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alphashley14 · 2 months

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One of Us

A Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated/Mystery Skulls Crossover

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Chapter 23

Hellbent

“Shitshitshit- LEWIIIISSS!!!” Arthur shouted from the driver’s seat! He turned the steering wheel frantically to and fro as he struggled to regain control of the van careening across the desert. The squealing wheels sent orange dust flying, shrouding the monstrous cattle around them in clouds of ginger. And that same dust invaded the open back of the vehicle, even as the corpse of the dead skull cow tumbled out of the back, slamming into its’ brothers behind it, and Vivi Yukino struggled to get the back doors shut once more.

It occurred to Cassidy to help her, but her battered body protested and it was all she could do to keep herself from tumbling out of the back of the vehicle after the beast. The dust was all-encompassing. Every breath burned as it invaded her lungs, and she had to shut her eyes tight to keep the fine particles out of them. She held on tight to her shotgun and to the bars of one of the shelves in the back of the van, struggling to keep herself as still and secure as she could.

Then there was a flash of pink light behind her eyelids. And suddenly, abruptly, unnaturally even, the van lurched to right itself and there came the telltale sound of the back doors slamming shut. Then Cassidy dared take a breath, she realized the air had become clean. Her eyes fluttered open, and the sight that greeted her didn’t make any sense.

The interior of the van had completely transformed. The purple fabric upholstery had been replaced with bright carmine leather, and the rest of the van’s interior, which had previously been oranges and deep reds, was now entirely black with tasteful gothic touches of purple and bright magenta.

And this did not seem to concern the other occupants of the vehicle in the slightest. Vivi leaned back against the now-redwood shelf and breathed a sigh of relief, wiping orange dirt and bits of yellow gore off of her face with a spare towel. (Not that it did any good for the rest of her.) “Thanks, Lewis. Good catch.”

Wait. Lewis! As soon as Vivi said it, Cassidy realized that Lewis was no longer in the van. But again, the Mystery Skulls didn’t look the slightest bit perturbed about this. And no sooner was Angel sitting up to investigate, any question she could have asked was answered with another flash of pink.

“WHAT IN THE GODDAMN-”

“Ah, shit. Forgot about you…” The skeleton that had appeared beside Vivi sighed.

“I- WHAT THE- YOU-” Cassidy stammered, bewildered beyond words.

“This is Lewis,” Vivi said in a complete deadpan. “You met him a minute ago. Long story short he’s my boyfriend, he’s dead but didn’t exactly go anywhere, so now we solve ghost stories… with a ghost.”

“Not even the weirdest thing we have going on here,” Lewis sighed, and in a flare of pink fire that engulfed him from head to toe, the ghost transformed back into a handsome teen in a vest and ascot - with not a speck of dust or gore on him.

“We’re happy to have him with us,” Arthur added from the front seat. “Lewis is a really great guy and you should definitely not be scared of him.”

“The hell I shouldn’t!” Cassidy strongly disagreed.

“Alright then, be scared of him. But ya gotta ask yourself: are you more scared of him or Bessie the murder bull and his five thousand friends?”

And almost on cue there came a particularly loud MOOOO from the Devil’s Herd, still stampeding after them.

Cassidy opened her mouth, but immediately closed it. She pursed her lips, then after a moment she came to a conclusion: “Bessie. Definitely Bessie. Fuck that.” And she began to aggressively brush and flick as much of the blood and chunks off of herself as she could. Vivi handed her a clean towel too, which helped.

“Amen,” Arthur agreed.

Then the dog, who had gone very quiet up until now, spoke up. “Lewis, get ready to open the passenger side door. We’re approaching the hive.”

The atmosphere in the van immediately shifted (except for Cassidy, who was out of the loop and along for the ride), the trap returning to the front of their minds.

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“The trap?” Fred exclaimed with glee.

“Yes Fred,” Cassidy sighed fondly, “the trap.”

“What kind of trap?” He asked, tapping his fingers together and bouncing lightly in his chair, a giant grin on his face.

“A big, crazy, stupidly dangerous trap that I still can’t believe worked,” Cassidy groaned, some of that old anxiety returning just at the memory of it.

“I’mma be totally honest with you: if we didn’t have magic it probably wouldn’t have,” Vivi shrugged.

“Would 100% not recommend for your own investigations,” Mystery agreed.

“-And if you do attempt it for one of your own mysteries, you’d better hope you don’t survive because I will kill you,” Cassidy growled.

Ricky knew that tone. “Fred. She means it!”

But the master trapper was hardly listening. “Less lecturing, more trapping!”

And with another exasperated yet fond sigh, the storytelling continued.

༻˚⁺･⚉｡○✼��☾⦾♫෴♡💛♡෴♫⦾☽༓✼○｡⚉･⁺˚༺

Cassidy had absolutely no idea what she’d been (quite literally) pulled into, but she was about to find out.

“You have the flare gun at the ready, right Vivi?” Asked Arthur.

“Got em’ right here.”

“And the dynamite?”

“That too.”

“And Lewis? Remember, you have to get out not long after Mystery.”

“Just tell me when,” the ghost said.

“It won’t be long. The hive’s just ahead! Get ready!”

Cassidy craned her neck to look between the two front seats, and she could see them approaching a system of canyons and gorges. They had just entered them when the song on the radio changed to an intense set of crescendoing, pulsing chords.

“Hellbent? Oh Hell yeah! Now this is ‘fuck shit up’ music!” Vivi cheered.

“It really is the best car chase song,” Lewis agreed.

“Easy for you to say,” Arthur gulped. And Cassidy got the distinct impression that there was a story there, but she didn’t exactly have any time to dwell on it. Because that was when the shaking ground beneath the van’s tires began to tremor. “Here they come!” Shouted Arthur!

And that was when Hell poured out of the mountainside. Like a mob of angry ants, the Devil’s Herd came from every cave, crack, and crevice. But instead of driving away, the van turned and began to drive around the perimeter of the hive, stirring it up even more, prompting the cattle to come out after them.

“Lewis! NOW!” The dog shouted! And by itself, the door swung open and the dog leapt out of the van with a flash of red light.

I’ve been Hellbent, baby,

Cassidy shouted after him. “DON’T! DID HE JUST- OH MY GOD!”

Hellbent on lovin’ you all day long,

“Don’t worry about him, Vivi said dismissively. “He’s a professional.”

Hellbent on drugs ‘cause it turned you on,

“-Not to mention he’s more dangerous than anything he’ll find in there,” Arthur added.

Don’t know what else to do,

“But-”

Mmm~

“I’ll tell you what. You want to be helpful? Get in the front seat and start throwing sticks,” Vivi said.

I’ve been Hellbent, baby,

“Alright,” Angel groaned as she heaved herself between the seats and onto the passenger side.

Hellbent on makin’ you love me, too, Even though not what I’m supposed to do, I don’t give a damn, Mmm~

“I’m up here, but I don’t know what you mean by- OHMYGOD!” And Angel had never in her life rolled down a window so quickly as when Vivi Yukino suddenly dropped a lit stick of dynamite into her hand. The BOOM that followed after she threw it brought even more angry cows out after them.

“WHAT IN THE- OHSHIT-” (She chucked yet another stick out the window just as fast as Vivi handed it to her) “-HELL?!”

“We’ve got to get as many of them out of the hive-” BOOM! “-and to the trap as possible!” Vivi shouted over the wind as she took another stick out of a box, held it out for Lewis to light, and passed it to Cassidy - who promptly threw it out the window, much to the displeasure of the cows. “Not to mention the fewer of them are in there, the easier Mystery’s job is.” And as soon as she finished talking there came another explosion as the stick Cassidy had just tossed went off.

Immediately after, over the roar of the wind surging in through the open window, there came a sound from the radio like the cocking of a shotgun, and the song launched itself into a call-and-response verse.

I’ve been hellbent, baby (I’ve been hellbent, baby)

“Aaand the most effective way to do that-”

It’s been too long, baby (It’s been too long, baby)

“-is to make them mad,” Arthur added just as loudly as Vivi. But unlike his friends he was sweating bullets and looked even closer to a panic attack than Cassidy.

My eyes wide shut (My eyes wide shut)

“Well a little bit of damn warning would have been nice!” Cassidy retorted, throwing out yet another stick.

And I feel your touch (I feel your touch)

“Would love to but we’re on a time crutch,” Vivi disagreed over the resulting BOOM.

I’ll prove you wrong! (I’ll prove you wrong!)

“Here - this last one should do it. Make it count.”

You make me strong! (You make me strong!)

Grumbling, Cassidy took the last stick of dynamite and threw it out the window as hard as she could.

I said all I need is, all I need is, all I need is you!

The explosion that followed brought out the biggest swarm yet.

“-Aaand that should do it. Lewis, get us the blazes out of here.”

And as the music carried on into more of those intense beats, Cassidy’s vision was engulfed in blinding pink light and if she could have screamed she would have! It felt as if her battered body was being forcibly sucked through a very long tube. When it finally stopped, the van was a great distance ahead of the herd (but not so far that they weren’t still being chased) and the Mystery Skulls’ attention was on her.

“What the hell just happened?” Vivi demanded from the back seat.

“Oh no - you’re hurt!” Arthur cried.

“No shit,” Cassidy groaned. And she would have said something snarky, but she broke out into coughs and when she took her hand away from her mouth her palm was covered in blood.

“Lewis, did you-”

“She must’ve been more seriously hurt than we thought before we picked her up,” Lewis said. “I’m so sorry - I never would’ve teleported us if I’d realized.”

“S’ fine,” Cassidy gritted out, clutching her even-more-broken ribs and struggling to keep her composure. “I’d already be dead if you hadn’t grabbed me.”

“We’re gonna have to talk about this later,” Vivi said. “And you? You will tell us how this happened. But for now? Lewis, you have to go.”

“Will you be alright-”

“That’s why we have the contingency plan! Now go!”

And in a swirl of pink, he was gone. And not a moment after he disappeared, there was another slurry of pink light across every surface, and everything reverted back to the way it had been before Lewis possessed it.

“How much further to the gorge?” Vivi asked, as if none of that was unusual at all.

“Just ahead! You need to switch places with- uh…” Then Arthur turned apologetic. “Sorry. I don’t think we ever asked for your name.”

“Angel,” Cassidy groaned, already moving back into the back seat.

“Angel- haha. What a coincidence, right?” Arthur said, awkwardly looking away so he didn’t make direct eye contact with Cassidy’s ass as she passed him. “Well- nice to meet you Angel. Sorry if we’ve come across as rude but given the circumstances-”

“Not the time for niceties, baby. Jus’ drive!”

“Yes ma’am.” Arthur said quickly, right as Vivi hopped into the now empty seat beside him. She rolled down the window and the gale that filled the van assaulted Cassidy’s ears, even as Vivi hopped to sit on the window’s edge with her entire upper body outside of the vehicle.

Cassidy, having laid down in the back of the van, felt the terrain beneath the vehicle tilt downhill and Arthur shouted over the wind, “This is the gorge! Fire the first flare!” And distantly, Cassidy heard Vivi fire it with a bang and a loud hiss. Unbeknownst to her, the blue light was visible for miles. Vivi tossed the now useless thing. And right as she was readying the second, the edges of Cassidy’s vision started going dark.

She was vaguely aware of a walkie talkie cutting on, but she couldn’t focus on the words being said. And right as Hellbent was coming to an end with one final dramatic chord, she blacked out.

༻˚⁺･⚉｡○✼༓☾⦾♫෴♡💛♡෴♫⦾☽༓✼○｡⚉･⁺˚༺

“How bad was it?” Ricky asked tensely.

“Wipe that concerned look off your face Ricky, I was fine!” Cassidy waved him off dismissively.

“Internal bleeding is not fine, Cassidy! If we didn’t have magic you may have needed surgery!” Mystery scolded.

“I’m a little lost,” Fred scratched his head. “How did you get hurt?”

“The particle displacement that occurs during magical teleportation isn’t easy on the body,” Lewis surmised. “Basically, in Cassidy’s case, suddenly displacing her weakened, injured body from one place to another worsened the tears in bruised tissue, reopened cuts, and as for her bones? The displacement puts pressure on your entire body at once, so you can only imagine what that does to bones that are already cracked or broken. Imagine if someone has broken ribs, (which Cassidy did) and some asshole walks up and squeezes them around the middle as hard as they can. But on your whole body.”

“Jeepers. I’m glad you’re okay, Cassidy. That must’ve really hurt!” Daphne cried.

“It’s water under the bridge now,” Cassidy shrugged. “If I had a nickel for every time Lewis apologized afterward… But he never would’ve done it if he’d realized I was injured and I’m still glad he did, given that we had the Devil’s Herd right on our heels.”

“How did the rest of the trap go anyway?” Fred asked giddily.

“Long story short,” Vivi explained, “We reached word of the third herd while we were still cleaning up the mess from the second. So before we had set off from there, we harvested an organ from the second queen’s carcass - the one whose head is mounted on our wall. That organ produces highly potent pheromones. That’s how they communicated - like bees.

“We put those pheromones in gas canisters all over the van that continuously released small amounts, which made the cattle think we were another queen. So their instinct was either to destroy us or to take us back to their hive - either way, they’d have to catch us first. So Arthur and I lured most of the skull cattle into a deep gorge, and beyond a certain point the people of Tumble caused a carefully orchestrated rock slide with dynamite to close them in. Then, long before they could dig or climb their way out, Mystery showed up, luring the rest of the herd into the gorge.”

“That was my objective when I leapt out of the van,�� Mystery explained with a hint of pride. “My job was to slink through the hive, kill the queen and any of her daughters, rip out her pheromone organ, and use it to lure any skull cattle left in the hive back to the trap with the rest.”

“It’s a shame you missed that bit Cassidy because it was really cool,” Vivi said excitedly. “He jumped right off that cliff and they all followed. Most of them were either dead or close to it when they hit the bottom, save those who landed on the corpses of those who jumped before.”

“Rou jumped?” Scooby exclaimed. “What about the landing?”

“Kitsune are shape-shifters, remember?” Mystery smirked. And in a flash, he transformed into a large white raven and perched on the top of the chair behind Vivi’s head. “I flew- oh. I’m sorry, Ricky. Is this alright?” The kitsune-turned-bird asked, apologetic and concerned.

“Oh- yeah it’s fine,” Ricky said sheepishly, rubbing his eyes and sitting up from where he’d been laying his head on the table. “I think what freaked me out yesterday was that you turned into something too similar to a parrot, and I wasn’t expecting it. But this is alright.”

“‘No parrot-like things.’ I’ll keep that in mind.” Mystery said with a pleased fluff of his feathers.

Then he hopped off of the top of the perch, turned back into a dog, and landed squarely in Vivi’s lap - who couldn’t resist the urge to give him a cuddle. Which, if his wagging tail was anything to go by, had been his plan all along.

“So once they were in the gorge…” Velma prompted.

“The townsfolk poured hundreds of gallons of molten tar down on the cattle,” Lewis said grimly, igniting a single flame on the tip of one finger, “-And I burned them alive.” Monsters as they were, Lewis could still hear their screams. And he felt no satisfaction in their deaths.

“Like, zoinks,” Shaggy gulped.

“Jinkies,” Velma gulped in agreement. “That’s… dark.”

“There were too many of them to euthanize them humanely,” Vivi said sadly. “We tried that in Idaho and it cost us dearly. We didn’t even try in California because the Redwoods were in danger. Not to mention, obviously, all the people and wildlife who were also at risk. Then in Arizona a whole small town was in danger. And like the others, that herd had already caused a lot of damage and killed a lot of people. We didn’t even consider doing it humanely at that point.”

“Good,” Ricky said gravely. All heads turned with their undivided attention. “I can’t even begin to imagine how many people those things hurt. So even if they suffered, it’s better for them to not exist anymore. They never should’ve existed in the first place. God, why did I-”

“Don’t.” Mystery said. His eyes narrowed, flashing red, and his voice was very firm and stern, only to immediately turn gentle. “Come back, Ricky. Turn around. Don’t go down that path. The regrets, the what-ifs, the should-have-dones, the self-loathing. You’ll only drive yourself mad. Believe me… I know.”

Ricky sat back in his chair a bit, sullen, and said no more on the matter. Though everyone could tell, and Ricky knew they could because he could see the concern on their faces, that particular battle wasn’t over just yet. Finally, he could take the silence no longer and put his head on the table, his face hidden in his arms. The table was awfully comfortable. And his eyes were growing so… heavy.

“Cassidy!” Lewis said suddenly, which made everyone jump including Ricky, who quickly sat up and ran his hands over his face. (This went unnoticed by everyone except Mystery.) “Now you need to tell them what happened after you woke up.”

And that made Mystery stiffen. Ah, yes. That.

“Why? What happened after you woke up?” Fred asked.

“This one damn near gave me a heart attack and killed me, that’s what!” Cassidy shouted, jabbing an accusatory finger at Mystery. The “dog” batted his eyes and innocently looked away as if he had no idea what she was talking about, except he was also smirking as if to say, ‘I did it and I’ll do it again!’

“Why am I not surprised?” Velma said dryly.

“Oh they didn’t tell ya’all shit,” Cassidy laughed. “Just wait until you hear what the first damn thing out of his mouth was!”

༻˚⁺･⚉｡○✼༓☾⦾♫෴♡💛♡෴♫⦾☽༓✼○｡⚉･⁺˚༺

When Cassidy awoke, the first thing she registered was the pain. Her whole body protested with either stiffness, discomfort, or jabs that came with every little movement and adjustment. Next came sound - the hustle and bustle of movements and voices all around. Then the dry heat of the desert that clung to her skin, and the coarse, stiff bedding beneath her back. Then, finally, she blinked her eyes open.

The light was dim and orange. Late afternoon sunlight just permeating the tent’s fabric above her head. Cassidy turned her head to and fro, taking in her surroundings. She was laid on a pop up cot with a very thin mattress inside of what appeared to be a medical tent. The other beds were empty, a monitor stuck to her arm kept track of her vitals, and a fan in the corner was trying its best to combat the Arizona heat. Aside from that, she was alone. And she could see her bag sitting on a makeshift bedside table, though her rifle was nowhere in sight.

As what had happened before she passed out came back to her, Cassidy sat up as carefully as she could with a groan. Ghosts, magic, and skull cattle? Were the mysteries not limited to Crystal Cove?

Careful not to jostle herself too much, Cassidy reached over, pulled her bag over into her lap, and started digging around looking for her weapons and to check that all of her stuff was there. Surprise surprise, her pistol, shotgun, mace, and knives were all missing. As were her notes and files on the Mystery Skulls.

Just then, Cassidy’s head snapped up at the sound of someone entering the tent, and Arthur Kingsmen jumped when they locked eyes. “Oh! You’re awake! It was… Angel, right?”

“Yeah. That’s right. And you’re Arthur Kingsmen, synth player of the Mystery Skulls. And… also a monster hunter apparently,” Cassidy said with a groan as she hefted her bag back onto the table. There wasn’t a single thing in there she could use at the moment anyway.

“Yep. That’s me,” he smiled and rubbed the back of his head, an embarrassed blush coming across his face that reminded her painfully of Ricky.

Three kids and a talking animal… could there be a fourth? Even if there isn’t it’s too close to be a coincidence but there’s just no way…

Just then, Vivi popped her head into the tent. “Hey Artie, how’s- Oh! You’re up!” Vivi Yukino said happily. “Hey Lewis! Miss Dynamite is awake!”

Which led the ghost (apparently wearing his human disguise) to stride into the tent after her. “How are you feeling?” He asked.

“Like that skull herd trampled me,” Cassidy said in the least-pained tone she could.

“Sorry,” Lewis said guiltily.

“From what I gather, you didn’t do it on purpose. All the same, I’d say we have a lot to talk about.”

“That’s for sure,” Vivi said. “For starters, let’s properly introduce ourselves. I’m Vivi Yukino. This is Lewis Pepper, and this is Arthur Kingsmen. But you apparently already knew that, Miss… Angel Dynamite?”

“Yeah, that’s my name.”

“No it isn’t.”

Angel whirled around just in time to catch a glimpse of an enormous shadow on the other side of the tent dart out of sight.

“What was that?”

“Mystery…” Vivi warned sternly, but her tone went unheeded as a huge snout forced its way between the Mystery Skulls, followed swiftly by an absolutely gigantic beast.

“SWEET lordy…” A gasp forced its way out of her and as much as every instinct she had was screaming at her, Cassidy found herself frozen in place. Not that, as hurt as she was, she would have been able to do much else anyway. The kitsune’s seven tails fanned out magnificently behind him like the tail of a peacock. Snow white fur was stained and splotched with orange mud and the golden blood of the cows, and when he shook himself speckles of it misted into the air around him. “What- that the hell-?” She asked shakily.

“Angel, this is Mystery,” Vivi said in an even, measured voice. “You’ve actually met him, briefly, in the car before he jumped out.”

“That was a cute little dog!” Cassidy all but shouted. “Not some dog- wolf- fox- whatever-you-are! I- eep!”

Cassidy jumped, shaking, when Mystery abruptly leapt up, his front paws on either side of her body, absolutely towering over her. His red eyes glowed in the dim light within the tent, and the sheer intensity of his glower through his gold spectacles locked all of her limbs in place.

“What’s your name?” The creature asked. And his voice was all-encompassing, reverberating into the deepest parts of Cassidy’s chest in such a way that it shut all of them right up.

“I- it’s Angel Dynamite,” she replied. Panic fluttered in her stomach. Why would he think otherwise?!

“No it isn’t,” he snapped, hackles raised and teeth bared. “I do not know your face as I once did. But if there’s one thing I never forget it’s a smell. Especially one I pursued with such passion as yours. ‘Angel Dynamite?’ Ha! No, that’s the name you had to give yourself. I remember now. That’s what he used to call you, isn’t it?”

Cassidy’s heart seized inside her chest, and the lovestruck face of the boy she’d loved once flashed before her eyes. He knew. He knew! But how? And the other Mystery Skulls didn’t, if the bewildered looks on their faces were anything to go by.

Cassidy nervously swallowed. “You know me,” she said, as evenly as she possibly could. An admission with deniability if ever there was one. But Mystery would not have it.

“What. Is. Your. Name?” He barked. And the force in his tone and the desperation in his eyes was so powerful that she had no choice but to give in.

“... Cassidy Williams,” she admitted quietly.

And at those words his entire demeanor changed. His lips dropped over his fangs in a gasp of awe. The hardness vanished and the tension in his shoulders let out like a deflated balloon. He looked- relieved. So relieved he looked as if he might cry. “You’re alive,” he muttered, disbelieving. But then tearfully, he laughed. “I knew it!”

“You know me,” Cassidy repeated, and he must have heard the fear and confusion in her voice.

“I do,” he said, and his voice had become very gentle. Melancholy, yet fond. Reminiscing. “And you knew me. A version of me, anyway. But you would not remember me. My children and their families, you knew as well,” he said, gesturing to the other three Mystery Skulls. “But that doesn’t matter right now. The others! Ricky, Judy, Bradley. Are they alive as well? Do they still live?”

Cassidy was so flabbergasted by his enthusiasm that it didn’t even occur to her to lie. “They are! They are!”

At that news, Mystery became so excited that it took a whole twenty minutes to calm him down enough for him to tell them a story that Cassidy had only thought was familiar. And for Vivi, Arthur, and Lewis, that revealed wounds so old and so painful that no one around them had ever been able to bring themselves to tell the whole thing - until now.

༻˚⁺･⚉｡○✼༓☾⦾♫෴♡💛♡෴♫⦾☽༓✼○｡⚉･⁺˚༺

Once Cassidy stopped talking, the table fell very quiet.

Then silently, five heads slowly turned to look at the little dog, sitting solemn and silent in Vivi’s lap. And he had that same expression on his face as that day in the desert: Joy and sorrow blended together in a tapestry of painful memories.

Finally, Ricky swallowed the knot in his throat. “... You knew us?” He asked quietly.

And the dog looked right at Ricky and replied, “I did.”

“... H-how?”

“I don’t blame you for not piecing it together yourself,” Mystery said. And his voice was forcibly even as he wrestled his own feelings under control. “A lot has happened in the past twenty-four hours. You all had so much more on your minds.”

“That doesn't answer my question,” Ricky said. And he was forcing himself to stay calm too.

“Do the math,” Mystery said simply. “You disappeared a little over twenty years ago. Vivi, Arthur, and Lewis were all born in Crystal Cove and are all twenty-seven, twenty-six, and twenty-five years old respectively. And their families lived here for some years even before that until they all moved away, almost two years after you left. I am the guardian spirit of the Yukino family. I was here too. Vivi, Lewis, and Arthur were so young they hardly remember Crystal Cove. But me? I remember. And yes, I knew you. I knew your families, your friends, your neighbors. The Yukinos lived not two blocks away from the Owenses. Five from the Williamses. Four generations of Yukinos lived in Crystal Cove, and for all that time I was here too. I was there when Vivi’s parents and grandparents congratulated yours on your birth. Both of your births. Brad and Judy’s too. I watched you grow up. I followed your mysteries - they were the only exciting thing that happened in Crystal Cove back then. And I was there, sniffing in vain around in the brush, when your father and Cassidy’s parents led volunteers to trudge through the caves and waterways with sticks… looking for your bodies.”

That last bit had Ricky’s throat closing and his eyes burning.

Dad…

Ricky and Cassidy both did not like thinking about their families. How much their disappearances must have hurt them. Even now, with the Freak not a threat anymore, neither of them had looked up or approached their families. It had been twenty years. Surely, they had moved on. Surely, showing up now would only hurt them more. And seeing them from a distance without being able to reach out would surely mean only more pain on their end.

“... Why are you only telling me this now?” Ricky asked.

“I did not get to finish my story last night,” Mystery reminded Ricky gently. And, it’s as I keep saying: A lot has happened. There have been other things to talk about. And… I do not mean to diminish your pain when I say this. But would you believe me if I told you that it is painful for me too? Remembering everything that happened back then?”

“Then why don’t I remember you?”

“I was the guardian of the Yukino family. I tried not to get too involved in the lives of humans that were not mine, and it was in my nature to be forgettable. But I think, once reminded, you may yet remember.”

“Then start talking,” Ricky said firmly. “And don’t you dare leave anything out.”

“I will,” Mystery said. “But I believe a more comfortable setting would be appropriate, as it is quite the long story. And I need to get something from my chambers anyway. Vivi, Lewis. Why don’t you lead our guests to the family room? I’ll meet you there.”

“If that’s alright with Ricky,” Vivi shrugged.

And if Ricky had a bit more pep in his step right at that moment, he may have fought it. But at this point, he already felt so exhausted and utterly drained that he simply sighed, “Sure.”

And so, Mystery hopped from Vivi’s lap and skedaddled out of the room, while the humans got up and silently picked up stacks of dishes from breakfast and carried them into the kitchen to be washed later. Then, awkwardly quiet, they followed Vivi and Lewis into yet another unexplored part of the mansion.

Ricky kept quiet, his head swimming, and it was all he could do to keep his eyes trained on Cassidy’s back walking just ahead of him. Her shirt fit her well - he could see her toned muscles and defined shoulder blades shifting beneath the fabric with each step. Beautiful, he thought to himself. Even now, part of him feared that if he took his eyes off of her for too long she’d disappear. Or worse: he’d wake up to find that the miracle of this morning had been nothing but a dream.

As for Cassidy, there were a lot of things that were yet to be explained to her, but for now she was content to hear what Mystery had to say until Ricky was ready to tell her the truth. Some things about the kitsune’s role in Crystal Cove twenty years ago had been explained to her back in Tempo, but she was looking forward to having a lot of gaps filled.

“So like,” Shaggy cleared his throat after a while, “how exactly did you guys know Mystery Incorporated back in the day?”

“Yeah. And why didn’t you mention it before?” Velma asked. Curious - not accusatory.

“Our families knew each other from what I understand,” Lewis said.

“More than knew each other,” Cassidy corrected gently. “After spending some time in Tempo, I managed to find out more than what Mystery told us. Ya’all ain’t gonna believe this: Fred and Vivi are related.”

At that, everyone abruptly stopped walking and turned around. “What?!”

“Wait- how?!” Vivi exclaimed, just as shocked as everyone else.

“What’s your Momma’s maiden name?” Angel asked.

Vivi thought for a second, then smacked herself on the forehead. “Reeves! Of course!”

“I thought Vivi was Japanese,” Fred said, confused.

“Half Japanese, on my Dad’s side,” Vivi corrected. “I mostly take after him, but my Mom is definitely white. Like she is blonde. And- actually, come to think of it her hair is the same yellow as Fred’s. Anyway - all I know is some sides of Mom’s family had lived in Crystal Cove for a very long time. So I guess I shouldn’t really be surprised. How are we related, by the way? Specifically?”

“Your Mom and Judy’s Dad are cousins,” Cassidy explained. “Which makes you and Judy second cousins, and you and Fred are second cousins once removed.”

“Wow. Small world,” Fred said.

“I didn’t even know my Mom had a cousin,” Vivi said.

“They apparently don’t talk much anymore,” Cassidy shrugged. “And Fred and Vivi aren’t the only ones with a connection. I don’t know if anyone else is related, but apparently the Owenses, the Kingsmen, and the Yukinos were pretty tight. But I didn’t hear a lot about how or why that is, apart from that the Yukinos became fast friends with the other two families when they first moved to Crystal Cove, and the Kingsmen and Owens families were friends even before that. Then when my parents moved to Crystal Cove a few years before I was born, the Nocedas and the Peppers were the first to welcome them to the neighborhood, and the Yukinos weren’t far behind.”

“Wait- who are the Nocedas?” Daphne asked.

“My birth parents,” Lewis said quietly.

And a sympathetic silence followed as the eight of them continued on before Vivi pressed through the awkwardness. “Anyway- Arthur, Lewis, and I really couldn’t tell you much about back then. I was only six when the Original Mystery Incorporated disappeared. Arthur was five, and Lewis was four. And we moved away like… a year later? I have a few fleeting memories that are relevant. But they’re mostly glimpses, feelings, or single moments. The adults back home in Tempo who do remember everything only have parts of the puzzle, and even then talking about it has become a sort of unspoken taboo. Mystery has more of the story than anyone else, and even he doesn’t like talking about it. All the hurt that happened in Crystal Cove 20 years ago… a lot of people have either forgotten about it or tried to. But Mystery sure as hell hasn’t.”

“No kidding,” Cassidy agreed.

“It’s frustrating,” Vivi sighed. “Mystery’s become more and more open with us since he first revealed himself as a kitsune and started actually talking to us, but his days as Kit and Koa are the only really important part of his life that he won’t talk about.”

Ricky had been starting to nod off, but something about what Vivi said caught his attention. “His days as what?”

“Those were the names he lived under during his time in Crystal Cove,” Vivi explained. “Throughout his days as a guardian spirit, he’s assumed whatever name the family gives him. Usually during and after a period when he takes the form of some companion animal and decides to live among the family for whatever reason instead of watching over us unseen. He’s been Mystery for a little over eighteen years, if memory serves me right. But before that, he took the form of a border collie and my grandma named him Koa. If you remember him at all, that would be the name and form you knew him by.”

Koa… something about that name rang a bell. Where do I know that name from??? Ugh, it was only nine in the morning, and too much had happened already. What Ricky really wanted to do was lie down and take a nap. But there was still too much to do and too much to talk and think about.

He didn’t ask any more questions, and kept trudging along with the others.

At last, they came upon a spacious yet cozy lounge with dark blue wallpaper and red and orange furniture. Apparently the “family room,” where Mystery had for some reason decided to hold this discussion.

Ricky plopped down on a large, L-shaped couch and leaned back, arms over the back of the couch with his eyes closed, intending to mentally prepare himself. Cassidy spared him a worried look before she sat down on the other line on the “L” beside him. While the kids walked around the room and looked at the pictures.

Only then did it become clear as to why this was known as the “family room.” Because that’s what all of the pictures were of: The Mystery Skulls, along with their families. And quite a few of the older ones, the kids recognized, had been taken in Crystal Cove! They were so busy looking around and asking questions, especially about the pictures that included Vivi’s Mom’s side of the family, that they hardly noticed when five minutes went by. Then almost another five minutes. And right when they were starting to wonder what was taking Mystery so damn long, in the kitsune trotted, looking a bit too pleased with himself, carrying a large book-shaped package in his mouth.

“Apologies for the wait,” the kitsune said a bit too merrily as he set the package down on the coffee table.

“No kidding. What took you so long?” Cassidy asked suspiciously.

“Ah, silly me. I’d misplaced my photo album. I’ve accumulated so many things over the years, you know. I was beginning to fear I’d left it back in Tempo when I found it under my pillow of all places. Imagine that.”

“You’re up to something,” Vivi stated.

“Up to something?” Mystery cried in his most offended possible tone. “Vivi! I am shocked and appalled that this is your opinion of me!”

“Hear that, kids?” Lewis asked. “That’s the sound of bullshit.”

“Yyyep,” Fred agreed.

“Rullshit,” said Scooby.

“‘Bullshit?’ ‘Up to something?’” The Kitsune balked teasingly, “From the way you all talk, you’d think I was some sort of shady vagabond!”

“What. Did you do?” Vivi asked dryly.

“Very well,” Mystery sighed. “But you can’t be mad at me.”

“What. Did you do?”

“Technically,” Mystery said, “I didn’t ‘do’ anything. But… let’s just say that my story is going to have to wait until this evening.”

And right as Vivi was about to demand why, she was cut off by the sound of a soft snore.

Ricky. Had fallen asleep. Right where he sat, leaning back against the couch.

“Ricky?” Cassidy called him and lightly shook his shoulder, but he didn’t so much as stir. “Ricky?”

“No no, don’t wake him,” Mystery said. “I’ve been waiting for this all morning. It was only a matter of time.”

“Why? What’s wrong with him?” She demanded.

“Don’t fret, little Angel. Nothing is wrong. Sleepyhead’s medicine simply hasn’t worn off yet.”

Lewis smacked his forehead. “The sleeping potion! Of course!”

“The what now?” Cassidy cocked an eyebrow.

“Ricky couldn’t sleep last night,” Vivi explained, “So Mystery gave him a potion. He really needed the rest. That’s why he slept in.”

“I told him to go take it right away, or at least I thought it was implied,” Mystery sighed, slightly irritated, “But instead he bumped into Velma on the way back to his room and stayed up for another few hours. Then took it.”

“Okay,” Cassidy said, confused, “That still doesn’t explain…”

“Have you ever taken nighttime medicine?” Vivi asked. “It can be difficult to get comfortable and fall asleep when you’re sick, so a lot of nighttime medications have stuff in them to help their patient sleep. But those medicines are supposed to wear off by morning. So if you take it late and wake up early without the effects wearing off, you feel super lethargic for the first half of the day. The same thing has happened to Ricky, but he took a potion instead of ‘normal’ medicine so the effect is a lot stronger.”

“Poor dear. It’s likely that the only reason he’s been awake as long as he has is due to the stress,” Mystery said. “But with magic, even stress can only hold it off for so long. Then we likely sped it along by feeding him.”

“Like, why by feeding him?” Shaggy asked.

“Eating a big, comfortable meal like that would be enough to make anyone satisfied and drowsy,” Lewis said. “Add a dreamless sleep potion into the mix and it’s no wonder he’s zonked out.”

“Oh for Pete’s- you planned this!” Velma cried accusingly, jabbing a finger at Mystery.

“I did not plan for Ricky to take his medicine late. But just now, did I intentionally have Vivi and Lewis take him to the most comfortable lounge in the house then stall long enough for him to doze off? Yes I did,” Mystery smirked mischievously. “Because I didn’t want to argue with him when I told him he needed to go back to bed before anything else. Just like Cassidy is about to.”

“What- me?” Cassidy snapped.

“You’ve been awake and on-the-move for over twenty-four hours,” Mystery said, bending his neck down to her level. “That, and we won’t urgently need you for anything for another few hours anyway. So yes, Cassidy. The others and I will be going out into Crystal Cove to make some preparations, and in the meantime you and Ricky will remain here. Not that you’ll miss us - we should return at about the same time you wake up - at around 3:00. Five hours still won’t be nearly enough rest but for now we’ll have to take what we can get.”

“The hell I do!” Cassidy stubbornly spat, indignant at the mere suggestion. “I still haven’t-” But mid-sentence, Mystery exhaled a cloud of red smoke in her face. Cassidy abruptly stopped talking, her eyes rolled over, her entire body went slack, and she slumped over on the couch beside Ricky.

With a red flash, Mystery took the form of the man with long black hair he’d shown them last night. Except of course, his seven magnificent tails were still showing from under his kimono and his tall pointed ears were sticking out of his hair on top of his head. Twenty years later and they’re still so adorable, the kitsune chuckled to himself, fondly remembering a time long ago when this very pair of sleepy meddling kids fell asleep on the Yukino’s couch.

“Jeepers! What did you do to Angel?” Daphne cried.

“Just a simple sleeping spell, Daphne. Fear not,” Mystery said dismissively. And gently, tenderly even, he lifted Ricky’s upper body from the back cushion and moved him to lie longways on the couch. “I believe I mentioned that we kitsune have some power over dreams. Which makes us skilled in all sorts of sleep-related magic,” Mystery continued, and he picked up Ricky’s legs from where they hung over the side and put them onto the cushions. “This one will only put her out for a few hours. Assuming I’ve estimated correctly, Ricky should wake up an hour or two before her, but I’m sure he’ll be fine as long as we leave a note explaining things.”

Rolling her eyes, Vivi came up behind him with a couple of blankets as Mystery moved on to Cassidy. “Why did you put Cassidy to sleep?” She asked. “Her needing the rest can’t have been the only reason.”

“I mean, she couldn’t exactly have helped much until this afternoon anyway,” Lewis guessed, scratching the back of his head.

“-But knowing her, she would have tried to regardless,” Mystery added, having now moved Ricky and Cassidy to each lie longways on the cushions. “And when we didn’t let her, as if we could stop her, it only would have bothered her while she waited. So I felt it was best that she sleep until then.” And he took the blankets from Vivi and draped one over each of them.

“Why’s that?” Scooby asked.

“Because,” Lewis announced, a piece of paper magically appearing in his hand, “I went to see Arthur last night, and he has a plan. But he needs our help to pull it off, so we’ve got homework and the deadline is in less than 48 hours.”

“And all of it involves going out into Crystal Cove,” Mystery added. With a flourish, a long ornate gold kiseru pipe appeared in his hand and he began to smoke kizami while he spoke.

Unnoticed by Mystery Incorporated, this caused Vivi and Lewis to spare each other a very worried look. Being a spirit, smoking wasn’t bad for Mystery in the way it is for fully mortal beings. But while it wasn’t harmful for him, he knew second-hand smoke could be bad for humans and that the habit had become increasingly frowned upon in the past few decades. Which meant these days, wanting to set a good example for the younger ones, Mystery never smoked in front of them anymore unless he was extremely stressed about something. In the three years since he’d revealed himself as a shape-shifter, this was only the third time they’d ever seen him do it.

All of this to say, if whatever Mystery was going to have to say about twenty years ago was affecting him this badly, then it was extremely concerning indeed.

“But,” Mystery continued, blowing out a long, beautiful red stream of smoke, “it would be extremely unwise for Cassidy to go into town with us. If she did, she could be spotted on one of Mr. E’s cameras. And if our enemies saw her, then best-case scenario there goes our element of surprise and one of our wild cards. Worst-case scenario, we end up with kriegstaffebots at our door trying to finish what they started.” And as he finished talking, he began blowing lovely red smoke rings as he listened to the others.

“Zoinks! Like yeah, those are good reasons!” Shaggy gulped, his eyes nervously following a trail of smoke that went by his head.

“-Not that they could get into the house anyway if they tried!” Vivi added quickly. “Not with our defenses, remember?”

“Yeah but it’d be annoying. And since we’d be essentially under siege it would become near-impossible for anyone aside from Mystery, myself, or maybe you to leave. That, and this is a great spot. I’d rather avoid having to move the house if I can,” Lewis pointed out.

“That’s true too.”

“Rud reasons,” Scooby agreed.

“So what’s the homework?” Velma asked eagerly.

“The two main keys to success in Arthur’s plan are physically escaping Destroido and ditching Pericles, Brad, and Judy. Then getting the cobra larvae removed. As you could guess, the second part is the tricky part and also what we’re going to do today,” Lewis said. “Because the capsule is pretty deep in there, and it’s like a centimeter away from Ricky’s spinal cord. The only way it’s coming out is if Arthur’s sedated and someone cuts it out, and that’s not something we can do safely. Which means we need a surgeon, equipment, and a place where that surgery can be done.”

“Uh, why don’t we just take him to the hospital?” Scooby asked.

“It’s too obvious and too dangerous,” Lewis replied. “Removing the cobra venom will probably be Pericles’ first guess about ‘Ricky’s’ next move, and the hospital is the most obvious place that could be done. And the last thing we need is them dragging Arthur back right when we think we’ve won. Or worse: bringing killer robots into a hospital full of sick people.”

“So,” Fred surmised, “We need somewhere equipped with surgical equipment and someone who can perform surgery, but it can’t be at an actual medical center.”

“Not only that but it has to be the right kind of surgeon. Or at least a surgeon with the right training,” Velma added.

“This is where you come in, Mystery Incorporated,” Mystery smirked. And he blew an enormous, beautiful red smoke ring that encircled the four kids and their dog before it dissipated, filling the air with the smell of tobacco.

“The Mystery Skulls aren’t established in Crystal Cove,” Vivi explained. “We don’t know anyone here. We don’t have any connections. You guys on the other hand have been meddling around this town for years. You probably know just about everyone by now. So finding the answer to this is going to be up to you.”

“I think I might have an idea of where we could do the surgery, but I don’t know about a surgeon,” Velma said thoughtfully.

And Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby didn’t have any ideas either until, with a defeated sigh, Daphne raised her hand. “Actually… I think I know the exact person who can help us.”

And HERE IT IS! I'm sorry for the long wait, and I hope the long chapter and the fanart makes up for it! I didn't mean to make you all wait this long for this chapter. I went through a bit of a rough patch the past couple of months because of school stuff. I picked the wrong major. BUT! I'm on a different path now that's much better for me and my mental health. I can't promise when the next update will be, as my current schedule doesn't leave me with much spare time. But I don't intend to make you wait another three months either. On to talking about the chapter itself and its future, I don't know how they keep ending up this long but no one particularly seems to be complaining about it. Cassidy still doesn't know what happened to Ricky, Mystery has revealed yet another can of worms to open so expect lots more flashbacks ahead, and we're finally going to see our heroes actually start contributing to Operation: Free the E in the next few chapters. As for my song choice, I wasn't originally planning to use "Hellbent" for this part of the story, but as I was writing the flashback to Arizona I realized no other song could possibly be this appropriate for a car chase. That, and the past several chapters have been God, Pay for My Sins, and Angel. So why not continue the trend and put all of the songs with Christian/heaven/hell titles in one place? I would also like it to be known that Hellbent will most likely be used as a chapter song/title again in the future. I had been planning to use it for another chapter anyway, and tbh I'm running out of good Mystery Skulls songs that remain fitting to what's happening in the plot. I'mma try to have song repeats be few and far between tho! I would also like it noted, some of you may have noticed, that I have added "previous" and "next" buttons to the format of my posting. I got the idea from Morningmark's comics he posts here on Tumblr. I can't promise how consistent they are to every single post though, because some of my chapters have proven difficult to find. I'll work out the kinks eventually, and I hope they make reading 'One Of Us' on Tumblr more manageable. Just don't forget to run over to Ao3 to leave a kudo or a comment too! Seriously, do share your thoughts and possible theories. I never grow tired of them and they're what encourage me to keep going! I stay busy with school so I don't know when I'll have time to post chapter 23 to Ao3 but you can bet it'll be posted there by this weekend!

Chapters 1-22 of 'One of Us' are presently posted on Archive of Our Own!

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aragarna · 4 months

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Title: Father and Son Ride Into Terror

Author: Aragarna

Characters: don Diego/Zorro, don Alejandro, don Nacho, Monastario.

Fandoms: Walt Disney’s Zorro (1957)

Genre, rating: General audience, Gen. Episode tag, character study, angsty introspection, but it all ends well, you know that.

Word count: 3600

Spoilers, warnings: obvious spoilers for episodes 1x07, 1x08 and 1x09

Summary: Zorro and Alejandro de la Vega are on the run, hiding from Monastario. Don Alejandro is seriously injured, and Zorro needs to get him to safety, all the while trying to keep his identity safe. - An exploration of Diego and Alejandro's thoughts during the events related in "Monastario Sets a Trap" and "Zorro's Ride Into Terror".

Notes: Many thanks to my faithful friend Sting for the beta work <3

Read it on: AO3 - FF.net

#zorro #disney's zorro #new fanfic!#guy williams #george j. lewis #fanart #fanfiction #don alejandro #don diego de la vega #diego de la vega #don alejandro de la vega

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purpleomaddy · 11 months

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so TRIGGER WAENING but i wrote this lil thing about the ten year anniversary of l*wis and trauma anniversaries in general, which i have never seen addressed on svu. please keep in mind that i am in no way “celebrating” this traumatic and triggering storyline. i am simply acknowledging the fact that anniversaries are something which affect a lot of trauma survivors and i don’t believe olivia benson would be an exception. please tread carefully but if you read, i hope you enjoy and/or find peace💜

#fanfic #law and order fanfiction #elliot stabler #olivia benson #eo #law and order svu #trauma #angst #trauma anniversary #william lewis #fin tutuola

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peacexatxlast · 1 year

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Requests are open~

Who I write for:

The Peaky Blinders Universe

Jonathan Crane

Jackson Rippner

Neil Lewis

Cillian Murphy

William Killick

What I write:

Smut

Fluff

Angst

Everything in between 🧡

#tommy shelby imagine #peaky blinders imagine #jackson rippner imagine #jonathan crane fanfiction #neil lewis imagine #william killick imagine #cillian murphy imagine #the edge of love fanfic #peaky blinders fanfiction

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regenderate-fic · 1 year

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Drabble Bingo

These are from the Doctor Who Creators server Drabble Bingo event that happened in July. I'm posting them all at once because they are 100 words each. The prompts and characters/ships are as follows:

Dan - Dan & Yaz Rory - Rory Ocean - Thasmin Rose - Rose Unsexy Mattress Fic - Thasmin

Read on AO3

Petty Revenge (Dan)

“Here, try this.” Yaz tossed a bundle of clothing at Dan.

Dan shook it out, revealing a frilly shirt, red-and-white striped waistcoat, and loose brown trousers. A three-cornered pirate hat fell to the floor, along with— was that a hook?

He eyed Yaz’s elegant blouse and skirt.

“You’re sure I’ll fit in?”

Yaz nodded, grinning widely. It wasn’t reassuring.

Dan narrowed his eyes. “This isn’t payback for me making you talk about your feelings?”

Yaz raised her eyebrows, her smile becoming sharklike.

“Do I look like someone who would do that to you, Scouse?”

Yes, Dan thought. She rather did.

Living Legend (Rory)

He’s become a myth.

He hears the stories, whispered on the wind: the lone centurion, guarding a mysterious box. They get some of it right— he’s been around for years, steady, unchanging. He is, usually, dressed as a Roman centurion. And he’s always with the box.

They get some of it wrong. He’s not guarding gold, or poison, or a curse. He isn’t a god.

Rory doesn’t correct them. He doesn’t sit around the campfire, whispering the truth.

They wouldn’t understand it, after all. Not here, not now.

Besides, if he tried to sit around a campfire— he’d surely melt.

Unprecedented (Ocean)

Yaz couldn't stop thinking about that moment.

After the conversation on the beach, disappointment sinking in her chest, Yaz’s mind was at the bottom of the ocean, staring at unprecedented beauty, reliving that moment of panicked hope.

Not a bad date, am I?

No.

The hope had been dashed, of course. It was lying in little shards, tearing at Yaz’s lungs, grinding in her stomach.

She should’ve reacted faster, back at the bottom of the ocean. She should’ve gotten over her shock. She should’ve turned to the Doctor, should’ve smiled—

She should’ve kissed her.

Before she ran out of time.

Reinvented, Rewritten (Rose)

She stared into the TARDIS, transfixed, rooted to the spot as golden light entered her, filled her, created her.

She saw everything.

Time, tinged with gold, shining before her.

The TARDIS moved— she barely felt it. She was part of it. She was part of the universe. Part of time.

The Bad Wolf.

Somewhere, she could feel her body— seething with time’s ravages. The TARDIS was roiling in her, reinventing her. Her every cell was changing.

She waved a hand. Life and death— what were they to the big bad wolf?

What were they—

Except—

Reinvention came with a price.

A Little Off (Unsexy Mattress Fic)

Work Text:

Yaz usually likes sitting on the mattress in the console room when the Doctor works on the TARDIS. But tonight, something’s off.

They agreed, earlier— things would stay the same. Or, the Doctor said it, and Yaz swallowed her disappointment.

Things aren’t the same. The disappointment is still sinking in her stomach. Even the Doctor’s tinkering seems subdued.

Finally, the Doctor emerges. Sits next to Yaz. Their shoulders touch.

Her words fly out on a whisper.

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah.” It comes out bitter.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

Yaz looks at her, tears in both their eyes. “Too late.”

#drabble #doctor who #my fic #fanfiction #dan lewis #yasmin khan #thirteenth doctor #rose tyler #thasmin #thirteen x yaz #rory williams #shoutout to rory to making it into this one. he was lucky enough to be in the same line as dan rose ocean and unsexy mattress fic

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kissorkill15 · 3 months

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Avenge High Masterlist

I will update soon! 🖤

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xx-chriska828-xx · 5 months

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Chapters: 6/? Fandom: Law & Order: SVU Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con Relationships: Olivia Benson/Elliot Stabler Characters: Olivia Benson, Elliot Stabler, William Lewis (L&O: SVU), Amanda Rollins, Odafin "Fin" Tutuola, Elliot "Eli" Stabler Jr.

#olivia benson #elliot stabler #bensler #svu fanfiction #william lewis #eo #law and order svu

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ceirinen · 4 months

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December 2023

I decided to make a list of every fic I read each month.

I would like to interact more, but life has been complicated recently and when it comes to interacting, I get very anxious which is something I'm trying to overcome.

So, here I made this to appreciate such amazing writers and stories that inspire me and others everyday. To the authors, I want to thank them for their dedication and time spent on writing to offer us fascinating stories.

I totally recommend their work.

(If you are in this list and you don't want to, please let me know so I can fix it).

@cillianmesoftlyyy

So New | Cillian Murphy x fem!reader Method Acting | young!Cillian Murphy x Reader

@runnning-outof-time

Research | Tommy Shelby x Reader Bedtime Stories | Tommy Shelby x Reader & Daughter

@zablife

teacher!Luca Changretta x Reader Funeral | Tommy Shelby x sister!reader A Visit to the Peaky Blinders Set | Cillian Murphy x wife!reader

@gypsy-girl-08

Festive Spirit | modern!Tommy Shelby x Reader All I Need... | modern!Thomas Shelby x Reader A Gentle Warning | Thomas Shelby x wife!Reader

@pacifymebby

Arthur Shelby x Reader

@fkmarrycill

Pre-Gaming | Cillian Murphy x Reader

@holacia3

Lost and Lucky | modern!Tommy Shelby x Reader Surprise visit | modern!Tommy Shelby x Reader

@beastofburdenxo

Let Me Praise You | Tommy Shelby x Reader Raising Catherine | Tommy Shelby x Reader

@look-at-the-soul

If I let you go | Cillian Murphy x Reader

@your-nanas-house

What does my princess want? | sugar daddy!Cillian Murphy x sugar baby!reader I'm pretty sure you're mine | sub!William Killick x dom!fem!Reader What are we, idiot? | Neil Lewis x best friend!Reader Thirsty | Tommy Shelby x secretary!Reader

@raincoffeeandfandoms

@lis-likes-fics

Loner | Edward Cullen x Reader At the End of the Day | Tommy Shelby x wife!Reader

@rafeology

Mentor!Finnick Odair x victor!reader

@wife-of-all-dilfs

Flower Therapy | Finnick Odair x Reader

@darlingsfandom

Cillian Murphy x Reader Tommy Shelby x artist!reader Soft sugar daddy | Robert Fischer x Reader

@pinguwrites

Home Is Where the Heart Is | William Killick x future!reader

@http-finnick

Skin to skin | Finnick Odair x fem!insomniac!reader

@acewritesfics

Lost Love | Tommy Shelby x Reader 36 Minutes | modern! Tommy Shelby x Reader

@dearshelby

Had you first | Tommy Shelby x Reader Little Tommy | Thomas Shelby x oc

@lau219

Red Carpet | Cillian Murphy x Reader

@peakyswritings

I Do Bad Things | demon!Tommy x Reader

@shelbystales

Ceramic Lessons | Cillian Murphy x Reader

@darthannie

Day eighteen: breeding kink with Lenny Miller | Lenny Miller x f!Reader

@hllywdwhre

Afterglow | Cillian Murphy x Reader

@red-write-hand

I'll be home for Christmas | Thomas Shelby x Reader

@mysaintkitten

Bad Behaviour | Mike Kiernan x fem!Reader

@notyour-valentine

The Spirits that I summoned | young!Tommy Shelby

@brummiereader

No Son Of Mine | Tommy Shelby

@youbyradiohead

Strawberry Syrup | Cillian Murphy x Reader

@cillianthinker

British accent | Cillian Murphy x Reader Young and in love | Cillian Murphy x Reader

@cillspropertea

Coming home | Cillian Murphy x Reader

@cillmequick

Operation Christmas Tree | modern!Tommy Shelby x fem!Reader

#cillian murphy x reader #tommy shelby x reader #neil lewis x reader #finnick odair x reader #thomas shelby x reader #lenny miller x reader #arthur shelby x reader #mike kiernan x reader #william killick x reader #alfie solomons x oc #robert fischer x reader #edward cullen x reader #tom buckley x reader #luca changretta x reader #fic rec #monthly reads #fic recommendation

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sonicsquid3000 · 14 days

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What if William made MC forget about him completely?

If you wanna skip the introduction you can scroll down to the next paragraph. This is my first post every here and my first fanfiction. This is from the dating game ikemen villains that just released to the US recently and I'm very excited. I've just started the game and I'm currently on chapter 6 on my William Rex route. (I'd be further but I'm broke :')) Even so, i already have angst prepared. Keep in mind none of this is cannon what so ever and everything can and will be inaccurate to the game timeline. Also I will be using my mc's name rather than the in game name. If people like it a lot and want a y/n version of the fanfic I will gladly make another. If you want a proper, more brushed up version of the fanfic, you can find it on AO3 (once i get my account that is) Anyway, enough talk. Lets get into it! Warning: grammatical errors

It was beautiful day in London which was quite rare considering how gloomy the city could be. Belle was sitting on a bench in a park reading her rendition of Lewis Carrol's "Alice in Wonderland" that had released a few decades ago. She was dressed in a simple yet fine dress of browns and greys, befitting of the current fashion period, complementing her warm caramel skin. Her ebony hair was picked up in a beautiful bun with a few strands of hair gently arranged. She looked far more elegant than compared to a few years ago when she was just a letter carrier, barely making it by.

She enjoyed reading her book along with hearing the sounds of the birds chirping, the carriages rolling by, and the few bits of laughter and giggling of children off in the distance. But all of that was interrupted when she heard one important voice call out to her. "Isabelle!" the man shouted, catching up to her. She looked up and smiled seeing who it was. She closed her book and got up from the bench and approached him. She felt warm and fuzzy just as much as she did when she first laid her eyes on him. Just as handsome as he ever was. He was the one man that could make her feel like she was in the stars above. The love of her life. Her dearest and darling husband........ Bryan Bennett.

When she finally approached him, she gave him a deep and loving kiss and he returned it with the same amount of tenderness. "I thought I had lost you there for a moment." he said with a smile. "Oh, and i brought you these." He then handed Belle a bouquet of flowers made from an assortment of red, pink, and yellow carnations, daffodils, butterfly weed, hyssop's and forget-me-not's. "Oh, these are beautiful! Thank you Bryan." Belle said as she gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Come my dear. Lets not be late for the play." He said as he offered his arm to her. Belle gladly accepted as they made their way out of the park.

As they left the park, Belles eyes caught upon a man that made her blood run cold. William Rex. The last she saw of him, he invited her to one of his social gatherings where he made here feel welcomed at first but was quickly cornered by him. He would've done who knows what had it not been for her now husband. On one hand, thanks to him, the two of them were able to meet and fall in love. Then again, she shutters from the thought of that memory. As they walked by, he gave a smile. For what, she was unsure. He then walked away to who knows where. Every time she saw him, she felt unease and nervous around him. Yet at the same time, deep inside of her, a small part of her felt sad every time she saw him. Why, she was not sure. She payed no mind and walked with her husband to the theater.

*Flashback*

"No! I'm not leaving!" Belle yelled. "Belle please, your month is over and your free to go back to your normal life. This isn't a place you want to remain in" William urged her, sounding completely different from when they first met. "I know and I don't care! I can't.... I can't leave you." she whisperd. "Belle..." he said heartbroken. "You once told me," she started "that I was the only person who had the power to voice how my heart feels. I always ignored it, fearing of bothering others or getting my heart broken. But now I'm listening to what you said and telling you I love you. I did ever since I bumped into you in one of my deliveries. Yes, I was scared when I first saw you kill that man. But you've shown me there's more to you than that. You're kind and sweet and always care about how I or others feel. You commit crimes but you do it for good and the good of others. and no matter how much you or others may call you a villain, your not. You're a hero." "Belle, please..." William pleaded. "Let me stay with you William. Please... I love you..." Belle begged. "I......." he had the words stuck in his throat. He reached out his hand, about to cup her face. His hands were shaking as he could barely keep his composure. ".......I'm sorry." He said and he placed his outstretched hand on her shoulder. "What are you-" "SLEEP." He commanded. She could feel his power taking over. She tried her hardest to resist, but nothing was powerful enough to break Williams command. As she was about to collapse, He caught her and swiftly carried her bridal style. He always hated using his power, and the last person he ever wanted to use it on was Belle. But he had no choice.

***

"You used your power on her?!" Victor yelled. "I know, I shouldn't have. But there was no other choice." William explained. "William, I understand that you love her very much, but this is much farther than you normal prefer to go. I mean, forcing her to stay-" "She wanted to stay." William interrupted. "I... I couldn't let her. I went too far and now she wants to get caught up in this world we live in. We're cursed Victor. One day we'll meet a horrible end. And I...... I cant do that to Belle. I can't leave her heartbroken and miserable after I die." William said as a single tear began to roll down his cheek. "My god..." Victor exclaimed. "You really fell hard for this one, haven't you?" William gave a soft, sad nod.

Victor sighed "I did warn her not to get attached to anyone in the crown.... So, how do you propose we fix this dilemma?" William rummaged through his coat and grabbed a very special book that belonged to Belle. "You don't mean-" Victor gasped. "Belle has the fairy tale keepers blessing. And that blessing is imbued in this book." William explained. "The power to write ones fate." Victor breathed "Yes. The power has only ever been to record the events of history and fairy tales. Setting them all in stone. But what if we can change the story?" William suggested. "No! That is too risky!" Victor yelled. "You don't know what that can do! How would you even-?!" "I know the exact moment to change." William said, turning to the page of their first date. When he invited her to one of his special tea parties and introduced her to Bryan Bennett.

She was a big fan of his journalism and activism but she was to nervous to speak to him. So William cornered her to all wall to catch Bryan's attention. She was in no danger what so ever. He simply played the part of the villain and led her to her knight in shinning armor. She quickly realized this and was more flustered than she was angry.

Victor frowned. "She holds this memory dear to her. You know that, right?" William sighed. "I know. But this is the only way" William said as he grabbed the nearest pen. "....... You do realize you'll forever be the villain her story?" Victor warned. William froze by then, turned to him and gave him a melancholy smile. "... When have we ever not been the villain?" With that final remark, he took his pen and erased nearly everything. Every encounter, every emotion, every tender moment between the two. He erased there the crown and how she met them. He erased their final days together. All he left, was that one night together and changed it so that he could, in now way, redeemable. Every scratch of those beautiful words she wrote about him was like a dagger to his heart. It broke him to erase the moments they had. But there was no other way to protect her. He had to do it....

*present*

As William was on a walk for his next mission, he stopped and saw Belle happy with her husband Bennett. He smiled at the two sadly. Everything before still happened. Belle spent a month with the crown, her and William still had their dates and they still fell in love. The only difference was that Belle had no recollection of their time together or the crown. For all she knew, William was a cruel and manipulative man. The thought stung him. He never thought he would feel so horrible about being seen as a villain until she came along. No matter what she may think, he would always love her. As the couple walked out of the park, Belle caught a glimpse of William. He gave her a soft smile and walked away. Not wanting to ruin her happily ever after.

#ikemen villains #ikevil #william (ikevil)#victor (ikevil)#cant forget about byran bennett #omg first post #literally so nervous to post #if anyone knows how to work tumblr please help. it would mean a lot #am i doing any of this right?#william my love <3 #ANGST!#i feed on others tears #want more angst? look up the flowers meanings in love #man this is long. oh well #fan art is welcomed #POC lets go!

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thebtseffect · 1 year

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Comp Reading Lists

In an attempt to self-study several areas and expand my own knowledge, improve my ability to do research, and keep current with fields of interest, I'm building my own "comps list" here of relevant books. There are so many academic articles that I'm not sure if I'll include them here, but I'd like to at least track my reading of books. Comps lists are typically for Ph.D. students studying for exams, but I thought it might be a useful tool for me too. If you have suggestions, I welcome them.

BTS Studies

BTS, Art Revolution, Jiyoung Lee.

BTS and ARMY Culture, Jeeheng Lee.

BTS: The Review, Youngdae Kim.

Philosophizing about BTS, Cha Minju.

Bumping into BTS, Ji Kim, Mick Shin, and Jane Do.

Map of the Soul - Persona: Our Many Faces, Murray Stein.

Fan Studies

Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture, Henry Jenkins.

A Fan Studies Primer: Method, Research, Ethics, Paul Booth and Rebecca Williams.

Understanding Fandom: An Introduction to the Study of Media Fan Culture, Mark Duffett.

A Companion to Media Fandom and Fan Studies, Paul Booth and Rebecca Williams.

Exploiting Fandom: How the Media Industry Seeks to Manipulate Fans, Mel Stanfill.

Fandom: Identities and Communities in a Mediated World, Jonathan Gray, Cornell Sandvoss, and C. Lee Harrington.

Fan Cultures, Matt Hills.

Fame and Fandom: Functioning On and Offline, Celia Lam and Jackie Raphael.

The Adoring Audience: Fan Culture and Popular Media, Lisa Lewis.

The Fan Fiction Studies Reader, Karen Hellekson and Kristina Busse.

Loving Fanfiction: Exploring the Role of Emotion in Online Fandoms, Brit Kelley.

Fandom as Classroom Practice: A Teaching Guide, Katherine Anderson Howell.

Straight Korean Female Fans and Their Gay Fantasies, Jungmin Kwon.

Emo: How Fans Defined a Subculture, Judith Fathallah.

Squee from the Margins: Fandom and Race, Rukmini Pande.

Game Studies

Gaming Masculinity: Trolls, Fake Geeks, and the Gendered Battle for Online Culture, Megan Condis.

Learning in Video Game Affinity Spaces, Sean Duncan.

Ready Player Two: Women Gamers and Designed Identity, Shira Chess.

Watch Me Play: Twitch and the Rise of Game Live Streaming, T.L. Taylor.

Metagaming: Playing, Competing, Spectating, Cheating, Trading, Making, and Breaking Video Games, Stephanie Boluk and Patrick Lemieux.

The Toxic Meritocracy of Video Games: Why Gaming Culture is the Worst, Christopher Paul.

My Life as a Night Elf Priest: An Anthropological Account of World of Warcraft, Bonnie Nardi.

Communities of Play: Emergent Cultures in Multiplayer Games and Virtual Worlds, Celia Pearce.

Ethics, Psychology, & Philosophy

Moral Boundaries: A Political Argument for an Ethic of Care, Joan Tronto.

Jung's Map of the Soul: An Introduction, Murray Stein.

The Ethics of Care, Virginia Held.

Research Ethics in the Real World, Helen Kara.

The Portable Nietzsche, Friedrich Nietzsche and Walter Kaufmann.

General Reading & Methods

Where Research Begins: Choosing a Research Project that Matters to You, Thomas Mullaney and Christopher Rea.

The Practice of Qualitative Research: Engaging Students in the Research Process, Sharlene Nagy Hesse-Biber.

Destination Dissertation: A Traveler's Guide to a Done Dissertation, Sonja Foss and William Waters.

Getting It Published: A Guide for Scholars and Anyone Else Serious about Series Books, William Germano.

Learning to Make a Difference: Value Creation in Social Learning Spaces, Etienne Wenger-Trayner and Beverly Wenger-Trayner.

Ethnography and Virtual Worlds: A Handbook of Method, Tom Boellstorff and Bonnie Nardi, et. al.

An Introduction to Discourse Analysis: Theory and Method, James Paul Gee.

#fan studies #comp list #fan studies readings #fandom #media studies #bts research

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alphashley14 · 9 months

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One of Us

A Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated/Mystery Skulls Crossover

Chapter 21

Pay For My Sins

What happened?

Ah, yes. He was in Shaggy’s body. And that was probably freaking her out just as much as her being alive was freaking him out.

Where was he even supposed to begin answering that question? Ricky was still working out ‘what happened’ for himself. And he didn’t even know where to start with what he did know. With waking up in Shaggy’s body? No - he needed to tell her about the sitting room. And to tell her about that he needed to tell her about Nova and the Annunaki. But wait - Nova had wound up in a coma after Cassidy left. So he’d need to tell her about the Horrible Herd… and about the fact that he’d nearly helped Pericles destroy Crystal Cove.

Uggghhhh there was too much… he didn’t want to talk about this. What he really wanted to know was, “How are you alive?” He croaked.

“You first,” Cassidy bumped the floor back to him.

“Well I don’t even know where to begin. You- *sniff* You died, Cassidy. You were dead. Velma told me how it happened. There was no way out of there, and yet you found one. So how?”

“Well I don’t know either and what I do know is a long story,” Cassidy retorted, once again bouncing the demand for an explanation back at him like a game of ping-pong.

“Try me,” Ricky dared, bouncing it back a little too aggressively.

“You- just- please Ricky,” She pleaded, raising their joined fingers to hold his hand with both of hers. “At least tell me why you look… not like yourself.”

Ricky swallowed down the butterflies dancing in his stomach and sighed. She’d been back from the dead for all of what? Fifteen minutes? And already they were… fuck, he didn’t want to argue with her. And she was right, really. Her being alive was unlikely. His current state was- should be impossible.

“I’ve been… body-swapped,” Ricky admitted. “With Shaggy and Arthur.”

Cassidy was so surprised she dropped his hand. “Shaggy… and Arthur?”

Ricky shook his head incredulously. “Yep,” he half-laughed, popping the p. He’d kind of gotten used to it, but explaining it out loud to someone really put the ridiculousness in perspective all over again. “I’m in Shaggy’s body, Shaggy is in Arthur’s, and Arthur is in mine.”

“Arthur was with the kids just now,” Cassidy said, thinking out loud. “So you mean to tell me that was-”

“That was Shaggy, yes.”

“Ohhh I was wondering what he was doing, and why he was wearing- where did you get this?” Cassidy asked, looking at his yellow and white striped shirt and lightly poking his jacket.

“Daphne,” Ricky replied, as if that explained everything.

“Ah,” Cassidy said, because that did explain everything.

“We kept getting called by the wrong names,” Ricky shrugged. “The shirts-” He cleared his throat, trying to remedy the hoarseness from all the crying. “-The shirts remind everyone who’s who.”

“Uh-huh… I can uh… see how that would be confusing but just- how did this even happen???”

“That is… a perfectly reasonable question,” Ricky said perfectly evenly, pointing at her with a shaking finger. “And I’ll tell ya,” he laughed in spite of himself, “I just need you to keep in mind here… that I am completely serious about everything I am about to tell you. And it’s gonna sound insane. I’m gonna sound insane. Just know that I am not fucking with you.”

“Baby. I survived killer robots and an exploding underwater lab, only to almost immediately meet a kitsune, a ghost, a girl with a magic ice bat, and a kid with a metal arm. Try me.”

Ricky sighed and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “I… guess it all started-” But Ricky was cut off mid-sentence by his own stomach growling.

Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuuuck! Not now! But his stomach growled again. Louder. Angrier. Hungrier. It was just like yesterday morning. In all the excitement, Ricky hadn’t realized just how hungry he was. It felt like his stomach was trying to eat itself. Was it like this for Shaggy every morning? Once again, his stomach snarled in ‘how-dare-you-go-this-long-without-food’. And Cassidy looked at his stomach like, ‘oh my God was that you?’ And his blood rushed to his face in ‘why-are-you-like-this?’ and his brain thought to itself: ‘can we just self-destruct on the spot please? Thank youuuu…’

“Uh… Shaggy’s body- comes with its challenges,” Ricky tried to laugh it off.

But that was when Cassidy’s stomach growled. “I uh… haven’t eaten since the meal they gave us on the plane.”

Ricky snorted. Cassidy giggled. And then they were laughing together in a way that they hadn’t since they were teenagers. Ricky doubled over, and Cassidy leaned back and clapped her hands.

“This- haha- this is ridiculous!” Ricky cried between his laughter.

“We’re ridiculous,” Cassidy agreed.

That only made Ricky laugh harder until before he knew it, his guffaws gave way into sobs and-

He was crying again.

Why the fuck are you crying again?!

And of course, Cassidy noticed.

“It- It really is you,” Ricky gasped, wiping his eyes. “I’m sorry- I don’t know- *sniff* I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Just- I’m sorry.”

“Ricky… it’s fine.” Cassidy put a hand on his shoulder, but he jerked away. He didn’t deserve it.

“It’s not fine, Cassidy! Wait- sorry. I- I didn’t mean to snap. That came out wrong. I just meant… that’s not what I meant. Sorry…” Ricky put his head between his knees, his fingers in his hair, and forced himself to take deep breaths.

You’re being ridiculous. You can’t talk when you’re hysterical like this. It’s stupid that you’re even crying. You’re a grown man, dammmit! Well- okay maybe not at this exact moment but on the inside you are what the fuck is wrong with you get a grip-

Cassidy was touching him. Her hand was on his back, rubbing circles.

He didn’t pull away this time.

༻˚⁺･⚉｡○✼༓☾⦾♫෴♡💛♡෴♫⦾☽༓✼○｡⚉･⁺˚༺

Another song had begun to play quietly from the dark recesses of the manor, harsh echoing beats of the keyboard like static with clashing crescendoing notes was the perfect accompaniment to the unease twisting her guts into knots.

What happened to you?

The question stirring in Cassidy’s mind had made its way into her very bones. It was like there was a shaken soda can in her chest, the pressure building, expanding, steadily making its way towards that inevitable explosion.

But she held it in. She watched. She listened. Because that was the only power she had right now.

He jerked away at first, but Cassidy could tell - because she knew him, she knew him better than she had ever known anyone besides herself - that there wasn’t any anger behind it anymore. He was hurting, and he was scared, but this time he was trying not to push her away.

“Ba-by, I’ve been tryin’ to make shit right… For eeevry-one I’ve ever lied to…”

His snarky mask was the only way Mr. E knew how to deal with his pain. But Ricky Owens - Ricky used to talk to her. And maybe it was because he was technically seventeen again, but right now…

Right now he didn’t look much like Mr. E at all.

“With Mom and Dad, it was all fights… But in the end it’s family that we are tied to…”

She waited for him to settle a little. Then she put her hand on his back.

He jumped. But he didn’t pull away this time.

“Lately I’ve been thinkin’ I’ve been too far gone, uh

“See, I’ve been tryin’ to pay for my sins. But they won’t take my money, baby…”

“Oh, I’ve been tryna pay for my sins! Mh, but they won’t take my money, baby, oooh~”

Ricky finally sat up and licked his lips, but he didn’t look at her. “What I… what I was trying to say was…”

“Oh, I’ve been tryna pay for my sins! Mh, but they won’t take my money, baby, oooh~”

He swallowed and sniffed, then briefly wiped his nose with his sleeve. “What I um- what I said before… I’m sorry for exploding all over you like that. But uh… what I said. I know it didn’t come out right but… I need you to know. I meant every word.”

Then he looked at her… suddenly she could hardly hear the music at all. Puffy eyed. Flushed. Tear stained. Broken, yet still going. The way he looked at her… she could see his very soul bared to her on that face. Every crack, scar, and open wound. Burdens as heavy as the sky itself.

Most of them, Cassidy knew.

Some of them, she carried too.

But others… others were new.

She asked herself again: What happened to you?

“Cassidy I am so sorry,” Ricky said hoarsely, “For all of it. You were right about everything.” And the way he said it- the way he looked at her… as if he’d never meant anything more in his entire life.

“Just give it a chance. Just give me a chance. Just give me a chance.”

“I was- I was wrong, and I should have listened to you. I- I don’t know what happened. It all went from protecting the kids to fighting Pericles, and then suddenly it became about the treasure. Mystery uh… The Mystery Skulls keep telling me I’m cursed. Or that I- that I was cursed. But… I don’t think that’s an excuse. I was selfish. And stupid. So, so fucking stupid. And because of me, people got hurt. You got hurt. I… Hurt you…”

He trailed off, but she could see the horror written on his face.

One of his burdens gained a name.

Ricky shook his head and cleared his throat. “And there’s… there’s only one thing I said earlier that I’ll take back. And that’s when I asked you how you could ever forgive me. Okay? Don’t-... Don’t forgive me… Just don’t. Because I don’t deserve it. And I’m never going to forgive myself.”

Cassidy was so stunned that at first she didn’t say anything.

He apologized. He apologized! There was a time not so long ago when Cassidy thought she would never see the day.

‘Don’t forgive me. I don’t deserve it. And I’m never going to forgive myself.’

The latter, she believed.

But that face- ‘Don’t forgive me.’ His mouth said one thing but his eyes said something else. She could see guilt - but also that selfish wish we all have, for another chance.

Maybe he didn’t deserve it. And Cassidy was still angry with him. One apology, no matter how sincere, wasn’t enough to change that. So for now at least, she did not forgive him.

But if he kept up whatever this was… then maybe one day she would.

“Then I won’t.” And the way he deflated when she said it struck her right in the heart. But she wasn’t done yet. Once more, she took his hand in hers. “-But you’ve been one of the most important people in my life for over twenty years. I lost you for long enough - or maybe you lost yourself. Either way, I’m moving forward.” She lightly squeezed his hand. “-And this time I’m taking you with me.”

Ricky let out a choked, strangled noise and looked away, fast blinking before his emotions spilled out again.

Finally, not meeting her eyes he croaked, “... Why?”

Cassidy took a while to answer that. Finally, she replied. “There was this kid I knew once. But someone hurt him, and he lost… everything. And the person he became as a result was very different from the boy I loved.”

Ricky gulped. “... And what happened to that boy you knew?”

“The rest of the world forgot about him, as if the man he became just appeared from thin air one day. But I never forgot about him. And as different as he was… he was still important to me. That’s why I stayed. Even though he was… lost. And made some pretty dumbass decisions. But I had hope that he’d get his shit together. And now that I think he has…” Cassidy trailed off, unblinking, staring pointedly at Ricky. “He doesn’t exactly look the same as I remember right now… but I’d know him anywhere."

“... I think he’s gone Cassidy,” Ricky whispered.

“I don’t think that’s true,” Cassidy disagreed firmly. “You look more like the real Ricky Owens right now than you have in over a decade, Ricky. Twenty years, and you finally get your shit together? I know what you’ve done… But I did not just get you back, only to shove you away.”

“Maybe you should.”

“Maybe I know that. And maybe don’t give a fuck.”

Ricky looked away sharply. They didn’t say anything for a few seconds. Then he whispered, “I thought I killed you…”

Again, Cassidy had to take a minute before she knew what to say to that.

“... Mystery told me that you had nothing to do with it… Is that true? Did you really not know?”

Ricky shook his head, and his voice cracked. “No… And I swear I never would’ve let him if I knew. I’d’ve thrown him out… and he knew that.” Ricky’s voice hardened with rage as he gripped the edge of the step upon which he sat hard enough to turn his knuckles white. “He had to have fucking known that, because if he didn’t he wouldn’t have kept it from me!” Ricky started to shout, but he took a deep breath and checked his tone.

“Cassidy,” he began again, “I swear. On. My. Mother’s. Grave. I didn’t know. About the robots or the fact that he was using them to attack you. Hell - I bet that’s why he used the damn robots. They weren’t Destroido assets, so there wouldn’t’ve been any way for me to find out what he was doing with them until he barged into my company with them!”

Again, Ricky checked his tone. “-Sorry… the more I think about it, the angrier I get. But still… none of that changes the fact that your death… it would’ve been on me, Cassidy. You almost died. Because of me. And I’m going to have to live with that… for the rest of my days.”

“Then explain it to me,” Cassidy said. “If you didn’t know, then tell me how it was your fault.”

“I gave him the tools,” Ricky sighed. “He never would’ve had the resources to do what he did if it weren’t for me. The factory wasn’t mine and he did it behind my back, but he would’ve needed to use my assets to get it up and running again. Money, equipment, a submarine so that he could get down there to begin with… And secondly…”

His whole body tensed. “-Because he said something needed to be done about you,” And he refused, refused to look at her when he confessed this sin. “... And I agreed with him."

"I don’t know what the wool over my eyes was made of. Was I so hopeful that I had my friend back? Did I just want so badly to think the best of him? Was I delusional? Stupid? Cursed? I don’t know! But I swear Cassidy, I swear on everything I hold dear. Somehow, it never even crossed my mind that- that he’d…”

Ricky took a shuddering breath and swallowed before he continued. “I thought we were going to convince you to join us. Maybe threaten you. Convince you to leave town. And I know- I know how awful that sounds. It was awful. I’m awful. But at the time- at the time it seemed like what was best for everyone. But then he never said anything to me about it again, and eventually I noticed that it had been a while since I’d heard from you… then that you’d never gone so long without contacting me. And I- I was terrified, Cassidy. But for some reason I still told myself that you weren’t dead. That you couldn’t be dead. Because you’re… you’re…”

“... I’m what?” Cassidy demanded coldly.

Ricky’s face burned red with shame and as livid as she was, Cassidy couldn’t help but be reminded distinctly of how cute he’d once been - the way his whole face blushed when he was young. He looked away when he answered her.

“... Because you’re the most powerful person I’ve ever known.”

God. Fucking. Dammit.

I’m angry. So fucking angry. Be angry with him, dammit!

But fuck, he was making that difficult. Anything Cassidy had been bracing herself for, it wasn’t this. And he was still adding icing to the damn cake.

“I took you for granted Cassidy,” he sighed. “When we uh… before we broke up, I was… I was such a jerk to you. And still, when I asked you to, you uprooted the life you’d built and you came back here for me. I never properly thanked you for that. And I never told you… how much respect I really have for you. Because you really are… the most incredible person I’ve ever met. And I’m sorry, because I guess that I sort of had you on a pedestal. So it didn’t occur to me that you were just as human as I was and that you could-” His voice hitched- “That what I was doing could get you killed… and I know ‘sorry’ is just an empty word… but I am so, so sorry for that, Cassidy…”

STOP MAKING IT SO HARD TO BE MAD AT YOU!

Cassidy was just… stunned. It was such a drastic, drastic change from the man she’d left in the woods months ago. Once again, a question came to mind. And this time, she whispered it aloud.

“... What happened to you?”

He processed the question, and his face transformed. The sadness, the regret, the guilt all at once became deep shame and fear. Fear the likes of which she had only seen on his face a handful of times, even with how long she’d known him and all that they’d been through together. She could almost see the words forming on his tongue, but his lips just wouldn’t move.

He wants to tell me, she realized. But he’s terrified to.

༻˚⁺･⚉｡○✼༓☾⦾♫෴♡💛♡෴♫⦾☽༓✼○｡⚉･⁺˚༺

What happened to you?

Had he really been so changed that his scars were so easily visible to her eyes?

At once, Ricky’s whole body tightened as if he expected mutant venom to start coursing through his veins at any moment. Horrible images flashed before Ricky’s eyes, ghosts of cruel words echoing in his ears.

“Oh Ricky, Ricky…” “-an idiotic human mascot!” “-Anyone who crosses me gets-” “You are in charge of nothing!” “eliminated.” “-A shoulder for me to perch upon!” “You do. As I say.”

‘Tell her…’ A putrid, pitiful, desperate part of him begged. ‘Just tell her!... Please…’

And he wanted to. God, he wanted to…

But how could he?

“Perhaps… after breakfast, yes?”

Both of them jumped and turned around to see Mystery sitting on the steps above them.

Suddenly Ricky was back in the here and now. That frightened part of him went back into the box from whence it came and anger welled up instead.

“Youuuuu…”

“Good morning Ricky,” the kitsune said pleasantly with a flick of his tails.

“YOU COULD’VE TOLD ME SHE WASN’T DEAD MYSTERY!” Ricky shouted!

“You’re right. I could have,” Mystery replied calmly.

“SHE’S BEEN ALIVE THIS WHOLE TIME?! YOU KNEW THAT! AND I- YOU KNOW WHAT I WENT THROUGH! YOU WERE THERE!!!!”

“I was,” Mystery replied, his pleasant tone unchanging.

“YOU SHOULD HAVE FUCKING TOLD ME!”

“You’re right. I should have.”

“A FUCKING WARNING AT LEAST! What’s the use of having telepathy- WHYDIDN’TYOUWARNME?!”

“Because I was a coward.”

It was said with such ease and sincerity that it threw Ricky right out of shouting mode. “YOU- what?”

“I was a coward,” the kitsune shrugged with a sad smile. “And you’re right. I should have told you. In fact that was my intent. But I knew it would hurt you, and I was afraid. So in the end… For all my talk of lessening the shock for you, I let you see it for yourself. I shouldn’t have done that, Ricky. I’m sorry.”

Ricky blinked at him. Raised an indignant finger. Opened his mouth with a deep inhale as if he wanted to yell… then let it out, defeated. “There were literally dozens of opportunities yesterday for you to have told me, Mystery. For any of you to have told me! So why didn’t you?”

“Because we were worried about Arthur,” the kitsune answered honestly. “At least at first, that was the answer. We believed disclosing the fact that Cassidy was alive would hinder any efforts to rescue Arthur. But even after it became clear that no ‘rescue’ would be taking place, we knew we needed to come clean about our…” Mystery gave them a look and used a paw to gesture to himself and the very haunted mansion. “And if we told you about all of that and that Cassidy was alive, combined with everything else that happened yesterday, we believed it would have been too much for you. The plan really was to tell you about it this morning over breakfast. Cassidy wasn’t expected to arrive for almost another two hours.”

“Dog. Do not put that on me. Vivi made it sound like-” But Cassidy glanced at Ricky and nervously cleared her throat. “-She said it was urgent. So I took shortcuts. No breaks… may have taken the speed limit as a suggestion.”

“I wasn’t, as you say, ‘putting it on you’,” the kitsune sighed. “You’re both right. We should have planned for this. But we did not, and the result was a rather nasty shock. Vivi and Lewis will apologize personally as well, but at the moment they are in the kitchen with the kids, making breakfast. When you’re ready, I’d like very much for you to join us.”

Ricky was staring at Mystery, dumbfounded. “... What’s the catch?” he asked suspiciously.

“No catch,” Mystery said pleasantly. “I made a mistake. An apology is the least you deserve.”

“So… that’s it? You’re just… you were wrong?”

“I was wrong,” Mystery confirmed.

“And you’re just going to admit it and apologize just like that?”

“Just like that,” he nodded.

Ricky could scarcely believe it. Where was the digging in? The dismissal? The gaslighting? To just… receive a genuine apology like this so easily was… weird.

Dammit. Mystery had proven himself over and over again, and yet here Ricky was, once again comparing him to Pericles.

And clearly Mystery realized this, not that he took it to heart. But, he couldn’t resist the opportunity to insert a jab at the parrot. He tilted his head and asked passive-aggressively, “What kind of egotistical, feather-brained cockalorum would do otherwise?”

“Shaddup! I’m not used to this!”

Mystery just laughed, tails wagging. And that’s the moment Ricky’s stomach decided to roar in protest once again.

Uuuuugh… bury me… Ricky pulled his hood over his head with embarrassment and tugged on the strings to close it.

“Breakfast?” Mystery chuckled.

“Yez please…” Ricky grumbled, muffled through his jacket.

The kitsune laughed again and affectionately nuzzled him on the top of the head with his nose. “Come,” he said, stepping over Ricky and Cassidy to lead the way down the stairs. And Cassidy’s eyes followed him in utter amazement, hardly believing the interaction she’d just witnessed. But Mystery’s voice snapped her out of her daze.

“We’re in for a treat. Lewis is making crepes in honor of your return Cassidy, he began making preparations early this morning. The Peppers run a restaurant as you know, and the crepes are positively delectable. Lewis hasn’t told me what kind he’s making though. The nutella filling with banana is divine, but a bit too much sugar for my taste. Then there’s the more pleasant tang of lemon and blueberry, or the subtle sweetness of vanilla and strawberry. My personal favorite is chicken, spinach, and basil sprinkled with cheese, but then again I am primarily a carnivore by nature so it is sensible that my palette would lean more on the savory side. Then there’s when he substitutes chicken for steak…”

Smiling, Cassidy made eye contact with Ricky over Mystery’s tails as they followed him, and Ricky snorted when she shook her head and rolled her eyes fondly at the kitsune’s ramblings.

Crepes really weren’t what was important right now, but Mystery seemed to have a mysterious way of knowing exactly what to say to make his friends feel better. The talk of food was entirely irrelevant to the issues at hand, and if anything it was just making Ricky hungrier. But the kitsune seemed so nonchalant, his rambling so utterly domestic, that as uncertain as what lay ahead was…

He truly made it seem as if everything was going to be okay.

༻˚⁺･⚉｡○✼༓☾⦾♫෴♡💛♡෴♫⦾☽༓✼○｡⚉･⁺˚༺

Vivi and Lewis were waiting for them outside the kitchen area, and Cassidy went inside while Ricky stood, arms crossed, and waited for the inevitable apology.

They didn’t say anything for a couple of moments, the Mystery Skulls at a loss at how to begin, before Ricky grew bored of their squirming, pursed his lips, and said, “So. She’s alive.”

Both of them gulped. “Yeah. Yeah, she is.” Lewis said.

Vivi cringed, “We really did want to tell you-”

“Save it,” Ricky interrupted her. “Mystery already told me why you didn’t tell me. And I…” Ricky groaned, frustrated, and ran his fingers through his hair. “I get why you did it. And it makes- sense. But dammit the more I think about it the more opportunities I think of for you to have told me, and the madder I get at you!”

“Which is totally valid-”

“And you’re just- accepting that you messed up, and owning up to it, and it’s weird!”

Vivi and Lewis gave him a look. “Dude. Do the people around you usually… not?”

Ricky opened and closed his mouth, realizing there was nothing he could say without giving away yet another thing to make the Mystery Skulls feel sorry for him. So he just growled, frustrated, and marched into the kitchen.

As mad as he was at the Mystery Skulls, his brain compartmentalized his anger the second he walked into the kitchen.

Wow, am I happy to not be Cassidy right now.

No one was eating yet, as Lewis still wasn’t quite done with breakfast. But Ricky didn’t think they’d be eating even if the food was ready. Nope. Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby were doing the very same thing he’d been doing to Vivi and Lewis a moment ago: wordlessly glaring as both parties silently battled over who would talk first, and what would be said when they did.

Ricky knew the feeling. He’d been in that very same position this time yesterday, when he’d awoken in Shaggy’s body. And now, it was Cassidy’s turn.

The difference was that while they’d looked at him with confusion, anger, distrust, and dislike, the kids looked at Angel… hurt. Confused. Needing an explanation before they could move forward.

And honestly, Ricky felt the same way to an extent. She was alive. It was a miracle, almost too good to be true. But there was an explanation for everything, rational or supernatural. Whatever had happened, to allow her to remain alive on the same Earth as him, he was grateful for it.

And yet, he still needed to know: how?

As Ricky nervously approached, Cassidy was seated at the head of the table, and he got the impression that the kids had put her there based on the way they were sitting around her. Save one empty seat right beside her, which Daphne pulled out for him when he got close enough.

Oh dear, they’ve put me right at the heart of it, Ricky realized with a gulp, sitting down in the seat they’d saved for him. Ricky tried to appear small as the tension in the room mounted. He felt his stomach twinge. Please do not growl right now, he begged himself quietly.

Angel started to say, “Babies-”

“How are you alive?!” Velma demanded loudly.

Ricky jumped and suddenly didn’t feel quite as hungry.

“Yeah. Like, what gives? Like I thought you weren’t gonna lie to us anymore!” Shaggy said, hurt.

“Hold on guys, give her a chance to explain herself,” Vivi said, sitting at the table next to Mystery, who had turned back into a dog for the sake of fitting at the table.

“You have no room to talk!” Fred snapped. “You knew about this, too! You’ve known since before you came to Crystal Cove! Why should we listen to you when you’ve been lying to us since the beginning?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because the town is cursed and we’d literally just met you,” Vivi said pointedly. “It wasn't safe yet for Cassidy to come back into the fold. We couldn’t risk telling anyone until we were formally working together and had some trust built between us.”

“Fine. That I can understand,” Daphne sighed. “But Cassidy… we cried for you. We’d just started trusting you again. You couldn’t have sent us a message? Something to let us know you were okay? How could you do this?”

“I know, I know. Believe me, I had meant to never lie to you again. But then… you don’t understand-”

“Then make us understand.” Velma demanded.

Cassidy sighed, and began to tell her story.

Another short-ish chapter, but Chapter 22 is already well in the works and I've been working on something else as well that I really wanted to have done before I posted 21, but I'm at an art block rn and didn't want to make ya'all wait. I know a lot of you probably wanted to find out how Cassidy survived in this chapter, or for Cassidy to be caught up on a certain thing... but I thought that they needed to clear the air on some other things first. And the heartfelt reunion part 2/apology turned out a bit longer than I expected. So here we are. The next chapter tho, I will tell you, is dedicated entirely to how Cassidy survived and met the Mystery Skulls. It's going to answer a lot of questions, for sure... but will it raise even more? 😈 And uuuugh - again I need to write an entire post about why I picked this song for this chapter, but I just haven't! I haven't for 'God' yet either, but I really need to! Anyway - I hope you loved this chapter as much as I liked writing it!!! 😄

Chapters 1-20 of ‘One of Us’ are presently posted on Archive of Our Own!

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detroit-grand-prix · 1 year

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Wildest Dreams Chapter 25 - Holy Ground, Part 1

Chapter summary: Bee has been pushing all season towards one goal - doing well at her first-ever home Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, but she feels the pressure building, and a lot of things are changing.

Content warning: N/A

Chapter word count: 6,009

Author's Notes: This is the beginning of the end of the main story arc. This chapter had to be split into two parts because it was so long. I started planning this story in May and finished it in August, and I had a ton of fun writing it out. I'd grown attached to it to the point where I am still writing little one-off chapters and side stories for it. Anyway, not too many notes this chapter, other than the elements from Bee's custom helmet. The Spirit of Detroit statue, which is one of my favorite landmarks in Detroit. The We Can Do It! poster, which you will definitely be familiar with if you're from the US. Maybe even if you're not, it's a pretty iconic image by now. I also referenced it in one of the Monza chapters, in one of the fake tweets. Super Bee logo - The Super Bee was a muscle car produced by Dodge for a few years in the 60's and 70's, and then they brought the model name back for a trim package for the Dodge Charger in the late 2000's. I think the emblem is cute, but I don't know if Bee would have to get permission to use the emblem on her helmet or not, but this is fanfiction, so I can do what I want (within reason).

Grove, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom Mid-September 2021

The season was just over halfway through, and Bee was starting to feel the pressure of meeting her goal of getting on the podium. She’d been so close. God, so close. She finished as high as fifth. It was in Monza, of course, which she thought was her best chance, and it would have worked, and it would have been second if she hadn’t screwed up timing on the safety car after the crash that took Lewis and Max out of the race. She and George tried to double-stack to change tires, but she was a few seconds too late to come out into the pits in second and couldn’t manage to make up the places she’d lost.

The worst part was it wasn’t her crew’s fault - she was concentrating so hard on making a good exit that she somehow missed the green light from the pit. She’d never seen anyone do that, let alone her. She felt awful.

She felt like she’d blown the opportunity with the two main podium contenders out. The frustration rattled her harder than she expected it to.

At least George had managed to secure a podium before that, in Belgium. There was barely a race run, but George put on a spectacular qualifying in the rain, qualifying in P2. They ended up only racing for two full laps, and the top 10 finishers were only awarded half points, but it was Williams’ first podium since 2012. On the bright side, Williams was an astounding sixth in the constructor’s championship now. It was their highest placement in years, and meant hundreds of millions in prize money for the team. The year before Bee joined, they weren’t even able to score a single point, now they were absolutely a midfield team.

It was a bittersweet occasion, though, because three days before, George had signed with Mercedes for the 2022 season. It was announced a week later, but Toto had told Bee already, because they were starting discussions for her contact for the next year as well.

“I’m really happy for him.” She told Toto. “He absolutely deserves it, but… I’m a little selfish and will miss being on a team with him.”

“Well, in a way, you are still on a team with him - that is what I told him when he had his incident with Valtteri earlier this year. You’re still a Mercedes driver.”

“I know, but it's not going to be quite the same, but I’m more excited for him than I am sad for me, trust me.”

As far as her contract with Williams, Bee opted to only seek another one-year agreement. She was starting to feel like her career had an expiration date that was sooner than most drivers, and she wasn’t sure how she would get along with the incoming team principal, who was Williams’ current CEO, Jost Capito.

She hadn’t actually worked with him very much, not yet. He seemed like an amenable guy. He was German, and had come from the world of rally car racing. The person that was originally tapped to be Claire’s replacement had backed out, so Jost decided to absorb his role and be CEO and Team Principal instead of hiring someone else. At least he was going to be hands-on.

The only alternative that Bee was willing to confront was if Lewis won his 8th WDC at the end of the season, surpassed Schumacher’s record, and retired. The sport would be bereft without Lewis, of course, but Bee would certainly be in consideration for his spot. Not that she could ever think to replace Lewis Hamilton or even start to fill his shoes, but an open seat at Mercedes would be an open seat at Mercedes.

Some drivers would take a seat for any team that would have them - they just want to race, and they don’t care who’s name is on the car. Bee wasn’t one of them. She only wanted to stay in the sport if she could represent Mercedes. She knew she wouldn’t be happy elsewhere.

She had a session with Natalie after Monza. Emilia suggested it - she’d noticed that Bee was on edge after that weekend, and it had apparently been a while since she’d had a check-in with her therapist.

“You know that your performance is as much mental as it is physical, and I know you’re not at your best right now. It couldn’t hurt, at least before we leave for Sochi.” Emilia said gently. They’d just had a training session, but Bee had almost gone overboard trying to work out her frustration. Emilia only had her stop because she was afraid of Bee injuring herself.

“Okay, you’re right.” She said, trying to catch her breath. “I’ll call her later.”

“I just… I can’t believe I fucked up like that.” Bee said to Natalie on FaceTime. “I was concentrating so hard on trying to get away from the pit as fast as possible - like, how hard is it to focus for literally three seconds? But I looked away for a fraction of a second and it was already too late.”

“That’s tough. I know in F1 those little margins matter, but… if I remember, you got 5th in that race, right? Isn’t that still one of your best results?”

“Actually it is my best result in Formula 1. But I’m mad because if I hadn’t lost focus, I would’ve come out in the pit in 2nd place. And my goal this season is to get on the podium. And it was Monza! If I was going to get on the podium anywhere, Monza would be ideal - and Lewis and Max crashed each other out, so it seemed perfect. I mean, I don’t know how long I have left in this sport, and I don’t want to leave without feeling like I haven’t accomplished anything.” Bee said.

“Ah, okay, that’s something. What makes you say that you haven’t accomplished anything? As far as I know, you’ve accomplished quite a lot. You’re the first woman in a long time to make points finishes, first American woman to race in F1 - I think that’s -”

Bee interrupted her. “I mean, yeah. Okay. That’s all fine and well, but if I weren’t a woman, I would be having an incredibly mediocre career so far, but because I am, everything I’ve done is groundbreaking.” She was getting annoyed. She felt a surge of frustration creeping up the back of her skull, like a series of pinpricks.

“Would you, though? I don’t think anyone other than, say, Lewis and Max was any good in their first few seasons. You even outscored your own teammate - you managed a point in your first season, and he didn’t, and he’s considered a potential world champion.”

“I know, but the car he had to try to compete in was way worse than the one I got in my first season.”

“I still think you’re underestimating yourself. But I’m also hearing a few things here. Number one is that you don’t to be remembered just because you’re a woman, which I think is very fair, but in a sport like this, that is a significant barrier to overcome, and I think it has required a lot more than people realize. Think about it this way - do you think anybody would know who Max Verstappen is if he was a woman?” Natalie said.

“Probably not.” Bee conceded.

“Right, because he didn’t have the kind of hurdle you did to get into this sport in the first place. And you think Susie is a good racing driver, right?”

“Yeah, of course.” Bee said, like it was a foregone conclusion. “I’ve seen her lap times, her telemetry data, her onboards, she definitely knew what she was doing. If she was racing now, she’d be better than almost a quarter of the grid.”

“Right. Of course. But Bee, even she couldn’t surmount the walls you have. I grant you, she has helped you a lot in your career, so she boosted you over that wall. Plus, I think timing was more on your side than it was hers, but I’m just saying - you’ve overcome a lot of things that not everyone would be able to, and I think that’s what makes your career so far exceptional.”

Natalie sounded absolutely solid in her conviction, to the point where Bee forgot she was her therapist for a moment.

“The season is not over yet, and you’ve come within striking distance of a podium. So, you made a mistake. Every driver has. Some people make even bigger mistakes - at least all you lost was a split-second of a pit exit. Do you remember what happened when Lewis forgot to remove that... brake… magic… thing? I don’t know what it was. But, in Baku this year? He didn’t even finish in the points. Some drivers have even made mistakes that have destroyed their entire car. A few seconds on a pit exit seems like nothing in comparison, right?”

Bee laughed. “Now you actually sound like a sports analyst. But, okay. I get your point. You’re right. The season’s not over.”

“Is there another race you’d want to aim for the podium for? Surely Monza wasn’t -”

“Austin. The US Grand Prix. How amazing would that be? To be the first woman on an F1 podium, as an American driver, in America? I’ve always wanted to… but we didn’t race there last year, and F2 never raced there.” Bee was resolute.

“That sounds like a good plan. It’s a home race for you, it might be easier to get a good result with a home crowd.” Natalie said, thoughtfully. “I know in other sport, home-court advantage really can swing things. I’m not sure how it affects you drivers, though.”

“I think it does make a difference, honestly.” Bee said. “I think that’s why Lewis always manages to do so well in Silverstone, truthfully. And also speaking of Austin… This was a long time ago, but do you remember me telling you about that woman, on the airplane? It was way back in 2016, I think. The one who said she was my first fan? That was on my way back from the US. I always think about that. I think that was one of the first times I realized that I was on the right track.”

“Oh, I do remember you telling me about that. You should see if you can track her down, maybe, and see if she’s going to the race. I’m sure she’d love to see you again.”

“Natalie, that’s genius.”

“What is?”

“We have a limited number of paddock passes we can give out to guests, as drivers, and I gave you one for Silverstone this year, and I’m giving some to my parents for the US GP, but I think I still have a couple to use, so if I can track her down, I can give her one.”

“Oh, that’s a great idea. She shouldn’t be impossible to find, right? You know her first name, at least, and approximately where she lives. This isn’t a big country. But, you have to hurry.” Natalie said.

Bee went home that night and put in her best efforts on Google trying to find the Adelle that lived in Leeds that shared that flight with her. Apparently “Adelle” was a more common forename in the UK than she’d anticipated, but she had narrowed it down to a few options, until she got lucky on LinkedIn, of all places. She recognized the woman from her profile picture, and she still had the same bright red hair. Once she had a surname, finding an address was easy. Hopefully it was still current.

When she went to the factory in Grove the next day, Bee put together a package of Williams items - two shirts, a hat, and a keychain, along with a letter and two paddock passes, two of her collectible driver cards, both signed.

Dear Adelle,

I don’t know if you remember me, but we shared a flight together five years ago, coming back to London from the Mexican Grand Prix in 2016. I told you I was a junior driver for an F1 team, and was trying to find a feeder team and wanted to make it into F1.

If you still watch the sport, you are probably aware that I did make it. It hasn’t always been easy. Something you told me that day, on that flight, has stuck in my mind. You said that there was probably a girl out there who was good enough to make it in motorsport, but just wasn’t told enough that she could. When I was 19, I thought that was me. But since then, I’ve come to realize now that I’ve been very fortunate to have a strong group of people - mostly women, supporting me in my journey, and you, in your own small way, whether you know it or not, are among that number. But the story you told me about your daughter - it made me realize that no matter how hard this journey has been, the trouble is worth it if I can bring some visibility to the women that participate in this sport and make the sport more open and welcoming for female fans.

You mentioned, at the time, that you liked to go to the races in North America on your holidays, and I was hoping you were planning on going to the US Grand Prix this year. I have enclosed two paddock passes and two pasess to the Williams garage and hospitality area. If you happen to be there, I’d be honored to have you as my guest in the garage, and you can feel free to bring someone. I hope this makes it to you in time, and that we get to see each other. It would mean a lot to me.

Thank you again.

Phoebe Stallard

She listed the return address as the factory and hoped the package made it safely to its destination.

There were two races to go until the United States Grand Prix; Russia, and Turkey.

Russia was not kind to Bee. She qualified well, ending up at the top of Q2, even though the track was wet and rapidly drying. George, however, qualified third. Not Q3, actual third place. It was stunning to see, and the paddock was almost buzzing about it - Williams still wouldn’t be in the championship running for a while, but their return to form over the past 2 seasons had been impressive.

Rain started falling on the last 5 laps of the race. As soon as Bee saw the track conditions changing, she cursed out loud on the radio, forgetting it was live - she was in for a points finish, but weather conditions always had the possibility of reshuffling the deck.

Bee pitted for intermediate tyres right away, but spun out on one of the last laps and had enough damage from the resulting collision that she had to retire. She didn’t finish the race, but was still classified because she’d completed more than 90% of it. At least George had gotten himself into the points with a sixth-place finish.

Turkey was an interesting race. Bee hadn’t ever been to Turkey, and actually would have enjoyed spending more time in the country itself. But they were getting to the point in the season calendar where grid penalties were plentiful - each car was only allowed a certain number of component swaps per season, be they for replacing power units (which consisted of the gas engine, electric motors, and an energy recovery system) elements or engines.

Every swapped major component or engine over the allotment for the season meant that your car incurred a grid penalty, no matter what your qualifying result was. Replacing an engine over the allotment would set you back ten places on the grid, no matter what your qualifying place was. Other components could mean having to start from the back of the grid.

Bee knew her car was about to exceed the allotment for engines, so she begged Claire to have the swap done for her car for Turkey instead of risking the penalty for the United States GP. They weren’t in contention for the championship, so it really didn’t matter where or when she got the grid penalty, but she wanted every chance to podium in Austin she could get.

Claire agreed, and Bee took a 10-grid-place penalty in Turkey. She had managed to qualify in 10th, which means she’d made it into Q3. It was a shame to be knocked back down to 20th (or 17th, really, because of other drivers incurring penalties) but it meant that she was able to get to Q3, which was important for Austin.

It was the first race she’d ever remembered running, at least in F1, without a single retirement. George placed 7th, and she placed 10th. She wondered how things might have shaken out if she hadn’t taken a grid penalty, but it had to be done.

Austin, Travis County, Texas, United States of America October 18th, 2021

Bee landed in Austin a few days ahead of when the rest of the team would be arriving, but the bulk of her extended family had flown down from the Midwest - most of them from Michigan, but she had cousins that lived in Illinois and Ohio as well. Her parents would be flying in from Stuttgart as well.

Emilia decided to come early with her - normally, they mostly traveled separately, as Emilia still primarily resided in Germany, but she wanted a little more time to prepare. This was the first of the long flyaway races, so they’d be gone on a longer trip, and she was intrigued by the United States.

“So what is your family like? I’ve met your parents, but this is your entire extended family, right - like, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins?” Emilia said on the flight over.

“They’re… loud. Friendly, but loud. And most of them like to talk. They’ll probably ask you a lot of questions. They’re all basically the opposite of anyone from Germany, so if you want to pretend you don’t speak English to get out of socializing, you’ll need to decide now and commit to that.”

Emilia scoffed. “I’ve met plenty of Americans. You’re American, in case you’d forgotten”

“Ah, you say that,” Bee said, trying hard to hide her smile. “but you met me after I’d been raised in Germany, and you met my parents after they’d lived and worked in Germany for over a decade. It’s not the same.”

“This should be fun”, Bee thought.

“I will give you one piece of advice. If anyone asks ‘How are you?’, it’s more of a greeting and not an actual question. You can just give a non-specific answer, like ‘Good’, or ‘I’m fine.’ That should make things a lot easier.”

Emilia looked confused. “But… Why would they ask if they don’t want to know? Why ask a question you don’t want an answer for?”

Bee laughed. “Like I said, it’s not an actual question. Just treat it as a greeting, and the response is ‘Good, and you?’ If you say any more than that, you might invite a conversation that might become way longer than you want it to be.”

Emilia shook her head. “Okay. I’ll take your word for it.”

Once they landed, they went to their hotel to unpack and get ready to meet Bee’s family. They were all meeting for dinner at a restaurant called Vivo. Bee’s parents had made a reservation so they could all eat outside together on the restaurant’s patio.

It was a strange experience - Bee hadn’t seen a lot of her relatives in-person for years, aside from her grandparents - even that was three years ago now. They peppered her with questions, mostly about Drive to Survive (because they’d started watching it when it debuted, just like everyone else did, and Bee suspected that most of them still didn’t actually watch the races.)

It was a bit funny to Bee - people that were real, her coworkers, more or less, that she spent so much time with - were television characters to them, like they were being played by actors. She did her best to answer their questions, but it felt like being in a rapid-fire press conference.

“That Daniel Ricciardo seems so nice, is he like that for real?”

“Yes. He’s exactly how he is on the show, but he’s also kind of… the class clown, I guess. Always playing pranks.”

“Do those engineer guys really talk to you through the entire race? How can you focus like that?”

“They’re not talking constantly, and they have important information. My engineer’s name is Gaetan. He’s French.”

Emilia, meanwhile, had either ignored or had forgotten Bee’s advice, and had found herself trapped in a conversation with one of Bee’s aunts that she hadn’t necessarily meant to get herself into. Bee turned around at one point and saw the thinly-veiled expression of anguish on Emilia’s face, and decided to jump to her rescue.

“Hi, Aunt Debbie. Nice to see you again. Oh, I’m doing great! Happy to be back in the US for a few days! Yes, I’m excited you’re here for the race, too! I just came to see if Emilia had decided what she wanted to eat. Come on, let’s grab a menu.”

“Thank you,” Emilia said, relieved, as they left Lisa to talk to one of Bee’s other aunts. “She was telling me about her gallbladder removal, in great detail.”

“See? I told you this would happen. She’s an oversharer anyway. But in all seriousness, have you looked at the menu?” Bee said, as they sat at a picnic table by themselves, heads together, poring over the listed fare.

“I don’t know what any of this is,” Emilia said, puzzled over the Spanish names for the dishes. “I’ve never had this food.”

“Okay, well, you like chicken, right? Try the fajita taco plate - that’s always pretty safe, and… ooh, beef enchiladas. That’s what I’m getting. You can try it, if you want.”

So, Emilia had her first encounter with Tex-Mex food. She loved the fajitas, (“These are so good. Why can’t we have these in Germany?” “I could make them for you, if you want, next time you’re in Oxford.” “But your cooking is…” “Okay, fair.” ) but thought Bee’s enchiladas were a bit on the spicy side. (“You eat currywurst, how is this spicy to you?” “It’s a different spicy!”)

They had some drinks (not too many for Bee, at least), which made Bee’s family a little easier to take for Emilia. After the dinner party had dispersed, Bee and Emilia stayed and talked to Bee’s parents for a while, because they were all on European time and weren’t quite ready to head back to the hotel for bed, yet.

While they were sitting and talking, they all had a few more drinks, too. Emilia had quite a few more, and ended up more tipsy than she probably would have liked to have been. She was a clingy, huggy drunk, as it turned out. It was difficult, though - Emilia was eight inches taller than Bee, and practically toppled her over as she was hanging on to Bee for support as they were waiting for their ride back to the hotel.

She didn’t take Emilia back to her room - Bee’s room had two beds, so she poured Emilia into the extra bed and pumped her full of water and ibuprofen, just so she could keep an eye on her.

“You’re my favorite,” Emilia said, in slurred German. She was splayed across the spare bed, and had asked Bee to tuck her in. Bee thought it was silly, but was oddly charmed by it. She sat on the edge of Emilia’s bed, talking to her until she fell asleep.

“I’m so glad I get to travel with you like this, because you’re my favorite client and probably my favorite person. I love spending time with you so much.” Emilia’s eyes were glassy and unfocused, but she was smiling at Bee.

“But I’m your only client right now.” Bee said. It was true. Emilia still worked for a performance coaching company, but like most F1 drivers that used that company’s services, Bee had hired her exclusively, a necessity of her busy schedule.

“I had other clients before you hired me!” She said, “But none of them have been as nice! Or as pretty. You’re very pretty. Did you know that? You have such pretty dark hair. And your blue eyes. I noticed you and your dad have the same eyes. Is that weird that I noticed that?”

“No, it’s true, I do have his eyes.” Bee was trying not to blush. “You should go to sleep, though. We have a long week ahead, but we have some time to do a few fun things tomorrow. And we can get some real barbecue for lunch, just like you wanted.”

“Okay. Goodnight, liebes.” Emilia said, drifting off to sleep.

“Liebes?” Bee thought.

It was a term of endearment in German - the same as calling someone “sweetheart”, “love”, or “honey”, in English. It was startling, and Bee wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, but decided to let it go - Emilia probably had no idea what she was saying.

Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Travis County, Texas, United States of America October 22nd, 2021

It was only Friday, and it had already been a long week for Bee. It had been a fun week, though. She and Emilia had explored a little bit of downtown Austin on Wednesday before Bee had any media or team obligations. Emilia had woken up only a little worse for the wear, but a barbecue lunch had fixed that. (“This is so good, and you get so much food with your order.” Bee had almost expected her to make a “this is why Americans are fat” joke like most Europeans would, but she passed on it.)

Emilia had virtually no memory of returning to the hotel that night, and said she was surprised when she woke up in a room that wasn’t hers.

“So she doesn’t remember flirting with me, or whatever that was, I guess.” Bee thought. She was surprised at how disappointed it made her feel. It wasn’t possible that she was falling in love with her performance coach… was it?

On Wednesday, she’d filmed a few things for Williams’ social media channels, including the reveal for her special Austin GP helmet, and a challenge with George where he had to try to guess how American towns were pronounced. She also was scheduled out for a bunch of interviews and other videos with some American TV broadcasters, like ESPN - they had her and George do a basketball free throw challenge. Bee was never very good at basketball, but she did better than George did.

George had also made a special helmet for the Austin GP, that was cowboy-themed. It didn’t suit him at all, but Bee thought it was endearing. Bee’s helmet was a little more personal and didn’t have much to do with Texas at all, but she’d been planning it out forever and it was gratifying to see the final product. It was strange to see him - a buttoned-up, stereotypical posh Brit wearing a 10-gallon cowboy hat and shooting basketball free throws.

She spotted Susie in the paddock before free practice, and was ecstatic.

“I wasn’t actually sure if you were going to come to this race!” Bee said, giving her a hug.

“Well, surprise! I knew this was a big race for you, and I didn’t want to miss it. I didn’t get to see your first race, but I’ll get to see your first actual home race. I’m going to be in the Williams garage on Sunday, too!”

“Oh, that’s fantastic!” Bee said. “My parents are here as well, they’ll be excited to see you. They’ll be in the paddock tomorrow.”

They chatted a bit longer, but Bee had to go to Free Practice. She really liked seeing Susie at races, but it seemed like they never got long enough to sit and talk before either one of them had to be running off to something.

She headed over to her driver’s room, where Emilia had finished getting everything set up for the weekend and was ready to start Bee on her warmups. She had to change first, but then it was always usually the same routine - a little bit of light, in-place cardio work with resistance bands to get her heart rate up and blood moving, then some neck strength work, some reaction time work with a series of buttons that had lights that flashed in different colors on them.

Then, Emilia always helped her with some assisted stretching, some breathing exercises, and some light massage to keep Bee relaxed and loose, if she needed it. Every driver had their own little ritual and routine, and this was simply what she found had worked for her.

Finally, it was time for Bee’s first practice runs on the circuit. She hadn’t ever driven on it, and it looked like it was going to be a challenge. The track had a whopping 20 turns - most tracks had 10-13 of them, and ran anti-clockwise, which was the opposite direction of most tracks. Not only that, but the first corner off of the start/finish straight went up a steep hill, with a bump that could disrupt your braking, and you had to downshift very quickly into the turn. And that was all just on the first turn, never mind the rest of it.

Plus, it was hot the morning of Free Practice 1, which would mean that Free Practice 2, in the afternoon, would be even hotter. The challenge was going to be tire management - keeping the tires cool and not letting them degrade, which would mean punctures. It was the end of October, but it was still Texas.

Bee looked at the grandstands during her first out-lap - it was packed, already, even for a Free Practice session, which meant that the audience for qualifying and the race would be absolutely massive. The last time she was here, in Austin, they had to throw a Taylor Swift concert to entice people to come - it didn’t look like that would be necessary this year.

Williams Racing YouTube Channel

Phoebe Stallard reveals her helmet design for the United States Grand Prix

91,307 views October 23rd, 2021

Transcript: Hi everyone! I’m Phoebe Stallard from Williams Racing, and I just want to talk about my helmet for the US Grand Prix this weekend. It’s my first US GP! I joined Formula 1 last year, but the 2020 US Grand Prix was canceled because of COVID-19. I’m the only American on the grid, other than honorary American Daniel Ricciardo. This is my home Grand Prix, and obviously, I had a special helmet made! I just wanted to talk through some of the details, because this helmet is really kind of… well, it’s deeply personal to me, and it’s probably my favorite custom design yet.

So, on the top, we have the emblem from the Dodge Super Bee, which was a classic muscle car made in the late 60’s by the Chrysler Corporation, one of the Big 3 car companies based in my home city of Detroit. It’s kind of been a… nickname for me for a long time? I think Danny Ricciardo is the one that started calling me that, and it caught on over the years with fans, and I always liked it, even if Danny started calling me that to tease me because I was so scrawny as a teenager. Plus, it’s kind of a tribute to my dad, who was the one that got me into racing in the first place. He started his career at Chrysler as an automotive engineer. I did make a subtle change to it, though, to make it a little more personal - the bee has a little ponytail coming out of her helmet.

And then on the right here, we have the iconic “Rosie the Riveter” poster from World War 2, with the classic “We Can Do It” text on the top. I always thought it was pretty inspiring, because it shows a woman doing what was traditionally considered men’s work, and racing used to be kind of considered a man’s world. On the bottom of her coveralls, I put the signatures of both Lella Lombardi and Susie Wolff, who are both women in racing that I am inspired by.

Lella Lombardi was the first woman to ever earn a point in the Formula 1 series, and until Monza this year, she was also the only one to have a top six finish in a World Championship race.

Susie Wolff, as most people know, was a test and development driver for Williams, and was the first woman to take part in a Grand Prix weekend in 22 years when she participated in Free Practice 1 the 2014 British Grand Prix. She’s basically been my mentor since I was in Formula Renault. She’s an inspiration for all women wanting to compete in motorsport - I literally do not think I would have made it to Formula 1 without her kind of… advice and guidance. She also founded the Dare to Be Different foundation that works to get more girls interested in motorsport, and I’m really happy to be an ambassador for the organization. I definitely would have been remiss if I didn’t put some sort of tribute to Susie on this helmet.

On the back, we’ve got an image of the Spirit of Detroit statue. I am originally from the Detroit area, and this statue is right downtown on Woodward Avenue. It’s always kind of been an iconic symbol of Detroit, it’s a really important landmark, I’ve always really loved it. And there’s the motto of the City of Detroit on it - “Speramus Meliora” and “Resurget Cineribus”, which means “We Hope For Better Things / It Shall Rise From the Ashes”. Detroit is a tough city, but it’s a city that’s always kind of… been out to prove everyone wrong, you know? A lot of people wanted to write it off entirely a few years ago, when the auto industry went bust and the city itself had to declare bankruptcy, but it’s still there, and there’s so much going on there now, it’s great. I don’t make it home very much, but I’m always really proud to represent it.

On the left side, we have my number, number 50, on a field of red, white, and blue stars, because it’s America, right? Had to show a little patriotism for my first US GP. Plus, it matches the current Williams livery which is handy!

And then, under my visor, we have the letters J & J S, which is for my parents, John and Josephine Stallard, because they’ve always been really supportive of my racing career. My dad was the one that got me into karting, because he thought it was something we could do together - he was always my mechanic, because he’s an automotive engineer. He never really pushed me into it, he just introduced me to racing and I kind of fell in love with it on my own, but both my mom and dad were really supportive of it.

My dad used to work for Chrysler, and we moved to Germany because of his job, but when we had the option to move back to the US, he took a job with Mercedes so we could stay in Germany because I liked karting, and it’s a lot easier to advance in Europe. So, my parents made a lot of sacrifices, living so far away from home, so we could stay in Europe so I could keep racing, so I had to put some sort of tribute to them on here, too.

#f1 fanfic #f1 oc fanfic #formula 1 fanfic #original character #female oc #female f1 driver #toto wolff #george russell #my fanfic #series: wildest dreams #susie wolff

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