#now lets hope its not too long before we see Tracy on our screens again

[angelofbenignmalevolence]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Thunderbirds Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Major Character Death Characters: Scott Tracy, The Hood (Thunderbirds), Captain Rigby, Havoc Additional Tags: Angst, Mistaken Identity, No HEA, killing in self defense Series: Part 2 of Bad Things Happen Bingo Summary:

Scott has always told Kayo that International Rescue’s business is to save people, not to catch the bad guys. It shouldn’t have been a surprise to Scott that when he broke his own rule, things went completely awry.

This is for my "Bad Thing Happen Bingo Card." The prompt here was Scott and Killing in Self Defense. It was requested by @thunderbird-one-ai 

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Scott had lost count of the number of times that he had had to tell Kayo that International Rescue was not in the business of catching criminals. That was a job for law enforcement. International Rescue’s job was, first and foremost, to save lives.

Perhaps this was the reason Scott found himself justifying his presence at an abandoned complex where he had just seen the Hood’s vehicle enter after his latest scheme. He had stolen an experimental substance in an attempt to pawn it off to the highest bidder.

The Hood doesn’t know how to handle such a volatile compound. He just stole it for the money. How much damage could he do unintentionally if it was mishandled? Scott would be remiss if he didn’t at least attempt to stop the Hood before some sort of disaster befell everyone.

The excuse felt weak even to Scott, but he couldn’t think about that now. He needed to be focused on the task at hand. He’d take care of this and then use the flight back to the island to come up with a better excuse.

As he circled around for a place to land Thunderbird One, he was surprised to see a GDF ship landed in a barren stretch of land a small distance from the compound. He’d only just alerted John to the pursuit and he hadn’t quite expected the GDF to be quite so Johnny-on-the-spot. He landed just next to the GDF ship, descending from Thunderbird One and coming face to face with a Rigby that seemed just as surprised to see him.

“I’m surprised to see you here this quickly, Captain,” Scott said, the teasing in his voice good natured. “John only just told me he was getting in contact with you.” Rigby’s shock disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared on his features and he shrugged.

“What can I say? I was in the neighborhood. And it’s not every day I get to beat a Thunderbird to the punch,” he said, clapping Scott on the shoulder. Scott ducked out of the familiar gesture with an eye roll.

“Let’s save the celebrations and gloating until the end of the mission, hmm?” Scott said. Rigby’s demeanor shifted to all business, knowing Scott was right. “I was able to trace and follow the Hood’s signal here. He’s somewhere in the compound just east of here.” Rigby nodded.

“John said as much. Isn’t nabbing criminals more my jurisdiction, though?” he asked.

“I won’t tell Kayo if you don’t,” Scott said and Rigby offered short chuckle in response.

“Well,” he said. “I guess I’ll just have to show International Rescue how things are done.” He turned to finish arming himself while Scott rolled his eyes at the captain’s back. The man had a chip on his shoulder that quite often rubbed Scott the wrong way. Not, he supposed, that he had any room to throw stones. He had heard plenty of people say the same about him when they didn’t think he could hear them.

He didn’t let himself dwell on that thought for too long, as Captain Rigby turned around. Rigby motioned Scott over to a set of computers at the back of the GDF ship, pulling up a map.

“From the scan I was able to do coming into the area, it looks like there are six extant buildings,” he said. Scott nodded. He had noticed as much from the air. Scott indicated one of the buildings on the screen.

“I saw the Hood’s vehicle going into an underground garage near this one,” he said. Rigby nodded.

“It’s as good a place to start as any,” Rigby said.

“Then let’s move.” Scott turned and led the way toward the compound. Rigby stayed just behind Scott as they moved. Scott could feel the hair on the back of his neck rising as they moved closer. Something ominous hung in the air, a heaviness surrounding the building that set Scott on edge. Perhaps it was the idea of another face to face confrontation with the Hood that set him so ill at ease. It didn’t help that the seemingly abandoned compound felt more like a warehouse belonging to a serial killer than the remnants of an old industrial plant.

Whatever it was, Scott pushed it to the back of his mind. He couldn’t let himself get distracted. Not when the Hood was somewhere inside. And where the Hood was, the Chaos Crew couldn’t be far behind. He had to keep his wits about him. Scott paused as the compound came into view. While infiltrating was not going to be any form of rocket science, it wasn’t a situation he had hoped to find himself in. Next to him, Rigby frowned deeply.

“Awful lot of entry and exit points,” he said. “We probably stand a better chance of covering all the exits if we split up.” This time, it was Scott’s turn to frown at the suggestion.

“We don’t know if he is alone in there. If we split up and the Chaos Crew is in hiding in there already, it’s easier to overwhelm one than two,” he reasoned. Hell, if they only encountered the Chaos Crew, sticking together would even the odds. Rigby considered Scott’s words for a moment.

“That’s fair,” he said. “I suppose you are right in that respect. It took Kayo and I both to take Havoc on before.” Scott barely suppressed the urge to tell Captain Rigby that that wasn’t necessarily how Kayo told that story. They would have enough time to banter with each other after they took care of things. “Ok, Tracy, let’s go!” Rigby broke cover and started toward the structure before Scott had a moment to process. Scott’s brow creased. The headstrong captain could be a real pain if he set his mind to it.

Scott broke cover and followed Rigby down to the warehouse, taking up a position on the opposite side of the door as the captain. Rigby led the way inside, the room filled with crates and boxes and metal shelves. Scott’s eyebrow rose. Perhaps this facility wasn’t quite as abandoned as everyone was made to believe. Scott turned on the light on his suit to see if he could read the labels on the crates. Curiosity and a sense of impending danger made him cautious. If there was something in these containers that could be used against him, he would be wise to check it over before he got into a confrontation.

His fingers traced over the surface of the containers, finding no outward indication of what might be inside, though his glove came away with dust on the fingertips. He continued along the rows and aisles, checking dutifully around every corner as he moved through the facility. He could hear Rigby following in his footsteps.

As he turned another corner, he came face to face with an empty container, which drew his brow together even more. Something about this didn’t feel right. Why would the Hood steal a valuable and volatile substance, only to lead him to a warehouse with old, empty containers? It didn’t add up.

A loud clang from the other side of the room had him turning and sinking into a defensive crouch as the sound reverberated in the metal building. His muscle memory from his days in the military continued to serve him well in that respect. His eyes turned to the sound of footsteps running, only to find that Rigby had taken off in the direction from which the sound had come from.

Goddammit, Rigby! Scott thought to himself. When this was all over, he was going to have to talk to the GDF, or perhaps to Kayo if he thought she could make the captain come to heel. He cautiously moved toward the end of the aisle, not wanting to give away his position in case Rigby got himself in trouble running off on his own like that. His senses were on high alert, so when John’s voice came through the comms in his suit, he nearly had a heart attack.

“Scott, this is Thunderbird five,” he said.

“Yeah, I noticed,” Scott said, a bit more testily than perhaps his little brother deserved, but he was still trying to soothe his senses into a level of acuteness rather than the overload he was currently experience. When John spoke again, Scott could hear the frown in his voice.

“I’m sorry for the delay, Scott,” he said. “The GDF is on their way. Estimated time of-”

“GDF is already here,” Scott said as a sound had him advancing toward its origin cautiously. Scott wondered vaguely how Thunderbird Five’s information could be so behind. Was there a system bug that was causing the lag? There was a long pause and Scott wondered if maybe John had simply moved on to help one of their other brothers, but his brother’s voice came through his helmet once more, concern in his voice.

“Scott, I just got off comms with the GDF. I double checked the coordinates Thunderbird Five is registering with Captain Rigby. He’s currently leaving a situation in New Caledonia. Both Captain Rigby and Colonel Casey confirm there are no GDF craft in the area. Whoever you are in there with…it’s not the GDF.” John said. Scott’s blood froze, ice creeping through every inch of his body, and for a moment all he could hear was the pounding of his heart. Scott took several moments to respond, and it was a pause too long for John. “Scott?”

“FAB,” Scott said automatically, almost dismissively as his mind spun with other possibilities. If the person he came in with wasn’t Rigby…then he had to have been face to face with Havoc. Kayo had briefed them all on her holographic technology. The ice running through him deepened and his stomach dropped when he followed that through to its logical conclusion. That meant that he had dropped Thunderbird One right in the lap of the Chaos Crew, especially if the supposed GDF ship was really the Chaos Cruiser in disguise. His heart began to pound in his chest. He had to get back to Thunderbird One. He couldn’t let them get their hands on it.

“Scott?” John prompted again, worried at his brother’s silence.

“Lock down Thunderbird One’s systems,” Scott said, his tone much more level than he felt. “There’s a potential that she will be compromised. Alert me if there is any attempt to override lock down.”

“FAB,” John replied. “Are you ok?”

“I’m making a retreat to regroup with the GDF,” he said. “I’m inside the warehouse on location. At least one adversary is in the building with me.” He began to make his way back down the rows of containers. This wasn’t going to be a fair fight if he got caught on his own. Why hadn’t he listened to his own advice and remembered that International Rescue was not law enforcement.

He was nearly to the door when there was a horrible wrenching sound of metal on metal. He turned to see one of the containers falling toward him. He jumped out of the way and landed roughly as the container landed with a crash. Dust from years of disuse kicked up like a cloud and blinded Scott for a moment, holding up a hand to protect himself from the cloud rolling toward him despite the fact that he still wore his helmet.

“Scott? Scott?! What was that?!” John asked. Scott recognized that the panic in his brother’s voice was a testament to exactly how bad the situation looked from above.

“I’m ok, John,” he said, his eyes scanning the area. That shelf hadn’t failed on its own. That must mean that Fuse had to be nearby. He was the only one who could have done that much damage that quickly.

“What happened?” John asked. Scott didn’t have time to answer. A figure came flying out of the dust cloud, and it took all of Scott’s military instincts to block the attack. He rolled backward and out of the way, but his assailant was relentless. They had Scott on the retreat.

Scott got a lucky break as he rolled behind a shelf. It was only a few moments, but it was enough to get Scott on his feet and ready to face his attacker head on. He wasn’t disappointed as the figure came hurtling around the corner, weapons at the ready. Scott dodged out of the way, his heart stuttering for a moment when he saw that it was Rigby.

No.

Not Rigby.

Havoc. Rigby wouldn’t attack him like this. The shift from rescuer to soldier was almost instantaneous. Instinct took over as Havoc came for him. Scott dodged a punch and thought, in a brief moment as he took his own swing, that this wasn’t Havoc’s normal style. She liked to attack from afar, not get so up close and personal. What was her aim?

Scott had thought a little too long. Havoc took him to his knees with an attack he hadn’t been expecting. An arm was around his neck, cutting off his air. It was as if a switch had been flipped in his mind. It was obvious that she was dead set on taking him out of the picture. Scott’s muscle memory had him breaking out of the hold and shoving Havoc back.

There was a sound of pain and a squelching as his opponent fell back against one of the shelves that had been damaged in the earlier blast. Scott looked up and his eyes widened. It was jarring to see Rigby’s appearance with a spike of damaged metal through his chest. Hell, even with it being Havoc, it was still a shock. Scott moved over to explore the damage. There was wet breathing.

“Get…way from me.” The words were spoken through wet breaths.

“Shhh,” Scott said. “Don’t talk. I’m going to see if I can help.”

“Don’t need your help!” A wet cough and a groan of pain with a struggle.

“You’ll hurt yourself!” Scott said. He could see the life leaving Rigby’s face and the thought scared him, even if it was Havoc. While he had seen men die before, he always hated taking a life. No matter what Scott did, he couldn’t seem to stem the bleeding. Despite knowing he couldn’t save him, Scott was pouring his all into trying to do anything to stem the bleeding.

It was a moment before there was only the sound of Scott’s breath. There was no labored breathing, and Rigby’s body sagged against the broken containers and shelves. He hung his head.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you Havoc,” he muttered under his breath.

“What are you on about?” The voice came from behind him. Scott turned quickly and his heart dropped. Havoc stood at the other end of the corridor of containers, tossing one of her holospheres up and down in her hands. The color began to drain from Scott’s face. If that was Havoc then….

“What…how….” No….he couldn’t have killed Rigby…he couldn’t… “Why did he attack me? What did you do, Havoc?!” Havoc smiled, clearly pleased with herself, pulling a small device no bigger than her fingertip from a hidden compartment in her suit.

“It’s a portable digital signal that can be unobtrusively planted on someone to alter their appearance.” Scott’s mind immediately shot back to the moment back before this all unfolded where the person he had thought to be Rigby had clapped him on the shoulder. He reached back over his shoulder and he felt his fingers brush against a raised feature he knew was not a part of his suit. Scott could taste bile as the reality of what he had done caught up with him. Rigby had attacked him because he had looked like someone else….Havoc. The Hood. Fuse. It didn’t matter. Rigby had thought it just as much a combat situation as Scott had. He dropped to his knees.

“You bitch…” Scott said. He didn’t lightly call any woman a bitch, but Havoc had just forced his hand in killing one of his business associates and a friend.

“Now now now,” came a voice speaking in a low purr that he knew could only be one person. He looked up to see the Hood coming from behind Havoc. “It’s not exactly fair to lay all the blame at Havoc’s feet. After all, this was your fault.” The words took the air from his lungs as his fingers dug into the ground.

Your fault.

My fault.

The Hood cocked his head and listened for a moment. The familiar roar of engines as another craft approach was nearly lost through the sound of blood pumping through Scott’s ears and the concentration required to keep him from throwing up. The Hood smirked.

“I really would love to stay and chat, but it seems as though we’ve outstayed our welcome here. Scott looked up in time to see Havoc activate the same device she had activated before. Scott barely registered that the Hood had taken on Scott’s appearance, or that Havoc had taken on the appearance of the Hood. He didn’t know who he looked like. It didn’t matter. He knew he was being set up to take the fall.

And deep inside, he knew he deserved it too.

[blankdblank]

Hobbit Soulmate Pt 37

“You’re doing it again,” Tracy said once in the set with you for your next scene post lunch you’d mostly read through while Lee continued to bask in the hype of the news of how his film was doing numbers wise. Head turned your eyes fell on her and she said, “You are sulking. Are you sleeping?”

“Ya,”

Inching closer she asked in a try to be playful tone to ease out a smile from you, “Your teddy bear miss a phone call?”

“No, Richard called and messaged twice yesterday.” Her brows arched up through a smirk and you sighed, “He hid something in the closet. Spent weeks making sure I didn’t ‘know’ anything was there under his clothes and he left and now the cubby is empty.”

Her hand planted on your arm, “Oh, like a second phone? Or something?”

“Lee said he saw him at a jewelers in town while I was in New York for my table reads.”

“Oh,” she said with tone perking up.

“And I don’t even expect gifts, but he’s gone for months away from me and he left me a sweater and I’m trying not to pout at not getting the gift he’s so terrible at hiding that he has for me, but,” after a quick sigh you said, “A gift would have been nice.”

That had Tracy giving you a hug, an action luring Lee’s gaze from across the set to you and your moment of allowing your sunken expression read across your face, “Honey bunny, maybe it’s a welcome home to England present for when you see him again. I knew he was up to something, he is terrible at hiding things from you, even my sharing I was taking you for a manicure he was ready to explode for our weekend out while he was off on those night shoots.”

“I’ll be fine, and I’ll stop sulking.” She chuckled again and rubbed your back walking with you across the fake bar for your first marks and where she could find her drink covered tray prepped and ready to go.

“If my teddy bear left the country with the chance of more than a sweater I’d be sulking too. Don’t you feel bad, besides, I don’t think I’ve seen you with more than those studs in your ears since I’ve known you. You need some bling girl.”

“I really do,” you said twisting the ring on your left ring finger of metal flowers for this role feeling the necklace cold against your skin shifting under the collar of your furry collard coat once again.

.

All over the news the footage of the Oscars was being replayed, namely the clip from Adrien’s award for Lead male when he forced a kiss upon Halle Berry making you bury your face in your hands. “Didn’t even ask,” Lee muttered at your shift to plop your covered face on his thigh.

On your other side Tracy said, “And you have to work with that asshole. I look forward to the press of you bashing his face in.”

Lee said, “You and me both,” rubbing your back.

Tracy, “I still don’t like him, and you have to kiss him? I wouldn’t kiss him.”

Turning your head you looked to the replay and sighed, “Certainly don’t want to, but it’s just the one scene if I can’t talk Peter out of it.”

The press certainly didn’t help and while given the equivalent of a wag of the finger Adrien celebrated the win as the youngest male to ever receive it for Lead Male. Three days after his ride of that press wave and interview circuit the truth came crashing down to news of who was hired to play Ann Darrow. One sigh was his response to the question from a photographer on his path out and about for what he thought of the news only doubling down the urge to break down the actor’s resolve to loathe your being part of the franchise at his side.

 *

“Fifteen bucks, you are telling me you bought those for fifteen bucks?!” Chris all but shouted when his brother displayed the rings upon their arrival at his home from the airport.

Richard just had to show someone and figured Chris would be the best ally in this as he had helped him patch things up with you every time he flubbed things. “I bought the cabinet I found them in, and,”

“Oh I heard that part. Still don’t get how the pair of you can luck into that. These are incredible, I mean she certainly deserves this ring. Just leaving the question,”

“Don’t ask me when, Joe loves the ring and knows I have it, I just have no bloody clue when I could possibly hand it over. And I’ve had it for weeks with her out in Canada and the only time I could actually get it on her finger was when she was asleep. How the hell am I supposed to find some mysterious ‘perfect’ way to ask her when she’s conscious to marry me?! You know me!”

Chris nodded and said, “You got a point,” turning his head, “I idea list, that’s what we can do!” Crossing the room to fetch a notepad and pen.

.

Five episodes on Ultimate Force to the infidelity casual Cold Feet role the slump of one kiss after another not feeling right or orders to strip and redress again and again for those not you only deepened for Richard while growing ready for his next role. A tv mini series called Between the Sheets, another unfaithful role and one with the biggest drama and to his impression depth to the character also doubled for his most sexual. From a faked blow job to his several love scenes with the lead female to whom his character was married worry seemed to bubble up concerning what impressions would be once it aired. All the way from his parents to you and friends who might think it was the wrong choice of roles. Calls to you however seemed to bolster his hopes you might like it and not be jealous or upset of his behavior with another.

“Today was odd,” he sighed through the line on his phone call to you.

“Oh I think whatever it was it will be amazing.” You teased back mid swipe of your sponge over the dish you were cleaning with phone pressed to your shoulder.

“My co-star raked her nails across my butt cheeks, at least the sex scenes and my arrest are over with, now I just have my breakdown scene where I reveal my infidelity.”

“I’m beginning to think there’s a pattern growing in your roles, dying and dirty deeds.”

Lowly he chuckled, “Well I do play a good villain.”

“Oh psh, you wouldn’t hurt a paper swan.” Making his smile creep wider imagining your smile and what you might be wearing, “I am glad you will have tons of work coming out so we can have some more parties for you. I do love celebrating you Richy Bear.”

“I love you,” he hummed smile locked wider at the nickname knowing the smirk you always had when you said it. “Can’t wait for you to be back here. How’s the show?”

“Uh, tad bit insensitive and a touch racist but it’s certainly unique for a resume. Spring scenes should be better, even have that kid from Disney, Spenser something, has a spot on the show. I get to pin him to a wall.”

“Sounds like fun, I know it will be fantastic with you in it.”

“Either way I just can’t wait for it to be out already. It’s the waiting that will end me, ’05 is when it’s coming out, same as Kong but a few months earlier, over a year, Lee waited nearly three for his film.”

“We’ll just have to keep you distracted then won’t we?”

“Oh really now? And just how will you do that?” You asked drying your hands at the end of the dishes heading to your couch to lounge for the rest of the call feeling his smirk through the line.

 *

Another month hadn’t seemed to help things on that front with questions still lingering on how you could morph from one lead role to the next. Re-using your playful purple low dipping dress alone on Valentines Day you sat in the town car sent for you with hands interlocked on your lap waiting for this film to just be over. Eyes shut you forced yourself to relax in this communication lull of a supposed to be romantic holiday where you still had no bling to show off.

Brad and JLo fresh off their engagement alongside Jennifer Garner with a hopeful relationship on the horizon only made things worse on your painfully throbbing heart. Colin Farrell however seemed to save the day for you latching onto your bare side for the whole of the carpet at your reaching his location and even in the flash of the $1 Million triple pink diamond engagement ring on JLo’s finger made you grateful for the instant carpet buddy eager to catch up with you and hear about what you were up to in Canada after having seen your film twice now. Alone however your seat was bumped back to the row of extras who shared your curiosity on how little you would be fleeting across the screen of this film. Loud and boisterous at the club they had chosen for the after party the crowd helped in your slip out of the venue to hail a cab home to yet another empty apartment. Stretched out across your bed to wait for the time to leave and catch your flight to England where a late romantic morning bagel might help to make up for how you feel right now.

.

Right off your feet into a tight hug you were lifted. Still in your dress with Richard’s sweater and your coat over the dress hinting that you had to leave the party to make your flight in a rush down to the tall heels you had to take off for most of the day long flight. Already outside the cameras snapped away ready to spread that assumption when, post loving kiss, Richard took hold of your suitcase and duffel bag murmuring sweetly, “You bought a second bag.”

“Yes, seems I have picked up more clothes recently, and the shoes I got with the Jens didn’t help either.”

“I am just glad you have more things, I wasn’t fond of all your things fitting in one bag alone.” Leaning in he pressed another kiss to your forehead, “Let’s get you home, got a nice breakfast planned for you and day of relaxing before our table read tomorrow.”

Waiting on the set table a stuffed rhino sat beside a candle holder, around its head in a crown of sorts rested a silver bracelet with five round emeralds. “Happy late Valentines, they were out of roses,” he hummed lifting the bracelet that around the wrist he raised to lovingly secure it. Awkwardly a grin split across your face in the press of his lips to your palm and knuckles afterwards.

“It’s really beautiful, perfect gift, thank you, and I love the rhino too.” Spreading his own smile as you added, “My dad tell you I love emeralds?”

“Might have mentioned it,” he hummed back, “Sadly it was that one or some large joined bangle type design a bit too flashy I think for subway wearing for you to feel safe.”

“You would be right in that, bangles drive me a bit crazy too, have to wear some for the show. Thank you, really,” you said crashing into his chest for a tight hug he melted into holding you close to your murmur of, “Don’t know how you managed to keep this a secret so long.”

To himself he chuckled easing his arms more across your back, “Nearly killed me. I hate secrets from you.” His smile easing out more at your shift closer to his chest unaware of the much bigger jeweled secret hidden in his house Chris had aided in finding the least conspicuous place to put the rings. Time apart was shared in the joint task of fixing up a breakfast cuddled through and after. Lunch again was alone however supper happened to be part of a potluck ambush from the Armitage brood here to welcome you back again and plan out more time together.

.

Back in sweaters, boots and jeans you and Richard were off for the day. Hand in hand through the building you were directed to you arrived at the desk outside the appointed room where a smiling aid showed you both inside the lounge filled with couches and armchairs facing inwards towards the rug coated area in the center clearly for acting out the scenes if need be with named binders on each cushion. Tucked in one of the loveseats you and Richard were assigned your spots nearest to the director and with her darting off to fetch you some tea the binders were lifted to allow you to settle in. With a bashful grin between you at being the only ones here so far. “I think we might be a bit too early.”

“No such thing,” he hummed smiling at you then to the door as it opened again.

Through it Anna Martin, playing Bessy Higgins came through the door with a relieved sigh, “Not too late then, got stuck in that roundabout, vans wouldn’t let me over, Anna,” she said crossing the room with hand extended shaking Richard’s hand first in his quicker pop up then yours.

“Richard,”

“Jaqi, hi.” Releasing her hand to say, “Bessie, right?”

“Yes, I could have sworn you were British, but I must have seen you with several accents in your work.”

Richard chuckled, “Halfway at least by our math.”

“I do spend a good bit of the year here had tons of time to pick up the accents.”

Kay Lyon was next beside Brendan Coyle, playing Mary and Nicholas Higgins with the latter muttering about the same roundabout then joined in on the introductions. Brian Protheroe was next for Mr Bell followed by the two Thorntons finishing up Richard’s on screen family, Sinéad Cusack and Joy Joyner. Tim Pigott-Smith, Pauline Quirke, Lesley Manville, Rupert Evans filled in your family, Richard, Dixon, Maria and Frederick for the Hale household. For the Lennox brood Travis Oliver, John Light and Emma Ferguson were to be the captain, Henry and Edith. Jane Booker for Mrs Shaw led in the Boucher brood played by William Houston, Caroline Pegg and Spencer Wild. Seats filled one by one and with tea handed out the Director smiled taking their seat beginning their welcoming speech to open the first scene when the work was to get going.

One week this room was your daily stop with the floors below used to help each of you with your first fittings for your outfits through the show. Hair and makeup tests were next and surprised by the stretch of your curls a lovely few choices to pick from the team loved with ample spots for your unruliest of curls to slip out and dangle around your head gracefully helping with the scenes you would be playing exhaustion. Playful twists at Richard’s side fluffed and twirled your skirts luring the blushing grin from the top hat wearing brooder formerly scowling in focus while apart from you. Clearly the brooding surly side to John he had down, for everyone else it was how Richard looked at you adoringly between speaking to others that melted doubts on how convincing the blossoming love would show on screen.

.

Broken hearts came first, amid the drama of the brewing strike ready to bubble over courting another woman and pained glares came from Richard. Curt interactions and gruff inquiries and responses out of John to Margaret while he meant to uncover why she was not choosing to share her troubles with him. This was post betrayal when he deemed her to have been free with showing affections to some mystery man you’d yet to film yet, starting right in the pain of it all to bubble out to both the beginning and end while the country turned greener again when Spring came back around. Some might have imagined it to be rough to split from that harsh contrast, those who did not notice each teasing smile or face from you tearing a chuckle filled smile from Richard between the blush inducing pecks you stole on toe top pecks on his nose with each hushed argument.

The darkest of scowls came on the day the strike would break and if you hadn’t stayed close to show how much of a teddy bear Richard was the other men, especially Boucher who ‘threw’ the stone to knock Margaret unconscious in front of the mob in her try to save John from the harm’s way she pushed him into. Five takes of the brewing stress came with ease after the first try to see Richard not jump the rail and rush to throttle the actor. A rubber stone by a staff member above on a camera platform who lined up the toss to hit the spot a hidden makeup artist would sneak out once you’d done the collapse take enough times to play out the sprawled position for the streak of blood along your hairline. A task filled with hushed giggles from you until action was called again for Richard to lift you up and carry you inside again.

From this the next week would be scenes apart to meet up at the wardrobe building on the way to supper. The depression of the winter months and hardships of the funeral scenes bubbled to just one. In the midst of filming the scenes of the Hales arrival to Milton giggles slipped out between jokes traded between you and the female cast members who had been buried and still showed up to work still. Hints of green on the first flowering bushes outside had Richard smiling knowing that the romantic ending was coming up along with that devastating refusal or marriage for John he hoped to be the only time he would get a refusal to a proposal from you. He never had the thought pop into his head before, there wasn’t a reason for you to refuse to marry him. True it’d just been a slightly teasing glimmer in the distance with close friends and relatives but forever was his goal and to his own mind he had made that apparent. Now the question had bubbled up again of how.

Brendan smirking in your latest break between sets inched over in the gentle blow you gave to the steaming tea helping to warm you up on the nippy end to winter. “You are actually adorable you know.” Having caught Richard’s stolen kiss on his way to head to his office for more scenes post street interaction with you.

Smiling up at him you said mid giggle, “Thank you, you are quite adorable yourself.”

Deeply he chuckled to himself and said, “I have to admit I was a bit intrigued to see how things would go between the pair of you with all that press around you and that brunette out in Canada.”

“Oh,” you said lowering your mug to let it cool accepting help from one of the aids taking your shawl to shake the fake cotton off the back of it, “That’s Lee, my best friend from Drama School, out in Canada we’re on a show together picking back up in the end of Spring.”

Anna who’d snuck up said, “That’s good to hear, you do make a perfect couple. Some guys I know would be up in arms over a flub like that.”

That had you giggle after another blow on your tea, “Well he knows Lee, we’re all good friends so I think that’s part of it. Plus he is a tad amused that he’s been called my Boy Toy,” making the pair chuckle as you giggled again, “We’ve gotten used to long distance and I suppose it really comes down to trust issues for guys, hell even one of the women on set, another of my former classmates who I’m rumored with. All just fluff, even they get giggles out of it.”

Brendan asked, “Boy Toy? They really looked at him and picked that?”

“Exactly his amusement. At least he didn’t take it as a demotion from Partner, just let them make up their own stories.”

On his own the title had been used by Brendan between takes with his scenes with Richard luring a blushing laugh from the lanky man meant to be towering over him helping to ease the tension from their scene, one of many of their battles of wills. By far helping to improve a friendship of sorts with one of his scene partners he spent the longest with aside from his fake family.

.

It was a Monday, like any other, but the big day had come, the day John’s heart and trust would shatter in Margaret and be seen with another man at night un-chaperoned in a loving embrace. The start of a trio of night shifts on the set had come and let Richard sneak in his plan. “Be right at the car, forgot my notepad.”

“Ok,” you said stepping out of the front door with his keys in hand, “I’ll start the car,” wiping your eyes still half asleep nothing seemed to be off in Richard’s double back to grab something, just what he needed. Post peek out the curtain on the window by the door he turned shifting the coat tucked in his arm hurrying to the spare bed. Off the top shelf high above where you could reach he pulled the two now wrapped ring boxes with notes on them. The one with the note for you he left in the center of the table with the second he settled in the cupboard above the fridge you wouldn’t bump into. Off the counter he grabbed the notepad tucking that under his arm to go and join your no doubt napping self already waiting for him in the car.

.

Betrayal was swiftly followed by refusal, in the brighter gray of the morning once the proposal turned argument with him storming right out of the set was the beginning and end of your shift. Ready to be out of your corset tears were close coming to blurring your vision for how emotional these scenes were and what you had to draw from to get to the reactions required. Out from the men’s wardrobe room eyes had shifted over Richard at his own anxious shuffling his way through getting dressed again and out to the hall to meet up to head home.

Awkward silence seemed to fall over the car between stops to pick up lunch from a fancier eatery than you frequented paired with a bottle of wine from there to go with the dinner. All the scents of the meal had you glancing over at Richard who glanced back with a flash of a wide smile then looked away again. “I think it went well today.” You squeaked out and he looked back with another smile.

“Everyone loved it. Yes, I think we really did the argument and the suspicion behind Frederick fleeing justice. Now we just have to do the hiding period where John can’t come inside only heightening things before the trips away to film the whole convention portion.”

“Ya, then we just have to kill off Mr Hale and do the whole Southern scenes before the big reunion scene at the station. Then I think it’s just more meddling from Mr Bell, right?”

“Yes, and your face off with John’s mother at the empty mill after my goodbye from Nicholas.” Again he looked you over asking, “You are enjoying this film?”

“Oh ya, no question about it. I mean I do miss the actual mental play by play from the book, especially John’s,” making him smirk at your hand tapping his arm, “You do impeccable with subtle things it’s just, I love the words it makes him so much more adorably soppy compared to his rough shell.”

“I get that,” he hummed back patting his hand on your knee not ready to take your hand to give away his thundering pulse. “I do love Margaret’s words over her own swooning. Plus I do miss the private moment where he clings to her after being struck in the head.”

A twinge more of the awkward was gone at his hand moving from the shifter to stroke his fingertips across your knee drawing shapes to distract himself ready to no longer have to live without the weight of that ring on his finger. This would be bold, insisting on wearing his ring as well for his own engagement ring and most likely could explode on the news when the press would catch onto the matching rings and assume that you had already run off and eloped. Which could be more likely in the next slew of auditions and the magazine spread you were to film that Peter had set up to your schedule for the cast of King Kong with another for you and Richard around the Beast of Bards film and its progress so far in theaters. But that all came after his having to ask the question.

You did as you always did, taking the bag of food while he grabbed the wine, sturdier hands when it came to glass he followed you inside. With a smirk he failed to hold back right across his face hidden by his turn to lock the door saying practically in a hum, “If you’ll set out the food I’ll pop the wine.”

Behind you he crept smiling wider on your path to the table, inside the kitchen he set the wine bag down leaving his coat beside it to sneak the cupboard open to grab the wrapped box he palmed. His eyes fixed on your back for full view of the pause you took eyeing the box on the center of the table beside the candleholder you didn’t notice he’d put out the night before along with the special table setting. Carefully the bag was set down and to the box you moved lifting the indigo ribbon wrapped box with white paper coated in blue floral outlines and a note. ‘Give me to Richy Bear.’ A heart was drawn beside the words and lifting the box that adorable puzzled smirk he loved spread across your face.

Nice and confused into the kitchen you walked finding him looking you over, smile split free as you held out the box, “This is for you?”

“Thank you, trade you, my Dearest Love.” He said accepting his box for the one in his hand identically wrapped. ‘I pick the wine, you chose the spoons, My Dearest Love.’

Watching him your eyes narrowed with hold of the puzzling box while he eased the ribbon off his to pull the side of the paper off. His smile wide in his glance up to say, “Don’t wait for me,” back to the box in your hands your eyes dropped and with your free hand the end of the ribbon was undone to set aside with the note left on the counter. Out of the side of the folded paper you eyed the box inside keeping the lid side upright unwrapping the rest of the paper set aside too.

Upon opening his wrapping paper Richard blinked eyeing the message that was meant to be on your box alone Chris must have written across both. ‘Marry Me?’ Lifting the lid he flashed your way he hummed out in a means to pretend this was planned, “Of course I’ll marry you!” Instantly your eyes shot up and the distance was closed while you read the lid he was holding. Eyes eased shut for a lingering kiss that in the thunder of your heart almost had your knees give out.

In the pull back his eyes dropped to your box reading the same message that your free hand moved to take the lid off in his silent hint, the smile inducing rock inside found you gently reaching in with your fingers to ease it out. A task taken slower in noticing the top lifting up while he dangled his pouch from around his thumb. Richard smiled taking the box away to let you hold the geode box you eased open revealing a velvet pouch.

You must have skipped a second because in the view of the box Richard appeared in your view now on his knee with hands tenderly folded around your wrist making shapes in your skin asking, “Will you go on this adventure with me?”

“I love adventures,” you wisped out making his smile split wider.

“Well then open the pouch.” He hummed with eyes following your hand in his timid rise hoping he was doing this all perfect for you to look back on for years to come in claiming the geode box when you lifted the pouch.

Wide eyed you gawked at the ring, “You did not buy this!”

Your eyes met his and he shook his head, “Nope, you did.”

“Oh really? And how did I do that?” You asked with an instant playful challenging smirk to his deepening smile.

“I didn’t hunt down the old owner of that cabinet over some pens and a music box.” He drew out his ring showing you that one while sharing, “Hercule thought he lost these rings in that house fire. The geode box was inside that cabinet and that contract I told you about was about these rings. They were scuffed up and I took them to get cleaned and appraised.”

“Rich, how much is this ring?”

“No less than you deserve.” Your lips parted and he smiled saying, “They both have spoon engraved inside.” Again your smile split awkwardly out across your face.

“That’s why you wrote that note on mine, like their story.”

“Exactly,” he wet his lips and reached for the ring on your palm along with your left hand, purring, “You don’t want to wear it?”

“Rich you didn’t have to buy me a ring.”

“Yes I did, I wanted a ring! Be rude not to get you one to match.”

“Will it even fit? It’s huge.”

“It fits, you nearly didn’t give it back when I tried it on your finger.” He said easing it back onto your finger with eyes shining brightly as he did to your gasp.

“Where was I when that happened?”

“Sleeping,” he chuckled leaning in to kiss you again, just melting around you at the loop of your arms around his neck for the celebratory embrace lasting even after the kiss had ended, for a close eyed hug to cling to one another.

“I would have woken up if you put this on me.”

That made him chuckle into your shoulder, “You almost did, rolled over burying your hand into the pillow. You like it?” He murmured inching back to see your face.

“I love it, it’s still huge though.” In front of you he dangled his pouch that you smirked in accepting, “This is your ring?”

He nodded and said, “Which I plan on wearing.”

“Today?” You asked with a smile and he nodded.

“Right here, right now and every day from here out. You bought it for me and I intend on boasting endlessly.” Once out of the pouch this ring widened your eyes as well and he lifted his hand saying, “They’re absurdly big compared to what I could have afforded until Bard is out of theaters. But you have to admit, fifteen bucks for these second hand suits us.” Up his finger the ring slid and came to rest and he said, “If you must know, both are 24 karat white gold. My center emerald is seven carats and the onyx and diamonds are a half a carat each. While your emerald is eight carats and the diamonds and smaller emeralds are one carat each. That’s all I’m telling you about them, other than the jewelers I went to said when you want we could go there to design your wedding band, on which I was clueless.” He looked you over in your moment of pause, “What are you thinking for bands?”

“Well, my cousin we went to her wedding,” which he nodded at remembering the ceremony at the courthouse and party on the family land while you were filming Elektra before her husband shipped out so he could leave her charge of his property that wouldn’t go to his family. “She picked one of those eternity bands with hearts, I did like that design.”

His grin eased out again, “That sounds beautiful.”

“Though hers was nearly three grand,”

“Don’t you worry about the price. I have money saved up, money is not an issue.” His hands eased on your hips to draw you closer to his chest, “I know getting through school was so difficult, I’ve been scraping by too for a decade before I had even met you finding what I loved. I will always do my best to ensure that we have a solid financial footing, and I do know you are getting paid crazy amounts of money for your roles. Even if I never get another check like off of Bards, I will be here, and I will never use that as any sort of,” he sighed and said after wetting his lips. “I am so proud of you, and where some men may feel they have to be the bread winner even if you out earn me I will never let that get between us. And I will do all I can to make you not feel like you can’t depend on me to help fund our lives.”

“I never thought that. I would never.”

“I know, but it may come up for others, I couldn’t afford this ring on my own if not for having found it, but I do hope one day comfortably I might be able to afford one half as much as this without worry on bills around it once this Bard money is gone. So you pick the band you want and we’ll get it for you. If it helps your dad loves the rings.”

“How did you show him?”

“Sent him a picture when I got them cleaned. And I bet you he’s shown them around.”

“No wonder his voice has been squeaking, you made him wait months! And where the hell did you get that geode box?”

He chuckled again, “They were both in the geode box, they were scuffed up from it when I found it, so that’s why I left yours in the pouch. I’m gonna open the wine.”

“Right,” you said breaking your smile up at him, “Food,” you said turning back to setting the table for the start of the rest of the romantic evening until it was bedtime. Calls to family put a lot of people out of their joint misery and kicking the plans into a slow grind for what and when you might want a ceremony to be. And in cleaning up came the start of an adorable habit where you would tap his side or arm to say with a smile, “We’re getting married,” or “Fiancé,” always splitting a massive smile across his face in his move to scoop you up for a loving kiss and tons of cuddles.

That evening for another shoot however you stood looking at your ring through cooking before heading out, “We wear them to work, right? I mean we have those lockers, they seem pretty sturdy with cameras.”

“Other actors wear jewelry to work, we will be safe wearing them.”

The fact proven to be true from the sight of the new rings security took mental notes to mark you among the cast working with jewelry to have that locker room under surveillance ensuring that it remained off limits to those not assigned there. Cameras stationed outside the studio however with view of the parking garage on the way in and out honed in on the new sparkle on your finger mirrored by his in a wave to them upped the shadows on the path out the morning after.

Pt 38

Hobbit – Soulmate - @evyiione​​, @deepestfirefun, @rhaenaatargaryen, @anastasialovers

X all Rich. A - @abiwim​, @deepestfirefun​, @thestorybookmistress

X Lee P - @tigereyesf​

All –

@himoverflowers​, @theincaprincess​​, @aspiringtranslator​​, @thegreyberet​​, @patanghill17​​, @jesgisborne​​, @curvestrology​​, @alishlieb​​, @jogregor​​, @armitageadoration​​, @fizzyxcustard​​, @lilith15000​​, @marvels-ghost​​, @catthefearless​​, @imjusthereforthereads​​, @c-s-stars​​, @otakumultimuse-hiddlewhore​​, @mariannetora​​, @shes-a-killer-kween​, @ggbbhehe4455

[gumnut-logic]

When the World Goes Boom (Part 8B)

Here is the rest of Part 8. This fic definitely has a life of its own. I was seriously stuck this morning but with a pile of help from Bri, I managed to get writing again. So much for a quick fic for Alan’s birthday on 12 March. It is a matter of an hour before 12 April at the moment and every brother has his finger in the pie now ::sigh:: I hope you enjoy whatever this is ::hugs::

Spoilers & Warnings: Spoilers for season three, angst, hurt/comfort, brothers and family, 4007 words.

Many thanks to @scribbles97​​ @onereyofstarlight​​​ and @i-am-chidorixblossom​​ for putting up with my crazy and reading this at random moments. Also the extra plot help from @onereyofstarlight​ when I was all wibbly and stuck earlier today ::hugs you all::

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part 7A | Part 7B | Part 7C | Part 8A | Part 8B

-o-o-o-

Jeff continued to stroke his eldest son’s back, ever aware of the tense muscles there. Those shoulders supported so much. So much he should have been here for.

Scott’s head rested on the edge of Virgil’s bed. His breathing was quiet, but his face held a frown, even in sleep. Jeff hadn’t missed the grey hairs at Scott’s temples, or the worry lines faintly creasing his forehead. The last eight years had been the worst in Jeff’s life, but the worst of it was what he had done to his sons.

Scott’s fingers lay intertwined with Virgil’s.

He couldn’t think too hard about Virgil. Dark hair, pale bruised skin, white sheets.

Life support machinery.

If he thought too hard, he would lose it.

From the moment he had stepped foot on Thunderbird Two in the depths of space, Virgil had been there, hovering and worrying.

His engineer, medic, musical and artistic son.

One hand on Scott’s back, Jeff reached out his other and lay it gently on Virgil’s leg.

Please.

He closed his eyes.

Only to fling them open again as the door was thrown open. A doctor and nurse burst into the room, urgency in their expressions. Jeremy and Brie followed them in.

The room was suddenly crowded.

Jeff pushed himself to his feet, both hands suddenly signalling quiet. Scott’s sleep was precious.

Both of the medical professionals eyed the sleeping pilot. The doctor’s lips thinned, but her voice was quiet as she spoke. “Mr Tracy, we’ve identified the drug that your son was attacked with. We have an antidote. We would like your permission to administer it.”

The woman was virtually bouncing.

Jeff’s eyes darted to Jeremy. The security guard nodded just once.

Oh, thank god.

He turned back to the doctor. “You have it.”

“Thank you.” The woman moved over to Virgil and began running a series of obs. “Mr Tracy, according to your son’s medical records, he has a medication sensitivity.”

Jeff nodded.

The doctor fiddled with Virgil’s IV. “The dosage currently in his blood stream is a large dose, but a man of his size should not have reacted in the way he has. Consequently, we have minimised the antidote and will increase the dose if necessary. The last thing we want to do is overdose him on another drug.”

Jeff nodded again mutely.

Scott shifted where he sat and Jeff reached out to resume the circles on his son’s back. The nurse glanced at their interaction, but Jeff ignored her.

The doctor administered a hypodermic to the IV and took a step back.

The room fell silent and the tension climbed.

“How soon?” The words fell from his lips unbidden.

“Response times vary, but we should see a change very soon.”

As she said it, the heart monitor beeped quietly several times in a row and he watched as his son’s heart beat flickered a moment before switching from stimulated to self-sustained.

He sucked in a breath.

Virgil’s heart rhythm held strong, the pattern regular and a wonderful sight.

Oh, thank god.

It wasn’t everything, but it was a step in the right direction. Jeff’s sight blurred.

“Mr Tracy?” The doctor’s voice was gentle. “We will be monitoring Virgil’s progress closely, but you should know that the prognosis is good. The antidote is a proven foil for the drug your son was attacked with and your son received excellent first aid.” A glance in Jeremy’s direction. “The prognosis is good.” Her lips curved in a small encouraging smile.

Jeff straightened his spine. “Yes, yes, thank you, Doctor Harris.”

She held his eyes a moment longer before backing up a little and gathering her equipment. A glance and the two medical professionals slipped out of the room.

Jeremy stayed.

Jeff’s eyes flickered to the man.

A worried frown as he stared down at his gravely ill charge.

“Thank you, Jeremy.” Jeff’s voice was rough. “You saved his life.”

The man swallowed and continued to stare at Virgil. “Shouldn’t have had to.”

Jeff had no answer to that. His soul was baked dry. He had no comfort left.

Instead he sat down again beside Scott, a hand falling gently to each of his sons.

He would call his mother shortly. His sons.

The heart monitor’s quiet beep echoed his own heart as if it was keeping him alive.

He waited.

-o-o-o-

Gordon found John on the roof exactly as Eos had told him, Tane standing beside him. What she hadn’t told him was what his astronaut brother was doing.

Still wearing his tan-coloured gravity support shirt...and people claimed Gordon had a bad taste in clothing, John took the cake...his red-haired brother’s head was buried in guts of the hospital’s communication satellite dish.

“John, what are you doing?”

His tall brother startled and whacked his head on an overhead metal bar. “Ah! Gordon?”

“Sorry.” But Gordon wasn’t feeling too gracious at the moment. “What are you doing?”

“Tracing communications.” He pulled out his tablet and tapped it repeatedly. “Eos needs a little more bandwidth than this ancient piece of tech can provide. I’m providing it.” Red brows frowned at his tablet screen. “I haven’t been able to identify how our suspect was receiving information.”

“You reckon this will help.”

More taps of his fingers. “Definitely.”

The big question. “Authorised?”

Turquoise flickered in his direction. Hmm, obviously not.

“Scott?”

“With Virgil...injured...command is left to me.”

“What about Dad?” It was a question that had to be asked.

John didn’t look at him, continuing to stab his tablet. “Dad authorised GDF access to our files. Virgil was almost killed within hours. I don’t believe he has the knowledge required in this instance.”

“It was Dad?” Gordon’s shoulders tensed.

With that John did straighten up. A sigh. “My fault. I didn’t give him the information he needed to make the correct decision.”

“But he knows of our history with the GDF, the spy?”

John turned away, but shook his head.

“What? Johnny, he needs to know.”

“I told him and he didn’t give it the credit it was due.”

Gordon frowned. “When?”

“The day Virgil was injured.”

“What? That recently?”

“It was just...he isn’t long out of recovery and we thought a gradual re-introduction to International Rescue was warranted. I was forced to tell him without preparation and I didn’t have time to follow it up with a situational report. Aunt Val was demanding information and Dad made the decision.” His brother turned back to the dish and dove in head first again.

“So, what are we going to do?” Gordon was sure he knew the answer. John wasn’t one to beat around the bush. The astronaut, if anything, was direct and to the point.

“We…” His brother emerged and grabbed his tablet again. “…are going to find who did this to our family and…prevent…them from hurting us any further.”

Gordon held his brother’s gaze. There was so much unsaid in those eyes. Calm though John appeared, he was anything but, and while Gordon might scream at the nearest target, John would simply act.

Lips thinned, Gordon straightened his shoulders. “Count me in.”

-o-o-o-

Someone was stroking his cheek.

Sensation.

Followed by pain.

He groaned.

His throat screamed at him.

“C’mon, honey, I know you’re in there.” The stroking continued and he became vaguely aware of someone holding his hand.

“Virgil, c’mon, bro, you can do it.”

He frowned and found his face aching almost as much as his chest and throat.

Another groan.

Ow, shit.

“Virgil?”

Dad. That was Dad. They had found Dad and he was safe and home and, thank, god.

“Open your eyes, Virgil.”

Scott.

His big brother.

Augh, his face hurt.

“Hurts.”

Shit, that was his voice? He coughed and everything flared up in pain.

The hand on his cheek moved to his hair, fingers combing through it. “Virgil, dear, let us see those gorgeous eyes of yours.”

Hurts.

But he was always one to do what his grandmother asked of him.

He found his eyelids and forced them open.

They dropped immediately, the blur and the glare, harsh and painful.

“Shut off the lights, please Jeff.”

His eyelids grew dark and he relaxed a little. Sleep would be nice.

“No, Virgil, you need to wake up, dear.”

Don’t want to. Tired.

“I know it is hard, but open your eyes for us.”

He gave it another go and the darkness became a dim blur. He blinked and the blur sharpened into his family.

Grandma stood beside his head and was the one responsible for the hand in his hair. Scott sat beside her and was holding Virgil’s hand. Allie was on his own bed and at an angle to the bed Virgil was lying on so he could see clearly. Blue eyes sparkled and grinned at him. “Virgil!”

Allie.

Allie was being attacked.

“Al-an!”

“No, you stay put, young man.” His grandmother was holding his shoulder. “Alan is safe. You saved him. He is safe.”

Safe.

Allie was safe.

Oh, thank god. Memories flickered in and out and his right hand clenched.

And screamed at him.

The sound that issued from his throat wasn’t remotely English, but it said everything he felt.

And there was Dad, worried grey eyes staring down at him. “Dad…”

A hand gripped his leg gently. “You’re safe, Virgil.”

“Alan…”

“I’m here, bro, thanks to you.”

Thanks to him. Memories swirled again as his arm throbbed in complaint at the movement. His eyes closed involuntarily and he found he had no strength to open them again.

-o-o-o-

Scott’s vision blurred as Virgil slipped back into sleep and he had to blink his eyes to clear it. His fingers spasmed just a little tighter around his brother’s hand, ever grateful for the warmth there.

“He needs his rest.” Grandma reached an arm around Scott’s shoulders and squeezed gently. “He’s going to be okay, Scotty.”

All eyes in the room immediately turned to him and he swallowed. His voice failed him, but he sat straighter.

“Now I want you back in bed. You’ve been sitting here for hours and you have your own recovery to consider.”

“Yes, Grandma.” He didn’t have the energy to protest. Virgil was going to get better.

His eyes didn’t leave the bruises on his brother’s pale face.

“C’mon, honey.” She helped him to his feet and he stumbled, turning and reaching for his bed. “You need rest almost as much as Virgil. Sleep is the only thing that is going to fix your head, so give it all it needs.”

“Yes, Grandma.” The bed felt lovely to roll into as gravity took its pressure off his weary body. Sitting hunched in a chair for hours wasn’t good for anything.

He rolled onto his side so he could see Virgil.

But he wanted to see Alan as well. His little brother was having a rather intense discussion with their father as to whether he needed more sleep.

“But Dad, I’ve been asleep for ages.”

“You need rest, Alan.”

“I am resting!”

“Alan.” Scott’s voice cut across the room. “Do as you are told.”

Blue eyes glared at him for a moment before dissolving into a more familiar pout.

Their father frowned at Scott.

“Dad? Can we leave Alan over there? Allie, can you stay there?” He wanted to keep his two injured brothers in sight.

Alan’s eyes narrowed. “So, you can keep an eye on me.”

“Yes, for that very reason. Do as you are told, Alan.” But the message was there, he could see the vulnerability in his little brother’s eyes.

“Fine. But only because I want to be able to see Virgil as well and if I’m stuck in the corner, I can’t see beyond your big head.”

“Alan.” Their father’s voice was full of warning.

“He’s bossing me around, Dad!”

“Because apparently you need it. Now, I’ve asked you to rest and so has Scott. Do I need to wake up Virgil and get him to nag you as well or should your grandmother come over here?”

Alan opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Wow, Dad. Scott just stared.

Alan may be an adult, but he was still technically a teenager and every now and again he regressed.

Said teenager glared and with an exaggerated pout, curled up in the bed on his uninjured side. Their father reached over and squeezed an ankle. “Rest, son. You’ll feel better for it.”

Alan’s expression just grew grumpier.

“Virgil is getting better.”

And that hit the nail on the head. Alan relaxed just a little bit more and the frown lessened. Another squeeze of his son’s ankle and their father pushed the bed gently into dock on the other side of the room, opposite from Virgil’s bed. Alan stared at his sleeping brother, still attached to monitors and multiple IVs.

“He’s getting better.”

Dad’s voice was reassurance itself.

Grandma, who had obviously elected to stay out of it, brushed Scott’s hair off his face. “Go to sleep, Scotty. You need it.”

A sudden thought. “What about John and Gordon?”

She snorted. “You let your father and I worry about the vigilante brothers. You worry about yourself.”

Vigilante? “What?”

His grandmother sighed. “Relax, Scott.” She began stroking his hair.

He couldn’t remember the last time he combed his hair. He probably looked awful.

But that one word stuck in his head.

Vigilante.

What the hell were his brothers up to?

-o-o-o-

Gordon had to admit that having Eos on the team was a great advantage despite the situations that resulted.

He could almost hear Virgil’s snort at that comment, followed by the inevitable ‘situations you create, Gordon’.

God, he missed his brother.

But Virgil was improving. His dad had been adamant and Gordon clung to that. Apparently, he had even woken briefly. He wished he had been there, but this was important.

Tin walked beside him, her pace one he had to keep up with. She was not happy. But then neither was Gordon.

Using the wider bandwidth John had jimmied into the system, Eos had been able to swoop into the network and gather information much faster. She dove straight through protected systems like a phantom. Or so John described the process. How she did it, Gordon did not have a clue, but he was ever so grateful she could.

She was able to crunch all the communications data that had occurred in and around the building for the entire time the Tracys had been resident. It had been a massive task, but one she was uniquely suited to. The majority was civilian comms traffic hooking into the hospital network due to the communications restrictions around medical equipment, but there was a small portion that was GDF flagged. None of that had appeared suspicious, but John as particularly interested in the traffic around the time Aunt Val had been in the building.

One anomaly had been found.

Aunt Val entered the hospital with Foster and two aides.

She left with Foster and only one aide.

Tracking down what had become of the second aide had proven difficult. Hallway security cameras located Foster speaking to the missing aide and that aide leaving the corridor outside the Tracys’ hospital room, but from there the aide vanished.

She did not exist the building.

Both John and Gordon agreed that it was likely this person was the person who attacked Alan and Virgil.

The question was did Aunt Val know?

“I’ve called in Jack Dunning. We may need a lawyer to keep Virgil’s attacker out of the hands of the GDF.” Tin’s voice was matter of fact, but underneath he could hear the boiling pot of anger she was keeping under control.

Gordon grunted. His anger was much closer to the surface. It was cold and it made him sharper. The perpetrator – his mind spat the word – was currently being held by New Zealand police, but Aunt Val was moving for global extradition due to the Tracys being the Tracys.

They couldn’t let that happen.

John had called the elevator down and taken off for Five. He wanted to be hands on hunting down the details of the explosion, even if that called for shifting Five into an orbital path contradictory to GDF directives.

If there was a way to discover what had actually happened up there to injure their brothers, John would find it.

Ignoring the GDF was quite liberating.

Until they found out.

Jack Dunning was good. Gordon hoped they didn’t have to find out how good.

Aunt Val had retreated to the local GDF base after his ‘words’. So, this time he had to go to her for a meeting.

Iz hovered as they crossed the gardens at the entrance to the building.

It was always amusing to flip out his International Rescue ID. The expressions on the face of security was always worth it and these guys were no different. Yep, there was the surprise, followed by the starstruck expression.

“Thank you for your service, sir.”

Gordon blinked. Wow, a devotee. He nodded once. “You’re welcome. We’re here to see Colonel Casey.”

The guard was still staring at his ID. “Gordon Tracy…so you fly Thunderbird Two?”

Blink. “Sometimes.” He wasn’t in the mood to elaborate.

“Aw, great. Thunderbird Two is the coolest Thunderbird.”

Gordon’s flat-eyed stare at that comment got a confused reaction.

“Excuse me, we are in a hurry.” Tin’s cold voice cut across the silent conversation. “Colonel Casey’s office?”

The guard jumped and hurried to lead them where they needed to go.

The colonel lacked her usual smile when they entered and Gordon wondered how many bridges he had permanently burnt.

At this point he didn’t care.

“Kayo, Gordon, what can I do for you?” Her tone was cool and curt and she eyed Iz as she slunk in behind them.

Tin didn’t waste one moment, deploying an electronic security net with one hand. The subtle hum was unnerving, but it created a bubble around them that secured all transmissions in and out of the room and blocked all audio-visual equipment.

Casey eyed the gadget, but didn’t comment as Tin slapped it down on her desk.

“Colonel, we would like your assistance in identifying this person.” Tin’s phone flickered up a hologram of the missing aide.

They had already identified the woman as Brede Williams, a New Zealand born GDF administrative aide. John had even located her address in Auckland. Eos had infiltrated the apartment block and found her room’s electronics undisturbed, including the locks, for several days.

John feared for her safety.

The perpetrator in custody was definitely not Brede Williams.

The colonel eyed the hologram with an arched eyebrow. “That is Corporal Brede Williams, one of my executive assistants.”

Tin didn’t react. “When did you last see her?”

“She called in ill a few days ago and has been on personal leave since.”

Tin took a step forward, her entire body whip sharp with potential energy. “Colonel, when was the last time you saw her.”

Aunt Val blinked and frowned. “She was with me at the hospital, but had to leave due to a family…what are you implying?”

Tin switched the view to the incriminating scene where Captain Foster spoke to the woman outside the Tracy’s hospital room. They watched as she walked off.

“She never left the hospital.”

Aunt Val’s mouth was open but nothing was coming out.

Gordon took the opportunity to state the obvious. “We believe she wasn’t who she appeared to be. That she was in fact the person who attacked Alan and Virgil.” He drew in a breath. “You brought a killer into the hospital and Virgil nearly died.”

The strict military officer he expected to turn around and rip him a new one melted in front of him. Aunt Val sat down hard on her desk chair, shock on her face.

Still nothing came out of her mouth.

Gordon was caught between distress at the devastation in her expression and anger that she had been so easily fooled.

“We advised you that you had a spy in your ranks quite some time ago. What has been done to identify the person or persons responsible?” Tin was sharp and no nonsense.

Aunt Val found her voice, but it was uncharacteristically uncertain. “I reported the issue to my superiors. There was some shuffling of staff and I was assured the problem had been negated.”

“Assured.” The word fell from Gordon’s lips with a snarl.

Dark eyes glared up at Gordon. “I had no reason to disbelieve the assertion.”

“Colonel, you were once disposed by those superiors and an infiltrator replaced you. The result of those actions nearly cost us Thunderbird Two and several innocent lives at Saad Madina. Yet you’re telling me that you trust them?”

She stared up at Gordon and some of the more familiar steel returned to her expression. “Not all of us have the luxury of complete trust, Lieutenant. As you should well know.”

His eyes narrowed at the barb obviously referring to his past in WASP and the end of that career. He ignored it. “You can trust family, Colonel.”

She stood up slowly. “Easy when you have choice.”

“There is always a choice.” A huff of exasperation. “C’mon, Aunt Val, dump this outfit and come work with us.”

Brown eyes flickered with the briefest of fondness and his heart clenched.

“You know I can’t do that, Gordon.”

“Why not?”

“I can do more here.”

“The system is corrupt!”

“And it is one person less corrupt as long as I’m here to fight it! Do you think International Rescue would last very long without me here, Lieutenant? I stay for Lucille, for her family, for you and for the smallest chance that I can do some good and prevent this damned organisation from taking the world with it!”

It was Gordon’s turn to have his mouth drop open and nothing come out of it.

The anguish returned to his aunt’s face. “I’m sorry Virgil…I didn’t think we were that vulnerable. I thought my office was secure. Please, I would never want to hurt any of you. How is he?” The plea was an honest one.

It was Tin who answered. “An antidote has been found and he is recovering slowly.”

“Oh, thank god.” The woman wilted. “Scott and Alan?”

“Also recovering.”

Alan might have nightmares for the rest of his life, but Gordon kept that to himself.

Tin straightened. “We believe Alan was the target of the attack. Virgil got in the way.”

Aunt Val frowned. “They think he remembers something.”

A single nod was all Tin was willing to give her.

“So, if you find who was responsible for the explosion, you’ll find who ordered the attack.”

“That is the plan.” A considered gaze. “We need everything you have on the incident.” Tin threw a drive onto the desk.

The colonel eyed them a moment before reaching down and picking up the drive with the IR logo wrapped around its edges and plugging it into her terminal. A flick of her fingers, a breath, and she unplugged it again. “It’s not much, but if there is a mole in my staff, the data may not be comprehensive.”

“We are aware of that.” Tin slipped the drive back into her pocket. “Thank you for your assistance.” She turned to leave and Gordon took a step to follow.

“Gordon. Kayo. Be careful.” She knew they weren’t going to play by the rules, he could see it in her eyes. “And give my love to your family…and my sincerest apologies.”

Gordon found he couldn’t answer. The Colonel he could yell at, but Aunt Val had always been a part of his life, a cherished reminder of the mother they had lost.

Tin answered for him. “Yes, Colonel.”

The use of her rank struck hard and her shoulders bowed just a little.

Gordon said nothing. He grabbed the electronic net and turning, followed Tin out the door.

It hurt, but GDF and International Rescue relations could never be the same.

-o-o-o-

End Part Eight

[fortheloveoffanfic]

I Hope You’re Happy Now (pt.2)

Keanu Reeves x Reader (A/n- This was supposed to end this off, but it got long, so tune in next time to see if these two can work things out or not. A/n2- So I know he seems a little out of character here, but lets face it, even the nicest people make mistakes.)

(4 years ago) There’s a tension in the air when he enters the house. There’s going to be another fight, he can feel it. 

With a heavy sigh, Keanu drops his bag in the front hall, near their coat rack and lets his tired legs carry him towards the kitchen. If he’s going to deal with that tonight, he needs a beer-or a few. 

Y/n is sitting at the kitchen counter, in front of her open laptop, her fingers dancing across the keyboard, her eyes trained on the bright screen, only raising when she hears him in the entry way. “You’re back,” she announces quietly, voice so soft that she sounds more disappointed than angry. He hasn’t been home in three days.

“I do live here,” he mumbles instead of apologizing for not showing up when he said he would. Maybe he could have apologized and avoided what comes next, but these days, he can’t find it in himself to put in the effort to fix their brokenness. Maybe he still loves her, but they’re from different worlds, in the end, she’ll leave anyway.

Quietly, Y/n chuckles bitterly, “Could have fooled me,” she rolls her eyes. For the first time, she realized that he hasn’t even greeted her with as much as a peck on the cheek since his arrival. In fact, he seems more concerned with the bottle in his hand than her. Avoiding her, like he has been for a while now.

After a long pull from the beer, his tone grows harsher, “What the hell does that mean?”

And here they go.

“It means you’re never here. It means that you could have called if you knew you weren’t coming home, for three fucking days. It means that I’ve been worried and you could give a shit about answering your fucking phone! That’s what it means,” Y/n hisses, slamming her computer closed, “Where the hell have you been anyway?” She standing, placing a waiting hand on her hip.

“I spent a few nights at my trailer, relax,” he rolls his eyes, ready to be done with the matter, hiding behind a façade of indifference.

Y/n exhales loudly with a huff, eyes shining but tears not yet falling. Something about this fight feels different from the others, like its final some how, “What’s gotten into to you?” The question is a plea, one last white flag, saying that she’ll surrender if he just lets her in, helps her understand why he’s changed after five years together, why it feels like their relationship has gone backwards instead of forward.

“Me?” Keanu asks incredulously, “You’re the one who keeps trying to change us. Dropping all these hints about marriage and kids and everything else. You’re the one who’s changed Y/n, not me,” his tone is even but bitter, as if a future together is anything but favorable.

“And that’s somehow a bad thing?” She scoffs, shaking her head, “I haven’t changed Keanu, I’ve grown. We’ve been together for five years, and it feels like you’re still keeping me at an arms length. We used to be great, and now you can’t even tell me when you’re gonna be home. All I’m asking is for you to let me in and for us to have a future. Is that really so hard for you?”

Keanu lets out a shuddering breath, licking his lips and without even thinking of his next words, he says; “Yeah, it is.”

Those weren’t the words she was expecting to hear, but none the less, Y/n tries to pick up the pieces. She always does. They can work, they can make it work. “You don’t mean that,” her voice breaks, chocked with emotion, “You’re just scared, you’ve been alone for a long time and, you know, we just need to-”

“No,” he cuts her off, raising his hand, shaking his head. Even if she’s right, Keanu thinks that they’re too far gone to fix things anyway. “Y/n,” Keanu begins running a hand through his hair, “This isn’t working for me. I can’t be whatever it is you think I am. You knew who I was when we got into this, so don’t expect me to change just to suit you’re perfect fantasy, cause it’s not gonna happen.”

“Fantasy? Wanting more with you is just a fucking fantasy?” She yells, “Well excuse me for wanting to build a life with the man I love!”

“God,” he groans, “Don’t do this.”

“Don’t do what?” Y/n manages through clenched teeth, striding up to him, folding her arms, “Keep picking up the pieces of our shit-show of a relationship? Keep waiting for you even though you’ve made it pretty clear that I’m more of a hobby that your girlfriend? Or keep trying when you’re not even doing the bare minimum?”

“I’ve been busy,” is all he offers, before brushing past her, barely touching, “You know, if you want more, you know where the door is,” at that point, Keanu can’t even care that this is how he’s choosing to bring an end to the past five years.

“Excuse me?”

“I said you know where the door is. I can’t give you the happy little suburban, fairytale ending, cause honestly, I think I’m a little past that. But you’re young and immature, so you can go out and find someone to give you want you want.”

“So that’s it huh? You’re just gonna break up with me?” As hard as she’s been trying not to cry, she can’t help it and the tears start falling.

“It’s just a suggestion, but maybe we should break up. We’re different people Y/n, maybe it’s for the best,” discarding the bottle on the counter, he stuffs his hand into his pockets, walking off.

The next thing she hears is the slamming of the front door followed by deafening silence. With shuddering breaths, Y/n leans against the nearest wall, sobs racking her body. It’s really over. 

For a couple days, she waits to see if he’ll come home, spending most of her free time mulling over their last argument. But on the third day, the enormity of the situation sets in. He’s right, they are different people. He thinks that his time for the apple-pie, picket fence life has past, he’s just looking for a companion, someone to have fun with. But Y/n wants more, she wants it with him, but it doesn’t matter if he won’t change his mind. So, with a burning ache in her chest, she packs her bags, gathering as much as she can into her car. And right before she leaves, she decides to offer him a final good bye, through a note that she intends to leave on the kitchen counter, under the beer bottle that she hasn’t moved; 

“Ke, I’m sorry it ended this way, I love you, but I’m not sure that you love me anymore. I hope you find whatever it is that’ll make you happy. -Y/n.”

(Now) It had been two days since Tracy’s birthday party; two days since Y/n spoke to Keanu at the bar, since he had been on her mind. After she had left with Eli, it was like a switch had flipped in her head and there wasn’t a thing she could do without thinking of him. From driving to work to doing dishes after dinner. It came in a combination of their memories together and the look on his face when he met Eli; the fakeness of his smile, the hurt in his eyes.

When they had left, some part of her felt incomplete, like there was something unspoken hanging between them. The sensation had left a sinking feeling in her chest, making Y/n want to call him, suggest that they get coffee together, but she wasn’t sure if he actually wanted to see her or if their promises to catch up were just as hollow as his laughter. Besides, what would she say, “You’re on my mind constantly but I’m love someone else“? 

Then, there was Eli, she couldn’t just go out with her ex while her fiancée was at home waiting. Could she? Y/n didn’t know. 

Then, there was the possibility that his reaction had nothing to do with her. After all, she told herself, they had been broken up for going on four years, and Keanu had been the one to tell her to go, to tell her that he wasn’t sure that he was the man who could give her the things she wanted. And maybe she had found that person, in Eli, but even then, there would always be some buried part of her knew that she still wanted it with Keanu.

Why couldn’t she just hate him? It would so much easier.

“Earth to Y/n,” a voice called, waving a large hand in front of her face and only then did she realize that once again, she had drifted off with her thoughts.

“Huh? What?” She said, trying to snap herself out of it. She couldn’t even have breakfast with out thinking of him, great. 

Eli’s shoulders slumped and he frowned a little. He had noticed her disappearing into her head over the past couple days, but every time he had asked if she was okay, Y/n would assure him that everything was fine, “I said I picked up another shift so I won’t be home until around nine am tomorrow morning.”

“Oh,” Y/n breathed, swallowing tightly, “Sorry. Um....I thought you were supposed to be off after this one?” 

“Yeah, but one of the interns flaked, so I’m picking up night float,” he explained, then, when he was finished, Eli reached for Y/n’s hand across the table for her hand, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles, concern etched on his sharp, handsome features, “Everything okay babe?”

Exhaling quietly, Y/n conjured up her best fake smile, she was no actress, but hopefully, she thought, it would be enough to convince him, “Yeah, of course. I’m fine,” clearing her throat, she glanced at her watch, it was just past seven am, “I should finish getting ready, I have a meeting at nine.”

For a minute, Eli kept her hand in his, worrying on his bottom lip, clearly not believing that she was okay, “You know you can talk to me, right? We’re gonna be married soon, your problems are my problems.”

“Yeah,” she stood, leaning over the table to plant a lingering kiss to his lips, “I know, but I’m fine, promise. But I need to finish getting dressed. And your shift starts in the next hour, right?”

“Yupp,” he sighed, letting her go. Quickly, Y/n buzzed around their kitchen, clearing dishes and arranging them in the dishwasher, “Dinner tonight? I know cafeteria food isn’t exactly five stars, but there’s a new food truck we could try, if you want,” he suggested.

Y/n nodded, smile faint, “Yeah, okay. Eight?” Eli nodded in silent agreement, letting her stroll out of the kitchen and sink back into her troubling thoughts.

She had said that they should meet to catch up and Y/n had never been the kind of person to say something she didn’t mean. Which meant that she had a genuine interest in seeing him again, right? 

But, what if she was just being polite? 

Then again, there were other ways to be polite. “It was nice seeing you” would have been polite too or perhaps, “Have a good night”?

But Y/n had specifically suggested that they ‘catch up’. “Ugh,” Keanu groaned quietly, deleting the text he had taken almost an hour to type. It was a simple one really, “Hey, got time for coffee in the city?” But stringing those few words together had been more trying that he preferred to admit. There was always something wrong with it, and when he finally did settle on something acceptable, doubt crept in, making him rethink the entire thing.

With a loud sigh, Keanu slouched into the sofa. He had been going in circles since the morning after he spoke to Y/n at Tracy’s party. A huge part of him wanted to call her, okay, maybe not ‘call’, because audible rejection is way worse that rejection via text. So really, he had wanted to text her.

“She’s happy,” Keanu said softly to no one but his reflection in the television. “You want her to be happy, so you should leave her alone.” It made sense, when you love some, he continued internally, you want them to be happy, even if it’s not with you. 

Yeah, but she’d be happier if she was with me.

No, she wouldn’t, she wasn’t before.

I want her to be happy with me.

“Great,” he mumbled, annoyed, “Now I’m arguing with myself.”

Just text her, what’s the worst that could happen?

She could say no.

Just. Do. It.

“Okay, here goes,” trying to shake the thoughts away, Keanu opened up his messaging app again, staring with a simple ‘hi’, then wondering where he should go from there. His fingers hovered above the keyboard, going back and forth between typing and hitting backspace. And then it happened, instead of hitting the little ‘x’ at the corner of the screen, he touched ‘send’. And in a rare moment where he despised having stocky fingers, he cursed under his breath, “Fuck!”

Now, he was stuck with a simple, awkward, ‘hi’, just sitting in a tiny blue bubble, mocking him. His quest for reconciliation was off to a terrible start.

For a while, he stared at the screen, more annoyed with himself than he had been before, though, when the three little dots appeared, signaling that Y/n was typing her reply, he quickly exited the app. The last thing he wanted to come off as was desperate.

Well now you’re acting like a teenager.

In his lap, Keanu’s phone vibrated with Y/n’s reply and he scrambled to read it, his insides doing a little happy dance as he did, “Hey, what’s up?”

“Just thinking of you,” No, delete that. 

“Nothing much, just hanging out.” Nope, nope, nope.

Finally he settled on, “Getting ready to run into the city. Coffee?” He was in fact not getting ready to ‘run into the city’ but had decided that a little white never killed anyone.

That time, Y/n took a little while before her sending the response, the three little ellipses torturing Keanu for all of three minutes. Then it came, “Sounds fun! In a meeting now. Is 2pm okay?”

“2 is great! See you there.” 

Y/n sat in her car a couple stores away from a coffee shop in Los Angeles, widows up and air-conditioning on, shutting out the outside. She was early, but in an attempt to not seem like ‘that girl’ she had opted to wait in her car. Because, obviously, if he said two, he meant 2:15, right?

From where she was parked, Y/n had a pretty decent view of the shop’s entrance, and while she sat, she stared in the direction of the door, wondering if what she was doing was actually okay. She hadn’t told Eli that she was meeting Keanu for coffee, and they had spoken just after her meeting. But it was just coffee, right? It wasn’t like they were having an affair.

It’s just coffee, we’re gonna talk. Talking isn’t a crime.

Then why do I feel so guilty?

Because......

“No,” she breathed with a, ready the pull her phone out and text Keanu to let him know that she couldn’t make it. Y/n wanted to go, but not if it would weigh so heavily on her conscience.

Her fingers were about to swipe the screen to unlock her phone when her eyes caught a glimpse of a familiar figure walking into the coffee shop, holding the door open for some people behind him. 

Well you can’t ditch him if he’s already here. That would just be cruel. 

Killing the engine, Y/n drew in a calming breath, grabbed her handbag from the passenger seat and got out; locking her car and heading towards the coffee shop. 

“Hey, hey,” a voice called from behind Keanu at he cashier and he recognized it instantly, his face morphing into a wide, excited grin.

“Y/n,” he turned, pulling her into his arms, that time, their hug was less awkward. It felt good to have her in his arms and Y/n found herself wanting it to last longer, a little disappointed when Keanu pulled away a few seconds. “You came!”

“I did,” she giggled. Quickly they ordered and paid, colleting two mugs a short while later, then heading to a table on the patio. “I’m glad you texted me,” Y/n smiled, blushing.

“I’m glad I took the chance,” he returned, “So, how has work been?”

“Oh you know,” Y/n waved her hand dismissively, “Same old, same old. Paper work, meetings and proposals. What about you? Any new movies I should be on the look out for?”

Keanu chuckled quietly, “Maybe a couple later this year.” Y/n giggled too, taking a sip of her steaming mug and he proceeded, “Oh! I feel like such a jerk for not asking, is everything okay?” Y/n offered him a quizzical stare, obviously not knowing what Keanu was talking about, “You and Eli left Saturday in a hurry, I think he said something about the hospital ...”

“Oh!” Y/n’s head fell back in laughter at the misunderstanding, “Yeah, Eli is a doctor. It’s his first year as an attending, so when an intern calls, he gets all frazzled.”

As if the completion couldn’t get worse, he had to be a doctor too! “Ahh, that’s great,” Keanu faked a smile, “What kind of doctor is he?”

Between sips, Y/n hummed, “Pediatrician,” Great, just great, “He’s amazing with kids,” she continued with a smile.

Keanu’s heart sank further, if it was even possible and in that moment, he had never regretted their break-up more. “He sounds like a real catch,” he said, hoping there wasn’t too much venom in the words.

“He is,” Y/n nods, relaxing a little more into her chair, “What about you, anyone new in your life?” She wiggled her eyebrows teasingly.

Keanu cast his head down, raising it again, feeling a little flustered. How was he supposed to tell her that he could probably never be happy with someone that wasn’t her? “No,” he chuckled, “I actually haven’t really been in anything serious since we broke up.”

“Oh,” she breathed. A part of her ached for him as he said it, but another, more frightened part was oddly relieved. It was unsettling, Y/n knew that she shouldn’t feel that way, maybe if she were single or not a few months away from being someone’s wife, then she’d be bubbling with hope. Suddenly, the guilt made a reappearance, coming in a wave that washed over, leaving her trying to slow her breaths. Y/n tried to laugh off Keanu’s statement, “Well, I’m sure you’ll find someone.”

“Yeah,” I have, but I’ve already let her go, “I’m sorry about what happened,” he blurted out after a minute, deciding that if he couldn’t get her back, the least he could do was apologize, “I was a real asshole coming down to the end.”

Y/n exhaled nervously, shaking her head, staring at their hands on the table top, close enough to touch at the finger tips, but not quite meeting, “What’s past is past right? I guess, I owe you an apology too,” she continued, trying to avoid reliving the whole thing in her head, “I tried to push you into something that you didn’t want. I think I forced us to hold onto to something that was already gone for a little longer than we should have. You were right, we’re different, even if I loved you, we wanted different things, and if I was unhappy, I should have left. So for that, I’m sorry.” The words felt like acid in her throat, coming up and burning her tongue. She had never admitted, because she didn’t believe it. But even if the feelings she had for Keanu still lingered in the cervices of her heart, they needed closure, they needed to move on.

Loved. Past tense. Y/n loved him. Not anymore.

Even if it were true, Keanu had gone too long with it, he had to tell her everything, even if it would all be for nothing. “I wasn’t right,” he confessed quietly, “You were right. When you said I was scared. I was, you were everything that I could have ever wanted, but it had been so long, and everything ends and I just.......I don’t know....you were right and I was scared. I was the immature one, not you, you were the saint that put up with me until I pushed you away. You are everything Y/n, and I let you go.”

“I’m everything?” Y/n chuckled dryly, licking her lips and turning her head towards the street. Everything that she felt before was gone, replaced by anger and hurt. “I’m everything? You have the audacity to say that now?” Tears filled her eyes and she stood abruptly, tossing her bag to her shoulder, “Four years, you wait till I’m engaged? You know I waited for you to come back, to come home!” By then, people around had started to stare and Keanu was standing too, “Then, when I left, I waited for you to call or text or send a fucking email, anything. I waited and waited and waited, and you never reached out! So don’t come here and tell me that I’m everything to you, not when I’ve finally moved on.”

With that, Y/n turned on her heel, stalking off, hurrying to her car, Keanu close behind her, hoping that by some miracle, he could salvage.....whatever they had. Though, before he could speak, Y/n turned, her tear streaked cheeks like a punch to the gut, “You know, Ke, you’re a good man. A great man actually, and I wanted a lot with you. But now, I just want us to be happy, but I don’t think we can do that with each other.”

“Y/n I-”

“Don’t,” she cut him off, unlocking her car, hurrying to the driver’s side, “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

In an instant, she was peeling away from the curb, speeding off. And just like that, Y/n was gone again, and that time Keanu didn’t want her to go.

Tagging- @hisdeadwife​

[scribbles97]

Left Behind -- Chapter 15

All I’m saying about this chapter is... I apologise for nothing.

PART 1 /  Chapter 14 / Chapter 15 / Chapter 16 / Chapter 17 / Chapter 18 / Chapter 19 / Chapter 20 / Chapter 21

Read on Ao3

“A word?” Kyrano murmured as Lucy stepped into the kitchen from the pool. She had seen his plane come in whilst she had been on her late afternoon jog around the island and she wondered just what news he had that warranted him flying out to discuss it with her. 

“My office,” She nodded, “The boys are all home.”

 “I’d noticed,” He smiled briefly, “I thought you’d enjoy their company.”

 Snorting, she smiled, “It gives me peace of mind knowing where they all are at the moment. Let’s leave it at that.”

 He nodded wordlessly as he followed her up the stairs and through the lounge to the quiet corner that housed her office. She was glad that they only passed Virgil on their way there, perhaps the least likely to question what the pair were up to. 

 Closing the door, Lucy swallowed, “So? I didn’t think you’d fly all the way out here just to say hi.”

He shook his head as he leant on the corner of her desk, “There are some things that require a more personal touch, you should know that Lucille.”

 She did know it. She also knew Kyrano and how he had softened in the last few years. The loss of Jeff had hit him hard, blame consuming him until he had taken some time away to reset. He had come back a fresh man, calmer, quieter, always listening and only saying whatever needed to be heard. His role on the island had been taken over by Tanusha, security of Tracy Island and its fleet of Thunderbirds all on her shoulders against Lucy's better judgement. She seemed happy in the role though, and Lucy trusted both her and Kyrano’s opinions enough to allow them to work as they pleased. 

 “I am afraid there has been more chatter,” He sighed, folding his arms as he watched her, “Gaat apparently already has an assailant.”

 Sinking down in the armchair in the corner of the room, she couldn’t help but wince. They had been counting on time, a chance to intercept any potential assailants before Gaat got his hands on them. 

 “Name? Details?” She shrugged, “Do we even know what for yet?”

 “He called himself the Mechanic.” Kyrano nodded, “It is the next part that you’ll like less though.”

 She didn’t say anything, knowing that he would tell her soon enough. Kyrano knew better than to keep her waiting. 

Producing a holotablet from his pocket, he set it down on the smooth surface of the desk, swiping over its screen brought up a clip that Lucy immediately recognised. 

 Four years later she hadn’t forgotten what the Zero-X had looked like. 

 Frowning at the hologram she stood, stepping forward to look closer, “Is that…”

 He nodded once, “A different angle.”

 She watched with wide eyes, unable to turn away as the camera moved away from the body of the stricken ship. The screen froze for a moment as Kyrano pointed to a second capsule in the other corner of the screen, “Gaat escaped the ship in this escape pod. What we didn’t realise was that a second pod launched at the same time.”

 Shaking her head she didn’t take her eyes from the screen, waiting, needing, more, “So? What is it? Why are you showing this to me?”

 He said nothing more as the clip resumed, but she knew what came next. It was the blast that had killed Jeff. She had settled on that years ago, looking at it again couldn’t, wouldn’t, change that. 

 The flash filled the screen and froze before the blast could reach its full expansion. Kyrano swept at the image, manipulating and clarifying it until the outline of the Zero-X was clear. She found herself holding her breath, not daring to move as she gripped the edge of the desk, waiting, watching, silently hoping. 

 It was slowed down, so much slower than it had actually happened, but still so perfectly clear. As the explosion expanded, the outline of the ship moved up the screen, out of the range of the camera on the escape pod. It kept going as the smoke filled the image, right up until the highlighted outline of the Zero-X left the hologram. 

 “What is this?” She whispered as the film cut to a blank, finally able to look away. 

 Kyrano watched her for a long moment, lips pursed as he opened a new file, “Brains, you can come in now.”

 Lucy turned, frowning as her chief scientist stepped into the room pushing his glasses up his nose.

 “H-h-hello, Mrs Tracy.”

 She nodded, in acknowledgement, unsure as to what he was doing on the island, “Hiram.”

 He hated the island. She had asked him to move out there as a full time advisor plenty of times yet he had always so politely refused, insisting he found the quiet hum of the city soothing to his overactive mind. 

 “Brains,” Kyrano started, “Would you please explain to Lucille what we previously discussed.”

 “O-of course,” He nodded, hesitating, biting his lip as he reached for the tablet, “I see M-m-mister Kyrano has already sh-shown you the new footage?”

 Mute, Lucy nodded. 

 “The image is unclear, and there is no way to improve its r-r-resolution. However, we do b-believe that the outline of the Zero-X can be made out leaving the sh-shot. F-from the flight data recovered from the pod, and the camera angle we c-c--can assume the Zero-X continued on a trajectory much like this.”

 Lines appeared on the diagram, blue for the escape pod, red for the ship. 

 Red kept going.

 Hiram kept talking. 

 Something about the power of engines, weight of the ship, what had been expected of the test flight versus what had actually happened. 

 “Wait,” She raised a hand, cutting him off with a shake of her head, “Sorry Hiram. Just-- I-- Spell it out for me.”

 Hiram looked from her to Kyrano and back again, eyes wide, “Erm… well… there is no way to confirm it at this time, but this n-n-new footage indicates that there is a possibility that the launch of the Zero-X m-m-may have been successful.”

 Looking from one man to the other, she swallowed hard, “You mean…”

 Kyrano nodded, one single movement, “There’s a possibility the Zero-X made it into deep space, potentially with Jeff on board.”

 As much as she wanted to believe it, she knew she couldn’t. It had been too long. Four years was too much. She was at peace with what she knew, had come to terms with having to live without him. 

 “No.” She swallowed, “Don’t do this to me Kyrano. Don’t put me through all of this again.”

 “Lucy,” He scolded gently, frowning at her negativity. Gesturing back towards the diagram, he smiled, “He could be out there, Jeff could be alive.”

 She could see the science, understand how the conclusion had been drawn. What use was it though? There were so many variables, too many unknowns. She wasn’t even sure about the specs of the Zero-X’s engine. Maybe Jeff was alive, but they had no way of knowing for sure and no way of possibly finding out.

 The knowledge that she may never know for sure hurt more than grief ever had.

 Biting her lip, she shook her head, “No. Why bring it up? What do you expect me to do with his information? You came here to tell me about Gaat and his mechanic. What has he got to do with this?”

 Kyrano smiled slowly, reaching out to her shoulder and holding her in place as he met her eye, “They’re building a second Zero-X, Lucy. A new ship with the same drive as the one in Jeff’s accident. We get our hands on one of those and we have a chance at finding out if Jeff is still out there.”

 She wasn’t sure what to say. There weren’t any words. For so long she hadn’t wanted to believe that he could have possibly been dead. Finally, four long years later there was the possibility that he was alive. 

 But only a possibility. 

 Space flight still had its risks, without being flung into the far reaches of space without any preparation or resources. 

 Even if he had survived the launch, there were so many possibilities. 

 There was only one way to find out though, a single way to know for sure what had become of her husband. 

 A deep breath, thoughts focussed, she looked to the hologram with a new pair of eyes. 

 “What did you have in mind?”

 Kyrano smiled, “We talk to this Mechanic, see if we can get him on our side.”

 Worst case scenario immediately came to mind.

 “And if we can’t?”

 “We steal their new Zero-X.”

[tracybirds]

Venom Rewrite Part Two!!!

Here’s what Scott has been doing in the meantime (sorry for leaving Virgil hanging.....)

Read Previous Part: [1]

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“You don’t trust me,” shouted the Mechanic, his voice reverberating around the hangar.

“Why should I,” shouted Scott back at him, equally incensed. “You’ve tried to kill my brothers, you’ve tried to kill me.”

“I wasn’t in control.”

“You might not be in control now.”

“If you were so concerned about my threat to your organisation, why release me from the Hex in the first place?” demanded the Mechanic, shoving past Scott.

Scott stepped up into the Mechanic’s space immediately, not content to let the matter lie. “What choice did we have? For all I know, you could be manipulating that scenario as well.”

“I was safe,” insisted the Mechanic. “Before your heroic organisation tried to help themselves under the guise of helping me.”

“Oh believe me, there was never meant to be any pretence about us helping you,” said Scott scornfully. “We needed you. But now I’m not so sure. How do I know you can really do what you say you can?”

“You m-might trust me,” interrupted Brains’ carefully controlled voice. He stood at the base of the stairs that led up to where he and the Mechanic had been working, equal parts worried and determined. “Scott, you need to cool off and leave. If you c-can’t trust the Mechanic, I should hope that our time together has been sufficient evidence of m…my good judgement.”

He held out a hand to Scott, gently tugging him down the stairs. “I d-don’t care if you trust the Mechanic,” he said firmly. “You and I b-both know that we were getting nowhere b-before. With his help, we can do this. We can’t t-tu… We can’t turn on each other because your fears are bigger than your faith.”

“I know Brains,” said Scott, running his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry.”

Brains patted his shoulder. “I understand. Now please, g-go away.”

They both jumped as a siren burst into life in the hangar, announcing its presence with a wail.

“What is that noise?” bellowed the Mechanic, but both Scott and Brains ignored him, jogging over to the comm station set at on the far wall.

“Comm link established, report,” barked Scott at the holographic image that popped up in front of them.

“Scott, it’s Virgil,” said Gordon, looking terrified. “Scott, he’s hurt, I’m up in Two, I’m about to go get him, bring him up to the medbay, but Scott it’s serious, it’s really bad.”

“How bad is bad?” asked Scott looking over at Brains in horror. Visions of lost limbs and crushed spines flew through his mind, memories of the long months they’d just spent in hospital with Gordon stretching out into eternity with the knowledge that once again, he’d sent a brother into danger. He felt cold, knowing just what his father would have to say about that.

“He’s been bitten by a spider. They don’t have the antivenom. The nearest outpost has sent out their last supply, but the drone has gotten delayed.”

“A spider?” Scott said. He wanted to laugh, but the sick feeling in his stomach wouldn’t let him forget the way Gordon was sitting, hunched over, lips downturned and eyes anxious.

“The good doctor says it’s the most venomous spider in the world. Never does anything by halves, does he?”

“What are you saying to me, Gordon?” demanded Scott.

Gordon paused for a moment and took a steadying breath. “Scott, he could die.” His eyes flicked over to look at another screen. “I have to go now. Kayo’s gone to fetch the drone. I’ll keep you updated.”

The comm link died.

“F.A.B.,” whispered Scott.

“Scott?” said Brains, uncertainly resting a hand on his arm.

Scott stood for a moment, swaying as the impact of what he had just heard hit him.

“Scott, you should sit down,” said Brains, worriedly.

His skin felt far too hot to accommodate the rush of ice flooding his bloodstream. He couldn’t see anything, except for an image of his brother dying in a far off country, abandoned and alone, without him.

“Clear the hangar, Brains,” said a voice, and Scott realised with a start it was his. It was steady and cold, and betrayed none of the swirling emotions the were bottled inside him. He seized the strength that voice gave him, slipping into command as easily as breathing.

“Scott, I really don’t think that–”

“I said, clear the hangar. Or roast, I don’t care which,” spat Scott.

Brains’ eyes widened. “W-where are you going?”

“Where, the fuck, do you think I’m going, Brains?” he shouted, turning suddenly on the smaller man. “I’m going to Virgil, because if I’m so useless here, I might as well be doing something to try help my brother who is apparently out there dying, just like Dad.”

Brains said nothing, standing frozen and stricken in front of him. Scott immediately felt a twinge of regret, but shoved it aside. Brains wasn’t dying, he had the time to wait for an apology.

“We’re clearing the hangar, Scott,” he said quietly. “Shall I inform Mrs Tracy of Virgil’s condition?”

It was Scott’s turn to freeze. Grandma. He didn’t know what to say, was almost pathetically grateful it would be Brains to inform her of what was going on. Telling Grandma would make the whole situation too real, would ensure he spent the afternoon huddled in her embrace, too much of a coward to face another brother’s pain.

“Tell her there’s been a complication,” he said quietly. “She’ll know I’ve flown out, but don’t let her know how bad it is unless there’s nothing more that we can do.” Unless he dies. The unspoken words lay heavy between them.

“F.A.B. Scott,” said Brains quietly. He turned and hurried away, calling out to the Mechanic as he went. The Mechanic scowled at Scott as he shoved his way past him.

“Another delay,” he said sarcastically. “One would think you didn’t want to rescue your father.”

Scott snarled in response and watched the two engineers leave with narrowed eyes. If he gets to live, he thought, then Virgil can’t die.

[Read Part 3]

[wrenarrior]

The Surprise Party

Preparations

Marie frowned at her reflection in the mirror, wondering if she had really gained as much weight as Patricia claimed she had. After a few more moments of close scrutiny, Marie grew weary of the task. Sighing, she sat back down on her bed, staring straight ahead at the blank, white wall. It was the middle of summer yet there was nothing for her to do in the house.

Sure, she had plenty of friends, but it was too early in the morning. And unlike her, some of them were working summer jobs to save up for college. For her and her friends, college was a year away yet Hannah and Lauren already started worrying about how they’d make ends meet. Luckily for Marie, her parents saved a decent-sized college fund for her, which she was very thankful for.

Except for this moment because she was very bored.

“Tonight, we are young So let's set the world on fire We can burn brighter than the sun!”

Holding her phone in her hand, Marie happily listened to her ringtone, waiting for it to near the end before she answered the phone. She would’ve picked it up right away, but that would’ve made her seem desperate for attention or something. Once she had waited a sufficient amount of time, she slid her finger across the screen to answer the call before placing the phone to her ear.

“Marie, it’s Gavin. You’ve got to help me. Are you free right now?”

The small smile on her face broke out into a huge grin at that instant, but Marie did her best to keep her voice calm. “I mean, I was sleeping, but now that I’m awake, I guess I’m free. What’s up? Did something happen with Tracy?”

“No, no. Tracy and I are fine. It would be easier if you just came over to my house, though. Please be quick about it.” Hiding the amusement from her voice, Marie replied with annoyance, “Geez, Gavin, the things I do for you… I’ll be there in 20 minutes. If you’re making coffee for yourself, make me a cup, too. I think I’m still half asleep. Anyways, see you soon.”

✖ ✖ ✖

Sitting comfortably on Gavin’s couch, Marie took a small sip of her coffee. “Okay, so what’s the situation? Why did you invite me at—” she paused to glance at her cell phone. “9:37 in the morning? Need I remind you how early that is in teenager time?”

On the couch directly across from her, Gavin sat with Tracy leaning on his shoulder, still half-asleep. Looking down at his girlfriend’s sleepy face, he smiled before turning his attention back to Marie. “Well, it’s not that early. Did I really wake you up?”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course, idiot. Why would you even ask that? I never wake up before noon in the summer.” Hidden deep inside the pocket of her light pink hoodie, Marie’s right hand slightly shook while she spoke, revealing her answer as a lie.

Luckily for her, Gavin was none the wiser this time, because he went straight to business. “Okay. So, I invited you here because we’ve got a dilemma. Remember Hannah? Well, it’s her 17th birthday tomorrow. But don’t worry. I remembered just in—”

Tracy stirred and began laughing, cutting off her boyfriend from speaking. Once she stopped laughing enough to speak, she glanced over towards Marie and explained, “Total bullshit. The only reason he remembered is because of Facebook.”

Gavin cleared his throat. “It doesn’t matter how I found out, okay? All it matters is that I know now, and I’m telling Marie. Anywho, before I was so kindly interrupted, I was going to say… what do we do, Marie? We’re such bad friends. I swear—”

Marie interrupted, “Stop, Gavin. I’m sure we’ll come up with something brilliant in no time, okay? Besides, her birthday is tomorrow. We’ve got plenty of time. Do you know if Lauren is working today? If not, we should invite her over, too.”

Tracy carefully rose from the couch, stretching out her arms as she stood. "I'll call her. That bitch has some explaining to do. It’s been two weeks since I last stopped by the donut shop during her shift. She’s been so busy lately. I miss her annoying voice.”

A sick feeling spread through Marie’s stomach. There was something so wrong about what her best friend just said yet… how does one even confront the person they enjoy hanging around the most? Deciding to keep her mouth shut, she nodded quietly.

After that, time seemed to speed up for the trio. Lauren picked up but she claimed to be too busy to come over, but once Tracy told her about the birthday planning, she agreed to take a day off work to make it to the party. By lunchtime, Gavin had to leave for his shift at the bookstore, leaving just Lauren and Marie alone to talk out the finishing touches for the surprise party.

It was around 3pm when the pizza arrived. It was also around 3pm when the two girls had finally finished talking out every single detail, from where the party would be located—at Gavin’s house, of course—to what kind of cake they’d order: red velvet, which was a favorite amongst every person in the small group of friends. They even invited a ton of people from school to come, too.

All that was left was to make sure that Hannah actually showed up at the right time. Placing her pizza down momentarily, Marie looked over to Tracy expectantly. “Which one of us should stop by Hannah’s apartment? I think she might have the day off tomorrow, but I’m not really sure. I don’t mind going to check, though. Unless you want to, which is totally okay, too.”

“I think you should go, Marie.” Tracy stared off into the distance, almost as if she were remembering a painful memory. “Things didn’t go so well between me and Hannah the last time we spoke in private. That was five weeks ago and I feel so... lost.”

Marie shrugged. “It’s not your fault, Tracy. Seriously. I’ve been having issues with Hannah, too. I just hope this birthday party will be enough to help all of us heal and move forward with our friendships. I really miss what we all had before.”

“It was so great, huh?” A light smile graced Tracy’s lips. “Just me, you, Hannah, and Lauren against the world. But ever since summer started, Hannah and Lauren have been growing more distant. Hannah’s been more distant than Lauren, though. I just hope I didn’t break up the group when I started going out with Gavin towards the end of junior year. I’d feel so bad if I did.”

Shaking her head quickly, Marie replied, “Tracy, of course not! On the bright side, Lauren still texts in the group chat. Hannah has been giving me the cold shoulder for at least six weeks now. If she’s doing this on purpose, I will personally hurt her myself.”

“Don’t say that.” Tracy stifled laughter. “The line would be way too long of all the people that want to hurt Hannah. But forget that. We’re going to try to find our old best friend again. This birthday party will be the perfect thing we need to fix it all.”

Marie sighed. “I hope so, Tracy. I… really hope so.”

The Big Day

Marie took a deep breath to mentally prepare herself, and then, with the phone still to her ear, she said, “Okay, Tracy. I’m right outside Hannah’s apartment building. Are you sure you’re ready? Is everything set up? And did everyone show up?”

“Relax, Marie. Everything is completely under control here. Just play it cool like we practiced. You’ll do fine.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. I’ll see you soon, then.” Quickly, she hung up and pocketed her phone. Then, without another moment of hesitation, Marie walked forward and rang the doorbell of the apartment, waiting for a familiar brunette to appear.

Except after a few seconds, there was nothing. No movement. No muffling. No shouts of “I’ll be there.” from Hannah like she did every other time that Marie came to visit. And unlike other times, the air was still and quieter than usual.

Seeing no other option, Marie tried to ring the doorbell again.

Just like the first time, nothing happened.

Now, Marie was really starting to panic. If it wasn’t for Hannah’s red Toyota parked right in front of the apartment complex, then Marie would’ve assumed that her best friend was busy working. Except she wasn’t working. She had to be home. Right now.

When she lifted up her hand to start knocking on the door, the door seemed to open by itself. That was when the second red flag went off in her head. Hannah had never been stupid enough to leave her door unlocked before. In fact, she was the one in the group who would always preach about safety to Marie, Tracy, and Lauren. Out of all of them, Hannah was the most mature.

As anxiety gnawed away at her nerves, Marie took a tentative step into the apartment. The minimalistic decor looked exactly as she remembered it. Nothing in the apartment seemed out of place. Everything had its own place. In fact, the whole apartment was so immaculately cleaned and organized. Just like Hannah. It even smelled like her, too. The faint smell of lavender sat in the air.

Yet even as Marie walked through the apartment, she couldn’t hear anything. The air was unbelievably still. Almost as if the entire apartment was empty. But if the apartment was empty, then where would Hannah be? Why would she just leave her car parked in front of the apartment complex? Where else could she have gone and how? Things just weren’t adding up here.

The hallway finally ended, leaving Marie facing the family room. Her jaw dropped when she noticed that Hannah’s phone was resting on the coffee table. It was the new iPhone 8. Hannah waited all day and night in line to get that phone. It was her first phone, too, and because of that, she never left the house without it. To see it just lay around now was absolutely worrying.

Still, though, Marie held onto the small amount of hope that she had in her best friend. Maybe she’s just sleeping, Marie thought. If I go into her room now, I can wake her up and this whole nightmare will be over. Trying to keep herself calm, she began tip-toeing in the direction of Hannah’s bedroom, a place she had visited so many times that she knew it like the back of her hand.

When she opened the door, Marie let out a heart-wrenching scream.

Instead of finding Hannah sleeping peacefully on her bed, she found Hannah’s dead body hanging limply from the ceiling fan.

[May 2017]