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[megalony]

Torn Apart- Part 3

Again, thank you all for the lovely feedback I've received for this Eddie Diaz series, it means so much to me.

I'm glad you're all enjoying it, if you have any suggestions for future parts please send them in.

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Summary: (Y/n) tries to cheer her brother up and takes Chris to spend the day with him. But they all get swept up in a tsunami, and when Eddie finds out, he becomes frantic to try and find his family. Especially because (Y/n) is pregnant.

Enjoy.

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What am I going to do? What do I tell her? This is going to ruin her.

He couldn't. How on Earth was Eddie supposed to explain any of this? He didn't want to be the one to have to say all of this to (Y/n), but at the same time, he couldn't allow anyone else to break the news to her either.

He wasn't sure he had it within him to tell (Y/n) without bursting into fits of tears.

Eddie hadn't even told his parents yet. He'd called them after Buck and told them he'd found (Y/n), but he wouldn't tell them anything about her condition. He didn't say what was wrong, how hurt she was or what was happening with the twins. It wasn't the kind of conversation he could have over the phone.

He knew he had frightened Buck. When he called him, he had been in tears and he just kept begging Buck to come down to the hospital. Every time Buck asked how ill (Y/n) was, Eddie just said she was hurt.

The only thing he had been able to confirm was that she wasn't dead, because Buck kept asking if she was in the morgue. He seemed assured that because Eddie wouldn't reveal anything, then his sister had to be dead and Buck had been sobbing down the phone and at the point of screaming for answers. But Eddie couldn't give them. He couldn't talk over the phone.

"Eddie!"

He cringed. Buck's voice had always been calming to Eddie, it always brought a smile to his face or made him roll his eyes. He knew whenever his brother in law was around that he was going to feel his mood brighten or that his worries would fade and that Buck would understand.

Not today. This was the first time that Buck's presence felt like a looming omen rather than something happy and elating.

Eddie could barely open his eyes when Buck's voice hit his ears and it took all of his strength and willpower to hold himself still and not tremble or start to fall apart when he looked down the hall.

He wasn't expecting to see Maddie running down the hall too.

Both siblings looked like they were in an asylum, trying to break out. They were the only ones running down the corridor as if something foul yet invisible was following them, chasing and nipping at their heels in hunger.

The only relief they had was that when Eddie told them which hospital to come to and whereabouts to go, he had directed them onto a ward.

He hadn't told them to meet him outside or ask for directions to the morgue- that was what Buck was terrified of. He feared Eddie taking them to the morgue in the hospital or to the body bags out in one of the gardens because they had been overflowing with more patients than they could handle and more bodies than they ever expected to see.

Buck couldn't handle that. He wouldn't ever be ready to look through the dead in search of one of his family members. And he certainly wouldn't be okay with Eddie leading him to the body of his sister, the one he had tried so hard to save when the tsunami hit.

Grief would have consumed and killed Buck if that had been the case. If his sister had died and he played a hand in that, then Buck wouldn't survive.

Buck wasn't sure what to do once they were within range of Eddie. He didn't know whether to reach out and draw him into a fierce embrace or hold him at arms length until he found out exactly what was wrong with his sister.

"You- you wouldn't say what happened to her. How is she?" He knew he sounded breathless and a little demanding, but he couldn't help it. Buck had to know what had happened.

He had spent the night calling up hospitals and then trying to search around them early in the morning along with Eddie. He had been about to go to another hospital when Eddie rang this afternoon and said he'd finally found (Y/n).

All that searching had paid off, and all the visions Buck had suffered about finding his sister face down in a ditch or in a black body bag, they had all been laid to rest now. His sister was here, and he was about to see her.

He didn't have to feel guilty about losing her in the flood or not being able to find her afterwards. She was here now, and that was all that mattered.

With a sigh, Maddie leaned her cheek against Buck's bicep while both her hands wrapped around his arm. She clung to his side like he was the older sibling trying to comfort her.

Never had Maddie received such a frightening phone call as the one Buck made to her last night. She'd never heard him so hopeless, so petrified and depressed and frantic all at once as he relayed the events of the day and asked if she had heard anything about (Y/n). If she had any call-ins on the phone which sounded like or could possibly be (Y/n).

None of them had slept in the search to find her and pray that she was alive.

The only reason both siblings had managed to make the car ride down here without crying or screaming was because Buck made Eddie promise over the phone that (Y/n) was alive.

They both watched Eddie, the man who had become like another sibling to them since the first moment he started dating (Y/n). They watched him press his hips back into the wall for some measure of support and rake his hands up and down his thighs to rid the sweat glistening on his palms.

"She got hurt pretty bad, glass straight through her hand… something cut her leg down near the muscle. And they've put her on antibiotics, for all the water she inhaled."

Buck didn't like the sound of that. Why had he managed to get away with cuts and bruises yet his little sister had been beaten to a pulp? Why had she been slashed by glass and cut to the muscle whereas he hadn't?

Granted, both Buck and Chris had been given some broad range antibiotics in case they had been cut with any rusty nails or dirt and because they had obviously choked on or inhaled a small amount of water. It was better to be safe than sorry. But by the sounds of it, (Y/n) had been hurt ten times worse than they had.

As if she had been through three tsunami's whereas the both of them had escaped the first flood without any issues. Why her? Buck would have taken all of those injuries and more if it meant his sister would have been safer. He would rather her walk away from this the same as he did and him need extensive surgery or healing.

He wanted to take the brunt of the pain and suffering, he was the older sibling. He was the one who could take all of this, it shouldn't be (Y/n) that was suffering at all.

"What about the pregnancy… they, they must have done a C-section by now?" Maddie knew how it would work, that it would be safer to have the twins now with the trauma that (Y/n) had been through. The doctors knew that waiting might distress the babies or push (Y/n)'s body into a worser state when she had already been through enough trauma.

She would be very surprised if Eddie said that they were monitoring the pregnancy instead. No one could be sure how much trauma (Y/n) had gone through, how many bumps and blows had landed to her stomach. Her blood pressure would undoubtedly be too high or possibly too low and cause further issues with the twins.

But Maddie's lower lip began to wobble and she could feel her jaw aching with how tense she was trying to be to stop herself from sobbing when she looked at Eddie.

He was barely holding himself together. He was almost on the verge of collapsing and she could see everything within those dark brown eyes. She could see the the torment, the anguish and the utter agony that were making his limbs shake and causing his breathing to become shallow and croaky.

"Boy and a girl." There was something stern, something cold and forced in Eddie's voice that set both siblings off kilter.

He sounded horrified or even angry at his own words and it caused Buck to frown. He had never heard Eddie sound like this. Even last night when Buck tried to tell him that he did his best to find (Y/n) and Chris, even then Eddie hadn't looked at him quite like this. And he never spoke to Buck in any tone other than understanding.

Buck had lost Eddie's whole world yesterday, he hadn't been able to find Eddie's family and Eddie still hugged him and held his broken pieces together and told him that it was okay. Eddie understood. He didn't shout or cry or scream at Buck and say that any of this was his fault.

There didn't seem to be any of that understanding within Eddie's voice right now.

Buck couldn't help how his face started to fall and he sucked in a sharp breath as he tried to catch Eddie's gaze. "How are they?" He was almost too afraid to ask.

"He didn't make it."

Eddie had to turn his head away, he had to break their gaze and lock his eyes on something else- anything else, that wasn't his in-laws. He couldn't look at either of them and see the heartbreak reflected in their eyes.

He didn't want them to see him cry.

A single tear rolled down Eddie's cheek whilst his pupils glossed over and his teeth sank down into his lower lip that was already flecked with dried blood from how badly he had gnawed away on it due to anxiety. He could feel fresh blood welling on his tongue as he held his broken pieces together as best he could and forced the tears down.

This was what he couldn't tell them over the phone. This was what he couldn't say. It had to be done in person, it had to be done face to face.

"No, no th- but…"

Oh God, what have I done?

Eddie's brows rose up and he snapped his head to the left when a sudden howling sob- that didn't pass from his own lips- caught him off guard.

He looked just in time to see Buck crouching down on the floor. His brother in law went down until his heels had to be straining to keep him crouching a few inches off the floor like that. Buck's hands moved up until they were smothering his face, but it did nothing to quieten down the cries leaving his lips or the tears that were drenching his features and lathering his palms.

He began rocking back and forth from his heels to his toes and back again as another sob forced its way past his lips.

"It- oh, it's m-my fault."

"What?" There was a new gentleness to Eddie's voice as he pushed off the wall and stepped closer, but when Buck flinched, he stopped abruptly.

"I suggested the pier, I d-did this. I couldn't find her in time…" He was at the point of wailing when Maddie quickly dropped her bag to the floor and knelt down beside him. Her arms cocooned around his large frame, barely able to reel her little brother into her chest and when he started to shake, she began to dither back and forth too.

It was all his fault.

Buck had suggested going to the pier when (Y/n) asked Chris what they should do yesterday. He thought it would be fun, and Chris loved the idea immediately. He should have said to go and see a movie or go shopping or go to the park. Something different. Anything else. Anything close to home rather than being out near the sea. If they had been near home then none of this would have happened, and (Y/n) wouldn't have lost one of her babies.

If Buck hadn't felt so depressed and hopeless, then (Y/n) probably wouldn't have taken Chris round to see him and none of them would be in this mess.

He had ruined everything. Buck had hurt his family, he had broken his sister's world apart and damaged her growing family, permanently.

Maddie's shushing into his hair and her hand running up and down his arm did very little to console Buck. He couldn't be soothed. He couldn't calm down when he could only imagine what kind of pain and torment (Y/n) was going to go through when she was eventually told what had happened- hoping of course that she hadn't already been told yet.

Shallow breaths started to seethe past Eddie's lips as more tears trickled slowly down his face like a leaky faucet. His shoulders hit the wall and he started to slide down the wall until his bum landed with a thump against the floor.

His fingers automatically moved to the back of his neck and he began to scratch his shortened nails along the already broken skin. He had countless scratch marks and indents and broken skin along his neck and the back of his scalp from constantly picking, itching and clutching at his neck out of nervous habit. It was all Eddie could do to hold the screams within his chest at bay.

"I encouraged her to get you out the apartment, to spend the day with you… I should have said that she was doing too much, o- or never agreed to work your shift; maybe if I went with you…"

Eddie could feel his own guilt dwelling in his chest like a monster that was gradually growing and multiplying.

He knew (Y/n) hadn't been feeling or sleeping well lately, he knew she was on the verge of overdoing things. He should of given Buck the heads up and said that (Y/n) was visiting him but she needed to take it easy.

Maybe if he hadn't of picked up most of Buck's shifts at work, he would have been with them and they would have decided to do something entirely different that day.

This was his fault, and he was never going to forgive himself.

***

Buck could still feel the dried tears cemented into his face like dried paint that was beginning to crack. Every movement of his cheek, every tick of his jaw or word he uttered began to splinter the tear tracks and caused him to feel like he had been cast in clay and was trying to break his way out.

He needed to freshen up, but he couldn't. Not yet. He didn't want to move an inch away from (Y/n) until she woke up.

The three of them had been in here for well over an hour now, since Maddie managed to calm Buck down and persuade him to come and sit by (Y/n)'s side to wait for her to wake up.

Eddie was sat on her right side and Buck and Maddie were on her left. Every few minutes or so, Eddie would start to draw patterns along (Y/n)'s arm and up towards her neck. She was a canvas he was painting and committing to memory to try and distract himself from the thoughts raging through his head.

They all knew she would wake up soon. Eddie had been sat with her while he waited for Buck and Maddie to come down to the hospital, and she had been twitching and moving every now and then. The sedation was starting to wear off and now she was murmuring and humming too.

(Y/n)'s left hand was clasped tightly in Buck's grip, their fingers interlocked while his other hand was constantly feathering up and down her arm. And he periodically brought her hand up to his lips like he was trying to reassure her that they were all here, waiting for her to wake up.

Silence had been their friend since they all blundered into the room together. They didn't know what to say to one another, but it didn't seem to matter. Talking wasn't at the forefront of their minds right now.

Or it wasn't until Buck suddenly felt (Y/n)'s fingers twitching in his grasp and her head was turning from side to side.

It felt like someone had set off a firework within his chest when he heard his name like the breeze rolling along the sand.

"Buck… B- Buck…" It was almost as if (Y/n) were trying to ask him a question and Buck smiled as if he understood her hidden undertones or as if her voice was the most beautiful melody he had ever heard.

She was calling out for him, he was on the forefront of her mind. She must have some recollection of the tsunami because she was clearly thinking about finding him. Part of Buck had been worried that (Y/n) might not remember what they had been through.

Of course, he didn't want her to remember everything. He didn't want (Y/n) to have to remember the waves crashing down on them or how she had been injured. He didn't want to think of her becoming distressed or anguished at remembering passing bodies in the water or remembering witnessing people drowning. Buck didn't want (Y/n) to remember the horrors of what they had been through, only the notion that she had been caught up in this big disaster.

"I'm here, it's okay."

If she remembered they had been caught in a tsunami then at least (Y/n) had some recollection and none of them would have to explain to her what she had gone through if she woke up and the last thing she could remember was being at home.

He squeezed her hand and started to glide his other hand up and down her arm, coaxing her to stay with them and wake up. None of them really liked sitting here while she slept, they wanted to talk to her and help her and tend to her, not wait around in agony thinking of how they were going to explain everything.

A quiet murmur of "Good girl, there we go," passed Eddie's lips as he leant closer to the bed his knees were currently tucked underneath. His left hand moved to the top of (Y/n)'s head and he gently began to card his fingers through her hair. Brushing the strands away from her face and gliding his knuckles against her temple.

For a brief moment, Eddie panicked when he watched (Y/n)'s eyes screw up tight and a quiet sound croaked past her lips. His fingers paused woven into her hair in fear he'd hurt or somehow frightened her.

But she leaned into the touch. Her head turned in his direction until the top of her nose brushed against his inner wrist and a whimper drew past her lips when Eddie's thumb stroked along her hairline.

"Eddie,"

"Hey beautiful," He arched forward, carefully attaching his lips to her temple while his other hand curled over the top of (Y/n)'s forearm.

It was like a miracle to see (Y/n)'s eyes flickering open and Eddie loved the feel of her raised hand trying to brush across his chest and neck. She was checking he was really there, that this wasn't a figment of her imagination or a hallucination and she was back there, stuck in the waves again.

"I th- I thought," (Y/n) couldn't bring herself to say it as she closed her eyes again and nuzzled her face further into Eddie's arm, his touch, his comfort. Any part of him that she could reach, she wanted to be close to.

(Y/n) thought she was never going to see him again.

Things might be blurred in her mind, but the distinct sense in the back of her head was about Eddie and Chris. About her family. She feared she was never going to set her sights on her husband again, that she would never feel his touch or his kiss or the sound of his melodic voice filling her ears.

She feared Chris and Buck would be lost to the waves and they would never find their way back to Eddie, let alone back to her. (Y/n) thought she was going to sail away to the ends of the Earth and never see anyone ever again.

Hearing Eddie's voice was like a string of fate reeling her back towards reality and (Y/n) wanted to cling to that, cling to Eddie, until the world ended.

"You can't get rid of me that easily, amor." It felt wrong to smile, especially when Eddie knew the horrors he was about to impose on (Y/n) when she was lucid enough to understand. But seeing that flicker of a smile crossing her drowsy features softened one of the burnt out nerves in his chest.

Her fingers trembled as they stroked along his cheek and he leaned into her touch and began to card his fingers through her hair again, knowing it was something she found soothing.

"Where's Chris?" Her voice was croaky but when (Y/n) tried to sit forward, she felt Eddie's hand move to her shoulder to keep her lying down. Moving too much at once wouldn't help her.

She didn't argue and stayed melting into the pillows, but she managed to flutter her eyelids open again. It took a few seconds for her vision to come into focus, for her to be able to see more than blurred lights and a glowing halo surrounding her family.

Something akin to a drugged smile formed on (Y/n)'s lips when she glanced to the left and made out the image of her overprotective, big siblings. Her brother who was clinging to her hand, and her sister, surprisingly, who had a hand comfortingly on her thigh.

The look on her face started to contort when she took in the state of Eddie sitting beside her. He hadn't shaved, he still had that layer of stubble that was dangerously close to the mark considering firemen weren't allowed to grow beards. But beneath the stubble was murky skin that verged on grey and deep purple bags that hung heavy beneath his eyes.

His lips were chewed to pieces, blistering red with patches of dried blood and coated in saliva and tears. His eyes were bloodshot and drained and he looked like he was flagging on the last reserves of energy within him.

How long had she been asleep? Oh God, had something happened to Chris?

"Chris, I couldn't find him, I w- I couldn't- I-"

"Shh, shh it's okay, don't worry. Buck kept him safe, Chris is alright. Ma and papi are here now, he's at home with them so we can take care of you."

Eddie didn't want (Y/n) worrying herself or getting upset over Chris, not when he was going to shatter her world in a few moments. Chris was safe and their family was gathering around them to look after them and keep them sane and cared for.

"And now we've found you." Buck did his best not to burst into a fit of tears as he squeezed (Y/n)'s hand close to his chest.

He didn't feel like he had kept Chris safe and he didn't feel he deserved any praise, especially not from Eddie or (Y/n). He had lost their boy and lost his hold on (Y/n). He didn't keep her safe and he lost Chris a second time during the floods. He hadn't done anything worth mentioning, he had let them down.

They all watched as (Y/n) raised her right hand near to Eddie's face, clearly wanting to run her fingertips along his cheek or his lips or simply reach out for him. But her arm froze mid-air when she locked her gaze onto the bandage rolled around her hand.

Eddie winced at the expression that screwed up (Y/n)'s features when she seemed to realise or remember why her hand was bandaged so tightly she looked like she was about to enter a boxing ring.

"The car."

"Hm?" He frowned and stroked her temple again, trying to gage whether she was remembering something or starting to become drowsy again.

"Window," She uttered quietly and shook her hand near Eddie's features and her heart leapt when Eddie gently cupped her wrist and kissed the back of her bandaged hand.

A cringe shuddered through Eddie and his features screwed up against (Y/n)'s hand as it dawned on him what she meant. That's how she got the glass through her hand. Her hand and quite possibly her arm had shattered straight through a car window. Eddie could just imagine the pain that would of caused. She was lucky not to have severed an artery or the bones in her hand.

Lifting his head, Eddie looked towards Buck and Maddie while his free hand cupped his chin and his fingers scratched at the stubble lining his jaw. He silently ticked his head in the direction of the door and darted his gaze between the door and them.

He didn't want to be rude, but they could all see where this was going. (Y/n) was going to ask what had happened with the twins, and Eddie was going to have to break the news to her. He couldn't wait any longer. The moment (Y/n) moved her hand down and realised her stomach wasn't the same feel or shape as it was yesterday, she was going to panic. And when she noticed that she couldn't feel the twins moving or kicking or simply existing within her, she was going to go into shock.

Eddie had to try and break the news to her, and he really didn't want to do that in front of her siblings.

"We'll go get a drink." Maddie murmured softly, giving (Y/n)'s thigh a squeeze as she got up to make their exit.

She turned back when she was towards the door and her heart surged in her chest when she watched Buck lean over and kiss (Y/n)'s temple before he moved to follow her out.

A sigh tumbled past Eddie's lips as he leaned his cheek against the rather smooth bandage around (Y/n)'s hand. He had noticed earlier that the part around her palm was starting to soak through with little spots of blood as the wound was clearly weeping. If a nurse didn't come round soon, Eddie would clean and change the dressings himself.

"At least it's a clean cut amor, no broken bones." Eddie couldn't quite manage a smile, and he knew (Y/n) sensed it on his features.

He kissed the back of her fingers a few times before he gently lowered her hand down on the bed and leant in closer.

"Amor, the- you were in a bad way when they brought you to hospital…" His fingers continued their administrations gliding through (Y/n)'s hair as if he were trying to get rid of imaginary knots and tangles. "They had to do a C-section, for the twins. You were hurt, and they were getting distressed."

Eddie held his breath when he watched the panic flash across (Y/n)'s features. He could see the terror in her eyes when his words started to sink in and she realised something had changed.

Her left hand which wasn't occupied by her brother anymore suddenly jerked down to press against her stomach. She was still drowsy, (Y/n) hadn't thought about anything being wrong with the twins because she didn't feel ill. Whatever medications they had flooded her veins with had made her feel lighter than air, like her brain was disconnected from the rest of her body.

A horrible whine left (Y/n)'s lips when she shakily pushed her hand against her stomach. It wasn't round and firm anymore. There wasn't any tension when she pressed down and she couldn't feel a little foot kicking back against her or a sudden wriggling within her.

She was a different shape. Her stomach was squishy. She was empty.

Sobs started to croak past her lips and her hands both reached out for Eddie, scratching into his arm until he took the hint and leant over her. He was careful as he tried to sit her upright against the pillows, and he stayed hovering over her when (Y/n) refused to release her grip on him.

"Where are they? T- they'll be so small."

Despite the spots dancing before her eyes, (Y/n) could see her deflated stomach. She could see that it had gone down somewhat, that it looked like a beach ball that had a puncture and was slowly losing its shape.

Her babies had been taken from her. This was her first pregnancy, and (Y/n) hadn't managed to go into labour or even be awake for the birth.

They had been warned that with twins she might go into early labour or that booking a planned induction before her due date might be a good idea. But not at thirty-one weeks. Not when the twins would be classed as extremely premature. They weren't ready, they wouldn't be safe being born now, they would need lots and lots of care and attention.

(Y/n) felt like looking around the room, but she already knew that their babies weren't in here with them. She could sense that the room was empty apart from her and Eddie. Where were they?

Panic overtook (Y/n)'s body when she looked at Eddie. She didn't like the look he was giving her.

There was so much sorrow in his eyes, so much fear and resentment and anguish and horror. Everything (Y/n) rarely saw displayed in her husband was now evident in his eyes and pouring out onto the rest of his skin.

"Eddie." There was something fierce yet broken in (Y/n)'s tone and her hands stayed clutching at his arm until he stood up from the chair so he could perc down on the side of the bed next to her.

She watched in growing paranoia as Eddie leaned towards her and carefully cupped her face in his hands. His thumbs began to softly stroke across her cheekbones and he moved so close that the ends of their noses were touching. He wanted desperately to press his temple to hers and transfer all of his thoughts and love and heartache through to (Y/n)'s mind so he didn't actually have to voice them.

"We had a boy and a girl. She's in the premature baby unit, they've given her some steroids to try and develop her lungs a bit better. But we… oh amor, there was nothing they could do for him-"

"No. No, don't- please-" (Y/n)'s head started to shake until her stitched temple was brushing against Eddie's and a horrible throbbing pain ignited behind her eyes.

He couldn't do this to her. Eddie couldn't tell her this, (Y/n) didn't want to hear it. She didn't want this to be their reality.

"-he was already gone."

Eddie was anticipating the scream that left (Y/n)'s lips, and he was certain that both her siblings would have heard that howl of heartbreak all the way down the hall. Yet the noise sounded so distant and echoed like Eddie was hearing (Y/n) from the bottom of a pool.

When another wail left her lips, Eddie curved his hand beneath her hair to cup the back of her neck. He tensed and clenched his jaw when her head dropped onto his shoulder in such a way that it must have caused her stitches to throb, if not tear.

He could feel her bandaged hand trying to claw at the back of his shoulders like she somehow wanted him even closer until they were merged into one. But when he realised her other hand was pushing and forcing down on her stomach, the tears started all over again.

She had lost her connection to them. They had been ripped from (Y/n) without her knowledge and one of them had gone. She had lost her little boy and she hadn't been awake or truly present to know it. He was gone. They'd lost him. Their little boy was somewhere, cold and alone and he was never going to come home with them.

Her knees scraped up towards her stomach like she was trying to contort into a new shape but all she wanted was to reconnect with her babies. (Y/n) wanted them back. She wanted her little ones back within her again where they belonged.

"Shh, shh." His lips merged with the top of her head, tears dripping from his closed lashes and soaking into her hair as they both began to rock back and forth.

"I w- I want him."

"Okay, okay, the nurse can bring him to us." Eddie turned his head so his cheek was pressing against the top of her head and his hand began to glide up and down her arm.

The doctor told him earlier that it could be arranged, they could hold their little boy if they wanted. Eddie would find the nurse and ask her to get him for them so they could see him.

He had to be held by them at least once, if they were never going to be able to take him home with them.

He had to know that he was loved.

***

He was so small.

Eddie had seen premature births before, they'd dealt with a few on shift but he'd never witnessed a baby born this early, at least not in the flesh like this.

Compared to the memory Eddie had of the first time he held Chris, this little boy seemed to weigh nothing at all.

He looked peaceful. Eddie wasn't sure what he had been expecting when the nurse brought their little boy to see them. Maybe the trauma that (Y/n) had gone through made Eddie think that their boy would be black and blue or horribly discoloured or that there would be some kind of hint of the trauma that had stolen his life. But there was nothing. He was perfect.

Lowering his head down, Eddie nuzzled his chin against (Y/n)'s shoulder when she leaned back into his chest like her bones were turning to jelly.

He continued to stare over her shoulder at their little boy resting peacefully in (Y/n)'s arms. And when he watched her graze one trembling finger around his eyes, part of Eddie wanted to smile, albeit in sorrow.

She didn't have to say anything at all; Eddie knew what she was thinking. She wanted to know what colour eyes he had, but she didn't dare try and take a peek. He was resting, he looked like he was asleep. Trying to see the colour of his eyes would mean staring into lifeless, glass eyes and that would be a worser image to have ingrained in their memories.

It would be better to remember him like he was now; sleeping.

(Y/n) adjusted him in her arms, shifting his tiny weight more into her left arm so she could raise him higher to her chest. Tears welled in her eyes as she stared down at him. Skin contact wasn't going to do either of them any good, and a miniscule part of her was beginning to regret asking to hold him because she knew that sooner or later, she would have to let him go.

She would never feel this tiny weight in her arms again. She would never look down at her baby boy. His image would eventually fade from her memory. He would never know her or Eddie, he would never know their touch or kisses or love. He didn't get to meet them before he was snatched away.

She couldn't help herself. When her fingertips graced along his small, wrinkled temple, she gently removed the pale turquoise hat from his head. It was clearly from a premature range because it fit his head perfectly despite him being under developed.

(Y/n) wouldn't have anything to remember him by except for the few shaky pictures Eddie managed to take. She wanted something as a keepsake, and he barely had any hair for her to take some. The hat was the next best thing. He had presumably been wearing it since the nurses cleaned him up after the C-section.

It might have his scent on it, but even if it didn't, it was something he had worn. Something that had been connected to her baby, and that was the only thing (Y/n) would have that had touched him.

When they went home, they would be able to take their daughter with them at some point, but this little boy was never going to go with them. In a few months it would feel like he never existed, like they had simply experienced a single pregnancy instead of twins.

(Y/n) had to have something to prove he had been here. She needed something to keep them connected while time and distance tried to keep them apart.

"Dad?"

A dazed look crossed Eddie's face and he blinked rapidly, trying to clear his hazy vision. An ounce of surprise flooded through him when he realised just how far he had walked while his mind had been clouded with memories. He seemed to have been moving on autopilot and he was relieved he hadn't bumped into anyone by now.

Although he did have Chris clinging to his left hand, which he was now tugging on to try and gain Eddie's attention.

"Hm, what?" Even his voice sounded so faraway as he glanced down at his boy who was staring up at him with those big round eyes and a small hint of a smile at the corner of his lips.

"You said mum's had the twins now?"

Shivers started to creep up and down Eddie's spine and he couldn't force himself to smile any longer. He had put on far too many fake smiles today. He tried to look placid and calm when he passed the nurses he kept bumping into when he was here with (Y/n).

He tried his best not to break apart when he was around Buck or Maddie because he knew Buck was one look away from falling apart too. It was hard to look at his parents without wanting to cry and fall into his mother's arms. And he could never put on a brave face around (Y/n), she could see right through any mask he tried to wear. He didn't need to act stoic or brave around (Y/n), but he didn't want to be falling apart either, that wouldn't help her.

When he glanced ahead and saw people queuing up for the lifts, Eddie took a deep breath and stopped walking. He bent down to the left and scooped Chris up, sitting him high on his hip before he made a beeline towards the stairs.

The stairwell was almost always empty and Eddie wasn't hanging around to go into a packed lift when (Y/n) was only up on the second floor.

His hand began to glide up and down Chris's back as he tried to think how to word this conversation.

"Yeah… yeah she's had the twins."

Chris had been begging everyone to take him to see (Y/n) since Buck told him they found her and that she was okay. He wanted to see for himself, he wanted to make sure (Y/n) was okay and stay with her for a while. He'd missed her; he was worried about his mum.

And (Y/n) had been asking about Chris as if she didn't truly believe that he could be unscathed after the ordeal they had all been through. So Eddie had brought him down to the hospital.

In a few days when (Y/n) and their baby girl were strong enough, they were going to move them to the Mercy General hospital which was closer to home. This was the hospital she had been brought to, but it was just outside of their town and meant anyone wanting to visit had to keep driving out their usual way to see her.

Their baby girl was going to be in the premature unit for the next four to five weeks, possibly longer. They needed her close to home so when (Y/n) was discharged she and Eddie could keep coming to see her and be with her every day.

When Chris looped his arms around the back of Eddie's neck and leaned his cheek on his shoulder, Eddie managed a torn smile.

"Buddy you can see mum today, but I want you to promise me you won't ask her about the twins or say anything about them for now, okay?"

Eddie felt horrible. He could feel Chris's arms tightening around his neck and he could see the confusion written across his features when he lifted his head to look up at him, puzzled. He knew what he was asking would be confusing and worrying for Chris, but he had to.

He continued to climb the stairs, keeping Chris secure on his hip as they headed closer and closer to (Y/n).

"Why?"

"Mum's upset, they're not very well and we don't want to upset her anymore right now, do we? Just for today, she needs some love and comfort."

Eddie hadn't found the right time or the words to tell Chris what had happened. All he managed to do was tell him that (Y/n) had been found and she was being looked after in the hospital. He didn't want to tell Chris here at the hospital about what had happened with the twins and he knew if Chris started asking (Y/n) questions, she would break apart with despair.

He was bringing Chris here for a short visit to see (Y/n) to try and calm them both down. Then when he took Chris home- because he was spending the night with him since his parents had been watching him until now- Eddie would sit him down and explain what happened to his brother and that his sister was poorly.

He would tell Chris what they would be doing now, that they would have to keep coming back to the hospital to see his sister until she was well enough to come home. And that it was going to be hard for them all for a while now. But not today. Eddie couldn't keep telling this broken news to everyone, he'd had to tell Buck and Maddie and both their families and he'd torn out (Y/n)'s heart by telling her.

Eddie couldn't do that to Chris as well, not today; he couldn't take any more sorrow right now.

"Promise." Chris nodded just as Eddie headed out the stairwell and ascended down the corridor.

Once they reached the right room, Eddie bent forward and lowered Chris down to his feet again. He rested his hand on Chris's shoulder and opened the door for him, but as soon as it was open Chris sped inside.

His eyes lit up and his hands shook and stimmed at his sides as he hurried towards the bed. He'd been so worried when he found Buck and his dad, but no one had found (Y/n). Chris had just gotten used to calling (Y/n) his mum, having someone around to love him again and tell him stories and cook with him and be there for him. He didn't want to lose her too.

"Mum!" Excitement was clear in his voice but his tone was quiet, almost hushed when he realised that (Y/n) was laid down in bed rather than sitting up. Perhaps she was asleep.

But the moment he heard his name murmur past (Y/n)'s lips, he scuttled towards the bed and clambered up. He saw (Y/n)'s lips curving into an exhausted smile when she saw him and he quickly flopped down on the edge of the bed beside her.

It took a few seconds, but Chris managed to wriggle closer and worm his way under (Y/n)'s arm. He draped his arm around her waist and dropped his head against her shoulder, pressing up into her like he hadn't seen her for weeks instead of days.

He felt (Y/n)'s lips burrowing into his curls as she kissed his temple and when her left arm carefully looped around him and her hand began to glide up and down his back, he sighed in contentment.

"Missed you."

"I missed you too baby, but I've got you back now." (Y/n) tried her best to push down the tears threatening to spill over. She had cried enough to rival the tides that separated them, and she didn't want to cry anymore. Not when this was a happy moment.

She had Chris back in her arms, he was safe and sound and they were reunited after being torn apart. He was alright, and he was clinging to her like he was never going to let her go again.

With her eyes closed and her face buried in Chris's hair, (Y/n) clung to him as tight as she could. Her bandaged hand stayed hidden beneath the pillow and her knees curled up slightly as she laid on her side, curled around Chris like they were the Yin and Yang signs.

At least she hadn't lost both her boys.

[megalony]

Torn Apart- Masterlist

In preparation for the next part (Which will be out tomorrow) here is a masterlist of my newest Eddie Diaz series.

Thank you all for the amazing feedback on this little series, I'm so happy you all like it and want to follow the story.

Series taglist: @booklover2503 @mayafatimakhan @sanchann @papafritarancia @freetimemachinequeen @bagelphiladelphia @angiewritesstuff @beforeroachfalls @mrsyixingunicorn10 @angrythotski @andrewgarfieldislife @timminear-ikureadao3

Eddie Diaz Masterlist

Summary: (Y/n) tries to cheer her brother up and takes Chris to spend the day with him. But they all get swept up in a tsunami, and when Eddie finds out, he becomes frantic to try and find his family. Especially because (Y/n) is pregnant.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

[megalony]

Hi love! I'm obsessed with Torn Apart! May we have a clue as to when part 3 will drop?

I love all your fics, but especially Eddie, so do you have any others of him on the way soon as well?

Hello 👋

I’m so pleased you love that series it’s quickly become a favourite of mine.

Part 3 is complete and I’m hoping it will be posted over the weekend probably Saturday. It is definitely going to be the next post out.

And I have another Eddie imagine that’s been waiting while to post so there is more to look forward to

🥰❤️🥰

[megalony]

My Rookie

I'm so excited, this is my first time writing for Tim Bradford/ The Rookie.

I hope you will all like it, please let me know what you think and if you have any Tim or Nolan ideas I'd love to give them a try.

Taglist: @justagirlthatlovedtoread @musicistheway @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @luula @missdreamofendless @bradleybeachbabe @angryknightstatesmantrash @minjix @lyje @kmc1989 @itsmytimetoodream @noonenuts @hiireadstuff @oliverstarksbae @gimatida @heart-35 @chrisevansdaughter @alexandra848484 @deena-beena-weena @targaryenluvs @kpoplover-19 @marvelmenarebeautiful @gillybear17

@mrspeacem1nusone @zephyrmonkey @estella-novella @eleventhdoctorsangel @kniselle @senjoritanana @shauna-carsley @dottierose @cfdhouse51 @darkfemme1 @reneinii @bellsbomb @western-pyro @itsgigikay @harry-satellite @midsummereve1993 @babyqueen17 @buckyyyismahhlife @sammiejane22 @mrsyixingunicorn10 @op-81-lvr-reblogs @talicat713 @niamhmbt @strawberry-canyon @bieberhoodforever @911fangirlie @hollandxxmix @jasmineee05 @creat1venat1onn @devilslittlehelper @darlingcharling-blog @bear8585 @nickie-amore @elliott-calls @person-005 @mbioooo0000 @amara-mars @shypy92 @nikfigueiredo @sabsthedoll @rach2602 @itshamleth @ladespedidas @devilslittlehelper @buckslifeline @wanniiieeee @jaydaaasworld @theelementofsurprisee @andrewgarfieldislife

Main Masterlist

Summary: (Y/n) is a rookie, so her new relationship with Tim isn't strictly professional. They try to keep things secret, but they run into problems when (Y/n) isn't well on shift and feels she can't trust her training officer.

Enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I've been looking for that."

(Y/n) felt her lips curving into a grin, obscured by the mug of coffee clasped tightly between her hands. She didn't have to turn around to know that he was smirking from where he was standing behind her; that usual teasing tone to his voice told her as much.

She took another sip of coffee while she tried to think what he was referring to and slowly turned away from the kitchen counter.

As she suspected, Tim was standing in the kitchen doorway in that usual tense manner as if he were always alert, always on the job. He had his arms folded over his chest, pressing into the thin grey shirt he was wearing that was rather high around the collar and snug around the biceps.

He had one hip cocked out to the side and a knee arched forward with his jeans hanging low on his hips.

It still felt strange to see Tim in 'casual clothes' rather than his work uniform, no matter how many times (Y/n) stayed over at his place. And to see him changed out of his uniform at the station when he was ready to go home was even stranger.

They both seemed to realise that she hadn't given him an answer to his earlier statement, and Tim shifted one hand out to point to the shirt (Y/n) was currently wearing.

It was his.

Tim had been wondering where that particular shirt had disappeared to. It wasn't anything special or memorable, just a simple black shirt that had Police written on the back in white block letters. Something that had made Tim smile when he saw it a month after joining the force so he decided he had to buy it, like it was a sign.

And now that shirt was draped over (Y/n)'s frame, hanging low down one shoulder and barely long enough to reach her thighs. Allowing Tim a bird's eye view of her underwear, since she wasn't wearing any jeans.

"Do you mind?" She already knew he didn't, but it felt appropriate to ask anyway. And the way his smirk morphed into a smile that caused his eyes to crease made (Y/n)'s stomach flutter.

"Suppose not, when you look like that."

(Y/n) glanced her eyes down when Tim walked towards her and she felt like she was floating on air when his arms circled her frame. It wasn't like this was the first time she had stayed over at his place, nor was it the first time she had stolen one of his shirts because it was comfortable and close to hand. But everything still had that air of anticipation and newness about it when it came to Tim.

This was a side that no one else got to see. This was the softer, calmer side that no one else knew existed. The side that (Y/n) had seen creeping through from the very beginning, or so she liked to think.

The feeling of his arms bound around her waist was grounding, and she felt like melting when she felt his chest merge down against her back like he was trying to mould them together. His lips attached to the side of her neck and (Y/n) hummed, tilting her head to one side while her hands reached down to clasp over his wrists once she set her cup down on the counter.

"Do you have to go soon?" (Y/n) remembered he was on shift today. A lot of their shifts had lined up recently, but there were still the odd few where one would work and the other would be at home. And they sometimes passed at the station when one was leaving and the other was just arriving.

"Yep." There was almost an air of annoyance to Tim's voice, but he tried to hold it back.

It wasn't as if they actually got to work together when their shifts lined up, but at least they could see each other in passing and at lunch or when they were going to file paperwork and get signed off on arrests.

(Y/n) was still a rookie.

She had been on the job for almost a year now, but she was still seen as a rookie, one of the newbies, someone that might not make it on the job because it was hard at the best of times.

And with (Y/n) being a rookie, someone that needed to be trained and shown the ropes, being in a relationship with Tim wasn't strictly allowed. Although he wasn't her own training officer, he was still higher up than her and (Y/n) knew what the others would say if they found out.

They would say that she was getting preferential treatment, that Tim would put in a good word for her or go easy on her. They would say that (Y/n) was only dating him to advance her career, and she would gain a reputation.

None of that was true, but gossip spread like wildfire and it stuck like glue. For the time being, they had to keep their affections secret and that was fine with them both.

"You're working tomorrow, right?" Tim's voice sounded awfully distant in (Y/n)'s ears and she almost didn't reply as if the words had drifted through one ear and gone straight out the other.

"Hm."

Her eyes fell closed and she couldn't help dropping her head back onto Tim's shoulder like he was her personal leaning post, the only thing stopping her from hitting the ground.

She didn't feel the way his arms tightened around her, elbows imbedding in her sides as his brows furrowed slightly.

"You okay rookie?"

Her bare feet steeled against the ground like she was trying to be a flower spreading roots into the soil. She tried to hold her weight up a bit better so she wasn't fully leaning back on Tim but the twisting in her stomach was starting again.

She hadn't felt too good during the night between a headache and something similar to stomach cramps. Perhaps downing two mugs of coffee on an empty stomach in the hopes of perking herself up hadn't been the best idea this morning.

Although his words caused a flood of adrenaline through her stomach and she peeked one eye open to glance up at him.

"I'm not your boot," She spoke with an air of humour in her words because she knew that wasn't what Tim meant. From the first time they hooked up, he had taken to calling her rookie as a term of endearment and slight teasing rather than just a name for one of the newbies he worked with.

"No, but you're my rookie." He retorted in a tone so soft it didn't fit the tough-guy Bradford image he liked to give off at work. "You good?"

They both knew that whenever he said that, (Y/n) would turn to putty in his hands. There was just something sweet about that particular term being used affectionately rather than a slang or a crude slurr at work. It was normal for the traininng officers to call their trainees 'boots' but Tim could never call any trainee 'rookie'. Not now that it was his pet name for (Y/n). He wouldn't be able to look at anyone in the same way if he did.

"Just a headache, I'm good." There was no point worrying Tim when she was alright. Besides, she wasn't on shift today, she could go home and try to relax and take it easy and build herself up for her shift tomorrow.

Tim rose a brow as he looked down at her. He didn't seem very convinced until (Y/n) flashed that smile that always made his stomach tighten and had his heart adding in a few extra beats.

He pressed closer against her and craned his neck down until their lips were touching. He could taste the remnants of coffee on her lips and his heart almost gave out when one of her hands reached out to cradle his jaw. Her touch was so soft, so tender that it was like he was floating amongst the clouds.

His lips vibrated against hers as he hummed into the kiss and swiped his tongue across her parted lips before they both pulled up for air, and Tim let his forehead nudge down against hers.

He just knew today was going to feel like a long day when he wouldn't get to walk past (Y/n) or catch her eye at any point. He had always loved the job since the moment he started out, but now with (Y/n) there, Tim had an extra reason to enjoy work and say that the job was his life.

A horrible round of trembling set in (Y/n)'s system as she tried to hurry. Her feet were almost skidding against the floor and she prayed no one would come around the corner and catch sight of her. This wouldn't be her finest moment if anyone saw her in this state.

She wasn't going to make it.

One hand moved to cover her mouth whilst the other clenched into a fist at her side. She knew she looked like she was doing some kind of strange power walk and it wasn't something (Y/n) wanted anyone to witness.

She could feel her mind clouding over like her head was being stuffed with cotton wool and her eyes were starting to blot with white dots like thousands of tiny stars twinkling in front of her.

The door was finally within view. (Y/n) stretched her free hand out and bashed her palm into the centre of the door, slamming it open with so much force that the door swung back and hit the wall. There was no time to care about that.

As soon as she was in, (Y/n) dithered for a split second debating whether to rush towards a toilet cubicle or to the sinks. The sinks were closer.

Her knees almost gave out once she grabbed onto the nearest sink and doubled forward. It was hard to lock her legs in place and imbed them into the underside of the sink basin to stop herself from going down to the floor.

The sound her nails made scratching into the side of the sink made her shudder but it was the feeling of bile at the back of her throat and that awful twisting of her gut that made her feel worse.

Static built up in (Y/n)'s ears that were starting to ring and her head felt so heavy as she slumped forward, bowing her head over the sink in time to throw up the little amount of water she had managed to keep down today.

Eating hadn't been an option yesterday, even though she had gone home and tried to rest, every time she tried to eat she just felt like her stomach was tearing itself apart from the inside out. She felt tired and run down yesterday, eating hadn't been on her mind and she hadn't been that hungry. And today, it just seemed safer to abstain from food and try to keep her fluids up instead until her system was settled and back to normal.

Clearly that wasn't happening today if water wouldn't stay down. (Y/n) would have to try and keep drinking though, she couldn't be doing a twelve hour patrol shift with no energy and no fluids.

This had to stop, (Y/n) couldn't be feeling like this when she was out on patrol. Pulling over for her to throw up or driving around with her head hanging out the window wasn't going to be an option.

Not with (Y/n)'s training officer. Hanks wasn't the kind of person who accepted someone being unwell on his shift.

Part of (Y/n) wished she had Tim as her TO. As bad as it would be to date her training officer, (Y/n) would have preferred Tim to Hanks. Tim was sometimes harsh and he was always on the ball and straight down the line, but he was fair. He made sure whoever was on patrol with him was understood and taught properly.

Hanks wasn't like that. He liked to tease, to taunt and to do that sometimes he would go against the rules or sit back and do nothing and let situations get bad so he could 'teach her a lesson'. When (Y/n) had felt unwell not long after she first joined him on patrol, he made it clear that if she tried to take a back step or had to leave early then she would be seen as weak and he would make sure to tell the Sargent that she was slacking off.

Another cough burned deep within (Y/n)'s chest and she could feel the water trickling past her lips and spitting into the sink that was the only thing stopping her from crashing to the floor.

This feeling had to pass, (Y/n) was due to go out on patrol and she couldn't do that when she felt like this. She needed to go and get ready before Hanks went in a mood if she was late.

Trembles and shock seeped into her bones when the door opened and (Y/n) could barely hold her head up when she tried to look and see who had walked in and caught her in the midst of feeling unwell.

"Oh, sorry." Lucy wasn't quite sure why she was apologising, it wasn't as if she had opened the toilet stall and found (Y/n) indisposed. But it still felt like an intrusion when there was no one else in the toilets and (Y/n) was clearly feeling unwell.

She didn't look good. Lucy bit her lip as she stepped forward and let the door close behind her while her gaze looked over her friend. (Y/n)'s skin was flushed with sweat and she looked like she was on the verge of collapsing. She was positively shaking as she clung to the sink, taking deep, ragged breaths like she was trying to calm herself down.

"You don't look well, maybe you should go home." There was nothing rude or sinister about Lucy's tone, in fact she looked and sounded very sympathetic.

She took a step closer until she was at (Y/n)'s side, watching as (Y/n) took a deep breath before she straightened up.

Her hands were shaking as they roamed up and down her shirt, making sure it was tucked in and there were no creases on her uniform before she looked up at Lucy like she was in a daze. Her smile was almost drunken as she turned on the tap and splashed some water on her face.

Going home wasn't an option, (Y/n) was here to work and this is where she would stay until the end of her shift.

Her hands flexed at her sides, shaking off the droplets of water that felt cold and refreshing against her burning skin. She was going to have to drive with the windows down like she was an engine that shouldn't overheat.

"Yeah, not possible. Hanks has it in for me, if I go home sick o- or if I admit I'm ill, he'll fail me in evaluation. I'm good."

(Y/n) offered Lucy a tired smile and squeezed her arm before she weaved around her. Her senses were already coming back to her and unbelievably, she felt better now. Maybe an empty stomach was what she needed until she could get rid of whatever was wrong with her system. She would try and eat something tonight, maybe a bit of bread or a small bowl of soup and then try again tomorrow.

Deep down, (Y/n) knew she didn't sound believable. She knew that one look at her showed she wasn't one hundred percent and that she looked dishevelled at best. But everyone here was a hard worker, no one took personal days or sick days for a minor inconvenience and (Y/n) didn't want to be like that.

She wanted to be someone that the squad could rely on, not someone they thought was always slacking off. And she didn't want Hanks to fail her evaluation, that would put her one foot out the door if he did. She was a rookie, and everyone would look down on her until she had been here for longer and had proved her worth.

Her right hand reached out to prop against the wall when she turned the corner and tried walking like a normal person. Without the wobbling or wavering or doubling forward like she was going to throw up again.

She had work to do.

Lucy felt bad. She gnawed and chewed on her lower lip as she left the toilets and made her way down to the parking garage where she knew Tim would be waiting at the shop for her.

Her hands fiddled with the belt looped around her hips and she tried to keep her eyes peeled, but she had a feeling (Y/n) had already gone out on patrol.

Maybe she should have said something. Maybe she should have tried to reassure (Y/n) that she wouldn't be in the wrong or doing a bad thing if she took a break or went home for the remainder of her shift. There was a reason they had sick days, they were there to take not just for statistics.

But it made her wonder as she walked, would Tim be the same as Hanks if she were ill?

Thoughts and questions rolled around in her head which kept her oddly quiet and pliant as she climbed in the car and buckled up without a word. And clearly Tim noticed her silence.

His eyes kept glancing towards her with furrowed brows and growing confusion.

Tim wasn't sure he'd ever had a boot as nervous yet somehow confident like Lucy. She was always contradicting and questioning him and she didn't seem to like any silence, at any point. But she hadn't said a word since she climbed in the car.

"Alright boot, what's wrong?" If this was going to be some kind of personal drama then Tim would cut her off. He didn't need to know if that was the case and he didn't want to delve into her personal life. It would truly distract them if they had a call and they couldn't afford to be distracted. That was how accidents happened.

But if it was something to do with a job, or a specific question she had in mind then Tim would try to answer or set her straight. At least Lucy was willing to learn, more than the other rookies he had trained.

Sometimes he wondered what it would have been like if he had been assigned (Y/n) instead of Lucy. He wondered if they would still have gotten into a relationship if they had been paired together and spent each twelve hour shift in one another's company.

Tim knew he could be evasive and abrupt at the best of times and he was no picnic to patrol with. But he and (Y/n) seemed to have clicked instantly and a relationship just sort of happened, despite Tim knowing much better and understanding that it wasn't within the rules to date a rookie. The only blessing was that they weren't assigned together, so not as many rules were being broken here.

"Boot?" He asked again when he received no answer, a sigh entwined in his tone as he waited slightly impatiently for her to answer.

"Say if… if I wasn't well, would you still expect me to work and have your back?"

A frown pulled at Tim's features and he quickly glanced to the right to check whether she was trying to catch him out, but her tone and that worried glance told him that she wasn't. She was genuinely asking for his opinion and what he would expect of her in that situation.

She didn't look ill. Did she feel sick? Was something on her mind that might distract her from the job? If that was the case Lucy should have told him before they got in the shop and started driving.

Straightening in his chair a little, Tim moved one hand to run along his freshly shaved jaw while his other hand flexed around the steering wheel.

"How ill are we talking?" It felt like they were playing a game, like this was an exercise he would do to try and test Lucy on her codes and violations and her rookie handbook.

"Throwing up and sweating kind of ill." She cringed as she spoke, like she couldn't believe she was doing this.

But if Lucy got into the same state as (Y/n), she thought it best to find out whether Tim would react the same way Hanks clearly would with (Y/n). She would hate to take a sick day and then have Tim be annoyed with her if he expected one hundred and ten percent commitment whether she might make him ill or be a liability or not.

Again, Tim took the time to glance over at Lucy but she looked fine. She wasn't sweating through her uniform or going a pasty colour. Her eyes were in focus and she was alert, she wasn't groaning in pain or wriggling in discomfort or looking like she was about to pass out.

"I'd expect you to go home, boot. You can't have my back if you're throwing up in my shop- which I won't allow by the way. If you're not at your best you need to rest until you are. Why, you not feeling good?" His tone softened around the edges as they locked eyes.

Tim was all for being the harsh TO, the one people feared being partnered up with, but he liked to think he was fair. He wouldn't ride around the shop with someone if they were ill and needed to rest and go home. He wouldn't make Lucy stay on patrol if she had to take a day.

He would rather her go home and look after herself or sort out any personal drama so she could be fully committed to the job each day. Distractions always proved to be dangerous.

"No, no not me… I saw (Y/n) earlier, she didn't look great. She said Hanks will fail her evaluation if she admits she's sick."

Lucy slouched down in her seat and started to entwine her hands together to keep her mind occupied. She felt like she was snitching on a friend to a teacher.

But with her eyes focused on her hands, she missed the fire that flashed across Tim's eyes. His hand that was on his jaw suddenly clenched tight and his nails pierced into his skin, pinching at his jawline that looked like it had been chiselled and carved out of stone.

That better not be the case.

Tim better not find out that Josh Hanks was going around telling all the rookies placed with him that if they were ill then it would put them at a disadvantage or worse, he would fail their evaluations.

That wasn't how things worked, that wasn't how anyone should be trained when they joined the force. None of them were immune to sickness or mental health days or having personal issues and if they needed to take a day or two then that's what they did.

God knows when Tim's marriage went south, he had to take a few days off. Maybe not as long as he should have to get his head back in gear- because work helped keep him focused and stitch together his fractured reality- but he still took some time because he knew he was of no use to anyone when he had been that volatile and angry.

"Then he's not a good TO. We're not machines, boot, we have sick days for a reason."

It took all of Tim's effort to bite down on his tongue and refrain from asking about (Y/n).

He wanted to ask if (Y/n) seemed okay or how ill she looked or what Lucy thought was wrong. Tim knew while he had been on shift yesterday (Y/n) said she tried to rest and she told him last night that she felt better. But clearly she still wasn't well and she hadn't said exactly what was wrong.

Tim knew if he started asking questions then Lucy would get suspicious. He never asked about any other rookies because in his own words, Lucy was the only boot he was responsible for. And if he let slip that he knew (Y/n) more than just to say hello to, then questions and rumours might start flying around the station and he didn't want that happening. Not yet.

He knew that Hanks wasn't the best officer out there to be training the new recruits, but if these were the kind of games he was playing, then Tim was going to have to keep an eye on him.

***

The sound of a car boot slamming echoed through the garage and pulsed around the bricks like a heartbeat. It echoed and vibrated in Tim's ears like the sound was following him as he hauled the equipment bag up onto his shoulder and locked the shop. Lucy had already gone ahead to start processing the person they'd arrested.

A sigh parted Tim's lips and he started to circle the keys around his finger, swirling them until the metal was clinking together like the toll of a church bell. It gave his mind something to focus on, that was, until Tim walked out the garage and into the corridor.

The very person that had been playing on his mind was now stood ahead of him like he had managed to conjure her up all on his own.

He stuffed the keys into his pocket, leaving his hand free as he took a quick look around to make sure no one else- particularly Hanks- was within sight or earshot.

(Y/n) had been staring down at the floor like she was in her own little world, right until a large hand suddenly curled around her arm.

Her lips parted with a strangled sound and her head shot up, eyes locking with Tim just as she was about to raise her other hand to grab or slap him, her mind hadn't quite decided. The tension started to fade from her limbs until she felt like she was turning to jelly but she quickly glanced around. Although deep down (Y/n) knew Tim wouldn't be holding onto her at all or standing this close if he knew someone was nearby.

There was a strange look in his eyes.

(Y/n)'s head angled to one side and her tired eyes narrowed as she stared up at him, wondering what was running through his mind. Those pale pink lips of his were pressed together in such a way that they were almost invisible and his jaw looked square from how tightly he was clenching his teeth.

But it was his eyes that made (Y/n) quiver. Those pale eyes were piercing into her like he was trying to look right through her into her soul. She watched his orbs gaze her up and down, and not in the way that she was used to when they were in private.

He wasn't smiling and his pupils weren't blown or glazed over as he stared at her. They were constricted and focused like Tim was looking for something in particular.

"Are you alright?"

His question took her by surprise and before she could think better of it, (Y/n) curled her hand around his bicep, her upper arm still in his rather tight grip. Her thumb began to brush and stroke across his short sleeve, ruffling the cuff and tickling his skin.

"I- I'm fine, why?" What had gone through Tim's mind to make him panic? He didn't usually interact with her like this when they were at work and he'd never been this bold to reach out for her before when he knew anyone could walk down the corridor and see them.

Had something happened to another patrol unit? Did he hear something over the radio and think she had been caught up in it? (Y/n) knew if it was the other way around she would have panicked if she thought Tim had been involved in a shooting or people being taken hostage. He could handle himself, but (Y/n) would still worry.

"Chen said you didn't look well earlier. But you told me you were feeling better." Tim tried to keep any hint of accusation out of his voice, but there was a tiny flicker in his voice as he looked down at her.

She told him she felt okay last night, but clearly Lucy had seen something different today and she had no reason to lie. She had no idea that (Y/n) and Tim were seeing each other.

The end of his nose twitched and his upper lip curled when (Y/n) wouldn't look at him or keep eye contact. So Tim was right in guessing that she wasn't as well as she tried to tell him she was.

"I- I felt dizzy, but I'm alright now." It felt like a lie and (Y/n) tried not to grimace at her own words and the lack of passion in her voice.

She had cranked up the aircon in the shop while she and Hanks had been out on patrol and sitting down for a while had settled her system. But she knew she was still sweating through her uniform and when Hanks sped up, her head spun in circles. But she was up and walking about now and as long as she didn't have to do any running or anything too over-exerting, then she would be okay until the end of her shift.

"And you'd tell me if something was wrong, right?" There was a hint of emotion in Tim's voice that he just couldn't hide and it made (Y/n)'s heart soar and had a genuine smile forming on her lips.

"Yeah," Her reply was instant and it made her debate about asking him what she should do, but she only had a few hours of her shift left. Surely she could make it to the end.

When she felt Tim's hand loosening on her arm, she gave his bicep a squeeze and focused her gaze on the name tag pinned to his shirt. "I'm back out on patrol now, need to clean the shop before we go."

Her heart fluttered when Tim's fingers curled surprisingly softly around her chin and he nudged her head back so their gazes interlocked again. He had one brow arched up and that scrutinising, calculating look was back to his features like he was debating whether or not he truly believed she would be okay.

But Tim had to trust (Y/n)'s judgement. If she thought she was okay then he had to go with that, he couldn't decide for her or go to the Sergent and say she wasn't well and needed to go home. That would just cause chaos and raise too many questions. And he certainly didn't want to stand here and order (Y/n) to go home, that wouldn't be caring of him, it would be controlling.

With a sigh, Tim nodded and let go of her chin though he didn't want their touch to part.

"Be careful."

He meant to weave around her. He was going to walk past her and be on his way, he really was. But it was an opportune moment with no one else around them and that uncertain, slightly dazed look on (Y/n)'s face was doing something to his heart that had been in a frenzy since Lucy said (Y/n) wasn't well.

Tim leant down and pressed a chaste kiss to her temple. Nothing lavish, the touch seemed to disappear before it was ever there. But (Y/n) could feel her skin igniting and her nerves sparking from where the touch had been and her lips formed into a smile even as she listened to Tim's retreating footsteps.

But he looked back. He looked over his shoulder as his brows furrowed. Walking away felt like he was making a big mistake; her temple was flushed, like he had pressed his lips to a flickering flame.

***

A sigh rumbled through Tim's chest as he rolled his head from side to side, clicking his neck into place with such a snap it sounded like it had broken. He thought he'd come out of the fight earlier in the afternoon unscathed, but clearly the person he had pursued in chase had fought Tim harder than he thought. His neck was aching and his shoulders were tender in a way that suggested he would have bruises in the morning.

All part and parcel of the job, he thought to himself. At least he could go home now, and Tim would be able to keep an eye on (Y/n) now. She had already agreed earlier that she would come round to his place after their shifts ended.

He wrangled a fresh shirt carefully over his head, trying not to strain his shoulders too much and he pulled the hem down over his jeans and his belt.

Once he'd patted down his pockets to check he had everything, he nudged his locket shut and pulled out his phone.

He barely scrolled past his lockscreen before a loud bang echoed around the locker room and had everyone jumping in panic. Tim resisted the urge to reach for his belt. He knew instinctively that the sound hadn't been a gunfire and it would only be other officers in here, no chance of any gunfire or anyone trying to cause a scene or take hostages. Guns weren't needed.

But it was Talia's voice that caught Tim's attention over all the rest and had his attention peaked.

"Shit- oh God."

The room was spinning. (Y/n) felt like she was standing on a hoverboard that was being shaken from left to right sending her every which way. Her sense of balance had been distorted, whatever way her head was leaning, her body was following.

She could feel the sweat soaking through her uniform and she was sure if anyone else looked close enough at her, they would see it too.

She should have told Tim the truth, she should have admitted that she didn't feel great when she saw him in the garage. He would have helped her, he would have squared it with the Sargent that she could leave early and go home to rest.

Pushing through this for the sake of pride and to keep the peace with Hanks hadn't been worth it. He knew she had been feeling crappy too because his driving had been almost erratic; he had caused (Y/n)'s brain to turn to mush from being rattled when he sped in the patrol car.

Each beat of her heart was felt throughout her body, her skin was vibrating and pulsing like a boombox and she was sure that if she looked down, she would see the skin on her arms lifting and moving like it was breathing with her pulse.

All she could hear was the ringing in her ears but it was so consistent that it seemed to turn silent.

Her left hand clenched around her locker door but she could barely feel the cold metal against her skin.

Everything was overwhelming. Her body was too heavy to hold up on her own anymore, and her locker door was too flimsy to prop her up. She couldn't even lean on her locker, her grip had already loosened and her hand was flagging by her side.

The sound of her knees bending and hitting against the door created shockwaves, but it was the sound her body made when it slapped against the cold tiled floor that seemed to stun the room into silence. The moment her head hit the cold ground, (Y/n) was out like a light and her eyes were rolling to the back of her head.

It was a relief to have her brain shut down.

Tim didn't like that echoing sound, not did he like Talia's reaction to whatever had happened. His hands were flexing at his sides as he sped up to the next row of lockers and leaned around to see what was happening.

His blood ran cold when he looked down. (Y/n). His (Y/n), his secret rookie, crumpled down on the floor like she had been shot in the line of duty. With Talia knelt down beside her and Lucy stood close by, her shoulders pressed back into her locker as she stared down at (Y/n) like she didn't recognise her.

Even though Talia was already one step ahead and clearly about to try and check (Y/n) over, Tim knelt down. He took charge, and he didn't care who was looking or what they might say about him hustling in.

(Y/n) wasn't well, and he wanted to know why.

He ignored Talia who was about to reach out for (Y/n), and he ignored the look she gave him with knitted brows and pinched lips as he seemingly took over. His knees hit the floor with a bang and he shuffled closer until he was able to arch over (Y/n), his dominant presence being enough to make Talia lean back out the way.

His hands reached out so he was cupping either side of (Y/n)'s neck and he carefully turned her head so her cheek was no longer meshed against the floor.

He stroked his thumbs along her cheeks to try and rouse her, but she was out cold; her unconscious state being the only thing about her that was cold. The rest of her was heating up. So much so that Tim shifted one hand to press the back of his hand against her temple to feel a sticky layer of sweat gluing them together.

"(Y/n), are you with me?"

No response. Not like Tim was actually expecting one, but it still tore away at him that (Y/n) couldn't even nudge her cheek into his touch or give out a little murmur that she was alert. And when he slid his thumb down and tried to pull her eyelid to check her pupils, he couldn't even see it; her eyes were rolled to the back of her head exposing only the whites.

His breath held deep in his lungs while he pushed his index and middle fingers against her throat, counting each throb of her artery which told him that her pulse was too high.

A huffed "Okay," passed Tim's lips along with the click of his tongue as he started to move (Y/n).

One hand cupped the back of her neck while the other moved to slide beneath her thigh and he carefully rolled her so she was lying on her left side with her back facing him. Once she was in place, Tim leaned over her to stretch her arms out towards Talia so they weren't squashed or crumpled beneath her.

He could feel his breaths starting to run away without him when he looked around and noticed that everyone was simply crowding round like this was some kind of game or a free show just for them.

"Don't just stand there, someone call for a fucking ambulance." Was he the only one qualified to do anything? Did they not think it was appropriate to call an ambulance since (Y/n) had clearly collapsed rather than just falling asleep or tripping over?

Part of Tim was relieved when he saw that it was Lucy calling for an ambulance. At least his boot knew what the Hell she was doing and how to be helpful in this situation.

And he was glad when he watched Talia wave her hand and utter for everyone to back off. They didn't need an audience, if no one else was going to do anything to help then they could make themselves scarce.

When he looked back down at (Y/n), he couldn't help but reach his hand out and loop his index finger into the collar of her shirt. He pulled it back just a little, brows knitting together as he noted how much she was sweating. She had to be feverish to be this flushed and soaked with sweat. If (Y/n) were a temperature gage she would have blown by now.

"She's burning up… there are ice packs in the kitchen." There was no room for debate in Tim's voice when he glanced his eyes up to look at Talia. He was telling her what to do rather than giving a suggestion or simply making conversation.

And she didn't hesitate. They all had to look out for each other here and she would happily try and make herself useful, even if she wasn't too sure why Tim had taken charge. Unless it was because he wanted to prove how accomplished and useful he could be and to get the glory of helping a fellow officer.

Within moments she was hurrying back into the locker room, weaving through the crowd that had shifted to stand near the wall so they could see but weren't too close that Tim would argue with them to get back.

Four ice packs were juggled between Talia's hands and she crouched down opposite Tim, spreading the packs out on the floor so they could each grab one.

Tim placed one against the back of (Y/n)'s neck, tugging her collar out the way so it was flush against her skin. And he took a deep breath before he leant back on his heels and tugged (Y/n)'s shirt out from where it was tucked into her waistband so he could press the second ice pack against her lower back.

He was glad Talia took the initiative to press one against (Y/n)'s chest just beneath her collar bone. Tim didn't want to be seen doing that in front of others, despite being platonic and professional it might have been seen as overstepping by some. Talia placed the last ice pack in between (Y/n)'s arms that were pressed together while they were stretched out in front of her.

Having them near her pulse points and on her chest would help to bring down her temperature until she could get to hospital and the doctors could get her fever properly under control.

"She's not injured?"

Tim wasn't sure whether Talia's question was rhetorical or whether she was asking him for his opinion. Either way, his brows furrowed and he glared at her in confusion.

"What?"

"Does she look ill to you or could this be from an accident on patrol? Gray won't be impressed if this is the result of an injury."

Tim's teeth punctured down into his lip to stop himself from responding too quickly. He couldn't very well admit that (Y/n) told him she wasn't feeling well yesterday either, it would raise too many questions and Talia knew Tim well enough to know when something was up. She would start to suspect.

But she was right in asking because if (Y/n) had gained an injury from work and didn't tell anyone or wasn't allowed to seek medical attention for some reason, then Grey would blow a fuse. He wouldn't be impressed if one of the new rookies was hurt and they were liable for it. They were all supposed to look after and train the new rookies, not let them get hurt.

"She looks ill to me." Turning to the right, Tim glanced up at Lucy. "Chen, you said she was sick today?"

"Wh- uh yeah, yeah she didn't look well this morning, I think she's sick."

Whether an ambulance was close by or this was deemed as a high priority call due to it being at the police station, Tim couldn't be sure. But an ambulance turned up within minutes and he was secretly relieved. The longer they stayed here, the more questions would be asked and the more people would start to crowd round to gawk at (Y/n) and find out what was wrong with her. That wasn't fair. And she needed medical attention.

When the paramedics came through, Tim shuffled to one side but he stayed relatively close. With one knee imbedded against the floor and his other foot planted on the floor with his knee pushed up and his arm resting against his thigh.

Something tugged at his heart when (Y/n) moved. It was hard to steel his expression and try to keep that neutral, blank expression on his face that he adopted whenever he was out on patrol. He tried hard and his teeth chomped down on the inside of his cheek to stop his lips from twitching in any direction when (Y/n)'s hands started to move.

Her movements were uncoordinated, floppy and still ever so shaky like she had developed Parkinson's overnight.

Whatever sound muffled past her lips, no one could make out or gage whether she was trying to say a specific word or just making her voice heard and known. It didn't really matter though.

(Y/n)'s hand scraped along the floor and her arm lifted similar to the way a minute hand would tick on a clock. Her arm shuffled along the floor until it was raised near her head and as soon as her fingers touched against Tim's jeans, she dug her nails into the fabric. She scratched and pulled weakly to gain his attention.

Tim took her hand before he could think better of it. To anyone else, it would look like she was simply trying to gain some help from a friendly face nearby. She wanted reassurance and Tim was more than happy to do that. No one else would know that (Y/n) was secretly reaching for Tim specifically and that she was after his comfort and affection.

"(Y/n), it's Bradford." His voice was quiet and there was a usual gritty edge to his tone because he knew Talia and other onlookers might hear him. He couldn't risk saying anything that would give their relationship away.

He gently curved his fingers around her clammy hand, peeling her touch away from his jeans so he could grip her hand instead. His thumb stroked along the back of her hand while his eyes focused on watching the medics get to work.

They set her up on an IV drip that she barely felt, they checked her rising blood pressure and tried to ask questions, none of which (Y/n) was in any state to answer- if she even heard them.

(Y/n)'s fingers stayed deadlocked around Tim's hand even as the medics got her onto a stretcher and began to wheel her out of the locker room. Tim had no choice but to walk alongside her, but he would have followed whether (Y/n) was gripping his hand or not.

"You're gonna be fine." Tim gave her hand a squeeze and kept his eyes on (Y/n) rather than all the officers pausing and gathering in the halls to witness what was going on. Anything to get the gossip that seemed to run this place.

A silent debate began in Tim's mind as they neared the main doors to the station where the ambulance was parked directly outside. He debated whether to go along in the ambulance or to hang back and make out that he would drive home so he could drive to the hospital and be with (Y/n).

He might get a few looks for going in the ambulance, but he would be able to brush it off as trying to be a good officer and friend when no one else seemed to be willing to go along with (Y/n). Tim knew what it was like to ride in an ambulance alone and be taken to hospital, it wasn't a pleasant experience and not one he would want any fellow officer to have to do alone.

The debate was put on pause in the back of his head when he just happened to glance to the right.

Josh Hanks.

(Y/n)'s training officer. The person that had spent the whole shift alongside her; the one person that should have noticed she wasn't well and known something wasn't right. It shouldn't have taken Lucy spotting (Y/n) in the toilets or Tim helping her collapsed in the locker room to find out that she wasn't well.

It was Josh who should have seen her deteriorating and told her to go home or get checked out by a first aider. He should have sensed that something was wrong. There was no way he couldn't have known.

"Hold that ambulance." Tim uttered to the paramedic and he carefully managed to peel his hand out of (Y/n)'s tight grip.

He turned, taking large strides with hands clenched into fists at his sides and his sights solely focused on Josh. The closer he got, the angrier he started to feel, especially when he looked at Josh and could see him trying his best not to smirk, but he was failing badly.

He was actually gloating and smiling as if this was a prank that had gone in his favour. What did he think he was doing?

Rage started to bubble over within Tim and before he could stop himself, he reached out and gave a harsh shove to Josh's shoulder, causing him to stumble back three paces.

"What the Hell did you do to my- to the rookie?"

Shit; he almost gave himself away. The petname always rolled off the tongue when he was referring to or around (Y/n) but the last person he wanted to find out about that was Josh Hanks.

Almost gave himself away.

"What are going you on about?" His response was half-arsed and he was quick to fold his arms back over his chest once he regained his sense of balance.

Tim's eyes furrowed and his lips morphed into a snarl as he tossed one arm back to point in (Y/n)- and the ambulance's direction. "(Y/n). She collapsed, because she's under the impression that you'll fail her evaluation if she's ill. Did you seriously tell her that? Didn't you fucking see that she was getting worse?"

"She was fine-"

"Does she look fine now to you?" Tim looked over his shoulder, his glare now set on the ambulance that (Y/n) was being put into. She certainly didn't look fine. He knew- he knew, he should have done something back at the parking garage when he saw her.

But he didn't want to be seen as controlling or pushy so he kept his mouth shut and backed down. Maybe if Tim insisted on (Y/n) taking a break then she would have said how worried she was about Hanks and Tim could have done something. He could have mentioned something to Gray or collared Hanks and told him to teach the newbies properly. Then maybe this wouldn't have happened.

"Oh come on, she's not the first rookie to feel queasy in the shop. I only told her that I don't take slackers. She can't be on the force if she can't handle the shifts."

Red.

That was all Tim could see when he looked at Josh. He hadn't told (Y/n) anything of the sort. He'd practically blackmailed her by telling her that if she took any sort of time off or left early, she would be a liability and not worthy of the job.

And something about the way he spoke about (Y/n) feeling ill in the car made Tim sure that Josh had been the one driving; and he hadn't gone easy on the corners.

"You tryin' to tell me you've never gone hard on a rookie before, Bradford?"

Something close to a laugh cackled at the back of Tim's throat and he shook his head in disbelief. "We're training officers, we don't set them up to fail. Your boot is going to the hospital, you think there won't be a report on this?"

Glee dwelled in Tim's stomach when he saw a flash of something cross Josh's eyes. Worry perhaps, maybe a glimmer of anger directed at Tim, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to forgive Josh for this and Tim certainly wasn't letting this one go.

He took a step back before he felt the urge to start throwing his fists. He couldn't start a fight here at the station when there were enough colleagues around to point the finger and risk his job. As if he wasn't risking everything already by falling head over heels for (Y/n).

"You're done. I'll put a report on the Captain's desk tomorrow myself."

[megalony]

Yay!! I can’t wait and I gotta ask unless it’s under wraps: what powers does the reader have??👀

(Totally presuming this is a follow on from our Johnny storm chat)

I was thinking of the reader having telekinesis powers, I purposely didn’t write her powers in the first part in case anyone wanted to imagine their own powers

But yeah I think telekinesis is what I have in mind and will add to the second part if it works

😍😍😍

[megalony]

I love your Johnny Storm fic!! I need a part two please, I have to know how it ends😭❤️‍🔥

Awww thank you that makes me so happy!!!

I’ll try and think of a follow up and see what I can do for you

🥰😭🥰

[megalony]

Call For Help

Here is a new Clark Kent imagine, I hope you will all like it. Please let me know what you think and any Clark requests you might have.

Taglist: @justagirlthatlovedtoread @musicistheway @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @luula @missdreamofendless @bradleybeachbabe @angryknightstatesmantrash @minjix @lyje @kmc1989 @itsmytimetoodream @noonenuts @hiireadstuff @oliverstarksbae @gimatida @heart-35 @chrisevansdaughter @alexandra848484 @deena-beena-weena @targaryenluvs @kpoplover-19 @marvelmenarebeautiful @gillybear17

@mrspeacem1nusone @zephyrmonkey @estella-novella @eleventhdoctorsangel @kniselle @senjoritanana @shauna-carsley @dottierose @cfdhouse51 @darkfemme1 @reneinii @bellsbomb @western-pyro @itsgigikay @harry-satellite @midsummereve1993 @babyqueen17 @buckyyyismahhlife @sammiejane22 @mrsyixingunicorn10 @op-81-lvr-reblogs @talicat713 @niamhmbt @strawberry-canyon @bieberhoodforever @911fangirlie @hollandxxmix @jasmineee05 @creat1venat1onn @devilslittlehelper @darlingcharling-blog @bear8585 @nickie-amore @elliott-calls @person-005 @mbioooo0000 @amara-mars @shypy92 @nikfigueiredo @sabsthedoll @rach2602 @itshamleth @ladespedidas @devilslittlehelper @buckslifeline @wanniiieeee @jaydaaasworld @theelementofsurprisee @andrewgarfieldislife

Main Masterlist

Summary: Clark always tells his daughter that if she needs him, all she has to do is call out and he will always hear her. When (Y/n) isn't well, their daughter calls out for him.

Enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An overwhelming burst of love flooded through Clark's chest when he poked his head around the kitchen doorway. His cheeks puffed out as a cheesy grin quirked at his lips.

He couldn't refrain from reaching into his back pocket and fishing out his phone, snapping a quick photo before Bonnie moved and the moment was lost to memory.

Clark knew most of the storage on his phone was full of photos of both his girls. Before them, Clark had a fascination with old photos, the ones from his childhood or the video left to him from his birth parents. But after he met (Y/n), and after Bonnie was born, things changed. He stocked up on taking as many photos as he could as if he thought his perfect memory was soon going to fade and he needed the memories captured on camera to keep them pristine in his mind forever.

He wasn't ashamed of the amount of photos he had of him and his girls, or how he often changed the photos on his desk at work, swapping them out for more recent pictures or his new favourite which seemed to change every month.

After all, he was a journalist, and photos were part of the stories he captured; they were the proof that went along with any writer's article. And Clark's photos were proof that he thought his girls were the best in the world.

Clark glanced his eyes down to his phone and grinned to himself at how the photo turned out. Bonnie was sat at the kitchen table, an almost empty bowl of cut up strawberries in front of her and her mouth and nose painted red while she brought another berry to her mouth like it was a paintbrush to add to the canvas.

She was being fussy this morning. Even though Bonnie was half Kryptonian like Clark, she hadn't inherited his endless appetite and was often picky about what she would or wouldn't eat. Breakfast was a struggle, especially on the days when Bonnie was tired and didn't want to eat. She only ate a few mouthfuls of the cereal Clark got her, but as soon as he got the punnet of strawberries out the fridge, her eyes lit up.

"Have you seen my bag, baby?" Clark's head angled to one side and one hand clung to the doorframe as he looked across at Bonnie.

If he didn't get a move on soon, he was going to be late for work. Nothing new, Clark was always arriving dead on time or a few minutes behind schedule but it surprised people to know that he hated being late.

He shouldn't be running behind today, usually Clark would drop Bonnie off at nursery on his way to work because it was closer to the Daily Planet and out of the way if (Y/n) were to drop her off. Perry was always understading if Clark was a few minutes late, he knew Clark dropped Bonnie off and (Y/n) would pick her up.

But Bonnie wasn't at nursery this week, yet Clark was running behind. He knew it was because he was tired.

He didn't get home last night until well after midnight; Superman had been needed just outside the city. By the time he came home both girls were asleep and he barely remembered to set his alarm for work this morning.

Bonnie lifted her head and her glistening red lips curved into a smile that showed off her dimples when she looked up at him. She shook her head and popped the last piece of strawberry into her mouth.

"No bag." She murmured around a mouthful of fruit. They all knew that Bonnie had a tendency to wander off with things from time to time, it was why Clark always tried to hang his work satchel near the front door so it was out of her reach.

He couldn't afford to lose his assignments and articles and re-write them or his notes if Bonnie tried to make sense of them herself. But he couldn't for the life of him remember what he had done with his bag yesterday. He had barely been home for long before he had to go back out into the world as Superman. The day had gone by in a blur.

"Okay," Clark's features softened and a rush of air tangled through his curls when he sped through the kitchen in the blink of an eye.

His hands curled around Bonnie's sides and he gently lifted her from the chair so he could sit her down on the kitchen side next to the sink.

He grabbed a damp cloth and began cleaning up Bonnie's hands and face. His nose scrunched and a chuckle left his lips when Bonnie giggled and poked her tongue out. At least it was strawberry juice and not beetroot or cherry which stained like ink.

His thumb stroked along the bottom of Bonnie's chin while his fingers pressed beneath her chin to tilt her head up in his direction.

"Pretty baby," Clark uttered softly but his brow arched and his lips parted into a round shape when the four year old's smile faded into a deep setting frown. He watched her hands plant down on the counter beside her legs and that puzzled, concentrated scrunch in her brow reminded Clark so much of (Y/n).

"Not pretty," She uttered with a shake of her head and Clark's cheeks puffed out with a corny grin.

"Oh no, not pretty. I meant Bonnie baby." He corrected himself quickly before he scooped her up and sat her on his hip with her arms quickly binding themselves around his neck.

Bonnie baby was what Clark would always call her and it was what she wanted to be called. Because she had been told hundreds of times that she was given her name because the first time Clark held her, he thought she was such a bonnie, cute little thing. His little Bonnie baby.

Clark remembered that first time he held his daughter in his arms like it had happened this morning. He remembered looking down at those bright round eyes and soft skin and the little point at the end of her nose. He remembered uttering how bonnie she was without really thinking what he was saying, and as soon as he said it, (Y/n) couldn't picture calling her anything else.

He bounced Bonnie on his hip and pressed a flush kiss to her temple before he left the kitchen and aimed for the living room.

His eyes scouted around as he walked, trying to look for the familiar worn brown leather of his satchel which contained his notebooks- plural- a dozen different coloured pens, a few magazines which he sourced ideas from and most of the time it held his laptop too. Although he knew yesterday he left his laptop at the office so he didn't have to lug it around with him. His article was finished, he didn't need to bring it home to edit.

He bent over and set Bonnie down near the sofa with a sloppy kiss to her temple.

"Can you find my bag so I'm not late for work?"

Glee filled Bonnie's eyes as she uttered "Find daddy's bag," beneath her breath and began to look like this was a game of hide and seek.

Clark turned on his heels and began looking too while he made a beeline towards the bedroom. It only just dawned on him that he couldn't hear (Y/n) moving about the apartment. He thought she had been tired this morning, she barely stirred when his alarm went off so he left her to sleep while he got up and ready and went to sort Bonnie.

But he couldn't hear (Y/n) in the shower or with the tv or music on in their room and she hadn't gone into the kitchen yet. He had to make sure she was up before he left since Bonnie wasn't at nursery this week. He could hardly leave the four year old to her own devices or there would be a mess all over the apartment.

"Sweetheart, you…" The words faded on Clark's tongue when the bedroom door opened before he had chance to grab the handle. As if the room had sensed his looming presence and was welcoming him in with open arms.

The smile that had lit up Clark's face all morning started to fade when he looked down at his wife.

She wasn't stood there smiling at him or shielding her eyes saying it was too early and too bright for her. There was no endearing grin painted across those beautiful lips, no sparkle in her eyes or boysterous energy flowing off her in waves.

It was the opposite. (Y/n) barely looked conscious. Her shoulders were hunched forward like invisible strings were pulling them taut without relenting. Her chest was stooped forward like she was a hunch back and her chin was pressing into her chest giving the impression that her head was far too heavy to hold up on her own.

When Clark narrowed his perfect vision, he could see her legs were shaking and it reminded him of the trees back home where one gust of wind would break apart the branches from the trunks. If the wind swept through a window and wrapped around (Y/n), Clark was sure she would crumple to the floor.

His touch was tender as he reached a hand out to press beneath her chin, gliding his thumb along her jaw as he carefully tilted her head up in his direction so they were face to face.

"I think I'm g-getting a cold."

(Y/n) squinted as she looked up at Clark through bleary eyes. The light from the hallway shined on him and cast a lovely lemon yellow glow around him as if shining an aura over him. But it was bright. The darkness seemed to be (Y/n)'s friend this morning. Her attempt at opening the bedroom curtains had gone awry when the light physically pained her throbbing temple and blasted her eyes like Clark's laser vision.

Her head was pounding like it had turned into a drum with the skin pulled far too tight over the edges. Her chest was tight and prickling with heat and the back of her throat was tingling like she needed to cough but didn't have the energy to try.

Clark's quiet response of "I think you've already got it," didn't make a smile form on (Y/n)'s lips.

He was surprised when she slumped forward and pressed her face against his hars chest, her nose bumping against his sternum through his shirt. And her grip was surprisingly tight when she reached for his hips and dug her fingers into his waistband.

A sigh tumbled from Clark's lips as he bound one arm around (Y/n)'s waist and moved the other to cradle the back of her head. His lips smothered down into her hair and he breathed in her scent while his eyes quickly flitted to the watch strapped to his left wrist.

He had exactly five minutes before he had to be out the door.

"Want me to stay home today?"

"No." (Y/n)'s response was immediate and she cringed at the way that it caused Clark to bristle against her. "Your article's due in, front page stuff."

She hadn't forgotten, even in her sickly state, she remembered what today was at work for Clark. And that thought along had his heart pounding in his chest like it was trying to reach out for her and thank her, and a blush was already dusting across his face until he was beet red.

Clark had been working on a big article for a few days now, and (Y/n) knew he was going into the office today to show it to Perry. And as always, Clark let (Y/n) proof read the article, he wouldn't be happy unless (Y/n) had read it and gave him her thoughts first. She knew this one was going to be good, and Perry would easily put this on the front page.

She could just picture her in-laws when they heard, they would get a copy of the Daily Planet and frame it on the wall just like they did with the first article Clark ever got published in the local paper.

"Will you be okay?" Clark was a worrier by nature and whenever (Y/n) or Bonnie were ill, he became a mother hen. He loved to look after them and care for them both, especially because Clark couldn't catch whatever illness they might have, so looking after them had no downside.

Clark didn't get sick. He couldn't get drunk either- but that wasn't so much of a downside when it meant he could drink however much he liked and still manage to have a clear head at the end of it.

Sometimes as a child, he hated how he couldn't get sick. Not even a sore throat, the most he got were headaches and as a child that wasn't something that would get him sent home. He often pretended he was sick when the world got too much and he just wanted to stay home with ma and pa. They always knew when something wasn't right, if Clark said he was ill.

"I can stay-"

"No, baby you have to go." (Y/n) managed to draw her head back from Clark's chest so she could stare up at him. She wouldn't have him stay home on her account when today was a big day for him.

"You two gonna be okay?" He didn't sound so sure, and it wasn't that Clark didn't trust (Y/n). Of course he did, he knew she was strong and capable but he also knew that if she was feeling this sick and drained, caring for a four year old with boundless energy would drain whatever energy (Y/n) had left.

If he could take Bonnie to work with him, he would in a heartbeat. But the office wasn't such a suitable place for a toddler, not with some of the things she might hear. Bonnie had Clark's intense hearing and he didn't want her picking up on any adult conversations around the office.

"It's gonna be a movie day." (Y/n) knew her voice sounded croaky and breathless and she could see the contemplation in Clark's eyes.

He wasn't sure he really should go. The way the corner of his eyes narrowed and how his nose scrunched at the end implied he was thinking strongly about this. But when (Y/n) coiled her arms around his neck and gave a weak pull to get him down to her height, he obliged.

He let her pull him down to her until his shoulders were hunched over her and her nose bumped his when she kissed him. Clark tried his best not to zone in on her heartbeat, but with (Y/n) this close it was like her heart was trying to beat through her chest to talk to his. She sounded okay, her heartbeat wasn't elevated and there was some strength and power behind her kiss, like she was showing him he could go to work without feeling guilty.

(Y/n) was relieved Clark couldn't get whatever cold she had right now. Whenever she got ill she could wrap herself up in Clark's arms or feel him kissing her feverish skin throughout the day without risk of getting him in the same worsening condition.

He would lay with her or join her in the bath, if he thought she was flagging and losing her energy he would just walk up behind her and scoop her up in his arms and carry her around the apartment.

And the same went for Bonnie.

If their little girl was ill, she could be found hidden in Clark's arms. She inherited Clark's immune system, but she wasn't immune to everything and she got all the childhood illnesses that went around.

When (Y/n)'s shaking hand cupped his cheek and her lips attached back to his after drawing in a deep breath, a groan drew past Clark's lips. But he could hear the quiet ticking of his watch, telling him the seconds were dwindling by and his time was running out.

"Damn, gotta go soon." He murmured into her mouth, nipping at her lower lip before he bent his knees and moved both hands to grasp the back of (Y/n)'s thighs.

He hoisted her up until she was sat firmly and securely on his hips with her knees pressing into his sides and her hands still cupping either side of his neck. He turned to the right, cracking one eye open to check where he was going so he didn't trip over anything. And he couldn't blame it all on Bonnie's toys and disarray, when Clark was rushing between being a family man and being Superman, a lot of his stuff got scattered around the apartment for him to pick up later.

"If you need anything-" He breathed deeply against her lips, his mind short-circuiting about where he was aiming for and where he was taking (Y/n). "-Call me, okay? You want some meds or lunch, just call."

Clark was more than happy to dart back on his lunch break to bring or even make (Y/n) something to eat or to bring round some painkillers if they didn't have any in. Clark wasn't one for pain relief and he didn't tend to stock that particular cupboard unless Bonnie was going through an illness like this. But he would bring (Y/n) anything she wanted or needed if she let him know.

A smile etched onto (Y/n)'s features despite the agony circulating through her temple and she traced the pad of her finger along Clark's sharp jawline, losing herself in the love pooling in his eyes.

She could feel him dithering between the living room and the kitchen, unsure whereabouts he was taking her but he paused in his tracks when a high pitch squeal called through the air.

"Daddy I found it!"

Clark's lips pulled into a grin and he turned to the left, aiming for the sofa so he could sit (Y/n) down. Once she was carefully laid on the sofa with Clark arched over her, one hand on her waist and the other on the back of the sofa, he tilted his head back to try and find Bonnie.

He watched her trot from the hall he had been in moments before, his leather satchel raised high over her head and at any moment he was sure that a few pens were going to fall out. As long as his notebook didn't slip out and clip Bonnie on the head, it was okay.

"Thank you baby, where was it?" He watched with glee as the praise lightened her step until she was almost trotting on air to reach him.

"In my room."

"Why did you-" His eyes fell closed and he bowed his head to (Y/n)'s temple to hide the blush creeping over his face. "-Nevermind."

He knew why it was in Bonnie's room, coincidently the one place he hadn't looked because he didn't think to go in there. When he came home from work last night he hadn't been in for long before he had to head off as Superman. He had wrapped himself around (Y/n) in a quick embrace, then scuttled into Bonnie's room to see her before he had to go.

He must have gone into her room with his satchel still in hand and left it in there when his focus shifted to his daughter. He was surprised Bonnie hadn't noticed and gone through his things. He would have to be a bit more careful what he did with his notes in future.

Lowering his head to the side, Clark hovered his lips over (Y/n)'s ear, feeling the shiver than ran beneath her skin when her heartbeat increased. "Call me later, so I know how you are."

He wasn't quite sure the hum (Y/n) let out was an agreement or just her trying to calm him down so he could get to work on time. But it didn't really matter once Clark heard her whisper a croaky "I love you," before she stole a kiss from his lips.

He kissed her lips, her cheek and then her temple longingly before he pushed away from the sofa and clapped his hands, aiming for Bonnie.

"Thank you, right daddy has to go to work now, you gonna be good for mama, she's not well."

He put the few fallen pens back into his bag, did up the clasp and slid the bag onto his shoulder. As soon as his hands were free, he tugged Bonnie closer to him until she was squished into his chest and he could attack her with kisses too.

"I'm always good."

Her response earned a chuckle and a sloppy kiss to her cheek. "That's my girl."

***

Front page!!

Those two little words floated around the forefront of (Y/n)'s mind like it was the only thing she could understand or comprehend.

Clark had texted her just after lunchtime and those two words were enough for (Y/n) to grin with giddiness and feel her heart try to beat its way out of her chest. She had been right. Tomorrow's paper would have Clark's article splashed across the front page for all to see, and it was going to hit big.

She knew that Clark would now be trying to find the right picture to go with the article which meant he would either be out the office to take a picture himself, or he would be scouting around his colleagues to see if anyone had any good pictures. They were always sharing photos in the office for articles, not every journalist had the time or camera skills to go out and get a candid shot to go along with their words of wisdom.

Clark might have gone down to the editing room too, she wasn't sure but Clark was at the forefront of her mind today. Thinking about what he was doing was taking her mind off the agony she felt.

Her headache had stayed a steady beating drum throughout the day, but her chest was constantly tightening and loosening like someone was periodically squeezing her ribcage in their hand and then letting go.

When a wave of pain entwined with nausea washed over (Y/n), she turned her head to the side and tried to smother her face in the cushion.

Her arms were already bound around her middle tight enough to try and compress her stomach to make the pains stop. It was a throbbing, stabbing kind of pain that cocooned around her chest like a horrifying embrace that wouldn't relent. The kind of pain that came from being sick or having an infection.

The feeling didn't ease, and (Y/n) tried to smother a whimper into the pillow until she remembered that Bonnie was asleep. The four year old was having a power nap on the other side of the sofa. Their legs were pressed together, both girls curling up against either arm of the sofa with a blanket draped over them.

But every time a shiver crossed (Y/n)'s spine, she seemed to take another inch of the blanket until soon enough, Bonnie wasn't going to be covered at all.

(Y/n) was so cold. The beads of sweat glistening on her skin were about to turn to icicles, she felt that frozen. But it didn't explain why she had sweat soaking through her clothes.

A whimper tore past her lips when her stomach gave an awful churn and that old yet familiar burn at the back of her throat sent waves of panic rushing through her.

She was going to be sick.

The blanket between her and Bonnie was strewn to one side and tangled around (Y/n)'s legs as she fumbled to kick it to one side. Her hand hit the coffee table and her other hand scraped the floor to try and give herself some momentum to move.

A yelp left her lips when her knee collided harshly with the floor and it sent her leg spasming behind her until she was crawling down the hall towards the bathroom which had never felt so far away.

This was a moment when she would have liked Clark to be home. If he hadn't of had such an important day at work, (Y/n) would have been selfish and asked him to stay home with them. It was more for Bonnie than for herself, so he could entertain and keep up with her because all morning (Y/n) felt like she was five paces behind her girl.

But right now, she could of used Clark's help in getting to the bathroom quickly and his voice distracting her from the aches and pains and uneasiness of how she felt.

Something along the lines of "Please," choked past her lips and white spots danced in front of her eyes when she got close to the bathroom. (Y/n) really didn't want to throw up in the hallway. She didn't want to deal with the mess and extra effort that would cause, especially if Bonnie woke up and tried to help in her own way.

She made it.

Her knees would be bruised in the morning from how roughly she landed on the tiled floor, but she made it just in time to wrap her arms around the toilet. Clinging to the basin that her head flopped into so she could throw up the few bites of bread and the mouthful of soup she tried to have for lunch.

Maybe it had been a mistake to send Clark a picture of the soup and bread she had tried to have for lunch, because now he would be under the impression that (Y/n) had eaten and might be feeling better. That wasn't the case anymore. Her churning stomach was empty, her mind was exhausted and she felt horrid.

Her throat burned and her chest twinged and pulsed with ache and the edge of the basin pressed uncomfortably into her lower chest, but she couldn't move.

(Y/n) wasn't sure how much time passed while she knelt with her head flopped on her arm, listening to the sound of her wheezing breaths rasping and echoing around the toilet bowl.

Her arm felt strangely heavy as she tried to flush the toilet and reach up for the sink but her legs shook when she tried to stand. She splashed a small amount of water on her face but the cold temperature made her hiss. She was still so cold.

Clark's name was on the tip of her tongue until another wave of nausea washed over her like the tide claiming the sand into its depths.

She didn't feel the her knees crashing into the floor but she felt the cold tiled floor turning her skin numb when she flopped down on her side, narrowly missing her head colliding with the toilet by a mere inch.

Maybe a nap would do her some good.

***

"Mama?"

Bonnie tiredly rubbed her eyes as she looked around the living room in growing confusion. The other end of the sofa was absent. Her mum wasn't curled up on the sofa with her like she had been when the four year old fell asleep. They were no longer sharing a blanket between them with their legs tangled together.

She couldn't crawl over and try to have a cuddle with her mum; she was on her own.

Had her mum gone to bed without her? Was she trying to bake something? Was her dad home yet?

She couldn't hear anything. There were no tell-tale noises, the sound of Clark's feet hitting the floor- he had heavy footsteps due to his tall stature and big frame. She couldn't hear him humming or muttering to himself, there were no other sounds except for the cartoons playing on the tv. He wasn't home, but Bonnie couldn't hear her mum doing anything in the apartment either.

With a huff, Bonnie scrunched up the blanket and shuffled off the sofa, scuttling from the living room with wide eyes that were searching for any signs of her mum.

The kitchen was empty and the lights were off. The study was vacant, but she expected that as it was usually her dad who was in there with his head bopping to rock music and a thesaurus at his side when he couldn't find the right word.

Her socks shuffled against the floor like she was gliding on skis through snow and a yawn escaped her lips.

She aimed for her parent's bedroom, but just before she got there, her attention turned to the bathroom on her left. The light was on, and the door was open. She toddled over the threshold, but her brows scrunched up and her lips formed a pout when she saw her mum.

Why was she asleep in the bathroom, and on the floor of all places?

Panic bubbled through Bonnie as she gingerly reached a hand out and gave her mum's thigh a shake.

(Y/n) didn't stir, she didn't mumble or lift her head or even open her eyes. But she was shaking, maybe she was cold. Whatever the reason, Bonnie didn't like this, she didn't like any part of this situation and with a little mewl, she flopped down on her bum on the bathroom floor. Sitting right on the middle of the threshold so she was close to (Y/n) but not too near because she didn't know what to do or how she was meant to help.

"Daddy… daddy help."

Ever since Bonnie learned to talk, Clark had started to teach her about their shared abilities. He didn't go into much detail, she was too young to learn everything, but he tried to tell her that she was fast like him, and they both had great hearing.

To Bonnie, it was like magic when Clark told her that if she needed him, she could call out and he would hear her, wherever he was. It was almost like a game. Clark always told her to call out for him if she was in trouble or something was wrong, he wanted Bonnie to know that he would always be there and unlike other parents, she didn't have to call or panic. Saying his name was enough to alert him.

Clark heard.

That trembling whine to Bonnie's voice had shivers like claws raking down his spine and fear grappled with his heart and tried to wrench it out of his ribcage.

He heard her calling his name with that edge of panic to her voice that Clark hadn't heard before. Whenever Bonnie called for him, it was usually when he was nearby and with such a cheeky tone to her voice that he couldn't help but smile. She always wanted to present him with something she had made or tell him what she had done that day or just call out for him to find him.

Despite all the times Clark had told his daughter that if she was scared and needed him, she could call out for him, she had never actually needed him. Until now.

He was glad he had been in the stairwell on his way down to the editing floor. Hardly anyone took the stairs in this building anymore. Clark sped down to the ground floor in the blink of an eye, editing be damned. He didn't need to be there, he was just going to be nosy. Perry had already approved and sent his article down ready for tomorrow's paper, there was nothing more Clark really had to do except work on a new article, and he could do that at any time.

His daughter needed him.

He was home in a matter of minutes. He flung open the front door and bustled into the apartment, curls gone wild around his temple and glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose. It didn't take long for Clark to take off his glasses and fling them onto the nearest table while he scoured the apartment for his daughter.

"Bonnie? Baby where are you? What's the matter?" Panic wove itself into each word that passed Clark's lips in a breathless kind of distress he wasn't used to feeling.

Clark had never had to rush home like this before. He'd never had Bonnie call out for him in such panic before, it was always happy or curious calls of his name. What happened while he had been at work?

He hadn't even called Perry or asked Jimmy to explain that he had to go home. He would have to judge the situation and then call and say he'd had a family emergency. Whatever emergency this situation entailed, Clark hoped it wasn't going to be a bad one.

He wasn't sure whether he was relieved or frightened when he turned into the hall and found Bonnie. She was sat on the floor in the hallway, hugging one of her teddies close to her chest. Those big round eyes sent Clark's stomach lurching up into his throat and the moment he stooped over and held his arms out, she rushed towards him.

That told him that she wasn't injured or hurt if she could run into his arms like a bullet from a gun.

A whimper left her lips as her arms deadlocked around his neck and she flung herself into his chest so he would take the hint and pick her up. Clark's heart shuddered in his chest right down to his core when he had Bonnie cradled in his tight embrace. His lips smothered her temple and he sighed as he breathed into her hair, trying to calm down every raging nerve in his body.

"What happened baby?" His voice was breathless and he had to force himself to open his eyes again.

His shoulders leant back and he moved one hand to trail his fingertips down Bonnie's cheek and neck, trying to look for any injuries or bruises or marks she might have. He needed an indication of why she was calling out for him, but she seemed unharmed.

"Mama." Her voice was meek compared to the boyant tone that usually wove around her words, and she pointed towards the bathroom before deadlocking her arms around his neck once again.

Oh no.

It didn't cross Clark's mind that (Y/n) was the one who was ill. He presumed- very naively- that Bonnie had hurt herself or something had happened and that was why she was crying out for him. Clark stupidly thought that Bonnie was the one who needed him and that she was calling to him because (Y/n) was ill and couldn't help her.

Clark didn't process the notion that Bonnie needed help because (Y/n) was the one in distress.

"Okay, okay wait here." His lips attached to her temple again before he doubled over and gently eased Bonnie down to her feet. She whined when he let her go and he had to untangle her arms from his neck so he could go to the bathroom and find out what was happening with (Y/n).

He didn't like the sight he was faced with. His wife, laid out on the bathroom floor like she had been shot down. She was trembling all over and had one palm pressed into the floor like she wanted to try and push herself up, but didn't hold the strength to do so.

Clark rushed into the room and crouched down behind (Y/n), but as his eyes dragged over her, he felt conflicted between concern and a swelling of adoration.

"Did you cover mama?" His tone was soft and when he looked towards the doorway, he saw Bonnie gingerly peeking her head around the doorframe, nodding along.

"She was cold."

Clark's cape was draped over (Y/n).

He used to have a spare cape because of the amount of times his own cape got ripped or pulled and frayed or dirtied. But that spare one got confiscated by Bonnie and now lived on the end of her bed like a blanket. When Bonnie realised her mum was shaking, she thought she was cold and her cape was the closest thing around that would do as a blanket to keep her warm.

"Okay baby, go wait in the living room please while I look after mama."

Bonnie didn't seem pleased or agreeable but when Clark rose a brow and tilted his head to one side, she relented and scuttled away. And as soon as her footsteps retreated, Clark doubled down over (Y/n) and tried to check her over.

She was coming back around, thankfully, and when his fingertips ghosted over her jaw and chin she murmured something incoherent.

Clark pressed the back of his hand to her temple while he closed his eyes and listened to her heartbeat. Not frightfully fast but her skin was burning up and flushed with cold sweat.

"Clark?" Confusion laced into (Y/n)'s croaky voice and it her arm was shaking horribly when she reached her right hand up and managed to graze her fingers along his sharp jawline as if checking he wasn't some kind of delusion. But she could feel the dimples in his skin when he smiled sweetly down at her and shuffled closer.

What was he doing home so early? Or was it late? How long had she been in the bathroom? Where was Bonnie? What were they all doing?

"It's me, sweetheart." He hummed whilst he leaned into her touch that was so light against his skin he thought he might be imagining it.

"Bonnie…?" The confusion in her tone was laced with panic until Clark turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand. And when his hand came up to cradle hers, (Y/n) relaxed against him. Clearly their girl was alright and safe if Clark was so calm and sat by her side.

"She's fine… I knew I should have stayed home." He uttered softly, no menacing tone to his voice, just love.

With a quiet "Come here," Clark slid his left arm beneath (Y/n)'s chest and slowly eased her up from the floor so she was sitting up. He shuffled closer and let her slouch back into his chest with her head pressing into his shoulder. And he felt her hand clench tightly around his wrist like she was reassuring herself that he was actually here.

"Y-you're early,"

Something close to a chuckle left Clark's lips when (Y/n)'s croaky words hit his ears and he nodded before he leant down to kiss her burning temple.

"And you're not well, I gotta take care of you baby." He felt sure that (Y/n) was going to disagree with him, try to tell him that she was alright or that he should go back to work. But Clark knew she had to be ill for her to simply hum and close her eyes like she knew he was right.

(Y/n)'s chin slumped down to her chest when Clark eased her forward and her trembling arms bound around her middle. She let out a groan when she felt Clark's warm touch leave her skin and his comforting presence disappeared, leaving behind a gust of wind that had (Y/n) shivering and pulling his cape tighter around her frame.

A frown pierced her features when her blurry eyes focused on the beautiful neon blue of the cape on her lap and she wondered when Clark- or indeed Bonnie- had donned this around her. But it smelled of Clark with that familiar scent of Bonnie and her toys, and it made (Y/n)'s insides feel warm and fuzzy when she pressed her nose and mouth to the cape and breathed in deeply.

It helped to clear the fog from her head and settle her churning stomach. Her hands fisted in the cape that she smothered against her skin and she tried to bring up her trembling knees towards her stomach. But in a flash, Clark was back by her side, kneeling down next to her.

"Take these for me."

A quiet sound of surprise left (Y/n)'s lips when Clark's large hand found hers beneath the cape and he lifted her hand up so he could place some painkillers into her palm.

She didn't bother to ask what they were, if they were painkilelrs or specific medication to help make her feel better. It didn't matter and she didn't particularly care. (Y/n) popped them into her mouth and shakily took the glass Clark held out, her heart beating faster when Clark's fingers enveloped around hers to make sure she didn't drop the glass of water.

By the time (Y/n) lifted her head and got her eyes back into focus, she was almost nose to nose with Clark.

He swapped the glass for a thermometer which he pressed into her ear, waiting patiently for that little beep to sound through the air.

Clark's chest rumbled when (Y/n) inched forward and took her chance to kiss him. He kissed her back, then turned his head to pepper his lips against her cheek and then the spot behind her ear at the top of her neck. Her skin was sweltering beneath his touch and his mind pondered whether she had some kind of infection or maybe the flu.

"You've got a fever," A frown settled into Clark's features and had lines creasing over his temple, even as (Y/n) cradled the side of his jaw and kissed the corner of his mouth.

"Head's splitting," She murmured in response, closing her eyes as if to prove her point that trying to stay awake and focus on Clark was too strenuous and hurt her throbbing temple.

"You're going to bed."

His words sounded like marching orders and (Y/n) shivered, dropping her head into the crook of Clark's neck when he shifted in front of her. His arms slid around her frame, one strong arm going beneath her knees while the other circled her lower waist.

He lifted her into his embrace like she weighed nothing and (Y/n) kept her face against his neck, burrowing into his skin like she was trying to disappear.

"Bonnie, come on baby." Clark's voice called out down the hall and he soon heard their girl's footsteps bounding to catch up with him.

"Daddy?"

"We're all off to bed, baby." He glanced down to his right as he headed into the bedroom just as Bonnie caught them up. Her hands were pawing at his leg to find out what they were doing and her eyes brightened up immediately.

Clark barely made it over to the bed before Bonnie was scrambling to get up first. He pressed his knees into the mattress and carefully eased (Y/n) down onto the bed, still swaddled in his cape like it was her favourite blanket.

It made him smile to see Bonnie already searching for the tv remote so they could watch a movie together and with the curtains already being closed, they were halfway there. He eased (Y/n) forward just enough to climb up onto the bed behind her and he settled his legs around either side of (Y/n) so she was laid in between his thighs.

His arms immediately cocooned around her waist and he slouched back into the pillows, easing (Y/n) back with him so she was cuddled up into his chest. Her eyes closed and her face turned to the right, nuzzling her cheek into Clark's work shirt that felt cold against her burning skin.

Her hand fisted up in his shirt and she brought her knees up towards her stomach that had finally stopped churning, but that was probably because she had no food left to try and digest.

A wide grin spread across Clark's tense features when Bonnie grappled with his arm, whining and huffing until she managed to lift his arm just enough to ease herself under his elbow. She pressed herself into his left side, sprawling her arms around him as much as she could and tucked her face into his chest too.

Both his girls were swaddled safe in his arms and Clark couldn't have felt more relieved.

He kept his left arm pinned around Bonnie and (Y/n) while he tried to lift his hips and rummage in his pocket to find his phone. He would have to send a message to Perry, they would surely have noticed his absence by now, but he knew they would understand once he explained.

"Mama feeling better now?" Bonnie's voice was quiet and she reached one hand out to try and card her fingers through (Y/n)'s hair in the way her mum did to her when she wasn't well.

"A little," (Y/n) murmured back without opening her eyes, but she reached one hand out from beneath the cape to hold onto Bonnie's hand. She could feel herself drifting off to sleep already.

The trembles were fading out of her system now that Clark was behind her like a hot water bottle. He emitted so much natural heat and he was keeping (Y/n) warm and fighting off the cold setting deep in her bones. It was heavenly.

But a plan was already forming in Clark's mind. He knew that keeping (Y/n) warm wasn't going to help her fever, despite how cold she might feel right now. And if she didn't start to feel better or manage to keep any food down in a few hours, Clark was going to change tactics.

He would make a quick flight out to Smallville and drop Bonnie off with his parents if (Y/n) didn't recover soon so he could take her to the hospital if need be. He knew his parents were always eager to have their granddaughter over, and they would certainly watch her so Clark could look after (Y/n).

But for now, he would watch over (Y/n) and see how she went while the three of them spent the afternoon together in bed.

[megalony]

IM SAT for ANYTHING you have with the rookie. I just know it will be amazing as always 💖

Awwww thank you so much 😍😭

I’ve already plotted out a Nolan fic and I have a Bradford one in progress and another little idea noted down for Tim too

I’ve been so excited to start writing for the rookie as it’s something new and it’s been a while since I found a new tv show to obsess over

🥰😍❤️

[megalony]

Oh my god I love that you have written for Johnny Storm, kinda been obsessed since the movie too 😂 hope you write more for him soon

Awww yay ❤️

Me too I was so happy seeing the film and loved how Joe played him.

I’m trying to brainstorm some more Johnny ideas I can’t wait to hopefully write more

😍😍😍

[megalony]

They Want A Sacrifice

I'm in love with the new Fantastic Four film, and am so excited that this is my first Johnny Storm imagine.

I just had to write this after seeing the film and getting a little notion in my head about how Johnny would react in the same circumstances as Reed.

I hope you will all like it, please let me know what you think.

Taglist: @justagirlthatlovedtoread @musicistheway @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @luula @missdreamofendless @bradleybeachbabe @angryknightstatesmantrash @minjix @lyje @kmc1989 @itsmytimetoodream @noonenuts @hiireadstuff @oliverstarksbae @gimatida @heart-35 @chrisevansdaughter @alexandra848484 @deena-beena-weena @targaryenluvs @kpoplover-19 @marvelmenarebeautiful @gillybear17

@mrspeacem1nusone @zephyrmonkey @estella-novella @eleventhdoctorsangel @kniselle @senjoritanana @shauna-carsley @dottierose @cfdhouse51 @darkfemme1 @reneinii @bellsbomb @western-pyro @itsgigikay @harry-satellite @midsummereve1993 @babyqueen17 @buckyyyismahhlife @sammiejane22 @mrsyixingunicorn10 @op-81-lvr-reblogs @talicat713 @niamhmbt @strawberry-canyon @bieberhoodforever @911fangirlie @hollandxxmix @jasmineee05 @creat1venat1onn @devilslittlehelper @darlingcharling-blog @bear8585 @nickie-amore @elliott-calls @person-005 @mbioooo0000 @amara-mars @shypy92 @nikfigueiredo @sabsthedoll @rach2602 @itshamleth @ladespedidas @devilslittlehelper @buckslifeline @wanniiieeee @jaydaaasworld @theelementofsurprisee @andrewgarfieldislife

Joseph Quinn Masterlist

Summary: Johnny doesn't want the world to know that the creature threatening the world is asking for his and (Y/n)'s unborn baby in order to spare the world. And he loses his temper when the team let it slip to the press.

Enjoy.

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The urge to cry was overwhelming, it was building up behind her eyes and making her nose sting, but something was stopping her. Something was holding those tears at bay making her feel even worse. She knew crying would feel like a release, that it would probably help or just let her vent, but she couldn't; the tears wouldn't come.

Maybe it was the shock. Maybe the events of today were settling in harsh and heavy and she couldn't process them.

It didn't really matter whether (Y/n) cried or not. Whatever reaction she gave didn't matter in the slightest. All that mattered was what they were going to do next, and none of them seemed to have that figured out.

(Y/n) didn't know what to do with herself. She wanted to do something, to try and make herself useful or take her mind off of what had just happened. All she seemed to be able to do was sit and stare into space; quite literally.

Seeing the stars pass right before her eyes was something that used to be such a wonder to (Y/n), something she was so grateful to be able to see and witness. Being part of Reed's team was a privilege, it took her out to space to explore and navigate the stars. It changed her DNA. It made her one of a kind.

There weren't many people who got to witness the stars this close and examine other planets and life forms, (Y/n) counted herself as very fortunate.

Not today though.

There was nothing fortunate about what had happened today, and everyone on the aircraft felt it. They felt the shift in atmosphere, the apprehension and curiosity they started out with had now morphed into something dark and relentless and frightening.

(Y/n) hated the shaking that set out through her system like her bones were bubbling and burning up within her skin. She hated how it caused her hands to violently tap against the controls in front of her and how her feet were jittering against the floor. She felt like she was about to tear apart at the seams.

"Hey, you know we can…"

All she had to do was look up. One look, and whatever Sue was about to say faded out on her tongue like poison dissolving and seeping into her bones. The blonde adverted her gaze down and a sigh parted from her lips.

For once, Sue's advice and kind words weren't going to be enough. They weren't going to help, and she could sense that from a million miles away. She turned and took her seat next to Reed at the front controls of the aircraft.

(Y/n) managed to lift her head just enough to stare out of the window in front of her, turning in her seat so her back was to the rest of the group. She didn't want to look at them. She didn't want to see their pity or wait for them to try and come up with a plan or some kind of solution.

The only solution they could give was one that (Y/n) wasn't willing to contemplate.

Her gloved fingers continued to drum against the desk in front of her and a blank look washed over her eyes as she stared out into the blackness that continued and stretched on for an eternity. Sometimes (Y/n) wondered if they had enough fuel, could they travel the end of the universe, or would there still be more to explore? How far did it go? When would it stop? Was there an end in sight?

Perhaps they could keep travelling and travelling until they were somewhere near the end of the universe. Somewhere that this being, this horrifying thing wouldn't be able to reach them. But travelling to somewhere like that wouldn't make things any better. They couldn't hide forever.

A headache began to form behind (Y/n)'s eyes as she bowed her head forward into her gloved hand, propping one elbow up on the desk to support herself.

A few seconds ticked by before she angled her head to sneak a glance to her left to look at Johnny.

He hadn't spoke since they scrambled back into the aircraft, with him slung over Ben's shoulder for the most part. The oxygen levels in his suit burned out within the blink of an eye and much like his fire, Johnny couldn't survive without oxygen.

But since they all got back and made their escape from what was left of the planet that the creature- Galactus- was devouring, Johnny hadn't uttered one word. Not a grumble, not a scream or swear word or a single plea. Nothing. Silence. That wasn't normal for him, but none of them felt brave enough to try and engage him in conversation; not even (Y/n).

For once in his life, Johnny looked volatile.

His brows were set in a deep, furrowed line like he had been carved out of marble and his features were unmoving, unchanging. His lips were rolled together creating a thin, crooked line that bordered on menacing. The only movement in his face was the shifting of his eyes from left to right as he scanned the radar in front of him. And the constant ticking of the muscles in his jaw that were rapidly clenching and releasing with every breath he took.

His shoulders were raised high and his body was arched forward like he was about to collapse on the desk.

But as (Y/n) stared across at him, she could see the golden flecks in his eyes, something that wasn't comforting today like it usually would have been. Those blue eyes were flickering orange and the tips of his bleach blond hair were starting to hover and sizzle like a match starting to strike a flame.

He was on the verge of exploding and it was taking every ounce of composure within him to stop that from happening.

The fire raging within Johnny was working in tandem with the pounding of his heart that was flooding his ears. He could barely hear anything over the sound of his heart and the horrible thoughts swirling around in his head that were like rabid dogs snarling around him. Each thought was louder than the last, trying to deafen him with horrid words and cruel intentions.

But Johnny still managed to hear the stinted flow of conversation over the thoughts in his head.

He heard the muffled sound of Reed uttering questions to Ben which weren't about their journey back home or the little fuel they had left which would hopefully get them there.

"…but why the baby? What power could it have that that thing would want?"

Just hearing those words in Ben's gravelly voice was enough to have Johnny's heckles and defences raising and the hairs on his skin started to bristle and radiate heat.

This wasn't something they needed to discuss now, on their way back home. They needed to be talking about how to get home, about how their landing was going to go and what the Hell they were going to do once they arrived back.

Talking about Johnny's baby wasn't something he wanted them to do.

Anger swirled in his orbs that were changing from ocean blue to burnt sienna as he quickly yanked his arms back from the desk before the fire flickering on his fingertips started to melt and burn out the fuses.

The sound of Johnny's voice had never been so loud and sharp before, like a knife slicing through the air as his head cricked to the left to look at his family. His team. The people who were now starting to irritate him by doing very little at all.

"Work out how to get us the fuck back instead of spitballing theories." His voice was like a whip cracking through the air and it caught all of them off guard.

Johnny wasn't one for abrupt conversations, he wasn't swayed by serious topics or overwhelmingly panicked and focused like Reed. Johnny was the epitome of laid-back. He was calm, playful, funny in times of crisis and could make a joke out of almost any situation.

Seeing him so volatile and infuriated wasn't something any of his family were used to, but they could all understand why.

With clenched hands, Johnny scraped his chair back from the desk and stood up, boots stomping against the floor as he aimed for the back of the aircraft where he could be away from them all yet still within sight and range of (Y/n).

One arm rose up to press against the wall and his other hand clenched around his hip. He could feel his suit soaking in the flames and radiation that was burning from his palm. At least his suit would stop any accidental fires from breaking out, the last thing they needed was a blown fuse or an air pocket in their ship that would prevent them from reaching Earth safely.

He couldn't believe this had happened.

Why? Why?

When (Y/n) told Johnny she was pregnant, he had set the sprinklers off in the tower, he was that excited. He was ready for this, he was excited and overwhelmed and vibrant at the thought of being a father.

He and (Y/n) had told the team cautiously, they knew it was a bit of a sensitive topic with how Reed and Sue had been trying for a few years now to have a baby. But everyone was joyful and happy for them.

So why did that creature want their baby?

Johnny crossed his arms over his chest, angling his head to one side as he stared up at the being ahead of them.

It reminded him of something he would see in a comic book or something out of a game. A being who looked like they were carved from rock. Vibrant lilac eyes that glowed almost as bright as the sun. Molten black rock with chiselled features that creaked and grated with every movement.

A being so big it could fit all of them in the palm of its hand like they were as light as feathers.

The being wasn't intimidating though, not with the kind of thoughts that went through Johnny's head. A hammer and chisel would work to break this thing apart. Excess heat might even help break it into pieces. Without its head, this thing wouldn't be very frightening at all.

He was thinking of all different ways that they could break this monument apart and be done with it.

But sure, Johnny would listen to Reed trying to negotiate with it. This thing that they couldn't physically best, yet Reed thought a negotiation was in order and something they could achieve. It almost brought a smile to Johnny's lips.

His arms stayed folded over his chest but he took a slight step to the left, moving closer to (Y/n) until their arms brushed. Feeling her standing close to his side was a comfort, it allowed Johnny to stay calm and keep an unphased grin on his face as long as he knew (Y/n) was close by and safe.

"What do you want?" Reed's voice was somewhat authoritiative, but there was such concern and panic hidden within those words that he couldn't sound commanding.

Reed was an anxious person at heart, so obviously negotiating with a higher being like this wasn't something that he felt he could do easily.

The way he narrowed his eyes and looked so sceptically at Galactus showed how uneasy Reed was. He couldn't think what this thing, this God, was going to ask of them. What could they give that would appease him and make him think twice about devouring their world? Their home? Their people?

(Y/n) couldn't help the flame of curiosity that burned within her as she stared up at the thing made of rocks and devoured worlds. Would he ask for a sacrifice? Would any of them really be able to give a sacrifice even if they knew it was for the future of their world?

But the curiosity within her died down the moment those lilac eyes seemed to pierce through her.

It was looking at her- no, through her.

(Y/n)'s chest tightened until she felt like she wasn't breathing at all and her muscles tightened and tensed up until they were taut and on the verge of snapping in half. But her stomach started to churn and floods of adrenaline shot through her abdomen and up into her chest when those eyes like spotlights shone down directly on her stomach.

She could feel Johnny bristling beside her like he was about to shed a layer of skin and when his head tilted down, those beautiful eyes narrowed and his features screwed up when he realised where the creature was looking.

"The child." The being spoke so casually, so carefully as if this was the most normal conversation and exchange in the universe.

How was that a negotiation? Why would this thing that devoured whole planets want a baby instead of the whole world? How did one little baby- which hadn't been born yet- amount to the same worth as the Earth?

When Reed jerked his head back to look over his shoulder at (Y/n), his features paled and he stared at her in confusion as if she might have some insight or knowledge about this. She knew nothing. She was none the wiser than the rest of them. She didn't understand either.

(Y/n)'s hand instinctively moved to her stomach where the baby gave out a rough kick, as if sensing the danger they were now in.

Her head angled to the right, looking up at Johnny whose arms quickly dropped from his chest while his features scrunched up in confusion. He side-stepped until he was blocking (Y/n) from the creature's view, like that would help in any way, and one hand reached out behind him to hold onto her arm for safety and protection.

"What?"

"Why?" Curiosity entwined in with Reed's shocked tone and he narrowed his eyes as he looked back at the creature.

"The child, in exchange for your planet. Isn't that fair?"

"Fair?" Johnny's brisk voice echoed with a laugh, sounding twenty degrees below zero compared to his sky high body temperature that was still rising. "How is that fair? No. No, you're not- that's not happening."

Johnny wasn't the kind to make sacrifices, giving the life of one to save the thousand wasn't something he believed in or would ever do. No life was worth less than another and he wouldn't willingly give anyone over to this creature. But the fact that it was asking his own baby just cemented his feelings even more.

He wouldn't hand his baby over to something like this. They didn't know why, they didn't know what this thing would do to their child and there was no guarantee that if they ever considered doing this, the creature would keep its word and leave Earth alone.

When no one else seemed to say anything or make a move, Johnny took one brisk step forward and hissed at his brother in law.

"Reed."

His nose scrunched up and his lips pressed firmly together as he watched Reed turn, and a silent exchange passed between them. They had to go. Johnny wouldn't stand here for another minute and let this creature sit there and demand to have his unborn child. He wouldn't have (Y/n) stood here like she was baiting him in case this thing tried to hurt her or the baby.

With a nod of his head, Reed took a few cautious steps back. "We- we can't do that. We won't."

That wasn't a price any of them were willing to pay.

Johnny was at the point of bouncing off the walls when the aircraft finally docked back its rightful place. Back on Earth; back home.

He didn't know what to do with himself. Instead of feeling worn out and broken down after the fight they'd just put up to get back home, he felt like he had been fuelled with far too much energy and he didn't know what to do with himself anymore. He wanted to explode. He wanted to course through the sky until all the flames within him burned themselves out and took his energy and anger out with them.

He wanted his anger to burn down as quickly as the oxygen around him did whenever he set alight.

Johnny wanted to rewind time and wish they never went up there searching for Galactus. He wanted them to stay right here on Earth so none of them knew the price that had been asked of them. The offer that they had point blank refused.

An offer that the rest of the world wasn't going to understand.

Everyone else would find it easy to say that they would sacrifice one person to save millions upon millions. To save the entire planet, they would give up one person. Every one would have no trouble saying that until it was their partner, their mother, their child, their baby, that was being asked to be sacrificed. Then they would have a problem with it, and those that didn't, weren't the kind of people who deserved to be saved.

Rage burned within Johnny as the five of them stood on the platform and would take them from the aircraft down to the ground. Down to reality; back to civilisation. Back to the people who weren't going to herald them as heroes for much longer.

A jolt surged through Johnny when he suddenly felt a hand slipping into his own. When he looked to his right, he tried to force a smile onto his features as he looked at (Y/n).

Her fingers were tightly woven between his own, gripping his hand fierce enough to threaten dislocation and her other hand curled around his bicep like she was trying to bind them together. He liked it. Johnny liked the comfort, the touch and closeness. (Y/n) was the only thing that could keep him grounded and make him feel sane amongst all the madness.

He attached his lips to the top of her head, breathing in her scent like it was a drug he needed to keep himself calm while his free hand clenched into a fist. His shortened nails started to scrape and dig uncomfortably into the palm of his hand, but it was a good way to focus and prevent himself from heating up and starting a fire.

"We can't make a statement." (Y/n)'s voice was so quiet that the rest of the group thought they had heard a whisper on the wind.

All eyes fell upon her, causing her to shrink into Johnny's side and angle her head down to stare at the glistening grey floor that showed a reflection she barely recognised.

"We didn't help… everyone's still in danger."

(Y/n) squeezed Johnny's hand and leant her cheek up against his arm, using him as a leaning post to stop herself from going down to the floor. She felt drained. She felt broken, tired, unsure, afraid.

Everyone back home was going to think that they had gone up into space and defeated the thing that was threatening them. Now they would have to tell the whole world that not only had they not done anything at all, but that this creature was still threatening them and they could be in peril any day now.

It wasn't going to go down well at all and the world was going to turn against them, (Y/n) could sense it. She would rather give no statement at all than risk trying to explain what had happened. They hadn't done anything wrong, but this would be seen as a failure. It was easy for the world to think they had failed when the rest of the world didn't have to do this every day or make these choices. They thought it was easy; they had high expectations.

"She's right, we need to go and come up with a plan." Ben stayed cramped in the corner of the lift, but he nodded his head in (Y/n)'s direction when she lifted her gaze towards him.

They had a big fight on their hands, they had to come up with a game plan and work out what was possible for them to do in this situation. Because giving up (Y/n) and Johnny's baby wasn't a viable option.

With his lips attached to her hair, Johnny gave (Y/n)'s hand a squeeze and wavered towards her side until their arms and shoulders were glued together. He heard the quiet murmur she uttered into his sleeve that the rest of the group didn't hear, and it shattered his heart.

"I wanna go home."

"We are." He assured, tilting his head down to press a fierce kiss to her temple just as the lift reached the ground.

They were going back home, back to the tower. They would lock themselves away until they had come up with a reasonable solution to this mess that didn't involve their baby becoming a sacrifice for the world.

They had all done this before. All of them had stepped out the front doors of their building or out of their aircraft or onto a stage for an interview and felt so nervous or excited with anticipation or they felt overwhelmed.

None of them ever felt so broken down and fragile like this before. They never felt like they had failed, like they had done something wrong. They hadn't gone up into space to confirm a negotiation or defeat this being. Their purpose in space was to find out what was happening and what this creature was doing and why. So they succeeded in that respect, but it still fell like a failure.

(Y/n) wanted to go home. She wished her power was teleportation so she could take them all home without the fanfare or crowds or constant flashing of cameras and shouting questions.

She wanted Sue's powers. She wanted to turn herself invisible and drift through this crowd as if she weren't part of this Fantastic team. She didn't want to be one of them, not when her baby was the price of saving the world and she wasn't willing to pay.

(Y/n) found herself shifting closer and closer into Johnny's side until she was meshed against his side almost gluing herself into his back. They both knew he could tell what she was doing and that she was anxious.

He managed to wrangle his hand out of her grip so he could loop his arm around her shoulders instead. As they continued walking, Johnny tried to usher (Y/n) to his side rather than hiding behind him. His fingers flexed on her shoulder as he tried to control his body temperature from rising.

He didn't know whether (Y/n)- or the rest of the team's- suits were as flame retardant as his. He didn't want to burn a hole into her suit.

He could feel his stomach churning and tightening when a camera flashed because all Johnny could think was; none of us are happy.

That photo would be horrid. None of them were smiling. They weren't waving or calling out or being cocky about how their mission had gone. They looked grave, petrified, drained, horrible. In a matter of seconds, these people were going to realise that this wasn't the welcome home expectation they had in mind.

"Just keep walking, we're not talking to anyone." Johnny's words were comforting as they were murmured against her temple.

It felt like he had turned into a bodyguard. (Y/n) melted herself into his chest, soaking in the feeling of his lips smothering her temple like hot coals were melting into her skin.

Fierceness seemed to be radiating off of Johnny as he steered (Y/n) through the throng of reporters, aiming straight through the building towards the doors at the back where they would be safe. Out of sight. Out the way of prying eyes and ears.

He could feel Ben's presence looming beside them, his heavy steps crashing against the floor announcing each step he took without meaning to. Ben was close enough that he could stop anyone from getting too close, specifically to (Y/n). And Johnny knew that his sister and her husband weren't far behind, trying to keep their heads down as they all walked without uttering a word.

They were so close. They were so close to the doors that would lead them away from the press, away from the public and the cameras and the constant questions.

The door was near enough that Johnny could almost wrap his fingers around the cold metal and feel how it would bend and curve beneath his heated grip. He didn't get chance to curl his hand around the handle; not when the Mayor side-stepped in front of them.

She looked at them with rounded eyes and arched brows and her head tipped down at a certain angle that made her seem like a school teacher about to give them a telling off.

When her hand reached out, Johnny thought she was going to try and comfort them, hold onto (Y/n)'s shoulder or reel them in for a hug. For a second, he thought she knew. He thought she had guessed their little secret that was multiplying the paranoid thoughts in his head and the anxiety coursing through (Y/n)'s system.

She didn't. Her hand moved to the side and held out in the direction of the press, the people crowding round like flies, hovering so close Johnny swore he could feel one of them breathing down the back of his neck.

"Just a few questions, please." It sounded more like a gentle command than a question or asking for a favour.

They didn't have a choice, they could all feel that.

It didn't seem to matter to any of them that the five of them had just landed back on Earth. They had been in space and although it had been a month for Earth, it hadn't been a month for them. They had been hours. They were tired, drained, void and hopeless. They wanted to go home, to bed, to eat and sleep and wallow before they tried to think of a plan to get their world out of this mess.

Answering questions and being bombarded and hounded wasn't something any of them wanted. Clearly it wasn't their choice to make.

(Y/n) tried her best to steel her expression when she heard Reed and Sue agreeing and she could feel them retreating and turning around.

She didn't want to turn around. (Y/n) didn't want to face any of them, she didn't want to see them because she knew she wouldn't be able to steel her expression and look calm. The internal battle she was facing would be clearly displayed on her face, and everyone would pick up on it.

A sigh parted (Y/n)'s lips as she and Johnny turned around but they made sure to stand close to the door. Ready for a retreat, a quick escape when things went South.

She almost felt bad when Johnny's arm left her shoulders and her head was about to turn to see what he was doing, until she felt his touch again. He shifted his arm down so it was bound around her waist instead. His hand splayed out rather protectively over her bump and he kept her close to his side so (Y/n)'s back and shoulder were leaning back against his chest.

His other hand moved to curl around (Y/n)'s shoulder and she felt her heart fluttering when Johnny's lips attached to the back of her head. His nose was buried down in her hair and his chest was so tense behind her that if it wasn't for the heat radiating off of him, (Y/n) would have thought she was leaning against a brick wall.

He was switching his weight from foot to foot, unsure how to remain calm or keep still. He didn't know what to do with himself, clearly. Johnny kept flexing his fingers against (Y/n)'s shoulder and she could feel the ragged breaths that he was panting into her hair.

Shifting her hand down, (Y/n) curled her hand around Johnny's wrist while her eyes focused on Sue stood just one step in front of her like she was trying to shield them both.

Sue smiled. There was something calming in her smile and that little sparkle in her eyes like she already had a plan formulating in her mind. She was going to answer the questions, her and Reed would try and smooth over the situation and make a quick escape for them all.

A million and one questions were called out and thrown their way, but (Y/n) could only work out a handful of what had been said. And she knew none of them would have the right answers here.

"Did you defeat them?"

"How did you do it?"

She watched how Reed flexed his fingers at his sides and stood at the podium placed out ready for them. He wasn't the best public speaker, even when he did Science with Mr Fantastic, there was something reserved about him like he couldn't relax or truly be himself.

He looked and sounded somewhat out of place, but that was more because they hadn't had time to prepare for the press. Usually they had some idea of what they were going to be asked and they could pre-construct some well rounded answers beforehand.

"Did we… no, no we didn't defeat it."

Reed pulled at the collar of his suit like it was suddenly too tight around the throat and his lips rolled together as he tried to look and remain calm, but his composure wasn't very strict.

When they said they were going up into space on the aircraft, none of them said this was a battle. They didn't announce that they were going on a mission to end this threat to their world. They didn't go up with a battle plan or weapons or technique.

They went with the explicit purpose of finding out information, of searching for where this Galactus was, what it wanted, who it truly was and how much of a threat it could be to their world. They got all the grave answers they had been searching for, but they didn't go up there to defeat Galactus. Not yet, at least.

(Y/n) winced when the murmurs started. The questions, the utterings of why they hadn't defeated it and what had gone wrong. The stares they were now getting, the frequency of the camera flashes and how the press and the public combined stepped forward, now eager for more information and explanations.

She could feel Johnny sighing into her hair and the way his hands started to warm through her suit- which she hoped was flame retardant or she and the baby would be having trouble. And she was sure a few curse words left Johnny's lips.

"Not yet, we didn't defeat it yet." Johnny corrected, lifting his head up long enough to speak clearly and force a calm smile onto his features so he didn't look frazzled or panicked.

Was Reed really going to tell them the truth? Was he going to be brutally honest, despite knowing how badly this would turn out if he did?

(Y/n) felt Johnny utter "Come on Reed." under his breath, dropping his eyes down while he kept his lips and nose smothered in her hair.

Reed needed to fake it, he needed to bullshit the press, as blunt and horrid as that sounded. If he stumbled through this and told them the truth then the world was going to hate them. Maybe Johnny should have stepped up and took charge of the questions, he was good at deflecting. But then again, the press would only keep asking the same questions until they got the answers they were looking for.

With a nod of his head, Reed put on his best smile and faced the crowds again. "We went there to see what the threat was, and to try negotiating with it."

"And did you make a deal?"

How could they? It was hard for Johnny to hold his tongue. He was used to speaking his mind despite the trouble that could get him into from time to time. There was so much that he wanted to say, he wanted to step forward and make them all listen to him.

He wanted to ask if any of them would willingly sacrifice their child to a monster if it meant saving themselves and the rest of their world. The answer would be no. Then Johnny would tell them that they couldn't expect him and (Y/n) to do the same.

People were hardwired to protect their families, their loved ones and their children. When Solomon said split the child, the mother cried and offered to give up her baby so he would live. That was sacrifice, it was for the good of the child, not the good of a monster that couldn't be trusted.

Reed looked at Sue, but he was already opening his mouth to answer because he could see the contemplation behind her eyes. The uncertainty about how to answer that, and Ben was stood behind him to one side, clearly not wanting to talk either.

He felt they had to be professional and that meant being honest. They couldn't protect the world if they weren't willing to be open and honest about what they were doing and how they could try and save them.

"We tried to negotiate, but the price was too high to pay." It was a price none of them would pay. Reed would never give up his niece or nephew to a being like that and he would never expect anyone else in the world to have to make such a choice, not for the sake of humanity.

"What was the price?"

(Y/n)'s skin bristled and an overwhelming amount of heat started to radiate off of her, whether it was from her own sense of panic or from Johnny, she couldn't be sure. But she could feel Johnny's chest vibrating with a deep growl that thankfully, nobody else heard.

She knew he felt the baby wriggling from the panic too, because he pressed his hand a little bit firmer against the side of her bump like he was trying to calm the baby.

It took a lot of control for (Y/n) to keep quiet and press her lips together to silence any remark that might fly past her lips.

The panic was building up within her and she knew it was starting to spill out across her features. She didn't want them to say. It wouldn't do any good to say what kind of offer they had turned down, it would only make them unpopular and cause arguments between them and the public.

(Y/n) found herself shaking her head to herself but she stopped when Johnny's chest rumbled with another quiet noise and she heard his jaw click as he started to fidget.

"The price…" Reed glanced around his team, his family, like he was looking for guidance while his hand brushed along his jaw and his fingers began to scratch into his skin to keep himself calm.

They wanted to know the price. Would the public really be angry at them for turning this down? Would they really be so annoyed if they put themselves in Johnny and (Y/n)'s place? Surely someone out there would understand what the couple were being asked and agree that it wasn't the right thing to do. Nor was it a solution they could really go with.

Johnny felt like a rabid dog at the point of snarling and froffing at the mouth, and his eyes were zoned in on his brother in law. He could feel the embers burning to life within him and the golden flecks began to ignite within his eyes. all of his self control went into stopping the flames from erupting on his skin, something he had learned to harmonise with over the years, something that was hard to keep at bay.

His teeth were clenched so tightly together that his jaw felt like it was going to dislocate and he knew the shape of his mouth was as square as a box now with his change in expression.

He wanted Reed to turn around, to look at him for guidance or glare or smile or do something. Johnny wanted Reed's attention so the older man could see in his face that he didn't want him to do it. Johnny didn't want this to be revealed. It was private, it was something that had been asked of them, not the rest of the world and they didn't need to know the torment he and (Y/n) were going through now.

Don't do it, Stretch!

Reed took a step back. He back tracked closer to Sue's side, but he couldn't quite turn his head from the crowds.

Their microphones were aimed closer, they were leaning in, their eyes were burning into him like Johnny's embers. They wanted to know, and the deep-rooted part of Reed that told him to always do the right thing and find a solution, that part was telling him to just admit it. They would look worse if they didn't tell the public everything. The public would wonder what bargain had been asked, if the team didn't admit what that creature wanted from them.

"It wanted the baby."

Terror plunged (Y/n)'s heart to the pit of her stomach like all its arteries had been severed. Her nails spiked into Johnny's burning wrist and her free arm bound around her chest to try and push down the queasy sickness that was overwhelming her.

Why did he do that?! Why had Reed told them? Why would turn them into public enemies like this?

Tears welled up in (Y/n)'s eyes as she turned and tried to push back against Johnny, but he was already a step ahead of her. Both his hands were on her waist and he was turning her to the right, steering her towards the double doors.

But (Y/n) pressed her palm flat against her chest and she couldn't stop herself from gagging when she heard one of the crowd shout after them "Why didn't you agree?"

Acidic tears trickled down her face and each breath started to feel heavier and harder to push through as she flung open the doors and hurried inside, moving faster and faster until she was almost running to get away from everyone.

"Babe- baby wait!" Johnny's jaw clicked as he sped up to reach (Y/n), curling his hand around her arm so she didn't disappear from sight and run from them all.

With little force or effort he pulled (Y/n) to a stop, reeling her into his chest so he could let go of her arm and bind his arms around her instead. Both arms wrapped tightly around her frame and he ducked his head down until his lips were pressed into the junction between her neck and shoulder.

He knew his skin was overheating by now, he knew the sweat appearing on his skin was quickly evaporating into steam and little tendrils of mist around him, he was so angry and worked up. But his suit would soak up the heat, and Johnny had just enough self control when he was around (Y/n); he would never want to burn her.

Shudders wracked Johnny's frame when he heard (Y/n)'s broken tone. "They wanted us to do it."

Were they selfish for trying to save their baby? Were they the monsters for not giving in and letting that thing take their child from them? Was their child less valuable to the world because of its parents powers? Did the world really agree and think that they could sacrifice an innocent baby to save their own selfish lives?

(Y/n) could feel her nerves igniting and exploding one by one and it was causing a horrible shaking to break out in her system. Shudders wracked her frame and she was sure at any moment that her knees were going to give way. The only thing keeping her upright was Johnny, clinging to her like she was his lifeline.

That was, until approaching footsteps caught them both off guard. They didn't have to turn around to know who had followed them in here. It wasn't the press hounding them for a statement or an explanation. It was their family.

"Are you both okay?" Sue's voice struck a cord within Johnny and he was torn between wanting to be a child again, soothed by her voice and her calming presence, and wanting to explode and tell her that of course they weren't okay. How could they be okay after what Reed had just done?

An uncontrollable amount of fury started to burn within Johnny and as soon as the tips of his fingers began to heat up and the ends of his hair started to change colour, he unwound his arms from (Y/n) before the heat got to her. He couldn't stop the flames from igniting, from setting his hair alight like he was the Olympic torch.

His face turned a mixture of burnt sienna with hints of summertime yellow as he turned away from (Y/n) and stormed towards Reed. He closed in on him until there was only a few feet of space separating them and keeping them safe, but it didn't feel like enough.

Johnny wanted to be up close, nose to nose so his flames would scorch his brother in law and all the emotions flowing through him would be seen, felt and heard loud and clear.

"What the Hell, Reed?!" Each word seethed past his lips like they were vile poison Johnny didn't want touching his tongue.

He could feel Ben standing at his side, debating whether or not to reach out for him but he seemed to know that resting a hand on Johnny's shoulder was going to do nothing to calm him down. Whereas Sue was stood right beside the pair of them, her hand on Reed's arm for reassurance rather than to calm him down.

He wasn't the one who needed to simmer down; that was Johnny. He was the one with a temper that was flaring and shining brighter than the sun. Johnny was the one who was desperate to let all his rage loose, but he was controlling it well because the last thing he wanted was the reporters hearing any of this.

"What?"

"You fucking told them! Why would you do that?" Furious wasn't the word to explain how Johnny felt. He wasn't sure there even was a word in the dictionary that could explain this feeling.

"They asked-"

"Johnny it's okay." When Sue tried to reach out for her brother, she was shocked to find him sneering at her and those ignited pupils focusing on her with a look that told her not to bother. He didn't want her touch, her love and comfort that always used to soothe him as a lost teen. He didn't want any of it.

None of this was okay. How could she say that? She knew why Johnny was so upset, she had to know and she had to see that it was distressing (Y/n) as well. She had to see why they were so distraught about all of this.

"No it's not, don't you realise what you've just done?"

Reed leaned back, hurt and confusion dwelling in his eyes as he stared down at his brother in law who he barely recognised.

They were all so used to seeing Johnny catch fire like this, but never out of anger. He never burned this bright from fury, it just wasn't in his nature and he always had good control over his abilities. But right now, Reed could see that Johnny couldn't control the flames that were licking and dwelling against his suit.

"We didn't make the deal or call your child the price."

"You made my baby a target." The flames started to die down around Johnny's features when tears welled up in his eyes.

And flickers of steam and mist started to swirl around his features when the tears trickled down his face, extinguishing the flames burning bright around his skin. Reed was half expecting to see scorch marks in his skin, especially when more and more tears started to fall until Johnny had to take back control and simmer down the flames around his head and neck.

He rolled his neck from side to side, eyes closed tight and breath held in his lungs as he pulled in the flames like he was soaking them up back into his skin. All that was left was the golden flecks to his eyes once they opened again and a grimace bent at his lips when he looked up at his brother in law.

"Now they're going to be against us. You think they'll back down now, that they'll understand? This isn't their child Reed, none of them will care they will expect- fuck, all of them will expect me to- to give my baby to that creature. They want my baby to be a sacrifice."

If the world didn't know what that creature wanted, then there would have been no harm. They could have said that they tried to negotiate but Galactus wouldn't listen or agree to anything. Then the team could still try and work on a solution without feeling pressure or like the world wouldn't work with them.

That wasn't the case now.

Now, the world knew what the price was and to them, it was something so simple and small. Something insignificant because it wasn't their child that was being asked as a sacrifice.

"Johnny-"

"Don't." For once, Johnny wouldn't turn and look at Ben. He didn't want to see the sympathy in his eyes or hear his words of wisdom. He turned away from Reed, carelessly pointing at him as he began to aim towards (Y/n). "You shouldn't have told them."

This was (Y/n) and Johnny's baby, and they wouldn't give them up. Not for anything in this universe.

***

This was a mistake. This was a mistake!

(Y/n) looped her bag higher up on her shoulder as if it was at risk of falling and both arms bound tight around her chest resting on top of her bump like she was giving herself a comforting hug.

Leaving the tower had been a mistake. (Y/n) shouldn't have come out and she knew it. From the moment she walked out those doors to the moment she was back towards them, she knew coming outside hadn't been the right thing.

People had been hovering around the tower since they came back from space. Not always crowds, but certainly a few on-lookers waiting to tell them how selfish they thought the Fantastic team were. There was always someone around who thought they had the right to argue and shame them and make them feel bad.

Staying in the tower felt safer, but Ben had been telling (Y/n) lately that she couldn't hide away forever, it wasn't fair on her. If she wanted some fresh air, if she wanted to go for a walk or go to the shop then she had every right to do that without having to worry about what people might try and say to her.

But now, having to walk back through those crowds to get into the safety of the tower, (Y/n) wished she had never left this morning.

She knew Johnny and Ben were somewhere close behind her, the three of them had gone out to the shops and for a walk this morning. Ben liked walking the streets, even if he could never go unnoticed or hidden in the shadows and (Y/n) needed a few things.

But they weren't walking fast enough, and as soon as the tower came into sight, (Y/n) sped up because she could see the crowds hanging round. She could see the people about to start calling them. Those who would call them names or call them selfish or tell them to change their minds and save the world.

A deep rooted part of (Y/n) feared that one of them might try and hurt her to hurt the baby.

She feared going into labour next month and having her baby snatched from her arms to become a human sacrifice.

As long as the baby was within her, they were safe.

That thought seemed to calm one of (Y/n)'s nerves and she moved her hand down just a little to start gliding her fingers over the top of her bump. Although it wasn't the same as when Johnny would reach out for her stomach or start whispering to the baby, having his own conversation with them as if he expected an answer in return.

The doors to the tower were within sight and (Y/n) kept her head down, watching the gravel path beneath her as she aimed for the doors to her home, her sense of safety and sanctuary.

She could hear Johnny and Ben arguing about something just three or four steps behind her. But unfortunately, (Y/n) couldn't focus on what they were saying when she could hear the crowds starting to leer at them and throw snide remarks at her instead.

Their words were like rocks being thrown at her and (Y/n) tried not to wince or show any upset with each remark she heard.

But a gasp suddenly drew past her lips and her feet skidded on the floor when a rough hand clamped down around her arm. Her body stumbled to the left and her arms loosened from around her bump to wave out in an attempt to steady herself.

(Y/n) dared to look up in time to see a man not that much older than Johnny, presumably. His nose was upturned and his lips crinkled as he sneered at her like a rabid dog wanting to bite. He leaned in close until (Y/n) could see the darkness within his eyes and smell the onions lingering on his breath.

"Why don't you give it to that thing? You can't condemn us all for the sake of one kid."

His words were like a knife cutting through her and (Y/n) grimaced as she tried to yank her arm out of his rough grasp, but his words felt like they had spelled her. Would he be saying that if it was his sibling or his own baby that was being asked to be given up? Would he be that heartless for the sake of all others?

She tried shaking off his grip but he kept pulling like he was trying to yank her closer and shake some sense into her. As if being so rude and rough would somehow get his views through into (Y/n)'s mind.

His fingers suddenly tensed on her arm when a rough hand slammed into his chest and he was forced back with a wave of heat that scolded his chest and left maroon burn marks on his shirt.

Johnny shoved him with as much effort as he could muster and he tried not to smirk when he realised his heat had singed the man's shirt. But it was enough to get him to let go of (Y/n) and as soon as she was out of his grip, Johnny weaved his free arm around her waist and put himself in between her and the stranger. Hiding her behind him like he had become a human shield instead of a human torch.

"Back the Hell off." He wouldn't have anyone trying to intimidate (Y/n), much less trying to touch and harass her like that.

"Do the right thing."

A quiet huff left Johnny's lips at the retaliation that didn't even deserve a response. Never would giving up their child be considered the right action by any means, and they were never going to talk about it or even consider it as a viable option.

"Don't play with fire, you'll get burned."

The flames that erupted on his shoulders matched the golden circles dwelling in his eyes and Johnny smiled sickly sweet when the man stumbled back three paces to be away from the tremendous heat and danger that Johnny was oozing.

If he got any closer, Johnny would scold him without question and if he tried to grab at (Y/n) again he would need to be treated for burns.

He heard the man muttering "Whatever," under his breath, but he must have been intimidated because he backed off pretty quickly.

"Come on." Ben's voice was soft when he rested a heavy hand on (Y/n)'s shoulder and she nodded, reaching out to give a small tug on Johnny's elbow to get him to follow. They had made their point and they didn't want to turn into a spectacle right here out on the street. They needed to go inside now, where they would be safe from prying eyes.

Once the three of them were inside, silence enveloped them as they aimed for the lift. They weren't quite sure what to say to one another, but it didn't seem to matter anymore.

(Y/n) closed her eyes and flopped her head back onto Johnny's shoulder while her foot began to tap out an incessant beat against the floor. She barely heard the bell toll when they reached Ben's floor, or the sound of the doors closing once he exited. Although she did feel the way the lift moved quicker after he departed; his rocky frame weighed heavy on the stairs and lifts.

It was like her mind was wandering away without her, yet she knew Johnny had to be thinking the exact same thing as her.

He had to, because as soon as they were alone in the lift waiting to reach their floor, his arms curved slowly around her waist like he was testing the waters to see whether she wanted his touch or not. His hands rested on her stomach, fingers spreading out over her shirt like he was somehow trying to cradle and hold the baby in his hands already.

(Y/n) reached down to cup her hands over his and she tilted her head so her temple was pressed against his flushed throat that was as hot as coals on a fireplace.

"We can't give him the baby." She hated how quiet and weak her voice sounded, deflated of all energy and hope.

"I know."

"It- they don't- they don't see, it's not a solution, he could take the baby and still destroy the world anyway. I won't lose our baby, Johnny I-"

There was no security about this. Giving away their baby wasn't a solution because what guarantee did they have that Galactus would go away? He might leave Earth for a few weeks, months, even years, but then he could come back. He could demand another price, another life or sacrifice to make him go away.

It could turn into some strange form of blackmail. It could escalate. Or he could take their baby, devour or break or consume them, and then take apart Earth anyway and devour it like it was breakfast. He could do whatever he wanted if they didn't put up a fight.

Giving in and handing over their child wouldn't make things better or be a guaranteed solution, but the rest of the world didn't seem to understand that. They saw a way out that was easy for them and they wanted to do it to save them the hassle of coming up with a better plan.

"Baby, calm down." There was something loving and almost corny about Johnny's voice as he smothered his lips against her temple. And when he started to sway them from side to side, (Y/n) hummed and almost laughed.

His thumbs brushed up and down her skin and (Y/n) soaked in the touch, leaning into him even more while she felt his hands start to glide back and forth over her stomach. And when (Y/n) tilted her head back on his shoulder, she was pleased to find Johnny smiling softly down at her, and when his lips pressed to hers, she could have melted on the spot.

His lips were always warm and flushed and sometimes it felt like they were melting and moulding together, like they were meant to be. The end of his nose bumped hers and she could feel his lips merging into a smile as his tongue ran across her lower lip, drinking in the little gasp she let out.

"This little guy- or girl, isn't going anywhere. I won't let that happen, I promise."

Johnny would watch this monster, this Galactus burn before he let anything happen to their baby.

Nothing was going to happen to them. He wouldn't let it.

[megalony]

I know I don’t normally do little talking posts like this, but I’ve had a few lovely anon messages lately and I did promise that once I began watching a few new shows, I would let them know.

So to those who asked if I would watch The Rookie, I’m so happy to say I’ve finally started and I am hooked and submerged.

And I’ve already got at least three different ideas in the works and would love to know if anyone would still be interested in Rookie imsgines or even sending in requests. (Nolan and Bradford have stolen my affections)

And on a little side note, I’ve already finished my first Johnny Storm imagine which will be posted soon and I’m getting back into my Joseph mood too.

Lots of different fandoms are overwhelming me at the moment and it’s so fun to switch between them all and keep my writing momentum going.

Let me know what you think

😍😍😍

[megalony]

I’m already ready for pt 3😞

I’m doing my best to plot out the third part and get it sorted for you all

I’m so excited to get it started

😍🥹😍

[megalony]

Torn Apart- Part 2

Thank you all for the beautiful feedback on the first part of this Eddie Diaz series.

I hope you will all like this next part, please let me know what you think and any ideas you have.

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Eddie Diaz Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Summary: (Y/n) tries to cheer her brother up and takes Chris to spend the day with him. But they all get swept up in a tsunami, and when Eddie finds out, he becomes frantic to try and find his family. Especially because (Y/n) is pregnant.

Enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The twisting, niggling feeling wouldn't dissipate from Eddie's stomach no matter what he did or how hard he tried to settle down.

He couldn't settle. He couldn't stay calm. What was he supposed to do when his pregnant wife was missing during a tsunami?

Fate seemed to have doomed Eddie because this wasn't just the regular panic of wondering where (Y/n) was and if she was alright. He knew she was involved in the tsunami, there was no question of that. She had been caught up in the all consuming waves. She had been snatched from the pier by the ravaging ocean just like Buck and Chris. It was a question of where she was and how injured she was.

The unknown was biting away at Eddie's heart, taking huge chunks at a time until he was certain that there would be nothing left but tattered shards that would be of no use to anyone.

How was he supposed to find her? Eddie wished love could be used as a radar to point him in the right direction. That his love and connection to (Y/n) could be seen as a ribbon that bound them together and he could follow it right to wherever his wife was. No matter what condition she might be in, Eddie had to find her.

Eddie's foot tapped incessantly against the polished floor until he sounded like a drummer on overdrive. But he wasn't pacing up and down anymore, and he wasn't sat in the corridor sobbing his heart out either.

He was stood in the small assessment room with Chris in his arms now that he had been checked over and cleared. He had a few cuts and bruises but miraculously no broken bones or deep gashes or wounds. He had done extremely well under the circumstances.

As soon as he had been checked over, Chris scrambled into Eddie's arms. Leading to Eddie now stood in the corner, swaying from left to right with Chris bound to his chest like a baby monkey. His arms were tightly looped around Eddie's neck and his heels were digging into the back of Eddie's hips, but he didn't care.

He had his boy in his arms, as close to his chest as possible, and that was all that mattered. Chris had his cheek pressed into his dad's shoulder with his lips and nose meshed up against Eddie's throat and he was on his way to falling asleep but he wasn't quite there yet.

For a while, Eddie lost himself in thought, allowing his mind to drift away without him like his soul was leaving his body behind. That was what he wanted. He wanted to leave this wreck behind and drift through the world until he found (Y/n).

But he was brought back to reality when he heard Chris's quiet whimper into his neck.

"I want mum."

If this had been any other situation, Eddie would have loved the sound of that. He loved to hear Chris refer to (Y/n) as his mum and see the cheesy smile on his face when he said it. Eddie had been shocked when Chris had been ill and whined for 'mum' which meant (Y/n), it had been the first time Eddie had seen Chris so desperate for someone else's love and comfort that wasn't his own, and it was such a lovely thing to witness.

But not tonight. Not when none of them knew what kind of state (Y/n) was in or if she was okay or even alive. They knew absolutely nothing and all of them were fearing the worst, and now Chris was getting upset again.

He wanted (Y/n). He wanted to know where she was. He was confused that the three of them had been separated yet he and Buck had been reunited at the same place whereas (Y/n) was nowhere in sight. He presumed she would have been here and he started to cry when he found out no one knew where his mum was.

"I know buddy, me too." What else could he say? How could he comfort Chris when there was nothing pleasant or calming that he could say to console either of them?

Eddie wanted (Y/n) back too. He wanted to find her and he was going out of his mind with trying to come up with a plan.

A deep sigh rumbled past his lips as he tried to will himself not to cry anymore. He had already shed enough tears to rival the tsunami that had wrecked his day. He attached his lips to Chris's temple before he moved towards the small bed that was barely big enough for Buck.

He had been stitched up and tended to by a nurse, and they had been allowed to stay in here for a while since both Buck and Chris needed some antibiotics bringing to them, just for precaution.

Leaning over, Eddie carefully eased Chris down into Buck's arms who was brought out of his trance. He quickly eased his nephew onto his lap and hugged him close while he set his phone down beside him with a small shake of his head.

"Nothing." Buck had called Maddie to tell her what had happened, and as soon as she finished her shift, she was coming down to see and try and help them. He had asked her to listen out on calls for anyone that sounded like (Y/n) or for calls to anyone with (Y/n)'s description, but so far Maddie hadn't had any calls like that.

And Buck had started to ring round a few hospitals nearby, but he either couldn't get through or got brushed off. They would have to go in person to search for (Y/n).

"Stay with uncle Buck for a minute." Eddie's hand brushed over his jaw and scraped the back of his neck as he turned and headed out into the bustling corridor.

He needed a moment to breathe, to think, to gather his thoughts and work out what they were going to do. He could feel the shaking start to overwhelm him again until he was vibrating, about to shoot through the ceiling like a rocket. Eddie wished there was something he could do or someone that could tell him exactly what he was supposed to do.

He wanted someone to find (Y/n) and bring her directly to them; preferably unscathed and unharmed. But he knew that apart from being impossible, it was also improbable to think that (Y/n) wouldn't have been hurt at all after today.

He almost laughed at himself for feeling a spark of hope light up in his stomach when he looked to the right and saw Bobby storming down the corridor towards him.

He didn't need to say anything. Eddie could read his expression, and it was clear that (Y/n) wasn't in this hospital by the look on Bobby's face. He had gone round the whole hospital, each ward and department had been checked but (Y/n) wasn't here.

"I'm sorry," Bobby shook his head but he knew his words came as no surprise or shock to Eddie.

They all knew that whatever hospital (Y/n) was in, they would have to find personally, by hand and not by phone. She wouldn't have her bag with her, no ID and no one with her who would know who she was. So unless she was conscious and able to talk- presuming of course that she was at a hospital- the staff wouldn't know her name.

In disasters like this the hospitals would just help whoever they could and try to get names afterwards.

Eddie was going to have to show a picture and give (Y/n)'s description to every hospital in the area to try and see if she was there. The same went for any sites and shelters set up to help people. But they all figured that (Y/n) would be at or en-route to a hospital, she would need to be checked out. That much was a given.

"What am I gonna do?" The words floundered past Eddie's lips in a breathless whimper as his hands both moved to clasp together behind his head.

His fingers weaved and interlocked and his nails scratched against his scalp between the shortened strands of hair. He knew in a matter of seconds there would be skin and blood trapped beneath his thin nails and deep scratches to the back of his head and neck. He had to stop himself from going insane somehow.

How was he going to find her? There had to be hundreds of hospitals in LA that would now be flooded with victims and casualties. He knew the drill, he knew how it would work. He had been in the emergency room earlier today and saw the chaos for himself. Doctors and nurses patching up people, treating them in corridors and squashing as many beds into one room as they could because they were all overcrowded with people needing help.

"Eddie, just sit down and take a breath."

He shrugged off Bobby's touch when the Captain tried to rest a hand on his shoulder and he stepped towards the other side of the corridor. But standing still wasn't helping, so Eddie turned to pacing back and forth, the same continuous five steps from one wall to the other.

How could he sit down? How could he try and take a breath when his heart was somewhere else, possibly hundreds of miles away from him with (Y/n)? He wouldn't be able to breathe easy or have a mellow heartbeat again until he knew exactly where his wife was and if she was alright or not.

His heart might never beat regularly again if she wasn't okay. Eddie wouldn't be able to muddle through each day without her. He had Chris to think about, but he couldn't suffer such a loss again. He couldn't lose another wife. He couldn't lose the one person he'd trusted his heart to. He couldn't lose two babies either, having never seen or held them.

His heart couldn't take it. And his mind couldn't take much more of waiting around and imaginging every possible worst-case scenario that might have happened to (Y/n) and the twins.

"I have to find her." Desperation entwined in his words like vines scouring up a wall.

"We will-"

"She might not be here, t- the whole coast was hit, what if she's miles out the city?"

Eddie had heard of people becoming separated during disasters like this. He'd heard of families being apart for days, weeks, possibly months while they tried to reconnect and find one another. He couldn't go days without knowing what was wrong with (Y/n) or where she was, and he wouldn't survive weeks without her.

And he wasn't sure he could physically drag himself around every hospital in LA to find her. He wanted to, but Eddie knew the longer he went without finding (Y/n), the worse he was going to feel. He would run himself down, wear himself thin searching for her.

And if he never found her, what then? What would he do?

He would have to start searching the drowned streets looking for her body. He would have to go round the morgues seeing if they had an unclaimed Jane Doe that turned out to be his wife.

Oh God.

Horrible ragged breaths started to wheeze past Eddie's lips that were turning dry and chapped and his shoulders rose and fell like he was a puppet on strings with how hard and heavy it became to take in oxygen.

Tears flooded his eyes and blurred his vision of Bobby moving to stand in front of him but he could feel his Captain's hands settling on his shoulders to stop him from pacing and gasping all at once.

"Eddie, breathe. In… and out. Again." Bobby repeated the mantra again and again until Eddie was nodding along with him and sucking in more air than he was exhaling.

Seeing him stood there, fingers scratching into his scalp, elbows trembling as they pointed East and West, chest almost convulsing and his teeth punctured into his lower lip, it was terrifying and heart breaking all at once. But it was his dark eyes overcome with shrouded blackness that looked the worst, and the tears glossing his orbs only made him more terrifying to witness in this state.

And the worst part was knowing that there was nothing Bobby could do to ease Eddie's agony and prolongued torment.

The only thing that could stop this torture was for someone to tell Eddie where his wife was and what condition she was in. And no one had the power to do that. None of them knew where she was, but they would scour the streets, roam the entire length of the Earth until they found (Y/n). No matter what condition she was in.

"Wherever she is, we'll find her and bring her home."

For a second, maybe two, Eddie tried to nod. He tried to agree and calm down with the knowledge that the team were going to do everything they could to help him find (Y/n). He knew Maddie was already preparing to come down here to either help search or to watch over Chris. He knew Hen and Chimney would go round hospitals with him and search the streets for (Y/n).

But that relief was short-lived when a frightening image of (Y/n), face down in a murky swamp of mud and salt water, flashed across Eddie's vision.

His head snapped to the side with a gasp and he violently blinked his eyes to try and scour that image from his mind. He didn't want to see that every time he closed his eyes. He didn't want to imagine the worst, but it was like a timer was ticking in the back of his head, counting down the probable time that (Y/n) had left before her fate could be assumed as the worst scenario.

Violent images flipped through Eddie's mind like a slideshow. (Y/n) wandering the streets alone. (Y/n) laid out unconscious in the middle of no where. (Y/n) drenched in blood. Her crying with bloodied hands and two lifeless forms resting in her lap.

Which one of those fates had (Y/n) succumbed to?

"What if I can't bring her home? What if I- I'm already too late?" His throat felt raw and the words tasted of ash and poison on his tongue, but he couldn't be imagining this alone.

He needed to know what to do if that situation happened. He needed someone to tell him what he was going to do if he had to bury another wife. If he had to bury (Y/n) without getting the chance to say goodbye to her. If he had to say goodbye to the two babies he hadn't had the chance to meet or hold or watch take their first breaths.

How were Eddie, Chris, Buck and Maddie going to cope if they were already too late to save (Y/n)?

"Eddie, you're not going to get through this if you believe the worst. It's been hours, not days, we have time to find her. Let's try and figure out how we're going to do that, rather than how we'd cope in hypothetical situations. Okay?"

Presuming the worst was only going to make things worse for Eddie because he would be slipping into a depressive state believing his wife was dead and there was no hope of finding her. It was almost as bad as hoping for the very best and then being let down when that didn't come true.

There was a perfectly good chance that (Y/n) was alive and relatively okay and they had to cling to that and hope to find her. They had to be practical in finding her and try not to dwell on the worst. Not yet.

"If she's- she's not here, I have to look round other hospitals." Eddie was nodding to himself as he spoke like he was trying to gear himself up and prepare for the storm that was ahead of him.

Hospitals were the most likely place, hours after a tsunami, (Y/n) must have tried to get herself to a hospital if she was awake and lucid. She wouldn't hang around and scour the streets for long looking for her family, she was practical. She knew if they weren't nearby, they would most likely be at a hospital too.

And if (Y/n) was unconscious and had been found- surely she would have been found by someone- then she would have been taken to a hospital. Eddie had to search them all. He had to search every hospital to find her.

Only then would he start scouring the streets and reside to the horrendous thought that if she wasn't at a hospital or clinic needing help, then she was presumed dead.

"Okay, you do that and I'll make some calls, see what I can find out." Bobby had contacts, he had the numbers of every nearby fire station and he could ask them if they had found anyone matching (Y/n)'s description while out helping during this event.

Him and the team would keep calling and looking nearby and doing what they could here, then they would branch out to clinics while Eddie checked the main hospitals. They would have a system in place until they found (Y/n).

Deep breaths shuddered past Eddie's lips as he bustled back into the confined room and knelt down in front of Buck and Chris. His boy was almost fast asleep, curled up over Buck's lap with his face nuzzled into his thigh and his hands wrapped around one of Buck's arms. They had both been reunited and they would help calm one another down after the horrors they had been through today.

A smile almost pulled at Eddie's lips when he reached out and started to card his fingers through Chris's unruly curls, but the tears won.

"Chris, I need to go and find mum now. But uncle Buck can take you to stay with Abuela for tonight, and I'll ring and talk to you soon. Okay?"

Eddie cradled the back of Chris's head while he glanced up to check that Buck was alright with that. He could see Buck's inner conflict. He wanted Chris to stay with him, he wanted to watch over Chris after searching all afternoon to try and find him. But his little sister was still missing.

Buck couldn't watch Chris and try and look for (Y/n) and he wouldn't be able to settle if he didn't at least try and help. Maddie was on her way, she could pick them up, drop Chris with Eddie's Abuela and then take Buck from there so they could both search for their sister.

As soon as Buck nodded, Eddie pushed forward on his toes and pressed a long, tender kiss to Chris's temple. Murmuring "I'll see you soon," against his skin, but it was more to calm himself down than Chris.

He had his boy safe and sound, now he had to go search for his wife and unborn twins.

***

"Papi?" The sigh that followed was as broken as Eddie's soul and he fought with every fibre of his being against the urge to pull away and hang up the phone.

He wanted his mum. He didn't want his dad to answer the phone, he didn't want to be speaking to him. Eddie called to talk to his mum, to sob to her and get some sort of comfort.

He wasn't close to his parents, not like he had been when he was a child and his relationship with his dad was fractured with how absent his father had been during his life. But there were many times when Eddie called to seek his mother's advice or just to listen to her voice and find solace in her words.

After everything that happened with Shannon and his parents trying to control and take over with caring for Chris, Eddie had kept them at arms length.

The one thing that brought them closer was (Y/n).

She was the thread that knitted their family together. She tried to bond with his parents and have a good relationship with them. (Y/n) was friends with his sisters. She was the go between, keeping them all updated on Chris and how things were in LA. And she encouraged Eddie to take trips down to see his parents, both on his own and for the three of them as a family. They all went down to El Paso to tell his parents and sisters that (Y/n) was pregnant.

And now her fate was uncertain, and the only person Eddie could think to talk to right now was his mum.

"Eddie? What's-"

"I need ma, I need to speak to ma." The abrasive, almost rude tone to Eddie's voice was enough to cut his father off and stop him from retaliating or questioning the phone call.

He heard the deep sigh come down the line, but his father didn't argue. He didn't say how rude Eddie was being for not speaking to him when they hadn't talked in over a month. He didn't bother to chide him or draw him into an argument. The tone of Eddie's voice was clear that something wasn't right.

"Eddie, honey it's late have you just finished work? We saw on the news about that tsunami business. Are you all okay?"

He thought her voice would calm him down. He stupidly thought that hearing his mother's lulling voice would soothe the wounds hacked deep into his soul and make him feel at ease. That her words would settle him and give him a sense of calm and readyness for what was to come and to push him to keep going.

Instead, her voice made him cry.

Deep, guttural sobs began to wrack from his chapped lips the moment her words shuddered through his ears.

She sounded so understanding already and he hadn't even told her the dreaded news he was calling to unleash.

Eddie bowed his head forward and moved his free hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose, but it did nothing to cease the tears streaming down his face. His shoulders trembled with each sob that left his lips until he was scarcely breathing at all. And he was suddenly grateful that he had done this on his own, that the team were going separate ways to try and find (Y/n). He didn't want them witnessing him in this state.

"Oh sweetheart, oh what's wrong? Eddie… Eddie please-"

"They were there." He barely managed to choke out the words as he raised his arm to try and wipe his grimey sleeve along his cheeks. "(Y/n) and Chris, t-they were at the pier, and the tsunami happened."

Eddie swore he could hear the sound of his mother's heart hitting the pit of her stomach.

"No, oh my God are they okay?"

"Chris is alright, we- we found him. Ma, I… ma I can't find (Y/n). I don't know what to do." Another sob tumbled past Eddie's lips as (Y/n) danced across his mind for what had to be the millionth time tonight.

He wasn't sure why he called his parents right now, he didn't have any news to give them.

But something within him fought hard for him to find his phone and make the call. He didn't want his abuela calling his parents and worrying them and causing a frantic mess. He knew Buck had briefly told her what happened when he dropped Chris off, and no doubt Chris would have reeled off the days events to her. He was surprised she hadn't called his parents immediately but then he supposed she was fawning over Chris and trying to make sure he was settled and not panicking.

He guessed he called because he wanted his mother to tell him everything was okay. He wanted to hear her voice telling him that (Y/n) and the twins would be fine, that he was going to find her any moment and then he could call and tell them that everyone was okay.

And Eddie knew his words were coming out in the wrong order because he was so distraught. He was already working through the plan he and the team had come up with.

They were calling other fire stations and going round clinics. Maddie was getting alerts from the call centre on anyone remotely matching (Y/n)'s description. Buck was searching the streets and trying to find any help point near the pier destruction in case (Y/n) was still around there.

And Eddie was searching the hospitals. This was the second one he had come to and (Y/n) wasn't here. He had only just started and already he felt like he was losing hope. Could he keep going? Could he keep looking round the hospitals and try to find her when she didn't seem to be anywhere nearby?

"Where are you? Sweetheart is someone with you?" His mother was crying. He had made her cry by calling her.

He should have waited. He should have waited until he had some proper news, but if Abuela called them first then his parents would have been calling him non-stop for updates and to know what was happening.

"No, I'm…" A shuddering breath left his lips as he tried to compose himself and stop the sobs from breaking free. "I'm going round the hospitals, to try and find her."

He leant back until his back was aligned with the chair and his shoulders were braced against the wall. He tensed his thighs and closed his eyes, trying to hold himself still and keep his breath deep in his lungs to control himself.

He had done well so far. Until now, Eddie had been scanning both hospitals taking to anyone that would listen. He'd looked through every department, shown (Y/n)'s picture around but no one with her description had been admitted.

The only saving grace was that no bodies by her description had been in the morgues either, so Eddie didn't have to search through the dead and fear seeing his wife's face looking back at him.

"I'm scared, ma."

"You don't have to be scared, sweetheart. We're coming down to you, we'll be there in the morning and by then, you'll have found (Y/n). You're all going to be fine, you're going to find her; I know it."

***

How many more times was he going to have to go through this? How much more heartache could he take? Would this be the end of his nightmare, or just the beginning?

The caffeine running through Eddie's system was battling alongside the adrenaline sparkling to life in his stomach. The combination was fighting off the mass depression that was threatening to take over him and it kept him moving and pushed him not to stop when the anxiety and depressive thoughts were telling him to give up, that there was no point to any of this.

His heart was starting to break all over again.

He had been looking all night through the hospitals to try and find (Y/n). He had gone from working all day with the team during the tsunami to working all night on a personal mission to find his family.

Early in the morning, he had gone over to Buck's apartment to have a shower, get a few restless minutes of sleep and a drink, and then start all over again. He couldn't face going home, not when that meant seeing pictures and feeling (Y/n)'s aura when he knew she wasn't going to be there. And he couldn't look at the fridge and see those scan photos pinned up or pass the nursery and wonder if it was ever going to be used.

Staying with Buck for a few measly hours had felt a lot safer than daring to go home alone. And Chris was still with Abuela, waiting for Eddie's parents to arrive. They had set off in the early hours of the morning and were driving down to LA. They should be here soon, but Eddie wasn't ready to face them. Not until he had any news on (Y/n).

Eddie wasn't sure what number hospital this was, he'd lost count after seven. Bobby had written a list of hospitals ranging from closest to furthest from the pier so they could work through them. Eddie just kept scribbling them out one by one, rage seeping further into his touch with each one he went to that denied him his simple request. Is my wife here?

Part of him felt like he should just give up. No hospital seemed to have his wife or any recollection of where she was or where she might have ended up. He felt like there was no point to this never-ending disaster. But (Y/n) was the point. She was the reason behind everything and Eddie couldn't give up on her now. He had to keep going until he or the team found her.

Every time his phone buzzed in his pocket he felt that little flutter of hope in his chest that it would be them telling him they'd found her. But each time when he realised it was just a notification or his parents updating him and checking on him. Or when it was the team asking if he'd had any luck, those hopeful butterflies in his stomach started to die one by one. There weren't many left now.

This hospital was just as overcrowded and overwhelming as the rest. People scattered about the emergency room, sitting on the floor, on cot beds, cradling bottles of water and wearing coloured tags to put them into emergency and non-severe categories.

Eddie's nose crinkled in agitation just looking around them all. Despite having showered and slept and changed at Buck's place, Eddie still put on a fresh work uniform. He wasn't going to be at work for a while, he knew that already, but he was looking around hospitals.

He wanted to have the station logo on his chest in case anyone tried to fob him off or act like he was just another panicking civilian who didn't know the process and how things worked. Some staff were more willing to talk if they knew they were talking to fellow emergency responders. And Eddie would use any advantage he had if it meant getting that one step closer to finding the rest of his family.

Another burst of trembles broke out deep in Eddie's bones and had his whole body shaking back and forth when he approached the reception desk in the emergency room. This one wasn't as crowded as the last one, he didn't even have to wait in a queue of people demanding to be seen with minor ailments.

So far he hadn't seen or heard many people asking or looking for family members. But he had seen a few being escorted to where the unidentified dead were bagged, waiting to be found by loved ones.

Maybe he should of had breakfast before he went back out scouting hospitals this morning. Eddie hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday and by the time he realised his family had been caught up in this disaster, his stomach was churning far too much for him to try and eat. Now he wasn't sure whether it was impending panic or lack of sugar that was making him so lightheaded and heavy-limbed.

He had to stretch his hands out and hold onto the desk to steady himself and his breaths were turning shallow when he looked down at the receptionist.

"How can I help you?" She looked tired. Something about her reminded Eddie of Carla, she had a warm smile despite her exhausted features and she looked like she wanted to help which was a lovely change.

Most of the receptionists Eddie had spoken to had been aggravated and rude and brushed him off like he had walked in asking for directions rather than trying to find his wife.

He dropped his head down and breathed deeply, thankful to have someone kind for a change as he tried to gather his words. It was the same mantra he had been saying all night, the same repetition of words in a slightly different order each time. But always with the same answer.

"Please, I'm looking for my wife, (Y/n) Diaz. She- she was on the West pier when the tsunami hit."

Reaching into his back pocket, Eddie pulled out his wallet and flipped it open to show the picture he kept in there of (Y/n) and Chris from their holiday earlier in the year. He knew her name might not be much help when in a disaster like this, they didn't always take names.

But he needed the receptionist to look at (Y/n). Really look, see her hair colour, her eyes, her skin, her beautiful smile. He needed her to look at (Y/n) and check the files for anyone looking remotely like her who had been admitted during the tsunami.

"She's thirty-one weeks pregnant, with twins, do- do you have anyone here matching her description? Or anyone I can talk to, so I can find her… I'm desperate."

The tears Eddie was trying so hard to hold at bay felt like his eyelids were a dam and it was close to breaking.

He needed help. Eddie needed someone to give him a sense of direction, a map to follow that would lead him to his wife. He couldn't continue scouring round every hospital in the state trying to find her, it just wasn't going to work.

Maybe if all the hospitals had connecting files, if they could search each database for (Y/n)'s name or a Jane Doe description that fit her image. Then Eddie could find the right hospital to go to with the click of a button.

His fingers began to tap out an uneven rhythm against the reception desk while he waited for an answer. Whether it be her telling him she was sorry but she couldn't help, that (Y/n) wasn't here or she had no idea how they could help him, Eddie couldn't guess. Especially when the lady tilted her head at a funny angle and stared up at him through fluttering lashes.

"Twins?" The strange look she gave Eddie with that one word made his stomach twist and churn like his own tsunami was turbulating within him.

He didn't like the sudden flood of sympathy he could see in the receptionist's eyes.

"Yeah." He almost didn't want to answer. What was she about to tell him? Oh God, what kind of news was he in for? Maybe (Y/n) was here, or maybe she was down in the morgue. Eddie didn't like that look on her face, he had seen the team give enough sorrowful looks similar to that to know that this couldn't be anything good or relieving.

The receptionist wheeled her chair a bit closer to the desk so she could look up at Eddie and he was sure if she could, she would have rounded the desk to try and comfort and steady him.

"We had a lady brought in last night, it- it could be her. She was unconscious, we couldn't find any ID on her. Wait here and I'll get a doctor to come and get you."

For up to a minute, Eddie didn't breathe. He stood there, watching the receptionist scuttle away from the desk to go and find somebody and once she was out of sight, Eddie doubled forward.

A strangled sound emitted from his lips as he folded his arms on the desk and flopped his forehead against his forearm. He could feel his breaths condensing the desk and his chest heaving from the effort of sucking in as much oxygen as he could get. His head was spinning whilst his knees started to waver back and forth like they were about to snap and give way beneath him.

She was here. (Y/n) was here. His wife was in this hospital. Eddie's search, his pilgrimage for (Y/n) was finally over.

She wasn't lost somewhere in the streets or face down in a puddle waiting to be moved to the morgue. She wasn't in some body bag with no name or ID on her body. She wasn't lost in the world never to be found or somewhere remote, in agony and torment with no one around to help her.

All the panic, all the searching and frantic phone calls and rushing round the hospitals had finally paid off. Right when Eddie thought that he would have to change his plan to try and find (Y/n) faster.

As long as she was here and being taken care of, then Eddie had some hope. She wasn't dead and he prayed that she wouldn't be on Death's door when he found her.

It's over. I've found her. It's over.

The mantra circled Eddie's mind on a constant loop like it was the only thing he knew, the only thing he could understand. It was the only thing circling around in his head until he heard someone clear their throat.

He was quick to push up off the desk, despite the ache it caused in his chest and the throbbing in his temple that made him feel lightheaded all over again. His hands ran up and down his thighs to rid the sweat slicking his palms and a deep, shuddering breath escaped his lips as he looked at the doctor standing ahead of him.

"Mr Diaz?" He seemed unsure of the name, as if he wasn't quite certain he'd remembered the right name the receptionist uttered to him.

"Yeah, do- do you have my wife here? Is it her?"

"Come with me." The sense of calmness radiating off of the doctor and entwined in his voice was almost a lulling rhyme that made Eddie's chest shudder.

The first few steps Eddie took made him feel like he was about to do something he would regret. He felt like he was making a mistake, but there was no going back now.

His boots echoed harshly on the polished floor and it marched to the beat of his heart that was pounding in his ears. Every sound nearby sounded so loud and Eddie could barely process a thing, every noise was like an attack on his mind.

He didn't know whereabouts they were going and his throat started to dry up and feel like the desert when he thought about trying to ask any sort of question. Was (Y/n) okay, what injuries did she have, who brought her in, how bad of a state is she in? What was happening with the twins? Everything he wanted to ask wouldn't pass his sore lips that were still bloodied from how badly he had chewed on them in his anxious state.

"We've had casualties coming in since the first wave hit, half of them were either unconscious with no ID or couldn't give a name. A young woman was brought in by ambulance yesterday, unconscious, heavily pregnant, wedding ring but no ID. You showed the receptionist a picture, may I see?"

Half of what the doctor said seemed to go straight over Eddie's head and he had to blink a few times to bring himself back into focus.

His hands were trembling when he pulled the photo back out of his pocket. The very photo that he had been gazing at all through the night and into the morning. The photo that brought tears to his eyes every time he looked at it. The photo he was afraid would be his only option left to see his wife and witness and remember that beautiful smile.

A sound burned at the back of his throat when the doctor took the picture but Eddie muffled it down into a cough like he was on the verge of getting a cold.

"This way, I'll need you to identify whether she is your wife or not before I discuss anything further."

Eddie nodded, that was something he could understand while they climbed the stairs in a thick silence that was like a fog rolling in around them and clogging his throat. The doctors had to be safe, they couldn't discuss someone's health with a random stranger from the street without confirming whether they were related or even knew each other. It was violating priviledged information.

But he could feel his heart almost giving out when he was led onto a ward and they were closer to finding out whether his search had truly ended or not.

This had to be (Y/n). The receptionist said they'd had a pregnant woman come in last night, and they had been searching almost a day to find her. There can't be that many women who looked like (Y/n), who were around thirty weeks pregnant- with twins- that were found after the tsunami. Those were slim odds, this had to be (Y/n).

Eddie felt like he was in his own little world, walking to the sound of his thumping heart like it was a marching beat drawing him closer and closer to his death- or the death of his wife. But he stopped abruptly when he happened to look up and realise that the doctor had already stopped outside of one of the rooms.

It didn't dawn upon Eddie until now that this hospital wasn't as crowded as the rest, at least, this particular ward wasn't. People weren't sitting on the floor or lying in beds in hallways. No one was rushing around trying to help desperate patients or scrambling for a spare room to put their urgent care patients.

Either the havoc had died down by now or this hospital wasn't as close to the main disaster as the rest of the ones Eddie had visited.

"Mr Diaz, is this your wife?"

He didn't want to look. Eddie didn't want to know. All these hours he had spent worrying and panicking and praying to God to find his wife, and now he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

If this was (Y/n), Eddie was seconds away from finding out what kind of state she was in. What horrors and torment she had been through, what she had suffered, if she was going to recover. And he would find out what had happened to their twins. The horrors of what he was about to face were starting to appear and he didn't want to face them.

A terrible shaking started to rattle throughout Eddie's body as he turned to the left and stepped closer to the window the doctor was standing in front of. There was a solemn, almost blank look on the doctor's face as he silently pointed to the window.

His short nails started to puncture into his palms and he took a brief moment to close his eyes, seeing the last image he had in his mind of (Y/n). When he kissed her goodbye yesterday morning before work, a day which felt a lifetime ago after the panic and terror that had ensued since then.

When Eddie opened his eyes, he peered through the window until his nose was almost smashed up against the glass.

"It's her." His voice was nothing but a breathless whisper that faded on the wind.

Relief and panic washed over Eddie all at once and spots started to dance across his vision as if trying to block out the image of his wife he was now faced with. It was her. That was (Y/n), his wife, his beautiful girl, laid there in that bed like she was some kind of mannequin.

His hand was reaching for the door before he could think. He wanted to get in there. He needed to. Desperation was clawing through Eddie's bones, tearing through his muscles and shattering his heart. He had to get in there. Hours had passed where Eddie thought that (Y/n) was dead, that he was never going to see her or touch her or hear that voice again.

He had to get in there and slip his hand into hers, he had to hold onto her with everything he had and kiss her and tell her how sorry he was that he hadn't been there or found her sooner.

His fingers barely closed around the handle before a heavy grip was set on his shoulder causing him to freeze.

"Mr Diaz, we need to talk first, then you can go and see her."

He wanted to argue, to tell this doctor as politely as he could to back off and talk to him later. Eddie wasn't in the mood to talk, he just wanted to sit with his wife and be as close to her as possible. He didn't want to wait any longer to be with her.

But Eddie didn't even know what was wrong with (Y/n), what injuries she had sustained and what had happened whilst she had been here. He figured he needed to know that much before he went in there and sat with her.

His lips pressed together in a thin line and his throat ached from the breath he held, but he forced himself to nod. He would delay his reunion with (Y/n) for a few minutes, but he wasn't moving away from this room.

His shoulders pressed back into the wall in between the window and the door and his arms tightly bound around his chest like he was giving himself a hug to bind his broken pieces together long enough to get through this conversation. He had no idea what he was about to be told or asked, or what was going to happen after this moment.

"We don't have any of her details." His voice was soft and he crossed the hall to take a pen and clipboard from the nurse's station before he moved back to stand in front of Eddie.

Up to now, (Y/n) had been just another Jane Doe for the hospital. They didn't have her name, age, health conditions, past medical history, any medical insurance. They knew nothing about her except a rough estimation of age and the fact that she was heavily pregnant.

Eddie was a little surprised that he was being asked for her details first before he was being told what exactly was wrong with her and what she had been through.

But he forced himself to nod and imbedded his clenched fists into his chest as he tried to clear his throat.

He reeled off her name, her date of birth, their home, the fact that she was allergic to naproxen- just like her big brother- something he hoped they hadn't tried to give her before now. He mentioned the few health issues (Y/n) had suffered in the past, although he knew now they had her name they could pull up her entire file on their database.

"Thank you."

With the clipboard tucked under his arm, the doctor stepped closer and leaned against the window. The proximity and the look on his face told Eddie that this wasn't going to be a pleasant or easy conversation, for either of them.

"When your wife was brought in, she had a lot of injuries. We stitched up a gash to her left temple, and she had a shard of glass punctured through her right hand which we had to remove and sew up. There was a deep abrasion to the back of her left thigh, with splinters of wood that had to be removed."

Eddie wouldn't say that it was what he was expecting to hear, but he couldn't believe how shocked his mind seemed to be at this revelation.

He had seen the injuries people had been suffering since the tsunami. People swallowing dirt and even rocks, being hit with bricks or crashing into floating cars. Getting caught up in cable wires, pinned down by metal imbedded in their skin.

A tsunami acted as anti-gravity and telekinesis, it levitated what should have stayed firmly on the ground. It bended items and otherwise immobile things to its will and harmed people in strange ways.

So hearing that (Y/n) had gotten glass through her hand or wood battering her legs shouldn't have been a surprise. And yet it was. Or perhaps it was simply Eddie's prayers of (Y/n) not being dangerously hurt that caused him to feel blindsided by her injuries.

"Because we didn't know what caused the cuts, and due to the muddy water she inhaled, we've put her on broad antibiotics. We don't want the risk of her developing pneumonia."

That seemed reasonable. The water was surely dirty or in the very least unsanitary in parts. There would be broken metal shards, broken wood, dirty nails and needles and garbage floating around in that water. Whatever had cut (Y/n) couldn't have been clean and they didn't know how long she had been left exposed and bleeding before she was treated. Antibiotics would prevent any developing infections.

The last thing they wanted was for any of that water that she inhaled or swallowed to fester and develop into pneumonia. She was already in a weakened state, fighting pneumonia would make her recovery that much harder.

"She's still unconscious?" Eddie turned to look over his shoulder, not really looking for an answer to that question when he could clearly see (Y/n) peacefully asleep in that room.

"She's been heavily sedated, we had to take her for surgery early this morning."

Those words caused Eddie's neck to click when he snapped back to stare at the doctor. He didn't like the sound of that. So far (Y/n)'s injuries had been bad but not extensive or life-threatening. Eddie had been fearing a missing limb or being impaled or nicked arteries.

The twins.

It seemed to dawn on him far too late that the doctor hadn't mentioned anything about the twins so far. He had listed off all of (Y/n)'s injuries, but he hadn't said if the twins were okay or if they had been hurt, if (Y/n) had any abdominal bruises or wounds.

"A C-section? Are they okay, she- she's only thirty-one weeks, over two months early." Words rambled past Eddie's lips as he fought the urge to turn around again and take a closer look at (Y/n) to try and see if her shape had changed and if there was a bump beneath that sheet or not.

If they took her for surgery to do with the twins, it had to be a C-section. What else would they do? It seemed too risky to try surgery on (Y/n), on the twins, and try to leave them in the womb and see if (Y/n) would recover and cope. Her body had been put through the ringer like she had been stuck in a washing machine.

Having the twins born early would be safer for them and for (Y/n), but that still meant they would be two months early. They would be extremely premature, need a lot of time and looking after in the intensive care unit.

"Your wife had internal bleeding, a C-section was our only viable option with one of the babies being in distress."

"Where are they- are they alright?" He didn't like the look he was receiving from the doctor. He didn't want that sorrow, that held-back pain, that controlled sense of composure that looked very hard to keep up with. Eddie didn't like any of it.

"Mr Diaz, I'm very sorry… the boy was stillborn. Your little girl is in the ICU, she's stable."

Eddie didn't recognise the sound that emitted from his lips, it sounded like something broken. A howl of despair.

His teeth sank down into his lower lip so sharply that blood began to well up and smear across his lips like gloss. He could taste the tang of iron in his mouth and it made his nose crinkle worse while tears began to pour down his face.

"Fuck!!"

This wasn't fair.

How could this be happening? How was this fate? Everything was twisted now, it was one big line of string knotted up so tightly that the threads were stretching and about to snap.

Eddie had been afraid of this, but somehow, deep down he thought that he could get away with it. That fate would never be this cruel to him. He had found Chris unscathed and when he got here, he had found (Y/n) too. Eddie hoped that fate would continue this streak of luck and allow the twins to be alright too.

Taking one of them wasn't fair, but taking him when Eddie wasn't here and (Y/n) hadn't been conscious or alert; that was worse.

They had lost their boy, their little boy and neither of them had the chance to hold him. They didn't see his face, they don't know what he looked like or what he felt like being held in their arms. They never got to kiss him or tell him how much they loved him and wanted him. How sorry they were that this had to happen.

Was he on his own now? Was he cold? Had anyone properly held and cradled him?

Did anyone say a prayer for him?

Something twisted in Eddie's stomach at that thought and he could feel his heart rushing up to block his throat. His boy hadn't been baptised, and he doubted any of the staff would have said a prayer when he was delivered. He would be truly alone without a prayer to God.

Before he could stop himself, Eddie's fist was ramming into the wall along with his temple that stayed pressed against the plasterwork as if his temple was now glued to the wall.

They didn't know they had been having a boy and a girl, it had been a secret. Instead of having two boys and a girl, they simply had one of each and one little boy they were never going to take home.

They had been preparing to take two babies home, double the trouble and the work and the love.

How could they look at the nursery the same way? Only one crib occupied instead of two. Only half the clothes and bottles and nappies needed. A piece of them will always be missing. Left behind. Torn away from them.

Eddie wasn't letting that happen. He wasn't letting his boy be taken away from him. Wherever he was in this hospital, Eddie was going to find him and at least hold him. His boy had to know that he was loved, he had to be held by someone before he was taken from them for good. Someone had to be with him. He would be somewhere in the morgue as baby Doe, a little boy from an unknown Jane Doe.

That had to be changed, he was somebody's, he was loved and known and wanted. He was baby Diaz.

"I wanna see him." His voice didn't seem to match, it felt like it came from somewhere deep within, somewhere low and cold and as dark as the pits of Hell.

"That can be arranged, but maybe when your wife is awake. She hasn't been conscious since she was brought in…"

He didn't have to say it. Eddie guessed already. They hadn't told (Y/n) their boy had died. She had been unconscious while they tried to help her and then subsequently took her to surgery and now her anaesthetic was still wearing off. When she woke up, Eddie had no idea if she would remember what she had been through or how she got hurt.

He didn't know if she would know that she had been hurt in the tsunami or if she even remembered going out with Buck and Chris. She wouldn't know that the twins had been born, and Eddie was going to have to break the news to her that their boy was gone.

"Would you like me to call someone for you?"

Eddie ran a hand up and down his face and tried to take in a deep breath but his lungs felt like paper bags being squeezed empty. Breathing didn't feel like an option right now.

With a shake of his head and a hand held out somewhere in the doctor's range, Eddie looked away from him. He would make the phone calls. He would talk to the doctor after he'd calmed down, after he saw (Y/n) and when she woke up.

The doctor disappeared as if he were a school boy who had been dismissed.

Eddie had calls to make and he needed to sit with (Y/n). He needed to call Buck and tell him that they'd found (Y/n), that the search was over and he could come and see her. He needed Buck to then call Maddie and their parents so they knew the situation.

He had to call his Abuela and see if she was okay to have Chris for a bit longer, although he knew she wouldn't mind at all. And he'd have to call his parents. They would be close to LA by now, and Eddie would have to tell his mum that she had been right, that he had found (Y/n) and she was relatively okay. But he'd have to explain that they'd lost their little boy.

His hands were trembling when he pulled out his phone which was almost out of battery by now, and dialled Buck's number.

"Hey Eds, which hospital are you at? I'm gonna make another list and we can tick them off, if we both search it'll be fas-"

"I found her, Buck." He seemed to breathe through the words and he wasn't sure if his voice held any weight at all or if it was a whisper on the wind that could only be heard by certain pitches.

"Where?! How is she? Is she awake, what's she saying?!"

"Oh Dios… it- it's not good." Another sob wracked past his lips as he went back to leaning on the wall for support. But it wasn't enough, he couldn't stay slumped against the wall when his legs were turning to jelly and he felt like he was about to faint.

He grabbed the door and hazardly flung it open, stumbling into the room to find the chair and scrape it across the floor so he could sit as close to the bed as physically possible.

"Eddie, what's happened to her?"

How is he going to explain everything to Buck? How could he tell him that (Y/n) had been bruised and stitched and torn apart like this, and that the twins had been born already? How could he explain that one of them hadn't made it? Eddie couldn't say any of this over the phone, it was something he had to do in person. He needed Buck to come down here so he could explain, and so Eddie had a shoulder to cry on.

What was he going to tell (Y/n) when she woke up?

[megalony]

When do you think you will post part 3 for Bound By Blood I can’t wait to read more of it!!!

Ooh I’m not sure.

I have it partially done and plotted out so I’ll see if I can get round to it soon I’m glad you like that one and are excited for another psrt

😍😍😍

[megalony]

MEG when I tell you Torn Apart was fantastic…O. M. G!!!! Please please please make a part 2, 3, 4, 5, and keep going for the rest of forever!! It was THAT GOOD!!!!

Oooh you’ve made me so happy!!!

There’s so much more I want to write for it I want to make a series out of Torn Apart. I’m just trying to gather some notes and ideas to start the third part.

But I can’t wait to know what you think of the next part

[megalony]

Please tell me that Torn Apart part 2 is coming out soon it was so so good and i can’t wait to read more!!!

Awwww thank you 😭❤️

Since I’ve had so much lovely feedback I think I will post the next part tomorrow. And I’m trying to work On a third part as I feel the story isn’t finished yet

So you won’t have to wait long for the next part lovey

😍😍😍

[megalony]

your cliffhangers get me everytime 😩 i genuinely love your writing so much and i hope you never doubt or forget how talented you are

Awwww 🥹😭😭😭😭

Thank you so much!!

Sometimes I feel really good about my writing and then other times I’m afraid. I think I’m repeating the same things over and over again and when I try and write my novels, I know I have a different style to writing my fanfics and I think the fanfics aren’t good compared to what I could do if I tried harder.

But this has just made me so happy.

And I had to leave todays imagine on a cliff hanger as I had too much for one fic but the follow up is already complete