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horsesarecreatures · 3 years

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Choctaw Indian Pony -

“Researching the history of the Choctaw horse (pronounced CHOCK-taw)—also known as the Choctaw Indian Pony—is like tracing the delicate lines of a once colorful thread woven throughout a time-worn and fading tapestry. I was transfixed, awed, enchanted and, at times, deeply saddened as the fabric of this endangered breed’s story unraveled before me, most of it left out of our school history curriculums…The Choctaw horse is a Colonial Spanish horse, though you will rarely hear them referred to by this name. Easily confused with the wild horses the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oversees, they are often called “mustangs,” a term frequently and indiscriminately conferred on any feral horse of any genetic background. Today, only a very small number of feral horses (mustangs) bear the true Spanish type and breeding. Overall, Colonial Spanish horses of all bloodlines number about 3,000, while the total number of pure Choctaw horses is only about 250 animals. The surviving Colonial Spanish Choctaw horses, however, are proven to be direct descendants of horses brought to the New World in the 1500s by the Spanish Conquistadors. Dr. Phillip Sponenberg, Professor of Pathology and Genetics at Virginia Tech University has devoted much of the last thirty years to ensuring the genetic integrity of the breed’s survival. “Colonial Spanish Horses are of great historic importance and are one of only a very few genetically unique horse breeds worldwide. Choctaw horses are one of a handful of distinct Native American tribal strains of Colonial Spanish Horse that are surviving by a thin thread,” he explains. The mythology of the Choctaw horse is complex, romantic and heart-rending.

While it may seem strange to envision Native Americans without horses, it wasn’t until the 1600s that indigenous Americans living in the deep South first encountered the animals. Hernando de soto and his invading Spaniards, searching for the mythical Seven Cities of Cibola (rumored to be overflowing with gold and riches) were the first to ride horses into Mississippi. The local Choctaw people dubbed the mysterious animals “spirit dogs.” The seemingly friendly Spaniards soon proved otherwise. In the ensuing struggles, the brave and noble Choctaw managed to retain their rightful land and avoid enslavement—and they acquired a few of the Spaniards “spirit dogs,” as well.

In addition to horses, the Spanish also introduced cattle, goats, sheep and hogs to the native population. The Choctaw soon became adept at raising livestock, and the “spirit dogs” quickly became an integral part of the Choctaw culture. The characteristics and traits of the small and sturdy horses facilitated their deep integration into tribal life. They were athletic and possessed great endurance, with sound legs and tough hooves. Despite their smaller stature of 13.2-14.3 hands, the horses were able to carry a 200 plus pound man in 50 and 100 mile races. The equines quiet, people-oriented dispositions endeared them to the Choctaw and the animals soon became indispensable in hunting and farming.

Interestingly, the Choctaw women were considered “keepers of the horse,” according to screenwriter John Fusco whose movie Hidalgo was the story of Frank Hopkins and his Indian pinto pony.

‘The men did the hunting and it was their wives’ task to track and locate the kill on horseback, with little more than a broken twig here and there to mark the trail. On her sunset-and cornsilk-colored pony the Choctaw Woman would ride into a tangled maze of indigo bush and brambles, follow the trail without breaking gait, and locate the gift deer. Even five moons pregnant it didn’t matter; her Choctaw pony was born gaited, like riding a cloud. With her knife she’d dress the deer and sling the heavy meat up across the packsaddle. Laying some tobacco in gratitude, she’d remount and start for home.’

For three hundred years the Choctaw lived peaceably as accomplished agriculturalists and by the 1800s had developed a lucrative trade network with the areas that would later become Texas and Oklahoma, a feat which traveling on horseback had made possible. The high quality of their livestock, horses in particular, had become legendary, written about in travels journals of the era, including those of Lewis and Clark.

The Choctaw continued to prosper as a nation until Andrew Jackson signed the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in September of 1830, proclaimed in February 1831, designating Oklahoma ‘Indian Territory.’ Thousands of Choctaw were forced at gunpoint to leave their beloved homeland in what was termed the ‘Relocation.’

Leaving their ancestral farms and forests to make way for Anglo plantation owners, they marched on foot (often barefoot) along what would come to be known as the Trail of Tears. Their loyal horses, with small bells tinkling like wind chimes fastened to their manes, carried children, the old and infirm through extremely cold weather and blizzards.

It is thought that as many as 4,000-5,000 of the 16,000 native people forced to relocate perished along the route. The tribe would prove resilient in the new territory until the Civil War and then, finally, Oklahoma’s statehood in 1907, when their nation would cease to exist as a separate entity. Tragically, their beloved horses did not fare as well.

The US Government sanctioned the extermination of the Indian horses in an effort to more easily force the Indians onto reservations. Because the Native American’s horses were of spiritual significance in the tribal culture (as was the land), confiscating them was a strategy to break the tribe’s spirit. But the fleet-footed ponies proved hard to catch. And unbeknownst to the cavalry, a handful of families in isolated pockets on the reservations sought to preserve the ancestral bloodlines, guarding and breeding their prized horses.

By the turn of the century, the handful of Choctaw horses remaining sported long Spanish manes and came in a variety of colors: line-backed dun, varnish roan, blacks and bays and leopards among them. They were intelligent and possessed uncanny cow sense, a constitution that could survive on scrub grass, and a “butter smooth” ride. But by 1950 most of the Choctaw elders had passed on—and along with them the esoteric wisdom and zeal for preserving the rare pedigreed ponies that had accompanied them through times both good and bad.

Then another challenge arose: the US. Government imposed the Tick Eradication Program, ordering every wild pony in Oklahoma to be shot. A twist of fate in the form of a young cowboy named Gilbert H. Jones would turn the tables in the breed’s favor. G. H. Jones had a life-long passion for pure Spanish mustangs (now called Spanish Colonial Horses). He left New Mexico because his horses were being slaughtered by neighbors for their meat, and he had only one remaining stallion.

Moving into the Kiamichi Mountains in southeastern Oklahoma, he obtained grazing permits from a local timber company and with the help of a friend, Robert Brislawn, began the process of rebuilding a pure Colonial Spanish Horse herd.

Jones happened upon some Choctaw elders who respected the young white man’s dedication and helped him acquire several Choctaw mares and an additional stallion—an impressive buckskin and white pinto named “Rooster.” Rooster’s ancestry could be traced directly back to the Trail of Tears. Jones’ restoration of a small herd of Choctaw horses had begun.

Savvy and industrious, Jones had become aware of Frank T. Hopkins. Hopkins and his Indian pony Hidalgo (the inspiration for the 2004 motion picture) had demonstrated the breed’s merits through long endurance races, and Jones aimed to do the same. Between long trail rides and brutal endurance events, Rooster’s bloodlines eventually became legendary.

By the 1980’s, Jones’s herd numbered close to one hundred pure horses. Jones continued to work tirelessly to preserve the Choctaw Indian Pony well into his elderly years. He died in 2000 at the age of 93, passing down his research and conservation work to Bryant and Darlene Rickman, who still breed and preserve Jones’ horses on his original land.

Dr. Phillip Sponenberg works closely with the Rickmans, contributing his advanced genetic research, as well as serving as Technical Advisor for the ALBC (American Livestock Breeds Conservancy). Dr. Sponenberg also serves as an Advisor to Red Road Farm and the Choctaw Indian Conservation Program, founded by the writer and filmmaker who made the Disney movie Hidalgo: John Fusco.” - Cowgirl Magazine

#choctaw indian pony #choctaw horse #colonial spanish horse #endangered breed #horse #pony #equine

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five-rivers · 4 years

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Cold Case

So, this is a continuation of Interview With a Ghost, my corpse AU. Sort of. Lots of outsider perspective.

But, I’m too lazy to hunt down the tumblr links. So. Here’s the AO3 link to the series.

McGee braced himself before getting out of his car and walking into the precinct. He’d heard all the jokes before, all the mindless digs at his name, and he liked to think that he’d grown a thick skin in response, but part of him still flinched every time.

Plus, there was a reason he’d been sent to Amity Park. That reason being the incredibly suspicious crime rate. That is, the just shy of nonexistent crime rate. Also, the billionaire mayor that had popped up out of nowhere. And the high road repair and park maintenance bills.

Oh, yeah, and the giant murder investigation that had just. Disappeared.

The county wanted answers. So, they sent McGee. Of course, they didn’t tell the Amity Park Police Department that. As far as they knew, he was just a transfer. Someone being shifted from one department to another.

So, yeah. Bracing. Just like the wind. Ouch, it was cold. McGee wrapped his coat more closely around himself and began jogging through the otherwise deserted parking garage.

The… underground parking garage. Wind?

McGee stopped and turned in place, trying to see where the breeze could have possibly come from. There weren’t exactly any windows down here.

Feeling more cautious, but not knowing why, McGee made his way more slowly to the elevator door and hit the call button. The doors opened immediately. Inside, a speaker tried to play music, but what came out of it was mostly ear-tearing static.

Well. If APPD was getting paid off by a mob or the town was skimming from road funds, they certainly weren’t using their ill-gotten gains on the elevators.

When the doors opened, McGee was hit with a blast of warm air and Christmas music. He kept his face carefully blank. It had only just become December, and the police station was… it was… Well. McGee would have to call it ‘decked out,’ no matter how much he abhorred the phrase.

… Why were there so many menorahs?

“Hey, are you John McGee?”

“Yes, that’s me,” said McGee, turning to face a remarkably plain man in a button-down shirt and a pullover sweater.

The man had a pair of novelty felt antlers on his head. They were decorated with bells. How unprofessional.

“I’m Collins. We’ll probably be working together at some point. Same department.”

“Homicide?”

Collins raised his eyebrows. “I don’t know what you were told, but we don’t have enough homicides to warrant a dedicated homicide department. We get a one or two mysterious deaths every month, but it always turns out to be, like, anaphylaxis or something.” He brought a mug to his lips and sipped slowly. “Mostly we do vice, theft, fraud, and missing persons. Not much of that last one, either. Oh, we had an arson one time. But it turned out it wasn’t really arson. Anyway, let’s get you checked in, and hopefully Patterson will be here by the time Captain Jones is done with you.”

“Patterson?”

“My partner. You know, you being here gives us an odd number of detectives. That’s going to be weird.” He sipped from his mug again. “Maybe we’ll promote someone. Not Cameron Daily, though.” Collins stared into the middle distance. “No. Not Cameron Daily. Love that man. He’s got to stay in tech support.”

“The captain?” prompted McGee.

“Hah. Yeah. You have to brave the secretaries, first.” Collins patted McGee on the shoulder, and McGee suppressed the impulse to shake him off. “Good luck. At least this is going to be a quiet month, right?”

McGee spent what was probably far too much time pondering what Collins had meant by ‘it’s going to be a quiet month.’ Did the APPD’s arrangement with the local criminals (because there had to be an arrangement) include forewarning concerning the crimes they did deign to investigate? Or did they have statistics that indicated December was a low-crime time for Amity Park?

Orientation was highly typical, as far as these things went. The only oddity were the advertisements and promotional pictures for the local tourist trap tapped up all over half the captain’s office. Was the man a fan? Did he believe in that ghost nonsense? Was it some kind of bizarre joke?

At least the Christmas plague hadn’t made it this far.

“Right, now that we’ve got that part out of the way, let’s move on. We normally like an even number of detectives, but the county moved you over so fast we couldn’t get you a partner, and no one is retiring.” Jones rolled his shoulders and fixed McGee with a very sharp gaze. “Do you know why the county was so… insistent with your transfer?”

Ah. So, the captain was suspicious. Time to put that backstory to good use.

“Honestly, sir, I embarrassed someone, and I think they just spun the wheel on how to get rid of me.”

“Mhm. See, usually when they do that, they pick from departments that actually put in requests for extra personnel. We haven’t.”

“I think the main concern was just to keep me away.”

“I see.” The level of suspicion in the man’s eyes did not change. “You’re going to be with Patterson and Collins until you get your feet under you and we decide what to do about the partner situation. If the county will even let us out another detective on payroll. Consider yourself on probation as far as whatever it is you’re doing with the county. Don’t put my detectives in danger.”

“Sir—”

“Whatever excuse you have, I don’t want to hear it. Go talk to Collins. I know you met him. Patterson probably isn’t here yet.”

Collins stood next to a woman in a coat with a long dark braid. Both of their backs were to McGee. He could see that they were talking to one another, making tight little gestures with their hands near their chests. All the other occupants of the room stared at them without a modicum of shame.

“—until he sees his first fight? We’re supposed to babysit him until January? We won’t be able to talk about anything!”

“Well, if you’d been on time, maybe we could have convinced the captain not to—”

Someone behind McGee cleared their throat. Loudly. Collins and the woman turned, sheepishly.

“Oh. McGee. McGee, this is Patterson. Patterson, this is McGee. You’ll be working with us, apparently.”

“Hopefully, I’ll be able to get out of your hair before too long,” said McGee.

“Don’t count on it. How long have you been in town?” asked Patterson.

“Only since yesterday. Why?”

“We’re showing you around,” said Patterson, snatching the antlers from Collins’s head.

“Consider it your last bit of freedom before you’re condemned to paperwork,” said Collins.

Amity Park was odd, McGee decided.

It wasn’t just the clashing but equally enthusiastic Halloween and Christmas decorations, the omnipresent construction, and the worrying number of holes in the road (really, there was no way the road repair budget was actually getting used on the roads). There was something else. Something McGee couldn’t put his finger on. Something—

He did a double-take. Were those two cosplaying the Ghostbusters? Why?

How seriously did these people take their tourist trap nonsense?

“What are Jack and Maddie doing out?” asked Patterson.

“I don’t know,” said Collins. He tilted his head to one side and pulled into a nearby convenience store parking lot. “You’d think they’d be told; December is a quiet month.”

“Mhm. Maybe they didn’t believe it?”

“They can be stubborn sometimes,” mused Collins. “But it would be nice if there was some action.” He pulled the parking brake. “You want to introduce McGee to the local celebrities?”

A look of indescribable disgust appeared on Patterson’s face. “Why don’t you introduce them?”

“I did that last time.”

“No, you didn’t. You rang their doorbell and then ran like the coward you are.”

Collins, without any hint of repentance, shrugged. “Wouldn’t you do the same?”

“This is different,” she protested. “This isn’t just any new resident. This is a coworker. A coworker who isn’t going to see that kind of action for a whole month.”

“Action?” asked McGee. This felt perilously close to what he’d been tasked to find out.

“You’ll find out in a month,” said Collins. “Assuming you last that long.”

McGee frowned, and decided to take another risk and prompt the pair further. “I know you have a low crime rate here,” he said, “but I’m sure there will be something for us to investigate before the end of the month.”

“Well, yeah,” said Collins. “We don’t get paid for doing nothing.”

There was a sharp rap on the window, and everyone jumped. God. It was just some kid. McGee put a hand over his heart and tried not to think too hard about the time he had almost been killed in his car by a dirty cop and his gangster friends.

Collins rolled the window down, letting in a gust of frigid wind.

“Hi, detectives!” chirped the teen. “I heard you got a new guy!”

Oh. That was interesting. Was the local gang using children as in-betweens?

“Yep,” said Patterson. “This is McGee. McGee, this is Danny, the only sane Fenton.”

Danny tipped his head to the side and squinted. “I think that title needs to go to Jazz.”

“Danny, I hate to break it to you, but your sister is a lunatic,” said Patterson, completely serious.

“Come on, you’re just saying that,” said Danny, staring openly at McGee.

Did this kid blink?

“Anyway, I’ve introduced McGee to one Fenton, you get to do the others,” said Patterson, poking Collins in the ribs.

“Danny doesn’t count,” protested Collins, squirming. “He’s sane, like you said.”

“You’ll have to be fast. Mom and Dad are like three blocks down the street chasing…” He trailed off. “Well, they think they’re chasing something, anyway. Transient noise on their latest EMF reader.” He rolled his eyes and finally blinked.

“Think they might actually get anything?” asked Patterson.

“Nothing with a mind,” said Danny. “Might have to play animal control soon, though.” There was a loud crash and a squeal of rubber, followed by distant but still deafening engine noises. Danny winced. “Can you please give them a fine for driving around in that thing?”

“They have a special permit,” said Collins, shrugging. “Straight from the mayor. Nothing we can do.”

“I will bribe you to do something.”

McGee choked.

“With what?” asked Collins. “You’re a penniless middle schooler.”

“Excuse you,” said Danny, crossing his arms. “You know I’m in high school.”

There was another crash.

“Are you sure they haven’t found anything?” asked Patterson, leaning forward.

“Absolutely positive,” said Danny. He sighed. “I should probably go, though.”

“Okay, have fun, Danny!”

“Don’t think you’re getting out of introductions, Patterson,” grumbled Collins.

“Alright,” said Collins, opening a narrow door and turning on the buzzing yellow light within. “Your kingdom awaits!” He gestured grandly, disrupting clouds of dust. “You’ll be entering old cases into the system. Did Cameron Daily show you how?”

McGee’s lips twisted at the memory of the computer tech. “Yes,” he said.

“Yeah, Cameron gets that reaction,” said Collins, thumping McGee on the back. “If it makes you feel better, he’s usually in charge of keeping track of the cults. Did he tell you about the VHS evidence?”

“The cults?”

“Yep. You’ll learn about those later. VHS?”

“Yes, he told me how to handle the VHS.”

“Great. So, Patterson and I will be working on case paperwork in the main room, if you have any questions, come get us, okay?”

“I will,” said McGee.

Collins nodded. “If we wind up being assigned a case, we’ll come get you.” He absentmindedly rubbed his shoulder. “The captain probably won’t give us anything today. Oh, and if Mayor Masters drops in, redirect him to the front desk. There’s no reason for him to be back here.”

There was a good deal of hostility in Collins’ tone. Interesting.

“Do you not get along with the mayor?”

“We get along fine,” said Collins. “He just oversteps his authority, sometimes.”

“I… see.”

“Not yet you don’t,” said Collins, softly, before turning to walk away. A “Good luck” was tossed casually over the man’s shoulder and seemed to echo in the air despite the hall being far too small for that to happen.

McGee turned to his work and smiled. They shouldn’t have left him alone with the records. This was where he did his best work. There was always a paper trail somewhere.

He opened the department-issued laptop and brought up the digital filing system.

It was odd, though. He’d spent years in the police, and he’d never heard of Fenton & Foley Information Systems.

The department computer filing system was a miracle. McGee meant that completely, as a connoisseur of filing systems. He wondered if he could get the county to adopt it, assuming it didn’t tie back to the mob or something equally unsavory.

On the other hand, it was only a couple months old, by the looks of it. It was, therefore, mostly empty, as compared to the almost infinite number of filing boxes in the record room.

The record room was not well organized. In fact, it was barely organized at all. Several of the boxes looked like they’d been beaten with a bat, others were singed. A few dripped with something sticky and green. One or two looked as though they’d been drenched in water and then left to dry in a dark, damp room. Only about half of them were labeled.

To top it off, towards the beginning he’d found a post-it that had said: Boxy, if you steal these again, I’m going to leave you in the thermos for a week. -Phantom

The people here were way too into their tourist trap shenanigans. Unless they weren’t just tourist trap shenanigans. Unless they were a front.

He’d put that on his list of things to investigate.

But first, first, he was going to find the records for the murder that was recently swept under the table.

The newest boxes, despite being reasonably intact and therefore unique, weren’t easy to find, but he was able to drag them out and sit down with his laptop. He could enter as he searched, and thereby give the illusion that he was a completely normal transfer more credence.

Except.

Except. The records for that murder didn’t seem to exist. Not even in the cold case box.

“Hey.”

McGee jumped. Patterson was standing behind him, holding two paper coffee cups.

“How’s it going?” she asked. “I know these records are hell.”

“Fine,” he said.

“Coffee?”

“Sure.” He took the offered cup from her. “Forgive me if I’m wrong,” he said, “but when I was working up at county, I heard that you had a murder case here, recently? You dug up a teen’s body?”

“Oh, yeah.” Patterson was unperturbed. “Yeah, that was pretty exciting. Collins and I were on that.”

“I can’t seem to find the records for it.”

“Yeah. Well, there wasn’t any foul play.” Patterson shrugged.

“Wasn’t he found buried in a public park?”

“Well, aren’t you informed,” said Patterson. She sipped her coffee aggressively through the plastic stirring straw.

“So, you found an illegally buried teenager’s corpse and just… dropped it?”

“We investigated it,” said Patterson. “There wasn’t anything there. Case was cold even without that.” Another long, aggressive sip. She couldn’t possibly be getting any coffee up through that straw. It had to be mostly air.

This was the most bizarre intimidation tactic McGee had ever come across in his entire life. This was saying something. Once he’d worked with a man who’d pretend to have the flu during interrogations.

“You should still have records for the investigation.”

Patterson shrugged. “You’d have to ask Captain Jones about that. Anyway, I brought a bunch of tapes for you, too. You’ll have to rewind them by hand, though, when you finally get to them.” Another sip. “Are you planning on doing the salvage boxes?”

“The what?”

“The salvage boxes. The ones that got fished out of the lake. Wouldn’t blame you if you weren’t. Just curious.”

“I’m- They were in a lake? Why?”

“Stick around and find out,” said Patterson. “Did Masters come bother you yet?”

“Mayor Masters?”

“The one and only,” said Patterson, raising her coffee in a mock toast.

“Why would he come here?”

“Because you’re new, and theoretically a weak link. Oh, yeah. One more thing. I know your check-out time is in half an hour, but come back around eight, okay?”

“Why?”

“Reasons.”

“Are you hazing me?”

“That’s what the salvage boxes are for,” said Patterson. “Come back at eight. Bye.” She waved as she left.

Great. What was he supposed to do about that?

He didn’t go home after checking out. Instead, he walked around town. Patterson and Collins’ tour had been… interesting. Not terribly informative. They had given him an overview of various restaurants, ‘paranormal hotspots,’ and places where dumb kids gathered to experiment with drugs of dubious legality.

But they had avoided certain parts of town. McGee had noticed.

True, some of that was likely coincidence, but McGee had never heard of a public cemetery that wasn’t the site of something shady. Sure, a good caretaker would chase off anyone messing around in daylight, but cemeteries and graveyards just attracted trouble. Even if that trouble was just the local goth kids running around while high out of their minds.

But this cemetery, evidently, is different. Because there’s an unholy amount of people there for something that supposedly hallowed ground. Is this also part of the weird ghost-theme the place had going for itself? Were those tourists? In the graveyard?

That seemed to be in remarkably poor taste.

McGee pushed his hands deeper into his pockets and lengthened his stride. This whole town was in poor taste.

Oddly, everyone seemed to be gathered around the same grave. Maybe it was a funeral? No, the ground in front of the headstone was long since patted firm, and the headstone, while obviously fairly new, had some evidence of weathering even from a distance.

Had there been a celebration today? Memorial Day wasn’t today, was it? McGee always lost track of those fiddly little holidays.

Huh. The headstone was blank.

“Excuse me,” he said to a nearby woman. “Do you know who was buried here?”

“You… don’t know?” she asked, eyes wide with surprise.

McGee grinned. “I’m new in town, I’m afraid, and I just saw all these people here… I’m curious, I guess.”

“Oh,” said the woman. She looked away, every part of her body language screaming that she was coming up with a story to feed him. A lie. Or, at least, deciding which lie to use. “Well, there was a body found a few months ago? No one ever identified him, so… He was buried here? We just, um. It was sad, you know? You’ll probably hear more about it if you stick around.”

Despite almost everything she said being a statement, she still managed to make everything but the last sentence sound like a question.

Even if it was a lie…

“I hadn’t, actually. Can you tell me what happened?”

… Maybe it was just what McGee needed.

#danny phantom #ectober #ectober 2020 #ectober week #ectober week 2020

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criminallyfanatic · 4 years

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secrets and lies

Aaron Hotchner and Y/N Y/L/N haven’t seen each other since Y/N mysteriously dropped out of Law School right before finals. 16 years later and the meet again as she joins his team at the BAU. Will Aaron finally find out why she left? (set around season 6 time)

aaron hotchner x reader

warnings: some swearing and mentions of murder, just your usual criminal minds antics

a/n - I haven’t written in so long so apologise if it’s not great :) also I have no idea how law school in America works so apologise for any inconsistencies there

“You have an excellent record Agent (Y/L/N), the BAU would be lucky to have you.”

She scanned over your file one last time before settling it on her desk, turning her eyes to you.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity maam” her eyes seemed to stare through you, sizing you up and you shifted slightly in your seat.

“Good. I’m sure you’ll fit right in, with such an impressive history. You’ll start with Agent Hotchner’s team monday morning.”

One mention of his name and it felt like your heart stopped. No, this had to be some sort of mistake.

“Is something wrong, Agent (Y/L/N)?” Her brows furrowed in concern, no doubt noticing the sudden tension that seemed to fill your whole body.

“No, it’s just … when I applied for this job I was told I would be placed on Agent Walters team maam.” please let it be a mistake. Please.

“I’m afraid you were misinformed. This position is on Agent Hotchner's team. Will that be a problem for you?”

YES

“No, not at all. Thank you so much, for this opportunity.”

FUCK

Just open the door. It’s simple. Just push the door open and walk in. He’s probably not even here. And if he is, he probably wouldn’t even recognise you. Or even remember you. Yeah …

Fuck

“Hi!” you jump as someone taps your shoulder, clutching your chest as your heart thunders against it “Oh my god i’m so sorry!”

You turn, coming face to face with quite possibly the most vibrant woman you have ever met. She offers you a tentative smile, her eyes full of concern, scanning your face for any sign of anger or fear.

“I’m so sorry,” she reaches out a hand and lays it on your shoulder, “are you alright?”

“Yes. Sorry. Lost in my own head.”

She appears relieved, happy she didn’t cause any permanent damage.

‘Hi, I’m Penelope Garcia” She reaches out a hand for you to shake, her smile returning tenfold. It almost seems to emanate light, like she makes everything around her shine. It was infectious, and you soon found yourself with a similar smile on your face, all awkwardness forgotten

“Y/N Y/L/N”

Her eyes seem to triple in size at the mention of your name, her grip on your hand tightening.

“Oh my gosh you’re the new agent! I just saw your name come through on the system. It’s so great to meet you. I’m Penelope Garcia, the technical analyst,” She’s shaking your hand again, this time quite vigorously, “Come on, let me introduce you to the rest of the team.” taking the hand she was shaking she now leads you through the impenetrable glass doors and into the bullpen.

“Guy, come meet (Y/N)!” with her free hand she waves at a group of agents all huddled around one person's desk. At her call they all turn to look at you, and all of a sudden the anxiety of meeting new people suddenly overwhelms the fear of meeting an old friend. “She’s the newest addition to our wonderful team.”

Quite suddenly you're enveloped by a swarm of agents, all introducing themselves to you, asking you about your past, your family, your life. And it’s nice. Overwhelming, but nice. They’re all so friendly, and you can tell they’re all so close. Like a family. It puts you at ease and soon you’re laughing along with them.

“Have I missed a memo or something?”

The voice comes from behind you, and it feels like someone is pouring a bucket of ice cold water down your back. You feel the tension come flooding back and you daren’t turn around.

“Hotch, have you met the agent joining our team?”

Everyone is staring at you, expectant. Your move.

Just turn around. Get it over with. Like ripping off a plaster.

You can feel his eyes on you, burning holes into your back. JUST TURN AROUND

You turn around.

“Hey Aaron.”

You could practically hear the gears turning in everyone's heads.

You knew Hotch? How did you know Hotch? HOTCH HAD A LIFE BEFORE THE BAU?

You drowned them out, focusing entirely on Aaron. For a moment, you could see every emotion on his face, written plainly for you to read. The fear, the surprise … the regret. You always were good at reading him. A moment later he was back to his cold exterior. Unreadable. Unknowable.

All at once his body jumped into motion. He moved the last few steps towards you, reaching out his hand hesitantly, as if not quite sure how to approach this situation.

How do you approach this situation? If only he knew just how weird it was

You took his hand, it practically enveloped yours, and it was so warm, familiar -

PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER

“It’s good to see you again (Y/N)”

“Likewise”

The stares of the other agents came from all sides, clearly trying to decipher just what was happening here. The silence was deafening, the noise of the bustling bullpen just background to the tension and confusion mounting in this one area. You were just waiting for the first brave agent to speak up, to ask the question they all wanted to know the answer to.

“So how do you two -”

BEEP BEEP

The shrill sound of the tech analysts phone thankfully cuts off the question that Agent Prentiss had begun to ask.

“Sorry guys, guess the getting to know you party’s over, we have a case” says Penelope, pouting slightly.

Ahh saved by the bell

Despite this, no one seems quite ready to leave just yet, much more happy to linger here and figure out this puzzle. It’s Aaron who moves first.

“You’re welcome to sit this one out if you want to get acquainted with your surroundings first.”

“Thank you, Aaron, but I’m ready. Let's get to work.”

He throws you a swift nod and moves past you, climbing the stairs to the walkway above. Slowly, the other agents follow suit, until you’re left alone with Penelope.

“Hey, are you alright?” she gently rests a hand on your shoulder, “You seem tense?”

“I’m fine,” you shake your head, trying to clear the thoughts racing through it, “Just first day jitters.”

She offers you a small smile, satisfied with your answer. You can tell she’s just dying to ask how you know Aaron, but not quite sure how to bring it up, like she doesn’t want to hurt your feelings.

“We knew each other. In law school. In case you were wondering.”

“Have you seen him since?”

“Nope. 16 years since I last saw him.” sixteen very long years

You can tell she knows there’s more to it, but she doesn’t want to push. Not on your first day. You expect that in a couple weeks you will be grilled in depth about your relationship with Aaron, what he was like in College, how well you knew him. But for now she simply nods, happy with this snippet of information she will likely file away and research as soon as she gets back to her office.

“Come with me Agent (Y/L/N), we have a case to solve.”

The case was pretty standard, If you could call a case that. 5 women had been murdered, all brunets, all young and attractive. No doubt some sick bastard had been dumped or rejected at some point in their miserable lives and decided to take it out on anyone who looked the slightest bit like her. All you had to do was catch him. “From looking at the geographical profile I've deduced that his comfort zone is between these three points, so the odds are that he lives somewhere in here.” “We could increase police presence in these neighbourhoods, might make -"

you missed the end of the police chiefs sentence as you felt your phone vibrate in your pocket.

INCOMING CALL: SOFIA

You feel someone's eyes on you and look up to see Aaron’s questioning gaze. You flash the phone at him and he simply nods his head. You slip quietly from the room, trying not to pull any attention away from the discussion happening around the table, and duck into an alcove.

“Hey sweetie”

“Hey mom.”

“Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to say goodnight. How’s the case going?”

“It’s good. Well, not good, but it’s certainly going.” you can feel those eyes on you again, and you resist the temptation to look round. Not now, please not now

“Well, I don’t want to keep you if you’re busy, just wanted to touch base.”

“Ok, well goodnight sweetie, I’ll see you soon. Love you”

“Love you too. Oh and mom.”

“Yeah?”

“Kick some bad guy ass.” You laugh at that

“Ok, I will certainly try.” You hang up the phone, still grinning slightly as you glance at the picture on the screen. You and Sofia had spent the day at the beach and she had snapped a picture of the two of you as the sun set, ice creams in hand. You missed her.

There was a flurry of movement from the room you had just left, everyone grabbing their things and moving to the exit.

“What’s happening?” you managed to snag Reid’s arm as he walked past. By the look on his face it wasn’t good.

“They’ve found another body.”

You felt your stomach drop. You weren’t smiling anymore.

Dumped. Like trash. Just something to be thrown away. That’s what he thought of these women. You stared at her body, all crumpled on the floor and you felt the anger bubbling in your stomach. If you stared long enough she started to look like Sofia. A bit older, a bit taller. But the similarities were still there.

You closed your eyes, shaking your head slightly, trying to clear yourself of that mental image.

No. She’s at home. Safe.

“Are you alright?” He’s looking at you with that air of concern again and it’s almost too much. You can't bring yourself to look in his eyes, instead opting to look at the wall just over his shoulder.

“Yeah I’m fine.”

“If you need a minute, a break…”

“I’ll be fine Aaron.” You look at him then, feel the full force of his gaze and it overwhelms you. He can see it in your eyes. His eyebrows furrow and you can see he’s trying to read you, trying to figure out just what's wrong.

Everything. Everything’s wrong. And you don’t even know .

You feel the tears start to well in your eyes and you force yourself to look away. You can see out the corner of your eye as he begins to reach for you and you hold up your hand.

Please no. Don’t touch me. I don’t think I could bare it. Then it would be real.

“I’m fine Aaron. Really. It’s just a lot is all.”

“(Y/N) -”

You walk away before he can probe any deeper, moving to the mouth of the alley, breathing deep from the crisp night air. The tears still sit, threatening to fall and you try to hold them back.

Not here. Not now. Keep yourself together.

You feel him coming up behind you again, and you spin, your fear and sadness turning to anger.

“Aaron I said I’m fine -”

“Woah don’t shoot it’s just me.” You see Prentiss holding her hands in mock surrender. She lowers them, huffing out a laugh, but regarding you with that self same look of concern.

What is this look? A BAU special?

“I’d ask you if you’re alright but I don’t especially feel like getting my head blown off. That being said … Are you ok?”

Just like she did a moment ago you let out a small laugh, shaking your head slightly.

“Oh god, this isn’t a great first impression is it?” You feel like an idiot. You’re first day and already you’re practically having a breakdown.

“Don’t worry about it. We all have our moments, our limits. It’s what makes us human.” She lays a comforting hand on your shoulder.

You can see why they’re all so close. They look out for one another. See when one is hurting. Like a family.

Family.

“We’ll get him you know.” She pulls you from your thoughts and you glance back to her, eyes focussing on the here and now.

“I know.”

You share a small smile and you begin to truly believe it.

And catch him you did. You had figured out he was stalking and abducting women from their homes. He saw them at work, in a coffee shop, at the mall. One look and he already knew he wanted to kill them. The trick was finding them after he had abducted them. And without any physical evidence to even hint to who this man might be it seemed an impossible task.

But he slipped up. He left a trace. Whether that was the increased police presence, the fact that the FBI were there or just the fact that he was getting sloppy. It didn’t matter. You had DNA. And a name.

Charles Manes. We're coming for you.

For a man unhinged he was surprisingly easy to take down. He just gave himself up, that shit eating grin on his face as he did it. The last woman he had abducted was laying on the floor, bound and gagged. You ran over to her, pulling the rope from her body and helping her to sit up. She began sobbing and you held her against you as she cried, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

“You’re ok. You’re safe now.”

The paramedics took her from you and led her outside, ready to take her to the hospital. You followed after, stopping by the front door and leaning against the frame, taking a moment. You felt a presence beside you and turned to see Rossi watching her get loaded into the ambulance.

“We did good.” he said, not even glancing towards you, “She’ll be alright.”

“Eventually.” You took a deep sigh, feeling yourself start to relax. A commotion made you both look and you saw Charles fighting with the officers trying to load him into the police car. It seemed Aaron saw too as in a flash he was by their side, helping to get him in without causing any more damage.

You felt your body tense, felt Rossi glance at you questioningly.

“Everything alright agent?”

How do they do this? They barely even know me! Stupid profilers.

“Never better.” You said, glancing back at him over your shoulder as you made your way to the SUV’s, to the rest of the team.

“We got him,” Prentiss clapped you on the shoulder as you passed, headed to the second SUV, “let’s go home.”

You had to admit, travelling by jet was quite the experience. What wasn’t as fancy was the great pile of paperwork waiting for you at the other end. You’d only just started but already you were swamped.

You sat at your desk. Penelope had laid out your things whilst you all were away. “I just wanted you to feel more at home here when you got back”. It was sparse, but functional. She had even left you a post-it note with a cute message on and a unicorn stress toy, “You didn’t have any pictures, so I wanted to liven the place up a bit, I hope you like it.”

Right. No pictures. Wonder why.

The paperwork loomed and you tried to stay focused, eager to go home, but as the words began to merge into one another you knew it was time for coffee.

Another long night it is then.

You thought about calling Sofia, letting her know you would be late back. Would she even still be up? Who are you kidding, of course she is.

Might as well call her. A break from paperwork might do me some good.

You reached into your desk drawer to take out your phone.

“Y/N can I speak to you for a moment in my office?”

Maybe not then.

He was looking down at you from the walkway, not quite meeting your eyes. He seemed fidgety, like he couldn't decide whether to cross his arms or put them in his pockets or lean against the bannister.

Nervous. Interesting.

“Of course.” You walked up the stairs to where he stood and he motioned for you to go inside and take a seat. He lingered by the door for a moment before pushing it closed and making his way around the desk and sitting in his chair, hands steepled before him on the desk. He regarded you for a moment and you felt your heart skip. It felt like he was x raying you, like he could see into your mind, into the thoughts racing about in there. You shifted uncomfortably in your seat, trying to escape his gaze, or at least prompt him into talking. Anything to break the silence.

“I just wanted to check in on you, your first case and all. You’ve done some exceptional work and I can see you being an excellent asset to this team.”

“Thank you. I can see that I’m going to enjoy working with this team.”

He simply nodded, nothing more to say, but you could see in his face he wasn’t done. Not really.

Is that really all you want to say? Come on Aaron spit it out. I can see it in your eyes. Maybe this will make it easier on the both of us, if we just blurt out what we have to say at the same time. Or would that wreck you even more? Either way I’m the bad guy. But I can’t keep this to myself. You need to know. You want to know. So just ask.

“Why did you leave?” he blurted it out suddenly and it shocked you, and by the look on his face it shocked him too

“I’m sorry what?”

He gained back some of his composure, steeling himself before asking again.

“Why did you leave law school. Right before finals you just up and left. No letters, no reason just there one minute gone the next. I tried to find out something, anything but no one knew-” You could tell he was working his way up to something.

Come on. Ask me. Make this easier on me. Blame yourself, so when I tell you the truth it will hurt less. Because you know why. Or at least part of it.

“If you left because of what I did I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to drive you away. It was stupid and immature and if that is why I am truly sorry.”

Oh god, I thought if I heard you admit it, it wouldn’t hurt as much to tell you the truth. To hurt you like you did me. But it’s worse, so much worse. Because you’re sorry. And I’m the villain. The one who didn’t tell you.

You could feel the tears falling down your face, slipping onto the hands wound tightly in your lap. His face was breaking too, and you couldn’t bare to look at it a moment longer.

“Y/N -” he reached across the desk for you but you held up your hand to stop him, just like in the alleyway.

“Please. Don’t.”

“If this is because of me I’m so sorry. If you want I can get you a transfer. If you can’t work with me we can sort this out.”

That's right, the cowards way out. Just keep avoiding this conversation till you eventually die.

Just tell him. Get it over with. Rip off the bandaid.

“Please stop. Just stop. It’s not your fault. I mean, it was, partly, but it wasn’t. And when I tell you why you will probably hate me, and can take that. I deserve it. And if you want to transfer me out, get rid of me I understand. But when you left me, to go back to Haley it broke me. I hated you. I hated you with everything I had and I thought the best way to punish you was to just not tell you. But over the years I’ve realised how stupid I was, how selfish and foolish I was to not tell you. All because of some petty relationship drama.”

His look of confusion morphed into one of understanding and horror. Like he had connected the dots in his head but wasn’t quite ready to admit to what they all added up to. He was as far away from you as possible. Like you stood before him with a bomb and he was waiting for it to go off. And you were.

“I was pregnant Aaron. I was pregnant and I never told you. I just left. And I’m so sorry.”

Your whole body was shaking as you dissolved fully into tears, not daring to look at him, to no doubt see the anger and the disgust written on his face. Disgust at how stupid and selfish you were.

Not telling someone they have a daughter. How evil can you be.

You heard your name spoken softly from the chair beside you. You hadn’t even seen him get up. But he reached for you again, and this time you let him, let him pull you into his arms, rest your head against his chest as you cried and cried, spilling tears onto his white shirt. He rested his chin on top of your head, rubbing soothing circles onto your back, rocking you slightly.

No. This is wrong. This is all wrong. You should hate me for what I’ve done, I’m despicable.

“Aaron.” You brought your head up from his chest, finally looking at his face. He didn’t look angry or disgusted, he just looked … sad.

“It’s alright.” He gently brushed some of the tears from your face, one hand coming to rest on your cheek, “It’s ok.”

“It’s not ok Aaron. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I kept this from you.”

The hand on your cheek fell away, coming to rest instead on your hand, holding it in his.

“You must hate me.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“Well I hate myself.”

“This isn’t your fault”

“Isn’t it?”

“I screwed up. We both did. But I made you feel like you couldn’t tell me about this. I drove you away and I broke your heart. We both made mistakes. But we can fix them now.”

The way he said, the way he seemed to stare into your soul, made you truly believe you could.

“Tell me about them. Tell me everything.”

And so you did. You told him everything about Sofia. How excited she was to go into her junior year next year. How she liked to eat pancakes on saturdays and drink tea because it made her feel fancy. You told him how she cries at soppy movies and how you would always make time for mother daughter dates. And he listened to every moment of it, every little detail. And it pained you that he never knew any of this. That he never got to see her grow up. But maybe now he could get some of that time back. Still have a relationship, make some memories with her.

“I want to meet her.”

“I want that too.”

And you felt some understanding pass between the two of you. That whatever had happened in the past was over with. Now, what was important, more than anything else, was family.

#aaron hotchner #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner fanfiction #Criminal Minds #criminal minds fanfic

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silentsnowdrop · 4 years

Text

Kayfabe

“Muahahahahaha! Hello, citizens of Havenwood, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!”

There was a general shriek of excited alarm as Cold Snap made his grand entrance in the city square, snow falling from above him and ice spreading from below his feet. Half a dozen spotlights shone on him from above, courtesy of the circling black top hat drones. In the crowd, he could hear camera shutters going off, and he gave an exaggerated bow and wink, allowing his white hair to fall over one pale blue eye as he rose again.

There was at least one scream of “Do you want my number!?”

Cold Snap grinned, then gave a dramatic sweep of his blue-clad arm. “We’ve been a little quiet this year, but don’t worry—Black Hat and Cold Snap haven’t forgotten about you! Tonight, we’ve got something extra fun planned! Behold!”

A massive hat drone descended on the square, hovering above the twenty-foot-tall Christmas tree. Blaring a rather demented remix of Jingle Bells, the hat disgorged a swarm of much tinier hats as Cold Snap let loose with another evil cackle. In less than a minute, each hatling had grabbed an ornament, replaced it, and returned to the motherhat. What was once a tree shining with gold and silver ornaments was now resplendent with white snowflakes and tiny black and red hats. The motherhat reached down and plucked the star off the top, then replaced it with a rhinestone-encrusted top hat that glimmered in the spotlights as the motherhat retreated into the sky and hovered over the square.

“Voila! This year, Christmas is about us! If you’re all very, very good, I might be willing to share some of the cookies, but you’ll have to convince me!” Several of the parents in the crowd gave exaggerated gasps of horror, and Cold Snap paused to make sure none of the kids were crying. Fortunately, it seemed they were all just as into it as he was—one of the kids even mustered the courage to fling a snowball at his face.

The crowd gasped and went quiet. Cold Snap let the moment hang, then flicked his hand past his face. The snow and water wrapped itself around his hand, and he formed it into a ball of ice, allowing it to float over his palm. “Oh-ho, someone out here is feeling brave, are they? Perhaps I should teach you a lesson about what happens when you mess with me!”

“Don’t you dare, Cold Snap!”

Half of the spotlights swiveled over to illuminate the roof of the building behind the crowd. Hovering above it, glowing brightly enough that she barely needed the extra light, was a young woman who looked remarkably like Cold Snap despite being wreathed in a flame aura. Little wisps of flame flickered off her aura as snow hit it and formed a curtain of steam as she landed on the roof.

Cold Snap laughed again, tossing his ice ball and catching it. “Well, hello there, Fireball! Here to stop me?”

“I’m not about to let you ruin Christmas, Cold Snap!” Fireball put her hands on her hips, and a lucky breeze made her red hair fan out for a moment. “Get that hat back here!”

“Or else what, dear sister?” Cold Snap slowly spun the ball in his hands. “Besides, I have a much better idea—and you’re going to have to participate.”

“Or what?”

Cold Snap grinned and tossed the ball over his shoulder. It exploded into powder, and the snow fell quicker for a moment, until a sheet of white hung behind him. One of the hat drones switched from spotlight to projector and aimed its light at the makeshift screen. The image fizzed with static, then cleared to reveal a forest of candy canes.

Tied to the one in front—which also happened to be red and black—was a young woman. The ribbons wrapped over her dark coat matched nicely with the streaks of green in her curly brown hair, and over the ribbon over her mouth, her eyes were wide, almost fearful.

Almost. Cold Snap knew that look meant she was excited.

Fireball paused and shot Cold Snap the briefest confused look. He just grinned, and gave her a subtle wave to encourage her to play along.

The glare she covered her confusion with almost made him check his hair for fire. That had happened a couple of times, and it was never dignified. Fortunately, now at least she had better control as she snarled, “What did you do to Liliana?”

“Oh, nothing—yet. But if you want her back, you’re going to need to search the decorations we took for me. Word is, there was a key to White Hat’s hideout in one of those, and if you don’t find it…”

He formed another ice ball, and shattered it.

As a few of the onlookers screamed, Fireball raised her chin and grinned. “Oh really? Well, unfortunately for you, Cold Snap, I have a line directly to White Hat.” Another motherhat, this one gleaming white and blue, descended from the clouds behind her to hover as a backdrop. “And I’m sure that the good people of Havenwood will be more than happy to help recover those ornaments before you can get through them!”

Cold Snap just grinned and reached up. A hat drone descended and grabbed his hand, and he let it pull him into the air as the hatlings began to scatter from the motherhat again. “Well, I hope you can get them all found in an hour! After that, they’re all going to be back at Black Hat’s base, and you’ll never find them there!”

He let out another mad cackle as he was pulled into the snowfall and vanished from sight. “Good luck!”

Natalie Ayers, also known as The Dynamo, stepped out of her hotel bathroom entirely ready to settle in for the night and get some needed relaxation done. Her hair was dried, she had her favorite pajamas on, and her tea was all ready to go.

Unfortunately, the world had other plans for her.

She had left the news on as she had showered. This wasn’t unusual--even when she was outside of her home city, she was licensed to aid in most states if there was a villain active. If something was going down, she wanted to know.

The local news station was focused on a shot of a young woman bound to a black-and-red candy cane with green ribbons. Natalie’s heart lurched as she saw the way fear had made her eyes wide and staring, and she couldn’t tear herself away as the channel focused back onto the reporter.

“Tonight, the villain known as Cold Snap has kidnapped Liliana, Fireball’s girlfriend. In return for her safe return, he has demanded that Fireball locate a key to White Hat’s base, which was concealed in one of the city Christmas tree’s ornaments. White Hat is helping Fireball to locate said key, and they have asked the aid of the populace in searching. There are still thirty minutes left to find the key--here is the map of the search area...”

A map appeared on the screen, and the reporter began to explain what sectors had been searched and what sectors still needed searching, but Natalie wasn’t paying much attention. She was already pulling out her uniform and stripping off her pajamas.

Within five minutes, she was dressed and leaping off of her balcony. The wind around her was cold, but the tech in her uniform compensated for that as she rose above the city and began to search for the forest of candy-canes that had been visible in the photo. She’d never been here before, but that meant very little in the face of her super-enhanced vision. It cut through the light snow that was still falling with little trouble as she searched, praying that this Cold Snap would keep to his word and leave his captive alone for another thirty minutes.

She’d seen the victims of villains who had gotten bored of waiting for their demands to be met. Comparatively, being frozen alive might be a kind way to die.

Dynamo shook off the memories just as she spotted the small park where Cold Snap was waiting with Liliana. It wasn’t far from the city square, and for a moment, she frowned. The only defense he seemed to have was a slightly thicker snowfall over the park, and Fireball should find it easy to find him. Dynamo could even see the other superhero as she flew over the buildings to the south as a bright streak against the dark sky.

Perhaps he had some sort of trigger on his captive, to kill her if Fireball got too close.

Well, Dynamo thought grimly, I’ll just have to stop him before he can use it.

She landed fast and hard, blowing the snow up around her in an explosion of white. As it settled, she found Cold Snap staring at her, one hand absently adjusting an earpiece. He turned and gave his captive a baffled blink, then said, “Hhhhi. Who are you?”

“Dynamo.” She straightened, tilting her chin just enough to make it clear she had to look down slightly to look at him. “Let the girl go, Cold Snap.”

“I…” Cold Snap blinked again, looking even more baffled. “Do you know what’s going on here?”

Either the villain was stalling, or he thought Dynamo was stupid. She decided to take pity on him and assume he thought she was stupid, because she hated being stalled. “You’re a kidnapper, trying to use this girl as leverage. I’m giving you a chance to let her go before I start punching. So let her go, and I take you in with all of your teeth intact.”

Cold Snap gave his captive another baffled blink, and this time she even returned it. Then he held out his hands in what Dynamo was pretty sure was supposed to be a placating gesture. “So, first, she’s not in any danger. She’s playing along here—she actually helped with the planning.”

Cold Snap kept talking—something about “motherhats” and “ornaments”—but Dynamo barely heard him over the sudden rush of blood in her ears. The girl was a traitor. She was playing along, probably to lure in her so-called girlfriend and get her killed.

Dynamo made a fist, feeling her glove creak under her grip.

“—and once Fireball gets here with the ring—SHIT!”

Cold Snap barely avoided her punch by flinging himself backward. He rolled to his feet, then shot off over the snow, leaving shimmering trails of ice behind as he skated effortlessly between the candy canes.

Dynamo launched herself into the air and followed.

“—say again, a rogue hero, probably around Magnifigirl’s weight class—I need back-up, she is not listening to negotiation—“ Cold Snap broke off of his rapid fire speech to dodge another punch, then hit her in the face with a hard-packed ball of snow. It didn’t stop her, but it did disorient her enough for him to slide away and yell, “Look, I promise that there’s really a good explanation for this that doesn’t need you to grind me into paste! All you need to do is stop trying to punch me and—“

He cut himself off to throw up a wall of ice between them as she shot forward. Dynamo hit it hard, pain flashing through her shoulder and ribs for a moment before her healing took over. As she backed away, she could see cracks in the wall, and when he saw them, his eyes went wide.

Then he was off again.

“Definitely not listening!” he screeched. He threw himself out of the way of another punch, giving himself a second of inefficient cover as he rolled behind a Christmas Tree. “Also, she’s a pseudo-flying brick—four inches of ice barely stopped her! She’s way out of my weight class!”

Dynamo paused. On the one hand, she didn’t want to kill him. On the other hand, if she didn’t deal with him quickly, Fireball was going to arrive, and who knew what he was planning for her?

Dynamo nodded to herself, cupped her hand, and allowed a small ball of electricity to form in her hand. She sank a few inches as the energy bled out of her, then recovered and cocked her hand back.

Cold Snap darted out from behind the tree, glancing around wildly for her. As soon as they locked eyes, she let fly with the electricity.

Another ice barrier caught the ball with a grating screech and a plume of steam.

Dynamo hit the wall barely a second later, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

She fancied she could see his eyes widening in slow motion, reflecting off of the shards of ice flying around him. Her senses weren’t actually that enhanced, though, so she only had a second to enjoy the expression before her foot slammed into his side.

His ribs splintered audibly under the impact. The force sent him flying into one of the candy canes ten feet away, which cracked in half. He dropped into the snowdrift in front of it, unmoving.

Then a weak cough came from the snow, followed by a choked sob.

Dynamo rolled her eyes, not impressed by the act, then fished a pair of cuffs out of one of her pouches. She’d drop him at the local hospital after she got his partner in crime trussed up, but she wasn’t about to leave a potential threat free to shoot her in the back.

Then a streak of light appeared from the city, and she sighed. First, though, time to play relationship counselor.

“Cold Snap and Black Hat are both out of commission, guys. I’ve got a few hat drones en route to pick up Pain Management and Silvertongue, and Electrode and IQ are going to keep the scavenger hunt going. Fireball, that girl is out of your weight class. If you can’t stall her, get the hell out.”

Estella Mendoza-Rojas, also known as Fireball, waited for the various acknowledgements from the other listening supers, then keyed to a private channel. “Mandla, I am not leaving my brother down there with her!”

White Hat was silent for a long minute. Then he murmured, “Estella, that girl basically pulverized Nilo’s ribs. His healing factor can’t catch up, according to his suit, and yours isn’t any faster than his. Hyun Ki is sitting in the bathroom having a panic attack because if the bosses don’t get there in time, he could very well drown in his own blood. If you even think about fighting her, I will drop a motherhat on you and dump you at home.”

“...understood.” Fireball took a deep breath, but her voice still wobbled as she added, “I’ll try to stall her as much as I can.”

With that, she dropped into a dive, pulling up between her brother and the woman who had attacked him. “Stop!”

The woman stopped, handcuffs dangling from one hand. “...Fireball, right?”

“Yeah, I’m Fireball. Who are you, and why did you attack my brother?”

“I’m Dynamo.” The young woman twirled the cuffs around her finger, then added, “Your brother and your girlfriend were going behind your back and plotting to kill you.”

Fireball had to pause to take in the totality of that statement. “Plotting to kill me? Do you have proof, or a motive?”

“He explicitly said that they had planned this together and that she was cooperating.” Dynamo raised an eyebrow. “And brother or not, Cold Snap is a villain.”

Fireball was going to reply, but paused as motion behind Dynamo caught her eye. Liliana was wiggling one arm out of the ribbons, and she could see a utility knife in her hand.

Fireball shook her head slightly, then refocused. “That’s not...really proof? I knew my brother was planning something, first of all. He had to tell me so I could get there at the right time while he was doing the ornament heist.”

Dynamo’s gaze hardened. “You were in on his plot to terrorize the city? Are you kidding me?”

“I don’t think the city is all that terrorized!” Fireball tried to keep her voice calm, but the exasperation bled through anyway. “Did you even take a look around?”

“The news was all over it! I didn’t need to!” Dynamo took a step forward, and Fireball forced herself to neither step back nor rise into the air. “And now you tell me you were in on it? Why am I not surprised, with a villain for a brother!”

Fireball felt her patience melt like the snow hitting her shoulders. “First, you don’t know what’s going on here! You didn’t even try to look into it! And second, even if my brother was trying to kill me, you smashed in his ribcage! He’s nowhere near your weight class, and you went at him like he was a flying brick too, and now he’s dying!”

As if to punctuate her words, Cold Snap gave a low, pained moan. She turned to look at him and found that he was shuddering, one arm around his chest as the snow around him slowly turned red from a gash in his side. Fireball felt her heart lurch in her chest, and she spun back to Dynamo, tears pricking in her eyes. “Just--look, just go home!”

Dynamo took another step forward and grabbed Fireball by the front of her suit. “I am going to throw you, your girlfriend, and your brother in jail where you belong. And for all I care, you can just rot there like villains deserve--” “Hey, Dynamo! Hands off my girlfriend!”

Dynamo’s grip loosened as she turned, and Fireball shoved her away.

Right into Liliana’s mini-Christmas tree missile.

Liliana’s enhanced strength gave the missile enough speed to knock Dynamo into the snow. As it hit Dynamo’s chest, Liliana’s plant control powers sent its limbs winding around her, until Dynamo was trapped in a cocoon of wood and needles. Fireball could hear the wood creak as Dynamo fought it, and Liliana grimaced as she forced the cocoon to hold fast. Fireball allowed her aura to brighten, ready to rush her as soon as she broke free.

“All right, ladies, why don’t you all...relax a bit,” a gentle, compelling voice called.

Fireball felt some of her tension involuntarily bleed away, and looked up to find Silvertongue and Pain Management descending on a pair of hat drones. Silvertongue’s green eyes were solemn as he took in the scene, and he reached out to grab Pain Management before they could jump off. “I know what you’re thinking. No.”

Pain Management smiled, a slight quirk of the lips that left their violet eyes cold pits. “Come on. She deserves it,” they signed.

“No. Check on your duckling while I handle the rest.” Silvertongue stared Pain Management down, still solemn.

He was rewarded with a sigh and a pat on a tanned cheek. “Fine. For you and the duckling. Give me a minute to ‘talk’ to him.” They punctuated their signs with a tap on their temple and leapt down to the snow at Cold Snap’s side.

Silvertongue paused a moment to clear his throat, then jumped down himself and stood in front of the still-entangled Dynamo. “So you’re the one who crashed Christmas?” he asked in a normal tone.

“You—you’re Silvertongue! You—you got the Painmonger to change sides!” What parts of Dynamo’s face Fireball could see were pale. “I—how? Why are you working with these people?”

Silvertongue raised an eyebrow. “I just gave them and their ducklings the respect they needed. Same with ‘these people.’ Havenwood’s got rules, same as any other city, but heroes and villains are allowed to be themselves without hurting anyone or getting hurt. It might look real, but at the end of the day everyone gets to go home. But you decided to poke your nose in without checking to see if it was wanted or allowed.” He sighed. “And you didn’t try to listen when Cold Snap tried to talk you down, and you decided to hit him with everything you had when he was barely fighting back. End result being that if my partner weren’t here, he’d die and you would be going away for a very long time.”

Dynamo scowled. “I—“

Silvertongue’s voice gained back that compelling tone. “You are going to stay right there, until someone comes to take you to jail. Then you’re going to go quietly, and you’re going to stay there and think about what you did until Cold Snap wakes up and decides if he wants to press charges.” Silvertongue smiled, just enough to look years older than he was. “He probably won’t. He’s nicer than a lot of our heroes like that. But ultimately, that’s up to him.”

Dynamo grimaced, visibly fighting the compulsion. Then, slowly, she nodded, eyes glazing slightly as it took hold. Silvertongue nodded, then looked at Liliana, compulsive edge gone again. “Mind letting her go, Lily-of-the-Valley? She’s no danger.”

“Yes, of course.” Liliana eased her control on the tree, and watched as its branches returned to normal. “...I’m sorry about the ornaments,” she added as one of the festive plastic orbs fell to the ground in several shards.

“Nothing that can’t be replaced,” Silvertongue said with a more gentle smile. Then he glanced over his shoulder, and his face fell back into solemn lines. “Pain Management is ready to heal, it seems. Give me a minute.”

Fireball cleared her throat. “I—Uh, can I help?”

Silvertongue glanced at her. “You can share the pain, but it’ll still hurt.”

“He’s still my brother.”

“So he is.” Silvertongue stepped over and sat in the snow behind his partner. “Put your hand on their back.”

Fireball nodded and followed his example, then bit her lip as Liliana joined them. “Lil—“

“This is my fault too.” Liliana blinked, dislodging a tear, and Fireball brushed it away. “I need to help.”

“...okay.” Fireball nodded, then leaned around so Pain Management could see her face. “We’re ready.”

They nodded back to her, and she straightened and took a deep breath.

The pain knocked the breath right back out of her. She could somehow feel every single one of her brother’s shattered ribs, and how they ground together with every one of his too-rapid breaths. She stifled a scream, then clamped down on her free hand through its thick glove as the pain continued to climb.

Then all at once, it stopped. Fireball gasped in a deep breath, then caught Liliana before she could slump sideways.

I can see why they were a villain, she thought hazily. She sucked in another deep breath, then turned and asked, “Is he okay?”

“He will be,” Pain Management signed. “He said to not hurt you, and if I heal him more, you’ll be sick.” They looked down at Cold Snap, now unconscious, then added, “His healing factor will pick up the slack. Might still be a few weeks before he’s back in, but he’ll be okay.”

“Thank you.” Fireball wiped her face of an unexpected tear, then lurched forward and hugged them. They stiffened slightly, but when she pulled back, they were smiling just enough that it met their eyes.

“Shh,” they signed. “I take care of my own. And he’s mine.”

“She’s yours too, by virtue of being mine.” Silvertongue smiled, patting Pain Management’s rosy cheek. “Now come on. The police are here.”

Pain Management made an exaggeratedly annoyed face, wringing a tired laugh from Fireball. “Do I have to?”

“Yes, you have to. Come on.”

“Fine,” Pain Management signed sulkily. “You two, stay here with Cold Snap and wait for the medics.”

Fireball nodded, and watched as they walked away with Silvertongue. Then she carefully pulled her unconscious brother out of the bloodied snow and settled him on her lap. Liliana curled against her side with a soft kiss to her cheek.

Together they watched the snow fall as the paramedics made their careful way through the candy canes.

Cold Snap, also known as Nilo Mendoza-Rojos, awoke to the very annoying sound of a heart monitor beeping. He groaned and reached to swat at it, only to find his hand captured by two slim ones.

“Don’t,” a soft, almost timid voice said. “You...you need to rest, still.”

Nilo’s eyes flew open to find Hyun Ki staring down at him. Their ever-present red scarf was tucked over their face, Black Hat pin keeping it secure, but their wide brown eyes were watery enough to tell Nilo everything he needed to know.

He extricated his hand, then carefully pulled Hyun Ki down to rest on his shoulder. They squeaked softly, surprised, then tucked closer, and Nilo could feel them shaking as he ran his hand through their long, dark hair. “God...you okay, Hyun Ki?”

Hyun Ki nodded, and a low voice spoke from behind them. “You scared us, but we’ll survive. Not your fault.”

Nilo looked up and saw Mandla in a chair against the wall. His multicolored dreadlocks were out of his usually elaborate hairstyle, and his already dark skin was near-void black under his eyes. Nilo scowled at him. “You haven’t been sleeping again.”

“You scared us.” Mandla sighed, then stood up so he could kiss him on the forehead. “But you’re okay. I’ll sleep again, I promise.”

“You’d better.” Nilo huffed. “Boss got me stable, so you shouldn’t be freaking out.”

Mandla gave him a long, silent look. “...we heard it when she hit you, Nilo,” he eventually said. “Your suit was saying you had blood in your lung along with your ribs, your spleen was ruptured, and you were also bleeding from where you hit that candy cane. For a few minutes, you were dying.”

Nilo bit his lip and looked away, watching his hand stroke Hyun Ki’s hair. “...All right. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault.” Mandla pulled his chair closer and sat again. “Just...don’t downplay it.”

Before Nilo could reply, the door to the hospital room opened and let in Estella and Liliana with two bags of food. Estella froze as she saw Nilo, then grinned. “Oh thank god, you’re actually awake.”

She deposited the food on one of the chairs, and scurried over to give him a forehead kiss. Nilo thought he heard her sniffle, but when she straightened, her eyes were clear. “You are not allowed to do that ever again. I will ground you.”

“I’m 24! And you’re my sister, not my mom!”

“And I’ll still ground you!” She smoothed back his hair, then sat down and started handing around the bags of food. “The doctor said you’ll be able to eat once he’s checked you over. You kept waking up and falling back asleep, so it might be a few minutes before he comes.”

“Eh, that’s okay. I’m not hungry yet anyway.” He knew he would be, once he’d sat for a while, but for now he had questions.

First things first. “So, what happened to Dynamo?”

“She’s still in jail--it’s been like...sixteen hours?” Estella shrugged slightly, pulling out a bowl of fried rice and a fork from one of the bags. “They’re charging her with felonious assault, I think, but Silvertongue said you could ask them to drop the charges. She’s still going to be banned from hero work here for the rest of her life--she’s way too gung-ho, even if she starts respecting the narrative, and no-one will trust her.”

“That’s fair.” Nilo thought for a moment, then added, “If she’ll take some sort of remedial de-escalation without violence classes, I’ll ask that they drop the charges.”

Estella nodded with a wry smile. “Pain Management said you’d say something like that.”

“Hey, rule five of villainy--don’t take it personally unless it’s personal.” Nilo grinned. “This was so not personal, it was like a form letter. ‘To whom it may concern--’”

Nilo ducked a swat from Mandla, still grinning. “Fine, tough crowd! Okay, next question--how’d the rest of the heist go?”

“It went fine,” Mandla said, smiling slightly. “Kid by the name of Mason Windman won--he asked for a ride in the Motherhats, which he got. Didn’t even throw up.”

“Good for him!” Nilo said, duly impressed. He’d thrown up the first time he’d had to ride on a drone.

“He...had a message from his sister, too.” Hyun Ki raised their head slightly, and despite their straight face there was mischief in their eyes. “He said, ‘She said that I should tell Cold Snap that he’s got a nice butt. She knows that Cold Snap is a home of sexual, but his butt’s still nice.’”

Nilo choked on a sudden laugh, ignoring the way his ribs twinged dully under the sudden assault. “How old was this kid again?”

“Five or six, I think,” Liliana said as Hyun Ki laid their head back down. “He was adorable and I am so glad he didn’t say that on tv because his sister would never live it down.”

“Ohhh, probably not,” Nilo wheezed, “Home of sexual, are you kidding me…”

It took him a minute or so and several back pats to get his laughter under control. He gave his sister a thumbs up at her worried look, then settled back into his pillows as it subsided. “Ohhhh...I needed that, even if it hurt. Anything else?”

Estella paused in taking another bite of rice. “...Actually, yeah. Why did you ‘kidnap’ Liliana?”

Nilo’s gaze immediately snapped to Liliana, who was staring determinedly at the ceiling. “You didn’t ask her?”

“You nearly died! I didn’t think it was a good time!”

“You didn’t ask her?” Nilo threw his hands into the air, then hastily patted Hyun Ki’s back as they squeaked. “I went through all that trouble specifically so you could ask her!”

Estella put the rice in her lap. “Ask me what?”

“Do you have it, Liliana?” When she shook her head, Nilo glanced at Mandla. “Where is it?”

“Still safe with one of the hatlings.” Mandla pulled out his phone and tapped at it. A minute later, a black hatling tapped gently on the window, and he opened the window and took a small orb from it. “Thanks. Here, Liliana.”

Liliana took the orb with a sigh. Her cheeks were deep red despite her dark complexion, and as she looked at Nilo, he could see her lip was near-bloodless as she chewed on it. “Now?”

“No time like the present!” He grinned, then fell into a comforting smile. “You can do this.”

Liliana took a deep breath, then handed the orb to Estella. She blinked, then popped it open and pulled out the tiny Christmas tree inside. “It’s very pretty...what’s the topper…?”

She looked a little closer. Then she froze as she found she could slide something out of the tree.

Namely, a diamond ring, sized perfectly for her finger.

Liliana swallowed “...Estella Mendoza-Rojos, we have been dating for six years now.”

“Yes.”

“I--we’ve been through a lot to get here, and--”

“Yes--”

“Estella, will you marry me--?”

“Yes!” Estella laughed as she grabbed Liliana and kissed her. “Oh my god, yes, yes! You were going to ask me last night--?”

“It was Nilo’s idea,” Liliana said with a watery laugh as she slid the ring onto Estella’s finger. “I couldn’t figure out how to ask, and he said, ‘why not at the Christmas heist?’ So I let him kidnap me, and--well--”

“It wasn’t supposed to have the hospital involved but…” Nilo shrugged. “It still worked, right?”

“It did,” Liliana hiccuped, then laughed again as Estella kissed her.

“It did, and you two are never allowed to do this again.” Estella pulled Liliana close, ignoring the way her rice fell to the floor. “Thank you. Seriously, thank you all.”

“Hey, it’s the holidays.” Nilo leaned over and gently kissed Hyun Ki’s hair, then smiled as Mandla did the same to him. “I think we’ve earned our miracle this year.”

#long post #HFY #superheroes #Humanity Fuck Yeah #tagged as such because it's on the HFY subreddit #Havenwood

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thing-you-do-with-that-thing · 7 years

Text

At First Sight

Characters: Y/N Collins, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, Richard Speight Jr, Rob Benedict, Briana Buckmaster, Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Pairing: AU Jensen x Reader (sorta), Misha x Sister!Reader

Warnings: Innocent(ish) state of undressed, flustered baby Jensen - yes that’s a warning!

Word Count: 2100ish

A/N: This can 100 % be read as a one shot but it is thought off as part of my College!Jensen AU.

It is also written for for @deansleather 31 Days of Halloween SPN Writing Challenge and my prompt was moonlight.

Thanks to the sweet amazing @blacktithe7 for betaing this one for me.

***My fics are not to be saved nor posted on any other sites without my express written permission.***

OUR COLLEGE YEARS

Jensen smiled as he felt the cool autumn air on his skin. It wasn’t cold by any means, but summer was ending. The leaves were changing color, and the heat was no longer unbearable. Jensen had always loved this time of year. There was something magical about the many colors and the way the setting sun made everything seem almost as if it was covered in gold. The world was full of promise and changes, especially this year. It was Jensen’s first year of college, and he was already loving every moment of it already.

He had gotten a full ride as a pitcher at Texas Tech. He loved that he didn’t have to ask his parents for much. Not that they would mind. He liked feeling independent and not having to lean on them too much. That was the same reason he had gotten himself a job, so he could pay for his on campus apartment. Between baseball, school, homework, and work Jensen found himself pretty busy most of the time, but he loved any minute of it.

On a whim, when work had cancelled on him, Jensen had gotten in his car. He drove without really having a destination in mind at first, until he found himself near where Misha had told him he shared a house with a few buddies.

Jensen had met Misha on the field, where he was running around like a headless chicken, trying to collect his notes from an interview with coach Morgan. While a lot of the other players had laughed at him, Jensen had walked over to help him out. As quirky as the young school newspaper journalist seemed, the friendship had been more or less instant. Misha was kindhearted and talkative. Jensen had never really cared much about social hierarchies, so it hadn’t mattered to him that most of the other baseball players felt themselves to be above the slightly odd young rapporter. Jensen liked him, which seemed to be reciprocated, though Jensen was sure there weren’t that many people Misha wouldn’t see the best in.

Misha had come and hung out at the field, chatting with Jensen before or after his training. They had spent evenings at Jensen’s apartment, laughing and talking about everything from movies and music to future plans. They were fast becoming best friends, but since Misha lived in a shared house with some friends off campus, Jensen had never actually been to his place.

A smile spread across Jensen’s face as he pulled up infront of the rather random colored house. The garden was overgrown, and still there was a certain beauty to the chaos. The sounds of a guitar playing and voices singing filled the night air, streaming from the open windows of the house as Jensen made his way to the front door. This place practically screamed Misha, and Jensen loved it already.

He knocked a few times, but no one answered, and judging by the uninterrupted song playing inside the house, no one was really paying attention either. Jensen shook his head, pushing the door open with a grin, and stepped inside. He couldn’t help the grin forming on his face as he looked around the place. It was as randomly decorated as it's outside coloring had been. It was easy to tell that free spirited college students lived here.

Jensen took a deep breath before bravely venturing further into the warm welcoming chaos of Misha's home in search for his friend. He decided following the music would be the best cause of action right now, so that was what he did.

The sounds of guitars and voices singing lead him to the living room where two guys were sprawled out on the couch, each with a guitar in their hands. Both appeared to be smaller in stature than either Jensen or Misha. One of the men had longish blonde locks while the other had messy short dark hair. He was the one singing in a loud clear voice.

Jensen stopped for a few minutes, letting them finish their song, not only to be respectful but also because he was in awe of the talent displayed before him. When the song finished, Jensen clapped with a huge smile on his face, making the two men turn to face him.

“We take donations if you are that impressed.” The long haired guy sent Jensen a grin only to receive a solid kick from his friend.

Jensen laughed, shaking his head at the pair, instantly deciding he liked them. “Sorry man. Starving college student. I don't have much to spare,” Jensen laughed, and the guy shrugged.

“Well I tried. I’m Rich and that's Rob over there.” The man reached his hand over the back of the couch, and Jensen shook it, introducing himself.

“Well Jensen, what can we do for you?” Rob asked, and Jensen couldn’t help but smile. He loved how not bothered they seemed to be with a stranger stumbling into their home.

“I’m a friend of Misha's,” Jensen started to explain, but before he could get any further, Rich tilted his head back, bellowing towards the kitchen where Jensen only now spotted a beautiful blonde young woman cooking.

“Bri! Any idea where Collins is?”

“Out back,” she yelled back without even turning around, and Jensen stifled a chuckle. The friendships in this group appeared to be strong, and somehow, they still managed to make Jensen feel right at home with no effort.

“Through there,” Rob pointed to a glass door before the two men went back to their jamming session, and the house filled with the sounds of their guitars and voices once more.

Jensen nodded, leaving their company a little reluctantly. He silently hoped for a chance to join in one day before turning around and heading out onto the porch.

Jensen hadn’t realized how late it was getting, or even that the sun had set completely. He breathed in the fresh air, taking in the view. The Autumn moon sparkled dimly on the velvet clear fall sky. The moonlight covered the many colored world with a pale light.

Jensen’s eyes fell on a shape in the lake. The moonlight reflected off the water, making her skin and hair almost appear to have a silver glow. He couldn’t move as he watched her naked form glide through the water. She was absolutely breathtaking and rendered Jensen motionless. He had no idea how long he had been staring at her before she looked up, locking eyes with him. For a split second, she looked surprised before sending him a warm smile that made his skin tingle.

“You wanna join me?” she offered, and Jensen could practically feel his cheeks flush bright red. His eyes shot to the ground, and he shifted on his feet, desperately trying to adjust himself. He could only hope the jeans he was wearing helped him keep his secret from the goddess in the water.

“I’m sorry,” Jensen muttered, before he twirled around, almost running into the glass door in an effort to get away from the situation. He felt like a complete idiot. He should have talked to her. Said something. Anything.

“Smooth Ackles,” he scolded himself as he made it inside, her bell like laughter still sounding through his ears.

Jensen ran his hand over his face, trying to compose himself. He had never felt that drawn to a girl before, and he was 90% sure it wasn’t just her state of undressed. It was her smile, the sound of her laughter, the soft serene look in her eyes. There was something wild yet soft about her. There had been such a grace in the way she moved; it had taken every ounce of strength he had to tear his eyes from her. Jensen had been completely enchanted by her, and he wasn’t sure he would be able to shake the feeling anytime soon.

“I need a drink,” Jensen muttered to himself, and he finally managed to get his legs moving again, hurrying into the now thankfully empty kitchen. It smelled amazing in there as the lasagna backed away in the oven, but Jensen didn’t pay much attention as he headed straight for the fridge. With a house full of college students, it didn’t take him long to locate a beer and press it to his lips.

“Making yourself at home huh?” Misha’s mischievous voice sounded behind him, causing Jensen to spin around to face his friend who just laughed at him.

“Relax man. You look like you saw a ghost. What’s mine is yours,” Misha threw out his arms, grinning widely had him. “I am glad you decided to stop by finally.”

“Work got cancelled,” Jensen explained, his thoughts still elsewhere, lingering with the stunning mermaid her had encountered in the lake. “I was looking for you.”

“Yeah just got in. I was working late at the newspaper. You’re missed hits is not the only thing I cover you know,” Misha teased, making Jensen pull a face at him.

“It’s called a strikeout you asshat,” Jensen countered, making Misha chuckle, but Jensen was no longer paying attention. The young woman from the lake had appeared in the doorway behind Misha, and Jensen’s jaw almost hit the floor. She was a sight to behold; still dripping wet and only with a towel wrapped around her perfect body. It clung to her curves, and Jensen couldn’t help but stare at her openly.

Misha, who must have noticed his shift in attention, frowned and turned around to face the woman. A smile spread across his face, not that Jensen noticed. His body and mind completely failed him as he stood there with his mouth slightly open, staring at the girl, who pretended not to notice.

“Tell me you didn’t cook Mish,” she teased, causing Misha to pull a face at her.

“I didn’t smartass. I think Bri did,” Misha answered as he elbowed Jensen in the side, bringing him back to life.

“Sorry what?” Jensen blinked, pulling his eyes from the girl to look at Misha, who rolled his eyes at him.

“Quit staring at my sister dude!” he grinned, and Jensen felt his cheeks instantly flush bright red.

“It’s okay. I don’t mind,” the girl giggled, and Jensen’s mind once again seemed to fail him. He just stood there opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water.

“I think I broke your friend Mish,” the girl laughed. “I’m Y/N by the way,” she smiled at Jensen, reaching out her hand.

“Y/N…” Jensen spoke, taking her hand, causing her to giggle again, and Jensen wanted to kick himself. He wasn’t usually this awkward around girls, but there was something about her that completely took his breath away.

“Jensen. My name is Jensen,” he quickly corrected himself, and she smiled brightly at him, causing his heart to skip a beat.

“You should stay for dinner Jensen,” she offered, before turning around, sending Misha a smile before she left. “I’ll be in my room. Tell Bri to holler when food is ready.”

Jensen kept staring, watching how her hips swayed as she moved. He could have sworn she put on a show for him as she walked away, pulling her hair to the side, exposing one of her shoulders before disappearing up the stairs.

Jensen let out a sharp breath, completely forgetting he wasn’t alone in the room, and Misha bursted out laughing.

“I love you buddy, but let’s not be too literal about the what’s mine is your comment I made earlier huh?” Misha teased, and Jensen’s gaze fell to the floor as he shifted on his feet.

“Shut up,” he mumbled as Misha kept laughing, clearly not too upset his new best friend was clearly developing a crush on his little sister. Not that Misha would ever say it out loud, but he honestly couldn’t think of a better match for Y/N then Jensen, even if he turned into a stuttering mess around her. Y/N seemed to like him, and if something was to happen between the two of them, Misha wouldn’t get in their way. Actually, on the other hand, he might give them a small push. Not that his sister needed one, but judging by how Jensen acted, he might. Misha grinned as he watched his friend awkwardly sip on his beer, and he started to plot ways he could get the two of them alone together without scaring Jensen for life.

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buckygirl-fanfiction · 7 years

Text

Sparks Chapter 28

Pairing: Bucky POV X Reader POV ft. Other characters from the Avengers team.

Word Count: 3.8K

Summary: The perpetrators behind the attacks are finally reveals. Bucky begins to pull away after y/n’s rejection.

August 19, 2016

10am

Bucky’s POV

I saw her with him, the scientist, they were seated across from each other at a table in front of the cafe. She was looking through some papers and he was smiling down at her while she read. Is that who she chose? I can’t help but feel the sting of heartbreak. I averted my gaze and kept walking.

6pm

I’m on the elevator up to the lab. It’s Friday night and she wants to hang out. I agreed, even though it pains me to see her after everything that’s happened. But, she needs a friend and i’ll suffer through a little heartbreak for her. I’d suffer through anything for her. It’s painful though, when she rests her head on my shoulder, when she slips her fingers through mine, when she smiles at me. I can almost feel my heart pulse in agony.

But, the wound is fresh… and time will heal it. One day i’ll be able to look at her again and it won’t hurt.

I step off the elevator and walk through the mostly deserted lab. Most of the lights are off. Only the dim hallway lights illuminate my path. I see her office at the end of the corridor and through the glass doors I see him again. He pushes past the doors with a smile on his face and walks in my direction. He looks up from his phone and sees me and stops when we are close enough, “Bucky right?” he says.

“Only my friends call me Bucky,” I say. It comes out a little meaner than i’d intended it to.

“My mistake. y/n talks a lot about you,” he says, “Bucky this, Bucky that…” he trails off. I almost detect jealousy in his tone. I’m silent and he continues, “Well nice seeing you man,” he says and with that he leaves me standing in the corridor alone to ponder over his words.

y/n spots me through her glass doors and waves. I see her grab her bag and she walks towards me.

“Hey,” she says smiling. “Umm, you saw Dean. What did he say?”

“Nothing of importance,” I say.

“We’re not…” she trails off, “I mean, I wouldn’t do that to you.” She says with pity in her eyes.

“You don’t owe me an explanation,” I say.

“He just dropped off some files. He asked me to consult on a project.” She continues ignoring my last sentence.

“Like I said. I don’t care,” It comes out harsher than i’d intended and she looks a little hurt. “I don’t mean it like that… I just mean who you date is your business.” I say trying to fix it. But, this is exactly what I was afraid of: breaking our friendship to a point where it couldn’t be mended.

“What do you want to do?” She says trying to put a smile back on her face.

“I don’t know,” I say, “you decide.”

She takes my arm and I feel it again. That distinctive pang of a broken heart. She notices my stiffness and looks at me questioningly for a second, “y/n…” I say but i’m cut off by my phone ringing. I quickly slip my arm out of hers and dig in my pocket for my phone.

“Saved by the bell,” she says looking down.

“It’s… not like that,” I say. But it is and she knows it. Things have changed. I pick up my phone and say, “yes?”

y/n’s POV

I don’t know how to fix us. I wish things would go back to the way they were before. It’s been an awkward week of silences and avoidances. He’s like a million miles away and I can’t seem to bring him back and it stings. He broke us. I broke us.

He’s talking on the phone and I lean against the wall of the corridor waiting. Hoping it’s not another excuse he can use to ditch me. When he’s done he hangs up and looks at me and sighs.

“Come on, you might as well come with me. They’re going to need you,” he says running his hand through his hair.

“What happened?”

“A jet just blew up,” Bucky says.

“A jet?” That doesn’t sound like Hydra. Have they moved into domestic terrorism now?

The rest of the night went by in a blur of horrific images. All of which I had to actively shift through trying to find bomb remnants for the reconstruction. I finally went to sleep around 4am. I snuck into Bucky’s apartment. His bedroom door was left ajar and I peaked through the slit and saw him asleep in a pair of sweatpants. His chest was bare and his hair was wet. He must’ve just gotten out of the shower. Ordinarily I would have silently slipped under the covers next to him and fallen asleep on the bed. But, for some reason that didn’t seem fair to him. Instead I pulled the door closed and settled for the sofa. I couldn’t sleep. So many things were running through my mind. But, staying awake in this state wouldn’t be of much help. Nothing made sense anymore. I’ve been deconstructing and reconstructing bomb after bomb and i’ve been getting nowhere. But, for some reason tonight was different. I felt a faint pull, like my subconscious mind knew something my waking mind didn’t know just yet. Like a important piece of puzzle you remember seeing once but no matter how hard you look can’t seem to find. Then there was Bucky, my best friend Bucky… I felt him pulling away. Slowly and it was painful. No one wants their best friend to pull away. It’s liking losing a part of yourself, a companion, a comrade, a …

I fell asleep to this, to these haunting thoughts and had equally haunting dreams.

September 6, 2016

This time it was me who was stitching him up. There was a large gash on his chest and I didn’t want to know how he got it. He’s been requesting more assignments and being more reckless. We sat in silence as I carefully pierced the suture through his flesh closing the wound. He didn’t even seem to flinch. Instead he just looked down and I wasn’t brave enough to say anything.

September 17, 2016

He’s gone again. Somewhere he didn’t bother to tell me. I’m sitting here in the lab wondering whether i’ve made a mistake. What if he doesn’t come back this time? He asked for too much and I couldn’t give it to him. I couldn’t bring myself to give him the power to hurt me, but somehow he already possessed it.

I try to focus my mind and look through the reconstructions again but I can’t. I decide to call it a night and walk towards my office. The lab door clicks behind me. I look at my watch it’s around 1am. Mostly everyone else has gone home. When I get to my office I look down at my desk, which is covered in papers. I’m not usually this unorganized. But, I guess everything in my life is falling apart slowing reflecting how my feelings are also falling apart.

I try my best to organize them, the folders. I’m piling the files into groups when I come across it, the final piece that’s been scratching at the back of my head for weeks now. It’s the file Dean gave me. The project he asked me to consult on. He’s a weapons expert and he’s working on nano explosives. Very similar to the ones i’ve been reconstructing for the last couple weeks. Why would he give me this? It seems like a blatantly obvious way to get yourself caught. I hadn’t opened the file since the morning he gave it to me. I only flipped through it, then I was distracted by the plane. It makes no sense. They were almost identical in design. Expect the plans Dean gave me were unfinished. Flawed. He couldn't seem to work out the kinks, that’s why he asked me to consult. I pick up my phone ready to call the first person that comes to mind: Bucky. But, he’s not here.

An hour later i’m in a conference room with Agent Carter and Tony shifting through Dean’s entire project portfolio.

“It doesn’t make sense. Why would he work for Hydra?” I ask, “Then why would he ask me to consult?”

“What if this was never Hydra?” asks the blond woman, Sharon.

“What?”

“Dr. Dean Campbell weapons researcher affiliated with Stark Industries. He is working on a project currently with engineer Linda Highworth.” She says.

“Yes, we know this Carter… What’s new?” Tony asks impatiently annoyed at being dragged back here at 2am.

“Highworth industries just made over a 300 million dollars today in a stock market crash. The airline, the one whose plane crashed today, their stocks just plummeted. Highworth took a very risky gamble against the airline 2 days ago. October 2015, the bomb in Time square Highworth lost round about half a billion gambling on the wrong side of the market. If the bomb had gone off he would have stood to make considerably more. Specifically in government defense contracts.”

“Linda works on government defense contracts. If she engineered domestic terrorist attacks her cooperation would have stood to make millions in panicked political funding directed towards domestic defence.” I say staring wide eyed at Carter. I knew something was off. Dirty bombs and domestic terrorism. This never screamed Hydra.

“Your theory sounds pretty appealing until you remember Dr. Highworth is on the scientific research board here at Stark and on a handful other boards with a clearance level higher than the president.” Tony says. “His daughter may seem sketchy but his corporation is clear and free. Not only is he under security scrutiny from us, but i’m sure the NSA vets him thoroughly enough. It’s not them.” Tony says resolutely.

“Then explain the sketchy stock market gambles,” I say challenging him.

“Carter could probably find twenty other corporations gambling on the stock market on those same dates. It’s nothing new.” He says.

“Exactly if he is stock manipulating using domestic terrorism then he has a entire organization behind him to make him look clear. Probably an entire organization of people just as powerful as him.” Carter says standing firm in her theory. “It’s the only explanation. Both of them would have enough clearance. It explains the security breaches. They were the moles. Linda had access to Dr. Campbell’s notes. She wouldn’t have know he consulted y/n.”

“Explain Axelrod then, why would he be using Hydra tech to brainwash the cyborg then? None of that connects back to Highworth.” Tony says.

“He isn’t a cyborg,” I retort angrily, “If you’re too blind to see what’s right in front of you, you might as well doom us all.”

“I’ll put them under surveillance,” Tony says rubbing his eyes. “That’s the best I can do.”

“Screw this,” I say. I grab my bag and head out of the room angrily. If he needed proof i’d give him proof.

Twenty minutes later I was at her apartment. It was late, almost 3am. She lived in a doorman building. Of course she would, after all the people she’s murdered in the name of profit, were paying for it. I had to be careful. I called Sam, he was the only other person I could convince to believe me. Steve would have gone to Tony, to do this through the right channels. I need to get her to confess or I needed to lull her into a sense of security. Just long enough to find the information I needed. Sam was parked outside in a car listening to my every word through an earpiece. He was just backup. Not the backup I wanted, but the only backup I had.

The doorman eyed me curiously and let me up. The platinum blond answered the door in a pair of silk pajamas. Her sharp features stuck out through her skin. Her pointed nose and high cheekbones looked almost to be painfully sticking out of her flesh. She looked confused. She was a good actress, I have to give that to her.

“Dr. y/l/n what are you doing here?” She says squinting her eyes. I must of disturbed her sound sleep after the hundreds she’s killed. I wonder how she can face it.

Well, I was a good actress too, “I had to come see you.” I say in my best panicked voice.

“Of course, come in,” she says leading me through the marble corridor towards the living room.

She sat in silence across from me. Her apartment looked clean and spotless unlike her conscience. I dug shakily into my purse playing my role perfectly. I pulled out the file, the one Dean gave me. “You know i’m consulting on your project with Dean. The nano explosives. He gave me the file weeks ago.”

He face betrays her for a second, “Of course I know,” she says trying to bring her steel expression back, “what about it?”

“I don’t know if you know. But i’m also working on the reconstruction of flight 284,” I say, “the one from a couple weeks ago.”

“Yes, I heard it was terrible.” She pauses then continues, “I don’t quite see the correlation.”

“How much do you know about the explosives used on flight 284?” I ask.

“Not much,” she says and I almost believe her, “y/n I don’t understand why are you here?”

“I found some similarities between your work with Dean and the explosives used on the flight,” I say.

“OH god.” She says playing her best shocked card. “I don’t understand do you suspect someone on our team?”

“I suspect your father,” I say playing my final card. “I looked into some of his companies financial activity and it seems correlated to a handful of other planned attacks, like flight 284. How much does he know of your work?”

“Have you told anyone else of your suspicions?” She says alarmed and for the first time the emotion she exhibits is genuine.

“No, I came stright away from the lab,” I say, “I had to be sure. I knew you couldn't be involved since you knew about Dean consulting me about your current project. It wouldn’t make sense for you to consult me and use the same explosives in the attack. But, your father… Did he know? Did he know you were consulting me?” I ask innocently.

“I… I don’t think so… I… I can check. I have access to his database.” She says getting up. “Wait here i’m going to get my laptop.”

She speedily walked out of the room. I had her right where I wanted her. Two things would happen now. If she was innocent she would return with a laptop and we’d search together for clues. If she was smart, that’s what she would do. But, she wasn’t smart. She was rattled and she would either believe I was innocently coming to her for help or that I knew the entirety of the plan and she would call my bluff. Either way she would try to kill me. Either way I had someone watching after me patiently in the sky.

I was right. I heard the click of the gun behind me and I heard her footsteps. I slowly turned and tried to push down the smirk that was risking on my face. “Hands up,” she said. “Get on your knees.”

“Oh… God Linda what are you doing?” I said in my best shaken up voice.

“Who! Who else knows you’re here?” She yells as I slowly sink to my knees. I look out the window of the tall apartment building we’re in and I see a glimmer far off in the distance.

“No… noone.” I say maintaining my character. “I don’t. I don’t understand,” I say in a shaky voice. “You knew, why would you ask Dean to consult me if you knew I was working on the reconstructions?”

“Fucking Campbell, he’s going to have to die now too. I didn’t know that fool consulted you,” she says hissing at me holding up the silver gun and pointing it down at me.

“It was a dangerous risk. Using explosives from your project. Someone could have caught on. You should have been more careful.” I say as a smile spreads over my face. I break my character and slowly stand up. She raises the gun as I do.

“Get back down,” she hisses.

“You know what I still don’t understand,” I say sitting down on the sofa and crossing my legs, “How Hydra is involved in this? Your father and you are just using terrorist attacks as a ploy to play the stock market, how many other countries are involved in this? How many other leaders? You must have a pretty solid organization. But, how is Hydra involved? Why was Axelrod involved?”

“You think you’re smart then figure it out yourself. But be fast you don’t have a lot of time left,” she says smiling at me, “I killed your friend… and now i’m going to kill you.”

“You really think I came here alone?” I say smiling, “I have a little birdy on my shoulder.” Right on cue I duck my head down facing away from the window. I hear glass break and a shot go off. When I turn back around I see Sam with his great big metal wings. They retract back into his harness and Linda is on the ground in a pair of cuffs, struggling against the floor. I stand up shaking off the stray shards of glass from my hair.

September 21, 2016

“She still won’t talk?” I ask Tony whose ego has taken a severe hit. Dr. Highworth Senior is nowhere to be found. As for his daughter she’s being detained. If there is any Hydra connection Fury wants to know about it. But, she doesn’t seem to be in as a talkative mood as she was the night I went to visit her. Bucky is back, but he’s been avoiding me. Not intentionally I don’t think. But, I feel a difference. He’s been avoiding me a lot lately in the name of his job.

“She wants to talk to you,” Fury says from the head of the table. I haven’t seen him much. I’ve always reported to Tony before. But ever since Highworth was exposed I’ve been reporting to him.

“She’s not going in there alone,” Bucky says walking in through the door. I turn to find him standing in the doorway. I wonder how long he’s been here.

“I don’t care who she goes with, I just want answers…”

Silence, that’s all i’m met with. From Bucky on the walk over to the interrogation room and from Linda when i’m inside. “You’re the one that wanted to talk.” I say narrowing my eyes at her.

“I didn’t know you’d be bringing the soldier…” she says trailing off looking curiously at Bucky. “Your very own person lap dog I see…”

“What do you want?” I snap.

“We tried to turn him,” she says twisting her wrists in the cuffs that hold her. She looks different in a orange jumpsuit. Worn out and angry. “Axelrod tried to turn him. He’s the weakest link you know and it would have been very beneficial to us to have him on our side.”

I feel a pang of pity run through me at her words. Bucky isn’t the weakest link.

“I want a deal,” she says. “I’m sick of rotting away in here and I don’t plan on a long stay.”

“What do you want?” I ask. Does she really think she can negotiate her way out of this?

“I want an Island. Preferably somewhere with a stellar resort. Security and access to my accounts.”

“You really think I’m in a position to make that happen?” I say looking back through the one way glass at Fury who's probably somewhere on the other side.

“I’ll tell you everything I know and i’ll get your little lap dog into Spectre,” she says smiling at her reflection in the one way glass. Looking past it to the man in charge, just like I did a second ago.

A minute later Fury is inside the room, “No games.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” she says teasingly.

“Whats Spectre?” I ask.

“Oh the new Hydra of sorts… My grandfather was a member, you see, of Hydra. My father would have been inducted into the order as well but they died out. They’re obsolete now. Spectre is a new creation, a new organization, a smarter one, a profit oriented organization. Unlike Hydra, not a power orientated one. My father’s very own pet project. We at times have utilized Hydra’s technology, like the soldier. Axelrod thought he could turn him and then we would have someone on the inside of the all mighty Avengers. Clearly you foiled that. You foil a lot of things Dr. y/l/n. Maybe you’re the one we should have been trying to recruit.” She says. After a pause she continues, “I’m just as smart though, maybe even smarter. I want my freedom. Then, i’ll get your little lap dog into Spectre. We can call it an escape and I can say I turned him. Either way it’s a mutually beneficial plan. You’ll have a mole inside Spectre and I won’t have to sport this lovely shade of orange anymore,” she says pulling at her sleeve.

“Clever, your plan only works if I let you go,” Fury says.

“Your idiotic if you think we’re going to let you go,” I say interrupting Fury. “What stops you from exposing him once he is on the inside?” I ask.

“Well, i’m not asking for much… Instead of rotting in here for the rest of my life. I’d rather be confined to a Island somewhere in the Caribbean. I have contacts inside Spectre who will believe the story: That I turned the famous Winter Soldier and once he’s on the inside i’ll lay low. As a sign of good faith i’ll even cut off all communication. Say you killed me, tracked me down, took me out, I don’t care. He’ll be in,” she says nodding her head towards Bucky, “Then you can do whatever you want with Spectre. Tear it all down for all I care. But, as a sign of good faith I want a guarantee you will leave me out of it. In my pretty little Island. I’m sure a smart man like you can figure out a plan that ends in both our mutual satisfactions,” she says aimed at Fury. “You know it’s not hard to sell, he was always the weakest link,” she says turning to Bucky.

#bucky smut #bucky x reader #bucky x reader smut #bucky series #bucky fic

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allpowerfulspacevalkyrie · 7 years

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The Aletis Journey/ The Heroine Journey

As a writer, I often see the Hero’s journey being passed around like it’s set in stone, but it never felt fully right to me. I’ve read through Jane Eyre’s Sisters by Jody Gentian Bower, and I took some notes. I wanted to share a summary of the Heroine or the Aletis Journey. In ways it does overlap with the Hero’s Journey, but in other ways it is different. And it’s not all set in stone but certainly a different way to look at the journey.

Aletis is the Greek word for “wanderer”. Ancient Dionysian rituals used the word for heroines.

1. The heroine usually has a very miserable, confined life when compared to the hero, who is often just bored, mildly uncomfortable, or some cases completely happy and satisfied with life until something crazy happens. Often, the heroine is either the isolated and abused peasant/orphan who lives a very difficult life(Rey in The Force Awakens), or the princess/heiress who although lives a comfortable life she is isolated(Dido Belle in Belle), a house decoration, or is only expected to look pretty and to be married off. The Hero’s journey is about becoming a man, while the heroine’s is about being allowed to be who she already is. Often, the core issue is that her true self is being stifled by the world around her. Her family, her associates, her friends, the society as a whole, whether it is good, evil, or something in between, the world is trying to mold her to be something that is not who she truly is. And at times, she may have even embraced this suppression in her attempt to please everyone or out of fear of what will happen if she is not obedient.

2. The heroine now leaves. Her behavior can be seen as very selfish depending on the circumstances. Many times she does not have plans to go anywhere in particular(just anywhere but there) and other times may not even intentionally leave, but she must inevitably get out of there or she will die physically or mentally. This is where she becomes the aimless wanderer, the Aletis. Fairytales often depict marriage of a handsome prince she barely knows to be her escape from a terrible life and that’s the end. But in many stories that do go beyond this marriage, often she is entering another form of suppression and misery as she learns her husband’s true self (Gone with the Wind). Which means, the Aletis must ultimately continue to wander and move forward.If she’s happy with him and is herself, then that’s the end of story. But in this case we don’t want the story to end here yet. That’s too short.

3. The Aletis will next come across forbidden knowledge, the goddess in the cave, or more commonly the witch in the woods (or I like to think the witch of the wilds (Flemeth in the Dragon Age Series). The character herself may not be an actual witch( forbidden tech with Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn), but she(it) represents what the Aletis has been told repeatedly to avoid. The witch as a person is often visually represented as the “forbidden” because the witch does not keep herself in a manner fitting of a “proper woman” and lets her true self shine. Be she an ugly old hag (white hair, wrinkles, warts) or an incredible beauty(with one hell of a plunging neckline), she is simply not meek and modest and often the community sees her as a crazy or scary bitch. Usually neither the heroine or the witch planned their meeting (no fabled prophecies or chosen ones here, but the witch may have lured the Aletis). The witch herself can be evil(Ursula in The Little Mermaid) or at least she is in a grey area. In the case of Elsa from Frozen, she is both the witch and the Aletis. Nevertheless, the witch has knowledge and power that the Aletis wants or needs so she can be herself. The Aletis can gain this knowledge through a deal that bites her in the ass but ultimately teaches her the knowledge she needs (Merida in Brave) , or she must earn the respect of the witch in order to learn more directly( Aurora in Maleficent, and in return the witch can learn stuff too. Like being less bitter.).

4. Once the lessons are learned, the Aletis is on the move again, but now with that “forbidden” knowledge, but mostly with a strength to express her true self even when it is challenged. Usually, the Hero will return to where he started but now a changed/cleansed man. The heroine might never return so that she can optimally remain herself. If she does return to her origins and she plans to maintain her true self, it can be met with great resistance by those who sought to suppress her to begin with(The Exile of Knights of the Old Republic 2). The Hero is often seen by the community as improved and is celebrated, while the Heroine can be seen as irrational or is simply not celebrated and whatever she may have done goes unnoticed. In a way like the hero, she has returned to pass on her knowledge to others(but it was forbidden and she’s making it less so). She’s also there to heal old wounds, to reveal dark secrets, to ruffle some feathers and twist up petticoats. Whether she returns to her origins or not, being her true self is ultimately what leads to changing her world or community for the better. An can even go as far as saving the day, the world, the galaxy, whether she is recognized or not. (Unless she is Hawke, but she’s still out wandering around according to Dragon Age Inquisition.)

#hero's journey #aletis journey #heroine's journey #i've read through this ten times but I know there is an error somewhere #grrrr #writing reference

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Peacock: NBC Streaming Service Release Date, Shows, Price, and News

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

The streaming service field is becoming more fractured, as more and more media companies break from Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu in favor of creating their own streaming services.

While Disney’s Disney+, HBO MAX, and Apple’s TV+ may be the most talked-about right now, NBCUniversal—the Comcast Corp. division that owns NBC, MSNBC, USA, and the Universal Pictures movie studio—is also planning to launch its own streaming service. Here’s what we know:

Peacock Release Date

Peacock was made available to Comcast’s Xfinity X1 platform subscribers on April 15, 2020. The service will officially roll out to the rest of the country on July 15, 2020. NBCUniversal has plans for an international release of the service but no timeframe has been announced yet.

Peacock Price

What is Peacock going to cost? Well…that’s complicated. NBC is deviating from WarnerMedia, Disney, and Apple by incorporating pricing tiers into its service at launch. Peacock has three potential pricing options: free, $4.99, and $9.99. Here is what you’ll get at each price point:

Peacock Free includes next-day access to current seasons of freshman broadcast series, a handful of unspecificed film and TV options. It will also feature advertisements.

Peacock Premium (with ads) is the $4.99 option and will include everything that the streaming service has to offer…but also dumb old commercials.

Peacock Premium (without ads) is $4.99 for Comcast subscribers and $9.99 for everyone else. It will include the full spectrum of Peacock content with no ads.

Notably, both versions of Peacock Premium will include live NBC sporting events. That is something that none of the major OTT streaming services other than CBS All Access offer.

Peacock Shows

NBCUniversal has revealed the first batch of original programming coming to the service:

The Adventure Zone

“Based on the McElroy Family’s wildly popular Dungeons & Dragons podcast and No. 1 New York Times best-selling graphic novel series, The Adventure Zone is a side-splitting and heart-filled fantasy animated comedy series that follows an unlikely, poorly equipped trio and their beleaguered Dungeon Master as they reluctantly embark on a quest to save their world.” – Per THR.

A.P. Bio (Season 3)

“When disgraced Harvard philosophy professor Jack Griffin loses out on his dream job, he is forced to return to Toledo, Ohio, and work as a high school Advanced Placement biology teacher. As he comes crashing in to Whitlock High School, Jack makes it absolutely clear he will not be teaching any biology. Realizing he has a room full of honor roll students at his disposal, Jack decides instead to use the kids for his own benefit. Eager to prove that he is still king of the castle, Principal Durbin struggles to control the force of nature that is Jack Griffin.” Read more about A.P. Bio season 3 here.

Angelyne (limited series)

“Limited series based on The Hollywood Reporter feature that explored the identity of L.A.’s mysterious billboard bombshell.”

Battlestar Galactica

“Battlestar Galactica returns to television with Sam Esmail producing.” Read more about this reboot here.

Brave New World

“Based on Aldous Huxley’s groundbreaking 1932 novel, Brave New World imagines a utopian society that has achieved peace and stability through the prohibition of monogamy, privacy, money, family, and history itself.” Read more about Brave New World here.

Clean Slate

“Old-school car wash owner, Henry (George Wallace), is thrilled that his estranged child is returning to Alabama after 17 years. However, Henry has a lot of soul searching to do when the child he thought was a son returns as the determined, proud, trans woman, Desiree (Laverne Cox).” – Per THR.

Division One

“Division One is a coming-of-age comedy about an underdog women’s collegiate soccer team that gets a new female coach — a former professional soccer player who’s fallen from grace — and must decide whether or not they’re going to take the risk of trying to be great.” The show will be produced by Amy Poehler and soccer star Abby Wambach. – Per THR.

Dr. Death

“Based on Wonderly’s hit podcast, Dr. Death tells the terrifying true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch (Jamie Dornan), a rising star in the Dallas medical community. Young, charismatic and ostensibly brilliant, Dr. Duntsch was building a flourishing neurosurgery practice when everything suddenly changed. Patients entered his operating room for complex but routine spinal surgeries and left permanently maimed or dead. As victims piled up, two fellow physicians, neurosurgeon Robert Henderson (Alec Baldwin) and vascular surgeon Randall Kirby (Christian Slater), set out to stop him. Dr. Death explores the twisted mind of a sociopath and the gross negligence of the system designed to protect the most defenseless among us.”

Expecting

“Ellie, a fiercely independent but perpetually single music manager, has always wanted a family but never found a man worthy of the role of ‘father.’ That is, until her 39th birthday, when she decides to ask her gay best friend and co-worker, Jonathan, if he’ll be her sperm donor. When Jonathan surprises himself by saying ‘yes,’ it sets off a chain of events that turn Ellie and Jonathan’s personal and professional lives upside down as they try to turn their ‘chosen family’ into a biological family. Mindy Kaling will executive produce.” – Per THR.

Hatching Twitter

“Through exclusive access and exhaustive investigative reporting, New York Times best-selling author Nick Bilton draws on hundreds of sources, documents and internal e-mails to tell intimate true stories of companies behaving badly and technology gone awry. The first installment of this anthology series will be based on Bilton’s acclaimed book Hatching Twitter, a tale of betrayed friendships and high-stakes power struggles that accompanied the meteoric rise of the infamous tech company. 140 characters and a few lines of code changed the world, disrupting the very fabric of the way people communicate. This series will explore the real masterminds behind it all, how it was done, and the colossal ramifications the technology will have on our future.” – Per THR.

MacGruber

After rotting in prison for over a decade, America’s ultimate hero and uber patriot MacGruber is finally released. His mission: to take down a mysterious villain from his past — Brigadier Commander Enos Queeth. With the entire world in the crosshairs, MacGruber (Will Forte), Vicki and Piper must race against time to defeat the forces of evil. Only to find that evil … may be lurking within. – Read more about MacGruber here.

One of Us Is Lying (pilot)

“Based on Karen M. McManus’s best-selling novel, One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.”

Psych 2: Lassie Come Home

“Santa Barbara Police Chief Carlton Lassiter is ambushed on the job and left for dead. In a vintage Psych-style Hitchcockian nod, he begins to see impossible happenings around his recovery clinic. Shawn and Gus return to Lassie’s side in Santa Barbara and are forced to navigate the personal, the professional, and possibly the supernatural. Separated from their new lives in San Francisco, our heroes find themselves unwelcome in their old stomping grounds as they secretly untangle a twisted case without the benefit of the police, their loved ones, or the quality sourdough bakeries of the Bay Area. What they uncover will change the course of their relationships forever.” – Read more about Psych 2: Lassie Come Home here.

Punky Brewster (pilot)

“In this multicamera/hybrid continuation of the iconic ’80s sitcom about a bright young girl raised by a foster dad, Punky is now a single mother of three trying to get her life back on track when she meets a young girl who reminds her a lot of her younger self.”

Rutherford Falls

“Ed Helms portrays Nathan Rutherford, the eponymous denizen of a small New England town, who is having difficulty facing the inevitable changes to his way of life.”

Saved by the Bell (reboot)

“When California governor Zack Morris gets into hot water for closing too many low-income high schools, he proposes they send the affected students to the highest performing schools in the state – including Bayside High. The influx of new students gives the over privileged Bayside kids a much needed and hilarious dose of reality.” – Read more about the Saved by the Bell reboot here.

Straight Talk

“Straight Talk examines what happens when two opposing ideologies are forced into an odd coupling. The main characters will be challenged by one another, making the moral lines at which they once stood harder to define.”

Peacock Library

As the official streaming service of NBC Universal, Peacock will have plenty of existing TV shows and movies to include at launch. Here are some that have been confirmed for the service.

– The Office

– Parks and Recreation

– 30 Rock

– Bates Motel

– Battlestar Gallactica

– Brooklyn Nine-Nine

– Cheers

– Chrisley Knows Best

– Covert Affairs

– Downton Abbey

– Everyone Loves Raymond

– Frasier

– Friday Night Lights

– House

– Keeping Up with the Kardashians

– King of Queens

– Married…With Children

– Monk

– Parenthood

– Psych

– Royal Pains

– Saturday Night Live

– Superstore

– The Real Housewives

– Top Chef

– Will & Grace

Movies

– American Pie

– Bridesmaids

– Knocked Up

– Meet the Parents

– Meet the Fockers

– A Beautiful Mind

– Back to the Future

– Brokeback Mountain

– Casino

– Dallas Buyers Club

– Do the Right Thing

– Erin Brockovich

– E.T. The Extra Terrestrial

– Field of Dreams

– Jaws

– Mamma Mia!

– Shrek

– The Breakfast Club

– Bourne franchise

– Despicable Me franchise

– Fast & Furious franchise

The post Peacock: NBC Streaming Service Release Date, Shows, Price, and News appeared first on Den of Geek.

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astralsecrets · 6 years

Text

Broom Flight to "The Hospital" 10/23/2018

I have WILDed into a small bookstore with my grandparents who are talking about something they are planning to do. As they walk away, I go into another room in the opposite direction, hoping to separate from them. This new room is a small library that somewhat resembles the one from my old high school. It has white walls, a white floor and cheap bookshelves made of light-colored wood. There is a group of about eight people who are very different from each other. I join in their gossip and we laugh and joke with each other for a moment. One guy cheekily says to me that I can't kill him. I immediately demonstrate my lucid powers by pinching together my right thumb and forefinger while willing his neck to break. There is a loud snapping sound but his neck does not actually break. It was only a kind of "proof of ability". Everyone laughs, including him, because they know that I could have killed him but didn't. This isn't serious at all because we all know that this is dreamland. I feel even more lucid and powerful now and I walk on, into another area. There are very many people here, unique families of all different kinds. Most people are wearing dark colors, robes and capes even, and are seated at the numerous tables eating lunch. Some of the children have eyes of unnatural colors like red or purple. One blonde boy with red eyes also has fangs that I can see as he laughs, following another child back to the table where his parents are waiting. It is a very big room and there are counters along one side with display cases of different food. Workers are cashing people out and making food. I feel the random urge to remove my clothes, but the presence of children deters me. I start doing it anyway because the clothes feel extremely confining, but I leave on the underlying layers, including some kind of pinkish-nude leggings. I walk further and find myself in a smaller fancier dining room with black leather booths lining the walls. The aisle between the booths is very narrow. Most of the tables are piled with dirty plates and leftover food. There is a group of Asian businessmen in very nice suits. They are having a very serious meeting. I stand there looking down at the food on their table and I see something on their plates that looks like a green bell pepper stuffed with green pesto. I reach down and grab one, intending to try it because it looks good. I look closer, noticing the bell pepper more, then say aloud to myself, "I don't like these anyway," before throwing it casually over my shoulder. I walk a few more steps into the room as the businessmen kind of look at me in surprise. I turn around and cockily demand that they say something to me about it, in English. One man who is standing gestures to the one sitting nearest me, encouraging him to say something. I can't remember if he does or not. I leave the room the same way I came. To the left is the large cafeteria that I have already been in, and to the right is a lofty area with large glass doors leading outside. As I walk towards the doors I notice an Asian woman in business clothes standing next to them. She tells me to have a nice day and I thank her. I then remember the task of the month to ride a broom above the clouds. I look over in the corner near the doors expecting to see a broom. I see one propped there. It has a stick made of gold with an ornamental pointy tip and little stirrups on it just like in the Harry Potter movies. The stick is not perfectly straight, but crooked like the good ones in HP, and the broom head is clean white. I think it is beautiful and that it is made just for me. It is quite short though, only about two and a half feet long. I grab the broom and walk through the first set of door. As I approach the second set, I will the broom to become longer and it visibly does so as I glance at it. It is still not as long as a standard HP broom, but close. I hop on before I reach the second set of doors and begin hovering immediately. I pull a door open with my left hand, holding the broom with my right, and fly out slowly and smoothly. There is a paved path of grey stone there and a mass of children wearing robes and holding books flows towards the doors, obviously excited to go in. They look like first-year Hogwarts students and I begin to hear some HP-like music softly playing. There is a tall statue in the small round courtyard ahead, illuminated by the bright sunny day. There are buildings all around on the other streets, older and smaller than the one I've just exited. There are some large oak trees around the far edge of the courtyard. I float up and out a little more and Ginny Weasley is suddenly there on her own broom, facing right at me. She has that fierce brave look on her face and I, startled, say loudly, "Hey Ginny!" She returns the greeting calmly before looking off to the left. I follow her gaze and see other students flying their brooms in a kind of loose swarm. One of them looks like Hermione Granger, but I only see her from behind. I head in the direction of the other flyers and Ginny follows me. I go higher, rising above the roofs of the nearby buildings. We fly around a corner or two before seeing some very large military airships of some kind landing on a wide highway. I think to myself that it's because I offended those Asian businessmen earlier. There is a loud brass hit in the music when we see the ships, and the soundtrack becomes more intense in general. Ron Weasley, Harry Potter and Hermione suddenly appear. Ron gives a quick casual greeting before they zoom under Ginny and I. We follow, all of us shooting across the cityscape, flying just above the tops of the buildings. There are freeways ahead, twisting and turning through each other. We attempt to go higher several times, under my direction, but it just doesn't work. It is as if the air becomes a treadmill when we try going up. Just as I'm about to give up, a random person, also on a broom, shows up and tells us that "the hospital" is above the clouds for those who need it. I feel so relieved. We are now able to zoom upwards, possibly because we have a more solid destination. I become fearful at the vastness of the sky, but keep going anyway. It gets darker until it is like night when we reach the cloud layer, which appears as a medium grey against the blackness. When we get close enough to touch the clouds, we begin to disintegrate and are sucked up through them as streams of particles. My vision goes black and then I'm in the hospital. It is a waiting room but doesn't resemble any that I've seen in waking life. This place is apparently some kind of high tech airship, maybe also a spaceship. The walls and floor flow together and are made of a greenish brass metal with lots of grooves and bumps. There are many people sitting around on the benches, all in a good mood, all wearing body suits of mainly white with varying colorful designs and decorations. There are a few small curving hallways leading to other rooms, and windows showing the sky beyond. Somehow I can't remember if it's bright blue sky or dark black night. I look over to my left and see the pilot of the vessel, a black woman. She lets her young son switch a lever for her and they smile lovingly at each other. Her hair is shorter than his, which is quite big and fluffy. I look around again and see another black mother with sleek hair up in a bun. She is leaning over and whispering something reassuring to her white son. He is about the same age as the other boy, eight or nine years old. This place feels so wonderful. Everyone is happy and working together for common goals. I realize that I still haven't seen the top of the clouds, so I allow myself to phase through the floor. I drop down quickly, briefly seeing the flat, smooth underside of the hospital ship and the tops of the clouds which are fluffy somehow illuminated from within with a bright neon pink light. I do not know the source of this light. The sky is pitch black. I go blank for a moment before appearing in my step-grandparent's living room, standing and watching the hospital on the tv. It is day outside. Next to me is a tall thin man sitting in an egg-shaped chair, wearing a suit like the others, except its main color is navy blue and there are more decorations around the collar. He has reddish, very tanned skin, lots of brown freckles, fluffy greying hair and beautiful hazel green eyes. As I look as him he meets my gaze with an incredibly honest and knowing expression. We clasp hands and he smiles at me softly, so seemingly aware. I sustain eye contact, deepening the connections. It feels so good to connect. I realize then that he is me. He is a part of my mind, a part of my awareness. I begin to cry heavy tears of happiness and can't help but smile wide, almost grinning, almost sobbing uncontrollably. After a few moments we turn back to the screen and I see Jodie Foster with her hair pulled back in a sleek pony. She looks like she's in her late forties, maybe even fifty, and is wearing a mostly white suite with little or no decoration. She is alone in a small control room in the hospital ship. there is neon pink light radiating up from the floor and she is concentrating on what she is doing at her standing desk, a solid, light-grey rectangular pillar with an angled touch screen top.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8297989 https://www.dreamviews.com/blogs/dreamphibian/broom-flight-hospital-10-23-2018-85648/

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