#'we needed to show time had passed' anyone on that staff ever heard of EDWARD ELRIC

[pidges-lost-robot]

I will always believe Keith's sudden growth spurt due to "being on a space whale for two years" is just someone on the creative team for the show really trying to wish fulfil a similar growth spurt.

"He needed those years to bond with his mom in a montage and find lotors plan and space puppy to dog etc.-" Shut up, he didn't need TWO YEARS for any of that stuff. Whoever it was, you were just 5ft 7in and wanted real bad to be taller than Lance. Shut up, I see you there

[lovebubblechoices]

Frozen Forget-me-not

Author’s note: Hello again, we are Friday! And that’s mean another chapter of my fic to read but before that I want to say a few things. First of all, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who’s been reading and commenting on the 1st Chapter - I have been overwhelmed by the responses and my heart melted. Then, I’m not a doctor obviously so… If what I describe in this chapter and the Following is not correct, I’m sorry. Lastly, I hope you are all OK, safe and sound wherever you are in the world. STAY STRONG (and stay home).

Tags: @missmiimiie - @caroldxnvxrs - @unusualvisionsblog - @acourustic - @faithhasnowords - @wvndora - @tiki-tay - @noboundariesplease​ - @openheart12 - @youcancallmeanet - @edgiestwinter - @basicgirlwithbasicdreams - @nhievyenne​ - @vika-rafa​ - @misterbitterapplesauce​ - @xxdangerouscapri15xx - @lilyvalentine - 

Word count: 977

Chapter 2 - Part One

One month later

“How are you doing my love?”

 Of course there was still no response, and it had been a month so far and the only change there was in the course of the months was that now, one person was allowed to stay 10 minutes in Victoria’s room and could sit next to her. But still no answer, no move, no change. Only one single different voice each day to fill the room. Tonight, it was Ethan’s as his shift just ended minutes ago. He usually came on mornings, right after his workout session when the hospital was still calm enough for him to allow himself to express how he really felt about the situation without being disturbed or seen by anyone, although he couldn’t care less about his reputation now. She was motionless and expressionless and it was a burden on Ethan’s shoulders. He would gladly jeopardize his career in order to save her from the cold place she stayed.

According to Ethan’s colleagues, there was hope. Her vitals were good and Victoria would eventually wake up one day. The matter was to know precisely when. And every day that passed, Ethan’s fear of her not remembering anything was growing. He was in a delicate position: he was worried but could not possibly show it to Rosie, Victoria’s mom. Mrs. Monroe was hopeful and put an unthinkable amount of trust in Edenbrook’s staff based on their excellent reputation.

 “You know I need you, you know I need you and you’re quietly leaving me” Ethan’s sighed in a moment of sadness and despair. He took her hand in his and silently circled his thumb on the cold back of her hand. It seemed tinier than it was on his last visit. “Don’t you dare to give up Vicky! We need you here” he paused and chuckled “Okay, okay… you’re right: I need you.”

 But Ethan was still welcome by the same unbearable silence and the mechanic rhythm of machines beeping their way to keep Victoria stable and alive. Before letting her hand go, Ethan kissed it multiple times and each times was different. There was the respectful kiss when his lips only lightly brushed the skin, there was the sad kiss when Ethan couldn’t hold his tears, the passionate kiss was a mix of anger and love, the lustful kiss when Ethan decided to go “wild” and that his tongue got involved and slowly and lustfully twirl around Vicky’s fingers, the protective kiss was in fact three small kisses on her wrist  and last but not least, there was the family kiss which became mandatory and consisted in Ethan kissing the four knuckles and the palm – one kiss for Jenner, one for him, one for their future son, one for their future daughter and most importantly one for her in the center of her hand. This combination never changed, unlike the other kisses he gave her everyday according on how he felt on the specific day.

Today he went for the passionate kiss and he ended the ritual with the family kiss as usual. It brought him comfort and peace. Hopes were not high but they weren’t low either. All Ethan had to do was to find his balance between unrealistic hopes and dark despair knowing that the situation could last for months which seemed endless from his perspective.

 The kissing routine was the only kind of routine Ethan Ramsey ever tolerated in his life, along with going for a walk with Jenner of course. Vicky’s accident changed him a lot and it was almost upside down as far as family thoughts were concerned. Ethan never thought he would consider having a family of his own; he had never been the family type anyway but now that the woman he loved was taken away from him, he slowly reconsidered his position on the matter. Somehow, he found strength in that bright new perspective. Sometimes, he imagined their names and features and he would smile like an idiot. In those moments, Ethan was glad and fortunate to be alone in there.

 For their boy, he imagined him sweet with dark green eyes and wavy blonde hair, a small turn-up nose and a mischievous yet charming smile. The name he didn’t figure out yet. He liked Robert, Hugh, Edward or David best but they were old-fashioned. For their little princess, he imagined a smaller and younger version of Victoria but genetics were a mystery. As for the name, she already was Mathilda but again, it was quite dated. Plus, he totally ignored the Victoria’s tastes concerning names. They had never talked about any of this. Whether she wanted kids or not, how many of them but he suspected it when they went to many patients’ family houses.

Ethan saw firsthand how her eyes suddenly lit up whenever they entered a house where you could sense strong family bounds, bonus points if there was a toddler in the family. But she never talked about him freely and he felt guilty for some reasons. He sighed loudly this time. Then he stood up and restrained himself as he wanted to kiss her lips or her delicate forehead.

“What have you done to me Rookie?... I’m such a mess without you.”

A dry laugh escaped. He was whipped, he was madly in love and he honestly didn’t know if he could manage life without her around any much longer. Fortunately for him, there still was the DT to take care of, not to mention Jackie Varma’s supervision as she now occupied Vicky’s spot on the team and of course Esme Ortega who was Vicky’s intern. All that kept the darkest thoughts away for now. But for how long?

“Come back to me quickly… Please?” he heard himself beg and then went outside the room and closed the door behind him.

[volturialice]

Spork Haven chapters 13-14: full fucking tantrum mode

welcome to spork haven, where I spork the EL James fic you’ve never heard of

previous chapter | next chapter | contents

previously on Spork Haven:

actor!Edward and Tanya went to dinner with their movie’s producers! Tanya macked on Ed in public so he was (secretly) violent toward her in return! hotel maid!Bella was suddenly an expert at givin the succ because she watched porn once! the Dicksona was back!

strap in guys, because these two chapters are (I suspect) the boring setup we have to slog through in order to get to The Drama. but never fear, there are plenty of gold nuggets of stupid shit for me to mine!

chapter 13 begins with sleepy Edward being semi-awakened by Bella taking her leave to go do maid things. she accomplishes this by

now I personally was having trouble picturing this, and thought you guys might be too, so I made us a visual aid

there. much better. you’re welcome.

as she slips out of bed, Bella whispers that she’ll see Edward later and that she loves him, which, I mean. to each their own, but may I just point out that it has been 10 (ten) days since they met and three days since they went on their first date.

anyway, Edward wakes up in a great mood and goes to work, where Tanya is too hungover to bother him. He’s irritated upon seeing a newspaper photo of Tanya kissing him last night, and makes Eric burn it. Then he talks to Taylor, his lawyer/security guard...hybrid thing? who just so happens to have the exact same name as the bodyguard extraordinaire from Fifty Shades, as if further proof were needed that erika can only write one (1) story over and over again. Ed asks Taylor if he can bring a non-Tanya date to an awards ceremony he’s slated to attend next week. Riiiiight, because I’m sure Bella will be just fine with appearing at a high profile event on the arm of a celebrity. my dude I don’t think you understand how witness protection works

anyway, Taylor says Edward is welcome to do literally whatever he wants, because

and Edward eats that shit up and is riding high on the way home from work

don’t we all, Edward, don’t we all. anyway he realizes he’s out of condoms and makes Mike stop to buy him some (I’m too lazy to make a “mike newton buys you condoms” moodboard but if any of y’all wanna take a crack at it I would like to see it.) luckily Mike “doesn’t bat a fucking eyelid.”

Edward has a fun evening involving pizza and on demand movies planned for himself and Bella, but she doesn’t show up at the usual time. he waits for her for an anxious hour, in a paragraph that miraculously limits itself to a mere 4 “fucks” and 2 “shits.” at last, he calls housekeeping to ask where she is, and they tell him she had to leave early today “for personal reasons” that I’m sure have nothing to do with being in the witness protection program.

housekeeping must assume he was calling to complain about the resulting lack of turn-down service (remember, he can’t get into bed on his own!) because soon enough

it’s Irina! luckily, she is as DTN (Down To Narc) as ever. after Edward bribes her with $200 she leads him to the secret employee residence floor and shows him Bella’s room, but not before he manages to squeeze 5 “fucks” into another 5-sentence paragraph worrying about Bella.

Bella’s room is stripped completely bare except for a small gold earring she’s left on the floor. Edward picks it up so he’ll at least have something to remember her by suck on.

Irina and the rest of the staff have no idea where Bella went, and she hasn’t left any messages for Edward. He asks how Eric contacted her the other day, but Eric admits he just contacted the hotel—he doesn’t have Bella’s cell number.

um. far be it from me to tell anyone how to go about dating, but I feel like you should generally get a person’s phone number before dropping the L-bomb, which both Edward and Bella did last chapter.

Edward decides he gets a free pass to behave like a complete asshole because

heart and soul I understand, but if there’s really a large Bella-shaped hole in his head he should probably get that checked out. just sayin

what follows is an extended, boring sequence of Edward treating his coworkers like shit, but on the plus side, a few new characters are name-dropped. say hello to 

Laurent (wardrobe)

Siobhan and Kate (makeup)

Edward makes Eric call Bella’s boss, “Miss Dwyer” (RENEE?), who claims she doesn’t have Bella’s contact info and refuses to tell Ed where she’s gone, even when he orders her to cut the shit and let him in on “the big secret.” real nice.

he heads back to the hotel, where Irina still has no idea where Bella has gone.

then we get three more painstakingly described days that all play out exactly the same way: 

Edward doesn’t shower and puts on dirty clothes

he treats everyone like shit

he demands to know where Bella is, but no one knows

he drinks and smokes a lot

presumably he sleeps on the floor because there’s no one to turn down the bed

the only major difference is that on day 2 he makes Eric buy him

sounds like he’s having way more fun doing that than I am reading the same shit four times in a row!

hey erika, you know what would have been a way better way to convey this?

just sayin’.

anyway, on the fourth day Edward finally takes a shower, and then calls Taylor and demands that he track down Bella.

when Taylor gently responds that finding missing people is not part of his job description, Edward loses his gotdamn mind:

never write a likable protagonist, guys. that shit is not the least bit sexy. you know what is sexy? a guy who yells at people because he’s in self-professed “full fucking toddler tantrum mode.” mmm, delicious.

after this delightful tirade, Taylor reluctantly agrees to hire a private eye to find Bella, and the chapter at last comes to an end. thank god.

best “fucks”

“my dead fucking body”

“fucking climbing the walls”

“cross my fucking fingers”

“stupid fucking name” (Edward’s alias after the school he burned down)

“completely fucking star struck” (Irina)

“so fucking cold” (Bella)

“fucking patiently waiting” (Mike)

“fucking zen calm” (Eric)

“a fucking whining, small, lost boy” (Edward)

“safe fucking sex”

“fucking personal reasons”

“good fucking bye”

best “shits”

next chapter: some fucking massive fuck-off search on google

[crushedbyhyperbole]

Feeling’s Mutual

Summary:  When Bucky Barnes agreed to join The Avengers he didn’t know what to expect.  There was kindness and support, more than he could have hoped for, and understanding.  There was also misunderstanding.  Dr Veronica Edwards is a hurdle Bucky can’t seem to get past.  Why she doesn’t like him, he has no clue but it’s obvious to him that she really doesn’t.  When routine testing on the new prosthetic arm puts him in Dr Edwards med-suite he finds himself angry at the lengths his new team will go to in order to keep him on a leash.  After that, Bucky decides that maybe he doesn’t like her much either.

Word Count:  4284

Warnings:  Self-loathing and a smattering of PTSD with some mild language thrown in.

A/N:  This is part one of my Muscle memory series..POV Bucky Barnes, first person.  Set between CA:CW and A:IW, with some of the later story mixed in.  I do what I want, okaaayyyy.

���Good morning, Sergeant Barnes.”

Dr Veronica Edwards’ smooth voice surprised me.  She was standing in for Dr Harvey while he was off sick with a stomach virus.  I wasn’t expecting to see any of the ladies here this morning, so I hadn’t bothered with anything more vigorous than a quick wash and a cursory brush of my teeth.  You know how you regret not doing something just when it’s too late?  Yeah, this was one of those.

Being dapper had been part of my persona, from back before Hydra, before trigger codes and before the war; a man should always make an effort when ladies are present.  I supposed that was all out the window now my reputation had changed and I wasn’t James Buchannan Barnes, ladies man, any more. I was Bucky Barnes, Winter Soldier.

I winced as the shadow of a memory flickered in my minds eye like a film reel running too fast, showing snippets of the film in between its skips and jumps on the projector;  a murder here, a massacre there, they all flowed together in a tapestry that was as blurry as it was busy.  The reel skipped off completely and I refocused on her face.

Dr Edwards smiled warmly, moist-looking nude lips curling upward gently making the peachy complexion of her cheeks seem radiant and her green eyes sparkle with kindness.  I knew that was just her bed-side manner, so to speak, to be kind and considerate to all of the people she assisted, but honestly it made me feel a little uneasy.  In my extensive experience, niceness was either a weakness, a grave miscalculation or a form of manipulation, and I trusted none of it. But I was trying to change that with the help of Steve and the folks here at Avengers Central.

Striding further into the room, looking thoroughly classy in my black jersey sweatpants and crumpled white t-shirt, I squared my shoulders and tried to push the uneasy feeling aside. I regretted wearing the two-day-old clothes, but the Doc didn’t seem to care how scruffy I was.

Dr Edwards was always pleasant, courteous and respectful.  She was also confident and empowered, and it made me feel pretty vulnerable.  She knew who she was, and what she wanted.  That kind of strength was rare and it made me feel, uhhh, inadequate.

“Shirt off please.” She held eye contact for a moment longer than was comfortable.  “Take a seat when you’re ready.”  She gestured to the blue, leather-cushioned examination table to her right.

Hopping up, as instructed, I stripped my shirt off to reveal musculature that I was proud of (super-soldier serum aside - I’d worked hard to stay in shape), and the scarred juncture where my flesh ended and the arm began.  I bunched the shirt up at my side and shook out both arms, getting ready for the exam.

Dr Edwards, had conducted my monthly exam only three times in the past.  Each time she had neither been impressed nor distracted by my semi-naked glory.  Perhaps that’s part of the reason why she made me uneasy.  In the past, women had always thrown themselves at my feet, without my asking them, they’d been there flirting and giggling and vying for attention.

Not Veronica, she was in her own category, she didn’t even bite at the little flirtatious jibes I sometimes made towards the ladies on the team.  With the exception of Nat, Wanda, and Pepper, all of the female SHIELD agents and Stark Industries staff were either terrified of or swooned after me.  Well, me, Steve and Thor.  It was hard to compete with the two big blonde guys but Nat said I still had it.  Whatever it was.

Shame my sex drive wasn’t the same as it had been before, well, before hydra.

“How are you finding the latest modification?”  Dr Edwards said, holding her hand out casually asking for permission to examine the arm.

I lifted the tech arm, laying the wrist into her palm lightly.  I could feel so much more through the articulated metal casing than I could before, it almost felt like she was really touching my skin.  Her hands were cool, smooth and soft, and her fingers were delicate as she deftly turned the metal hand over in hers until our palms were touching.

“It’s fine.”  I said gruffly, the feel of her skin on the metal was distracting and oddly intimate.

“It’s taking you a while to get used to the enhanced tactile responses I take it?”

I’d worn a leather glove over the metal hand since Shuri had come up with this new upgrade.  It was like sensory overload, overwhelming me with intense feeling that my brain could hardly cope with.

I simply nodded, for want of a better response.  She was so intuitive.  I’d hardly spoken with her but it was like she could see right inside me and pick out the parts that she needed to know.  How could anyone defend against that?  Maybe she had a telepathic power.  Steve would know.  I decided I’d ask him later when we both hit the gym.

“It’s ok to be overwhelmed. I can turn the sensitivity down for you today if you’d prefer, or you can continue wearing the glove and just ease yourself in slowly?”

In truth, I didn’t really like to be tinkered with.  And I only went along with this monthly exam because Steve had made it mandatory in order to make everyone feel safer, and for my own good, apparently.  That’s what he’d said anyway.  I couldn’t argue with his reasoning really.  I had a past that was impossible to escape and a reputation for murder and brutality that went with it.

“I’ll just do it myself.” I’d succeeded on my own for so long, so I should be able to overcome a few issues with feeling things.

“No problem.” Veronica said, plugging a ribbon cable into the port just inside my metal armpit.  “Right then, show me your range of motion.  Start with fingers, then wrist, elbow, and shoulder.  I’m looking for improved flexibility in the rotator cuff from last time when we fixed the pinching at the shoulder.”

I wiggled all the parts she asked me to with no discomfort at all.  The tech felt the smoothest it had ever been, almost like it was a real arm but I would always see it as foreign, never think of it as mine.  It was something I wore, like shoes, necessary and functional.  I knew I’d feel off-balance without it, and fighting would be difficult.

With the arm Bucky Barnes was a fully functioning member of The Avengers.  Without it he was a pity case, or at least that’s how it felt.

“Step up to the testing machine, please Sergeant Barnes.”  She didn’t look up from her tablet, but she stepped confidently to the control panel with the ease of someone who had memorised the space and knew exactly what was where.

I had never seen that machine before.  It looked a little like a mini hydraulic crusher.  Eying it suspiciously, I slid off the exam bench and approached, shirt forgotten on the table.  The diagnostic cable was still plugged in under the arm and although I couldn’t feel the physical connection, I could feel the flow of power as data passed from the arm to the tablet in Dr Edwards’ hands.

“This is new.”  I licked my lips, slightly nervous.

New things made me uneasy. New things were variables, variables were risks, risks were dangerous.

“It’s a custom-made tensile strength machine, made just for you.”  She smiled brightly as if I should be flattered that they’d come up with a new way to scrutinize me.  “Only instead of testing the strength of the metal your arm is made from, it measures the crushing ability and the strength of your arm in a way we can compare easily with other things for example the tensile strength of structural steel is around five hundred mega pascals.  Human skin is around twenty mega pascals.  Vibranium, well, vibranium is significantly higher at fifty giga pascals but that doesn’t reflect the force you can apply with your arm, if you know what I mean.”

I didn’t.  Not really, but I wasn’t about to ask her to elaborate. She was smarter than most of the techs working at Stark Industries, I’d heard the iron-skin-suit call her brilliant but until now I’d never seen her as anything more than a junior tech.

“You made it?”  I asked with a frown.

“Helped design it yes.” She held my gaze almost as if she sensed my disapproval.

Trust a woman to come up with new ways to test and torture me.  As if I hadn’t had enough of that my whole super-soldier life.

“What do I have to do?”

Veronica ran through the protocols and procedures, and I got the feeling she dumbed it down a little when she described it as ‘weight training for your enhanced limb’.

Slotting the arm into the device, I patiently waited for her to check and double-check the alignment and safety measures.  The commands of pull and squeeze seemed simple enough to follow.

“Are you ready to start the test, Sergeant Barnes?”

I nodded with another frown. She was going to start thinking I hated her, and probably start calling me ‘him’ instead of just my military title. It wasn’t lost on me that Veronica was one of very few people who never called me by my preferred name ‘Bucky’, she was always so formal.

“Ok, and pull for me.”

I compressed the arm in a bicep curl, feeling the machine’s tension counteracting my efforts.  It was like pulling an oar through water to begin with.

“And again.”  She commanded.  “Keep repeating until you meet maximum resistance.”

“How will I know when that is?”  I curled again, feeling the weight against the arm increase.

“You and the machine will reach an impasse.  You won’t be able to pull any more.”

I mumbled a nondescript acknowledgement and continue to work the arm.  At first it was easy, I curled quickly but after a few minutes I found it much tougher.  The machine ramped up the difficulty quickly after my initial efforts and then I was grunting, sweating, and straining against the mechanism.

“Good.  Good!”  She praised and I felt a little hotter in the face with either a blush or sweat, it was hard to tell right then.  “Keep going, you’re doing great.”

After a few more curls the machine locked up and I couldn’t move it any further.  I strained and yanked at it, grinding the mechanism until the arm was locked up too.  I glanced at Veronica, panting and flustered from my exertion.  She disengaged the machine and, with a hiss, the hydraulics powered down.  She took notes quickly before setting up the next task.

With the arm still fixed in the device, I couldn’t move anywhere.  It was like that time that Steve caught me in some factory machinery and forced me to remember who I was.  I was eternally grateful to him for never giving up on me but the feeling of helplessness wasn’t something I enjoyed a replay of.

Sweating, and with regret, I wished I could reach my shirt to blot my face.  I hadn’t realised the exam was going to be so physical, and goddamn if I hadn’t been clenching just about every muscle in my whole body whilst fighting against the damn thing.  Even my crack felt sweaty.

“Is there anything I can get you before we start the next stage?”  Her voice was soft with concern.  It was unnerving how well she read me.  “Do you need to rest?”

“I’m good.”  I said, pride making a fool of me.

“Ok, well let me dry you off a bit.  The port is still connected and should be dry when open.”

I blushed hard at that. She was telling me that I was too sweaty.  Gross. I frowned, embarrassed, and shied away from her touch when she brought a wad of paper towels to my brow.  It had been the very thing I had wanted but not from her.

Her hands were still quite cool but she felt colder against my heated skin.  Too close, she leant over me to smooth the moisture from my body. Swiping the tissues over my face, neck, shoulders and chest, Dr Edwards watched me curiously.  She had to know she was tormenting me.  How could she not notice my flared nostrils and ragged breathing? This kind of physical contact wasn’t something I felt comfortable with.

Tense and scowling, I held my breath, tolerating the contact as much as I could.  She continued with her ministrations until she was satisfied with the dryness of my skin.  It had been too personal in contrast to the formality of her pervious interactions with me. Never more than polite yet professional conversation, zero contact outside of the examination room or combat training, limited off-duty interaction.  It made me feel confused and uneasy.  There was something about her that put me on edge, made me listless.

“The second part of the test is to gage the pressure you can generate with your hand.”  She said, creating space between us that I welcomed. “I’ll do come calibrations after that if needed and we can have a chat about your needs.”

“My needs?”

My heart thudded once, twice, three times before I got it under control.  Why did I have to talk about myself with her?  Dr Harvey was unassuming and easy to ignore.  I didn’t mind talking to him because… Why?  Because I didn’t feel…  Feel what?  Because he wasn’t… Wasn’t what?  Because she made me feel…  Oh for Christ sakes, WHAT?

She made me feel threatened, made me feel nervous.  Veronica made me feel like she didn’t really like me all that much.  The coldness she gave me when she was friendly with everyone else, first names, laughing, joking, and the ease of casual contact.

“Come again?”  I sought clarification.

Oh, Buck, why did you have to make it sound like that.  Like what? Like that?

The way she eyed me then, I didn’t know if it was hatred or something more predatory.

“I don’t follow.”

“Some people prefer to have prostheses that do what they tell them.  Unless you have a penchant for crushing instead of caressing.”

I’m sure my mouth was flapping in the non-existent breeze.  Agape and floundering, I had nothing to say.  Stuck in the idea that flirting and bitterness were one and the same thing to her, or maybe it was too subtle a difference for me to separate the two, I blushed crimson.  Then it struck me that maybe she was goading me about my past.  It was no secret that The Winter Soldier had crushed more than a few windpipes in his time.

“Fine.”  I said, swallowing dryly.  “I’m ready to carry on.”

“Very well.”  And just like that, her stone-faced stoicism was back, with polite professionalism draped over the top.  “Please let your hand relax and fall open.  Good.”

A device with five finger shaped recesses arranged around a silvery ball lowered and rested in the palm the metal hand.  I could feel the metal on metal contact creating a strange thrumming vibration through the arm.  It felt like when I had handled Steve’s shield; a tell-tale sign that vibranium had been used to make this device.

“I’m going to ask you to hold an object, and I would like you to use your muscle memory to create the pressure with your prosthesis.  The machine will respond, mimic the item and measure the results.  It sounds harder than it is.  Ready?”

I nodded, just wanting to get this over and done with.  The sooner this was over, the sooner we could have our ‘chat’ about my needs, and the sooner I could hit the gym with Steve. The punching bag was definitely going to get ruined today.

“An apple.”

The device in the not-my hand seemed to have the same resistance against my grip as would a firm green apple.  I held it, turning it in the not-my fingers.

“Good.  See, you got it.”

Dr Edwards’s praise was both frustrating and pleasant.  I didn’t like the feeling of wanting to please her, but at the same time it was nice to hear her soften towards me, even slightly.

“An egg.”

The machine adjusted slightly and I could feel the fragility of it against the prosthetic fingers.

“A feather.”

I pinched my thumb and forefinger, holding the imaginary feather in between.

“The hand of a loved one.”

Well, shit, if that didn’t throw me for six.  The way the machine moved around my hand gave me chills.  It slid between my fingers, and almost felt real for a second before I managed to distinguish the materials from real skin.  I hardly touched skin with the prosthetic anymore, except my own.

“A mouse.”

The machine wriggled against my palm.  I held it loosely in the cage of my fingers, just firm enough that it couldn’t escape.

“Excellent.”

The test carried on like that for several more minutes before Dr Edwards removed the mimicking device and switched to something that looked like a hand dynamometer.

“Ok Sergeant, I’m going to ask you to squeeze as hard as you can.  This will create a maximum pressure output for me to work with.  What I’m going to do afterwards is set some values into the prosthesis’ programming that will allow you to quickly achieve an exact pressure to accomplish a task.”

“Like what?  Break a bone?”  I scoffed, and before I even looked at her face I knew that was exactly what she had meant.

“Not just that.  But also how not to break a bone.”  She had the sense to look a little abashed.

Dr Edwards had read my file, of course she had, they all had.  She knew when she agreed to run these tests that she were going to be programming instant kills into me or programming me to stop just short.  My money was on the latter.

“And you couldn’t just tell me that this was what it was all about?  Nerfing me so I don’t lash out and kill someone.”  Irritation seethed up my spine and settled as heat in my face. “I get it, I really do.  But I’m a person, not a tool.  Would it kill ya to include me in decisions about, well, me?”

“James…”

“Don’t.”  I shut her down.  “Get the test finished.  I’m done after that.”

When she said my name, my heart almost stopped.  Gone was her formal, guarded façade.  In its place was concern and a look of such sadness that I just didn’t know what to do with myself.  How do you deal with a switch like that?  And fuck me if I wasn’t simultaneously happy as a school boy on the first day of the summer holidays and irritated enough to rip that damn machine apart and storm out of the med wing.  Steve was gonna get a tongue lashing from me before the day was done.

Her face was pale and remorseful as she started the machine off on its cycle.  I squeezed that damn thing as if I was squeezing the life out of the sonofabitch who turned me into a killing machine, squeezed like I was crushing all of the hatred I felt for myself, squeezed like my life depended on it. Who knew, maybe one day it would.

Dr Edwards sent the data to my prosthesis and closed me up.  She was silent but continued to search my face for something, hope maybe, I dunno.  She wasn’t going to find anything.  I was about ready to shut down and stay the fuck away from everyone and everything until I got a chance to have things out with Steve.

I got up to leave, scooping my crumpled white tee off the exam table as I went.

“Good day, Sergeant.”

I closed my eyes as her coldness returned.  Stood in the doorway shirtless and feeling used, I paused, not looking back.

“Dr Edwards.”  I nodded curtly, showing my face in profile only, before striding off in search of something to beat on.  She didn’t need to receive my frustration, she wasn’t the only person, or even the main person, to oversee everything ‘Bucky’.  Rogers and Stark, each had equal hands in this.

 “We didn’t think about it that way, Buck, I’m sorry.”  Steve said.

He held the Everlast bag still for me as I slogged into it.

“That’s the thing about being a weapon most of your life.”  I said smacking the bag hard enough to make the stuffing start to crumble out of the seams.  “Everyone sees you as inhuman, even yourself.”

“That’s not how I see you, man.  You’re my best friend.  I want what’s best for you.”

“And what’s best for me, Steve?  Programming? A kill-switch?  Cyanide implant?  You’re acting just like HYDRA.”

“Whoa!  No-one said kill switch or cyanide.”

I pummelled the bag until the seam split completely and the broken filling plumed out onto the floor. Stepping back, I saw Steve was genuinely upset.

“Sorry punk.  I didn’t really mean that.”  I held my hand out.  “I’m just pissed off.”

He tagged me and smiled dryly.  All was forgiven.

“I’ll get them to lay off on the hardcore controls.  To be honest I didn’t even see that mandate in the requisition forms so I’ll look at that again.  Just please tell me you didn’t terrorise Vee.  She’s one of the best we have and she’s cool.”

“Dr Edwards?”

“Yeah Veronica.  You didn’t scare her, did you?”

“Nah, I was angry but not that angry.”  Had I scared her though?  “I doubt she’d take much notice of anything I said anyway, she doesn’t like me…”

“Whatever, dude.”  He said dismissively.

“…And she’s not the sort to rely on the opinions of others to fashion her idea of her own self-worth.”

“Wow.”  Steve half laughed, blinking his shock away.  “You know her well.”

“We hardly speak. She’s always so formal.  With you it’s Steve this and Steve that, or Cap, yeah she calls you Cap.  And you’re like ‘oh Vee you have to see this movie’ or ‘Vee can you come explain this report to me’.”  I nattered like a bitchy college girl slating her BFF.  “With me it’s Sergeant Barnes, or just Sergeant.”

Steve laughed.  “Are you jealous, Buck?  Have you found a woman who you can’t charm?”

“Haven’t tried.  You know when you can tell that someone hates your guts?  Besides, my charming days are over.”  I waggled the metal arm.

“Some people are gonna find that hot.”  A sultry voice interrupted.  “Can you make it vibrate?”

Natasha flashed a flirtatiously shocked ‘oooh sir!’ face which had me busting out laughing and Steve groaning.

“Don’t worry Barnes. You’ve still got it.”  She licked her finger and touched her chest, making a ‘tsssss’ sound before she mouthed the word ‘hot’ and sauntered away to the locker room.

“She really knows how to play on my insecurities.”  I said deadpan, making Steve crack up.

By the time we both stopped laughing, I actually felt better.  The kind of camaraderie we shared was one of the things that kept me going, through all of this.  Nat was one of my closest friends and even though she loved to mess with me she also knew when not to push.  That stunt she had pulled, maybe an hour earlier, might not have gone down so well. Her timing was impeccable, unlike mine.

After cleaning up and winding down I met Steve back in the kitchen where he was making a protein smoothie.

“Want one?”

I nodded, sitting at the counter.  I wasn’t gonna turn down a free smoothie.  Life was full of little gifts, like food you didn’t have to make yourself and, apparently, people who wouldn’t drop a damn topic.

“Seriously though, you need to get over this thing where you automatically assume people don’t like you, man.  Maybe try to open up a little.  Have a little fun.”

“Yeah, ok, Marilyn Hickey. Sure, a little bit of good old Christian fun sounds like just the ticket.”  I slapped my thigh and winked.

“Fuck off, Buck!”  He blitzed the smoothie maker, trying to drown out my retort, no doubt.

“Ooooh!  You kiss your mother with that mouth?”  I said, chuckling.  “I miss Nick, where is he when you need him, huh?”

“Stop deflecting.”

“I dunno what you’re talking about, buddy.”

“Not what, who.”  He slid the smoothie-filled glass over to me. “Talk to her.”

“Drop it, Steve.  I don’t care if she doesn’t like me.  I’m getting along just fine without an extra person up in my business.”

I downed the thick pinkish goop in the glass, it didn’t taste half bad but it wasn’t a steak.

“And to be honest, all this extra stuff with the arm and the testing just makes it easier for me not to like her right back.”

The noise of a door closing loudly made me jump.  Steve was out of his seat and rushing out of the kitchen only to return a few minutes later with a grim look on his face.

“You’re an asshat.” He said picking up his glass and walking away.

It didn’t take much to put two and two together and figure out that Dr Edwards had overheard me talking about her, but did it really make a difference?  So what if we both didn’t like each other.

It is what it is.

[lfthinkerwrites]

High School Teacher AU: Fraternization Policy

Superintendent al Ghul does not care for Ellen’s comic and Edward and Penelope finally get on the same page.

It had taken the better part of four hours holding Jonathan under a shower in the boy's locker room for the man to, somewhat, sober up. Edward and Jervis had deposited him in the nurse's office and went their separate ways when the lunch bell rang, Jervis off to the teacher's lounge, Edward to the guidance counselor's offices. Or rather, to one guidance counselor's office in particular. He passed Harley on her way out and she gave him a wink and a thumbs up. This made him even more nervous. Yes, nervous. Anyone might have thought he'd consider a private meeting with Penelope Young his due, but the truth was, Ellen's existence notwithstanding, he'd never really had an easy time talking with women. So for a long moment, he stood outside of Penelope's door and hesitated. What could she have to say to him? She'd been cold to him since they'd met at best, outright antagonistic to him at worst. It had only been in the past week that she'd shown any sign that she liked him. He took a deep breath, then knocked three times on her door.

"Yes?"

Edward steeled himself. Here went nothing. “It’s me,” he said.

There was a brief pause before Penelope responded. “Come in, Edward.”

Edward reached down to straighten his tie before he entered the office. Penelope sat behind her desk, pen in hand. Edward could see a notebook in front of her, which she closed as he approached. "You said you wanted to talk," Edward said. "Well, here I am. What did you want to talk about?"

He watched as Penelope brushed her fingers through her bangs. A nervous habit, he'd noticed. One of the many things he'd noticed about her. "Harley and Pamela told me something at the poker game last night," she said at last. She looked up at him then and Edward noticed that she looked almost...hopeful? Must be a trick of the light. "They told me that you're in love with me."

Edward's world stopped turning at that precise moment and a chill went down his spine. "T-they-did they now?" Goddamn them both. This wasn't how he wanted her to find out.

Penelope cocked her head slightly, her expression as blank as usual. "Are you?"

Edward could deny it, but he'd never been a good liar. "Yes."

Penelope looked almost taken aback. "You-you are?" Then the professional mask slipped back into place. "How long?"

Edward began to pick at the sleeve of his dress shirt. "Since I met you."

Penelope looked less than convinced by that. "Seriously?"

"Alright," Edward admitted. "I've been attracted to you since I met you. I knew I was in love with you the moment I saw you take Valentin down with your taser."

Penelope's mask fell again and she gaped at him for a long moment. "You-I-" then her face flushed and she looked almost angry at him. "Why didn't you ever say anything!?"

"What, was I supposed to come marching up to you and start slobbering over you like that cretin Bolton?" Edward said defensively. "I was slowly wooing you using my intellectual charms-"

"You were playing games because you were afraid of being rejected," Penelope finished, getting up from behind her desk. "I can't believe you! All this time, I thought you tolerated me at best, when we could have been-" she cut off, covering her mouth.

"'Could have been' what exactly?" Edward asked. Wait. Wait a minute. "You mean to tell me that you-how long have you-"

"I didn't fall for you at first sight or anything like that," she said quickly. "But...I'd be lying if I said I wasn't...attracted to you too, when you're not being an ass at least."

Edward felt his own jaw drop. She was attracted to him? That explained why she seemed to have his schedule memorized, how even though she was frequently irritated by him, she didn't shy away from being in his company. Then his own elation turned to irritation. "Why didn't you ever say anything!?"

"Becuase until a week ago, I didn't know if you even liked me!" Penelope shouted, walking up to him. "You seemed to delight in finding new ways to be obnoxious-"

"I'm like that with everyone!" he shouted back. "That's just who I am! Believe me, if I didn't like you, you'd know it!"

"That still didn't mean you couldn't have been honest with me!"

"Likewise!"

Penelope was about an inch away from him, fuming. "You are," she said in a low tone. "The most impossible person I've ever met, Edward Nashton." She grabbed a hold of his tie and yanked him down. "And I need you to kiss me."

Edward blinked once. He had heard that, hadn't he? "What?"

Penelope made an exasperated noise. "I don't want to waste any more time. We might not get another chance. Please."

Edward had both of his arms around her in a moment. "Alright." Then he leaned in.

"Well, I have to say, this morning could have gone worse," Gordon said with a confidence he didn't feel.

"Well, it certainly could have gone better," al Ghul said. "I thought you said that Dent had completed anger management!"

"He did," Bruce defended.

"Then why did he call that boy in his class a son of a bitch, a pipsqueak and a mad dog!?"

Gordon bit his lip. "In his defense, Machin has been a disciplinary problem since he was a freshman-"

"That doesn't excuse Dent using that language," al Ghul said with a finality that no one dared to speak against.

"Anyway," Vreeland said, clapping her hands together. "It's lunchtime. Let's go out in the quad."

The group moved through the still vacant cafeteria and into the outdoor quad, where most of the students chose to eat, given that the food trucks were still there. One crowded table caught their attention. As they moved closer, Bruce recognized Dick, Tim, Cas, and Barbara. "Hey kids," he said in greeting.

The group looked up as one and Bruce noticed that Harvey's daughter Duela and Nashton's daughter were at the center of the table. Nashton's daughter was scribbling away at something. "Hi, Bruce!" Tim waved. The other children gave polite greetings.

al Ghul nodded slightly at Nashton's daughter. "You're Edward Nashton's daughter, aren't you? The resemblance is striking."

The girl nodded. "Yeah. My name's Ellen."

"What are you drawing, Ellen?" Gordon asked.

"Nothing," she said a bit too quickly.

al Ghul frowned a bit. "It's not obscene, is it?"

"No!" Ellen shouted before remembering exactly who she was talking to. "It's for a comic Duela and I are making."

"The girls are very creative," Gordon explained. "Why don't you go ahead and show us?" Ellen and Duela exchanged a long look with each other before Duela shrugged. Ellen slid the paper over to Gordon. He took one look and his eyes nearly bugged out. "Oh my."

Bruce looked over his shoulder at the drawing and read the captions out loud. "Beautiful Captain Zodiac Sparkles and the Perils of the Perverted, Perfidious Professor Pyg?" The drawing was of a girl in fishnet stockings, steel-toed boots and a tight-fighting top doing battle with a grotesque figure holding a meat cleaver and wearing a pig mask. "This is based on Valentin, I take it?"

"Dad said we couldn't use Coach Bolton as the villain anymore," Duela explained. "So we had to make a new villain."

"And just why do you think it's appropriate to draw comics casting members of the faculty as villains?" al Ghul asked.

"Because one of them chased me with a meat cleaver, that's why!" Ellen argued. The other kids at the table said nothing, but Bruce caught Tim nodding in agreement.

al Ghul glared at Strange. "Is that true?"

"The situation has already been handled," Strange said. "I don't think this comic is appropriate, girls."

Duela rolled her eyes. "First we couldn't use Toxic Masculinity, now we can't use Professor Pyg? Lonnie was right, you guys are all a bunch of fascists!"

"'Toxic Masculinity'?" al Ghul repeated. "You drew Coach Bolton in your comic and named him 'Toxic Masculinity?"

"It's what he is," Ellen said. "Ms. Isley said so."

al Ghul took the comic from Bruce. "And your fathers know that you've been creating this?"

"Yeah," Ellen said. "My Dad says as long as he doesn't get sued for libel, he doesn't care."

"He would say that," al Ghul muttered. "Well, we'll just see what your guidance counselor has to say about this, young lady!" al Ghul turned on his heel and stormed back towards the school's interior, the principals and the school board scurrying behind him. It wasn't until the group had entered the cafeteria that it occurred to Bruce that Jason was absent from the table.

"Dr. Young's office is just down here," Gordon said, taking the lead as they walked down the hall that led to the guidance counselor's offices.

"What kind of counselor is she?" al Ghul asked.

"Oh, she's terrific. Very professional. Never had a complaint about her," Gordon said.

"So in other words, she's the opposite of Dr. Quinzel. Good," al Ghul said. The group had just arrived outside of her door when they heard a thump come from inside.

"What was that?" Falcone asked. A muffled groan came from inside the office and Gordon felt sick. He opened the door wide anyway. "Oh, good Lord!"

As soon as the door opened, they were greeted by the sight of Dr. Young perched in the lap of a shirtless Edward Nashton who was sitting on top of her desk. Both looked flushed and their hair was loose. Vreeland made a scandalized noise and left the room, along with Falcone. Strange and al Ghul looked like they were about to have an aneurysm. Nashton, for his part, kept his arms tight around Dr. Young's waist and gave the group a look of bored irritation. "Do you mind? We're on our lunch break."

This quip seemed to bring al Ghul to life. "What is the explanation for this!?"

Nashton shrugged. "Does paradise need an explanation, Superintendent?"

al Ghul's face turned dark red from anger, but Strange saw an opportunity. Nashton had given him the perfect excuse to send the irritant packing. "You do realize," he said in a slow tone, "That this is in violation of our fraternization policy? Faculty and staff are forbidden from having relations with each other."

Dr. Young looked like she was about to say something when Nashton interrupted once again. "We're well aware." He then turned his gaze to Bruce and let out a smirk. "Fraternization between members of the faculty and the school board is forbidden too, right Bruce?"

Bruce felt his face burn. That son of a bitch. al Ghul turned and gave Bruce a sharp look. "You and that gym teacher! I knew it! You whoremonger!" Then he did something unexpected. He backhanded Bruce.

"Superintendent!" Gordon cried out. Bruce took a deep breath to keep himself from retaliating. All the while, Nashton looked on smug, while Dr. Young looked somewhat scandalized. al Ghul stormed out of the office, Elliott, Fox, and Queen following. Bruce then glared at Nashton. If nothing else, at least one of the teachers would finally be removed-

"Edward! It's been forever! Nice to see you're doing well!"

Cobblepot stepped forward and Nashton let out a grin. "Ozzie!"

'Ozzie?' Bruce and Gordon exchanged a long-suffering look when they realized what this meant. Cobblepot and Nashton were friends. Nashton, and by extension, Young, Crane, and Tetch, probably, were untouchable.

"Well, let's not take up too much more of your time," Oswald chuckled. "Do feel free to bring your lady to the Iceberg Lounge. Drinks are on me!" Oswald let out another laugh. "You incorrigible young rascal!"

"See you soon, you old crook," Edward laughed. Oswald walked out, leaving the principals and Wayne no choice but to follow him. Wayne shot him one final glare before he slammed the office door shut behind him. Edward shook his head. "Well, that was amusing."

"If you say so," Penelope sighed. "You never told me you knew Oswald Cobblepot."

"Oh, Ozzie and I go way back. He got me my first programming job. And in my defense darling, you never asked."

Penelope raised an eyebrow. "Darling?"

Edward felt a bit flustered. "Well, I'm assuming that you want more than just a single furtive groping session in your office. Right?"

In response, Penelope got off of his lap and walked towards her office door. Edward's heart sank. Then he watched her lock it. She turned back towards him with a heated look in her eyes. "We still have fifteen minutes left for lunch break, you don't have computer lab until 1:30 and I cleared my calendar for the rest of the afternoon." She then slowly began to unbutton her blouse and Edward's brain shut down. "I'd say we're going to go a bit past a single session, Eddie."

Where had she been all his life?

[sueboohscorner]

#Gotham 3rd Season Finale Spoilers, Recap, & Review

It is with a very excited and heavy heart that I write this review of the third season finale of Gotham. So many things were wrapped up nicely, some did not make it out of the finale, while others merely began their next chapter. Well… let’s get to it.

With the first half of the finale, “Destiny Calling”, shows a captured Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) at the GCPD. He is still brainwashed and super pissed at Alfred (Sean Pertwee) for killing his mentor, the Shaman. In several attempts to bring Bruce back, Alfred recalls different memories of Bruce’s family when he was just a baby and a small boy. But as tear-jerking as these memories were, Bruce still seems to be unwavering.

Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie), now infected with the Tetch virus, keeps trying to suppress his anger and violent urges; but a voice inside his head keeps telling him that he is a “killer”. However, Jim isn’t the only one dealing with the virus and their side effects; most of the city has been infected. Harvey (Donal Logue) and the rest of the GCPD have their hands full trying to lock up some of the infected.

In the mayhem of the GCPD, Bruce takes advantage of the chaos and quickly escapes in his search for the Demon’s Head. Alfred and Lucius Fox (Chris Chalk) are tailing him as best they can.

As Bruce searches through Gotham, he is overwhelmed by the acts of anarchy and he just, well, takes it all in. He finds his destination in a somewhat shady shop, and sees and actual demon’s head statue. A dark corridor is revealed to Bruce and he is greeted by some very tame ninjas. I can only assume that these ninjas are a part of the League of Assassins. Bruce is lead to a room where the first thing of notice is a large container with a strange, greenish liquid….I think it’s also safe to assume that the container was the infamous Lazarus Pit.

A shadowy figure and echoed laughter greet Bruce. He demands to know who or what this figure is. Lo and behold, Bruce has found the Demon’s Head, or more formally, Ra’s Al Ghul (Alexander Siddig); an absolute entity of power, fear, and longevity. He inquires Bruce about his history, about how he has lived much longer than Bruce could ever imagine, and that he has longed to find a suitable heir to his legacy. Bruce, still believing all that mess that the Shaman had taught him, insists that he could be the rightful heir and the destined knight to save the city of Gotham.

Before anyone can make a move, Alfred shows up and threatens Ra’s to hand Bruce over. However, Ra’s sees this as an opportunity to test Bruce’s loyalty. He orders Bruce to kill Alfred and then he will be proven to be his legacy. Alfred, on his knees, gives a very emotional speech about how he met Bruce for the first time when his mother and father brought him home; and that no matter what, he knows that Bruce will do what he thinks he needs to be done. A flurry of doubt, anger, and hesitation sends Bruce into a rage as he drives a sword through Alfred, killing him.

Meanwhile, we see Hugo Strange (B.D. Wong) arrive at the train station, you know, to get the hell out of dodge and away from the infected. His goal was within his grasp until two armed thugs stop him in his tracks and reveal Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith) herself. You see, while Strange was working on modifying the Tetch virus, he was also working on a cure. This knowledge could be very useful, so Fish decides to kidnap Strange.

While leaving amongst the hoopla of infected, Fish and company cross paths with Jim and Harvey. They hold Fish up at gunpoint because they heard about how Hugo Strange was developing an antidote until streams of ice and fire block their path. Firefly (Camila Perez) and Victor Freis (Nathan Darrow) had been recruited in Mooney’s army as well as Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor).

A barrier of ice block Harvey and Jim’s path and they have to rely on Jim giving into the virus and using his new super strength to bust out of there.

Bullock and Gordon try to locate Fish and confront her. Oddly enough, the League of Assassin ninjas got there first….. awesome action with guns and swords ensue. In the midst of the action, Jim accidentally stabs Fish and kills her. Oswald is stricken with grief as his newly found partner and mentor die in his arms. And to think, people call the Penguin a monster.

Oswald is arrested and held up in the GCPD. With the antidote being destroyed in the skirmish, Hugo Strange admits that there is only one main ingredient that they need….or rather, one person.

On that note, somehow hearing of the Tetch antidote and Fish Mooney’s death, Barbara (Erin Richards) and the Riddler (Corey Michael Smith) intercept the staff of Arkham Asylum and kidnap that very someone who can help save the majority of Gotham City: Jervis Tetch (Benedict Samuel).

The last episode of the third season, “Heavydirtysoul”, picks up where we left Alfred Pennywoth. Where was that again? Oh yeah, DEAD! Bruce realizes just what he has done and tries to stop the bleeding, but it’s pretty late for that. Ra’s Al Ghul is very pleased with Bruce and he truly believes that Bruce is his heir…whether he wants to or not. In a fit of rage, Bruce tries to fight Ra’s to no avail; he has merged himself among the shadows with one last piece of advice: to use the water on Alfred to save him.

Now, we all know that Alfred has to live, but by means of the Lazarus Pit? I guess the only thing to do is wait and see if any side effects will occur in our favorite butler…

Jim and Harvey receive word that Nygma had kidnapped Jervis Tetch from Barbara, Butch (Drew Powell), and Tabitha (Jessica Lucas), who originally kidnapped Tetch to hold the antidote hostage for a bunch of money. Edward is offering Jervis in exchange for Oswald since there whole business is far from done.

Jim is starting to feel the virus taking hold so he has no time to waste. Before any exchange could be made, Barbara, Tabitha, and Butch come busting in on Nygma and start shooting. Oswald manages to knock out Edward and put him in a police car and drive off with a smirk-ish goodbye.

Jim and Harvey quickly take Jervis, who is having much delight in the skirmish and the fact that Jim is infected and fighting the virus, and try to hide in a nearby warehouse with Babs, Tabs, and Butch on their tail. Jim, being completely annoyed at Tetch’s antics, realizes that they don’t technically need just Jervis. Jim punctures him in the throat and takes a small jar of his blood before mounting Jervis on a dolly with duct tape fastened around his neck.

With the cure in development at the GCPD, Jim is becoming more enraged and more impatient because Lee (Morena Baccarin) has propositioned him into meeting her at the train station to leave Gotham together. Only one batch of the cure is made, which kind of looks like Arctic Blue Gatorade, and Jim can’t apparently wait for another hour or so and he takes the antidote for Lee….yeah, so….that didn’t work out at all and now Jimbo has given over to the virus…saw that coming.

Harvey tracks Jim and Lee down at the station. Lee chooses to wait for Jim on the train while he fights his partner. Harvey does manage to get a few punches in, but Gordon clearly has the upper hand. In one last attempt to save himself and his friend, Harvey pulls out the badge of the Gotham City Police Department, saying that he is the best cop he’s ever seen and the best friend he could have. Jim takes the badge and gives one final roar before leaving Bullock and meeting with Lee.

As the guy who checks for tickets come by and as Lee presents the tickets, Jim discovers that Harvey had placed two vials of the cure on the back of the badge. In one last embrace and ‘I love you’, Jim stabs Lee and gives her the cure. As she slowly passes out, Jim holds her hand and gives himself the antidote. The two remain hand in hand as they drift off to sleep.

With Barbara’s constant abusive treatment of Tabitha and Butch, they hatch a plan to finally get rid of her. Since Barbara’s not a complete idiot, she corners Butch in an alley. He claims that Tabitha had nothing to do with any plan to get rid of her. He finally lets Barbara have it until she shoots him right between the eyes.

When Tabitha is confronted by Barbara, she asks if she killed Butch. When she admits it, a fight between Babs and Tabs commences. Barbara seems to be the victor when Tabitha pulls a nearby lamp with her whip down onto the floor, electrocuting and killing Barbara Kean.

We see a comatose Butch being treated by two medical staff, we are informed that Butch Gilzean isn’t even his real name. His real name is Cyrus Gold…..let that sit for a while.

While Edward managed to escape from Oswald’s handcuffs, Oz does succeed in bringing them both to the docks where their conflict began and will end. Standing at the end of the dock, Oswald faces down the barrel of Edward’s gun. He offers Oswald a chance at last words, he politely declines and waits his turn. This confuses Nygma and he pulls the trigger…but no bullets. Oswald reveals all the bullets in his pocket and tells him that he emptied the gun while he was unconscious and he also called for some backup. Ivy (Maggie Geha) and Mr. Freeze to be exactly. Oswald suspected and played on Edward’s need for absolute closure, but he had no idea that he would get the chance to knock him out like he did. Edward charges for Penguin as Freis completely freezes him solid as both a reminder for Oswald of his strength and as a somewhat inspiration for his new club: The Iceberg Lounge.

While waiting for Alfred’s results, Bruce waits anxiously in the hall of the hospital. Surprisingly enough, Selina (Camren Bicondova) shows up to check on him. Understandably, Bruce lashes out at Selina on why she is even there since she doesn’t even care about him or Alfred. Selina quickly comes back with the knowledge of the fact that she at least knows who she is, unlike Bruce, and she leaves.

As Alfred wakes up, Bruce rushes to his side to apologize. They both are informed of the state of the city; over 90% of the infected had been cured and things seem to be dying down. With he and Alfred reconciled, he encourages Bruce to make his own decisions in his own life.

Selina stops by the Siren’s Club and Tabitha appears to take her under her wing when Selina shows her mad skills with a whip.

As the chaos in Gotham dies down, we see a man, a woman, and their kid being held up by a gunman in an alleyway. Before he can shoot the father, a dark figure comes up from behind the gunman and beats the absolute crap out of him. Before the family can look their hero in the face, he was gone. On the rooftop of a nearby building, we see the hero unmask himself and it’s none other than Bruce Wayne, dabbling in a little bit of vigilantism.

With the virus not much of an issue, Jim receives a letter from Lee telling him that she is leaving Gotham; and that she doesn’t think that Gotham should be saved, but if it can be saved it will be saved by him.

I am at an incredible loss for words on how spectacular the season finale was. So many things got wrapped up nicely and many more things began. I will sorely miss Gotham during the summer break, but I will have peace in knowing that the people working on and off camera will bring us their best which is probably best described as, well, magic. I know for sure that the next season of Gotham will be worth the wait.

9.5/10

I’ll see you in the Fall, Gothamites; and as always: Stay Weird.