#and even before Emily left the numbers were slim

[only-one-brain-cell]

It’s so refreshing seeing a new character actually talk to Spencer and have a actual conversation with him rather then make a stupid joke.

[realm-sweet-realm]

Intervened Intervention

Henry Emily's family grows worried about his maladaptive behaviour in the wake of Charlie's death and try to help him turn his life around. But William wants Henry right where he is and thinks he's best off there, too.

I hope you all enjoy this.

---

Henry was woken from his nocturnal sleep schedule by the ringing of the phone. The call was from a familiar number that Henry had not received a call from in years: that of his brother, George. Henry ignored it and shuffled back to bed. The call didn't surprise him considering the way he'd acted at a family get-together just a few days ago, an event he certainly didn't want to think about. It also didn't surprise him that he'd stopped calling him for a couple years before this. He'd isolated himself and avoided contact after Charlie's death, unwilling or unable to handle anything but the machines he understood so well. Even going to the get-together had been abnormal for him, and as it turned out, a mistake.

There was a call the next day. And on the third, there was a message left on the answering machine.

“Hey, Henry. This is George. Connor and I are coming over today. We need to talk to you, and this is the last day before we go home. We wanted to give you more notice, but you kept ignoring our calls. We’ll be there at 1:30."

Henry sighed and dragged himself out of bed. His digital clock, the only light in the room, read 10:30 in bright red numbers. Unfortunately, that meant that his chances of getting his house in order were slim to none.

After a shower, Henry’s first order of business was to clear away all the creepy robot and machinery parts from the floor and into the closets, leaving oily smears on the carpet and hardwood where they had been. He removed the sheets of wood from the windows and picked up the pizza boxes and beer bottles on the floor, moving fairly quickly on it considering that he would normally be asleep this time of day and for hours after.

After an over an hour's work, Henry collected a six-pack of beer from the fridge and collapsed onto his couch. The scent of oil, metal, alcohol and stale food was still in the air. Dust, grit, and smears of grease still covered the floors and counters, more than he could clean in- Henry checked the clock- he still had an hour. He didn’t have it in him to get up.

An hour later, there was a knock on the door. He got up and opened the door for his twin brothers. George was carrying a gift basket with Henry’s favourite candy from childhood in it.

“Come on in,” Henry said. He tried not the pay attention to George’s obvious disdain for the house’s state, or how Connor was watching the floor to make sure he didn’t step in any particularly oily areas as they walked to the living room. Once they got there, the brothers sat down on the couch, and George gestured for Henry to do the same. Awkwardly, Henry obeyed.

George sighed heavily. “We’re really worried about you, Henry. I know that Charlie dying was really hard on you, but it's been five years. We never see you anymore, and neither does your ex-wife or Sammy. You know, up until last year, Sammy was asking every time he saw me whether you’d be up to visiting soon. And this year he stopped. He gave up.”

Henry looked away and slugged down more beer.

“Will you listen?!” Connor snapped. “We're trying to help you!”

Henry ignored him. Henry did know about Sammy. Sammy’s ignoring of him is what had driven him to drink so heavily at the Christmas gathering in the first place. He still wondered whether Sammy simply hadn’t recognized him in his degraded state, or if he didn’t want anything to do with him anymore. He didn't want to think about it.

“We think it would be best for you move in with me in Colorado," Connor said firmly. “Staying here can’t possibly be doing you any good. Are you still working?"

"Yes. Same job as before, just from home now."

"We’ll get you set up to work doing something other than holing up at home making robots for the restaurant your daughter died right outside, get you into therapy, and whatever else you need. I’ll even keep booze out of the house if need be. But we don't want to see you like this.”

"No."

"Why?" George asked.

Henry thought about how to respond. It was hard to explain, but he was used to his life. Machines, numbing alcohol, and William were his comfort zone, and he felt so delicate that anything else might break him.

George touched his hand. “You know, it would be amazing to see you happy again. You get along so well with kids. I want my kids to be able to meet the person I knew.”

“I’ll do it,” Henry said quickly. His voice lacked conviction, but it seemed like his brothers were willing to take it.

“Great. I’ll get you a plane ticket. And I want you to send your two weeks’ notice now, right in front of me, alright? I don’t want these to be empty words.”

---

When William first received Henry's resignation letter, he was rather unnerved. What could have caused Henry to want this? He visited Henry’s house the next day. He knew that Henry would most likely be asleep at 11 AM, so it would probably give him a chance to look around for any clues of what had caused Henry’s sudden change of heart. If Henry was awake, he would say that he was here to pick up the Foxy bot that William had sent him to repair. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d come in uninvited for such reasons, and though the deadline he’d given Henry for it was tomorrow, Henry would very easily believe he’d mixed up the days. He’d both done so before and believed William lying about it before.

William used Henry’s spare key, which he’d known for years now was located under his mat, and opened the door.

The first thing that William noticed was that Henry’s house was remarkably tidy compared to usual. That was strange- it happened every now and then in the first couple years of Henry’s grief, but this had to be the first time it had happened in years.

With everything clear of its usual trash, it was very easy for William to find the one-way plane ticket to Colorado on the table. Henry’s brothers were from Colorado. So that was it. Henry’s brothers had given him an intervention. That meant that Henry might very well slip from his grasp, but William wasn't going to give him up that easily. He swiped the plane ticket and left. Henry could easily call the airport and ask for another one to be printed, but that relied on Henry noticing and remembering to, and having the conviction to go through a little extra inconvenience. It wasn't much, but thankfully it was only the beginning of what William could do to prevent this.

That evening, William gave Henry a call.

“Hey, buddy,” he started off. “I got your email. I was hoping I could come over and we could talk about it. Have a little send-off for our partnership.”

“I'd like that,” Henry said. “I want you to know that it’s nothing against you. I just need a change in scenery. That’s all.”

“Of course. You did good work for us. I’d be willing to be your reference if you want. Anyhow, does now work to come over?”

“Sure does.”

“I’ll be right there.”

William showed up with a six pack of beer and two bottles of Henry's favourite whisky in a bag by his side. Henry looked a little more perked up than usual when he greeted William at the door.

“Hey,” William said to Henry, flashing a sad smile.

“Hey,” Henry returned.

The two made their way into Henry’s living room.

“So. Ten years of building robots together. And they were good ones," Henry said, sitting down in a plush chair.

"And four years before that in college," William said, sitting nearby him on the couch. "Wow, we've really only been apart for a few years in our entire adulthood."

"Yeah."

"So... what changed?"

"Connor wants me to move in with him in Colorado and help me to get my life together. It's... well, I guess I can't live like this forever."

William nodded in understanding. “I thought you had a system that worked here. But if you're unhappy with how things are, I get it. I just hope you’ll be okay out there. I mean, you’ve barely left the house in years. This is a big jump. I guess I should be proud of you.”

“Thanks. I’m a little proud of me.”

“You should be. I mean, you’re going to have to get a job where you deal with people again. There won’t be any easing into it- you’ll have to deal with people and do well at it or you’ll get fired. And there won't be any more leeway if you mess the days up.”

Henry visibly tensed a little. William handed him a beer, which Henry opened and sipped heavily from. Then, William continued. “I remember how you were in college. I sure hope you haven’t become that person again over these years stuck in your house.”

Henry put the beer can back on the table and gripped it nervously. “I suppose I really do owe you for letting me work from home.”

“It was my pleasure as your friend. It’s a shame that you won’t be making any more of these animatronics that Charlie loved so much. Do you feel like you were doing it in her memory?"

"Yes," Henry admitted. William knew he would. He'd said as much before while drunk.

The two men spent the night drinking and reminiscing. William had already planted the seeds he could, so for the most part, it was a relaxed chat for him. Towards the end of their conversation, William assigned Henry to a heavier-than-usual workload for his last two weeks, and he insisted on leaving the rest of the whisky behind. Both would lower Henry's chances of ordering that new plane ticket.

A few days later, William was at home watching football when he received a call from a worried and intoxicated Henry Emily asking if he could still call William after he moved and if he would rehire him if need be.

"I don't know, Henry. I mean, I can't hold a position open for you while you get your mental health sorted out. And you could call, but I won't have the context of your problems like I do now. You'd be better off talking to your brothers. You've been keeping good touch with them, right? Connor is an understanding man."

The next question Henry asked was even juicier: whether Charlie would forgive him if he stopped making animatronics.

"I'm sure that if Charlie is still around, she loves every animatronic we make," William said, smirking as he laid back on the couch and thought of the puppet's reaction every time a new animatronic became possessed. "Why? Are you having second thoughts about leaving?"

There was a long pause. And then Henry said that he'd think about it.

"Alright, well, keep me posted. I can always cancel your resignation," William said before hanging up.

It was another week before William received a call from Henry asking to cancel his two weeks' notice. And a week after that, William found himself at Henry's doorstep, holding an animatronic head in need of repairs.

Henry opened the door for him. He seemed more glum than usual.

"Henry. Something wrong, buddy?"

"Sort of. I never told my brothers that I changed my mind. I don't know how I'm going to speak to them again, to be honest."

"Oh. Well, let's talk about it," William said, moving inside. Trash was beginning to pile in Henry's house again, including the now-empty bottles of whisky that William had gifted him.

They did talk about it. And most likely, it would be the last time Henry would ever mention his brothers. He'd go right back to where he'd been a month ago: a good worker, numbed with alcohol and with no need to think about his pains, let alone bother William with them. Really, he was doing Henry a favour. It's not like he had it in him to get his life together. William was giving him the best life he could have.

[eminems-skittles]

wedding bells [spencer reid x reader]

spencer reid x fem!reader part three of family game night and lazy days warnings: none word count: 3.5k

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

"Oh, Y/N! You look absolutely stunning!" Emily cooed when she saw Y/N in the white dress she was trying on. It was a slim dress with lace details on the ends of the sleeves. It didn't have a puffy skirt and it fit Y/N perfectly.

"Like a goddess sent to Earth," Penelope said in awe when Y/N did a small spin. Y/N walked in front of the mirror, her eyes scanning the dress. She let out a sigh of disappointment, Penelope's smiling face faltered. "What's wrong, sweet cheeks?"

"I really wanted this dress to be the one," Y/N sighed. She smoothed the dress down with her hands. She loved the dress but something in her told her it wasn't the one for her. Y/N bit her lip in an attempt to stop the tears from falling. She didn't even know why she was so upset about this. It was just a dumb dress. "I don't know if it is."

"Well, that's okay, Y/N/N," JJ said, coming over to stand next to Y/N. She rested a hand on her back, rubbing it gently. "There's so many dresses you still can try on. It's alright if this isn't the one."

"You're right. You're right," Y/N said as she leaned against her best friend. "I'm just so stressed about this whole thing. The wedding is only two months away and I'm just now getting a dress."

"I know, sweetie," JJ cooed. "But luckily you have most of the planning done and can just relax after this. And you have a kick-ass bridal party who will do anything and everything to make sure the day goes smoothly."

Emily and Penelope walked over to Y/N and JJ, joining them in front of the mirror. Emily gently grabbed Y/N's hand, squeezing it. "Y/N/N, it's all going to be okay."

Suddenly, Penelope gasped before running over to a dress that was hanging on a rack next to the mirror. She grabbed the dress, which Y/N had still not seen clearly, before thrusting it into Y/N's arms. "Oh! You have to try this one on! Look how gorgeous it is."

Y/N peered down at the dress and felt a tingle in her heart. She quickly excused herself from her bridesmaids before hurrying into her reserved dressing room. As quickly as she could, with the help of one of the saleswomen, she changed out of the first dress and into the one Penelope had handed her.

"Wow, sweetie, you look absolutely stunning," The saleswoman said when she finished helping Y/N.

"Thank you," Y/N said, taking a deep breath. She turned around and looked in the mirror for the first time. Tears sprung to her eyes as she looked at herself in the gorgeous dress. It was a long dress with a skirt that had small lace flowers on it. The sleeves were made of sheer tulle and stopped just above her elbows.The wait line had a white ribbon as a belt and the chest was decorated the same way the skirt was.

She stepped out of the dressing room and walked into the small sitting room where Penelope, JJ, and Emily were chatting. They were silenced by the subtle click-clack of the shoes Y/N was wearing. When their eyes fell upon the soon-to-be bride, gasps left each of their mouths.

"You're stunning!"

"This is the one!"

"You look amazing!" They all complimented at once.

"Do you like it?" JJ questioned.

"I love it," Y/N said through a watery smile. "This is it. This is the one."

T W O W E E K S B E F O R E T H E W E D D I N G

"Okay so if we put him here and my mom over here, then we should be okay," Y/N mumbled, moving around a small paper with her mom's name on it. The wedding was in two weeks and she was just now getting to the seating chart. It wasn't like she was putting off finishing the planning, but when a serial killer is on the loose, a seating chart is the least of her worries. "Ugh but wait, he can't sit next to him otherwise there will be fighting."

"How's it going darling?" Spencer asked, setting down a cup of coffee and pressing a kiss to Y/N's cheek. She hummed when he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"I don't know. There's too many people who have tension. And a few people are bringing dates but I don't think we'll have enough seats unless we want to extend the seating area. But then some people will be outside and there's always the possibility of rain since it's Oregon in October," Y/N said without taking a breath. "I don't know what to do."

"Hey, hey, take a deep breath," Spencer said, as he moved to stand in front of her. "We will figure it out, my love. There's no need to stress."

Spencer helped Y/N stand up before taking a seat in the chair she was previously occupying. He pulled her into his lap and held her tight. Y/N sighed, leaning against his chest. "There's just no way it will all work. Ew, what's that smell?"

"The coffee?" Spencer asked, confused. Y/N nodded, before pushing the coffee as far from her as she could. Spencer grabbed it, sniffing the coffee before setting it back down on the table. "What's wrong with the coffee?"

"I don't know the smell is just bothering me," the same tone of confusion in her voice.

"Hm, okay," Spencer said, brushing off her strange behavior. He readjusted the two of them so he could look at the seating chart. "Let's see... What if instead of the two of us sitting at the front by ourselves, we have the whole bridal party sit in the front with us? The venue said that that was an option and it wouldn't cost more to add it."

"I forgot about that option," Y/N said, mumbling.

"See, it's not hopeless," Spencer said, hugging her closer to him. "So if we just move these guys up here, that opens up a whole table. Now we don't have to worry about anyone getting rained on. I'll call the planner first thing tomorrow to let her know we want it changed."

"What would I do without you?" Y/N said, leaning up to kiss Spencer's cheek. She looked back down at her left hand, her shiny ruby engagement ring catching her eye. "Two more weeks, and I'll be Mrs. Spencer Reid."

"I can't wait," Spencer said, interlocking his hand with hers. "How busy are we going to be in the next couple weeks?"

"Well," Y/N pulled out her phone to check her calendar. Luckily, Hotch gave the two of them the two weeks before the wedding off so they didn't have to worry about being on the other side of the country when they had to finalize details for the biggest day of their lives. "Tomorrow I have the final fitting for my dress and then we leave for Oregon the day after and meet with the DJ the day after. Explore Oregon Monday and Tuesday. Then the team and our families should all be flying in that night. JJ is picking my dress up before they go to the airport. Rehearsal dinner and final preparations on Friday, so that gives us a few days with everyone before the chaos begins. Saturday is the wedding and then Sunday, we have brunch with everyone. And on Monday we leave for the honeymoon."

"Wow...I don't think I've ever been busier," Spencer laughed. He pressed a kiss to the top of Y/N's head as she snuggled closer to him.

T H E N E X T D A Y

"Alright, Miss Y/L/N, we're going to have you try the dress on one last time to make sure it fits." The saleswoman, Allison, from the fitting said. "So when's the big day?"

"Next Saturday," Y/N said smiling, as she put the dress on.

"Aww how sweet," Allison replied. "How does the dress fit?"

"It fits really well, except for like right here," Y/N said, motioning across her stomach. "It's just a little bit tight."

"Oh, well that's an easy fix! I probably just wrote down the wrong number when I measured with you. Let me just get the correct measurements," Allison said, pulling out a pink measuring tape. She pulled the measuring tape around Y/N's midsection. "Oh that's the issue. I wrote down a four where a nine should be. Sorry about that, sweetie!"

"Oh, it's no problem!" Y/N said, flashing a small smile at Allison. "So will the dress be ready by next Tuesday?"

"Yep! Like I said, it's an easy fix," Allison beamed.

F O U R D A Y S B E F O R E T H E W E D D I N G

"Y/N!" JJ said, engulfing her in a hug. Everyone had just arrived at the small inn where the wedding is going to take place. "How are you doing?"

"A little nervous, but excited," Y/N said. She looked around the room to see where Spencer was. He was animatedly talking to Rossi about some unknown subject. If she had to guess, they were probably talking about the architecture of the cute inn, since Spencer kept gesturing to the ceiling and stairs in the small sitting room. She lowered her voice and leaned closer. "Hey, Jayje. I need your help with something."

"What is it? Everything okay?" JJ asked, concerned.

"Yeah, everything is great. I was just wondering if you could run to the store with me to grab something. I realized I left some stuff at home that I need for this weekend." Y/N explained.

"Oh, yeah of course! We can go right now if you want?"

"The sooner the better," Y/N laughed. "Oh, one more thing. Throughout the day, can you secretly switch out the champagne for sparkling cider?"

"Uh, sure," JJ said, confused. "Why?"

"Just want to make sure I remember the whole day, you know?"

T H E D A Y O F T H E W E D D I N G

JJ, Emily, Penelope and Y/N were currently gathered in the bridal suite of the inn. Like Y/N predicted two weeks prior, it was raining. Not that she minded, the orange leaves on the trees stood out against the dark gloomy sky. She'd be lying if she said this wasn't how she pictured her wedding day. The rain was softly tapping against the glass as the four of them got ready for the big day ahead of them.

Like they had discussed, JJ had managed to sneakily switch out Y/N's champagne for a glass of sparkling apple cider and no one had noticed.

"So, Y/N, are you and Spencer gonna," Emily paused, wiggling her eyebrows, "seal the deal."

"Oh come one, Em! Grow up," JJ giggled from across the room where she was getting her makeup done.

"We all know that they have hot and steamy-" Penelope was cut off by a sock being thrown at her.

"Hey! That's enough," Y/N all but shouted as a blush settled across her face.

"What? It's just a fact," Penelope giggled.

"Whatever, let's just continue getting ready, shall we?" Y/N said, taking a big sip of her apple cider.

After a few hours of getting ready and taking pictures it was finally time for the ceremony to begin. The ballroom where the ceremony was being held was decorated perfectly. Warm lights lined the walls and small details of orange lined the seats and the altar. White and orange pumpkins lined the aisle, along with small candles in glass lanterns. The room had a wall entirely made of glass and the orange of the trees brightened the orange details in the ballroom. Rain still tapped lightly on the glass and on the ceiling, but it the most serene way.

"Oh wow, this is something straight out of a fairytale," Derek muttered when he and Spencer walked inside.

"I know," Spencer breathed out, a large smile on his face. "I can't wait to see her."

"I know, pretty boy," Morgan said, laughing. That was easily the millionth time since the night before that Spencer had told him. "I have super secret intel from a certain tech analyst that says your soon to be wife looks breathtaking."

"She always looks breathtaking, Derek," Spencer said. "Have you, uh, have you noticed her acting weird?"

"What do you mean?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow at Spencer.

"I don't know, never mind," Spencer stammered.

"Mr. Reid, we're starting now," One of the ushers told him.

In a whirlwind of flowers, fabric, and faces, everyone hurried to their places as they awaited the beginning of the ceremony. Y/N's little cousins led the way down the aisle, tossing dried white rose petals at peoples feet. Spencer went out next, taking his spot at the altar. Next down the aisle were Emily and Penelope, who waved enthusiastically at Rossi and Hotch. Their orange and red dresses flowed elegantly behind them as they marched to their place. Following the two, Derek, Spencer's best man, and JJ, Y/N's maid of honor, walked down the aisle their arms linked together. JJ's soft orange jumpsuit fit her perfectly and matched the orange tie that Derek was wearing. Everyone held their breath as they anticipated Y/N's arrival.

Music swelled as the doors opened, revealing Y/N in her gorgeous dress. Her hair was pulled into a half up half down bun that was adorned with small gold butterfly clips. She wore a gold necklace that Spencer had given her for an anniversary and several gold bangle bracelets.

As soon as Spencer saw her, his eyes filled with tears that threatened to spill over. His heart burst at the sight and for a second he forgot that she was human. He always believed she was a goddess from the heavens above but now he was sure of it. There was no way any other human being could ever rival her beauty. As soon as she got to the altar (Spencer could have swore she floated down the aisle), Spencer pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek and took her hands. "You look so very beautiful, angel."

"You look very handsome, as well, my love," Y/N beamed. And he did. He was wearing a simple black suit with a flower on his lapel that matched the dark red roses Y/N had handed off to JJ. His hair was short yet still held the same fluffiness that it always had. When she looked in his eyes, he was the only person in the room, in the world, who mattered.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of these two beautiful souls," The officiant began. Y/N barely paid attention as her attention was on the groom in front of her. "Y/N, did you prepare your vows?"

"I did," Y/N replied. She kept her gaze on Spencer as her grip on his hands tightened. "Spencer, you have been my rock, my love, and my best friend for more years than I can count on one hand. I knew from our first date that you would be the person I spent the rest of my life with. I think we both knew then that we would end up here. On our fourth date, I mentioned you proposing and you weren't scared off or upset. You wanted to talk about it as much as I did. I knew then that you were in this relationship for the long haul. I promise to love you like you have loved me for the rest of my life. I promise to care for you on your good days and your bad days. Spencer Reid, I love you with my whole being, forever and always."

Spencer removed his hand from Y/N's grasp to wipe away fallen tears. The officiant turned to Spencer, "Have you prepared your vows?"

"I have," Spencer said nodding, before turning his attention back to the beautiful bride in front of him. "Y/F/N, you are the light of my day, of my life, if I'm being honest. You're the only person who can manage to turn a terrible day into an exceedingly amazing day. You are my one true love and I have never doubted for a second that you wouldn't be. I want to spend every second of my day with you for the rest of my life. I want to take care of you on your good days, and especially your bad days. I want to raise a family and grow old with you. I want to love you for the rest of my life. I love you forever and always, Y/F/N."

"That was very beautiful," The officiant remarked. "Do you, Y/F/N, take Spencer Reid as your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"Hell yeah, I do," Y/N said, earning a few laughs from the bridal party. Spencer beamed at her, tears sliding down his cheeks.

"Do you, Spencer Reid, take Y/F/N as your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do," Spencer said, squeezing Y/N's hands in his.

"By the power vested in me by the state of Oregon, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," The officiant said. As if his life depended on it, Spencer cupped Y/N's face with his hand and smashed his lips onto hers. Their tears mixed together as they kissed for what felt like an eternity. When they broke apart, their foreheads resting on each other, they were greeted with applause and cheers from their family and friends. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Doctor and Mrs. Spencer Reid!"

"We're married," Y/N whispered against Spencer's lips before he kissed her again.

"That we are, Mrs. Reid," He said after breaking away from the kiss.

T H E R E C E P T I O N

Everyone stared in awe at the gorgeous decorations in the ballroom. After the ceremony ended, the ballroom was quickly converted to have a dance floor surrounded by several round tables. Warm yellow string lights hung from various spots on the ceiling. The tables were decorated with small pumpkins and white candles. Spencer and Y/N were currently talking to their teammates as people were slowly filing into the reception.

"Y/N, you look amazing, caro," Rossi said, hugging Y/N. "Congratulations, you two. The ceremony was so beautiful."

"He cried," JJ said as she was walking by with Will.

"I did not," Rossi said, earning a playful glare from Y/N. "Okay, fine, maybe I did."

"I cried too," Penelope said, wiping her nose. She was, in fact, still crying.

"We know, babygirl, we know," Derek said laughing.

"I'd like to propose a toast," Rossi said, raising his glass. He turned to where Y/N and Spencer were standing. Y/N had her back against Spencer's chest and Spencer had wrapped his arms around Y/N's midsection. They were both holding glasses filled with champagne, or so Spencer thought. "To the newly weds. May life bring you happiness and fortune."

"And to becoming a badass married couple who takes down serial killers," Emily said, laughing loudly.

"Cheers!" All of them said at once.

After everyone had begun eating, it was time for Spencer and Y/N's first dance.

"Everyone may I have you attention," the DJ's voice filled the room. "I'd like you all to help me welcome the couple of the evening, Spencer and Y/N, onto the dance floor for their first dance."

Their friends and family started clapping and cheering as Spencer and Y/N walked to the center of the floor. 'The Way You Look Tonight' by Frank Sinatra played through the speakers. Spencer placed a hand on Y/N's waist and took her hand in his other hand and Y/N looped her free arm around his neck.

"I can't believe we're married," Spencer said, looking in her eyes as he twirled them across the dance floor.

"Me neither," Y/N said, smiling back at him. "I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together."

"Me too, my love," Spencer laughed softly before kissing her cheek.

Y/N pecked his lips before laying her head on his shoulder, letting him know she just wanted to stay in one spot. They swayed to the song, quietly conversing.

"Spence?" Y/N questioned, her breath tickling his neck.

"Yes, my love?" Spencer replied.

"I'm pregnant."

[chemicallady]

Dr and Dr Reid

Part I , Part II.

A/N : Hello everybody! It's me again with the second part of my Dr&Dr series! I hope you will enjoy it! If you like this idea, tell me something about it. If is too boring, I’ll moving on another subject ^^

Couple: Spencer Reid x Researcher!Reader

Category: little angst

Warnings: descriptions of dead bodies and decomposition.

Summary: BAU is involved in a casa in Golconda, Nevada. Reader is an expert in tools' marks for the local FBI settlement and Spencer isn't aware of it.

*****

January 17, 2007

Golconda, Nevada.

After a seven hours trip by car, you are already done. God only knows how are you supposed to work after that. Nevada’s unpleasant weather is drying your lungs breath by breath, while you’re reaching the area under federal surveillance. Your supervisor have asked you to keep the tools’ marks on a dead body in order to determinate the object used on the victim because, if you will be lucky, you eventually use the results for an article or your thesis. If the Feds wont have any problem with that. 

The point is that... Well. The victim is not like you have figured out. You are an expert on skeletal remains but in front of you there is a full torso, coverd in tattoos and with a huge wound on the top of the sternal bone. No head, no legs or arms but a lot of dead meat. The view is awful but the smell is the worst. It’s taking your breath away. 

You put a hand over your mouth and apologise, but you need a moment. Leaving your kit under the tend, you move some steps along the path and start to breath slowly with your mounth. It's too hot for your first dismembered body, but you can't let go this opportunity. Some agents are already look at you with a glaze of pity and you can't accept it.

You are strong, you can do it.

Or at least you can try, you attended a lot of authopsy before. 

Back to the tend, your supervisor is talking with an old man and an awsome guy, both with the FBI badge. You look at them while you're wearing your gloves and this beautiful, fit special agent keeps his sunglasses off and look back to you.

With a blush, you start to work. The coroner gives you the permission to take some photos and apply a paste on the cervical bone and on the broken omerous. You are waiting it to be dry when the two agents approce you.

《 Hi ma'am. I am Special Agent Morgan and this is Special Agent Gideon. Can you tell us which tool was used on the victim?》

《Ah-Well; I need some minutes more but I believe that is more that just one....》 you slow while you're speaking, looking at the guy who are join the party right now. 《....tool.》

Morgan follows your eyes and looks at Reid, who seems to be really surprised by your presence. 《Hi pretty boy, don’t be shy. We are speaking with the expert to find out what was used on this poor guy. She is... I am sorry, I didn't catch you name.》

Because he didn’t ask. You open your mounth to answer but Spence is faster. 《She is (y/f/n). She is a PhD candidate at UNLV.》

《You really know everything . , says a young agent, following him. She is a slim brunette, sassy. You like her at the first sight.

Spencer blushes, 《I met her several months ago.》 He is speaking like you aren’t in there with them and that piss you off a lot. Then finally he speaks to you directly. 《Hi (y/n). Is a pleasure to meet you again.》

You are speechless. 《Yeah, whatever》 you cut the conversation, took off the paste and look at the marks closely. You dont wan’t to meet  Spencer’s eyes because the afternoon is too hot and dry to pretend to be nice on him and faking a smile. 《In my opinion the murderer used two tools for dismember the victim's body: a serrated knife and a hand saw. I can be more specific after a visual confrontation if you ask to》

《Thank you miss (y/s/n), you are really helpful.》

Morgan smiles to you and you answer as well, before rise up and go to your supervisor, ready to reach the morgue for working on that traces.

Gideon moves on the car and Spencer is left with Emily and Morgan. 《She hates you》, she says, with a smirk. 《What did you do?》

For the first time in a while, he seems speechles.  «Nothing», is the short answer he gives to them. ‘I was an asshole’ would be the real one. Or at last, what he feels. 

****

You hear that the criminal- the guy who is called Unsub by the FBI’s agents- had taken a couple of hostages before disappear again. One of them is the sceriff herself. Than, you recive a call from you supervisor, who ask you to go to another location in the nearby, supporting the BAU squad after they clean the scene. 

«There are probably human remains involved. Go and check with Supervisor Special Agent Hotchner.»

You start to believe that maybe the FBI needs you or maybe you need the FBI if even the boss is so hot like Aaron Hotchner is. You are young and always look at the bright side, even while you are keeping humans ribs off a lot of handmade garden decorations and it’s so gross even for you. You love Halloween and macabre arts project, but this is too far.  

And Spencer is here as well. The two of you don’t have a proper conversation since you have reached Golconda because both of you are working, but now, in the middle of the country side, while you are puking your guts out, on the burned grass of the garden, he is the one who offers help to keep your hair back. 

This isn’t you first crime scene, but the best part of your job is working on cold cases, if it’s need. You are a researcher (almost), a lab rat, not an investigator. You are use to bones and sometimes mummies from the desert, not to the harsh smell of blood and rotten meat which infested the shed in the backyard. There is a surgical room and a body inside, but they saved the sheriff at least. 

A light breeze is caressing your face and makes you feel better. You are greatful to Spencer when he offers a bottle of water to you. 

«When the work comes to the lab it looks nicer», you tell him, receiving a soft smile in return.  «If it’s true that I’ll never forget the first time, I’ll be ashamed forever...»

«You don’t have. It’s a normal response of your body in front of a situation which is fondamental -»

«Thank you Spencer. I approciate your scientific enthusiasm, but.... Chill out.»

You sit on the ground, tying your hair and keep a huge breath.  «How’s going on?»

«Better. Thank you for the approciation Dr Reid. You should go back to work before your sexy boss notices that you are wasting your time on me.»

«I am not wasting-wait. Did you just say that Hotch is sexy?»

«Hell, he is.»

Spencer looks confused for a moment, after looking around him, maybe to spot the subject of the conversation. That gives you time to reach for a chewing gum on your pocket. 

The silence between the two of us is really unpleseant, but you dont have nothing else to say. Is Spencer’s turn and he doesn’t disappoint you. Not at all.

«I know why you are mad at me.»

«Do you know, Dr Reid?»

He sighs.  «Can you stop, please? I dont like when you are so formal with me, I believed that we had passed it.»

«Yeah, well. You’ve stopped answer my letters and phone calls without having the decency to give me a solid explanation.... So guess what? We hadn’t passed over anything.»

He lowers his head, aware that he is in the wrong.  «I just.... My job is demanding...»

A small, bitter laught leaves your lips.  «You really believe that you’re the only one in the world who actually has a demanding job? C’mon you can find a better excuse. If you cared, you’d answered. Aren’t you able to write a message? with... 3 bachelors and 3 PhDs?» 

You’re being mean, you know that, but he hurts your feelings. You two had 3 intensive months of letter’s exchange. You wrote the first one a week after you got his address at the conference in Vegas. A four pages letter, in which you explained to him your PhD project and shared with him throughts and stuffs. He replayed with a 14 pages letter. That’s how it started. He told you about his mom’s issues, his scholar experience and how was growing up in Vegas. You shared with him your experinces, moving away from home, how your family is, how you are fond of cats and dogs. You talked about your own pet, with him ...

That’s how you two became intimate.  

It escalated fast. 

After a month, you gave him your number and the two of you started to call each others, first twice a week, than more and more. Even just to sei ‘hi’ and know about how the other feels in that specific moment. From you, it was enough to hear his voice to be happier. 

He helped you in the bad days and made the good days better.  

And you fell from him, because Spencer is a nice guy. At least, he looked like a nice guy untill letters and calls stopped. And he disappeared from your life in a couple of weeks. You hadn’t a news from him since ten days before Golconda’s case. The Destiny is involved for sure, because you believed that you wont see him again. 

But there you are, sitting next to him. In silence. 

Is too much for you. And no, he doesn’t know why you are so mad at him. You are mad at yourself, because you don’t let people in, usually. You were hurt so much in the past that know you are tired of being everybodies fooled.

Guys are nice ‘till they are not, your mom always says. 

That’s true. Men are all the same in the end.  

That’s why you get on your feet, taking away your gloves. You almost forgot you’re still wearing them.  «I need to go back to the morgue. Bye, Dr Reid.»

«Is better this way. (y/n)», he says, in a rush. You look at him standing fast and you rise a elbow. No clue about what he is saying.  «Maybe my job is not too demanding for me.. But it will be for you. Trust me. Is better for you not being involved with me... I wasn’t aware that our relationship could be that deep.»

«Relationship? We don’t have anything. This is so stupid and... Selfish!», you almost yell, angry at him because it doesn’t make any sense!  You calm down when you feel a glaze on you. SA Morgan is looking at you two, but he immediatly turns away when you notice him. «Have a nice day, Dr Reid.»

He watches you helplessly as you walk away. «Dont say anything», the warns Morgan, who is approching him with a smirk. 

«Can I say that she is on fire and you look dumb, pretty boy?»

Spencer sighs, scrolling his shoulders. «It’s a long story.»

«Yeah? Such a pity that we don’t have time. Gideon found our man, we need to move now», he says, before teasing Spencer a little. «You’ll have time for your love business after we close the case.» 

«There is no ‘love business’, Morgan. We are... fine. Friends. I guess we were...»

«You sure? That little bird probably thinks otherwise», Mogan says, claps him on the shoulder.

Spencer sighs again, looking you in the car, waiting the coroner to go back to the morgue. For a second, your glazes meet, but you look so... deeply hurt. And he understands that- again- he makes a mistakes on another, just because he wants to preserve someone who is dear to him. 

But yes, he has no time now, but he have to apologize to you. And he will.

As long as they close the case. 

[dreamingabouttaron]

The Assistant Part 16

You spent the majority of Sunday morning tucked up watching Netflix in bed in your hotel room. The soft white duvet wrapped precisely around your body, keeping you warm and secure. You didn’t have any motivation to move. You felt sorry for yourself and you didn’t know why. You felt like you needed the morning to mope around a bit, get it out of your system. You had woken up in a strange mood and you just couldn’t seem to shake it no matter what you did. 

You were glad to have the day off to relax before filming started the next day. Even though you weren’t going to be in front of the camera, you knew that things could still get crazy behind the scenes. This was the time when you had to prove that you were the right person for the job. You couldn’t make any mistakes. You made a mental note to write an organised routine for the week ahead. This would include car pick up times, Taron’s coffee order and Taron’s dry cleaning. Any little thing that could go wrong. You would consider yourself to be a perfectionist, which had its positives and negatives. Everything had to be perfect for this shoot, you wouldn’t allow anything else to falter or go wrong.

Even though you were lazing around in bed, your body felt heavy but your mind was wildly spinning. Perhaps it was the events of the previous evening that had left a sour taste in your mouth. You didn’t know what else you could do in this sticky situation. You felt like you had lost your motivation. Something inside of you had dwindled out and you didn’t know what. You felt apprehensive about going shopping with Emily that afternoon. You wished you could stay in bed and not have to go out and face the world. Was it the world you feared, or was it Emily? You didn’t feel in the mood to entertain her. You sighed and felt your eyes grow heavy. Perhaps having a nap would make you feel better. You felt yourself happily submit into a peaceful sleep with the sound of Netflix still humming on in the background.

***

Your peaceful dream was suddenly interrupted when your senses became aware of the loud banging on your door. It felt like you were swimming to the surface of water, breaking through trying to gain consciousness. You groaned and sat up in bed. You rubbed your hands over your sleepy eyes before scanning the room. You didn’t know how long you had been asleep for. Netflix has stopping playing and the room was silent apart from the continuous knocking.

“I’m coming.” You called out with a raspy voice and threw the duvet off your body. The chill in the air instantly made you shiver. You wrapped your arms around your frame and placed your feet onto the carpeted floor beneath you. You trudged your heavy feet over to the door and opened it with bleary eyes.

“Are you ready?” You squinted your eyes at the bright lights of the corridor. You could see a tall slim silhouette through the brightness.

“What time is it?” You placed your hand up to shield your eyes and asked feeling disorientated.

“It’s 1:30. Have you just woken up?” Emily questioned. You groaned in response and invited her inside. Emily entered the room and looked around. She spotted the unmade bed and knew the answer to her unanswered question. 

“Go and get yourself ready. I’ll go and grab you a coffee and then I’ll be back. I’ll take your key card and let myself back in.” You nodded sleepily at her and yawned. You walked into the bathroom and got yourself cleaned up and dressed for the afternoon ahead.

It didn’t take you too long to look presentable. By the time you were done, Emily was sat on the sofa playing on her phone waiting with two coffees on the table next to her. You watched her whilst she typed away. She looked sad. Or, perhaps she was just tired. But she didn’t seem right. Something was in the air and you could feel it. It felt like this was the calm before the storm.

“Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go!” You said picking up your bag and making your presence known.

Emily jumped up off the sofa and passed you the coffee. It was exactly what you needed to wake you from your slumber. You followed Emily, out of the door and down to a waiting Uber. You slid yourself into the back of the car and fastened your seatbelt tightly around your waist. You took a sip of your coffee, the hot liquid warmed your throat. It felt like heaven. You instantly felt the caffeine hit your veins bringing you to life.

“Thank you for the coffee. It’s exactly what I needed.” You turned to look at her as you spoke. ”Sorry for not being ready earlier. I wasn’t feeling great this morning.”

“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it. I’m not feeling great myself, but I’m really looking forward to this Megan. I haven’t had a girlie day like this for ages. I think I’m really in need of this at the moment.” Emily cheered at you positively.

You placed a smile on your face, “I’m looking forward to it too.” You then turned back to look at the window, you hadn’t been this far away from the hotel yet. You enjoyed watching your new surroundings in silence as you sipped your drink.

The rest of the journey was quick. You soon arrived outside a large shopping mall. You hadn’t been shopping in a while, perhaps you needed to treat yourself. Some retail therapy never heard anyone, apart from perhaps your bank account.

You and Emily wandered in and out of a number of shops. Nothing seemed to take your fancy. You had both tried several different outfits on but nothing was singing out to you. Emily was being incredibly nice to you, but it didn’t feel right. You knew something wasn’t right with her but you couldn’t put your finger on it. She just wasn’t her usual self as much as she tried to be, it was very clear to you that she wasn’t. She had pulled out several items for you and had insisted you tried them on for her. As you made your way out of the final shop with your hands full of bags; your stomach made a rather loud grumble. You placed your hand on your belly and looked at Emily in surprise.

“Could we stop off for something to eat? I haven’t had anything to eat yet today.” Emily nodded and you both walked over to the nearest coffee shop. The coffee shop was warm and it was impossible for you to not feel relaxed and at home when you entered in to it. Inside, it wasn’t too full, you managed to spot a table over in the back corner. It was positioned in front of a wall that was lined with books, the seats were cushioned and a light hung down low over the top of the table. You both squeezed through the other tables to claim it for yourselves before anyone else tried to take it.

“This one’s on me. What would you like?” Emily insisted as she rummaged around in her bag before taking her purse out.

“Are you sure?” You asked as you placed your bags under the table. “I’m more than happy to pay.”

“Yes, I’m sure. Tea? Coffee? Cake? I’m probably going to have some of that cake.”

“I’ll have a tea please, and I’ll have a slice of that cake too, if you don’t mind.” You slide your coat off and place it on the back of the wooden chair.

“Coming right up.” You watched her walk over to the counter and collect your order.

You looked around the cafe whilst you waited, it was full of an eclectic bunch of people. You watched parents struggle with their children, groups of friends catching up and tired husbands with their wives surrounded with shopping bags. You giggled quietly to yourself. No matter where you were in the world, it was always the same. That felt like a comfort. You were starting to miss your home comforts. You wanted your friends, your parents, your own home. As much as you were enjoying being out here in Budapest with Taron, today you really wished you were back in London. You felt a little alone.

Once Emily was back over; you started to nibble on your chocolate cake. It was sugar. Pure sugar. But it was just what you had wanted. A comfort food, you had the horrible habit of eating unhealthy foods when you were feeling down. It momentarily made you feel better. The cake was rich and creamy, it melted in your mouth. You tried to savour every mouthful.

“It looked like you and Ben were getting on well last night. Do you think you’ll see him again?” Emily probed as she ate.

“Well, probably… Yes. He’s… really lovely.” It sounded like you were trying to convince yourself more than her.

“I’m sensing a ‘but’…” She stated. Was it really that obvious?

“If I’m honest, I’m just not that sure, I don’t think my heart is fully in it. I just don’t want to lead him on. My head is all over the place at the moment and I already have a lot to think about. I can’t get distracted.” It was true, everything was all up in the air at the moment and you didn’t know if it would be a good idea to drag Ben into this anymore. You didn’t have the energy in you to stop Taron getting possessive over you.

“Like Taron?” She looked up at you and questioned.

“Huh?” You frowned at her, what was she asking?

“Like working for Taron?” You relaxed and released your frown at her words. “How do you find it? Truthfully.” Emily asked and looked back down at the slice of cake she was picking at absentmindedly with her fork.

You kept your eyes on her, as if you were scanning her for a sign You took a tentative sip of your drink as you contemplated how to answer. “I’m really enjoying it. I think next week is when the hard work starts…”

You were about to continue when Emily interrupted you. “I’m not stupid, by the way.”

You looked at her, confusion written all over your face. “Excuse me?”

“I’ve seen the way he looks at you.” She took a small bite of her cake. “I’ve seen the way you look at him too. He hasn’t looked at me like that for ages.”

You sat still in shock. The heat from your cup of tea was burning your hands but you didn’t want to remove them. It was as if they were keeping you grounded. The pressure you were applying to the cup made you wonder if you were going to break it. “No, Emily. He loves you.”

“No, I don’t think he does anymore.” She shook her head and looked at you with a sad expression written across her face. “We had a long and hard discussion yesterday and we’ve decided it’s best for us to take a break. I don’t think I can ever see us getting back together after this.”

You looked at her with wide eyes. “What? Emily! No!” You felt your emotions run wild. Was this because of you? Were things on the rocks before you came along? You had heard their little snaps and arguments but this was still a huge shock to you.

“Megan, do you really think I haven’t seen the little looks between you both? The little touches? The way he lights up when you’re around? He’s back to his normal happy self when he’s around you. You obviously make him happy, which was something I couldn’t do. If breaking up is going to make him happier in the long run, then I can’t deny him that happiness.” You swallowed and stayed quiet. You didn’t know what to say, but your silence spoke a thousand words. Your breathing increased causing you to feel lightheaded.

“Megan… please. I need to know…” You looked up at her with a sad expression on your face. Your heart was beating so loudly, you thought that she would be able to hear it across the table from you. “Were you having an affair behind my back?” You could see the tears starting to pool in her eyes. You didn’t know how to respond. Technically you had only kissed once, he had been very touchy with you but nothing more ever came from it. You knew that you had feelings for him but you wouldn’t ever allow yourself to ever go that far. Yes, you had allowed your thoughts to go too far but you knew you wouldn’t allow anything to physically happen.

“No.” You said. It was almost inaudible. You shook your head and said a little louder, “No. We’re not.”

You both sat in silence for what felt like hours. You looked down at your hands, they were red raw from the heat of your cup. You wanted to feel the heat radiating off them on another part of your body but you didn’t dare move. It felt like if you moved, your whole world was going to come crashing down. You couldn’t bring yourself to look at her. You felt drenched in guilt. You never wished to be in this situation and you never wished for Emily to be in this situation either.

“Megan, look at me.” You resistantly raised your eye line to look in Emily’s direction. She seemed calm but that only made this worse. You felt a cold sweat sweep over your body. You felt your body aching to get up and go but you couldn’t. You could see she was examining your face. Assessing you. Looking for answers. You tried to stay as neutral as you could, but you knew it was written all over your face.

“Are you in love with him?”

Tag List - 

@primaba11erina @hitmeonmytspot @autumnslovex @fuseburner @huathmoon94 @tiffleen

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Can the Mormons talk honestly about polygamy?

▲ The Unification Church bought this church in Washington, DC, from the Mormons.

Can the Mormons talk honestly about polygamy? A new book could help. The unknowns about eternal polygamy are ‘answered with speculation and myths, creating undue fear and angst,’ says the author of a new book.

Religion News Service July 29, 2021 By Emily W. Jensen

https://religionnews.com/2021/07/29/can-the-lds-talk-honestly-about-polygamy-a-new-book-could-help/

Ten years ago, as I finished up teaching a Relief Society lesson, in which I discussed The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints’ history of polygamy, my local Relief Society president came up to me and whispered, “You know, the Holy Spirit left the room the moment you said the ‘p’ word.”

The idea that a word could cause the Holy Spirit to flee in terror still makes me stammer — which is just what I did that day in response to the Relief Society president.

Oh, how things have changed. Today most of us own that polygamy was practiced by church members before it was outlawed in Utah in 1890. We should also be able to admit that its theological framework is still found in the church in many places. Talking about it shouldn’t be discouraged.

The church seems to agree, at least so far as to publish through Deseret Book a new tome called “Let’s Talk About Polygamy” by LDS church historian Brittany Chapman Nash. At a slim 134 pages, this little book delves deeper into the practice than its size lets on, hitting the points that every church member should know.

But they generally don’t. Even with the church-sponsored Gospel Topics essays on the subject and various historic works, including those in the church-sponsored Joseph Smith Papers, far too many members still believe that polygamy is an unspeakable word or maintain that Smith never practiced it.

Nash’s little book fills that informational void nicely. At its very beginning, she defines the practice, explaining that what went on among early LDS leaders’ families was actually polygyny (the taking of multiple wives), not polygamy (the taking of multiple spouses), but that polygamy is the more common term.

The book relates the history of the practice in the early church and its messy untethering process at the dawn of the 20th century. Nash wonderfully includes many women’s voices of the time in describing their reasons for embracing polygamy or rejecting it, and she explains the polygamous sealing process, which today’s temple sealing ceremony obviously echoes, even though the sealings are now done monogamously.

She also makes plain why so many early members felt they had to ascribe to the practice: Brigham Young, among others, taught that those men who were to be elevated to the highest degree of heaven and become Gods were those who entered into polygamy. Later, Wilford Woodruff, the LDS president who ended it, tried to soften Young’s dictum by explaining that men only needed to marry one other woman, not many multiples of women like so many high church leaders were doing at the time.

The book busts the myth that not many Mormons practiced polygamy, explaining that although the numbers aren’t exact because existing records are incomplete, taking Manti, Utah, as an example, at its height, just over 40% of its population was in polygamous households.

I appreciate that Nash trusts me as a reader and gives the age of Joseph Smith’s youngest wife, Helen Mar Kimball, as 14, not, as the Gospel Topics essay does, “sealed to Joseph several months before her 15th birthday.”

In her final chapter, Nash asks, “What does polygamy mean to saints today?” She goes head-on at the idea that many members are uncomfortable with the idea of polygamy as it was practiced then and worry that it will be practiced in the hereafter. Clearly, we are still haunted by our polygamist past.

As perhaps we should be: Nash explains that the revelation has “never been denounced” by the church. This means that while men can be sealed to multiple women eternally — if their wife dies or they are divorced and granted a clearance, say — women are painfully and misogynistically not afforded the same sealing promise.

The unknowns about eternal polygamy, Nash notes, are unfortunately “answered with speculation and myths, creating undue fear and angst within some Saints.”

Nash cites President Dallin Oaks, who in 2019 began his general conference talk describing a letter from a woman who was afraid of having to live in the same eternal home with her husband and his first deceased wife. The remark was greeted with laughter from the audience and a smile from Oaks.

I noted on Twitter then that you should never make fun of women afraid of eternal polygamy. Or, as another writer has said: “We haven’t really engaged with the issues, either institutionally or culturally. And by refusing to engage with the problems, we’re essentially telling our sisters and brothers who face them that we don’t care about their situation, because all is well with us.”

After all, Doctrine & Covenants 132, Smith’s revelation on eternal and plural marriage, which we are studying in this year’s Sunday school curriculum, is still canonized.

Overall, I do think this book will shake some members’ faith. That’s because many members still see polygamy as a “p” word, not to be uttered. But I’m grateful for the deft historical hand Nash wields in constructing a small but powerful work on polygamy. Let’s do talk about it. Emily Jensen She is the web editor for Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought and co-editor of “A Book of Mormons: Latter-day Saints on a Modern-Day Zion.”

(The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.)

_______________________________________

Can the Moonies talk honestly about polygamy?

VIDEO: Hyung Jin Moon admits his father had sex with six Marys

[smkkbert]

Time for a story - Past Sins

Leaning her forearms on the banister of the gallery, Felicity looked down into the spacious hall with all its different areas and all the kids and adults working there right now. Three classes from local schools as well as two smaller groups from day care institutions around Starling City were being led around. Apart from that, a couple of kids were working on the different stations by themselves. It wasn’t too bad for an average Tuesday afternoon.

“Mrs. Queen?”

Felicity turned her head to the woman who was approaching her with a shy and yet excited smile. Behind the large glasses, her eyes looked amplified. She was stepping from one foot onto the other quickly which Felicity knew wasn’t unusual for her. She had trouble standing still, something Felicity understood very well.”

“Ms. Whitlock,” she said with a polite smile, “thank you for your time.”

“Well, when the boss calls, it’s not like I have much of a choice.”

Alena Whitlock chuckled nervously as she pulled at a strand of her hair. For the past weeks, she had been managing the Smoak & Queen Science Center for kids in Felicity’s name. She had applied for the position with little hope as she was young and didn’t have that much experience. Felicity had seen how much she loved science though and how easily infected you could be by her excitement. That had been more important to her than anything else because she knew the Science Center offered a great team of coworkers and all finances were taking care of by Queen Consolidated anyway.

Felicity smiled. “Don’t worry. I am just here to ask how things are going.”

“Everything’s great.” Alena stepped next to Felicity and followed her gaze down. “The Discovery Zone is still the most favored area for kids under five years. It was good to invest a little more money there. The Experiment Bar is the most favored area for kids that are older than five years. We have increased the number of available experiments to over fifty for children and youths of different ages. There aren’t enough working stations though. At times, people have to wait longer than half an hour to start an experiment.”

“We should extend the Experiment Bar,” Felicity concluded, nodding her head, “by at least twenty places.”

“That’s going to be expensive.”

Felicity didn’t reply to that as money really wasn’t a problem in her life anymore. As a child, when she had been living in that small Las Vegas apartment that her mother had barely earned enough money to rent, every penny had been so incredibly precious. Now, she was a billionaire who could spend money hand over fist. She liked to do that, at least when it was for charity.

“What about the project for basic computer education?”

“It’s going great,” Alena replied, “and it’s so important, especially for kids that grow up in the Glades. Unfortunately, it collides with the pupils that come here to do their homework under supervision. Hence, the kids have to share a tablet with one or two others which makes things difficult sometimes.”

“We will double the number of tablets then.”

Alena raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Just like that?”

“Of course just like that,” Felicity replied, shrugging her shoulders, “because this place can’t fulfill what it was built for if the necessary equipment isn’t there.”

“You make that sound so easy.”

Felicity had gotten married to a billionaire and was leading a multi-billion-dollar cooperation, Felicity thought to herself, so it was quite easy.

“What about the staff?” Felicity asked. “Do you need more support? Especially with the new expansions?”

“It never hurts to have some helping hands on deck.”

Felicity nodded her head. “In that case, I will advertise a couple of vacancies. Thank you for your time, Ms. Whitlock.”

“Thank you for listening, Mrs. Queen.”

With that, Alena left. She was almost dancing a little as the conversation had definitely gotten her in a good mood. Felicity smiled at the sight, shaking her head a little. She knew she couldn’t have found someone better to make creative and scientific decisions here wen Felicity wasn’t around. In a lot of ways, Alena had stayed a child herself and that was exactly the kind of person Felicity needed to be in charge here.

At the familiar sound of high heels clattering on the floor tiles, Felicity turned around to look at Emily, who was approaching her now.

“Mr. Wayne called.”

Felicity had trouble to bite back her smile at having Bruce being called Mr. Wayne. It seemed so incredibly surreal. Bruce was just Bruce. He wasn’t Mr. Wayne.

“Did he cancel the appointment?”

“No, he has just landed in Starling,” Emily replied, “but the highways are full. It will take a while until he arrives here.”

Felicity nodded her head. “Thank you.”

It was a good thing that Felicity hadn’t really expected Bruce to be on time anyway. Bruce was a lot of things, but punctual was not one of them. In that, like so many other things, Bruce was exactly like Oliver. Of course neither of the two men wanted to hear that.

Felicity had just turned back to observe the kids working on the different station when an alarm on her phone went off. It wasn’t her usual alarm that woke her in the morning, and it wasn’t her ringtone either. It was the special tone she had set up for any kind of emergencies or threats.

Quickly, Felicity pulled her phone from her purse and checked what had made the alarm go off. Apparently, there were suspicious movements as well as tech glitches around the Science Center. Both could be, but didn’t have to be, signs that there was a threat coming closer. Her security program alarmed her when there were images or any kind of data from possible weapons or when there were glitches in the surveillance technology that might look like they were manipulated.

Thanks to her thoroughly set up security hacks that allowed her to access the recordings of ever surveillance camera in Starling City and around, Felicity just needed a couple of commands until she has called up the footage of the surveillance cameras around the Science Center. She turned on the quick pass-through until she noticed that the glitches started in the footage of a camera that was just half a block away from here. She called up the video and let it run in normal speed.

Several minutes passed as the alley stayed empty. Only after several minutes, a couple passed the alley. She was a tall woman with a slim figure. Her breasts were small, her waist barely noticeable. Her straight black hair reached up to her chin. She was wearing black and red leathers. The top of her gear only had spaghetti straps, but she was wearing red gloves that reached even over her elbows. The neckline of her top reached deep, but her cleavage was almost entirely covered by the scarf she was wearing around her bottom part of her face. Felicity didn’t recognize that woman.

She did recognize the man that was walking alongside her though. By now, she had crossed the path of Ruben Midas twice already. The first time, she had sent the team in the headquarter of his company where they had found his robots. They had been so similar to real human beings that they could have easily been mistaken for those. Unlike the helpful robots that were supposed to work in the household or do their part in working security, those robots had been trained to use weapons and to kill. Felicity had destroyed Midas’ work including his plans which had caused him to mess with her bio-stimulants in return. She, Oliver and Bruce had believed that he had died when they had attacked him in his hideout, but they must have been wrong. He was very alive it seemed.

Felicity hurried to call up some more current footage of the two of them. Her security program needed barely a second before it called up live footage of the two of them. It took Felicity half a second before she realized where exactly they were.

The moment Felicity saw the exact location, she ran over to the next alarm button and pressed it. A loud alarm sounded through the entire building. The many walls that were made of security glass turned into mirrors, a little security extra she had thought might be helpful. A lot of glass allowed a lot of transparency which wasn’t a good thing when there was an attack. That was why she had added this.

Hurrying back to the banister, Felicity watched the staff hushing the kids and youth to the security areas. The two members of staff that were still sitting behind the reception, trying to lock down all doors around, didn’t move though.

“Run!” she called down to them. “Hide somewhere safe!”

They didn’t need to be told twice. They dropped whatever they had been working on and hurried after the rest of the people into the security areas. They knew that, once the doors were shut, there was no easy way to open them. The entire building was designed that way that, once a door was closed from the inside during an alarm, it could only be opened through an elaborate security protocol.

The security cameras showed that Midas and his partner had already entered the building through some back entrance. They certainly wouldn’t need that much time to get here. That was why Felicity hurried down the stairs and checked some of the doors. The Science Center had never been on a lockdown like this, so she needed to make sure that everyone was indeed safe before she could even consider getting so a safe place too.

Felicity was still checking some of the doors downstairs when Midas and his partner stepped out from the back of the building and right into the hall. They stood face to face. Midas’ cold, angry eyes met Felicity’s. She sucked in a deep breath, taking a step back instinctively. That the woman pulled out two guns and directed them right at Felicity’s face.

“Mrs. Queen,” Midas addressed Felicity, an evil grin spreading on his lips, “may I introduce you to my lover? I lovely call her Blood Rose.”

Blood Rose. The name echoed through Felicity’s thoughts, and she was sure that it referred to more than just her red leather gear. With the guns in her hands, Felicity was sure that it also referred to the people she already killed or at least wounded by using her weapons.

“What do you want?” Felicity asked, her voice tense. “What do you want from me?”

“Oh, we are just going to have a little fun spending time together while we wait for your two friends,” Midas replied, his grin widening, “let’s see who will save you – Bruce Wayne or your husband, Oliver Queen. I still have some unfinished business to take care of with the three of you.”

 → → → → →

 “Mr. Queen, we appreciate the effort you have put into charity,” Mr. Nielson said, his voice leaving no doubt that he didn’t appreciate Oliver’s efforts at all, “but the city needs more money for what is important.”

Oliver leaned back in the soft leather of his chair. He tapped the end of his pen on the top of his desk repeatedly while he was watching Mr. Nielson. A couple of hours back, Oliver had wondered how he would get through this meeting. Now he knew that Mr. Nielson was going to outplay himself.

“And what do you think is important?”

“We need to make this city more successful,” Mr. Nielson replied with firm voice, “by boosting the economy and strengthening the tourism. We need Starling City to play with the big ones like Los Angeles, Metropolis or Gotham City. We need to make this city something special.”

“And you think that making the hotel owners and the company owners, the richest of the richest in this city, is more important than helping the people that can barely afford the basic needs of life?” Oliver cocked his head. “Really?”

Whenever he was in meetings like this and someone said something stupid like this, Oliver felt reminded on why he had chosen to become the mayor. He had known that this city needed someone to watch over it, someone who didn’t care about profits. That someone was him.

Oliver had been born rich, and for a long time he had believed that money was everything you needed to have a good life. Through the years, he had leaned that money alone wasn’t what made a good life. It was necessary to live comfortably and it was necessary to have a life at all, but it didn’t make a good life.

For a good life, you needed people that you loved and that loved you back. You needed a passion for something. You needed something that you did almost completely for others and barely for yourself.

Admittedly, Oliver had trouble with the last. Everything he did, he did at least a little bit for himself too. He was a good man because he wanted his children to look up to him. For a long time, he had believed that he had become a vigilante for selfless reasons. He knew better than that now. He had become a vigilante because he had wanted to right his father’s wrongs, and because he had wanted to earn forgiveness and earn the life his father had given to him by shooting David Hackett and himself. He was the mayor because he wanted to save this city and make it a better place to live in for his family.

Everything he did in life, he did at least a little bit for himself and maybe that was exactly the way it was supposed to be. Donating money when you would rather turn around each and every penny wasn’t fun. You’d only get angry for sharing the money that you’d rather keep.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” Oliver said with soft voice, “I know that my way of handling this city is not comparable to how the previous mayors dealt with things. The truth is that I am quite different on a lot of different levels, but it’s not a weakness. It’s a strength. Deep down, the city has been a dark and dangerous place before-“

There was a knock at the door which Oliver would usually ignore. Since his assistant Becky just came rushing into the conference room, Oliver lifted his gaze and looked at his assistant. Her cheeks were reddened and an uncalm expression was in her eyes.

“I am sorry to interrupt,” she hurried to say, looking right at Oliver while she was walking around the large table to approach Oliver, “but you have to watch this.”

She held out her tablet for him, and Oliver didn’t wait to take it and watch the live video feed that was there. He knew that, if Becky interrupted the meeting like this, she had her reasons. She knew exactly what was important and what wasn’t.

The moment Olive caught the headline of the video feed, he felt his muscles tensing. His fingers held onto the tablet so tightly that he wouldn’t be surprised if he broke it. His heart started racing, the blood rushing in his ears.

Starling City’s first Lady Felicity Queen (along roughly 50 others) held hostage at Queen & Smoak Science Center for Kids

He skimmed the article quickly, reading that two people had escaped the Science Center and contacted the police. They had taken position around the building, trying to get in touch with the hostage-taker. They hadn’t been successful so far. Thanks to some of the employees that were inside the building, hiding with the kids that had come there today to learn something more about science, the police had gained access to the footage of the surveillance cameras. Unfortunately, some hacker had managed to break through the police’s firewalls and put the live feed online.

One brief look at the hostage-taker was enough for Oliver to know who this guy was and what he would want. It was also enough for him to know that this was no bad joke and now light threat. This was serious, and there was nowhere Oliver had to be more than at the Smoak & Queen Science Center.

“I have to go.”

He knew that there were a lot of eyes without understanding directed at him. He couldn’t care less though. Once they found out what was happening right now, they would understand. Every decent husband, even the ones that could do much less about the situation than he was able to do, would cancel every meeting to be close to their wife.

A part of Oliver wanted to take the stairs down, but he knew he needed to save his breath for the run to the bunker. At this time of the day, he knew it would be completely stupid to take the car. It would take him forever to get to the Science Center. He would have to run all the way to the bunker and take his motorcycle to the Science Center after that.

Oliver’s gaze was fixed onto the digital display while the elevator was taking its path downstairs. The tip of his shoe tapped onto the floor of the elevator cage nervously. Oliver hated waiting, and moments like these made it incredibly hard to learn how to be more patient.

Ruben Midas was a dangerous man. His intelligence and his creativity mixing with his greed for money had already made him dangerous. His anger about the fact that so much of his work had been destroyed and he was a hunted man now made him even more dangerous. He wasn’t focusing his energy and intelligence only on creating more robots. He was focusing it on getting his revenge.

As soon as the doors opened, Oliver slipped outside. He ran through the spacious foyer, not caring that people were staring at him. He really didn’t care.

Outside, he turned to the east, already about to start running to the bunker. He had barely taken two steps when a black Lamborghini raced onto the sidewalk and stopped still right in front of him. The tires screeched, and the bumper almost touched his shinbones. Since the windshield were darkened, Oliver couldn’t see who was sitting behind the steering wheel. He didn’t need to see it to know it though.

The way the car had almost knocked him down and was honking at him now was enough for him to know. There was only one person in the world that was as impatient as he himself was.

Oliver opened the door and let himself sink into the expensive leather seats. He wasn’t surprised to find the same rage he was feeling sparkling in Bruce’s eyes. By now, he had certainly heard about what was happening to Felicity right now already.

“Ruben Midas has her,” Oliver said, “and there is a second person with him, a woman according to the video surveillance.”

“The police talk about a woman too. Any idea who that is?”

“Felicity did some background checks on Midas, but she never mentioned a woman and- what are you doing? The bunker is in the other direction?”

“I have a duplicate of your suit in the trunk of the car.”

Oliver didn’t even ask about it. He guessed that Bruce, just like himself, liked to be prepared. After all, the two of them were quite similar. Even if he would never say that out loud.

Bruce floored the gas pedal. He was directing the car through with city with a speed that would scare Oliver if it was anyone else behind the steering wheel. He knew Bruce’s good reflexes, and he knew that Bruce was very determined to reach their shared goal.

They needed to save their girl.

 → → → → →

 With her hands cuffed to the banister of the gallery, her back hurt badly. It was uncomfortable. That the metal was cutting into her skin hard wasn’t helping either. Clenching her teeth, Felicity tried to pull her hands out from the metal, but she wasn’t successful.

Felicity knew that she needed to find another way as she wasn’t gong to get out of her current situation anytime soon. At least not as long as she was on her own and without any help.

Lifting her gaze, she looked at Midas. He was sitting astride a chair, his forearms resting on the backrest of the chair. His cold eyes were focused on her, watching her with a somewhat amused smile on his lips. His partner was leaning against a wall behind him, one foot resting against the wall while she was watching them. Well, she was mostly watching Midas. She was almost completely fixed on him.

Felicity knew that Midas wanted Bruce and Oliver to be here for the great showoff. She alone wasn’t enough for him. After she had destroyed his work and his company in the first place, they had destroyed his hideout where he had tried to continue with his work in the shadows.

“You destroyed my work.”

He was finally feeling the need to talk, Felicity thought to herself. She guessed that was good. Maybe that way she could find out what his plan was. She was good at talking to villains. It wasn’t the first time she was in the hands of some criminal after all.

She took the break of a second to figure out which approach would be the right one here. Midas was a narcist who believed that his work would change the world in a way that was for the better, at least for him. In addition to that, he was quite smart. Pretending that she was a secret fan of his work was going to play into his narcissism, but he wouldn’t believe her. Even if he did believe her, Felicity wasn’t sure how Blood Rose reacted.

“It wasn’t worth keeping.”

Provoking Midas seemed to be the best shot she had. She had to try at least.

The corners of Midas lips twitched slightly. His eyes showed how angry her words made him though. Deep down, her wanted her to envy him for his creation.

“You will suffer for destroying my work,” Midas said, “just like your husband and your boyfriend will suffer for it.”

Her husband and her boyfriend. Felicity couldn’t deny that there was maybe a little spark of truth in there. Well, actually, they both were her husband. Oliver was her husband at home and, at least sometimes, Bruce was her husband at work. He was her work-husband. Where had she heard that term again in the first place?

“I just haven’t decided yet if I want to kill you in front of them or them in front of you.”

“I am leaning towards the latter,” Blood Rose said, “as I have a thing for strong, muscular guys. I would like to rub myself against them while I slit their throats. I want to bathe in their blood and come to the sight of light leaving their eyes. I-“

Midas hadn’t really looked like he minded his girlfriend fantasizing about being sexually turned on by killing Oliver and Bruce. He tapped his finger onto his smart watch, not looking like he was even listening to what his girlfriend was saying. While he had been busy, Blood Rose had suddenly stopped and was now approaching him with almost seductive steps. She put her arms around his neck from behind and leaned her lips against his ear. Felicity didn’t have to hear her to know that she was probably saying something saucy to him.

Birds of a feather flock together, Felicity thought to herself quietly while she was watching the couple. She couldn’t say who of them was more insane. She guessed it could change anytime, depending on the situation.

Felicity was still watching them when she noticed a movement. The many glass walls in this area turned into mirrors when the security program was set off, so nobody could see what was happening inside and the people inside, especially the kids, couldn’t see what was happening outside. The reflection in the mirroring walls also allowed her to see the movements that were happening on the beams right under the ceiling.

Although Felicity felt relieved at the sight of Oliver and Bruce or rather Green Arrow and Batman, Felicity did her best not to let it show. Midas and his girlfriend would only get suspicious if they saw that she was relieved. Oliver and Bruce certainly had a plan of their own though.

Felicity shot a brief glance at her hostage-takers, and her gaze met Blood Rose. The crazy lady cocked her head and let go of her boyfriend to approach Felicity slowly. The corners of her lips twitched slightly, making her look even more evil.

“Maybe I will change my mind.”

Blood Rose brushed her fingertips against Felicity’s cheek before she cupped her jaw. Her thumb stroked over Felicity’s bottom lip. Felicity tried to lean out of her touch, but Blood Rose didn’t let her get away. She tightened her fingers around Felicity’s jaw, pressing her fingernails in Felicity’s soft skin to a point that it almost hurt.

“I am going to enjoy killing you,” Blood Rose whispered, “and to have both men cry out for you in agony when they cannot save you.”

With a sudden movement, Blood Rose grabbed hold of Felicity’s ponytail and ripped her head back so much that a jolt of pain shot through Felicity’s spine. She hissed in pain.

That was enough for Oliver and Bruce to leave their safe spots where they had been able to observe the situation. They jumped down from the beam, landing right and left to Felicity. Bruce went at Blood Rose, urging her away from Felicity and trying to take her down. At the same time, Oliver attacked Midas.

Felicity knew it was hopeless, but she tried to pull her hands out of the tight metal around her wrists once more. As much as she gritted her teeth and just tried to pull, it didn’t work. Why had Oliver never taught her how she could dislocate her thumb as it would definitely been helpful right now?

Unable to do anything but waiting to be saved, Felicity looked back and forth between the two fights that were going on. While Bruce seemed to have the upper hand in his fight, Oliver had trouble to hold his own against Midas. Felicity wondered if maybe Midas had implanted some kind of biochip into his system that allowed his body to adapt to his opponent’s abilities. If he had managed to create human-like robots with that ability, maybe he was able to install this ability in the human DNA.

Oliver and Midas were tangled in a close hand-to-hand combat when Felicity could suddenly see a gleam. Her breath got caught in her throat when she saw the knife Midas was holding in his hand. He directed it at Oliver’s neck, and Oliver barely managed to lean back enough to have it stay out of reach. He blocked Midas’ hand with one arm.

As Midas almost managed to sneak his arm out from under Oliver’s blocking movement, Oliver pushed Midas away from him strongly. The movement caused Midas to stumble, and he fell to the floor. Blood was pooling under and around his body. As he turned around onto his back, Felicity could see where exactly it came from. The stumble had caused him to slit his own throat. With one rattle, he stopped breathing. It had only taken seconds for him to bleed to death.

Felicity was staring at Midas’ dead body. She guessed this time Midas was really dead.

Blood Rose seemed to have come to the same conclusion. With a cry of agony as she had called it herself before, Blood Rose pushed Bruce away from her. The movement tossed him across the room and pushed him into the opposite wall. His head bumped against it ungently. His body slumped to the floor, staying there without moving.

Blood Rose was still crying out loudly, releasing an ear-piercing sound, when she turned away from where she had tossed Bruce against the wall. Felicity believed that she’d go right at Oliver. Felicity could understand it because she’d kill whoever took Olive from her too. Instead, Blood Rose walked right towards her, pulling her guns and aiming them at her.

Felicity turned her chair away as much as possible, trying to make herself small by resting her chest on her thighs. That way, she guessed she was giving Blood Rose the least attack surface. Indeed, it seemed like no bullet hit her. The glass of the banister shattered though. A thousand scattered pieces of glass fell down. Blood Rose’s shots came closer. One bullet seemed to almost brush her upper arm.

Quickly, Felicity moved more to the side, trying to avoid the bullets. It was just an uncareful second, but one leg of her chair slid off the edge. Felicity lost her balance, and it caused the entire chair to overturn the edge of the gallery. The chair fell off from under her butt, falling down into the ground floor and bursting there. It crumbled into all of it different pieces.

Felicity was dangling from the gallery. Her feet were dangling in the air. She was only held up by the handcuffs that kept her tied to the banister. Her arms were twisted painfully as her entire weight was hanging on her wrists. The metal of the handcuffs was cutting into her skin even more firmly now.

Just a couple of minutes before, Felicity had tried to pull her hands out of the handcuffs. Now, her hands were threatening to slip out of them. Her skin was abrading. It hurt badly. The fear of crashing down several floors onto the ground scared Felicity.

Oliver’s name was already rising on her throat when she realized that she had to be smarter. If the police hadn’t gained access to the footage of the surveillance cameras already, the would definitely demand that footage later. Any lip reader would probably be able to figure out who she was calling out for. While Felicity could pretend that she had just called out for her husband because he was the person she trusted to protect her most, Oliver had been suspected to be the Green Arrow a few times too much for her to risk anything here.

“Green Arrow!”

It didn’t feel right. She didn’t call out for the Green Arrow, the savior of the city, to save her. She knew that Green Arrow’s task was catching Blood Rose and stopping her from causing any more harm to the people in this city. The person she needed to save her was her husband because she knew that he needed her to be alright.

Felicity’s right hand had just slipped out of the handcuff when the leather of a familiar glove grabbed her hands. Lifting Felicity’s gaze, she saw Oliver holding onto her hand. The exhaustion in his face wasn’t coming from holding her weight with one hand, Felicity knew. It was just a sign of how worried he really was.

He pulled her up almost easily, using just one hand. He used one of the arrows she had designed, putting it to the small chain between the handcuffs. Within seconds, the chain was melted through. Oliver’s arms wrapped around her already. Felicity pushed her nose against the side of his neck, breathing him in. The feeling of being safe spread inside of her already.

Although the feeling hadn’t really caught up with her completely, Felicity pulled away from Oliver. She shot him a meaningful look, nodding his head. Obviously, he knew exactly what she needed right now.

She looked at where Bruce was still lying unconsciously, and she hurried towards him. Felicity kneeled down next to his body and cupped his face with her hands. Her fingers stroked over his cheekbones, stroking over his skin with gentle caress.

“Bruce,” she whispered quietly, hoping he would hear her, “Bruce, it’s me.”

For the break of a second, Bruce stayed unmoving. With a low groan, he put his fingers around her wrist and opened his eyes though. Although they were cloudy, Felicity could see the love shine through. He was glad that she was the one pulling him from his unconsciousness. Although he knew that Felicity’s heart would always be with Oliver, he liked to see her face upon waking up. It made him feel safe.

Felicity would have liked to reassure him that everything was okay. She wanted to tell him that he was safe, that Oliver was safe and that she was safe. From the corner of her eye, she could see the S.W.A.T. team of the SCPD entering the building though. There was no time.

“You have to go,” Felicity whispered, looking from Bruce to Oliver, “now.”

Oliver nodded his head as hard as it was to leave her like that when nothing was talked out yet. He wanted to kiss her, but he also knew that he couldn’t do that with the cameras recording every single one of their movements.With a couple of steps, he was at her side. He wrapped Bruce’s arm over his shoulder, helping him to get onto his feet.

Oliver’s every locked onto hers. Felicity knew that he needed to know that she was somewhat okay before he left her. He loved her too much to leave her in any situation of crisis. Felicity nodded her head though, telling him that she got this handled. After all, she had been forced to find an excuse to tell the police why Oliver was back alive when his dead body had been identified after a shooting in front of City Hall.

She was the wife of the freaking Green Arrow. She knew the perks and the downs of that role. She didn’t mind.

After all, she got Oliver in return. He was worth every trouble and every inconvenience.

* * *

@fannaz @promiseyoullbepatientwithme @bytemegeekette @felicity-said-just-in-case @phanseptiic @orangeisorange @mspotatohead14 @whentheheavenfades @emmaamelia95 @smoakingskye @seaolicity @ourwritinginvein @1022bridgetp @felicityqueenforever @leagueofolicity17 @yryssss @myhauntedblacksoul @sherlock44 @sinceriouslybea @olivyflavescentdeer @olicitys-castle @ofnothingcharming @vaelisamaza @smoakedandcharmed @alexisa1206 @mysaudadespt2 @florence-bubbles @addictiontelly @queens-of-arrows @memcjo @hysterical-for-joshifer-blog @oswinelevenforever @olicitylovemaking @bandanab310 @mymusiclove101 @lynslogic @scarletqueen23 @olicityshipper19 @alex-wesley @arrows-4ever @unabashedlynerdypatrol @louehmysoul @ligiapimenta @chattyyana @charlie-leau @coal000 @samcrowleys @ishippolivia @julianegomesqueen @malafle @miriam1779 @charlinert @melaux @ontheolicityship @myshipperlife @wrightainsley @lexi9515 @ladygreenwood @multi-fandom-crazy-fangirl @morinamel @mje-thomas @kebarry @canadianheartgirl @nannett2307 @almondblossomme @kathrynelizabeth89 @imdfabulous @mrt2501 @arsipaci14 @salasvia @brandis91 @cainc3 @morganmiguess @pr0fessi0nal-fangurl @iamisalima @nessafrancis-blog @jonhdiggle @niki-is-amazing @universed-posts @hopeful-warrior @senoritaswiftie @bellemmie @green-arrows-of-karamel @iheartarrow @olicityovereverything​ @oliverfel4 @olicity-in-the-heart @fullychippedcreation @geemarie @everything-but-normal-cat @myarroworld​ @tjmartinez​ @pleasantfanandstudent @j69confessional2​ @scentedcolorpirate​ @icanica74​ @tjmartinez98​ @certainmentalityface​ @tatianadamaceno @ryelew​ @wildwillowzepplin​ @missafairy​ @letsplaymurde-r​ @lipizette​ @positivepiper​ @nuttymilkshakehologram​ @laksagirl​ @turnupthemusicandscream​ @pumpernickle93​ @onceuponanolicity​ @1106angel​ @jaspertown​ @fadinglands​ @morganashimi83​ @mochababychristy​ @omglovechrissie​ @mariejr88-blog​ @thetaufactor​ @onceuponanolicity​ @speakandseethetruth​ @bri206​ @aglasgo​ @geemarie​ @pineprincess​ @nerdgirljen​ @eternal-olicity14​ @allyouhadtodowas-stay-stay-stay​ @lovelycssefan​ @tsseract​ @flowerandsunshine​ @dcnmarvelgamergeek​ @blondeeoneexox​ @monetsmark​ @bb-olicity​ @mashamarty​ @rulerofsilence​ @erika-amber​ @nothingmorethanmyotps​ @kayleenyc​ @tonto16​ @olicityfluv​ @olicitea1990​ @haahaaa2408​ @pattid1​ @faegal04​ @24karatgem​ @wrldtravler​ @readerkas​ @olicity-beliver​ @greencoffeecups​ @snorlaxishere​

(If you want to be tagged or untagged, just let me know. :))

[ladyamela]

Hold! Who goes there? Why, is that Améla Ashcraft the Lady of the House of  Ashcraft of Each Reach? They do look poised for a woman of 27 years. Don’t they call her the confident and curious broken bird? I’ve heard they’re also cautious and humble though, don’t take my word for it but they do look an awful lot like Lily Collins.

TW: Death and depression

Basic Info:

NAME:  Améla Sérafin Ashcraft

PRONUNCIATION:  ə-MEE-lee-ə,  seh-RA-fyeen

TITLE (IF THEY HAVE ONE, OCCUPATION IF NOT): Lady Ashcraft of Each Reach, Lady in Waiting for Princess Josefin Stoneward

AGE: 27

PLACE OF ORIGIN: Each Reach

FAMILY MEMBERS: Cousin Alek Ashcraft, Duke of Each Reach, Betrothed to the Duke of Seaworth

Physical Description:

HEIGHT: 5′5

HAIIR COLOR: Brown

EYE COLOR: Hazel

GENDER: Female

BUILD:  Slim & Athletic

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES? (SCARS, TATTOOS, PIERCINGS): There are a couple of scars around her hairline from when her parents were killed. Has a good number of scars on her body from her time in the military. At this time, only her ears are pierced.

ANY HEALTH RELATED ISSUES?: Depression (not that it’s diagnosed)

Personality:

Améla is the only name the young Ashcraft will acknowledge. Though, over the years, a few people who have been lucky enough to get close to her can get away with calling her Amé or Ams. Those are the people that know what a straightforward and determined young woman she is. While she’s mischievous at heart events in her past has taught her that impishness does not always end well.

To the world, Améla is seen as sweet, kind, innocent in so many ways, and carefree even. The perfect persona for someone who finds it better to hide who she is than anyone close enough to hurt her. The loss of so much in her young life, Améla has come not to trust so easily. She would preferably push people away, then allow them to get close and then lose them. She has established that this disposition can help her out in many ways, while other times, it has lead to more hardship than need be. Trust is not something she gives out freely. It is hard-earned by the person who earns it but easy to lose by anyone she does come to trust.

The real Améla is confident, curious, protective, but cautious and humble all at the same time. She loves with all her heart, not that there are a lot of people left alive that she loves. The count is at four at this point, or at least that's what she'll admit if asked. She knows it all can be taken from her in seconds and is not willing to open herself up to that pain unless it's worth it.

Outside of her primary group of friends, she's not much of a talker. She finds that the overuse of words tends to keep one from seeing the real person. She prefers to observe those around her, watch and listen to what a person says with their body language. Due to this, she discreet with who and when she opens up another about her thoughts. When it comes to inner turmoil, her tendency is to deal with them on her own unless pushed into talking by family. Over time, she has learned to keep her emotions in check. Thanks to the teachings from her cousin Alek, Améla has learned to close her mind off when need be. For you never know when a mind reader could be near.

Additional Info:

Betrothal: At the age of 20, her uncle started brokering a match with the Duke of Seaworth for her hand in marriage. For five years the two families have negotiated the alliance while Améla and the Duke took part in coordinated meetings. Shortly after her 25th birthday the Duke proposed to her and a yes reply has left them planning their nuptials for the last two years. The wedding had been set to take place the coming spring; however, with the attacks a delay may be in order.

Fellow Ladies-in-waiting: While it had never been an official title when she had been younger, Améla has always been by Josefin Stoneward's side either as a friend or confidant. As they got older more ladies joined their group in helping Josefin in her day to day life at court. Some may have become friends with Améla, some she questions their motives, and others she does everything to keep a close on eye on.

The Rebel: No one knows what Améla remembers from the night of her parents deaths, not even Améla. This has some rebels a bit worried about what she can tell or whom she might identify in the attack. Needing to know if Améla could be a threat to their plans they've sent in a mole to get close in case her memories of that night come back to her.

History:

Améla Sérafin Ashcraft would be the first and only child to the Duck of Ashcraft's younger brother. For years they longed for a child of their own; however, each time they thought their prayers answered, tragedy would strike once more. It would take almost seven years after they were married and many tragedies before their baby girl, at last, was held within their arms. They loved her from the moment they laid eyes on her tiny face. For three years, they doted on their little girl. Gave her everything she ever possibly need. They held so many dreams for her, but they would not live to see those dreams come true.

They were on their way back from a visit to the Glasswater Keep.  Améla being the same age as two of the King's daughters, she found herself chosen to become a companion/friend to the princesses. The first visit had seemed to go well, and more planned for the future. However, just hours after leaving Glasswater Keep the Ashcraft found themselves attacked by rebels. No only survivor would be three years old, Améla. From that day forward, her care would fall to her uncle, the Duke of Ashcraft. She showed up at his doorstep, a curious but shy little girl that did not fully understand her new position in life.

The loss of her parents afflicted her in ways that she is still dealing with to this day. She went from living a quiet life with her two loving parents to standing in the middle of a castle with no idea where she truly belonged. Améla pulled into herself over the weeks to come, and while hired a governess to take care of her, the child's aunt could see that what she needed was a mother. From the moment on her Aunt Emily would take time each day to spend with Améla. Slowly over time, the shy child started to open up and accept her new life. Six months after the loss of her parents, Améla finally felt safe and comfortable enough to show that she was magi to others. Like her aunt, she held the power of elemental magic, but her elemental gift would be Geokinesis.

The first person to see her use magic would be her cousin, Alek. While her aunt stepped in to become the mother Améla needed and longed for, Alek would be the one who showed Améla she was safe. He stepped into the role of a big brother as if he had always meant to be one. On the day Améla showed her gift, she had been the garden playing, having wandered off from her governess when Alek found her. Wanting to show him what she could do, Améla held her hand up, and while she wiggled her fingers just a little, two stones moved upward from the spot they were resting, drifting over to Améla and came to rest in front of her. The little girl did not know if wiggling her fingers was required to make the stones move; it was just fun to do.

Things changed once more for the young girl; only this time, the change allowed normalcy to come into her life. Once Améla's aunt found out about her magic, Aunt Emily knew the best course of action. Not wanting to see Améla's talents go to waste, she encouraged the girl to explore her abilities. Just months passed her fourth birthday, Améla visited the Magaesterium for the first time. Thanks to her natural talent, her love and willingness to learn lead to her acceptance right away.

For almost nine years, Améla lived what could be called normal life. Between her time at the Magaesterium, where she flourished in her studies, and Glasswater Keep, where she quickly bonded with Josefin and Adaline. Their bond became so strong, that over time; Améla started to be referred to as the twins' triplet. You never saw Améla without the twins or the twins without Améla. Améla loved being with the twins; they were the sisters she never got to have. Sisters, she would do anything for, anything to protect. That need to protect them became even stronger after the incident of her making almost killed Josefin.

As always, Améla let Adaline talk her into using her magic for fun. This time Améla connected to the earth so that she could raise the twins into the air before letting them drop back down just far enough to make it fun and then raising the dirt back up to catch them. They had been at it for hours when out of nowhere, Améla heard shouting from a distance that distracted her just enough to lose focus right when Améla should have brought the ground up to catch Josefin. With nothing there to grab Josefin at the right moment to keep her unharmed, she fell further than she should have. If Améla had not regained her focus when she did, she held no doubt that Josefin would have died upon impact with the ground.

After the incident, Améla would not see either twin for almost a year. She would leave Glasswater Keep within hours of the accident, sent to the Magaesterium for extensive training in the proper use of magic. It had been during her time away that Améla's Aunt Emily became sick. The young Ashcraft hoped, prayed for the best outcome; however, that was not to be and just shy of Améla's 14 birthday she lost her beloved aunt. Once more, her world shattered, and everything she knew changed. Only months after her aunt's passing, her uncle would remarry, leaving Améla to accept or not accept as the case was a new aunt. The woman, Ainsley Amaranthe, not even double Améla's age, could barely pass as an adult soon earned the nickname step-aunt. Unable to handle the changes at East Reach, Lady Ashcraft started spending more time at Glasswater with Princess Josefin and Princess Adaline.

Améla did her best not to let grief take hold by focusing on what she still had, Alek and her sisters. Soon enough, her adolescence came to an end, and at the age of 18, Améla joined Josefin in the military forces to train alongside their foot soldiers. It soon became apparent that Améla thrived in the environment created by the military. It did not take long before they asked Améla to use her magic to help track the rebels and weed them out. It had been one of these tracking expeditions were she found herself lead into a trap. The commander had been an undercover rebel that wanted to take Améla out. It took all she had to fight them off; however, using the amount of magic that she did, the Lady passed out once the last rebel fell.

She would wake hours later surrounded by royal military and the news that Josefin was missing. By the time she returned to the camp, they were bringing Josefin in on a stretcher. They whisked the princess away to a small tent without any word as to what happened to Josefin. Améla paced outside the tent for hours before they finally allowed her inside. While she longed to find out what happened as soon as she entered the tent, it would not be until years later that the princess opened up to Améla about what truly happened during her scouting mission. Even before finding out the truth, Améla hated for the rebels increased after Josefin's attack. She wanted them to stop them in any way possible, and she would see it done.

When their time in the military came to an end, Améla continued to stay by Josefin's side. Her new title, lady-in-waiting would be one the Ashcraft took quite seriously. While most saw her as nothing more than an attendant to the Princess, Améla saw herself as her protector. There was no way she would ever allow anyone to hurt Josefin again. However, her time with Josefin is quickly coming to an end.  At the age of 20, her uncle started negotiating for her hand in marriage with the Duke of Seaworth. For five years, the two families negotiated the alliance while Améla and the Duke took part in coordinated meetings. Shortly after her 25th birthday, the Duke proposed to her, and a yes reply being the only one Améla could give has left them planning their wedding for the last two years. They arranged for the ceremony to take place in the coming spring; however, with the rebel attacks, a delay may be in order, or the possibility of it moving up is also in talks.

[ringa-starr]

What You Mean to Me Ch 9

A/N: Hey all you lovely people! Ok so I have a bit of good news and bad news for you guys. The bad news is, I start my college classes again on Monday so I won’t have as much time for writing like I have been. Plus, I’ll be working at the college I go to so I’ll be pretty busy.

The good news is this is my last semester which means I will be graduating in December! Then I plan on taking the rest of the year off and going to the University of Georgia as soon as I can next year to study film so I can become a director!

I’m sorry you all had to wait a while for this chapter. At first writer’s block got to me and then, as soon as I almost finished the chapter, the cable people turned our internet off because we didn’t pay the bill.

But enough of my rambling. I really hope this chapter was worth the wait! You guys are just too too awesome and I love you for it!

Stay excellent, breathtaking, and be excellent to each other.

Love you guys!

-Deidra

In River’s car, Emily was sitting in the backseat next to her brother texting Bill:

Emily slipped her phone back in her pocket just as Murray pulled the car to a stop in front of Ted’s house.

The car barely got to a stop when Barry unbuckled his seat belt and opened the passenger side door.

“Time for me to give that little bastard a piece of my mind”, he growled, clutching the knife handle tight.

“Wait a minute you guys- “Emily started but she knew it was no use as she watched Deidra’s dad ring the doorbell.

The only hope she had left was that Ted’s father, a police officer, would step in and help her.

A few moments later, Ted’s dad came to the door.

“Hi”, he said, folding his arms across his chest. “Can I help you?”

“Yeah…yeah you can help us!” Murray snapped.

“You can tell us where your bastard of a son is- “

“Whoa, whoa, whoa”, Mr. Logan interrupted. “I think you need to watch what you say about my kids. In this house, they’re both innocent until proven guilty.”

Mr. Logan paused, thinking about his words.

“Except maybe Ted”, he considered slowly. “That boy’s almost always doing something.”

“Well, did he mention he got my teenage daughter pregnant?” Murray asked.

Mr. Logan’s eyes went wide as he turned his head to look over his shoulder.

“TED!” he called up the stairs with anger in his voice. “GET DOWN HERE!”

A minute later, the sound of Ted’s footsteps could be heard before he hurried down the stairs, stopping dead in his tracks at the sight of all the angry faces in front of him.

~~

Meanwhile upstairs, Ted’s little brother Deacon was in his room, talking on the phone with one of his friends.

The little boy’s eyes went slightly wide at the sound of his dad’s angry voice, cutting into a conversation the boys were having about trading cards, but Deacon didn’t seem to care as a smirk spread across his face.

“Hold on a sec, dude”, Deacon said to his friend. “My brother’s done something again and it sounds huge this time! I’ve never heard my dad this mad before!”

Deacon held the phone to his chest as he carefully eased himself out of his bedroom and into the hallway, peeking into the living room over the stair railing.

“What’s up, Dad?” Ted asked his father, a goofy grin on his face although he was a nervous wreck on the inside.

“You know damn well what’s up!” Barry yelled angrily. “You got my twin sister pregnant!!”

The look of anger Mr. Logan had on his face remained there as he made eye contact with his oldest son.

“Ted is this true?” he asked, in a firm yet demanding voice.

Ted knew this was no time to mess with his dad’s head like he always did.

Besides, he thought, why would I lie? I feel bad enough.

“Yes”, Ted answered quietly, not making eye contact with anyone. “Yeah it’s true, dad.”

“Why you little…BASTARD!” Murray screamed out in utter rage, starting to lunge at Ted.

Murray was followed by River and Barry not too far behind but the three were held back by Emily and Mr. Logan.

Eyes wide, Deacon covered his free mouth with his hand, yelling of all kinds being heard from downstairs as the little boy quickly and quietly made his way back to his bedroom.

“Wait!” came Ted’s nervous voice from downstairs, the sound faint through Deacon’s closed bedroom door. “Don’t I get to tell my side of the story?”

“Your side of the story!?” Murray demanded. “What kind of side do you have to tell?!”

Deacon couldn’t understand much more of what was said due to the sound of different voices yelling over each other.

“Dude!” Deacon gasped into the phone. “You’re not gonna believe this!”

~~

“Whoa!” Deacon’s friend Peter gasped, eyes growing wide. “No way!”

From out in the hall, Peter’s older sister Stephanie had just come out the bathroom after a shower with only a towel wrapped around her slim body and hair, heading towards her bedroom when she heard a bit of her little brother’s conversation.

“Your brother got a girl pregnant?!” Peter repeated.

That immediately sparked Stephanie’s interest, causing her to carefully press her ear against the large Toy Story poster on her little brother’s bedroom door.

Stephanie was best friends with Tiffany, the most popular girl at San Dimas High thus making Stephanie ‘Vice President’ of the school according to her clique of friends.

This meant that anything Stephanie said was to be considered law if given approval by Tiffany.

Stephanie loved being in her best friend’s good graces and she knew this little piece of information would make her ecstatic.

Keeping that bit of information in mind, Stephanie listened to the rest of her brother’s conversation, smiling widely as soon as he hung up the phone.

Peter was sitting on his carpeted bedroom floor when Stephanie opened his bedroom door, now dressed in one of her pajama sets with a sweet smile on her face.

“Hey, Petey”, she said, her voice as sweet as honey. “Whatcha doin’?”

“Watching the Super Mario Brothers Super Show”, Peter replied, not taking his eyes off his small tv.

Stephanie nodded her head and sat down on the edge of her brother’s bed.

“Cool”, she replied, although she couldn’t care less about what her little brother was doing.

Stephanie folded one of her legs over the other, waiting for the show her brother was watching to go to commercial before saying “So Petey...who was that on the phone, sweetie?”

“Deacon”, Peter replied, turning around so he was looking at his sister.

The name perked Stephanie’s interest even more, the smile on her face getting bigger.

“Deacon?” she asked. “Deacon Logan?”

Peter nodded his head, a cute smile on his face.

“Yeah”, he answered. “Why?”

“He has an older brother named Ted, right?” Stephanie asked, feeling like a snake in the grass.

Peter’s smile faded a little, suspicion rushing over him.

“Y-Yes”, the boy said slowly.

Stephanie leaned back a little, trying to control her excitement.

“And did Deacon say Ted got a girl pregnant?” Stephanie asked, her excited smile now a normal frown.

Peter furrowed his eyebrows a little, sensing even more that something strange was going on.

“Hey”, the little boy said slowly, “why do you wanna know anyway? And besides, I don’t think Deacon would want me to tell you.”

Stephanie grinned as she slowly stood up and crossed her arms behind her back, slowly pacing her brother’s room.

She knew how to get him to talk.

“Ohhhkay”, the teenage girl said slowly, looking up at the ceiling then back at Peter’s determined look, his arms folded across his chest, and his lips formed in a cute little pout. “I guess I’ll just have to give that…big, delicious bag of red licorice I have in the kitchen to someone else.”

At the word ‘licorice’, Peter’s eyes grew wide, a big smile forming on his face.

“Licorice?” Peter asked, eyes shining as he started to drool just thinking of his favorite candy.

“Mmhmm”, Stephanie hummed, eyes narrowed. “One of those giant Halloween sized bags.”

She leaned down until she her face was near her little brother’s.

“All for you, sweetheart”, Stephanie cooed, kissing Peter’s cheek before leaning back up again.

“IF!” the teenage girl added so suddenly Peter jumped out of his skin. “You tell me the name of the girl Ted Logan got pregnant.”

Sweat started forming on Peter’s forehead as he clasped his hands together, unsure of what to do.

He loved licorice a lot, but he didn’t want to break his best friend’s trust either.

Stephanie narrowed her eyes and smirked, watching as her little brother squirmed in his seat, listening as whimpering noises came from him.

“Well, while you’re deciding”, she told him, “I’ll be right back.”

Stephanie giggled to herself as she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, grabbing the extra-large bag of red licorice from the cabinet.

Opening it as she climbed the stairs again, Stephanie mischievously laughed as she took a piece of licorice out of the bag, putting an end of it in her mouth.

She had Peter right where she wanted him.

~~

Peter forgot all about the Super Mario Brothers Super Show the second he layed eyes on the big bag of licorice Stephanie had in her hands when she came back in his room.

His sister couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of how big her brother’s eyes were getting as he stuck his tongue out like an excited puppy dog.

“Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie!” Peter cried excitedly as he scrambled to his feet.

“Ah-ah-ah”, Stephanie tisked as she held the bag out of Peter’s reach, her eyes narrowed again as she lowered her face to his. “The information first then the candy.”

“Oh….oohhhh!” Peter whined, looking back and forth between his sister and the bag of candy.

Finally, Peter couldn’t take it anymore.

“Her name’s Deidra Goldberg!” he exclaimed; eyes now solely focused on the candy.

A sinister smirk on her lips, Stephanie dropped the bag where she stood before picking up the phone from her brother’s floor.

“Pleasure doing business with you, squirt”, Stephanie told her little brother from the doorway of his bedroom.

“Ooh this is gonna be sweet!” she mumbled mischievously to herself as she went back to her room, punching in Tiffany’s phone number.

“Not as sweet as this licorice”, Peter said after he dumped the whole bag on his floor, scooping some of it up in his arms.

“It’s mine!” Peter cried mischievously as well, laughing to himself. “Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine!”

~~

Back at the Logan’s, Deacon was back watching the madness downstairs from the upstairs hall, gripping the stair rails in his hands as he enjoyed the sight before him.

The madness in the living room was only stopped at a halt when the knife Barry was holding slashed across Mr. Logan’s arm, the police officer preventing his son from being stabbed in the chest.

Everyone froze in their place as they watched Mr. Logan grit his teeth together to keep from screaming out in pain before grabbing Barry’s wrists and jerking them behind his back, slamming the teenager onto the floor.

“H-Hey!” Murray cried. “What do you think you’re doing to my son!?”

Everyone in the room’s eyes went as big as plates at the sight of the San Dimas police badge Mr. Logan quickly pulled out from the belt of his jeans, knowing their reign of terror on Ted was over.

It was so quiet in that house you could hear a pen drop.

Mr. Logan then pulled out a pair of shiny handcuffs from the very back of his jeans.

“You’re under arrest for the assaulting a police officer!” Mr. Logan cried as he snapped the handcuffs on Barry’s wrists, before pulling the teenager to his feet. “Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law…”

Mr. Logan continued reading Barry his rights as he led him outside where his officer car sat in the driveway, everyone else following him.

“This is ridiculous!” Murray cried as he watched his son get placed in the back of the cop car. “He was only defending his sister-“

“But he also assaulted an officer of the law”, Mr. Logan pointed out to Deidra’s father quickly, trying to keep his cool.

His voice still sounding firm with a touch of anger.

“Yeah!” Ted cried happily, a wide smile on his face. “You tell him Dad!”

Mr. Logan snapped his head up at his son as quick as lightning, a look of fury on his face.

“I’ll deal with you later!” Ted’s father told him lividly. “What in the hell were you thinking, Ted?!”

Ted’s cheery smile faded into a nervous frown as he played with his hands.

“I don’t know, Dad!” he admitted. “She-“

He paused slightly.

“She told me she loved me”, Ted continued quietly, “a-and I guess it just happened.”

“Lov- “Mr. Logan cut himself off as he turned away from his son, taking a deep breath. “Son, you’re seventeen years old! You don’t know what love is!”

“Instead of teaching him what love is”, Murray retorted. “You need to teach him how to keep his thing in his pants!”

River, Adam, and Emily’s eyes went as big as plates, their mouths forming a small ‘o’ shape and eyebrows raised at Deidra’s dad’s remark.

“Well, maybe you outta keep that little whore of yours on a leash!” Mr. Logan snapped back.

“Dad!” Ted exclaimed angrily, feeling his blood boil.

Murray felt his own blood boiling, his heart pounding in his chest, teeth gritted so tight in anger he thought they would break.

Sure, he might have called Deidra a whore earlier, but he regretted it the second the word left his lips.

Now someone else was doing it?!

Murray ran towards the officer, wrapping his hands tightly around Mr. Logan’s throat, both men falling to the ground.

Mr. Logan struggled against the bigger man’s hold, struggling to retrieve something out of his belt holder.

Finally, Ted’s father found was he was looking for, using pepper spray in Murray’s eyes, causing the man to cry out in pain and release his hold.

Still crying out in pain, Murray rolled around on the grass, both hands covering his burnt eyes until he felt someone jerk his wrists behind his back one at a time before yanking him to his feet.

Mr. Goldberg barely knew what was happening his eyes were burning so bad as Mr. Logan read him his rights before shoving him in his police car beside Barry.

Mr. Logan opened the driver’s side door and started to get in, only to stop and give Ted a look.

“You and I are gonna talk when I get back”, he informed his older son before getting in the driver’s seat and heading down the driveway.

Once Mr. Logan’s patrol car had been out of sight for a few moments, Ted ran a hand through his hair and let out a loud sigh, no one knowing what to do or say.

Finally, River turned and looked at his sister. “Why don’t you take Adam home?” he suggested. “I’m going to stay for a little bit and talk to Ted.”

Emily smiled, glad to see her brother had calmed down a little and was now using his head.

River smiled back as his little sister gave him a hug before kissing his cheek and leading Adam to River’s car.

When his sister was gone, River led Ted in the house, Ted sitting on the couch with a hand to his forehead.

“Hey, you mind if I get some water or something?” River asked as he walked into the kitchen.

“Go ahead, Dude”, Ted replied. “In fact, could you bring me some too…and some Advil?”

River nodded, getting two glasses out of the cabinet.

River walked back in the living room a few minutes later, handing Ted a glass of water and a couple Advil’s before sitting down in the lounge chair across from him.

Ted downed the Advil and a couple drinks of his water almost instantly.

“You ok?” River asked as he watched the teen in front of him.

“Dude, do I look okay to you?” Ted snapped, setting his glass on the table between them.

River slightly shrugged.

“I mean, I just got damn near stabbed by the brother of the girl I love, and I don’t even know why!” Ted continued

River’s eyes slowly widened, his anger boiling inside him again.

“You don’t even know why?” River repeated. “You don’t even know why?!”

“Yeah I don’t know!” Ted shot back although he knew exactly why.

River let out a loud, frustrated sigh, facepalming himself before looking back up at Ted.

“Could it be”, River slowly said, trying to control his anger, “that the reason you almost got stabbed is because Deidra told her family you got her pregnant…or the fact that you denied your own child?”

River’s voice got a little louder with each passing word and by now, Ted’s eyes were wide, his face slightly pale.

Breathing heavily, River reached for his glass over water, taking a long drink before putting it back on the table in front of him.

‘Just keep calm’, River thought to himself. ‘Remain calm.’

“Or could it possibly be”, the teen continued as he got to his feet, beginning to pace around Ted’s living room, “that maybe just maybe you rejected everything she confessed to you-“

“Hey, hey, hey, hey!” Ted cried out interrupting River, his voice defensive. “Hold on a sec, dude! How do you know what Deidra told me? She could have told me anything for all you know!”

River stopped pacing only long enough to make eye contact with Ted for a moment or two, his big brother instinct over Deidra taking over again.

“I heard Emily on the phone with Deidra earlier tonight”, River informed Ted in a low, frustrated voice. “It’s not like she called me right after she got home.”

“Well”, Ted said after taking a deep sigh, “she could have told Emily anything. I mean-“

“DUDE!” River yelled, fire in his eyes, his heart filled and pounding with fury. “SHE DIDN’T LIE! OKAY? SHE TOLD EMILY EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED!”

River took several shaking deep breaths before sitting down beside Ted on the couch to calm down a little.

“And you know that, don’t you?” River finally asked softly, his voice a bit hoarse from yelling.

Ted said nothing as he looked into River’s blue eyes before hanging his head and nodding.

River sighed again, starting to feel a bit of sympathy for Ted.

He didn’t need words to know that Ted was scared.

“The thing is, Ted”, River said softly as he sat beside the other teen on the couch, running a hand through his hair, “is that Deidra loves and cares about you…and yes, as hard as it is to say, she’s pregnant with your baby.”

Ted slowly looked up and made eye contact with River again.

“She told me she loved me”, Ted admitted in a quiet voice as he thought back to the night of Bill’s party.

He pursed his lips together before continuing.

“But I didn’t say it back.”

River could have sworn he saw tears well up in Ted’s dark brown eyes.

“So instead…we slept together. An-“ Ted quickly wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. “And when she told me she was pregnant…God she looked so scared.”

“When she told me”, he went on. “It was like all of my biggest fears in life rolled into one and just hit me like a ton of bricks.”

He let his tears fall freely now.

“And what did I do?” he cried. “Instead of taking her and holding her, comforting her, t-telling her it’ll be ok and making her feel better-“

Ted cut himself off, rubbing his eyes with his hand.

“I make her feel worse”, he finally continued through his tears. “My fear spoke for me and I-I…”

“I told her things I didn’t mean!” Ted cried out through a sob, his hand shielding his face, head slightly down, and his eyes closed. “I even told her we were nothing when I want us to be something!”

All River could do was sit beside Ted and listen, his handsome face softening with understanding.

Ted slightly jumped when River leaned over and wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulder.

“Go tell her, Ted”, River advised softly, gently rubbing his friend’s shoulder to comfort him. “Tell her how you really feel.”

“I can’t”, Ted said softly in a tearful voice. “She won’t listen to me.”

Ted slowly leaned his pounding head up and made eye contact with River.

As if communicating through eye contact, River slowly shook his head.

“Sorry, man”, he said. “It won’t mean near as much coming from me. You have to be the one to tell her.”

“She probably hates me”, Ted admitted, wiping his eyes with the few tissues River had given him. “She probably wants nothing to do with me.”

“She’s just really hurt right now”, River told him. “Give her time she’ll come around.”

~~

Meanwhile back at the Goldberg’s, Deidra, Beverly, and Lainey were sitting around the living room coffee table playing a game of Clue when the door opened and Adam walked in, getting the girls’ attention.

“Oh, man!” Adam cried, eyes wide and a smile on his face as he walked in the living room and sat down on the couch. “You missed it! It was insane!”

“Where’s your father and Barry?” Beverly asked.

“Is Ted okay?” Deidra asked wanted to know, her stomach feeling uneasy at the thought of something happening to him.

“Yeah, he’s fine”, Adam told her, “but that’s the awesome part! Ok, so-“

“Oh, good!” Deidra sighed, feeling her body relax as she sat back on the throw pillow she was sitting on.

“What about Barry and your dad?” Lainey spoke up.

“I was getting to that”, Adam said, still trying to catch his breath. “So-“

“Adam!” Beverly cried. “Tell us please!”

“Okay, okay!” Adam replied. “Dad and Barry got arrested for assaulting Mr. Logan!”

“What?!” Deidra, Lainey and Beverly cried before scrambling to their feet.

“What do you mean they got arrested?” Beverly asked. “What happened?”

Adam sighed and opened his mouth to explain when Deidra spoke up.

“You guys better get down to the police station”, she said.

Lainey nodded and hurried outside after giving Deidra a quick hug, Beverly doing the same before following Lainey outside, the door shutting behind them.

From inside, Deidra and Adam sat in silence as they listened to Murray’s car start up then pull away from the driveway.

Adam sighed with frustration as he got down on the floor, sitting across from his sister.

“So”, he said, “should I be Mrs. White or Cornel Mustard?”

~~

“I can’t believe Dad and Barry have to stay in jail overnight”, Adam said as he sat in the Gynecologist’s office the next morning with his mother and sister, Beverly flipping through a 5-year-old magazine.

“Well, they did attack a police officer”, Deidra spoke up. “What’d you expect?”

Adam shrugged as more silence filled the room.

Deidra looked up from her lap and saw several other people sitting in the waiting room only the women who were pregnant looked a lot older than her.

She was careful not to make eye contact with anyone as she already got enough looks when she walked in the door.

“I’m scared”, she admitted softly, gripping the armrest of her chair tightly.

Beverly closed the magazine she was reading and took her daughter’s hand, giving her a smile.

“Don’t be, Shmoopy”, she replied quietly. “We’re all here for you.”

“But Dad said he was going to throw me out if-“Deidra started but her mom cut her off.

“You leave your father to me”, Beverly told her, causing a small smile to form on Deidra’s lips. “I’ll talk to him.”

“I love you, Mama”, she told her mother softly, Beverly hugging her.

“I love you too’, Beverly softly said in her ear.

“Deidra Goldberg?” a nurse called from the doorway of the examination area.

Deidra felt her heart pounding again, knowing all eyes were on her as pulled away from her mother’s embrace and stood up.

‘I wish Ted was here’, she thought to herself as she followed the nurse to the back.

~~

Deidra laid back against the bed, the room dark with an ultrasound machine beside her bed.

She had to flinch a little at the bright light from the hallway as a doctor carrying a clipboard walked in the room.

“Hi”, the doctor who looked to be in her mid-20’s greeted Deidra with a kind, warm smile that made the teen feel a little better. “I’m Dr. Green. How are you today, Deidra?”

“Nervous”, Deidra admitted as the doctor sat down on the stool beside the bed.

“Don’t be”, Dr. Green told her softly as she took the teen’s pulse. “Everything’s going to be just fine.”

She released her wrist and started going over her clipboard.

“So, it says here you took a home pregnancy test and it came up positive, is that right?” the doctor asked.

Deidra nodded.

“Yes, ma’am”, she said softly.

Dr. Green gave her another kind smile.

“Well”, she said, “let’s just take a look, shall we? Can you lift your shirt just a little please, sweetie?”

Deidra nodded and lifted her aqua blue tank top slightly to reveal her stomach.

“This might be a little cold”, Dr. Green warned before lightly squirting a mint-blue gel onto the teen’s stomach.

A moment later, the dark room was lit up by the light coming from the ultrasound screen as Dr. Green moved the ultrasound wand over Deidra’s stomach, a loud, fast-paced beating sound filling the room as well.

Dr. Green nodded to herself, her own suspicions confirmed.

“There’s your baby”, Dr. Green told Deidra softly, a small smile spreading over her face as she pointed out a little shape on the screen.

Deidra felt her heart skip at beat as she laid eyes on the little figure on the screen, tears filling her eyes.

“Wow!” she whispered.

As she continued to look at the figure on the screen beside her, Deidra started to feel something she had never felt before…she felt the need to protect this little baby inside her at any cost, her heart filling with a love she had never known before.

“I would say you are 9 weeks along”, the doctor told her as she moved the wand a little more before pressing a couple buttons on the ultrasound machine, breaking into Deidra’s thoughts. “Which would make you two months pregnant.”

At that piece of information, Deidra immediately thought back to where she was a couple months ago.

She thought of how sick she felt and how good Ted’s gentle, loving touch felt to her as well as how it felt when he kissed her after she had confessed her love to him.

He didn’t need to say he loved her back…his kiss said it all.

The thoughts after the kiss were all just blissful blurs as Deidra wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, only for another fresh set of tears to sting her eyes.

~~

It was later that night and the San Dimes Jail’s holding cells were quiet for once.

Well, almost quiet.

“Cut that out, ya moron!” Murray cried out in frustration from the jail cell he was sharing with his oldest son.

Barry opened his eyes and slowly took the harmonica he was playing away from his lips.

“Aw, come on Dad!” the teen said with a goofy smile. “I’ve always wanted to play a harmonica in a jail cell!”

And with that, he started playing again, causing his dad to sigh in frustration.

“Where’d you find that anyway?” Murray asked his son.

“Siting here on this bench”, Barry said with a shrug as if it were obvious.

A look of disgust and bewilderment came over Murray’s face before he slowly scooted away from his son, an awkward silence filling the air.

“Goldberg!” an officer called as he walked up the hallway towards their cell.

At the sound of their last name being called, Murray and Barry jumped to their feet, hurrying towards the holding cell’s bars, griping them in their hands.

“You’re both free to go”, the officer told them as he slid the key to their holding cell into the lock, turning it.

The cell door eased open like a charm, the officer gently pushing it to the right.

“Someone post your bail.”

“Yes!” Barry cried happily, slamming his fists in the air. “Let’s get out of-“

Barry’s smile slowly faded at the sight of his mother walking up the hall.

“Mom?” Barry asked in confusion.

Beverly nodded, giving her husband and son a smile.

Barry gave her a small smile back as he and his dad followed out of the jailhouse in silence.

“So, Mom”, Barry spoke up, breaking the silence. “I-Is she…”

All three of them stopped walking and Beverly looked at her oldest son.

Saying nothing, she reached in her purse and handed him a copy of the ultrasound picture.

For a moment, Barry and Murray said nothing; they just looked at the picture in awe.

“Wow!” Barry finally gasped. “That’s inside of Deidra right now?”

Beverly nodded, tears threatening to fill her eyes again as she thought back to earlier in the day when Deidra had come back out into the waiting room, her face stained with tears.

It was right then that Beverly knew the truth and as much as it broke her heart, the news warmed it all at the same time.

At the sight of a photograph her first grandchild, all of Beverly’s anger and disappointment towards her younger daughter vanished and her motherly instinct began to take an even bigger hold.

After watching Barry hand Beverly the picture back, Murray said nothing as he turned around and started walking down the long, dark hallway of the jail’s holding cell again.

“Murray!” Beverly called in confusion. “Where are you going?”

“Maybe jail’s not so bad!” Murray replied with a smirk before continuing to walk down the hall.

Taglist:

@shhh-no-ones-home @celestiaelisia @derangedcupcake @lindszeppelin @ohportgas @loganharpervo

[megalony]

Beyond the grave

Another part to my latest series Swimming which had gained lovely feedback. Mentions of abuse.

Taglist: @marshmallowmae  @likeit-or-leaveit  @they-call-me-peaches  @mcrmarvelloki  @bensrhapsody

Series masterlist

Enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why would she ever change?

It was always too much for someone to wish that another would change who they are and become a different person, whether it was for personal gain or just for the better. It was too much for anyone to ask in any situation, Ben knew that and yet he found himself wishing.

Wishing that she would have changed in the end, but then again if she had changed then so would everything else.

Just maybe, Ben wondered if she would have changed her mind. Right at the very last minute and decided that she needed her last ever words to him to be something kind, something considerate and compassionate considering all that she had put him through. Wishing that she would have realised how his life was never going to be how it was before she had walked right in and ruined almost every aspect of it. If she knew what damage and catastrophe she had caused then her words could have been kinder, she wouldn't have felt the need to pin her death on Ben in such a way he nearly believed her words.

Nearly.

Why should he feel bad that she had realised there was no way for her to get him back into her web of lies and abuse?

There had been one reason why Ben's mind had allowed him to read the letter that had done more harm than good. He wanted to be set free. Her hold had never let go of him even after he had managed to get away from her, she hadn't been there physically but her power seemed to wrap around his mind. Ben thought now she had died he could find the ability to breathe on his own, to be able to get through the rest of his life without her haunting him and whispering in his ear. The letter was a slim chance of justice. A silly idea that made Ben think that if he read it and she was sorry- truly sorry for every single little thing she had done to him, then he could be free. He could move on knowing she knew she had damaged him in various ways and knowing that in the end, she was taking the responsibility and accepting it.

If she had indicated the slightest remorse, Ben would feel better. 

Everything was still Ben's fault in her eyes because he couldn't live being wrapped up in her hold that was deadly. Ben broke free from the confinements she had shackled to him which she declared was in the name of love. Her mind blamed him for not reciprocating the love that had caused her to turn to abuse when she felt he was going to leave her. When she felt her hold over him was simply not enough and that a normal relationship wasn't the way to go.

Ben had never thought of leaving until the first time she hurt him. He wasn't blinded and he wasn't stupid, no one hurt someone and then declared that it was in the name of love. He knew that no one deserved to be abused and the first time he was promised it was a mistake. He threatened to leave if it happened again, soon finding leaving was harder than he first thought. He had been in a relationship with her for little over a year before she seemed to change into an unrecognisable person. To Ben he could still see the girl he had fallen for, his mind was still persistent that he could bring that person back and make everything right. Make it how it should be.

No one ever changes, they only show their true colours.

There had been no escape for Ben, going to stay with his sister for a few days did nothing because in the end, it was his flat that he and his ex shared. That was in his name and it was his home, she would have to be the one to leave. When he went back he couldn't seem to get her to go. She said sorry, she was remorseful for a few moments before she turned to threats.

She knew Ben's manager, she knew the places he went to for work locations. She obviously knew where he lived, his phone number and even got hold of his bank details. His ex had the ability to ruin his stability in life and make things torturous for him if he dared to leave. Then there was Lola to consider when that happened. Ben couldn't tell her to leave because this time she would go, and she would take his child with her. There was no way on Earth that Ben could let his ex walk out because she would disappear like a ghost, there would be no way for him to get hold of her if she left the country or cleared her tracks when she left.

Ben couldn't leave a child to be brought up by a monster like that. He knew by the time Lola was born there was no love in the relationship anymore and there hadn't been for a while, even if his ex claimed her damage was fueled by her love for him.

Every ounce of love Ben had was given to Lola and fueled his decisions to leave and bring her up on his own. His ex seemed to find that as an excuse for what she did to him. She broke his ribs because he won the battle to get her to leave him, she broke his hand because he wouldn't back down to her demands. Yet all of that was Ben's fault because he didn't love her like she wanted him to. He didn't want to stay with her like she wanted, he didn't give her the love that she thought she deserved, he loved their daughter when she didn't and even that was wrong.

Ben caused her to commit suicide because she lost him. She lost the only person she felt she needed to be able to live because Ben had backed down. He had allowed her vicious attacks to take place and that made her feel powerful, she felt joy at knowing she had a hold over someone she clearly thought she loved. When he left she saw no point, who else was going to back down to her and give her the kind of love she wanted? There wasn't anyone who would be able to give in forever and love her forever unconditionally like she wanted. What was the point in living if she couldn't have that?

Emily and (Y/n) had both made a point of insinuating to Ben that he was free from the burden he dragged behind him wherever he went. Now that she was dead he didn't have to worry about finding her hanging around every street corner he walked down. He didn't have to worry about her trying to get into contact with him to try and screw up his life that he was building back up from scratch. Nor did he have to worry about needing to keep Lola safe from the very person who posed the most harm to her. Ben was free from the confinements she had put him in.

So why didn't he feel free?

She was dead, but why did that change things? Ben had suffered and he still was, she was dead with no suffering and no remorse for what she had done. That only proved to Ben that she had won because nothing bad had happened to her.

Ben couldn't get rid of the paranoia that he lived with because his mind had built that system in to protect Lola and himself. He was going to have to deal with having those urges to check on Lola in the dead of night or the need to call (Y/n) or his sister to check on her. He had to deal with the knowledge that (Y/n) holding a kitchen knife send ripples of fear bolting right to his stuttering heart. Or to have to try and fight the feeling she gave him when she held him at night, something he had never had a problem with before he was with his ex. He couldn't have people coming up behind him no matter who they were because he was so used to being pushed to the ground.

There was that voice in the back of his head that told him to shrink, to close his eyes and shrivel up when someone shouted at him because the shouting was almost always followed by some form of pain.

Now Ben was going to have to live with the knowledge that in his exes warped mind, he had caused her death because he didn't love her enough. He had to know that she blamed him for her feeling she needed to turn to suicide and knowing she also blamed Lola for having the ability to gain Ben's undying love without even asking for it. This was his life now and this is what his ex had done to him.

"It's my fault." There was no emotion that could be found in Ben's hoarse voice that was lower than it normally was. Scratching against his throat that was completely raw from the silent cries and the voiced sobs he let out when reading the letter. The very letter that clearly blamed him for what had happened to him and for what his ex had done to herself. A letter that was stained with salt tears and crinkled at the edges from the force of his grip when reading the words written in poison from someone he had the relief of never having to see again. At the price of having to live with the knowledge that he was being blamed for the mercy of her death.

"Don't say that!" Emily's voice snapped in an automatic response to her brother's inaccurate and rather cynical words that were simply not true.

The letter was passed from her delicate touch to (Y/n)'s shaking hands, though she had already read what the paper had to say. The vulgar words repeating in her mind and making her stomach churn to the point she thought she was going to be sick. It was one thing to write Ben a letter after months of no contact to explain that she was going to commit suicide but to plainly blame him for her upcoming death. And to state that he had deserved what she did to him that she seemed to think was his fault was something else entirely. Both women wondered his ex had planned this out if she had created one final game to mess with Ben's head before she left him alone for good.

A game to torture him from the grave, to try and warp Ben's mind and make him feel unbearable guilt for her death that was clearly not his fault. Maybe she did it because deep down she knew Ben would be conflicted about her death. There was a large part of Ben that was mad at himself for feeling happy and relieved that she was dead, maybe she knew this was bound to happen and fought to crush that feeling by overwhelming him with guilt. He was never going to be completely crushed by her death, only in the sense that he wanted her to suffer, not in the sense that he wanted her back to see her again or because he felt something towards her.

"You didn't tell her to go and off herself Ben, you didn't tell her to hurt you and you didn't tell her to put Lola in danger. She did the world a favour and this is her spite for knowing it." Emily regretted the day she ever set eyes on the woman who ruined her brother's life and confidence. If she'd have had any kind of inkling that something wasn't right or that she would turn out like that Emily would have dragged her brother away immediately. Or put the woman into an early grave herself to save her the trouble.

"But she did it because of me-"

"She killed herself because she wasn't stable, this clearly proves that." (Y/n) interrupted, not wanting Ben to be on that train of thought because it would lead him to a dark place that they wouldn't be able to get him out of. Thinking you were the cause of someone's death would give a great amount of guilt that Ben did not deserve for even one second.

"All of those times she hurt you, not once did you hurt her back. Each threat she imposed you didn't backfire or walk away, I saw you stay put to protect Lola and it was the right thing to do. She did everything wrong except for two things: giving birth to Lola and offing herself. This is a blessing on everyone's part as bad as it sounds, don't you ever think you have to take responsibility for her actions." The letter was a last chance to try and push further pain onto Ben before she gave up the ability to do that forever. She was gone now and despite what lies she wrote in the letter the truth was she had done them a favour by deciding not to do anything bad to Ben anymore.

She was letting go of the power she held over Ben because she knew he wasn't going to live under her influence and there was nothing that she could do to change that. By deciding to die his ex had given Ben the opportunity to put the past behind him and lock her away with it. He didn't have to live in fear anymore, he just had to push forward with the future and make it as good as he could.

Shaking his head Ben stood to his feet from the sofa he had been vacating. Looking at the women standing to his right as he tried to get them to see this from his eyes. Ben knew she had no power to make any more threats or inflictions of violence to him and he was relieved beyond belief, but that didn't change the fact that she had managed to do so much to him before she died. The letter just proved that she knew how much of a hold she held over Ben because she wrote the exact words that she knew would shake his core. She knew that him reading that after she had died would work wonders in setting his recovery back because he could still feel her hold over him.

"Even from the fucking grave she has a hold over me! She knows just how to get a reaction from me and she's dead. How can I escape her? She's turned me into this and I hate her and myself for it. I don't have to fear her anymore but I do and that letter shows she knows how to push my buttons and twist the knife further." His ex had timed it right so he would read the letter when she was dead and she had gotten the reaction from him that she would have wanted. She had caused Ben to feel afraid because he still felt her influence in her words. He could practically hear her voice whispering the words in a snide tone into his ear when he read them. He could feel her breath fanning against his earlobe in the most horrid of ways as if she was standing right beside him telling him that she wasn't going to let him go that easily.

The last line of the letter was ready fucking with his mind.

Don't forget me.

As if Ben would ever be able to have a life where he didn't possess even one memory of the woman who had wrecked everything he had. The woman who had abused his mind and body so much he felt he was never going to be able to repair himself to the way he once was. She knew just how to get under his skin like an unbearable itch that he couldn't reach, and she had no intentions of leaving.

"If she can write that poisoned shit to me what the hell did she put in Lola's letter? What if I gave that to Lola without proofreading it first- she'd be horrified with both me and that vicious bitch!"

Ben's breathing picked up at that sudden thought that overwhelmed his every sense. What if he did have a change of heart in that second before the letter was torn up and thrown in the bin? What would have happened if Ben had stuffed the letter in a draw for years to come and one day felt it was time to give it to Lola? It was addressed to her so Ben may well have been likely not to read it and impose on her privacy, for her to have something of her mother's that was just hers.

If his ex had decided to be spiteful and wicked in her last words to Ben there was a high chance she could have done the same to Lola. She never wanted Lola in the first place, she admitted in Ben's letter that she didn't love or even want to care for Lola like he did. She didn't have that maternal instinct and Ben doubted deciding to commit suicide would suddenly bring that feeling about. She could have easily written something malicious in the letter saying how she didn't love Lola and how she never wanted her. She could have messed with Lola's little head by saying something spiteful because she knew if Lola ever read the letter it meant Ben would have told her everything. He would have told her what her real mother did to him and how she didn't want her. That would give his ex more of a reason to be cruel in her words.

"What? Lola got a letter?!" Emily stared at her brother with eyes as wide as the moon and filled with such horror he had to look away. That little piece of knowledge had managed to slip from the actor's mind. He had only told (Y/n) about the letter he had gotten for Lola, forgetting to mention that piece of information to his dear sister.

"I tore it up and threw it in the bin. Lola's never going to know that woman was her real mum I won't do that to her so why keep a letter? I'm fucking glad I tore it up now." Every night for the past week Ben had wondered if he had done the right thing by getting rid of Lola's letter. He wondered if it was being cruel to her, taking something away from her that she had the right to know about and read. Now Ben had the evidence to back up his actions that he had done the right thing. No way would he ever want Lola to read such spiteful words that he was certain his ex had written to his daughter.

"So what now?" (Y/n) questioned quietly, wondering what was the next stage for them all to take. Did they just simply ignore the existence of the letter clasped tightly in her left hand? Were they to think of this as some last attempt to hurt Ben and tear it up?

Did Ben feel the need to take it to his councillor and talk about it? Would that help him in his recovery and allow him to feel as if he were now able to move on from all the harm she had caused him? Or did Ben just want to ignore about today and reading the letter late last night and try to move on without acknowledging it.

"Give it to me." Holding his hand out Ben waited for his girlfriend to set the torturous poison into his grip before he walked past the pair of them. His other hand fumbling in his pack pocket until his fingers clasped around the blood red lighter stuffed there from when he left the apartment earlier this morning to have a cigarette. A bad habit he knew, but one that was such an effective method in relieving the stress he felt and one that had the ability to take his mind off the memories and thoughts driving around in his head.

Walking over to the sink Ben rested his side against the counter, his eyes trained on the paper that he wished he'd have never taken from Anne last week. Flicking the metal of the lighter Ben watched the flame spark to life, his hand edging it to the corner of the paper. Watching with a burning passion in his eyes as the letter suddenly combined with the flame, allowing it to spread across its edge and devour the page. The burnt orange flame eating away at the paper's edge, scouring up to the middle and leaving blacked remnants in its path that broke off and dripped into the sink.

When the flame decided to trail up to Ben's fingers he let go, watching the paper dwindle into nothing but raven black ash in the sink. The remnants of the flame waving before dying when the droplets of water extinguished them.

"There were never any letters."

[something-tofightfor]

He’s Not Here - Part 3

Pairing: Billy Russo x Reader

Word Count: 2250

Rating: M (language)

Author’s Note: I don’t own Billy’s character. I’m just writing this for fun.

Feedback is welcome - Always. I’d love to know what you think! 

Summary: Picking up where Part 2 left off, you’ve just agreed to meet Billy for a drink. ** Takes place a few years before the events of Daredevil S2 and Punisher S1 **

Tagging: If you want to be added or removed, let me know. I added people that commented on the last chapter + asked to be tagged/switched some tags around to main blogs instead of side blogs.

@banditthewriter @breanime @obscurilicious@padfootagain��@madamrogersstorytelling @ooo-barff-ooo @agent-bossypants @suchatinyinfinity @chibiyanai @songtoyou @doneobrien @diorskisses

Exactly fifteen minutes later, you walked into the side door of the Crown, a small bar that was tucked in between two larger buildings. The place was nondescript, and the lighting dim, but the beer was cold, the drinks were strong and it was actually one of your favorite places to go. You saw Billy sitting at a table, but he’d taken the jacket and tie off, rolling his sleeves up over his elbows and unbuttoning his shirt partway to make himself more comfortable. He turned his head and then those eyes were on you again and you felt pulled toward him. “Hi.” 

He smiled at you, lips pulling back to reveal perfectly straight white teeth. The smile was different from the one that he’d had on his face at the event - it was real, and it was entirely for you. “Hi yourself.” You slipped into the seat across from him where he already had a drink waiting for you. Whiskey. Again. “I hope ya don’t mind, I just didn’t want to waste time trying to order drinks after you got here.” He winked at you, but you didn’t react, keeping your gaze steady on him. 

“So, a Marine, eh?” He’d told you about serving, about his unit and about some of his friends while at the gala, but you hadn’t felt comfortable prying any further in front of Emily and your friends. After all, you didn’t want to appear interested. He nodded. “Is it weird being back, being a civilian again?” He thought for a moment, taking a long drink. 

“Yes and no. I’m not out for good, not yet, but I just did a double tour, so I’ve got some time at home.” He shook his head. “You see shit over there and then come back here and it’s like nothing phases you.” He looked at you, his dark eyes wide and unblinking. “I don’t… I’m made for that. I’m not made for this, not made for the bullshit and the pretending.” He rolled his eyes. “I get it, and it’s definitely different, but that’s not what I want. I gotta be doing something.” Billy leaned in, his gaze intense. “I like being in control. I like taking what I want and doing what I want and seeing the results.” One eyebrow went up, and with his next sentence, you were sure that he wasn’t talking about being overseas anymore, wasn’t talking about being in the military. “I like doing things my way.” You cocked your head to the side. 

“She stopped me on her way out, you know. Emily did.” You smiled, giving a tiny shake of your head before continuing. “Told me you were gonna fuck me and then leave me and that it’s just what you did, Billy Russo.” He grinned again, running a hand through his hair. “She said you couldn’t help it.” He finally laughed, and the sound hit you like a jolt of lightning.

“And yet you came here.” Shrugging, you took a long drink, never breaking eye contact. “Em’s… she was… She isn’t wrong. I don’t do relationships. I don’t get attached. It’s easier that way.” You’d guessed as much, and looking at him, you understood it. His skin was beautiful and smooth, eyes dark and expressive - his fingers were long and slim, likely very skilled, and then his tongue darted out of his mouth again and you didn’t even want to think about that. And that’s just what’s visible. “But I do like sex. I like it very much, and I have been told that I am very good at it.” Your heart was pounding, but you kept a neutral look on your face. “And I was serious, this is just a drink. I ain’t gonna pressure you.” He shrugged his shoulders, inclining his head and looking around the bar. “There’s plenty of other options if I want ‘em.” Though you should have been angry at him for the way he was talking, you found that you weren’t.

He was being honest - he was telling the truth, and it was welcome. Men that looked like Billy Russo didn’t go to bed alone often, and rather than trying to hide that fact and impress you with his self restraint and selectivity, he was telling you that he had very little of it and setting up expectations from the get-go. “How often does that work for you?” He laughed again, shaking his head and taking a long drink before looking at you again, tongue cleaning off the excess drops of moisture from his lips as he put the glass down. “Bragging about the number of women that you’ve been with to someone that you’re trying to -”

“Who said I’m tryin’ to sleep with you? That’s bold of you to assume. You said you weren’t interested in going to bed with me tonight, so why would I push it?” I’m not. Am I? No. “I’m just ending a long night by having a drink with a gorgeous woman.” You laughed too, finishing your drink and shaking your head. 

“I bet you say that to everyone.” You cleared your throat and rolled the empty glass between your fingertips, staring down at it as the ice cubes tumbled around. Billy reached out, putting a hand over one of yours. You hated feeling vulnerable, and with him especially, since you barely knew him and he was already throwing you off kilter with so few words. It’s not like I don’t see what he’s doing.

“Only when I mean it.” His voice was low and you almost didn’t hear him, but he squeezed your hand gently. “I’m not an asshole. Not all the time.” Don’t fall for it. He’s feeding you a line. “Can I … can I order you another drink, or...?” You looked up and he was smiling at you, teeth peeking out from behind his lips, the expression on his face making him appear much younger than he was.“You said one, but it’s only been a few minutes?” Blinking, you glanced back down at your empty drink and then back up at him. Nodding yes, you watched as he raised his hand toward the bar, getting the bartender’s attention and ordered a second round. One more won’t hurt. 

Before you knew it, it was closing time, and you and Billy had walked out of the bar, his arm linked with yours, both of you laughing. Though he said he didn’t do dates or girlfriends or have many close friends, you’d had a good time with him. After the initial awkward conversation, things had smoothed out, the two of you getting to know each other just a little bit. It was friendly, and it was fun - but you knew that it wasn’t really anything, that it was just his way of going above and beyond to placate you since he’d asked you to come out in the first place. But why would he do that? You don’t know him, he has no reason to. You’d convinced him to let you take him to get something to eat before you headed home as a repayment for the multiple rounds he’d bought and after some hesitation, he’d agreed, not meeting your eyes as he mumbled “Yeah, OK.”

You made your way toward a more populated street and a 24 hour pizza place where you quickly ordered food and drinks for both of you, sitting outside and enjoying the slices. It feels like a date, you told yourself, even though you knew it wasn’t. It never would be, not with him. Not with me. “Thank you, Billy.” You’d finished your pizza and were putting off the inevitable - pulling out your phone to call a cab home. Not because I don’t want to leave him, but… “I should get home, though.” You cleared your throat, pulling out a pack of gum and offering him a piece. This time, your fingers touched, and although there was no magical jolt of electricity, you felt warmth - a pleasant warmth. Oh no. Tapping on your phone screen a few times, you typed in your address when his voice cut into your thoughts. 

“My place is only a few blocks away.” He sounded unsure, and when you looked up at him - surprised - you saw that there was vulnerability in his eyes. “You could stay there tonight.” He’s testing me. 

“Billy, I told you, I’m not interested in -”

“I don’t mean… no sex. I just don’t want to put you in a cab to the other side of town and not know…” He trailed off. “I shouldn’t have asked, I’m sorry.” 

Pressing the “order car” button, you set your phone down and looked at him. No. I can’t.  “I appreciate it. But I’m fine. I’ve gone home later than this while drunk, and nothing’s happened.” Offering him a smile, you gestured to his phone. “I can text you and let you know that I made it.” He nodded slowly. 

“Yeah, OK.” You sat in silence, your eyes on the phone screen, watching as the car got closer and closer, and when it was only three minutes away, you stood, tossing your trash into a garbage can. Billy followed suit, making his way to the sidewalk with you, his hand again pressing onto the small of your back - and were you imagining it, or was his thumb stroking over your skin instead of staying still? Seconds passed, and you turned to say goodbye when he spoke again. “I’m glad I met you.” He paused, but then continued, rushing his words out as if he wanted to finish his thought before he lost his nerve. “It’s very rare that I get turned down, you know?” He licked his lips, lowering his head close to yours, a piece of his hair sliding down over his forehead. “But you turning me down feels right.” Your heart was pounding, and if he’d asked you again to go back to his place you would have said yes, because he was right there, and you could see him and smell him and feel him… but he didn’t. Instead, he hesitated for one more moment before turning his head slightly and pressing his lips to yours. 

You inhaled sharply, and your brain screamed “STOP”,  but your hands moved on their own, pressing against his chest as he brought one of his up to your face and cupped your cheek, his other hand moving to your hip and pulling you closer to him. He was holding back - you could feel it in the way his mouth felt against yours, in the way that his heart was beating beneath his shirt and the way that he was holding his body. Hmm. You took the initiative and deepened the kiss, opening your mouth wide enough to slide your tongue past your lips and against his. He sighed and followed suit, his fingers moving around to the back of your head and pulling you in, a low growl in his throat. You were more than disappointed when your phone dinged, signaling that your car was about to arrive, and you hesitated before you pulled your head back, opening your eyes. Instead of immediately letting you go, he bit down on your lower lip, tugging on it as he straightened up, a gleam in his dark eyes. Oh, shit. 

You were both breathing heavily, and you saw a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips. “Text me when you get home.” You nodded, turning to look for your car, and when you saw it pull up next to you, he slid in front of you, opening the door and gesturing for you to get in. “I mean it, I don’t care how late it is.” As you went to climb in, he leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to the corner of your mouth. “Text me.” The door closed behind you and you bit your lip as you looked out the window at him, the feeling of his teeth digging into it fresh in your mind. He raised a hand to wave as you pulled away from the curb and you turned away, facing forward so that you didn’t open the door and climb back out. 

The ride home was silent, and when you were dropped off at your front door 25 minutes later, you ran up the steps, quickly changing and getting ready for bed. Pulling your phone out, you saw one missed message from that same un-saved number - a “?” and nothing more from roughly the time that you’d arrived at home. Curling up underneath your blanket,  you tapped out a quick message back to Billy. ‘Made it. Thanks for the drinks. I’m curled up in bed already.’ You plugged your phone in and set it on the nightstand, but after only a moment, it chimed and lit up again. “Oh, no.” 

As you opened the message, you felt something coursing through your body. Panic? Fear? Anxiety? Lust? It was a picture of half of Billy’s face, one side pressed into a pillow and a smirk on his lips. The accompanying message said simply ‘You should be curled up in mine.’ 

You set the phone back down without responding, but your heart was thundering loud enough that you were sure the neighbors could hear it. Sighing, you rolled onto your back and stared up at the ceiling. Maybe you hadn’t slept with him that night, you’d been able to go home alone, but you didn’t know how long you were going to be able to stick to that decision - or if you’d get another chance to make one.

---

[aion-rsa]

Best New Fantasy Books in September 2019

https://ift.tt/2ZdGTG0

Here are the best new fantasy books in September 2019.

facebook

twitter

tumblr

There's so much to look forward to in our speculative fiction future. Here are some of the fantasy books we're most excited about and/or are currently consuming...

Join the Den of Geek Book Club!

Best New Fantasy Books in July 2019

Dragonslayer by Duncan M. Hamilton

Type: First book in trilogy Publisher: Tor Books Release date: 7/2/19

In his magnificent, heroic, adventure fantasy, Dragonslayer, Duncan M. Hamilton debuts the first book in a fast-moving trilogy: a dangerous tale of lost magics, unlikely heroes, and reawakened dragons.

Once a member of the King's personal guard, Guillot dal Villevauvais spends most days drinking and mourning his wife and child. He’s astonished—and wary—when the Prince Bishop orders him to find and destroy a dragon. He and the Prince Bishop have never exactly been friends and Gill left the capital in disgrace five years ago. So why him? And, more importantly, how is there a dragon to fight when the beasts were hunted to extinction centuries ago by the ancient Chevaliers of the Silver Circle?

On the way to the capitol city, Gill rescues Solène, a young barmaid, who is about to be burned as a witch. He believes her innocent…but she soon proves that she has plenty of raw, untrained power, a problem in this land, where magic is forbidden. Yet the Prince Bishop believes magic will be the key to both destroying the dragon and replacingthe young, untried King he pretends to serve with a more pliable figurehead. Between Gill’s rusty swordsmanship and Solene’s unstable magic, what could go wrong?

Read our interview with Dragonslayer author Duncan M. Hamilton.

An Evolution of Dragon Stories: Checking in With Dragonslayer.

Dragonslayer is now available to purchase.

Best New Fantasy Books in June 2019

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

Type: Novel Publisher: Tor Books Release date: 6/4/19

Ivy Gamble was born without magic and never wanted it.

Ivy Gamble is perfectly happy with her life – or at least, she’s perfectly fine.

She doesn't in any way wish she was like Tabitha, her estranged, gifted twin sister.

Ivy Gamble is a liar.

When a gruesome murder is discovered at The Osthorne Academy of Young Mages, where her estranged twin sister teaches Theoretical Magic, reluctant detective Ivy Gamble is pulled into the world of untold power and dangerous secrets. She will have to find a murderer and reclaim her sister―without losing herself.

Read Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

Read more about Magic for Liars here.

Unraveling by Karen Lord

Type: Standalone Novel Publisher: DAW Release date: 6/4/19

Dr. Miranda Ecouvo, forensic therapist of the City, just helped put a serial killer behind bars. But she soon discovers that her investigation into seven unusual murders is not yet complete. A near-death experience throws her out of time and into a realm of labyrinths and spirits. There, she encounters brothers Chance and the Trickster, who have an otherworldly interest in the seemingly mundane crimes from her files. 

It appears the true mastermind behind the murders is still on the loose, chasing a myth to achieve immortality. Together, Miranda, Chance, and the Trickster must travel through conjured mazes, following threads of memory to locate the shadowy killer. As they journey deeper, they discover even more questions that will take pain and patience to answer. What is the price of power? Where is the path to redemption? And how can they stop the man—or monster—who would kill the innocent to live forever?

Read Unraveling by Karen Lord

The Fire Opal Mechanism by Fran Wilde

Type: Second novella in the Jewel Series Publisher: Tor.com Release date: 6/4/19

Jewels and their lapidaries and have all but passed into myth.

Jorit, broke and branded a thief, just wants to escape the Far Reaches for something better. Ania, a rumpled librarian, is trying to protect her books from the Pressmen, who value knowledge but none of the humanity that generates it.

When they stumble upon a mysterious clock powered by an ancient jewel, they may discover secrets in the past that will change the future forever.

Read The Fire Opal Mechanism by Fran Wilde

Spine of the Dragon by Kevin J. Anderson

Type: First book in the Wake the Dragon series Publisher: Tor Books Release date: 6/4/19

Two continents at war, the Three Kingdoms and Ishara, are divided by past bloodshed. When an outside threat arises―the reawakening of a powerful ancient race that wants to remake the world―the two warring nations must somehow set aside generational hatreds and form an alliance to fight their true enemy.

Read Spine of the Dragon by Kevin J. Anderson

The Grand Dark by Richard Kadrey

Type: Standalone novel Publisher: Harper Voyager Release date: 6/11/19

From the bestselling author of the Sandman Slim series, a lush, dark, stand-alone fantasy built off the insurgent tradition of China Mieville and M. John Harrison—a subversive tale that immerses us in a world where the extremes of bleakness and beauty exist together in dangerous harmony in a city on the edge of civility and chaos.

The Great War is over. The city of Lower Proszawa celebrates the peace with a decadence and carefree spirit as intense as the war’s horrifying despair. But this newfound hedonism—drugs and sex and endless parties—distracts from strange realities of everyday life: Intelligent automata taking jobs. Genetically engineered creatures that serve as pets and beasts of war. A theater where gruesome murders happen twice a day. And a new plague that even the ceaseless euphoria can’t mask.

Unlike others who live strictly for fun, Largo is an addict with ambitions. A bike messenger who grew up in the slums, he knows the city’s streets and its secrets intimately. His life seems set. He has a beautiful girlfriend, drugs, a chance at a promotion—and maybe, an opportunity for complete transformation: a contact among the elite who will set him on the course to lift himself up out of the streets.

But dreams can be a dangerous thing in a city whose mood is turning dark and inward. Others have a vision of life very different from Largo’s, and they will use any methods to secure control. And in behind it all, beyond the frivolity and chaos, the threat of new war always looms.

Read The Grand Dark by Richard Kadrey

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

Type: Novella Publisher: Tor.com Release date: 6/18/19

There is a Wild Man who lives in the deep quiet of Greenhollow, and he listens to the wood. Tobias, tethered to the forest, does not dwell on his past life, but he lives a perfectly unremarkable existence with his cottage, his cat, and his dryads.

When Greenhollow Hall acquires a handsome, intensely curious new owner in Henry Silver, everything changes. Old secrets better left buried are dug up, and Tobias is forced to reckon with his troubled past―both the green magic of the woods, and the dark things that rest in its heart.

Read Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall

Type: Novel Publisher: Ace Release date: 6/18/19

Upon returning to the city of Khelathra-Ven after five years fighting a war in another universe, Captain John Wyndham finds himself looking for somewhere to live, and expediency forces him to take lodgings at 221b Martyrs Walk. His new housemate is Ms. Shaharazad Haas, a consulting sorceress of mercurial temperament and dark reputation.

When Ms. Haas is enlisted to solve a case of blackmail against one of her former lovers, Miss Eirene Viola, Captain Wyndham is drawn into a mystery that leads him from the salons of the literary set to the drowned back-alleys of Ven and even to a prison cell in lost Carcosa. Along the way he is beset by criminals, menaced by pirates, molested by vampires, almost devoured by mad gods, and called upon to punch a shark. 

But the further the companions go in pursuit of the elusive blackmailer, the more impossible the case appears. Then again, in Khelathra-Ven reality is flexible, and the impossible is Ms. Haas' stock-in-trade.

Read The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall

Best New Fantasy Books in May 2019

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire

Type: Standalone novel Publisher: Tor.com Release date: 5/7/19

Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story.

Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math.

Roger and Dodger aren’t exactly human, though they don’t realise it. They aren’t exactly gods, either. Not entirely. Not yet.

Meet Reed, skilled in the alchemical arts like his progenitor before him. Reed created Dodger and her brother. He’s not their father. Not quite. But he has a plan: to raise the twins to the highest power, to ascend with them and claim their authority as his own.

Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn’t attained.

Read Middlegame by Seanan McGuire

Empire of Grass by Tad Williams

Type: Second book in the Last King of Osten Ard series Publisher: DAW Release date: 5/7/19

Set in Williams' New York Times bestselling fantasy world, the second book of The Last King of Osten Ard returns to the trials of King Simon and Queen Miriamele as threats to their kingdom loom...

The kingdoms of Osten Ard have been at peace for decades, but now, the threat of a new war grows to nightmarish proportions.

Simon and Miriamele, royal husband and wife, face danger from every side. Their allies in Hernystir have made a pact with the dreadful Queen of the Norns to allow her armies to cross into mortal lands. The ancient, powerful nation of Nabban is on the verge of bloody civil war, and the fierce nomads of the Thrithings grasslands have begun to mobilize, united by superstitious fervor and their age-old hatred of the city-dwellers. But as the countries and peoples of the High Ward bicker among themselves, battle, bloodshed, and dark magics threaten to pull civilizations to pieces. And over it all looms the mystery of the Witchwood Crown, the deadly puzzle that Simon, Miriamele, and their allies must solve if they wish to survive.

But as the kingdoms of Osten Ard are torn apart by fear and greed, a few individuals will fight for their own lives and destinies—not yet aware that the survival of everything depends on them.

Read Empire of Grass by Tad Williams

The Witchwood Crown by Tad Williams Review

Mythic Journeys: Retold Myths and Legends, Edited by Paula Guran

Type: Short story collection Publisher: Night Shade Release date: 5/14/19

Award-winning editor Paula Guran presents a diverse reprint anthology collecting classic myths and legends, retold by today’s top fantasy writers.

The Native American trickster Coyote . . . the snake-haired Greek Gorgon Medusa, whose gaze turned men to stone . . . Kaggen, creator of the San peoples of Africa . . . the Holy Grail of Arthurian legend . . . Freyja, the Norse goddess of love and beauty . . . Ys, the mythical sunken city once built on the coast of France . . . Ragnarok, the myth of a world destroyed and reborn . . . Jason and the Argonauts, sailing in search of the Golden Fleece . . .   Myths and legends are the oldest of stories, part of our collective consciousness, and the source from which all fiction flows. Full of magic, supernatural powers, monsters, heroes, epic journeys, strange worlds, and vast imagination, they are fantasies so compelling we want to believe them true.

This new anthology compiles some of the best modern short mythic retellings and reinvention of legend from award-winning and bestselling authors, acclaimed storytellers, and exciting new talent, offering readers new ways to interpret and understand the world. Adventure with us on these Mythic Journeys . . .

Contributors include: Neil Gaiman, Ann Lecki, Yoon Ha Lee, and Ken Liu.

Read Mythic Journeys: Retold Myths and Legends

A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay

Type: Standalone novel Publisher: Berkley Release date: 5/14/19

International bestselling author Guy Gavriel Kay's latest work is set in a world evoking early Renaissance Italy and offers an extraordinary cast of characters whose lives come together through destiny, love, and ambition. 

In a chamber overlooking the nighttime waterways of a maritime city, a man looks back on his youth and the people who shaped his life. Danio Cerra's intelligence won him entry to a renowned school even though he was only the son of a tailor. He took service at the court of a ruling count—and soon learned why that man was known  as the Beast. 

Danio's fate changed the moment he saw and recognized Adria Ripoli as she entered the count's chambers one autumn night—intending to kill. Born to power, Adria had chosen, instead of a life of comfort, one of danger—and freedom. Which is how she encounters Danio in a perilous time and place.

Vivid figures share the unfolding story. Among them: a healer determined to defy her expected lot; a charming, frivolous son of immense wealth; a powerful religious leader more decadent than devout; and, affecting all these lives and many more, two larger-than-life mercenary commanders, lifelong adversaries, whose rivalry puts a world in the balance.

A Brightness Long Ago offers both compelling drama and deeply moving reflections on the nature of memory, the choices we make in life, and the role played by the turning of Fortune's wheel.

Read A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay

Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs

Type: Eleventh book in the Mercy Thompson series Publisher: Ace Release date: 5/14/19

My name is Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman, and I am a car mechanic. And a coyote shapeshifter. And the mate of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin werewolf pack.   Even so, none of that would have gotten me into trouble if, a few months ago, I hadn’t stood upon a bridge and taken responsibility for the safety of the citizens who lived in our territory. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. It should have only involved hunting down killer goblins, zombie goats, and an occasional troll. Instead, our home was viewed as neutral ground, a place where humans would feel safe to come and treat with the fae.   The reality is that nothing and no one is safe.  As generals and politicians face off with the Gray Lords of the fae, a storm is coming and her name is Death.   But we are pack, and we have given our word.    We will die to keep it.

Read Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs

Read more: Patricia Briggs Does Werewolf Romance Right

An Illusion of Thieves by Cate Glass

Type: Book one in the Chimera series Publisher: Tor Books Release date: 5/21/19

A ragtag crew with forbidden magic must pull off an elaborate heist and stop a civil war in An Illusion of Thieves, a fantasy adventure from Cate Glass.

In Cantagna, being a sorcerer is a death sentence.

Romy escapes her hardscrabble upbringing when she becomes courtesan to the Shadow Lord, a revolutionary noble who brings laws and comforts once reserved for the wealthy to all. When her brother, Neri, is caught thieving with the aid of magic, Romy's aristocratic influence is the only thing that can spare his life―and the price is her banishment.

Now back in Beggar’s Ring, she has just her wits and her own long-hidden sorcery to help her and Neri survive. But when a plot to overthrow the Shadow Lord and incite civil war is uncovered, only Romy knows how to stop it. To do so, she’ll have to rely on newfound allies―a swordmaster, a silversmith, and her own thieving brother. And they'll need the very thing that could condemn them all: magic.

Read An Illusion of Thieves by Cate Glass

Lent by Jo Walton

Type: Standalone novel Publisher: Tor Books Release date: 5/28/19

From Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award-winning Jo Walton comes Lent, a magical re-imagining of the man who remade fifteenth-century Florence―in all its astonishing strangeness

Young Girolamo’s life is a series of miracles.

It’s a miracle that he can see demons, plain as day, and that he can cast them out with the force of his will. It’s a miracle that he’s friends with Pico della Mirandola, the Count of Concordia. It’s a miracle that when Girolamo visits the deathbed of Lorenzo “the Magnificent,” the dying Medici is wreathed in celestial light, a surprise to everyone, Lorenzo included. It’s a miracle that when Charles VIII of France invades northern Italy, Girolamo meets him in the field, and convinces him to not only spare Florence but also protect it. It’s a miracle than whenever Girolamo preaches, crowds swoon. It’s a miracle that, despite the Pope’s determination to bring young Girolamo to heel, he’s still on the loose…and, now, running Florence in all but name.

That’s only the beginning. Because Girolamo Savanarola is not who―or what―he thinks he is. He will discover the truth about himself at the most startling possible time. And this will be only the beginning of his many lives.

Read Lent by Jo Walton

Best New Fantasy Books in April 2019

Holy Sister by Mark Lawrence

Type: Third and final book in the Book of the Ancestor series Publisher: Ace Release date: 4/9/19

The searing conclusion of the thrilling epic fantasy trilogy that saw a young girl trained by an arcane order of nuns grow into the fiercest of warriors...

They came against her as a child. Now they face the woman.

The ice is advancing, the Corridor narrowing, and the empire is under siege from the Scithrowl in the east and the Durns in the west. Everywhere, the emperor’s armies are in retreat. 

Nona Grey faces the final challenges that must be overcome if she is to become a full sister in the order of her choice. But it seems unlikely that she and her friends will have time to earn a nun’s habit before war is on their doorstep. 

Even a warrior like Nona cannot hope to turn the tide of war.

The shiphearts offer strength that she might use to protect those she loves, but it’s a power that corrupts. A final battle is coming in which she will be torn between friends, unable to save them all. A battle in which her own demons will try to unmake her. 

A battle in which hearts will be broken, lovers lost, thrones burned.

Read Holy Sister by Mark Lawrence

Read our full review of Holy Sister by Mark Lawrence

Read our review of Red Queen by Mark Lawrence

Read our review of Grey Sister by Mark Lawrence

No Country for Old Gnomes: The Tales of Pell by Delilah S. Dawson & Kevin Hearne

Type: Seconds book in the Tales of Pell Publisher: Del Rey Release date: 4/16/19

War is coming, and it’s gonna be Pell.

On one side stand the gnomes: smol, cheerful, possessing tidy cardigans and no taste for cruelty.

On the other side sit the halflings, proudly astride their war alpacas, carrying bags of grenades and hungry for a fight. And pretty much anything else.

It takes only one halfling bomb and Offi Numminen’s world is turned upside down—or downside up, really, since he lives in a hole in the ground. His goth cardigans and aggressive melancholy set him apart from the other gnomes, as does his decision to fight back against their halfling oppressors. Suddenly Offi is the leader of a band of lovable misfits and outcasts—from a gryphon who would literally kill for omelets to a young dwarf herbalist who is better with bees than with his cudgel to an assertive and cheerful teen witch with a beard as long as her book of curses—all on a journey to the Toot Towers to confront the dastardly villain intent on tearing Pell asunder. These adventurers never fit in anywhere else, but as they become friends, fight mermaids, and get really angry at this one raccoon, they learn that there’s nothing more heroic than being yourself.

In No Country for Old Gnomes, Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne lovingly tweak the tropes of fantasy and fairy tales. Here you’ll find goofy jokes and whimsical puns, but you’ll also find a diverse, feminist, and lighthearted approach to fantasy that will bring a smile to your face and many fine cheeses to your plate.

Read No Country for Old Gnomes by Delilah S. Dawson & Kevin Hearne

All My Colors by David Quantick

Type: Novel Publisher: Titan Books Release date: 4/16/19

It is March 1979 in DeKalb Illinois. Todd Milstead is a wannabe writer, a serial adulterer, and a jerk, only tolerated by his friends because he throws the best parties with the best booze. During one particular party, Todd is showing off his perfect recall, quoting poetry and literature word for word plucked from his eidetic memory. When he begins quoting from a book no one else seems to know, a novel called All My Colors, Todd is incredulous. He can quote it from cover to cover and yet it doesn't seem to exist.

With a looming divorce and mounting financial worries, Todd finally tries to write a novel, with the vague idea of making money from his talent. The only problem is he can't write. But the book - All My Colors - is there in his head. Todd makes a decision: he will "write" this book that nobody but him can remember. After all, if nobody's heard of it, how can he get into trouble?

As the dire consequences of his actions come home to both Todd and his long-suffering friends, it becomes clear that there is a high - and painful - price to pay for his crime.

Read All My Colors by David Quantick

The Unicorn Anthology by Peter S. Beagle & Jacob Weisman

Type: Anthology Publisher: Tachyon Publications Release date: 4/19/19

Unicorns: Not just for virgins anymore. Here are sixteen lovely, powerful, intricate, and unexpected unicorn tales from fantasy icons including Garth Nix, Peter S. Beagle, Patricia A. McKillip, Bruce Coville, Carrie Vaughn, and more. In this volume you will find two would-be hunters who enlist an innkeeper to find a priest hiding the secret of the last unicorn. A time traveler tries to corral an unruly mythological beast that might never have existed at all. The lover and ex-boyfriend of a dying woman join forces to find a miraculous remedy in New York City. And a small-town writer of historical romances discovers a sliver of a mysterious horn in a slice of apple pie.

Read The Unicorn Anthology by Peter S. Beagle & Jacob Weisman

Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse

Type: Second book in the Sixth World series Publisher: Gallery/Saga Press Release date: 4/23/19

Kai and Caleb Goodacre have been kidnapped just as rumors of a cult sweeping across the reservation leads Maggie and Hastiin to investigate an outpost, and what they find there will challenge everything they’ve come to know in this action-packed sequel to Trail of Lightning.

It’s been four weeks since the bloody showdown at Black Mesa, and Maggie Hoskie, Diné monster hunter, is trying to make the best of things. Only her latest bounty hunt has gone sideways, she’s lost her only friend, Kai Arviso, and she’s somehow found herself responsible for a girl with a strange clan power.

Then the Goodacre twins show up at Maggie’s door with the news that Kai and the youngest Goodacre, Caleb, have fallen in with a mysterious cult, led by a figure out of Navajo legend called the White Locust. The Goodacres are convinced that Kai’s a true believer, but Maggie suspects there’s more to Kai’s new faith than meets the eye. She vows to track down the White Locust, then rescue Kai and make things right between them.

Her search leads her beyond the Walls of Dinétah and straight into the horrors of the Big Water world outside. With the aid of a motley collection of allies, Maggie must battle body harvesters, newborn casino gods and, ultimately, the White Locust himself. But the cult leader is nothing like she suspected, and Kai might not need rescuing after all. When the full scope of the White Locust’s plans are revealed, Maggie’s burgeoning trust in her friends, and herself, will be pushed to the breaking point, and not everyone will survive.

Read Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse

Read our inteview with author Rebecca Roanhorse.

Read our list of 2018's Best Fiction Books.

Best New Fantasy Books in March 2019

The Municipalists by Seth Fried

Type: Standalone novel Publisher: Penguin Books Release date: 3/19/19

In Metropolis, the gleaming city of tomorrow, the dream of the great American city has been achieved. But all that is about to change, unless a neurotic, rule-following bureaucrat and an irreverent, freewheeling artificial intelligence can save the city from a mysterious terrorist plot that threatens its very existence. 

Henry Thompson has dedicated his life to improving America’s infrastructure as a proud employee of the United States Municipal Survey. So when the agency comes under attack, he dutifully accepts his unexpected mission to visit Metropolis looking for answers. But his plans to investigate quietly, quickly, and carefully are interrupted by his new partner: a day-drinking know-it-all named OWEN, who also turns out to be the projected embodiment of the agency’s supercomputer. Soon, Henry and OWEN are fighting to save not only their own lives and those of the city’s millions of inhabitants, but also the soul of Metropolis. The Municipalists is a thrilling, funny, and touching adventure story, a tour-de-force of imagination that trenchantly explores our relationships to the cities around us and the technologies guiding us into the future.

Read The Municipalists by Seth Fried

The Perfect Assassin by K.A. Doore

Type: First book in the Chronicles of Ghadid series Publisher: Tor Books Release date: 3/19/19

A novice assassin is on the hunt for someone killing their own in K. A. Doore's The Perfect Assassin, a breakout high fantasy beginning the Chronicles of Ghadid series.

Divine justice is written in blood.

Or so Amastan has been taught. As a new assassin in the Basbowen family, he’s already having second thoughts about taking a life. A scarcity of contracts ends up being just what he needs.

Until, unexpectedly, Amastan finds the body of a very important drum chief. Until, impossibly, Basbowen’s finest start showing up dead, with their murderous jaan running wild in the dusty streets of Ghadid. Until, inevitably, Amastan is ordered to solve these murders, before the family gets blamed.

Every life has its price, but when the tables are turned, Amastan must find this perfect assassin or be their next target.

Read The Perfect Assassin by K.A. Doore

Miranda in Milan by Katharine Duckett

Type: Novel Publisher: Tor Books Release date: 3/26/19

With Miranda in Milan, debut author Katharine Duckett reimagines the consequences of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, casting Miranda into a Milanese pit of vipers and building a queer love story that lifts off the page in whirlwinds of feeling.

After the tempest, after the reunion, after her father drowned his books, Miranda was meant to enter a brave new world. Naples awaited her, and Ferdinand, and a throne. Instead she finds herself in Milan, in her father’s castle, surrounded by hostile servants who treat her like a ghost. Whispers cling to her like spiderwebs, whispers that carry her dead mother’s name. And though he promised to give away his power, Milan is once again contorting around Prospero’s dark arts.

With only Dorothea, her sole companion and confidant to aid her, Miranda must cut through the mystery and find the truth about her father, her mother, and herself.

Read Miranda in Milan by Katharine Duckett

Best New Fantasy Books in February 2019

The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons

Type: First in A Chorus of Dragons series Publisher: Tor Books Release date: 2/5/19

Jenn Lyons channels The Kingkiller Chronicles in this epic fantasy debut that follows a boy thief called Kihrin as he goes from growing up in the slums of Quur to finding out he may be the long-lost son of a cruel prince to a slave to the potential key to a world-changing prophecy to a prisoner awaiting his death.

The Ruin of Kings is structured as a conversation between a prisoner, Kihrin, and his jailor, a shapeshifting demon named Talon. In their alternating chapters, they tell the story of how Kihrin came to be in prison, awaiting his potential death, and how the fictional world they are a part of includes gods, dragons, krakens, sorcerers, and more. Read our full review of this page-turning fantasy epic here.

Read The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

Type: First in trilogy Publisher: Riverhead Books Release date: 2/5/19

It's becoming more common to see fantasy worlds and stories that use something other than the western world as inspiration for a new fictional universe. Black Leopard, Red Wolf is one such book. Written by Marlon James, the author of A Brief History of Seven Killings, the novel follows Tracker, a man tasked with finding a missing boy. Though Tracker usually works alone, he teams up with some other hired help in his pursuit, becoming part of a team that has its fair share of secrets, leading to the biggest mystery of all: who is the boy and why have they been tasked with tracking him?

The screen adaptation rights for Black Leopard, Red Wolf have already been snatched up by Michael B. Jordan and Warner Bros., so get a head start on reading this book before the adaptation.

Read Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

read more: Binti & The Wonders of Nnedi Okorafor

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark

Type: Novella Publisher: Tor Books Release date: 2/19/19

Set in an alternate Cairo in which humans live alongside otherworldly beings, The Haunting of Tram Car 015 follows Agent Hamed al-Nasr and his new partner Agent Onsi. They work for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, tasked with dealing with any problems that might arise between the magical and non-magical folks. When the two agents are tasked with subduing a possessed tram car, they find it a much more complicated task than it first appears. I mean.... you know how it is.

Read The Haunting of Tram Car 015

The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie

Type: Standalone novel Publisher: Orbit Release date: 2/26/19

Ann Leckie's debut, Ancillary Justice, remains one of the most talked about science fiction novels (not to mention science fiction author debuts!) of the last decade. Leckie is back, with The Raven Tower, a fantasy story set in a land known as Iraden. Iraden has been protected for centuries by the god Raven, who appoints a human ruler to carry out his command. When the land is overtaken by attack and the Raven's rule challenged, a warrior named Eolo works to restore the power of the throne to its rightful ruler. We will follow Leckie to any genre.

Read The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Type: First in trilogy Publisher: Bloomsbury Release date: 2/26/19

With whispers of "the Nameless One"—aka the scariest dragon of them all (OK, I'm in!)—returning after 1,000 years, Queen Sabran of the House of Berethnet is in danger of losing power. Things are further complicated by Sabran's current lack of an heir. Luckily, Sabran has lady-in-waiting Ead Duryan on her side. Ead Duryan uses her secret powers to protect the queen. This tale of female warriors working to save the world may be long, but, from all accounts, is more than worth the commitment.

Read The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samatha Shannon

Best New Fantasy Books in January 2019

In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire

Type: Fourth in series Publisher: Tor Books Release date: 1/8/19

Seanan McGuire's brilliant Wayward Children novella series, which began with the excellent Every Heart a Doorway, continues in In An Absent Dream. Here, we learn the story of Katherine Lundy, the group therapy leader at Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children. As a child, the academic Katherine wanfers into the Goblin Market and immediately falls in love with this land of logic and reason. When Katherine realizes she will soon be unable to return to the Goblin Market, she makes a desperate bargain to keep her place in this world. #bewaretheconsequences

Read In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire

read more: 9 Fantasy Books Set at Magical Boarding School

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

Type: Third in trilogy Publisher: Del Rey Release date: 1/8/19

The Russian folklore-inspired Winternight trilogy comes to a close with The Winter of the Witch, which sees a medieval Russia in chaos, overrun by demons with Moscow working to recover from disaster. We continue to follow 17-year-old Vasya, a girl who can see and speak with spirits. As the country moves toward war under the rule of The Grand Prince, Vasya is guided into the midnight realm of Polunochnitsa, or Lady Midnight, where she meets her ancestors, the mythical firebird Pozhar, and a mushroom spirit called Ded Grib. While I have yet to read this trilogy, by all accounts this is a satisfying conclusion to a fantastic trilogy.

Read The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

The Iron Codex by David Mack

Type: Second in Dark Arts series Publisher: Tor Books Release date: 1/15/19

While Midnight Front was set in the lead-up to and during World War II, The Iron Codex picks back up in the midst of Cold War paranoia in 1954, with Cade Martin chasing ghosts in Southeast Asia, Briet Segfrunsdóttir heading the Pentagon's top-secret magickal warfare program, and Anja Kernova (with the help of a magickal book known as The Iron Codex) hunting fugitive Nazi sorcerers in South America. It all leads to Bikini Atoll, where the Castle Bravo nuclear tests are scheduled to begin...

Read The Iron Codex by David Mack

Marked by S. Andrew Swann

Type: First in series Publisher: DAW Release date: 1/15/19

I love a good supernatu

rally-charged backstory mystery! This one centers on Detective Dana Rohan, a cop with a near-perfect arrest rate who can't remember how she got the mark on her back... the mark that allows her to travel through time and to alternate dimensions. The ability helps with her job investigating crimes, but when she is approached by a homeless man warning that the Shadows are coming, Dana is thrown into a much larger and even more dangerous multi-world adventure.

Read Marked by S. Andrew Swann

The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty

Type: Second in trilogy Publisher: Harper Voyager Release date: 1/22/19

We were very into The City of Brass, S.A. Chakraborty's 2017 fantasy novel about Nahri, a young woman living in 18th-century Cairo, and Ali, a prince living in the djinn city of Daevabad. In the first book, the two both struggle to stay alive, keep the ones they love safe, and use their power in moral ways—they are only partially successful. The Kingdom of Copper picks up five years later, and sees Nahri in a loveless and childless marriage with Ali's older brother, and Ali in exile and presumed dead in the desert. A return to a fantastical world that is just as satisfying and complex (if not moreso) as the trilogy's first installment.

read more: A Conversation with S.A. Chakraborty

Read The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty

What new speculative fiction books are on your radar? Let us know in the comments below or over at the Den of Geek Book Club!

Kayti Burt is a staff editor covering books, TV, movies, and fan culture at Den of Geek. Read more of her work here or follow her on Twitter @kaytiburt.

facebook

twitter

tumblr

The Lists Kayti Burt

Sep 11, 2019

Fantasy Books

from Books https://ift.tt/2NTuTGS

[ruwithmeguys]

The chances of an eighth season of Arrow is high, but beyond that… I think the chances have dropped for more than 8 but I could be wrong.

Why I think it’s ending after S8 (and why it may not):

Both Stephen and Emily have stated they want to write and direct but haven’t, despite the chances. They may want to work on new things after next year.

Though he’s agreed to an eighth season, Stephen has made several comments the last 12 months indicating his acceptance of the end and how Oliver really only has one true goal left to accomplish.

The show doesn’t just feel like it’s hitting a new milestone: it feels like it’s preparing us for something (unless it’s just a shocking SL and I’m very wrong)

The interest in superhero tv shows is starting to dwindle because of the sheer number of options available. This however, is open to change. Especially after the last avengers movie hits the cinemas. They may turn to shows like Arrow as an alternative.

Unless the show comes up with a brand new focus to pit Oliver against, beyond his own darkness, then… what? What’s the story?

Indications that John may become the GL means he’s available for other shows after Arrow ends.

Where Oliver goes, Felicity goes. The indications that Oliver will eventually step back from the hood keep ramping up.

They are leading the show towards the future: it’s an obvious passing of the baton.

They are limited in terms of comic origin as there’s only so much story they can pilfer from the comics before DC stop them.

They will need an intense, captivating original story to keep Stephen/Emily and the audience on board past S8 and where they go, the audience go.

We know Arrow won’t live past 10 seasons anyway.

Why I want Arrow to end after 8 seasons:

Too many new characters – unless the show axes at least two of the regulars, we’re never truly going to get the depth we deserve in the scenes focused on our mains… HOWEVER. You can also argue that they don’t need more depth because we basically know them inside out. Another reason right there.

Run its course - Arrow is that show. It isn’t even that good to be honest – the script is either amaze-balls or ridiculous and illogical, the action sequences take up too much space at times and continuity is a huge issue – however we love it as if it were made of gold. Despite our complaints, we watch it because it gave us something that most shows don’t. It gave us a love story for the ages that wasn’t supposed to exist and demanded acceptance of it. It dared so it has our respect.

However, Stephen said something recently. He said, all that remains of Oliver’s story is to leave a legacy. He doesn’t have to die for it to happen, but it has to happen. There two ways for this to be possible: have a baby with Felicity and become a legend. He’ll do both, huzzah! But, barring the immediate concerns of this story, there isn’t a whole lot of character building left to accomplish (suck it Barry/Kara) for Oliver. It’s all outside material. His sister is an issue too, but after this season, focus on him for her story won’t be required. I’m here for Oliver, then Felicity. Just them and in that order.

Thea’s story is done folks, save the peripheral. Whatever happens next for her doesn’t have to be on screen, though I will be stunned if she doesn’t come back for the finale of the series. I have no wish to see more of it, unless it’s Roy inclusive. Why? Because so much of her story kind of… IT BLEW, OKAY? I was bored to tears with her after season 4 and only season 2 and 3 interested me for her character and Roy was entwined in that.

Building a legacy doesn’t mean characters just… disappear - and they don’t have to. So regardless of the end, Felicity will be out there. So will Oliver.

Diggle. This is a big one for me. He’s been changing since Oliver and Felicity left 3.23, since he killed Andy. But we haven’t seen the Dig we know and love since 5.23. That’s 32 episodes. For me, if what was broken isn’t fixed by 7.22, then I truly won’t care what occurs for him in the future, beyond simple curiosity. There’s been too much damage. There’s changing into a different person and then there’s being likeable. One episode is all I’m asking. Believe it or not, I’m actually enjoying his progression, but it’s progression that falls away from the man we dearly miss. Since the chances of him becoming the green lantern has risen… I have to say, I’m not surprised at the idea that John could leave his family behind both literally and figuratively. He’s done it before. He’s doing it now, but it has less impact if his ties are loose and not taut. I need them tightening. 13 episodes are left on S7. He needs to take steps. So either Dig becomes the green lantern… or he dies. If either occurs next year, then S8 will most likely be the end anyway. OTA are the main fixture: they know it, they’ve said it. Once one of them leaves, it’s a ticking clock.

The longer the show lasts, the more time they have to screw up.

I can’t stand another crossover where Oliver is verbally battered for existing.

Too many birds give me hives.

Dinah has become the new boring and siren, the cordelia: I can live without both.

Curits is such a poor example of a human being, it makes me rage, which is unhealthy

Rene is finally interesting to me again, even if I don’t trust him because he’s a fickle sod… which means I never will. So, I can’t like his storyline.

I’m so done with watching Felicity be friendless and treated with disrespect by people that she has to refer to as heroes whether they’ve earned the title or not, I feel like writing fiction where she kills them all and Oliver just stands there in approval.

The longer Arrow lasts, the longer Flash lasts and… NO.

The longer Arrow lasts, the longer Supergirl lasts and… NO.

Since they aren’t doing a thorough Constantine Drakon villain – an enemy with the potential to be amazing since he very literally crucifies the green arrow – I really do miss the big villain. I miss Malcolm: he was twisted but he was effective. You were supposed to hate him. I miss Slade: he’s still my favourite villain. Adrian was the best but they took too long introducing him so he falls short of the tension pedestal for me. Despite being sucktastic, Diaz presents a decent conundrum: he’s supposed to be an arsehole that won’t die so he’s a constant threat. We don’t have to like him. So I desperately need Stan to return. I need that creepy/psychotic enemy that throws everyone for a loop. Without it, I’m not sure about the show’s moral integrity goes to that isn’t about revisiting old ghosts since it’s based on good Vs evil etc. I need to wait and see where they go with this: it could become an organisation or an idea (vigilantes for the people: who watches the watchman type thing) instead of a person and I’ve given up hope on a woman villain who doesn’t irk me. I don’t need 1950’s cheese ball KC: it’s not effective.

Felicity. Now… I love what they’ve done with her character, even in S6 for the most part! However, this whole idea that her wearing a mask would undermine the meaning is pathetic. You had a street kid and a lawyer wearing one after less than a few months of training, but sure: Felicity wearing one would destroy the significance. Now, in one part, this elevates her character: she is the character that all others must work off at least once. It makes her too important to loose: Oliver, Barry, LL, Siren, Ray etc. On the other hand, it limits her capacity and keeps her boxed in which is why S7 has been such a relief to may of us. But I would have loved to have seen this woman suit up: at least she’d be convincing. Any chance of us seeing it happen now are slim to none which is a shame because, to me, her potential is limitless. What we would have given to have everyone else react to her kicking ass and taking names in a mask, with a moniker, and a headset/vice that details the logistics of buildings, sends out Trojans etc. She’d be a nightmare.

I think one more full season (20 to 22 episodes) on top of the 13 remaining, is enough to close Oliver’s legacy if done right which… is a stretch to hope for.

With so many superhero movies in play, if gone on long enough, Arrow will no doubt attempt to copy them as they have done in the past to ill effect.

Another year of rude anons/haters making claims, demanding I do as they tell me, being ridiculous and being constantly wrong in my inbox would be a welcome subtraction in my life.

…And why I want it to live forever:

This show was the show that made me aware of social media. It’s also the show that I needed at a dark time in my life: I was jobless, friendless and things were happening with my family that were less than desirable: it was a grand distraction that borderlined obsession. Or passion. Hm.

Despite certain plotlines, illogical character progression, overused devices, and faulty scripts; it truly is a one in a million show. Very different from all other shows.

The actors can ACT… for the most part.

The CGI effects are good.

It’s angsty x 10

The love story is worth the angst

There’s always more story to tell with good characters!

Once Oliver achieves the status he deserves, I want to see him revel in it.

…A 10 episode season 9 that focuses on olicity alone because I want it so bad?

The chance to bring back Tommy somehow

The wonderful people I talk to online daily JUST because of this show

The genuine friends I’ve made JUST because of this show.

The fanfiction that will continue longer if the show does

The posts and metas I don’t want to live without

The asks in my inbox that I enjoy answering and the anons I enjoy engaging with

TUMBLR – (with the smut please)

If the show has a chance of lasting past season 8, then what I want to see is a season that focuses ONLY on Oliver… and I’d have it elsewhere. I’d have the government involved. Felicity too. Dig. Just them three (it won’t happen).

The chance to see Curtis crash and burn

The chance to see Dinah crash and burn

The chance to see Rene crash and burn

The chance to see siren… go away somewhere

Felicity in a mask

An actual 9pm slot that’s used to it’s fullest extent

A crossover that focuses on what could have been on another earth and you KNOW they’d have Felicity be the vigilante, with Oliver as the guy who loves her despite her violent escapades. OR another life where they’re regular people that fall into an elaborate conspiracy or something.

There currently isn’t another show that can fill the void that Arrow will create when it ends.

A crossover where Oliver/Felicity kiss no one but each other… please.

A crossover- nay, an ENTIRE SEASON, where Oliver is praised for alllll his hard work and sacrifice.

An episode that marks Felicity, truly, as irreplaceable, necessary and needed for every other character to shine.

An episode arc that allows Felicity to be the one that defeats the bad guy.

You know… YOU KNOW that at some point they’ll deliberately have DC and marvel intersect.

Unfortunately, the cons currently outweigh the pro’s. And if so, if S8 is the last, then that’s an AMAZING run time for a show that was supposed to be only 5 seasons. And the story had enough meat in it for me to be happy for it……… though when that occurs, I’ll probably need to book time off to recover because oh my god I can’t even imagine.

The idea, if true, is a sad one. But again, if true, it won’t be till 2020. We have some time.

[thesecrookedbones-blog]

the collection.

“I think yer book’s makin’ it worse out there, y’know? Girls’re disappearin’ faster than ever. What’re ya even doin’ about it? You think ya can come here with yer fancy education and yer fictional little books. This’s real life, slim. Emily’s a good girl. Comes in all the time gettin’ supplies to keep the neighborhood strays well fed. What’re you gonna do when her body shows up like the rest of ‘em?” Buck’s tenure in Chilling is measured by the way his teeth sit ground deep toward his gum line. His brows sit low against his eyes, like anchors dragging along rebellious eyes that no longer wish to see the pain around him. I know from what city hall records I could find, that Buck has owned this general store since 1983, inheriting it from his father before him. Southern hospitality is only known to the locals, like some kind of localized slang. There was never any welcome wagon for Nora and I. Any words of encouragement actually sound like a shotgun shell being loaded into a sawed off chamber. Or the coarse friction of a knotted noose. “Just the lightbulbs today, Buck. It’ll probably cost me extra for the lecture and I’m short today.” “You think yer so funny, Mr. Typewriter? You come into town an’ just look what you’ve done.” His words hiss past stained yellow teeth, syllables clicking like a slow trotting horse. The teeth were appropriately reminiscent of a horse too - in their prime. Back before the Copenhagen dips and malt liquor sips before sunrise. Behind the halitosis breath is a venom Buck has never spoke to me; something I have been too afraid to mention. His daughter was one of the names on a growing list of the missing, and later deceased. The Collector had left her in a deer carcass bag after collecting his trophy. It was her tattoo from her right shoulder blade, memorializing her mother with bumblebees and sunflowers. Two of her most favorite things. Layla Carpenter. She got inked underage at 17 after her mother lost her battle with breast cancer. It’d been a badge of honor. I could tell it from the way she showed it off in off-shoulder dresses and floppy tank tops. She smiled wider for Polaroids when the tattoo was in the photo with her, like she’d mastered the ‘glance over the shoulder and smile’ pose just to honor her late mom. She’d been missing since 2000. She was The Collector’s first. He kept her the longest. Her body was discovered exactly one week after Nora and I moved in; lakeside nearest our property. Her body melded with the burlap carcass bag, decomposing so harshly that the medical examiner couldn’t tell flesh from bag. Often even after severe decomposition, special wavelengths of light and photographs can enhance ink in any remaining tissue. There was nothing to enhance - but everyone knew The Collector’s calling card. Her tattoo was in his possession. A token of his kill. “Just ring him up, Buck. Fer Pete’s fuckin’ sake.” I nod my appreciation to Todd. He’s one of the few neutrals I have in this town. His eyes betray him in hiding the spark of curiosity I know he feels. He has no pawns; no one on the growing list. Hell, Todd lives alone in the home his parents expired in. He has no one to look after him as he expires and no one to lace his grave with flowers once he’s gone. He has nothing to lose. “Thanks,” I say, tucking the paper bag against my shoulder, though my eyes lock with Todd - the only person who deserves my gratitude. Back at the house, I leave the bag beneath the flood light fixtures that seem to have shoddy wiring. The fixture eats through bulbs at least once a week, somehow feeding too much power while still causing the ominous orb to flicker in and out. I check my watch. School will let out soon and Nora will be home. She’s been bugging me about this light. Any kind of darkness makes her feel uneasy. I can see it in the way every layer of her spine pricks as she rounds a dark corner, helplessly reaching for a lightswitch. Plugging the six-foot wood-runged ladder down beneath the flood light fixture, my shoe centers the rung and haphazardly trusts my weight to it. It flexes but the screws snar and it holds. Gravel sounds behind my back as I twist a fresh bulb in. I’m in a pissing contest with the rest of this town, careful not to show fear or cowardice, so I don’t turn my head. Fingers yo-yo the lightbulb to a tightened position and the footsteps behind me still. I finally sneak a glance.“Yer so fucked.” I don't know him by name, but he's recognizable as one of the local meth addicts. What about him? I try to paint a mental picture of his face and I’m lost in non-distinctive identifiers. Bugged eyes, a toothless grin, sunken cheeks, and clothes that loosely swing off of his bony structure. Is he a suspect? He laughs at me, his hollow soul echoing behind him as he continued on. He's probably hallucinating, I tell myself and finish with the second bulb. The ladder gets returned to the corner filled with dust bunnies in the garage and I discard yet another bulb box. The basement of the home is bunkered beneath ground; a safe haven from tornadoes. It is the only place I trusted my work, given the lack of any natural daylight. It’s the space I get lost in, drawn in like a moth to lamplight. As I descend on creaky, wooden steps, I decide - it’s time to start Emily Marx’s chapter. The latest missing girl. Keys gallop against paper freely, a brainwave on a stroke of genius. The latest victim is fresh in my mind. Bright eyed with a bright future, given the academic records her parents’ failed to share with me. They slammed the door in my face, blaming me for opening this can of demons again. They thought my soul needed saving. They hoped to see me in church on Sunday morning. Her body hasn’t been recovered, but it’s nearing two weeks. I expected her to be the next ink to his collection after 48 hours. Death is the sole consumer in this barren land, its hunger accelerated by demons sworn off by bible verses Sunday morning and ill-will cast against family and friends after a few swigs of whiskey post-service. Blasphemy pulled straight from the bottle. Hours wash away outside without notice. The south has a way of filling your pores with heavy heat and slugging you down, zapping Father Time until seconds rock by slower or the mind’s ability to be conscious of it slips away. Each chapter takes its toll. Another life vanished into the thick air, often in stark daylight. The moment they encounter The Collector, they become another ghost; a wisp of heavy wind to remind us all that Chilling is haunted by a living being. I find myself in the position I often end up in with this book, face curtained with my hands as I count the breaths it takes to make me feel better about it all. I still haven’t found the number. Then it dawns on me. The silence overhead. Usually the kitchen floorboards would creak as Nora dances around the kitchen, preparing another meal without company while I try to figure out the great mystery of Chilling, Missouri. No creaks have sounded above to distract me from proper sentence structure or finding the perfect word that’s just hibernating at my fingertips. No, it’s been oddly silent. I feel uneasy all at once, but disallow panic as I jog up the straining basement stairs. The kitchen is dark, as is the living room, and entryway hall. Upstairs sounds just as quiet, but I run up nonetheless. Nora perfects stability in my schedule, trying to make my life look somewhat normal. She never falters - but I’m the inconsistent one. Maybe I didn’t listen or didn’t remember. She could have parent-teacher conferences. Maybe some kind of after-school tutoring session. Maybe some other after-school activity. I pretend I don’t hear the stress battering through ragged breaths. Where would she be, where could she be? Tires squeal into the school parking lot. It’s empty. Her car is nowhere to be seen, but I still run toward the front doors, truck barely stuck in park. It’s dark inside. Not a soul to be seen. There I stand, in a pained shred of reality. I didn’t even notice she didn’t come home. I check all of the possible spots, and Chilling has a limited selection. The diner, the gas station, the library, the post office, the general store. No sign of her car. I stop outside of the old run-down drive-in that has only been used as vandal grounds for the last decade and find my hands shaky as I dial the sheriff’s department. “My wife - fiancee - is missing.” It’s better not to go to the office in person, I decide. They’ll waste precious minutes vetting me, seeing only an unfriendly face they already suspect to be all kinds of evil. “She - school gets out at 2:30 and she’s usually home by 4 at the latest, depending on what kind of students need help after-school. ...Eleanor Coulson. Yeah. Middle is Winona. She’s - her birthday is June 29, 1986. Look, can you just - I am being calm.” My lip quivers and heat streaks down my cheeks. The speedometer ticks to 65, the big truck’s steering wheel quaking within my palms. "She’s like...5’6” or 5’7” and can’t weigh much more than 100 pounds. She’s small, but she’s mighty.” The sorrow touches the back of my throat and I cough to cover the emotional choke. “No, no scars or tattoos.” It's an identification question, but it feels pointed and my answer washes gooseflesh down my neck. The female voice on the other end of my call drifts into a cavernous hole as my right foot shifts from gas pedal to brake, tires crying against warm pavement. I can hear my heart rattle my skull, vision blurred with thoughts lashing against positivity. The previous girls with their mangled bodies, tattoos sliced from their skin, torture evident in their demise - it all bleeds forward until the female’s voice rises, “hello?” “I - her, her car. I just found it on Highway 26 near milepost 17.” A long pause. “He’s got her.” 6 hours later, I return home after police interrogation. I’m the prime suspect in the tragic story I’ve supposedly created. I sit there in the driver’s seat, hands folded beneath my nose and listen to the waves of fear wash over my knuckles. Within eye line, the flood light surges and flickers, faltering between a vivacious glow and the absorption of death. I watch intently, hoping the light will stay lit. Lightness in the dark - a symbol of hope. But the light hisses and with a dull gurgle, it flickers to black. A tear rims my lower lid. He’s got her. Her life will burn out just like that bulb. Hot air fills the truck, my throat rattling with rage as a low growl precedes the words I will die by if I must: “The collection ends now, you motherfucker.”

[lostscenarios]

Which Way to Home? Chapter 3

Title: Which Way to Home Characters: OC Han Soo, Oh Sehun and ft the rest of Exo Plot: Today, it seems as if everyone knows what they want to do and how they’ll do it. Fresh out of high school Han Soo is a fish out of water, sucked into a forced summer program at a local college with her cousin Han Soo attempts to find the answers to her unanswered questions. And the only thing that she knows? Oh Sehun may just have the answer. Genre: slice of life, college au, suspense, angst, romance Rating: PG13 - only because I plan on doing more with this and if it wasn’t PG13 or lower my mom would have a serious discussion with me so…

Chapter 3

June, 18, 2017,

The next morning all was well. I slept soundly and over half of the tenants were gone, leaving the dorm peaceful as could be. And for once I awoke to the harmonies of the song birds as they belted out their morning hymn! That was until...a chorus of groans and moans filled the campus dorms halls.

Peaking my head out the door I saw all of the girls coming back from last night’s frat party. They either looked like a mess or were one, there was no inbetween. And then there was Ara. Smeared eyeliner, frizzy hair, puke covered shoes and I assumed she had a massive headache as she was cradling her head. Not wanting to deal with that I swiftly shut my door, and for good measures gave it a good lock too! Click.

Now what to do? It’s Sunday morning, yet, the only people I know are recovering from their immense hangovers. And summer classes don’t start for another week. Should I go exploring?

Throwing on a random pair of jean shorts and a white tee, I messily tied my hair, grabbed my phone, wallet and keys and headed out the room. Closing my door I made sure not to slam it, I wouldn’t want to give anyone a worser headache and I made my way out. It was still fairly early and I assumed that most of the other students would still be recovering as well, thus, I set off for the nearest coffee shop in hopes of filling my empty stomach.

As I walked past all of the dorm buildings, I basked in the warmth of the sun. There was nothing better than a beautiful Sunday morning. Spotting a coffee shop just down the block I smiled in triumph, crossing my fingers I prayed that this one would be open. And just my luck, they were!

Entering the dimly lit coffee shop I was hit with the smell of freshly grinded coffee beans, as the door closed, the bell chimed signaling my entrance. My eyes scanned the blackboard menu and I couldn’t stop the peaking smile as I found myself amused with the childish chalk drawings that lingered towards the bottom. As I was deciding in my head what to order I heard a familiar voice.

“Welcome to Exodus cafe! We make the best coffee on campus, plus we’re pretty good looking too.”

Raising my eyebrow, a lightbulb popped in my head. Baekhyun was his name, right? Shaking my head I walked up to the register and ordered what I hoped to taste pleasant, “One artificial love please, and hold the whip cream.”

“Of course! A cinnamon frappuccino for a spicy lady!” He said as he winked. “It’s usually five dollars, but I’m feeling a bit generous so I’ll just take four.”

Handing him a five I said, “Keep the change.”

And once again with a wink, Baekhyun left me to make my drink.

As the buzz of the blender filled the quiet atmosphere my eyes continued to roam the small minimalistic coffee shop. There were tan stools that complimented the high ceiling of the cafe, while the dark brown round tables gave off a cozy feeling. In the right corner of the cafe sat a larger rectangular table with heaps of newspapers and stacks of nicely organized magazines. Who knew these frat boys had a sense of style? “Order up for the spicy lady checking out the cafe.”

Rolling my eyes I grabbed my drink and sat near the large window. Sipping on my frappe I was taken back by how smoothly the cinnamon was blended into the creamy mixture. Just maybe, I would have to stop by this place again.

Another chim of the bell made me turn around, and, I almost let out a gasp of surprise. Too late, he heard. Smiling weakly I awkwardly waved to Sehun.

Waving back Sehun made his way over to me, leaning his arms on the table Sehun said, “So I see you’re enjoying my new creation.”

“You created this drink?” I asked with my eyes wide open.

Chuckling Sehun laughed, “Hey what’s with the doubt? You know just because I’m in a frat doesn’t mean that I all I do is party.”

“But can you blame me?” I shrugged as I took another sip of the delicious drink.

Before Sehun could say a snarky remark Baekhyun entered the room and hollered, “Oh Sehun is that you? About time you showed up! You’re nearly fifteen minutes late mister!”

Holding back a laugh I tried to pretend that I didn’t just hear Baekhyun call Sehun a “mister”. Muttering nonsense to himself Sehun bid me goodbye, not without telling me to stay for a while longer, and then excused himself to the back before emerging again wearing the cafe uniform which consisted of a slim black cotton polo, white apron with the words, “Exodus” engraved in silver and a bright red plastic nametag that contrasted with the color scheme. Walking over to me with a little paper baggie Sehun placed it on my table, before I could reject the gift he had already disappeared into the backroom. Finishing my new favorite drink, I jumped off the stool and left the cafe, not without my little gift though. As I opened the bag I fell in love with the just-out-of-the-oven croissant fumes, as I rolled the bag up so I could eat my snack later I noticed there was something written on the bottom of the bag. Smiling to myself I let out a chuckle, Sehun wrote his number along with a short message in messy handwriting, “Sorry I couldn’t chat long, had to start my shift. I hope you enjoy my little gift to you, and wanna hang sometime?”

Pulling my phone out I quickly typed in his number, sent him a quick “hello” and proceed on my walk of the campus. To some people, being able to walk on Yonsei’s campus was already a huge accomplishment, but, for me? It just made me even more confused, my mind told me one thing yet my heart said another. I’m just praying that I find the answers to what I’m looking for while I go through my stay here.

As I passed clothing boutiques, then electronic stores and more cafes I wondered if I was going to stumble upon my own “hidden gem”. And just as I expressed a moment of doubt, I had finally found what I had been looking for. The antique book store that I passed last night on my way to the party. Hurriedly making my way to the hidden store I opened the door, and was astonished by the rows and rows of literature that stood proudly before me. Reading the category names I swear my heart was about to leap out of my chest! There was Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman and so much more! Would it be too obvious for me to say that I love literature? Especially the time period of the great American Transcendentalist movement! Like a kid in a candy shop, I browsed book upon book, looking for the one that just called my name. And then, there it was, “Civil Disobedience”. Letting out a squeal I couldn’t believe that I stumbled upon such an inspiring composition. A man of his time, Henry David Thoreau left the comforts of his time and secluded himself in nature where he became one with himself and one with the environment. If only I had the courage to do my own thing, I whimsically sigh.

Grabbing the book off the shelf, I continued to look for another book. It was one thing to read a classic, but, I just needed to read a good young adult book. And so the search began once again. I searched high and low, but I couldn’t find what I was looking for. Sure there were books with covers that could be in an art museum, or some of the plots seemed really interesting however the covers were boring. I was just about to give up when an elderly man, who I assumed, to be the bookkeeper approached me.

“Why hello there, young lady. It’s been a long time since a youngster has stepped foot into my book store. Is there something in particular that you are looking for?”

Grasping my hands together I pleaded, “Please help me find a young adult book that will sweep me off of my feet.”

Wiping away an imaginary tear the elderly man motioned for me to follow him. As we walked through what seemed like endless rows of book shelves we finally came upon a shelf that was unlike all of the others. The wood was rough, not sanded like the others, the stain had long faded away yet it felt as if there was something luring me towards the shelf. Grabbing a book that definitely needed repair the man placed in my hand, the title read, “Little Women”. Brushing the dust off I just knew this was the book I was looking for.

Taking me to the cash register the man scanned my items. However, he insisted that I only pay the Henry David Thoreau book and take “Little Women” as a gift for coming to his shop. With a bid of goodbye and a hop in my step, I was more than excited to start the adventure of reading my lovely new additions to my book collection. But, just as I was about to head back to my dorm room a voice off in the distance shouted my name.

“Han Soo! Hey wait for me!” Sehun cried out.

Squinting my eyes, I slightly waved to him and met him halfway. Grinning Sehun pointed at my bag, “I see you still haven’t eaten my gift.” “Did you just get off of work?” I ask in astonishment.

“Yep. I usually get off at four but Baekhyun let me go early today.” He replied smugly.

Wow. I knew I took a long time to search for books. But did I really just spend four hours in a book store?

“So what’d you buy?” Sehun asked as he tried peeking into my bag.

“What do you think?” I ask as we walk side by side to who knows wherever.

Playfully tapping on his chin he said, “Hmm… I could say what’s on my mind right now, or I could say the right answer.”

Shoving him I scoffed and walked faster, laughing Sehun caught up to me and took the bag out of my hand. “Let’s see...oh wow these are some old pieces of paper.”

Slapping his arm I exclaimed, “Old pieces of paper! Sehun these are works of art, hidden gems in the world of literature! And you sir, just dissed my new babies.”

Raising his eyebrow he snickered, “Babies? Wow you really need a life.”

Grabbing my bag out of his grasp I stomped away.

“Hey, look, I’m sorry...not really but you just need to life a little.” He said as he tried to console me.

Giving him the cold shoulder I pretended that he was invisible, and continued on my way back to the dorm. Knowing very well that he was still following me I turned around and snapped, “What?”

Kicking at the ground like a little kid he asked, “So...does this mean you’re not mad at me?”

Letting out the most dramatic sigh that I could muster I said, “I guess I have no other choice than to accept your terrible apology.”

Fist pumping into the air Sehun grabbed my hand and dragged me across the street, “Great! Now let’s go!”

Barely keeping up with Sehun’s long strides, I struggled to follow his lead. Noticing this, Sehun sheepishly apologized, let go of my hand and slowed his pace. As we continued on our walk, I was still amazed by how even the littlest things were beautiful.

As Sehun stopped us in front of the campus greenhouse, I smiled. Motioning for me to enter first, I gladly entered. Just like the night before splashes of pinks, oranges, greens and violets danced across the greenhouse. There were numerous aromas of phlox, plumeria and more. But the most magical aspect? Was the laughter of the nearby elementary school children as they toured the greenhouse.

“How cute.” I said as I watched the children run around as if they had never seen such a magnificent sight.

“I could say the same thing too.” Sehun said as he glanced at me.

[thedreamingdinosaur]

Directed By: Jay Scheib

Cast:

Strat- Andrew Polec Raven- Christina Bennington Falco- Rob Fowler Sloane- Sharon Sexton Tink- Aran Macrae Zahara- Danielle Steers Jagwire- Dom Hartley- Harris Ledoux- Giovanni Spanó Blake- Patrick Sullivan Crysteva- Jemma Alexander Mordema- Emily Benjamin Batfish (on stage swing)- Stuart Boother Valkyrie- Georgia Carling Spinotti (on stage swing)- Natalie Chua Hollander- Jonathan Cordin Liebeswoosh- Amy Di Bartolomeo Krolocker (on stage swing)- Jorden Lee Davies Vanveeteren- Olly Dobson Vilmos (on stage swing)- Hannah Ducharme Astroganger (off stage swing)- Isaac Edwards Bessamey- Phoebe Hart Judge (off stage swing) Linus Henriksson Kwaidan- Rosalind James Lunarrow (off stage swing)- Kalene Jeans Denym- Michael Naylor Scherzzo- Eve Norris Markevitch- Tim Oxbrow Liberame (on stage swing)- Andrew Patrick- Walker Hoffman- Benjamin Purkiss O’Dessasuite- Anthony Selwyn Goddesilla (on stage swing)- Courtney Stapleton Esquivel- Ruben Van Keer

“I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that”

Nothing beats a spontaneous trip to the theatre for a good musical. While in London on Friday 4th August for our weekend at Summer in the City, Heather and myself decided to take a journey down to the Westend. Now we had already spoken about trying to get last minute show tickets and ran through our options, listing various musicals that we would want to see as well as naming some backup choices. But nevertheless, we decided that we would try and get tickets for Bat Out of Hell and Andrew Scotts Hamlet.

Seeing that you’ve seen the title of this post as well as the feature image, you know that we got the tickets. So that evening after a cocktail and some very yummy food, we headed to The Coliseum (no not the Italian one, the London one). Getting to the theatre around an hour early has its perks though. With no one at the merchandise stands or bar, we were able to get a programme and some merch as well as a drink before we headed to our seats. Obviously, this was not before we had a ride on the original bike, which was sat in the foyer.

So, onto the show. In all honesty, this was one which hadn’t really crossed my mind much. Sure I had seen it advertised on pages like WhatsOnStage and heard reviews on it saying how good of a play it was, but it never really grabbed my attention until that night.

The first thing to mention is the seats. Normally I would be drawn to sit in the stalls, but for this particular performance, Heather insisted that the Dress Circle was the best place to sit. Usually, I’m a bit apprehensive about high seats, mainly because I want to be able to see the actual show… But nevertheless, Heather was right and these were the best seats possible! You were able to see the entire stage and then some!

Now onto the show! You’re probably sat wondering what on earth this musical is about? Well fellow readers, this show is about rebels, love and rock music. Through the creative works of Jim Steinman, we are taken on a journey which explores the differences in class as well as the fight for love. The catch being, age. You’re probably now sat thinking ‘but this is a common issue in life’ well… this age issue is not quite the same. While there are those in this post-apocalyptic future who age as per normal, there are others who do not. Known as ‘The Lost’, a gang of forever 18-year-olds, rebel against the chief, Falco.

  Now while I’d love to mention every single actor and their characters as well as the crew, I fear that we’d be here for the rest of the year if so. I would like to start with the crew, including orchestra, lighting, costume department and staging (this isn’t everyone I promise, just a few I picked out to talk about)

So the orchestra. With musicals, especially ones using pre-existing songs, there is a worry that the numbers will not live up to their potential. This was not the case for Bat Out of Hell. With each song that they performed, Steinman’s numbers were honoured in every way possible! While the actors may have sung them to a tee, the orchestra belted out true classics. Piano and guitar rocked the auditorium with exceptional notes and amazing riffs (if that’s the right word).

The costumes were creatively done. Although minimalistic, they were able to show the difference between ‘The Lost’ and Falco’s family. While Sloane (Raven’s mother) wore slim fitting pencil skirts and dresses, members of the lost wore more tattered and ragged looking clothes along with fishnet tights and black Doc Martins. Main characters, Raven and Strat went through very few costume changes, with two or three occurring on stage. At the beginning of the show, Strat loses his red vest top, in which becomes a dress for Raven shortly after. One main change we see Raven go through is a black dress during the second act which is done off stage. The costumes and makeup were well thought out and used to help tie the story together.

The set and staging itself were so beautifully constructed. Although the floor was jaggered and raised in areas, it was effectively used. In a rocky area in the downstage, left section of the stage was a small pond/lake/water thing. At first, I was unsure as to what this was for, or that it was even there, to be honest, but it all became clearer later on. The use of levels within the play was amazing as well. On a higher level, was Raven’s bedroom, behind glass to make the essence of a high rise room even more effective. The same can be said for a higher section of ‘The Lost’s’ lair. Falco towers also double up as a bar for the gang, which is decorated in a classic American style, with a long bar counter with high stools. While we are talking about Falco, it is important to mention the car, which is used. The use of it and how it is hidden is extremely well done. At first, I was not expecting it, but when it was revealed I was utterly shocked. Overal, the set amazed me by its pure beauty and its technical ability.

Linking in with the set was the lighting and technology used. Something that I found truly stunning was the transformation between the outside and Falco’s living room. To do this, they used a simple lighting change to make the flooring a marbled effect. You were able to forget about the rough surface of the outside and believe you were in a well-decorated house. As well as lighting, the technical mechanics used was outstanding. To be able to show the activities in Raven’s room (wipe those smirks off your faces, you know what I mean), on stage camera’s were used to film inside the room, and then projected onto a large screen, as shown in the photo above.

Onto the play and the acting itself. The opening of the show saw Strat joined on stage by two other members of The Lost. What I liked about this particular opening is that it happened before the show itself actually kicked off. This not only gives the actors a chance to really get into their character and quickly adapt their starting positions but also for the audience to have something to talk about. I certainly was sat there thinking, ‘who are these people? what are they doing? Is this the start of the show and have they just forgotten to turn the lights down?’ However, these thoughts are soon interrupted by the actual beginning of the play.

Although I didn’t know every number which was performed, the musical ability of each member of the cast was exceptional! Particular numbers which I loved were ‘You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth’, ‘I’d Do Anything For Love’, ‘Paradise By the Dashboard Lights’, ‘Object in the Rearview Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are’ and of course ‘Bat Out of Hell’.  While most of these are in the second act, it does not say anything about the numbers which was sung in the first. All the songs in this musical were amazingly produced by the cast.

“But it was long ago and it was far away, oh God it seems so very far And if life is just a highway, then the soul is just a car”

‘Objects in the Rearview Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are’ had me in tears nearly! And I very very rarely cry at shows. But this emotional performance allowed us to explore deeper of some of the ensemble. Each member of the ensemble, was able to bring a new level to the songs, adding deeper emotion where needed, and more rock too.

In ‘Paradise By the Dashboard Lights’ Sharon Sexton and Rob Fowler were able to express the urgency and need for each other as well as their love. This upbeat song, performed mainly in the car, showed the passionate, and sexual tension that Sloane and Falcon clearly shared when they were young. While in ‘What Part of My Body Hurt’s the Most’ (cue the tears) they showed us the pain and suffering that each was experiencing. This, once again, emotion song hurt to watch. Seeing a marriage crumble due to differences of opinion is hard for anyone to sit and watch.

It’s important to mention at this point, the amazing Raven (Christina Bennington). Her character seemed at first a very Juliet like character, and while there are slight resemblances of the famous Shakespeare play within the show, she was extremely different. As an 18-year-old, it is clear that Raven want’s to explore the world and try new things, as any teenager should! Go! Live your life and be free little birds!! Christina was able to capture this, showing us a rebellious side as well as one of innocence and purity. Being stuck in Falco tower for most of her life, she was rarely able to experience the outside world. It is only through the raids and protests by ‘The Lost’ that she has glimpses of something more exciting. We see her pain and heartache, due to unforeseen circumstances, through ‘It’s All Coming Back to Me Now’.

“There were night’s when the wind was so cold, That my body froze in bed if I just listened to it right outside the window”

Most popularly known by the Celine Dion version, the song was originally written by Jim Steinman for Meatloaf to perform on Bat Out of Hell III. Christina was able to perform this flawlessly, sending shivers down my spine and once again bringing tears to my eyes. The moving lyrics, sung beautifully showed us the struggles Raven was going through.

We have spoken about the lady of the hour, and now it’s time for our main man. Andrew Polec (Strat) safely not only stole the heart of Raven but also of the audience. This bad boy leader of ‘The Lost’ is our pivotal epicentre to this earthquake of rock. Polec was able to bring to the stage, a young man utterly smitten by this girl, as well as someone who is willing to fight for what they deserve. As well as this, his vocal abilities were…. speechless! Every note that this talented young actor hit blew me away! His performance as Strat is one which will stay with me forever.

“Well I can see myself tearing up the road, faster Than any other boy has ever gone”

Of course, the one song which was long anticipated was ‘Bat Out of Hell’. Having only heard the shorter version before, it’s safe to say I was a tad confused as to the extended part. But this still didn’t take away from the amazing experience. Without giving too much away, the whole sequence was emotional and high in energy! One particular part, saw a heart being made above Strat’s head from… let’s say mechanical parts. I. Was. STUNNED! To the point where, by the end of the song, I was sat on the edge of my seat, mouth wide open with the lady and gent to my left wondering if I was okay. Heather on the other hand, totally understood.

So let’s round up! This play was… well there are no words to describe it really! (although I have tried to here in this review) This energetic, fun, emotional and rocking show is definitely a must see! If you are into the music and talents of Jim Steinman or not, you will enjoy this no matter what! With only a few days left in the Westend before they take this masterpiece to Toronto, I am sure that all the cast and crew will nail their performances in both countries once more. If tickets are still available please do go see this if you are looking for a fantastic night out!

I would like to take this moment to thank Andrew Polec, Christina Bennington, Sharon Sexton, Danielle Steers and Giovanni Spanó for taking time after the show, to come to stage door and sign our programmes as well as taking photos with not only Heather and myself but also those who attended once the show was done. We know that is it not a priority to do stage door and that you wish to head home to rest your voices and relax (or go out and celebrate another fantastic performance), so to be able to spend just 20 minutes with those fans, is truly an honour.

★★★★★

By Natalie Midwinter.

If you wish to have a read from another perspective please check out Heather’s review here. 

Review Time!- Bat Out of Hell (WARNING CONTAINS ‘SPOILERS’) Directed By: Jay Scheib Cast: Strat- Andrew Polec Raven- Christina Bennington Falco- Rob Fowler Sloane- Sharon Sexton…