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noladyme · 4 years

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The Crown Princess of Charming - part 13

Welcome to Charming - its name says it all. Cat needed a fresh start; and though she hadn’t planned on that being in the arms of the crown prince of this little town’s bikerclub - that was what happened. Charming CA would either be the death of her - or a whole new life.

Rated M

Tags (let me know if you want on the list) @wonderlandfandomkingdom @edonaspanca

“I know you from somewhere…”, the bearded biker, who’s whiskey I’d stolen during my performance, said. I now noticed, he had a V. President patch on his cut. We were seated at a table in the clubhouse. Jax had placed me on his lap; hiding his erection from our tryst against the wall outside. “Yeah?”, I asked. “From where? Debonair?”. I’d danced at the club a few times; before quitting to teach full time. “Nah, my old lady would kill me”, the biker answered. “You a teacher?”. I cleared my throat. “Used to be”, I said; and took a swig of my beer. Jax rubbed my back; knowing it was a hard topic for me. “Still are… will be”, he said. “Where do your kids go to school, Mike?”. “Richardson”, Mike answered. “7’th and 8’th grade”.

I narrowed my eyes at my new acquaintance. “You’re… Harry’s dad”, I smiled. Mike nodded. “Yeah, that’s my boy. And you’re miss Rose”. “Cat”, I grinned. “Good to see you again”. We shook hands. “Small world”, the bearded biker smiled. “His grades have gone to shit, since you left”. “Well… I’m surprised he even maintained a B+ while I was there… he spent most his time looking up my skirt”. Mike laughed loudly. “Like father, like son”. “Tell him I said hi”, I smiled. “Will do”, Mike said. “Hey, why’d you leave?”.

I grimaced slightly. “Needed a fresh start… away from Chicago”. Mike looked from Jax to me, and smiled. “Seems you found it… though I never took you for the type, to end up an old lady for the Samcro VP”. I leaned back into Jax’s arms. “He’s not so bad”, I smiled; feeling Jacksons nose nuzzle my neck. “Except for the occasional road-rash I gotta patch up”. Mike took a swig of his beer. “Yeah, I heard you took a tilt, man. You good?”. “I’m fine”, Jax said. “Just a meth-head with a rifle. It’s good”. I frowned at the thought.

“You, uh… get that info you were after up north?”, Mike asked. Jax grimaced. “I got what I needed”, he muttered. “Good. Let me know if Chicago can do anything”, Mike said. “I gotta go call my old lady”. Mike left us for the door.

I chewed my lip. “Did you really get everything you needed?”, I said quietly. “I got enough”, Jax muttered. “Still need something to convince Clay”. “Like what?”. “I don’t know yet. But all this shit that’s been going on…”. He took a swig of my beer. “I got an ATF agent using my old lady to get to me; and Mayans moving in on our turf – angry that we’re moving drugs for white power”. “Mayans?”, I wondered. “Another club. Mexicans. The one’s we’ve been hauling for until now”. “Not anymore?”. He shook his head. “They’re pissed… don’t like our new racist partners…”. “I don’t blame them”, I muttered.

I sighed. “How do we end this?”, I asked. He stroked my cheek. “You don’t have to do anything”, he smiled. “I’m not putting you in harms way”. “Jax…”, I sighed. “Just, let me know if I can do anything. Please”. I kissed the corner of his mouth. “Right now, your job is making sure my boner isn’t on full display”, he grinned. I rolled my eyes. “Professional boner-hider”, I muttered. “You could be a boner-ender”, he chuckled; and bounced his legs a bit; making me rub against his lap. “What does that even mean?”, I said. Jax bit his lip; and smirked at me. “Come on”.

He patted my butt to get me to stand up; and pulled me in front of him – leading me down the hall to the makeshift gym; and closing the door behind us.

I spent the next 10 minutes on my knees; mouth full of Jax. It wasn’t a bad place to be.

---

For some reason; I wasn’t hungover the next morning; which worked out perfectly, as I needed to go in to town to pick up my phone.

Jax was splayed naked across the bed; and couldn’t help myself, but pinch his perfect ass-cheek. “I’m awake”, he groaned. “I’m gonna go pick up my phone”, I smiled. “There’s coffee on the pot; and your son will be home in an hour. We’re taking him to the doctor, remember?”. Jax let out a desperate sigh. “I feel like shit”, he said. “Advil on the counter. Toaster waffles in the freezer. Have at it”, I said; picking up my purse. “I love you”. “Love you”, Jax muttered into the pillow. I walked out into the hallway. “Don’t mix whiskey and tequila, next time”, I called after him. “Don’t offer body-shots, then!”, he croaked. I grinned, and left the house.

My phone was bright as new. They’d had to return to factory settings, so I spent a few minutes ion the car, setting it up to my liking. All former messages where gone. Joshua’s messages… I’d never have to deal with them again.

I picked up some groceries; smiling a hello at some hungover Chicago Sons hanging over their bikes outside the coffee shop – and was about to start my car; when my phone rang. “Hi, Cat. It’s Ally Lowen. Can I come by the house today?”. “Yeah, I guess… is there a problem?”, I asked. “No, I just have some paperwork for Jackson and you to sign. Guardianship over Jackson’s son”. My heart jumped. “Yeah… yeah, sure. Come by in an hour?”. “See you then”, Lowen said, and hung up.

I drove down the street with a wide smile; stopping at a red light. Suddenly someone knocked on my window; making me jump. Outside stood Darby; a menacing grin on his face. I pulled the .38 from my purse; and held it in my hand on my lap; as I rolled down the window. “What do you want?”, I snarled. “Relax, lady. I just need to get in touch with your old man”. I narrowed my eyes at him. “Come by the clubhouse…”, I smirked. “You know they’d kill me if I get within 100 yards of that place”, Darby sneered. “Like I said… come by the clubhouse”. Someone honked their horn behind me. The lights had turned to green. “Look, just have him call me”, Darby said; and threw a piece of paper at me. I revved the engine; and sped away.

Back at the house, Gemma was nursing a hungover Jax, by chiding him for mixing different kinds of drinks. “You know better, Jackson. I told you…”. “Yeah, I know, ma’”, Jax moaned. “Cat already had at me”. Gemma looked at me. “Good. Tell me how the doctor’s appointment goes”. “We will”, I smiled. “Jax, Lowen called. She’ll be by in 30 minutes. Papers to sign”.

Gemma frowned. “Trouble?”. Jax shook his head. “Nah”, he said. “They’re guardianship papers”. Gemma smiled broadly. “For Cat?”, she said. “Shit; that’s the best news I’ve heard in weeks”. Jax smiled slightly. “Yeah. It’s the right move”. I blushed.

Gemma kissed my cheek. “I’m happy”, she said. “For you and Abel”. She picked up her purse, and went to leave. “The baby is in the playpen. Once his father sobers up; maybe he can drive you to that appointment… otherwise; you drive!”. I smiled, and said goodbye.

Jax leaned back; and downed his coffee. “Am I still drunk, or are you looking more beautiful than usual?”. “You’re not getting out of this, Jax”, I said. “You ripped apart my favorite bra last night”. He pouted. “I’m sorry… I’ll buy you a new one”. I rolled my eyes.

“I met Darby…”, I muttered. Jax instantly tensed up. ”What did he do?”, he growled. “Nothing… he wanted to talk to you”. I handed him the piece of paper; which had a phone number written on it in a fast hand. Jax frowned. “I’ll call him… later”, he said quietly. “Make sure he doesn’t go near you again”. I smiled softly.

Jackson went into the living room; and picked up Abel. “Hey, my man. How you doing?”, he muttered. “Let me strew some wisdom on you. Don’t let a woman offer you body-shots, when you’re already neck deep in beer and whiskey”. He looked over his shoulder at me. “Sure, make it my fault”, I grinned. “Go get dressed. I’m not sure Lowen will be comfortable around you in just your boxers”. “I can put on my cut…”, Jax smirked. I frowned. “Pants, Teller!”.

He handed me Abel; and went to put on some clothes.

A little while later, we were once again seated at the kitchen table with Lowen. Jax was bouncing Abel on his shoulder. “These papers mean Cat can bring Abel to doctor’s appointments, right? Take care of him, if anything happens to me?”. I frowned at the thought. “Yes”, Lowen said. “She will have most of the same rights as a legal parent… Have you talked this over with your ex-wife?”. Jax shook his head. “Does she need to sign anything?”, he asked. “You have custody of Abel, so no”, the lawyer answered. “But she’s still his parent… she has legal rights”. Jax frowned. “If she sobers up; we’ll consider letting her have visitations”. I smiled slightly at him. He met my gaze and returned the gesture.

I ran a hand through my hair. “I know this isn’t why you’re here… but do you have any news of my case?”. “Nothing yet”, Lowen sighed. “They’re still stalling. But you should consider yourself a free woman. There’s no warrant for your arrest; and you’re not officially a suspect of murder”. “But Jax is?”, I asked. “Again, not officially”, she said. “For now, it seems all they have to go on is your self-defense story”. “Good”, I muttered.

Jax squeezed my hand. “We’ll be fine, babe”. Abel let out a slight cough again. “Sorry, we gotta take him to the doctor’s”. “Of course”, Lowen smiled. “If you’ll just sign these. I’ll get them filed right away”. She handed Jax a document and a pen; and he scribbled his signature on it. “You sign here”, Lowen said; and pushed the papers towards me. I wrote my name on the dotted line. Lowen packed up. “I’ll get going. Take care, and call me if anything comes up”. She let herself out.

Jax smiled at me warmly. “Thank you, Cat”, he said. “Thanks for taking on my boy like this”. I leaned over and kissed him. “Together, right?”. Jax laughed quietly, and nodded. “Let’s go get him checked out.

---

The doctor’s appointment was quick. Abel had nothing wrong with him but a small cold. He needed a little extra tlc, and to be kept warm; without moving into a fever. Jax seemed relaxed and happy on our drive home. “Let’s get coffee”, he said. “What?”, I said. “Like a family… let’s go get coffee; and hang out with our kid”. “Abel needs to rest”, I said. “He’ll rest, while we hang out at Gary’s”. “Ok”, I smiled.

The coffee-shop was mostly deserted, save for a few elderly patrons. It was the middle of the day; and most people were at work. Jax went up to the man behind the counter. “Hey, Gary!”, he smiled. “How’s your…”. “My mom’s fine”, Gary grinned. “Thanks… how’s your boy?”. “My mom’s been in here, huh?”, Jax chuckled. “She told me about his cough. Seemed worried”. “He’s good”, I said; Abel in my arms. “Just a cold”.

We sat down at a table. Jax texted Gemma to let her know Abel was all right; and we spent a few minutes enjoying our coffee; and holding hands. Jax took Abel from my arms; and held him against his chest. “You gonna call Wendy?”, I said quietly. “She’s at a rehab down south”, he muttered. “I’ll call her… promise”. I smiled and stroked his cheek. “Thank you…”, I said. “Why are you thanking me?”. I sighed. “Because you listened to me about her… and, I guess, for giving Abel a chance to know his mother”. Jax smiled slightly. “I love you”. Abel let out a cooing sound. “He agrees”. We laughed quietly together.

There was a rumbling of engines down the street; and Jax looked up. “Chicago leaving?”, I said. “No”, he said; looking at the bikers driving by. “We need to get home”. He stood up; and pulled my hand for me to follow.

Jax drove through two red lights to get us home. “What’s going on?”, I asked. Abel was fussing in the back seat, and I was worried. “Mayans”, Jackson muttered. “Once we get home, you get inside and lock the door. Don’t let anyone in, unless they’re club, Lyla or my mom. I’ll have Rat come over. He’ll stay until I get back. Keep your gun on your body”. “Jax…?”, I said. “It’ll be fine. Just do as I say”.

He pulled in to the driveway; and jumped out to get Abel from his seat. Handing me the baby; he kissed me deeply; and jumped on his bike. “Inside!”, he bellowed, and started up the engine. “Go!”. I ran inside with Abel; and locked the door behind me.

---

Rat came over 20 minutes later; looking over his shoulder. I let him in, and locked the door behind him. “What’s happening?”, I demanded. “I don’t know”, he answered. “Jax told me to stay put. Keep an eye on you”.

Abel was crying, and I paced the floor of the living room. “Can I get you anything?”, Rat asked. I felt Abel’s head. He was warm, but I didn’t think he had a fever. “Teething ring. Freezer”. Rat returned seconds later with the ring; and I put it to Abel’s mouth, to sooth the teething-pain. He began to settle down.

My smartphone rang. “Hello?”, I said. “Catherine… it’s agent Stahl”. “Ok, bye”, I snarled; about to hang up. “Catherine! Listen… Charming is full of Mexican bikers; can you tell me anything about that?”. “I don’t know; why don’t you ask them?”. “They don’t seem to want to talk…”. I hung up.

I paced the floor a few more seconds, before handing Rat the baby. “Can you put him down for a nap?”. Rat nodded, “Yeah… I have a little sister”, he muttered. “Good. Go”, I said.

Rat went into the nursery; and I called Jax up on my phone. “Cat?”. He sounded occupied. “Stahl called me. Asking about Mexicans”. “Shit… Look, it’s… not good”. “Lockdown again?”, I asked. “No… not yet. Just stay put”. “I will”. “I’ll be back when I can. Stay safe. Love you”. “Love you”. He hung up; and I sank into the couch.

Rat came back from the nursery. “He’s sleeping”. “Thanks”, I muttered. “If you’re hungry, grab something from the fridge”. Rat disappeared into the kitchen; and I sat down on the couch.

The burner phone was ringing in my purse. “Hello?” “Babe, it’s me”. “Jax; what’s happening?”. “Don’t use your phone when calling me”, Jackson said. “Cover it in towels and a trash-bag. Have Rat put it in your car”. “Why? What’s going on?”. “Just… please. Do it. Don’t talk”. My breath hitched in fear. I grabbed my android; and went into the kitchen – covering it in a kitchen towel; and throwing it into a bag. I handed it to Rat; mouthing the word car. He grabbed my keys from the counter; and went outside.

“It’s gone”, I said into the burner. “What’s going on?” “We think it’s been bugged”. “What?”, I said. “I just picked it up this morning!”. “The electronics store called TM yesterday. They didn’t know where else to reach you”, he said. “The guy said your phone looked weird inside; but that they’d put it together the way it was”. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”. “Some crow-eater picked up the call”, he snarled. “She wrote it down; but was to drunk to tell you when we came to the clubhouse last night”. “Shit… Stahl… what did she hear?”. “Depends on where it’s been up until you broke it”. “I… always kept it with me”. I swallowed hard. “Jax… everything we talked about…” “I know, Cat”, he said. “Did you have it on you after Kohn…?”. “Yeah… in my purse mostly. Up until it broke. When would they have had a chance to mic it?”. “Maybe Kohn did it. Before you left Chicago. To keep an ear on you”. I felt sick… Josh had access to me for weeks… months. “I broke it once before. Had it fixed in a shop near my apartment”. “What store?” “Can’t remember. It was in Karlov Avenue…”. “I’ll have Mike make some calls. Stay put, babe” “I will…”. He hung up.

Bile rose in my throat; and I ran to the bathroom; throwing up violently into the toilet. Rat came to my rescue with a hairclip and a glass of water. He tied up my hair. “My mom would drink…”, he muttered. I was about to say something; before I had to lean over the toilet again – letting out another stream of bile. Once I’d finally stopped retching; I took the glass of water; and drank it all. “Thanks, Rat”, I muttered. “Can you… I need to brush my teeth”. He nodded; and left me alone.

I stood up; and grabbed my toothbrush – furiously brushing my teeth to remove the taste of sick in my mouth. I looked in the mirror. You’re never leaving me… You’ll always be here… screwing up my life.

I let Rat know I was going to try to get some rest; and went into the bedroom – closing the door behind me; and turning on the baby-monitor. The burner-phone was in my hand; and I crawled into bed, staring at it. After a while of hyperventilating; I more or less passed out, into a fitful sleep. I only woke some hours later; to crying sounds from the monitor.

I sprang into the nursery; to find Opie soothing Abel. Chibs was with him. “Where’s Jax?”, I whimpered. “What’s wrong? Why isn’t he here?”. I began sobbing. Chibs went over to put his arms around me. “It’s ok, my love. Jackson is fine”, he said soothingly; as I hiccupped against his shoulder. “He’s meeting up with Darby”. “What about the Mayans?”, I rasped. “What’s going on?”.

Chibs made me sit on the couch; arm around my shoulder. “Just a show of force, sweetheart. Nothing else”, he said. “We’re taking you to the cabin”, Opie said. “Why?”, I asked. “Clay and Jax wants you out of the reach of Stahl”, he answered. “She don’t know about that place”. I tried to calm my breathing. Opie continued bouncing Abel up and down gently; making the baby calm down. “Get your things. Enough for a few days”, Chibs said. I looked at Opie. “I got the baby”, he said.

I went back into the bedroom; Chibs following me with a backpack for my things. Throwing clothes and essentials into the bag – among those, the blue flannel – I pulled on my sneakers; and followed the scot outside. “My car?”, I said; reaching for the keys. “Leave it”, Opie said. “Rat’s taking your phone to the clubhouse to get checked out”. I nodded; and followed him into a van. Opie set Abel’s car-seat between us; and started the van; driving down the street. Chibs followed on his bike; and Tig and Happy came down the road to join our caravan.

---

We arrived at the cabin a few hours later. Opie carried Abel inside for me; and the others checked the perimeters for unwanted company. Opie grabbed a cooler from the van; and produced a sandwich and a thermos of coffee for me. “Lyla…”, he muttered. “You need to eat. Rat said you threw up”. “Yeah”, I whispered. “Cat… are you…”. “No, I’m still not pregnant”, I sneered. He looked down. “Sorry… I’m just…”. “I know”, he said. “I get it… Jax will be here as soon as he can”.

He went to check up with the others. “Opie?”, I called after him. He turned to face me. “Thank you…”. “Welcome”, he muttered; and a smile ghosted his face.

There wasn’t a cot for Abel in the cottage; so I made a makeshift border on the bed in one of the bedrooms – making sure he didn’t roll off it and hurt himself. He fell asleep quickly – tuckered out from the drive. I went back into the main room. It was too quiet; so I turned on the tv – needing any kind of sound to block out the silence. I put on The Goonies which was laying under the cover of Karate Kid; and sat down on the couch – staring into space.

A while later; Chibs came inside. “I sent Opie home to his kids. How are you holding up?”. I tried sending him a smile; but instantly fell into tears. The scot came over; and took me into his arms again. “Hey, hey… you’ll be fine… everything is fine”. He kissed the top of my head. “What’s happening?”, I croaked. “Did I get you all into trouble?”. “No, luv’”, he said. “No more than we already were”. “I’m so sorry”, I whimpered.

Chibs sighed; and pulled me to lean against him. “You know, I used to run with the IRA…”. “You?”, I sniveled. “Yup. Those people will slit you from neck to dick; if you so much as look in the direction of a cop”, he said. “This… you did nothing wrong. Even the army would be able to see that, if it was them you were hold up with”. I sighed. “I’ve been carrying a live mic with me on club grounds… having conversations about murders… I’m killing your club”. “The Sons never say die!”, Chibs smiled; and looked towards the screen, as a young Sean Astin was uttering the same words to his friends in the movie. I chuckled at his joke; feeling a little better.

Chibs sat with me for a while; before taking a call in the kitchen. “Jackie’s done with his meeting. He’s driving out now”. I exhaled in relief. Chibs sat back down, and lit me a cigarette. I took a deep draw from the smoke; and put my head on his shoulder. “You’re a good man, scottie”, I smiled. “Tell it to my ex”, he grinned.

---

I fell asleep against Chibs’ shoulder; waking up to the sound of Jax’s voice. “Hands of the goods, Chibby”, he grinned. I sprang of the couch, and into his arms. “You thought I wouldn’t come back? Trade me in for a brit?”. “Oy!”, Chibs barked. “I’m a free Scotsman!”. Jax chuckled. “I got her, man… thanks”. Chibs stepped over, and patted his shoulder. “You’re welcome, brother”. He went outside.

“Are you ok?”, Jax said; stroking a lock of hair out of my face. “I’m… what happened?”. Jax walked us over to the couch; sitting down. He took my hands. “Juice checked your phone. It was bugged”. I scrunched my face up in anger. “When?”. “Mike made some calls. The electronics store pulled up an old receipt. Someone payed extra to have it installed. They didn’t remember who; just that it was paid in cash. Looks like Kohn”. “He had me tapped for months… probably heard everything”, I said. “That’s how he knew about you. He listened to our calls”. Jax shook his head. “It’s more than that”, he said. “The bug picked up everything it heard. Not just calls”. “Shit… if Stahl has access to the receiver…”. Jackson clenched his jaw. “She does”, he muttered. “Lowen called while I was with Darby. Stahl sent her transcripts of the recordings from the motel. Warning us that she’s coming for us”. It was all coming to a head.

I stood up and began pacing the floor. “Oh my god… Jax, she knows everything!”. “She can’t prove it…”, he said. “She has recordings of everything we’ve ever said when my phone was in the room… She heard my fight with Kohn. Heard me telling you, he needed to die. The gunshot… Jax, she even heard us have sex a few days later!”. Jax sighed. “The recordings were made illegally. They won’t hold up in court, and she can’t arrest me yet”. “She can twist and turn it in her favor”, I said. “If she takes me in again… what if I can’t say the right thing? What if she gets something out of me, by making me say something she already knows?”.

He got up; and took a hold of my shoulders. “That’s why you’re here. We’re not letting her get to you”. “Clay…”, I whispered. “He’s on the same page. Knows it wasn’t your fault”. He pulled me into his arms. “Look… you’re safe here. And we’re safe as long as you stay here… away from her”. “How are you going to explain my disappearing?”, I asked. He shrugged. “You got scared. Split”, he said. “Abel… We just signed those papers”. “It got too intense for you. You couldn’t deal with it; and took off”. I let out a shaky breath, and buried my face in his chest. “I’m taking him back to Charming tomorrow morning. Leaving him with Gemma”. “And after?”, I asked. “I’ll be… searching for you up north. Stay in state, so they don’t put out an APB on me”. “You’re not staying here”, I whispered. “I’ll come back when I can, Cat”, he said; and kissed my forehead. “How long? We can’t do this forever”.

He smiled encouragingly at me. “Darby gave us the name of the prosecutor Ollie’s been working with”, he said. ”I think I know how to get us out of this”. I shook my head in wonder. “How?”, I asked. “I’m gonna see if I can make a deal”, he said. “Get us out of business with Nichols… the state prosecutor wants him; and we’re gonna give him to them”. “What does that have to do with Stahl?”, I frowned.

He sighed. “Sit down, babe. This is gonna be a long one”. He pulled out a chair for me; and I sat down across from him. “Stahl wants to kill the club, through me. She get’s me on murder; she can pull RICO on us; pull out all old charges; and run them again”. “She did set you up”, I said. Jax nodded. “ATF has been hounding Darby’s business as well – but they’re lower grade than us. Stahl contacted him… let him know he could avoid being charged, if he agreed to lending a hand to a federal agent; with his case”. “His case…”, I said quetly. “Stahl put Kohn in contact with Darby”, Jackson confirmed. “I can’t say for sure that she knew, Kohn was going to use Darby to drug you, but I wouldn’t put it past her”. I scoffed. “So that bullshit about Kohn calling him on his own accord…”. “Just that… bullshit”. “And the motel? Stahl told Darby where I was, so you’d go after us… Kill Joshua”. “Darby was pissed she hadn’t told him he’d be going after a Samcro old lady”, Jax snarled. I smiled sarcastically. “And she apologized by giving him the address of the motel”, I sneered. Jax nodded. “That thundercunt was using all of us…”.

Jax swallowed. “With Darby’s info; we have proof that she set me up for murder… but it doesn’t change the fact that I did it”. He bit his lips. “If I can make a deal with the prosecutor; go away on something else…”. My breath hitched. “What are you talking about; going away?”, I said. He looked down. “Clay wants to keep moving drugs… but he’s more concerned about reputation than money – and the way Nichols went behind our backs; got that Nord killed, and dumped him on us, to start shit…”. “He believes that?”, I asked “Darby more or less confirmed it. Said Nichols had been looking for a reason to move in on us… he gave white-power green light to go for his cousin. Said he screwed his ex”.

I was confused. “So… Darby agreed to have his cousin-brother killed… dumped him on you… to have a reason for the alt-right to move in on you? Why?”. “He wanted free range to deal. Nichols promised to help… broke that promise, when he decided to use us as mules”. “And the Mayans?”, I said. “They’re just pissed. They still wanna deal with us; but not before we get Nichols out of the picture”.

“So Clay gets to keep the drugs…”, I muttered. “For now…”, Jax said. “Look, the club runs for them for a few years… keep it safe. I’ll work on getting us out, when I come back”. “From where?”, I whispered. Jax looked down. “I’m gonna have to give the prosecutor something, besides Nichols… I need to go inside”. “Prison?”, I whimpered. “I’ll make a good deal, Cat… It won’t be long”. My chin began trembling. “No… you can’t do that, Jax!”, I said; tears running down my cheeks. “Please…”. He took my hands. “It will be fine… I’ll be fine”. “They’re taking you away for murder!”, I yelled. “No, they’re not”, he said. “The evidence against me won’t hold; Stahl knows that. Anything I give the state prosecutor will override what she thinks she has, and be seperate from her RICO-case… I’ll make sure you are kept out of it. You don’t get charged due to self-defense; and I go in on some other charges… muling; possession… something. In return; we hand the prosecutor Nichols”.

I closed my eyes. “How long?”, I asked; tears still staining my cheeks. “I don’t know, yet”, Jax muttered. “I’m meeting with Lowen tomorrow… Cat… this is the only way”. I opened my eyes again. “Ok…”, I whispered. He squeezed my hands. “You are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. I love you; and I will do anything to keep you and our boy safe”. He smiled. “This is it, for me. You are…”. He kissed my knuckles. “I’m going to make sure Stahl never touches you again. The alt-right will disappear from Charming, once Nichols is gone. He’s the one with the pull there… We can move on with our lives”.

I took a deep breath. “I’ll take care of Abel… however long until you come back… he’ll know…”. I began sobbing again. Jax stood up; and walked around the table to pull me into his arms. “I know… I love you”. “Say it again”, I muttered. “I love you, Cat… Marry me”.

I pulled back. “What?”. “Marry me”, he repeated. I shook my head. “You’re doing this now? While I’m on the run, and you’re getting ready to go to prison?”. “No better time”, he smiled. “You’re the one…”. I sniveled. “You gonna pull out a violin orchestra, and a thousand red roses, prince Charming?”, I chuckled. He grinned. “Smartass”, he laughed. “Just give me an answer”.

“Sure…”, I muttered. He raised a brow at me. “Sure…?”, he said. “Yes!”, I smiled. “When you’re back… I’ll marry you”. Jax face lit up; and he let out a relieved laugh. “Cat…”. He pulled flush against him; and kissed me deeply – only coming up for air; when Happy, Tig and Chibs came into the cabin.

“What’s happening?”, Chibs said. “We’re getting married”, Jax grinned. “To each other?”, Tig asked. “Idiot…”, Happy muttered; and stepped over to grab the both of us in a bearhug.

Chibs and Tig joined in on the hugging. “When?”, Chibs asked. Jax grimaced; and looked at me. “After… we have something to finish first”.

Jax spent the night over; under; and – most importantly – inside me. After everything we’d discussed, it was a bittersweet union. At one point; I even shed a few tears – Jackson kissing them away for me. “I love you”, he whispered; as he thrusted into me; making me shatter beneath him. “I love you”, I replied; once I could speak again. “Always”.

---

The next morning, Jax kissed me goodbye. Opie arrived with the van; letting Jax drive his son back to Charming in it – he himself riding on Jax’s bike. Happy was babysitting me – again – and Tig and Chibs joined their brothers on their trek back home.

“Karate Kid?”, Happy asked. “I was watching The Goonies last night… fell asleep before it finished”. Happy’s face lit up. “Yes! Jerk alert!”. I grinned; and sat down to watch the movie with him. “Don’t fall asleep on my shoulder”, Happy muttered. “Jax said he’d break my arm".

I spent the morning nervously checking the burner-phone every chance I got. At around noon; Happy took it from me. “He’ll call when he can”. He put it in his pocket. “I’ll let you know. You need to chill”. He realized before I did, that my constant looking at the phone, was stressing me out. “Sorry…”, I muttered. “Wanna play Uno?”, he asked. I frowned. “I hate Uno…” “Me too”, Happy grinned.

He served me eggs and bacon for lunch – this time with a salad on the side. “Why don’t you have an old lady?”, I asked him, as we ate. “I did… she died”. “I’m sorry”, I said. “Don’t be. She was a bitch. Stole my tarantula”. That was that conversation.

In the afternoon, I was going stir crazy. I stepped outside to get some air. Happy followed; and began throwing rocks at the birds in the trees. “Got one!”, he smiled; as one of the birds fell to the ground. “Happy… birds are our friends”, I said. He frowned. “They’re spies for the government”, he declared.

My burner rang in his pocket. He picked it up. “Yeah…?”, He looked at me. “Still alive, in spite of the birds… yeah, ok. I’ll tell her”. He snapped the phone shut. “Clay… they’re coming up here tomorrow. All of them”. “Jax?”, I said. “Still at his meeting. Be here with the others”. I nodded.

We watched Gremlins – 1 and 2 – before I finally gave in to boredom; and decided to turn to alcohol. Playing Never have I ever… with Happy, turned out to be a terrifying ordeal; and I went to bed early; cuddling up in Jax’s blue flannel. For some reason; his scent never left it. Sharp mint; and musky leather – with a side of indescribable Jax.

I fell asleep to the sound of Happy laughing at Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

---

I woke up at dawn; Happy still deep in his 80’s marathon. “Do you ever sleep?”, I asked with a raspy voice, as I sipped at my coffee. “About twice a week”, he answered. “I don’t like it. Nightmares”. “Birds?”, I said. “Everywhere…”, he said; voice gravelly.

I chowed down on some cereal; and went to have a smoke outside. Happy once again followed – refraining from rock-throwing this time. “You’re a good old lady”, Happy muttered. “Whatever happens these next few days, we got your back”. “Thanks”, I smiled.

There was a rumbling of engines from down the gravel road. Happy sprang up; and got in front of me – gun at the ready. Recognizing his brothers; he stood down. Clay, Bobby, Piney and Tig got off their bikes; and joined us in front of the cabin. Piney gave me a short hug. “How’s my old place treating you this time?”, he smiled. “You’ve got a pretty bad-ass movie library”, I said. “Yeah… I bring the kids up. Show them the classics”.

We went inside. Someone made a fresh pot of coffee; and soon we were gathered around the table. Clay lit a cigar. “Jax has a meeting with Lowen this morning”, he grumbled. He didn’t look happy. “Wasn’t he with her yesterday?”, Bobby asked. “They’re meeting with the state prosecutor…”. He looked towards me. “We have something coming up, brothers. You won’t like it”. Tig frowned. “What’s going on, man?”. Clay sighed. “I’ll let Jax fill you in. All you need to know right now, is that we’re working on a plan to get ATF off our asses completely… We set up chapel here when everyone arrives”. His eyes met mine. “You’re invited”.

#jax teller x oc #jax teller fic #jackson teller #jax teller #jackson teller fic #soa #sons of anarchy fic #sons of anarchy

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bleedinghearthalstead · 4 years

Text

SWAT!Jay / Upstead AU

A/N: Enjoy part 4! Crossposted on AO3. I’m also kinda hitting a wall, so feel free to suggest something you’d like to see in this universe :)

"Jay's at Med. Apparently he got injured during training." She sighs. "It's probably nothing, otherwise they would've called, but he can be a really lousy patient and he's gonna insist on checking himself out AMA."

Hank nods in understanding. "Not the first time?"

She sighs again, then rolls her eyes and confirms. "Not the first time."

"Target's name is Nathan Wilkins, 34 years old, served five years at Stateville for aggravated assault and armed robbery, recently paroled and eager to go back for another stint. Uniforms picked up his former cell mate James Warner yesterday after he was caught at a routine traffic stop with C4 and body armor in his trunk. Warner shared on his own volition that he and Wilkins were planning on hitting an underground money laundering operation in Pilsen-"

"Shit." All eyes turn to Hailey, who is frowning at her phone.

"Anything you want to share with class?" Adam asks, who was in the middle of his debrief, before Hailey's exclamation interrupted him.

"Sorry, keep going," she mutters, but she doesn't look up from her phone, quickly typing a reply, her expression sour.

Adam frowns. "Everything alright?"

"Yes, it's just-" She stops herself. "No, I'm sorry, I need to go." Hailey stands up from her seat on her desk, grabs her jacket off her chair and briskly walks off.

This is absolutely unusual behavior coming from Hailey, so Hank steps in and calls to her, "Detective Upton." Hailey skids to a halt before she reaches the stairs. "My office, now." Her sergeant's tone doesn't leave any room for discussion, but she also really doesn't have time for this, so she hurries into Hank's office, waiting impatiently for him to follow her. The whole team watches silently as their sergeant steps into his office after her and closes the door behind him. "Do you want to tell me what this is about?"

Hailey is fidgeting, not looking him in the eye. "I just really need to go right now. I'll be back soo-"

"Hailey," Hank snaps at her. "What is going on?"

She flinches slightly at his sharp tone. "Uhm, Jay's at Med. Apparently he got injured during training." She sighs. "It's probably nothing, otherwise they would've called, but he can be a really lousy patient and he's gonna insist on checking himself out AMA."

Hank nods in understanding. "Not the first time?"

She sighs again, then rolls her eyes and confirms. "Not the first time."

The older man nods again. "Go." At Hailey's hesitation, he repeats, "I said 'go'."

"Thanks, Hank," she says gratefully. "I'll be back in a couple of hours." With that, she rushes out the door, her team mates watching her in various degrees of confusion.

She only hears Hank's loud "Get back to work, people!" behind her.

* * * * *

When she gets to Gaffney, Jay is sitting on an exam bed and a nurse is sitting across from him. She is in the middle of putting a cast on Jay's left hand. Jay is wearing green gym shorts and a ratty grey Army t-shirt that he likes to wear when he works out. There's some new scrapes and bruises on his arms and legs, but he doesn't look any worse for wear.

As soon as he sees Hailey, he groans. "Who called you?"

Seeing with her own eyes that her husband is in fact fine, Hailey rolls her eyes at him. "Mitch texted me. He said you broke your hand when you fell off the cargo net."

"Mitch and his big mouth, I swear," Jay mutters, then indignantly says, "and I didn't 'fall'. Mitch and his fucking massive clown feet stomped on my hand, so it's his fault, and then my foot got caught in the net when I fe-" He stops himself before he finishes the word.

"Fell and landed on your hand?"

Jay continues his rant. "-and the coward doesn't even show up here himself, he calls-"

"Texted."

"-my wife!" He fumes. "Wait till I get my hands on fucking Bigfoot-"

Hailey walks up to him and puts her hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down so the nurse can finish her task without him moving around agitatedly. "You done?"

Jay deflates as soon as Hailey touches him. "Yes."

Hailey nods. "What did the doctor say?"

"Heeeeeyyy," comes from the door of the exam room, "if it isn't my favorite sister-in-law!"

Jay shakes his head while Hailey smiles and hugs the red-headed doctor that is her second-favorite Halstead. "Will, haven't seen you in a while."

"Well, I wish I saw you more often." He turns to Jay and pointedly looks at his broken hand that is being wrapped in bright white plaster. "At least I wish I saw less of this tire fire of a human being." Will anticipates his brother's reaction and narrowly dodges Jay's swing at him.

"Fuck off," the younger Halstead grumbles.

Hailey ignores their antics. "Is he going to be alright?"

"Yeah." Will walks up to the light box on the wall and points out the break or rather breaks on Jay's x-ray. "He broke the metacarpal bones of his left index and middle fingers, but they're clean breaks and the fractures are lined up, so they should heal without problem. He's gonna have the cast for at least three weeks-" Jay groans. "-and the doctor will determine at the check-up if he can have the cast removed. He'll probably have to wear a splint for another three weeks afterwards."

Jay rubs his healthy right hand over his face. "Six weeks!?" Hailey looks at Jay with a pained expression – this isn't going to be pretty. Her husband can get very restless when he cannot be physically active.

Will just rolls his eyes. "This isn't the first time you've broken your hand, this shouldn't be news to you."

"Again, fuck off."

"Well, stop breaking your damn hand."

Before the urge to slap them both upside the head gets too much, the only reason stopping her being that Jay is currently being treated at the hospital, Hailey quickly shuts down their bickering. "Guys, that's enough." She swears that the brothers are worse than her two nephews who are still in kindergarten.

"I'm all done now, Officer Halstead," the nurse announces and the two men at least look a little bit embarrassed that they had an unwitting audience.

Jay and Hailey thank the nurse and Will smiles at her apologetically. "Yeah, thanks, Lisa."

"No problem, Dr. Halstead."

As soon as the nurse is out of the room, Jay hops off the bed. "We done here?" He holds up his newly casted hand and looks at it in disdain.

Will nods. "You know the drill, be careful with the cast for a day or two until it's fully dried out, don't get the cast wet-"

"And don't stick anything down the cast, blah-di-blah." His older brother rolls his eyes at him. He and Hailey both know that Jay is terrible at that last bit, the itch usually the first thing that drives him mad.

"Here's a prescription for some pain medication." Will hands the note to Hailey and Jay just gives him the side eye.

Hailey reads over the prescription and it's just over-the-counter pain relievers that she doubts Jay is willing to take, but she'll make him take some later, whether he wants to or not. She notices that Jay is getting antsy, so she tries to wrap up their visit to Med as quickly as possible. "I gotta get back to work, let's get you home, huh?" Jay eagerly nods and they say their goodbyes to Will. "Will, why don't you come over to the house after your shift, watch the Blackhawks game with us?"

"Sure, why not."

All three of them know that this is code for 'keep Jay company in case Hailey can't get away from work'.

* * * * *

As soon as they get in the door of their house, Jay toes off his sneakers and walks straight into their living room, plopping down on the couch. Kicking up his feet on the coffee table and leaning back against the cushions, he lets out a relieved sigh. Hailey walks through to the kitchen and gets a glass of water, then hands two pills to Jay.

"Drink up." Jay grimaces at the pills that she dropped in his right hand, so Hailey adds, "It's just Advil."

"Fine," he huffs and pops them in his mouth, washing them down with the water that he takes from Hailey. Satisfied, she takes the glass back from him and goes to refill it, leaving it on the coffee table next to Jay's feet.

"Do you want to shower?" At Hailey's question, Jay looks down at himself. His grey shirt is stained with sweat and dirt. He pulls up the collar and sniffs, wrinkling his nose. He did run five miles and was on his second lap of the obstacle course when Mitch had not so gracefully squashed his hand and caused his fall. His wife nods before he says anything. "Come on, I'll help."

Jay sighs, but gets up and they walk upstairs together. He heads straight for the bathroom. Hailey disappears and comes back with a plastic bag and tape. While she was gone, Jay took off his shirt and shorts and is waiting for her in only his boxer briefs. All of her attention is on something else though. There is a huge red and purple bruise on the left side of his torso.

He catches her staring. "Nothing's broken, Ethan checked."

She tilts her head at him. "Anything else I need to know about?"

"Just my bruised ego," Jay laments. "The guys won't ever let me live that down."

"You sure you didn't hit your head too?" She sticks out her tongue at him.

"Ha ha, really funny."

Hailey takes the plastic bag and puts it over his cast, fixing it with tape. She nods at the shower. "You start and I'll help you with your right arm and back." Jay nods and then drops his boxer briefs. After she watches him step into the shower and close the curtain, she busies herself with grabbing his dirty clothes from the floor and throwing them in the hamper, then goes to their bedroom and comes back with a fresh t-shirt, boxers and sweatpants, the bathroom now steaming up.

Jay is standing under the hot water spray, his left fingertips hanging on to the curtain rail so his left hand is raised over his head. He is gingerly rubbing a wash cloth over his left side when the shower curtain opens behind him and he hears Hailey's voice, "Here, let me do the rest."

He hands her the wash cloth and winks at her. "Don't get wet." Hailey rolls her eyes.

"Turn your back to me and lift your right arm up a little," she directs him, then proceeds to carefully scrub his right arm and back, mindful not to put too much pressure on his injured side. She then motions for Jay to hand her the detachable shower head and rinses his back. When she is finished, she kisses him in the middle of his back. "All done."

He turns around and smiles when his wife hands him a towel. Leaning in, he gives her a soft kiss. "Thanks, babe." Before Jay can pull away, Hailey puts her hand on the back of his head and deepens the kiss, her fingers playing with the wet hair at the nape of his neck. When Hailey breaks away too soon, for Jay's taste anyways, he pouts. Hailey gives him a quick peck in apology, then sighs, "I really need to get back to work."

He is still pouting when he starts drying himself off, but then he quietly says, "You really didn't have to come to the hospital, I know you're busy." And it isn't like he didn't want her there, he always wants her by his side, but it really wasn't that bad and he swears he would've called her as soon as he was home.

"Just next time, text me yourself." Jay looks confused. "Or tell Mitch to text in full sentences. His first message just read 'Jay's at the hospital' and then he didn't reply for ten minutes."

"Fuck's sake." He pinches the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine, I just got worried and by the time Mitch texted me back saying that you broke your hand, I was already on the way."

Jay kisses Hailey once more. "Again, I'm sorry. And I'm gonna smash Mitch's phone."

"Good." Hailey giggles, then throws the pair of boxers at Jay's face. "Now put on some clothes, lover boy."

* * * * *

Back at the district, the team is setting up for a raid of Wilkins' house. Hank pulls her to the side before she can go down to the basement to prepare her gear with the rest of the unit. "All good?"

Hailey gives her sergeant a small smile. "Yeah, he's fine. Thanks for letting me go."

Hank grunts and nods. "I'm sure that broken hand won't stop him for very long." With that, he walks off.

Hailey never figures out how the hell he knew that Jay broke his hand.

* * * * *

Bonus:

It's after 10 p.m. when Hailey gets back home, so the hockey game is already over. When she enters the living room, Jay and Will are lounging on the big sofa, Jay's left arm propped up on a pillow in his lap. They are watching reruns of The Simpsons and there's dirty dishes and beer bottles littering the coffee table. Figures. She is about to tell them off, but then she hears a noise coming from the kitchen.

"Hey, babe." Jay turns away from the TV to look at her and gives her a soft smile. He looks tired but relaxed. Again, there's a clanging sound, followed by a low curse. "Mitch made an apology lasagna."

She is greeted with the sight of a big burly man wearing her flowery chef's apron. "Oh hey, Hailey." Mitch looks at her nervously. "There's some leftover lasagna in the kitchen for you. I made sure the boys didn't eat the whole thing." He's gesturing for her to take a seat (or to not come into the kitchen?). "Sit down, I'll warm it up for you!"

Mitch scurries away and Hailey gives Jay a pointed look when he snorts. "What did you do?"

Jay points at himself with an innocent smile, which is obviously and totally fake. "Me? Nothing. Mitch is just really sorry he upset you with his texts today."

Hailey rolls her eyes, but steps over Jay's feet that are stretched out in front of him, then drops down on the couch between him and Will. She snuggles into Jay's right side and he slips his arm over her shoulders. She leans up and gives him a chaste kiss. "How's the hand?"

Her husband raises the offending object and turns his arm. There's already a SWAT sticker adorning the damn thing. "Sucks, but I'll live."

Mitch comes back with a massive and steaming hot piece of lasagna and puts it on the coffee table in front of Hailey, clearing away the dirty plates and bottles. He hands her cutlery and a napkin. "Thanks, Mitch."

"I'm really sorry, Hailey," he blurts out. Will and Jay try but fail to hold back their laughs. Hailey glares at both of them.

"It's okay, Mitch. It's not your fault Jay is so accident prone." Mitch lets out his breath, relieved. Will snort laughs and Jay punches him in the arm behind Hailey's back.

"Babe, that's harsh," Jay complains. Hailey just smirks at him and digs into her lasagna.

#upstead #jay halstead #hailey upton #chicago pd #swat!jay au #some hurt/comfort and fluff #featuring halstead bros being children #jay's swat team is afraid of hailey #bhhfic

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blueshipstealstars · 5 years

Text

I guess I could put this here???

I GUESS??? Cause I feel some people like knowing if something up with me so why not share the last 24 hour events cause I basically: Went to urgent care to get rid of a cough from a previous cold and ended passing out several times to the point my heart stopped and now I’m on new meds and sort of still out of it in terms of doing much is exhausting haha-

Bottom line I am OK what happen is common as heck!!

But yeah I’ll explain it in detail under the cut and fair warning I talk about blood in this (lab tests kind) some mentioning of needles and fainting just as an fyi!

So as I mentioned, I went to Urgent care cause Ive had this cough for a while, I student teach so I never really give it a break ya know?

Also that morning at 3 am I work up in a sweat and a fever before I took some advil and dayquil and finally got back to sleep after an hour. Woke up at 7 and the fever was gone but I was still sweating.

(Aka note there’s a lot of sweat loss -> Sodium loss)

In the end they noticed my one tonsil is swollen so they prescribed some meds to help with it.

In the meantime they also wanted to test for step (it was negative) and then mono (also negative).

Downside, I warned the nurse I DO pass out when getting blood tests. But never when being baby pricked like you do for mono

So weirdly enough I pass out when he does this, not once but twice, I briefly came to before passing out again before finally waking up.

I woke up was active and responsive as normal and he was giving me orange juice and some of the meds for my throat

Before I even took them I leaned back cause I felt weird and proceeded to pass out AGAIN (which is NOT normal)

When I came to this time they were putting an IV in me and saying they were gonna call the hospital next door to come get me and bring me there

The emts come and take me there and Im exhausted yeah but alright until they put me in the wheelchair but I was conscious as the nurse got my information and asked me questions

It wasn’t until they took me for a chest X ray and needed me to stand that I once again passed out (luckily I sat myself back down and tried to tell her what was going to happen and that I needed to lay down but alas I balcked out again)

They brought me too and this time put me back into a bed and brought me to an emergency room (I think) to emit me there

Ngl before they moved me to another room I was in tears because I have basically passed out several times for unknown reasons within less then 4 hours

Also by then my mom was there because I kept her updated during my visit and even managed to text her i was being sent to the hospital

But yeah they got me into a room checked me out and I was EXHAUSTED but conscious and responsive. All was going fine and dandy until WHICH IS WEIRD another nurse came in literally changed my IV bandage do they could put a bag on and I remember saying it hurt when she was pulling it off and telling her I dont feel right and passing out again

And this is where it was scary

Because I came back just as I normally do but I remember ALOT of people were in the room like we’re talking 8+

This is because I was out longer than I should have been and due to that my heart stopped for 22 seconds

The good thing is BECAUSE there is nothing wrong with me and I am young my heart jumped right back up the moment I came to so it was all good

Downside they did add on a second heart monitor which is a little annoying BUT UNDERSTANDABLE

But yeah so they put off getting lab tests for the obvious reason and just let me rest ESPECIALLY after the doctor and nurses mentioning what exactly happened to each other and my mom which really sort of shocked me cause who wants to hear their fucking heart actually stopped at any POINT???

Funny enough once I went through the IV bag I was my normal chatty self showing my mom the new pokemon starters and everything just to keep us distracted

Hell we even got the lab tests done without me passing out

Down side ya girl passed out 5 times

I met with a specialist (A heart rhythm one if I remember right) and yeah he explained this is normal and you usually never know cause not everyone passing out can see their heart rate obviously what I have is considered a situational Vasovagal Syncope where I have a trigger that sets my body into fight or flight mode and it lets the blood pressure drop to the point my heart goes with it aka causing me to pass out its common as heck and we know the trigger

It is VERY unusual that this happened this much and is unlikely to happen again but they have given me meds to regulate my pressure and I will see that doctor in two weeks to see how I’m doing!

Another thing they noted is I have a sodium deficiency (ive known this for years and worked with it) and it didnt help I sweated out so much this morning since 3 am. But turns out because my FAVORITE beverage is water I am deluding the sodium I do have so I’m weirdly suggested to drink more different sorts like soda or gatorade or juice that give me boosts of other things

In conclusion, I am ok. Not totally better based on how my day has gone due to any excessive movement or standing has made my light headed sadly. But I’m not in the hospital currently and I just need to get myself to stop being active for the weekend and relax and recover my strength! I just sort of wanted to put this all down in a full “this is what happened” cause I don’t have anywhere else to put a long thing like this LOL-

But yeah make sure to take care of yourselves ok guye!!

#personal #tw: fainting #tw: blood #tw: hospital visit

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spiderqueen8 · 3 years

Text

Ticket to Atlantis

In all honesty, I probably should have realized something was up way before I actually did. Hell, the second I walked into that dusty old bookstore, I should have turned around and walked right back out. But I didn’t.

I couldn’t. Or rather, I wouldn’t. Or… maybe a bit of both? It wasn’t everyday that you ended up somewhere you’d visited before in a dream. And that made it hard to leave.

So I pushed past both the alarm bells ringing in my head and the heavy wooden door of the shop. My hand came away dusty, as if no one had entered this place in ages. And yet when I craned my head back through the door frame, a flickering neon sign clearly flashed the word “OPEN”. Its buzzing the one modern amenity I could see belonging to this building.

Here goes nothing, I thought and ducked fully inside.

Instead of the cheerful tinkling of chimes I might have expected, a deep and heavy ringing echoed from the depths of the store, which suddenly seemed a lot bigger than it had from outside. The sound reminded me of the bells on a clock tower but surely that had to be just the result of some excellent sound system.

How would a clock tower fit inside a bookstore? Even just thinking that made no sense.

The urge to sneeze hit me in the face and I wrinkled my nose at the realization that everything in here was just as dusty as the door. The bookshelves practically glowed and I couldn’t read any of the titles through the grey coating their spines.

Didn’t anyone clean this place? Surely that had to be a part of some employee’s job description.

I was just about ready to leave the way I came, dream or no dream, when I finally saw someone else appear.

He was a young man, fresh out of college if I had to guess. Wearing a pair of delicate reading glasses which seemed right at home against his sweater vest and khakis. Curly brown hair fell down over his face as he came out of the back room, sipping a coffee and reading a thick book in his hands.

Awkwardly, I cleared his throat and he looked up abruptly.

“Oh! It’s you.” He said brightly as his eyes lit up and he tossed the book he was reading onto a nearby desk without marking his spot. His voice felt almost too loud for the place we were standing in. Like someone talking at full volume in a silent library.

I blinked, a little caught off guard, and tried to match his energy. “Yes, it’s- me? I’m sorry, do I know you?”

He laughed, “Oh, no. But I was expecting a visitor today. Pardon the dust, we don’t get many of you in here these days.”

I gave him a look of wary confusion, “Visitors?”

“Exactly,” he agreed, “But you had the dream, didn’t you? Creative type I bet? Those are usually an easier sell.”

“Umm,” I took a sharp breath, trying to keep up with everything he was saying. “Yeah, yes. To both of those. That is, I’m a writer. But how did you know? The dream, was that real?”

He laughed and waved his free hand dismissively, “Oh never mind that. My name’s Riley. Pleased to meet you.” He held his hand out and I took it without thinking.

Before I could even get my name out, a wave of nausea hit me. So powerful that I staggered backwards and dropped his hand. But the feeling lingered, making my head throb. I winced in pain as I shook my head, trying to clear it.

Riley gave me a sympathetic look, “Headache? I’m sorry, I get migraines too sometimes I know how that is. Oh I think I have some advil here actually.” He dug around in his pockets for a moment and procured a standard looking pharmacy bottle. “Want one?”

I really shouldn’t have said yes. But I wasn’t thinking straight. My head hurt like hell and I wanted it to stop.

So I let him tip a pill into my hand. And like a fool, I swallowed it.

The walls fell away around me until Riley and I were left standing in a dark void. I blinked, trying to focus on him and it felt like I was staring through an aquarium. The air seemed to ripple and reflect light that didn’t exist. Riley grinned at me.

“I was right, you feel it. Don’t you?”

I shook my head, “The only thing I feel is like I’m losing my mind. What did you do to me?”

“You did this to yourself,” Riley scoffed and reached into his pocket before fishing out a silver key. As the key was drawn out, I saw a linked chain shimmering at the end of it, eventually attached to a strange silver pendant.

Riley handed the pendant over to me and I took it almost involuntarily.

It felt unnaturally cold in my hands and looked to be a strange cluster of crystals and computer chips. Held together with twisted metal wiring. “This is a piece of trash.”

Riley had the audacity to look offended. “Try and get rid of it then,” he said, “I dare you.” And with abnormally fast movements, he grabbed my shoulder and shoved the key into my chest.

A strange, distant chanting started up, which began as something garbled and incomprehensible. But as Riley twisted the key, the words switched abruptly to English. Or at least something that I could understand. “Ph'nglui mglw'nafh- creature, raising westward flags. Praise morning’s creature, raising westward flags.”

I woke up on a bench in the back of the bookstore.

An unfamiliar woman stood off to the side, shelving books and humming to herself. Her head snapped over to me as I groaned groggily. “Oh good, you’re awake,” she said, “How are you feeling dearie?”

“What happened?” I mumbled, trying to clear my head. “Where’s Riley?”

The woman shrugged, “He went home an hour ago. Told me that you had a migraine and wasn’t feeling well so I should just let you sleep for a bit.”

I got shakily to my feet and took a deep breath. “Can I go?”

She smiled sweetly, “Take care.”

So I was left, wondering if all that had truly been just a fever dream. Until I found it. That pendant Riley had given me, with its hypnotic tendril pattern and its computer chip core. I tried to get rid of it, I really did. But it kept. Coming. Back.

Tossed down the drain, back in my pocket. Crushed in the trash compactor, found in the bottom of my bag. And my heart ached terribly until I found it again.

It also started making me do things. I think. I mean, I definitely wanted to do the things but it wasn’t anything I normally would have wanted to do. Like manipulating my partner. Or shoplifting. So I cut ties with everyone I could. And I stopped going outside unless absolutely necessary.

I kept wanting to do harm though so now I’m leaving town for a week. To try and clear my head a little. Or maybe it’s still the pendant talking.

Who knows.

All that I can think about right now is that I need to see the ocean. Maybe my problems can be drowned.

#Short story #Original Writing

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fionnfanatics · 7 years

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Request: Hey! I love your imagines so much! I thought i’d request one myself ( i know it may take some time, it doesn’t matter) so… Maybe y/n is helping to film on the Monestone but get’s a nasty migrane and has to go back to her trailer. Only they have to wait a bit before a boar can take her to the land so everyone tries to stay as quiet as they can. Maybe they can even make a little bed out of some blankets and Barry just holds y/n and strokes her head. I love you! I hope you have a lovely day! ❤️❤️

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You were used to being the lone girl surrounded by a bunch of guys. You had 4 older brothers, and mostly male cousins, so you were always outnumbered.

But being one of the only females on the set of Dunkirk was actually pretty fun.

Practically all of the cast and crew treated you like a princess. They loved you, and you definitely weren’t complaining.

You spent most of your time on set with the civilian crew. You loved being on a boat, so Chris suggested you film with him on the Moonstone.

You became really close to Barry, Tom, Cillian and Mark, loving those men to death. Barry and Mark were hysterical when they got on a roll, often making you and Tom cry with laughter.

Of all the boys, Barry was the one that caught your attention.

Barry and you had been getting really close lately, going on a few dates in the past 2 weeks. You really enjoyed being with the Irishmen, he was really funny and sweet.

Today you had woken with a slight headache, but you hadn’t been bothered at first. You took a couple Advil and drank a cup of herbal tea, before beginning your day.

But as the sun beat down on you, and the other cameramen yelled at one another, the slight ache became a consistent pounding.

Soon the pain became unbearable, and you were dropping the camera in your hands to hold your head. The clatter caught the attention of everyone, causing a few of them to rush towards you.

“Y/N? Are you alright?” Chris asked worriedly, placing a hand on your shoulder. Your eyes were squeezed tightly shut, and you winced at the closeness of his voice.

“Migraine.” You groaned out, voice coming out in a whisper. From the time you were little you had experienced chronic migraines. In high school you went on a medication that had almost gotten rid of them all together. Every once in a while you still got one, like today for instance.

You had told Barry about your migraines, and how bad they could get, so he instantly responded.

“Chris, she should go back te her trailer.” Barry spoke gently, pulling your face into his chest to shield it from the sun.

“Right, I’ll go call in a boat to come get her.” Chris said, moving away from you to make a radio call.

“What can we do to help?” Cillian asked, voice laced with sympathy.

“Everyone be quiet fer a while. Sound makes it worse.” Barry responded, and most of the noise around you quieted down. “I’m gonna get her out o’ tha sun until the boat gets here. I’ll take her below deck.”

Barry gently pulled you downstairs, closing the door behind him to block out the sound and light.

Your eyes were still screwed tightly when he turned to face you, head continuing to pound. It was like a thousand needles were currently trying to penetrate your brain. It was the worst migraine you’d had in a really long time.

“It hurts.” You whined out, sliding down the wall into a hunched over position.

“I know darlin’, I’m goin’ te try an’ make it better.” He whispered, rushing around the room and collecting things. He worked quickly and quietly, doing his best not to make your head any worse.

When he spoke again, he was kneeling in front of you and about to pick you up.

“C'mon love. I made a makeshift bed fer ye.” Barry murmured, pulling you into his arms. He led you over to the other side of the room, setting you down on a bed of blankets and pillows.

After he set you down, he followed suit next to you and pulled your body into his. Resting your head on his chest, his fingers began softly combing through your hair.

“Just close yer eyes an’ relax. Tha boat will be here in no time.” He reassured you, one of his hands coming up to rub your temple as the other stayed in your hair.

“I’m sorry I interrupted your scene.” You told him, snuggling further into his warmth. You’d never been held like this before, and it felt so good. You never wanted to leave his arms.

“Don’ be daft. Ye didn’ do anythin’. Besides, yer health is just as important te all o’ us.” He replied, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead.

He began humming some soft tune, lulling you into a light sleep. Your migraine had dulled into a severe headache, allowing you to relax.

“Bar?” You mumbled, sleep overcoming you. Barry hummed in response, prompting you to continue. “Thank you.”

“Anythin’ fer ye, princess.” He smiled, watching as you fell asleep against him. Cillian, Tom and Mark quietly made their way downstairs, eyes taking in the sight of you two.

“10 bucks says he asks her out when he goes to visit her later.” Tom whispered to Cillian, causing the older man to smile.

“You’re on.”

The next morning, Tom could be found waving a ten dollar bill around the set, with Cillian following behind him with an amused look on his face.

#barry keoghan #barry keoghan imagine #dunkirk #dunkirk imagine #barry x reader #barry keoghan x reader

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insomniac-arrest · 7 years

Text

A Place for Things

words: 2k

summary: A woman goes to her mom’s funeral

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So, mom is dead. That’s not what you say funerals, that’s not what you say when you show up in a dress you bought at Macy’s the other day with your girlfriend’s credit card.

Mom isn’t supposed to be dead either, but you’re at least supposed to say something nice when she is. I forgot my eulogy in the car anyway, it didn’t start like that.

She was an angel, a light, a caregiver, nice words stuffed into an open gaping maw and you want to summon them so badly it feels like a throat burn. I wished I could pluck them out of some sort of word jar, loaded with just the right phrases- I would make a killing selling those.

An image burns a hole in my forehead.

My mom had jars, jars on jars on jars, she put fruits in them and jam and sewing supplies and ‘good things that happened to me’ this year slips of paper. It was the first thing people joked about when they tried to remember her.

You’re supposed to joke and say something meaningful, I can’t just stop thinking: she’s dead, she’s dead, she’s dead.

I don’t even know what that means.

I brought a granola bar in my bag, I never liked granola and maybe that’s why I bought it, I have my student's old tests shoved in my dashboard and my car keys down the front of my shirt. I have on two gold rings.

I show up with a toothache from some wisdom tooth removal that happened fifteen years ago, the soles of my heels are basically shredded but I wouldn’t sit down now if they paid me. My mom would have liked that, not in a direct way, but in a way that no one would have stopped her from nodding in my direction.

I have on two gold rings, I didn’t mean to put on two but some things slip your mind when you're jamming objects onto your persons the morning of a funeral. I had already driven two and half hours and walked another twenty minutes because I couldn’t find free parking and maybe I wanted to walk.

She’d call it ‘waist saving’ and maybe put it in a jar.

Cousin Ben looks at me first, he takes my hand, the right one with the two gold rings on it and gives me the most tightly crisp smile I’ve ever seen. My own teeth show up like a snarl.

“Helen,” he greets and then bows his head, “We were just talking about you.” I tilt my head, I have places to be- like anywhere but here. “All good things I hope.” I laugh like the sound might get stuck in my throat.

“I won’t spoil it then.” He laughs too and the temptation to be a musical villain is there. I want to turn, I want to be angry at a lot of people at that moment.

My cousin Ben brought his best tie from a New Jersey suit shop he found, it’s blue because it’s sad and he likes sad things. He brought three cents in his pocket, he likes to rub them together when he’s nervous and count the number of times he’s rubbed them.

He’s trying to make it less, I know that. My cousin Ben brought mouthwash and breath mint, he doesn’t kiss people, he doesn’t like the feel, but he became very self-aware of his mouth when he was a kid and still had a dead tooth.

He liked to be aware of things, though this wasn’t something he would brag about at any farm to table restaurant he visited. He just rubs his coins together in his pocket.

He knows my mom is dead in the way that she sent him canned peaches when he was six, they said it was a bad birthday present, but that’s how he remembered her because no one else was going to give him canned peaches for his birthday.

He also has a faux-crocodile wallet, an iphone 7 shoved in his back pocket, and a short eulogy just in case one of us faints on the spot and he has to take over. My other cousin Jenny would like that. She loved things like that.

I wave and try to converse through my teeth, his smile made me have to smile. I wish I was walking again, ‘waist saving’ as my mom would say.

I go in once another guest grabs his attention, I don’t know her, she’s not in the family and I can tell she might like kissing in the way he doesn’t.

I walk the other direction and the utter cool of the house overwhelms me as I enter. I briefly close my eyes.

I brought one black purse with one long black sash across my shoulder and a tiny wallet that fit inside that. It was also black.

I want to go stuff cheese in my face, someone said there was cheese on the group chat: ‘Nancy’s Funeral.’ I had done enough walking.

My aunt Flora is standing in the dim green hallway of the entranceway, she catches my eye, she has green eyes too. She opens her mouth, her lips moving without any words coming out.

She had been to many more funerals than I had, maybe she wanted to say ‘sorry for your loss,’ but it was both of our loss, the words die there.

I offer her a nod, “how are you doing Aunt Flora?” More silent words come out, she purses her thin lips and tries again, “better than Nancy I suppose.” She laughs a throaty guttural sound and I join in, it’s a sitcom sound. You’re supposed to make a few jokes at funerals, like you’re making it meaningful.

My aunt Flora brought one padded purse with extra handkerchiefs, not for anyone else, she knows she’s prone to crying and they are a stern warning to herself not to.

She brought one accessory, red lipstick that smears her teeth every so slightly and the hope that maybe someone will hint at her about it. No one does. She brought a lumpy black dress and two terribly comfortable looking shoes, she knows about shoes and would talk to you about them if you asked. No one did.

In the purse was fifty-five dollars in cash because she’s trying to save up as much physical money as possible to carry around, she doesn’t trust banks, but she’s not very good at it.

I offer her my hand, “to us then,” I almost toast, “slightly better than the grave.” She laughs this time too, the type of wheeze that meant her handkerchiefs were trying to threaten her. I turn around without ceremony.

Me and my brother always said one of those jars had tears in it, that was the story and my mom was making a deal with a great witch down the street. That’s why she sometimes took us by the ear and kicked us out of the house for a few hours.

Before dad came home, it was never long, not long enough to be a thing, later in life times like those that felt like I knew her, she locked us out for a few hours and I almost understood her.

Everything else was a mystery, a hole, and if it wasn’t a hole then it certainly was now.

That’s also what I thought of when I looked at my aunt Flora. We toast to the wind and trade condolences before I duck my head and scurry off.

There was cheese, or maybe another walk.

I have to see my brother next, I know I do because sometimes the world is never predictable but it ends up that way anyway. I see him in the cheese room inside the church reception hall inside the sweaty damp heat of the Atlanta spring.

He’s talking to his wife, who I like, and she’s not talking at all. I can see why.

My brother is moving faster than the winds could catch and maybe he remembered being locked out of the house for a couple hours too.

My brother brought tea, not on purpose, but because his daughter bought him some as a condolences present and they were the type of family to buy each other presents. He accidentally tore one of the bags when opening it and stuffed it in his pocket to hide the fact.

He brought his reading glasses but he was trying not to show that he needed them.

He brought a suit jacket he got after a promotion last year and a pair of pants that were a slightly darker hue but he hoped no one noticed (no one did but cousin Jenny. She found it in poor taste).

He had on an undershirt that was a little too small, my mom would say he should do more ‘waist saver’ walks. She’d say it with a smile.

His wife brought Advil in her purse, sticks of gum, four of the family credit cards, a water bottle for her daughter who was in the other room, a lozenge, a nail clipper, a book about Helen Keller, and headphones- taken from her daughter. Then some granola bars, she for one actually likes granola bars.

I want to eat another hole through my shoes, a gaping ones the matches the one in my heels, they were from Nordstrom Rack and also black. But my brother was talking.

“She never really could let go of those keychains we made her every year, I bet she still has them in a box somewhere! Or probably a jar,” polite laughter, “I think she never found a glass container she didn’t like. I would have cut her off and switched her to cardboard if it wasn’t at least a little charming.” Polite laughter, “I wish she knew when to stop. She never knew when to stop. With some things! A follow through-er, my mom was a follow through-er, haha, she would hate if I called her that.” Polite laughter.

Interjected words across words leave my brothers mouth. I narrow my eyes and I decide not to head right out to the cheese portion of my afternoon, Family Friend Tamara was standing there and I could tell she wanted to ask me advice about her son.

I keep my eyes on my brother, he jumped from one place to another.

“She taught me my words with those damn recipe books, and then those stupid Monkey Phonics, God, I should have told her I hated those. But then she’d make me help can peaches! I think I still hate peaches.”

Friend Tamara brought baby wipes for her hands, Mom’s old college roommate brought expired raffle tickets, my brother’s daughter brought tea and her meds. The woman talking to cousin Ben that I didn’t know brought breath mints too, Cousin Jenny brought her entire set of keys and Cat’s the musical discography.

Someone brought flowers, everyone brought flowers. I brought two gold rings, a pair of pantyhose I forgot to put on in the car, a tiny wallet, I walk across the room.

I barely get his attention, “Mom’s dead.” I put my hand on my brother’s shoulder, it’s the first thing I say. Maybe that’s why my brother always got let back into the house first.

He turns to me and the words die in his mouth, maybe he would make another joke. I shake my head and we both feel the gaping open words a little wholer than they were.

I wish we both started to cry, but he stops talking. I don’t show him my eulogy because I left it in the car.

I finish what I’m saying, something, something, and we move to take our seats for the ceremony, the priest brings a napkin in his pocket. My mom lies, lovely, gone, someone left a jar- I wish they hadn’t.

I forgot my eulogy in the car, I make a joke about it on the way up.

#original story #death/#funerals #writing #original piece #I wrote something that wasn't a romance

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5sos-kingsandqueens · 7 years

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The Dealer~chapter2~Calum Hood

THE DEALER

CHAPTER 2

JAYDE P.O.V

Sex with Calum was always enjoyable but two weeks after visiting with him, I was already craving him again. So I did the logical thing and invited him to a party and asked him to bring some drugs. I didn't plan on doing any drugs but I did plan on doing him.

He showed up before everyone else as he didn't live around him. He had planned to stay the whole weekend so he put his stuff in my room before coming back out to roll some joints.

"Should we pregame?" He asks holding it out to me.

"Fine." I said taking a hit from it before handing it back and grabbing two shot glasses and pouring us each a shot. "Vodka is nasty but here we go." I clinked my glass to his before taking it.

When other's showed up is when Calum set his hand on my back and followed me throughout the apartment. Around midnight, he had his lips attached to my neck and was whispered dirty things in my ear. I pretty much dragged him to my room where I shoved him onto the bed and took his clothes off. He was as high as a kite and I was as drunk as a skunk but I knew I needed him.

I took off my clothes and rode him, holding my boobs as I did. He held my hips, guiding me to where it felt good for both of us.

"Jesus." He moaned making me giggle. I threw my head back as I orgasmed and he wasn't far behind me before I flopped next to him pulling the blanket over us. I cuddled into him giggling. "What's so funny?" He questioned.

"I'm just very drunk." I giggled.

"Well get some sleep. You're gonna be hungover tomorrow." I finally fell asleep listening to him breathing.

The next morning I ran to the bathroom before throwing up. I groaned resting my head against the toilet. I had a pounding headache and I felt disgusting. I went to start some coffee before going to shower. I heard someone peeing and peeked out.

"What are you doing?"

"Peeing." Calum answered before stepping into the shower with me. "And now I'm showering." I smiled before turning around to rinse the conditioner out of my hair. I moved around to let him get under the water before stepping out and wrapping a towel around myself and setting one out for Calum. The door opened and Emily stood at the door.

"Oh shit, sorry." She said before closing the door again.

"Calum, hurry. People have to go to the bathroom." I commented before leaving and closing the door behind me going to get dressed. I walked into the living room where at least five different people were sleeping. I went into the kitchen to get Advil and a cup of coffee. Calum came out dressed and I handed him a cup.

"Wanna go out to breakfast?" He asked and I shook my head.

"I don't feel good and there's a ton of people in my apartment."

"I'll make you breakfast then." He smiled kissing me before going to the fridge and pulling out eggs. I sat at the table watching him and every so often rubbing my stomach or head. "You okay?" I nodded.

"Just don't feel good." I commented sighing. Once everyone could smell the food cooking, they were awake. Calum cooked for everyone before they left. He even helped you clean before you both went to lay down in bed.

"How are you feeling now?"

"Better." I smiled turning on the t.v. "I just think I drank too much." I smiled. "We can order some takeout if you want. I could really go for Chinese." I said sitting up and going to the kitchen. I dialed the number and ordered what we each wanted before going back to bed and waiting.

He got the door before coming into the room and we both ate it in bed. He stayed the night again but instead of having sex we just cuddled. He left the next morning as I was leaving for work.

Once I got there, I ran to the bathroom to throw up. There was no way that I could possibly still be hungover. I sighed as I rinsed out my mouth and went to actually start working.

'Some bitch ass in your apartment building wants me to drive all the way over there just to give him some crack.' Calum texted me and I chuckled texting back that he would make some money off it.

"Hey, did you just throw up?" One of my co-workers asked.

"Yeah. But I don't think I'm sick. I think my body is just telling me to stop drinking." I chuckled.

That night while I was eating dinner, I got a reminder on my phone that my period should be coming the next day.

"Fucker's." I groaned before rushing off to the store knowing that I would need pain meds and most likely pads or tampons. I sighed as I laid in bed knowing that I was going to be in pain for a few days and I knew it was going to suck.

*ONE WEEK LATER*

I got worried when my period never came. Sometimes it would be off balance but never a week late. I laid in bed debating on what was going to happen. It made my stomach turn at the thought of being late.

I went to the kitchen to make myself a BLT but the smell of the bacon made me sick and I thankfully got to the sink fast enough before throwing up into the sink. I groaned before throwing it away and spraying the apartment to make the smell go away. I was in deep shit.

I decided to make an appointment with my doctor for the following day and I sat in her office scared out of my mind. I had no idea what she was going to say but I had a good feeling about it. I knew that I had symptoms of pregnancy, the throwing up when I smell things, the not getting a period, my nipples were darker than normal.

The worst part of all of this? Calum Hood, the drug dealer, was my baby daddy.

My doctor eventually came in and confirmed that I was in fact pregnant and gave me a vaginal scan. It was so strange to know that there was something growing inside me that would later be a human.

I had no idea how I was going to Calum. I was almost 4 weeks pregnant and most likely wasn't going to share the news with my family on it yet. Of course I was a college graduate with a decent job and a decent place to live but if they ever found out that I was pregnant with a drug dealers baby they wouldn't let me be apart of the family anymore.

I called Emily and told her to come over. I started cooking dinner when she came in and sat at the table.

"So, what's the occasion?" She questioned as she poured herself a glass of wine.

"You're not going to believe me when I say it." I commented turning to look at her. I was still shocked about it. I should have been way more careful than I was. I should have checked to make sure that he was wearing a condom and I should have checked if the birth control in my arm was still working.

"What?"

"I'm pregnant." I said. Her eyes widened.

"What? How? With who's baby?" She questioned standing up looking at me. "Please tell me you slept with someone else before or after Calum." I didn't say anything. "Oh my god, Jayde! This is bad! This is really bad." She paced around my kitchen.

"What do you mean it's bad? I think I'll be a good mom."

"It's not you Jay!" She shouted. "It's him. He's a drug dealer. Do you really think he's going to care about this baby at all?"

"Why are you being so mean about it?" I questioned. "I'm not going to force him to be in the babies life if he doesn't want to be." I added.

"Have you even told him yet?"

"No." She rolled her eyes. She was being a really bad friend right now.

"I knew you shouldn't have been hooking up with him. He's trouble, Jayde."

"I can't change it now!" I shouted. "I'm an adult."

"Who got knocked up." I gasped. Accidents happen. It wasn't like I was going around sleeping with different men and have no idea who the father is. I've known Calum for years. I haven't slept with anyone besides Calum for a while now so her acting like I was a slut hurt my feelings.

"Maybe you should go." I said turning the stove off.

"Yeah." She answered picking up her bag and leaving. I debated if I should call Calum and tell him. It would be easier to do it over the phone that way if he went crazy or something it wouldn't be in person.

"Hello?" He said into the phone.

"Don't be mad."

"I'm not coming to give you drugs." I laughed a little.

"No. I don't want drugs." I sighed. "I have something to tell you and I don't want you to freak out but I know you're going to."

"Just tell me."

"I'm pregnant." I blurted waiting for a response. "Calum? Are you there?" I questioned. "It's yours by the way. If you didn't get that."

"What do you mean you're pregnant?"

"I mean me and you created a child. Listen, Calum, I'm not expecting anything from you. You can be as involved as you want. I know things are going to be complicated-"

"I'm coming over and you're taking a test."

"Cal, it's late."

"I don't care." I nodded even though he couldn't see me. "Have you gone to the doctor? What did they say?"

"Yeah, I'm 3 weeks and 4 days. I'm due March 29th. I have a picture if you want to see it."

"I'm coming. I'll be there in an hour." I sighed.

"I'll be here." I waited for him. In the time that it took me to eat dinner, clean it up and shower, it took him to get here. "Here." He handed me the test and sent me off to the bathroom where I peed on the stick to prove to him that I was in fact pregnant. I showed him the test and the picture I got. "What do we do?" I shrugged.

"We have plenty of time to figure this out." I answered. "I'm not asking for anything from you I just thought you would like to know. I'm going to hold off on telling my family, I want to make sure that nothing goes wrong." I commented. "We're both adults who messed up and made a mistake, its not the end of the world. It's a baby, Calum." I whispered.

"I know but I've done some bad stuff. I don't have a job."

"You can get a job. They're always looking for personal assistants at my office." I told him. "I make enough to support a baby but a baby should grow up with two parents."

"I'll work on myself okay? I promise. I don't know how to take care of a baby but I will do whatever I can to help you out." I nodded at him leaning into him. "I'm afraid."

"I know. Me too." I had no idea where either of our futures held but I was scared to death of it.

#calum hood #calum imagine #calum edit #calum au #calum fanfiction #calum fanfic #calum smut #5sos #5sos fam #5sos blog #5sos edit #5sos au #5sos imagine #5sos fanfiction #5sos fanfic #5sos smut #mention of drugs

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bromfieldhall · 7 years

Text

“Redwood” - A Mentalist Fanfiction

TIMELINE: Set some time after season five episode, ‘Red Sails in the Sunset’. Goes AU from there.

SYNOPISIS: Jane and Lisbon are forced into a deadly game when they try and catch a new serial killer.

PAIRING: Patrick Jane/Teresa Lisbon - Jisbon

Previous Chapters 1, 2

CHAPTER 3

"Did you think that Cho and Rigsby were acting a little odd at breakfast this morning?" Lisbon asked Jane as they drove to see Hicks at his office in Eureka.

"Odd?" her consultant hedged as he glanced over at her and shifted a little uncomfortably on the passenger seat. "In what way?"

"Oh, I don't know. They seemed on edge and kept giving each other weird looks," she tried to explain.

They had indeed Jane acknowledged to himself as he bit back a smile and gazed out of the window. It had amused him greatly.

"Meh, they probably just got hammered last night and didn't want you to find out they had a raging hangover," he dismissed lightly. "I'm pretty certain I saw Rigsby take a couple of Advil with his orange juice."

Lisbon frowned as she thought his explanation over then finally nodded her head in agreement.

"Yeah, you're probably right.

"My dear, Lisbon, when are you going to accept that I'm always right?" he countered smugly, drawing the conversation away from further speculation on the two male agents rather unusual behaviour.

"About the time Hell freezes over," she retorted breezily.

"Well, with the ozone layer being what it is and the increasingly peculiar weather we've been experiencing over the past few years, that might become a reality sooner than you think," he stated glibly.

"Oh, please," she muttered, rolling her eyes at his words.

The journey to Eureka only took around fifteen minutes and they soon pulled up in front of the Coroner's office and got out.

"Just let me do the talking, OK?" Lisbon ordered as they entered the building.

"Of course," Jane agreed, far too easily for her liking.

She gave him a suspicious look but when he merely grinned in response, she mentally prepared herself for what was to come. They were directed to the morgue and went in to find Hicks sitting on a stool and writing in a file.

"You're bright and early, Agent Lisbon," he greeted coolly as he looked up unsurprised at their entrance. "I'm afraid I don't have much to tell you."

Out the corner of her eye, Lisbon caught sight of Jane opening his mouth to say something but she nudged him indiscreetly in the side and silenced him with a glare. He raised his eyebrows at her actions then stuck his hands into his jacket pockets and sauntered off around the room checking the names on the large metal drawers that contained the bodies.

"That's fine, Dr. Hicks," Lisbon assured the thin man as she looked back at him with a smile while trying to keep one eye on her wayward consultant. "Just tell me what you did find and let me have a copy of your report."

"Very well," he agreed, watching Jane running a finger under the typed name cards of each drawer as he slowly wandered up and down. "I retrieved three .30 calibre bullets from the chest area. Considering the amount of damage sustained, I'd say two were shot from distance. The third was lodged in the heart and, in my opinion, was taken at closer range. It was also the cause of death, naturally."

"Hardly anything natural about it," Jane commented dryly from the far side of the room.

Lisbon shot him a dark look then turned back to Hicks and queried, "Anything else?"

"Minor contusions to his legs and arms that are consistent with several falls. Other than that, nothing of any consequence to your investigation," he replied, shooting an irritated glance at the blond as well. "All the other details are in my report."

"Oh, you mean like the knife wound?" Jane enquired as he walked back over to stand next to Lisbon.

"Knife wound?" the Coroner repeated, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"Yes," the consultant confirmed with a slight smile. "Top of his right arm. It was quite defined, you couldn't miss it."

Nor could Hicks miss the blonds' implication.

"Oh, that," he dismissed with a shake of his head as he let out a derisive snort. "You're mistaken, Mr. Jane, the mark you're referring to was just a scratch. Probably caught it on a branch when he fell."

"No it wasn't," Jane refuted confidently, his face now devoid of any trace of its previous pleasantness. "It was too precise. That wound was definitely caused by a knife."

Hicks sucked in a breath and puffed out his chest as he raised himself to his full height, which was still a good two inches shorter than the consultant.

"What makes you so sure you're right? Do you have some kind of medical training that makes you an expert on these things?" he enquired disdainfully.

"No," the consultant replied mildly. "Do you?"

"OK, that's enough," Lisbon cut in curtly when she saw Hicks turn an almost purple colour with anger. "We can easily settle this by you just showing us the body."

"I can't. It's been released to the family," the Coroner revealed defiantly as he turned away and went back to perch on his stool.

"Already?" the brunette agent questioned incredulously, beginning to feel her own irritation stirring. "Why wasn't I informed first? You should have waited until you had permission."

"I did," he retorted stiffly. "I spoke to Sheriff Newland and he gave it to me."

"Well, that was certainly convenient," Jane interjected caustically.

"And what do you mean by that?" Hicks irately demanded to know as he stood up again.

Jane looked bemused at the Coroner's temper and held up his hands in mock surrender. "Nothing. Just passing comment."

Lisbon mentally counted to ten as she reined in her irritation both at the Coroner's attitude and Jane's antagonism.

"Sheriff Newland isn't running this investigation any longer, the CBI is; so from now on you'll run everything regarding this case past me. Do you understand, Dr. Hicks?" she commanded in no uncertain terms.

The sandy haired man nodded reluctantly, his eyes showing his displeasure at being spoken to in such a way.

Not wanting to see the situation get any further out of hand, she plastered what she hoped would pass for a placating smile on her face.

"Good. Thank you for your time. We'll be in touch if we need further information," she said, trotting out the platitude with practiced ease.

She then turned abruptly and walked away with Jane in tow, the latter pausing in the doorway to give the Coroner a jaunty salute and grin before he left.

"He's obviously covering up for someone," the consultant announced as soon as they were out of the building. "But he doesn't strike me as a killer. That means he either knows who it is and he's doing it because there's some connection there, a relative maybe, or he's being paid a lot of money by someone to keep any trace evidence out of the reports."

"I know," she agreed as they got into the SUV and she started it up. "But without that body, we have no proof of anything."

"Well there must have been some photos taken at the scene," the blond mused. "If they took some of Miller then they should show the cut and as it's not mentioned in the report then we'd at least have enough to pull Hicks in for an interview."

"That's a good idea. Call Van Pelt and ask her to speak to the Sheriff," Lisbon decided as she put the car into gear and pulled away. "In the meantime, we'll go to Blue Lake and speak to Miller's parents."

Jane nodded then pulled out his phone and made the call. Van Pelt was only too happy to help and said that she and the men would go over to the Sheriff's office once they'd been to see Simmons' wife in McKinleyville.

The consultant relayed the message to Lisbon who nodded her thanks. The drive only took around twenty minutes and they soon arrived at the Miller's residence. The brunette knew the meeting was going to be difficult. Talking to relatives of any victim was a necessary evil that she always tried to handle professionally, but sometimes it was harder than others. This was one of those times.

The mother, Kate, was distraught to the point of hysteria and the father, Don, was doing his best, but failing miserably, to console her. Either way, they weren't going to get any questions answered so Jane went over and in that soothing, honey voice of his that secretly sent a tingle down Lisbon's spine, he managed to get the woman to use a breathing technique to finally calm her down.

Don gave the consultant a brief smile of gratitude then wrapped his arm lovingly around his wife's shoulders, trying hard to keep his own tears at bay.

Jane resumed his seat next to Lisbon, who shot him a grateful smile of her own, before he sat back and listened quietly as she began the interview. Usually when faced with such heart wrenching grief he preferred to make himself scarce and go and make some tea, unable to handle the painful reminder of his own personal anguish. In this case, however, as much as Kate would benefit from the calming effects of camomile, it just felt disrespectful.

He marvelled at how Lisbon navigated the turbulent waters of their sorrow with sympathy and understanding but still managed to elicit the pertinent information they needed for the investigation. Most importantly they found out that Daniel regularly used to drive to the northern part of Redwood National Park and turn off onto the Old State Highway then park up on one of its trails and complete a circuit of around eight to ten kilometres. His car had yet to be found.

Don also explained that when Sheriff Newland had visited and broken the news about Daniel, he'd hinted that their son's body would be ready for release as soon as the autopsy was complete.

It was an interesting piece to the puzzle that Jane immediately latched onto, his mind quickly producing and rejecting several innocent scenarios as to why the officer would do such a thing before the initial investigation was complete at least.

Lisbon stood suddenly, breaking his train of thoughts and the consultant quickly followed suit as soon as he realised that she was ready to leave.

"Thank you for your time," the brunette said warmly as she shook hands with each of them. "And, again, I really am sorry for your loss."

Jane saw the way the Miller's reacted to her obvious compassion and smiled to himself. No matter how many times he'd heard Lisbon give that condolence, she'd never once let it sound trite or insincere. It was an amazing feat considering how long she'd been a law officer and one that he admired greatly. It proved she still cared even after all this time and all the horrors they'd borne witness to. She really was an incredible woman.

Also one that was on a mission apparently, judging by the way she was on her phone to Van Pelt the second they left the house. He almost had to jog to keep up with her rapid gait as she strode towards the SUV. She unlocked the car then gestured for him to get in as she did the same. From what he could gather hearing just her side of the conversation and the way she suddenly frowned, the pictures appeared to be a bust. He'd suspected they would be, especially after the Miller's little revelation about the Sheriff.

She then asked whether Cho and Rigsby had found out from Simmons' wife if her husband had a regular exercise route in Redwood and her expression darkened even more if that were possible. She ended the call and put the phone back in her pocket with a growl of frustration before starting the vehicle and driving back towards Arcata.

"No luck with the widow?" he asked quietly.

"No; apparently it was the first time Simmons had ever exercised there. He usually went to his local gym. Only similarity is that his car was never found either."

"I see. And what about the photos? Or aren't there any?"

"Oh, there's photo's," she snapped in annoyance. "Just conveniently none from an angle that show Miller's right arm in any great detail."

"Hardly surprising," he commented with a shrug.

"Dammit," she cursed unhappily. "I really don't want to have go back to the Miller's and tell them that we need to take their son's body for further investigation. It's just not right."

"I know," he sympathised with a soft smile. Without thinking, he reached out then laid his hand on her arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. "But, believe me, they'll understand. They want us to catch the person who did this to their son as much as we do."

Lisbon looked down at his hand then glanced up at his handsome face before staring straight ahead at the road again. She nodded curtly and he pulled back, turning his head to look out of the window. She took in a breath and exhaled slowly as she pushed aside the little jolt of pleasure she'd received from his unexpected touch. He was just being supportive, she told herself sternly. Nothing more to it than that.

Jane clenched his fist in his lap and ignored the way his simple gesture had made him feel. He was used to it by now. The heat, the longing; it was second nature whenever he made close contact. Granted, he didn't go out of his way to touch her as often as he used to. That day in her office just before he'd pretended to shoot her, when he'd revealed how he truly felt, had made him more cautious. He just wished that she would initiate something for a change. Just once. Would they be too much to hope for? Some tiny sign of affection.

"You want to stop for some lunch?" she queried, cutting across his reverie.

He looked over at her and nodded. He hadn't realised the time; it was after one. No wonder he was feeling hungry.

They reached Arcata but just as they were about to go into a diner, Lisbon's phone went off. It was Cho.

"What's up?" she asked. There was a pause where her second in command obviously told her, then she said, "Really? The Miller's said the same. That's great, thanks. We'll take a drive along there now and check it out. Just let me know what you find out from Craig Phillips' partner, OK?"

"Good news, I take it?" Jane asked as he watched her put her phone away then insert the key back in the ignition. He let out a sigh. He'd really been looking forward to grabbing a bite to eat.

"Cho's just finished talking to Lance Williamson's family," she supplied.

"The first victim?" the consultant queried.

"Yeah. They said he used to regularly run along the Old State Highway. That's the same place as Daniel Miller."

"Two out of three so far," he murmured contemplatively as she started the engine. "If the others all exercised in the same area then we can assume Simmons also did on the day he went missing too." At her nod he then added seriously, "It's all starting to make some sense to me now but there's still one vital little thing I need before I know for sure."

"What's that?" she asked quizzically.

"Food. Could we get something to go? I'm starving," he told her with a sudden grin.

She rolled her eyes then smiled wryly and turned off the engine. They went in and bought a burger and fries each along with their preferred hot drinks then got back into the car and headed north along Redwood Highway towards their destination.

The scenery was fantastic and Jane was in his element. Trees gave way to a large lagoon and the ocean beyond drawing a smile of pleasure from the blond before they began to head inland again. Forty minutes later they reached the Old State Highway and turned onto it. Lisbon cruised down the winding road and it soon became apparent that little to no traffic used it anymore. They came to another large lagoon and she pulled over into a small lay-by, staring out across the expanse of blue water.

"Good place to dump a car or two," Jane observed, voicing her own thoughts.

"Yeah, although there are people fishing this end so it would have to be somewhere a bit more secluded," she replied as she drove off again.

"What I don't get is why a rifle?" the consultant suddenly conjectured with a frown. It was the one thing that been bothering him since they'd been handed the case.

"Why not?" Lisbon countered with a shrug.

"Serial killers like to get up close to their victims, Lisbon, you know that. They get off on the fear."

"OK, so is there a particular weapon that a possible serial killer should have in your opinion?"

"No; but it also shouldn't be as impersonal as a long-range gun nor does it tie in with the fact that the men were being kept somewhere," he responded with a shake of his head. "What reason could the murderer have if it's not to take his time killing the victims? I just can't fathom it out."

"Well, I guess…" she began only to be cut off by a loud bang and the SUV suddenly lurching to the right.

"Tyre's blown," the brunette cried out as she desperately struggled with the steering wheel to control the vehicle around the bend they were currently navigating.

Try as she might, the car just wouldn't respond quick enough and she let out a gasp of horror as it carried straight on off the road towards a large tree. It all happened so quickly that they had no time to brace themselves for the fierce impact that threw them both forward towards the dashboard, Lisbon's head cracking hard against the top of the steering wheel, knocking her out cold.

Once the car was still, Jane drew in a shuddering breath, trying to calm the adrenalin that was rushing chaotically through his system. Apart from the fright, he was unharmed and immediately turned his head to seek out Lisbon. His stomach dropped when he saw how her head lulled to one side away from him, a thin trail of blood making its way slowly down her cheek. He quickly undid his seatbelt then leaned across the centre console and reached out to gently cup her face with his hand, moving it so that he could see her injury better.

Although her face was pale, he could see a small cut just above her right eyebrow where the skin was already darkening into what he knew would be one hell of a bruise.

"Lisbon?" he called, gently tapping her cheek. "Lisbon, can you hear me?"

She remained unresponsive and he dug around in his pocket to find his phone in order to call Cho.

Suddenly, the car door behind him was wrenched open but before he could turn to see who it was, he felt something hard thrust painfully against the back of his head. He stilled immediately and drew in a sharp breath. Dread settled in the pit of his stomach like a ton weight as he gazed disconsolately at Lisbon's slack features and the silence of the vehicle was abruptly broken by the terrifying sound of the metallic click of a gun being primed to fire.

They were in serious trouble.

END CHAPTER 3

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