#soap has been mortified the whole mission

[wispscribbles]

you know the art you made of Soap "accidentally" giving Ghost a kiss before going on a mission? (before they started dating) what do you think happened when Soap came back from the mission? :3c

follow up to this post

They start dating of course! <3

[sofasoap]

Lastochka - Part III

Pairing : Nikolai x F!Reader ( OC/Mini MacTavish)

Summary: Keeping it under the radar has its benefit. until it isn't.

Part I , Part II, Interlude, Part IV

Warning : Mature theme. Violence, innuendos and hint of smut mentioned.

Thanks to @homicidal-slvt for planting ideas into my brain. this whole series is all for you :)

Check out @shkretart for their beyond amazing artwork of Nikolai ( and the CoD boys )

My usual thanking @saltofmercury, mother of Mini, for lending me the character :) Please go and check out her fics!

“masterlist” for Mini MacTavish expanded verse.

LIke playing with Russian roulette, even Lady Fortuna’s luck runs out. 

“We will go dark for a while Nik, the mission won’t take too long. I will be back before you know it.”  you smiled at him. 

He hasn’t heard from you for over a month. His little Swallow. Lost in the wild. No one will tell him anything. Why?

Because no one knows about you two. 

It was an unspoken agreement. Keeping it lowkey. No one else needs to know. Keeping things professional on the surface.

Even if Price noticed. He hasn’t said a thing. 

You started seeking him out more often after the safe house incident. 

“You still got my phone number right?” 

“ Maybe? Maybe not?”

“ I knew you wouldn’t throw it away.” The irritated look you gave him. He loves to get on your nerves. But at the same time he knows you aren’t afraid to bite back or correct him. He loves a woman with a bit of fire. 

He takes on every chance that was offered to him to be close to you. Any mission that needs him to be back up, he is in. Need transportation? He will fly you and the team there. No questions asked. 

“Payment?” He will look at you and half joke to the boy. “Mini can be the payment.” That never ends well, Soap jumps in ready to tear his head off with Ghost and Gaz tries to pull him back, Price looks at his friend with a knowing glare and shakes his head and you hide behind Price, utterly mortified.

He savours the time with you alone, on standby at the rendezvous point. Started off you shyly leaning against him. Offer him more of your baking ( he loves your chocolate biscuits) everytime you two share a cup of coffee, waiting for the team to return. The adorable little pout when he teases you and you couldn’t return with a witty retort in time.

Or that little smile on your face as you watch him checking through the gears and parts in the helicopter.

One day, he was sitting in the pilot seat, checking over the flight plan. It has been a long demanding mission. You have been up for two days straight, patching the teams up. He can see the strains and fatigue is starting to get to you, your red rimmed eyes says it all.

Putting down his paperwork, he waves you over. Dragging your sluggish feet over to where he is, he pulls you into his lap. You wiggle around a little bit, finding a comfortable position before leaning your head against his chest. 

“Tired?” You nodded your head in response.

“Sleep for a bit.It’s ok. It will be a while before they return.” 

“Nik.” 

“Hmm?” Taking his sunglasses off as he looked down, noticing you were gazing up at him with glassy eyes as you reached up, one hand cupping his face, another running your finger through his hair, combing it with care and tenderness.

“Спасибо.”

He leaned his head down slightly, his mouth hovering over yours.

“Ненаглядная,” he murmured.  “You know what would be better than thanking me with words?”

“Kissing you?”

“That’s my clever girl.” closing the gap as he finishes, he finally got the first taste of you. Those soft luscious lips he has been dreaming and craving for months. And he wants more.

He made sure when there were only two of you, away from the bloodshed and chaos and the preying eyes, he worshipped his beautiful Goddess with all the attention. Showering you with all his love, making sure your body will only crave for him, his immortal lover, calling out only his name every time he pushes you up high.

“Where is she?”  Nikolai demanded as he stormed into the briefing room.

“M.I.A. we don’t know.”  Price snapped at him, already frustrated at the lack of details from your disappearance. And the guilt of pressing you into another covert mission. He doesn’t need Nikolai to come in and add more complications.

“Package extracted, safely hidden. THEY ARE HERE. DO not come looking for me.” The message ended up with the sound of a gunshot and your scream.

By the time they have reached your last signal transmission spot, you have already disappeared. All there left was the mission package you have successfully obtained and a dog tag with a simple wedding band attached and pool of blood.

“You shouldn’t be here.” Soap growled. 

“Пиздец , Soap ,SHE IS MY WIFE!!” Slamming his hand on the desk, “I do have the right to be here and know what is going on! Just like you do!”

Deafening silence settled in the briefing room as the bombshell was dropped. 

Everything became clear to Price from your hesitation, and your requests before you left.

“Alright. But don’t tell Nik about the details.” looking down on the floor, toying with your dog tag chain. “This might be the last mission I can take for a little while.” 

“Getting tired of us stinky boys?” Price laughed.

Shaking your head. “Planning a trip. Promised someone I would take a break with them.” That little mysterious smile, Price knew not to push for anymore details. 

You and Nikolai were planning for the honeymoon. 

“Lads. Everyone needs to calm down here.” Laswell broke the silence. “Any personal questions, save it for later. Our priorities here are to try and find Mini, and get her out.” If she is still alive. The unspoken words.

Laswell turned and threw some files at Nikolai, he quickly flipped through it.

Pausing on one of the pages as he spotted a name. “Laswell.” he frowned. “Are you sure these are Bratva that are involved?”

“Positive.” Laswell took out another file. “Got any connections?”

“Connection?” He let out a bitter laugh. A vicious smile appeared on his face. The Russian bear has been awakened. “Their Pahkan owes me a favour. A HUGE favour.”

Everyone turned and looked at Nikolai. First time in days there is a bit of a breakthrough. There might be hope to find you after all. They will not give up until they physically see your body. Dead or alive. 

People should know , they do not mess around with Nikolai , the leader of Chimera, or his loved ones. He will make them PAY. 

Спасибо - Thank you.

Ненаглядная - precious

Пиздец - damn it

tag :

@roosterr @preciouslittlecreature

@boughhs

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

SC:SI 3 start

Completely mortified over what had transpired, Eren found himself able to remember only some of what happened. What he could remember, he remembered with with embarrassing clarity. He'd wanted to bred. That was the only way to describe the sensations that had filled every part of his being... or at least that was how he explained it to Hanji. Sitting across from the woman, he was still exhausted, though determined. He'd just spent a 5 days as a wolf, which he couldn't remembered. What he could remember was shifting back into his human form and being filled with the need to be... filled. He was sure every word out his mouth was only making things worse for himself, but surely Hanji could find some way for it all to mean something.

Having finished speaking, Eren's heart was hammering in his chest as he waited for Hanji to speak. Given he'd been staring at the floor as he spoke, he cautiously looked up, fully expecting Hanji to look supportive. Instead he found her seemingly concerned

"Eren, I need to conduct an internal examination. Is this alright?"

What? Why? Hadn't she gotten enough data? What more was there for her to look at? He didn't particularly want to be cut open, but he couldn't say no. And Hanji knew that... so why even ask? Nodding quickly, he didn't trust himself not to voice his thoughts

"Good. I'll sedate you, and you'll feel minimal pain during the procedure"

And there went his determination. Straight out the window as his stomach dropped

"Hanji... will I wake up from this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Will you kill me? While I'm unconscious?"

Hanji's eyes widened, shaking her head, she moved to kneel in front of him

"Is that what you think? That I'll just kill you?"

"No... no... maybe. I mean... I don't understand what's happening, and you and Levi just had to waste a week looking after me, when I'm not sure I even deserve it"

"Eren, we're not going to kill you. I honestly thought you were an alpha wolf, and that you were going through a rut. But just now you told me you felt like you needed to bred. So I need to take a look inside of you and see why"

"It doesn't matter does it? I'm a boy. It's not like sex will lead to anything happening"

"Still. I need to understand what's going on with you, so if we encounter someone else like you, we'll know what's going on"

"I'm sorry. I must seem so pathetic. All I wanted to do was work here. Even since before my parents died, I wanted to hunt the things that scare and kill people. No one knows where the werewolves come from, and to find out I'm like them. I feel like I've lost part of myself. I hate myself for this, but I don't want to die. I want to kill them all so no one has to suffer"

"I think you're tired and emotional. Once things settle down and you're finally allowed in the field, I think you'll end up feeling better"

"I don't know if or when I'll be allowed in the field"

"Until then, you'll help me with my research and not just as a test subject. We can't have you cooped up in the cell all day"

Nodding sadly, Eren felt like a damn pansy. Hanji was right though, his moods and thoughts were all over the place

"Alright. But if I do die, I want to be buried..."

"Eren, do you really think I'd let you die? I still haven't see your proper form"

Snorting at Hanji's grin, he couldn't help the smile forming in response to hers

"Let's do this"

*

Of all Hanji's ideas, this had to be the most pointless and he had no idea how the woman had secured Erwin's permission to operate on Eren, yet there he was. Watching as Hanji cut into Eren's most private places. The woman had started the procedure by first performing a biopsy on Eren's 4 scent glands, which was fine. What wasn't fine was the fact she was now openly slicing into the boys arse, while he was forced to watch the whole thing incase Eren shifted or became violent during the surgery. With all Hanji's meddling, Levi hadn't even talked to the boy since his rut... heat... ended. To him sexual curiosity seemed perfectly normal when it came to teenagers, yet because Eren had said he felt like he needed to be bred, they were going to all this bother. What did it matter if Eren swung that way? He was male, it wasn't like he'd wind up pregnant.

Watching the blood on Hanji's arm grow, Levi's teeth began to ache. This was another reason he shouldn't be the one watching over this surgery. His hunger still hadn't settled, and it felt like Eren's blood was just begging to be drunk. Rising from his seat, he began to pace at the end of the room

"Levi, I can't concentrate with you pacing"

"Too bad"

"Look, I'm nearly done here. Do you think you can stay still for just a little longer"

"Hanji. You have blood all over you. I think it's past time you were done"

"I can't help it. Every time I cut, I have to go over it half a dozen times because Eren heals so fast"

"What exactly are you cutting?"

"There seems to be a womb of some sort inside Eren's anus..."

"Alright. I don't need to hear anything else. Cut it out, and let him heal"

"I can't just cut it out"

"He'll heal, but he's not going to heal if he dies from blood loss first"

"Moblit. How's his heart rate?"

"Slower than when you started"

"Shit. Ok. Eren, I'm doing this for your own good"

Her statement was followed by a very wet and bloody pop, as something was pulled from inside Eren's arse. Levi couldn't help but scrunch his face up on disgust

"Is that?"

"Yeah. I need to examine this"

"Hanji, if he can get pregnant..."

"I severely doubt he'd be fertile. No. I think this comes from his wolf side..."

"That doesn't matter. If they even suspect..."

His friends face paled at the implications

"I can't not tell Erwin"

"Then tell him you removed it. Eren's already an outcast, he doesn't need to know about this either"

"Levi, could it be you feel something for Eren? Because he's like you?"

"No. I just don't want him ending up dead before we get some real answers"

Hanji hummed, clearly skeptical

"Alright. I just need to stitch him up. He's healing, but because of all the damage, it's taking some time"

Leaving Eren chained and in bed, Levi headed up to report to Erwin. Entering his friends office, he found Hanji already there

"How's Eren?"

"Still unconscious. The bleeding seems to have stopped"

"And you?"

Levi raised an eyebrow

"You'll have to feed off Hanji today. I have a meeting later"

Sinking into the chair next to Hanji, she immediately offered her arm to him

"I didn't even think of the implications of having Levi around all that blood"

"Well normally he can contain his urges, I understand you took samples from his scent glands"

Hanji winced slightly as Levi's teeth pierced her skin. Tasting soap, he also tasted what could only be Eren's lingering blood. The moment it met his tongue, he couldn't help the groan that slipped from the back of his throat. He'd never tasted anything like it. Erwin's blood was the best he'd ever tasted, but even that didn't hold a candle to the remnants of Eren's. Drinking deeply, it didn't take as long as usual for him to feel full

"You can take a little more"

Shaking his head, Levi pulled back

"I'm full"

"Levi, your hunger's not a safe thing to ignore"

Pulling his cravat off, he cleaned his mouth

"I'm fine. Thanks"

Both his friends stared at him, clearly worried that he was lying

"Eren's blood was still on Hanji's skin. I don't know why, but I could taste that and I didn't need to drink as much"

Hanji let out a small gasp

"Oh my god, do you know what this means? If you feed off Eren..."

"No. I'm not feeding off Eren. It's bad enough that I need to feed on either of you"

"But Levi, if your hungers sated so easily from a few drops of Eren's blood"

"No. Drop it"

Hanji looked to Erwin for support

"We can't risk Levi's nature being exposed"

"All I'm saying is, maybe I can come up with a tablet or something. Something you can keep on you in case of an emergency. I need to take his blood for analysis anyway"

"Your main priority should be masking Eren's scent"

"I already have Moblit examining the biopsies. Given his heat has passed, his smell seems to have dropped dramatically"

"So you're sure he's..."

"Yes. I found what seems to be the opening to a womb inside his anus, and of course I need to finish dissecting it, but I highly doubt he's fertile. For all intent and purposes, Eren is biologically male, making him incapable of falling pregnant"

Levi shot Hanji a glare, but Erwin rose to his feet

"No one else is to know. Including Moblit"

"Moblit won't tell anyone. He's been ordered not to include details other than those pertaining to the biopsy in his report"

"We still need to decide how much to tell them about his heat"

"I've already got that covered. Levi, when Eren awakens, make sure he eats. Hanji, I want you to report everything you find first thing tomorrow morning"

"So I'm still on babysitting duty"

"Just think of this as the prelude to him becoming your official partner"

Levi was shocked. He wasn't completely surprised they'd want a monster like him watching over Eren, but becoming the brats official partner...

Parting ways with Hanji, Levi felt no particular inclination or need to check on Eren. Hanji would more than likely check in with Eren later, so it was time he tried to return some normality to his life. Returning to his quarters, Levi stripped before heading into his private bathroom. Despite telling himself there was no point dwelling on something he couldn't currently change, Eren wouldn't disappear from his thoughts. The kid was only 15... half his officially listed age... a brat and a green soldier. Though to the public the Survey Corps was an official military branch that took on mission outside the walls in hopes of expanding Humanities territories, they were also the dogs of the government. Tasked with investigating things that weren't quite "human". As far as the masses went, vampires, ghosts, demons and spirits were all just fairytales of the past. And for the most part they were, yet here he was and no one had even put two and two together to realise he was a vampire. Other than his two friends, the only people who knew were his squad, consisting of Petra, Olou, Gunther, Eld, and Mike, Mike wasn't technically in his squad, but with the man's keen sense of smell, it wasn't something he could hide from him.

[jarienn972]

The Right Place - Chapter Nine

I wanted to get this update in before tonight’s season premiere and whether or not you’re watching the new season, I am planning to - going into it with an open mind.  And here’s just a disclaimer: both of my WIP fics will be completed based on the first six seasons only so nothing from S7 will be referenced going forward.  

AO3   FF.Net   

Tumblr chapters: Prologue/One  Two  Three Four  Five  Six  Seven  Eight

Wednesday morning, Portland Medical Center

Emma slept maybe an hour longer in that cramped space next to her husband, waking with a jolt when she shifted too far to her left and accidentally brought her forearm down across his incision when she thought her backside was falling off the edge of the bed. She instantly felt his body tense at the painful unexpected contact which had her apologizing profusely as she clambered off of the mattress. Thankfully, the discomfort wasn't enough to completely wake him. He simply moaned and groaned briefly before drifting back to sleep but she decided she certainly wasn't going to attempt bed sharing again.

Trying not to wake the fidgeting Henry either, she padded silently across the tile floor and ducked into the bathroom, pushing the door closed as quietly as she could before flipping on the lights. Finding a small bar of unscented soap resting by the sink, she turned on the water and worked up a decent lather before scrubbing her face, longing for a shower and a change of clothing but those would have to wait. She rinsed off with a few splashes of lukewarm water and dried her hands and face using a couple of paper towels from the dispenser to her right. It was scarcely enough to make her feel human, but it would have to do for the meantime.

A few early rays of morning sunlight were just beginning to filter through the vertical blinds when she pushed the bathroom door open. Henry had rolled to his right side with his back to the window now but it was clear he wasn't yet ready to give up sleep without a fight. The increasing light in the room didn't appear to be bothering Killian but she didn't want to take any chances that she would disturb either of them so she decided to take a stroll out to the corridor to have a chat with Deputy McCallen once again before his shift ended.

"You're up awfully early, Sheriff," the deputy commented as Emma pulled the door nearly closed behind her – just enough that she could still hear if her name was called but hopefully muffling the sound of any voices in the hallway.

"It's tough to sleep in a chair," Emma replied honestly. "Killian offered to share, but that really wasn't much better. I accidentally moved a little too quickly and hurt him, so not doing that again."

"I guess your son got the lucky draw there," he said, almost as a tease while folding up the front section of that morning's newspaper, resting it across his lap.

"Yeah – can't tell you how tempted I am to wake him up and commandeer that cot for myself!" McCallen chuckled at her response then almost instantly flushed with embarrassment, worried that his laughter could be construed as inappropriate. Emma noticed his demeanor changing and decided it was time to address his apparent worry of crossing the line into unprofessional behavior. "You know, you don't have to be embarrassed about laughing. I meant it to be a joke and finding what I said funny doesn't mean you've crossed any lines. This has been a stressful situation for everyone and we're all going to be stuck working together for a while so it's natural that subjects are occasionally going to get personal or sometimes border on the less than professional. It's normal and it's perfectly okay. Hell, I'm honestly surprised that you didn't ask me why I haven't changed my clothes…"

"I'm sorry, Sheriff. I'm not trying to sound cold or be insensitive or anything, I'm just not very adept at these kind of investigations. I spend most of my time at my desk processing reports and answering telephones. I really don't get out into the field much, but Sheriff Lassiter thought this would be a good case for me to get some more experience."

"Aside from being maybe a little too reserved, you're handling the investigation just fine. You're not going to offend either of us so don't be afraid to say what's on your mind or ask whatever questions you have swirling around in there too."

"You're sure?"

"Of course. Just like the question you asked about Killian's jewelry, you can ask anything. I know you must have a few questions that you've written down in that notebook of yours that you haven't had the courage to ask me…"

"Honestly, I have a lot, but I have a suspicious feeling that most of them are going to be those very long stories…"

"Well, probably," she sighed, leaning her left shoulder into the floor to ceiling window behind her. "Our lives haven't exactly been what you would call conventional…"

"How so?" McCallen wondered, almost immediately regretting the query. "That's not too personal, is it?" he added shyly.

"Maybe a little, but I'm really tired so what the hell - I'm game," she grinned. "Take me for example – I spent most of my impressionable years in the foster system, had a few run-ins with the law but eventually got those impulses tamed and became a bail bondsperson. A few years later, I became Sheriff of Storybrooke. My younger self would have been absolutely mortified by the thought."

"I'm sure. Doesn't sound like the easiest path to where you are today. What about your husband? I remember how surprised and honestly horrified I was when taking my evidence photos while we were trying to identify him. Seeing all of those scars covering his body… I can't even imagine what he must have been though…"

"His life might have been even harder than mine in some ways. His mother wasn't in the picture when he was a child – I guess she died or abandoned her family when he was very young and then his father abandoned him as a young child, leaving Killian and his older brother in the hands of a man who brutally abused them for years. They eventually got away from that awful situation and joined the Royal Navy for a while, at least until the Navy command betrayed them on a mission that cost his brother, Liam his life."

"Is that when he lost his hand?"

"No – that came a little later in his life – when he lost his first love as well."

"Wow – that's awful…," McCallen replied with a sudden realization. "Is that the name on his wrist tattoo?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Her death sent him headfirst down a very destructive path but he says that meeting me was his wake-up call to pull him back from a lot of years spent in a very dark place. We found that together we could heal some of those old wounds – mending so many of each other's broken pieces and after we married, I officially made him my deputy, but we really had been partners long before that…"

"You two do make an interesting pair. Now I understand a little better why you say that everything is a long story."

"Oh, I've only hit some of the highlights here!" Emma reminded the deputy with an exasperated giggle. "There are things about Killian that I still don't really know and there are things he doesn't yet know about me but we're slowly learning… Like the story of how Killian actually lost his hand – he doesn't like to talk about the details so I honestly don't even know the whole sorted tale. All I know for sure is that it involved a very jealous crocodile…"

"A crocodile?" McCallen exclaimed, looking up at her incredulously. "His hand was bitten off by a crocodile?"

"No – not an actual crocodile. That was the nickname he gave his lover's ex-husband – and that's definitely another of those long stories…"

Okay – I think I'll leave it at that. Not sure I want to know any more. Sounds too much like some bizarre medieval jilted lover's revenge plot…"

"Oh, you have no idea…," she laughed heartily, not really because of the subject but rather at how close to reality McCallen's medieval tryst implication actually came. She couldn't exactly explain that the truth of the situation from hundreds of years ago in another far-off realm was in fact, very medieval.

"Pretty sure I already know too much," McCallen started to say when he was cut off by the door behind them pushing open.

"Hey, Mom," Henry called, appearing in the doorway to Emma's right. "I think you need to come back in here. Killian seems to be having another nightmare…" She didn't hesitate as she darted past her son figuring things must be pretty bad if it had awakened him. The deputy rose to his feet, placing the newspaper on the chair as he stood hovering in the doorway behind the teen fully prepared to hail the nurse at the desk if necessary.

She'd only left his side minutes ago, but the tremors he'd experienced with the last nightmare had returned as had the sheen of sweat upon his brow. His heartrate and blood pressure were gradually increasing as well although not yet to levels that were attracting the nurse's attention.

"Killian?" she called out his name hoping to pull him back from the dreamscape. She lifted his hand into hers, letting her thumb graze across his knuckles, avoiding the tape securing the plastic tubing of the IV. "Killian, it's just a dream… I'm right here… No one's going to hurt you…" She raised her left hand to caress his cheek but he shrugged away from her touch the moment her fingertips brushed his skin. "It's alright…" she kept repeating calming words and clung tightly to his hand even as he attempted to pull it from her grasp. "Listen to my voice… It's only a dream…" She stubbornly refused to let go until the trembling finally subsided and his pulse gradually slowed. He drew in a few deeper breaths as his eyes open, wide with surprise and just a hint of fear. "Hey," she smiled as his gaze met hers. "You were just dreaming…"

"Didn't feel like a dream…," he replied breathlessly. "Felt as though I were drowning all over again…"

"Do you want me to call the nurse for you? You were shaking quite a bit there. Are you in any pain right now?"

"I'll be fine in a moment, Swan," he grimaced, clearly lying but obviously frustrated at his own helplessness. He didn't want his wife to be constantly worried about him. He just wanted to go home and get back to normal – whatever that might be for them. "I'm just ready to be out of this bed – to get my sea legs back, so to speak."

"And you will," she reminded him. "Like I told you earlier, there's no need to rush things. Storybrooke is in my father's capable hands, Regina will be here in a few hours and I'm not going anywhere." She'd said it all before but she didn't want him forgetting a single word. "You have to allow yourself time to heal…"

He knew she was right so there was no point to arguing but he was determined that he wouldn't be tended to for much longer. As soon as they removed some of these intrusive, infernal tubes and wires, he'd show that he was fully capable of taking care of himself.

"I know. I'm just a smidge impatient sometimes," he replied with a smirk.

"Don't I know it?" she retorted with a shake of her head. "A smidge?"

"Honestly, Love, right now I'm actually just worn out and maybe a little hungry…"

"Hungry? Well, that's new. I guess you haven't really eaten for three days so maybe it's a good thing that you're getting hungry. Let me see if I can find out what you're allowed to have."

Satisfied that the crisis had been averted and was no longer in need of his attention, McCallen relaxed his stance and retrieved the newspaper from his seat.

"Glad everything seems to have calmed down. I'll head back to my post until the next deputy arrives around eight. I've already finished up with this – well, except for the crossword puzzle. I'm hanging on to that section, but you're welcome to the rest if you'd like…" He held out the first three sections of the folded newspaper which Henry accepted.

"I'll take it. I'll give me something to look at until my other mom gets here…" the teen stated, much to McCallen's confusion once again.

"Other mom?" the deputy wondered but he quickly brushed it off. "Nevermind… I'm sure that'll be another one of your family's long stories…" Henry grinned but didn't respond as McCallen took his seat by the door shaking his head in disbelief while Henry re-entered his stepfather's room.

"I'll be right back," Emma stated, brushing past her son as she went to ask the nurse if Killian would be allowed any type of food, hoping they'd offer something other than gelatin which she knew he probably wouldn't eat. She really didn't want to explain why either.

Henry started unfolding the paper while still standing at the foot of the bed, separating the sections as he searched for the comics - which ended up being in the local and state section. He tossed the rest of the paper over onto the counter by the sink and opened up the portion he'd kept, briefly scanning the pages while he looked for the one he wanted then flipping them around so that the page he was reading would be on top. He took a single step away from the bed when something on the opposite page happened to catch Killian's eye.

"May I see that, Lad?" the pirate implored, his fingers inexplicably trembling yet again as he pointed at the periodical in his stepson's hand.

"You want to see the comics?" the somewhat bewildered teen asked, not quite sure what had captured Killian's attention enough to cause his hand to start shaking again. "You usually don't want to read them…"

"Not those ridiculous crude drawings," Killian replied. "The other page… There's a photograph I saw… May I see it closer?" Henry shrugged as he glanced at the opposing page to see an article about a new office building under construction above a half-page advertisement for a car dealership, neither of which would seemingly be of interest to his stepfather. He handed the paper to Killian as he watched the pirate's eyes narrow to focus on a grainy photograph depicting an older man standing in front of a construction site. It wasn't the clearest image on the newsprint, but it was more than enough for Killian to recognize that he'd seen the man pictured before.

"Bloody hell… That's the third man…" the pirate growled, loud enough to capture McCallen's attention, drawing the deputy into the room.

"Did I just hear you say something about the third man?" the deputy demanded, interest fully piqued at this potential new lead.

"The man in this photograph – he's the third man – the one who stabbed me," Killian repeated. The deputy yanked the paper from the pirate's hand in a manner that would have bordered on rude, but Killian didn't take offense as McCallen looked at the image and the caption below it.

"Are you sure about this?" McCallen asked, shaking his head in disbelief. "That man is Donovan Donleavy, head of Leviant Construction. You're telling me that he's the man who attempted to kill you?"

"I may not have been fully coherent at the moment, but I can assure you that I got a sufficient enough look at the face of my attacker to know that's him."

"Crap…," the deputy sighed, dropping the newspaper onto the pale blue blanket covering Killian's legs.

"Did I just hear someone saying 'crap'?" Emma wondered as she sauntered back in, unaware of the revelation that had just occurred, but instantly noticing the change in the atmosphere of the room. "Okay – what did I just miss?"

"Your husband just identified his assailant," McCallen stated without raising his gaze from the floor to look at her. "And if he's right, things just might have gotten a whole lot more complicated…"

"Okay…," Now she was even more curious as to what had transpired in the two or three minutes that she'd stepped away. "Unless I'm missing something, this should be a good thing, right? If Killian was able to identify the man who stabbed him, what so complicated?"

"I would typically say yes, this is a good thing," the deputy began, retrieving the newspaper to let Emma see the photograph for herself. "Except that the man who your husband identified is a fairly prominent Portland business man – head of a major construction company here. I can't just walk out of here and arrest him on the word of a man who just woke up from a two day coma. If Mr. Donleavy really is the person who stabbed you, Mr. Jones, we're going to have to work very carefully to build a rock solid case."

"I'm quite certain of the face I saw," Killian insisted, growing agitated that his word wasn't good enough.

"And I'm not doubting you," McCallen assured him, "but we can't go out there and accuse a man like him without plenty of evidence. First thing I intend to do is see if Donovan Donleavy has a registered sport fishing boat that hopefully was spotted somewhere near the ferry terminal Sunday morning. It'll be even better if he has a boat with a name that includes those letters and numbers you gave me earlier this morning."

"And now we definitely need to go back and talk to Jean Scott," Emma stated. "She mentioned receiving offers to sell her property. What if one of her potential suitors was getting a little pushy?"

"I see where you're going with that…," McCallen grinned. "We should find out if one of those potential buyers was Donleavy."

"Exactly!" she smiled. The deputy might not be so green after all.

"Okay, I guess I'd better go wake up Sheriff Lassiter and see what he wants us to do now," McCallen said as he checked the time on his watch with a frown and furrowed brow. "I also had better check in with Sgt. Haviland as well. He'd been letting our department run with the investigation when it seemed like just a run of the mill robbery case, but this has gotten a lot bigger than that."

"Think you could get him to meet you over here later this morning?" Emma wondered. "I'd really like to be involved in the discussions too."

"I'll definitely ask. He may want Portland P.D. to take over the case now, but we'll bring both him and Sheriff Lassiter up to speed and let them argue jurisdiction."

"I'd appreciate it if you'd keep me in the loop," Emma said, unsure if she'd be viewed by the others as a colleague or as a hindrance.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Sheriff," McCallen promised her. "You've been an invaluable help with getting our investigation this far. As soon as Sam gets here to take over sentry duty, I'll see what I can arrange."

"Don't you need some sleep?" she wondered.

"I caught a few hours yesterday afternoon and I'll grab a nap later. Right now, there's too much going on to worry about sleep…" The deputy was already out of the door and into the corridor before Emma could respond but Killian was now mildly amused.

"I concur with the deputy," he stated.

"You concur with what?" she responded with a curious sideways glance.

"There's too much going on to bother with sleep. I have a few tasks I would like to attempt this morning before Regina arrives to take the lad back home."

"Such as?"

"Perhaps a shower?" he asked, a hint of eagerness evident in his azure eyes. He made a visual point of raising his hand to his head, lacing his fingers through areas where he knew his dark hair was plastered to his scalp from salt water, sweat and the simple fact that his head had been pressed into a pillow for three days. He'd yet to see his own visage in a mirror, but he knew he was likely a fright with matted disheveled hair, a painful black eye and an untrimmed mess of whiskers adorning his battered face. "I believe I should make myself look at least decently presentable before the Queen arrives."

"Seriously?" she deadpanned before both she and Henry erupted in laughter, much to her husband's chagrin. "Killian – Regina knows what you've been through. You don't have to be concerned about vanity…"

"Perhaps," he replied in a huff. "But it would also make me feel a lot better as well. I most certainly do not feel like my devilishly handsome self at the moment…"

"Okay," She could see his point now. "The nurse will be in soon with some broth or something for you to try. We'll ask her then. Not sure what they'll say or how they'll even work it with all of your bandages, but we can ask." Turning toward her son, she had a task for him. "Henry, would you be willing to run out to the Bug and get my black duffel bag out of the trunk?"

"Sure. Where are your keys?" Henry asked, picking up his jacket from the floor next to the chair."

"In my coat pocket," she replied.

"Got it! Be right back!" The teen fished the key ring from her coat hanging on the closet doorknob and darted toward the door.

"Don't forget to tell Deputy McCallen where you're going – better yet – see if he'll go with you so he doesn't freak out when you return carrying a duffel bag." She didn't even know if her son had heard the last part of her statement, but hopefully enough of the message had gotten through so that she could now return her full attention to her husband. "Now – if you do get permission to shower, you might as well get some of your own clothing as well. I didn't really know what to bring so I just sorta grabbed a few things I thought might be comfortable – some pajama pants and a couple of shirts. Wasn't sure if the button up or the T-shirt ones were going to better so I brought both…"

"Well, then hopefully the nurse will be here very soon, while the lad isn't present. I'm quite certain that they'll need to adjust certain 'attachments' in order for me to make my way into that bath…" He pointed to the open bathroom door, then allowed his gaze to drift downward and Emma immediately understood.

"Well, then, maybe you should press that call button to get her attention." Emma couldn't help herself as she started giggling at his expense once more. "I'll let you be the one to argue that point…"