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searchingwardrobes · 4 years ago

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It’s Been . . . a DAY 2/3

One month a few days, and finally I bring you chapter two! Sorry for the wait. Are you ready for Killian to have a bad day? And maybe a certain blonde makes it better?

Summary: Emma Swan bursts into Killian’s life in spectacular fashion - when her three year old pees on his office floor. Nevertheless, Killian is mesmerized by this tenacious woman. Perhaps fate will let them cross paths again …

Rated: G

Words: Just a bit over 2k in this chapter

Also on Ao3

Tagging: @kmomof4 @snowbellewells @whimsicallyenchantedrose @xhookswenchx @teamhook @let-it-raines @winterbythesea @spartanguard @shireness-says @superchocovian @thesschesthair @resident-of-storybrooke @vvbooklady1256 @hookedonapirate @ultraluckycatnd @hollyethecurious @welllpthisishappening @wellhellotragic @bethacaciakay @optomisticgirl @lfh1226-linda @ilovemesomekillianjones @ekr032-blog-blog @itsfabianadocarmo @profdanglaisstuff @thisonesatellite @winterbaby89 @tiganasummertree @xsajx @jennjenn615 @zaharadessert

Chapter Two:

“That’ll be $2.50.”

It’s an innocuous statement, or it normally would be, but Killian has just escaped the office after a particularly nasty run-in with Zelena Green. Escaped her demands for the most ridiculous tax deductions (with no receipts, mind you) along with her shrill screeching and her terrifying claws - ahem, manicure - so swiftly that he apparently ran to the coffee shop empty handed.

“Um . . .” Killian’s panic mounts as he pats his jeans pockets and then his leather jacket with no success. “I think,” he chuckles awkwardly and throws the barista a lopsided and charming (he hopes) smile, “I forgot my wallet.”

The barista simply arches a brow at him, communicating quite clearly that she is immune to his wiles. She braces her arms on the counter and leans towards him.

“It’s still $2.50.”

He clutches the to-go cup in his hand so tightly that it threatens to pop the lid.

“I heard you, lass, and I plan on giving you the money. I just need to run back to the office -”

“You’re not going anywhere until you give me two dollars and fifty cents.”

For a moment, he wants to snap at her, but he learned long ago that he can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. He leans his hip against the counter casually, lowers his gaze a bit, and gives the barista his best smolder.

“You’re a good worker . . .” he finds her name tag, “Ashley. I admire that. I promise you can trust me. My office is only down the block. I’ll be back in a flash.”

“Or I’ll never see you again. Just give me the damn $2.50. I got my pay docked last week for the tinder being short, and I sure as hell won’t let it happen again.”

This is clearly not his day.

“$2.50 you said?” a voice over his shoulder asks.

Killian spins, recognizing that voice. His eyes widen with joy when he sees none other than Emma Swan standing there with a sparkle in her green eyes and a smirk on her lips. She leans around him to set her cup beside his.

“Just put his on my bill,” she tells the barista.

“I can’t let you do that,” he starts to protest, but Emma lifts a hand to stop his words.

“It’s the least I can do after . . . well, what happened to your floors.”

He chuckles lightly, and she blushes even as she shakes her head and lifts her gaze to the ceiling as if to say what’s a mother to do though, right?

“Fine by me,” Ashley says with a shrug, ringing up Emma’s purchase. “So that’ll be $6.15.”

Killian grimaces inwardly - this is a local place, and the prices are steep - but Emma doesn’t even flinch as she scans her card and then takes the receipt. She turns to Killian with a smile, holding out his to-go cup.

“I am in your debt,” he tells her.

Emma rolls her eyes and waves her hand. “Are you kidding? We’re even now.”

Killian racks his brain for a way to prolong this little encounter, but before his mind can connect to his vocal chords, Emma turns to the bar that holds the cream, sugar, and various shakers of spices. He hovers, his brain still refusing to cooperate, as she removes the lid of her cup and shakes some cinnamon on the swirls of whipped cream inside. He practically jumps when she ends up breaking the awkward silence first.

“You see, I didn’t really mind adding your $2.50 to my order. That’s nothing in this place.” She snaps the lid back on her cup and turns to face him. “Let me guess, regular coffee, black?”

He nods, a smile curling his lips as he takes a sip of said coffee. “Aye. And yours is?”

“Hot chocolate, actually. Most expensive thing on the menu besides the pastries, which is just unfair, in my opinion.”

Their gazes connect over the rims of their cups, and Killian catalogues the new information. She prefers hot chocolate over coffee, with whipped cream and cinnamon.

“That doesn’t happen to you often, does it?” she asks.

“Forgetting my wallet?”

“No, your charm not working.”

Killian tilts his head back and laughs. Then he saunters closer to her, bends his head, and lowers his voice.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

She doesn’t seem to be visibly affected by his flirting in the least. Instead, she tosses him a casual smirk, one eyebrow arching. “Perhaps I would.”

His heart hammers in his chest as he searches her eyes. This woman is a bloody marvel. He had seen it even when she was falling apart in his office, and it’s even clearer now when she’s the one in control. His gaze falls to her lips, and he can’t help wetting his own. Abruptly, she clears her throat and takes a step back.

“I . . . uh, I really need to get back to my stuff.”

She hurries over to a table by the window and starts gathering up a laptop and some books and papers. A highlighter marker falls off and rolls across the floor. Killian picks it up and hands it to her.

“Thanks,” she mutters, color staining her cheeks.

“Work?”

“Uh, no,” she stammers, tucking hair behind both ears, “it’s school. My current job sucks, quite frankly, so I’m trying to get my degree.”

“That’s admirable,” Killan tells her sincerely. “In what?”

“Dental hygiene,” she wrinkles her nose adorably. “I know that’s stupid.”

Killian frowns. “Why in the world would you say that?”

Emma shrugs. “I mean, who likes teeth?”

He arches both brows as he bites down on his lower lip. “I can think of some reasons people would.”

She rolls her eyes again and smacks him in the arm. “You know what I mean!”

They both laugh then as he rubs at his arm exaggeratedly. “Okay, seriously, dentists like teeth. I mean, I assume they do.”

Emma shakes her head. “I don’t think so. I mean, maybe some, but mostly I think they just know it will make them lots of money.”

“And that’s why you want to be a dental hygienist?”

Emma lifts her messenger bag and loops it over her shoulder. “I don’t need to be rich, but secure would be nice. I want to give Henry a good life, you know? And dental hygiene is steady work, steady pay, and good hours.”

Emma doesn’t seem to mind when Killian walks beside her as they leave the coffee shop.

“You’re a good mother, Emma. I still fail to see where any of that is stupid.”

She hitches the bag further up her shoulder, then takes another sip of her hot chocolate. “I don’t know. Aren’t I supposed to be studying something I’m passionate about? Instead, I’m being completely pragmatic. All I need for this career is an associate’s degree, which will take way less time and money.”

“I think we put way too much pressure on people to find a career - a passion, as you say. At the end of the day, a job is pragmatic. We need money to live, and a job gives us that.”

“Is that why you became an accountant?” Emma tilts her head and studies him as she asks the question. “You don’t seem the type. No offense.”

He scratches behind his ear. “None taken. And yes, I make good money at it, so that’s part of it. Liam and I went our entire childhood barely surviving, so we both vowed to change that when we were old enough.”

“I get that,” Emma mutters into her cup of hot chocolate. Killian wonders at the comment, but doesn’t press her.

“I do like numbers, though, so does Liam. We both excelled at that when we were in the Navy, and . . .” he shook his head. “It’s a dull story. We’ll just use the cliche the rest is history.”

Emma laughs, a free and easy thing in the early spring air, and Killian wants to hold onto it. For some reason, he gets the impression it’s a rare sound from her.

“I suppose going to school for accounting is about as interesting as dental hygiene.”

“Well, then, here’s to making a living,” he tells her cheerfully, extending his coffee cup.

She taps it with her cup of cocoa. “To making a living.”

They both sip, the air becoming charged again as their gazes linger. Then Emma glances over his shoulder, and her eyes light up.

“Flowers!”

She hurries over to the sidewalk display and picks up a bunch of snowdrops. “These are Mary Margaret’s favorite,” she said with a smile.

“Really? Elsa loves them too,” Killian says, gently touching a delicate white blossom. “Who is Mary Margaret?”

“My sister,” Emma tells him, her smile fond, “foster sister, technically. Eva and Leopold adopted me when I was twelve and Mary Margaret was sixteen. I was a terror, let me tell you.”

“You had been through a lot of pain, I’m sure.”

Emma studies him for a moment, slight surprise lighting her eyes. “Yeah, I had . . . but the three of them loved me anyway. And now, well, Mary Margaret is both my sister and my best friend. She and Eva both watch Henry for me while I work and study.”

“What about Leopold?”

Emma buries her nose in the snowdrops, “He passed away when I was still in high school.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Emma gives her head a quick shake. “The point is, Mary Margaret and Eva are both the absolute best. I don’t know what I would do without them. David’s not bad either, I guess.” She chuckles fondly.

“David?” He assumes by her laughter that he isn’t a boyfriend. Please don’t let him be a boyfriend.

“Mary Margaret’s husband. They’re newlyweds and completely nauseating.”

Killian treasures each tiny nugget of Emma’s life and files it carefully away. He wants to know so much more. How did she come to have Henry? Why is she raising him alone? What pain was she forced to endure those first twelve years of her life? Though he can imagine that last one fairly well. He and Liam had spent nearly that long shuffled from home to home after their mother’s death, Brennan Jones never wanting to take responsibility for his sons.

“I want to buy these for Jones & Jones,” Emma tells him, “as a thank you.”

“We’ve told you that it was no trouble. Besides, you bought my coffee, remember?”

Emma shakes her head. “I’ve been meaning to come by with flowers all week, but I was just too embarrassed. Please let me.”

Killian nods, albeit a bit reluctantly. He guesses that Emma is on a tight budget. She said her job sucks, and she’s caring for a toddler while also putting herself through school. He’s sure the small family she mentioned helps when they can, but still, she already spent over six dollars at the coffee shop, thanks to him. However, he can already see that she is a lass of great pride. He doesn’t want to insult her by refusing the gift.

Emma purchases the flowers, and then she walks with him the rest of the way to Jones & Jones. Elsa exclaims over the flowers just as Killian expected her to, even enveloping Emma in a hug. Ariel hugs her too and asks about Henry. Even Liam is lured away from his desk, and he ends up showing off pictures of little Ian to Emma. He and Elsa swap funny stories about raising a three year old, and before long, an hour has passed.

“Oh my God,” Emma suddenly gasps, “what time is it?”

“Almost five,” Elsa tells her.

“Shit, I’ve gotta go. Mary Margaret is expecting me soon, and Henry gets cranky when dinner is late.”

Killian stands there like an idiot as Emma rushes out in a whirlwind, leaving her now cold hot chocolate on the edge of Killian’s desk.

“Please tell me you asked her out this time,” Liam says once the door has shut behind her.

Killian groans. He didn’t even get her number.

“Maybe you’ll run into her again?” Ariel suggests, but there isn’t much faith in her voice.

Not that Killian blames her for her doubt. Fate gave him a second chance, and he doesn’t hold out much hope that it will give him a third.

#cs #cs ff #modern au #first meeting #and second meeting?#mommy!emma #single mom emma #little henry #fluff #humor

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thechoir-roomhq · 4 years ago

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WELCOME TO DAY ONE OF THE 2041 SHOW CHOIR MIDWEST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS!

today’s program includes:

THE NEW DIRECTIONS

Your Song, Moulin Rogue ( Featured: Julien Schuester, Molly Pearce.) Heaven is a Place on Earth, Belinda Carlisle ( Featured: Candy Motta. ) Closing Time, Semisonic ( Featured: Miles Pearce, Jaz Evans. )

THE CRAWFORD CANARIES

Here You Come Again, Dolly Parton, DJ Ricky Luna ( Featured: Gianna Stone. ) Girl in the Movies, Dolly Parton ( Featured: Margot Stanley. ) 9 to 5, Dolly Parton ( Featured: Aubrey O’Leary. )

AND THE HOOSIERDADDIES!

LET’S SEE WHAT THE JUDGES HAVE TO SAY. . .

[ Post Regionals Day 1, Sue, Wendy, and David S. Pumpkins are sat around a conference table. Time to get down to business! ]

SUE: [arms crossed, against a wall] That was the most horrendous performance I have ever witnessed in my 35 years of living, and that's coming from someone who was one of the original members of Milli Vanilli.

DAVID: I'm David Pumpkins!

WENDY: I for one loved those bird girls. Clap if you think the cardinals should win!

DAVID: I'm David Pumpkins, man!

WENDY: no? nobody? alright well, i'm just saying what everyone is thinking...how about those new directions? they were fun! wholesome! real star quality!

SUE: Wendy Williams, it is a disgrace you are touching Ohio soil at this very moment. I think we all know who needs to win and it's not the private school lesbians or the public school cesspool of cretins that so happen to refer to themselves as New Directions.

WENDY: What was the other team? I don't even remember! [laughing at herself, she snorts] Between the girls and the New Directions, I think I liked the New Directions more. The Chickadees were cute, they were real cute, but the New Directions were fun! I wanted to get out and join that flash mob, but I don't think anyone would have wanted to see that...Just like nobody wants to see you in that track suit, Sue.

SUE: These track suits have been in my family since we were on the Cherokee reservations in 1881, Wendy Williams. I know you know absolutely nothing about music because your brittle bones wouldn't allow you to hold a microphone, but I once performed with Oliva Newton-John and I think we can all recognize that you and Pappy Van Winkle over here are the saddest and laziest excuses of a celebrity judge. So that makes me the perfect person to choose today's winner, which should be the Hoosierdaddies. A terrible play on words, but at least they have a smidgen of talent.

WENDY: I'll have you know, Sue Sylvester, I was on the masked singer as the lips and I did NUMBERS on tiktok. okay? alright? yeah, that's what i thought. I say we just go ahead and vote and let the ballots do the talking...

SUE: I couldn't have said it better, Wendy Williams. [she sits down and writes on her ballot. New Directions, first. You win this time William Schuester and Wendy Williams, no relation involved. The Hoosierdaddies, second. The Canaries, third.]

WENDY: Mhm. [She fills out her ballot, New Directions first, Canaries Second, Hoosierwhatsits Third.]

DAVID: [Freezes in his seat with finger guns pointed at Wendy and Sue while his back-up skeleton dancers fill out his ballot for him. New Directions, first. Canaries, second. The Hoozierdaddies, third.] Any questions?!

WENDY: Where did they come from? Oh, they're cute! But no, no questions.

[About an hour later, Sue walks onto stage, the other two celebrity hooligans behind her]

SUE: Thank you all for coming. I know all of you are here because your kid is on stage because I can not imagine anyone wanting to be here willingly except for [she points to a decrepit Will and Emma Schuester], Justin Timberfake and Eva over there and I'm sure you all want to get out of here to take the good ole winners to the Olive Garden in Westerville so let's get this started. Second runner up, [she rolls her eyes at her favorite team losing], the Hoosierdaddies! And for first runner up, the Canaries from Crawford Country Day! [she hands their captain, some blonde girl who looks like she's pushing thirty the trophy, and just as Aubrey tries to talk to her, Sue pushes her face away], back over that way Pitch Perfect. [in a monotone voice] And that leaves the New Directions with first place. Congrats.

#crhq:regionals

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lilacmoon83 · 4 years ago

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Clarity

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 17: Mirror, Mirror

David gently sat on the edge of the bed beside her, as she cried into her pillow. Gently, he rubbed her back in a soothing manner and her hand sought his free hand and they laced their fingers together.

"I'm so naïve," she lamented, as she sniffed and looked up at him.

"No...don't mistake your hopeful nature for naivete," he admonished. She rubbed her face free of the tears and sat up beside him.

"In those moments, as the curse was on the brink and I held you in my arms...I held onto the hope that you'd survive and that Emma would return to us," Snow said.

"And she did...you were right," he implored.

"But I didn't for a second have time to consider what kind of life she would have had when she did," she replied. He shook his head.

"There was no way we could have known," he reasoned.

"Maybe not...but we sent her into this world alone," she said.

"Because we were lied to. And you know it was this or she might not have made it all. Regina's men cut me down that night and had the same thing in mind for her. They were ruthless, Snow...they would have thought nothing of killing her," he replied.

"I know...I just wish she could see that," Snow said.

"She will...she just needs more time," he promised.

"What if she never comes around?" Snow asked. He shook his head.

"Gold said that he saw that she breaks the curse. He just doesn't know when or how. But she does," he reminded her. But Snow shook her head.

"But Charming...what if she does and she decides she still doesn't want anything to do with us? Breaking the curse helps the rest of the town wake up, but it doesn't help Emma," she said and he deflated a little. It was a really good point.

"I'm her mother...and I don't know how to comfort her or help her. I'm her mother and I can't comfort my own daughter!" she cried and he pulled her into his arms, as she sobbed against his chest. He gently rocked her and kissed her hair, as he held her and mourned for all they had lost with her.

~*~

"Yes Madam Mayor...I'll make sure the story is done for the morning edition. When I'm done, the entire town will be appalled by what Emma Swan and Neal Cassidy are doing. Trying to take your son away from you will not stand," he promised, as hung up the phone and sat down to work again. Finishing the hit piece on David Nolan and Mary Margaret Blanchard, as well as one on Emma Swan and Neal Cassidy was a tall order. Normally, he could work through the night, but with the Miner's Day celebration that evening, he had an obligation to attend and cover that as well. He sighed and stood up, happening to catch his reflection in the mirror. He didn't consider himself a vain man, but he had always been drawn to mirrors and could never really explain why. After a few seconds of staring, he broke out of the trance and continued to the kitchenette in his office to make more coffee. It was going to be a long afternoon, followed by a very long evening.

~*~

Many Years Ago

The newly coronated Queen Eva glowed radiantly, as most newly expectant mothers did. She exited the carriage, as the footman opened the door and she gazed at her parent's magnificent castle. She only wished they were still alive so they could soon meet their grandchild. But now, her home Kingdom was ruled by her beloved sister, Queen Narcissa.

Growing up, they had both been what most would expect. Privileged and vain, but being Queen had humbled Eva greatly since her days as a bratty princess. She had learned much humility as Queen and saw that it was not her right to rule over her people; but a privilege to do so. As a result, the people in her husband's Kingdom had taken to her nicely and she to them. Their humbleness and kindness had rubbed off on her and she showed them the same in return.

Her selfish ways were behind her and now that she was with child, she could barely contain her joy. She had already promised herself that she would make sure to raise her child to respect others, no matter royal or otherwise and instill these newly learned values in her from the beginning.

Unfortunately, her older sister had not learned the same lessons that Eva had yet. She loved Narcissa, but she worried about her vanity and selfishness. It did not make a good ruler and her Kingdom was showing the signs.

"Narcissa?" Eva called, as she entered her sister's private sitting room and wasn't surprised to see her primping in front of the mirror, as usual. She gasped and turned to face her.

"Eva!" she called with excitement, as they embraced and once they pulled back, the blonde looked up and down.

"Look at you...you're glowing," she complimented. Eva grinned from ear to ear.

"Thank you...I'm so happy," she said.

"I'm so glad and I cannot wait to be an Aunt to this little bundle of joy," she gushed. Eva smiled.

"Me too...but what about you? I know you've had many suitors approach you. Have you chosen one? This could be you then," Eva replied. Narcissa brushed that off though.

"Oh…I don't know, none of them quite measure up and I'm not sure I could do this to my figure," Narcissa said, indicating her baby bump.

"Oh trust me, once you are with child, you won't care," Eva assured her. But she knew her sister's vanity was often her greatest enemy and she worried that, in the end, it would lead her to being alone and unhappy.

"Perhaps...but for now, why don't you make your way to the dining room and I'll join you shortly. The kitchen staff has prepared all your favorites and I'm sure you're famished now that you're eating for two," Narcissa said. She smiled.

"I am...and this little one can't seem to get enough cinnamon," Eva mentioned.

"Ahh cinnamon, if I recall, you've always been fond of it as well," Narcissa said.

"Very true," Eva replied.

"So...did your fairy friend tell you what you're having? Will it be a Prince or a Princess?" Narcissa asked.

"Well…I decided that we should be surprised, but I have a feeling it's a little girl," Eva replied.

"Oh yes...a little Princess to dress up and spoil. I know she'll be the most beautiful Princess in all the realm, well, second most beautiful," Narcissa said, indicating herself as the first. Eva smiled.

"She will...I'll see you downstairs. Don't take too long primping. You look beautiful, as always," Eva assured her. Narcissa smiled and stepped into her chamber where her personal mirror sat.

When she was very young, her parents presented her with an enchanted looking glass and since that time, she had asked the mirror one question everyday. And everyday, she received the same answer.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall...who is the fairest of all?" Narcissa asked and watched as the gray, mask-like face appeared before her.

"My Queen...you are the fairest, most beautiful woman in all the lands," the mirror answered. Narcissa smiled and fluffed her blonde hair, before turning away, intending to join her sister downstairs. But the mirror spoke again.

"At least for now," the mirror stated. Her smile melted into a frown and she turned back to the mirror.

"For now? What do you mean, mirror?" she asked.

"My Queen, you are indeed the fairest in all the lands, but there will soon be another that will someday hold that title," the mirror answered.

"Who? Who is this person!?" she demanded to know.

"My Queen...she is not born yet, but it will be your niece," the mirror revealed.

"My sister will have a girl?" she asked.

"Yes, My Queen and I foresee she will be so fair that many will be stunned by her beauty upon first glance," the mirror answered.

"She will steal my place?" Narcissa squeaked, as she was almost brought to tears by this.

"She will be kind, loving, and generous. She will be fierce in heart and spirit. She will have hair black as ebony, lips as red as a rose...and skin white as snow…" the mirror foretold.

"No! I am the fairest! I must remain the fairest!" Narcissa cried, as she stormed out of her chamber and what she must do became very clear. Her sister could not have that child…

~*~

"Are you sure about this? We don't have to go," David said, as he helped her put her coat on. They had grieved together for a while for all they had lost and then after they had fallen asleep for about an hour, they awoke and proceeded to shower and clean up. That evening was the Miner's Day celebration in the town square and they had planned to go together, but that was before the hard day they had experienced.

"I know...but I actually want to, because I finally have someone to go with. As you can imagine, they were pretty lonely in the past and always the same. This year will actually be different," she replied, as she put her arms around his neck. He smiled and kissed her tenderly.

"If you're sure...then we'll go," he said, as he grabbed his jacket. They joined hands and began the walk toward the town square.

"So...what is the point of this thing?" he asked. She snickered and looked at him.

"It's sort of like a festival of sorts to celebrate Storybrooke's founding by...miners," she explained.

"But it wasn't…" he replied.

"I know...I guess it's part of the curse. I'm not really sure why and it's probably going to be boring," she said.

"Any evening with you is wonderful," he replied, as they shared a smile.

"I just wish I could have made all this better for you...for us," he said.

"David...none of this is your fault," she replied.

"I know, but before me, at least you had Emma as a friend and I hate that I might have ruined that," he said. But she shook her head and they stopped on the corner.

"You didn't...you're my husband. You're the love of my life and father of our daughter," she said.

"I never considered what she might face in this world when we put her through the wardrobe. But I know that, as much hardship as she endured, it was still her best chance," she continued.

"It was...we did the right thing," he assured her.

"Then we have to hope that she sees that eventually. I'm going to have hope," she said. He smiled and kissed her passionately.

"Me too...and I know she's going to come around," he promised, as he hugged her tightly.

"Come on...let's get a cocoa and then you can show me what this festival is all about," he suggested, as she hooked her hand on his elbow and they made their way toward the square for the celebration.

~*~

At the town line, a luxury sedan crossed into Storybrooke, carrying a blonde woman and she slowed her car as she reached town proper. She parked along Main Street and stepped out. As usual, she was dressed to the nines in an expensive pantsuit, complete with an equally high end winter coat. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a twist with no hair out of place and her makeup was pristine. It was easy to tell by her appearance that how she looked was very important to her.

She looked around and was immediately unimpressed. This was definitely not New York and the Inn would be a far cry from her Manhattan penthouse apartment. Her stiletto heels tapped the pavement, as she made her way toward town square and she smirked. It seemed they were having a celebration and she was eager to join.

#Snowing #SnowxCharming #Charming family #Emma Swan #Neal Cassidy #Henry Mills #Regina Mills #Mr. Gold #AU #romance #adventure #family #angst #Clarity #A 7x15 am AU

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muesliforbreakfast · 4 years ago

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the Last EVA of David Shaw

Another HFY story.

Fabian tactics pt. II and III hopefully coming soon.

We Lost the Sea - the Last dive of David Shaw

Inspired by the gallantry of David Shaw

As was tradition at a wake in the Scutum Sagittarius arm of the galaxy, Shaw's friends and family were intoxicated and inebriated, sharing drink and song and story of their best times with him. He didn't have much family, but Dee was a brother to him.

“From when we met I think we were always destined to be friends,” he began, with the attention of most of the alien attendees and a couple of humans firmly on him, “We were the only two mammalians on station so we had a lot of similar needs.”

He thought back to their first meeting, in the recreation hall of the orbital mining station; the station itself was just cold enough to be uncomfortable for both of them.

- - - - - - - - - -

“Cardio day?” The almost six foot human male asked Dee, as he stepped onto a treadmill.

“Yeah isn't it the worst?” Dee responded, from his elevated exercise wheel.

“The worst. But it's gotta be done. Enjoy man.”

The man ran for over a half hour, at a pace that Dee would never have been able to match. Which was to be expected, given that he was over six times larger.

By the time he was done Dee was stretching and doing calisthenics. They were the only workers in attendance that day.

“Does every human run that fast?” He asked, as the man approached the area set up for stretching, toweling off his hair that was drenched in sweat.

“It's our long legs. Name's Shaw.” He responded with a short bow.

“Drakhehz. Others call me Dee.”

“Dee it is then.”

- - - - - - - - - -

“That was the first time I saw a human run. Damn they run fast. And long.” Dee regaled them with the tale of their meeting, “He always used to call himself a gym rat. It took him a while to call me that; I laughed when I found out why, I mean us Dreyer look more like ferrets when you think about it.”

“It's hard to believe that humans can bond over something as simple as getting exercise together isn't it?” Katachine, another guest of another species said.

“Sure, that's how we met but it was more than that. We really got along. We had this spot where we would sit and have those long philosophical conversations.”

- - - - - - - - - -

“What do you think it all means?” Shaw asked, reclining against the bulkhead, bottle of whiskey in hand.

“I think it means what you want it to mean.” Dee responded, sitting on Shaw's shoulder, with a smaller plastic flask of the same human whiskey. Strong stuff.

They were looking out into the abyss of the universe; light from a million stars travelling distances of a million years to finally rain gently on them in their repose.

“Well, tell me what that is?”

Dee thought for a while before finally responding.

“It's superstition and it's tied back to our history, how we were burrowing pack animals and what that meant to our evolution. In our religions the most important thing was community. On our planet we literally survive off the warmth of our community. We would never leave overnight, because none of us can survive alone. That idea lasted, well, we were already spacefaring when our society stopped believing it was more than a metaphor.”

Shaw sat patiently and listened, sipping whiskey straight from the bottle.

“Go on.”

“Well, we believe... We used to believe the same for our... Well we call it our Essence. That once we die we return with what we've seen and what we've known, and we're all stronger together for it. The idea is to go out and learn and finally return. We used to be burrowing animals, so the proverb in our culture is that none of us has to dig alone.”

They both gazed out into the emptiness and the vastness.

“Your turn.”

“Most of our superstitions brought meaning to our lives, but not to the universe. I'm still figuring it all out. Mostly I just treat others how I would like to be treated, and act the way I would like to be remembered.”

“That's a good rule.”

“On earth we call it the golden rule. Uh. Gold was rare and precious on earth. Uh. We used to use it for currency.”

“It's a great rule, I'm sorry to hear that people who followed it were so rare.”

Shaw had laughed uncontrollably at that.

- - - - - - - - - -

“We used to work out together and he was damn good at his job. But It's those other times which are how I'll remember him.” Dee finished, before quietly tittering, the involuntary expression of grief common in his species.

“To Shaw, and how he'll be remembered!” Katachine exclaimed loudly, lifting a glass of verdant liquid to the sky.

- - - - - - - - - -

“I remember the last time I spoke to him.” Smith said quietly, his slick amphibian skin glistening in the warm lights.

Smith had been sitting in his office in a panic, fielding requests and reports and the carrying out of emergency protocols, while trying to locate the last of his missing personnel.

“We have 73 accounted for, that means we're missing one... Who are we missing!!” He called over the holocom system.

That had been the moment that Shaw had burst in the room.

“Smith! We're missing Dee... Uh. Drakhehz. Last I saw him he was headed East towards the grounding pylons. I need you to clear me to head out to get him!”

Smith had stared at him blankly, frozen for a moment before exploding.

“ABSOFUCKINGLUTELYNOT!! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR DAMN MIND?!” he paused for a moment to calm himself, “I cannot risk you heading back out there with a solar flare AND A CORIOLIS STORM happening at the same time! I cannot lose more crew you understand? I can not, I will not!”

“Smith, are you aware of the situation?”

“Of course I am! I've read the reports!”

The unexpected solar flare had come at the worst possible moment; shutting down the auxiliary half of the shielding system while the primary half was down for maintenance. It had then destroyed the battery bank for the eastern sector of the gas mining station, before the coriolis storm had sheared all but three of the structural supports that held the station together. Micrometeors were occasionally peppering the unshielded portion of the station. Anyone caught there for too long was as good as dead, but for now the chances were still good that Dee was still alive.

The only way to reach Dee would be by EVA. Shaw explained his plan.

“That's MADness. Don't fucking do it!”

- - - - - - - - - -

Smith reflected on the last words he had said, before Shaw had left his office.

“I'm sorry Dee. If Shaw had followed my directives we would have left you to die.”

Dee was still tittering on his elevated cushion.

“... I... I understand. I can't hold it against you.”

The cruelty of randomness had ensured that Dee had made it out when Shaw hadn't. They had all heard his last words.

- - - - - - - - - -

“Little Dee! Little Dee! There you are!”

Shaw and Dee had their own little spot in the eastern sector. Where they kept the whiskey and biscuits, and some biltong for Shaw. He knew this would be the place to find Dee.

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE ARE YOU CRAZY!! THERE'S NO WAY BACK!!”

“Relax ya little fuzzball, there's a way.”

Dee started nervously hyperventilating.

“There's no way back Shaw. You didn't need to come here and... Fucking... DIE with me.” He managed to say, breathing hard between words.

“Ease up fuzzball. We're gonna make it. How much air you got?” Shaw responded casually.

“I... Have... Twenty... Minutes...”

“Guess again little Dee.” He responded, turning to display three extra cylinders in Dreyer size, and one extra human sized cylinder.

Dee could feel optimism creep back into his psyche.

“So if we get the shields and grav repulsors up and running again we can ride out the storm and be retrieved as soon as they can get a rescue team out here.”

“Bad news. The battery array is totally fried.”

“Thought so. So we have to EVA out of here. Before the support pylons come apart. Those are some slim chances Shawdog. I don't like it.”

“Cheer up fuzzball. Two minutes ago your chances were zero. Now they're really slim. We're dealing with one crisis at a time today.”

“One crisis at a time. So what's our next crisis?”

“The fact that we're still here. Let's get out.”

Dee giggled elatedly. The plan was as simple as an EVA trip back to the shielded side of the station. It was risky, but not a death sentence.

They took a moment to have a snack, before hauling themselves along the lee side of the module in zero G. The work was easy, but the risk of micrometeors still weighed heavily on Dee's psyche.

They reached the spot where Shaw had secured the tethers, then took turns securing a tether each to their EVA suits.

They began their slow cautious climb across the span between the main station and the eastern sector.

“Shaw from rescue control! Shower of micrometeors impacting in less than a minute across your position over!” Smith warned over the radio.

“Not much we can do, keep moving!” Dee heard him call a half dozen meters behind him. Moving hand over hand across the gap, heartbeat pounding in his skull and his shallow puffs of breath filling his helmet. Every couple of meters he looked behind him to check on Shaw.

“Stop looking and move fuzzball!” Shaw called out over the radio, “Don't worry I know the way ba- FUCK!”

Shaw's words were punctuated by a thrumming vibration through the structural supports, but they still seemed to be intact. As Dee looked back he could no longer see Shaw, until he looked down and saw him falling away, featureless in the distance now.

“Reel in Shaw's tether!!” Dee called out.

“Keep moving, little bro.” Shaw responded.

Dee tittered as he moved frantically along the structural support, using the tether to pull himself along now and then, using pylons and poles at other times.

“Shaw this is rescue control,” the radio buzzed out, “We've retracted what's left of your tether. What is your trajectory? Over.”

“I'm drifting. I'm falling.” the response.

“NO!” Dee cried out. “We have to go get him! Shaw! We're coming for you!”

“Dee. I need you to listen to me.” He responded, in a calm, resigned voice.

“It's over. I'm not going to make it and you know it. I got you back to your clan little bro. Today that's what matters. You won't have to dig alone. Over.”

“It's not fair you moron! A life for a life isn't fair.” He cried out in anguish. “Fucking. Over.”

The sound of breathing came out over the radio as Shaw held onto the transmit button. After a few moments he spoke his last words.

“It's alright little Dee, I got my little brother out. I have a whole gas giant as my headstone. A hell of a monument. I can't see the stars anymore Dee. I'll see you on the other side. Shaw out.”

Dee kept climbing across the structure, tittering and sobbing as tears clouded his sight. Shaw had held onto the transmit button as he fell. His transmission ended before Dee could make it to rescue control.

He paused for a moment across the chasm.

“Good bye Shaw. And thank you. Over.”

Then he continued his climb to safety.

_________________

Too many of my stories are focussed on dudes who shoot and stab other dudes. It makes for good fiction, I guess, but not a good way to live. The story of David Shaw and Deon Dreyer isn't fiction. Some stories here focus on our pack bonding with other species, risking our lives for them etc. I find it absolutely mind boggling that this guy risked his life to make sure that another man might get a proper burial. But I wanted this story to have a happier ending than that one.

#HFY #humanity fuck yeah #Fiction #An exercise in writing #We Lost the Sea

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poc-movie-supremacy · 4 years ago

Text

We could be heroes P1

for the anon who wanted mirror gang with powers! Kamilla is single. She was the photographer at Iris’s wedding before being hired to work for CC Citizen. (Cisco is with Cynthia) P2 if not posted later today will be posted tomorrow. I hope you guys like it!

-----

David got out of the mirror, and he felt fine. Well he didn’t fell entirely fine, but he thought all that was wrong with him was the headaches he kept having. Cisco gave him medicine for it and told him to call if he needed more help. Rob came and picked him up and they went home, happily.

Everything went to shit in four hours.

Rob kept looking at him shakey, and he just looked spooked. “You acted weird, I thought you wanted to leave me. Then you did leave me, but it wasn’t you? Cecile tried to explain it, but I didn’t understand half of what she was saying.”

David shushed him, and tried to assure him that the only thing wrong was his headaches. It was late so they went to bed a little while after dinner. He carefully avoided the bathroom mirror, and went to bed with Rob.

“SHIT” David woke up screaming, sweating down his face. It was Rob who was the one who cussed. He had tried to wake up his husband when he heard the nightmare coming but he failed. Right as David screamed awake, Rob watched in horror as the bathroom mirror shattered to pieces.

“What happened, what-” David asked him, confused. Storing that memory for later, Rob focused on helping his husband.

“Breath, Davey. Darling just breathe.” Soothingly, Rob ran a hand over David’s back. David grabbed one of Rob’s hands and mimicked Rob’s breathing. Ten minutes later, he slid out of bed, out of Rob’s hold to the bathroom. I just need to splash some water on my face, drink some milk, he mumbled to himself.

Before Rob could warn David of what was on the bathroom floor, there was a gasp. A stumble. A fall to the floor. Finally, a scream.

The shards of the mirror were floating in the air and shaking, matching David’s shaking.

Rob ran out of bed to his husband’s side. The minute Rob wrapped his arms around David, the glass fell to the floor. David rested his head on Rob’s chest and tried to calm himself down. “Looks like we’ll be making a phone call.” David chuckles humorlessly at Rob’s attempt at humor.

They make sure neither of them is indecent before making a phone call. Kamilla picks up first, wide awake even in the late hour. Iris picks up on the third ring, hair wrapped up in a pretty red scarf, wiping the sleep out of her eyes.

“Guys? What’s wrong?” Iris mumbled, trying to wake herself up. She runs her hand through something. Rob assumes it’s Barry.

“Has anything... weird happened to you guys yet?” David stumbled out. Rob watched as David’s fingers fidgeted. He put a hand over the fingers to stop it.

“Weird? We went- we went to sleep almost immediately after coming home. I haven’t been awake to realize anything weird.”

“Don’t worry Iris, I’m going to ignore the hickies dotting your neck and upper chest.” David Singh said tiredly. “We have other things to worry about.”

Iris looked at Singh worried. “David, what happened?”

“I woke up from a nightmare, shards from the bathroom mirror shattered on the floor. I didn’t notice them until I went to splash some water onto my face. They flew up the crashed back onto the floor. It was like I... controlled the mirror.”

Iris’s eyes widened. “Oh god, David.” After spending a few weeks almost alone with Singh, Iris grew very close with him. She was saddened that her friend had a nightmare and incredibly worried at what had followed afterwards.

“When he screamed in the nightmare, the mirror shattered. Are-Are we sure that headaches are the only side effect you three have?” Rob asked worriedly.

“Now that you mention it,” Kamilla brushed a hair back, looking nervous. “There are a few mirrors still left in my apartment. When I passed them, I thought they were rippling, like water when something’s dropped into it. At first I chalked it up to mind-tricks, but Singh, with your event. I’m not so sure.”

“Iris?” Singh asked. She was deep in thought, nose scrunched up in thought.

“We have one mirror left in this apartment.” This time her nose scrunched up in disgust when she said apartment. “Let me go, let’s go see if anything will happen.” They watched as she carefully removed herself from her husband’s hold and left the bedroom for the living room.

The lights turned on. Iris puts the laptop on the end table in full view of her and the mirror. She rolls her shoulders and cracks her knuckles. Confusion over takes her face. “What exactly do you guys want me to do?”

“See if you can manipulate it? Ripple or break it?” Kamilla suggested. Iris focused on the mirror. She channeled all of her frustrations she didn’t want to voice: No one realizing she was gone sooner, not realizing Eva’s true intentions sooner, A clone living her life etc. Her anger channeled into a scream, which caused the mirror to shatter. She fell to the floor, covered in cuts from the mirror shards. Those on the video call cried out to Iris, but she was too much in shock to respond.

Barry was already starting to wake up when his hold on his wife started to feel weird, but her scream woke him up entirely. It was like a cold bucket of water being poured all over him. He raced over to the sound of the scream to see Iris lying in shock surrounded by mirror shards. Voices were screaming for Iris to move, but she just sat there, surprise etched onto her face. Barry crouched by her side, carefully brushing away the mirror shard. “Hey honey, Iris. Iris, honey talk to me.” Iris just blinked up at him, but her surprise was starting to melt away, being replaced by confusion. He turned towards the voices on the computer, embarrassed to see Singh, Rob, and Kamilla.

“Hey, sorry for being shirtless Chief Singh.” Barry apologized. Iris started taking heaving breaths and leaned into Barry’s side.

“It’s fine Barry, but we need your help.”

“Anything Chief, but what happened here? Why is Iris covered in mirror shards?”

Before any of them could respond, Iris spoke up. “Because we’re meta humans now.”

Barry really didn’t want to believe it. He spluttered a bit before he saw Iris slowly make the mirror shards vibrate. His eyes widened at that and squeezed her hands softly. He lifted her up and sat her back down on an island seat. Then he moved the laptop so it was facing Iris. Finally he got out the first aid kit and tended to Iris’s wounds as he talked with the Singhs and Kamilla.

“Do you guys wanna go to Star Labs? You said similar things were happening to you guys right, or do you want to wait until the morning?”

“What would be needed, I mean what would you guys be doing at Star Labs?” Robs asked.

“Mainly testing. seeing how much your DNA etc. has changed since we clearly didn’t catch all of it in the preliminary tests. Then see what you can do with your powers.” Barry informed them. He let the others think things over while he pulled out tiny shards from Iris. She winced in pain while he did that.

“It’s 3:30 now, can we save this for tomorrow? Meet at Star Labs at 9?” Kamilla asked. The other nodded in agreement. David and Rob bid their goodbyes before leaving the call.

“You ok, Kamilla?” Iris asked her. She looked throughly spooked and overwhelmed. Iris worried about her, alone in her apartment.

“I’m adjusting. I promise if I need help I’ll ask you or Singh.” Iris gave her a pointed look. “Hey I could make the same accusation to you, West. I pinky promise, see?” Kamilla held up her pinky to the screen. Iris laughed and joined her in raising a pinky to the screen.

Barry finished cleaning up her wounds and then went to clean up the mirror shards. Iris watched him do it, silently, pensively, a new type of sadness taking over her features.

“You okay, honey?” Barry asked after the glass has finally been cleaned up. He stood in front of Iris rubbing her arms up and down. She took a deep breath and rested her head on his chest. “Iris?’

“It’s just, everything feels so off now. I don’t know, when I was in there I thought everything would be back to normal when I got back. Nothing feels right anymore. Not this house, not me. Barry, I have powers now.”

Barry kissed Iris on the forehead. “What do you need?”

“I- the house, Barry it feels tainted, it doesn’t feel entirely ours. When I look over there, I can still see you bleeding out on the floor and Devoes’s bloodstains haunts me.” Barry wrapped his arms around her. He didn’t know she saw that, he had hoped she didn’t.

“We’ll figure something out. Together.” Barry promised her. Eventually they fell back into a restless sleep, unprepared for the future ahead of them.

#the flash #westallen #david singh #iris west allen #iris west #kamilla hwang #rob #rob singh #captain singh #barry allen #ella's flash fics #we're all fic writers here

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believingispowerfulmagic · 5 years ago

Text

Soldier Verse: “Don’t Mess With Dad”

Inspired by this post from Captain Awkward.

“Everyone has been really complimentary about this place,” Robin said, gently taking Roland from his car seat. “I’m sure the boys will have plenty of fun here.”

Regina unclasped Henry and helped him down from his booster seat. He held her hand as he climbed out of the car. “I hope so. Mary Margaret seemed hesitant about it.”

“Well, we’ll check it out and decide if it’s for us or not,” he said, locking the car. He gave her a quick kiss. “Come on.”

She held Henry’s hand as they entered the building. A young woman greeted them at the front desk. “Are you a new family?” she asked.

“We are,” Robin replied. “Do we need to fill anything out?”

“Just a couple of waivers and some information. We don’t sell it to any companies. It’s just for internal use,” the woman promised, handing them a clipboard.

Regina took it and filled out the required information, most of it standard information. Names, address, ages of their sons, any allergies or medical conditions staff needed to be aware of--nothing raised any concerns for her. She also went over the waivers they had to sign, finding them the standard releases places like this would have them sign. Everything appeared to be in order and she signed the forms, handing the clipboard back to the receptionist.

“Everything looks to be in order,” the young woman said. She set the clipboard down and smiled, tapping a camera. “I just need pictures of all of you. Okay?”

“Even the kids?” Regina asked, looking down at Roland in his carrier. The baby boy blinked a couple times before yawning, rubbing his face with his tiny hand.

The woman nodded. “It’ll be quick. And the baby doesn’t have to be awake.”

“Okay,” Regina replied, gently taking Roland from his carrier. She held him so that he face the camera. “Just hold still for Mommy,” she whispered to him.

Roland seemed to understand. He stayed still as he watched the camera with a curious expression. The woman pressed a button and then nodded to Regina after checking the screen. “We got it,” she said.

Nodding, Regina stepped back as she continued to bounce Roland. Robin picked up Henry so he was level with the camera. Henry smiled widely and the receptionist got his picture quickly. “And now we just need Mom and Dad,” she said.

After placing Roland back in his carrier, Regina and Robin quickly took their pictures. The receptionist nodded. “You’re all set. Head down the hall and you’ll find the playroom. We have cubbies for you to place your items,” she told them.

“Thank you,” Robin said, picking up Henry. He then placed a hand on Regina’s back as she held Roland’s carrier. The small family walked down the hallway until they arrived at two large doors and entered them.

The room was bigger than she expected and was clearly divided up to accommodate all the ages of children that might visit the room. She spotted mats for babies who couldn’t crawl yet. They laid either on their stomachs or backs as they played with toys. On the other side of the room was a padded area for those learning to crawl or walk, toys also strewn about that side as well. That area opened to a play area that filled the back of the room. It was wooden and painted bright colors, containing several ramps and slides for the more mobile to move around and explore the area.

Robin let out a low whistle. “This is impressive.”

“It is,” Regina agreed, amazed. “I think the boys will have fun here.”

He nodded before pointing to a wall of cubbies. “Looks like that’s where we can store our things.”

They walked over there and Regina set Roland’s carrier on a nearby bench. She unsnapped the restraint and took him out of his coat. He grinned, kicking happily as the bulky item came off and she cooed: “Were you hot, sweetheart? Mama’s sorry but she couldn’t take your coat off right away.”

“Do you need any help?” a woman asked. Regina looked up to find an older woman hovering by Robin as he helped Henry out of his coat.

Robin smiled at her. “I’ve got it. Thank you.”

“Really, I can help you with him,” the woman pushed, surprising Regina. It was clear Robin had everything under control and she couldn’t figure out why the woman wouldn’t back off.

“I’m fine,” Robin insisted, a hardness in his voice that Regina recognized. He handed Henry’s coat to her. “Here you go.”

The woman realized that Regina was there and her eyes lit up when she saw Roland in his carrier. “Oh! Isn’t he the most beautiful boy ever!”

“Thank you,” Regina said, putting the coats into one of the cubbies. She was still a little wary around the woman and hoped she would move on quickly.

“My name is Hilda and I’m a volunteer here,” the woman continued. “If you need any help, you can just ask me. That’s what we’re here for. May I ask the names of these two cuties?”

Regina hesitated, still not completely comfortable with the woman. But she was a volunteer and would probably learn the boys’ names anyway, so Regina replied: “The baby is Roland and that’s Henry over by his father.”

“Henry and Roland! Those are two classic names you don’t hear very often these days!” Hilda praised.

“Uh, thanks?” Regina responded uncertainly. She was relieved when Henry tugged on her hand, begging her to play with him. Glancing up at Hilda, she said: “Excuse me.”

Hilda turned then to Roland. “How about I take care of this little one?”

“That’s okay,” Robin said, stepping closer. “I’ve got him.”

Though Henry tugged on her hand, Regina didn’t move. She didn’t like how Hilda seemed uncomfortable letting Robin handle her own son. Her dislike grew when Hilda asked: “Are you sure? I’m more than capable of taking care of him.”

“So am I,” he replied, annoyed. He lifted Roland easily and patted his back. “We’re fine. Thank you.”

“Well, I’ll be around if you need me,” Hilda said, looking slightly put out that Robin kept rejecting her help. She walked away as Regina finally let Henry tug her toward the play area.

As he climbed up a rope ladder, Regina stood off to the side and watched him. One of the other mothers came up to her. “I see Hilda introduced herself. She’s so good with the children and so helpful. The other mothers and I think she’s a godsend,” the woman said.

Regina hesitated, not wanting to say the wrong thing. Her gut told her not to trust Hilda but it was clear everyone else liked her. She had to tread carefully and so she asked: “What about the dads?”

“Oh,” the woman said, frowning. “We don’t get many of them. If they do come, it’s usually sporadic. Why?”

“No reason,” Regina said, turning back to Henry. He waved to her once he reached the top and she waved back, an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She had learned to trust her gut after years on the battlefield and it told her that Hilda was going to be a problem. It also told her going against Hilda would alienate them as well.

She suddenly preferred navigating a minefield to mommy dynamics.

*****

Their next visits proved that Hilda’s behavior wasn’t just because they were new parents she didn’t know yet. She seemed obsessed with Henry and Roland, always making a point to greet them. And every time they visited, she tried to find a reason to hold Roland. Regina and Robin kept shutting down her every attempt politely as they didn’t really need her help. They also worried that she would try to walk away with one of their boys and had reminded Henry that he should only go anywhere with one of them.

Regina also noticed that Hilda tended to hover more when Robin was with her. When he was there, she always tried to take over whatever task he was doing--whether it was feeding Roland, tying Henry’s shoes, or putting a coat on either boy. It was as if she just automatically assumed he would do it wrong and Regina figured it was probably just a preconceived sexist notion that men were hopeless and helpless when it came to children. Because when it was just her, Hilda never tried to take over anything she was doing. All she did was continue to try to find a way to hold Roland and each time, Regina kept shutting her down as politely as possible while still putting some warning into her voice.

It got Hilda to back off for a couple weeks before she was back at it again.

And all the while, the other mothers just kept praising Hilda. It got to the point that Regina did start to wonder if it was just her.

“It’s not you,” Mary Margaret told her, pouring her a cup of coffee. “She’s the reason we stopped going.”

“Was she obsessed with Neal or Eva?” Regina asked her.

Mary Margaret shook her head. “She just was very patronizing toward David. Always kept taking Eva from him and insisting on taking care of her.”

“She tries to do the same with Robin but he keeps Roland away from her,” Regina replied.

“Some of the dads do, some don’t,” Mary Margaret said. “Almost all stop going.”

Regina frowned. “What about their wives?”

“Depends. A couple still come but they are generally the ones who also complain about how useless their husbands are,” Mary Margaret replied.

“Charming,” Regina replied, sighing. “So there’s no stopping her?”

“I’m sure there is. David and I decided it wasn’t our battle, not with him deployed again,” Mary Margaret said, her voice trailing off as sadness filled her eyes. Regina took her hand, holding it as her friend had a moment with her feelings.

Clearing her throat, Mary Margaret continued: “You and Robin have to decide if this is your battle. And if it is, Hilda doesn’t stand a chance.”

Regina smiled, giving her friend’s hand a squeeze. “Thank you.”

They moved onto another topic but the conversation kept replaying in Regina’s mind. Was the battle with Hilda hers? Or would her energies be better spent finding a new place to take the boys? And if so, would Hilda’s reign of terror never end? Could she live with that or would her sense of justice force her hand?

*****

Taking the boys to the Play Park. See you at home?

I’ll meet you there. Court’s adjourned and I’m just finishing up here at the office.

You don’t want to change first?

I’m fine. See you soon.

Regina set down her phone before logging off her computer. She stood, grabbing her bag. “See you in the morning,” she called out to Mal.

“You too,” her superior responded. “Good job today.”

Heading out of the JAG building, Regina climbed into her car and drove to the Play Park. She spotted Robin’s car already in the lot and was able to park next to him, which would make things easier when they left. Unbuckling herself, she grabbed her phone and wallet before walking through the parking lot to the building.

She checked in with the receptionist before heading to the baby and toddler area. Regina slipped into the room, scanning for her family. She spotted Henry on the playset and Robin coming out of the kitchen area with a bottle in one hand while Roland was nestled in the crook of his other arm. He eased the bottle between their son’s lips as she walked toward them.

“LET ME DO THAT!” Hilda blew past several other mothers, including one who looked like she was struggling with two babies who were really close in age if not twins. She snatched the bottle from Robin’s hand, yanking it from Roland’s mouth in the process. He blinked a few times before wailing at the top of his lungs, displeased that his meal had been interrupted so rudely.

Anger swelled in Regina and she stormed toward the older woman. Robin, though, recovered before she got there and he turned as red as a tomato. “HOW DARE YOU!” he bellowed.

Everything went still in the room as everyone turned to watch the scene unfolding. Hilda looked somewhat cowed and Regina didn’t blame her. Robin didn’t let his anger get the best of him often but when he did, he was just as much a force to reckon with as her.

“Give me the bottle back,” he demanded, holding his hand out as he tried to rock Roland to calm him.

“He’s upset,” Hilda said, sounding as if Robin was incapable of realizing that. She seemed to not recognize that she was the reason Roland was so upset. Her patronizing tone continued as she said: “Give him to me. I can soothe him with no problem.”

“So can I...once you give me his bottle back,” Robin replied.

Hilda just smiled at him. “I’ll feed him and you go play with your boy. That’s what men understand. Women understand babies.”

"I understand babies,” he answered, “especially mine. Now, give me back the bottle.”

“Is there a problem?” one of the managers asked, approaching. She looked nervously between Robin and Hilda.

Robin nodded. “This woman grabbed the bottle right out of my son’s mouth.”

“I was helping,” Hilda protested.

“By pulling the bottle from my son’s mouth and upsetting him?” he asked, rocking a still distraught Roland. “And refusing to give it back?”

The manager sighed, holding out her hand. “Give me the bottle, Hilda.”

Hilda handed the woman the bottle and she quickly gave it to Robin. “I’m sorry for this, Mr...?”

“Locksley,” he replied, easing the bottle back between Roland’s lips. The boy calmed down and started to suckle eagerly, finally getting the nourishment he needed.

“Locksley,” the woman repeated. She then frowned. “You’re one of our military families, right?”

He nodded and Hilda seemed to seize on that. “See? You’re a soldier, not a nurturer.”

“He’s not the soldier,” Regina said, stepping forward at last. “I am.”

Hilda’s eyes widened as she took in Regina’s uniform. Her eyes then softened and her patronizing tone returned. “You’re not really a soldier, dear. You’re a general’s secretary, right?”

Regina’s anger flared up. “How dare you belittle me like that. I am a soldier. I served multiple tours overseas and fought on the front lines. And I’m now a lawyer, fighting in the courtroom. I am hardly an administrative assistant, though none of them deserve such a dismissive attitude to all the hard work they do to help keep our army running.”

“I think we should probably go to my office,” the manager suggested, looking even more nervous and uncomfortable.

“What about our other son?” Regina asked, glancing over at Henry. He continued to play with the other children, unaware of the drama unfolding with his parents.

“Our staff will keep an eye on him,” the manager promised, motioning for another staff member. She spoke to the woman, who nodded and said she would keep an eye on Henry.

They all went to the manager’s office. She closed her door with a sigh. “Mr. Locksley, Mrs...”

“Captain,” Robin corrected. “My wife is a captain.”

The manager paused before saying: “My apologies. Mr. Locksley, Captain Locksley.”

Roland spat out his bottle, yawning as his eyes closed. Regina took the bottle from Robin and he patted their son’s back, encouraging him to burp. All the while, he kept his eyes on the manager. “This was unacceptable. She pulled the bottle from my son’s mouth and startled me. I could’ve dropped him. She could’ve hurt him.”

“I understand,” the manager said, eyeing Hilda. For her part, the older woman hung her head as the other woman continued: “It will never happen again.”

“We hope so,” Robin replied. “That’s why I would like to make a formal complaint.”

Hilda sat up straighter, the color draining from her face. “Is that necessary?”

“Yes,” he insisted.

“I assure you we will handle it,” the manager insisted, looking a bit uncomfortable.

He shot Regina a look and she cleared her throat. “Perhaps we need to talk to your manager?”

The color drained from the manager’s face. “That won’t be necessary.I can help you file the formal complaint.”

“Wait, are you serious?” Hilda asked, leaning forward. “I’m a dedicated volunteer. I’ve helped many moms here!”

“And chased away just as many dads,” Robin shot back.

“It’s their own male ego that chased them away,” she said. “They were too proud to admit they are essentially useless when it comes to babies. Women do that best. Right, Regina?”

“Captain Locksley, please,” Regina told her coldly, even though she felt as if fire were flowing through her veins. “And I was deployed for my final tour when our eldest was only nine months. I was gone for nearly a year. You know who took care of him? His father. And he did a damn good job--by himself.”

Robin’s cheeks turned pink as Hilda sank back in her seat. “Oh.”

“Now,” Regina said, leveling the manager with a hard glare. “I believe we were about to file a formal complaint?”

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

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Regina asked, sitting in the car with her family. They were parked in front of the Play Park, staring at the building. Her stomach churned in a way it hadn’t even when she was about to run into an active war zone.

Robin reached over and took her hand. “We did nothing wrong. Hilda did and it was our right to report her.”

“I know,” she said softly. “But it was clear everyone else loved Hilda. What if they hate us for reporting her?”

“Then they hate us and have to deal with the fact that she was wrong,” he replied. “We can’t let her or them keep us from this place. Not when Henry loves it so much.”

She glanced to the backseat. Henry was leaning over the edge of his car seat, trying to get closer to the window. His hazel eyes looked longingly at the building and he wiggled against his restraints, clearly wanting to get out and go play.

Regina took a deep breath and let out. “You’re right. We can do this.”

“Together,” he assured her, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.

“You’re my favorite partner,” she told him. “Just don’t tell David.”

Robin chuckled. “I think he already knows.”

She laughed before taking a deep breath. Giving his hand a squeeze back, she nodded. “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go.”

Climbing out of the car, they got the boys out and headed to the building. Henry skipped next to his mother as he held Regina’s hand and she smiled, glad he was happy. She held her head high, meeting Robin’s eye. He winked at her and she knew that no matter what awaited them inside, it would all be fine because they would face it together.

#once upon a time #outlaw queen #oq au #oq ff #soldier verse

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glassprism · 5 years ago

Text

Review - Phantom of the Opera Restaged Tour: July 21, 2019 (matinee)

My first live show of Phantom!

THE SHOW Prologue + Overture: Genuine goosebumps here at the Overture. The "journey to the past" aspect looks even better live. One lyric change that I hadn't noticed before was that Raoul said "Leave it" (instead of "Boy!") after winning the monkey music box. Hannibal: Trista Moldovan as Carlotta was the show stealer, and got lots of laughs. She was hilariously abusive with the ballerinas, shoving them out of the way or smacking them with her skirt. She also had a great moment with Andre during her 'Think of Me' when she got her scarf stuck on his face and continued singing while tugging quite forcefully at it. I was also quite happy to catch Kaitlyn Davis and Emma Grimsley as the Princesses; Davis in particular had some nice background moments, chatting up the managers during Carlotta's scene. I had a bit of a tough time spotting Jenna Burns in the corps, but finally caught her when I saw she was the only dancer not going en pointe.

This was also the moment where I felt myself starting to compare the show a little too much to the Copenhagen bootleg I’d just seen the day before, and finding what I was seeing onstage to be lacking. However, yelling “LOWER YOUR STANDARDS” at myself fixed that, and the show became much more enjoyable.

'Think of Me': Decently acted, no complaints here. I'm glad that Christines are no longer waving their arms around like a deranged seagull (I think we can thank Katie Travis for that?); from where I was sitting it's much less movement, but also makes them look much more elegant, in an understated sort of way. I was not a big fan of Jenna Burns's voice, though it's grown on me a bit now; something about the theater's resonance made her sound kind of throaty and sharp, and this was the song where I first noticed it. Dressing Room: Not too much to say, other than the managers being completely drunk off their butts! I was pleased to catch a glimpse of the Phantom as a stagehand; in fact, I'm not sure how anybody can miss him, because he lingers a VERY long time as he passes by Christine. First Lair: Very fine entrance by Derrick Davis, his voice booming out into the theater. The title song was about as expected, though I remember the girl next to me laughing when the Phantom swept over the music stand so enthusiastically that he threw a bunch of music sheets onto the ground. Said girl also clearly said "WTF?" during the blindfold scene in MOTN, which... yeah, totally agree. With all that said... Derrick Davis's acting was a highlight, and he's clearly doing all he can to salvage the blocking. As noted above, he very hesitant, even jumpy, in Christine's presence. There was one point where he moved to take Christine's arm and I could clearly see him reach out, pause, then slowly move to touch her. When Christine "trips" (very poorly and I definitely heard someone in the audience snort at that, but what can you do), it looked partially because it was the Phantom jerking back from touching her, and again there was a visible hesitance when he reached out scoop her up again. Jenna Burns was also pretty good here; I liked how she cradled her head against the Phantom's shoulder before he had even put her to bed. I don't like the idea of it (why are you going to sleep? You are in a strange lair with a strange man!), but she executed it well. Moving onto to 'Stranger Than You Dreamt It'... I thought Davis was much less violent than I remember him, or other restaged tour Phantoms, being (though maybe it's because the last restaged Phantom I watched was Chris Mann, who tried to upper cut Christine in this scene). His "chasing" of Christine was fairly slow and his grabbing her head didn't even look all that threatening. Nor was he all that angry, which was probably my only major criticism of him, that he could have let loose more here. I remember wondering if it was because it was Jenna Burns's first show and he was being more careful with her, or was just less comfortable and less willing to do something risky with her. Interestingly, Christine actually stood up to give him back his mask, which I thought was a nice attempt to shift the power dynamic a bit, though at this point it's too little, too late. (Oh restaged tour, you messed up the dynamic irreparably when you had the Phantom stand through most of this scene, Christine getting up for 10 seconds ain't going to change that.) 'Notes I'/'Prima Donna'/Il Muto: Not a whole lot to say here, except that David Benoit as Firmin was obsessed with money and publicity to the point where it was amusing, almost drunkenly happy with all the negative press the show was getting ("It's PUBLICITY! And the take is VAST!"). Also, due to the angle I was sitting at, I probably saw more of Carlotta, and Trista Moldovan, than I ever wanted to see when she was undressing. One thing that was cool, and which doesn't pop up often on the boots I have, was seeing the Phantom walking around atop the catwalk during the note reading scene. Il Muto was good as well, with Don Attilio getting a lot of laughs. I'm pretty sure Carlotta physically shoved Christine's Pageboy off the couch, which was also amusing, and Jenna Burns had some rather funny and realistic reactions when the cast was trying to recover from the Phantom crashing the opera. Rooftop: Not a lot to say here. I liked how Jenna Burns played the line, "Raoul, I've been there, to his world of unending night!" Instead of chasing him down like other Christines do, she kind of pushed at him but still clung to his arm - so angry but also yearning for comfort, I guess. She didn't play up the "suicide jump" too much, which might explain Jordan Craig's less-than-caring reaction - instead of kneeling and reaching for Christine, he stood for quite a while, just singing lackadaisically to her. The chandelier fall was pretty awesome, lots of sparks and crashing noises, but I don't think it dropped any plastic bits, because I ran down to the lower level to try and grab some but couldn't find any. On the other hand, I got a decent photo of the chandelier practically hanging over the front row. 'Masquerade': The main things I noticed was that Jenna Burns appears to have Katie Travis's / Eva Tavares's Star Princess dress, so boo, no shiny old school Star Princess for her. The second was that Derrick Davis's pants were rolled up high, and I mean quite high - his boots didn't reach where the pants ended, and he did not have any stockings on. I saw leg. I saw SKIN. It was bizarre and I have no idea if that's normal or just a mistake. 'Notes II'/'Twisted Every Way': Not too much to mention, again, except that Jenna Burns's slap needs more oomph to it. I didn't even hear a smack; she could have been slapping air for all I knew. There was a pretty cool effect with the speakers in 'Notes I', where they had the Phantom's voice coming from different speakers to give the effect that he was "moving" somewhere above the audience. The sitzprobe scene was good, mainly because there was a moment where the entire ensemble lost patience with Piangi being unable to sing "tangled with Don Juan" on the right note and shouted "TAN!" at him. Also, I noticed that one of the candles on the piano didn't light, so there was only one candle erupting flames. Still pretty good though. As expected, Meg was completely and ludicrously stand-offish to Christine after the rehearsal, but what was hilarious was that Christine began singing TO her ("In sleep he sang to me..."), leaving me wondering if the two were trying to play up some kind of lesbian relationship between the two (not that I'd be opposed to that...). Graveyard: Not a whole lot to say here either, though I did think Jenna Burns did a good job with this song; I think it was maybe her strongest yet, and I enjoyed how, like a few other Christines before her, she played up the anger Christine felt at her father ("Her father promised her... Her father promised her!"). She could have sustained the last note a bit longer, but that's a very minor complaint. The pyro was cool. And the gunshot effect in 'Seal My Fate' was shockingly loud, and made quite a few people giggle nervously. 'Point of No Return': Jenna Burns did nicely here, I enjoyed how she was practically laying down on the table during the, er, strawberry dangling over her mouth bit. She did start struggling away from the Phantom a bit too early - like, before the Phantom had even put his hands over her face, but like Grace Morgan and Katie Travis before her, she made it quite obvious that she knew he was the Phantom and that she was checking if anyone else did. Oh, and Derrick Davis knelt down when he proposed to her. Jenna Burns took off almost a bit too fast; it didn't give a lot of time for Derrick Davis to react to the unmasking, and he had to go tearing off after her rather quickly. This, hilariously, meant that it looked like Raoul shot the Phantom rather than the policeman behind the Phantom. 'Final Lair': Some great moments here. Derrick Davis was suitably jerky and crazed, Jenna Burns defiant and strong. (Jordan Craig was there. You know, off in the corner the tour relegates Raoul to.) I thought, again, that Davis was a bit less violent than in other videos or compared to other Phantoms; the biggest example of this is when he tossed Christine on the bed, he didn't hold her down (much) or even climb on the bed, just kind of stood shouting at her. It wasn't GREAT, but it's an improvement. He also gave a very loud gasp when he realized he was strangling Christine. Also, my favorite moment of Davis's acting - right before the kiss, as Christine is circling the Phantom, he tried to cover up his deformity from her. It was probably my moment of strongest sympathy for him. Happily, his reaction to the kiss was not as hilarity-inducing as it was on the video him, where he basically flung himself onto his belly to get away from Christine. There was some flailing and pushing away, but it looked more natural. Though I think I saw him crawl under the bed when the mob came in. Ah, the magic of theater.

Anyway, the audience was quite enthusiastic, laughing and clapping at all the right parts, and both Jenna Burns and Derrick Davis got standing ovations. A couple other notes: there were some costumes on display outside, so I snapped some photos of those - nothing anyone hasn't seen before, but it was good to get up close to them. Carlotta's black-and-white costume seemed a particular favorite, judging by the comments I heard. I bought myself a souvenir brochure and a charm bracelet that's way too big for my teeny wrist, but whatever, I now have Phantom memorabilia! I also managed to stagedoor for a bit. Unfortunately there was apparently something of a cast party going on inside, so people were slow to come out and I had to leave after only getting a couple of signatures. But I still met Jenna Burns (she was the first out, was very sweet and took time to talk to everyone in line) and Kaitlyn Davis (who, given she had "only" been in the ensemble that performance, seemed a little hesitant to sign anyone's stuff until I screwed up my courage and went "ARE YOU KAITLYN DAVIS", at which point she did sign, so yay. Though I did not tell her that she's emailed me before asking for video of herself, despite being rather tempted to do so).

So, overall... THE ACTORS Derrick Davis: Probably the highlight of the show for me. He's my favorite of all the Phantoms I've seen in the restaged tour and he lived up to my expectations, and he added in even more touches of hesitation and unsureness. There was also a nervous jerkiness to his movements, especially in 'Final Lair', that reminded me vaguely of Leroux!Phantom. Only major criticism of him, as already noted, was his a-bit-too-restrained STYDI. Otherwise, he rocked the role, and I'm quite glad to have seen him. Jenna Burns: Her very first performance, rather extraordinarily lucky of me, so I cut her a lot of slack. Having said that, she has good potential. Vocally she wasn't quite my favorite, sounding a lot like Jordan Ensign in having a bit of this sharpness in her voice throughout, though at least her vibrato wasn't so strong. Strangely she sounds better on audio than when I heard her live. Her acting was pretty good, she did everything right and was responsive to her co-actors. The main thing she needs to improve on is making it her own - she basically went through the blocking and while she acted it quite well, there wasn't anything memorable about it. I did think she was also rushing through it a bit, starting up each line without taking the time to pause and breathe and let the moment sink in, but again, that's something that comes with time. Overall, I could definitely tell she was new in the role, but there's some good stuff there once she takes the time to dig it out. Jordan Craig: Pretty much a Raoul who exists and not much else - but when it comes to the restaged tour, I'll take it. In retrospect, I think the reason I rated him so high (or at least, higher than the previous restaged tour Raouls) is because he's less aggressive than all of them - at least he's not grabbing Christine's head all the time or acting completely condescending to her. I did not care much for his voice, which sounded oddly tinny, but his acting was not egregiously bad and he had a couple of good moments (like holding Christine's hands a little longer than necessary in 'All I Ask of You') Trista Moldovan: A complete hoot, and has improved so much since I saw her on video. She's in good voice, but I remember her most for her comedic moments, acting the complete diva with all the other cast members. While I might be misremembering, I also thought she snuck in some extra lines in Italian, particularly in Il Muto when the Phantom interrupts the scene. David Benoit and Rob Lindley: Another hilarious set of cast members, both of them playing up the contrast between Firmin's business-like personality and Andre's more artistic, easily flustered temperament. Lindley's Andre was extremely funny during Il Muto too ("Yes, THANK YOU!!" as one of the fops refused to go offstage). Susan Moniz: I generally don't have much to say about Madame Giry, but I did notice that Giry in this production seemed much more... present, if that's the right word. I kept noticing her lurking in the corners or sides of the stage, just observing the proceedings in typically ambiguous manner. The most memorable was in 'Point of No Return' when Christine pulled the hood off the Phantom; I saw her emerge along with the police, which was rather interesting. Phumzile Sojola: A skinny Piangi, if I'm not mistaken! I didn't notice him that much, but he had some good moments in Hannibal ("Rommmmaaaaa! Rommmaaaa! It's very hard for me!") and was a worthy lapdog and fanboy of Trista Moldovan's Carlotta, who in turn was very defensive of him. SarahGrace Mariani: A sassy little Meg, pulling faces and, like her mother, lurking around in the background and trying to stay in the scene even when Madame Giry kept trying to shove her off. Voice could have been better - it was pretty heavy on the vibrato - but I don't expect good singing voices from Meg at this point.

The ensemble too was very strong; I remember M. Reyer was quite funny, in an overbearing and aggressive sort of way. Everyone seemed really into their role, always doing something in the background, to the point where I sometimes forgot to watch the principals because I was too busy looking at what one of the ballerinas was doing. Overall, a memorable day and a good performance for my very first live show!

#gp reviews #2 #3 #4 #5 #Phantom of the Opera

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1899-newsboy-strike · 5 years ago

Note

5,12 list 2 with reader x whatever newsie you feel like! Maybe a hurt reader?

5 - why are you helping me

12 - it’s okay I’m here

Red - Davey Jacobs Imagine

Warnings: reader getting beat, mentions of blood

Summary: The story of how you got the nickname Red.

—————————————————–

It all started when you sighed putting the last penny of the day in your pocket before making your way back to the lodging house. You hadn’t even made double what you payed for since some of the papers had fallen into a puddle and were soaking wet. You walked slowly back to the lodging house not bothering to hurry up and get back since it was getting late. As you turned the corner you felt eyes on you making you look around to see who it was, but saw that the streets were empty. As you continued walking you felt like you were being followed making you speed up. “Where ya goin’ in such a hurry Y/N?” You heard behind you and froze at the sound of one of the Delancey brothers.

“Yeah, we just wanna talk.” You heard as someone grabbed your arm and looked up to see Oscar. “I’s not in da mood Osca.” You muttered as you tried to pull away from his grip. “Don’t be like that, we just wanna talk to ya.” Morris explained as he leaned against the wall next to him. “Ain’t ya got anyone else ta botha?” You asked as you finally pulled out of Oscar’s grip and started walking away. You felt a hand on your shoulder and you spun around pushing Oscar away from you. “Get off a me!” You exclaimed and before you knew it you were being held back by Morris.

You felt a foot connect to your stomach making you cry out as you almost fell forward but Morris held you up. “Please-” You started but were kicked again and you felt like you couldn’t breathe. You tried to get out of Morris’ grip, but had no energy left to fight. You suddenly felt a cool piece of medal connect with your face and the impact made your face turn in the direction of the hit. You went limp in Morris’ arms and he dropped you to the floor as they both continued to kick and punch you laughing at you trying to move away from the both of them.

After a while you were laid out on the floor as they had left and you could feel the blood dripping down a cut on your face. You tried to stand up and couldn’t as you felt pain in your lower stomach and couldn’t move. “Y/N?” You heard someone ask from a distance and you looked up and wiped the bloody matted hair out of your face. “It’s okay, I’m here.” The person said and you realized it was Davey. “What happened to ya?” He asked as he lifted you up and you held onto him for support.

“Osca and Morris… they just came and den left me on da street.” You explained gripping him tighter as he tried to get you to move. “I’ll take ya back to the lodging house, but after that I gotta get home.” He explained and you smiled slightly. “Thanks Davey.” You said as you slowly made your way back to the lodging house. It was quiet as you both walked back, and you weren’t surprised. Davey acted as though he disliked you ever since he had become a newsie. You never understood what you had done since Davey was sweet to everyone but you. You had always been nice to him so you didn’t know what it was.

“Y/N what happened to ya?!” You heard Jack’s voice echo as you walked into the lodging house. “Da Delancey’s.” You responded before letting go of Davey as you limped over to the restroom wincing and holding your lower stomach with each step. When you walked into the restroom you saw your face and hair in the small mirror covered in blood. You let out a cry as you leaned down near the water and tried the best you could to pump the water out but couldn’t. “Here let me.” You heard behind you making you jump and wince as you saw Davey. “Ya don’t have to. I can get it.” You tried to argue but Davey made you sit down on one of the stools you all kept in the restroom.

Davey had grabbed a cloth and wet in before trying to clean your hair. “Thought ya had ta go home afta droppin’ me off?” You asked before flinched as he started to clean your face. “Decided to stay a while.” He responded and you bit your lip as he went over your cheek where you had a cut from Oscar’s brass knuckles. “Why are ya helpin’ me? Ya could be hangin’ wit da othas.” You explained and grabbed his shoulder squeezing it whenever he cleaned a spot that hurt more than the others. “I heard you stugglin’ in here and I wanted ta help.” He explained and you just stared at him. “Ya don’t like me Davey, it woulda made more sense for one a da otha boys ta help.” You said not looking at him. “Who said I don’t like ya?” He asked making you shake your head. “No one had ta tell me anythin’. Ya just treat me different then da rest a da boys.” You explained and he finally finished cleaning your cuts.

“I like ya Y/N. I’m sorry if ya thought I didn’t. I didn’t mean to make it seem like that. I actually like ya… more than I do any of the others.” He explained making you furrow your brows. “What do ya mean more den da othas?” You asked and he blushed. “I like ya more than a friend. Like the way Jack likes Katherine.” He explained and you felt your face heat up. “Ya hardly eva talk ta me, how do ya like me?” You asked making Davey smile at you shyly. “I’ve been talking to Mush about ya.” He explained and you blushed even more. Mush was your selling partner and best friend who you shared a bunk with.

“Hey Y/N, you’s lookin’ red.” You heard a voice echo from the entrance of the restroom and saw Race. “It’s just from all da hits. What are ya doin’ in here anyway?” You asked and he laughed pointing over in the direction of the toilets before he walked in and closed the door. “Can ya help me to my bunk?” You asked Davey and he nodded helping you stand up. “I’s just feelin’ sore now, so dats good.” You explained before looking at yourself in the small mirror in the restroom. “Dat’s gonna leave a scar.” You muttered to yourself as you touched the cut on your cheek. “It will look cool.” Davey said and you smiled softly as you started making your way toward your bed. Half way you realized that Davey’s arm was wrapped around your waist and you were both close to each other. You didn’t notice all of the boys whispering to each other about how much you were blushing.

“Y/N ya can sleep on da bottom tonight.” Mush said as he started to get off from his bed but you waved him off. “You’s already comfortable, I’s fine.” You told him and tried to make your way up the ladder. You struggled and Davey tried helping you until you slipped and he had to catch you. “Thanks.” You whispered as you reached for the rungs again and this time Davey helped push you up to your bed. You sighed as you just stared at the ceiling the whole night trying to figure out what Davey had told you and trying to find a position that wouldn’t hurt as much.

After that night anytime you would be near Davey you would become a blushing mess and the boys would tease you. After finally getting a push from Mush Davey started talking to you everyday which would make you blush almost all the time. Even if someone had mentioned Davey’s name or you just thought about him you would turn red. Eventually Race started teasing you by calling you Red whenever you were blushing and the rest followed suit. The only person who wouldn’t call you Red was Davey. It all started out on a bad day of selling and now here you were, getting called Red because of one David Jacobs.

#newsies #newsies x reader #newsies imagine #imagine #x reader #x reader imagine #david #david jacobs #david newsies #david jacobs newsies #davey #davey jacobs #davey jacobs newsies #david imagine #david jacobs imagine #david x reader #david jacobs x reader #davey imagine #davey jacobs imagine

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cosplayinamerica · 6 years ago

Photo

One funny interaction with con-goers this past weekend was unknown to me while in the costume, and I only realized once my friend told me later. Whenever a kid would take a photo with our group, if they stood near my robot, they would gently hold onto one of the fingers of the claws. During these photos, I would stand very still to avoid bumping into the child, so I had no idea this was even happening.

My friends and I had been trying to decide on a group cosplay for ECCC for a while, then we saw Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and we immediately knew we wanted to do the Spider Fam. Of all the characters to build a costume for, the SP//dr suit seemed to me the most unique and challenging. I have been wanting to build an armor costume for a few years now, so I figured this was the perfect opportunity to try it out.

The costume is built mostly of EVA foam, and the larger sections have an internal structure of PVC pipe for support. I designed and 3D-printed the claws on the arms so they would snap together without other hardware, then added a system inside to control them from the midsection of the arm. The dome was one of the more challenging pieces, as I had to find a way to darken the inside enough to obscure my face while still being able to see. I ended up airbrushing a few transparent layers then applying a spray gloss to bring the visibility back. I will be putting together a more complete write-up for the build on TheRPF.

I have always been a collector of hobbies and skills, and cosplay has allowed me to use a wide variety of those skills to contribute to a single goal. I think it is important to find something you have a passion for and then nurture that passion whenever you are able, because it is bound to bring you joy. I love to design and create, and if my creations can cause joy for others that is just icing on the cake.

---- https://www.instagram.com/grizzium/

Photo : David Ngo

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zepdeans · 5 years ago

Text

this is highkey like a month late (i mean wbk im a chronic scatterbrain procrastinator) and she’s thicccc but without further ado. my skam s4 thoughts.

I first just want to say a couple things: im not a muslim woc so my thoughts on s4 don’t hold as much value as those of a muslim, woc, or a muslim woc. I also don’t know to what degree sana’s representation was true to real life. I made an effort to look for posts from muslim woc on sana’s season but to no real avail, especially given it’s been two years since skam ended and a lot of blogs have deactivated, changed urls, or posts have become buried :( [if you know of any good posts regarding sana’s season please lmk!]. from what I can recall in 2017, there were mixed opinions on s4 with most being upset (or at least disappointed) with the ultimate execution of sana’s storyline and I agree w that. while s4 means so much to me and has a really special place in my heart, I do 100% acknowledge its flaws. ok!!!!!! lets get into it😤

ep1 -as much as I wished isak stayed in kollektivet I’m glad he and even had a rlly sweet happy time this entire season. also evak making their friends move all their furniture while they whisper romantic shit to each other and makeout? peak comedy -you fuckin wish!!! -sana is the one to say “of course you should tell noora about william”.. she Knew and still takes the fall for it :( -this opening clip is such a jarring shift into sana’s pov!! e.g. while easy to overlook in previous seasons, sana’s exclusion from the girls is glaringly obvious once we’re looking through her eyes -adding onto that! sana is the friend who notices everyone else- she’s so observant, which hurts even more when you notice her friends don’t do the same (except mayhaps chris- in my heart of hearts I know chris is also the friend who notices and goes unnoticed, but unfortunately we don’t get enough of her and sana’s relationship this season to fully see that) -yousef and the balloon squad’s entrance.... ICONIC! also I cant believe for 2 seasons they presented those dickbag nissen 97s as the be all end all of hot amazing boys when the bakka third years were RIGHT THERE like,, the penetrators vs. balloon squad + even? no contest ma’am -also! it’s so interesting that we literally had no idea sana had a brother, or that yousef etc existed until now? it’s as if she has a whole private world at home, separate from her friends and nissen (and I think a theme of this season is those two worlds merging) -im obsessed w the yousana train scene but yousef being the only one who notices sana standing off to the side? ;-; -fy faen is such a stunning clip oh my god. when sana leaves to pray? possibly my favourite skam scene ever. it’s exquisite. -sana is so cute and awkward squeezing thru the crowd shsdhgfhshdf I LOVE her love her -the last shot on yousef and noora... oh my GOD oh my god bc like. being that friend who never ever tells your real feelings or your crushes or is vulnerable with your friends?? and then having to listen to them talk about how good your crush would be with someone else (especially one of ur friends) while ur sitting there silently dying inside? and you don’t say anything since you can’t be vulnerable with your friends and u don’t think u stand a chance anyways so. (in the words of s3 noora. I think sana struck a nerve with the emotional unavailability! abbey r u ok) -this episode is a masterpiece and did such a phenomenal job of both introducing us to sana’s perspective while also touching on a multitude of her struggles AND establishing the themes of the season. plus the cinematography, editing, soundtrack and aesthetic...... o baby. (case in point I deadass just rewatched it after writing this)

ep2 -every shot of sana praying is beautiful (and beautifully edited!!) -sana’s room is usually messy... not smart enough to fully analyze this but I’m sure it means something -an interesting contrast of what’s expected of her vs. of elias- I can’t speak for muslim families, but I know even in non-muslim families girls are always held to suchhh a higher standard (source: I have 2 brothers rip) -”if you find immaturity charming” hilarious bc sana actually does in fact find immaturity charming -what’s interesting is how noora comes across in sana’s POV- kinda obnoxious, kinda ignorant, seemingly perfect (compared to how noora is portrayed in eva’s season, for example) -even is one of those ppl who uses the bill gates argument on why dropping out of school makes u richer sdfhfsjskfjfsd -sana staring down the pepsi max squad. fuck em up. -vilde adding magnus to the groupchat jfkjsjfdjfsfsdkj -isak missing eskild :’) sidenote I fucking live for isak and sana’s chats this season. they’re literally my lifeblood like....

ep3 -the kiss me scene god I go FERAL -“you need to pull it towards you, not push it away. okay?” yall mind if i SCREAM!! YOUSEF!!!!!!!!!! -there rlly is something about seeing sana, who in everyone else’s POV comes off as cold and harsh and stoic, just absolutely meltinggg when she talks w yousef like she doesn’t stop smiling she’s so sweet!!!! ah🥰 and yousef is 100% that guy who ppl tell “your gf is so intimidating and ruthless bro” and he’s like are y’all talking about sana??????? my baby?? my fuckin cinnamon apple????? -yousef’s lil smile watching sana peel carrots. 911 it’s me again -vilde and sana’s relationship has a really interesting dynamic bc like.. vilde says ignorant shit to sana while also genuinely looking up to her. and sana is probably the harshest to vilde within the group but it’s because she actually values their friendship a lot -IM HURT BECAUSE YOU NEVER REPLIED TO MY MEME -sana pulling 2yr old receipts off the top of her head to defend vilde. god I stan -sana doin research taking notes..... shameful she isn’t canonically a virgo (honestly her and isak both but like-) -she’s so soft and smiley w her mamma awh... “of course he likes you, who doesn’t like you?” her mamma only knows the real, gentle, beautiful loving sana oh im CRY -even is so kind and loving and thoughtful yall mind if i....... -”you can’t escape the internet girl” foreshadowing mayhaps?

ep4 -david and ulrikke together are fucking hilarious -noora’s “you’re lucky you don’t have to think about this stuff, heartbreak and that” :/ it’s not just vilde who says ignorant things to sana! -that being said sana and noora are cute asf in the exper5 scene.. dorky noora rise (omg josefine and her yogurt in the bloopers too sjhfkjdf) -I HANDLE BALLS BETTER THAN YOU -the yousana scene is sooo gorgeous whew...... -I always cry a lil bit (ok a lot) when yousef brings up even. and sana knew too. even sweetie ily :( -sana talking about her religion is beautiful. it’s so lovely to learn about how she thinks and sees the world. -yousef’s smile watching sana leave like ur kidding right....... -“flawless since 99″ is so cringey. it’s so cringeyyy -sana uses “smh” I knew we were soulmates

ep5 -eavesdropping on ur parent/brother’s argument is peak sibling culture -when ur always paranoid but ur always right..... -sana’s green jumpsuit sign me up babey -I really really really love elias and sana’s conversation -u dont even realize how tiny sana is until she’s standing next to isak and even -not finding out why yousef avoided the fight and why he kissed noora will haunt me forever (could we not have expanded more on that instead of noorhelm.......) -the parallel of sana washing isak’s blood off her hands vs. her washing her hands during maghrib in episode 1. gotta sit down. -vilde gossiping to the pepsimax girls stings SO bad it’s just such a betrayal?:( -“the other girls seem cool, especially noora! she’s so pretty!” ok much to unpack here but: sana again comparing herself to noora (who she sees as /perfect/)... sana being written off despite putting so much effort and passion into the russ bus while noora, who has done literally nothing and at best is indifferent to russ, is the one they like the most. disgusteng -love will tear us apart.. bitch..... -sana abt to cry god I can’t -if sana is anything like me (I mean I think she is but jkjjkhsdfhfsd). looking stupid is the absolute worst so like, her sending out emails abt being bus boss when she was actually being lied to? being played? and her being “paranoid” about sara being shady, but deciding hey maybe im just being crazy? except she wasn’t she was right and she Knew!! and she’s probably thinking how dumb it was for her to get her hopes up, everything always ends badly anyways and no one actually likes her :((((((( -dont rlly know what my feelings are on the fight. im not against it bc isak does have a temper but his apparent motive always seemed weak to me?? and god I feel so bad for even

ep6 -forgot about sana getting bullied in middle school yall mind if I sob?? -sana lying and getting defensive bc it’s hard to be vulnerable, or because she hates looking stupid? or both?:( -isak looking up dandelions in his textbook just bc even put one behind his ear. I HATE this man -sana’s dad asking if she had a bad day aw :( -all the boys (and sana) wearing black but yousef wearing white.... what does it mean.............. -the carrots are back goddammit -radio station playing during this scene: “if I have to choose between the just non-muslim and the unjust muslim, without any doubt I would choose the non-muslim who is just” -ISAK’S NOSE SFFJDFJFSDKJSDF -sana’s text about chris I’m going to bawl my eyes out. “yeah! looking forward (to going to nissen) but a bit worried. don’t know anyone else starting there.” (J: new friends?) “yes, at least one of them. I have german with her (chris) and she’s very cool!” -the contrast of how blunt sana came off when we’re first introduced to her vs. how she was really just excited to make a new friend bc she was scared no one would like her :( especially knowing her past with bullying and how nervous she was to start at nissen? chris baby I LOVE YOU thank u ;-; -also sana keeping 2yr old conversations on her phone... same -sana is honestly too smart and scheming and overthinking for her own good. she has these elaborate plans that more-or-less always get ruined by her being more kind than she gives herself credit for (e.g. wanting to protect vilde in s1, clearing isak’s name in s4) -everyone in skam texts back so fast smh -chris calling sana “sonic”...... a moment please -I cannot watch the sana/evak apartment scene without thinking of the bloopers and losing it lmfaoooo.. “this is where we live. just come in” -ik it’s based off fanart but there is little I hate more than their matching outfits -“remember you’re both geniuses!” 🥺even -once again isak studying is uhhhh me - “you’re a good person” yall i love isak i really do. he puts his foot in his mouth pretty often and doesn’t have a great brain-to-mouth filter and he can be awkward and rambly and blunt and unsure of what to say in emotional situations but also? he’s so genuine. it’s just his honest thoughts and he says it bc he cares about sana and knows she needs to hear it!! -ᶠᵃᵉⁿ ᵉᵛᵉⁿ -sana’s inner turmoil.. thank u iman for inventing acting (ik I haven’t mentioned it much yet but god iman is SUCH a phenomenal actor I owe her my life) -LETS GO BITCHES

ep7 -sana crying silently in her room breaks my fucking heart (IMAN!!!!) -idk how I feel about the instagram plot but sana watching as her plan falls into place and then storming up to sara... pretty bada$$ -“it’s creepy it was published but it’s more creepy we have a bus boss who talks shit about everyone” THANK YOU vilde -i love s4 isak thanks -sana and jamilla’s chat aw :~) -how awkward do yall think the walk to the bench was lmfao -what sana tells isak is SO powerful and I love it a lot -isak does actually make a good point- the other girls are like that too. -unfortunately I have been in situations isak describes, where you want to learn more about your friend’s culture or religion because you care about them and you’re genuinely interested, but you don’t know what questions are okay to ask and you don’t want to sound rude or ignorant, so you ultimately end up asking no questions at all. but I hate that the responsibility is put on sana to constantly educate people bc I cannot imagine how exhausting that must be [[[ok so. I know there are VERY mixed opinions on the bench scene but here’s my dumbass two cents. 1- I genuinely think isak was trying to make sana feel better by attempting to relate to her and pass on advice that really helped him. however, I don’t think isak realized what sana eventually told him- that her experience wearing the hijab is a lot different than isak’s experience as a gay man. do I agree with everything isak said? nooo. do I understand why he said it? yeah. 2- it was not isak’s place to tell sana norwegians aren’t racist, or not to look for racism in questions. I think there’s some truth to ppl often just being ignorant, and he does add that there are probably a lot of racist people in Norway, but yeah. not great. 3- in conclusion I think while isak shared some meaningful advice w sana, he put his foot in his mouth too and said some stupid shit. im not trying to defend that. I will add, though: a. we actually do see some growth on isak’s part. when he and even are yelled at on the street, that’s the moment it clicks for him that oh shit, this is what sana was talking about. this is what she has to experience? and that’s why he texts noora, “in the speech for sana, you have to include how insanely strong she is. I don’t think many people understand how much bullshit she has to take” and b. isak’s (bad) advice of “not looking for the racism in things” is ultimately contrasted by yousef (a moc who lived most of his life as a muslim) suggesting instead to show people what islam really is. and that’s so much more meaningful. I think the root of a lot of the issues isak brought up- i.e. ignorance- is a general lack of education, representation, or effort by non-muslim people to seek out information themselves. so sana leading by example and showing what it means to her to be muslim is so much more powerful.]]] -𝒃𝒂𝒎! -BEST BUDS 🥺

ep8 -haper du har plass weaving in and out of this episode until the chorus finally breaks when the los losers van shows up...... miss julie 😭 -oh my god the pictures. im a fucking MESS bc they’re not only significant to the scene and to sana but also like,, as part of our goodbye to the girls?? -the balloon squad and even :( while the timeline of them reconciling within just this week is kinda wack, seeing even back with his friends looking so happy makes my heart uwu so i’ll allow it just this once -eva’s message to vilde about her and magnus being able to trust each other w/o reading their texts... growth or irony -chris is such a phenomenal friend (and this is why I wanted more of her in s4!!) -sana’s phonecall to the girls breaks my fucking heart bc like. right off the bat she’s finally being vulnerable with them?? telling them about her fears and insecurities and struggles? typing this im gonna start crying lol but god I love her so much. she’s so brave and she put all that on the line bc all she really cares about are her friends, she loves them SO much even if (she thinks) they don’t love her back -lowkey sobbed so hard during the haper du har plass clip I almost threw up and it gave me a headache :) -anyways this is one of my favourite skam clips and god just. the moment you hear the girls calling for sana??? I LOSE it. when sana just starts BEAMING omg🤧 the girls love sana and support her and if you fuck with sana you fuck with us!!!!!! god. cannot articulate how dear to my heart this scene is. -haper du har plass feels like the end of the episode and the party clip is kinda just tacked on but I love how happy everyone is!! they’re all drinking champagne (who taught isak how to hold things) and dancing and smilingggg 💛 -yousana rise!!!!!!!! -ok don’t get me wrong I hate william for crashing the party but their entrance slow-mo kinda slaps.... also sana popping up in between noorhelm SENDS me

ep9 -this is the point in the season where the amount of time dedicated to noorhelm is beyond beyond beyond significantly damaging to the story. this is sana’s last episode!! instead of having them makeout in front of william’s car for 20 minutes mayhaps we could’ve had a conversation between the girls and sana, or with her brother (if they had continued the elias alcoholism plotline rip), or maybe even with jamilla or her mamma? like I don’t care at ALL about noora or william. give me anything else. ple a s e -what makes skam scenes so brilliant is their quiet moments!! julie let the scene breathe. not everything needs a tacky song playing over top. -I’ve said this abt like twenty clips now but MAGHRIB. oh my GOD. an absolute masterpiece and definitely tied for my all time favourite skam clip. can’t rlly put into words how stunning it is. & I love sana and yousef’s conversation so much. -“of course I brought food! my name is yousef!” mr. acar you’re the only man I trust

ep10 -as much as my heart yearns for 10 sana episodes I think splitting up the last episode of skam into individual POV clips for different characters was brilliant and such a poignant way to say goodbye :( -okay don’t think about what sana could’ve written in her texts to everyone or ur heart will go sicko mode -I won’t write anything abt this ep since I’ve already written too much but like.. (elias should’ve gotten a clip instead of william. pchris can stay because his clip was funny but he’s on thin fuckin ice) -kjaere sana was such a beautiful way to say goodbye to skam. so yeah. bye skam. i miss you.

overall ➔I’m not really sure why (possibly a lethal combination of my undying love for sana bakkoush, how much I relate to her, this but my ass was crying EVERY single episode of season 4...... F ➔I’m obsessed with s4′s aesthetic. imo the best editing, soundtrack and cinematography of any season!!!! julie is so talented at making each season feel distinct- to me, sana’s season is cool, vibrant colours (aka the late-night sunset aesthetic- gabie i hear u laughing shut up), crisp electronic/pop music and rap, ethereal city nights..... also sana has the best style of any skam character it had to be said ➔sana’s growth! seeing her open up and be honest and vulnerable with the girls during that phone call. sana sending all of her friends literally the sweetest messages of how much they mean to her and how much she values their relationship. sana being the (MUCH) bigger person and making amends with sara, ingrid etc. I love her so much :’((( ➔I’ve thought a lot about what I would change in season 4 and honestly? im a mf scatterbrain and have no real, structured ideas. my biggest issue is too much noora. dream s4 would be william staying in london and noora being happy on her own (but not rly on her own bc she has the girls and kollektivet!). as :/ as I am about the noora/yousef plotline, I’m not really sure what I’d do to replace the yousana conflict in ep5. maybe involving elias, or the balloon squad and even? related to that- in lieu of all the noora/noorhelm screentime, I would so much rather have a follow-up plot to elias’s drinking problem bc it was kinda just dropped? at the very least, the william clip should’ve been elias’s. I also would've killed for more one-on-one scenes with chris (even vilde or eva!), jamilla, even, members of the balloon squad... there are so many interesting stories that could’ve been explored instead of going down the noorhelm rabbithole again. furthermore, I feel like the social media plot was a bit... weak? again I’ve tried thinking of what I would’ve done instead (while also keeping the haper du har plass clip, y’all can pry that one from my cold dead hands) to little avail. what especially threw me about this plotline is that sana did this in s2 to jamilla, fucked up, and it bit her in the ass. I know that she gets irrational when angry but from a storytelling perspective, it seems repetitive. just.. I feel like there could’ve been a more powerful plot in which sana follows the same character arc. another thing I would’ve loved to see is beyond the los losers van, an apology from the girls to sana. or even just a conversation where they tell her “hey sana, we’re sorry for not paying attention and we’re sorry for being thoughtless/ignorant.” an apology from vilde about things she’s said in the past would’ve been <3. even a gesture! the girls order pizza again but this time it’s halal, or they make an effort to learn about sana’s religion and culture. I know it’s implied through the letter they write for sana, but a final standalone scene would’ve been so nice. ➔i’ve noticed soo many remakes do this thing where they like.. water down shitty behaviour of their characters. which like- sure. I would love for everyone to be kind and thoughtful and not as horrible as they could be but also... I think that’s the point of skam? to show that people fuck up, but that doesn’t define them as a person. no one is perfect and no one can be thoughtful and considerate and kind all the time. and often these ‘problematic’ actions are integral to the story- e.g. elias saying stupid comments to isak (related to isak’s internalized homophobia and fear of coming out to his friends), the girl squad being ignorant about what sana can eat, etc. so..... your remake is not better because it erased every horrible action every character has done. (nuance.. where r u.........) ➔despite its flaws, I will say- the good moments of season 4? ineffable. I think we sometimes forget that julie literally wrote, directed, and I believe (?) assisted w editing and soundtrack too. i cant imagine doing all that under so much pressure, trying to bring so many storylines to a conclusion whilst simultaneously creating a goodbye-season to a show she put her life into the past two years. I’m so fucking appreciative of her. and you know what? all in all julie wrote some pretty damn beautiful episodes and scenes, and you can tell she loves this show just as much as we do. ➔and honestly this is maybe one reason I’m more wary of watching remake s4′s, bc like.. this season meant SO much bc it was the last season of skam. we knew it was the last season. the final episode is more or less a love letter, a goodbye to the show. whereas w some remakes (do i have to say whomst) its like.. that love isnt there. it’s just another season. yknow? in conclusion I miss skam so much :(

ok whew if ur reading this ur a champion but also why did you just read 5k of me rambling about how much I love sana bakkoush??

#not one coherent or intelligent thing is said in the entirety of this post but enjoy #skam #blabbey #clownfest 2019

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searchingwardrobes · 3 years ago

Text

Ivory Runs Red: 4/6

Just look at this cover art by @cocohook38 !!!!! Isn’t it amazing? I just can’t stop staring at it. She is so talented and spent so much time working on this, please head over to her blog and give her some love.

This chapter is sort of a bridge chapter (no pun intended) where we begin to discover connections between all the characters. Belle especially is tied to Emma in a surprising way.

Massive thanks again to my beta @demisexualemmaswan and everyone in the @cssns !

Summary: When ebony flashes gold, blood runs cold. When ivory runs red, you’ll be dead. Killian Jones had heard the old rhyme his entire life. Every child did in Storybrooke, Maine. They heard it whispered in the dark at sleepovers as children; taunted as a challenge as teenagers. Killian never believed it was actually true. Until that fateful night …

Rated M for graphic depictions of violence, abusive relationships, and major character death (I mean, it’s a ghost story ya’ll, people are dead. BUT I promise, there is a happy ending. Trust me? *peeks from around a corner*)

Length: 6 chapters, complete, updated every Friday

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three

Also on Ao3

Tagging the usuals: @snowbellewells @whimsicallyenchantedrose @kmomof4 @xhookswenchx @let-it-raines @bethacaciakay @tiganasummertree @shireness-says @stahlop @scientificapricot @spartanguard @welllpthisishappening @resident-of-storybrooke @thislassishooked @ilovemesomekillianjones @kday426 @ekr032-blog-blog @lfh1226-linda @ultraluckycatnd @nikkiemms @optomisticgirl @profdanglaisstuff @ohmakemeahercules @carpedzem @branlovestowrite @superchocovian@hollyethecurious @vvbooklady1256 @winterbaby89 @delirious-latenight-laughs @jennjenn615 @snidgetsafan @itsfabianadocarmo @lassluna @distant-rose @courtorderedcake @winterbythesea @thesschesthair @killian-whump @thisonesatellite @batana54 @it-meant-something @xsajx @therooksshiningknight @gingerchangeling

Chapter Four: Red

“Neal Gold,” Belle said, her voice trembling with excitement, “no wonder it got covered up.”

Belle struggled with an ancient tome on the top shelf in the library’s genealogy room, and Killian rushed to help her. When they set it atop the metal desk nearby, a cloud of dust billowed up. The genealogy room was hidden away in the basement too.

“I still can’t believe Graham went to the bridge,” Belle continued. He’d never seen her so giddy with excitement. “This will show everyone Killian! You aren’t crazy!”

Killian nodded weakly. He knew it was true, and he knew that Graham getting Neal’s last name from Emma was a huge break for them, but he was starting to worry. He wanted to help Emma by solving her murder, but he also didn’t want to lose her. Didn’t ghosts linger because they had unfinished business? If he, Belle, and Graham, took care of Emma’s unfinished business, then would she . . . what? Move on to paradise? Cease to exist?

“Killy, did you hear what I said?”

He shook the thoughts from his head and focused on Belle who stood over the huge book, her finger pointing to its binding.

“Um, sorry. What did you say?”

“I tried to look up Swan, Emma, but the entire S section is missing.”

Belle’s fingers ran along the torn edges of several pages. Killian ran his hand wearily down his face.

“Of course it is. So no birth certificate there either.”

“Wait a minute!” Belle exclaimed. “We know she died in 1894, and we know she was sixteen years old.”

“Which means she was born in 1878. We figured that out already. But the birth certificates from that entire year are also missing, remember?”

Belle nodded. “Yes, yes, the Gold family had money and power and were very thorough, but they may not have thought about baby announcements.”

Killian grinned. “Parents put baby announcements in the newspaper! Belle, you’re a genius!”

They ran down the short hallway to the microfilm room. Belle quickly pulled out the film for 1878 and put it in the machine. Once they figured out where the social section of the paper was located, they were able to scroll fairly quickly. And then - there it was. Just a few short lines:

David and Mary Margaret Swan are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter, Emma Eva Swan, on October 22nd, 1878 at three o-clock in the afternoon. She is welcomed by her paternal grandmother, Ruth Elizabeth Swan, and her maternal grandfather, Leopold Blanchard.

******************************************************

“David and Mary Margaret,” Emma whispered.

Killian tightened his hold around her shoulders and brushed a kiss against the crown of her head. “They were your parents.”

Emma nodded slowly, and he watched her facial expression under the light of the waning moon. He could practically see happy memories light up her face.

“I remember them,” she whispered. “We didn’t have a lot of money, but we were very happy. We lived on a farm.”

She dropped her head onto Killian’s shoulder and let out a contented sigh. They remained that way for a long moment, silently watching the stars twinkle overhead.

“She had a beautiful smile,” Emma told him quietly, “and he used to cup my head so tenderly whenever he hugged me. That’s all I remember, though. Their faces are even fuzzy in my memory.”

“I’m sorry.”

She turned in his embrace so she could look him in the eye. “Don’t be. I wouldn’t remember anything if it weren’t for you. Thank you, Killian.”

She pulled his head down gently so she could press her lips to his. They lost themselves in the passion of their kisses.

***********************************************************

Killian sat with Belle once again in the library’s musty basement. Books with cracked leather bindings were piled around them: genealogy records, property records, and marriage certificates. With names and the information that Emma grew up on a farm, they were able to piece together the history of the Swan and Gold families.

There was no evidence, however, of the Swan’s reporting their daughter was missing. In fact, aside from the birth announcement in the paper, there was no evidence that Emma Swan had existed at all. Everytime they got close, records were conveniently missing. Pages had clearly been torn out of several books, and years worth of Storybrooke Mirror and Portland Press articles were missing from the microfilm records.

“It’s so obvious, though,” Belle exclaimed in frustration, slamming yet another large book shut. “Neal Gold falls in love with Emma Swan, a poor farmer’s daughter. His family would never approve of the relationship, so he never plans on marrying her. She’s just a good time to him.”

“I’m still a little grossed out by how old he was,” Killian muttered.

Those records hadn’t been missing. Neal Gold was absolutely, unequivocally twenty nine years old when he met fourteen year old Emma Swan. Which made him thirty one when he got her pregnant and murdered her.

Disgusting.

“Belle? Did you hear me?”

His friend had gone completely pale, her finger frozen in the center of a yellowed page. Killian got up and leaned over her shoulder.

“What’s this?”

She flipped the heavy leather volume back to the cover with a deep sigh. Killian leaned further over his shoulder and read the title out loud.

“The Life, Impact, and Genealogy of Storybrooke’s Founding Family: The Golds. Well that’s not pretentious at all,” he snorted. Belle giggled. “By -”

He cut off, reeled back, and looked at Belle, who nodded in affirmation. “By Roderick Gaston?”

“There’s more,” Belle told him, flipping back to the page that had left her frozen.

It was a family tree, and Killian scanned it quickly. At the top was Robert Gold, the founder of Storybrooke, with his wife Milah’s name beside his. Below that, it listed their only son: Neal Gold. He married Tamara Gold in 1894, the same year Emma died.

“Well, there’s another motive for murder,” Killian murmured, “not only did he get a teenager pregnant, he was cheating on his fiance.”

“Keep going,” Belle whispered.

Neal and Tamara had three children: Bonnie, Felix, and Gretchen. The oldest daughter, Bonnie, had married Roderick Gaston, and they had two sons: Lewis and Mitchum Gaston.

“Wait - isn’t Mike’s dad Mitch Gaston?”

“Yes,” Belle told him softly, “and I met his grandfather once, too. His name is Roderick. I never put two and two together before, but the man was the worst snob. He kept asking who my people were and going on and on about how the Gaston’s were connected to Storybrooke’s finest families.”

“So this means that your boyfriend -”

“Is the descendant of Emma’s murderer.”

*******************************************************

“Where the hell are you going?”

Killian jumped at the sound of his brother’s voice. He whirled away from the back door to find Liam standing in the kitchen with the phone in his hand. Killian could hear the loud, grating beeping of the line as it went dead.

“Who were you talking to at 3 am?” Killian shot back.

Liam narrowed his eyes then slowly put the phone back onto the receiver that hung on the wall. He took his time untangling the long cord before turning back to face Killian.

“Something’s happened, little brother.”

Liam’s voice was so full of fear, shock, and sadness that Killian didn’t even bother correcting him on the little brother label.

**********************************************************

The girl in the hospital bed couldn’t possibly be Belle. Her eyes were wild and darted around the room, her hair was a tangled mass around her face, and when she saw Killian she began to scream.

“I saw her, Killy! The ghost! The blood, the blood, the blood . . .”

Orderlies ran in and grabbed her before she could lunge from the bed. She fought them tenaciously, her back arching and her eyes rolling back in her head.

“Ivory runs red, ivory runs red. He’s dead, he’s dead.” She started to laugh maniacally as one orderly managed to get a syringe into her veins. They wrestled her to the bed and strapped her down, but she continued to speak, her words slurring. “He’s dead, dead, dead.”

She arched her back one more time, mumbling about ivory and red, shaking her head back and forth. Then she began to say the rhyme they had learned as children, singing it to a morbid little tune.

“When ebony flashes gold, blood runs cold. When ivory runs red, you’ll be dead.”

Killian felt the blood rush from his head, leaving his skin cold in the sterile room as he watched Belle’s breaths even out. He knew the kinds of drugs running through her veins, God did he know. He also knew no one would believe her.

Mike Gaston was dead, and Killian couldn’t muster a modicum of grief.

#cs ff #captain swan ff #cssns21 #captain swan supernatural summer #horror #ghost story #strange lieutenant duckling #lol just trust me #happy ending of sorts

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justanoutlawfic · 5 years ago

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Beating The Egg: A Snow Queen Ficlet

Summary: Regina teaches Snow how to make lamb cutlets and things get emotional.

Prompted by ariestess69: Prompt: Regina teaching Snow to cook.

Send me Mini prompts.

Also on AO3

“Perhaps we should have started off with something simpler,” Regina said, wincing as Snow struggled to dip the lamb into the egg batter without making a mess. “Like pasta.”

Snow shook her head. “No, this is David’s favorite. A version of it anyway.” She craned her head to look at her late mother-in-law’s scribbles. “If only I could read Ruth’s handwriting.”

“Damn thing had the nerve to die before she could tell you the recipe,” Regina mumbled.

“Regina!” Snow exclaimed; her eyes widened.

“It was a joke, a dark joke, but a joke nonetheless,” Regina waved her off. “Focus on dipping the cutlets. And do your best to not make a mess on the countertops, you want them to be as covered as possible.”

Snow nodded and went back to carefully trying to dip them. Regina did her best to hide a smile as she watched her, knowing all of this was very sweet. David did most of the cooking in their house, since he was a stay-at-home dad to Neal. He didn’t complain about it and made beautiful, wonderful meals. However, he had said something about one of his mother’s lamb dishes as a boy. They didn’t have it very often, only when Ruth could manage to scrounge up the ingredients. Snow had gone to Gold’s shop and luckily, he had her recipe book in the back. She decided as a surprise, they would have a nice family dinner with his favorite meal.

The only problem was, Snow couldn’t cook. Eva had taught her to make a few Jewish dishes back when she was a little girl but that was it. She was more of a pick up Granny’s on the way home or toss a salad kind of person. So, she turned to the one person she knew of that could cook: Regina Mills. Despite having chefs growing up, her father had snuck around to teach her how to do so in the Enchanted Forest and she had taught herself quite a few meals once they all came over to Storybrooke, especially once Henry was born.

That was how they came to stand in Regina’s kitchen one rainy Sunday afternoon, Snow in a bright pink apron that was covered in sauce, egg and flour, Regina’s royal blue one a bit cleaner though she had gained more worry lines from the experience.

“This is all your fault,” Snow mumbled as she began to roll the cutlet onto the flour and breadcrumb mix that Regina had prepared.

Regina arched a brow. “My fault?”

“You gave Mary Margaret so many nice skills. Teaching and all that comes with it, I became so much more organized, I can balance a checkbook. Heck, I can even change a tire.” She turned to face her best friend. “But cook? I burn toast, Regina. Toast.”

Regina had to stifle a giggle. “What can I say? It was more fun to watch you blow money on overpriced lasagna.”

Snow let out an irritated groan. “You suck.”

“Oh, come on. You’re not doing so bad.”

“These look pathetic.”

“So, maybe they won’t look the same as Ruth’s. They’re also being cooked in an electric oven and you’re using eggs I bought in a grocery store. David’s going to love it no matter what, because you made it, you know that don’t you?”

Snow sighed, nodding a bit. “I do, I do. He just does so much at home and I feel guilty about it.”

“You work. You have nothing to feel guilty about.” Regina gave her a worried look, as she noticed the tears welling up in her eyes. “This isn’t like you, Snow. What’s going on?”

Snow, sighed, pulling away from the lamb and leaning against the counter. “Can you keep a secret?”

“I’m not you. So, yes.”

She realized Snow had to be really upset, because she didn’t bite back. “I’m pregnant.”

Regina’s eyes widened and a smile fell across her face. “Snow! That’s amazing!” She put her arms around her waist. “Aren’t you happy?”

“I mean, of course I am…it’s just…a lot. I’ve been so busy at work and Neal’s almost in kindergarten. I just wanted to show David I appreciate him before I tell him and I feel like I’m messing it up.”

“Oh Snow.”

Regina pulled Snow into her arms, letting her cry. Despite never have been pregnant herself, she knew the hormones were a rollercoaster of emotions.

“God, I know how much David loves you. The way that idiot looks at you, it’s like you hold the moon up for him. So, trust me. A few lopsided lamb cutlets…are gonna be fine.”

Snow sniffled, holding her head up a bit. “You really think so?”

“I know so.” She kissed her forehead. “I also think you’re a dummy for being newly pregnant and working with raw meat.”

Snow rolled her eyes, wiping her tears with her elbows. “If I throw up, I’ll aim for you.”

“That’s the Snow I remember.”

#snow queen #snow white #regina mills #ouat #once upon a time

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lilacmoon83 · 4 years ago

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Finding You Always

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 222: Reverberations

Once the fireworks ended, people began to disperse and leave for their homes for the evening. The clean up crew was already deployed and the band was packing up. Leo and Elsa were preparing to depart for a short honeymoon aboard Pegasus. They had accepted Glinda's offer to stay at one of Emerald City's luxurious resorts for a couple days and were going there soon. But not before they sat down as a family to hear about James and Aphrodite's experience in the Underworld.

"Wow...so you were actually Anchises?" Leo asked.

"I was...and before you ask, no, Eros is not related to you by blood. Zeus explained that I'm only related to David in this life as James," James replied. Leo let out a small breath of relief at that.

"And the curse on you both...it's finally broken?" Snow asked. They nodded.

"Once George placed my mother's enchanted charm in my hand, it restored my memories. Or at least my real memories of this life and how we were in love," James replied.

"The man I was...after I lost her wasn't the real me, it turns out. After George stripped me of my memories of Aphrodite, he found a way to warp my mind and mold me into what he wanted me to be," James explained.

"My memories of James were erased too, by Blue and Hera," Aphrodite added.

"It wasn't much longer after that, maybe a year at most that I was killed. But this time, Zeus decided that he was tired of seeing her be hurt and bargained with Hades to deny my revival," he explained.

"But then Athena convinced him to allow James to be revived after he met the two of you in the Underworld. She said that, as my champions, you two could indirectly bring our curse to an end," Aphrodite said. Snow and David exchanged a glance.

"I...I don't think we did that," Snow said.

"Yes you did...Blue was exposed for what she is because of you. It led to all of this," Aphrodite replied. They smiled.

"We're just glad that you've broken the curse and you'll never lose each other again," Snow gushed, as she rested her head against David's arm.

"Yeah...but how did the Horned King know about the curse? Did you ever find out?" David asked. They nodded.

"We did...it was because James is the one that banished him," Aphrodite said.

"It's how we met in this life, but you and Hermes helped me banish him," he reminded her.

"But you saved me from him, just like you saved me as Anchises and Adonis," she gushed.

"Wait...who else did he save you from?" Emma asked curiously.

"Well...as Anchises, he found me near his home after a bad encounter with Clayton's ancestor. He, with the help of Blue and Hera, tried to trick me into thinking he and his consort were true love to get the chalice," Aphrodite revealed. Snow gasped.

"So that's how he knew about the chalice…" she realized. Aphrodite nodded.

"The knowledge of exactly what the chalice is and what it could do was passed through his family. Later on, Adonis rescued me from Clayton's grandfather, who tried to force me to...be with him," she said, with a shudder.

"Yeah...then Clayton tried to do the same. He wanted her to bear his heir and planned to take her to Atlantis so he could have control of the chalice," James added.

"Oh my God…" Snow said in outrage.

"That explains his obsession with you and the Chalice...and us," David replied.

"You have no idea...he told us himself. His plan was to replace you after Snow was forced to crush your heart. His last ditch effort to have a Divine heir was Snow," James explained.

"Of course it didn't happen, nor did he factor in that you wouldn't be able to have children after Bobby," Aphrodite added.

"Bastard...please tell me he's burning in hell," David said.

"Apparently worse than that. Nyx decided that Tartarus was even too good for him. She sent him somewhere called Gehenna, which apparently only the absolute worst scourges are sent," James said.

"Trust me...Tartarus is a picnic compared to Gehenna," Aphrodite confirmed.

"Good...that's the best news I've heard in awhile," Eva agreed.

"Yeah...now if we could just get rid of Creepyl so Nyx could send him there too," Leo said.

"And we will…" David assured, as he squeezed Snow's hip and she smiled at him.

"We will...and the power rests in your family," Aphrodite said.

"How?" Snow asked.

"Now that I have all my memories...I remember how to utilize the chalice and your star gems to their full extent," Aphrodite replied.

"Then let's do it," David said and she winced.

"The problem is...he'll see it coming a mile away," Aphrodite said.

"Then we have to find a way to take him by surprise," Emma said.

"And we will," Aphrodite promised.

"I guess Clayton is about to get his wish though," Natalie mentioned.

"Hey...no, this baby will be a Charming and his son isn't getting anywhere near him or her," David assured her.

"He's right…" James confirmed, as he looked at his father.

"Did you know about her? Did you walk out on her too?" he asked, a bit sternly.

"He didn't know," Natalie confirmed.

"I didn't...and I wouldn't have walked out if I did. I regretted that with David, as much as I regretted having to give you up," Xander answered. James seemed to accept that answer with less resistance than David did and for the moment, any other questions were quelled for the evening, for the hour grew late.

With that, they saw Leo and Elsa off and everyone else dispersed for the evening after a lovely celebration, despite the brief, rude and unwelcome interruption.

~*~

Jekyll stormed into his lab, with his partners in crime trailing behind him.

"I was so close…" he growled, as he angrily tossed one of the lab tables against the wall, shattering the contents and sending debris everywhere.

"Yes...that backfired quickly," Grimm agreed.

"It's those brats, as usual," Drizella said.

"Particularly the young one, it seems. He did have a significant hand in defeating Seth, after all," Grimm replied.

"What is your point!?" Jekyll snapped.

"My point is...those magical children will always block our path to victory," Grimm said.

"They will block my path to gaining the authorship and they will block hers to the Prince, just as they will block yours to Snow White," he continued.

"This device you created to keep him from touching her was ingenious, but the boy will always circumvent it," Grimm said.

"I still fail to see what your obvious statements contribute toward our success," Jekyll growled.

"I thought it was obvious...we have to isolate Snow and Charming from anyone else that can help them. Then you must be able to overcome the power of their chalice," Grimm reiterated.

"Neither of those is an easy task...but perhaps not impossible," Jekyll mused.

"What...what is this on my arm?" Drizella asked, as she noticed there was a large patch of grayed skin.

"I told you there may be side effects from the injection...it's probably wearing off," Jekyll replied.

"But I need magic if I'm to be the new Evil Queen! Can't you improve the serum?!" she demanded to know.

"I will make some adjustments, but none of this does us any good if we cannot thwart our enemies more completely," Jekyll said.

"Then we have work to do," Grimm replied.

~*~

He was trying not to, but he knew he was brooding again. He stood out on the balcony in the cool night air, only in his sleep pants. Snow was getting changed out of her dress and ready for bed, while he attempted to quell his feelings of anger and failure over Jekyll's latest strike and near victory again. He loved their children and was constantly in awe of their power. But he didn't want them fighting these battles for him. He wanted to take on and defeat Jekyll himself, once and for all. But with his demonic powers combined with his scientific ability to invent seemingly anything, he knew the odds were stacked against him. The image of that monster's hands on his beautiful Snow was seared into his brain and he seethed with barely restrained rage. He felt it start to ebb away though, as he felt her presence behind him. It was their mystical connection and irrevocable love that kept him grounded. She could banish his anger in an instant and the heat of her body behind him beckoned. He turned to her, finding her in a slinky white negligee and emerald eyes that pierced through him. Her eyes spoke to him and he cupped her face in his hands. Whatever fear remained in her slowly ebbed away in that moment at his touch. Their lips met in a smoldering kiss and her arms went around his neck. When their lips finally parted, they were breathless and gasping in ragged impassioned breaths. Her knees nearly gave out, as he kissed her throat and she pressed herself flush against him.

"I need you…" she pleaded.

"I need your hands on me," she begged. Jekyll had starved her of his touch for only moments, but it felt like a lifetime. Perhaps because he had meant to make it a lifetime. They needed each other like air and he had found a way to keep them from the simple act of touching one another, not to mention holding or kissing and it nearly broke them. Just the thought of not feeling his hands on her or his lips pressing against hers was enough to drive her mad and him as well. Never one to deny her anything, he swept her into his arms like she weighed nothing and carried her the short distance to their bed with purpose. David kissed her deeply and pinned her beneath his hard body.

"Charming…" she whimpered, as her body writhed beneath him and ached to be touched. She clawed at his waistband and managed to push his pants down his legs.

~*~

Their lips crashed together again and she moaned, as he gripped her thighs and parted them. She raised her arms and arched toward him, as he pushed her negligee over her head. She mewled, as his hands slid up her sides and to her breasts, cupping her firmly and his lips trailed down her neck.

"Charming…" she cried out again, as he raised up and sat back on his haunches. He pulled her up, straddling her in his lap, as he slid her onto his thick, pulsing cock. She hooked her arms around his neck and he began to pump in and out of her at a rapid pace. He rode her hard, taking her to a place of pure ecstasy, as they made love. As he took her, she hummed in pleasure and she slid her hands into his hair, gently running her fingers through it. They stared into each other's eyes and their shared heart pounded in sync. No words were spoken, but their eyes and heart spoke volumes. For them, this went far beyond physical and always had. They had always been so in tune with each other; a love that had always been on another level than most. Being one in heart and mind already made their connection awe-inspiring. So when they became one in body too, it was nothing short of purely magical and almost ethereal.

He shifted their positions and gently lay her on her back, as his pace became slow and languid, as he now glided deeply into her with each thrust. She lay writhing beneath his undulating body, legs splayed around him. With every thrust, he hit her sweet spot and slowly pushed her to the edge. As she neared her climax, her mewls grew in volume and she raked her nails along his naked back, as her entire body trembled beneath him. He had her right at the edge and her cries became whimpers, as her body begged to come. She was beside herself, her mind clouded in the ecstasy that was him taking her. His slow lovemaking was expertly extending her pleasure in a way only he could do for her. If there was one thing Charming was an absolute expert in, it was all things Snow. They could make love and fuck each other for eternity and it would never be enough for either of them. And she was determined to have him for eternity, despite another looming threat from Jekyll and many other adversaries. He watched her come apart and marveled at the sight. Snow...beautiful Snow, emerald eyes dark with love and lust for him, only for him. Red lips parted, as short pants of air were inhaled and exhaled. Her body writhing and glistening with perspiration, her back arching and her aching for his touch. Her round, full breasts bobbing between them and the moan she made when he put his hands or lips on them was one he wanted to hear forever. The feeling of thrusting inside her was pure heaven and he'd never tire of making love to her. When he was inside her like this, he could hardly form coherent thought and he liked it that way. He liked that it was him that made her dripping wet and cry out wantonly. Gliding into her slickness with slow pumps and feeling her tightness clenching around his cock, quivering and begging for release, was a feeling he wanted to feel for forever.

"Baby…" she whimpered, as she writhed and bucked in the wake of a powerful climax; one that only he could give her. He was close to his own and increased his pace, as the whole bed rocked with them.

"Snow…" he cried out, as he finally came inside her and they trembled together in the wake of their purely magical coupling. He collapsed beside her finally and they cuddled together, as their ragged breathing slowly returned to normal.

"We'll beat him, Snow...because he is never taking you from me. I'll find a way," he promised, as he kissed her forehead.

"I know...I have never doubted you, nor will I. You're the hero in my story, my love...my hero," she gushed, as he kissed her tenderly and they finally drifted off to sleep, thoroughly entwined together...

~*~

Three Days Later

"And Good Morning United Realms!" Le Fou announced, as the morning news show began once again.

"Welcome fellow United Realmers on our first day back from hiatus," Goldilocks said.

"As usual, there's no shortage of news. Just days ago, Prince Leo married Queen Elsa of Arendelle in the celebration of the year," Le Fou reported.

"But since this is Storybrooke we're talking about, it didn't quite go off without a hitch. After the happy couple exchanged nuptials, their reception was interrupted by a dastardly trio," Goldilocks said dramatically.

"Yes...Drizella Tremaine declared herself as the new Evil Queen, a mysterious man named Grimm seemed to issue a challenge to our favorite author, and once again the raging psychopath, Dr. Jekyll made another play for the fair and beautiful Snow White," Le Fou said.

"Yes...and this time, the United Realms' embattled pair had to be saved by their youngest son,"

"They are insufferable...seriously how do they still have jobs?" Paul asked, as he finally turned off the television, while Eva poured coffee into their travel mugs.

"Well...they're mildly entertaining I suppose, though I wish they would find things other than my parents to gossip about," Eva replied.

"Yeah, they definitely need to stop calling them news," he countered and she chuckled.

"Yeah...news, they definitely fail at that. But you know that gossip sells far better than news," Eva said, as she handed him his mug and kissed his cheek. He smiled and pecked her on the lips. Today, they were not headed to the hospital right away, but rather to her parents castle for a meeting. In the infamous war room.

It had been a very long time since her parents had called an actual formal council meeting at the table in the war room and never yet in her lifetime. But with the worldwide undertaking they were about to embark on with the Major, they had decided to convene it to discuss the operations they were about to embark on.

"Are you ready?" he asked. She nodded and they joined hands, before leaving their loft for the day.

~*~

Snow giggled, as they cuddled in bed together that morning.

"We really have to get up," she cooed, as he kissed her neck and his hands roamed in the wake of a bout of morning lovemaking.

"Remind me why we scheduled this thing so early?" he asked.

"We didn't baby...we scheduled it for eleven and it's almost ten," she reminded him.

"Really?" he asked. They had been awake for hours, but very busy since.

"Yes," she replied.

"Well, you know what they say...time flies when you're having fun," he said and she giggled, as he kissed her again.

"These last three days have been amazing," Snow said, as he spooned her against him.

"Mmm...yeah, but definitely not long enough," he replied, as he kissed her again.

Since Leo's wedding, they fortunately heard nothing from the wedding crashers and their most nefarious adversary. Instead, they had been allowed three blissful days to spend with each other and their family.

They had family picnics with their kids and grandkids, complete with horseback riding and campfires. They had taken romantic walks on the beach, family dinners at Granny's, and then the last day, they had spent alone together. And they hadn't left their bedroom much on that day.

"We should have pushed this back another day," he murmured against her skin.

"You know we can't...not if we want to take the first two cabal members down," she reminded him.

"Well…Italy is supposed to be romantic so I guess there's that," he agreed, as he slipped out of bed.

"Care to join me in the shower?" he asked, with a sly look.

"Oh, that is an offer I'd never refuse," she replied, as she took his hand and they hurried off to the bathroom.

~*~

Mephisto arrived in Milan and made his way into the luxury hotel where that evening's event was set to take place.

"So...you're here," a man said, as he met him in the lobby with a woman.

"Mr. Landers, I presume?" Mephisto asked.

"Yes Stefan Landers...and this is Ms. Erin Mercer," he replied.

"Perhaps we can go somewhere a little less public," Mephisto suggested. Stefan nodded and led them to the freight elevator, which descended below the hotel.

When they arrived, several levels below ground, the elevator door opened and he observed young women in cages, as well as empty cages ready to snatch unsuspecting young women from the modeling pool.

"So...this is your operation," Mephisto observed.

"Yes...and from what we've been told, you believe that they are coming for us," Erin said. Mephisto smirked.

"Oh, I'm certain of it," Mephisto replied.

"They will come tonight...and we will be ready for them," he added.

"And these two...they will give us the power you said?" they asked. He smirked.

"With these two...we'll have a first class golden ticket to the United Realms and all its power and treasure," he promised...

~*~

It had been a long time since they had held a meeting in the war room and the last time they did, many of the people in this room hadn't been born yet and the one person they used to combat was now one of their best friends and confidantes. How times had changed and evolved, only to come full circle to this moment.

The last time he had led a war room meeting, he had been dressed in his formal royal clothing or battle wear. But today, he wore a simple button down shirt and jeans, common clothing of this realm. But the casual clothing did not mean this was just a casual meeting. They were about to embark on a series of missions outside the comfort of the United Realms borders and taking on some very dangerous people that wouldn't bat an eye at slitting one of their throats. But they would be potentially saving many by taking down this network of corrupted people that purportedly were the people that really ran the world. So, as they always did, Snow and David would begin this new undertaking, despite the looming threat of Jekyll, who they still had to neutralize once and for all.

"Thank you to everyone for coming," David said, as he began the meeting.

"As you know, Snow and I are about to embark on a series of missions with the Major, outside our borders, to dismantle an evil underground network that poses a threat to us and potentially the entire world," David began, as he looked at her. She nodded.

"We've decided that the best way to approach each mission is to assemble a small team to go with us and rotate the team members for each mission," Snow said.

"For this mission, we're going to Italy and attending a high end fashion show. Supposedly, our first two targets are there and they reportedly run a very large global trafficking ring there," David added.

"David is right...and once we take down these two, it will put the others on alert. I will be honest, these missions will be dangerous, each one more so," the Major said.

"And we're supposed to be okay with you putting our parents in the line of fire to fight your battles?" Emma interjected.

"Yeah...I have to agree with Emma. Give me one good reason that we shouldn't wall off the United Realms and let your world deal with its own problems," Regina said.

"Ninety-eight percent of the population doesn't even know these people exist or that their lives are controlled by them," Patricia said.

"The same ninety-eight percent that doesn't believe in magic," Leo chimed in.

"True...but that doesn't mean they don't deserve saving," Patricia countered.

"She's right," Snow agreed.

"Mom...we love you and we love that you and Dad always want to help everyone, but this is so risky," Emma said.

"We know honey, but you know we can't turn our backs on this. Clayton is gone, but this network that he helped create is still doing his evil bidding," Snow replied.

"She's right...we need to take them out, because we know that there is no guarantee that even a barrier will keep these people out of the United Realms forever," David added. Emma sighed, but didn't argue that, because she knew he was right.

"Okay...well since you two are a walking target for mayhem, I volunteer for this first mission," Regina offered.

"We're not…" David started to say.

"Yes you are," all five of his children echoed before he could finish. He rolled his eyes and Snow smiled with a wince.

"We kind of are," she said.

"Fine," he relented.

"Elsa and I are going too," Leo announced.

"You two are still on your honeymoon," David protested. He shrugged.

"And Italy sounds like a great place for an extended honeymoon," he said, as they shared a smile.

"Besides...I think we may enjoy the danger and adventure just as much as the two of you," Elsa replied, as she and Snow smiled at each other.

"Okay, with the Major, that's a team of six," David said.

"You and Mom are going to hate it, but I probably should go on every mission with you," Bobby chimed in.

"You're right...I hate that," Snow said.

"Mom...my magic was the only one that defeated Jekyll's stupid crazy bastard sciencey invention," he reminded her.

"Language," she scolded and he sighed.

"The point is...you're probably going to run into Mephisto out there. You need me if you do," he said. David sighed.

"He's not wrong," he muttered and Snow huffed in annoyance.

"Don't worry Mom...he's got a lot of other magic surrounding him. You know Aunt Regina would blast the crap out of anyone that comes near him," Leo said.

"He's not wrong either," Rumple agreed.

"Fine...then I guess we have our team of seven. That's a good number," Snow said. David nodded in agreement.

"Then we should pack and leave soon," David said.

"How are we getting there? Using a bean isn't a great idea. We'll just freak out a bunch of people and Milan isn't exactly a harbor city," Leo mentioned.

"He's right, though I loathe the idea of a commercial airline and all the staring," Regina said.

"Can we even get on a commercial airline?" Bobby asked.

"There is too much red tape for that, not to mention that none of you have passports and the United States government doesn't even consider any of you citizens," Patricia said.

"That sounds like it could be trouble...especially since you've been fired," David replied.

"It may be...but you do have protections on the borders watching for a breach, right?" she asked.

"My men regularly patrol the outside borders," Fandral chimed in.

"Now that I'm back, I'll be reinforcing our magical protections," Aphrodite said.

"Aye...and if any unrecognized ships enter the Harbor, they'll call me immediately," Killan added.

"Then we shouldn't have anything to worry about for now. If they thought they could invade without it being a bloodbath, they would have done it already. But they have seen what magic can do," Patricia replied.

"So no Jolly Roger or plane. It has to be a portal, but how do we do that without freaking people out?" Leo asked.

"There is plenty of countryside just outside the city. You'd be fairly safe portalling there. I can give you coordinates if you can will the chalice to open in a specific location," Natalie replied. Snow nodded.

"We usually have no trouble willing the Chalice to do what we need," she said.

"Then it's settled. The team leaving Milan needs to meet back here in an hour," David replied. They nodded and dispersed, as Aphrodite approached them.

"Is it true that Blue is locked up?" she asked. Snow nodded.

"Fandral was able to capture her," she replied.

"Yes...she was foolish enough to come after Rose to try and keep her from reading your real story," Fandral said. Rose nodded and presented a book to her.

"You mean...it was in your library all along?" Aphrodite asked. Rose nodded.

"Yes...but it was cloaked and only appeared after you left. Aesop informed us that he was commissioned by Zeus to record the real thing and then it was hidden in our library by Hermes," Rose replied.

"When you left to learn the truth, it appeared," Fandral added.

"I'm sure Athena is responsible for that," James deduced, as the blonde leafed through the book.

"It's all here…" she said gratefully, as he put his arm around her waist.

"And Blue is where she belongs. She'll remain there until her Royal Tribunal that will decide her ultimate fate," David replied. James looked at his twin brother with scrutiny.

"You're really going to try her?" he asked. David nodded.

"But Royal Tribunal usually has one outcome. The death penalty," James reminded him.

"We know...and it's not something we will likely ever be comfortable with, but Blue's crimes are too devastating. She is too dangerous and a threat to the safety of everyone, as well as the sovereignty of every Kingdom," Snow said.

"She's right...she's more than earned this fate and if found guilty, then she'll be executed," David replied.

"We will never regret showing mercy, even to our enemies, but we've learned that not all of them deserve it. She's one that doesn't, especially since she has been trying to destroy true love for so long," Snow added.

"Between James and myself, as well as Zorro, I'd say we'll be able to keep an eye on things around here," Fandral said. David nodded.

"Yeah...we'll be on psychopath watch with Dr. Creepyl, but I think we should find out more about this Grimm guy," James said.

"Oh Fandral and I can talk to Aesop. He started to tell us a bit, but seemed reluctant to talk about his past," Rose replied.

"Perhaps in light of these recent events, he'll be more willing to tell us what he knows," Fandral said.

"Then I guess everyone has their assignments. Once this mission is over and we locate the next, we'll rotate a new team in," David replied, as they dispersed. Snow slid her arms around his waist and he kissed her tenderly.

"You were amazing, as usual," she gushed.

"If I am...it's only because of you, my darling. I...I just wish we had a clear, concise plan to take out Jekyll," he said.

"And we will...I'm fine," she assured him.

"I know...it just haunts me at how close he came this time. I couldn't touch you...it was torture. He knew it would be," David said.

"He's sick and evil...he gets off on tormenting me and pursuing you. He's the one evil we can't seem to shake," he added.

"But we will...there is nothing our love cannot overcome. He caught us off guard at the wedding, but there is no doubt in my mind that we would have found a way to defeat his device, even if Bobby hadn't intervened," Snow said, as she caressed his cheek.

"Have faith...our love has never let us down," she added. He smiled and kissed her again.

"You're right...it never has and it never will," he said, with renewed confidence.

"Now...let's pack. We may be going on a mission, but this is Italy and the prospect of going to such a romantic city with my husband is exciting," she replied. He joined hands with her and they returned to their room to pack.

~*~

The black sport utility vehicle drove along the winding roads of Maine and General Mendoza sat in the back, looking over the Nolan files he had seized from Major Donovan's office. He was in complete control of her operation now and had everything, except an item for entrance into the United Realms. But that wasn't going to stop him from exploring the rumored location of this mystical place.

He thumbed through David Nolan's file with great interest. He found it very intriguing how he had been found on a rural Maine road, bleeding from his side, with an infant in his arms. He had then spent ten years in a coma, only to awaken upon his daughter finding her way to him. She had only done so after having run away from a group home and he wondered how she had even obtained his location or even knew about him in the first place.

Even more interesting was Xander Nolan and his shadowy presence in this world for nearly as long as his son's. As an operative to the Collector, Xander had moved around the world in the shadows, doing the Collector's bidding, and evading law enforcement with ease. He had little on him, but that wasn't surprising. Clayton was a part of the Underground cabal that his own family was a part of, even if he ended up screwing them all over in the end.

In 1993, David Nolan awakened and disappeared into thin air with his daughter and only re-emerged more than thirty-years later in Seattle, not having aged a day. With him, his wife and five children came with him. Then after the supernatural events in Seattle, they disappeared again until two years ago when they popped up in Boston again. Major Donovan had a detailed explanation of everything, but he was still having trouble wrapping his head around such fantastical stuff, even after they saw it during the battle only weeks ago. He knew about his ancestor's travels and quests, but he had never put much stock in the more fringe nature of the story. Now he was realizing that it was all true. Traveling to far off realms, lost worlds, mystical warriors like the Dragon King and his betrayal of him...it was all true and thus he had a duty to continue his family's mission.

"Stop the car," he said, as his driver obeyed and he got out. These were the coordinates, but all he could see was woods. But that would not remain for long. He was determined to find a way in and for that, he made a deal with the Devil. He only hoped he came through soon. With that, he got back into the car and instructed his driver to take them to the nearest town. He was a patient man and he would find a way in.

~*~

On the other side of the invisible barrier, Zorro watched the man, as he looked around with scrutiny. He didn't know who this man was, but he clearly was clued in on their location, that was obvious.

"Keep patrolling. I'll be doubling our men," Zorro said, as he mounted his horse.

"I must inform Fandral of this development," he said, as he headed for Andresia.

~*~

Agent Green winced, as she finished getting dressed. Her stay in the hospital was thankfully at an end and she looked at the young doctor, who was writing on her chart

"You've healed nicely, but I have to insist you take it easy for a few days," Eva said, as she watched the agent look at her phone.

"Well, if I stick with Major Donovan, I won't have a job anyway," she replied.

"Then you know about her being fired," Eva said.

"Yeah...agent Harding texted me and gave me the rundown," Tessa replied.

"What do you plan to do?" Eva asked.

"Relax…I'm not going to work against your parents or anything. Agent Harding is going to need help on the inside of this thing," Tessa said.

"I thought you hated us and this whole thing," Eva replied.

"I do...but you did save me and I do not like the idea that I've been working for such corrupted people," she said.

"I'm glad to hear that," Eva replied.

"Did...did you happen to recover Agent Brooks' body?" Tessa asked.

"Yes...he's at the morgue and we were waiting to ask you if he had family," Eva replied.

"No…I'm afraid not. It was just him and he has no wife or kids. His parents are also dead," Tessa said, with a sigh.

"As his partner, I guess it's up to me," she added.

"We'll help you do whatever you need," Eva replied.

"If you can tell them to cremate him...then I can scatter his ashes in the ocean. He...he would have liked that," she replied. Eva nodded.

"I'll tell Doc and he'll take care of everything," she said.

"Doc?" Tessa asked.

"He's our medical examiner and Bashful is our forensic analyst," Eva replied. Tessa shook her head.

"This place is wild," she commented. Eva smiled.

"It can be," she agreed.

"Anyway...thank you for saving me," Tessa said. Eva smiled again.

"Paul and I can take you to Granny's to get a room for the night and then we'll help you find your way back to Boston after Agent Brooks' remains are taken care of," Eva said. Tessa nodded and followed her out.

~*~

The sparkling orange portal opened in the Italian countryside and the seven of them stepped through. Thankfully, there was no one around and Regina poofed a sport utility vehicle into existence for them to use.

"It will be a tight squeeze, but it will get us there," Regina said. Snow looked at her husband and he smirked.

"Or we could follow you in something else," he said, as the chalice glowed between them and materialized a motorcycle.

"Fine, ride the death trap," Regina commented.

"Relax...it's enchanted. We'll be fine," David said, as they willed the chalice into their rings to conceal it. They put helmets on, while David got on the bike and Snow got on behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. The others got into the car and they headed for the city.

~*~

James put the car in park and looked over at his wife. After spending the morning with their babies, they had dropped them off with Granny for an hour to come to the prison.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.

"Yes...and I can't wait for her tribunal. I want to see her behind bars," Aphrodite replied. He sighed.

"Okay...then we'll go," he said, as they got out and joined hands. They were allowed entrance and they took the elevator to the top level. Sneers and calls from some of the worst, high level criminals were ignored, as they made their way to the end and peered into the cell.

"Well, well...you're back from your little adventure," Blue said. She looked horrible. Her hair was matted and her makeup, what was left of it, was smudged. Apparently, she wasn't using the time allotted to her to clean up or even try to maintain her appearance.

"Yes...we are and your failure is complete, because we have broken the curse you placed on us," James hissed. She began to slow clap dramatically.

"Oh congratulations...now you get to live happily ever after with your bimbo and your brats," she growled. James advanced on her cell and wrapped his hand around her neck.

"And you...you'll face justice in your royal tribunal. The Goddess Nyx will then be waiting for you and has promised you a very unpleasant afterlife," he growled back. Aphrodite put her hand on his arm and he calmed down, releasing her and stepping back.

"And still...my only regret is that I didn't succeed in destroying her," Blue said, looking to Aphrodite with pure hatred in her eyes.

"I never did anything to you...except be born. Was the power of the Chalice so important to you that it warrants this hatred of me?" Aphrodite asked. Blue rolled her eyes.

"It was never really about you. Power is everything and when Rhea created the Chalice she gifted to your mother, I knew that it was the key to ruling all the realms. I also knew how foolish it would be to place it in mortal hands. That's why Hera and I knew we had to rid ourselves of your idiotic mother," Blue replied. Aphrodite glared at her.

"Once Hera married Zeus...it was supposed to be her Chalice. We would have still had to place it in mortal hands, but that's why we chose Clayton's bloodline. We knew their ambitious quest for power and control would serve us well," she continued.

"Imagine...all the realms under his control and thus ours. It would have been an ordered world," she said.

"You mean an enslaved world, void of hope and love," Aphrodite corrected. Blue snorted.

"Love...it causes only pain. Look at his brother and Snow White. They may have a blissful true love, but look at all the problems that come with it," she said.

"Love is worth any of the strife or problems," Aphrodite refuted. James smirked.

"Yeah...because love always wins. That's why you're there and we're here. And that's why anyone that tries to defeat love is either already dead or will meet that same fate as the Clayton family you seem to champion," James said smugly.

"Yeah...you definitely backed the wrong family," Aphrodite agreed, as they joined hands.

"Enjoy hell, you blue flea," she said, as they walked away, satisfied that the woman that had cursed them and caused so much pain was imprisoned. They had all their memories and their family was whole again, because love would always win out in the end.

~*~

Once they arrived at the hotel where the event was taking place, they arrived in their suite and proceeded to get ready for the evening. David wore a tux again and was stunned when his wife emerged dressed in a gorgeous white evening gown. It shimmered in the light and the bodice hugged her curves perfectly. The straps were very thin and the collar dipped in a low v. The dress was long, but had two daring slits up the sides and she sauntered toward him.

"Wow…" he said, as she slipped her arms around his neck.

"Wow yourself, handsome," she purred, as she kissed him passionately.

"Are you ready?" he asked. She nodded.

"I know we have no idea what we might be walking into, but I do know that we're going to face it together and eliminate two really bad people," she replied. He nodded.

"Together," he agreed, as they shared another kiss. He offered his arm to her and she hooked her hand on his elbow, as they stepped out of their room and prepared to embark on the mission ahead...

#Snowing #SnowxCharming #Charming family #OC Charmings #AU #original season 9 storyline #Fandral the Dashing #Rose Red #Dashing Rose #Prince James #Aphrodite #Prince Goddess #Regina Mills #romance #adventure #drama #family #finding you always #the epic continues

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krustywhore · 7 years ago

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beat and broken spirits

ok i made you guys wait long enough for this lmao (title is from the musical jasper in deadland)

tw: violence and depression (mild suicidal thoughts if you interpret them that way)

thanks to the lovely anon that requested this fic!!! here’s a little long-anticipated au in which jack goes to the refuge instead of crutchie

Jack knew it was stupid. He knew he was abandoning his newsies and virtually all of Manhattan, but he couldn’t care less. He knew Race had been dying to actually do something as his second in command and with Davey there, they’d be able to hold down the fort just fine.

Davey.

God, it had only been a day and he already missed him. Besides, he had no way of knowing if he was okay or not and the suspense was tearing him apart.

Davey was a part of him. They fit together like puzzle pieces, as cheesy as it was. They were two opposite pieces that fit perfectly when they were together, but now they were apart and there was nothing he could do.

Still, he didn’t regret it. Crutchie was his brother. The oldest family he’s ever known and he’d be damned if he ever let anything happen to that boy.

So into the refuge he went. It was a small price to pay, really.

But being away from them all was absolute torture. He’d been with all of those kids every day for as long as he could remember, but they had all spent nights apart in the past. Some more than others with a few kids going home to their folks like Davey or others like Race spending as much as weeks in Brooklyn at a time. Nonetheless, he missed them all when he didn’t have a choice if he could see them or not. Back home he could always spend the night at Medda’s theater if he wanted or even go visit other boroughs occasionally, but he could always go back home afterwards.

Not anymore.

So he kept his mouth shut and tried to make his stay as short and painless as possible.

That proved to be extremely difficult when Snyder came in for his first night. It had been nearly five years since jack had escaped from the refuge, but all of that pent up anger still remained and he held no mercy.

Jack woke up on the floor the next morning with more bruises than he could count.

Despite it all, he kept to himself, biting his tongue when he felt like spewing insults and holding his breath when he felt like crying. It wasn’t healthy, he knew that, but there was one way he would survive in there and that was by hiding anything they could use to hurt him.

He had a few things keeping him going; his family of brother and sisters and David Jacobs.

Davey was really something else. He was someone Jack would’ve never thought he’d find himself caring about, but that boy had a monopoly over his heart and Jack had no idea what to do. He didn’t know what to do with those feelings, but he sure as hell couldn’t make them known here if he wanted to live to see another day.

He was glad he did. Every time he decided to live one more day, there was something that made him regret it. He’d get picked my Snyder yet another time or he’d get sent to solitary for a day, but every time something made it feel like hell was sunshine and rainbows, something else would come around and he’d have a little sliver of hope again.

About three days in, he saw Specs at the barred window and nearly wept with relief. He wouldn’t have cared who they sent, but to see a friend was like a miracle. Still, that wasn’t all as the boy slid a small bundle of papers through the bars and told Jack he would be back with some of the others in the morning. He hadn’t been so happy in ages.

So he tucked the bundle under a mattress and waited until after Snyder had came to make his final rounds for the night. He climbed up to the windowsill once he was sure everyone else was asleep and read every page under the dim streetlights outside.

There was a letter from nearly everyone he loved.

‘Heya Jack, I guess ya’ could say I’s doin’ alright takin’ over for ya’, but it really ain’t the same without ya’. Don’t tell any a’ tha’ others I’s sayin’ that, but you’s way better than I could eva’ be. Wish me luck, Jackie. You’s gonna’ make it outta’ there, I promise ya’, and when ya’ do, I’ll do my best ta’ make sure you’s got somethin’ left ta’ come back to. -Racer’

He knew there was no way Race wasn’t selling himself short, but it was nice to know he’d at least still have a borough to come home to.

‘Jack these kids is losin’ they’s shit without you so hurry up and get ya’ ass outta’ there. -Spot Conlon’

That one was a surprise. Well, not what he wrote, but the fact that Spot Conlon took the time to write something was, well, something.

‘Jack, I don’t even know what ta’ say. I could say thank you’s, but I wish ya’ hadn’t done it. I could say I miss you’s, but that’s not even close ta’ how badly I need ya’ back. Specs n’ Race won’t let me come see ya’, but jus’ know I’d be there if I could. I’ll be here waitin’ for ya’ for as long as it takes. Your brother, Crutchie’

Okay that one he really had to try not to cry. He knew he wouldn’t if it meant it would ruin the writing, but he wanted to so bad.

He could tell exactly what the next one was without even reading a word. It was perfectly written with impeccable spelling and handwriting so neat it could’ve been printed.

‘Jackie, I need you out of there. I don’t know what I have to do, but I can’t do this without you. I can’t seem to bring myself to say anything I need to, but I guess that’s just because I trust you enough to get yourself out of there. I’ll be there to see you soon, I promise. Just hold on. I need you around so don’t you dare think about anything less than coming back home. I’ll wait as long as it takes. -David’

God, Davey just…did things to him. Feelings things. Disgusting, annoying, and painful feelings that would get him killed in a heartbeat if anyone found out.

He quickly stuffed the letters under his mattress and curled up on the windowsill. The next morning couldn’t come soon enough.

So he stood through beatings and woke up to yet another fist to his stomach. The blood in his mouth had become almost natural at that point as he added to the stain on the cuff of his sleeve and collected himself off the ground.

The other kids in the refuge weren’t cruel for leaving him alone, he was the only one they touched and for them to get a break from the never-ending torture of Snyder’s hand, they would take it gladly. Jack understood. The first time he was in the refuge, he would’ve done the same, he didn’t blame them at all.

But he wanted to get out. He wanted to be able to go home. He wanted to be back in the lodging house and lecture the kids about leaving the door open and probably stop Finch from shooting rocks at pedestrians out the window with his slingshot and he wanted to slip a few pennies into the pocket of a kid who’d had a slow day. He wanted to go home and take a head count of all of his kids as they came back from selling and tuck the little ones into their bunks like a real dad and tease the ones cuddled up and sharing together like a real big brother would. He wanted to pretend like he didn’t know what Race was doing when he snuck through the window past midnight with his hair ruffled and his suspenders hastily buckled. He wanted to chase around one of the younger kids that decided to try on Specs’ glasses. He wanted to save Katherine from Romeo’s never-ending advances when she came to visit. He wanted to go home so he could leave again in the morning to go with all of his kids to the circulation gates and see Davey again.

That was the only thing keeping him going as he crawled his virtually-useless form up to the window and grinned at the boys climbing up the fire escape.

He could see the sun spots refracting onto the metal bars and the bright red waves from a mile away but before he knew it, there they were right outside the bars and he finally felt a little closer to home.

“Jack, holy shit!” Albert practically screamed as he climbed up to the window, jack quickly slipping his thin wrist through the bars to quiet him.

“Shut up, ya’ hear? If Snyder comes back ‘ere I ain’t got a chance,” Jack hissed, relaxing a little when he was sure no one was coming. “I can’t have ‘im gettin’ the two a’ you’s too.”

Specs crawled up beside Albert and nodded solemnly. “Yeah, we’s sorry. It’s jus’…ya’ look terrible Jack.”

He rolled his eyes to hide the fact that he knew just how bad he looked and that wasn’t even the worst of it.

“Thanks, real charmers, both a’ you’s,” he teased before they decided that the two weren’t having any of it. “I’s fine, I’ll be out a’ here in no time, jus’ make sure Manhattan doesn’t implode while I’s gone.”

That got a smirk out of Albert at least.

“I think when ya’ get back you’s gonna’ need a new second,” he chuckled knowingly, nudging Specs who groaned.

“What? Don’t tell me Racer cracked unda’ pressure,” Jack exhaled, running his hands through his hair.

“Nah, he’s doin’ jus’ fine, but he’s got some competition now ’s all,” Specs clarified, intriguing Jack.

“Crutchie?”

“Davey,” he revealed, Jack grinning at the mention of the boy.

“Oh,” he spoke softly, a slight redness covering his cheeks as he couldn’t shake the smile. “How is he?”

The two boys looked between each other before shifting towards the ladder.

“He made us promise not ta’ say anythin’ until he could come visit,” Albert started, swinging down onto the ladder. “He’s comin’ by in a few hours. He jus’ had ta’ make sure Les got home okay, but he’s been real worried ‘bout you’s.”

And with that he dipped down out of view and Specs took his place, descending down the ladder after the other.

“Jus’ try ta’ stay safe, Jackie. We’s got a plan in tha’ works ta’ get you’s outta’ there, don’t worry,” he winked, slipping down the ladder and leaving Jack sitting there with a giddy smile on his face.

Davey. Davey was coming to see him. He was going to get to see Davey.

He couldn’t shake the smile off his face for the rest of the afternoon. In fact, he waited on that windowsill all day until he heard the rattling of the ladder and all of a sudden…there he was.

“Jack?” Davey’s shy voice broke Jack from his awe-like trace as he just stared at the boy with childlike wonder.

“Oh my god you’re real,” he spoke, unintentionally out loud.

The other boy’s smile was enough to make Jack feel like he was already out and running free. He made him feel like he was already back home. Davey made him feel at home.

Davey felt like home.

“Jackie…what have they been doing to you?” Davey looked horrified as he slipped his wrists through the bars on the window as let his fingers brush gently over the bruises covering the other boy’s face and neck. He could feel his face heat up at the touch, but shied away, his heart pounding out of his chest.

“It’s nothing, Dave. Serious, it ain’t that bad,” he mumbled, trying to keep the smile on the other boy’s face as long as he could. “How’s tha’ strike goin’?”

Davey looked disappointed at Jack’s sudden change of topic, but shrugged it off anyway.

“We’re managing. We had an idea to hold this rally at Medda’s theater with all the city’s newsies,” he spoke, brightening a little talking about their plans.

“Tha’ rest a’ tha’ city? You mean they’s all with us?” Jack couldn’t help but feel a rise of hope in his heart as Davey confirmed.

“It wasn’t worth it though,” Davey grumbled, his excited expression crumbling.

Jack froze, looking up and reaching through the bars to place his hand on Davey’s knee.

“What d’you-“

“Losing you wasn’t worth it, Jackie,” he whispered, leaning his head against the bars of the window, Jack doing the same. “I…I can’t do this without you.”

Jack felt his eyes burning and his throat close up as he reached through the bars, clinging to the other boy’s hands for dear life.

“I need you’s all ta’ make this work, Dave,” he started, his voice cracking as tears spilled down his cheeks. “I can’t stay in this place, I’s running out a’ things that make me want ta’ keep goin’, I don’t…know what to do without you here.”

As soon as those words left his lips, the tears he was held back for so long just cascaded down his cheeks in an unstoppable flood.

“I-i’s s’pposed ta’ be strong n’ get out a’ here so’s I can get back home, b-but I jus’ want out. Not just out a’ here, but jus’…out in general,” he whimpered, a small sob cracking Davey’s own ragged breaths as he grabbed Jack’s hands, clutching them tightly.

“No, no no no, Jackie I need you! I can’t do this without you much longer, I-I’m nothing without you here. I’m gonna’ fix this, I promise you,” he whispered, neither of them daring to look at anything other than their intertwined hands.

“P-please help me…,” he choked out. “I don’t want to feel like this, it just…hurts.”

Davey nodded shakily with their foreheads pressed together.

“I know, I know, but we’re gonna’ get you out of here in no time and then once we do,” he exhaled, sniffling slightly. “I’m never letting you go again, I promise.”

Maybe it was a mix of all of the loneliness and the finality of their conversation, but for whatever reason, this felt like his only chance. Jack leaned back, Davey’s hurt expression appearing the moment they separated, but Jack simply pulled him close with their hands clasped together as their lips met gently through the bars over the window.

When they separated, it only seemed to hurt more that, yes there definitely was a chance that they’d never be able to do that again, but with one heartbroken smile from each, they promised each other that they’d make sure it wasn’t. Davey slipped out of view, tears still running down his cheeks as he climbed down the fire escape and reluctantly left Jack alone up on the windowsill to sit with his thoughts.

One more day, he told himself. Just keep going one more day.

#my writing #javid #jack kelly #david jacobs #davey jacobs

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