#BUT THEN. do I just do Nora’s pov? or do I do rounds between her and Olu AND Mal???

[incandescent-creativity]

Oh god what pov am I going to write LiaHT in

[augustwxllow]

part three

maybe this will be the last instalment maybe it won’t be idk, we’ll both find out at the end together

henry’s pov

henry watched as the doctor scrambled for the paddles and the nurse started doing chest compressions on alex

he didn’t know if the doctors knew he was there but soon they probably would if he sobbed loudly

“charging... clear!”

the anaesthesiologist took the oxygen tube, which connected to the machine, out of henry’s mouth and the nurse removed her hands just in time as the shock was delivered

both the nurse and doctor, as well as henry, looked at the heart monitor

no change

the nurse immediately went back to doing chest compressions as the doctor waited for the paddles to recharge

“charging... clear!”

it was a routine that went on for two minutes and henry started to panic

he felt his hands fidgeting with the strap across his chest

henry caught attention of the doctor who took a step back and shook his head at the nurse

the nurse didn’t stop but instead nudged her head towards henry’s direction

henry’s panic only became worse when the doctor turned around and saw him and went wide eyed

the doctor quickly turned back to look at his patient and then back at henry and then grabbed the paddles immediately

“charging... clear!”

no change happened but he looked at the nurse

“go find me as much ice as you can and bring it here. im not having the death of the first son of the united states on my hands”

the nurse immediately ran out and almost came back immediately with two buckets and placed it around alex’s head

henry’s panic kept rising as he watched the clock

“come on love. don’t do this to me” henry whispered

“don’t leave me”

“charging... clear!”

no change

the nurse resumed compressions

“it’s almost four minutes doctor”

henry thought he squeaked at that and he knew he did when the nurse looked at him

henry knew not all medical shows weren’t accurate that didn’t mean he didn’t research stuff afterwards

but henry knew that after four minutes there would be permanent brain damage

“please love. i love you. please” henry begged one last time

henry watched as the doctor charged the paddles

“history, huh? bet we could make some” henry whispered to himself

henry looked down at his feet as he listened to the doctor deliver the last shock which would help prevent permanent brain damage

that sound

the sound of reassurance

the sound of life

the sound of henry’s fiancé being here

henry looked up and saw the heart monitor beeping at a normal rhythm and watched as the doctor quickly put the paddles away and worked on fixing alex’s shoulder

“fucking hell alex you dramatic asshole” henry let out in a shaky breath

henry watched as the doctor finished up with tying the wound up without the worry of alex would flatline again

henry stayed where he was

he didn’t think he could move after he watched alex laying lifeless on the table for nearly four minutes

suddenly the sound of a door opening caught henry’s attention

he turned around and saw the doctor there looking at him

“apologies your royal highness. im sorry you had to witness that”

henry held back the urge to roll his eyes

“the first son is in a stable condition and hopefully he will make a full recovery. we will have to keep him here for awhile to see if there is any brain damage due the amount of time he was deprived of oxygen”

henry just nodded and the doctor looked at him

“i know im not to speak to like this in front of a royal but he is one lucky bastard”

henry smiled at that and laughed smally

“that he is” henry replied

the doctor nodded and moved his head in the direction of the exit and showed him to alex’s private room

when the doctor reached it with henry he turned around when he heard his sister yell out his name

“you do rather need to be quiet in places like this bea”

“im sorry but i did call out for you four times but your brain was clearly preoccupied with the thoughts of your fiancé being okay”

henry sucked in a breath as the doctor looked at him

“i will not speak a word” he said simply as he held the door open for bea and himself

the two of them stepped in and bea handed him a bag with some clothes in it

“please do get changed so we can burn that uniform. i don’t want to see it again”

“when did you have time to get the clothes?”

“well when you originally told me to go get them i went downstairs and got shaan and zahra and then when i was waiting out there i got bored so i decided to go home and get you some clothes and eat your hidden stash of jaffa cakes”

“excuse me?”

“oh hush hush. just get out of that hideous thing”

henry listened to his sister and went into the bathroom and stopped out of the uniform

“you know what have a shower too” bea called out

henry did do that because he needed something to clear his thoughts before he sat down beside alex’s bed for the next god knows how many days waiting for him to wake up

henry felt clean when he stepped out of the shower and felt comfortable when he pulled out his sweatpants and the alex’s shirt

when henry stepped out, he saw bea had taken occupant of the lounge as she channel surfed so it left henry with the chair next to alex’s hand no doubt bea doing it on purpose

henry sat down and took hold of alex’s hand just as zahra and shaan burst into the room

“shhhh!” bea scolded

shaan shot bea a look but zahra’s eyes were focused on the rise and fall of alex’s chest

“i have to call ellen” zahra stepped out of the room, shaan not far behind

shaan and zahra never came back in and henry could only presume they were standing outside guarding the door

it had been hours since henry last ate and he was starting to get hungry but as if bea knew she left and immediately came back with food for henry

“you can go home bea. i will be quite alright” henry told her as he ate a bit of whatever she got him

“so who proposed to who?”

henry choked

“what?”

“did you propose to alex, or did alex propose to you?”

“it is none of your concern” he told his sister simply

“oh dearest brother, how could possibly think i would not want the juicy details?”

“i really do not think you would want to know bea” he gave her a look

she did not deserve to know who proposed to who it was henry of course as if she couldn’t tell by the band that was around alex’s finger

she also didn’t deserve to know the aftermath either henry hid a smile after remembering that did more than just two rounds after alex said yes

bea just gave him a disappointed look

“you’re no fun baby brother”

henry smiled at that and finished off whatever he was eating and just looked at the rise and fall of alex’s chest

henry had no idea how many days had passed

two???

three???

he didn’t know and his heart began to sink at the thought he would recover

bea had persuaded henry to go home multiple times but he refused there was no home if alec wasn’t there

ellen had flown in two nights ago with june and nora in tow

they’d all stayed for a bit and nora grinned when she saw the band on alex’s finger and june freaked out and ellen just gave henry a kiss

henry didn’t realise how welcoming they claremont’s had let them into their arms nora was a given since she was dating june

what surprised him most is when his nan had sent flowers to alex though when he looked at the card he could tell they were not from her as the words were too kind for her bitter heart about henry’s love for alex

henry was sitting in one of the chairs when he heard someone enter the room. he turned around and saw his brother standing there

“phillip?”

“i just wanted to pass on my congratulations to you and alex”

“im sure you don’t mean that” henry scoffed

“i know i may not approve of it like nan does not but bea may have slapped some sense into me the other night”

henry took notice of the bright red handprint which cover his brother’s cheek and he held back a laugh

“oh... well um thank you i suppose”

awkward silence sat between the two of them and henry wished he would leave already

“just because i do not approve of it-”

“phillip” henry gritted out

“doesn’t mean i shouldn’t stop you from being happy”

“bea made you say that didn’t she” henry said after a moment

“no. i may have had martha slap some sense to me too” he commented as he pointed to his other cheek

at that henry did laugh

“i’m sorry if i haven’t been the best of brothers but hopefully some time in the near future we could become better”

henry sat there for a moment and thought bullshit like that would happen

“i’d like that” henry said simply i would very much not like that

not long after henry said that phillip left and bea entered the room

“did you really slap phillip?”

“yes and it felt bloody good to do so” she beamed

henry laughed at his sister

“mum wants to come to visit but she can’t bring herself to. she thinks it’s her fault since the assassination attempt was on you because she made you go out to the research facility”

“mum can come. im not mad at her or hurt by her if that’s what she thinks”

bea nodded at her brother and then left the room silently

henry let out a sigh and bea entered the room again

“also, not the best time but there are a whole bunch of music playlists people have been making on spotify-”

“bea” henry groaned

“you need to listen to them. the playlist all have to do with you two and i don’t know whilst you’re waiting for your fiancé to wake up maybe you could pick out a song for your wedding”

“you need to stop saying it like that”

“i will ask alex, as soon as he wakes up, who proposed to who, watch me”

bea left the room again and it was just henry and alex

alex and henry

just the two of them like it was and how it should be

stealing moments together

but not like this

this was pain and torture

“please love. come back to me” henry said as he squeezed alex’s hand

not long after henry released his grip, the other hand twitched and henry felt his heart surge up and almost go through his mouth screw the exaggeration

henry looked at him and the heart monitor started to increase slightly but died down when alex’s eyes opened

“love?”

alex gave him a quizzical look and henry almost burst into tears

he didn’t like that look

not one bit

he hated himself for having to witness that look

the look of ‘who are you?’

[youidiotprince]

what do you think of druck so far? any predictions?

ahh claire thank you so much for asking!! I’m obsessed with druck s5 so far!! all of the characters feel so full and well rounded and complex and real and I’m interested in and attached to so many of them already. I just watched today’s clip and I’m so impressed by the way they film and characterize nora’s panic attacks/almost panic attacks? I just, I feel them, even before they put us fully in nora’s pov by changing the sound, the way the camera focuses on her, you can just see and feel them building. there’s just so much to love about this season so far, the friendship love story, the complex family issues, nora’s entire character.

as far as predictions go, I think constantin’s behavior is just going to get worse, and ismail’s also probably bc they already do everything constantin does, but I think it’s going to force nora’s anxiety to a breaking point and also might force zoe to pick a side? I just feel like whatever constantin found out about her during the short time they dated he’ll definitely continue to use against her to make her feel small and scared of him. he’s not going to cope well seeing her happy with new friends and a new love interest maybe in mystery guy. also I think nora’s shame of her mom/home life might cause issues with the cashqueens, she might throw up a bit of a wall between herself and them and the fact that they have a gc without her, though made with the best of intentions, unnerves me as far as nora feeling included/excluded. idk it’s fatou’s story with ava and how much they’ve connected and fatou and mailin partnering up to tutor and help each other, it’s just making me nervous for potential cashqueens drama, but that might just be me projecting bc of my own experiences and I really hope it doesn’t happen! also fatou’s crush and potential enemies to friends to lovers story with kieu my might cause issues for ava, there’s something about that look from the dance clip.

what about you, what are your thoughts and what are you predicting?

[lalablue0]

The Way Back

Pairing: Ezra x OFC (sorta)

Warnings: some random smut sandwiched between a story 

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 3503

Authors Note:  Unbeta’d. All mistakes are my own. Also, Tumblr formatting is weird. This started as something completely different. The main POV is of the OFC (name was randomly generated). I tried to write this as reader POV, but I couldn’t make some of the scenes work right, so I went back and changed things around. I was hoping this would turn into a series, but I no longer wish to write. Of course I could change my mind tomorrow.  I love Ezra very much. 

Also credit to @tarrevizslas for her wonderful fic The Albatross and it’s continued inspiration. 

Constructive criticism appreciated. I know my writing is odd. I may not be as descriptive as I should on some aspects, but sometimes it’s just easier to just say what happened and leave the rest to imagination. 

Part II

Part III

Or read all three parts (director’s cut of sorts with edits and extended scenes) on AO3

Summary:  Ezra needs help. 

The Way Back

Tragic lives, surrendered bliss.

Count the stars, lingering kiss.

Touch me deeply; hang on tight

Count the stars, wild nights.

Fall quickly, break easy.

Lose yourself in the moment

Fleeting as it may be

don't waste time on resentment

or trying to persuade me.

This is the inevitable end.

Of the sweet folly we enjoyed.

We didn't break or bend

we were just destroyed.

Nora had been on the Kaslo freighter for more than a year now. It had been one of the easiest contracts she had had since getting her medical license. Most injuries were related to harvesters accidentally stabbing themselves trying to get to the aurelac gems the green moon of Bakhroma was famous for. They had been orbiting the toxic moon for the last three months. A few cases of broken bones due to unforgiving terrain and a few overdoses of spice rounded out her experience. All in all, it was the best case scenario considering the abysmal medical bay she had to work with. Supplies were limited at the start. Much of the equipment didn't work or was so outdated it wasn't worth using. Even the lighting left much to be desired.

It was the easiest contract she ever had. Until...

She knew it was Ezra the moment she saw him. How could she miss that shock of platinum blonde hair at his right temple. The color, or lack thereof, was not a fashion choice. It was a birthmark, a white forelock, that didn't allow pigment to the hair that grew from it. It was the most visible of the three he had.

The second one was an almost perfect circle on the back of his left thigh. He hadn't known about it, till she pointed out one night. He had spun himself in circles trying to see it for himself. When he had finally fallen over dizzy on her bed, after the laughter died down, she produced a mirror for him.

“Well isn't that something,” he huffed when he saw the near spherical shape in the middle of his thigh. He studied the spot for a few moments before he handed her the mirror back, “Wonder what else I don't know about myself,” he questioned. They stayed up all night going over every inch of his body and cataloging every freckle and white hair.

The third birthmark cut a swath of stark white hair through the contrasting, near black pubic hair. It was a half inch wide and three inch long set of white curls that ran from the base of his penis out towards his left hip. She found that one before the one on his thigh. But since it was her favorite, she always saved, savored, it for last.

The sight of him brought back many memories. The sight of him unconscious and bloody snapped her back to reality.

She spent over three hours trying to get him stable enough for surgery. Ezra was a mess. Her brain was far too occupied with the fact that his right arm had been very recently amputated. When something goes missing, whether it is a memory or functionality, it's depressing. Not just for the patient, but for the people closest to them. She wondered if it had anything to do with the even more recent stab wound in the middle of his chest. He had lost a fair portion of his blood. The fine dust and spores of the green moon had seeped into the wounds. Infection already set in.

Nora cataloged the many silver scars that lined Ezra's body. Each one was a story and she wondered if she could keep him alive long enough for him to tell her about them.

Large headphones covered his young companions ears as she paced back and forth outside triage. She couldn't have been more than fifteen. Nora vaguely recalled seeing the girl on the Kaslo freighter in the last six months. She was with a different man then. One that had visited her med bay more than once for pain relief.

Nora couldn't begin to piece together what string of events united Ezra and the girl. But her face made it clear that she genuinely cared about what happened to the man on her table. Nora could only hope that she could keep Ezra alive.

–

When the surgery was over, she came to sit beside the girl, Cee. She looked scared.

“My father died on The Green. He is all I have left.”

Nora nodded gently as if it all made sense somehow. “How do you know Ezra?”

Cee pulled her knees closer to her chest. “He saved me.”

Nora shut her eyes. She knew Ezra a long time past, but that didn't seem like something he would do. She didn't need to know details and Cee didn't offer any at that time.

Soon, however, rumor of the Queen's Lair spread like wildfire on the freighter. That the man in the medical bay knew where it was. The freighter conductor even delayed their departure from the Bakhroma Green in hopes of Ezra waking and revealing the location. Three more rotations for another chance at the slingback.

Cee had come to Nora and explained what happened on The Green. She knew where the Queens lair was. Cee was smart enough to know how the 'verse worked and she had nothing but Ezra and he had nothing.

Under the guise of returning to the surface to retrieve her father's body, Cee led Nora to the Queens Lair. With Nora's steady hands, they plundered the site. They hid the gems in Damon's body.

It was Cee's idea.

–

The freighter left orbit later when it became evident that the man might not survive his injuries. Nora placed Ezra in a coma in hopes of giving his body a chance to recover. The infection that resulted in his arm requiring removal had taken residence in his chest. She was critically low on antibiotics. They were weeks away from the nearest base.

Cee rarely left Ezra's side. She read out loud to him from a book she had handwritten. Nora recognized the story from her med school years. But Cee's was different. There were parts she didn't remember. She wasn't sure if it was Cee's own writing or maybe she had recalled it differently, but it didn't matter so much. Nora was glad that she didn't have to be alone with her thoughts. Alone with Ezra so broken.

“How long ago did you know him?” Cee asked her one day.

Nora tilted her head. “Was it that obvious?”

Cee sniffed. She looked down at her feet and played with the hole in her sock. “You asked how I knew Ezra, but I had never told you his name.”

Nora laughed. “Good catch. Last I saw him was years ago...” She exhaled deeply as she calculated the math in her head, “ten years ago, actually.”

Cee continued picking at her socks as she spoke. Nora was unsure if she didn't feel comfortable with the conversation. “Did you love him?” She inquired.

“With every ounce of my being.” Nora responded plainly before she even had a chance to stop herself. Truth, Nora found, came without hesitation.

“What happened?” She asked, finally looking at her.

–

It was a little apartment on the outskirts of Kybalta's capital city of Volsa. Completing her medical license meant a rotation on the underserved moon. Ezra had felt more at home in the tiny space than any other place they had been in their relationship. To help support Nora he took any job he could. They were young and the young could shoulder the physical labor that most companies were looking for.

Ezra worked as a miner in the black hills that bordered the northern edge of Volsa. The underground tunnels ran miles deep, digging for a rare ore that could be smelted to make radiation shielding. It was long hours and dirty work and Ezra loved every moment.

They both worked similar hours and spent any free time they had together. Lingering in bed, he placed soft kisses over her face and neck. His strong, calloused hands seemed to want to touch every part of her at once.

“My sweet tiger lily, I fear I had forgotten what you have felt like under my touch,” his slow drawl reverberated against her cheek, “I am so sorry it has been so long since I have given you the pleasure you so rightly deserve.”

“You've been busy.” she smirked as she rubbed her fingers up and down Ezra's biceps, “I get it. But we're together now.”

“That we are, my love.” Ezra continued kissing down the length of her neck to her bare chest. Kissing her right nipple then her left. A gentle suckle, ending with a nibble. His body shifted as he made his way down past her breasts and towards her navel.

With one hand he cupped her between her thighs and spread them open. He placed gentle kisses across her pelvic bone as he went further south still. His right hand dipped deeper between her legs spreading her lips apart. She inhaled and held her breath as he slipped two fingers into her.

“You're so wet,” Ezra smiled as her back arched off the bed.

“Just for you,” she purred.

Ezra set the pace as he fucked her with his right hand and stroked the hardness of his cock with his left. Nora's hips bucked against his hand. She reached down her torso and began to finger her clit with expertise.

“Oh yeah, rub your pussy.” he breathed out between strokes, “You're a masterpiece, my love.”

“Oh Ez. Fuck me, please. I want you so -,” Nora started before her body writhed as his fingers hit her sweet spot.

Ezra shifted once again between her thighs, positioning himself to tease his cock against her slick folds. “As you wish, my love”

He pressed the tip of his cock against her and slid himself inside. She exhaled against his chin as he placed kisses on her face. Their eyes locked and soon they fell into a familiar cyclicity. The sound of their heavy breathing and skin slapping together in a sloppy rhythm. They didn't need a lot of dirty talk. They had a shared experience and knew each other like the backs of their own hands. He knew that she occasionally liked a slap to the ass. She knew that he loved when she swallowed. Together they melded as one. A love felt so deeply, they never thought it could be undone.

It had been their last time together.

–

“What happened?” Cee questioned.

Nora exhaled, “He got lost.”

Cee considered her for a moment. She then nodded. She continued picking at her socks. “Do you still love him?”

Nora sat back against the wall across from Cee. She sighed and a sad smile passed her lips. “It's complicated.”

“No,” Cee said as she stood up and puttered over to Ezra, “It really isn't.”

Cee stroked Ezra's hair away from his face. His face was pale and covered in a layer of sweat. With his eyes closed, he looked so much younger than his actual years. The intubation had been required after Nora discovered the dust had settled into Ezra's lungs.

“I wish it wasn't complicated, but Cee, I haven't seen him in so long. I've changed. I'm sure that he has too.” Nora said as she came to stand next to Cee, “I can't even be sure he'd even remember me.”

“You'll find out when he wakes up,” Cee said with the confidence that only a child can possess.

It took everything in Nora's power to not follow with “if”.

It had been a long week. Every time it seemed like Ezra was making some progress, another complication seemed to bring him two steps back. She knew that the longer a coma lasted, the less favorable the outcome. Even medically induced comas. Being in a coma is traumatic. There are tubes coming out of every orifice to regulate heart rate, breathing, urine output and body temperature.

Coming out of a coma is equally traumatic. It's a slow process; trying to get from point A to point B. Some people just settle for point A.5; never fully recovering to their former selves.

Nora had said her goodbyes to Ezra while Cee had slept. She kissed his forehead and stroked his face. She cried her tears and mourned his loss for the second time in her life.

–

Kybalta was a political hotbed of activity. While the planet sat on the edge of the core, it was treated very much like a fringe planet. There was a large migrant population, come from all over the 'verse to work her mines and cater to the masses. But like other fringe planets, wages did not correspond to the labor output. The big companies that operated on Kybalta kept the profits for themselves and stuck it to the workers.

When the political climate seemed to reach its climax, there were resulting protests and riots almost daily. It kept Nora busy at the hospital. Ezra spent more time in the mines.

There was a line drawn in the sand. Cross it and face the consequence. There was always the question of What If. What if a particular event in your life went differently? What if you had said yes? What if you had turned left? What if you had never killed that man?

The cacophonous voices overwhelmed every other sound.

Time stood still for what seemed an extraordinary amount of time. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away. It wasn't like he'd never seen death before. He knew death. All living things eventually died. From the majestic mountain ranges to the simplest single celled organism. The passage of time was just a perception.

Why would this death warrant his time? It was likely the portents of this death were broadcast in screaming chaotic chatter across the universe. The screaming faded to whimpering the moment the heart stopped beating. This death should not have been of any importance to Ezra.

The life that had been extinguished imbued such vehement loyalty and a fierce love of family. The life was generous and charming. The life had been greedy and received comeuppance at Ezra's hand.

Death was one of the first. Forever and infinity were just concepts that have yet to be experienced. Death that is neither good nor evil. It just is. Death that does not discriminate.

This is the Death that watches him now.

Their eyes were wide and unblinking. The fear that they had endured during their final moments was still evident on their face. Ezra's heart pounded in his chest, reminding him he was still alive and he needed to move.

He shifted through the onlookers. The thought occurred to him to hide his face, but walked with his head held high. No one took what was Ezra's. No one.

–

Nora had moved into the med bay with Ezra, staying in a cot by his bedside. She had given up her quarters in trade to a pair of floaters who had much needed antibiotics and some Saters juice. There was still another week before they reached the base. She had sent a communication to the best medical center on the Pug, but they made it clear they wouldn't even take Ezra without some assurances on payment. Cee offered all the aurelac if it meant Ezra would be treated. Nora, instead, offered her services. Licensed doctors were a rarity and they readily accepted.

The Saters juice had a very positive effect on Ezra. Nora was able to take him off the ventilator as he began to breath on his own. He was still battling an infection, but both Nora and Cee took this as a win.

Nora showed Cee how to take Ezra's vitals, how to read the monitors and how to administer the antibiotics so she could get some much needed rest. They took shifts looking after him so they were not so stretched thin. The toll of round the clock care was starting to weigh on them both. Nora was the only one who worked the med bay. The help that Cee provided was invaluable to Nora.

They had gotten to know each other fairly well over the past two weeks. Cee had spent more time with Nora than she had with Ezra. Nora had revealed more of herself to Cee than she had to anyone else since Ezra.

--

Ezra's eyes wrinkled when he smiled. His face was carved deep with laugh lines from too many good times to count. His laugh was infectious. He created an air of confidence and cockiness around him. When she was with him, it was almost guaranteed she would have a smile pasted on her face. He worshiped at her altar.

Rarely did anyone get to see the real him. The frightened child afraid of losing the woman he loved. The angry man who despised what he had become. The restless lover unable to find pleasure with the person he most desired.

The bruises were dark and angry. They appeared very quickly after the fight. They didn't speak for days, trying to pretend what happened never happened. That Ezra hadn't killed a man for taking his ore. That he hadn't roughly grabbed and hit Nora when she tried to leave to clear her head. It was a mistake and he apologized after. He was still running high on adrenaline, she had kept telling herself. She knew he could be aggressive with the love making on occasion, but she didn’t know how bad of a temper he could possess.

“My beloved, please, will you look at me?” Ezra asked as he sat on the edge of the bed at Nora's back, “I will spend my life making up for my misdeeds, but I do think I can atone for laying hands on you. I will try to, if you let me.”

Nora still would not look toward Ezra. He reached out to place a hand on her hip, when she jumped off the other side of the bed. Ezra closed his eyes. “You are frightened of me. I cannot believe that I have tarnished our shine. I am a fool. I can only offer you my sincerest apologies. I know that is not enough. Not in the least.”

Nora stood facing the wall and listened as Ezra's footfall retreated out of the bedroom and finally out of the front door. It was only after the door closed that Nora allowed herself to breath again.

–

Nora had reduced the medications that kept Ezra in a coma. However his persistent fever meant that he wasn't quite ready to wake. Random eye opening, mumbling, and limb movement at least gave Nora hope that maybe he would indeed recover.

Nora gave Cee several books that she had tucked away. Nora thought that Cee would just read to herself, but instead she read out loud to Ezra. She enjoyed reading to Ezra.

“--The weight of this sad time we must obey; Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.” Cee read from the well worn heavy hard covered book entitled The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.

“...Not what we ought...”

Both Cee and Nora looked to the bed. Fevered eyes were open but clearly unfocused. Ezra smiled into the ether and closed his eyes again.

“Ezra?” Cee questioned softly. She stood slowly and hovered over the bed. Nora moved to the other side of the bed.

Nora noted the numbers on the monitors. Nothing had really changed, but for the briefest of moments Ezra stirred. His eyes opened again and they immediately landed on Cee.

“Little bird,” Ezra smiled again. His eyes were glassy but he held her stare.

Cee's grin split her face. She took Ezra's hand and clenched it tight in hers.

“I must say that this heaven is most unexpected,” Ezra spoke clearly and succinctly.

Nora inhaled deeply. Her mind experienced so many thoughts at once.

Ezra turned his head towards Nora and shook it, blinking slowly. A flash of recognition crossed his face. “Now I know I am truly departed.”

“See, I told you he'd remember you,” Cee reminded Nora.

“I've missed you, wife” Ezra stated as he pulled his hand from Cee's to reach out to Nora.

“Wife?” Cee questioned, raised eyebrow.

Nora's face twisted with the guilt of having kept such important information from Cee. “I may have left out a very critical detail.”

Part II

[thatdragonaatashi]

Call me stupid, call me sad

Nora X Fem!Reader

@writing-asperations I finally finished it

(Your pov)

"Shit shit shit" I  mutter, running out of my house, keys in hand. I hop in my car and start it up, looking at the time and cursing myself for sleeping in. I was supposed to be picking up my best friend Nora from work. I was in love with her, but I  didn't want to fuck up our relationship. Both of us, along with my sister Abby, and our friends Owen, and Manny have been together since we were in diapers. They were my family, my people. When my parents died in a car crash, they were all I  had left. Luckily, Abby and her father took me in, only being 7 when it happened. I can still remember waking up in the car, on our way home from a sleepover with Abby and Nora.

The world was upside down, the smell of gas and burning rubber assault my senses. There's a stinging pain in my right arm. Looking over, I  notice large pieces of glass lodged in my upper arm. Before I  could even react, something moving catches my eye. It was my mother, her dark skin stained with crimson. From where I  wasn't sure. 

"Ma?! Wh- you- you're hurt, what's going on?" She looks at me, her eyes brimming with tears. "Darling, I need you to listen to me, can you do that?" I nod my head, not trusting my voice. 

"That's my girl. Ok can you reach your seatbelt? Good, good, I want you to unhook yourself and crawl out the window." She says, blood dripping down from her brow. I can hear sirens in the distance. Something in the back of my mind tells me they won't make it in time.

I do as she says, shuffling out the broken window. Once I make it out, I take in the scene before me. The car was completely wrecked, the front looking caved in. There was a fire spreading quickly, lighting up the road. I move over to my mother's side.

"Ma, tell me what to do, how do I get you out?" I sputter out, dropping to my knees as panic takes me in it's embrace. 

"Honey no, you've got to get away from here. The gas tank is leaking. I'm not going anywhere, my leg is broken. I'm so sorry baby, you know we love you right?" She chokes out.  

"But what about dad, he can help you. I can get him out and we can go get help. You're gonna be ok mommy. I'm strong, I can do something." Tears spill out my eyes, I knew it was worthless, there wasn't enough time. 

"No, no your father- he… just, get away from the car, ok? I don't want you getting hurt anymore." The sirens were closer now, lights coming into view. 

My mother reaches towards her neck, grasping something and yanking it free. It was my grandfather's necklace, a simple gold Ankh. She grabbed my wrist and placed it in my hand, closing it and kissing my knuckles. I hear her mutter a prayer to the Gods. 

"Go, now before it's too late. We will always be with you my little warrior. Be strong and live in the light of the Sun. I love you" with that, she closes her eyes. Despite everything telling me not to, I turn away from her and run as fast as I can, tears streaming down my eyes.

The ambulance finally makes it, the men rush out and begin to make their way to the car. Now on the sidewalk, I watch as the flames reach the gas tank and explode the car. 

Shaking my head, I pull out and begin to drive to Nora's job. I was supposed to pick her up from work 15 minutes ago, seeing as I only live 11 minutes away. I was going to take her home and cook for her as usual. She was always hungry after work. Manny and I were the designated chefs for the group, everyone else didn't know the difference between a pot and a pan. I also enjoyed the look on Nora's face when she ate something of mine that she liked. 

Hearing my phone go off, I pick it up and answer, putting it on speaker before turning my attention back to the road. 

"Hello?" I sound out, not knowing who was on the other end

"(Y/N)! Where the hell are you?! It's been over an hour! I've been blowing up your phone but haven't been able to reach you. What the fuck is taking so long?" Nora's voice filters through the car, bringing a smile to my face. 

"Sorry about that doll, I woke up late. I'm on my way, I just got side tracked with… um, some less than pleasant memories. Give me like, 7 minutes and I'll be there ok?" I can hear a sigh escape her, probably catching on to what I was saying.

"Alright, I understand. You know if you need to talk or something you've got me and the guys. You don't have to deal with this alone." She spoke, voice soft and loving. A tear slips down my cheek. Images of a time long passed flash in my mind. The smell of burning flesh is alive as though I was there again.

"Yeah I know… I'm ok though, it just catches me off guard sometimes. I promise I won't be late again." I try to keep the pain out of my voice. This was my problem to deal with, I didn't need to drag any of them down with me. It's been 10 years, I should be over this by now.

"(Y/N), it's not about you being late, I don't care about that, you're hurting. I'm worried about you, Abby told me you haven't been sleeping lately. Going on more and more dangerous jobs, coming home bruised and bloodied. You haven't even been eating properly. I know you, maybe even better than you know yourself. You're going through something serious. You keep pushing us away but I'm not giving up on you." There was a crack in her voice, great, now both of you were crying.

"I- fuck, listen, I can handle this, I'm a warrior, I'm not letting this stop me. I can fight my own demons. I don't need my friends to worry themselves with my issues. Just, leave it alone, please." By now my vision was blurry with tears. 

I stop at a red light, taking my hands off the wheel and wiping at my face. I can hear the sound of sniffling coming from my phone and my heart sinks. This is why I don't talk about these things. It only makes matters worse. 

"Listen, I'm almost there. I'm gonna pick you up, take you home, make you something to eat and maybe we can talk about it, alright? Now you dry up those tears, you're too beautiful to be sobbin on the side of the street." I manage to get out, hoping that will make her feel better. I hated when she cried. It made me feel like I failed to keep her safe.

"Ok… ok yeah, I'll see you in a sec." She breathes out, clearing her throat. "Hey (Y/N)?"

"Yeah?" The light turns green. I take your foot off the breaks and start driving.

"I love you." Three words, and my brain shuts down. I don't hear the horn honking, I don't see the car coming from my left, all I notice is my breath hitching. 

"Just not the same way I love you" I think bitterly, just the car crashes into me, full force. Everything slows down and fades to black. 

(Nora's pov)

"I love you." If only I could tell her the truth.

There's silence on the other end before I hear honking and then a crashing sound. My ears ring with white noise as fear overtakes me. She was only down the street at the light, I could hear people screaming faintly. I pocket my phone and take off in the direction the noise was coming from. 

"No no no, please. God don't do this to me." I find myself begging. To who, I'll never be sure. I round the corner and dread settles in my bones as I'm faced with a horrific scene. There's a car with it's front crushed like a soda can. I spot (Y/N)'s car a little ways away, the driver's side caved in.

I rush over to the car, her head hanging limp to the side, blood running down her face, staining her shirt. There's sirens in the distance, but all I can focus on is getting her out of the car. The window was cracked but not broken. I can't get the door to open up so I take off  my jacket, wrap it around my arm and break the glass. Reaching in I unbuckle her seatbelt and drag her out. 

By the time I get her a safe distance away from the car, a paramedic rushes up to me with a bag and a stretcher. 

"Ma'am, I need you to step back so I can assess her condition. Do you know this woman?" He asks me, dropping down to his knees to check her pulse. 

"I- yes! Yes she's my best friend, please tell me she's going to be alright." I pleaded, feeling useless as I stand there, doing nothing. I know there wasn't anything I could do, but watching her lie there, breathing shallowly, blood pooling under her, I couldn't help but let despair grip my heart. 

"It's ok ma'am it seems to me that she is only unconscious. Perhaps she has a concussion. If you'd like, you may ride with us to the hospital to get her checked out." He offers looking up and waving his hand to his partner, signaling her over.

"Yeah I would appreciate that very much. She's only 17 so I'll go ahead and call her legal guardian. He should know what happened here." I speak shakily, reaching into my pocket for my phone to call Abby's dad.

"Mr. Anderson? Hey it's Nora, I'm afraid I've got some bad news. Well uh, (Y/N) got into a wreck- no no she's ok all things considered, just unconscious. A few ribs may be broken but that's about it. Yeah I'm here with the ambulance, we're going to the east side hospital. Ok… yes sir, I'll see you there, drive safe." With that I hang up and follow the paramedics to the ambulance, getting in after them.

-At the hospital-

(Abby's pov)

"Where the fuck is my sister?!" I slam my hands down on the counter in front of me, already getting tired of this bitch of a receptionist. 

"Ma'am I already told you, I can't give that information away unless you are a relative of the patient. By your… skin alone, I can tell you have no relation to Miss. (L/N). You are more than welcome to wait until her parents come in." The woman says, turning back to her computer. 

"She doesn't have any fucking parents you stupid bitch, check her damn record!" I growl out. I feel a warm hand on my shoulder and turn to see my dad. 

"Abby that's enough, let me handle this. Excuse miss, my name is Jerry Anderson, I am (Y/N)'s legal guardian. As my daughter here was trying to say, (Y/N)'s parents died 10 years ago in a car accident, I adopted her and have been her caregiver ever since. Because of the nature of her visit here, we are quite worried about her condition and would like to see her. Now could you please direct me to my daughter's room?" Dad explained.

"Oh yes, I see what you mean Mr. Anderson, my apologies. She is in room 13, it seems she is in good condition, just a concussion. You can use those doors right there and then take a left." She instructs, pointing to a set of double doors.

We make it to (Y/N)'s room and walk in. She's on the bed with a bandage wrapped around her head and a few band-aids scattered around her arms. Sitting in a chair next to the bed is Nora, her face crestfallen as she holds her hand. When she notices us she stands up, coming over to us. I open my arms up, knowing she needs a shoulder to lean on right now.

She fell into my embrace, seemingly losing strength in her legs. I feel tears start to soak my shirt.

"God I'm so sorry, I- I was on t-the phone with her and, and t-then a crash and her car was so fucked I got her away from it but she wasn't breathing r-right and-" she stutters out, choking on her words. I shush her, rubbing circles in her back, trying to get her to calm down. 

"Nora it's ok, she's ok, it's only a concussion. You and I both know (Y/N) is a fighter. She'll be up and kicking ass in no time." I speak softly in her ear, looking up to see my dad reading the chart at the end of (Y/N)'s chart. His brow furrows at something he reads. 

I push Nora away a bit and wipe the tears from her eyes. "Come on, let go get you cleaned up and put some food in your belly, I know you haven't eaten since before your shift." I tell her, pulling her under my arm and leading her to the cafeteria. She was quiet the whole time, even after we sat down to eat. 

"I told her." She whispered softly, head down. She had barely touched her sandwich but I couldn't blame her. I didn't have much of an appetite either.

"What did you tell her?" I ask even though I had an inkling as to what she was referring to. I needed to keep her talking.

She sniffles, wiping at her eyes. "I told her I love her. Right before the car hit her. I heard the crash, I ran down the street and she was just sitting there, blood all over her, not moving. I thought she was dead. I was so scared." Nora's voice breaks at the end. Not knowing what else to do, I shift over and wrap my arms around her. Both these idiots were so madly in love with each other, I could only guess how much pain she was in. I love (Y/N) like she's my own flesh and blood, but what these two have going on? It's a whole nother level. I know for a fact (Y/N) would burn the world down for Nora. If only she could see that Nora feels the same. 

Out the corner of my eye, I see my dad approach is looking concerned. 

"Hey girls, (Y/N) is up if you want to go see her. I've already talked to her so you three can have some privacy." As soon as he said those words I stood up, grabbing Nora's arm and dragged her to (Y/N)'s room.

-10 minute earlier-

I open my eyes and immediately close them again at the bright lights. I groan and slowly open them again, taking in my soundings. I knew I was in a hospital room by the beeping of the heart monitor. I look to my left and see the only real father I've ever had. He looks up, noticing my movements and grabs my hand.

"Hey sweetie, how are you feeling?" He asks me, concern laced in his voice. 

"Like shit." I bluntly say, knowing he would want the truth before anything.

"I know baby girl, but I need to talk to you about something important before I call the doctor in." His eyes held a sadness I hadn't seen in a long time. I nod my head, having an idea where this was going. 

"While the doctors here were looking you over, they noticed you were suffering from damn near malnutrition. You had bursies and scars from before the crash. I know you tend to be quite independent, preferring to lick your wounds than ask for help. But honey, this isn't like you. Both you and Abby eat more than a pack of wolves. I want you to tell me what's going on. I know you've been upset recently, but I have never seen you like this." At that, everything I've been keeping in came out.

"I'm so fucking sorry, I'm so sorry. I've been playing somebody else and it's helping nobody. I see her in my head every fuckin day and now I'm sick." I broke down, I told him about everything. The nightmares, the flashbacks. About how I just couldn't feel anymore, how I can't eat without seeing my mother's face. We talked for a while until something hit me.

"Dad, if you're here I know Abby's here, but what about Nora? Is she here too?" I ask him hesitantly. He knew about my crush on Nora, the last thing I needed was for him to tease me. It seems I was in the favor of the Gods today because he simply said,

"Yeah she was the one who called me actually. She had been here before we got here. I'm going to go get them, I'm sure they want to see you." With that he left out the door.

A few minutes later Abby and Nora come through the door, moving to both sides of my bed. Abby looks at me, kisses my forehead, and dips out. I knew what she was doing, I definitely owed her one.

"Hey girly, sorry if I gave you a scare earlier. You know me, I'm a bit of an idiot. Heh" I chuckle, feeling nervous under her intense gaze. She didn't say anything for a bit, just looking at me. I was about to say something else when suddenly she leaned down and pressed her lips to mine.

You know that feeling when you're on a rollercoaster and your stomach drops? Yeah, that's how I felt then. All at once, my pain went away like shadows at noon. I reached up and cupped her cheek, kissing her back like I dreamed of for so many years. I don't know where this was coming from but my mother always told me not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Nothing about that saying made any sense but I understood what she meant.

Nora pulls away, bumping her head aginst mine. I winced at the contact and all too soon she was stepping back.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry I forgot, I-" she spoke with panic in her voice, eyes wide. It was at this moment I took in her appearance.

Her hair was up in its usual ponytail, clothes messy and stained with blood. It was clear she was a mess but she had never looked so beautiful to me.

"Aww, thank you darling, that's so sweet of you." She said suddenly, which was strange considering I didn't say anyt- wait.

"I said that out loud didn't I?" I squeeked, feeling my face darken with embarrassment. 

"Yes, you did, but I appreciate the thought." I've never wanted to curl up and die more than now. Actually, that's not true but whatever. There was something that was bothering me and if I didn't say anything now, I'd never find the courage to do so again.

"Did you mean it when you said you love me?" I asked quickly, not wanting to wait any longer. She blinks and pauses, looking caught off guard before laughing to her self.

"You really are an idiot sometimes. Of course I meant it, I literally just kissed you. I've been in love with you since we were 12. Maybe longer." She muttered that last bit. 

"By the Gods, you mean to tell me I could have just SAID something to you and I wouldn't have to hide how I feel?! It makes so much sense now, you're always so touchy with me, you always want me to stay over your place. I thought you just liked my food! Oh I'm such an idiot." I rant, feeling irritated with myself. 

"You're my idiot. When you get out of here, how about we go out to that new arcade you've been talking about? I was actually going to ask you out today, but ya know, that whole thing happened. Are you down?" She asked me. I look at her in disbelief, then quickly shake my head. Of course she would be the one to make the first move.

"Yeah I'd like that a lot. But you know what I'd like even more?" I ask, looking at her with a hint of mischief in my eyes.

"Hmm, what?" Nora says. I could tell she knew what I was going to say by the way she leaned closer to me.

"This." I whisper, reaching up and grab the back of her neck, pulling her closer to me. As I pressed my lips to hers, for the first time in 10 years, I felt like everything was going to be ok

[real-jaune-isms]

RWBY Volume 7 Chapter 13 (Finale) Rundown

It’s been a month or two since the finale aired, and honestly I needed that time to organize my thoughts on it and what I think may happen next. And I was busy becoming an art major. That too. Oh, and a little thing called COVID-19.

So our season finale begins with one of the fights we had most been looking forward to, JNR and Oscar vs Neo. Jaune wants to avoid a fight and tells her to surrender since she’s outnumbered, but Neo is too confident in her capabilities and just draws her parasol blade. So Nora and Ren start shooting at her to no effect and rush in for melee combat. Also ineffective at first, she just dodges and blocks and counters. Even Ren’s new grapple line blades do next to nothing, she just does a split to dodge under his flying kick. Oscar runs in to attack with his cane, but she counters and flips him into the air with the lamp getting knocked off his belt and being in the air between them. Both thrust their sticks to try and catch it, but Oscar gets it first and sticks his landing. Neo just starts slashing at him as he backs away, and Jaune steps between them to repel her with his shield’s gravity Dust burst. One thing you notice pretty quickly about the fight is how casually Neo seems to be taking it, taunting her opponents the whole time by making faces and being theatrical with her every move. It’s maddening, but it’s the attitude we came to expect from her after Volumes 2 and 3. Teamwork seems the best move, so Nora launches Ren through the air at the ice cream demon while Oscar holds her legs so she can’t move out of the way. Too bad her Semblance is still pretty OP and Ren just shatters an apparently fake Neo. They check down the corridors for any sign of her but instead see Atlesian soldiers who chase after them on Ironwood’s orders.

Back to the battle of the seasons, Penny flies at Cinder with a high speed punch that sends her back into the hallway but she just catches it and uses her Grimm arm to toss her around a bit. Winter attacks with a flock of tiny Nevermore summons before charging in herself with a sword slash, though both do little to phase the nimble Maiden. She summons two glass swords of her own to fight back, and seems to have the advantage. She even takes the time to lecture Winter on how Atlas’s elite hoard so much power in the hopes of maintaining it forever, and how that just starves the rest of the world. It seems like she really means it once starved her, and she refuses to starve again. Some hints of what may have been her tragic backstory here, which I would be very interested to learn in greater detail even if it absolutely won’t redeem her character from the cruel and insane devil she is. I just want to see how she got to this point, where this lust for power came from. It’s certainly ironic that she’s complaining about other people hoarding power when she’s going around stealing Maiden powers all for herself when those were literally made to be divided among four people. Penny re-enters the fight with her swords on strings, but Cinder’s reflexes are apparently on the level of Ultra Instinct since she’s able to dodge and block all her spinning blades AS WELL as Winter’s attacks once she draws her second sword and joins in again. The two are at least able to avoid getting hit in return, but the whole is just going nowhere fast even if they’re blocking her way back into Fria’s room. So Cinder lashes out and flies at them with all her might, grabbing them both by the neck and rocketing through the other wall of the medical room... to reveal this secret room was not in a subbasement as we may have assumed but the top floor of a skyscraper. Now they’re all in the open air and Winter is the odd one out since... y’know, she can’t fly. She doesn’t make things better for herself by stabbing Cinder’s hand and making her drop the Specialist. With only one person to worry about now, Cinder tosses Penny away and kicks a flaming sword her way. Penny catches it, but didn’t expect it to explode and knock her back some more. The two have a floating standoff with Cinder becoming increasingly frustrated and calling Penny a toy, as if she’s Tom Hanks in 1995. But her attention is brought elsewhere as she’s hit by a blast of ice. In one of the most badass sights this Volume has offered, Winter is flying on the back of a summoned Manticore. The 2v1 fight resumes in this airborne setting, and Cinder has a harder time dodging and countering their speedy strikes while also focusing her powers on staying in flight. But when she and Winter charge at each other, her sword is unfortunately able to cut through the summon and leave Winter in a freefall. As if to add vindictive insult to injury, she also shoots a fireball at the Schnee that takes down her Aura. Satisfied with her work, Cinder flies back to the building while Penny is left with the choice of following her and dutifully protecting the Maiden powers or saving Winter. She makes the right choice, and saves her friend. Winter thinks she should have just been left to die, that she matters less than the mission. But Penny disagrees.

Back with JNRO, they’re still running from the Atlas soldiers. Whatever scuffle Oscar had with Neo before the others came along is now wearing on him and he begins to fall behind. In all the rushing through the labyrinth of hallways, he gets separated from the group. Just as he’s lost hope of rejoining the others and the guards are just around the corner, the farmboi gets pulled into an empty room and kept quiet via a hand over his mouth by... Nora? A very silent and smiling Nora... A Nora who suddenly lunges at him with a lace parasol... okay this is clearly not Nora. This is clearly Neo in a very cruel and deceptive disguise, as made clear by her eyes changing to the usual pink and brown when Oscar fortunately dodges out of the way of her attack and back into the hallway. Worse still, she swiped the Lamp from him in the heat of the moment, and the little devil makes a break for it. Jaune is looking for Oscar, but finds Neora instead, and she just dodges around him and springboards off his shield. Then... things get rough. She runs into Ren next... while looking like Nora. He still shoots at her as she barrels towards him but she just blocks with her parasol as she is want to do. When he meets her halfway and takes a jumping slash at her... she twists the knife in; changing her eyes back from her own determined mismatched pink and brown to Nora’s scared and confused turquoise. In that split second of seeing his beloved’s face staring at him with such fear, Ren hesitates and stops the attack, so she hits him in the face and trips him to the floor before running away some more. Jaune is still on her tail and runs past his dazed and shellshocked teammate. When he rounds the corner Neo had just headed down however, he only finds more Atlas soldiers firing at him. The real Nora comes running from gods know where and the three head back the way they came. Nora checks over her shoulder to see if they’re still being followed, but what’s more interesting is that Ren can be seen crying as he brings up the rear. Obviously he’s quite upset with how easily Neo could get him to hesitate just by posing as Nora and playing on his feelings for her. She probably didn’t realize just how complicated the Renora relationship is, but it worked perfectly in her favor. Ren’s tried to set aside his feelings but they’ve now dramatically affected his capacity to do his job. Like it or not, he HAS to talk about it or else everything is gonna implode. And of course, when we cut to see the armored soldiers chasing our heroes there’s also a more formally uniformed female officer in the back who goes sauntering off in the other direction. That was a very speedy costume change, you little sugar gremlin. Anyway, she got away with the Lamp. That’s no good.

What’s even less good is that we cut back to a temporarily black screen and the harsh wrenching sound of tearing metal. Turns out its the POV of Fria as she blinks back into consciousness and sees the satisfied face of Cinder as she starts a monologue about how the elder woman’s time is up. Fria admits she has been waiting for a good long while, but she can’t remember what or whom for. Cinder confidently informs her it was for this very moment. For her~ But as she goes for the Reverse Flash kill with her Grimm hand, the Winter Maiden shows off one of the reasons she’s survived this long. A good strong grip on Cinder’s wrist stopping her before she can make contact and keeping the Fall Maiden from getting any further. The hungry wolf won’t be gobbling up Granny tonight, deary. Faced with the tired but steadfast face of a woman who has likely lived and fought several times longer than Cinder has been alive, accented by the blue flame of her Maiden magic, the evil woman pulls back. But she’s persistent, and tries a glass dagger instead. That goes even worse, as a pulse of magic sends her flying backwards. With more magic on display than any Maiden we’ve seen before, Fria summons a cyclone of pure cold air and ice around herself and starts floating in the middle of it. Cinder’s Grimm fingers start to freeze (since they don’t have Aura like the rest of her body and thus get no protection from the cold, thank you for setting that concept up in episode 3 Weiss!) so she has to back away further. That becomes a full temporary retreat out of the room when the coldnado sends a pod door at her and the intensity only keeps increasing. Much like Professor Xavier in Logan, Fria is already very old and isn’t in the most stable state of mind anymore, so she loses control of the tempest and it busts a hole in the roof. Penny and Winter land a short distance away and marvel at the majestic chaos. Winter claims this is the power of a fully realized Maiden, which makes me wonder if Raven was able to do something similar or if it takes decades to unlock this kind of mastery. Winter tries to get in closer and reach Fria, but the blizzard winds are enough to destroy the material of her glove and leave her fingers red with chill. Something has to be done, but after the beating she took she’s in no shape to do it. So Penny jumps in instead, much to Winter’s dismay.

Continuing the hopscotch course of dismal vibes, we go back to JNRO as they’re hiding in the training room and Oscar is apologizing for having lost the lamp. Jaune tries to reassure him, but Ren is even more pessimistic. He doesn’t think they were ready to even become Huntsmen and Huntresses which is just so painful to hear. Nora of course disagrees, but Ren has a harsh rebuttal: if they’re ready and capable, then why don’t they have any of the relic they’re supposed to be protecting? Why haven’t they succeeded in their most important mission? Oscar seems even more hurt by this reminder, and Jaune puts on his serious leader voice to tell Ren that’s enough. I would half agree with Ren, and unfortunately its a half that blames him. It’s not that the team wasn’t ready for this, it’s that HE wasn’t EMOTIONALLY ready for this. Like I said before, Neo took advantage of his emotional state to make him hesitate and overwhelm him.  Their moping is interrupted by Pietro and Maria chiming in over their Scrolls. Was there any doubt that a genius like Dr. Polendina would be able to undo Ironwood’s communication shutdown?? We see Yang and Blake for the first time this episode as they shoot at Atlas robots and head for an airship, one which Maria is getting ready to pilot as their getaway vehicle. Nora informs her of their current hiding place, but the soldiers happen to close in at that moment and the three hide behind Jaune’s hard-light extended shield... wait. Three?? OH NO WE LOST THE BABY!!!! It would seem Oscar ran off on his own to try and fix things, and he insists they leave without him.

Back to the impending ice age, Penny is slowly making her way through the blizzard. Her foot gets frozen to the ground, but she hits the boot jets and it busts out again. There in the eye of the storm she finds Fria, and the android approaches carefully before gently touching her ankle to get her attention. The fire in the old lady’s eye dies down and she notices Penny. Penny is a of course a sweet and thoughtful girl and rather than demanding Fria stop the storm she just asks if she’s okay. Fria most certainly does not seem to feel okay, again mentioning that she had a job to do. She clarifies that she was supposed to protect the power of the Winter Maiden until the time came for her to pass them on. Penny notices the machines are broken and buried in a wall of ice, so the more safe transfer method is no longer possible. Fria laments that she may have taken longer to be ready for passing the powers along than she should have, but promises she’s ready now. She knows that means dying, that’s one thing she still remembers quite well. The elderly Maiden quiets the cyclone and floats down to collapse in Penny’s arms. Not gone yet, just weary, and hoping to learn the name of the sweet young lady who’s helping her like this. Penny gives her name, and now Fria asks the million lien question: Since Penny is suddenly showing up now after Fria’s only interactions being with Winter for so long... does that mean Penny is the One? The poor little android doesn’t know what to say to that, and for damn good reason. She knows Winter is supposed to be the one to get the Maiden powers, but she also knows Winter would use those powers to obey Ironwood’s cruel plans for Atlas and Mantle. If she takes the powers, she can make sure that doesn’t happen AND that they don’t fall into Cinder’s hands. But that would also mean betraying her boss and her orders, betraying her friend Winter. So what is she gonna do, what she’s been told to do or what she feels is right? This is the culmination of the struggle she’s been wrestling with the entire volume, nay her character’s entire existence! She is a creation of Atlas, but she is also a girl with a heart and soul of her own. Such a tragic clash of motivations! 

Speaking of motivations clashing, we cut down to Ironwood in the Atlas vault. He hears the hum of the elevator approaching and assumes it’s Winter coming to report Fria’s demise and her own acquisition of the Winter Maiden powers, and thus begins apologizing for making her perform such a morally dubious act. Instead he finds Oscar, posing rather seriously with Ozpin’s his cane and fixing James with his best look of fed up disapproval. With such a formal air about him, James has every reason to suspect Oz is back at the helm and asks which of the two he has the pleasure of addressing. It’s just Oscar though, but Oscar is plenty on his own. James thankfully doesn’t yet know that Oscar has lost the Lamp and thinks he just chose not to bring it down here with him, acknowledging that he isn’t very trustworthy right now. Oscar is a farmer to his very roots and wants to help the trust between our heroes and the Atlas forces regrow. He believes they can all come together again. But James is stuck in a guarded state of mind and thinks Oscar came to fight for his cause. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Oscar admits that he feels scared, and whenever he does he holds the cane and it helps calm him down, likely due to its significance to those who came before him. But he puts the cane away as a sign that he will face his fear without that aid, that he will be brave. James just thinks that’s another dig at him, that Oscar is calling him scared. Oscar reminds him that EVERYONE is scared right now, for good reason, and that fear is not something to be ashamed of, that it just gives us a chance to show the content of our character by how we handle the fear. James just snaps at him, says that it’s easy for Oscar to spout such platitudes when he doesn’t have to make life changing decisions for the sake of a Kingdom. As he starts circling around the poor farmboi and backing him towards a dead end ledge, he insists that no matter what labels they put on him he was RIGHT. He was right about what would happen if he opened his heart and trusted others, that all his worst fears came true because he went against his gut and did what the kids told him he should. Except he is absolutely NOT right. Things were going far more smoothly for him once he started trusting Robyn and told her and the council about the trouble he had to deal with, and despite the obviously concerning setback of Watts shutting down Mantle’s heat they handled that situation with very little trouble. It was only once Cinder popped in to sew doubt and paranoia back into his mind that it all spiraled out of control, and that was entirely his fault. If Cinder hadn’t stepped in, they might have found the Seer in Watts’ bag and killed it immediately instead of it interrupting a tense conversation. Robyn now knowing what the Tower is for would mean construction could resume without shipments getting stolen, and perhaps they could have negotiated a way to divide up the materials so the wall could get fixed too. Just spit balling here, what could have been. But no, it all went belly up and Jimmy is only fanning the flames. Oscar tries to remind him that his current plan of abandoning Mantle will be betraying an entire city of thousands to die alone in the cold, but James is having none of it. It’s an excellent philosophical puzzle to try and work through, but the way he sees it none of that matters compared to preventing Salem’s victory. He thinks he’s the only one who can see the big picture, who is making his moves with the intention of changing the final result no matter the cost.

But that’s what’s so dangerous about that mindset. People he writes off as small minded and soft, like Robyn, the council, and even Oscar (possibly by extension even Ozpin)... they’re the good people who think first and foremost about preventing tragedy and loss in the moment, who refuse to budge on their morals of protecting the innocent and will never trade lives. It’s the same kind of difference seen in Superman vs the Elite. Team RWBY and their friends don’t believe in necessary sacrifices for the greater good, but Ironwood has become singlemindedly focused on stopping Salem, likely out of the guilt and humiliation of being so helpless against her back in Volume 3. This is a chance to reclaim his honor, and he thinks of little else. That’s how I see it anyway. Oscar calls James out, saying this mindset makes him just as dangerous as Salem herself. But I guess that was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and he insists Oscar refer to him as General. Only his friends may call him James, and it seems our good good boy has lost that status. Not that he seems to expect Oscar will have much chance to show him that due respect any time soon, because he pulls out his pistol and SHOOTS THE INNOCENT FOURTEEN YEAR OLD BOY OFF A LEDGE TO FALL TO HIS DEATH!!!! Ironwood has officially made the transition from misguided good guy to full on villain.

As if there wasn’t enough tension and bad news, we go back to Penny who is still unsure how to answer Fria’s question. What is the right choice to make, the best choice for everyone’s sake? She has no idea. But she had better decide fast, because Cinder crashes through the ice wall and screeches that the powers belong to none but her. Unfortunately for our vicious villain, her Gum Gum stretchy arm comes with a weakness to blades and gets sliced off by a suddenly appearing Winter. Cinder reacts with the appropriate amount of bloody terror and pain that you would expect of someone conscious for an amputation. Winter surveys the room and realizes Fria isn’t long for this world so time is of the essence, but doesn’t have much longer to ponder that before Cinder enters a bloodlust rage. See, apparently whatever monster makeover Salem gave her in the wake of Volume 3 included the ability to regrow her Grimm limb, though it sounds like the process is terribly painful for her and may not have even been something she was expecting to have happen. Regardless, she wants revenge and starts lashing out by summoning blade after blade to throw at Winter. The Specialist manages to block most of them and they turn to dust on impact, but it’s a brutal onslaught that she has to face without any Aura, and one cuts her left arm enough to draw blood, though since it’s burning glass it also seems to cauterize the wound immediately. Let me take another moment to praise the talents of Jessica Nigri. This scene in particular required her to do a lot of screaming and screeching as Cinder, and that cannot be easy on the throat. So the fact that she pulls off those deep dark emotions so well is worthy of respect and sympathy in equal measure. Okay, back to the action. Fria lies on the floor and closes her eyes, passing away peacefully all things considered. Penny holds her hand in her final moments, and a blue glow passes from elder to younger woman. We go back to Oscar for a moment or two, but I’ll tackle his last couple scenes in bulk in just a minute. Winter is getting tossed around, and her hair has been pulled free of its bun to add to her disheveled look... and our overwhelming thirst for her. Battle battered or not, she’s looking like a real snack with her hair down. Cinder stalks toward her to continue the beating and possibly deal the killing blow, but is distracted by a snowflake flying past her face. Well that’s interesting... And then it becomes many snowflakes, a veritable flurry kicking up. She turns around with some legit fear and concern on her face, and her worries are confirmed. Penny’s eyes glow and flare up with a fierce green fire as she stands resolute as the new Winter Maiden. She seems ready to use her new powers to fight Cinder despite only just getting them, and clearly has some manner of control already if she was able to start generating snow already. And this does settle another matter of fan speculation, if she qualifies as a candidate for the powers. Welp, now we know. According to the guidelines set by Oz’s bestowing of the original powers and how he explains their transfer process back in Volume 3, you just have to be a young woman below a certain age (or else they probably would have given Amber’s power to Glynda) and have a soul to receive the power from the last user’s. I guess Penny’s blue fairy has come and said she is a real girl in all the ways that count. Her soul is unique and separate from her dad’s, even though he used his old man aura to create her. And she does in fact have a soul and is considered a legit person even though she’s got nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts. Cinder is of course outraged that this “toy” was bestowed the powers she came all this way to steal, and gets ready to fight her, but is distracted by Weiss entering the upper observation room and yelling her sister’s name in concern and fear. Cinder probably has a confused and annoyed moment of “I thought I killed you back at Haven...” She gets ready to kill the little Schnee brat for piling on further interruptions to her plan, but that too goes out the window when she notices Ruby had accompanied her partner down to find their Atlesian allies, and likewise Ruby notices her. Ruby does not hesitate for a second and without needing any time to get into the right head-space blasts off a wave of Silver Eyed energy to essentially Solar Flare the whole room.

Now we can go back to Oscar and his dramatic descent. The shot from Ironwood took out his Aura, and he seems like he’s resigned himself to death once he hits the bottom of this pit. As he closes his eyes, they glow for a moment and he hears a voice that’s been absent the entire Volume. Ozpin. He only says Oscar’s name, or at least that’s all we hear, but the boi seems to regain his determination and tries to reach his cane again. He holds it with both hands, extends it, then holds down the lever on the side. Guess a single squeeze was all it took to pop out the cane part under normal circumstances... But now the gears inside the hilt start really turning, and glowing, and it becomes a flashlight as well as a cane. Well, that’s all that seems to happen at first. With a spin and a jab, Oscar thrusts the tip of the cane downward just as he reaches the bottom of the pit. There’s a momentary flash of green lightning around him then... fade to black.

And now we come to what seems to be the epilogue/wrap up of the episode and the Volume itself. And it begins how the show began, with a voice over narration. Not from Salem though, it’s our first motivational speech from Ozpin in a year. He talks about how fear is the only feeling in this world that is universal across every living thing, yet for how common it is we constantly underestimate how powerful it can be. We experience the fear of making close connections and growing to care for others, because that can lead to a loss which we also fear. We fear failure a great deal, I know I definitely do. And those fears only get stronger the more people depend on us to help them with the decisions we make. But Ozpin reminds us that fear itself is not something to worry about or even, dare I say it, fear. The real concern is how we act when we are afraid, who we become. Can we be proud of that version of ourselves, forgive them for what they do under duress? Will you understand why they felt the need to do the things they did? Will you even recognize them as the same person you normally strive to be, or will you look in the mirror and see the enemy you should have feared from the very start? We all find the answer to that eventually.

Now on to what actually happens in these last few scenes, the fitting content to go with Ozpin’s speech. Oscar is falling through the sky towards the ground waaaaay down in Mantle. Guess his attack with the can was strong enough to bust a hole in the bottom of Atlas... straight into the Vault chamber... hope nobody else finds that. Back in the icy former hospital room, Ruby falls to her knees from the exhaustion of using her Silver Eyes. She and Weiss notice a freshly burned hole in the ceiling, as Cinder apparently avoided getting damaged by the SEW blast and escaped. Weiss rushes to check on Winter and see how badly she’s hurt, but all her sister has for her is an accusation. She still doesn’t know what Team RWBY did to get a warrant for their arrests, but she knows it was the catalyst for all of this. Meanwhile Ruby looks to see how Penny is doing, and the ginger girl’s eyes lose their fire as she meets her friend’s gaze, only to gain regret and fear as she turns back around to kneel by Fria’s side. The Winter Maiden is dead, long live the Winter Maiden. But Penny can only mourn the loss of a good person’s life, she takes no satisfaction in being the one to carry on her legacy. Winter actually does reassure her a bit, saying that some part of Fria will always live on in Penny now. We cut down to the blood stained tundra as Atlas police arrive to arrest Qrow and Robyn, who is only now regaining consciousness. Qrow puts up no fight, and it looks like neither will Robyn. Cinder is seen flying above Atlas Academy and screams with rage and hatred, even getting a bit of a dragon vibe in it by having fire erupt from her mouth. I was glad she was the one shown when Ozpin talked about fear of failure, because she did indeed fail. We don’t know how, but JNR make it to the airship pad and onto the getaway ship where the Bees and elderly people are waiting. They take off and of course question the meeting lacking the presence of Oscar and the Lamp, and JNR can only look sad in response. From one sad ship to another, we see Qrow and Robyn aboard a prison airship in cuffs, and Qrow is holding Clover’s bloodstained lucky badge. Despite the last interaction the three shared being a fight, Robyn shows sympathy to his mourning and puts a hand on his shoulders. Can’t wait to see if the two of them try to break out of jail next Volume~ As they fly up to the city in the sky backdropped by the eastern sunrise, a large dark cloud approaches from the west accented by flashes of red lightning. Back to Oscar, he clips the cane to his back and closes his eyes for a few seconds to concentrate and steel his composure. Back to the ice room again, Winter says the girls should surrender to Ironwood. Weiss is heartbroken, you can hear it in her voice, but she has to disobey her sister’s wishes, they simply cannot comply with his cruel plans. Winter seemed to expect that answer, and instead urges them to flee, but Weiss doesn’t want to do that either because it would mean leaving Winter behind while she’s so badly injured. Her big sister insists it simply isn’t like that, this is her giving them a head start before she calls for reinforcements to hunt them down. Weiss is disheartened, but reaffirms the lesson Winter had shared with her earlier in the Volume, they booth have to make decisions for the sake of their own futures that might take them down separating paths. The getaway ship arrives and hovers just outside the first hole Cinder had made in the wall, and Yang greets the group. She’s very relieved to see everyone is okay, but soon finds a lot more happened than she expected. Ruby affirms that they need to head out while they still can, and Weiss gives her sister one more glance before departing. Ruby and Penny also share a look, and Penny decides she will be leaving too. Guess she’s decided once and for all she won’t be helping Ironwood. Winter seems concerned by this development, but realizes she has no right to object or stop her after everything the two of them had talked about since the dinner party. On the airship everyone seems very dour and grim, and Penny looks at her own hand as if asking herself if she had the right to make the choices she did when she is just an Atlas robot. But Ruby and Weiss both lean on her shoulders to reassure her and make sure she knows they are happy she came with them and they believe she did the right thing. That seems to calm her down, and Pietro looks happy to see she has such good friends. On an Atlas rooftop, Cinder is quite satisfied to see Neo deliver the Lamp to her, and takes it without a single word or gratitude. Neo doesn’t like that, I guess even Roman would praise her for a job evilly done. She’s probably starting to realize Cinder is just using her to further her own plans. Speaking of unfortunate realizations, Ironwood gets a message from Winter that simply says “It’s gone”. We’re unsure if she means the Lamp or the Winter Maiden powers. Considering what her job was meant to be, it’s likely the latter. Ironwood takes that news poorly and screams with rage. I too screamed with rage, because we next see that Arthur Watts is actually still alive and just in a jail cell, nursing a black eye and smiling ominously at the mysterious black clouds we saw rolling in. 

Oscar seems to have been playing some Halo 3 recently, because he throws up a bubble shield to cushion his badass superhero landing on the ground. Not just any ground though, he seems to be within the crater where Atlas once was before Ozpin lifted it into the sky. The same crater that has apparently become the main Dust mines for the Kingdom. Perhaps next Volume will give us a closer look at just how awful these mines really are. But let’s address what Oscar has actually done here. He had no Aura after getting shot by Ironwood, so that was not his Semblance. That energy bubble he used to shield himself when busting through the bottom of the pit and cushioning his hitting the ground, that had to be Magic. He’s unlocking more of Oz’s old powers, the union of souls is progressing. But he’s still in control, Oscar is still there. He just has more of Ozpin’s memories and abilities now and used them to save himself, as if the old souls are merging into his existing one as opposed to his new soul fading away into the collective. Maybe the process will be different this time around? Regardless, Ozpin’s voice is back in his head and ready to apologize for everything he put him through. But all Oscar wants to hear right now is what their next step will be to save Atlas. As we cut back up to RWBY and friends flying away from the city, we see that it will indeed need saving very very soon. Transmissions are coming in over the radio of multiple incoming hostiles, to a degree that seems impossible to believe. Our view shifts to the dark storm itself, and a shape begins to emerge from the black and red. A GIANT. FLYING. GRIMM. WHALE! With hundreds of Nevermore, Manticores, and Sphinxes flying around it looking as big as flies by comparison. I have personally dubbed this species the Mobius, and this particular specimen has earned the nickname of Monstro. I can’t imagine there ever being more than one of this thing though, so Monstro will be the only one. He has wings, but what seems to keep him in the air is several large chunks of Gravity Dust embedded in his belly and on top of his head. We pan up over his massive glowing forehead to see the Queen herself riding into battle. Salem has come to Atlas, and she’s wearing a badass (and kind of sexy) new dress to celebrate the occasion. There are grey arm bands on the longer sleeves that look like they’re made of bones, complete with jagged spikes, and a new broach to be the centerpiece between exposed shoulders and a noticeably bigger boob window. The unique aesthetic is aided by more red lines down the curves of her figure. The words “step on me” easily come to my mind, but that may just say something about me in particular. Regardless, she smirks at the camera and it is clear she is here to fuck some shit up.

We’ll have to wait 6 months to see how our heroes deal with that though. Cannot wait. Oh, and it must be noted that the new song for the credits “Fear” is very good, and we can see that another song on the soundtrack called “Until the End” was actually written by Casey Lee Williams as opposed to her dad. Good for her!! If only I could remember which song it was...

[sucuk-with-egg]

I Know It Makes You Nervous, But I Promise You It’s Worth It (a Nora x Viri fic)

CHAPTER 5: LOW FAT YOGURT (Viri’s POV)

Chapter 5 of 12 / Chapter Word Count: 6k

Summary: A fluffy but also angsty answer to the question “what if Viri was actually in love with Nora the whole time?” AKA the other Skam España wlw love story you never knew you needed.

Chapter Summary: In which Viri attends Nora’s concert, wrestles with old demons, and allows herself to open up to Nora after an unexpected incident. CONTENT WARNING:  this chapter explicitly mentions symptoms of eating disorders (this is the chapter that mentions them the most). Please keep yourself safe if you feel you need to avoid this kind of content! I have avoided going into too much detail about Viri's harmful thought patterns and disordered eating behaviours in the interest of not endorsing/encouraging them; but I have also tried to keep things realistic. I think all the Skam remakes could go further in addressing the ED patterns of Vilde and her counterparts, and I wanted to do justice to those characters. While I did do some research on eating disorders for this project, I am by no means an expert, so please do not rely on this fic as an educational source. You can find information and resources at: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org.

Read starting from Chapter 1 here 

Sábado

Viri had been having a great night up until now.

The concert had managed to pull an impressive turnout, and the 2-for-1 drinks deal was serving them well. Viri had felt bad about the fact that they had to host another fundraiser after she'd lost them the travel agency deal, but the girls assured her that it would have been necessary anyway since several more people had signed up for the trip. Just thinking about the whole fiasco still raised a lot of guilt in Viri; she didn’t think she would ever forgive herself for betraying their trust like that.

But you can choose to move on from it now, Viri told herself. At least try to have a good time tonight.

Seeing Nora perform was one of Viri’s favourite things. Obviously, she had watched all of Nora's singing videos on Youtube more times than she could count, but seeing it live was always a whole different experience. Viri thought back to the karaoke night. How heart-wrenching it had been watching what looked like a scene from a teen drama: the school’s most popular boy falling head over heels for Spain’s - no, probably Earth’s -  most beautiful girl.

So much had changed since then, and not only concerning Nora.

One thing that certainly hasn’t changed, however, is Nora’s love for Billie Eilish, Viri thought to herself, as Nora launched into the opening notes of ‘my strange addiction’. Viri couldn’t remember the last time she’d been at an event like this and not felt too disconnected, or too anxious to really enjoy it. She revelled in being a part of the waves of emotion that the music created, connecting everyone in the room as they gazed up at the brightly lit figures on stage. The crowd pulsed and swayed, an excitable mass of teen hormones and shadowy limbs wielding half-empty cups and smartphones. They moved as one as they allowed Nora and Jorge to take control; cheering and whooping their delight. It made Viri thrilled to see her brave, talented girl getting the appreciation she deserved.

I’m so proud of you! She thought fiercely, willing the words to somehow traverse the space and make their way to Nora.

Those blue eyes confidently sought her out in the crowd again and again, pinning her to the spot. Viri was reminded that she wasn’t just an onlooker anymore. Nora had chosen her. Every teasing glance Nora threw her way, every quirk of her lips (tonight, a deep glittery purple) that meant " I’m thinking about you", only made Viri more elated. A part of her liked how secretive they were being, that what they had together was truly only theirs. It makes it more special, Viri reasoned, pushing aside the nagging thought that it couldn’t go on like this forever.

It was as Hugo was announcing the final number of the set, however, that they nearly gave themselves away. Viri couldn’t contain her grin as she held her phone up in readiness, winking cheekily when she knew Nora could see her. Nora winked back, but then quickly averted her gaze. Viri peered round in confusion, and clocked Amira standing to her left, looking between the two of them. She had definitely noticed their exchange. Viri smiled at her innocently, but it didn’t shift the growing suspicion on Amira’s face.

Joder, say something!

“So, tía, you seem happy to see Dani,” Viri commented casually, raising her voice to be heard as the song started up. She nodded towards Cris’ brother, who had shown up a few minutes prior and was already animatedly recounting some choice tidbits from Cris' extensive history of drunken antics  - much to her indignation. It hadn’t escaped Viri’s attention that upon Dani’s arrival, Amira had become almost as flustered as Nora was making her. And while Viri knew it wasn’t exactly tactful to bring it up like this, she didn’t have many other options that would prevent Amira from asking, “what’s going on with you and Nora?”

But before Amira could reluctantly open her mouth to dismiss Viri’s probing remark, Viri’s phone began to ring.

Viri felt her spirits sag like poorly aging skin as she unhappily regarded her manager’s name on her phone screen. At this rate, I’ll look like a grandmother by the time I’m twenty, with the number of stress lines this man has given me, she thought bitterly . Nevertheless, the fear of making him more angry than he must already be, to be calling her this late in the evening, prompted Viri to pick up - before she had time to remember that she was in a noisy music venue, Nora and Jorge still in full swing.

Now she huddles in the front entrance of the building, having wrestled her way through the people crammed inside, while trying to make sense of the voice on the other end of the phone. Away from the din, Viri can hear the boss berating her more clearly now: “... I expected better of you, this is extremely disappointing…”

Viri sighs. She had been having a great night up until now.

Read the rest of the chapter on AO3 

[afoolsingenuity]

Come Sundown // Nora Roberts Impresses Me With Her Writing And Makes Me Question Why I’ve Nor Read More From Her

Come Sundown – Nora Roberts

Published: 30th May 2017 Source: Netgalley Genre: Romance, Romantic Suspense My Rating:

Love. Lies. Murder. A lot can happen... COME SUNDOWN

Bodine Longbow loves to rise with the dawn. As the manager of her family's resort in Western Montana, there just aren't enough hours in the day - for life, for work, for loved ones. She certainly doesn't have time for love, not even in the gorgeous shape of her childhood crush Callen Skinner, all grown up and returned to the ranch. Then again, maybe Callen can change her mind, given time...

But when a young woman's body is discovered on resort land, everything changes. Callen falls under the suspicion of a deputy sheriff with a grudge. And for Bodine's family, the murder is a shocking reminder of an old loss. Twenty-five years ago, Bodine's Aunt Alice vanished, never to be heard of again. Could this new tragedy be connected to Alice's mysterious disappearance?

As events take a dramatic and deadly turn, Bodine and Callen must race to uncover the truth - before the sun sets on their future together.

This was my second foray into the works of Nora Roberts and I loved it. It had action and romance and a vast cast of characters. You had a shared history and strong family ties and all these things I love seeing in books all there and it could end up being a hot mess but Roberts knows what she’s doing and just creates this very real world and I loved it.

Come Sundown is set in Montana at the Longbow ranch and resort. Several generations of Longbow family live on the ranch and it’s a family run business. Bodine is running the resort side and loving every minute of it when back comes Callen Skinner, her on again off again childhood crush and her eldest brother’s best friend. One might think that this is a simple romance, but there is also the mystery element in the form of girl’s getting killed in the area which one deputy with a grudge is trying to pin on Callen, and it brings up old wounds for the Longbow clan as it is a reminder of Alice, Bodine’s aunt who disappeared before Bodine was even born. It is a romance and a mystery… or more a mystery and a romance and it’s utterly brilliant.

I have been wanting to read more Nora Roberts for a while. I mean, the woman is a household name and synonymous with romance, a genre I like to think I’m pretty well read in so when I got emailed about her latest release I was excited. I mean, she is less about straight romance, at least in this one, instead, this is romantic suspense and I loved that the book had a bit more beef to it. I wanted to know who was killing these girls and I really wanted to know what happened to Alice. I was hooked within a couple of chapters and it was all because of the mystery.

The romance in this is good. I loved the will they won’t they slow burn thing which happened between Callen and Bodine. I mean, Callen was blatant about his interest and willingness to wait for it to happen and it was great. But they weren’t the only couple. Like I said, there is a large cast of characters and a large extended family in here, both Bodine’s brother, Rory and Chase, also had romantic interests and it was fun seeing each of the siblings pursue these romances in their own way. I loved how Chase was so round about with it. The man would have taken ten years to get his act together but he was head over heels as soon as that first kiss happened.

I do have to say, I struggled to keep track of everyone at first. I loved this large extended family all lived together in various properties and that the ranch and the resort had staff who were basically family as well… but I struggled to keep them straight in my head as they are all thrown at you quite quickly. It was like starting a new job and knowing you’re never going to keep track of everyone. I got there eventually, but it took me a while. It didn’t help that there were several different POV throughout and keeping track of the switches was difficult. Those are my only gripes, though.

As a whole, this was a great book. I mean, the mystery element wasn’t the best. It took me a little while but I’d guessed the killer pretty quick. I know that’s not the main focus and really the motivation for it and everyone finding out what I’d already guessed was brilliant. I didn’t think I’d have been interested in a book set on a horse ranch and resort… horses aren’t really my thing, but damn if Nora Roberts didn’t make me care. I finished the book happy and wanting to watch myself some westerns. That’s kind of impressive.

Have you read any Nora Roberts? Can you recommend a book? And do you get daunted going into reading an author who is as prolific as this because really, where do you start?

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