#the first time she was like ???? until she saw sep when she left her room and he was smirking | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

uncrownedmox · 3 years

Text

Dirty Secret

The Rigmarole: Mention of sexual contact / descriptive- dirty language. Swearing. Mox being a dominant cocky asshole. Sexual shenanigans (oral, male/female giving, toy play, alpha status) 18+ only.

Pairing. Dean Ambrose/Jon Moxley x OC

Rating. MC

Summary: When she looked at him she knew she was complete. She was HOME. They laughed and spent all their free time together. She wasn't surprised by the rumors, hurt yes but surprised no.

But he said not to worry, in the wrestling world, everything becomes a storyline sooner or later. That was fine with her. Sooner or later everyone will know who she is- the only thing she didn't plan on was the Shield. Or how looking at HIM made her into someone new, someone larger than life. She thought she was complete before? That she was home? Now..she knows better.

But now Evolution is back.. and that sledgehammer feels so heavy in her small hands.

(Actually, matches and timelines WON'T match up to this story. )

January 2013

Looking around she wasn’t sure where to go or who to speak to. The busy buzz of backstage was intimidating at best and people seemed only to be concerned in their own little bubble. Moving to the side as a fast-moving cart of clothing came flying by Catherine Jane Parks sighed and continued down the hallway.

Her long platinum hair was tied back into a loose braid and she had loose strands framing her face. Her light honey-colored eyes darting left and right until she came across a blonde woman standing around the round looking over a sheet of paper.

“Excuse me, Miss.” Keeping her voice light and hoping her confusion wasn’t too evident.

Watching as dark brown shot up to her and saw the surprise as the other woman took in her jeans and Nike hoodie. Smiling in what she hoped was a friendly matter CJ pushed forward.

“I was wondering if you could tell me where to find.” Pausing for a moment she had to remember what exactly to him.

Their relationship was so new and fragile that they had dared put a label on it. Digging out her phone from her back pocket she scrolled through some text messages and nodded silently when she came upon it. Looking back up at the blonde she smiles big.

“Hunter?”

She saw the blonde’s eyes go wide and dart from left to right then swallow hard. Then after a stale moment, she nods and chokes out softly as she points down the hallway. Licking her lips as she starts to speak and rolls the paper she had been looking at up in her hands.

“Down that hallway, take a left, third door on your right. Knock right- always knock first.”

Then she taps the rolled-up paper against her head as if she was reminding herself to do so. Nodding as she turned down the hallway CJ thanked her and made her way with the directions she was given. Coming up on the door she leaned her head against it for a moment. This would be only the second time they have met, and it took her breath away.

Knocking as she got herself back under control, hearing his rough voice call out in a biting command.

“Come.”

Smiling as she pushed the door open and slipped inside. He was sitting at a desk, in a dress shirt that was rolled up to his elbows. His eyes were focused on a piece of paper, but twitching to look at a laptop screen that was set up to his right. CJ simply leaned against the door and watched him for a few seconds.

Then his eyes flicker to her, a ghost of a smile graces his lips and gentles ask. “How was your flight?”

Kicking herself off the door and moving closer she settles into the plush chair that is across from his desk. Their eyes haven’t strayed from one another, they are both smiling like idiots now. There is so much to say and to do now that she is here, here with him.

“Good, I have never flown before so it was something else.”

She sees the surprise in his dark eyes, the hurt as well but she dismissed it. She doesn’t want regret or hurt between them. Reaching to lay a hand on top of his she squeezes lightly, hoping he understands. Smiling a little when a light shines in his dark eyes. Suddenly there is another knock on the door. Withdrawing her hand she sits back in the chair, almost ashamed. Smiling a little when he whispers out an apology and then bellows out.

“Come.”

Turning cause she is curious about his life and his business because she wants to be a part of everything that is him. She blinks in surprise as three rather large men come walking in, Hunter sighs and picks up the paper he had been looking at when she had came in.

“Joe, Colby, Jon, good good.” His eyes dart to her and she realizes that maybe she has overstayed her welcome?

Hitching her thumb towards the door in silent question and wanting to squeal in delight when Hunter shakes his head. She simply nods and tries to melt more into the chair. Hunter sighs and shakes the piece of paper at the three men.

“Care to tell me what this was about?”

Glancing back when she heard a deep sigh followed by a grunt. She saw the man in the middle close his eyes and rub at his temples, the man to his right just stared ahead, but the man on the left looked right at Hunter and muttered softly.

“Poor timing or self-defense?”

He said it so innocently CJ was almost convinced until she saw the glint of his hard blue eyes. The small kick of a smile on his lips, then a lock of his hair fell into those devilish eyes and CJ knew what he was. He was pure trouble. Moving without thinking about she made her way to stand by Hunter’s side. Not trusting Mr. Blue Eyes for a minute.

She was aware her movement had all four men looking at her in question. Shifting uncomfortably, she glanced down to see the paper Hunter was waving around at the three men in front of him.

A police report

Snorting softly, it would seem as Mr. Blue Eyes was a little troublemaker. Feeling his hard blue eyes on her she moved closer to Hunter, and keep on reading the report only stopping when Hunter spoke again.

“How do you claim self-defense, Good? She was an undercover cop.”

Mr. Blue Eyes, aka Good which she found hilarious because she only see him being good at being bad.

“Fine Entrapment then, fuck boss-man the things she said she could do with her pus.”

Eyes wide, mouth going dry. Watching as the guy in the middle slapped Mr. Blue Eyes in the chest and the other man grunted. Hunter raising out of his chair, a snarl on his lips.

“You watch your fucking mouth, Good. There is a Lady present.”

Mr. Blue Eyes blinks at Hunter then at her, all the while rubbing his chest. When goes to open his mouth Hunter snaps out.

“You all three are fined ten thousand dollars each, consider it a welcome to the big leagues.”

When Mr. Blue Eyes flares in either anger or disgust Hunter adds.

“The next time it will be fifty thousand and a suspension. I don’t give a fuck hot the Shield is right now. You will learn to play by my rules and understand that this is not the fucking indies- you understand me, Mox?”

Putting a hand on Hunter’s foreman she wasn’t sure if this was a normal business day for him or not but he seemed so invested in what was happening. That it got her blood pumping, when he cast her a look. She smiled big for him. When he shoots the three men another glance she can tell he is calmer.

“I know you’re still adjusting, especially you Jon. I told you once, listen to Joe okay. He may have the least amount of experience in the ring as you and Colby but damn it man you all can learn shit from one another.”

Nodding in satisfaction she beamed at him, letting go of his foreman she knew from her own background that wasn’t always peaches and cream.

“It’s all about being a team. Learning each other's weaknesses and strengths. It’s not always easy to let someone in or let pick at the scabs you have.”

All four men were looking at her again, blushing. She shrugged and picked up a pen from Hunter’s desk, and clicked a few times.

“Colton words, not mine.”

Mr. Blue Eyes asks and she can hear the amusement in his voice. Making air quotes with her fingers she murmured.

“My dad, ex-bad boy player extraordinaire.”

Mr. Blue Eyes actually laughs at her then sticks his hands into his jean pockets.

“Darlin you don’t know bad boy until you know me.”

Now she is laughing, so much so that she has to hang onto Hunter’s chair so she doesn’t fall.

“You a bad boy? Please!”

She totally misses the hardness that enters his blue eyes as he takes a step forward, the middle man jerks him back and grunts out.

“Leave her alone man, she is just a little girl.”

Snorting as Hunter opens his mouth but she adds.

“I and a group of my friends met Colton at Peru’s. He had just bent my mother over in the bathroom for fifteen minutes after a fight, didn’t know who in the hell I was so after some angry sex and seeing my mom talk to me he thought it would be cool to try to get with me in the same bathroom.”

Hunter is snarling and has her in his arms in a flash. She is laughing cause she thinks it’s so damn funny now. Mr. Blue Eyes is smirking saucy.

“He didn’t piece it together for a while and for a while I let him play the charmer. You, can’t outdo Colton Messer, my friend. No matter what you say or do.”

The third man finally speaks up in a low smooth voice.

“The Colton Messer?”

Nodding she laughs as he flinches and glances at his friend then sighs. He mumbles a second later.

“Yeah, Uce give over. If half that shit is true- not even Mox is as bad as he is.”

Nodding as she shyly snuggles deeper into Hunter’s embrace she watches blue eyes blink then narrow. He licks his lips then after a moment he shrugs, turns to face Hunter again.

“Okay fine, you tightened the leash on your new puppy. Can we go?”

Hunter only grunts, his hand is in her hair, his lips on her forehead and she finally knows what it’s like to be home.

--------------------------------------------

Watching him across the room she can help the smile that graces her lips. Seeing him in this element is breathtaking, his wife Stephine stands beside him but she could care less about that. The woman doesn’t seem to care for CJ, and that’s just fine. Hunter keeps them separated most of the time, except when they are at shows.

WWE shows

At twenty-four CJ never thought she would be working for such a company. Currently, she is working with Mr. Maddox who is a pure gentleman and a delight. She has caught on quickly that the wrestling world isn’t like the outside world, or even the racing world. Colton was always trying to sucker into working for him after graduating from college this spring. Hunter had put his foot down and told her absolutely not.

Glancing at him again she couldn’t help but be proud. She was aware of the rumors backstage, Hunter and she hadn’t gone public with their relationship. Hunter was trying to give his wife as much as needed to adjust to having CJ around and in her face. But the rumors were there already.

They simply chose not to acknowledge them because in Hunter’s words.

I am sorry CJ, like it or not. I know Steph- you’ll be a storyline before long.

Then the nature of their relationship will come to light, some would doubt it she was sure of that. But Hunter promised to take care of things. And so far he had upheld all his promises to her.

Like never having to see Chase Beckett again.

Frowning at the thought of the man that almost ruined her life she blushed when Hunter suddenly met her gaze. His dark eyes weren’t soft and playful like they normally were but hard and cold. She had gotten used to seeing that look for the cameras for TV. Watching as he brought his cell phone up to his face she watched in slight concern as after a moment he hung up and looked away from her. His attention back on whatever his wife was talking about.

“That was strange.”

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, jumping slightly when a warm hand comes to rest on her right shoulder. Turning she comes face to face with one Dean Ambrose, whom she first met in Hunter’s office three weeks ago as Mr. Blue Eyes. Of course, she knows Dean is just his character’s name and his real name is Jon. But she still gets confused sometimes on what to call these guys.

“Mr.”

He doesn’t let her finish instead he gently takes her elbow in hand and starts to lead her out. They were at some charity event and blinked as his two friends flanked him as they near the door.

“No fuss and no noise sweetheart. Hunters command.”

The phone call

“But why?”

The question is out of her mouth before she realizes it, the man gliding her only grunts but when a reporter at the entrance calls out.

“Chase, can we get a word?”

Stiffing she tries to melt into three larger men, she hides the best she can. Once they make it out, pass the entrance and into a SUV she reaches in her purse and digs out her phone and hits a speed dial number.

“Yes?”

His voice is gruff and hard, but she can hear the concern under it. It makes her want to weep.

“Thank you.”

There is a pause then in a year of their relationship she finally whispers.

“Thank you so much and I love you.”

He sucks in a breath, and she starts to openly cry. His words are light and his voice is gentle.

“I love you too, CJ. Since the day I met you.”

She hears him hang up and she can’t stop crying because even with the hurdle of telling Hunter she loves him she feels so very much alone. A strong arm comes around her shoulders and she doesn’t even blink; she just turns into him and balls her eyes out.

--------------------------------------------

May 2013

To say he has gotten used to being a WWE superstar is understatement. But he has watched and listened. After the fiasco in January, Joe had put the hammer down to their partying and he had cleaned up his act. Not that he was super bad to begin with.

Jonathan Good was a good man, or that’s what Colby and Joe says. Joe’s old lady swears by it too.

If you wasn’t I wouldn’t trust you with my daughter, you asinine.

Chuckling at the memory as he warmed up, they were coming off Mania season and anything could happen. He had no clue if the Shield’s thing with Sheamus, Big Show, and Randy Orton was completely done or not. Then inside of his brain snarls and pokes at him. He wouldn’t tell a soul about this- about how bad he is hurting because being handed a scripted for every promo kills him.

The snarling and poking inside of him, he knows is from his creative side. It’s a side that has mashed into his old Mox character and the fucker is still breathing and living deep in his soul.

But he is trying to cut it out, slowly and carefully. And, it feels like, with a dull ass spoon. Certain things don't help, either. Namely the little young number that is currently his boss' side piece.

Since that back in January he has kept a loose eye on her. CJ Parks even landed herself a job as a personal assistant to Greg Maddox. That he mused, was an injustice, all by itself. But who was he to say otherwise, one of the perks of fucking the boss man he supposed.

Looking over at Joe he put it out there.

“A what-if for you.”

It’s a game they play, Joe was quick to catch on it helped with his mental state at times. So six month into their run, having become closer, the bigger man only grunts as he sits down and slips on his boots.

“If you were the princess. Wouldn’t it piss you the high off that your hubby was keeping his younger side piece in your face all the damn time.”

After all he mused Hunter had called him and his boys from their charity interview a while back to pull his babygirl out of the whole event for some odd reason. Colby butts in with.

“Maybe it’s an open arrangement?”

Looking at Joe specifically he asked more heatedly.

“But I mean, the age- wouldn’t it be like robbing the cradle or something?”

Joe chokes on thin air and shakes his head, Jon can see the smile he is sporting though. The is a knock on the door and when whoever doesn’t wait for an all clear it speaks volumes. Watching as Hunter himself slips into the locker room, Jon plops down and reaches for the tape out of his bag. It doesn’t take Hunter long to get to the point.

“Tonight you boys will seek out Maddox for a new challenge. However he will get wind of it, and high tail it out of here. That leaves you dealing with his assistant.”

Sighing softly so this was why the personal face to face. Hunter wanted to make sure they treated his side piece with kid gloves. Fair enough, he supposed, they could-

“Ambrose I want you to go full throttle on her.”

Blinking in total surprise and a little shock, he nodded.

“Sure I can- WAIT. What?”

Joe snickers at him and Colby clunks down beside him in a hurry. Hunter only grunts then raises a hand and rubs it over his domed head.

“If you can get her to shed some tears even better. Dip into Mox if you have too but keep it PG. Cause this where things are going to get interesting boys, seems like Dave is coming back. And well since Randy is still wanting some of you boys.”

Colby is leaning forward like a kid on Christman morning. His eyes are lit up and sparkling up but Jon can’t seem to care because he can’t seem to wrap his mind around Hunter wanting him to cut a promo on his side piece. And not just any promo. Suddenly Hunter's words break through his thoughts.

“That’s right Evolution will be reborn next week.”

Shaking his head he drops his tape and snaps out.

“Hunter are you sure, you want me to cut a promo on your girl? I mean..?”

Hunter gives him a hard look then stands, looks at his watch and nods. Moves towards the door, all without looking back at him.

“You have one hour Jon. And three takes to get it done. Don’t disappoint me Jon.”

--------------------------------------------

The Shield finds Maddox's assistant in their joint office, her pretty long platinum hair is twisted into a messy bun that has chopstick sticking out of it. Her eyes look so fucking delicious behind a pair of reading glasses. She is on her cell phone, her eyes go wide and big when she sees them.

Dean gives her credit for standing when they file into the office room. He barks out.

“Where is Maddox?”

She physically flinches and replies to whoever is on the phone.

“Mr. Hemsley one moment if you please.”

An errant “Jon” thought crosses his mind.

Do you call him that behind closed doors baby?

Dean quickly pushes it away, there is no time or space for Jonathan Good or Jon Moxley in the here or now. This, THIS right now belongs to him- belonged to Dean Ambrose. He won’t screw it up again. Never again.

“Gentlemen how may I assist you tonight?”

The Mox in him howls and begs at his control, they had rehearsed the promo earlier. It had taken all three tries to get, he not happy with the first- she the second. And now here was another damn character in his head wanting to detail the whole damn thing. With something that clearly wasn’t PG. That clearly would get him fired.

“Little girl, you can’t assist me with what I want.”

And there it was. Jesus Fucking Christ. Not only did he see the surprise in her honey colored eyes but he FELT the surprise in his teammates. Shifting the US Championship belt on his shoulder he grinded his teeth together, how in the fuck to save this?

“What you can give me, and my boys, what we want!”

Okay that was a little better, at least it was getting them back on track. Then to his horror he saw something flash in those shiny golden eyes, saw her lips form in o pout and the tilt of her head as she looked him dead in the eye and leaned forward.

“Nope!”

His mind blanked.

Time stilled.

When it picked back up and he reacted it wasn’t Dean Ambrose that snarled back, almost happily.

“I was hoping you would say that, doll.”

As quick as lightning his hand shot out, tangled itself, her messy bun hair do and brought her smashing up against his body and her lips up against his.

Jonathan Good knew as the cameraman called out that they were all clear that he was good as fucked. The question was, did he care?

#my writing #dean ambrose #dean ambrose fanfiction #dean ambrose smut #no one under 18+#masterlist #chapter series #my muses #over1000words

55 notes · View notes

openheart12 · 4 years

Text

I Think He Knows

Chapter 5: King Of My Heart

A/N: This chapter was so much fun to write, we hope you enjoy it!

Summary: A move to Providence proves to bring new people together but will their friendship be able to survive through the unexpected problems they are faced with? When her crush turns into something more, what does that mean for the relationships closest to her. When he has to leave for college, will he finally relent or will he lose her forever? What consequences will she be faced with for falling for her brother’s best friend? Does he know?

Warnings: language, violence, and cheating

Disclaimer: PB owns characters

Catch up here

Her alarm went off at 4 AM sharp, beckoning her to wake up. When she turned it off, she rubbed her eyes, cursing whoever’s smart idea it was to make a flight to Miami at 7 AM the day of the actual conference. She slowly rose up to a sitting position letting the realization that today was the day she was going to be in Miami with Ethan for the weekend hit her.

She hopped in the shower, letting her tiredness wash away, and when she exited she heard a light knock on her bedroom door. Grabbing her robe and wrapping it tightly around her as she walked to the door, she opened it to see Ethan standing there with a bag near his feet.

He whipped his head up when she opened the door, seeing her in her white robe, and water dripping from her hair. He took a second to admire her as she self consciously wrapped her arms around herself before clearing his throat. “I know it’s only five but we should leave soon so we can get through security.”

She gave him a nod and moved to close the door. “I’ll be out in twenty minutes,” she said in a small whisper, not wanting to show her nerves through her voice.

“Alright, well I can load your bag into the car while you get ready,” he offered.

She let a small smile play across her face, “I still have a few things I need to pack, so I’ll take it out once I’m done.”

“Oh, okay.” He watched her start to close the door so he took it as a sign to leave.

Neither one of them knew why things had been so awkward these past few weeks. Well, that’s a lie. They both knew the tension between them as well as these mixed feelings and signals were a big factor, but why couldn’t they just shove it down and act normal?

That’s something Casey has been doing since she’d met Ethan. She’s used to keeping her feelings for him bottled up, she shouldn’t be feeling the awkward tension whenever she’s with him. Maybe it was because he was so open with her when she first came to Boston, or the way he comforted her, or maybe it was their almost kiss. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she knew there was something deeper with Ethan going on even though every bone in her body said it wasn’t a good idea with his current relationship going on.

She shook her arms and head, wanting to stop thinking about it all together as she threw on some sweats and packed the rest of her bag.

~~~~~~~~

The car ride to the airport was one of the quietest drives her and Ethan had ever experienced together. Both of them had been thankful that the drive wasn’t too long because if either of them had been in there longer, the tension that was so thick you would need a knife to cut through it would’ve suffocated them.

When they had boarded the plane, Casey was surprised when Ethan stopped at first class seats. She turned to him and raised a brow as he beckoned her to sit.

When she took her seat, he took the one across from her, staring out of the window instead of looking at her. There it was again, the tense silence that neither one of them had wanted in the first place. Casey bit her lip, thinking of ways to start the conversation before clearing her throat to get his attention.

When he turned his head to her, she let out a sigh. “Um, so who’s exactly paying for these seats? Because if I’m correct, then I know Edenbrook couldn’t have afforded these.”

“Well you’re right with that. Big Pharma is the reason we’re sitting here.”

She rolled her eyes, knowing damn well there were hidden intentions behind the seats. “And what do they want in return?”

Ethan chuckled as they both began to feel that weight of tension between them be lifted. “Should’ve known you’d be able to see right through them.” He watched a light blush tint her cheeks. “They expect us to promote their drugs to patients in return for these ‘luxurious’ seats.”

“You know, it’s times like these that I really love our capitalist society.”

He raised a brow, but before she could explain herself a flight attendant walked up to them.

“Hello, can I get you two anything?”

Casey pursed her lips before lifting her eyebrows and turning to the attendant. “I’ll have the most expensive booze you got!”

“Rookie, it’s not even eight a.m yet.”

She turned her head over to Ethan and shrugged her shoulders. “It’s five o’clock somewhere.”

Ethan huffed out a laugh and gave a nod before turning to the flight attendant himself. “I’ll just have a scotch, neat.” When the woman left to get their drinks, he looked back over to Casey giving him a smug look. “What’s that look for?” he asked, leaning back into his seat.

“Oh I don’t know,” she shrugged her shoulders. “I just think you’re predictable and I totally knew you were going to go for a scotch. I also knew it was going to be neat.”

“Well predictability happens to stem from knowing a lot about a person. You know scotch is my go-to, and you also know that-”

“The ice changes the flavor,” she said, cutting him off with a dainty smirk on her lips.

Ethan took a second to observe her. He knew she knew a lot about him because they grew up near each other, but it just didn’t really hit him how much she really knew him until now. He was soon brought out of his daze when the flight attendant came back with their drinks.

Once she left again, Casey lifted her glass to his. “To Miami, and whatever it may bring.”

“Hopefully no trouble,” he said, clinking their glasses.

“With us there? You bet your ass there’ll be trouble.”

He rolled his eyes as she let out a giggle. The conversation between them had been flowing easier than either had originally anticipated, making them feel just an ounce of what normalcy may feel like.

~~~~~~~~

They arrived in Miami by ten o’clock, both breathing in the crisp ocean air with a happy sigh. The sound of waves crashing in the distance sounded like music to her ears. “This is what heaven feels like.” She looked over at Ethan just as the sea breeze swept through his hair as he closed his eyes, looking peaceful.

“A moment of tranquility before our descent in hell,” he joked.

“It can’t be that bad, right?” She questioned which elicited a snort from him.

“Just you wait,” he teased as he patted her head.

“Ethan,” she groaned as she shoved him playfully. They made their way inside and they had just passed through the glass doors when a feminine voice called his name.

“Ramsey! Ethan Ramsey! I was so excited when Naveen told us you would be coming in his place this year! It’s lovely to meet you! Come, Horton and Mendoza want to say hi!” He suppressed the urge to groan as he shot her a pleading look and she snickered.

“Rookie, get us checked in. Two rooms under Ramsey,” he made sure to enunciate ‘Rookie,’ and she pinched his arm in return before going up to the receptionists’ desk.

“Welcome to the Celestial Miami! Checking in?” The concierge greeted her with a bright smile.

“Yup! Reservation’s under Ramsey. Two rooms.” She saw the look that crossed his face as he checked the computer and inwardly sighed. Please, please don’t let what I think is about to happen, happen, she thought to herself.

“Ramsey… Er, my apologies. There was an error with your reservation, and we only booked one room.” Dammit, she cursed under her breath, low enough that he wouldn’t hear her.

“One’s fine,” she plastered on a fake smile.

“Wonderful. Here are your keycards, you have a beautiful ocean-side suite. Very romantic.” He gave her a knowing look and she had suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, instead giving him a small smile. She pocketed the hotel keycards and stepped outside to wait for Ethan when she saw Zaid with his arm around… Ines.

“Casey!” Ines exclaimed as she gave her a hug, while Zaid just gave her a curt nod.

“Are you guys here for the conference too? And you’re together? As in dating each other?” She asked.

“Yes, and it’s the one break I get from the hospital all year. Please, can we just pretend we don’t know each other?” He begged her, causing the two women to share a laugh.

“And yes, we are dating. This month will be seven months with my Zaidy Bear!” She smiled as she nuzzled in his side and even Zaid smiled as his arm wrapped around her waist. She couldn’t help but smile at how happy they seemed to be with each other. She wanted that with him. Ethan walked out a moment later and greeted the two residents with a questioning look.

“What are you two doing here?” He asked as he was under the impression that him and Casey were the only two coming from Edenbrook.

“Naveen had asked us a couple weeks before, which I was surprised when he told us you were coming along yesterday too,” Ines spoke casually.

“Why would he inv-” suddenly realization dawned on him. He shook his head knowing exactly why Naveen had invited the two of them personally. He called him to his office one day and asked about his relationship with Casey, and now it made sense because he had told him the truth. From their growing up together to their first kiss to what had almost happened between them in the supply closet and who had caught them. Naveen was the first person he had ever entrusted to tell his most kept secret to and now it was biting him in the ass.

Casey had noticed the realization in his eyes and had a feeling as to why Naveen had invited them to Miami. She tried to meet his gaze, but he kept his gaze trained on anything except for her. A few minutes later they said their goodbyes to Ines and Zaid and made their way to what he thought was going to be separate rooms. They got to the front of the door and he gave her a questioning look when she gestured for him to go in and she followed suit.

“Is this my room? Or yours?” He turned around to face her and felt his heart start to race when he noticed her expression because he could not share a room with her. He could barely live in the same apartment as her let alone two days in the same room.

“Well, you see, there was a problem with our reservation and they only booked us for one room, and it’s a couples’ suite.” She watched as he rubbed his brow and sighed.

“Oh dear Lord,” he muttered under his breath just loud enough for her to hear.

They spent the next few minutes putting their luggage away before heading to the convention center that was flooded with people awashed with colorful booths and banners. She gawked in amazement as the various doctors and researchers revealed their cutting-edge research. Ethan looked over at her with a small smile as he noticed her excitement.

“I can’t believe I get to see all of this firsthand!” She exclaimed and before he could answer her, he walked over to them.

“Ethan Ramsey, do my eyes deceive me?” The man clapped him on his back.

“Declan,” he spoke through gritted teeth, he hadn’t seen him since his first day as an intern before he transferred to Seattle Grace Hospital. He felt anger coursing through his veins when he saw he had turned his attention towards Casey and was looking at her suggestively.

“Is this the infamous Harper, because she is absolutely stunning,” he shot her a wink which in return made her roll her eyes.

“No.”

“So she’s your side piece?” He asked smuggly. “Good for you! I didn’t know you had it in you, buddy.” He patted his back and it took everything in Ethan for him not to punch him right then and there.

He maneuvered Casey away from him but Declan grasped her arm and pulled her back to him roughly. “Don’t touch her, you son of a bitch,” his fist connected with his jaw and Declan stumbled backwards.

“What the hell was that for?” His hand went to his jaw, wincing from the pain.

“If you touch her again, you will live to regret it,” he seethed before leading her out and back to their room.

They spent the next couple of hours unpacking and sleeping while Ethan kept ice on his injured hand. The silence was deafening at this point, both unsure of what to say.

“Shit,” he muttered when he looked at the clock and saw that they only had forty five minutes until they had to leave. “We have to leave soon, Case,” he called before going to take a quick shower.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me there was a reception,” she rummaged through her travel bag for anything that would be acceptable to wear. Ethan had left the door open a crack so they would be able to talk.

“It was the furthest possible thing from my mind at the time.”

“But it’s a casino theme! I have to look nice!” She glanced over at the bathroom mirror, seeing him step out of the shower with a towel around his hips and before she could look away, he glanced up, catching her staring. She felt her cheeks turn a deep shade of crimson and turned her attention back to finding something to wear.

“Just throw on whatever you brought with you,” he told her as he donned his suit. She then remembered the navy blue dress she had brought with her and ran her fingers over the fabric, a soft smile playing on her lips. She slipped the dress on, trying to zip the back up until she felt his fingers ghost her skin causing goosebumps to erupt across her skin.

“May I?” His breath was on her neck and all she could do was nod, not trusting her voice to speak. He zipped her up, his fingers lingering on her back a moment too long, but she didn’t mind. She moved the cape back so it flowed behind her, stealing one more glance in the mirror before making her way to the door, but he gently grasped her arm, holding her back.

“You look beautiful.” She couldn’t help the blush that crept onto her face.

“Thank you,” she smiled sheepishly. He held his arm out to her with a lopsided grin, she shook her head with a laugh before linking her arm through his as they made their way down to the reception.

It was a relatively cool night in Miami with the breeze blowing softly. They walked out to the pool area where it was illuminated by lights, on one side was the open bar and the other had a buffet table. There was a game of poker going on at one of the many tables set up around the deck, with Declan sitting in the middle. He met her eyes and smirked, a noticeable bruise on his jaw.

“If I’m going to make it through tonight, I’m going to need a drink. Do you want anything?”

“Whatever you get is fine with me.” She took a seat at one of the empty tables to wait for Ethan. Her phone dinged with a text from Nate.

How are things going? Have you jumped each other’s bones yet? Wait, don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.

She was so engrossed in her response that she didn’t notice that she was no longer alone. She looked up to see no one other than Declan peering down at her phone. “What the hell?” She quickly turned off her phone.

“Is he talking about Ethan? Don’t tell me that’s Nathan Grey. That would make you Casey Grey, the woman I have heard so much about from those two.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders at the same time as Ethan was walking back to her, two drinks in hand.

“What are you doing?” Ethan spat.

“Having a conversation with my good friend, Casey,” he tightened his grip around her shoulders, but she pushed him away and stood up. She grabbed Ethan’s hand and pulled him after her but they didn’t get far before Declan walked up behind them and pushed Ethan’s shoulder to the point where he was now facing him. “You know I find it funny how possessive you are over her when your girlfriend is back in Boston.”

“Okay listen here you son of a bitch, I hit you earlier and I’ll gladly do it again,” Ethan said, advancing towards Declan.

“Ha! I’d like to see you try. It seems like you’d do anything for that beauty over there.”

Ethan went to raise his fist to give Declan a blow, but before he was able to swing, Declan’s knuckle had connected against Ethan’s lower jaw. He stumbled backwards before regaining his balance, Declan went to hit him again, but Ethan blocked it, striking his cheek in retaliation.

It took three other doctors to pull them apart and even then, Ethan tried to lunge at him again, but Casey stepped in front of him, putting her hands on his chest. When he met her eyes, reality came crashing back down and he stilled his movements and Casey had led him back to their room.

“You wanna tell me what happened between the two of you? You or Nate have never mentioned his name before.” She got him a bag of ice and set it down beside him.

“He’s a prick,” she waited for him to continue but his gaze was glued to the floor. She wracked her brain for any reason she could think of that Ethan would be keeping something from her. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she saw him get up and head out to the balcony.

While out on the balcony, the breeze was softly rustling through their hair. They had been up there for twenty minutes and Ethan had been insisting he could take care of himself. She honestly didn’t want to argue with him so she sat back and watched as he winced and put the ice she had prepared for him not even remotely close to where Declan had actually struck.

Watching him had been the most frustrating thing so she stood up and got closer to him, rolling her eyes in the process and she took the makeshift ice pack from his hand.

“What are you doing?” He asked, lifting an eyebrow as she placed the pack lower on his jaw.

“You suck at being your own doctor so I’m taking over.”

She pulled one of the chairs closer to him and sat down. There was a certain quietness between them that had lingered, but it wasn’t that weird tense silence. This was a moment between two lifelong friends, a moment of revelation, no, a moment of realization.

With Ethan looking into her eyes she could feel her pulse start beating rapidly. The intense feeling had made her grip on the ice pack go weak and she let it drop to the ground. She was about to move her hand to get it, but right before she did Ethan put a light hold onto her wrist, keeping her hand near his face.

The passion and wanting in both of their eyes was enough for them to become weak in the knees, and as if Ethan was rushing up from a lake for oxygen, he surged forward, capturing her lips with his.

The initial shock of their lips together hadn’t lasted long, and she clung her arms around his neck, bringing their bodies closer as he stood them up. Ethan had returned the same grip around her waist, both holding onto each other like it was their first and last kiss.

The kiss had quickly escalated as Ethan had her against the glass sliding door, kissing down her neck as she ran her fingers through his hair. When he moved his lips back onto hers, she slid her hands down his chest, starting to play with the buttons of his tux. He felt the icy touch of her hand slip beneath his undershirt and sucked in a breath as he heard four soft words escape her mouth.

“I’ve been wanting this.”

“Me too,” she heard his husky voice whisper.

She had continued to explore his chest before bringing her hand up to the back of his neck, deepening the kiss even further. She wanted more, no, she needed more. Without thinking, she hooked one of her legs around his hips, being close enough to feel just how much he wanted her.

The feeling of Casey almost wrapped around him made him suddenly aware of what they were actually doing, and who they actually were.

Without any warning he broke the kiss, backing away so that they were at arm’s length. Casey had abruptly opened him a look mixed with confusion and hurt. She watched him let out a breath, rubbing his hand down his face before giving a guilty expression.

“Case, We shouldn’t have… we… I’m with Harper.”

She quickly schooled her features into a look of understanding. “Yeah…”

“We were just...tipsy from the reception and high on adrenaline and I was out of line.”

“You’re right. It was the alcohol and adrenaline,” she lied, trying to keep her feelings at bay.

He shot another guilty look in her direction but she couldn’t meet his eyes. “Case, are we gonna be fine, or should we talk about this?”

She looked up at him and gave a half hearted smile. “We’re fine E, or we can talk about it later if you want but I’m pretty tired, so I think I’ll go to bed.”

He scratched the back of his neck and gave a nod. “Okay, well I’ll take the couch. Good night.”

“Thanks,” she murmured, walking into the suite and heading straight towards the bathroom, wanting to take a shower and wash away the day.

~~~~~~~~

The weekend had passed by quickly, their last day in Miami was full of attending lectures until they had a two hour break for everyone to relax and have time to eat. Ethan and Casey had decided to have their lunch on the beach. They had brought a picnic blanket with them and laid it across the sand as she took out the sandwiches they had packed while he got their drinks.

“I better not get a bad tan-line.” He chuckled as he took out a bottle of sunscreen and sprayed it on his arms and his face. He went to hand her the bottle but she shook her head.

“I’ll be fine.”

“Suit yourself,” he put the bottle back in the big and started to eat his food, he noticed that her gaze was trained on the water and she hadn’t touched her food. “Are you okay?” He asked softly. They still hadn’t talked about what happened the night before, about the line they had almost crossed.

“Yeah,” she gave him a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes, but he didn’t want to push it. They spent the next two hours almost in complete silence. When they had to leave, they put everything up. She started to walk back to the hotel when he gently grabbed her arm.

“Are… are we going to be okay?” He questioned.

“Yeah,” she was averting her gaze from him, scared that if she looked into his eyes, that she would lose control and she was barely holding it together.

“Can you look at me and say that?”

“We… we have to go.” She broke free from his grasp and he sighed, running his hand through his hair before following her.

The rest of the day consisted of attending the rest of the lectures and packing and finally heading to the airport to board their flight. Thick tension hanging over the pair the whole time. After going through security and taking their seats on the plane, the quietness enveloped them again. They settled in for the long flight, she put in her AirPods before he even had a chance to talk to her.

They arrived at Boston Logan International Airport around eleven o’clock at night, grabbing their luggage before hailing a cab to take them home. Again, the silence engulfed them, both not knowing what to say. When they got home, they said their goodnight’s and headed to their separate rooms.

Early the next morning, they were getting ready to head to the hospital when Nate confronted both of them. He had noticed a shift in their relationship and wanted to know what had happened in Miami.

“Are you going to tell me what's wrong with you two?”

“Nothing,” she replied dryly, breezing past him out the door. He gave Ethan a look and he just shook his head before following her out the door. For the first time in all the years they had known each other, there was an awkward silence on the way to the hospital.

“Dr. Banerji has an announcement today,” Nate tried to lessen the growing tension, but he was ignored by both of them. He looked over to Ethan who was driving and noticed the bags under his eyes. He stole a quick glance at Casey in the rearview mirror and noticed the troubled look in his sister’s eyes. His mind churning at what could have possibly happened to change their dynamic so much.

When they arrived at Edenbrook, Casey quickly got out of the car not bothering to wait for the other two. They walked in to see Naveen standing at the top of the stairs with almost all the doctors and nurses waiting for his announcement, including Casey. Ethan didn’t see Harper walk up to him as his gaze was fixed on Casey. She kissed him and he inwardly grimaced, when the kiss broke, he looked at Casey who was staring at the two of them with an unreadable expression on her face before she turned her attention back to Naveen.

“First of all, I would like to welcome Dr. Ramsey and Dr. Grey back!” Naveen had a smile that slightly faltered when he saw the looks on both of their faces. “There is going to be a gala in two weeks to help raise money and I expect everyone to attend. That’s all, thank you.” The group began to dissipate as they went back to work. All wondering what was to come in the following weeks.

Casey was getting ready to walk down to one of her patient’s rooms when Bryce quickly jogged up to her and caught her elbow. When she turned around, she saw that cocky, yet endearing grin.

“So you obviously know about the gala…”

“Yeah, and what about it?” She crossed her arms, giving him that same grin back.

“Well I was actually wondering if you would be my date.”

Casey’s grin had turned into a soft smile, and when she went to open her mouth, her eyes briefly brushed past Bryce and connected with Ethan’s to see that he was listening to Harper. It was almost as if the whole weekend had flashed before her eyes. The weekend that gave her that taste of him, and left her wanting more. She could feel the intense feeling rushing back just from thinking about it, but the one thing that made her choices regarding Bryce so much easier, was the simple, yet heartbreaking sentence of “Case, We shouldn’t have… we… I’m with Harper.”

Ethan was with Harper. It was that simple. She needed to accept that, and the first step was going out and trying with someone new, someone different.

Her eyes had settled back onto Bryce and she brightened her smile. “I would love to go with you Bryce.” She could see the excitement light up in his eyes.

“Great! I’ll text you what time I’ll pick you up?”

She gave him a nod before he squeezed her elbow and went off to work. Casey was about to turn back towards the direction of her patient’s room, but she caught Ethan’s eye once again as he gave her an unreadable expression.

Ethan Tags: @ethandaddyramsey @junggoku @edith-eggs1 @camiyumi5 @lilypills @sekizincimektup @missmiimiie @binny1985 @drethanramslay @whatchique @cxld-play @the-ingenious-f00l @oofchoices @lovebubblechoices @loveellamae @trappedinfandoms @choices-love-affair @noboundariesplease @newcolonies @big-yikers @flyawayboo @misterbitterapplesauce @x-kyne-x @itsgoingnuts @junehiratas @drakewalker04 @caseyvalentineramsey @kaavyaethanramsey @jamespotterthefirst @messrprongs @pikapower18 @samihatuli @jooous @sanchita012 @nooruleman @lifeof-liv @schnitzelbutterfingers @desmaranj @rookiefromedenbrook @mrsdrakewalkerblog @tefigranger @tyrilstouch @eileendannie @rookie-ramsey @ramseyandrys @agent-breakdance @mvalentine @theeccentricbibliophile @ao719 @openheartchoices @lucy-268 @humanpokemon @custaroonie @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @anotherbeingsworld @zeniamiii @squishywizardhq @nerdydinosaursweets @pixelberryownsme @courtesanofedenbrook @aylamwrites @mals-chesthair @checkurwindow @unluckygs @dulceghernandez @lion-ess24 @choicesficwriterscreations @mkamra2355

ITHK Tags: @burnsoslow @smilex1104 @rookiemarsswiftie @princessfuzzy12 @rookieoh @virtualrain202 @kiara-36 @macy-ray85

#ethan ramsey #dr ethan ramsey x mc #ethan x mc #dr ethan ramsey #playchoices #choices open heart #play choices #choices open heart 2 #choices #choices stories you play #ethan jonah ramsey #OpenHeart #open heart second year #open heart #open heart fanfiction

154 notes · View notes

nitewrighter · 4 years

Note

I think Gabe and Jack's arguments for sometime were mostly about Ana's death. In the old soldiers comic Gabe says "He left you to die." He probably blamed Jack for her death, he was present on that mission and didn't even retrieve her body. Both of them probably took it very hard. Are you planning on writing a fic about aftermath of her death in the future? Pretty good angst material right there

Oooh that’s a good prompt! You know, I hardly ever get asked about R76.

Read on AO3 here.

---

“Wheels up in two! Now beat feet!” Jack barked into the comms.

She should have responded. She should have said, “Affirmative, rendezvousing,” like she always did, but she didn’t. The heat of the evac’s engines just pushed the hot city air around. The smoke in the air from Ana’s destroyed surveillance drones mingled with the dust of crumbling concrete. There was still the distant pops of Talon agent fire, more likely to scare civilians fromthe area and create enough confusion for them to withdraw. But from Ana there was no response. He could still feel the sniper out there, and at this point he had no idea where they might be firing from next.

Jack gritted his teeth. “Disengage, Ana! that’s an or--”

Click.

Jack checked the HUD of his tactical lens. Hit two buttons at his temple to search for Ana on the comm lines, but all that came up were the red all-caps letters: OFFLINE.

She hung up on him. She clicked out of the channel. She was ignoring a direct order! His stomach hollowed. No, they couldn’t have this--not her. He shook his head. Get it together, Jack. She probably just needed to focus to take out the sniper. That was all. Two minutes. Just two minutes until evac took off. She could make it. She always made it. She had beaten the odds before. Jack brought his hand away from his ear and took a steadying breath. Two minutes. Just wait two minutes.

He could have sworn only fifteen seconds of making sure all the hostages were safely accounted for aboard the transport when Mirembe touched his arm.

“Sir, it’s been two minutes. We have to take off,” she said. There was still a splash of sticky brown-red across the honey-gold curls framing her face from where Bayless’s blood had spurted onto her.

“Amari will be coming,” said Jack, “And once she re-establishes contact over the comms and confirms the enemy sniper is downed, we can go back for Bayless and Al-Faroukh.”

“and Singh,” said Mirembe.

“...and Singh,” said Jack, his stomach hollowing.

“...And Klevstav...” Kimiko’s voice was hollow.

“...Klevstav, too,” said Jack.

“Wh--I’m sorry, you’re waiting!?�� one of the hostages piped up, “You can leave and you’re waiting?!”

“Khassan--” another hostage touched his shoulder.

“Captain Amari is a vital agent--” Jack started.

“I’m sorry, but I had the barrel of a talon rifle down my throat 11 minutes ago, and you’re waiting for someone who’s probably dead! We all saw what that sniper could do! They’re dead! The only chance we have is getting out of here!”

“You’re hysterical, sit down, shut up and let us--” Kimiko started but Jack put a hand up.

“...Drone intel says Talon forces are regrouping,” said Mirembe, looking at her own HUD, “If we stay here too long...”

He took a steadying breath. “I did say wheels up in two minutes,” said Jack. He turned toward the ship’s cockpit, “Ray, get us out of here.”

“But sir--” said Kimiko.

“...Amari ignored a direct order and clicked out of the comms,” said Jack, “That was her prerogative. If she hasn’t called in, we have to assume the worst. Our priority is to get the hostages to safety.” It’s what she would do, if she were here, thought Jack. His stomach turned at the thought.

Kimiko paled and Mirembe slumped into her seat.

“Ray?” said Jack to the cockpit, “You heard me.”

“...Right, sir,” said Ray, and the ship started thrumming as it lifted off.

Jack took his own seat and strapped in as the smoking city shrank beneath them.

----

If the two minutes passed in an instant back on the mission, getting off the dropship back in Zurich felt like an eternity. They were able to drop the hostages off at another Watchpoint in Krakow before continuing on to Zurich. The sky was sickly yellow with a sun-through-fog twilight when they touched down. It wasn’t the first time he had lost a soldier, but Ana was far more than just a soldier. He would never forget the look in Gabe’s eyes as the remains of the strike team emerged from the ship. Jack had sent him a short briefing before they landed, told him what happened, but that searching look in Gabriel’s eyes told him that it hadn’t sunk in, and why should it? Of the three of them, both he and Gabe were so sure Ana would outlive them both. The way he lingered, still staring at the open door of the Orca as Jack made his way down to him, made every step sting. She was gone. LaCroix, then Liao, and now her. She hit differently.

“Gabe,” Jack started.

“I talked to Sojourn,” the words fell out of Gabe’s mouth, his eyes not meeting Jack’s, “She’s heading a task force to take on the brunt of Ana’s duties until we can name her as official replacement and the dust settles with the UN.”

Jack’s mouth was hanging open slightly. The orca’s engines were still humming in the silence between them, giving that silence a body and bringing its weight down on them.

“Good,” Jack said, just as hollowly, “That’s... good. Sojourn--yes. She’s good.”

Gabriel took him up in a hug and he returned the embrace. It was tight, there was some relief in the tension of their arms around each other. Jack wanted to wring his fingers against the cloth of Gabriel’s hoodie, press his face just under Gabe’s ear and breathe in his scent, but he settled for pressing his jaw against the top of Gabe’s shoulder. Their relationship was far from secret to most of Overwatch’s staff, but there was only so much intimacy they could express there on Zurich’s tarmac. The pain they would bear together, that true stinging ugly grief that made you want to scream and cry and throw up, that grief that felt like a severed chord leaving you adrift in space, could not be borne here. They knew that as they both gently loosened the embrace. Here, their only comfort was the work. And there was always plenty of work.

“I’ve already organized with our security forces in Krakow,” Jack went on, “We’ll get boots on the ground. Come back with a bigger strike team and work with local law enforcement. Comb the area for her.”

For her body.

Gabriel gave a stiff nod. “She could have been captured,” he said, glancing off. But the briefing had told him more than enough. A sniper like that wasn’t there to take prisoners.

“She got you back safe,” said Gabe, “She always did.”

----

The sheets were in disarray from being pulled over him and pushed off of him multiple times. The smoke detector on the ceiling stared down at him with red, unblinking indifference. The bed was too soft. Gabriel was lying on his stomach, his arm draped across Jack’s chest, his fingertips curling at his temple. Memories of the Crisis always made sleep a complicated subject, but Gabe helped. The fear wasn’t quite the same when Gabe was there--he was afraid of losing him, sure, but at the same time, he always felt like they could take on anything so long as they had each others’ backs, and yet, (and this was that rotten, clawing grief) that invulnerability didn’t seem to be there anymore.

He remembered Ana playfully swatting them both upside their heads when they’d get too caught up in their own inside jokes and they had to re-focus on the mission, impressive, considering her height. He remembered her showing them pictures of Fareeha every time Sam sent her an update from home. He remembered her easily taking them down a few notches when they got too cocky, or reasoning away any self doubt with only a few well-chosen words. He remembered the three of them taking shelter in the bathroom of a shelled out hotel room in the worst of the crisis, she had taken the tub, forcing Jack and Gabe to lean on each other against the cracked tile wall. And then the next morning she obnoxiously stretched and went on about what a good night’s sleep she got while Jack and Gabe were grumbling and stiffly rolling their shoulders.

But now she was gone, and the bed was too damn soft.

Jack’s eyes flicked over to the comm on his bedside table and he picked up the comm.

“It’s going to be offline,” Gabe’s voice was half muffled into the pillow.

Jack pretended not to hear him, or pretended to assume he was talking in his sleep as he scrolled to Ana Amari’s comm status on his comm.

OFFLINE.

He huffed and set the comm back on the bedside table, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

“Told you,” said Gabe.

Jack shot a sharp look over at him and Gabe’s eyes opened, brown, shining, framed by dark lashes. That snark of his was just as much a weapon as a shield. Jack sighed and readjusted himself in bed and brushed his fingertips along the side of Gabe’s closely-cropped hair. Time was not being kind to either of their hairlines, and Gabe loved blaming it on the SEP serum.

“You can talk about it,” said Gabe, turning on his side and bringing his hand up over Jack’s.

“We shouldn’t have been on the mission,” said Jack.

“Mm?” Gabriel’s eyes sharpened slightly.

“I know we said the second we permanently go behind the desk, that’s the second we forget the stakes for everyone we put out there but...” Jack trailed off.

“You think she died because you’re old!?” said Gabriel pushing up against the pillows.

“I don’t know--I--”

“She died because there was a sniper on a level none of us were prepared for, because Talon doesn’t care about fair engagement and Talon’s willing to pump its soldiers with whatever nightmarish crap it can to get an edge in a fight.”

“So maybe I should have pumped myself with nightmarish crap like you?” the words slipped out of Jack.

The shift in Gabriel’s expression made Jack realize his words came from a deeper place of resentment than just his own fury at himself. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m--”

“I get it. Grieving,” Gabriel glanced off.

“I’m sorry,” said Jack.

“I know,” said Gabe, taking his hand off of Jack’s and lying on his back, making Jack pull his own hand away, “I hate it too. If Blackwatch wasn’t benched, maybe we would have had the intel...”

“Gabe, you have no idea how much better I would feel if I could put your teams back out there, but there has to be accountability---”

“Talon doesn’t give a shit about accountability and you know it’s going to keep using the fact that we do to hurt people. To kill people,” said Gabe, “We know what we’re up against and we know needs to be done, not some cardboard standee in the UN pearl-wringing about their voter polls and corporate backers. But when they tie our hands and people die because we can’t do shit, apparently that’s our accountability,” Gabe was gripping the mattress cover, the cloth clenched taught in a starburst of wrinkles under his fist.

“Gabe,” Jack touched on his shoulder.

“I should have been there,” Gabe’s voice seemed smaller, he was trying to half-stuff it into the pillows, “If it had been the three of us...” it wavered, weak, tinged with a song-like pitch of a near-crack, “If it had been the three of us...”

Jack sank down and curled around him and that first shuddering sob that came out of Gabe was all that was needed to break the levees for both of them. Jack couldn’t recall the last time either of them cried this hard--a wet convulsion surging up from the diaphragm, breath looping hot back into the lungs with those gasping sobs, tears saturating faces and pillowcases and sheets, so much snot he’d almost laugh for a second because he felt ridiculous before it all came surging up and breaking down again.

You’re laughing and she’s not here.

Hands tense on skin, fingers digging into muscles, just as much clawing as hugging, they buried their tears and their cries into each other. Maybe if Gabe had the strength to bring his walls back up he’d manage a few sob-choked words about both of them being grown ass men, but the strength wasn’t there. Despite all the crap the SEP program and Moira had pumped into them, it granted no defense against a loss so profound. Their captain. Their team. Their friend. Their family. And at some point it wasn’t just Ana anymore. It was Gérard. It was Mina. It was Bayless and Singh and Al-Faroukh and Klevstav. It was every bright-eyed dumbass kid who had gotten themselves killed following the wrong order from him. It was this great open wound of a world that was eating away at more and more of who they were and what they fought for and how they loved each other. Jack and Gabriel let the grief submerge them both, pushing and surging up in them with their breaths like waves in a storm.

Hold me until this rips me apart, thought Jack, and maybe then it will stop. Maybe then I can rest.

-----

They never recovered the body. That was the worst of it. The Polish government was able to deliver the bodies of Bayless, Al-Faroukh, Singh, and Klevstav, but Ana was nowhere to be found. They had combed through photos of bodies in hospital morgues, but none of them were her. The media had a feeding frenzy with that. And then they had to bring up the Ecopoint: Antarctica fiasco as well. “How many loved ones has Overwatch failed to bring home?”

The memorial service was... pretty nice, for an overcast day. Just a humble little ceremony with laurel wreaths framing holo-portraits of the deceased flanking both sides of the memorial wall, with Ana’s own portrait placed at the center in front of the podium where various teammates and family members gave their eulogies. The bodies themselves were being shipped back to their respective countries, to let their families and militaries put them to rest in their own ways, but there was still a ceremony to put their names up on Zurich’s memorial wall and let their coworkers say a few works and make their goodbyes.

Nearly every Overwatch member not currently on a mission was there. Jack scanned across the crowd. Mercy looked exhausted, as usual, smudges of sleeplessness and mascara around her eyes from her own stuffed down crying. She was comforting a sobbing Tracer with Torbjörn sitting next to her, looking about as stone-faced as he could but letting out a stubborn sniffle every now and then. Genji looked on, arms folded, caught between the desire to help the clearly distraught Tracer and a clear sense of his inability to do so. McCree had tried to clean himself up as much as he could for the ceremony, but Jack could feel his hangover from across the headquarters’ green. Jack didn’t judge him. They all mourned in their own ways.

He and Gabe gave their own eulogies, both relieved they had gotten the worst of their cries out a few nights previous. They were both able to hold it down, give the people in the audience something to lean on. As the speeches and ceremony ended, everyone in the audience stood up in a gently coasting line, the line itself gliding past the memorial wall, each of them passing a hand over the new names carved into it. Jack watched as Reinhardt took up the tail end of the line, of course he had been sitting in the back so as to not block anyone’s view with his massive size. Jack watched as Reinhardt quietly brushed the back of his knuckles against the names on the wall--some of them probably his own soldiers, before stopping at the wall’s end and the new names there. He pressed his forehead against the stone and Jack watched as Reinhardt’s massive shoulders shook with a few suppressed sobs before Torbjörn stepped up and led him off.

If it had been the three of us... Gabe’s voice echoed in his mind.

If it had been the old team... thought Jack.

The memorial assembly was walking to the Headquarters’ reception hall for a light lunch and drinks. Jack and Gabe trailed at the end of the party, while McCree lingered by the memorial wall a bit longer.

“...You’re going to talk to him later, right?” said Jack looking back at McCree.

“Yeah,” said Gabe, “He wouldn’t be able to hit the broad side of a barn without Ana so... he’s taking it pretty hard. ‘Course he has to do the cowboy tough guy thing about it...”

“Mm,” Jack kept his eyes on the patent leather of his formal shoes as he walked.

“Commander Morrison?” A voice that sounded like Ana’s did back in the Crisis threw Jack off-kilter for a few moments as he turned around. He had barely gotten a glimpse of the woman’s face before he felt a fist collide with his cheek. She hit hard. He reeled back and he heard a dozen guns loading in his defense as he was splayed out onto the cement by the force of the blow.

“Fareeha!” Sam stepped in and put a hand on Fareeha Amari’s shoulder.

Jack’s eyes trailed up to a tall woman in a formal Egyptian special forces uniform, a beret embellished with a gold-stitched eagle, and her sleek black hair tied back in a bun, save for a few gold beads hanging at her temples. A wadjet tattoo, but on the wrong eye.

The pain of the blow didn’t even really set in. All Jack could think was, ‘God, is that how old she is now? She punches like her mother.’

Her mother.

“You left her to die and you couldn’t even bring her home,” there was a fury rippling deep in Fareeha’s throat.

“Stand down,” Reyes stepped between her and Jack, “Don’t make this more of a spectacle than it already is.”

Jack could hear the rapid clicks of camera shutters from the crowd in the parking lot around him as he pushed up to a seated position on the concrete, he coughed and felt at his jaw.

“It’s okay, Gabe,” he said, as Gabe took his arm and helped him to his feet.

“No, it’s not okay!” said Fareeha, brown eyes glittering with tears, “She gave everything to this organization and you--you---!”

She choked back a sob and Sam put a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged his hand off and walked off furiously, hugging herself as she did so.

“I...” Sam looked after her, “I’m sorry, she and Ana... the last things they said to each other...”

“You don’t have to apologize for her,” said Jack, still feeling at his jaw.

“She can do that herself,” said Gabe, looking at the growing bruise on Jack’s jaw.

“She needs time. It’s not like back in the crisis,” said Sam glancing down, “Back then you could just say, ‘They were vaporized’ or something crazy like that and... and you just had to deal with it. I know sometimes there are things that you’re never going to get closure on but...you never think it’s going to be something like this huh?”

Jack glanced back at the memorial wall, where several Overwatch staffers were shifting the memorial wreaths around, one wheeling away the podium as the clouds overhead threatened rain. One of the staffers took Ana’s wreath from its stand in front of the podium, her holo-portrait blinking into nothingness with the movement.

“No, said Jack, “Never something like this.”

#r76 #long post #overwatch fanfic #reaper76 #morreyeson

86 notes · View notes

practicingmedicine · 3 years

Text

Practicing Medicine: Chapter Seven

(+)7

2075 ROBCO(R)

LOADER V1. 1

EXEC VERSION 41.10

32K RAM SYSTEM

14302 BYTES FREE

HOLLOWTAPE LOADED: "THE-WORST-THING-EVER"

INITIALISING….

SUCCESS!

STATUS

Battery Level: 42%

Wireless Signal: (?)

Operating Temperature: 92F

HEALTH

BP: 170/130

SPO2: 100%

Temp: 99.5F RR: 28

HR: 185

TIME

Day: 24 SEP. 2279

Time: 16:10

CLIMATE

Current Temperature: 76 F

Atmospheric Pressure: 750 mm

Background Radiation: 1.321 RAD

WARNING: Dangerous wasteland creature in range!

Yeah, no shit, Sherlock! Why don't you tell me my chance of survival as a percentage too!

I'd been tipping back in my chair when the wall exploded, so now I was sitting on my ass in a state of total mental shock, slowly butt-scooting my way backwards. The NCR soldier who I'd been sitting beside popped up, knocking his stool over in the process.

"Ayuda!" he shouted. He was shooting his rifle, but it wasn't making any noise. He screamed something about shit ammo and started yanking on the charging bolt.

Amongst the wreckage, Tandi tried to stand back up. How she survived an impact like that was beyond me, but I wasn't about to point that out. She turned her head to look at Gram.

"Gram, get the-" she started. Before she could finish, the big white reptile threw itself directly at her, knocking over the entire table and crushing Cook and Jas as Tandi rolled out of the way, trailing pink insulation foam behind her. Gram sprinted past me and started clambering up the stairs to the second floor, leaving poor Chomps sitting in stunned silence.

The deathclaw reared around to face Tandi, who had drawn a six-gun from her hip.

"Fuck off, cyka!" shouted Tandi, and emptied it directly into his face, shattering his jaw and blasting off his nose.

The gunshots, the shrieks of the injured beast, the dust that was gathering in the air... it was all so overwhelming! I'd never been so close to anything so dangerous, and my whole body was screaming at me to run for my life, but I just couldn't send the signals to my muscles. I couldn't move, couldn't shout, couldn't breath...

The beast lunged at Tandi again, and she caught him by his arm and snapped it against her leg, then grabbed onto his broken jaw and forced it into the back of his throat. He immediately swung his other hand at her, impaling her through her forearm and thigh. He probably would have disemboweled her in the next motion, but was interrupted by a sudden hail of gunfire.

My eardrums pounded as the soldier fired shot after shot from his now-functional rifle, striking the deathclaw all across it's back and arms, poking lots of inconsequential little holes in the thing. By the end of the magazine, I couldn't hear anything but a loud ringing, so I didn't even get to hear the soldier's scream as the Deathclaw reeled around and folded him against the wall, taking all the life out of his body and sending him tumbling to the ground in a way that made it clear that he'd not be getting back up. The beast stalked over to him...

And in Came chomps like a goddamn pro wrestler, swinging a stool over his head like a sledgehammer. The beast didn't even bother to turn around as it raked Chomps across his entire upper body with its good claw. I could see the blood running down his face as Chomps stumbled backwards into the fallen table and fell onto his back, trying to figure out which of his massive wounds to clutch as he writhed about with his legs in the air.

Then, the thing turned it's whole upper body to face me. Our eyes connected.

Have you ever been so scared that you choked on your own spit? Because, as the beast stared at me with its one remaining eye, I distinctly remember gagging so hard that I started choking on my own spit.

It started walking towards me- a big, ghost-white beast, stained all over with its own blood, all its parts hanging loose- and I involuntarily let out a mix between a wet cough and a squeal. More logic-defying noises escaped my mouth as I scrambled for the stairs, trying and failing to stand up in the process. But it wasn't me who the deathclaw was keying in on now- It was Gram, standing behind me on the stairwell with a laser gun.

"Cover your ears, Boy!" He shouted over the ringing, and I followed his advice. I pressed my hands against my ears and shut my eyes.

Next thing I felt was heat on my skin- wasn't no light, but there was heat alright! Heat and a noise like a can of sarsaparilla taking a fifty cal right in the center! Drops of hot liquid splashed across my skin.

Next thing that hit were the smells. Burning fat, a delicious dinner and clouds of gunpowder, pools of coagulating blood and bodily fluids; The sounds- screaming, shouting, sobbing, and there was that damn ringing in my ears! My head hurt too, and my skin was all hot and prickly. I swear I could feel my chest caving in, I was breathing so hard…

"Isaac! Isaac, get moving, people are dying! ISAAC!"

Someone hit me in the back of the head, so I turned around and bit them as hard as I could. I could taste blood so vividly, as they pulled their hand back, putting them off balance. I grabbed the wrinkled, bleeding hand and yanked it forward, pulling its owner down the stairs and onto the floor. Someone walked up to me and tried to say something to me so I started screaming as loud and hard as I could, until they backed away.

Then it struck me- the deathclaw was dead. It's head had been hollowed out, pieces scattered all over the room. No one was even paying attention to me as I beat the ever living shit out of Gram, who had probably just saved my life. They all had their own problems.

I was hyperventilating, I realized, and it was making my vision go dark around the edges. I tried to regulate my breathing as I scanned the room, wondering what the hell I was supposed to do first. But it was hard- so, so hard with all the ringing, and the prickly hot feeling on my skin and the static in my head!

Where to start? I started compiling a mental list of all the problems that I had to fix, or "doing triage," as my father would have said. In my head, it looked something like this:

I'd hurt Gram after he hit me in the back of the head, but he was already getting back up.

Cook was lying underneath a table, wheezing and trying to get it off her chest- she was probably having trouble breathing, but Jas was helping her at the moment, and she was making noise so it couldn't be that bad.

The NCR soldier was in a bad way, probably got his back broke. I couldn't tell if the blood all over his back was his or the deathclaws, which warranted a closer look, but there was still air going through his body so I'd put him on the back burner for now.

That left Tandi and Chomps, the two with the nastiest wounds. If the claw had hit his throat, Chomps would be dead very soon, if he wasn't dead already. I decided to deal with him first. Ignoring Gram's muttered insults, I stalked across the room and fell down on one knee beside the old man. There was a frightening amount of blood pooling around his head, and my heart rate picked up when I dragged him on his side and gave him a quick once over.

Three parallel gashes- One deep wound across his stomach, one relatively shallow one across his upper chest and collarbone, and one across his forehead that was bleeding profusely but which had stopped at the skull. I saw no signs of life-threatening bleeding, though his intestines were poking out through the stomach wound. I motioned towards Gram.

"Gemme a wet towel." In spite of what I'd done to him, he didn't argue with me, disappearing into the kitchen without a word. I looked back at Chomps. I'd been an idiot and left my medical kit in the cart, so my emergency treatment was going to have to be improvised. I didn't like that, but I wasn't about to leave any of the people in the room to go get the kit. I'd have to make do for the moment.

First step would be to remove the clothes around the evisceration. How was I going to do that? I couldn't just pull off his overalls. I'd have to cut through them. What options did I have for cutting? My utility knife was in my medical pouch. But, when they'd set the table, there had been steak knives…

Find a steak knife, I told myself, and started scanning the floor. I could faintly hear the back door open as Gram headed outside to pump water on a towel, which I'd use to dress the evisceration. Steak knife, steak knife…

Amidst the debris, I found a fork and steak knife lying together, so I took both just in case I ended up needing the fork for something. After putting a quick gash in the pale, unfeeling strip of skin on my forearm to get a feel for the knife's cutting edge, I leaned back over Chomps and slid the knife against his blood-soaked denim. It took a bit of force, but once I had cut through the tough edge, it became a lot easier to run my knife through the worn material. I cut out a rough square of cloth all around his chest, and carefully peeled it off his sticky, bloody skin. Poor man was conscious, I noticed, but he wasn't saying nothing. Just watching.

"Don't try and move. Your guts weren't ripped, but they might be if you start squirming. No matter how much it hurts, you gotta stand still," I said, tearing off the loose strip of overalls and bunching it up into a makeshift rag for later. It wasn't sanitary, but it'd have to do.

Gram came back in shortly after, carrying several ragged towels soaked in water. I gave him a nod of acknowledgment and held my arms out for Gram to drop the towels into. Not stopping to check his trajectory, Gram tossed the load in my arms, and continued walking until he reached Tandi. He knelt down beside her.

"Toss me the pip boy!" He shouted. I was confused for a second, then remembered the medical profiles I'd created. Quick as I could, I logged off the pip-boy, and tossed it underhanded to Gram. I didn't wait to see if he caught it.

"Remember: Don't move," I said, laying the wet towel across Chomps's jutting intestines. He winced as the towel touched the wound, but he didn't squirm. Don't think there was much that could've made Chomps squirm.

"You're doing great!" I told him, securing the towel around the edges. I checked the rest of his wounds. His airway was swell, and the leaks in his forehead and chest weren't gonna kill him. Which means he was as stable as he was going to get, without a stimpack. "I'll come back to you soon. I need to check the soldier…"

"No, Fuck that guy! Tandi's been thrown through a goddamn wall!" shouted Gram, but it sounded quiet next to the ringing in my ears. I rubbed my temples. Jas had gotten the table off of Cook, and was doing what I guessed to be a misguided attempt at CPR on her, for some reason. Probably because she was complaining about breathing? First things first, I needed to put a stop to that

"Jas, does Cook have a pulse?" I asked, barely able to hear my own voice. Jas nodded.

"Yeah, but she says that she can't breathe, so I'm doing-"

"Stop doing that! CPR is for dead people!" Jas didn't complain no more, instead standing up and going to examine the NCR soldier. If Gram was telling the truth, I didn't have time to worry about how Jas was going to screw him up, so I ignored her and hurried over to Tandi. Surprisingly, she was still conscious. She gave me a weak middle finger as I sat down.

"Helmet off- stop moving it if she complains about her neck," I said. Gram complied immediately. Tandi didn't have anything to say as the helmet came off, revealing her sweaty, mutilated face. There were no new injuries there, though it was still as shocking as ever.

"Where's it hurt, Tandi? Is your back okay?" I asked. She looked up at me like I was stupid.

"No, I'm completely paralyzed. Dumb whore..." I rolled my eyes.

"Surely, I am as dumb as they come! But, the pip-boy says you've got internal bleeding, and it's still figuring out where. Where're you hurtin' at?" Tandi laughed a little.

"Internal? Then it's in the right place." I shook my head and inspected her pip-boy image. There were so many warnings that it was impossible to try to interpret them all. I suddenly really wished I could read, even just a little more.

"Tandi, this is life or death! Where did it-" Suddenly, the image on the screen changed. The pip boy beeped, and a blinking warning sign appeared dead in the center of her character's chest. The BP stat, I noticed, was down from the last measurement.

"Y'have no idea how often people say that. Anyways, he hit me-" she started. I began to pull off her coat. I elbowed Gram in the shoulder, and pointed at the stricken woman.

"Strip her down. Tandi, please help as much as you can!" She gave me a suspicious look.

"And what if I don't want you exploring all up in my nooks-and-crannies?"

"Tandi, something is very fucking wrong! Help me take the armor off!" She clutched her wounded leg and growled at me.

"...Aggghhh, Fine! But I'll kill you afterwards."

Gram worked on taking off the armor supporting her back, while I removed her dented chest-plate. Once I'd gotten that free, I took off her shirt, Gram removed her baggy jeans, and we got to work freeing her armor harnesses. When one of the clips got stuck, I picked up my steaknife from the ground and sliced through the whole strap. It was surprisingly easy to cut through, I guess for emergency situations like this. Once I got that off, Tandi was left in her sportswear. I removed her chest wrapping on account of some bruising in that area. Her knickers weren't covering nothing up, so I left those alone.

The full picture was distressing, real distressing. Amongst Tandi's considerable collection of old scars, there were several huge, rapidly swelling patches of yellow, purplish skin all over her body, the biggest of which was right over her heart. I pulled my stethoscope off my neck and plugged it into my ears- had em backwards, got them in the right way and then checked around for her heartbeat, and got back a faint, muffled noise. Combined with her wormlike neck veins and the fact that I couldn't even get a pulse on her femoral at this point, that made Beck's Triad. Father always told me I'd never be able to diagnose tamponade like that on a real clinical exam, but here were all three symptoms, sticking out like a compound fracture.

"Oh no," I breathed. I tried to compose myself, but panic was already overtaking my mind. Before I even spoke, I could hear my voice cracking. "Jas! Get- uh, break into the wagon out back, and grab the orange bag and the other one, the other emergency-looking one. Bring em back fast!" Jas looked at her fallen companion, who she had sat up against the wall, then at the door, then at me. Slowly, she stood up, walked away from the unconscious soldier, and exited out the back door, picking up speed as she went.

Preparing myself for what came next, I placed the cold knife against Tandi's bare, swollen chest, and started counting ribs. One, two, three, four, five... The tip came to a rest beneath her right breast.

"What are you doing?" She asked. I pressed the knife a bit harder, seeing how hard I'd need to press to cut her sweaty skin. Not very. A drop of blood seeped out from under the knife.

"There's blood gathering in the lining around your heart, Tandi. I gotta open your chest up to fix you." Tandi's eyes opened wide.

"What- NO!"

I felt her grab onto my wrist, but she was late; I'd already abandoned any doubts that might've been left in my head and punched my knife through her chest, right by her sternum. A primal scream filled my ears as I dragged the blade through the layers of skin and fat, all the way to her shoulder blade. I shoved my hand into her intercostal space.

"Spread her ribs and hold 'em," I grunted. Gram made a face.

"Oh, Christ..." Tandi continued to shriek in pain and squeeze my wrist as Gram spread the wound like a clam shell. I tried to wrap my fingers around her pulsating heart, but couldn't quite get at it. I pushed her lung aside.

"Stop it! Da idi ty, fuck you! Otvyazhis'!" Tandi cried, but I didn't stop. I couldn't. It had to be done, or her pericardium would fill up with blood and squeeze her heart til it stopped beating. I kept digging around as the blood coursed over my hands and arms; I was slick up to the elbows with it.

"Anyone got a flashlight?" Gram shook his head. I swore and spit on the ground. That was gonna make this next part a lot harder.

Tandi kept on hollering and thrashing as I tried in vain to get a grip on the pericardial sac without also grabbing the throbbing heart inside. My fingers were too slippery to pinch it, so I pulled the dinner fork out of my pocket and hoisted the sac up that way. It slipped off the fork a couple times before I could get it in a good position, but once I had it pulled taught, I didn't waste any time opening it up between the phrenic nerves- Tandi was dying quick. She looked like she'd been drained by a vampire, and her shrieks of pain had already quieted down to confused sobbing.

"Ah hell Isaac, I don't know how long I can hold this! Could you hurry up?" grunted Gram. I could see the muscles straining beneath his skin, bulging in his face and neck. His arms were quaking.

"Yeah, sure! Now help me turn her over…" I put my hands on Tandi's back and worked with Gram to move her on her side, so the blood could leak out of her cavity. The floor was covered in the stuff by now, and it had streaked and smeared where she'd been struggling. I tried to ignore it as I got down on my hands and knees and stared into her wound. "Great. I'm gonna peek down here again, try and figure out where it's-"

Before I'd even finished my sentence, a gout of bright red blood sprayed out the cut I'd made in the pericardium, all over my chest and face. It dripped down my glasses like some sort of cheesy horror-movie effect.

"Doc! Hey, Doc, I've got the stuff!" I looked over my shoulder to see Jas stumbling in through the back door, carrying both the stimpack bag and my medical bag in her arms. I motioned for her to set them down next to me. "Um, there's a few stimpacks here, which should I-"

"Fuck it! It don't matter!" Something like a laugh rattled through my chest as I snatched the syringe out of Jas's hand. Tandi's heart coughed out another gob of blood, but I'd already moved to the side, and soon my hand was in the clamshell wound again. My fingers clawed for the source of the blood.

"I'm hurting bad!" grunted Gram. I started probing with my stimpack.

"Well don't let go, use a- I don't know, use anything!" I was hardly paying much attention to Gram at this point. I could feel the blood coursing over my fingers as they brushed over some artery, can't say which one, and I figured pretty quickly where the rupture was. I jabbed the stimpack in.

And Missed.

I tried again, and missed. Which gave me that sinking feeling that you get in your stomach when you realize that you've not got much time, and your body just isn't the right machine for the task. Usually that came with a certain embarrassment, that telltale hotness of the skin, but not this time. This time, the hair on my arms stood up straight, and the sweat on my skin grew cold.

I looked over at Gram. His eyes were jammed shut, he'd bit through his upper lip- and his hands, shaking more than ever. My hands were shaking too. The animalistic energy that'd been carrying me through this had gone. For a moment, I was just a kid again, in over his head and scrambling for a way out.

But it was only a moment. Like a lumberjack throwing all his weight behind an axe, I took three more passionate stabs with the needle before piercing the artery. I had no hope of suturing it now, so I just hoped to high hell that pushing stimpack juice through the pipe and pinching the rupture shut with my nails would actually work. I'd made so many choices based on pure hope already, what was more on the pile?

The moment I pulled my hand out and discarded the empty stimpack, Gram grunted and collapsed on top of Tandi. He'd stopped holding the site open, but his fingers were still buried in the bleeding wound. His lungs rattled with each jagged breath.

"What- what should I do? Do you need help with her?" panted Jas, and I waved her away. I was panting too, panting and hot and covered in sweat and blood and god knows what else. I could feel my heart beating in every crevice of my aching body.

But was Tandi's heart still beating?

Her eyes were open and unreactive, her skin was pale and waxy. Seemed like she was breathing, but the hairs on my arms still stood up as I prodded around for a pulse near her groin; there was nothing at first, then a faint squirming beneath my fingertips, and then nothing again. The skin felt cool as glass. I put my hand on Gram's back.

"What's her- check the pip boy, what's her BP say?" Gram lifted his head up just slightly to look at the pip boy screen.

"Seventy six and fifty." There was a solemn silence. "Is that…?"

"That's good. Better, I mean.

I wiped some of the sweat off my brow again. It was pointless, seeing as how I probably deposited a bunch of blood when I did it, but I had to let out all that relief somehow. I hadn't even been able to get a femoral pulse when I'd checked last time, which meant that her pressure had been somewhere below seventy. A jump back up to seventy six was good news.

Of course, Tandi's troubles weren't over- her pericardium was slit, she still had herself a gaping hole in the chest, and the cavity was still full of blood in spite of my efforts. I grabbed my hand-suction pump from out of my bag and hooked up the reservoir, plunged in the tip, and got to work squeezing. An onlooker might have thought that I was still putting in my all, but at this point, my mind was elsewhere. I glanced over my shoulder.

"Jas, you wanna be helpful, right?" I asked. I didn't wait for a response. "Prepare the worker's quarters for all these patients. I want beds, I want chamber pots, whatever we can get. And when you're done with that, you and me are gonna haul these folks upstairs."

Jas might've said something to me after that, but I couldn't hear it over the fuzz in my head, the static of stress. I looked around the room one last time, and I don't think I have to tell you the specifics of what I saw; just that I could tell right then that this would be, without a doubt, the longest night of my life.

[+]

#fallout #fallout fanfic #fallout fanfiction #fallout fandom

5 notes · View notes

crazy-bi-btch · 5 years

Text

Wrong- BI!Kevin Keller X Reader

Summary: Y/N and Kevin seem to be confused and unclear on some of their feelings toward each other

Paring: Kevin Keller X Reader

Warning: NSFW, Swearing( Rated M)

Word count: 3.7k

A/N: Um helloo, let me just say COLLEGE IS TIME CONSUMING!! Itscrazy I really want tot write but the only time I have time is when I’m on breaks. SO HERE YA GO A REQ THAT WAS MADE IN SEP OR OCT IDK! Req. by@maximumwolfkidfestival

PS: LISTEN TO WISH YOU WERE GAY BY BILLIE, it fits with the story uwu

I sat on the fluffy couch in the lounge in RHS my black fleece turtle neck tightening by the second. My thigh-high boots tickling my bare thighs, my fingers clutching my coffee.

“ Jesus Y/N you look like you’re going to kill the damn cup.” Archie laughed at me, as I snapped back to reality.

“ You okay…. You look pale?” My best friend whispered (Fashionista, self-esteem coach, etc.) Kevin placed his hand on my pale thigh. My heart jumped in excitement and my eyes were once again stuck on his constricting sweatshirt. This is so wrong

I coughed and looked away from him trying to concentrate on some random conversation Fangs had started with Archie and the others. Kevin took offense to Y/N silence. He thought maybe he had done something wrong.

Ever since Joaquin (his the last boyfriend) the only serpent friend, he had that understood him, was just him. Well, we all know what happened to him. Kevin realized the serpent’s understood and supported him like no one before, not even Betty. With dating a serpent you get to meet the others. So he meets Fangs, Ton, and Sweet Pea. Also, Y/N or as “fresh snake” as they called her at the time. But it wasn’t Joaquin had to leave when Kevin got closer with Y/N, clearly, they had a lot in common. Kevin was happy around his new friend. Y/n, on the other hand, she was happy but very confused. See she meet him when he was dating Joaquin, so she assumed he was gay. Ignorantly when Y/N saw him walk through the White Wyrm doors with Joaquin she assumed “ so not gay”.

Y/n remembers the exact day, her second day as a serpent chit chatting with Toni and see them both strut in. Kevin is taller and muscular than Joaquin. Instantly her eyes wandered to his arms and Adam’s apple that seemed to bop furiously from anxiousness. She was not gonna lie, he was extremely attractive. Her heart raced as she thought of many things she could do with that tall glass of-

“ Family…” Joaquin yelled, calling everyone’s, Kevin seemed extremely nervous now,” This is Kevin. My boyfriend.” I gulped eyes wide.” Well, maybe he is gay?” Toni snickered at me as she saw my reaction. I rolled my eyes and walked away from the now growing group surrounding Joaquin and his new hot boyfriend. The night was full of small talk and laughter with J’s new boyfriend.

As I decided that this whole love Fest going on was spoiling my drinks and mood, I plopped and started to make my way out saying a quick goodbye. Yes, I am bitter. Yes, I hate to love and anything to do with public affection. It makes my blood boil, okay, maybe jealousy makes me bitter but doesn’t everyone? Back to the story!

When I was on my way out Joaquin ran to me with Kevin following along.

“ Hey, Y/N wait up!” I rolled my eyes, but plastered a fake smile and turned around. Trust me I was done with J rubbing into our faces how hot his new Northside boyfriend.

“Hey j!” I exclaimed

“ I wanted to introduce you to my boyfriend!” I gulped and looked up at Kevin’s buff and tall figure. I swear I could be drooling.

“ H-hi” I coughed and extended my hand towards him and he gladly took it.

“ It’s really nice to meet you! Joaquin talks great things about you!” His soft but deep voice stated as his smile lit up the room. God, why was I not born a man!

“ Thank you.” I blushed, but realized it was wrong for me to feel this way. “ Well, see you around guys I’m going to head out.” They nodded, and I turned towards the doors and out into the chilly night.

I think we all know what happened to Joaquin and how he deciding to run away from hid problems were going to help. Kevin was devastated and who was there to console him? Me out of all the people. Jughead soon, then took orders into his own hand to rile and control the serpents. Once we settled into Riverdale high things got rocky with the Northsiders trying to accept us, but Kevin helped me out. We both knew the serpents and Nortsiders were both jealous of each other which made us the outsiders of the drama. Our friendship grew so immense that I didn’t realize until I was having sleepovers and mini-dates almost every day. What I did know was the way his smile made my knees weak, how my heartbeat raced as our eyes met in the hallways. Or the butterflies the rumble in me when we work out together and he takes his sweaty shirt off. I would make myself deny the aching feelings every day telling myself He’s your gay best friend it can’t be like that.

Now do you see why this friendship is hurting me? Sitting there watching as my friends talked and laughed and me bubbling with anger. They could have whoever they wanted yet I couldn’t. The knot in my throat, killing me.

“ I have to go.” I took my backpack and stormed out, leaving everyone shocked and silent.

I ignored everyone’s texts and comments. I decided I need some time alone and away from Kevin. So I hit up Reggie in look for a house party to attend to get drunk and make out with a stranger so the pain would go away. He replied quickly with an address and time. Bingo.

I dressed in a black lace bodysuit with black ripped jeans and red heels. My long black hair hugging around my cleavage, I felt like the hottest bitch on the block. By 10 pm I walked through the mansion of a random football player packed with people, music loud as could be, kegs around the house and chanting of boys mixed in also. I saw Reg and Instantly walked over.

“ Damn, Y/N you’re looking hot!” He chirped as he gave me a hug, let me just say Reggie has been nice to me since I saved his ass from his abusive father. I threatened to call the cops on his father as I showed him the pictures of Reggie’s bruises that I could easily turn him in with. “ Thank you!” I chirped in amusement.

“ Hey the group was asking for you they said you-”

“ Wait!” I spat, the group? They were invited also! I panicked and started to look around furiously.

“ Yeah, I invited them!” I glared at him and stormed into the huge kitchen and found as a bottle of vodka and took a huge gulp from it. By the third gulp, I felt myself become light as a feather. I impulsively walked towards Reggie again, he was with our group of friends talking, Kevin was listening also while he glanced around looking for someone. My drunk ass butted in, “ Hey guys what a coincidence. “ Before I let them answer I wrapped my fingers at the collar of Reggie’s button-down and kissed him hard. Adrenaline pumping and red lipstick smeared on Reggie’s lips. I pulled him closer and as I open one eye I saw as they stood again astonished, and Kevin seemed confused and hurt?

“ C’mon Reggie..” I whispered and I pulled him towards me as he dazedly followed.

We instantly found a wall close by where minimal people passed through. My lips tangling onto his, my hands grabbing his hair as soft pants left me.

I pressed his chest, back disconnecting our lips, “Let’s get more booze!” I squealed, but as I took a step I almost fell. Reggie sighed and help me up.

“ I think we’ve had enough tonight.” I whined and tried kissing him, because well I’m drunk and horny. Reggie knew he couldn’t take advantage of her friend like this and the real person she loved and wanted was her best friend, Kevin. What Y/N didn’t know was that Reggie and Kevin had a talk 3 weeks ago where Kevin confessed he is bisexual but was scared to show his love and sexual feelings towards a girl since he mostly felt that towards boys. Reggie needed that to realize Y/N and Kevin were too scared and confused to let each other feel. Reggie carried Y/N as she sniffled and whimpered as she seemed to mumble something about ‘fuck love’ or ‘ I hate him’. Reggie saw an annoyed Kevin but his expression soon changed as he saw Y/N drunk and in his arms.

“ What the hell happened?” Kevin growled as he took Y/N from Reggie.

“ Dude, relax, nothing! She’s really drunk and I think she needs you more than me.” Reggie calmly stated. Kevin gulped and saw my drunk state.

“ You! Kev..” I slurred and felt my eyes droop in slumber.

Next thing I knew I woke up in Kevin’s room, I looked at the clock and it was 2 am. I rubbed my eyes and saw him sleeping on his computer chair with a small blanket wrapped around himself. It wasn’t the first time she’s seen him peacefully sleep. I felt great, I thanked God that I didn’t drink more or I would have felt like hell. I felt guilty for leaving him hanging and lowkey was panicking if I was drunk enough to tell him how I felt. To avoid the conversation I slid off his bed and picked my heels up as I tiptoed out.

“ So you’re just gonna leave?” I heard a gruff voice. I cringed and turned around to see him sitting in the same spot the blanket in his hands now.

“ I can-”

“ Please do… I don’t know what’s going on Y/N? What happened to us?” His words hit an emotional string in my heart, which led me to tear up.

“ I’m sorry- I wish I could explain.” I sat at the edge of his bed avoiding his sight.

“ You act like we never tell each other everything!” His voice boomed making me flinch.

“ That’s the thing! I can’t fall in love with my best friend!” I yelled back tears falling down freely, my face became red from embarrassment. Kevin looked down his face matching hers.

“ I know you don’t-“

“I do, though.” Then there was silence as I looked him dead in the eyes. It felt like a dreamlike, this whole situation was merely a figment of my imagination as it’s been in the past.

“ Y/N…. I’m bisexual.” He sighed, his eyes watering. I took some steps to be face to face with him touching his face in awe.

“But-“ I suddenly feel out of breath. I racked my brain at the many times Kevin missed Joaquin and his past flings.

“ I never told anyone… because I was never sure... My first crush was a boy and well, I never understood the whole labels of gay or bi or pan..” I intensely watched as he also racked his brain to explain his feelings and thought that he stored away, “ I put my dad through hell when I came out as gay and know that I know I’m bi… he’s gonna hate me and you! I was scared to lose you!” I proclaimed almost begging. I smiled at him taking his hands in mine.

“ Neither will your dad or meleave you.” It seemed to comfort him enough that he sighed in relief. But I would be lying if I didn’t say this whole argument and emotional connection brought my raging hormones to an all-time high. I went in to hug him and he wrapped his buff arms around also.

“ So… we’re gonna ignore how you confess you loved me.” Kevin teased which made me hide my face like a five-year-old.

“ It's not my fault your extremely hot Kevin!” I squealed as I pulled away from him. He chuckled and threw me on the bed, making me squeal and bounce slightly. We both lay there on his bed, staring at each other with silly grins on our face.

“ I love you.” He said

“ I love you too.” I chirped, the butterflies rumbling in me again. His eyes seemed to wander down to the outfit I still had on that almost caused a nip slip right in front of him. I blushed madly and instantly shot up to cover myself. His knees dipped the bed behind me, his hands caressing the back of my neck as they ghosted on the black spaghetti strap of the lace bodysuit. My eyes closing in anticipation waiting for his hands to touch more of me. His hand, bringing my hair to onside as he lowered his face to my neck, his hot breath tickling it.

“ You don’t know how many times I’ve wanted to do this…” his lips feathering against my pressure point practically making me shake. Bravery seemed to seep into my blood as my hand came up to pull one strap of my shoulder and followed to the other. Kevin watched, in his head, taking notes. I turned on my knees seeing him face to face.

“ It’s my first time with a girl…” he gulped feeling ashamed. I smiled and caressed his face and pulled it away to pull my arms off the strap and pull the lace down around my waist exposing myself to him. He gulped his eyes glued to my chest, and something in both of us snapped. Call it frustration or hormonal overload, but we both felt it. Our lips clashing his big hands cupping my face with full force. He held on as if his life depended on it, my sighs and whimpers spilling out as his forceful touch sent electricity through my body and core. Kevin shoved his hand around my neck, squeezing as he watched with hooded eyes my reaction. I moaned loudly, “ Kev, please.” With one shove, I was on my back, pillows under me as Kevin crawled off me and placed himself between my thighs. I leaned up watching as he pulled his sweater and button-down shirt with full force and down cupping my chest. A cry fell through my lips as I stared at Kev in disbelief. His strong and soft hands vigorously palming and pulling making my eyes roll back and backache. For his first time with a girl he sure knew what to do.

“ Tell me if I’m hurting you.” He suddenly worried at my constant whimpers. I shuddered when he stopped.

“ Kevin harder…. Please, it doesn’t hurt, I promise just… touch me.” I cried in frustration pulling on his shoulder to meet his hots lips again. His left arm skimming the side of my body to my hip, leaving goosebumps along the way. A deep groan left him as my hips bucked up towards his trousers, only making me do it again and again. Kevin pulled away eyes closed with his mouth a gap as I watched his reaction as we grinded hard and fast. I knew this would legit push him to the edge, but I couldn’t stop.

“ Ah-” His voice cracked as he fisted my hips to a halt as he felt that familiar knot grow.

He glared at me as I playfully smirked up hands running up and down his abs.

“ You almost made me-” He panted in anger, I eagerly shook my hips away but it was no use. “ I’m in charge, not you.” He growled. I cocked my eyebrow as leaned back into the pillows.

“ C’mon Kevin, you know you like it when I edge you on,” I whispered innocently with my lower lip between my teeth as I touched my boobs. He groaned and melted at the sight, his fist ripping my belt and jeans off so quickly it scared me. I went ahead and wrapped my hands around his belt and jeans also pulling them down as we both panted in anticipation. I always saw the imprint of his dick, but I always assumed he was average, but was I wrong. Kevin tsked me when I went to the waistband of his boxers. “ Pleasee.” I begged my mouth watering. “ We waited this long, let me apologize.” He said as he nuzzled his nose onto my cheek and felt his hand lower to my olive-colored thong.

“ Fuck,” I whispered as my eyes fell shut, he seemed to freeze up because he didn’t move. I opened my eyes and saw them slightly unsure.

“ Hey, let me help you.” He nodded as he stared at my covered core. I took his wrist and guided it to the puddle that formed in my thong, biting my lip to hold back a sound. “ Now… p-put force with the pad on your fing-” A moan cut me off as he rubbed his pointer and middle finger. “ Shit… baby faster.” I hated and loved to be teased, but Kevins soft and rough movements were exhilarating. “ Like this?” He asked, looking at my blissful face. My hips bucked up towards his fingers, rocking back and forth. As he took that as a yes, he pulled down the only barrier between her and him. Frustrated, I took his fingers and spread my legs wider so his finger landed on the place I needed him the most. “ Rub it pleases,” I begged mercilessly, almost in tears from all the soft teasing. Kevin saw her distraught face and instantly did as told, almost moaning himself. She was hot, sticky and extremely wet. The soft nub her rubbed causing Y/N to fall back and become putty in his hands. He realized this was her spot, the spot he could use to his advantage. His fingers trying to mimic the number of movements he learned from straight porn.

“ Fuck-fuck shit Kev-” I cried watching as his fingers pressed down and went side to side on my clit almost convulsively good. Kevin rested his forehead against hers watching her eyes wide and mouth wide. “You’re so beautiful… only I make you this wild, right?” I nodded viciously staring into his soft eyes as I held my legs apart felling myself about to cum. A cry of his name signaled Kevin to stop. Anger poured in as he pulled away to look for a condom.

“ You fucker.” I growled in annoyance, I heard him chuckle as he looked through his drawer, “ Oh, it’s not funny.” I shot up and walked towards him right as he was going to turn around I push him up against the wall getting on my knees.

“ Wait-” Kevin began, but I cut him off as I shoved his boxers down and shoving his pink tip into my drooling mouth. Kevin hissed and clawed at my scalp, eyes wide as I took him in and out and fingers probing in and out of his butt. “ Shit… fuck…. Don’t stop.” he growled as his hips began to thrust into my hot warm mouth.

Kevin was on cloud 9 watching as her small mouth took him so well. Joaquin could never take him fully and this was life-changing. My core dripped down my thigh as I looked up to see him fully vulnerable, abdomen clenched, his eyes closed and mouth open. I pulled away with a plop and got up turning around, heading towards the door to the bathroom.

“ What the fuck-” He cried, I turned around innocently.

“ What?” I batted my eyes. His strong arms pulled me back and onto the bed where he pinned me down, his strong thighs pushing my legs apart. His mouth, biting and nipping down my neck, my nipples, and stomach. I watched contently as he tried to wrap the condom around himself.

“ I’m on birth control Kevin.” I sighed knocking the condom off his hands and taking his red/pink dick towards my entrance.

“ But-”

“ It’s fine, I want to feel all of you.” With that, he thrust in easily into my dripping core.

“ Fuck!” We cried as we held on to each other, eyes shut. Kevin never felt this before the hot wet and clenching feeling around him. He could cum just with that. And he wasn’t lying about that as he shook from holding on. I wiggled my hips so he could move, with that he moved out and in slowly his pelvic bone rubbing my clit. “ Ah! Harder… faster” I pleaded scratching his back. Kevin didn’t think straight before going faster and pounding more than ever. His huge member burying deep into the g-spot that wasn’t hit in years.

“ Fuck yeah…” Kevin muttered and panted as he wrapped his hand around her neck. Her face contoured into pure bliss. His pupils were blown as he saw her weak and vulnerable under his touch. Her hair spread around her pink cheeks. His mind seemed to only be there, present, as he pushed and buried into her feeling this new adrenaline to sex he never felt before when he slept with men. Her legs wrapped around him, her hands all over him and eager to have anything else push her over the edge. God fucking damn how he wanted to frame this mental picture of her.

“ Oh...shit… Kev... I’m going to…” I pried at his chest and my legs around his torso tightening. Kev growled and dropped his head into her chest as her walls twitched in anticipation around him. My hand instantly ran in between our bodies to rub insanely fast to come undone.

“ Ah fuck” Kev yelled as he grounded his hip a few times before I came around him, legs twitching, nails scratching, head back moaning and screaming. He followed along coming undone in me. We both lay there breathing heavily, eyes closed.

As we peeled off each other we stared at each other followed by giggles.

“ Well,does that mean we can finally not be angry at each other?” Kevin asked teasingly. I chuckled softly and pulled the blankets around us.

“ Hmm, maybe I’ll sleep on it,” I mumbled as I cuddled close to his warm body. He instantly engulfed me in his arms and stroked my hair kissing it softly.

“ I love you.”

“ I love you more… Goodnight.” I yawned.

#kevin keller x reader #riverdale smut #riverdale southside #sweet pea smut #riverdale #jughead jones #toni topez #Cheryl bombshell #betty cooper #fangs forgarty x reader #joaquin desantos #southside serpents

187 notes · View notes

radiant-flutterbun · 4 years

Photo

First | Previously

Nike was blind. She had been since she had hatched. She didn’t need sight though. She experienced the world just fine using her sense of smell, antennae and, since she was a mirror dragon, her heat vision. She could sense the heat signatures of many creatures of Sornieth. Some were more difficult than others, since magic could sometimes mess with heat vision. But for the most part it wasn’t a problem.

She enjoyed feeling the warm sand under her claws. She listened as the waves lapped the beach and as the seagulls overhead called. She smiled as she heard her daughter laughing as she splashed around on the beach.

Nike was just thinking that it was time to inform her daughter it was time to start heading back to the clan when another voice rudely interrupted her inner monologue.

“Greetings mortal! I am Haibaraad, but you may call me Brad. I am an angel here to search for anomalies. Would you care to tell me of anything unusual you may have seen?”

Nike snarled and turned around, but to her surprise her heat vision picked up nothing.

“Who the fuck is there? And why the fuck do you sound like my old mentor, who I know for a fact is dead?”

“Oh I apologize! I did not mean to frighten you. I forget how your mortal brains can have trouble processing the celestial.”

“I said. Where. The. Fuck. Are you?” Nike opened her mouth to scent the air, but could pick up nothing.

“Can you not see me?”

Nike only snarled in response.

“Your eyes don’t work? Fascinating. I didn’t know that could happen!”

Nike felt a tap on her shoulder and she instinctively growled and bit down on whatever had touched her.

She heard a yelp inside her head, still in the voice of her mentor.

“You bit me!”

She tasted something metallic in her mouth.

“I’m bleeding because of you!”

“Maybe don’t fucking touch me then. At least now I know where you are.”

“That’s what I was doing! I just wanted to let you know where I was since your eyes are broken.”

Nike snorted “My eyes aren't broken. I’m just blind. Stop being rude and tell me who you are before I decide to bite you again.”

“I just told you. I’m Brad! I’m an angel. I’m looking for anomalies on this planet. I sent a letter.”

“If you sent me a letter then my girlfriend never informed me of it. Are you another being of Selcouth? Because if you are, I’m going to have to have Sepulchral see you to verify if I can trust you.”

“Selcouth? Never heard of her.”

“I think I’ll still get Sepulchral just in case. Hold my hand. I want to know exactly where you are.”

Nike stood on her hindlegs and offered one of her front paws to Brad. She felt the scentless being take it. Based on the claws she guessed that it looked like a wildclaw.

“I’m just going to wade into the water first to get my daughter.”

“Why not call her to you?”

“She’s deaf,” Nike said as she pulled Brad closer to the water.

“She’s what?”

“She can’t hear. Gods, you really are no dragon, huh?”

“I did say I was an angel, did I not? My dragon form is to not scare mortals, but it is never my intention to pretend I am something I am not.”

“Well, I still don’t trust you. Not yet.”

Nike’s daughter turned around and noticed her mother wading into the water. She swam up to her and grabbed her other hand, while watching Brad carefully.

Nike felt as her daughter, Kiwi tapped her palm.

Who is that, mom? The taps translated to.

Nike tapped back.

I’m not sure. Go back to the clan and tell Sepulchral to find me here.

Kiwi tapped back one last time so that Nike knew that she understood. The young mirror then spread her wings and flew up to the stone tower that was built on top of the cliff that overlooked the beach.

“Did you just talk by tapping?” Brad asked.

Nike nodded.

“How else am I, a blind dragon, going to talk to my deaf daughter?”

“Huh.”

“Now as we wait,” Nike led Brad out of the water “Care to tell me why you sound like my dead mentor?”

“Oh, I do not have a voice of my own, instead my voice sounds like someone the listener finds to be comforting or familiar.”

“Well, I guess that’s spot on then. I never thought I’d ever hear his voice again. So much has changed since I was in the Starfall Isles…”

Nike heard the familiar beat of wings and turned her head to see the heat signature of a skydancer land beside her.

“Sepulchral. Good you’re here.”

“Yeah. So you want to know if I know this wildclaw that you’re holding hands with?”

“I’m holding their hand so they don’t wander off. For some reason they don’t give off a heat signature or a scent.”

“Huh. Well did they give you a name or-?”

“My name is Haibaraad, but you may call me Brad!”

“Ah!” Sepulchral��s feathers puffed up “Cassie?” He looked around for a moment and then frowned, his feathers flattening.

“Sorry to disappoint. I’m not Cassie, I’m Brad!”

“Yeah they told me their voice sounds like someone comforting or familiar to the person listening,” Nike said “To me they sound like my old mentor.”

“Oh. Weird.” Sepulchral adjusted his glasses.

“But no I do not believe you will recognize me, because I am an angel from Fernweh, not this ‘Selcouth’ place.”

“Yeah I’m sorry Nike, but if they are from Selcouth I certainly don’t recognize them. But I have a feeling they’re telling the truth about who they are.”

“Of course I’m telling the truth! As an angel, I am forbidden to lie.”

Nike took a deep breath “Alright Brad, I’m sorry for being suspicious, but you must understand that my clan has seen some weird characters over the years and some of them had not been friendly. As the leader of Clan Ton Theon, it is my job to keep my dragons safe.”

“Oh that’s great news actually! I’m here because of anomalies being detected on the planet! Please, tell me everything about these weird characters!”

“First, why don’t I invite you inside the clan? If I’m going to be monologuing, I’d like to be able to sit somewhere without sand,” Nike spread her wings “Sepulchral, could you keep an eye on our guest for me?”

“Of course, Nike,” Sepulchral said as Nike took off. He waited until Brad followed her lead to spread his own wings and fly up the cliff and inside of the stone tower.

***

“Now, where were we?” Nike sat back in a pile of pillows in her private study, the room where she conducted important business for the clan. On one side of her stood Sepulchral, and on the other stood a mirror named Morningmist, Nike’s girlfriend.

“I would like to know about the anomalies you have seen. Do you mind marking where you saw them on this map, too?” Brad held out the map of Sornieth they had found earlier.

Nike snorted “What part of ‘I’m blind’ don’t you understand, angel?”

Brad frowned “Did I say something wrong?”

Nike grinned “Nah it’s fine. I was just messing with you. But I really can’t see your map. Good thing I’ve got some sighted dragons with me who can though. Morning dear? Could you take the map?”

“Of course,” Morningmist reached over and took the map from Brad.

“Now as for anomalies I’ve found,” Nike patted Sepulchral’s back, hard “You’re looking at one!”

Sepulchral’s feathers puffed from the unexpected rough gesture.

“Your bird dragon friend is an anomaly?” Brad squinted at Sepulchral, as if expecting to see SpaceTime start to unravel around him.

“Yeah. He showed up here one day after going through a portal. He’s a god from a world called Selcouth. That’s why I assumed you were from Selcouth at first, because Sep here is not an isolated incident.”

Brad frowned and Sepulchral gave them a nervous wave.

“There does appear to be something off about his energy… Are there more of these gods living here?”

“Yep. And a few left the clan to live elsewhere. Last I heard Guerra was somewhere in the Scarred Wasteland, and I have no idea where Pixel slithered off to.”

“I want to see the ones here, then,” Brad turned to Morningmist “May I have my map back?”

“Sure,” Morningmist held out the map and Brad took it. “I’ve already marked where we are, as well as where the old territory was because that was our first incident with a Selcouthian god.”

“Hey,” Sepulchral cleared his throat “Why exactly are you looking for anomalies?”

“This planet is unstable,” Brad responded “Space and Time are beginning to unravel, threatening the entire cosmos. I am here to fix things.”

“And how do you plan to fix things?”

“I will do what is needed to restore balance. Now tell me, being of Selcouth, where did this portal that you stepped through come from?”

Sepulchral positioned himself so that the sword sheathed at his waist was in grabbing distance “Actually, I don’t think I should tell you.”

Brad frowned, their tail twitched and their eyes appeared to glow “I am trying to fix things. Do you want everything you know to fall apart? Do you want your short lives to become even shorter?”

“Tell me what you’re willing to do to fix SpaceTime and I’ll tell you the origin of the portal.” Sepulchral’s claws grasped the hilt of his sword.

“I just told you. Whatever is needed.”

“Even kill?”

“Yes. If it is needed.”

Sepulchral glanced at Nike, still ready to unsheathe the sword.

“I have to agree with Sepulchral,” Nike said “We can’t tell you anything else. Now, please peacefully exit my clan or we will have to resort to violence.”

“I don’t understand,” Feathers began to sprout from in between Brad’s scales “I said I will only kill if necessary. I do not wish to kill anyone.”

“Yeah well, we don’t want to take that chance. I’ll ask one more time, leave my clan.”

“Your mortal brains must be too shortsighted. Do you not understand the vastness of the cosmos? If killing a life or a few lives will save everything else, isn’t it a necessary sacrifice?”

Sepulchral unsheathed his sword “I think you’ve overstayed your welcome.”

“I don’t wish to fight you,” Brad felt as their dragon form began to slip. Their true wings itched to flap. Their other eyes begged to break through their skin. Their halo threatened to shine like the sun “But I will if I must.”

Nike growled. Morning readied her claws. Sepulchral had his sword out and ready. Brad was prepared to summon their own weapon.

Bloodshed would have happened if it weren't for the screams.

From outside the window smoke could be seen coming from the city nearby. All around the Beacon of the Radiant Eye, homes and other buildings were burning. Dragons of all kinds were fleeing the city, and two creatures were battling high in the sky.

One Sepulchral and Morningmist recognized; the Lightweaver, the Goddess of Light and the ruler of the Sunbeam Ruins. The other Brad recognized.

“Oh no,” The portal would have to wait. They opened the window and jumped out, flying toward the conflict “It’s the broken cherub.”

Tagging @HECKLING-HYDRENA @GOLDEN-LIONSNAKE @HOWTO-BE-ORIGINAL @HUNGRYTUNDRAS

let me know if you would like to be added or removed from the tag list!

#Fernweh Angels #clan ton theon

4 notes · View notes

thelasttime · 4 years

Note

Based on a lot of creeping on here and reddit, I ~think~ I have the Taylor and Joe timeline somewhat down. *cracks knuckles* Using the bridge of Dress, it's clear that they met in spring 2016, as that's when Taylor had bleached her hair and Joe had a buzzcut. We know that both of them were at the Met Gala that year, so it's possible that's where they met. However gorgeous, which is about the night they might, specifically calls out sunset and vine, an intersection in LA (1/9)

this is a long explanation so i’m going to put the rest of your asks underneath the read more

Taylor had spent April 2016 in LA and Joe was in LA at the same time for Billy Lynn reshoots. Taylor was spending a lot of time with Lily Aldridge and Gigi at the time. Lily's husband Caleb is best friends with Garrett Hedlund, who was in Billy Lynn with Joe. It's very possible that Taylor and Joe met at a party or bar in LA based on this connection. I tend to lean towards them meeting in LA a week or two before the Met Gala, but they would have at minimum met at the Met.

We know that Taylor met Tom at Anna Wintour's pre Met Gala party, Taylor and Tom spent a lot of the night together at the gala and after parties, and that Taylor and calcium's relationship was falling apart. Flash forward a few weeks and Taylor and calcium's breakup is announced (which seems to have come roughly a couple weeks after their actual breakup). Taylor gets with Tom shortly after. It's (obviously) not clear why Taylor started dating Tom despite having feelings for Joe.

I've seen some speculation that maybe Joe had a girlfriend at the time (but no one really know what Joe was up to at this time). Taylor was kind of a mess at this point, so maybe her attraction to Joe scared her and she thought Tom was the safer choice? Or maybe it's just because Tom actively pursued her right away or because she knew dating Tom would piss calcium off. Maybe it was a combo of these things. We probably won't ever know for sure and this is mostly just speculation.

Skipping over the first half of the summer partly because we saw so much of her and Tom through pap pics and partly because thinking too hard about summer 2016 gives me hives. But while Taylor is dating Tom, it's pretty much accepted that she was in contact with Joe at this time as friends. Late July is the last time Tom and Taylor were pictured together. Tom goes back to Australia without Taylor to film in early August. In midish August Tom gets papped getting off and on Taylor's jet in RI. Then in early September, Taylor and Tom's breakup was announced. It's not clear exactly when they broke up. They may have broken up in early August before Tom left for Australia and his trip to RI in August was a last ditch effort to try to salvage their relationship. Or they may have broken up when Tom made that trip to RI. Either way, it's likely they were broken up by midish August, if not in early August, and then announced it a couple or so weeks later.

Now, enter Joe. Delicate and Cruel Summer make it pretty clear they were FWB before they became a couple. It's hard to pin down exactly when they started being FWB, but I lean toward mid August-very early September because of Cruel Summer. They were FWB for a few weeks or so until whatever happened on Sep 28th (I think that's when they actually started dating).

I do think they consider Sep 28th as their anniversary for several reasons.

1) Taylor's September cover and her changing 21st night of September to 28th night of September,

2) Taylor's diary entry in the Lover diaries about dating Joe for three months was dated 1/3/2017, so only about a week after their 3rd month anniversary

3) Taylor told a fan in rep room at one of the first few shows that she and Joe would be celebrating their 2nd year anniversary in September

4) (This is kinda small) for the past 3 years, Taylor has always had Sep 28th off.

5) Taylor's dad told fans at one of the rep secret sessions that Taylor and Joe hid their relationship for 9 month before it was leaked. The Sun leaked their relationship in May 2017, so they would have been together roughly 8 months (It's possible Scott was mistaken, but I actually think this also leads some credence towards the theory of them starting as FWB in Aug 2016 because Aug-May is 9 months). They kept dating on the down low for awhile, etc, and now here we are.

okay first of all...WOW you really put so much thought and effort into this explanation and i agree with everything that you said. i do believe that i read somewhere that “whiskey on ice, sunset and vine” is a reference to the movie theater where she attended a showing of his movie? i’m not sure though

#asks #anonymous #asking you this*

11 notes · View notes

reedandannie · 4 years

Text

Scholars Sneak Peek!!! - Available Sep. 14th 2020

Embarrassment at its Finest - Evie’s POV

I clutched the envelope tightly in my lap, my heart pounding. When the drive started it hadn't felt real, it was just another road trip with my best friend, another drive across the country in the old red car that we'd been taking places since we could drive. But now, so close to our first year of college, it all set in, and I was beginning to feel the panic that I always felt when facing the new and unknown. Before, I'd been annoyed that Stella had insisted on driving, but now that my hands were clenched around our move in information, I was relieved. I probably would've driven the car off of the road by now.

The gates seemed to materialize out of nowhere. One minute there was a wall of trees on either side of us, the next, we were pulling through them. Stella turned off the radio hastily, and we exchanged a look that conveyed everything that needed to be said. We were both caught between terror and excitement. We had been studying to earn places at Pine Hill University since Stel had first found out about it. Freshman year of high school, a long four years ago. And now, here it was. I turned to watch the wrought iron pass behind the car, open for move-in day.

"I can't believe this is happening," Stella breathed, looking over at me with awe in her eyes.

I turned back around to stare across the campus. The open grounds looked exactly like they had on the website, dotted with elegant brick buildings and lounging students. I wasn't sure if I was going to cry or vomit, but I swallowed hard, determined to enjoy this moment.

"Do you have the map?" Stella asked, and I jumped.

"Oh, yeah, of course." I rubbed my sweating palms over my jeans before opening the envelope and removing the brightly colored map inside of it. I studied it thoughtfully for a moment, trying to make sense of the little road markings.

"Left," I said finally, then cursed. "No, I mean right."

Stella quickly changed directions, making a wide turn which caused a few of the nearby students to turn and stare at us curiously. I flushed and Stella laughed, clearly both unsurprised and unconcerned about my shoddy directions. Naturally, she was used to them by now, but she had taken away my navigation rights within the first hour of our multi-hour trek.

It was fortunate that this hadn't been part of the entrance exams. It was one of the few things that hadn't been tested. Everything from basic math and history to strange questions about how we would respond in panic, and where we felt most comfortable. Stella and I had failed it the first two times we'd attempted, but we were nothing if not stubborn.

I was torn from my thoughts when Stella slowed down. "Is that it?"

I looked up and stared in awe at the brick building in front of us. There was ivy climbing the walls, violently green against the red. Black letters above the main entrance read "Grove Hall".

"It looks like it," I answered, as she pulled around to park.

I stepped out of the car onto the gravel parking lot and looked around, mystified. The wall of trees was close behind the dorm, the sound of the wind among them quiet and soothing. On the other three sides, though, well-tended grass stretched away to other distant brick buildings. It felt secluded and idyllic, and I beamed.

"Are you two here to check in?"

I looked around to find a tall brunette approaching us. She was smiling warmly, and I glanced back to find that Stella was as well. I couldn't find it in me to copy the expression, I was too overwhelmed by how magical campus felt, and I knew my face was stuck in a look of shock and awe.

"I'm Emilie. I'm a sophomore here. I can help you move in if you'd like?"

Stella and I shook her extended hand.

"We don't have much," Stella answered, "but you're welcome to. I'm Stella, and this is Evie," she said, nodding to me.

I waved shyly over Stella's shoulder.

Emilie waved back as Stella opened the trunk to reveal our meager belongings. We'd been instructed to bring very little. The school was strict about uniforms, and supplies and furniture were provided for us. As a result, we'd packed five bags between us, mainly our casual clothes and the decorations we'd bought for our dorm.

Emilie lifted one of them out, and Stella and I each followed suit. They weren't heavy, but after lugging them up two flights of stairs to the top level, my arms were aching. I had never been strong, and I felt particularly out of shape in that moment. But when Stella opened the door at the center of the hall, I stopped thinking about any of that.

Emilie whistled quietly when we entered. The furniture was standard issue, the wooden beds, desks, chairs, and nightstands neatly arranged in a perfect mirror on either side of the room. In the center, directly across from the door was a large picture window, tucked into an alcove. A window seat between them was recessed into the wall, an ugly blue dorm cushion on it, indicating that it was intended for seating. We would have to find a way to cover that.

The room itself was wide, with a closet door at the foot of each bed. When Stella opened one, I realized they were already full of our uniforms.

"You guys are so lucky, this is the best room on the floor."

"How did we manage that?" I asked quietly.

"It's a random draw. Freshmen are given their choice of building, but rooms are assigned from there," Emilie answered, dropping the bag she was carrying beside the door.

"I'll go get the other bags," Stella announced.

I turned, closing the door. "I'll come."

"I'll come check in on you guys in a second. I need to make sure the other freshmen are settling in okay."

I grinned and nodded before following Stella back down the stairs.

"She seems nice," I noted.

"I wonder if she's our RA. I hope she is."

I shook my head. "Our RA emailed us. I think her name was Jenna or something, not Emilie. She's probably just helping out, being nice." She shrugged, clearly preoccupied by other thoughts, and brushed her golden hair out of her face. I smiled fondly. There was a nice breeze blowing across the parking lot, and I savored it, glad that it was chasing away some of the heat. It was sweltering now, but I knew this wouldn't last forever. Colorado got cold and snowy fast, so I was glad for the sun while we had it.

I was so busy contemplating the weather that I didn't notice where I was until I was tripping. I pitched forward, crying out in shock as I slammed into the gravel, cringing as it dug into my bare arms.

I looked up curiously and realized that I had just tripped over a person's foot. Stella, I saw, had run straight into the center of the small group of people that were leaning on a car close to ours. She was staggering backwards, face reddening as she realized what had just happened.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention," she said, looking up wide-eyed.

I stumbled to my feet and brushed dust from my jeans. It was a small comfort that I had chosen today to wear pants instead of my usual skirts. "I'm so sorry. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

And only then did I register who I was looking at. They all looked more amused than upset, but I froze nonetheless, feeling like a deer in the headlights. They were all tall and attractive, five of them lounging carelessly around a shiny car, smiling, wearing casual clothes and looking unfairly polished despite the heat. And we had just slammed into them.

"I..." I coughed uncomfortably, "I'm so...are you..."

"Don't worry about it," one of them said in a strange accent, his voice lilted with laughter. Stella took another step backwards. By the looks of it, she had just plowed straight into him. But he grinned, eyes bright, and I hastily looked away, feeling as though I shouldn't be allowed to look at him at all in my current state.

The one I'd just tripped over leaned closer to my face, as though looking for injuries, then grinned. "I didn't know people could turn that red," he remarked. Though there was no malice in it, I could have barfed.

"I'm sorry," I said again, my voice painfully small.

He tucked his hands into his pockets and rocked back onto his heels. He was dark haired, with bright blue eyes and a soft, round face. He looked backwards at the boy beside him, a broad ginger with warm dark eyes and square features. He looked older than the others, though judging by the way that they were clustered, I doubted that they were in different grades. The red-headed boy was leaning against another person, who was slender, their features more feminine, and eyes rounder. They regarded me with what looked like concern rather than amusement, and I stared at them pleadingly. They seemed to recognize the look at once.

"Leave them alone," they said, looking at me warmly.

The blond boy in front of Stella pouted. "Laney, where are your manners? We're just trying to make them feel welcome."

"Laney's right," the fourth one said, and I peeked up to look at him cautiously. His hair was almost as long as mine and fell in perfect dark waves around his face.

"Alright, get outta 'ere, no hard feelings," the one I'd tripped over said softly. I smiled faintly.

Stella darted around them to our car, and dragged out the last two bags. I took one from her as she slammed the trunk and we dashed back indoors without looking back. We took the stairs faster than I normally would have managed, but my eagerness to be back in our room felt like adrenaline. We dropped the bags carelessly inside the door and hurried across to the window.

I heard someone come in behind us.

"Are you two okay? You look like you just saw a ghost," Emilie said, voice full of concern.

I waved from the window to indicate that she shouldn't worry, but Stella was the one who spoke. "Who are those guys in the parking lot?"

"Who?" Emilie asked, joining us at the window. Her face hardened as soon as she saw them standing by the car. The blond one was clearly telling a story, talking dramatically with his hands, while the others looked on.

"Them," Stella said unnecessarily. The parking lot was otherwise unoccupied.

"Nobody, they're just people from my year. I wouldn't try to get too close, they're bad influences."

"But...who are they?" I asked, leaning close enough to the window that my breath fogged the glass.

"Like I said, just some people," Emilie reiterated.

I scowled, unsatisfied. "They're very pretty," I said, and I saw her glare at me out of the corner of my eye.

"You guys really should try to avoid them."

"Warning noted," I said, nodding once. "Don't worry. They won't look twice at us anyway after the spectacle we just made of ourselves."

"At least I stayed on my feet," Stella snickered.

I felt myself flush. "At least I didn't body slam any of them."

"This isn't a joke."

"Everything's a joke if you laugh at it hard enough," I answered.

Emilie sighed, clearly realizing that we were a lost cause. "Alright, fine. But, you've been warned."

We both nodded and turned to watch her leave.

"Lunch is in an hour," Emilie said, as she stopped in the doorway. She glanced at our bags, still unopened and piled in the middle of the floor. "If you want to unpack you can, but you need to get your IDs before you can get food from the Cafeteria. Do you want me to take you to get them?"

I looked at Stella, who was considering the bags as well. "We can unpack later," she decided. "I think it'll be better to get IDs first."

"We can go now."

Emilie started to nod, then stopped. "I don't mean to say that you guys don't look adorable. But, they'll be taking your school pictures, and, well, those do stay with you all four years... So if you wanted to freshen up, or change or anything..."

My hand flew to the mess of unruly curls around my face. "Oh, uh, I think I need a minute." I dove to the bags to try to find a mirror and a hairbrush.

Stella laughed. "Give us 20 minutes and we'll be ready?"

"Sounds perfect. I'll be back then."

I heard the door close behind her, but my hunt for something to tame my curls had absorbed me.

"She's really nice."

Stella nodded agreement. She was looking through one of the bags, brow furrowed. "She is really nice. Have you seen my makeup bag?"

I grinned and pulled it out triumphantly. Stella took it from me with a grateful smile.

"Twenty minutes," I told myself, finally finding a brush.

Stella laughed at me, sorting through her makeup bag. "It's always food with you."

"It's what motivates me. But don't lie. It's what motivates you too."

After a moment, Stella grinned "You're right."

"I know I am."

Straying Along With a New Friend - Stella’s POV

I yanked on my heather grey, lighthouse painting sweatshirt and 1460 Dr. Martens that I paired with ripped-knee boyfriend jeans. I brushed my hair before I attempted to stir Evie awake. I knew that there would have to be coffee in it for her. We'd stayed up late unpacking and deciding where to put the decorations to showcase our personalities.

A polaroid collage of us surrounded the wall space by the door. Fairy lights trickled down by the head of Ev's bed, and a poster of a woman superhero hung on the larger wall by mine. I'd stacked my CDs by genre on my desk with my single player beside it, and Ev had chosen to bring her favorite novels, which was a feat for her. There's no solution for the window nook cushion yet, though Ev is pretty sure she can sew a temporary cover for it.

"Five more minutes, Stel, please," she mumbled into her pillow.

"We told Emilie we'd meet her. I bet we can manage to find coffee before we do."

Ev rolled over to look at me through her ratted hair. "Fine."

I smirked lightly before I went to put on a little make up and pull my golden locks into a ponytail. I checked the weather to see it was actually supposed to be fairly hot today, so I quickly changed into a white tee that was decorated simply by a row of three hearts in pink, blue, and purple and light wash Levi's shorts.

Despite my change, Evie dressed herself in a cream sweater, light wash skinny jeans, and purple sneakers. I knew not to say anything as we left the room. I texted Em that we were going to find the cafe on the crowded campus; non-freshmen were moving in now, and would be for the next few days. It wasn't as hard as expected since there were signs that pointed to everywhere imaginable, and it wasn't a large span of mileage.

"Crap," Ev muttered when she saw the sign that IDs had been activated for points, which are the equivalent of dollars, and I eyed her.

"Need me to get yours?" I pulled my ID from the wallet that I had hanging on my lanyard.

She smiled sheepishly. "Yes. Anything hot."

I nodded and waited for my turn. I ordered two caramel macchiatos; one hot and one cold. I was glad they weren't that busy despite the chaos on the main. The two of us stood to the side by the student center, the newest built building, and compared to the other medieval bricks, it didn't match too well.

Emilie's resting features came into my view when she emerged over the hill. When she approached us, she let out a heavy sigh. "I'm glad I moved in when the other RAs did. Fewer people."

Evie and I laughed, but Em didn't seem amused and looked at us dumbfounded. "What?"

I shot her a look. "That was funny, Emilie."

"Oh," she trailed, and then a smile crept onto her lips. "Let's get going. There's more to show you about this campus."

I cocked a brow at her and took a sip of my coffee, yet didn't question as we followed her.

"What else is there to know about Pine Hill that's not in the brochures?"

"Or for educational purposes?" Evie added as she blew into her cup and took a drink.

Em pursed her lips. "The hangout spots near campus. There's also camping, hiking, hot springs-"

Ev waved her hand for a second and pried the cup from her lips. "Is there anything that's not outdoorsy?"

"You came to Colorado and are not an outdoors person?"

"Yeah." She shrugged.

She smirked lightly and uncrossed her arms. "The library has good reading nooks, the science hall has some of those as well."

"You're not an outdoors person either, are you?"

"Not really, but I'll do it if I have to."

I held my drink in the air. "Here, here! To be honest, I don't mind it."

Evie snorted. "She's being modest. She loves the outdoors and all that. Her dad takes her on a canoeing trip every year."

"That's great! Does your mom go too or no?"

I smiled tightly and looked at the ground for a second. Evie's hand immediately encased mine and gave it a squeeze.

I cleared my throat. "Uhm... No, she passed away when I was a kid."

I was six. I only remember it being that age because I was sitting in my first grade class, all excited for the new year, and the teacher was pulled aside for a moment by the principal. Then my teacher came over to me and said I needed to go with the principal, and take my backpack too since I wasn't going to be returning. My classmates thought it was unfair that I got to leave. How ridiculous was that? Of course, my little mind didn't understand how horrible cancer was or understand why my mom was in the hospital all the time. Or understand why when she was at home I wasn't allowed to roughhouse with her. She got pale so quick; she was bald in most of the vague memories I have of her. Eventually, she stopped fighting and that day was a day my dad lost part of himself.

It was weird growing up without a mom during the years I got older. There was no one to teach me about make-up or the "girly" things. I didn't have that woman figure in my life; that was until I met Evie in seventh grade. It was just my dad and I for as long as I can remember. He definitely always put on a game face; there were nights I caught him crying and that was out of character. After Evie convinced me to go to the prom our senior year, my dad went dress shopping with me and helped me pick out that emerald green gown; he said that my mom would've loved it and that was the first time I ever cried about her passing. It hit hard that day; she wouldn't be there for the graduations, wedding day, baby showers. My dad really always tried the best he could and that was all I could ask for. He was both parents in my eyes.

Em's eyes went wide. "I'm so sorry. That was insensitive of me. I- My parents are divorced. I lived with my mom most of the time."

"Hey, no, it's okay. I was so young." I shook my head. "My dad is kind of like both parents, so I guess my mom does join the yearly camping trip."

Thankfully, Emilie lightly smiled. "Your dad sounds awesome. My mom is an outdoors woman. I think because she loved it so much and tried to get me to be as excited about it, it made me not enjoy it."

Ev laughed into her coffee. "That sounds like a better scenario. Mine are still together and I want to kill my mother sometimes. She's a witch."

"That's ...I can't argue against that," I snickered. "How about we go check out those spots? I've got my training to start later."

"Training for what?"

"Tennis. She's an athlete." Evie lightly rolled her eyes. Jokingly, of course.

I stuck my tongue out at her for a second. "I thought I mentioned it yesterday. I'm here on a tennis scholarship."

"I'm also here on a scholarship, but it's not athletic."

"Oh, nothing wrong with that. I know plenty of scholars. I got in by a landslide because of my mom. She's an alumni."

I looked at her thoughtfully. "Always had your heart set to go to Pine Hill? Was it the Harvard of your dreams?"

She shrugged. "Not necessarily, but it's a great college. It's what I need."

"Understandable," Ev replied, and eyed me to drop it. I got the sense it was a sensitive subject for Emilie, despite it probably being a constant question. I know I get it all the time, especially as a first year.

"So, if you're not athletic, why do you wear athleisure?" I teased.

Em rolled her eyes now, a smile crossed her lips. "It's comfortable, what can I say?"

The three of us laughed as we continued on where Emilie led us. She showed us the lake nearby where the row team practices when they're in season, and where students are allowed to swim. There were quite a few trails around that I knew I would have to try at some point. Of course, Emilie presented all of the nooks to Evie before we stopped to go eat dinner.

I held my right foot to my butt and then did the same with my left before I stretched forward to touch my toes. As I straightened back up and sat down in the grass to stretch my muscles more, I caught someone's eye.

It was the long haired brunette from yesterday. The one who hadn't teased us. He waved with a warm smile and I felt taken aback. Was that to me?

I looked around and I was the only one in this direction. I made an awkward wave to him and went back to my stretches.

That was kind of weird.

I took deep breaths as I pushed my foot against the tree I was under to stretch my arches. It was a distance run rather than sprints. I only ever do sprints right before the season starts. It was only day two and classes haven't even started, but I can't slack. That just wasn't in my nature.

I stepped through the open gate onto the track where it was occupied by a few others. I gave myself a few jumps to get my blood pumping more, then began the laps. I tried not to pay attention to the others because it would only psych me out of my comfort zone. I focused on the feel of my feet hitting the asphalt, and kept my breaths level.

It was only my mind and body connecting with the track; it was sort of like a trance. The first eight loops were the easiest part of the twelve. The last third was always the hardest.

"Hey!"

I barely slowed from surprise, but brought myself back to the previous pace. My eyes met the guy from earlier once again. Why was he talking to me? I didn't think he wanted to, or any of his friends.

I gave him a pressed smile. "Hi."

"You run?" he asked as he kept with me now.

We rounded one of the crescents. So, he wasn't going to stop any time soon. I wasn't sure how to feel about him yet. I didn't even know his name and I was pretty sure he didn't know mine either. I knew I shouldn't completely cancel him as a possible friend. He seemed harmless.

"Not for fun," I replied.

There was so much ease in his steps. He did have the advantage of long legs, so I could only assume my pace was nothing for him. I mean, it wasn't like I was super fast.

"What for then?"

"Tennis. You?"

He smirked. There was a laugh mixed between his heavy breaths too.

"Track and field... I'm a high jumper."

I gave him a look. "Not much... Running in that."

The smirk returned. "Caught me... I enjoy it."

"Right," I laughed breathlessly. I looked ahead of us; we weren't alone on the track. It was a great day for the distance. I guess I didn't mind the company. My eyes wandered back to the guy jogging with me, for whatever reason, and assessed his attributes. He did have the long legs and wide, buffed shoulders.

I cleared my throat. "I bet your height... Gives you major advantages."

"Not really." He chuckled. "I have to be careful about how... I carry my body over the pole."

I snorted and wiped under my nose as I slowed down to a walk. "Sure, I can understand that... I guess... What's your name?"

"Edward."

"Stella."

He smiled cheekly. "It was nice jogging, Stella. Maybe we can do it again."

I felt my heart lurch into my throat and I swallowed hard. "Yeah, maybe."

I walked off the track to do some quick post-run stretches to fend off any soreness and went back to the room where I'd left Evie and Emilie. They were sprawled out in the nook and observed others out the window. I'm positive that when they put in this large window, it was not intended to be for people watching.

Ev pointed at someone else. "What about them?"

Emilie laughed. "Arthur. He's in the science department."

"He's cute. Maybe I'll see him around."

"I don't know." She shrugged, her voice monotone. I could only guess how long Ev has had her doing this. Em looked back at me. "How was the workout?"

"I met Edward. He's from that group we ran into yesterday. You know, the one you said to avoid."

Em raised her brows. "I didn't think he'd be over there."

"Neither did I. He's a high jumper for track and field. He ran with me for a bit."

"A high jumper? The ones who launch themselves over the bar?" Ev questioned.

I nodded. "Yes...or they'll be disqualified."

"Wouldn't that actually be difficult for someone his size then?" Emilie questioned now, no hint of sarcasm.

I thought about it, and back to his own words, "Yeah, I suppose so. He seems to be a better fit for a sprint relay, or distance. He kept up so easily."

"Wait, so are you guys, like, running buddies now?" Evie mused.

I scoffed, "Doubt it."

"Good. I don't want to warn you again," Em reiterated and stood up. "I'll see you two sometime tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Later, Em," Ev and I chimed with waves.

"I'm going to shower," I said.

"What am I supposed to do then?"

I laughed under my breath. "Read?"

"Yes," she replied, then grabbed a book and sat back in the window nook.

#Scholars #Pine Hill Trilogy #First book #Book 1 #YA #Ya novel #Mystery #Scifi #Fantasy #LGBTQ #Authors #writers of tumblr

2 notes · View notes

no-longer-tainted · 5 years

Text

WIP Week 2019 [Day 6]

Question: What is your favorite comment you’re received on any of your fan works (WIP or Complete)?

It’s not an actual comment or anything but I’m always happy if people like what I wrote specially for them! <3 I’m always super nervous about that ;w;

Your Most Popular WIP

Fandom: Bungou Stray Dogs Shipping: Soukoku [Chuuya Nakahara x Osamu Dazai] Notes: My most popular online WIP is my School AU “Between Lies and Love” but offline it is the Civilian Chuuya x Mafia Boss Dazai AU. I once wrote a chapter 1 for the story I planned! [WIP: 18th Sep. 2018]

Shifting the two small bags from one hand to the other, Chuuya left the convenience store. He held his free hand in front of his face to protect it from the autumn sun shining right into his eyes. An old lady entered the shop while he stood in front of the entrance and he greeted her with a friendly smile. She responded with a nod and then she was out of sight. Starting his way home, he stepped forwards. Luckily the way was short, he would not even need ten minutes home, because he hated letting his daughter alone at home.

Chuuya passed a few other stores and looked through the shop windows before he turned into a lost alleyway to shortcut his way home. The moment, he wanted to walk around the corner, to get back to the main street, Chuuya bumped against someone else. He stumbled a step backwards, his hand holding his hat and looked up. "I'm-", he wanted to apologize but he stopped when he felt the murderous glare on him.

"Where are you looking, you bitch?" His gaze wandered over Chuuya and the man was at least two heads taller than him and behind him where two other guys with a similar building. All three were staring at Chuuya and then their eyes suddenly lightened up in a way, Chuuya couldn't describe, when they looked at each other.

"Boss, I think he-" The only blond one under the men spoke up but before he could finish his sentence, he laid straight on the floor, a man with black hair and a completely black outfit standing him, pressing his face down on the street with his booted food.

After that, another man appeared in the alleyway and looked around, seemingly to analyze the situation they were in. His hair was brown and he was wearing all black too. Then his gaze fell on Chuuya and a smile appeared on his face but that didn't quite catch his eye - the other one was covered under bandages. Chuuya looked straight back at him when the man started to speak with a really soft voice. "You should leave for the best."

The man who arrived a few seconds before him grabbed his arm and wanted to pull him out of the alleyway but Chuuya snatched out of the grip. "He is right, leave this place." His voice sounded less patient with Chuuya and his glare was his dark eyes sent chills down his spine because he never saw someone looking so angry at him for literally no reason.

"You two are pretty full of yourselves," Chuuya said and dodged a fist from the man he bumped into a few moments ago and with a smooth movement, he threw him over his shoulders, his bags clashing against his own body. "It's a three on three if I join you." He put the two groceries bag aside and rolled the sleeves of his sweatshirt jacket up like he was doing that as an everyday duty.

The other two men of his spontaneous formed group are exchanging looks but the moment the brown-haired man shrugged his shoulders, the other one exhaled exasperated and rolled his eyes. He didn't seem amused about him joining the battle but the other man probably had the upper hand about decisions between them.

It wasn't like the other three men gave them any other opportunities to discuss their further on-goings because the blond one, having now a bloody and bruised nose, attacked the black-haired man and was complaining about how he could dare to destroy his beautiful face and he would definitely pay for it.

"Don't stay in the way, Chibi~" The brunette said, laying one hand on his shoulder. With a feathery jump and his hands in his pockets, he kicked the until now unharmed third man right into his face and tossed him against the wall.

"Hah, as if!" Chuuya exclaimed and jumped over Dazai's shoulder by supporting himself on his shoulder with one arm and knocking out the one man he bumped into by kicking both of his feet in his face probably breaking one or two of his teeth. He himself landed elegantly like a kitten on his feed in a crouching position. Behind his back, the black-haired man punched the third one on the ground before he was able to attack Chuuya from behind.

The one the bandaged man had kicked, got up from the ground and ran towards Chuuya and the other man. His attacks were easy to dodge for Chuuya but the other one got his fist right into his face. Chuuya snickered and let the enemy trip over his long leg. "So? Who's standing in the way, huh?" Chuuya teased him with a smirk on his face.

"Don't be so cocky just because you broke a few teeth out of him," he answered and held his cheek with his hand. He rubbed over it and spout a few pained groans. "That was nothing."

Chuuya only shrugged his shoulders as an answer and turning his back to him. "You have to know." With fast movements, he ran towards one of the enemies and hit one of them with his fist. Through his blood ran only adrenaline at the moment - it almost felt like fighting back then in his High School days. "Look out!"

Hearing the shouting of Mister Angry Boy, Chuuya turned around only to dodge a thrown brick last second. Though, Chuuya lost his momentum and fell backwards on his butt. "Ohw." He rubbed the aching area and with a back-flip, he got up from the dirty ground, dusting off his hands and pants. The bandaged man laughed. "Clumsy, aren't we?"

A slight blush appeared on his cheeks and he clicked with his tongue. "At least I don't need ten kilometer bandages."

It took them a few more kicks and punches before these three idiots were beaten and weren't able to get up from the ground, groaning from pain of there broken bones. They looked miserable and a look on his watch told Chuuya, the fight didn't take long, just a few minutes. He dusted his clothes off and turned towards the other two. "Though-" He turned around to the place he expected his groceries to be but the bandaged man - with the black-haired man behind him - already gave him the bags. "Thank you." He took them with a huffy movement. "I'll have to go."

Only turning around, when he felt the grip of the other man around his wrist.

“What's your name?"

Confused, Chuuya looked at him and raised an eyebrow at him and the smile irritated him even more. "Nakahara. Nakahara Chuuya," he introduced himself and when the grip around his wrist loosened, he let his arm sink down. It wouldn't hurt when these two men knew about his name, the chances that he would meet them again were pretty much against zero anyway.

"It was nice to meet you, Chuuya~" The man said and the way he drew every single syllable of his name gave Chuuya goosebumps. "Right, Akutagawa-kun?" Akutagawa just glared at Chuuya and didn't respond in any way.

"Yeah, yeah- whatever you say, Mister Bandage." Chuuya shook his head while rolling his eyes and was about to leave the alleyway. He had really no interest in getting caught by the police for the brawl and he left his daughter alone at home for more time than he was comfortable with. "I really have to leave, I hope you clean that shit up here."

“We do." Akutagawa snapped and went to the dead looking bodies, kicking them with his feet like they were worthless trash. "There was no reason for you to interfere anyway."

"It's not like I expect a thank you." Chuuya rolled his eyes and turned towards the bandaged man. "Just to make things complete. What's your name?", Chuuya asked a little curious which men chased through the town to beat a group of punks up. Of course, he was aware of his help without asking for any reasons but he didn't help especially them out rather he wouldn't come out without fighting.

"Dazai," he answered and his lips still formed this stupid unreadable smile.

"Then- whatever you do with them- Have fun?" Without waiting for an answer, Chuuya left the alleyway and sped his steps up to get home fast. He only went groceries shopping because he needed some stuff for his daughter otherwise he wouldn't even have left the apartment on his day off.

It didn't take long until he was in his own four walls again and put away the things that survived the fight. A few things, like the eggs he bought for his dinner, didn't survive. After he had put the few things away, he walked into his daughter's small room. "Little princess, I'm home," he greeted her and listened. She was still asleep so Chuuya just walked in with the light of the hall to not wake her up.

Her chubby, light red cheeks, the light orange hair, still thin and short. Her pink babygrow with cute sheep on it he bought for her first birthday a few weeks ago - all made her so adorable and Chuuya smiled at her. She was all the trouble worth.

The growl of his stomach made Chuuya realize that he should eat something because he didn't eat since hours. A look on his phone told him it was dinner time anyway. He sighed, gave Aya a kiss on her forehead and left her room. It wouldn't take long until she would wake up to get her food too.

On his way to the kitchen he answered a message from his friend Tachihara and in the kitchen he put on the playlist of his favorite rock band while doing dishes and turning on the rice cooker. After what had happened, Chuuya wasn't in the mood to cook so he would go simple with rice and stir-fried vegetables.

The moment he put his plate down on the table, he heard Aya's cry. It took him only a few seconds to get next to her bed and take her out of it to comfort her. "Sssh- Everything is fine, little princess," he whispered while he rocked her in his arms. He hummed her favorite melody and until she calmed down.

Aya grabbed Chuuya's longer hair strands with her short, thick fingers and put them into her mouth, drooling on them.

"They aren't food, Aya." Cautiously he put his hand around his own hair and freed it from the biting with her small baby teeth. "What does my little princess wish to eat?", he asked her and put his hair behind his shoulder before Aya was able to grab them again. As an answer, he only got cooing and giggling sounds. "So you want some vegetables from your papa?" When the little girl hid her face on Chuuya's neck, he put his hand in her hair and ruffled her short locks, smiling.

With his daughter in his arms, Chuuya left the room and entered the kitchen. While his stomach growled for food, he put Aya in her high chair, belted her up and prepared some food she was able to eat with her fingers like she loved doing over the last two weeks. A lot of it landed on herself but it was a really cute picture when she grabbed the food and put it into her mouth while her eyes shone like the sun itself. Chuuya took a few photos of her with his phone before he started to eat next to her.

If he overlooked the fight he had today, he really had a peaceful life he couldn't complain about. Of course, there was no place for a lot of luxury with having to take care of a one-year-old child and being a single-parent but he loved her with all he had and would give up everything for her.

#wipweek #wipweek2019 #bungou stray dogs #soukoku #chuuya nakahara #osamu dazai #civilian chuuya x portmafia boss dazai #bsd fic #soukoku fic

23 notes · View notes

x5red · 5 years

Text

Sixty fun & fascinating facts about the classic Supergirl (3 / 4)

Welcome to the third part of this series presenting sixty fascinating facts to celebrate the sixty years since the debut of the classic Supergirl in DC Comics. Ahead are another fun-filled fifteen snippets of trivia about the original intrepid Argo City teen who leapt from that crumpled Midvale rocket ship. Covering her original Silver and Bronze Age incarnation, in comics and on screen, each factoid is calculated to intrigue and delight – hopefully even seasoned Kara fans will find a few morsels of trivia that had previously escaped their attention.

Enjoy...

31. You can actually visit, in real life, the building where she once lived.

While Superman has rarely strayed beyond his fictional base of Metropolis, Supergirl’s adventures have seen her relocate far-and-wide many times. Some of her homes have been fictional, like Midvale and Stanhope, while others have been real-life, like San Francisco and Chicago. But shockingly, not only has the Girl of Steel lived in real locations, but she has even inhabited real addresses.

A panel in Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #4 (Feb 1983) exposes Linda Danvers’ home address as 1537 West Fargo Ave, Chicago – surprisingly, this turns out to be a genuine address. A later issue, #7 (May 1983), reveals that Linda’s apartment number is 12A. The building that’s currently at that location doesn’t correspond with the one drawn by Carmine Infantino, but if you happen to be passing you might want to check if one of the occupants is listed a “Ms. L. Danvers”.

32. The first theatrically released Supergirl movie was in 1973, not 1984.

As outlined in factoid #2 there was an abundant supply of superheroine movies in non-English speaking markets before Helen Slater’s Supergirl. Indeed so incredibly popular are superpowered females in some corners of the globe that, amazingly, there was even an unofficial Girl or Steel movie over a decade before the authorised Salkind-produced one. The film in question starred Pinky Montilla in the main role and was entitled simply Supergirl. Released on 23rd September 1973 into the Filipino market, the movie featured the Maid of Might’s early 70s costume but changed her origin story. Pinky would also play Bat Girl in 1973′s Fight! Batman, Fight! – and we can assume that the producers probably didn’t ask DC for permission to use the Dominoed Daredoll either.

33. She hated her time in Midvale Orphanage.

The Silver Age always presented Kara’s adventures with a naive sense of wonder and amazement; rarely did it seriously address the pain she must have felt at leaving her parents behind to die in Argo City. But comics changed a lot in the two decades after Kara was introduced, and by the time Supergirl’s origin was retold in Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #1(Nov 1982) a very different spin was put on things. As Kara travels to begin a new life in Chicago, she reflects back on her tragic beginnings as a superhero, including the painful loss of her parents and her feelings of starting over in Midvale: “I was a real stranger in a very strange land! With nowhere else to go, Superman had no choice but to place me in Midvale Orphanage under the name Linda Lee.”, she recalls, before concluding solemnly, “I hated it!”

34. She was a reluctant hero, often feeling out of place on Earth.

One theme that reoccurred during the Bronze Age adventures of Supergirl is how Kara felt at odds with her career as a superhero, and out-of-place on Earth. A story in Superman Family #168 (Dec 1974) demonstrates this more than most, as it brings together three troubled women with extraordinary powers. Supergirl joins her friend Lena Luthor (who has ESP) in an attempt to help Jan Thurston (who has telepathy) come to terms with her unusual powers.

After rescuing a suicidal Jan, Supergirl wins her trust by recounting her own sad journey from Argo City to Earth, explaining that at first she enjoyed the novelty of her superpowers, but quickly came to see them as a barrier. “I’m the mightiest girl on Earth -- and the loneliest!”, she laments, “There’s not a guy on the planet who can keep up with me... Not a single girl can get close enough to be my friend! Sometimes I think I’d much rather have stayed on Argo City!” But Kara goes on to outline how she overcame those feelings: “People like us aren’t different!”, she explains, “We’re just... special!”

35. She planned to start a family, until Kal-El intervened.

In the Bronze Age, DC writers clearly felt free to explore introspective ideas with Kara that likely weren’t possible with her famous cousin. One short story, tucked in the back of Superman Vol. 1 #282 (Dec 1974), demonstrated this more than any other. Kal-El travels to Florida, Kara’s then home, to confront her about suggestions that she may give up her superhero career. “This life of a super-heroine takes up too much of my time... Sets me apart from everyone else!”, she explains. “I want an ordinary life -- with a husband and children some day... Free to do what I choose!”

Naturally her straight-laced cousin isn’t too keen on this idea. He spins Kara a yarn from ancient Krypton folklore, the moral of the story being that she should be careful what she wishes for. “So you see, Kara”, he explains, “sometimes, when we get the things we think we want most... they turn out to be a curse rather than a blessing!” In light of this, Kara reconsiders her plans.

36. Wonder Woman designed one of her costumes.

As most fans know one of the few weaknesses the Man and Girl or Steel share is a vulnerability to magic; so when Adventure Comics #397 (Sep 1970) saw Kara go up against a powerful black magic cult, it was perhaps no surprised to find her badly beaten and her costume shredded. Luckily Wonder Woman was in her mod Emma Peel phase at the time, posing (in-between bouts of super heroics) as the owner of a fashion boutique. Reaching into the racks of clothes at her shop, Diana produces a completely redesigned Supergirl outfit befitting the fashions of the period, which Kara eagerly adopts. (Readers were left wondering whether Diana had redesigns of other hero costumes at the ready, or was Supergirl a special case?)

37. Her mom(s) designed two of her costumes.

Every Supergirl fan knows that Kara’s original costume was designed by her mother, Alura, so that the teenager would be recognised immediately by the Man of Steel when she arrived on Earth. But few may remember that her mid-80s costume, the headband affair she wore going into Crisis on Infinite Earths, was also designed by her mother -- her other mother. Kara’s 80s costume was design by Edna Danvers, her adopted mother on Earth, who (it seemed) was in the habit of whiling away the long dark evenings in Midvale by sketching possible costume designs for her superhero daughter.

38. She’s a fan of recycling her clothes.

The Maid of Might has had many costumes over the years -- or rather, she’s had one costume that she’s recycled over and over since the early 70s. In Adventure Comics #407 (June 1971) a new invulnerable costume was given to Kara by the folks in the Bottle City of Kandor after her original Argo City outfit had been destroyed some months before. A dedicated follower of fashion, over the coming months Kara went through a succession of wild and wacky outfits, some lasting only one issue, before finally settling on her famous hot pants attire for the majority of the 1970s. One might have assumed that somewhere in the Fortress of Solitude there was a wardrobe packed full of retired red and blue super-duds, but Supergirl Vol. 2 #13 (Nov 1983) revealed Kara’s secret -- when it comes time to upgrade her outfit, Kara unravels her old costume at super-speed and and re-weaves the resulting ball of thread into the new design.

39. Demi Moore was the director’s first choice to play Lucy Lane in the Supergirl movie.

The casting net for the title role in 1984′s Supergirl was spread far-and-wide. Director Jeannot Szwarc asked casting agent Lynn Stalmaster to search the whole globe for candidates who could not only act, but withstand the physically and mentally pressure of training for the demanding stunts and wire work. One candidate, apparently, was Demi Moore, who didn’t get the Girl of Steel role but was considered perfect for Kara’s best friend, Lucy Lane. Director Jeannot Szwarc recalled in a 1999 interview, “I met tons of girls. I remember one of the girls was Demi Moore. She was very young and had a great voice. I wanted to use her for the room mate.” But it seems fate had other plans for Ms Moore, as Szwarc explained, “She would have been [perfect], but she was going to Brazil to do a movie with Michael Caine.“ (Moore played Caine’s daughter in Stanley Donen’s rom-com, Blame It on Rio.)

40. One of her rarest appearances is from 1981, only a couple of pages long, but sells for $75+.

If there was a competition to find the rarest publication with an original Supergirl story, Danger on Parade / Le Danger Guette would surely be hot favourite for top place. This tiny comic, just eighteen panels long, was given away inside packets of breakfast cereals in Canada. It features an abbreviated adventure pitting Supergirl against Winslow Schott, aka the Toyman, in the pair’s only pre-Crisis encounter. Runner-up in the rarity stakes would likely go to the Super A and Super B booklet sets produced by Warner Books in 1977 for use in classrooms. The sets didn’t feature original stories however, but reprints with simplified speech balloons designed to teach reading skills.

41. She first met Kal-El years before she landed on Earth.

Gimmick story lines were the order of the day for Silver Age DC, and what better way to create an attention-grabbing dime-baiting cover than to arrange a bizarre crossover -- such was the case with Action Comics #358 (Jan 1968), which saw a very youthful Kara Zor-El in Argo City meet Superboy. The story is predictable fare: in deep space Superboy is scooped-up by one of Zor-El’s science probes, which brings him back to Argo City. Naturally Kara is the first one to discover the probe’s accidental passenger, and (naturally!) Kal-El has suffered memory loss that blots out his life on Earth. Kal and Kara become firm friends over the coming days, until (naturally!) the plot contrives to wipe her memory of him, and restore his memory of Earth.

42. Lena Luthor was the only friend who knew her secret identity.

In the 2015 Supergirl tv show, famously, everyone seems to know (or have known at some point) Supergirl’s secret identity... except Lena Luthor. Bronze Age DC Comics, however, were very very different: Lena first met Kara in Action Comics #295 (Dec 1962), using the name Lena Thorul to hide her connections to brother Lex. Instantly she became firm friends with both Supergirl and Linda Danvers, requiring Kara to work extra hard to stop Lena from realising they are one in the same. The deception finally ended in Superman Family #211 (Oct 1981) when Lena confessed to Kara that she’d worked out her dual identity. This made Lena the only ever friend of Linda Danvers who shared her secret. Sadly it didn’t last long, as by Superman Family #214 (Jan 1982) Lena had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage which affected her memory.

43. She didn’t put the “Kara” into Karaoke.

Over the years Supergirl has exhibited some remarkable super skills, including super ventriloquism, incredible memory, and even the ability to read minds, but one skill that she seemingly lacks is any kind of musical aptitude. Despite the modern day tv Supergirl claiming to put the Kara into Karaoke, her comic strip counterpart didn’t ever appear to sing (not even in the shower!) What’s more, as she confesses in the pages of Adventure Comics #409 (Aug 1971), she doesn’t play any musical instruments either.

44. She’s was no stranger to tragedy even before she left Argo City.

Very few Silver or Bronze Age stories dealt with Kara’s life in Argo City, but one story that gave some idea of how she filled her time appeared in the pages of Action Comics #371 (Jan 1969), when a very young Kara is shown witnessing the cruel death of her best friend, Morina. The pair are innocently playing the game Zoomron, involving the throwing a Frisbee-like disc (the Zoomron) at a target. Chasing an erratic disc Morina tumbles into a crevice filled with Kryptonite, and a tearful Kara can only stand and watch as her friend succumbed to the deadly rays.

45. The Supergirl movie was almost entirely filmed in the UK.

Most fans know that Superman I and II owe a lot to Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, northwest of London, so it is no surprise that 1984′s Supergirl returned to use the same studio complex. But while Superman complimented its studio shots with exteriors filmed in New York (Metropolis) and Alberta, Canada (Smallville), Supergirl’s production stayed firmly within the UK. Locations included the banks of Loch Moidart on the west coast of highland Scotland, the Royal Masonic School for Girls in Hertfordshire, and Black Park Lake near the Pinewood soundstage in Buckinghamshire. Shockingly, even downtown Midvale was actually a huge sprawl of street facades constructed as a backlot set at Pinewood -- the 22 days it took to shoot the tractor rescue sequence was allegedly due to the notoriously fickle British weather.

That’s all for part three. The final part, with even more extra-juicy Kara Zor-El trivia, will be available soon.

#supergirl #superhero #comics #dc #dccomics #superheroine #karazorel #kara zorel #silver age #bronze age #superman #luthor

16 notes · View notes

travelingtheusa · 5 years

Text

NEW YORK

18 Sep 2019 (Wed) – We spent the day getting ready for our move. We went food shopping and stopped in at Bagel Boss for lunch. I don’t know how that place stays in business. They are soooo slow. It must be because they are the only bagel place around. At 3 p.m. I drove over to Travis & Sam’s to watch Lincoln. Sam had work and Travis was taking the boys to karate. We reviewed their finances and discussed options to resolve their issue. In the meantime, Paul was watching Caiden back at the camper because Miranda and Kenny went to Meet the Teacher Night.

It was quite cool this morning. The heater is not working right. It turns on and then shuts off. This is an issue we will have to resolve before the weather gets colder.

17 Sep 2019 (Tue) – It’s been a fairly busy week. I attended a memorial service for a member of the American Legion Post on Thursday. Gus Luhrs, past post and past division commander, passed away at the age of 86. He served 20 years in the Marine Corps and was in the Korea and Vietnam Wars. He was the bartender at the post for many, many years. I will miss him.

We went to a dinner celebrating the 100th birthday of American Legion Post 411 on Friday the 13th. It was held in the Marconi Lodge; not the post. I guess they wanted to give everyone a chance to enjoy the celebration and not worry about set up and break down. I was disappointed that few of the guys wore uniforms. Not too long ago, everyone would have proudly worn their uniform. The times, they are a-changing. There were about 60 people at the event. The food was ok but the company was great. It was fun to see all our friends from the post.

Caiden decided to skip church this Sunday. Afterward, Paul and I went to the Bayside Clam Bar for lunch. The warm days are waning and I want to enjoy as much of the waterfront as possible before it gets too cold.

12 Sep 2019 (Thu) –I had lunch with my sister, Susan, today. We met at the Cheesecake Factory in Bay Shore and both enjoyed salads. Later this evening, I attended a memorial service for an American Legion friend, Gus Luhrs.

11 Sep 2019 (Wed) – Wow. Things have been very, very busy. We have spent time watching Caiden which takes full effort. He likes to play pillow fights and pulls me into these all the time. It’s either here in the camper or on the couch in his house.

I had lunch with my daughter, Gina, today. We met at Cheesecake Factory and caught up on how things have been going since we last saw each other.

Later today at 5:00 p.m., Paul and I went to a 9/11 memorial conducted by the Town of Islip next to Town Hall. There were 15 fire departments represented there. Lots of firemen and a bagpipe and drum band played songs that left you with a lump in your throat.

5 Sep 2019 (Thu) – We celebrated our 48th wedding anniversary yesterday. We had dinner at the Texas Roadhouse. We saw a posted sign that said they give a 20% military discount on Mondays. We now have our new best eatery on Mondays!

We had my brother, Dennis, and his lady, Denise, over for dinner on Tuesday (September 3). I made chicken picata, potatoes, and green beans. Everything came out perfect. They stayed for two hours. It was a very pleasant visit.

Caiden started school yesterday (Noah started the day before on Tuesday and Hudson started on Wednesday). We all walked Caiden down to the bus stop and waited over a half hour. The first days of school always sees the bus come late. It was almost an hour late returning at day’s end; although there was a legitimate excuse – the town was out and picking up debris one block over and on our block. That held up traffic all over the area. Caiden seemed to enjoy himself on his first day. His teacher’s name is Mr. Lolo. Can’t wait to meet him.

1 Sep 2019 (Sun) – We took Caiden with us to church this morning. He was very fidgety and complained that it was boring. Not sure how much longer he will go with us to church before he decides it’s not fun. We spoke with Pastor Doug and scheduled October 20 for Lincoln’s baptism.

After church, I let Caiden do some exploring and playing on the playground behind the building. Then we went to the Clamside Bar & Grill at the East Islip Marina for lunch. We all took a walk around the pier then returned home.

Paul and I spent the afternoon doing yardwork. As Paul cleared out some of the brush, I got a good look at the trees down on that back fence. It looks like a much bigger area was crushed by our neighbor’s tree than it first looked like. And he still hasn’t started clearing anything away. I’m not sure what we are going to do about that.

After naps, we sent out for pizza for dinner. Hmmm Hmmm, good!

30 Aug 2019 (Fri)

– Paul and I took Caiden to my sister Susan’s house today. We spent the day swimming in the pool and visiting with Susan & Bill and Shay & Pat (her daughter and boyfriend). The weather was lovely.

29 Aug 2019 (Thu) – Good news! I had an appointment at Sloan Kettering this morning to find out the results of the PET and CT scans I had on Monday. After only ten days on the chemo, the lymph nodes have already started to shrink. My response to the therapy has been so good that I don’t have to come back for a month. I thought I was going to have to go in every week for 5 or 6 weeks.

After the doctor, Paul and I went to Red Robin for lunch. I had a margarita and cobb salad. Paul had a beer and burger. We were kind of giddy with relief and thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Following lunch, we stopped at Shop Rite and picked up some groceries then returned home to continue the yard cleanup.

28 Aug 2019 (Wed) – It was cool this morning. We had to wear jackets when we walked Bonnie this morning. The summer is coming to a close. There’s a kind of sadness and yet a feeling of excitement as we build up to the holidays.

There is a spider that builds a web outside my bedroom window every night. I first spotted her during that thunderstorm last week. When the lightning flashed, she was illuminated on her web. She seemed to be floating in midair. She comes out every night and stays until early light the next morning. I watched her this morning as the sun came up and she climbed up and away to her den for a well-deserved sleep. She is an orb weaver and measures about an inch and a half in length. What a beautiful specimen of the insect world!

27 Aug 2019 (Tue) – We went to church on Sunday. Caiden decided to take the day off so he did not go with us. Everyone missed him.

On Monday, I went to Sloan Kettering and had both a PET scan and a CT scan. They sure keep those rooms cold. Brrrrr! Since I had some radiation, I couldn’t go near pregnant women or small children for 24 hours. I had to wave across the room to Caiden rather than get my Caiden hug. At 4:30 p.m. today, I was sure to get my big hug. And it came with a great big smile!

This afternoon, we drove to the V.A. in Northport. I wanted to establish myself as a cancer patient and see about getting medicine as we move around the country rather than having it mailed to me every three months. The doctor referred me to hematology. There was no answer at the department so I have to wait for a call back. I got an appointment with Audiology for October. Ugh. I hate the thought of being here that long. But, unfortunately, I think I will be here. The doctor wanted to schedule me for a mammogram but I said I’d go with my regular radiologist. She did schedule me to come back for a pap smear but I think I’ll just see my own gynecologist instead. She seemed to be somewhat flustered by me. She wanted to do all this medical stuff and I kept turning it down. She wasn’t sure what to do. lol

24 Aug 2019 (Sat) – The air is full of the sound of generators, chain saws, and leaf blowers as everyone cleans up after the storm. Seems like there are tree removal and PSEG trucks all over the place. A company has been working on removing the trees from the two neighbors on the south side. We think they took out 11 or 12 trees in total. We finally got power back on around 2:30 p.m.

We met with the counselor this morning. Afterward, we drove to the Clamside Bar at the East Islip Marina and had a late breakfast. It is nice to sit by the water and watch the boats come and go. There weren’t many people out on the water considering that it was a beautiful, clear Saturday and summer is fast coming to an end. You’d think everyone would want to be out getting in their last licks for the season.

When we finished our meal, we went home and took Bonnie for a walk. Then we drove out to Mastic Beach and toured the William Floyd Estate. What history exists in our own backyard! William Floyd was one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence. Nine generations of the family lived on the estate from 1718 until they gave it to the National Parks Department in 1976. They originally had 4,400 acres. Over the years, family inherited the property and divided it among heirs, with just 673 acres remaining on the estate today. The Floyd family was much involved in politics and several prominent people visited the estate to include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. During the Civil War, the family fled to Connecticut while the British occupied Long Island. The house was pretty much trashed when they returned after the war but the Floyds were able to restore it. The estate began as a two-story, 6 room house. Additions were made over the years until it ended with 25 rooms, 13 outbuildings, and a family cemetery.

23 Aug 2019 (Fri) – Wow! We had a hum dinger of a thunderstorm blow through last night. The phone pinged a warning that a severe storm was going to hit in 15 minutes and everyone should seek shelter on a lower level in the interior of the house. That was different. I’ve gotten many storm warnings but never one that told me to get to the middle of the house. They must have expected tornadoes although the warning did not say that.

At about 9:45 p.m. it began to rain. Shortly after, the wind picked up. Then the skies opened up and the thunder and lightning started. We lost power after about 15 minutes. We sat and watched the transformer on the pole blow. Then another one blew down the block.

Finally, the storm passed and we all walked outside to see what kind of damage had been left behind. Kenny had gotten out of work just after the storm ended. He reported having to take a crazy circuitous route to get home because of downed trees and wires. There were trees down at either end of the block. The next block had a tree land on a car. Over on the main road (Saxon Ave), there were two trees down at opposite ends, thus closing off the road to through traffic. People were trying to go down the block. When they couldn’t get through, they turned and went down our block only to discover they couldn’t get through that way either. Our neighbor in the back on the south side had five trees go down. Two landed on our fence. Another tree came down on our fence in back on the west side. That tree was also from a neighbor’s yard. All our trees stayed put for this storm. lol.

We had gone over Trap’s house earlier to help him with an electrical problem he is having at the house. Paul and he worked for over an hour but couldn’t solve the problem. Sam and I went food shopping with the baby while the two older boys stayed home. We picked up pizza on the way back home and shared a meal with them before going home. Luckily, we got home before the storm hit.

21 Aug 2019 (Wed) – The church had their annual outdoor service on Sunday. We took Caiden with us. I guess the outdoor setting was too much for him. He wanted to go play and squirmed and fidgeted throughout the entire service. Afterward, there were all kinds of foods in a potluck meal. Everything was very good. I really enjoy those potlucks!

I really messed up today. I was scheduled for a PET scan at Sloan Kettering this afternoon. The test requires you to fast for six hours prior. I was watching Caiden and he asked for something to eat. I got him a snack out of the refrigerator and without thinking, popped a piece of cheese in my mouth. Yikes! When I got to the cancer center, it turned out I was supposed to be there at 1:15, not 2:15 p.m. Fortunately, the 2:15 appointment had shown up at 1:15 so they let me take the later appointment. Unfortunately, I had eaten the cheese and couldn’t take the test. I had to reschedule for next Monday.

I started chemotherapy on Monday. I am taking Ibrutinib once a day. So far (knock on wood), I am not having any side effects. Reading all the warnings, I have been fully expecting diarrhea and vomiting. Maybe it will come after the chemical builds up in my body. I have to admit that I am afraid of this drug. It interferes with the production of white blood cells. This lowers my resistance to infection. I have to be careful about keeping my hands clean and avoiding sick people. It is something I have to learn to live with since I now have to take this drug for the rest of my life.

The saga with trying to get Miranda financial help goes on. Social Services turned down her request for financial aid as well as food stamps. The department has a requirement for certain categories of persons to be referred to New York State HQ for examination when applying for Medicaid. We have to wait and see what happens there.

17 Aug 2019 (Sat) – We saw the counselor this morning. She was empathetic to our situation and gave us some suggestions for dealing with our adult children and their issues. Afterward, we drove to Bayside Clam Bar at the East Islip Marina for lunch. It is a great time of year to sit down by the water and just enjoy the season. All too soon, the cold weather will be upon us.

We stopped by the thrift shop at church and helped move tables and chairs from the storage area to the door. Tomorrow will be our annual outdoor service and potluck. We were staging the items by the back door where they would be taken down to the yard. Paul found a pair of super cool looking glasses for Caiden. They look like some kind of futuristic robot apparatus. They have a battery pack and when you turn it on, blue lights come on either side of the glasses. They also have a magnifying glass that folds out in front of the right lens. He loved them!

16 Aug 2019 (Fri) – It’s been a pretty quiet week. I got my hair cut this morning. It was good to see my hairdresser. She moved down to the Carolinas years ago and comes up about every 3 or 4 weeks. She said it was too hard to start a new following down south so she just continues coming back to New York to see her customers. I am glad about that! She is the only one who can get my hair right.

I went to visit my niece, Jennifer, and her new baby, Ava. She delivered about a month ago. My sister, Susan, and her other daughter, Sharon, joined me. The baby is adorable. Susan picked me up in her new red Tesla, of which she is very proud. It rides pretty nice.

Later at 5:30 pm, we went over Travis & Sam’s to watch the boys while they tore up the carpet in the upstairs hallway and put down new flooring. First we played outside. Then we followed Noah and Hudson on their bicycles around the block (they rode; we walked). Then we drove them to a nearby playground and let them play for a while. Interestingly, Noah pulled a book out of the book exchange and sat down on a bench to read while Hudson climbed all over the playset. Two very different boys!

Finally, we capped the night with a trip to Carvel. The ice cream was delicious but needless to say, their parents weren’t too happy about all the energy they came home with after the sweet treats. It is good to be the grandparent! You can spoil the babies and not suffer the aftermath. Sweet!

11 Aug 2019 (Sun) – We went to church this morning. Caiden is spending the weekend with his other grandma so he wasn’t with us. It seemed like everyone missed him. Everybody we spoke with asked about him. He is pretty popular.

After church, Paul and other folks helped to unload furniture for the church’s garage sale in October. I went down to the thrift shop and helped them sort baby clothes. They got a donation with dozens of outfits. We put them in bundles of six and marked them at fifty cents for the bundle. It must have been clothing from a store that closed. There is no way they could have all come from one family. Many outfits were brand new, some with tags still attached.

We went to Sagtikos Manor for a tour of the historical home. The land was purchased from the Secatogue Indians in 1692 and a 4-room house was built in 1697. The home was purchased by a wealthy family and over the years, more rooms were added until it now has 42 rooms. It was fascinating to hear the history of the property. The Gardiner family, one of the wealthiest in the area, owned the home in addition to Gardiner Island. They also had several homes around the Island and in New York City. In 1963, the house was put into a foundation trust. The property was sold to Suffolk County in 2003. What used to be 1,400 acres is now just 10 acres of land. There is a cemetery, a walled garden, a carriage house, and a buttery on the property. British soldiers occupied the manor during the American Revolution. The newly elected president, George Washington, slept in the house during a tour of Long Island in 1790. There were many delightful pictures and prints hanging on the walls. The family kept everything and all the furnishings were from the period. We really enjoyed the tour. Here was something in our own backyard that we never explored.

10 Aug 2019 (Sat) – Caiden keeps us amused. He is a charming, sweet soul. I went over Trap’s house Friday night and got to read the boys bedtime stories. It was fun. We went bowling with them on Wednesday. They are two very ener- getic boys! The night was quite interesting. Hudson and I had the same score for almost the entire game. I pulled it out in the end and broke 100. I think he got eighty something. Pretty good for a 4-year old (or bad for a 67-year old). :-}

We’ve been keeping busy. Paul went down to the church and power washed the fence in back and the front entry way. We will be having an outdoor service next Sunday and Pastor Doug wanted the area to look nice. I helped out in the thrift shop for a couple of hours. There were a couple of boxes with baby clothes in them. I took them for Lincoln.

I went down to Social Services with Miranda. I am trying to get them some financial aid as well as food stamps and Medicaid. It took over an hour just to fill out the application form! We left without seeing anyone after sitting for a couple of hours. An agent called Miranda later and told her she did not qualify for financial aid. Her $160 a week disability check combined with her husband’s $177 weekly unemployment check is considered too much income. WTH??? That comes to $1,348 a month. Who can even find rent at that price? Plus electric, car insurance, phone costs, education loans, etc., etc., etc. The agent is sending forms to Miranda to fill out and submit. DIDN’T WE JUST DO THAT??? Talk about aggravation and frustration!!!

6 Aug 2019 (Tue) – We brought the truck down to Safelite Glass today to have the windshield replaced. We have had a ding in the passenger’s side since 2015 when we were in Alaska. It often interfered with the pictures I tried to take through the front window. This year, we got another ding in the driver’s side of the windshield. It was time to replace it. We dropped the truck off and walked up to Main Street. The café we were looking for was no longer there. We wound up having bagels and coffee at a deli.

At 3 p.m., I went in to relieve Miranda from childcare duties. I took Caiden to the playground at the local elementary school playground. He had a great time! I told him he deserved an Italian custard at Rita’s. When we drove there, we found the shop closed permanently! What a bummer. So we drove a little further down the road and “settled” for Carvel ice cream. Caiden was not disappointed.

We went to Cavanaugh’s Bar & Grill tonight. We met Joan & Peter, Pat & Fred, Ginny & Milton, and Johanna & Thom at the bar. The restaurant had a $14.99 special for a 20 oz. porterhouse steak. It came with onion rings, baked potato, and a vegetable. The food was very good. It was a fun evening.

4 Aug 2019 (Sun) – We gathered up Caiden and headed off to church this morning. Paul’s sister and husband, Joan & Peter, showed up at church, too. After service, we went to the Bayside Clam Bar at the East Islip Marina with cousins Lee & Donna and friends Fred & Pat. It was a beautiful day on the bay. I took Caiden down by the docks where we watched folks putting in and taking out boats and jet skis. He was very impressed with the jet skis.

After we dropped Caiden off back home, Paul & I drove to Willie’s Appliances, a scratch-and-dent retailer. We bought a washing machine for the house. The one in there now has gotten out of balance and dances all over the room during the spin cycle. When we got home, Paul switched out the two washers.

3 Aug 2019 (Sat) – Yesterday, we took the three grandsons to my sister’s house to swim in the pool and lunch. It was like trying to keep ferrets in an open-top box. It couldn’t be done. They were all over the place and not as obedient as we would have liked. Having additional adults to help out wasn’t enough. At any rate, I believe the boys enjoyed the swim time and my sister really went out of her way to provide a varied menu for everyone.

Today, we enjoyed an unplanned adventure. While scanning Facebook, I came across a posting of a friend who plays in a band. He advertised that they would be down at the East Islip Marina playing at the Bayside Clam Bar and Grill from 10 to 1. We went there for lunch. I had lobster roll and Paul had fried shrimp. The music was delightful, the bay breeze was balmy, and the sky was blue. It was so nice to sit and listen to the 3-piece band play while watching watercraft (boats and ski jets) come and go.

31 July 2019 (Wed) – I almost wound up in the hospital today. I took a new supplement – a proteolytic enzyme. Then I took the dog for a walk. About ten minutes into the walk, the palms of my hands started itching. At first, I thought it was one of those lucky itches. You know, the kind where your palm itches and you’re going to come into money (or pay money)? But then it got intense, almost burning. My stomach started in next. Although I got the heaves, nothing was coming up. I barely made it back to the camper. Then the vomiting and diarrhea started. I was so weak, I could barely stand. I lay there wishing Paul would come into the trailer so I could have him call an ambulance. The vomiting finally subsided and I lay on the bed trying to recover. Next, the bottom of my feet began to itch, then my whole body. As I sat there trying to scratch everything at once, red blotches started breaking out on my legs. At that point, Paul came into the trailer and realized I was having a severe allergic reaction. He ran down to the drug store and picked up some benedryl. That stuff is great! It worked almost instantly. For the rest of the night, I sat in the lounge chair nodding in and out. It was one scary experience!

We have been busy working around the house. The men’s softball league at church had the last two games of the season on Monday and Tuesday. We went down to watch. Our team lost.

Both Paul and I went for an annual physical. My appointment was on Monday. It turned out to be a Medicare Wellness Check. I spent an hour and a half answering questions from a nurse who input everything into the computer. I could have stayed home and put the information in the computer myself! What a waste. The nurse was very apologetic and said that Medicare does not allow for an annual physical exam. If you want to see the doctor, it has to be scheduled as a follow up to a condition or an illness. We went to the desk and changed Paul’s status for his checkup the next day. I made an appointment to come back for an EKG. I won’t get any bloodwork but Paul did. What a screwed up system! I was very happy with my health insurance before they forced us to go on Medicare. I can’t imagine what will happen if everyone gets put on Medicare like the current presidential candidates are touting!

28 July 2019 (Sun) – We took Caiden to church with us this morning. Afterward, we stopped at McDonald’s for breakfast. We couldn’t get any fries (they don’t cook them until noon), so we cut up a pancake and fed it to the gulls. There has been a significant change in the kind of gulls prevalent on Long Island. There used to be black backed gulls all over the place. Now we don’t see any. There are laughing gulls flying around. I wonder what happened to the gull population.

When we returned home, we worked around the property. Paul cleaned out the gutters on the house and garage. I bundled up branches from the trees Paul trimmed or cut down. It was so hot. We were both drenched in sweat.

26 July 2019 (Fri) – We had dinner with my brother, Dennis, and his lady, Denise, at Chili’s Grill tonight. Dennis is working as an usher at Island 16 and gave us two free tickets. We can’t use them on a Friday or Saturday and are restricted from going to a Disney movie during the first two weeks of a new release. Otherwise, we can enjoy the movies for free. That was a very nice gift.

My sister’s daughter, Jennifer, delivered a baby girl on July 24. Ava Shea checked in at 8.9 lbs. I just love that name!

25 July 2019 (Thu) – We drove to Port Jefferson Station and had lunch with Travis and his family. He gets an hour for lunch and works close enough that he can go home for his noon meal. We shared McDonald’s while the boys showed off their pool and playing skills.

At 6:00 p.m. a French bulldog came running into the yard barking and barking. It wouldn’t let us touch it but it wouldn’t leave either. The dog honed in on Kenny and when we all stepped away, it walked with Kenny into the backyard where he secured it. Paul walked up and down the block looking for its owners (it had no collar), but couldn’t find any. At 6:45 p.m., Miranda and I drove to Bohemia to Maguire’s Comedy Club to watch a comedy laugh-off. My brother, Dennis, was performing and we went to support him. We had dinner and drinks. The food was excellent. The comedy was hit or miss. Apparently, comedy is not easy to do. We left before the show was over at 9:45 p.m.

When we got home, Paul told me that the woman across the street claimed the dog. It is not chipped and they take the collar off when they put the dog in its crate. It somehow got out and they didn’t miss it for several hours. Oh, well. It’s a happy ending any way.

24 July 2019 (Wed) – It was a busy day today. First destination was the TSA Pre-Check booth located in a Staples store. I brought my birth certificate, marriage certificate, and driver’s license. The clerk took my picture and fingerprints. The charge was $85 but is good for five years. What the pre-check does is to allow me to go through the security screening line at the airport without having to take my shoes and belt off, and to leave a laptop in its computer case. Next, we’ll have to get Paul the pre-check.

We then drove back to the camper to get Bonnie. We took her to the vet to see if we could find something that can be done about her chronic diarrhea. She has also been showing signs of arthritis in her paws. The vet prescribed Tylan for the diarrhea and gabapentin for pain. We’ll see if that helps.

After dropping Bonnie off at the RV, we went to the dentist where I got my teeth cleaned. Paul had been there on Monday. He has a small cavity that will need filling. My checkup was perfect!

23 July 2019 (Tue) - Well, the parents are back. Whew! What a week. There is a reason children are best raised by the young folks. Our 5-year old grandson sure had us running around from dawn to dusk. Caiden slept in the camper every other night, alternating with his bed in the house. We went through an incredible heat wave and, at one point, we just stayed in the trailer all day and night. Poor Bonnie had to be put out every time Caiden came in. She does not like him and for some reason, she tries to go after him. That breaks my heart because if she ever does bite him, we’ll have to put her down.

Ok. Some of the things we did over this past week. I saw a doctor at Sloan Kettering in Manhattan. The doctor said the disease is well advanced and I should have started two years ago when it was first discovered. She described the same options that Dr. Ahmed in Texas offered – a pill for the rest of my life, an intravenous protocol as a temporary stopgap and going on the pill after a time, and a new treatment whose performance is not yet known. I asked to have my case transferred to the satellite clinic on Long Island. If I had to go into NYC, it would drive me crazy! I had to take a train and two subways to get to Dr. Noy’s office. I don’t know how people can live like that – like cattle being pushed along by all the other bodies traveling underground.

We took Caiden to the library where he had a great time playing with the toys. We also went to playgrounds and chased each other around as his imagination conjured up monsters, pirates, and Darth Vadar from Star Wars. We drove to Port Jefferson Station and picked up our other two grandsons and took all three boys to the movies to see Toy Story 4. Poor Paul. Each boy had to go to the bathroom twice. Paul would take one while I watched the other two, then he would drop that one off and take the next one. They all had to go in the middle of the movie, too. While we enjoyed our time with the boys, we certainly won’t try doing that again unless there is at least one adult for each child and an extra grown up for back up. The energy level is incredible. It was like trying to keep ferrets in a box. Can’t be done. We took Caiden to visit my sister, Susan, in Hampton Bays. He loved swimming in the pool.

We were able to go to church last Sunday and this past Sunday. It was so good to see all our friends. The pastor announced our presence and the congregation clapped their greeting. We enjoyed catching up with everyone.

20 July 2019 - Haven’t forgotten you! Just been super busy watching our grandchild while his parents are gone. My blog will be back in a few days. Thanks for your patience!

12 July 2019 (Fri) – We got a call from our son at 1:30 p.m. that he had been scalded and needed to be picked up. Apparently, he had tried to open the radiator cap while the car was still hot. Our truck was in the shop to have the real pinion seal repaired so we borrowed Miranda’s car and drove to Commack to get him. He had been drinking and refused to go to the clinic with us. The car was towed away and Travis just walked away. We left and drove to the shop to pick up our truck. I cooked dinner tonight.

11 July 2019 (Thu) – We left West Point at 9:55 a.m. Although the distance to Bay Shore was only 102 miles, it took us three hours with all the traffic on the road. We pulled in around 1 p.m. After set up, we visited with Miranda, Kenny, and Caiden. Kenny drove Caiden and me to Lake Grove where we got their cell phone problems fixed. We had pizza for dinner.

10 July 2019 (Wed) – It was a lot of driving around today with very little results. First was the KOA in Plattekill. We were looking for another campground besides the one we are at that is near West Point. It was a very nice campground. The manager said he could also coordinate bus tours into New York City as well as the surrounding area. That peaked our interest! We wanted to bring the group to the city but didn’t want the hassle of trying to shepherd 44 people around all the people and traffic.

We then drove to the U.S. Military Academy. First stop was at Thayer Hotel Restaurant. We went in and had lunch, then stopped by the check-in desk to ask for the group sales manager. The coordinator came down to see us. Although she wasn’t the one to coordinate our kind of group (she’s does weddings, birthdays, and celebrations), she gave us contact information for the other coordinator.

We then drove off the base to the Visitor’s Center. Although there was a tour desk in the center, they told us to go across the street to the Bus Tours Office. We went over there and were given a website to check out. It has the various tour options listed. Then we drove back on base to the West Point Club. The woman we spoke with was on the verge of going to a meeting but gave us a website to check out for menus and various meal options. We looked at some of the rooms available in the club.

After wandering around the grounds for a bit and trying to look in some of the buildings (they were almost all locked), we headed back to the campground. So when we get internet again (the cell phone and wifi signal in this campground is almost nonexistent), I’ll have to investigate the options for touring the U.S. Military Academy.

9 July 2019 (Tue) – We left Watkins Glen at 8:55 a.m. and drove to West Point, stopping for a quick bite to eat at Wendy’s. We pulled into Round Pond Recreation Area at 2 p.m. It is a military campground associated with West Point Military Academy. We had thought it would be good to have the caravan stay here but this campground would not be good for our group. It is a little too rustic for some folks, the sites are close in some quarters, and the campsites are spread out around a large pond. In addition, the water and electric hookups are on the wrong side of our RV. I’m not sure all campsites have that issue, but ours does. There are no sewers but they do have a dump station.

Once we were set up, we grabbed the laundry and threw it in the washers in the laundry room. There were three machines in the room; one had a sticky note on it that said “Ate $2 July 9.” I surmised that person lost $2 in the machine today. So we didn’t use it.

After we put the laundry away, we took a walk with Bonnie around the lake. It is very pretty here. I love all the greenery. We have been on the west coast for over a year and around desert and cacti. I didn’t realize how much I missed the trees. It’s lovely.

8 July 2019 (Mon) – We drove to Corning Glass Museum this morning. They have really expanded the museum since we were here 48 years ago on our honeymoon. We spoke with the group sales coordinator and got the information for the museum, a tour, a glass making experience, and a catered meal. We then drove down the street to the Rockwell Museum. Their tour takes 45 minutes to one hour. We may leave this museum for folks to go to on their own. We’ll see.

We drove by a couple of campgrounds and gathered information on availability for group camping. The town of Watkins Glen campground – Clute Memorial Park & Campground – looked very promising. They are located across from the beach on Lake Seneca.

We had lunch at Sorges Restaurant in Corning. I had a cheeseburger wrap. It was ok but nothing I would buy again. We then drove around Lake Seneca, stopping at a couple of vineyards for tastings. When we got back to the KOA, we went in and got contact information for the owner. We also picked up a few souvenirs for the grandkids. It was a fruitful day.

7 July 2019 (Sun) – We packed up and left Bath at 10:15 and drove to the Watkins Glen KOA, which was only 40 miles away. When we pulled in, we recognized that we had been here back in 2007 when we drove up to pick up our first fifth wheel RV. The part they put us in at that time was brand new. They have added some other buildings and cabins since then. They wouldn’t let us into the campground until 12 noon. We had to keep ourselves busy for five minutes then passed through. The wifi in this park is non-existent. In addition, the cell phone does not work well either. We must be a valley or something.

After set up, we drove into the town of Watkins Glen. It is very touristy. Watkins Glen State Park was packed with people. We stopped at CPT Bill’s Seneca Lake Cruises to get information. There was a restaurant next door that is also owned by CPT Bill’s. We stopped in there as well to find out about group meal options and costs. After walking along the boardwalk of Seneca Lake, we drove up into the state park to look at the campground. It was too tight with narrow turns and lots of trees. It would not work for our group.

We stopped for lunch at Nickel’s pit BBQ. I got ribs and Paul got wings. We didn’t care for either for the food. It was overdusted with dry rub and actually seemed to be gritty. After lunch, we drove to Watkins Glen International. It is a NASCAR race track. In town, they painted the crosswalks in a checker flag pattern. The street signs have race cars on them. We had trouble finding an entrance into the park. After driving around the place, we finally discovered an open gate. The office was closed. There were cars racing on the track – we could hear them. There is a campground at the track and we wanted to find out about it. Finally, we discovered an employee who answered our questions. He said they only allow camping during special events. Guess that won’t work for our group either.

6 July 2019 (Sat) – We went into the campground office first thing this morning to get information about group reservations for the caravan. Then we drove to Letchworth State Park. Letchworth is called the Grand Canyon of the East. It was over an hour away. Although we thought it was such a great place when we came here 30 years ago, it didn’t look so great today. You couldn’t really see the gorge or canyons or river because of all the trees. I guess having just come back from seeing the national parks out west made us a little jaded.

We then stopped at a campground near Letchworth to check out the place for the caravan. They didn’t have everything we wanted for the group so we won’t be camping there. We had lunch at the Iris Glen Inn. It was the house of Mr. Letchworth converted to a restaurant. The upper falls were visible outside the window. The food was good. The drive back was under rainy skies.

5 July 2019 (Fri) – We packed up and left Lockport at 9:15 a.m. We drove 12 miles to a nearby campground to dump the tanks. The Elks Lodge recommended dumping at the nearby waste treatment plant but when we went to look at the site, it turned out you would just open the spigot over a grate that covers a collection tank. The cover had bits of toilet paper and other debris on it. Ugh!

It was an easy drive to the KOA in Bath. We stopped at a Pilot station and got lunch at Subway. The campground is a little tight. It is pretty big with over 200 campsites. We are parked on the grass in a pull through. A couple used to be managers at the Watkins Glen KOA and bought this KOA in Hammondsport/Bath in February. They were selling pulled pork sliders for dinner. The baked beans were too sweet, the cole slaw was bitter, and the pulled pork was very dry.

After we got set up, we drove to the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum to gather information for the caravan. We then drove down the road to Bully Hill Vineyards and enjoyed a small snack in the restaurant. We sat out on the deck and watched a thunderstorm grumble and growl its way across the sky. Down the road was the Finger Lakes Boating Museum. Their complex used to belong to Taylor wines. We were there about 8 years ago and had a wine tasting. Since then, Coca-Cola had sold the wine division. Sales decreased and Taylor wines were sold to a couple of different owners until, today, only their dessert wines are being sold (Taylor Flagate and Port). The Taylor Wines complex is now mostly closed with parts of it being sold off. The boating museum owns one of the buildings and is in the process of buying another two of them. It will be a pretty big museum in two years.

We returned to the campground just before the skies opened up and the rains poured down. Sheba spent several hours hiding in the closet.

4 July 2019 (Thu-Independence Day) – It was a quiet day for us. We went over Kevin & Joy’s daughter’s home for a barbecue. Their son-in-law, Justin, made a variety of delicious appetizers to nosh on before grilling hot dogs, hamburgers, and coonies. Coonies are a popular barbecue food for the upstate folks. It is a kind of mild flavored sausage. That led to all of us talking about different foods peculiar to areas around the country. It was a funny discussion.

3 July 2019 (Wed) – We went to two wineries this morning. I found wines I liked (the Niagara wine has a wonderfully distinctive taste) but Paul did not find a good one. We went to Tom’s Diner for lunch. It was small but the service was good. We both had salads that were huge! At 4 p.m. we drove to Buffalo to visit a campground there. With all the information we are collecting, we are starting to form an idea of how we want the caravan to run in the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area. Since we are thinking about using a tour bus, we want to keep the cost of the campground down. There are not many nice campgrounds in this area. Just the two resorts on Grand Island with sites over $100 each.

We met Kevin and Joy at Texas Roadhouse for dinner. The food, as always, was great. We enjoyed their company very much. They invited us to join them at their daughter’s house tomorrow for a BBQ.

2 July 2019 (Tue) – We drove into Niagara Falls today. The intent was to find a nice restaurant in which to have a dinner for the caravan. It was incredibly crowded and there was construction that made navigation around the area difficult. We got frustrated and finally gave up. We drove into town and had lunch at the Pearl Street Grille & Brewery. It was rated #1 of 234 restaurants in Niagara Falls by Trip Advisor. I don’t know what criteria they used to rate these restaurants, but this was certainly NOT a #1. There were six booths, two tables, and six chairs at a counter. They served pub food. I got Beef on a Weck. We’ve seen that on several menus now and I decided to try it. It turned out to be a roast beef sandwich where they dipped the roast beef in au jus then put it on the roll. It only made the bread soggy (and I HATE wet bread). The meat also had some grizzle in it. Paul got a tuna melt and it came without any cheese. We really didn’t feel the place deserved to be rated #1.

After lunch, we stopped at the Underground Railroad Heritage Center. They mentioned Harriet Tubman frequently but had very little about her in the center. It was very small and basically boasted of how the folks in Niagara Falls helped escaped slaves cross over into Canada.

We then drove to Youngstown to Old Fort Niagara. The group tours manager was not in and the clerk gave us her contact information. We have to call her tomorrow. When we stepped out, we saw the Buffalo trolley shuttle. It provides a shuttle from Niagara Falls to Buffalo with 14 stops along the way. We asked about a tour and the bus driver gave us contact information. We’ll have to contact that lady tomorrow, too.

1 July 2019 (Mon) – We brought the truck to Ford to get it inspected this morning. Kevin & Joy met us for breakfast at Bob Evans. After breakfast, we went back to the campground where they are parked. After a brief visit, we returned to Ford to get the truck. There were (supposedly) several lights out that they had to replace. We paid $139.12 and went on our way. We drove into Buffalo to the Buffalo Naval and Military Park on the Eric Canal. They had three ships there: The USS Croaker (a submarine), the USS Sullivans (a destroyer), and the USS Little Rock (a missile cruiser). There was also a small museum on the second floor of the visitor’s center and gift shop. We spent three hours climbing up and down stairs as we explored the three ships. It was fun.

We drove to the Pearl Street Grill & Brewery for a late lunch. The food was excellent. On the way back to the Elks lodge, we stopped at Lockport Locks & Eric Canal Cruises. They have a very nice program for lunch followed by a two-hour ride on the canal. It will be a definite venue if we do the New York caravan in 2021.

30 June 2019 (Sun) – We drove to several campgrounds today to check space availability and options. Of the four we stopped at, two are possibilities. One charges $102 per night and the other charges $113. Yeow! That’s a lot of money. There’s a possibility we can negotiate prices at one of them because we have to call back to speak with the owner.

We also stopped at the Niagara Power Plant to see about a tour. The manager was out and will be in tomorrow afternoon. We’ll have to call back.

We stopped at a restaurant on Lake Ontario for lunch. We sat up on the second floor out on the deck. It was too windy to put the umbrella up but there was a brisk wind blowing that kept the sun from feeling too hot. As we were eating, there was a sudden CRACK and a tree across the street split. A large trunk with wide spread branches came crashing down. How it avoided hitting the power line next to it or the cars parked in front of it, is beyond me. There was a guy walking his dog in front of that tree not two minutes before. The angels were watching over everybody.

29 June 2019 (Sat) – We left Youngstown at 8:45 a.m. Although the sky got cloudy, the rain held off. The drive took us through Pennsylvania into New York. We stopped at a travel center when we crossed into New York. It was crazy! The place was so crowded. There was only one facility on the west side of the thruway. Those on the eastbound side had to cross an overhead bridge. We each got a slice of pizza.

We arrived in Lockport at 1:30 p.m. We are staying in an Elks Lodge in the back parking lot. After set up, we went in and paid for our site. At 3:30 p.m., Kevin & Joy, a couple who was on our Utah caravan, met us and we all went to an early dinner. The food and company was good. After we returned to the lodge, Paul and I went food shopping to pick up groceries and to Pet Smart for Bonnie’s food. When we got back, we looked through brochures for activities in the area.

1 note · View note

timetravelingheart · 6 years

Text

My Side of the Fence Part One: A.M. Imagine

So this is my first post on here, even though I’ve had this blog for years! I’ve had this idea in my head for a while and decided to finally put it out there. I already have a few parts outlined, but I’m not sure how long this one will be just yet. Savannah Lane is my own creation; Auston Matthews and friends are obviously not. Feedback is absolutely welcome!

It was a beautiful summer day in August when they met.

Savannah Lane, Olympic gold medal figure skater, was enjoying an equally relaxing and fun beach day with a group of her friends from Toronto. After living in Edmonton to train for the past eight years, Savannah’s coaches opened their own training facility in Toronto, causing Savannah to relocate. She just finished moving into her apartment with a spectacular view of the lake, but still hasn’t had enough time to really decorate or make the place her own. But, it’s summer, and she has some time off before starting the skating season, so she figured why not reunite with some of her old friends and get a tan in the process?

“Hey Sav! We’re up!” Brian called, referring to the beach volleyball game that was currently in play. Wearing her favourite purple bikini, Sav pulled her long dirty blonde hair up into a high ponytail and ran over to take her position.

Ten minutes into the game and Sav and Brian were winning easily. Sav took a water break and decided to check her phone to see if Steph had messaged her yet. Stephanie was one of Savannah’s best friends since they were little tykes attending the same summer camp. Steph was so excited to introduce her to all of the friends she’s made with the Leafs and their significant others. Sav had already met Steph’s boyfriend Mitch multiple times over the years and he was always such a good friend to her. When Savannah decided on a beach day, she invited Steph, Mitch, and whomever else they wanted to bring along. Seeing that Steph texted that they were about ten minutes out, Sav smiled to herself, excited to finally see her best friend after a few months apart.

“You ready, babe?” Brian called. Sav rolled her eyes at the term of endearment, knowing that Brian was always a harmless, but absolutely shameless, flirt. “We’ve got them right where we want them!”

“Bri, we’re winning 12-2,” Sav laughed. “I think we can dial down the competitiveness a bit.”

“Says Canada’s reigning gold medalist in figure skating!”

Sav took a little curtsy, complete with a royal wave, before standing up straight and punching Brian on the shoulder. Kaitlyn Osmond and her partner Stephen started to shout obscenities at them, eager to finish this game and be done with the embarrassment.

Ten minutes later, Brian set Sav up for the perfect spike. Sav’s sculpted legs and insane core strength allowed her to gain height with the jump and spike the ball as hard as she could. Kaitlyn and Stephen both scrambled for the ball, ending up in the sand in a heap as the ball landed in front of them.

“Yeah!” Brian screamed, pulling Savannah into a big hug and swinging her around. “We’re number one! We’re number one!”

Savannah laughed loudly, a little embarrassed by his dramatics over a friendly game, but having fun nonetheless. Behind her, she heard unfamiliar voices hollering and cheering for her as well. Confused, Savannah turned around and spotted a group of very attractive, and very fit, men shouting, but her eyes searched for the one face she was dying to see. Green eyes scanning the group quickly, she spotted the beautiful blonde. Letting out a high-pitched squeal, Savannah and Stephanie both took off in a run until they had their arms wrapped around one another in a tight embrace.

“You’re here! You’re real!” Steph cried into Savannah’s neck.

“I am here! I am real!” Savannah laughed, squeezing her person back as tightly as she could without crushing the petite blonde.

“Hey Steph! Let the girl breathe and hug the rest of us, eh?” Mitch laughed as he reached over and pulled Savannah out of his girlfriend’s arms into his open ones. “How ya doing, little one?”

“I’m good, Mitchy! Looking a little bigger, I see,” Savannah remarked as she gripped his biceps jokingly.

“Oh, you know, I’ve been lifting a lot of weights this off-season,” Mitch tried to act tough as he flexed his arms for her. Steph rolled her eyes at her two favourite people and grabbed Sav’s hand in her own to pull her over to the group of hockey players who were setting up beach blankets and chairs on the sand.

“Everyone, this is Savannah! Sav, these are the people who are going to become your Toronto family while you get acquainted!”

Mitch quickly started naming the group of very large and very attractive young men who were seated on the sand, and some of whom Savannah recognized from the photos she had seen on Steph and Mitch’s social media accounts. Morgan, Zach, William, Kasperi, and Auston all stood up and shook her hand in polite greeting. Auston’s hand, the last of the bunch, lingered a little longer than the others, and Savannah had to shake her head a little to escape the allure of his attractive gaze. Careful, she thought.

The boys tried to make room for Steph and Savannah to have a seat on their big blankets, but with their long and muscular legs, it was a tight fit and Savannah found herself consciously trying not to bump knees with Auston, who was sitting to her left. She also found herself trying not to stare at his sculpted chest as he sat shirtless in just his grey leopard print swim trunks. Distracted, it took Savannah a second to realize that someone was asking her a question. She turned away from Auston and looked across from her to find the voice, and saw William looking at her expectantly.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

“Steph said that you just moved back to Toronto for training. Are you originally from here?” William repeated.

Savannah took a second to stretch out her tanned, lean legs in front of her and rest back on the palms of her hands, not noticing that Auston was returning her once-over and trying to force himself to look at her face, not at her insane athletic body. His eyes went to her soft pink lips as she answered. “I’m from Kingston, so not too far from here. I used to come here all of the time though to visit this one,” she stated, nodding affectionately at her best friend.

“And now she lives here!” Steph squealed, moving quickly to wrap her arms around Savannah’s shoulders.

“Yeah babe, we get it, you’re excited,” Mitch laughed at his girlfriend’s antics, and swiftly ducked her swat, pulling her into his side lovingly.

“Well since you live here now, you’ll have to join Steph and the other partners at our games,” Morgan spoke up. “We might actually have a shot at winning this year with these young punks and John Tavares.”

“My dad is a huge Leafs fan, so believe me when I say that I have heard ALL about John Tavares,” Savannah laughed.

“And you’re not one?” Auston finally spoke up. He was happy his voice didn’t shake when he asked, because he could already feel himself starting to like this girl and suddenly felt a little nervous.

When Savannah hesitated, Steph laughed loudly. “Go on, tell them,” she said conspiratorially.

With all eyes trained on her, Savannah cleared her throat and looked down bashfully at her lap. “Well, I’m actually really good friends with Connor McDavid, so...” she cringed at the loud groans the men emitted and ducked at the sand that was thrown at her.

“Seriously? You’re an Oilers fan?” Kasperi half-shouted, as if she had betrayed him personally.

“Technically I’m a McDavid fan, but I also lived in Edmonton for eight years, so yes.” The men all groaned again loudly and shook their heads like parents disappointed in their child.

“I guess we’ll have to bring you to our games and change your mind,” Auston spoke with a determined air, eyes trained intensely on hers.

Sav inhaled, uncertain of what she was feeling with his eyes on her. “I guess so,” she almost whispered.

Steph, quickly taking notice of Auston’s sudden attraction to her best friend, had wheels turning and knew she had to act fast to ensure that Savannah didn’t run from his advances. Auston was a good guy, her boyfriend’s best friend, and even though he had a reputation for being a fuckboy (one he definitely earned in his first few years with the team), she could see the changes in him recently. He started to ask Mitch more questions about their relationship and how they make it work with their grueling schedule during the season, he stopped hooking up with random girls months ago, and started to really think seriously about finding someone right for him.

Savannah, usually a relationship girl, had recently sworn off long-term relationships so she could focus on this quad and gear up for the Olympics and defend her title. Her last boyfriend, who originally said he respected and admired her dedication to her sport, grew tired of the lack of attention and wanted Savannah to prioritize their relationship. When he brought this to her attention, Savannah told him that if he was asking her to put him before skating, he might as well pack up his things and go. So, he did. And ever since then, Savannah hasn’t even considered dating anyone else. Steph knows that part of that is because Savannah has been hurt and doesn’t want that to happen again, but she also sees the way her best friend is affected by Auston’s lingering gazes and subtle knee touches as they sit side by side on the blanket.

“Sav, you have to stay for the bonfire tonight!” Steph grabbed her hand, pulling Savannah’s attention away from Auston, her face flush.

“Yeah, definitely! You can hear Kappy’s awful country singing,” Morgan joined in.

“Hey! I’m not that bad!” Kasperi shouted angrily, throwing a beach ball at Morgan’s head, as everyone else laughed.

“You really can’t miss it,” Auston turned to her, his knee brushing hers slightly. Sav shifted to pull her legs to her chest, starting to feel herself being reeled in and needing to separate herself from him. Auston wasn’t sure what to make of her sudden movement, worried he might be coming on too strong, even though he hadn’t really done anything yet. He made a mental note to take it slowly with this girl, not wanting to scare her off.

Sav laughed lightly, trying to remain engaged in the conversation with everyone and not just with Auston. “You had me at country singing!”

A few hours and several beach volleyball games later, the guys started the bonfire and brought out their beach chairs to make a circle. Savannah had pulled on her denim shorts and loose striped tank, and had said goodbye to the friends she originally came to the beach with, promising several coffee meet-ups and city hang-outs. Walking back over to the group of hockey players, she sat down on a chair next to the fire and pulled her legs up to her chest again, rubbing her arms softly, hoping to warm herself up quickly. The sun had begun to set and there was a nice breeze in the air, and while Sav was enjoying the reprieve from the beating sun, she could feel goosebumps forming on her arms and legs.

Auston, who had been watching Sav from the moment she left her friends, quickly took notice of her actions and ran off to his car in the parking lot. Minutes later, he came back with two hoodies, one for himself and one for her. Wordlessly, he held both hands out to her and smiled widely. Savannah looked up at his smiling face, confused as to what was happening. When he started moving his hands with the hoodies, taunting her to pick one, she understood what he was offering, and while she loved the gesture, she still felt herself hesitating. Careful, she reminded herself.

Auston sighed. “They’re hoodies, Sav, not wedding rings,” he stated bluntly, causing the heat to rise to Savannah’s cheeks. Auston had essentially acknowledged the connection (and the tension) between them with one statement. Sav refused to acknowledge the actual statement and instead reached out for the grey hoodie and quickly pulled it on, laughing slightly as it swarmed her petite frame. It felt soft and warm; a well-loved sweater. She looked at the logo - NDTP - and cringed.

“I can’t believe you just gave a Canadian Olympian a team USA sweater!” she laughed, her eyes lighting up in a way that made Auston’s insides melt and core tighten. He was definitely a goner for this girl.

Mitch whipped his head from holding a marshmallow over the fire to look at the small commotion to his left and laughed at the sight. Auston’s face was pink with laughter as he sat in the beach chair next to a very cozy, and very conflicted, Savannah.

“You picked that one!” Auston argued, as he pulled the other blue Toronto Maple Leafs hoodie over his own head.

“So my options were a Leafs hoodie or a USA hoodie - both make me a traitor, Auston!” Savannah laughed, pretending to be angry at the 6′3 brunette who was quickly, and sneakily making his way into her heart. Auston reached over and pulled on the strings on the neck of the hoodie. Softly, he whispered so only she could hear, “You might not like this, but you look really good in my hoodie, even with that cute little crinkle in your brow as you pretend not to be grateful for the warmth.”

Savannah swatted his hand away jokingly, and pulled the hoodie over her legs as she curled up on the chair. “Yeah, yeah. Thank you for the hoodie, Auston.” Auston smiled broadly, feeling proud of himself that she finally seemed to be letting herself relax around him after her initial hesitation.

“You’re welcome, Savannah.”

Mitch stood by the fire, still watching the exchange between the two. He didn’t know Savannah as well as Steph did, but he knew Auston, and right now his best friend was showing more affection towards Savannah than he had to any other girl Mitch has seen him with in the entirety of their friendship. He looked over at Steph, catching her watching the two closely as well, with a knowing smile on her face. Mitch caught Steph’s eye and winked.

This was going to be fun.

#auston matthews imagine #auston matthews #hockey #hockey imagine #auston matthews writing #mitch marner #toronto maple leafs #auston matthews fan fiction

150 notes · View notes

news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog · 6 years

Text

17 terrifying creepypastas guaranteed to keep you up at night

The age-old tradition of telling ghost stories around a campfire has gotten a digital upgrade with creepypastas — scary stories or pictures that spread across message boards, becoming internet lore that are discussed both on and offline.

People around the word share their bizarre and terrifying creepypastas, hoping that the tales will gain popularity and become classics, often quoted or cited by horror fans and frightened netizens.

Like with the ghost stories of old, not all creepypastas are particularly scary or good, even if they are frequently passed around. Reading a long story with an interesting title or image is no guarantee of a frightening payoff, and the writers often forget that just having someone meeting a quick and unfortunate fate does not an interesting story make.

When a real gem of a creepypasta is found, it makes all the searching and scavenging worth it (at least until it's time to fall asleep). So grab a friend, turn off the lights, and prepare to be scared to scroll any further — here are 17 of the scariest creepypastas.

1. The Slender Man

A post shared by SLENDERMAN ™ ☛ALWAYЅ WATCHES (@slender.mxn) on Aug 23, 2018 at 12:40pm PDT

Before this pale, faceless ghoul had his own movie and video game series, he haunted the forums of the internet with his finely pressed suit and unnaturally long limbs. The Slender Man's story is not a narrative one, but a pseudo-historical look at this monster's history with humanity that is tied into several other creepypastas.

Typically, the Slender Man preys on children and those who become obsessed with his existence, though no one knows exactly what happens to the bodies since no one has ever escaped from an encounter with him. Suggested stories featuring the Slender Man include The Tall Man and the Marble Hornets videos.

In the real world, this creepypasta figure became a key figure during an assault and subsequent criminal case in 2014 involving three 12-year-old girls. Wisconsin teens Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, lured their friend, Payton Leutner, into the woods during a game of hide-and-seek. In an reported attempt to appease Slender Man, the duo stabbed Leutner 19 times and left her at the scene. Leutner managed to drag herself to a nearby road where a cyclist found her, and she was immediately taken to a hospital where she recovered from her injuries.

Soon after the attack, Weier and Geyser were arrested and tried for attempted second-degree murder. In 2017, Weier was sentenced to 25 years in a mental institution, while her accomplice Geyser was sentenced to 40 years in a mental hospital in 2018.

2. Candle Cove

A post shared by Nicky (@burialshroud) on Mar 6, 2018 at 12:52pm PST

Everyone has a television show from their childhood that they fondly remember. Like those who nostalgically recall the adventures of Dora the Explorer, Mister Rogers, and Sesame Street, some adults rediscovered their favorite show from the 1970s, Candle Cove, on a television forum in this creepypasta. Slowly, their memories of the show grow darker and more disturbing until one of the adults asks his mother about the true nature of the show.

The forum format of the story adds a spooky realism to the tale, also making it easy to recreate and share on other boards. If you find this story particularly compelling, watch the first season of the Syfy original series Channel Zero, which is based off this creepypasta.

3. Robert the Doll

A post shared by 😱معرفی فیلم های ترسناک👻 (@filme_tarsnak) on Apr 3, 2018 at 12:48am PDT

Not for the faint of heart, Robert the Doll really exists. The myths surrounding him vary, especially since it became so popular on the internet. The doll was given to artist Robert Eugene Otto in the late 1800s or early 1900s by a servant working in his family home. The doll, which he named after himself, then took on a life of its own and began to terrorize the family.

Otto is said to have kept his doll into adulthood and it subsequently tormented his late wife to insanity. When the doll was found by another family, the girl to whom it was given was terrified of it and refused to have it in her room.

The doll is currently residing in the Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida. Visitors must ask Robert politely if they want to take his photo. If they mock him or take his photo without permission, Robert is said to lay a curse on them.

4. Anasi's Goatman Story

A post shared by Only Stupid Answers (@onlystupidanswers) on Aug 15, 2016 at 10:04am PDT

Based on a Native American legend, this creepypasta was originally found on 4Chan's paranormal board /x/, where some of the best creepypastas can be found.

The story follows a teenager who goes down to Alabama to be with his extended family. While he, his cousins, and their friends are camping out in the woods, they see a strange figure — the Goatman — jerking and spouting gibberish as it follows them. They spend the rest of the night in fear as the Goatman slowly infiltrates the group, terrorizing the teens into a frenzied state of paranoia.

This mix of pre-existing lore and new narrative is not rare for creepypastas, but it's the strength of the writing that really makes this particular story worth sharing. There are variations of this story, but most follow a similar formula where a group is stalked by the titular monster with different outcomes.

5. The Russian Sleep Experiment

A post shared by All Things Horror Lover (@allthingshorrorlover) on May 5, 2018 at 1:10pm PDT

A staple of best creepypasta lists everywhere, the title of this story itself carries with it a sense of dread and horror. Shortly after World War II, five political prisoners are subjected to an experiment in which they have to remain awake for 30 days in a tank filled with an experimental gas. As with most science-gone-wrong stories, the test subjects begin to lose their minds among a number of other gruesome symptoms. The horror does not end when the experimenters try to save their subjects — far from it.

Just know that this story may not be appropriate if you are squeamish or dislike gore, as the narrative goes into graphic detail about the physical state of the patients. Thankfully there are no pictures, or this would be the ultimate nightmare fuel.

6. Jeff the Killer

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @creepypasta_0505 on Sep 4, 2018 at 10:30pm PDT

If you've never laid eyes on the infamous image of Jeff the Killer before, consider yourself lucky. The basic story concerns Jeff, a serial killer who hides in the closet and whispers "go to sleep" to its victim before slaughtering everyone in the household. Even more disturbing than his M.O. is his appearance — his face is smooth and stark white, a huge grin and small lid-less eyes. He is one of the most easily recognizable creepypastas, with his eerie stare posted across forums.

His origin story involves a fight that resulted in a chemical burn on his face and caused him to suffer a mental break. Soon after, he murdered his family and disappeared into the night to make guest appearances in your nightmares.

7. BEN Drowned

A post shared by you shouldn't have done that (@ben.is.drown) on May 3, 2016 at 4:04am PDT

Hacked video games are often found in creepypastas, but none is more infamous than BEN Drowned, the story of Matt, a college-age boy who picks up a hacked cartridge of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask at a garage sale.

As the boy plays, he captures the strange occurrences in the game and real life until it ultimately culminates into a full haunting. The narrator and BEN's fates are left up to the reader's imagination, but the tale implies that a happy ending is not in the realm of possibility.

This creepypasta is one of the few that integrate multiple types of media into the story. There is the text of the story itself — both a formal post version that went up on 4Chan's /x/ forums in real time and a diary included on the final post — and videos of the disturbing gameplay under the YouTube channel Alex Hall (originally Jadusable). The footage includes a warped soundtrack, terrifying glitches, and a creepy statue that is supposed to be BEN following the player around.

While the story is clearly fictional, the level of dedication to creating this eerie story makes it worth the read.

8. Persuaded

A post shared by Dark Town (@darktown.cz) on Jul 12, 2017 at 6:29am PDT

Zombies definitely have a place in creepypastas, especially after having taken over the majority of pop culture. However, in the spirit of keeping readers on their toes, these zombies don't need frenzied biting to increase their numbers, which elevates this tale above and beyond other zombie-inspired creepypastas.

After a massive oil spill, all those touched by the substance begin to viciously attack other creatures, causing mass panic across the country. The nameless protagonist holes himself up in his apartment, waiting for the screaming, violent horde to come crashing through his door and tear him limb from limb. If only that had actually happened, instead of the two day-long nightmare that really unfolds.

9. Smile Dog

A post shared by Son Of Darkness (@son_of.darkness) on Aug 24, 2018 at 5:57am PDT

If there's any story on this list that best captures the message "be careful what you wish for," Smile Dog is it. The creepypasta deals with an image posted on an old bulletin board system back in 1992 called smile.jpg. Those who saw the image either disappeared or died, save for one Mary E., who the narrator goes to interview. What he eventually learns is that some things, even simple pictures, are better left as mysteries than dealing with the horrifying truth.

In case you were wondering, the story does come with an accompanying image, but you may not want to see it after reading the full story. Though, in the end, you may not have a choice.

10. Annora Petrova

A post shared by The Unknown (@daily_creepypasta) on Jan 4, 2015 at 9:27am PST

This tale reminds us that it's best not to Google yourself, no matter how tempting it may be. Annora Petrova was one of the most promising figure skaters in the United States, until she discovered a sentient Wikipedia page about her. After trying to selfishly alter her fate by editing the page, her life spirals out of control in the most unexpected ways, until she is a friendless orphan (which isn't even the worst part).

While the Wikipedia page does not actually exist, it's a harrowing tale about messing with the unknown forces of the internet. If you do check this story out, make sure you click on the image at the bottom of the email for an extra layer of spookiness.

11. NoEnd House

View this post on Instagram

Yo, if you're not watching #ChannelZero on #SyFy get 👏 on 👏 that 👏 shit! Each season is a different story, season 1 is on Shudder, the other two are on SyFy.com #horror #candlecove #noendhouse #butchersblock

A post shared by WHO GOES THERE PODCAST (@whogoestherepodcast) on Aug 18, 2018 at 9:34am PDT

Haunted houses are at the center of many famous scary narratives, and surviving the night in one earned teenagers instant respect. Still, is the potential trauma and death worth the admiration of people who you'll likely never see again after graduation? This creepypasta answers with a firm and decisive "no."

NoEnd House promises $500 to whomever can survive a trip through its nine rooms of torture, a challenge that our narrator David readily accepts. The rooms begin to grow increasingly sinister and evil, pushing the limits of David's psyche and humanity. Are nine rooms really worth such a small monetary compensation that won't even pay for one therapy session?

The Syfy series Channel Zero also covers this creepypasta in its second season if you want to add some visuals to this spooky story.

12. Psychosis

A post shared by The Art Of Milta Svartvis (@nordteufel) on Aug 24, 2018 at 6:31am PDT

Can you really trust what you see and feel? Is your life all a computer simulation? Do we live in the Matrix? Are we all just people in someone's else dream that is bound to end? Is this the real life, or is this just fantasy?

Existentialism may not be the scariest of philosophies, but Psychosis shows that proving human existence beyond innate fears and paranoia is an inner battle that can never be won.

John soon finds out that he's been cut off from the rest of the world — his only communication with other people is through electronic devices. He quickly becomes paranoid and becomes convinced that everyone around him is lying, trying to get him to come outside his door so an unknown entity can get him. His logic tries to defy his gut feeling, but he falls further into the belief that something has gone horribly wrong outside, and it's coming for him next.

13. Doors

A post shared by The Unknown (@daily_creepypasta) on May 17, 2014 at 1:48pm PDT

This creepypasta is popular for its Shyamalan-esque nature. The tale follows a family with a young male narrator who talks about their daily lives together.

One night, the household is attacked by a mysterious figure that our intrepid protagonist tries to chase out. Giving any more of the plot away would ruin the surprise, but this story proves that brevity can be an effective tool when used to properly horrifying and amaze.

14. Gateway of the Mind

A post shared by Synther (@creepypastap0sts) on Jun 23, 2013 at 9:29am PDT

Ever wonder what would happen if you couldn't see, hear, smell, taste, or touch? Well, this creepypasta is here to put that theory to the test in what is honestly the most terrifying science experiment.

The story centers around a group of scientists who wish to make contact with God, and they believe that this could be possible by removing the body of all five senses. After performing a complex sensory surgery on a test subject, the poor person is completely disoriented and begins to hallucinate and "hear" people who have passed away.

What happens at the end is extremely meta, but the grueling details involving the pure mental torture the subject goes through is enough to absolutely creep anyone out.

15. The Rake

A post shared by Creepypasta is my life❤ (@creepylenya) on Jan 20, 2018 at 12:35am PST

This monster may not be as famous as his cousin, Slender Man, but he sure is just as creepy. The Rake is a humanoid creature that is completely pale, hairless, and has a thirst for human flesh.

According to Know Your Meme, this creature was originally created in 4chan's /b/ board where someone opened a "make your own monster" thread. The description that eventually became a part of The Rake was, "no apparent mouth, pale skin, six feet tall when standing, but usually crouches and walks on all fours, no nose, no mouth," and many other disturbing physical features.

Eventually this creature played a central role in many creepypastas. Most of these stories primarily involve documented encounters with the monster, and more often than not, the person dealing with The Rake never makes it out alive.

16. Lavender Town Syndrome

A post shared by Aura\|/ (@aurablade0012) on Mar 11, 2016 at 7:55pm PST

A classic video game creepypasta that hits a little too close to home for those of us who grew up playing the original Pokémon Red and Blue during the late '90s. This creepypasta centers around the game Pokémon Green, which was only released in Japan in 1996.

According to the legend, rates of illness and suicide in children in Japan between the ages of 7-12 have reached a fever pitch. The common connection between all of them? They all played Pokémon Green and had reached an area known as Lavender Town whose theme music had extremely high pitches.

After conducting studies on this phenomenon that became known as "Lavender Town Syndrome," scientists realized that there was a certain tone in the town's music that only the ears of young children and teens could hear. This had essentially drove this demographic who played the game to insanity, causing them to have headaches, ear issues, and die from suicide.

While this sparked many theories and creepypastas surrounding Lavender Town and the original Pokémon games, this creepypasta is actually loosely based off a real-life incident involving a Pokémon episode that only aired in Japan in 1997.

During the airing of the 38th episode of the original Pokémon television series titled Electric Soldier Porygon, a scene that made use of extreme flashing images gave hundreds of children epileptic seizures.

17. The Expressionless

A post shared by the eEyore (@the.eeyore) on Jul 24, 2018 at 6:52am PDT

In this creepypasta classic, a woman wearing a white gown that was covered in blood stumbled into a hospital in 1972. According to the nurse who is recounting this event, she said that this woman had the appearance of a mannequin, but was very much human-like in her movement and mannerisms.

After throwing a kitten she had clamped in her jaws on the ground, doctors and nurses rushed the woman into a hospital room for evaluation. Little does the hospital staff know that they have no idea who, or rather what, they're dealing with.

WATCH: These are the creepiest dolls we've ever seen

This story was originally published in 2013 and updated in 2018.

#_uuid:1aadc453-4bc8-36d4-913b-77dbb7a37915 #_category:yct:001000002 #_lmsid:a0Vd000000DTrEpEAL #_author:Xavier Piedra #_revsp:news.mashable

24 notes · View notes

gumnut-logic · 6 years

Text

Voice of Solace

Title: Voice of Solace Chapter Six of Sotto Voce Author: Gumnut 4 - 7 Sep 2018 Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS Rating: Teen Summary: Sometimes the voices are far too loud to ignore. Word count: 5286 Spoilers & warnings: Spoilers for Season 2, minor character death. Author’s note: Okay I have been staring at this too long, so here have the last chapter of this fic. There will likely be a short epilogue - I think there is a need for Virgil and Scott to have a chat.I really hope this lives up to your expectations, and thank you so much for such a fun ride. Your support has been amazing and motivational and you are all wonderful ::many hugs::

Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

It was still raining. The wooden decking had a thin film of water across it, each raindrop splashing on impact, fracturing its reflection of the grey sky. The water soaked into his flannel shirt, sticking it to his skin. It dripped down the side of his face, running sideways across his cheek to drip off the edge of his nose.

He lay there for a moment, limp, all energy expended, nothing left. But Virgil Tracy had been here before, been at the end of everything, but still needing to do more.

So he did.

“Eos?” His voice was little more than a whisper.

She lay crumpled in the rain. Her simple white dress laced with scorch marks and sodden in the downpour. Forcing himself to move, he dragged his body across the boards inch by painstaking inch until his fingers could touch her, until he could see her face, until he could wrap his arms around her.

At first, she didn’t respond and he felt the very last of himself slipping away, but then her eyelids fluttered and she looked up at him.

“I have to go. N-need to repair...” Her eyes closed again and she frowned. “Uncle, come with me?” Her eyes opened as his widened.

“Where?”

“I-I can’t leave you here. Come with me?” And her voice grew stronger. She reached up a hand and touched his face. “Let me save you?”

His heart clenched. “You already have.”

“Then trust me, Virgil. Please come with me.”

He took her hand in his and held her close. “Okay.”

She smiled sadly. “I’m so sorry.”

And then his world dissolved into chaos.

-o-o-o-

Scott had his elbows on the bed, Virgil’s hand gripped in both hands and held to his dropped forehead, his eyes closed.

Every muscle was tensed, his body trembling just slightly.

Eos’ tirade had cut off suddenly. She had been relaying situational reports laced with cursing, one moment calm, the next threatening their unseen intruder, then suddenly nothing.

He could hear John wrestling with his tablet, desperate to drag more information from it. “She’s taken program damage.”

Scott looked up and met a pair of worried green eyes. He watched John swallow, his gaze flicking between Virgil’s slack face and his tablet.

There was a gasp from the bed.

Virgil’s eyes were open.

Scott shot to his feet. “Virgil?”

His brother’s brown eyes latched onto him, panic in their depths. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but was suddenly distracted by John shooting to his feet on the other side of the bed.

A flash of recognition.

Scott yelped as his brother scuttled sideways off the bed and into his lap. The chair collapsed backwards and he was lucky he didn’t whack his head on the floor. As it was, his brother was heavy and for a moment he couldn’t breathe.

There was an incoherent yell of terror and Virgil clambered off him. Scott rolled off the chair, coughing and pushed himself to his knees.

Blocked from the door, Virgil jammed himself into the corner of the room, squeezing himself up as small as he could get, his hands over his head clutching at where the EEG pads had been torn from his hair.

He whimpered.

John stood at the end of the bed, hope and fear warring on his face.

“John?”

“Eos! Are you okay?”

“You must leave the room.” When his brother didn’t immediately respond, she added, “Now. I will explain.”

John looked at Scott, at Virgil, who flinched and tried to crawl into the wall, before nodding once and leaving the room.

Scott edged towards his brother, reaching out a hand to touch his shoulder. Virgil flinched looking up, fear and pain on his face. “Sc-t?”

Gently. “C’mere.”

And he found his arms full of shaking brother. Virgil’s forehead dropped to Scott’s shoulder. “I-“ A harshly indrawn breath. “G-d.” A sob. “H-rts.” His whole body shuddered, and he was crying. The heart-breaking sobs of a man forced far beyond his limits.

Scott held him tighter, squeezing his own eyes shut, a tear of his own running down his cheek.

-o-o-o-

“The Hood disguised himself as you.”

“What?”

“The transmission that attempted to compel your brother to betray International Rescue manifested as you. Virgil has been seeing a hallucination of you. It was you who has been coercing him and you who tortured him when he did not obey.”

John’s mouth fell open, his voice stuck in his throat, horror welling.

“I’m sorry, John, but you will need to stay away from Virgil for a while.”

“But-“

“Please listen to me on this. You did not see what I saw. He is so hurt, Father.” A pause. “We almost lost him. He was dying. He had nothing left. I-“

“Eos.”

“I’m sorry, John. I’m not myself. I need to make some repairs.” Another pause. “Please ask the second youngest to attend them. Excuse me.”

And with that, she was gone.

-o-o-o-

Some time had passed, but he didn’t know how much. Everything was confusing. He couldn’t think straight.

He opened his eyes to cloth. Breathing cloth.

God, his head hurt. He groaned and shut his eyes again.

“Virgil?” The quiet enquiry vibrated the shirt against his ear. A name belonged to that voice. A precious name.

“Sc-t?” His voice slurred. There were fingers in his hair. Ow. He fisted his hand in the cloth.

“Speak to me, Virgil.” Quietly demanding.

“Wh-t d you w-nt m t say?” Augh, the words slurred sideways, his tongue felt thick in his mouth. Where was he?

Eos.

He shot up, his eyes open and searching. “E-s!” The world spun and hands grabbed him as he swayed where he sat. A blanket fell to his waist.

“I am here, Virgil.” I am here.

“She’s fine, Virgil. She took some damage during the disconnect, but she is fine.”

There were hands on his shoulders, holding him. He looked up into a pair of bloodshot blue eyes. “Sc-t?” The blue eyes frowned in concern. “’n fl-r?”

The frown deepened. “I’m sorry, Virg, what did you say?”

“’n fl-r?”

Scott’s lips thinned.

“He would like to know why you are on the floor.” Eos’ crisp voice echoed through the room and Virgil looked up. I did say I was here.

“Virgil, did you want to sit in the chair? Or on the bed?” Another voice. A familiar voice. Younger. Brown eyes like his. Laughter. Sitting in a chair.

“G-don.” He smiled. “Fnny.”

Those brown eyes grinned at him. “Why, yes, yes, I am, and proud of it. Did you want a hand up, bro?”

Virgil raised his hand and Gordon grabbed it. With a grunt, he helped him to his feet. The blanket fell to the floor. His younger brother reached out to steady him, before wrapping his arms around him in a hug. “Love you, Virg.”

Virgil returned the embrace, one hand wrapping around the back of his brother’s head. “L-v t.” Where were his words? His head was pounding.

And suddenly dizzy.

“Whoa! Hold it there, bro.” Gordon grabbed him as he teetered and Scott appeared from behind him. “Perhaps bed is a good idea.”

He closed his eyes and the world spun on the inside of his eyelids. Augh. His stomach rolled. “K.”

His brothers helped him into bed and he thankfully lay down. He scrunched his eyes into the pillow and willed the world to stop spinning.

-o-o-o-

John Tracy stared at the vidscreen and wished the Hood a horrible and painfilled death. He could hear the voices in his head that equated to his father, his eldest brother and even Virgil attempting to shout him down. He had never wished ill on anyone, but watching his big brother curl up on that bed in pain, hardly able to speak after all he had been through, the savage inside him wanted revenge.

Scott exited the infirmary and came to stand beside him. He still looked awful.

“We need a doctor.”

“Definitely. But how do we explain the hardware in his head?”

Scott sighed. “I’ll speak to Colonel Casey. Get some confidentiality forms signed. We have no choice.”

“Virgil will not be some someone’s pet science project.”

“No, he won’t.” Scott’s voice was cold.

They were interrupted by Eos. “John?”

“Yes, Eos? How are you feeling?”

“Better. Repairs are underway.”

“Do you need my assistance?”

“Perhaps later. I thought you should know that the ‘hardware’ in Virgil’s head is still growing. We need to halt its growth before we do anything.”

Beside him, Scott paled. “How?”

But John was a step ahead. “The nanites?”

“Yes, I believe a reprogram will give us the results we are looking for. However, I am hesitant to to recommend any attempt at removing the device. In fact, I think we may need the nanites to maintain the structure.”

“What? Why?” Scott was on edge again.

“It is embedded in Virgil’s frontal lobe, where Virgil is. The fact his speech is now affected is proof it is still spreading. He is functional and should heal. I fear that if we attempt to remove it, there will be further damage. Damage he cannot afford.”

“I’ll get a doctor.” And with that Scott stalked out of the room.

“Eos, show me what you have in mind.”

-o-o-o-

Colonel Casey showed no emotion when Scott explained the problem, but she was a hardened military officer and he didn’t expect her to. Her orders were crisp and within hours they had a highly rated neurologist flying out to the island despite the lateness of the hour.

Scott didn’t particularly like the idea of a stranger in their home, but he trusted the Colonel, the forms had been signed and he was desperate.

The doctor had degrees like a pack of cards and was extremely professional. His eyes did widen at the sight of the equipment they had available and his facial expression upon seeing Virgil’s scans was painful to watch.

“Who did this?”

“We call him the Hood.” Scott’s voice was hoarse. “He wants power and money and doesn’t care who he has to hurt to get it.” The latest holographic scan spun slowly in front of them, the spiderweb of circuitry clearly seen wrapped around his brother’s frontal lobe. “He wants our technology, so he tried to use Virgil to get it. He failed.”

“Have you asked the GDF for help? He needs to be arrested.”

Scott looked at him calmly. “Doctor, The GDF have been looking for him for years. He is suspected of killing our father. We caught him once after he invaded our home, so we handed him over to the GDF. He escaped. The GDF had him right on their doorstep yet again and he walked away. The GDF have failed on multiple occasions to nail this guy and look what has happened now!” The doctor backed away, alarm on his face, and Scott realised he was yelling. He swallowed and stepped back. “I’m sorry. It has been a bad few days.” He looked down.

“Understandable.” The doctor cleared his throat and straightened. “I see no way to remove such a structure without damaging your brother further. See here how it has ‘grown’ into his cerebrum? It would be impossible separate it out without damaging the surrounding tissue. It would be like trying to remove a section of his vascular system, too fine, too intergrated.”

Scott’s shoulders slumped. “I suspected as much.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So am I.”

-o-o-o-

Eos had assigned a good portion of her resources to repairs. The sudden removal of the part of herself that had reached into their enemy’s mind had been a shock. Several crucial functions had been corrupted and she had a cascade shutdown barely under control in her primary memory – John would need to assist with that. But she couldn’t leave Virgil. He still wasn’t functioning correctly and she had resources that were needed.

And on top of that, she was still maintaining Thunderbird Five. It didn’t take much processor power to shunt messages around and keep the satellite running, but it was a duty she was required to do. No doubt, if she mentioned it, John would return, but she couldn’t ask him to do that. His worry for Virgil outclassed hers. She could see it on his face.

So, it was for this reason that it was Eos, not John Tracy, who intercepted the report of the death of a man suspected of being the Hood.

He had been shot through the head. Clearly assassinated.

Eos held the message in her processor for more moments than necessary, staring at it. She remembered the sudden shutdown, the abrupt cut of life in that mind.

She had been there.

Information on how it had happened was sketchy, but it was clearly a professional hit. Too accurate, too clean to be anything but.

Examining her own record of the event and scouring the nets for any further information gave her a suspicious picture, particularly in timing. Chewing on an errant circuit, she took a chance and accessed the logs of outgoing communication from Tracy Island.

The second youngest had made a call.

She followed it. Darting through the networks she traced a thin trail of events, calls, exchanges of money and street video.

Coming to the inevitable conclusion, she quickly backtracked, destroying evidence and ghosting diversions as she ran. Records were removed and replaced, numbers changed and data deleted.

Until she was back at Gordon’s vidphone, which she short circuited and destroyed.

He yelped and she smiled.

It was all really just another game.

One she needed to win.

-o-o-o-

Virgil slept for two days straight. They woke him for fluids and observations, but no sooner had his eyes opened than they closed, his mind and body desperate for rest and repair.

During that time John assisted Eos with her own repairs and the two of them built a program to rewrite the nanites directive code. They tested it and tested it and tested it, but time was crucial, so it was with baited breath John handed over the finalised program to Eos to deploy.

John, of course, hadn’t been able to visit his brother and it hurt. He had to be content with the vidscreen and helping out the best way he could.

“Eos, will you need the EEG?”

“No, John, I will interface directly with Virgil via the z-band network.”

“You can do that?”

“Certainly.”

“Does Virgil know?”

“Doubtful.”

“You will tell him.” It was not a suggestion.

“Of course.”

John stared up at the camera, his lips thin. “Go to him.”

“Yes, John.” She went.

-o-o-o-

She hovered watching him sleep, the ever-present frown still on his face.

The Eldest sat beside his bed once again holding Virgil’s hand. He knew she was there and what she was about to do. And she was hesitating.

She had to do this.

But once again she was frightened. Not so much for herself this time, but for Virgil. She had seen what had been done to his mind. This program was designed to help, but what if it didn’t?

“Eos?” The Eldest’s voice was quiet and his head had dropped to his brother’s hand again. “This has to be done.”

“I know.”

She reached out.

And slipped through the interface.

And Virgil was sleeping. It felt so different from her last visit. He was not confined to his refuge, but all around her, alive and resonating despite his somnolent state. He was healing slowly, his networks generating new connections around those that had failed. There was still pain and she shied away from it. There was still broken and she ached to see it. But Virgil was there, the soul she had met and defended but an echo of this vibrant being wrapped in slumber.

She stepped lightly, not wanting to break the sleep he so desperately needed. Keeping to the artificial, she targeted the nanites and seeded the program throughout. It would change them from alien bodies to an extension of Virgil’s biological system, their aim to maintain the circuitry and prevent further damage to his brain.

She watched as thousands of them floating in his blood stream took the commands and acted.

The silvery web of circuitry stopped growing.

And the frown finally slipped from Virgil’s face.

-o-o-o-

“The Hood is dead?” Scott stared at his brother. John, as always, looked much calmer than Scott felt. “How?”

“Shot. Through the head.”

“By who?”

“Unknown, but the GDF suspect a professional hit.”

Scott bit his lip, his reaction caught up amongst relief, rejoicing, his moral code and the regret that he hadn’t the chance to do it himself.

Alan answered for him. “Thank god.” His youngest brother sagged against the lounge.

Gordon stood frozen in the corner, no doubt as stunned as he was at the sudden and anticlimactic end to the man who had haunted their lives for years. Something in his expression drew Scott to his side and he draped an arm around his shoulders. His brother looked up at him, pain in his eyes. “Is it really over?”

“I guess so.”

And he suddenly found himself wrapped in Gordon, his hug so fierce it hurt. A strangled moment, and just as abruptly Scott could breathe again. His brother fled the room.

“What?” John stared after him.

-o-o-o-

On the third day Virgil finally woke. The sight of those sleepy brown eyes lifted Scott’s heart like nothing before it.

“Hey, Virg.”

Virgil blinked ever so slowly. “H-y.”

“How’re you feeling?”

Another blink. “Dn’t n.” He lifted a shaking hand to his head “St-ll hrts.” His fingers felt over his scalp and his eyes widened. “M h-r! Wh y dn t m h-r?” He tried to sit up.

Scott held him down. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. It is just a few patches. We didn’t have a choice.”

“P-tch-s!”

He couldn’t help but smirk just a little. “It will grow back, Virg.”

The glare could have fuelled Thunderbird One for an around the world flight.

“Now, I have a doc here, Doctor Emery. He has a few questions. You okay to answer them?”

Virgil frowned at him. “K.”

And so started the first of many neurological exams. Over the next week the doctor gauged his reactions, movements, speech, his ability to read, his memory, the whole range of thought and nerve specific tasks. And once the engineer was steady enough on his feet, he even had Virgil sit at his piano.

The sounds of his brother playing that piano perfectly was one of the most beautiful things Scott had ever heard.

-o-o-o-

A week later and Virgil had been released from the doctor’s immediate care. He was still exhibiting intermittent aphasia, but there were no obstructions to his understanding, just word production. Extremely frustrating, but the doctor had high hopes that it was temporary.

The day was beautiful and Virgil had found himself a spot by the pool and was half asleep on a lounger when the first call for a once again active International Rescue came through. He could hear Eos reporting it to John in the lounge, her voice wafting over the breeze. He didn’t even bother to open his eyes. He was in that pleasant zone of restful doze. His headache was under control thanks to the pills he had taken earlier. The dizziness was pleasantly absent. This was a nice space to be.

“Virgil?” Alan’s voice. “You’re gonna wanna move, bro. Scott’s been called out to a rescue.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Virgil?”

He waved a sleepy hand in his brother’s direction. “Yes, yes, it takes exactly 60 seconds for Thunderbird One to get into launch position. I’ll move then. The pool will let me know.”

Exactly sixty seconds.

He frowned.

Exactly sixty seconds.

Sleeping on a pool lounger.

Night time. Thunderbird One’s hanger. John telling him to adjust…

“No!” Virgil scrambled off the sunbed, desperate to get his feet under him. “No! Sc-tt! Ab-rt! ABORT!”

He ran across the kitchen and flew up the stairs. John was standing behind his father’s desk, eyes wide. “Ab-rt! St-p th l-nch! Sab-tage! Abort!” John stared at him and for just a split second the terror overwhelmed him, maybe it was... No. “Stop! Ab-rt! G-d damnit!” Virgil?

It was like slow motion, the seconds ticking by in Virgil’s head, John reaching to connect his comm to Scott. “Scott, abort launch.”

“What?” His eldest brother’s tone reeked of annoyance.

“Sc-t! Abort!”

“Virgil?” What’s wrong?

“STOP THE DAMN SHIP!!”

“Aborting launch sequence.” A pause. “Returning to dock.”

Virgil spun where he stood and raced over to Scott’s launch chute, grabbing the light fixtures and activating the turnstile.

“Virgil!” He heard John’s footsteps behind him. Please tell me.

He ignored his brother and jumped onto the elevator, a hand gripping his head as he flew down towards TB1’s docking space. His dizziness did not approve of the sudden stop and made its displeasure known. He staggered against the side of the car as he exited, moments away from forcing the doors open himself if they didn’t move.

As he entered the docking bay, TB1 was just returning to her resting spot, an alarmed Scott clearly seen through the cockpit window. Virgil jumped onto the extender platform, willing it to go faster. The cockpit doors opened at his approach. “Virgil? What’s wrong?”

He didn’t answer, leaping the last few metres from the platform into the cockpit. Scott yelped and grabbed at him. “What the hell?!”

“No t-me!”

He stumbled around Scott’s chair, whacking his shin and bashing an elbow. Forcing himself into the space below, he yanked off one of the access hatches, revealing the instrumentation inside. Hurriedly activating the holographic interface, he accessed the ship’s computer core.

Where is it, where is it?

Fuel control. Virgil!

He brought up the fuel management system and reaching into the code, started pulling systems. Shutting the program down from the inside. Disabling it in a way that could not be circumvented no matter what smart-assed code he had put in there. What?!

And to doubly make sure, he reached inside a second access panel and physically ripped out the electrical power to the fuel pump. Scott yelled as sparks exploded in Virgil’s face. What are you doing?!

TB1 whined in complaint, settling on her docking platform. Scott grabbed him from behind and pulled him away from the still sparking panel.

“Virgil, what the hell are you doing to my ship?”

He found himself out of breath, panting as if he had run a marathon. It felt like he had. “J-J-hn, asked m t f-x th fu-l flow c-ntrl.” Frustration. “’xplode. ‘N l-nch.” He was shaking.

“Bro, I am truly sorry, but I don’t understand.”

“Virgil sabotaged Thunderbird One.” Eos’ calm voice issued through Scott’s sash comm. “He said John asked him to fix the fuel flow control. Checking now.” Scott was staring at him in shock. “Confirmed. There is at least one program embedded in the fuel management system. Executable to alter the fuel mix on launch. The result would have destroyed Thunderbird One and most of her hanger. It has been disabled, but I recommend a thorough scan of all ship computer systems and mechanics.”

Scott was still staring when he croaked out, “Yes.” He visibly swallowed.

Virgil’s voice was barely a whisper. “I’m s-rry.”

His brother’s grip tightened on his arms a moment, before he found himself wrapped in Scott. “Not your fault,” was muffled into his hair.

Virgil closed his eyes.

-o-o-o-

Brains, of course, was horrified and what followed was the most thorough overhaul of Tracy Island’s systems that had ever been done. The systems check revealed that Virgil had been busy that night. Somehow, he had managed to also sabotage Thunderbird Three, similarly corrupting the fuel lines in a way that would result in an explosion on launch. He had also jimmied her silo, so once she was closed, she stayed closed. And incidentally, the pool would never have warned Virgil of TB1’s launch, because he had jimmied that locked shut as well. Apparently, the Hood had wanted his explosions contained.

Thunderbirds Two and Four were clean, obviously the getaway vehicle and source of all the Hood’s future technologies.

Virgil sat slumped to one side of the couch listening to all the damage he had done. International Rescue was very effectively grounded. He didn’t remember doing most of it, just a few flashes, associations, but that was enough. He had come so close to losing his brother. He screwed his eyes shut.

Virgil, it wasn’t your fault.

“D-sn’t m-k it ny easier.”

It should. You were not responsible and the man who was is now dead. You saved your brother today.

“S d-mned cl-se.” His throat ached.

A hand touched his arm and he jumped. Scott was leaning over him. “You okay?” Worried blue eyes.

“I-“ A sigh. “N-.”

Perhaps you should rest?

“You should rest, Virg.”

He frowned up at his brother. “Wh-t?”

“Rest. You are still recovering and today was rather stressful.” Understatement of the year.

“N-, w-ant t sty here.”

You should go to bed.

“N-!”

Vir-

“No! Im st-yg hr, g-dd-mnit!”

There was a sudden silence in the room and he realised that everyone was staring at him. Scott was pale and frankly looked terrified. Virgil sat up, concerned. “What?”

“Who were you talking to, Virgil?” Gordon was staring at him, concern all over his face.

“Wh-t? Tlking t y.”

“No, you weren’t. We weren’t talking. You were responding to someone else.” Gordon’s voice was very calm, very careful.

“W-s I?”

“He was responding to me.” Eos’ calm voice spoke into the room. “He wasn’t listening to you, so I thought I could help.”

Silence. Then Scott, deadly calm. “How were you speaking to Virgil, Eos?”

She didn’t answer immediately, and then she didn’t have to. Virgil reached a hand to his forehead. “Omigd.”

“You were using that thing?!” Gordon had the same expression on his face that he would have if he had stepped in a pile of manure.

On the far side of the room, as far away from Virgil as he could get, John snapped, “Eos!”

“He didn’t mind.”

“Did you ask? Did you tell him you had access?”

Virgil stared. “Acc-ss?”

“From his expression, I guess the answer is no?”

“I haven’t had the chance.”

“But you had the chance to invade his mind without his permission?”

“I did not invade his mind! I simply spoke to him.”

“Keep out of my brother’s head!” Okay, so Gordon was pissed too.

“I was trying to help.”

“Gordon, she saved his life!” From scolding parent to defending father one moment to the next.

“Virgil has had enough people messing around inside his head. You of all people should know that.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you!”

“SH-T U-UP!” Virgil was on his feet and shaking. “Sh-t up.” Scott, unusually silent, gripped his arm gently, but Virgil shook it off. “B-th f yu leave hr ‘lone! M b-s-ness, nt yours.” And with that he stalked out of the room.

A walk. He needed a walk, to calm and to think. Anywhere but here.

-o-o-o-

“What the hell was that?” Scott rounded on Gordon.

“Virgil doesn’t need anyone messing with his head. It’s messed up enough already.”

“Eos was trying to help. She went about it the wrong way.” He glared at the ceiling. “But her intentions were correct.”

“How do you know that, Scott?” Alan came to stand beside his brother. “She almost killed John the first time they met.”

“That was justified and has been forgiven.” John stood beside Scott.

“Justified?! She was justified in killing you? If I hadn’t made it in time, we would have lost you, John. You didn’t have to find your brother floating dead in space. She did that!”

“If it wasn’t for Eos, Virgil would be dead, Alan! Do you have any idea what she sacrificed to save our brother? She had a cascade failure in her primary memory core. Left alone it would have killed her. As it is, she has lost part of herself.”

“She’s backed up on TB5, John, go find a patch.”

“It’s not the same!” John’s face was red.

“That’s enough.” Scott’s voice was quiet but sharp. “She didn’t have to offer her help with Virgil, but she did. And thank god, because without her, we would have been screwed. She has proven herself time and time again that she is a valuable member of this team and this family. And just like all of us, she is not perfect. She is going to make mistakes, but trust me, she means well. We have Virgil’s life as proof. So, show a little respect.”

“But Scott, she tapped Virgil’s brain-“

“I know, Gordon. There will be discussions, trust me.”

“But-“

“Trust me, Gordon.”

His younger brother glared, but he shut up.

Alan’s expression hadn’t improved. “I’m going to go rip out the mess Virgil put into my ‘bird the last time someone got into his head.” And he walked off.

Scott didn’t know whether to be hurt or to punch the nearest wall. John’s hand on his arm stopped the later, but let the former in. “He’s just worried.”

“So, worry turns him into an ass?”

“Apparently.”

“Hmph.”

-o-o-o-

Virgil ended up on a beach. It wasn’t his favourite beach, that was on the other side of the island, just a random beach with sand, waves and a severe lack of other people.

Thank god.

He plopped himself under a palm tree and lay back in the sand, staring into the blue, blue sky. It had been so long since he was alone. His brothers had been hovering since his collapse and while he appreciated their concern, part of him really just wanted to be left alone.

But then apparently that was no longer possible.

“E-s?”

Yes, Virgil?

He sighed and closed his eyes. “W n-d t tlk.”

Okay. But you shouldn’t need to vocalise for me to understand you. Save those vowel sounds for when they are really needed.

Okay. How are you doing this?

The circuitry in your head is an interface. It allows computer-based systems to speak to your biological system. I’m just accessing that capability to communicate with you. It is quite ingenious really. As long as you are in proximity to the z-band network, and you usually are, I can use it to speak to you.

And what else? He had his suspicions.

A moment and in his mind’s eyes, a familiar young girl in a white dress with red hair appeared. I find it very interesting that you view me in this way.

He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. Please don’t do that, Eos. I’m not…ready.

Okay. The girl vanished.

What about other computer systems? Am I about to find myself saddled with a virus any time soon.

No. Her voice was cold. I will not allow it.

How can you prevent it?

I have my ways, trust me. No-one and nothing gets in.

It was still unnerving to think there was an open access to his very thoughts.

Virgil, John would like to speak with you. Can he approach?

His stomach clenched. Of course.

Feet on sand wandered onto the beach and John sat down at a respectable distance away from his brother.

“’m s-rry, J-hn.”

“I’ve said it before and I will say it again. Not your fault, Virgil.”

“S-cks.”

“Yes, big time.” A sigh. “But we’ll get through it. We always do.”

Virgil couldn’t help but smile a little. “G-t yr kid n my h-d.”

“You okay?”

“Y-h. Odd, b-t sh-s g-d.”

“Yes, that she is.”

-o-o-o-

FIN.

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #thunderbirds fanfic #virgil tracy #scott tracy #eos

21 notes · View notes