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fantasies-fairytales-n-fics · 1 year

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Code Blue Ch. 32- Heartbeat

Summary: Lee refuses to give up. Jo and Megan clash, ending in a shocking twist. More shock ensues as Jo has another unpleasant encounter. Craig and Josie have another long talk over more wine. A trusting bond and friendship is created. Lee gets the wrong idea.

*Warnings* language, angst

Stories Stories Stories Masterlist

Chapter characters: Lee, Josie, Ethan, Megan, Craig, Cyrus,

Salem, Massachusetts

March 7, 2023

The Lake House

"Hey, Jo, it's me again. I wish you'd at least talk to me. It's been a week. I see your things here in the guest room that you left and....everyday...I...I stare at the note you wrote. Your presence is everywhere, especially in my heart where no one else will ever be...I mean that baby. It's only you, it's only ever been you. Did you find my letter yet? I put it in your purse the morning after we had first made love. I...I need you to read that. I meant every word. Please, call me back. Let me explain things like I know I should have long ago. I'm ready now because...I can't lose you. I won't. I love you so much miss Massachusetts. Forever....and god...I miss you." Lee softly whispered as he closed his watery eyes.

Just as Lee hung up, the phone rang. He picked it up so fast, thinking it was you that he forgot to check the caller ID.

"Jo baby!?"

"No, Sorry Lee, it's Britt."

"Oh....hey, have you talked to her? Is she alright? I..." Lee hopefully blurted out.

"Lee, no, that's not why I am calling...and of course she's not alright, but I a not going to talk to you about her. The conference has been set for the negligence case. It's next week."

"So, the results of Henrietta's autopsy are back? What did it say???"

"I cannot tell you that Lee, you know that."

"Jesus Britt, just tell me if she died because of something I did. You know how long I have been waiting for this. I need to know."

"I'm sorry, I can't. Just a head's up, Mr. Carpenter will be attending, which that was to be expected. It's at 10am on Monday the 13th."

"The 13th...great." he said sarcastically. "Well at least it's not a Friday. Alright...I will be there."

All because of you, Lee had become superstitious about things when he never used to be, for he had witnessed way too many things to not believe, such as all the crazy relevant signs regarding you and him and also the thing pertaining to his parents and Jacob.

"Hey, can you at least tell Jo? I really need her there...I..I understand if she declines but...could you at least tell her? She won't call me back and I don't know if she's even listening to my voicemails or reading my texts and she hasn't even been online."

"If I see her. I'm not going to just text her about it. This is all between you and Josie. A word of advice though, as I've told you before. Get your shit together Lee. She's the best thing that's ever happened to you and you definitely do not deserve her. I gotta go."

"Yeah I know she is. You don't have to remin.....hello?"

Britt had hung up which only pissed Lee off. He was still angry with her for blabbing her drunken mouth to you at his dad's funeral reception about his one night with her many years ago and also telling you about seeing him with Ethan and Jason once upon a time.

"Fucking Britch!" he shouted, slamming down the receiver. Lee owned an old corded land line phone and there was nothing quite like the satisfaction of hearing the ringing bang it made upon impact.

Lee sent you another text, then got dressed and headed out, for there was something special he wanted to do for you.

"I had you. Last night I had a dream that felt like a memory. A glimpse of what could have been. Crossed signals from another life, where instead of all of this, I had you....and life was exquisitely simple and we were desperately happy. It was no dream. It was real. We had all that. I had you....and it's all I still want. Tell me it's not too late."

You had stopped at your mom's to gather the rest of your things, realizing that some of the items you wanted were at Lee's lake house after listening to his most recent of many voicemails and he was the most valuable one there. Were your things that important to risk seeing him? It would completely derail your out of sight, out of mind tactic which you already knew would eventually fail because you just weren't strong enough to stay away from him. Every minute of everyday was pure hell and there was no way you could just get your things and go. You didn't even know how you had managed to make it an entire week. You weren't sleeping, you weren't eating, you weren't talking to anyone except Britt and your dreams were consumed of Lee's face in the few moments you actually able to drift off. Dreams that were just like the text he had just sent you and now...now he said he's ready to talk...but were you? If what he had to tell you scared him this bad, then honestly, you were also scared to death to know the truth that you so desperately wished for. Well, isn't that what Daughtry crammed into your head at least fifty times this week at random times? the song 'It's Not Over'. Be careful what you wish for cause you just might get it all... and then some you don't want....

You sat on your bed and began digging through your purse to find this letter he said he put in there. How did you not see it? You soon understood after rummaging through your pile of junk and finding it on the bottom. You swear you had everything but the kitchen sink in there. You had to roll your eyes and lightly smile in wondering how the hell he ever thought you would find it. Why didn't he just give it to you? Maybe it was intentional? Maybe he wanted you to find it at a time you needed it the most...like now.

As you reluctantly opened it, knowing how bad it was going to hurt, you could smell Lee's cologne which hurt the most of all. You brought it to your nose and inhaled him in deeply, then began reading..

"My Dearest Jo,

One day our eyes met and you smiled at me and I had to pause for a moment because I felt safe, and I had not recognized that feeling. It was as if I just knew you would be standing there when I looked up again, and you were, literally in my house. I don't even have the right words to describe this to you, but I just knew, somehow. Despite all of the odds that have worked so cruelly against me, I knew in my heart that I had finally found the one. I truly feel that you and I love with a love that is more than love. The first time I realized I was in love with you, it was a night I couldn't fall asleep, because I knew that my new and strange reality was better than my dreams. Our tight hugs, our late night conversations, our almost kisses, I remember it all, and sometimes...a tear falls while doing so. You gave me something that no one ever had before. You gave me peace. Like a river that had been rushing, pulled by the current for too long, you made my waters still. I found rest in your arms.

I love you to the moon and back and beyond all the stars in the sky."

Forever,

Lee

Now you were just ugly crying as you clutched the letter against your pounding chest. This man was for real and he had been all yours. No one had ever spoken such beautiful and heartfelt words to you. No one had ever touched you or looked at you the way he had. No one could ever ease your anxiety, no matter what they did and how hard they tried, but it all seemed to have disappeared when he was with you, for his arms made it all go away, just like on the elevator. This was where you were supposed to be. He was home to you. Was it too late like he asked? Could he truly forgive you for selfishly walking out on him?

You needed to try and be rational this time because your irrational decisions are what got you in this mess in the first place, so you decided to go take the things you had back to your apartment and think it all over with out the presence of your sinister sibling in your orbit. Down the stairs you went, trying to ignore Megan who sat in the kitchen, talking on the phone and smoking a cigarette. That part, you could not ignore.

"Put that out! Mom will have a shit fit and I don't need to worry about you burning the house down with her in it."

"I gotta go babe. See you soon." she told the anonymous person on the line, then hung up and turned to you.

"You don't get to tell me what to do. You don't live here." she cockily smiled and took another hit, audaciously blowing the smoke right at you as you angrily stood over her.

Every ounce of rage you had pent up inside of you as you ripped it from her hand and ran it under the kitchen faucet.

"What the fuck! That was my last one!"

"Damn right it was! Go outside and smoke, preferably down on the street corner, doing what you do best, where you could earn some money to buy more instead of mooching off mom!"

"Oh that's just great Josie, coming from the beloved daughter who has all of Daddy's and Jason's money and don't have to work!"

"Gee Megan, do you ever wonder why that is??? You've been gone for years and then just pop in here when Jason dies. Did you really think he would leave you anything after all you have done?? And Dad's money is controlled by mom per his wishes. And I DO work, remember?? Or did you forget the family businesses I help with that you abandoned??? I guess you'll have to keep whoring it up."

"You entitled little bitch! So special aren't you?? And mom has control over your precious little boat too that by the way, she's selling!"

"I am special Megan, because I don't use my family or do shitty things to them! The only reason you're even here is because of mom allowing it since you're her daughter but she still knows what you are. A fucking freeloader....and mom would never sell Jason's boat. She would have told me first of all so you can stop lying just to piss me off."

"Ohhh no no no! No lies, you'll see. She wants no ties to his lifestyle and so you know, I do have a man now and he's quite rich thank you. A sugar daddy per se. How's that area going for you sis??"

Megan's grin was telling, as if she already knew about you and Lee's split and it distracted you from what she just said about the Haunted Star.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean??"

"Oh nothing. Just an observation. You just can't seem to keep a man's interest solely on you can you? First Gerry, now Lee. At least Gerry though, didn't screw you over for a guy."

"You need to shut your mouth before I shut it for you." you snarled though clenched teeth. "You don't know what the hell you are talking about!"

"Oh yes I do, and much more."

Just then, the rumble of a motorcycle pulled up and stupidly made you think for one second it was Jason until it began obnoxiously beeping.

"Gotta run! Ta Ta.." Megan jested and trotted out the door.

Out of sheer curiosity, you walked outside to see who the mystery man was and you soon wished you hadn't. There was Ethan on a Harley, black tee, no helmet, just like your brother would do.

He revved it up and smiled wide as you gaped at him.

"Ooooh she looks porangi." you heard him tell Megan who laughed hysterically and hopped on behind him, then off they went as Ethan winked at you.

After you collected your dropped jaw, you raced inside and called your mom, for she needed to be warned about Ethan. Even if she knew about him, she surely didn't know who he was.

"Mom! Call me back asap! You need to kick Megan out. Did you know about the guy she is hanging around??? He's bad news mom and I also need to talk to you about something she told me which better not be true. Call me! Love you."

You gathered your stuff and headed back to your apartment, completely mind blown over what you had just witnessed, so much so that you were trembling all over. Megan was a real tool and now it made sense pertaining to her not so subtle hints and knowing about Lee's sexuality. Ethan's been telling her things and surely, he was just using her to get to you and Lee, not that you cared about her one bit, for she deserved everything she would get by keeping company like Ethan.

"Stupid girl!!!" you shouted, wiping tears of anger from your eyes. You wanted to call Lee so bad, but first, you were going to go and calm down, then go from there.

In your frenzy of racing up the stairs of the apartment complex, you turned the corner and did what you did best, clumsily tripped over your own two feet and dropped your box of stuff, spilling it all over the hallway floor.

There, by the elevator gate stood Craig with some much older man that you had never seen before, sporting a pony tail of long silver hair, a matching goatee and a suit and tie. He looked at you, then Craig and back at you with surprise, then stepped forward.

Craig immediately rushed in front of him to help you pick up the scattered stuff.

"Hey there Jo, are you alright?"

"Uh...y...yeah.." you stuttered through your embarrassment as you knelt down to assist.

Craig looked up at you a few times, then quietly spoke. "Are you sure? You...you've been crying..."

"Oh, that. No. Bad allergies, that's all." you quickly responded, keeping your head lowered while piling the stuff back in the box.

"I hope I didn't startle you there miss...Jo is it?" the stranger asked with an attempt to know your name.

You stood up and Craig handed you the box. "No, no...I...I was just in a hurry and not paying attention....and...it's...just Josie."

Craig nervously chuckled, offering a cute smile. "Ahhh yes, that's right. Just Josie."

"Where are your manners Craig? Aren't you going to introduce me to your beautiful friend here?" the man smelling of old spice asked, gazing at you in a way that creeped you the fuck out.

Something in Craig's eyes and sudden change of demeanor told you that he did not want to and it was becoming clear to you that you had caught them both off guard. There were also these tiny beads of sweat forming on Craig's forehead.

"Uh...yeah. Sorry um, Josie, this is....my father...Cyrus."

Cyrus. Why did that name sound familiar? It certainly wasn't common....but somewhere, you've heard it.

He stretched his arm out, desiring you to shake his hand in which you reluctantly took, for bad vibes is all you got from him. His hand was large and clammy, pretty much how he looked in general.

"It's...n...nice to meet you." you softly said and quickly retracted your hand, cringing inside.

"Oh the pleasure is all mine...Josie. Do you...have a last name...just Josie?"

You glanced at Craig, who's eyes refrained from yours and rested on the box you were holding as his perspiring was becoming a bit more profuse. This man, his father, apparently made Craig feel the way you did...but why?

"Uh...it's....March."

Craig's hands went inside his pockets and his head lowered even more as Cyrus's eyes slightly widened, then swayed over to his son.

"Well...Miss March, again, it was a pleasure. I must be on my way now. I will speak with you later...Craig."

The tone of how he said your last name and the way he once again looked at Craig, had your skin crawling.

Cyrus then left, leaving an anxious Craig to try and avoid you.

"Well, I am sorry to have kept you. You said you were in a hurry so I will let you get back to whatever it was you were doing." he rambled out and attempted to quickly walk away.

"Hey, wait." you called to him, causing him to freeze at his door and slowly turn around.

"Maybe I should be asking if you are the one who is alright?" you then asked.

"Who me?"

You giggled. "Well, you are the only one out here aren't you?"

Craig's head dropped as he chuckled. "Yeahhh, I guess I am. No, I'm fine. Really."

Liar, you thought. "Well, ok...hey I um...well, you asked me once before if we could talk again and share some wine. Would you like to?"

His hands went to his hips as a befuddled look graced his face. "You mean...now?"

"No time like the present. I really could use a glass or two after the day I've had and try to relax a bit. Seems you could...too?"

"I uh, thought you were busy?"

"Yes, well, I was, to try and gather my thoughts and all. If you can't or don't wan to, it's alri.."

"No, no. Sure. Come on in."

Craig politely opened the door, allowing you to enter first and bee-lined straight for the wine.

"Make yourself at home. Red wine good for you?"

"Yes, that's fine, thank you."

You sat the box down and then walked over to him.

"Once again, where are my manners. Here, have a seat."

Craig handed you your wine and pulled a chair over for you, then he plopped down upon a stool, seemingly still very nervous as he drank down his glass in two gulps and poured another from the bottle he brought with him.

"Craig...are...you sure you're ok?"

"Huh? Oh...yep." he simply said as he nodded with a smile, also seemingly very distracted.

"Enough about me. How about you? Do you want to tell me why you lied about having allergies?"

"When you tell me why you're lying about being fine."

"Oooh. Touche'. Alright then. But ladies first. I insist."

"Ok fine. You're right. I had been crying. Seems to be all I do anymore. I don't know. It's a long story that would bore you to death."

"You hardly bore me. In fact, not even a little bit. I actually find you quite intriguing and I'd like to get to know you, so here's the deal. You tell me what you want to. No pressure, no judgment, just a set of ears and any advice if you ask for it."

Craig's face was sincere and patient, especially his kind and soft sky blue eyes that studied your pained deep gold ones, trying to figure you out. Amber, he thought, was the best description he could think of as he became a bit lost in them....and for some reason unbeknownst to you, you felt you could trust the man you'd only spoken to less than a handful of times.

"Well...I guess I could start with my sister, which I despise even calling her that. Mickey and Mallory would be a better fit since that's pretty much what I witnessed today as she took off with a complete psycho. A match made in hell."

"Ahhh, Natural Born Killers. Good flick. She's that bad eh?"

"Yeah, and much more. She's done so many terrible things to me and to people I care about and this creep, who's also caused me and those I love nothing but trouble, is suddenly in her life, well, probably has been for awhile and I know it's intentional, just to get to me and Lee."

"Lee...your boyfriend right?"

Your eyes drifted away in sadness, not knowing how to answer that now.

"Well....no, I mean, yes...or he was...oh my god, I don't even know right now." you stammered as your eyes began to sting. No way, you weren't going to cry in front of him. Nope. The more you told yourself that, the harder it became to stop it until you just broke down, immediately throwing your palms over your face.

Craig's expression instantly turned sympathetic and he quietly got up to get you a tissue, then he sweetly kneeled before you.

"Here sweetheart."

You couldn't move. Mostly because of humiliation.

"I..I never do this!" you loudly muttered through your hands in frustration. "I never cry in front of complete strangers."

His soft fingers, sprinkled with a rainbow of paint, gently took your wrist and coaxed you out of hiding.

"I'm not exactly a complete stranger and as I said, there's no judgment here. Your secret is safe with me. I won't tell if you don't." Craig assured you as he offered you the tissue with a warm comforting smile.

He actually managed to bring a light smile to your lips and you humbly took the tissue, then quickly wiped your mascara streaked tears away.

"I..I am so sorry. This is so embarrassing."

"Hey, no. Don't do that. Don't apologize for being human. A person can only take so much and sometimes, a good cry is needed, or even hurling a smurf against the wall in a bout of rage and watching it splatter can also suffice."

You hadn't laughed so hard all week as you remembered him throwing the can of blue paint against the wall and telling him it looked like he murdered a smurf. In fact, you hadn't even laughed at all, or even smiled, yet Craig managed to bring both out of you in a matter of 2 minutes.

"There...there we go." he chuckled. "That's better. We can stop talking if you want."

"Oh no, you're not getting out of it that easy mister." you giggled. "But...to finish up, this asshat my twisted sister is hanging around, he's the entire reason my relationship is in shambles. He's a manipulator, a liar and he's dangerous. He put his own brother in the hospital and got away with it because everyone is scared of him, rightfully so of course, but yeah, he uh, he is jealous of me and wants Lee all to himself, but Lee...he don't want anything to do with him...or at least he claims he don't..."

"But you...don't believe him?"

"I want to...I...I don't know Craig. What I do know is Ethan will stop at nothing to get what he wants."

"E..Ethan?" he asked, seemingly stunned.

"Yeah, do...you know who I am talking about?"

"He wouldn't happen to have long dark hair, usually in one of those man bun things, British accent?"

"Jesus...yeah that would be him. How...how do you know him??"

Craig stood up and went to get more wine. He knew him alright, because of Jason.

"You're right Josie...he's very bad news. Have you ever heard of the Zacchara's?"

"Well yeah, my uh, my brother knew them, Johnny in particular and I know Ethan hung around him...but...how do you know this?"

Craig gulped down his wine, then nonchalantly turned with a forced smile.

"Most do. Massachusetts is crawling with mafia. So, is this Ethan terrorizing you as well?" he asked, swirling the wine around in his glass, almost as if he were becoming angered.

"I suppose that would be an appropriate term. I mean, he definitely harasses me and Lee. As I said, he had the audacity to show up today at my own mother's house to get Megan."

"Well...if he comes around here or bothers you again, let me know. I'll handle him."

"That's...very kind of you, but really, you don't want to get involved with this dude and I really don't want you to be...I mean...he stabbed his own brother..."

"His kind don't scare me, but thank you, for...caring. Don't get much of that in my life."

Craig went and poured another glass, then sat down, looking a bit glum.

"Here Jo...or just Josie I mean, have another glass yourself." he offered, holding the bottle out to you with his arm a bit wobbly, clearly feeling the effects of the red vintage he had been drinking rather quickly.

"Thank you. Soooo....are you speaking about your...father possibly? You just...seem a little nervous around him and even a little anxious."

"Well, I guess that's my cue to talk now." he chuckled. "But, I'd rather not speak about him if that's alright. I didn't even expect to see him here today. Just like the other dude, he just showed up after being...away...for a few years and well...he's also...kind of an asshole." he said with a grin.

"Oh, well of course you don't have to to talk about him or anything you don't want, just as you told me. May I ask then...about your little girl? Have you seen her yet?"

"Blaise...no. She's my heart. I seemed to have lost all inspiration in my art since she's been gone. I know there's a possibility she's not even mine, but it doesn't change how I feel about her." he said as he took out his phone, looking so defeated that it broke your heart.

"Of course it doesn't change how you feel. She'll always be your little girl, even if she possibly don't share your blood. I know someone who is going through that and he loves his son just the same. I look around here at all your work and honestly, I think it's amazing. You're very talented Craig. Much better than my artwork." you chuckled. "Maybe...I don't know, what if you put everything that you're feeling about your daughter into your work, you know, do it for her?"

"Pretty words." he softly said as he picked up his glass. "But...thank you. I appreciate you trying to cheer me up. You're sweet, you know that?"

"So you're an artist too huh?" Craig continued, seemingly not wanting to talk about Blaise anymore.

"I wouldn't exactly call it that. You...you're an artist. Me? not so much. My work is nowhere as good as all this."

"Well, I'll tell you what. How about if I come over to your apartment tomorrow and I'll take a look at it...I mean, if that's is alright with you?"

"You...want to see my work? Really? Uh, well, ok. But just don't laugh because...I warned you." you giggled again.

"Yes, I really want to see it. And...if you ever want to use my studio, just ask. I don't have a problem with that. Also, so you know, I would never laugh at you. You're far too beautiful, especially on the inside. You're a rare gem just Josie."

"I uh..."

Your phone beeped, saving you from the words you couldn't find. It was Lee, which made your butterflies go flutter happy.

"Hey...I am sorry to keep texting and calling but...can I please see you? I...I have something for you and I just...I just really want to see your face. I am down at the pay and park garage by your place. I'll wait for about an hour. Jo...I love you so much. Please come."

Craig observed your reaction as you read the text and could tell you were going to leave when you quickly drank down your wine.

"Saved by the bell...again." he softly laughed.

Not really, you thought as your anxiety jumped into high gear knowing Lee was just down the block. You weren't prepared to see him and hear the dreadful truth he said he was ready to tell you. The truth that you knew would back up Ethan's claims. If Lee felt nothing for him, then why did he hide it from you?

Releasing a heavy sigh, you clutched your chest and closed your eyes, attempting to breathe in through your nose and out your mouth, for if you didn't try to control it, Craig was about to witness a full on panic attack.

"Whoa hey there sweetheart, what's happening?" he asked and swiftly came right to you, cupping your face in his hands.

You don't know what happened at that moment as you found yourself pressing your body against his, your cheek against his chest and wrapping your arms tightly around his waist. Craig's heartbeat was what you were in need of, the soothing sound of something steady and stable, just like you did with Lee.

After the initial shock wore off, Craig's gaping mouth closed, then he slowly and hesitantly let his arms embrace your tiny trembling body. He didn't know what else to do, so he quietly stood still, keeping you in your safe zone until you were ready to release him.

Craig's body was firm and muscular, but the way he held you was as if you were a fragile flower. He reminded you somewhat of Jason. Not in how he acted or in his looks, although he also had blue eyes like your brother, but in his height, build and clothing of the typical black tee and jeans. And what in the world was the cologne you were inhaling?? It was heavenly and intoxicating...possibly Dolce Gabbana? Whatever it was, it was calming, just as the thumping of his heart was and it took your shakes away.

"You ok?" Craig softly whispered, afraid to move as his chin rested lightly on your head while listening carefully to your breaths that were now beginning to relax.

Once you came out of your state of panic, you panicked again at what you had done and flew back out of his arms.

"Oh god, Craig, I...I am SOOO sorry. I...I...I...I sometimes...get these attacks....anxiety and all and...and....heartbeats...I go for heartbeats...they're peaceful and soothing and...and...."

"Heyyyy, try to relax so you don't have another one." he calmly said, placing his hand on your cheek. "I don't know what happened, but...you're safe here, I'll make sure of that. As far as heartbeats, well, you did listen to your mother's for nine months so it makes sense why you would subconsciously seek that out."

Or maybe it was just him that you found peaceful and soothing.

"Yeah, I suppose that makes sense...I just feel so ridiculous, jumping on you like that. I can only imagine what you must be thinking of me, some hot mess that you now regret befriending."

"Well, I won't lie, you're definitely hot, but I don't see you as some mess. I am actually thinking, what could have happened to this sweet girl to cause her defenses to come out in such a way? and also, you...think of me as a friend now?"

Was he for real? Like, a good real? He seemed to say and do all the right things and to genuinely care. Maybe it was because he had been through what you had, being cheated on and made to feel worthless....and having to question how someone feels about you.

"Yeah, uh, I guess I do. You've been so kind to me, which a lot of people just aren't anymore. Annnd, you didn't freak out on me when I freaked out, which I've had my share of that over the years from people who were closest to me. So..yeah, I'd like to call you my friend. I...I trust you and that says a lot in itself, cause that certainly don't come easy for me."

Craig looked quite befuddled and even a bit bashful as he smiled and lowered his head before bringing his baby blues back to you.

"Well now, it would seem I was correct about you being a rare gem. I totally get everything you just said and well, I didn't freak out because you needed comfort, not panic. Thank you Josie. I am honored to be called your friend and to BE your friend.

"Alright, it is settled then...friend." you smiled. "But..."

"Ohh, there's the but.." he chuckled.

"No." you laughed. "Seriously though, I hate to do this, sorry....BUT...I gotta go. I will see you tomorrow then?"

"Sure. Just shoot me a text when you want me to stop by. Thank you Josie...for spending time with me. It was really nice to have someone to talk to."

"Thank you as well, for what you did for me. It was nice to see you and talk to you again. Try to have a good rest of your day ok? You can always text me if you need anything, I don't mind."

Craig then walked you out like a gentleman, checking all of your surroundings. "I'll do that. See you later little lady."

Your heart was racing again as you walked into the car garage, which was full of cars but you didn't see Lee's or him as you walked around. Surely he wouldn't have left already?

Quickly, you texted him, simply stating you were there. The beep of his phone had you spinning around to see him approaching you with a humble smile.

"Jo...you came..." he said, slightly out of breath from hurrying to get to you.

"I...yeah...where's your car?"

"I drove my dad's old truck today."

"Oh...well, why did you park here instead of at my place?"

"I came to see Gordon, he works upstairs. Hoping to come to some arrangement with him over the farm."

"I see, well, how's that going?"

"I don't know, he's out right now, so I figured I'd just wait around and....are we really going to share small talk here like we are old friends catching up Jo?"

"I uh, well I don't know what you want me to say?"

"Maybe that you miss me and still love me? That you want to try and work this out, because I know I sure do."

"Do you? Really?"

"Jo please. Baby you know I do."

"Honestly Lee, I don't know anything, which became quite clear last week."

"Yes, last week when you just....left me, not giving me the chance to explain. You won't even talk to me."

"I gave you every chance to explain for how long now Lee, and you didn't and that alone tells me all I need to know."

Lee stepped up to you with his hands in his pockets and sad eyes.

"What you need to know is I love you, only you. Did you get my letter? Did you read it?"

"Yes, I did. It was very beautiful. Said all the right things."

"So you don't believe any of it? Jo, my god. I wrote that to you after we first made love. I wrote that from my heart Jo."

"Lee, I know you did. I'm not saying that you don't feel something for me, I'm..."

"FEEL something? You really don't believe I love you do you? Ethan wins again and you're letting him."

"No, YOU'RE letting him...and speaking of Ethan, he was at my mom's fucking house today, picking up Megan."

"What???"

"Yeah...you heard that right. He was on a motorcycle and gave me the smuggest look when they left, and why? because he can. He can do whatever the hell he wants because NO one will stand up to him and now he's using my naive idiot sister to get under my skin even more."

"Jo...I am so sorry. I know, it's all my fault and.."

"You think??"

"Can we...go inside and talk about this...please?"

"Lead the way." you softly snapped and followed him up the stairs.

Lee took you into a small office room and closed the door, then he somewhat sat upon the desk and gazed at you with his sparkling sapphires. A gaze that made you just want to run into his arms and madly make out with him

"Jo...I really am truly so sorry, for everything that I have put you through and still am. I never meant for any of this to happen. Please tell me you believe that at least?"

His pleading eyes made you soften towards him. "Of course I know you never meant for any of this to happen...but...it did. Why Lee, why couldn't you just tell me the truth, ALL of it? That's what gets to me the most. It makes me feel, no, it makes me believe that you have unresolved feelings for Ethan and I can't do it Lee...be second choice again or some stand in until you get bored. I need your heart to beat only for me."

"God no Jo, that is not what you are, nor have you ever been. Can't you see it? Can't you even try to? I'm here Jo. I've always been here...for you. Not him. I'm here, begging you to believe me. Why would I do this if my heart did not beat only for you? Sometimes, I swear it's going to stop without you by my side. An entire week Jo, you've been gone and it felt like a year and...my heartbeat right now...it's racing, it's alive again because you're here, feel it..."

Lee reached out and took your hand, pulling you to him and placing your palm on his chest as he held his hand over yours, gazing up at you with eyes of a lost little boy.

He was right, his heartbeat was rapid and strong and god, so was yours in that moment, being that close to him, feeling him, smelling him. Every ounce of control that you had possessed for that entire week was now gone as your hands went to his face, pulling him into a passionate kiss.

His supple lips, his tantalizing taste of mint gum and Drakkar aftershave rocked your core and if you culd have made love to him right there on that desk, you would have....but he suddenly stopped the kiss as he stood up, pulling your hands away.

"No, Jo, I can't do this."

"What? Why?" you asked in disbelief as you studied the look upon his face. A look of confusion in which you then sarcastically laughed. "Oh...it's him, that's why. Just as I thought."

"What? No Jo...it's another man's cologne that I smell all over you."

That just threw you for a loop as you had forgotten you were innocently just in Craig's arms.

"Oh god no Lee, I can explain that..."

"No, it's ok. I get it now. That's why you haven't spoken to me all week. So who is it? Gerry I assume since he follows you around like a damn police dog."

"Lee no, god no, stop it. There is no man, only you and you know it. The cologne, it's my landlord's and..."

"Your landlord's??? Wow, well that's a new one. So here you are, thinking I want someone else when it appears that you are the one who does. Is that it?"

"Oh my god, Lee stop. We were only talking and..."

"Talking? Over wine too? I thought I tasted it on your breath."

"For fuck's sake, if you would just let me talk. That's not how it was. Yes, I had some wine. I was having a bad day after seeing Ethan and reading your letter and I ran into him. I just needed someone to talk to and he was there. That was all Lee."

"I was there Jo! I'm here, always have been. You could have talked to me! But instead, you chose your landlord that you barely know to speak to about your personal problems?? Was I part of that conversation too?"

"Briefly yes, but I didn't tell him anything personal about us, just about Ethan. I wouldn't do that Lee."

"Sounds pretty personal to me, especially when his cologne is embedded in your clothes. How do explain that one Jo?"

"Because, after you texted, telling me you were here, everything snuck up on me, you know, like when it did to you at your lake house? I had a panic attack and I...I hugged him, just to try and work through it. If I hadn't, I probably would have passed out as it progressed. That's all it was Lee. I swear it."

"So...I caused you to have an attack is pretty much what you're saying. You could called me Jo, right when you felt it start and I would have raced down there, but you chose a man who don't even know you instead."

"Lee! Craig was right there and he's not a stranger. He's very kind and understanding."

"Which is exactly what you need huh, because I don't give that to you right?...and Craig huh. You're on a first name basis with him too. Well, don't let me keep you. I'm going to go see if Gordon is back."

"That's it?? Seriously?? Running away again. Imagine that. I thought you had something for me and were going to tell me everything???"

"Yeah that, well...my hearing is next Monday at 10, but you don't need to worry about that or anything else now because it don't even matter. It never did. Maybe I'll see ya around."

"Lee wait! Come on. Don't do this!"

"Do what Jo? Walk away like you did?" he calmly said and then did just that, walked away.

@redeemer46

youtube

#lee pace #lee pace fanfiction #code blue #doctors #love stories #dark stories #dark fiction #angst #ethan lovett #cyrus renault #jeff kober #nathan parsons #craig parker #mob fiction #Youtube

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skymaiden32 · 1 year

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Toxicity

AO3 link here

Fandom: Thunderbirds

Tagging: @dragonoffantasyandreality @thundergeek59 @janetm74 @katblu42 @liseylou @amistrio @uniwolfcorn (Please ask if you would like to be updated when I update or post new stories.)

Consider this a late birthday present for our boy Virgil! ^^

------

Virgil smiled gently at Kyrano, who gave him a respectful nod when he saw him coming. But there was also something else there. The manservant’s desperation to get what he wanted to say off his chest was palpable, and who was Virgil to keep him waiting?

“So…” Virgil started. “What did you want to tell me?” Kyrano gave him a fearful look. “Kyrano?” He prompted.

“We…” Kyrano began. “We are in grave danger on this island, Virgil…”

Virgil froze. “What do you mean? Surely, we’re safer here than anywhere else…” Despite the conviction he pushed into them, he wasn’t sure he believed his own words.

“I feel my brother's influence here, stronger than ever before…” Kyrano frowned. “Even if he is not here, one of his people is…”

That was the only warning Virgil got before Kyrano was hit in the back of the head with something particularly heavy, dropping to the floor. Virgil’s medic training immediately kicked in, and he scrambled to carefully pick the man up and run toward relative safety, swiftly motioning for Tin-Tin to follow as he passed her in the hallway. Noticing the frantic look on his face, and Kyrano in a bad way in his arms, she was more than happy to oblige, furious at whoever would want to hurt her kind-hearted father.

All the while as they ran to the medbay, the safest place Virgil could think of, their pursuer was hot on their heels. Virgil frowned as he almost fell through the doorway, passing Kyrano off to his daughter when she made it through and locked the door behind her. The intruder pounded on the door, yelling profanities at the people who had locked themselves inside. Thick and made of Cahelium, the door was built to withstand any attack thrown at it. They were safe in here. For now…

“What are we going to do, Virgil?” Tin-Tin was already doing her best to clean Kyrano’s headwound, and Virgil grabbed a roll of bandages to get started on wrapping it up.

“We’ll think of something, Tin.” Virgil finished bandaging up Kyrano’s head, hoping that he would wake up soon. “We’ve got to…”

Alan had never flown home so fast in his life. The second Jeff had been cleared to leave the hospital and go home, they’d all booked it out. While waiting for his father's discharge, he’d come to a chilling realisation. Virgil and the Kyrano’s were the only ones on the Island right now. With everyone distracted, it would be all too easy for the Hood to hit them where it hurt, a concern he’d long since made clear to the family he had with him. The thought somehow scared him more than everything else that was going on.

“Breath, Alan…” His father’s voice from behind brought him out of his panic. “You can do this. Conduct it just like you would a normal rescue. Establish contact with Virgil first, and then go from there.”

The island blipped up onto the radar, and Alan forced himself to take his father’s advice and took a shaky breath in. And then out. In. And out. Determined, he flicked open his comms. “Virgil, this is Alan. Come in please.” The static was almost deafening. “Virgil? Virgil, come in…” Still nothing. Alan licked his dry lips nervously, and tried one last time. “Please answer, big brother. Don’t tell me I’ve lost you too…”

A low chuckle was barely heard on the other end of the line, although it was difficult to miss the hint of panic in Virgil’s tone. “As if, sprout. You people are stuck with me.” There was a loud bang, and Virgil inhaled sharply. “If I manage to get this jokester off my back, that is…”

Alan’s breath hitched. “W-What? Virgil, what’s going on?”

“Are you on your way home?”

“Yes. And that doesn’t answer my question, you know…” Alan replied, anxiety through the roof at this point. “I’ve just made visual contact with the island Virg, so you better tell me fast. Yesterday fast…”

There were a series of mild curse words on the other end. Their grandmother gave the radio a glare. “Language, young man!”

“Sorry, Grandma.” Virgil muttered as the banging increased. “We have an intruder on the island…” Virgil admitted, causing gasps all around. “They must have come with the police team earlier. That’s the only time they could’ve. Me and the Kyranos are dealing with it. We have a plan.” His nervous grin was almost audible. “This medbay has another entrance, right?”

“Y-Yes, V-V-Virgil. A hi-hidden o-one.” Brains replied, stutter worse than it usually was with the added stress. “I-It leads d-directly to th-the west beach. There’s n-no other w-way there, u-unless y-you go through the j-jungle.”

“Perfect.” Was Virgil’s reply. “I’ll send the Kyranos out there while I deal with our home invader.” What he said next caught them all off guard. “Take Thunderbird Two and meet them there. Thunderbird One is down, so John and Gordon will need your help getting her home.”

“But Virgil-” Alan was promptly cut off.

“Look, we all know the risks of launching a Thunderbird while a non-IR operative is on the island, especially uninvited. But we don’t have a choice. This is likely one of the Hood’s agents anyway, so he’ll know about us…”

Jeff hummed, making his presence known. “I’m not sure about this, son. What if this isn’t one of the Hood’s men? I know the chances are low, but hypothetically speaking?”

Virgil sighed. “Either way, he’s invaded our home. And he attacked Kyrano. Let’s show him why you don’t mess with the Tracys…” The pounding somehow got louder. “The sound of Two’s launch should divert his attention, and I’ll be able to get the drop on him.”

“Virgil…” Alan was close to pleading.

“What other choice do we have?” His brother asked as the jet landed. The bang on the other end stopped. “He knows you’re there. Get to Two. Now! All of you!” Virgil whispered harshly.

“FAB, Virgil.” Alan’s voice was shaky. He fumbled with his belt, hearing the other three members of his family do the same. “Be careful…” Before his brother could reply, he clicked the radio off.

The four of them dropped out of the plane, rushing for the much larger green craft just behind the steel doors in front of them. Thunderbird Two was awaiting them in all her glory. Jeff frowned, and spun quickly to his son. “You fly Two, Alan. Take Brains and your grandmother, pick up Kyrano and Tin-Tin from the west shore, and then get the heck out of dodge. I’m going to help your brother.”

Alan gave him a look. “You just got out of the hospital!”

The patriarch smirked. “And I shall celebrate my newfound health by smacking this guy upside the head.” Alan opened his mouth to argue, and Jeff pulled him into a hug, silencing him. “Go. Don’t make me give you an order, young man.” Alan squeezed back.

“Okay…” The youngest Tracy boy relented. “Only if you don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Took the words right out of my mouth, Alan.” Ruth huffed, folding her arms. She fixed Jeff with a stare. He gave her a hard look back.

“We don’t have time to argue about this, mother.” He sighed. “We’ve got a plan, so let’s follow it. And hope we all make it out…”

------

A whole ocean and an entirely different country away from the chaos that the Tracy’s lives had become as of late, the young woman they depended on to run International Rescue’s vast secret agent network peered over the edge of her seat to look at the road behind her iconic pink Rolls Royce, and frowning at the brown car that had been tailing them for the past ten minutes, much to her chauffeur and most loyal friend’s chagrin, even though he would never show it.

“‘E’s still following us, then, m’lady?” Aloysius Parker asked, breaking into her thoughts.

“I’m afraid so, Parker.” Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward sighed as she turned forward once again, pushing her short blonde hair out of her eyes. “This whole business is becoming quite tiresome…” There was no need for her to elaborate. They both knew exactly what their old friend’s were dealing with.

Parker hummed in concern. “Should h’I deal with this joker, ma’am?”

Penny thought for a moment, but ultimately shook her head. “No. At least, not yet.” She gave her friend a knowing grin. “Let’s make sure he is who we think he is first. This is a busy motorway after all, and we wouldn’t want to cause a scene.”

“Yes, m’lady.”

And so, they drove on, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Until eventually, they were on a clear stretch of road, and the other car slowly but surely pulled up alongside them, Penelope calmly staring the driver dead in the eye as his passenger raised his gun. She maintained that eye contact even as the car pulled in front of them. “Big mistake…” She smiled. “Fire at will, Parker.”

One shot was all it took, and the hostile car skidded out of control, the driver struggling to control the vehicle with just three tires. FAB 1 sped past, the occupants smirking at their victory.

“Good shooting, Parker.” Penelope praised.

“Thank you, ma’am…” Parker replied, a little bashfully. “‘Ome, m’lady?” He added, more than ready to get some much needed rest after the week of chaos they’d had.

The noblewoman turned secret agent sighed. “I’m afraid not, Parker. Not just yet, at least.” She turned her attention to the flashing light in front of her, a sure sign that another member of International Rescue was trying to get in contact with her. “It appears as though we’ll be away from our own beds for just a bit longer. First, there’s a call I need to answer.”

Her eyes widened at the SOS signal that appeared on her screen, before she frowned, the snippets of a plan forming in her mind. “Southampton Port, Parker, as fast as you can! We’ll need FAB 2. We have a trip to Malaysia to organise and some friends to contact about it…”

------

Tin-Tin hauled her semi-conscious father along the long and winding path down to their little rendezvous point, adjusting her hold on him every once in a while. Virgil had given her a small communicator before they’d split up, making sure that they could remain in contact. She breathed a sigh of relief when the beach finally came into view, and gently laid her father on the golden sand next to a medium sized boulder, making sure that they were well hidden if the Hood’s agent managed to get past Virgil and Jeff and find his way down to the beach.

“We’re in position.” She spoke as clearly as she could into the device.

Her boyfriend was the one who replied, and it suddenly hit Tin-Tin just how much she’d grown to miss him in just the single day he’d been gone. “FAB. Thunderbird 2, ready for take-off, Father.” Tin-Tin couldn’t see the gentle green giant of International Rescue, but she didn’t need to in order to visualise the craft’s nose pointed up into the sky, as always, ready to come to somebody’s rescue. In this case, the entire core of the International Rescue team.

Virgil grunted, keeping his voice low to avoid the intruder from perhaps getting a clue as to what they were planning. “Ready and waiting.”

Jeff Tracy’s voice rang clear and true across the comms. “Alright. I’ve got eyes on him now.” The patriarch took a deep breath, quickly scanning the skies above for any prying eyes. Crisis or not, they still had a secret to keep. “Thunderbird 2, you’re clear for launch.”

And then everything happened at once.

#thunderbirds #thunderbirds 1965 #thunderbirds fanfiction #thunderfam #virgil tracy #kyrano thunderbirds #tin tin kyrano #alan tracy #jeff tracy #grandma tracy #brains thunderbirds #aloysius parker #lady penelope creighton ward #sky writes stuff #penny and parker weren't originally gonna be in this story...#but they have minds of their own and found a way in anyway XD #story: toxicity

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lordoftheringsmusical · 2 months

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So Frodo Baggins boards the Great Ship and passes onwards into the West, until a sweet fragrance fills his senses and the sound of singing comes over the water.

Lauren Zakrin (Galadriel), Spencer Davis Milford (Frodo), Tom Amandes (Gandalf), and Jeff Parker (Elrond) in rehearsals for the epilogue of The Lord of the Rings

shared by Alina Jenine Taber via Instagram stories on 18 July 2024

#lotr musical #lord of the rings musical #chicago shakespeare theater #epilogue #lauren zakrin #galadriel #spencer davis milford #frodo #tom amandes #gandalf #jeff parker #elrond #rehearsals #photos

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treeroutes · 10 months

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what's up ! non-exhaustive list of stories featuring weird plants :

The Day of the Triffids, John Wyndham

The Night of the Triffids, Simon Clark

In the Tall Grass, Stephen King and Joe Hill

The Boats of the 'Glen Carrig', William Hope Hodgson

The Man Whom the Trees Loved, Algernon Blackwood

The Red Tree, Caitlín R. Kiernan

Annihilation, Jeff VanderMeer

The Willows, Algernon Blackwood

The Nature of Balance, Tim Lebbon

'Bloom', John Langan

The Ruins, Scott Smith

The Wise Friend, Ramsey Campbell

'The Green Man of Freetown', The Envious Nothing : A Collection of Literary Ruins, Curtis M. Lawson

The Beauty, Aliya Whiteley

The Ash-Tree, M.R. James

Canavan's Backyard, J.P. Brennan

Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Jack Finney

The Hollow Places, T. Kingfisher

'Reaching for Ruins', Crow Shine, Alan Baxter

'Vortex of Horror', Gaylord Sabatini

Hothouse, Brian W. Aldiss

Vaster than Empires and More Slow, Ursula K. Le Guin

Odd Attachment, Ian M. Banks

Deathworld #1, Harry Harrison

The Bridge, John Skipp and Craig Spector

'The Garden of Paris', Eric Williams

Apartment Building E, Malachi King

The Seed from the Sepulchre, Clark Ashton Smith

Rappaccini's Daughter, Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Nursery, Lewis Mallory

The Other Side of the Mountain, Michel Bernanos

The Vegetarian, Han Kang

Sisyphean, Dempow Torishima

The Root Witch, Debra Castaneda

Semiosis, Sue Burke

The Wolf in Winter, Charlie Parker #12, John Connolly

Perennials, Bryce Gibson

Relic, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Gwen, in Green, Hugh Zachary

The Voice in the Night, William Hope Hodgson

Ordinary Horror, David Searcy

The Family Tree, Sheri S. Tepper

The Book of Koli, Rampart Trilogy #1, M.R. Carey

Seeders, A.J. Colucci

Concrete Jungle, Brett McBean

The Plant, Stephen King

Anthologies/collections :

The Roots of Evil: Weird Stories of Supernatural Plants, edited by Michel Parry

Chlorophobia: An Eco-Horror Anthology, edited by A.R. Ward

Roots of Evil: Beyond the Secret Life of Plants, edited by Carlos Cassaba

The Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

Sylvan Dread: Tales of Pastoral Darkness, Richard Gavin

Evil Roots: Killer Tales of the Botanical Gothic, edited by Daisy Butcher

Weird Woods: Tales From the Haunted Forests of Britain, edited by John Miller

'But fungi aren't plants' :

The Fungus, Harry Adam Knight

Growing Things and Other Stories, Paul Tremblay

The Girl with All the Gifts, M.R. Carey

Mexican Gothic, Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Fruiting Bodies, and Other Fungi, Brian Lumley

'The Black Mould', The Age of Decayed Futurity, Mark Samuels

What Moves the Dead, T. Kingfisher

The House Without a Summer, DeAnna Knippling

Mungwort, James Noll

Fungi, edited by Orrin Grey and Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Trouble with Lichen, John Wyndham

Notes :

all links lead to the goodreads page of the book, mostly because i like to look at book cover art ;

list features authors/books that i love (T. Kingfisher, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Ursula K. Le Guin, the collections from the British Library Tales of the Weird, etc.), but also a few that i don't like and some that i have not yet read ;

if upon seeing that list the first novel you check out is by Stephen King's you have not understood the assignment ;

not all of those are strictly horror stories, some are 100% science fiction (Brian W. Aldiss' Hothouse for instance).

#text #ramblings #plant tag #botanical horror #last time i posted a list of non-fiction books on the topic. time for some variety

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maturemenoftvandfilms · 22 days

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My Top 10 list

Favorite Daddy Sex Scandals: Part III

Whether rumored or proven fact, these are a few of my favorite Daddy Sex Scandals.

10. Rex Ryan Foot Fetish

Back in 2010 with the New York Jets are on the verge of making the playoffs, but the focus was off the field as coach Rex Ryan is being asked whether his wife, Michelle, posted foot-fetish videos on the Internet. Ryan never denied report that shows a number of videos of a woman who looks very much like his wife showing off her feet while a cameraman -- who sounds like Ryan -- talks to the woman. Years later, he would admit his love of feet.

Sure, this is mild compared to others on this list, but I like Rex. And I can respect a man who loves his wife… and feet.

9. Tampongate

If there’s a scandal you think of in association with Charles, it’s probably this one. This situation involved Charles, a six-minute phone call and some racy banter between the then Prince of Wales and his mistress, in which he expressed a desire to be reincarnated as Camilla’s Tampax. While Charles was newly separated from Princess Diana at the time the story was published in 1992, the call was recorded five years earlier when he was still very much married, and Camilla was still Mrs. Andrew Parker Bowles. Tampongate tanked Charles’ popularity and Camilla a target for scathing press attention. It’s also thought to have accelerated his divorce.

This proves my theory, no matter what you say about Camilla's looks, her pussy is grrreat.

8. Seventh-term U.S. Congressman Caught Cheating

Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan said he will not run for an eighth term in his solidly Republican South Carolina district. Probably because his reputation for conservative family values was diminished last year when his wife filed for divorce, saying the congressman left her and was having a sexual relationship with a lobbyist. She said he had been unfaithful before during their 35-year marriage. Apparently, Duncan plans to marry said DC DC lobbyist with whom he's currently living with. SCANDALOUS.

Well… he did look like he would/could be into fuckery.

I just wish it was with me.

7. Sweden’s Carl XVI Gustaf

In 2010, a book on King Carl XVI Gustaf’s private life alleged he was a philanderer and a regular at sex clubs hosted by infamous Mafia boss, Mille Markovic in the earlier years of his reign having had numerous affairs with younger women. He had a secret love affair in the 1990s with Camilla Henemark, a Nigerian-Swedish pop singer and he visited exclusive strip clubs during foreign visits; in Atlanta during the 1996 Olympics (spending two hours in a room alone with a stripper) and in Slovakia in 2008. And after one big dinner celebrating a successful elk hunt, he is said to have enjoyed sex with two women at the same time. Claims he never denied.

OK, now I want to fuck him more.

6. Ex-Senator Accused of Sexual Misconduct

David Boren was a governor, a three term United States Senator and the president of the University of Oklahoma. He resigned from his last post after a sexual-misconduct investigation. Even more accusations spanning decades, through Boren's time as a US Senator and Governor which describe he allegedly sexually harassed male aides during his time in Washington. During his campaign for Senate in 1978, he was accused of being gay. Boren denied this, swearing on a family Bible at a news conference that he was not gay or bisexual. He's married. But… where there's smoke, there's fire.

Now sexually harassing people is wrong, but if Boren was sexually harassing me. I’d think I’d hit the jackpot. What? I had a thing for him back when he was a senator. Don’t judge me.

5. Bobby Petrino Motorcycle Scandal

Back in in 2011, the then-51-year-old, Arkansas Razorbacks head coach, Bobby Petrino, a married father of four, had maintained an inappropriate relationship with Dorrell, who was 25 years old at the time, for a "significant" period of time. At one point, Long said, Petrino had given Dorrell a $20,000 gift. All this came out after his now-infamous motorcycle crash in 2011, amid the scandal that led to his firing as the Razorbacks’ head coach. Sadly, the only way I’d catch his interest is if I was woman, blonde, a former volleyball player and into riding motorcycles.

Wait a minute, I can dye my hair, I did play volleyball recreationally and I did ride a motorcycle a few times. Now lets see if I can get him to like dick.

WHAT. I can dream.

4. The Prince and The Sex Offender

Accusations including the association with convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, the groping of a woman’s breast and underage sex with a then 17 year old Virginia Giuffre. Throw in he’s an entitled, arrogant asshole and the 72 teddy bears on the bed thing. He had to be stripped of his military and royal titles, resigned from public duties and is living in recluse with his ex Fergie. Andrew has denied any wrongdoing, including in his settlement with Giuffre in 2022. It was a fall from grace for the 64-year-old, who was once second in line to the throne.

3. Bonneville Pegged

Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville allegedly hired renowned prostitute and ex-Big Brother star Helen Wood and took out a court injunction to keep it a secret. But Wood broke the cardinal rule of prostitution when she outed Bonneville back in 2012. She also said he was an was a disgusting kisser. He kissed like a virgin and told how she asked the man if he wanted her to use a sex toy on him and that he “eagerly agreed”.

After hearing this, I'll never look at Hugh or his ass in the same way again.

2. The Kraft Day Spa Scandal

In February 2019, Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots was charged with soliciting a prostitute. Kraft proves a theory of mine that if a man who was married for a long time (over 45 years) and loses his wife by divorce or in this case, death. Would go crazy for some new strange. He’s fucking a twenty something model/wanna be actress, getting hand jobs at cheap massage parlors and hanging around rappers. Strippers/groupies anyone. And included in all that, I bet he experimenting in man on man sex. You can’t tell me he hasn’t had his dick sucked by a man. By now he's settled down in his marriage to new wife, 32 years his junior.

I ain't mad at him. I'm just mad they didn't release the tape of him in the massage parlors.

1. The King and The Servant

Not to be confused with 'Cash for Titles' scandals, but both involve His Majesty and his former palace valet, Michael Fawcett, one of his closest advisers. Charles has been dogged by gay rumors for decades ever since his marriage to Princess Diana hit the rocks. It’s well known that throughout his 15-year marriage to Di, Charles was carrying on with the wife of one of his close friends, Camilla Parker-Bowles, whom he ultimately wed in 2005. But allegedly, a former palace servant claimed to have seen then Prince Charles and Fawcett having sex when he brought the monarch his breakfast. Hell, even Di had her doubts about the Prince’s sexuality when she heard about the allegations.

Looks like all the proof to these claims has disappeared (lost tape recording of these claims) or died (the servant and Diana ). Do I think it's true. Lets just say, Charles looks the type to experiment.

Why is it #1? It has spawned many a fanfiction featuring His Majesty.

#top ten list #top 10 list #daddy sex scandals #king charles iii #robert kraft #hugh bonneville #prince andrew #Bobby Petrino #David Boren #carl xvi gustaf #jeff duncan #Rex Ryan

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the-archetype-of-civilization · 1 year

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Some ATSV things that I love.

-SPOILERS AHEAD-

Gwen's world is gorgeous and the fact that it helps to convey emotions so well is awesome.

I can't say for certain, but the part where Lizard Parker's hand is sticking out of the rubble is similar to Green Goblin's hand sticking out when he died in ITSV. Funnily enough, that's when both Peters died.

Spot goes through a similar arc as Miles: they both have these abilities that they awkwardly try to utilize, fail often, and end up hurting themselves in the process. The difference is that Miles had a mentor and friends to help him through his trauma and loneliness and channel his powers for good. Spot had no one and, although he had a much easier grasp of his abilities and was far quicker to adapt to them than Miles, he channels his powers with hatred.

Uncle Aaron caring for Rio and Miles in Earth 42 after Jeff's death says more about him than he thinks.

Miles is such a tragic character in some of the less obvious but still hurtful ways: he's actively giving up his pursuit of art in exchange for science just so he can see his friends, he has no IRL friends, his Spider friends were not allowed and/or chose not to see him when they had the ability to, he's outcasted by the Spider Society actively, they KNEW he was an anomaly and chose not to tell him, him becoming Spider-Man was by chance, he learned his dad was "fated" to die, and he inadvertently caused Spot's creation (though, that was mainly Spot's own fault to be fair). It sucks, but he still keeps going because he's gonna "do his own thing." Absolute chad. I love the Spider peeps, even Miles' friend squad, but, respectfully, fuck 'em (minus Hobie, for obvious punk reasons).

This prevailing theme of "you can't just ignore your problems, you need to face them" is so good, and it's apparent through Gwen. She flat out says "I don't know how to fix this" when she reveals herself to her dad and just goes on a whole separate adventure, escaping her world and her problems, just ignoring it. And she's finally forced to confront her problems and herself when she's kicked out of the Spider Society, saying the same exact thing when she finds her dad again.

Gwen didn't kill Peter and she says as much to her dad, but I'm sure she feels guilty about it and that's probably why she tries to ignore it and not talk about it, denying that part of herself and further adding to the "denying her problems" and, by extension, herself.

This may be a personal thing, but it's interesting that characters seem more expressive and open about their feelings when the mask is on, rather than when they're off. They're more comfortable when they're hiding behind a mask, and are more guarded and insecure about themselves when the mask is off. Again, this might just be pure personal speculation.

Another great theme I love is that not everyone knows what they're doing, and that's okay. Kids, teens, adults. "No one has a personal handbook." And that's awesome and something that everyone needs to hear. And even the people that think they know what they're doing, don't (Miguel, Jess).

Following that, I love that it leads into "trusting yourself" and why Miles rejecting what everyone is saying how his story should go and doing his own thing hits so hard. He doesn't know if what he's doing is right, but he wants to do the right thing and he's going to fight hard to do it. Gwen has trouble realizing this because of another point I'm gonna bring up after, but she starts to understand that at the end as well. Same for Peter when he doubts he'll be a good father for Mayday. Do right for yourself through others. And, in a way, that works for Miguel as well in trying to do right by the multiverse (needs of the many vs. needs of the few), but it became twisted from trauma to the point of zealotry and a bad habit.

Gwen's mentors (Miguel and Jess, most likely) twisted her view of what the right thing to do is. She's learning from them what THEY think is the right thing to do, rather than trusting herself. She fell into a crowd that, indirectly, used her at her most vulnerable moment when she was the most doubtful about herself to become their asset. It's cruel, but she learned from it after she was kicked out. And it also shows that Peter really WAS a good mentor to Miles in comparison.

Miles inherits the Spider-Man trait better than any other Spidey in the Society. "What's important is not standing by while allowing someone to suffer or die because you do nothing. If you don't get that, then you don't know the first thing about being Spider-Man." He does this without a second thought and INSTINCTUALLY. The fact that everyone CHOOSES to sacrifice is bonkers, a sacrifice is only viable when there's no other option when taking action. Miles LEARNED from his inaction in the first movie, now he's practically teaching everyone by example.

I don't agree with everyone saying that he needs to sacrifice to be a true Spider-Man, when this movie and ITSV before it is a critique of the Spider-Man mythos: that a Spider-Man is only a true hero until they have lost someone dear to them. Miles is an anomaly, and I feel like this only adds to him being the outlier if he goes BEYOND the curse and is able to save both his dad and the multiverse. If Raimi's Spider-Man could do it, so can he. And Gwen's dad is now alive and well, too! Not everything is set in stone, even Lyla said as much: "That's what the model says..."

Rio's speech to Miles is some of the most heartwarming, genuine, motherly writing I've seen in a long time and is a top highlight in the movie for me. And I think this is what kept Miles going through his escape from the Spider Society, standing firm against everyone saying he didn't belong and that he was going to get home safe and sound like she wanted.

"Meanwhile, the cakes take a ride..."

Also, the super long quiet moment after Gwen leaves and Rio is there to console him is such a nice breather. Allowing the film to soak and the characters to breathe is awesome, just seeing Miles react to seeing his friend leave with simple silence against the NY ambience is such under utilized filmmaking. LET FILMS BREATHE AND TAKE THEIR TIME.

Miguel's twisted view isn't without merit and I understand where he's coming from. He's taking these steps because he was forced to have this narrow-minded view of saving the world and what it means to be Spider-Man because of the trauma he experienced, that you NEED to sacrifice in order to save everyone else. His steps to do it are messed up and bordering antagonistic (especially when Miles is in the picture), but he's doing it for the right reasons (he watched an entire universe become erased because of his selfishness). But it's the wrong execution. He's a better written villain with understandable motives than Thanos, in my eyes.

And I really love that Miguel was willing to talk down Miles about what was at stake, to reason with him and empathize with him about the cost of his choices and where it lead him ("Trust me, I know") before he...jumped to an ultimatum.

The music fucking slaps, and I don't just mean in terms of melody and sound and all that. It tells a story as well without the movie, it has its themes perfectly interwoven (like a web heheh) together and creates a thematically rich soundtrack. Pemberton can create so many moods in one track effortlessly it's insane, all the way from heartwarming, to terrifying, to brutal, to epic, to heroic, to fun. Top marks.

"I'm gonna take everything from you, like you took everything from me. See you back home...Spider-Man" is terrifyingly delivered and a chilling line.

I don't need to say anything more about Hobie than anyone else has, but I severely misjudged him like Miles did and I love being proven wrong. Especially with the discussion about him being more brotherly towards him. I also liked that he saluted Mayday and knows how to handle a baby, looking out for the kids and all like he does.

Addendum, seeing Miguel being able to handle a baby as well is heartwarming and heartbreaking for obvious reasons.

The part where Hobie uses his legs to block Miles from going almost feels like he's trying to warn Miles not to go any further, that it's not gonna end well. Gotta love Hobie, man.

Peter's little speech to Miles is really nice, and something everyone needs a reminder of, too. "Bad things are gonna happen, but good things happen, too." It's short, simple, and sweet. Although, in the context of it basically being "yeah, your dad is gonna die, but something good will come from it, too," that's pretty messed up.

Seeing Miles' borderline evil smirk when he starts sapping Miguel's electricity is wild.

In relation to that, Miles has grown up so much. You can see that he's been able to calm himself down more and have better control of his abilities. You can especially see it when he's facing 42 Miles: his eyes relax, he steadies his breathing, and he has complete focus. That's when his powers come out. I love watching my boy work.

Side note to that last part about 42 Miles, our Miles clearly learned from Peter when he tore his gloved finger to use his powers: "Watch the hands, not the mouth."

Miles' "good bye" to Gwen is so sad, but you can hear he's grown from it. From them. He sounds so heavy hearted and disappointed. Again, I need to reiterate to his friend squad, really uncool, guys.

When they were going through every Spider person's captain death tally and there was Hobie's, his reply ("Yeah, what of it?") is heartbreaking.

In ITSV as well, but I love how they animate hugs in this movie. And I love how often it happens, too. They're quick and tight, but look and probably feel as warm as they look. It's a very affection heavy movie.

"The 'Spider Verse'...huh. That's...stupid" is such a dickhead thing to say, but it's so hilarious. It feels like something that would only be utterable in a comic book setting. It works.

That twist at the end is expertly crafted and I've talked about it in another post, and that cliffhanger (although painful to us viewers) is a perfect way to cap off that it's the beginning of the end and that all of the players are set, the pieces are in place. An Empire Strikes Back equivalent but in glorious comic book form, tone and all.

Anyway, movie good. I probably have more to say and maybe I'll make another post when I think more about this movie (I inevitably will). But yeah, I had to get this out of my head. Thanks.

Also, side note, Spider-Cat and Pter Ptarker should be named Peter Purrker and Petyrannosaurus Prex. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

Edit: I'm sorry, I keep updating this post thinking that it's the last and then I think about something else that I love and have to put it in. This movie is brain rot.

Edit 2: I made another post because I can't help myself.

#spider man #spider man across the spider verse #spider man across the spiderverse #across the spiderverse #across the spider verse #atsv #spider verse #spiderverse #miguel ohara #miguel o'hara #miles morales #gwen stacy #peter b parker #peter parker #jessica drew #rio morales #aaron davis

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disneytva · 4 months

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Dynamite Entertainment Launches Kickstarter for Darkwing Duck Classic Comics As Part Of Disney Television Animation's 40th Anniversary.

Dynamite announced that they'll be launching a new Darkwing Duck comic book series with the involvement of original animated series creator/writer Tad Stones. But before that book gets off the ground, Dynamite will be rereleasing every previous Darkwing Duck comic in a trio of graphic novel compendiums

Like with the similar Gargoyles graphic novels, Dynamite is turning to Kickstarter to crowdfund the Darkwing Duck reprints. The first volume will collect the entirety of writer Amanda Deibert and artist Carlo Cid Lauro's 2023 series. The second volume will collect Lauro and writer Roger Langridge's miniseries Justice Ducks and writer Jeff Parker and artist Ciro Cangialosi's miniseries Negaduck. The third volume will collect all of the pre-Dynamite Darkwing Duck comics, including stories originally published in Disney Adventures magazine.

The Darkwing Duck Kickstarter campaign is live now. Backers have the option to add optional extras like a facsimile of the original Darkwing Duck #1, art prints and even original commissioned art by artists like Jae Lee and Ken Haeser. Those who back the campaign in the first 48 hours will also receive an exclusive mini-print.

#Darkwing Duck #Darkwing Duck Comics #CreatureComics #Dynamite Comics #Tad Stones #Amanda Deibert #Carlo Cid Lauro #Roger Langridge #Jeff Prker #Ciro Cangialosi #Seth Rogen #Evan Goldberg #Disney Comics #Kickstarter #The Disney Afternoon #Disney Afternoon

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keycomicbooks · 6 months

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Vampirella Mindwarp #1 (2022) Cover E Cosplay Cover / Benjamin Dewey Pencils / Jeff Parker Story / 1st Appearance of Baroness Gruzal

#Vampirella #Mindwarp #1 (2022) Cosplay Cover / #BenjaminDewey Pencils / #JeffParker Story / 1st Appearance of #BaronessGruzal SAVE ON SHIPPING COST - NOW AVAILABLE FOR LOCAL PICK UP IN DELTONA, FLORIDA https://www.rarecomicbooks.fashionablewebs.com/Vampirella%20Mindwarp.html#1 #RareComicBooks #KeyComicBooks #DynamiteEntertainment #ComicBooks

#Vampirella Mindwarp #1 (2022) Cover E Cosplay Cover / Benjamin Dewey Pencils / Jeff Parker Story / 1st Appearance of Baroness Gruzal #Rare Comic Books #Key Comic Books #DC Comics #DCU #DC #Marvel Comics #MCU #Marvel #Marvel Universe #DC Universe #Dynamite Entertainment #Dark Horse Comic Books #Boom #IDW Publishing #Image Comics #Now Comics

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thevindicativevordan · 4 days

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Anything to say on Aquaman ? Especially nowadays after the clumsy Kaldh'ur push killed the franchise and left Arthur without a series ?

Highest grossing DC movie ever and DC managed to completely kill the franchise.

Hasn't had a book in years, and we don't know when if ever he'll get another one. No DCU Aquaman rumors, his animated miniseries got removed from MAX presumably for a tax write-off, and there's seemingly nothing in the works for him any time soon. Not since the GL movie bombed at the box office have I seen a franchise fall off as suddenly as Aquaman has. He should be an easy character to sell, a warrior-king married to a waterbending assassin-queen, with 71% of the Earth to cover all by himself. Arthur is an extremely flexible character who is suited to a wide range of stories. He can be a wild Conan esque hero, the barbarian hero imposing some measure of order on the seabed wilderness. He can be a regal figure, King Arthur ruling over underwater Camelot and protecting the realm from threats. He can be the star of murky Game of Thrones politicking regarding the throne of Atlantis. He can be about family drama, his mother ditching him, his dad frequently dead, his half-brother often serving as his enemy, his wife having tried to kill him and her side of the family continuing attempts to assassinate him.

Yet DC has seemingly given up on him for now. Not so Harley Quinn whose comic sales appear to be just as awful and whom starred in several high profile flops across multiple mediums recently. People bitch about the New 52 but that era was a Golden Age for Aquaman. For the record, every moron on social media who whines about Johns tackling all the stupid memes surrounding Aquaman head-first as being the wrong approach, only outs themselves as a midwit.

NOOOOOOOO YOU CAN'T DO THIS IT'S INSECURE!!! - Dorks on social media who have no clue how to make characters popular.

Sales proved Johns had the right approach. Aquaman became cool after the Johns run. Various other writers from Peter David to Kurt Busiek had attempted to rehabilitate Aquaman and their efforts failed for a variety of reasons, but my personal opinion is they failed because they tried to pretend Aquaman's bad reputation didn't exist. They weren't willing to address the criticisms head on, instead opting to bury their heads in the sand, or have Arthur beat up more popular characters to increase his own standing. Aquaman in the New 52 worked because Johns had Arthur all but look directly at the readers and say "shut the hell up, forget all the dumbass memes for a second, and watch this." Shockingly, it worked!

Chalk it up to prime Johns' ability to make any C-Lister appealing to readers, or that a bunch of new readers jumped on with the New 52, but Aquaman ran for 52 consecutive issues. Not feeling optimistic about any Aquaman book repeating that feat anytime soon. Feel free to rate Jeff Parker’s follow up run as superior in terms of storytelling, I think it’s fantastic myself, and it does make Atlanna an interesting character rather than the cliche dead parent, but we never would have gotten Parker’s run without Johns. He built the fanbase to support the book. Wan's first movie owes a great deal to Johns, the same spirit of swashbuckling fun that made the movie connect is present within his run, and anyone who attempts to claim he deserves no credit isn't worth listening to.

Like it or not, there was a misguided attempt to de-emphasize Arthur as the lead character as part of the disastrous push for legacies during Infinite Frontier. Young Justice Kaldur was my second favorite character after Superboy, yet I don't feel the same affection for Earth 0 Kaldur. He was barely Arthur's sidekick before they tried to make him Aquaman, and the attempt to reform Black Manta was a terrible creative direction. Tempting as it might be to lay all the blame on Kaldur, I don't think it's only his fault. We got a BL Aquaman book by Ram V where Arthur plays side protagonist to a bunch of OCs, with the expected result of said book flopping. Aquaman is not a franchise strong enough where you can sideline the titular character or use him to prop up other characters, a fact that the Black Panther franchise has also struggled to accept post Chadwick's death.

DC needs to get their collective head out of their ass and give Arthur another push. No sharing the mantle, no fighting over the Throne of Atlantis for the 50th time, let's try something else. If they don't have faith in a mainline Aquaman title, at least put out an Absolute Aquaman book. This is no way to treat the guy who gave you the highest-grossing DC film ever.

#aquaman #arthur curry #mera

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bullet-prooflove · 2 years

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Ask List, Rules & Updates - PLEASE READ!

Please do not solicit me to read your work by tagging me or sending it to me unless I have asked you to.

The Schedule - See what's coming up this month!

Works In Progress - A visual up to date list of what I'm working on currently and their status.

MasterList:

Patreon:

Luna Creative Academy

Prompt Lists:

Character Tag List:

I have updated my ask list below so please only pick from the characters below if you want to submit.

The Rules:

Only pick people off the character list below for each fandom.

One prompt per ask - you can send as many asks as you want within reason

Include the whole prompt in the ask, not just the number.

I don’t write things like Voight’s daughter/Hondo’s friend/Adam’s sister

I also don't write specific asks on this blog eg: reader is a firefighter/doctor/cop who has this/does this. They meet and do this/and this and say this... I usually work from prompts.

I don't write other people's stories so if you have a long detailed idea you want writing, this is not the blog for you.

Fandoms & Chars I write for:

The Bear:

Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto

Michael "Mikey" Berzatto

Richie Jerimovich

Blue Bloods:

Jamie Reagan

Joe Hill

Chicago Fire:

Jeff Clarke

Sam Carver

Chicago Med

Connor Rhodes

James Lanik

Crockett Marcel

Sam Abrams

Mitch Ripley

Dean Archer

Sean Archer

Cobra Kai:

Daniel LaRusso

Johnny Lawrence

Terry Silver

Criminal Minds:

Luke Alvez

Will LaMontagne

CSI Vegas:

Trey Cahill

Josh Folsom

FBI:

Jubal Valentine

O.A Zidan

Stuart Scola

FBI: Most Wanted:

Remy Scott

Clinton Skye

Fire Country:

Bode Leone

Luke Leone

Manny Perez

Vince Leone

Haven:

Dwight Hendrickson

Duke Crocker

Nathan Wuornos

Hawaii Five-O:

Danny 'Danno' Williams

Adam Noshimuri

Hudson & Rex:

Charlie Hudson

JAG:

Mic Brumby

Harmon 'Harm' Rabb

AJ Chegwidden

Law & Order:

Nolan Price

Nicholas Baxter

Jalen Shaw

Vince Riley

Cyrus Lupo

Michael Cutter

Ed Green

Law & Order: Criminal Intent - Toronto:

Henry Graff

Law & Order SVU:

Joe Velasco

Mike Duarte

Terry Bruno

Magnum PI:

Rick Wright

Thomas Magnum

Shammy

Mayans MC:

Bishop Losa

Taza Romero

Micheal 'Riz' Ariza

Nestor Oceteva

EZ Reyes

Neron 'Creeper' Vargas

Manny

Mayor of Kingstown:

Mike McLusky

Robert Sawyer

MCU:

Frank Castle

The Mentalist:

Kimball Cho

Marcus Pike

NCIS:

Alden Parker

Nick Torres

Gage Winchester

Jimmy Palmer

NCIS LA:

Vostanik Sabatino

Arlo Turk

Harmon 'Harm' Rabb

Marty Deeks

AJ Chegwidden

NCIS: New Orleans

Dwayne Pride

Douglas Hamilton

Chris LaSalle

Sebastian Lund

NCIS Sydney:

JD Dempsey

De Shawn Jackson

Michelle Mackey

Numb3rs:

Ian Egerton

Don Eppes

Psych:

Carlton Lassiter

Red Dead Redemption 2:

Arthur Morgan

The Rookie:

John Nolan

Wade Grey

Ejiah Vestri

Ryan Caradine

Aaron Thorsen

The Rookie Feds:

Matt Garza

Brendon Acres

SEAL Team:

Sonny Quinn

Brock Reynolds

Trent Sawyer

Eric Blackburn

Silent Witness:

Jack Hodgson

SOA:

Juan 'Juice' Ortiz

Filip 'Chibs' Telford

Alexander 'Tig' Trager

David Hale

Supernatural:

Dean Winchester

Ted Lasso:

Roy Kent

Top Gun Maverick:

Beau 'Cyclone' Simpson

Jake 'Hangman' Seresin

Tulsa King:

Mitch Keller

Dwight Manfredi

Twisters:

Tyler Owens

White Collar:

Matt Keller

Will Trent:

Will Trent

Yellowstone:

Jamie Dutton

Kayce Dutton

Lee Dutton

Rip Wheeler

Travis Wheatley

Ryan

Walker

Feel free to send me prompts if you see anything you like with one of the characters.

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fantasies-fairytales-n-fics · 5 months

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Code Blue Ch. 52 - Masks

Summary: Craig and Jeffrey bicker over the missing vehicle. Josie and Craig continue to grow closer. A shocking sight gives Josie sore eyes. Jeff is concerned for a friend and gives his two cents. A theory sparks a hunting trip. Jeff exceeds his limits with Josie and she lets him know. Orlando is put on blast. Mama March speaks her truth. Someone else is put on blast by Jo. Megan confesses something that rocks Jo's world.

*Chapter Warnings* Strong language, angst, sexual references

Chapter word count: 8,854

Stories Stories Stories Masterlist:

Salem, Massachusetts

March 22, 2022

The three of you were all in different states of consternation over hearing that the Trans Am was missing and of course over the ghastly events that happened before that. Craig's was red-faced anger as he paced about, yours was simply shock as you stood hugging yourself with bristled arms and Negan's was an eerie calmness as he sat under a tree in unusual silence, softly gritting his jaw.

"The fucking car is gone. The...fucking...car...is...gone!!" Craig erupted as he chucked his phone to the ground.

Finally, Negan spoke. "Well maybe you should have took the fucking keys out of it."

Craig froze solid with a cocky head tilt and poisonous pupils. "Right...because people are just lined up to hop in and steal a rust bucket reeking of fucking animal dung."

"Shit happens." he uttered with no emotion.

"Shit happens?! Always got a wise crack for everything don'tcha Jeffrey?! Well yes, shit does fucking happen and not just to you. I would love to just sit under a fucking tree, all calm and relaxed, twiddling my fucking thumbs and not give a shit because HEY... shit happens!"

"Back off Parker and pull that stick out of your dick. It's making you cranky." Negan warned with a growl. "The Venus Flytrap could have been towed. Ever think of that? Whatever the explanation, there's not a goddamn thing we can do about it at this time, now is there snarky Parky?"

"Watch your insolent fucking tone! Towed is NOT good because that places the car at my property smart ass and we both know the rest of that clodhopper clan will realize they're missing two of their kin and come snooping around just like they did today over Jo's car!"

"And then we'll make sure they're reunited with their missing loved ones or did you forget who the fuck we are?? I now know where Dwight's ugly mug has been holing up so now I have a damn good reason to go on a little backwoods hunting trip and sniff around like a fucking bloodhound."

"Well you do what needs to be done and I'll go do what needs to be done. Cleaners are here. I'm going to go check in on that mess and then head to my meeting at Pozzulo's that I am now twenty minutes late for and have to explain to Sonny exactly why that is! And you...you can find your own fucking way into town!"

Craig storming exit broke your trance and you ran after him. "Craig please wait!"

He sighed heavily and stopped as you caught up to him behind some brush and stole his hand.

"Are you ok?" you softly asked.

"Is that a rhetorical question??" he spat and then immediately closed his eyes, releasing a softer sigh of remorse. "I'm sorry Jo. I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just that...you're asking me if I'M alright after what you just saw. I told you not to come. I don't care how many times you've seen these things. I didn't want you to see it with me. I can only imagine what you must think of me now."

"I think no less of you than I do Jason. I carry the same loyalty for you that I do him, especially now and I want to thank you for what you did for me because I don't even want to think about what would have happened if you and Ne..Jeff hadn't intervened. I could have been severely assaulted in more ways than one and possibly even be dead right now."

"Thanking me for what just went down don't even feel right. I'm not proud of it but predators like them need to be put down. How many other women and innocent people have they hurt, or even killed? and they surely weren't going to stop with you and I'll be damned if I'm going to let anyone ever hurt you...and Jason's your brother Jo. Of course you would have a bias for him. Me?...I'm no one to you and I think your guilt over Blaise plays a huge role in your graciousness of me."

You weren't sure where it came from, the urge to hug him, but you did it anyways. It was your nerves, you deciphered. They needed the calming effect of his strong safe arms paired with the relaxing aroma of his cologne. The purpose was somewhat challenging though since you had to stand on your tippy toes due to his height which caused you to feel his gun awkwardly pushing against your lower boundaries.

Stunned from the unexpected embrace, Craig hands hesitated for a moment to accept your closeness. The feel of your small soft body against his and the intoxicating cherry scent of your hair in his face was morphing the big tough mob man in to a vulnerable little boy. He so longed for a woman's touch, but not just any woman's. Yours. With reluctance, he permitted his hovering hands to softly lay upon the small of your back.

"Craig...that's not true." you assured into his warm ear. "Of course I feel guilty about Blaise and I always will no matter what you say, especially after seeing the state you were in yesterday, so lost and in so much pain... but Craig, that guilt has nothing to do with what I feel in my heart. I think of you as my friend. I care about you. Is that so hard to believe?"

His hot breath prickled your ear. "Actually it is. You don't even know the details of my upbringing and let us not forget Liz's path of destruction."

After the longer than expected hug, you pulled back, leaving your arms still clasped around his neck and gazed up into his child-like orbs of blue. "Not everyone is out to hurt you Craig. Not everyone is Elizabeth and as far as Cyrus..."

His eyes wandered away from yours. "I don't want to talk about this."

"Craig, I too am a really good listener and have a strong but soft shoulder to lean on as you once told me and...

"Well Jo, your ears are not listening right now damn it!" he suddenly barked as he brought his hands to your upper arms and gave you a harmless warning shake, stunning you but not scaring you in the least.

The way he looked at you though, searching your face with a confused frustration in his gaze, his bold and blazing blues also held a very deep desireful passion when they locked on to your lips. Rendered stiff as a statue, you held your breath, for you could have sworn he was going to kiss you, but he didn't. Instead, he swiftly backed away, placed his hands on his hips and strongly exhaled.

"Why Jo? Why are you so damn persistent and stubborn?"

"And why do you continue to entertain this lifestyle when I can clearly see it's taking a massive toll on you? And working under Sonny no less? What about Blaise WHEN you get her back? Do you want to raise her in this world?"

"Here we go again. Jo...you know I can't get just get out."

"I don't believe that for one minute. The other day, you told me that I'm only stuck if I choose to be. Well, the same applies to you. I know it wouldn't be easy whatsoever, but it can be done... but that's not what I asked you."

You were thinking of both Lee and Luke in that moment and how they had lived a similar life many years ago and managed to leave it behind, but then again...that world was on another continent. This one was right here in Salem where Craig resided AND ran in his family and you knew he didn't do it to make papa proud. Speaking of the devil, Craig then referred to him.

"You met the reason why and he needs to be taken down. Satisfied? Jo, I really have to go. Have Jeff walk you back to your car."

"Fine but this conversation is not over."

He smiled, shook his head and lightly grazed your cheek with his fingertips. "I never believed for one minute that it would be. Take care love."

You watched Craig swagger off through the thicket leading back to the killing fields and once he was gone, you headed back to find Jeff.

"Come on!" Jeff groaned as he urgently fought to undo his uncooperative belt. "I'm gonna need my own goddamn pissin pants in about 2 fucking seconds."

Once he finally freed his manhood, he made no effort to contain his booming moan of relief as he rid his body of the booze he had previously overindulged in during his gardening project at Craig's complex.

Swaying his steaming fluid of gold back and forth in an artful figure 8 pattern, he closed his eyes and chuckled as it blasted into the dead leaves. "If a dude drains the main vein in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it still make a sound? And the answer is...I don't give a flying fuck cause I'm all out of fucks to give."

As he shook off the last few drops, his eyes popped open at the sound of your ghastly gasp. A gasp so great, you could have sworn you swallowed a giant bug and when you both snapped out of the initial shock, Jeffrey, quite utterly amused, took his sweet time to seal himself back up as he watched you bury your face in your hands.

"Jumpin Jehosephine!" He cheerfully jested. "I do believe your eyeballs just leaped from their sockets and rolled right up my dick. What's the matter you sneaky kitten? Never seen a man's junk before?"

"Not yours!!" you yelled in a muffle from underneath your sweaty palms.

He released a cocky snicker. "Now we both know THAT'S not true because YOU just did and I must say, that was one long intense eyeful. I do believe they call that gawking. So what do ya think pussycat? Do I measure up to the simile "hung like a horse?"

Against your will, your filthy warped mind silently answered that he certainly did and you cringed at the perverted thought.

"Oh my god will you just tuck that thing away already so I can turn around??"

You heard a tug of war zipping and a jingling of his buckle. "Voila. The eye of the tiger is all tamed for now but it won't be long before I have to unleash the beast once again. Liquids go through me like a cheap paper towel."

"Then I guess we better get going. Craig wants you to walk me back to my car."

If a pair of eyes rolled so hard that they could have done a complete 360, it was Jeffrey's as he shouted out into the woods in his ongoing bitterness. "Yes Sergeant Pecker. Oh damn, I mean Parker."

As you both began walking, you defended Craig. "You should really take it easy on him right now. He's going through a lot with Blaise missing."

"Right. Well I get that. I do. But you see, Craig likes games, and don't get me wrong, I'm all for that as you may have noticed, but his favorite one is where he likes to play "my dick is bigger than yours" and I can assure you, as you may have ALSO noticed, that I win that game, hands fucking down. He projects too much."

"Are you really dick measuring right now? And how would I know whom is more sizeable??? And.... wait...how would YOU know if your cock is more sizeable???"

"Ohhhh!" he jumped with a flinch and then chortled. "Did you just say...cock?"

You riposted with a comical confidence as you grinned. "What? I can say cock. You don't own the word. Cock...cock...COCK!"

"Apparently you can and will. Guess I am just more accustomed to hearing a man say it. Look at you, you dirty little girl! I just keep liking you more and more. Now...to add clarity to your curiosity, which clearly almost damn near killed the cute as shit cat just now, I know I've got a few inches on him because I've seen it. I mean, are you gonna bullshit me and say you've never seen any of your girlfriend's tits before? Craig drinks a lot, which, no judgment there whatsoever, but when he does, sometimes he puts on indiscreet displays like I just did such as coming out for a drink of water in the middle of the night as nekked as the day he was born."

"Ok well...I mean, that's just your opinion, is it not?

"Well you tell me then. You say you and Craigypoo are just friends but it sure as shit looked like a lot more than that over there in the brush."

"You were...spying on us???"

"Spying is such a strong word. I'd like to think of it more as investigating. You see, Craig and I may be at each other's throats more often than not, but we go back quite a ways and I actually care about his quirky Kiwi ass. He and I are a lot alike, possibly why we connected so easily. We both have been through the ringer in life, mostly due to a man's biggest weakness....women and their evil funnels of love and his ex did a fucking number on him. I don't want to see that happen again and you...well...as I said before, I know when he's catching the deadly pestilence called feelings and I do believe you told me that your heart was already spoken for. Do you see where I'm going with this cupcake? Sweets aren't always good for people. That shit rots your teeth if you aren't careful."

"Well what'ya know? Bad ass Negan is really a softy at heart. Never would have guessed that."

"Look, Craig and I, or anyone for that matter in this business, have to be a bad ass, which I'm sure you know but that doesn't necessarily make us who we are, which I'm sure you also know. When it's time to get down and dirty, just like today, the armor has to be put on nice a fucking thick so that you become bulletproof, metaphorically speaking and it's also to keep the human that resides under all that armor from fucking shit up with their soft spots. Damn good way to bite the dust and all of this can be said for relationships as well. And to be honest...Craig don't belong in this bullshit way of life. It's not who he is. Hell, it's not who I am, but sadly enough, he was born into it and didn't exactly have a choice like the two of you were discussing. And of course, the rebellious prick in him made a choice anyways and it has landed him in one fucked up predicament of being on the opposite side of his father by working for Cyrus' long time and greatest enemy, Sonny and honestly, neither kingpin is the better option. Craig did it for obvious reasons. To spite his father and regain control of his life, but...does he really have it? Not while Cyrus Renault is alive. We all have our reasons for the fucked up shit we do."

"Yeah, I know that has to be one hell of a burden for Craig to carry. I'm actually glad to know you're looking out for him. I know what Liz did to him and she did the same fucking thing to people I love, Jason being one. So I get it. And Craig knows my situation with Lee and how I feel about him so I don't see that he would ever let himself develop any sort of feelings for me."

"The iconic Elvis tune begs the differ, cause the poor fool may not be able to help falling in love with you. Food for thought there naive Nancy. Well, we are back to your car. You uhh...think you could give me a ride to get my bike? I'd love to take a spin in this beastly hotrod and compare it to my baby."

"Your baby? You call your bike your baby?"

"Nah, that's my bitch. My 67 Impala is my baby, my black magic woman but I let my sons have her. I got a truck or two also and a charger."

"S...sons? You have.... kids?"

"Yeah, shocker huh?? It happened not once, but motherfuckin twice while experimenting with the birds and the bees in my youthful days. Believe that shit? Apparently you don't. Your astonishment astounds me. You know, other women didn't find me as "eww" as you do."

"Oh stop it. Sorry. I guess I just didn't peg you to be the daddy type."

"Ohhh I can be all sorts of daddy darlin. Sugar daddy, your daddy, whichever daddy you want honey pie. Damn I love me some pie." he teased in a low snarl as the dimpled grin resurfaced. "So what'ya say miss American Pie. Drive this Chevy to the levee? I'm gonna do some Chevy measuring instead of dick measuring this time but you can bet your sweet round ass that I'll still say mine's better than yours."

"Yeah sure, I'll give you a lift...but umm...what about the missing car?"

Jeff rested his arms on the top of your car and let his squinting eyes wander around in the sun. "Yeahhh. I have a damn good theory about that. Came to me while I was marking my territory. I'll bet my entire ball sack that there was a third little piggy in the backseat of that pigsty and he got spooked when he saw the big bad wolf, yours fucking truly, and that tells me it was none other than Dwighty who chose flighty over fighty and now I'm going to have to go huff and puff and blow his goddamn house in."

"Jesus, if that's true, then..."

"Then he's going to squeal to the hogs which means it won't be long before a pack of passel come sniffin and snortin around here. Looks like I will be going on that hunting trip sooner than later."

"You're going to go alone??? At least take Craig and how are you even going to find them?"

"Did you not see what I just did all by my tall, dark and lonesome? Craig can sit this one out so he can focus on other things. Besides, I won't be alone. This time, the boys, aka the Saviors, will attend AND I'll also have mean, lean, brain bashing machine Lucille. And finding the farrow and that runt Dwight is easy peasy lemon squeazy when you got a photographic memory and Spinelli the cybershark to look up the plates I took note of. Lets get scootin sweet cheeks. I'm gettin all fired up for a grizzly game of pig chase."

"And you call ME trouble?" you giggled and got in the car after he did.

"As I said buttercup, I call things as i see it."

The first five minutes of the ride was quiet as you both were in your own thoughts. Yours were all over the place due to what you had just witnessed and how strangely calm you were about it all. It wasn't normal. You should have been appalled, frightened and traumatized even, like Lee surely was from his past, but you were neither. Normal, something you deeply craved, had never been your life though, from Peter to Gerry to Jason until you met Lee and believed you had finally found it, but even that was too good to be true after learning of his double life. It was like you were a magnet to the dark underworld. Drawn to it like a moth to a flame and all knew how that always ended. All but the moth.

Jeffrey's thoughts were evasive over the day's events. Even he craved normalcy and he was bound and determined to have some every now and then.

"Well, I've concluded that yep, my Chevy's better than your Chevy. No offense there sweetheart. I think this car is the goddamn shit for being twenty years younger, but lets see if the sound system is. You mind if I turn on some music therapy? We still have about ten minutes left."

Your eyes playfully rolled. "Sure."

He turned on the radio and began punching the pre-programmed stations. When he hit the last one, his excitement startled you.

"Ahhhhh HELL GIRL!! This is creepy as shit!! Swift cheeks has spoken! I rest my case!!!" he loudly gloated and obnoxiously began singing. "I knew you were trouble when you walked in!!!"

youtube

"What's creepy as shit is you singing a Taylor Swift song in my car, or even at all. You're a Swifty??"

"Not in the fucking least." he chuckled. "But she's always got something to say and an ex to diss and you just can't fucking escape the madness. She's a music plague but hey, it worked out b...e...a..utiful this time, didn't it? Oh...Ohhhhho Trouble trouble trouble!! Oh Ohhh...."

"Pleeeeeese stop singing Neg..errr Jeffr....or whatever your name really is."

"I thought we already discussed this darlin, but I gather you don't want to go around callin me daddy. You can save that for the bedroom." he teased with a wink. "So...Jeff will do just fine in the meantime."

You had dealt with his rude and raunchy behavior quite well for the entire hour you had even known him but this time he went too far and his sexual statement triggered you.

"Well JEFF...the only person I've ever called daddy or would call daddy is my father so why don't you work on respectfully calling me by my actual name and not a some different pet name every five minutes and back off on the suggestive and disparaging innuendos while you're at it."

His brows sprung up and his lips puckered. "Oooooo. Do...not...ENTERRR." he whispered with a scolded smile and then he shamefully softened.

"Alright...Josie. I stand corrected once again and I do apologize. My remark was so not cool. I tend to get carried away, mostly around beautiful women and clearly I have crossed a line and entered a forbidden territory. I will do my best to address you by your given name, scout's honor, but it's going to be like teaching an old dog new tricks so I will most likely piss on the floor every now and then. Will that work for you?"

"Hmmm. I guess I can give you brownie points for your sincere apology and predetermination to make it right. Oh, and would you like me to stop at the store to pick you up your own pair of pissin pants for when you have those accidents?"

Now his mouth dropped open. "Woah DOWN girl. Will you stop kickin my ass already? I know I said I have nuts of steel but using my own jokes against me hurts my ego much worse than that blow below the belt I took earlier. Let this old dog have a little dignity will ya?"

You pleasantly smiled at your victory as you pulled up in front of the repair shop. "Alright. I guess I can do that after what you did for me."

"Much appreciated. Oh and let me give you my digits before I go. The more wolves you have at your beck and call, the better."

"I suppose that's a good idea with the way my life is going anymore."

The numbers were exchanged and then he got out.

"Jeffrey, wait."

"Yes...Josie?" he emphasized with a grin as he leaned his tall frame down to peer in at you.

"So you were a boy scout?"

His grin widened into a full set of pearly whites. "Nnnnope! Thanks for the lift. See ya later Trouble."

You smiled and shook your head as he tossed his overshirt over his shoulder, then shut the door and swaggered off the same way he had swaggered in.

About ten minutes later, you were heading up the hospital stairs to go see your mom and sister when you found Orlando slouched and sleeping in a chair outside of the room. You couldn't help but giggle as you stood there for a few moments viewing the vulnerable vision of drool lightly leaking from his softly snoring lips as his head laid slumped upon his drooped shoulder and from that shoulder, his arm hung freely to the floor in the basic chair of no side support. One wrong move and he was going to nose dive right out of it.

As you crept up, you made sure you stood at his leaning side so he wouldn't fall in case you startled him and then you placed your hand on his shoulder.

"Landy." you whispered.

The drooling doc drew in a snorting breath and flinched as he gaped up at you.

"It's ok. It's ok. It's just me." you assured him and then chuckled. "What are you doing out here sleepy head? Wasn't your shift over hours ago?"

He slowly sat up and stretched, still not quite alert as his eyes flitted. "Oh uh...yeah I...it was. I've been watching over your sister for your mum while she went home and refreshed. She said you were supposed to be here soon so I coaxed her to go by offering to stay until one of you returned."

His kind heart had you gushing. "Landy, that was so sweet of you. You didn't have to do that but thank you for looking out for my family. I'm here now. You should go home and sleep. You look so exhausted."

He yawned, then his brows frowned with embarrassment as he became aware of his saliva remnants and swiftly swiped it away with his thumb. "Yeah. I am a little but...I'm in no rush to go home with Luke still lingering around being a bigger douche than usual with this whole Elizabeth case and besides, I wanted to see you. You ok?"

"Definitely been better, but..fake it until you make it right? So, is Megan awake?" you asked as you peeked in her window, trying to avoid any and all conversations about Luke, especially about how he almost arrested you which could spark another blow up between the two feuding brothers.

"On and off but she hasn't been talking much with being all doped up. You know you don't have to fake anything with me right? If you wanna talk, cry, scream or even just sit together in silence...I'm here Jo. Always."

You felt the sting of happy tears wanting to form but you weren't about to allow anymore crying, so instead, you smiled and hugged him.

"You're the best, you know that? Thank you for helping me out yesterday. I hope you didn't get too much shit for being late."

He gave you a good squeeze and sighed against your ear. "It was all worth it. I'd do anything for you."

As you smiled in the close and comforting embrace, your eyes lifted to see someone who was not smiling. Your mother.

"Well, that is very kind of you and reassuring Dr. Bloom." the fiery haired Margaret March respectfully interjected, but with a passive aggression as her judging eyes locked on him. "I appreciate your offered supervision of Megan and I thank you for your consistent succor of my other daughter but she has the good Dr. Pace for that and I am sure you have your own responsibilities to tend to instead of spending your extra time fussing over your best friend's partner."

"Mommm!" you harshly stressed. "Can you be any more rude? Landy is my friend too and that's all he's doing is being a friend because that's what friends do."

"It is not my intentions to be rude Joey. I just find it strange that I see more of him around you than I do Lee and I have to wonder what Dr. Bloom's own intentions are and maybe your own as well Josephine."

"Oh my god mom...."

Orlando politely cut in, calm and cool with a smile that you saw right through. "It's alright Jo. Your mum is only looking out for your best interest and now I am going to go look out for mine with about 4 cups of coffee before I attempt to drive home."

"But...you don't have your car. I drove you here, remember? I can give you a ride in awhile."

Orlando felt Margaret's eyes burning right through him, warning him to decline. "No really Jo. Thank you but it's fine. I can call a cab. I'll...talk to you later."

He gave a glum smile and rushed off, leaving you fuming with slitted eyes at your mother. "That was just flat out mean mom!"

"What's mean is you not telling Lee about what happened to Megan or not even speaking to him at all for that matter."

"W..what? How do..."

"Yes...he called me in an attempt to locate you and of course I didn't dare tell him you spent the night with David...which..why were you not with Lee??"

"Jesus mom. What...you have a problem with Dave now too?? All we did was watch a movie and then went to bed...separately."

"What I have a problem with is, is your closeness with other men even if they are good friends. I know I sound hypocritical but I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did when you already have a damn good man who adores you. Would you like to see Lee canoodling with other women? How would that make you feel?"

But you did know how it felt when you found out about his one nighter with Britt all those years ago or when you saw him "canoodling" with that Jess girl in his boat house who you went to school with... and then there was Ethan.

"Canoodling??!!! I am not screwing around on him mom, nor would I ever because I know what that feels like and he's also had that done to him as well and...and you don't even know what's going on with Lee so it would be nice if you would stop acting like I'm doing something wrong."

"Well how hard is it to talk to your boyfriend?"

And that did it. You couldn't take it anymore, withholding the tears that begged for Lee and your mother had triggered them. "He's the one who don't know how to communicate mom and that's actually one of the reasons I'm here because I don't know what to do anymore and I needed my mom to tell me what to do!"

You were now sitting in the chair Orlando had skillfully slept in with your hands over your face, rocking back and forth to keep yourself breathing.

The grinding of chair legs closed in on you and your mother's soft hands pulled yours down as she sat at your side. Her evergreen eyes that always appeared to be walnut brown and had been spewing daggers at Orlando only moments ago, were now moist with compassion as she tenderly wiped your tears away.

"You know that I cannot tell you what to do but I can listen and offer you the best advice that I can. What happened Jo Jo? You and Lee seemed so happy."

You knew you couldn't tell her the full blown detailed story, so you gave her a brief summary instead, being careful not to make Lee out to be a bad person because he wasn't and you knew anything that you told her, she would never forget just like she hadn't with Gerry.

"We..we were Ma but...there's things he won't talk to me about. Things that are eating him up inside and these things affect me too which is affecting us and any time that he does open up to me, he withholds the most important parts, although he will swear he told me everything and then I find out about them later and now I...I..."

She finished what you struggled to say. "You don't trust him."

Sighing, your lips pouted with guilt. "I..I can't help it. I DID trust him, more than anyone. So much so that I told him things I have never spoken to anyone about...you know, like...Gerry and all the secrets and lies and...Lee would tell me things from his past too. We connected in a way I cannot even describe. We were so good for each other. It was as if we were healing the damaged parts of each other and god mom, I fell so hard and so fast for him. I'm so crazy in love with him that it hurts to breathe when he's not around."

"I will not ask you to tell me the details, but without knowing them, I can only offer you so much advice. I know what Gerry did and now I do have to ask this much. Joey, did Lee cheat on you?"

"Oh god no." you quickly blurted out. "It's nothing like that mom. I swear. He would never, that much I trust him with. I know how much he loves me and he's fighting like hell not to lose me but I just don't know what to do. I can't be with someone that will not fully give themselves to me. I can't live with waiting for the next bomb to drop because I am always going to believe there is one coming. I don't care about anything he's done and I told him that. This is about trust and honesty and being a team and all I feel like is his opponent."

Margaret's mind wandered to the day when Lee had asked for her blessing to marry you. She had given it to him because she could see that he too was crazy in love with you, but she had also given the blessing with warning not to hurt you and now she understood why he hadn't asked you yet.

"Whatever it is that Lee is concealing, I feel that is why he is distancing himself from you. I do not doubt for a minute that he does not love you with all of his heart and soul, but speaking from my own experiences, I feel he has been deeply hurt in some way, just as you had been and he's just having more difficulty in getting past it and believing that you won't judge him even when you say that you won't. He may even be trying to protect you by pushing you away because maybe he feels he isn't good enough for you?"

You knew it was all of that and most likely much more, but now you wanted to know how her experiences were relevant. "Is...is that what happened between you and Victor?"

"I had a feeling this is why you have chosen to come to me about this and I'm not really sure how to have this conversation with you because of your father. It was all such a painful time and I thought I was going to lose my family over it all..."

"But you didn't. Daddy forgave you and you both got through it because you..."

"Because Victor gave me no choice." she firmly stated and became a bit shaky.

"W..what?"

Her eyes became glassy with tears. "There's a reason people sometimes do not speak of things Jo and this was why I did not. I too have withheld the entire truth to spare my family of unnecessary pain. I...I was in love with Victor and he with me. I...I still love him."

You knew she loved him, but it still stung to hear her say it as you squeezed her hand that still bore your father's wedding ring.

"Mom...I knew this and although I do not condone what you did, the heart wants what the heart wants." you attested as you thought of Lee's identical words to you that morning in his voicemail. "We cannot help who we love and well...you and Victor also share a son because of that love."

She began to softly weep. "I loved your father too and Victor knew it. He demanded I stay with him when I learned I was with child because I made him believe Bo was not his, which I did to protect your father's heart. He wanted me to live a normal family life, one that he could not give me because of his world. A world of crime and lies and secrets and danger. A world that later kept Bo and him at odds just as it did between Jason and Bo and even Gerry had and still has his issues with his father over it. Sometimes I feel Bo was taken from us to punish me for what I did and for keeping his paternity a secret for all those years and that loss changed Victor a lot. He became darker. I suppose Lee can relate after suffering the loss of his own son. Anyways, Victor knew he could never give himself fully to me either and he wanted me to be safe and I know that's why Jason did the same thing to Britta. I know I made the right decision in choosing your father and I do not regret it at all or I would not have all of my precious children but the what if's will always haunt me and I don't want that for you. I don't doubt your love for Lee but you have to be the one to decide if that's enough. For me, it would have been but I couldn't fight for someone who wouldn't let me and you're not letting Lee fight for you by running away so all I can tell you is, before you let the love of your life go, you need to ask yourself if you can live with that because it seems to me that Lee sees you as forever."

Forever. That word punched a hole right through your chest...but now...you knew you had to go see him and give him that third and final chance to come clean.

As you took your phone out to call him, Megan's cries pierced through the halls.

"Mommm!! Momma Mom MOMMM!!!"

Margaret went running into her room as you stood in the doorway and watched your distressed sister cry like a baby in her mother's arms.

"It's alright. I am here my darling girl. So is joey. You are safe."

Megan's welled up eyes darted around your mom's shoulders to look at you and then she cried even harder.

"You're probably happy and think I got what I deserve and you would be right after everything I have done."

You now stepped into the room, hating that you actually felt sorry for her. "That's not true Megan. No matter what you've done, you did not deserve this."

"Yes I d..did." she bawled. "You don't even know and...and...and you need to know...oh god, my leg...it hurts. It hurts so bad mom."

Your mother then took over to try and calm her as she pushed the call button for the nurse. "Megan, lets not talk right now alright? You need to be checked out. You had surgery on your leg. It is broken."

"But I want to talk! I...I did something so bad."

Now you were highly intrigued and walked up to her bed. "Was it Ethan? Did he make you do something? Did he...did he do this to you?"

"Josephine. Not now. Give her time to breathe!" your mother squawked and got up to look out the door as your sister's sobs continued. "She needs pain medication and where the hell is the nurse?? This is ICU for christ's sake."

Nothing good came from your mother's curses so you backed off for the moment, but when an opportunity arose, you were going to grill your sister over her statement because nothing good came from Megan period. Maybe some drugs would get her talking, you thought as you glanced at the ticking clock. You had just over an hour to meet Lee at the cemetery but you were not leaving there without answers.

Finally, the nurse came in. It was Angel and you became unglued. "Oh hell no! You will not lay one one sleezy finger on my sister you morbid insufferable bitch."

Megan's eyes widened as did your mother's. "Josephine Leeanne March! What on earth has gotten into you??" Margaret reeled.

"This!! This succubus right here is what. She couldn't even handle caring for a 4 year old little girl who is now missing because Lilith here was too busy coming on to my boyfriend and then when he shot her down, she was spreading her legs all of that night for Mr. Carpenter, the man who accused Lee of medical malpractice in the death of his daughter which we all knew wasn't true but it didn't stop her from repeatably banging the abusive lunatic who damn near ruined Lee's career and reputation all for money."

Your mother knew you very well and although she knew you could be extreme as you were being now, she knew you would not lie and the information repulsed her.

"Nurse Smart. I would like you to retrieve my daughter's doctor and find another nurse to administer her treatment. I will not allow such conflict of interest in my daughter's well being because it causes me to believe you may not be able to be objective. Had I been aware of this the last time you were in here, I would have put a stop to it then."

"Mrs. March, I assure you that...."

"Your assurance assures me of nothing, now please LEAVE."

Angel's jaw tightened and her eyes practically set you on fire. "As you wish. I will inform the other nurse to come in and page her doctor."

She left and you apologized. "Sorry mom. That woman is bad news and I couldn't hold my tongue."

"Well, you were looking out for your sister so I can let the theatrics slide, but I am very glad you said something regardless."

Megan became upset again. "I wanna go home Momma. I don't like it here. I don't want to end up like Elizabeth. Please take me home!!"

"Honey, you just had surgery. You have to stay for awhile but I will be right here with you. No one is going to hurt you. I promise."

You wished that were true but you couldn't be certain until Megan named her attacker. Another nurse finally came in, checked her vitals, asked her a few questions and then shot her up with some more morphine which didn't take long to work it's magic.

"Mom, I can't stand it anymore." you contended against her wishes. "Megan...who did this to you?"

She whimpered in fear as she looked to your mom for approval. "It's alright Megan. Whatever you can remember, whatever you're comfortable with telling us, please do so. We want to know what happened and stop whoever did this from doing it to someone else."

"Megs...look at me." you softly commanded. "Was it Ethan?"

Her brows furrowed and then she became agitated. "I...I don't...know."

"What do you mean you don't know? Surely you must have seen your abductor?"

She broke down again. "I...I...I keep trying to picture his face but I can't."

Your mom took her hand. "Ok..ok my love. Just breathe and try to tell us what you do remember. Anything at all."

"I...I re..remember...Dave. He...he was helping me and then...and then I woke up here."

You were trying so hard to remain patient and understanding. "But how did you get there? What is the last thing that you remember before you saw Dave?"

"I...the police station. I..I was talking to that detective about Blaise. I went there to tell him that I thought Ethan may have taken her because I couldn't stand the thought of that poor little girl being scared and crying for her mommy and Ethan...he...he has no business being a father. He is so mean and controlling. He always talked about how he would have her one day so I..I had to try and help her."

"He has no business breathing. You don't even know half of the things he's done. Or maybe you do since you were sleeping with the enemy."

"JoSEPHINE!" your mother piped again.

"Sorry but it's true...so...ok what happened after that?"

"I...." she paused and her entire face scrunched up in forced thought. "I...I don't know. It's all a fog."

"Alright, lets give her a break Jo. She needs time to..." your mom began.

"There is no time mom! You know what Jason was involved in so let me clue you in about Ethan. He's in that life too, only he is a monster. He's the one that attacked his own brother with a knife, you know, Orlando? The one you just berated. He's lucky it was only his hand and that I was there to stop it and Ethan has done other things to Lee that I will not even mention and now this! My sister is in the hospital, lucky to be alive and my landlord's child is missing so Megan needs to start talking!"

"Jo, I swear. I can't remember right now. I'm trying...but..."

"But what???"

"But...I don't...I don't think it was Ethan."

"What do you mean you don't think it was Ethan?? You just said you don't even remember."

"Because I...it...it don't feel like it was him?" Megan explained as if she were questioning herself.

"That makes no damn sense. Either it was him or it wasn't Megan! I mean, who the hell else would it be???"

"I said I don't know Jo. It's literally all blank after I left the police station. It's like having a blackout from drinking."

Her words made you recall the recent experience you had only two days ago when you took your anxiety medication and drank a bottle of wine and strangely...it was the around same time that she went missing.

"Could you have been drugged?? Think Megan. Mom, did the doctor do a toxicology? Surely they would have."

"I have not been told anything about that. When I got here, she was already in surgery and after you left, the police were speaking with him and wouldn't tell me anything. When the doctor comes in, I will ask."

Luke probably knew since he was the one doing the questioning last night but he wasn't going to tell you now that he was a big bad boy in blue, minus the blue.

"Or." your mom went on. "She just don't remember because of the trauma so I think the questions are enough for today."

"Just a few more mom. Ok, Megan. What about BEFORE the police station. What do you remember? Where was Ethan then?"

"I...don't...know."

"So you remember going there, but nothing before or after until Dave. What the hell Megan? Why wouldn't you remember anything before that?? You remembered that Elizabeth is dead and that happened BEFORE!"

She was becoming disconcerted and anxious and the heart rate monitor began chiming."

"I don't know. I don't know! I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW!!!" she cried and your mom finally stood up and angrily pointed at you.

"That is ENOUGH JO!"

"Alright fine. Then at least tell me what you meant when you said you did something bad."

"Damn it Joey, you are not too old for me to pull you out of this room by your ear!"

"No mom. I want to talk to her. Alone." Megan insisted.

"What? Absolutely not. You're already upset."

"Mom please. I...I need to tell her something private. It has nothing to do with this."

"Then can't it wait? Why now?"

She began bawling. "Because I'm a liar."

Now you were unsettled. Megan's lies were a common thing that you were used to but this...this seemed different. She said it had nothing to do with any of this so what bomb was she going to drop on you and why now like your mom asked? Maybe it was her near death experience that was actually giving her a conscience. Whatever it was, it was bad just like she said because she was genuinely distressed over it.

"Alright, but only 5 minutes. I'm going to go find the damn doctor myself."

After your mom left, you sat down in her seat and went straight to the point. "What did you do Megan? Just spit it out. After the things I've been through and things you've done to me, I can handle it."

"I...I don't think you can. Not this time."

"Jesus Megan, I don't scare all too easily but now you are scaring me. Did...you lie just now to mom? Do you really remember and...you and Ethan maybe did something bad? Wait...do you KNOW where Blaise is???"

"No Jo! I don't and I didn't lie. I told you it's not about that."

"Then WHAT did you DO??"

She started trembling and her lips quivered as she spoke. "I do remember something from awhile ago. At mom's and..."

"AND???"

"Please stop shouting, please stop shouting." she squeaked as she winced.

You closed your eyes, inhaled deeply and slowly released the desire to strangle her scrawny little neck right then and there. "OK...I'm calm....tell..me."

"It was the day...that Gerry was there. I was home but...you didn't know and I...I heard you both talking. It was about...about what, well that night..that night when..."

"Will you stop stuttering and just tell me what Gerry has to do with anything??"

"Ok, Ok...I..." she sucked in a breath and then began rapidly speaking, reminding you of how Spinelli did that when he was extremely nervous, usually from being cornered. "It was about when he cheated on you with me, except...except he...he didn't. He never did. We never did and I lied. I lied about it all to hurt you because you always had all the men and I was a nobody and always used. No one ever cared for me like they did you so I...I...followed him to the bar that night. He was upset and drinking because of how you had been shot the month before and you both were having problems over it. We sat and drank and he told me all about it because he said you wouldn't talk to him much about it and he felt so guilty that it happened and he...he was crying Jo, just like I saw him sitting in his truck crying after you guys argued at mom's and you took off, only that time I felt bad because you had Lee and he had no one and that was because of me because I...I drugged him Jo and then I took him home because he was in no shape to drive and I...I put on your perfume and came onto him, but he..he rejected me and passed out. I was angry because even then, he didn't want me so I sent you that text from his phone and you believed it and he believed it because he couldn't remember anything when he woke up the next morning lying next to me, both of us naked because I..I undressed him to make it seem real and then you were pounding on his door and..."

You stood up so fast that the chair fell over. Your chest was so tight and your heart was racing. Your entire body violently shook and you couldn't speak as burning tears streamed from your gaping eyes. It was if you had been knocked into some other dimension from the shocking blow.

Margaret immediately came in from the sound of the crashing chair. "Joey?? What's happened? Jo?? Josephine, talk to me!"

Her voice and Megan's crying all echoed as you became giddy upon your feet. You were either going to pass out or go to jail over a moment of temporary insanity and you didn't want either so you stumbled out the door and began running, panting, hyperventilating as you heard her screams fading the further you got.

"Jo I'M SORRY!! I'M SO SORRY!!!"

@redeemer46

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thelastharbinger · 1 year

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Tidbits of ATSV That I Enjoyed (Or Alternatively: Just Miles Being The Most Endearing Spidey Ever)

Miles patting The Spot's head after successfully webbing him (I don't see this as condescending, but rather him still engaging with the humanity of a villain like Spot) and ~very assertively~ telling/asking him not to escape.

"I'm like Robin Hood-if he gave to himself."

Miles' spidey senses going off when he arrives late to his dad's party because there's nothing more frightening than Brown parents when they're mad at you. Beware the chancla or correa!

O.k. So we all know there are different versions of the movie out there. You may already know that one of the slight differences is when Miles goes to save Inspector Singh. There's a version where you can hear Gwen's voice in the distant background yelling no! when she thinks Miles gets crushed under the rubble, and there's another where she's silent as she webs to him. Now, I have found ANOTHER version (online) where her shouting is even more at the forefront. She's practically screaming and sounds more desperate, (prolly because it's close to the same way her Peter Parker died so she's reliving trauma) and the fear in her voice is palpable. That one haunts me.

Jefferson trying to equate studying for his police exams to childbirth, which Rio quickly nips in the bud.

Ganke having a soccer poster of Son Heung Min, a famous Korean footballer who currently plays for the Premier League Tottenham Hotspur and is captain of the South Korean national team.

Miles having a Sashimi (his universe's version of Supreme, but I just like the idea that Miles loves eating sashimi. Like I know that kid has good taste in food) poster in his bedroom.

The fact that Miles kept in touch with Aunt May for long enough after the events of ITSV that he helps her move.

The Spot saying he was one of the more handsome scientists at Alchemax according to his colleagues.

Miles and Gwen having the same collectible toys, the only difference being that he keeps his in the box and she doesn't.

"Hey, don't try to wow me with big words, man," *in deep manly voice* "I do crosswords every day"- Miles after Spot points out Alchemax as "the crucible of our connection!"

Miles going, "This job is so dumb sometimes" after he tries to web Spot at the deli, but it goes through a hole and lands on his face.

"Nahhh, he seems more Dominican to me." Kinda want Miles to meet a native Dominican Spidey because that dynamic would highkey fuck hard *pun not intended*. They would repair relations between our two islands-PR&DR.

"Almost there Mami *smiley face* *cowboy* prayer hands*"

The college admissions coach at Visions Academy straight up saying, "That's your story! Now, just stick to the script..." Ma'am what???

"Calmate Mami, eso no es my fault."

"I've hit a lot of different villains with a lot of different food...I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

Miles in his angsty teen era and smart-mouthing everyone around him. Love that for him.

"He almost killed his mom as a baby, I mean, look at those shoulders." No but for real tho. Those shoulders are as wide as a truck. Kim Seokjin who??? (if you understood that reference, ily).

Miles writing a love letter to his dad in 2 cakes.

Gwen at the water tower chowing and saying how feelings make her hungry after her and Miles talked about how they can't be together cause it would end in tragedy. Like Gwen, come again?!

Also, Miles' and Gwen's talk at the Williamsburg Bank Building being lowkey the catalyst for the 2nd/3rd acts of the film. Without them both kind of silently admitting their feelings for each other, Miles probably wouldn't have chased after her the way he did. Pretty sure you know the rest.

"I bet she doesn't even speak Spanish," and Jeff going "Que barbaridad" in his very broken Spanish. Queue Rio's bombastic side eye.

Both Gwen and Miles referring to Spot as a Villain Of The Week, even though neither of them have spoken about Spot to each other.

"I was bitten by a-wouldnt you like to know? Know what I mean?" SIR. Chill. This movie is for children.

The Spot inverting himself, going from a white mass with black spots to a gaping black hole with smaller white spirals. It's giving Junji Ito.

The irony of Pavitr exclaiming, "Well that was another easy adventure for Spider-Man!" right before an incoming canon event. HIS. He was about to experience his first big loss, and his happy-go-lucky nature would've been challenged.

Miguel saying conyo! when all the Spideys start pointing at each other.

"!Cállate!" "Nosy!" Sidebar: we don't talk about Gwen's banter with bad guys enough. She's so funny!

A lot of the Peters saying hi to Gwen as she passes HQ because she is canonically the one lost love--the love interest they all would've ended up with had she not died, so they all have an affection for her.

Web-Slinger going "Giddy up!" Cause he's swinging up.

Miles offering his fresh new takes on how to deal with the Spot upon meeting Miguel, saying "He just wants to be taken seriously. Like we all do." MILES YOU BEAUTIFUL, COMPASSIONATE GOLDEN SUNFLOWER BOY I LOVE YOUUUUU.

Hobie referring to Peter B. as Humbling Reality Spider-Man, which considering how steeped in tragedy the Spidey lore is, is really saying something.

Miguel's nonono no puedo más no puedo más. His misery is very funny and delightful to me. Little bitch ass.

"You know you're the only Spider-Man who isn't funny." Yes! More Miguel slander in the next one, please! Little bitch ass.

"Snitch!"

Miles shouting out Peter's name for help whilst Miguel pins and lays into him the fact that he's an anomaly. This after he momentarily glitches back to his ITSV store-bought suit. Mimicking the way-in also the first movie-Miles shouting out Peter's name for his own rescue as Doc Ock attacks him at the research facility. Because even though he feels hurt by Peter at this point, that's still his dad mentor and he still instinctively looks to him for protection. Rip my heart out why don't you!

Gwen sneaking back into her and her dad's place just to get that printed polaroid of her and Miles, a pic she already has on her phone.

Earth-42 Miles wearing Nike while our Miles wears Jordans.

#hi. ive seen this movie 8x in theaters and twice on pirating sites. i am unwell #also sorry not sorry for the miguel slander. i am a miles loyalist thru and thru thst bitch is on thin ice #but also literally can't get over gwen “it really is so nice to get to talk to you. me & him its different. in every other universe...stacy #cause directly underneath that she's actually saying. “i missed you. and what i have with you i literally do not have with anyone else and.#you dont know this but ive met hundreds and thousands of spiderpeople. nd even in my friendship with hobie its not like what i have with yo #and im actually really smitten with you. the one person i shouldn't be smitten with bc there is no happy ending for us. and idk...#if i should hold off. and im letting you know all this so that you can decide for me. whether to take that lesp of faith or not with you. &#hope that say yes and make the first move so that i cant but help to just sink into you.“#AND IT MAKES SENSE! SHE MET HIM JUST AS HE WAS LIVING THROUGH AN EXPERIENCE SHE DID. OF BECOMING SPIDEY. AND RIGHT AFTER #SUFFERING THE GREATEST TRAGEDY OF HER LIFE WHICH SHE WAS ABOUT TO BEAR WITNESS THRU WITH HIM. SHE WAS THERE FOR HIS UNCLE DYING AND WATCHED #HIM BECOME SPIDERMAN. WE FORGET THAT THEY ACTUALLY WENT THRU SOME HEAVY THINGS TOGETHER. THEYRE TRAUMABONDED. I KNOW THATS NOT WHAT THAT WO #ACTUALLY MEANS. BUT IT MAKES SENSE THAT SHE CAN ONLY TALK TO MILES BC THEY PERFECTLY UNDERSTAND EO.#anyways idk why im shouting. im high rn. but crazy how all of that meaning was subtly thrown in there. like we got a confession scene folks #from gwen of all people! i love that for me.#also back to miguel: so i know he's hot. but if a hot person were to ever be rude to a waiter we agree theyre no longer hot right? right.#atsv #miles morales #itsv #miguel o'hara #the spot #ghostflower #gwiles #gwen stacy #ghost spider #gwen x miles #rio morales #across the spider verse #into the spider verse

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positivelybeastly · 9 months

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A Completely Unbiased and Totally Comprehensive Beast Reading List, Pt. 1

As a member of the first class of X-Men, the intelligently gifted Dr. Hank McCoy has been fighting for the peaceful coexistence between mutants and humans for most of his life, under the tutelage of Professor Xavier. Born with an enhanced physique, strength, and muscular structure, he has adopted the name Beast.

Well, hello there, friends! Welcome to a completely unbiased, totally comprehensive, not at all too long reading list that aims to show you the story of everyone's favourite Beast, from start to finish!

Origins

As one of the original X-Men, Beast features in almost every issue of the very first iteration of the team - but to put it bluntly, 60s X-Men sucks, and I want you to enjoy this character, so we're going to start with some aggressive curation.

X-Men Origins: Beast, by Mike Carey - a solo story that retells Hank's origins, including his pre-X-Men life, and an insight into his mindset, his relationship with humanity, and his first meeting with the X-Men. It also happens to have some rather lovely art, and a fantastic last page spread that expresses a lot of what makes Hank a brilliant character. X-Men: First Class, by Jeff Parker - a collection of mini-series that fill in the gaps between stories in the original run of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's X-Men, this run is extremely readable, and does a very good job of forming a cohesive characterisation of both Hank, the X-Men, and, particularly, Professor Xavier. You do not need to have any former knowledge of anything X-Men to read this run. Issues of Particular Note: (2006) #8; the meeting of Hank and Gorilla Man, who have a cute dynamic, and if you like Gorilla Man, you should read Agents of Atlas by Parker as well. (2007) #4; the foundation of Hank's friendship with Bobby Drake, aka Iceman. These two were thick as thieves all the way up until the late 00s. Giant-Sized Special; a collection of short fun little stories with varying art styles, featuring Hank on small solo adventures or in duos with the other X-Men. Finals #2; Hank deciding to leave the X-Men, and become his own man.

X-Men: Season One by Dennis Hopeless is a standalone graphic novel that aims to retell the early days of the X-Men from the perspective of Jean Grey, and features Hank fairly prominently. If you want to be more up to code on early X-Men history without dealing with issues of the 60s run, this would be a good place to do it.

And of course, Uncanny X-Men vol. 1. While I would not advise reading this run in its entirety, dipping your toe in to get some appreciation for what 60s comics were like and how far we've come isn't an awful idea. Issues of Particular Note: #7 Hank is momentarily abducted by a beatnik foot cult. No notes, this is just a funny situation that Hank ends up in. #8; one of the first instances of anti-mutant hysteria in an X-Men book, the first time Hank left the X-Men, and also the origin of his short career as a professional wrestler. #47; Hank and Bobby go on a double date with their girlfriends and get interrupted by superhero shenanigans.

Grey

With Hank having now left the X-Men, he has a rendezvous with destiny, and while this is going to be a very short period on our reading list, it's a very formative one for young Hank.

Amazing Adventures #11-17, by Gerry Conway, Steve Englehart, and Arnold Drake. Honestly, just read this entire run - you basically get a very well contained story that delves into Hank at a very young age, and while this may be a series from the 1970s, it's actually surprisingly modern in its approach to Hank as a character. It's also interesting to see the introduction of a more horror/wolfman aspect to Hank's character, which is largely due to the contemporary popularity of Werewolf-by-Night. It all caps off with issue #17, which collects a number of back-up stories that originally came from Uncanny X-Men, that tell Hank's origin in its uncondensed form. If you started with Carey's Origins book, these story beats will be very familiar, but it's interesting to see what parts were cut and which were preserved.

A companion story that goes back and revisits this very interesting period of Hank's life can be found in X-Men Unlimited vol. 2 #10, as one of the two stories contained there. Sliding somewhere in between issues of Amazing Adventures, it provides a modern emotional context for Hank's transformation, and I feel obliged to warn you that this is a very heavy story. If stories about depression, radiation sickness, or familial death are triggering for you, approach with caution.

Avengers

As you may have noticed, Hank has now changed from grey to his more familiar blue! This is due to printing limitations of the time, where attempts to render black or grey often ended up producing a shade that looked closer to blue. But enough of that malarkey, let's talk about everyone's favourite Bouncing Baby Blue Beast!

Avengers vol. 1, by . . . so many writers, but the most significant include Jim Shooter, Gerry Conway, Steve Englehart, David Michelinie, Bill Mantlo, etc. As the first X-Man to cross teams, Hank made history, and he quickly settled in nicely to the bitchy, high octane, absolutely bonkers world of 70s Marvel. Among other things, this is where he forms lifelong friendships with Carol Danvers, Steve Rogers, and, perhaps most importantly, Simon Williams. Honestly, this entire run has its ups and downs, but I'd recommend reading it from start to finish, just because it's fun, and Hank is so much fun in it. If you're more used to buzzkill Beast from the modern era, you'll be shocked at just how much of a kind-hearted goof he is here. Although, maybe skip the Korvac Saga. Issues of Particular Note: #137, which features Hank's initial tryout for the Avengers, with some story beats that will have particular resonance if you read Amazing Adventures or X-Men Unlimited, recommended above. #141, which sees the beginning of the origins of Patsy Walker, who you might know better as Hellcat, and who will become an important part of our story later. #148, which sees Hank embrace his disguise gimmick - while pretty much abandoned from this point on, it was arguably never going to get better than the trick he pulls here. Avengers Annual #6, which sees the origins of Hank and Simon's wonder-ful relationship. Whether you read them as friends or more, it really is a ton of fun to see just how quickly they glom onto each other as partners. #160 digs a little deeper into Hank's dynamic on the Avengers, and, if you aren't doing a full readthrough, this provides an interesting perspective on what Hank brings to the team, which is paid off in #163 and #164. Can you guess what it is? Yep . . . sex symbol. This is the origin of Hank McCoy, original mutant fuck machine, baybeeee. #171 sees Hank speaking Latin, being kind of a shit to Ms. Marvel, and being called a slut by Thor, which is kind of amazing, tbh. But Hank then proceeds to disappear for a bit, dodging the really rather awful Korvac Saga, so if you want to read more about our boy, you can jump right ahead to #178, where they make up for his brief absence by psychologically torturing him! Yeah! Love it! Next big issue of note is #188, where the Avengers get political, Hank gets to hold Ms. Marvel's laser gatling gun backpack, and press his nose against a plane window like a small child (it's better than I'm making it sound)! #194 has Hank at his best, to be quite honest, and is an all around nice little slice of life, quiet issue for the Avengers, for those of you who miss such things in comics. #206 features Hank speaking every language he knows for an entire issue, on . . . well, honestly, not even a dare, he just does it. #209, meanwhile is . . . heavy. Trigger warnings for the Shoah, the Holocaust, concentration camps, and a lot of dark subject matter, but it does showcase Hank at arguably his most heroic and his most tender. And then, finally, we reach the end of Hank's tenure with the Avengers, at #211, where . . . well, honestly? He leaves because his boyfriend is leaving. There's no other way to interpret it, that's just the text. He'll of course join the Avengers again, and is always active as a reservist, but for now, he's to move on to greener, more defensive pastures. In between these appearances, it's also worth checking out the absolutely iconic Dark Phoenix Saga. If you think you know this story from the adaptations in X-Men 3 or Dark Phoenix, trust me, you don't - this is the real story, as it should always have been. Hank only joins in on the story in the last third, but if you ever doubted his commitment to the X-Men, his friends, or the ideals of justice, look no further. And guess what, it's just a damned good story, starting at Uncanny X-Men #129 and going on to #138.

Hank also makes guest appearances in Uncanny X-Men #111 to #114, where he first properly meets the second generation of X-Men, though as you'll see, it's far from the most orderly or normal of introductions. For those of you who don't know about Chris Claremont and his predilections, you will learn - great writer, absolutely fundamental to the X-Men, but . . . hoo boy.

That's what I've got for you for the moment! I will be adding the next sections as separate posts, so that this doesn't get too long - feel free to check back here, or just keep your eyes peeled in the Hank McCoy tag, so that you don't miss the next section, as we move into the 80s proper! Also, I may be adding new issues here and there, as I remember things, so check back if you want to hear more about Beast's early years!

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