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saiilorstars · 8 months ago

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Ch. 60: The Waiting Game

Previous chapters // Montserrat’s masterlist

Fandom: SVU // Pairing: Rafael Barba x OC

Warnings: Due to the nature of the series’ plots, I do have to rate this as ‘mature’ for constant mentions of rape.

Taglist: @ocappreciationtag @arrthurpendragon @anotherunreadblog @maaaaarveeeeel @stareyedplanet @averyhotchner @abzidabzy @hellofutur @foxesandmagic @xovalliegirlxo @sam-i–am @kmc1989 @midmourn @choosejoyangel

[If you’d like to be added to this specific OC’s stories/edits, send me a message

When Montserrat woke up from her Nyquill-induced nap, she very quickly realized she slept way more hours than she intended to. It was past noon, almost four. Granted she was truly well rested but that was not the point. She still felt mentally exhausted and wasn't equipped for what had to come next. She had to finally call Lucia and tell her what happened — it was the worst conversation she ever had with the woman. Lucia was livid with Montserrat, to say the least.

"How could you not tell me before!? Why are you barely telling me!?"

Montserrat could barely give her reasons when Lucia went on a rampage in the Spanish and English language to the point where Montserrat couldn't dream of understanding. The only thing Montserrat managed to hear was that Lucia was on her way to the hospital and pretty much cut all ties with his son's girlfriend.

Great. That would be fun explaining to Rafael when he woke up. It was definitely about the last thing he needed in his life right now. After that, Montserrat soon found out that somehow Casey had gotten involved with the whole thing.

"Yeah, that was my fault," Kara said with a hand raised in the air. "I suggested it."

"Why?" Montserrat couldn't understand what a robbery had to do with her cousin at the moment. Then again, she was only really thinking with about a 50% capacity.

Kara understood her mistake too late and was left squandering for a reasonable excuse (otherwise this time Sonny would have a true reason to kill her). "Well, uh, Casey's another prosecutor and she'll maybe take the case? If they find the guy?"

"It's just not her case yet," Montserrat insisted, although it seemed like the heat was now going more towards the situation rather than Kara (or Casey for that matter). "Nobody's been murdered."

"And it'll stay like that," Kara jumped on the chance to provide actual support to her friend. It was hard thinking this could turn into a homicide case rather than attempted murder. "You'll see."

Montserrat would've been more convinced if she didn't have other things on her mind. She kept getting voice-mail for Lucia's number, only reiterating how angry the woman was with her.

"She'll come around," Kara kept insisting as well, "She's stunned, like you were when you first got the call. It's just different. She's his mother, after all. Give her some days."

Montserrat nodded only because there was nothing else she could do, but it didn't mean it wasn't nagging at her in the meantime. "I need to go back to the hospital," she told Kara after lunch. She did Kara the solid of sticking around for that mealtime but it was about all she would do now. She'd been away from the hospital for way too long.

"What are you talking about? It's only been a couple hours," Kara pointed out. She would rather Montserrat stay for a bit more until she was less anxious and stressed.

"It's past noon now!"

"So?" Kara would love to hear an adequate reason why the time even mattered. "Montserrat, you need to rest."

"I already did!" Montserrat exclaimed. "Way more than I planned!"

Kara's eyes flickered to the side for a moment. The nyquil was still under wraps. Her phone started ringing and seeing it was Sonny, she urged Montserrat to wait for another 5 minutes. "Just let me take the call and see what's happened, okay?"

Montserrat groaned. "Fine! But I am leaving as soon as you're done, with or without you!"

Kara nodded and hurried to take the call. Montserrat took the first seconds to try and calm herself down. She didn't want to actually fight with Kara, not with anyone for that matter. They were all walking on eggshells around her already, thinking she was a ticking time bomb. It was hard staying afloat not knowing what the next day would bring, or even the next hour. Tears stung get eyes just thinking about the uncertainty.

Hearing the knock on the door somehow startled her greatly. She went to open it, presuming it would be Sonny on the other side only to find her father instead.

"Dad!" She gasped, stumbling back a step.

"Montserrat, how — woah! What's happened to you?" Thomas of course referred to his daughter's face of anguish.

Immediately, Montserrat whirled around, eyes wide as she took a few steps away from her father. She tried wiping her eyes quickly. "Dad, what are you doing here?"

"I got the day off and since it's been a while, I thought we could have lunch,, but..." Thomas trailed off, reaching forward for his daughter's shoulder. He gently turned her around and saw the same face as before, only this time it was slightly redder from the fervent rubbing at the eyes. "Now I'm seeing it's longer than I thought. Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Dad," Montserrat shook her father's hand off her shoulder. "Just a rough day, that's all."

"No, no, no," Thomas shook his head, "Don't try to kid me. I know you, Montserrat. You've been crying and it looks like it's been going on for a while. What's happened?"

"Nothing, sheesh!" Montserrat exclaimed. Of course she would've been more convincing if her voice hadn't shaken towards the end. How the hell am I a detective? "Look, I can't do lunch today. Can we schedule another day?"

"I'm not going anywhere," Thomas declared, crossing his arms, "It looks like you've got explaining to do, young lady."

Montserrat glared at her father. This was the last thing she needed right now. Despondence, anxiety, and anger mixed into one did not bode well for anybody in the room. "Dad, I don't have time for this. Can we do this another day, please?"

Thomas raised an eyebrow at his daughter. Usually it was all he needed to warn her she was crossing a line with him.

She still knew that.

But she didn't back down this time.

"You've got 5 seconds to tell me what's going on with you," Thomas warned. "Five…four…"

Montserrat gawked at her father with incredulity. "Dad, you can't treat me like I'm five—"

"Three…two—"

"Dad, seriously!"

"One—"

"I SAID STOP!" Montserrat unintentionally yelled at her father.

Thomas was dumbfounded with such a frantic reaction from his daughter. Tears were coming to Montserrat's eyes and though it was partially out of guilt, there was something deeper going on. "Montserrat," he tried again, softly, "Sweetheart, what's—"

"Can you just go? I'm actually leaving right now too," Montserrat gestured to the door behind Thomas. "I have to—"

"Montserrat!" Kara called from the hallway seconds before emerging. "Sonny says he'll be by in 15 and he can take us to the hospital."

"Hospital!?" Thomas exclaimed.

Kara's eyes widened. She had no idea they were no longer alone. "Oops…"

Montserrat let out a heavy sigh. "Dad—"

"Why do you need to go to the hospital!?" Thomas started demanding. "Are you hurt?" He went to check himself but Montserrat swatted his hands away.

"Dad, stop!"

"Why do you need to go!? Do you feel alright? What am I saying — it's obvious you're not feeling well! You've been crying!"

"She has," Kara agreed solemnly.

"KARA!" Montserrat said loudly enough to make Kara flinch. "SHUT UP!"

"Don't yell at Kara like that," Thomas reprimanded his daughter, "Answer my question. Why are you going to the hospital right now?"

"Because…" Montserrat racked her head for a good answer that wouldn't give away such a terrible situation.

"Are you hurt?"

"No!"

"Then why—"

"Oh, just stop!" Montserrat resorted to pleading, something downright shocking to her father. "Please! Just stop!" Tears rolled down her cheeks as the weight of each of her problems finally culminated into one heavy load on her shoulders. "I'm not hurt! At least not physically because trust me, everything else right now hurts! I'm going to the hospital because my boyfriend's there because he's been shot, okay!? He's been shot and he hasn't woken up since it happened and I want to be there when he does — if he does! Now please stop berating me and just—" Montserrat ran into her father's arms where she finally burst into tears.

Thomas was utterly stunned. For the first couple of seconds, nothing of what Montserrat said had sunk in so while she hugged him, his arms were awkwardly on either side of him. Eyes wide, mouth hanging open, he met Kara's gaze. She nodded to confirm everything Montserrat had said. Her grim expression helped sell it too.

"When...when did you get a boyfriend?" Thomas looked down at his daughter but at the question, Montserrat only whimpered and retreated further into him, desperate to be hugged back. Thomas slowly did so, bringing one hand over her back and the other behind her head. "O-okay, um…that's...that's...bad..." He sighed. He was terrible when it came to things like these. Montserrat's teenage years had been quite an adventure in terms of boyfriends and dating but now at 30? He didn't know which age was worse. "I'm—I'm so sorry, sweetheart," he ultimately said, "Really. I — how did this happen?"

Montserrat pulled away to take a deep breath. Her face was stained with tears. "A robbery. The guy was trying to rob the shop Rafael was at and then he just shot...he shot…"

Kara remained absolutely silent and lowered her head. It killed her to keep the truth of the situation a secret from Montserrat. But if she knew the truth, it would make her feel even worse, she reminded herself.

"Okay, okay," Thomas cupped Montserrat's face, "Wipe those tears. We can go to the hospital right now."

"You'd come with me?" Montserrat sniffed. "You're not mad I didn't tell you—"

"It does not matter right now," Thomas said, "Besides, you're a grown woman — as tough as that is to deal with — and you can make whatever choices you want."

"I was going to tell you. That's why I asked about having dinner, remember?"

Thomas nodded. "Yeah, and I told you I was going out on a trip for a whole month. Okay, that was my fault then."

"Dad, you would really like him. I mean, he's sort of a smart-ass but then again so is Gael."

Thomas let out a low laugh. "Oh, is it just Gael?"

"Of course, why do you ask?"

Thomas barely held his next laugh in. "Right." He gave Montserrat a kiss on the forehead. "Are you ready to go?"

Montserrat nodded fairly quickly. "Yes, please, let's go!"

"Kara?" Thomas looked at the blonde behind them.

Kara waved them off with a hand. "I'll wait for my boyfriend. He was already on his way. Plus, I think there'll be a lot of talking done on that drive."

Thomas wholeheartedly agreed with her. His eyes drifted over to Montserrat who had the energy to appear more nervous than before. "Ready?"

Montserrat wasn't so sure anymore. Still, a ride to the hospital meant she would practically do anything.

~0~

Thomas started slowly, cautiously, and for that Montserrat appreciated but it didn't make things any less awkward nor tense.

"Dating your co-worker — isn't that against the rules?" Thomas wondered out loud. He stopped at an upcoming red light, giving him the opportunity to glance at his daughter.

Her tear-stained face was finally getting a glimpse of light. She had stopped crying for the moment — she just needed to clean her face.

"Not if you disclose," she answered quietly, "Which we did."

"Ah, okay, um...when was that?"

"Dunno, two months ago? Time sort of blurred…"

"Time 'blurred'?" Thomas let out a small chuckle.

Montserrat glanced at him, eyebrows knitted together. "What?" Her voice couldn't go any louder than a quiet tone. If not, she would've demanded the explanation.

"Nothing...it's just...usually when you feel like time has 'blurred', it's because you've been having a good time," Thomas explained. At the green light, he was no longer able to look at her.

Maybe it was for the best.

Montserrat shifted in her seat. She was not about to go into detail about her relationship to her father. "It's been different," she left it at that. It wasn't a lie but it didn't outright expose her either.

Thomas hummed. "I can see that. I've never seen you so distressed over someone like this."

"To be fair, none of my other boyfriends have ever been shot."

Thomas let out a small laugh. "True, but I also meant in general. I've noticed you've been more, uh, content lately. Because I don't know what made you leave behind your old job and place in Queens, but I know that you haven't been happy in a while. I like the change."

"I'm sorry for that," Montserrat mumbled, eyes downcast. However painful it was for her, she imagined it had to have been hard for her father as well. She wasn't the kindest to him in the beginning. She did what a victim typically does: push people away. She thought she did it perfectly. She left her old friends in Queens, her job. She put distance between her father, her brother, even her nieces, and Kara. She became a good liar, indeed.

"I wasn't expecting an apology," Thomas clarified, "And I certainly didn't need one. I'm your father. I just want to know that you're okay."

Montserrat smiled lightly. "I can tell you that before all of this, I was more than okay."

Thomas nodded. "I believe it. You were...happier, more than I'd seen you in a very long time. I would love to say that you were your old self again but it still isn't like that."

"Dad, I don't think I'll ever be the same as before," Montserrat said, figuring it was best to shatter that dream right now than let it keep going without a future. "But that's okay because the way I felt before all this, it was damn great." Her breathlessness was enough to take her word for it. It sounded like even she couldn't believe it.

Truthfully, sometimes she still couldn't.

It took very little for Montserrat to become accustomed to the idea of always feeling miserable on the inside and overall like she was simply floating through life. She had resigned herself to the idea that it would always be like that from now on. But things changed again and she couldn't be more grateful. It would be beyond cruel to lose it all again. Actually, Montserrat couldn't see herself getting past it all over again if she lost Rafael.

"No more tears," came Thomas' voice.

Montserrat snapped out of her thoughts to find there were new tears rolling down her cheeks. "Sorry," she sniffed, wiping the tears off with the backs of her hands.

"No need to be," Thomas told her, "I'm so sorry this is happening, sweetie. But let's have some faith that it'll be okay in the end."

"To be honest Dad…" Montserrat let out a low sigh, "I don't really do the 'faith' thing a lot anymore."

Thomas nodded silently. It wasn't much of a surprise. "The things you see at your job can't leave much hope in the world, I know."

"Mhm," Montserrat nodded. She could let her father believe it was all because of her job. It would be easier for him that way.

"But in times like these...who do you turn to for strength?" Thomas asked curiously. "People pray to God, or other saints or something. What do you pray to?"

"Nothing," Montserrat admitted. It had been a very long time since she turned to any type of religious prayer. She was non-practicing Catholic at this point. Don't tell Lucia. "Right now, I just think about Rafael and how he's strong enough to come back. You should see him in action, Dad. If I were that guy who shot him, I'd run. I've been on the receiving end a couple times and Rafael doesn't play. And I've only gotten a small taste of the real thing. He's scary. Ask Kara."

Thomas let out a small laugh. "Knowing you, you probably kept it going."

Montserrat nodded. "Hell yeah. He's not right until I say he's right." She shifted in her seat. "Although right now, I'd give anything to hear his smart-ass remarks. An argument. Anything."

Thomas stretched a hand out until he was able to find Montserrat's. "It'll be okay."

Montserrat didn't say much after that. She couldn't wait to see the end of the drive and be at the hospital again. Nick had tried sending her messages but it didn't look like the service in the hospital was doing so well. All his texts were coming in as 'incoming message'. It left Montserrat even more anxious. What if something happened while she was away!?

She practically ran through the hospital, leaving her father to do his best to keep up. "Nick!?" She called as soon as she saw the man in the waiting room. "Your messages weren't coming through! Did something happen?"

"Yeah," Nick nodded, eyes flickering past Montserrat to her father.

"That's my Dad," Montserrat said dismissively. She had no times for introductions right now. "What happened!? Is Raf—"

"He's awake," Nick thankfully cut Montserrat off. He presumed that she had assumed the worst with his answer.

The relief that washed over Montserrat was monumental and yet so short-lived. Nick didn't understand why.

"I wasn't here," she whispered, eyes falling, "I wasn't here for him. God — I told you people I shouldn't have left!"

"Montserrat, you needed to rest," Nick said, "Besides, he woke up like 15 minutes ago. His mom's in there with him right now." Apparently, he'd something really bad because Montserrat's face had paled to a ghostly shade.

"What?" She asked, sounding like she'd lost air as well. "N-n-n-n-no, tell me she just got here too. Please."

"Uuh…" Nick was utterly confused but he still had to answer with the truth and it was not what Montserrat wanted to hear. "She got here an hour ago."

"Crap," Montserrat let out a heavy sigh.

"Montserrat, what's wrong?" Thomas asked her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You should be happy!"

"I am," Montserrat clarified, "But you don't understand. Lucia got very upset with me because I didn't call her immediately when this happened. I called her this morning instead because I thought there was no reason she should lose sleep when I was already here, waiting to hear how the surgery went. She didn't agree. She thought she should've been notified immediately."

"Okay, well, that was then, this is now. Things will change now that Rafael's awake. She was probably very scared too."

"I bet she was," Montserrat agreed, "But she's Rafael's mother. Where do you think he gets his temper from?"

Nobody would answer her. It was better to stay quiet and to help move things along, Olivia arrived shortly afterwards. She'd gotten the call from the doctors themselves as was protocol.

"Is he capable of answering?" She asked the two detectives.

"He might be too tired to remember things right now," Nick said, "I was with him for 10 minutes and he barely said anything about what happened."

"Maybe he doesn't want to talk about it," Montserrat said. "And he shouldn't if he's not ready."

Olivia nodded with her. "Yes, but it's worth asking, don't you think?"

The detective in Montserrat would make her agree but the civilian side of her made her shake her head. That was the part of her that wanted everyone to stay the hell away from Rafael until he was all better.

"There's his mom," Nick said when he saw Lucia emerging from the hallway.

Montserrat immediately pressed her clothes down as if Lucia were going to point them out and add to her fuel against Montserrat. She made herself front front center when Lucia joined them.

"How is he?" She immediately asked the older woman. "Is he — is he talking? Does anything hurt?"

"He had a bullet in his body so yes, he is in pain," Lucia answered sharply enough to have Montserrat wincing each time.

"Excuse me," Thomas cut in just as Montserrat was about to go on. He moved around Nick and Olivia to stand beside his daughter. "There's no need to be that kind of rude. You're both stressed and frightened."

"And who are you?" Lucia demanded, eyebrow raising.

"This is my father," Montserrat said hastily, truly wanting to avoid any kind of confrontation.

"Thomas Novak," Thomas introduced himself, "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't speak to my daughter like that."

Lucia didn't appreciate the tone used on her either. "Lucia Barba," she introduced herself in the same tone as Thomas, "And your daughter knows exactly why I'm upset." She crossed gazes with Montserrat.

"I'm sorry," Montserrat reiterated, sighing. "I didn't want you to go through a sleepless night. You nor Catalina."

"Don't take decisions that don't belong to you," Lucia retorted, "When it comes to my son, I need to be informed about everything that happens to him. I don't know why I didn't get the call in the first place. Do you?"

Montserrat lowered her head. She preferred not to answer for the moment.

"There's no need to argue," Olivia stepped in as well, "We all want the same thing, don't we? For Rafael to get better?"

"Of course," Lucia said incredulously. How dare they think otherwise?

"Okay," nodded Olivia, "Then I'd like to see him right now. I think Montserrat as well."

Montserrat nodded fervently. "I do," she said.

"Don't bother him with the unnecessary, please," Lucia warned as the two women started walking around her.

"I would never," Montserrat said sharply. "But I do want to catch whoever did this to him. And I will."

She followed Olivia down the hallway, preferring not to look back. She couldn't take whatever look Lucia must be giving her right now. She didn't have the head for it either.

"Montserrat," Olivia called twice before she was heard, "Forgive me for intruding but, have you taken some time for yourself with all this going on?"

"Are you kidding? I slept way more than I should have!" Montserrat exclaimed. "He woke up and I wasn't here!"

"I don't mean that," Olivia shook her head. "With this kind of stuff, I presume you would want to go see your therapist?"

"I don't have time for that!" Montserrat said dismissively. "I need to be here!"

Olivia suspected that mindset long before she got the courage to ask Montserrat. "It's important that you take care of yourself first. I'm sure Rafael would say the same thing."

It honestly didn't matter to Montserrat right now. She just wanted to reach the damn room herself and see with her own eyes that Rafael was awake. That's all she wanted. Olivia must have seen it because she didn't mention therapy again for the rest of the walk.

They didn't make a sound when they finally entered the room. If Rafael was really asleep, neither wanted to wake him. Questions would wait. But, as soon as they were in sight, Montserrat saw Rafael wide awake. He seemed a bit dazed but lucid enough to recognize them.

Montserrat forgot all about her conversation with Olivia and rushed forward. "Hii…" She said breathlessly, "You're still awake! You should be sleeping."

"I've done enough sleeping," Rafael muttered, sounding a lot more like himself than Montserrat (and Olivia) expected. He was definitely irritated enough to be himself.

Montserrat grinned widely at his response. She absolutely loved seeing him act like he usually would — it meant he was getting better! She reached for his hand, immediately gripping it. "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up. I-I should've been, I know, but…"

Rafael watched Montserrat in a more dazed manner again — his mind went in and out with all the meds he was on.

This, Olivia presumed and since Montserrat seemed too upset with herself to notice, Olivia decided to cut in and help them both out. "Now, Montserrat, I think it's okay," she started slowly, watching Montserrat lower her head out of utter guilt, "You had to go home and rest too." Olivia looked at Rafael who was still trying to make sense of Montserrat's long ramble. "She was here all of last night and Carisi and Amaro and sent her home to sleep and eat."

"Well — why are you apologizing then?" Rafael glanced at Montserrat, eyebrows knitting together with confusion. "It's not like I noticed, right? I was in surgery. At least that's what my mother told me?"

"Is that all she told you?" Montserrat asked rather curiously and slightly worried. She grabbed a chair and sat down beside the bed.

"She said a lot of things but honestly, I tuned her out," Rafael drew in a breath, "The mess might be a blessing in disguise, you know."

"Ha…" Montserrat smiled lightly. That sounded a lot more like him. It truly relieved some of her anxiety. "Still, I'm really sorry. I did want to be here but I…I sort of overslept and…"

"I promise you that I am okay with that," Rafael said, smiling for the first time. "I don't want you forgetting about yourself because of me."

"I'm good, I promise," Montserrat assured, nodding her head fast. She brought their interlocked hands to her mouth, kissing his hand. "I just want you to be okay now. I've been a little crazy."

"A little?" Rafael's smile widened.

"Shut up," Montserrat said hushedly, letting out a small chuckle. She missed this so much. All the nerves were washing out as a familiar warmth flooded her insides.

At the same time, Olivia's phone started buzzing. "I'll be back," she told the two before taking the call.

Montserrat scooted her chair closer to the bed. She held onto Rafael's hand, still keeping her smile. This is all she wanted. Rafael was awake, seemingly recuperating and already taking jabs at her. In all her thoughts, she missed Rafael studying her. He noticed something he truly wished he hadn't. It led to his question.

"How are you?"

Montserrat blinked at first, puzzled with the question. "What — me?" She laughed. "Môj drahý, I'm fine. I'm absolutely fine."

"I'm on some strong medication but I assume you just spoke Slovak but even then…I don't buy it," Rafael said, shaking his head. "You went crazy over me."

"You were shot," Montserrat said, still frazzled having to say that. "What did you think I would do? Happily pass the night with your scotch?"

"Did you save me some, by the way?"

"Rafael," Montserrat warned him not to play jokes right now. "You were shot. It's not funny."

"Oh, I'm not laughing at that," agreed Rafael, "But I am trying to lighten the mood here. I don't want you to worry about me."

"Not right now," Montserrat shook her head, "Don't ask me not to do that when you're here. You have no idea how scared I was when I got the call."

"They called you…" Rafael said, as if realizing something.

"Um, yeah…" Montserrat cleared her throat, "Why did the hospital call me first? Your mother, uh, she was pretty pretty confused about that too."

"Yeah…" Rafael nodded, "Uh…I was going to tell you sometime…definitely not here but…"

"I don't think I've ever heard you ramble so uselessly…" Montserrat laughed almost immediately after saying that.

Rafael deadpanned her for a straight minute while she laughed. "I think I deserve to be cut a little slack, right?"

Montserrat nodded as she did her best to sober from her laugh. "Of course, dear."

It was too late as Rafael was already properly annoyed. "You're my emergency contact," he said in a huff.

Montserrat gasped lightly then, eyebrows raising with pleasant shock. "Am I really?"

"Yes, but you're making me regret it—"

"No, no, I promise I'm good! That's nice to hear, I…" Montserrat could feel the familiar spread of butterflies in her stomach. "When did you…when did you decide to do that?"

"I don't know, a bit back? Is that — are you okay with that?"

"Of course! Yes!" Montserrat was a smiling mess, a deep difference from the past day. She leaned over, carefully, and pressed a kiss on Rafael's lips. "Thank you for that trust in me." There was something else she wanted to desperately say to him but she felt the timing was off and perhaps even imprudent on her part.

Even if Rafael said nothing of it, Montserrat still noticed the subtle scrunch of his nose and the twitch of his mouth every now and then from the pain he obviously felt. He just didn't want to tell her about it — it wasn't shocking for her. He barely got used to the idea of asking her for help in far less serious situations so this situation would require a lot more effort from his side and she wanted to make it as easy as possible for him.

"Do you need anything?" She asked him, "I don't know, like a drink or something? And by that I mean water, of course."

"Damn, and I was just about to ask you for some scotch…"

"I would smack you right now if you weren't hurt!" Montserrat sighed and shook her head. "So listen, I really hate asking you this right now but I need to help so…about that night…"

Rafael already started turning his head away from her. He knew exactly what was coming.

"Do you remember what happened?" Montserrat wanted to be as cautious as possible for his sake. It was physically painful enough and now he would have to deal with any mental trauma he suffered from that evening.

"...a little," he did answer albeit in a low mutter.

"Okay, um, well there is that cashier — Clara?"

At the mention of the young woman, Rafael immediately looked back at Montserrat. "Is she okay!?" He truly didn't remember much after hearing the sound of the gun firing. He was in and out of consciousness but he did have slight memories of the young woman terrified in the shop.

"Yes, she is," Montserrat nodded, smiling lightly. "Did you know she's a med student? I was told she helped keep you stable while the ambulance got to you guys. She called 911. I absolutely love her."

It was Rafael's turn to smile. "Should I be worried?"

Montserrat let out a weary sigh but her broad smile defeated any attempt to sound annoyed. "Shut up."

"I want to tell her thank you," Rafael said a moment later. "She was so scared. I may have yelled at her."

"Lots of people react differently in situations like those. It's a flight or fight thing — you chose fight, she chose flight. All involuntary of course. But please, don't ever choose to 'fight' with a robber."

"Oh, but you can?" Rafael countered on the spot. His smirk didn't help. "You carry — you do that for a living. The way you feel right now is what I always feel about you..."

"I know, I know," sighed Montserrat. This was a conversation she didn't like having because Rafael always had the right. His concerns were right, his points made sense.

Rafael gripped Montserrat's hand as much as he could, which wasn't very much if Montserrat was honest with him. She wouldn't tell him. "I'm not arguing, I'm just telling you this is something we can't control," he told her. "I'm sorry I worried you. I didn't…I didn't see the guy getting up…"

"So you do remember some things, then?"

"Yes…but it's still mostly fuzzy…" If there was one thing Rafael didn't want to do right now, it was having to lie to Montserrat. His gaze lowered to their interlocked hands, which fueled his reasons all over again. "I don't know what they put in my body but I couldn't even tell you my birthday right now."

Montserrat smiled sweetly at him. "I'll make a full list about you when you get home. We can go over it together." She scooted her chair even closer to the bed. "Because when you get out of here, you have two choices about what's going to happen."

"Oh, do I?" Rafael blinked, bemused with the revelation.

Montserrat nodded. "Yup. You have a bullet wound and you need to take care of it. You won't be able to move around so easily — you won't be working," she said the last part as a full on threat in case he had the idea of even discussing the matter. "So, when you get out of here, you can either come home with me where I can help you out."

"Not happening," Rafael said on the spot. "You live with Kara and by extension Carisi. Haven't I been through enough already?"

Montserrat deadpanned him for a short minute. She was honestly expecting a response like that. "Then your other option — and your only other one — is that I come stay with you at your place for a while."

"You'd be willing to do that?"

"Yes, of course. I want to help you and I can't do that if I'm at my own place."

"Montserrat, that's sweet of you and I appreciate it but I don't need help —"

"Yes, you do," Montserrat nodded. This was also something else she anticipated and was well prepared to handle. "Raf, you can't live by yourself right now. Until you can go up and down the stairs on your own, I will be staying with you."

"It's not that the idea of having you around isn't pleasant — because it is — but I don't need you giving up your time just to take care of me." Even as he said it out loud, Rafael thought it was ridiculous. "I can manage on my own. I always do."

"Tough luck because it's not just about you anymore," Montserrat countered with a wry smile, "To your misfortune, and mine, I like you very much. With all your sarcasm and hard attitude, but I like you."

Rafael rolled his eyes at Montserrat. It was, of course, nice to hear something like that but it still didn't take away the feeling of impotence either. There were many things out of his control and Rafael was not used to it.

"Montse—"

"Let me do this, please," Montserrat insisted earnestly. "You're right. I was dead worried about you and, yeah, I want to be close to you for the next couple days because of it. I promise I'll try not to bombard you, okay?" She squeezed his hand in hers. "Please?"

This was a battle he had already lost and Rafael knew it. For all he knew, half her things were already in his apartment. That's not the worst thing that could happen. No, no it absolutely wasn't. Rafael sighed. What he would have given for this conversation to be part of a much better situation than the one they were in right now.

"You can go back home anytime, alright?" He said, instantly earning a beam from Montserrat. "You don't have to stay more than you want and you definitely don't have to do anything for me."

"I don't understand how you graduated from Harvard. You're seriously so stupid," Montserrat said quite honestly, which prompted a hard deadpan from Rafael in return. Montserrat let out a laugh in the next second. "But I want you just the way you are! I missed it all!" She leaned over to give him another kiss. "I missed you," she whispered afterwards. "I know it's insane to say that when we saw each other — what, yesterday? — but I really did miss you so much."

Even while saying it, she still sounded so afraid like he would fall under again. Rafael felt so guilty even while knowing this was way out of his control.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," he insisted for her sake. He wished he could get up from the stupid bed and show her — ease her fear and worries. "I don't want you worrying anymore, okay? Calmada."

"I cannot be calm when you're in this situation," Montserrat promptly huffed. "You went ballistic when I had a scratch on my back! I have every right not to be calm about this. Who did this to you? Do you remember anything about the guy?"

Rafael's mind was slow with all the medication, so coming up with a good excuse was even harder than usual. Luckily for him, Olivia returned at that moment.

"Sorry, that was Rollins," the Sergeant said, "She and Fin are going through some possible witnesses." She approached the foot of the bed slowly, both hands in front of her. "Do you think you can give your statement right now?"

Rafael shifted, and in doing so felt a jab of pain on his side.

"Or we could wait…" Olivia said, mistaking his shift for uneasiness.

"I'm good," he said immediately. He glanced at Montserrat, and a moment later he was asking her: "Maybe I do need something after all."

Montserrat nodded. "Anything," she encouraged, "What do you need?"

"A damn glass of water," he said, "They pump meds all night and day and I don't get to eat anything. I'm so thirsty."

"I'll go see what I can do," Montserrat smiled slyly, "Flash my badge and all."

Rafael smiled at her. He knew very well that she would. "Thank you."

"Of course." Montserrat gave his hand a pat then stood up, turning to Olivia. "Keep an eye on him?"

"Oh yeah," Olivia pressed a finger to her cheek then pointed at Rafael.

Montserrat still left with some reluctance, especially when Olivia mentioned that Lucia was asking for her.

"My mother's still here?" Rafael asked, eyebrows raised.

Olivia nodded. "Oh yeah, she's made it clear she's not stepping away for a while."

"She should go home, like you all. I don't need babysitters," Rafael said, shaking his head.

"Oh no, you're not paying Montserrat with that coin when she's had to deal with your mother."

At Olivia's words, Rafael turned his head slightly. "What do you mean by that? Has she been giving Montserrat a hard time?" He wouldn't put it behind his mother given the situation.

Olivia reluctantly nodded. "Yeah. Novak made the call to inform your mother about the situation earlier in the morning. She didn't want Lucia going through a sleepless night like her, much less your grandmother. Lucia didn't like that."

"Is she kidding?" Rafael snapped, not at Olivia but at the situation. "She just told me she hasn't told my grandmother anything about this." He loved his mother, he did, but sometimes she could be a…

"Montserrat didn't tell you?" Olivia assumed with Rafael's reaction. "She probably didn't want to add to your stress."

"Of course," groaned Rafael, although he soon stopped when he discovered it hurt him. "I'll have a word with my mother."

"Sorry," Olivia said guiltily, "I didn't mean to…you know…"

"No, I'm glad you did," said Rafael sharply, "Because Montserrat wouldn't tell me." Nobody would make her life harder than it had to be, not if he could help it. "Don't even tell her that I know."

"Understood," nodded Olivia. "So, about the case…"

"I need you to do something for me," Rafael said out of the blue, startling Olivia.

"Uh, yeah, of course…" Olivia nodded slowly, "What-what do you need?"

Before answering, Rafael's gaze flickered to the door. Montserrat would be away for a while, hopefully. "I need you to close this case."

"Excuse me?" Olivia tilted her head, presuming she heard wrong.

"You heard me," Rafael said, meeting her gaze. "I want the case closed. Cold case, if it must be."

"I don't — I don't understand…" Olivia rubbed her temple, "You want us to…"

"Close the case, yes," Rafael nodded. 'That's exactly what I want you to do. It's my case, and that's what I'm asking for."

"Why?" Olivia never thought she would have to have this kind of conversation with him. If there's anyone who always said what he wanted, it was Rafael. This made no sense. "Are you still processing what happened? Do you need —"

"I already processed it and this is what I need to happen," Rafael said, sounding very sure of himself. "I know what happens next and I'm not doing that."

"Because of a trial? Rafael, you know that's the natural order of thi—"

"I know," Rafael cut Olivia, his sense of impatience growing. "Believe me, Liv, I know what happens next. I know that you will eventually catch this guy and it will go to trial. I know that their defense attorney will start playing tricks and turn things around for their benefit."

"So you're afraid?" Olivia guessed. "That's also normal…"

"I'm not afraid," Rafael clarified, "I would gladly go along with every part of the process but this isn't about me. It was never about me."

Olivia was utterly lost. She rubbed her forehead relentlessly, leaving faint red marks on her skin. "You're going to have to explain this a little better because I'm not understanding. You don't want us to proceed with the case, you don't want a trial, but you're not scared?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Rafael confirmed, "And you, as my friend and more importantly the Sergeant here, need to help me."

"Why? Why do you want me to do that!?"

"Because that man worked for someone I get the feeling has been watching us for a while now."

Olivia presumed that the struggle she saw in Rafael was for himself. His hands balled into fists on either side of him. His lips pursed together enough to scrunch his nose automatically. But once again, Olivia was wrong because as Rafael had said earlier, this wasn't about him.

"He's been watching Montserrat," he spat darkly. The idea sent him into a frenzy and the only thing stopping its full fledged form was the aching throb he felt on the side of his stomach.

Olivia looked at Rafael both curiously and alarmed. "Why…why would you think that?"

"Because that man told me," Rafael replied, giving the impression that he remembered exactly what happened last night.

Olivia raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?"

"You and I are the only ones who know what happened to Montserrat before she transferred here, so this should be easy to understand," Rafael said, only taking a moment because he abhorred what he had to say next. "That man who hurt her — he's watching her. I don't know how, I don't know when, but he's still got eyes on her."

Olivia was keenly aware of the rising noise from the machine beside the bed. One of them was connected to Rafael's finger — a blood pressure measure. "I think you need to—"

"It makes sense now, what Little Tino told Montserrat when we visited him in jail. He told Montserrat that there was a rule in place…"

The beeps got slightly louder.

"Raf—"

"Nobody lays a finger on the redhead," Rafael repeated the words he now hated himself for. He completely missed them at that moment. A deep scowl marked his face. "He has rules, Olivia, about her, about Montserrat — in his eyes, she belongs to him. I can't — he's just—"

"Rafael!" Olivia snapped to get his attention. She moved to his bedside, urgently motioning him to calm down.

"Liv, we can't let him keep watching her," he told her, finally sounding what he truly was: frightened. He was scared, but not for him. "We can't let this keep going. He's—"

Olivia nodded and once again motioned him to calm down. "You need to take it easy. You have stitches. They can burst," she reminded him. She grabbed Montserrat's chair to sit down. "Okay, you're going to have to walk me through this so that we're on the same page about what happened. Only then we can decide how to proceed from here."

"Fine, whatever, but you can't tell Montserrat anything about this."

"I can't promise that but we can work together to come up with the best solution," Olivia said.

It wasn't good enough for Rafael. He needed to hear it out loud…but he knew he was asking the impossible from Olivia. He'd been on that side plenty of times. It was hypocritical of him to be asking the same thing he denied so many times before.

Yes, he was being hypocritical.

Yes, he was being unreasonable.

But he just didn't care.

He didn't care about anything, not even the frikin stitches throbbing on his side right now. The only thing he cared about was currently outside, getting something he asked her for. She was all he cared about. So damn everything else.

#ocapp #allaboutocs #ochub #fd: svu #Rafael Barba fics #Rafael Barba imagines #Rafael Barba x oc #SVU fics #svu imagines #law and order fics #law and order imagines #original characters #oc: Montserrat Novak #fic: dare to forget

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the-silver-peahen-residence · 7 months ago

Text

||An Officer's Corruption: part Seventeen||

Hello there dears, Peahen mom here but I'm going to add another part for the series today. I hope you like it and enjoy.

If you wish to see how or where everything is going, you can follow up on the chapters down below.

||Previous Chapters 1-7||((Click here))

((Previous chapters 8-13)) (Click here))

Part Fourteen

Part Fifteen

Part Sixteen

((Your reading part Seventeen))

||OVA Chapters 1-7|| ((Written by my amazing friend demon mun)) (Click here))

||Warning||

~Nothing bad is present in this.

~Maybe violence

~Slight Drama/argument between two people is present in this

||Drabble Summary||

With the news of some prisoners being released for good behavior, Sukuna speaks privately to both Rex, Davion, and Terry after finding out more about them. He has some information he wishes to give. Meanwhile, The wardens that was holding the four fallen maidens were in a meeting with Kinie Ger. What could she wish to speak about? And what of Yuuka after she wakes up?

Second, how was Jaron after finally calming down? Read to find out.

||Guests in Drabble||

Fin Reer, Ammit Ahmed, Eligor"Bernard"Claw, Rum'el "Angel"Fallen, Joshua Star, and Jaron Jackal belongs to my amazing Rp partner @demon-blood-youths

Rex oxford mills, Yuuka Nakano, Melinda brooks, and Ashley Butterfly are my oc’s that belong to me and the same for Sukuna Ryomen comes from Jujutsu Kaisen but also me due to having him as a muse. Same with Terry McGinnis from Batman Beyond.

((Note: Their will be grammar mistakes and errors in this drabble as others have this warning. But like I state before, this is written for fun. So I hope you like it and my friend too. Enjoy))

~~~~~~~~In Sukuna's home~~~~~~~~~

A fancy yet expensive building was resting there, having one person looking out while Sukuna was drinking something. It was a tough job to run this place at times by yourself but he was used to it so no problem. Though, he's gotten used to it so this is nothing to him. Now, he's in power and could do whatever he could just like his baby brother.

As he was drinking something else, a ringing was heard to make him look down. He picks up the phone seeing it was a video call and answers it.

"Hello?"

"I have them on the line Mr. Ryomen. Their ready for you when you are." A female voice said but he looks to check. "Put them through.."

"Yes sir.."

After hanging up, he sees three main screens show up with familiar faces. "Gentlemen, I am happy you took my call at such a convenient time. I will make this quick.." he said looking to three Videos with Davion, Terry, and Rex.

"Go ahead, what's the message you wish to pass on to us or was this regarding your offer to us?" Davion asked.

"Yes. I know you might not have heard but it seems I'm just giving you a heads up involving the little request you could do for me from time to time. Even if you three are well known in the black market." He said simply.

"......Interesting.."

"Okay, but what is it?" Rex asked but Sukuna smiled to think.

"Lets just say I'm asking you men to take on missions from me from time to time while helping the police. I want you to join the police force but under the ones your being guarded over. I know you had some watching over you at this time so I'm also throwing in something you will known later on in the afternoon. They will tell you something you might like."

"Uh huh...."

"But I'm also asking if you can help too. I heard a lot about you Mr. McGinnis and also heard you have a hacker of your own?" he asked.

"I do. Black cat tends to do a lot of hacking work but she can get it done. I'm sure whatever your offering must be good if you got us interested." he said.

"Trust me, you three will like it but your officers will be told and pass the word to you later. I don't want to spoil anything." he said. Now the the other two were curious though Rex was wondering the same of what this is.

"Excuse me. Mr. Ryomen.."

"Yes Mills?" he asked.

"......What about my baby sister? Is she still...."

"Ahhhh yes, Miss Butterfly. Don't worry, her doctor is still keeping up to date with her. She's getting a lot more stronger and better thanks to her recent medicine. You could say she is still alright like I said. So don't worry." he said but Rex was happy to know that. Given the fact she had a gang of her own but most got most of them were in the same prison were Warden Star was.

"But speaking of which, I will again not say anything but I think you'll like what I'm willing to offer in exchange for you helping me. You'll know later in the afternoon. Understand?" he said seeing the three nod.

"Good. Have a good morning.." he said seeing the video calls end that Sukuna sits down again to drink some of his drink. A smile was seen on his lips but he was even thinking about Kinie and their little date. He couldn't wait for that but business first.

~~~~~~~~~~Meanwhile on a seperate Video call~~~~~~~~~

"NO WAY!! THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE IS IT!?"

Fin winces from the angry shout while he was sitting in his office listening to a very upset officer on video calls. Ahemd was with him but the two were having a private meeting with two others.

"Officer Barnard will you please calm down!? I know this is shocking to hear right now but I don't need you trying to cause a commotion over it-"

"Don't give me that Fin!! How in the hell is this even possible!? Or second, who would say that!?" he shouted annoyed and yet, this got him upset. "You know what those woman can do! You seen the report! I'm not letting the fallen maiden of Fall out!"

"That goes for me too..I mean, what the heck?! The fallen maiden of spring seems nice but she's just as dangerous. What is Warden Kinie thinking!?" officer Angel said nervous.

"I don't know. Honestly, we have no idea what gives her the idea but it has to be due to that Ryomen guy."

The guys said nothing but Ahemd sighed to look at them. "Trust me, we were shocked when she sent the report to us but it's true. Sukuna has indeed ask for this and it worries me. We all seen what Summer, Spring, Fall, and Winter can do even without their leader.

"Four women ready to kill under no command knowing them and that makes them more dangerous. Even so, it worries us. You know what could happen if they-"

"I know.....and I'm hoping it don't." Fin said looking quiet. "However, she said they won't be released till their leader gets out so they are not out yet. Maybe we can try to talk to Kinie and hope that we can figure something out for now. Even so, it still a troubling situation." he said.

"............."

"For right now, we need to keep a eye on them so they don't cause anything and start anything even so. I'll guess we will stay informed for now before things get fixed later on. Is that fine?" he said seeing the other two sigh.

"Fine..but I still don't know.." Bernard said.

"We'll keep a update in case." Angel said knowing Kali will not be happy or maybe she isn't.

"Alright. Take you guys later." Fin said ending the video call. When he did, he sighed covering his face with his hands with Ahemd being quiet.

“Are you going to be okay?" he asked Fin but the other said nothing closing his eyes.

"I think so. Ughhhhh that Ryomen guy really knows how to cause a scene. Now we got this to worry about. I also know the only one that can control those ladies is Rex. Giving the idea to what might happen it worries me." he said and yet Ahemd remains quiet.

"I'm sure we can figure it out...but right now, lets just try not to focus on it too much. We still have two as they do so we can keep a eye on them just in case." he said. Hearing that, Fin agreed so it was time to check on some other things now.

~~~~~~~~~~~With Luna~~~~~~~~~~~

"Do you think that Oblivion is alright? She hasn't come back yet from her video call." Swan was with Luna right now as other officers were doing something. She got word the other officers Ming, Damien, Trevor, and Maxine were doing something else but also being sure the prisoners were alright. After the sudden event that happened with Nakano they were unsure on how to feel about it.

"So what do we do now? Given the idea to what just happened.."

"We are to stay on guard just in case. I never heard Yuuka scream like that before but I don't get why they have to keep giving her these shots. Seems it only aggravates her than help." she mutters. "Though, did you check on her?" she asked.

"...I did. She was awake after a few moments but..."

"But?"

"I don't know. She looked to be sitting in the dark corner of her cell rocking back and forth. I don't know if it's a side effect due to the shot or something else..."

"......" Luna looks quiet for now but looks to the door where the holding cell was. She would be too dangerous to bring around other inmates explaining why shew as separated from them. With a sigh, she feels bad for Yuu. Really really bad.

"............You know? I don't know what happened in her history but it's not fair to her. At all. Even with them giving all these shots to her, it's just making her hate the police more and more." Luna had her arms crossed but she only remains quiet even so.

"For now, we'll just keep a eye on her but not get too close to anger her okay?" she said seeing Swan nod.

"O..Okay." the two agreed on that but looks seeing this. In that cell though, Yuuka was awake but she was facing the wall in the dark. She was resting against the wall in silence but soft mutters under her breath was barley heard. However, her nails were scratching where the shot was given showing some slight blood there.

"*Muttering to herself in tears*" She hated the police for this and even if some was helpful, she started to feel like all police were nothing but evil people.

~~~~~~~Meanwhile with Jaron & Melinda~~~~~~~~

Jaron was finally calm from what happened and yet, he was looking distracted. The male officers were told to go on break with some female officers watching the inmates. Some that was too nervous to be around them remain off duty. However, some still stayed. Right now, his mind was still focused on what that asshole Bradley said and to what he did. He couldn't have did that right?

Though, the words were still heard in his head of their conversation:

".....It's none of your concern to what is going on and I suggest you don't speak of Officer brooks in such a disgusting manner." he warns.

"Ha?!? Why???? Ohhhhh I'm sorry, I didn't know I insulted your partner so badly. It's not my bad she looks sexy to fuck. Or..*gaps* You two done it! Damn and here I thought I had the chance if you didn't...." he said.

"Besides, I would have enjoyed playing with her if I had the chance. But she's really cute and so soft too....smelled just like flowers..and tasted just like cookies after having a little bite~" he teased.

"........." Jaron wanted to rip his throat out for that but he was only remaining calm before getting concerned. What if it was true? He was knocked out before being woken up by that inmate so maybe....

Shaking his head, he turns to walk off that one of the guards noticed. "I'll be back. I need to check on someone. Can you stand guard for a while?" Jaron said.

"Of course officer Jackal." she said but he nods to walk off but he was quick on his feet. He had to know if it was true or hope he was wrong. Meanwhile, Melinda was drinking some hot tea with honey right now but she was looking out the window after trying to calm her mind for a moment. Everything seems to be okay but none of the inmates seem to be a threatening after what happened. Well, some of them were either sent off for that or others in detention cell under the prison. She heard Bradley was still there till further notice.

As she was about to take a sip from her mug, a knock was heard from the door to make her blink. "???? "Now who could that be right now. She got up to go answer the door but when she did she saw Jaron.

"Hmm? Jaron? What's the matter-"

"We need to talk. Can I come in?" he said. She blinks to wonder what was up but lets him in while she was confused. As she closed the door she turns to face him.

"What's the matter? Do you want something to drink-"

"No no. Well, maybe but I wanted to ask you something.."

"Hmm?"

"Did....did you see any bite marks on you?" he asked but she blinks now looking a little confused.

"Bite marks? What are you talking about?" she asked but Jaron sighed to look at the window but then at the hot mug on the table there.

"A bite mark you know.....from that night." he said but she remains quiet to look silent but remembers. The riot. She looks quiet but looks to him worried.

"I don't know..I mean.....maybe? I don't remember given the fact I was knocked out at the time so I don't know what happened. Execpt the voices being muffled." she said with arms crossed. "Though, what's that got to do with-"

"It's serious Melinda. I just need to know. Did you see any on you?"

"........No? But what has that got to-" Right away, she saw him grab her wrist gently. "???"

"I need to check. Can I?" he said.

"I guess so but seriously Jaron? What-" She remains still seeing him checking for any bites. None of her stomach. None of her arms or wrists. Even seeing her back had none. He wasn't sure if Bradley said that to provoke him but if it was, he did a too good job on it. Maybe he was seeing things, maybe he wasn't. However, when he saw her adjust her shirt he saw something. A tint of dark scaring was seen near her shoulder and neck. ".........."

"Did you find something Jaron? Your not saying anything." Melinda said not moving but he held back from being mad to look away after letting her go. She felt that but turns to face him worried. "Jaron?"

"...Damn that fucking bastard. He did bite you."

She tenses not expecting to hear him swear like that. Yeah, something was wrong clearly and it was worrying her.

"I.."

"I saw two bites on you.healed. One on your shoulder and one on your neck. They should have been gone but they are healing almost gone but that damn asshole's smell is also on you too. Fuck, i know I should have.."

"Easy Jaron....so you seen them?"

"Yes I've seen them. Their on you because of that guy!"

"The guy?"

"Bradley Dapozzo, Melinda! That guy!"

"Bradley......" She blinks to take time to think about it before remembering. She read his file before with Jaron and he was one twisted headed guy. Now looking worried, she looks at him then to the ground.

"So I did..but then he........" she mutters touching her neck shoulder that she got worried not expecting to hear Jaron this mad. "Jaron, I had no idea honestly. I was out when this even happened."

"I know you were. I know because he and some damn inmates were talking and asking about some damn deal. I didn't want anything to happen to you nor the female officers they got. That idiot put aphrodisiac in the cakes that night to ensure they get the women there even you so they could......." he didn't want to say but Melinda knew only making her nervous. So that's what happened.

"............."

"Even now, I already warned him to leave you and the other females alone as his 'friends' were taken care of. But I still should have..."

"Easy Jaron, your getting really upset right now. It's unlike you to be this mad.."

"I can't help it. I'm angry because I didn't want anything to happen but he could have done worse if I didn't do anything that night!" he said closing his eyes. "I never want anything to happen to you Melinda and it includes this too."

"Well, I'm sorry. I didn't know they would have spiked the cake nor the other females did either. We all were eating the cake but I don't know." she said.

"I get that but still, it's like every guy wants to just cause some damn scene and it's annoying it had to be sickos like him!"

"Again, It's not my fault. How was I suppose to know he even spiked the cake? How was the other officers to know they had spiked cake?"

"Again, I don't know! It's like no matter what happens you tend to get caught and hurt in the situation." he said but Melinda blinks to look at him.

"What's that suppose to mean? I don't always try to get caught like that. I know better but that night was just-"

"A lot? It was just dinner and it's like no matter what, something happened when it involves you!" he said but Melinda looked a bit upset now.

"Wait...are you saying this is my fault? That I should have did better with being on guard as an officer?"

".....I'm not saying that. I just think you might need to do better with your surroundings Melinda. I don't want anything happening to you."

"Jaron, I know the risks when I took this job. I can take care of myself remember? I'm not a weak woman that gets caught every time. That was just one time!"

"But what if it happens again!? What if someone else tries something and I wasn't there!?" he said raising his voice but she looks at him back.

"I can take care of myself Jaron Jackal! You know that and my leader told you that when we became partners! I know the risks and I'm strong enough to fight off dumb inmates that don't know any better! Your making it sound like I'm weak-"

"I'm not saying that!"

"Sounds like you are!" she said now mad.

"I SAID I'M NOT! I'M JUST TRYING TO ENSURE YOUR SAFE!" he shouted now mad.

"I SAID I'M FINE! I'M NOT A WEAK PERSON THAT NEEDS TO BE SAVED EVERY 24/7!" she said shouting back. "That was one night I was caught off guard! I know it won't happen again but I had a headache at the time when it happened!" she shouted at him.

"And what if it does!? What If I'm not there to keep you safe!? What if you got badly hurt that I couldn't do a damn thing about it!? Jinx knows we are partners and I already gave my word that I would ensure you were safe!"

"I told you I'm fine!"

"Stop being so difficult!"

"You stop being so difficult!"

Both him and her glare at one another even if the jackals and lung dragons were worried. They shouldn't be arguing like this! It's unlike them!!

"I know you are strong but again, I'm not saying that to insult you or anything Melinda!"

"Then why do you make it sound like I shouldn't even do this!? I want to do what I can to help out and Jinx knows what I can do! YOU know what I can do out of everyone else you understand me!"

"I know that!"

"So why make it sound like I don't!? I didn't know about the bite because I was knocked out due to the headache and the drug! If I had known then I would have did something but I didn't know!"

"Your a damn demon Melinda like me!? You didn't know that!?"

"I DO KNOW THAT! HOW WAS I SUPPOSE TO KNOW!!" she shouted now that he looks away. "If your that concerned about me I appreciate it but I can take care of myself too Jaron! I've gotten stronger as I got older! You always said that to me but now your thinking I'm not!? What the hell-"

"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU DAMN IT!" he shouted back hitting the table hard that he knocks the mug over hearing it shatter.

"!?"

"I WAS PISSED OFF BECAUSE THAT FUCKER HURT YOU AND COULD HAVE ALMOST R***** YOU MELINDA! I SAID I WOULD KEEP YOU SAFE TO JINX AND I'M STILL GOING TO EVEN WITH THIS SORT OF JOB! I KNOW THE RISKS AND DANGERS OF THIS BUT GIVEN WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED HE WOULD HAVE TAKEN YOU AWAY OR HURT YOU! YOU THINK I DON'T FUCKING KNOW THAT!?"

"........"

"If you know you can take care of yourself that's great but you know that I'm worried even when we are dating your still someone I care about! I don't want any jerk to hurt you. What if he did hurt you!? or worse! i wouldn't forgive myself because you got hurt so much because of me! I JUST FUCKING WISH YOU TRUST ME MORE AND TALK MORE TO ME!!!"

"........." Their was silence in the room but Jaron's heavy breathing but Melinda was looking quiet while holding her arm. As she tries to speak, Jaron sighed.

"......Melinda."

"..I...I think you need to leave Jaron to clear your head...Mine as well..." she said looking away from him as she goes to work on picking up the pieces of the Mug.

"Wait, leave? But-"

"...Please.....I think we need a moment to calm down..." she said trying not to cry right now. Jaron said nothing but as he takes a step forward..

"I said LEAVE!" she shouted that he tenses up to stop. Being quiet, he looks away but turns to walk off before stopping at the door.

"....I'll.......I'll check on you later.." he said but opens the door and closes it. When she heard that, she held the pieces before her hands were shaking. Some tears were seen but she only looks quiet to set them down quietly crying.

Meanwhile, Jaron was outside but he heard the crying. He didn't mean to upset her but he had to fix this. Though, he did deeply care about her but he just got a bit too angry. It's not common for him to do this. He had to clear his head before checking on her later. Turning, he walks off to the outside to calm down for awhile. Two female officers were shocked hearing the argument but looks to one another hoping they will be okay.

Though, as many say, two people need time so it seems to be needed. They were sure he will speak to her later on when they are calm. Right now; they need space.

~~~~~Meanwhile in a recent location~~~~~~

Seems a fight had just got broken up but Officer Fireleo was shocked too. A few other officers from Joshua's officer team were shocked seeing another person but a inmate standing in between officer Maggie and a fire ice male who was sitting down.

'What the hell?' Maggie thought but she sees the other looking down quietly while petting the other inmate T-bone's head as he was calm. Other inmates were scared seeing this woman do this but she said nothing looking at him since she broke up the sudden fight between them. Without getting in the fight herself.

"There you g..go...just relax. Theirs no need to fight anymore T-bone." Inmate #349x A.K.A Ashley Butterfly or Ash for a nickname, head gang leader of the Shallow butterflies or to say the demonic plant butterfly demon.

Seems something else has happened hasn't it?

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thegoodceai · 10 months ago

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afddighadfi <3333 sending all the hearts <33, sry for the late reply I had a Long Time at work but I had read your message and was also liek *twirling hair, kicking feet* trying to think of a fitting response !

Letsgo!! IF is soo good, I need to get more into IF if anything. Fallen Hero is Top Tier. Got a top three IF? And Nice! U a player or dming for them?

Aww! I'd love to know any info about her! Plz feel free to yell at me about her. Wuts her (current) name, design?, sign, The Demons (the story ur putting her through lol).

Bro! I've relatively done the same, I had waited so long to play Retri, wut ending did u get 👀👀👀. Ortega is just 😩😩😩

I hadn't heard of her nor the song, but checking it out I can definitely see why it's been on repeat <333.

We love little sharp bbies <3. Do u have a preference for color? Got a name picked out already lol?

Fair Enough, least they chase u with a stake. The Aesthetic and Seduction are unmatched I will give em that ;p. Oh! I know Of the series, but next to nothing what its about, wuts it about/what drew you into it? ((I know I could Google it, butt any excuse to get you to chat/yell more <3))

Thank you for replying to all my random questions lol. Been following for a long time, and in my mind ur already a Friend :))))

<3333 sending all the good vibes, i know we've been mutuals for a while and truly the one reaction i have every time we interact is Friend!!!!!

i am DMing for my friends, it was the only way to get them to play. i started out with only 2 players, just for some light fun, but i ended up with 5 now and a whole homebrew campaign that they can play around in and so far they do seem to be enjoying being chaotic gremlins with the side of Mystery Plot i threw at them

IF is amazing, i love the versatility of the format. idk if i could pick a true top 3, but for ones in progress ones i keep going back and replaying there's A Tale of Crowns (a favorite and one of the first ones i played, like 2 years ago when it was first released), Project Hadea, and Attolo. i love all of them dearly and cannot wait to see how they end up. for finished ones, i loveeeee Way Walkers University (i feel like it's so underrated, but i really like the style it is written in and how well developed the world of it is, there just so much and the variations you can play are huge), The Passenger (Roach my beloved), and i really liked I, The Forgotten One (been following this one before it was published, and it's truly not everyones' cup, but i found it compelling)

the story i'm working on is kind of fantasy adventure, heavily based on mythology and folklore (specifically romanian one), and i am planning to like, make it public at some point this year (still ironing and detailing some stuff, but the bones are solid, it's been rooting around in my brain for A While). the main cast are all variations of very very old ocs i have (originally for another story sort of in the same vein, but i'd like to think i grew a bit as a writer and they're more put together now, as well as the story itself). so imma hold on to the details about this whole thing for now but aaah thank u for being interested in it <3333

aah first ending i got was accident as sidestep, stayed as sidestep, and got the whole old gang involved in breaking them out of the hospital. i've been playing sidestep as a reluctant villain that's gunning for justice/exposing what the Powers That Be are actually up to (anarchist villain baby), all while being friendly with the Rangers and ended up keeping the cover so none of them know about the villain sidegig lmao. been trying to psych myself to play a fully evil sidestep but. it's hard. and i loooove playing reluctant and tired mcs that are done with everything but ultimately will do the right thing at any cost (tragic heroes my beloved)

16 year old me would have given anything to have a black cat named either Loki or Thanatos and you know what? they were right. but in reality i will probably just end up adopting a bunch of stray animals and naming them like. normal human names. or food names (i am very fond of the name Clementine, but it is kind of a mouthful)

lmao i remember next to nothing of the series, i've read it forever ago (i was like, maybe 13?? when i got the first book). all i remember was that i liked Sookie very much at the time. it was i think the first like, adult book series i read and it was fascinating to my young brain, seeing a fully developed female main character being badass and resourceful and kinda doing her own thing (the series is from her perspective, so that was also kind of novel at the time, after reading a lot of like, classical literature and school stuff). idk if i'd recommend it now, but it was definitely formative for me. it's also the series that got me into like, modern fantasy (both reading and writing it)

#aah this is so fun thank u so much again 🖤🖤🖤#ask #personal #phantom-tiger

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runawaymun · 2 years ago

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what’s the premise for your sci-fi story? Do you remember what inspired your oc N’Sin Mabon-Sedai?

??? HELLO

a question about my original work??? Nonnie can I kiss you on the mouth??

I'm bad at summarizing things, but as best I can explain it, the sci-fi series I am working on with @the-commonplace-book is set in our distant future when humans have left earth and spread out through the universe, terraforming other worlds. It's set on a space station that originally begun as a center for trade, but rapidly grew into a "planet" of its own right and then expanded out into an empire. Worldbuilding-wise, it's a hugely socially stratified world that runs off of a caste system. It's fantasy-sci-fi, so there are elements of superstition, magic, and fantasy religions. The culture itself is modeled a lot after Ancient Greece & Egypt tbh and then it just kind of Went Nuts from there. It's got about 3.5 conlangs coming together at this point, two of which with their own alphabets, and several world maps, religious systems, etc. etc.

But as far as what it's about... well, it's a multi-generational ensemble cast story that's going to span a long time, and follows a global shift in the planet's culture, the collapse of some major ruling Houses, and the rise of new ones. It's very socio-political based, basically, with some interplanetary politics involved and a war in the middle of it. There's also a lot going on between some major (and minor) religions, with old gods re-emerging as major powers and causing some big things to shift around, I guess is the best way to put it. And there's a Sinister Corporation that's lurking in the background as well. We've got a lot of enemies-to-lovers plots, arranged marriage plots, etc. etc. as well! And at a smaller level...it's about family, and learning to navigate cultural differences, grief and loss, growing up, justice & choosing to do the right thing even at danger to yourself or even when everybody...literally everybody...not even is against you but just is complacent or thinks it won't matter in the long run because that is the way things are and the way things have always been (but it's unjust and wrong and at times downright evil and it needs to change). And about hope and healing, because my work is always about that :)

Cast of characters includes a Traumatized Sad Boi(tm) Prince who is struggling between his own personal moral compass and the traditions of his House (this may sound familiar lmao...favorite character archetype of mine tbh), a woman from another planet that gets married into a major house & starts to Fuck Shit Up (both positively and negatively...she's kind of a mess but her arc is incredible and that's all down to common-place-book!) :D , a gay queen (literally she's a queen) who has to deal with her own corrupt government, a slave girl who grows up to launch a coup and try to overthrow a god, and a bunch of others (those are just some pet favs of mine).

N'Sin Mabon-sedai...in terms of what inspired him as a personality, I'm not really sure? It's always hard for me to pinpoint where any of my characters come from! If I really thought about it I could probably find a "character seed" from something I've read or something I've watched in my distant past (or not so distant idk)... whenever I think about these things I can usually pinpoint a "seed" of something from some piece of fiction that I've consumed. (Or an almagamation of things). His religious practices were directly inspired/bastardized from the oracle of Delphi, and there was just a point in the plot where we needed a Bitchy Priest(tm) and he kind of appeared on the page fully-formed, lurking in the corner. I have a soft spot for characters like him though and his arc is one of my favorites! He has a big chip on his shoulder and Stuff To Prove, and boy...does he. Lol.

Thank you so much for giving me an excuse to ramble about my work aaaa! <3 we're working on actually throwing together the very first draft of the first novel right now. It is...slow....to say the least...there are SO many moving parts!

#out of uniform #the sci fi project #i don't want to give too much a way because this is one of the projects we'd like to go a trad publishing route #whenever we get there lol #not for many years probably there is SO much to do and write

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shotbyshe · 1 year ago

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Words of the Day

faux pas:

A social blunder.

A false step; a slip; a mistake; especially, a breach of good manners; a lapse from chastity, or any act that compromises one's reputation.

triangulation:

A surveying technique in which a region is divided into a series of triangular elements based on a line of known length so that accurate measurements of distances and directions may be made by the application of trigonometry.

The network of triangles so laid out.

The location of an unknown point, as in navigation, by the formation of a triangle having the unknown point and two known points as the vertices.

scarper:

To run away; to flee; to escape.

Flee; take to one's heels; cut and run.

~~~~

One of my favorite French phrases that I say more often than 'Freudian slip'. Yes, I know that they don't mean EXACTLY the same thing. It's just an excuse to use more French in my day-to-day speech.

I'm hearing this word a lot whenever I force myself to watch social media-type content when I want to see what everybody's complaining about currently. It's a shame that those folks don't realize that they are all saying and doing the same thing over and over again. Eight definitions came up for that word, so I chose the top three. However, none explained how the word was being used in the video clips I saw, so I looked for more definitions. Turns out, triangulation is used in trigonometry, geometry and psychology. This is the psychology definition: triangulation is a term used to describe when a person uses threats of exclusion or manipulation. Its goal is to divide and conquer. A form of manipulation, triangulation involves the use of indirect communication, often behind someone's back. In the list of toxic behaviors, triangulation may be the most well-known. Isn't that crazy? This is the definition that was used. I'd never heard this word before...I guess I've never been manipulated. These are words used by therapists. A lot of people on those platforms are in therapy and have a lot of trauma. If someone attempted to do this to me, I'd be able to spot it from a mile away and scarper LOL. This is why I'm always alone, because I don't allow manipulation to happen. People are inherently exploitative. In order to give something, someone has to take. I've never allowed anyone to take from me. I play chess with people (not the physical game, I mean in life) I am able to see another's motives 5 moves ahead. I'll never let anyone get too close, 'cause the moment I do, they'll take advantage. I'm on a mission to find the word for that chess tactic....that I learned at like 2. Shoutout to mommy and daddy.

A British woman used this word twice in a Netflix show called 'Selling the OC' that I "watched" while I was working. She was describing folks running away every time she spoke. I thought it was funny. People used to do the same with me. 😁 I don't talk to people anymore obviously. Crazy how they all want to talk to you when you don't want to talk 🙄 but when you're ready they scarper. Did I make a faux pas?

#words of the day #words #definition #dictionary #faux pas #french #triangulation #psychology #scarper #selling the oc #netflix #chess #methods of life #thoughts #writing #writings

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mip-map-mop · 2 years ago

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An Asian's views on blackwashing Asian characters:

I usually don't speak about race-bending publicly, but after seeing other people talking about it on Tumblr and race-bending being a kinda big thing on Twitter, I'd like to make my own kind of essay about it. For now, I'll just be talking about people race-bending my own race and that I'll mostly be focusing on anime characters:

Not all anime characters have a specified race. When they do, they’re mostly Japanese (or at least Asian), as most anime takes place in Japan. Asians have a variety of skin tones, obviously.

I'm an Asian on the darker scale of skin tones, but Asians can have any skin tone. So, no, I am not a "white person speaking over Asians".

Asia is not just East Asia, as Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Western Asia are Asian too.

I have many problems with race-bending, especially when it involves Asian culture, which is my culture.

I'd like it if people reading this will fully read it and will understand where I'm coming from.

The character is not yours. You shouldn’t change the racial element of a character that isn’t yours.

It’s better to create your own character and have them be inspired by the character you want to race-bend.

Races are not interchangeable. Race-bending is a racist version of redesigning a character.

Artists can say “it’s just harmless fun” or “It’s not as bad as whitewashing”. Every race should have right representation. But that’s the thing. Changing a race of a character is not the right way. Race-bending any character can be very racist since it’s erasing the representation that race gets.

Whenever artists race-bend a canonically Asian character, I feel personally offended. I hate the mentality of changing a character’s race just so you can relate to them. You don’t have to change their race to relate to them. You can relate to them because of their personality, backstory, etc. You can like a character, even if they’re not the same race as you.

Black people may not be represented right (sometimes at all), but Asians (and just about every minority) also have the same problem. You can’t just “fix” a race’s problem by increasing problems for another race.

No one is Asian-washing black characters. Example, since this series has a lot of diversity: Josuke Higashikata from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable/Diamond is Not Crash. People draw Josuke, the half-Japanese and half-British character of Japanese nationality, black. You can literally look up “josuke black” and know what I’m talking about. Artists doing that are not just making Josuke’s skin color darker, they’re replacing his features with black people’s features. If an artist draws Muhammad Avdol from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, the black man of Egyptian nationality, Asian, they definitely would be called racist. But when an artist turns an Asian character black, it’s okay? No, both are racist.

The “Blasians exist” excuse: If you redesign a character to be mixed, their features should be mixed. If you erase the defining racial features of an Asian and replace them with black features, you are not drawing a Blasian, you are drawing a Black person. I really hate it when artists redraw a character as black and say they’re mixed race when they erase literally every racial feature to put in another.

Why can’t people just draw their own black character?

Why not make an OC if you want black representation?

It’s much better than altering a canon character since it doesn’t have racist elements in it.

The reason I’m writing about blackwashing and not whitewashing is because everyone seems to agree that whitewashing is bad.

Imagine taking an Asian character and making them black. Sounds racist to me.

But all race-bending is bad.

Even my mixed African-Asian friend (who actually comes from Africa) doesn't like it when people draw Asian characters black.

As an Asian, I would much rather want to see someone having a black OC than someone redrawing characters of my own race to fit the features of black people.

As an Asian, I would much rather want to see someone having an Asian OC than someone redrawing black characters (or characters of any other race). (Then again, people aren’t drawing non-Asians Asian)

Races are not interchangeable, no matter what.

#racism #blackwashing #anti blackwashing #asian #asian's point of view #anime

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ahundredtimesover · 2 years ago

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The vibe for this chapter - M A R R I E D 🤌

Gosh these two were so domestic and involved with each other in the best jovial way possible it was disgustingly adorable and I AM SCREAMING BECAUSE THE CONSTANT USAGE OF HUSBAND AND WIFE BY THE TWO PROTAGONISTS IN BOTH DISBELIEF AND UNCONSCIOUSLY WAS CUTE AF... And then some🙄

It also makes me as a reader go... Sigh please you two are the most married unmarried couple ever 😭😭😭

It's like a housemate situation but we calling each other husband and wife??? Excuse me?? Excuse you????

Dearest OC.. Living with the president of your company isn't a learning experience coz this ain't an internship.. It's a marriage... 😹

Okay-1. Loved the dialogue heavy approach in this chapter. Like I'm serious but this was so high quality. We really saw their dynamics as colleagues, friends, "married couple" surface in the most calm beautiful way..

2. Cementing the ambiguity of his relationship With Seri and the shaky grounds of his affair come through very neatly. This confusion is a pivotal point of this story because it affects JIN as a boyfriend/a CEO/a husband and the OC as a wife who ultimately will have to put her foot down and either chase her happiness or chase herself away from Jin's life and this marriage (Mimi I know you ain't giving me a spoiler but like Karen I can feel the angst in my left tit)

3. I really approve of the fact that nobody here approves of this Seri jin affair and their moral compass is strong and it doesn't dwindle just because this is a work of fiction.

4. I don't understand Seri's character and why she would want to be the other other woman like the entire vibe is so amicable and not normal 😂 waiting to let shit hit the fan.

5. Also a lot of casual moments that made me feel warmer than a ramen bowl on a rainy day - the dress fitting, the tie fixing, the soft smiles when the other said something heartfelt and honest, the tuxedo trials, admitting that the boss let her sleep in tmrw, him saying he will do the husband duty of complimenting her...

6. Pale puppy eyed feminine looking Seri being his type.. And the naturally fresh looking woman being his wife - Seokjin please stop being such a man 😂😂

7. Forget Seokjin.. Find me a Taehyung to my Hyuna (I'll become a Hyuna if this can be arranged) 😂

I left my work to read this chapter as soon as it dropped... 3 days is too long( how did we wait an entire week for updates???)

8. Also I feel that she's gonna meet Namjoon either at the wedding or in France and then there's going to be mixed feelings because now she's like wifing it out with her husband but she's also like wtf what about the guy who told me to wait???? And yeah.. Consider this theory while you laugh..

Thank you Mimi have a wonderful week ❤️

Ahhh I always look forward to your feedback 🥰 loving how you’re picking up details here and there and I won’t confirm nor deny anything! Hehe but you’re right, they’re the most married unmarried couple ever.

1, 5. I wanted to show how the boss/workmate thing adds another layer (and a bit of complication) to their relationship. But they’re domestic and sweet and friendly like that; their non-romantic interactions were some of my favorite scenes to write! 😊

2. Your left tit is right. I think there’s more angst here that you wouldn’t expect? I cried a lot rereading it? actually

3. There are still characters here with common sense!

4. She’s got her reasons; but we’ll know more a bit Seri and how this whole thing affects her in the later chapters

6. Lol we all know that Jin has a type hehehe

7. Oooh Taehyung is a dream! There’s more of him being a hopeless romantic for Hyun-a in the next chapters. I rly love his character here, too 😍

8. Laughing at this theory… or am I? 🤔🤔

Thank you so much, I always look forward to your messages 🥰 see you in the next chapters in 🇫🇷!

#mimianswers #re:tlods

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children-of-subcon · 3 years ago

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yes im very sure! i dont really care about it being complete i just like to read

AUGH I SPENT LIKE TWO HOURS ON THIS AND TUMBLR RELOADED

okok here we go I’m putting ‘em under a cut

I love Frigid by ImmortalCoalecanth, the characterization is great and I’m a sucker for MC teams up with a boss :)

Who Doesn’t Like Hat Kid? by MonsterMonsoon is super fun and WE GET SOME BIRD BONDING TIME YEAHH— I think it’s incomplete but the chapters are somewhat self-contained so it’s not too bad?

Little Deals by Insecuriousity is an unexpected but not unwelcome backstory for the Walrus Captain’s ship, involving a certain ghost ;)

Warm by Skippyin is a unique take on Snatcher’s backstory!

Illiteracy by eggsinsunnyside features Hat Kid not knowing how to read, the perfect excuse for some bonding huehue...

A Little Hatted Borrower by MonsterMonsoon is that borrower fic I mentioned, I love it so much 😭 Sometimes I still go back and reread it even though I know it cuts off right when it picks up hhh

A House Full of Monsters is also by MonsterMonsoon! It’s an AU where the bosses (and some others) are secretly monsters, and also roommates :DD Plenty of found family, although it too is unfinished.

A House That Walks by Drakka is inspired by the last one, but contains violence/blood so be warned.

Into the Lions’ Den by Krekka01 features Hat Kid getting some closure with Empress post-Rush Hour!

la loi, c’est moi by MiniNephthys is hilarious and has some actual lawyer Snatcher which is great :)

The Puppeteer by ZurielWritings23 has Moonjumper, boss fights, and possession, oh my!

Empress’ Revenge, also by ZurielWritings23, includes another very well-written boss fight, plus some momma CC and dadtcher as a treat.

We also have From the Stars by Yacer_Sho, which gives a very creative backstory to Hat Kid and has three whole endings! I won’t spoil anything else ;)

Loopholes by Fruisun is very cute and features Snatcher being a big ol’ tsundere ^^

Christmas in Subcon Forest by DeckofDragons is short and sweet, although it is still June...

I like the characterization in Tired by StellaHope, and it also includes some lovely art at the end!

The Harsh Winter’s Creep by SmugSpecter has a good mix of fluff and angst, and I must admit I‘m also a sucker for protective dadtcher 👀

Quality Time(pieces) by automatonBoy has some cool headcanons and my beloved Snatcher + Hat Kid interactions <3

Rest by DeckofDragons is kind of a sick fic but PLOT TWIST it’s Snatcher who’s sick-ish!!

I’ll save myself some time and recommend the whole series Tales of the Fire Spirits by SilyaBeeodess! It gives the fire spirits some amazing lore which I don’t remember seeing anyone else do before.

Music by DeckofDragons is part of that phase where everyone on Ao3 wrote about Snatchman playing the violin bc of that one artwork lolol

lovely little glass roses by schrodingers_cat is a history of Vanessa, and BEAUTIFULLY written!

gilt edges, traitor hearts by noxes involves a mer AU by MonsterMonsoon, and some Dadjumper!

You’re My BFF by automatonBoy is adorable and we finally get some genuinely nice Moonjumper on this list :D I also absolutely love that one line about Hat Kid being able to tell Snatcher’s general “kid” from his secretly affectionate “kid” hvhjgh ❤️❤️

Bad Place for a Window by Cardigan_Quincy is short, but has some great characterization :)

Captured by DeckofDragons! What’s that? More protective dadtcher? Don’t mind if I do owo

Revenge and a Little Bit More by owlcakes has a similar premise, but DANG it’s long. To summarize, Empress gets REKT lmbo

Reliving An Old Nightmare by Erekio is about Snatcher suddenly finding himself human again... and back in the past. There’s an element of mystery to it, so I won’t say much else, but every chapter is accompanied by illustrations! Erekio has redrawn a few of them here on tumblr :)

Dwellings of the Ancient Gods by Nosferatank is super well written, and involves some Twilight Bell shenanigans :)

Chapter 3: Contractual Obligations by Ina (CosmicKouhai) is part of a larger AU where all the bosses go into their respective Purple Time Rifts with Hat Kid, I think? It’s pretty cool!

Snowcon Forest by ImmortalCoalecanth is AMAZING and I definitely recommend you read it!! It was one of the first things I read for this fandom, and what got me into dadtcher <3

Best in the Business by MysticDoodle is a Mandelorian-inspired AU! (You don’t need to have seen the Mandelorian to enjoy it, I haven’t haha) It’s very creative, and I like the characters so far!

Beware the Frozen Heart by NanixErka is a cool concept, wherin the thing that happens to Anna in Frozen basically happens to Hat Kid D:

Do you think your love could transcend time and space? by twip/twipsai is a soulmate AU with tons of found family and fluff that I‘m sucking up like Rumbi ;w;

Familial Obligations by BumblingBriars is about Snatcher finding Hat Kid as a baby, and raising her :D It indirectly inspired BGDC! But that’s a story for another time, haha.

The Girl And The Ghost by phantomthief_fee is a Beauty and the Beast AU, but with friendship in place of romance! =)

I like the concept of Sinking Feeling by ThunderDragonFruit, and also agree :’( @ Gearsforbreakfast more CC content pls

The Forest is calling (can’t you hear it whisper?) by Kayuri and Mint_Mint features sentient Subcon and OCs turning into canon characters! I’ve never seen something like it before, but it’s written very well 👍

Nothing Special by ToothpasteDragon is based on MonsterMonsoon’s borrower AU so you know I’m gonna eat it up :’)

Also Wrong Place at the Wrong Time by ToothpasteDragon, based on MonsterMonsoon’s monster AU! (There’s a bit of blood in this one)

Recall by Galakii features a time loop, which is cool!

What’s in a Name by Raeolu involves shenanigans with the pronunciation of Hat Kid’s real name. Always a fun one ^^

The Part-Time Puppeteer by Erekio is also pretty funny! It’s based on the puppet AU by Fedoraspooky which I love <3 Aaa musical theatre and theatre in general is my favorite :D

I’ve also been following A Cloak in Time’s Trials by ElectricBlaster, which gives Hat Kid a shipmate for her adventures! It has a large focus on an OC, Cloak Kid, which may not be for everyone, but I like him :)

And FINALLY, be kind (rewind) by fivers, featuring another time loop and four whole dads! Have I mentioned yet that I am also an absolute sucker for found family 👀

(I’d also like to mention that idk if they count as fanfics but I enjoy MysteryMan_17’s AU Concept write-ups :D)

Phew, finally! I probably forgot at least one tbh, if I remember any I’ve forgotten I’ll edit this ^^ AND, absolutely no pressure to any authors of the unfinished fics to complete them! I completely understand losing motivation and/or interest in something, and your mental and physical health are more important than any silly fanfiction ^^

#AHAHA YOU PROBABLY THOUGHT I WAS EXAGGERATING WHEN I SAID 50 DIDN’T YOU #NOO #THIS FANDOM HAS SO MANY AMAZING WRITERS AND I’M HERE TO APPRECIATE ALL OF THEM #don’t say it’s less than 50 I included a series ok #ANYWAYS I LOVE THESE GO READ THEM #Fic Recs

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karimac · 3 years ago

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…in the details, Part 3

A/N: Warning for this series: 18+ audience (minors DNI), some cinematic level violence, some fluff and angst. Doubt that smut will be involved, but it may be implied. I’ll make sure that is noted clearly if it pops up.

All relationships, at this point anyway, are platonic.

Please do not repost or translate my work. Likes, comments and reblogs are greatly appreciated.

A bit about the OC Kari

Part 1

Part 2

All mistakes are my own.

Word count: 3,556

Well, that was not exactly the best idea, was it?

Dr. Darcy Lewis, unlike her colleague, Dr. Erik Selvig, was not a big fan nor an authority on any form of mythology. And the Irish history ask was a longshot at best.

So, here you were, in the coffee shop smack dab in the middle of Westview, talking to Dr. Lewis and getting nowhere fast.

“And, that’s not happening,” the astrophysicist grumbled as she set down her phone and took another sip of her beverage. It was some weirdly sweet concoction that looked like what humans thought rainbow-colored unicorn poop looked like. This world was not ready for what real magical beasts looked like. Most authors had not gotten all of that right in their books. No surprise there. No human really needed to see such things on a daily basis, and whoever had been the muses for those authors had covered up a lot.

“I take it Dr. Selvig has no clue on the Celtic Pantheon?” you asked as you sipped your very boring, light, non-sweet hot coffee. The barista probably wanted to laugh when you ordered it, but he did his best to stifle his snicker. “It was a very long reach on my part, Dr. Lewis. I’m sorry I roped you into this.”

“You can call me Darcy because you actually acknowledge my academic status,” the brunette said as she flipped her phone over again. “So, Thor is off in space. You don’t want me calling Falcon or his pal with the metal arm. Captain Marvel isn’t on your contact list. Ant Man and The Wasp? They can be sort of science geeks, right? Wait. Banner? Is he OK to call?”

Before you could open your mouth, Darcy was texting Banner off her own phone. “You know Bruce?”

“I met him at some meet and greet at MIT before the world went poof,” Darcy replied as she set her phone back down and seemed to be praying Banner would actually return her text. “Stark was there, too, but Banner was the one I got coffee with. Sweet guy, you know, even if he gets all green sometimes.”

As you sipped your coffee, you noticed a few people giving you odd looks. It made you very nervous. “Maybe we should finish up and get back on the road?” you asked Darcy as you quietly motioned toward the other patrons getting their daily fix of caffeine.

“Yeah, bubbe isn’t answering me anyway,” Darcy said as she picked up her phone and got up from her chair. By now there were several residents blocking the exit. “What is your problem? We paid. We’re busing our table. Then we’re leaving.”

“Are The Avengers going to hunt her down?” one woman in the back of the group asked as Darcy looked back toward you and mouthed the word “Help” before turning back to the crowd. The questioner was loud, but you couldn’t see her because of the big delivery man standing in front of her with a huge pile of Amazon packages. “Why did you come back?”

It was time to vamp. With an apparently faulty memory, this was going to be interesting.

“Before you all ask about what is going to happen regarding Wanda Maximoff, I want you all to know I have no authority to speak for The Avengers. I have never been a true member of the team. I helped them at a time when things were beyond bleak for this world. It was an honor and a privilege. But I am not a spokesperson. I am not a team leader.”

“Then why did you come here?” a man with glasses, holding a briefcase, asked from the line where he was waiting for his order. “Then and now?”

“I came the first time because I was looking for my friend. I was pulled into that nightmare just like you were. I wish I had been able to help her before any of this happened.”

“But you have powers, right? Couldn’t you have shut her down, hot stuff?” the first woman added as she moved to the front. Then you recognized her. Agatha Harkness. If Wanda kept her alive, there was a reason for it, and all the pain you had rising in your core had to be tamped down fast. Harkness had hurt Wanda, and that would have to be addressed one day. You were good at playing the long game.

“Taking her out in any sort of power stunt could have jeopardized your lives. I was not sure what she did to make it all happen, and I was not going to risk your lives. I’m sorry it wasn’t put to an end sooner. Now, if you will excuse us, we need to get to a meeting regarding the incident here,” you said as you and Darcy pushed through the crowd and back out to the street.

“OK, what was all that? Spin? Or are you remembering something?” Darcy asked as you got back into her car. You had left your rental on the outskirts of town. Better to travel as a unit until your business here was concluded.

“I remember a couple of things from that mess,” you said as you tried to keep your hands from shaking. “I remember Wanda and Vision’s sons. Billy and Tommy. I remember the house where I lived. Can we drive out to where Wanda had her house? Maybe that will help?”

Darcy pulled out of the parking space and made the lefts and rights to the lot where Wanda’s house had been. The one you were living in was in a lot right next to it. It was empty now, too, but you got out of the car anyway and stood in the center of the patch of dirt. You closed your eyes and held your breath as you tried to piece together what had happened. And then you started to cry as you fell to your knees.

“Whoa, slow down,” Darcy said as she ran and knelt beside you. “What did you see?”

“It’s weird. Wanda came over one day and more or less apologized to me because she couldn’t give me my real happy ending. I can show you, if you’ll let me…”

“Go into my mind?” Darcy protested before you could wave her off the idea. “No Vulcan mind melds for me today, thanks.”

“No, I carry this mirror, and you can see memories in it. Trust me, I do not use telepathy as a first line of anything. I tried it once, to help a friend, but it just caused more problems,” you groaned as you pulled the mirror out of your backpack. You waved your hand over it, and Darcy could now see what had happened with Wanda.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t find them and bring them here,” the Sokovian said quietly as she walked around the 1980s version of what was your living room. It was way too pastel for your liking, but the hints of fuchsia, orchid and teal in the overall cream and light gray design weren’t so bad. You had a couple of cats there with you. One was an orange tabby with a penchant for eating tuna at any given moment. He was warm and affectionate and just a ray of sunshine dressed in fur. The other was as white as the driven snow, but his own cuddly disposition came through. He was the one who would leave you weird gifts every morning. Rocks, feathers, and yes, the occasional dead mouse would be at the foot of your bed each sunrise. You’d find out at the end of that nightmare that the cats were only constructs of Wanda’s chaos magic.

“I know you miss the three of them,” she continued as she pointed to a framed picture of Steve, Bucky and Sam, all decked out in appropriate 1980s clothes that made them look like they ran away from some cop drama. “It’s probably better that there aren’t too many Avengers here anyway. Vis is getting concerned. And this way, well, no one needs to know which one you would have chosen. I know. You know. So you can always talk to me. Like we did before. But I gave you the wedding ring to make sure no one came on to you. Just in case I can get him here soon.”

As you showed Darcy the memory, a tiny part of you was screaming that this whole scenario seemed wrong. You watched Wanda’s crimson glow float around you as she spoke. You vaguely remembered The Morrigan trying to kick some sense back into your addled brain, but Wanda’s world was much too enticing to let your other self come to the fore. You wanted the damned happily ever after with the husband and the house and everything that meant in the modern American ethos. You had rationalized things for years in such a way that you’d never let yourself get it. That was why no one was here to hug you at night like Wanda had Vision. Maybe that fact alone was enough to crack Wanda’s hold on you a bit more than she realized?

But you also had to admit that you wanted to be there for Wanda in case things went south. That much was clear from the moment you showed up in Westview the first time.

“How come you didn’t just zap her? Fight back?” Darcy asked as you fully shifted to the present day and paused the memory.

“Because she wasn’t wrong. I did miss Bucky, Steve and Sam. I missed Banner, too, because they were, in the end, the ones still here that cared if I lived or died. And Spider-Man. Which is random and weird, but he did. And frankly, what I said in the coffee shop was true. I had no idea what my powers would do to her spell. I could have leveled the town. That was not an option.”

“So, that Agatha woman…” Darcy started to say and then stopped. “Wait. That was her? In the coffee shop? That was why you were acting so weird?”

“Yeah. Wanda could have killed her or taken Agatha away with her to imprison her. She didn’t. After what Agatha tried to do to Wanda, to try and take her powers, Wanda had every right to finish her off. But Wanda doesn’t likely know all that yet. There are rules set up from ages ago. Things witches can and can’t do to each other under specific circumstances. So Wanda left her trapped here—for now anyway. But, whatever happened with them, it affected me, too. I got hit with stray magic blasts. I’m betting it messed up my powers in ways I didn’t realize. And maybe my memories as well.”

As Darcy knelt there, her phone finally chimed. It was some weird little R2-D2 chirpy beep, and she looked elated as she showed you the message. “Seems Bruce still cares if you are OK or not. I don’t think bringing him here is such a great idea…”

“Did anyone send him data about what happened here?” you asked as you got to your feet, pocketing some of the dirt from the lot before you stood up. “Air and soil samples? Readings from the residents?”

“I can get them for him. Trust me, Jimmy Woo and Monica Rambeau would be more than happy to help. I’m glad that loon Hayward seems to have gone into hiding or was hauled away to The Raft,” Darcy noted as she checked her phone again. “Seems the doc is working out of a Stark lab here in Jersey. Road trip?”

You really didn’t want to go see Bruce. You had no idea how you’d explain any of what you did to him.

++++++++++

You rehearsed what you planned to tell Bruce a million times in your mind as Darcy drove along the Garden State Parkway to a place called Woodcliff Lake. Stark Industries did indeed have a lab there, and it made you want to scream as you walked into the facility. You did not need yet another reminder that you could not save Tony Stark’s life at the end of that final battle with Thanos. That was part of why you were in this mess in the first place. It was also why you had a screaming fight with Stephen Strange, but no one else knew about that yet.

“Dr. Banner? We’re here!” Darcy yelled as you walked toward what had to be the research wing. The lack of security in the place was a bit disturbing, but then again, there were probably booby traps built into every square inch of the place. You could just hear Tony now as you got closer to the lab area. It would likely have been close to the speech you got the first time he talked to you at the compound.

“Hey! Lucky Charms! Don’t touch any of the expensive stuff. I guess that means don’t touch anything. I still have no idea why you are hanging around the team except that Steve wants you here for some reason. Maybe you’re tied to…his friend…and I just don’t want to face that? Still have issues with all of that, even if the man is dead. Pepper and Morgan said I should be nice to you, but I’m not quite there yet after what happened in Berlin. They are better people than I’ll ever be.”

“Earth to Kari?” you finally heard Bruce say as he waved his massive green hand in front of your face. Then he realized why you were likely spacing out. "Dr. Lewis, can we have a minute?”

“You can call me Darcy, if I can call you Bruce?” Lewis said as Banner nodded to her. “Cool. I’ll go find the little scientist’s room and be right back,” she added as she left the lab.

“So,” Bruce started as he pointed you toward a set of chairs at one side of the lab, “Darcy filled me in via text. I have no idea what happened with Wanda, and I know none of us know where she is. I did call a friend who wants to help,” he noted as a swirling circle of yellow light formed near the window that looked out over the parking lot. “I figured you’d listen to him, and he knows more about this stuff than I do.”

“What did you do?” Wong shouted as he exited the portal. “You usually listen to reason. Why did you go after Wanda all alone?”

“I went to help Wanda. She was hurting. She watched Vision die twice. She lost Pietro. I can relate to all that very, very well. My twin Branan died in front of my eyes, too, and I’ve buried two husbands. Both died in battle. I just wanted her to know she wasn’t alone. But she…she hit all my vulnerable points. And she was under attack at the same time. From a woman named Agatha Harkness and from the director of SWORD. Some martinet named Hayward. He built another Vision. I think Hayward was using Wanda’s powers to bring him to life. Darcy is going to check in with some of the people who worked with her to get you more intel, Bruce.”

“Another version of Vision? Great,” Bruce muttered as he looked over at Wong. “As for this Harkness person…”

“The name rings very small bells, so I’ll need to do some research,” Wong noted as you bumped your left fist against your forehead. “What?”

“Harkness is a succubus. And she is old. Not as old as I am, but she is still a good 400 years old, give or take a day. She apparently survived the Salem Witch Trials. Wanda spelled her and left her in Westview. I think she is, at least in small ways, aware that her world is all wrong. I didn’t want to press it when I saw her in that coffee shop. We do not need an angry succubus flying around. Wong, they got into an aerial battle, and Wanda was using sigils, runes, whatever you want to call them, to focus her power. I think she picked that up from good old Aggie. I never showed her anything like that on purpose. I always suspected she had magic in her bones, but it wasn’t my place to start that fire. The bigger issue is that Wanda conjured up two children while she was there. She created cats for me, so anything is possible. I got knocked out by the end of the fight, so I have no idea what exactly happened in the end other than Wanda running off and Agatha being left behind for some reason.”

“And?” Wong asked as he started to look you up and down. “You did a spell? And it went bad? Your aura is all messed up.”

“I…I tried to do a spell so The Avengers would think of me less and less, and then eventually I’d just be a fleeting memory. I felt walking away in the dead of night, the thing I usually do when I am leaving town, would not be good enough. The spell got botched, and now I’m connected in some fashion to Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes. Looking back at it, I spent more time with them in the days leading up to my departure. Steve and Bruce were there the day I left, and so were Sam and Bucky. And…I’m carrying a lot of guilt about Bucky after his accident in 1943.”

“All this on top of the magical circus Wanda made? Are you insane?” Wong yelled as he started to pace.

“And the fight I had with Stephen on the day of the battle. Yeah, I guess I am insane,” you replied as Wong threw up his hands. Bruce had gotten extremely quiet, and that was not a good thing.

“Before we get to dissecting your spell, Kari, was this because of what Tony said? About you not being an Avenger because you were…?”

“Unstable? Yes. And the fact I could not bring anyone back from the grave, especially during that last battle. And the fact about who killed his parents. Buck did while under Hydra control. Steve found out and never told Tony. I ran into The Winter Soldier a few times over the decades, so there was the chance I could have prevented their deaths, too. Tony really had no reason to ask me to join the band.”

“Once we get your spell problem sorted, then we will address this, too,” Bruce said as he looked toward Wong and shook his head. “I loved Tony like a brother, but he was wrong…”

You winced a few times as you tried to listen to Bruce and Wong, now joined once again by Darcy, as they tried to figure out how to fix or reverse that spell, and they hashed out what might have happened to you during that first trip to Westview. You were really trying to focus on their questions, but you felt a tug that no one else could ever have possibly felt.

“Baltimore,” you mumbled as you pulled out your cellphone and debated texting the person you felt tugging at that damned invisible string. No. That would have ended badly, especially since your original spell had gone haywire.

“Bucky Barnes was arrested?” Darcy asked as she showed you her phone alert. “I bet he punched that new fake Cap in the nose. Sorry, but that guy looks like he has no clue. I saw him on Good Morning America. Total cheese fest.”

“Wait. What?” you asked as you took her phone. “Sam didn’t keep the shield? I just hope Bucky didn’t punch Sam and wind up in jail for that!” You gave Darcy back her phone and looked at yours again. It was buzzing. “Anyone here know who the hell is Christina Raynor?” you asked the trio in front of you. No one had any clue about that. You hit the speaker button as you answered the call.

“Hello? Ms. MacOrish. I’m James Barnes’ therapist, Christina Raynor. Sam Wilson said I should give you a call and ask you to join us in Baltimore. As quickly as possible, if you can. I don’t think Mr. Barnes wants to spend the night in a holding cell.”

“Oh no, you are not going to Baltimore,” Wong said as he crossed his arms and got a stern look on his face. “Not while your head is all over the place. You could portal to Baltimore in the 1800s for all you know. You could end up eating lunch with Lord Baltimore in the 1700s. You really shouldn’t do this.”

“Wong, what better place for me to go than to see a therapist?” you said with a smirk as you opened your own portal, this one a lovely shade of emerald green, that went to where Raynor was waiting for you—outside an interrogation room at the city jail.

“Mr. Wilson said you’d be fast. He did not tell me you were one of the powered class,” Raynor said as you went through the portal, looking back to wave briefly as you heard Darcy’s last comment.

“What about your rental car?”

#avengers x oc #bucky barnes x oc #sam wilson x oc #bruce banner x oc #wong x oc #darcy lewis x oc #avengers #bucky barnes #sam wilson #bruce banner #wong mcu #darcy lewis #my mcu oc #my ocs are my babies #my oc writing

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gumnut-logic · 4 years ago

Photo

Thunderfam Appreciation Post

I’m giving this a new post to prevent scroll city, but the original and several reblogs can be found by clicking the above link. Also, it’s an excuse to post a piccy of Virg cos any excuse, really :D

Many thanks to @willow-salix for writing this question list :D

Before I start, I just want to say that I value every member of this fandom. I’m often hopeless at communicating in group settings so I don’t speak to many peeps, but that is my failing, not anyone else’s. You are an amazing group and you have supported me and each other just brilliantly over the last nearly three years that I have been hanging with you guys. Thank you ever so much for all your wonderful support and encouragement. I’ve had so much fun and created so much stuff…you guys are amazing. Thunderfam rock!

Please note that my memory is pathetic and I will fail to mention everyone. Please do not take any offence if you aren’t listed below. That does not mean I don’t value you, I do, it just means I have swiss cheese between my ears.

-o-o-o-

Your favourite writer of your favourite boy.

@i-am-chidorixblossom You are a whumper and comforter after my soul. You speak the Virg :D @vegetacide I adore your turn of phrase and your description is to die for.

The person who's stories you will always read.

I try to read most fics that come across my dash, but there are a few that have me jumping up and down. @i-am-chidorixblossom , @vegetacide , @tsarinatorment , @scribbles97 , @the-lady-razorsharp , @janetm74 Of course, I regularly fail at this as some of you write a huge amount of fic and I am often playing catch up, but fic!

Who wrote the first fic you read in this fandom.

I landed on FF.net back in May 2018. I immediately ran into @the-lady-razorsharp who I knew from another fandom ten years prior and she was absolutely wonderful, drawing me in and introducing me around. I gobbled up several of her fics in the process.

Person you can talk to for the longest without a break.

I am hard to get started, persistence is required, but once started, it is usually hard to shut me up. @scribbles97 @vegetacide and @tsarinatorment have all discovered that. Dangle a Virg, a plotline and stand back.

Person you can't be trusted to be left alone with.

Um, @vegetacide and I have plotted out the entirety of Warm Rain together…poor Virg. Add @the-lady-razorsharp into the equation and Virgil ends up with a beard, dressed in leather and riding a Harley – that was a hilarious evening. Between @tsarinatorment and @janetm74 Virgil gets grey hairs and has to go rescue Scott – because Scott inevitably ends up in the story :D @scribbles97 gets the blame for Gentle Rain – expand your horizons she said ::headdesk:: But then there was the time I left one random line about Eos visiting Virgil in the shower and went to bed. I woke up to hilarity and chaos as Thunderfam took the idea and ran with it! Love you guys :D

Person whose fic made you cry the most.

I know there were at least two fics that made me cry, but for the life of me I can’t identify them. I did cry writing my own fic – Flannel – and don’t tend to reread it for that reason. Purupuss traumatised me with A Quiet Day to the point I had to put it down and walk away for a bit ::wails::

Person whose fic made you laugh the most.

I have no idea. I know there are fic out there and I know I’ve read it, but without a complete list of everything I’ve read, I don’t have a clue.

Person whose fic made you think the most.

Aaaargh, I don’t have a master list so can’t remember everything. Staring at my paltry favourites list on FF.net (which was mostly gathered three years ago and never maintained), Purupuss’ ‘Brothers in Arms’ and her whole Quiet series has me wanting to write a Scott-Virgil telepathic fic (and she has given me permission to run with the idea, I just haven’t actioned it yet). Counterpoint by Swallow and Amazon is amazing and likely contributed to Sotto Voce.

Person you have laughed with the most.

I’m really not liking this ultimate one person idea. I’ve laughed with a lot of people in this fandom. I’ve candy cannoned a bunch of you as well :P There has been mad plot cackling, evil conspiring, fic written to stir pots and delight on purpose. Hell, I’ve even written fic that was purposefully a giant virtual hug because I’m so far away that even if half the world wasn’t in isolation, I couldn’t hug most of you. Sure, I talk with some of you more than others, and there is laughter in those chats…oh, god, so much cackling, poor, poor Tracy boys. But then there are also so many smiles both vocalised and not. Thunderfam is one of my happy places. Bring on the belly laughs :D

Your comfort fic that you'll go back and read again on a bad day.

I will often resort to my own fic when I’m really down simply because it helps me get to sleep :D and it is kinda tailored to me ::grins:: (and my memory is that bad I often forget what I wrote anyway – yes, it is that bad) But there are also a few on my FF.net favourites list. Mostly hurt/comfort in a Virg flavour. Cheesycheese, nhsweetcherry, A Small Rescue by Nalina, Breathe Easy and Under the Weather by @loopstagirl – several of hers, in fact – the Virg ones :D Pretty much anything that has Virg fainting and being looked after apparently :D Chiddi and Veggie fic, of course.

Favourite piece of fan art.

I have never been so honoured by artists before. This fandom has some amazing skills and I have been gifted some beautiful works. You guys are amazing (I keep saying it like a broken record, but you are).

Again, I’m stuck on having to list one and I can’t. I think Fanart Appreciation Month in January pretty much summed up my opinion.

Who have you known the longest in the fandom.

@the-lady-razorsharp followed by @vegetacide both wonderful peeps. I can’t miss out on @weirdburketeer either for her amazing support almost from day one.

Favourite OC.

I have to say that I really enjoy reading about Ray from @i-am-chidorixblossom ‘s fics :D He is so gentle and kind and just ::sigh:: Virg likes him lots :D Selene by @willow-salix is, of course, a major presence in the fandom and amazingly written. @hedwigstalons ‘ Claire is lovely.

Person who supports your work the most.

The Thunderfam? There have been some wonderful people who support all the time. @hedwigstalons @cg29 @janetm74 @weirdburketeer in particular have been amazing support liking and commenting on just about everything I write. I honestly don’t know how they do it. Plus several peeps over on FF.net and Ao3 who support me over there.

And then there are the poor souls who put up with me in chat and listen to my wibblies and whining and character checks and field random chunks of writing that get thrown their way. @scribbles97 @vegetacide @the-lady-razorsharp @tsarinatorment @i-am-chidorixblossom @onereyofstarlight @godsliltippy @willow-salix @janetm74 all have had random passages thrown at them at all times of the day and night by a crazy me begging for feedback. Does this work? Is this in character? Am I insane? What the hell is Scott doing? Is this John??? I give up, tell me what to do? Virgil is driving me insane! So, um, yeah

Person who's progress you are the most proud of.

I love those peeps who appear in fandom who start off poking around commenting and generally being lovely and then all of a sudden get out their own pens and start writing and they are frickin’ amazing! Both @janetm74 and @hedwigstalons come to mind in this department. Like holy cow – ‘here is my first fic and I’m not sure’ ::reads it:: Omigod! Where did you come from? That was amazing. Sit down here now, keep doing that writing thing, bloody hell! I think being brave enough to pick up a pen and join in is a major thing :D

Person who's story you think is underrated and should be read by more people.

If I find fic I like, I reblog it and shout about it. What I like is definitely skewed in a Virgil direction and this dictates often what I’m going to read first. I can’t reblog what I haven’t read. So, this equation will always be skewed by ‘reasons I haven’t read a fic’ which mostly involves either Virgil or the fact I’m juggling RL. So, my answer to this is if I think a fic needs to be shouted about, I shout about it.

Something you think people would say about you.

She’s nutty.

Silliest 'thing' you do with someone.

I’ve been known to write fic on the fly directly into chat windows to try and distract peeps going through shitty times.

Favourite pairing you now Stan because of someone's fic.

Virgil/Kayo because of @vegetacide for reasons I have blamed her for multiple times. @the-lady-razorsharp and @weirdburketeer were accessories to the fact.

Favourite headcanon from someone's fic.

Um, Virgil and coffee? I got that from somewhere and it has infiltrated my fic…a lot.

Ultimately, though, I feel most people I interact with contribute to my fic and how I’m feeling. This has been a wonderful experience. I try to return the support as much as I can, but sometimes it is a juggle between writing more, my stupid fluctuating mood, the demands of RL and my own creative drive. I hope I’ve helped a few peeps, because you guys have certainly helped me ::major group hug::

And yes, I hug a lot, because to be honest, I have no other descriptor to communicate how I feel, so you get buckets of hugs :D

Tagging the Thunderfam. Feel free to grab these questions and run with them. You’re all part of the gang whether you write, read, art, gif, screenshot, chat, babble, stare at Virgil all day...I know I do a lot of staring.

Nutty

(Thunderfam rocks!)

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderfam #thunderfam rock

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alpacaparkaseok · 4 years ago

Text

Where you should be

Chapter 2: Tacenda

Genre: Hobi x oc

Warnings: this series contains stalking, blackmail, and similar stressful/fear inducing situations. Also unrequited love, which is perhaps the most terrifying of all.

Word Count: 3.4k

Tacenda (n.) things better left unsaid; matters to be passed over in silence

February 2019 - Continued.

“No.”

One syllable. A thousand pound weight pressing down on me.

Hoseok turns away before I can see if he believes me or not, his attention honing in on a black SUV that belongs to the company. A moment later, Do-yun is hopping out of the car with a deathly serious expression on his face.

I remain in the car when Hoseok gets out to speak with him, leaning up against the hood with his arms crossed. Their conversation is muffled, but I can still hear them clearly.

Do-yun is supposed to go back to the apartment to grab some necessities; and also do some snooping.

They’re speaking about the entire experience, Do-yun needs to know exactly what went down in order to understand if the people he’s supposed to protect have a new stalker. I never realized that his services could extend to me.

Leaning forward in my seat, I drop my head into my hands and close my eyes. It’s all too easy for my thoughts to drown out the sound of the conversation taking place just outside.

“Have you seen him before?” “No.”

Why couldn’t I just stick with a generic, ‘I don’t know’? Because the reality of the situation is simple: I really don’t. I have no idea who he is. Have I seen him before? Honestly, I might have. I might not have.

He’s only ever worn his hood and a mask before.

There’s no denying his aura, though. The man emits a certain dangerous air about him that has the majority of my apartment complex sticking together in groups of two or more. I just never thought that he would be after me.

Then again, maybe he’d heard about a certain idol dropping off a girl several times a week, and thought he should check it out. After all, Hoseok and the rest of the boys are no strangers to stalkers.

Judging from the stern look on Do-yun’s face as Hoseok’s back turns rigid, he takes these kinds of situations very seriously.

What kind of trouble have I landed us in?

The sound of a door opening has me lurching back upright, Hobi’s arm outstretched as he tries to calm me down like a startled animal.

“Hey, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he says. “Wanna hop out?” I do as he says, clenching my jaw as the chill of early spring hits me.

Do-yun steps forward, giving me a warm smile that is at odds with his muscular figure. “Hey, Sunny. How’re you feeling? You had quite the scare, it sounds like.”

I nod, staring down at his shoes. Hoseok’s arms encircle me, and he begins rubbing some warmth back into my shoulders.

“She was smart, though,” Hobi comments. “Locked the doors. She noticed way before I did.”

“Good.” Do-yun shuffles on his feet. “I’ll head over to your apartment complex now, would you like me to grab anything for you? Toothbrush? Clothes?”

I furrow my brows, looking back up at him, and then to Hobi. “Am I not going back tonight?” I thought that Do-yun was here to escort me back to my apartment.

Hobi’s hands pause in their ministrations. “Rin-ah, there’s no way you’re going anywhere near that guy. Just…” he pauses, then begins warming me up again. “Stay here tonight. I’ve got plenty of space. I’ll give you a ride to work in the morning, too.”

My frown doesn’t leave my face as I hand over my key to Do-yun, explaining what I need and where everything is. He promises to be back soon with my things, instructing me to jog my memory for any memories of the mystery man.

Once again I lie and say I will.

Once back inside Hobi’s apartment, I stand in the doorway like a ghost. It’s empty in here, now. Everyone else has gone home. And despite having been a frequent guest over the past month, I can’t help but realize just how different this is.

Hobi notices my obvious hesitation, and steps back over to the doorway. Crouching down, he unties my shoes for me.

“I’m sorry about tonight,” he starts, gently tapping on my ankle to signal for me to take the shoe off. “That was...horrible.”

I stare down at where he begins to untie the next shoe, watching his deft fingers at work. There’s a part of me that’s mesmerized by him and his kindness, the way he seems to fill me up with only a look. Yet, there’s another part of me that knows that all of this is wrong. Wrong, and I’m not doing a single thing to stop it.

“It was.”

My voice sounds like I haven’t used it in years, and Hobi glances up at me with concern in his eyes. He rises to his feet, and I kick off my other shoe before putting it on the rack. When I turn back around, Hobi stands just before me.

So close.

“I’m sorry.” He whispers.

Despite the circumstances, I still manage a wry smile. “How many times are you going to apologize for something that wasn’t your fault?”

What I’d hoped would make him relax only has him frowning. “What if it is my fault?” I open my mouth to protest, but Hobi stops me. “I’m willing to bet that somebody recognized me dropping you off and tipped some reporter off. I should’ve been more discreet, I shouldn’t have been so careless with you. You’ve already had agencies trying to track you down, I’m not helping by-”

My hand moves of its own accord, coming to rest over Hobi’s mouth as I effectively shut him up. Watching as his eyes widen a bit, I sigh.

“It’s nobody’s fault, so quit blaming yourself right now.”

Stepping around him and walking toward the living room, I glance back at him over my shoulder. He stands there frozen, running his hands through his hair as though contemplating tearing it out.

♟

We’ve made it through two episodes of The Office by the time Do-yun returns. His visit is quick, he drops off my few belongings and doesn’t say much on what else he found out. He simply states that he couldn’t find a man that fit the description Hobi gave him, but he did speak with the landlord briefly.

Apparently more will be analyzed in a meeting tomorrow with Bang PD. The thought of tonight being discussed with Bang PD nearly makes me sick, and I excuse myself to use the bathroom.

The process of hiring me was a long and complicated one. Honestly, I’m still in shock that it even happened. Due to the extensive hiring process, there were a few things that Bang PD made absolute sure to emphasize when creating my contract.

1. My 7 year contract with Bighit entertainment would immediately be under fire if I began entertaining job offers from competing agencies even a day before my contract officially ended.

This, of course, made perfect sense. Most contracts have something to the same effect; which is why when I was still under Source entertainment I had to be very careful when traveling to Bighit during my trial period. It would have been a complete mess if they’d found out about me, and Bighit would have most likely not hired me just to save themselves from controversy.

Over the past few months of employment at Bighit, I have received my fair share of ‘trackers’ from other agencies that are wondering where Ha-rin from Source entertainment disappeared to. So far, I’ve managed to avoid them, thus saving myself and Bang PD from criticism. Most people have no idea that Jung Ha-rin and Sunny are the same person. I’d like to keep it that way.

2. It is not allowed, under any circumstances, for me to become involved in any sort of relationship that goes beyond the label ‘friendly’ with idols under the Bighit label.

What does this mean for me when Do-yun enters the meeting tomorrow with Bang PD with the story of J-hope and Sunny out late and running into a potential stalker? What does it mean for me when he finds out that I stayed at his top idol’s apartment?

It’s grounds for termination. And right now, exiting the bathroom and heading back downstairs in my pajamas, following the sounds of the TV, I know that I can’t afford to be fired. Not now, just when the world is starting to open up for me.

Not now, when I finally found someone I can trust.

“Sorry, I started the next episode without you,” Hobi says from where he’s sprawled out on the couch. “Do you want me to start it over?”

I shake my head, pulling my phone out. “No, that’s fine. I think I should head to bed, anyways.”

Jumping up from the couch, Hoseok strides over to me. “Good idea. You’ve had quite the day today. Good thing the mattress for the guest room got here last week, isn’t it?” He chuckles to himself as I remember the day I came over for dinner and found a project waiting for me instead. Together with Taehyung and Jimin we put together the bed, but not without a large amount of yelling and collapsing dramatically to the ground.

I snicker at the memory, watching as Hobi goes before me to open the door and flick the light on. The light blue tones of the room welcome me and I nearly start sobbing at how soft the bed looks. I really do need to sleep.

Arranging my clothes for the next day, Hobi hesitates in the doorway. I speak up for him.

“Thanks for letting me stay the night, Hobi. I really appreciate it.”

He perks up at the sound of my voice, the sight making me both melt and wince at the same time. “Of course. Anytime. You know that, don’t you?”

I frown, turning to look at him. He stands there looking a little uncertain, his hand clutching the door handle for dear life.

“Know what?”

He shrugs, looking anywhere but at me. “That I’m here for whatever you need.”

I think I’m starting to understand it. “I...thank you. Really.”

He mumbles out a goodnight before gently closing the door behind him, the sound of his feet padding down the hallway making me smile before I even realize why.

My smile is wiped off my face quick enough when I remember what I need to do. There’s no need to get Hobi in this mess; heaven knows he’s got enough on his plate already. Pulling my phone out, I type in the contact info until Bang PD’s contact pops up.

The message takes a long time to write out, but I want to make sure I’m very clear in it. I explain the situation, how Hobi and I are good friends and that this is all just some big misunderstanding. I beg him not to take it the wrong way; that first and foremost we are professionals.

For the second time that night, I lie. Typing out the words, ‘I have no feelings for him’ seems nearly impossible, but I manage to do it.

Just when I start to feel sorry for myself, I remind myself that this is what I signed up for. This is what I wanted, isn’t it? Have a shot at Bighit, produce some music and make some friends along the way?

That’s what we are, I chant in my mind over and over again as my fingers fly over my phone. Just friends.

It doesn’t take long for Bang PD to reply. I can’t really blame him if this is the fastest he’s ever responded to my texts; we are talking about one of his greatest assets after all. He certainly wouldn’t want J-hope, the sunshine of the world, to be caught sneaking around in the dark with the producer Bighit bought out an entire company for.

I can already see the tabloids with their blaring headlines, claiming that Source entertainment was bought out just so J-hope could get with some girl. Not only would it tarnish both our image, it would make GFRIEND a laughing stock. How would it feel to be the group that was tossed around agencies just so your producer could get a shot at love?

It’s not true. Not of it is true. Yet I can already picture how it would be, shouting that at reporters over and over again as they laugh and ask why not? Why else would I be hired?

Why else would some 20-something producer from the middle of nowhere be hired on at one of the most successful agencies in k-pop history?

I’m staring at my phone, at the six-word answer Bang Sihyuk typed out. With the vision of my life being ruined as well as many others, I see the wisdom in his words.

That doesn’t mean it doesn’t still sting.

1:42 am Bang PD - Bighit: End it before it can begin.

♟

I’ve been discovering patterns on the ceiling for nearly twenty minutes when a quiet knock on my door pulls my attention away.

Laying here on Hobi’s guest bed, I keep finding the same message over and over again traced on the ceiling.

End it before it can begin.

What is that even supposed to mean? Was I not clear enough in my message? Did he know I was lying when I said I felt nothing for Hobi?

Maybe he wants me to draft a statement for the press, have one ready to go in case all of this goes south. Maybe he’s expecting my resignation in the morning.

However, when I hear Hoseok knocking on my door, I know exactly what Bang PD meant by his message. And I hate him for it.

A couple of seconds pass before Hobi slowly opens my door just enough to peek in. When he sees that I’m awake, he gives me a sheepish smile before stepping inside.

He must have just finished getting ready for bed; he smells amazing. His skin is glowing with that fresh just-washed glow, and he’s wearing a robe over his t-shirt and shorts.

It’s a look that anybody else would look subpar in. And yet, I can’t help the way my eyes widen a little just to be able to see more of him.

“I saw that your light was still on and decided to come check on you. Why are you still up?”

His reasoning has me smiling softly at him before I remember why I was still up in the first place. Eyeing my phone that sits on the nightstand, I pray that Bang PD doesn't decide to call me right now.

“Couldn’t sleep,” I don’t mean for it to come out as a whisper, but it does anyway. Hobi nods, edging in closer.

When he finally stands before my bed, I move over just enough for him to take a seat. He smiles at our unspoken communication, and my heart withers as I remember what I’ve just been told to do.

But what if there’s nothing to even stop?

It’s that kind of thinking that finds me with my head resting in Hobi’s lap, eyes closing as he feathers through my hair. He asked what usually helped me to relax, and I didn’t even hesitate that people playing with my hair was the way to do it.

I’m barely clinging to consciousness at this point, a layer of goosebumps rising when Hobi’s fingers scratch over a particularly sensitive part of my scalp.

“You drove so fast tonight,” I mumble out, not even bothering to open my eyes. Hobi’s quiet laugh trickles down to me.

“I did, didn’t I?”

“I even told you to slow down, but you completely ignored me.” My voice is heavy with sleep, but Hobi doesn’t seem to mind. It’s a wonder that he’s still so coherent.

“You did?” He lets out a breathy laugh. “I didn’t even notice. My mind was elsewhere, I think.”

I peek one eye open, watching as he smiles down at me, his finger coming down to trace a line from the crown of my head to the tip of my nose.

“Where was your mind?” I ask, completely aware that I might not be making the most sense.

Hobi shrugs. “I just knew I had to get you out of there. Do you know that was the first time I ever felt comfortable driving?”

I hum in response, my eyes falling shut again. Hobi resumes his pattern, occasionally trailing his fingers along my cheekbones or tracing my eyebrows.

If I were more awake, I’d be redder than a tomato. Thankfully this is happening way past my bedtime. Although a part of me knows that I’ll be freaking out in the morning.

“Rin-ah,” Hobi whispers. “Can I talk to you about something?”

I’ve had enough heart-stopping moments for one night, this just about kills me. Groaning as I sit up, I try to focus on Hoseok.

“Can’t this wait until morning, Hobi?” I hide my yawn behind my hands. “I’m so tired now. I nearly just fell asleep.”

Hobi shakes his head earnestly. “No, it can’t. I don’t think I’ll be able to say it in the morning.”

Suddenly I’m wide awake.

Looking at him warily, I chew on my options of what to say. “Are...are you sure? I think we’re both really tired and out of our minds after tonight-”

“I’ve been out of my mind for a while now, RIn-ah.”

My mouth snaps shut as Hobi turns to face me fully, our knees grazing. “Are you calling yourself insane?”

Hobi laughs, the sound reminding me of crystal. “No. Well, maybe yes?” He sighs, running his hands over his face before looking back at me. “I think I’ve been out of my mind since I met you. You...you’re everything. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. Never. And I’ve been freaking myself out for the past six months since I finally got up the nerve to talk to you, always playing this game of does she or doesn’t she, trying to figure out if you feel the same way.”

“Hobi…”

“But I’ve just now realized something monumental.” Hobi’s eyes grow wide as he smiles at me, not a hint of fear in his expression. “It doesn’t matter if you feel the same as me. Even if you feel only a fraction of what I feel for you, that’d be enough. I think I love you enough for the both of us.”

His words drop like anvils on my head, each one pummeling me down deeper and deeper until I’m looking up from the grave I’ve dug for myself. I already know what my tombstone will read.

End it before it can begin.

As I stare into his eyes, I watch as the joy slowly turns to doubt and insecurity as the silence carries on.

If this were a different story, I’d be kissing those lips instead of watching them turn into a frown.

“Say something,” Hobi breathes out. “Please just say something.”

What happens if I can’t?

My mouth remains sealed shut, caging in the words that are dying to be spoken. I’ve been out of my mind for months, too. He’s moving away from me now, turning to plant his feet back on the ground. You have no idea just how far I’ve fallen for you. His head is down as he braces his hands on the side of the bed.

Those fingers that were so delicately tracing my brow just moments before are now white as they cling to the mattress as though trying to wake himself up from this nightmare.

“...you don’t.” His voice is strained, his face a reflection pool of all his emotions as he turns to look at me. There’s a single flicker of hope still lingering in those eyes, a softness that I’ve found is reserved just for me.

I take one last look at that beautiful gaze, knowing that it will be the last time Jung Hoseok looks at me this way. I want to remember it.

My head feels like it’s swimming through concrete as I shake it once, telling him what I have to.

No.

A single syllable, represented by a single shake of the head. A thousand pound weight pressing down on me.

The snick of the door shutting is quiet as Hoseok lets himself out.

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falseroar · 4 years ago

Text

Dog Days Part 26: Just a Few Questions

((In exchange for helping cover up what happened at the studio, Dr. Iplier has a request of Dr. Schneeplestein and you. Abe has some regrets about offering to go with Chase to the Institute, but with Jackie’s “help” decides not to back out now.

This is a long one! (Edit: Never mind. I just checked, and the next two parts are both 7k+ words each. I’m beginning to suspect this is just going to be a theme from here on out.) I also sort of introduced another OC for this one, so hopefully that’s not too distracting. I’ll explain more about that in the end notes.

Here’s links to Part 25 and to the series masterlist.))

The doctor allowed Abe to stay the night in the clinic, on the condition that he didn’t leave the room as much as possible. Abe wasn’t sure if that was so Marvin could keep an eye on him while Schneeplestein was busy, or if he didn’t want the hunter scaring off his other patients. Either way, he had no intention of leaving, and neither did Jameson. With two beds in one room, it was already crowded enough without all of them there, so it only took a little bit of urging from the doctor to convince Chase to go home for the night, with Jackie riding along to keep an eye on him and to get some fresh air.

Jameson was more than willing to answer Abe’s questions and ask a few of his own, the two of them passing his phone back and forth with his notes app open, at least when he wasn’t arguing with Marvin about what the doctor’s definition of “rest” meant. Between the magician and the way Jackie fidgeted restlessly until Chase offered him an excuse to leave, Abe suspected these guys weren’t used to sitting still for long. Not that he could judge them there.

The doctor looked in occasionally, but otherwise the only sounds they heard from the rest of the clinic was the slow but steady stream of patients going in and out throughout the night, about the same number as Abe usually counted when he had been watching from the outside. All those nights watching the doctor, and he didn’t expected to end up here in one of these rooms, keeping an eye on the partner he thought he lost for good.

Or trying to keep an eye on you. It was a long, quiet night, and when you woke up the room was dark. Marvin was lying on the other bed, still wearing his mask, Jameson sitting back in the chair next to him with his head propped up against the wall behind him, while Abe had fallen asleep with his head resting on your bed. A soft snore escaped from the hunter as you looked at the three of them and wondered what time it was, a question that was answered a few minutes later when the door cracked open and Henrik peeped in.

Spotting your open eyes, he whispered knowing that you would be able to hear him even from across the room, “How are you feeling? Need anyzhing?”

“Just thirsty,” you admitted, and he nodded before disappearing from the doorway. A moment later he returned with a cup of water, and you sat up carefully so as not to wake up Abe. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Henrik answered softly, watching you as you drank with a thoughtful expression. “Dawn is less than two hours away now.”

“Are you going to stay here or go home?” you asked, after nearly draining half the cup in one sip.

“Zhat depends on what you wish to do, I think. I believe you and Marvin would both do well at home, but there are other considerations.” The doctor glanced at Abe, but he said, “I have told Dr. Iplier I will go to zhe hospital today and spend zhe daylight hours there, if you are up to joining me.”

“The hospital? Are you working there today or something?” you asked, and Henrik shook his head.

“No, it is time for my regular check-in, but there is also zhe problem of zhe Institute. Dr. Iplier has agreed to cover for us, should zhey ask about yesterday’s…incident at zhe studio, but only if he has a chance to meet you, again.”

You started to ask, but Abe stirred and asked, his voice slurring a little with sleep, “Wait, what’s happening?”

Clearly you and Henrik hadn’t been as quiet as you had hoped, because Marvin and Jameson were waking up now too.

Henrik sighed and explained, “Dr. Iplier is, rightfully, not big on covering for people he does not know. He is villing to do much based on my word as to Y/N’s character and safety, but he would still like to meet zhem in person and ask a few questions. Since I have to go in anyways today, and Abe and Chase have already made plans…”

“Wait, you have?” you asked, and this time it was Abe’s turn to explain about the call and Chase’s agreement to go in and give a report on what happened at the studio yesterday—or at least his version that covered up the whole werewolf thing. Which brought them around to Abe’s client, or at least the Google that worked for him.

“This little field trip might give us a chance to look into who created those Google units, and who has them now,” Abe said. “The one I met answers to someone who knows way too much about us.”

“Even more now, thanks to you,” Marvin muttered, but while Abe didn’t hear it you could give the magician a look that made him repentant enough to say, “You said one of them’s at the hospital, right? I can go with Y/N and Henrik and…”

He winced as he sat up, a hand going to his head, and the doctor clucked his tongue. “Your body is telling you no on zhat. You vill go home with Jackie when zhey get here and rest, no excuses. We need you back up to stuff, magician, and zhat vill not happen if you are running around willy und nilly.”

“I can go,” Jameson signed. “That is, if you want to go, Y/N.”

You hesitated. Going to a hospital felt risky, even without everything else going on, but Henrik would be there and he had trusted the other doctor enough to bring him in while you were still recovering and stuck as a wolf. And Marvin did have a point about talking to the Google there—maybe he knew something about the others, or you could get a better feel for how these magiteks worked. Using Google’s own rules against him had worked yesterday, after all.

“Yeah, I’ll go,” you said, only to look down at your shirt. While you had healed from the shot without an issue, the same couldn’t be said for your torn and bloody shirt. “I, uh, might need to change first, though.”

“I vill tell Chase to add that to zhe list things to bring,” Henrik said, sounding much more cheerful. “Zhe bathroom is open, if any of you wish to freshen up in zhe meantime.”

Abe frowned, and not just because the doctor seemed to give him a side eye when he said it. He had been okay with going to the Institute with Chase when it seemed like you would be staying here or going home, or at least aware that he would have to keep his distance anyways once that happened, but now that he knew you were going somewhere else he wasn’t so thrilled on his promise to go. Sure, split up and cover more ground, that was great and all, but he hadn’t realized going with you could have been an option. It wasn’t like Chase needed him to be there.

Even knowing there was a chance to find out more about the red-shirted Google, Abe still played with the idea of giving an excuse to go with your group to the hospital. For safety, of course—after all, look how that little field trip to the studio turned out for you.

But it was Marvin who spoke up, while Jameson was out of the room and no doubt waxing his mustache or whatever his morning routine involved and the doctor had taken you to another room for some privacy for another checkup, and muttered, “Wish I was going with you.”

“You mean with them,” Abe said, head tilting in the general direction of the others, but the magician shook his head.

“No, I mean, yes, them too. Just doing something.” Marvin rubbed his face, his fingers disappearing up under his mask before it resettled into place. “What am I supposed to do, sit at home and twiddle my thumbs?”

“…Your magic really is gone?” Abe asked.

“Not gone, just—” Marvin paused, searching for the right words. “Like there’s a—wall, in between me and it, or like…Like breaking your arm, it’s still there, but you can’t use it for anything, you know? No, that’s not really right, but you get the general idea. God, I might as well be totally human.”

“Yeah, I can see how that would be a real shame,” Abe said sarcastically, but the magician just shrugged. Abe found his eyes drawn to that ridiculous cat mask again, and he had to ask, “Your friends know you’re half-fae, right? Not exactly something you can hide for that long, so why are you still wearing the mask?”

“Heh.” The side of Marvin’s mouth twitched upwards and he brushed his hair out of his face before fixing Abe in his gaze. “The eyes of the fae can be…distracting, even if you know what to expect.”

“That, and he’s vain as hell,” Jackie said at the door, looking in with Chase just visible behind him. “Where’s Y/N?”

“Next room over with the doc,” Abe answered, and Chase gave a thumbs-up before disappearing out of sight. “You know, I bet the doctor would be okay with you and Jackie going with Chase instead of me. Not like I have much of a reputation to help whatever tale he’s going to spin them.”

“Yeah, that’s…a bad idea, for many reasons,” Marvin answered, while Jackie shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned up against the doorframe. “I’d rather not attract the Institute’s attention, and Jackie…”

“I’m not going back there unless it’s to burn the place to the ground,” Jackie finished. He drew up his sleeve, revealing a network of scars tracing their way up and out of sight under the rest of his hoodie. “Last time I went into one of their buildings with a couple of hunters, they threw me in with the other guinea pigs to be played with.”

“But you’re human,” Abe said, and then, “Aren’t you?”

Jackie tilted his head and stepped back, out of the room and out of sight, until the prickle of hairs on the back of Abe’s neck made him look over his shoulder just in time to see Jackie step out of his shadow and rest his elbow on the hunter’s shoulder.

“For a certain value of ‘human,’ yes.” It was the movement of Jackie’s eyes returning to their normal grey that alerted Abe to the fact they had just been solid black, like two holes looking into something or somewhere else. “A little less, after they were done with me. Chase is the only reason I ever saw daylight again.”

Jackie’s weight shifted, the elbow on Abe’s shoulder becoming an arm across his chest, pressing him up against the wall as Jackie whispered, “Which is why you’re going to go with him. And you’re going to make sure nothing happens to him. Do you understand?”

Abe grunted, and Jackie relieved the pressure enough for him to mutter, “Didn’t really need the threat. What do you think I am?”

Jackie looked the hunter up and down before meeting his steady gaze with one of his own, his mouth twitching as though fighting back the urge to answer that.

“…I’ll keep an eye on the kid,” Abe said.

Said “kid” had gone to the next exam room and entered to find you lying on the bed while the doctor gently felt around the area where you had been shot yesterday.

“Oh, sorry,” Chase said, immediately starting to back up, but the doctor shook his head.

“Ve are done here, I think. You are sure zhere is no pain, Y/N?”

“Yeah, I…” you sat up slowly, your eyes drifting toward Chase as an all too familiar copper scent hit you. “I’m fine. Chase, are you bleeding?”

“Uh—” Chase sighed and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. “Yeah, just a scratch from—from yesterday. I was hoping Schneep could take a look?”

“From yesterday?” You immediately thought back to that moment in the elevator, but you didn’t remember any point where Chase could have gotten hurt. That is, until you saw Henrik’s guilty expression and something clicked in the back of your mind. “You drank his blood?”

“I didn’t give him a choice,” Chase answered for him. “It was still the middle of the day, and we couldn’t take you and Marvin home with that hunter and who knows what else hanging around, and I didn’t know how serious your injuries were, so I…”

Henrik heaved a sigh and continued, “So he gives me no time to prepare a better idea. Your cut has started to bleed again?”

Chase nodded and, at the doctor’s gesture, hopped up on the bed to sit next to you and draw up his sleeve. There was a bandage there, already falling off even before the doctor carefully peeled it back to reveal the small cut on his upper arm.

The doctor clicked his tongue and said, “Vampire saliva encourages the bleeding, you see. It is why we try to avoid drinking directly from…donors, or one of zhe many, many reasons. At least you had enough sense not to create zhe cut near an artery or vein, but still.”

“Like I said, I didn’t know how much time we had to work with,” Chase said defensively.

“There is always time to do these things correctly!” Henrik paused and admitted, “Most of zhe time. Zhe effect should wear off on its own, but I have something that may help. Wait just a moment, both of you.”

The doctor walked out of the room, careful to shut the door behind him, and you waited until he was out of earshot before remarking, “You…you really trust him, don’t you?”

“Yeah, of course,” Chase said with a shrug that made you wonder if he really understood what he had done, not just asking but encouraging a vampire to feed on him, with no one else around to step in if the doctor’s worst impulses kicked in and he couldn’t stop himself. “Oh yeah, I picked up some fresh clothes for you while I was at the house. They’re not much to look at, but at least they match a little better than what you have on. Plus, you know, no hole in the middle.”

“…My clothes don’t match?”

“Eh?” Chase shrugged and said, “Maybe we can take you clothes shopping one day, help you pick out some things that are a little more ‘you’ than Jackie’s old hoodies.”

There was a hoodie on top of the pile of clothes, and you could smell Jackie’s scent in the fabric, same as you could tell who the other shirt and pants belonged to. As nice as it would be to have some clothes of your own, you didn’t want to admit to Chase that you kind of liked having that reminder of them with you. Talking about people’s scents felt very much like one of those werewolf things that might make other people feel awkward or uncomfortable.

“What do you normally like to wear?” Chase asked. “Any favorite colors?”

You shrugged, turning over the hoodie in your hands as you said, “I usually had to dress to look the part of an attorney, even on days when I was just in the office.”

And most of your days were spent in the office, when you weren’t in court or doing your own investigations. The few casual outfits you did have back then, you never really had much of a chance to actually wear. As for colors, you weren’t sure how much it mattered when you couldn’t actually see any of them.

Well, most of them. Wilford’s absurd pink mustache being the only exception so far.

“I like these pants though. They’re sturdy,” you said, and Chase immediately glanced at the hole in one of your knees that might have suggested otherwise.

“You mean blue jeans?” Chase asked. “Yeah, I think we can find you some more of those.”

“Wait, these are blue?”

Before Chase could answer that, the doctor walked back into the room, a small bottle and some fresh bandages in hand.

“Found it,” he said, shaking the bottle before applying a small amount of the liquid to a spongy white square. You winced and pulled the collar of your shirt up to your nose to try and block out the sharp, acid-like smell, causing the doctor to pause. “I had hoped you could help me vith this, Y/N, but if zhat would be an issue—”

You shook your head, trying to breathe through your mouth even as you answered, “No, it’s fine, the smell’s just a little strong. What do you want me to do?”

Under the doctor’s directions, you took a wipe and cleared off a large square around the cut on Chase’s arm, causing him to wince even before you applied the foul-smelling medicine to the cut. Henrik caught Chase’s opposite hand as it started to move out of reflex until he relaxed, and then applied a couple strips of tape over the fresh bandages you put on to hold them in place. Once that was done, the doctor immediately took a step back and tucked his hands into the pockets of his white coat, but not before you saw the way they trembled. He probably wasn’t just asking you to handle it because you were already sitting next to Chase.

“Thank you, Y/N,” he said, after clearing his throat. “Zhat should help until zhe cut heals over on its own. Just keep it dry, and no more silly stunts.”

“Now when you say ‘silly,’” Chase started, causing the doctor to snort and walk out of the room. Chase jumped down from the bed and said to you, “You should probably go ahead and change, if you’re really wanting to go to the hospital today.”

You nodded, wondering if you should say something, but instead you asked, “Are you and Abe really going to the Institute today? The one you told me about?”

“Just one of the downtown offices, and maybe that lab if we can swing it,” Chase said, but he avoided looking at you until he added, “I’ll keep an eye on your hunter while we’re out, promise.”

He winked and walked out before you could correct him, leaving you to change and try to turn over what about that wording bothered you the most until it was time to go. The hospital was apparently close enough that Henrik felt confident you, him, and Jameson could walk there before dawn, but Marvin and Jackie insisted on at least driving the three of you there before they returned home, leaving Chase and Abe to take the hunter’s car.

Outside, in the predawn darkness, you wondered what to say to Abe. Any reminder to be careful or that you would see him again felt off, when you had so many other things you wanted to talk to him about. Too much to say or ask about in the little time you had, much less in front of the others.

Instead, it was Abe who pulled you to the side and said, “We’re going to talk about…everything later, yeah? So try to stay out of trouble until then.”

You felt a prickle at the back of your neck at his rough tone and answered, “I’m not the one who’s likely to end up in trouble. You think you can avoid shooting anyone today, hunter?”

“Only if they don’t shoot at me first,” Abe said, relaxing a little when he saw you almost smile at that. That is, until your eyes looked past the hunter and caught what Jameson was signing at you, and embarrassment knocked out every other expression as the others tried not to laugh. “What?”

“Nothing,” you answered a little too quickly. “See you soon, hunter.”

Abe turned and watched you squeeze into the backseat with the others before the car drove off, leaving him behind with Chase. “Are you going to tell me what that was about?”

“Not a chance, hunter,” Chase answered, suppressing a grin as he leaned against Abe’s car. “You ready to go or not?”

“Is anyone even going to be there this early?” Abe asked, causing Chase to raise an eyebrow. Of course, most hunters didn’t exactly work a regular 9 to 5 schedule, and the Institute was hardly any different. But then again, “I know a place we can stop on the way. How do you feel about coffee?”

“I’m listening.”

---

“You still got your collar on you?”

“What?” You had been looking out the back window at the streets passing by, and it took you a second to realize Marvin had turned around in the front seat to look at you. Reluctantly, you pulled the dog collar out of the front pocket of your hoodie and asked, “You mean this?”

Marvin relaxed and said, “Good. Make sure you keep it on you, okay? Schneep, Jameson, you still got your wards?”

Jameson nodded, tapping the brim of his hat and the doctor gave an affirming sound before directing Jackie to the right driveway to the hospital.

“I don’t have to actually wear this thing when I’m human, do I?” you asked.

“Nah, that’s only to get the wolf to pass as a dog,” Marvin answered. “As long as you keep it on or near you, no one should be able to trace you. There’s also some protections against other types of magic in it, but…”

“But they don’t do much against bullets,” you finished for him and Marvin shrugged.

“Can’t plan for everything. Sorry, I had planned on having something else for when you were human again, but that idea’s going to have to wait.” As the car pulled to a stop at the front entrance to the hospital, Marvin added, “Call us, if you don’t want to hang around here all day until nightfall. Just because Schneep has to stay here until then doesn’t mean you and JJ have to.”

“We’ll keep it in mind,” Jameson signed before reaching over and showing you how to unlock the back door. Together, you and Jameson climbed out while the doctor walked around from the other side of the car, and he leaned down so that Jackie could see him add, “Be careful going home!”

“Yes, please do,” Henrik said. “Last zhing we need now is Jackie getting caught driving vithout a license.”

“I’m always careful,” Jackie answered, and Marvin couldn’t hold back a laugh at that. “Look, you all can start criticizing as soon as you learn how to drive yourselves around. Until then, keep it to yourselves.”

The car idled there in the driveway after you all said goodbye, Jackie waiting until your group was through the glass doors before he put the car into drive.

“I thought you said you finished the new ward for Y/N,” Jackie said, breaking the silence of the drive back to the house, and Marvin made a noise but didn’t answer. “Just a few cosmetic tweaks—you don’t need your magic to do that, right?”

“Just considering our options,” Marvin answered, his tone doing more to tell Jackie that he wasn’t in the mood to talk right now.

Not that it kept him from saying, “Well, after this we can keep them home for a while, where it’s safer. At least until you’re back to yourself, and the attention’s off of them.”

Marvin didn’t answer, and when Jackie glanced at him out of the corner of his eye it was difficult to tell, between the darkness in the car and the magician’s mask, if he had even heard him. Jackie’s grip tightened on the steering wheel before he forced himself to relax and let it go. Marvin would share whatever was clearly on his mind when he was ready.

Not that waiting until that happened did anything to ease Jackie’s own suspicions about what was on his mind.

Back at the hospital, you stopped short at the sight of the familiar face behind the front desk and Jameson’s hand quickly found your own.

“Do not worry,” Henrik said under his breath. “Zhis is not zhe same Google you met. I know zhis one, and he is…Vell, he is not friendly, but he hasn’t—hm.”

The doctor paused, considering what he was about to say, before deciding to just go with, “Zhe hospital keeps a very close eye on him.”

“Kind of worrying that they need to keep that close an eye on him,” Jameson suggested, but it wasn’t like there was another option except to go up to the desk where Google looked up from the computer and straightened to face you all in a very mechanical set of movements.

“Welcome to Mercy Green,” Google said, his tone so similar to the other Google that you would have had a hard time telling them apart. Even their scents were very close, although this one had a lingering odor of cleaning fluid hanging around him that you hoped was from keeping the magitek unit clean and not related to any incident in particular. “If this is an emergency, I can direct you to our Emergency Room where trained staff are standing by. Otherwise, do you have an appointment?”

“Dr. Iplier is expecting us,” Henrik answered, but before Google could turn to the computer a voice called from down the hall as the doctor himself approached.

“Henrik, right on time,” Dr. Iplier said, glancing at you and Jameson only to pause, his eyes meeting yours for several seconds before he snapped himself out of it and said to Google, “Just following up on yesterday’s appointment. You know, the one I forgot to tell you about?”

“Yes.” Google’s expression darkened and he said, “You would not have to remember appointments if you told me about them before they happened, doctor.”

“Well, it was a bit of an emergency—”

“Emergencies can be handled by trained staff in our—”

“Yeah, yeah, but I owed a favor and the issue was something I could handle on my own. Right, Henrik?”

“Yes,” Henrik said, slowly as he worked out what the other doctor was doing. “Just a simple bad reaction to a potion. Of zhe transforming kind.”

“…Right.” Dr. Iplier shrugged and said, “I’ve got a room set aside for us already. I think I remembered to put that in the calendar, at least.”

“So you are not completely hopeless,” Google muttered under his breath, and Dr. Iplier started to respond before thinking better of it and motioning for you all to follow him back down the hall.

Once the front desk was out of sight, Jameson asked, “What was that all about?”

“If someone is asking for Dr. Iplier, zhey will most likely check with Google,” Henrik answered. “Such as someone from zhe Institute.”

“And he can tell them I took care of a patient who—an adverse reaction to a potion? Really?” Dr. Iplier asked as he took one turn after another. This place was quickly starting to feel like a maze, with one addition after another having been added on over the years, according to the frequent number of plaques on the walls.

“It vas not my idea,” Henrik answered. “But if they do ask, zhe patient came from zhe TV studio, Dark Entertainment.”

“Easy enough to remember,” Dr. Iplier muttered, and you suddenly remembered what Schneeplestein had said about the studio and the number of injuries there before you went. Now, the only surprising thing about that was the fact the doctor had managed to suppress the urge to say “I told you so.”

The doctor stopped and opened one of the doors to reveal a room a lot like the ones at Henrik’s clinic except more spacious and with more equipment that you weren’t familiar with.

He waited until the door was closed behind you before he said, “You must be Jameson Jackson. Henrik’s told me a lot about you.”

Jameson waved and nodded, although his expression suggested he wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that before Dr. Iplier looked back at you.

“And you must be…doing a lot better than the last time I saw you,” he said.

“Thank you, for the medicine,” you said. “It really helped.”

“Not even a trace of silver burns,” Dr. Iplier said, looking you up and down with a fascination that was almost concerning. “Absolutely incredible.”

Schneeplestein cleared his throat and Dr. Iplier added, “I mean, I’m glad. And curious. Which is why I would like to ask you a few questions, if that’s okay.”

You weren’t sure if he was asking you or Henrik, but you supposed you knew this was coming. Still, you said, “Depends on the question, I guess. And why you want to know.”

“Professional interest?” Dr. Iplier suggested before leaning against the desk along one wall, his fingers tapping on its surface. “We don’t get many werewolves here in the city, or at least not any that I know about, but even outside of our walls there aren’t a whole lot of doctors or healers of any kind who have any experience with them. Which means a lot of our medical literature has just enough to identify the signs of a werewolf bite and infection, and the methods to…ease the patient.”

“A nice drink of medicine and wolfsbane to ease the pain before the mob finds them,” you said sarcastically, but neither doctor tried to correct you. “One problem already: I wasn’t bitten by another werewolf.”

“What?”

“A curse, from the same entity that stole my voice,” Jameson explained, with Henrik translating for the other doctor’s benefit.

“Really?” Dr. Iplier gestured for you all to take seats, but he remained standing even as you reluctantly sat on the edge of yet another exam table. As if to make you feel less alone about that, Jameson decided to hop up next to you and place a comforting hand over yours with a smile. Dr. Iplier glanced at Henrik as he said, “Oh, is that why you were so sure they were safe during the full moon? It’s just a cosmetic transformation?”

Cosmetic. Because yes, transforming into another creature against your will every month was just the same as applying some eyeliner, said a bitter thought inside you that you tried to ignore even as you answered, “No. I’m only safe to be around thanks to a spell that helps me stay in control every full moon. Otherwise, I don’t know what I would do.”

Even with the spell, you could feel how thin the line was sometimes. Like yesterday, when you saw Dark and dropping every attempt at control or calm felt so very worth it.

“Could this spell be used for your traditional werewolf?” Dr. Iplier asked, his hopeful ideas quickly crushed by the shake of Jameson’s head.

“Marvin said the spell takes a very long time to prepare, and it was tailored toward the victim of that particular entity,” Jameson explained, with Henrik again translating. He decided against mentioning that Marvin only had that particular spell ready because he hoped to save someone else that night, or how Marvin had admitted, years later, that he hadn’t even been sure it would work that night, or what he would have done if it had failed. “He’s looked for a way to turn back both of our curses, with no luck.”

“Well, even if they are curses, they have physical effects,” Dr. Iplier said, again drumming his fingers against the desk while he thought out loud. “There’s always the chance that a physical solution can be found to counteract them. Henrik, what kind of tests have you done?”

“I have performed physicals, measuring zheir progress as zhey recover,” Henrik said slowly, as though he already knew where the other doctor was going with this.

“Some blood samples might give us an idea of what we’re dealing with—” Dr. Iplier started, but Henrik quickly cut him off.

“Nein, absolutely not, if zheir blood shows up in zhe system it vill—vhat is it—”

“I know how to keep things under the table,” Dr. Iplier said, looking at you as he added, “It would be perfectly safe, and no one else would have access to the samples—”

“Red flags!” Henrik said, snapping his fingers as he found the phrase. “You would need a lab, and someone to do tests, too many people would ask questions of a doctor doing it himself. Und zhat means more eyes, more hands, more chances of someone else finding out. Out of zhe question.”

“But nobody would look twice at Google doing it, and if I give him the right orders even he won’t know what the results are,” Dr. Iplier answered. “Even if we don’t find anything, wouldn’t it be better to have at least tried? Just trying to keep your head above water is admirable enough, I suppose, but if you just keep paddling in place, you’re never going to reach the shore.”

“Or you might just end up swimming out into the ocean if you go about it wrong,” Jameson signed. He sighed and added, “But we haven’t been able to do much to help you, have we? Maybe letting the docs have a shot at it wouldn’t be such a bad idea.”

The way Dr. Iplier talked, you weren’t sure if he was trying to get an idea for how the whole werewolf thing worked, or if he was actually hoping to find a cure. You hoped for his sake that it was the first, because you had laid aside all hope for a cure a long time ago.

“Just knowing how to cope with…some of this, would be nice,” you said slowly, thinking of yesterday, of all the times you had become overwhelmed by the wolf’s senses of smell and hearing, of how ever since the mirror it just felt easier, being the wolf. But you doubted any kind of tests the doctor could do would help with all of that, which is why you looked at Dr. Schneeplestein and started to ask, “Do you—”

You were interrupted by a knock at the door, which was abruptly opened despite Google’s protest on the other side of, “You are not allowed to access this room without permission.”

“A little late for that,” muttered a man beside him, who pushed up his glasses with a sniff, but both of them were overshadowed by the woman who had opened the door and looked around at all of you before her gaze settled on the two men in white coats.

“Dr. Iplier?” she asked.

“Who the hell are you?” Dr. Iplier answered, stepping forward only to be brought up short by the badges the woman and man showed him. From your vantage point, you couldn’t make out any details, but the general shape of the emblem on them did not match what you remembered of any official police or other government badge. As if to answer your curiosity, Dr. Iplier said, “Great. Bronson Institute investigators. Are they in the schedule, Google?”

“No, they are not,” Google answered, moving his hand towards his glasses in a gesture that just so happened to elbow the man next to him in the ribs. “I would have informed you of a scheduling conflict when you set up this follow-up examination if that were the case. These…people, asked where you were, and proceeded to barge their way here.”

“I’ve never barged anywhere in my life!” protested the man, after rubbing his ribs with a wince and not quite as casually elbowing Google back only to realize why that was a bad idea when the other person had a metal interior.

At his words, a device on his wrist pinged with an irritating noise timed to a flashing light that lasted for three seconds but felt like an eternity to your ears. The woman barely suppressed a smile as she said, “Perhaps some barging was involved, but I assure you that this is an important matter. You received our call about the patient from yesterday, correct?”

“Yes, I did,” Dr. Iplier answered, dragging his eyes away from the device to look back at her. “And I thought I answered all of your questions then. What is this about?”

“We like to be thorough in our investigations, especially when such…delicate matters have become so very public. There’s quite the stir going around, after what supposedly happened outside Dark Entertainment Studios yesterday, and the Institute simply must be sure that we have the heart of the matter before we issue a statement.” She smiled and added, “And your Google was so kind as to inform us that the patient from yesterday is still here.”

“Which one of you is it?” asked the other investigator as he walked into the room and sneered at you and Jameson on the exam table. “And don’t even think about lying! We brought this just so we could be sure we got the truth.”

You glanced down at the device on his wrist, which honestly looked like a wristwatch except one with a blank square screen instead of a clock face. This thing made that irritating noise when it heard lies?

Before you could ask, to stall for time while you thought of a way around it, Jameson immediately waved and pointed at himself.

“You?” the investigator asked, and when Jameson nodded, he scowled and said, “I need you to say it!”

“Jameson can’t speak,” you said. “It’s the effect of a curse, we think. But he does know sign language, if either of you…”

The investigator scowled and looked at his partner, who was sizing up the two of you now with the same intensity that she entered the room with, and she said, “That could work, assuming you know how to ask the right questions.”

“Fine, you translate,” he said, pointing at you before asking, “Were you involved in the incident at Dark Entertainment Studios yesterday, involving a suspected werewolf?”

“I was at the studio yesterday,” Jameson answered, and you translated word for word. “There was an unfortunate incident, yes, but luckily Chase Brody was there to assist, and I and my companions were taken to a doctor he is familiar with.”

“You mean Charles Bronson,” the investigator said as he took meticulous notes in a notepad. “What exactly was he doing there?”

“An interview,” Jameson answered. “About ‘nontraditional’ forms of entertainment, although as I told Jim yesterday, you could make the argument that Chase’s series of stunts for views, as well as his performing feats of gaming and even ‘hanging out’ with his fans could all be—”

Dr. Schneeplestein cleared his throat and Jameson flushed before finishing, “But perhaps this isn’t the place for that conversation.”

“And I’m supposed to believe that you’re an actor?” the investigator asked, and beside you Jameson froze before responding.

“And what, my good sir, is that supposed to mean?”

“Well, Charles said it was some actor who got changed thanks to a stupid stunt, but if you can’t even talk, then how are you supposed to be an actor? Subtitles?”

It was only your fast reflexes that kept Jameson from making his own very nonverbal answer to that, mostly with his fists, and behind the investigator his partner sighed and brushed her forehead with her fingers.

“Harold, what could I possibly have done to have to endure having you here for this?”

“Did you see that?! He tried to attack me!”

“Well, if he had, at least you’re already in a hospital,” she answered. “Dr. Iplier, can you confirm this man’s story?”

“I haven’t seen his work for myself, but I do believe he is an actor.”

Good thing you all were in a hospital, because the investigator looked ready to kill a man before she took a breath and asked, “Was the incident at the studio caused by a failed transformation potion?”

“That is what I was told, yes,” Dr. Iplier said. Of course, he didn’t add who told him that version of events, or whether he believed it. “In such a case, the best course of action is to wait for the effects to run their course, but the patient was under good supervision during that time.”

“Zhe best,” Dr. Schneeplestein muttered under his breath.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Dr. Iplier muttered back, before clearing his throat and saying, “As far as I know, Mr. Jackson’s testimony is entirely honest. And you could put me on the record as saying so.”

Jameson’s testimony, which was so carefully worded to avoid actually saying he was the one who transformed on the street yesterday. You were starting to suspect that device on his wrist wasn’t quite the infallible lie detector Harold seemed to believe it was, although even he looked disappointed when it failed to react at the doctor’s words.

“Tch.” Harold reached into his pocket and pulled out something before tossing it to Jameson with a, “Here, catch.”

Jameson easily caught the coin that flashed in the air between his hands, and opened them to reveal the large, silver coin resting in his palm. He looked from it to the investigator and back again before signing, “Do I get to keep this? Is it my pay for dealing with this nonsense?”

You tried hard not to think about what would have happened if Harold had tossed the coin to you, the burns on your hands worth far more than whatever that lie detector could supposedly tell them.

“I suppose that should settle that, at least,” the other investigator said, while Harold tried to convince Jameson to give him his coin back. Her eyes flickered toward the doctors again as she said, “Very convenient, that Mr. Jackson was still here for this little questioning. Why exactly are you still here, if the potion ran its course?”

The doctors hesitated, but you thought it was your turn to deflect the question by answering, “Dr. Iplier asked if we could come back in, because he wanted to follow up on a few things. Mainly, we’ve just been talking about curses.”

“Right, the curse that took Mr. Jackson’s voice,” she answered, and moved closer to the table. Her hand rested on the padded surface next to you as she leaned in, staring into your eyes with an intensity that was difficult to look away from. “You’re suffering from a curse as well, aren’t you?”

“I—” You swallowed, hard, and caught a brief glimpse of Dr. Schneeplestein on the other side of the room reaching up to tap on the side of his glasses. “Y-yes, I am. My eyes, they were affected by it—I couldn’t even see for a while there, and it’s mostly back but I…I, uh, can’t see most colors still and…”

You trailed off, relieved that the device hadn’t sounded off at that. Your eyes had been affected by the curse, or at least that bit of it that left you so weak to silver.

“Hm. That is interesting. His voice and your eyes…It wasn’t the same curse that caused both, was it?” She said it with a certainty that almost made you think she knew more than she was saying. By this point she was filling most of your vision, to the point that you couldn’t even look away to be sure what Jameson was signing next to you.

“No, I don’t think so. But it was the same…thing that cursed me that took Jameson’s voice.”

You had said it in the hopes it would explain why you were both here, but almost as soon as the words left your mouth you worried that she would ask more questions that you couldn’t answer, because even talking about the entity from the woods felt like it would be straying too close to the real truth. You felt like she had to know more, that she had to know none of you were telling the whole truth.

Part of the reason you were so sure was because there was something eerily familiar about this woman, from the way she commanded attention from the second she entered the room to the look in her eyes whenever she asked a question, like she was looking for more than just what you said next. If you didn’t already know Celine was still there somewhere inside Dark you might have thought…

“You’re not a seer, are you?” you asked, trying to sound like you were joking, and she smiled in a way that somehow made you feel even less certain about what you thought you knew.

“I prefer the title ‘assets manager,’ if I had to choose one,” she said, completely failing to answer your question or give you any other clue what, exactly, that was supposed to mean. The corner of her eyes tightened with a thought and she reached into a pouch on her belt.

You couldn’t help but flinch as she pulled something out and held it toward you, before you realized it was a small business card, very much like the one Bim gave you yesterday.

“Bronson Institute has a department dedicated to researching and treating those dealing with the effects of curses,” she said as you took the card, and presented Jameson with one of his own. “Something to consider, if the good doctors here aren’t able to provide the support you need.”

“Oh, uh, thank you,” you said, Jameson echoing your answer with a sign of his own. “We’ll think about it.”

The device on Harold’s wrist began to beep shrilly at that, causing him to mutter under his breath while he tried to reset it, but the so-called assets manager seemed to suppress a laugh before she responded, “Hang on to the cards, at least. You never know what might make you change your mind.”

You decided to play it safe and not answer this time, and she nodded to you and Jameson before turning to include the doctors as she added, “Thank you for your time, all of you. I think we can safely note for the record that Mr. Jackson here is hardly a werewolf.”

“As of today,” Harold corrected. “We retain any and all right to change our verdict, should future events change that.”

“Of course,” she answered in a flat monotone, showing great restraint not to roll her eyes. “Harold, you can handle the paperwork while I call this in.”

It wasn’t a question, and she walked out of the room without waiting for an answer, leaving Harold to dig around in his bag before presenting the doctor and Jameson with some papers to sign and keep for their records—papers that you insisted on reviewing before either one put down their name, although at least these turned out to be harmless confirmations that they had answered the investigators’ questions in the presence of a “deception detecting device.” That name was about the only thing you would have changed, if only because the thing seemed to have difficulty with anything that wasn’t an outright lie.

All the same, it was a relief when Google finally escorted Harold out of the room, the four of you all exhaling when Dr. Iplier made sure the door was closed and locked behind them this time.

“Vell, at least zhat seems to be behind us now,” Dr. Schneeplestein said, but even from across the room you could see his hands were shaking before he clasped them together. Neither of the investigators seemed to have given him a second thought, but even knowing he has fully registered, being this close to them had shaken him badly.

Badly enough that Dr. Iplier noticed and asked if he had taken his “quota” for the week yet, but Henrik just suggested under his breath that they could talk about it privately, later. At least from that, it sounded like he would tell the other doctor about what happened with Chase, so that was one weight off of your mind.

Only for another to press down again when Dr. Iplier reminded you of the conversation you had been having before the investigators interrupted.

“It’s entirely up to you, of course,” Dr. Iplier added, and you tried hard not to look down at the card in your hand.

Tried not to get your hopes up for anything even as you sighed and said, “I’m willing to try a few tests, if you think it will help. Henrik?”

“…As long as I can keep an eye on zhe process,” Schneeplestein answered, and despite his tone you thought he looked pleased with your answer. “Zhere is nothing to be lost by learning more about your condition, as long as ve keep zhe tests between us.”

Beside you, Jameson tucked his card into a chest pocket and gave you an encouraging thumb’s up, although his smile faded slightly when Dr. Iplier started talking about a few ways to examine his throat as well. It was starting to sound like you both had a long day ahead of you, but if either of the doctors could find something that might help…

After she left the room, the “assets manager” quickly found a quiet alcove in the hospital where she could see anyone coming from either direction at a distance and pulled out her phone. The number she put in wasn’t in her contacts, but one she had long since memorized.

When the other side picked up, she said without any kind of introduction, “The doctor stuck with his story, and they were able to pass the lie detector. Darrensworth is signing off that they’re in the clear now.”

“Really? That must have been an interesting conversation to listen in on. And the silver coin?”

“Doesn’t exactly tell you much if you hand it to the wrong person,” she answered, frowning at the chuckle on the other end of the line. “Say the word, and I’ll bring them in right now. I can think of three ways to walk them out the door without any backup, seven if you don’t mind a couple of casualties.”

“As tempting as that is, I don’t think it’s necessary.”

“What?” She paused long enough to bring her voice back under control before she said, “With all due respect, sir, we are dealing with a highly dangerous creature here.”

“The next full moon is still some time away,” he answered, and before she could point out that an unstable werewolf hardly needed a full moon to cause more than enough damage, he added, “I’m already making arrangements for someone else to collar them and bring them in, when the time’s right. Don’t you worry about a thing. I know this wolf and exactly what it’s capable of.”

She might have had something to say about his patronizing tone, if his words hadn’t summoned a vivid image in her mind that drowned out the voice on the other end telling her to come back, followed by the abrupt silence of the call ending. The phone slipped in the palm of her hand, but it and the hospital around her faded away into the vision.

An alley, and a shadow low and near the ground, nearly invisible in the darkness except for the silver eyes catching and reflecting the distant streetlights and the moonlight overhead, followed by a flash of white as jaws full of gleaming teeth revealed themselves.

A figure, silhouetted against the light of the street.

The beast, springing forward before she hissed, phone clattering against the ground as her fingers pressed against her temples, the vision fading into nothingness.

But not before she heard the gunshot, and the long, desperate cry.

By the time Harold, firmly escorted by Google, found her, she had recovered from her vision and come to the determination that, by the next full moon, you would be safely tucked away in the Institute. If his plan didn’t play out, then she would happily see to it herself. Whether it was by convincing you to come in search of treatment or by more forceful measure remained to be seen, but she would make sure that vision would be one of the many that never came to be.

For your own good, if nothing else.

((End of Part 26. Thank you for reading! No bonus points for guessing who that was on the phone...

And yeah, the “assets manager” is kind of a play on Celine’s character. Mostly because I got to this scene and realized I wanted that kind of character there, and partially because I’m running low on canon characters to shove into this AU. XD I haven’t decided on a name yet, but maybe Emma? Definitely open for suggestions there, and feel free to let me know what you think.

Link to Part 27: A Visit to the Institute.

Tagging: @silver-owl413 @skyewardlight @withjust-a-bite @blackaquokat @catgirlwarrior @neverisadork @luna1350 @oh-so-creepy @weirdfoxalley @95fangirl @lilalovesinternet-l @thepoolofthedead @a-bit-dapper @randomartdudette @geekymushroom @cactipresident @hotcocoachia @purple-anxiety-blog @shyinspiredartist @avispate @missksketch @autumnrambles @authorracheljoy @liafoxyfox @hidinginmybochard ))

#markiplier #jacksepticeye #fanfiction #monster hunter au #werewolf au #wkm district attorney #wkm abe #henrik schneeplestein #jameson jackson #dr. iplier #chase brody #marvin the magnificent #jackieboy man #traces of silver #so that vision huh

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just-the-hiddles · 4 years ago

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Writer’s Spotlight | Winterisakiller & Winterisakillerwrites

Another Writer’s Spotlight and this week I featuring @winterisakiller \ @winterisakillerwrites. This is actually one of the first fic writers I found on Tumblr and I feel honored to feature them today. She is the queen of angst and ripping my heart out. Yes I have “yelled” more than once “fix it now!” at them after reading one of their stories. They write killer OCs and are a genuinely great and supportive friend

The Basics

Any other names you want people to call you?

Cait

How long have you been writing fic?

Oh goodness, since I was 12...so fourteen years give or take.

What fandoms and/ships do you write?

Currently Tom Hiddleston RPF and in that fandom Tom and OFCs. I also used to be active in the AFI fandom writing mostly slash fic, with the occasional OFC throw in.

How did you get started writing fic?

I have always loved making up stories in my head. I started reading fic ages ago (Hanson fanfic to date myself) and found myself going....I can do this, so I did. My first fics are horribly embarrassing and thankfully aren't to be found anymore. But it was good practice and it gave my the excuse to put pen to paper so to speak.

Story Recommendations

Which of your stories are your favorite?

That is a tough question, its like asking me to chose my favorite child. But if I had to I guess I would say its a tie between my two multi-chapter stories, Love & Great Buildings and Get Better. I love L&GB because it was the first long fic I wrote on my own from start to finish in YEARS. And Tom and Rosie have come to mean so much to me, especially being my first foray into the Tom fandom. Get Better I love because it let me explore the Tom I had created in Brave Face and let him find the happy ending he felt he no longer deserved. Cath (the main OFC) was such a fun character to explore as well. Building their relationship was a challenge (mainly trying to get them to cooperate with me) and one I enjoyed immensely.

Which story are you most proud of?

Honestly, Imperfect Tense because it was such a painful and difficult story to write. And it makes the only story in which I absolutely could not stand the Tom I created. He is a selfish in it and a coward and it costs him everything in the end. He had so many chances to come clean and be honest and he ran from each and every one until the truth finally was revealed and by then it was far, far to late. I love the OFC in the story, Molly, because she sticks to her guns. She loves Tom, trusted him implicitly, and he broke that trust and no matter how much she loves him, there is no way she can forgive him. And she sticks by that, even when the circumstance she finds herself in would be so much easier with him actively involved. So long story short, I'm saying Imperfect Tense because it wasn't the story I wanted to tell but the one that it needed to be.

Which of your stories do you think is the most underrated?

That is another tough one. I think I am going to have to go with Becoming. For one its a general Tom fic, not an OFC or reader fic, which meant it definitely didn't get a great deal of traffic. For another it was a challenging fic, for me, because I had so many ideas about what I wanted to explore and narrowing it down to focus primarily on building the relationship between Tom and his son and how that impacted Tom as a person (the guilt, the confusion, and the desperate need to get this right).

Someone is new to reading your stories, which story/stories should they read first?

I guess I would say either the Last Minutes & Lost Evenings series (Tom and Rosie) or the Brave Face series. Though any of the one shots I've written are good jumping in points as they are mainly independent stories (unless otherwise marked).

Which Story did you do the most research for?

Honestly, Get Better (and in the same vein its prequel Brave Face). Get Better because it was sent in and around the London Betrayal run and I wanted to be as accurate as I could be. Brave Face because I did a LOT of looking into Tom's schedule at the time (2014-2016) as it played a very big role in the way I was writing Tom's character.

Which Story was the easiest to write?

Surprisingly, Brave Face...It almost seemed to write itself. I seriously blinked and somehow a 13,000 word story appeared. It never happened before and I seriously doubt it will ever happen again.

The Writing Process

What is your favorite part of writing?

When I get to that one part of a story...The one I can't wait to tell because its been sitting in my brain, begging to get out. And when I get it out exactly, if not better than, how I saw it in my head.

What is your least favorite part?

Editing is a bitch. So is trying to start something and not being able to get the words out the way they need to be. If that makes any sense.

Describe your style in 1 to 2 sentences.

Character driven and full of emotion. Mainly angst.

Who are some of your writing idols and/or influences?

Fanfic wise? I am in utter awe of @tilltheendwilliwrite. Everything she writes is amazing and beautiful and my god I want to be her when I grow up. I also adore WhittyOne (on AO3), her Pastiche series is stunning and heartbreaking and beautiful. The relationship between Tom and Michelle is one of my absolute favorite fictional relationships. The love and trust between them is something out of this world. Traditional writers, I really don't have any one I strive to be. I read a lot (though as of late its been more fanfic than anything) and will try just about anything as long as I am invested in the characters.

What programs do you use to write and/or edit?

I write and edit mainly using Word. Occasionally, I will fiddle around with Google Docs, but Word is my norm.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Probably more of a panster, though I have been trying my best to be more of a plotter (at least in the basic sense) so that I at least have a general direction to move in.

Do you write RPF or not?

Yes.

What do you think are your writing strengths?

I think my strength lies in my ability to capture emotion (both the way my characters express their emotions and the way they don't) and I think I'm fairly decent at dialogue.

What do you struggle with?

Detail and description. I am working at getting better at describing the world around my characters. Trying to make the world more technicolor and less black and white.

Favorite Trope?

I'm a sucker for unrequited love and mutual pining.

What is the best piece of writing advice you have heard?

Actually its funny that you ask, I was talking with @evieplease last night and she mentioned that the best way to catch any errors or to see if what you've written works, read it aloud. And honestly, I had never thought of it until that moment and my god it makes so much sense.

What would you say to a new fanfic writer starting out?

As dumb as it sounds, just start writing. If you have an idea, run with it. Explore and try new things.

What is a random bit of research you have not managed to work into a fic yet?

I can't think of anything off the top of my head.

What is your favorite random detail from one of your stories?

I have an entire relationship background plotted out for Tom and one of my OFCs that will never feature in the fic(s) they are in, but gives me such a better understanding of them as a couple.

Any goals or WIPs you want to share?

Right now I am in the middle of writing Chasing Marigolds which is an idea that sprung from a tumblr game I participated in back in September of last year. Basically people sent story titles and the game was to come up with a summary for the title you were given. @lettalady gave me Chasing Marigolds and I came up with a basic summary and a few days later, the overall plot of the story. Flash forward to about a week or so ago, when my brain decided I HAD to get the story out. I'm only one and a third chapters into the story as of now, but I am excited about it and I cannot wait to start sharing it.

This or That

Fluff AND Angst

Smut AND Fluff

Reader Insert or OC

Ojne Shot or Series

Canon Divergent or AU

Pepsi or Coke

Coffee or Tea

Sweet or Savory

Until next time peeps, toodles!

#writer's spotlight #fanfic recommendation #winterisakiller #tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston fanfic #tom hiddleston fanfiction

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lunafaeris-archive · 3 years ago

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♀ : A trope you catch yourself falling back too often? ☿ : A trope you dislike?

ask the mun | accepting.

/If anything, I usually question myself on whether or not I write Luna too stoic, mean and hard of heart in some cases, wherein in others I question if her being soft and tender (even in private) with another muse doesn’t seem too forced for her character. It’s part of the reason why she’s so hard to ship with at surface level; for her to willingly display any semblance of what she would normally perceive as weakness, like, love, as something the wrong partner could potentially take advantage of against her, takes a huge amount of trust. She knows liars and deviants when she sees them or how to sniff them out purely by instinct. It’s not something she will just give into, even if you try and coerce her by force; the latter will only make her put up more walls, dig her heels further into the ground and bite back twice as hard. And cold. Like the wolves of winter.

Don’t get me wrong, I do like writing her being gentle and loving, which is why it’s such a treat for me to do it in the rare instances where she herself doesn’t feel forced or as if it’s coming off too heavy-handed. She can be soft and even motherly to her human master, Anton, which is frankly my favorite canon dynamic I have on this blog because they are partners in crime. They are polar opposites and character foils to each other in terms of personality, which makes for a lot of goofy, heart-warming shenanigans in their day-to-day life. But even with her currently active ships, I don’t want it to feel like I’m just pandering to get a ship. As an OC creator, I don’t have the luxury of a well-known and established series canon to base my characters’ backstory and motives off of, so I like laying down the groundwork of ships through roleplay and plotting to make it feel more concrete and legitimate. I also tend to go the extra mile in sprinkling my own lore through asks/threads/art/etc... just as an excuse to share my ideas with people that I’ve cultivated for years and usually keep tight under a lid (because I’m a nervous wreck) and give myself that extra boost of serotonin, you know?

Now, as for tropes that I dislike, hmmmm... one off the top of my head I just do not like, that I have never really understood basically boils down to: ‘If they absolutely hate each other and nothing else, they must secretly love each other and are constantly fucking behind the scenes’. Which is just... eh? If it’s just hate, just vitriol and violence and throwing hands on sight: that’s not attraction. That’s not chemistry. That’s not love. That’s oil and water, clashing. Some characters just hate each other and there’s no deeper meaning to it. Sometimes, there doesn’t need to be. Now, that isn’t to say there aren’t some rival or even hero/villain dynamics out there that have well-written romantic tension between them. Usually, it’s not on full blast; it’s shown to be very subtle throughout and based on a level of mutual respect, spoken or unspoken. It doesn’t mean that the romantic tension will be conclusive or even reciprocated in the story... that’s the kind of hateship I personally am more involved with than anything else. It can be hateship unrequited or hateship turned unconventional allies turned lovers, as long as their progression from point A to point B feels natural for their individual character arcs in terms of the story. But if you’re mashing two characters together solely because they hate each other’s guts, because of the drama on screen and nothing else, then I just can’t get on board with that. There’s nothing substantial to base their feelings off of (besides the endless shrieks of horny fangirls), they just simply hate each other and are not secretly shoving their tongues down each other’s throats.

@nezumivc103221

#❛ i'm a total trash mammal. ﹙out of character﹚#nezumivc103221 #long post tw.#i got rambly at the end there #anyways that's my two cents ;;

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sierraraeck · 4 years ago

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Some Things Do Change

BAU x OC Aundreya

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

Summary: Aundreya loops the rest of the team in on DeLeon’s most recent threat, and receives a phone call with unexpected news. Story twenty-three.

Category: Just a normal case. I guess a little angst and a little fluff if you look for it.

Warnings: Cussing. Mentions of hate crimes as their case. Mentions of death and murder.

Word Count: 5.6k

A/N: I still know nothing about prison protocols.

I had a plan.

But this time, I was sure that it actually accounted for everything. Now that I knew DeLeon’s main motivations were to get back at me, to destroy my connection with everyone I care about, and above all take an eye for an eye, I felt better prepared.

I called and told Mateo that he needed to be on the lookout in case DeLeon came after him, and I told Deen to put some of our best people on him without him knowing. If Mateo knew I had our own people watching him, ready to step in and help protect him, he’d get mad and make sure to lose them, talking some shit about being able to take care of himself. I couldn’t have that, because as much as I trusted Mateo, I equally didn’t trust DeLeon. He could have anything in store for us.

On the other hand, I talked to Hotch about getting a protective detail for Spencer, without Spencer knowing, but he told me we would have to tell him. I really didn’t want that, having Spencer worrying about me and also about himself, so I offered to put more of my people on him, but he said no. Hotch insisted that we get the team involved this time.

Which I heavily opposed.

He didn’t care, and gracefully reminded me that it was no longer my call considering a fellow agent was in danger.

We filed into the round table room where a detail was waiting, and instead of Garcia, it was Hotch standing by the screen, ready to present everything to the group.

“What’s going on?” Spencer asked, gesturing between Aaron and the detail.

“Sit down,” Aaron commanded. We did as he said, waiting for him to continue. A couple of side eyes were passed my way, but I did my best to ignore them and appear neutral. “As you know, a man by the name of Jamar DeLeon has recently crossed the BAU desk, and it has been brought to my attention that things have been getting more serious.”

It was getting harder to ignore the fiery glances thrown my way. “Knowing his motives with Chambers, and how things nearly ended last time, we’ve hired protective detail Clyde to-”

“What does Chambers need a detail for? Wouldn’t she just use her own people?” JJ jumped in, as if I wasn’t even there.

“Detail’s not for me,” I smoothly answered. Confusion flashed across her face before Hotch answered her unasked question.

“He’s here for Reid.”

“What?” Reid asked.

“Last time, DeLeon’s endgame was an eye for an eye,” Hotch stated. “He had his sights set on you, and we are sure that you are still the target.”

“An eye for an eye?” Derek confirmed. “Because she killed Xena, right?”

“Correct.”

“What about that other guy?” Emily stepped in, “Mateo?”

“It’s handled,” I assured. She gave me a look, but relented.

“What about Garcia?” Derek asked. “I mean, she actually got shot last time.”

“That’s true, but I don’t think he’s going to take the same approach as last time,” I said. “He already tried that and failed, so I think he’s going to go with a more personal touch this time, and as much as I love you, Penelope, you’re not his target.”

She let out an audible sigh.

“But I am?” Spencer confirmed.

“Yes.”

“How’d you get him off the first time?” JJ asked. “Couldn’t you do that again?”

Aaron and I exchanged a look, which everyone caught, before he answered for me, “That option will no longer work.”

“And why’s that?” JJ pressed.

“It was a one time offer, and is off the table,” Hotch sternly continued, giving JJ a pointed look.

“What are you not telling us?” Derek probed.

Hotch was about to say something more when I cut him off, “It’s okay.” I looked at him, and I could tell he was silently asking me if it really was okay, and I just nodded. “My one time offer was with Agent Howard Archer.”

“So you killed him to save Spencer?” Emily quickly concluded.

I shook my head, “Not exactly. Before I joined your team, I was hiding out within my own ring. I’d just escaped from prison and was trying to stay as under the radar as I could. Somehow, Archer found me, and he wasn’t there to arrest me. He hired me to infiltrate the BAU, get rid of the vice president, and pin it on Hotch. So, I-”

“Hold on. You were working with Archer and you killed him?” Emily interjected.

“Yes, I’m getting there,” I confirmed. Hotch was staring holes into me, because while he had figured out it was me who killed Archer, he didn’t know about all of this, specifically the part where I was supposed to get him charged with murder. “After getting to know you guys, I did everything I could to stall, and Archer was about to expose me when I got put in prison, which was actually a small blessing, giving me a legitimate excuse not to follow through. He visited me in prison and slipped up, letting me know that he was in contact with, and most likely hired, Xena and DeLeon to do what I couldn’t. I wasn’t about to let that happen, so when I was given the perfect opportunity to run, I took it. I was hopeful that I could keep them off your backs long enough for me to figure out what to do. The ring and I had a plan to get Xena on our side and then take down DeLeon, but when that didn’t work-”

“You killed her,” Rossi finished. “Without a single trace.”

“Right,” I nodded.

I was about to keep going when he asked, “How did you pull that off anyway?”

“I didn’t,” I smirked slightly, not answering his question. “I was pretty beat up though, so I went to Madden’s place, the doctor. DeLeon grabbed me from there and took me to wherever it was and started live streaming. I was able to get Reid out of that because I offered him more than what he wanted.”

“Which was..?” Rossi prompted.

“He could get an eye for an eye by killing Spencer or Mateo, but what he really wanted was for me to feel as hurt as he did. I told him that I’d carry out my deal with Archer, wrecking my relationships with all of you and most likely the ring along with it.”

“That was actually pretty clever,” Emily admitted.

I shrugged, “Not clever enough. The last loose end in all of this besides DeLeon himself was Archer. He was panicking because he’d hired three of the biggest criminals in the nation to do his dirty work, and we weren’t exactly playing nice with one another. I had people following him and they told me that he was on edge and having weird phone conversations. Plus, I thought he hired people to come after me and was worried that he was in contact with DeLeon to carry out the deal and get me caught in the process. He was unreliable, so…” I didn’t need to continue. “But now, DeLeon is going to be extra pissed that I played him and I’m sure he’ll be taking a more direct course of action, hence Clyde.” I gestured toward him. They were all silent, shifting their eyes between me, Hotch, and the protective detail.

“Holy shit, Chambers,” Tara spoke up first. “What’s your plan now?”

“That’s what we brought you in to talk about,” Hotch said, gaining back control of the conversation. “We will have Clyde with Reid and will then have to wait.”

“Wait for what?” Derek asked, the discomfort apparent in his voice.

“Wait for DeLeon to make a move. We may know that he’s one of the biggest criminals, but we don’t have any proof that will hold up in court, so yes. We wait.”

“You’re just gonna let him take Reid and kill him for evidence?” Derek raised his voice.

I shook my head, “He won’t kill him. At least, not when he first grabs him. He’ll want me watching, and preferably in person.”

“We’ll give him that,” Hotch assured. “Once Chambers is in with him, we can track her and arrest him.”

“And I can handle him until you guys show up,” I said.

“I, for one, do not think this is a good plan,” JJ chimed in. “It’s super unpredictable, and-”

“I’ll do it,” Spencer casually said.

“Spencer, come on, it’s-” JJ tried again, brows knit together.

“I said I’ll do it.” His voice was strong and exuded more confidence than I’d heard in a while. I was surprised he was so willing to do it, trusting that we’d get there in time.

“Good,” Hotch said, leaving no more room for argument, “Until then, we continue with business as usual. To not raise suspicion, Clyde will be acting as a NAT who is shadowing us. Garcia, you may present the case.”

“Yes, sir,” Garcia said, making her way up to the screen. “Five men within the last two months have gone missing, their last known locations being a gay bar in downtown New Orleans.”

“So we’re thinking hate crime?” Tara asked.

“That’s what it looks like,” Rossi agreed, “Do they all match the same description?”

“Do they ever,” Garcia said, pressing buttons to bring up all five men’s faces. “Mid-thirties, white, blonde hair, and around six feet tall.”

“Wow,” Emily commented, “That screams surrogate.”

“Now we have to figure out who for. Wheels up in 30.”

The team dispersed, but I hung back to talk to Penelope. She tried to force a smile and walk past me, but I called, “Penelope?” She stopped and slowly turned around to face me. “I-I wanted to apologize. On that video, I know I said some pretty terrible things and I just-”

“No need,” she quietly stopped me. “I know you were just doing what you needed to.” She then rushed out of the room, leaving me alone. I threw my head back, and sighed as I looked up at the ceiling. That went well.

“She’s just hurting.” His voice brought my eyes to his in an instant. Spencer quirked his mouth to one side. “It’ll just take some time.”

“I hate that I was the one who did that to her,” I confided, “And on top of that, I couldn’t even prevent her from getting shot. Looks like she got the best of both worlds.”

“Yes, but she knows you were trying to save her life. It’s a twisted sort of compliment that you almost couldn’t.”

“If you wanna look at it that way,” I shrugged. He was about to respond to me when my phone started buzzing.

“I’ll let you take that. Meet you by the jet in ten?”

“Sure,” I agreed, answering my phone. “Hello?”

A man’s voice came over the line. “Ms. Spade?”

I paused for a moment. Who is calling and why did they refer to me by my given last name? I contemplated answering when the man asked again, “Is this Ms. Spade?”

“Um, yes, this is she,” I replied.

“Hello, this is Todd Joseph with the DC correctional facility in Washington DC. I regret to inform you that your father, Joe Spade, has died as of 3:13 am this morning. I am very sorry for your loss. We recommend that you come down to the facility to make a decision on-”

“Any decisions can be made over the phone,” I interrupted. Under no circumstances did I want to visit a prison when I did not have to, and definitely not for my father.

“Of course, Ms. Spade. I guess my first question should be if you plan on holding a ceremony?”

Did I plan on holding a ceremony? I didn’t even think I was the right person to be asking. But there was no one else in his life, which made me the sole decision maker. “I do not.”

“Is there anything specific you would like us to do with his body? Any belongings you may want to search through?” His voice sounded calm, like this was the only thing he had to do all day, like nothing else was more important than calling Joe Spade’s estranged daughter that was the one who put him in prison in the first place to ask what she wanted to do with his dead body.

“No. Do whatever you need, but I will not be taking part in anything regarding Joe Spade,” I replied, a bit too harshly. I then hung up the phone, and hoped that he got the message and wouldn’t call me back. I leaned back against the table, feeling empty. I wasn’t sad that he was gone. He’d done nothing for me except try to kill some of the only people I care about and ruin my childhood. As messed up as it sounds, I always imagined what it would be like, the day he died. I knew that I wouldn’t care, but somewhere in my head I had the image of me feeling happy. Relieved. But he’d been so far out of my mind, that I really didn’t feel anything. It would be like if some random person called you up and told you that a complete stranger across the city died and you were supposed to make a decision about what to do next.

I felt nothing. The only thought swimming through my head was that I was officially the last Spade standing. I was it. My grandparents had died of old age, not like I knew them well, my mother was an only child and my father had a younger sister who had taken another last name and I’d never met her anyways. I am it. I officially have no family left. And I wouldn’t even consider myself a Spade.

I was drawn from my thoughts by the sound of footsteps running toward me. “Aundreya!” Spencer called. “We have to go. I thought you were going to meet me in ten?”

Have I really just been standing here for over ten minutes? “Yeah, sorry, I got distracted.”

“By that phone call?”

“I guess,” I tried to play it off, “Let’s go.” I brushed past him, grabbed my go-bag, and started jogging toward the jet.

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

The case was actually pretty standard. We’d found the perp in under four days, and just had to interrogate him before we could officially arrest him.

Spencer had been eyeing me for the past couple days, and just recently, so had Emily. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but neither said anything to me, and no one else was acting off, so I let it go. Spencer and I were assigned to go in and interrogate a man by the name of Chase Terry who fit the profile to a T.

We casually walked into the room, Spencer taking the seat across from him, me standing in the corner with my back against the wall, hands in my pockets.

“Chase Terry?” Spencer started in a conversational tone. No response. “What were you doing two nights ago when Liam Parish went missing?”

“I don’t have to talk to you,” Chase stated, crossing his arms.

“You probably should,” Spencer sympathetically said, “We’re just trying to cross you off our suspect list so we can find the guy who did this.”

“And I’m supposed to believe that?” Chase asked. “You put me in handcuffs and dragged me here. You think I did it.”

“You’re right. Some of my colleagues do,” he admitted, voice still soft, “But I don’t. See, I don’t think you match the profile of an out of control, spiteful, bipolar man with daddy issues and internalized homophobia. I think you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Chase shifted in his chair and locked his jaw, “I’m not gay.”

“I didn’t say you were. So just tell me where you were two nights ago, and I’ll let you go,” Spencer offered. Chase just sat there. Then, Spencer decided to turn up the heat, voice getting a bit more frustrated, enunciating each word carefully. “Where were you two nights ago?”

Still nothing, so Spencer pushed harder. “Where were you? At home with your boyfriend?”

“I’m not gay!”

“Then why was your phone pinging off of three cell towers around the same gay bar that Liam Parish was last seen at?” Spencer had leaned in on the table, getting very close to Chase. “You were there, we know you were. What were you doing at a gay bar if you’re not gay? Answer me!” There was fire in Spencer’s eyes as Chase still had nothing to give us.

I decided to cool things down a bit, my voice skating across like ice, “Careful, because if you piss him off so much he decides to leave,” I clicked my tongue, “I’ll be the one in charge.”

“Who are you?” Chase asked, finally acknowledging my presence.

I nodded my head toward Spencer, “He asked you a question first. What were you doing at that bar?”

Right as Chase leaned back in his chair, clearly closed off to answering any questions, Spencer stood up and walked out of the room, but not before giving me a small eyebrow raise and a smirk.

My turn. I stayed leaning against the wall in the darkest corner, waiting for Chase to speak first. With the help of a perfect set up from Spencer, he did. “What’s his problem?”

“I’ve been asking myself that for years,” I feigned annoyance. “But tell me about you. Raised by a single mom, no siblings, absent father. Me too, actually.” I slowly sauntered toward the table, resting my hands on the back of the chair Spencer had just been sitting in. “He used to yell at us a lot, when he was home, which he wasn’t often. My mom finally divorced him after finding out that he was cheating on her.”

It was close enough to the truth that I could be convincing, but close enough to his truth to get his wheels turning and hopefully lips flapping.

“Your father cheated on your mother?” Chase asked, a bit skeptical.

“Yeah, and for some pretty young bitch like half his age,” I lied, allowing my voice to sound a bit more angry. “He’d been lying to us for essentially my entire life and then left us for her. God, I just wanted to tell him how much I hated him for that.”

“What a dick. Mine left us for some guy he claimed to be in love with. Can you believe that there are so many men that do that?” Chase asked, leaning back in from his seat.

“The percentages are ridiculous,” I sat down as I continued talking, “Apparently 70 percent of all marriages see at least one incident of cheating. It’s unbelievable how these people, especially men, are willing to just throw their family away for some fun one night.”

“Yeah that, or like for you and I, an entire secret life,” Chase agreed.

“I know! It just makes you so angry, doesn’t it?”

“Absolutely.”

“I wanted to become an FBI agent so that I could track down my father and tell him to his face how much I hated him,” I gave a single laugh, “The look he gave me…” I pretended to revel in the feeling.

“It must’ve been nice. I haven’t been able to track down my father and do the same.” He looked like he was zoning out a little, probably imagining what he’d imagined doing a thousand times to his father, what he’d already done to men like Liam.

“I hope you get to one day. It’s an amazing feeling. But for now I guess you’ll just have to keep using men at bars instead,” I casually added, then held my breath.

He sighed. “I guess. It’ll never be as good as the real thing, though.”

“No, hurting them will never be as satisfying as digging your nails into your own father’s throat,” I snarled.

He flashed a wicked smile at the thought, clenching his fists, “Not even close,” and I knew we had him for sure. There wasn’t a single jury that wouldn’t convict him after seeing that smile and that essential confession.

“Come on, I’ll take you to our tech guru and she can help you find your father.”

“Really?” he asked, standing up. I nodded and we made our way to the exit. I motioned for him to go ahead of me, but before he could grab the handle, I shoved him up against the door. I already had the cuffs halfway around his wrists by the time he yelled, “Hey! What the hell!”

“We don’t make it a habit of helping people going to prison find their final target. Sorry.” I led him out the door while he struggled against me, practically throwing him in the precinct holding cell until he could be transferred to a more permanent one.

“Nice job,” Emily complimented. “Way to connect with his anger towards his father.”

“Thanks,” was all I offered as I walked away, barely catching the shared look between her and Spencer.

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

By the time we boarded the jet, it was the middle of the afternoon and we were on schedule to get home before dinner. I was about to pull out a book in hopes that it would make me tired enough for a plane ride cat nap, but I was stopped shy by the tapping sound of wood on wood.

Spencer sat down happily across from me, setting the folded, portable chess set in the middle of us. “Want to play a game of chess?”

I looked at him with a blank face. “Why?”

“Because you enjoy playing,” Spencer answered, a bit of a question in his voice. He must’ve assumed that I would immediately say yes.

“You always beat me,” I slightly pouted.

“But you never back down from a challenge,” he reminded me.

I quickly glanced around at everyone else on the jet, and the seat Spencer used to be occupying at the opposite end. I cocked an eyebrow, “Everyone else said no, didn’t they?”

“Well, I, I uh … No? No. That’s not what-” he floundered.

I smiled. “Just set up the board.”

He happily obliged. We went through three games, and before we started our fourth, Rossi called over, “You just don’t know when to quit, do you?”

“Well, someone’s got to keep his genius brain occupied, and we all know it’s not gonna be you,” I joked, eyebrows raised.

“Okay, I see how it is,” Rossi smugly said, tossing his hands up in surrender, “Either way, I’m just glad I’m not you.” I rolled my eyes, and we set up for our fourth game.

And then the unthinkable happened.

I beat him. For real. I really, truely, beat him.

I couldn’t believe it, and clearly neither could Spencer because he hadn’t moved from his position, hands under his chin, elbows on the table, eyes staring at the board, so I confirmed, “Did I do it?” He slowly looked up at me, lips pressed together, confusion in his eyes and I knew. “Oh my god, I did it!”

My mouth fell open and I clapped my hands together. I reached my hand over the board, and he reluctantly took it. “Good game.”

“It really was, wasn’t it?” I rhetorically asked, staring at the board with wonder. Reid started laughing, and I had to laugh with him. We’d played so many games of chess over the years we’d known each other, and I started to give up on my promise that one day I’d beat him. “What game number is this?”

“203.”

“Holy shit,” I said. “No wonder everyone on this plane thinks I’m fucking insane.”

“That’s because you are,” Rossi called over again.

“True,” I agreed, “But it paid off. Bet now you wish you were me.”

He just playfully shook his head.

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

When we landed, it was almost 4pm and we decided we’d spend the next hour getting a jump start on our paperwork. We decided to go and eat together (which I somehow got invited to?), but right as we were about to leave, Spencer and Emily awkwardly stood in front of me. They didn’t make a move to get out of the way, so I just stared at them knowing damn well they were about to address the awkwardness I’d been sensing.

“Hey, is everything okay?” Emily asked.

I furrowed my brow, “Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”

“I don’t know you just seem … not yourself,” Emily observed.

“I’m okay,” I told her with certainty.

“You’ve just been acting … I don’t know actually, you’ve been acting pretty normal,” Emily struggled, sounding a bit frustrated.

I gave her a look. “I’m confused.”

“Dull?” Spencer intervened, “Like you’re you, and you’re acting like you, but something about you seems duller than usual.”

I cocked my head to the side. There was only one thing that made this week different from all of the other weeks, which was, “My dad died.” My voice was very steady and neutral, which there was no reason for it to sound otherwise.

“What, really?” Emily was shocked, eyes going wide.

I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess it happened Tuesday night, well I mean Wednesday morning.”

She looked over at Spencer who was trying to hide the fact that he was gawking at me, and she cautiously asked, “Should we be doing anything?”

“I don’t think so.”

“No celebration?”

“Emily!” Spencer turned on her.

“What? He was a terrible guy,” Emily defended, shrugging with her palms up.

As Derek walked out of the bullpen to join the party, he added, “I’d toast to that.”

“Derek!” Spencer screeched, wide eyes trained on him.

“She’s right, though,” he replied, “Dude sucked.”

“He was still her father,” Spencer hissed.

I decided to step in, “Not really. He was more like a stranger, I didn’t know him. You know I always thought I’d be happy when this day came, but I really just don’t feel anything one way or the other about it.”

“That makes sense,” Emily nodded, “So if you’re feeling normal, does that mean we can go out for normal drinks?”

Spencer elbowed Emily, and she glared right back at him. “Yeah. Just normal, after-case drinks.”

“Fantastic, first round is on me,” Emily smiled.

“Ooh, first round of what?” Penelope asked, as she joined us in the hallway outside the elevator.

“Ask Chambers, she gets to choose,” Emily declared.

“Ugh, not fair,” Penelope whined.

“Well, her dad died, so…” Derek explained.

“Oh, seriously?” JJ asked with a little pep in her voice, joining the rest of us with Tara, Hotch, and Rossi on her trail. “Uh, congratulations?”

“Not you too, JJ,” Spencer complained. I pressed my lips together to hold back a smile. It was kind of endearing that he thought the team should be more sensitive about my feelings or whatever.

“What? I thought you hated your dad,” JJ looked to me for confirmation.

“I did,” I told her, “But I don’t really feel anything about it.”

“That must be nice,” Tara added. I nodded and couldn’t contain the small smile that pulled on my lips.

I leaned over to where Spencer was still tensely standing next to me. I whispered, “It’s okay, they’re just trying to lighten the mood. Plus, they’re kinda right.”

“I just want to make sure they’re not being insensitive,” he softened his eyes as he looked at me.

“They’re not,” I assured.

When we got to the bar and diner, Emily followed through and bought us all a round of tequila shots. Four rounds later and a few other drinks in, she announced, “I know you said normal, but I think we should go around and share our favorite memory of Joe Spade.”

I laughed in her face, “You met the man once!”

“Exactly. I’ll start,” she smiled. “My favorite moment was when we found out he’d been stalking you for months because he just wanted you to talk to him.”

“Wait, what the hell?” Tara asked.

No one answered her because JJ’s turn was next. “My favorite moment was when she calmly stared him down while he was holding on to Spencer.”

“What the actual hell?” Tara intervened again, “How am I just now hearing about this?”

She was ignored yet again when Derek said, “My favorite moment was when Aundreya kicked his ass and told him off!”

There was some hooting and hollering at that, and I just shook my head with amusement. Hey, at least they know me well enough to know I can joke about anything, especially the weird and bad things that happen to me, and feel comfortable enough to actually do it. Granted, they are kinda tipsy. “You people are truely demented.”

“Especially when you’re drunk,” Tara added.

“Like you’re so much better,” Penelope slurred, sticking her tongue out.

“Maybe not,” Tara said with a smirk, “But I bet I could still kick all of your asses on the dance floor.” Quickly, all five of them scurried in that direction, leaving Spencer talking with Hotch, like they had since the beginning, and me with Rossi. I rested my chin on my fist as I looked down the bar toward Spencer, who was gesturing with his hands and smiling at something Hotch was telling him, probably about Jack.

I’d been trying to control myself, but ever since he kissed me, and I knew that things weren’t perfect with Maeve, I found my mind wandering to him. Especially knowing everything Hotch told me about him when I was gone, and how I needed to stop running from emotionally difficult things, I just couldn’t suppress the urges to look and think about him anymore. I gave in. I gave myself hope. Which was one of the most dangerous things I’d ever done.

“So what’s with you and the kid?” Rossi said, sitting down in between me and my staring. I gave him a look and he asked, “What, you said act normal.”

“I did say that,” I grudgingly admitted.

“So… what’s with you and Reid these days?”

“Who said there was anything with me and Reid these days?” I fired back.

“Oh Chambers,” he faked disappointment, “You know you can’t lie to profilers.”

I sighed, “I’m not going to be a homewrecker.”

“I have news for you. You can’t be a homewrecker if there is no home to wreck,” he pointed out.

“Does everyone forget about Maeve?” I asked.

“He doesn’t talk about her,” Rossi waved it off.

“He’s a private person,” I acknowledged.

“Yeah, but you don’t understand,” he said, “He used to talk about her. Then you came back, and he stopped talking about her.”

We sat in silence for a while longer before I felt the need to voice a fear of mine since this all started again. “Do you think he’s only showing interest in me because he’s been to prison?”

“What gave you that impression?” Rossi’s voice was a mixture of confusion and what sounded like it could be boredom. Fed up, maybe?

“Come on we all know he can’t accept the good things that happen to him, so what if he's just accepting the bad ones instead? I mean he thinks Maeve deserves better, so what if settling for second place is some weird form of self punishment?” The moment I said it, Rossi narrowed his eyes at me and shook his head.

He sighed, “You’re crazy, I don’t know how you got there.”

“Exactly!” I pointed out, “I am crazy, that’s why I can’t figure out why, under any circumstance, he’d be interested in me.”

“Does it matter?” he asked, dragging the words out as he shook his head slightly. I just looked at him. “Seriously, does it matter why he’s interested in you? The reasons don’t change anything. You care about each other, so just go for it, there’s really nothing standing in your way.” I was about to protest when he repeated, “Nothing. At least, there’s nothing from his end. Is there something from yours?”

“I mean-” I struggled to voice my thoughts.

“Look, I don’t know how you act around that Mateo character,” he said and I sighed. Of course he knows that’s something I’m thinking about. “But I know how you act around him, and I know how he acts around you. Think about what you really want, Aundreya, and then just go for it, but don’t keep putting yourself, and Spencer, through this.” With that, he got up, leaving me alone with a perfect view of Spencer’s glowing face.

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

When the night came to a close, we all had to get back to our places. Hotch, Rossi, and Spencer left early, Derek and Penelope got a cab, Will came to get JJ, and I drove Emily and Tara home. They said they could get a ride home like Derek and Penelope, but I insisted. Plus, I really didn’t want to go home already. It’d become a place I dreaded being at.

I opened my door to the usual sight of red on the opposite wall, and had to do a double take to actually notice.

Underneath “This isn’t over” was another three word phrase in brilliant red:

I have Spencer.

I dialed Aaron at lightning speed, “DeLeon has Spencer.”

“Get to the office now. I’ll call everyone else.” That was all he said before hanging up. I turned around to head right back out the door, and saw that someone was blocking my way. I bitterly smiled to myself as I set down my phone and started taking off my jacket.

“Haven’t you people given up yet?” I patronized. “You lose every single time.”

“It’ll work eventually,” a low, booming voice responded.

“Maybe, but,” I narrowed my eyes. He took a step toward me as I delivered a single spin kick to the side of his head, locating two more guys in my peripheral vision, “Not this time.”

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