes it. That’s why she cuts herself sometimes. But she didn’t scream though. Wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. She still isn’t sure about John. He seems to honestly believe that he has helped her. Saved her. She almost wishes he had drowned her in the river. For a moment she thought he was going to. He held her under way longer than was necessary. She winces as she runs a damp cloth over her chest. Damn is it sore. She also rubs the back of her neck which itches slightly from the latest tattoo John has given her. The black cross logo of Edens Gate. There’s no going back now. She is officially a member whatever the hell that means. She goes back to the kitchen area and puts her things in her holdall. She doesn’t own much. Her drawings and pens, some clothes and shoes, the iPod that Franky gave her that she can’t charge. She grabs the blanket from the bed and shoves it into the holdall. She just about manages to fit it in there. She then slings the holdall across her body but it rubs against the scarring on her chest. She moves it so that it is over her shoulder. She takes one last look around the trailer. She sighs then opens the door. She stops dead when she sees several militia standing outside with their guns aimed at her.). Man: Time to die peggie bitch!

[chronicas]

A lot of people followed me for Salem and he is one of my favorites in the Main 14 so I’m gonna infodump about him a little bit.

Here’s my first real drawing of him! I came up with Salem while listening to Touch Tone Telephone, because the shit slaps and I wanted to run a Monster of the Week campaign. For the campaign I needed a character that would aid the players in solving the mysteries and bringing all their characters together. The first two characters I made for the campaign were Salem and Danial Cedarwood (who was inspired by Stan Pines and Ned Chicane) Originally, Salem was a Terran radio host and monster hunter. He was supposed to have a contract with the Greater Forest Spirit, Astacagoth (Mothman) that would lend him some of the spirit’s strength. So in the beginning he was just a regular human man who had a contract with a forest spirit. There was also another unnamed NPC who had the same setup as Salem but with Bigfoot, he was scrapped in the end but was still neat.

At the time I had just started listening to TAZ Amnesty and hadn’t met Indrid yet, when I did meet Indrid and Griffin discribed him having the iconic red tinted sunglasses I thought “hm maybe it would be more fun if Salem was literally just Mothman” It was something I had already considered but I wanted to make sure Salem wasn’t like Indrid. I turned away from Salem’s original more mysterious personality and decided to make him incredibly cocky with a very good heart. He became the guy who always put himself between his friends and danger and also was just an absolute himbo.

Salem’s backstory was about Astacagoth, a tired spirit who couldn’t be killed, being hunted by monster hunters who saw him as a threat. After being slain many times, he desired to move on instead of being resurrected over and over again. Helaphiel was an angel and a friend of Astacagoth’s, he asked her to help him move on. Since spirits exist as something between the realm of the living and the dead, they can’t really die. So to allow him to die, the energy in his soul, his essence basically, needed to be repurposed. One night, 13 year old Salem Graves was exploring the woods during one of Astacagoth and Helaphiel’s meetings. Helaphiel agreed to take a portion of Astacagoth’s soul and give it to Salem. So Astacagoth became a mortal soul and moved on while Salem was basically upgraded from mortal to Greater Forest Spirit. Becoming Mothman.

When I started to flesh out his backstory I remembered one of my abandoned characters, Rian. Rian has been at least 3 different characters. Her name, appearance, and personality stay the same every time, but her story changes. I decided to finalize her as Salem’s younger sister. With this new family dynamic I created the two’s backstory. The two were orphaned when Salem was 10 and Rian was only 3. Rian and Salem were half siblings, sharing the same father, they were both raised by Salem’s mother and their father, Rian never knowing her biological mother. Originally, the two shared a mother because Rian’s father was Satan. However I thought it might be fun to put a twist on antichrist by making her the opposite of Christ. You have the Son of God, God being the Father, and the Daughter of Satan, Satan being the Mother.

With Rian as the antichrist I was able to more properly tie in Helaphiel to the story. Rian is one of many antichrists, one of Helaphiel’s sacred duties was to keep an eye on these children and keep them isolated from the devil, postponing the apocalypse. Angels and Forest Spirits tend to get along, so originally the only reason Helaphiel had anything to do with the Graves Siblings was that they happened to live in Astacagoth’s territory, but with Rian in the mix it became a bit flipped. Helaphiel was there for Rian and she would happen to run into Astacagoth from time to time. After Salem became the new Mothman, Helaphiel decided to adopt them because she felt guilty for what she did to Salem. Her original thought was that by making Salem a powerful spirit, he could protect his sister from the demons that would inevitably come to influence her, totally did not consider that she would be turning a 13 yo child into a big scary monster.

Helaphiel is also a member of the High Magic Council of Genesis, at this point in the timeline, Agael Stellarune is the Emissary of the Goddesses of Magic and head of the Council. My girl Lumaria has not been born yet. Salem has no connection to the Council yet.

Fast forward 5 years after Salem’s incident, Salem is 18, Rian is 11. At this point Salem has just graduated High School and Helaphiel leaves Salem alone to take care of Rian so she can return to her job at the Council full time. Salem starts working for the local paper after his online blog starts to grow in popularity. He basically writes stories about the strange happenings in his hometown, of which there are many. He uses this as a way to get information from people so he can better do his job as a Forest Spirit. (Which is to protect his territory and everyone who lives on it)

At this point the war with the Izebellian Empire has begun, Izebel herself is only 8, but by the time she was 5 she was a worthy vessel of Circe’s curse. Ageal forms the New Genesis Alliance as a response.

Three years later, Ageal is murdered by the knight September. Despite the Council assuring her that she doesn’t need to take the position because she’s literally only 10, Lumaria Stellarune takes her mother’s place as Emissary due to her already strong connection to Ashtia and Arcadia.

Under Lumaria’s lead (with Helaphiel, Xoul, and Madam Veronica acting as her closest advisors) Salem begins working closely with the Council as a Terran operative. In this same time, the Vandals move to West Virginia to help with the increase of spiritual activity near Point Pleasant. One night, Qwynn and Anastasiya Vandal encounter Salem and lesser forest spirit, Vistrag, while Salem is in his true form. Qwynn, eager to prove herself as an amateur monster hunter to her parents, makes a familiar contract with Vistrag.

Which is super helpful to Salem when the Vandals move to Valewood, Colorado. /s

After having to move out of his designated territory (something a greater forest spirit hasn’t ever really done before) along with 50+ lesser forest spirits just so one (1) idiot teenager can keep her familiar, Salem moves into the adjacent town, Aderdeen, and starts working at the radio station. There he continues his same gig that he had as a journalist except now he’s a radio show host. Him and a group of college students (of which includes local cryptid enthusiast, Susan Monroe) create a show called The Valewood Night Watch. The actual Valewood Nightwatch consists of Salem, Rian, and local (normal) hunter and bastard Danial Cedarwood who finds out Salem’s secret while hunting one night and decides to help protect his town.

Then my MotW campaign starts. The campaign kicks off with the death of Jack Harper, who was out hiking at night with his best friend Jessica North. The next day Jessica calls the Valewood Night Watch and reports that the thing that killed her friend was some kind of large creature with black leathery wings and tall deer antlers. This will be the hook that will bring together a group of unlikely heroes that will eventually start a forest fire, fail to save the local weatherman from Zombie Jack Harper, get a local sheriff abducted by the Men in Black, and other dumb shit that I love them for.

I don’t know how the campaign will end, but nothing will happen that will drastically change the canon timeline. Everything else is spoilers for the start of Unorthodox ;)

[nillial]

under starry skies

what’s up y’all!! it’s me back on my bullshit and with a taz amnesty fic. episode 28 spoilers ahead!!

a story detailing what dani, pigeon, and mama are up to after ned’s death. everyone’s more or less where they were when the last episode ended. and they’re all goin’ through it.

warnings: major character death and graphic depictions of violence 

read it on ao3! 

-

When Dani comes to, she hears the familiar soft trickling of waters she knows well, feels rough, calloused hands pulling her up by the shoulders, and sees a starry night sky with a storm brewing on the horizon.

“Dani?” A voice asks from above her.

“Barclay,” she says, surprised by how hoarse her voice is, “what happened?” Barclay sighs and lets go of her, swinging his legs over the side of the pond. “What do you remember?”

She squeezes her eyes shut. Most of her recent memories are a blur. “I— I remember— I remember being attacked by something, and I remember getting hit, and— and then it was dark, and— Barclay, really, what happened?”

“Don’t worry about it for now,” he says. “Just get some rest. I’ll tell you all about it later.”

Dani nods, because God, she’s tired, and slips further into the pond, leaning back against the bank. She hears the loud booming of thunder in the distance, but can’t bring herself to care about the prospect of an approaching storm. The water is nice and her eyelids are heavy. She’s never wanted to sleep more in her life.

Maroon clouds swirl against the dark blue of the night sky, and, although she should probably be concerned about how the clouds are red, she’s too exhausted and too lost in how pretty it all is to care. White pinpricks of light shine through wisps that have broken off of heavy storm clouds. Dani has always loved the stars. They seem brighter tonight.

“Beautiful night,” says Dani, too soft to be heard.

And she drifts off under a starry sky.

-

Pigeon is shaking and she can’t stop.

She killed Ned.

She killed Ned.

She killed Ned.

And she can’t get the image out of her head— the look on his face, the way he crumpled to the ground in a matter of seconds, the blood— and her mind can’t stop replaying the way his life drained out of his eyes until there was nothing there anymore. He was just staring straight up at the sky. And, although Pigeon might chalk it up to her imagination if she didn’t remember it so vividly, he was smiling. Just a little smile. Almost imperceptible. But it was there.

She tosses her rifle into the woods. She doesn’t want to hold a gun ever, ever again.

She doesn’t know what to do. The sheriff told her something about law and consequence and going to trial, which, shit, she’s probably going to prison, isn’t she? She didn’t catch most of it. She was too preoccupied with thinking about how she killed Ned Chicane. And how she was prepared to kill the girl who attacked him. A girl that Ned died trying to protect, which meant that that girl might have been human once. That, or Ned had some sort of messed-up death wish.

Jesus, Pigeon, she thinks, you fucking killed a man and now you’re criticizing his thought process?

She probably made things a lot worse by running from the sheriff before he was even done speaking. Pigeon doesn’t care right now, though. She has to follow Aubrey. Aubrey has to know it was an accident. That all of it was a horrible, horrible accident.

The look on Aubrey’s face when she found Ned is burned into her brain. Aubrey didn’t even believe it, at first, which was the worst thing— she tried to tell herself that, no, Ned wasn’t dead, he couldn’t be dead, while Pigeon just stood there with her rifle still smoking. And then she tried to do something to him with what Pigeon assumed was magic. All she knew was that there was this golden glow from under Aubrey’s hands, and Aubrey was wide-eyed and crying, and Pigeon, just for a second, had hope. Hope that Ned would wake up and look around and have a good laugh. Or start screaming at her. It didn’t matter. Pigeon just wanted the blood off of her hands and for Ned to be fine. She didn’t know him very well, but on the TV programs and in the museum, he seemed so full of energy. But then he hit the ground, and the life drained out of his face— a life she had taken.

The magic didn’t work. Aubrey ran off.

Hollis told her that Aubrey and Ned and Duck were all keeping secrets from the people of Kepler, and Pigeon knows they have been. She has known. And she felt helpless because she wants to protect people, but she can’t defend herself against one of those monsters all alone. So when Hollis asserted that the three of them by themselves weren’t enough to protect the whole of the town— that the people, not just an exclusive team of three, needed to band together to prevent disaster, Pigeon agreed. She joined the Hornets in a sorry attempt to really do something about the danger looming over Kepler. First few weeks on the job and she shoots one of the people trying to protect it.

The more she thinks about it, the less she believes that Aubrey, Ned, and Duck were doing wrong by Kepler by not letting its residents know about the monsters. They were afraid of panic, and of people getting hurt, and they were right. Pigeon panicked and someone got hurt.

She completes her journey, breathless and exhausted but with enough adrenaline to keep her standing. She bursts into the room before her, and the scene she’s greeted by is— something else.

There’s a middle-aged woman with a book in front of her, surrounded by all kinds of people, some of which she doesn’t think are human and some who she knows definitely aren’t human at all, and they’re all doing some sort of… magic. And Pigeon hears the wind roaring outside, relentless and terrible, and she has the feeling some massive shit is going down, but she can’t leave without telling Aubrey how sorry she is. If she does anything before a Kepler-wide apocalypse begins, that’s it.

“Aubrey,” says the middle-aged woman, “is that… a friend?”

Aubrey whips around, and as soon as she sees Pigeon, her lip curls, and her eyes, puffy, tears already threatening to spill again, narrow. She strides towards her, fists balled. “What are you doing here?” she hisses.

“Ned,” Pigeon manages to choke out, still struggling to catch her breath.

“This isn’t the best time. If you haven’t noticed—” She gestures towards the window, which reveals a giant crimson red cloud. “ — I’m kind of in the middle of something.”

“I know, Aubrey, and I’ll leave you be in just a minute, I only—”

“You’re goddamn right you’ll ‘leave me be.’ I’ll toss you out that door myself. What makes you think I have to listen to you after you fucking killed Ned?”

Pigeon takes a deep breath as the same vivid scene replays— aim, fire, blood. 

“Aubrey, you’re absolutely right, I had no right comin’ here—”

“Of course I’m right, get the fuck out—”

“-- but you have to understand that I had no intention of killin’ Ned.”

Aubrey closes her eyes shut and runs her hands down her face. “Yeah, no, I got that. I understand that you didn’t mean to kill him. But you did, Pigeon, and he’s dead because of you. I’m not going to just… excuse you.”

“That’s not why I’m here.”

“Then why are you here, Pigeon? To apologize? ‘Jeez, sorry I killed your friend, totally my fault.’ Seriously, what do you expect me to do? Give you a hug and tell you it’s okay while the world ends outside?” She gestures again to the red cloud, which seems to be accumulating more mass. “It’s not fucking okay, Pigeon! You took his life! Ned is dead! And he died thinking I hated him, Pigeon, and I did, I think I still do, but— but this wasn’t how it was supposed to end. Not by some dumbass kid with a fucking rifle.”

Pigeon has to fight to speak through the tightness in her throat. “I was just… just tryin’ to protect him.”

“Protect him? How? By putting a bullet through his chest?”

“No, Aubrey, there was a— sarcophagus, and— a vampire stepped out of it. I swear on what little honor I have left, there was a real, honest vampire, and she was going to kill him if I didn’t—”

“Stop,” Aubrey says, and she’s wide-eyed, her brows furrowed not in anger, but in concern. “What did the vampire look like?”

Pigeon is taken aback a little, but goes on anyways. “Uh, she… She just had these real sharp fangs and horrible eyes, slits for pupils, and… she was wearin’ people clothes. Like, just clothes any one of us would wear, I mean, but they were kinda torn. And, uh… she had blonde hair, but it was real messy and greasy like she’d been in there a while. You gotta understand, Aubrey, she was actin’ absolutely wild, like she was gonna kill us, and I was afraid she’d lunge for Ned or the sheriff or somethin’. She was the one I was tryin’ to shoot. Not Ned.”

And then Pigeon sees the look on Aubrey’s face, and she’s just so utterly heartbroken. Her expression is a mix of shock and anger and absolute devastation, and Pigeon gets the feeling that Aubrey wouldn’t have forgiven her no matter where the bullet landed.

Aubrey takes a deep, shaky breath, and leans in close to Pigeon. “I told Ned I wanted him gone. Now he’s dead by your hands and I’d do anything to bring him back,” she says, resentment radiating off of her. “But, frankly, Pigeon, I don’t care what happens to you. I don’t ever want to see your face again, and if I do, there will be hell to pay. Make no mistake.”

Pigeon just stands and stares and trembles because there’s nothing else she can do.

“Now if you’ll excuse me,” Aubrey says, turning away from her, “I’ve got a town to save, and I’d prefer it if you stayed out of the way.”

-

Mama still has Ned’s head resting in her lap when she hears sirens in the distance.

Ned is gone. She knows that. She watched the life leave his eyes. She felt his corpse grow cold. She sees him now, his face devoid of color and his body unmoving, but it doesn’t… feel real.

Mama has seen the same thing happen over and over and over again. She’s watched her colleagues die from unfathomable beings and from monsters with more strength than what anyone or anything on Earth could dream of having. She’s watched people she’s known for years die horrible, slow, painful deaths and she’s watched them die so quickly that she didn’t notice they were dead until they were already gone. The moment this new Pine Guard became the new Pine Guard, she was prepared to experience the same thing.

Or she thought she was, at least.

Ned’s death wasn’t like the rest. There was no gore, no abomination looming directly over them, no ghastly screaming that would ring in her ears and keep her up at night. Ned’s death, while awful and bloody and unexpected, was so much more normal than what she’s used to. Which means there’s no abomination right in front of her to take it out on, no way to avenge him, and no option of mourning the fallen after the thing that killed him is dealt with. Mama is left alone with her thoughts and a dead man on her lap.

Ned wasn’t even killed by a thing. He was killed by a little girl. A little girl with a soul and a conscience and a set of morals. A little girl whose immediate regret was visible on her face the second the shot rang out. A murderer, but an unwilling one, and still a scared little girl. Mama couldn’t bring herself to speak to her. She didn’t know how to. She still doesn’t.

Pigeon ran into the woods in the same direction as Aubrey. A bad idea, in Mama’s mind, but an ethical one. She’s wasting her time, though. Aubrey is probably still grappling with the fact that Ned is dead and not just gone. Pigeon’s presence will only make things worse.

There’s a part of Mama that wishes he had been killed by an abomination and not a kid. At least then she’d have some way to distract herself. Some kind of monster to focus on killing instead of focusing on who’s been killed.

She hopes Dani is alright by the time she gets back to the Lodge. She’s not sure what she’ll do otherwise.

The sheriff comes back with the coroner and a couple of paramedics in tow. One comes advancing with a body bag in their arms.

“Just wait a minute,” she tells them, holding out her hand in front of her. “Just… don’t do all that yet.”

They pause. They look at the sheriff, then back at her.

Sheriff Owens sighs. He descends to the ground and sits down beside her.

“Well, Mama,” he says, “what’s on your mind?”

She shrugs.

“Mama, you’ve got a corpse next to you and you don’t want him to be taken to the morgue. There’s somethin’.”

She chuckles. “Yeah, I don’t know. It is somethin’. I’m just not sure what.”

“Understandable. Why don’t you let the coroner take Ned here and we’ll figure it out?”

Mama averts her eyes and instead looks at trees, then at the grass, then down at her lap. “Can’t he just be left alone? Do we really gotta do the whole— body bag thing?”

“Well, I don’t want him to rot out here.”

“But… just… puttin’ him in a plastic sack? It hasn’t been that long, Sheriff.” “It ain’t like he’s gonna get tossed into a ditch somewhere. We can have a funeral. Get him a nice headstone. The whole thing. I’m sure everyone would pitch in.”

She rests her chin in her hands. “It just don’t feel right to me. It don’t feel right to bury a man who—”

“A man who’s dead?” Sheriff Owens finishes.

She’s silent for a minute. “Hard to believe he’s dead.”

“I get it, Mama. It’s hard to watch someone die and harder when they’re a friend.”

“No, Sheriff, I—” She takes a long, deep breath in and lets it out slowly. “Sheriff, I’ve seen bodies that have been mangled beyond recognition, and I’ve watched people yell last words while their innards spill out, and I’ve held too many friends while they died at the hands of somethin’ twice as strong as the both of us combined. I’ve lost people dear to me at the hands of beasts and I buried them myself, so I couldn’t tell you why this is fuckin’ me up so much. I’ve been friends with Ned just a few months, and in those months he’s lied to me and stolen from me, but I liked him alright despite that. I was prepared for him to die, but I wasn’t prepared for him to die like this. Not by tryin’ to kill a monster, but by tryin’ to save someone who would have killed him had she gotten the chance. And I know he’s dead, I do, but I— I just keep expectin’ him to wake up.”

Sheriff Owens doesn’t say anything. Then, quiet and soft, he says, “I think it’s time to let him go, Mama.”

Mama nods wordlessly, grabs her cane, and gently eases Ned’s head off of her lap. She offers Sheriff Owens her hand. Together, they rise to their feet.

Sheriff Owens signals for the coroner and paramedics to approach. Mama watches them zip Ned up in a body bag. She hates seeing him like that, so she chooses to look at the surrounding trees instead, and then she notices—

She notices that everything is painted in just the slightest shade of red.

Slowly, hesitantly, she looks towards the sky.

A fast approaching storm rolls in, covering half of the night sky in dark, angry red clouds. Thunder booms from somewhere beyond her, loud and menacing, and lightning crackles and strikes at the woods below. The stars blink out, one by one, as heavy clouds hide them from the surface, shrouding the whole of Kepler in inescapable, impenetrable red-tinted darkness. Sheriff Owens races away ahead of her, back to where he entered from, to where the Hornets are guiding the people to safety, but Mama stays and just stares.

She knows, from somewhere deep within her, that Kepler is going to be razed to the ground.

Her body screams at her to run and to not stop running. To gather everyone up and leave town while she still can.

Mama doesn’t move.

[alessafalling]

{Chatzy continuation - ft @isadelavega }

Isa rushed towards Essie as soon as she was dropped near her, dropping down next to her and trying to assess while looking over her shoulders over and over again. "Essie, are you okay? Can you get up?" She couldn't help Essie up as she intended to, however, because in its pain, the monster started flapping and slamming its tentacles aimlessly, one of them hitting her back and shoving her forwards and it took everything in Isa to fall onto the ground next to Essie and not on the woman. Ephram was coming towards them, telling them that they needed to get out, but her eyes were locked onto the ghosts as they came and then disappeared. Her tía could be in here somewhere? She didn't know how she felt. But everything happened so quickly, and another tentacle was coming towards them, so Isa swung her club, and when she looked again, the witch, the sheriff who was supposed to be protecting the town, disappeared. "Where did he go?" she asked Essie. "Do you see him? Did he really just up and left without us?" There was a reason she did not like him from the get go.

Essie didn't want to stay on the ground, but for a moment she was too winded and broken to get up. She panted from the ground, watching in horror as she monster -now blinded- thrashed and managed to knock Isa too. Finally getting her wits about her she reached up for Ephrams hand, only to blink and find him gone. once again her mind started whirring to life, she had no time to be hurt she had no time to dwell, shit was going down too fast. "He just vanished, I think he got out somehow." The accusatory tone Isa took didn't sit right with Essie. She'd been growing to really appreciate all the sheriff was, and he wasn't a man who'd leave them behind. "He must have gotten dragged out." she says more firmly. "He took the ammo, what the fuck are we gonna do?" she asks finally managing to her feet, whispering so as not to attract too much attention from the blinded beast.

Isa Essie was more optimist about the sheriff disappearing and Isa nodded but she didn't exactly believe what Essie was saying. it didn't matter, though, they were still there and the sheriff wasn't and they needed to figure out how to kill the beast and get out of this world themselves. She was panting, trying to look around for something they could use aside from the club she had. "What can you do with your dust? Can you do that bomb thing again in one of his wounds maybe?" she asked, quietly, holding her club out in front of them in case one of the tenticles came down on them again.

Essie "I'm really limited to what I can glamour." she admits cringing. "If I were a better fae I'd know how to do something real extravagant to help us but I'm limited to what I can shift from one state to another. the only thing I can really do is change things from one material to the next." she admits. "You know, dust for flame, dust for...gunpowder. Dust to gunpowder could work?" she says quickly. The revelation is short lived as she'd need to get closer to do any real damage and how would they light it off before it was brushed out? The beast had found them, in a fit of rage it shot it's remaining limb forward at them, even with it's eyes not working it could hear them.

Isa nodded excitedly. "Yes, yes, gunpowder, let's light the thing right up!" They needed to not die before that, however, and as the tenticles came closer, Isa instinctively raised up the club in front of them to stop the attack. It smalled against it and Isa let out a scream in fear - there was no point in staying silent for now anyway it knew roughly where they were. "I am going to distract you, go do your thing!" she told Essie and hit her club against the tenticle. She remembered the way the sheriff used the bowling balls and she figured she could use them and she started crawling along towards the balls while yelling, "You ugly git come on, I am here, what are you waiting for?! You couldn't hit me even if you tried, you blind bastard!" She reached the balls when the tenticle hit her back again and she dropped down onto the floor again. But if the tenticles were coming towards her, that meant Essie could do her magic, so she licked the blood off of her lips after she bit her lips from the hit, grabbed one of the balls and weakly, she barely had any strength left in her arms anymore (as if she had too much to begin with), and threw the ball at the body of the octopus.

Essie went pale at the thought of doing this alone. She had to take the lead on this, no sheriff to bark out suggestions and help keep Isa alive. But Isa had already taken off down one of the bowling lanes, yelling at the giant and trying to lead it away from Essie. it worked almost perfectly, still lashing out on all sides, it's body did shift and it's focus did fall on Isa. Essie unfurled her wings once again, flying so much quieter than running. Essie took off like a shot, as quickly as she could. Isa was in danger the longer she wasted time not blowing the thing up. The rifle was still with her thank fuck, Ephram might have taken the golf bag but she still had a few shots left.

Isa didn't see where Essie was until she saw her flying in the air and it gave her a bit of comfort. They had a plan and Essie looked at least good enough to fly, that had to be a good thing. She reached for another ball and threw it at the octopus. This time it barely grazed the monster, but the point was to distract it and it was working for sure. The octopus was flailing and snapping its remaining tentacles towards Isa while not even realizing Essie was flying towards it.

Essie Dust was light, compared it it's wounds it shouldn't have felt anything as the dust was sprinkled down. Essie felt like some sort of traditional version of a fairy, one of those TV animations of a fae and she hated it, but she didn't stop, weaving flailing limbs and keeping her eyes sharp on the monster on it's advance towards Isa. Her cracked ribs weren't repairing, seemingly too much of her dust was being spent on other things so eat turn jerked more tears to her eyes but she didn't let up. landing on the other side of Isa she took aim at the beast, more specifically the cracks and crevices she'd managed to get a good build up of dust in. "Duck." she screamed to Isa as she let off a shot. A test shot into a tentacle blew up. Essie ducked for cover herself as the limb was served in a grotesque shower of blood.

Isa threw a few more bowling balls towards the octopus before Essie landed near her and when she told her to duck, she threw herself at the floor and wrapped her hands over her head to cover herself up more. A few seconds of silence came before a big blowing sound happened and suddenly she felt something disgustingly smelling smashing onto her. As she looked up and looked over Essie, she was covered in weird looking, dark blood and even though she knew that is what she was smelling on herself too, she had to grin. "My god, you did it, you amazing--" tentacle hit against her and slapped her against the ground. She felt her head spinning from the hit, and she groaned in pain. "Essie, do that again, it's working! Do it again!"

Essie yelled in shock when a limb crashed down on Isa and she shot off again, two shots into gashes on limb and then she aimed for the head, the monster could no longer fight them, it was howling in too much pain to do anything but thrash it's remaining limb and try and back away. Essie took aim one final time, and just as she pulled the trigger she felt her legs give out underneath her. Falling backwards she gasps in clear air. Clear air? eyes flying open she reaches out to Isa. "We're...back?"

Isa One second they were in the and the next thing Isa knew, they were falling backward, breathing in clean and fresh air, the sun hitting her eyes and making Isa squint. Her back hit the ground with a thud and if her body wouldn't have been full of bruises and her head wasn't spinning, it might have been a soft landing, but it hurt like hell to hit the ground. She was so shocked and confused about what happened, Essie's words were what snapped her out of it and she looked over, reaching over to squeze Essie's hands. "We better be, I am not ready to fight another monster." She looked around then - they seemed to be outside of the bowling alley and everything was as they left it when they walked inside. And that is when it really hit her. They were outside. /They were outside./ "Essie, we need to get away from here. As far as possible," she said as she pushed herself up with a painful groan.

Essie closed her fingers around the hand Isa offered and she pushed herself painfully to her feet, gently pulling Isa up with her. Tapping on the metal bag she got a noise form Finn telling her he was alright. Gun still clutched in her other hand she looks down at it wearily. It felt heavy and wrong to be holding it after what they'd just escaped. "Let's go to mine, I need a minute, but I'm alright at healing." she offers clutching Isa tight. "I'll find Ephram later."

[cssns]

It’s monthly roundup time!!!

Can you believe it? October is over and what a month it was! Between these updates, the CSBB, FallforCS and Cocktober I got seriously behind in my reading! So if you are like me, you’ll be thankful for this roundup of all the fics that updated in the month of October. Be sure to give the authors and artists some love when you see their work! Sorry this is a little late, but it’s still Nov 1 on the west coast! So without further ado, here we go!

Close Encounters of the Spiritual Kind by @doodlelolly0910  chs12 13 14 15 artwork by @courtorderedcake

Emma Nolan spent a lot of time alone, and that was fine by her. Because one is never truly alone. She should know. She can talk to dead people. What she didn’t expect was one of these spiritual encounters to hang around, taking her down a rabbit hole of missing women, revenge, and, least expected, love. Can she save the day and Killian Jones? Is there even another choice? Rated M

Swan Song by @courtorderedcake chs1 2 3 artwork by @wingedlioness COMPLETE

Set ambiguously in the 1920′s-1940′s in a world supposedly without magic, Detective Jones of Boston PD is a broken man with little more than liquor to keep him going. When a strange string of murders and ominous rumors about a new King of crime bring him face to face with fairytales, Killian is anything but ready to meet, “The Swan” - a Jazz singer who will upend his life. When he is forced to rely on her to help solve his case, they find secrets long buried that change everything... Not only for themselves, but for both the magical and human worlds they reside in. Rated M

A Pinch of Magic, A Twist of Fate, and a Full Moon by @everlastingcaptainswan with artwork by @shady-swan-jones ch5

It has long been told that Emma would be the Savior to save the witches from Rumplestiltskin, the infamous witch hunter. In an unsuspected attack Rumplestiltskin catches Emma off guard and an unknown ally saves her from a certain death and suddenly she feels obligated to do the same for the stranger. Rated M

Cross My Heart by @blessed-but-distressed with artwork by @distant-rose ch3

All Sheriff Emma Swan wanted was a bit of the quiet life. Why else would she take a job in Storybrooke, Maine, where deer outnumber people? But when a local woman turns up murdered, Emma quickly realizes she may be out of her depth. Enter Killian Jones, 17th century buccaneer turned vampire, who might just have the kind of unique perspective on the crime she is looking for. It’s a shaky alliance, but when Emma’s past comes back to bite her, she might just discover how handy having a vampire around can be. Rated M

Something In the Water by @spartanguard with accompanying artwork 1 2  chs6 7 

Emma is sent to investigate a supposed sea monster appearance in her hometown. Thankfully, her family there knows her secret: that at night, she transforms into a swan. And she knows that whoever the universe thinks her soulmate is, as dictated by the tattoo on her side, won't be there. Though maybe she was wrong to assume that. And when did a merman start hanging out in the ocean near Storybrooke? Rated M

Alii Dimidium Lunam by @artistic-writer with artwork 1 2 by @cocohook38 chs16 17 18 19

Mongrel Killian Jones, packless and alone, finds Emma by chance in a bar, but she neglects to mention she is running away from her pack responsibilities...responsibilities that her strict father and alpha, David Nolan, expects of his only child and heir to the Misthaven pack. None of which include falling in love with a mongrel. Loosely based Lady and the Tramp AU. Rated E

Run to Me (In the Dead of Night) by @snowbellewells with artwork by @wingedlioness chs7 8 9 10

A canon divergent retelling of events, starting in early season two, written for the CS Supernatural Summer on Tumblr

Emma Swan really just wanted to keep her newfound son safe, get to know her parents at last, and be a good deputy to the rest of the town of Storybrooke. She certainly didn't count on chaos breaking loose with the return of magic and restored memories, learning that werewolves are real, or dealing with a handsome loner she can't seem to resist...no matter how much she wants to. AS it turns out though, she may need him - secrets and all - to survive and triumph over their combined enemies. Rated T

Glow by @mahstatins with artwork by @seastarved ch2

Emma Swan always gets her man, and she's not about to let a little thing like death get in the way.

(A 'Just Like Heaven' AU) Rated M

Fake the Mate by @lenfaz with artwork 1 2 3 by @distant-rose ch2

In a desperate attempt to have her pack out of her back regarding her unmated status, Emma Swan found the most unexpected ally in Killian Jones, beta from the rival pack. Fake Dating Werewolves AU. Rated M

My Fate is Darkness by @teamhook with accompanying artwork chs4 5

Is there light in darkness? Throughout the realms, there are all sorts of supernatural creatures roaming the lands. And there are those who are tasked with protecting the innocent. Fated to be enemies, can true love find its way through time? Rated T

Limbo by @courtorderedcake finally got added to the collection on ao3. 2 out of 3 chapters are posted. chs1 2

A CS afterlife AU. Rated E

Slayer by @kymbersmith-90 with artwork by @hollyethecurious ch12

Into every generation a slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer. Rated E

Lost Souls and Reveries by @seriouslyhooked with artwork by @shipsxahoy ch8

Killian Jones is a wolf shifter without roots, without plans, and without a pack. He’s a rogue, someone humans should avoid and shifters should be wary of given his lineage. But one night years back set him on a path he didn’t realize he was taking, a path leading to the future he was destined for. That future is tied up in one woman – a human named Emma Nolan. Together Emma and Killian will find not only answers but a love that’s truly fated. But will love be enough to set both of them free, or will past demons win out in the end? (Answer: love always wins – I am writing this so despite some tiny pockets of angst it’s basically a fluff-filled insta-love fest). Rated M

You’re In My Blood by @hookedonapirate with artwork 1 2 3 4 5 by @rouhn chs7 8

After a string of murders leads Sheriff Killian Jones to Enchanted, a vampire club located in the outskirts of Strorybrooke, for information, a blonde vampire princess and owner of the club is unwilling to comply without some favors of her own. Rated E

And we got new artwork by @slow-smiles for Curse of the Black Roger by @snidgetsafan! Can’t wait to see more of this fabulous fic!

Well, that’s it! We saw new chapters for some incredible fics last month! And a couple are pretty close to finishing! We still have lots to look forward to though as the holidays near! Make sure to give all our authors and artists some love as they are still working hard to bring us more supernatural goodness! Thanks for hanging around y’all! I’ll be back next month with the November roundup. See you then!

[hello-justawriterofthings]

To go against the Church.

---------------------------------------------- Requested by the lovely @rachelcarroll1819

I changed it up a little, I hope you don't mind. I got lost halfway through writing this, so keep that in mind.  

Hey guys. So, this is a short little story. I've been really bad with my depression and Anxiety recently, I feel like it's just getting worse. I did want to get this request out, but as of right now I'm not going to accept anymore. I just have 0 motivation to use my brain to come up with anything, all I want to do is play the sims and just lay around, no thinking required. I do hope you enjoy this, even though I know it's not my finest work, but the struggle is real. Thank you so much for Reading, You're all amazing <3<3 There's spoilers, so if you haven't seen the movie, I'm so sorry.

You're in an unstable  relationship with Black hat, but are the Sister of Hicks and Best friend Of Lucy. ----------------------------------------------

The Priest's gave their everything to protect us, but once the war had ended, they faded out of existence. That is, until one day the vampires returned with a new leader that no one saw coming.

Walking through town was depressing at times, the church overpowering every decision made by everyone. Confessions constantly forced, if the rules were not reinforced, punishment would would come. Because, to go against the church, is to go against god. We weren't supposed to talk to the Priest's, or to socialize with them. Yeah, my confession was that I had once been in Love with a Priest. When the war hit, he was taken and killed by the Vampires. But of course, Nobody new about us, because it was forbidden for them to be with anyone. Also, I was never told what had happened to him, so I always  wondered. I let out a sigh, looking through the newspaper. Suddenly pulled into the alleyway, "What?... Hicks!" I exclaimed pulling him into a hug. "Hey sis, thought I'd find you here..." He stated looking worried, "What are you doing here?" I questioned seriously. "It's Lucy, she's been taken... By vampires" he stated seriously, I furrowed my eyebrows "What? Are you sure?". He nodded "Her dad's hurt bad, mom didn't make it... I'm going after her", my brows rose slightly "When do we leave?". Hicks sighed deeply "I can't ask you to do that, you can't risk you're own life to help me", "Hey, she's the only friend I have. We were raised by the same dad remember, I’m just as good with a gun as you are" I stated with a slight smirk on my face. He sighed while nodding his head "We're going to be needing help, her Uncle's a Priest. Do you know where they usually are?" , I nodded while pulling him in the direction I knew Lucy's Uncle Lived. Once we reached the building we headed up, the priest could sense our presence from the moment we arrived. "Who are you?" He asked Harshly, clearly worried he was being tracked. "Hicks, I'm the Sheriff of a small town near here. This is My sister Y/N. We're here because you're niece Lucy was taken by a pack of vampires, you're brothers been hurt bad" Hicks stated quickly, "And Shannon?" the priest asked. Only to have Hicks shake his head, after explaining the rest of the story to him, we headed out, hoping the priest would change his mind and Help us after all, but if not. We were planning to take it on alone.

Hicks and I arrived at the Pace's small house that was located in the middle of nowhere, finding the priest already inside. "Are you sure you two are up for this?" The priest stated glancing at me, "Oh please, I'm an expert at tracking and a better shot than my bro over here" I stated while rolling my eyes. "Good, you're going to need it" he stated, before the three of us climbed onto out motor bikes and took off towards the town my brother was the sheriff in. "Your name is familiar, I had a friend and a fellow priest who talked about a Y/N. The way he spoke was forbidden at times, but if he was allowed to love, I'm sure he would've picked her" the priest said, making Hicks glance at me, but I avoided all eye contact. "What happened to him?" I asked, "Not sure, our team entered a hive, we thought we had found the queen, but it was only a trap. He was taken and I couldn't save him" the priest sighed while carving crosses into a bunch of bullets. Then he eyed my reaction carefully, perhaps I was the Y/N from the story. At dawn we road towards a known hive, after being tipped off that Lucy was being taken west. I let out a deep sigh as we entered, but ended up running into a second priest. "Who the hell are you?" Hicks and I questioned at the same time, but she was a priestess. Who ended up helping kill the hive protector and the four of us to find out that there was a new army of vampires bred. And we were in for another war. The town of Jericho was taken down first, three priests strung up dead and the rest of the residence killed or taken. "What kind of vampire could kill three priests?" Hicks asked, "A very powerful one" the priest stated while looking at he priestess. 

Fast forward to when we figured out that Lucy was being transported on a train, run by a man with the name of Black hat. And when we ended up on that said train, shit went down. Hicks went searching for Lucy quickly, leaving me behind. Before the priest saw Black hat, my eyes laid upon him. "I was hoping you'd come along on this journey Y/N" Black hat stated with a slight smirk, I furrowed my brows in confusion "You knew we'd come for her". "Well, I knew her father would come for her and her little boyfriend, who just also happened to be your brother. So yeah, I planned for it" Black hat stated with yet another smirk, "Why don't you take a seat, I'm sure you'll be staying for a while". I sighed deeply, this was no longer the man I loved and admired, he was but a stranger. I pulled my gun out of the holster and pointed it at him, "You won't shoot me, you and I, we love each other remember" he stated with a slight chuckle. I shook my head "I clearly was mistaken in your character", still with the gun pointed at him, I never broke eye contact. A banging came from the roof of the train, Black hat smiled "That's my cue, I've got to go take care of something. Stay here, I'll be back for you and then we can finally be together at least". He then ran quickly towards the train door, locking me inside. "Shit" I sighed, banging on the door. "Y/N?" Hicks called from the other side before somehow getting the door opened. "What happened?" he asked, causing me to sigh "Ran into someone I thought I knew, but turns out he's a monster". "You're the Y/N from the priests story, Y/N how could you fall in love with someone you knew was not allowed to love" Hicks stated, "We have more important things to worry about then my love life alright, let's find Lucy and get the fuck off this train" I sighed. He nodded and we headed off further into the train.

Pounding came from the roof of the train, which made me think that it was a Priest vs Black hat smack down coming from the roof. Things went so quick after we finally found Lucy, Hicks was thrown off the train. Lucy and I stood next to each other as Black hat and the Priest kept fighting. I didn't understand what this was all for, power? "As much as I'd like to stay and have a chat, it's time to get serious. Join me Y/N, I can take you to the queen, you can become like me and we can rule this forsaken earth" Black hat stated, but as I looked behind him and saw the priest hanging on the wall, I made my decision. "Never" I stated as I grabbed my gun, shooting three times at him, before black hat grabbed Lucy and jumping through the whole in the roof. Then I was thrown off the train by one of the Vampire slaves, through the same hole my brother went out. As I collided with the ground I let out a hard moan, letting my eyes drift shut, losing the world around me to darkness. I don't know how long I was out for, but when I came to, my eyes opened slowly as I groaned deeply. Hicks and Lucy were standing in front on, worried looks on their faces. The priest and priestess looking at me, "Did we win" I questioned with another groan, causing the group to chuckle. "We have for now, but the war has just begun" the priest stated as he helped me up, I sighed deeply while giving both Lucy and my Brother a tight hug. In the end, the Priest and Priestess rode off into the sunset in search for the other priests, because the war had just begun. I ended up going back to the town where Hicks was the sheriff of, I was no longer in search for that man I thought I loved. He was gone and it was time for me to move on, spend time with my brother and Lucy. I was ready for the fight though, To go against the church was to go against god. So, I guess anyone who fought in this war, were going against god.

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

So, I know this was bad. I had no clue what to write but because it was requested, I felt I needed to come up with something. I wrote this and I'm posting it within the same day, which is a first for me. Hopefully, someone will enjoy it. Thank you all so much for reading, you're all Amazing and I hope you have an amazing day <3<3

[awol-newt]

our family of choice AU masterlist

sunbeams will soon smile through (good morning)come on and play (what do ya say?)This is the masterlist for my “our family of choice AU” series.

In chronological order, titles only:

we will rise above all the ash

the darkest country road

take me home (mommy, i’m coming home)

two of us (riding nowhere)

they say that time's supposed to heal ya

love and security and family and maltesers 

friends and allies

this isn’t oliver twist

chase the monsters away (don’t be afraid)

i’ll play my fight song

come on and play (what do ya say?)

it’s a brand new day (i know i’ll be okay)

there’s dirt on our uniforms

blue eyes, blue eyes

fox in the snow (where do you go?)

driving away from the wreck of the day    (and it’s finally quiet in my head)

after the bombs

we fight those demons (day in and day out)

kodachrome

beaches, music, family, and love

all will be well

it's rock and roll (kind of love)

something is fishy in this here town

calamity jane isn’t bulshar

sunbeams will soon smile through (good morning)

it’s not about your scars (it’s all about your heart)

with a little help from my friends

can i be the kid for your soul to keep?

soon the fog will clear

Chronological order with summaries after the cut.

In chronological order:

we will rise above all the ash

Summary: everybody thinks about family a little differently. the scooby gang is no different. here are six brief character studies on thoughts on family.

part of 'our family of choice au' but can also stand alone - the darkest country road

Summary: One revenant left.There’s only one revenant left to make his peace before they finally, finally, end this godforsaken curse. Before they can breathe a little easier. Before they can begin to heal after so many years of fighting, fighting, fighting.

Before Alice can come home.

They just have to find him first, and that's easier said than done. - take me home (mommy, i’m coming home)

Summary: It takes them four years to break the curse.

Four years to succeed where previous generations of Earps had failed. Four years of fighting tooth and nail for a future without fear, without the weight of the curse bearing down on them, all the while wondering if they’ll come out of this alive.But they do it.

OR

Alice is finally coming home and family means everything. - two of us (riding nowhere)

Summary: Nicole and Waverly are nervous about possibly taking on the responsibility of a child. Both of them share fears and anxieties. If only the two of them actually talked to each other about them.

OR

Neither Nicole nor Waverly wants to worry the other, so they play a broken record for a couple of their friends. - they say that time's supposed to heal ya

Summary: Wynonna isn’t good at apologizing. Honestly, she’s pretty awful at it if her encounter with flipping August Hamilton is any indication. It also made at least one other thing perfectly clear — Wynonna has hurt a lot of people and she won’t ever win a popularity contest in Purgatory.

She isn’t good at apologies. But she needs to get this one right. She needs for this one to be real and good and honest and genuine. Because she needs Alice to know.

She’s sorry. - love and security and family and maltesers

Summary: Nedley always said that there will be one case that really gets to you, that crawls beneath your skin and makes a home there, nagging and ever-present from that moment forward. It’s the case that will change your life in some way or another. The case that could make or break you as a person.

For Nicole, it's a case that leads her to a little girl named Belle and a heart that doesn't know how to do anything but love fiercely. - friends and allies

Summary: It’s been three days since the fight. Since she heard more screaming and hollering from her ma and papa than she ever heard before — and that was a lot. Sometimes they’d shout so much that she’d hide somewhere other than her room just so they couldn’t find her easily and start in on her, too. Three days since everything changed.

And today — today Waverly and Nicole ask her if she would like to meet some of their family this weekend. Because Sunday dinners once a month are a thing because family is important and so is the reminder that you aren't alone in the world. Except Belle just isn't sure what all this means for her when she doesn't have a family anymore.

OR

It's time for Belle to meet some adorable psychos. - this isn’t oliver twist

Summary: Nicole doesn’t notice it at first. The way that food seems to go missing like the sleeve of crackers from the brand new box that she bought over the weekend. Or the last bagel from the cupboard. She figures it’s Waverly taking snacks into the office for Alice and Belle on the days that Gus can’t look after them.She doesn’t notice that food keeps disappearing until Lonnie barges into her office holding the brown sack lunch that she knows his wife puts together for him every morning. - chase the monsters away (don’t be afraid)

Summary: There's a monster under Belle's bed. It comes for her in her nightmares, and she wakes up crying, "Nicole! Nicole!"

OR

Nicole just wants to be a good foster parent and protect and love the little girl in her care. Because she made a promise of love, security, family, and maltesers. - i’ll play my fight song

Summary: Nicole's radio crackles and the dispatcher's voice sounds through the static. "Sheriff?"

"Go for Haught."

"Purgatory elementary called, ma'am."

OR

It's Belle's first day of kindergarten and already Nicole is hearing from the principal before the day is over. - come on and play (what do ya say?)

Summary: “I thought it’s supposed to be a sexy cop outfit.”Wynonna leans against the doorway to the kitchen, already gnawing on a Tootsie Pop that has turned her lips cherry red. The hood of her rainbow onesie is pulled up around her head and she has her creepy horse mask in the hand not holding onto her third lollipop of the night.

OR

It's Belle's first Halloween with all the crazy that is her foster family and its adorable psychos. - it’s a brand new day (i know i’ll be okay)

Summary: “You know that you need to stop being dumb and go help your girlfriend, right?”

Nicole shakes her head and explains, “She got mad when I didn’t cut the crust off the sandwiches the ‘right way’. I’ve been instructed to ‘keep the peace’ until everything is ready and the girls are here.”

Wynonna snorts. “Yeah. She’s in full panic mom mode.”

“This is important to her, Wynonna,” Nicole chides, feeling protective even though she knows it was said in jest.

OR

It's a found family picnic/party because an occasion such as this is worthy of celebration. -

there’s dirt on our uniforms

Summary:  Violence is never the answer, except when sometimes it is. Like when it comes to punching Champ Hardy's evil spawn in the schnoz. Nothing like punching Champ Hardy's evil spawn in the schnoz while sporting some sick Buzz Lightyear light-up sneakers. - blue eyes, blue eyes

Summary: “So. Wanna tell me why your cousin broke Chump Jr.’s nose?”

Wynonna wants to know why Belle sucker punched Bradley James in the schnoz, and she asks Alice for the answer.

A follow-up ficlet to there's dirt on our uniforms. - fox in the snow (where do you go?)

Summary: Belle pulls at the knit toque on her head, trying to tug it over her ears, which are starting to sting in the cold. She waits, kicking at a pine cone on top of the snow. It sails down the hill, broken apart by the force of her kick and already brittle from the wintry weather.

She isn’t particularly sure that they should be doing this. Her mama told them to stay out of trouble because she had to run into town to drop something off at the station. She said she trusted them not to do something that Wynonna would do because they’re smarter and more responsible than that.

Does building a toboggan obstacle course on the steepest hill on the homestead count as smart and responsible?

(Probably not.) - driving away from the wreck of the day (and it’s finally quiet in my head)

Summary: The scene is familiar. The two of them, sitting on the floor and passing a bottle of whiskey back and forth. Both of them more than a little drunk. This time, however, they’re in Nicole’s office with the blinds closed and the door shut and locked, leaning with their backs against the couch.

Silence settles on them like a blanket. It’s suffocating, oppressive, and too damn heavy. They sit like that for a while, pensive and languishing under too much weight on their shoulders and on their souls.

“Today was hard,” Nicole whispers, peeling back the quiet just enough to breathe a little easier. - after the bombs

Summary: Nobody would say that Wynonna Earp doesn’t know how to cope.

They just wouldn’t say that she knows how to cope well.

Especially when she drives out to the outskirts of town with a bottle of whiskey, a box of ammo, and a long-standing quarrel with the Welcome to Purgatory sign. - we fight those demons (day in and day out)

Summary: It’s been three weeks since Wynonna turned up at the house with her arms wrapped protectively around Nicole, both of them smelling like cheap whiskey and looking like a rough night personified. Three weeks since Nicole ran into a hostage situation like a brave idiot, only to watch an entire family cut down in less than a minute. Three weeks of being distant and stubborn and stupid. They need to talk.

OR

Nicole is pretty awful about admitting that she needs help. - kodachrome

Summary: Focus, click, wind.It's Belle's birthday and time to play hooky with a trip to the big city. All she wants is a camera, a trip to the park, a nice dinner, and maybe some ice cream for dessert. 

Nicole thinks that she can make most of those things happen. - beaches, music, family, and love

Summary: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We've been cleared to land at Jose Martí International Airport where the local time is 2:40pm. It's currently a balmy twenty-seven degrees celsius with sunny skies and no rain in the forecast. We know you have lots of options when it comes to flying these days, so we thank you for choosing to fly with Air Canada and we hope to see you again soon.”

OR

A Wayhaught family honeymoon. - all will be well

Summary: Wynonna is turning forty. This year, that means a party at Moose Lake.

For Nicole, it means everything.

OR

Nicole loves her found family and everything is beautiful and nothing hurts. - it's rock and roll (kind of love)

Summary: Belle waits patiently, watching the grin spread across the older girl’s face. More than a minute passes and Belle’s patience wanes. “What is it?” she finally asks.

Alice grins even bigger and belly flops onto Belle’s bed. “We’re going to start a band.” She says it like it’s the best idea that she’s ever had. Her blue eyes hold a glimmer of excitement, waiting for her cousin — her best friend — to say something.

OR

a tribute to the 80’s mixtape AU by gilligankane and thegaysmurf - something is fishy in this here town

Summary: “Harriet the Spy,” she reads the title aloud.

“Like that really old movie?” Vanessa asks and she’s leaning forward over her tray of meatloaf and mixed vegetables — because school lunches never change — to get a better look at the cover.

Belle opens it to a random page and reads the first thing that catches her eye. She looks up. “I think it might be,” she tells them. She thumbs through it to another page, green eyes quickly skimming over the text with practiced ease. “Yeah. I think it is.”

OR

Belle and Alice are inspired to become spies. - calamity jane isn’t bulshar

Summary: “No,” Nicole says firmly. “Absolutely not.”

“But, mom, where else will she go? Look at her face!”

Belle pouts and lifts the cat as high as she can to try to shove its face into Nicole’s.

OR

Belle finds a cat on her way home from school and of course it turns into more trouble than any of them expect. - sunbeams will soon smile through (good morning)

Summary: “Hey! You gonna help me or not?”

“That depends. Do you have a fire extinguisher this time?”

“That was one time and you were supposed to be in charge of the waffle maker.”

“It had faulty wiring.”

“You almost burned down my moms’ house.”

“Shoulda has a fire extinguisher handy.”

OR

Belle wants to make breakfast for her moms and enlists Alice's help. She's not sure if she would have been better off with or without it. - it’s not about your scars (it’s all about your heart)

Summary: "Why did we think a bar fight outside of Shorty's was a good idea?"

OR

Alice and Belle end up in the drunk tank at the sheriff's station. No regrets, though. They'd totally do it again. - with a little help from my friends

Summary: Officer Paten rests her hands on her duty belt as she saunters toward them. Her eyes look pointedly at the cling wrap box still in Wynonna’s hands to the mickey of Jameson that Nicole is holding. Behind them is a truck wrapped almost completely in plastic wrap.

“Sheriff,” the deputy drawls.

“Officer Paten,” Nicole greets as if they haven’t just vandalized somebody’s property. - can i be the kid for your soul to keep?

Summary: Sometimes sadness creeps up on you like a looming shadow that you don’t notice until it towers over you, blocking out the warmth and the light. Sometimes you can see it coming from a mile away, slow and steady like an impending storm that is set on a collision course for your heart and mind, ready to devastate you whether you're ready or not.

Belle isn't ready for it. She doesn't expect it. It knocks her on her ass and leaves her there to cope. Her family reminds her that she doesn't have to do it alone. - soon the fog will clear

Even though she knows that this, too, will pass, her dark days linger. Sadness still wraps its way around Belle's heart and mind and soul, and even if her family can't make things magically good again, they can make things better. Little by little.

A follow-up to can i be the kid for your soul to keep?.

[mst3kproject]

Trained to Kill USA

Looking at my catalogue of Episodes that Never Were, I realize I have been rather biased in my choice of genres.  It’s not something I did intentionally, I just happen to like monster and mad science movies, and such films are often my favourite episodes of MST3K, so naturally they’re the first thing I go to.  But the show never limited itself by genre, and though I’ve managed to dig up a couple of Eurospy and 50’s Rebellious Teens movies, there are several things notably lacking.  I have not yet tackled a proper western, for example, nor a biker crime spree picture.  Time to pick up the slack.

I therefore present Trained to Kill USA, which I ran across quite by accident while searching for a copy of She-Gods of Shark Reef that didn’t make me want to claw my own eyes out (I never found one).  It’s got Sid Haig from Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II in it and Richard Slattery from San Francisco International, and it’s a nihilistic revenge movie as depressing as The Sidehackers and featuring an incongruously cheerful opening theme song that makes me think of Girl in Gold Boots for some reason. I’m not sure why, but Trained to Kill USA particularly reminds me of the latter movie, maybe just in its general late-60’s-early-70’s aesthetic and Ted-V-Mikels-like incompetence.

We begin with a couple of thugs under the leadership of a man called Prophet, robbing a liquor store and then fleeing from the sheriff, to the accompaniment of a terrible song and some egregious pan-n-scan. They stop at a farm where they assault the owner, elderly Mark, break his stuff, and try to rape his daughter Mary, but then flee when the man’s son Ollie arrives.  Mark wants Ollie to come with him and chase the two down, but Ollie refuses.  Later, however, the gang decides to steal Mark’s gun collection so that they can rob a bank in town, and during this heist Mark shoots Prophet’s buddy Parrish.  Believing Ollie to have been the killer, Prophet vows revenge.

That’s quite a truncated summary – a great deal actually happens in between the first and second attacks on the ranch, and almost all of it feels irrelevant.  Prophet and his men commit crimes, and Ollie sits around and drinks and has flashbacks. I know these scenes are supposed to be establishing character and so forth, but they just come across as filling time before the final showdown.  A family in a camper van get killed.  Ollie’s army buddies beat up Prophet’s men at a gas station.  Prophet fights with his girlfriend.  None of it’s presented in a way that makes the audience want to care.

Like a number of other movies I’ve reviewed, Trained to Kill USA is not this film’s original title.  It was released as The No Mercy Man.  Multiple titles are a common feature of terrible movies, but what’s interesting here is how the change re-focuses the audiences attention.  The No Mercy Man referred to Prophet – his friend Parrish uses that descriptor for him, and it suggests that this is his story we’re watching.  Trained to Kill USA, on the other hand, is obviously a description of Ollie, which leads us to expect rather more of him than the movie initially offers.

The film is actually equally about both men and their inability to fit into society.  Ollie is too damaged by his experiences in war to ever lead a normal life, while Prophet exists in a world where black men are automatically assumed to be criminals and there is simply no other role he can fill.  I think we’re supposed to see them as a pair of tragic figures driven inevitably to a confrontation that destroys them both.  It’s a little hard to say, because the movie is really bad at driven inevitably.  When it tries to set up fate and forces beyond these characters’ control, all it manages are a set of coincidences.  If there’s supposed to be a feeling that this all means anything, the movie misses it by miles.

Even more damaging to what I assume are the film’s ambitions (I’m really not at all sure what this movie is actually trying to do) is the fact that neither of these guys are characters we can root for. Prophet complains that his intellect could have taken him places were it not for his appearance: he is a tall, intimidating black man, and so people treat him as a thug.  Yet Prophet is the very stereotype of that thug, gleefully and gratuitously violent and a rapist of white women.  In both the RV theft and the bank robbery his original plan is to commit a crime in which ‘nobody gets hurt’, but in both incidents he drops this idea the moment something starts to go wrong.  The movie tries to bring some depth to him in his apparently sincere affection for his girlfriend Sally (the moment when he leads her in a circle around the fairground is the only thing in the movie that feels like real emotion), but he turns on her in the end, too, blaming her for the loss of his job.

Then there’s Ollie – he is a steaming mess of PTSD and we feel sorry for him, but we do not like him.  Actor Steve Sandor behaves like a robot and rather creepily looks like one, too. There’s something about his skin that makes him look like plastic.  If he is to be a tragic figure we should really have some idea of who he was before the war hollowed him out, but we see him only as the damaged hero, surrounded by people who are making his trauma worse.  His father is an old grouch living vicariously through his son, and his friends brag about his accomplishments in a way that triggers him repeatedly while they don’t seem to give a shit.  The movie seems to want us to root for him to give in to the violence in order to protect his family, but that is exactly what Ollie himself does not want and, indeed, is the worst possible thing that could happen to his already fragile mental health.  We do not want Ollie to be a hero.  We want him to get away from all this and into an environment where he can heal.

I honestly think the writers were trying to do something with this movie.  They believed they were going to make an important statement about war and racism and how both are damaging to the psyche.  They were trying to give us a tragedy about two gifted individuals who could have been so much more than what the world forced them to be. All they managed, however, was Trained to Kill USA, and the movie sucks.

The photography was bad to begin with and the pan-n-scan did it no favours at all – many shots look bizarrely off-centre, as is evident in the screencaps.  The characters are as flat as a creationist’s earth.  Fight scenes are awful: I don’t remember a single punch that I believed hit anything.  People go leaping over fences ahead of explosions that are obviously nowhere near them.  The ‘Vietnam’ flashbacks are shot in front of some trees in someone’s back yard.  The dialogue is terrible: characters say things like ‘Ollie, you’re the most decorated man in the state!’ and that’s supposed to be subtle exposition.  The Oblivious Camping Family have ‘victims!’ written all over them, to the point where they seem to belong in the opening scene of some slasher movie more than they do in this.  And at the time the film was made it didn’t matter that everything in it was outrageously, garishly seventies, but in the hindsight of a more fashion-conscious age, It just makes it that much harder to take any of this seriously.

The harder this movie tries to build tension, the worse it fails.  There’s a scene in which the criminals confront the Sheriff outside the bank, and while we should be on the edges of our seats, waiting for the bullets to start flying, all we’re seeing is a bunch of guys standing around awkwardly, exchanging terrible dialogue that aims for ‘badass’ and falls on its face.  The bank robbery itself is a free for all of guns and bombs.  It’s hard to tell who’s on which side because we’ve never met half these guys before, and both the criminals and Ollie’s army buddies seem to take such joy in violence that it’s hard to care about what they’re fighting for. The most memorable bit in the scene is the stunt guy who does a perfect flip as he falls from a roof.

At the end, the criminals attack Ollie’s family and he is forced to relive all the things he most wishes to forget as he finally takes them on.  This fight scene almost becomes effective in its brutality and crudeness.  There’s no choreography or sense of justice, just Ollie and Prophet beating the shit out of each other for reasons that have almost nothing to do with either of them.  When Ollie wins, it’s not in any way a victory.  Under constant pressure to give in to the violence, Ollie has lost, and it’s impossible to tell what the movie wants us to feel about this.  The ridiculously cheesy final song, with lyrics like no-one understands you ‘cause you can’t be understood, seems to agree with my gut instinct that this is a disaster, but didn’t we just spend the whole movie waiting for Ollie to kick some ass?  Haven’t we been told over and over that he is the only one up to the challenge Prophet presents?

As the credits roll, we’re left in a similar place to where we were at the end of The Sidehackers – nobody won.  Ollie will continued to be a shattered man held together by alcohol.  Prophet, who was supposed to look redeemable, is now beyond redemption because he’s dead.  What happened to the girlfriend Prophet blamed for getting him into all this trouble, we’ll never know.  How Ollie’s family feel about what he’s now done we’ll also never know, which is particularly annoying because their opinion of him was so important earlier.  Shouldn’t they come to understand why they’ve been treating him badly?  If you try to take their stories at face value, Ollie and Prophet both deserved far better than this shitty fucking movie.

[boompowkablam]

My Favorite Fics Rec List

Supernatural List

Defy Any and All Expectation    by @tenoko1

Chuck's newly released books tell of another war between Heaven and Hell. Team Free Will sets out to try to defy prophecy, only to realize there is a lot more at stake and amiss than the not-quite-accurate words of one Prophet of the Lord.

Along the way, Dean and Cas' relationship continues to evolve into something neither expected or were prepared for, all of their lives transforming in ways no one could have expected.

But with no shortage of cases, monsters, and mayhem, it's going to require the help of new friends and old enemies if they're to have a hope of saving the world one more time.

Alternate Season Six.

I have read this a thousand times it will always be my all time favorite story. Pairing Dean/Castiel, Sarah Blake/ Sam, Lisa Braeden/ Dean, Lucifer/Sam, Becky Rosen/Samandriel . Word:137,688

Ordained by @tenoko1

There’s one born to every generation. Joan of Arc was the first Ordained. The first of the archangel Michael's Chosen bloodline to protect humanity from Hell and monsters during a time when Earth faced unprecedented threat. Fast forward to present. Dean is the current Ordained, complete with costume change and masked allies. Mostly? They're like regular supernatural hunters who spend their nights going after whatever tries to munch on the student populace, and occasionally taking on petty crime to help out the cops. Okay, so maybe juggling double-lives, college, and romance is easier on TV, by a lot, but Dean's determined to have some semblance of a normal life while they can.

Then demons and angels start showing up and it’s up to the masked warriors to stop Hell from literally being unleashed on Earth. This was NOT part of the plan.

She is actually re-writing this story right now. It is going to be longer with more characters and i am so pumped! Pairing Dean/Castiel, Sarah Blake/ Sam, Charlie/Gilda , One sided Sam/Lucifer.  Word:46,182

The Fourth Wall Series By Entanglednow

It's all Sam's fault, really. It had just been research. Then it got way out of hand. Or, in which, fanfiction takes over their lives for better and for worse.

This has to be to me one of the funniest stories ever. I love it.Pairing Dean/Castiel, Sam/Lucifer

Due Cause by  FortinbrasFTW                                      

"This wasn't right. Things like this didn't happen to people. First days were full of training documents and get-to-know-you chats and friendly talks with pleasant secretaries, not super-lawyers in disguise with molesting eye contact assaulting you in elevators. This really really wasn't how this was supposed to go... Maybe it wasn't how it was going. Maybe none of it was really happening to him and in a few minutes they would leave the room and all of this would go away and he'd have his normal, average first day exactly the way he'd wanted it."Sam gets his first job at the law firm of his dreams, which just happens to be the workplace of his law-school idol, who in real life is a good deal more cynical and a great deal more creepy than he might have imagined. Also: Cas runs a snack cart. Also: Dean helps.

Its like the lawyer version of supernatural with less death and more coffee. Pairing Sam/Lucifer, Dean/Castiel, Lilith/Lucifer, Crowley/Gabriel Word:93,407

How I Spent My Summer Vacation (And Other Myths)  by @scarletjedi

For the summer after Junior year, Puck and Kurt are sent to Sioux Falls, Puck to his mother's cousin, Sheriff Mills, as punishment for his stint in Juvie in hopes that she will "set him straight," and Kurt to escape the Hockey Team's violence and to learn to Hunt like his mother from his Uncle Bobby. They meet at Singer Salvage, where they're both surprised, yet very pleased, to find a familiar face. A few days later a black impala drives up with two bloody Winchesters and an injured Angel. Then all Hell breaks loose....

This was a fun story to read and a good crossover.Glee/supernatural.Pairing Dean/Castiel, Sam/Gabriel, Kurt/Noah. Word:55,221

Hear Both Sides    by Meh_forget_it

When Sam went to Stanford, he expected to go to classes, probably get a job and possibly miss Dean and be lonely. He didn’t expect to meet Loki and Crowley.

At least he wasn’t lonely.

This is a monster of a fic but its awesome! If you get into it around bedtime don’t expect to sleep. Paring Gabe/Crowley/Sam. Word:118,022

Sleep With A Gun by HollowIsTheWorld

Castiel Novak has been hunting for four years. His little brother, Samandriel, has been with him for half that time. When a job causes them to cross paths with the infamous Winchester brothers and their pet vampire, Samandriel is wary of them and wants to skip town while they can. Castiel, on the other hand, isn’t sure he wants to write them off so quickly.

Samandriel is a sassy emo kid in this and it is my most favorite thing in the whole world. Paring Samandriel/Benny , Dean/Castiel , Gabriel/ Sam. Word:88,634

The Laundromat 'Verse by @ozonecologne

Dean runs a laundromat. The punk kids come to him for all their clothing repair needs.That includes their bad boy ringleader, Castiel. A collection of ficlets.

Ive read this through a couple times now and  i still  love it. Pairing Castiel/Dean. Word:57,557

Where Are We Going From Here  by River_of_Dreams

It starts with a nightmare and an unexpected compliment. It doesn't end there. Lucifer and Michael walk the Earth again, except that this time they don't have an Apocalypse to focus on. Idle hands are the Devil's workshop, they say. What happens when those idle hands belong to the Devil himself?

This ending up being another never sleep story. Like i didnt sleep till i was done reading. Paring Sam/Lucifer.  Word:112,633

How the Other Side Lives by @tenoko1

Maybe God doesn’t always answer prayers, and maybe the Apocalypse nearly happening without him stepping into stop it had been really bad, but it’s becoming clear that things always work out, even if they don’t work out the way you wanted or expected them to, they work out the way you NEEDED.

Tenoko1 has a way that she writes characters where you fall in love with them. I love Becky in this story.  Background pairing Dean/Castiel . Word:22,442

  How To Fall   By FortinbrasFTW

 '“I’ve been falling for some time, through darkness, and pain, and fire. And then I saw you, shining through the shadows, and I knew you would catch me one day. But you didn’t, I fell right past you, further than I ever imagined I could, and now I wonder if I’ve finally hit the ground.”'

When a spell goes wrong Sam ends up stranded in the north Canadian wilderness with nothing to do but bunker down and wait for rescue, which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the broken angel he's accidentally brought along for the ride.

This was so good. Pairing Sam/Lucifer. Word:41,425. Podfic by Shmaylor

An Exercise In 'Worthless'  By Beastofthesky

 "I mean, you’re–” He gestures at Cas, in his neat oxford shirt and nice pants. “–and I’m a high school dropout who tattoos for a living.”

Wherein Dean makes a hefty living as a tattoo artist who owns the space next to Gabriel's cafe. Sam attends the local university. When Gabe's cousin comes to live with him while starting grad school at Sam's university, Dean thinks for sure that all his negative karma's coming to bite him in the ass because Cas clearly has a thing for Sam. No one would ever choose him over Sam. That's just logic.

This is great you will get your dose of angst. I shouldnt say that i dont want to put you off its a good story. I might be over dramatic. Pairing: Castiel/Dean , Sam/Gabriel. Word:26,547.  Podfic by skyunicorn

Thats the list it was going to be longer but I got frustrated and kind of messed it up twice before I got it right.... I mean it might be right lol. If a link sends you to the wrong place please tell me because that was one of the problems I had. I’m not made for tumblr. Also check out the authors other works because they are all great these are just my favorite. Some of these also have podfics if thats something you are into. Oppisum does the podfic for due cause if you have trouble finding that one hit me up i did too.

[swanqueeneverafter]

12. Red-Handed, Pt.2

Enchanted Forest. Village Meeting. Past. (All of the village’s citizens are gathered at the tavern. One of the men who was with the hunting party speaks to the group.) Man: “The one thing I know, is that last night, was the very last massacre (Everyone cheers:) You know, if I had stayed with that party for another ten minutes, I, too, would be among the dead. (Granny, Red, and a disguised Snow White enter:) And, when I think if I’d only doubled back, maybe…I could’ve caught it in the act. Maybe, I would’ve been able to slay the creature.” Granny: “You would not.” Man: “Widow Lucas.” Granny: “This creature is more powerful than you can imagine. You wouldn’t have a chance. Stay inside, hide your children, forget your livestock.” Man: “You’ve said all this before.” Granny: “But, I haven’t said how I know. Nearly threescore years ago, I was a child with six older brothers. Big as oak trees, all of them veterans of the Second Ogres War. And my father, the biggest of them all. Come one Wolfstime, he decided to go out and take on the wolf. A different wolf back then, of course, but just as fearsome. They went out there to protect me. I was supposed to be asleep, but I crawled out on the roof to watch and lay down in the thatch. They had the beast surrounded, the seven of them, with spears all pointed in at it. And then it started. It was lunging – not at the men, at the spears. Grabbing with its teeth, breaking the shafts. They stabbed it with the splintered end, but it didn’t matter. It tore their throats so fast, that not a one of them got a chance to scream… Or pray… Or say goodbye. When my father died, I tumbled from the roof, and I landed in the blood in front of the wolf. I felt its breath on my face. Then, it clamped its hot jaw on my arm, and I rolled away. (She pulls back her sleeve, revealing several large, parallel scars:) Then, it looked at me with eyes so black, they weren’t even there. Then, it walked away. You ever see a wild animal just turn its back and walk away like you don’t matter? If this wolf is like that one, there is no defeating it. It’s already won just by existing in our world. You don’t kill it – you just hide.” Later, At Granny & Red’s Home. (Red and Snow White are sitting by the fireplace at the cottage.) Snow White: “So, your Granny’s kind of intense.” Red: “Yeah, a bit. I feel like a rat in a trap.” Snow White: “Is this trap keeping you from… being with someone?” Red: “How did you know?” Snow White: “Well, I saw some looks exchanged back there, and, I hate to break it to you, but it wasn’t subtle.” Red: “Yes. Peter. We’ve been friends forever, but… Now things are… Well, changing.” Snow White: “That must be nice.” Red: “Do you have someone?” Snow White: “Oh, no. I’m not sure that’s in my future. You’re lucky, Red.” Red: “I know. And we’re talking about going away together. But I don’t even get any time with him. Granny’s too afraid of the wolf to let me out alone. You saw what the wolf did. Sometimes, I wonder if she’s right.” Snow White: “Oh, she’s right about the wolf. But, she’s wrong to use it to keep you from love.” Red: “You think that’s what she’s doing? Let’s kill the wolf.” Snow White: “Hang on.” Red: “We’d be heroes.” Snow White: “Red, teams of trained hunters have been killed.” Red: “But they go at night when it’s got the advantage. If we went now, we could find it slumbering in its den and kill it in its sleep. Come on.” Snow White: “Red, I don’t know.” Red: “I’m going – with or without you. But, you’re right – I can’t let her keep me trapped forever.”

Storybrooke. Town Line. Present. (Mary Margaret drives her car along the road out of Storybrooke and pulls over just before she reaches the sign. She gets out and goes into the woods. A short ways in, she hears a rustling sound. Suddenly, David appears through the brush.) Mary Margaret: “I-it’s you. You okay? You’re looking for Kathryn, too?” David: “I’m looking.” Mary Margaret: “She knows you didn’t do anything. Emma, I mean. She can tell when people are lying, so… She knows. And I’ll stand with you. I’ll tell everyone this isn’t possible. She’s going to turn up somewhere. That’s why we’re out here, right?” David: “I’m looking.” (Mary Margaret notices that David isn’t quite all there.) Mary Margaret: “David? (David begins to wander back into the woods. She yells to him, but he doesn’t seem to hear her:) David? David!” Enchanted Forest. Past. (Snow White and Red are searching for tracks in the forest.) Snow White: “What about that?” Red: “That’s a dog. See how small that is? Don’t look where the snow’s drifted – it covers tracks.” Snow White: “Hey. Over here.” Red: “That… is a rabbit. What we’re looking for will be huge. Like a dog print, but big. Like, eight inches across with big, long claws.” Snow White: “Like these?” (There is a trail of massive paw prints leading through the forest.) Red: “Yes. And those. Oh, my gods. How big is this thing?” Snow White: “This was one stride? From here… To there?” Red: “Come on – over there. Through the brush, and off towards the hill.” Snow White: “You’re good at this.” Red: “When there’s something I want, I’m good at tracking it down.” Storybrooke. Sheriff’s Station. Present. (At the station, Henry is searching the internet for a job for Ruby. Ruby is sitting next to him, while the phone on the desk continuously rings.) Henry: “Want to be a bike messenger?” Ruby: “Bike messenger?” Henry: “That’s about taking things to people in a little basket.” Ruby: “Nope. Yeah, see, I’m not so great at bike riding.” Henry: “How about taking things on foot, to people, in a little basket?” Ruby: “I’m not so sure that’s a real job. (The phone rings again:) Why do the phones keep doing that?” Henry: “Oh, the non-emergency calls go to a machine when Emma’s busy.” (The phone rings, again, but Ruby answers it.) Ruby: “Sheriff’s station. How can I help you? Mmhmm. I’ll get her to return. Thank you, too. (She answers the next call:) Sheriff’s station. Hey, Miss Ginger. Uh, no, that’s not a prowler. That’s Archie’s dog – Pongo. Throw him a vanilla wafer. He’ll quiet down. Did you still want to talk to Emma? Great. Glad I could help.” (Emma, who has overheard Ruby on the phone, walks in.) Emma: “How’s it going, you two?” Ruby: “Great. Except I can’t do anything.” Emma: “I’m sure that’s not true. I just saw you on the phone. That was good.” Ruby: “That? That’s nothing.” Emma: “No. No, it isn’t. I actually have some money in the budget if you want to help out around here.” Ruby: “Yes! Thank you! Yes. Um, I could answer phones and help out. Um, is there anything else that you need done? Organize files, cleaning up? Please – I want to be useful.” Emma: “I’m swamped with the Kathryn Nolan thing. If you maybe want to grab us lunch, I would never say no to a grilled cheese.” Ruby: “Done. You want anything?” Henry: “Um, two chocolate chip cookies, an apple pie, and a hot dog.” Emma: “He ate at school.” (As Ruby goes to leave, Mary Margaret enters.) Ruby: “Hey! Lunch, Mary Margaret? I’m getting for everyone.” Mary Margaret: “Uh, no. I’m not hungry. (Ruby leaves. To Emma:) David’s in the woods. There’s something wrong with him. He looked right through me. It’s like… It’s like he was a different person.”

Enchanted Forest. Past. (Red and Snow White are still tracking the wolf through the forest.) Snow White: “Here’s another one.” Red: “Right. And then here’s…” (Red looks down, and notices that the tracks no longer resemble just paw prints.) Snow White: “What?” Red: “This print – it looks like it’s… Half-wolf and half-boot. See?” Snow White: “Wolves don’t wear boots.” Red: “No, they don’t.” Snow White: “Then it just continues like it was a man?” Red: “Like it was a man and a wolf.” Snow White: “Red, what kind of monster is this?” (The two of them continue to follow the tracks.) Red: “So…” Snow White: “Yeah?” Red: “Wolfstime is once a month on the full moon. There’s a story I heard once about a creature-” Snow White: “Hey. Aren’t we awfully close to the cottage?” (They see the tracks lead to the side window of Red and Granny’s cottage.) Snow White: “Who’s gone to your window, Red? Is it Peter? Red, has he been at your window?” Red: “Last night – before the killings. And he never joined the guys to hunt the wolf.” Snow White: “But I’m sure he wouldn’t have killed them.” Red: “He wouldn’t. But when the wolf takes over…” Snow White: “What about tonight’s hunting party?” Red: “They’re going to kill him. Or he’s going to kill them.” Snow White: “It doesn’t have to be that way.” Red: “What can we do?” Snow White: “Tell him. If he doesn’t know, tell him. Stop him. If he’ll listen to anyone, if he’ll believe anyone, it’s you.” Red: “You think I can save him?” Snow White: “I think you can save everyone.” Red: “It’s going to be dark soon. Granny will be out of her mind with worry if we’re not home. She’ll go out there. Mary, this is so bad.” Snow White: “So do something.” Red: “You’re right. I have to.” Storybrooke. Granny’s Diner. Present. (Ruby enters Granny’s Diner and walks up to the counter to order.) Ruby: “I need a couple of grilled cheeses. I’m working over at the sheriff’s station now.” Granny: “Ah.” Ruby: “Sort of like a… Like a Deputy, you know? I guess sometimes, your fate finds you.” Granny: “Seems kind of like you’re doing the same thing you always done.” Ruby: “Plus so much more.” Granny: “Those will be right up.” Ruby: “Yeah.” Granny: "Tony has to unwrap the cheese slices.” Ruby: “I help solve crimes.” Granny: “I’m sure you do. I hope you’re finding what you’re looking for.” Ruby: “I am.” Enchanted Forest. Past. (Red and Peter are sitting by a fire in the forest.) Peter: “You think this wolf-man is me? Red, you know me.” Red: “I know it’s not you, really, but I think it’s using your body.” Peter: “Wouldn’t I know? I mean, wouldn’t I wake up in the woods? Wouldn’t I remember something?” Red: “Maybe. Maybe, it makes you forget.” Peter: “Oh, my gods. Those men – they died. If I did that…” Red: “Forget the past. Think of the future. We can go now, Peter. Have lives. All we need to do is tie you up during the Wolfstime, and I know where to get rope.” Peter: “No. Not rope.” (He picks up a chain off of the ground.) Red: “Chains.” Peter: “Just in case… Just in case you’re right. I’ll show you how to rig it up so that I can’t get out. And then you need to get away from me.” Red: “No. I’m staying with you. I’ll stay with you all night, and for all the nights to come.” Peter: “You’d do that for me?” Red: “I’d do anything for you.”

Storybrooke. Sheriff’s Station. Present. (Emma and Henry are at the station. Emma is getting ready to leave, while Henry is hiding his book.) Emma: “Okay, kid. Don’t mean to kick you out, but I got to go see if David’s in some kind of trouble out there.” Henry: “It’s okay. I’m supposed to meet my mom. (He locks his book in one of the desk drawers:) There.” Emma: (Smirks:) “Nice.” Henry: “You know, you can let Ruby do more. She’s Little Red Riding Hood.” Emma: “With the little basket? Yeah, she seems like a badass.” Henry: “She is. She just doesn’t remember how cool she is or what she’s capable of. But it’s true.” (Ruby returns with the food as Henry leaves.) Henry: “Hey, Ruby.” Ruby: “Hey, Henry. (To Emma:) Got your grilled cheese.” Emma: “Thank you. You all right?” Ruby: “I guess. I mean, this is something I know how to do. So, yay.” Emma: “Okay, let’s pack these back up, and we can eat it in the car. I need to do a little wilderness search, and I need your help.” Ruby: “I’m pretty sure I’m just going to screw it up. I mean, I’ll screw it up with flair, but…” Emma: “No, you won’t. Come on – you can do this.” Storybrooke. Woods. (Emma and Ruby are searching through the woods.) Ruby: “This place is massive. How are we supposed to find one guy?” Emma: “Hey, shh. We might be able to hear him.” Ruby: “It’s massive.” Emma: “I’m following the path because there are boot prints, so just stay close.” Ruby: “I shouldn’t even be here. I’m just going to screw everything up. Oh, wait.” (Ruby stops walking and Emma bumps into her.) Emma: “Ruby?” Ruby: “I hear him.” Emma: “Really?” Ruby: “Yeah, really. I hear him or… something. I… I know where he is. Don’t you?” (Ruby takes off through the woods.) Emma: “No. What are you doing?” Ruby: “He’s over here!” (Emma follows her.) Emma: “Ruby! Ruby?” (Emma finds Ruby standing over a bleeding and unconscious David. She kneels next to him, and tries to shake him awake.) Emma: “David? Oh, god. Come on! David, come on! Wake up! David, wake up!” (David wakes up.) David: “Emma? What? Ruby?” Emma: “Do you remember where you are?” David: “No, I… What the hell? I was… I was in your office. Did you bring me here?” Emma: “You don’t remember anything since you were in my office? Last night?” David: “No, I don’t.”