#I’m gonna Bluetooth the hell out of the truck when I get it back

[fruitless-vain]

I finally have a phone with enough storage space to have music on it again 😭

I was still using my old iPod until it hit the day that it wouldn’t charge anymore, it just died one day and wouldn’t recharge ever again. I could get it to black screen with the Apple but there was never enough juice to turn on all the way

My last phone that I just replaced didn’t have the space for music on it, I didn’t have any games on it, I kept at max 10 pictures at a time and had to export anything I wanted to keep to the computer or else I’d start getting “storage full” messages all the time. Didn’t matter how many times I factory reset it, cleared caches, or uninstalled apps. Every app I needed (gas points card, two social media apps, the bare bones basics) had to be offloaded when not in use otherwise there would not be enough memory to open Instagram. It’d just freeze. Every insta video played in slow motion out of sync with the audio.

I haven’t had music on the go in 5 years at LEAST

I’m so excited 😭

[florenceandthemachine]

prompt: buck hears eddie talking about him over the car's bluetooth speaker (or the other way around!)

sang so loud, sang so clear on AO3 (2.4k) 

It was safe to say that there was no part of his job that Eddie didn’t like. He loved being part of the community. He loved being able to make a positive change in the worst moments of someone’s life. Hell, he loved helping people in general, and that stretched far beyond the ‘call of duty’; so it was no surprise that when Bobby announced a series of fundraisers that the LAFD were participating in, Eddie was probably the only person who didn’t groan in defeat when Station 6 got to host a carnival while the 118 got stuck with a car wash.

He was excited because it was for charity. Not because it meant he got to have an entire weekend free from fire, free to spend some more time with his kid. That wasn’t it at all.

It also wasn’t because he got to spend some more time with Buck, outside of an assortment of burning buildings. That definitely wasn’t it—because despite what Carla said (and what Abuela said, and what Pepa said, and the looks that Hen shot him) he was an adult who had control over himself and had his...emotions regarding Buck under control.

It wasn’t a crush. He was fine. The fact that he had to go through the Starbucks line again after he got Buck’s order to get his own coffee was purely coincidental.

“Dad, can we play my music?”

“Sure, buddy.”

Eddie idly switched through the radio controls on his truck as he pulled onto the highway, smiling at his son in the rear view mirror as Chris pulled out his phone, working with the accessibility controls easily. The device was still pretty new, and Chris was still getting the hang of it, but after the tsunami Eddie would have bought him one phone for each hand if it meant he would know his son was safe at all times. Paranoia aside, Chris had been elated at cataloguing his life whenever he could—they already had digital albums full of Chris and his school friends, his family, and the things he got to do with Carla while Eddie was stuck at work.

Normally on days like today, Carla would have swung by and picked Chris up from the house, but it was easy enough to push that back an hour or so and have her pick Chris up right from the firehouse when he had all but begged to come in to the 118 and say hi to the team.

And hell, if Eddie got his kid to kick up the cuteness near their tip jar? Eddie wouldn’t complain about that, either.

One of Chris’ favorite albums had wrapped to a close when Eddie pulled off the highway, turning down the volume as they started to approach the 118. The morning was still pretty young, but it looked like they already had a pretty good turnout lined up—there were cars wrapped around the station building, in various stages of drying, with a line pretty steadily moving through the main engine bay. It looked like Bobby had moved the trucks out toward the street for added publicity, meaning the entire floor of the station was filled with cars, suds, and pop-ish music (no doubt, courtesy of Chim).

“Eddie, don’t tell me you actually expect us to wash your truck.” Chim snarked from the stairs, his LAFD tee shirt covered in colorful suds and sticking to his skin, and Eddie only smirked as he shoved a twenty into the donation jar. “Come on now, I’m a paying customer! Are you telling me that you’re gonna turn away someone for a charity drive?”

“No, he isn’t. Eddie, here, gimme the keys.” Eddie beamed as he heard Buck’s voice behind him, sticking his tongue out at Chim in a very mature, grown up way as he helped Chris out of the truck. Reaching back into the drivers seat, he pulled the second coffee out of the holder, the iced drink matching his own save for Buck’s added pumps of sugar—and almost keeled over when he turned around.

Look, if there was one thing that Eddie Diaz knew, it was that life was not fair.

His two tours weren’t fair. His son’s CP wasn’t fair. His marriage with Sharon hadn’t been fair.

But pulling up to the 118, stepping out of his truck, and coming face to face with Buck? Buck, who was clad only in his turnout pants and suspenders, who was dripping wet?

Well, that wasn’t just unfair, that was mean.

“See, Chim, this is why the Diaz’s are my favorite. You gotta step up, man, Eddie brought me my favorite coffee and my favorite Chris.”

Buck was thankfully oblivious as Eddie short circuited, bending down to high five Chris, his face brightening when he saw the second coffee in Eddie’s hands. He pulled the coffee and the keys out of Eddie’s shockingly limp grip, turning to Chim triumphantly as Eddie tried to gather his thoughts. His thoughts, which currently needed gathering, because they were tracing the path a drop of water made as it glided along Buck’s shoulder blades, trailed along to the edge of his torso, resting on a hip that Eddie would very much like to bite, thank you, and—

“Buck, I’ll be giving you an actual niece or nephew! That has to rank better than coffee!”

“Well, first of all, Maddie will be giving me an actual niece or nephew.  Second of all…”

Eddie pulled himself back to realist as Buck and Chim started to bicker, eyes suddenly desperate to look anywhere else before he got distracted again. “Hey, uh, I’m going to set Chris up upstairs, we’ll be down in a second.”

He wasn’t sure if he was more thankful for the easy out or for the distance that he got to put between himself and a half naked Buck, but Eddie was nothing if he wasn’t an idiot—so even as he helped Chris set up some papers around the table at the loft, he still found himself peeking over the railing whenever Buck laughed, or shouted, or did anything that could draw Eddie’s attention away from the here and now as he sipped his coffee.

One of his little dalliances must have taken a little longer than before, because he honestly couldn’t telly ou how much time had passed before he heard Chris speak up.

“Dad’s got a crush on Buck, Dad’s got a crush on Buck...”

Eddie felt his head snap up, his face instantly bright red as he almost choked on his iced coffee. He gasped as he saw Chris hiding behind his cell phone, immediately breaking out into giggles as he pointed his camera back and forth from Eddie to where Buck stood in the engine bay. He was quiet enough, thank fuck, so Eddie didn’t have to do any immediate damage control—just had to save face, doing so with an exaggerated flourish as he easily closed the space between he and Chris, picking his son up playfully with one arm as the other snagged his phone from his hand.

“The lies! The deceit! Betrayed by my own son!”

“Daddy, nooo!”

Eddie found himself laughing as he flopped down on to one of the overstuffed couches in the loft, grinning like a fool as Chris wriggled beside him, his phone still secure in Eddie’s hand, out of Chris’ reach.

“Dad’s got a crush on Buck, Dad’s got a crush on Buck...”

Eddie blinked, looking up as he heard Chris’ words repeated, eyes looking at the loop now playing on his phone. It was a Snapchat—one of the few social apps Eddie allowed on Chris’ phone, after Chris had more or less taught him how to use it (and had promised to send Eddie a few selfies throughout the day).

Chris had done the courtesy of zooming on Buck, bending over to scrub at the rims on Eddie’s truck, and then the camera swung back to Eddie, who... missed his own mouth with his straw, several times, trying to sip from his coffee.

Alright, maybe his crush wasn’t as under control as he thought it was.

“Dad’s got a crush on Buck, Dad’s got a crush on Buck...”

Eddie frowned as his ears twinged, suddenly aware that the sound wasn’t coming from Chris’ phone, the looping audio echoing up to the loft. He put his head next to the phone, trying to tell—were the speakers broken? Was something jammed in a port or whatever?

He turned the volume up, frowning, a little disappointed. He had told Chris how important it was to take care of this things, and if his phone had already been dropped or broken, he would have to—

“DAD’S GOT A CRUSH ON BUCK, DAD’S GOT A CRUSH ON BUCK...”

—he would have to crawl into a hole and die, because that sound wasn’t coming from Chris’ phone, it was coming from Eddie’s truck. Eddie’s truck, which was powered on, and still connected to Chris’ phone from their music this morning.

Eddie’s truck, which thanks to his own idiocy had every speaker blasting, and had a bright red Buck bent over the hood—frozen, like Eddie seemed to be, his face unreadable as he stared up at Eddie in the loft up above the bay. Eddie felt his body go numb as Chris finally stole his phone back, the sound thankfully stopping as he locked his phone.

“Oh fuck.”

“Ooh, you owe a dollar to Carla’s swear jar.”

-

“There’s my number one guy! Chris, how’re you doing?”

Eddie managed to successfully avoid everyone for the better part of an hour—it was easy enough to do, considering they still had a line out the door of people waiting to get their cars scrubbed down by the 118. He felt a small moment of dread spike through his heart as Carla managed to seek them out—he would have a zero chance of hiding if he didn’t have his ‘son-shield’ up.

Eddie managed a small smile as Carla ruffled Chris’ hair, clearing his throat. “Hey, Carla, you brought your van today right?”

“Sure did, what’s up?”

“Oh, nothing. I just need to lie down behind your rear wheels so you can put me out of your misery before you leave.”

“... uh huh.” Carla rose her brow as Chris shoved his papers and markers into his backpack, looking at Eddie in a way that was almost pitying. “Daddy accidentally megaphoned his crush on Buck to the entire station, so he’s been hiding upstairs and helping me draw instead of helping with charities.”

Well, that was one way to put it, though Eddie would have preferred a way that made him feel less of a dick. He winced as he nodded his head, clearing his throat as Carla’s eyes widened. “And that’s why Daddy has to go throw himself into traffic.”

“Well, I would prefer it if you didn’t.” Eddie felt his entire body tense as he heard Buck behind him, only managing a weak wave as Carla whisked Chris off down the stairs—his protests of “but Carla, I wanna listen!” making Eddie go even redder.

At the very least, he wasn’t alone in that boat. Buck was an absolutely delightful shade of pink, and Eddie was fucking distraught to learn that Buck’s blush went all the way down to his chest, because for some reason the other man still hadn’t put on a shirt. Normally, Eddie would have been delighted to see that, but after having his feelings so publicly (even if intentionally) put on blast, all that he wanted was to be swallowed up by the floor.

“Don’t worry, I’d make sure Chim had to scrape me off the pavement, you wouldn’t have to worry about it.” Eddie said, his humor landing a little dark—Buck didn’t laugh, but his smile did grow, and Eddie counted that as a win as he sighed. “Look, Buck, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make things weird and I don’t want to—“

“Oh, Eddie, I’m not here to talk about that, I just wanted to get your help scrubbing on the floor.”

Oh. The car wash, right. Eddie felt his stomach drop as he swallowed, processing what Buck had said, nodding his head. Buck wanted to look past it, pretend it hadn’t happened. That was... fine. Eddie hitched a smile onto his face, nodding his head as he looked down the floor, finding the tie of his own boots fascinating. “Yeah, no, you’re right. Sorry I was putting it off, I’ll grab some towels and I can—“

“Actually, you should start washing up with me. I was thinking we could make a bet out of it.”

Eddie looked back up, curiosity outweighing all the weight in his stomach as he tilted his head, trying to get a read on Buck—even if all he could see was that delicious blush, trailing down Buck’s neck and fucking Christ, across his chest. “A bet? Buck, I don’t know if—”

“Whoever gets the most tips has to pay for dinner... tonight? After we’ve dried off?”

Eddie felt his jaw click shut as Buck cut him off again, his brain trying to work a mile a minute as he caught up with what Buck had said.

Because if he didn’t know any better, if sounded like Buck was asking him out on a date.

“Buck, you... you? Me, when... you really... when I...”

“Eddie, will you please just say yes? I was going to ask you an hour ago, but you’ve been hiding very unsuccessfully from me.”

Buck was asking him out to dinner. Buck was asking, him, Eddie Diaz, out to dinner, after Eddie all but humiliated himself. Buck had been waiting since that moment to ask Eddie out to dinner. Oh this, this he could certainly work with.

“So… dinner, huh? You’re on. But if you’re going to be working in just your turnouts, so am I.”

Yeah, he could work with that. And two could play at this game.

(If Carla was laughing when Eddie explained their little bet over the phone later, she was all but howling when Eddie admitted he won, asking if she could watch Chris for a few more hours and for recommendations as to where he could take Buck on their first date—even as Chris shouted “good luck, dad!” over the phone.)

[imaginingsoftly]

Crossing Borders - Mat Barzal

Type: established relationship

Requested: Yes!

Warnings: none

(Y/N = Your name, Y/F/N = Your friend’s name)

A/N: Sorry this took so long; I struggled through how to best write this one! Enjoy

The semester was dragging, and you could feel the stress of work and classes and being on the other side of the country from your support system that was doing it. U of Toronto was a great school, and you loved your major, but it was hard to be so far away from your family and friends. Even Mat, who was just down in New York, was more than a day trip away. You were handling it mostly; it was the asshole in your Leadership class that had really done it. He’d snickered through your presentation on managing gender-related conflicts, and then dared to tell you that most women were lying about discrimination. Your professor had tried to cut him off, but you had reached the proverbial end of your rope and had gone off. She dismissed both of you from the class early, so here you were sitting in your car sobbing over the class and your week to that point. You never got kicked out of class. You were the type to show up twenty minutes early just to make sure you weren’t late, and you were sure to participate in every discussion politely. It had been one hell of a week, and getting kicked out of your first class ever was how you knew it was just the universe out to get you. Thankfully, it was Friday, and you tried to calm yourself with the thought of a couple of days to take a breather. 

Mat called like he could sense you spiraling, and you tried to calm your breathing before picking up. “Hey, hotshot,” you said, trying to hold your voice steady. “Hey Y/N. I don’t have long to talk, but I wanted to see if your week had gotten any better.” Well shit. He had a knack for asking how you were doing in the most inopportune of moments, like this one. “It’s been a day, Matty, not gonna lie, but I’m okay. I’m gonna watch my favorite hockey player kick ass tonight, you know how much that always makes me smile.” You could feel him smiling through the phone as he answered you with a chuckle. You smiled slightly into the phone. All it took was his laugh and you could feel your chest becoming less tight. “Go get ready for your game, hotshot. I’ll talk to you tonight.”

“Well know that I know my biggest fan is gonna be watching me, I have to do well.” Mat’s voice was light and teasing, and you were relieved that you’d managed to hide how anxious you were feeling. You didn’t want to have to convince him you were fine and you didn’t need anyone to come out, because you knew that he worried about your stress way more than he needed to, though probably less than you should be. “Love you, Y/N”. You stared out of your car window into the Toronto sunlight. “Love you too, Matty. Kick ass tonight.” 

You drove back to your apartment with a lighter heart, even as you yelled into the Toronto traffic angrily. Toronto housing was way too expensive for your college budget, so you trudged into the mildly sketchy U of T dorms begrudgingly. At least this year you got one of the apartments, which you shared with 3 other girls that you really didn’t talk to that much. They were childhood friends, and the three of them didn’t really include you in their planes, which was fine. You worked for athletics, part of the marketing crew, and you were pretty much always working anyway. 

As you entered your bedroom with a sigh, you noticed the calendar on the wall. The basketball and hockey teams were away this weekend; you had no shifts at work, and no classes until Monday afternoon. An idea began to form in your head. 

Please convince me driving to NYC is a bad idea. You texted your best friend with the hope that she would convince you not to be an idiot.

She responded in seconds. Driving to NYC is a great idea and you should do it right now. 

Your phone was ringing before you could respond. Y/F/N didn’t give you a chance to say anything as you answered, immediately beginning to speak. “You need a Mat hug, babe. You’ve had a bad week. Maybe that’s what’ll help you chill.” You sighed. She was right, even if it meant you were about to subject yourself to an eight-and-a-half hour drive. “If I’m going, I need to leave now. I’ll text you when I get there.” She cheered, and you had to hold the phone away from your ear so she didn’t burst your eardrum. “Be safe, don’t do anything that I wouldn’t!” You rolled your eyes. “Yeah, like there’s anything you wouldn’t do.” Y/F/N giggled on the other end of the line. “Love you, babe. Drive safe.” 

The drive sucked just as much as it always did. Crossing the border felt like it took a million years, and then you had to drive across the entire damn state of New York. There was construction somewhere outside of Buffalo, because of course there had to be construction when you were in a hurry, and two logging trucks had blocked you behind them somewhere in the middle of the state as they drove well under the speed limit. You were a little over an hour out when the game started, and announcing duo of Chris King and Greg Picker filled your car as you listened to them call Mat’s game. The boys were up by two on the Caps when you finally arrived at Mat’s house, sitting in your car until the media break before running inside to turn on his TV. 

His house was just like the last time you had been there, with the exception of a new picture hanging in the living room. It was the two of you, a candid shot his mother had taken that summer. You could remember the moment exactly, sitting on the dock at the cabin his family had rented for the week of Canada Day to watch the sunrise. Mat had his arm wrapped around your shoulders, and your head was resting on his shoulder. You hadn’t even known that she had taken the picture. 

You watched the end of the third on his couch, and then it was time to wait. Mat usually called you as he was leaving the arena, trying to catch you before you went to sleep, so you anxiously awaited his call. It came about 45 minutes after the game ended, and you had to stifle a giggle as you answered. “Heya, hotshot. That was one hell of a game, eh?” He had scored two of the five goals the team got, and had assisted on Tito’s power-play goal. “I heard my biggest fan was watching. I had to make sure she got a good show.” You could feel Mat’s smile as he talked. “That fan sure is lucky, yeah? The great Mat Barzal scored two goals for her!” The two of you laughed, and you could hear Mat’s voice change as he turned on the car and his phone switched over to Bluetooth. 

It was only about two minutes from Barclays to Mat’s place, so you settled into the couch and tried to stifle your laughter when you heard Mat’s muffled “what the hell” as he pulled in and saw your car. “What, Matty?” you asked in response. He mumbled a response, and you saw headlights pull into the driveway as you stood, not even trying to hide your grin. Mat threw the front door open, and stopped short when he saw you standing in the hallway. “What, you, your,” he looked between his phone and you, and you could practically see his brain short-circuiting. “I had a really rough week. Y/F/N said I needed a Matty hug, and I think she was right.” Your words broke the spell, and Mat came flying in your direction. His hug knocked the breath out of you. His arms were wrapped tightly around you and his hands were tangled in your hair. “I can’t believe you’re actually here,” he mumbled into your hair. You smiled into his shoulder, tucking your chin into his neck and taking a deep breath of Mat’s cologne, a comfortingly familiar smell. You had forgotten why you were even stressed in the first place. It would come back later, when the moment had passed, but for now Matty was there and you felt like you could take on the entire world. “This is exactly what I needed.” 

[finalgirlkateausten]

Positivity Challenge #30

SPOILERS FOR PSYCH 2: LASSIE COME HOME

aaaah we did it! It took a little longer than a month, but this is the last one... kinda makes me sad. Anyway, some post-movie fun with the girl gang :)

Girls’ Day

Jaden Guster’s first birthday is a big deal. Gus and Selene are adamant about getting the whole family, from San Francisco to Santa Barbara, in town for the event. If this means the party is a week or so late, than so be it.

The fun part about the Lassiters being in town for the long weekend is that they can do things other than the birthday party, too. Sunday finds Juliet, Selene, Marlowe, and Karen on an excursion into the city for shopping, junk food, and a spa day.

The ‘til you drop’ portion of ‘shop ‘til you drop’ is shorter, considering Marlowe and Juliet are both going on a full nine months pregnant, but they still have fun. And the spa treatment is nice.

Unfortunately, on the drive home, they end up trapped in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Juliet shifts, trying to get comfortable and receiving only a kick in the bladder. “You’d think I might actually be able to relax, after a spa day,” she grumbles. Marlowe groans in sympathy.

“Excuse me, what are you honking at?” In the front seat, Selene lays on her horn in response. “I can’t go anywhere, ya dumbasses!”

“Looks like we’ll be here for a while,” Karen murmurs. She’s got her feet on the dash, one earbud in as she listens to a police scanner from her phone. “There’s a pile-up about fifteen miles down.”

Their exit is in twenty. A chorus of groans sounds through the vehicle.

“Selene, does this car have bluetooth speakers?” Marlowe wants to know. “I found a fun playlist to cheer us up.”

The next ten minutes is a mess of pop music cutting between the car’s system and Marlowe’s phone, which is uncomfortably close to Juliet’s ear. With, of course, a background chorus of honking horns and angry drivers. To make things worse, Juliet finds herself gritting her teeth through an ill-timed braxton-hicks contraction.

A half an hour later, the only change is that Marlowe is now blasting Lizzo at full volume. Juliet drinks some water to help with the practice contractions, and then has to pee. And it doesn’t even help; in fact, they seem to be getting worse.

Marlowe gives her a concerned look when she groans aloud. “Are you alright?”

That one was bad. “I’m not sure,” Juliet pants.

Karen twists around in the passenger seat. “What do you mean, not sure?”

“Well...” she takes a deep breath, which comes easier as the pain fades. “I think I’m in labor.”

The car erupts into yelling and cursing. Selene leans on the horn again, as if that will help matters.

“Everyone take a breath,” Karen instructs.

Marlowe squeezes Juliet’s hand. “Lily was born in a food truck, and she turned out fine!”

Juliet frowns. “I feel like we have a little more time before that...”

“Nobody is giving birth in a car,” Karen says, raising her voice to be heard over the horns blasting. “Selene! That’s not going to help!”

“Sorry, I’m panicking!”

“If we were in my car,” Juliet pants, “we would have a siren.”

“If we were in your car we wouldn’t all fit,” Marlowe quips. She unbuckles her seatbelt, shifting to take up less space, although her own belly makes that hard. “Here. You can stretch out a bit.”

That’s only the beginning. A forty-five minute drive turns into two hours. The contractions get closer and closer together. Every ten minutes feels like hell, but Juliet knows it’ll only get worse.

“You’re doing great,” Karen soothes, having moved to join them in the backseat. She brushes Juliet’s hair off her now-sweaty forehead. “Everything is going to be just fine.”

“Squeeze my hand,” Marlowe offers, and Juliet does. Her friend winces. “Wow, that’s a tight grip.”

“I finally got cell signal!” Selene cheers. “I’m gonna call Gus and tell them to meet us at the hospital.”

“Sounds good,” Juliet says. “Hand it to me when Shawn comes on.”

Five minute of rapid explanation later, Selene hands back the phone. “It’s Lassiter. Apparently both Shawn and Gus fainted.”

Juliet groans and takes the cell. “Hey, Carlton. So, Shawn is going to panic, and he has a tendency to not think straight. Do me a favor and remind him to grab the hospital bag?”

Somehow, they all manage to coordinate correctly, and arrive at the hospital around the same time. Juliet breathes through a contraction before climbing out of the car, knowing she has maybe five minutes until the next one.

“Jules!” Shawn practically sprints towards her. “Oh, sweetheart. Are you okay? Are things moving along? How much time do we have?”

“A few hours more, I would guess,” she sighs, comforted by his embrace.”Are you ready?”

“Not even close. But it’s time?”

“It’s time.”

They walk together through the doors to the hospital. Once they’re all checked in, Juliet gives her husband a smile. “We’re gonna meet our baby.”

He kisses her sweetly. “Let’s do this.”

Another contraction grips her. She leans into Shawn’s arms. All around them is their family, from Karen holding the hospital bag to Carlton looking extremely wary of the situation. Juliet manages a smile.

This is going to be just fine.

[littlemisswolfie]

A Midnight Run

AO3

The woods are dark, this late at night. Sam knows the moon above her is full, but its light is hidden behind the leaves of the trees looming over her. Her legs burn from the force of her feet pounding over the grass and dirt, and her lungs ache with all the air they’re pulling in and pushing out as she runs, but she can’t stop running. Not now. Not yet.

A few hundred yards to her left, someone yelps and something else growls. Heart pounding, Sam veers right and pounds her legs harder. She thinks that was Tucker. That means she’s the last one standing. The realization sends a shot of adrenaline through her system.

He wants a chase? she thinks. I’ll give him a chase.

There’s a creek nearby. Maybe she can hide her scent if she runs through it. That’s his primary means of tracking, after all. She has a chance if she can take away his sense of smell. If only she hadn’t left her bag in the truck; she has all sorts of nifty plants in there she could have used.

But there’s no use dwelling on that now. She has to keep moving.

The sound of running water hits her ears. She’s close to the creek. The ground is uneven here, and though all she wants is to sprint to the water, she has to take it slow. Tripping and falling would make too much noise, and then all hopes of escape would be dashed. And she refuses to let him win this time.

Her boots hit the creek with a splash. She bends at the waist to scoop water up and wet her face and arms as well. The water is freezing, but she can deal. In a few minutes, she’ll either be back in the warm truck, or she’ll be caught. Either way, she won’t be cold for long.

She backtracks a little to muddle the scent before taking off again. Sam knows these woods as well as she knows her bedroom by now, and she doesn’t need light to navigate. If she can make it back to the big pine tree they parked the truck by, she’s home free. Getting to the tree means the chase is over. And it’s less than a quarter mile away.

She takes one more deep breath to steel herself before she runs. She runs faster than she’s ever run in her life. Hell, she could outrun Dash Baxter. She’ll run as hard as it takes to get her to that tree. Because the tree means she wins.

She can just see the trunk of the tree when a twig snaps behind her. Her spine goes hot, burning white like a supernova, and that’s all the warning she gets before she’s being tackled to the ground. A hand comes up to keep her head from hitting the ground, but the rest of her body absorbs the shock, and suddenly there’s something heavy and warm over her, and a set of teeth pressing at her throat. Not biting, but the threat is there in the points of the fangs. “Gotcha.”

She groans, irritated, but rolls her head to the side in submission. “Only because you won’t let me use any of my herbs, you ass. Not all of us have night vision and super speed like you do.”

Danny chuckles, the sound much darker than it is during the day. Suddenly, Sam finds herself shivering from something other than the cold. “Are you, Sam Manson, saying you need help to beat me at something?”

“You wish.” She puts her palms against his chest, feeling fur where his shirt is ripped, and nudges, and he sits back without protest, though he’s still straddling her hips. She can’t see much of him in the low light, but she knows he can see her, so she wipes at her face to get some of the dirt off. Sam never used to be so aware of her appearance. In fact, she openly mocked girls like Paulina and Star who were so obsessed with their looks.

But that was before Danny changed.

They’re still not sure how, exactly, the change happened. It wasn’t like he was bitten or anything. It was probably something they messed with in his parents’ lab last September, but they’ll never be sure, now. What matters is that Danny isn’t human anymore. Sam can’t see him now, but she’s seen him often enough in the past few months to know exactly what he looks like. His body is larger, taller, more muscular. Black fur sprouts from his skin. His nails are sharper, more claw-like. His ears have moved to the top of his head, now pointed and fuzzy. And his eyes, usually the color of the sky on a clear day, are like liquid mercury—silver and burning.

“Now that you have me,” Sam says with a quirked eyebrow, “what are you going to do with me?”

Danny growls low in his throat at the obvious provocation and dives in, slanting his lips over Sam’s in a heated kiss. His hands, large and hot, grab her wrists and pin them above her head. She moans into the kiss, and though she very much enjoys his weight on top of her, she wishes she could wrap her legs around him to hold him to her.  But when Danny’s like this, more wolf than man, he has to be in control. He has to have the leverage. “Part of the curse,” he’d grumbled once. “The wolf would rather die than submit.”

Lucky for them, Sam found herself more than happy to submit, if only to Danny.

“Tucker?” Sam asks when Danny pulls back to let her breathe.

Danny leans down to kiss and lick his way down her neck. “He went back to the truck to watch our phones. The woods are all ours.”

Good enough for Sam. She cranes her neck up to kiss Danny again, and he releases her hands so his can nudge her jacket away. “Next run,” he says against her lips, “try shedding some layers. It muddles your scent.”

“Giving me advice now, wolf boy?” Sam asks, trying to pretend he’s not leaving her breathless.

His fingers work their way under her tee shirt and brush against her belly. “Yes. The sooner you get away, the sooner you’ll let me mark you.”

One of Danny’s many new instincts is the drive to claim anything that’s his. In the day to day, he does it in both human and animalistic ways. He writes his name on the tag of all his clothes and scribbles on the covers of all his notebooks and he has a million decals on his cherry red motorcycle. He’s constantly touching Sam and Tucker at school, and he’s scent marked them at least once a day since their first run in with Skulker, a rival alpha who thought Danny would be easy pickings when he first changed. He’s drawn the line at peeing on things, thank god, but the one way Sam hasn’t let him claim her yet is by marking her.

Marking is permanent. Danny marking her would result in a bruise that would basically telegraph “Mate of Danny Fenton” to any supernatural creature in the immediate vicinity. And it’s not that Sam isn’t ready for that commitment—she’s been in love with Danny for years—but she refuses to be a damsel in distress any time some hunter or rival supernatural wants to get one over on Danny. So Sam decided she would refuse his mark until she could get away from him on a full moon on her own merit. If she can outrun a werewolf on his own turf at the time he’s at his strongest, she can do anything.

And Danny, the wonderful guy that he is, respects her decision, and he never holds back.

Just like he doesn’t hold back now.

Forty-five minutes later, they return to the truck. It’s Sam’s truck, a sixteenth birthday gift from her grandmother, and it’s the group’s primary form of transportation aside from Danny’s motorcycle. Tucker’s sitting in the passenger seat, blaring Ember’s new album over the Bluetooth radio, and he gives him an impressive eye roll when he sees their rumpled clothes and tangled hair. “Next month,” he says when they’re situated in the cab, Sam on the hump and Danny behind the wheel, “I’m asking Ember to come, too.”

“She’s gonna be in Mexico on her tour next month,” Danny reminds him.

“Damn.”

Sam leans her head on his shoulder. “Buck up. Maybe I’ll get away next month.”

“You guys will just be even worse if you do.”

Neither of them brings up the option of Tucker simply not coming at all next month. Danny wouldn’t stand for it. He needs them both on full moon nights. No exceptions.

Danny puts the truck into drive.

Tucker gets dropped off first, and Danny, as he always does, waits until he’s safely climbed the fire escape up to his window before driving away. Sam could move over to the passenger seat, but that would mean moving away from Danny, so she stays put until they get to her house.

They climb out of the truck and Danny cups her face with his hands and pulls her up for one last kiss. “Text me when you get home,” she tells him, even though he’s probably the most dangerous thing in Amity Park, at least for the moment.

“I will,” be promises, laying his forehead against hers. “I love you, Sam.”

Butterflies explode in her belly. “Love you, too.”

She feels Danny’s eyes on her as she clambers up the flower trellis leading to her window, and when she’s safely inside, it’s her turn to watch, silent, as he lopes off into the night.

[clemanime]

Speed

A/N: Vroom vroom. This is the last one for the day. I plan to do 2 a day if I can. @evnscvll​

WARNING: swearing, speeding (don’t do it kids.. it’s not worth your life)

    “Hey, Y/n! Where you gonna go now?” Benny questioned as he walked up to her while she loaded her car. “We got another job coming up and we need a driver.”

    “You know this was my last job. I’m out.” She answered with a smirk, adjusting the bags in her trunk.

    “It’s just transporting a package. You won’t have any trouble.” He continued, following her around her car until she finished up. “It won’t be hard.”

    “Last package you had me deliver nearly blew me up.” She stated, shutting the trunk then the passenger door. “I’m out.”

    “Alright Speedracer. You’ve got money now and don’t think we’re worth it.” He grumbled.

    “Yeah yeah.” She mumbled, getting in the car. “Whatever.” There was a scream coming from outside, the both of them looking at each other before heading towards the garage door.

    “Why are we doing this?” Benny asked. “It’s none of our business.”

    “Benny.” She warned, opening it slightly and stepping back when a kid crawled under. “Holy shit.”

    “No fucking way.” Benny closed to door as quickly as it opened. “This is that kid!”

    “What kid?” She asked, looking at the girl in a fancy dress.

    “The God Daughter of that hero that got kidnapped.” Benny snapped his fingers.

    “Please. Captain Steve Rogers is my God Father and I managed to get away from the people that took me.” She stepped forward, grabbing her hands. “I just wanna go home.”

    “No way.” Benny said, shaking his head. “I say we put the kid back outside and pretend like nothing happened.”

    “No!” She yelled.

    “Relax Kid. You’re not going back out there.” She said as she grabbed Benny by the collar. “We’re not putting a kid back in danger.”

    “You’re a criminal Y/n. Remember that? What do you think they’re gonna do when they find out that the person hording the God Daughter of Steve fucking Rogers, you think they’re gonna pat you on the back? No if anything they’ll paint a red target on it.”

    “Yeah.” She huffed, looking at the girl that looked scared out of her mind. “But my conscious is telling not to let her go back out there.”

There was banging on the garage door, cutting their conversation off. “We know the kid is in there! Open the door and no one gets hurt!”

    “Get her out of here Y/n.” Benny whispered. “I’m looking out for you too here. This kid brought trouble to my doorstep. My ma’s gonna kill me if these guys don’t.”

    “Shut up.” She sighed, scratching the back of her head. “Shit…” She opened the door to the car, motioning for the girl to get in. “It’s gonna be a bumpy ride for the kid so keep your head down”

    “Are you insane!?” Benny yelled as the banging continued. The garage door rattling as they tried to get in. “Hey! Don’t get in that car Y/n! Just give her back to them! If you leave, I’m not helping you. You’re cut off.”

    “I told you I was out Benjamin. So, I’ve already cut myself off.” She got in the car and shut the door. “The least you could do it get the door.” Benny sighed and rushed the button, pushing it and running out the back door of the garage. “Here kid. Call someone I’m gonna need directions.”

When the door was high enough, she put the car in reverse and slammed on the break, ramming into a big guy before whipping the car around and shifting to drive and speeding away. She looks in the rearview mirror, smirking as they scrambled to get in their SUV’s to chase after her. “Uncle Bucky!” The kid in the backseat yelled. “I escaped! A woman is bringing me to you! But she doesn’t know where to go!”

    “Hit the Bluetooth kid.” She said as she maneuvered through cars. “Hey Uncle Bucky. I’m probably gonna have cops on my ass and I’d appreciate it if you or anyone let them know that the bad guys are not in the grey altered Camaro.”

    “Go-”

    “Who’s this?” A voice questioned.

    “Oh wow. You must be the Captain.” She said with a smirk. “Look Soldier Boy I need you to give me a route to you so that the kid is safe. Asking me questions isn’t going to cut it right now.” She jumped when there were shots fired at her car. “Shit.” She looked back, pulling the emergency break to make a last-minute turn. “Good thing I’ve got the new windows. Look Soldier Boy can you get me a route or not?”

    “We’ve got you!” Someone in the background yelled. “Go straight and then make a left at the light.”

    “Hold on Kid!” She yelled when someone pulled up beside her and slammed into the side. “Watch the paint!” She yelled at the driver who pulled out a gun. She looked forward, noticing the line of cars in front of them and pulled the emergency break, screeching to a stop as the truck slammed into another car. “You alright kid!?” She looked back, putting the car in reverse. “Find me a new route there’s traffic there!” She turned the car and stepped on the gas, heading down a one way.

    “You’re going the wrong way!” The kid yelled from the back seat.

    “That’s the point!” She yelled back as she pressed her horn. She moved out of the way, watching as people blocked the way of the people chasing her. “See Kid. That bought us some time.” She chuckled. “You still with me Soldier Boy? Where do I go?”

    “Make a right and then turn left.” Steve said as he paced on the other end.

    “Yes sir.” She did as she was instructed, keeping an eye out for anyone following her. “Now who the Hell are you?”

    “Let’s just say… I’m a woman that can’t let a kid get hurt.” She said. “Kid hold on!” She yelled and a car slammed into her bumper. “Shit!” They started shooting again, breaking the rear window. “Get us the fuck out of here Soldier Boy!”

    “They’re on their way to them now! Once they get to the inner-city compound, they’ll be safe!”

She gasped when a car appeared in front of her, a man pointing a gun as her. “Down!” She yelled as she ducked. “We don’t have time for reaching the compound! They’re fucking up my car!” She sat up, swerving out of the way of a car they tried to get her to run into.

She watched a woman throw spikes in front of her car, but she turned the car, her back tire getting hit as she sped down the road. “What was that?”

    “My car is reinforced but not that reinforced.” She reached pulled the passenger seat up, adjusting the tanks full of NOS. “Do you have your seat belt on kid?” She looked back, noticing the cars gaining on her.

    “Good.” She turned a corner. “Is that it there!?” She questioned, pointing to the large building that was at the end of the road.

    “Yeah.” The girl nodded.

    “Good. Now hold on because I’m going to do something extremely dangerous.” She flipped a switched, finger hovering over a button as she went to max speed.

    “Dangerous!?” Steve questioned. “What do you think you’re doing!?”

    “Saving a life… probably ending one.” She pushed the button.

The car sped up, pushing them back against the seats as she kept her foot on the gas. She noticed the makeshift metal ramp and shook her head. “I’m going for it!” She yelled.

    “No! I wanna go back with them!” The kid yelled. “I don’t wanna die!”

    “Hold on!” She took the ramp, flying over the intersection and barely missing the top of a tour bus as she cleared the wall.

The car slammed against the ground, bouncing once. She groaned, looking back at the terrified kid. “Look you’re alive.” She laughed smiling brightly and driving towards the entrance of the building. She destroyed bushes and hedges as her car slow rolled onto the gravel. She pulled into looped driveway, watching as multiple people rushed out with guns in hand. “So much for a welcoming party.”

The back door was yanked off, making her jump and climb out of her car. “I’m so happy you’re safe.” Steve said as he hugged his God Daughter.

    “Dude my door.” She moved to walk around it, ignoring the people pointing their guns at her until someone stepped in her way, putting their hand on her shoulder. “Why’d you take my door off? I could have unlocked it.” She stated.

    “Y/n.” Steve said with a stern expression. “I had a feeling it was you.”

    “Steve.” She smiled. “Long time no see.”

    “I thought you stopped being a criminal.”

    “I thought you retired.” She crossed her arms as she leaned against the back of the car. “Once a Hero always a Hero I guess.” She leaned her head to the side. “Or was it once a thief always a thief?”

    “You two know each other?” Bucky questioned.

    “You could say that.” Steve grumbled.

    “If you count secret rendezvous as knowing each other then yeah… we know each other well.” Steve ordered everyone to head back in, leaving the two alone to have a talk.

    “Why’d you save her? Did you do it to spite me?”

    “Hmmm.” She tapped her chin. “Spite the man that left me for someone who didn’t love him and had an entire family with another man or save a kid that could have been dead if I didn’t save her.” She narrowed her eyes. “Honestly, Steven. Just because I’m wanted in the U.S doesn’t mean that I’m a cruel person.”

    “You’re right.” He sighed, shaking his head. “I just didn’t expect you of all people to want to help.”

    “Oh Steven.” She caressed his cheek, wanting to say what was on her mind but deciding against it. “What can I say… I’m complicated like that remember.” She turned to walk away but he grabbed her wrist, turning her and going to press his lips against her but stopping. “Still hesitant Soldier Boy?”

    “I won’t hesitate this time.” He kissed her, pulling her closer against his body.

[gasstationshane]

I was driving to Los Angeles with my brother Mark, when my life changed forever. He had just graduated from high school, and accpted into the same college that I was going to. We with were on a road trip to Los Angeles so I could show him all the good spots for food and other needs as well as celebrating his graduation. Mark kept changing the radio or the music on the bluetooth speaker about a few hours or so after getting out of the Michigan border. At least it felt like a few hours, but it honesty could have been longer. Time flies when your driving.

At one point, we had to be bluetooth only for our road trip music, since the radio signal was so bad that all we were getting was nothing but fuzzy feedback. It's funny, you think with as advanced the way technology is these days, they'd have something to stop dead zones. But I guess people that make these things focus on one problem at a time. I wouldn't know exactly, despite me being a gamer and hopefully a graphic artist someday.

When we got even deeper into the woods that we were driving into, it started raining hard. Mark couldn't help but chuckle.

"You gonna be able to drive okay if it storms, or do I gotta take over?" He asked, teasing me about my fear of thunderstorms. I looked up through my window, and I was confused as hell. It was raining, pouring and a storm was about to hit. And yet, there was not a cloud in the sky. It was night time, but with all the stars shining, it was easy to tell. I sighed and shook my head.

"No I'll be fine, but I'll pull over the moment I feel like the storm is gonna effect my driving." I answered him in a slightly louder voice than usual, the rain hitting the car being loud. It's weird, even though thunderstorm's scare the living hell out of me, I enjoy the sound of rain hitting windows and cars. If the thunder is loud and hitting fast, like an elephant that just saw a mouse, I become filled with panic and freak out.

I heard thunder roll, and I sighed. It wasn't loud, but thunderstorms are like sloths. Slow and determined. I looked out the window once again, the starry night sky filled with dark clouds. Mark seemed to notice the difference between now and when it started raining.

"Are we ahead of the storm or something? How the hell did we get no clouds to a full on overcast?" He asked, just as confused as me. I shrugged.

"No idea. The rain more down south could be different than back home but who knows man." Suddenly, more thunder rolled. It was louder than before and I could feel it make the steering wheel vibrate. I pulled over, feeling my body already begining to shake. I hated how bad my fear of thunderstorms was. It was embarrassing that a 21 year old could stop doing anything instantly, just by hearing thunder. Mark reached over, rubbing the back of my shoulder gently.

"It's okay bro, I'll drive so you can get some rest." I nodded in response, getting ready to undo my seatbelt so we could switch seats. Mark already had his off. I took longer due to the shaking. My hands kept slipping and I almost had it when I saw a very bright light. I looked out through the windshield, seeing a semi truck. Once my eyes fully focused, I saw that the truck was swerving. My eyes widened. He was on the wrong side of the road.

My fear turned into a panic and my fight or flight mode, my body instantly honking the horn and trying to put the car in reverse so I could get us out of the way. The truck didn't go back to it's side of the road, and the car was moving slowly.

"Shit! Mark get out!" I shouted to my brother as I looked at him before going back to trying to get my seat belt off. It was stuck, making me growl in frustration as I desperately tugged at it. Suddenly, the truck hit us, making my body slam against the seat belt before violently pushing me back against the car seat. I squeezed my eyes shut out of fear. I heard a loud smack before hearing Mark cry out in pain, I looked towards him to see if he was okay, but the air bag went off, hitting my face without warning and knocking me out within seconds.

When I was awake again, I looked around. I was somehow still in my seat, the seat belt still clicked into the holder. I looked around the car, Mark no where to be found. Panic once again surged through my body, making finally get that damn seat belt off. I got out of the car, looking around for Mark and calling out his name.

When I found him, he was laying a foot or so away from the car. He had a bruised gash on his forehead that looked like he purposely slammed it onto a rock, a few shards of glass from what I could only assume was the windows or even the windshield scattered into his chest. I ran over to him, shaking him slightly.

"Mark! Wake up buddy. Come on we gotta get you to the hospital. Dad's gonna kill us, but it'll be okay." I said, trying to get him up. He didn't budge. I stared at him blankly, hoping like hell he'd show me some form of movement. But.. Nothing happened... Before I knew it, I was already crying. My brother was dead.. And it was all my fault.

I screamed in frustration, pulling my phone out of my pocket and dialing 911. I heard a beeping and looked at the screen. No signal.. "Shit!" I shouted, running down the road to try to find help as quick as possible. My emotions were really fucking me up on the inside... I could literally feel my stomach burning. After about a mile, I saw a gas station on the side of the road. Oh thank God! Maybe now I can actually get some help.

Before I could walk in, a huge raccoon jumped out of a bush in front of me, causing me to fall on my ass. I looked at the furry trash panda, confused. When I said he was huge, I didn't mean he was fat. This guy was so big that if he stood on his hind legs, he'd be three feet tall at least.

Something else strange that I noticed, as he came closer to me. He was carrying a small amount of what looked to be a couple dollar bills in his mouth. What.. The fuck? Why was a Raccoon carrying cash with him.. Don't they usually steal food or some shit? Before I could scare him away, he dropped the bills into my hand and got close to my face. He nuzzled me with a purr before heading back to the woods, leaving me there confused with bills in my hand that was dripping with raccoon drool.

Normally, I'd be grossed out at this point but I had more important things to worry about. I got up and walked into the gas station. "Hey, do you have a phone that actually works? I've been in a bad car accident and I need a ambulance. I'm pretty sure my brothers dead.." I explained, panting heavily from panic as I looked at the cashier. He looked to be about my age, but clearly needed a good nights sleep.

He had dark circles under his eyes that even made me feel tired after the shit I've been through. I saw the name tag on his shirt. His name was Jack. Jack... Why does that sound familiar? I shrugged it off as I got closer to the counter.

He looked up from the book he was reading before using a crutch to stand up against the cash register, sighing softly like I interrupted something important. He must've been at a good point in his book to have that reaction.

"If you wanna use the phone, it's twenty five cents a minute. Pay in advance, no exceptions." He said as he looked at me, seeming to think that I wasn't in a serious situation. So that explains why the raccoon gave me those bills earlier... But how did he know. There was a strange familiarity about the place. A guy named Jack that works at a gas station in what felt like the middle of nowhere, who also looked like the word sleep had absolutely no meaning in his vocab. A quote from a blog I read a while back came to my head.

'At the edge of town...' Then a bunch of details I couldn't remember at the moment "... Theres a shitty little gas station, open twenty four hours a day, seven days a week." I also remembered the blog mentioning something about a three foot tall raccoon named Rocco. Then it hit me. I wasn't at just a gas station. I was at THE gas station. The one that was talked about on a blog called 'tales from the gas station' by a guy known as gas station Jack. And that very Jack, was right in front of me. Well.. That explains the raccoon. That was Rocco.

"Holy shit!" I blurted out, unable to hide my fanboying. "Your gas station Jack! Author of tales from the gas station! Dude!" He looked back at me with a look of shock. This is the most awake he looked during our interaction. But now that I know who I was dealing with, the whole sleep deprivation look made sense. If I remember correctly from the blog, he had fatal familia insomnia. Meaning, he couldn't sleep. At all.

"You've read my blog?" He asked a bit confused. I nodded and smiled softly, ignoring my body shaking violently from the accident.

"Hell yeah! I've also listened to it being read by Mr. Creepy Pasta." I stated proudly, hoping he'd appreciate that detail. He sighed, crossing his arms. I was surprised at how well he was able to balance himself on his crutch.

"Are you sure your not making this up to get a free phone call? Because it's not gonna work. No exceptions. And no alternative forms of payment either." He said before repositioning himself so his arms were resting on the counter. I laughed and shook my head.

"Nah, I'm not the kind of guy that would use your Internet fame against you." I handed him both the dollar bills, not sure how long the call would be.

"Thankfully, Rocco gave me some cash before I came in here." I explained as he took the bills. He was gonna ask about Rocco, but decided against it once he remembered the situation I was in. He spun the egg timer and handed me the phone. Within in a matter of minutes, I had explained the accident I was in and was told that help was on the way.

I gave the phone back to Jack and thanked him, before heading back to the scene of the accident. They wouldn't let me ride in the ambulance with Mark, explaining that they needed room so the paramedics could start working on taking care of him. Instead, I rode in the passenger side of the cop car, with deputy Amelia O'Brien driving. I kept quiet, secretly happy that it was her that gave me the ride. She was another Character in Jack's blog. It was so cool to know that not everything he put in the blog was made up.

"He's gonna be fine." She started, snapping me out of my thoughts. "It looks like he hit his head on the dashboard. He's knocked out and possibly in a coma." I frowned, looking away. Maybe she was just trying to convince me that I wasn't responsible for my brothers death. A wave of guilt washed through me, the pain and burning I had felt in my stomach hours earlier had came back. I couldn't tell if I was gonna throw up all the stomach acid in my body, or explode. I was cringing and O'Brien had pulled over to the side of the road. I opened up the car door and fell out onto my knees. I felt like I had just gotten the worlds worst flu. I'm sure my body temperature exceeded one hundred, my hair and skin were already drenched in sweat. O'Brien stood next to me, calling in for another ambulance. And suddenly... I blacked out...

To be.. Continued..

[seouledbysisi]

Ambitious Dreams

Chapter Six

Hyoeun ran up onto the stage. Nori was very captivated by his very presence. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him. Her phone had been vibrating all day but she didn’t care. All she was worried about was supporting this talented man that was onstage. She had never seen him exhume this type of energy and it made her see him in a new light.

Hash ran up to them through the large crowd. “Sorry, I’m late. My interview ran over a little.”

Nori glanced over at him speaking to Changmo.

He hadn’t realized she was there yet.

Nova waved to him from the other end.

He decided to walk over to where she and Elle were. “What’s up?! Wasn’t expecting y’all to be here.”

She nodded as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. Ash had bought her some loaded fries. He insisted that she eat something even though she wasn’t hungry. “Yeah, Hyoeun invited us. He gave us tickets so here we are!” She yelled over the music.

Hash looked around and noticed Nori standing beside a female that he didn’t recognize. “Hey Nori!” He pulled her attention.

Nori smiled. “Hey! “ she waved then turned her attention back to Hyoeun.

He smiled a little. “Tell me something?”

Nova returned his attention. “What’s up?”

“She really likes him, right?” He asked as he nodded towards Nori.

Nova gave him a sad smile. “Yeah. She does. But it’s not that she doesn’t like you it’s just-“

He shook his head still smiling. “No, I get it. He’s more of her vibe. I’m cool with it.”

“Really? You’re such a great guy and some girl will be lucky to have you for sure!” Nova reassured him.

He smirked. “I know. I think Hyoeun will benefit from having her around. He needs someone whose going to spice his life up.”

Nova nodded. “Well I don’t wanna be rude, this is my coworker, Elle. Elle, this is Hash Swan.”

“You can just call me Hash.” He held his hand out.

Elle grinned. “Nice to meet you! You have good music.” She said excitedly as she swayed to the music.

“Well thank you. I try. What do you do?” He asked.

She smiled. “I’m a junior style consultant.”

He nodded. “Sounds cool.”

“There’s never a dull moment for sure!” She responded.

Hash nudged Nova. “I like her energy. Keep her around.” He said lowly and walked back over to Changmo.

Nova glanced over to Elle who was oblivious at this point. She didn’t want to read too much into what Hash was saying because after all he was a really nice guy so compliments didn’t necessarily mean that he liked someone.

Marz came onstage afterwards. When he performed I Can Be Your Rockstar he kept staring at Nova and there was no way that he could hide it.

Ash latched his arm around her waist as if to say back the hell up cause she’s mine.

Marz girlfriend’s eyes moved from Nova back up to Marz. She wondered if something was going on between the two but she couldn’t be for sure and she surely didn’t want to cause a scene or make Marz angry with her. After all she needed him like her life depended on it. At this point maybe it did, because when he wasn’t around she felt like she was barely hanging on.

Nova bobbed her head to the music but made sure she didn’t make eye contact with him. Ash had already damn near staked his claim on her so to save the drama she was going to do everything possible to stay away from it.

“Why aren’t you eating?” Ash asked in her ear.

Nova shrugged. “I told you I wasn’t hungry!” She yelled over the music.

“We’re going out after this. You gotta eat something, okay?”

She nodded.

He scooped her from behind and rocked her hips with his. “This isn’t too much for you, right?”

She shook her head. “Not yet.” She leaned her head back on his shoulder and swayed with him.

Nori looked in her direction and her eyes nearly popped out of her eye sockets. She snatched her away and pulled her into her embrace. “Are you drunk or are you high?” She asked frantically.

“Now you know I don’t have anything in my system! What’s the big deal? Y’all been trying to put me on him for the longest.” Nova laughed.

Nori threw her hands up. “I’m all for this but I’m making sure you know what you’re doing.” She laughed.

“I do. He’s cool and I’m pretty sure he’s tired of being rejected. Plus he’s pretty cute when he’s possessive!” She snickered.

Elle cornered in with them. “I knew you liked him!”

“We’re friends. That’s it!” Nova rolled her eyes.

“Yeah sure y’all are-.” Elle started.

Nova held a finger up, “BUT I’m not totally opposed to spending more time with him.”

“Finally you admit it. We all knew! What about Marz?” Nori asked as her eyes dragged to the stage that he was on.

Nova shrugged.

“Wait- what about Marz?! I want the tea!” Elle interrupted.

“Well they-“

Nova shook her head to cut her off. “There is no tea. He has a girlfriend and I’m not in the business of stepping on other people’s territories.” Suddenly a loud crash was heard and equipment from one of the rides went flying everywhere.

Everyone screamed and began to run. It was so many people trying to get away that you could barely see which direction was safe. Nova felt a hand grip hers and pull her away. She wasn’t sure who it was but at this point she didn’t have time to think. It was a now or never situation. She just prayed for safety.

Hyoeun leaped off the stage. “Nori!” He began to yell frantically searching for her. He wasn’t worried about his own safety he just wanted her to be okay. “Nori!”

Elle was pushed to the ground. She heard a loud groan as she hit the gr- it was Hash. Her eyes widened. She immediately began to cry. “I’m so sorry!” She yelled and tried to get herself up. She was a mess at this point. She looked up at the huge crowd and became so overwhelmed.

He held his hand out and jerked her up. “Hurry, lets go!” They ran together with the crowd.

Emergency sirens were ringing from every direction. Everyone had been split up.

Nova began panicking when she searched the parking lot and couldn’t find Nori.

Ash held her and rubbed her hair to calm her down. “She’s fine. Hyoeun is looking for her.”

She shook her head. “I won’t be okay until I see her!” Tears blurred her vision.

Ash pulled his phone out and began to call Hyoeun. He held Nova close with his other arm. Her arms were wrapped around him so tight he could barely breathe but strangely he was okay with that. Her warmth was keeping his calm. Hyoeun wasn’t answering.

Nova looked up at him. “No answer?”

He shook his head and held her head into his chest. “They’re okay. They have to be!”

She was beginning to shake. “But what if-“

“Nova!” Elle yelled as she walked hand-in-hand with Hash.

Nova tore away from Ash and ran to her. “You okay?” She grabbed her cheeks to check for any cuts or bruises. She had a small cut above her lip. “Elle, I’m so sorry.”

Elle shook her head. “I’m fine. I just got knocked over and my face made friends with the ground.”

Nova passed a look between the two who were still holding hands. “No more making friends with the ground.” She rubbed her shoulder.

“I can’t make any promises but I’ll try not to. You know I’m super friendly!” She giggled.

Nova couldn’t help from being distracted by the two still holding hands. Like she understood him being a gentleman and getting her to safety but damn, she was safe now. “You sure you’re okay?”

Elle looked over at Hash and finally realized that their hands were still interlocked. She snatched it away. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry.” She spoke to him quickly as she fiddled with her fingers.

He slid his hands in his pockets. “It’s cool. We’re all shook up and caught in the moment.”

“Hey! I found them!” Ash yelled in their direction. He had kept trying to call Hyoeun but still was getting no answer. He was relieved when he saw Nori and him emerge from the crowd. He ran to them quickly. “Dude, why the fuck haven’t you answered your phone?”

Hyoeun shook his head. “I dropped it somewhere back there when I was looking for her.”

Ash noticed him limping. “You okay? Do you need to get that checked?”

Hyoeun shook his head fast. “Nah, I’m good. Let’s just go!”

Nori grabbed his arm so he could settle his weight on her a bit. “You saved me so now it’s my turn to help you out.”

He gave her a warning look.

“Let me do this! Don’t give me that look.”

He smirked. “You’re gonna be the death of me.” He chuckled.

They all gathered into Ash’s green expedition.

Ash opened the front seat door for Nova and shut it behind her. He jumped in and cranked the vehicle. He hooked his phone up to the Bluetooth in the vehicle. His phone began to ring. Marz. He answered it. “Hey, y’all good?” Marz asked over the big speaker of the truck.

“Yeah. Y’all?” Ash answered as he turned onto the freeway.

“Yeah. We’re heading to grab some food. Y’all got the girls? I didn’t see them. We looked for them.” Marz revealed.

Ash sighed. “Yeah they’re with us. Is Jangmi and Lee okay?”

Lee? Who the hell is that? Nova thought to herself. She couldn’t remember anyone else being around but then again Ash had occupied all of her space.

Marz got quiet. “Yeah they’re fine.”

“Alright, we’ll see y’all at the house. We gonna grab some food and head there.” He hung up. He looked over at Nova whose leg was trembling. He reached over the middle console and grabbed her hand. He laced their fingers.

She tightened the grip and caressed his hand with her free one.

They went inside a McDonald’s to order food. Ash ordered himself two burgers and a large fry. Nova just stood behind him slightly quietly.

“What you want?” He pulled her next to him. “You gotta eat, Nova.” He rubbed her shoulder.

“Just a nugget and side salad.” She spoke quickly and stepped back with Nori as he paid for the food. He handed her a large cup.

Hash ordered his food and then pointed at Elle.

She looked around. “Me?”

He nodded and beckoned for her. “I got you. Order whatever you want.”

“No no! I’m good. I can buy my own food.” Elle became flustered. Why the heck is this man being so nice to me?

“Order. I’m not taking no for an answer.” Hash pushed.

She finally ordered a burger and fry.

They got back in the vehicle and headed to the guys house. They pulled up to huge house. It was nice.

Nova’s eyes widened. “Do y’all all live here?”

Ash grabbed their food and nodded and headed to the front door. They all followed him to a big room with a huge tv and two sectional couches in it.

Nova’s eyes blinked a few times when she saw a familiar face. She stiffened.

Ash noticed her hesitation. “What’s wrong?”

Lee. When he had asked Marz about Jangmi and Lee,this is who he meant. The devil herself. She rolled her eyes and continued over to one of the couches.

Ash sat beside her and handed her the food. “You sure you’re okay?”

She nodded. “Yep! Just be prepared to take me home soon.”

He eyed her. “Let’s just enjoy the moment. We could’ve died tonight. I just want to be beside you and share your comfort.”

She nodded with a slight snare.

Jangmi stood from the couch and walked out.

Marz just watched her. He didn’t dare follow. Quite frankly he wasn’t too interested in her nor her friend’s drama.

Lee walked near Nova. “What the hell are you here for? Have you not tortured my friend enough already?”

Nori’s attention caught quickly. She stood up to be sure her friend was okay.

“What exactly have I done to your friend?” Nova questioned. Now she was really irritated!

Lee cocked her head to the side. “You want what you can’t have. Marz doesn’t like you so back the fuck off! They’ve been together for years, nothing you say or do will change that!”

Nova laughed. “I’m not trying to get him, what imaginary world are you and your friend living in?”

“Just stay away from him!” Lee continued.

Nova stood. “Let me make something clear, I’m all the way over here minding my own business. If your friend is threatened just by my mere presence then that sounds like a personal problem to me! Now you back off!”

Nori walked up. “Walk away little girl. You don’t want these problems!” She directed at Lee.

“Lee, you and Jangmi are dismissed. Take her home. I’ll talk to her later.” Marz spoke up.

Lee’s eyes widened. She was fuming. “Are you fucking kidding me? You’re going to dismiss your girlfriend? You’re a disrespectful asshole. She should dump your ass!”

Marz shrugged. “Been waiting on that anyway.” He said under his breath.

Lee whipped her head around. “What did you just say?”

He simply shook his head. “Nothing. Take her home.”

Lee walked out the room to find her friend.

Nova sat down with her face in her hands.

Ash grabbed their food up and held out his hand. “Let’s go to my room.”

Nova nodded. As soon as they made it to his room her emotions fell apart. She was livid. She wasn’t a home wrecker. “I don’t deserve that. I don’t, Ash!” Tears fell onto her cheek.

“No you don’t. Don’t worry about it. Jangmi is insecure.”

“But why? I’ve never even made an advance at him. Barely talk to him! And on top of all of that I’m here with YOU!”

Ash sat on his bed and patted the space next to him. “It’s not about you. They’ve had problems for a long time. They’re just finally being brought to the table I guess.”

Nova looked up at him. “They act like I’m the problem.”

“You’re not. That’s been a sinking ship for about two years now.”

“So why does he keep her around? He doesn’t seem happy anyway!” She rolled her eyes.

Ash exhaled deeply. “Circumstances.” He said plainly.

Nova laid back on two of his pillows staring at the ceiling.

He laid on his side and cozied up close to her. They laid in silence. He caressed her soft coils on her head. He’d never been happier lying next to someone who wasn’t even his. For all he knew Marz and his girl could break up and pull Nova right from under him. He wanted to savor this moment as long as he could.

[groomlakeprojects]

Crash(test) The Ballad of Faded Wolf

(Summary)

Barry Mick is a struggling tour manager for a young US rock band in his 30's working in the rock world and mainstream pop; but also works several part time real jobs. The band he is currently managing is a young band “Faded Wolf”; full of notorious stories and behaviors including sex,drugs, and rock and roll. Will they crash and burn? Or live and learn? Probably neither.

Crash(test) The Ballad of Faded Wolf

Story written by Joe Bruno

Edited by

Max Barksdale

There’s something peaceful about waking up in a moving vehicle. The scenery moving like an old movie reel as we make our way to the next destination is the best part, I guess. From what my folks told me when I was young, you actually had to dedicate a person, with a license, to controlling the vehicle; which sounds like a terrible idea looking around my immediate company.

“Tommy Rocks”, as he’s known, is in the next bunk over; putting his genitals on one of our roadies face while he’s asleep. Classic. The band I’m currently out on the road with, (for way less money than I should’ve negotiated; had I known the shit storm I had agreed to) Faded Wolf, are one of the new growing bands in the heavy metal scene. And they are all about attention.

These guys just cost the label $600,000 in damages; leading cops on a two hour chase after stealing a old school collection car from a classic car show, then proceeding to manually drive it onto the highway.

Fucking psychos I tell you. Especially in 2044.

A human messing with with our great, automated highways? It’s crazy they’d let anyone touch a real steering wheel. Thankfully the van doesn’t have one or I’d never sleep with this band around. Not that I do much.. From what I heard growing up, people died like all the time crashing these things it was something crazy like the plague, it was in the millions of people dead all of the time, senselessly. And you’ve got to be an idiot to get out on the roads with the old cars and attempt to drive with the cars we have today. Nobody stops and goes and burns gas anymore. The road system today is cars going everywhere all automatically timed to drive without hardly stopping. Except out here, there’s some drivers still not enough automatic services out this way yet.

Suddenly, there’s a loud pop and the van comes to a stop on the side of the road. We are somewhere on I-70 near Anywhere, Kansas. The van operator broadcasts on to the intercom, “Hey fellas, we are really sorry to inform you but your ‘Bandvan’ rental has had an internal problem with it’s charge system and needs repairs. With your insurance purchase, we will be covering stay at a hotel for you guys until we can get the next van in your area. The nearest one is a day away. Really sorry about the inconvenience. We can give you two free days on your next trip. Again, so sorry. Local tow resources are on their way and should arrive in 25 minutes.”

Damn. We had one more date for tomorrow in Colorado, then I was to catch the Interstate speed train to California; where my next job starts. A pop artist, “Yuki”, is playing the VENUE on Mars’ grand opening. This is like the big stadium time too; bigger than the theaters and bars that host Faded Wolf.

I was asked to smuggle some personal belongings they had left when they took off last week. Oh, and it’s going to take two months to get there. The band managers “great joy of the music world”, is basically being the babysitter to the most irresponsible group of people in the world.

Not now.

I have to figure out what we are going to do. The tow truck is pulling up now I guess I’ll go settle up with the service and oh hey it’s the gang is already around the front. Shit. Tommy, Jim, John, and Freddy are chugging beers and flashing their private parts to oncoming traffic. I used to hear stories about bands like Motley Crüe and Guns N Roses, in my grandparents younger days, who did this kind of stuff.

It was wild.

I think that’s what they want.

Shock value.

It sounded fun at first; but after two months of living it, breathing it, and smelling it with this group, it has lost it’s appeal. I can’t wait to go Mars and get away for a bit.

But what are you gonna do?

These guys want it all.

And unfortunately, they’ll do anything for the attention.

We arrive at a local hotel. It was one of these small mom and pop ones with a kind of old “Bates Motel” vibe; except this was Conways motel. It’s almost like a slasher film; but instead of killing you in the shower, you would step back in time to what the elders would call, “the eighties baby!” The room was filled with neon colors on the walls and 80’s movie and music posters on every wall.

A short older man, maybe in his 60’s, in black pants and a faded blue vintage nascar shirt approaches us. He introduces himself as Earl Conway and asks if we are the rock band staying the night. Tommy and the gang, the kind of wild living guys they are, of course are already shotgunning beers behind me with the roadies and some local fans who are also staying at the hotel.

They have also recognized the band.

I shrug and go into “manager mode”.

We get away to settle up the insurance at the front desk.

“Well, I know it’s y’all’s misfortune, but it is just our treat to have y’all stay with us at ‘Conway’s’ tonight. We never have too many city folk stay here; especially real rockstars. Let us know if you need anything; food, beer, some coke, ‘Ya know’,” Earl brags with a grin.

Well, at least I know these guys are mostly safe to party.

“Thanks Mr. Conley. I really hope we don’t need too much. Our next van will be in town around 12 tomorrow. And then, we are back on the road to the rockies. Though, I can’t speak for the band. It looks like they are already making friends.”

I gaze out the door.

The crowd partying with the band has tripled since exchanging info at the front desk. It appears Tommy and Freddy are now signing several women’s breast and taking some suggestive photos. They probably assumed I quit paying attention, went to my room take my sleep aid, and pass out.

What the hell could go wrong? This is what they do.

That’s not managing though.

I’m thinking I got to go break this up.

“Mr. Conley, I’ll make sure we keep the crowd and noise down,” I assured him.

“Nonsense Barry! You know what; on the weekends we have a 25 Acre track, just behind the motel, where we race good old human driving cars. I saw the band’s mishap with that car out in California on the news. Compared to that footage, I’ll gladly let them rip it up tonight!” Earl responded.

Well there goes my peaceful night.

It’s not even night, and two of the old classic cars that drove by earlier have rolled up to the growing party in the parking lot. Freddy, Tommy, and the gang, are now doing what are called “donuts” in the parking lot. I’ve seen videos online where the human controlled vehicles speed and then brake during a turn, to slide across parking lots at shopping centers and apartment buildings. I suppose it’s better they can do that here; instead of the theft and driving on automated highways charges.

I head to the room to try to get some peace and quiet. Maybe I can try to go over my lists for the Mars trip; which I’m surprised about it being a whole 4 month thing and I’m not that nervous yet. I guess it’s hard to think to that far in the future when you live in “Faded Wolf’s” now.

As I’m approaching the room, I can hear sounds of giggling. Nope thats moaning.

Shit.

Someone is having sex in my room.

Again.

I can’t really count at this point how many times this has happened. But I’m not surprised really. It’s Faded Wolf. What did I expect. At least I have my bag. I can work on some things in this old chair at the end of the hall.

Luckily, I brought my headphones to tune this out.

And they are dead.

Goddamn Bluetooth!

I really miss the older devices my grandparents showed me when I was younger, the headphones may have had to be plugged in; but you weren’t left hanging.

Well, i passed out in the hallway on the floor for couple hours and awake to Earl right in my face and shaking me “buddy I got other customers rolling in soon can’t have you here like this.” I agree. I startle but get up in a haze.. I haven’t really felt this low since i turned 30. The world keeps turning though, I get up and grab my bag and computer I used as a pillow. The room was cleared out and I can finally catch a shower.

There’s clearly cocaine residue on the dresser and all of the room beers are gone. As much as I’m disappointed they didn’t leave any to share, I’m guessing Earl may have to order more for tonight.

I finish my shower, get dressed, and head out to the tracks. It’s a sunny summer day, with green trees and a field view; not that Kansas is known for its landscapes. It was a nice break from the crowded cities we usually stay in.

The guys are all hammered and driving these cars, I’d say, 90 miles an hour back and forth through a loop called a “race track.”

I’ve seen these before on the web. This used to be a popular sport, and still has a strong presence in the south to this day.

More of the local community has shown up looking for a chance to party with this band of fools.

I finally take a seat in the stands, with my own beer, and a little cigarette of ‘grass’, as they used to call it. One of the cars with Tommy driving, and yelling something obnoxious out the window, suddenly turns too quick. It goes up sideways, and flips several times in a barrel roll before stopping on it’s hood.

I drop everything and run over to help.

Tommy quickly climbs his way out, soaked in blood and yelling out in pain; which seems to be coming from the arm he’s holding. I look over inside. One of the fan girls from earlier is inside; luckily with a seatbelt on, which is holding her up. Kind of dangling, but still not awake. She looks a little cut up and I can’t tell if she’s breathing.

This right here is why they did away with letting humans drive. This is what my parents used to ramble on about when I

was young and driving had just been banned. I can’t believe they did this for over 100 years. This is a horror movie in real life. The shock and anxiety. You know, cannabis can make you very anxious without any bad shit happening; but this anxiety was something completely new.

One of my clients may have just killed someone.

As the local ambulance and fire response vehicles roll up, so do several police cars.

This is it.

We are fucked.

I am fucked.

The mars trip, is super fucked.

There is no way we are getting out of this mess by the time our next van rolls in tomorrow.

The rest of the band and I stayed back and talked to the cops about what we saw. I look over to the medical team, and see the fangirl miraculously retain consciousness; with no visible broken bones. Just a few scrapes and bruises on her faces. When her eyes finally opened and she got up and walked off with her friends quickly to the ambulance and seemed to try to keep looking over seeing Tommy at the ambulance, my anxiousness subdued a bit.

But now, we had a new set of problems. The law.

Tommy was immediately arrested and was being charged with an older charge called a “DUI”, reckless driving, and driving without a license. Apparently, this whole track operation is mostly for skilled drivers who still get a thing called a “drivers license.”

After they take him away, local news crews start rolling in to film the documentary of the end of our careers.

I had to call the label to let them know what had happened.

Well look at that. Faded Wolf news travels fast. Tim, the A&R rep, is calling me.

“Hey Tim, buddy! How are you?” I ask, trying to cool tension. “What the fuck did you let happen Barry? You’re the manager! Do you know how much this is going to cost us?” He yelled.

“Look man; you know these guys! Okay? They don’t listen to anybody! I just clean up the mess, like always! But I’m gonna go down there and get Tommy out, okay? These people are super fans; so we might get lucky,” I explained.

“Try what you will Barry; but if you can’t fix this, you’re done.” He hung up.

Earl comes up, still shaken from the event. I immediately start apologizing.

“Hey man. I’m so sorry these guys are idiots, And that poor girl”

He interrupts, “It’s ok Barry, it’s my fault. I encouraged it, and we’ve had accidents from time to time. I could’ve done more to set some ground rules. You guys being here has just been the most fun we’ve had in a while. Look. I got a lawyer buddy who helps me with my books. I’m gonna call him for us. Would you like a ride to check on Tommy?” He asks.

“Of course man! That would be amazing. I actually don’t know how to drive; really none of us from out west do.”

The rest of the crew stayed back.

The buzzkill shook everyone into retreating back to the rooms.

The parties over.

The drive was quiet.

The local radio report is already talking about the accident. I had to change the channel and the next station is, of course, a rock station ironically playing the “Faded Wolf” song “Crash”. I change it again, and finally tune into some obscure classical channel.

It was finally peaceful.

We get to the police station and go check in.

You know in jail movies, this part always sucks. Going to meet your friend or family member; locked up in the jump suit.

It is an all around shitty experience.

It also has be somewhere around 1 AM; about 12 hours away from our van departure schedule. At this point, I feel we are not gonna make it. And I’m not gonna make that Mars trip. We get to the front desk and ask for Tommy.

The desk lady grins and says, “We are hanging that mugshot up in the break lounge; as soon as we get it autographed. We’re holding him a bit longer. You know, y’all are so lucky that girl and her family likes him. He could’ve been here a while.”

I reply confused, “So he’s getting out?.”

“Well, yeah. Some lawyer came in representing that girl. Says she’s his daughter and he settled up with the judge. He will be free to go in just a bit”.

I look to Earl, “Dude, your lawyer is the girls dad?”

He looks shocked, “Shit I had no clue. I hope he doesn’t shut me down.”

The lawyer pops around the corner. “No real harm, no foul; I suppose. We live a little wild out here with these cars, and have accidents from time to time. Regardless, my kid, for some godforsaken reason, has been obsessed with this band for years now, since her high school days, and says it would be the most embarrassing thing to put you away for this. She just wants this to go away. And she really likes this “Tommy” guy, so we’ve made a hefty financial settlement that will take care of her, myself, and get some money flowing down at city hall again. Anyways, we will be in touch with the label for payment soon. And, please. Never. Ever. Let Tommy, or the rest of the band, drive. Or maybe never come here again. I’m serious. Goodnight, gents.” He leaves the station.

Well only in this rock and roll world can such scenario play out. Apparently everyone in this jail is a Faded Wolf fan even the judge. Tommy finally comes out of the back putting his shirt back on and a little bandaged up it seems. He signs a few copies of his mugshot for the station employees. Tommy then comes running at us jumping “ dudes I can’t believe it they love us here, apparently that girls dad is a lawyer, and begged him not to let me stay locked up and pay a fine instead” I reply “ so what’s the damage how much is this going to cost us?” Tommy smirks “ well let’s just say the label is not going to be happy about it and I’m sorry Barry if they blame this on you” I reply “ blame what?” Tommy deeply inhales and answers “eh it’s gonna cost about 20 million or so”. Well in my mind I was thinking a lot worse but that is still probably enough that it’s coming out of the next albums check and probably my check too. He continues “ it’s all good Barry we are getting that next advance and the last album just hit platinum”. This guy has no clue how completely fucked we could’ve been. But how could he? We let this happen and now by paying it off we encourage it.

We all get back to the hotel it’s probably close to 4 AM everyone’s passed out. Earl comes by as I’m packing things to be ready to go in the morning. “ well I’m glad it all worked out for you guys and I’m sorry about letting this happen” I interrupted “ look Earl these guys like to do crazy things and don’t think much, don’t blame yourself

We are all lucky it wasn’t worse.

And crazy lucky that the girl’s dad was lawyer; in our favor.

“You’ve been a great help to us! I’ll make sure to send you a postcard from the new venue on mars!”

He sort of gets excited, “Mars? No way! Is that the pop star everyone is going crazy for? ‘Yuki’ right?”

I replied, “Yup! That’s the one! I actually have to bring some things they forgot when they left the other day.”

Earl grabs a postcard from his folder he was carrying. “Well, could you show some love to the motel up there?”

I look at the picture of the motel which had several cars driving in the background, “You bet Earl, thanks for everything”.

I caught some sleep and woke up just in time for the “15 minute warning” for the vans arrival. We all loaded in and waved goodbye. Tommy was, of course, holding up the show and making out with the girl Alice. You know, the girl he nearly killed last night. I think that’s what her name was. Actually, I’m not really sure what her name was; but I guess it’s best we leave town on a good note.

And there we were; back on the road, heading to Colorado, cracking jokes trying to laugh off the bizarre events from the night before.

Tommy leans from his seat to me, “Barry, man, thank you for being there. We all appreciate it and I promise you that I’m never driving again! Well, unless I come back out here and see her again” he chuckles.

It had been on my mind all morning though, that maybe it was time for a career change. Possibly something with less responsibility for those least responsible. Maybe I’ll start my own band or label and just be in charge of myself. Who knows?

The Colorado show went off without a hitch; other than arriving right as soon as the band was scheduled to be on in 30 minutes. I’m glad we made it, but also just as glad to be out and not in charge of these maniacs for a long time. I left early to catch my train to the launch pad in California.

I can’t believe I made it.

Still sleepy and still taking in the events of the last two days, I figured it was a perfect time to take a sleep aid; seeing as I’ll be boarding a space shuttle to live in (which is basically a hotel lobby) for two months.

From what I’ve read, these launches can make you feel sick quickly; so it’s probably best to be passed out for that part. I get through security, get my bags checked, then board the ship. As I’m seated and buckled, I lay back with freshly charged headphones and some classics playing.

I slowly doze off.

I wake up, and I’m not in the ship anymore, but back in the port at the launchpad in a wheelchair. A flight attendant is near me, sees that I’m awake, and jumps up.

“Sir we are so sorry to inform you like this, but our ship had trouble taking off and was grounded. A second ship left later

in the day, but you have been out for about 10 hours and we could not get you into the next one passed out like that.”

I feel ambushed by the whole situation.

I’m still waking up but I take a second to process it “So when’s the next one?”

She replies, “Unfortunately, the Mars shuttle only flies three times a month, twice a day. That was the last one, and there are currently no options for two weeks. I’m so sorry for the inconvenience”

I’m still processing, but try to negotiate with her, “So what else can I get? my clients need their package.”

She responds, “Well your boss, Tim I believe, has left a package and note for you about that.”

I open the packages and letter.

“Hey, Barry. Give me a call when you get this. You’ve got a new mission. You're now taking the daily flight tomorrow to the moon for ‘Faded Wolf’s’ surprise show next week for the moon colony at the Lunar Lounge.

PS: Mars mail carrier will take the package; don’t worry. But you gotta watch these guys again!

You owe me!

And the label!”

Really? I quit.

[67-chevy-baby]

Who I Am With You

Ship - James Hetfield x Reader

Rating - PG-13

Tags - Fluff, angst, doubt, crying, and possibly a curse word or two

Word Count -  1.2k ish

Written for - @superheroginger8811

“Hey Shawn, can I get another coke, please?”

James pushed his glass towards the bartender and watched as he filled it up to the brim. Shawn eyed him warily while he dried a freshly washed mug with a towel.

“You’re in here awful late James, Everything okay with the missus?”

James let out a long, heavy sigh. Truth be told, there was a lot going that he just didn’t know how to fix. He wasn’t even sure if there was anything wrong. Metallica’s latest album was coming along nicely, right on schedule in fact, but that meant he was away from home more than he’d like to be. Y/N, his beautiful, supportive wife, had been a little more distant than usual, and it worried him.

“I don’t know Shawn. Y/N’s been more reserved lately, and I think it’s because of me. This new album is what Metallica needs, ya know? Metallica’s been my baby for over twenty-five years now. It’s all I ever had to worry about really. Ever since I married Y/N, I’ve had to divide my time, and I don’t think I’m very good at it. I try, I really do, but I think she’s getting fed up with me.”

James took a long pull of his coke, relishing the taste of the refreshing liquid. He set the glass on the coaster provided to him and watched as a bead of condensation slid down the outside of it. Shawn leaned against the counter. He gave James a knowing glance before clearing his throat.

“You wanna know what I think you should do?”

James ran a hand over his face and looked at the bartender desperately.

“I’ll take any advice you got, Shawn. I can’t lose her.”

Y/N hated waking up alone. It made her miss her husband even more, and even though she hated to admit it, she was starting to become jealous of the other members of Metallica. It seemed like they got to see James more than her. It made her feel guilty because she knew they were hard at work on the new album, but on the other hand, she wanted just a little time with him every once in a while.

As much as she wanted to stay in bed and mope all day, she had other responsibilities to take care of. If not her, who else would pay the necessary bills for the month? Sighing she got up and slid on the nearest clean clothes and threw her hair into a messy bun.

Other than paying the rent and the utilities, all she had to do today was pick up a couple things at the grocery store. After that, she would be home by herself until James pulled in around ten thirty.

About halfway to the store, her cell phone rang, lighting up with her Mom’s face on it. She always swore her Mother had a sixth sense or something. Whenever she was feeling upset or troubled about something she would call her. Hitting the answer button on her Bluetooth stereo, her mother’s voice filled the interior of her SUV.

“Hey, Mom.”

There really wasn’t any point in hiding the disappointment in her voice, so she didn’t. Her Mother sighed sympathetically, once again expressing how much she longed to be with her only living daughter. Ever since Y/N’s younger sister lost her life in a freak accident, her Mom and she have become closer.

“What’s going on sweetie? Did you and James get in a fight again?”

Part of her wished that was the case. At least then she would have an excuse to be as upset as she was. The truth was, James was being more romantic than usual, and it only made her want him around all the time that much more. She knew that was impossible, especially in his line of work.

“No, Mom that’s just it. We haven’t been fighting.”

The emotion in her voice was evident, hot tears streaming down her face as she pulled the car over. Y/N covered her face with her hands as sobs racked her body.

“Y/N, sweetheart, what’s going on? Do you need me to come up? I can call the store and let my boss know that there’s a family emergency. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if I stayed for a few days.”

She took a deep shaky breath and did the best to dry her eyes. Even if her Mom came to stay, it still wouldn’t solve the distance issue between her and James. She swallowed thickly, pulling her vehicle back onto the main road. Screw going to the store today. She’d do it tomorrow when she had more motivation. All she wanted to do right now was go home and soak in a nice hot bath.

She didn’t expect to find James’ truck in the driveway when she turned onto her street. She suddenly got a horrible feeling in her gut that something was wrong. He was never home this early, let alone done writing and recording. Y/N pulled her SUV in behind his truck, threw it in park and rushed towards the slightly ajar front door. Once inside she couldn’t believe her eyes. Her purse hit the linoleum, contents scattering different directions.

“James wha-?”

There, clad in his best dress pants and button-up shirt, stood her husband. He was just lighting the last candle on their dining room table. He’d prepared a homemade meal, poured one of his oldest bottles of red wine in glasses, and he even dimmed the lights before lighting scented candles.

James smiled, looking her up and down, as he started towards her. His snaked one of his large hands behind her head freeing her hair from the confines of her ponytail. He watched wondrously as her long red locks cascaded down her shoulders. How he got this lucky, he’d never know.

“I’m sorry if I startled you Y/N, I just had to see you.”

He kissed her long and slow, savoring the moment between them. She pulled away to look into his loving, ocean-colored eyes.

“It’s okay, baby. I just … what is all this?”

James cradled her face in his hands. He knew she missed him. It pained him how long he had to be away, but he knew he could still be doing more for her. More things like leaving her little notes in the morning for her to wake up to, calling her throughout the day just to hear her voice and see how she’s doing, and coming home early every once in a while to make her dinner. She did most of the work for them financially anyway.

“Y/N, I first want to apologize to you. I know I’ve been gone most of the time since Metallica started to write their latest album. I hate to see you hurt when I’m gone. It breaks my heart to see the pain I’ve caused you. I can be better. I can be the man you need, hell, I want to be the man you fell in love with all those years ago. Starting right now, I’m going to prove it to you. Tonights all about you baby. I’m gonna show you how much you mean to me, because baby, who I am with you makes me a better man.  

[teddy-bear05]

ALLIANCE: part two.

↳ chapter two: THE WOUND.

↳genre: angst; thriller; assassin au!

↳characters: kim namjoon x assassin! reader; reader x ot7

↳word count:  1.5K

↳author`s note:  these images and GIFS do not belong to me.

“Lee Jungsoo is responsible for 8 deaths, 5 armed robberies, 11 critical injuries, 9 kidnappings, and 3 terrorist attacks. He is currently 34 years old and lives in a private villa here in Seoul. He’s 184 centimetres and travels with 3 armed bodyguards at all times,” I say.

 “You obviously have all the equipment you need to take him down,” Namjoon says. “So what do you need us for?”

I sigh. “The thing is…..I have a beef with him.” I look at my brother. “He did something to Jimin that is unforgivable. It’s Jimin’s choice to tell you, but since you’re his friends, I figured you’d want some part in this revenge.”

“Okay? So what should we do?” Jungkook asks.

I feel my lips curl up. “Hurt him. Slowly. Let him see what you’re doing. Don’t hurt his family. They know nothing about what he’s done. Beat him, scratch him, gag him, and cover his eyes. And 5 minutes before I come in, tell him that Phantom knows.”

   Jimin laughs evilly. It sounds extra creepy cause his voice is higher. “Revenge and fun.”

______

Namjoon’s POV

“You were staring.” A voice comes from behind me.

“Shut up Jimin,” I respond.

“He’s right Hyung, you were,” Taehyung says, sitting between Yoongi and Hoseok in the middle.

I focus my eyes on the road and try to ignore them.

“Does Joonie have a crush?” Jin asks from the passenger's seat.

My cheeks heat up and I hate it.

They all notice and start ooh-ing and ah-ing.

“So Jimin, do you mind telling us what that man did to you?” I ask, pulling the attention away from me.

“He cornered me in an alley once. It was after I visited Y/N at her job. He saw me and started hitting on me. I told him politely that I wasn’t interested. He came after me. He pushed against the wall and started to kiss me. Y/N must have sensed that he was going to do something, cause next thing I know, he’s on the ground with a bleeding head. Turns out she threw a beer bottle at his head. He probably would have raped me. She saved me.”

We’re all fuming.

“He’s gonna be hurt. He’s gonna be hurt bad,” Jungkook says.

“Hey guys,” Yoongi says. We all look at him. “That Ford Explorer has been tailing us for a while now.”

I curse. Jimin looks behind us. His face pales.

“It’s Jungsoo,” he says.

“I’m gonna-“ I say but Jimin cuts me off.

“No, let me call Y/N. We can’t expose ourselves.”

He calls her and connects the phone to Bluetooth.

“Can I help you?” She asks.

“Jungsoo’s tailing us,” Jungkook says.

We hear a car honk on the another side of the phone.

“Lead him into the alley between Daisy’s Bar and the crappy looking tattoo shop. I’ve got it from there. Make yourself look like sitting ducks. Get out of the vehicle. And trust me.”

 Another loud honk.

“Why should we trust you, we just met you,” I say.

“Okay Namjoon, this is a little thing about me. If anyone could be potential harm to my brother, they’re gonna hear from me.”

With that, she hangs up.

“Just do it Hyung,” Jimin says.

I do as Y/N told me. I go into the alley. The Ford parks on the road outside the alley. 4 men get out. One in a dress suit, and the others in black uniforms.

They approach us.

“Ahhhh,” says the man in a dress suit. If it isn’t the little escapee,” His smile is like a wolf`s.

“Stay away from him,” Taehyung says, stepping in front of Jimin.

“What are you going to do to stop me?” The man asks. He raises his hand and the guards pull out guns.

“We have a backup on the way,” Jimin says, coming out from behind Tae.

“Backup? Well, I have guns. So come with me, sweetheart. No one has to get hurt,” Jungsoo says.

 We hear tired squealing and a Chevy with covered license plates speeds into the alley. It stops less than a foot in front of Jungsoo and his guards. They flinch back. A girl gets out. Y/N. She has her hood up, leaving her face in shadows.

“Mr. Lee, I suggest you leave. And take your lapdogs with you,” she says.

“And this is your backup?” Jungsoo laughs.

“A backup with grenades,” she says, pulling out the weapons.

“You don’t have the guts to throw them little girl,” Jungsoo answers.

She pulls the pin with her teeth and throws it at Jungsoo. A guard fires at Y/N but she’s already moved. Another fire at us. It hits me.

It explodes as smoke. A smoke grenade. Ingenious.

It’s so thick we can’t see anything.

“Everyone behind the car,” Jin says, ushering us all blindly through the smoke. We hear grunts and more gunshots.

It clears after a while, and we see Jungsoo and his guards on the ground, unconscious. Y/N is taking their guns. I lean against a wall, holding my shoulder. 

Y/N looks up and sees the blood a moment before the others do. She runs over to me and pulls off her jacket.

   “Jimin, I need you to drive the pickup. I’m going to get him in the bed of the truck and compress the wound.” She looks at me. “You are coming with me whether you want to or not.” She looks at the other. “And you guys are following us.”

 No one argues with her, and Tae and Jimin help me get in the bed of the truck. Y/N takes off her jacket and wraps it around my shoulder, stopping the blood from flowing. God, it hurts like Hell.

Jimin grabs her bag and gives it to her. She pulls out scissors and a bottle of peroxide. Oh, sh*t.

“What are you doing?” I ask her, panting from the pain.

“I need to check for an exit wound then disinfect it. It’s gonna hurt like hell.”

She has an accent. Australian.

“You’re from Australia?” I ask her, trying to take my mind off the pain as me cuts my shirt away.

“Yeah,” She says, realizing what I’m trying to do. God, she looks beautiful right now, her hair tangled, her eyes extra green, and blood on her face. “Yeah. My family lives there. An incident happened and poof, everyone’s gone.”

She pours the peroxide on my shoulder.

“#&@$*@&$*-+&#)$&@&3)&:&))#&@” I let out a string of curse words. She laughs at that, a soft, short sound. Beautiful.

We talk for a while, her keeping my mind off the pain.

The truck stops in front of a house outside the city. A really nice house.

Tae and Jimin get out of the truck, being careful not to touch my shoulder.

Y/N is already inside and comes into the living room with a black bag. She pulls out a vial and a needle.

“This will numb the area of the shoulder. I’m going to stitch you're wound together. There’s an exit wound,” she explains, injecting my arm with the serum. My whole arm goes numb.

“Jimin, hand me the sewing case.”

He does as she says the moment she says it. I watch as she threads the needle and sews my skin together.

“Ha, talent,” Hoseok says. He’s trying to make light of the situation but I can see the fear in his eyes.

“I’m going to be fine Hobi,” I say. “I have a surgeon hear taking care of me.”

She’s wrapping my shoulder in bandages now.

“How did you do that so fast?” Jungkook asks.

She smiles, and there’s something sad in her eyes. “Lots of practice, I guess.”

The pain is returning to my arm. I groan.

“Okay Namjoon, I’m going to give you something that will help you sleep. When you wake up, there will be a slight pain. Don’t get up. If you need anything, Jimin and I will be there. Okay?”

I nod my head as she injects me with something else.

I close my eyes and let sleep take me.

If you are reading this, THANKYOU SO MUCH! 

I don’t know if this is just a me thing, but I can’t seem to find a RM fan-fic without it having an overwhelming amount of smut. I just wanted to make a RM story without that.

LOVE YA!

[kenyagami]

Welcome to the first chapter of my new fanfiction, Agents of Beacon.

This story takes place in a Modern AU, to explain, in this version of Remnant the Grimm are still around, but Aura, Semblances, and Huntsmen are not. Well, they are, but that's for the story to tell you.

If this specific type of Modern AU (that being with all the fantasy elements being hidden to the general public and all the tech is equivalent to ours) isn't a thing then I'd like to call it the "Agents AU" but I'm not sure if I can get away with that.

I hope you enjoy

- Ken

Agents of Beacon

Chapter 1

Roman Torchwick sat alone in the office of one his many warehouses through the city of Vale. In front of him was mountains of paperwork all of which containing information from the most expendable grunts to the locations of his safehouses, to the route he'd take to said safehouses. The master criminal had to sift through each and every one, checking for any and all mistakes, approving or denying any transfer requests, and making sure everyone was paid. Running a crime syndicate was just as complicated as running any other business. Torchwick absolutely despised this part of the job. He thrived off the thrill of his crimes, the sadistic pleasure of abusing the weak, but at the end of each day, he had to force himself into his office to becoming a sodding paper pusher. Normally he'd bitch and moan to his direct subordinate, but she was out doing god-knows-what.

Actually, Roman couldn't remember the last time he saw Neopolitan, his sexy mute assassin. He had sent her off to deal with some officer who was getting a little too close to locating him, but that was weeks ago, she should've been back by now.

"Eh, she'll show up eventually. The girl is durable as hell, probably just off with some new plaything." The gentleman thief thought aloud. He was a crime lord, he wouldn't allow himself to worry about anyone but himself. That was dangerous in this line of work. Speaking of work, the man dressed in his signature white overcoat and black slacks returned to the paperwork in front of him. It was an employee evaluation sheet for some newbie. His place of employment read "Tony's Pizzeria." Some shitty Italian restaurant he owned to clean his money, couldn't put "professional criminal" on anything official obviously. A sudden knock on his door brought his attention back up.

Roman had spent so long looking at sheets of white and black that he had forgotten the layout to his own office. The room wasn't anything too special, it was your standard drab office you'd find anywhere else, with two not too comfortable wooden chairs in front of his similarly made desk, and a black leather couch beside a low coffee table being the only furniture in site. The far door had a plain glass window with the word "Office" printed on it, allowing him to see who dared bother him at eleven p.m.

On the other side of the door was a young girl in red, her hair was jet black with red tips, and her eyes were a strange, dull silver. Her face displayed her trepidation of being a defenseless child in a crime lords main base of operations in the shady part of the city, and in her arms was a beaten and bruised Neopolitan. Roman jumped out of his chair and rushed towards the door, cane in hand, ready to kill the one who dared to hurt Neo. The completely calm and not concerned at all master thief slammed his office door open, shattering the glass and scaring the crimsonette even more.

"What. Happened." He stated more than asked, the girl holding Neo looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I-I was being harassed by some guys in white and she j-j-jumped in and s-s-s-saved me. After she beat them up, some guy in black and a white mask came and completely beat her." Her explanation was short and full of fear and stutters but Roman understood. However, he was just as confused. Neo saved her? Why? And guys in white and one in black? What the hell was the girl talking about? Now that Roman looked at her, she couldn't have been older than seventeen, what was she even doing here?

"What's your name?" Roman continued.

The girl sniffled and whipped her tears, eyes regaining life.

"Ruby Rose."

Three years later

Ruby Rose stood in front of the full-length mirror in her room, going over her outfit for the day. Her style hadn't changed much from her early days, sticking to goth and punk inspirations. Deciding that everything was in order, the red and black-clad girl grabbed her signature red cloak and headed downstairs. Walking into the living room, she spotted her father, Taiyang, in the kitchen. The nearing fifty, still ridiculously in shape, security guard was setting down a full plate of breakfast food for him and his daughter on the dining room table when notice Ruby.

"Heya there, Rubbes, got time to eat before you head out?" The old man had a youthful voice like he never aged past his prime. His looks supported this line of thinking, his blonde hair still full and vibrant, blue eyes still held that childlike wonder. He sat down, ready to devour his delicious creation, Ruby joined him, her empty stomach her only motivation at the moment.

"I'm sure I do, but if not, whatever. Jaune and them will understand. It's my first day off in months!" The twenty-year-old stated before engorging herself with the food.

"Well, be sure to tell them if you think you'll be late." Her father reminded her. He wasn't one for rudeness, and he instilled that into his daughters. The two ceased conversation to finish their food, both of them eating quickly, without either of Ruby's mothers around they lacked any and all manners. After they ate, the two placed their dishes in the sink and walked together to their vehicles. Ruby sent her longtime friend, Nora, a quick text instructing her to inform the others that she would be late.

"Oh, Dad, while it is my day off, I have to head to the office to pick up something I left, I'll be late getting back. Don't worry about cooking for me I'll pick something up for myself." The brunette informed Taiyang.

"Alright, Rubbes, guess I'll see you tonight then." With a nod to show he truly understood her, Taiyang got into his truck and headed off to work. Once he was out of sight, Ruby got into her car and looked over the message she received earlier once more.

"Red, I need you in today, after all, got to meet someone and I'd like both my girls there."

"Damn it, Roman. What the fuck." Ruby complained out loud. Torchwick already keeps her busy with the paperwork and sparring with Neo left her sore all over. She was truly looking forward to her day off, and now she'd have to cut it short. The throbbing return to her head, and with an exaggerated groan, she collected the aspirin from her glove box, took 3 and headed to the meeting place to find her friends. What the hell could be so important that Torchwick would call her in? Was this individual he was meeting that dangerous? Or did he just want to dump more work on her? She had no way of knowing until she got there, so with a resolute sigh, she turned on her Bluetooth to clear her mind.

After about twenty-five minutes of driving from her suburban neighborhood into the metropolis known as Vale, she reached her destination. Ruby grabbed her phone, locked her car, and entered the building with a sign that read "Junior's Grill." The familiar restaurant had a modern aesthetic and a black and white color scheme with splashes of red. Junior, the owner, originally wanted a homey wood cabin look, but his daughters took complete control of designing the place and made it what it is today. Speaking of the two, the girls in red and white were the first to greet Ruby as she entered.

"Hey, Ruby!"

"Hi, Cutie." Melanie and Miltia called out simultaneously.

"Oh, hey, Melanie, Miltiades!" Ruby called out excitedly.

"Ugh, Ruby, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Miltia?" Miltiades responded indignantly.

"Sorry, Love, how've you two been?"

"Better now that we've seen you, you haven't been to Daddy's club in months," Melanie answered this time, wrapping her arm around the red tipped girl's waist. Miltia was not far behind her twin, allowing Ruby to place an arm around each other as they walked further into the store.

"Again, sorry, my boss has been working me to death. Your dad's lucky. I haven't seen him around in weeks." Ruby openly complained as she noticed Junior whipping down an empty table not too far off. She and the man had an odd dynamic from an outsiders point of view. The crimsonette would often poke the older bearded man, and he treated her like a third daughter, the oddity being that she was a seemingly normal girl who had no business dealing with a bar owner and information broker. The relationship was started by Ruby's lovely older sister, Yang Xiao Long, whom often went to the man to help locate her bounties.

"Grass is certainly looking greener over here."Junior laughed, the man was normally quite busy managing his legitimate restaurant, nightclub, and information so it was nice to not be bothered by Roman.

"Yeah, well, I'm gonna still with my friends for a bit girls, I'll see you when I can." Ruby dismissed the Malachite twins and turned the corner of the large establishment. More tables, some filled, greeted her. The table furthest back and against a large windowed wall seated her multicolored companions. The one in pink was the first to notice the brunettes approach.

"RUBY!" Nora called out, jumping up and tackling the young girl. With an "oof" the air left Ruby's lungs as she landed on her ass. The other 3 were quick to stand and help the two redheads up.

"Hello to you too, Nora." Ruby weezed out. Nora giggled as she cuddled deeper into the crook out Ruby's neck.

"Sorry, bout that Ruby," Ren, a tall black-haired man of Asian descent in green, apologized for Nora, "It's just been so long." Ruby simply laughed it off, finally sitting down next to Pyrrha.

"It's no biggie, used to it by now," Ruby answered with a wide smile. "Actually kinda missed it."

"Well, we have certainly missed you." Pyrrha, the unofficial mother of the group clad in gold and red, injected.

"Yeah, what's been keeping you so busy?" Jaune, a blonde meek boy sporting a black hoodie and jeans, leaned forward, curiosity clear in his voice.

"Oh, just work, so much paperwork!"

"Really? What could possibly be so demanding?" A concerned Pyrrha asked, the crimsonette obviously couldn't just respond "Oh, y'know, running a crime syndicate." but she hated the thought of lying to her friends. The five of them had been together since early high school.

"Nothing too bad. C'mon, I don't wanna think about work right now, what have you guys been up to?"

While the concern didn't any of their faces, they knew they wouldn't get anything from the crimsonette. Three years ago, maybe, but ever since she got her new job, Ruby had changed. Before Ruby was quiet, shy, and genuine, now she was loud, confident, and deceptive. She had somehow gotten much stronger, though none of them ever seen her go to any gym, and she learned how to fight somewhere along the line. Ruby became quick, no one could touch her if she didn't want them to, and any opponent, no matter the size, would lay at her feet if they challenged her. The four of them tried, again and again, to find out what had changed in her life to cause this but she'd never answer them. The only thing that kept them from forcing the answer out of her was the fact that she was seemingly fine, better even, and that she never once lied to them.

There were plenty of times where Ruby would simply change the topic, or leave if pressed too hard. Quickly, her friends learned to stop asking, although it eventually came back up. After agreeing to let it go for the hundredth time, the conversation moved to much more pleasant things. They talked about Pyrrha's modeling career, and how she was steadily becoming more popular outside of Vale. Ren mentioned that he had finally gotten his therapy license, and Nora got a job at her favorite gym as a personal trainer. With the both of them working they were able to afford their own place and had not so recently moved out of Jaune's home. The aforementioned blonde still worked at the same bookstore with their other friends, Sun and Neptune, who Ruby was told were also doing fine. After talking for about an hour, laughing at Nora's antics, and sharing books to read with Jaune, the fivesome was approached by Junior.

"Hey, Ruby, I gotta talk to you real fast," Junior announced.

"What's up?" Ruby responded.

"Uhh, you sure it's fine? Right here?" Junior asked, gesturing to the others at the table. The crimsonette gave them each a quick glance before turning back to Junior, inquiring on what the topic of discussion was.

"Something our shared boss wants you informed on, nothing too sensitive," Junior answered her.

"Alright, spill," Ruby demanded, suddenly seeming superior to the older man.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Junior replied, shocking everyone in the restaurant, "Shits been gettin' rough out lately," He lowered his voice in embarrassment as he continued, "People are reporting sighting Grimm around lately."

"Grimm!?" The fivesome whispered in horror. The Creatures of Grimm were a plague. Their predatory nature against humanity as a whole earned them notoriety among the everyman. They took on many shapes and sizes but shared just as many traits. From their soulless, blood-red eyes, to the boney white plates that covered each species. They used to be a commonplace disaster, but far from recent advancements in technologies and Dust have kept them far from any city. They were still routinely hunted by each kingdom's military, however, since the longer a single Grimm lived, the stronger and more intelligent it became.

"Yeah," Junior continued, "In the city. They just appear, kill, and then vanish. People report them mainly in the shitter parts like where homeless gather and the police don't take them seriously."

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief at this, "So, its just crazy talk. if the police aren't worried, we shouldn't be either right?"

Nora and Pyrrha regained some of their lost color at this, but Ruby quickly dashed all hope in them with a firm "We aren't police." Ren didn't let the comment slide.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we shouldn't shove this off as a drug addict's ramblings, Junior, finish." Ruby was curt. Her demeanor had changed as soon as Junior began, she seemed tense, ready for a fight. Junior didn't let anyone ask her why.

"Last thing is that some people are stating that others are 'superhuman.'" No one interrupted this time, "They say that they take bullets like nothing, glowing when shot, and healing super fast. Heard they move faster than a normal person, stronger too. No explanation on that."

Ruby moved her gaze to the floor thoughtfully, and Ren seemed to recognize what Junior was talking about.

"Glowing? Is it a shared color?" Ren leaned forward, tense after hearing what Junior had to say.

"No, each one reports a different person having a different color. If it helps, only two people have been seen in total, and their colors are white and green."

"I have to go," Ruby announced suddenly, surprising everyone.

"What, why?" Both Nora and Pyrrha asked.

"Work." That was all Ruby said before she was gone.

Vale, the capital of the Kingdom and named after said kingdom, was fairly large. The upper district was where the city officials and rich resided, it was full of large buildings, skyscrapers, and banks. Fancy restaurants and opera houses added to the pretentious and snobby vibe one got by being in the general area. Most people living there were of the one percent, being bankers or aforementioned city official. They lived in expensive mansions, drove expensive cars, and wore expensive clothes. They lived their lives thriving off of gossip and using money to solve any problem, completely ignorant to the needs and worries of the middle and lower districts. The middle district was exactly that, middle. Everyone lived in middle-class homes, drove middle-class cars, you get the picture. It was what people thought of when they heard the word "city." Full of schools, movie theaters, clubs, and suburban neighborhoods. It was the perfectly normal life, who could ask for more?

Blake Belladonna could. She currently lived in the lower district of Vale, and she hated it. The streets were dirty, full of waste and homeless people. Only every other building was even livable, the standard being filled with holes and crumbling to dust. Luckily, it wasn't her permanent home, that being Menagerie, another, smaller kingdom. So, what was she doing in Vale? Simple, White Fang business. Adam Taurus, a red-headed bull Faunus, and she came here to take over the Valeian faction and get them back in order. Adam quickly gained a loyal following here and took the title of Faction Leader no problem. What bothered Blake was what came afterward. In their three year tenure here in Vale, Adam had changed. Not abruptly, but steadily, like a poison. Slowly he became more angry, violent, and ruthless. The orders he gave were more harsh and deadly. Even now, Blake sat alone on a tall office building, scouting out the routine of a senator she was meant to assassinate.

The thought alone disgusted her. The White Fang Blake knew and loved was a peaceful organization. They only wanted equal rights for Faunus, a race of humans with animal traits. The girl in black and white was a cat Faunus herself, sporting two black cat ears under her signature bow. Every day, in every kingdom to various degrees, Faunus were discriminated, segregated, and abused only because they were different. The White Fang was made to fight against this, in a peaceful manner. With protest and demonstrations, they actually began to make progress towards equality. Then Adam stepped in, while he was only a leader to the Faction in Vale, other like-minded individuals were popping up all over Remnant. His mercilessness was already spreading with the organization, Blake's current mission was proof of that. Speaking of, some movement down below brought Blake out of her trance.

On street level was Senator Isaac Black, he was the swing vote on a bill that discreetly allowed Faunus to be forced to work overtime without compensation. It was obvious to anyone that actually read the damn thing, but who bothered with that? It didn't affect the general populace, so it truly didn't matter. The Faunus didn't know what killing him would accomplish, would it send a message? Of course, but was it a message the White Fang wanted? No, it couldn't be, this wouldn't help the Faunus whatsoever. This event would fully mark them as a terrorist group, which would certainly do them no favors.

Blake watched her target enter his car and drive away, harboring no intention to pursue him. She sat down on the edge of her perch and looked at her hand, a light purple glow emanating from it. It was her Aura, an outward manifestation of her soul, or so Blake was told. It made her stronger, allowed her to move faster, protected her from damage, and gave her access to her semblance, Shadow. This was supposed to be the White Fang's secret weapon, Blake only saw it as a tool for war. Only Adam and her possessed Aura, but it gave every member of the White Fang in Vale the confidence to attack their oppressors. That, and the new uniform and masks that Blake refused to wear. With the masks, the guilt of their new terrorist actions didn't weight on the once normal citizens that made up the White Fang. Blake had a front row seat to the White Fang's painful transformation, and it angered her to no end.

"Hey there, Kitty Cat." Which is why she contacted this old drunkard.

"I kindly ask that you never call me that ever again." Blake deadpanned. The old man just laughed at her and took a seat next to the black Faunus giving her a chance to look him over.

His hair was black and unkempt, eyes red, both in color and bloodshot, and his chin was decorated in scruff. Blake could tell he was muscular, but his black business suit covered it well. His white undershirt was unbuttoned at the top, only being held in place by a blood red tie. The Faunus had a feeling that he didn't choose this style on his own, mainly because he looked extremely uncomfortable in it. However, it still made her feel underdressed. Her white sleeveless shirt, black vest, and white shorts suddenly felt inadequate. With a large sigh the feeling left, she requested to meet him again for a reason.

"So, can you really help me, Mr. Branwen?" Blake asked as the man reached for a flask in his inner pocket. Though, he paused once he registered what she said.

"Alright, listen, I won't call you anything cat related if you don't call me 'mister,' deal?"

"Deal. Qrow it is."

"Great, so, to answer your question," he paused to sip his flask, "Yeah, I can help you, but you're gonna hafta help me first."

Blake gave a nod of approval, not wanting to interrupt the man. "This isn't from Beacon, this is from me. I got a niece that lives here in Vale. Real sweet little monster. Haven't seen her in a long time, and I heard she's gotten into some real shit."

Another pause, another sip.

"Her dad and friends are all worried to no end, and I'm a busy guy, I can't just drop in and check on her. That's what I need you for." Qrow looked over to Blake seeing if she understood what he meant.

"So…" Blake began, confused, "You want me to… follow her?"

"Close. I want you to be her friend."

Blake gave the old drunkard a blank stare, slowly processing what he said.

"What?"

End of Chapter 1

Well, that's chapter 1. I honestly can't wait to hear what you have to say, and to finish chapter 2.

Next time, we see what Yang is up to, and follow team JNPR as they worry over Ruby

-Ken

[blackrosesfanfic]

Chapter 163

Trey

April does too much sometimes. I shake my head as we walk into the house. Outside there was nothing that indicated a baby was coming home. But inside the house was blue decoration that says Caden has arrived. She should have known better. Who is going to clean this up?

"Oh my gosh." Cammie says looking at me.

"No." I say shaking my head.

I put Caden on the table. Cammie takes Caden off the table sitting him on the floor.

"Don't put him on the floor."

"Don't snap at me." She spats. "Why you talking like I put him on the floor? It's his seat... Carseat. Not him. Never put the carrier on anything but the floor or the base."

I touch her side. "That's a real thing or your rule?"

"A real thing."

"Shit now."

She kneels down to Caden. Future and Rollie come out of the kitchen with food. Who told these people that Caden was coming home today? Black Chyna is here as well with King. People I don't remember inviting here. The front door opens. Sevyn and Chris walk in.

"What this is?" Lane asks tapping my leg. "This stuff up there."

"It says welcome home Caden." I tell him.

He looks at Caden carrier. "There no Caden."

"Jayla has him."

"What that is?"

I look at him. He not serious. "Your Mama."

"That Mommy. Don't say that to me."

"King here. Go find him."

Lane runs away. "He really."

Caden starts crying. He went to sleep for a while in the car but most of the time he was fussing. Cammie walks around the couch. Future tries to stop her to look at Caden but she walks on pass him. Sevyn hugs my side.

"How happy are you right now?" she says.

"It just feels normal now." I shrug.

She walks away. "I'm just in time to see how he acts coming home. I think he likes it."

"He just likes anything that has anything to do with sexy mama."

"Your wife is sexy as shit." Chyna says coming out of the kitchen. "Where is she?"

"Probably feeding him."

Chyna gives Rollie and Future a look. King runs pass her with Lane screaming behind him.

"Where Ty?" I ask.

"I'm not talking about him, Trey. Thank you. Move on."

"You better stop him from yelling. He can't do that with the baby here." Chris says.

I shrug. "I don't do stuff that Cammie has under control. That includes that kid. She will get him."

I walk into the kitchen to see what Ma has setup in here. It was more decorations and food. I don't know when I ate last so this food sounds good. Lane runs into the table as I'm standing there trying to decide what to get. I turn to see what he hurt. He was climbing a chair. Must not have hit the table like I thought.

"I eat chicken."

"This?" I ask.

"It hot." he says.

I hand him one. It's barbecue. I don't think that it is hot. He grabs a plate putting it on the plate. He gives me the plate. I add some mashed potatoes. He puts his hand in the mashed potatoes.

"Get a fork." he says then laughs. "Mommy say get a fork."

"Mommy told you that?"

He eats his chicken. "I get that drink?"

I chuckle with him. He laughs at his own jokes. I love it. He eats his mashed potatoes again with his hand then he laughs. He is really tickled at the fact that Cammie would tell him to get a fork. It would be perfect if she came in here right now. I text her.

Me: Come in the kitchen really quick

Cammie: Yes Papi Trey

Lane is eating his chicken when she walks into the kitchen. She leaves back out before he could see her. Cammie comes back to the door.

"I know you not eating mashed potatoes with those hands."

"No." Lane jumps looking around at her.

She makes a face at him. "Where is your fork?"

He starts giggling. "No, Mommy."

"Tremaine."

"You talking to me now?" I ask bringing her hips to my side.

She pulls my head back. "I forgot."

I touch her ass. "What do you need?"

"I can't calm Caden down."

"You need me?" I ask standing up.

"Caden needs you."

I pull her closer to me. "You don't need me?"

She grabs my dick. "You know I need you."

"Yo..." I say looking at Lane.

That little boy is still eating with his hand. Cammie pushes me.

"Go see about Caden."

"Caden is home." I say walking away.

"Aye, Trey."

I put up my hand. "In a minute."

I couldn't hear Caden until I open his door. It was really warm in here. I feel lost in here. I have been seeing this room for months but it feels brand new to walk in here to get my son. I pick him up from the crib. He is red as hell. I kiss his forehead then start singing. He calms his hands down only. I guess he listening. Lane comes zooming into the room with his truck. It was so fast I thought he would hit something. He jumps from that to the horse making lots of noise. That got Caden quiet.

"Lane?"

"I be quiet?" He whispers then covers his mouth.

I chuckle. Caden's eyes scans my face.

"What did you do?" Cammie whines with food in her mouth.

"I got that magic touch."

She takes him from me. Mad. "I even tried to feed him."

"You sent a grown man to do his job. I'm Daddy."

"Daylan." Cammie snaps.

Lane freezes. "I be quiet?"

"Yes, please."

"Actually." I say kissing her. "Lane playing made him calm down. Not me."

Lane pushes be car across the floor quietly. He goes flying out of the room. Cammie puts Caden to her chest. He was calm enough to eat this time. Lane comes back into the room. Behind him is King eating a bag of cookies.

"I love you, Lane." Cammie says as he stares at her.

"Caden hurt you?"

Cammie tilts her head at him then cover herself and Caden. "I said I love you, Lane."

"Love you, Mommy."

"Okay, and?"

He laughs. "And nothing. I love you."

"Forever?"

"All the time." he yells.

He goes back to playing.

"He is so nosey." Cammie says smiling. "Maine, how do you know you didn't calm him down? He could have been calm then Lane came in."

"I don't know nothing."

"You want to talk about feelings?"

I kneel down. "Jayla, I'd talk about whatever you want to. I'm excited. Oh and anxious."

"Why are you anxious?"

"Because I have to leave. I'm actually thinking about how much longer I want to be making music."

She puts up her hand. "Don't even go there. You stopping will do what? Exactly. Nothing. Be anxious about..."

"I'm not listening." I stand up.

"What don't fucking..."

I kneel down in her face. "I'm kidding, Jay. How are you feeling?"

She smiles. "Good."

"Nothing else?" I kiss her neck.

"Caden being in this room makes me forget about all my other feelings. And Lane. I get so happy seeing him. He is happy and big. He can talk to you about anything and I love that. I ask him something different everyday to see what he has to say."

I glance at Lane. "He is my son. I'm just saying."

She giggles. "Yeah, okay."

  Alex

I hold the phone in front of Jaamal's face. "What do you think about this?"

"It's a bit childish."

"It's for Cammie's baby."

Jaamal narrows his eyes. "It's a boy."

"Shit, is it?"

"Caden Elijah... Sounds like a boy."

I roll my eyes. "How the fuck do you know... Never mind. Your source your business."

He shrugs putting papers in a notebook. "Chris Brown's assistant order a gift for the baby."

"And you know that from..."

"His assistant. My sources all trust me. My information never leak."

"But if the freely giving information like that."

He closes the notebook. "Naw. It's only for me. We have an understanding. The two of us have a thing."

"Oh y'all have a thing?"

"Damn, jealousy."

I roll my eyes. "I really think you are gay."

My mother walks out of the elevator like she is lost. "This doesn't look like the same place. Where is this?"

"Hello, Ma'am." I say standing up.

"Okay, when did you make changes? Oh nevermind. I'm in the right place. I said I'm in the right place. I am. She is standing right here. Bye." she takes the bluetooth from her ear. "He can talk to himself. Baby girl."

"Mom, I'm going to be a dyke."

She completely ignores my statement. "I like these Super Heads on the wall."

Jaamal hugs her chuckling. "They are FatHeads. How are you doing this afternoon?"

"I'm beauty. Need I say more?"

"No, need. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

She smiles. "Your father and I are..."

"You talking to him or me? Cause I can give you two some privacy." I interrupt.

"Girl, hush. Your father and I are adopting a child."

I cross my legs putting my phone down. "This might be a great edge. Adoption. Oh a feature of the two of you picking out an orphan. Do they have those?"

"This is not for publicity." she snaps.

"Okay, calm down. It's not a photo op. Understood." I roll my eyes.

She rolls her back. "Or you could have us a grandbaby."

"Or you and Dad could just fuck and make a baby."

"I predicted that the next step would be you scheduling their sex life. Mmmhm." Jaamal says.

I stomp my feet flap on the floor then stand up. "I don't have shit to do with their decision to make such a move. Shut up Jaamal."

He zips his lips. "Done."

"You supposed to do that after your last word."

"Are you against a baby? Maybe it won't be a baby. I know a family that has a brilliant child but doesn't have money and he is showing signs of gang affiliations."

"Oh that's such a perfect publicity ploy. I'll let you think about that. Just sleep on it."

Mother rolls her eyes. "Make something else a priority in your life before you wake up one day with nothing."

"But money. That's cool."

"I'll see you later, Jaamal." she says touching his hand.

Whatever. It don't make my day go any different. Jaamal walks her to the elevator. No way am I competing for my parents attention at my age with Jaamal. Nope. I sit down at my desk and start reading about in vitro fertilization. If I remember correctly my mother still has her ovaries.

"You seriously aren't looking that up." Jaamal says scaring me.

"I am." I snap pushing him back.

He chuckles. "Who is going to carry the baby?"

"I have a few people in mind. One who has done it before."

"It would be you to have a surrogate on speed dial."

He really pissing me off today.

"If I'm already pregnant how the hell a surrogate gonna fucking help me? What would one be on speed dial for? I'm perfectly capable of carrying my own fucking kid."

"But would you?"

I exhale. "Leave me alone. Go find some work."

He sits on my desk. "Do you want to have dinner?"

"On a yacht?"

"You already know I have a way of satisfying your wilds dreams."

I push him off my desk. "I can't deal with you talking like that."

"Dinner on a new yacht or the same yacht?"

"I changed my mind. I want to do something different."

He takes out his phone. "I'll just impress you."

"You already know how hard it is to please me."

"I haven't had any problems so far." he winks his eye.

"I have some eye drops. Is that a medical condition?"

He holds his stomach laughing extra hard. "Okay, Alex."

"Jaamal you are annoying. Buy a gift and send it to the new baby."

"I already did." He gloats.

I roll my eyes. "I don't know if you being a good worker or trying to control shit."

He makes a face. "Before I fucked you it was me being a good worker. Now you afraid I want your job?"

"Or am I worried about your work ethic being better than mine because we are officially in the same position."

He chuckles. "The same position under your father. I will never be a replacement for you. Shit, your father would have me killed for the idea. I once suggested we do something before he talked to you and he got a really serious face. He said, 'Don't get me to thinking you stepping over my doll'. That's all he said. I back all the way up."

"Well, anyway."

"Dinner."

"Whatever." I stand up. "I need to go..."

I stop. He had came over to me touching my arm. I look over at him as he stares at my body. I don't know if I found a diamond in the rough or solid shit in a hog pen. I move him back from me. It seems as though he came out of the dark the perfect person but I have been building him. He knows everything about me. He could be fake. I just don't trust it.

"Jaamal."

"Hmm?" he says extra close.

I hold out my arm. "This is work distance."

He pushes against my hand a bit. "This."

"No." I push him.

He reaches his arm out touching my side. "That's cool."

I laugh. "Long armed monkey. No. Keep everything of your off of me."

"But I'm giving myself to you."

"Jaamal!" I snap hitting my leg. "Shut up and listen. Work distance."

He shrugs. "You holding back. Okay then."

I chuckle. He doing too much. I still don't know about him. I kiss my lips at him. He turns his lips up at me. He needs to stop fucking with me. I should have left it were is was a few days ago.

"What did I sent my baby cousin? Was it expensive?"

"A book with his name in it and a kit to make footprints that are placed in a frame."

I touch my chest. "Damn, I'm deep."

"No. You all but shallow."

"You may know me from work but you bout to soon find out how much of a brat I am. Now stop with the criticism cause you can't do it."

"Yeah, right." he laughs walking out. "I'm about to fall for that one."

I giggle when he closes the door. I tried to sound soft and fragile. It didn't work. I kick my feet up then call my father to see why my mother came here.

[massivedrickhead]

One More Year: Chapter 26

The response to the last chapter was really great, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations :)

I have a busy weekend ahead so I'm posting this early.

Please please please keep reviewing/liking/reblogging

Fanfic.net link

I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters

Chapter 26

Beca managed to fall back to sleep for a couple of hours after her early morning text from Chloe. She was woken up again at 8:30am by her dad throwing a Santa hat at her and telling her to wake up.

"What the hell?!" Beca asked, getting such a fright she nearly fell out of bed.

"Merry Christmas to you too," he said, looking as tired as she felt.

"What's this?" Beca asked, holding up the hat. "Are we doing Santa hats now?"

"We're being festive," he said. "Come on, Sheila's doing some kind of ridiculous hot chocolate with marshmallows and she told me to wake you up."

"Well, sugar is my favourite breakfast food," she pulled on her Santa hat. "Okay, let's go be a normal family."

He left the room, and she got dressed. She dug out her Christmas sweater from last year that had 'Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animals' on the front, and pulled on a pair of jeans. She checked her phone to see if Chloe had text. She hadn't, but she did have a text from Jesse which was a photo of him in his ironically ugly Christmas sweater. She replied with a photo of her in hers, scowling in her Santa hat.

Jesse: You wore that one last year!

Beca: Still relevant though.

She went downstairs to see Sheila creating her elaborate hot chocolate, and her dad chopping potatoes.

"Merry Christmas!" Sheila said, cheerfully. Beca wished her a merry Christmas in return before being pulled into a hug.

"Beca, grab a knife and start peeling those carrots," her dad said.

Beca took a seat and a knife, and started peeling.

Sheila gave her her hot chocolate before checking on the turkey.

"Oh my god this is amazing," Beca said, abandoning the carrots and drinking half of the hot chocolate in one. "Forget turkey, I want this for dinner."

Sheila chuckled, she met John's eyes across the table and the two smiled at each other.

This was what he had wanted for so long.

Christmas with just him and Beca had always been a quiet affair. When she was still a kid it was fun, yet always tinged with sadness that she didn't have her mother there. As time went on, Christmas became less and less of a big deal. This time last year, Beca had slept until noon. When she woke up they both said the obligatory Merry Christmas, exchanged gifts which, in Beca's case, was a card with money inside, and then went into their own living rooms. At dinner time, he made them mac and cheese.

John couldn't be happier that this year it was completely different.

Once the dinner was prepped and cooking, they went into the living room and exchanged gifts.

Her dad and Sheila had gotten Beca a new pair of over-the-ear bluetooth headphones, and a pair of purple Doc Marten boots.

She'd gotten her dad some books he'd wanted, and had asked him to get Sheila whatever alcohol she liked best.

Then she found the present that Chloe had hidden under the tree.

"How did she even get it here, she's never been in this room," Beca said, confused.

"I may have helped," her dad said.

Beca opened the gift, and inside was a simple silver bracelet with the word 'Titanium' engraved on the inside.

"Oh Beca, that's beautiful," Sheila said, as Beca admired it.

"Yeah," Beca said, smiling, slipping it onto her wrist. "It really is."

The rest of the day went on, with Beca feeling more and more happy and content.

Dinner was amazing, even if there had been far too much food, and soon they were all lounging in the living room, having a lazy conversation between yawns.

Beca was on the verge of falling asleep when her phone buzzed in her pocket.

Chloe: I need you.

Beca's heart sank as she sat up straight.

Beca: I'm on my way xxx

"I'm gonna go see Chloe for a bit," Beca said shoving her phone in her pocket and pulling on her new shoes. She tried to keep her voice sounding casual, but her dad could hear the urgency in her voice.

"Okay," he said. "Text me if you're going to be gone awhile."

"Will do," she said, patting her jeans pocket to make sure her keys were still there. She'd slipped them in that morning in case she had to leave quickly.

"Wish her a Merry Christmas from us," Sheila said. She didn't understand why Beca suddenly had to leave, but it seemed important so she didn't question it.

"I will, thanks," Beca said, rushing for the door.

She drove to Chloe's in record time, and when she pulled up outside she saw Chloe was already out there, sitting on the garden wall.

Her hands were clenched tighter than Beca had ever seen them, and tears had left tracks down her face.

She rushed over to her and pulled her into a hug before she'd even said hello.

Chloe buried her face in Beca's chest and gripped her tightly, willing herself not to cry more.

Beca didn't speak for a while, she just sat beside her on the wall and held her.

"I'm sorry," Chloe said eventually.

"What on Earth do you have to be sorry for?" Beca asked, ending their hug so she could look at her.

"I pulled you away from your Christmas so you could come and sit with me in the cold," she said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. She then looked up and noticed Beca's Santa hat, and started laughing and crying at the same time.

"Okay, well I don't think me in a Santa hat deserves that kind of reaction," Beca said, causing Chloe to laugh more. She took off her hat and put it on Chloe's head. "To keep your ears warm," she said.

"Speaking of warm, you must be freezing," Chloe said, realising Beca wasn't wearing a coat.

"Just a little," Beca admitted. "Do you wanna go and sit in the truck?" Chloe glanced back towards the house before nodding.

"I have to go back in soon. Mom is keeping my dinner warm," she said, and tears crept into her eyes again.

"Come on," Beca took her hand, "just five minutes."

They climbed in and Beca turned on the hot air, shivering slightly. She rubbed her hands together and held them up to the heater, waiting for them to warm up.

Chloe took her hand and noticed the silver bracelet she was wearing.

"You're wearing it," Chloe said, smiling.

"Of course I'm wearing it," Beca said. "I'm never taking it off. Now," Beca said, linking her hand with Chloe's, "do you wanna tell me what happened?"

Chloe's Mom watched through the window as Beca had rushed out of the car towards her daughter.

She watched as Beca held her tightly. How she kissed the top of her head. How she pulled her hat over Chloe's ears and finally got her to laugh. How she helped her into her car. How she sat there, listening. Looking at Chloe as if she never wanted to look at anything else.

She heard Carol's cackle of a laugh from the living room and felt herself tense up again.

She couldn't stand having this woman in her house and she knew that her husband felt the same.

He was currently in the greenhouse with Max, his nephew. He had to get away from Carol. He knew as long as he lived he'd never forget the sight of Chloe in that bathtub, fistfuls of hair surrounding her. The scissors in her hand. He couldn't listen to his sister-in-law make snide comments about his daughter. Not when she didn't know. Not when she hadn't seen her like that.

"Uncle David?" Max asked, bringing his attention back.

"Yes?"

"What's wrong with Chloe?"

"She's… She's just a bit upset. She finds eating dinner a bit hard sometimes. And there was a lot of people there today and that makes it harder for her. She'll be okay," he said.

"Oh," he said. "Aunt Carol said she was just doing it for attention. But I don't think she was. She didn't look like she wanted anyone's attention."

"No," he said, trying to push away his anger. "No she wasn't doing it for attention. I think your aunt Carol has just had too much to drink."

"Aunt Carol always has too much to drink," Max said.

"So, ready to head back in there?" Beca asked. Chloe had explained it all, and Beca had listened, and eventually, Chloe calmed down.

"Are you sure you want to come in with me?" Chloe asked. "I'm telling you she's a real bitch, and her daughters are awful."

"I'm coming with you," Beca said, squeezing her hand.

They walked back into Chloe's house hand-in-hand and Chloe sat back down at the table. Beca sat beside her and put a comforting hand on her thigh.

At this point, Aliza and Robbie came running in, doing laps around the table. Daniel was doing his best to keep up.

"Okay, okay no running around in here," Chloe's Mom called as she put Chloe's reheated dinner down again.

"Beca!" Robbie called before running up and hugging her.

"Hey dude," Beca replied, surprised. "Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas!" He said.

The sound of a new voice in the kitchen soon drew all of Chloe's relatives to it, including Carol and her twins.

Beca was suddenly being hugged and having her hand shaken by Lizzy, Tommy, Julie and then Chloe's grandparents. Carol and her twins hung back, watching.

"Back into the living room everyone," Chloe's Mom said after introductions had been made. "I know Beca is very exciting but I can't tidy up with all of you in here. Sorry about that," she added squeezing Beca's shoulder.

Beca turned her attention back to Chloe who had still yet to take another mouthful.

"I can't," she whispered. "I can't do it."

"Yes you can," Beca replied, her right hand resting on Chloe's left. "I'm right here."

Beca looked up and saw that Carol and her twins hadn't left with everyone else and were still standing there, watching them.

"I don't think we got introduced before," Beca said. "I'm Beca, Chloe's girlfriend."

"I gathered," Carol said, looking pointedly at their hands.

Beca rolled her eyes slightly before focusing her attention back on Chloe, who was already starting to get upset again.

"Hey," Beca said, softly. "It's okay. Please don't cry." She gave Chloe a quick kiss on the side of the head.

"Can I just say," Carol said, pulling Beca's attention back. "I'd actually prefer it if you didn't do that in front of my children."

"Excuse me?" Beca asked. "Do what?"

"There are children running around," she said, arms folded.

"Okay?" Beca asked. "And why does that have anything to do with me comforting my girlfriend?"

"I just think it's inappropriate. My son is only four, okay? I don't want him seeing that," Carol said. "I mean, how would I explain it? It would confuse him."

Beca opened her mouth to argue, but Chloe's Mom beat her to it.

"Robbie!" She called. "Aliza! Can you come in here and bring Daniel please?"

The three children came running in.

"Robbie," she said. "Do you know who this is?" She pointed at Beca.

He giggled. "That's Beca!" He said, laughing. "Did you forget her name?"

"Aliza, who's Beca?" She asked.

"Chloe'th girlfriend," Aliza said, giggling herself, her lisp still prominent. "Mommy you thee her all the time, how did you forget?"

"Daniel, do you understand who Beca is?"

Daniel nodded.

"You don't think it's confusing?"

He shook his head.

"Okay, thank you kids, off you run," she said before looking at Carol. "See? Easy as that. Now, please, stop upsetting my daughter and let her eat."

Carol looked like she'd just been slapped.

Beca's attention was already back on Chloe, as if Carol and her daughters weren't even there. She was whispering quiet encouragement while squeezing Chloe's hand.

"Mom, I don't think I can share a room with Chloe," Bethany said, suddenly.

"No, me neither," Lindsey agreed. "Like, no offence, but I just don't like trust you to be in the same room with us."

"Are you serious right now?" Beca said, in disbelief. "Do you have any idea how offensive that is? I mean, you can say no offence all you like, but that doesn't mean you aren't being offensive!"

"Beca, it's okay," Chloe said, not wanting her to get dragged into it.

"It isn't okay, they can't just say stuff like that to you," Beca said.

"Beca's right," Chloe's Mom said. "If you or your daughters say one more snide, bitchy thing at my daughter then you won't be welcome in this house any longer. Girls, if you don't want to share a room with Chloe, then you can share with your parents or you can sleep on the sofas. Now, please, get out of my kitchen."

Carol and her twins left the room with a huff of annoyance. They could already hear her complaining to her husband about it.

"I can't eat this," Chloe said, dropping her fork onto her plate. "Mom, I'm sorry, it's not because it doesn't taste good, I just can't." She started crying again. "I'm sorry."

Her Mom sat beside her and pulled her into her arms.

"Please don't apologise, sweetie. I don't know why she singled you out, but I promise she won't be back next year," her Mom said. "I'm never having that woman in my house again. I'm so sorry she ruined your Christmas."

Beca let go of Chloe's hand so she could hug her Mom properly. She looked down at Chloe's still full plate and felt her insides burn with anger. Chloe couldn't afford to miss a meal.

She stood up, and grabbed a tin of soup from the cupboard. At the sound of the microwave, Chloe's Mom looked up, surprised to see what was happening.

When the microwave stopped, Beca pulled the mug of soup out.

"Careful," she said, placing it in front of Chloe, "it's hot."

Chloe blinked a few times, before realising what Beca had done. She'd removed the obstacle of actually having to eat something, and replaced it with something she could drink. She wouldn't be skipping a meal.

Chloe took a tentative sip, and she knew she'd be able to finish it. It wasn't Christmas dinner, but it would do.

Beca glanced over at Chloe's Mom who was looking at Beca with an un-readable expression.

"I didn't mean to just go through your cupboards and make myself at home," Beca said, worried that she might have offended her. "I just thought, if she can't eat the dinner then she needs something, and soup is her usual go-to."

But Chloe's Mom shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.

Instead she stood up and gave Beca the biggest hug Beca had ever received from a grown woman.

"Thank you," she said.