#Fitzgerald Pace oc

[nightmun]

Ho boy well here's a bunch of RD oc refs I did a while back! In order we have new refs for Haniel and Otta (these refs were for artfight hence the extra info), Misty (original design by @pokeblog123), ANOMA, Elliot Finch, Riley, Bailey, Otta's parents Fitzgerald and Olivia Pace (plus their ghost forms), Otta and Haniel's cat Sir Frederick, Pokeblog123's Mal's cat, and finally @hear-that-music-in-the-air's Laika!

[lolatulips]

Made this Otta drawing as a late Christmas AND Birthday present for my dear friend @nightmun! Hope you have a lovely rest of your day, man! Love you lots! I worked very hard on this and I hope you all enjoy!

This was meant to be a little writing piece of one of their other ocs, Elliot, giving Otta a custom snowglobe with little figures inside depicting her and her parents enjoying a lovely Christmas from years and years ago. On top of this, the snowglobe is also a music box, and the tune it plays is "Duérmete Mi Niña", a lullaby her mother would sing to help her fall asleep when she was young.

This would've been the aftermath, with Otta laying within her room and silently watching the snow fall all around them, the soft and gentle melody enveloping her like a warm embrace...

[angellesword]

BAGGAGE | JJK (06)

Summary: Drowning in debt and blood, Jeon Jungkook knows he's better off alone, lest he brings people down with him.

But one drunken night changes everything.

In a blink of an eye, Jungkook found himself drowning not only in debt and blood, but also in dirty diapers and judgmental stares from you, a.k.a his long-lost love and the guardian of the son he didn't even know existed.

Genre and warnings: best friends to lovers, co-parenting, idiots in love, mutual pining, angst, fluff, implied smut, kissing, minor character death, slight getting back together, drama, OC cusses excessively so watch out

Pairing: dad! Jungkook x adoptive mom!Reader

Word Count: 2.3k

← Previous Chapter (05) | Next Chapter (07) →

****

Six Years Ago, 2017

As much as Jungkook hated to admit it, you were right. This venture with Jimin was doomed.

"Jungkook, what should we do?" Jimin paced back and forth, a rare image of anxiety painted on his face. Jimin always gave Jungkook the perfect picture of a calm adult who knew exactly what he was doing. As such, Jungkook naturally looked up to him. Jungkook was also an adult, but his reliance on Jimin was of another level, allowing him to see that there was something to look forward to in life.

"We have to kill him, Jimin-hyung~." But darkness still loomed over the younger man, only that it was masked by his starry eyes, giving people the wrong impression that he couldn't and wouldn't harm even a fly.

Truth be told, Jimin sighed, but he cast an affectionate look at Jungkook as if Jungkook were his mischievous younger brother who did not propose murder but simply a joke of putting salt in someone's food instead of sugar.

"Jungkook-ah, I'm serious, okay? This can potentially harm our employees. I need you to think of something."

"Who said I was joking?" Jungkook deadpanned and crossed his arms lazily. "You said it yourself. This will harm our people. Why not get rid of the root cause first?"

"Jungkook," Jimin warned, his voice turning serious.

The brunet pursed his lips into a thin line, petulant. He wished to kill Francis Fitzgerald, one of Port Mafia's board members and their certified public accountant. Naturally, Francis dealt with the company's financial statements.

Unbeknownst to Jungkook and the others, Francis used the company's money for his own gain and concealed that the Port Mafia was incurring debt.

"This is all my fault." Jimin blamed himself. He was dating Francis and blindly trusted him, but Jungkook did not want to blame Jimin.

"That son of a bitch is cunning. He'd find another way to hide this from us even if we didn't give him freedom."

Admittedly, the only reason why Jungkook and Jimin found out about Francis' scheme was because Jisoo sent a formal request to inspect Port Mafia's book. Jisoo had been wanting to increase her investment, but she didn't want to jump into the fire immediately. She wanted some sort of proof that Port Mafia was doing well. She couldn’t buy this whole unicorn company thing. Something must be up.

"Maybe we should report this to the authorities. Does anyone else know?"

"Only the two of us, Jisoo and her independent auditor," Jungkook answered. It was all thanks to your sister's painstaking effort that the anomalies were discovered. "You don't have to worry about Jisoo-noona. She'll keep her mouth shut."

"We're really going to hide this?" Jimin was uncomfortable, but what other choice did they have?

"It appears that's the only thing we could do. Unless you change your mind about murder." Jungkook shrugged off. They would just discreetly force Francis to 'resign' and slowly correct his wrongdoings. Jisoo said she knew many reliable accountants and auditors who could handle issues like this silently. Jisoo also said she was willing to buy Francis' shares, though she had no interest in being a board member.

Jungkook was a cunning man, but he had to admit he couldn't exactly figure out why Jisoo was willing to help Port Mafia clean its mess up. Thankfully, Jimin gave Jungkook the go signal to work with Jisoo while he continued to manage their business operation. It gave Jungkook the time to scrutinize Jisoo. He had done the same thing with others before, dining and sweet-talking them until they willingly opened up to him.

"Why the long face, Jisoo-noona? Did you change your mind about helping us~? Or maybe you're just looking for a little extra persuasion~?" The corner of Jungkook's lip ticked up. They were at Jisoo’s house because Jungkook proposed to cook for Jisoo to thank her for helping Port Mafia. He slowly poured wine on Jisoo's glass while maintaining eye contact with her.

Light teasing and flirting usually worked, but Jungkook didn't see the blush on Jisoo's cheeks. She indolently picked up her wine glass and swirled it to release its aroma.

Jisoo did not drink her wine. She furrowed a brow at the younger boy, "Jungkook-ah, tell me. How much do you love my sister?"

Her question stunned Jungkook, causing his throat to get dry. For a moment, Jungkook didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth to speak but pursed his lips at the last minute.

It took a while before Jungkook settled with an answer.

"It's complicated." While it was indisputable that you were his best friend, Jungkook also knew that his bond with you transcended all superficial feelings, such as love. Yes. Love, among other things, was superficial compared to what you were to him.

People often wondered how you and Jungkook remained friends for many years, considering that all you did was fight, but none of those people saw you two’s desperate glances and how soft they actually were. No one understood that while it was easy to buy crab spring rolls, you would rather make them at home and add some pureed vegetables so Jungkook could eat healthier.

Or how no one understood Jungkook's intention of cutting you some slack after all the hurtful words you had said because he knew he'd be damned to take an angry woman’s words at face value.

Love was there—it was easy to say and feel that, but it was a different story, knowing that you might hurt each other. However, at the end of the day, you and Jungkook were each other's constants. You would return to each other's embrace no matter how fucked up the situation was.

People like Jisoo would not understand that, so Jungkook could only settle with a simple "it's complicated" response.

As expected, Jisoo shook her head. She didn't look enthusiastic to hear Jungkook's answer, as her question was merely rhetoric or a preamble.

Jisoo's intention was to tell Jungkook how much you meant to her.

Jungkook smiled. "I know, Jisoo-noona. Everybody loves your sister."

"No, Jungkook." Jisoo stopped swirling her glass. She caught Jungkook's eyes, voice serious. "You don't understand. I love that kid with my life."

You and Jisoo had absent parents, so Jisoo basically raised you.

Jungkook remained silent, sensing that there was more to Jisoo's admission of her feelings for you.

And he was right.

Jisoo stopped swirling the glass; she looked at the crimson liquid intensely, a bitter smile blooming on her face. "This wine seems quite tasty."

"You would know." Jungkook took a sip of his wine. "That's your fourth cup, right—"

Jungkook was abruptly cut off when Jisoo poured the wine on the floor. Its splattering reverberated through Jisoo's dining room.

Then she confessed:

"I'm dying, Jungkook."

The wine glass shattered, broken pieces falling on the floor.

"Jisoo-noona." Jungkook was by Jisoo's side in a flash. He enveloped her in an embrace to get her to stop shaking. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

Jungkook sat Jisoo on her couch, bringing a towel to wipe at her hand. He didn't know when their playful banter turned into something this gloomy, but that should be his least concern.

"Are you with me, Jisoo-noona? Come on, breathe." Jungkook usually did this with you. You had quite some temper. Jisoo was the relaxed one, almost always gracious. Her smile was reserved for big occasions only.

It was an...experience to see her like this.

"You're okay, Jisoo-noona. Jisoo." Jungkook learned it was effective to utter someone's name when they were in distress. Fortunately, it worked on Jisoo. She released a deep breath before swallowing thickly.

"You good?"

Jisoo nodded. "Thank you, Jungkook-ah."

"Not a problem," he hummed. "Care to explain to me what you meant earlier?"

Perhaps Jungkook's tone was gentle, so it made it easier for Jisoo to open up. It was part of her plan, anyway. She knew Jimin and Jungkook must have been curious why she still invested in Port Mafia. The truth was, it was all for you.

Cancer.

Jisoo recently found out that she had cancer, and her days in this world were numbered. Jisoo didn't want to leave you alone, so she could only place her bet on Jungkook.

She knew that Jungkook would be in trouble if the authorities found out about Port Mafia's anomalies, and who would care for you if she died and Jungkook ended up locked up in prison?

"I've researched about your company. It would have been good if Francis did not mess up. I see the potential in Port Mafia; that's why I'm risking with you."

As long as Jungkook and Jimin stayed vigilant and not let scums like Francis come back, then Port Mafia would continue to prosper. By the time Jisoo was gone, all her investment would be passed down to you. That was her goal. She wanted you to enjoy a financially stable life with Jungkook.

"Are you going to tell her about your health situation?" That was all Jungkook could say.

Jisoo puffed a breath, kind of like a snicker. "Are you going to tell her  about your business situation?"

There was a pause in the air.

And then they both laughed. They both knew the answer to their question.

"Did you know why exposing Fitzgerald's crime to the authorities is not an option?"

Jisoo shook her head at that. She had meant to ask that; luckily, Jungkook made it easier.

Francis Fitzgerald was not the only one who had something to hide. Jungkook and Jimin weren't exactly clean.

Port Mafia was a business process outsourcing company. Everyone around Jungkook thought that he chose to venture into this kind of business for money, and while that was true, it was not his primary goal.

Park Jimin opened Jungkook's mind to what was happening to the world—how unfair it was and what they could do to make it slightly better.

Their solution was to make Port Mafia a catalyst for changing immigrants' lives. Not just immigrants but illegal immigrants. These people had built a life in Incheon and would never choose to go back to their own country that couldn't provide them with a proper lifestyle because of war and corruption.

Jungkook and Jimin hired these people to give them a chance at a better living. If they were to expose Fitzgerald's crime, there was no doubt that the government would also pry about how they conduct their operation. Everything would be exposed, and their employees would be at risk of deportation.

It was a band-aid solution, and Jungkook and Jimin were aware of that, but how cruel could one be to just sit and watch those people suffer?

"It's a different feeling, Jisoo-noona. I know their lives shouldn't be reduced to my feelings because Jimin-hyung often tells me it's not about us, but you're not there. No one else saw how happy those kids are..."

Jungkook never liked kids, but he would never forget when one of the kids ran to him, hugging his leg and telling him how happy he was. He didn't have to eat the bitter chocolate anymore—the bitter chocolate being dirt.

"This world is cruelly unfair." Jisoo felt defeated. One thing about sick people was how easy it was for them to be covered in a mist of bluishness. Jisoo did not see the point of living anymore. These days, all that prevailed was regret of how she lived her life and hope of how she could make someone else's life worth it.

"How much time do you have left?"

Jisoo shrugged noncommittally. "Depends. Longer with chemotherapy, shorter without chemotherapy."

"And what do you plan on choosing?" Jungkook just couldn't shut up with his damn questions.

"Are you kidding me?" Jisoo scoffed, feeling a bubble of anger rise in her. She furiously wiped at her mouth, the trace of lipstick gone. This was the only time Jungkook had seen her lose her cool. "I don't want to die with no hair. Fate is cruel enough to me. This."

She pointed at her lips and continued to wipe them with her bare hand, "Is of no use to me anymore. I can apply makeup and all those expensive skincare, and it will all be for nothing. Can't I die with my hair? Can't I die looking like me?"

She did not want to be remembered as someone sick. She wished to die simply as Jisoo, the girl with a reserved and pretty smile.

"Jisoo-noona," Jungkook called when he noticed Jisoo was shaking again.

She shook her head aggressively. "I'm so fucked up, Jungkook."

Jungkook held her hands, squeezing them. "You're not alone."

Tears trickled down her cheeks.

"We're so fucked up."

"We're so fucked up." Jungkook agreed.

They were inches away from each other.

"My sister can't know about this."

Their noses touched.

Jungkook hummed, cupping Jisoo's face, "Your sister will not know about this."

The first touch of their lips was like fire, hot enough to burn all evidence of their messed up life. They seemed to agree on one thing:

Grief.

They grieved about their imperfect lives, which they so badly wanted to share with the person they loved the most (you ) but couldn't.

You couldn't know about this because your life was perfect. You had everything, a good educational degree, friends and family who loved you, and a life where you wouldn't be scared to wake up thinking it was your last day as a free man or a living man.

With every touch and thrust, Jisoo and Jungkook grieved a life you had, but they could never have.

In each other’s wretched body was where they found the solace the world took away from them.

And come morning, when they were both sober, all that was left were sadness and fear.

← Previous Chapter (05) | Next Chapter (07) →

***

A/N: This is a short chapter and I might regret posting this immediately, but it's here and I'm going crazy. Anon people in my inbox, thank you for reading this fic, but I noticed most of you are so stressed. Please hhuhuh not to be that person, but...the fictional characters are not in the room with us right now. It's okay. I love you all.

Not gonna lie, I am thinking it's a mistake to turn this into a JJK fic, because as a soukoku fic, the characters' actions just make sense, you know? But here...things are just different, I guess. But anyway, enough rambling. It's going to work out in the end. When is the end? I don't know. hahahaha

I recently posted a light JJK oneshot, read this if you want to calm down. This is pretty much fluff and crack 😆 click here

Good night. <333

[carnagebleda]

⭐

MULTIMUSE MEME: Send a " ⭐ " and I will list muses I would be interested in throwing at yours, or potential muse combinations if you are also a multi. i put mine first then yours (lemme know if you want anything shippy cause I'm always up for that) xoxo // ACCEPTING // @denydefeat

FANDOMLESS OCS

Lilly (s.erial k.iller oc)- bridget fitzgerald and stu macher. Alyona (power-based oc)- any sky high muses and marvel muses.

DC

Abby- bruce, harley, pamela, and rick. Selina- harley, bruce, clark, and rick. Tefe- raven, pamela, and rick.

MARVEL

Jo- peter, harry, and norman. Natasha- peter, wanda, valkyrie, nick, loki, steve, tony, stephen, sam, melina, thor, and laura. Vitaliya- wanda, pietro, druig, ikaris, loki, steve, stephen, sam, and thor. Wanda- pietro, loki, steve, natasha, and stephen.

TWILIGHT

Bella- edward, emmett, rosalie, sam, carlisle, and garrett. Rosalie- bella, edward, emmett, sam, carlisle, and garrett. Victoria- bella, edward, rosalie, sam, and garrett.

MISC

Natalie Pace- kate, sawyer, sayid, and claire. Sam- stu

[saiilorstars]

Hiii! For the fun meta asks: 1, 2, 4, 9 & 15! Thank you! :-D

Sorry for the late answer (it's been a long day at work with the kiddos!)

1. Tell us about your current project(s)  – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?

So I'm working on a couple WIPs at the same time. I literally hop from one OC to another. I've been adding more chapters to my new Doctor Who OC Grier to finish her first season! Her story starts with the 9th Doctor and will be cut off halfway through 10's first season to then pick up with 11's 6th season. I've got pLANS for her ;)

I've also been working more on my SVU OCs' Montserrat and Emilia respectively. I've figured out the pacing I wanted for Montserrat so it's allowed me to finally add more chapters to her fic. I'm excited because her big arc is finally coming!! As for Emilia's fic, I've just gotten more inspiration for her lately and that's given me more of a story to write for her!

I think right now these are the OCs I'm working on the most!

2. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

Like I said above, I'm writing for Grier right now and I honestly don't know where the inspiration came from all of a sudden but I am REALLY excited to start writing her in her next incarnation with the 11th Doctor. Compared to my other 3 OCs, she'll be the most unhinged Time Lady and it'll drive the Doctor absolutely mAD because she's literally screwing with him at every opportunity. If you haven't figured it out by now, they'll go from friends to enemies to frenemies and maybe finally to lovers .

4. Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)

So I think this would be in my fic The Beginning of Everything between 2 chapters. I incorporated the Fitzgerald's famous quote about his wife "And that was the beginning and end of everything" into the fic with Renata saying the first part and then having the Doctor complete it from his perspective. I don't know, I just felt like this was where my writing for so much better than what it used to be. Plus, I love that the quote is so bittersweet and I was able to use it to represent the dynamic between my OC and the Doctor.

9. Are you more of a drabble or a longfic kind of writer? Pantser or plotter? Do you wish you were the other?

I'm definitely more of a longfic kind of gal because it drives me up the wall not being able to put in all the information that I feel is needed for the reader's enjoyment. I guess that pretty much answers the second question -- I am definitely a plotter. I need to have at least a semi-plot before I even consider the idea of publishing a fic. I guess maybe I do wish I wasn't like this because it means that I don't post new stuff so often?? I see other writers spewing out drabbles and short fics every day meanwhile I post new one shots once in a blue moon.

15. Which is harder: titles or summaries (or tags)?

SUMMARIES. God dammit I HATE coming up with summaries. I can't summarize for shit and then other websites have limits on summaries?? Way to make it harder!!! Titles are my thing, though. I have watched countless telenovelas in my 25 years of life so you bet your behinds that a lot of my fics are named after those novelas!

Ask me some fun writer questions!!

[yolo1650]

Surprise Date Pt. 3 (wip)

A/N: Inspired by a whole bunch of sacred romantic prompts by @screnwriter I had a lot of fun writing this! But I can imagine my execution is mediocre at best (especially with trying to write in Redd's pov) XD 

Also, if this helps, you can imagine the anthropomorphism akin to something like from Bojack Horseman. If you’re looking for some context, click here. I really wrote this to practice writing, nothing plot relevant here is permanent. 

Word Count: 1805

Warnings/Tags: Anthropomorphic characters, cross species relationship, drinking off screen, mentions of alcohol, jazzy times, make up after a fight, but i’m not exactly sure what they fought about, slow dancing, fluff, heart to heart, kissing, implied sex at the end, amateur writing, so it might get repetitive at times, i’m just so glad this is done, my oc still doesn’t have a name yet, she’s just referred to as she the whole time :’)

————-

As the level of wine in their glasses winded down, so did their surprisingly pleasant date night. In between their shared laughter and smiles, Redd could barely remember whatever fuss they had two nights before. Key word: barely. He still remembered how the sound of her yelling grated against his, and his tail bristled slightly at the thought of it.  

 Just then the CD player finished. With a tight smile, she excused herself to go and add a new one. The smooth voice of a woman's jazz ballad flowed out of the speakers, nothing at all like the soft chimes of the synth that was on before. Redd looked over to her outstretched hand.  

"Dance with me?" 

The dumb look of shock on his face probably wasn’t subtle at all, otherwise she wouldn't have shown off those shining pearly whites of her's. Rubbing the back of his neck, he chuckled. "No, no, I'm sorry darlin'. But I'm no dancer." 

But her hand remained outstretched in front of him. "I'll be the judge of that." Her tone was blunt, but her eyes however held a small plea. She then cocked her head over to the open space in front of the speakers. "Come on, we won't go too fast, I promise."

Tentatively, he placed his own leathered palm in her soft one, allowing her to guide him to the center of the living room. As she guided his right hand to her waist, he could feel his hackles rise at the nerves. He swallowed.  

"Don't say I didn't warn you now. Who knows, we might both end up on the ground 'cause of me." He hoped his voice didn't come out as hoarse because of how dry it was. She only smiled back, eyes warm with reassurance.  

"Then we'll both have something to laugh about when we look back at this moment." She placed a hand on his shoulder and slowly started moving. "Just follow my lead. I'm sure a smart fox like you can figure out a simple slow dance."

So, they danced, or rather, she slowly danced but had to pause at every step so that Redd's feet could step in time with her. He kept his head down, partly to keep watch of her feet and partly out of embarrassment. It wasn't often when he was forced in a position to admit an honest fault of his, but he'll take this case to be a delightful exception.  

"Are you familiar with Ella Fitzgerald?" Her question was let out in a single warm breath that pushed against the whiskers on the side of his muzzle. His nose involuntarily twitched at the newfound intimacy. He looked up only to see her gaze was elsewhere, supposedly lost in the swooping lows of the melody.  

"Ah, no, not really." He gently squeezed her hand as she picked up the pace. She squeezed back. "But I, uh, I don't mind. She sounds very talented."

"That she was, that she was," she drawled, her voice low. Nothing at all like how she sounded two days ago: sharp and resonant, and she had each syllable spoken with just the right amount of annunciation, perfect for scolding an employee for his unprofessionalism.  

It didn't take long before their bodies started moving together at the gentle pace of the song. His own tail couldn't help but absent-mindedly swing along to the smooth piano accompaniment. She even let him lead the dance for a few moments. Not bad you sly fox, Redd thought to himself, not bad at all. When she took over once more he looked to smile at her before saying, "This, this is kinda nice." But she only briefly returned that same half smile he'd seen all day.

Redd didn't need to be a detective to figure out what was bothering her. But, if their argument has taught him anything, it's that she wasn't really the talking type. In fact, if today has taught him anything, it was that she preferred to show how she felt, rather than say it. He squeezed her hand once more to assure her as she did for him, and her worried-filled eyes met with his attentive ones.  

She let out a sigh. "I'm sorry," she started, "about the things I said last time."

"I know." Out of the corner of his eye he could see her small frown. "The museum, fancy dinner, and now this? You'd have to admit it's all one hell of an apology."

"I still thought I should say it.”

“Apology accepted." He smiled. But it quickly dropped when she didn’t return it. He then opened his mouth. “I-

“I still have more to say, so if you could please just..." Her voice trailed off, not that she needed to finish it in the first place. The sight of her knit eyebrows alone was enough to shut his mouth up. He's never seen her so uncomfortable.  

She took another breath before continuing. "I was being a stupid, privileged ass, and you didn't deserve that. You're too good for-" She stopped herself, trying to find the right words. "You, you're just." She sighed and briefly glanced at him only to look away once again. “You’re extraordinary."

"I'm extraordinary?" The comment stopped him in his tracks, but he didn't even notice until she stumbled into him, the sweet, floral smell of her hair wash stronger than ever. Her arms grabbed onto his shoulders and he steadied her with his hands on her waist. He let out an embarrassed chuckle against her ear. "Sorry about that. Now remind me, who's the one making more figures here?"

"This isn't about that," she replied, their faces were so close she only needed to whisper. "I'm only able to do what I do because of my mom and she always knows best. But you-" Her piercing eyes met his own. "You didn't have any of that and you still made your way here because you wanted to be. You have this drive, this determination-and I see it in your eyes-you just go for it and take what you want, no matter what.”  

He leaned into her when she placed her forehead against his. “I've never seen that before so yeah, that's extraordinary."

He smirked. "Well, you are right about that."

She rolled her eyes. "You know I can easily take back all the nice things I said about you." The corners of her eyes crinkled as her mouth lifted to a beautiful smile. Redd's been waiting all night to see that one.  

"Alight, alright," he conceded, "bad timing I know, I'm sorry."  

She leaned in, pressing her whole body against him in a total embrace. Redd could tell that she'd said and done her piece, and was now melting into his touch. He could hear her quietly sing along to the music against his neck, another thing he'd never seen her do before. Their swaying has slowed tremendously since they started, but he decided that he actually liked it better this way.  

He cleared his throat and she pulled away to hear what he had to say. "I'm sorry 'bout gettin’ under your skin the other day. I should've known better than to pry like that." Seeing the earnest look in her eyes made him pause, and he found his jaw slacked trying to find his thoughts again.  

"I, uh, you're an amazing woman, you know that right?" She only responded with a small smile, a gentle request to continue. "You're a smart, beautiful, and busy woman who's got a lot on her plate. I'm sorry if I just ended up makin' your life harder and more stressful."

"Apology accepted," she said with a wide smile.

"And did I mention you've got a spine of steel? She shook her head and chuckled into his chest, now he was overdoing it. "I'm serious! Have you seen yourself at the office? There's nothing stopping you, whatever you want, you've got it. You're the whole package babe, life's just that easy for you."

Their slow dance has come to a crawling stop by now. As they held onto each other, the long, soaring melody from the trumpet flowed in between them, carrying away their troubles and leaving them together, hearts beating in time with each other. Redd didn't think he'd ever want to let go of her at all.  

"Nothing about this is easy right now," she mumbled into his neck.  

"I know." There was still so much he didn't tell her yet, and the longer he waited, the harder it became to even bring it up.  

His sensitive ears picked up the huffiness of a short laugh coming from her. "You certainly don't make it very easy. Here I am, twenty-one, thinking I already have everything together. I knew who I was, and I knew what my future held, but then -" She paused. What she said next came out slow, as if she was processing each word as it left her. "But then I met you, and for the first time, I just don't know anymore. I don't even-" Her hands balled up into fists against his back. "What if I-" He started rubbing slow circles against hers. "Maybe." Her shoulders relaxed. "Maybe I don’t want my future anymore because whenever I look at you-"

Their eyes met, and as they gazed deeply into each other, Redd couldn't help but feel an urge, a pull towards her. Did her eyes always look like a fox's? Bright with excitement and simmering with a deep burn of desire and certainty?

"-I see a whole different future, and I want it." Her eyes were already halfway closed at their close proximity, eagerly inviting him to close the gap. Right before he did, he heard her utter one four more words that made this wait all the more worth it. "I want you, Redd."

This kiss was the best one they had yet. It was slow and tender, and he indulged himself fully to the taste of her perfect lips. They were soft, and still had the lingering taste of the wine they shared moments before.  

When she reached up to hold his face against his own, his ears perked at the sound of a new vocalist, male this time, and although his gravelly voice sounded far away, the truth of the words he sang rang loud and true. Heaven, he was in heaven. He felt a slice of it with every gasp of breath they shared in between kisses, with every fleeting touch of her slender fingers on his body, with every soft moan of pleasure she let out underneath him. Heaven was tender kisses that were given like a promise. Heaven was when neither of them wanted to leave the gentle and firm embrace of the other, deep into the night.  

————-

Here’s the song that featured at the end

Let me know what you guys think, constructive criticism is especially welcome here :D

-(･ω･)v

[brideofkylosolo]

Writer Wednesday Week 41

Writer Wednesday Week 41

Tagging @writer-wednesday

Young Christmas Love Makes the World Go Round

Philip x Claire (OC) (This is Where I Leave You)

Philip and Claire have a romantic winter date.

Warnings: HS AU, fluff, Christmas cuteness

��    The holidays were always a weird time in the Altman household.  While the family was Jewish, no one really followed the religion or practiced it save for a few times a year, one of those being Hanukah.  And usually, that meant that Philip’s four older siblings and their families would come to stay at the family home in Elmbrook for the duration of the holiday.  And with them came all their problems.

     This year, the focus seemed to be on whether or not Paul and his wife Annie were ever going to have kids as well as Judd and his wife Quinn’s reluctance to have any as well.  Of course, they always tried to deflect their mother’s attention onto Philip, the baby of the family, and what his plans were after high school and college.  Philip would, in turn, take that as a clue to sneak off to meet up with his girlfriend of two years, Claire.

     She shared Philip’s familiarity with having to deal with her three older sisters sticking their well-meaning noses in her life and giving her advice, mostly about how she needed to settle down with a nice Catholic boy (one of the altar boys was a great catch), and give their parents lots of grandbabies to spoil.  Of course, her plans were the opposite of that.  She wanted to go to medical school in New York City, far away from the tiny hamlet they called home.

     “It’s so annoying,” Claire remarked as the teenaged couple walked down the main street, the town abuzz with people out shopping or enjoying a winter evening out.  “I don’t get why my dad doesn’t want me to get a degree.  He’s a doctor, he should be happy at least one of his kids wants to get a medical degree.”

     Philip just put his arm around her.  As much as he wanted to tell her it would be ok, he didn’t know what to tell her.  He knew as well as anyone that her father was extremely old-school in what he wanted for his kids.  He had learned that very quickly in the few times he’d met Dr. Fitzgerald.

     “Maybe just give him some time to think about it,” he suggested.  “My dad was the same way when I told him I want to go into computers.  It took him a while but he came around.

     Claire gave him a weary smile.  Clearly, this was weighing heavily on her mind.  Philip knew just what he needed to do to get her mind off things.

     “Come on,” he told her as he took her hand.  He led her to the town square where the town merry-go-round was.  The two-story ride was decked out in various Christmas decorations, with strings of evergreen pines around the edges of the ride along with several wreaths.

     Philip made his way to the gate and the couple climbed on, claiming two horses on the top level.  He helped her onto hers and climbed onto his, his long legs nearly touching the ground; it made Claire giggle.

     The ride started and the carousal spun around at a leisurely pace.  Around them, kids laughed as a melody of Christmas songs sang throughout the air.

     “Jingle Bells, batman smells,” Philip began to sing, slightly off-key.

     “Robin laid an egg,” Claire joined in, a smile on her face.

     The couple continued to completely butcher the various songs as they rode the ride, much to the annoyance of the other riders.  As the ride slowed, Philip leaned over and kissed Claire.  Behind them, a few kids let them know what they thought of their public display of affection.

     Neither of them cared.  They were together for Christmas.  And they hoped for many more to come.

[otak-me]

C O N S T E L L A T I O N S (A LOKI X OC FANFIC)

CONSTELLATIONS INDEX

SUMMARY:

Exiled from Asgard, and stripped of his magic, Loki finds himself landed on Midgard.

Cast from his home, and thrust into a world he once attempted to conquer, his bitterness is

more than aggravated. Loki is furious, and yet as his anger is uncontained and wild, he

finds himself vulnerably laid into the palms of these mortals that he sees as so inferior.

The mortal that finds him, though, is much more intriguing (and less... Well, mortal) than

he thought Midgardians to be.

Enter Valentina Rossiére, a woman with fire that could sear into your soul burning in her

eyes and a tongue quick as a whip. Whilst at first she seems to be simply a strangely

behaving midguardian, she somehow manages to break through to Loki's broken mind,

and find a part of himself he had thought had been long destroyed. With a bit more than a

reluctant mind, and an empty heart, Loki finds himself not only forced into submission into

the mundane lifestyle of a human being, but into an unsuspected whirlwind of emotions

that he never knew existed.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER 1: A N D R O M E D A

COLD.

It encompassed her entire being.

Her muscles grew frigid and her bones grew tight.

She grit her teeth in frustration.

Her toes were going from white to grey by now, and her eyebrows knitted together in irritation.

"Fuck this!" She threw her hands in the air, hurling herself off the couch and paced to the thermostat, turning on the heater, her fingers twitching from being suddenly moved, "I'm just gonna have to call him, I can't go without heating for this long!"

Her lips were slowly regaining colour as the heaters blasted, and her teeth gnawed at the cracked skin in the left corner of her bottom lip.

Her silver eyes darted across the room to her black snake, Baphomet, that was happily lazing under the lamp, and she grumbled under her breath at him, "Lucky bastard, getting a constant heater and not needing to worry about electricity bills." His head tilted a tad towards her, and he seemed to smirk impishly at her.

She rolled her eyes, heading towards the kitchen and pulling out a mug.

It was getting into the colder months now, and it was slowly approaching the one year anniversary of 'The Battle of New York' or "The Time Iron Man Saved The Day By Shoving A Nuke Into A Giant Glowing Asshole Of Death" as Tony Stark so pompously preferred.

The electricity bills would be going up for Valentina these next few months. As much as she loved the winter, Valentina wholeheartedly loathed the expenses that came with it. More food, more electricity.

It was exhausting.

You would think that after living for so long, she would have accumulated a fair stash of money, and she had, but it was scattered all over the globe. She didn't want any suspicious links to her bills and life being up for grabs by any pesky organisations.

Valentina still had to work to keep her living expenses manageable, as she wasn't exactly living in a hovel.

Her 'humble' abode was located miles away from the closest store, buried within the forest of pine trees and high-reaching birch trees. It was a large brown and green house, similar to that of a cottage, but much larger.

It had two floors, the first floor containing the entrance, the kitchen, the loungeroom and the office, and the second floor containing the master bedroom, spare bedroom, bathroom and library.

Although there was a main room dedicated to books, the winding staircase that spiralled up from the first floor to the library area was walled with bookshelves too.

Most rooms withheld at least one bookshelf (minus the bathroom), the kitchen with cookbooks and whatnot, the loungeroom with Valentina's favourite series, the office with lots of technology, science, and mathematical textbooks, the staircase with historical and fantasy, her bedroom with 'currently reading' books, more of her favourite series, and her oldest, most precious books, the spare bedroom with the 'classics' with Shakespeare, Edgar Ellen Poe, J.R.R. Tolkien, George Orwell, F. Scott Fitzgerald etc.

In the loungeroom was a large flatscreen above the fireplace, Valentina's collection of movies on either side of the fireplace in drawers, above the drawers short bookshelves, and above the bookshelves hung a collection of animal skulls that she had scavenged in her walks through the forest.

The skulls were a constant reminder of how she must live her life; cherish the lives around you, and never let their memories fade.

Her snake, Baphomet, a beautiful black water moccasin Cottonmouth, was in a large tank behind the couches, lazing his life away like a no-good freeloader.

Valentina loved Baphomet, she had found him half-dead on the side of the road, attacked by some disgusting men with a shovel. She managed to stop the men from murdering the poor reptile, but he was still badly injured. One of his eyes was gouged out, and he had plenty of broken ribs. Valentina had been in tears as she commenced surgery on the poor creature, her tears mixed with the blood stained on her hands.

She stayed away from town for a while after that, as she couldn't stand to face anyone after seeing such a horrid sight.

Nobody really cared about Valentina, save for the old man Strickler, who had been quite close to her in his younger years. He stopped seeing her as often once he had met his wife and gotten married, though. Valentina still liked to visit him every once in a while, just to make sure he was still doing well. He always said that she was a sight to behold every time she visited, with her 5'8, petite stature, heart-shaped face, full, cupid's-bow-less, rosy lips, porcelain skin, silver eyes and long, silver hair.

She really did stand out.

It was back when she first started approaching the years of 80 that her hair started turning grey, along with the hair of her friends around her. It seemed to stay that way for the rest of her years.

The rest of her years being the last 358 years, of course.

The young skin certainly did look strange with the naturally silver hair, but lately it had become less questioned, due to hair dyeing becoming a more popular beauty fad.

Her frame never seemed to change, always lean, but toned, petite yet firm, pale and never-changing.

She was an anomaly amongst men, and had been for the most part of her life. She had long accepted this fact, and worked her lifestyle around it, preventing as much heartbreak as possible; getting close, but not too close, making friends, but never having attachments. She cherished the lives of others, but had accepted that the light would eventually fade from their eyes and leave her alone once more.

Alone, always alone.

Her life had become a haze of standing on the sidelines, watching people's lives streak past her in a daze of overflowing emotions, filling as much emotion as possible into each moment, cherishing each second before their inevitable cease of existence.

She watched as empires rose and fell, people came to power, were overthrown, then spoken about as if they were partial fantasy, when she had met those people when they were children, or traded goods and services with their mothers.

She was an anomaly among men, an anomaly that was barely teetering on the line of existence and living.

She was alone.

CHAPTER 2: ANTLIA

Word count: 1132

[junker-town]

Ranking the NFL’s best and worst head coach openings in 2018

Which head coaching job should be the most appealing this offseason?

With the end of the NFL regular season comes the start of the coaching carousel. Right now, six head coaching jobs are open, and there could be more on the way depending on circumstances. For those teams, the main focus is on narrowing down candidates and setting up interviews.

Of course, not every job is going to get filled right away. Some of the hottest coaching candidates are coordinators for playoff teams, and they only have a limited window to interview during the week before preparing for their games. Other candidates aren’t in the postseason but will likely take time to explore their options. For the most part, teams will want a new head coach in place by the end of January before free agency and the draft-scouting process really heats up.

But first, let’s examine the head coaching jobs available and rank which ones are the most appealing. This list largely factors in current talent level, potential for growth, and how well equipped the team is to win in 2018 and beyond.

1. New York Giants

Why it’s available: Ben McAdoo didn’t even get a full season’s afterglow after leading New York to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth in 2016. Poor performances on the field and reports of instability off it left the second-year head coach twisting in the wind with a team that had no interest in playing under him. The result? The franchise’s worst record since 1974 and a midseason firing that left Steve Spagnuolo to pick up the pieces as interim head coach.

Pros to the Giants job:

Well, anyone is going to look like an upgrade over McAdoo.

Ownership is famously patient -- McAdoo notwithstanding — ensuring that the next coach will have the time he needs to change the culture.

The Giants still have theoretical upside with a defense that was one of the league’s best in 2016 and Odell Beckham Jr. coming back from injury.

New GM Dave Gettleman is a respected talent evaluator and should have little problem buying the right groceries for his coach.

Whoever takes the job will have every chance to bring the Giants back to respectability.

Cons to the Giants job:

Eli Manning is the 37-year-old elephant in the room. It’s clear that the Giants need to find their quarterback of the future, but how much longer will they stick with Eli? McAdoo sparked outrage by benching him for Geno Smith, but at some point, New York needs a serious succession plan (which probably doesn’t involve Davis Webb).

Add in a toxic locker room and the glaring fish bowl that is the New York media, and this job probably isn’t as appealing as it looks at first glance.

2. Detroit Lions

Why it’s available: Jim Caldwell wasn’t a good coach in Indianapolis, so it wasn’t entirely surprising he had little to offer a historically snake-bitten Detroit team. He carried on a rich tradition of postseason emptiness over a four-year span, making the Lions just good enough to be disappointing and ensuring Matthew Stafford wouldn’t get his proper due despite his track record of game-winning drives.

He was let go despite a respectable 36-28 record thanks in part to his inability to coax his team to big wins. Caldwell was 0-2 in the playoffs and 2-4 against Aaron Rodgers while failing to rewrite his franchise’s narrative.

Pros to the Lions job:

They have a franchise quarterback in Matthew Stafford, which is half the battle in building an NFL contender.

Stafford is complemented by a solid receiver trio in Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, and Kenny Golladay.

The defense has a little star power with Ezekiel Ansah, Darius Slay, and Glover Quin.

The franchise as a whole found a level of stability after the infamous Matt Millen years.

Cons to the Lions job:

This team has multiple holes to fill — the running game has been terrible for years, and the pass rush takes a big hit if Ansah leaves in free agency.

Stafford turns 30 in February, leaving a somewhat limited window to win in his prime.

The new coach will have to decide whether he keeps Jim Bob Cooter and Teryl Austin -- both respected coordinators — or jettisons them to bring in his own guys.

While the franchise is stable, it’s been treading water for a while, and there are real questions about upward mobility in a competitive NFC North.

The Lions’ last playoff win came in 1991.

3. Indianapolis Colts

Why it’s available: The Colts fired general manager Ryan Grigson last offseason, correctly surmising his awful personnel moves were to blame for the franchise’s struggles. This season, they moved on to Grigson’s head coach, canning Chuck Pagano after his first losing season with the club. Pagano was at the helm as the team made three straight playoff appearances and even ran all the way to the AFC Championship in 2014, but diminishing returns from an injured Andrew Luck ultimately prevented the cancer survivor from building off that momentum.

Pros to the Colts job:

Andrew Luck will be back (maybe)! If Luck is fine, maybe the Colts will be fine.

T.Y. Hilton is still good.

GM Chris Ballard did a lot right in his first year.

Cons to the Colts job:

What if Luck isn’t fine? His health can’t be taken for granted after a lost 2017.

Even if he’s back, there are holes all over this roster, and the AFC South isn’t the pushover it once was during Luck’s heyday.

The Colts ranked 30th in the league in both points and yardage allowed this fall.

It’s a potential multi-year project for any incoming coach, which might limit their options for candidates looking to win now.

Don’t forget about the notoriously mercurial owner, Jim Irsay, always lurking in the background.

4. Arizona Cardinals

Why it’s available: The league lost one of its most quoteworthy coaches when Bruce Arians announced his retirement. Injuries and a thin, aging roster ultimately doomed his playoff hopes — the Cardinals lost eight games in each of his last two seasons at the helm. Being forced to play Drew Stanton and Blaine Gabbert at quarterback will do that.

Pros to the Cardinals job:

The defense has plenty of stars still in their prime years — Patrick Peterson, Chandler Jones, and Tyrann Mathieu — along with up-and-comers like Budda Baker and Haason Reddick.

David Johnson will be back to full health after a wrist injury ended his season in Week 1.

Cons to the Cardinals job:

Just two seasons after they reached the NFC Championship, the Cardinals’ window might already be closed. Larry Fitzgerald and Adrian Peterson could follow Bruce Arians in retirement and Carson Palmer already has.

There aren’t many avenues to competing right now in an NFC West that’s suddenly become loaded from top to bottom.

The Cardinals could be looking at a full-blown rebuild, so unless the older veterans decide to come back, 2018 is already shaping up as a writeoff year.

Jobs that are filled

Oakland Raiders

Update: Jon Gruden will officially be the Raiders’ head coach again.

Why it’s available: The Raiders couldn’t follow up on Derek Carr’s breakout 2016 season, falling to a familiar 6-10 record that elicits memories of the Tom Cable era. A one-dimensional defense gave up more than 350 yards per game, wasting a 2-0 start before limping to the finish line. That led to Jack Del Rio’s ousting, just one year after ending the team’s 13-season playoff drought.

Pros to the Raiders job:

They’re only one year removed from a 12-4 season with Derek Carr putting up MVP-caliber numbers.

The nucleus of a great offense is still there between Carr, Amari Cooper, and a talented offensive line.

Marshawn Lynch still has something left in the tank if he decides to come back.

The defense boasts Khalil Mack, one of the best all-around players in the game.

If a new coach brings in fresh ideas and rejuvenates the locker room, it shouldn’t take much to get back into contention.

Cons to the Raiders job:

The job is probably already filled with Jon Gruden reportedly making a comeback after spending nine years in the ESPN booth.

Players like Carr and Cooper took huge steps back to the point where it’s fair to question their real ceiling.

Mack is basically a one-man show on defense and badly needs help around him.

The impending move to Las Vegas could create an awkward situation.

Chicago Bears

Update: The Bears hired former Chiefs OC Matt Nagy.

Why it’s available: John Fox’s magic ran out in the Midwest, as the coach behind successful — but not too successful — Panthers and Broncos teams failed to achieve a winning season out of three with the Bears. Fox went 14-34 with Chicago, finishing last in the NFC North each season while closing the door on the Jay Cutler era and welcoming in the short-lived Mike Glennon one.

Fox’s 2017 season was his weirdest. The 5-11 Bears failed to win a single game in their own division but somehow went 4-0 against AFC North competition — including a major upset over the Steelers.

Pros to the Bears job:

Mitchell Trubisky remains something of a blank slate, but he showed enough flashes in his rookie season that he could be molded into something good.

Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen have the look of a top running back duo.

The defense is feisty and kept the Bears in games they otherwise had no business winning.

Fans will be happy with any signs of progress after four straight seasons with double-digit losses.

A new extension for general manager Ryan Pace ensures continuity in the front office.

Cons to the Bears job:

If Trubisky is a dud, then the new head coach is stuck with a bad investment he didn’t make.

That’s a risk some candidates might not be willing to take, especially with a lack of weapons at receiver.

The defense will undoubtedly regress if defensive coordinator Vic Fangio leaves.

NFL assistant coaches who could be head coaches

[saiilorstars]

The Beginning of Everything

Ch. 32: And That’s the Beginning and End of Everything

// Story Masterlist // 

Fandom: Doctor Who

Pairing: 10th Doctor x Female OC

Taglist: @ocfairygodmother @anotherunreadblog @maaaaarveeeeel​

[If you would like to be added to this specific OC’s taglist, let me know!]

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Chapter summary: The final face-off between Renata and the Assessor begins in the middle of the final battle between her, the Doctor and the Time Lords. Who will survive? And what will the sisters do to each other?

[Renata’s new face claim is Livia Brito and the Assessor’s is Ana Brenda]

‘I love her, and that's the beginning and end of everything.' - F. Scott Fitzgerald.

~ 0 ~

Present Day.

The Doctor worked truly hard on the Vinvocci equipment to get them back to Earth. There was a new incentive and it was a huge one!

"But you said your people were dead, past tense," Wilf was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that these Time Lords were no longer dead. Five minutes ago they had been. What changed?

"Inside the Time War, when the whole War was time-locked — like sealed inside a bubble. It's not a bubble but think of a bubble. Nothing can get in or get out of the time-lock. Don't you see? Nothing can get in or get out, except something that was already there."

"And that was the signal. The Master has been hearing it since he was a child because that's what the High Council did." Renata was doing her best not to get distracted while fixing the wires in front of her. She was still trying to process everything she had remembered. The Assessor and the Council...everything they did. How could she forget that? Well, she had a pretty good idea. She had regenerated into her last incarnation only hours after the Assessor had taken the Whitepoint Star from her. It was a traumatizing war, a terrible death — she had pushed it all away to start anew. She sealed everything away except for the deal she made with the Assessor. That's all that survived with her."

"If they can follow the signal, they can escape, before they die," the Doctor said in a quick-paced tone.

"And that's not good?" Wilf assumed by their terrified faces.

"Not the Time Lords at the end of the War," the Doctor shook his head. "It changed them completely, right to the core."

"My own sister became even more heartless than before," Renata's hands stopped working again. "She stole my necklace to use it for the High Council's needs. She had no regard for my pain."

"I am going to need you both to start explaining what the hell you're talking about!" Addams strode up to the pair with no intention of letting them go. "You killed our ship and now you want to fix it to go back there!?"

"Just shut up and listen!" snapped the Doctor in a loud volume, startling Addams. "Right, you! This is a salvage ship, yes? You go trawling the asteroid fields for junk?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"So, you've got asteroid lasers!"

"Yeah, but they're all frazzled," Rossiter reminded them with a pointed look on Renata, only now the Time Lady wasn't concerned with the ship. She was too deep in her thoughts.

"Consider them unfrazzled." The Doctor flipped a lever and made two doors on opposite sides of the room slide right open. "You there - I'm going to need you on navigation." He nodded at Addams then moved onto Rossiter. "And you, get in the laser-pod. Wilfred?"

"Yeah?"

"Laser number two. The old soldier's got one more battle!"

"Right!"

"But this ship can't move. It's dead!" Addams reminded them, but the Doctor had taken care of that as well.

"Fix the heating!" he pushed two large levers on either side of the control panel, starting the ship back up.

Addams still didn't look too pleased. "...now they can see us," she pointed out, folding her arms.

"Oh, yes!" the Doctor turned away and grabbed Renata's hand, pulling her away from the controls. He settled down for her, for that moment. "We're going to get that back, okay? That Whitepoint Star? You're getting it back, I promise."

Renata met his gaze and raised an eyebrow at him. "You would fight for it?" She let the doubt cover each of her words. Why would he fight for a necklace that her husband gave her? If what he said about her was true, wouldn't he be overly jealous about the jewel?

"Because it's important to you," the Doctor answered both her out-loud question and her silent question. He wiped a few tears off her face with his thumbs. "And a good man gave it to you." He never even met Elek but he knew - from the very start - that he had been nothing but kind to Renata. He had cherished her and loved her each day of his lives. He'd done what the Doctor wished he could've, and he would never harbor any resentment towards the man. If anything, he owed Elek for messing up the beginning of his relationship with Renata. If it hadn't been for him, perhaps Renata could've truly loved Elek.

"This is my ship!" Addams exclaimed, pulling the Doctor back to the present. "You're not moving it. Step away from the wheel!"

"There's an old Earth saying, Captain, A phrase of great power, and wisdom, and consolation to the soul in times of need," the Doctor began, straight serious that even for a second there, Renata was curious what old quote he knew.

"What's that, then?" Addams asked.

"Allons-y!"

Renata's face went flat. "Oh you—" But the ship lurched forwards, ending whatever she was going to say.

His piloting skills were really questionable. It apparently didn't matter if it was a TARDIS or a ship — he just wasn't the best pilot. The others practically screamed as the ship took a harder pace as it entered the Earth's atmosphere.

"You are blinkin', flippin' mad!" Addams gripped onto a railing, letting her scream echo throughout the room.

The Doctor ignored her and called to Rossiter and Wilf to go into the laser pods just like he told them once. "We've got to fight off the entire planet!"

"How does this thing work!?" Wilf called from his pod. Everything was all fancy, nothing like in his time.

"The tracking's automatic. Just deploy the trigger on the joystick!" Rossiter explained from his own pod.

"Doctor, we've got incoming!" Renata managed to put herself in front of a computer without falling.

"You two, open fire!" the Doctor called to the pods. They were just getting the hang of the controls but they needed to act fast before the missiles struck them.

It seemed like Rossiter got it first. He gave quite a war scream as he took out the first missile.

Wilf soon got the hang of it and took care of the second and third missile. "Ha, ha! Oh, I wish Donna could see me now!" She would've had the laugh of her life seeing her old gramps in a space battle.

Addams had found her way to the computers beside Renata and was appalled to see the missiles doubling in numbers. "There's 16! And then another 16 of them!" They were going to die alright.

"Go to the rear-gun lasers!" ordered the Doctor.

"Show me where!" Renata told the Vinvocci urgently.

Of course with the Doctor's attempts to evade the missiles, the flying ship would send both women back and forth before they could actually reach their intended location. It was impossible when the ship actually spun. But at least they got all the missiles down and the only casualty was the front window being blown away.

"Lock the navigation!" the Doctor instructed afterwards. "To England! The Naismith mansion!"

Addams inwardly groaned but did as told. Renata struggled to make her world stop spinning after such a terrible flight, but eventually she found the Doctor's arm to keep her steady.

"How are we landing, exactly?" She sent him a sharp look. His mind had suddenly stopped being so open to hers. The ship neared the England ocean, Addams warning them they were getting lower and lower. "Doctor?" Renata asked again, her grip on his arm becoming tighter as the Time Lord refused to answer.

"Doctor!" Wilf came rushing into the room after getting out of his pod, along with Rossiter. "Doctor, you said you were going to die!"

"He said what!?" Addams gawked and immediately shot the Doctor a warning look. She was not going to become part of whatever plan that man had.

"But is that all of us?" asked Wilf. "I won't stop you, sir, but is this it?"

"Absolutely not!" Addams screamed her head off since nobody was listening to her.

Renata, on the other hand, was the opposite. She did not scream, she did not scowl, not even frown. She only stared at the Doctor. "What are you planning?" Her tone was dangerously low, though. It was that type of scary anger where a scream wouldn't cover it.

His mind had been completely shut from her now.

The Doctor was grim but just for her, he would let it go for one moment. "I do love you, Renee. And I won't let you die for me." He pulled his gaze away from hers, as if that would make him braver. He bent down to the ground, right over the hatch.

"I don't know what you're planning but you are not leaving me behind," Renata warned him, watching him try to lift the hatch. "I'm done with that. You're not getting rid of me this time." She was determined to show him that this incarnation was different from her previous ones. She may not know where she stood with him in regards to an actual relationship, but she knew that where he was she wanted to be too. They were a team, albeit an unorthodox one, but a team. In fact, she didn't think she ever felt such a determination.

She didn't even notice the golden wisps of energy briefly emanating from her fingertips.

The Doctor held Wilf's gun tightly in one hand. He raised his head to see Renata staring down at him. "Not you," he tried to say but Renata bent down next to him, letting them be face to face.

"Only me," she corrected. "Because only I will fight for you the way you deserve it. It's not just you anymore, it's me too. If they are back then I want a word with them." Her eyes flickered to the revolver in his hand. She wasn't sure how to feel about that but she supposed once they stood in front of...them, she would know. So, she seized the Doctor's free hand and cracked a smile, almost a smirk. And then, just like that, she threw herself down the ship first but with their connected hands the Doctor was right beside her. They fell down the long way, crashing through the glass dome of the Naismith mansion. Each shard that penetrated their skin was painful enough, but then came the solid smack of the ground.

Rassilon was mildly impressed with the entrance, but nothing would beat theirs. He looked over his shoulder where a few of the Council had gathered with him, along with the two who dared to object to their plan of salvation.

"My Lord Doctor. My Lord Master. We are gathered for the end," he said once he returned his attention to the trio.

The Doctor grunted as he peeled himself off the floor. He tried taking the revolver off the floor as well but he only managed to briefly aim it at Rassilon before dropping it again. His entire body was aching and he doubted that this time he would be able to heal from it. He glanced to his left and saw Renata more or less groaning the same.

"Renata," he tried to help her but his arms were too weak to help anyone, even himself. "Renata!"

"What did you say?" demanded a sharp voice behind Rassilon.

Renata scrunched her face — her face that now hurt — but she ultimately picked herself up better than the Doctor. It was when she was on her feet that she finally saw what was around them. She stopped completely at the sight of the Assessor. Of course her sister wouldn't recognize her, yet. The Assessor was too focused on the Doctor beside Renata. Just like those centuries ago, her eyes still held the same hatred.

"It is a fitting paradox that our salvation comes at the hands of our most infamous child," Rassilon went on, speaking primarily to the Master standing only a few feet from the pair.

"Oh, he's not saving you. Don't you realize what he's doing?" the Doctor struggled to speak without feeling the echoes of pain inside his chest. Renata helped him stand up but she had to keep a grip around him for a few minutes.

"Hey, no, hey! That's mine! Hush!" snapped the Master as he moved around the room."Look around you. I've transplanted myself into every single human being. But who wants a mongrel little species like them? Because now I can transplant myself into every single Time Lord. Oh, yes, Mr President, sir, standing there all noble and resplendent and decrepit. Think how much better you're going to look as me!"

The threat made no effect on any Time Lord. The Assessor let out a small noise akin to condescension.

Rassilon held out his gauntlet-covered hand and with one glow of it, the humans all returned to normal. The Master was mortified to see his grand plan stripped from him like that, so easily like it never even happened.

"No, don't...! No, no, no, stop it! No, no! No, no! Don't!"

"On your knees, mankind," demanded Rassilon and since all the humans there had the sense to be afraid, they knelt without protest.

The Master took in a deep breath as he tried to see he wasn't completely lost. "No, that's fine, that's good, because you said salvation. I still saved you, don't forget that."

"Oh, they never cared," Renata groaned with exasperation. She looked over her shoulder to the man. "Don't you get it? The High Council never cared. They are responsible for that noise in your head. I saw them throw my Whitepont Star just to establish the link that would save them."

"What did you say?" the Assessor once again demanded, this time her eyes narrowing on Renata. "How could you possibly know that?"

Renata whipped her head to meet her sister's gaze. Unlike the last time she saw the Assessor, she wasn't afraid. She didn't fear her sister anymore. After everything that she'd gone through recently, the Assessor was no one to have fear for. "I was wrong, you didn't take everything away from me…" the Assessor's eyes were beginning to widen, "You forced my hand and I stupidly played into it. You're not going to do the same again to me. CeCe."

The Assessor was rightfully stunned. Her dark eyes scrutinized the black haired woman from head to toe. The clothes were far to vulgar to be that of a Time Lady but then again only her sister would call her that wretched nickname. "...Renata?" Renata raised her head high, just like she was accustomed to. It was her place, after all. That's what the Assessor always said. "How...how are you…?"

"I tricked you," Renata said with no attempt to hide her smirk. "Because in the end, CeCe, I tricked you."

Though her words were brief, it was enough to send the Assessor into a whole new level of rage. "What do you me—" But before she could finish the question, a violent rumbling rocked them all on their feet. A bright light lit up from the windows.

"What's going on!?" the Master scowled.

"Something is returning. Don't you ever listen?" the Doctor was just as exasperated. "That was the prophecy. Not someone, something."

"What is it?"

"They're not just bringing back the species. It's Gallifrey. Right here, right now!"

Because now the Gallifrey as a whole was coming, intending on knocking Earth out of its own orbit to take its place.

The Master was beyond shocked that he'd been played like that. "But I...I did this. I get the credit!" he started scowling again as he looked at the Time Lords. "I'm on your side!"

"You're on their side because they wanted it to be so!" snapped Renata. "They're manipulators," she said directly at her sister. "No regard for anyone else but their own skin. Such a shame that you're what's left."

The Assessor's face grew red as a tomato from the anger. "You will not speak to me like that!"

"What are you going to do!? You already took everything! There's nothing left to dangle in front of me anymore!" Renata's humorless laughter only made her sister infuriate more. "You have finally met a version of me that you can't control. It must burn."

Chaos was ensuing all over the room. The humans were terrified of the intruding alien planet coming for theirs so they ran out. Wilf made it inside but before he could reach the Doctor or Renata, he found his way towards the technician booths where one employee was desperately banging against the glass doors to be let out. The Doctor could barely move as it was, and he didn't know who to go to. The Master? Wilf who was now locked in one of the booths? Or the two sisters in a standoff? Or the mastermind behind everything, Rassilon?

"But this is fantastic, isn't it?" the Master rose from the ground, ignoring the Doctor's glare. He still wasn't getting it!? Amazing. "The Time Lords restored."

"You weren't there in the final days of the War!" the Doctor cut in before he made any other assumptions. "You never saw what was born. But if the time-lock's broken, then everything's coming through, not just the Daleks, but the Skaro Degradations, the Horde of Travesties, the Nightmare Child, the Could-Have-Been King with his army of Meanwhiles and Never-weres, the War turning to hell. And that's what you opened, right above the Earth. Hell is descending!"

It wasn't admittedly what he had in mind but the Master would take it if it meant victorious. "My kind of world."

"Just listen! 'Cause even the Time Lords can't survive that!"

"We will initiate the Final Sanction. The end of time will come at my hand," Rassilon confirmed. "The rupture will continue, until it rips the Time Vortex apart."

"That's suicide," the Master said.

Even the Assessor had paused for a moment to evaluate the implications. "My Lord…"

"We will ascend to become creatures of consciousness alone, free of these bodies, free of time, and cause and effect, while creation itself ceases to be."

"Was that...was that the final plan?" Renata was truly horrified to hear that, much more to know that her sister was in on such a plan. "CeCe…"

The Assessor faltered. Her eyes flickered to Renata, letting her see for one moment a scared woman. "I...I didn't know the extension of the plan but…" She took in a breath, one that was hard too from what Renata saw, "...if it our Lord President's decision then...we will follow."

"No," Renata shook her head, utterly disgusted.

"This is what made me do it," the Doctor told her quietly. "I knew what they were planning and I had to stop them."

Renata's eyes watered up. "Oh CeCe...how far you've gone…"

"We do what we must to survive," the Assessor said with her head held high. "I always do what I must, something you clearly—" Her eyes hardened on the Doctor, "—will never get. You say you tricked me, Renata, and for what? For him? The man who, as much as he tries, will never be good enough for you." She took a heavy pleasure watching the Doctor react to her words. Even centuries later, it still hurt him to know the truth.

"He was always good for me," Renata's voice was soft and honest when she looked at the Doctor. "I was trapped and for one moment — one small moment in my life — he made me happy." Her mind then opened up to show the Doctor those precious memories of theirs back on Gallifrey. They were running down hallways, sneaking around to see something they shouldn't but something that always brought out her laughter. They bantered and bickered about the oddest of things and even when the Doctor clearly won — from his vast well of knowledge — he never belittled her like the Assessor would. He would explain and show her what he meant. Their hugs, their hand-holding, their kisses — they were all treasured memories.

The Doctor saw them all one by one and felt the stinging of tears pricking his eyes. They were his best memories too. He brought a hand over Renata's cheek. "I was only happy there too," he nodded.

The Assessor audibly growled at the pair, completely outraged that her words were no longer holding the effect they always did. "Let go of her!" she yelled.

The Doctor did but only to sent a dark glare in her direction. "You hurt her."

"And you didn't?" she almost laughed in his face.

"I did and I will always regret it," the Doctor swallowed hard. "But I will always try to make up for it, if she allows it..." He glanced at Renata with nothing but hope that she really would let him try at least.

"Enough of this!" the Master pushed them apart to get up front. "Let me ascend into glory." He knelt down in front of Rassilon with his arms outstretched.

"You are diseased, albeit a disease of our own making. No more," Rassilon didn't look at him twice. He let his gauntlet do the talking. Energy started springing from it but before it reached out to the Master, a revolver clicking took the moment away.

The Doctor had found his strength to aim it right at the President.

Rassilon seemed amused but he would humor the Doctor by making a well pointed out difference. "Choose your enemy well. We are many. The Master is but one."

"But he's the President. Kill him, and Gallifrey could be yours!" the Master jumped on the boat that would save his skin. However, the Doctor turned the gun on him now. "Oh! He's to blame, not me! Oh, the link is inside my head. Kill me, the link gets broken, they go back. You never would, you coward. Go on then. Do it."

Renata's head changed each time the aim did. She didn't know what to do, how to help, but she just wanted to do something.

"I told you that he would ruin you," the Assessor spoke from her spot, raising her head as she smirked proudly. Once again, she'd been right. "He could never be on our level."

Renata closed her eyes as a new wave of fury rippled through her. The Assessor would never be able to change her tune. There were always these small moments where the Assessor would do something that would make Renata believe that perhaps her sister wasn't all bad. But maybe it was just a fact. It wasn't the Council's fault that her sister was the way she was.

The golden energy once again sparked from her fingers but this time the Assessor noticed it, although she wasn't sure what it was.

"The final act of your life is murder. But which one of us?" Rassilon taunted the Doctor as the Time Lord once again switched aims to hold it at the Master.

Behind Rassilon, however, there was a woman who'd been covering her face and the Doctor noticed her lowering her hands. He blinked twice to make sure he was seeing right. He couldn't...he couldn't quite remember but…

A bubbling feeling took place in his chest, like a wave of serenity coming to aid him. The Doctor watched the woman's eyes flicker to something on their side. With the gun being pointed at him for so long, the Master was beginning to realize that this was truly the end for him. He locked eyes with the Doctor, almost accepting that he'd lost all over again.

"Get out of the way," the Doctor suddenly ordered.

A grin broke across the Master's face. He dove out of the way and gave the Doctor the opportunity to shoot the device holding the Whitepoint Star. Once shot, the link went dead.

"The link is broken. Back into the Time War, Rassilon. Back into hell!" he cried with just a hint of a smirk.

"You'll die with me, Doctor!" warned Rassilon.

"I know," the Doctor let the revolver drop to the floor. This was where he met his end as well.

But Rassilon never made a move. The Master did. "Get out of the way!" he told the Doctor and Renata. "You did this to me!" He started firing electric bolts at Rassilon. The President staggered backwards with each blow. The Assessor quickly dove out of the way before she was caught in the crossfire. "All of my life! You made me! One! Two! Three! FOUR!" He gave the last powerful blow but he'd gotten too close to the link as well and was pulled in with it.

And so the link started pulling everything else.

"You blundering idiots!" the Assessor lost her entire cool facade as she fled from the link's grip. "We have the right to survive! We are Time Lords!" She stormed directly towards Renata and grabbed her by the shoulders, shoving the Doctor away. "And you! You had a duty! I always did everything right and I always made sure that you did everything right!" Renata allowed her sister to continue shaking her like a rag doll, but inside something was burning. Literally. "But you were always the odd one! Of course it had to be you! You-you had to go and fall in love with the likes of him! That — it was the beginning of everything! If you had never met the Doctor, then you would've done your job as a Time Lady!"

"LET ME GO!" Renata seized her sister's arms, squeezing them with a golden energy wrapping around them. The Assessor's eyes widened when she saw the same energy swirling inside her sister's eyes. "You're right, meeting the Doctor was the start of it all. It was the beginning of everything and it should have had a much different ending! A better one! But you took care of that! You made sure that I was as miserable as you! Elek never deserved me because I couldn't love him the right way. But you know what? I am so done with you Cece. I dare to think that even while I was out there, fighting our war, you considered me dead. I was never going to be your sister, no matter what I did for you. Because all you ever cared about was appearances and the High Council. So..." Renata felt a terrible pang across her chest knowing what she would have to do. "You want to die for their cause? Then go right ahead, but I refuse to follow you any longer. Serve your people like you always did. Till the end."

The Assessor tried shaking out of Renata's death grip. The energy around her was burning like fires from the war and it only seemed to be getting stronger. "What...what are you?" Her voice trembled with fear as she watched the energy dance around her sister's body.

"I don't know," Renata answered honestly while the golden energy spread behind her back, flapping like a butterfly. The Assessor soon recalled the Visionary's scroll. The Time Vortex and a butterfly. The Vortex Butterfly. "I love you Cece but it's time to say goodbye."

The Assessor's eyes widened one last time before Renata pushed her away with her newfound energy. The Assessor was the last thing to go into the pull before everything was shut off.

"Renata!" the Doctor tried reaching her but Renata screamed as she once again expelled golden energy. He was thrown back, hitting the side of a machine with a thud.

Unlike the other times where Renata would collapse from expelling energy, it gathered behind her back again and fluttered brilliantly like a golden butterfly. Renata sucked in a deep breath and tilted her head back, her arms stretching outwards. She could feel the energy moving with her, not against her this time. It was becoming a part of her, solidifying as her regeneration finally stabilized.

Far, far away one Gabby Gonzalez felt the echoes of the Time Vortex alerting her that Renata would be just fine.

When the golden energy died down, Renata was left standing but she appeared to be hazed for a moment. She raised her left hand, turning her palm over and smiled when a small butterfly formed above it.

"Ren…?"

Renata turned her head to see the Doctor struggling to get off the ground on his own. "Doctor!" she dashed to help him. "Oh, look at you!" She cupped his battered face.

"It's okay, I'm still alive. You're alive," he laughed shakily, prompting her to do the same.

"Yes, yes, we are," she agreed and kissed his nose. "I'm sorry what she said — the Assessor. She's going back and she's going to offer me the deal, and I'm going to say yes because she betrayed me. I'm a terrible person." She could remember perfectly now the way her deal was granted. They would offer the new cycle as a last hope that she would take the Moment from the Doctor, but Renata had seen what they nearly did. Her sister had stolen from her without a second though. She would betray them because they betrayed her.

"It's okay," the Doctor wound an arm around her neck, bunching some of her hair as he brought her closer to him, resting their foreheads against each other's. "It's okay, you never have to apologize for that."

But just as they relished in their victory, in their moments, they heard four knocks against glass. Renata flinched against the Doctor's forehead while the Doctor himself froze. The four knocks went again and this time they turned to see where it came from. Wilf was knocking against the glass of the booth he was in. He'd let the technician go without realizing what would come out of it.

"They've gone, then? Good-oh. If you could let me out...?" he smiled meekly.

The Doctor swallowed hard as he pushed himself up. "Yeah…"

Renata couldn't stand right then.

"Only, this thing seems to be making a bit of a noise," Wilf pointed behind him to the whirring control panel behind him.

"The Master...left the nuclear bolt running. It's gone into overload."

"And that's bad, is it?"

"No...'cause all the excess radiation gets vented inside there. Vinvocci glass contains it. All 500,000 rads, about to flood that thing."

"Oh! Well, you'd better let me out, then!"

"It's not that easy," Renata scrunched her face to keep herself from crying. She forced herself to stand up and turn around. "It's gone critical. Touch one control and it floods. Even our sonics would set it off."

"...I'm sorry," Wilf said once he realized what it meant. All this time he'd been so worried that the Master would kill them and it turned out to be him. "Look, just leave me."

"Okay, right then, I will," the Doctor said as if he would really do it. As if. "Cause you had to go in there, didn't you? You had to go and get stuck, oh, yes! 'Cause that's who you are, Wilfred. You were always this. Waiting for me all this time!" He was related to Donna Noble, of course her convergence wouldn't end with just her. It had to extend to her grandfather and yet the Doctor wouldn't leave him there. He couldn't.

"No, really, just leave me. I'm an old man, Doctor. I've had my time."

"Well, exactly. Look at you. Not remotely important. But me? I could do so much more!" the Doctor yelled at the ceiling and turned away in deep fury. "So much more! But this is what I get. My reward. And it's not fair!" He swiped an entire desk clear but stopped when he caught himself, when he caught his words.

Was he really throwing a child's tantrum? Acting like a God who fought to stay alive even when his time was clearly up? That's exactly what he did on Mars. It keeps happening, he realized. This life...he'd lived it too long, so long and most of the time it had been heartbreak after heartbreak that it finally got to him. He let it get to him.

"I've lived too long," he concluded out lout and turned back towards Wilf. "I played the game of Life and I went down a path that I shouldn't have. I'm not God, I never should have tried to be one. This is my punishment, a lesson."

"Doctor, it's not," Renata said sadly. "You know what? Let me do it."

The Doctor humorlessly laughed. "You died once when I promised you that I would be there for you—"

"But you were!" she blurted, no longer caring what it would do to the future. "You were there, Doctor! Just...just not this you!" The Doctor only paused so that she could explain herself better. "You promised me that you would come back and you did. Another you did. A...future you. He came and he was with me when I died. He was there, telling me that I was going to be okay. He made my last moment peaceful and-and I don't want you to die now."

"I was there?" the Doctor asked, his eyes tearing up but this time with relief. "I was truly there?"

Renata nodded her head, tearing up herself. "Yes. You carried me out to my garden and you stayed with me until the end. So you see? This isn't a punishment."

"No, but it is where I have to go," he decided. "Because I need to be that man who can keep his promises to you."

"No, Doctor—"

"I want to be that man." He started towards the booth, forcing himself to keep his eyes locked ahead and not on the distraught Renata behind him. Despite Wilf's own protests, he opened the second booth door and stepped in. "Wilfred...it's my honour. Better be quick. Three, two, one." He pressed the button to release Wilf and once he was out, the radiation flooded his own booth.

"Doctor!" Renata ran towards the booth but it was far too late. He was being engulfed by the radiation. She was forced to watch him fall to the ground, curling up in true pain. Those few minutes felt like a lifetime for her.

But then, slowly, the Doctor regained his balance and was able to come out. Wilf was so confused but he still waved a hand. "Hello?"

"...hi," the Doctor stopped to help Renata stand on her feet. She'd fallen with him on the other side of the glass.

"Still with us?" Wilf asked again.

"The system's dead. I absorbed it all. Whole thing's kaput."

"There we are then, safe and sound. Mind you, you're in hell of a state. You've got some battle scars there."

Renata looked up at him as he covered his face with his hands, the next time he lowered them his injuries were completely healed.

Wilf was stunned. "But they've...your face! How did you do that?"

The Doctor stared at his hands. "It's started…"

Renata threw her arms around him, sniffling to herself but she promised at the same time that now she would be with him, just like he had been for her.

Do you mind one last round? The Doctor was looking at her with a resigned smile. She had no idea what he meant but she nodded her head fervently.

~ 0 ~

Sylvia Noble was right outside the house when the TARDIS materialized across the street and to their wonder, she was smiling.

"Hm, didn't know she did that," Renata remarked, actually making the Doctor and Wilf laugh beside her. She blinked after a moment when something hit her. "That was rude, wasn't it?"

The Doctor would let her ponder on that for a while. He turned to Wilf with a genuine smile. "Don't go thinking this is goodbye, Wilf. We'll see you again, one more time."

"What do you mean?" the man frowned. "When's that?"

"Just keep looking. We'll be there."

"Where are you going?"

"To get my reward." The Doctor reached for Renata's arm and gently tugged her into the TARDIS. They had a few stops to make after all.

~ 0 ~

Martha Jones ran as fast as she could down a paved area, but the rifle in her arms was a bit heavier than she thought it'd be. Finally, she ran up behind a concrete wall where her husband, Mickey Smith, was hiding at. He was appalled to see her there.

"I told you to stay behind!"

"You looked like you needed help. Besides, you're the one who persuaded me to go freelance!" she reminded him, leaving no chance of an argument there.

"Yeah, but we're being fired at by a Sontaran. A dumpling with a gun. And this is no place for a married woman!

Martha rolled her eyes. "Well, then. You shouldn't have married me!" But if he agreed with that, she'd kill him on the spot and he knew it.

Suddenly, the very Sontaran they were looking for caught them from behind. He was about to fire when a mallet struck him from behind. The Doctor held the mallet and gazed at Martha and Mickey, nonethewisers yet about their near death experience.

"If we go in here and down to the factory floor and down past that corridor, then he won't know that we're here.." Mickey was busy reading off a map when Martha shook his arm and pointed to the Doctor and Renata behind them. "Hey!" Mickey grinned, even Martha but it faltered when they truly saw the pair's grim faces.

"Ren…?" Martha squinted her eyes at the black-haired woman. She died. Martha felt tears come to her eyes but then she noticed the even worse face the Doctor had on and knew that the story wasn't completely over yet. "Oh no…"

The Doctor offered them one small smile before taking Renata's hand and leaving with her.

~ 0 ~

They finally met Sarah Jane's son, Luke Smith, although the boy was a bit distracted. The Doctor barely saved him from getting ran over by a car.

"But it's you!" Luke blinked at the man in front of him. He forgot all about his cellphone call. "Doctor! Mum! Mum!"

The Doctor smiled at him too then headed back for the TARDIS.

Luke caught up with mother - after looking before crossing the street - and told her about the Doctor. Sarah Jane caught him by the TARDIS and saw the him waving, but she knew that look. She'd know it anywhere. She smiled sadly as well.

~ 0 ~

Captain Jack wearily sat at a bar counter. He was off in how own world until a bartender stopped by to give him a note. "From the man over there."

'His name is Alonso'.

Jack took the note then looked over to see the Doctor and Renata. The Doctor nodded over to the quiet man sitting across from Jack, the same Alonso from the space Titanic. Jack knew what it all meant, even more so when the Doctor gave him a salute with a finger to his forehead.

He was saying goodbye.

Jack raised his head and gave him a proper salute.

~ 0 ~

Renata was front and center getting "A Journal of Impossible Things" signed by Verity Newman. "Lost touch there," Renata chuckled as the author, the granddaughter of her old friend, Joan, signed her copy.

"Yeah, you did," Verity agreed with her own chuckle. "Even did the whole face thing you told us about." Renata had always talked about it, her face changing was a possibility but of course that wasn't quite believed.

"I brought a friend," Renata pulled the Doctor from the line.

"Oh, lovely," Verity smiled at him. "Shall I add onto your book, Renata?"

"Please," Renata fondly looked at the Doctor. "Your name?"

"The Doctor," he told the author, expecting her to do a double take. Verity froze and looked him over and when she couldn't quite finish believing it was the same man, she checked for Renata's confirmation.

Renata gave the nod.

"Was she happy in the end?" the Doctor asked quietly. He knew from Renata's stories that Joan had lived a good life even after the whole mess he created, but he wanted to know from her own family too.

"Yes," Verity answered, smiling softly. "You and Renata changed her entire perspective of the world. It's why she traveled afterwards."

The Doctor smiled sadly. "Good."

~ 0 ~

Donna Noble had finally gotten married and was gleefully showing off her beautiful ring outside the church. And just as they were celebrating outside, Sylvia and Wilf noticed the Doctor around, along with Renata.

Wilf immediately set out for them. It had been months and he always wondered what happened to those two. "And here you are, same old face. Didn't I tell you you'd be all right? Oh! They've arrested Mr Naismith. It was on the news. Crimes undisclosed. And his daughter. Both of 'em, locked up."

"That's good to know," Renata nodded.

"I just wanted to give you this," the Doctor handed Wilf an envelope. "Wedding present. Thing is, I never carry money. So I just popped back in time, borrowed a quid off a really lovely man. Geoffrey Noble, his name was. "Have it," he said." Sylvia gasped with chills from hearing her husband practically gave their daughter her wedding present. " Have that on me."

"The one time we can bend the rules," Renata smiled proudly as she curled her arm around the Doctor's. "Donna deserves the entire world." She watched Donna have a laugh while the photographer took her picture.

The Doctor gave a final look at Donna as well. That was his best friend, and she would finally get a good ending, one that she did deserve. The pair started back for the console, only stopping to give Wilf and Sylvia a proper goodbye as well. Both sides were tearing up. It was impossible not to.

~ 0 ~

Gabby had stuck to her drawing from the moment Renata had left with that strange man claiming to be the Doctor. She had a feeling that he was being honest, but she just needed a bit more time to confirm for herself. Still, she knew Renata would never go off with a stranger and much less a stranger who had the same TARDIS (least that's what it looked like from outside). Her head had been a bit frantic for a few moments here and there that day.

Gabby clung to hope that they survived whatever they had fought on Earth. She kept remembering the little feeling she got last night. It was so strange because she'd been drawing like usual when there was a ping in her heart. A purple energy wafted from her fingertips, remnants of the Cosmic Butterfly. It was only for a few seconds before it calmed down and turned into a beautiful swirl of purple butterflies and she suddenly knew that Renata was fine. It was like a wave of peace that washed over her. It was for that reason that Gabby continued to wait for them to come back. She knew what she felt was real. They couldn't be dead. They just couldn't be. They had already lost Donna and Gabby didn't know what she would do if she lost Renata and the Doctor too.

With all those concerns and unanswered questions, Gabby set out to draw. She had a few doodles of Donna which she hoped would become the basis of her next statue. She was just finishing shading Donna's bright orange hair when she heard the TARDIS wheezing.

Gabby's face lit up. She dropped her pencil and ran out of her room. In only one minute, she had dashed out of the gallery altogether to see the blue box in the garden again.

"Oh thank God!" she laughed in delight as she ran up to the box. Renata and the Doctor were just coming out of it when she reached them. "You're back! You're back!" Gabby greeted each of them with a tight hug. "I was so worried about you two! I thought I might have to build myself a spaceship to get back to Earth and…" she trailed off when she finally took notice of their grim faces. They were identical.

Gabby stepped back from them. Something was churning in her stomach.

"What's wrong?"

"Gabby Gonzalez, the Cosmic Butterfly," the Doctor had a strange smile on his face but Gabby couldn't figure it out just yet. "My family. Thank you for taking care of Renée, for helping me...for being there with me."

"...you're saying goodbye," Gabby blinked. "You're-you're leaving me? Are you dropping me back to Earth?" The same fear that had crossed Donna's face before getting her memories wiped was now on Gabby's face. "Oh God, are you sending me back?"

"No, never," the Doctor stepped towards her, allowing her to see how strained of a step it had been. In fact, he seemed strained as a whole.

Gabby looked him up and down, forgetting all about her initial fear. "You're not okay," she realized. "You're hurt." She looked past him to Renata and now she could fully understand why the Time Lady was nearly crying. Gabby looked at the Doctor again, now understanding. "You're doing it, huh? Regenerate? It's about to happen."

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah. I had to say goodbye to all my friends and you are one of them."

"But-but isn't there something we can do? Maybe-maybe—"

"No, Gabby. My time is up," the Doctor shrugged. "And it's fine. I may have not lived the best life but it's a lesson. And when I'm good, I'm going to make sure that I don't repeat the same mistakes in my next incarnation. So, this is goodbye. Thank you, Gabby."

Gabby smiled with tears in her eyes. "Goodbye, Doctor. Thank you for picking me up and showing me the stars." She moved closer and hugged him tight. If she was feeling terrible she could only imagine what Renata was going through.

"Doctor," Renata gently called, breaking them apart. "There is one more place you have to go to. She deserves one too."

The Doctor didn't say anything but he didn't have to. She could read him even when his mind was still shut off from her.

Renata held a hand out for him to take and when he did, she directed a gaze on Gabby. "Now Gabriella, we'll be back for you afterwards."

Gabby nodded. "Of course, you...you take your time." They would of course want to be alone for the next part. "I'll be here waiting...and drawing…" She had a good idea of what she wanted to draw next anyways.

~0~

January 2005.

It was New Year's and everything was in full mode party. Only a few people were out of the loop and that only because they missed it.

"I'm late now, I've missed it!" Rose Tyler grumbled while keeping her arms tightly folded over her chest. It was freezing and trying to walk through snow was not the way to get warmer. "It's midnight. Mickey'll be calling me everything. This is your fault."

"No, it's not. It's Jimbo!" Jackie Tyler exclaimed, quite indignant all the fault was being placed on her. "He said he was going to give us a lift, then he said his axle broke. I can't help it."

The mother and daughter went back and forth bickering, until they remembered it was midnight and they had just started a whole new year. They couldn't argue right now.

"Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year!"

"Don't stay out all night," Rose jokingly warned her mother afterwards.

"Try and stop me!" Jackie laughed as they split up. Jackie was going home and Rose was off to find Mickey...until she heard a quiet grunt of pain behind her.

Rose looked back and saw a pair of people, a man and woman, trying to stay above the snow. It looked like the man was struggling to stand on his own because the woman was practically holding him by the waist.

"You all right, mate?" she had to call out. Anyone else would've had the good sense to run away. It was WAS New Year's after all, all the crazies were out...but Rose didn't get that vibe from either of them. "Too much to drink?"

Renata quietly laughed to herself. The Doctor drinking? That would be a sight.

"Something like that," the Doctor said to skip any unnecessary dialogue. He only had minutes left and there was still something else he wanted to do after this.

"Maybe it's time you went home?" Rose suggested, figuring he wouldn't be able to make it down the block even with the woman's help.

"Yeah," the Doctor really tried not to put all his weight on Renata but his feet weren't responding the same way anymore.

Rose figured that they didn't need her help, or probably even want her help. The woman seemed to be just fine. They were close. "Anyway...Happy New Year."

"And you," the Doctor returned and watched her leave in the opposite way. "What year is this?" he called to her suddenly, curious where she was in the timeline. Renata had set the coordinates and he hadn't had a head to pay attention.

Rose stopped to look back and laughed. "Blimey, how much have you had?!" The Doctor merely shrugged, making her laugh again. "2005, January 1st."

"2005?" he repeated, eyes widened as they landed on Renata beside him.

She smiled innocently. She'd taken him here on purpose. She learned well where the Doctor met Rose and how could she not do this for him?

The Doctor leaned his head over hers, silently thanking her for giving him this last time. A few seconds later, he smiled at Rose nostalgically. She had no idea what was to come and his heart swelled for her. It was a lovely story despite its ending. But he wouldn't trade it, he would cherish it. That time was over for him, but not for her. "2005? Tell you what. I bet you're going to have a really great year."

Rose chuckled. "Yeah?" she could with some luck. "See yah!" she waved a hand then hurried off.

"Thank you," the Doctor told Renata as soon as Rose disappeared.

Renata smiled softly at him. "Of course. Now let's get you back to the TARDIS. Won't be good for any human to see us."

She turned them back for the TARDIS and little by little they were able to get closer. Upon making the turn where the box would be, they found Ood Sigma waiting for them.

"Can we help—" Renata was about to say when the Doctor yelped in pain. He nearly fell to the ground if she hadn't reacted fast to stop him. "Sorry."

The Doctor just smiled at her. She would apologize.

"We will sing to you, Doctor. The universe will sing you to your sleep," Ood-Sigma said as he watched the pair. They then heard the gentle tune of a choir singing. "This song is ending. But the story never ends."

"He's right," Renata helped the Doctor towards the TARDIS. "Think of it as a new chapter of your book."

The Doctor only smiled at her for those kind words. He felt a bit more at peace when he was finally inside the TARDIS. It's where he was born and where he would die.

Renata shut the door behind them and brought him up to the console. When she was sure he wouldn't fall, she started the box up. A nice float in the sky might do some good, she thought. From the corner of her eyes, she could see the Doctor taking his coat off. Even that was a struggle. This particular regeneration would be a painful one due to what he'd gone through just before. Renata hoped that this wouldn't affect his next incarnation.

That's what happened to her in her previous incarnation, after all. Apart from the fact that she'd always been a bit reclusive, her last incarnation took it to the next level. She was burdened with secrets and fear because of what she'd gone through just before regenerating. The War, her sister, it moved on with her into her next incarnation. She didn't want the same thing to happen to the Doctor.

"Renata," the Doctor called to her, startling her out of her thoughts. Thinking he was losing his balance, she rushed round the console to meet him.

"I'm here, I'm here!" she assured him. He stopped her anxious hands from moving all around him. He grabbed them and held them tightly with his own. She met his gaze with confusion.

"I'm sorry," he began to say and already Renata was shaking her head. "I don't think I ever apologized for kidnapping you."

A light chuckle slipped through Renata's mouth. "Oh Doctor, you don't have to be guilty over that."

"I'm not guilty," he corrected, quieting her down with his seriousness. "I've never been guilty for kidnapping you. Truth is if I had to, I would do it again. I would steal you all over again."

Renata wanted to laugh but she also wanted to cry. So instead, something of a cross came out. "That's...that's a felony."

The Doctor was able to crack a smile. "And I've always been a thief. Anyone would try stealing you — you're Renata."

"You say that like it's supposed to mean something," she playfully rolled her eyes, but the tears clouded them. He was using up his last minutes to pay her compliments. "I'm just me."

"It does mean something, because you mean something to me." He brought one of his hands up to her cheek. "You always have and you know it. I really wish we hadn't done things the way we did. From the very beginning, I shouldn't have asked you to run with me. I should have stayed and fought for you, spoken to your family."

"It's not just on you," Renata smiled sadly. "I should've been braver. But I don't want you to think about those horrible thoughts right now. They shouldn't be the last things you think of."

"You're right, there's better things to think of. Happier ones." He stroked circles over her cheek. "Our adventures back then were pretty good, huh?"

Renata laughed softly. "Which ones? The ones where I would yell at you for nearly getting us caught? Or the ones where you would nearly get us caught?"

The Doctor put on a strained smile for her. Minutes were shortening. "Mm, it was the beginning of everything. Of us."

Renata sobered fast under his softened gaze. She knew he was in pain. His mind was still sealed off from her but she just knew. "The beginning of everything," she mused. "Yeah, I suppose it was."

The Doctor swallowed down a grunt of pain. He had to make this quick. And part of him was tired of beating around the bush, saying it with an unsure future. He was tired of that. He leaned closer to Renata and willed his words to come out in one go. "I love you, Renata. I've loved you for centuries and if I live for centuries more, you'll still be the one to own my hearts."

Renata once again smiled sadly. Her hearts jolted with the same thrill she would get in her first incarnation. Hearing him say it, to mean it like that with so much intensity...nobody else was ever able to give her that same rush. Not even her husband. "I love you too," she whispered. She touched his arms on instinct when he lowered his head to hers.

It was the same story from the past. He would hover over her lips for an agonizing minute while he took in her face. For him, it was his way to admire the beautiful woman he was about to kiss. He loved remembering it each time; his own special treat.

He finally kissed her a moment later. He made it hard straight away, like he was trying to take as much as he could before some new man stepped into his place. Renata kept up with his speed and strength. It wasn't their first kiss like this, after all, and she secretly loved them. She loved the feeling of his lips fiercely pressing against hers, his arms pulling her impossibly close to him.

Eventually, the Doctor was forced to pull away. The pain was taking him this time and there was no stopping it. "I'm sorry," he held onto Renata for a bit longer. She was just watching him, knowing what was coming now. "I love you, Gala."

A small smile spread across her face. "I love you too, Theta."

His hearts swelled in that moment. She had rarely used his name in the past. Back then, she would remind him that they should only use their names if and when they were married, just like customs demanded. The fact she even told him her name was a miracle but a testament to how much she loved him.

The Doctor moved a few steps back. Minutes were seconds now. He gazed at his hands and saw the regeneration energy beginning to flow from his fingertips. He breathed in jaggedly. He took one last look at Renata, the woman tearing up knowing this was it, and he said: "I don't want to go."

Not a second after did the energy begin to emanate from his body. There was a brief glow around his head before it turned onto a full blast. Renata yelped as the force of it knocked her back. Even the poor TARDIS couldn't handle the burst of energy. A good part of the console caught on fire while the parts that didn't spark like it eventually would. Several of the beams collapsed and crumbled while the box lurched to each side in an attempt to put the fires out.

With the lurches, the Doctor even fell backwards. By the time his back hit the ground, he was a brand new man. He jerked upright with a yelp.

"Legs. I've still got legs, good!" he exclaimed, even kissing his knee for just being there. The regeneration was definitely a wonky one, he could just feel it! "Arms! Hands! Ooh, fingers, lots of fingers!" he wiggled said fingers in front of them to make sure they were all operational. "Ears, yes! Eyes, two!" He blinked particularly hard when one of his fingers nearly poked him. Probably not the best idea to touch his eyes in a ship that had no sense of flying. "Nose, I've had worse! Chin, blimey!" He'd need a proper mirror to examine that chin later on. "Hair - I'm a girl!" He fiercely ran his hands through his longer brunette hair but he calmed himself from the shock when he felt his Adam's apple. "No! No... I'm not a girl." He stopped everything when he pulled some of his hair in front of his eyes and saw the brown shade of it. "And still not ginger! And something else, something important, I'm, I'm... I'm…"

"CRASHING!" Renata's loud scream cut him off and nearly rivaled the TARDIS' own distressed hums. She had clambered back to the console and was frantically trying to control the box before it killed them both. "We're crashing you idiot!"

The new Doctor grinned despite already being insulted. It was a beginning alright, but perhaps things wouldn't be entirely new. Things would be changing, like a metamorphosis.

Author's Note:

To be continued in...Metamorphosis!

I don't think anyone figured out what the next title was going to be called but if you did, kudos to you! The next story is already in motion if you'd like to check it out! Spoilers, you won't be seeing Gabby there until after Prisoner Zero but she WILL be a part of that story as well. I'm so excited to see her become the "alpha" companion because it's going to be super important in regards to her relationship with Amy, then Rory! And as for Ren and 11? They will be...interesting.

As for this story...the final stand-off between Ren and the Assessor was long overdue and I hope it was fitting. I even got the Doctor in there a bit too but I felt like it needed it to primarily be between the sisters. Ultimately, they both did wrong things (Renata scamming the Time Lords for a second regeneration cycle and the Assessor blackmailing her) but only Renata was able to admit it.

THANK YOU so much for all the reads/comments! I have truly loved writing this story so much and I'm happy (and sad) that I was able to finish it. I hope you continue on with me into the next story!

Fun facts of the story (I always like doing these at the end of the stories to let yall know what changed along the publishing process)

1. This was, in fact, not meant to be such a long story. I originally posted this as a one-shot to see how received it would be!

2. Renata's name was originally going to be only Renée but since I couldn't decide between that and 'Renata' I went with both. I only realized after that both names are the same and that Renée was a nickname!

3. Gabby wasn't originally going to be in the story. I learned about her when I started reading the comics and since I'm a sad Latina who is probably never going to see a Latinx companion on the series, Gabby is here to stay for a long while!

4. The Assessor wasn't in my original drafts but I felt like she would be a good addition to the story (Ren probably disagrees with me there...). I haven't decided if I ever want to bring the Assessor back in future stories but it's not a 'no' ;)

[junker-town]

Lovie Smith’s first Illinois team was all-or-nothing. When will it be something?

The Illini were explosive on both sides of the ball ... and inefficient on both sides of the ball.

The relationship between efficiency and explosiveness is a delicate one.

Virtually every coach preaches the importance of big plays. And however you define explosive plays, if you have more of them than your opponent and fewer turnovers, you’re going to win 90-plus percent of the time. Big plays matter even more than you think.

But what creates big-play opportunities? Efficiency. Successful plays give you more plays. Staying in favorable down-and-distance leads to more successful plays and therefore more big plays.

Smith certainly understands this relationship. The dude has been a player and/or coach at every level of the sport. He was a high school coordinator, a college linebackers and defensive backs coach, a pro coordinator, and a pro head coach. He brought a team with Rex Damn Grossman at quarterback all the way to the Super Bowl. He fits into the "has forgotten more about football than you or I will ever know" category.

But it doesn't matter what you know; it matters what your players can do. And the players on his first Illinois team couldn't stay on schedule, or keep other teams from doing the same, to save their lives.

Percentage of offensive drives finishing in a three-and-out, Big Ten. The lower, the better.

Purdue 14.6% (eighth in FBS)

Indiana 15.6% (13th)

Wisconsin 17.3% (28th)

Michigan State 17.5% (33rd)

Michigan 19.2% (49th)

Ohio State 19.4% (52nd)

Penn State 20.6% (64th)

Nebraska 21.9% (77th)

Maryland 22.9% (87th)

Minnesota 23.8% (96th)

Northwestern 26.3% (112th)

Iowa 29.0% (119th)

Illinois 29.0% (120th)

Rutgers 36.3% (128th)

Percentage of defensive drives finishing in a three-and-out, Big Ten. The higher, the better.

Michigan 33.7% (second)

Iowa 27.8% (16th)

Ohio State 26.3% (22nd)

Indiana 25.7% (27th)

Michigan State 25.2% (32nd)

Nebraska 24.7% (36th)

Minnesota 24.6% (39th)

Penn State 24.3% (42nd)

Northwestern 24.1% (43rd)

Wisconsin 23.4% (47th)

Rutgers 22.0% (60th)

Maryland 21.4% (68th)

Purdue 18.5% (100th)

Illinois 15.9% (119th)

In all, 42 percent of Illinois’ offensive possessions ended within three plays for a non-scoring reason (namely, punts or turnovers). Only three offenses did worse: Kent State, Boston College, and Rutgers. Kent went 3-9, Rutgers 2-10, and BC had to force three-and-out-plusses at a 42 percent clip to eke out a bowl bid.

Avoiding three-and-outs is only step one toward success; Purdue was good at step one and almost literally nothing else. But in a conference that featured plenty of three-and-outs, Illinois committed them non-stop and forced very few.

That’s a shame because if they could ease into drives, they showed a lot of potential. Running backs Kendrick Foster and Reggie Corbin were stuffed at the line on nearly one-quarter of their carries but showed massive explosiveness. Receiver Malik Turner averaged 14.8 yards per catch. And the starters on the defensive line combined for 54.5 tackles for loss and 22 sacks. Those are huge numbers! But it didn’t matter because nearly half of Illinois drives were over before they started.

Granted, “inefficient but explosive” has defined Illinois’ fortunes for going on 100 years.

The Fighting Illini went to the Rose Bowl in 2007; the four years before this run, they went 8-38, and the two years after, they went 8-16. They won the Big Ten and went to the Sugar Bowl in 2001; the year before, they went 5-6, and the year after they went 5-7. Everything comes together, then everything falls apart.

Five different coaches have led them to an AP ranking of 12th at least once; only one has done it more than once. That's crazy. When John Mackovic was taking the Illini to four straight bowls in the late-1980s, and when Lou Tepper succeeded Mackovic and took them to two more in three years, it represented the greatest level of sustained success since Robert Zuppke was dominating in Grange's wake in the 1920s.

Still, this was extreme. And it made it hard to figure out Illinois’ potential. Foster, Corbin, and Turner are back, as is twice-injured 2014 star receiver Mike Dudek. The offensive line has size and potential. The back seven of the defense is reliant on sophomores and juniors instead of freshmen and sophomores. This could lead to reliability if a new defensive line holds up.

But when you’re this inefficient, is that simply explained by inexperience? Consider Illinois an experiment for 2017.More efficiency could go a long way for an otherwise explosive roster, but we’ll see if the Illini have the talent — and, it should be said, the coaching.

2016 in review

2016 Illinois statistical profile.

Teams that live off of big plays tend to be dramatically inconsistent. Illinois’ offense averaged 5.3 yards per play in 2016 — not horrendous — but between 5.1 and 5.5 in any single game just twice. Similarly, the Illini averaged 21.8 points per game but scored between 18 and 24 points just three times. They hit 31 or more three times and 10 or fewer four times.

Of course, quarterback play had something to do with that. Senior Wes Lunt began as the starter, but for the third straight year (!), he got hurt. At that point, minimal consistency went out the window.

First 5 games (1-4): Avg. percentile performance: 45% (43% offense, 47% defense) | Avg. yards per play: UI 6.3, Opp 5.7 (plus-0.6) | Avg. score: Opp 30, UI 26

Last 7 games (2-5): Avg. percentile performance: 25% (25% offense, 36% defense) | Avg. yards per play: Opp 5.4, UI 4.6 (minus-0.8) | Avg. score: Opp 33, UI 15

Chayce Crouch took over and performed admirably against Purdue but was lost for the season a week later. Illini legacy Jeff George Jr. struggled. Lunt returned but completed just 48 percent of his passes over the final three games of his career.

Illinois kept throwing, if only because of circumstance — for all the run game’s potential, the stuffs were frequent, and Illinois was constantly behind. Foster went off in a 31-27 upset of Michigan State, but most games were over as soon as they began.

Offense

Full advanced stats glossary.

Garrick McGee has had about five different careers at this point. The 44-year-old former Oklahoma quarterback came up as a receivers coach everywhere from UNLV to Northern Iowa, then found himself as Pat Fitzgerald’s first Northwestern offensive coordinator. It didn’t go well (75th in Off. S&P+ in 2006, 73rd in 2007), and he ended up as Bobby Petrino’s quarterbacks coach at Arkansas; that went well enough that he was the OC within three years and got his first head coaching job at UAB by 2012.

He ended up back with Petrino at Louisville in 2014. The Cardinals’ offense ranked 45th in 2014 and 48th in 2015, then erupted to 10th when he left for Illinois in 2016.

When things work for McGee, they really work. And when they don’t, things go like last year. McGee and his charges were good at the dam-busting plays, but the mundane five-yarders were nowhere to be seen. As a result, Illinois’ offense fell from 96th in Off. S&P+ to 114th.

When you can’t keep a quarterback on the field, your chances of consistency vanish. But McGee’s first Illini offense produced a baffling combination of stats.

Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Mike Dudek

128th in Adj. Pace. The Illini were in no way in a hurry to get to the line, and when you’re struggling, that makes sense. The only thing worse than going three-and-out is going three-and-out quickly.

125th in % of Solo Tackles created. This means they were creating tons of group tackles. This typically suggests a power-based offense (LSU ranks dead last in this category annually), but ...

96th in standard downs run rate, 72nd in passing downs run rate. Illinois was a pass-first offense ... that created few solo tackles and couldn’t pass (93rd in Passing S&P+, 72nd in Rushing S&P+).

When you’re gaining zero (or fewer!) yards about a quarter of the time when running the ball — Illinois’ stuff rate was a whopping 24 percent, 120th in FBS — and you don’t have a comfortable QB, I guess that means you throw a lot of screen passes. That can result in a lot of group tackles.

Regardless, the offense was a mess. The run game will remain tantalizing; despite all the issues, Foster and Corbin still combined for 1,243 yards at 5.8 yards per carry, and the line basically returns 2.5 starters in three-year starting tackle Christian DiLauro and guards Nick Allegretti and Gabe Megginson. (Senior guard Jordan Fagan also started one game last year.)

Whether this results in run consistency, however, mostly depends on whether the passing game can be less of a liability.

Crouch missed much of spring ball recovering from last fall’s shoulder surgery, so George took most of the spring snaps. This battle will pick up in fall camp, and depending on academics, it could feature a third competitor: former Virginia Tech quarterback Dwayne Lawson. Lawson was a four-star and threw nine passes for the Hokies before transferring to Garden City CC. If his grades are in order, his legs could create an interesting variable.

So, too, could the return of Dudek. Dudek was lost with a knee injury for two straight springs after catching 76 balls in 2014. If he returns to form — and that’s a mighty “if” at this stage — he could provide the kind of possession-plus receiver Illinois didn’t have. He combined 13.7 yards per catch with a 66 percent catch rate three seasons ago.

Dudek’s stability could open up opportunities for the all-or-nothing Turner, who averaged nearly 15 yards per catch but managed a barely 50 percent catch rate. It would also ease the pressure on younger players like 6’3 sophomore Dominic Thieman, incoming high-three-star freshmen Ricky Smalling and Carmoni Green, and redshirt freshman tight ends Andrew Trainor, Brandon Jones, and Griffin Palmer.

It takes quite a few “ifs” and “coulds” to turn this attack into something reliable in 2017.

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Chayce Crouch

Defense

As strange as that “pass-first, group tackles, all explosiveness” combination was for the Illinois offense, Hardy Nickerson’s first Illini D was confusing in its own right.

The Illini had a wonderfully disruptive front (22nd in Adj. Sack Rate, 48th in stuff rate) and allowed only 5 yards per play on first down (18th in FBS), but despite this pass rush, they were so abysmal on passing downs (125th in Passing Downs S&P+) that the ability to force second- or third-and-longs didn’t matter.

At first glance, we’ll blame this on the travails of youth. Linebackers Tre Watson and Julian Jones were key pieces, and they were sophomores; meanwhile, safeties Patrick Nelson and Stanley Green combined for 100.5 tackles as freshmen. When you’ve got two freshman safeties, you’re begging for issues.

Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Tre Watson

It’s a good news, bad news situation: Watson and Jones are juniors, and sophomore linebackers like Dele Harding, Justice Williams, and Jake Hansen seem to have potential. So does high-three-star JUCO Del'Shawn Phillips. Meanwhile, Nelson and Green are now sophomores, as is corner Cameron Watkins. Depth could be an issue — while the top three tacklers in the secondary are back, four of the next six are not —but experience will be far less of one.

That would be great news if the line weren’t starting over. Last year’s top five up front — ends Carroll Phillips, Dawuane Smoot, and Gimel President, plus tackles Chunky Clements and Rob Bain — are all gone.

Sophomore tackles Jamal Milan and Kenyon Jackson will be asked to play huge roles, and Smith signed seven linemen in 2017. High-three-stars like tackle Kendrick Green and ends Owen Carney Jr. and Lere Oladipo could feature in the rotation sooner than later.

This doesn’t worry me as much as it should. Milan, Jackson, senior end James Crawford, and junior tackle Tito Odenigbo combined to produce seven tackles for loss and two sacks in reserve duty, and under line coach Mike Phair, last year’s upperclassmen raised their production drastically. The five departed seniors went from 39 TFLs as juniors to 58 last fall.

Illinois ranked ninth in line havoc rate (TFLs, passes defensed, and forced fumbles divided by total plays) in 2016, and that will fall. But the mundane five-yarders were the issue. Consistency in the back seven could mask a drop-off in production up front.

It’s hard to forecast improvement over last year’s No. 59 Def. S&P+ ranking, but if the offense is going three-and-out less and the back seven is steadier, a ranking in the 40s isn’t out of the question.

Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images

Jaylen Dunlap

Special Teams

Both the offense and defense regressed, but at least special teams improved. Illinois went from 120th to 60th in Special Teams S&P+; the Illini weren’t particularly good in any single area (their best ranking was 48th in field goal efficiency), but they weren’t bad at anything either.

Place-kicker Chase McLaughlin returns after making all of his PATs, seven of eight under-40 field goals, and five of nine over-40s. He was also steady in the kickoffs department. But if Illinois is going to improve further, the return game will have to increase its danger level. Kendrick Foster and Nathan Echard were both decent last year, but nothing more than that. Plus, punters Ryan Frain and David Reisner are both gone.

2017 outlook

2017 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 2-Sep Ball State 90 3.6 58% 9-Sep Western Kentucky 51 -7.6 33% 16-Sep at South Florida 56 -11.9 25% 29-Sep Nebraska 42 -9.1 30% 7-Oct at Iowa 48 -12.8 23% 14-Oct Rutgers 92 3.8 59% 21-Oct at Minnesota 47 -12.8 23% 28-Oct Wisconsin 11 -22.1 10% 4-Nov at Purdue 87 -1.8 46% 11-Nov Indiana 39 -10.0 28% 18-Nov at Ohio State 2 -34.5 2% 25-Nov Northwestern 37 -10.0 28%

Projected S&P+ Rk 85 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 110 / 58 Projected wins 3.7 Five-Year S&P+ Rk -3.0 (83) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 57 / 58 2016 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* -2 / -5.0 2016 TO Luck/Game +1.2 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 51% (50%, 53%) 2016 Second-order wins (difference) 3.3 (-0.3)

2016 wasn’t a full-on Year Zero situation, but it wasn’t far from that. The offense juggled QBs, dealt with inconsistency virtually everywhere, and couldn’t do the things its coordinator wanted. The defense was experienced up front and terribly green everywhere else; in year two, it faces the opposite predicament. Plus, per the 247Sports Composite, Smith’s first recruiting class ranked just 46th and 10th in the Big Ten and featured zero four-star recruits, and quite a few underclassmen left in the offseason.

There’s no guarantee this gets better, in other words. Illinois ranked 95th in S&P+ and won three games last year and projects only 85th with four wins this year. The Illini have a better than 40 percent chance of winning in only three games, with a bunch in the 20-40 range.

If Smith can build continuity, and if McGee can find what he’s looking for, then maybe there’s hope. There are just enough explosive guys that you can see promise if you squint. But it’s hard to predict huge things for 2017.

Then again, this is Illinois. The big seasons tend to come out of nowhere and disappear just as quickly.

Team preview stats

All power conference preview data to date.