#Can confirm I’ve had to tell my contract holder that No I Will Not Be Doing That

[teaboot]

Ok but isn't a rent-a-cop just a henchman for a mall? Maybe the mall will just ask you to beat up batman and steal a truck. Employers ask some batshit things nowadays.

IMO the difference between a good henchman and a good rent-a-cop is that, when the big guy asks you to do something illegal, Henchman says “you got it, boss” and rent-a-cop says “no can do, boss” so really a rent-a-cop is just a street legal henchman

[fanficbitch]

In Another Life // Jane Emily

A/N: The first child between Y/N and Hotch!

Aaron Hotchner x y/n

September 2013

The level of uncomfort I am feeling is indescribable. It hurts when I lay on my side, it hurts when I lay on my back, it hurts to sit. Just everything is painful. I don’t know how people do this multiple times. This might have to be my only pregnancy. 

Aaron has been out on a case for the last four days and I am practically useless. So Jess has been coming over to help and take care of Jack. I don’t know how we would survive without her.

Jess left me propped up against the headboard by at least four pillows. I am nearly sitting up. However, this just happens to be the best position that I have found. I glance at my clock and see that it is nearly 2 in the morning. I have to get some sleep, but I don’t feel that happening soon.

To my surprise, the door to my bedroom opens to reveal Aaron. “What are you still doing up?” he asks as he walks in.

“I can’t sleep. I’m too uncomfortable,” I whine. Aaron gives me a sympathetic look then begins to undress from his suit. “How was the case?”

“A little complicated. We were stumped for a while till Reid had a genius moment and figured it out.”

I chuckle slightly. “He’s quite good at that, isn’t he?”

Once Aaron has his pajamas on he gets into bed and properly greets me with a kiss. “Now, how have you been?”

“Honestly?”

“Honestly,” he confirms.

“I have just been miserable. I can’t sleep or sit properly,” I say then place my hands on my stomach. “I just need this baby out.”

“It should only be a few more days,” Aaron assures me.

“Your time off starts now right?” I ask and he nods. Although him and I both know that he could still be called in at any minute.

Aaron scoots closer to me so he can place his hand on my belly. Almost immediately, I feel kicks at the top of my stomach. Aaron smiles while I wince in pain. “I’m glad you’re enjoying this,” I mutter.

“You have to admit she knows her daddy,” Aaron smiles. A true smile from him. I am lucky and see them more than most people do, but every time I see one I am overjoyed.

I place my hand on his cheek and his eyes meet mine. “This baby has no idea just how lucky she is,” I say.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Aaron says. He leans in and kisses me slowly until the kicking starts again. I place my hand on top of his hand that rests on my belly.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” I whisper into his hair.

“Me too,” he smiles.

                                                          **********

When I wake up, it’s to a jolt of pain. With my eyes closed, I reach my hand out and try to find my boyfriend’s hand. After a moment of searching, I open my eyes and see that no one is there.

I check my clock and see that it is almost 7 in the morning, which means Aaron is already knee deep in emails.

I hoist myself out of bed and waddle down the stairs. I find Aaron exactly where I expect to find him, in his office. I peek inside and see him intently staring at his computer with his glasses on. “Hey,” I whisper as I walk in the doorway.

“Hey,” he says and whips off his glasses. He quickly gets up and leads me out of the office and into the living room then onto the couch. Once I’m settled, Aaron takes the other side of the couch. “How was your night?” 

I sigh. “It was rough. I had contractions nearly the whole night, but they’re at least a half hour apart and not lasting very long.”

“Okay, well do you want me to make you some breakfast?”

“Always,” I smile.

“On it,” Aaron says and gives me a kiss before heading to the kitchen.

I manage to get a magazine off the coffee table and flip through it for a few minutes, then I get bored. I move to the dining room so I can overlook Aaron in the kitchen as he makes breakfast.

“So, how has work been today?” I ask.

“I’m on vacation,” Aaron tells me.

“Listen honey, we can do this whole thing where we both pretend you aren’t working, but know you are. Or we can just talk about it,” I say as he bites his bottom lip in thought. “I really don’t mind. I like hearing about work.”

“Well in that case, Morgan is taking over for me while I’m gone and he was just asking a few questions,” he says as he butters my toast. “He says he’s going to do his best not to bother us these next two weeks.”

“Hmm, okay,” I hum.

“What?” Aaron asks as he slides the toast in front of me then sits next to me.

“I just don’t think there is anyway you can stay away from work for that long,” I say. “If Morgan doesn’t call you I’m sure you’ll lend your services.”

“That is not true,” he fights back. I raise my eyebrows at him, but still continue to eat my toast. But halfway through my first piece, pain pierces through my stomach. I lean over and clutch my stomach with one hand while my other one finds Aaron’s hand. “Just breathe through it,” Aaron coos and I do. It’s over within 30 seconds, but it was still painful.

I look up and meet his eyes once it’s over. “Are you sure these aren’t braxton hicks?” Aaron asks.

“I’m sure. These are way stronger than ones I’ve gotten earlier,” I say and he nods.

Just then, a sleepy Jack turns into the dining room, still in his pajamas. “Hey buddy,” Aaron says.

“Hey,” Jack croaks then sits at his seat. “Could I have breakfast please?”

“Yes, I will get you some cereal,” Aaron says then runs off to the kitchen. Jack’s sleepy expression quickly turns to happy when he realizes what we’re getting close to.

“Could she come today?” Jack asks excitedly.

“She could,” I say with a nod.

“Can you please, please, please tell me her name?” he begs.

“We aren’t set on anything,” Aaron says as he returns to the dining room with the cereal. Jack looks back at me from his dad and I give him a wink. I’d say we’re pretty set on the name, Aaron just doesn’t completely know that yet. 

Jack quickly finishes his cereal then goes upstairs to get changed. Aaron slips on shoes even though he is still wearing his pajamas. “You’re taking him to school like that?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, what’s wrong with it?”

“It’s just an interesting choice for someone who usually wears a suit everyday,” I say. “At least I won’t have to worry about any soccer moms hitting on you.”

“I think they’ve learned better by now,” Aaron says as Jack runs down the steps with his bag. “Okay, buddy let’s go,” Aaron says as he ushers him to the garage.

“Bye Jack!” I call.

“Bye Mom!” he calls back and then the door shuts. I’m still not completely used to Jack calling me mom, but I still love it.

I get myself out of the dining room chair then waddle towards the steps. Before I can even get up one step, a gush of water spreads down my legs. Oh no.

                                                         **********

Luckily, it did not take Aaron long to get back. Once he got home, we both sprang into action and grabbed our things then got in the car. 

I got checked in relatively quickly and am currently sitting in my hospital bed. The contractions just keep getting closer and closer together. I know she’s coming soon.

“Aaron,” I say because he is across the room talking to the doctor. He quickly leaves the doctor and comes to my side. “Hold my hand,” I say, nearly begging.

“Of course,” he says and takes my hand. 

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“The doctor is going to check to see how far along you are,” he says and I nod.

Dr. Larson soon pops out from my lower parts with a smile. “Okay, Mama it’s time to push. Are you ready?”

I look to Aaron before responding. He gives me a reassuring nod which gives me more confidence then he’ll ever know. “Let’s do this,” I say.

HOTCH POV

I lightly coo to the new bundle of joy that rests in my arms. I try to be as quiet as possible because Y/N just fell asleep. 

I slowly rock my arms back and forth as my baby stares up at me. She’s calm and quiet, just like her dad. She let out a few cries the moment she was born, but since then she’s been quiet as a mouse. Her eyes flutter open and close, showing me her beautiful brown eyes. 

I glance up at my girlfriend again. I can’t believe we created something so precious. I forgot that feeling when you have a newborn, but it’s all coming back. The warmth, the wholeness, the pureness. I can’t believe I have gone eight years without this feeling.

There is a soft knock at the door, then Jessica pokes her head in. “Can you take a visitor?” she asks and I raise my eyebrow, unsure. She pushes the door open a little wider and Jack carefully steps into the room. Jessica closes the door again to give us some privacy. 

“Can I see her?” Jack asks softly and I nod. He comes the rest of the way over and stares down at her. “She’s really small.”

“You were this small once,” I whisper. We both stare down at her for a moment while she sleeps. 

“Can I have my baby back?” I hear from behind Jack. Y/N has woken up from her very short nap, but has her arms held out for a baby.

“I wanted you to sleep a little longer,” I say as I stand up slowly.

“I can’t,” Y/N says. “This bed is lumpy.”

Finally, Y/N notices Jack and shows a large smile. “Jack! Did you get to meet your sister yet?”

“Yeah, but she’s sleeping,” he says.

Y/N scoots over to make a small empty space on the bed. “Come up here,” Y/N says. Jack hops up on the bed so he is squeezed next to Y/N. “Do you want to hold her?”

Jack nods excitedly. “Okay,” I say as I place her in Jack’s arms. “Make sure you support her head,” I add. Once the nerves go away, I realize my heart is bursting. The three people I love most in the world all in one place.

“Can I know her name now please?” Jack begs.

I look down at Y/N and smile which is all the confirmation she needs. “Okay,” Y/N says. “Her name is-,”

“Hi!” I hear from the doorway. Garcia is standing with a large bouquet of balloons. “Can I come in?”

“Yes, come in,” I say and she does. Garcia sets the balloon holder on the ground then slowly walks up to the bed. She looks down at our baby for a moment, then covers her mouth. 

“Oh my gosh, she is just beautiful!” Garcia says.

“Well we think so,” I say as I stare down at her. She begins to fuss in her swaddle then lets out a loud wail. Y/N takes our baby from Jack then sighs.

“I think she’s hungry,” Y/N says. 

“Okay, we’ll give you guys a minute,” Garcia says then leads Jack out of the room. Before I know it, Y/N is already feeding our baby. I sit on the edge of the bed and place my hand Y/N’s leg.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Y/N chuckles.

I shake my head in disbelief. “I’m just so happy,” I say. “I am also so proud of you. I can’t believe you brought this beautiful, little girl into our lives.”

Y/N smiles down at her. “She is pretty perfect.”

I lean forward all the way and give her a kiss. “You’re perfect,” I whisper.

“Oh, Aaron,” Y/N laughs.

The more I think about it, the more I realize my whole life is perfect. I have a beautiful wife, two healthy children and a stable job. There is nothing more I could ever want.

I scoot closer to my daughter and my girlfriend. “Jane, how have we gone this long without you?” I ask.

[phantomato]

Uber

Nottmort (Tom Riddle/Nott Sr.), Modern Muggle AU, ~2k words

Thanks to @yletylyf for kicking around this idea! Tom drives an Uber in the Bay Area. Thoros & co need a ride.

—

Abraxas and Orion are bickering over luggage in the background when your Uber pulls up. Black, of course, so it’s a Mercedes that will smell a little too much like leather cleaner when you get in, but none of you have ever ridden in an UberX or, god forbid, an Uber Pool, and you’re not about to start.

Your colleagues—never forget, you are not friends, no matter how much time you spend with them—slide into the back seat before you can even begin to help load bags into the trunk. You’re left alone with the driver, and though he offers to help, you haven’t let yourself sink that low as to make this man pile all of your shit in his car while you sit around and watch. And anyway, it feels like the polite thing to do. More than Abraxas or Orion, you’ve been raised to be polite.

So you fold yourself into the front passenger seat, too kind to push the seat all the way back and give yourself the leg room you need even if Orion, behind you, is just 5’8 to your 6’3, and smile at the driver as he confirms your destination.

He’s pretty. You’ve been in a lot of Ubers and you’ve never seen a driver this pretty. Is that classist?, you wonder to yourself, remembering something you read in Vox the other day. Probably. Nevertheless, you’re taken by the curve of his mouth, the sweep of his dark hair, and you throw a smirk over your shoulder at Abraxas who you know must have also noticed.

“Traffic to SFO will be busy,” he says regretfully, and you roll your eyes. Orion refuses to take the early morning flights, unwilling to wake at 3 AM, and you’re always stuck with these long, miserable Uber rides down from the city to the airport. “And Terminal 2—right in the middle of it. There’s construction around those doors, if you haven’t been there—”

“We know,” Orion butts in rudely, shutting up your driver for the few minutes it takes to get out of your neighborhood.

You use those few minutes to swipe through your phone. Email—nothing important. Messages—you clear the notifications. Your Instagram is alight with people reposting the same infographic about voting rights and you make a mental note to kick some money to that non-profit that’s been all over Twitter lately. You close out apps and end up back at Uber, watching your car’s laggy progress through the San Francisco streets. Your driver’s name is Tom, the app informs you. It’s a nice name.

You clear the side streets and Tom offers amenities. “If you want any water, there are bottles in the cooler between the seats,” he calls back to Abraxas and Orion, “and mints in the cup holder. You can adjust the air conditioning if you like, and there’s a charging cable attached to the back of my seat if you need it. Would you like to choose any music?”

“No,” Abraxas says, and whether he means the music or the entire spiel doesn’t really matter, given his withering tone. You look back at him, trying to convey ‘Be nice’ with just your eyebrows, but Abraxas is fussing with his hair and ignoring you.

Tom’s one of the chipper ones, it turns out, because he takes the rejection in stride and shifts to the dreaded personal conversation. “What do you all do for a living?”

“Ah, we invest in companies, mostly start-ups,” you say, trying to avoid—

“Venture capitalists!” Tom guesses, and he’s right but you hate the term and its connotations. So what if you are all white men whose family money has bankrolled tech speculation? It’s what anyone with half a brain would do. You donate, you read the liberal news—at least, you think that’s true for all of you, though Orion was friends with that Republican mayoral candidate and Abraxas’ father sponsors that conservative think-tank and…

Ah, fuck. “Yeah, pretty much,” you agree, hating yourself.

Behind you, Orion digs his AirPods out of his pocket. You hear the snap of the magnetic lid as he closes himself off to the world. Abraxas is slouching, the hem of his third-favorite cashmere cardigan catching on the seat behind him, and you realize that you’re alone in this conversation.

Well, fuck it. If those two pricks are going to make you call the Uber, deal with the reimbursement paperwork, and sit in the front seat, you’re going to talk to the driver and make this car conversation as painful as possible for them.

As if reading your thoughts, Tom does the one thing that guarantees a terrible ride: he pitches his app idea.

“You know, I’m also a software developer,” he says, which is at least more promising than when someone isn’t, “and if I had the kind of funding that companies like yours provide, I would absolutely make this app.” He proceeds to describe something completely inane, the type of exclusive, niche social networking app that hasn’t had legs since before the Trump presidency and you would be content to let him drone on, to let Abraxas keep melting into his own seat and to let Orion channel his anger through a knee driven into the back of yours, but—

But for all that Tom’s idea is stupid, he has the energy of the best pitches you see. His energy is infectious. His eyes light up, he gestures with one hand, and when he stops to take a drink (one of those water bottles with a built-in straw, which you associate with joggers and your lamest employees but which does very different things to you when it’s Tom’s mouth wrapped around the top) you’re transfixed by the wet sheen over his chapped lips.

And so, yes, maybe it’s mostly lust, and maybe this is a sign that you need to download Grindr again, even if only to jerk off to the dick pics you’ll get, but you start to actually talk to him.

“There’s no future in niche social networks,” you say, halting Tom in his tracks. “There will always be new ones, don’t misunderstand me, but the broader landscape is saturated by the top names, and they’ll buy out their competitors if they need to. Perhaps you can topple Tumblr, but that’s not a path to profit. If you want to impact the social market, you need to pinpoint the novel interaction model that you want to offer and make yourself buyable.”

“Buyable,” Tom repeats, like he’s never been interrupted before. He probably hasn’t. The first rule of Ubering around the Bay Area or the Valley is to never engage the app pitches, and Orion has started kicking your seat for your transgression.

“Yes,” you enunciate. “You want to be bought out and brought in at a high level. The giant that eats you may or may not use your idea, but you’ll make a comfortable sum as a consolation prize.” You’ve helped companies through this before. You’re flying out to New York this week in part because one of your investments is considering purchase offers and you want to strategize in-person. The founder is dallying, sending emails about independence and integrity, and Orion will bully him into selling while you and Abraxas negotiate the best terms for the contract.

You can feel Tom’s eyes on you. Abraxas might be calling “Thoros…” from the back seat, and Orion might be attempting to annihilate you with his gaze alone, but you’re smiling at that handsome face behind the wheel and hoping for an accident on the 101.

Unfortunately, you make it through San Bruno without running into more than the usual level of traffic, and Tom’s pulling up to your terminal much sooner than you would like. Abraxas and Orion jump out of the car with uncharacteristic speed when it stops, Orion even moving to stand by the trunk in readiness to take his bags. You delay.

“Do you have a business card?” you ask, when it’s clear Tom’s waiting on you.

He fumbles to pull a wallet from his jeans. You can’t quite get a view of his ass as he does, but that doesn’t stop you from looking.

His card is bent at the corner, printed cheaply, and probably from his last job. You’re pretty sure that company doesn’t exist anymore. Tom taps the phone number. “I can be reached here,” he says smoothly, but his professionalism cracks when he adds, “by call or by… text.”

You know what sort of texts you’d like to receive from him.

Pulling out your own card case, you hand him your card. “Text me,” you say, your voice just this side of appropriate, “any time.”

Tom visibly swallows and jumps out of the car. You take your time getting up, and if your cashmere sweater—Margaret Howell, not that Elder Statesman piece of shit Abraxas is wearing—ends up in the footwell of Tom’s passenger seat, well, you’ll be back in SF next week, won’t you?

“Thanks for the ride, Tom,” you tell him as you take the handle of your luggage, letting your fingers brush his. “I enjoyed our conversation.”

“Yeah,��� he nods, and you don’t care that Abraxas is snorting behind you, he’s been judging you this whole trip and he lost out on a hot guy’s number as a result. “It was…”

“Thoros,” you interrupt him before he can ramble and psych himself out. “My name is Thoros, and I really would like to hear from you.”

Tom looks at you then, and you see him pull together the same sureness that drew you into his initial pitch. “I’ll text you about the app.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” you say, meaning it.

—

Bonus:

“You know,” Abraxas drawls as you sit in the United club lounge, gesturing lazily with his overpriced airport Fiji water, “if you tip him too much it’s like you’re paying him for sex.”

Orion looks up from his phone then, removing one earbud for the first time since he put them in. “I’ve paid more for sex with less attractive men.”

“Welcome back,” you say, “I didn’t realize you had paid any attention.”

“Someone would need to not have eyes in order to miss how hot that Uber driver was,” he bites back, returning to his phone.

“Well, I’m tipping him extra anyway,” you announce, confirming Tom’s five-star rating. Should you write a review? Is that too much?

Abraxas, with a grumble, declares, “I’m telling Alecto not to approve this expense.”

—

Bonus bonus:

Your phone buzzes at the end of dinner, the celebratory affair to close the sale which someone had insisted must be at Lilia, even though Abraxas doesn’t eat carbs and you would have preferred to grab a slice at Scarr’s rather than haul out to Williamsburg, anyway.

It’s Tom. Of course it’s Tom—you’ve been texting all week, and between a few late-night flirtations and one very bald statement of interest, you’ve got a date set for when you’re back home. You’re going to Mensho Tokyo, since he lives in the Tenderloin and you live… vaguely around the Tenderloin, at least, you tell people you live there when you want to seem cooler, and Tom is the type of guy that makes you excited to stand in line for hours to get seats. You’re already thinking about whether you might put your arm around him while you’re waiting, and you unlock your phone to see what he’s saying now.

It’s a picture message.

A picture of Tom, wearing your Howell sweater and no pants and oh god oh fuck—

“Was that Uber driver’s dick?” Abraxas whispers, next to you, and you curse your luck. “Remind me to call the next Uber, Jesus Christ.”

[buckyscrystalqueen]

Too Smart for Your Own Good: Part 5

Pairings: Machine Gun Kelly x Reader, (Past and Future) Henry Cavill x Reader

Warnings: Swearing, PTSD 

Word Count: 4,758

A/N: Doesn’t have a completed end yet, but just giving you more content to try to get myself out of a writing funk.

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4

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

You should have been doing your last minute research on baby products to get your shopping done before the start of your third trimester, but your relaxing beach study session was welcomingly interrupted within a matter of minutes.

“You are a terrible person.” You muttered as Henry dropped a large duffle bag of work out equipment beside you.

“Like your tan.” He started as he pulled off his tank top and dropped it on your lap. “Muscles need work. You want me to be healthy, don’t you?”

“I want you to stop distracting me with the sexy.” You laughed as you locked the screen of your phone and dropped it in the cup holder of your beach chair.

“Oh, perfect.” He said as he unzipped his old work out bag, which hadn’t seen the light of day in years. “You can help.”

“You’re impossible.” You huffed with a smile as you held out your hand for whatever he was going to hand you. “What am I doing?”

“You are simply keeping me company.” He replied with a heart melting smile. “I miss your company.”

“Well you are not alone there.” He bent over long enough to give you a chaste kiss before he got to work. “Sooo… I’m assuming I’m allowed to ask questions… about over there.”

“You are.” He confirmed as he started with a slow stretch that momentarily made you forget all about your questions. A small smirk pulled at his lips as he looked up at you through his lashes while bending over to touch his toes. “Questions, my darling.”

“God, I fucking hate you.” You muttered as you bit your lip and rested your arm on the arm rest of your chair. His chuckle sent shivers up your spine as he twisted into a lunge, which made you simply want to die. “Fuck, how did you get so ripped over there? I mean, I’m absolutely not complaining at all, but… damn, baby.” His laugh blended perfectly with the waves crashing beside you as he switched sides in a different lunge.

“Well, we used what we had. The rusted metal beds made good weights, push up and sit ups worked too. Did a lot of boxing type work outs.” He shrugged and sat down in the sand in front of you to start. “Same things I do here just had a lot more time. Feet.” You nodded and picked up your feet so he could put his under yours for the first few of many sets of sit ups. “Now may I ask you something?”

“You just did.”

“How did you meet this baby daddy of yours?” You couldn’t stop your sigh, knowing that you would have to answer these questions some time, just not the day after he got home.

“His name is Colson.” You started as you pushed against his feet with yours to hold them down. “Or Kels… I call him Colson now. He’s some rapper, rock star that Ashleigh represents.” Henry stopped mid sit up and stared at you in shock.

“Darling… really? A rapper?”

“Shut up!” You squealed as you pushed his forehead so he would stop giving you that look. “Look, he needed a guitarist for a concert after his guitarist broke his arm and I was the only person Ash knew that could learn the music fast enough.”

“My little genius.” He said with a proud smile. “My little roadie genius.”

“God you’re impossible.” You laughed as you grabbed your water bottle and opened the top. “Look, I lasted six years, and had a momentary lapse of judgement. Sue me.”

“Does he know about her?” He asked as he sat up completely, tapped your calf to get you to move, and turned to the side at your feet to keep going.

“He knows. He’s showed up for appointments and wants to be in her life. He has another daughter who lives in Cleveland so she has a sister.” His head nodded the slightest bit as he started in on a variation of sit ups that incorporated his arms and legs.

“He know about me?”

“He does. He knows how we met…”

“Good ol’ Jersey Reds for the win.” Henry chuckled with a gorgeous smile.

“And he knows we are engaged. He knows I still love you.”

“Didn’t talk about me much, did you?” He asked with a hint of regret in his tone.

“No. I couldn’t.” He nodded his head and sat up in front of you with a small sigh.

“(Y/N), I’m…”

“Hey!” You sat up and looked over as Colson headed down the steps on the side of your house toward you. “Private property, dick head!”

“No, it’s OK.” You said as you got up and stepped over Henry’s legs. “We, um… we need to talk.”

“The fuck is this guy?” Kels asked as Henry watched on from a few feet back.

“That’s Henry.” You breathed as you crossed your arms over your chest. Colson’s face dropped from angry to speechless in less than a breath, and you nodded as you pushed your sunglasses on top of your head. “Kels, I’m sorry, it’s really complicated…”

“Nah.” He said with a shake of his head as he looked between you and your fiancé. “Not complicated at all. You said if he came back, you’d stay with him. Ain’t nothing complicated about that.” You nodded as he pulled a small box from the pocket of his jeans. “It was Casie’s when she was a baby. Emma found it in a yard sale and Cas used to listen to it every night before bed. She wants her sister to have it…”

“Oh, Colson.” You breathed as you pulled a small music box that resembled a record player from the box. You smiled and turned the little crank as Colson reached out and opened the top. ‘Let It Be’ started playing sweetly and you smiled and held the music box down by your stomach for your little girl. “Thank you. And tell Casie thank you as well. Hey, come meet Henry…”

“Nah. It’s all good.” He said with a sweep of his hand as he put his hands in his pants pockets. “Just dropped by to let you know I was back and to give you that. I’ll meet him eventually. I’ll see you ‘round, (Y/N). Welcome back, my guy.” You sighed as the father of your child turned to walk away at the same time Henry gently touched your back to come over to introduce himself.

“Guess he doesn’t wanna meet me?” Henry asked, making you shake your head.

“I think it will just take some time…”

“What drugs is he on?” A loud sigh left your lips as you leaned into his side and watched Kels disappear around the side of the house. 

“That I don’t know. The little time I spent with him for the concert, I saw a lot of weed and coke. Alcohol in the masses. But every other time he’s been sober-adjacent…”

“Sober-adjacent.” Henry mutter under his breath with a shake of his head. “That’s one way to put it.”

“I’m aware of the man’s life choices, baby.” You said as you closed the now silent music box and put it back into the box. You looked up at the empty staircase with a shake of your head before looking up at Henry with a small smile. “Don’t worry so much, sweetheart. That’s my job.”

“And worrying about you is mine.” He reminded you as he turned you back toward your chair. “And I’ve obviously been off my game for you to have thought that mess was a good idea.”

“Oh God, Henry.” You laughed as you sat down and pushed your sunglasses back into place. “That’s the father of my child and you will be nice.”

“I will be nice.” He said in a slightly mocking tone as he tapped your calves to stand on his feet again. “Just for my girls.”

“Mmmm… I like the sound of that.”

——

“So, when should I start planning our trip to London?” You asked gently as you walked into your pool after a long day of hanging out on the beach, catching up your fiancé on the last six years of your life, and reminiscing about the past. Henry looked over at you as he set his workout bag, and your chairs against the wall, and cocked his eyebrow.

“Why…”

“Because I know you, Henry.” You laughed as you sank down into the cool water. “Because I know, your first stop was my house, and I know you haven’t called your mother, because I would have heard from her…”

“You still talk to my mother?” You sighed and shook your head.

“I did for a year. I umm…” You bit your lip for a moment and shrugged the slightest bit as he came over and picked you up so you could wrap your legs around his waist. “We talked every single day, going over and over why you would disappear on us without a word. And when it hit the one year anniversary of radio silence, I walked away, because I didn’t want to keep reliving it. So now your mother hates me, because I went radio silent on her too. So if you had called her, she would have wanted to talk to me, probably to yell…”

“Oh, you know my mother well enough to know that she doesn’t hate anyone.”

“Well if she finds out that you are back, and you didn’t tell her, she’ll hate you, especially since your birthday is in three days. And she’ll keep hating me when she finds out that I haven’t told her. OH! And let’s not forget her hating me being pregnant…”

“OK, so we’re going to London.” He interrupted with a smile. “So no one hates you. Now when…?”

“I can get us on a red eye tonight.” You said as you poured water from your palms on the back of his head so you could run your fingers through it. “Just have to text Negan and the sperm donor first.”

“Why would you need to tell him?”

“Verbal contract.” You told him as you glanced down at your barely five months along bump. “Can’t leave the county with the baby without the other person knowing, because you can bet your ass, the first time he tries to take my child out of LA, I will send the club after him. And I can’t expect him to do that and not follow the same rules myself.”

“God, I forgot you were my little moral compass.” He cooed as he kissed you gently. “Such a goody goody…”

“Just remember that I finally know where you sleep now…” You replied in a sing song voice as you leaned back in the water to rinse your hair out. “And I may be small, but I am mighty.”

“Fuck… how could I have ever left the sexiest woman in the entire world?”

“You just forgot the sexiness amidst the camouflage and manly bearded men.” You laughed as you sat up and cupped his jaw. “Wanna grab a small bite before we go? We can even take the Charger which yes, I kept and yes, I frequently maintained.”

“Pretty sure my license is expired but I’m also pretty sure being a prisoner of war will excuse that.” You rolled your eyes and kissed him again before forcing yourself out of his arms to go get ready for your last minute trip. You were glad that you had kept Henry’s clothes and belongings right where he had left them, no matter how many nights it had caused you heartbreak to see them, because it made it so much easier for him to slip back into his life now that he was back. 

It didn’t take long for either of you to pack- him because he was always a light packer, and you because you knew exactly what you needed, and where it was located to travel to see your future in-laws. The call to Negan lasted all of two minutes so he got the where and why from you, and could make the request that you kept him posted while you were gone, and to let him know when you would be back, which was a typical call to your father when he was busy with the club. But getting a hold of Colson proved to be a little harder.

“Darling, we’re getting ready to take off.” Henry said softly as you dialed Colson’s number for the thirty-seventh time.

“OK, you know as well as I do that this will bug me the entire flight if I don’t get a response from him. Colson, last chance. I’m going to London and don’t know when I’ll be back. Can you fucking acknowledge my existence for thirty seconds and text me back or something already?!”

“You worry to much, my love.” Your fiancé sighed on the other side of the lowered partition separating your two first class seats.

“Yes, well it’s not just my child, sweetheart. And I made this damn rule to begin with and I’d also be livid if he only left one message.”

“I know, my love.” He placated as he handed you the blanket you liked to travel with because you always got super cold on planes. “But we both know he’s probably off galavanting with the homies, or some other shenanigans or tomfoolery at this hour on a Friday night.”

“Did you just say shenanigans AND tomfoolery in the same sentence?!” You laughed as you put your phone in airplane mode and set it aside for the time being. “Who even uses those words?”

“I do.” He chuckled as he took the beer he had asked for from the stewardess. “Because it makes you smile.”

“Aww, how cute!” You teased. “I forgot how sappy you can be.”

“And here I am to remind you.” He laughed as he reached through the pass through to brush his thumb across your cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you.” You replied as you kissed his palm. “Am I am so glad you’re finally home where you belong.”

——

“Think she’s going to be mad?” Henry asked as he parked your rental car in front of his parent’s house.

“No, baby.” You soothed. “She is going to be so happy you’re alive and safe, she won’t even care that any time has passed.” He nodded and glanced up at the house through the rain with a heaved sigh.

“Alright, let’s go. I’ll come back out for our bags if we’re staying here.” With a nod, you braced yourself for the cold rain, threw open the door, and ran around the car. Marianne had changed her garden so much since the last time you had seen it, and you absolutely loved what she had done with it, but that idea was fleeting as you stepped under to the quaint cottage’s awning. You purposely gave your fiancé no time to think, you simply knocked on the door and gently pushed him forward so he was front and center.

“... in the bloody rain...” Was all his father, Colin could get out when he looked up at his fourth son in shock.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Oh, praise the Lord. Marianne! Come in, come in. Get out of the cold. Marianne!” You smiled to yourself and stepped just inside the door to be out of the way as your mother-in-law came around the corner from the kitchen, screamed, stumbled into the wall in disbelief, and then finally came over to touch her son.

“I must be dreamin’.” She gasped through her tears as she ran her fingertips across his cheek. “I must...”

“I’m here.” Henry said as he, too teared up. “I’m really here.” His mother started to sob and pulled him into her arms, giving his father room to hug the both of them as well. While they had their family moment, you checked in with Negan, and sent a message to Ashleigh to get to Colson, and didn’t look up until Marianne said your name.

“Let me take a look at you.” She sniffled as she came over and held you out at arms length. Her eyes trailed down to your stomach for only a moment before meeting yours again with a small smile. “I’m sorry I ran you off.”

“No, mum, never.” You breathed as she pulled you into her arms. “I just needed to try to move on…”

“And you did that?” She asked as she stepped back to look at your stomach again. 

“She’s… I didn’t want to be alone anymore. Dad was in prison, Henry was gone. So in a very poor lapse of judgement on the other half of her genetics, I made a choice. And now I have her, and my father out of prison, and the love of my life back.”

“And the rest of your family, too.” She said with a smile as she pat your cheek. “You have always had us, whenever you were ready.” You nodded your head and closed your eyes for a moment with a content sigh. “Alright, you two go up and get settled. We’ve to call the boys. They’ll want to see you.”

“See if they’d like to do a late dinner.” You suggested with a smile. “So everyone can catch up… no, it’s my treat, I insist.”

“You both know you can’t tell her no.” Henry laughed as he took your rain jacket from you to hang up. 

“We’ll make the calls.” Colin said with a nod. “But we’ll pay.”

“Oh, Papa C, you know as well as I do I can out bribe the waiter for that tab with my stunning personality alone.”

“It’s only because she’s much, much more pretty.” Henry teased before dashing out the door to grab your bags with a laugh. 

“He is right, you know.” Marianne giggled as she picked up her cell to start making calls. “She is much more pretty.”

“Oh, not you, too.” Colin whined as he picked up his phone as well.

“I’m sorry, Papa C.” You joked as you moved out of the way for Henry and the first round of bags. “I should have stayed in LA to spare you my American looks.”

“And her way more annoying American sass.” Henry teased before running out into the rain to avoid your whack. 

“You two haven’t missed a beat, have you?” Marianne asked as she hung up with Charlie and looked up at you.

“In some ways, it’s like we haven’t…” You breathed as you looked out the open front door. “But he’s not my same Henry. I can see it in his eyes…”

“He just got back, sweetheart.” She said softly as she came over to watch her son as well. “And I can only imagine the horrors he’s seen. Give him time, (Y/N). And get him to talk about it. You’ll be the only one of us that can.” You nodded your head and smiled at the love of your life as he handed you his small duffle of both your things from the plane.

“You want first shower before dinner?” He asked as he closed the door behind him. “Since I just took mine running out for your bags.”

“Oh, you poor, unfortunate soul.” You teased as you headed up to the guest bedroom, while siblings were still being called to come over for reasons unknown to them for the time being. “And now you’re going to go from cold rain water to a cold shower since I’m going to purposely use all the hot water.”

“Guess I’m getting in with you then.” He growled softly into your ear as you stopped at the guest bedroom door.

“Oh, yes sir, soldier boy.”

——

There where very, very few decisions you had made in your life that you regretted, but suggesting dinner with Henry’s family after all he had been through was one of those few decisions. Despite how hard he tried to ignore the loud chatter of everyone deciding what they wanted to eat and asking him a million and one questions that he gave half answers to and pretended he was OK, you could feel how tense he was beside you. His hand movements were slightly jerky and he startled easily when the waiter came around for orders and to drop off drinks. You knew no one else but his mother noticed, and she kept shooting you looks, but you were more concerned with your fiancé than you were with her.

“Henry.” You said softly when the plates were starting to be served. He looked over at you, but almost completely through you, making your brow furrow in concern. “Sweetheart…” You both startled when one of his younger nieces he hadn’t gotten to ever meet before dropped her water glass on the table, hitting every single piece of metal silverware and the glass plates around her, and you could see the terror flash in his eyes.

“Hey, shhh.” You whispered softly as you gently laid one hand on his cheek and held on to one of his tightly clenched fists with the other. “Hey, you’re here with me.”

“Hey, what’s…?”

“No, leave him alone.” His oldest brother, Piers said before his mom could reach out for her son. “Let her. She’ll get through to him.”

“What’s going on?” His brother, Simon called out from halfway down the table as everyone turned to stare at the pair of you. 

“Well he’s obviously he’s having a melt down. Been in the bat cave just a little too long.” Charlie said slightly jokingly, which made Henry tense up even more.

“Leave him alone!” Marianne barked at her sons as you tried to bring your fiancé back down to Earth. “He has been through hell and back and you lot aren’t helping!”

“Just let her do her thing.” Niki said as he picked up his fork and knife to start eating. “She’s the only one of us that can pull him out of this, and they don’t need us staring at them while they do it.”

“Sweetheart, come back to me.” You said softly as you pulled his hand toward you and gently placed it on your daughter. “The little squirm bug is moving around again. Think you could tell me if you can feel her yet? She is your future step daughter after all.” You watched the blue in his eyes shift in shade as he finally focused on your face and not looking through it.

“What?”

“She. Is. Your. Step daughter.” You repeated as you used your fingers to uncurl his fist. “I mean, you’re the one that moved the ring back in place, you should have realized that gave you a second title, Daddy.” He smiled and started to tear up as you tilted your head to the side. “You didn’t realize that until just now, did you?”

“No.” Your smile grew as you nodded your head.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think about the noise. So we can get outta here now, or we can hold out for a bit. Either way, I’m about thirty seconds from digging into this filet with either proper silverware or my hands, I don’t care. And there’s like four desserts your child wants after, so you have to spilt those with me, too.”

“I think I can do that.” He agreed as he rubbed your stomach, letting it be something beautiful for him to hold on to for the time being.

“So we’ll stay here? Hang out until you get overwhelmed again? Then we’ll just call it a night, order our desserts to go, and finish them in bed in your mother’s house, leaving our smudgy chocolate fingerprints behind like the grown up children we are.” He nodded his head and reached out to squeeze your thigh.

“Thank you.” With a nod, you pat his cheek, and gave him a chaste kiss.

“Can I eat my thirty dollar steak now? With the garlic and herb butter glaze, and the parmesan mashed potatoes, and the cute little baby salad… oh.” You laughed when your stomach growled. “See, interrupting your kid’s meal schedule. Bad step-Daddy.”

“OK, let’s eat.” He said as he took a deep breath and turned back to the table. “My apologies.”

“Don’t apologize.” Marianne said as she reached over and pat her son’s hand. “What do you need from us, dear?” Henry shrugged and you glanced over at him before smiling at the rest of his family.

“Let’s not rapid fire questions?” You suggested, hesitantly. “Just enjoy the fact that we have our Henry back. We can delve deeper into it all in time. We have lots of it now.”

“To having Henry back.” Colin said as he picked up and held out his wine glass.

“To having Henry back.”

——

After dinner that night, you bought and read every book, and article you could find on post-traumatic stress, and how to handle it. You helped play the middle man when his brothers all stopped by, one at a time, in those next few days; spending an equal amount of time catching them up on your life as well, so that Henry was able to just get up and walk away if and when he needed it. Everyone was more than willing to follow your suggestions, since you were able to read up on it as fast as you could, and they also turned their jokes from being a prisoner of war to being a future parent instead, giving him wild, and teasing parenting advice just so he’d have something else to think about.

Henry’s birthday came and went, with a simple meal with just his parents. It was peaceful, and full of only a televised rugby match, and an ordered in meal. You knew Marianne was concerned every minute of the day as she, like you, watched her son, finally seeing what you meant by ‘it’s him but not’. 

“Do you think he needs to see someone?” She whispered to you as you helped her wash and dry dishes, while the men watched the game.

“He does.” You confirmed with a nod. “But that will be on his time. I can make the suggestion, but he won’t go until he’s ready.” She sighed, solemnly and stopped what she was doing for a moment to look back at her son, so you reached out and took her hand, gently. “We’ll get him back, mum. It’s just not going to happen over night. Give it time. He’s only been home a week.”

“I’m so glad he came to you first.” She said softly as she met your eyes. “I would have thought surrounding him with family would be the best thing...”

“It is... but it isn’t.” You breathed. “He just needs to find his spot in life again. For years, it’s been a war zone, with people yelling and screaming, with guns in his face being forced to help the people that were killing our soldiers against his will. And now he’s back and simply expected nothing of him. No purpose, no focus. It’s chaos to him, and every little thing brings him back to that. I’m not saying I know what’s best for him, because I don’t. I can’t even begin to make heads or tails of what I’ve read...”

“But you can steer him in the right direction.” She finished for you with tears in her eyes. “You are still the best thing that I could ever ask for my son.” You teared up with her as well and let her pull you into a short hug, before pulling away to go back to the dishes. “I think you should take him back home.” She breathed so softly, you barely heard her. “Back to the home he knew best before he left. Get him some help...”

“Is that what you really want?”

“I want what’s best for my son.” She said quickly as she handed you the last dish and turned off the water. “And you have always been that for him. You can understand all of this way better than any of us could, and he needs that right now. We’ll be here.” She finished on a whisper as she looked back out at her child. “We’ll be here... just take good care of him, alright?”

“You know I will.” You promised with a nod. “And I won’t ever stop again.”

Part 6

[adarlingwrites]

Absolution

Summary:

noun: formal release from guilt, obligation, or punishment

The Capital Wasteland lauded the Lone Wanderer as a hero, a Messiah, a savior who's willing to give her life for the Good Fight. Beyond the legends, the propaganda, and the mythification that surrounded her legacy, there is only one person who knew her bare soul. She gave him his absolution, and now he will fight for hers.

XXI

January 5, 2278.

Fifteen minutes past midnight, we went home. After cleaning up and sharing a dinner of noodles and beer, Percy didn’t waste any time counting all the ammo she saved for emergencies, while I tended to our weapons and gear. Around three in the morning, I was ready to retire, but Percy’s still slouched over the workbench, recycling old microfusion cells as she sipped on scotch, straight from the bottle.

“Percy,” I call her attention, placing a hand at her shoulder.

“Oh!”

I must’ve interrupted her.

“What do you need, big guy?”

“I suggest that you get some rest. Long day tomorrow.”

“Mhmm. Just a few more minutes,” she replies, back still turned against me.

I was ready to get to my room, but then Percy leans her head against my chest. “Charon, what if I die from this?”

My throat tightens at the thought, and I place both hands on her shoulders, giving them a squeeze. “You’re not going to. I’m here to ensure that.”

“Thanks. But let’s say I do. What will happen to you, when your contract holder dies?”

I pause. I let my hands fall to my side. My friend turns around and looks up to me, her glasses cloudy from the cold.

I’m debating myself on whether this should be her business or not. I’ve seen parts of her that shouldn’t be for my eyes. Percy had let me see her at her most vulnerable moments, while she only shows her can-do attitude to everyone else. And yet, she knows so little about me. I think I’m being unfair.

Dammit. This is what I fucking get for letting what I feel about my employers get to me, regardless whether it’s positive or not.

I shouldn’t be divulging information to my employers more than what’s necessary, but when I look at my friend before me, I feel an urge to share the parts of myself I couldn’t even confront.

“Back then, the death of whoever held it meant failure to obey the standing order to protect that person, and would result in my termination as well. But something has changed along the way. The day the bombs fell, we were ordered to hold our contracts, and wait until someone comes to claim it. They never came.”

Percy nods her head, motioning me to continue. I start to pace around, struggling to remember the details after that.

“I… I wandered aimlessly for I don’t know how long. I was dying, lost in a desert when a group of survivors found me. They found my contract, and when I came to, the conditioning kicked in. I will serve them, and will continue to do so until I fail. When I do, the order to hold my contract until someone claims it takes effect again.”

Her brows knitted together, mouth curled into a frown. There’s a sadness in her eyes. She’s pitying me again.

Not pity. I don’t need that.

“You don’t need to pity me,” I said, and her eyes grew wide in surprise.

“I’m not- I don’t pity you, Charon. I’m just trying to imagine what you’ve gone through, and I can’t fathom how terrible that must be.”

“It’s better that you don’t.”

Arms wrapped around my waist from behind, and I freeze in my tracks. Percy’s soft and warm, and she presses against my back. I can feel the tightness in my chest melting away.

“I want to understand you better,” she whispers.

I should be keeping my distance after our talk about our professional relationship in Doc Barrows’ clinic. Instead, I turn around and pull her in an embrace, pressing her face against my chest as gently as possible. I’m not a gentle person, but for this angel, I can try.

Damn, can we stay like this forever?

“Let’s get some rest,” I tell her, and let her go, dragging my feet to my quarters.

“Do you want to sleep next to me again?” Percy asks.

I felt my heart starting to race.

For someone who said that I shouldn’t act on what I feel for her, she’s giving me a lot of mixed signals. I don’t know what to do with them. What does she even want?

One day I’ll get the courage to ask her that to her face, but for now, I just shook my head.

“I wish to be alone with my thoughts,” I tell her, and she nods.

She smiles, but the slump in her shoulders tells me about her dejection.

“Okay. Offer still stands. Good night.”

I couldn’t sleep after that.

Lying on a mattress wasn’t as comforting as it used to be. Or maybe it’s because there isn’t the warm weight of another person next to me.

Fuck.

I’ve gone soft.

I heard a soft sigh through the thin walls of the house, and I was ready to get up and comfort Percy, thinking she was crying again. But I heard her keen and moan, and I lay like a rock in my spot.

Like I said, the walls are thin. This isn’t the first time I can hear her touching herself. I understand that she has her needs; the skin mags she looks out for says enough. It’s not my business.

I’d be lying if I said that the sounds she makes didn’t fuel my imagination for months.

Tossing and turning, I took a ratty blanket and pulled it over my head, intending to block the noise out, and screwed my eyes shut. I hate this feeling. I’ve never felt it before I met this woman. All this… longing.

My eyes shot open when I heard her sigh my name.

So that confirms it.

But, why me?

The previous employers that had used me for pleasure are the unsavory, depraved types. They would never look me in the eye. They’d say degrading shit. They never said my name.

Percy is not one of those. She’s the fucking “Wasteland Avenger” or “Wasteland Angel” or “Savior of the Wastes” or whatever damn epithet people want to give her. People look up to her.

For those reasons, hearing her moan my name feels forbidden.

Her invitation to sleep next to her is becoming more tempting. I know it’s not an invitation to be intimate with her, but the past few weeks have been shit. I want something to go right just for damn once.

I heard her gasp my name again and I took it as my cue.

My feet took me to her room as fast as it could. It was dark, save for the sliver of moonlight that seeped through the roof.

“Percy, you called for me?” I ask her.

I hear frantic shifting of fabric, clattering, and her PipBoy light goes off.

“Charon! I uh… um, I thought you were already asleep I- did you…”

I take cautious steps towards the bed, and sit on the edge, the rickety frame creaking under my weight.

“How much did you hear?” she asks me, near whispering.

“Everything,” I said, telling her the truth.

“Wait, all this time you’ve been hearing me- oh God.”

“Yes,” I murmured. “I didn’t mean to. The walls are thin.”

Percy rubs her face, then she squints, reaching for her glasses. She takes a long, hard look at me. Neither of us are breaking the silence; this angel is within my reach and yet she feels so distant.

Finally, she speaks up. “God, this is awkward. Can we pretend none of this ever happened?”

I gulped. I don’t want to.

“No,” I assert, looking her in the eye and holding her gaze. My friend tears her eyes away from me and rubs the back of her neck.

“I guess there’s no point hiding it. I think you’re attractive, Charon.”

My breath hitches at my throat and it comes out as a disbelieving laugh. “Crazy smoothskin.”

Percy chuckles at my remark. 

“What now?” she asks me.

My eyes flick to her lips, to her pale throat, down to the her nipples poking from under her shirt. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to ask her to join me in acting on the dirtiest thoughts I had for her, but the rational part of my mind holds.

“How long?” I dared to ask her.

“I’m not sure. I know I felt something the first time I bumped into you in Underworld. But I haven’t really thought about it until around November. What about you? When did it start?”

“When you walked into Underworld with that stupidly tight stealth armor. I couldn’t stop staring at your ass.”

Percy snorted. “Really?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at myself quietly too.

“What the hell did you find attractive about me?” I ask her, still in disbelief at my damn luck.

“Well… there’s just something about the way you carry yourself I guess?”

I raise a brow in response.

“Your bone structure. You look strong and steady and I like that.”

Now I’m tilting my head and smirking.

“And you’re gruff and scary and intimidating and I find it hot,” she blurts out.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “So you find any tall, scary ghoul you find intimidating hot?”

“God, no. Just you. Always been you.”

The sincerity of her words is too much.

All those months of letting me act on my own accord is starting to kick in. I reach for her face, my rough, radiation-damaged fingers caressing her soft cheek, and she leans into the touch. I dared to press my thumb against her bottom lip, savoring its texture, imagining what it would feel against mine. As gently as I could, I tilt her head, pressed my cheek against her neck, and took a deep breath as her small hands flew to my shoulders, squeezing and kneading the tense muscles.

I press my mouth against her neck and she pushes me away.

“Stop. We should stop. You and I both know acting on what we feel now would screw things up,” she interrupts, somber.

I exhaled sharply, nodding and keeping my distance. “Fine. Then please stop giving me hope.”

“What?”

“This. Touching me, asking me to sleep next to you… I’m starting to think you’re leading me on.”

Percy scoffs at my accusation, crossing her arms.

“I’m not!” Percy exclaims. “I’m just saying that it isn’t a possibility now. Right now, I’m your doctor and employer. It would make our relationship unequal.”

“And I am centuries older than you,” I hissed back at her. “There are people who would consider that astoundingly unequal too.”

“Then that makes it twice as wrong! This isn’t multiplication where you take two negatives and it becomes a positive.”

“I have no idea what the hell you just said,” I snarled. “But what I know is I want you. So don’t give me hope unless you’re going to follow through. Please.”

Percy went quiet, still as a statue where she sits. With wide eyes, she gazes into mine.

“Say that again?” she demands.

“Say what again?”

“You said, ‘I want you’. You… you rarely tell me what you want.”

Oh.

“God, Charon I want you too…” Percy starts, moving to the edge of the bed to sit next to me.

“Fuck whatever the hell people say, you should know by now that I’ll defend you against all the fucking ghoul bigots in the world,” she continues, leaning her head against my bare shoulder.

“Weeks ago I would’ve agreed to this, but things have gotten too crazy. From your contract, to dad dying, to getting jumped by those Talon mercs, to the shit we’re planning for Paradise Falls, to Project fucking Purity… There's too much going on. I don’t want to compromise our objectives because of what I feel.”

“I understand.” My heart’s going to fucking burst from my chest.

“I’m not going to be upset if you don’t want to do this anymore when it’s all over. But, please, could we wait?”

I’d wait forever for her, if I can. I’ve waited two centuries for someone like her without even knowing that I needed it. I’m not sure if what I’m feeling is plain lust or something more, but I need her.

“Yes.”

“Thank you. I don’t want to ruin what I have with you now.”

“What do we have now, Percy?” I ask her.

“I’m not sure. But I told you that I want to be your partner, right? Let’s work on that.”

Grunting in response, I slouch, resting my elbows on my knees. After a few moments, I turned to her again.

“May I still sleep next to you?”

My partner laughs softly, and moves back to her spot on the bed. Her small hand pats the mattress, on the empty space next to her.

“Of course.”

Back turned from each other, she falls asleep first. I could tell from her soft snores.

An hour later, I still couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about the things she said.

I lie facing the door out of habit. During the training I was forced to take part in, it was drilled in our heads, making us better prepared for intruders and ambushes. 

Close to sleep, I was alerted by a soft whimper coming from her.

When I turned to look at her, her brows are furrowed and her eyes are screwed shut.

“No,” she murmurs, and I listen closely. “Get away from him… Don’t hurt Charon.”

She’s having a nightmare. About me getting hurt.

Grumbling, I shifted my body so that her back was pressed to my chest, and I draped an arm around her.

“Shh. I’m here, and we’re okay,” I whisper.

Percy’s whimpers die down to sighs, and we remain like that for more than a few minutes. I felt dirty, watching her sleep, but seeing her strained face relax eases my nerves.

At some point, I fell asleep. It was a dreamless one.

The next morning, I woke up slowly, eyes adjusting to the brighter rays that came through the cracks on the roof.

A leg is draped over my hip, her face pressed against my chest, and an arm around my waist.

To my surprise, Percy is still asleep next to me. It’s a rare occurence for me to rise earlier than she does.

I look at her PipBoy in the open drawer next to us. Ten fifty two in the morning.

We were supposed to be up by nine.

My hand on her shoulder, I give her a shake. “Percy, wake up.”

My friend stirs awake, stretching her limbs. “What time is it?”

“It’s almost eleven.”

Percy practically jumps out of bed.

“Oh fuck! C’mon, let’s get ready.”

I went to my room. I put on the black shirt Percy gave me, the sleeves already torn away, and proceeded to put on the rest of my armor. As I was walking through the door, I saw the ushanka on the bed side table, and grabbed that too.

Time to talk to Church.

[ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes]

Roguish Women Part 11

Summary: Kate Rosseau is an American who fled to Paris to escape her past life. Now she's dancing and playing the part of a courtesan at the Moulin Rouge. There she meets Tommy Shelby who thinks she can be useful in expanding his empire. But has he been blinded?

Part 10: Kate receives a shocking letter, the Garrison is reopened. 

             “Hello, Lizzie.” Kate tugged off her gloves and hat as she walked into the office.

            The pretty brunette looked up from the typewriter. “You’ve been gone for a few days.” She noted.

            “Yes, well, Tommy showed up to my flat in the middle of the night to take me on a four-day cruise.” She snorted. “Unfortunately, it was in a canal and the destination was London.”

            Lizzie smiled and handed her a few envelopes. “Well, these came for you while you were gone.”

            While working at the office together, the two women had struck up a bit of a friendship. Both being working women, former and present, they had a deeper understanding of each other. But Kate didn’t trust her. She’d learned from her time with Grace. A nice woman who was willing to listen to her talk wasn’t someone to automatically be trusted. It was something Kate realized she might’ve learned a bit too late. After all, she’d learned not to trust men a long time ago. She should’ve realized women could be just as dangerous. She wasn’t the only one with secrets.

            “Thank you.” Kate took the small pile of mail and began opening and sorting through them by Lizzie’s desk. “How’s your class going?”

            “Good.” The other woman perked up. She loved talking about the typing class she was taking and Kate loved seeing the pride in her eyes. Someone who had, for so long, known nothing but working the streets of Birmingham. Now she was educating herself, looking toward a brighter future. “I’m learning shorthand.”       

            “Is that difficult? I don’t know much about it but I…” Kate’s voice trailed off as she skimmed through one of the letters.

            Lizzie’s brow creased. “Everything alright?” She asked when the conversation abruptly stopped.

            “Yes, I’m sorry, I just need to-well I-” She looked around the room as if it were spinning. “I’m going to read this in Tommy’s office.” She excused herself quickly and shut the door behind her for some privacy. Setting the other letters aside, she read through what had stopped her in her tracks. It was written in French and the handwriting was hurried but not careless.

            Dear Kate,

            I hope this finds you. I am in fear of your life. A man came to the cabaret last night with your picture. He wanted to know who smuggled you out of France and into Britain.

            No one said much to him but he threatened our lives. All of his men had guns. Gabrielle felt she had no choice. She told him about the Peaky Blinders.

            I think he is coming after you and I do not think he has good intentions.

            It was dated and signed by a woman who danced with Kate at the Moulin Rouge.

            She felt beyond sick to her stomach trying to process what was happening. It was one thing to get a vague letter from Santo. But this letter changed everything.

            Kate jumped when the doors to the office opened suddenly.

            Tommy stood in the entryway with a frown. “What are you doing in here?”

            “I-I was reading a letter.” She held it out to him. “Tommy, Santo is in France, he was asking about me and about you.”

            He took the letter but realized quickly it was no use to him. “I don’t speak French.” He replied.

            “Well, I’m telling you.” She followed him to his desk. “I’m telling you that he’s tracking me down.”

            “He already knew where you lived.” He pointed out. “Why is this different?”

            His lack of concern was aggravating to Kate. “Because he’s tracing my trail. He threatened people, he’s trying to make anyone who helped me pay!” She snapped. “And eventually he’s going to find his way here and do the same to you.”

            Despite having the shit kicked out him only days before, Tommy didn’t appear too perturbed. “Let him come.”

            “Let him come.” She threw her hands up in disbelief. “Are you fucking serious? Tommy, you don’t understand-”

            “I need to write a letter.” Tommy gestured to the door with a dismissive hand.

            Kate wrinkled her nose in distaste. “Fine, don’t say I didn’t warn you though.” She snarled and left with a huff.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Lizzie didn’t want to go to the reopening of the Garrison alone and she made it very clear to Kate. She was so relentless, in fact, that she showed up to Kate’s flat to convince her to go.

            “It’ll be fun, we’ll have fun!” Lizzie promised as she pushed her way into the flat, shooing Kate upstairs to get ready.

            “I’m sorry, but that pub is an open target and I…” Kate didn’t want to get too far into the details, the trust still wasn’t there with her newfound work friend.

            “Tommy’s dealt with it all,” Lizzie assured her. “Come on, go and change, I don’t want to miss anything!” She exclaimed. “And I’m not leaving without you.”

            Kate sighed and chuckled. “Alright, just for a couple of drinks.” She prefaced before heading into her room to don a more appropriate dress.

        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            She stuck to her guns and nursed the same gin for quite some time before accepting a second one. By then the celebration was in full swing and had become quite rowdy. Even though the Garrison had been renovated into a gilded palace, it still held the same wild Brummies. A new coat of paint, few embellishments, and sparkling lights couldn’t change the true nature of something. Kate knew that all too well.

            Kate hadn’t noticed Tommy come in until she saw him speaking with Arthur behind the bar. Their eyes met and he finished speaking into Arthur’s ear. He nodded to her and pointed to one of the back rooms.

            “I’ll be back,” Kate told Lizzie, picking up her drink to bring with her. She shimmied through the thick crowd to where Tommy was headed.

            He let her inside and closed the door behind her.

            “I didn’t think you had anything else to say to me after this morning,” Kate mumbled but let him pull out a chair for her.

            Tommy didn’t respond, he just pulled out a box of matches and an envelope. “Give it here, then.”

            “Give what?”

            “The letter.”

            “Tommy, this is serious and you should-”

            He pinched the envelope between his thumb and forefinger. “This is from Grace. From America. New York.

            “I didn’t know you two were still talking.” Kate looked a bit perplexed. She assumed men like Tommy, when scorned or betrayed, cut ties with the party involved. But love was love.

            “This is all I have.” He responded and struck up a match.

            Catching his drift, she grabbed his arm. “You’re not even going to open it?”

            “No.” He allowed the small flame to touch the corner of the cream-colored envelope. The fire licking up the length, encasing the dainty handwriting addressed to Tommy and burning the unread letter.

            “And you’ll never wonder?” She asked in disbelief.

            “There are things you need to close the door on, Kate.” He replied. “Before you don’t have control over it.”

            “That’s the key with you, Thomas. Control.”

            “The letter?”

            Pursing her lips, Kate produced the letter from her purse. She’d been holding onto it all day, carrying it around like a ten-pound burden. “I know what it says though.” She pointed out. “You can’t burn that out.”

            Tommy still set fire to the letter, letting it smolder to ash in the candle holder beside the ashes of Grace’s letter. “That’s what alcohol is for.”

            She snorted and shook her head. “Is that all you brought me in here for?” She asked.

            “What do you know ‘bout horses?” He wondered and discarded the spent match, digging the charred head into the smoking remnants of paper.

            “I know they have four legs and can make a lot of money. Aside from that, I think I know very little compared to you, gypsy boy.” She replied.

            “Then you’ll stay in London for the time being.” He concluded.

            “Pardon? Who said I was going to London?”

            “We’re confirming the contract with Alfie Solomons. I’ll be sending me men there very soon.”

            She shook her head, not pleased with the idea of trudging all the way back to London. “And? That has nothing to do with me.”

            “I disagree. Mr. Solomons will need your expertise when it comes to the American market.” He withdrew a cigarette and lit another match.

            “That’s what telephones are for,” Kate replied through clenched teeth.

            “Santo knows you’re in Birmingham. Doesn’t know anything about London, does he?”

            She scoffed. “So now you’re worried about that?” She demanded. “Ridiculous, Tommy, absolutely ridiculous. I don’t know what will put the fear of God in you, I really don’t.” Kate slammed back her gin and stood up. But she decided she wasn’t done. She jabbed a finger at him. “You need to realize that there are men out there who are stronger and hold more pull than you.”

            Tommy just shrugged with a nonchalant expression on his face. “Haven’t met one yet.”

            Kate just made a noise of disbelief and left the room muttering something about men’s egos.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

            “Ya know, when Thomas came in with you, I assumed you were just a whore that he’d brought for the fun of it. Thought he might get off on something like that.”

            Kate raised an eyebrow in amusement at the Jewish man across the desk from her. She had arrived in London that morning with Tommy and the drove of men who were forming the brigade. Unlike last time, Alfie was there to meet them, kindly escorting Kate arm in arm to the office. Almost like they were a gentleman and lady, not a known gangster and former prostitute.  

            She’d given Tommy a smug look over her shoulder because of Alfie’s treatment. He simply looked amused with a head shake.

            While Tommy was wrangling his men together, Kate sat down with Alfie in his office.

            “He doesn’t have much of a heart left.” She replied with a tight smile. “But I appreciate it.”

            “Nah, weren’t sayin’ you look like a whore. Not meant to be an insult.” Alfie waved the excuse with a hand.

            “Well,” Kate tilted her head to the side. “I’ve worn many hats, Mr. Solomons. But I never preferred the term, whore. I always liked something a bit more refined.”

            He laughed good-naturedly. “You’ll make good company in business, Miss Rosseau. Tommy is a pain in the arse, ain’t he? So, fucking serious, yeah, never takes a joke.”

            “He has his moments. I think he cares about his people though.” She admitted.

            “Feh.” Alfie rolled his eyes and handed her the contract drawn up after he’d signed it. In addition, he gave her a list of names and addresses. “Well, I’ve got to go meet the rabble. Like you to look over me current list of docks and people willing to smuggle stuff in. Add anything you’d like, ifya know any that are utter shit, just cross ‘em out. Don’t want to be wasting me time and money.”

            “I can do that.” Kate nodded.

            “Cyril’ll keep ya company. Be back in a mo’.”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            After reviewing Alfie’s list of contacts and giving Cyril a good belly rub, Kate waited. And waited. And waited.

            Bored and restless, she stepped out of the office and poked around a bit, looking for Alfie or Tommy. Some of Alfie’s men gave her curious looks but didn’t say anything. Probably on orders rather than their own will.

            Kate made her way downstairs to the cellar where she heard some talking. She recognized Tommy’s voice and followed it to a larger room where men were lined up like a battalion.

            “Haven’t seen any bread.” She heard the quip as she stepped into the room quietly.

            None of the men seemed to notice her, they were all focused on Alfie as he stalked up to the older man who had made the joke. There was a heavy pause before the broad-shouldered gangster raised his cane with a strikingly fast motion and brought it down with untamable fury. Hitting the man right beside the jokester.  

            The crack was unmistakable and the victim was knocked out cold by the sheer force Alfie inflicted on him.

            “He’ll wake up, granted he won’t have any teeth left but he will be a wiser for it,” Alfie spoke with a frightening amount of restraint.

            Kate knew that the scariest men were those who could control their anger. Those who lost control were weaker. They were violent and strong, yes, but a man without control was nothing. That’s why Tommy and Alfie were terrifying.

            They’d controlled and fostered their anger. They had made acquaintances with their rage. Death was their friend.

            “And the last thing he will remember is your funny little joke, won’t he?” Another long pause drew out. “Right!” Alfie shouted.

            Kate did her best not to flinch, even though the sudden loud yell came seemingly out of nowhere. She wanted to show the men there that while they were probably terrified of Alfie, she sure as hell wasn’t. Mostly because she’d gotten on his good side early on. That was the trick, after all. Granted, she knew it was easier for women to do so, but it was still crucial.

            “There are fucking rules here for a fucking reason. ‘N quite simply they have to be obeyed. Rule number one, the distinction between bread and rum is not discussed.” Alfie paced before the front line of men, disregarding the unconscious one still on the floor. “Number two, anything, right, that your superior officers says to you or any of your other fucking superior officers say to you, is not discussed!” His voice became a bit hoarse from shouting so loudly but it was effective. He turned and finally noticed Kate in the doorway. “Ah, yes, good reminder.” The volume of his voice lowered a bit as he pointed at her. “This young woman will be in and out of the bakery as she pleases. As far as I see it, she’s about ten ranks above you fucking pathetic numbskulls, yeah? So that means, yeah, she comes before you and you will treat her with respect. And I don’t care if she’s got nothing on, you will not talk to her, about her, you will not fucking look at her. If I hear you lot speaking a fucking word ‘bout her, I’ll rip your tongue out and feed it to me dog!”

            The threat was enough to last because suddenly none of the men were looking anywhere near where Kate was standing.

            “That goes for Jewish women as well. For the rest of your fucking miserable lives, you don’t go anywhere near Jewish women. They are off the menu for you fuckers.” He nodded and cleared his throat. “I think that’s fair.”

            Kate held her chin a little higher. After being under the heel of men during her stint in France, it felt good to be back in control. Back to the woman that wasn’t called derogatory names or groped or grabbed. The woman who’s worth wasn’t measured was by her beauty. Back to the woman she was in the States. Back to being a dangerous woman. Roguish, even.  

Permanent Tag: (God I’m spamming you guys so much, I really apologize) @papa-geralt-of-cirilla​ @giftofdreams​ @biba3434​ @kimmietea​

Masterlist

[nomadicism]

Do you think the conflict between the eps and the original team over the lack of a proper bible caused the early departure of most of the talent that made the first 2 seasons good? Also in regards to wep and dw not expecting voltrons new demographic appeal, do you think that may change?

Hi Anon! Thank you for the Ask!

The first part of your Ask is close to rumors that went around awhile back regarding the departure, and those rumors included things like “the show bible was thrown out” and that there were internal ship-wars. Until I see those rumors validated by someone showing their paychecks bearing DreamWorks’ mark, I’m not paying them any attention, even though I can enjoy a little confirmation bias from them.

That said, there are many reasons why there could have been the departure of so many people all at once. Serious internal conflict is a possibility, and one that could have included the factors that lead to the show bible being so loosely defined. Or it could simply be for mundane reasons, such as DW wanting to shift their best talent onto the next hot project for their upcoming deal (e.g. Tim Hedrick and Fast & Furious). Contracts could have ended and were never planned to last for the duration of the entire show in the first place. DW had an aggressive production schedule, so it could also have been burn out, and less about internal conflict. It could be all of these things and many other things at the same time, so, no, I don’t think that the show bible that caused it.

My intuition and experience tells me that the departure was probably for mundane reasons, as the aggressive production schedule indicates a strategy that front-loads the talent (A Team) to get Show 1 going, and then moves that talent onto Show 2 to get that started while new talent (B Team) is brought in to finish up Show 1. This is another of those banal-yet-important reasons why your show bible has to be tight.

To find out more about that, I’d recommend looking at other DW shows with similar production timelines and same length. Shifting your talent off of a show to start another one might not be done if it isn’t a long series. That might only be a thing that is done in special circumstances, and DW extending their contract with Netflix to produce Fast & Furious and other shows could qualify.

We do this all the time in software development (and I’ve experienced this in other industries as well). My role as a front-end director can include leading the UX process, the UI process, and the direction of UI into front-end development from the very beginning. My skill set expands what I do on a per-project basis since I also design user interfaces and code for front-end development. Meanwhile, my colleagues who lead the development teams, and those who lead the systems architecture design, and so on, will enter into different phases of the project at different times. Since we use the Scrum framework for Agile methodology, there are many short iterative cycles for each phase of development and the Product Owner (e.g. the client) is involved continuously.

For some projects, at some point in the development process, we (the A Team) leave to begin the next project, while the B Team comes in to finish up what we started. Our documentation (including Product Vision, requirements, systems diagrams, pattern libraries, and so on) is vital towards empowering the B Team to do their best work. The team members who stay on from start-to-finish are nearly always the Project Managers, and the Tech Lead (e.g. the show-runners, the EPs, and the directors for the project). We also develop multiple projects at a time, so, given my skill set, I can be in both the B Team of multiple projects, while performing my role as front-end director of the A Team on another project. The same goes for my colleagues as well.

Demographic Appeal.

For the second part of your Ask regarding expectations about demographic appeal: Yes, in a way the expectations have already has changed. That’s more a matter of whether or not everyone involved will be on the same page about it. Also, by the time they go for another iteration, they may have done more research and decided to target a demographic that’s entirely different from what they started off with.

The show-runners appear to have had an audience in mind, and that audience was probably the viewers who loved the show from start to finish (I touched on that in another Ask). It was definitely not boys aged 9-12, nor was it us. “We/us” aren’t even a united demographic, and there’s no way to tell if DW (or anyone) has thoroughly researched “us” to figure out all the details. At the very least, they know that there are a lot of women within the wider audience who buy t-shirts.

It also appears that not everyone was in agreement with how the show should balance the audience that the show-runners wanted to go for, and the audience that others wanted to go for. Whether or not those others were WEP, Playmates, or DW, it doesn’t matter, because the job is to make the show that promised as part of the agreement between IP holder and licensee. “Slipping stuff past higher-ups” is dangerously close to not holding ones’ end of the agreement up. Could that stuff have been better story? Sure. Doesn’t matter. Further complicating this, is that DW has an incentive to make shows that will attract a wide audience so that they will continue to get deals from companies who need content for their streaming services. Wide appeal sells subscriptions. S1-S2 seems as though it was balancing the two initial audiences, and it had enough appeal to attract a much wider audience than intended.

For what it’s worth, I think it would be a mistake for any continuation of VLD to attempt to appeal to and please the many demographics that formed into the wider audience (myself included). There are simply too many. Whomever is calling the shots needs to pick one, get everyone on board, and be honest about it. They shouldn’t hype or advertise what they’re not going to deliver. The closest they could get to pleasing the entire audience would be a story that’s going to be fully in the family-friendly zone (and not everyone in the various demographics wants that either). The family-friendly balancing act is a tough one, and there’s a reason why those stories avoid certain things, things that VLD darkened its tone and content for.

[blustersquall]

Only Make Believe // Chapter 28: Aboard the Peraquialus

New chapter for those reading. As always, the chapter is also on AO3 for those who prefer reading on there. 

No warnings for this one.

December 29th

--

The drive from Kinloch to Gwaren took only a few hours with clear traffic and it was late afternoon when Cullen drove the car into port. The harbour in Gwaren was the biggest in Ferelden and was used almost exclusively for commercial travel. Huge luxury liners and ferries came and went at all hours of the day, gathering passengers and dropping them off after weeks on the ocean, sailing warming climates in opulent surroundings with every comfort that money could provide.

It took some time for Cullen to find the dock where their ferry was berthed. There were ships upon ships and not a single one was designed to do anything but impress. Each liner was a behemoth of design and engineering - even the smallest of them was probably the size of a small city.

When Cullen found the correct dock, he stopped the car suddenly and stared up for a few seconds, his mouth hanging open a little.

"This cannot be the right one," he stated, quickly reaching for his phone from the cup holders. "This is..."

"It's the right number," Nevena pointed out, watching him frantically scrolling through what she could only assume was the last-minute booking email for their ferry. "And the right name. You said it was called 'Peraquialus', right?"

"Yeah. But... I was expecting..." Cullen glanced up over the top of his phone, "you know, a ferry. Not... a garish… whatever that is."

Nevena giggled, "You sound like such a snob."

"How so?" he threw her a distinctly unimpressed look.

"Garish?" she teased. "Cullen, it's meant to be the definition of luxury. I doubt they'd appreciate your scathing review before you even looked around."

Cullen shrugged and Nevena saw the tips of his ears grow a little pinker, "I think my idea of luxury and the idea of whoever designed this differ greatly." He returned his phone to the cup holders and gripped the steering wheel. "It's the right dock number, the right time, and the right name," he sighed. "Maybe there's a smaller one tucked behind it?"

"Don't sound so disappointed," smiled Nevena, reaching across to touch his arm, "you'll only have to endure it for one night."

He drove towards a pair of men in high-visibility jackets who checked the booking information on Cullen's phone. After everything was confirmed, they directed them to where they could board the ship with the car and explained what to do once they were parked up.

There were only a handful of cars and three tourist coaches along with Cullen's car inside the onboard car park in the hull of the ship. Even though she doubted many people saw the car park, it was kept neat and clean, if cold. After Cullen grabbed their bags from the trunk and locked up they followed signs for the lift and ascended to the deck level. Once there, they were greeted by a man dressed in a black blazer and white trousers, the uniform of the ship crew. Once more the booking was checked on Cullen's phone for confirmation, and another crew member was summoned to lead them to their cabin on the deck below.

Walking through the halls lined with doors, Nevena noticed they were not alone by any means, and that most passengers were in their later years. Some seemed to be travelling alone, whereas others were in groups or couples. There was music playing over well-hidden speakers, soft, inoffensive jazz to give a relaxed ambience to the brightly lit hallway.

Their guide talked animatedly as he led the way, describing the ship, how long it had been actively taking passengers and what amenities were available - several swimming pools, two onboard gyms, six restaurants, various clubs and games to keep guests occupied. He explained that the ship started its journey in Ferelden and then stopped in Kirkwall to take on many of its passengers before continuing its four-week journey around Antiva, Rivain and Tevinter before the return trip.

When Cullen mentioned he and Nevena were only staying one night, set to disembark in Kirkwall, their guide lost his enthusiasm and carried on the rest of the trip to their cabin in relative silence. Clearly, he was only paid to make a good impression on long staying guests.

Their room was decorated simply, white throughout with red and blue accents. They had a window which looked out over the sea, a double bed with one side tucked up against the wall, and a door leading to an en-suite bathroom they shared with the empty cabin next-door. The crew member showed them how the lights worked, and where there was a call button they could use at any time to contact a member of the crew if they wanted room service. He waited awkwardly in the threshold of the door until Cullen thanked him curtly and ushered him out.

"I think he was waiting for a tip," Nevena remarked, unzipping her bag.

"Well, he wasn't that friendly," replied Cullen, placing his own bags on one side of the room. "Which of the many restaurants do you want to eat at?" he asked. She could practically hear him rolling his eyes.

"Don't be a grouch." Nevena went to him and curled her fingers into his jumper, leaning up on tiptoes to peck his lips, "You can endure all this grandeur for a night."

"I am not grouching," Cullen huffed but wrapped his arms around her waist none-the-less. "We could order room service."

"Or we could make the most of our time on a cruise ship and have some fun," said Nevena, tapping the end of his nose. "Whatever we do, I need to make a video call to Roselyn first. I've been promising her I would for days and we haven't really stopped long enough for me to do so." She extracted herself from Cullen's arms and returned to her bag. "She said she has some news."

"Do you want me to go?" he asked, pointing at the door. "In case it's private?"

"It's up to you." Nevena sat on the bed after pulling her laptop out of her bag. She started to untangle the power cable. "She won't mind if you're here. She's probably curious to know what you look like, actually."

"Really?"

"Well, she's never met you."

"That's true." Cullen tutted. As Nevena powered on her laptop and waited for it to load, she watched Cullen busy himself with unpacking a few items of clothing for the following day. She found herself smiling while he went about his task.

A pleasant warmth settled inside her, like the one she felt in the small memorial chapel earlier that day when he kissed her. It was a sensation that was unfamiliar, but not unwelcome. One she could not recall ever experiencing with Rick or even boyfriends before him - not that there were many in the past anyway. She experienced it whenever she looked at Cullen, let alone heard his voice or felt his touch. A pleasurable flutter in her chest that she'd felt since meeting him, that had only grown over their time together.

At first, it was something she tried to ignore - telling herself it was foolish to be so giddy over an arrangement and a fake relationship. Now... now, though, it didn't feel so foolish. After all, the things they felt, the things they did... they were real, weren't they?

Of course, that begged the question: what, exactly, were they?

The contract was still in place, but it hardly seemed necessary now. They were no longer in the presence of her family, the arrangement that put them together was done, albeit earlier than anticipated, yet neither of them had mentioned or broached the subject of ending their agreement prematurely. Perhaps they were both afraid of the same thing, that the contract was the only thing binding them together. That, perhaps, if they brought it to a premature end they would realise there was nothing really between them. That it was all a daydream. A wonderful rose-tinted fantasy, but a fantasy none-the-less. They would realise that without those words and pieces of paper locking them together, there was nothing but air between them.

Was that true, though?

Nevena nibbled her bottom lip as the screen of her laptop sprang to life. She didn't want to think it was. After everything they'd been through together, after everything they had learned and disclosed and shared - to think it was all a fantasy caused a sharp pain to shoot from the middle of her chest down to her extremities. She didn't want to doubt. She hated the feeling of it looming at the back of her mind telling her she was fooling herself; that Cullen was biding his time and simply waiting for the contract to end and then he would tell her what he really thought of her and her past actions. She hated the part of her brain that filled her with unease and fear, the part of her brain that mocked her for allowing herself to be so vulnerable with him, and that it would be for nothing, or be thrown back in her face.

It was never simple. She couldn't just enjoy this, and let it play out naturally. Allow things to progress and see what happened one day at a time. She had to second guess herself. Worse, she was second guessing Cullen, too. Cullen, who had allowed himself to be as open and honest with her as she was with him. Cullen, who was a gentleman. Who was kind, and warm towards her. Who hugged her when she cried and kissed her without hesitating. Who made feelings she had never felt before starting to awaken. Cullen, who made her feel safe and secure, protected, wanted, heard, desired.

Loved.

That thought jarred Nevena from her spiralling fears and she snapped her eyes to her laptop screen. Loved? She let out a long breath and pushed her fingers back through her hair, tilting her head to look at the ceiling, the light fixture - anywhere until the sudden lurch in her stomach settled and the tightness in her chest relaxed. Where had that come from? And why was she thinking it? It wasn't possible for people to fall in love over the space of a few weeks, was it? Real life wasn't a fairytale. It wasn't as simple and easy as that. Love, relationships, they took weeks, they took work, they took effort. There was no reason for her to think or suspect he loved her. There was no reason for her to think she was in love with him...

Except she was, wasn't she? No matter how she might try or want to deny it or rationalise it - perhaps that was what it really was. The reason for all her doubts and fears and the gnawing sensations that clung to her stomach, maybe it was because she was in love with him. Maybe it was simply her attempts to deny it, to run away and block it out. After all, love was frightening. She wasn't sure how love really worked, or even if she'd be good at it. Could a person be good at love?

Lifting her hands, she dragged them down her face and groaned into her palms releasing her frustrations in little bursts. When she peered over her fingertips, she saw Cullen looking at her from across the room.

"Everything alright?" he asked.

Nevena quickly put a smile on her face, swallowing hard on the thud of her heart at the back of her throat. "Mhm-hm," she managed to nod, "My laptop takes a while to load. Just reminds me I should look at the sales once I'm back in Denerim, look for a new one."

"Ah," Cullen nodded, "I can't help you there, I'm afraid. Laptops are not my forte, but I can certainly come with you when we're back in Denerim."

A flutter in Nevena's chest almost made her lose her breath. "That... that would be nice. Maybe your presence can stop me from being targeted by salespeople. I seem to attract them like a magnet."

Cullen chuckled as he pulled a dress shirt out of his bag and hung it up. "I'm going to have a shower briefly," he said, approaching Nevena and leaning his hands down on the bed beside her. The mattress dipped under his weight. "We've had quite a full day, after all."

"We have."

"Then, I thought, I would go and investigate these restaurants and we'll meet up once you're done talking to Roselyn? I don't know about you, but I'm worn out."

"I am pretty tired," Nevena smiled. "Dinner and an early night seem like a sound plan to me, that way we'll be fresh for our arrival in Kirkwall tomorrow morning."

"Good," Cullen kissed her. One of those toe-curling, spine-tingling, wonderful kisses that made her head swim and made her want to put her laptop to the side and pull him into bed. Her heart was thudding in her ears when he pulled away, brushing her nose with his in an act of pure, unabashed affection. The look he gave her as he pushed off the bed was like the feeling of sitting in front of a fire on a cold day or listening to heavy rain on the window while safe and warm inside. Cullen gave her a sense of home and that… that was an overwhelming realisation. "I won't be long."

Once he was in the bathroom and Nevena could hear the shower running, she sent a quick text to Roselyn while connecting to the ship's wifi to ask if she was around. Almost immediately, Roselyn shot back a reply that she was waiting for her to get online and to hurry up. Nevena put her phone to one side, waited for everything to load up and logged into Skype. Within seconds, she had an incoming video call and answered.

"Finally!" Roselyn gasped over the speakers, swooning back in her chair over-dramatically. "I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever see your face again!"

"I'm sorry," Nevena smiled sheepishly. "It's been kind of... crazy."

"With your family, I'm not surprised," snorted Roselyn.

"Hi Nevena!" A male voice called from off-screen. There was the sound of two dogs barking as well.

"Hey Alistair," Nevena called back. Roselyn turned her head, clearly watching her husband off-screen. "How are you? Did you two have a good Christmas? What's the news you wanted to tell me?"

"So curious all of a sudden!" Roselyn replied, her smile broad. "So many questions! I have questions for you, too. Like, where's this rent-a-date guy? What was the craziness at Ineria's you mentioned? And why did you leave?"

"You answer mine first," Nevena shot back, grinning. "What's this news you mentioned?"

Roselyn's eyes widened, her face lighting up. Alistair came into the frame, sandy brown hair a little mussed, red-faced, and smiling down at Roselyn as he placed his hands gently on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm pregnant!" announced Roselyn, throwing her hands up excitedly.

Nevena clapped a hand over her mouth, gasping and then descending into exuberant laughter. "You're pregnant?!"

"I'm pregnant!" Roselyn repeated, her smiling growing. "Finally!"

Nevena screamed, almost rocking back onto the bed and dropping her laptop. "You're pregnant! I can't believe it! Congratulations!"

"Thank you!" Roselyn laughed. "I wanted to wait and tell you when you were back, but I've never been the most patient person. I had to tell you!"

"Do you--"

"I heard screaming," Cullen poked his head out of the bathroom door, hair wet and dripping. "Are you okay? Wait -- why are you grinning?"

"Roselyn is pregnant!"

Cullen blinked, "Oh, uh – congratulations, person I don’t know… beyond a couple of phone calls…” He grimaced.

"Thank you!" called Roselyn. Cullen quickly ducked back into the bathroom, reappearing a few moments later wrapped in a towel. "Is that the guy? The Cullen Rutherford guy? Can I see him?"

"I can hear you," Cullen said, glancing over at Nevena.

"In a second," Nevena said dismissively, fighting to keep her eyes on the screen but finding her gaze drawn to where Cullen was pacing around with nothing but a towel and water still clinging in places to his body. Now she had seen his scars, he must have been feeling a little more comfortable around her, not quite so self-conscious.

She hadn't seen him naked, or nearly naked before - doing so made blinding heat travel through her belly to her face and between her legs. The scars did nothing to detract from his appearance. His broad chest and shoulders, the tight muscles in his back, toned arms and legs, a layer of softness around his trunk. The hair on his chest was darker than that on his head, and the trail leading from his navel underneath the towel was darker still. Her comment about Michelangelo's 'David' when they first met had been spot on.

Cullen began to get dress, either unaware of her eating him up with her eyes, or ignoring it completely. He pulled on his boxer briefs under his towel and Nevena bit her bottom lip. She cleared her throat, forcing herself to turn her eyes back to the screen and Roselyn.

"S-so, uhm -- how far along are you?" she asked Roselyn, hoping the camera wouldn't pick up the flare of colour she could feel on her cheeks.

"About sixteen weeks," Roselyn replied, leaning her cheek in her palm, her lips drawn into a smug smile that made Nevena realise Roselyn had noticed her ogling, even if Cullen had not.

"Sixteen we..." Nevena's attention snapped right back to Roselyn. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I wanted to," Roselyn said, her voice becoming apologetic, "but we didn't want to tempt fate. We wanted to get past the risky stage before we started telling people. Given how hard it's been for us to conceive."

"No, I understand. Makes sense." Nevena glanced over at Cullen, watching him pull a dark red wine colour shirt on and begin to button it up. The fabric formed over the muscles in his arms and his chest in a way she hadn't seen his other clothes do before. He looked smart. And sexy. And she was glad she had her laptop on her lap, and Roselyn to talk to because if not she might have marched over there and ripped the shirt off him - buttons and all. "I'm really happy for you," Nevena said, looking back at Roselyn. "You've been trying for so long. If anyone deserves it, you guys do."

"Thanks," smiled Roselyn.

"Now, Nevena," Alistair bent a little to fit more into the frame, "Perhaps you could tell my wife to stop fussing about the nursery and relax like the doctor ordered. I've tried, and she won't listen to me." He looked almost cross when he looked at Roselyn. She poked her tongue out in reply.

"You heard him," Nevena laughed, "you have to look after yourself a bit better now. Is it a boy or a girl? Do you know yet?" Roselyn's smile grew again. Nevena was sure she had never seen her smile this much before in her life. Except perhaps on her wedding day. "What? Don't tell me you're having twins or triplets or something?" Silence, and more broadening of Roselyn's smile. "Stop smiling so much! You're creeping me out!"

Roselyn gave a bark of laughter, covering her face with one hand and sticking up two fingers on the other. "Twins."

"Twins?!"

"Twins."

"Only you would take four years to get pregnant, and become pregnant with twins," giggled Nevena. "You guys must be so excited!"

"We are." Alistair kissed Roselyn's head as he stood and walked out of frame.

"Excited and kind of terrified," added Roselyn. "But so far so good. The midwife says everything is normal. The babies are the right size. I've just got to take it slow."

"Which must be torture for you," said Nevena.

"Nev?" Cullen called for her softly and she lifted her head. He was fully dressed, hair smoothed and combed back. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows, he wore black trousers and carried a black blazer hanging over his right arm. He was possibly more attractive all smartly dressed than walking around in a towel. "I'm going to head out and look at the restaurants. Text or call me when you're done, and I'll tell you where I am, okay?"

"Okay."

“Waitwait! I at least want to get a look at you!” Roselyn called from the laptop screen.

Cullen gave Nevena an uncertain look.

“Do you mind?” she asked him.

He sighed, “no, go ahead.”

Nevena turned the laptop so the camera would pick up the image of Cullen across the room. “Hi!” Roselyn said.

“It’s nice to meet you finally. Sort of.” Cullen offered a sincere if awkward smile. “Once we’re back in Denerim it would be nice to meet in person.”

“Yes, absolutely.” Replied Roselyn. “How tall are you?”

“About six-one. Why?”

“Just my curiosity, which is now satiated. Turn me back around.”

“Nice meeting you,” Cullen called.

“You too.”

Nevena smiled, small and grateful watching Cullen as adjusted his jacket on his arm, took a breath and allowed his shoulders to visibly relax. He approached Nevena on the bed and kissed her soundly, cradling the back of her neck, before she could speak. She returned it, just barely managing to retain her senses and remember Roselyn could probably see and hear everything. She bit her bottom lip as Cullen pulled away, smiling that tingle-inducing smile of his. He kissed her forehead for good measure. “See you in a bit. Have fun catching up with Roselyn.”

There was silence from Roselyn until the door to the cabin clicked shut and Cullen was gone.

"I heard lip smacking!" Roselyn crowed. Nevena wasn't sure if she was accusing her of something, or simply pointing something out. "I heard lip smacking and definitely saw kissing. He’s gorgeous, by-the-way! But that’s beside the point, it’s your turn, what is going on? Tell me everything."

Nevena sighed, wondering where to begin. "Alright."

She explained, in detail and at length, everything that had transpired since she left Denerim to go to Haven with Cullen. Roselyn listened intently, nodding and asking clarifying questions every so often, but silent for the most part. As she recounted the experiences of the past few weeks, Nevena realised just how much had happened, and how much she had learned and changed in such a short space of time.

She wasn't sure if it was everything she had discovered that had forced the change, or simply having Cullen there as a method of support - but she felt a little stronger in herself. More resilient. She knew if she'd been there alone she would never have stood up to Ineria. She would never have confronted her father about the truth or answered back to Katrin and Clotilde the times she had. She was sure she would have either turned tail and run on Christmas Day if things transpired the same way, or she would have shut up and taken her sister's abuse.

Cullen made her stronger. His presence, or maybe it was just his quiet confidence that she was feeding off. Something of his that he was allowing her to borrow when she was in desperate need of it and failing on her own. She was grateful to him for being with her through all the strife of the last few weeks. He had been a stranger at the start of it all, now she could not consider her life without him in it.

"...and now we're on a ship, heading for Kirkwall to spend New Year with Varric Tethras. We're going to go to Ostwick too, I might find out something about my mother there."

Roselyn's expression was a small, but severe frown and she was staring down at the keyboard in front of her in thought. "Wow."

"Yeah."

"It sounds like you've had quite an eventful time."

"Something like that."

"I'm a little annoyed you didn't tell me what was happening. I could have come and got you. Or helped in some way." She looked at Nevena though the camera. “But, I get it. With all that going on, I doubt calling me would have even crossed your mind.”

"I know," Nevena picked her fingernails. "I just... I didn't know what to say or do, and I didn't want to bother you with it.”

“You wouldn’t have been bothering me,” Roselyn told her with a sisterly gentleness. “I know that’s not how your brain would have seen it, though. I’m sorry you had to experience all that. Especially without a full support system around.”

“It… I had Cullen there, he helped me stay calm and rationalise things."

"Hmmm..." sighed Roselyn. "Well, at least you're not alone. And it sounds like he's not a terrible human being."

"He's not," Nevena felt her heart quicken in her chest, "Rose, he's not. He's... you would really like him. I know you would. He's kind and gentle, and protective. He listens and asks questions. He cares, Rose. He really cares. About me." Hot tears welled up in her eyes and she gulped them back. "I... I've never met anyone like him. I've never felt like this about anyone--"

"You do have it bad." Roselyn leaned her chin on her fist, elbow on the table, and a wry, playful smile on her lips.

"It's..." Nevena searched the cabin with her eyes as if looking for inspiration, "do you remember that night in college when you came back from your first date with Alistair?”

“Hmm…”

“You’d been saying goodnight to him for ten minutes. When you finally came in, you closed the door, you leaned on it, sighed, and said you were going to marry him."

Roselyn smiled at the memory. "I--"

"Did she really say that?!" Alistair's voice came from off screen. "Did you really say that, Rosie?"

"I... yes. Yes, I did.” Roselyn replied, looking across the room to where Alistair was sitting off-screen.

“Aw!” Alistair crowed, “I never knew that! That’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever heard! Thank you Nevena!”

Roselyn laughed, her attention returning to the screen. “I do remember saying that, yes.” 

"Being with Cullen... it feels how I imagine that felt to you," Nevena explained, "and I like it. It’s wonderful and freeing, and exhilarating and… the happiest I’ve ever felt. I like him."

"Sounds like you more than just like him," said Roselyn with a playful smile. Nevena blushed and lowered her eyes. "Have you told him how you feel?"

"No." Tucking her hair behind her ear, Nevena shifted for comfort and jiggled her laptop. "It probably sounds stupid, but I'm afraid."

Roselyn pursed her lips. "Given your experience with Rick, I don't think it's stupid of you to be cautious. What is it you're afraid of, exactly?"

"That it's all... kind of... make believe." Nevena tutted to herself. Even she thought she sounded moronic as she searched for how to explain herself. "We met because I was trying to lie to my family. We've been put into this position because of a contract. We've been thrust together because of the contract. What if it's because of the contract and circumstance I feel like this about him? What if it's because of the contract he is the way he is with me?"

"Nev," Roselyn sighed and pushed her fingers through her hair, "listen to yourself. You're over thinking. Letting your doubts get the better of you."

"But--"

"This is the first time I have ever seen you like this. It might be the light, but I'm sure you look different. Happier, glowing somehow. I don't know. Think about it logically, the contract he gave you and wrote up, it stipulates you guys being together while you're with your family, right? And where are you now?"

"On a ship, bound for Kirkwall," Nevena replied in a small voice.

"Exactly," Roselyn said. "The contract became null and void when you decided to leave Haven and take an extended road and boat trip to the Free Marches. The contract is no longer holding you together. It's done. There's no magic spell that's going to break at the stroke of midnight like in Cinderella. What is keeping him near you, is you... Do you really think he wouldn't have gone to all this trouble, all these lengths if you were just a client to him? If he didn't feel something for you?"

"I..." Nevena opened and closed her mouth. "No... no, I guess not."

"I know it’s hard for you to stop doubting yourself, to stop the fear you feel, and I get that you’re scared of letting yourself feel what you feel for him, but I don’t think you have to worry about whether it’s manufactured or not. It's genuine and honest. And he clearly reciprocates," Roselyn's expression softened, "and how could he not? I mean, aside from the fact you're completely amazing, you're one of the kindest and most patient people I know. There's clearly something about you that has him drawn to you, otherwise, I don't think he'd still be there. Accompanying you on this pilgrimage? Introducing you to your favourite author? Inviting you as a plus one to a New Year’s Eve party? Sounds like he has some serious feelings towards you, too."

"What if you're wrong, though?"

"I'm never wrong."

"Rose..."

"In this case, I really don't think I am," Roselyn smiled. "But don't listen to me. Listen to yourself. What do you think he feels?"

Nevena stared at the door to the cabin as if expecting Cullen to walk in and proclaim out of the blue that he was head over heels in love with her. She wanted to laugh. As if that would happen.

Roselyn was right, though. She was over-thinking, over-analysing, the way she always did. She could never just let things happen and be happy with them. She could never allow things to progress naturally and go at their own pace. She always second-guessed herself, worried that she was wrong. Or reading the signs incorrectly. Years of mental torture at the hands of Rick had her well trained, and it was a hard habit to break.

She was certain of only a few things, mainly that she had feelings for Cullen that ran deeper than friendship and mere lust. There was something intense and overwhelming about it. Something that had her dangling over a precipice and all she needed to do was take a leap of faith to find if she would fall or fly. She was certain too - though less so - that Cullen had some feelings for her. Perhaps they didn't run as deep as those she had, but she wanted to believe her own emotions were matched and returned. After all, in the small memorial chapel, hadn't he said he'd 'never felt anything like this'?

Like what? What was the 'this' he was referring to? And why did he have to be so vague about it? Couldn't he have been more specific? Why did everything have to be so confusing and annoying?

With a small groan, Nevena ruffled her hands through her hair. "I don't know what he feels."

Roselyn tutted, "Have the two of you even talked about what you're going to do when you get back to Denerim? You're living in each other's pockets now, but what about when you get back?"

"I don't know."

"Do you think he's realised the contract he wrote is null and void because you're no longer in the location of it?"

"I don't know."

"Do you--"

"I don't know, Rose," Nevena snapped, suddenly. "I don't know anything. That's the worst part. I don't want to talk to him about it, in case it suddenly becomes too real and he realises this isn't what he wants! That I'm not what he wants."

"Nev..."

"I mean, who would want me, anyway? I'm so broken and mangled by past experiences, why would he want me when he could have someone else who is normal and isn't broken or just about keeping it together? Why would anyone want to waste their time with me, when they could have fun with someone who isn't neurotic, who isn't an idiot, and who doesn't have a pile of emotional baggage they have to carry around with them?" Nevena was panting when she stopped talking. Breathing hard, flushed, and overheated. Roselyn was staring at her on the screen.

"Do you feel a little better now?" she asked, her voice sympathetic.

"Yes," Nevena said. She was glad Roselyn understood her, that she didn't mock her for her way her mind worked. The near constant sense of self-deprecation she carried around with her. Roselyn took it all in her stride and did what she could to help Nevena understand herself.

"Good," Roselyn pushed her hair back, "now you listen to me, Nev. Who wants you? Cullen-fucking-Rutherford wants you, that's who. And you want him, more to the point. You have issues, but who doesn’t? And Nev, you're getting there. It's a slow process, but think of where you are now in comparison to three years ago! You need to stop beating yourself up and denying yourself the things you yearn for because you're afraid. Or because you don't think you deserve it. You deserve to be happy, and if Cullen Rutherford makes you happy then fuck the contract that's null and void anyway, pin him down on the bed and ride him until he can't bloody walk!"

Nevena heard Alistair choke on something off camera and begin to clear his throat.

"You're not an idiot. You're not broken. You're amazing. He'd be lucky to have you," Roselyn continued, glancing over at where Alistair must have been sitting. "If you tell him the contract is done because the terms were breached, and he calls it quits, then he wasn't worthy of you. But I don't think he'll do that. From everything you've told me he seems genuine, and determined and good for you. Maybe him taking you to meet Varric Tethras - clearly an old friend - is his version of taking you to meet his parents?"

"Maybe," Nevena chuckled, managing to smile a little.

"Everyone has emotional baggage. You've helped him with his by the sounds of it. He's been helping with yours... You deserve to give him and yourself a chance." With a sigh, Roselyn dropped her shoulders, relaxing her position. "Wait until you get to Kirkwall, settle in, talk to each other, see what you both want from this. Make sure you're on the same page."

Exhaling quickly, Nevena nodded, wiped her eyes and slapped her palms on her thighs. "Okay." She sniffed. "What do I do in the meantime?"

"Tease him until he's within an inch of his life."

Nevena rolled her eyes, "Rose."

"I'm serious," Roselyn waved her off. "I threw in that backless ivory dress we bought last year when you were packing. Wear that.”

“That is more underwear than a dress.”

“Just humour me and try it on.” Roselyn grinned, “What have you got to lose?”  "

With another eye roll and a vaguely disapproving look in Roselyn's direction, Nevena did as she asked and climbed off the bed to her suitcase. She began to dig through the clothes inside. Her heart was racing and her blood was thundering around her body as though she'd been running circuits around the ship. For the first time in what felt like days, she was clear-headed. As though a fog she didn't know was there had been lifted and now she could see a path ahead of her.

A path that had Cullen Rutherford as its destination.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I know it's not a long or as hard-hitting as the previous one, and there's a lack of Cullen, but I felt it necessary to have something of a filler chapter, given how heavy going chapter 27 is. I hope you don't mind. Still, I tried to make this chapter interesting and engaging, and it's nice to see Nevena actually admitting how deep her feelings run.  Plus, it was nice to demonstrate that Nevena has a support system outside of Cullen and to show some more of her friendship with Roselyn. Although I admit again, I'm a little leery. Worried you all are going to feel she's feeling things too fast. 

I certainly hope you enjoyed this chapter. What do you think is going to happen next? Do you think Nevena will actually summon up her courage and tell Cullen how she feels or be brave enough to discuss the contract with him? Or do you think she'll chicken out at the last minute?

Thank you for reading. As always, please let me know your thoughts in the comments/tags/reblogs, and I'll see you in the next chapter! <3

[fgodestinyawakenings]

FGO Destiny Awakenings: Fuyuki Singularity Section 4

Fujimaru Ritsuka

19|XXX High school|XXX@XXX.XXX

Professional Experience

Chaldea Security Organization 2016 - 2016

Field Researcher

Heavy sleeper as being able to sleep through Director's speech for 2 hours.

Knowledgeable in history and mythology.

Silver Medalist for Kendo in High school. Capable of taking down 1 to 2 zombie skeletons at the same time

Bodyguarding experience from protecting the chickened and coward Director

Flirting with the handsome and fluffy Head Doctor in Chaldea after being kicked out from first mission*

Self-taught in ever ready to help preparing burial when killed in action.

Reasons for leaving: Our Tsundere Director fired us because she was worried for my welfare if I would cower at the fear of dealing with those zombies.

*:

Ritsuka: God damn it, Ritsuko! Nothing of that even happen at all! Ritsuko: *laughs* Sure, that's what you always say before having a crush on someone, bro.

Investigate Port Ruin

THWACK!

With her shield slashed against the skeleton, Mash observed it reduced to black dust before dissolving away. The Fujimaru siblings approached and Ritsuka asked, “We have dealt finished on our end, Mash.”

Mash nodded and reported. “The hostile life-form has been removed here too.”

“I didn’t know what would happen with that monster, but,” Olga Marie walked out from her hiding spot as usual when they faced in combat. She approached Mash with a proud grin. “I expected nothing less of a Servant’s body. Such power.”

“Not that it makes them look any less scary,” Mash frowned at her words displeased at the compliment. She set her shield aside on her right. “Director, I have a question for you. The Fuyuki in our data and this Fuyuki are just too different.

“What happened in this city, exactly? What are your thoughts, Director?”

“Let’s see, history must’ve been slightly disrupted. That’s the only reason I could think of,” Olga Marie replied. With their eyes and attention fixated on her, she shifted to them back. “Mash, Fujimaru, I’m only going to say this once, so listen up.

“Chaldea observes the future through an Earth model called Chaldeas.

“At the same time, a familiar called Laplace compiles past records.

“You can say Laplace job to gather data on history that wasn’t made public and information that was buried in the darkness that no one knows.”

The group went down again while tuning in to the Director’s explanation.

“According to Laplace’s observations, an unusual Holy Grail War was confirmed in this city in 2004.”

Mash’s single violet orb widened. “Holy Grail War? You mean the Holy Grail of legend? The magical chalice that is the root of all magecraft, the one that is said to grant its holder’s wishes?”

“Eh? Is it actually that powerful?” Ritsuko widened her orbs in the revelation too.

“From what myths said, the Holy Grail was claimed to be a golden chalice containing Christ’s blood. It’s a chalice used by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in his Last Supper. And, to collect the blood of Christ upon his crucifixion.

Ritsuka explained to his sister. “With the Grail containing Christ’s blood, it’s undeniably the most powerful source of magic.

“They not only showed up in Celtics and Arthurian legends.

“But many other legends and myths heroes were pursuing it too.”

Olga Marie nodded. “Yes, that’s the one.”

“So, that’s why those Masters were searching for the Grail… A most powerful artifact by the son of God’s blood.” Ritsuko muttered to herself.

“Mages in Fuyuki city competed for the Grail, and in order to activate it summoned seven Heroic Spirits,” Followed by a grim expression, the Director resumed.

“That was the start of the Holy Grail War. Unknown to anyone, Servants were summoned to this town.

“The Fuyuki Holy Grail War is simple. Seven Masters fight each other. The last one standing gets the Grail. Chaldea learned about this in 2010. My father,” Olga Marie shook her head and amended. “I mean, the previous director used this data to build the Summoning System.

“That’s what makes up Chaldeas’s Heroic Spirit Summoning System, Fate.

“Our third invention after Laplace and Chaldeas.”

While the sibling’s pair nodded, Mash noticed and inquired, “Third? Isn’t that the Near-Future Observation Lens, Sheba?”

“That was created by Professor Lev. Well, I guess you can say we both worked on it,” Olga Marie showed a proud beam at the memories. “Anyway, this is where Servants come from. Seven Servants fought here, and in the end, Saber was victorious.

“The town wasn’t destroyed, and the Servants shouldn’t have been noticed by anyone, but,” Another sweeping scan of the city, Olga Marie decided. “Now this is happening. We should assume that the outcome changed due to this Singularity.

“The anomaly in 2004 brought about an alteration to human history and as a result, we’re no longer able to see 100 years in the future. That’s why it’s our job to repair this anomaly. Somewhere here is the reason history has been disturbed.

“Once we analyze and eliminate it, that will complete our mission. All of us will be able to return to the present,” Finished her explanation, the Director shifted her attention to Ritsuka who had raised his hand.

He put his hand back down and asked, “Was there any Heroic Spirits summoned at Chaldea?”

“Of course. But it didn’t go well, there weren’t many successes,” Olga Marie shook her head with a disappointed expression. “According to the data, three were summoned, but I only know of two.”

Three fingers lifted up from her hand, her index finger slightly pulled apart from the other two as she revealed. “The previous Director summoned the first. Second and third arrived after I became Director.”

“The second fused with Mash,” Olga Marie’s orange orbs directed at the violet-haired Servant. She suddenly let out an irritated sigh, “And, well, you know, the third. The weirdo lives in Chaldea. Leonardo da Vinci.”

A second passed, Ritsuka tried to process what the Director mentioned before yelling in shock.

“Did…. Did you say…. Leonardo da Vinci?!!”

“GuOOOOOOO!!!!!” A familiar ear-piercing screech caught their attention. Their head turned to the front to meet a familiar group of armed skeletons heading to them.

“Not these guys again! Get rid of them, Mash, Fujimaru!”

Olga Marie ran off at once to find a shelter from the battlefield.

Ritsuka swept his head to the running Director. “Hold on, is it that Leonardo da Vinci? The same da Vinci that painted Mona Lisa?!”

“Damn it, Ritsuka.

“Save your fanboying of historical people later!

“We got murderous boneheads coming for us!”

Ritsuko dragged her brother’s right arm along as Mash had charged ahead into the battlefield.

Ritsuka stood firm as he tried to pull his arm back. “But, it’s Da Vinci! The one who painted The Vitruvian Man, Mona Lisa, and The Last Supper painting, and invented early flying machines!”

Ritsuko rolled her eyes and pointed at the army of skeletons. “War is hell, Onii-chan. Now let’s kill those things or we have a dead body of our Director to bury later.”

As Ritsuko signaled to him of Mash taking down their enemies alone. Ritsuka huffed with his pipe armed. “Fine, let’s kill these morons first.”

-0-

A moment later, Mash set down her shield with a heavy sigh, “Phew, the battlefield is over, Masters. I’m relieved that we pulled through again.”

“Good work, Mash,” Ritsuka grinned, setting his pipe on the ground with a huff.

Ritsuko patted her back and smiled, “Yeah, thank you, Mash!”

Mash showed a faint blush at their compliments and acknowledged, “Yes. I am happy that I can be useful to you, Senpais.”

As they beamed at each other, Olga Marie’s voice approached them with concern. “Hey, Mash. Is it possible that you can’t use your Noble Phantasm?”

“Noble Phantasm?”

Ritsuka repeated with a curious expression.

The violet-haired Servant nodded with a frown. “Apparently, I don’t even know which Heroic Spirit fused with me…”

She glanced at her shield and added. “And, I’m unable to use the power of its Special Arts, the Heroic Spirits’s secret weapon—known as a Noble Phantasm.”

“Mash-chan?”

On cue from Ritsuko’s voice, Mash shifted to them with her head nodded. “Ritsuko-senpai, Ritsuka-senpai, I’m sorry for explaining this so late. Servants are equipped with a unique skill called a Noble Phantasm. It’s derived from each hero’s legend and great deeds and is a secret weapon.

“But, I am unable to wield my Noble Phantasm.” With another glimpse at her shield, Mash turned her gaze back to the siblings. “I can somehow use it as a weapon, but its output is decreased. I can’t even release its True Name. In fact, I don’t even know what the origins of this weapon of mine might be.”

While Olga Marie remained silent, Ritsuko turned to her brother.

“Any idea of mythical heroes using a shield as a weapon?”

“Not that I can tell,” Ritsuka narrowed his orbs and leaned his head to check out the shield. “Or at least, from what I remember, Ritsuko. My tablet may or not have documents I’ve downloaded on this. Other than that, I don’t recognize this shield anywhere.”

“I see…” Ritsuko nodded solemnly.

“In any case, you can think of me as a failed Servant,” Mash then corrected. “Or maybe just a capable kouhai* that can get even stronger. I have no leads on the Heroic Spirit that fused with me too, but with both of you as my Masters, I will figure it out as I grow.”

“Mash…” Ritsuka stared at with surprise at her faith to them.

Olga Marie nodded in agreement. “That’s true.

“Masters have the ability to analyze their Servants parameters, skills, and matrixes.”

The Director shifted her gaze at the siblings and went on. “Fujimaru Ritsuka, Fujimaru Ritsuko… As a Master, once you both become good enough, you should be able to analyze Mash’s Servant data.

“Any Servants you make a contract with from this point should be the same. First, you need to learn their True Name and Noble Phantasm. As your trust with them grows, your Servant’s power will grow too.”

Turned her head aside, Olga Marie let out a scoff. “Well, it’s not like you both have that much potential in you. The fact that you two can’t use Mash that well shows that. Once we get Chaldea’s Rayshift capability back online, we will shift a first-class Master here.

“Then you both are fired,” The Director with her index finger lifted and pointing at the Fujimaru Siblings.

“Newbies with no combat experience can spend their time terrified in some corner in Chaldea.”

“Wasn’t that you who kept hiding like a coward while we do all the dirty work?” Ritsuka and Ritsuko thought in synch with a glare on their faces.

But, a thought stuck in Ritsuko’s mind. As she remembered from Romani’s words about Olga Marie, Ritsuko asked with a curious expression. “Could it be that you’re worried about us?”

Knowingly she struck the spot, Olga Marie’s face turned red and flustered. “O-Of course! Y-You and your brother especially are only out fighting force here! If you and he gets taken out, who’s going to fight?”

“Hmm, in other words,” Ritsuka picked up his pipe and lay across his shoulders. One of his eyebrows raised as he questioned, “Weren’t you the one scared and spending quality time ‘terrified in some corner’?”

“I wasn’t! Not in the least!” Olga Marie’s orange orbs glared at Ritsuka. Though, it simply caused her glare less taken seriously to the raven-haired Master. She reminded with a yell. “You should be respectful to your elders!”

“Anyway, I’m glad you three understand each other better now.”

Mash stepped in to prevent any further escalation into an argument, “Let’s move before any more of them show up.”

While the Fujimaru siblings nodded to agree, Olga Marie stormed ahead as she grumbled to herself. As they walked off, the siblings grinned at each other while following the Director from behind.

End of Section 4

[last-on-your-lips]

So I Quit.

Preface: I am a person bound not by finance or insurmountable need to find a purpose. I am bound only and ever by loyalty, often and easily to the detriment and predictably enough the break of my endurance. This is the tale of why this is a terrible thing in company with establishments I lose respect for while clinging to those I am loyal to.

To begin: I was scheduled to work friday night. The manager that held me by Contract of Loyalty texted me (per my request she do so) that she quit early in the day....

Lmao.

I am actually not that great a person after I become jaded to the ways of a too often stressful and unrewarding environment, and certainly not so attached to and enthused for my work that I'll waste my gas going to a shift that doesn't earn the money back for the tank. (See that I’ve been working in a place on the other side of town for nickels and dimes.)

So I spent a few hours trying to decide how I was going to fuck up the night for the folks that had by no measure earned my respect. Of course I began on the thought that I didn’t want to make the night harder than my absence already would, but you see my Lover insisted that I inform them in person that I was quitting. (I’d quit the same ownership/management once before and apparently ghosting them was unsatisfactory by his measure.) and I simply did not see fit to warn them when I picked up my check in the afternoon- already having spent the gas to go an extra trip to that side of town…

And the idea comes to me... I should go to dinner at work! In mind that I’m going to make an absolute ass of myself. You see, the goal here is that they won’t ever try to hire me back at this establishment, but after they get over it I can still rely on the GM and parts of the different shift crews for reference to character and ethic.

-They have no idea I'm quitting, although when I picked up my check my step must’ve had mischief in it because the second shift crew was looking at me like they knew something was up.

-I'm scheduled with my wife, who is absolutely down for however I decide we’re going to quit.

-I have friends that love to watch me make mischief and I know at least a couple of them will be available to go pull some absolute bullshit in the middle of the night. (I got that good crew.)

-Lover said I had to tell them in person that I was quitting… and I am an otherworldly and ethereal creature that can follow no insisted command at half measure.

-I don't respect the establishment or the crew I was meant to work with enough to give a fuck how this goes, and by all the gods I’ve prayed to, this is going to be a tale.

I invite for several of my trusted (tea drinking) friends, and I tell them I have no idea how this is going to go, but I’m going to dinner instead of work and I’d like for an audience to join in the fun.

These friends are all glamorous, kind hearted people who enjoy mischief when it doesn’t aim to maim. But understandably most of them had work in the morning or duty to attend to during the late hour of the night I was plotting about. So I was awarded two companions out of the handful I invited, and that suited just fine to the cause.

We arrived (dressed to go to the bar after a bite to eat) to find the majority of the last shift crew parked outside the store conversing. They see how I'm dressed up, heels strapped to ankles and belly peeking through my cardigan. The female companion in the group similarly dolled with all her length and grace in crop top and combat boots, and wife in her more muted (though all the same not uniform) leggings and cutout top. Flirting is initiated immediately, of course, in a cacophony of playful hoots and one liners. Then a pause…

"Do you... not work tonight? "

"Do I look like I'm going to work?"

Uncertainty silences the flirting, and the gentlemen take in what’s happening for a moment of appreciation before grins spread over their faces and styrofoam cups I hope were filled with soda are lifted in cheers. They were enthused to invite us to go home with them after we were done, if we needed to of course. Such gentlemen- I assure you.

We proceed to go inside and after a minute waiting and a playful banter with a highly uninvolved hostess, we’re seated where we won't hear them talking out their frustrations in the kitchen. This after one of them has told the manager relief showed up- but they are not in uniform.

Ten minutes in the manager on duty went outside with phone in hand and face painted in irritation- on the morning I would be confirmed in assumptions I had made. She went to call the manager that I previously mentioned had quit to ask if she could refuse us service.

(As relayed to me Saturday morning)

"Legally no."

"Well I just wanted to call you and see what you would do...."

"If I was there they would be working "

Her lover in the background: "She doesn't even work there now, stop calling her with your problems!"

So by fifteen minutes into us being present there is enough salt in the air I am wondering if I have actually wandered into a beach resort, because I can smell the ocean every time the server that refused to take us goes by (To be fair she and I are not friendly)

Her only words to us: “But I thought you guys were scheduled tonight, they told me I got to work with [wife]!”

“Oh, no, we warned you all last week that when [Contract Holder] quit we went with her. This is us quitting.”

“Oh… okay.”

Mind that we have been there for fifteen minutes and were not given so much as drinks until it was affirmed we could not reasonably be turned away. After all we were being perfectly polite, not making even an impatient fuss about not being seen to yet.

We get a server another five minutes into our visitation, and she's the only one that wasn't terribly upset by our presence. She was actually fairly amused about our antics and methods, and seemed fairly delighted to learn we really were there to eat, not cause trouble in excess of quitting via the meal. She did comment that she hadn’t thought us to be serious about quitting with [Contract Holder] even though she’d heard the last week’s warning, and we had a wonderfully cordial conversation about our reasons for going with her while we waited for our food.

Now we didn't do jack shit, just went there to eat instead of work, and the manager on duty made no effort to speak to us while we were present. We sat there cutting up and sipping through our drinks until we were chattering over the food, good company and good conversation even as the atmosphere around us was made bitter.  We ended up being there for about an hour and a half since they spent the first portion of our little sit in trying to figure how to not serve us for our shit, which I admit we were pulling some shit on principal.  Ultimately, however, I hurt nothing but feelings last night and it was glorious. They’ll get over their ire in a few days and I’ll certainly be off the list for rehire, but I think the folks I enjoyed on the team will be wonderful to talk to if I ever have a reason to go back to that side of town before they quit themselves. Turnover over there is just a bitch.

[lalast0ne]

Heating up

Layla

*There were a million bodies around me all carrying out their delegated tasks. The buzz, not just at the club, but around town, was undeniable and that made me excited and absolutely thrilled that so many people were supporting this venture. The nerves were definitely still present but the excitement ... that was so real and taking over.

Tomorrow was ... well .. Friday but it was also the soft opening of the restaurant. Everyone was running around, including myself. I’d even taken to wearing pumps today which hardly ever happened. Everyone, that was, except my husband who was currently propped at the bar having Salem pour him a drink.  

I slip behind the bar, stopping when I draw level with where you sit, sipping your whiskey and reading some document and cough to clear my throat* Is everything to your liking today, Sir? Can I get you anything else while you’re sat there? *I raise an eyebrow, staring straight at you, my nails drumming against the wood*

Wider

*The burn of the whiskey slides down my throat as I read through the document for the second time to make sure all my questions were answered. The contract was iron clad and I was going to make sure my wife was protected. From enemies, not me. There was a hornets nest of activity happening around the club and annoying the shit out of me. My mother in law had taken over my desk and as of 5 minutes ago, would find her car at the bottom of the lake. That would be the last time she parked in my spot. The air changes and I hear drumming on the bar. Without lifting my eyes and with a smirk, I hold out my glass, the ice hitting the sides.* Another whiskey Fire. Anything to drown out all the racket.

Layla

*Only you could respond to me like that and actually cause a smile to tug at the corner of my mouth. I look at Salem who hands me the bottle of whiskey and backs up with her hands in the air, removing herself from the situation. Turning back to you, I pour you a single measure of your chosen poison, replace the cap and put the bottle back on the shelf.* Stop drinking the profit. This weekend is going to be crazy busy and we’re going to need all the supplies we have. *I watch as several people dart one way then the other, with Salem close behind them* As for the racket ... what did you expect? *I look down, trying to read whatever it is your looking at and continue speaking* We have a perfectly good and quite office out back ... or at home.

Wilder

*I close the folder as you attempt to snoop at the contract and bring the glass to my mouth, letting the whiskey burn down my throat again.* You mean the office your mother has taken over? Have you seen my desk? I think she painted it with all the color samples. And it smells.  Like flowers multiplied worse than the noise out here. Not like you and sex. *I set my glass on the bar and finally look at you.* I’m not drinking the profits. The club makes a killing. Speaking of. *Holding the folder in the air.* Does this place have a name yet? I need it for reasons.

Layla

*I drop back down onto my feet from my tiptoes and huff slightly when you close the folder.* Well, her work here is done so she won’t be around so much anymore. *I smirk in amusement* Although I’m not sure she’ll vanish completely. She’s enjoyed being here and the team absolutely love her. Maybe I’ll set her up in one of the unused rooms ... and we can work on getting our scent back in the office *I wink when you look up at me and relay the name to you with a roll of the eyes, all previous suspicions confirmed that you do in fact have selective hearing. My eyes move to the holder you hold up and I lean on the counter* What’s that?

Wilder

That name has never been uttered from those sexy lips Little Ball of Fire. *Reaching out, I drag my thumb across your bottom lip, the glass knocking over.* I remember every thing you tell me except about shopping trips. I tune that out. *I narrow my eyes at the mention of your mom having an office here.* Loss that idea baby girl or I will kill you and take great pleasure doing so.

Layla

*i capture your thumb between my lips and nip gently then jump back when the contents of your glass spill towards me. Grabbing a clothe, I wipe the counter down and smile at you when you mention my shopping trips, my smile widening further when you talk about my mom.* She’s talking about starting a little business to keep herself busy. I’m excited for her and said I’d help where I can. *I ring the clothe out and throw it at you when you roll your eyes* If that’s by giving her an office here then so be it. She’ll probably work out of Dad’s home office anyway .. but the gesture will be nice and no doubt appreciated.

Wilder

What kind of little business? Your father mentioned nothing to me when I talked to him earlier. *Growls low when you bite my thumb.* Why would she want to drive all the way out here to work? Is she doing something shady in my town? *Abrubtly I stand up, glaring at you.* Is she stepping out on him? She better not lift her skirt for anyone in this town or anywhere.

Layla

*I blink at you in shock, then narrow my eyes at you* Calm yourself, husband. My Mom would never step out on my Dad. She worships the ground that man walks on and has done since they day they met. *I grab us a bottle of water each from the fridge, placing yours on the bar.* My Mom has been driving out here 4 times a week for months. She loves being around people. The offer to use a spare office was purely to get her out the house but being in the City makes more sense which is why I think she’ll just work from home.

Wilder

*I throw the bottle top across the bar and down the water, not stopping until it is all gone. Bringing both hands to the bar, breathing heavy like I rain a marathon.* You already offered her the space?

Layla

*I watch as the top flies across the bar and turn back to look at you, your nostrils flaring* I meant the offer WOULD purely be to get her out the house. *I mirror your stance, placing both my hands on the bar*  I’ve not offered her anything, yet. But I’m going to because she’s my Mom. *My own anger rises at your reaction and I grit my teeth. Now I wish I had just offered her the damn office and surprised you*

Wilder

I assumed these were things partners in business and life discussed before putting on offer on the table. This is our club. Yours and mine. *I clean my mess up and pick up the folders I was working on.* I think I will leave you to work here the rest of the day. I have other business that needs my attention this afternoons

Layla

I’m fully aware that this is OUR club. What I’m not quite aware of is WHY you’re reacting this way. *I grab my bottle of water as you continue your rant and walk out from the bar* Sounds like an awesome idea! I’m too busy making sure OUR restaurant is ready for tomorrow!

Wilder

The restaurant is set for the opening tomorrow and everything is in place. It’s perfect. *I stalk back towards you and lift you over my shoulder before you can react, carrying you to OUR office. The door slams behind me and I press your back to the wall to stare at you.* About time I have my wife alone.

Layla

*I kick and scream the whole way to the way, eyes on us in shock as we pass. With a slam of the office door and a click of the lock, I’m placed down on the desk with you between my legs, ready for “alone time” to commence*

[carrieautumn-blog1]

October Prompts: 1

Day 1 of my October Writing Prompts.

Here is a link to the prompt list if you are interested:

https://carrieautumn.tumblr.com/post/165918058845/october-writing-prompts

Down below is my short fiction for Day 1:

                     Poison, Potions, and Propositions

Would you kill someone if you thought they deserved it? What about if you thought you deserved something?Look, everyone takes shortcuts. This world values adaptation, people’s brains are wired to take the shortest path possible to get what they need to survive. The setting might not be as primal as it once was in some places. The odds may have improved overall, but everyone is  still always one breath away from their last. All I do is give people better tools to survive, to improve their own odds of success. I don’t think I need to wax poetic about the evolutionary nature of ambition or morality, people are going to tell themselves whatever they need to, and still show up on my doorstep. They may come to me at their darkest hour, when they are at their most vulnerable, but just because I make a sale doesn’t mean I’m sadist. I am a sadist because I enjoy it.  

The little blond appears before me this night and even though it’s raining I can tell she doesn’t feel the cold. She hands me the card with my symbol burned in red on it’s violet surface and I let her in. She wastes no time looking around before asking if I’m the one who makes things happen. “Anything?” She specifies when I confirm that I can, in fact, make her wish come true. I don’t have a lamp but I’m the closest she could ever get to a genie. She nods, satisfied to move ahead.

Sometimes there is rambling, wavering and dithering but with others, like her, there is silence. Doubt, guilt, disbelief are things I do not have time for. It is nice when a customer agrees with this sentiment. “What is it you desire?” I ask pulling her through the misty curtains. We sit in candlelight and patterned neon burning through the window slats. I light a cigarette that smells of things she’s never heard of let alone smelled, the acrid smoke burning angry faces into my ceiling and lungs. The ticking on my mantle counts down to when I will need to when I will need to feed what lies in my cellar, her heart begins to hit in time with the dazing metronome.

“I want someone to die.” She blinks at her certainty but does not flinch away from her desires. My customer offers up her story, but I hold up my hand, it is not necessary. I don’t need justifications, only payment. I mix a poultice and brew it until it is a fine amber. It’s glassy surface erupts with bubbles and a new aroma fills the room. She watches me and avoids the framed eyes on the walls watching her, though she probably doesn’t recognize them as eyes. I hand her a small vial of the liquid but she is stubborn in her skepticisms. “Spill this on the one you want dead, a photo will do.”

“This will kill someone?”

“If it is spilled with purpose, I still recommend gloves.” She accepts the vial, but does not accept my answer. However, her new infatuation over her dark daydreams is powerful. She is not willing to part with this opportunity, unlikely as it may seem to her. “Now, for the payment.” I can feel her heart transform into a race horse, to her credit she remains stone-faced. “500 dollars.”

“That’s it?”

“That,” I snuff out my cigarette and return to her the card she handed me when she first came in. The purple and red ticket to her new life. “And one day you will give that card to someone and tell them to come here. Someone who would use my services.” She hands me the money and is out the front door, that care likely burning a hole in her jacket pocket.  The puddles she left behind drying on the floor. I don’t expect to see her again, regardless of is the outcome brings satisfaction; I don’t do refunds. There is no catch, my product is exactly what is asked for and nothing more. That doesn’t mean there aren’t consequences, but that goes for anything in life. I’m sure every now and then, someone with low coping skills comes looking for me, wanting to turn back the hands of time. Desperate and willing to pay anything and the world to undo their mistakes. They won’t find me, like I said I don’t do refunds. At least, that is what I thought until he came rapping at the door.

He arrived in my parlor without a ticket, which meant he had something I wanted. It is a rare thing indeed to find something that interests me, yet here he was on my carpet. “What is it you desire?”

“I desire nothing, I’m here to make a trade.” I laugh, but not mockingly. I could smile so deep as to show my teeth, but if I did that he’d likely run so I contain my joy. “Oh, and what is it that you think I’d want?”

“To trade places.” I feel the long quiet stirring of avarice in my body, I’m sure the smell was radiating off me.  

“Why on earth would you want to do that? I’m curious what it is you think would happen? You would be stuck here, slave to the whims and woes of ticket holders with only misery for company. It’s a rather dreary existence to one unlike myself. ”

“Three years ago a young boy came to you. He wanted you to bring his girlfriend back to life.”

“Oh and how did that turn out.”

“He’s dead.” I do not cackle or wring my hands together the way he likely expects me to, I say nothing. “I know I can’t defeat you, but I can take your place. No one will be making a deal with you again.”

“That’s very noble of you, but have you considered the other end of it? I will be up and about, free to go where I wish. It is true that my power lies here, but I am not without certain abilities. And certain inclinations.”

“If you do make a contract you can’t summon those ‘things’ to wreck havoc.” His tone grates on my nerves, but I put up my palms.

“Far be it from me to turn away a gift. I’m just making sure you’re certain of what you want.” I offer my hand and he grips it tightly. We shake on it, and he finds himself surprised when he is on the other side of the room, staring at the place he had just been. I wave goodbye and exit my own door for the first time. The brisk air breaks against me like a bottle against a virgin vessel, I hear the roar of the world wash over me.  I feel him staring down at me from the dim doorway and bask in that too, contempt able to pierce the shadows, but I am all smiles. “Don’t forget to feed them, it’s almost dinner time.”

“What?” He calls to me, but I’ve already began to exit the alley.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” I say tongue rolling over my teeth.  

[joyful-voyager]

An Outrageously Long-Winded Political Rant

Just me, bored at work and getting crap off my chest ahead of the End of the World, coming Friday to a country near you. "The Myth of Individual Exceptionalism" January 18, 2017 There’s an episode of the TV show “The Office“ in which a main office guy calls a satellite office guy to tell him he’s been promoted to a management job. I’m fuzzy on the details of character names and backstories; I’ve only ever caught a few moments of the show while my teenage daughter binge-watches it on Netflix. Anyway, the front office guys says to the satellite office guy, “It’ll be nice to have another M.B.A. around.“ The first few times I happened to catch that exchange, it made me chuckle. The writers managed to tap into something that everybody who has ever worked in a low-level, non-management office position knows: Upper management thinks that just because someone has those three little letters behind their name – M.B.A. – that person is automatically better suited to a high level position in the company than someone who has actual experience within the company, or than someone who knows how to perform the company’s core function — in this case, selling paper. It used to make me chuckle. It doesn’t anymore. Another anecdote, this one from my childhood. My Dad was a Korean War vet who wanted to go to engineering school when he got back from overseas, but couldn’t afford it. He rose through the ranks of his company as an apprentice, learning the craft of tool and die making at the elbow of experienced designers. He eventually earned the designation of Master Mechanic and was fairly high up in his company. When his boss, who had also risen through the ranks from apprentice to Master, retired, there was an unexpected change in corporate policy. The managerial position Dad was ready to assume suddenly required a degree he didn’t have and, at age 55, was unlikely to earn. Someone else – someone younger, with that all-important engineering degree but no experience in the field – was brought in for the management position my Dad had been promised for years. My Dad reviewed his options, hedged his bets, and took early retirement. Within a year, he was freelancing his job back to the company because no one there knew how to do what he did. Final anecdote. Years ago there was a massive corporate shakeup at a company where I used to work in a low-level marketing position. The Board wiped out most of the executives in one massive cut, the company was sold, and within a few months we had our third CEO in six years. This new CEO was, you guessed it, young and dynamic. He’d had great success as a high-level exec at a company that specialized in credit card processing. My field, and the company I worked for then, had absolutely nothing to do with credit card processing. But because this guy came from the credit card industry, our top corporate priority was suddenly not what was in our mission statement. Nope. Our number one priority was to get consumers to pay us using their credit cards so that we could enroll them into an auto-renewal program … which we on the ground level knew our customers wouldn’t like. Not one bit. That CEO didn’t last very long. These three anecdotes highlight what I’ve come to call The Myth of Individual Exceptionalism. This is the idea that someone who has had great success in one field must have achieved that success not by knowing that field exceedingly well, or by being part of a team that worked together to propel a company to success, or even by being related to someone on the Board. No, a truly exceptional individual achieves success simply because he or she is exceptional. And that exceptionalism translates to everything that person touches. Obviously. Got an M.B.A.? You must be great at everything. You could take that M.B.A. and run a department at a company in any field. Never mind that you started in, let’s say, publishing, and now you’re managing a construction crew. Your M.B.A. makes you fit to manage anyone, anywhere, at any time. You are better than the ground-level guy with decades of experience because you have that advanced degree. Likewise, my Dad’s decades of experience as a tool and die maker clearly couldn’t hold a candle to his replacement’s degree in engineering. “But it means that guy could learn!” I hear you thinking. And yes, there may be some truth to that. The problem was that the company didn’t have time to wait for the degree holder to learn his job, which is why the rest of the designers, who knew what the problem was, convinced the young guy to give my Dad a freelance contract. (And I owe them my thanks. He nearly doubled his income and was able to put me through college entirely on those freelance contracts.) Finally, the CEO of a credit card company can absolutely run a book publishing business. Of course! He got to be CEO by being exceptional, not by knowing anything about credit cards. It’s obvious! He is an Exceptional Individual, and so he can do anything! I find this ridiculously silly. Look. Bo Jackson notwithstanding, we generally do not assume that someone who can play one professional sport at a high level can play all professional sports at a high level. Given his size, I’m sure Michael Phelps is a beast on a basketball court. But could he outscore Steph Curry? I doubt it. Serena Williams is a hell of a tennis player, but could she replace Abby Wambach on the US Women’s National Soccer team? Unlikely. So why do we think the CEO of Company X is fit in any way, shape, or form to be the CEO of Company Y, when the two companies’ core functions have nothing to do with each other whatsoever? Why do we think a person who is exceptional in one field will have the same success in a different field altogether? And who the hell thought letting Anne Hathaway and James Franco host the Oscars was a perfectly sane idea? Which brings me to the rise of Donald Trump. During the long and nightmarish campaign, I was an outlier among my friends. I was convinced Trump was going to win the election, and while there were a lot of factors that made me think that – not least of which was the notion that people are kind of dumb and kind of racist and just flat-out detest Hillary Clinton – there was one thing that kept standing out to me. I kept hearing otherwise intelligent, thoughtful people saying things like, “We need someone who will run the country like a business.“ Every time I heard that, it made my hackles rise. Because I knew they didn’t mean, “We need someone who will run the country like the independent auto shop down the block, where my guy Keith schedules the work, delegates the jobs, trains new mechanics, checks each finished project himself, and still manages to balance the books every year and keep the shop open even though there’s a new Tires Plus down the street.” No, I was pretty sure what they meant was, “We need an Exceptional Individual who will run the country like a giant corporation that throws its weight around the marketplace and makes other companies bend to its will.“ Right? Isn’t that what you heard? Didn’t you hear that voters wanted someone who would make deals without messing about with all that sticky red tape of diplomacy and habeus corpus and international law and such? Because that’s what I heard. What I heard was that people honestly thought that Donald Trump’s (questionable) business success would translate to politics. That notion shows an incredible lack of understanding of both business and politics. But because he’s an Exceptional Individual (i.e., a fabulously wealthy and therefore, at least in the American worldview, successful person), he’ll be exceptional at everything. I’m sorry, but that’s insane. But it doesn’t stop there. Take a look at his Cabinet picks. We have some Exceptional Individuals who are in no way, shape, or form qualified for the positions he’s appointed them to. Ben Carson is an exceptional neurosurgeon. Why in the name of all the gods would anyone think that makes him qualified to run the Department of Housing and Urban Development? His exceptionalism in his field does not translate to his new position. Betsy DeVos? Fabulously wealthy, and in this country, a fabulously wealthy person is automatically an Exceptional Individual, right? Capable of anything because of innate exceptionalism? But did you hear her non-answers in her confirmation hearing? Not only did this woman never serve as an educator or school administrator, I’m not sure she ever set foot in a classroom, not even as a student. She is incredibly ignorant. Rick Perry? Rick Perry? We’re going to make this bumbling fool the head of the Department of Energy – a position that requires a science background – because he is the ex-Governor of a state that has a lot of oil? I’m not sure Donald Trump has any idea what the DOE actually does. And I’m certain Rick Perry doesn’t! But, hey! Rick is an Exceptional Individual. He’s better than all of us. He has to be. He’s an ex-Governor with great hair! His exceptionalism alone makes him fit for the position. I could go on … and on … and on … but I won’t. I’m as worried about Trump’s swamp full of sycophants and bootlickers as much as the rest of the country, not to mention his VP, the dead-eyed dominionist Mike Pence, and his creepy sons, plastic daughter, and entirely-too-gleeful son-in-law. (And don’t even get me started on the racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and ableism. Oh, and the fact that he is almost certainly financially beholden to the Russian government.) But I’m also worried about American voters and the way they’ve bought into this Myth of Individual Exceptionalism. Because it just isn’t true, not in any meaningful way. Our collective belief in this uniquely American myth has given way to the rise of larcenous megachurch pastors and rapacious corporate CEO’s, priests who molest kids, college athletes who rape women (and the police officers and judges who exonerate them), and big-box corporations that destroy local competition and offshore jobs in the name of the bottom line. We Americans have an unfortunate tendency to put individuals and organizations on lofty pedestals, tell them they can do anything because they are exceptional, and cheer wildly when they succeed. We’re baffled when they fail because they have upended the story we told ourselves, that Exceptional Individuals will always succeed because they are inherently better than the rest of us. And when they do something truly heinous – when an NFL player beats his girlfriend, when a college athlete rapes his unconscious victim, when a corporate CEO leaves a company in shambles and walks away with an eight-figure bonus – we can’t help but rationalize their behavior or just look the other way because those things conflict with our belief that wildly successful individuals cannot be immoral. Because if they were immoral, they wouldn’t be successful. Folks, Donald Trump is not an Exceptional Individual. He is a mean-spirited, petty, thin-skinned, ignorant, immature man-child. He’s a mediocre businessman who has managed to parlay his inherited wealth into the Trump Brand that gets his name all over everything. In this country where appearance is everything and depth is distrusted, he has achieved the biggest success there is: Omnipresence. He is the individual equivalent of Starbucks, Inc. He is on every TV and website. He has dominated our national discourse for 18 solid months. He is Everywhere You Want to Be even more than MasterCard. He has achieved the highest expression of Individual Exceptionalism there is in America. That doesn’t mean he’s going to be a good president. In fact, it probably means he will be one of the worst presidents in American history. He believes so fervently in this myth that he’s appointed people because of who they are, because of their perceived exceptionalism, rather than what they know how to do. To someone whose entire worldview is built on the idea that some individuals are better than others – look up Trump’s quote about “good genes“ and prepare to be appalled – a man who is already a successful neurosurgeon will be able to head up HUD in his sleep. A woman who is worth a personal fortune – a palpable symbol of exceptionalism – is certainly qualified to be Education Secretary. The fact that she destroyed public education in the state of Michigan is surely an aberration. What’s the point of all this? Well, mostly I wanted to get it off my chest. But I also wanted to ask something of my fellow Americans. I would respectfully request that you look to the individuals that you most admire and ask yourself what they have really done to earn your admiration … and what would it take for them to lose it. Donald Trump, for all his ignorance and arrogance, understands the American Myth of Individual Exceptionalism. He knows that it would take a lot for an American to denounce someone he or she had put on a pedestal. In fact, he’s counting on it. In January of 2016, almost one year to the day ahead of the inauguration of our nation’s 45th president, he articulated it in one of his rare full sentences: "I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters.” In less than 48 hours, this man will be the most powerful person in the world. If that doesn’t terrify you, you’re not paying attention.

[rolandfontana]

Five Tips for Protecting Your IP from China

I was recently interviewed by Tyler LeMasters on The Far East Podcast on IP protection in China. We had a great chat and I encourage you to listen to it and check out some of the other content produced by this DC-based Spokanite.

My conversation with Tyler gave me a chance to share my Five Favorite IP Tips for China (and for pretty much all other countries as well). Actually time constraints limited me to only four of these on the podcast, but I’ve added the fifth one below.

1. Register Your IP—in China

This could well be the Carthago delenda est of the China Law Blog—and for good reason. First, if your trademarks and patents are not registered in China (it’s a bit different with copyrights), there may be very little, if anything, you (or we) can do to protect them against counterfeiting or other infringement. This is because trademarks and patents not registered in China are not protected under Chinese law, except in the case of a “well-known” trademark, which you almost certainly do not have.

There are other risks as well. As we put it last year in China Trademark Theft. It’s Baaaaaack in a Big Way:

There are actually a number of people in China who make a living (and a good one at that) by usurping foreign trademarks and then selling a license to that trademark to the original, foreign, license holder. Once one comes to grip with the fact that China, like most of the rest of the world is a “first to file” country, one can understand how easy this usurpation is, and also, how easy it is to prevent it.

A few years ago I represented a European company that ended up having to pay more than $200,000 to buy its “own” trademark so as not to miss out on the Chinese market entirely. But even if you don’t plan to sell your products in China, failing to register your IP can create major problems., as we explained:

The fact that you are manufacturing your product in China just for export does not in any way minimize the need for you to protect your trademark. Once someone registers “your” trademark in China, they have the power to stop your goods at the border and prevent them from leaving China. That’s right, they can stop your goods from leaving because they own the trademark, not you.

Given that the costs associated with registering trademarks and other IP in China are modest, failing to do so could well be one of the worst possible business decisions your company could make.

Oh, and don’t forget to record your IP with Customs once you register it. This is essentially your way of letting Customs know that you are facing a counterfeiting problem and asking them to keep an eye out for fakes.

  2. Engage with local law enforcement

There are two aspects to working with local law enforcement. First, you should give law enforcement a helping hand by conducting your own investigations and providing them with actionable intelligence. Second, if law enforcement requests assistance, provide it.

This second point might seem an obvious one but supporting IP enforcement activity can become onerous for a company, especially if it doesn’t have dedicated brand protection staff. If the quantity of goods seized during a raid is low, it may not seem worthwhile to pursue the matter. However, if you don’t help local law enforcement officers close their cases, they will conclude that you and your brand are not worth the trouble and they will be a lot less likely to help you the next time around.

  3. Sue the Infringer/Counterfeiter 

Having worked on more than my fair share of IP litigation matters in Chinese courts, I can confirm that those can be an extremely frustrating experience. In my interview with Tyler, I talked about what should have been a slam-dunk case where the judge refused to award damages out of concern for the financial situation of the pregnant defendant. This reflects the fact that in reaching their decisions, Chinese judges often consider the “legal effect, social effect and political effect.”  In this particular case, though it would have made legal sense to compel the defendant to return some of the money she had earned from . selling counterfeits, the Chinese judge decided that favoring a U.S. based multinational over a pregnant local resident would not be a good social and political look.

Thankfully, cases such as this tend to be the exception not the norm and I have handled many cases in which Chinese courts handed down decisions in favor of my foreign clients, imposing considerable damage awards. I also have had many cases where the threat of an IP lawsuit has led the Chinese counter-party to pay money in settlement to my foreign clients.  Admittedly though, China damage awards and settlements seem low to foreign companies, even when they understood the amounts are a big deal for the average Chinese citizen.

Your willingness to go to court in China is nonetheless important to show that you mean business, not just to would-be counterfeiters, but also to law enforcement. When I worked in China, I did a lot of anti-counterfeiting work for Premier League teams and after a successful warehouse or shop raid, we would usually find jerseys and other gear for teams other than our clients. Most of the time, the police would leave that other stuff behind—they knew which teams would play ball (pun intended) and which wouldn’t. Pursuing counterfeiters also sends a powerful message to your customers, showing them that you truly believe your products are valuable.

  4. Protect your house

What this means is that you should do all you can to identify and thwart internal threats from within your own organization and from your own suppliers and distributers. As I mentioned in How to Move Your Manufacturing from China AND Protect Your IP:

[I]n the face of a reduced ability to rely on the legal system for protection, savvy businesses need to do all they can to protect themselves—and protection starts at home. Through preventive efforts at their manufacturing facilities, businesses can go a long way towards minimizing IP and related risks. What sort of prevention are we talking about? Obviously, you want to guard against unauthorized (i.e., third shift) production by your suppliers. You will also want to prevent sensitive prototypes from being photographed or extracted, as well as digital files with design specs from being leaked. You will also want to exercise strict controls over any materials that could help criminals improve the quality of their counterfeits, such as genuine accessories.

Clear, comprehensive guidelines are a cornerstone of product security in China and everywhere else. If you have experienced professionals on your payroll, they can draft those guidelines, but you should not wing it…

Having established guidelines, the next step is to ensure staff actually comply with them. Though some factories do a pretty job monitoring themselves, most don’t. This is why you need specialized compliance audits, by professionals who understand the underlying risks…

And oftentimes most importantly, your contractual framework with your supplier must include product-security considerations, such as your right to audit facilities and provide remedies for IP-related breaches. You almost certainly will also need country-specific NNN Agreements and Manufacturing Contracts for each new country in which you are having your products made. See China NNN ≠ Foreign NDA and Overseas Manufacturing Contracts (OEM, CM and ODM). You may also need a Product Development Agreement, a Product Ownership Agreement, and a contract protecting your molds and tooling. With all the tariffs and duties coming (and even occasionally going), it also makes sense to have your manufacturing contract delineate who will ultimately be responsible for paying what.

5. Educate the consumer

The final tip is the one companies typically find to be the most gratifying. Tell your story to your customers. Tell them why they should be getting the genuine article and not some cheap knockoff. Be creative in this regard. Take some of those seized samples you get from your raids and put them on display at your store. Let customers see, touch, and smell the low-grade pirated crap that’s out there. If you’re selling makeup, show them a video of the clandestine labs where they make counterfeit lipstick and mascara—and contrast it with your own, clean facilities. Talk about the risks.

One of our China lawyers loves to tell the following story, which graphically illustrates why buying the real thing matters:

This lawyer was in Shanghai and his favorite uncle was also in Shanghai and he met his uncle and a couple of his friends at a restaurant there. One of the friends talked about having bought a set of “Ping” golf clubs for only $350. The lawyer told this person that there was no way the clubs were real Pings. The friend responded by saying that “even if they are not, I still got a fine set of clubs for only $350.” Two weeks later the uncle called our lawyer to tell him that he’d been golfing with his friend and on the second hole, the friend hit a ball off the tee using his fake Ping driver and the driver head flew off in his backswing and just missed hitting someone in the head who was walking behind the tee at the time. The friend right then and there walked to the clubhouse, tossed his entire set of fake Pings in the garbage and bought a real set of Pings right then and there. 

It also usually makes sense for you to provide information to allow the public to identify fakes through the use of security features and/or by pointing out common flaws found on counterfeits.

Five Tips for Protecting Your IP from China syndicated from https://immigrationattorneyto.wordpress.com/

[alicecpacheco]

Patterson Eaglesoft To Remove Integration with DemandForce and Sesame Communications...

 Are you an Eaglesoft user? Do you love the integration the program provides? Are you currently using DemandForce or Sesame Communications in your practice? If so, get ready to miss that integration you’re so happy to have. Patterson recently made the decision to eliminate the connections between Eaglesoft and those two products.

 In mid to late summer, Patterson Dental, owner of Eaglesoft, sent a letter to its users that also utilize DemandForce and Sesame. The letter stated:

Eaglesoft has elected to terminate its current interface agreements with Internet Brands, effective October 31, 2018. At that time, any interface between Eaglesoft and Internet Brands’ products, including Demandforce and Sesame Communications, including any data exchanged between these products and Eaglesoft will no longer be permitted.

In dentistry—no matter who you are, whether you work in a small office or corporate office, or what aspect of care you provide—you have one job: Supporting the patient. Everyone in dentistry has one employer: The patient. Everyone in dentistry *should have one focus and that focus should be the patient*. We all work for the patient. They are at the center of what we do and the sole person we are responsible to.

As a dentist running my own practice, I’m frustrated by the ways this decision by Patterson hampers my ability to support my patients. As a journalist, I felt the need to run down the story and report on what I found.

I have a big problem with corporate speak that spins profit and share holder value as noble under the charade of being more “helping the doctor better serve the patient.” That talking point hasn’t been rolled out yet, but it underscores the primary problem I have with this decision: Eliminating the doctor’s choices in this way does not better serve the patient.

Over the years, I’ve seen plenty of tech companies try to use proprietary systems to force users to stay with their platform. The lack of choice is touted as a good thing. However, I think that in almost any situation competition is a good thing. It creates an environment where people try their very best because if they don’t, someone else most assuredly will—and the customers will follow. I worry that eliminating the ability of the customer to migrate to your competitors, allows companies to rest on their laurels and not prioritize improvement or innovation in the same way. The opposite of this is open source integration, when you let everyone compete and the best products win. The sudden market for digital impression scanners and mills is a great example of this. You can buy the scanner you like best and if you want to mill, you can buy the mill you like best. The spurs competition, which creates better products, which ultimately benefits the patients. That’s what I’m in favor of!

In the case of Patterson’s decision, it is important to acknowledge that DemandForce and Sesame *did* enter into an agreement with Henry Schein, one of Patterson’s main competitors. I can understand if Patterson had concern about how this dual access could be compromising. That’s would be a decent enough argument—if they’d offered it or any explanation—but it still hurts the dental offices caught in the middle, which means it hurts the patients of those offices. So, my question remains: How does this help the patient? If you are worried about security, write better code, but don’t use your customers and their patients in some corporate game of chicken.

This isn’t the first time Eaglesoft considered a move like this. A few years back there was an issue with Gendex and Patterson attempted to eliminate its integration. It wasn’t too long before good IT people figured out how to address the concern without cutting ties. The company never apologized and tried to cover it up with corporate speak on how it was actually a good thing. Once again, I’m at a loss as to how the patient benefited from the doctor being unable to take x-rays with his or her existing system.

I have no idea what the affected dental offices will do this time around. This very well may cost them money as they have to reconfigure how they do business due to Patterson’s choices. There may be broken contract fees or yearly charges that are already paid. There may be new setup fees or they may be locked into services that they don’t want to use or contracts that they must sign and pay for, but now have no choice. There has been no word from Patterson or Eaglesoft to address these concerns, which adds insult to injury and just isn’t a great way of doing business.

Before I wrote this article, I wanted to make sure I had the full story, so I contacted Eaglesoft in my capacity as Technology Editor and Chief Dental Editor of Dental Products Report. They confirmed that this was, in fact, moving forward. When I asked if they had a position, this is what they had to say:

Internet Brands, the parent company of Demandforce and Sesame Communications, announced the completion of an agreement to combine its dental products, including Demandforce and Sesame Communications, into a joint venture with a directly competing practice management software company. Unfortunately, this has resulted in a separation of our agreement with them. Patterson offers competitive alternatives available in Eaglesoft, including RevenueWell, Solutionreach, and others and Patterson will continue to look for ways to expand our portfolio of solutions available to Eaglesoft customers.

They “will continue to look for ways to expand our portfolio of solutions available to Eaglesoft customers.” Until they don’t. When they have a reason to cut off those “expanded portfolio of solutions,” they will. The past tells us this will happen because they’ve already done it twice.

I am an Eaglesoft user in my practice, but I am not a customer of DemandForce or Sesame. Henry Schein, Patterson’s competitor, owns Dentrix and Dentrix is a sponsor of this blog. With all those disclaimers in mind, I want to explain to you why this post was so important for me to write. Quite honestly, I’m fed up with my profession being held hostage by these types of situations.

I’m fortunate to have a platform to voice my concerns and I’m taking this opportunity to speak up for my fellow colleagues in private practice. I’d like to think I am giving a voice for those whose only choice will be to complain to their local Patterson sales representative (and that representative has a snowball’s chance in the Sahara of getting the word to *anyone* at the top of the corporate ladder who really needs to hear this.)

I’m open to a response from Patterson on this and will be happy to post is verbatim here if they choose to reach out to me.

 DemandForce

What DemandForce provides:

Automate Appointment Reminders Call Tracking Reactivate Lost Patients Manage Online Reviews Enhance Your Practice Listings Sesame Communications

What Sesame provides:

Patient Communications Web Design Search Engine Optimization Pay per Click advertising Social Media & your online Social Media presence Integration with Health Grades

[lovenerdywinnerbouquetfan-blog]

What would the insurance quote be for a 2011 Honda Civic 4-door Sedan?

"What would the insurance quote be for a 2011 Honda Civic 4-door Sedan?

Im doing a car project for school and we need to price cars and get insurance quotes and I am having trouble finding an insurance quote becasue mst of the websites want to mail the quote to your house which i dont have time to wait 4 cuz the project is due thrusday, or thye assume ur buying the car. So can anyone tell me what a reasonably quote wud b for this particular car or waht websites i can use that wud give me free, instant quotes. Thanks     By the way for the project we only have to estimate insurance for the first year and im 18yrs old so what wud the quote be based on this as well.

BEST ANSWER:  Try this site where you can compare quotes: : http://saleinsurancequotes.xyz/index.html?src=tumblr 

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my car insurance is lapsed right now. i know when you sign up for insurance they always ask its been lapsed. when i say yes, which i ll tell the truth cuz they ll find out anyways, what will they do? will i be in trouble?""

""If you finance a car in nh, can i cancel my car insurance?

Someone told me you don't have to have insurance. I don't want to pay for something if i don't have to. But i don't want to not pay and lose my car.

Accident...Car Insurance Coverage (Infinity)?

I drove my moms car going to work, I drive it once a week or not even. Someone crashed into me on the freeway and damaged the vehicle. Im not on the insurance policy but My mom has ...show more""

Why are car insurance rates so high in sunbury-on-thames?

Thanks

What would the insurance quote be for a 2011 Honda Civic 4-door Sedan?

Im doing a car project for school and we need to price cars and get insurance quotes and I am having trouble finding an insurance quote becasue mst of the websites want to mail the quote to your house which i dont have time to wait 4 cuz the project is due thrusday, or thye assume ur buying the car. So can anyone tell me what a reasonably quote wud b for this particular car or waht websites i can use that wud give me free, instant quotes. Thanks     By the way for the project we only have to estimate insurance for the first year and im 18yrs old so what wud the quote be based on this as well.

What's the Best Car Insurance?

What's the best car insurance that gives good coverage, good service, and will be cheapest if one has had a minor moving violation in the past 6 months?""

Will the insurance company declare my car totaled ?

Well, someone hit my car yesterday early in my parking lot, (((seems to be a DUI, not sure!))), the police came and fill the report... now we sent the car to the body shop and they said that the repairs will cost around $ 12.000 maybe more.... Now, the car price was $ 25.000, we bought it 2 years ago and we checked in the blue book the actual cost and it is around $16.000... my question is, do you think the insurance company will declare my car totaled ??? The body shop guy told us that the car will lose 70% of his price because of the accident even if it is repaired... If the car will lose 70% of his value if it is repaired, and the insurance company decide anyways to fix it, what we can do ??? Pd. The hit wasn't our fault at all, it was in our parking lot and this crazy drunk driver just run over it :(...""

How about Universal Auto insurance?

Universal Dental, universal home insurance, universal life insurance, universal pet medical insurance, universal flood insurance, universal renters insurance. Wouldn't it be a good idea to have the government provide all insurance to everybody? There couldn't be problems with that right? ( please note heavy sarcasm )""

Please Help me to find the cheapest insurance for my car?

Hello, I've baught a car two months ago, but I havn't insured it yet because insurencse is so expenive. I'm trying to find the cheapest deal and I need your experince in that. My car is Honda, accord, year 1999. My age: 23 Single State: Virginia City: Richmond. I'm international student and I don't have social security number I'm not sure if that would make a difference ! I've just got the driving license. I need reliability insurance if this would make a big discount. By the way, my GPA is very good. If you can help me out with agencys phone numbers or any guess about the insurance It will be greatly appreciated Thank you in advance""

How much will insurance cost for a 17 year old in london riding a 125 motorbike ? (around)?

How much will insurance cost for a 17 year old in london riding a 125 motorbike ? (around)?

Is there a way to get inexpensive short term insurance for....?

An item like a video camera or video camera equipment. And say you wanted to rent them to people, is there a way to get insurance for those items while other people use them?""

What would be considered cheap for a new driver's auto insurance?

Also, what would be considered average or too high? Any car really, just focusing on the pricing at the moment for a ballpark estimate.""

Are company's allowed to bump up your no claims for you so you get cheaper insurance ?

A family member of mine bought a car last year from a dealership and bought the insurance through them for ease, they hadn't had a car for a few years and so lost there no claims bonus however it would seem that the company put that he had a 5 years no claim bonus on anyway so that he would get his insurance cheaper, is this legal ? Also a year has now passed and so they are looking to get insurance somewhere else because other places offer even cheaper prices, however the insurance company are saying if he moves to another insurer they will say he only has 1 year no claims, but if he stays with them he can keep his 5 years no claims and that seems a little bit shifty to. This isn't really a question but still any input on the matter would be brilliant, thanks.""

Car Insurance???

Can anyone advice me what is 1st, 2nd and 3rd party insurance? and what is the different between the 3 of it.""

Can I still drive my parents car under THEIR insurance?

Hi! I just passed my driving test today, and I have the temporary driver's license. I was wondering if it was legal to drive my parent's car. The car is registered, AND insured under their names. Would it be legal for me to drive their car, with them giving me permission to do so? Or would my name have to be added to the insurance in order for me to just drive their car. I know that I would need insurance in order to drive OTHER people's cars, but this is just my parents. Thank you!""

Benefits of life insurance?

long term benefits of life insurance

""For Americans, How do you feel about your current health system?""

Reason I ask, I saw a segment on television of people in the states lining up in a showground to receive basic health care, instead of clinics, I was horrified, is this the norm? In Australia we have Medicare & Private health insurance, the main difference is one is a bit more comfortable than the other, I would really like to hear your views.""

UK car insurance groups?

Is there a website or some kind of directory that will tell me the costs of different insurance groups? I'm shopping around for a second-hand car and a lot of cars are listed as insurance group 7 or insurance group 14 etc etc, but I don't know what that means, I've been entering the details individually of cars that I'm interested in, but that quite laborious.""

Car insurance do i have to tell them ??

am trying to fill in a form for a quote, i was involed in a crash which wasnt my fault, the other person admitted responsability, do i have to declare this as a claim ?? or do i not mention this, am trying to get a quote for this years car insurance Thanks""

Anyone claimed their Car a Wreak through their insurance before? what happens exactly?

Ok, so my car has Hail damage ALL over it from a recent storm. I am covered for insurance but i wanna know what to do?! i can't call them at this stage cos they call centre is down :( SO, if my car is worth $30,000 & the damage is worth about $5,000 - $7,000 how do they work out if it's considered a wreak or not? My premium is about $1000 (cos i'm under the age of 25) so what happens if they declare it a wreak? Do i just get a cheque and then they take the car? or what? If anyone has had their car considered a wreak through insurance before, please enlighten me :) Thanks x""

""What are my options, health insurance wise?""

I'm 19 and MassHealth is being a b**** and canceling my insurance. I got no job and I'm a full time student. Is there anyway to get insurance like this? I mean, Massachusetts must have something for people like me. Anyone else having this problem and have a solution? If so it would really help.""

How long can I not have insurance before my car is repossessed?

This month I am not going to able to pay my car insurance due to other bills coming up. If I cancel my policy this month how long will I have before they repo my car? I live in New Hampshire.

Why is it so difficult for me to get health insurance?!?

Im 23 yrs old in Maryland and Im trying to buy my own health insurance for the first time. I havent been to the doctor in so long so Ive been having issues lately with my seasonal allergies. During this past year I went to an ENT specialist without insurance to get medication/prescription for a sinus infection and paid cash. The ENT specialist recommend I get sinus x-rays if the medication didnt clear up the problem. I am still having issues with it so I decided to apply for insurance so I could afford further treatment. However Ive applied to 2 places, both companies called me for an interview where they asked me a bunch of questions over the phone about any treatments I received or have been recommended to have. I have been declined twice with them saying get the recommended treatment done then reapply WHY??? OMFG I dont have a serious ongoing illness why are these people giving me such a hard time???? =( What do I do?? Thanks.""

Can I drive the car on my own insurance?

I have car insurance and I am allowed to drive any car with the owners permission,does the car I am borrowing have to have its own insurance for me to be able to drive it lawfully""

""Typically for a healthy young 27 year old male, how much is health insurance monthly?

how much would health insurance cost?

Cheapest car insurance companies for 18 year old female?

Cheapest car insurance companies for 18 year old female?

Will my car insurance go up if I take it off my parents?

If i take my car off my parents insurance and pay for it on my own will the rates go up?

Car Insurance out of state?

I live in los angeles and im about to go to las vegas on a trip i have a car but im being told that i cant drive the car because my car insurance doest get covered in las vegas incase something happened.im a Little worried because i dont wanna fly there especially with all the hassle at the airport.what can i do can i purchase car insurance for a couple days from my insurance company to go to vegas?

Who do you contact if you know somebody commiting fraud on there car insurance?

given someone elses address for cheaper insurance

What if I upgrade my car insurance because someone threatens to mess up my car?

An old roommate stole a lot from me the day he moved out. I've been waiting 5 days for the police to take the report (they're busy according to them). In the mean time I contacted him telling him to return my stuff or I'll involve the police, and he said if I do that he's going to f*ck up my car. Right now I have basic insurance but after he told me that I want to upgrade my insurance just in case. My question is what happens if I upgrade and he does mess up my car? If I file a police report about the threat can my car insurance deny the claim? What if the police are still too busy and he does this before I get to file a report? What should I do? I already started parking 2 blocks from my apartment.""

What would the insurance quote be for a 2011 Honda Civic 4-door Sedan?

Im doing a car project for school and we need to price cars and get insurance quotes and I am having trouble finding an insurance quote becasue mst of the websites want to mail the quote to your house which i dont have time to wait 4 cuz the project is due thrusday, or thye assume ur buying the car. So can anyone tell me what a reasonably quote wud b for this particular car or waht websites i can use that wud give me free, instant quotes. Thanks     By the way for the project we only have to estimate insurance for the first year and im 18yrs old so what wud the quote be based on this as well.

What Insurance Company is this?

I saw this commercial that had this college girl and this other guy saying how much its going to cost her breakdown car. She texted him, dude i'm a college student or something like that. Its an insurance company that covers both accidental insurance and car breakdown coverage. What company was this??""

Geico or Progressive Car Insurance?

I live in Chicago, IL. Which company offers better car insurance?""

Esurance Homeowners Insurance?

does anyone, or did anyone ever have Home owner's insurance from Esurance? is it any good? pros ? cons? Thanks.""

Oh okay. If you can't afford insurance then the government will pay for it. I thought I already was?

You told me that we were paying for the uninsured. Now you tell me that my tax dollars are paying for the uninsured. I am the taxpayer. But since the average family income is between 49 to 51 G depending on who you listen to then how will that husband and wife pay the $15G to 45G a year for insurance depending on if they are ill or healthy? Now I had to pay government administrators too and the IRS collectors?

""Help with cancelling my car insurance, and selling my car.?""

I have recently bought my first car and have decided that it is simply too expensive. Can someone give me advice on how to go about cancelling my insurance, taking it off the road and getting it sold. I realise that it's an offence to cancel the insurance and have the car on the road. I haven't yet received my new Registration Certificate as the registered keeper as I have had the car less than 4 weeks.""

How much does your auto insurance go up after you get a speeding ticket?

i got one going 80 in a 55. dont get all high and mighty on me. i was being a dumbass and we know im paying for it now. also i live in MA and im 18 driving for less then a year

What is the cheapest health insurance company?

I am a single mom and I'd be paying for myself and my son. I don't want to go through my health insurance at work because I don't want to work there for a long amount of time. So I need long term health insurance for the both of us, but I don't want to have to pay over $250 a month. Any suggestions?""

Will I be arrested if my parents do not include me on their car insurance policy?

I am about to receive a license, and am nervous about driving my parent's car without being included on their policy (I am 16). We simply cannot afford to pay for another driver. Hypothetically, if I am stopped for speeding or something of that nature, would they check proof of insurance, and, if so, would I be arrested for my lack thereof?""

Speeding ticket//No insurance!!!???

My friend was driving my car and got pulled over for speeding I didnt have insurance at the time she was pulled over, But I do have insurance now.(a couple days later.) The ticket is being paid tomorrow with my proof of insurance, what will happen b/c the date of purchase is after the day she was pulled over. I live in ohio. PLs help""

Does anyone know where i could get a car for my driving test? I need insurance as well. I am 16 years old?

I am going to go get my licence. I am 16 years old in California. The problem is, i don't have a car. Please don't ask me what i'm going to do with my licence if i dont have a car (it's a long story). I need a car i can take with me to do my road test. The DMV also needs proof of insurance. Please tell me where i could get a car and get the proof of insurance. Thanks!!!!!!!!""

Car Insurance Question in NJ?

My husband and I have two cars- both insured with us as the drivers. However, his mother (and sometimes his three brothers) have been using my husband's car while there's is getting fixed. They've had the car going on three months- and I read on progressive.com (our insurance, obviously) that we're responsible to make sure any 'regular' drivers are covered under our insurance. I'm not sure their insurance situation, since the car has been so delayed in getting fixed- they may have canceled it until they get it back. So, I don't actually want to contact the insurance company- because I'm sure they'll do what's best for them, not us. My questions are- are we responsible to cover them under our insurance since they are driving it 'regularly' or since we have the car covered is it okay? What would happen if someone besides me and my husband had a collision in that car- would the insurance be obsolete?""

Americans. What cars do you normally have as your first Cars. As a cheap car with cheap insurance?

I was just wonderng What kind of cars American tennagers ahve for there first Cars I might think of importing one

Why do we need auto insurance to drive? In many Asian countries its not legally required?

Why is it a law here in North America to drive with insurance. The federal and provincial Insurance Bureaus regulate these policies and rates and rip people off. Sometimes I think insurance is another form of tax. You can always take someone to the court to claim damages. Why is it that auto insurance is MANDATORY, it should be optional. Here in Toronto, its so expensive.""

Will one point on my license make my insurance rate increase?

I have been driving for about two years. Being a new driver, my insurance rate is of course considerably high (on a side note, I think auto insurance is legalized theft). Now. Aside from that, I received a speeding ticket. It was 83 mph in a 55 zone. Oops. In court, the judge reduced it from two points to one point on my license, and the record now shows 64 in a 55. Should I expect an increase in my insurance rates? I am insured with Allstate.""

""I live in California and need a good health insurance, what do you guys recommend?""

The health insurance will only be for me and my husband. Not too expensive, maybe like $250 the most as far as monthly payments. However, although I'm not pregnant, my husband and I do plan to get pregnant by the end of this year, therefore thats another thing I'm looking for that it will cover maternity. What health insurance do you recommend?""

What is the most affordable and complete health insurance?

My husband moved to North Carolina 8 months ago from India and is a Pharmacist. However, until he passes his equivalency exams in the states, he is working as a Pharmacy Technician. I am not working at the moment (not by choice but by the terrible job situation in the country). We are shopping around for affordable health insurance. Blue Cross is too expensive and so are many others. We are on a very limited income, however, health is of utmost importance too. So even if it is really bank breaking, we are looking into getting health insurance. What is the best one in terms of affordability and coverage? We don't have children yet but hope to start a family in a couple of years when we are better settled. Neither one of us are smokers and are in pretty good shape. Please help with sound advice. Thanks so much in advance""

Are there any good temporary car insurance companies in america?

Are there any good temporary car insurance companies in america?

""What would it cost for 15 yrs insurance, life?""

I don't smoke, drink, just like to fish.""

Need help finding helath insurance?

Looking to find a new health insurance policy, one that covers more, like office visits, lab testing, and prescription drugs. I'm 22 female from mn, employed full time, none smoker. Whats a good company?""

Where can I get insurance in New York City?

Hi everyone and thanks for reading, I know it's probably a stupid couple questions but I'm trying to figure this out, perhaps i'm not looking in the right places. Anyway I need to know a couple things: 1) Where can I get health insurance in NEW YORK CITY for my employees? 2) Where can I get insurance again in NYC for my company? Thanks everyone!""

What's the best company to get individual health insurance? What organizations offer group health plan?

I am talking about health insurance that covers doctors, prescriptions, and hospital expenses.""

Car Insurance need advice?

I have one car with 24 years no claims and am going to be the policy holder for my sons car. Can i put down that i have 24 years no claims or do i have to start again (in the sense put 0 down??)Im quite confused by the process as i haven't had to do this before, also it is very difficult for him to afford insurance if we don't do it this way so if anyone knows of any good cheap insurance companies""

What insurance company should i go with if I'am going to start driving at 17 with a sports car?

Hi, i'am receiving my license on August 31st and i turn 18 on September 23rd, ill be getting a 03-04 Nissan 350z coupe, i have no idea what company to go with or what price range to expect, my mom called GEICO, her current company and they said putting me on there with a Sports car such as the 350z would raise our payment about 5,000$ a YEAR! i dont know if this is true...or if my mom was lying to make me not get a sports car.. (she has tried to talk me out of it alot latley) What insurance provider has best rates for starting male drivers?""

How to get good discounts for insurance?

i am 17 years old and i am getting my license in 2 weeks so im underage and i wanna know how to get good discounts my parents have all-state i will be driving my moms car a 2004 nissan altima (4 doors) can anyone help with some tips !!!!! thank you very much

Which car would be cheapest on insurance?

Nissan 350z Honda s2000 ford mustang v6 Infiniti g35 coupe

What would the insurance quote be for a 2011 Honda Civic 4-door Sedan?

Im doing a car project for school and we need to price cars and get insurance quotes and I am having trouble finding an insurance quote becasue mst of the websites want to mail the quote to your house which i dont have time to wait 4 cuz the project is due thrusday, or thye assume ur buying the car. So can anyone tell me what a reasonably quote wud b for this particular car or waht websites i can use that wud give me free, instant quotes. Thanks     By the way for the project we only have to estimate insurance for the first year and im 18yrs old so what wud the quote be based on this as well.

How often do u have to pay for car insurance?

Acura TSX 2011

Best Car Insurance For A 15 1/2 Year Old In California?

Im Turning 15 1/2 Soon, And Im Ready To Take Drivers Ed And Drivers Training.. And I Need I To Find Insurance, That IS CHEAP, I Cant Spend That Much Per Month On Insurance. My Parents Car Insurance Which Is AAA.. Only Insures Drivers Over The Age Of 21 Or Something Like That. I Just Need To Know What Insurance Is Cheapest For Me?.. And Is There Insurance What Insures Me For Whatever Car I Drive? Do I Need To Get Insurance On Every Car I Drive.""

Financial responsability in California (auto insurance) ticket.?

So I was recently given a citation during a trip to Northern California. Here's the condensed version; I went out with a group of friends to have dinner and drinks. It was about 10 people altogether, three car loads. I was originally not one of the drivers (I flew in from Southern California). Several of my friends/acquiantances drank heavily during dinner. I was asked as a favor to drive one of the car and the car owner's home. The car I drove belonged to my good friend's neighbor. I received a speeding ticket during the drive to the neighbor's home (73 in a 65) PLUS no insurance!!! I informed the officer that it was not my car and that it belonged to the passed out lady in the back but he didn't care and decided to write me the ticket anyway. Now I've been told that I will have to pay for it ($988) plus my speeding ticket. I spoke with my good friend about it but the neighbor now refuses to go to court with me or write a letter at the least explaining the scenario.""

What happens if you get pulled over and get a ticket for no insurance?

OK so I just got pulled over this morning for not having any insurance and I had no idea I did not have it. For one the car is not mine its my boyfriends and for two his mom was the one that had insurance on it and dropped it without telling me, so I had no idea. I just went and got insurance on it like an hour after I got the ticket, so will the ticket be dismissed, if not what will happen and how much will this all cost?""

Why should we be responsible for a person who elects not to buy health insurance?

Or any insurance for that matter...

How old does one has to be to buy car insurance and what is the average price?

How old does one has to be to buy car insurance and what is the average price?

Cheapest Car Insurance Rates - Chicago?

Not sure if my fathers age has anything to do with rates, but he is 65 years old and pays $600 for six months (for one of his two cars) a 2003 Toyota Corolla with over 100,000 miles on it. He's currently with State Farm. Are there any companies that are as good (not sure what qualifies as being good , but heard that State Farm is good ) but for half the price? And is $600 for six months a lot for the above car? I know insurance covers more than just damage to the car (like injuries caused to others), but the car probably isn't even worth more than a couple grand. So not sure if paying that much is even worth it. Any thoughts?""

How much does a million dollar insurance policy cost?

I was intersted in buying a million dollar insurance policy. How much would that cost me? I make about 65 thounsand a yr. Any ideas/

How much will my insurance rise?

I recently got a speeding ticket for going 9 over in a school zone as well as one for talking on a cell phone in a school zone. I was curious as to how much my insurance will rise. I am 18 and recieved the ticket in Texas. This is my first offense(s). How many points for insurance is a cell phone ticket? Thanks so much!

Auto Insurance Questions?

In the household there are 3 cars, but 18 driver is only listed under 1 car,(mom) If the other 2 cars are on the same house (but different names auto insurance) he can drive those car with no insurance coverage problem right?""

""If I got a car insurance while on a Provisional license, could I still use it when on a full license?""

I've got a provisional UK drivers license but I'm hoping to get my full UK drivers licence soon, but insurance is very expensive. I've seen insurance whilst on provisional is cheaper than on a full license, if I got that would I still be able to use it whilst holding a full UK drivers license? Also what are some other ways to save money on car insurance? Thank you!""

How do I know if my health insurance premiums are pre-tax or post-tax?

I am using H&R Block tax software and they are telling me to enter my health insurance premiums that I have paid for this past year to claim them as deductions. They say NOTHING about whether or not they can be pre-tax or post-tax. I keep reading everyone else saying that they cannot be pre-tax premiums in order to claim it. I have no way of knowing if the premiums I have been paying are pre-tax or post-tax. It does not say it anywhere. My wife and I are both employees of the state. Thank you.

""Insurance cost, coupe vs sedan?

How large is the difference of a subaru brz coupe and a kia optima sedan? If the factors are constant besides the cars for a 16 year old male?

I have no health insurance for my 5 month old?

Ok so my 5 month old hasn't gotten we shots because I came back to NYC from CA due to my mother being sick but I don't planned to live here so I don't want to reopen a Medicaid case out here is there anywhere i could go or something i could do? Plz help

Will this have high insurance?

i was thinking about buying a 2010 vw gti coupe or sedan. manual or automatic. is insurance on this high for a younger guy? it has a turbo on it. but it only adds i think 25hp coming out to about 200. would a sedan and automatic be cheaper insurance than a coupe/manual?

Insurance for a child ?

I'm on my fathers insurance until I turn 26, but I have a one year old baby girl. How much will it be to have good medical insurance for just her ? She needs good insurance because she has medical issues.""

I do not have regular health Insurance?

I regularly go for activities like white water rafting. Is it possible to buy cover for injuries from such activities on per event basis?

Do various driving school programs give different types of certificates that affect your insurance?

I am a 20 year old female first time driver living in Colorado, and I'm debating what program to go with for driving school. The completely online one, the half online half classroom, or the full classroom. I want to take which ever one will give me the best insurance rate.""

Should I drop collision from my auto insurance this renewal?

I have a ten year old Honda Civic, just over 40,000 miles, has a crack in the driver's side rear bumper that I ignore. I have an excellent driving record, no points, am the only driver, am at that age where I'm not young enough or old enough to be considered a threat, but I live in a high rate state and money is more than tight and they just shot my house insurance through the roof, even though I never put in a claim, because, get this, there is a chance that someday we may have a hurricane! Am I being pennywise and pound foolish, or am I paying for something that won't pay off even if I need it? Thank you!""

How do I renew my health insurance card in the U.S?

I am 15, and my health insurance card a few months ago. How do I renew another one? Do I have to sign up all over again and do all the paper-works or I just have to go to that place and ask for a new card? May I get plenty of details about this? Because it's really important to me. The person with has the BEST answer will get pretty awesome points. Thanks :)""

Im looking for cheap or reasonalby priced auto insurance...can anyone give me any tips???

this is my first car and i need full coverage...somebody help me please!

No car insurance automatically suspends CA driver's license?

So apparently in CA, if you stop paying your car insurance (I had to), your vehicle registration is revoked and your license is suspended automatically, and you get a notice in the ...show more""

How much is car insurance?

I am in Delaware. I am starting grad school and I will have very little money. But I am considering getting an old car just to get around and save some time. I'm a 26 year old girl so I know I'm not in the worst catagories. I just want a basic idea of whether or not it will break the bank to consider a car.

Possible to have such cheap car insurance at 20 years old?

Hello all, i'm looking for car insurance on gocompare.com site and if i'm taking the insurance on my own name, the price comes up at 1,200 for a 1995 Ford Fiesta LX 1.2. I am 20 years old, male and held the licence for 1 year (1 year and 6 months to be exact) and have 0 NCB. Now, here is where the 'cheap' part comes in. The 1,200 was ON me as a prosper and owner of the car. If i put my step dad as first driver (main) and me as an additional driver (second) it comes up as 1,500 for insurance. How is that possible? He has 6 years no claims and held the licence for over 20 years. Never made a claim or had accident. Now if i put my self as FIRST driver and him as SECOND driver, meaning that everything goes on me and i would be getting no claims bonus every year, i get the price at :- 750! Now basically my question is - Is that possible? The companies that are at 750 are Diamond, Elephant, and Admiral. Then the prices goes up to 1,500+""

Where can I find the cheapest insurance for young drivers?

I am looking for the cheapest insurance for young drivers in United Kingdom. I am 18 years old and I am planning to buy a car. I have been looking for an insurance for Golf Mk 4 1.9 TDi which costs up to 3000 but the cheapest insurance I could find was also over 3000 up to 5000. Tell me the cheapest you know, please.""

What would the insurance quote be for a 2011 Honda Civic 4-door Sedan?

Im doing a car project for school and we need to price cars and get insurance quotes and I am having trouble finding an insurance quote becasue mst of the websites want to mail the quote to your house which i dont have time to wait 4 cuz the project is due thrusday, or thye assume ur buying the car. So can anyone tell me what a reasonably quote wud b for this particular car or waht websites i can use that wud give me free, instant quotes. Thanks     By the way for the project we only have to estimate insurance for the first year and im 18yrs old so what wud the quote be based on this as well.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/florida-insurance-my-profile-hayden-collier/"