#and after ben was stuck under the tree all the main characters trying to help him???????????????

[stripesysheaven]

well. i finally did it. i completed my second full viewing of lost. took me like 3 weeks to finally watch the finale. i feel so dead inside

[padfootagain]

Singles Will Be Paired (II)

Part 2 : Ugly Sweaters

Here's the second part of my series for Ben! Again, this is very cute! I hope you all like it!

Gif not mine

Word Count : 2734

You and Ben opted for hot dogs instead of sitting for a full meal. You kept on walking through the magical streets, eating and laughing. In the middle of the main lane, the snow had melted under the steps of all the visitors, only the borders and corners of the streets were still covered in white. You marvelled at the many decorations suspended through the passages, and the tall Christmas tree visible in the distance. People were taking pictures with the costumed characters of Mickey and his friends.

This charming stranger who had volunteered to be your partner for the rest of the day in Disneyland was wearing his funny Christmas hat again. A red series of 'Ho Ho Ho' was sewed in the white fur that decorated the red hat. You couldn't help but smile at the sight, and Ben noticed your amused gaze.

"What? You don't like my hat?"

"It's both adorable and ridiculous," you chuckled.

"Goes well with the scenery!"

"Why… you don't like Disney and you came to Disneyland?"

He laughed.

"I love it. It's magical. And I'm all for feeling like a kid all over again."

"You're not a cynical guy?"

"Not at all."

"Good! I would have broken our contract if you were a killing-joy!"

"I love Christmas," he went on. "I'm coming home to spend Christmas' Eve with my family."

"Are you staying in Paris until then?"

"I am," he nodded. "My brother was supposed to accompany me, but he fell in the stairs a week ago and broke his leg. He can't walk, and we reckoned that it wasn't the best idea to come here, but he insisted that I shouldn't waste my holidays."

"Same for my friend, she almost forced me in this plane!"

"I have to admit that I'm quite grateful that he insisted. I'm having a great time."

"Me too."

You exchanged a smile, passing before a couple of shops that sold tons of souvenirs.

"What's your favourite Disney movie?" you asked Ben out of the blue.

He shrugged, before narrowing his eyes a little.

"I can't choose just one, that is such a cruel question! The Jungle Book is great though… perhaps that one… but I don't know…"

"I understand you," you chuckled.

"Do you have a favourite?"

"Mary Poppins, I think."

He rolled his eyes.

"Of course if you bring up a cinematographic masterpiece into the fray, how can I compete?" he joked, making you laugh.

You started humming softly A Spoonful Of Sugar, and Ben soon joined you. You kept on walking and humming for a while, finishing your meal and walking through the magical little village. You explored Alice's labyrinth before walking towards more roller coasters. And by the time you were joining another queue together, you were either laughing thanks to his jokes, either humming tunes that had followed you through your childhood.

And you had to admit that it was a very lovely afternoon that you spent with Ben. The more time flew by, the better you felt by his side, and the more you wanted this day to never end…

But eventually, the sun started to sink beyond the horizon, and lights were alit throughout the park and gave another magical touch to the whole place. Something even more magical, as lights shining through darkness always brought the brightest thoughts and hopes, after all. And right before Christmas, lights were brighter than ever…

You walked back towards the entrance of the park in a slow pace, almost reluctant, and by your side, Ben didn't seem willing to quicken his steps. So, to make the day a little longer, you decided to have a hot chocolate before heading back to your lonely hotel rooms. The warm beverage was more than welcome with the cold weather outside. By then, you and Ben had shared a few personal details about each other, and when you had finally recognized him as an actor, you had become curious to know how the world of movie-making worked. So while you drank your hot chocolate, the conversation drifted towards cinema and Ben shared with you many funny stories he had lived on set.

"Don't laugh at me, it was scary!" he protested as you doubled with laughter.

"You're hilarious!" you managed to say between two waves of laughter.

Ben's cheeks took a redder shade and you knew that it wasn't because he was laughing too.

"I don't know if it's meant as a compliment or you're just mocking me," he joked.

"A compliment."

You kept on laughing but Ben slowly went quiet, merely staring at you. A smile lingered on his lips as he listened to your laughter, and he couldn't help but feel happier at the sound. He studied your features more in detail, and his smile grew fonder. Yes, you were definitely… charming. He wondered if you would accept to see him again once this day was over and you didn't need him to get a ride in roller coasters anymore. Perhaps… he could convince you to keep this arrangement of yours for the next day.

Behind you, a family was settling at a table, and two of the children seemed particularly… excited. They were running around the table and didn't seem to care at all about their parents' warnings. Instead, they were playing loudly and laughing as they ran.

You finally grew quiet again, taking a sip of your hot beverage, while Ben was gathering his courage and taking a deep breath, before diving.

"Y/N… I was wondering…"

His voice was shy all of a sudden, he was stuttering a little again, and you gave him a reassuring smile, silently inviting him to continue. But he didn't have the occasion.

As you rose your cup to your lips again, the children behind you accidentally pushed you quite roughly as they ran too fast, and you spilled hot chocolate all over your pullover…

You gasped, your eyes growing round as you watched the large brown stain left on your jumper, and you cursed under your breath.

Ben winced as he handed you his napkin.

"I'm not sure you can clean that up," he told you with a shrug.

"Brilliant," you mumbled angrily. "I'll be back in a sec."

You walked to the bathroom and tried to clean up this mess, but indeed, no matter how hard you tried to get rid of that chocolate, a large brown stain remained impregnated in the fabric. You heaved a frustrated sigh before going back to Ben's table. You let yourself fall back on your chair.

"I only brought one more sweater with me, and it's not as warm as this one," you told him. "Perhaps I should buy another one. That'll make me a souvenir."

Ben chuckled, before enthusiastically nodding.

"Let's go then! Before you catch a cold with that wet sweater!"

He stood up and gave you a bright smile. Looking for a jumper still meant making one more activity with you, and it might be the last time he saw you… as long as he could be with you for a little longer, he was up for anything.

And if at first you had been annoyed by the idea of searching for a sweater, now that Ben was coming with you, you were rather keen to the idea… After all, you didn't know if he would want to see you again once you would have walked out of this place tonight.

"Doesn't that bother you to come with me?" you asked him rather shyly, but he answered with a warm smile.

"Not at all! Anyway, it's not as if I had better things to do! It's that or watching crappy TV on my own, so…"

You chuckled, but stood up too, paying for your drink and following Ben to the door.

You walked down the main lane towards a shop, and once again, you welcomed the warmth inside. The shop in itself was richly decorated for Christmas as well, and many children were running here and there, excited smile on their faces. The air smelt like gingerbread and oranges. Everything felt like Christmas and magic…

You walked through the shop in search for Disney sweaters, and when you finally found some, you had to admit that you were rather disappointed.

They all looked rather ridiculous. At least, the ones available in adult sizes were. You were terribly jealous of that lightly purple sweater with a beautiful decoration reading 'May the Force be with you' on it. Instead… you were stuck with a sweater with the head of Pluto making a very weird face. Not that you had anything against the yellow dog, but the sweater was just ugly…

Ben hummed by your side, frowning hard.

"Looks like you won't have much of a choice," he sighed.

"I feel terrible for these poor characters to be on such ugly sweaters…"

Ben laughed, but had to admit that you were right.

"I'll look utterly ridiculous," you moaned.

"Come on, it's not so bad!"

You rose an eyebrow in surprise, before picking up a fuchsia sweater with a Mickey Mouse head upon it that looked like he was having a heart attack, and you pressed it against your torso to show him how you would look like in it. And he couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah… that's terrible," he nodded.

"Poor me," you dramatically groaned.

He gave you a bright smile, a mischievous glint alit in his eyes.

"Well, if you are doomed and have to look ridiculous for the rest of your trip, then I'll help you feeling better!" he offered.

"And how do you intend to do that?" you asked back with an amused smile.

"I'll buy the ugliest sweater I can find too," he answered matter-of-factly.

You exploded with laughter.

"No, I can't let you bring this on yourself, Ben! That's very generous, but that's too terrible!"

"I won't let you feel miserable about yourself. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time people laugh at me. Being an actor, I came at peace with that idea a long time ago."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am! But then, we need to find the most hideous ones…"

He looked through the sweaters and picked up an ugly green one with Pluto wearing a santa hat and making a very weird face that was supposed to look like he was happy, but looked more like he was a psychopath and was about to try to kill you…

"That will go with my hat, don't you think?" he asked with a laugh.

He chose the right size, before trying it on and putting his one Christmas hat as well. You couldn't help but laugh.

"You look dashing!" you laughed.

"I know," he nodded, unable to stop a smile to cross his face. "Which one do you pick?"

You looked at the fuchsia sweater you were still holding.

"I guess that one is horrid enough, don't you think?" you smiled at him.

"Good choice," he nodded, taking off the sweater and the hat again.

You chuckled, looking fondly at Ben, and you didn't think about the words you spoke as they passed your lips.

"You're one of a kind, Ben. You really are adorable."

His cheeks and ears turned crimson in the blink of an eye, and he clumsily ran a hand through his jet-black hair.

"What would your boyfriend say if he heard you compliment another guy like that," he joked his way out.

But your voice was more serious as you replied.

"I don't have a boyfriend, so we're in the clear."

You intensely stared at each other for a moment, and you lost yourself in his dark brown eyes. You studied their colour for a while, feeling like the whole universe had shrunk around you. And for a while, there was nothing but these two dark eyes in the whole world. You realized that they came closer to you, but didn't make a movement to walk away again. Instead, you took a step towards them as well. Only when you could feel Ben's nearness did you finally realize how close he now was to you. He didn't try to lean down towards your lips, although you saw his eyes jump down to settle upon them for a moment. He gave you a warm smile instead, and your heart skipped a beat. You noticed that his breathing wasn't quite even anymore, and your own breath matched his. It felt like being under some kind of spell that prevented you from looking away, from moving away… or for even wanting to do so. But you barely knew him, how could you share that kind of moment already?

You forced yourself to look away, and it seemed that you needed such an amount of strength to finally tear your eyes away from his face.

Eventually, you cleared your throat and proposed to go paying for the sweaters. Ben followed you without a word, but with a smile and flushed cheeks.

Now having a very ugly pair of sweaters, you and Ben both walked back into the cold of winter, slowly advancing towards the gates of the park. A comfortable silence had settled between the two of you, but you hadn't made proper eye-contact since that moment you had shared in the shop. You didn't feel uncomfortable around him because of it though, just… apprehensive. You were just a little scared that you would never see him again.

And Ben didn't dare to speak. He was scared that you would never want to see him again after tonight. He felt angry against himself for letting himself be drown to you so easily. He shouldn't have walked so close to you. What had happened in his head?!

You had happened. It was pretty clear. He just couldn't help it, the way he felt attracted towards you, as a comet pulled by gravity towards a sun.

You reached the large gates and walked out, still in silence, until it was time for you to part and go back to your hotel rooms. Ben waited for you to speak first.

"Well… thank you for today. It was great," you shyly smiled.

"I had a lovely day thanks to you," he nodded.

"And thank you for sharing some sweater-shame with me," you joked, making him chuckle.

"No problem."

"Well… I guess… it means goodbye then," you gave him a warm smile.

He nodded slowly. He wanted to ask for your number. He wanted to ask you to see him again. He wanted…

But his words didn't match his wishes.

"Goodbye, Y/N."

You slowly nodded, before slowly turning around. You started to walk away through the night, the road lightened by lampposts and Christmas lights.

He could hear his brother's words already, speaking a truth he didn't want to hear.

Ben, you moron! You should have asked to see her again!

And he mentally slapped himself for being such an idiot. Jack would be right. Ben liked you. He wanted to spend more time with you. He hadn't felt this way in ages. If he let you go now, he knew he would regret it for years.

"Y/N!"

You froze, before slowly turning back towards Ben, who was already hurrying after you. Soon, he was standing by your side again.

"What about we spend tomorrow together too?" he asked in a rush, his nerves getting the best of him. "I mean… we're still alone here, right? And I can still hear with both ears…"

You let out a laugh, before nervously touching your hair.

"What would your girlfriend say if you spent two days in Disneyland with another woman?" you half-joked.

But he answered with a large smile.

"I don't have a girlfriend, so we're in the clear."

You stared at each other in silence for a moment. Until your smile widened into a grin.

"I'd love to spend tomorrow with you, Ben," you whispered.

You both felt your cheeks heating up and let out a shy chuckle.

"Let's meet here tomorrow morning then, when the park opens," he proposed.

You nodded in agreement.

"I'll be here," you promised.

"Good night, then, Y/N," he grinned.

"Good night, Ben."

This time, he didn't stop you when you walked away. He didn't need to. Instead, he threw his fist through the air and towards the sky in a sign of victory.

He would see you again tomorrow…

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

Tag list : @geeksareunique @giggleberts @madamrogers @sad-orange-thoughts @aylinnmaslow @benbarnes-world @ladyblablabla @drinix @joelynnp @mxrihollxnd @rockintensse @newtstarmander @iammadeofstarsandlazyness @presstocontinue @ilmiopiccolounivers0 @ponycake27 @horsesreign @xinyourdreamsx @jbluevelvet @notkeppeki @daynight-dreamer-stuff @fudgeflyss @stuckupstucky @snek-shit @suchatinyinfinity @i-padfootblack-things

[kimmyiewrites]

Case Closed ~ Chpt 1

Previous Work: Moving On Story Summary: Mike and Bex have been at their new assignments for a few months now. Mike is looking at things far out of his normal range of cases while Bex is facing a demon that has haunted her past for ten years now. Will both of them be able to close their cases? Graceland x Braindead x Criminal Minds crossover

AN: Here it is! The sequel to Moving On. If you haven't read that story yet then I highly suggest that you do or you'll miss out on the start of Mike and Bex's connection. This concept came about two years ago now while watching Aaron's show Braindead. During a live tweet of an episode, he replied to a fan's tweet saying how they thought that Mike Warren was actually undercover as Garreth Ritter since he knew so much about the other agent in the show. That got me thinking and so here we go! This also goes into the Criminal Minds universe (aka this is a big ol' crossover fic so get ready). So proceed with caution since this book will be dealing with a serial killer. So without further ado, I really hope you like this book as much as you liked Moving On and I can't wait to hear what you all think!

"Now remember, you're the Tin Man. You were out chopping wood when it began to rain. You couldn't get inside quick enough so you were stuck in the same position for years until Dorothy and the scarecrow come find you. You then join them on their journey to meet the Wizard of Oz because you want a heart." The man, who couldn't be any older than 40, instructed the man who was tied to a tree and dressed in gray matching sweats.

The man who was giving instructions stopped his pacing right in front of his latest victim. He leaned against the ax he had been swinging while he was pacing. "Do you think you can remember that when you get up there? Dorothy and the Scarecrow will be there waiting for you with Ben and Jamie. I'll be sending the next characters up soon so you can't start telling them the story quite yet since I'm sending characters a little out of order but tell them that it'll be soon, before the year ends. There's just so many characters, you see, that I have to hurry things along a bit."

The man in the gray sweats began to shake his head. On top of being tied to a tree, he also had a gag in his mouth. "But you're perfect. You're the best Tin Man I could find. You're going to have to remember." The man with the ax said, growing frustrated.

"I'll tell you one more time and then you're just going to have to remember. It's getting late and I have to leave so so they don't find me before I'm finished telling my story. Otherwise, Ben and Jamie won't understand and they'll never go to sleep." The man began pacing again, going over the story of the Tin Man once more.

"Do you get it now?" He asked but once again the man in sweats shook his head. "Well, you're just going to have to." The man said with gritted teeth as he brought the ax above his head. With one swift motion, he swung the ax down, lodging it into the other man's head.

The man in sweats slouched, blood dripping down his face from the wound. The killer bent down and removed the gag. Using the cloth that was in the other man's mouth, he tried clearing the blood away so that whenever his children, Ben and Jamie, met him, they wouldn't be scared. "Enjoy kiddos." He said, standing up and walking away from the crime scene once he was satisfied.

"Maybe you should just go with cereal instead?" Jennifer said as she pried open the waffle iron in front of Bex.

At the sound of Jennifer's voice and the smell of burnt waffle, Bex returned back to reality She shook her head with a laugh. "Yeah, maybe you're right. Thanks JJ."

The other agent gave Bex's shoulder a squeeze and a sympathetic smile. "We're gonna get him Bex." Bex just nodded her head, giving JJ a smile of her own before moving in front of the cereal containers.

The news they received walking into the Kansas City police station didn't do anything to lift Bex's spirits. JJ and Tara were speaking to the girlfriend of the man most recently killed. Emily was at the morgue while Rossi and Luke were at the crime scene. "I, uh, brought some tea, hoping it'll help a little bit." Spencer said as he walked into the conference room the BAU was using as their work space.

He placed the cup in front of Bex, who looked up as he sat down next to her. She gave him a grateful smile before taking a sip of the hot beverage. "I should be in there talking to her Spencer but the minute she walked in all I could see was my mom's face after she was told the details and I just couldn't." She set the cup back down on the table before leaning back in her chair, cover her face in her hands. "I don't even know why I'm still brought onto these cases. I'm too emotionally attached."

"You're brought on because you're our best asset on this case. You know him best so where do we start next?" He knew she did best when she was working with facts and what they knew. It helped her focus and feel like she was in control. They had gotten past her 'this is why I work in organized crime' phase of her return and now it was time to finally lock the guy behind 10 years worth of murders so that she could move past it all. He wished Morgan was still on the team so that she would at least laugh a little bit more.

Bex nodded as she started to go through all that they knew. "Well we know that he's not worried too much about physical appearance unless it's stated in the book. Dorothy was a brunette, therefore the person who he chose also needed to be a brunette. The person he chose for the Scarecrow was a farmer and the person he chose for the Tin Man worked at the paper mill. So is the person he's looking for next have to resemble a lion or are they deemed a coward?" She then groaned. "I just wish we knew more about this guy. The profile we came up with can only get us so far I feel like."

Spencer rubs soothing circles along her back. "We have to trust in the profile Bex. Garcia is trying to see if anyone on our list has connections with any of the victims."

"She could even start seeing if anything has come up in the news that our unsub will deem cowardly." Bex suggested, feeling a little better that they were at least trying to get ahead of the unsub.

She went to the board and wrote down their prediction. They had to get this one right or it would be another two years before their shot at tracking him down again. They were still unsure as to why but their unsub followed children's stories, killing and staging his victims as characters from the story. He usually chose four of the main characters, killing them within a six month period before disappearing for two years.

They were all making calls to those they thought, based off of Garcia's list from Bex's hunch earlier, could be potential targets. They were informing of increased police patrols in their areas of home and work as well as tips on being vigilant. Right before Bex was about to call the next person on the list, her phone rang. Mike's name flashed across the screen, making her smile. She excused herself so she could answer the call in private. "Hey, you." She said, hoping she sounded a little more enthusiastic than what she thought she sounded like.

She in fact did not. She sounded tired and that worried Mike. "Hey, what happened?"

She let out a sigh, knowing there was no getting around it. "The unsub killed again. We've got like two months to figure out who this guy is before he disappears again."

Mike looked down at his feet wishing he could give her a hug. "I'm sorry. You guys will get him. I know it. I can offer a distraction if you'd like?" He offered not wanting to just jump right into the problems of his case when it was clear she was upset about her own.

"Yes, please." Bex answered, not wanting to think about how she felt like she was failing her younger sister, yet again.

"Well, something weird is definitely going on. I just got out of a meeting with another agent who was just put on the case. Apparently people's heads are exploding." He whispered the last bit, to make sure no one heard him.

"Did you just say that people's heads are exploding?" She asked, trying so hard not to laugh.

"Yes, I did and that's not the crazy part. I mean, I have no place to judge but Red has completely changed his life around, drinking nothing but those green smoothies and is following this juice cleanse book to the t, where just the other day he was passed out drunk in his office." Mike continued to explain all that he was dealing with.

Bex grew puzzled at that. Even after detoxing Mike had done a few things to make sure that he wasn't ever tempted again but that was after a three day period. It certainly was not an overnight decision to stick to a juice cleanse like it sounded like Red had done. "That is odd. Do you think it's linked?" She asked, trying to help him come up with some wa for him to investigate.

"I'm really not sure. Anthony, the other agent will be taking lead with the explosions since he's with counter terrorism and that's what they're thinking this is. Meanwhile I'm stuck looking into this meteor from Russia that the office thinks could be alien and needs to get to Area 51."

At that Bex laughed. "They took you from bringing in drug lords and arms dealers to look into aliens? You should feel so insulted. See if you can come out to Kansas City. I trust the BAU with this case, I really do but I think a new perspective on it could be really useful."

Mike smiled at that. "I miss you too Bex, but they think that giving me this case will help ease me back into under cover work so I'm stuck here sadly."

Bex sighed, leaning her head against the wall. "Well that sucks. Maybe aliens took over Red."

That made Mike laugh. "Who knows. He's sounding more and more like every other politician on capitol hill so maybe the drink thing is all a rouse until election time." He then sighed when he realized what time it was. "Hey, I gotta go so Red can be on this talk show. I'll call you later. I'll need help getting ready for this tax prom thing tonight."

She made a small noise of disgust. "That sounds awful but I'm sure you look good in a tux. I'll talk to you later Mike." She smiled, hanging up the phone once he said his goodbye. Aliens and exploding heads; at least hearing about Mike's case put her problems in perspective. It gave her new resolve to solve her case. It was time to get back into the game and finally lock up the man who not only killed her younger sister but so many others.

[petalouda85]

All of Me, Chapter 13

I feel really shitty that it took me this long to finish and update this but I had a busy time studying and completing a bunch of assignments for Uni; it’s the busiest I’ve ever been for it. 

Anyway, there’s a new character and it is likely that the story will now involve different POVs of different characters. Its likely the main POV will still be Ben but that remains to be seen.

Enjoy the chapter; I hope it was worth the wait,

You can also read this on AO3 and FF

Story summary: Ben's life is out of control and he is on a path towards destruction. After a traumatic experience involving people he trusted, it would seem his life could only continue down its dark path. But a short encounter with a stranger in a Starbucks and a new friendship with a newcomer at his church bolsters a much needed feeling of hope within him.

Dressed in a civilian clothing, Poe Dameron stepped out of the airplane and onto the tarmac. Silently, he followed the line of people into the airport and headed towards the baggage claim. He was thankful he decided to wear regular clothing; no one came up to him and thanked him for the services he had yet to do. That, and he was too tired to deal with strangers coming to him and talking to him.

He had recently completed his training to become a pilot in the Canadian Air Force. After nearly 4 years of training all over the country, he was finally back home. It was slightly odd being back but he tried to not let it bother him as he pulled his luggage through the terminal and headed towards the taxis. He knew he could've just called his parents and ask them to pick him up but he wanted to surprise them.

The taxi driver was a charming man, asking Poe where he was headed and similar questions. The conversation between the two continued when Poe mentioned his recent accomplishment within the army, to which the driver revealed that he had a daughter in the army as well. The two talked away and a minute later, or what felt like it, Poe found himself being driven through the residential streets towards the house.

"Can you actually stop here?" He asked when they were only a street away from where his parents lived.

"Sure." The taxi slowed to a stop as Poe counted out his fare in cash; thankfully he had enough.

"Keep the change." He told the driver. He got out, retrieved his suitcase and began walking towards his destination.

The street hadn't changed, the houses still small and old-fashioned, the grass still green and lush. The wind blew through the canopy of trees, it tousling his hair and making him smile; he had missed that warm, summer wind.

It didn't take long before he spotted the house of his parents. He could tell his mother had been busy in the garden as the flowers in the front were beautiful and bright; maybe he should've dropped by the store and buy her some flowers.

"Whatever." He muttered as he walked up towards the front door, ignoring the desolate area known as the neighbors; still too lazy to make a half-hearted attempt to make it look decent. He knocked a few times and waited patiently, hearing ticks of crutches approaching the door.

"Poe!" His mother cried, dropping the crutches to tightly embrace her son.

"Hi, mom." The man replied, hugging his mother back, tears forming in his eyes; this was better than anything Skype could offer.

"You're home early! Why didn't you tell me?" The female continued in rapid Spanish, Poe almost unable to understand her.

"I wanted to surprise you." He responded.

After more hugs, kisses and a few tears, Poe helped his mother back into the house, helping her sit down in the kitchen while he prepared coffee for her.

For hours, mother and son talked, mostly about Poe's time away for training. Eventually, the conversation fell on his mother's life while he had been training. He was grateful to hear that her wheelchair was mostly unused at this point but he wasn't exactly ecstatic to hear that she was still in therapy and restricted to walking on crutches. Even so, she was definitely better compared to the last time he saw her and her chances of recovery were high.

Eventually, his father joined as well. He had been at the vet with Poe's cat and had been just as oblivious about his son's return as his wife. The afternoon sped by for them, the conversation going from Poe's training to the cat to living arrangements to Poe's friends in the military. Upon the mentioning of his friends, Poe told his parents of his plans to meet up with some friends that same night. They seemed a tad upset that Poe was already going out with friends and barely even settled. Still, they didn't voice it and his father offered to drive him to the meeting spot.

By the time he reached the pub, his friends were already waiting for him: Jessika, Yolo, Temmin and Finn. It was good to see them all. They were all military but they had either already finished their training or had trained in different parts of the country, making this the first time all five of them had been together. Of the four, Finn was the one Poe hadn't seen the longest as he had been sent overseas shortly after he had started training and during the times he had been home, Finn hadn't been there for different reasons. Now though, they were all together.

After the expected conversation about Poe's training, it drifted to more casual things, like relationships.

"You having any luck, Finn?" Yolo asked, after having talked in detail about his girlfriend and the process of moving in together. "How is... what was her name again?"

"Emma." Finn answered.

"Emma. How is she? Did it go alright?" Finn sighed, taking a small sip of his drink.

"It went alright, I guess, but it didn't work out, if that's what you're wondering."

"Oh, that's a pity." Yolo mused. "Well, I won't try to set up another blind date for you anytime soon."

"Thanks."

After a brief chuckle the turning their attention to the love life of Jessika and Temmin, Poe temporarily distracted himself by looking at the numerous TVs in the bar. There had been a hockey game going on but the station was currently delivering a news story. It was a missing person report. With the noise around him, Poe couldn't hear the details expect for the photo they showed of the missing person and the name written underneath it.

"Ben Solo." He muttered. The guy looked familiar to him; maybe they had gone to school together.

"Poe?" Jessika called, her gaze moving to the TV when she noticed him not looking at her. "Oh yeah. That's been the talk of the town lately." She explained as the news story ended and moved to the next commercial. "Apparently, he was taken right under the noses of the people at some club and the security cameras there have been unable to pick up the faces of the kidnappers or the license plate of the car."

"It's quite an upsetting story. I hope they find him." There was a murmur of agreement around the table and the topic ended up dampening the mood for a while. But just as quickly as it had dampened it, the mood returned to the jovial state it had been, with the group continuing their debate about relationships.

The celebrations ended in the early morning and Poe, not wanting to burden his parents by rousing them this early, proceeded to walk home, Finn at his side. The walk back had the same vibe as the one in the bar, the two talking as if they had not been a day apart.

"Is your mom still having issues with the neighbors?" Finn asked as they neared the park that would lead towards Poe's house.

"Yeah." Poe answered, kicking at random pebbles on the sidewalk.

"Makes you wonder where the parents are."

"They're there sometimes, but not enough. Honestly, so long as he keeps his nasty comments about my parents to himself, I’ll be okay.”

"Just watch: one of these days, he's going to get his ass hurled in jail."

"When that happens, I'll laugh." The two friends shared a brief chuckle at the statement, their stroll stopping as they reached the point where they would part ways.

"It was good to see you, Finn." Poe said as he embraced his friend.

"You too." With a few words that carried the promise to see each other more frequently, they went their own way, Finn continuing down the sidewalk while Poe took the path that lead into the park.

Hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket, Poe stared up at the starry sky, the beauty making him smile and spreading a deep calm through him. He could never get enough of the sky. Day or night, on the ground or in the air, he loved the sky. This love had truly taken flight thanks to his mother since she too had been a pilot. When he was younger, she would take him to the local airport and fly smaller planes over the city. Once back on the ground, she would teach him what each button did and other important lessons. They were precious memories, seeing that she wasn't allowed to pilot anymore due to injuries sustained the last time she had served overseas. He remembered how upset she had been at this news, despite her efforts to hide it even now, so, Poe had been planning a special surprise for her for her birthday in a few weeks. He would take her flying over the city, just as she had done with him in the past; he was excited to give this gift.

While he had been stuck in his mind, he had reached his house. Ignoring the loud music from neighboring house, he headed to the side door of his own. He was ready to step in when he noticed a piece of paper with writing on it in the window of his neighbor. Thinking that it might be an insult towards his parents, Poe went to inspect it.

Help me. My name is Ben Solo. Please help.

With a gasp, he looked into the window and nearly screamed when he saw someone lying on the ground, their back facing him. Ever so lightly, he knocked on the window. To his relief, the person turned, Poe finally getting a good look at their face. Even with massive bruises and a cut by his eyebrow and a split lip, the male could tell that the person tied to the dresser was the one on the missing person’s report he had seen only hours earlier.

“Help me.” Ben mouthed. Poe immediately fumbled for his cellphone and, his hands shaking slightly, dialed 911. Before he pressed call, he showed Ben what he had dialed and mouthed,

“I will be back.” And he dashed through the side door into his house, pressing call as soon as the door was closed behind him and he was safe from being detected by the kidnapper.

“911, what’s your emergency.”

“I need police at 3014 Duke Street. I found Ben Solo.”

---

Someone had seen his message and they were calling the police!

“Just a few more minutes.” Ben whispered over and over, hugging himself closely, wishing that the police would be here sooner so he could finally feel warm again.

The door began rattling and it soon flew open, both Snoke and Tarken in the door. Snoke was smiling at Ben, an half empty beer bottle in one hand and the serrated knife in the other.

“How is my little pet?” Snoke slurred, stepping into the room. “Is he having fun in his winter wonderland? Does he need a little warmth?” The drunk man sat down behind Ben and proceeded to hug him, holding him as though they were lovers.

Ben had become stiff with fear as soon as Snoke touched him and his breathe was shuddering already, silently hoping that this was the worst Snoke would do.

“Hm… You smell nice.” Snoke cooed after he had taken a long sniff of Ben’s hair. He began playing with the luscious black locks, still ignorant of how stiff Ben was. “You’re so pretty. Why don’t you gimmie a kiss?”

Ben didn’t move a muscle.

“Please?” Snoke whined, grabbing Ben’s jaw and forcing him to face him. He proceeded to slap him across the cheek when he remained unresponsive.

Trying to keep the nauseating feeling in his stomach at bay, Ben leaned up and gave the most chaste peck possible on Snoke's lips.

"That's it?" Snoke snapped, roughly grabbing Ben's chin again and shoving his mouth against his, ignoring the squeak of protest. He made an attempt to prod his tongue into Ben's mouth but stopped when the man refused to open his mouth. "What? Don't like that?" He sneered, digging his hand under Ben's shirt and proceeded to move the cold over the even colder skin.

To Ben, the hand felt warm but, instead of relief, it terrified him more so. He shut his eyes and tried to delve his mind into a place where he wasn't tied up, alone or scared. It was hard to do as Snoke began to tease his nipples, sending even more fear down his body.

He thought it was his imagination, his desperate mind clinging to tiny straws of hope, but he heard the well-known sirens of police. It was distant and he dismissed it; if it were real, it would merely pass by and go to a different crime. But, the sounds grew louder to the point that it was deafening. He dared a peek at the window and he nearly cried when he saw the mixture of red and blue light.

"You bastard!" Snoke yelled, dragging Ben out of his bliss. The man above him looked more terrifying than ever before, his eyes ablaze with pure rage. "You fucking bastard!" Before Ben could scream, Snoke had his hands wrapped tightly around his throat, pressing down so hard that he could not even get the smallest whiff of air.

As someone pounded on the front door, Ben wriggled underneath him and tried to yank one of the hands lose but Snoke was much stronger and didn't budge.

He thought he heard the door slam open and people screaming in the hallway but the darkness took him quickly, the last thing ingrained in his mind being Snoke's insane face.

----

“Son, can you hear me? Do you know what day it is?” A female voice echoed above him. “Can you tell me your name?”

His name? That was easy; it’s Ben. He felt his mouth moving, formulating “Ben”, but no sound left it.

A light was shone into his eye, making him cringe slightly from the sudden brightness.

“Can you hear me?”

He tried to answer again but once more, no sound left his throat. He quickly answered with a small nod.

“Do you know what day it is?” The woman asked again, to which Ben answered with a shake of his head. “Do you know where you are?” Another shake of the head. “We’re taking you to the hospital. There’s nothing wrong with you but we need to run a few tests to make sure you’re okay.”

Ben nodded once more before the mystery woman left his sight. He blinked several times, his vision becoming clearer with each blink. He was in an ambulance, the mystery woman to his left turning out to be a paramedic and to his right, a multitude of medical equipment from a breathing mask to a screen which displayed his heart rate.

He knew where he was now and where he was going but so many other questions remained unanswered.

What had happened? Where was Snoke? Keira? Why couldn't he talk? What would happen to him?

"Ben?" The teen turned his head to the source and when his eyes fell on it, he felt as though he could cry. There, sitting opposite and out of the way of the paramedic, were his parents. He couldn't pinpoint an exact emotion in him but he managed to decipher joy, guilt, and fear in the turbulent mixture. Confusion was added when they shuffled closer and sat next to him, Leia taking his hand into her own. Both had a soft smile on their faces but Ben noted that Leia had the signs of tears in her eyes.

He tried to say sorry but at this point even his lips weren't cooperating.

"It's okay, kid." Han said softly, the snark Ben had been accustomed to gone. "You're safe."