#In response to Wilson saying he thought he would have a wife and kids caring for him when he was dying!

[dickguillotine]

To add to what people have already replied :

I know that in the show Wilson is kinda painted as a manipulative and charming narcissist who has a greed for need, and is an enabler to House because of that. But I think it doesn't necessarily come from a bad place.

He doesn't seem very close to his family. We don't know much about them. Some could argue that it's because he's not the main character but we pretty much know about most of the diagnostic team's families and childhood trauma. From Chase to Foreman to Kutner to Thirteen... So I don't see how Wilson's family history would be irrelevant. He definitely doesn't care enough about them to spend those last 5 months with them however.

I genuinely think he's just a middle child who's lived in the shadow of his two other brothers. We don't know anything about his eldest, but we do know Danny. Danny's mental health was Wilson's responsibility, whether he chose it or his parents chose it for him. When a family has a sick member, the attention is often centered around them. And losing Danny because he ignored his responsibility just one time built a lot of guilt in him.

Then came Sam, and Wilson was supporting her financially during their marriage. He felt responsible of her, and maybe hoped this would solidify their love and marriage.

Everything Wilson does for people is an attempt at an emotional transaction : he helps people, do as they wish and he expects that they love him in return. We often see him chatting with the staff, celebrating the nurses' birthdays... And yet he's still lonely, with only House around him. Sure he's friends with Cuddy, but she's his boss, and he gets along with Thirteen but she's House's employee. Even with Cuddy and Thirteen, he's the one who makes the first step towards them everytime. House is truly the only person who's a constant in his life and who comes towards him naturally.

The truth is Wilson really wished he had people in his life. At the end of season 8, he expresses how he wished he had a wife and kids and is reminded at three 3 different occasions that he only has one person in his life. When he expresses that he thought he'd have a family around him at the end, House calls him out on it. He tells Wilson that this fictional family of his would probably be too busy checking his inheritance to be at his side. In Wilson's case, it would probably be true.

When it comes to House, Wilson likes to take care of him because he needs to take care of someone. It's in his nature to invest his energy and money on someone. House's nature is to take, so he takes whatever Wilson gives him. Wilson pretends to be annoyed by it but he let's it happen because he actually enjoys being responsible. House doesn't actually need his money - he just enjoys being taken cared of (he's sugar babying). I could relate this trait to John House's mistreatment of him but I don't feel THAT Freudian today. I think House says at some point that he's mostly testing Wilson's limits so I'll go with that. They're content with their arrangement.

Wilson is desperate to be liked. He doesn't eat other people's needs because it feeds his ego, he does it because he needs to be loved and he thinks love is transactional. He's just a lonely child desperate for attention and love. He's a background character in everyone's lives, but in House's life he's essential. He knows he's important to House and knows they're codependant. He tries to detach from him many times and fails - and during House's rehab time he understands he's an enabler and he has to work on it on his side. I think even before, when he loses Amber, he realizes it's his own fault for enabling House.

Due to that last point I disagree with the general consensus that Wilson enables House to his benefits throughout all the seasons. They have a toxic relationship but they work on it at the end. It progresses as they learn about their own problematic behaviors. Actually, they reflect each other perfectly, and they call each other out when needed.

Most importantly there's a shift in their dynamics in season 8. Wilson is dying and for the first time it's him who needs House, and it's House who has to care for him. House has nothing to gain from it, he doesn't want to see Wilson die. When faced with death, House is usually in denial, and angry. But for Wilson, he choses to endure. He has to be the selfless one now. It's when House does these things - coming to his transplant surgery, promising to stay until the end - that Wilson experiences true reciprocation. The one thing he's looked for in everyone but House is the only person capable of giving him.

ok i’ve seen people talk about why house needs wilson but haven’t seen much about why wilson needs house, other than maybe a single sentence or “because gay”. so who would like me to elaborate on why house is so fucking important to wilson?

[doctorwilson]

Thought I had at 3-4  AM delirious and sleep deprived: How else are we meant to interpret the last few episodes of House MD aside from House realizing he’s in love with Wilson.

[star-spangled-steve]

His New Partner

Chapter 48: The Final Mission

Series Masterlist

Previous Chapter

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader

Words: 2096

Warnings: Some anxious!Reader, pregnancy.

A/N: We’re getting closer and closer to the finish line, I can’t believe it!

Steve placed a hand on Y/N’s lower back as she pushed A.J.’s stroller, the family approaching the treed area around Tony’s, well, now Pepper’s cabin. It was the day after Stark’s funeral, and finally time for Steve to do the job that Y/N was dreading: returning the Infinity Stones to the moment they were taken.

She had asked him if someone else could do it, but the man had insisted that because of his eidetic memory, he was the only one who could execute it flawlessly. So alas, the woman agreed, though she still felt uneasy.

The last time there was time travel involved, her best friend didn’t come back. Who’s to say her husband couldn’t be next?

Steve, sensing her worries, pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. The look in his eyes said ‘everything is going to be okay’. She hoped that he was right.

“Hey, Cap. N/N.” Sam greeted as he and Bucky approached them. “Little buddy!” He bent down to get a look at Anthony in the stroller, smiling brightly at him. The toddler squealed happily in return.

“Hey, Sam.” Y/N responded, voice not entirely confident.

“You ready, pal?” Bucky questioned his best friend, earning a nod in response from the man.

Steve and Sam headed over to the desk that Bruce had set up, all of Bruce’s technological things on top of it, as well as the stones. Bucky decided to hang back with Y/N and A.J., knowing that she probably needed the support right now. He sensed her worries and gave her a reassuring smile, and she tried to give one back; the best she could.

“Now, remember, you have to return the stones to the exact moment you got them. Or you're gonna’ open up a bunch of nasty alternative realities.” Banner instructed Steve, opening the briefcase that held the Infinity Stones themselves.

“Don't worry, Bruce.” The Captain said, closing the briefcase back up and grabbing it. “Clip all the branches.”

“You know, I tried.” Bruce suddenly grew serious. “When I had the gauntlet, the stones, I really tried to bring her back.” His thoughts were lost in the memory that was Natasha as he glanced down at Steve. “I miss her, man.”

Rogers nodded, “Me too.” He quickly looked over at his love, knowing that she felt the exact same way.

He and Sam started to head over to where she was standing with Bucky. “You know, if you want, I can come with you.” Sam volunteered, always happy to help.

“You're a good man, Sam.” Steve stopped walking and stated. “This one's on me, though.” As he approached Bucky, he smirked, excited for the line he was about to say. “Don't do anything stupid 'till I get back.” Oh, how the tables had turned.

Barnes chuckled and shook his head. “How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you.” They gave each other a quick hug, and the brown-haired soldier sighed as they separated. “Be safe, buddy. I mean it.”

“It's gonna’ be okay, Buck.” The Captain reassured before stepping over to where his wife was standing, giving her a tiny grin. “Now you, little lady, better calm down.” He watched as her shoulders slumped and brought a hand up to cradle her face. “I promise you it’s going to be alright, doll. Not that difficult of a mission.”

“I-I know it’s just...” she paused, looking him deep in the eyes. “Please be careful, Steve. I can’t stress that enough.”

“I will.” He answered her in a very serious tone. “I promise.” The man watched as she bit her bottom lip nervously, and brought his thumb to her mouth, taking the lip out from between her teeth gently. He then leaned in and gave her a chaste kiss, knowing that he’ll miss her as he’s on his journey.

Her hand settled on the chest piece of his Scale Mail Suit, wanting to feel more of him and relish the moment. She gave him a soft smile as they separated, and nudged her head over to where Mjolnir was placed on the Quantum Tunnel. “You know, it’s a shame you have to bring that thing back.” She spoke quietly, not wanting Bucky, or even worse, her son to hear her.

“And why’s that?” Steve smirked, thinking he already knew the answer.

“Well, it’s, um... quite sexy that you can wield it, actually. Just like... you know, the power you hold? It’s... hot.” Y/N fluttered her eyelashes, and the man chuckled.

“Don’t tell me you’ve found it sexy when Thor’s done it all these years?” He teased, raising his eyebrows.

“No, no.” She laughed in response, moving in a bit closer to him flirtatiously. “Just you.”

Steve, really wanting to drive her crazy, simply held out his right hand and watched her expression as Mjolnir came flying into it automatically. Her eyes lit up and he grinned cockily.

“Oh boy...” she murmured. “Looks like you might be getting some toni-”

“Steve?” Bruce called out, cutting her off. “You ready to get moving?”

“Yeah.” He responded back, not taking his eyes off his girl. “Sorry, guys.” The man placed on last peck on her lips before crouching down to give her almost-six-months baby belly a kiss, then one to A.J.’s cheek as well. “Dad will be back very soon, buddy.” He told the boy, stroking his cheek, before standing up straight and walking up onto the Quantum Tunnel, giving Y/N a confident expression. He wanted to show her that he wasn’t worried, so she shouldn’t be either. He then pressed the button on his hand that made the Quantum Suit appear on his body.

“How long is this gonna’ take?” Sam questioned.

“For him? As long as he needs. For us? Five seconds.” Bruce answered.

“See, sweetie?” Steve spoke out to his wife. “You only have to wait five seconds and I’ll be right back here.”

She took a shaky breath. “Y-Yup.”

“Ready, Cap?” Banner asked, making the blond man nod in response. “Alright. We'll meet you back here, okay?”

“You bet.” The helmet then appeared on his head, sealing his body up completely.

The green man began counting: “Going quantum. Three... two... one...”

Then he was gone. He disappeared into thin air, and Y/N gave Bucky a nervous look.

Bruce spoke up again. “And returning in, five... four... three... two... one...”

Just as quickly as he had disappeared, Steve was reappearing on the Quantum Tunnel, looking almost the exact same as when he had left; the only difference maybe being a couple hairs out of place. As the Quantum Suit dissipated off his body, his wife let out a huge sigh.

“Honey. Thank goodness.” She rejoiced, running over to him as he walked down the stairs, and they met halfway in a hug. The man just ran his hands up and down her back, breathing in the fresh smell of her shampoo. “How long were you gone?” She asked.

“Longer than five seconds.” He responded, pulling her face out of his chest to look her in the eye. “I missed you.” A kiss was then pressed to her forehead, and a small giggle from A.J. interrupted the pair.

“Cool trick, dadda!” The boy smiled from his place in the stroller, prompting Y/N to take him out of it and hold him in her arms. 

Steve just chuckled at his son’s words, pressing a kiss to his head too. “Thanks, bud. I missed you as well. So much.”

“Hey, you got your shield back.” Sam smiled. “And it’s in one piece this time.” He joked, slapping a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “Captain America can serve another day.”

At Wilson’s words, Steve shared a look with Bucky, the brown-haired man already knowing what was coming.

“Actually, uh...” Steve began, glancing at each of their faces, ready to see what their reaction will be, “I don’t think I will be.”

Y/N’s jaw dropped as Sam and Bruce grew confused as well.

“What are you talking about?” She questioned.

“If this whole battle and journey has taught me anything, it’s that I can’t keep putting my life on the line like this. Not when I have a family.” The man looked into her eyes, still seeing confusion in them. “I was once told that I couldn’t live without a war. And maybe I couldn’t then, but I can now. There’s nothing more important to me than you and our kids, Y/N. I’m not going to jeopardize that.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” she spoke, “you’re done fighting? For good?”

He gave her a nod. “For good.”

She covered her mouth with her free hand and began to cry, Steve pulling her into his side instantly.

“Are you... sad?” He asked, wiping a tear from her cheek with his thumb.

“Not at all.” She sniffled. “I’m so happy. I don’t have to worry anymore.” She looked up at her husband, and they had matching smiles; smiles of contentedness, safety, and security.

“Steve...” Bruce released a breath, “good for you, man. I’m happy for you.”

“Yeah, me too.” Sam agreed. “It’s just... the only thing bumming me out is the fact I have to live in a world without Captain America.”

“Oh, that reminds me.” Steve glanced down at his shield one last time, trying to savour the exact feel of it, before holding it out slightly. “Try it on.”

Wilson furrowed his eyebrows. “W-What? Me?” He glanced over at Bucky, who nodded, signalling that he knew about this all along. Sam carefully took the shield from Steve and adjusted it on his arm, staring down at the red, white, and blue pattern. He was so confused; Steve was trusting him with his legacy? This couldn’t be right.

“How does it feel?” Rogers inquired.

“Like it's someone else's.”

“It isn’t.”

“I-” Sam tried to hold back his tears, still in a state of shock. “Thank you. I'll do my best.”

Steve grinned. “That's why it's yours.” He shook the man’s hand, the reality of what this means suddenly hitting them all.

Y/N passed her son over to his dad before giving Sam a big hug. “I’m so happy for you.” She smiled through her tears.

“You too.” Sam replied, referring to the fact that half of her anxiety would now be alleviated from this moment forward.

She walked back to her husband and wrapped her arms around his waist, both Bucky and Bruce and congratulating Wilson.

“So what are you gonna’ do now, Steve?” Banner questioned.

The blond man smiled at the thought of his future plans. “Be a dad. And a husband. I can help make plans for the new Avengers Facility, help train the newbies. Do charity. Teach an art class. Anywhere this new path takes me.”

The woman sniffled, a big smile never leaving her face. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Me too.” Bucky added, happy that his friend could finally live in peace.

Steve just smiled at them, pulling his son closer towards his chest.

“Dadda, I’m hungwy.” The toddler stated, making everyone chuckle at how clueless he was about what was going on.

“Me too, buddy.” His father agreed. “Hey, how about you all come back to ours and we can order a pizza, just hang out?” He suggested.

“Ooo, pizza!” Y/N grew excited. “Yes, please.”

“I’m in.” Bruce added.

Bucky nodded. “Me too.”

“Sounds delicious.” Said Sam. “Considering you’re going to be feeding two super soldiers, the Hulk, and a pregnant woman, you might want to order a lot, Steve.” He joked, and the blond laughed.

“I’m plenty used to it by now.”

“I just need to take down all the equipment.” Banner stated. “You guys go ahead, it shouldn’t take me long. I’ll be there in 45.” 

“Sure you don’t need help?” Y/N asked.

“It’s pretty complicated. I could probably do it faster on my own.” He chortled.

“Alright.” The woman spoke. “We’ll leave you two full pizzas.”

The group laughed as they began to walk out for the treed area and to their cars. 

“So... does this mean I’m the new boss?” Sam broke the silence, his words hopeful.

“Not of me.” Steve stated with a firm, yet playful look.

“I’m not an Avenger.” Y/N giggled.

“Right, right. Only the people who are part of the team.” Wilson spoke, a huge smirk beginning to build up on his face. “So that means... I’m in charge of... Bucky.”

The brown-haired soldier let out a huge sigh. “Only during a battle.”

“Oh ho ho, this is gonna’ be great!” Sam cheered.

“See,” Steve chuckled, “you two are getting along already!”

Next Chapter

Feedback is always welcome!❤️

[faultlessfinish]

Right from episode one of dndads, there are strong implications that Carol is cheating on Darryl. This is because originally, she was:

{ID: A discord screenshot from 9/24/2019 of reverendanthony, with line breaks from original. so the thing about the carol/darnell thing is i was trying to figure out what darry’s Big Flaw is cause it’s super obvious with the other dads (glenn needs to be a dad not a friend, henry needs to establish boundaries and lay down the law, ron exists) so Darryl initially hit me as this really macho alpha-male bullshit bro guy and so I defaulted to a frankly kind of lazy and problematic thing to try and put that machismo to the ask, which is “my wife is cheating on me” but as matt roleplayed darryl more and it brecame clear that he’s not a one-dimensional arrogant jock guy who is way too full of pride, i tried to shift it to “our marriage is bad and my wife isn’t emotionally available because she doesn’t fel she can talk to me about this stuff” /end ID] Anthony likely also revised the plan because of the massive backlash that Carol was getting from the listenership/fandom. Even Matt mentioned on a Talking Dad that his wife hoped people didn’t think she was Carol. People hated Carol so much, it was truly unreal. Yeah, her tone is not syrup-sweet when she says “I don’t care if you’re having a good time, just find our kid,” but Henry called Darryl an “alpha jock piece of shit bozo” at the top of his lungs around the same time in the story and nobody called Henry a bitch. (The secret ingredient is misogyny!) So Anthony decided to pivot, as described above. In the story, that meant that during the Four Nights arc, Carol left a voicemail revealing that a.) Darnell has a husband and b.) she wants a divorce. In other words, Darnell didn’t start out as gay, but Anthony made him “gay” (gave him a husband) to eliminate the infidelity aspect. That’s version 2.0 of the Wilson marital dynamic: Carol didn’t cheat.  From a storytelling perspective, it seems like a significant chunk of listeners didn’t catch the pivot. Maybe because it went by fast, or because they thought “well, having a husband and a good marriage doesn’t preclude Darnell being involved with Carol, bisexuals in open marriages exist” or because they remember the scenes where it was a thing and other characters were alluding to it and didn’t realize it got retconned, who knows. There’s plenty to explore with the basic premise of infidelity in the Wilson marriage as we know it, whether it’s the journey toward accepting that you’ve grown apart from your childhood sweetheart, the pain of acknowledging that it’s time to move on, the challenge every parent faces of being honest with your kids about your emotions and struggles without making them feel like they’re responsible for your emotions and struggles…   That said, I don’t think that’s where they were going with Darryl and Carol. Note that in the original setup Anthony describes, it’s not that Darryl would feel let down or betrayed, but that Darryl’s “machismo” would be threatened. The point wasn’t to explore Darryl’s emotional growth, the point was to emasculate Darryl and to see how he would respond to that emasculation. He would be humiliated. He would be a “cuck.” This is not what unpacking toxic masculinity looks like, in my book. But that’s my editorializing. My real point is that this pivot happened in an ambiguous way, but it did happen, and while it’s possibly unclear how or why if you’re only listening to the actual show, clarity on that point - as with so many plot elements - was available behind a paywall. And now here you have it. 

[iamtrebleclefstories]

all through the night - chapter three

An unexpected visitor

-or-

A fic where Jo has a miscarriage pre-16x16 and Alex comes back to pick up the pieces

Was this supposed to be only two chapter? Yes... we’re not going to talk about that though... 

TW: Miscarriage

The next few days consisted of more of the same. Jo and Alex walked on eggshells around each other, neither of them wanting to break the silence looming heavily in the loft, which was only interrupted by the occasional sound from the television or the clanging of a dish in the kitchen. Maybe that's why it was so shocking when they heard a knock at the door.

"Hey evil spawn, hairball, open up!'"

Alex walked up to the door and pulled it open. He scrunched his face in confusion, "Yang? What are you doing here? How do you know where I live?"

"I get mail you moron. I’ve seen the return address,” Cristina invited herself into the loft. She scanned the place the Karevs called home and her eyes landed on Jo’s blank face. “Altman and Pierce called me a couple days ago to help them out with an experimental surgery that's only ever been done a handful of times around the world, my hospital and my hands being one of them. I'm performing and teaching the residents all about the procedure. Surgery is tomorrow. I was at Mer's house visiting with the kids and I heard that you might be here," Sensing the tension in the room, Cristina turned her attention to Alex. "How about you and I go outside and talk for a bit?"

Alex looked at Cristina and quickly realized that she wouldn't give him the option of saying no. He glanced back at Jo before looking back at Cristina, "Okay, I'll go."

The moment they walked outside, Cristina slapped Alex upside the head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Alex rubbed his head.

"That's for being a dumbass," they walked for a few more minutes before Cristina spoke up again. "Are you an idiot? Are you mentally challenged?"

"Mer told you, didn't she?" Alex grumbled.

"She didn't have to," Cristina shook her head in disbelief. "You fell off the face of the earth for weeks. I know we don't talk that much, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. She had a miscarriage and instead of you comforting her like you're supposed to, you looked terrified that something will set her off. Do you know how crappy it feels to miscarry? I wasn't planning on even continuing my pregnancy and I was still a wreck when Addison had to go in and remove my fallopian tube. And on top of that, you cheated on her?"

"I didn't know she was pregnant when I slept with Izzie," Alex tried defending himself. "Jo didn't even know until she miscarried."

"And that’s supposed to make it okay?” Cristina punched him in the side. “You slept with Izzie? Of all people? Come on Alex, I knew you were stupid but I didn’t think you were stupid enough to sleep with the one person who consistently used you and never really cared about your well-being unless if it was of some sort of benefit to her. Where’s your self-respect?”

Alex grunted, “I don’t know.”

“That’s why you feel like shit now,” Cristina stated. “You should feel like shit. You should be crying bitch baby tears. What possessed you to make such a colossal mistake. And don’t go say something about how you still love Izzie because we both know that’s not true. You fell out of love with Izzie a long time ago. You fell out of love with her before you ever fell in love with Jo. And Jo… I wish someone loved me the way you love her. Which is what makes this situation so much worse.”

“I don’t know what to do,” Alex released a breath. “I don’t know how to fix this.”

“I don’t think it’s about fixing anything,” Cristina stopped to get a good look at him. “It’s about owning up to your mistake and figuring out if you’re able to move forward. You can’t take it back and you can’t make it better. You’ve got to regain her trust.”

“Easier said than done,” Alex muttered under his breath.

“Go to the hospital and cut into some kids or something,” Cristina waved her hand. “Get out of here. Let me talk to your wife.”

“I don’t know Yang,” Alex frowned uncertainly. “You’re not exactly the warmest person.”

“Shut up,” Cristina scowled at him. “I can be sensitive. Now seriously, go. Give me some time before I change my mind.”

+++

“Wilson! Get up from the bed. It’s time to take a shower and put on a different shirt,” Cristina bellowed as she walked back into the loft. She walked around towards the bed and pulled the covers off of Jo. “Come on. It’s already past noon. You’ve got to at least pretend like you care about personal hygiene.”

“Leave me alone,” Jo groaned and pulled the pillow over her head, muffling her speech. “And it’s Karev, not Wilson.”

“Is it?” Cristina raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t sure if it still would be you know after everything.”

Jo pulled the pillow off of her face and looked at Cristina waringly, “It’s still Karev. I want to be a Karev.”

“So you’re not planning on leaving evil spawn any time soon?” Cristina sat on the edge of the bed, waiting expectantly for Jo to respond.

Jo appeared lost in thought, “I don’t know. I don’t want to. But I can’t live like this either.”

“Live like what exactly?”

“Live in fear that one day, Alex is going to grow tired of his life with me and leave me for a simpler one that includes an ex-wife and a couple of kids in Kansas,” Jo depanned.

“Do you know how ridiculous you sound right now?” Cristina snorted. “Alex would rather cut off his hands than leave you and Seattle. Do you know how many opportunities he’s had to up and leave this place and he’s stayed? If you’re here, it doesn’t give him much motivation to leave.”

“I don’t think I’m his priority anymore,” Jo chewed on her lip. “He has kids now.”

“How sure are we that those are his kids anyway?” Cristina tilted her head in thought. “Don’t get me wrong. I love Izzie, she was my friend at one point. But she doesn’t exactly have the best moral compass. Sure, she loved Alex, but she loved more what he could do for her. I wouldn’t put it past her to try to pass those kids off as his in an effort to get him back.”

“That’s crazy,” Jo sat up. “No sane person would do something like that.”

“Exactly.”

Whether it was the absurdity of the whole situation or the fact that Cristina was so serious, Jo burst out in laughter, “Oh God.”

Jo’s laughter rang through the loft, “My husband cheated on me with his ex-wife and they have kids together all while I was here having a miscarriage. I had a miscarriage… I had a miscarriage and I was alone. Alex wasn’t there. He cheated on me. Alex cheated on me. Isn’t that the most outrageous thing you’ve ever heard?”

Slowly, Jo’s laughs morphed into heavy sobs. They wracked her body for quite some time as she finally allowed herself to break for the first time since coming home. She hadn’t wanted to do it in front of Alex. Despite partially being the reason for her pain, Jo didn’t want to make him feel any worse than he already felt. Because if there was one thing Jo knew, it was that as much as she would struggle to forgive him, Alex would probably never forgive himself.

Once her cries died down, Cristina rubbed a hand on Jo’s shoulder gently, “Come on. It’s time to shower. You smell bad.”

Jo let out a watery laugh, “Okay I’m getting up.” She stood up from the bed and turned to look at Cristina. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Cristina nodded. “I’ll be here when you get out.”

True to her word, Cristina was waiting for Jo when she stepped out of the shower, “I don’t cook. Or clean. You know this. We’ve lived together before. But I toasted some bagels if you want one.”

Jo made her way over to the table and grabbed a bagel, spreading a generous amount of cream cheese on it, “Why are you still here?”

“Because I told you I would be,” Cristina shoved a handful of cereal into her mouth.

“Come on Yang, we’re not friends. You don’t owe me anything. Why are you here?” Jo asked, waiting patiently for a response from the woman standing across from her.

Cristina sighed and put down the box of cereal, “Because I know what you’re going through. I’ve been there before.”

“What?” Jo’s face scrunched in confusion.

“It was my intern year. I was sleeping with my attending and I got pregnant,” Cristina started. “I don’t want kids. I never wanted them. But for some reason I struggled a lot with the decision I was going to have to make in the coming weeks. I had finally decided to tell my attending and attempt some semblance of a relationship with him. I hoped it might give me some clarity.” She paused for a moment and looked at Jo. “When I approached him, he broke up with me. Never even got a chance to tell him that I was pregnant. So, I made an appointment. I told Meredith that I was planning to get an abortion and she promised to be there to take me home.”

“I never made it there, though,” Cristina shook her head. “I was observing a surgery that he was performing when I passed out on the OR floor. They paged Addison Montgomery and I was rushed into surgery. Turns out the pregnancy had been ectopic and my Fallopian tube burst. They ended up removing it and I lost the baby… I don’t want kids. I didn’t want to be pregnant or raise a kid. It didn’t fit into my plans. I had planned to terminate. I was sure that it was right for me. But it didn’t make the loss any easier. It didn’t make the fact that I miscarried any less painful. I grieved. I was a wreck. They had to sedate me.” Cristina huffed a laugh. “That’s why I’m here. Because I get it.”

In all honesty, Jo had no idea what to say after Cristina’s story. She never would have imagined sitting across the room with Cristina Yang talking about miscarriages. They weren’t close, not at all. They never spoke for more than a few minutes about things that weren’t work related. Seeing Yang open up to her in this way was foreign.

“I’m sorry,” Jo finally said. “I don’t wish it on anyone.”

“Neither do I,” Cristina grew quiet. She reached over the table and put a comforting hand on Jo’s shoulder. “You're going to get through this. I know you will because you’re stronger than I ever will be. We’ve been through some hard things, but we survived. You’ll survive this and you’ll be happy again someday. And maybe you’ll be a mom again, if that’s what you choose. Whether it’s through birth or being a stepmom to Alex’s kids or both. You have choices. They’re yours to make. No one else’s.”

“Thank you,” Jo swallowed back some tears. “For that reminder. It’s my choice. I’ve been trying so hard to figure out what someone else would do in my shoes that I forgot that I don’t need to depend on the approval of others. It comes down to what I’m willing to lose.”

Jo looked up at Cristina, “I want to get out of this house. Even if it’s just for a few hours.”

“Okay, where do you want to go?”

“I don’t know… anywhere that isn’t here,” Jo shrugged.

“Have you ever been to the space needle? I haven’t and I lived here for seven years. I almost did once, never made it though,” Cristina mentioned.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever been to the space needle,” Jo replied.

“Great, I’ll drive.”

[apageinthecastle]

A Quarantined Reunion - Chapter two: Chosen Wars

Painful reminders of the past plague both Frank Castle and Karen Page when they find themselves within the walls of Frank's apartment.

It didn’t take long to get her back to his place, something he was grateful for. He shut and locked the door behind them, still supporting Karen’s weight as he walked her to his couch, setting her down gently. Her eyes lingered on him for another moment before slowly looking around. She swallowed, clearing her throat and pressing her hands - still shaking - against her knees. It was the nudging of a wet nose under her arm that finally broke her out of her haze. Her lips barely curled into the hint of a smile as she looked down to see a friendly-faced pit bull, running her hand over his head.

"Max," Frank offered as explanation. The dog's ears perked up at the sound of his name.

“You… I, um. Where did you, I mean…” Karen's thoughts were still jumbled and trying to find the words she wanted was even more difficult than usual for the woman. “Thank you.” she finally settled on the simple phrase. Her body was tense and she still felt like she couldn’t catch her breath. She had been completely defenseless, and she shuddered to think what might have happened had Frank not shown up precisely when he had. She swallowed again, running a shaky hand through her hair. “Do you, um...beer?”

He fought a smile and nodded. “I, um, beer.”

Frank fidgeted as he made his way to the kitchen, rolling his eyes at himself. It was hardly the time for it, but the playful retort had fallen out of his mouth before he could think. Falling into banter with Karen was instinctual, easy as breathing. Time and place, Marine, time and place. ‘I, um, beer’, Jesus Christ.

He sighed as popped the caps from two bottles, walking back to the living room and pressing one into her trembling hands. He had never seen her like this. Not when she recounted her past or the stories about Fisk. Not when she’d been all but begging him to look for an After. Not even when she’d been held hostage by that kid, Wilson. What was his name? Lewis.

A fragile, unfamiliar silence settled like dust between them, and Frank found himself tapping against the cool glass of the beer bottle he held. She was coherent enough to speak, obviously, but he had no way of guessing at the things left unsaid. If given half a chance and enough beer, even in the state she was in, she would probably tear into him. He probably - no, definitely - deserved it.

With a quiet sigh and still unsteady hand, Karen raised the bottle to her lips as Max took a firm seat beside her, leaning his weight against her slightly. One long drink later, she looked back over at Frank. Other than the small mark on his cheek, he looked… well, he looked good. No bruises, no cuts, nothing to allude to the wars that had been his home for as long as she had actively known him. The wars he’d chosen over her.

Not that she would ever tell him that. Not that she would ever share with him that her choice to visit Frank in the hospital those two years ago had been the end of her relationship with Matt. She hadn’t been able to respond when he had asked her if Matt knew that she was there - a silence he’d taken as a no. In reality, her silence had come from the fact that with that choice to once again help Frank Castle, Matthew Murdock - ever unable to understand her own past and why she saw the Punisher as something more than his actions - had ended things.

Since then, they had barely spoken.

Karen couldn’t bring herself to regret her choice. She had cared about Matt, that much was a certainty. Hell, even Frank had been able to see it shortly after meeting her, telling her as much in that diner where he had effectively used her as bait. She did care, of course she did, but it paled in comparison to the way she felt about the short haired man in front of her. She hadn’t just wanted him to choose to love someone instead of choosing another war. She had wanted him to choose to love her. She certainly loved him.

None of that mattered anymore, though. He had said no. He had once again chosen war over the After she so desperately wanted for him. The After he deserved, even if he couldn’t see it himself.

Seeing him now, relatively unscathed compared to how he usually showed up, almost took what little breath she had away. Was he actually staying out of trouble? No. Even if he is, it doesn’t matter, Karen, she told herself. He had made his choice and she very much wasn’t it.

Whatever words had been about to come from her lips were lost before they ever found their way there and she instead brought the bottle back to her mouth. She took another long drink, staring at the green glass in her hands.

Across from her, Frank nodded, though he didn’t know why or to what. There seemed to be, as there often was, an unspoken agreement between them. Something understood without any need for explanation. This time, however, it made him anxious. He'd lost track of the things they were agreeing to. I should apologize. I should ask her how she’s feeling. I should explain how and why I showed up when I did, let her know I wasn’t following her, or-- he cut his train of thought short by clearing his throat, setting his untouched beer aside and running his hands unsteadily along his thighs as he stood.

“Karen, I…”

What the fuck are you even trying to say, Castle? He shook his head and gestured vaguely. There wasn’t a goddamn thing he could think of that would make any of the shit between them any better, any different. When he heard her voice fill the silence, he was grateful.

“So, how long have you been back in Hell’s Kitchen?” she asked quietly, looking over at him.

“Oh, um. Close to a year now,” he admitted, shifting his weight between his feet. He was only able to meet her eyes for small moments at a time, flicking them away and back again.

She pressed her lips together, nodding once and taking another drink from her beer. “Without a goddamn war, huh?”

A muscle in Frank’s jaw ticked and he fought to keep his expression even, nodding slowly. It wasn't a question, it was an accusation. He turned away and watched any hope he’d had of meeting her gaze fly through the crack in his living room window. His voice was soft and distant in response.

“Yeah. Yeah, without a goddamn war, or… something like that, I guess.”

Her hand tightening on the bottle as she fought off the rising tide of emotion she felt, she raised it to her lips again, draining the beer. She pushed herself to her feet, ignoring the godawful jolt of pain through her wrist.

"I should go."

Instinctively, he took a step toward her, putting his hands up and taking a step back again once he noticed. “No, uh…” He sighed, running a hand over his head and mustering the courage to meet her gaze. He studied her. Even coherent enough to speak, hold conversation, make long-overdue digs at him, he could see from the barely-concealed shakes wracking her frame that she was in no position to be going back out there alone.

“Stay.”

She stared at him for a moment, letting the word echo around in her head. The last words he’d spoken to her in that god forsaken hospital room played alongside it. I gotta walk out of here, and you can’t do it with me.

Without another word, she set the bottle down and started toward the door. It was another, singular syllable that stopped her in her tracks.

“Please.” Goddamn him and the way he wielded that weapon against her like a bullet to the heart.

Frank could see the gears turning in her head, even from across the room. The slight tensing of her shoulders as she took a deep breath and the slow, uneven shift of her weight from foot to foot, option to option. He let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding when she turned, sharply drawing it back in as her eyes fell on his. There was nothing uncertain about them. Everything that had been a near-impossible read just moments ago had fallen away. Karen was livid, and rightfully so. He braced himself for the years of… well, anything and everything his absence had been filled with.

“I told you we would figure it out together.” Her voice was low. She was angry beyond the point of shouting. All the hurt and frustration and long abandoned hope for the man in front of her was boiling over, but it was a quiet rage. She moved her hands between them. “Us, together. Just like with your family, just like with David Lieberman.

“I told you that you could choose to love someone instead of another war, and you told me it wasn’t what you wanted. You told me what your life was and you asked me if I wanted to be a part of it and you never, not for a single goddamn second, actually gave me a chance to answer you. And don’t you dare sit there and say that you did, that the silence between us wasn’t full of your stubborn bullshit. That’s all I ever was to you, wasn’t it? Just someone whose life you could walk in and out of as it was convenient for you.”

He took another step back, looking down and licking his lips. His fingers twitched incessantly at his side. He wanted to tell her no. He wanted to tell her it was never about convenience, that the silence between them was more often full of regret than bullshit. That she had never been ‘just’ anything to him. He opened his mouth to speak, and all of his words turned to ash on his tongue as he stammered. He shook his head before daring to meet her eyes again, hoping his own might say the things he couldn’t.

“No. No… you know that.” Her expectant stare and his rising panic prompted a weak response from his throat. His late wife’s voice rang like a bell through his head, their last one-on-one conversation replaying as it so often did. “I don’t know that.” Maria's voice had been broken, desperate. Hurt. Frank closed his eyes, forcing the memory to dissipate as he hung on the edge of the moment for a response.

“Do I, Frank? Do I?” She started pacing his living room, crossing her arms as she watched him. “I mean, you never said goodbye when you left. You looked down at me from a damn tower. The next time I see you it’s because you needed my help figuring out who Micro was, and then it was because of Lewis and we said goodbye, and then at the hospital, and I haven’t seen or heard a damn word from you in two years. I’m just another pawn in your war for you to move around and the second you decided you didn’t want another one, well, I guess that’s the end of that.” She knew her words weren’t true, and she regretted them the second they came out of her mouth as she saw the hurt flash deep in his eyes.

Frank knew when to keep his mouth shut, but it wasn’t often - if ever, now that he was forced to think of it - that he was rendered speechless. All the air had been sucked out of his lungs, any words along with it. He found himself frozen, unable to even look away from her prying gaze. Slowly, and with all the energy he could muster, his response was still whispered.

“You’re right.” He focused on flexing and releasing his muscles, one group at a time, willing himself into being able to move again. “Not about…” He shook his head, stiffly. Arguing was pointless. Whether the specifics of what she said were true or not, she had a point. He’d done little to maintain any connections that weren’t useful to him once he had decided he was feeling too much. The people he allowed to get close to him were only given so much room, so much opportunity, and then he cut them loose. He could never find it in himself to let them make their own decisions. He had to keep them safe, couldn’t have them on his conscience… however he wanted to word it, it was always the same.

“I, uh…” There wasn’t anything he could say. Apologies fell short and were too far out of date to make a dent. In lieu of apology, he reached blindly behind him for the arm of the couch and sat down on it. He exhaled any breath that might have been wasted on explanation, nodding again.

She squeezed her own arms slightly, hoping he couldn’t see that she’d started shaking again. Conflicting emotions barreled through her. She was genuinely angry - how could she not be? It didn’t change the things she’d always thought about him. Frank Castle was a man with a history, a man doing the best he could. A man who had been robbed of his family. A man that was a good man, not the monster the world had made him out to be. In this moment, in the wrinkles around his eyes and the fluttering of his fingers as he struggled with the warring emotions inside of him, that was the man she saw.

With a sigh, she slowly walked over to him, meeting his eyes. Her hand dropped from her arm, coming inches away from resting on his shoulder before she pulled back, letting it rest by her side instead. “Why?” Her voice was barely a whisper. “Why do you want me to stay?”

Frank looked at her, then. Really looked at her. His eyes searched hers, and he wondered to himself if he looked as desperate for her continued company as he felt. Even in this pain, even with the anger and their shared past thickening the air between them, he didn’t want to lose her. He couldn’t. It had been a choice he’d made - a few times over, as she had reminded him tonight - only out of necessity. A choice he had made to keep her safe, because he was sure she was safer away from him… and despite that nagging thought being ever-present at the back of his mind, Karen had just proven to him that she, like anyone and everyone else, was capable of finding trouble or straying from safety whether or not he was in the picture. Wouldn’t it be better t--. He shook his head away, looking away from her.

“To make sure you’re okay,” Was the response he settled on, hoping it would say enough.

Her heart dropped at his words. Not because it was bad, but because it wasn’t the answer she had wanted. Not really. She swallowed and ran her hands through her hair again, closing her eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath. “I’m fine.” she said, voice tight. She hated the waver that existed between the two syllables. “And even if I’m not, what then? I stay for now, you decide for yourself I’m fine, and then what? You disappear again?” She didn’t know that she could handle it again, the man in front of her becoming a ghost of her past again.

"Not if I can avoid it."

Even as he said them, he knew the words meant little. Karen had always seen it as avoidable, even with full knowledge of the dangers at hand. She had made the choice to stand by him, time and time again, eyes wide open. It was admirable and absolutely infuriating.

He sighed, running his hands over his head. "I'm really trying to turn things around, here, Karen. I'm not… I'm not there, yet, you know, but it's better. Things are… quiet."

She stared at him for a long moment. She wasn’t entirely sure what to think. He was trying to turn things around. Things were quiet. What did those words even mean when it came to Frank Castle? Slowly, each foot a deliberate step in front of her, she sat back down on the couch. A wince crossed her face as she put pressure on her wrist.

“I’ll stay for tonight.” She said after another pause. “We can talk about the rest tomorrow.”

[tis-archer]

Dangerous Territory

TW: death, blood etc read at your own risk pls

“Drop yours first, Officer,” came the calm voice and Athena’s left eyebrow rose slightly. He clearly wasn’t afraid to die, so she took a shot at him and it ricocheted off of what she assumed was a bulletproof vest. Her eyes widened when they raised their guns and the first man shot one of her officers in the leg. Officer Davis dropped to the ground, screaming and holding onto his now bleeding leg.

“Alright, alright,” said Athena as she placed her gun on the ground and put her hands up, “No one else has to get hurt, okay?”

“That depends entirely on the lot of you, Now, get on the ground,” the man told her and she took a breath, still rooted to her spot.

“Look--”

“Get on the fucking ground!” He shouted and everyone immediately dropped to the floor. Athena followed suit with her hands still up until she was forced harshly down by one of the men. He put his knee in her back and she let out a strangled breath as he crushed her.

“Don’t make me shoot anyone else, Officer. I seriously wanted to do this without any bloodshed but if you push me, I will,” his tone was filled with nothing but venom and tears immediately sprang to Athena’s eyes. She was terrified and the previous man still hadn’t gotten off of her.

A few minutes later, the man got up and she breathed out, her lungs filling with air. She looked over at the terrified faces of her co-workers. She felt sick for bringing them into the bank but the dispatch had assured them that the situation could easily be handled. She didn’t blame the dispatch because no one knew what kind of men were in the bank. Athena just prayed no one else got shot.

Meanwhile, LAFD arrived on the scene after hearing Maddie ask for assistance from Dispatch, saying that none of the officers had checked in. When Station 118 got there, there were dozens of police cars and a SWAT truck on the scene. Bobby immediately walked over to the Director of the FBI with his team behind him.

“Director,” said Bobby as he and his team approached the man and Bobby shook his hand, “Captain Bobby Nash with the 118, how can we help?”

When he heard the man’s last name, Director Simmons looked over at the man with a worried expression on his face. It was clear that Bobby hadn’t been informed that his wife was inside with dangerous gunmen and he really hated to be the bearer of bad news, he didn’t want the fire Captain to go into the building guns-a-blazing.

“Captain,” Simmons started, “You have to promise me that you’ll do your job to the best of your ability despite the circumstances. Because if I can’t trust you to do that, I will make you and your team leave, understood?”

Bobby wanted to argue, to tell the man that he was a professional and he always did his job no matter what. He was a first responder, but instead he nodded, giving the man his word.

“There are about eight officers in there right now, the gunmen don’t seem to be letting them go anytime soon,” he paused, turning his body to fully face Bobby, “Sergeant Grant is among the officers being held hostage.”

Bobby jerked forward a little like he had been pushed from behind, his eyes widened as the breath completely left his lungs. He reached out to grab someone and ended up grabbing Buck’s shoulder to steady himself. His hands started shaking and his lip trembled as he tried his hardest not to cry.

“Wh-what do we do? What do we do?” He asked as he looked at his team. He felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest cavity. His better half, the second half of his soul, the light in his once darkened world was being held at gunpoint and no one was doing anything.

“Captain Nash, right now there is nothing we can do, okay? We have to let this play out. I understand that there is someone in there that you care for but--”

Bobby cut him off with a sharp gasp, “She’s not just someone I care for, Director. Athena is my everything, she is my wife, the love of my life. I don’t--what are we supposed to do? Because we can’t just sit here, we can’t just wait.”

“With all due respect, I have been through this a hundred times. We can’t go in there shooting them, one of the officers could be shot. We don’t know how dangerous they are yet and until we get a better understanding of what we’re dealing with, you need to stand down.”

Bobby breathed out, “But--”

“Stand. Down,” Simmons emphasized and walked away from Bobby to speak to the SWAT director.

In the bank, Athena and her officers had each been handcuffed side by side to the nearby poles that separated the lines. The metal was digging into Athena’s wrists, forcing tears to drip from her eyes as she looked towards the doors. Her thoughts went to her children, her beautiful children that still needed their mother, then she thought of Bobby, her wonderful husband who would for sure fall off the wagon without her. She wanted to believe that he was stronger than she gave him credit for and he was, but he continuously told her that he wouldn’t be alive without her, that he wouldn’t be able to go on if he lost her. She didn’t know what to do, for the first time in her entire 30 year career, she didn’t know how to get out of this one.

“Listen!” one of her officers shouted, Officer Jefferson.

“Jefferson,” Athena hissed, “Shut up!”

“There are probably hundreds of officers out there, alright? They aren’t gonna let you get away with this!” his voice was shaky, he was scared.

“Jefferson, please, for the love of God, shut the hell up!” Athena’s voice cracked slightly as she shouted at the man she’d known for a few years.

“I’d listen to her, Jefferson,” said the leader.

Jefferson shook his head, “No! You can’t just keep us here! You won’t get away with this so just let us go--” he was silenced for good by a single shot to the back of his head. Blood splattered across Athena’s face as she flinched. Jefferson was sitting right next to her, causing her face to be covered in the thick red liquid. She faintly heard the screams of the others as Jefferson’s body slumped forward. She couldn’t scream, or move, she was stuck in her spot.

Outside, everyone heard the gunshot, causing Bobby to try to race into the bank but Hen, Eddie, Chimney and Buck forced him backwards as tears ran down his cheeks. He kept fighting them, screaming for them to let him go but they had a tight grip on him, not wanting to lose their Captain to stupidity. None of them would ever know how he felt in that moment and they never wanted to but they knew what Athena would want, so they held onto him.

“Bobby, you cannot go in there!” Hen shouted, “You know that!”

“He-Hen, Athena is in there… she’s… the gunshot… Athena is in there!”

Hen wrapped her arms around Bobby’s shoulders, “I know, Bobby. I know but going in there right now will get her killed so please, just stay right here with me. Athena isn’t going to die, she is smart and resilient. She’s gonna make it back to you and the kids, but she can’t do that if you get hurt.”

Bobby finally calmed down as he turned his head to look at his wife’s best friend. Hen knew Athena, knew the Athena she was before he met her, so he’d listen to her because Henrietta Wilson always had their best interests at heart. He wrapped his arms around his friend who squeezed him in response.

“I don’t want her to die, Hen,” he whispered and she kissed the top of his head.

“Me neither,” she whispered back.

“Now,” said the leader, “Anyone else wanna eat a bullet?” He asked and no one replied, “Great,” he turned to his team as they discussed escape routes and how they’d get away with all the money from the vault.

With their backs turned, Athena allowed herself to cry. She looked at Jefferson’s still body and she wanted to throw up. She had told him, begged him to stop talking but she hated herself for not being able to do more. For getting them stuck there in the first place.

Simmons and the director of the SWAT team finally came up with a plan to extract the officers from inside and end this whole thing. They discussed sending a team through the opening in the roof, sending a team in through the back, and having a team surround the front. They instructed the other police officers to follow a team to a location, calling for two helicopters in case they tried to escape. He told the two fire stations to be ready in case anyone inside was hurt.

“Director,” Bobby called, walking over to speak to the man in private, “I know seeing me break down probably wasn’t a very good first impression.”

Simmons snorted, “You’re going through a lot, Bobby. I get it.”

Bobby nodded slowly, “I want to go in with a team.”

Simmons raised an eyebrow, “Excuse me?”

Bobby took a deep breath and released it through his nose, “I know I’m not trained for stuff like this, I get that. But, Athena is my wife, Director. She is the reason I’m still breathing and I need my face to be the one she sees first. I can do this, just let me. Let me save her.”

Simmons had serious reservations, it was against the rules, the law even. He didn’t know why Bobby would ask to do such a ridiculous thing but he thought back to his own wife and kids and he knew that at the end of everyday, Bobby was just a man, a husband, a father, a friend. He was more than just a Captain or a co-worker. He had heard a lot of Athena, how great of an officer she was, how talented and steadfast. He heard many stories of her over the years and knew she was one the world couldn’t lose.

“Alright,” said Simmons and Bobby’s eyes widened in surprise. Simmons pointed a finger at him, “But you stick very close to a SWAT member. Don’t you go off trying to be your own hero. You wanna get Sergeant Grant out of there alive, listen to everything they say.”

Bobby thanked him, tears gathering in his eyes. He went to walk away when Simmons grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“Don’t you dare make me regret this, Nash.”

Bobby nodded and went to join a team.

Athena never regretted much in her life, except what happened to Emmitt Washington, but in that moment she regretted not telling her family how much she loved them, how much they meant to her. She regretted not telling Henrietta and Michael that she appreciated their friendship, telling Buck that she admired his strength, telling Eddie he was doing an amazing job raising Christopher, and telling Chimney and Maddie that she was proud of how much they’d grown together. She regretted not always jumping into her husband’s arms with her legs around his waist and kissing him like it was the last time. For all she knew last night was the last time. She closed her eyes and prayed.

Athena’s eyes snapped open when she heard a choking noise and she looked over to see Officer Garcia being choked by a different gunman. Officer Garcia was one of the youngest people there, she had a two year old daughter and a husband at home. Athena felt her heart drop into her stomach.

“No!” She shouted without thinking, “Stop it, don’t hurt her!”

The man stopped and everyone looked at her.

“She’s just a kid,” Athena said, her voice cracking so she cleared her throat, “You’ve already killed one of us, please just leave her alone.”

The man who had been choking Garcia rushed over to her and grabbed her by the hair at the back of her head and yanked her head back so that her face was tilted up to his, causing Athena to whimper slightly at the pain.

“I’ve had about enough of you, bitch!” He shouted, “You say one more thing and you’ll regret it!”

Athena looked at his face and hated the burning of tears at the back of her eyes from him tugging so harshly at her hair, “You can do whatever you want to me,” she managed to get out, “Just leave the rest of them alone.”

“Oh, how noble. Just for that I’m gonna kill another one.”

He let her go and stood up as she shouted at him, trying to grab at his ankle but he turned and kicked her in the side of the head, causing her to fall over onto her side, the cuffs slicing deeper into her skin. She saw stars and then she heard the sound of a gunshot and a few screams. Tears flew down her face but she didn’t have the strength to get up and see who had just been murdered. She remained on the ground, silently praying that God would have mercy on her and they’d just kill her.

“This is the police! Let those officers go and come out with your hands up!”

“Fuck!” the leader exclaimed, “We need that extraction van, now!” The others raced around the bank while the officers felt hope swelling in their chests. Officer Garcia looked over at her Sergeant, who was still laying on the ground and she wasn’t moving.

“We won’t ask again!”

Next thing anyone knew, smoke bombs exploded in the room and all anyone saw was white smoke. They all coughed as SWAT members came up to them, snapping their cuffs off. Silencers went off and bodies dropped as the gunmen were being overpowered. Bobby fought his way through the smoke in search of his wife. He stumbled into Officer Rose who looked at him with wide eyes.

“You have to save, Athena! She’s over there!” The woman pointed to a figure laying on the ground. Bobby rushed over to her and saw the blood on her face.

“Oh my God, Athena! Athena, can you hear me?” He was slapping her cheeks but her eyes wouldn’t open. He prayed hard in his head to the highest being that his wife would be okay. He put one arm underneath her legs and the other across waist as he lifted her in his arms. Athena’s head lolled to the side as she groaned and her eyes slowly opened. Soon, she was staring into her husband’s terrified face.

“Bobby, you came for me,” she whispered before she went limp in his arms. Bobby ran out the exact way they came, making sure that the SWAT could handle the rest on their own. He ran around to the front, screaming that he needed help. He told them that he didn’t know where the blood was coming from as they placed her on a gurney. He hopped in the back of the ambulance, keeping his eyes on his wife while holding her hand. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, like he was under water but she needed him to be strong, he knew that.

A few hours later, Athena groaned and Bobby’s head snapped up to look at her. She tried to move but felt strong hands push her gently onto the bed.

“Relax, baby, you’re okay. You’re safe now,” came Bobby’s voice and Athena’s eyes flew open. She looked over at her husband and burst into tears. Bobby quickly joined her on the bed and held her as she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. She was sobbing into his shirt, soaking the front with her tears.

“I thought I was gonna die,” she said and her voice cracked, breaking Bobby’s heart, “They killed him!” She cried, “They shot him right in front of me and I-I couldn’t…” she let out a shaky breath.

“Shhh,” Bobby said soothingly while rubbing her back, “You need to rest, Athena. I promise I’ll be here when you wake up and we can talk about anything you need to. For now, close your eyes and rest.”

A few seconds rolled by before she responded, “Will you still hold me?” Her small voice asked and he kissed her forehead for a few seconds before tears gathered in his eyes.

“I will hold you until my last breath, baby. I love you so much.”

She took a breath, breathing in his scent and letting it surround her, “I love you,” she whispered, “Thanks for coming to get me.”

Bobby placed his hand on her beating heart as tears rolled down his face. He looked up to the ceiling silently thanking whomever was listening that the love of his life was safe, “Always.”

[thejolexgroupchat]

the one where they met in med school - part twenty-three

i think you all can tell by the gif what’s coming in this fic...

this one is one our favorites enjoy! - @iamtrebleclefstories​ @doc-pickles​ & Nat

if you haven’t read parts 1-22, you can find them here

Also... this has some M rated content. Read at your own discretion ;)

(March 2009 cont.)

Jo was exhausted, more so than she’d ever thought she had been before. Her day had been shitty, she’d been barfed on twice, and she hadn’t seen Alex since she rolled out of bed that morning. The moment that Shepherd came up to her and let her know that she could leave for the day, she jumped at the opportunity and rushed to change out of her scrubs as quickly as possible. All she wanted at the moment was to get into the loft, take off her shoes, and drink a bottle of wine while her and Alex snuggled on the couch. 

Of course, why would anything work out for her? The door was jammed, something that it had a habit of doing in the winter months that drove her insane. Despite her upper body strength, she was never quite able to pry the heavy metal door open without Alex’s help. A groan left her as she began to dig through her purse in search of her phone. She didn’t think Alex was home, meaning she would have to call him and then wait for him to get there before she could get in.

Frustrated tears welled in her eyes as she struggled to find her phone, the emotions she’d been holding back all day coming to a head when she realized she would be stuck in the hallway until Alex came home. The small inconvenience was the tipping point for her as she slid down the door and began to cry loudly.

“Jo? What are you doing?” the door opened suddenly, Jo falling backwards as Alex pulled it back. She looked up from her place on the floor, eyes staring up at Alex in confusion. “Why are you crying? What’s wrong?”

“I couldn’t open the door,” Jo made no effort to move from her spot laid out on the floor as she cried. “And then I couldn’t find my phone and I got puked on today and I just want some wine.” Alex kneeled down next to her, a small smile on his lips as he brushed her hair out of her face, “I have wine inside, you gotta get up though.” Jo took Alex’s outstretched hand, standing up and following him into their apartment. The living room was dark, the lights off but the room illuminated by dozens of candles that laid out everywhere. Jo turned around to look at Alex, who wore a crooked grin on his face as she looked up at him, “Wh—how? How’d you do all this?” “Bailey let me go early,” Alex shrugged, wrapping his arms around Jo’s waist. “I wanted to surprise you.”

Jo blinked once, twice, a third time before a gasp escaped her and her brain caught up with what was happening. The candles, the button up shirt her boyfriend was wearing, the stupid grin on Alex’s face… It all made sense now, “You let me lay on the floor? You’re planning on proposing and you let me lay on the damn floor?!”

“I got you to stand up! If I had known you were gonna lay on the floor I would have stopped you,” Alex laughed, kissing Jo sweetly before pulling back. “Now there’s something I’ve gotta do. It’s a little cheesy, but…” Jo watched in shock and awe as Alex kneeled down in front of her, grasping her hands in his as he looked up at her with a stupid grin, “Before you, I was just some stupid selfish kid riding through life without a care in the world. And then I met you and something in my stupid brain told me that you were different, you were worth it. And for some reason I decided to listen to that little part of my brain and… it was the best decision I could’ve made. Before I met you I always wanted to run, but I couldn’t run from you, not when you feel so much like home. Not when you’re the only person who’s loved me for exactly who I am… You’re so screwed up that you make me make sense. You and me, we just fit. And I want it all with you, everything else that happens from here on out I want you there with me, Jo. So…” Alex reached into his pocket, Jo’s breath hitching in her throat as she watched in slow motion as he opened the velvet box in his hands. The stupid cheesy grin on his face seemed to grow tenfold as he stared up at her with teary, hopeful eyes, “Josephine Wilson, will you please do me the immense honor of becoming my wife?”

“Yes! Hell yes, a million times yes,” Jo leaned down and pressed her hands against Alex’s cheeks, kissing him soundly as she struggled to hold back her tears. “This makes up for all the barf and the laying on the floor.”

Alex laughed as he let a few tears escape his eyes. He stood up and slid the ring he’d spent the past two weeks obsessing over on Jo’s finger, marveling at the sight of it finally on her hand. He stared at her for a couple seconds, in awe of the woman in front of him. This was real. Jo had actually agreed to marry him. 

Jo must’ve noticed his amused expression because she looked at him weirdly, “What?” 

“Nothing,” Alex shrugged, a light chuckle escaping. “It’s just… out of everything in the history of my life, nothing has surprised me more than getting you to agree to marry me.” 

“Why wouldn’t I?” Jo brought her hand up to his face again. “I love you. I love you more than I ever thought possible. You make me feel safe and at home. You are my heart. Why wouldn’t I want to marry you?” 

At that moment, Alex didn’t really think there were words that could articulate everything he wanted to say to Jo. So, he did what he did best. He decided to show her. 

Leaning in for another kiss, Alex wrapped his arms around Jo, pulling her close to him. Jo buried her hands in his hair, kissing him back as if he was the very air she needed to breathe. When they finally parted, Alex allowed his lips to trail down the column of her throat. He let Jo’s soft gasps and whimpers be his guide as he led them over to the couch just a few feet away. 

Jo giggled as they fell back onto the couch cushions, “Really? The couch. We just got engaged and you want to have sex on the couch? The bed is right there.” 

“I’m impatient,” Alex’s hands found their way underneath her shirt and teased her exposed skin, causing Jo to shiver. “And I really don’t think you want me to stop, so I’m going to keep going. Besides, I told Shepherd we weren’t coming in tomorrow, so we’ve got all night to celebrate.” 

“All night?” Jo raised her eyebrows. “Is that a promise?” 

“Oh, definitely,” Alex’s lips curved into a smug grin. “You aren’t gonna know what hit you.” 

“Well then why are you still talking? Get to work,” Jo ordered as she stripped off her shirt and began to unbutton Alex’s. 

“Yes, ma’am,” Alex laughed as he helped her undress him and bent down to press light kisses along the edge of her bra. He played with the straps before reaching behind her to unhook it. He grinned as Jo’s breasts were finally exposed and leaned forward to kiss between her cleavage. “God, you are so beautiful. I love you so damn much.” 

“You just love my boobs,” Jo teased. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“I do. I really do love your boobs,” Alex confirmed, not even looking the slightest bit embarrassed at having said it. “But I don’t hear you complaining about the attention I give them.”

“Oh no, by all means, please continue,” Jo grinned brightly as she watched him excitedly return to kissing her breasts. 

Alex took his time giving each breast an equal amount of attention, taking each nipple in his mouth and swelling with pride as he saw Jo’s chest rise and fall and her back arch in response to his ministrations. Her chest and cheeks were flushed and her breaths were becoming more shallow, signaling that she was highly aroused and well on her way to what he was sure would be an intense climax. 

He loved that he could do this for her. He loved that he could make her feel this much pleasure. He loved that he could make her feel desired and cherished. It was humbling and thrilling all at the same time. The fact that they were engaged now, only made the thought that much more incredible. For the rest of their lives, he’d be the only one who would get to see her this way. 

“Alex,” Jo breathed out softly, pulling him from his thoughts. “No more teasing. I need you, right now.”

With an understanding nod, Alex let his hands slide down to Jo’s hips, unbuttoning her jeans and quickly pulling them off. He stood to remove his own pants, heart swelling at the look Jo fixed him with, “What's that look for?” 

“Nothing, I just really love you,” Jo grinned as she rose up on her knees and reached for Alex, bringing him down into a searing kiss. “And I really can’t wait to take your last name.”

Alex paused and looked at her strangely, “You want to take my last name?”

“I mean, yeah if it’s alright with you,” Jo shrugged shyly. “I know it isn’t common for female surgeons to do that anymore, but I just… I’d really like to take your last name, because I’ve never had the last name of anyone who’s ever loved me.”

“I love you so much, future Dr. Karev,” a chuckle left Alex as Jo pushed him down onto the couch, legs straddling his waist as she brought their lips together again. Her hot core was grinding down onto his throbbing erection, a groan coming from Alex as he wrapped his arms around Jo’s waist, “God, I’ve been thinking about this all damn day.”

“Well I’m glad I can finally give you what you want, Dr. Karev,” a smirk crossed Jo’s face as she sunk down onto Alex in one swift move, both of them letting a groan of relief out. Alex buried his face into Jo’s neck, his tongue darting out to tease at the hot skin as she began to move at a tortuously slow rate above him. “This makes my whole day worth it.”

The pace Jo set was good, she felt perfect around him, but Alex needed more. Watching her moan and writhe above him had set something off within him and he wanted to savor the moment. With a x quick flip in position, Alex laid Jo down on the couch, pressing his hips into hers and eliciting a loud moan from her as she adjusted to the new position.

Alex watched in fascination as Jo’s back arched off the couch with each long thrust he made, her mouth agape as she let her moans fill the hot air between them. Bracing his hands on both sides of her head, Alex leaned down to bite at Jo’s neck again, his teeth marking her skin as he let the pace of his thrusts quicken.

“Alex… oh my god,” Jo’s voice was impossibly high pitched as she let her nails dig into Alex’s back, spurring him on to keep his wild pace up as she began to move her hips in time with them. He’d wanted to take things slow, to cherish Jo and worship her body after she had agreed to become his wife, but she’d had other plans and he knew as soon as she’d sat astride his lap earlier that he’d be a goner, succumbing to whatever it was that she wanted from him. “More, please more.”

Wasting no time in heeding Jo’s request Alex grabbed one of her legs and brought it up to wrap around his hips, letting him hit her at a deeper angle as he increased the speed of his thrusts. He could feel the way that he bottomed out with each movement of his hips, disjointed moans coming from Jo as her nails raked down his arms and grasped at the burning skin. 

Alex and Jo had had sex hundreds of times before this, they’d used every available flat surface they could find to get in each other’s pants. But this, this desperate and hot session on their couch was something that Alex didn’t think he would ever be able to forget. Jo’s breathy moans and the way she called his name as she neared her release imprinted themselves into his brain, his mind tucking away the image of her letting out a slow and throaty moan as she came, her eyes flitting up to meet Alex’s in a love drunk haze.

“You look gorgeous,” his words were low, almost a growl as his thrusts began to turn sloppy. Pressing his forehead against Jo’s, Alex let their lips ghost over each other as his own orgasm crept up inside of him. “I love you… I love you so much.”

Alex dipped his head down to Jo’s neck as he finally let himself go, spilling inside of her as she let out a desperate moan. The two laid still for a moment as they came to, letting themselves catch their breath and relish in the moment. When he finally did move, Alex laid himself out on the couch and brought Jo into his chest.

“I can’t believe you proposed to me,” Jo giggled, holding her hand up to inspect the ring that now graced her left hand. “I mean I knew you would eventually, but I’m still shocked. I didn’t think I’d ever get a happy ending.”

“You deserve everything good in this life, Jo. And I will do everything in my power to make sure we have a very happy life together,” Alex said, while Jo cuddled into his chest, his arm around her body. 

“What is this? Are we exchanging vows now?” Jo chuckled. 

“No, but I wanted you to know that this is what I’ve been preparing for. I am ready to make sure we have a life full of all that crap we see on those stupid romantic movies you make me watch,” he grunted, pretending to be mad, but not being able to hide the sweetness and happiness in his voice. 

“I am sure we will have a very happy life together,” she smiled at him brightly and let out a dreamy sigh as she stared at her ring. “I can’t wait to be a Karev.”

“Jo Karev does have a nice ring to it, doesn’t?” Alex nodded and placed a kiss to her forehead.

“It sure does,” Jo grinned widely.

“I love you,” he pecked her lips. 

“I love you too, fiancé.”

AHHHHHH!! It finally happened. What did you guys think? What do you want to see next?

[topherfoxtrot]

One day in the simple life of Jack Daniels.

This is the next installment in what I'm calling the Springville AU. You can read the first part here but basically John and Olivia move to the countryside with new identities post tfatws. This was written before the finale so nothing that happens there affect this fic. As always like comment and share if you want more people to read it. Hope you enjoy :)

John and Olivia woke up with the alarm clock at 7am. Olivia was the one to turn it off because it was at her side of the room. She sat in the bed and stretched without opening her eyes entirely quite yet. John's big hands crossed her back and neck swiftly. Olivia has no choice besides falling back into bed.

"Good morning." John whispered right next to her ear.

"Waking up in a good mood?"

"It's been a while huh?"

They both laughed.

"Stay here." John pleaded.

Olivia smiled and pressed herself against John before letting go and getting up for once.

"You know I can't. Otherwise how are the kids going to understand Romeo and Juliet?"

"That's the play of the week?"

"Of the month!" Olivia laughed "There's no way they could read all those pages in seven days."

"If they attended to school on our days they would be obliterated."

"Okay boomer." Olivia shrugged.

"What?"

"The kids taught me that."

"What does it mean?" John was embarrassed but curious.

"Well, I guess you'll have to Google it to find out."

Olivia left the room with a proud smile on her face before John could say anything else. He laid his head again and took a deep breath. I love this woman, he muttered to himself before getting up.

Their house was small. Without the veteran benefits and Olivia's paycheck there wasn't anything fancy they could afford. Still, the house was cozy enough. And the thermoregulator worked out just fine, most of the time.

While Olivia was taking a shower John started preparing breakfast like the usually did. That way Olivia could get at school on time. He put the bread in the toaster and broke four eggs, two for each of them. They used to have bacon as well, but not on those trying times. Thinking about it made John angry. He was the only person to receive three medals of honor for his services in all american history. Yet there he was not having bacon for breakfast because it was too damn expansive.

The toaster sound interrupted his thoughts before they could get any worse, but the handle of the pan still got a little crooked because of the strength John applied on it unconsciously. It has been a couple months since he got the serum but sometimes it was still hard to control his own strength.

At least it was just a pan this time. Couples weeks prior he grabbed Olivia way too hard during sex. She warned him before any damage could be done but since then John has been extra cautious around her. Every little thing in his routine was a reminder he took the serum. A reminder he couldn't save Lemar. A reminder he was not the hero they wanted him to be. It's all so unfair, he said out loud without realizing it.

"What is unfair Johnny?" Olivia came from their room all dressed up already. Her shirt was red and her scarf was brown. The overall was by the door, near the photographs they kept from their previous lives.

"What? Oh nothing! I was just... thinking out loud."

While Olivia was distracted getting the breads, John untwisted the handle of the fan. He then served her the eggs.

"Those look good! But what were you thinking about?"

"About how pretty my wife is!" John sat by the small table.

Olivia's smile was short. She quickly shifted to a serious and worried face.

"You can talk to me John. In fact, you have to." She was kind but firm.

John took a deep breath, "I know, I'm sorry. it's unfair how it all turned out. I did my best, you know I did-"

"I know that!" Olivia reassured.

"...and still it wasn't enough for them. They don't know what it takes to be a hero, Olivia."

"That's all in the past. We are different people now. Okay, Jack?" She winked at him.

"Oh yeah! That's right Maria!"

They both laughed.

"You're the real hero here." John said, "Thank you for staying on my side."

Olivia smiled from ear to ear and they both finished their breakfast in a good tone. When Olivia got up John walked with her. She entered their car and John stayed at the door while she drove away. The air was cold and the snow was still shy, but not for long.

There was nothing on their front yard except grass. There was a rod on the wall near the door but there was not flag on it. When they moved in John tored the flag to shreds. Afterwards they made a fire with it. It was really cathartic.

John breathed the cold air one last time before getting in and closing the door. He took a cold shower (the only one he knew how to take) and did the dishes from last night. With Olivia working at the school he was responsable for most house chores. He didn't like the idea of being alone the whole day at the beginning, but he had to get used to it eventually. Someone had to work and John's set of military skills proved to be quite useless in the countryside small town they scaped to.

He tried construction for a while but he would twist metals and break woods with his bare hands more often then he would like to admit. Besides even though he had a thick beard now he was still scared someone would recognize him. Recognize Captain America.

He left the job, he and Olivia had a big fight that night. In the midst of his own shame and self loathe though John figured there was indeed something he was good at: welding. And with his super strength it was even easier to handle the right tools. John worked the whole night and by the morning when Olivia woke up she met John sleeping in the spare room (the one for the kid they never had) with a heart shaped welding sculpture on his arms. Since that night John has found a new passion and income. The word spread fast that Jack Daniels, the newcomer, was a really skilled artist. He started doing pieces by demand.

***

After the shower John dressed casual clothes and went to his work room. There were still some leftovers from last night so he could work a little more instead of cooking lunch. The heart sculpture was on the wall right next to the clock. John worked until 1 pm. After lunch he did some laundry before someone knocked at the door.

"Are you Mr Daniels?" The old man asked.

"Just call me Jack, please. How can I help you sir?"

"Oh nothing special!" he made effort to talk "My boy is coming back from his first tour and I wanted to give him something y'know 'to thank him for his service', as they say."

John's face went completely blank while the man got a cellphone from his pocket to show a reference photo of what he wanted: a worm carrying a bazooka.

"First tour, you say..?" John's voice cracked.

"Yes, he went to Afghanistan!"

John swallowed and blinked more times then he should. The cold breeze from outside made his bones shiver but he stayed still as if he was actually frozen. Not by the cold though but by his own memories. After what seemed like an eternity's the old man spoke again.

"Are you okay Mr Daniels?"

"Jack!" John blinked, "Call me Jack. And please get in it's super cold outside! What's your name again?"

"It's David!"

John offered a cup of coffee to the old man and took him to his work room. David looked at all of John's previous works fascinated.

"You really know your way around welding. When did you start with it?"

"My father taught me. It was the last thing he taught me in fact."

"Oh I'm sorry."

"Don't be." John smiled politely "That was a lifetime ago."

Speaking about his life before Springville was starting to feel weird. John Walker was starting to feel like a whole different person. And Captain America was somehow an even older memory. John used to spend his days surrounded by men and women in unforms. They spoke loud and smiled bright. Jack on the other hand spends his days welting metal around and taking care of the house.

The change was abrupt but John was getting used to it. Now he wonders if forgetting his old life isn't actually a good thing. Maybe that was the problem in the first place. In Springville John gets to spend time home with his wife. John gets to wake up late if so he pleases. John gets to breath for once.

David and John talked for a while to set prices and sizes and deadlines. Once they were finished John walked David out. When the old man finally left John sighed really loud and pressed his head softly against the door. He had being holding that breath even since David entered the house.

John was done with the military (or rather the military were done with him) and even though he had some peace at his new home the world outside was still spinning. And young boys with no perspective were still being sent to fight someone else's wars. John used to take such proud of his service. How could he?

***

When Olivia got home from work John was at his room. The work was a good distraction.

"A lot of work?" Olivia leaned at the door.

"Hi, babe. Yeah an old man came here earlier. Requested a piece for his son."

"That's great! What did he order?"

"A video game thing. His son.... He's coming back, y'know.. from his first tour. They sent him to Afghanistan."

"Oh my gosh John." She got closer to him, "How are you feeling?"

John just shrugged, "Do you mind making dinner tonight? I'm kind of busy here." That was code for 'I don't wanna talk right now'.

"Yeah, of course. I'll let you work."

Olivia kissed her husband and left to take a shower. Dinner was served at seven. They both sat at the small table while the television showed the news. When Captain America Sam Wilson showed up Olivia quickly grabbed the remote to change channels, but John slightly hold her hand.

"Leave it." He said. And she did.

Sam was visiting a highschool. The kids were all really excited to meet him personally. There were lots of selfies and lots of laughter. Sam was simply the life of any party he was in.

"He's a hero." John said.

"He really is." Olivia agreed, carefully studying John's face.

He looked at the television for a while before getting back to his dinner. A good hero, he repeated to himself as an effort to let that sink. Olivia touched his hand kind of worried.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes I'm alright, Olivia." He smiled to make her feel better, "I've been thinking. Sam is with them, but he's them. He can inspire kids without making them do the same mistakes I did."

"It's a good way of looking at it, John."

"Thanks. I was the hero they asked for but maybe wasn't the hero they-" he pointed at the kids on the TV, "...the hero they need."

Olivia smiled and grabbed John's hand. "I'm really proud of you."

"I'm proud of us!" John replied, their fingers intertwined.

They finished dinner and went to sleep. Tomorrow would be another day in simple life of Jack and Maria Daniels. And they were both really greatful for it.

[unabashegirl]

Enticing (1)

Author’s Note: This is the first chapter of the NEW SERIES based on the imagine of CEO! I have rewritten this first chapter a thousand times by now. I just wanted it to be perfect and for everyone to get a glimpse of the kind of man that David is in this series. 

I also didn’t want to title it just CEO because it’s so cliche. I wanted it to be alluring for all of you!  I hope you all enjoy the first chapter. 

LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GET TAGGED!

masterlist 

--- 

Powerful is the first word that comes to mind when asked about him. It is later followed by meticulous, driven, calculating, or even impatient.  At twenty-six, he has acquired everything that he has ever wished for and even more.  

“Mr. Dobrik” he is greeted as he steps out of his car. He keeps his eyes glued to his phone, he is still trying to respond to an obnoxious email. He picks up the pace and types vigorously before entering the building. Someone was already at the door holding it open for him. 

“Thank you, Patrick” David acknowledges him after he finally puts his phone away and walks through the doors. The sound of the heel of his shoes clicking echoes through the lobby alerting everyone of his arrival. He runs a tight ship on his company, but it was for their best interest. 

“Good morning, Mr. Dobrik,” Andrea one of the receptionist says, she flashes him a big smile. 

“Andrea” he nods her way as he walks up to the elevators. She smiles to herself and sits back down. She has a huge crush on him but has never gotten anything out of him. He was always on his phone or in a rush. She didn’t blame him after all he was an important man with a tight schedule.  

David walks into his top floor and without a word walks into his office. A fresh glass of water with ice already rests on his desk. The recognizable pile of contracts and documents still lay on the right side of his desk, desperately calling out for his attention. 

“Mr. Dobrik” Andrew Rider was David’s personal assistant for almost four years. He is David’s most trusted worker. Andrew even had a copy of David’s penthouse keys. He sometimes dropped off to deliver his tailored suits and documents. 

“Good morning” He momentarily looks up from his screen and nods his direction. “Before anything Andrew please ask Daniel to bring me a coffee and something to eat from that coffee place I like” 

“Yes sir” Andrew quickly types Daniel a quick text before turning his attention to the list of appointments and meetings that David had scheduled. “Should we start now?” David nods as he continues looking through the emails in his inbox. Andrew always debriefs David about all the stats about the company before letting him know about his meetings and messages. As soon as Andrew finishes reading all the reports of every single branch he looks up at David and waits for a reaction. Andrew holds his IPad close to his body just in case things go south and he has to bolt out of the room just like he’s done many times before. 

“Thanks, fine. Proceed” This time it wasn’t the case. He was content with how things were going. 

“Your mother called yesterday and so did Ms. McCoy” David purses his lips at the mention of the woman that has been desperately trying to become his wife.  She is the daughter of one of his business partners. They had both invested in various companies together. Mr. McCoy respects David as a businessman and considers him an exceptional man. 

“What did my mother say?” He asks already knowing the reason behind her call. 

“She asked when you were planning on visiting with Henry” Last time David had gone to see his family things had ended badly. His father and he had gotten into a dispute about his younger sister's fiance. David’s father didn’t approve of him and when asked David told his honest opinion about the young man. She met him in college and they had just recently graduated. He didn’t have his life fully figured out like his father wanted him to have before asking for his daughter ‘s hand, but it didn’t matter. David could see how they loved one another. He didn’t see the problem after all they had just graduated and were still trying to figure out the ropes of adulthood. 

“Please let her know I’ll be visiting this weekend and I’ll bring him too. As of Ms. McCoy let her know if she calls back that I’ll reach out to her later during the week” Andrew rolls his eyes at the mention of his girlfriend. She is incredibly rude and arrogant. Everyone in the office hated her. They despised when she surprisingly runs by the office just to see the boss. David also hates it because it messes up his whole schedule. 

“Also the agency found a new nanny and sent her profile. Would you like me to read it to you?” David closes his laptop and leans back. This is at the top of his priorities for the day which meant it deserved his full attention. “Her name is Y/N Y/L/N, she is twenty-four and has been working for the agency for three years. Her previous family says she is sweet, attentive, caring and always puts the kids first. The family let her go since they were relocating to Los Angeles” 

“Did they not send any more profiles? Someone older perhaps?” He had nothing against the girl, but he felt more comfortable with someone older. 

“There aren’t more available and they send their apology” He can't leave Henry without a nanny much longer. He needs someone to be around him twenty-four seven especially when he is working. 

“Fine. Let her know that I’ll be waiting for her first thing tomorrow at the apartment” Andrew nods back before leaving the office to go fetch David’s coffee.  He felt instant relief after finding him a nanny. It wasn’t because David was incapable of taking care of his own son because he has done so the last week since their nanny quit. His tight schedule prevents him from staying home and tend all his needs. 

David’s life revolved around Henry. He rathers spends a weekend at home with him than taking a jet off to an exotic location. Henry has him wrapped around his little finger since he was born only three months ago. They only have one another and David has come to terms with it. 

Henry’s biological mother had exchanged him for money. David had met Ashley at a bar after one of his business deals had gone wrong. He had gone to the bar to release some stress and steam from the long week. After a few Scotch on the rocks, he noticed the presence of the pretty girl beside him. They talked for a few hours about superficial things like their favorite countries and anecdotes from college. A few minutes later, David found himself calling for Daniel to pick both of them up and drive them home. 

The whole night was a big blur for him. The only thing he remembers is the morning after and the hammering headache that came along with it. Ashley vanished as soon as the sun rose over Manhattan. David woke up to an empty room without any trace of her beside the messy bedsheets.

He didn’t hear from her until a few weeks later when an article of him was written by Forbes magazine. He was listed as one of the youngest billionaires. She found the magazine on a stand while making her way to work and called the company. After trying to reach him for a few days Andrew was finally alerted. 

Ashley met up with him that same afternoon and told him that she was pregnant and that she was going to terminate the pregnancy. David had never considered having kids up until that point. He thought they were all very cute, but never imagined himself with one. He didn’t say anything. He just told her that it was her body and her decision. David couldn’t sleep that night. He kept rolling around and he felt like something was terribly wrong. Something had woken up inside of him and even though he had decided to no intervene with her decision, he still did. 

He begged her to get an abortion and offered to take full responsibility when he was born. That still wasn’t enough with Ashley. She wanted more and it wasn’t until a few days later when David finally figured it all out. She wanted money for the baby. Ashley wanted him to pay her for the baby that she was carrying and once again after much thinking, he did. He paid Ashley and an incredible amount of money for him. David didn’t care how much money it was. Money was dispensable and he could always make more. He couldn’t make another Henry. He was one of a kind. At the end of the day, David was going to be able to raise Henry and watch him grow up. 

The day that Henry was born was the last time he heard or saw Ashley. Within hours she had signed off all of her parental rights and had given David full custody. She had also cashed in all the money. Since then they have been together. Everything absolutely everything came after Henry now. All the long hours in the office and the traveling was all for him. David wanted to give him the world. 

Andrew sets his coffee down before leaving him on his own. He sits back and starts working until he is interrupted by the head of international relations. The company has been having trouble with the branch in Canada and David still couldn’t under why. They were always above the budge and below the income requirement. He knows he has to drop by soon, but he first wants to gather all the correct information before flying in and firing a few people. 

“The situation with Canada can’t continue like this. If it does I am going to forced to fire him” Jacob Wilson is the appointed CEO of the Canadian branch in Ontario.  David rarely speaks to him because he has trusted him since the beginning, but things have been slightly off lately. 

“I think it’s for our best interest to find out what’s going on over there. It’s a sinking boat and with the expansion happening soon we can’t risk ourselves for the other investors to pull out” Alexander points out before taking a sip out of his coffee. 

Before David can say anything else the door burst open and in walks Valentina McCoy with all her might. If there is one thing that David can’t tolerate is being interrupted in one of his meetings especially so abruptly. 

“Why haven’t you been answering my calls?” Her voice is loud and stern, but it doesn’t faze him. David turns to look at Alexander, whose eyes look like they are about to pop out of his body. He can defiantly sense the awkwardness of the entire situation. 

“I am sorry Alexander. I’ll keep me posted if anything else emerges” They both rise to their feet and shake each other’s hands before Alexander slips out of his office before the mayhem commences.  

“Answer me!” She stumps her foot on the ground. Her body is leaned forward and her yaw is clenched. David remains silent only making her angrier. He unbuttons the first two buttons of his shirt, trying his best to put his thoughts together. “David! Why the fuck have you answered me?” She hisses. 

“Who do you think you are?” His back is facing her as he looks at the skyline. 

“Why can’t you fucking look at me?!” Her voice is louder and by now everyone on the top floor knows that she has arrived. David quickly turns around and chuckles. 

“I asked you a question. Who the fuck do you think you are?!” She jumps a bit at his loud, demanding voice. He was sick and tired of her childish actions. “You can’t just barge in here like you own the fucking place and yell at me in front of my employees” 

“I sure can! especially when you aren’t answering my texts” Her voice is lower and she has stepped back. She felt intimidated by his current state. David’s eyebrows are knitted and his hands are on his wooden desk. 

“You are fucking nobody. You are just a daddy’s girl, who thinks that she can buy her way out of everything. You think your fucking beauty and your bank account grants you the right to do whatever the fuck you want, but that’s not how things work. You have no fucking right to burst through that door without knocking or without letting me know. This isn’t your fucking house where people come in and out whenever they please. This is my goddam company, Valentina”  His weight is all distributed on his hands as he leans forward and demands respects. She is speechless and on the verge of tears. 

He is so fucking done with her. He enjoyed her company until it lasted. This was the last straw. No one messed around with him, especially in his workplace. 

LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GET TAGGED!

[mellometal]

I know I said I don't associate myself with the Panic! fandom anymore, but this is something I have been ACHING to talk about. This is some bad timing, since it was Brent Wilson's birthday recently (yes, his birthday is July 20th, NOT August 20th; source: I've been following him on Twitter for five years and he's actually said this), but this is going to be about Brent and the whole situation with him.

Warning: What I'm about to say about the situation with Brent Wilson (original bassist) is heavily biased, since I do stan him. YEAH. I STAN BRENT MATTHEW WILSON, THE ORIGINAL BASSIST OF PANIC! AT THE DISCO. CRY ABOUT IT. STAY MAD. He's one of the ONLY members of Panic! At The Disco (past and present) who I give a fuck about, besides Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, and Ian Crawford.

Trigger warning: This will be talking about arrest, jail, drugs (doing and selling), weapons (guns), childbirth, parenthood, and some other things. If these things are triggering for you or make you uncomfortable in any way, you do not have to read this post. Consume media that sparks joy for you.

Disclaimer: I don't know Brent in real life, I'm not in his circle of friends or people he's closest to (like his wife Taylor, his parents, his brother Blake, his in-laws, his irl friends, coworkers, etc.), and this is not me acting like I do. I don't know what his life is like outside of Twitter. The only contact I've ever had with him has been on Twitter, but it was pretty limited.

My thoughts on this situation are MY opinion, any possibilities in my thoughts are just theories and not proven to be true, and I'm not trying to excuse whatever he was allegedly charged with.

Just for the record, I am willing to have a civil conversation with anyone who hates Brent. The minute you attack me or anyone else who likes Brent, or a whole bunch of you start circle jerking about how much you hate him, you're getting blocked. If all you're going to bring up is the shit Brent did when he was in his late teens instead of adding anything useful to the discussion, you're getting blocked too. I already know about that. It happened back in 2004-2006. They were all still kids, to a point. Brent has changed quite a bit since then. The whole "Hate on Brent Wilson" bandwagon is stupid, toxic, and I refuse to jump on it. I've never jumped on it when I was in the Panic! fandom, so why would I do it now?

Remember, without Brent bringing Br3nd0n Ur!3 into Panic!, your precious Br3nd0n wouldn't be successful today. JUST SO YA KNOW. (I'm very salty right now, if you can't already tell.)

If you would like to know about what happened with Brent, a few months ago, he was arrested on (alleged) drug charges and illegal possession of a weapon, along with a traffic violation and something to do with a probation violation too. He was set to go to court back in March for his sentencing, but that's the most recent information I've found. I don't know what the fuck is going on at this point. I don't know if he's been sentenced, if he's doing anything alternative like rehabilitation, nothing. (The reason why I said they're alleged charges is because I don't know if he's even been to court for sentencing or anything like that.)

People's reactions were mixed. Some actually LAUGHED and made a whole bunch of jokes about him being arrested (that's fucking insensitive and cruel). Some felt bad for Brent because he just became a dad (yes, he's a dad, but I'm not posting any pictures of the kid out of respect for Brent and Taylor). Some were shocked. Some weren't surprised (how and why????).

My reaction? It was pretty mixed. I was shocked. I thought I was having a fever dream and what I was seeing was fake at first. When I realized it wasn't fake, I was crushed. I felt absolutely horrible for Brent, Taylor, their kid, and all their loved ones. Like, I care about the guy a lot. Obviously.

Ironically, the band members and/or group members I stan are either the black sheep or they're just not as popular. Or they're the fucking scapegoat almost EVERYONE attacks for the stupidest shit. Brent's the black sheep as well as the scapegoat of Panic!, for example....and I would say that Ian is another black sheep too. Not for any negative reasons. He's simply not as popular, due to the fact he was only in Panic! during the Vices era for a short time. He's underrated as FUCK. I'm one of the black sheep in a lot of places [except for friend groups], even in my own family, so it explains why I stan Brent still.

I just want to say that selling drugs and doing drugs aren't inherently bad things to do. This doesn't mean that I'm for kids doing drugs and selling them. Absolutely not. I want people who do drugs or sell drugs to be treated like human beings. I also want them to be able to seek help easier without the judgment or being treated like a criminal. Personally, I don't do any of that, but I understand why someone would. (This kind of thing hits home for me.)

As far as the whole weapon thing is concerned (it was a gun), I personally don't like them and we need better gun control in the United States. I don't think I'd trust anyone who owns a gun because of the possibility that they would hurt me or worse in an argument or something. I've seen my abuser threaten to pull a gun out on my dad when I was a kid. Thankfully it wasn't loaded, but still. It was scary. I wouldn't own a gun because I'm autistic, mentally ill, and I'm afraid of what I might do in certain situations. If someone wants to own a gun for protection, hunting, target practice, or to collect them, fine. BUT YOU DON'T NEED A HUGE ASS GUN THAT THE MILITARY USES TO GO HUNTING OR FOR TARGET PRACTICE. I don't like them, I don't want one, I don't trust myself with one, guns scare me, and I want better gun control in the United States. It terrifies me that people openly carry. I understand that's the Second Amendment and all, but it doesn't change the fact that it terrifies me. As long as you're responsible with that kind of thing, I don't really care.

I don't know what Brent's reason was for (allegedly) owning a weapon (maybe for protection or something?), but it's none of my business.

In my opinion, this is all stupid shit. There are people who have done horrible things and they're STILL free people, but oh, god forbid you do or sell drugs! THAT'S bad. /s

Here's my response below. I'll type out everything, except for the disclaimers and what he was arrested for. I will start from the fifth paragraph on the first screenshot and continue from there. This is so anyone who has a hard time reading any of the screenshots can read them easier.

(My response was from around the time it was announced that he was arrested. Just so you know.)

First screenshot, fifth paragraph:

First off, I just want to say that this situation is a fucked up one for anyone to be in. I would never wish this on anyone. Especially because now, there's a baby involved, so this makes the situation worse. This is pretty difficult for me to put into words without coming off as bitchy or anything like that, so if I get bitchy here, I apologize.

Second screenshot, fifth paragraph:

I don't know what caused this mess to begin with, but I do know that Brent and his wife Taylor just had a baby a couple months ago (when I was typing this out initially). While it's a good thing for them, it can be assumed that this is also a very stressful time for them.

Combination of third and fourth screenshots (These are pretty much only theories; not facts, and they will be broken up into paragraphs): 

The pandemic most likely isn’t helping their case. Las Vegas is a HUGE city and I’m sure A LOT of people there are REALLY struggling right now in all aspects. Maybe Brent and Taylor are struggling to pay off hospital bills or whatever (to put this into perspective, the average cost for hospital childbirth in Nevada is around $21,239, according to CBS News). The average salary for an accountant in Nevada is anywhere from $34k to $150k, and that all depends on education, experience (how long you’ve been in said career), certifications, and any additional skills. Take into account any other necessities they have to pay for, like their mortgage, bills, insurance, etc. 

Let’s say that they did manage to pay everything else off, but they’re struggling to pay the hospital bills from when they had their baby. (Having a baby is fucking expensive in the United States, regardless of whether there are complications or not, and regardless of whether you have insurance or not.) Let’s say they’ve tried every single option out there, but nothing seems to give still. Maybe the drug selling was a last resort on Brent’s part. (As I’ve said, I don’t know the full story.)

The whole subject of drug paraphernalia hits home for me. My parents both did drugs when I was a kid. I’ve seen it a lot growing up. My dad was, in the past, in and out of jail for drugs and other things that aren’t relevant here. I’m not sure if my mom was in and out of jail for the same shit, but I know for a fact my dad was. Y’know, because he told me. ANYWAYS. 

I get it. You gotta do what you gotta do. It’s not something I’d do personally, but I understand why somebody would do it. I wouldn’t treat them any differently. Maybe they’re selling drugs or whatever to keep themselves from losing their homes, put food on the table for their families, help pay their bills, pay for their education, whatever. It could be a number of things.

Fifth screenshot (people’s reactions to the news and my thoughts on them):

Now...let’s move on to how people are reacting to the news. There’s a lot of mixed reactions. A lot of people feel bad for Brent, especially since he and Taylor just had a baby a couple months ago (as I was typing this). Some people “aren’t surprised” because they were never fans of him in the first place. Others think this is amusing. I’ve seen some people who are solely involved in celebrity news (similar to TMZ) making jokes about the situation, which to me, is appalling.

Let me tell you something. It doesn’t matter if you’re a fan of Brent or not. This shit isn’t funny or cute in the slightest. It sure isn’t funny or cute to anyone who is being affected by the situation, which includes Brent himself, Taylor, their son, and all their loved ones. Like, full stop. Have some decency. Y’all are fucking gross. You can dislike Brent all you want, but he’s a real human being who fucked up. Personally, when I first heard the news, I couldn’t believe it at first. I thought I was having a fever dream. That is, until I looked it up and actually found that it was true. I was CRUSHED. Why? Because Brent is one of the last people I’d even expect to get into this whole mess. 

Sixth screenshot (my thoughts):

If I’m being honest here...like, BRUTALLY honest, Brent needs to be put in REHAB, not jail. For anyone who has been here (on my Instagram) from when I used to dedicate this account to vintage Panic!, you know how I’ve never said anything but kind things about Brent. From the few times I’ve interacted with him a little bit on Twitter and from how I’ve seen him interact with others on the site, Brent is one of the sweetest people ever. I’m being genuine here. He’s a good guy who fucked up and did some dumb shit. Does that make him bad? No. Then again, as far as I’ve read about the current situation at hand, it’s too early to really determine anything. None of us know what caused him to have drug paraphernalia or anything else that he was arrested for in the first place.

Seventh screenshot (wrap-up):

I’m gonna wrap this up here. My heart aches for Brent, Taylor, their son, and all their loved ones. I hope that everything gets straightened out, all sides of the story come out, and that Brent can get his shit together again. Like he had been doing since he was kicked out of Panic!. I wish everyone involved nothing but the absolute best right now, given how fucked up the whole situation is. (Just to clear up any confusion, when I was referring to Taylor, I’m NOT referring to Taylor Swift or any other celebrity with the name Taylor. I’m referring to Brent’s wife.) 

If you’ve read this far, thank you! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I’ll try to answer as best as I can.

Have my thoughts on the situation changed since February - March of this year? No.

I think that Brent needs some kind of help. That's why I mentioned rehab. It's obvious to me that's the kind of help he needs. I don't believe jail is helpful in certain circumstances (like drug charges, traffic violations, and other nonviolent crimes)....at least in the United States. They treat people who do drugs and/or sell drugs like they're subhuman. Yet there are people who have committed violent, deplorable, horrific crimes, and they're still free people. Funny how that works. I'm not too educated about how the jail system works in other countries, so I can't exactly tell you how I feel about that system on an international standpoint.

Brent should be with his wife and child. I hope the guy gets his shit together again. I believe Brent WILL get his shit together. Genuinely. I would never wish anything bad on him.

I don't crucify Brent like a lot of people in the Panic! fandom do. The only reason I would hypothetically do so is if Brent actually committed violent, deplorable, horrific crimes (i.e., chomo bullshit, trafficking...like, extreme shit) that would warrant him being locked up and I'd drop him completely at that point. OBVIOUSLY I DON'T SEE HIM DOING ANYTHING LIKE THAT. EVER. THAT'S JUST HYPOTHETICAL.

Anyways....have a good day, y'all.

[mrswalkerwritesagain]

Sure Thing - Jake x Lanie

Book: Endless Summer (AU) Genres: Fluff, Humor, Romance, Smut Rating: 18+ Pairings: Jake x MC Characters: Jake McKenzie, Lanie Wilson Word Count: ~4,300

Author’s Note: Happy Smuterday, fandom friends! If you’ve missed Jake and Lanie like I have, I hope you enjoy this smutty (not so little) story. It’s been a while since I’ve dipped my toes into the smut pond (that sounds so wrong), so I’d love to hear your comments and feedback!

Lanie crosses the marble floor into the Wynn’s poker room. It’s busy tonight with crowds gathered around most of the tables, cheering and groaning in equal turn as luck turns one way and the other. The faint smell of smoke lingers in the air making Lanie wrinkle her nose as she walks around the room looking for her husband.

She’s had a few…well, more than a few…drinks tonight thanks to Jo’s rather relentless but friendly peer pressuring. It had felt good though, so good, to just let loose and spend time with her girls. For the last few hours, she was just Lanie and it had been glorious. No responsibilities. No kids bickering with each other and demanding her attention. No husband, well meant as he may be, driving her slightly crazy. In a few days, she’ll happily go back to her job and her kids and her wonderful life. But tonight, Lanie is still enjoying the buzz of the Kiss and Tell cocktails that had bookended her girl’s night. As usual, the tequila has left her feeling slightly giddy and impulsive and very eager to find her husband and get him alone.

Weaving between the tables, Lanie finally spots Jake sitting at a table in the back corner of the room and heads over to him. He’s sitting with his back to her and Lanie immediately clocks the tension in his shoulders. Though he’s leaning back in his chair affecting an air of nonchalance, Lanie can tell that it’s an act. His leg is bouncing under the table in a quick rhythm – a dead giveaway that he’s restless and upset.

Stepping up behind him, Lanie gives Jake’s shoulder a squeeze, massaging the knot there with her thumb, and leans down to brush a kiss on his stubbled cheek. The smell of his cologne, salty and citrusy, stirs up her arousal and she lets her lips brush his ear as she pulls away.

“Hey there, darlin,” Jake gives her a distracted smile, scarcely looking away from the cards in his hand.

“Hey, yourself,” Lanie looks down at the scant pile chips in front of him and drops her voice. “I thought Drake said you were on a winning streak.”

“Oh he was,” a large man across the table laughs boorishly. Clearly, she hadn’t been quiet enough and Lanie feels Jake bristle under her hand. The man lifts the smoldering cigar from his lips with thick, sausage-like fingers. “That was a few hands ago though, wasn’t it, donk?”

“Donk, that’s real funny,” Jake grumbles, but he quickly replaces his irritation with an easy smile. “Don’t you worry about me, big guy. My luck always changes. In fact, I’m gonna go ahead and raise right now.”

Jake tosses a few chips into the pot just a casino staff member comes up behind Lanie.

“Would you like a seat, ma’am?” the young man asks. He gestures to a leather upholstered chair that he’s brought over.

“Oh, that’d be great, if it’s alright with everyone?” Lanie looks at the other players at the table and most shrug wordlessly, focused on their game. The oaf across the table gives a lecherous look as Lanie settles in beside Jake.

“Fine by me. I certainly won’t say no to a smokin’ hot lady gracing our table,” he leans across the table and jerks his head toward Jake. “What are you doing with a loser like this boy?”

“Oh, he’s not a boy. He’s a man,” Lanie says coolly and sees Jake smirk a little out of the corner of her eye. “And trust me, I have plenty of reasons for being with him. I would tell you more, but I don’t want to offend your delicate sensibilities.”

That draws a chorus of hoots and laughter from the other players and people nearby. The lech’s eyes flick between Jake and Lanie briefly before he breaks out in a wide grin.

“You’ve got yourself a real firecracker there, donk,” he tells Jake.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Jake beams proudly for a moment, giving Lanie a kiss on the cheek, and then turns his attention back to the game at hand.  

Over the next half hour or so, Lanie orders a Paloma and watches the Jake lose one hand and then another. The cards have definitely turned on her husband. Lanie’s not entirely sure why, but the deep concentration and growing frustration that darkens his features isreally working for her. God, he looks good enough to eat right now,she thinks to herself. He’s dressed up in a black suit with a black shirt that’s unbuttoned far enough for her to see the smattering of hair on his chest. As he looks down at his cards, Jake’s jaw clenches and Lanie fights the urge to run her lips along the taut line of his jaw down to his lips.

“Fuckin’ hell,” Jake throws his cards onto the table as he loses yet again.

He takes a long draw of his beer and Lanie feels flush as she watches him swallow. When he rakes a hand through his hair, the muscles in his forearm flexing, Lanie can’t help herself any longer. She slides her hand over the top of his thigh, squeezing lightly. Jake shoots her a sideways glance, but, as the cards are dealt for another hand, Lanie continues to surreptitiously massage her husband’s thigh, inching slowly upward.

“We’re in public, you know, darlin’,” Jake murmurs under his breath to her as he picks up his cards.

“I’m well aware,” Lanie says without removing her hand. She gives him a quick peck on the cheek. “You just play your game and I’ll play mine.”

Infuriatingly, he does just that. Even as Lanie traces her fingers closer and closer to the growing bulge in his pants, Jake plays through and then loses another hand. As he tosses his cards away again, Jake looks over at her.

“You had tequila tonight, didn’t you?” he asks knowingly.

“I had tequila,” Lanie replies. Biting her lip, she gives him a seductive look from under lowered eyelashes and he shakes his head.

“You and tequila. That’s a potent mix, darlin’, and usually I am allfor it, but I really am trying to win here.”

With that, he lifts her hand from his leg, gives her a quick peck on the cheek, and then picks up his cards and goes back to playing. Lanie gapes at him and lets out a frustrated huff. Is he seriously going to stay down here and play a losing game with Sweaty McStogie instead of being with me? Screw that.

“Jacob, you have a choice here,” Lanie whispers in his ear just under her breath. She puts her hand back on him, right on his cock, and traces a finger along his length. She feels him twitch in response, but Jake manages to maintain his poker face. His eyes are focused on his cards, but she hears his breath catch and she sees the fingers curled around his beer bottle tighten until his knuckles are nearly white.

“You can stay down here and continue gambling, keep playing the odds, or…” Lanie grasps his cock in her hand, feeling it strain against the fabric under her hand. Jake finally tears his eyes from his cards and fixes her with a dark, heated gaze as she continues, “…you can come upstairs for a sure thing.”

Lanie throws back the rest of her drink and stands, walking out of the poker room without so much as a backward glance. She moves through the casino floor and keeps her ears trained behind her for Jake. She makes it all the way to the elevators when she finally hears the sound of running feet on the marble floors. At the last possible moment, Jake slides in through the closing doors, stumbling a little as he smacks into the elevator’s back wall.

“Just under the wire, Mr. McKenzie,” Lanie quirks an eyebrow at him. “I was starting to think I’d have to take care of myself.”

“The very notion,” Jake feigns an incredulous look before giving her one of his grins – the one that spreads slowly across his lips, that’s filled with a wolfish look of pure lust. Heat unspools low in Lanie’s belly as he grasps her waist and presses her against the cool mirrored wall of the elevator. Ducking his head, he nips playfully at her lower lip and then down her neck.

“I’m pretty sure we’re still in public, baby,” Lanie tells him, letting her head fall back as Jake runs his tongue along her collarbone. “These elevators have cameras, you know.”

“Yeah, and I’m pretty sure this is the least scandalous thing they’ve seen today,” Jake says and then flips the bird at a random corner of the elevator. “And I wanna kiss my wife, so they can just fuck off.”

Lanie laughs and lifts his head to bring his lips to hers. They kiss and neck like teenagers until the elevator delivers them to their floor. Staggering down the hall, they arrive at their suite breathless and laughing. As soon as the door shuts behind them, Jake has Lanie up against the wall. He kisses her hungrily as his hands caress her body, hot and greedily seeking her bare skin. Lanie moans as he sucks her lower lip into his mouth.

He finds the zipper at the back of her plum-colored bandage dress and pulls it down as he covers her neck and chest in wet open-mouthed kisses. The way his tongue traces the swell of her breasts makes Lanie shiver with growing need. With the zipper undone, Jake moves back to kiss her lips deeply while he pulls the dress down over the shapely curve of her hips. It lands in a pool at her feet leaving Lanie clad only in a lacy black bra and black panties that were more function than fashion. Honestly, just getting into that bandage dress had taken a feat of sartorial engineering. It’s certainly not the sexiest lingerie she’s ever donned, but from the look on Jake’s face, you would never have guessed it wasn’t a sensual, silky negligee. Lanie stands still and lets her husband’s gaze rove over body. There’s a look of awe on his face and Lanie feels a swell of satisfaction at it.

“Jesus Christ, woman,” Jake whispers hoarsely. He runs his hands reverently up from her hips along her ribs and the curve of her breasts. He unclasps her bra and tosses it away. He lavishes her breasts with kisses as she arches into him. He catches her taut nipples between his teeth in turn and gives a gentle tug that sends a jolt of pleasure through her body. Gripping her waist, he guides her back against the wall and holds her gaze as he drops to his knees. Lanie squirms in anticipation, aching and eager for more of Jake’s addictive touch.

“Remind me,” Jake lifts his eyes to meet hers, “how long have we been together?”

“Mmm…” Lanie has to force herself to think through the lusty haze in her mind, “10 years, give or take.”

“That long, huh?” Jake marvels. His slides his roughened hands down to her thighs and nudges her legs open, leaving a trail of heat in their wake.

“An entire decade and you are still the most beautiful…,” Jake kisses her stomach “…incredible…” he snags the band of her panties between his teeth and drags them down her legs until they join her dress on the floor, “…and delectable woman….”

His mouth descends on her and Lanie gasps and arches again, her shoulders pressing into the wall. Jake’s tongue swirls around her clit and into her folds and back again.

“Oh, god…fuck…” Lanie whimpers and grasps Jake’s hair in a tight fist. “God, you’re so good at this….”

She feels Jake chuckle against her for a split second before he redoubles his efforts. He licks and sucks at her sensitive core until Lanie’s knees start to go weak.

“Yes, baby, yes,” Lanie cries out as white spots begin to float in her vision. “Jake! Oh god…I’m gonna come…oh god…I’m so close….”

Without warning, Jake suddenly pulls away, rocking back on his knees to look up at her.

“What the hell!” Lanie gasps and glares down at her husband, her body thrumming almost with unspent energy. She reaches out to grab his hair again, but Jake dodges her hand. “Get back in there, Jake!”

“Nah,” Jake says casually as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and gives her a wicked grin. “See I don’t think I’ve teased you quite enough yet, darlin’.”

“Bastard!”

“Hey, this is your game, woman,” Jake shrugs. “This is what you get for makin’ me hard as a damn rock. I nearly came in pants like a fuckin’ teenager.”

Lanie laughs and doesn’t bother to hide a cocky smile, “Good to know I haven’t lost my touch.”

‘Oh, you’re proud of yourself, huh?” Jake stands and sweeps her into his arms, carrying her across the room as she squeals with laughter. He tosses her down on the plush bed and crawls over her, braces himself on either side of her head. His body brushes against hers and Lanie’s body responds instinctively, bowing up to meet him as her nipples tighten and the ache between her legs intensifies. If Jake can tell that she’s growing desperate, he’s not in any rush to do anything about it. He simply brushes his lips just over hers in a teasing ghost of a kiss.

“You know what they say, sweetheart, pride cometh before the fall,” Jake teases and Lanie arches an eyebrow at him.

“Is that your way of saying you think I’m going down?”

Jake barks out a laugh and ducks his head to kiss her soundly. Lanie slips her arms under his shoulders to grasp his back and pull him down to her. His weight feels incredibly good pressing down on top of her and Lanie wraps her legs around his waist to urge him closer still. They make out like that for a while, bodies writhing together until they’re both gasping for breath.

“You know,” Jake pants, “I don’t like to presume, but since you brought it up, I certainly won’t argue with you if you want to wrap those pretty lips of yours around my cock.”

He runs his thumb along her lower lip, dipping the tip into her mouth. She nips at it and his smile goes wider even as his eyes darken with unadulterated lust.

“I love when you talk dirty,” Lanie tells him. She pushes him onto his back and straddles him. He grins up at her, clearly pleased, and laces his fingers behind his head. Lanie kisses him and begins working her way down his body, unbuttoning and pulling his shirt off. He lifts himself off the bed so she can throw it aside before resuming her path down the expanse of his chest. She sweeps her tongue down the planes and taut edges his chest and abs until Jake is shuddering beneath her.

“Fuck, baby, I want you so bad…” Jake chokes out as Lanie makes quick work of getting his pants off, freeing his hard cock. It’s dark and throbbing, veins bulging along the length, and Lanie can feel a flood of arousal between her legs. She can’t wait to have him inside her, but first…

“Ooooh….fuuuuuck….” Jake moans as she takes him in her mouth, sucking on the tip and wrapping her hand around the base. He twines his fingers into her hair, urging her to take him deeper. Lanie bobs her head and pumps her hand along his length as Jake grunts beneath her. She can feel him straining, shaking as he holds back from thrusting into her mouth and she releases him with a wetpop.

“Get up here, darlin’,” Jake pants. “I wanna come inside you so bad, baby. Fuck, I want you.”

Lanie shakes with need as she straddles Jake, facing away from him. She misses seeing his face when they fuck like this, but god, it feels so damn good. Bracing one hand on his leg, she takes his cock in her other hand to guide him against her wet folds. They both groan at the feeling as she sinks down on him.

“Oh, yessss,” she keens, throwing her head back as Jake grasps her waist and his cock fills her body. “Yes, Jake…fuck!”

“Jesus, you feel good, baby….so good…”

Lanie rides him hard and grinding her hips against him when he’s deep inside her and gasping curses as pleasure builds inside her, burning hot and intense. She can feel Jake’s body responding as his thrusts get harder and his hands come up around her body to grasp her breasts, massaging her sensitive skin as they move together. She’s getting close, so close.

“Jake…I need….”

“I know what you need, baby…I got you,” Jake kisses her shoulders and neck and slides his hand down between her leg. He rubs hard circles against her clit with the tips of his fingers until Lanie wantonly cries out his name as her orgasm crashes over her in a blinding wave.

Lanie collapses onto her stomach on the bed, trembling as the blissful feeling subsides. Jake slips out of her and grasps her waist, lifting her until she’s on her knees, and he drives into her from behind as he chases his own release. Lanie cries out again at the feeling and clutches the sheets in tight fists while Jake pounds into her hard and fast at an increasingly frenzied pace. He grunts and groans as he moves and Lanie revels in the sound and the feeling of their bodies finding a primal, sensual rhythm.

Jake comes, pulsing inside her, with a hoarse moan. He murmurs something she doesn’t quite catch as he presses kisses all along her back. When he’s finished, he pulls out of her and flops onto the bed on his back beside her, breathing hard with a sheen of sweat glistening on his body.

“Goddamn, we are good at that,” Jake pants. He looks over at her with eyes that shine with devotion and exhilaration.  

“After all these years of practice, we certainly should be,” Lanie laughs. She shifts closer to give him a slow, warm kiss while she cups his stubble cheek in her hand. Resting her forehead against his, she whispers, “I love you, Mr. McKenzie.”

“I love you too, Mrs. McKenzie,” Jake nuzzles against her cheek, lips brushing her ear, “And I thank god every day for you…and for tequila.”

[theonceoverthinker]

Who Is Wish Killian To Me? (Wish Hook Week 2)

Summary: Who is Wish Killian to the people in his life? Let’s find out!

So originally, I was gonna make this a discussion about what the character means to me personally, but the words just weren’t coming out. In truth, they’re a bit complicated and not necessarily what this week is about. However, what was coming out of my head was a fun idea: What does Wish Killian mean to some of the other characters on OUAT? Let’s be honest: That’s probably a more interesting take that than my personal thoughts on the guy, so I figured, why not roll with it and just make something cute out of that? So here goes nothing! 

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

To Alice, he’s Papa. It’s all he if she’s limited to a single word, but that role alone consists of so much that she’s at a loss over where to begin. He’s a cook, a storyteller, a teacher, a cleaner, a confidant, a source of comfort, a chess master, a rescuer, a tea time socialite, the world’s best hugger, a champion caretaker. He’s the one who never fails to cheer her up with the sound of his voice and the one who makes her feel like Wonder Woman through the sheer amount of pride he has in her. And she can go on for longer than there are days in a month. But she’s told Papa works perfectly for him and she agrees, for “Papa” means to her “the one that she loves the most.” 

To Robin, he’s just about the coolest dad-in-law she could ever ask for. Of course, he gave her Alice, and for that, she thanks him frequently, if not to his face than in her heart. But beyond that, he’s just an awesome guy. He’s simultaneously a badass whose lived for over 200 years while yielding a sword like he was born with one in his hand and one of the gentlest men alive to her wife. That balance is something of an ideal for her and she tries to be like him when the opportunity presents itself. He, alongside Alice, is who she thinks of when it’s time to stand up to a baddie.

To Regina, he’s someone she can level with. So much of their life’s framework is too similar not to comment on and so they do. Many an evening is spent at Roni’s post-curse swapping stories about bringing up their children, their journeys to become better people, and the friendships they’ve made along the way. Additionally, while she has plenty of friends and she loves them all, it’s a very tight knit group and sometimes, it’s just nice to have someone who she gets along with that’s not as connected to them to talk to about her day-to-day life. And Wish Killian’s often that person for her. He’s a good listener and what he has to say in response to her stories is far more useful than not.

To Tiana, he’s her favorite customer. Not only did his cursed counterpart get her a great deal on her food truck, but he also suggested strategic spots that would garner The Rolling Bayou the best customers with the fattest wallets. He’s also a good food critic. Along with Naveen, he’s positive, but has a tongue for spice distribution that rivals few others. There have been some recipes that he, Tiana, and Naveen have spent days perfecting like chemists in a lab. Tiana’s basically given him a lifelong discount of The Rolling Bayou’s menu with plenty of freebies, but he always insists on tipping like a king with a full treasury.

To Henry, he’s a friend. He’s someone Henry can go to for advice for with raising Lucy and is an eternal flame of inspiration for overcoming the challenges of parenthood. He’s the first to tell Henry when he thinks his plans are going awry, but also the first to indulge Henry in what he thinks he needs. Henry sees him as a mix of Wilson from Home Improvement and Uncle Jesse from Full House -- cool as an ice cube but also someone safe and comforting to talk to when he needs someone by his side.

To Ella, he’s a bonafide hero. He takes care of her family in a way that no one else quite does. When they need a babysitter, Killian appears before she or Henry can even say his name. He stops by on a regular basis to offer them company because he knows what it’s like to feel a bit lonely while caring for a baby for those first few months. And of course, she can’t possibly begin to thank him for the white elephant, but upon realizing just what the bauble was capable of, she vows to find a way to. Every year, she bakes him a big birthday cake. Whenever they go out to dinner together, she takes on his share of the bill. Killian always tells her that she doesn’t need to go to such lengths, but she knows what he did deserves nothing less than all of the gratitude she can give him. His daughter is the center of his world. It’s something he very nearly died for and he chose to give up a chance at an earlier reunion just to protect Ella’s family and for that, she’ll always adore him.

To Lucy, he’s her godfather, swimming teacher, playmate and tour guide of the larger world. He's given her many of her favorite toys and illuminated her vision of other worlds when her youth prevented her from going to them. She dreams of visiting all of these amazing places with him leading the way as they explore the realms together. She especially loves what he tells her about all the animals he’s seen. When she was younger, they’d play seagulls. He’d hold her above her head and take her soaring through the forest and by the lake while they made bird noises.

To Zelena, he’s someone she can trust. That’s not to be taken lightly, as she can count the amount of people she can trust on one hand. But he’s earned it. She sees how he has in the past and continues to look out for her daughter and not just because she’s special to Alice, but because he knows as a parent the value of looking out for another’s kid. They have an understanding and while Zelena will never admit it outright, Killian’s made her a better mother and person. They’re sentiments Zelena returns. Alice is never left without somewhere to stay and when she comes by their farm, she leaves with a belly fuller than her pigs and as much love as her heart can carry. Hell, she’ll occasionally throw some good advice his way about how it’s sometimes okay to be selfish over the time they get with their children and that helps Killian take full advantage of it. It’s something Alice wants, but Killian thinks she wants to focus on the rest of her life too so he doesn’t butt in, but it’s Zelena who helps him see the light.

[aemondsladywife]

Bruce’s secret (Avenger’s Chatroom)

Original Request: "I would love to have a chat request where the other avengers find out Bruce is secretly married?” + “ The reader is his wife but she's an agent of shield but no one knows about it except Thor. You can decide why.” ( @tyrionxsansa-tenxdonna I made it is close as your request as possible, I hope you like it!)

Summary: The Avengers find out why Bruce sometimes goes off for hours and why he can be so secretive

Pairings: Bruce x Wife!Reader x Avengers

Warnings?: Humour?

A/N: Requests are open as always!

Tony has created a chat

Tony has added Steve, Clint, Thor, Natasha, Wanda, Vision, Bucky and Sam

Tony: He’s done it again

Steve: Who’s done what again?

Tony: Bruce. He just wandered off without a message

Natasha: Tony, sweetie, you do realise Bruce isn’t your child, he’s a big man he can look after himself, he doesn’t need to tell you every move he makes.

Tony: but

Tony: science bro :((((

Clint: If it means that much to you why don’t you just track him?

Tony: HE TURNED ALL TRACKING OFF

Clint: WAIT WHAT

Thor: WHAT IS BROTHER BRUCE HIDING?

Steve: Guys, let’s not make any wild assumptions he is our teammate, we should trust him

Sam: Bucky’s my team yet I don’t trust his smelly ass

Bucky: who tf said I trusted you, you glamorised pigeon

Clint: BRUCE COULD BE HIDING SOMETHING INSANE HERE AND YOU GUYS ARE REALLY ARGUING?

Steve: Lay off Bruce, Tony have you even asked Bruce about his whereabouts?

Tony: well

Natasha: I’ll take that as a no

Vision: Mr Rogers, if we think about this logically, there would be a 7% chance of Mr Banner replying with an honest answer. Considering all the probabilites and outcomes, I highly doubt Mr Stark asking Bruce about his whereabouts would make much of a difference.

Tony: yEAH STEVE DO THE MATHS

Wanda: Vis, what did we speak about names?

Vision: Sorry Wanda

Bucky: I KNOW WHY HE’S HIDING

Bucky: HE’S THE ONE WHO STOLE THE WAX FOR MY METAL ARM AND HE KNOWS THAT WHEN I FOUND OUT I’M GOING TO KILL HIM

Vision: I am afraid to break it to you James, it is not Bruce who has been stealing your arm wax, it is infact Sam.

Sam: SHIT

Bucky: Be careful Wilson, your days are numbered

Sam: I SWEAR WHEN I SEE YOU NEXT I’LL MAKE SURE YOU’RE GOING TO BE LISTED AS “FOR SPARES OR NOT WORKING” ON EBAY

Sam: I hope you’re ready for a short circuit

Vision: Oh please, I’m the one with the infinity stone, all you have are plastic wings

Bucky: #TEAMVISION SLAY KING

Sam: UM you can’t do shit, all you got is a metal arm, I’m coming for you

Vision: Harm Mr Barnes and I will be “coming @ you”

Vision has left the chat

Bucky has left the chat

Sam has left the chat

Natasha: This is odd

Natasha: His files basically no information about him

Clint: There’s only one thing for it

Clint: We’re going to have to spy on him

Natasha: Clint how tf are we going to spy on him if we don’t know where he is?

Natasha: Dumbass

Clint: SHUT UP I HAVEN’T THOUGHT THAT BIT THROUGH YET

Steve: ARE YOU GUYS SERIOUSLY GOING TO SPY ON YOUR FRIEND AND TEAMMATE?

Clint: yh

Tony: yh

Natasha: yh

Tony: yh

Wanda: yh

Thor: YES

Natasha: Thor, maybe not you honey

Tony: Yeah we need to be discreet, maybe next time love

Thor: :(((((

Wanda: I’ll buy you pop tarts on the way back!

Thor: :)))))

Natasha: And a metal suit is so discreet

Tony: HE’S MY BEST FRIEND I WAS THE ONE MOST CONCERNED

Steve: I AM TAKING NO PART IN THIS

Steve: But as I am the captain, it would be a good idea to report the information back to me

Clint: so he wants the tea without getting his hands dirty

Thor: WHAT TEA?

Wanda: Thinking about this logically, the best people to go are Natasha, Clint, and I. Too many of us will draw too much attention and he’ll realise that too many eyes are watching him.

Tony: Vision has rubbed off on you too much

Tony: I don’t like it

Natasha: He hasn’t gone for too long so we might be able to catch up with him

Natasha: We’ll all split up

Natasha: CLINT WE SAID DISCREET A PINK “I ❤ ARCHERY” TSHIRT IS NOT DISCREET

Clint: FINE!

Tony: Why on earth do you have that?

Vision has joined the chat

Vision: Why is Tony crying in the lab playing with his Hulk and Iron Man action figures?

Steve: Oh fgs I’m coming

Clint: Has anyone spotted him?

Natasha: Nope

Wanda: YEP

Wanda: HE’S ENTERED A CAFE

Steve: SEE I TOLD YOU NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT HE’S JUST GETTING A SNACK

Wanda: I’m going in

Natasha: What’s he doing?

Wanda: WHY HAS HE ORDERED TWO COFFEES?

Steve: Maybe he’s extra thirsty?

Clint: If you don’t shut up with the excuse you ain’t getting any tea

Clint: DO YOU GET IT? TEA COS HE’S IN A CAFE

Tony: Please will you shut up

Tony: Wanda, carry on sweetie

Wanda: No way!

Wanda: A WOMAN CAME DOWN AND SAT WITH HIM

Thor: IS SHE AN ENEMY MUST WE MAKE HASTE?

Wanda: No no

Tony: GIVE ME YOUR WHEREABOUTS SHE MIGHT BE TRYING INFLITRATE HIS MIND

Wanda: IT’S OK I’M THE TELEKENTIC ONE

Steve: DO WE NEED TO SUIT UP?

Natasha: Wanda, Clint and I are outside the cafe just in case you need back up

Clint: OMG

Thor: WHAT IS IT BROTHER CLINTON ARE YOU IN TROUBLE?

Clint: FONDUING

Steve: WHAT SINCE WHEN DID BRUCE HAVE A GIRLFRIEND?

Tony: Why didn’t he tell me :(((

Natasha: WAIT HE HAS A RING ON HIS LEFT HAND

Clint: HE’S MARRIED AND WE NEVER KNEW

Steve: He must have told Fury to remove it off his file

Tony: but he never told me I wouldn’t have done anything :(

Tony: science bro doesn’t trust me :’‘‘(

Natasha: WAIT HOLD UP THE GIRL IS Y/N, THAT SHIELD AGENT WHO’S OFTEN WITH FURY

Steve: WHAT Y/N AND BANNER ARE MARRIED YOU’RE LYING

Thor: That’s it?

Thor: I already knew that

Natasha: Since when?

Steve: WHY?

Clint: AND YOU NEVER TOLD US

Tony: WHAT HE TOLD YOU AND NOT ME?

Thor: The Black Widow, I have knew about his marriage since the night we were all having Asgardian alcohol

Thor: Captain of the land of America, to put it simply, it is because I am worthy of this information and you are all not

Thor: Brother Clinton, you never asked

Thor: Sir Tony, it is your fault for not being worthy of this information

Steve: ALRIGHT I’M JUST ADDING THEM TO THE CHAT

Steve has added Bruce to the chat

Steve has added Y/N to the chat

Tony: Bruce, honey, I’m not angry but WHY didn’t you tell me you and Y/N were married? :(

Bruce: Lol you never asked

Tony: AND THOR DID?

Bruce: yeah

Clint: SO WE WERE JUST MEANT TO SAY “HEY BRUCE ARE YOU MARRIED?”

Bruce: yeah

Natasha: Oh fgs

Y/N: I didn’t even know you guys didn’t know

Y/N: STEVE SAW US HOLDING HANDS AND HUGGING

Tony: STEVE ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT KNOW

Steve: HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW IT MEANT ANYTHING?

Clint: YOU JUST DO

Bruce: Fury told me for safety reasons to remove it off the file

Bruce: ALSO TONY I DON’T TRUST YOU? YOU’RE THE ONE WHO TRACKS US AND HAS BEEN SPYING ON ME

Tony has left the chat

Y/N has left the chat

Bruce has left the chat

Wanda has added Bucky and Sam

Steve: WHILST WE’RE HERE, IS ANYONE HERE SECRETLY MARRIED?

Wanda: I’m not married YET

Wanda has left the chat

Vision: Thank God

Thor: No one is worthy

Clint: well you all know about me

Sam: Who on their right mind would marry Bucky?

Bucky: No one on their sane mind would marry you

Natasha: How are all the boring people married/ engaged and the good ones not?

Bucky: As Thor said, “no one is worthy”

Sam: You’re worthy of no one

Bucky: VISION

Sam: oh shit

Vision has left the chat

Bucky has left the chat

Sam has left the chat

Steve: YOU ARE MEANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE ADULTS

Clint: I’LL BRING THE POPCORN

Natasha: I’LL GET TONY TO BRING THE CAMERA

Clint has left the chat

Natasha has left the chat

Steve: I give up

Steve has left the chat

[barnesthesarge]

I Found (Part Two): Reach

Bucky X enhanced!Reader

Warnings: talks about nightmares, killing people, violence, torture, etc. if you think I need to add something please tell me!

Summary: as someone trying to get their life together, Bucky understands why you’re not coming around right away. He’s helpful in every way possible but there’s something more to his actions, when you get taken away from him you start to notice that.

Y/N was up early that morning, she felt awful for snapping at Bucky but decided not to apologize, it could mean familiarity.

“Y/N, you’re up early.” Tony was seated at the kitchen table with Steve.

“As you are.” She replied and started making coffee.

“Do you want to talk about anything?” He asked, Y/N just then noticed Bucky standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room.

“I have no desire to talk of anything, no. Like you said, it’s early. I’m no morning person.” Y/N started pouring creamer and sugar packets into the warm mug.

“That’s why I’m suspicious.” Tony stood up and walked over to her, whispering, “These two told me you were screaming last night.”

Y/N froze for a moment, “Just the nightmares.” She bit her lip and sighed. She couldn’t believe they were bringing Tony’s attention to it.

“I think we should talk about it, maybe discuss good ways to, go around in order to help you, what you think we should do to help next time you have one.” He addressed the statement at Bucky, and she realized he knew about her rudeness.

“Tony, with all due respect, I think you should fuck off my problems. Put me on an empty floor if it’s disturbing my floor mates.” She sipped her coffee and he laughed.

“Y/N, you’re coldness and isolation isn’t going to solve anything. Besides, this is your team. You’re going to have to grow to at least tolerate them eventually, maybe you should spend more time with them, it’ll help you.” She rolled her eyes.

“Maybe when pigs fly.” She huffed and left the room.

“Maybe we should be more adamant on our invites to the weekly team dinners.” Steve mumbled.

“She’s scared. Just like I was. You just need to give her time.” Bucky spoke.

“She’s been here for almost a year. She doesn’t need more time, she needs people in her life again. When was the last time she left the building? Please you guys, try harder to connect with her. It’s not that hard once you get passed the whole attitude she hides herself with.” Tony stated, he went to leave for the elevator.

“What if she doesn’t?” Steve asked.

“Well then it’ll be clear I’ll have to get her the help she needs some where else.” He left in the elevator.

—————

“Ms. Y/L/N, tomorrow is the weekly dinner with the avengers. They are planning on getting Chinese food. Shall I tell them you agreed to go?” FRIDAY spoke over the speakers.

“I’m not going.” Y/N responded to the AI, she was currently researching again, trying to find all the new information on her parents.

It was something Y/N started doing months ago, keeping tabs on her family, but never reaching out. She monitored her dad’s Facebook, stalked her sisters instagram, and kept track of their whereabouts at all times.

“Ms Y/L/N, why don’t you ever reach out to them? Your family?” FRIDAY knew of Y/N’s doings, and reported them to Tony, Y/N didn’t care.

“They don’t want to see the monster I’ve become. Trust me.” She closed the browser when there was nothing new.

“You’re not a monster.” The AI stated.

There was a knock at the door, Y/N knew it was Bucky from the energy she sensed around him. He carried his footsteps softly, probably from his previous training, he was tense.

She opened the door and eyed his features, “Yes?” She asked.

“I um, I wanted to apologize for last night. I shouldn’t have come into your room like that. It was an invasion of your privacy and it won’t happen again. I would like to know other methods you’d like me to use in the future in order to not upset you.” She chuckled.

“I’ll ask FRIDAY to wake me up. Don’t worry about it. Thanks anyways.” She shut the door and he knocked again.

“Y/N, would you like to get dinner with me? Or like a coffee?” She studied his crystal blue eyes for any hints of bad intention, but didn’t find any.

“Look that’s nice and all but you don’t have to hang out with me to please Tony. I’ll tell him to stop.” He sighed and smiled.

“This has nothing to do with Tony and more to do with the fact I haven’t made enough effort to be friends with you. Last night proved that to me. I want to help you, trust me I know you need it, just like I did.” He fiddled with his metal fingers.

“Did you really just say you don’t know me enough and then say you know what I need?” She scowled.

“I didn’t mean it like that, I promise I’m sorry. I just-I want to help you and I know it’s hard when you’ve been hurt so much in your life. I know it’s hard to let people in when others built the walls up for you. You have control over your life now, you’re free. The best revenge is being happy.” Y/N considered this for a moment.

What good am I?

“Alright sure. We can grab a coffee in the morning.” He smiled warmly and Y/N swore she felt her heart skip a beat.

“Awesome, thank you! I’ll leave you be. If you need anything my door is right next to yours.” She nodded in response and closed her door.

“FRIDAY, wake me up if I have another nightmare.” Y/N ordered.

In the room next door, “FRIDAY, wake me up whenever Y/N has a nightmare please.” Bucky went to his phone and texted Sam.

How on earth do you talk to girls?

Big Bird (Sam Wilson): Oh shit come to my room for lesson one.

—————

Y/N cringed at the thought of going out with Bucky for coffee, what would she wear? Say? Do?

The last time she left the avengers tower was with Tony a couple months ago, they went to a book store because she mentioned she liked reading, it was a disaster. Not only could she not speak to anyone, but she had a panic attack when someone looked at her funny. Afterwards, she decided never to leave the tower again, and this was breaking that rule.

She texted Tony nervously.

Tony, Bucky asked me to coffee and I was stupid enough to accept, what do I do?

Tony: Come up to my office and I’ll help you. Is it a date?

What???

Tony: Okay just get up here.

—————

“So it’s not a date?” Tony smirked trying to get a rise out of her again.

“Tony for the last time, no! I think he’s just trying to be friendly because of whatever you said to him and Steve this morning.” She picked up a strange circular device and started messing with it.

“Well that’s good. You need to get out more anyways.” He took the device from her hands, “Don’t mess with this, it’s a bomb.”

“You have a bomb on your desk?! Tony what the hell! And don’t you think it’s a bad idea for me to leave the tower? What if someone recognizes me and like, calls the police or something? Not everyone knows I’m a good guy now.” She looked down at her feet.

“You need to take out this man. His name isn’t important, but the way he dies is. Listen very carefully asset. You were given these powers for a reason.” The man in the white lab coat was now wearing street clothes. She wasn’t sure why she had to kill the man, but she didn’t want to.

But she knew if she didn’t, they would punish her and the man. They would take him back to the lab and make her test her powers on him. She just knew it.

She left for her mission and knew she was doomed from the start. He had kids and a wife, she couldn’t do it. He ran out of his home and she chased him through a crowded plaza.

“You stupid whore! You can’t even follow orders right! New objective. Take him back to the lab, you have a car waiting for you in two blocks. Hurry up before the police come. You’re in trouble.”

It was too late for the man, once he was in the lab, he was tortured. People knew she existed. They were afraid of her.

“You’re lucky you didn’t catch the attention of the avengers, or shield!” He was angry at her, she was supposed to please him, he would’ve taken off the collar. But now her treatment would only be worse.

“I’m sorry sir. It was an honest mistake.” He slapped her, causing her to fall out of her chair.

“The only mistake here is you! I put too much resources in you for you to be a flop. You’re going to torture him. And you’re going to like it.”

“Y/N.” Tony waved his hand in front of her face and she looked up at him, tears in her eyes.

“Sorry I spaced again.” Tony knew of some of the things she was forced to do, and also knew it wasn’t her fault.

“What did you see?” He sat down beside her.

“My first mission again.” She eyed her pants, tears falling from her eyes.

“None of it was your fault Y/N, I mean it. Tomorrow will be a good time, I promise. And if it’s not, I won’t pressure you to go out ever again. I promise. Come here.” He pulled her in for a hug, and while she normally wouldn’t allow it, she hugged him back.

“Thank you Tony.” She mumbled weakly, she couldn’t escape her mind.

—————

That night Y/N decided on actually taking her sleep medication. She stared at her ceiling, thinking. It was never a good idea to think, she couldn’t help but think about her parents. Y/N pulled open her computer again to look at her dad’s Facebook.

“Ms Y/L/N, I believe you should be going to bed. Looking isn’t going to make it any better. Maybe you should talk to Mr. Stark about visiting them.” FRIDAY suggested.

“Get off my dick.” The A.I. didn’t respond, her father had posted a picture of her younger sister, it was getting close to her first day at beauty school.

Her sister grew up without her, and Y/N couldn’t fathom how bad it hurt her. She slammed the laptop closed and put it away, trying not to think about it.

At twelve years old, she lost her older sister, her hero. Y/N felt memories creeping up and stood up, pacing the room.

“Sargent Barnes, it appears Ms Y/L/N is in distress.” Bucky rolled out of bed instantly.

“I said to call me Bucky. Is she having a nightmare?” He went over to a mirror and made sure he didn’t look bad.

“No, Bucky, she isn’t. She is in distress.” He sighed and left the room, going just down the hall to her door, he knocked softly.

“How on earth did you hear me this time?” She looked nervous, on the verge of a panic attack.

“Hello to you too. I have good hearing s’all. Can I come in?” She moved to the side reluctantly.

“Yeah I guess.” Bucky realized this was the most they ever talked in a day, he wanted to break the record tomorrow.

“So what’s up?” He sat down on her bed, he looked around briefly, since the light was on he could see more.

Y/N didn’t have any decorations, just a desk, a bookshelf full of books, a laptop, and her bed. She had no photos or posters on the wall.

“Bucky do you, well actually this probably doesn’t apply to you. I, I keep tabs on my family.” She stated, Y/N stood tensely by the door she had just closed.

Bucky couldn’t believe she was talking to him, especially about something so personal, “Alright. Yeah that doesn’t apply to me, it’s been a long time since my family was alive.”

“My sister is starting college soon. I miss her so much, I just can’t believe I’ve missed so much. She was only twelve when I disappeared.” She took a couple cautious steps towards the bed and sat down, leaving at least a foot of space between them.

“How old were you?” He asked casually, she knew it was a way of trying to get to know her but she didn’t care.

“Seventeen was a bad year for me.” Y/N answered, he nodded softly.

“Why don’t you reach out, I’m sure your sister misses you.” Bucky watched her face fall.

“I’m a monster. I’m sure you understand. Tony told me some things about you. The feeling that what happened to me made me more than my powers, but made me into a monster, and it’s true.” He noticed her hands fidgeting with her pant leg.

“You’re not a monster. You aren’t what they did to you. Who you are now is who you were before all of this, but now you’re more. I get it, I spent a long time thinking the same thing about myself, you can’t keep telling yourself that.” She chuckled.

“I guess I’ll try, that’s all can do, right? Maybe someday I’ll be able to reach out. Thank you for talking to me.” He smiled warmly.

“Anytime.”

‘NEVER EVER’ Y/N thought to herself.

—————

(Message me if you wanna be added) TAGLIST: @animegirlgeeky @yafriendlyfangirl

[aion-rsa]

Good Girls Recap: What Happened to Rio, is Boomer Dead and More

https://ift.tt/3857USq

NBC series Good Girls is a darkly comic crime romp which plays like Ozark meets Breaking Bad but with a bunch of mums. Christina Hendrix stars as alpha mother Beth, who is bored of her seemingly perfect life, while her little sister Annie (Mae Witman) is an irresponsible single mum who works at a grocery store. With Beth’s best friend Ruby (Retta), who needs money to pay for meds for her daughter who has kidney problems, the women go down an increasingly dark criminal path.

The season one pilot introduced the premise: Beth, Annie and Ruby decide to rob the store that Annie works in when they find themselves in dire financial states. Annie thinks there’s around 30k in the safe which would be enough to bail each of them out. But when they count the cash it’s closer to half a million.

Turns out that money belongs to shady gangster Rio (Manny Montana) – Annie’s dodgy boss Boomer (David Hornsby) had been turning a blind eye to money laundering via the store. Rio is not happy and he wants his money back. Unfortunately the trio have spent quite a chunk, in particular Annie who’s blown it on a new car, laptop, phone etc.

Now they have to work with Rio, initially retrieving ‘a package’ for him from Canada, which turns out to be laundered money, then taking care of an injured associate and then helping Rio ‘wash’ the laundered cash.

The structure of the show tends to see the girls come up with a cunning new way to make/launder money (or a stupid one like doing another robbery) and then inadvertently promise one criminal or another a ridiculous amount of cash to fix whatever mess they have found themselves in, meaning they are constantly grifting but never really have any meaningful, stable, available cash.

And of course criminal activities of this scale don’t go unnoticed. Family members, former bosses, employees and the cops grow suspicious as the noose tightens around the accidental suburban gangster mums network.

Here’s where we are left at the end of season three…

Is Boomer Dead?

No! Or rather, probably not. Boomer as you will recall was Annie’s awful boss at the Fine and Frugal where she worked. During the initial robbery he clocks her back tattoo and attempts to blackmail her into sleeping with him. When she won’t he tries to rape her, but Beth interupts and attacks him. The two women tie him up and keep him in a tree house but he escapes. 

Boomer is a perpetual pain in the ass for the women, discovering their money laundering racket with their army of shoppers and blackmailing Mary Pat (Allison Tolman) to marry him (who in turn had been blackmailing the girls). 

Beth offers Boomer a pay-off to disappear but instead he goes to the cops who put him in witness protection. Mary Pat manages to coax his location out of him and the girls head there with the intention of killing him, but tired of waiting for Mary Pat, he turns up at her place. When she tries to get away from him with her kids she accidentally – and then not accidentally – runs him over. She tells Beth, Annie and Ruby that she then cut him up and put him in the freezer. They get rid of the (packaged up) body at a massive tip.

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Though we spend much of season two believing that Boomer is dead, with Beth, Annie and Ruby in the frame for his murder (Mary Pat goes to the cops), and Rio hiding the body before the police can track it down and later using it to blackmail them, a shock revelation occurs toward the end of the season. Boomer’s not dead!!! Instead the body belonged to Mary Pat’s ex-husband Jeff who died of natural causes. Mary Pat hid the body so she could continue to collect his disability cheques.

Boomer’s been hiding in his grandma’s attic but she persuades him to come clean to stop Beth going to jail for his murder.

In season three Boomer is back. We learn he got a load of face tattoos before he went to jail (presumably for faking his own death and for his part in the Fine and Frugal money laundering operation). He pops back up in season three when Rio sends the women to pick up another ‘package’ – Boomer had set a fire and broken out of prison on Rio’s command.

The last time we see Boomer he’s in a sports bag in the custody of Rio and his men. We’d expect him back in season four in some capacity.

Beth and Rio

Part of the fun of the show is the fizzy relationship between Beth and Rio. He excites her, she fascinates him and there’s crazy sexual tension between the two which is consummated more than once. Though Beth ‘ends’ things with Rio – both professionally and romantically, the fact that he has hidden Boomer’s body (which is actually Jeff’s body – see above) to help the women out means he’s able to blackmail them into washing more money for him. He’s not going to let Beth go.

However, their relationship deteriorates fast after Beth shoots Rio. At the end of season two Rio abducts her and gives her a chance to shoot the officer who has been pursuing her, Agent Turner (James Lesure), but instead she turns the gun on Rio leaving him to bleed out.

Or so she thought… season three reveals he’s not dead – Agent Turner called an ambulance and saved his life with the agreement that he would become Turner’s informant. Not one to be controlled by someone else, Rio callously murders Turner. The case against Beth is derailed but Rio is hardly going to let her get away with trying to kill him. 

Faking a pregnancy Beth buys herself a bit more time, while establishing their own very successful money laundering business with the help of naive designer Lucy (Charlyne Yi), who Rio later murders.

The tension between Rio and Beth in series three is less sexual and more ‘who is going to kill whom first?’

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Dean buys a gun and plans to have a go at killing Rio but Beth dissuades him. Lucy’s boyfriend Max decides he’s definitely going to kill Rio after he discovers what happened to Lucy, but he bottles it at the last minute. He says he has a cousin who might be able to help but he too isn’t the man for the job. Eventually they meet enigmatic professional hitman Mr. Fitzpatrick (Andrew McCarthy), who demands an extortionate fee to do the job. Fortunately the money laundering means they are able to scrape together the cash. Unfortunately Fitzpatrick has a ‘no crimes of passion’ policy which means that when he finds out about Beth and Rio’s former affair, their contract is void – and the women still owe him for a load of outlandish expenses.

By the end of the series, though, Fitzgerald has put Rio’s hit back on his schedule after Beth proves she’s serious about killing him. 

Annie and her boyfriends

Poor old Annie doesn’t have a massive amount of luck in her love life. Reuniting with her ex-, Sadie/Ben’s (Isaiah Stannard) father Gregg (Zach Gilford), while his new wife is pregnant turned out to be a bad move which alienated her from Sadie. Later Annie dates her new boss at the Fine and Frugal, Noah (Sam Huntington) who seems great, until she finds out he’s FBI. In season three the object of her affection is Josh (Rob Heaps), a child therapist she meets when she’s sent to see an actual adult therapist. Josh becomes her therapist but she’s clearly falling for him. He has a girlfriend already (Lila) that he’s been with for many years and Annie attempts, but fails, to seduce him. 

Sadie/Ben

Annie’s kid who went by Sadie tells Annie in season two he’s a boy, and we understand that Annie wants money to help Sadie transition (there’s a reference made to particular drugs). In season three Sadie now goes by Ben which Annie accepts wholeheartedly, as does his dad Gregg, while Gregg’s second wife Nancy struggles initially to remember to call him Ben, and then overdoes it somewhat. While in season three Annie is struggling to get her life together, Ben is increasingly responsible and looks after his mum, including explaining to Annie’s new therapist Josh that she will become too attached and he mustn’t lead her on.

New business

Thinking Rio is gone, Beth, Annie and Ruby embark on their own independent money laundering operation while doing normal jobs on the side, each of which contribute to the business. Ruby works in a nail salon and pinches materials, including a particular shade of polish, Annie does valet parking and gets tipped in one dollar bills which they use for the paper while Beth works at a card and stationary shop which has its own printing press.

Once they get the design right (via Lucy) and the color and texture combo right, laundering money in high enough volumes to cover their increasing costs becomes a challenge. Getting actual criminals involved doesn’t work out especially well either.

When Rio is back on the scene everything gets way more precarious – he even sends a heavy to watch Beth’s house. Eventually Beth, Ruby and Annie are printing and washing the money themselves and still having to give a cut to Rio.

Constantly striving for independence, by the end of season three the ever resourceful Beth has come up with a new plan. She and husband Dean (Matthew Lillard) have bought the whole spa business he works for at a cut price (after she robs the place of all its merchandise). They will print the fake cash and use the spa business to wash it. 

Though she’s built her own fully functioning criminal enterprise by the end of season three Beth is still beholden to Rio. “When is it going to be mine?” she asks him. “You should have emptied the clip” he replies indicating that she won’t be free from him until he’s dead.

Meanwhile, Ruby and Stan (Reno Wilson) come to an agreement that they just won’t tell each other about their dubious occupations – Stan is working as security in a strip club, Ruby is… well you know. The situation works at first but begins to put real strain on their marriage, though by the end of season three the two are united.

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New cops

Turner may be gone but there are new cops working the case – notably Agent Phoebe Donnegan (Lauren Lapkus) the slightly Columbo-esque dorky but dogged detective who begins to crack down on the group’s counterfeiting business. She deduces early on that it’s women running things, and follows the trail to Ruby via the charity manicure and pedicure event she organises (as a front to get her hands on supplies of the very specific color of nail polish she needs for the fake cash). Agent Donnegan has swiped Ruby’s phone while getting her nails done and found it full of pictures of her, Beth and Annie, tipping her off to the fact that Ruby’s not in it alone. Chances are she’ll be the main antagonist for the three in season four.

Good Girls season four will air on NBC from March 7

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