#And it's somehow safe enough for Flynn to bring these two along with him

[radjerda]

Functions Tron is not intended to perform: Babysitting user children (he’s not entirely clear on the concept of “children” just yet)

  Flynn would definitely have justified this as “protecting the users” and is therefore totally within the scope of Tron’s programming and not a stretch at all!

  Tron is most definitely telling Alan.

[laviefantasie]

One Step at a Time

Warnings: School Shooting, death, PTSD

Summary: It was supposed to be just another normal day at school. Just 8 hours, 480 minutes, of learning before Julie and you went to the Molina’s studio and spend the day with the guys. It was supposed to be just another normal school day... but it wasn’t.

Pairings: Ghost!Luke Patterson x Alive!Reader

A/N I did as much research as I could about the subject, I won’t get it 100% right since thankfully I’ve never experienced this but I feel it is a subject that should be talked about more. Stay safe!

| MASTERLIST |

120 Hours After the Shooting

A gasp leaves your body as you sit up while holding back a scream. You feel the sweat dripping down your skin as your eyes take in your surroundings, it takes you a minute to fully recognize your room as your blurry vision finally settles. 

You feel a hand on your shoulder and you jump out of your bed, scared. Looking towards the source you find the hazel eyes of the lead guitarist on Julie’s band.

He looks at you with worry as he slowly starts crawling towards you, his steps were wary as if afraid you’d run out of the room any second.

He opens and closes his mouth repeatedly, he is talking to you, yet you cannot hear. Your ears numb to the sounds around you.

As you feel breathing becoming a harder task your eyes fall to your hands, wondering to yourself when will this ever stop?

How could this be your life now? 

2190 Hours Before the Shooting

You walked behind Carrie to the auditorium with your blue wig on and an excited smile on your face. All the Dirty Candy girls following their leader with the nerves filling their bodies.

After many days of long hours of rehearsals, you girls were finally showing what you had worked so hard to accomplish.

As you entered the auditorium a student member of the illuminating staff bumps into you nearly throwing you to the ground. Thankfully, he catches you.

“I’m so so sorry, Y/N”

You brush yourself trying to get rid of any possible dirt in your costume before giving him a kind smile.

“Everything good here, uh...”

You stop talking as soon as you realize that you don’t remember the name of the guy you had surely seen in at least two of your classes. He notices that and the smile that had appeared on his face soon falls.

As you’re about to apologize for your bad memory, Carrie screams for you to hurry up, so with one apologetic smile you leave.

It is through the performance of Wow that your eyes catch sight of Julie and three more guys by her side. You make sure to send her a smile when she catches your eyes, nostalgia over your lost friendship suddenly making an appearance.

730 Hours Before the Shooting

Your life had definitely changed for the better, as bizarre as it was now. Two months ago you had decided to fix your friendship with Julie -three ghosts being a much needed push- while also getting to know three kind -formerly mentioned- ghosts.

You and the guys were close, probably as close as you had become with Flynn and as you once were -and thankfully were again- with Julie.

Luke and you had bonded over songwriting. Both of you making the songs for Julie and the Phantoms, something Julie liked to tease you about a lot especially when she noticed that your usual roll of eyes had turned into a deep red blush.

Of course becoming friends with Julie had put a strain on your friendship with Carrie. The strawberry blonde snapping at you at every possible opportunity yet never truly hurting you as you were her best friend.

Either way, after the growth of Julie’s band, the realization that the boys had to cross over, them playing at the Orpheum to fulfill their unfinished business, them discovering playing at the Orpheum wasn’t their unfinished business, and then their love for one another saving them from ceasing to exist and somehow becoming tangible to both Julie and you while also gaining the new ability to be seen as far as they concentrated deeply. You had learned to appreciate the little gifts of the universe more and more.

You were accepting everything it was throwing at you because so far you had loved the unexpected things it had sent.

You were in a happy place. Julie was in a happy place. So were the boys and the Molina’s. And even if she didn’t voice it, you knew Carrie was too, the strawberry blonde too proud to admit she missed Julie and hoped she could soon get close to through you.

Things were good. Nothing could hurt you guys, everything was perfect.

336 Hours Before the Shooting

Julie and the Phantoms and Dirty Candy had a gig. More importantly, the same gig. A concert was being held at the Hollywood Bowl to showcase young artists and both bands had been accepted.

It was a huge opportunity.

So as expected, none of them so one another during the week they got the news as all were too invested in rehearsing to give out the best performance they could. This event could be life changing.

But you could only spend so much time apart from songwriting -especially if it was with a certain ghost-, so you and Luke had decided to meet every two days at your room at night to write new songs. None of you could use them for the presentation though as it wouldn’t be fair to the other.

After your third meeting, Luke had accidentally asleep on your bed with you -the need for sleep being a consequence of using the newly found powers too much- and soon it became a habit that whenever he came he would stay.

So your relationship grew. And you loved that as much you denied it, Julie’s knowing smirk always reminding you that no one believed it. 

Even Carrie knew you had a crush, the strawberry blonde making sure to mention it on the next Dirty Candy rehearsal.

“I want everyone on their very best. We have to be the best performance there” she reminds them for the hundredth time “I want your concentration the following weeks on the performace. Understood, Y/N? No cute guitarists”

The blush and glare you sent your best friend’s way was enough to make a smirk appear on her face and her eyes to soften before ending the break and starting rehearsals once again. 

168 Hours Before the Shooting

You smiled as Carrie laughed loudly, proud to have been the one who made the smile appear on her face. You were the only one -after Julie- that had ever been able to make her smile like that, though the smiles Julie got were always followed by a small blush.

The two of you were having your weekly sleepover. Both of you having stated since the start of high school that every week, no matter how busy they were, they would give one day to sleep at either house to catch up. It was a good way to keep the strong bond you two had while also letting go of the problems and stress you adquire during the week.

This time both of you found yourselves in Y/N’s empty house. It wasn’t uncommon knowledge that Y/N’s widowed mother was working -as she was a surgeon, her father being one too when he was alive- so she mostly spent the nights by herself.

Carrie, being Trevor Wilson’s daughter, had also spent months alone with his father going on tours or spending hours at the recording studio. You both had basically grown up with nannies, you had it better though since it was only after your father’s dead that the nannies appeared. 

That’s why Rose Molina’s death had hit you both almost as hard as it had hit Julie. You had both loved her deeply, seeing her as a mother figure. The Molina’s always having their house opened for the both of you, something you’d both be forever thankful for.

The fight between Julie and Carrie had been nasty and big, both refusing to ever mentioning the details, which left you and Flynn to take side neither wanting to leave either alone. Of course, when the time came you went with Carrie as she trusted you the most -her and Flynn never seeing eye-to-eye as the strawberry blonde’s crush for the cute singer grew-.

So, as you both laughed while the movie Five Feet Apart played in your room’s television was completely ignored by you both, you couldn’t help but be grateful for the girl sitting in front of you. Even though Carrie had this bad spoiled rich girl persona for the people around them to see, inside she was just an insecure kind-hearted girl who just wanted someone to care.

The laughter soon dies as you both look at each other with soft smiles, the strawberry blonde’s smile falling as she gazes at your door with a sad look in her face. The silence settling between the two.

“Do you think someone’d notice if we were gone?” She asks softly as if she was afraid of the answer.

“Of course” Your answer is quick, without hesitation.

Her brown sad eyes soon stare at you, “Would they notice if I was gone?”

The questions doesn’t catch you off guard as you often knew your best friend’s fear of being forgotten. She didn’t have a close group of friends. It had always been Carrie, Julie, and Y/N. Somewhere along the way Flynn joined, but otherwise it had always been the three of you. And then, it was you two. Nick soon joined you both but after the breakup he had been acting weird. So, Carrie only had you. She loved the girls from her group but other than Kayla she didn’t actually get along with them. So it was only Y/N.

“They would” Y/N answers without hesitation, “More importantly, I would”

That’s enough to bring the smile back to the face of the leader of Dirty Candy, her soon tackling you in a hug. Laughter filling the emptiness of your house once again.

48 Hours Before the Shooting

To say all of you were nervous was an understatement. That Saturday was the event at the Hollywood Bowl, so the two groups had been rehearsing nonstop and trying on outfits. Everything had to be perfect.

Dirty Candy was performing a new song called Sweet Melody at said event, featuring Y/N’s voice alongside Carrie’s. All the members had been surprised when their leader had given the idea, saying the chorus was better suited for your range, but neither had complained as they had loved your voice.

That’s why as you opened the door to your locker, your mouth was mouthing the lyrics in complete concentration. You were nervous of forgetting the words and freezing on stage, so you practice as much as you could.

Getting your Algebra II book out you head to your class, smiling once you see Julie and going to sit beside her. Soon both of you start talking, only stopping once the teacher walks in and starts her class.

You have a bored expression on your face as you copy what Mrs. Matthews writes on the board, only to have your attention caught by a boy entering the class completely out of breath.

“Mr. Rogers, glad you could join us” ironizes your teacher.

You look at the boy with pity, though you soon recognize it as the one you bumped into when you were on your way to perform at the school’s pep rally. Rogers, so that was his name.

“I don’t care whatever your excuses are” States Mrs. Matthews, “This is the fourth time you’re late, so please go to the principal’s office”

As soon as you see the angry look on his face you let your gaze wander to your songbook, not in the mood to watch him fight with the teacher.  You keep your concentration on the song you were currently writing.

That is until the loud slam of the door makes your head snap up, your eyes finding Mrs. Matthews’ shocked face. Your eyes find Julie’s to find the girl as lost as you as she has been doodling on her notebook.

Class continues and the bell soon rings letting you know it is time for lunch, Julie and you walking side by side.

“I read the song your mom wrote, by the way,” You add seeing her eyes light up as you mention it “It is truly amazing, Jules, it is a very powerful song”

“I’m so glad you finally read it” She smiles, “I was thinking maybe we could duet it someday? It would definitely be cool, don’t you think?”

You smile softly before turning it into a smirk, “Julie and the Phantom’s leader with Y/N Y/L/N from Dirty Candy, sounds interesting”

She nudges you with an amused look before you both enter the cafeteria laughing. None of the students making noise in the cafeteria notice the angry looking kid sitting alone at one of the last tables.

How much would’ve things changed if someone had noticed?

10 Minutes Before the Shooting

Friday couldn’t have come sooner, both groups excited for the concert that was happening the next day. Though, that day seemed to be everlasting as you and Carrie walked to your last class of the day, the only class you both had with Julie and Flynn: Music.

As you make a quick stop to your locker to grab the music sheets for the song you were presenting today, Luke appears beside you making you let out a strangled scream.

“You need to stop that, Lu” You whisper while eyeing your surroundings, “Otherwise I’ll end up joining you on the other side soon”

The guitarist laughs at your joke before leaning on the locker beside your own, a soft smile on his face.

“Nervous about tomorrow?”

You close your locker before making your way to music class, Luke soon walking beside you.

“Totally” you breathe out, “We’re going to be in front of thousands of people, thousands, Luke. Thi-this is HUGE”

The boy smiles excitedly, “I cannot believe it is happening either but I can’t wait. I’m so excited to rehearse today one last time”

“Me too, Dirty Candy’s routine is going to make the crowd go wow”

Luke lets out an exaggerated groan as he hears your lame joke referring to one of your band’s songs, a smile soon adorning his features.

“You’re coming to reahearsal today, right? Songwriting session after?”

“Songwriting session after” You promise before entering your classroom, the ghost soon disappearing to go to the Molina’s studio.

You take your seat besides Carrie, not missing Julie’s teasing smirk sent your way as she caught Luke before he poofed out. You roll your eyes at her with a small smile before paying attention to Mrs. Harrison’s lesson.

Not even two minutes later, a loud bang sounds throughout the school. The loud noise echoing in each classroom making every student freeze in confusion.

Another loud noise soon follows before the screams start. Mrs. Harrison soon jumps to action going to lock the classroom door.

“Everybody down! Against the walls! Cover your heads!” She whispers loudly as she turns off the lights, “Boys, help me move the desks in front of the door”

Everyone soon moves to do as told. Carrie, Julie, Flynn, and Y/N soon snuggling in a corner together, the four of you staring wide-eyed at one another as you feel the fear of the unknown crawling through your bodies.

You listened to the hurried steps of students running through the hallways as more screams pierce through the halls. Gunshots echoing.

“Now, I know this is scary and I know you’re confused, kids,” whispers Mrs. Harrison, “but I need you all to start sending texts to anyone outside of school. We need to make sure the authorities know what is happening”

You feel tears start sliding down your cheeks as your confusion turns into panic, your heart beating fastly in your chest as you grab your phone with your shaky hands. Out of the corner of your eye you see your best friends soon doing the same.

Everyone too scared to say something, the only sound being the muffled sobs that everyone lets out. Your breathing stops once you hear Julie’s ringtone sound loudly, the girl soon quieting it down.

“Everyone keep your phones on silence, no one needs to know we are here” their music teacher reminds them, “Remember every drill we’ve had, you have to follow three simple steps: Run, Hide, and as a last resource Defend”

Your clean your tears with your shaking hand as you try to stop the blurriness of your vision only to have more tears appear, you feel Julie take your hand and interlocking your fingers with hers.

“I’m scared” She whispers.

You look at her with tears blurring your vision, your face saying what you can’t, as somehow you can’t seem to find your voice. Another gunshot, this one closer than before, tears through the halls making you all let out strangled screams. Carrie jumping to your side -the one not occupied by Julie- and Flynn jumping to Julie’s.

The four of you staying close as tears stream down all of your faces.

From where you’re hiding you cannot see your classmates nor Mrs. Harrison’s, the soft cries being the only thing that makes you know they are there.

Another piercing scream followed by a gunshot tear through the school, the four of you letting out silent sobs. You grab your phone with shaky hands before typing fastly a text to your mom.

If anything happens, mom, I love you. -Y/N

You close your eyes as you try to calm your breathing, the thumping of your heart echoing in your ears. Another gunshot. You jump in your place with your eyes still close and a strong hold on both of your best friends.

Another gunshot and soon the doorknob jiggles, letting everyone know someone is trying to open the door. Everyone in the music room holds their breath as fear crawls through their skins.

All the laughs, the smiles, the tears, the moments you spent by your dad’s bed at the hospital, the rehearsals with the band, the sleepovers with Carrie, the time spent with Julie and Flynn, the moments you spent at the Molina’s studio, the songwriting with Luke. Everything comes crashing down.

The door is hit with force, the person trying to get in trying to make the door budge. You bite your lip hard to stop the scream that wants to make its way out of your throat.

The door is pushed one more time before steps resonate letting you all know the person is leaving. You let out a shaky breath, tears flowing neverending down your cheeks.

“I’m so so sorry, Julie” Whispers Carrie, “I’m sorry about our fight, I’m sorry for not letting you apologize and for pushing you away, I’m sorry for making Y/N and Flynn take sides, I’m sorry for taking Nick, and I’m sorry for never telling you I loved you”

You stared at the strawberry blonde with red puffy wide eyes, Carrie looking scared to death as she says what she had been keeping herself from saying this last year. Tears stream down her pale face as silent sobs shake her small body.

Julie moves quietly to get closer to her to hug her, both girls shaking in fear as they reconcile. Flynn moves to the spot Julie once resided, taking Y/N’s hand. Everyone crying softly as they wait for someone to tell them it’s okay to come out.

None of you know how long you stay there until there is a knock on the door making you all freeze with fear.

“This is L.A. P.D., everything is okay now. Is anyone in there?”

You all let out a breath of relief. Y/N closing her eyes as she lets out a loud sob, soon everyone crying their hearts out as they are soon escorted out of the room.

You hear the police ask for everyone to raise their hands, soon everyone doing as told, and to not look at your surroundings. Soon all of you being escorted to the outside in a line, though you can’t stop your eyes from drifting through the hallway once catching sight of all the blood.

You take a shaky breath as you feel the tears still flowing down your face.

The four girls hug each other tightly as they walk out into the school ground. All of your eyes taking their time to adjust to the bright sun. Faintly, you hear the police tell you all to not look back and decide to obey them this time as the glimpses of the blood and the bodies you saw inside were enough to have you struggling to breathe.

“Dad!” You hear Julie screaming in relief before detaching from all of you and running to his father’s arms.

It is when you see them hugging that your blurry eyes catch sight of your heartbroken mother, who soon runs to get to you with relief washing over her. It is until you are in her arms that the world around you starts spinning again.

The sounds become clearer and so does your vision as the pressure of everything finally leaves your body, sobs shaking your body in the safety of your mother’s arms. Out of the corner of your eyes you see Flynn and Carrie reuniting with their own parents as well as many other students.

But as you see reunions, you soon see the heartbreaking faces of realization and the agonizing screams of the losses of their children. Your sobs becoming louder.

Your mother soon falling with you to the floor as your knees give in, the weight of your body becoming too much as you try to put yourself back together. This wasn’t supposed to happen. How could this have happened? Why did it happen? Why?

96 Hours After the Shooting

Carrie, Flynn, Julie, and Y/N were cuddling together on the studio’s couch, their parents inside the Molina’s home. After the incident, the four of them had been joined to the hip only untangling themselves from the other to go sleep at their own houses. 

Julie and Carrie holding hands tightly as they all stare at the wall silently with soft music playing in the background. School was closed until further noticed and you had all bailed on the concert at the Hollywood Bowl. The members of Sunset Curve watched you all carefully with heavy hearts. They all felt guilty for not being there for either of you.

Luke feeling his heart break whenever he saw a tear make its way down your face without your knowledge. None of them could ever understand the fear that any of you had felt at that moment or how it had scarred all of you.

So they just stood beside the four of you in a protective way, making sure you all knew you weren’t alone. And everynight, as the fear of closing your eyes and hearing the echoing of the shots ring through your head, Luke would poof in and lay beside you, singing a sweet lullaby to help you sleep.

Though you always woke up in a terrified daze, the guitarist soon jumping to bring you back to reality.

120 Hours After the Shooting

A gasp leaves your body as you sit up while holding back a scream. You feel the sweat dripping down your skin as your eyes take in your surroundings, it takes you a minute to fully recognize your room as your blurry vision finally settles.

You feel a hand on your shoulder and you jump out of your bed, scared. Looking towards the source you find the hazel eyes of the lead guitarist on Julie’s band.

He looks at you with worry as he slowly starts crawling towards you, his steps were wary as if afraid you’d run out of the room any second.

He opens and closes his mouth repeatedly, he is talking to you, yet you cannot hear. Your ears numb to the sounds around you.

As you feel breathing becoming a harder task your eyes fall to your hands, wondering to yourself when will this ever stop?

How could this be your life now?

Silently, you stand up and head out of your room and downstairs to grab a glass of water. The sun rising through the sky to signal a new day. You gaze at it intently as you drink the water slowly, your heart calming down as it sees the beauty of it. 

You weren’t okay. Neither of you was. 

It would probably take a long time before either of you were completely okay, and even then the memory would haunt you. All you could do is take it one step at a time, trusting that the people who loved you would be ready to catch you if you stumbled. You were willing to do the same for the girls.

All of you would soon have to start attending the funerals of your classmates, of the people whose face you had all grown used to seeing, of people you had grown up with. You would have to be in the presence of heartbroken parents who screamed their lungs out in agony for the child they lost. 

Your grip on the glass of water tightens as you feel your chest become heavier. One step at a time, you repeat in your head, one step at a time.

You feel Luke appear behind you, his arms soon wrapping around your waist as his face hides in your neck. A small smile makes its way to your face, one of your hands letting go of the glass of water to hold his arm. One step at a time, you repeated.

One step at a time.

[weneedglitter]

I went through @sunsetcurvecuddles ‘s whole touch-starved willie tag right before class and then wrote this instead of taking notes. Come get y’all soft willex content

read on AO3 here

The thing about being in a bad situation for a long time is that your body and mind go into survival mode. You learn what you can ask for, what you can expect, and cut down to only the most crucial systems. If you go without for long enough, you start to forget anything else was even an option.

The thing about leaving a bad situation is that it doesn’t take long for the unconscious parts of you to notice you’re safe and start making demands.

Willie never wanted for anything with Caleb. He had his skateboard, he had a place to live, he had plenty to eat. Sure, maybe he was a little lonely for companions his own age, but there were tons of people at the club willing to indulge his chatter. Caleb wasn’t the warmest person ever, but he was far from cruel to Willie.

It wasn’t until the mess with Julie’s band had opened Willie’s eyes to the lengths Caleb was willing to go to get what he wanted that Willie realized that “a little lonely” wasn’t the most appropriate term for his time at the club. The few days he spent with Alex shone brighter than the sun in his memory, and every day beside them became inky and lightless in contrast.

But Willie’s not there anymore. He’s still reeling from the knowledge that Alex came back for him, refused to leave him behind after the role, however well-meaning, that Willie had played in bringing the boys to Caleb.

Now every day has Alex, has Luke and Reggie and Flynn and the Molinas. They’re loud and gentle and indecorous and always take the time to make sure Willie’s comfortable.

They also give affection so freely Willie almost doesn’t recognize it for what it is. With Caleb, touching was a direction. If his hand landed on your shoulder, it meant you weren’t where you were supposed to be.

In retrospect, it makes sense why watching Julie drop an absent-minded kiss on Reggie’s temple in thanks for his help with her homework smacks Willie with a wave of yearning so intense he has to escape to the studio.

It doesn’t make sense, Willie thinks, sitting perched on the back of the couch. His new friends are a tactile bunch; it’s inescapable. He knows they’ve been giving him space to settle in, but they’ve welcomed him in with very literal open arms. He’s not starved for the high-fives and hand-holds and hugs they all give out like it’s as easy as breathing.

But he can’t stop replaying the tender press of Julie’s lips to Reggie’s hairline. He remembers the hug Alex gave him on the street the day of the Orpheum show and wraps his arms tightly around himself, trying to recall exactly how it felt.

Like the memory summoned him, Willie hears footsteps on the stone outside, and Alex slips through the door. Willie notes dazedly how at home he looks here.

Alex’s brow is furrowed. “Reg and Julie said you ran out in a hurry, is everything okay?”

“You know it, hot dog. Better now, though.” Willie’s voice doesn’t sound like he’s expecting, misses breezy by a mile and lands closer to desperate. He suddenly becomes aware that every muscle in his body is tense.

Alex raises both eyebrows. “Yeah, I buy that. What’s going on with you?”

Willie shrugs helplessly, or tries to. He’s still tense. “I guess I’m just realizing some stuff.”

“About… the club?” Alex asks, walking a little closer with his hands deep in his pockets. Willie nods, the out-loud acknowledgement that something’s wrong at all making the feeling stronger.

Alex steps up to sit on the back of the couch next to him, the same way the two of them sat on the bench the first day they met. Willie feels sick with how much he wants to lean into his side, rest his head on Alex’s shoulder, but he just wraps his arms tighter around himself. He feels like a coiled spring, muscles taut and ready to – to what? He doesn’t know. He wishes he could relax. His neck aches. He curls in on himself, pulling at the tight knots along his shoulderblades.

Alex moves to sling an arm around Willie, the way he does with the boys, the way Willie’s seen Reggie and Luke do more times than he can count, but Willie’s body registers the motion before his brain does and reacts without his permission. It’s not a flinch, just his muscles ratcheting impossibly tighter, but Alex still clocks it and freezes with his hand halfway through the space between them. His gaze is too intense, too searching, and Willie has to look away, tracing the floorboards with his eyes instead.

Alex slowly lowers his hand so it rests on the couch right beside Willie’s hip. If he moved his pinky an inch, it would make contact with the rough material of Willie’s shorts.

It’s not new. It’s not exciting. Alex is a very physical person, though Willie suspects it’s learned rather than natural. Willie has never been an exception to that rule; he can’t count how many times Alex has wrapped a hand around his arm to get his attention or bumped their knees together in silent communication.

It’s not new, and it’s not exciting, so it doesn’t make sense that Alex’s hand resting next to him has his blood rushing in his ears. He feels unsteady.

“What’s going on?” Alex repeats. Willie can’t seem to open his mouth to explain, but he doesn’t know what he would say even if he could. He doesn’t know what’s going on. “Shit, are you okay?”

Willie doesn’t want to say no, because he doesn’t know what’s wrong, doesn’t know why he’s not okay, but Alex must pick up on the tiniest shake of his head because he hops down from the back of the couch to plant one foot on the ground and the other knee on the cushions. His concern is growing. Willie turns his head to watch him move, stomach churning as he gets farther away but unable to reach for him. “Can I touch you?”

Willie nods vigorously before he can even think about it. Alex grips Willie’s upper arms, just above the elbow, and Willie shudders. His knees, which he didn’t realize were locked, go weak, and he slides uncontrolled down to the couch. Alex guides him to rest more securely on the cushions and sits next to him again, a little distance between them. Something in Willie aches.

“What’s wrong?” Alex asks. “And don’t try to say it’s nothing, it obviously isn’t.”

“Um,” Willie says. He doesn’t want Alex to think he’s ignoring him, but it feels like there’s big blank spaces in the part of his brain where words go. “I don’t know. I don’t know what’s wrong.”

“Well, that makes two of us,” Alex replies. He’s too far away, Willie thinks. It would be easy to reach out. Alex would wrap him up without hesitation. Willie doesn’t move.

“Fortunately, Julie has a checklist for this kind of thing, because she’s a queen,” Alex continues. Willie’s pretty sure he would laugh at that, usually, so he huffs out a breath between dry lips. Alex leans closer again; the motion makes Willie realize his gaze has drifted away from Alex’s face again, fixated on the faded screenprint on his tshirt instead. Willie tries to drag his eyes up, but only makes it as far as Alex’s cheekbone.

“Okay,” Alex mutters. “Are you hungry?” Willie shakes his head. “Thirsty? No, okay. Tired?” He’s definitely a little tired, but that’s not the problem. “Cold?”

Now that Alex says it, his skin feels uncomfortably prickly, like he could start shivering despite the warmth of the air and both arms still clamped around his middle. “Yeah, I think that’s it. I’m too cold.” His voice comes out remarkably steady for how shaky he feels.

“Alright!” Alex says, cheered to have an answer he can take action with. “See, you gotta take care of yourself.” Willie knows Alex is better when there’s a problem with a solution right in front of him, something he can busy his hands with and see results. He looks around the room and locates a pair of blankets, snatching them up from the armchair. He puts one aside and drapes the second around Willie, leaving one arm across Willie’s shoulders. The proximity is dizzying.

“Better?” Alex asks, leaving one arm across Willie’s shoulders.

“Yeah,” Willie gasps, like it was punched from him. Alex’s arm feels searingly hot even through the blanket and Willie’s shirt, his skin sensitive like the start of a fever. Maybe he really is getting sick. “Yeah, that’s better.”

It doesn’t feel better. It feels more, somehow.

Alex sees his ill-disguised discomfort and frowns, starting to pull away and give him space again. Willie almost sobs. A tiny noise escapes anyway, and Alex freezes for a second time. Then he slowly slides his arm back around Willie’s shoulders.

Willie is still so tense, it doesn’t surprise him when he starts trembling, minute shivers all over his body.

Alex wraps his other arm around Willie in a sideways hug. Willie’s teeth start chattering. “Wow,” Alex says, almost admiring, “You’re just all fucked up, huh?”

That makes Willie actually laugh a little. “I think you might be onto something there, hot dog.” He’s starting to feel lightheaded; there’s so much input, so many conflicting signals. He’s almost nauseous with how badly he wants to just slump into Alex’s embrace, let it be easy, leech off his body heat, but his muscles are wound taut on a winch outside of his control and everywhere Alex touches him it’s borderline painful.

He doesn’t know why this is happening. He doesn’t know what he wants. He doesn’t want Alex to leave.

Like the universe is reading his thoughts, trying to find the one clear desire he can form just to yank it away, Alex starts to pull back and climb off the couch. Willie makes a tiny aborted movement to reach out and hold on. Alex still picks up on it, though.

“Hey, I’m just gonna move us around, okay? Just trust me.”

“Of course,” Willie says, too honest through his chattering teeth.

Alex takes the blanket and directs Willie to lie down on his side, spine flush with the back of the couch. He drapes the first blanket over Willie’s legs, tucking him in industriously, then squeezes onto the couch next to him and spreads the second blanket over both of them.

He shifts around so he’s lying fully on his side, facing Willie, pressed together all along their fronts. Willie’s eyes are level with his collarbone. Willie can feel the heat coming off him, the little puffs of his breath against the top of his head. He thinks he’d be dizzy if he wasn’t lying down. With the couch and the blanket and Alex in front of him, taking up his whole field of view, he feels surrounded, held on all sides. It’s so warm. He’s still shivering, muscles still tightly drawn, but the warmth of the safe little cave Alex has made is soaking in.

Alex slips an arm over his side, hand resting on the bare skin of Willie’s lower back where his shirt is riding up. Willie’s whole body trembles involuntarily; it feels impossibly warm, like it should be burning him, like when Alex pulls his hand away it’ll leave a mark, whirls of his fingerprints left behind on Willie’s skin.

“Is this okay?” Alex whispers. Willie nods, not trusting himself to speak with the way his breath catches on each inhale. “Stop me if it’s too much, yeah? Just tap me or something.” Alex slides his hand further around Willie’s back, under his shirt, calluses rough against his skin. He pulls Willie in so they’re pressed even closer together.

Alex’s hand spans wide over his spine, sweeping softly up and down. “It’s okay.”

That’s what does it; the tension releases like a snapping rubber band and Willie melts into Alex’s touch, locked muscles relaxing to send him slumping into Alex’s chest. His knees bend and tangle with Alex’s, forehead resting against his sternum. Alex ducks his chin to press his lips against the top of Willie’s head. “There you go.”

Willie’s breath shudders, caught between his mouth and the thin material of Alex’s tshirt. He squeezes his eyes shut. His throat feels tight, tears stinging at his eyes.

“Is this helping?” Alex asks, always checking in.

“Uh-huh,” Willie chokes out.

Alex hums and keeps lightly rubbing Willie’s back until his breathing evens out a little. Then he says, tone thoughtful, “When I figured out I was gay, I stopped touching the guys for two months.”

Willie looks up in surprise. Alex continues, “Yeah, I know, seems impossible. I just stopped initiating anything, pulled away any time Reggie or Luke were doing their thing, and eventually they stopped trying.” He laughs a little. “It was actually Bobby who talked to me about it. He said I was making Reggie think he did something wrong and I had to either cut it out or have a real good excuse.”

“What did you do?”

“Went back to the studio and sat on them.” The image makes Willie laugh. “I think they figured it out though, cause when I came out the year after I couldn’t get them off me for a week.”

Willie nods. That sounds about right. “What’s the moral of this story?”

Alex taps at his back chastisingly. “Don’t let it get this bad again, okay? You can always ask. I would do anything for you.” The mirror of Willie’s own words makes tears prickle at his eyes again, and he nods.

“Wasn’t on purpose,” Willie tries to explain. “I didn’t get any – any contact at the club, but you’re all so touchy, it should be more than enough.”

“Your tank’s empty,” Alex says. “You’ve been running on fumes for a long time, and we’re still operating at ‘be normal around the new person’ levels. You need what you need, and I can – we can give that to you.”

Alex moves his hand to run even farther up Willie’s back, finding the base of his neck with his arm still pressed hot along his spine. It’s an awkward angle but he gently digs his knuckles into the abused muscles. Willie groans. “Oh my god.”

“God,” Alex echoes. “Seriously, why didn’t you say anything? How long have you been feeling like this?”

“I don’t know,” Willie repeats, truthfully. “I think… I’ve been all fucked up for so long I didn’t even notice anymore.”

Alex moves his knuckles in a steady circle. Willie’s eyes roll up in his head. “Hhholy shit.”

Alex laughs, brushing little strands of Willie’s hair aside with his fingertips. “Willie, can I wash your hair later?”

Just the idea knocks the breath right out of him. “I might actually die.”

Alex laughs, shaking Willie with how tightly they’re pressed together. “That’s all it takes, huh.”

“You know I’m a rulebreaker. I couldn’t stand a conventional death. Here lies Willie, his boyfriend played with his hair and his soul left his mortal body.”

Alex’s hand stills. “Boyfriend?”

Willie tenses for all of a second before Alex digs his thumb back into the base of Willie’s neck and he goes limp again. “I mean – I kind of thought – if you want –”

Alex cuts him off before he can work himself up. “Chill out, you sound like me.” There’s a weird note to his voice, and Willie is startled to realize that Alex is nervous. “Boyfriend, though. I’m, yeah, I’d like that.”

“You’re into that?” Willie asks, nearly teasing.

“I’m into you,” Alex says, and Willie has to press his face into the space between Alex’s body and the couch to hide his smile.

The thing about leaving a bad situation is that you start realizing just how much you’ve been missing out on. Willie, cocooned in Alex’s arms, is learning that the thing about landing in a great situation is that you don’t have to miss out anymore.

[the-edge-of-great]

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ friendsgiving ♥

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

The silence that immediately follows “How did you spend your holidays?” is brief but deafening. Her heart sinks. She looks to Luke for help, but he’s watching the guys on the couch, eyes jumping between Alex and Reggie; the weight of the conversation seems to rest on their shoulders, and they don’t notice because they’re too busy avoiding everything, especially their bandmates.

So Julie backtracks, quickly. “I’m sorry,” she says, shaking her head. “I shouldn’t—Forget I said anything.” She reaches to fix the sheet music but realizes it’s already perfectly straight, and her hand falls flat, and there’s still an awkward silence, so she begins playing the start of Finally Free, which isn’t at all what they were working on, but this hasn’t happened before. She’s always been careful asking about their past because she doesn’t know how far is too far. And until now, she hasn’t struck out with any questions. They’ve been cool about it, mostly answering anything she wanted to know. If they didn’t want to talk about it, they kindly changed the subject. At some point, she thinks they became open books to her, and she them.

That’s why this question tumbled out so casually.

And that’s why the silence is scaring her.

Luke, finally, saves her. “We’d spend Thanksgiving with my dad’s family,” he tells her with a smile, which she immediately mirrors as her shoulders slump with relief, “and for Christmas, we’d go to my aunt’s place to party with my mom’s side. She actually lives in Pasadena.” He chuckles. It takes her all of five seconds to realize why that’s funny to him, and then she breathes a laugh and rolls her eyes.

“Holidays were always hectic for me,” Reggie says next. Julie’s heart flutters. “Like, three or four days of traveling to make sure we see both sides, both sets of grandparents, and somehow not barf from all the food.” He and Luke share a laugh, and Alex smiles faintly as he jumps to his feet.

“I just remembered,” he says, stepping over Luke, “I’m meeting Willie today.” He looks back at them briefly, his smile weak and probably forced, before vanishing.

Reggie and Luke share a look. Mumbling something about the beach, Reggie disappears too.

As soon as he’s gone, Julie’s face drops to her hands. “That was a disaster,” she groans.

“Family’s just a hard topic for them,” Luke replies quietly.

Chewing on her lip, Julie takes Alex’s spot next to him. “Tell me why?” she asks softly.

“Sure, since they outed all of my shit last month.” He chuckles.

“Whaaat?” Julie shakes her head. “They didn’t—” The look he gives her makes her stumble. Sheepishly, she adds, “They were trying to help.”

“I know.” Shaking his head, he explains, “Reggie’s parents fought a lot. So much that he didn’t like us coming over, like, ever. It was, seriously, all the time.”

“Fighting, like… arguing? Or…?”

“Just arguing,” he reassures. “They’d scream at each other, and sometimes at him if he got in the middle of it, but…” Luke sighs. “Just arguing.”

“And… Alex?”

He pauses, gaze dropping to his lap, and Julie’s stomach turns. She reaches for his hand, half to grab his attention again, half because she feels she’ll need a better alternative to digging her nails into her palm when she hears whatever he has to say. He intertwines their fingers, locking her hand in a grip tighter than she expected. If she wasn’t nervous before, she is now.

“Alex’s parents weren’t cool with him being gay.”

Julie sits up straighter. “What—What does that mean?” She needs better clarification because she knows what that could mean—she’s seen it on the news, on Tumblr and Twitter and Instagram, heard about it through the grapevine of high school—and her heart aches at the idea of Alex—sweet, caring Alex—going through anything of the sort.

“They didn’t kick him out which, I guess, is something, but they just… stopped caring. They stopped acknowledging him.”

Julie shakes her head. “They don’t deserve any praise for not kicking him out,” she says quietly, lip curling at her words. “Not for doing less than the bare minimum of being parents.”

“Getting angry over it is a lost cause.” He smiles sadly at her. “You don’t know how many times we talked about getting him out of his house. Both of ‘em. Bobby and I would spend nights out here, drawing up plans to run away to Vegas or something.”

“I should’ve never brought it up,” she mumbles. “I know holidays are hard for some people.”

“Hey, no, it’s okay.” He shakes his head, turning to her and taking her other hand in his. “It’s okay. You didn’t know. Besides, it was bound to come up eventually. Family’s just… different, you know?”

Julie sighs, shoulders slumping forward. She watches Luke’s thumb rub across her knuckles. Thanksgiving is in a few days; her house is going to be lively with the whole family. When Mom was alive, the studio was a place for the kids to hangout. Obviously, nobody went near it after she died. Dad locked it up before people began arriving. Julie wonders, as she looks around the room, if they’ll open it to the family again. Or maybe it should stay closed for the guys’ sake.

“So… No holidays?” she asks. “At all? ‘Cause… I have an idea…”

Luke raises an eyebrow. “What’re you thinking?”

“It’s this thing called… Friendsgiving.”

~**~**~**~

Star Wars and other movies downloaded to the computer? Check. Computer hooked up to the projector? Check. Two white sheets borrowed from Flynn strung up in front of the instruments? Check.

“Are the lights too much?” Julie asks, waving her phone around the room to show off her decorations. “They feel too much.”

“No, fairy lights are cute!” Flynn exclaims through the phone. “And you went through all the work hanging them up.”

“I know we think they’re cute, but will they think they’re cute?”

“Jules, they’re like puppies; they’ll be excited about anything.”

“Okay.” Julie nods. “Okay.” The lights are weaved around the loft railing and framing the sides of the sheets. She had to improvise with Christmas lights, so when she turns them on, instead of faint white, a soft rainbow glows off the loft and cascades down to the floor.

“Look okay?” she asks Flynn again. She doesn’t know why she’s so nervous. It’s just Luke, Reggie, and Alex… But Reggie and Alex haven’t had a good Thanksgiving in a while. So, okay, maybe there’s a little pressure for things to be perfect. Or a lot. Maybe the lights is overdoing it—

“Dude, what’s up with you?” she hears Alex say outside.

“They’re here!” Julie stage whispers.

“Okay?” Flynn says just as soft. “Go talk to them? And the lights are cute! Keep them on!”

“As Julie would say,” Reggie adds, voice getting louder as he nears the studio, “you’re acting hella sus.”

“Wait, wait,” Luke says, probably trying to stop him. “Just—Wait a second.”

“I’ll text you later,” Julie tells Flynn as she heads for the door.

“Julie!”

“What?!”

Flynn smiles at her. “They’re going to love it, okay?”

Julie stops, hand inches from the door handle. Taking a deep breath, she returns Flynn’s smile. “Thanks, Flynn.”

Feet shuffle out of the way of the door that swings open a few inches. Julie pokes her head out. “Hi there,” she says, grinning.

Alex squints at her. “You’re in on it too, huh?”

“Alex, honey, I planned it.”

Luke, who froze in the middle of holding Reggie back with arms around his chest when Julie stepped out, backs off and joins her by the door.

“And you guys never figured it out!” he says proudly, fist bumping her.

Reggie and Alex share a look that makes her think yeah, no, they totally figured something was going on. She giggles.

“Well, uh…” Julie glances over her shoulder. “You guys want to see what the secret is?” She leans against the door to push it open and waves them past. “Ta-da.”

Along with the Christmas lights is a lamp beside the couch, covered by a blanket to dim the brightness. In place of the coffee table she pushed to the side are pillows and blankets layered over each other. Board games she found in the loft are stacked high in the chair next to the couch. They’re a mixture of generations: some she received as Christmas and birthday gifts, and others that have been around for as long as she can remember—favorites among her family, especially her parents. Maybe the guys will remember them too.

The shelf behind the couch is empty except for the projector. She had to find an extension cord to plug in her computer and leave it safely on the couch (she may have tried to balance it on the shelf with the projector, but one close call was enough to look into alternatives).

After the door is latched behind her, she joins them in the middle of the room, playing with her hands. “I’m sorry about yesterday,” she begins. “I didn’t mean to bring up any bad memories.”

Alex shakes his head. “It’s not your fault, Julie. You didn’t know.”

“But I do now. And… I don’t know how you guys feel about the holidays, but I hope you give this one a chance?” She steps around them, kicking off her shoes as she goes. “It’s not an official holiday, but over the years, it’s become more popular.” She steps onto the couch and looks back at them with a smile. “It’s called Friendsgiving. Families suck sometimes, and you can’t choose them. But, you can choose your friends.” Standing on her tiptoes, she flips the projector on. A light beam shoots past them and shines across the bed sheets. Two was a better decision than one, it seems. The picture has plenty of room to spread out. Perhaps not the best quality, but at least they can watch it full screen.

“I have all of the Star Wars movies downloaded,” she continues, stepping off the couch, “along with a few others if we get sick of the marathon. I don’t know if you like board games, but I found a few in the loft?” She points at the stack.

“You did… all of this for us?” Reggie asks, almost breathlessly.

“Well, yeah. And Luke helped.” Luke smiles when the guys look at him. Julie adds, “I don’t think I could’ve guessed your movie taste without him.”

“There are some good ones on there,” he promises.

Alex huffs a laugh. He spins in a slow circle, taking in everything. “This is awesome, Jules.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, but… You’re wrong about one thing.” She freezes. Luke and Reggie look back at him. Alex shoves his hands in his jacket pockets, looking over each of them, the corner of his mouth curved in a smile. “You can choose the family that matters.”

“And it’s us?” Luke teases. “We’re your Chosen Ones?” As he and Reggie share a laugh, Alex walks away from them.

“C’mere,” he says with a laugh, pulling Julie into a hug. Alex gives some of the best hugs. He’s tall enough to tuck her head under his chin, and she can bury her face in his chest.

Luke and Reggie must move in, because Alex walks them near the couch. “No, no, she’s my Chosen One. You two go away.”

“We were here first,” Luke whines.

“But it’s Julie,” Reggie reasons. He shakes his head, a fond smile on his lips.

Luke nods. “Good point.”

“Still, you’re crazy if you think I’m just going to ignore group hug potential,” Reggie says, lunging for them. Alex pretends to try getting away, but he actually opens an arm for him, and now Julie’s squished between them. Not even a second later, Luke’s on her other side. They’re a mess of laughter until someone missteps. They fall in slow motion, it seems. Julie rolls off of Alex’s chest and into the arms of Luke, who hugs her to his chest immediately.

“Good thing Julie has all of the pillows of the universe here,” Alex jokes.

“Oh yeah, I called in every favor. They asked how many I wanted. I said yes.”

Reggie pushes himself up. He squints at the stack of board games. “No way! You have Candyland?”

Luke chuckles in her ear. “Are those Christmas lights?”

“I improvised.”

“I like it.”

Alex is looking at them. “Me too.”

Julie grins. “Thanks, guys.”

“Reg, Candyland or Star Wars?” Alex asks, rolling onto his stomach.

Reggie pauses, board game in his hands. “Can we… We can do both!”

Julie laughs out loud.

After a few minutes of clearing away the pillows (“Oh good, I thought we’d never see that rug again.”), setting up the game, and playing the movie, they’re ready: Candyland and Star Wars. Not how she ever imagined spending the day before Thanksgiving.

“Hey,” Julie says as she draws a card. It’s green. She looks up at them, smiling. “I love you guys, you know?”

They each share looks, grinning at one another. To her left, Luke draws next. “We know, Julie,” he says, moving his character forward. When he meets her eye, he tell her, “We love you, too.”

“Now, keep that in mind when I completely destroy all of you in these games,” Reggie warns.

Julie raises a challenging eyebrow.

“Bring it.”

[daisiesforlacey]

clouds - chapter 4 : altostratus

Pair : Julie x Alive!Luke

Summary : After her mother’s death, Julie Molina moved away from Hollywood, across the country, to Ithaca, New York. She’s left behind her two loves in life: her best friend, Luke, and her music. There, she finds new friends and enemies, new experiences and joys, she might even find herself. Every night, Luke calls Julie to talk about the clouds. But what if Luke is hiding something?

Word Court : 4,148

Warnings : N/A (Unless you see any, if so please notify me!)

Notes : This is really just fluff!! I love Alex and Willie, absolute babies. Please please leave feedback, I love knowing my writing is appreciated!!

Masterlist

Taglist

---

Julie didn’t hate English. In fact, it was quite the opposite. She was good with words, they came naturally to her. She seemed to think in sentences, which made writing essays one of the easiest things for her to do in school. Her favorite thing to do was to write songs, and they seemed to be everywhere, in every part of literature: poems were songs without a backing track, metaphors described heartbreak and being alive and feeling free just the way lyrics do, sentences were structured with a sort of reading rhythm, a pulse. She really did enjoy English. 

It was just sometimes, English could be a bore. 

Her teacher was going on and on about the importance of how authors write their stories or tales, and yeah, Julie could get behind that. But right now, as she drew shapes with her eraser on her desk, the monologue was putting her to sleep.

She pushed her loose curls back from where they were casting a curtain over her eyes and looked across the classroom until her mind wandered far enough away to where she couldn’t hear the teacher.

Last night, Luke had seemed weird. Weirder than normal. She wasn’t used to having to pry information out of the boy, he was usually an open book. Her brow furrowed; he had seemed so reluctant to tell her about Reggie and Alex, people she had already met last year. 

And why hadn’t he told her about his family? Emily and Mitch had treated her like their own daughter, always inviting her to stay for dinner and to ‘stop by whenever, you’re no burden,’ and they treated Luke like he had hung the moon. The last thing she had heard about them was a few months ago, when Luke had ranted about how they just didn’t understand them sometimes, but Julie had figured that that was pretty normal. She pursed her lips and thought maybe it had just slipped his mind; she didn’t tell him too much about Carlos’ ghost hunting, or her father’s new photography excursions. 

But she couldn’t help but worry. She and Luke were thick as thieves, they would talk for hours, although that had been cut short as of late, about everything. What if he was hiding something big from her? What had happened to one of his parents? Julie would totally understand his aversion of the topic. 

But what if he and his friends were in trouble? What if they had gotten arrested? What if he was locked away in some juvenile institute where he only had one call a day, and he had used that to call her? What if he had tripped, or fell off of a ladder, or got hit by a car, or done something so completely Luke that he had landed himself in the ICU?

Oh god, what if he was doing drugs! Julie didn’t know if she could handle it if Luke had gone off the deep end. 

“Partners?”

Julie stopped her doodling to look up to her left at the blond. She smiled sheepishly, “Yeah, of course.”

Nick was in two of her classes, music and English, and so far, had proved to be nothing like his girlfriend. He was sweet and smart and all around helpful; he had been her tour guide on the first day of school. She just didn’t understand how someone as nice as him, could end up with such a foil of himself as Carrie. See, she did pay attention. 

“I’m not going to lie, I completely zoned out. What are we doing?” She looked down to see that she had an assignment on her desk.

Nick laughed as he explained the assignment to her, having to do with last night's reading. As they completed it, they chatted.

“Your guitar solo yesterday was pretty killer,” Julie winced, she was yet again picking up more traits of Luke’s, “Did you write that yourself?,”

“Thanks! Yep, I tried to make it Brian May-esque with a hint of Jeremy Spencer. I don’t know if that had translated, though.”

To be honest, Julie didn’t know either. She knew some names here and there, she certainly knew Brian May, but this was more Luke’s territory. And even if she did, she wasn’t exactly paying close attention to it. So she played it safe.

“I think you definitely achieved the vibe you wanted.” Julie scribbled down an answer. She knew he wouldn’t bring up her lack of a performance.

Nick hummed, changing the subject, “You go to the park a lot.” Her eyebrows shot up as his eyes widened. “Oh, um, not to be creepy or anying. Although that really did sound creepy, it’s not like I watch you or where you go. I barely notice you! I mean, no, not like that, well I mean I do notice you, we have classes together. We’re talking, we work on projects, but I guess you know that.” He hadn’t looked up from his paper, if anything, his shoulder seemed to shrink in on themselves. 

“What I meant to say is that I have workouts out there sometimes, and you always seem to be there.” He ran a hand over his face before shooting her a lopsided grin. 

Julie huffed, “Yeah I like to look at the sky a lot. Or sometimes I just go there to clear my head.” She sent a sideways glance his way, she had never heard him rant like that, “Are you okay?”

“For sure. Me? Tip-top shape.” He nodded before flicking his hair back. 

While she didn’t particularly like small talk, yet she somehow felt obligated to continue, “How’s practice been going?”

Nick launched into a full fledged word dump of phrases she didn’t know the meanings of, and didn’t want to interrupt to ask. He became enthusiastically animated, forgetting his work and talking with his hands, seeming to bounce out of the seat. His face shone like the sun in the dreary classroom as he went on to talk about strategies and game plays and how they would win this year's championship if only so and so would tighten up here. She didn’t comprehend half of what he was saying, but she couldn’t help but listen. 

She wondered if that’s what she looked like talking about music.

---

Julie sat down at the piano bench with a sigh. Mrs. Harrison, thankfully, had let her redo her piano piece today, which would hopefully save her spot in the music program. Her class stared at her with disinterest, she knew that they didn’t expect anything, but she was ready to prove them wrong. She had copied down Luke’s song onto sheet music and had set it on the piano, then looked to Flynn. She shot her an ear splitting grin and a rigid thumbs up.

Julie could do this.

She played the opening chords of the song, hearing a few gasps from her classmates. Julie moved her hands up, then down, down, down, then back up. The chord progression was nothing revolutionary, but for her, it was everything. This was Luke’s song. She could see Nick smiling from the corner of her eye. 

“‘Sometimes I think, I’m falling down. I wanna cry, I’m calling out, for one more try to come alive.’” Her voice was strong, and had yet to fail her. Julie had worked on the song before the school day with Flynn’s support. She could feel a smile carving onto her face.

“‘And when I feel lost and alone, I know that I can make it home. Fight through the dark and find the spark.” She could feel pure joy fill her soul, “‘Life is a risk, but I will take it, close my eyes and jump. Together, I think that we can make it. C’mon let’s run!’”

Julie threw her head back, “‘And rise, through the night, you and I, we will fight to shine together, bright forever. And rise, through the night, you and I, we will fight to shine together, bright forever.” These were Luke’s lyrics, about the two of them, about their friendship. She could almost hear him singing along with her. 

Julie could hear Carrie whisper to Nick, “Is this really happening?”

Nick nodded, not taking his eyes off of Julie, “Just go with it.”

“‘In times that I doubted myself, I felt like I needed somе help, stuck in my head with nothing left. I feel somеthing around me now, so unclear, lifting me out. I found the ground I'm marching on!’” Julie nodded her head along with her fingers running across the keys. Luke had been there for her through all of this; her mother’s death, her moving away, her finding new friends. This was their song. 

As she finished playing, she didn’t register what was happening. She stood up and Flynn raced to tackle her in a hug. Her class clapped politely, but she could hear Nick over them all. Maybe she shouldn’t have played such a song like that in front of all of her classmates, but she couldn’t take it back now. Anyway, it seemed like she had done a pretty good job.

Mrs. Harrison set a hand on her shoulder, “That was wonderful! I’m so glad that you have decided to share that with us, what a song!” She spoke in a quieter tone only for Julie to hear, “I’ll email your father later.”

At lunch, Flynn showed her the video that she had taken. It was grainy and a backpack was covering half of the screen, but you could hear her voice ring out. She had Flynn send it to her, to which she then texted it to Luke.

“That was Luke’s song?” Flynn screeched. “All about you two; your friendship, you supporting each other? Where can I order friends like that, because it’s not on Amazon!”

Julie blushed, “Luke and I used to write songs all of the time. And, hey! I’m your supporting friend! You didn’t even have to order me, I was delivered from L.A just for you.”

“True, true. You also have unparalleled math skills.”

“Try telling that to Pythagoras.” 

Julie almost choked on her chicken nuggets as Nick walked over to their table, having to go out of his way to get to their part of the cafeteria. Carrie and the rest of her friends had yet to show up, and Nick had already set his lunch box at his own table. He slid into the seat across from Flynn and Julie. 

“That was amazing! Your performance in music class! If you have a talent like that, why haven’t you used it beforehand!” He unknowingly echoed Luke’s words.

Julie tried to act casual and shrugged stiffly, “I don’t know. It just hasn’t been the right time.” That wasn’t completely a lie. 

“You have to perform at the dance! Literally, you belong on stage. That was pure magic.” Nick’s eyes were wide in disbelief and he had a stunned smile on his face.

Julie froze, “Oh, I don’t know, that was only in front of the other kids in music class-”

“That’s perfect!” Flynn cut Julie off, “You have to!”

Julie gave Flynn the most withering glare she could muster, “I don’t think I’ll be able to come up with a whole set in two weeks. Although, thanks for thinking so. Anyway, they probably already have a band booked and everything.”

Nick shook his head, “Nope, they were just going to get the computer teacher to jerry rig a playlist, or at least that’s what I overheard. And Dirty Candi will also be performing, so I’m sure Carrie wouldn’t mind sharing the stage for a song or two.”

Julie and Flynn shared a glance. There was no way that Carrie would do such a thing. 

But Julie nodded, knowing that she definitely wouldn’t play at the dance, “I’ll think about it.”

---

Alex had had a pretty rough day so far. He had woken up late for school, smashing his hand on his alarm in frustration. The sky was way too light for him to have not slept in. When he saw the time, he quickly moved to put on clothes, hopping into his shorts as he ran to his bathroom to brush his teeth. His hair was a wreck, his eyes were bloodshot, and he had dried drool on his cheek, but before he could fix anything, he heard Reggie’s blaring car horn and a muffled shout.

“Alex! Your friends are here!” His mother yelled from the kitchen. 

He grabbed his jean jacket and an apple from the kitchen, before kissing his mom on the cheek and dashing out the door. He got into the passenger's seat of the blue Honda Civic, taking a bite.

“Wow, you look absolutely terrible.” Reggie said with a low whistle.

Luke punched his shoulder from the back seat, but then ruefully nodded. “You’re not exactly prime Alex right now.”

He glared at the two of them, grumbling around his apple.

Reggie raised an eyebrow, not taking his eyes off of the road because he was a safe driver, thank you very much. “What was that?”

“I said, at least my bad days look better than you guys’ good days.”

Luke let out a hearty laugh, “Sure, like you didn’t just find out how to dress yourself.” Alex had had a… difficult time figuring out what his personal style was. As they moved out of middle school and into high school, everyone seemed to find their signature thing except for him: Luke barely knew what sleeves were, and Reggie wouldn’t be caught dead out of his leather jacket-flannel combo. Alex had tried a few different things but nothing seemed to feel like him. After a few years, he decidedly settled on a few signature items; a pale pink hoodie, a denim jacket, and his fanny pack, which carried around his EpiPen and inhaler along with a few first aid supplies. He quickly found out that Luke’s sudden growth spurt over the summer before junior year came with it’s fair share of clumsiness. 

Alex went to reach for his fanny pack before realizing that he forgot it at his house. “We have to turn around. I left my fanny pack at home.”

Reggie tapped his finger on the steering wheel, “If we do we’ll be late. Again.” He shot a look through his mirror at Luke who gave a timid smile. 

“Please,” Alex whined, drawing out the ‘e,’ “I’ll go pick up a pizza for practice if we do! I promise.”

Reggie mulled it over in his head before swinging a uey, “Fine. But you better not get pineapple on it. That shit’s nasty.”

“It is not!” Luke placed a hand over his heart as if he was Caesar on the Ides of March. “Pineapple on pizza is a gift!”

“No! What’s a gift is my country songs, especially Home is Where My Horse Is. Pineapple is unnecessary and an unholy offense.”

“Puh-leeze, your country songs are the unholy offenses! Don’t even try it!”

Alex just rolled his eyes at them.

Now, Alex was walking downtown to pick up said pizza; half ham and pineapple, half pepperoni. The pizza shop was only a few minutes from his house, and yeah, he could’ve borrowed Reggie’s car, but he needed to clear his head. Twilight was setting in like a blanket over the world. Or at least, his part of the world. There was a slight chill in the air as he gripped his fanny pack slung across his chest with two hands.

The day just kept getting worse. He had failed a Physics test, even after Reggie had helped him study. He spilt chili from his hot dog on his hoodie, leading him to steal one of Luke’s extra shirts he kept in the car, surprisingly one with sleeves. He then proceeded to choke on that same hotdog in front of the whole cafeteria, forcing Luke to perform the Heimlich. And after all of that, his hair still wasn’t even remotely tamed, sticking up in every direction. 

His terrible day wasn’t helped by being crashed into. 

He fell to the ground with a yelp, and so did the skateboarder. The wind was knocked out of him as he tumbled and coughed, before standing up.

“Aw man, you dinged my board.” The other boy said, inspecting his skateboard. 

Alex couldn’t believe him and scoffed. The nerve on some people. “I dinged your board? Dude, you ran me over! You’re lucky I didn’t-”

The skateboarder took off his helmet to reveal locks of soft looking brown hair. Time seemed to slow down, or maybe stop, Alex couldn’t be sure. What he was sure about was that he was one of the most handsome people he had ever seen. He had high cheekbones and warm looking brown eyes and the softest looking lips. Alex was going to hyperventilate if he would ever remember to breathe. 

He swallowed as the boy's eyes softened, “Hey, sorry I ran into you. I thought you could hear me coming.”

Alex let out a nervous laugh, “Yeah, sometimes I just get wrapped up in my head.”

They stared at each other, and he was sure that the skater’s eyes traced him up and down as he stuck his hand out, “I’m, uh, I’m Willie.”

Alex grabbed his hand to shake. Could a handshake really be that attractive? “Oh, uh, Alex.”

“So, um, what brings you to downtown, man? You sightseeing?” Willie gestured up to the brick buildings lining the street.

Alex nodded before letting out a humorless chuckle, “Yeah, actually I was having a minor crisis. I came to pick up a pizza for my friends, but my day has not been too great. I was just trying to clear my head before you tried to crack it open.” He wanted to facepalm, his attempt at small talk was abominable. And why the hell was he telling a complete stranger all of this information? For all he knew, Willie could be a secret spy looking to murder him in a back alley for some reason unbeknownst to him. 

Willie laughed, his eyes crinkling, “I did pancake you, huh?” Alex nodded at the ground, before he heard his laugh die. “Uh sorry, minor crisis?”

“I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed, literally. And my day hasn’t gotten any better, it’s just been mishap after mishap. Shouldn’t we catch a break?”

Willie tilted his head, “Who’s we?”

“Oh, uh, me and my band mates. We all seem to have the worst luck in the world.” Alex shoved his hands in his pockets and chuckled. “Yeah, I almost died eating a hotdog.”

“Woah! No way! Weirdly,” Willie gave him a lopsided smile, “Mozart died eating a hotdog.”

Alex nodded, “Wow, that’s actually comforting. Thank you.” He smiled at Willie, “Hey do you mind if I ask you to tag along to come pick up this pizza? I mean, if you’re busy then obviously don’t, or like, if you have someplace to be. But I mean it’s almost dinner, and you can have some of it, I mean I didn’t pay for it, as long as you like ham and pineapple, because only one of my bandmates like it-”

“Yeah, totally. I don’t have anything on my schedule.” Willie smiled, and Alex knew then that his day had gotten exponentially better.

---

“I love my family, I really do, but I’m so glad that I can come over to your house.” Flynn had flopped on Julie's made up bed, scrolling on her phone, as Julie finished up her homework at her desk. “Like three screaming brothers? No thanks.”

Julie nodded as her phone dinged, “Well you’re always welcome here, you know Dad loves having someone to rant to about his photography.” She checked the message, it was from Luke.

Luke : You killed it! Stabbed-it-in-the-heart killed it! Knew you would :D

Julie rolled her eyes and shot him back a message.

Julie : Thanks for the song! I won’t be able to talk today, Flynn’s spending the night and I don’t want to be rude :(

The three little dots showed up, then disappeared. She frowned. It’s not like they haven’t missed a call before, so she sent him another text.

Julie : Maybe we could facetime and write some songs tomorrow???

When she didn’t get a response she set her phone down and finished the English assignment from earlier. When she finished, she pulled up their favorite show on her laptop, then joined Flynn on her bed. “I thought we could catch up, I missed Sunday’s episode.”

Flynn’s eyes bugged out of her head, as she whipped her neck so hard Julie thought she had gotten whiplash. “You missed it? Oh my god! You know I’m not one for spoilers, but shit went down. Like seriously. You’re going to blow a fuse. We are totally watching it.”

And they did. And Flynn was right. Shit did go down. And Julie totally blew a fuse. Turns out, her favorite ghost boy band characters had gotten themselves trapped in a deal with some other evil ghost: either they play at his club forever or they disappear from existence. It was a lot more emotional baggage than Flynn and Julie had signed up for when they first started watching, but now they were hooked.

“Oh my god, that was such a cliffhanger. How could they do that?” Julie wailed as she threaded her fingers through her hair. “They deserve so much better than this cruel world!”

Flynn nodded solemnly, “And we have to wait until Sunday to see what happens next. Life just isn’t fair.”

Julie hadn’t noticed Luke had texted her back until she got up to use the restroom.

Luke : Ok

Julie scoffed. The response was totally unlike Luke. No, it was totally like Luke when he was in a bad mood that he knew, deep down, was just him being overdramatic. She rolled her eyes and she knew she shouldn’t take it personally, but it still stung. They had told each other everything, even something as menial as a bad day. Whatever, his bad mood wasn’t going to stop her from having a fun night with her friends.

Her father called from downstairs for the two girls to come and eat dinner, and as she raced downstairs, she could smell the microwaved spaghetti. 

They made their way to the set dinner table, before they prayed and dug in.

“I think we’re being haunted.” Carlos started. 

Flynn rolled her eyes, “Nobody has died in this house or mine. It’s nothing like Kira and her Hologram Band.”

Carlos wagged his piece of garlic bread at her, “No, we’re definitely being haunted. By a ghost chef who never got to achieve his dream of making the best French Dip in the world. I have definitive proof.”

“Oh really? And where is this proof?”

“On my iPad.” Carlos made the move to get up from his seat.

“Mijo, eat your salad.” Ray said, then turned to the girl, “How was your day Flynn?”

“Pretty good, Mr.Molina. Julie performed that song that she was working on this morning, and let me tell you, it was amazing!” Flynn gushed.

“I saw the email. I’m glad that we don’t have to go through the options of choosing another elective for you. What were the options? Hospitality and Tourism and Marketing?”

“Yeah, nothing I am remotely interested in.” Julie picked the tomatoes out of her salad. “I think Mrs.Harrison and the class really liked the song, or at least my friends did.”

Flynn nodded, “Especially Nick.”:

Julie paled and fought the urge to elbow her friend. She looked down at her lap.

Carlos’ eyebrows shot up, “Lacrosse Nick?”

Flynn looked skeptical, “...Yes? How do you know about Lacrosse Nick? Floppy hair? Dating a demon?”

“Yeah, he’s an assistant coach for my baseball team. Something about community service and all of that. There’s another Nick on my team, but we call that one Lacrosse Nick. Because, well, that’s all that he talks about.” Carlos explained.

“Yes, it does make you wonder why he doesn’t coach a Lacrosse team, but nevertheless. Julie, how was your day?”

Julie looked up at her father, “About the same. I guess there's a dance in a couple weeks and I was wondering if I could go with Flynn.” She didn’t dare mention the part of her playing. She didn’t want her father as well and Flynn to egg her on. She wasn’t ready to go onstage, by herself, in front of the entire school.

“Of course, as long as it’s alright with her parents.” 

Flynn nodded, responding with a mouthful of spaghetti, making Ray cringe, “Yep, as long as I babysit the next day, they’re totally cool with it.” Flynn looked to Julie, but said nothing of playing the dance. 

--

Taglist: @siennanoelle01, @ scootermccall, @roses-and-ponds-and-bowties​ 

[nicknellie]

I’m just trying to reply to this through out the day so it’s all times lol (and then of course when I was going to send this it’s sadly didnt)

Thanks for linking the post, I think you brought up quite a few good points!!!

Honestly I thought you meant that both Julie and Flynn had matching jumpers however this works so much better. (Also yes Luke and Reggie would get this just because they can)

Just in case you don’t know what among us is when I go on my tangent here is the basics but basically there are 10 players in total and either 1, 2 or three are imposter (I’m choosing two here) whoever isn’t imposter just tries to complete tasks and figure out who the imposter is without dying

Box stuff

1. Yes, honestly the only time Luke’s room is clean is due to Alex because he is the mom friend. (And or Reggie because it could be that when Reggie is stressed he cleans but that also works for Alex)

Also that’s what I was thinking, Emily and Mitch just gave up. Definitely when he passed they just couldn’t change anything in his room because it was the one comfort that they had. That even though Luke isn’t here anymore, his room that he lived in was still there and sometimes they could pretend that he’s still there

3. They always bring him recipes to try out because Alex has magic with cooking and even if he has no clue what is going on it usually always taste good. (May not look good but it does taste good) Also love the detail of Reggie just forgetting about the recipes, he just has so much that he forgets some.

Board games and Jam stuff

1. Yes, they all have that one game that they can’t do. Monopoly is banned just because they are way too competitive and Alex has thrown drumsticks at Luke before.

I love the detail of the boys just guessing wrong just to annoy Bobby, they totally would too. In Cluedo, Reggie always thinks that it’s Alex, every single time.

(Among us tangent, really wish I can blame this on chaotic energy but no.

So Alex is pink, because

Luke is the colour white

Reggie is lime

Julie is red

Willie is cyan

And Flynn is purple

Alex and Willie are on the same team immediately (they just follow each other and keep each other safe) and Alex is a good imposter however Luke will only call him out for no reason at all when he is an imposter one time that they play together.

To give more reasoning they probably play together two times in total with 10 games each I don’t know, but the second time around Luke is salty and somehow knows when Alex is imposter even when he doesn’t seem suspicious at all.

Julie and Willie are the best imposter duo, alongside Alex and Luke. Reggie is not a good imposter and the first to die in the game is usually Julie (or Luke).

Wait yes, Alex can’t do life.

Oh Julie gets so mad at him however secretly she’s amused (Alex and Reggie are just having the time of their lives because they can tease both Luke and Julie also Flynn will definitely tease Julie as well)

Alex being the bank dealer is everything, and Reggie just forcing Luke to pay him is everything. (Not sure if this is a game rule but I’ve played a few times were you can give someone a building that has the cost/whatever you owe, so maybe they do that)

Honestly monopoly was banned before hand with Bobby but one day Julie brought it up and they just couldn’t tell her (Luke flipped a table... a table)

Also randomly Flynn and Willie are there just for chaos reasoning.

2. Yes lol

Number stuff

2. Alex and Willie just chilling and then Reggie ruining everything is perfect. (Also Willie is crying laughing during this whole thing, even more so when the hoodie rips and Alex just looks hurt and shocked at the same time towards Reggie)

So I watched the first episode, and I was mistaken. Maybe Arther changes as the show goes on but this is not how I thought the story went 😂

I was like, they changed the story but it still had to have the idea of Merlin helping Arther out with getting the sword out of the stone and in the shows there is a witch. I can’t tell if it’s because they are adding details to the story or if I just don’t know it. But yes just like with Merlin calling Arthur an idiot, my lord is total Alex energy. Definitely could see him doing that is real life at some point. Yes, Luke does still die from the hotdog

5. Same here!! Also the ones that you’ve mentioned I think I have read as well, have to love that for us (also the fact that everyone agree not to ship Alex with Julie and just have them be supportive wingpeople)

6. I love that for us. Also I love the sign idea, (Bobby somehow makes a sign to tell Willie that Alex is okay) it mostly comes because Alex is so distracted by Willie and the hair flip to notice that Willie is asking if he is alright or not. Wait I was still thinking about waterparks, moving to what you were actually talking about. I’m just keeping that in because

But yes, Bobby gets a sign from the boys and everything is better. (The sign is, don’t steal the songs, big no). Also I love how you say that they still go back to Julie but they make a quick pit stop

8. Yes, also their strengths complimented each other’s so without them there Bobby feels lost. So many props towards Reggie, I have no clue what is happening with that game at all times.

10. Aww happy Reggie with technology (also the fact that he doesn’t have to develop photos anymore makes him want to cry happy tears) ‘you don’t understand Julie, green photos. I’m not joking green photos, you don’t know my pain’

I know exactly what you are talking about, can’t remember the name at all though.

Reggie is just upset, but Alex and Bobby are rolling they find it that funny. Also Luke says something along the lines of, ‘it looked fine, I don’t see you blaming Alex and Bobby. This is not fair 🥺’

Wait yes, they always get recipes from bakeries. Also if a food is expensive/they don’t have enough for it but they want to try it sometime they (Reggie) will try to get a recipe just for Alex to make it.

Aw, Alex giving Bobby his own little box so that he always has something to eat.

11. And little did they know that Reggie actually met the Queen

13. Same here lol, but I’m not very good at sketching. However you should definitely do them if you want to! I’m in full support.

14. Yes exactly

16. Precisely, if it was anyone else Alex could say no however sue to the fact that it’s Luke and Reggie, he can’t

17. Oh my goodness you made my idea better. (Honestly I can’t type so I have no clue how I worded it) however I had meant that Reggie asks Caleb for baby pictures of Willie but your idea works so much better. (Also Willie isn’t really that creeped by the fact that Reggie has his baby pictures just accepts it)

Wait, I love that you said Caleb doesn’t question it. As if people ask Caleb for baby pictures all the time, or at least it’s normal (maybe normal Reggie behavior 🤷‍♀️)

But a Caleb scrapbook I love that idea. Also yes, Reggie just has baby pictures of everyone. Some random stranger that he saw once, yes, his great aunts ex husbands son’s daughter yes (oh my goodness what is that sentence). But basically everyone, even the queen

Yes, just them as babies in hot dog suits. Reggie also has a hat on for I don’t know why reasons. (Imagine if there’s a baby Willie with some kind of hot dog themed thing though)

19. Yes, Luke also smashes snow on peoples heads as well. And Alex is usually the one who stuffs it down the persons back (it is what Willie does as well, and they always have an alliance)

20. Exactly, Owen is such a great actor (also mentioning Booboo Stewart for same reasons)

And Owen does play Alex so perfectly, like Kenny could not have chosen a better actor for Alex even if he tried.

Honestly if the boys had hated Willie I would cry, A because no Willie and Alex and B that’s exactly what they are like and although it’s everything if no point A then sad. I mean, Caleb played Willie just as much as he played the boys. (I just want Caleb to be the good guy because but he does stuff like this whyyy)

Luke isn’t happy that Julie is mad at him however he’s happy that he was able to connect with Flynn

Anything that gets us Unsaid Emily is worth it in my books

21. Honestly I have no clue it’s just been something that I’ve been thinking about. Honestly both of those theories works so well and I feel like it will be so hilarious if Alex freaks over breaking in entering however he’s legitimately done something worse. Also yes, Emily and Mitch talking to Alex to make sure they are both alright is adorable

That would be hilarious, just send this to him one day 😂 😂

24. Yes, also just it either means Flynn and Carrie moments or Flynn singing which are both needed.

Yes only for one song, she can only manage one band and she doesn’t want to be a part of it (in that way). Yes it is a sad song with just them.

25. Imagine Alex and Carrie having a conversation and their banter just being everything

Yes and Luke is like the cool uncle who you go too when you want someone casual but I’m not going to call you out just yet to your father kind of person

26. Wait, yes that’s how all arguments used to get settled in the 90s and if Luke was in the wrong then he would usually write music (I’m basic apparently I can’t think of something else)

Same, especially if we get another hair flip from Willie.

28. This works perfectly! That’s exactly what happened and then ‘now or never’ came to be

32. I didn’t even think of the shop assistant giving him stickers I was just thinking of some random fan discovering Alex at 3 AM however I love that so much more.

Yes, he definitely would take extreme care of it and keep it in its pristine condition

35. Legitimately Ray just has so many kids, imagine if he tried to adopt Reggie, Luke, and Alex though that would be funny. And emotional at the same time

For the purpose of them looking amazing we are just going to disregard the fact that they can’t be seen on photo (maybe it’s a special camera that Willie has from the club i don’t know) (hmm or maybe if a ghost takes the picture then other ghosts can be seen?)

Yes I love that as well, the orb does look good for some reason lol

37. Who doesn’t live for heart eyes Alex (& Willie in my opinion). Yes, and these are not casual rules that you can break there’s legitimately a list and everything. Also Reggie isn’t allowed to wash it after shrinking it and changing the colour one time

39. Yes the dream father daughter team. They are so close (also just want to mention Ray in general not only with Julie but with Carlos as well, because you can tell that’s he trying so hard and is doing so well)

The categories are so funny also I love how we just have this so organized now

I’m sorry this took me so long to answer! I kept telling myself I would then getting sidetracked and now I’ve decided one o’clock in the morning is the best time to start writing this. Bare with me, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a lot of mistakes here 😂😭

BOX STUFF

1. Wait I didn’t think about that but I love it so much! Whenever the guys hang out at Luke’s before he runs away, Alex will walk into his room, tut at him or mutter something under his breath, and tidy while still managing to have a conversation with the guys - occasionally he’ll interrupt his own sentence to tell Luke off for the state of his room, like, “Oh yeah, I heard about that, it was — Luke, I swear if you don’t start picking up your dirty socks I’m going to shove them down your throat while you sleep — really cool actually, did you hear about...”. Also he has been known to just drag the vacuum cleaner in because he knows where Emily keeps it and he’ll hoover over the guys’ conversation.

And I can totally see Reggie stress cleaning? Bc usually he’s stressed or upset because of his parents fighting, right? So it must seem to him that everything is very disorderly and out of place, so to make himself feel better he spends hours putting things in the right place so everything is nice and tidy. It’s just an added bonus that the place gets cleaner. Also if the studio was messy the day before and suddenly clean when the band arrives in the morning then they know Reggie had a tough night.

Oh god that hurts. That hurts so freaking much. Just particularly the “pretending he is still there” part - I’m now imagining Emily or Mitch going up to Luke’s room alone, slowly sitting down on the bed or at the desk because they don’t even want to disturb the dust that has settled there. And they’ll look around the room and they’ll remember their son and all the things he used to do - write music, play games, hang out with his friends (who they remember and miss as well), and yes, argue with his parents. And they talk to him, sometimes in the way Ray and Julie do to Rose, as if Luke can hear them and is listening, but sometimes it’s as if he’s stood right in front of them. Tears in her eyes, Emily will whisper “How did your band rehearsal go?” because although it’s too late to start caring and to be okay with it, it comforts her to pretend it means something. She’ll imagine Luke’s reply, hear his voice tell her they made a killer new song, and she’ll smile as she replies, “That’s lovely. Well done, Luke. I’m so proud of you.”

3. Omg hang on I love that, like Alex being amazing at cooking but also completely clueless. He mutters to himself, “What the fuck does ‘fold in the flour’ mean?” then take a wild guess and somehow it tastes great. But like you said, it doesn’t exactly look very appetising.

BOARD GAMES AND JAM

1. Abwjskdlw Alex throwing drumsticks at Luke like a javelin or a dart or something, and Luke is frantically trying to dodge them but Alex has a seemingly endless supply of drumsticks, he just keeps pulling them out of nowhere and they’ve been there for half an hour of non-stop drumstick throwing and avoiding before he finally runs out.

YES and Reggie is totally serious about it too. Alex sneezes and Reggie is immediately like “that’s a tell!!! You sneezed last round too!!! I’m onto you, Mercer, I know it was you.” And Alex almost readies his drumsticks to throw at Reggie as well.

AMONG US

Oh this. This is glorious. I love this entire thing omg.

The detail of Luke saying Alex was imposter when he wasn’t sus just because he was annoyed is brilliant and would 100% happen. Also Julie-and-Willie and Alex-and-Luke being the best imposter duos is everything. Willie won’t kill Alex no matter what, but Julie is ruthless and Luke is usually first on her list.

Also I want to add what accessories they like because that’s fun! Although I haven’t played in months and can’t remember all of them, but this is what immediately springs to mind.

Luke - toilet paper hat

Julie - flower pot hat

Willie - top hat

Alex - the adorable little leaf thing

Reggie - pumpkin head hat thing

Flynn - no accessory, but she does have a tiny version of her character trailing behind her, you know the ones I mean right? She has a tiny child Among Us player with her at all times idk

Oh god, Monopoly is so much more hectic when Willie and Flynn join in. Willie somehow manages to collect so much money that he may as well just be the banker (definitely nothing to do with Alex being biased and “accidentally” slipping him a little extra cash). Flynn gets the best cards (that’s a thing in monopoly right? There’s a stack of cards in the middle you can choose from? Idk) and they basically win her the game. Luke gets angry, that’s when he flips the table again and Julie locks monopoly away forever

Same with Uno. Reggie doesn’t speak to Luke for a week after the first and only time they play Uno.

NUMBERS

2. I love that, like Willie trying to be a supportive boyfriend as Alex watches his hoodie get torn to pieces but just not being able to contain his laughter, practically lying in Alex’s lap because he’s laughing so much. It only gets worse as Alex cradles his ripped hoodie in his hands like it’s a dead animal or something. Like Willie is trying to be nice but the whole situation is freaking ridiculous and it doesn’t work.

Ahahaha I’m so glad you watched it! It does change a bit as the story goes on, I’m sure you’ll like it (I’d always be willing to hear your thoughts on it if you keep watching as well, if you want!!)

And like right??? Alex has complete and utter Merlin energy like “No, there must be another Arthur because this one’s an idiot” may as well be Alex saying “No, there must be another Sunset Curve because these ones are idiots”

6. Lmfao Alex just totally stops functioning after the hair flip and Bobby has to step in, love that. He very calmly takes over the situation, or has a sign, or just like freaking slaps the back of Alex’s head to bring him back to reality.

Right??? They just very quickly say “hey Bobby it’s us don’t steal our music” and then appear in the garage. Kinda tempted to write it now actually

8. Okay, seeing as it’s half one, I don’t want to go off on a whole tangent about “their strengths compliment each other” but I will definitely do this when I’m more awake because it’s a goddamn goldmine

10. Yesss 🥺🥺 like at first he would be a little sad that he didn’t get the experience of getting them developed but then when he remembered how annoying it was he’d be so happy. And omg can you imagine he reaction to how instant it is?? And how high definition?? My boy would stay there staring at these photos for hours on end, wide-eyed, mouth open, awestruck

Oh I love that! Reggie claims it’s so that Alex can enjoy himself and cook something new, which it partly is, but mainly it’s because Reggie just wants more food

11. I now wanna say that Reggie has met a ton of celebrities but nobody believes him because it’s Reggie (and he literally said how adults never believed him as a kid). He’s met the queen, the band Queen, Billy Joel (just because I watched a Billy Joel concert tonight - side note, Luke absolutely adores Billy Joel and listens to him constantly), whoever the president was when the guys were alive, and plenty more

17. Omg lmfao that makes sense 😂😂😂 but yeah like now I love the idea of him having Caleb’s baby photos too, I’m not going back on it. Caleb just has them ready to hand over the next time they all see each other (idk if I already mentioned that?) and he does a big evil speech but hands Reggie the photos halfway through, still talking, and Reggie just smiles and tucks them away into his pocket

“Or at least normal Reggie behaviour” I love how that implies that even though they’ve only really met twice Caleb already knows exactly what Reggie’s like and not only accepts it but is willing to encourage it, showing that he probably thinks it quite sweet (because let’s face it, we all think Reggie is sweet, and Caleb may be evil but he’s not stupid)

Reggie having the queen’s baby photos omg I’m dead 😂😂 that time they met he asked her and like Caleb she didn’t question it, just handed over these probably priceless photos and they end up in some ghost’s scrapbook

Omg yes all of them in hotdog suits plus baby Willie with hotdog socks! Or eating a hotdog! Or with a hotdog stuffed toy! The possibilities are endless

19. YES definitely. Also, Willie and Alex’s alliance only lasts until one of them has the perfect opportunity to shove snow down the other’s back just to watch them squirm, then it’s every ghost for himself

20. You are SO right, Owen and Booboo are literally amazing, we really won with this whole cast.

And thank you so much for saying Caleb played Willie as much as he did the guys!!!! I’ve seen so much stuff recently about Willie hate and like no?? You’re right, Willie was as much a victim as the others. Also I am so in love with the idea of Good Caleb! I just want him to adopt Alex, that’s literally it. Maybe instead of Caleb being defeated by the end of the show, he has seen the error of his ways and has turned nice, now only using evil against people who upset Alex and Willie, pretty please, Kenny make this happen???

Wait yeah that’s a really good point. Again, it’s a looooong tangent and it’s ten to two so I won’t write it now, but Luke and Flynn being friends (and competing over who loves Julie more) is something I desperately need

21. Yes lmao like Alex when he was alive would sometimes graffiti with the boys or set fire to stuff for fun (because they’re teenage boys and that’s what teenage boys do right? Idk that’s what the ones I know do) but as a ghost when he’s invisible he’s just very unsure about going into a closed museum

24. Yesss I need this so muchhh you’re so right

25. Alex and Carrie friendship is god tier.

Small tangent but y’know what else is great? Carrie and Nick being best friends instead of dating. They would get on so well without the pressure of a relationship (once Carrie becomes a little nicer and Nick stops being possessed)

Exactly that’s totally what Luke is

26. Another Willie hair flip PLEASE I would die. Just, Alex short-circuiting around Willie is the best thing ever. And it’s got me wondering what other little things Willie does that basically break Alex: stretching when he’s wearing a crop top so Alex can see his stomach and the smallest bit of his chest; okay but swimmer Willie?? Willie was on his school’s swim team and still swims sometimes and for whatever reason Alex’s loses it; twirling his hair around his finger (bonus points: twirling Alex’s hair around his finger while they’re cuddling)

32. I just love the idea of literally anyone giving them stickers. Reggie’s just out and about in a forest in the middle of nowhere one day (even he doesn’t really know what he’s doing there) and somehow someone finds him and hands him their fanart

35. Omg I didn’t think about how emotional it would be but then you had to go and say this and now all I can think about is each of the boys getting the family they deserve after so long and being loved and cared for unconditionally even though they’re dead and Ray would call them his angels (because he kinda did in ep 7) and oh god it’s too much I love it

Ooooh yes I like that, it’s a good way around the issue 😂 ghost takes photo, ghost can be seen. Perfect

37. Pffffft lmao YES. Reggie just wasn’t really certain on how the washing machine worked because it was at Luke’s house not his and they had a different model and he forgot not to mix colours and it all went badly wrong. Also Luke is banned from wearing them without supervision because once he accidentally set fire to one and now it’s elbow has a burnt patch on it

39. Now you’ve mentioned that I want Ray and Trevor to be friends again! They were probably buddies until Julie and Carrie fell out, I’d love to see them reconnect

Personally my favourite thing of this whole experience is how “Alex and jigsaws” turned into “Reggie has the queen’s baby photos”

[trinketprince]

Analyzing the IDW Sonic Issue #24 cover

Cause it actually gives us a pretty good insight on which characters will/allowed to appear in this series! (or at least I assume)

Ok so just to give some general context, Ian Flynn has said in a previous interview that classic era characters won’t appear. IDW Sonic, (at least for now, is strictly Modern Era)

So we can expect to not see these following characters in the IDW Sonic comic-verse for a good while.

Classic Versions of Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Vector, Espio, Charmy, Eggman and Metal Sonic

Segasonic the Hedgehog (Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel)

Sonic the Fighters (Honey the Cat, Bean the Dynamite and Bark the Bear)

Sonic Triple Trouble (Fang the Sniper/Nack the Weasel)

Tails’ Sky Patrol (Carrotia, Focke-wulf, Bearenger, Witchcarter)

Sonic R (Metal Knuckles, Tails Doll) 

Silver Sonic

Battle Kukku Empire (XV, Speedy and Doctor Fukurov)

Chaotix (Heavy and Bomb)

But in IDW Sonic Issue #3, Sonic mentions The Hooligans, so at the very least they can mention the existence of classic characters. 

But this restriction of characters does beg the questions though? What is and isn’t off limits in IDW Sonic?

Apart from Classic Universe, there are three other universes that come from the sonic games. Boom Universe, (though quite loosely-considered as a universe) Storybook Universe and (a more sketchy, loosely considered as a universe) Chronicles Universe.

In the case of Boom!Sonic, given the design of Sonic and the rest of the cast, we can outrule Sticks the Badger and Lyric from appearing, not sure if they’re allowed to reference them though. 

In the case of Storybook!Sonic, they’re allowed to reference the storybook games (as shown in IDW Sonic Issue #16). However using characters such as Shahra and Merlina is also unclear (but I’d guess they won’t appear).

In the case of Chronicles!Sonic, given the whole Ken Penders thing, I bet that Shade and the rest of the characters won’t even be given an allusion to.

Well how about one-off characters? Characters that appeared once or a few times in Sonic’s adventures?

Well, this is where this cover helps! See, as of the current issue, IDW Sonic Issue #22, a generous amount of characters has appeared.

The Main Cast (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy)

Returning Cast from Forces (Wisps, Vector, Espio, Charmy, Shadow, Rouge, Omega, Silver)

Antagonists from Forces (Eggman, Metal Sonic, Orbot, Cubot)

IDW exclusive new characters (Tangle, Whisper and her former Squad, Rough, Tumble, Jewel, Dr. Starline and others)

Returning cast not in Forces (Cream, Vanilla, Cheese, Chocola, Gemerl, Blaze, The Babylon Rouges (In a spin-off comic))

Returning Villains not in Forces (Zeti)

That’s almost everybody we see in this cover... except for a few characters.

That’s right, some previously unseen characters like Big the Cat, Froggy, and Marine the Raccoon of all characters, are seen again.

In Big’s case, it isn’t as jarring. He was bound to appear sometime, being apart of Team Rose, appearing in Sonic Adventure, his role in the Sonic games is far too big to skim over. In fact we actually may have an idea on where he is in the current arc. In IDW Sonic issue #22, page 5, we see a speech bubble, “Froggy?! Where are you?!”.

While Big is not explicitly shown in the actual issue, he is most well known for this phrase and his love and concern for Froggy, his pet frog. This suggests he may be present in the Restoration HQ...

... His fate, however, whether he got infected by the metal virus or not is undetermined. 

After scanning the room for people who has not been infected Gemerl stated that every one in there are already in different states of infection. So unless Big has somehow escaped (which to be honest, his character seems to be the type to pull surprises)...

... Big is already infected and left behind with Vector, Charmy and Vanilla.

Now for Marine. Blaze originally came to Sonic’s dimension because she felt something was wrong. 

She is introduced to Tangle as a princess from another dimension who wields the Sol Emeralds. She eventually joins the fight against Neo Metal Sonic and taking back Angel Island. 

At the end of IDW Sonic Issue #12, she says her work is done and decides goes back to the Sol Dimension.

In the Sonic 2019 Annual Issue, there is a story that involves Blaze visiting Silver’s Garden. 

And according to David Mariotte, the 2019 issue takes between issues #12 and #15. So Blaze was still in Sonic’s universe until at most before the Metal Virus arc started.

In the Metal Virus arc, Blaze is absent, most likely already having returned to the Sol Dimension. So with the appearance of Marine, does Blaze return back to Sonic’s dimension in this arc? Does she bring Marine along? Why?

And the presence of the Babylon Rogues and Jewel in the cover coupled with the solicitation description for IDW Sonic Issue #24:

“The Last One Out" As the Metal Virus spreads, Tangle's hometown of Spiral Hill Village stands as one of the last strongholds of the uninfected. Sonic, Tangle, and the remaining heroes of the Restoration make a stand, but will it be enough?

And the fact that the last time the Rogues and Jewel were last seen was during the jewel heist at Mineral Museum suggests that they will appear there once more.

Does the appearance of Marine, who’s only appearance in the game series is Sonic Rush Adventure, and the Babylon Rogues, who only appeared in the Sonic Riders spin-off games, suggest that other one-off characters will reappear in this continuity? Like Tikal and Chaos from Adventure, Elise from 06 and Yacker from Colors?

Speculation:

Yeah remember when I said that Big is the type to pull surprises? I bet that in a later issue it will be revealed that Big got on the ship safely. However, Froggy is infected, Big, who cares for Froggy too much, couldn’t bare to leave him behind. I mean, that one throwaway dialogue could be a clue for what’s to come. He compromises the safety of the ship, spiraling the mood of the heroes down further. I think that someone of note is gonna get infected, other than Big. And that would send Cream’s mood to be even more desolate. 

It can’t be Tails cause he’s working on the cure, he’s got plot protection cause he needs to bounce back from his mistake (dropping the cure, and it’s incomplete). Sonic is plot protected as well and Knuckles is on Angel Island. Espio needs to avenge the Chaotix so he has a flimsy plot shield. Tangle is needed because something is definitely gonna happen in Spiral Hill, where Jewel is currently in, so she’s protected. 

I think it’s Amy. Just think about it, she’s one of the main 4, she’s the head of Restoration, she’s been doing so well, handling everything that comes at her, She is the face of the restoration and who many people rely on. She is Cream’s role model. And she promised Vanilla that she’d protect Cream. When you take her away, everything seems more hopeless and desolate, one of the main pillars of the sonic franchise has crumbled, and now the metal virus seems more dangerous than ever.

It can also be Whisper, Whisper and Tangle’s spinoff series ends exactly before issue #23 will come out. And in the spinoff, one of it’s main themes is the friendship that Whisper and Tangle have. They’ve become close to rely on each other. And as much as I hate to think it, Whisper may be “fridged” to boost Tangle’s desire to save her friends in issue #23. A setup for issue #24, where the metal virus goes to Spiral Hill, where Jewel is. 

Now why am I mentioning Cream’s role here? Well it’s because Cream is the hidden star of this arc. Think about it. Charmy’s infection is the catalyst for Sonic to check up on Cream and her family. Gemerl’s main purpose is to protect Cream, and he is currently the protector of the uninfected, given that all other “protector” characters, are currently unavailable (Sonic is infected, Shadow has turned, Silver is busy, Blaze is not yet there, Omega is ripped, Vector is infected, Amy will soon turn). Chocola and Cheese, her friends, compromised Tails’s cure. Vanilla turned in front of her eyes. So many of the events are centered around Cream, and there will definitely be one more catalyst for her big role.

Enter Marine and Blaze. Cream is friends with Blaze, finding friendship with one another in Sonic Rush. And in the cover, we can see Cream holding hands with Marine. There will definitely be an interaction between the two of them considering that 

All characters in the cover are posed in a way where all interactions have meaning. (Babylon Rogues are together, Chaotix are together, Dark are together, etc.) Why pose Cream and Marine like this when they’ve never interacted before?

Both are related to Blaze in a way, mayhaps a humorous introduction may happen between the two “Oh Hello Ms. Blaze!” “I’m her real bestfriend!” etc.

If Amy does turn, Cream, for once in her life will be alone, Amy is gone, Vanilla, Cream and Chocola have turned, and if I’m right, Big is already infected as well. Even the more minor friends she has like Sonic is infected, Tails is busy, Knuckles is MIA and Vector (Sonic Riders), has already turned. Blaze will be the only person left, a sister figure that Cream can cling onto.

And as a final catalyst, A few more people will get infected, whether it will be Tails, or Sonic or Blaze, I can’t guess. But what I will guess is that Cream will definitely have a big role in this arc’s ending.

Aurgh! I’m just so excited for the upcoming issues, and seeing this cover definitely made my brain churn!! 

[geneeste]

Timeless fic: the devil’s right there in the details (1/1)

Wyatt/Lucy, Rufus & Lucy, Time Team. 4479 words. Rated Teen, just to be safe.

First and foremost, a HUGE thank you to @bethanyactually, who saved this fic. Also, I don't think this will happen, but it was fun to play with. Title from Fink's "Looking Too Closely."

She shouldn’t be, but she’s genuinely surprised when Noah is brought in for questioning.

She’s finished her own session, after what felt like days of debrief (but was actually only one very late night and very early morning) in which Agent Christopher gently but relentlessly mined every moment she could of Lucy’s life with her mother, and it feels like she’s finally come up for air. Agent Christopher had ended their meeting, told her to stay close, and then disappeared again behind the closed door of the office about half an hour ago.

Which just left her and Wyatt and Rufus hanging out in the hallway, not speaking while they wait for what’s next. They’d apparently waited for her all night, and she’s so grateful for them, even though she can barely make eye contact with either man.

At least the hard part is over, right? They know, and Mason and the national security agencies know, and she hasn’t been kicked off the project for being an unwitting sleeper agent for Rittenhouse.

That’s what her mother wanted, isn’t it? For Lucy to play both sides, even if she hadn’t known it at the time? Because it’s the only thing that makes any sense. Surely her mother knows that secretly being used was—and is—the only way Lucy could ever contribute to Rittenhouse. Carol can’t possibly believe that after months of fighting both Flynn and Rittenhouse, Lucy would just suddenly give up all the things she stands for and switch sides.

Her mom can’t really believe Lucy is capable of that, because if she does, Lucy doesn’t know what that says about her. She thought she was the kind of person who helps people and preserves history, but then she’s apparently also the kind of person who helps Flynn with his mission of destruction in the future. How could she also be someone who would help Rittenhouse control everything and everyone? That can’t be her, can it? What does it say about her that she doesn’t know?

Lucy hadn’t thought Carol was capable of the things she's done, of being enmeshed so completely in Rittenhouse, but she is. And if she is, and her biological father is, and Lucy is Rittenhouse royalty, does that mean she’s predestined? Is it literally in her blood? Who is she supposed to be now?

These feelings, these doubts, they’re not something she can talk about yet. She’d only shared the bare bones of events with Wyatt and Rufus, who have taken it incredibly well, all things considered. But they’d been quiet, and maybe even pitying. Lucy can barely face her own reflection, let alone the questioning faces of maybe the only real family she has left.

She can feel Wyatt’s eyes on her, and she wonders how much of what she’s thinking is showing on her face. But she can’t bring herself to look up yet, at least not until she hears doors slam open in the distance and boots on the cement floor, because even in the midst of all the chaos since the Mothership was stolen and she came back with news of her mother’s duplicity, most of the activity has been on the floor protecting the Lifeboat, and not coming from outside.

So she’s not sure who she’s expecting to see come around the corner of the hallway, but it sure as hell isn’t Noah, surrounded by agents in suits and two men in tactical gear.

It’s a shock to see him here in this otherwise very secret place, but it’s not just his presence that sends a jolt of unease through her--it’s that he seems so unsurprised. He’s not looking around Mason Industries headquarters like he’s never seen it before; he doesn’t look indignant at being arrested by government agents. He looks bored, and smug, and totally unsurprised.

“Oh man,” Rufus mutters from behind her. “That can’t be good.”

Just before he’s escorted into the room Christopher is holed up in, Noah locks eyes with her. There’s nothing there--none of the intimacy that had made her so uncomfortable, none of the warmth that filled his eyes around her, absolutely no emotion at all. They’re empty, and Lucy is suddenly terrified.

Because this isn’t just Agent Christopher covering all her bases. There’s a reason they brought Noah in, and a reason they’re doing it now. It’s clear he’s a part of this somehow.

And considering how well her mother seemed to know him, how much she approved of him as a partner for Lucy, it’s not hard to figure out how.

“Oh my god,” Lucy breathes, and she can feel the beginnings of a truly powerful anxiety attack gathering around her lungs.

Then suddenly Wyatt is beside her, a warm hand sliding over her elbow and up her arm. “Take it easy. We don’t know why he’s here yet.”

“Yes we do,” she replied, swallowing and reaching for control. “Yes we do.”

A few minutes later, Agent Christopher comes out of the office, quietly shutting the door so that they can’t see into it. “Lucy, I’d like to talk to you for a moment.”

“She stays here,” Wyatt speaks up, confident and completely overbearing, and Lucy could honestly kiss him for it. “We need an update anyway.”

Christopher glances at Wyatt briefly and away, as if dismissing him wouldn’t be worth the effort. “While you and I were in our meeting last night, Mason was sifting through the Rittenhouse data, looking for more members with enough evidence against them to be indicted. Now, so far there’s no mention of Noah Russo--”

Lucy latches on to that, hoping desperately that even an unwanted relationship wasn’t a lie. “So he’s not a part of Rittenhouse?”

Christopher holds up a hand. “Noah Russo isn’t, but…Lucy, I asked Connor to use his program to look into Noah on the off chance he was connected to your mother through more than your broken engagement. It turns out that the name is an alias. As far as we can tell, Noah Russo didn’t exist before about five years ago.”

Lucy closes her eyes briefly. “That’s three years before we started dating. Well, him and me--the other me. This timeline’s Lucy.”

Christopher nods. “That’s what he told you, and that’s what you told us, but we’d never met him before, and we can’t find anyone outside your family’s circle who can corroborate that.”

Lucy shakes her head. “No, that’s insane. It doesn’t make sense that he isn’t--he’s a doctor, he works at St. Mary’s. He treated Rufus’ gunshot wound. He had to go to medical school, he’d have a license on file with the state--”

“All of those documents can be fabricated,” Wyatt interrupts grimly. “Or obtained legally, particularly if his identity is solid.”

“It is,” Christopher confirms. “Lucy, it’s very well done. These kinds of covers are hard to come by and are very expensive. It’s hard to believe he’d have the kind of connections and resources on his own to acquire something like this. It would be an incredible coincidence if he wasn’t bankrolled by Rittenhouse, and I don’t believe in coincidences.”

She’s right, Lucy knows she’s right. A curious kind of numbness replaces the panic, and she welcomes it. “Why are you telling me this? Why not just go in there and get him to confirm it?”

“Because he won’t talk to us,” Christopher says bluntly. Lucy has always admired Christopher’s refusal to shy away from difficult matters, and she particularly admires it now. “He’s maintained since we picked him up that he won’t cooperate unless he speaks to you first.”

“No way,” Wyatt answers, posture rigid as he turns to her. “It’s just a play to get in your head and mess with you. There’s no point.”

Rufus squeezes in between her and the wall, so that she’s flanked on both sides by men she trusts, and it does help a little.

“I hate to say it, because the guy did kind of save my life, but Wyatt’s right.” Unlike Wyatt, Rufus seems pretty relaxed, but his eyes are hard. “I say we just throw his ass in jail. No reason to treat him differently than any of the others.”

“I’d say that we need to know if he is different from any of the others,” Christopher replies. “But I won’t make you do this, Lucy. It’s up to you.”

It’s a few long moments of Lucy wondering how many blows, how many betrayals she can take. Long moments of asking herself if knowing is worth the aftermath.

The thing is, she’s made a career of seeking the truth, facing head-on the realities of events and movements and people. She’s always believed that knowing the stark, painful truth of things made her a better human being, and that hasn’t changed.

She’s a historian. That’s who she is.

“I can stop any time?” she asks Christopher.

She nods. “Any time. We’ll have two agents in there with you, and I’ll be in the next room watching you the whole time.”

“So will we,” Wyatt says, giving Rufus a significant look.

Rufus nods enthusiastically. “Absolutely, right next door.”

“Okay,” she says, taking a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”

When Christopher opens the door for her, she steps in, bracing herself for an angry or defiant Noah waiting to (literally or figuratively) jump on her. But he’s sitting calmly, coolly even, and it puts Lucy off balance for moment.

They’d cleared out most of the other furniture, so that only a plain metal desk and two chairs on either side remain, along with a camera set up to capture and relay their conversation. To her right there’s a door that connects the two offices, and knowing that her team is right on the other side silently supporting her gives her enough confidence to sit down.

Some of her earlier anxiety returns as they sit in silence, and it occurs to Lucy that she hasn’t gotten any better at these kinds of conversations since she’d tried to reform Lindbergh.

Knowing that she’s the weak one here, she decides to just get on with it. She doesn’t want to be in this room any longer than she absolutely has to be. “You wanted to talk to me?”

Noah nods, just slightly. “I wanted to make sure you were okay. We didn’t exactly leave things in a good place the last time we saw each other.”

His delivery is so earnest, so on point, that if she couldn’t see his eyes, she’d really think he cared about her. But his eyes--they’re just blank. It’s a ploy of some kind, and she can’t figure it out, and it makes her angry.

“Okay,” she says, scoffing and sitting up straighter. “Can we just agree to drop this whole doting-fiancé act? I know Noah Russo isn’t your real name. Whatever I am to you, it’s not a trusted confidante, and it’s definitely not a loving partner. You don’t care about me. So let’s just get to whatever it is you wanted to talk to me about so that I can go to bed.”

He smiles at her suggestively, and finally, some honest but indecipherable expression flits across his face. “There’s the Lucy I remember.”

She stands up, and she looks to one of the agents standing over Noah’s shoulder. She won’t stay here and be so blatantly manipulated. “We’re done.”

“Lucy, come on,” Noah says when her back is to him and her hand is on the doorknob. “After everything, you don’t believe that I loved you? What about your mother? She loves you. She’s worried about you. She’s worried about your future.”

She turns where she stands, hand still on the door--there’s no way she’s sitting back down in that chair. She doesn’t want to give him that power.

“So that’s it?” she asks, chilled by his words and knowing that he’s hooked her despite herself. “My mother needed an in? Did she think I would tell you about my work, since I wouldn’t tell her?”

Just silence, so she continues, trying to find a question he’ll answer. “You know, I wondered. Ever since the day you just appeared in my life, through my picky mom, no less. It was just so convenient. And I thought--that’s crazy, I’m crazy,” she says, shaking her head, and laying her hand against her chest.

“You’re just this poor guy with terrible-enough luck to get a time-traveling girlfriend who doesn’t remember him,” and she should maybe regret admitting that part, she doesn’t know how much he’s supposed to know, but he doesn’t react. “Now, though? Now I’m pretty sure I wasn’t crazy.

“Were we really engaged?” She lets go of the doorknob and takes just one step closer, desperate to know the truth. To know the extent of her mom’s deception. “Did we even know each other before four months ago?”

Noah doesn’t say a word, just tilts his head at her and smiles that odd, creepy smile.

Lucy’s stomach rolls, and she has to swallow to force down bile, because he may not have said anything but she knows--she knows--that she’s right.

“Wow, you’re good,” she laughs, and it’s shaky and awful. “I believed it. I believed all of it, I mean you had everything--pictures of us, my things, my clothes. I mean, really, well done.”

“You’d be surprised what Rittenhouse can do, Lucy.”

“I’ve heard that,” she replies bitterly. “Whose idea was it, Noah? Rittenhouse’s or my mother’s?”

Noah leans forward over the desk, and that expression appears in his eyes again, and this time she can name it as a sort of manic belief. This man has definitely drunk the Kool-Aid. “See, your problem is that you still think there’s a difference. Your mother is Rittenhouse. Your father is Rittenhouse. You’re Rittenhouse. It’s in your blood.”

“No,” she manages. His words are so eerily reflective of her earlier thoughts, and she has got to get out of this room. There’s nothing left for her to learn here. “I’m not anything I don’t want to be, and I’ll never be Rittenhouse.”

She turns on her heel, and this time she leaves the room immediately, without hesitation. She knows he’s calling out something behind her, but she’s not paying attention, just wanting to close the door on him in all the ways she can.

Seeing her team come out of their office, she braces a hand on the wall as they come toward her, trying to keep herself and her world steady for just a minute longer. They all look so worried and solemn, Lucy has to fight the ridiculous, somewhat hysterical urge to laugh.

“You did well, Lucy,” Christopher says. “I know it doesn’t feel like it, but you got us some good information to follow up on.”

“Yeah,” Lucy replies, sounding breathless and avoiding Wyatt’s gaze, which has zeroed in on her face.

“You should start checking into the older members and their families,” Rufus interjects, sounding only slightly less freaked out than she feels. “As obsessed as these people seem to be with bloodlines, there's no way they'd pair him up with Lucy if he wasn't from the inside. Ten to one that guy’s some Rittenhouse stooge’s kid.”

God, if that isn't a disgusting thought. “He’s right. Excuse me,” Lucy says before abruptly retreating.

She’s used up all her calm, and before she really thinks about it, she’s moving quickly back down the hallway, looking for the ladies’ bathroom she’s pretty sure is down here somewhere.

Footsteps behind her announce that Wyatt is following her. “Wait, Lucy, where are you going?”

She doesn’t spare him a glance. “To throw up.”

To her relief, the women’s room is only a few doors down from where she thought it was, and when she pushes through the door, she’s startled to see that Wyatt has followed her.

Her stomach is still rebelling with all this new, disturbing knowledge, and she doesn’t want him in here. “Wyatt, really, I need--”

The sound of him hauling a large, open trash can across the floor to where they’re standing cuts her off. “If you need it, there it is,” he says. “Now talk to me.”

It sends her back to the last time he sought her out like this, in a cottage behind enemy lines. She’s not as scared now as she was then, but it's close. “You don’t talk.”

He gives her a dark half-smile. “For you I do.”

His arms are crossed over his chest, and his shoulders are tense, but there’s a stillness about his eyes--those blue eyes that just seem to capture her--and she marvels at how solid he is, how unshakeable he seems ever since he told her that it was his purpose to protect her and Rufus.

But she’s incredibly shaken, and she doesn’t want him to see how close she is to losing it. She presses a hand to her forehead, shaking her head. “I can’t--”

“Yes, you can. You can, Lucy. You’re safe here. Just get it out.”

He won’t let her look away, chases her gaze when she tries to. The hand on her forehead runs through her hair, then falls. “It’s just--I’ve followed my mom my whole life. I became a historian because I love the work, but also because it was what my mom wanted. And I was okay with that, most of the time I was okay with that, because it brought us closer. Even when she was sick, I felt so close to her. And now I find out that must have all been a lie, she brought this stranger into my life, she let me think I was supposed to marry him, she let me live with him, he could’ve--”

It’s horrifying, how vulnerable Noah and her mom made her. She knows Wyatt understands, because his jaw is clenched as he nods sharply. “Yeah. Right there with you.”

She nods back, takes a deep breath, eyes burning and throat aching. “And I think it might be worse, because it wasn’t always like this, right? It couldn’t have always been like this, we had Amy, and she wasn’t...I’m sure our Dad wasn’t a part of this, so that means…”

“Finish it,” Wyatt says, voice low and knowing.

“I think I did this, Wyatt,” Lucy says, voice thready with repressed tears. “Something we did, it didn’t just erase Amy, it changed something in my mother, something fundamental, something that Rittenhouse exploited. Which means that everything that’s happened since that first mission is my fault, because I didn’t do my job--”

Wyatt shakes his head. “C’mere,” he says, then he’s got one warm hand on the nape of her neck, and the other one low on her back, pulling her closer.

She puts her arms around his waist, presses her cheek into his shoulder, and just lets everything else go for a while. She pours out all the sadness, all the guilt, all the fear. Wyatt just holds her tightly, letting her soak his shirt, wrapping her up in an invisible blanket of comfort.

After a few minutes she sniffles, feeling stuffy and exhausted and a little embarrassed by it all. She pulls away, but he doesn’t let her go far, keeping her close with his hands on her upper arms.

He bends a little to catch her eye. “I don’t know if something we did changed her. I hope not. I’m--I’m sorry if it did. But it’s an impossible job, okay? You can't put all that on your shoulders. You have to know that no one could have done better. No one.”

“I want to believe that,” she says, wiping her nose on her sleeve--her mother would definitely not approve of that unladylike gesture, and she takes some weird satisfaction from that--and then swipes her fingers under both eyes.

He watches all of this quietly, waits until she's looking up at him to speak. “Well, I believe it. I'm pretty sure Rufus does too. Maybe for now that’ll be enough.”

She holds his eyes for a beat longer, trying to communicate the gratitude that she can't put into words. They linger and begin to sway toward each other as the air between them changes. It becomes charged with promise, just like it felt last night in the meeting room, and just like that moment, something happens to interrupt it before the promise can be fulfilled.

Lucy yawns.

When Wyatt laughs, it's warm with affection, but Lucy’s face is warm with a blush, and she drops her chin to her chest with a groan. “I'm sorry. I'm so tired, but I'm just...I'm not ready to go back out there yet.”

He slides his hands up to her shoulders and tugs her close enough to drop a kiss on the top of her head. A nice bolt of electricity shoots down from the spot, and she warms for a different reason, but she really is just too drained to see where it leads right now.

And Wyatt, being the protector he is, seems to understand that. “Come on,” he says, pulling her over to the side of the small room, where he sits, leaning his back against the wall and stretching his long legs out in front of him.

She blinks. “Really?”

He just looks up at her and smirks. “You said you weren't ready to go out yet. There's no couch in here--which is a disappointment, by the way, I always heard there were couches in ladies’ rooms--so that just leaves the floor. Sit.”

For the first time in hours, Lucy feels like smiling, so she does. And then she sits.

It takes her a minute to adjust, the tile floor not being the most comfortable surface to rest on after the day she's had, but Wyatt’s shoulder next to hers feels right somehow.

“So,” she sighs, staring at the gleaming sinks on the opposite wall. “What now?”

“I'm the wrong guy for that, I just execute the orders, I don't give them,” he says, and she would say that he shouldn't sell himself short, but she's pretty sure he's joking by the way mouth tilts and his eyes crinkle. “Rufus is the smart one, he'll think of something.”

As if on cue, there's a hesitant knock on the door, followed by it opening just a crack. “Guys? Is it safe for me to come in?”

Wyatt rolls his eyes. “Yes, Rufus. What do you think we're doing in here?”

“I don't know, I've just learned to be cautious about opening unknown doors.” He holds out his hands, giving her a bottle of water and a big bar of dark chocolate. “Thought you could use these.”

Her eyes start to sting again at Rufus’ thoughtfulness, and she has to blink a few times. “Thanks.”

She opens the bottle of water and takes a long gulp, realizing how thirsty all the crying has made her. Rufus really is a genius.

She recaps it quickly and drops it into her lap when Rufus slowly starts to lower himself next to her, groaning.

She puts a hand up to help support his back as he sits. “Rufus, your stitches, be careful!” she chastises.

He waves a hand once he's settled. “It's fine, Wyatt can carry me back out.”

“No, Wyatt can't,” Wyatt shoots back. “You've got like 30, 40 pounds on me.”

Rufus leans forward to glare at Wyatt. “Hey, that’s all muscle!”

Lucy hides a smile, tearing open the chocolate bar wrapper to break a piece off.

“Did I say it wasn’t? You're taller than me,” Wyatt says, accepting a piece of chocolate from her. “Plus, there’s that giant brain of yours.”

Rufus grumbles, eyeing the square of chocolate she offers him for a second before taking it. “Well, I accept your acknowledgment of my superior intellect.”

“I think you're perfect, Rufus,” Lucy says.

Rufus harrumphs, although it's clear he's putting on a show to cheer her up. “Damn right I am. Jiya doesn’t just want me for my brain, you know.”

It's totally working, because she grins. “Of course. I'd fight her for you, but I'm positive she could take me.”

Rufus’ eyes sparkle, like they always do when he's thinking about Jiya. “It's a valid concern. You can't trust Star Trek fans, they fight dirty.”

“Star Trek fans?” Wyatt interjects. “What about Star Wars fans? Han shot first.”

Rufus and Lucy both turn to Wyatt and stare.

His face reddens. “What? I watch movies,” he says defensively.

Lucy snorts, then looks back at Rufus. “How is Jiya doing?”

That sobers him up, and he doesn't quite meet her eyes. “Better,” he says, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket to show Lucy that he's been texting her. “Wishing she could be here to watch the drama unfold.”

And what drama it was. Lucy appreciates the humor, how Jiya makes the matter feel less threatening. “I bet. Tell her we said hi.”

Rufus nods, then takes her hand. “Yeah, about that. I'm sorry your not-fiancé turned out to be a cylon.”

He doesn't say, sorry that your mom did too, but she hears it anyway. She swallows, manages a strained smile. “Me too.”

They're all quiet after that, but it's a comforting quiet, while Lucy lets herself enjoy their company and relax. They finish off the chocolate bar, and Lucy takes a few more sips of water.

“So we're just...hanging out in the women's bathroom, huh?” Rufus asks.

Wyatt huffs a laugh. “Yep.”

Then their attention is drawn to the door, which squeaks open as an older woman Lucy recognizes as one of the lead computer programmers walks in, then abruptly stops when she catches sight of the three of them on the floor.

They regard each other in silence, until Rufus speaks up. “Hi,” he offers nonchalantly, as if there's nothing odd about this situation at all.

The programmer points to the door. “You know, I'll just use another one.”

“Sorry!” Lucy yells out belatedly, just before the door swings closes behind the departing woman.

“We should probably get out of here,” Rufus comments mildly.

Lucy drops her head onto Wyatt’s shoulder, feels his answering chuckle. “Yeah.”

Despite knowing that nothing has changed--her mother is still a stranger, Noah is still just down the hall in interrogation being evil--she feels at peace here. With Wyatt and Rufus beside her, she feels safe and cozy and actually optimistic, and she's afraid that once they leave that will go away.

So she squeezes Rufus' hand, and gets comfortable against Wyatt’s shoulder, and closes her eyes. “Just a few more minutes.”

Wyatt must turn to look at her, because she can feel his breath rustle her hair when he speaks. “Okay.”

So they stay.

[what-is-sibling-test]

Can you do something with Lucy losing her locket right near the lifeboat? Wyatt just wants to get home and is pushing Rufus to get them out. Lucy is in hysterics, crawling around, sobbing that the locker is the last connection to Amy. Flynn steps in and tells Wyatt no one is leaving without Lucy’s locket. Wyatt and Rufus looks for it. Flynn sits with her an just listens and comforts her before looking for it himself. Flynn ends up finding the locket and Lucy throws her arms around him and sobs.

There are gunshots crackling and whizzing less than a hundred feet behind them as the Time Team runs pell-mell toward the Lifeboat, eager to get out of 1919 as fast as they humanely can. They got the Nineteenth Amendment passed and solved the case of the missing suffragette (well, Grace Humiston helped… a lot), and apparently Rittenhouse, because they’re just the worst, is very pissed about it. Flynn whirls around and fires back into the darkness, which has only debatable effect. Not much further. At least their first mission as a foursome hasn’t been a total disaster, but there’s still time for it to turn into one.

They’re just a few yards from the Lifeboat when Lucy screeches to a halt and clasps a hand to her neck, looking panicked. All the boys accordingly stop as well, almost domino-ing into each other, which would be funnier if they weren’t in danger of, you know, getting shot. “Lucy?” Wyatt pants. “What’s – ”

“My locket.” Lucy’s face is white. “My locket with Amy’s picture. I – it’s not there.”

Wyatt and Flynn exchange a brief, unwilling look. The obvious thing to point out is that she could have dropped it any time while they were peeling out of Five Points with Rittenhouse shooting at them, and there is no time to retrace their steps. Wyatt looks tensely over his shoulder; the gunshots are getting closer. “Lucy,” he says. “Lucy, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, but maybe we just – ”

“What?” Lucy flares at him. “Your lost loved ones are the only ones who matter?”

Wyatt winces, clearly well aware that he deserved that. There’s a tenuous moment as they all stare at each other. Flynn is both frustrated – if the locket was that precious and irreplaceable, why bring it on a jump – and unwillingly sympathetic. He, after all, still wears his wedding ring, keeps his pieces of his girls as close as he can, and he might be kicking up a protest if he’d somehow lost it. He thumbs his finger, just to be sure. It’s still there.

More gunshots. Wyatt and Rufus glance at each other.

“I’ll look quickly,” Wyatt says. “Rufus, go get the jump ready. Flynn – “

“I’ll look too,” Flynn says, clearly surprising everyone. “Lucy, go get in the Lifeboat with Rufus.”

Lucy hesitates, but doesn’t move to do as ordered. She starts hurrying back along the tramped black grass, gets on hands and knees, as Wyatt and Flynn exchange another unwilling look and scamper after her, both with guns in hand and just waiting for Rittenhouse to come crashing around the corner in a Model T. It’s dark, it’s been raining, and the chances that they are going to find a tiny necklace are low. “Lucy,” Wyatt says, reaching for her arm. “Lucy, please – ”

She flinches back from him, making him look stabbed – things have been rocky between them for obvious reasons, but this must be really driving it home. “I am not leaving without that locket!”

“Any century now, guys!” Rufus yells from the Lifeboat. “Come on!”

Wyatt and Flynn glance at each other for a third time. The gunshots have fallen silent, but that only means Rittenhouse is briefly unsure where they are. It doesn’t mean they’re not close. They are obviously sympathetic to Lucy’s plight, but they can’t hang the whole team out to dry, they can’t –

“One more minute,” Wyatt says to Lucy. “One more minute, okay? Then – ”

“We’re finding it,” Flynn snaps. It’s a reflexive Wyatt-chain-yanking response, since he obviously has no idea where the damn thing is either. Floating down the Hudson, or back in some crammed tenement, or – who knows. “I’ll be sure to explain it to your wife if you die.”

Wyatt gives him a black look, though there’s a hint of shame at the reminder of Jessica, of what he’s done on this end himself. He tugs once more at Lucy’s arm, trying to get her to move toward the safety of the Lifeboat, as she digs in her heels. But Flynn jerks his head at her, and she finally does, letting Wyatt shepherd her toward it. She looks blank and numb, barely paying attention.

Cursing himself for an utter idiot (it’s true, he knows it, but usually in a different way than this), Flynn flings himself forward, gropes in their muddy footprints, and finally his fingers close on something small and hard. It could be the locket or it could be a piece of shore trash, but he can feel a chain, and as he holds it up to the glow, it definitely looks like a necklace. He can hear the renewed pop of gunshots by the warehouse, ducks just in time, and races to the Lifeboat, jumping in just as Rufus triggers the door lock. “You were going to wait for me, weren’t you?”

Rufus gives him a look as if it’s better not to ask questions he doesn’t want the answers to, and Flynn grudgingly supposes that is fair. He sits down, breathless and muddy, but glances over and holds his hand out to Lucy. “This it?”

She looks at it and doesn’t make a sound. Finally, her chin trembles, and she nods. Two silent tears track down her cheeks.

Flynn pauses, and then – ignoring Wyatt’s brief movement – leans forward and fastens the muddy locket around her neck, brushing her hair back. Lucy clicks it open to see that the picture of Amy is still safely inside, and doesn’t entirely muffle her sob this time. One arm comes up around Flynn in a brief, clumsy hug, but it’s fierce enough to be more than that. “Thank you,” she says, muffled, into his shoulder. He can feel her shake. “Thank you.”

He clears his throat awkwardly, lets go of her, and does his own seatbelt (determined not to struggle with it, since Wyatt is watching). Well. Well then.

This teamwork stuff is a trip.

from 'RittenhouseTL' for all things Timeless https://ift.tt/2v8flr3 via Istudy world

[wolfdenlin77-blog]

Recapping Twin Peaks: The Return: Part 10

Before watching each week's installment of Twin Peaks: The Return, the titles given for each part offer a nice little hint for what's in store, or, in the cases where the title doesn't provide an obvious prompt, a way to later look back on the element that David Lynch and Mark Frost wanted you to pay the closest attention to from the beginning. The title of Part Nine was This is the Chair, and in that episode, we got some seriously important information from that chair: the directions from the late Major Garland Briggs (Don S. Davis) that will get the Twin Peaks Sheriff's Department closer to understanding where and when and how Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) can be found. This week's title, however, is Laura is the One and while we're not left with any immediately accessible explanation for what that means, we know that Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) is somehow the key element to restoring, and hopefully healing, the toxic sadness now coursing through the metaphorical water supply within the town of Twin Peaks.

If you recall, we learned in Part Eight that Carel Struycken's character, credited so far as just ??????? in The Return, and his cohort in the White Lodge (though I'm personally on the fence that this is what this is) Seorita Dido (Joy Nash) sent the golden goodness of Laura into Twin Peaks to combat the rivaled evilness of Bob (Frank Silva). The essence of Bob was most recently within Dale Cooper's Doppelgnger, who we've been calling Evil Cooper, but was removed by the Woodsmen (led by Robert Broski) and is now god knows where. Even without that essence, the ratio of bad versus good in Twin Peaks and the other new locations (Las Vegas, South Dakota, New York, Philadelphia) leans more on the bad side. Like really, really bad. Twin Peaks used to be a town where, aside from the occasional incest, prostitution ring, and murder, the worst thing to happen on any given day is finding a fish in your percolator. Now, it's a place where pinched-face psycho killers call their grandmother a cunt. So, if Laura is the One, as we've been told by the auteurs themselves, perhaps that means she's the one to finally snap Cooper out of his Dougie stupor; in other words, Laura contains the Prince Charming-esque kiss that's gonna bring him back around. Hell, we'd place a Mr. Jackpots-sized bet on it.

Part Ten opens with another appearance from Richard Horne (Eamon Farren), who we now know beyond the shadow of a doubt is the terrible, terrible god-awful son of Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn) who we still have not seen. He pays a visit to the trailer park where Miriam Sullivan (Sarah Jean Long) lives to try and sweet talk her out of not telling the police that she saw him mow a little boy down with his truck. Unfortunately for her, she tells him she already called and wrote a letter to the Sheriff, to which he gives up the sweet talk and just kills her instead. Ramming his way into her home, we hear the sounds of brutal violence and then the camera lets us peek in to see that not only did he beat her to death, he opened up the gas on the stove and left a burning candle next to it as well. Spoiler: Things are going to get even more heated.

In back to back displays of violence, we go from here to the front of the New Fat Trout Trailer Park where Carl (Harry Dean Stanton) sits in a folding chair strumming Red River Valley on an acoustic guitar. His song is interrupted by a red coffee cup being thrown through the window of a nearby trailer and we go inside that home to see Shelly's daughter Becky (Amanda Seyfried) being manhandled and screamed at by a hysterical, runny nosed Steven - her husband - played very Leo Johnson-y by Caleb Landry Jones. Based on this display, he may even have Leo beat and it seems like Becky might have something worse than soap in a sock coming her way. Those familiar with the original series and Fire Walk With Me might be wondering whatever happened to 'ol new shoes Leo. It'd be interesting to see his storyline wrapped up in The Return along with a few others we're curious about like Donna Hayward (Lara Flynn Boyle, Moira Kelly) for instance. Let's not hold our breath, though.

Meanwhile, at a doctor's office in Las Vegas, Cooper/Dougie is being examined while his temporary (although she doesn't know this yet) wife Janey-E Jones (Naomi Watts) watches, looking visibly pleased that he's mysteriously lost a bunch of weight and is now in excellent shape. Once back home, Janey seduces Cooper/Dougie into the bedroom and the two engage in loud sex (poor Sonny-Jim) and then fall asleep in each other's arms. It will be sad when Janey learns down the line that the man who just gave her what was probably the first orgasm of her marriage isn't actually her husband. With the real (manufactured) Dougie gone, having been sucked back into the Black Lodge and destroyed, she'll be left with no husband at all and doesn't deserve that grief. Janey -E Jones 4-EVR.

In another part of Las Vegas, the Mitchum Brothers (Jim Belushi, Robert Knepper) are watching the news and see a report that Ike the Spike (Christophe Zajac-Denek) has been arrested. Part of the report includes hilarious footage of Janey and Dougie/Cooper after having been attacked by Ike in front of the Lucky 7 Insurance building and the brothers put two and two together that the man who thwarted Ike is also who they previously knew as Mr. Jackpots. They make plans to call off the hit they had arranged on Ike themselves and to set up a meeting with Dougie/Cooper/Mr. Jackpots soon. To further complicate the life of Dougie/Cooper/Mr. Jackpots, we later also learn that Anthony Sinclair (Tom Sizemore), who works with Dougie/Cooper at Lucky 7 and who we already knew was an asshole, is in cahoots with Duncan Todd (Patrick Fischler). With Mr. C breathing down his neck, Todd orders Sinclair to influence the Mitchum Brothers to kill Dougie/Cooper by telling them he's the reason their $30 million insurance claim got turned down. And if that fails, Sinclair will have the do the job himself. Seriously, what if Dougie/Cooper gets killed before Cooper wakes up? Don't rule it out, anything can happen in Lynch land. Anything. Lynch and Frost have already been throwing us curve balls and dragging us around by the nose for 10 weeks now and nothing would be more of a gut punch than killing off the series' most beloved character. We wouldn't put it past them.

Back in Twin Peaks proper, we're gifted with a new installment of former doctor Lawrence Jacoby's (Russ Tamblyn) Dr. Amp show, which Nadine Hurley (Wendy Robie) watches while sipping a protein shake from the desk of her very own business called Run Silent, Run Drapes - a play on the title of the 1958 film Run Silent, Run Deep starring Clark Cable and Burt Lancaster. As Nadine watches, she says he's so beautiful out loud to herself, in reference to Jacoby. Where the hell is Ed? And why does Nadine seem more, well, out of it than usual?

Over at the Horne house, we're happy to see that Johnny (played here by Eric Rondell) survived his nasty encounter with the wall in Part Nine but is not looking very good. He's situated at the dining room table, fully restrained, staring at terrifying teddy bear robot with a Mr. Bill face that also kind of looks like a loaded pot bowl. Soon enough, Richard Horne shows up and, in one of the most difficult to watch scenes ever, violently chokes his grandmother Sylvia (Jan D'Arcy) demanding the code for the safe. Once he clears out not only the safe, but her purse and silverware, he calls her a cunt and leaves both her and Johnny slumped and crying on the floor.

In his hotel room in South Dakota, Gordon Cole (Lynch) is sipping bordeaux and drawing a picture that looks like a tree growing out of a cow with a hand snatching at it when he gets a knock on the door. Upon opening it, he sees a vision of Laura and it's interesting to note that it's her in the Donna, are you my best friend scene from Fire Walk With Me. What could this be trying to tell us? Well, based on the fact that Albert Rosenfield (Miguel Ferrer) is there to tell him about the text that Diane (Laura Dern) received from Evil Cooper (Around the dinner table, the conversation is lively), and that she replied back (They have Hastings, he's going to take them to the site), maybe it's a warning that we can't assume who's a friend anymore.

And finally, the Log Lady (the late Catherine E. Coulson) closes Part 10 with a message from her log to Hawk (Michael Horse) saying electricity is humming, you hear it in the mountains and rivers and that now the circle is almost complete. She also urges him to watch and listen to the dream of time and space, and says that it all comes out now flowing like a river. Bottom line: Hawk and Laura are about to get shit done. Let's see if we get closer to learning how next week.

DAMN FINE QUOTES:

Pee Culiar. Dougie/Cooper

We're just naked, screaming little fucks. No wool for us! Dr. Amp/Jacoby

NEXT WEEK ON TWIN PEAKS:

- Benjamin Horne (Richard Beymer) and Beverly Paige (Ashley Judd) get that dinner together.

- Speaking of dinners, perhaps Albert and coroner Constance Talbot (Jane Adams) will share more than just a fancy feast?

- Jerry Horne (David Patrick Kelly) finally finds what he's looking for maybe.

- The US Postal Service has its revenge on Chad Broxford (John Pirruccello)

- Hawk, Bobby, and Frank investigate the clues they've collected so far regarding Jack Rabbit's Palace and the Log Lady's last message.

- Hopefully, Richard Horne gets eaten by one of the lions on the nature program Sarah Palmer was watching in the premiere.

TONIGHT AT THE ROADHOUSE:

Rebekah Del Rio (with Moby on guitar) sing No Stars. You may remember Del Rio as the singer of LLorando from that gut wrenchingly sad scene in Mulholland Drive.