#that he thought he could make me solve by driving up to minnesota and just like wanting me to be scared of him. i guess

[angustully]

so when does my relationship with my dad stop being so fucking fraught. oh never? not til one of us dies? oh we both have to kill each other to satisfy the themes and motifs. whatever

[diegos-butt]

Electricity Chapter 2

Summary: For the first time in her life, Melody Williams is moving out of her hometown to Minnesota where she got a job as a crime journalist for the Minnesota Daily. But this city does not only have a new job for her to offer. What will happen when she crosses paths with detective Walter Marshall? Heads up, a little electricity is involved ✨

Walter Marshall x Melody Williams (Curvy OFC)

Warnings: alcohol, we’re going out people

Wordcount: 2.9k

A/N: chapter 2 here we go! Hope you enjoy 😘

Chapter 1

•••

“Mel you have to come!” Gia said while jumping up and down. “You have been here for over a week, and not once we have gotten a drink. I need to know what you’re like drunk.”

“I absolutely agree with her,” Carmen said, grabbing her purse. The three of us were still in the office, everyone else had already left. It was Friday, 6pm, and they wanted to get drinks after a long week of work.

“Alright, alright! I’m coming with you guys!” I laughed as we walked towards the elevator.

“Good, because the bar will probably be packed with detectives since they closed that difficult case today. Sometimes they go out and celebrate afterwards,” Gia babbled, “I hope the hot ones will be there tonight. It has been way too long since I had a good shag,” she said mischievously while playing with a strand of her pink hair.

We stepped in the elevator while Gia and Carmen decided we all needed to hook up with a hot detective tonight. They were already getting excited and discussing horrible pick-up lines.

“I think I should let you guys know, I am terrible at flirting,” I say. “I just start to make stupid jokes no one but me finds funny and I get so awkward.” The elevator has reached the ground floor, and as we stepped out, I noticed it was already getting dark outside.

“It’s a good thing you are going with us, because we are masters at flirting, aren’t we Carmen?” Gia said as she nudged Carmen in her side with a spark in her eyes. Next thing I knew she ran towards the door that led to the parking garage.

“Carmen, I’m coming with you. I need something to wear and tonight I’m borrowing that cute little black dress you bought the other day,” Gia yelled.

Carmen and I looked at each other and laughed as we followed her into the parking garage. As we walked to our cars, we decided that I should go home and change before going to Carmen’s place where we would order some take out.

I went home and quickly freshened up. I decided to wear a pair of black jeans with a dark green satin blouse. I completed the outfit with my black leather jacket and white chunky sneakers. I reapplied my make-up and added some glittery eyeshadow. Once I was ready, I grabbed a bottle of wine and drove to Carmen’s house.

We ordered pizza and had a few glasses of wine. Unfortunately for me, they became noisy after a few glasses of wine.

“So, tell us about that guy you met at the supermarket Mel. We need to know everything and so far we haven’t heard enough details!” Carmen said with a big smile.

“Yes, yes, yes! Tell us!” Gia yelled as she jumped up to grab another bottle of wine.

“Alright, alright! So, I had forgotten to buy groceries and realized that like half an hour before the store would close. I jumped in my car and drove there. It was late so there were just a few people inside,” I told them as I got into a more comfortable seating position.

“I grabbed the stuff I needed, but I remembered I needed some cereal. I walked to that aisle, it was empty, but I had had a long day and I was so tired I just stood there staring at all the boxes. Completely zoned out for a moment. I finally regained my conscious and wanted to grab a box, but at the same time someone else grabbed the exact same box.”

“You didn’t even know someone was behind you?!” Carmen yelled while her eyes nearly popped out. “I just met you, but I already know it is impossible to sneak up on you.”

“No! I was completely zoned out there! And when I turned around, I bumped into him and I dropped the apples I was carrying,” I said while I hid my face behind my hands. “But then, I got to take a good look of him. And I swear, he is the most beautiful man I have ever seen.”

“We need more details girl. Way more,” Gia said while shoving the last piece of pizza in her mouth.

“Well, first of all he is so tall. And he is big and muscular. He made me feel small, and that doesn’t happen very often,” I explained and took a sip of my wine. “Besides that, he had gorgeous blue eyes and brown curls. I seriously had to slap my hand away so I wouldn’t touch the curls.”

“That might’ve come across a little weird,” Carmen chuckled.

“Just a little? I would have to move again! It would be that humiliating,” I laughed. “Anyways, then he picked up the apples and handed them back to me, but me being my clumsy self, I almost dropped them again if it wasn’t for him. He grabbed my elbow to prevent that. Oh God it was so awkward.”

“Tell me you at least spoke with him?” Gia asked.

“I obviously thanked him and we exchanged a few words. Nothing really interesting though. Well, then he said he needed to go and started to walk away.” I took a deep breath and continued. “Of course, I had to say something to embarrass myself.”

They looked at me waiting for me to continue.

“I said, and I quote, ‘see you around?’. I swear I could hit myself in the face once that popped out of my mouth.”

“What did he say?!” Gia and Carmen both yelled at me.

“He said, and again I quote, ‘I hope so’.”

“Girl, I am proud of you. He’s clearly into you,” Gia said while she raised her wine glass.

“I’ve met this man once Gia, and we barely spoke. It is practically impossible to know if that’s true. Besides, while I was driving home, I remembered I forgot to do something.” I added.

“What did you forget? To check him out properly? Because I think you checked him out pretty well,” Carmen gave me a wink.

“I forgot to ask his name, so it is impossible to track him down ever again. There are so many people in this city,” I murmured.

Apparently not so impossible I thought as Gia, Carmen and I walked through the doors of the bar. He was hard to miss. I recognized his massive shoulders and curls immediately. He stood there with some other men around a few standing tables. He had his back towards me, but I knew for sure it was him. I believe he even wore the same sweater. Or he has multiple of those.

“Look, that booth is still free,” Carmen said. “Go sit, I’ll grab us some drinks!”

The bar was packed and some rock music blared through the speakers.

Gia and I walked through the busy crowd and sat down in the booth. I made sure I could still see him. From this position I could actually see his face, and it was indeed him.

“What are you looking at?” Gia noticed me staring. She turned around and scanned the crowd.

“Nothing. Just looking around,” I lied, but then I remembered I was a terrible liar. Oh no, I have to tell them. This is not going to end well.

“You’re obviously lying so spill it.” Gia narrowed her eyes.

“What is she lying about?” Carmen asked as she placed our drinks in front of us.

“Alright, don’t look but I think the guy from the supermarket is standing over there.”

“Where?!” They both turned around at the same time.

“I said don’t look around!” I hissed. I scooted over so I was leaning against the wall and took a big sip of my drink. “Oh wow, what did you give us?! This is actually pretty good,” I said while I felt my throat burning from the alcohol.

“That is an irrelevant question right now Mel and you know it. Is it that guy over there?” Carmen pointed at the standing tables. He had a beer in his hand and he laughed with the guy next to him.

“Sit down! Now! Don’t point, but yes that’s him.” I could feel my cheeks burning already.

Gia and Carmen sat down and sipped from their drinks.

“He is really handsome, but dear, you have no idea who he is? Really?” Carmen looked at me suspiciously.

“No, I don’t! Remember, I just moved here not too long ago,” I said.

Carmen and Gia looked at each other and laughed before Gia spoke. “First, as I predicted, there are some detectives here. Second, your guy over there, is one of them.”

Wait, what? Well that explains why I felt safe around him. And why is has such an authoritarian vibe. I looked over at him and noticed his glass was empty. No, no, no don’t get a new beer now. You have to walk past us and I am not ready for you to see me. Carmen and Gia saw the panic in my eyes and they looked over at his group.

Gia also noticed that they were all out of drinks. “Wait here.” She said before standing up and walking towards the bar. She came back in a few minutes with a tray full of shots.

“Follow me,” she instructed us and grabbed her own drink. Carmen got up and grabbed my arm, making me stand up.

“No, we are not going over there!” I protested but it was already too late. Gia placed the shots on the standing table and started talking to them. She waved at me and Carmen and gestured we had to come over.

“Come on, what could go wrong?” Carmen laughed. We grabbed our drinks and I looked at the ground while we walked towards them. When I looked up my eyes locked with his and I felt something familiar. I felt the same shot of electricity going through my spine as the one in the supermarket.

“These are my friends! We all work for the Minnesota Daily,” Gia said. “We heard you guys solved a case today, consider these shots as a thank you for protecting us from all those creeps out there.” She batted her eyelashes at the man next to her.

Everyone grabbed a shot and I couldn’t wait to have one myself honestly. Gia shouted a toast and we all took the shot. I might need 5 more of these. I was getting nervous from just being this close to him again and I had no idea what Gia or Carmen might do. They could easily embarrass me right now.

But they were already talking to some guys before anything embarrassing could happen. I looked around and felt a little uncomfortable and insecure between these guys. I always seem invisible to men, which is ironic since it is kinda hard not to see me. The friendly looking detective next to me seemed to sense my insecurities and started a conversation with me. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding and answered his questions relieved.  

We chatted for a couple of minutes when his boyfriend walked in and greeted him. I looked around for Gia and Carmen. Gia was still talking to the man next to her with a new drink in her hand. Where did she get another drink?

Before I could ask her, Carmen showed up with another tray of shots and a deck of cards. “Who knows a drinking game?” she shouted. The group answered by cheering and pointing at one of the guys.

“Make sure Walter needs to take some shots, he always finds a way out!” another one shouted. They all laughed and looked at the man from the supermarket.

“I play fair and square guys, I can’t help it I always win,” Walter says. His eyes lock with mine again and I quickly look away. Why can’t I just look at him? Why am I so awkward?! At least I know his name now. I thought while grabbing a shot and pouring it down my throat.

I should not have played this game. I gave all the wrong answers, so I had to take a few shots too many making me drunk. And drunk me? Well, drunk me gives even worse answers. I embarrassed myself so many times I thought the night couldn’t get any worse. I was wrong.

After the third tray of shots we ended the game. Most of us were drunk, especially Gia. She wobbled on her legs and had her arms wrapped around the guy next to her, John I learned.

A few guys started to leave, but Walter and the guy next to him, Liam, stayed. Carmen stood next to me, she looked at me with a smirk and walked towards them while dragging me along.

“Hi guys! So, tell us, what’s the weirdest case you’ve had?” she asked.

Liam starts telling a story, but I couldn’t focus. I stood next to Walter and I could smell the same musky cologne he wore in the supermarket. I smiled at him and I received a small smile.

We looked at Liam and Carmen and see that they were already making out.

“Well, that escalated quickly,” I chuckled. Oh no, it’s just the two of us now. Mel, act like a normal person for once please.

He nodded and awkwardly took a sip of his beer. Silently we stood next to each other. I opened my mouth to say something, but I had trouble with forming a sentence. He looked at me and I laughed nervously.

“So, you look less tired than the last time I saw you,” I blurted out. I need to have a chat with drunk me tomorrow. I mentally slapped myself across the face.

He blinked a couple of times with a confused look on his face.

Wait, maybe he doesn’t even recognize me. Of course not, why would he?! I anxiously fiddled with a paper coaster in my hands. I should say something.

As he opened his mouth to say something, I beat him to it. “You probably don’t remember me or anything, but we met a few days ago in the supermarket. We grabbed the same box of cereal and I dropped the stuff I was carrying,” I started rambling.

He looked at me amused. Is he smiling?

“Yeah, I remember. The stuff you’re referring to are apples in case you forgot,” he responded. “Did you drop them again?”

“Nearly, when I put the groceries in the trunk of my car.” I felt relieved he did remember me. That would’ve been very awkward.

“I have never seen you here before, you are new in town?” he asked. I explained I had just moved here and why. We actually had a quite decent conversation until I had to pee really badly. I grabbed my drink to take the last sip, but it slipped out of my hands and fell on the floor.  

“Shit!” I yelped. “Oh well, I have to pee so maybe I shouldn’t have tried to drink it anyway.”

Again, he looked at me amused. Why do I say I have to pee?! Why am I like this?

“Yeah, so, I’m going to the ladies’ room now. I’ll be back.” I want to walk away, but somehow, I forgot I had just spilled my drink a few seconds ago and that the floor is slippery. As I turned around to walk I away, I felt my shoes slip away and I started to fall.

“Careful out there, don’t fall like those apples,” he says with a smirk while he prevented me from falling as he grabbed my elbow. I immediately felt the heat from his hand on me. My cheeks burned and I felt my head spinning a little.  I regained my balance and chuckled nervously.

“I wish I could say I’m a lot less clumsy sober, but we both know that’s not true,” I joked.

I quickly walked towards the ladies’ room and luckily there is no queue. Once I peed, I look into the mirror. My hair is a mess and my cheeks are burning. I tried to make my hair look a little more presentable and take a few sips of water.

I am actually having a conversation with the most handsome man I’ve ever met. And it isn’t even going that bad! Alright, time to go back. I check my make-up one more time and walk back out there.

I almost stood next to Walter again when Carmen came up to me.

“So, Gia is way too drunk and is about to throw up,” she said with a panic look in her eyes. “I can’t help her because I will throw up myself! You need to help me get her out of here. I’ll grab our coats, you get her,” she ordered me.

I wanted to question her plan, but she stormed off. Walter looked at me with question marks in his eyes. Suddenly I heard a girl laugh loudly. Gia. I looked at her and I saw she is not fun drunk anymore.

“Shit,” I muttered and walked towards her. She clung to John and I apologized to him as I took her over. “Come on, let’s go home Gia. Please don’t throw up now.”

Carmen showed up again with our coats and I felt how Gia clasped her arms around me. I practically lifted her up as Carmen pushed us outside.

We were almost outside when I heard a deep voice from behind.

“Hey, what is your name?!”

I looked back but couldn’t answer because Carmen closed the door of the bar behind her.

•••

> chapter three

Taglist: @keanureevesisbae​ / @klaine-92​ / @xxxkatxo / @stxlemate / @oddsnendsfanfics / @amberangel112

If you want to be tagged, let me know! ✨

[the-avengers-ate-my-tongue]

The Storm

Summary: You work with Jack Crawford and Alana is your cousin, both of you live together for a long time. She gets caught up with a flat tire far away and asks you to let Will in, for he's expecting her. A storm is coming, and she keeps taking longer and longer to show up. Will the universe conspire in your favor?

Pairing: Will Graham x reader

Warnings: swearing, insinuation of smut, fluff.

Word count: 4.328

A/n: I'm starting to consider changing this tumblr for a Hannibal one, mostly Will Graham, so some requests from other fandoms would be nice haha hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing ♥️

*not my gif

There wasn't a thing such as a boring day at the BAU. 

At least not when you're part of Jack Crawford's crew. There was always an interesting case to focus on, a disfigured body to study the reason of death, it was always a thrilling hunt for evidence. The best experience I've ever had so far in my career, and I could only thank my cousin Alana for putting me on the Guru's radar. I was a great crime scene investigator, albeit a little younger than people gave me credit for. I taught people not to underestimate me over the years, though. I got here by my own effort, being a tenacious, hard-working woman who wouldn't get a no for an answer. 

I got along well with my crewmates, Beverly Katz, Brian Zeller and Jimmy Price, though our relationship hardly extended for life outside work. Except for Beverly, we went out for a couple of beers sometimes, she was fun, witty and I really liked our conversations. Jack was the big boss, and that was it. I had a lot of respect for him, and I knew he didn't regret bringing me to his team, I could see it in his eyes in the first case I've got. I was very cunning when I shared my insights about the cases, sometimes I saw things no one else could, no one but…

Of course, I was far, far away from being a Will Graham. But ever since I was younger, I've had this sort of intuition that helped me to solve problems, I would solve riddles easily and when people asked me how I got to the answer, I wouldn't know the steps, I just knew deep in my bones I was right. That happened a lot when I was growing up and was even stronger now that I knew how to use it. It was some artifice of my inconscient, something I could always count on. It included everything in my life, math, logical thinking, riddles. My brain picked things I couldn't perceive clearly, bringing them to the clear waters of my conscience. 

Will Graham was a curious man. He intrigued me from the very first moment I saw him at the house of one of the last victims of The Minnesota Shrike, Garret Jacob Hobbs, now dead. He was practically hiding in a corner, his eyes closed behind the lens of his glasses, dark wavy hair, jawline for days. He seemed highly focused until Beverly started to talk to him, pulling him out of his daze. He could barely look at her, or at me, and although he looked socially awkward and troubled, he still managed to look like a daydream. I studied every inch of his face, lowering my gaze when he seemed to get uncomfortable, after smiling lightly. I was a bit shy myself. I lived with Alana and, when I got home that night, I absentmindedly asked her about that curious handsome man who seemed to be out of place, yet so connected to that scene. She started to talk about him, but stopped once she noticed my interest. Then, she told me he was a very unstable person, that she wouldn't even be alone in the room with him because of her professional curiosity. As time passed and he solved more and more cases, I could see how people looked at him like an attraction of the zoo. However, not me, and later, not Beverly. Brian didn't seem to like him very much, I could see. Envy, perhaps? Nevertheless, the more I saw Will, the more intrigued I got. He avoided eye contact like the plague, but as I was always friendly and tried my best to treat him like a normal person, not focusing only on work, dead bodies and serial killers, I saw more of those beautiful blue eyes. He knew I was Alana's cousin, and I sooner realized he had a fling for her. 

And boy, did that break my silly little heart. I wasn't surprised, though. Who could blame him? Alana was amazing. I never felt resentful for that, but as time passed, I started to detach from the idea of Will being somewhat more than a simple acquaintance. That afternoon, I was going home from work when I got a call from Alana.

"Speak fast, I'm driving." I said, keeping one hand on the wheel and the other holding my phone.

"You're going home? Great. I invited Will so we could talk about a profile I'm building, but I got caught up here. I already spoke to him, he's almost there, can you let him in? He said he'll wait, and I'll be home in about fifty minutes, no more than that, hopefully." She said in a hurry, and I felt my cheeks burn a little. Will and me? Home alone? 

"I…" I hesitated, chewing my bottom lip nervously. "You won't be long, right? Heard on the radio there’s a storm for later."

"I won't, promise. Just let him in, he's already aware I'll take a little longer to be there. See you soon. Thanks, Y/n!" She hung up, not leaving me any time to answer. I put the phone down, still chewing on my bottom lip. I could feel excitement rising on my stomach, making me feel slightly nauseated, and noticed my hands starting to sweat.

Please. That was ridiculous. What was I, a teenager? I was a grown-up, well-succeeded woman, for God's sake. I rubbed my hands on my jeans, driving a little faster than I usually did almost unconsciously. I got home after twenty minutes, parking outside the pretty house. Will was already there, leaning against his car, so lost in his thoughts he barely noticed I'd arrived. I looked at my reflection at the mirror hurriedly, fixing my hair, pinching my cheeks to look less pale, brushing my eyebrows with my fingers to make them look neat. I wasn't even wearing any lipstick today. It had been a long day at work. 

I opened the car door, exiting the vehicle, the noise from shutting the door finally bringing him out of his daze, and he finally seemed to notice me. He smiled lightly, lowering his eyes. He had his glasses on, but as soon as he saw me, he took them off, hanging them on his shirt.

"Hey, Will. I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long. There was a little bit of traffic." I justified, walking to the porch and waiting for him to follow me. 

"Y/n. Not at all, I just got here. Alana explained what happened, thanks for coming to let me in. Hope I didn't ruin any appointment you may have had." He waited until I unlocked the door, and we finally were engulfed with the warm air of the heater.

"Nope, I was coming home, no appointments lost. Please, come in. I'm not sure you've ever been here before, but make yourself home." I hung my trench coat, sighing with the pleasure of being home. I loved the atmosphere of that place. "Can I get you anything? Water, soda, beer…"

"Thank you. I'm fine. And no, I haven't been here before." I held back the temptation of saying "good", biting my bottom lip as I watched him sit on the couch. I just stood there for a while, not sure of what to do next. 

He frowned a little, probably thinking why I was acting so weird, and that made me nervous, because it was just an easy step to realize my silly crush on him. Did he know? What if Alana said something? Said something? For fuck's sake, he was Will Graham, he could probably see that written across my stupid face! Shit, he knows. I'm making a fool of myself. Why do I even…

"Is everything okay?" His voice startled me a little, pulling me out of my neurotic breakdown, and I wondered how my facial expressions looked. Was I blinking only one eye like the stereotyped madness of cartoons? I certainly didn't look normal. I cleared my throat, laughing lightly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I'm not really used to having people over anymore. I've been working a lot lately. People are dying like flies." I sat on the armchair in front of him, sighing. 

"What we do can be overwhelming sometimes. What we see every day. It just… stains you." He said, with a dark look on his serious eyes. 

I nodded. I felt that way sometimes, but I was used to it. I stopped feeling that sense of inadequacy on my chest years ago. 

"I guess you just begin to cope with it, though. Our brain adapts to that harsh reality. But it's always nice to vent somehow. What do you do in your free time?" I asked, wondering if I was getting too personal. Did I sound like I was probing to ask him out?  I felt my face getting warm. Damn it.

Either he didn't realize, or he was just too chivalrous to point, but he didn't mention anything.

"I fish." He said, simply. I nodded with a light smile.

"And you play with your doggies." I pointed, smiling wider. I loved dogs. He'd mentioned them before, so I just brought the subject up, trying to shift the attention from me to them. Will smiled back, his eyes with a subtle glow. He really loved them, and that was so sweet. "Fishing sounds nice. Unfortunately, I could never. I'm too restless. I'd probably startle all the fish and wouldn't catch anything."

He laughed, and that was the first time I ever heard that sound coming out of him. I felt like I was someone deaf that was able to hear the sound of Mozart's symphonies for the first time, and I just knew. There was never detachment from the idea of Will being more than an acquaintance. It was tackled down inside my brain somewhere, for the brain tends to adapt to harsh realities, but it was still there, just waiting for some incentive. 

"It's just a matter of training, getting used to it. I could teach you someday… if you want." He blinked a few times, as if he was surprised with his own boldness, smiling lightly. "And you? What do you do to vent?" He asked, seeming genuinely interested.

"Well, I read a lot. Maybe I could read by the riverside while I watch you fish." I said, shrugging with a subtle smile.

"It's a date, then?" Will inquired, making me mortified. Caught me by total surprise, and when I was about to say something, my phone rang.

"Excuse me." I answered the phone. It was Alana. "Hey. We're already here waiting for you."

Not that I wanted her to arrive any time sooner, but she didn't have to know that.

"You won't believe me; I've got a flat tire. There's a guy helping me out, I was lucky, I'm in the middle of nowhere. But I'll get there in about fifty more minutes, more or less. Can you put Will on the phone? I'll explain everything to him."

"Do you need one of us to pick you up? I'm sure he wouldn't mind, I wouldn't…"

"No, he's almost done. Thank you. Let me talk to Will, I'll be there soon. The storm is about to catch me, I wanna hurry."

I sighed, grimacing at him. 

"She wants to talk to you." I passed him the phone, studying his expressions while he talked to her. As I looked at the window, I could see the dark clouds gathering up, making the end of the afternoon murky. The storm was about to hit hard. I could see a few thin drops of rain starting to wet the glass.

"I can stay a little longer, no problem. I'm being well attended." He traded looks with me, biting his lip slightly. "Okay. I'll see you soon, Alana."

He gave me the phone, but Alana was already gone. I put it on the coffee table, getting up.

"I think I'll pour myself some wine. Do you want some?" I asked politely. "It's one of the fanciest ones; Hannibal gave us a bottle when we dined at his house a few days ago."

"Yes. Thank you." He waited for me to come back with the beverages, and I did my best not to spill anything, sitting on the couch beside him while I gave him the glass. "So you're acquainted with Dr. Lecter?"

"Oh yeah, he's an old friend of Alana's, sometimes he invites us to dinner. He cooks the best meals I've ever had in my entire life, so I don't exactly decline the invitations. And he's one of the most brilliant people I've ever met, so it's always interesting." I took a sip of the crimson liquid, moaning low in pleasure. Good wine. I preferred a good cup of hot oolong, but it was impossible not to appreciate the quality of that drink. 

A few glasses after and a lot of talks about dogs, fishing and other hobbies, he finally felt safe to bring back the topic. The rain had started really pouring, the now thicker drops hitting the windows loudly. Alana hadn't called again. It was nighttime now, the sky seeming to be darker than usual. I was low-key worried about her, but the conversation was too great to interrupt. She was a good driver. She would be just fine. 

"I've been seeing Hannibal Lecter in his office. Not exactly his patient, though. A courtesy of Jack Crawford to keep an eye on the coping of my brain functions." He sounded a bit bitter, drinking a few sips of his wine.

I could see he didn't like therapy. Must be hard with someone with a mind like his.

"You know, sometimes, Alana psychoanalyses me. Like, she doesn't even notice. It's cute, but sometimes it creeps me out." 

"She has a professional curiosity about me, but she's too polite and considerate to let it slip out. We've never even been alone in the same room together."

I held back a bitter comment, not wanting to talk shit about my cousin, but he saw it right through me. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to put you in a complicated position."

"I know. You're sweet." The word slipped through my tongue before I could contain it. Will blinked a few times, seeming surprised, and I felt my cheeks burn, starting to stutter. "I meant… I'm sorry, did I make you uncomfortable?"

"No, no. It's just… no one's ever called me that before." It was my time to get surprised. He didn't seem to be complimented much, and that just made me flabbergasted. I couldn't be the only one who saw how fantastic Will was.

"... Ah. Well, some people are just shy. I'm shy as hell, don't even know how I had the nerve to say that, it's probably the wine starting to kick in. Hope I really didn't make you uncomfortable, though. Don't need to be polite, it's okay to tell me."

"Actually, I'm curious to know what else you think of me. I sense it's not the only word you have to define me." He sounded bolder, and his eyes were on mine, giving me shivers down my spine. 

"Well… I think you're too exceptional to be defined with a few words. You're… Kind, brilliant… I see how seeing what you see, doing what you do, how it wrecks you sometimes, and you just keep doing it because you're saving lives. That's so selfless, Will. That's…" I was going to say more, but at that very moment, a loud thunder just made the house practically tremble, and I let out a real inelegant weep, coming closer to Will and holding his arm firmly, my fingers grabbing on the fabric of his shirt. He could've thought it was an artifice to get closer to him, but he could see how frightened I was, trembling like a cornered wild little beast. I hated thunders, fireworks, anything loud. Feeling ridiculous, I released his shirt, apologizing with embarrassment.

"It's okay. It's just noise. I'm here." He put some of my hair that had fallen to my face behind my ear with such a tenderness that I felt my stomach twitch, realizing suddenly how close we were. He was looking at me as if it was the first time he was actually seeing me. 

The phone rang again. Alana! I grabbed it from the coffee table, turning to face Will. He wasn't avoiding eye contact anymore, his pupils were dilated. My breathing was accelerated, and I knew it had little to do with the thunder.

"Lana, is everything okay?" I asked with genuine concern. "Are you close?"

"Ah, Y/n. I'm so sorry. I don't think I'll make it in time, I'm driving slow, the roads are slippery because of the storm and it's pretty foggy. I'll stop at a motel and spend the night, or at least wait for the storm to pass. I'm so furious with myself!"

"It's okay cuz, do what's safer for you. I'm sure Will will understand. I'll pass him the phone." I gave him the phone and he talked to Alana for a few minutes, but I wasn't listening. She'd ruined the moment unintentionally, and now he was probably going home. When would I have an opportunity like that again? 

"Okay. Don't worry. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Alana. Take care." He gave me the phone and I put it on the coffee table again. Before any of us could say anything, another thunder cracked the sky, and this time, Will held me so I wouldn't be afraid. The lights went out, and he held me against his chest protectively, making me smell his aftershave and some perfume. He smelled so good. For a moment, I just stood there in his arms, feeling his warmth, his breath, the steady beats of his heart. 

I moved away just a little to see his face, very close to mine, but it was so dark I could only see shadows. A lightning lit up the room and, just for a little moment, I could see his gorgeous eyes staring at me. After a soft touch of his thumb on my lips, he finally kissed me, so gentle, like I could break as fine china with any rougher move. I touched his neck with both my hands, playing with his hair, feeling how soft they were. He pulled me closer, his hands on my waist, and the kiss started to get deeper, voracious, as if we were hungry for each other. Maybe the wine was helping to raise the lust; all I know is that I've wanted that to happen for a long time. Will's kiss was everything I imagined it would be, but entirely different at the same time. All I could say was that he was great at it. His hands traveled through my body, and I grabbed his hair, pulling it slightly. That made a low growl echo through his chest, and I started to feel my body fervent as a bonfire.

I couldn't say much because I was breathless and I didn't want to stop what we were doing, so a single word left my lips as I kept my forehead on his.

"Stay."

Will bit his lip, kissing me again, and that was all the answer I needed.

xx 

Morning. Thin sunrays illuminated my bedroom floor through the curtains, waking me up. The storm was gone. I haven't had a nice night of sleep like that in ages. I looked at the other side of my bed and there was Will, sleeping heavily. It wasn't a dream, after all. Last night really happened. I smiled, staring at the roof with disbelief in my eyes.

I stared at him for a few seconds, unsure of what to do. Should I just let him sleep? He looked so heavenly, his hair was messy, his breathing steady, he seemed so less troubled than he usually was. I touched his hair lightly, caressing it with tenderness, and he started to move. I could see his neck, and a few hickies we marked on his albescent skin. That made me blush a little bit, and I laughed silently. 

He opened his eyes while I still touched his hair, but I didn't stop, and he didn't seem to want me to. We stared at each other in silence for a few moments, and he smiled, a different smile than the usual ones he gave me.

"Hi." He said, pulling me closer by my waist, stroking the skin under the sheets. I pecked him on the lips, then kissing his forehead, his cheek, his jawline. 

"Hey there. Good morning. I'm starving, are you having breakfast with me?"

"Actually, I gotta go home. Feed the dogs." He said, stroking my nude shoulder with his finger.

"Of course. Your dogs. I won't keep you then, poor babies must be so hungry." I kissed his cheek and was about to get up when he pulled me again, gently kissing my lips. I smiled, probably looking like an idiot. A joyful idiot. "I'll let you get dressed. I'll be in the kitchen."

I dressed up in my long and black robe, smiling at him before I left the room, going to the kitchen, where I started to make some french toasts. After a few minutes, I heard the front door open, and an exhausted Alana came in, her hair frizzy and her coat looking still a bit wet.

"Oh, Lana! Go change, you'll get a cold!" I stopped what I was doing, going to her and helping to take off her coat.

"That storm was a nightmare. I swear I won't ignore the warnings ever again. I'm so sorry, I had no idea it would get this bad, yesterday was one of those days where everything just goes wrong. Hope Will arrived well at home, did he seem disappointed or annoyed before he left? I was so inconvenient…"

I didn't even have time to answer, because Will opened my bedroom door, coming out while buttoning his shirt, suddenly realizing Alana was there.

"Oh." Alana said, looking so flabbergasted I almost laughed at her. Will rose his eyebrows at the sight of her, seeming a bit unsure of what to do or say. I wasn't planning for her to find out like this, it was a bit early, I wasn't expecting her to arrive so soon. "Hi, Will."

"Alana. Hi." He avoided looking at her, staring at me, and his eyes immediately softened. I smiled, he smiled back, and that was it, Alana was forgotten.

"Off you go to feed your children." I joked, biting my bottom lip. "I guess I'll see you later, then."

"Definitely." He simply said, kissing my forehead while caressing my hair, certainly a little embarrassed to kiss me in front of Alana. "See you later, Y/n. Bye, Alana."

"Bye, Will." I waved with a soft smile, and he grabbed his jacket, leaving the house.

My smile grew larger and I left my head fall back, squeaking low in commemoration. What a night! What a morning! I never thought I would thank a storm so much, let alone a bloody thunder.

Before Alana could say anything, I realized Will had left his glasses at the coffee table, and I picked it up in a hurry, bursting through the front door and calling him before he left, waving in front of the car.

"You forgot your glasses!" I said, and he opened the car windows, raising his hand to pick them.

I leaned against the car window, putting the glasses on him, and kissing his lips fiercely. He moaned in surprise, holding my face to deepen the kiss. After a moment, I pulled away, appreciating the view of his lips so reddish. 

"Go back inside, it's cold." He said with a cheeky smile, and before I could say he actually made me hotter, he took off with the car.

I went back inside, where Alana was waiting for me with her arms crossed. 

"What the hell did you do to Will Graham?" She asked, sounding severe, but a smile was trying to escape her lips "I mean, besides trying to suck his soul with your mouth a few moments ago."

"Oh, shut up!" I laughed, blushing violently. "You made that happen, you know? Thank you. Was that a set up or did the universe actually conspire in my favor?"

"I wish I'd planned this. That would mean I would've had a plan b and I wouldn't have stayed at that disgusting mote… Y/n, you're full of hickies, I can't believe you!"

"You're starting to sound like my mom, Lana. I'm gonna wear a turtleneck, don't worry, I don't want Beverly all over me like a bloodhound and Brian and Jimmy's witty comments today. In fact, keep it to yourself, okay? Will's discreet. I won't even tell Beverly, if she finds out, the whole bureau will know, hell, maybe even Freddie Lounds."

"I told you to let it go, Y/n. Will's very unstable right now. I… I only want what's best for you." She said with concern in her bright blue eyes. I sighed, walking to her and kissing her cheek with affection.

"You're a good cousin. But I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself, okay? Unless this isn't only about me, unless it concerns something else." I raised an eyebrow while staring at her, more confident that I've ever been. "Is there something you wanna tell me?"

She hesitated, clenching her jaw, but never spoke. 

I smiled, tapping her cheek very lightly in approval.

"I gotta get ready to work. Wanna grab lunch with me later?" I asked in a casual tone, a cynical smile on my face. She shrugged. "See you later then, cuz."

[supernaturallyobsessedchic]

Our Work Never Ends

I originally called this Wayward Sisters, this just popped in my head. This is a rough that I’m allowing you to see. I will be editing it from time to time. 

Just let me know what ya’ll think. Please.

[Couldn’t find the Empty version of Lucifer]

Summary: Two girls come together for a common cause. Find Dean.

Pairing: None

Set: Well after Season 15 (Assuming Sam and Dean die in the finale (which they better not, bitch I’ll riot…no jk, I’ll die from the heartbreak alone.)) a couple of years or so after.

Mobile Masterlist

A/N: Cassie Robinson x Dean (Season 1); Sarah Blake x Sam (Season 1) (Died in Season 8, has a daughter), just something.

~

Ever wondered, what happens to a man when he hears his wife died of natural causes, but when the information was being told to him, it didn’t seem natural. Not to him. After Crowley killed Sarah with a hex bag, suffocating her to death. Sam wanted to break the news to her husband Ian, with their daughter, who was turning 6 at the time that their mother was dead. Sam couldn’t bring himself to tell Ian a snot nosed lie. But he couldn’t tell the truth either.

Ian turned into a hunter, shortly after the news of Sarah. He wanted revenge. Avenge his wife’s death. But, having little to no knowledge under his belt. A werewolf was all it took to end his, short, hunting days. Beth was 13 when her father died.

-

Growing up in the south with a half black and half white mother can lead to bullying. But not for Kaylee. She had her dad’s blood in her veins and Cassie knew it.

Yet another call from the school about a fight she was yet again involved in, proved to her she was Dean’s daughter. Sure she did the DNA testing, months after he left to go hunting with Sam after saving her family from a racist ghost truck, she had something of his. A stray hair was all it took to confirm she was Dean’s daughter.

She had to tell her about her dad. She always asked when she was a kid about her daddy. So she decided to tell her about her dad. Dean Winchester. A hunter, who hunts monsters. She was 14 when she learned this.

-

Three years later…

The girls are not of age yet. But armed with pictures, one of her dad, and one of her mom. All it took was a topic about monsters and the supernatural to bring the two girls together.

Kaylee, now 17 years old, she’s on her way to turning 18, rents a room out for them. To chat in a more controlled environment.

“So, you’re looking for your dad?” Beth asked.

“Yeah. My dad,” she began. And shrugged. “My mom says he hunts monsters. Supernatural monsters, ghosts, demons that whole rep.” she said.

“My dad is looking for—well was looking for, a man by the name Sam Winchester. He told my dad about my mom’s death. He might help me about my dad’s.” she explained.

“Huh, my dad’s name is Dean Winchester. Maybe we’ll both get what we want if we stick together.” Kaylee suggests.

“Yeah. I agree.” Beth says.

-

The girls got up bright an early the next day, checked out and left. Kaylee having to hotwire and steal a car. A parked, police car, a 2019 Dodge Charger, solid black with police lights on top.

“We are so going to jail.” Beth groaned.

“Shut up, I know what I’m doing kid.” Kaylee said as she quietly pulled out of the parking lot unnoticed.

Pulling into an abandoned garage several miles away.

Thought it may look abandoned, but Kaylee is familiar with the area. Her ex-boyfriend dabbled in cars. Taught her how to fix them up, hotwire, steal even turn a cop car into a nonpolice car. This also happened to be her ex-boyfriends garage.

She managed, with the tools he had lying around, to get under the hood and gank the gps tracker attached to the engine. She even managed to unhook the dashcam and, ditched the plates, lights and siren. Destroying the important stuff. Like the trackers and cameras so no one would find them, hack into it and manage to get any kind of information from the trackers and cameras.

It was starting to get late in the day, night was soon approaching.

“We’re staying here for the night. I need to work on the car more.” Kaylee says.

“Where are we gonna sleep?” Beth asks.

“Over there, the mechanic always has a place to crash while working.” She says, pointing to a spare room in the garage.

Beth finds a small bed, all made up with some covers, dusty and old. She shook the sheets and blankets out and remade the bed. And got ready to go to sleep while Kaylee striped the paint and painted the car black and trimmed with chrome. Making it look spick and span, and brand spanking new by morning. No sign it was ever a police car.

The next morning, Kaylee managed to get done with the car in time. Beth got up, made the bed and got ready to go when Kaylee stops her.

“Do you have a license?” Kaylee asked tiredly.

“Yeah, why?” Beth asked.

“You’re driving.” Kaylee tossed her the keys.

“We broke how many laws in one day? And you ask me if I have a driver’s license.” Beth says with a bitchface to boot.

“Shut up.” Kaylee says, getting in the passenger seat.

“You’ll be fine, I put different plates on the car, got new tags. The car is now ours.” Kaylee says, getting settled in.

“And how’d you manage that?” Beth asks as she pulls out.

“Breaking the law.” Kaylee says. Pulling her beanie over her eyes, and falling asleep.

-

Weeks have passed, driving from town to town, asking people if they’ve seen the man Kaylee is looking for, or anything about him.

“Kaylee, we’re here.” Beth said pulling up to a house in Sioux Falls.

After a stop in Minnesota Sheriff Donna helped out a lot.

“I swear if this is another one of my dad’s friends I’m offing myself.” Kaylee groans.

“So what if Donna didn’t know Dean had a kid, I thought it was funny.” Beth said with a laugh.

Kayla mocking a laugh with Beth. Clearly not amused.

They knock on the door.

“Yes.” A voice answers from inside.

It was summer, this house was like one of many having two doors, the main door and a screen door. And just like any house after the long winter months, and having a day where it’s beautiful outside, the screen door is open letting in the fresh air.

“Hi, are you Jody Mills?” Kaylee asked.

A middle-aged woman with pixie short hair appeared, coming to the door but not opening it.

“Depends on who’s asking?” She answers.

“Ma’am, my name is Kaylee Robinson, my mom knew a Mr. Dean Winchester, I’m looking for him.” Kaylee said.

“And how well did your mom know Dean?” She asked.

“So you are Jody?” Beth goes.

“No shit.” Kaylee groans at Beth.

Kaylee sighs. “He’s my dad.” She says.

Jody tried to hide the shock that filled her face, she too didn’t know Dean had a kid.

“He saw my mom again around January 2006, I was born September 26, 2006. And this girl, Beth, had a run in with the supernatural. We just want to find Dean and this, Sam character. Maybe they can help us.” Kaylee says.

“Help you with what?” Jody asks seriously.

“I wanna know who killed my dad and why.” Beth says.

“And my mom, died in a car accident…but it didn’t seem like an accident. It looked an awful lot like a case my dad solved when he was with my mom last.” Kaylee explained.

“Come in, you should know about this.” Jody says.

-

After a good long talk of the boys’ adventures…

“God?” Kaylee goes.

Jody nods. After telling them about the Winchester’s, demons, angels, and Jack and Cas and their bought with God Chuck.

“They died, protecting this new god?” Beth asked.

“Yeah, they couldn’t get away and well the power of Jack and Chuck overwhelmed them. Killing them instantly. They felt no pain.” Jody explained.

“So my dad’s dead too.” Kaylee goes, standing up.

“I’m sorry kid, I really am. Look, I wish there was a way.” Jody starts.

“What if there is?” Kaylee says.

“What?” Jody asks.

Beth remaining silent.

“You said before, they died and came back many times. What if, there is a way to get them back?” Kaylee asks.

“Sweetheart, they wouldn’t want that.” Jody says.

“How would you know?” Kaylee snaps.

“Lebanon, that’s where their base is right, I’m heading there.” Kaylee says, leaving.

“But, Kaylee, you and I know nothing about bringing the dead back to life.” Beth says after her.

“Dad and Sam figured it out, right?” she asked. “Well, I’m a Winchester too. Believe it or not. I’m sure I will figure out how to bring my dad and uncle back.” Kaylee says getting in the driver seat.

Jody couldn’t get out fast enough. By the time she gets to her truck they're gone. All she could do was to put out an APB on the car. As the days pass, no one sees the car or the girls.

-

A few days later…

They pull up a trail, seeing a tall building looming over head.

“Apparently hunters here knew Dean and Sam. That’s a good thing, right?” Beth asked.

“Well yeah, we would have been looking all over for this place…” Kaylee says. “Not that we would be looking to long. Lebanon isn’t very big.” Kaylee adds.

The door down remained unlock. As they walked in through the second door, a dark and musty room awaited them. They pulled out their cellphones, activating the flashlight.

“Whoa.” Beth goes.

“Son of a bitch.” Kaylee says.

“This place is huge, and your dad lived here?” Beth says.

“Apparently.” Kaylee says.

Kaylee looks around and sees the main power switches. She heads over and throws both of them, one at a time.

“Son of a bitch.” Beth says. Her gaze, off into the far distance.

Kaylee follows Beth’s gaze, seeing a huge library.

“Hey girl, I think we found the batcave.” Kaylee says.

“Well, let’s get to looking on how to bring your dad back.” Beth says.

-

The next morning…

“Kaylee, this place has everything, spell books, lore books, hell even a Manuel on being a hunter.” Beth says holding up the books.

“Alright, let’s not geek out okay.” Kaylee says.

“Geek out, really?” Beth goes.

“Well, don’t get me wrong, it all sounds awesome. But, I just wish it was an easy, ‘hey this book is on resurrecting the dead’.” Kaylee says, playing with the swords behind Beth.

“Yeah, well, we don’t have that. We have to do it the old fashioned way.” Beth says.

After a couple of hours of reading and scrounging, Beth found a lead.

“There’s a spell. All I need is blood, blood related to your dad and uncle. And since you have some Winchester blood in you, and Dean and Sam, you are related to them so, I need your blood.” Beth says, holding up the spell.

“But we got everything else. Sage, and something that belonged to them…” Kaylee says skeptically. As she looked at the pile Beth had, ingredients for the spell. Two flannels, a stick of sage and a bowl.

“Your dad’s stuff was still here so I figured his flannel would do.” Beth said.

“Does it have to be the whole damn shirt, just, here.” Kaylee says.

Grabbing a pair of scissors she cuts a piece from the collar.

“Look, there’s even hair. And we’ll do it on Sam’s too.” Kaylee says, doing the same to his flannel.

“But problem.” Beth says.

“What?” Kaylee groans.

“Where are they buried?” Beth asks.

Oh.

Kaylee looked all over the bunker, for a clue to where they would be buried. And found nothing. But one clue that seemed odd.

“Jack, the same Jack told us is the new God. He used to live here.” Kaylee says, entering the library holding a journal.

“Yeah, same for Cas too. Did you know celestial beings don’t sleep?” Beth says.

“Kind of figured. But this journal, has my dad’s name in it. And another Winchester, John. Sounds like he was my dad’s dad.” Kaylee says.

“Yeah, that’s called a grandpa.” Beth says jokingly.

“What’s with the snarky comments?” Kaylee snapped.

“I’m bored.” Beth says.

“I wonder if praying works.” Kaylee says.

“Try it out.” Beth says.

“Okay.” Kaylee goes, sitting down, folding her hands and begins to pray.

“Alright, I have questions that need answering. And only this Cas and Jack can answer them. Can someone up there send their feathery ass’s down here, please and thank you.” She says.

“Really? That’s a prayer?” Beth says sassily.

“I don’t go to church.” Kaylee says.

“Hello” a voice is heard behind them. They turn to see a scrawny kid.

“And you are?” Kaylee asks.

“Jack.” He says.

“Jack, the same Jack that worked with my dad?” Kaylee asked.

“I am. And, before you ask, I have made a promise not to bring them back. Under any and all circumstance.” He says quickly.

“But Jack it’s important. We need answers.” Kaylee says.

“I’m sorry, but as far as I’m concerned, this place has all the answers you need. I can’t help you.” He says and vanishes.

“Well, son of a bitch.” Kaylee growls.

“Now what?” Beth asked.

“We’ll find a way; we don’t need no god to help us.” Kaylee says.

-

Remember Nick, Lucifer’s first original vessel? We were never shown what happened to his body, or his spirit since God’s destruction. And his many attempts to bring Lucifer back from the Empty. Let’s just say being a vengeful spirit has it’s perks. Going between worlds, even dipping into the Empty and waking up Lucifer.

The Empty Lucifer, and the spirit of Nick, resurrected Nick’s corpse.

After slipping past Death, getting Empty Lucifer out of the Empty and into the real world Nick and Lucifer were back in action. And more powerful than ever.

Winchester. He wanted the Winchester’s dead.

-

As the girls slept in the bunker, Kaylee couldn’t sleep. Her thoughts racing. Until she heard her friend screaming.

“Beth!” Kaylee shouted. Following Beth’s screams.

She found Beth, standing at a crossroads of hallways. She follows Beth’s gaze to find a man standing at the end of the hall. A dark gaze in his eye. Flashing red, a deep red.

Her mind screaming somehow. Lucifer.

Lucifer?

“Lucifer.” Kaylee whispers.

“What? How’d you know?” Beth asks.

“I don’t know, I just do somehow.” Kaylee says.

Lucifer vanished in a puff of black smoke.

And it happened again behind them. Turning to see Lucifer looming over them, he throws the girls down the hall. Causing them to roll to a stop.

“Something’s off about him.” Kaylee says. Getting up.

“How so? Wait? How would know something is off about him?” Beth shouts further down the hall from Kaylee. “You don’t even know him!”

“I don’t know okay!” Kaylee admits.

The girls notice their breath is showing.

“Didn’t your dad write something about ghosts showing themselves, the temperature would drop?” Beth asked.

A thought came to Kaylee, and she acted on it.

“Dad, is that you?” Kaylee asks.

A figure appeared behind her.

“Sam!” He shouted. Another figure showed up, behind Lucifer.

Lucifer stopped. Seeing Sam and Dean appearing before him.

“Dean!” Sam shouted.

Dean? Dean! Dad! Kaylee thought.

Sam used his ghost mojo to hold Lucifer in place.

“Kay, listen to me.” Dean says. Kaylee turns towards him.

“There’s a book, it’s a banishing spell. Try it.” He says.

“But, dad he doesn’t feel celestial in any way. I don’t think he’s an angel.” She says.

“I think Dean’s ghostly influence or whatever is giving you this knowledge.” Beth suggests.

“There should be an angel blade in my room, run and get it.” Dean ordered.

Before she could, Lucifer sent her flying further down the hall. Dean vanishes for a minute, and appears by Kaylee’s side.

“You okay?” He asked.

“Yeah, at least I’m not hitting a wall or anything.” Kaylee answers. “An angel blade, what’s an angel blade?” Kaylee asked. Dean vanishes. Only to hear a metallic blade slide out of his room.

She hurries to it, sliding to a stop and grabbing it. And she high tails it towards Lucifer. Who launches her through a closed door, Kaylee grunts in pain at the force of it all.

“Sorry kids, but, gotta run.” Lucifer growls. Vanishing, this time for good, in a puff of black smoke.

“You’re right, not an angel.” Dean says.

“Can you come back now?!” Kaylee asks, stumbling out of the room Lucifer just threw her in. Angel Blade in hand. “Jack said he wasn’t gonna bring you back because of some promise. Beth and I  know nothing about hunting, we need you guys.” Kaylee begs.

“That spell Beth dug up, it will work. Just head up to the grave site. It’s the top of this hill up here.” Dean says.

“We can’t follow you up their unless you bring something that ties us to this plane.” He adds.

“Beth, my laptop. I'm tied to my laptop.” Sam says.

Beth runs into Sam’s room and grabs his laptop. Giving her a nod.

“Mine, oddly enough, is not in here. And after all this time I don’t know if she’ll run.” Dean says.

“What?” Kaylee asks.

-

Dean shows her his car. The black, 1967 Chevy Impala.

“I loved this car more than anything. She was my baby.” Dean says.

“Okay, can I drive her up there?” She asks.

“If you can get her to start, yeah.” Dean says.

She heads into Dean’s room, finding his keys and is back in no time. The boys fizzle in and out of view, one minute they're not in the car, the next minute they’re in the back seat behind the girls.

She turns the key, sounds like the battery is dead. And judging by the way her dad's car is parked, she can get her Dodge down here and give the Impala a jumpstart.

And that’s what she does. She manages to drive it in the garage, parking it so she can get out in the Impala but also jumpstart the old muscle car.

And a jumpstart was all it needed. Beth turns off the Dodge and gets in the Impala and the pair drive up the hill to the grave site they speak of.

-

It was almost dawn when they reached the hilltop. Finding three graves.

Beth heading over to said graves getting bowl ready, Sam helping her as best as he could.

Kaylee and Dean having a, ghostly, father, daughter bonding moment.

“Cas. Who was Cas?” Kaylee asked.

“He was, an angel friend of ours. A brother in arms. He died trying to save us but, obviously it wasn’t enough.” Dean says dryly.

“Did you ever loved my mom?” She asked.

“Of course I did, that’s why I left.” Dean answers. Almost offended by the question. “You know what I do--, what I did. I didn’t want that for your mom. Or you.” He said.

“Well, she died in a car accident, but in my mom’s old journal entry, how people were dying the same way she did.” Kaylee explained.

“I thought, having it cross hollowed grounds it would destroy it Sam.” Dean says, glaring at Sam.

“Guess I was wrong.” Sam says.

“When did this happen?” Dean asked.

“It was…around, early October 2019.” She answers.

“That’s when God opened up hell, probably even brought him back for kicks.” Dean said.

“And this is Chuck, not Jack, right?” She asks.

“Right, Chuck was just, all out bad.” Dean answers.

“Okay, Kaylee, I’m ready for the blood.” Beth says.

She turns back to Dean. Dean gives her a nod and a soft, sad smile.

Kaylee heads over to Beth’s spell making bowl and cuts her hand, squeezing a good amount of blood. And Beth saying the incantation.

‘Bout a short time later two hands, one from either grave shot up. The girls scream at the scene, backing off some.

First popped out Sam, gasping for breath. Shortly after, Dean popped out doing the same. Both looking like nothing happened, other than being buried. No injuries, no blood, just unharmed and fine.

“Well,” Dean says with a huff.

“Looks like we got more work to do.” Sam says, panting.

~

 as of 4/22/2020, it’s been edited a bit. editing will continue...

REMEMBER, FEEDBACK HELPS. Either, Reblog, comment, Ask, anything to give feedback on this. It is in it’s rough stages, it is gutsy of me to share it like that. 

Copying and reposting someone else’s content is plagiarism and illegal. This work is property of supernaturallyobsessedchic. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. These works contain material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of these works may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher. An electronic reference link to the original posted work may be provided for purposes of promotion or assistance of publication by the readers discretion, if proper credits are given to the author in the re-post. 4/21/20

[spine-buster]

Alone, Together | Chapter 12 | Morgan Rielly

A/N: I have been loving all the asks about the canon.  Keep them coming.  Hopefully this chapter mends some of your broken hearts, even just a bit.

Morgan called Angie and Mason first.  He knew he had to for how close they were with Briony.  Angie didn’t recognize his voice at first.  She gave him shit for calling so early despite her having to be up for work.  He explained what had happened.  She asked for directions to his apartment, said she would call in sick, and that she would be right over.  

Then he called John Tavares.  He didn’t know why, but it was the number he dialled on instinct.  They had become close since his move to Toronto.  Plus he knew how much Briony liked Aryne.  Aryne picked up the phone, surprised that Morgan was calling so early.  When he explained the situation, she said she and John would be right over.

Then he called Jake Gardiner.  He was up feeding Henry, giving Lucy a morning to sleep in.  When Morgan told him what had happened, he said he’d wake up Lucy and they’d be right over.

Then he called Nazem Kadri.  Ashley answered.  Morgan explained.  She said she’d gather some spare clothes and be right over.  

Morgan still felt sick to his stomach.  It wasn’t because any material things of Briony’s were gone – any and all could be replaced easily – and it wasn’t because he barely slept last night, having to comfort her as she continued to cry throughout the night and cling desperately onto him and his body as if he’d float away.  What he felt sick to his stomach about was how Briony must be feeling: violated, distraught, broken.  Nobody should be made to feel that way.  And to think that she felt this way for sixteen years of her life – the sixteen that she spent with her mother – made him absolutely repulsed.  She had created a world for herself, all on her own, where she had felt safe, and now that had been ruined.  It was obvious that if this had happened in the past, she was able to pick herself up and continue on, but after feeling safe for so long – especially having created her own safety – this invasion would sting.  

He wasn’t aware that she had woken up and was vaguely listening to the conversations he was having on the phone.  She drifted in and out of consciousness, but what was undeniable from his whispers was the concern in his voice.  She waited until he was finished with his last phone call until she rolled over slightly and grazed her fingertips up his back.  

At her touch, he jumped slightly and looked behind him.  Her eyes were still puffy and red from the crying she had done, and the general lack of sleep throughout the night.  She still looked beautiful.  “Hey Bumblebee,” he whispered.  

At the sound of her nickname, she completely melted.  “Come here.”

He did as he was told, lying down and curling into her body into his as she attached herself onto him again.  She took in his scent as he ran his fingers through her hair.  “You called everybody?”

He nodded his head, pulling away from her slightly so he could look her in the eye.  “I called Angie, Aryne, Lucy, and Ashley.”

“You shouldn’t have bothered them.”

He furrowed his brows.  “You got everything stolen from you.  Asking friends for help is not bothering them.”

She sighed deeply.  She felt like she was bothering them.  This was her problem, her issue to solve and hers alone.  She didn’t want to drag people into it, especially people who were already busy living their own lives and providing for their own families.  “I think I’m gonna go take a shower,” she said, not wanting to think about it anymore.  

“Okay,” he agreed, figuring he would be the one to greet everyone at the door anyway.  He noticed that neither of them had made any effort to untangle themselves from each other’s bodies.  “It’s gonna be okay, Bumblebee.”

“I love it when you call me that,” she whispered.  

He smiled slightly.  “Be careful what you wish for.  I’ll call you that until the end of time if you let me.”

The small smile that appeared on her face restored his faith a little bit.  She finally pulled away and rolled out of bed, stretching before making her way to the washroom.  He watched her movements until she closed the door, and, figuring he would give her some privacy, went to go use the washroom in the spare bedroom instead.  When he came back into his room to change, the shower was already running.  

His phone began buzzing, meaning someone was trying to get in.  He blindly clicked to let them in, opening his door slightly so they could just come in.  He expected Naz and Ashley to show up first, only because they lived closest to him, so he was shocked when he saw everybody file through the door all at once.  

“Where is she?” Angie demanded.

“She’s taking a shower,” he nodded towards the bedrooms.  “Master is the second door,” he guided her as she marched through his apartment straight to his bedroom.  He noticed everybody else file in; Lucy had Henry in a carrier against her body, and Ashley had a weekend bag with her, presumably filled with clothes.  

“Does she have a change of clothes?”

“She’s got a good winter jacket, right?”

“Her wallet and important stuff is safe and secure, right?”

The girls’ questions bombarded Morgan all at once.  He was unsure which one to address first, and he must have had an overwhelmed look on his face, because there was a moment of silence of the girls waiting for answers where Jake piped up and asked simply, “Is she okay?”

That he could answer.  “She seems to be doing okay,” he said.  “I mean, she’s obviously pretty torn up about it.  She cried most of the night.  But this morning she seemed to be doing better.”  He debated whether or not to share with them what she had told him last night, but he figured it would give them at least some context to understand the situation.  “This isn’t the first time this has happened to her.”

“Not the first time?” Naz asked.

“Childhood stuff,” Morgan clarified briefly.  “She grew up with an alcoholic mother.”  All the girls nodded their heads, but this was the first time the guys had heard anything about it.  “She uh…she moved around a lot.  In and out of homeless shelters for some parts.”

“Geeze,” Naz sighed, shaking his head.  

“I’m going in there,” Aryne resolved, shaking her head and taking off her shoes.  “I don’t care if she’s stark naked.”

“Me too,” Ashley picked up her weekender bag and followed Aryne.

“Take Henry,” Lucy said to Jake, who was already reaching for his son.  He cradled him against his body as Lucy followed the girls to Morgan’s bedroom.

***

When Aryne, Lucy, and Ashley entered Morgan’s bedroom, they were met with Angie and Briony face to face on the bed.  Briony was in a robe, her hair twisted in a towel.  They all went up to her and gave her long, drawn out hugs, asking if she was okay and how she was feeling.  

“It’s nice of you guys to be here, but you don’t have to be,” she said, settling back down onto the bed.  Angie moved to make room for the rest of the women, who chose their own spots around her.  “I mean, you guys are so busy…and pregnant.  Or with a baby.  I shouldn’t even be on your radar.  I’m the least of your worries.”

“Yes we do need to be here,” Ashley said definitively.  “You’re our friend Bee.  What kind of friends would we be if we weren’t here for you?”

Briony shook her head, tears threatening to fall again.  “I’ve just…whenever this has happened in the past, with my mom or whatever, I was never able to rely on the benevolence of others,” she admitted.  “This is all really new to me.  It’s horrible to say, but it is.”

“Well, we’re here for you,” Lucy said.  “And we’re ready to help in whatever way we can.  You name it, we’ll do it.”

“When you lived with your mom you didn’t have anyone else, but now you have us, Bee,” Angie said, the other girls nodding their heads.  “You don’t have to go through this alone.  And there are four big burly hockey players out there willing to help too.”

“I don’t even know where to begin,” Briony admitted.  “They took my laptop, they took my clothes…I’m gonna have to replace those first, I guess.”  She thought about having to dip into the meagre savings she had to recover those items and it made her ill.  “I’m gonna have to find a new place to live.  I don’t know how to proceed.  I just know I don’t want to go back there, ever.  It’s tainted now.”

“That’s understandable,” Lucy commented.

“But I don’t…I don’t know.  The boys are going on a road trip tomorrow and they’re going to be gone for a week, and I don’t want to be alone.”

“Well, that’s easy.  You can stay with me,” Aryne said immediately.  

Tears immediately welled up in Briony’s eyes.  Aryne said it so easily, so simply, like it was an automatic reaction, and Briony couldn’t handle it.  “Aryne, I couldn’t.”

“Of course you could!  I know we’re in High Park but I can drive you to school for classes or exams and pick you up --”

“Aryne, no,” Briony shook her head.  “No, I can’t, I can’t.  I can’t --”

“Briony--”

“Aryne, there’s no way I could put you out like that.  And you’re pregnant.  I--”

There was no way Aryne would take no for an answer.  No way.  She leaned forward placed her hands on Briony’s forearms, and said, “You can stay with me.  I have room for you.”  It was the first time those words were said so definitively, so conclusively to Briony.  She began tearing up and finally nodded her head.  Aryne pulled her in for a long hug.  “I’m sure you will find a place soon, okay?  But while Morgan is out of town you can stay with me.”

“Then I’ll bring you shopping,” Lucy piped up.  “You’re gonna need some nice clothes…casual and professional, since you’re going to be graduating and working at a bank soon.  We’ll start after your class tomorrow, when the boys leave for Minnesota.”  

At this point Briony was too emotionally tortured to say no.  These women were helping her – willingly helping her – was she really going to deny the help?  She’d consider and work out the logistics later.  All she knew was that these women were angels.  Literal angels sent down from heaven to her to help her.  

“C’mon, let’s go and see the boys,” Angie suggested, holding her hand.  “I’m sure they want to see you and make sure you’re okay.”

When they made their way out of the bedroom and into the main living area, Briony received hugs from all the guys.  She could tell they had been talking amongst themselves about the situation from the looks on their faces.  She generally hated the looks of pity she got, and this was no exception.  It would be hard to accept it, she thought.  

She made her way over to Morgan and leaned on the side of the couch with him.  “Thanks for coming.  But like I said to the girls, you don’t need to be here.”

“Uh, yes we do,” Jake said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.  

“We can go back to your place to pick up anything else you might have left behind last night,” John said, his voice ever so serious.  “Morgan mentioned you only brought your books.  Is there anything else you want us to get?”

Briony shook her head.  “There’s nothing else besides old textbooks.  Everything else was stolen or is property of the landlord.”

“Okay, well, we’ll go pick up the textbooks,” Naz concluded.  “You guys can chill out here.  We’ll even bring back some breakfast.”

“You guys don’t need to do that,” she said as an automatic reaction.  She was too emotionally tired to put in more energy into a rejection of help.

“Yes we do,” Jake repeated his earlier sentiment as he got up from his seat on the couch.  “It’s the least we could do, because you’re definitely not going back there.”

***

“Are you guys good?” Ashley asked into her phone as she spoke to Morgan.  She was waiting outside of the dressing room area at the Gap where she had taken Briony first.  “You guys land okay?”

“Yeah, we’re fine,” Morgan said absent-mindedly.  “How’s Briony?”

“We’re in the Gap.  She’s trying on pants right now,” she said, running her thumb over Morgan’s name on the credit card she was holding in her other hand.  He’d given it to her discreetly when she dropped off Naz.  He’d given her the pin number and strict instructions to use it at all times.  Briony, of course, had no idea.  

“Ash…” Morgan started hesitantly.  “Make sure she goes crazy, okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“Just…you know.  Make sure it’s nice stuff,” he couldn’t find the words.  “Don’t make her get cheap stuff cause she wants to keep everything under one hundred dollars or whatever.”

Ashley couldn’t help but giggle.  A man’s version of ‘go crazy’ and a woman’s version of ‘go crazy’ were two very different things.  “Mo…you gotta give me some parameters.  I can go crazy, but I can go crazy,” she said.  “Like, can I buy her a head-to-toe Gucci outfit?  Yves Saint Laurent?  A Valentino bag?”

“Yes, but she’d never go for all that.  Convince her she should, please.  Then go to Queen Street West or wherever else so she doesn’t feel too bougie.”

At the finish of his sentence, Ashley noticed Aryne and Lucy approaching her, each with at least six or seven hangers of more clothes or jeans to bring to Briony in the dressing room.  “You don’t worry your pretty little head.  I’ve got this,” Ashley said into the phone before hanging up.  

She walked with the girls to see Briony already out of the dressing room, looking at herself in the mirror with a pair of cropped pants on.  When she saw the girls in the reflection, she spun around.  “I don’t think a pair of pants has ever fit me this well,” she admitted.

“Good!” Lucy exclaimed, handing her some pairs of jeans.  “Try those on too.  They’re all size 12 like you asked for.  They’re gonna make your ass look great.”

“Gap jeans are expensive, though…” Briony cautioned, only to herself.  These women in front of her probably thought Gap jeans were cheap.  “I…I couldn’t…”

“Are you going to say no to a pregnant lady?” Ashley asked facetiously.  She then pointed to Aryne’s growing belly.  “To two pregnant ladies?  I don’t think so.”  Lucy shoved the rest of her jean selection towards Briony with a smile on her face.  

That was Ashley’s line for a majority of the day.  ‘Are you going to say no to two pregnant ladies?’  Briony accumulated many bags as the ladies spent their time inside of Yorkdale Shopping Centre.  When it would become too much to carry, they’d just go back to Aryne’s car in the underground parking, unload everything into her trunk, and then start again.  A few hours into shopping, Briony was feeling a bit overwhelmed.  She knew she was building up her wardrobe again, but she couldn’t help but continue to calculate the cost of everything in her head.  She almost felt like the girls were being too generous.  She’d look at the price tags on jeans or tops and get anxiety about it.  When Briony brought up paying them back they wouldn’t hear any of it.  Ashley even said to her, “If I see any money or a cheque in your hand – hell if I even so much as see a nickel – I’m gonna burn it.  Don’t you even think about it.”

They even pulled her into the designer shops – Gucci, Mulberry, Burberry, Chloe, Valentino, Saint Laurent – and put down their credit cards without a second thought.  Even at the Apple Store, where Lucy insisted Bee had to get a new Macbook, she didn’t even think twice when the polite salesperson told her the price of the laptop.  She just nodded her head, asked for the rose gold model, presented him with the card, and it was all done.  Briony was scared that she was going to wake up and it would all be a dream.

As they grabbed some Starbucks and took a break, Briony overheard the girls talking as she approached the table, and she realized they were making more plans for tomorrow and beyond.  ‘We should bring her to Yorkville tomorrow!  The stock is always different in Yorkville.  Angie can come too so it’ll be a great girls day.’  ‘Yeah, of course.  But when is gonna be the relaxation day?  We should book the spa soon.  Manis, pedis, massages, the whole thing.  She deserves it.’  ‘I can call the Four Seasons tomorrow.  Or should we go to Stillwater?’  As Briony set her drink down on the table, she tried to smile.  She still felt overwhelmed by the day, and the fact she was in this situation in the first place.  She needed to remember that despite all the shopping, she currently didn’t have a place to live.  She’d have to call her landlord and break her lease.  God knows how much money he would charge her for that.  

“Are you okay?” Lucy’s voice interrupted her thoughts.  “I know it’s been a long day…”

“Yeah.  Sorry,” Briony shook her head.  She really was grateful for everything that was happening, but so many thoughts occupied her head and she didn’t know how to control them all.  “It’s just…I’m grateful for all of this, I really am.  This entire day has been beyond my wildest dreams.  But…I can’t help but think that I’m shopping, but what I should be doing is finding a place,” she said, shaking her head.  “I have to make sure rent isn’t too expensive, that it’s close to school…”

“Are you going to look for a building now as opposed to a house?” Lucy asked.

“That would be ideal, but I don’t know if I’d be able to afford it,” Briony admitted.  “Units in houses are generally cheaper.  I mean I could downsize.  I don’t need all the space I have now.  I could go smaller…”

“But Mo said you had a bachelor apartment in the house,” Lucy said.

“I did.”

Lucy gave her a look.  “Well, what matters most is safety.  As long as you feel safe…”

“You can start searching for listings on your brand new laptop tonight,” Aryne smiled.  

“Oh my God, wait,” Ashley said loudly, stopping all conversation.  “Oh my God,” she repeated, taking out her phone and dialling a number.  She rose from her seat.  “I’m gonna be right back,” she left the table abruptly.

Aryne giggled.  “What was that about?”

“Who cares,” Lucy rolled her eyes playfully.  “There’s one more place we need to bring you after we finish these drinks.”

“Where?” Briony asked.  Could there be even more stores?

“We’ve got to go to a place where you can…you know, surprise Morgan,” Lucy wiggled her eyebrows, a Cheshire cat grin appearing on her face.  

For a moment, Briony was shocked.  She let out a hearty laugh.  “Oh my God Lucy.”

“What!” she took exception.  There was no reason to be prude.  “I think you’d look great in some black lace, personally.”

“Lucy.”

“And a little red.  Every guy like some red,” Aryne chimed in.

“Not you too!”

“Come on!  Listen, even if you don’t buy it for Morgan, you should buy it for you,” Lucy encouraged.  “Walking around with a set of sexy lingerie on underneath your clothes is so fucking empowering!  It makes you feel like the most confident woman in the room.  Believe me.”  

“Has Morgan ever told you what he likes?” Aryne asked.

“No.  It’s never really come up,” Briony admitted.  It never came up, probably because he understood she was too poor for lingerie.  Whatever bra and underwear she had on seemed to do.  He never had any complaints.  

“Well, we’ll start with black and see what else is there,” Lucy offered.  “Black is the go-to.  When Morgan sees you in it he’ll die.”

“So I’m planning to kill my boyfriend via lingerie,” Briony joked.

“Not kill…just control,” Lucy winked.  “Trust me.  He sees you once in some black lace, you can get him to do whatever you want.”

***

It was during a pit stop at the washroom when Briony got a phone call from Naz.  She was waiting for the girls on a bench outside the washroom, and she wasn’t exactly expecting to hear from him.  She knew he had her number, but wasn’t sure why he would be calling her when they had a game that night.  

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of this earlier, but I need to talk to you about something.  About where you’re going to live,” Naz said.

Briony’s body stiffened.  “Uh, okay…”

“Listen.  Ash and I have invested in some condos around Toronto.  We have a place in Yorkville, at Bay and St. Mary Street,” he said.  Briony immediately knew that was near St. Michael’s College.  

“Okay…”

“Anyway, it’s a nice place.  It’s got two bedrooms, it’s got floor to ceiling windows…the whole thing.  It’s right on the subway line.  We’ve even furnished it.  Kitchen’s fully stocked.  And the tenants we have in there now are moving out--”

“Nazem, no,” Briony said immediately.  She knew exactly where this was going.

“Listen, the tenants are moving out and it’s gonna be empty.  It would be perfect for you.  Isn’t that near your campus?”

“No no no no,” she kept repeating.

“It’s not near U of T?”

“No – it is – it’s – ugh,” she grimaced, tears threatening to spill from her eyes again.  At this point she was basically a well.  “How much do you usually rent it out for?”

“Well right now the tenants are paying three grand a month,” he said.

Briony shook her head vehemently.  “Naz, I can’t.”

“Bee --”

“Two months in rent alone eats into my savings --”

“Bee, you don’t actually think you’re going to pay rent, do you?”

She couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of his mouth.  “What do you mean ‘you don’t actually think you’re going to pay rent’?  Everybody pays rent, Naz.”

“Not you.  And not while I’m renting it to you.”

“Naz!”

“Get out of here, Briony.”

“Naz, NO.  No,” she kept up the rejection.  “Naz, I couldn’t do that to you and Ashley.”

“Do what?  Live in a safe place and save your money?  Keep a place in good shape instead of us renting to people we don’t know who might trash it?” he asked.

“Did Morgan put you up to this?” she asked, tears already falling down her face.  There was no attempt to hold them back anymore, and really, no reason to.  She was crying in front of everyone these days; she may as well start crying on Morgan’s teammates on the phone and in front of random people in a mall.  “Be honest.  Did Morgan, like, force you to do this?”

“Oh, so now you think I can’t be a nice person.”

“It’s not that at all!” she exclaimed.  “Your wife just dropped like ten grand on clothes for me insisting I get designer stuff and now you’re saying I can live in a place you own for free?  People don’t do shit like this, Naz!  People don’t…people don’t just do this stuff out of the goodness of their hearts!  They do it because they want something in return sometime down the line and I have nothing to offer or pay you back with.  Like I don’t think you understand.  I have absolutely nothing.”

“Girl, you need to stop thinking that Ash and I are gonna expect something from you because we’re helping you,” he responded.  “I know you had a fucked up childhood and I know you weren’t always surrounded with the best people, but you are now.  I’m not saying we’re saints, but we’re decent people.  We look after our friends.  We make sure they’re okay, and they’re safe.”

Briony couldn’t help but keep crying.  There were no words left on her end; she was done battling everybody.  How was she to believe everyone around her now was doing this out of the goodness of their hearts when her whole life previous to this proved people acted otherwise?  “I don’t have the energy to say no anymore,” she mumbled out.

“Then don’t,” Naz said, as if it was so simple.  As if accepting help from people was something she did everyday.  “The tenants are moving out December 6th.  After we get it cleaned, you can move right in.  It can at least be a place to tie you over during your last weeks of school, your exams, and until you get a job and start earning decent money.”

There was no point in saying no anymore, because they would just convince her otherwise.  There was no point in denying all these new faces around her the opportunity to help her get back on her feet.  There was no point in refusing help from people who were so readily able to give it; from people who expected zero in return.

“Okay, fine.  Okay.”

***

Briony tried to recognize herself in the mirror as she waited for Morgan and John to get home.  She was wearing some of her new clothes – a pair of jeans from the Gap that hugged at her curves, a plain t-shirt from Forever 21 that she begged the girls to buy so it would make her feel normal again.  The girls had taken her to the spa at the Four Seasons a few days ago, and she was completely pampered from head to toe the entire day.  She got a haircut – her first in maybe 18 months.  She got her first ever manicure and pedicure and had a blush coloured shellac on her nails.  She got waxed, a facial, a coffee and maple sugar body scrub, and a massage.  She couldn’t believe rich people lived like this.  

She felt like a new woman.  In some ways, she was.  

When she heard quick, heavy footsteps making their way up the stairs, she knew it was Morgan and that the boys were home.  He opened the bedroom door without pretence or warning.  When he saw her standing near the mirror, he closed the door and made his way over to her.  

“Hey baby,” he said, pulling her into a giant hug.  He buried his head into the crook of her neck, taking in her scent that he had become accustomed to so quickly.  His hands moved underneath her t-shirt to touch her skin, and she melted into his touch.  He pulled away slightly to give her a quick kiss.  “I’m so glad I’m back.”

“I missed you,” she admitted out loud, the first time she had done so since he started his hockey schedule.

“I missed you too,” he admitted.  “How was the week?”

Briony shrugged her shoulders.  “It was overwhelming.”

He furrowed his brows.  “Why?”

“A lot of money was spent, and I’m not used to that,” she said.  “I mean…” she motioned to all of the bags taking up a corner of the guest room.  

“You deserve it.  You deserve to have nice things.”

“Do I?”

Morgan looked at her expressionless.  He bent down and kissed her again, a long, drawn out kiss that made her week at the knees.  When he let go, he squeezed at the flesh his hands were attached to.  “Of course you do,” he said definitively.  “Why can’t you see that?”

She didn’t want to answer that question.  “Can we go back to your place, please?” she asked.  “I just want you to hold me.”

They said goodbye to Aryne and John, leaving the vast majority of her new clothes there except for a few items.  Aryne had already called and arranged for a crew to come help with the move into Naz and Ashley’s apartment that would happen in about a week, while Morgan and the team were on another long ten-day road trip.  

When they arrived back at his place, Briony attached herself to Morgan once more, and he carried her to bed.  She wanted so desperately to feel him; to feel him touch her, cover her, be inside her.  It had been so long and she knew in the future she would have to wait longer but right now she didn’t want to wait.  She just wanted to feel safe and secure and she knew she could feel that with Morgan.  

When she began kissing him, he responded hesitantly at first.  He knew she was still a wreck emotionally and he didn’t want to force her into doing something that she didn’t really want to do.  But when she began dragging her nails up his back to take of his shirt, he resolved to let her be in control of everything; every article of clothing lost, every touch, every kiss, every breath taken.  

When he entered her, he felt her legs wrap around him instinctively, keeping him close to her body.  He continued to kiss her and move in tune with her movements, and the way she was able to close her eyes and relish in the moment, after a week of being apart, made him acutely aware of how safe she felt with him.  There was no fear in her, at least right now, while she was with him, under him; there was only a feeling of security; that everything would be fine as long as she was here, and he was here with her, together.  Not alone.  And when she came, and he came, together, and Morgan buried his face into the crook of her neck again, and she ran her fingers through his hair as he collapsed onto her, his body completely covering hers as he practically laid on top of her, she could only feel like she belonged here; like her place in the world, at this very moment, was with Morgan, and there wasn’t anything the universe could do to make her feel otherwise.  

His body felt heavy on hers, but there was no way she wanted to give up the feeling.  When he moved slightly to get off her, she squeezed every limb of her body around him.  “No, stay,” she begged, her voice breathless.  “Just stay.”  

[harttohartforever-blog]

I Do

It happens once in a lifetime

A divine meeting between souls

fated and predestined by the universe.

An encounter so right

it feels like home

It's your soul falling in love

with another soul.

Pay attention, it happens only once

and never again.

  "And they lived happily ever after." Max proclaimed from his seat on the carriage. He was dressed as a fairy tale coachman straight out of a Walt Disney fantasy. Jennifer was wrapped in Jonathan's arms and she had never felt so certain of anything as she had when he proposed. The moment they met something in her had said 'Oh there you are, I've been waiting for you.' Not love at first sight exactly but a certainty that he was the place her heart would call home.

Jonathan had known from the moment he saw her in the hotel bar that she would be his. He hadn't been looking for forever, he thought she would be a diversion. For a night, a week, a way to lay to rest the ghost of Nikki Stephanos. It wasn't that he was a playboy, far from it, when he was with a woman he was with her completely. He didn't run around and he didn't cheat. He just hadn't found a woman yet with whom he wanted to settle down long term. Maybe he never would. But then ...

 One month later

The little church was filled with people. So many that Jonathan was amazed word hadn't gotten out. But the lack of paparazzi proved that their friends had kept their secret. He was surprised that Jennifer didn't want a lavish spectacle of a wedding. Just the two of them with Max and Evangeline standing up for them, in the little country church in Hill Haven and a reception at her father's house.

They had invited only very close friends and family, asking everyone to keep their secret. He stood with Max at the front of the church now waiting for Jennifer and Eva to come down the aisle. He'd expected to feel nervous if he ever found himself here, but with Jennifer all he felt was happiness.

She was late. The processional had played but she hadn't appeared and now there were murmurs from the pews wondering where she was. Jonathan seemed to be the only one not worried right now. Yes, she was late, but he had absolute faith in her. She would never let him down. And so he waited.

She was late. Jennifer was almost done with her hair but she should have been downstairs by now. They were quite literally playing her song. But she wanted to look perfect for Jonathan. The heavy white satin gown she wore gleamed in the afternoon light. It needed no ornamentation, just a simple column of creamy satin, long-sleeved but off her shoulders. And the short veil that was more of an ornament for her hair as she would not be covering her face. This would be the only wedding they would ever have and Jonathan had agreed to her request to keep it small with no press coverage.

Jonathan Hart getting married would be front-page news but she wanted the day to be about them, not putting on a spectacle for the media. So, now she quickly pinned the veil in her hair and ran down the stairs. At last Eva poked her head into the main chapel and signaled the guitarist to play the processional again.

Left, together, right, together, left, together, right. Jennifer concentrated on her walk, eyes on Jonathan beaming at her from the altar. In fact, she was so focused on Jonathan that she didn't notice when her heel caught the carpet and sent her listing to the side. Her father steadied her before she fell but in the process, she elbowed her Aunt Martha who did fall, right through the stained glass window. She wasn't injured thank goodness, and the wedding was able to continue after Jonathan wrote a large 'donation' check to the church's building fund.

"I promise to give you the best of myself and always accept you the way you are. I fell in love with your strength and your fire just as much as your kindness. I knew right away that you were it for me, with no reservations or second thoughts. I promise to keep myself open to you and to make you a part of every aspect of my life. I found you without looking, and I love you without trying. I promise to share with you everything I have to give. I will lift your sorrows, and light your way in darkness. For as long as I live." He slid the diamond crusted band onto her finger as he finished speaking. That was another thing that had surprised him. Jennifer didn't want some huge, flashy ring. She had selected a plain gold band at first and only accepted the diamond one at his urging.

"I want to thank you for being the love I needed when I didn't even know that I needed it. Sometimes a heart just recognizes home, and I knew in my bones that my soul had known your soul lifetimes ago. I give you my heart forever. I promise to always stand by your side, in good times and bad. I promise to work together with you to solve the issues that we will face from time to time. I promise to value you always and love you with everything I have to give. I will lift your sorrows and light your way in the darkness. For as long as I live." Jennifer slid the gold band onto Jonathan's hand with tears in her eyes.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. Jonathan, kiss your bride."

"With pleasure Reverend." Jonathan gripped her shoulders and kissed her thoroughly. It seemed to last forever, and when it ended Jennifer turned to whisper in his ear.

"I love you so much."

"I am going to kiss you until the only name you will ever taste is mine." He responded fiercely.

"I am yours, and you are mine. Forever." She told him.

The reception was lovely. Stephen Edwards had tented the yard and everyone mingled and talked and just enjoyed themselves immensely. Jonathan knew that most women in her position would have wanted a formal, catered affair that wouldn't be nearly as much fun.

Jennifer wandered about, hugging everyone, laughing all the time. Absolutely uncaring that her white gown was dragging in the grass and dirt. She only laughed at the stains and told him,

"I'll never need a wedding gown again. Isn't that what we just promised each other?"

"I can't even look at you without wanting to kiss you. I will love you for all my life, I know it." He promised again. He leaned in close so no one would overhear. "I want to be alone with you. I want my hands on you and your scent on my skin."

"Let's go. The party will continue without us." She whispered against his ear They were spending the night at a little bed & breakfast nearby and leaving for their honeymoon tomorrow. No one except Stephen saw them slip away and he smiled to himself. He had snuck away with Jennifer's mother a few times as well.

After Jennifer had admitted that they hadn't made love that first night, Jonathan had decided that she was worth waiting for. Although neither of them was a virgin, tonight would be the first time they made love. It had seemed a romantic and chivalrous choice at the time but these past weeks had been torture.

Jennifer changed into a delicate white silk negligee she had bought especially for tonight. She couldn't believe she was actually nervous. Jonathan, waiting in the bedroom, had a few butterflies as well. He wasn't afraid of disappointing her as a lover but he was deathly afraid of not being a good enough husband to her. A strong marriage doesn't just happen, it takes a consistent investment of time and thoughtfulness. He vowed to himself that he would never allow work to ever take precedence over spending time with her. She came into the room now and every thought in his head was silenced at the sight of her. She climbed into the big bed and turned the bedside lamp off so the room was lit only by the crackling fire.

"You are so lovely Mrs. Hart."

"Why thank you, Mr. Hart."His kisses were gentle at first but deepened when she sweetly opened her mouth to him. His hands stroked her shoulders slipping the thin straps of her gown down and exposing her breasts to his touch. The hard points of her nipples grew even harder at his touch and he lowered his mouth to suckle first one then the other. Jennifer gasped as he bit down lightly on one.

"Do that again." She felt the electric jolt of pleasure racing through her as his teeth scraped across the sensitive flesh once more. Her hands danced on his skin, touching, stroking, dragging her nails lightly through the thick mat of his chest hair. She moved lower but he gently shifted away from her touch.

"Not yet Darling. Let's not end things so quickly." He kissed her again to take the sting from his words.

"Como el amor es ciego los amantes deben acariciarse mucho" Jennifer had traveled all over the world and spoke seven languages in addition to loving poetry. Jonathan could read a schematic and build or disassemble all manner of electronics but he had no facility for languages so he waited for her to translate. "as love is blind, so lovers must caress each other a lot."

"I could not have said it better." He murmured against her skin. His tongue laved her nipple again while his hands drifted down her back and around her hips. He stroked the satiny length of her thighs, every pass bringing him closer to his ultimate goal. Her breath came faster when he finally reached her core. Tender, rhythmic strokes on petal-soft skin until she came apart in his arms. Only then did he move to cover her body with his own. She was slick and ready for him, her heat nearly overwhelming him as he entered her. Delicious friction driving them both to new heights.

He stayed with her, moving in and out slowly until he felt her climaxing again. Only then did he let go, chasing her into oblivion.

They made love again and again throughout the night and when morning came they made love in the shower. Eventually, they managed to get dressed and meet Stephen for breakfast before he drove them to the airport for their flight.

Since they were still avoiding the press they were taking the Hart Industries jet to the Hanging Horn Resort in Moose Lake Minnesota. Jonathan had reserved them a private cabin at the farthest edge of the grounds under the names Al and Mona Mundy. They could swim and fish and make love to their heart's content. Jennifer read aloud to him Napoleon's letters to Josephine, listening to her read love letters in french never failed to affect him.

The caretaker Mr. Chalmers brought them meals twice a day on a tray. For lunch, Jonathan cooked for her. She was educated, well-traveled, and an amazing lover, but her cooking skills were abysmal. Fortunately for both of them, Max had taught Jonathan to cook quite well and he loved being able to take care of her in every way. Other than Mr. Chalmers they saw no one those first few days.

Jonathan called Max each day at ten a.m. for any messages but they spoke to no one else. It was an idyllic two weeks. He promised to take her to Paris or Tuscany later in the year, after the press had been informed of their marriage and moved on to other things but Jennifer didn't care. They made love, and ate, and made love some more. It seemed to her a perfect honeymoon. She loved that rush, when he took her in his arms, knowing she was safe there, and loved always.

They couldn't know that they weren't as alone as they thought they were. They had only been trying to hide from the press, they had no idea there was someone much more persistent watching them. Eric Calhoun had been a maintenance man in the Jonathan Hart building for more than ten years. He had watched Mr. Hart striding around like the king of the world. Had seen the fancy office with the multiline phones and two executive secretaries. Mr. Hart wore a suit and tie, not a grey canvas coverall. And Mr. Hart ate lunch at Chasens and La Scala, not bologna and egg salad. It wasn't fair.

Eric had made a study of Jonathan Hart, trying to figure out why he was so much more deserving than Eric. And now Mr. Hart had gotten himself a beautiful wife too. It wasn't fair that Mr. Hart should have all that money and a woman like her too. And it's not even like Jonathan was that smart. He'd thrown the reservation information for the lakeside resort in his office trash can.

When Eric found the crumpled paper with the confirmation on it he had seen his chance to even the score a little. He'd put in for vacation time in order to arrive at the resort a day ahead of the happy couple and now spent his days on the far side of the lake with a pair of binoculars. He'd watched them swim and walk along the shore holding hands. His binoculars were powerful enough that he could see the title of the book she was reading aloud as well as the movement of her lips. It was some french thing that looked boring as hell. After he discovered that they were rather lax about closing the curtains he'd stayed at his perch late into the night scanning the windows but none of them offered him the vantage point he needed and all he got for his troubles were a few thousand mosquito bites.

Once the Harts realized that the people of Moose Lake weren't going to out them to the press unless he married a Kardashian, Jonathan took his bride bowling, and to the movies, and shopping in town. They even spent a day at the county fair, riding heart-attack-inducing rickety rides, and eating cotton candy and funnel cakes. Growing up in the orphanage, things like fairs and fried food on sticks were unknowns to him. But Jennifer was like a breath of spring, shaking up his world and making him feel like a kid again.

He decided to hand the reins of his many companies over to his most senior and trusted VP Eugene Hayes, at least for the day to day operations, for a while and spend some time with this amazing wife of his. Her infectious laugh, her deep well of kindness, her love of adventure, made her irresistible to him.

For the first time in his life, he didn't want to go to work. And Jennifer didn't know it yet, but shortly after he proposed he had taken a trip to Switzerland and moved ten million dollars from his personal accounts into one in her name so she would always be protected if anything should happen to him.

Now, whirling through the air on some contraption called The Vertigo, he looked at her in the next swing over. They were flying around ninety feet in the air, the wind blowing her hair in a hundred different directions and she wasn't even holding onto the little bar that kept her in the chair. She had her arms in the air, laughing at the wind.

"Darling, you amaze me," He told her when the ride was done and they were on the ground once more. "Is there anything you're afraid of?"

"Only losing you." She answered him seriously.

"Well, that is the one thing you never have to worry about. Shall we find a patch of grass, the fireworks should be starting soon."

"Take me back to the cabin. We can make our own fireworks." She kissed his ear, making him shiver and wish they were already there.

The drive back to the resort took the better part of an hour and it was fully dark by the time they pulled up to their cabin.

The back of Jonathan's neck was tingling in a most delightful way from the feel of Jennifer's fingernails tracing delicate designs on it all the way home and it took him two tries to get the key seated into the lock properly. But when he swung the door open they both gasped. The room was in shambles, furniture overturned and cupboards emptied. Oddly enough, nothing seemed to be missing, just destroyed. Once they determined that the cabin was empty Jonathan called Mr. Chalmers and asked him to notify the local sheriff. While they waited for the police to arrive they started cleaning up the cabin. That's when they made the second startling discovery of the night, only Jonathan's things had been damaged. His suitcase had been upended, clothing had been cut to ribbons and a wristwatch was smashed. Jennifer's clothes were all intact as was her jewelry.

The sheriffs deputy took a report but didn't sound overly confident at finding a culprit.

"Mr. Hart, ma'am, it was likely some teenagers out causing mischief." He told them.

"But only my husband's things were damaged." Jennifer pointed out. "Is that supposed to be a coincidence?"

"It's likely you interrupted them before they got to your things ma'am. They probably heard your vehicle and high-tailed it out the back. Well, if you have any more trouble you just give a call back." Deputy Hale handed Jonathan his card and shook their hands then disappeared into the night. Mr. Chalmers apologized profusely and offered to move them to another cabin but the Hart's elected to stay in their 'honeymoon haven'. He promised to send housekeeping over in the morning and took his leave as well.

Jonathan checked the doors and windows carefully and closed the drapes tightly while Jennifer started to tidy up the worst of the mess. It was past midnight when they decided to turn in.

"Jonathan, do you think they will come back?" Jennifer sounded nervous as they climbed into bed together.

"I doubt it, Darling. In all likelihood Deputy Hale was right and it was just some bored kids."

"I don't believe that and neither do you."

"No, I don't," he admitted. "But there is nothing we can do tonight. Just try to sleep, Darling."

"Sleep?" She asked, incredulous. "Have you forgotten I'm on my honeymoon Sir?"

"I have not," he answered, pulling her into his arms and kissing her soundly.

Tonight she had chosen a vintage negligee from the '40s that made the most of her modest curves. The champagne-colored silk turned her pale skin luminous in the low light and Jonathan's hands stroked across her skin as gently as the fabric did. He was sitting up in the bed, propped against the headboard and pillows, necessarily nude as all of his clothing had been destroyed.

Jennifer cuddled in his lap, working to recapture the lighthearted pleasure of the day. Fortunately, no one was hurt and the only casualties were some easily replaceable clothes.

"Trust me, Darling, you won't need anything tonight." She whispered against his ear, moving her body over his. His body responded immediately, his hands moving to slide the gown up her legs. Always a very tactile person, Jonathan was discovering just how much he loved the feel of silks and satins gliding under his hands as he touched her. He was addicted to her, to skimming ultra-soft marabou or fluffy feather trims over her skin. And when the luxe fabrics gave way to warm, silky flesh and he could touch her and explore all of the different textures of her. Running his fingers through her thick red curls, holding the strength in her hands when they walked together, the soft, soft skin of her inner thighs. He seemed to find new ways to delight in her every day.

Now he stroked her breasts through the lace bodice of her gown as she moved to take him inside her, slowly, inch by agonizing inch. When he was seated firmly inside her, when she was filled with him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and began to move slowly. Her eyes were wide and shining, watching his. Knowing exactly what she was doing to him. And then she leaned in close and his lips parted slightly in anticipation, she gave him the most sweetly chaste kiss. He was quickly learning that the most consistent thing about this delightful creature he married was her unpredictability. And that might be the sexiest thing of all.

In the morning, he took her to breakfast then they went shopping for some new clothes. He felt decidedly grubby wearing the same clothes as yesterday. While they were gone Mr. Chalmers' housekeeping staff worked their magic on the cabin so that by the time they returned all was restored. A couple of new lamps and one side table had been exchanged but otherwise, the little bungalow was as it had been.

"Let's go swimming." He suggested after lunch and Jennifer quickly joined him changing into a suit. As soon as she was dressed she ran for the dock, calling back over her shoulder

"Last one to the raft buys dinner." She dove cleanly into the water and began a fast overhand stroke that had her nearly a quarter of the way to the floating raft before he made it to the water. He swam as hard as he could and barely managed to pull even with her, grabbing the raft's ladder a split second before she did.

"Looks like supper is on you, Darling." He smiled at her and pulled himself up out of the water, lying down on the sunny float. Jennifer was laughing again as she followed him up the ladder, kneeling over him and shaking out her wet hair onto his face.

Eric watched them lying together on the raft kissing and touching each other casually, but frequently. Looking at them right now no one could mistake them for anything other than the honeymooners they were. But where most would see a couple obviously deeply in love and perhaps remember fondly a time when they felt the same, Eric was consumed only with jealousy. The Harts' happiness ate at him like a cancer, eclipsing and destroying any joy he might have felt.

He fantasized about killing Jonathan right now where he lay on the raft. He didn't doubt that he could shoot him and be well away before Deputy Dog showed up. But what if the cop was smarter than he appeared? If he thought to check the register and cross-check the other guests he would learn that one guest not only came from Los Angeles but worked in the Hart building. Eric wasn't about to risk his freedom no matter how satisfying it would be to eliminate the great Jonathan Hart.

"Sitting in the drive-up lot at the Dairy Queen eating burgers and chili cheese fries isn't exactly what I had in mind for supper Darling." He was saying now.

"You were expecting maybe The Four Seasons Minnesota franchise?" She asked with a grin. "Has there been any news from Deputy Hale?"

"I don't think Deputy Hale could find a pair of stolen panties if the girl was still in them," Jonathan remarked cynically. "Hey look, there's a 'movies in the park' event tonight. They are running a John Wayne double bill, The Horse Soldiers and Hellfighters."

"Oh Jonathan, let's go. It will be fun."

"All right, I haven't seen Hellfighters since I was a kid." They stopped at a Walmart to pick up a waterproof picnic blanket and a big stadium blanket to wrap up in if the evening turned chilly.

The films were projected onto the side of the courthouse with speakers dotted around the grassy square. They found a spot on the grass and Jennifer spread the waterproof picnic cloth on the ground while Jonathan bought two paper bags of popcorn from the vendor. He settled onto the blanket with his wife lounging against his legs just as the first images flickered to life.

"You know," he said when The Horse Soldiers had finished and they were waiting for the second movie to begin. "I heard a story about when they were filming The Horse Soldiers down in Louisiana. John Wayne was staying on location but Bill Holden was staying in a Shreveport hotel. The director John Ford had forbidden the Duke from drinking during filming so Bill came up with an excuse that Duke needed to visit a dentist in Shreveport and the two of them went out carousing and got absolutely shit-faced drunk. But they still showed up on time and ready to work the next morning."

"They certainly lived large back then," Jennifer commented dryly. She had never seen Hellfighters and greatly enjoyed the second feature. Jonathan had seen the movie already but watching it through her eyes made it seem new. She was fully immersed in the film, laughing at the jokes and gasping at the explosions. She even hid her face in her hands and peeked between her fingers at a particularly tense scene. After the movie, they stopped in at Doc's Bar and Grill for a nightcap.

"Thank you, Darling," Jonathan told her, taking her hands in his.

"For what?" The look of puzzlement on her face was only slightly less charming than the sight of her peeking through her fingers had been.

"For being here with me, for being you, for making me feel like the luckiest man on earth." He raised their clasped hands and kissed her knuckles. They smiled that secret smile at each other, that smile that said they had found what the whole world was searching for.

Eric watched them and silently seethed. He had followed them all evening, taking no pleasure in the movies, nor in the beer he was nursing now.

It started with a kiss. Jennifer had leaned across the little table after his declaration and kissed him. It was innocent at first, but when he felt his heart start to race and the butterflies take flight in his stomach, he hurried them back to the cabin before things got out of hand. She had excused herself to the bathroom and returned wearing a dark green chiffon dressing gown with thick feather trimming down the front and cuffs.

Her perfume was intoxicating, something delicate and new and he nuzzled her neck trying to find the source. He buried his face in the soft feathers of her gown but the haunting scent seemed to be everywhere, and nowhere. His heart thudded wildly in his chest as he parted the sides of the gown to find she wore nothing underneath. Standing, he scooped her up and carried her to the bed, depositing her carefully onto the pile of pillows.

Time slowed to a crawl. He could see himself sitting beside her on the bed, lifting the satin ribbons of her gown, letting them glide slowly through his fingers. He pulled the ends very deliberately, watching the ribbon bow get smaller and smaller until it unraveled altogether and her robe fell open. Her skin appeared even paler than usual next to the deep green feathers.

She made no attempt to close the robe or cover herself. She just let him look. The pulse in her neck fluttered wildly but her expression was calm, a tiny Mona Lisa smile on her face. He took in the dusting of freckles across her nose, already as familiar to him as his own face but suddenly entirely new. Her firm breasts with their cinnamon-colored nipples begging him to touch them. The flat planes of her stomach leading to the patch of soft ginger curls and long, dancer's legs. God, he loved her legs.

The heat in his stare almost burned her. Something in her had come to crave him insatiably, impossibly. The fire from his hands, his mouth, his eyes on her, consumed her to her core. She felt at once fragile and yet so strong in his arms. When he lowered his body over her and she wrapped her legs around him they each felt the same dizzying rush that left them breathless. It was like drinking a whole bottle of the '95 Chateau Margaux very fast.

The room tilted and spun off its axis as they moved together. And when he felt her breath quickening, when his name was a tiny gasp on her lips, he spilled himself inside her like a man on fire.

Eric was furious. Their honeymoon was nearly through and he was no closer to destroying Jonathan Hart than he had been a month ago. The damage in the cabin had done nothing to mollify him. Tearing up a little clothing meant nothing when the man was as rich as Jonathan. Eric meant to take something that Hart could never recover from. He was going to kill Jennifer Hart.

On their plane would be the best place to do it. The pilot would be too busy to discover what was happening in the passenger compartment, and he would have plenty of time to get ... creative.

The Harts stood on the shore in bathrobes and watched the sun coming up over the water. It was their last day. This afternoon they would be flying back to Los Angeles. Jennifer would be sorry to leave this place. Here she had Jonathan's undivided attention, when they returned home she would have to share him with employees, business managers, shareholders, and all manner of people wanting a piece of him. She knew she had to talk to him about it, they had promised not to keep things from each other.

"Jonathan, when we get home. I ... I don't want to become one of those wives left alone all the time. I understand you need to work, and I do too. I just don't want to lose us, to lose this in the shuffle."

"Darling, when we stood in the church I promised to put you first and to make you a part of my life. I meant every word. I've spoken to Eugene about handling a large part of the day to day running of the company so I can have more freedom. Plus, I've put you on Hart Industries Board of Directors so you will have a say in everything we do.

"You will never be one of those wives left alone all the time because I could never leave you alone for long. I'm sure that other opportunities will come along, but we will explore them together. I meant what I said in my vows, you are my life now." He kissed her soundly before they returned to their cabin to get dressed and packed.

Sneaking aboard the Hart Industries Gulfstream wasn't hard but finding a suitable hiding place was damn near impossible. Aside from the pilot's cabin, the jet was mostly one large open space with only a few cupboards and storage closets much too small to provide him with sufficient cover. Eric was forced to conceal himself in the lavatory and hope that no one needed the facilities before he was ready to reveal himself.

He had a large, sharp hunting knife stuck in the back of his belt and he was eager to see the look on Mr. High-and-mighty Jonathan Hart's face when the blade was held against the pretty white throat of his precious Jennifer. He heard the pilot board and start the engines, and a porter obviously bringing on the luggage, then it was silent for about twenty minutes before he heard the muffled sounds of the Harts' moving about and getting settled.

The small jet taxied smoothly then Eric felt the inevitable crush of takeoff. The pressure leveled after a minute or so and he quietly opened the door a bit and peeked out. Luck was on his side, Jonathan was seated facing the front of the plane and Jennifer was in his lap. They were talking softly and didn't notice him creeping silently behind them until he suddenly seized Jennifer by the hair and threw her to the floor.

Jonathan started to jump up but froze when Eric pointed his knife at her. He grabbed her hair again and pulled her up harshly, ordering her to tie Jonathan's hands with a piece of rope from his pocket. Her heart was thudding out of her chest as she knelt in front of her husband and began wrapping the rope around his crossed wrists.

"Tighter." Eric barked at her. She tried to leave some slack in the knot but Eric angrily shoved her aside and tightened the knot harshly. Jonathan had daggers in his eyes watching the intruder seize a handful of Jennifer's hair and drag her back across the aisle into another chair. He tied her hands separately to the armrests of her chair and turned both chairs to face each other across the aisle.

"What are you going to do now Mr. Hart?" He spat the words out with particular emphasis on the honorific and moved behind Jennifer's chair, pressing the blade against her throat. A drop of blood welled up and trickled down her neck as she swallowed hard. Eric then moved the knife up and drew it very lightly along her cheekbone leaving a fresh trail of blood in its wake. The cut was shallow, barely more than a long scratch but it demonstrated clearly how sharp the edge was.

"What do you want?" Jonathan asked, his voice shaking at the sight of his beautiful wife bleeding, with terror in her eyes. "Money? Name your price."

"I don't want your money, Mr. Hart. I want you to lose. I want to see defeat in your eyes as you realize that you can't save your wife. I want you to live with the knowledge that you have lost her forever. I want you to watch as I destroy her in front of you. I want you to feel powerless for once." Eric sounded unhinged as he came out from behind the chair and knelt in front of her again.

With Eric's back to him now Jonathan took advantage of the chance to try and free his hands. He had crossed his wrists deliberately because it gave him a tiny bit of slack to work with. Jennifer made a small sound like a fox in a trap and Jonathan looked up sharply. Eric had sliced her navy blue blouse open and was running the flat side of the knife along the edges of her matching bra.

Jonathan's vision went as red as the blood that stained her throat. He twisted his wrists again with a strength he didn't know he possessed. The rope cut deeply into his skin but he could feel it loosening a fraction.

"I need you to know that no matter what happens, being with you, loving you. It was all worth it." Her voice cracked as she spoke, her eyes glimmered with sudden tears.

"Darling," he spoke shakily but with certainty. "I swear on my life I will not let him hurt you." The tears in her eyes spilled over but she managed the tiniest shaky nod. "Look at me." He instructed her. "No matter what happens, just keep your eyes on mine." He twisted his raw, burning wrists again and this time he felt one hand slip out an inch. He braced himself and jerked as hard as he could. Nothing happened at first, the rope was hung up on the outcropping of his thumb joint. Pushing the pain to the back of his mind he twisted his wrist and yanked again.

Suddenly the rope tore across the already abraded skin over the bone spur and his hand slipped free. In a blind rage, he launched himself across the aisle, hurling the younger man to the floor and jumping on top of him. The knife clattered away unnoticed as Eric, taken unaware by the ferocity of the sudden attack tried in vain to fend off Jonathan's fists. Jonathan wasn't even aware of his actions as he knelt on Eric's arms and began to pound his head against the floor, screaming incoherently, long after Jennifer's assailant was unconscious.

It was her soft voice sobbing his name that brought him back to himself and he turned back to her, fumbling to untie the knots that bound her rather than cutting them because he didn't want to traumatize her further by bringing the knife anywhere near her. He gathered her into his arms, holding her tightly, unable to say anything except to repeat her name again and again.

She kissed his face, his arms, wherever she could reach. They clung to each other like survivors of a shipwreck as Wyoming passed by unnoticed beneath them. He very gently set her into a chair and kissed her forehead.

"Stay here Darling," he told her. He couldn't risk Eric regaining consciousness before he was thoroughly restrained. Jonathan didn't trust himself not to kill the man if they had to fight again. He checked the toolbox in the galley and found a roll of duct tape that he used to secure Eric to a chair in the farthest row back from where Jennifer sat shivering. When he had used up the entire roll of tape he hurried back to his wife. She was in shock, staring blankly at the spot on the floor where Eric had been lying. He pulled her very gently into his lap, cradling her like a child and repeating her name again and again, pulling her back from the abyss like she had done for him earlier.

When her teeth had stopped chattering and she was looking at him rather than through him, he reached around her to the small bar shelf and grabbed the cut-glass bottle of bourbon. He couldn't reach the shelf with the glasses but he didn't want to let her go so he simply tilted the bottle and took a fortifying slug then encouraged her to do the same. Finally, he examined her cuts. They looked fairly superficial and would heal without extraordinary care.

When Frank set the plane down at LAX an hour later he found them still curled up together in the chair. Jonathan had removed his suit jacket and put it on Jennifer to cover the ruined blouse. Her tears had dried into faint white tracks on her cheeks. And Jonathan's knuckles were so swollen and stiff he could barely move his hands but he still managed to carry her from the plane and directly to the Bentley Max had pulled up beside the stairs.

It took the police almost an hour to cut through all of the tape Jonathan had wound around Eric again and again, and in the end, they removed a fair amount of skin along with the tape. Lt. Grey made no comment as Eric, bruised and bloody and barely conscious, was handcuffed and tossed rather roughly into the back of a squad car.

It was on Max's lips to ask what had happened but Jonathan caught his eye in the rearview mirror and shook his head. Jennifer was pensive and mostly silent as Max piloted the big car through the airport and headed towards the freeway but she seemed more tired than anything so Jonathan just held her close and let her come back to him in her own time.

Suddenly she sat upright and shouted, "Max, stop the car!"

"Now?" He asked, incredulous. They were nearly at the top of the onramp to the 405 freeway. He steered into the breakdown lane and coasted to a stop. Jennifer had jumped out almost before the car had come to a full stop. Jonathan thought she needed to be sick but she started to sprint back up the ramp.

He watched as she dropped to her knees and scooped a small pile of trash into her arms and Jonathan climbed out and started toward her. When he finally made it to her side he realized that the bundle of trash she was holding was a filthy puppy of indeterminate color and even more indeterminate parentage. He was about to suggest a quick detour to the nearest animal shelter when he noticed that Jennifer was smiling. Truly smiling for the first time since they had gotten on the plane four hours ago. So instead, he carefully walked them both back to the car and told Max to take them home.

All the way there she kept talking in a singsong to her 'little freeway puppy'. At the house, she sent Max to the pet supply for food, a basket, and puppy shampoo, then bathed the little dog carefully in a big serving bowl. By the time it was clean and dry they had determined he was a he, and he was grey, white, brown, and black all at once. And Jennifer had named him Freeway.

Max put the little basket bed in his room and promised to look after him through the night, so the Harts went up to bed right after supper. Jennifer headed straight into a hot shower but not before sharp-eyed Jonathan spotted the hand-shaped bruises on her arms and breasts. He swore to himself that Eric Calhoun would die in prison, then he stripped off his own clothing and stepped into the shower behind his wife.

His intent was only to comfort her but she wrapped her arms around him and pressed the full length of her slippery body against his own.

"We still have a few hours of honeymoon left." She whispered in his ear. "Let's make the most of it."

"Are you sure?' He asked. "I would understand completely if you want to wait."

"He has nothing to do with us, with our loving. I won't give him the power to affect us." She stated resolutely. Jonathan was amazed at her strength, he wasn't sure he would have as much in her place. They took turns soaping and rinsing each other, every loving touch putting more and more distance between themselves and Eric Calhoun.

Making love in the big bed that night Jennifer was more assertive than she had ever been. She had deliberately chosen a fire engine red negligee, the sheer illusion netting fitted her like a second skin with only strategically placed applique from shoulder to hip. The skirt was made of more layers of the sheer netting that played peekaboo with her legs as she moved. Jonathan was completely in awe of her as she took control, using her hands and her mouth to pleasure him before guiding him inside her. Where he would have moved carefully she was bold, taking her satisfaction from him and not letting up until they both were exhausted.

Lying beside her, gasping and sweaty, he reached to bring her close again.

"I love you could never come close to describing what I feel for you. I promise I will spend the rest of our lives making up for ..."

"Stop." She interrupted sharply. "I never want to talk about it again. I refuse to give it even a second of space in my head. I just want you to love me until the fear is gone." Jonathan dropped the rest of his impromptu speech and instead kissed her for a very long time. They made love several more times that night. Each time she got a little bit closer to the woman she had been yesterday.

The next day Jonathan called a press conference to introduce his wife to the world. He knew that news of his marriage would eclipse any possible mention of the events on the plane. Jennifer was able to hide the cuts on her cheek and throat with a skillful application of makeup. Standing beside him in front of the media she looked nothing but happy, and stunningly beautiful.

Jonathan, who normally avoided publicity, was more open with the press regarding their wedding than he had ever been before, even going so far as to share a couple of photos with them and allow them to take more. Jennifer cheerfully shared details of her dress and shoes with the society page writers until even they were satisfied. It worked perfectly. In every article written, in every television anchor's report, details of the wedding were the lead and only in the final paragraph was there a casual mention that an attempted hijacking had been averted and the suspect taken into custody without incident.

Jonathan credited a surprising source with being the biggest help in their recovery. Freeway demanded so much of their time, the teaching him proper in-the-house behavior and where his bathroom was in the yard, taking him for vaccinations, walks in the park, playing fetch, and of course lots of cuddles. There just wasn't time to brood.

Romping with Freeway in the park always made her happy. And as promised, Jonathan had his travel agent start putting together a proper honeymoon that would see them ringing in the new year in Tuscany. He had a business trip to Sichuan and Shaoxing scheduled for October and decided to bring her along, His meetings wouldn't take long and they could explore the country in-between times. Jennifer had visited her father in Taiwan on her vacations from prep school and had fallen in love with the region. And since their honeymoon, Jonathan was looking forward to bringing home some new Chinese silk negligees for her.

In the meantime, he and Max were attempting to teach her to play poker. She had a natural skill with the cards but couldn't keep track of the what-beats-what rules.

"Two pair beats a pair, three of a kind beats two pairs ..." Jonathan was repeating for the hundredth time.

"A straight beats three of a kind, a flush beats a straight ..." Max joined in, speaking around the stogie clamped firmly between his lips.

"A full house beats a flush, four of a kind beats a full house, a straight flush beats four of a kind." They finished in unison, even Freeway barked at the last few words.

"Then what beats this?" She asked innocently, turning a handful of cards around and displaying a ten, jack, queen, king, and ace, all of diamonds. Max dropped his cards in disgust.

"Max, I think we are being hustled," Jonathan suggested, with a look of bemused pride.

A few hours later the regulars started arriving for the monthly poker game. Lt. Grey was early so he could talk to the Harts about the case against Eric Calhoun.

"Mr. Calhoun has agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charges of false imprisonment and aggravated assault rather than risk kidnapping and attempted murder that carries at a minimum a mandatory life sentence. But don't worry, he is going to prison for 10 years on each charge and the judge ordered the terms to run consecutively so he'll do 40 years minimum. He's being transferred to Pelican Bay next week."

"I feel bad that I don't feel bad," Jennifer said. "I should feel sad that his life is ruined, but I don't." Jonathan didn't miss how her hand unconsciously touched her cheek as she spoke. The cut had healed to a very thin white scar, not even visible unless you were looking very closely. Most of the time she didn't even need to cover it with makeup.

"Don't beat yourself up, Darling. You didn't do anything to cause this and Calhoun is very lucky to have avoided the death penalty. If he had been convicted on the kidnapping and attempted murder charges he could have gotten the needle. I'm almost sorry he won't." Jonathan added savagely.

"Jonathan!" Jennifer scolded.

"I'm sorry Darling. But if he had come to me we could have come to some kind of understanding. If he had come after my company, I might not have pressed charges. But when he tries to hurt you, I draw the line. My family is absolutely off-limits."

Arthur and Tommy arrived a few minutes later. Then Jack came in with Max, both of them carrying trays from Fat Sal's Deli. Jennifer excused herself to help Max lay out the food. She separated the pastrami and turkey sandwiches under glass domes to keep the bread from drying out. The platters of deviled eggs along with bowls of pickles and olives were arranged on the bar with small plates, napkins, and party picks.

Max made certain that everyone who smoked had an ashtray nearby, He didn't think Jennifer would appreciate ashes on the floor.

"Who's still missing?" Arthur asked, counting chairs.

"I asked to sit in," Jennifer told them, affecting an innocent expression. "Jonathan has been teaching me." Jack and Tommy looked exasperated while Max and Jonathan hid their smiles.

Jennifer managed to keep up the innocent act for almost an hour, asking for the what-beats-what list twice more and appearing to bet emotionally rather than logically. But as the evening progressed the others caught on and stopped treating her with kid gloves. She had a natural sense of how to read the table, when to bet big and when to hold back. It was a skill that had served her well in college, hosting unofficial Monte Carlo nights in her dorm for a little extra spending money. When the party broke up around eleven Jennifer was up by almost a hundred dollars.

After everyone left and Jennifer headed upstairs for a shower, Jonathan asked Max to bring up a bottle of Batard Montrachet and a couple of glasses before he followed her up the stairs. Tonight she was wearing white again, this time a bias cut silk with a high low hem and french lace applique. She suspected Jonathan must have had a personal shopper combing every lingerie shop in the city judging by the way new negligees kept appearing in her lingerie chest.

"Did he have a family?" She asked Jonathan, sipping thoughtfully at the crisp wine. Jonathan didn't have to ask who she was referring to.

"No, it was just him and his mother, but she passed away last year. I don't think he took it very well."

"I'm glad he didn't have any family even though I'm not sorry he is in prison." Her gentle heart was one of the things Jonathan loved about her. But he would still feel better when Eric Calhoun was 700 miles away on lockdown.

"Dance with me." He told her now.

"Dance? There's no music."

"So what. We can make our own music." He took her hand and began to sing softly "Dancing in the dark, middle of the night. Taking your heart, and holding it tight." As he waltzed her around the room she joined her voice to his.

"Emotional touch, touching my skin, and asking you to do what you've been doing all over again." Jonathan loved to hear her sing, she often sang to herself when she wasn't thinking about it. He would stop what he was doing every time he heard it just to listen to her. She had a special fondness for old show tunes and love songs of any genre so now when she finished It's Your Love he launched into Because You Love Me and then You Look Like Rain. They danced and drank wine long into the night. It was the first night since their wedding that they didn't make love, not in the traditional sense anyway, but they were making love with each step and every note.

[bestfriendforhire]

Children of BFFH, Entry 64

 “Okay, Ella.” I told my cousin as I spun her to face my friends.  She had been pulling out ingredients for a later game, but I was certain Mila would keep things straight for her.  I still felt terrible for crushing her other pair of glasses.  “Do you remember any of these girls?” I asked, peering around to watch her face.

 She looked confused for a moment, but then brightened.  Pointing as she spoke, she said, “Abigail, you like singing.  Harper, you play video games with your brothers.  Antonella, you have four siblings and play the violin.  Fala, you are descended from the Choctaw tribe and drive to Minnesota for family visits twice a year.  And… I’m so sorry.  I don’t remember you.”  She was staring at Beatrix, who she hadn’t met yet.

 “Huh?” asked Beatrix, the only one of my friends that wasn’t smiling.  She didn’t know a thing about my cousin.

 “Ella, this is Beatrix.  She just moved here a couple months ago from New York, though not NYC.” I explained, giving my cousin a hug.  “Bellatrix, my adorable cousin Ella is the most wonderful, forgetful person you’ll ever meet, but I’m sure she’ll do her best to remember who you are by the end of the party.  Right Ella?”

 Ella looked from me to Beatrix, saying, “Of course!  I always try to remember everyone I meet!  I’m terribly sorry if I do forget you soon, but if we spend an hour or two together, I’ll probably manage to remember your name!”

 “Okay.” mouthed Beatrix, obviously still uncertain what to think of my cousin.  She’d learn.

 I had planned on giving Beatrix a briefing on my cousin, but I never got around to it.  Turning Ella back around, she immediately stepped back onto the kitchen step stool and started working organizing ingredients for baking later.  When Mom had shown Ella the cake recipe for tonight’s bake off, Ella had frowned.  With a little urging, she told Mom a better recipe that wouldn’t be “stodgy”, and Mom gladly agreed when Ella volunteered to prepare things.  Unfortunately, I doubted most of us would get Ella’s recipe quite right, no longer being a basic cake with some fillings.  At least there’d be one good one.

 “Is everyone ready to get changed for the murder mystery?  Ella’s family brought us costumes this year, so they’re going to be fantastic!” I insisted, excited to see what story my parents had picked this year.

 When everyone agreed, we headed up to my bedroom to change.

 “I love your dress.” commented Antonella on the way.  “Where did you get it?”

 I grinned at her, hugged my cousin again, and said, “Ella made this as a birthday present this year!  Isn’t it beautiful?”  Releasing Ella, I twirled around, so they could see the back too.

 “Wow, Ella!  You can sew too!?” asked Harper excitedly.  My friends and I had discussed how Ella seems to be able to do everything numerous times over the years.

 “Found out that she’s professionally trained in cooking this morning when she made everyone breakfast.” I told them smugly.

 As I pulled out the box with our costumes, the others asked my cousin about what she cooked.  Ella, of course, described everything too plainly, calling it “a simple scramble”.  She never seemed to believe anything she did was amazing, and arguing with her was impossible when she’d just willfully forget what we were talking about.  Mom didn’t believe me that Ella ever did that, but I knew she did.  She had admitted it before.

 The questions about cooking ended instantly when I pulled out the first dress.  “You get to keep these too, by the way.  If you need any alterations done, my uncle said that he’ll see that it gets done free of charge.”

 After changing and discussing our outfits, which were every bit as fabulous as I had suspected, we went out to the garage.  To my surprise, Dad actually made the place look pretty good, though obviously much smaller and less fancy than the ballroom Ella was used to seeing.

 Each of us received our “party invitation” at the door, which had our role for tonight and the initial clues.  Ella’s would probably be misplaced somewhere, but Mila would help her remember, and… “Ella, Mila won’t give you hints, right?”

 “No!  Momma Mila wouldn’t ruin a game.” she asserted, looking horrified by the thought.

 “Who’s Mila?” asked Beatrix, looking confused.  “Is that someone’s role?”

 “Oh, no.  We’re all using our own names.  Ever take a taxi from BFFH?” I asked, knowing she must have.

 “Well, duh.” she replied with a smirk.

 “The lady who drives the cabs is also connected to Ella’s glasses to give her reminders.” I explained.

 “How is a taxi program supposed to help with reminders?” questioned Beatrix, looking confused.

 “Momma Mila’s far more than a taxi program.  She’s amazing!” insisted Ella with perfect sincerity.

 “She isi!” I agreed.  “I’ve met her a few times, and her daughter is really something else.”

 Looking at me like I was nuts, Beatrix said, “Huh?  Met her?  Daughter?  LIke in a cab or what?”

 “No-no.  She’s an artificial person who lives in the same place as Ella, and she really does have a daughter.” I told her, pulling out my phone to find a picture.

 “I know it sounds a little odd, but they’re absolutely right.” insisted my dad.  “Mila is a wonderful lady and a caring parent.  Jamie and I have talked with her at great length over the years.  You see, Ella lives at the Somerset Estate.”

 “Get right out!” exclaimed Beatrix, her mouth falling open.  She stepped closer to Ella as she asked “You know James Somerset!?”

 Ella nodded and said, “The Boss takes care of all of his employees.  I’m just lucky enough that my parents work at the headquarters.”

 “Are you like… really rich?” asked Beatrix excitedly.

 “Huh?” questioned Ella, surprised by the question.

 “Girls, you can ask Ella all of the questions you want later when you’re supposed to be sleeping.  Let’s start the game.” insisted Mom.  “You were all invited here this evening for a party.” started Mom, giving us the setting.

 Once the mystery began, we mingled and did our best to worm answers out of one another.  Ella muttered something to her glasses off and on, which turned out to be telling Mila which things she wanted Mila to note for her.  Throughout our careful conversations, we ate snacks, drank nonalcoholic cocktails, and played little games.  Barely an hour had passed when I caught Ella running off to one of my parents.  She had solved why Jeremy Jingle had been murdered, and who had done the deed!

 While Mom was shrugging and replying, Antonella called out “What pray tell are you whispering about?  If you know the culprit, do tell us.  Tell us this instant!”  She was trying to play a posh Englishwoman, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her about Alma at the Estate.

 “Isn’t it too early?” questioned Ella, looking worried.  Even the air around her seemed to shimmer, but things like that often happened around my cousin.  She was the most expressional person I knew.

 “There’s no way.  You’ve barely asked anyone questions.” asserted Beatrix dubiously.

 “Well… I didn’t need to ask.  I just listened, and…” started Ella nervously.  Then her nerves seemed to disappear as she pointed and declared “You, Beatrix the Murderer, poisoned Jeremy Jingle, your own brother-in-law, to get one step closer to the fortune he inherited!”

 Beatrix’s mouth fell open as she looked around.  Dad was failing to keep from laughing behind his hand, and Mom was smirking.  They knew how good Ella was.

 “How!?” questioned Beatrix in surprise when she finally managed to speak.

 Ella went into a description of the things she had heard.  Surprisingly, her eyes weren’t even focused on her glasses.  She was actually remembering the details she pointed out herself.  After pointing out several slips people made and a line from an earlier document we had seen which had detailed the first initial and surnames of Jeremy Jingle’s relatives, Ella explained the connections.

 “How did you know my last name?” asked Beatrix after Ella was through.

 “Oh.” she said, fidgeting.  “I asked Mila to post that on my glasses before we started the game.  Sorry.  I didn’t know that would be a clue when I asked, and I really wanted to remember your name, which I think I actually might now.”

 “No fair!  I met you twice before you remembered me.” stated Fala, frowning at Ella.

 “Sorry.” replied Ella, pouting.  She was just too cute.  “I really do try!”

 Mom hugged her from behind and said, “Everyone knows Ella.”

 “Knows what?” questioned Ella, who had turned to look at her.

 Mom just smiled and kept hugging her.

 “Let’s go change!” I declared.  “You can hang up the dresses in my closet if you don’t want to shove them into your bags.”

 “Wear the old clothes you brought.  The next few games will get a little messy.” warned Dad with a grin.

 “And make sure to wear your swimsuits underneath.” added Mom, shaking her head at Dad.

 Beatrix jogged up next to me on the stairs, glancing back behind us before asking “Is Ella a little slow or really smart?”

 “Really smart.” I assured her.

 “Yeah, I thought so, but… she seemed to remember things just fine during the game.  I thought she was supposed to be forgetful.” asserted Beatrix.

 Nodding, I said, “She is.  She can forget what she’s doing in the middle of doing it if something distracts her.  Ella must’ve been really focused the entire game.”

 “What?  No way.” argued Beatrix.

 “Hey, Ella!” I called back.  “Why are you here?”

 “Umm... “ stated Ella, taking a moment to read her glasses.  “Oh!  We’re having a birthday party for you!  Happy birthday, Crystal!”

 “Thank you, Ella!” I exclaimed, enjoying Beatrix’s shocked look.

 “That’s for real?” she mouthed, looking worried and amazed.

 I nodded.  “She works ten times as hard as the rest of us to learn things, but she knows what she knows ten times as well.” I informed her.

 “Ella, what’s the capital of Arkansas?” asked Antonella with a grin.

 “Little Rock.” replied Ella instantly.

 “Ella, what’s three-hundred and forty-three multiplied by sixty two?” questioned Abigail.

 Ella thought for a handful of seconds before saying, “Twenty-one thousand two-hundred and sixty-six.”

 The questions continued as we went into my room and changed, each of us trying to come up with something that could actually stump Ella.

 Beatrix eventually asked “What’s my Dad’s middle name?”

 “Umm... I’d have to ask Momma Mila.  Do we need to know?” inquired Ella as she looked around, probably having forgotten where she was again.

 “Nah.  Just making sure you’re not psychic.” replied Beatrix with a grin.

 “That… actually would have made sense.” I agreed, surprised that I hadn’t considered the idea before.

 The game of questions continued a little as we went downstairs.  Even my mom joined in on the game as she guided us to the backyard.

 “Okay, girls!” exclaimed Dad, who was standing next to a bunch of woven helmets with a bowl on top.  He lifted one to reveal two targets on each side of the bow.  “This next game is going to test your aim with those.  Make sure the goggles fit snugly, because you probably won’t like this in your eyes.” he told us, lifting up a bag of green slime and smiling.

 “We’re going to be asking you a series of questions.  Every time you fail to answer, the other girls get a chance.  The first person who does gets to take a shot at you.” explained Mom, lifting up one of the nearby Nerf guns.

 “Each time a target is hit, a little slime will slip out.  If all four targets are hit, the entire bowl empties.” stated Dad with a nasty grin.

 “Wait a minute!” protested Harper.  “We just were telling Beatrix about how Ella knows everything!  We have to play against her!?”

 The rest of us stared at Ella as the words sunk in.

 “What’s wrong?” questioned Ella curiously.

 Ella was an athletic freak as well as a know-it-all.  My cousin wouldn’t miss.

 “Ella, mind taking a handicap, so the other girls feel better?” asked Mom, coming over to touch Ella’s shoulder.

 “Umm… okay.  What are we doing again?” she questioned, looking confused.

 The rest of us started arguing about how many targets should already be triggered.  Dad eventually gave in and set Ella’s helmet to only have one target that wasn’t triggered already.  We still lost, but even Beatrix wasn’t willing to blame Ella after a whole game of her being confused.  When asked a question, she’d answer, even the ones my parents stole from game shows.  When told to shoot a target, Ella shot a target, looking at the gun in confusion, checking out how it worked, and firing.  Every time.

 We all hugged the victor in congratulations, not to cover her in slime…  Well, maybe a little.  Ella just giggled and hugged us back, not caring a bit about the icky mess.

 Already covered in slime, we moved on to a giant board game slash obstacle course.  There were slime pits throughout the giant board, and we were expected to swing on ropes, cross a balance beam, and hop between wiggly posts, depending on where the giant die landed.  The end blessedly had a water slide under sprinklers.  Unfortunately, there was a tile right next to the end that had you slide back to an earlier tile on a slime slide.

 Slime was thrown periodically when someone rolled too well, but even Ella couldn’t choose where the die landed.  Antonella took first place in that game.  Fala had second, Ella took third, and I took fourth.  Poor Beatrix just sat under the water slide’s sprinklers till Mom pulled out the garden hose.

 After rinsing off, we still refused to do any more games until we each had a chance to take an actual shower.  Dad laughed too much about it, but neither of my parents argued.

 Once clean, we competed to make the best cake.  Ella withdrew from the competition without any of us saying anything, though she still baked a cake at everyone’s insistence.  Like me, the others were just curious how amazing hers would turn out.  Cakes took waaay more work than I had realized, especially the decorating.  Where mine turned out looking like a four-year-old had scribbled over it, Abigail’s actually looked edible.  The rest were somewhere between.

 Ella’s took far longer, being full-sized and looking like some fantasyland complete with little characters that resembled each of us amazingly well.  I almost didn’t want to eat it, not wanting to ruin the little paradise, but Dad happily chopped it into slices.  Where mine was a bit over-baked and not mixed well enough, hers turned out divine, like some angel had descended to show us a taste of heaven.

 Hugging Ella, Beatrix asked “Can she be my family’s baker?  She can be my cousin too if that’ll help!”

 “No.” I immediately told her, grabbing Ella’s hand in both of mine.  “My Ella!”

 The night concluded with pajamas, movies, snacking, and a great deal of talking.  This time, I was very careful to put Ella’s glasses up on a shelf before we fell asleep.  She didn’t actually need the glasses for seeing, so she was still able to watch movies just fine.  Thanks to my family and friends, my birthday was simply the best.

[faithfulnews]

As Your Team Grows, Your Leadership Must Change

Instead of getting things done yourself, it’s time to get your team focused.

I just got out of a conversation with one of the leaders on my team at The Unstuck Group. It happened again. There was something happening within the dynamics of our team that I didn’t know about. I’m the founder of our organization. I looked at the current organizational chart to confirm it. Yes, I’m still in charge. I’m still the boss…at least on paper. Once again, though, I don’t now everything that’s happening within the team I lead.

More than ten years ago when I started The Unstuck Group, I was the team. It was just me. When you called The Unstuck Group, you got me.

I knew everything. I was in every conversation with every church that was considering working with The Unstuck “Group.” I created all the tools we use to help churches get unstuck. I was the one going on every on-site engagement to provide coaching and consulting. I created all the content driving the conversations that led to new work.

I did it all…until I couldn’t do it all.

Then I started adding people to the team who could help get work done. I hired an administrative assistant to help with scheduling and other logistics. I hired people to help with content and our digital strategy. I hired a bookkeeper to track all the finances. I hired other coaches and consultants to serve churches.

I remember when the entire team could sit around a table in the my basement. I knew what everyone on the team was working on. I knew their priorities. I knew their upcoming schedules. And, because everyone was directly supervised by me, I was still involved in just about every decision.

Today, though, there are 26 people on the team. Make that 27. Yesterday I learned Hannah has joined our team. I’ve never met Hannah.

Some of you just read that and thought, “Why do I read anything Tony Morgan writes and trust that it’s going to help my leadership? He’s a lousy leader. He didn’t even know Hannah was hired.“

Before you unsubscribe from my articles, let me explain why it’s a good thing I didn’t know Hannah is on the team.

What I’ve learned through the years is that as my team grows, my leadership must change.

That’s because the entire team of 26 people plus Hannah can’t fit around that table in my basement anymore. Even if I could build a bigger basement to accommodate a bigger table, my leadership approach would still have to change.

What I've learned through the years is that as my team grows, my leadership must change. Click To Tweet

Somewhere along the way, I couldn’t keep up with assigning all the work. I couldn’t keep up with who was where helping what church. Next week, as an example, we have consultants on the ground working with 11 different churches in Minnesota, Kansas, Mississippi, Washington, Florida, Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Wisconsin, Tennessee and the People’s Republic of California. (Sorry. I’m about to pay our California tax bill. Don’t get me started on how hard it is to operate a business in California. But I digress…)

When I did try to get more than about eight people in the same room, I noticed the dynamic of meetings changed. The extroverts got louder, and the introverts got quieter. The only problem with that is sometimes the extroverts are wrong and the introverts are right.

The more people I added to conversations, the harder it was to get consensus and make decisions. Meetings devolved into sharing updates that could have been delivered through email. It felt like nothing was getting solved. Worse yet, any conversations about the future were pushed aside. There was no time. Everyone wanted time to update everyone else on what was happening in their area.

Somewhere along the way, I realized I didn’t know everything that was happening. I wasn’t involved in every decision. I didn’t know what everyone was doing. I didn’t know everyone’s schedule. And, to top it all off, somehow we started working with churches in California without me knowing about it.

But that’s the way it should be. As the team grew, my leadership had to change.

I couldn’t be everyone’s boss. I couldn’t give everyone access to my time. I couldn’t meet one-on-one with everyone on the team.

I couldn't be everyone's boss. I couldn't give everyone access to my time. I couldn't meet one-on-one with everyone on the team. But that is how it should be. Click To Tweet

I couldn’t do it myself. I couldn’t delegate all the tasks to everyone. I had to learn how to lead the team through other leaders.

I had to hand off execution of the strategy so that I could help shape the strategy.

I had to learn how to lead the team through other leaders. I had to hand off execution of the strategy so that I could help shape the strategy. Click To Tweet

I had to get over the desire to fix every problem that popped up. I had to stop trying to provide input on every decision.

I had to carefully choose what I verbalized. I learned that when I said something in a meeting, people assumed it was a decision. Many times I was just processing out loud.

My primary role shifted from getting things done to keeping everyone focused. I keep the team focused on our mission. I keep us focused on where we’re going in the future. I keep the strategy focused. That’s my job. That’s a big shift for someone who enjoys “doing” everything our team does to help churches get unstuck.

Somewhere along the way, the win changed. The win wasn’t having all the answers. It wasn’t knowing what everyone was doing. It wasn’t even knowing everyone on the team. The win is helping the next church get unstuck.

Somewhere along the way, the win changed. The win wasn't having all the answers. It wasn't knowing what everyone was doing. It wasn't even knowing everyone on the team. The win is helping the next church get unstuck. Click To Tweet

To do that, I can’t lead like I did when the team sat around the table in my basement.

What’s holding you back from taking your next steps in leadership?

Are you releasing the ministry to your team? Is your leadership preparing them for the future of your church?

Since I started The Unstuck Group, we’ve only focused on church/ministry health. But after working with churches for over a decade, I understand now that if you have a stuck team, you’ll have a stuck church.

That’s why we’re releasing a new process—Unstuck Teams.

We’ve been investing a lot in the process over the past few months, and I know I’m biased, I don’t hesitate to say this process is fantastic.

We focus on team health and performance, but also individual health and performance. It helps your team become a healthy and high performing team (something that we don’t see often) while helping you become a better leader.

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[diegos-butt]

Electricity Chapter 3

Summary: For the first time in her life, Melody Williams is moving out of her hometown to Minnesota where she got a job as a crime journalist for the Minnesota Daily. But this city does not only have a new job for her to offer. What will happen when she crosses paths with detective Walter Marshall? Heads up, a little electricity is involved ✨

Walter Marshall x Melody Williams (Curvy OFC)

Warnings: mention of murder and dark alleys 👀

Wordcount: 3.4k

A/N: I love every single one of you who read this. This might be my fav chapter so far.. let me know what ya think ✌🏼

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2

•••

In the days after I met Walter Marshall at the bar, he was suddenly everywhere. On Monday, I had to make a quick stop at the pharmacy, and he did too. On Tuesday, Gia and I went to the nearest coffee shop to grab coffee for our department, and guess what? He was there too with his colleague Liam. It doesn’t end there; on Thursday I went to get some take-out from the Greek restaurant near my house. While I parked my car, he drove away. You’d think we would have spoken to each other one of these times, but we didn’t.

Every time something happened to prevent that. It was suddenly my turn at the pharmacy as we were about to talk. Once I was done, he had left. At the coffee shop it was the other way around. Me and Gia just got our order when he walked in with Liam. I was about to say hi when the barista called them to take their order. Since Gia and I only had 5 minutes of our break left, we had to go back. The last time I saw him, we were both in our cars, making it unable to have a conversation. He did wave though. But honestly, I wanted more. I wanted to have a decent conversation with him.

“You know, you can just go over to the police station and see if he’s there,” Carmen said. It was Friday and more and more people were slowing leaving the office. It had been a long week. There had been two murders, and the murderer had not been caught yet. “Just ask if they got a lead.”

We had been covering these murders for the entire week. Unfortunately, the murderer knew what he was doing because he barely left any evidence. The detectives still had no idea who he could be or what his motive was.

“We could use some more information for our articles,” Gia agreed with her. “I think you should go too.” She and Carmen exchanged a look that meant no good.

“You guys are not going to force me to go down there. If I go there, one of you is coming with me.”

Before they could answer the phone rang. Carmen picked up, nodded a few times and before she hung up, she said: “we will check it out.”

“What was that about?” I asked, but I already knew something was wrong.

“They found another body in an alley across town. Stacy wants us to go there to see if we can get some information,” she said while standing up and putting on her jacket.

“I’ll come with you.” I stood up and grabbed my jacket as well.

“Be careful and call me when you guys are back home! I’m going to finish writing this article and then head home.” Gia said.

“We will. I’ll drive Mel,” Carmen nodded and waved with her car keys.

We stepped out of the car and we saw the crime scene was marked with yellow tape that had ‘do not cross’ on it. The alley was dark and empty except for a few dumpsters. I haven’t been in this city for long, but the few times I drove through this neighbourhood, it didn’t really feel safe.

The thought of being murdered here made me shiver. The murderer dumped her body in a dumpster in the middle of the night and just left her there. I looked around and couldn’t see security cameras. This murderer definitely thought this through.

Carmen and I walked towards a few people that were gathering in front of the alley. The police had arrived long before us, and I recognized a detective from that night in a bar. As we got closer, I spotted another detective whom I recognized immediately. Walter crossed his arms and talked to the other detective.

“Look who is here Mel,” Carmen poked my side. “Talk to him, see if you can figure something out. Like his phone number.” She winked and walked away to talk to some bystanders.

Fuck you Carmen. I walked towards the tape, and at the same time Walter turned around and looked at me. I stared into his blue eyes and yet again I felt a shot of electricity going through my spine. Why does he have this effect on me? I wondered and realized I had stopped walking and were glued to the street. I shook my head and start walking again.

“What are you doing here?” he asked once I was near him.

“Doing my job?” I said surprised. “You are aware I am a crime journalist, right?”

He lifted his eyebrow and sighed. “You shouldn’t be here. We haven’t caught the murderer yet, so it is not safe here,” he stated and wanted to walk away but turned back to me. “Also, I’m well aware you are a journalist. Your friends made that very clear.”

He gave me a small smile and walked away. I was caught a little of guard and looked after him surprised.

“Hey, wait!” I yelled. “I need to ask you some questions!”

He obviously sighed and dropped his head, but stopped walking. I quickly walked towards him and grabbed my notebook and pen out of my bag.

“First of all, are there any leads on the murderer yet? Do you guys have a suspect?” I started asking. “Do you think he murdered those other girls earlier this week?”

“No, no and yes,” he answered.

“Anything else you would like to share than yes or no detective Marshall?” I raised my eyebrow and looked at him. To say he looked irritated, was an understatement.

“No further comment, this is all you’re getting,” he responded while avoiding eye contact.

“Seriously?” I looked at him with puppy eyes.

“Look, we are busy with our investigation. I can’t tell you anything right now. Besides, you shouldn’t even be here. Just go home and let us do our jobs. Okay miss?” he replied while looking at me again. He did look annoyed though. Oh boy, why does he look so good when he’s annoyed? That’s just not fair.

I simply nodded. “It’s miss Williams, Melody Williams by the way.” I fiddled with the notepad and pen in my hand.

“Now if you’d excuse me, I’m going to do my job Miss Williams,” he grinned. He did look less annoyed than a second ago.

As he walked away, I watched his perfectly sculpted ass and thighs. Damn, he is so fine. I looked around to see where Carmen was and spotted her next to some bystanders. She looked at me and signalled that she would be done soon. I looked around and noticed how empty the street was. Just a few sketchy looking apartment buildings, but no stores or anything.

“So, did you get anything from him?” Carmen said as she showed up next to me. “It’s creepy here or is it just me?”

“No, he didn’t give me anything useful and yes, it’s really creepy here. Something is not right,” I said and looked into the alley.

“Really? Not even his phone number? I am greatly disappointed in you.” Carmen looked at me in shock before she laughed. “No, seriously, did he say nothing?”

“He looked pretty annoyed honestly,” I said a little disappointed. “Did the bystanders see anything?”

“No one saw of heard anything suspicious,” Carmen answered.

“Well, the police does suspect the one who did this, also committed the other murders this week.”

“Hmm, but why here? He somehow must have lured that poor girl here. How? Someone must have heard something in that case. I don’t think she would have come willingly into this alley,” Carmen thought out loud. “Wait, someone did hear a car in the middle of the night. It came by, stopped, and drove off not long after.”

“That probably has something to do with this,” I replied. “It is the perfect place to dump something. Empty street, no stores, not many people outside.”

“Sure thing. Also, it creeps me out that there are so many empty buildings here. Overall, there are way too many empty buildings in this town.” She shivered and we noticed the few bystanders who were still there leave. “We should go too. I don’t want to be here for another minute.”

During the weekend I couldn’t stop thinking about the murders that happened that week. It creeped me out that the murderer was still out there. I went over all the details known to the public to see if I could find a connection. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, I couldn’t.

On Monday I discussed the murders with Gia and Carmen. They also had no other insights and we decided to let it go for the day. We were going to wait until the police would release a statement or more information.

The rest of the day went by quickly. Once I got home I felt restless. I didn’t want to sit around and wait. I wanted to help. It sounded stupid, how on earth could a simple journalist like me help the best detectives in town solve a case?

I finished doing the dishes and looked outside. It was 8pm and it was dark outside. I couldn’t help but wonder if he had made another victim. Fuck it, I’m just going down to the police station and see if Walter is there. Maybe I can help somehow.

Before I could change my mind and realize this was the most stupid thing to do, I stepped in my car and drove to the police station. After a 15-minute drive I parked my car in the parking lot in front of the police station. I hesitated to go out for a second. But what if I can help?

I stepped out and walked, no rushed, inside. It was surprisingly empty in the entrance. I noticed the elevators to my right and remembered Gia and Carmen told me that the detectives were on the sixth floor. Suddenly the elevator door opened, I smiled at the guy who came out and stepped inside. Quickly, I pressed the button with 6 on it and the doors closed. Surprisingly easy to get inside a police station but okay.

Once the elevator reached the sixth floor, and the doors opened I noticed how quiet it was. Uncertain I walked further into the hallway, until I heard someone sigh heavily. It sounded like a familiar sigh and I decided to see where it came from.

A light flickered above me. Shit, I still need to watch the last episode of stranger things. I heard someone sigh again, and I noticed it came from a door just a few feet away from me. I looked towards it and saw it was slightly ajar.

Closing the gap between me and the door, I looked inside. Walter sat at the desk, he leaned forward on his elbows, papers spread across underneath. The computer buzzed lightly.

It felt a little creepy, spying on him like this. I wanted to let him know I was there, but as I want to knock on the door, I bumped my elbow against the door.

“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath. Very smooth Mel, very smooth.

“What are you doing here?” He crossed his arms and cocked an eyebrow at me. “And how did you get up here?”

“I wanted to know if there were new developments around the murders. And I got up here surprisingly easy I must say. I basically just walked inside and took the elevator.” I shrugged my shoulders and walked inside his office while taking off my jacket.

“Do you think I’d still be here if we had a breakthrough?” The look in his eyes softened as he yawned.

I looked around his office and my gaze fell on the computer. There were three different profiles from girls on display.

“Are those the girls who got murdered?” I asked.

“Yeah, but you are not supposed to see any of this,” he said with a stern look in his eyes.

“What are you going to do? Stop me? I’d like to see you try,” I said as I walked around the desk and stood next to him. A recognizable scent hung around him. He wore that same musky cologne as the day I met him at the supermarket. I almost closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. Focus Mel, now is not the time to fangirl over this man.

As I stood next to him, I couldn’t help but notice how broad he was. He could easily pick me up and toss me around. Oh god, don’t picture that right now or you will not be able to speak ever again.

My gaze shifted from his chest to his face and I saw his blue eyes staring at me. I quickly looked at the screen and started reading the profiles. I stood there a little uncomfortable and looked around for a chair.

“Why don’t you have another chair here? I really have to stand?” I asked once I noticed he had no other chair in his office.

“No chair, no place to sit. Makes people leave faster.” He simply stated and shrugged his shoulders.

Next thing I knew I felt his hand on my hip, and he guided me down to sit on the armrest of his chair. It caught me off guard and I yelped a little.

“You wanted to sit right?” he said while his hand stayed on my hip. I felt the heat coming from it spread throughout my body. He was so close, and it became hard to focus on the screen. I felt his hot breath on my arm, giving me goosebumps. I regained my focus on the screen and noticed they all had last used a dating app.

“This is probably a dumb question, but have you checked the dating profiles of the girls? The last guy they met with has most likely something to do with this.”

“I am a little insulted by this question,” he said with a grin while putting his hand on his heart. His other hand remained on my hip, I felt his fingers dig into my soft skin. “We did obviously, but the last guy they chatted with used fake pictures and we can’t track him.”

“What about the conversations? Nothing suspicious there?” I asked and shimmied a little on the armrest, trying to get up as I started to feel awkward.

“Stay still, and no. The girls were found nowhere near where he wanted to meet them. And there is no connection between any of the places,” he said. “Wait, just read for yourself.”

Before I could comprehend what was happening, he turned around with chair and all to grab some papers from the cupboard behind him. Once he turned back, I was no longer on the armrest but sitting on his lap.

“Oh!” I exclaimed. My behind actually fitted perfect on his lap much to my surprise. “I’m sorry,” I said awkwardly and tried to squirm away.

“Stay,” he simply ordered, and acted like nothing happened.

“I don’t want to hurt-,” I spoke softly before he interrupted me.

“What are you talking about? I said stay.” His fingers dug a little deeper into my skin and I felt my cheeks burning. “Here are the messages between the girls and the guy there were going to meet. Maybe you see something we missed.”

I tried to focus, but feeling his strong chest pressed against my back made that pretty hard. I could smell his cologne even better now. One of his brown curls brushed against my shoulder and I had to fight the urge to not turn around to push it behind his ear.

I focussed on the papers in front of me. I read the messages, around us a comfortable silence. Only the sound of our breaths filled the room.

“You said they were found nowhere near where they were supposed to meet him?” I asked. He nodded in response. “Hang on, this girl was meeting him near my place. He said there’s a new restaurant that just opened, but I am pretty sure there’s nothing there. There are so many empty buildings in that street.”

“You sure? Someone googled it and saw it opened a few days ago,” he said.

“Absolutely. I drove through that street to get here, and there is no restaurant.”

He leaned forward, pressing his chest against me even more. I tensed for a moment. He felt warm, like he’d never get cold. I decided to just enjoy sitting like this with him, since it might never happen again.

He started typing the address into google with one hand. The other hand still remained on my hip. The website for the restaurant popped up and I immediately saw it was fake.

“Well, this is clearly fake,” I chuckled. “Look at the pictures, that is somewhere else. The sunlight does not match the sunlight we have here. Plus, that place is near a lake. Have you seen a lake in this city?”

He looks at me with his eyes wide open. “How can you- never mind. What about the other places?”

As he looked at me, I became aware of how close his face was. I quickly averted my gaze and googled the other places he was supposed to meet the girls. We instantly concluded that they also used a fake website.

“So, what’s next detective?” I asked and look at the clock. It was just past 9.30 pm. Probably too late to do anything right now.

He ran his fingers through his curls and sighed. “I, am going to discuss this with my colleagues tomorrow,” he said with the emphasis on I. “We are probably going to set up some dating accounts on that app. Shouldn’t be too hard to figure that out.”

“Well, if you need help with that you know where to find me,” I smiled. I suddenly felt really tired and realized I hadn’t been sleeping very well lately. I let out a yawn, and he copied me.

“You’re tired. You should go home,” he said after he finished yawning.

“I will go home if you do the same.” I stood up and felt his hand slide away from my hip. I missed the warmth that came from his body immediately.

“Alright, fine,” he groaned. He got up and grabbed his stuff. He walked around his desk and picked up my jacket and held it open for me. I walked towards him and let him help me put it on. His hands rested on my shoulders and I felt his hot breath in my neck. I felt a spark going down my spine and I nearly choke on air.

Focus, now is not the time to faint.

“I should, uh, I should get going,” I stammered. I grabbed my bag and walked out of the door. I looked back at him and I see his eyes quickly moving up. Was he looking at my butt?

He followed me out of his office and together we stepped into the elevator. It slides down smoothly as we stood next to each other in silence. Our hands brushed against each other briefly before the doors opened. We stepped out of the elevator and he waved goodnight to the security guard as we walked outside. That security guard wasn’t there when I got here. Probably the reason I got in so easily.

My car was the only one left in the parking lot. It stood lonely underneath a lamppost.

“Where did you park?” I asked.

“Other side of the building, employees only,” he said. “But I’ll walk you to your car.”

“Oh, that’s fine,” I started to protest.

“I’ll walk with you. End of discussion,” he stated sternly. We walked towards my car in silence until I realized I had to ask him a question.

“What’s your phone number?”

He looked at me with a cocked eyebrow.

“What if I find another piece of information? I’d like to reach you if so,” I said and feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

“Right,” he smirked. “I would have given it to you either way.”

After we exchange phone numbers I looked into his eyes. He is just a few inches taller, yet it felt like he towered over me. I felt like I was drowning in the bright blue. But then I let out another yawn and the moment was over.

“You’re tired, go home,” he chuckled. I nodded and unlocked my car. He opened the door and I got in and started the car.

“See you around?” I asked.

“I’ll make sure of that,” he answered. I smiled and he closed my door. I drove away, and waved at him one more time. I can’t wait to see you again.

•••

> chapter four

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[placetobenation]

Welcome to the May 2019 edition of the MLB Power Rankings, Nation! With baseball season in full swing, and more to come, let’s take a peek at how the season is moving forward thus far.

While many of the expected teams have been right on, a few surprises and disappointments have emerged. But, one the best things about this sport is that momentum is a team’s best friend, and fortunes can turn around quickly.

With that said, let’s dive in!

All stats and records as of Saturday, May 4, 2019.

At 6-0 with a 1.47 ERA, Tyler Glasnow is a huge reason the Rays claim our top spot, the best record in the American League, and a team ERA under 3.00.

Tampa Bay Rays (21-12). With Glasnow pitching like an ace, and Charlie Morton (2.52, 11.0 K/9) not far behind, the Rays are great traditional pitching to back up the “opener” strategy, along with strong defense, and great early offense from rookies Austin Meadows, Brandon Lowe, as well as Tommy Pham and Yandy Diaz.

Los Angeles Dodgers (22-13). Despite AJ Pollock hitting the injured list, this team is so loaded, it won’t miss him. Cody Bellinger is an early MVP favorite (.415/.489/.847) while Joc Pederson (10 homers) and Alex Verdugo (.346/.376/.605) are transforming into beasts as well. Oh, and that Kershaw guy is back (2.77 ERA, 27 Ks in 26 innings).

Houston Astros (19-14). The 2017 champs still look really strong; leading the bigs in OPS+ (121) while sitting fifth in team ERA (3.57). Alex Bregman is a star (154 OPS+), while Carlos Correa also looks healthy (.892 OPS, 10 doubles). On the mound, Justin Verlander (10.8 K/9) and Gerrit Cole (13.5 K/9) keep dominating.

St. Louis Cardinals (20-13). A strong bullpen fronted by Jordan Hicks (2.13 ERA), John Gant (0.86), and John Brebbia (0.93), along with good offense up-and-down the lineup—Marcell Ozuna has 10 home runs, Paul Goldschmidt has nine, and Paul DeJong is carrying a 152 OPS+—has the Redbirds on top of baseball’s most intriguing division.

Minnesota Twins (20-11). The pitching is not that grand (4.14 team mark), but the offense—56 homers, 66 doubles, a team 115 OPS+—has the Twinkies driving the AL Central. With Cleveland’s injury woes and penny-pinching, it may not matter if the Twins come down to Earth a bit.

On an offense-first Twins team, righty Jose Berrios (2.91 ERA, 46 Ks in 46 innings) has emerged as the strikeout ace this team needs.

6. Philadelphia Phillies (18-14). While the $330-million man, Bryce Harper gets on base (.380 OBP) and plays a progressively worse right field, his signing did help the Phils realign their overall defense for the better. But he’s nowhere to be found on the team’s Baseball Reference WAR leaderboard top ten. Hmm…maybe huge contracts aren’t the be-all, end-all of constructing a winner. Enjoy your record contract, overachiever. You “earned” it.

7. New York Yankees (18-14). Despite running a veritable M*A*S*H unit, this team is still second in the AL East. It’s a damn scary thought when/if everyone gets healthy…

8. Arizona Diamondbacks (20-13). Christian Walker (13 doubles, 7 homers, 152 OPS+) looks like a nice successor to Goldschmidt, while Ketel Marte (126 OPS+) has become a nice utilityman, and the pitching—Zack Greinke, Luke Weaver, and Robbie Ray in particular—has been exceptional.

The things you can’t un-see…

9. Chicago Cubs (18-12). This could be the streakiest team in the top ten. Overcoming a 1-6 start to sit in second place is pretty good. Of course, a few guys are playing over their heads right now (174 OPS+ from Willson Contreras, 138 from Jason Heyward), but the hope is that Javier Baez (157) and Anthony Rizzo (135) keep it up, while Kris Bryan (108, but just 45 total bases) and Yu Darvish (5.79 ERA) figure themselves out soon.

10. San Diego Padres (18-16). Shortstop Fernando Tatis, Jr. looks legit (145 OPS+, .360 OBP) and Manny Machado has been good-not-great (8 homers, .790 OPS). The rest of the offense has ranged from useful to putrid. Young pitchers Chris Paddack (1.91 ERA), Matt Strahm (3.03) have been good, as so has the bullpen overall. But, what happens when those young arms hit innings limits? While the Padres are improving, don’t count on them being this high next month.

11. Atlanta Braves (17-16). A lot of scuttlebutt and rabble was made about Ozzie Albies’ crazy team-friendly contract, but let’s be honest, the kid saw a chance to set his family up for generations to come and he took it. Good for him. A lot of people talk about “fair market value” and “leaving money on the table” and “earnings for future players”. Fuck that noise. Players earning the MINIMUM still earn six figures—yes, I have issues with that in a different sense, too—and most are able to live a much better retirement than anyone reading this can even dream about. The kid took the money and he’s happy. Good. Oh, also, Ronald Acuna, Jr. is fantastic.

12. Milwaukee Brewers (19-16). Christian Yelich is currently with a 222 OPS+ and just screaming for an MVP repeat. Meanwhile, the Brew Crew’s pitching is really, really bad (4.87, 24th in MLB). I don’t think they would solve everything, but Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel are still out there…

13. Cleveland Indians (18-13) A Mickey-Mouse, Little-League level offense (team OPS+ of 71 — wow!) and pitching injuries to Carlos Carrasco and Corey Kluber, plus a bad bullpen and a worrisome start for Jose Ramirez (.188/.278/.282). It makes me wonder what’s worse: Rooting for a team that you KNOW will be bad or watching a team that COULD/SHOULD be good be bad.

Full disclosure: Chris Sale is one of my least-favorite players. I can’t stand his red-ass way of going about things. That being said, he seems to be turning a corner after a brutal start to the season. I still think the Sox will ultimately regret his 5-year contract, though.

14. Boston Red Sox (16-18). An ugly, ugly start to the year for the defending champs put a lot of players under the microscope. The team still has concerns—black hole offense from Eduardo Nunez, Jackie Bradley, Jr, and most of the bench; bad pitching from Rick Porcello and Eduardo Nunez; and a bullpen that was, of course, “built” by Dave Dombrowski. Chris Sale seems to be righting his ship, but it’s lucky the Sox didn’t get totally buried by this start.

15. New York Mets (16-17). After Jacob deGrom’s transcendent 2018 campaign, some regression was expected (3.82 ERA, 13.4 K/9). He and Steven Matz (3.86 ERA) have been fine, but the rest of the rotation has been a dumpster fire. As for the offense, there are some nice pieces there, but it seems inconsistent and without a real threat behind rookie Pete Alonso (.289/.374/.620 with 10 homers).

Editor’s Note: I can continue writing comments for 15 teams and push the boundaries of insanity (see above) or I can rank them and then enjoy my Sunday evening.

16. Cincinnati Reds (14-19).

17. Pittsburgh Pirates (15-15).

18. Toronto Blue Jays (15-18).

19. Seattle Mariners (18-17).

20. Oakland A’s (15-20).

21. Colorado Rockies (15-19).

22. Texas Rangers (15-16).

23. Washington Nationals (14-18).

24. Chicago White Sox (14-17).

25. San Francisco Giants (14-19).

26. Los Angeles Angels (15-18).

27. Detroit Tigers (14-16).

28. Baltimore Orioles (12-22).

29. Kansas City Royals (12-22).

30. Miami Marlins (9-23).

[briefbouquetcreatorlove-blog]

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i want to buy a motocycle (sports bike) buti would like to know an estimate of how much it will cost for insurance. Are sports bike more expensive than a car? I'm paying around 200 for my monthly with a car right now.

Personal loan insurance?

Hi. Does anybody know how personal loan insurance works? I lost my job few weeks ago and can't afford to pay back my loan. I need to suspend it for about three months. The question is how do They solve it? will they cover whole instalment and I don't have to pay anything to my bank? Does interests increase?If they pay ex couple of times whole amount to bank as instalment will duration of loan stay the same?Will they also pay me anything due to I am staying home?Will I have to pay them back when all things get solved and ok?Have anybody had the same situation? It's Halifax insurance

I need advice on car insurance?

what would be a really really cheap car to insure? i just need liability insurance. i need a car or truck but im worried about how much it will cost to insure. any advice on really cheap insurance on any certain car would be greatly appreciated. if you also know any car insurance providers that offer low rates i would like to know that as well. thank you

Insurance on neon srt4?

I know every insurance r difference but im looking for get a srt4 neon and I heard the insurance on one of those r high, I have a 2003 grand prix gtp, would insurance be higher than wha I am paying for my gtp""

Can you transfer car insurance from one person to annother?

if you have paid upfront for the whole year and then you can no longer drive due to health reasons could you transfer your insurance policy over to someone else?

What is the average car insurance for young males with a black box installed?

I'm in the UK and my friend who is 17 who recently passed his test said his car insurance was just over 500 per year, as he had black box installed. (Also, not on his parents insurance either) I've read average figures for car insurance for young males is in the 3000-5000 range. So can the box really bring insurance down that much? I know figures vary for type of car and all that. But we're talking average here. I imagine most young people are not going to be able to afford brand new cars, and will be cost-concious, so will go for older models anyway. So the 3000+ figures still seem incredibly high for an average figure.""

Is there a way to see how much car insurance will cost before I buy a car?

I am looking for a starter car and currently think I might have found one. This summer when I come home from college I am planning on getting a summer job and my mom is allowing me to use her car. But I thought if I go a head and buy the car I found that I could save up my money from working to pay for insurance and gas. My only question is how much would my insurance payments be? I know you can get quotes online but can you get them for a car you do not have yet? If not, is there anyway to know?""

Driving points for no insurance?

How many points do you receive for driving without insurance in michigan?

UK Car insurance in-between switching cars?

To keep things simple I am calling the current car I have Car A and the new car as Car B. I have insurance that runs out on CAR A in 2 months time which I want to keep on the basis that I don't want to lose my no claims bonus for this current year by cancelling the insurance. I was planning to switch cars in 2 months anyway but have found CAR B at a very competitive price with all the extras I need. (Car B comes taxed and MOTd). I currently cant change my policy from car A to car B as the provider says the update will increase my premium to over 2000 just for the remaining 2 months! I am a young driver so I am not able to get temporary car insurance either. My question is what are my options other than simply buying car B now and letting it sit on the driveway for 2 months waiting for my current policy to expire? E.g.is it possible to take out insurance on car B without NCB now and add ncb 2 months after the policy has started? Any other loop holes you clever poeple can think of?

WHERE IN THE UK DOES CHEAPEST CAR INSURANCE AT THE MINUTE?

WHERE IN THE UK DOES CHEAPEST CAR INSURANCE AT THE MINUTE?

What's the best auto insurance?

What kind of insurance do you have? Is it cheap?

Is there a insurance company in Minnesota that covers infertility?

??

""For car insurance rates, does the amount of the claim matter, or is it just that you had a claim?""

Wondering about how car insurance premiums work. I just got into an accident this morning. I rear-ended someone so it was my fault. When we file a claim to fix her car, is it worth it for me to get mine done as well? Or will getting mine fixed cause my premium to go up even more when its time to renew?""

getting business insurance quotes

getting business insurance quotes

Good looking motorcycle with good insurance price?

iam 16 iam looking to buy a motorcycle but they insurance for my age is up the roof what are some good looking motorcycles with good insurance for my age and what else should i know before getting one ???

Best non-owner liability coverage insurance?

What is the best non-owner liability coverage insurance in New York ?

Home Mortgage Insurance question?

Okay I need some info on mortgage insurance.i am currently living in my parents home which was built on their property, we don't live with my parents. My husband and I pay the mortgage, taxes, and the insurance. We are going to refinance everything into our name but in the mean time we are saving money for any down payments on the refinance(if any).Since we have not refinanced yet, what type of insurance do we buy, home owners or renters insurance?""

""How do I file an auto insurance claim and what exactly will happen to my insurance rate, deductible, etc.?""

My windshield was really frosty but I only had to drive like 20 yards to get where I wanted. So like an idiot, I start driving and run into a fire hydrant. This damages the front right quarter panel, the right blinker, and it may have also damaged the axel or steering column because I couldn't get my car to move after that. What do I tell my insurance company? and am I going to have to pay anything?""

Car insurance for a new driver?

i want to buy a small car, but im worried that the insurance will be expensive what company sell cheap insurance? how much about did you pay? i want a small car, like a 1 litre engine thank you""

Cheapest car insurance?

Cheapest car insurance?

Im unemployed do i need to apply for obamacare/Affordable care act?

im unemployed do i need to apply for obamacare/Affordable care act? i tried creating an account online and it says to input your income. i cant leave it blank any information would help

Car insurance for dummies?

i am trying to be an adult here. i graduate college in 8 days and am getting quotes for my own car insurance. I got one today from progressive for $83/mo, full coverage. It is 25,50,25 and $500 deductable. How do I know what is good? i need someone to tell me what coverage I should have-is 25/50/25 good? break it down. Thanks!""

What is the best deductible for car insurance?

What is the best deductible for car insurance?

Am i going to get my drivers license suspended?

i was going 76 in a 45 in the state of northcarolina. will i be with out a license? also how much is this ticket going to cost? i was also charged with reckless driving. if you could answer this that would be great too but, how much will my insurance go up? i have liablility insureance and i pay 160 a month. i have been driving for about 5 months and this is my first ticket.""

I'm turning 16 this year and i was wondering about insurance prices on a few cars?

I recently found a 1994 misubishi 3000gt, and a 1997 pontiac trans am. Like i said I'm turning 16 this summer and I want to know what car is better on insurance for a kid like me? I would also like to know which would be better for the winters in Idaho? An estimate will be perfictly fine. Thank you very much.""

How much would the insurance be on a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS for an 18 year old?

I need to know how much it would be for both the 454 and 396 model. *And my driving record is clean.

Car insurance in America?

Im just curious, seen as how there are very few small cars in America compared to Europe, does the size of a cars engine have a big impact on your insurance, as in the bigger the engine the higher the insurance cost?""

Which companies offer life insurance to clients who have chronic health problems?

I am 37 years old with a diagnosis of lupus (not flaring) with a history of minor kidney involvement, deep vein thrombosis, and high blood pressure. I have been trying to get life insurance but have been consistently denied by the major companies to which I have applied. Does anyone have any suggestions? The only suggestion I received from one company was the hint to purchase Accidental Death and Disability, and if my medical condition worsened, to have an accident . I am hoping for better advice.""

A question about car insurance....?

What if a guy parked his car in the parking lot and when he came back from what ever he was doing, his car was crashed He have no idea who did it. WIll his car insurance cover for the damage?""

What are the average car insurance rates in California?

More specifically, if you live in California, how much do you pay? I'm buying insurance for the first time and I want to get the most basic coverage at the cheapest rate.""

No health insurance...

I don't have health insurance but have started to worry about needing to get a mammogram because I have a spot that worries me. Is there anything I can do to have it checked out?

Do i have to register my car under my moms name for it to be cheaper?

I just bought this car and I'm 18 years old I want to have cheaper insurance so I'm putting the insurance under my moms name but would I have to register it under her to too in oder for it to be cheap? Or can I register it under my name and still have it be less money

Question about Car Insurance?

I don't know if it's possible to get an answer from you guys, but it's worth a try! I have State Farm insurance, and I'm going to be driving a 2006 Hyundai Sonata, and i'm 16 years old. It's black, & I make pretty good grades, 3.5 is my avg (I heard that mattered) I was just wondering how much it would be per month! If you have any help, that would be great! Thanks :)""

What is the average homeowners insurance cost of a 1000 sq ft condo?

What is the average homeowners insurance cost of a 1000 sq ft condo?

How much does is cost to insure a motorcycle?

i am a 21 yr. old female in so cal. it is a ninja 250r, never been in an accident, & it is kept in the garage!""

2006 Saleen Insurance?

I might be buying a 2006 Saleen supercharged next week. I am 22 years old and female (but I turn 23 in May). I've never been in any accidents, I've only had one speeding ticket about 3 years ago, and I have a pretty good driving record, and I've already graduated from college. Any clue how much full coverage insurance will be?? or maybe what any of you may pay for a similar car?""

350z or g35 coupe auto insurance?

I am 17 years old about to be 18 and I really want a nissan 350z or an infinity g35 coupe. I have been saving money for a few months to buy a used z or g35 but I never thought about what my insurance would be like. I am 17 with no real driving experience. I would be on my parents insurance, I had a 4.0 the last 2 years of high school so straight a's. I have a job(idk if that matters) I do not smoke. I live in California in a small town. I am a male. I dont know what else insurance companies look for so if you know of anything else please mention them in your reply. I'm just wanting to know if anyone has any kind of idea of what id be paying. Thanks""

Flood insurance?

Will the poor people who have suffered Flood Damage have a problem with the Insurance Companies. I ask this question because a Friend of mine had Gazebo wrecked in recent storm. Insurance Company refused payment on the grounds (ACT OF GOD)

Will a wrecked car make my insurance go up?

i am looking at buying a car. carfax shows it was in an accident and only reported minor damage. will MY insurance go up if i'm driving a car that has been in an accident before?

getting business insurance quotes

getting business insurance quotes

I need cheap car insurance for Astra SRI 1.8 58 plate. I'm female with full license for 4 years.?

I use car for school run and shopping only and I park it on the street outside my house. I am 32 years old and female. Any help would be great as car insurance is beyond expensive. Thanks

I'm on a fixed income with 3 cats. Does any cat owner know of a good affordable cat insurance plan?

*I purr..fer to hear from people that already have a good affordable cat insurance plan.

Anyone knowing the best/cheapest auto insurance for young drivers?

Hello! I am a young driver (19) who is looking to buy a new 2007 ford mustang (the deep red color). I really want this car but it looks like there is no way that I will be able to afford the auto insurance for this thing. Anyone know the best company for me to speak with? Any advice or tips will help. Thanks!

For a 17 year old - how much does a car cost to run each month?

when i pass my test, i don't know whether to a actually buy a car. i'm 17 and if i bought a car, how much would it roughly cost to run including the insurance, maintenance, mot, and everything except for the petrol/diesel. the only problem is, i don't think i actually need the car as i'm at college with a bus pass, but in the summer i want to drive lots of places with friends like go camping etc with a car. i was interesested in renting one as it seems ideal for my wants, but you need to be like 22 to rent. is this true? to anyone who is driving at 17 in the uk - is it worth it or is it too expensive?""

Cheap moped insurance?

Bought myself a speedfight 2, 50cc, 1999 reg. Could anyone tell me good, cheap moped insurance companies which don't charge stupid amounts?""

Getting car insurance (complicated case)?

Alright, so this is my story. I am getting new Mazda3 next week. I am 19 years old male (my dad is paying for car). My mom will pay for my insurance (full coverage). The problem is, my mom and my stepdad are divorced, but she is driving car he bought and she is paying him for that car, so she is under his All-State insurance. Now I need insurance and what to do? We obviously dont want to put my name under my stepdads insurance. Someone said to my mom that she should get new insurance (for example Progressive) for my car under her name, and then put me on her insurance, though she would never drive Mazda3, because I go to college in different town. The person said this way we would not pay as much as if Id open insurance under my name. Now and advices. Thank youOh and another question. If, let's say, car is bought under my moms name, can I get individual insurance under my name? Or only the owner of the car is allowed to do that? P.S.: please dont try to talk me out of getting ne""

Car insurance advice?

I cancelled my car insurance with liberty mutual about a year and a half ago. I owed them about $700 which I payed off a few weeks ago. I was looking to insure with them again until they told me my down payment would be the whole years worth of payments which is almost $4000, due to previous cancellation and nonpayment. Then they told me the best they could do would be half of the years total. My question is, if I go to other companies are they all going to tell me the same thing for down payments on policies? I do not owe any money to any company at this time.""

Life insurance maturity after 7 years?

I have a case where an insurance company will owes xxx amount of dollar after 7 years because the life insurance claim made to a person is missing. Insurance company won't pay till this person is certified dead which in state of IL wait for that is 7 years. So the question is when this person do gets paid will the insurance company pay it 7 years interest on it? + the premium that is paid for the next 7 years after the claim is made.

Pay As You Go Insurance! Where can I get it? Cheap Insurance!

Hey people Basicly im insured with Admiral under third party fire and theft. Im doing their 10 month insurance thing which equates to 1 years insurance after the time. I was insured with them last year the price was 1090, this year its gone up to 1250 (had an accident which was my fault). Im paying monthly which has increased it to 1550. Im paying about 150 a month. My question is, where can i get cheap insurance from? Preferbably Pay as You go type. Has anyone done PAYG insurance before?""

My car insurance is renewing March 25th If i switch insurance companies March 1st?

Am i responsible for the whole amount of my insurance payment or am i responsible for being covered Feb 25 thru March 1st??

Who needs insurance?

Auto insurance is a hit or miss conception with police enforcement doing the insurance company's work for them. Too many drivers have no insurance leaving responsible drivers to pick up their tab. Why don't we tack on 10 or twenty cents per gallon at the gasoline pump to go for insurance. If you don't buy gas for your car, you're not going to be able to drive.That way, if you drive, you automatically have insurance. This frees up police to do real cop work, cuts down on the cost and makes sure everyone who drives has insurance. Whadya think?""

Has anyone used or made a fake car insurance card?

Okay I will be honest. I have been unemployed since September so money has been very tight and i havent been able to afford my car insurance. I have court tomorrow and when I was pulled over i didnt have my insurance card on me. I have court tomorrow morning and I have to bring my card with me. I still dont have valid car insurance. I am freaking out because I can lose my license over this. If i do how will i take my daughter to school how will I be able to look for work. I just cant bottom line! Now I have heard of people getting away with fake insurance cards for situations like this. Has anyone ever done anything like this before? If so can you please help me. Look i know this is very stupid and breaking the law. I have never had to deal with anything like this before. I could buy one of those cheap policies right now for the future. I told the officer though i was insured just didnt have my card on me. So thats why i need help right now. Please anyone a lot is at risk for me right now just because i had some officer on a power trip pull me over because I pulled into a tow zone to pick my daughter up from school one day. Please anyone it would be very much appreciated! I have my old card i can upload and tweak on photoshop but i dont really know how to use it im not very tech savy. Also idk if that would pass wouldnt the judge be able to tell?

Can I claim health insurance costs?

If i am retired, 55 and have to pay my own health insurance, can I deduct them on my income taxes. Lets say the monthly premium is $500 and my anual income is $24,000""

Do I need to buy car insurance if I am a tourist borrowing my friend's car which is insured?

I'm a tourist in the U.S, and I want to use my friend's car occasionally, her car is insured but my name is not on her insurance policy, do I need to be on it to be covered?, Also, in case an officer asks me to pull over, do I need to be on the car insurance or just show him the car is insured?""

22y/o tourists getting car insurance in the US?

My mate and I are hoping to tour across the U.S. to celebrate graduation. Starting in one place and driving to another, so we'll have to buy the car (he's staying over there), and we want to get insured on it. However, we're 22 y/o Brits and I've heard that can be difficult. Google just feeds me lots of car rental insurance stuff; how would it work in the US if we wanted to buy the car there? Do you guys have any advice?""

How old do you have to be to get car insurance?

what are the requirements to obtain car insurance in california do you need to be 18 and older??

What should my car insurance cost?

I am a 21 year old female, do not have any citations on record, and I drive a 2007 ford focus. What should my monthly insurance payment be around???""

""Where can I find good, inexpensive Life Insurance?""

Where can I find good, inexpensive Life Insurance?""

WHO HAS THE CHEAPEST CAR INSURANCE (FULL COVERAGE) AND THAT'S NOT GEICO?

I just had geico and I would like to change car insurances. Whose rates generally have lower down payments and monthly?

What is the best online source for shopping for health insurance?

My son is 20, full time college student in a different state (PA.) Home state is Ohio. I am on disability so my insurance (and my husbands') is through Medicare.. I am shopping for an individual plan for my son, and there are so many sites which offer so many choices...Not only do I need to get the insurance plan, I need to find the best web site for the query. (tried einsurance, etc..)""

Insurance question? please help me i need to know what to do.?

im 16, had my license for a little over a month. i live in california. im with allstate. here's what happened: i was backing out of a diagonal parking space. i was at starbucks, mid day. no one else was in the car. i saw a car coming, i let it pass, and i backed out. turns out it didnt clear out all the way. i got the rear end of it. their dent is not too bad, the bumper is fine, its just a little bit of the metal that probably needs to be sucked back out. it is an suv. my dent however was worse. the bumper got dented, and so did some of the medal around it. the brake light has a small crack in it, but its only visible from close up, and it still works. we exchanged information, and he said he will call his insurance company tomorrow morning. will my insurance go up? how much will i need to pay to have his car fixed? whats gonna happen? please help me im freaking out. thank you soo much""

Canceled car insurance?

The case is complicated and it is about my car insurance. I misinformed my insurance company about my NCD. As a result they cancelled my policy. The problem is that before they cancelled it I had a claim. My car was not damage at all but the other guy had a few scratches on the bumper and he reported the incident. My insurance company informed me; they would cancel the policy and return all the payments I made so far. They would cover the cost of the damage to another guy, but I have to repay all the cost they bear. Does the insurance company may cover the damage and request reimbursement if they cancelled my policy? Whats my option, can I refused to pay them back? Because my policy was cancelled, so should I deal with a problem on my own? I guess it would be cheaper for me to pay for the damaged bumper straight to the other person than deal with the insurance company. Please advice

Is car insurance expensive?

I just bought a used bmw 540I for 2400 but I am not sure how much insurance is going to cost. Also my driving record isn't the best since I was in a car accident few years back so I'm hoping I can find a good rate somewhere. Just hope it's not too costly.

""How much will insurance cost for a mazda RX-8, 2004?""

I am 17, 18 in December but I was wondering how much it would cost for insurance per month and annual since I am a teen?""

""I'm looking for a good, affordable car, can you help me?""

I'm 16 years old, soon to be 17 and I'm looking for a car. I don't have a ton of money to spend on a car so I'm also looking for something cheap. I like the 2004 Chevy Malibu a lot however I want something that is automatic. I guess now I'm looking for something similar to the malibu just automatic. I'm planning on making a $2000-2500 down payment on the car so like I said, I need something that's not to expensive. I'd like a car that's the same size as the malibu and possibly a car that somewhat resembles the malibu as well. Anyone with any suggestions, comments, or whatever, I'd greatly appreciate your help here. Thanks in advance.""

getting business insurance quotes

getting business insurance quotes

Why did my homeowner's insurance double?

I have made no claims on the insurance and absolutely nothing has changed with the house (no pool, no trampoline, no dog, nothing.) Everything is identical to when I renewed last. Why would the insurance double when nothing has changed whatsoever?""

I recently moved to Brooklyn and I need to find affordable auto insurance for my car. Any suggestions?

I know car insurance in NY is expensive in general, but any suggestions would help!""

What is the best dogs health insurance?

i have a few dogs, and need health insurance for them.""

Should I call my auto insurance?

This afternoon, I was at a gas station and I backed my 2003 Pontiac mini van into a concrete barrier very hard. The left rear bumper is falling off, the hatch is dented fairly bad in the corner so it is difficult to open (that dent is about 4 inches in diameter but very deep) and the side with an automatic door has two shallow dents about a foot across. One of my taillights chipped on the side but didn't crack or shatter. No broken glass or anything. The plastic bumper is cracked in a few places, and has red paint all over over it from the barrier. the doors still work (excepting that the hatch catches on the taillight area), no electronic or mechanical issues, just body damage. The question is, should I call insurance? I am almost 17 and I've had my license for about 6 months. Roughly how much would the body work cost, since my insurance with AARP is sure to go up dramatically? Or would I want to play it safe and place a claim? My parents know all about it, and it was a total accident (I missed the brake pedal and hit the accelerator). Just looking for the way that will cost me less in the long run. Thank you for your help.""

Long Term Care Insurance?

Please give me the pros and cons of obtaining long term care insurance. What is the criteria, and who should buy long term care insurance? Conversely, who should not, or who does not need such a policy? What does it cover and what are the variable costs. Also, does it help prevent you from going into a nursing home should that be indicated? Thank you!""

How much would car insurance be for a 16 yr old driver in indiana?

I took drivers Ed and have good grades just wondering like an estimate of how much it will cost Also what is the consenquence for driving wit no insurance

How can I pay for my car's insurance?

I'm buying my first car tomorrow. I will be the Legal Owner and Registered Keeper but NOT the main driver (i'll be the 2nd driver of the car) Can I pay for the insurance using my card details (because i own the car and im getting insured on it, im just not the main driver because i will name someone else as main driver) ?? or does the MAIN DRIVER has to pay the insurance using their debit card?""

How auto insurance works in california?

i backed up into a car today and there is no damage to my car but a dent in the others hood, and i said lets call the police and they said lets just exchange information, i said no i'd rather have them come...they said they called when i was getting something in my car and said the police said they would take a while so we decided to exchange info...i got her license but they said they didnt have the insurance info with them....but in the mean time i gave them my info...now i have a feeling that maybe they didnt have insurance and there is no police report so what can happen now?""

""What is the cheapest car insurance company, In Pa?""

I am looking to see what car insurance would be cheapest between, allstate, state farm, nationwide, geico, progressive, esurance, 21 century, unitrin Direct ???? HELP""

Is insurance required in north carolina?

if one had a car registered in georgia, he decided to pass through NORTH CAROLINA, the insurance expired, he gets pulled over. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN?""

Which car insurance company is cheap and good?

I have All State but its too expensive I am single so i have to pay $845 for 6 months

Car ratings for cost of insurance?

rating numbers car insurance companies use for insuring cars and other transportation.

I let my car insurance lapse....will i get in trouble?

my car insurance is lapsed right now. i know when you sign up for insurance they always ask its been lapsed. when i say yes, which i ll tell the truth cuz they ll find out anyways, what will they do? will i be in trouble?""

Who offers the best and affordable auto insurance ?

First time buyer, just got drivers license""

Will my husband's car insurance cover the cost of the damaged car?

I was driving my husband's car (in the UK) which is insured in his name. He also put my name in the insurance agreement that I have permission to drive his car etc. However, I do not have a driving licence but my husband does of course. I got into a serious car accident and my husband's car is completely ruined. The police took information and saw that I was driving the car. Will my husband's car be covered by his insurance or will they reject it because I was driving it? He has fully comprehensive car insurance. Thanks.""

Car insurance in differnt states ?

My grandmother lives in new Hampshire and there you do not need any insurance on your car , but in Connecticut by law you have to have it, so I was wondering if she comes to see us would she have to put insurance on her car to leave her state??""

Car Insurance - Older owner still has insurance on it?

I had my car signed over to me on the 2nd November and received my V5 back on the 10th. I got the car insured ASAP as required on a daily basis. I have recently found out that the previous owner STILL has insurance on it and has arranged for it to be fully cancelled on the 1st December to collect their no claims bonus. Obviously I cannot make them cancel the policy but does this invalidate my insurance until the 1st Dec/make it illegal to use my car until this date?

Looking for individual dental insurance in NY without a 12-month waiting period - is there such a thing?

I'm shopping around for dental insurance and most plans I see have a 12 month waiting period for major procedures - and I'm going to need to get my wisdom teeth out soon. Can anybody recommend me a plan? Thanks!

When looking for car insurance..do I need a car to find car insurance?

I am planning on buying a cheap used car. I dont have it yet so I dont know the make and model yet. Also..is it better to say I got my license at 16? or at 22? Why do they ask all this? What is a good price for car insurance for a 22 yr old full time college student with a 2.98 gpa, im also a part time worker. i only make around 400 bucks a month. Can even afford it?""

My daughter and car insurance?

my daughter just got a car for my granddaughter is it illegal not to have my grand daughter listed on the insurance policy..she does'nt want them to know she is a new driver...we live in new jersey

What's the cheapest a new driver could pay for car insurance (NY)?

I wanna buy a car I just passed my road test I want toi get a car but I know insurance is going to be high I'm from new york... Does anyone know how much ill pay around and does anyone have any tips on who would be the cheapest... Thanks

Why do good drivers get better car insurance rates than bad drivers?

It's not fair. Some people are genetically predisposed to be bad drivers or just don't care. Why should they be charged more than drivers who do not participate in risky behavior?

What is the yearly insurance rates for a street bike/rice rocket?

What is the yearly insurance rates for a street bike/rice rocket?

How much would motorcycle insurance cost for a 15 year boy in the state of Wyoming?

How much would motorcycle insurance cost for a 15 year boy in the state of Wyoming?

Why is michigan car insurance so high?

I am a 21 year old female with no little credit but I have no bad credit. I rent an apartment and pay all my bills on time. I have a 2004 monte carlo ss that I paid 3500 for. This is my first car. The cheapest quote I got was 350 a month and that's only for the state minimum. I already have health insurance. They want me to pay more for car insurance than my car is worth and if I get in an accident they wont even cover it.

getting business insurance quotes

getting business insurance quotes

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Cheap Car Insurance Guaranteed ~ Tricks Only a Traveler Knows

CHEAP CAR INSURANCE

There is all kind of scams & spam surrounding cheap car insurance.  Ads that claim they have a secret no insurance company wants anyone to know about.  Then there’s the agent promising you the lowest rates guaranteed, but then sends you through a gauntlet of irrelevant car or driving related questions.  Cheap car insurance is not a gimmick or a trick.  Its an equation, and all you have to do is insert the right variables.  Something I found out first hand when traveling to California.  Want to skip the story and get to the details on how to get cheap car insurance?

CHEAP CAR INSURANCE

No one wants to pay for car insurance, and everyone wants cheap car insurance.  When I first turned sixteen I remember calling insurance companies legal thieves, and con artists.  I remember trying to get a quote once from an agent in a strip mall setting who thought it was reasonable for a 16 year old to pay $650 plus a month.  Because of that I never had car insurance continuously.  I was covered sporadically over the years.  Prompted mainly by police, court houses or banks.  To find cheap car insurance by midnight the day of whatever infraction I was trying to get out of.  It was like a little game that only I knew about.

CHEAP CAR INSURANCE DAY OF

When a police officer pulls you over its almost always for some victimless revenue generating traffic violation that nobody dead or alive really cares about.  Unfortunately it took a run in with an officer in Minnesota for me to figure out how to keep their greedy little hands off of my money.  I was pulled over for having a necklace hanging from my rear view mirror.  Serious stuff I know, but they have to justify their employment somehow I suppose.

Instead of giving me a warning or education this overzealous power tripping officer elected to give me a ticket for no proof of insurance.  He could have given me a ticket for operator obstruction & inattentive driving for the necklace hanging.  Both of those are petty misdemeanors with minimal fines, and carry no jail time possibilities.

CHEAP CAR INSURANCE DAY OF

No proof of insurance on the other hand is an enhanceable misdemeanor offense that looms a hefty fine, possible jail time, possible license suspension and NOT cheap car insurance rates.  Enhanceable in the courts means if you get enough of the same charge in a certain amount of time they upgrade the charge from misdameanor to felony.  Which is how most felony DWI charges occur.

When I called the number on the back of the ticket I found out they wanted $730 for not having a piece of paper in my car.  On the hunt for cheap car insurance I called multiple companies looking for the lowest rate.  After hours on the phone I reluctantly accepted a $300 a month policy.  All this was before the internet, and while filling out all the paperwork by hand I wondered if getting cheap car insurance the day of the infraction would even satisfy the courts.

So I used the date a month earlier on everything I signed hoping they would just use the date I provided, and if they asked me about I would just play dumb.  They didn’t catch it, and printed me off a cheap car insurance ID card backdated a month.  I drove immediately to the police station.  Showed an officer my cards & gave my lame reasoning why it wasn’t on me, and the ticket was voided.

CHEAP CAR INSURANCE POSSESSION

A few months later I was pulled over again for a cracked windshield.  Again serious stuff right.  I had never made any of my cheap car insurance payments because well they weren’t cheap.  When the officer asked for my insurance I gave him the ID cards I got a few months back, and this time instead of giving me a ticket he let me go on my way.

This was before cell phones and the internet, but he never even checked. A light bulb clicked.  Computers or their software were nowhere near what they are today.  In fact I ended up using liquid paper and a type writer to make insurance ID cards.  For years I handed out fake insurance ID cards to police officers avoiding that $730 ticket.

CHEAP CAR INSURANCE IN MODERN TIMES

Then came cell phones.  Then the internet, and a young cop decided to validate my ID card.  Obviously it failed.  I was in California at the time, and had no idea I was about to uncover the ultimate cheap car insurance tactic.  I had two address one car looking for quotes for same day cheap car insurance.  What I uncovered was that if I used my Minnesota address my rate was drastically higher then my CA address.  When I added Bachelors degree my rate lowered.  Then I wanted to see how low I could get it.

So I lied and said I had a car alarm & various other safety features my rate lowered.  When I said I was married my rate lowered.  I went to another nationwide car insurance website and fabricated every answer to their  questions.  Every answer I provided was to make me look like the safest most responsible driver applicant with minimal use.  I got a quote for like $78 a month for full coverage.  BOOM ~ Yes please!!  Now thats cheap car insurance.  Take my money & email me my ID cards.  Went to the courthouse got the ticket cancelled.  Problem solved, but Alaska was about to unveil the real trick behind cheap car insurance.

CHEAP CAR INSURANCE ALASKA

After I moved up to Alaska my car loan lender wanted a copy of my insurance or they would provide one for me at a cost that I wasn’t found of.  So back to the internet.  Only this time I had 3 addresses to use: Alaska, California & Minnesota.  I tested each address with accurate information before I would go back and fabricate information to get a better deal.

MN & CA I already had a good idea what they were going to be, but Alaska surprised me.  For starters not all companies provide car insurance to Alaska.  They don’t have the permit or the license or who knows they just don’t.  The few that do at that time required you to call in.  I’m a phone ninja when it comes to call centers and getting what I want so I was game.  Whoever picked up that phone was either over trained, over informed or over naive.  He divulged all sorts of information that I shouldn’t have been able to access.

I hate the questions agents ask you.  Are you married?  Did you go to college?  What color is your hair?  Blah blah blah Nothing driving related or vehicle related, but required to get a quote.  Why?  Because your answers become variables in an equation that some super computer predicts your driving risks, responsibility, safety, habits & maturity.  That’s probably common knowledge to most people, but it wasn’t to me.  The real eye opener was when he told me about the zipcode factor.

CHEAP CAR INSURANCE ZIPCODE

Apparently insurance companies keep a database of population, reports, claims, accidents, thefts & natural disaster for every zipcode.  If your zipcode has a bunch of auto thefts you car insurance is higher.  A bunch of claims in your zipcode?  Then your auto insurance quote is higher.  Natural disasters common in your zipcode?Then your insurance will be higher then a zipcode that doesn’t.  If you live in a big city the percentage of an accident is higher so your insurance is higher.

He told me all of this before answering any of the questions because I didn’t want to answer any of the questions.  After lying to him on every question he gave me a quote for $18 a month for full coverage insurance?  Mainly because the zipcode I was using was for a 17 mile wide island that had a population of less then 1,000 people.  There wasn’t even a police station.  No natural disasters.  There wasn’t even a bank.  I cracked the code to cheap car insurance, and kept that policy for almost 2 years.  Even after I sold the car on that policy I continued to pay on it so that I had valid ID cards.  After not having any reason to have car insurance, but to avoid a ticket from a police I finally let it lapse and expire.

CHEAP CAR INSURANCE

Cheap car insurance is an equation.  It doesn’t rely on your driver history.  It doesn’t correlate to your income or your credit score.  Cheap car insurance is based on what others in your area have done.  Granted I give a fake drivers license number, and fake social security number when requesting cheap car insurance quotes, but my quote is based solely on my zipcode.  If I give a zipcode for Phoenix were there is a new multi car pile up every day my insurance is going to be higher then if I give a zipcode for an island that has 20 cars.

Cheap car insurance is not based on anything you have done.  Its based on other people actions, history, habits & predictions.  If you want cheap car insurance find a zipcode that has no population, crime or any other factor that will raise your rates.  You don’t have to live there.  Make up an address I do it all the time.  You don’t care about the 200 page legal mumbo jumbo policy do you?  All you care about is the ID cards they will email you, and you can print them off.  And if you ever have to make a claim you just tell them you were on a road trip.

CHEAP CAR INSURANCE

Insurance companies are legal thieves & complete con artists.  Had I paid my insurance premiums for the last 23 years I would have paid over $40,000 for something I never used.  I made two claims, and they were this last summer.  One was for a suicidal deer who was across the street, and decided to go back to the other side.  The other was when my windshield cracked sitting idle in my driveway.  I could paid for both out of pocket, but the DMV now requires proof of insurance when renewing licenses. So I coincidentally had insurance to cover these two incidents.  Does that amount to the $40,000 I would have paid over the last 23 years? Absolutely not?  Will it make me carry cheap car insurance from here on out?  Doubtful.

CHEAP CAR INSURANCE TRAVELER

Traveling unveils all kinds of unique situations like this to a person.  Every area has its own persona, vibe, pulse, regional characteristics & traditions that can only be discovered through traveling.  The education alone that I have gained from traveling is unmeasurable.  You can’t find things like this in books or classrooms.  Nowadays there’s probably a blog out there, but can you find it.  Without travel I wouldn’t have found out that if one state has a restriction on my license all it takes a letter with an out of state address to remove it.  I wouldn’t have found cheap car insurance.  Travel has given me a PHD in the DMV.  Travel is this unique little teacher that is always looking to improve your knowledge and change your vantage point.

[itsworn]

Pete Chapouris: Goodbye to a Good Friend

It’s taken me a bit longer to get around to writing my editorial. In fact, it has taken me an entire month to get my thoughts around this one as it’s one of the most uncomfortable ones I’ve ever had to write. I’ve lost a number of friends over the years within my world of hot rodding. Some to accidents, some to illness, and some to things I just can’t explain. I believe it was Mark Twain who once said, “The two most important days in a man’s life are the day he is born and the day he finds out why.

For starters, I find myself here at the Detroit Autorama on a Tuesday night before the show and I’m in the same little bar that a few years earlier Pete Chapouris introduced me to the luxurious throat warming effects of Ouzo. It’s a licorice taste that when chilled is really very yummy. Well, Pete and another Greek by the name of Chuck Vranas, a freelancer for STREET RODDER, were both well versed in the delights and benefits of this cultural drink. I on the other hand knew nothing! What begin as a casual drink became a long evening of discussing the merits of life, family, and hot rods. Frankly, we had very little to drink, but then Ouzo doesn’t require much. It put all of us at ease and from this point we solved the problems of the world.

Here I am years later sitting at the same table tapping away on a computer keyboard thinking of a friend who I have lost far too early in his life. I will never sit at this table again and enjoy his conversation, perspective on life, nor his view into the future of my beloved hobby. It really is a dark evening for so many reasons.

This month I’m coming to grips with the loss of a very close friend, consummate hot rodder, and just plain ol’ rodding legend. The loss of Pete Chapouris (who I realize many of you have already read a great deal about but this approach is more about his impact on our hobby through my eyes). As I spent hours poring over photos of Chapouris’ life I realized I was looking at the very growth of our hobby … at least the past 50 years’ worth. In his efforts I could see the various stages of styling our hobby has gone through. Chapouris was in no small part responsible for the shaping of this “look.” (He and Jim “Jake” Jacobs were instrumental with the growth of our hobby through such companies as Pete & Jake’s Hot Rod Parts and later SO-CAL Speed Shop.)

I remember one day while talking with historian supreme and curator at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, Greg Sharp; he brought up the fact that neither of us had heard the term “in the weeds” to describe a proper lowering job before Chapouris uttered that now tried-and-true expression. Greg and I were soon to agree that there are three basics in building a hot rod. There’s the stance, the wheel and tire combination, and the paint. All the rest is extra, but if you screw up any one of those the car is no good, no matter what else you do. And it was Pete who knew this and he never screwed up. He got it. His cars were oftentimes harbinger of styles to come.

Again, it’s in the loss of Chapouris that I realized it’s akin to the loss of a library. When a library is lost we stand there looking over what once was and we come to the realization that all of this knowledge and history is lost for all time. We can be thankful that much of what Chapouris stood for is still with us in his family, the shop, his cars, and elsewhere, but so much is gone. But I’m thankful for the time I did have with him.

Chapouris called me one day this past December and asked if I would come out for lunch on Friday before Christmas. A chance for a free meal, talk hot rods with a dear buddy, what decision was there … I was out the door! We spent 2-1/2 hours that day talking about the first time we met, our multiple drives across country with the “Wild Bunch,” the many stories we were involved with, and what our plans were for the coming year. Still sitting on my desk is the “Coupes are for Chickens” issue (Nov. ’73) of Rod & Custom, which went back to our earliest days accompanying a letter he had sent me earlier in the year describing a roadster he wanted to build to compete for America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award in 2018. We talked about his T-bucket and how that was one of the first car features that I ever shot appearing in STREET RODDER back in 1972. The Weber-inducted small-block Ford motor and trans came out of the tall-top T and ended up in the now iconic “California Kid” 1934 coupe.

One of the first car clubs that I had the good fortune to meet the guys (aside from the L.A. Roadsters) was the Vintage Tin Club. Chapouris was involved with this club along with his bucket in the late ’60s and into the early ’70s. It was in 1971 that he went on to work at Blair’s Speed Shop and from there came Pete & Jake’s. Chapouris used to tell me the story how the late-Gray Baskerville, of Hot Rod and R&C fame, introduced both he and Jacobs while they were building their coupes. And the rest, as they say, is history.

I remember Chapouris telling me the story the first time he saw the McMullen 1932 Ford highboy roadster. This iconic black and flamed roadster graced the cover of Hot Rod back in the mid ’60s and was the desire of every hot rodder. Chapouris was pulled up to a traffic light in a stocker when up came the McMullen roadster rumbling and making sounds only a most badass hot rod can. According to Chapouris, the sound and the look were inspiring. He went onto tell me that the Deuce roadster as it pulled away from the traffic light, rapidly, was a sight to behold in its rich black color with those oh-so brilliant flames lavishly spread all across the front sheetmetal. To this was a copious amount of thick white pinstriping across many of the body panels. The car was a sight to behold.

I can remember another time when Chapouris, Jacobs, Pete Eastwood, Jim Ewing, and myself were headed out to the NSRA Nationals in St. Paul, Minnesota, back in the mid ’70s. Every day brought about a handful of stories that would follow us for a lifetime but there were two in particular that have resonated with me, and it turned out Chapouris too, that each of us told for years to come.

I believe we were running down the interstate probably in Colorado with Jacobs in his coupe leading the way, followed by Chapouris in the California Kid with Eastwood, and bringing up the rear Ewing and I in the Super Bell coupe. Thinking back on it that must have been a sight for those days for any passersby who may not have been well versed in the world of hot rodding.

Anyway, Jacobs was zipping along and I remember telling Ewing that it looked like Chapouris was drifting out of the number one (fast) lane and onto the shoulder and then into the wide grassy medium. Sure enough he was, as it turned out Chapouris had dosed off while Eastwood was riding shotgun and had been asleep for some time. Ewing and I looked at each other with eyeballs that must have looked like pie plates. Ewing was quick to react and we found ourselves driving on the grassy center medium (which turned out to not be as soft and comfortable a surface as one might have thought) and I hanging out the passenger window yelling at Chapouris to wake up. (For those of you that know the Ewing coupe with its hammered top you realize there is precious little space to be sticking one’s head out to yell!) Eventually, thankfully, I got Chapouris’ attention and he snapped too and brought the coupe back under control and steered back up and onto the highway. Ewing and I could see both Petes yelling at each and arms were a flailing. Once everyone’s heart beat dipped below 200 all was good. It made for a great campfire story that night with a great deal of finger pointing and even more hootin’ and hollerin’ from the five of us.

It was the same trip when another one of those “never to be forgotten” life’s little occurrences occurred. Now let me preface by saying this wasn’t one of our prouder moments and having had a lifetime to think back on it the following probably shouldn’t have happened … but it did, so here goes.

The three cars were nose to tail with Jacobs once again in the lead, Chapouris and Eastwood representing the Oreo in the cookie and Ewing and I bringing up the rear (a position that we held with a great deal of regard). This was back in the day of the 55-mph national speed limit and it was aggressively enforced by the local highway patrol (or state trooper). We were running “significantly” over the speed limit and we came upon 18-wheelers in the slow lane and other traffic in the fast lane. So we were faced with a dilemma of far too slow of traffic occupying the lanes we wished to navigate and we were in a hurry. What to do?

The answer seemed obvious to us: nose to tail we moved over to the right shoulder and proceeded to pass the 18-wheelers and proceeded on our way. Down the road we came upon a truck stop, which seemed ideal to have our morning breakfast and refill the hot rods. All of us were inside beginning to enjoy our fill-up when we noticed state troopers pulling up alongside the hot rods. Chapouris thought it best the rest of us, the unseemly ones, should stay inside while he went out and used his charm and powers of persuasion to speak with the officer. About 20 minutes later Chapouris came back in and proceeded to inform us we were lucky that we weren’t going to jail and that for the rest of our stay in this fine state we would be traveling 55 mph as 56 mph would guarantee our immediate apprehension and subsequent trip to the hoosegow (gray bar motel, or whatever your term is for jail). Turns out the local law enforcement weren’t thrilled with our California driving habits as they weren’t appreciated in this state and we being what appeared to be unsavory types should just keep motoring. Do you have any idea how slow 55 mph is when you are driving on the interstate across an entire state. Suffice to say it was really slow and time-consuming. Chapouris for years would tell how he stared into the eyes (covered with those chrome-looking reflective sunglasses) of this particular state trooper in his oh-so neatly starched and pressed uniform complete with his Smokey hat, tie, and the biggest gun I had ever seen strapped to the hip of any two-legged individual.

There were lots of other stories, most much more mundane, but all had their moments of excitement. I will forever remember on once such trip when we were moving about between the cars when it was my turn to ride with Chapouris. I told him, “As I sit here in the front seat of the California Kid it will be a moment that I will remember for my entire life.” Chapouris agreed and I can remember as if it were yesterday that smile peaking from behind his beard. I will never forget but I will forever miss that smile and that man. Lest there be any doubt, Chapouris knew full well why he was born.

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