#and i missed the bit where he worked with the author so ford mentioning that in atots would be shocking

[kale-of-the-forbidden-cities]

okay, okay. Imagine you're watching Gravity Falls for the first time. You watch all the episodes in order EXCEPT one of them is mysteriously left out.

spin this wheel to see which one you skipped

reblogs appreciated!

[eileen-crys]

"The Black Queen" and "the Black Queen Holds Aerial Court" by James F. Beveridge

Following this analysis post I made about the Black Queen Holds Aerial Court artworks that are up for auction at Sotheby's, I found and contacted the author on Facebook to ask him more about it, and it turned out he had no idea that his art was at Freddie's, let alone being auctioned! That's how he managed to ask Sotheby's to update the "Unknown Author" to his actual name.

He now made a post on Facebook telling the tale of these illustrations, shedding some light on them:

Well, it seems that I have had some of my art found in unexpected places but what has me rather excited is that apparently two of my fan art drawings of the band Queen have been in the possesion of Freddie Mercury since 1975.

The picture that I posted was one that I had doodled in Bic pen, a fantasy vision of the band based on Freddie's magnificent song "The March of the Black Queen" that I called "The Black Queen Holds Aerial Court" with each member of the band as her courtiers in a landscape of very vert tall unuque mushrooms, for almost obvious reasons. The difference between the picture on Sotheby's and mine is the date in blue ink in the lower left corner.

John was the Court Scholar, Roger, of course, was cast as the Court Jester with Brian as the White Knight riding a white dove and Freddie naturally, was the Court Magician. I drew that one while on a "blotter trip" as a stream of consciousness piece one day. The other picture was worked a little a little more. It was of the Black Queen as but the band was directly attending her with Freddie and Brian conjuring her a new crown.

I was, at first, a bit perplexed over as to how it ended up with Freddie. I then remembered that I was considering getting at least a copy of one of the pictures I'd done to Queen somehow at one of their concerts in Detroit. I think that it was perhaps their Cobo Hall concert but that was such a hectic time and I'd also attended their Ford Auditorium and Masonic Temple Theatre concerts prior to that big one so I wasn't positive until I dug a bit deeper into my visual memory. A friend, whose identity eludes me right now, who also attended that show mentioned that he could help to have it sent backstage to the band. So, I quickly dated and put the two pictures that I presumed were photocopies into a big brown envelope and went to the concert. It seems that the Black Queen in the Q picture that Freddie had was actually the original ink drawing. The lower right side is missing a part where I knew that it was weakend by my vigorous inking to make the Q flat black. The right edge of the Q's ink was a bit weakened from pressure and repeated lines and was going to separate sometime. I thought that it too was a photocopy but apparently in my rush I neglected to grab that one. I was a bit disappointed in myself that it wasn't the photocopy but I shrugged my shoulders, hoped they liked it and went on to draw new work.

Here now for the first time that I've posted this old 1975 oil painting that never made it to the band but hopefull might see it here. It is also the same characterization I was developing of Freddie's lady, my "Moonlight Flight of the Black Queen with her Blue Powder Monkeys" I'm also including my photo of the Aerial court drawing.

[wyn-n-tonic]

I Don't Count

Word Count: 1,479 Warnings: Drinking. Mentions of a car accident (briefly). Soft caretaker baby Will Miller. It's just fluffy. Author's Note: Fully formed this out of my need for a hug and comfort and decided I wanted to write it for the only blonde haired, blue eyed man I'd ever let get in these guts.

MASTERLIST

The Millers still had a landline. Of course they did. Benny’s big brother was very staunch about his boundaries. If he wasn’t going out after work, his cellphone went off as soon as he walked across the threshold. If you needed to reach him for any reason after that, you could call the house phone.

“But it better be a goddamn emergency,” he’d always say.

She bit her thumbnail as it rang, leg bouncing to a nonsensical rhythm. A drumming only she could hear. Once, twice. It was her last ditch effort to reach her best friend, to hear his voice telling her everything is okay. Three times and,

“Hello?”

Not Benny.

She contemplates hanging up, her voice stuck somewhere in her chest. This was most certainly not an emergency no matter what the bottle she’d been nursing had to say about it. But she can’t. Can’t speak. Not to Will, not about this.

Can’t let the phone fall from her ears. Can’t even breathe.

“Shane,” he sounds concerned, “are you okay?”

“I uh—“ the breath releases, “I was looking for Benny.”

A small laugh on the other end, “it’s Tuesday, Sunshine, he’s at the gym.”

Sunshine, his nickname for her. It started out as Sunshane but he got pissed at the autocorrect of his own brain, stopped fighting it after a while.

A sharp sound rings through, a whistle to get her attention.

“You didn’t answer my question,” it’s warm, “are you okay?”

She sniffs, “yeah, Billy—“

Another laugh, both disbelieving and amused, “you can’t lie to me. What’s going on?”

“Just…” another swig, “have Benny call me when he gets home, okay?”

“Are you drinking?” Not amused.

“I’m an adult, Miller, I drink.” It’s harsh.

“Yeah,” another disbelieving laugh, this time at your boldness, “but you sound like shit. Why are you drinking?”

Because I’m forcing my feelings for you onto others and I have the gall to be shocked when it blows up in my face.

“Look,” she’s pacing the kitchen, “just have Benny give me a call when he gets home. I’m really sorry t—“

“Did that fucking boyfriend do something?”

There it is, the sob she’d been swallowing.

“Give me half an hour,” he whispers down the line, “I’ll have my cell if you need anything, okay?” —————

The bottle’s gone when there’s a knock at the door.

She jumps but settles back against the couch, believing it must be coming from somewhere deep within the wine soaked sponge of her brain.

But there it is again, “it’s me, Sunshine,” coming from the other side.

She stands too quickly, blood rushing to her head as her right foot struggles to come back to life. He knocks again, nothing if not persistent.

“Don’t make me bust down this door, you know I can do it.”

She fumbles with the chain lock with wildly inebriated fingers, scratching desperately with her nails to get it through that little fucking hole. It springs free and she’s working at the deadbolt, much simpler, before throwing the door wide to the man on the other side.

“Would you really have busted down my door, Miller?” She slurs out, ever the lightweight.

He shrugs, “yeah but… I would’ve built you a new one so…”

“What's that?” She notices the bags for the first time, swinging idly at his side.

“I figured you were about halfway through the bottle earlier when you called, based on how the swish of liquid sounded on the pho—“

She rolls her eyes, “it's fucking creepy how you do that.”

“—so I brought cheeseburgers.”

She launches unsteadily toward him, wrapping her arms around his midsection.

“May I come in?”

His scent fills her senses, fresh laundry and a hint of Tom Ford as she nods against his broad chest.

Letting go, she stumbles back into the tiny apartment, the couch taking over the entire wall of the living room, and plops back down with her feet tucked under her as she makes grabby hands for the bag in Will’s hand.

He catches her out of his peripheral while he refastens the lock on the door, “can you be patient?”

“Absolutely not,” she whines out, “I'm starving.”

He toes his shoes off at the door and pads to the front of the couch, in front of her, and kneels down. He reaches into the bag and hands her a burger, “I got you two singles because I know you feel self conscious when you try to eat a double. Even when you’re alone.”

“But I’m not alone,�� she mumbles through a bite, wrapper torn in half as soon as it touched her hands.

“I don’t count, I’m just Will.”

She almost chokes at that, because he does count.

“I'm really not trying to deep throat a fucking Big Mac in front of my best friend’s older brother.”

“Oh,” he stands and kisses the top of her head, “Is that all I am?”

Absolutely not.

She watches him walk into the kitchen, the clinking of glass and the sound of the tap rushing back out to meet her.

Thoughts swim in her drunk mind, the events of the day—the phone call, the fight, the follow up text messages. Colin’s raised voice still ringing through her ears as he accused her, “I don’t know if it’s Will or Ben but you’re fucking one of them and I’m done!”

“You wanna tell me what happened?” He’s soft, pulling the wrapper from her hands and pushing a glass of water in place of it.

“Um, ya know,” she swallows hard around the lump building in her throat again, “just what typically happens with men in my life.”

He looks defeated, apologetic. Colin’s not the first to accuse her of being with a Miller. It’s been a theme of the last three—Ryan, John, Adam—and this makes four. Four men that William Miller wishes he could add to his confirmed kills list.

That’s not what she wants to hear right now though, no matter how safe his words of protection always make her feel. Because it doesn’t matter.

“I'm sorry,” his heavy hand falls on the bare skin of her calf, sending a bolt of electricity through her body.

She was relieved.

Colin wasn’t right but he wasn’t far off from the truth she’s been hiding.

She’s in love with William Miller.

“Hey, Sunshine” his rough thumb across the smooth skin guides her back, “where are you?”

The alcohol has her still, a looseness in the hurt of her heart that makes up her mind before she fully realizes the words are already coming out of her mouth.

“He’s not wrong, Billy. None of them have really been wrong.”

He laughs, fingers stilled on her leg and she is aching for the movement to return as his stare seeps through her pores.

“You and Benny got something you need to tell me?”

Her breath is shaky.

She trails her fingers along his wrist before placing her palm on the back of his. Now or never.

“I think it’s more like you and I have something to tell Benny.”

He pulls away, blue eyes piercing through her, “you're drunk, Shane.”

“Just enough to not give a shit anymore,” she whispers, lifting herself up to her knees and pressing closer to him, “I know how we look at each other, Will.”

“Benny will kill us.”

She giggles, “I’ve been to his fights, my money’s on you.”

His heart swells as his laughter jumps up to meet hers. This is the first time they’ve been alone together, properly alone, since he realized his love ran deeper than that of just a friend.

When he realized on the last mission that he just really missed the smell of her hair when she gives him a hug. Or the way she laughs the hardest out of everybody whenever he tells a dumb joke.

He came home and, to stop himself from being reckless, made sure that he was only ever around when Benny was. He didn’t want to fuck up Benny’s friendship, that was something his little brother could excel at on his own.

But now, with her full lips inches from his, he decides.

It’s a decision he made less than an hour ago when her name popped up on the caller ID—she’d only called the house phone one other time, a car accident, and that same worry seeped beneath his skin again.

Her fingers run through the soft hair on the side of his head, his lips heavy against hers as he pulls her in and pushes her down.

He breaks away, “Are you sure?”

A question that dies with a crash as she tugs him back to her and he melts against her warmth when—

Her phone vibrates.

Got a figure like a pin-up, got a figure like a doll…

Benny.

TAGLIST: @justanotherblonde23 | @greeneyedblondie44 | @icanbeyourjedi | @princess76179 | @bbuckysbeardd | @notcookiebelle | @knivesareout | @phoenixpascal | @lexi-b-writes | @empress-palpat1ne​ | @starlightmornings​ | @soyelfuegoquearde​

[mersuperwholocked-lowlife]

Dead in the Water

Word Count: 5,884

Characters: Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Sister!Reader, other Season one episode 3 characters

Pairings: Sam Winchester x Sister!Reader; Dean Winchester x Sister!Reader

Warnings: angst, barely any fluff, canon level violence, mentions of death of a child

A/N:i t’s finally here, enjoy!

A/N 2: I was thinking about all the plans I have for like upcoming in this..... and oof, I’m so excited

Masterlist

“When did you get that?” Sam asked, looking over to your tattoo. 

“Uhm, about a month ago. Me and Dean got drunk and then I woke up with this,” you replied, looking to your arm.

The three of you were currently at some diner, looking for a case. 

“Wow, well it’s, uh….. something….” Sam stuttered.

You looked at the tattoo on your arm. There was really no telling what it was. It looked like it was supposed to be a lotus flower, but then it had an arrow going through it and some other random marks.

“You don’t have to lie. I’m pretty sure Dean did it,” you shrugged.

Well, thank god he’s not a tattoo artist,” Sam laughed.

“Yeah, oh look at that! The waitress is totally hitting on Dean! Do you wanna crash it or should I?” you laughed, as the two of you looked at Dean.

Sam made his way to the table.

“Is there anything I can get you?” the lady asked Dean.

“Just the check, please,” Sam spoke for Dean, sitting next to him.

You smiled, walking to the two of them.

“You know, we are allowed to have fun every once in a while,” Dean groaned.

“Last time you had fun like that, I was locked out of the hotel room, with my wallet and phone inside, and I had to sleep next to the Impala. Not in it, next to it,” you replied.

“Heh, well that was a good night,” Dean smirked.

“Eww.” Sam scrunched his face.

“Okay, well, here, look at this. I think I got one,” Dean showed the two of you a newspaper. He circled a photo of an 18-year-old girl, who seemed to have drowned.

“Sophie Carlton, 18, last week. Walked into a lake and didn’t walk out,” Dean started.

So far, it sounded like she drowned.

“Authorities dragged the water, nothing. Sophie Carlton is the third drowning in Lake Manitoc this year. None of their bodies were found either. They had a funeral two days later.” he finished.

“A funeral?” you and Sam asked.

“Yeah, it’s weird. They buried an empty coffin for closure or whatever,” Dean replied.

“Closure? What closure?”, you asked.

“Yeah, people don’t just disappear, others stop looking for them,” Sam said to Dean.

Well, here we go again, you thought.

“Something you wanna say to me, Sammy?”, Dean asked, giving Sam a look.

“The trail for Dad, it’s getting colder every day,” Sam said.

“Well, what are we supposed to do?”, Dean asked.

“I don’t know. Something, anything,” Sam replied.

“You know what? I’m sick of this attitude. You don’t think I want to find Dad as much as you do?” Dean asked, annoyed.

“I’m the one who’s been with him every single day for the past two years, while you’ve been off to college going to pep rallies.”, Dean started, raising his voice a little.

“So? (Y/N) was there too, you don’t see her acting like a bitch,” Sam scoffed.

“You know what?” Dean started.

“Okay, stop. Both of you. First, I wasn’t there for the whole time. I took a year away from them.” you started, your face fell with the memory. You had secrets that Sam and Dean didn’t know. That only your dad knew.

“Wait, what?” Sam asked.

“Yeah, now listen, Sammy, we all wanna find Dad, okay? But, it’s gonna take some time. So, until then, we’re gonna kill every son of a bitch that we find, because it’s our job,” you said, in a calm way.

It’s weird to think that you’re the mature one.

Sam rolled his eyes before exhaling sharply.

“Okay, fine. Lake Manitoc, how far?” 

----

Hey Dad, it’s (Y/N) again. Another day of me texting you, and still no reply. We’re worried. Please get back to me. 

I’m almost 100 percent sure that Sam and Dean are gonna murder each other. Sam’s going crazy looking for you. We’re just trying to work any hunt we can meanwhile.

We miss you, just please let us know if you’re okay.

“Hello? Earth to (Y/N)?” you heard Dean say. 

You looked up to him, putting your phone away.

“Yeah, what?” you asked.

“We’re here,” the three of you got out of the car, looking at Sophie’s house. She lived a normal, quiet life, with her Dad and brother.

Dean knocked at the door. Another boy answered the door, which you assumed to be Sophie’s brother.

“Will Carlton?” you asked as he opened the door.

“Yeah, that’s right,” he replied, looking cautiously at the three of you.

“I’m Agent Ford, this is Agent Hamill and Prescott. We’re with the U.S. wildlife service,” Dean showed his fake I.D.

Will relaxed, letting the three of you in, taking you to the lake.

You looked in the distance, seeing their dad sitting on a bench near the lake.

“She was about 100 yards out. That’s where she got dragged down,” he said softly.

“What makes you sure she didn’t drown?” you asked Will.

“She was a varsity swimmer. She practically grew up in the lake. She’s as safe out there as in her own bathtub.” he explained.

“So, no splashing? No sign of distress?” Sam asked.

“No, that’s what I’m telling you.” he shook his head.

“Did you see any shadows in the water? Maybe some dark shape breach the surface?” Dean asked.

“No, again, she was really far out there,” he replied.

“You ever see any strange tracks on the shoreline?” you asked.

“No, never. Why? Do you think there’s something out there?” Will asked.

“We’ll let you know as soon as we know,” you gave him a small smile, as you and Dean started walking off.

“What about your father?” Sam asked. You and Dean stopped, turning to Sam. 

“Can we talk to him?” Sam asked.

“Look, if you don’t mind, I mean, he didn’t see anything, and he’s kinda been through a lot,” Will explained.

“We understand,” Sam nodded, as the three of you walked to the Impala.

“You think he’s hiding something?” Sam asked.

“Or maybe he’s just in shock. He just lost his daughter,” you replied softly.

“Well, Will said he’s been through a lot lately. Maybe there’s more,” Dean said.

“Losing a child is a lot, Dean,” you replied rolling your eyes as you sat in the car.

“Sheesh, who put the stick up your ass?” Dean sassed.

“Shut up, Dean,” you clenched your jaw.

“Whatever, let’s go,” you laid back in the seat, crossing your arms as Dean drove off.

-------

“Now, I’m sorry, why does the wildlife service care about an accidental driving?” the sheriff asked, leading the three of you to his office.

“You sure it’s accidental? Will Carlton saw something grab his sister,” Sam asked.

“Like what? Here, sit down please,” he said, pointing to three chairs across from him.

“There are no indigenous carnivores in that lake,” he said.

“There’s nothing even big enough to pull a person unless it was the loch ness monster,” the sheriff added.

“Yeah, right,” Dean started.

“Will Carlton was traumatized, and sometimes the mind plays tricks. Still, we dragged that entire lake. We even ran a sonar sweep to be sure, and there was nothing down there,” he said.

“That’s weird, though. That’s the third missing body this year,” you said.

“I know. These are people from my town. People I care about,” the sheriff sighed.

“I understand,” Dean said.

“Anyways, all this. It won’t be a problem much longer,” the sheriff crossed his arms.

“What do you mean?” Sam asked.

“Well, the dam, of course,” the sheriff said.

You looked to Sam and Dean.

“The dam, right, it… it sprung a leak,” Dean said.

“It’s falling apart, and the feds won’t give us the grand to repair it, so they’ve opened the spillway. In 6 months, there won’t be much of a lake. There won’t be much of a town either, but as federal wildlife, you already knew that” the sheriff leaned in, looking at the two of you.

“Exactly,” you replied.

“Sorry, am I interrupting? I can come back later,” you heard a voice from behind you.

The three of you stood up, smiling to the woman.

“Agents, this is my daughter,” the sheriff said.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Dean,” Dean smiled, shaking her hand.

You rolled your eyes, hasn’t even known her for a full minute and he’s already flirting.

“Andrea Bar. Hi,” she smiled.

“They’re from the wildlife service, about the lake,” he explained.

You saw a small kid from behind her.

“Oh, hey there, kid. What’s your name?” you gave him a small smile.

He looked at the three of you before walking away. You looked a little shocked as Andrea ran after him.

“His name is Lucas.” the sheriff said.

You continued to watch as you saw Andrea sit next to him, and give him crayons. He was drawing.

Your eyes watered a bit.

“My grandson’s been through a lot lately,” you heard the sheriff say to Sam.

You zoned out as they continued talking.

“(Y/N)? You okay?” Sam asked softly.

You inhaled deeply, wiping your face.

“What? Yeah, let’s go,” you replied.

“Okay then,” Sam muttered, walking behind you.

Dean stopped, asking Andrea for directions to a hotel, before asking her to walk you three there.

“What was that? In the sheriff’s office?” Sam asked you, as the two of you walked behind Dean and Andrea.

“What are you talking about?” you lied.

“You were about to cry,” he said.

“Cramps, Sammy,” you lied.

“Uhm, eww. Nevermind,” he replied.

“Kids are the best,” you overheard Dean say to Andrea.

Yeah, they are you thought to yourself.

“And here’s the hotel. Two blocks, as I said.” she turned to face the three of you.

“Thanks,” Dean smiled.

She sighed.

“Must be hard with your sense of direction, never being able to find your way to a decent pickup line,” she sassed Dean as she walked away.

You turned to Sam as the two of you tried to hold in your laughs.

“ ‘Kids are the best’? You don’t even like kids,” Sam said.

“I love kids,” Dean turned to Sam.

“Name three children you even know,” Sam said.

He would’ve known my kid, you thought. Shut up, (Y/N), focus on the hunt you told yourself.

He hesitated. “Well, you and (Y/N/N) are children,” he said.

You let out a small laugh before walking into the hotel.

“She’s acting weird, right?” Sam asked Dean.

“Yeah, thought it was just me,” Dean replied.

“Where was she when she was away from you for that year?” Sam asked.

“I don’t know. Only Dad does,” Dean shrugged.

“You don’t think she…. was pregnant?” Sam asked.

“What? No. (Y/N) would’ve told me,” Dean said. The two of them sighed before walking into the hotel.

--------

“So, there’s the three drowning victims this year,” Sam started.

“And before that?” Dean asked.

You sat next to Sam as he read old news articles from his laptop.

“Yeah, six more, spread out over the past 35 years. Those bodies were never recovered either. If there’s something out there, it’s picking up its pace,” Sam said, showing you the articles. 

“So, we got a lake monster on a binge? This whole lake monster theory, it bugs me,” Sam sighed.

“Why?” you asked. Dean stood behind Sam.

“Loch Ness, Lake Champlain - there are literally hundreds of eyewitness accounts. But here, almost nothing. Whatever’s out there, no one’s living to talk about it.” Sam explained. He opened up a list of victims. 

You saw Dean’s eyes widen.

“Wait, Bar, Christopher Bar. Where have I heard that name before?”, Dean said, pointing to the screen.

“Andrea. Her last name’s Bar.” you pointed out.

Sam clicked the article. It was a picture of Lucas, with his hair and clothes wet, wrapped in a towel.

“He’s Andrea’s husband, and Lucas’ father,” Sam read the article.

“Apparently, he took Lucas out swimming. Lucas was on a floating wooden platform when Chris drowned… two hours before the kid got rescued,” Sam said.

“Looks like we have an eyewitness after all,” Sam said.

“No wonder that kid was so freaked out. Watching one of your parents die isn’t something you just get over,” Dean said.

“Well, let’s go to the park,” you said. 

----

“Can we join you?” Sam asked, spotting Andrea sitting on a bench.

“I’m here with my son,” she smiled.

“Oh, can I say hi?” you said, walking to him.

Sam and Dean sat next to Andrea, talking to her.

“Hey, how’s it going?” you asked, bending to his height.

He continued sitting there, drawing.

“You know, my brothers used to play with these,” you noticed the toy soldiers next to him.

He continued to ignore you.

You sighed, sitting next to him. 

“You know, I think that you can hear me, you just don’t wanna talk,” you started.

“I don’t know what happened to your dad, but I know it was something really bad. And I know how you feel,” you said.

“When I was younger, I saw something,” you remembered, thinking back to Mary.

“Well, maybe you don’t think anyone will listen to you, or believe you. I want you to know that I will. You don’t have to say anything, you can even draw a picture of what you saw, with your Dad,” you said.

“Okay, no problem. Take care, Lucas,” you gave him a pat on his head before walking to Sam, Dean, and Andrea.

“He hasn’t said a word to me, not since the accident,” Andrea sighed.

“Yeah, we heard. Sorry,” Dean said.

“What are the doctors saying?” Sam asked.

“That it’s some kind of post-traumatic stress,” she said.

“That can’t be easy for any of you,” Sam said.

“We moved in with my dad. He helps out a lot,” Andrea nodded.

 She looked at Dean.

“It’s just… when I think about what Lucas went through, what he saw….” Andrea said softly.

“Yeah, kids are strong. You’d be surprised with what they can deal with,” you gave a soft smile. Now, Mary was the only one on your mind.

“Yeah, it’s just…. oh hey, sweetie,” Andrea said, as Lucas walked from behind you.

He handed you a drawing of a cabin.

“Thanks,” you gave him a smile.

He continued looking down, walking away.

“That was….. Lucas doesn’t ever give things to people. He doesn’t communicate with them,” Andrea said, surprised.

“Yeah, well, (Y/N) has a way with kids,” Dean smiled.

You felt your heart drop but ignored it.

“Yeah, uhm, it was good seeing you, but we have to be on our way now,” you smile at Andrea, walking off as you let a tear fall, but quickly wiped away the rest.

----

“So, I think it’s safe to say we can rule out Nessie,” Sam said, walking into the hotel room.

“What do you mean?” you asked, sitting across from him and Dean. 

“I just drove past the Carlton House. There was an ambulance there. Will Carlton is dead,” Sam said.

“Drowned?” Dean asked.

“Yeah, in the sink,” Sam replied.

“What the hell?” you said, sighing.

“So, this isn’t a creature. We’re dealing with something else.” Dean said.

“Yeah, but what?” Sam asked.

“I don’t know. A water wraith? Maybe some kind of demon?” Dean suggested.

“Well, I wouldn’t cross out spirit either,” you said.

“How could it be a spirit?” Dean asked.

“Well, I don’t know. It went after both of Bill Carlton’s children. I mean, who drowns in a sink?” you said.

“So, he’s probably involved somehow,” Dean started.

“Wait, I’ve been asking around, and Lucas’ dad, Bill Carlton’s godson,” Sam pointed out.

“Well, then let’s go pay Mr.Carlton a visit.” 

----

“Mr.Carlton? We’d like to ask you a few questions,” Sam said, walking up to Mr.Carlton. He was on the same bench he was the previous day, still in shock. You felt his pain.

“We’re with the department of-” Dean started.

“I don’t care which department you’re with. I’ve answered enough questions today,” he replied shakily.

“Mr.Carlton,” you started.

“My children are gone,” you felt a pang in your chest.

“Sam, Dean, will you give me a moment alone with Mr.Carlton?” you said softly.

They looked at you, confused, before nodding and walking away.

“Mr.Carlton, I know it’s not easy, dealing with your children’s death. I know how you feel. But, me and my partners are trying to do everything we can to help you. You just… you need you to answer a few questions,” you said, taking deep breaths.

“Losing your children, it’s a feeling worse than death,” he said.

“I know,” you nodded.

“Just please… go away,” he cried softly.

“I-I get it. But, if you want to help us, if you want to avenge your kids, then give us a call. Me and you both know that something’s not right here,” you said softly.

He looked away from you, looking to the lake. You sighed, walking to Sam and Dean.

“Anything?” Dean asked.

“No, but he does know something’s going on,” you said.

“Wait….. Maybe he’s not the only one who knows what’s going on. (Y/N), where’s the picture Lucas gave you?” Dean asked.

You handed him the drawing from your pocket.

“I don’t think he’s the only one that knows something,” Dean held the drawing up, comparing it to the Carlton House. It was the house in the drawing.

----

“I’m sorry, I just don’t think it’s a good idea,” Andrea said.

“I just need to talk to him, for a few minutes,” you said.

“He won’t say anything, What good’s it gonna do?” she argued.

“Andrea, we think more people might get hurt,” Sam explained.

“We think something’s out there,” Dean said.

“My husband, the others. They drowned, that’s all,” she said, getting upset.

“If you truly believe that, then we’ll go,” you started.

“But if you think there’s even a possibility that something else could be going on here, please let her talk to your son,” Dean finished your words. 

She hesitated before answering.

“Fine, He’s down the hall, first door on the left,” she said.

“Thank you,” you nodded, walking to his room.

He sat on the ground, with his toy soldiers surrounding him while he drew.

“Hey, Lucas. Do you remember me?” you asked, squatting next to him.

He didn’t reply, as expected, but you noticed his drawings. All the same drawing of a red bike.

“Uhm, I just wanted to thank you for your last drawing, but I need your help again,” you said.

Dean handed you the drawing he drew before.

“How did you know to draw this? Did you know something bad was gonna happen?” he continued drawing.

“M-Maybe you could nod your head yes or no for me,” you said.

“You’re scared,” you noticed.

“It’s okay, I understand. When I was a child, I saw something really, really bad happen to my mom, and I was scared too. I didn’t feel like talking, just like you. But, my mom….” you took a breath.

“I know she wanted me to be brave. I think about it every day,” you could feel your eyes water.

“And I do my best to be brave. And maybe, your dad wants you to be brave too,” you said softly.

He stopped drawing, looking up at you. After a moment, he handed you another drawing. It had the red bike, a man, a church, it seemed, and another house. 

“Thanks, Lucas,” you smiled, taking the drawing and standing up.

“Thank you, Andrea,” you said, as the three of you walked off.

“(Y/N), I-I didn’t know you saw Mom,” Sam started.

“I know. It’s weird when you’re that young, you don’t remember anything. That’s the only thing I remember,” you sniffled.

The three of you sat in the car and drove off.

----

“Andrea said he never drew like that till after his dad died,” you handed the drawing to Sam.

“There are cases going through a traumatic experience, could make certain people more sensitive to premonitions, or psychic tendencies,” Sam started.

“What if Lucas is tapping into it somehow?”, Dean asked.

“It’s only a matter of time before someone else drowns, so if you got a better lead, please,” Dean said.

“Okay, fine. We have another house to find,” Sam said.

“In this county alone, there’s about a thousand yellow two-stories,” Dean groaned.

You drifted from their conversations, texting John again.

This case is hard. It’s bringing up all my unwanted memories from the past, like mom, like my son.

 I can’t believe I’ve kept all these secrets from Sam and Dean. Is it too late to tell them?

I just feel sick. 

“(Y/N), are you alive back there?” Dean called you.

“Yeah,” you said, turning off your phone.

“We haven’t heard a peep from you this entire car ride. Are you okay?” Dean asked.

“I’m fine. Where are we going anyway?” you asked.

“We’re finding the church in Lucas’ drawing,” 

----

“We’re sorry to bother you, ma’am, but does a little boy live here by chance? He might wear a blue ball cap, has a red bicycle,” Dean asked the elder woman.

“No, sir. Not for a very long time. Peter’s been gone 35 years now,” she sighed.

“The police never…. I never had any idea what happened,” she explained, looking at a photo of him.

“He just disappeared,” she turned to the three of you. 

“Losing him, it was, you know, it’s worse than dying,” she said shakily.

Sam nudged you softly, pointing to the toy soldiers on the table. You nodded at him. 

“Did he disappear from here? I mean, from this house?” you asked.

“He was supposed to ride his bike straight home after school, and he never showed up,” she replied.

You nodded your head softly as you looked around a bit, spotting a picture with Peter and another boy in the mirror.

You looked at the picture before looking at the back, seeing the names. 

“Peter Sweeney and Billy Carlton, 1970,” you read aloud.  

You raised an eyebrow, giving Sam and Dean a look.

“Okay, thank you for your time, ma’am,” Dean said as the three of you headed out the door.

----

“So, Peter Sweeney disappeared and this is all connected to Bill Carlton somehow,” Sam started.

“Yeah, it kinda seemed like he was hiding something,” Dean said.

“And Bill, the people he loves, they’re all getting punished,” Sam said.

“So maybe Bill did something? Maybe Bill killed him?” you suggested.

“Yeah, Peter’s spirit would be furious. He’d want revenge, it’s possible,” Dean agreed.

Dean drove once again to the Carlton house as you three got out of the car, looking for him.

“Sam, Dean,” you said, seeing Mr.Carlton on a boat, driving out in the water.

“Oh, shi-” the three of you ran to the dock, yelling for Mr.Carlton to turn back.

“Mr.Carlton! You need to come back! Turn around!” Dean shouted.

“Turn the boat around! Get out of the water!” you yelled.

He looked back at the three of you, with watery eyes. You heard a noise as something flipped the boat over, killing him.

“Damn it.”

----

The three of you walked into the police station, seeing Andrea sitting with Lucas, who looked upset.

“Sam, Dean, (Y/N),” Andrea said, surprised to see you three.

“What are you doing here?” the sheriff asked her.

“I bought you dinner,” she replied

“I’m sorry sweetheart, I just don’t have the time,” he sighed.

She looked at Dean.

“I heard about Bill Carlton, is it true? Is something on with the lake?” Andrea asked.

“Right now, we don’t know what the truth is, but I think it might be better if you and Lucas went home,” the sheriff said.

Lucas’ head shot up, as he gave the sheriff a worried look. He ran to you, pulling on your sleeve.

“Lucas, hey. What is it? What’s wrong?” you asked, bending down to him.

His eyes watered, as he continued holding onto you.

“Lucas, it’s okay. It’s okay,” Andrea said, trying to hold him.

“Hey, hey, Lucas. It’s okay,” you pulled away from him softly.

Andrea held him, rushing him out of the station. He turned back to you, giving you a look. You knew that look, something was wrong.

You watched him leave, looking concerned before the three of you walked into the sheriff’s office.

“O-Okay, so you’re telling me you see…. something attack Bill’s boat, sending him, who is a very good swimmer by the way, into the drink and you never see him again?” the sheriff asked, a bit skeptical at your story.

“Yeah, that about sums it up,” Dean replied, looking at you and Sam.

“And I’m supposed to believe this even though I’ve already sonar swept that entire lake and what you’re describing is impossible and you’re not really wildlife service,” he added.

You looked to him, a little shocked. Not saying he was wrong, but how did he know?

“That’s right, I called the department. They’ve never heard of you three,” he said, crossing his arms.

“See, now that we can explain,” Dean started, motioning to you.

“Enough, please. The only reason you’re breathing free air is one of Bill’s neighbors saw him steering out that boat just before you did. So we have a couple of options here. I can arrest you for impersonating government officials and hold you as material witnesses to Bill Carlton’s disappearance, or, we can chalk this all up to a bad day, you can get in your car, you put this town in your rearview mirror, and you don’t ever darken my doorstep again,” he said, raising his voice.

Well, he was clearly unamused.

You looked at Sam.

“Door number two sounds good,” you and Dean nodded in agreement. 

“That’s the one I’d pick,”

----

“Dean, please. You saw his face. He was scared. Just a quick peek, please,” you begged.

“(Y/N), we told the sheriff we’re leaving. I don’t want us in jail,” Sam sighed.

“Dean?” you asked.

He froze for a minute. If he turned left, we would be out of this town. But, if he turned right, you could check on Lucas.

After a long minute of hesitation, he turned right.

“(Y/N), this job’s over. Peter killed Bill, it’s over,” Sam said, annoyed.

“Well, what if we’re wrong? What if we missed something, and we leave? More people get killed,” you sighed.

“Oh, come on (Y/N),” he groaned.

“You saw Lucas’ face. He was really scared. I’m not leaving town till I know that he’s okay,” you said, crossing your arms.

You saw Dean mouth something to Sam, as Sam went quiet.

“Fine,”

----

You walked to their front door, along with Sam and Dean.

“It’s late, are you sure about this?” Dean asked you.

Before you could ring the doorbell, Lucas opened the door, hyperventilating.

“Lucas? What’s wrong?” you said, panicking

He ran up the stairs, to a locked door, which you knew to be the bathroom. There was water leaking from under it.

He started banging at the door. You pulled him back, as Dean kicked the door open. He and Sam ran into the bathroom, pulling out Andrea from drowning. You held on Lucas, trying to calm him down.

----

You and Dean looked through their books, trying to find anything on the sheriff. It wasn’t an accident that Peter went after Andrea.

“(Y/N),” Dean said.

“Yeah?” you were looking in the bookshelf across from you.

“You tell me everything, right?” he asked.

“Yeah, of course,” you said. You hated lying to him.

“There’s no big secret you hid from me?” he asked.

“No….. why?” you asked.

“Sammy thinks you were pregnant once,” you felt your body go cold.

“But then I told him, there was no way. Because you tell me everything. And you would’ve told me if you were pregnant,” he said.

You felt a few tears fall, but you ignored it.

“Dean,” you said softly.

He put his hand on your shoulder, turning you around. He wrapped his arms around you tightly.

“Dean, this isn’t the time for this. Please, let’s talk later. We’re on a hunt,” you sniffled.

“Okay, fine” he nodded his head. 

You two continued looking, as he called you again.

“(Y/N),” you went to him, seeing him hold a book. Jake - 12 years old

Your eyes widened, as you saw a picture of an old boy scout troop.

With the sheriff, and Bill Carlton.

----

“Do you recognize the kids in this picture?” Dean asked Andrea, putting the book on the table in front of her.

“What? Uh, no, except that’s my dad, right there. He must’ve been around 12 in these pictures.” she pointed to the picture.

“The connection wasn’t to Bill Carlton. It must’ve been to the sheriff,” Dean started, looking to you and Sam.

“Maybe it was Bill and the sheriff, they were both involved with Peter,” Sam realized.

You looked to your side, seeing Lucas look out the window.

“Chris… what about my dad, what are you talking about?” Andrea asked.

“Lucas? Lucas, what is it?” you asked, walking to him. 

He turned to the door, walking out, motioning you to follow him.

“Lucas?” Andrea called, also following him. 

He led you four to the middle of the yeard, which was surrounded by trees. 

“Take Lucas inside and stay there,” Dean told Andrea.

She nodded her head, pulling Lucas to the house. 

The three of you took your shovels, digging into the dirt. You heard a clang as Sam hit something.

He looked up at you and Dean before the three of you pulled something out of the ground. 

It was a red bike. It was Peter’s red bike.

“Peter’s bike,” Sam breathed out.

“Who are you?” you heard the sheriff’s voice from behind you, as he cocked his gun, pointing it at Sam.

“Put the gun down, Jake,” you said as Sam raised his hands up.

“How did you know that was there?” he asked.

“What happened? You and Bill killed Peter, drowned him in the lake, and buried his bike?” Dean said.

“You can’t bury the truth, Jake. Nothing stays buried,” you said. 

“What the hell are you talking about?” the sheriff asked.

“You and Bill killed Peter Sweeney 35 years ago. That’s what the hell we’re talking about,” Dean replied.

“Dad!” Andrea yelled, running to you four.

“And now you have one seriously pissed off spirit,” Dean finished.

“It’s gonna take Andrea, Lucas, everyone you love. It’s gonna drown them,” Sam said.

“It’s gonna drag their bodies to god-knows-where, so you can feel the same pain Peter’s mom felt. And then, after that, it’s gonna take you, and it’s not gonna stop until it does,” you tried to reason with the sheriff.

“And how do you know that?” he asked.

“Because that’s exactly what it did to Bill Carlton,” Sam said.

“Listen to yourselves, all three of you. You’re insane,” he said, continuing to point the gun at Sam.

“We don’t really give a rat’s ass what you think of us, but if we’re gonna bring down this spirit, we need to find the remains, salt them, and burn them,” Dean said.

“Just tell me you buried him. That you didn’t just let him go into the lake,” you said.

“Dad, is any of this true?” Andrea asked, her voice shaky.

“No, they’re liars and they’re dangerous,” the sheriff said quickly.

“Something tried to drown me. Chris died on that lake. Dad, look at me,” Andrea yelled.

You tried to focus on the rest of the conversation, trying to ignore your pounding headache.

Not again, please, not again you begged.

You scrunched your eyes closed, grabbing your head.

“A-Andrea, w-where’s Lucas?” you groaned.

“W- he’s in the….. Oh my god!” she gasped, seeing Lucas by the lake.

The five of you ran to the lake, calling for Lucas to get away from the lake.

You saw Peter pull him into the lake.

You ran, jumping into the lake with Sam and Dean.

You dived your head underwater, looking for Lucas. 

“No, Jake!” you heard Sam yell. You saw Peter grab his leg, drowning him.

You heard Andrea let out a cry.

“Oh my god,” you said quietly.

You went underwater, trying to find him again. When you came back up for air, you saw Lucas, unconscious in Dean’s arms. You let out a breath of relief.

He was okay

----

“Okay, the case is over. You said we’ll talk when the case is over,” Dean crossed his arms, leaning against the wall in the motel. 

“About what?” Sam raised his eyebrow, looking between the two of you.

“Dean,” you started.

“(Y/N)” he replied.

He walked to the bed, holding your hand and pulling you next to him. Sam walked to you two also, sitting on your other side.

“O-Okay, well,” you took a deep breath, looking forward, away from Sam and Dean.

“A-After….uhm, when I left….” you stuttered, not sure where to start.

“It’s us. You don’t have to keep this from us anymore,” Dean said softly.

A tear fell from your eye.

“I found out I was pregnant, and Dad said he’d help me get out of this life. That it wasn’t safe f-for me anymore,” your voice was shaking.

Sam and Dean were quiet, listening to you.

“I-I don’t… it happened so fast…. I-It was,” you tried to speak, holding in your cries.

Dean wrapped his arms around you, rocking you gently like you did when you were kids. Every time something was wrong, the two of you would hug each other, rocking each other softly, calming down one another.

“I’m so, so sorry, (Y/N),” Sam said, hugging you too.

You cried softly, holding onto Sam and Dean.

“I-I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Dad told me not to tell anyone,” you started.

“It’s okay,” Dean replied softly.

“It’s okay,”

----

The three of you walked to the Impala, getting ready to leave.

“Sam, (Y/N), Dean,” you heard Andrea call you three.

You turned around, seeing her and Lucas walk over to the three of you.

“We made you some lunch for the way. Lucas insisted on making you these sandwiches,” she smiled down at Lucas.

“Can I give it to them now?” he asked.

“Of course,” Andrea replied.

“Well, let’s go load these into the car, yeah?” you smiled to Lucas, holding his hand and walking off with him.

“Alright, since you’re gonna be talking now, you have to remember this phrase. I want you to repeat it back to me,” you told him. You leaned onto the car.

“Zeppelin rules!” he exclaimed.

“That’s right. Up high,” you gave him a high five as he smiled.

“Take care of yourself, kid,” you said.

You looked to the side, watching as you saw Andrea kiss Dean.

You smiled, before looking back to Lucas. 

“We have to go now, it looks like. Take care, kiddo,” you said. He nodded, running off to Andrea.

“Let’s hit the road. We’re losing daylight,” Dean said, walking to the front seat.

“You’re blushing,” you teased him.

“Shut up, Let’s go,” the three of you sat in the car, driving off.

[sillyrabbit81]

Her Heavy Cross

Summary: Three years after tragedy hits, Lana she decides to start dating again. She meets Will through a dating app and they begin an online romance. After months of constant requests, Lana relents and agrees to meet and go on an irl date with Will. But is Will who he says he is? Lana is quickly pulled into an intense relationship forcing her to confront her tragic past. Will Lana face it or will she close her heart forever?

Pairing: OMC x OFC

Word Count: approx 3k

Warnings: swearing, mild smuttiness

Authors Note: The story started as a Henry Cavill fanfiction but I changed it to be an original character, but shades of Henry are still there. Hope you enjoy the story and thanks for reading.

Part 9 Part 11

Part 10

We eventually got up. We showered and dressed. I fed Perrin, and we ate breakfast. I asked Liam what his plans were for the day.

"Not much. I thought I would stay with you until you kick me out." He winked. "What are your plans?"

"Well, I have to kick this guy out..." I said with mock agitation. Liam feigned a look of hurt. "Not much until tonight. I'm going to Dave's house for dinner. I'll see my nephews and niece, which will be good. My Mum too, I suppose."

"Dave's your brother, right?" I nodded. "You haven't told me much about your mother. I think this is the first time you've mentioned her."

"We don't always get along. Mum's mellowed as she's gotten older, but she was a bit of a tyrant when I was growing up. She didn't like Andy. Well, she didn't like any of my boyfriends. She always judged them based on their jobs like she wanted me to end up with a doctor or lawyer or something like that. It's like she thought she'd wasted her money sending me to a private school because I found myself attracted to tradies."

"What's a tradie?

"A tradesman."

"Gotcha."

I laughed at a memory. "I used to tell my friends that if a guys hands weren't calloused enough to cause a run in my stockings, then he has no business touching my legs."

Liam burst out laughing. "Are you serious?"

"What can I say? I like a man who is good with his hands." I shrugged before continuing, "anyway, that's one reason why my mum and I didn't get along."

"What about your Dad?"

"He passed away three years ago."

"I'm sorry."

I didn't say anything for a while. I played with the crusts of my toast, breaking it into little crumbs. I think Liam sensed my mood and changed the subject. "You went to a private school?"

"Yeah," I said. "An all-girls, Catholic one at that."

"Well, that explains a lot." Liam quipped, his tone very serious, but his twitchy lip gave him away.

I narrowed my eyes and frowned. "I hate you."

Liam ignored me and cupped my face with his hands. "Kiss me." He ordered. And I did.

We spent most of the morning sitting together and talking. We spoke about the books we were reading. We found that we had similar taste in books when we talked before we met. Liam had recommended a book to me, and I had finished it a few days ago. I showed him my bookshelves, and we compared which ones we had read. He asked to borrow a couple.

Later we just sat on the lounge. We talked, held hands, cuddled, kissed, had coffee, and then some tea. We took turns patting Perrin, who had taken to Liam really well.

It got close to lunchtime, and it seemed like we were both trying to work out a way to avoid the inevitable parting. Neither of us had brought it up since breakfast. Eventually, Liam asked, "when can I see you again?"

Liam was sitting up, and I was laying on my back with my head in his lap. Liam was stroking my hair, sometimes taking a curl and twisting it around his finger. I smiled when I saw him do that since I had done the same to him earlier.

"As soon as possible," I replied. "I'm going to miss your pretty face." I reached up and patted his cheek patronisingly.

He gave me a small smile but didn't say anything. Then his god damned lip twitched.

"What are you thinking?" I asked. "I can tell when your lip twitches that you're thinking something naughty or you know something I don't know."

"My mother tells me the same thing." His lips stretched into a full grin, revealing his Hollywood white teeth.

"Well, I'm not your bloody mother, so tell me."

"I was just thinking about all the parts of you that I'm going to miss."

"You're very cheeky."

"Unfortunately for you, my mother tells me that too."

"You're a fuck knuckle," I said, smirking. "I'll bet your mother doesn't tell you that."

Liam's eyes went wide. "Bloody hell, Sweetheart. Anyone would think you didn't like me." He was smiling though.

"It's because I like you that I insult you. I'm very polite to people I don't like." I said, putting a sickly sweet smile on my face and batted my eyelashes at him.

"You're lucky you're cute." Liam leaned down and kissed me. "You haven't answered my question. When can I see you again?"

"Well, we both work all week. I guess that means we will have to wait until Friday night."

"Do you want to come to my place on Friday after work? Spend the weekend with me?"

"Ok. I'll ask Dave when I see him tonight if he will have Perrin for me. But it shouldn't be an issue."

Liam's face was unreadable for a moment. Then he smiled and kissed my forehead. "I'm already looking forward to it." He sat back and said, "well, I suppose I had better call an Uber."

I sat up and waited for Liam to book his ride. When he had finished, I said, "Call me tomorrow night. After work?"

Liam nodded. He scooped me up and sat me on his lap. "Don't worry, Sweetheart. You won't get rid of me easily." He smiled and caressed my cheek with the back of his fingers. "Now, kiss me."

I threw my hands around his neck and kissed him hard.

Liam kissed me back, his arms wrapped around my waist, and he crushed my body into his. Our kisses became ardent, and I squirmed on his lap. I didn't want to let him go. Not ever.

I wanted him again now, and I cursed myself for letting him call for an Uber. I felt like he was part of my life like I had already given let him into my heart when I let him in this house. This sacred place. Mine and Andy's place. It seemed as though he had just blended into my life and any thoughts of the future now included him.

But I also knew enough to hold back, to remember I didn't really know him. The weekend wasn't real life. It was an illusion. It wasn't the daily grind of work, come home, sleep, do it all again. To make it worse, Liam's life wasn't normal. Would I adjust? Could I adjust? Did I even want to try?

I knew I did want to try, at least. Liam seemed worth it. Worth the risk of another broken heart, another love snatched from my grasp. If I didn't try with Liam, then who would I try with? And if I never tried, then love would be gone from my life forever.

Liam pulled away. "I had better go now, or I think I'll never leave." We got up just as his phone alerted him the driver was less than a minute away. He grabbed his bag, and I walked him to the door, and he followed behind me up the hallway.

We got to the door, and before I could open it, he turned me around and pinned me to it with his whole body. His forehead pushed against mine. He kissed me, forcing his tongue into my mouth. He ground his body against me. "Lana," he breathed. "Lana, I..." He stopped talking, kissed me again softly then pulled away.

I didn't know what to say. I didn't want Liam to stop. "I'll call you tonight," I said despite our plans to call tomorrow night. I knew I wouldn't be able to wait until then. I opened the door for him.

As he walked out the door, Liam put his hand on the back of my head. He brought me to his face, and he kissed the top of my head. "As you wish." He winked and pulled the door closed behind him.

The rest of my day felt lonely. I moped around for a bit. I threw Perrin the ball for a while. He was too old these days for more than a few runs, but he still loved it. I did some washing, cleaned my bathroom and put my Ben and Jerry's tub in the bin. I painted my nails.

When the afternoon wound down, I called Riza.

"Hey, Slut!" She said when she picked up.

"Piss off," I said back.

"Well, don't keep me in suspense. What the fuck happened?"

"I don't even know where to begin."

"Well, did you fuck him?" I shook my head. If Liam thought I was direct, he should talk to Riza. I didn't say anything. She knew me well enough to know what the answer was by my silence. "'Bout fucking time." She said, and I laughed. "So tell me about him. What's his name? What does he do for work? Where does he live? Boxers or briefs?"

"Uh, his name is Liam. Liam Cross."

"Like the actor? Man, that's weird. I knew a girl once whose name was Indiana Jones. I couldn't do it cause I kept thinking about Harrison Ford."

"No, Riz. Not like the actor, he is the actor."

Stunned silence. Then, "you're shitting me."

"Serious as a heart attack."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I didn't know who he was," I told Riza about the Will/Liam thing.

"You're really not joking. Send me a pic."

"I didn't take any."

I swear I could hear Riza roll her eyes. "Of course, you didn't. You never do!" Then she shouted, "Hey Jen! Lana..."

"Riza! No, no, no!" I shouted.

"Fucked Liam Cross," she finished.

I hung my head. Fuck. I could trust Riza, but Jen, I wasn't sure of. She spent all day on Instagram and Snapchat. I didn't know if she could keep quiet.

"You there, Lansey?" I heard Jen talking in the background. "Hang on a sec, what's that, babe?" More Jen talking. "Oh shit, you looked good on Friday night Lans, no wonder you got fucked."

"How do you know what I wore Friday night?"

"Jen found pics."

"That quickly?"

"Yeah, they're everywhere. Some of you guys at a shop too. Hey, that's the shop near Mike the Butcher, right?"

This was news to me. I knew they took pictures, but I didn't think they were posted. I should have though. Why wouldn't they be? "Fuck."

"Did you just meet him? On Friday?"

"Yeah, why?"

"There's this one picture of you two, and he's touching your cheek. You two look like you're in love," she teased, making love sound like llllooooouuuuv. "Ha! There's Perrin!"

"Is my name mentioned? Do they know who I am?"

"Doesn't look like it. You two look perfect together."

"Tell Jen not to say anything. Please?"

"Yeah, yeah, no worries."

She kept talking, but I'd had enough. "I've gotta get going," I said.

"Lans, you ok?" She knows me too bloody well.

"Yeah," I bit my lip and took some deep breaths. "It's a lot to take in, you know. He's bloody famous, it's like, I don't want that shit in my life."

"Is he worth it?"

"I think so. I mean, he's a sweet, kinda daggy guy who happens to be built like Hercules and sexy as fuck. What's not to like?"

"I always thought he was gay."

Before I could stop myself, I said, "He's definitely not gay. I'd never believe a gay guy could growl a girl out like he does." I've got to learn to keep my mouth shut.

Riza yelled, "yas girl! You got a keeper!"

I laughed. "Fucking hell. Alright, Riz, I've really got to go. Say hi to Jen. Don't say anything!" Riz agreed, and we hung up.

Dinner at Dave and Lucy's was mostly uneventful. I jumped with the kids on the trampoline and played some wrestling on the PlayStation. My mum wasn't too much of a bitch. I forgot about the pictures and didn't think about Liam for a while. I needed that. I felt like the weekend was such a whirlwind and so much happened I needed some time to get back to normality, something familiar.

After dinner, Mum went home, and the kids wanted to watch a movie. I got on the lounge with the two older ones, Charlie and Harry and went through Netflix. Lucy had taken Lilly to bed. I saw Liam's face in one of the movies thumbnails, and I groaned. It was the one where he was a superhero. It was nearly ten years old. Though it didn't seem possible, he was even more handsome now. I quickly flicked past it.

"No, Aunty Lanny, I want to watch that one," Harry said.

"Isn't it too scary?"

Dave called out from the kitchen, "it's their new favourite. They've been watching it all week."

"Then we can watch something else," I said.

Both boys protested. I half relented. "Have you seen the sequel?" It had much less screen time for Liam since he had teamed up with a couple of other superheroes in that one.

"There's a sequel?" Charlie was excited.

So we watched the sequel. I'd seen it before, but it was weird watching it now. I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Although it was obvious that Liam was the actor, it was surprisingly easy to forget him and believe he was really the character.

He looked different to the Liam I knew. His hair was lighter, he was clean-shaven, and even the way he held his face was different. The way he moved and mannerisms weren't Liam's either. His voice was different too. The most apparent change there was the accent. Those harsh American tones seemed so strange after hearing his soft Queens English ones. Although, scenes with his shirt off still made me think of Liam.

After the movie I said goodbye to the kids, and they went to bed. I asked Dave if he would watch Perrin next weekend. I tried to sound casual about it, but Dave knew me better than that.

"Girls weekend?" He asked. I tried to say yeah, but I blushed, and he knew it wasn't a girls weekend.

Dave was eight years older than me, the same as Liam. I adored Dave. I remember following him around as a kid, wanting to do everything he did. As we got older, I watched the same movies he did, read the same books he did and listened to the same music, which is probably why I prefer 90s music to 2000s music.

He was sweet about it for the most part. He even got me alcohol a few times when I was 17 and took me to the pub with his mates when I was 18. He was protective though. Not one of his mates was allowed to touch me. It had made me mad at the time, especially when I had the hots for his best mate Chris since I was 12. So when he worked out that I was probably going to be spending the weekend with a guy, I expected him to freak out. He didn't.

"Is he a good bloke?" Dave asked. "Treating you well?"

"Yeah, he is." I couldn't help but smile.

Dave grunted, "I can tell by the look on your face, you are smitten. Alright then, Perrin can stay."

"Thanks, Dave. Don't tell mum."

"Yeah, Nah. I'm not stupid."

I went home and got ready for bed straight away. I was mentally exhausted, but I still called Liam. Not only because I said I would. I did miss him in my bed already. I felt lonely again. Of all the things about being married I missed, sleeping with somebody else in the bed was high on the list.

When I went to call, I was confused for a minute because I couldn't find his number. Then I remembered he was in my contacts as Will. I changed the name and called him. I hoped I wasn't calling too late.

"Hello, Sweetheart." Liam's voice sent a ripple of excitement through me.

"Hey," I said. "How was the rest of your day?"

"Good. Do you want to FaceTime?"

"I'm in bed."

"Me too." He said, and I heard the ring of FaceTime come through the phone.

I answered. Liam's face appeared. So did his naked shoulders. Sweet Jesus, he couldn't fit in the frame.

"Much better," he said, smiling. "How was your day?"

"Ok, I just hung around at home then saw the fam. Dave said he would have Perrin next weekend," I got flustered thinking about it. I cleared my throat. "So yeah, that's sorted."

"Excellent. I'm really looking forward to it. How was the family? Was your mum ok?"

"Yeah, she was good. The kids are fans of yours, by the way."

He gave a short laugh at this. "Really? Did you tell your family about me?"

I said I didn't and told him about the kids and the movie. "They loved it. I liked it too." I told him about how it was strange to watch him act after actually knowing him, and for a lot of the time, I had forgotten it was him. I just believed the character and enjoyed the story.

"Thank you." Liam seemed genuinely pleased. "That is the aim of what I do."

"I did tell Riza about you. Her wife, Jen, found pictures of us almost immediately."

"Did you see the ones from yesterday?"

"She told me about them, but I've not seen them."

"You ok?"

I shrugged, "it is what it is. I asked them not to say anything about us."

Liam changed the subject and showed me he had started one of the books he had borrowed. Once again, I was grateful that he seemed to know my mood and not push me.

We talked for about ten minutes before I started yawning.

"I better let you go. You're tired, Sweetheart."

"Yeah," I said as a yawn overtook me. "I think you're right." I blinked several times, my eyes watering from the yawns. "Call me tomorrow night?"

"I definitely will. Goodnight, Sweetheart."

"Night, Liam." I fell straight asleep.

Part 11

[starfast]

Happy International Women’s Day

In honour of today being International Women’s Day, I thought I’d share some of my favourite books with awesome female leads. There’s obviously tons of books out there that fit that criteria, but here are 6 of my more underrated favourites presented in no particular order: 

Onyx and Ivory by Mindee Arnett

Genre: YA Fantasy

Summary: Kate Brighton has been living as an outcast ever since her father tried to assassinate the king. She works for the Relay- the courier system where only the most skilled riders survive. Fortunately, Kate has the ability to manipulate the minds of animals, which helps her stay alive. Unfortunately, this type of magic is forbidden and if she’s caught she could be exiled or killed. It’s also this magic that causes her to come across the aftermath of a deadly dragon attack, the sole survivor of which is Prince Corwin, Kate’s first love. The two will have to put the past behind them, because unusual dragon attack is just the beginning. 

Other highlights: This book had all the potential to be a very generic read but somehow managed to not be. Kate is not just a badass, but also has a more vulnerable side to her which makes her more relatable. This book also features an actually healthy romance and did I mention that the girl saves the boy in this one?

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee

Genre: YA Historical Fiction (but with a tiny bit of fantasy)

Summary: Felicity Montague just really wants to be a doctor, but since it’s the 1700′s it’s almost impossible for her to do so. However, when she learns that her childhood friend is getting married to one of her idols, Felicity uses it as an opportunity to try and make her dreams come true. She travels down to Germany with Sim, a mysterious girl who agrees to pay for Felicity’s way. But Sim has an agenda of her own, and once it’s uncovered Felicity becomes part of dangerous quest that will take her from Germany all the way down to Algeria. 

Other highlights: This is technically a sequel to the Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue (which I also recommend). Just like it’s predecessor, The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy also has a small but diverse cast (Sim is Muslim, and while it’s never outright stated in the book the author has confirmed that Felicity is asexual. Her brother and his boyfriend also make an appearance, the latter of which is biracial). This story also handles the “not like most girls” trope in the best way possible. 

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

Genre: YA Sci-fi

Summary: Spensa dreams of becoming a pilot, but because her father was labelled a coward, everyone is working against her. Even when she does make it into flight school, she has to work twice as hard because the people in charge don’t want her to end up like her father. But when Spensa comes across an ancient, sentient ship called M-Bot she convinces it to to help her defend her planet. 

Other highlights: If you like a book with lots of action then I’d highly recommend this one! At 513 pages, it’s more on the longer side but it always feels like something is happening. The fight scenes in this book are amazing, and there’s some really cool world building as well. And honestly, Spensa is an awesome protagonist. 

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Genre: YA Mystery/Thriller

Trigger Warnings: Abuse, pedophilia, murder, rape (let me know if I missed any)

Summary: After the death of her younger sister, Sadie sets out to find the man who killed her. She follows a trail of clues, hoping that it will lead to her sister’s murderer so that she can find justice. Meanwhile, West McCray, a radio personality hears about Sadie’s story. He starts a podcast that details his own journey to see if he can find out what happened to Sadie, who is now a missing person. 

Other highlights: This book will make you so emotional! The bond between Sadie and her sister felt so real, and was so well written. Sadie also has a stutter, and while I can’t say whether it was accurately written or not I haven’t seen any complaints about it yet. It does hit on some pretty heavy topics though, but I felt like it was handled well. 

The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind by Jackson Ford

Genre: Adult Sci-fi/ Mystery

Summary: Tegan Frost has the ability to move shit with her mind. As far as she knows, she’s the only one with this ability. So when a man winds up dead, murdered in a way that could only have been done by someone with telekinetic abilities all the suspicions fall on Tegan. Tegan knows she’s innocent, but she only has 24 hours to prove it. 

Other Highlights: First of all, yes, that is the real title. And this book is kind of exactly what you would expect with a title like that. Tegan is the sassy and sarcastic protagonist that I’ve been waiting for. Even though she does have that edge she’s not a one dimensional character (she kind of reminds me of Deadpool or like a better version of Maximum Ride in that sense). It’s honestly a super fun read, and also criminally underrated. 

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

Genre: YA Alternate History/ Adventure

Summary: Set in an alternate history where the Germans won WW2 Yael is a former concentration camp victim, who as the result of some of the Nazi’s experiments can alter her appearance. Yael uses this ability to enter the Axis Tour; an annual motorcycle race that starts in Berlin and ends in Tokyo. Disguised as the previous year’s winner, Yael hopes to win the race so that she can win the private audience with Adolph Hitler and kill him. 

Other Highlights: I mean the plot of this one is kind of the main selling point. It may sound a little bit out there but it is honestly one of the most unique books I’ve ever read. Ryan Graudin didn’t write this just so people can say that originality is dead. 

[bastillewolf]

Midnight In Sheffield (III)

Pairing: Alex Turner/Reader

Summary: When a soon-to-be-wedded insomniac author heads back home to visit her parents, she comes across the likes of a mysterious musician whilst on her sleepless escapade in the AM.

Notes: Took a bit longer to edit this chapter, and made it longer. Hope you enjoy!

Let me know if you’d like to be added to the tag list!

@alexbandguy86​​​​​ @bettyschwallocksyee​​​​​ @fookingsummertime​​​​​ @juicebox-baby​​​@darksydork7​​​​ @edgythought​​​ @toolateformcrtooearlytoleaveemo​

Song recommendation: ‘Bistro Fada’ by Stephane Wrembel

Chapter III - No. 1 Party Anthem

It couldn’t be.

Surely, she hadn’t been that drunk.

If so, she would’ve felt more than embarrassed.

She was standing in the very street she had wandered through the night before, yet nothing seemed familiar. There were no vintage sales, or shops for that matter, or Ford Roadsters that were illuminated by the antique streetlights perched on cobblestone roads.

Instead, she was faced with boring old Sheffield; cracked and bruised asphalt. A few clothing stores and a newspaper office. There was one pub, but not the one she’d been looking for.

“Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Mark said.

“I- Uh, yeah. I could’ve- I could’ve sworn it was here,” she stuttered in response.

“The pub you went to?”

She nodded silently.

“Maybe you went in a different direction. You were tired, happens to the best of us.”

She shot him a look. “I grew up here, Mark. I know my way around this place like the back of my hand, yet that street I went into… I’d never seen it before in my entire life.”

“Hm, strange,” he noted. She knew he was mostly humouring her, and couldn’t shake off the feeling he had been judging her ever since they talked over what happened. It must look crazy, she realized, but to her that was no excuse to not be understanding. He was to be her husband, after all, and weren’t those things most important in a healthy relationship?

“Call me crazy if you want, but I’m telling you; I went to a different pub last night.”

“I know, I believe you.”

She gave a slight sigh of relief.

“Now, come on, let’s go find a restaurant, because we’re not going to that pub on an empty stomach.”

 They had searched all over town, with Mark generously tipping the cabby to take them everywhere they wanted. Not necessarily an odd request, but when she started to ask the driver about an old pub with the exact descriptions, - not failing to mention that smoking had been allowed - he gave her a strange look and told her he’d never heard of such a place before.

He must know, as he’d worked as a cabby for ages.

And so, she was currently sat at a random local bar Mark picked out, slumped in her seat, while her fiancée chatted on with Rachel and James. She couldn’t even bring herself to be annoyed with the pair, her mind too clouded to think of anything other than that very clear night.

She touched Mark’s shoulder, and muttered in his ear that she was going back to the hotel.

He nodded, “I’ll text you when I’m coming back. Don’t stay up too late.”

She smiled lightly, and kissed him on the cheek, before slipping out of the door, and leaving the musky scene behind her.

She didn’t really pay attention to where she was going. She was staring down at her feet, which kept their leisure pace on the tiled sidewalk.

She didn’t even bother giving the man in a tracksuit she nearly bumped into a second glance, or the dog that barked at her.

She walked up the few steps, through an alley, until she rounded a corner and was back at what appeared to be the main street. Only then did she actually bump into someone.

“You just keep appearing out of nowhere, don’t you?”

“Miles?”

She rubbed her tired eyes, until the flickering had disappeared, and she could look around again.

A cobblestone street, antique metal streetlights and shop windows filled with antique wear. The man that stood in front of her wore the same suit as yesterday, but without the tie and the top buttons of his shirt undone.

She couldn’t help but throw her arms around his neck in relief.

He huffed in surprise, “Good to see you again too, love. Hope that man of yours hasn’t been treating you poorly again, has he?”

“I’m just relieved to see you again,” she replied, avoiding his question, “I can’t believe I didn’t find this street earlier this afternoon! I went looking all over the place for it! Even asked a cabby, but he didn’t know what I was talking about. I’m so glad I found you.”

A mysterious glint flashed across his eyes. “Look for me, did ya? Worry not, love. You can always find me prancing about in the AM. I’ll most likely still be in bed in the afternoons. Best stay away from me then.”

She snorted as he linked her arm with hers and followed his lead into the pub, missing the way he’d given her a worried glance as she tried to memorize the name of the residence, which was painted in a neat cursive on the sign above it.

Mardy Bum.

 “Taken that bird with you again, Miles?” Alex asked from his seat at the wooden table, his foot sliding a chair out for each of them from underneath the table.

“Couldn’t help myself, Al. I just keep running into her. It’s like fate.”

“Call it fate or whatever you want, mate, but there’s no hiding you’ve always fancied the married girls.”

“Sorry, could you repeat that for me?” Miles held a hand to his ear facetiously. “I couldn’t hear you over the tune of ‘The Bad Thing’.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Are you playing cards with us, or what?”

Miles looked back at her, waiting for her answer. She shrugged, “As long as it’s not strip poker.”

“Shame,” one of the other men at the table muttered, who she recognized from the previous night as Alex’s drummer.

“This is Matt, by the way,” Miles pointed at him, before turning to the other two band members. “And that’s Jamie, and Nick. You remember them from yesterday, no?”

“Of course, you put up a great show.”

“Flattery won’t get you anywhere in a game of cards, love,” Matt teased, as he shuffled the deck of cards like he’d do every evening.

 And so, the night went on, filled with light and pleasant conversation, and a few more antsy rounds of cards. The beer gradually switched to something stronger, which she identified as a very fine whiskey. Not wanting to think about their tab yet which was bound to arrive at the end of the night, she enjoyed the smooth liquid burning her throat, and beat Jamie once again at his own game.

“I don’t like her,” he grumbled.

“Don’t be petty, Jamie. It’s not her fault you’re shit at cards,” Matt said.

“I’m not shit! I won last time!”

“Last time we let you win because it was your birthday,” Alex smoothly chimed in.

“What?!”

Matt burst out laughing at the guitarist’s aghast facial expression, and she noted even Alex himself smirked along with the merriment. She had only known him for two evenings, but from the lack of lines around his mouth, he didn’t seem like he smiled often, so it was nice to be graced with one.

What she did want to be able to unsee was the way he kept looking at her over the deck in his hands with those dark brown eyes. It made her squirm a bit in her seat.

“So, if we asked you to write an autobiography on the band, would you do it?” Nick asked. She’d told them about her career path, and how she hadn’t been able to write anything for a long while.

“I mean, if that’s what you’d want.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Matt quickly intervened.

“Well, why not?”

“She’d never believe us,” Alex drawled.

She met his eyes once more, and they looked awfully calm.

“No offence, but unless you’re going to tell me you go to Hogwarts and practice magic, I’m afraid you can’t say much that makes me find the story of a band who plays in pubs unrealistic.”

“A band who plays in pubs?! You must be joking,” the bartender suddenly intervened, setting the glass down which he had been drying with a towel for the past half hour. “They’re the most famous band in England! Even have their records played in America, they do. I’m lucky they still play in here, or it wouldn’t be so packed every Friday night.”

“We’d never abandon this place, John. This is where we became men and had our first beverages as adults,” Jamie said, raising his glass.

“Don’t play the fool with me, Jamie. You’d had too many pints before you got drunk to be a first-time drinker, and I’ve seen you sneak through the back when you were younger.”

“I didn’t know there was a certain age you’re supposed to be,” Alex quipped.

“Cause nobody told me!” Miles suddenly shouted, rising from his chair and humming a tune to himself as he cradled his drink closer to his chest.

“For the last time, Miles, if you’re going to dance, please find yourself a partner that isn’t the alcohol.”

The man in question pursed his lips thoughtfully at Alex. “Great idea, mate. I’m gunna take a piss and when I get back, I’ll have found my partner.”

He stumbled off in the direction of the restroom, and the group shared a look, for the hour was growing late and they were the only ones left in the pub.

“Sorry about Miles. He gets awfully vague when he’s drunk,” Nick told her.

She smiled. “Don’t worry about it, I’m having a laugh. I wish I could spend the whole night here. Haven’t had this much fun in a while.”

She noticed Matt trying to subtly glance down at his watch, which was close to striking 3 AM. “Probably not the best idea, love. I think it’s time to go home.”

Alex gave him a look. “Why? She could stay a bit longer, wouldn’t hurt anyone,” he slurred.

“You know why.”

“My fair lady!”

Their heads turned towards the back of the bar, where Miles had gotten down on one knee in front of a mop perched in a dirty bucket. “Please, grace me with a dance.”

The silence that followed seemed to be the cue for Miles to think the mop had accepted his offer, and for Matt to definitely call it a night.

Nick and Jamie helped Miles across the street – after managing to pry the ‘fair lady’ from his arms –  while Matt chatted away with John as he was closing the bar, and she was suddenly left alone with the singer himself.

“May I walk you home?” He asked her. “No funny business, I promise.” Though he’d held his hands up in surrender, the action was contradicted by the mischievous glint in his orbs.

“Sure,” she replied, and a very small part of her wished she had just said ‘no’.

 “So, since you’re famous and all,” she started, her gaze trained upon the way her feet carefully stepped on the individual stones cemented into the street’s dirt. “Have I heard any of your songs before? What were you guys called again?”

“I don’t think you would have. And we’re called the Arctic Monkeys.”

She raised her brow, the name sounding vaguely familiar.

“Stupid name, I know.”

“No,” she quickly said, “Not at all, actually. It’s somehow… Very fitting.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

 She smiled at him, until her eyes turned up to the sky, which was filled with flickering lights in the darkest of blues. “It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?”

He hummed. “You must not be one to stay up late often, then. It’s beautiful, sure. But not the best sight I’ve ever seen.”

“What is the best sight you’ve ever seen?”

He studied her for a moment, and couldn’t tell if he was deciding on whether to answer her or not, or thinking of long-lost memories. “France. On the countryside. I’ve been all around the world, but that one night – probably caused by the empty bottles of tequila, might I add – was incomparable. Starry, with a really thin crescent moon in the sky, which Jamie described as ‘the moon’s side boob’. I thought that was quite profound. So, I wrote it down. Might even slip it into a song one day.”

The corners of her lips quirked up mischievously, the tingling sensation of the alcohol running through her system finally catching up with her. “Sing me a song, Alex.”

“A song?”

“Yesss,” she pleaded.

“Not sure your husband would agree with that.”

“He’s out and about with Mark and Rachel. Said he’d text me if he’d get back. I think we’ve got time.”

There was a quiver in his stride. “A text, you say?”

She nodded absentmindedly. “Anyways, he’s not my husband, so being serenaded isn’t illegal just yet.”

He let out a chuckle, but it was short-lived. “Could you humour me for a bit?”

“Uh, sure.”

“Could you tell me who’s the ruler of England right now?”

“What?”

“Just- Just answer the question, please.”

“The… the queen.”

“Ah.”

“I didn’t get that wrong, did I? I’m quite plastered, I’m afraid.”

“No, not at all. Perhaps we do have to save that serenade for another night, though.”

They’d halted, but the building in front of them was not one she recognized, and the route they’d taken too short to have been able to get to the hotel. “I don’t think this is-“

He kissed her on the cheek, more gently than she would’ve expected, which left her hanging with her mouth slightly open, numb from sudden surprise.

“Have a good night, love.”

He spared her one last glance, until he turned, and walked back through the dark and deserted street.

She sort of stumbled through the doors, and her eyes widened at the sight, for she was back in her hotel, and when she looked outside, she no longer met with the cobblestone street, but only the cracked asphalt of New Sheffield.

[sepublic]

Covention Revelations!

Okay, so the biggest thing that sticks out to me is that Witches are essentially encouraged, if not outright required by society to join a coven. A coven is essentially a ‘club’ where you gain membership and a sense of belonging, but in return you get restricted to only a particular type of magic and have to specialize in it.

(Jeez, now Willow’s predicament in her debut is worse knowing that once she reaches a certain age, she’d have no longer been able to perform plant magic. Thank goodness for Luz!)

These rules are enforced by the Emperor, who has his own personal coven of witches that can use all forms of magic, but just so happen to report directly to him. What a surprise...

From a world-building perspective, I can see why this is a rule. If everyone had access to every form of magic... Well, I could see certain people viewing that as chaotic and a society impossible to control. And anyone with the title of Emperor presumably is used to having a LOT of power and authority over people’s lives. It certainly re-contextualizes what Eda (or should I say, Edaline... Edalyn?) had to say about her disdain of magic school. How schools teach you to do it a ‘proper’ way, but in her eye it’s wild, uncontrollable, unpredictable. It’s literally a system that -maybe even permanently- dictates exactly what you can do with magic. 

If I had to compare it to another show, it’s like Homeworld from Steven Universe. Everybody has to have a set role, because every society has specific requirements (some more important than others... sorry Tiny Cat Coven). Everyone having access to every form of magic is chaotic and hard to control. Ergo, establish a school system that encourages people to focus on a particular subset of magic, the one they happen to be the best at, and then have that witch focus on that single role for the rest of their lives. That way, everyone who’s doing a certain job in society happens to be the best one most suited towards it.

(At least ideally- Willow was pressured to be in the Abomination track despite her skill with plant magic. Luckily, Principal Bump recognized her talent, but it makes me wonder if there are ever shortages of witches for certain covens? Could this lead to pressure from parents to want their children to seize an open opportunity for an established role in society?)

Also, I like Lilith (Yes it’s one L, I checked the end credits)! Yeah, she’s mean, but she’s not heartless, and her and Eda’s conflict is like Stan and Ford’s, namely one is a troublemaker who’s unorthodox while the other is very proper and all about being the best at something. They’re at odds, but not to an extreme degree- They’ll squabble and get in trouble with one another but they don’t seem to seriously want the other one hurt. 

There are many moments where Lilith is genuinely excited to invite Eda to the Emperor’s Coven, and her stopping her attack for Eda’s curse shows a bit. And despite being required to arrest Eda, she never once makes any moves to do so- She even goes against this mission by removing the Wanted Posters for the sake of the duel. And not once in said duels does she ever dictate a term of having Eda turn herself in. We know at the end that Lilith is tasked with arresting Eda... but in all seriousness, for whatever antagonism the two siblings have with one another, it seems that Lilith is low-key complicit in Eda’s continued escapes from the law.

Also worth noting;

-Willow and Gus! I didn’t expect to see them here but I love it! Also Gus is confirmed to specialize in illusions!

-That pen given to King by the... Scrying Coven, was it? It was a Coven involved with telling the future... We didn’t see it do anything. While it could just be a joke that she SAYS it’ll do something but she’s just lying and trying to dump merch onto him, it does make me wonder...

-We see the Abomination Teacher at the coliseum, as well as the Snaggleback! The teacher is missing his abomination and the Snaggleback either got back his shell or grew a new one, I can’t tell which.

-Amity Blight! I’m sure others saw it coming as well, but it’s neat to see that she’s a person who’s clearly very concerned about proving one’s worth, and while that means she can use her hard work and progress as a justification for looking down on others, it’s not a double standard either. If she fails, then as far as Amity is concerned, she deserved to fail. I wonder if she wants to be in the Emperor’s Coven so she can practice all magic, or simply because it’s for the best- Maybe both. Either way I liked that neat foreshadowing of Amity being surprised at her Abomination’s size in the duel, hinting at Lilith adding the power amplifier.

-Also, I love how Eda and Lilith at first look like they may have a serious feud... But then quickly it just dissolves into petty, immature jabs and it’s clear that their antagonism isn’t legitimately serious. At least, not for now- Pressure by the emperor may cause Lilith to act more seriously, perhaps.

-I still can’t tell if King is lying or not about the whole ‘King of Demons’ backstory. It was part of his official description but now it seems like it’s just a fanciful lie he likes to make up? It’d be hilarious if later on it’s revealed that, yes, he really WAS the King of Demons and everyone is surprised because they thought he was making that up. Or maybe only Luz is surprise, who knows? Top-tier, late-game casual reveal would be King mentioning he was once called Bill Cipher.

-DANA GOING SUPER SAIYAN

-I know just yesterday I was gushing about Willuz, but honestly Luzity has gained its canon appeal. I love how Luz, after seeing how upset Amity was, didn’t just ignore her predicament but actively went out of her way to make sure she was okay. It was sweet to see Luz acknowledge that, yeah, she didn’t mean to embarrass Amity back in Episode 3 and felt bad about it (as I speculated earlier). Obviously neither party is at fault here, no one really is... But I love to see Luz’s compassionate nature resonate from her looking at things from other points of view. And seeing Amity willing to give Luz some pointers on Magic was just so sweet...

-Small and obvious joke, but Luz invoking Azura’s challenge to Hecate happening at the Bog of “Immediate Regret” was too funny to me.

-I love how they’re now lampshading Eda’s mysterious past and she’s just all for it. Teasing Luz about it. In general I just love Eda’s troll-ish nature. When she brought up her curse at the end of the duel I wasn’t sure at first if she was being genuine or just faking out Lilith. I love her.

[ramblesanddragons]

So you want to know what Bill’s was looking at in Chapter 3 of A Man Made of Stone? Aka an Index of Fics mentioned.

rum-and-shattered-dreams had an amazing bit in their fic about Bill gazing at dimensions and I wanted to play with that idea. I’ve read A LOT of Gravity Falls stuff since re-falling in love with the show. Here’s a list of the ones that Bill takes a glance out. I felt I should share the works and authors!

In order of mention:

The Whole of Us (Is Greater than the sum of our broken pieces) by @nicnacsnonsense   

Excuse me while I cry. In this reality Ford discovers Dipper and Mabel on his doorstep in 1982 and he’s their dad. This is both a heart warming and heart breaking work. They do an amazing job of keeping Ford and Stan in character. Kid Dipper and Mabel are so well done. Soos’ mom is such a great character. Bill is still a jerk and so is Pa Pines but we knew that.

Major Warnings: There are warnings for Past Child Abuse and Neglect and oof that neglect rang a little close to home for me but I was able to handle it.

1 Step Forward, 20 Years Back by @infriga (Ppleater on A03)

Fountain of youth= TINY STAN. I love the concept of the Fountain of Youth here and I can’t talk about other stuff without spoilers but there’s a great Ford to the rescue moment in this and Stan’s natural charisma gets a +2 bonus as a kid. It’s great.

Major Warnings: Past Child Abuse and Broken Bones/Resetting those bones.

Timestuck AU by @the-subpar-ghost

Mabel interacting with her way younger, way too stressed Grunkles is the best. The ending chapter is such a ride from start to finish.

Major Warnings:  There’s some violence with mentions of blood but nothing graphic.

(Relativity Falls is where Dipper and Mabel are the old ones and Kids Stan and Ford go visit Gravity Falls one summer. My favorite fic to come out of that Au was)

New Normal by @scribefindegil

It’s a one shot but it’s the perfect sort of end to this AU’s story. Old Dipper and Mabel being badass and young Stan and Ford being adorable.

Major Warnings: References to past child abuse.

The Man Downstairs by @rum-and-shattered-dreams

The fic that inspired this scene. I love how they weave the canon of the show with what’s happening in this AU. Ford never went through the portal but Bill can now take control of him at will.  Ford and Stan’s bond is just so good in this. It’s dark but it has great humor too.

Major Warnings: Bill is a sadistic bastard and lets that out on Ford. Big ones are torture, eye trauma, and suicidal ideation.

A Little Bit Lost by @impishnature

An idea that Ford comes out of the portal much more feral than in canon. Just read it. Trust me just read it. It covers very realistic post trauma Ford in a series of one shots in a way the show probably never could have.

Major Warnings: Ford’s PTSD and the associated side effects (flashbacks and panic attacks) is very evident in this.

30 Seconds Later by Shayera (Also no idea if there is a tumblr)

Such a fun concept. Ford only spends 30 Seconds in the portal but for Stan it was still 30 years. There’s a great family D&D&MD bit in here that made my heart happy.

Major Warnings: Bill can also control Ford when he’s out. He attacks someone while possessed and there’s some damage. 

Ad Astra by @themadqueenmab

An amazing Drifting Stars AU (Mabel gets pulled into the multiverse by accident) The balance between Ford and Mabel in the multiverse and Stan and Dipper fighting to get them back is so good. The worlds are so creature and horrifying and I’m at the edge of my seat reading it.

Major Warnings: There’s some pretty scary stuff in here I think. Mabel and Ford get roughed up quite a bit. I would also mention alcoholism and abuse towards children because again Bill Cipher is a jerk.

A Step in the Wrong Direction Series by impishnature

 When Stan tries to bring back Ford he ends up in the portal instead. I’ll go on about impish nature’s writing in a moment if I start here I’ll never get to the rest lol.

Major Warnings: Some blood if I remember right and angst.

Blind Faith by @pinesinthewoods

Stan falls into the portal with Ford in 1982 and things got very awry in a realm of horror but the bond Ford and Stan share may just get them through after all is the basis of this AU. Be warned it gets dark but it’s super good.

Major Warnings: Psychological Trauma and Eye Trauma

Demonic Conman by Impishnature

Stan takes up Bill’s offer to join him and becomes a demon. With two separate endings this is one of the first GF fanfic I read and I have loved EVERYTHING Impish has written. Like I could just recommend all of their stuff. Stan as a demon is amazing.

Major Warnings: Major Character Death...kind of

OTHER: These are fics that are either post canon (Bill can’t see past when he gets erased) or an AU I couldn’t figure out how to put in there.

Fisherman’s Knot by @scribefindegil

This is the very first fic I read when I wanted to find more GF stuff since I missed the show so much. It wrecked me in such a good way and I read the whole thing (it’s a big one) in like 2 days. I cried. The angst and humor is amazing. The original character is great and I love her. The last line stuck with me for days. As someone who has struggled with depression and it’s darker hold over a person it spoke to me beyond it being about Ford and Stan.

Major Warnings: Suicide Ideation/ Attempt, Anxiety, and Deep Depression.

Live by the Book by @anistarrose

The Adventure Zone/ Gravity Falls crossover I didn’t know I needed in my life. I love the inside of the Journal and a certain someone’s reappearance. I think you can get the basics of the story without having to listen to TAZ but if you haven’t you should lol.

Major Warnings: Just Peril I believe. Nothing really comes to mind.

The Lighthouse Keeper AU by Impishnature with art by @sightkeeper

Gravity Falls set in a lighthouse on the coast of Oregon. What I love about this one is the take on Bill is probably even scarier than canon Bill. It’s beautifully written and makes me both want to go to the ocean and never set foot in it again. Dipper and Mabel are also super cute in this as well.

Major Warnings: Drowning, Depression and Intrusive Thoughts.

The Past Up In Smoke and Stan’s Diary Hand’s Off by @beacandy

The first one is a great telling of a thing from Journal 3 where they burn all the Bill related stuff they can find. It’s so cathartic.

The second one I don’t want to say too much about because I don’t want to spoil it but once I got what was happening I was floored with feels.

Major Warnings: I don’t really think there are with these two besides angst.

Everyone mentioned has more than one fic to read and there’s so many more out there but I can’t mention them all. I hope this little guide gets someone new a good starting point.  

Art Recomendation: I would be remiss if I didn’t also shout out @artsymeeshee and her art. She makes some great comics. Lots of funny indirect quotes and angst comics.

[theloyaltyofthewolves]

tag info!

hi lovelies! i’ve gotten quite a few questions abt my tagging system (for those of u who don’t pay attention to that sort of thing/only use mobile, this is my tags page) over the last few days + i thought i’d try to condense all of your questions into a single post to make it nice and convenient. pls feel free to reach out if i missed smth!

1. what are your tags from and what do they mean?

individual tags: 

this is not your destruction bang chan

a tag for chan + the bravery + terror that must have accompanied his flight into stray kids. he has poured everything he has into them. they are his one shot, his only shot. his life, his blood, his greatest creation and sacrifice. this tag, which comes from nothing other than my brain, is a kind reminder to him that no matter how dark it gets, stray kids are an act of love and so will never be a mistake. 

learn to dance; it is your birthright 

a tag for minho. im a terrible person and can’t quite recall where or who i took it from, but i believe it was originally in french. minho came from nothing, built himself on nothing. the strength in his spine comes from suffering and endurance: living through all that life has thrown at you, getting up every single time it has knocked him down. and it has knocked him down over and over and over again. but each time, he gets back up. wipes the blood off his chin. dances. because he is owed this, this expression of love and life and control, one of the most fundamental parts of the human experience. minho dances because he is owed it, because he knows that it his right. 

 there is no sacrifice

my tag for changbin, from a longer piece by arianna reines. the original quote goes ‘there is no sacrifice. you have got to want to live. you have got to force yourself to want to.’ perhaps a little dark, but i believe it reflects the resolution with which changbin throws himself at life. there is no uncertainty in seo changbin. that’s why he’s stray kids’ anchor, their backbone. he’s uncompromising, devoted, resilient. 

 gutted and rising 

for hyunjin, my very favorite embodiment of the fragility of being human. once again, his tag is from a much longer quote by katie ford: don’t say it’s the beautiful i praise. i praise the human, gutted and rising. quite honestly, it is one of my favorite lines of literature in the entire world for how vulnerable and honest it is in its devotion to the human spirit. and that’s of course what i love so much about hyunjin. he is beautiful yes, but he also breakable and delicate and sensitive and irrational and ridiculous and dramatic and sweet and so unbelievably human. such a gentle soul who has seen some of the very worst that humanity has to offer, who has been beaten down and forced to kneel. who has grown tall enough and strong enough to push himself up off the floor and keep going, scarred and gutted and soft and rising.

 all you have is your fire

if uve spent a single second on this blog you will probably know that i have a serious love affair with what a walking contradiction han jisung is. he is so many impossibilities in so little physical form. fierce and shy and angry and brilliant and brave and scared and small and bright. han jisung is on fire all the time. it burns deep within him, burns him from the inside out. you can see it when he enters a room, walks on stage, opens his mouth. the core of him, all that he is, this burning burning burning energy, it flares around him, casts him in gold and red and orange. call it courage, call it fire, call it light, call it whatever you want. it is all that jisung has, just as it is all that small things have. 

 if there is a light im going to swallow it

this is for seungmin, and it comes from yet another one of my favorite pieces of literature. a poem called ‘blasphemies at the 5th street station’ by s. osborn and if there was ever a poem i would like you to read, it would be this one. seungmin’s particular tag comes from the final verse: ‘if there is a light, then i’m going to swallow it. if there is a god, then i’m going to eat him whole.’ appropriate for someone like seungmin who cannot be kept on his knees and who has always existed in a way that is uniquely his own. no authority, no god, no force of good or evil could bend seungmin to its will because he is simply not to be bound. 

 i have loved the stars too fondly

oh yongbokie. his tag fits him so well that it always makes me choke up just a little when i use it. it’s from a famous poem by sarah williams, most likely one that you have heard at least in passing. the poem details a message left by an astronomer on his deathbed to his pupil. “though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light. i have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.” which, to be honest, is so incredibly lee yongbok that i’m not sure i could clarify it any further. 

 as above so below 

jeongin’s tag comes from an age-old saying, one of those idioms that is so ancient, its originator has been long-forgotten. it is often attributed to religious or spiritual meanings, but i like it just find secular. at its essence, the quip describes the integral connection between everything small and big. the earth and the sun, the moon and the tides, the leaf and the cell wall. the way in which things that happen happen to all, no matter how big or small or young or old. befitting of the maknae, i think. an old quote for an old soul trapped in a young kid’s body. 

relationship tags:

and now the loyalty of the wolves

my very general ot8 tag, for moments when i see that little bit of more that filters through stray kids and their unrepentant love for one another. yet another reference to their growth: looking at where they are versus where they once were. stray dogs, nothing more than street hounds, scrappy and feral and dismissed. they did not belong, nor have they ever belonged. but they have grown. now, when they stand on stage, they fill it out. they draw attention and turn heads. they’re still outsiders, still outcasts, still unpolished and raw and untamed. but where once were mutts are now wolves. and now the wolves. and now the loyalty of the wolves.

i will carry you home in my teeth

i’ve mentioned this previously, but this is my tag specifically for chan and his boys. it comes from a mountain goats’ song. it embodies chan’s sacrifice and devotion to his kids, his family, his lifeblood. come hell or high water, chan’s going to get them to that finish line. 

do i look moderate to you?

this tag is from moderation, a trully excellent song by florence and the machine. ‘want me to love you in moderation, do i look moderate to you?’ what better pairing to fit this lyric than hyunjin and jisung? their love was born in violence and it has always been too much. the two of them have always been too much. too much anger, too much blood, too many teeth. the imprints of their fingers are pressed into each other’s chests. they have ripped each other apart, sewn each other back together. do i look moderate to you? do i look like someone who could be with you and not make you feel everything all at once? 

our fate cannot be taken from us

going back to the ancients, this is a quote from dante. ‘do not be afraid. our fate cannot be taken from us; it is a gift.’ something about it has always screamed seungbin to me, something about the impossibility of their relationship. a friendship, a love, a brotherhood that should not exist and yet it does anyway, because they are too goddamn stubborn to let any force, supernatural or otherwise, make their choices for them. 

2. where do ur tags come from?

the very short answer to this question is: everywhere! movies, lyrics, poetry, tumblr posts. i have a pretty long and pretty comprehensive list of tiny pieces of writing that have stayed with me over the years. i look to it often for hope or writing advice or tattoo ideas.

3. can we see it? 

nope. a, it’s too long to conveniently post on tumblr. b, it’s organized categorically in a way that works for my brain, but is unlikely to work for others. c, a lot of it is personal and Not For All Eyes. however, if you do want quotes or inspiration, you are always welcome to ask. give me an idea of what you’re looking for, a mood or an experience, a moment or an emotion, and i’ll do my best. (i also have a secret writing inspiration blog that, were there to be enough interest, i may make publicly available) 

4. okay then, can we have at least a few recommendations for songs or other works that have inspired you?

it depends on what you’re looking for. what kind of feelings do you want to amass listening or reading to something? the end of the world? the free-fall of first love? bitter heartbreak? the insignificance of human kind? tell me what you want + i will do my best to get back to you.

[supremeuppityone]

Written for Klaroline Valentine's Day Bingo 2020 @kcvalentinesbingo

Prompt: “A dare is a dare.”

Author’s note: This is the much-requested sequel to Chapter 63: Drowning Secrets in the Sea, found in my Klaroline series, A Beautiful Symmetry.

Warning: Casual references to drugs

Please review here.

           “This is your idea of an adventure?”

           Caroline whipped her head around, mouth curving up into a pleased grin as she took in Klaus’ rumpled appearance. “Your university’s still skimping on the travel budget, huh? You know, just because they pay for coach doesn’t mean you have to fly it.”

           “Not all of us can afford first class, sweetheart,” Klaus replied, pulling Caroline to her feet and playfully spinning her around the cramped basement.

           She kissed one of his dimpled cheeks, suddenly giddy and hopeful. He was here. She honestly hadn’t known what to expect when she sent him the artifacts and GPS coordinates. “Seriously? Just because I fly first class, doesn’t mean I actually pay for it.” At his amused chuckle, she allowed herself to press into him, his warmth and familiar scent washing over her. She’d missed him more than she’d cared to admit. It only had been a couple of weeks since he’d let her walk away, angry and hurt by what she’d done.

           “Are you still mad at me,” she asked tentatively, stepping away to give herself a bit of space for this conversation.

           He hesitated, running his fingers through his disheveled curls a few times before he finally spoke. “You pretended to be an archeologist to gain access to priceless artifacts that my father commissioned you to steal. You could’ve ruined my academic career — everything I’ve ever worked for.”

           She bowed her head, her heart sinking in her chest. Did he come all this way just to tell her off?

           “But then you also didn’t go through with it and came back to save my life,” he continued, his tone a bit shaky. “I’ve missed you every moment since you left,” he confessed, standing in front of her once more, his touch tender as he caressed her cheek. “And I’m tired of missing you, love.”

           Their kiss was nothing like their first one — while that night in the bar had been hesitant, now their kiss was frantic; fueled by the past deception and a tentative promise of forgiveness. He tasted like her future. And Caroline had no intention of walking away from it twice. “I missed you too,” she admitted, placing kisses along his jawline.

           It was when he started to untie the silken knot at her waist that she snapped back to reality. With a sigh of regret, she gently pushed away, telling him, “We’ll need to pick this up later — a business associate is meeting me here in a minute.”

           Klaus looked skeptically around the dusty room, asking, “What sort of business meeting could you have down here?”

           “The private kind.” She considered him carefully, bending down to scoop up a few dusty books and folders to shove into his arms. “So, I don’t want you to freak out, but we’re meeting a kind of go-between for a gunrunnermobbossguy — but don’t worry! He’s totally safe and I’ve worked with him before.” She winced as she saw his gray eyes grow wide with alarm despite the fact that she’d hoped her rapid-fire words wouldn’t really register.

           “Did you just say we’re meeting with a ‘gunrunner mob boss’? Bloody hell, Caroline!”

           She rolled her eyes, checking her watch as she corrected him. “He’s a go-between. He’s not actually a gunrunner mob boss. He just works for one.”

           “How is that any better? And how are you going to explain me? What’s my cover?”

           Caroline snorted. Klaus was adorable when he panicked. “Calm down, James Bond. You’re playing the role of a nervous archaeologist completely out of his depth. Something tells me you’ll pull that off beautifully.” At his grumpy expression, she impulsively poked one of his dimples, telling, him, “Where’s your adventurous spirit? You know you want to embrace it — otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”  

           “I’d thought we’d start with dinner,” he mumbled, a hint of a smile starting to appear the longer he looked at her.  

           “Perhaps you can postpone your plans a bit, mate? We’re on a bit of a deadline,” interrupted a cocky voice as heavy footsteps finished descending the stairs into the basement.

           Caroline instantly went into her work persona, adapting her stance and demeanor to best put Galen at ease. “Galen Vaughn, you slimy bastard, the next time you let me borrow a grappling hook, make sure you didn’t break off one of the ends on Kangchenjunga Peak.”

           His blue eyes crinkled with mirth, cuffing her on the shoulder as he said jovially, “You managed a’right, didn’t you, lass? If memory serves, you repaid me in kind when you sold me out to the Germans.”

           “Looks like it worked out alright for you — considering you’re now their go-between.” Sharpening her tone slightly, she decided to move the meeting along. “Tell me the specs and deadline.”

           “Two spear points about 12 centimeters each. Day after next.” He nodded toward Klaus. “Who’s this?”

           Caroline kept her tone light as she explained, “This is Klaus, my expert. He’ll authenticate on-site.”

           As though to make up for her non-committal introduction, Klaus sprang forward, shaking Galen’s hand a bit too enthusiastically. “I’m an archaeologist. I can identify artifacts from 3000 BC to AD 500. While my main expertise in in classical antiquity, I have completed extensive fieldwork in Bronze and Iron Age dig sites. In fact, I lectured extensively on the evolution of the battle ax and advanced smelting techniques. It actually was quite fascinating how groundbreaking their metalsmiths were...” he trailed off, somewhat self-conscious when he noted Caroline’s indulgent smile. “Anyway...I uh, like...old things.”

           Did Klaus purposely make his accent deeper because Galen has a Scottish accent? “Right. As you can see, we’ve got this,” she told Galen dryly.

           “I’m impressed you’d take such an eager partner,” Galen replied skeptically, “he seems quite green, lass.”

           Since it looked like Klaus was squaring off to punch a friend of one of the most dangerous mobs in Eastern Europe, Caroline hastily shook Galen’s hand, sealing their deal. “Day after next,” she told him solemnly. He left with little more than a curt nod, his jovial demeanor instantly replaced by a more disquieting nature. Such was the way of this business.

           “Bollocks. Between the dodgy codes and the wanker with the pretentious facial hair, I’m a bit lost as to our mission, sweetheart.”

           She cheerfully answered, “It’s no big deal — we just need to infiltrate a party tonight and steal some Bronze Age artifacts so we can sell them to this gunrunner mob boss I know.” At his incredulous expression, she winked and added, “And you have stubble too.”

           “Clearly mine’s better.”

           Caroline softened her tone, noting the wariness in Klaus’ gray eyes. “If you want out, I get it. No hard feelings, ok?”

           “It’s not that; I’d just like to know what I’m getting into.” His gaze was penetrating, as though searching for something. “Why put yourself in danger? There’s a larger gain than just riches, isn’t there?”

           She crossed her arms, not comfortable giving so much of herself away. But she needed to learn. “Mikael took my mother off the donor’s list so that I’d work for him. When I killed him, I lost my one chance to get her name restored. My only option is a black-market kidney and this job will get me the cash I need to make that happen.”

           The kiss he gave her was electric; it burned her all the way to her toes and she arched into him, a tiny little moan escaping. “Does this mean you’re in?”

           That devilish smirk of his was all the answer she needed.

                               _________________________________  

           The estate was stubbornly built on the marshes along the coast of the Baltic Sea, proving that even the immensely wealthy could be ignorant dipshits. Caroline critically eyed the tall rooftops of the main house and its surrounding buildings, the crooked lines wordlessly demonstrating that everything was slowly sinking, eventually to be reclaimed by the sea. She could feel Klaus tensing beside her, and she patted his arm affectionately. “Relax — the doorman is barely coherent after his wild night at the Hunter’s Mark. He’s barely going to glance at our invitation, and even if he did, it’s been expertly forged.” She gave him a sly wink, adding, “By me.”

           “How do you know what he was up to last night,” he whispered back, eyes darting around the ornate courtyard of marble statues.

           “Because I paid off his dealer to ensure he never ran out,” she answered matter-of-factly, favoring the pale, sweaty doorman with a sunny smile as she handed over the ivory parchment invitation she’d painstakingly threaded with gold along the borders to match the genuine ones. As she suspected, they were waived inside with barely a glance, and she smugly handed Klaus a champagne flute.

           “Impressive,” he murmured, casting curious glances around the immense ballroom with its 10-piece orchestra quietly playing chamber music.

           “Yeah, they’re pretty impressive. The Martins have been running drugs out of Kiel for decades; their territory is perfectly situated to take advantage of the port. They launder much of their profits with a string of online boutiques set up by the younger siblings, Greta and Luka,” she murmured, snatching a smoked salmon canape from a silver serving tray.

           Klaus seemed to slowly relax as he acclimated to his surroundings, a bemused look on his face as he eyed the cascading fountain of champagne flowing from a beautifully crafted ice sculpture in the center of the room. “I meant you were impressive, sweetheart. You’re brilliant, remarkably talented, and adventurous — enviable qualities the rest of the world only dreams of possessing.” He leaned in, his accented voice low and sexy as he added, “Not to mention your ethereal, utterly enchanting beauty.”

           There went her heart doing that fluttery thing again. He already was wearing the hell out of that Tom Ford tuxedo, but then to have him whisper those things — things that maybe she’d heard before but no one ever really meant — made her want to shove him into that gold leaf and pearl-tiered cake and lick the buttercream off.

           As though pleased she was rendered momentarily speechless, Klaus suddenly gripped her waist, spinning her onto the polished marble floor. His touch was commanding, but not forceful, which she appreciated. Almost as much as his smooth muscles underneath her touch.  The red satin of her dress wound its way between them as Klaus performed surprisingly intricate footwork.

           At her small gasp of surprise, Klaus flashed her a dimpled smirk. “I may have a few moves.”

           “Nice moves,” she said, a bit breathless as he led her through a reverse spin that had her momentarily crowded against his chest. She couldn’t help but rest her palm against his chest. Firm, but it was more than that — he felt like a steady person. Someone she could trust. “Mystic Falls, Virginia.” At his questioning brow, she explained, “It’s where I’m from. Well, we bounced around a lot of big cities when I was a kid, but that’s where we finally stayed.” She hesitated, unsure of how he’d react. It was a big step — and one she’d never taken before. “My mom still lives there...maybe, um, you’d like to meet her?”

           At Klaus’ stunned silence, she hurriedly backtracked, telling him, “No, I get it — it’s probably way too soon for that. I’vejustneverbeenlikethiswithanyone and I’m not sure what the steps are. But I can figure it out. Seriously, I can be good at steps. All the steps. Probably. It’s just that I need to head back there for a bit once we get our business here settled and her kidney secured and I know it’s a lot to ask —”

           “I’d be honored,” he quickly answered, kissing her soundly. “And it’s certainly not a chore to get to know you better, love,” he admonished when he broke the kiss, dipping her until she giggled with relief.

           Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a slight commotion as the aerial silk acrobats had arrived and were starting to set up in the main courtyard. Perfect. “Follow me,” she whispered in his ear, casually leading him down a narrow corridor full of priceless artwork resplendent with inlaid lapis lazuli and hammered silver frames. “While most of the guests are distracted, we need to get what we came for — two Bronze Age spear points.”

           They stopped in front of a tall glass case, admiring the artifacts perched on a carved ebony pedestal. “They were unearthed in the muddy riverbed of the Tollense Valley. It’s a unique find for the region, marking a significant battle around 3200 years ago. Archaeometallurgical studies have pinpointed the geological origin of the metals’ composition, which means you can trace the route these spear points took to get to the valley.”

           “Except determining the geological origin of the metals isn’t infallible when you take into consideration the various ore ingots used along trade routes as currency. So, your premise, while admirable, is flawed.”

           “My premise is flawed?! Are you seriously discounting all of the cutting-edge work Drs. Maxfield and Branson published in the American Journal of Archaeology? Or the Nordic Bronze Age metallurgy expertise of Dr. Hildegard,” Caroline hissed, feeling her temper rise. She’d just started to recite the latest research statistics on copper-based metals across Bronze Age Europe when she noticed the tips of his ears growing red. Suddenly, she burst into giggles at the ridiculousness of the situation.

           Klaus’ confusion gave way to amusement as he too started chuckling. “We’re never going to agree, are we?”

           “Nope. But where’s the fun in that,” she asked, leaning over to kiss him soundly on the lips. She broke off the kiss with a twinkle in her eye, sticking out her leg to take advantage of the deep slit in her dress in order to access her lock pick kit. She deftly worked at the enormous mechanism lock behind the glass case, rolling her eyes at the Martins’ foolish assumption that bigger was better when it came to security.

           The interlocking tumblers easily gave way, and as she carefully opened the glass door, Klaus murmured, “You make burglary sexier than it has any right to be, sweetheart.”

           “Sweet talker,” Caroline replied fondly, delicately sliding the spear points into the leather strap across her thigh. “If you’re lucky, I might let you help me remove these later. Artifacts require such a gentle touch, you know.”

           From that lustful gleam, it seemed he was ready to take her up on her offer sooner rather than later, but unfortunately, they had company. From the heavy black eyeliner and holdover grunge ensembles, she knew exactly who had found them. “Shit. It’s the Travelers.” She quickly pulled Klaus up a narrow staircase, explaining, “So, maybethere’s also this cult of crazy fanatics who are interested in the spear points. They’re convinced some ancient ancestor was a powerful witch who disturbed the natural balance and was cast out of her community.”

           With a troubled sigh that turned into a choked laugh, he pulled loose his bowtie as they hid out on a balcony, staring down at the courtyard very far below. “And what does that nonsense have to do with our artifacts?”

           He said ‘our’. It inexplicably filled her with warmth and she again had to tamp down those lusty thoughts. Action now — then some real action later. “It’s kind of hard to follow and has more embarrassing plot holes than a CW show, but supposedly there was a curse that had something to do with doppelgangers, massive earthquakes and possibly a boat anchor and they think these artifacts will somehow break the curse.”  

           He scoffed, but whatever skeptical diatribe he was about to begin was stopped short when there was a loud banging on the double doors to the room where they’d been hiding. Glancing over the balcony once more, he wryly asked, “Does your skillset include flying?”

           Following his line of sight, she spied some of the aerial silks the acrobats had hung for their performance. As the edges of the jewel-toned fabrics fluttered near the balcony, she asked, “Are you daring me to jump out this window and slide down a curtain?”

           Wincing a bit at the sound of wood starting to splinter from the psycho cult just outside, he told her, “Perhaps I found my adventurous spirit.”

           “Fine. But we’re jumping together.”

           Klaus smirked, grabbing her by the waist as they each clutched the sturdy fabric. “I suppose a dare is a dare.”

[digikate813]

Fanfiction Writer Appreciation Recs

I’ve seen a bunch of people doing these, and i really wanted to too. I may be late to the party here, but I hope I can point you towards some cool stuff to check out. Most of what I read in the fanfiction circle is Gravity Falls, so this post is mostly just multi chapter fics from the Gravity Falls fandom! I might do one for one-shots, and I’m sorry if I forget any major ones, but this is what immediately comes to mind that I highly recommend.

Stanswap by @orangeoctopi7

Reverse Portal AU at it’s best! The Reverse Portal AU was popular for a while (almost on par with Blind Faith) and a lot of people tried to grab onto the idea, but after all this time, it just seems to have left a lot of incomplete works in it’s wake. That is not the case here. It’s still going, but it shows no sign of stopping until it tells it’s entire story. And this story has been insanely detailed and well executed. Retelling almost the entire series as if Ford was the one taking care of the kids, and the dilemmas he faces with the fact that Stan is stuck on the other side of the portal. Not to mention most of the jokes are on point with something you’d hear in Gravity Falls. The author is someone I am proud to call my friend, and that all started when this fic was recommended to me.

30 Seconds Later by @invisibletinkerer

A pretty recent one that i really hope gets more attention. I’ve seen people do fanart and stuff of Ford being the same age as when he got sucked into the portal, while his home dimension and Stan aged, but I didn’t really see much potential for a full story in that idea. That changes with this fic, which again is still ongoing, but updates fairly regularly. The interactions between the Grunkle Stan we know and love and a Ford who is still fresh from his sleep deprived paranoia days, and still susceptible to Bill’s possession brings so much engaging conflict that i cannot get enough of!

My Demons by @kazriku

An oldie but a goodie. This one is basically a Mystery Trio story that focuses mostly on Stan and Ford, and the first chapter was written before A Tale of Two Stans came out. Adjustments were made after that episode came out, but this fic is very much telling it’s own story on how the Stans became so distant, and the incident that lead to Ford being trapped on the other side of the portal. Filled with mysterious suspense and some entertaining brotherly bonding, even if it hasn’t updated in a while, if we’re talking about fanfics I appreciate, there was no way i couldn’t include this one. It was the first major GF Fanfic I read from the person who would become my first mutual, and chances are this fic lead to me reading all the ones you see here!

By the skin of your teeth by @apathetic-revenant

I didn’t realize just how popular this one was until today, but it deserves it. It’s so good! When Stan gets into his argument with Ford after Ford calls him for the first time in 10 years, he realizes that something's wrong with Ford. He’s very sick and his house is a wreck. There is so much tension and angst in this one as Stan puts the pieces together about what’s been going on with his brother, and Ford continuing to fight what seems like a losing battle. There’s a happy ending, but it takes quite a bit to get there, and it is glorious!

And Then There Were Three by @kalajorn

I’m just going to say it. This is one of my favorite Mystery Trio stories. Ever! With an author who I think really is under the radar in the community. Mystery Trio is probably my favorite AU for Gravity Falls, but depending on who you ask, it either got stronger or weaker once A Tale of Two Stans came out. For me, it only got stronger, and this fic is an excellent example of why. I adore the scenario presented here of how Stan and Ford eventually reunite. How there is some spark of their connection as brothers still there, but there are still forces interfering with that, and using the material from canon to build some great tension. Updates take some time, but i promise you it’s worth it. This story only gets more engaging with each chapter and i’m hoping it’ll stay that way.

A Little Bit Lost by @impishnature

Impish is really a beacon of life for the GF fandom. Regularly producing high quality content of all kinds. I could have put any number of her stories on here. If you miss Gravity Falls, and you want to reminisce about it over a weekend, scroll through her AO3. You’ll find a lot to enjoy. But one of my personal favorites is this compilation of fics surrounding the Feral Ford AU. An AU that vanished as quickly as it arrived. I was even going to write something small on it, but i just never got to it. Anyway, these stories of a paranoid, almost animalistic Ford from what trauma he faced on the other side of the portal is just so powerful. Every idea has a new obstacle. Sometimes it’s comforting. Sometimes it’s heartbreaking. But there’s always something to grab your attention and not let go. I come back to these a lot, and they are always a great read.

I’d also recommend her Mystery Trio fic Phobos, but that one hasn’t updated for a while. But I still really like it so here ya go!

Maybe it’s Not Too Late by @rum-and-shattered-dreams

Why was this one so hard to find? It’s awesome! One of the reasons I’ve dived so deeply into Gravity Falls fanfiction more then any other fandom I’ve been in, is because even after the official shows credits rolled, it still left us with so much potential for what other adventures were out there. And this is one of the best examples of that. It’s a great, insanely engaging post series adventure involving pretty much the entire main cast and the return of the Shapeshifter, with Fiddleford and Ford as the main focus. Yes, it is partly a Ship Fic, which I’m not crazy about, but I don’t really find it distracting. There is so much in this story, and the shipping is just another element of it. And FiddAuthor is one of the ships I tolerate more, so I don’t really mind that much. The rest is just too dang good!!

Better Kept Secret by BadonKaDank

Another one that nearly alluded my radar until a friend mentioned it to me back when it had just completed, and I’m glad they did because this story is AMAZING! Having someone from one of the boys’ past come back for revenge is another premise that was circulating for a while that I freaking adored!! There were a few good pieces of writing out there on this (and even a comic currently going on), but this fic is at the top of the chart for me. Filled with drama, action, intense and suspenseful moments, it’s one that really stuck with me that i can’t believe I almost missed. 

Goodnight Stanley by Kitsunesocks

I haven’t seen many people mention this one, and while it may not be the most angst filled story involving the Stan Bros, it’s still a great one. Without giving too much away, while Stan and Ford are getting ready to head back to Gravity Falls, they discover that Bill might not be entirely gone, and that he may be plotting a way to come back right under their noses. Despite how common it is, this is a premise I’ve never been crazy about. I think @thesnadger Axolotl is the only story like this to engage me past the first chapter. Except this one. This is a great adventure of a story. The pacing is excellent and the characters are on point. Some of the most accurate I think I’ve seen in a Gravity Falls fic. I especially appreciate how proactive Dipper and Mabel are in this story. A lot of fics like this tend to push them to the side to make room for the Stans. But this story makes good use of everyone involved. It’s not the most emotionally driven story out there, but it’s one of the most well put together stories I’ve seen in a GF fic.

Blind Faith by @pinesinthewoods

Oh my God! This one! I originally wasn’t going to include this one because I know the author is no longer active in the fandom, but again, appreciation post. And this story deserves to be appreciated no matter what. You all know this AU, where Stan and Ford both wind up on the other side of the portal, and have to face the horrors on the other side together. Blind Faith was already fairly popular at this point, but this story propelled it to something else. Something stronger. Something with depth. Leaving you with chills as you finish every chapter. Aside from My Demons, this is probably the first fanfic I was checking for updates on, daily. This brought many new ideas to the AU that you still see in the occasional new content today, and that is something truly special. This is from yet another author who I am proud to call a friend, and it’s weird to think that back then, I was just a fan of something a lot of other people were. I’m sure most of you have read this one, but if you haven’t, go read it! It’s one of the best out there.

Stanley McGucket by @thelastspeecher

This is the sort of fic I don’t normally care for. Tons of original characters and a lot of shipping. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just not for me. But the premise was just too intriguing to resist. The idea of Stan being offered a job from Fiddleford’s parents and basically becoming an honorary member of the McGucket family is a really endearing premise. And when certain characters reunite or put the pieces together about who they are to each other, it really gets the ball rolling. You’re just waiting to see how everything will turn out, and it’s a pretty great ride. I followed this story and it’s expansions for a while. Then it branched into multiple AUs on it’s own and it just got way too confusing to keep up with the tag. But the main story is still a enjoyable ride from a type of fic that usually doesn’t grab me. But it had an interesting idea that pulled me in, and followed through on it. Welcome to the McGucket Family Tree Stanley

Amnesia by @ducksalive

Okay, yeah. This one isn’t technically a Gravity Falls fic. But I’m really into Ducktales right now and i was running out of Gravity Falls stories. So yeah, I’ve started diving into Ducktales fan fiction. Even wrote one of my own which you should definitely check out. Please? There’s not much out there that’s grabbed me as much as these other stories yet (if anybody knows any good Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera/Gizmoduck stuff out there, let me know), but something about this one had my attention. 

I’m one of those people who is immediately intrigued by amnesia stories but the reason most people aren’t is because of how often they can go wrong. So far, that’s not the case here. In this story, Donald is the one with amnesia, and Glomgold finds him and convinces him that he’s his uncle, and that Scrooge is the enemy. From there it’s a race to try and help rescue Donald from a trap he doesn’t even know he’s in. While Donald constantly suffers for it. If you’re the type of person who likes family angst (which chances are you do if you’re a fan of any of the above fics) then you’ll get a kick out of this. Every time you think the family is going to get Donald back, Glomgold manages to snatch him away. And realizing just how far he’s willing to go to keep Scrooge’s nephew on his side is just shocking. This is another story that’s still ongoing, so there’s no telling how this will conclude yet, but at the moment, I am very emotionally invested in this one.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve gotten way more into fanfiction then I ever would have imagined. I never looked twice at it before, but now I’ve been a spectator to many creative stories, the authors of some of my favorites have become some of my closest friends, and I’ve even written a couple myself. I may be late to the actual day, but I hope this shows my appreciation for all the fanfic writers above and a few dozen I’m probably forgetting at the moment. 

[mary-magizoologist]

Dead in the Water | Part 1

Characters: Reader, Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester

Pairing: eventual Sam x Reader

Words: 1939

Summary: Sam, Dean and you go to a small town called Lake Manitoc to investigate a series of weird murders, and the only leads you have are the ones given by a kid named Lucas. Based on the third episode of the first season of the show.

Warnings: language, show level angst and violence.

A/N: This is a new part of my Series Rewrite. Hope you guys like it! Please press the heart and consider sharing, and leaving some feedback, it’s what keeps me going. This is not beta’d. All mistakes are mine.

Catch up

Dean in the Water - Part 1

Sam, Dean and you are eating in the restaurant of a hotel on the road called Lynnwood Inn. Dean’s plate is pretty much empty and he’s checking the obituaries in a newspaper. You are checking the ones he’s circling when you see one pretty odd about a girl named Sophie who drowned.

“This one…” you say, pointing out for him to circle it.

He does it and you’re distracted by a waitress who comes and talks to Dean.

“Can I get you anything else?” she asks.

You look up and see Dean grinning at her around the pen he’s chewing on. You grimace at all the flirting. Sam then comes over and sits down next to you.

“Just the check, please,” he says.

“Okay,” she walks showing a big smile.

Dean drops his head, then looks at Sam.

“You know, Sam,” he starts, “we are allowed to have fun once in a while.” He points at the waitress and you check that she’s wearing very short shorts. “That's fun,” he says.

Sam and you look at him.

“I don’t wanna block you, but please, next time don’t flirt in front of me,” you tease him.

“Just because you don’t get any action doesn’t mean I can’t get any action,” he told you.

“I can get action if I want to, I just… don’t want to,” you shrug.

“Yeah, sure,” he said.

“Shut up,” you mumbled.

Dean hands Sam the newspaper.

“Here, take a look at this, I think we got one,” he showed Sam.

Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin. Last week Sophie Carlton, eighteen, walks into the lake, doesn't walk out. Authorities dragged the water; nothing. Sophie Carlton is the third Lake Manitoc drowning this year. None of the other bodies were found either. They had a funeral two days ago.

“A funeral?” Sam asked.

“Yeah,” you answered. “They buried an empty coffin. For some closure I suppose.”

“Closure?” he asked, “What closure? People don't just disappear. Other people just stop looking for them.”

“Something you want to say to me?” Dean inquired, making you groan.

“The trail for Dad. It's getting colder every day.”

“Exactly,” Dean said. “So what are we supposed to do?”

“I don't know. Something. Anything,” Sam told him.

“You know what? I'm sick of this attitude. You don't think I wanna find Dad as much as you do?”

“Yeah, I know you do, it's just—”

“I'm the one that's been with him every single day for the past two years,” Dean cut him off, “while you've been off to college going to pep rallies. We will find Dad, but until then, we're gonna kill everything bad between here and there. Okay?”

There was a long pause in which Sam and Dean began a staring contest of hard looks, Sam rolled his eyes and the waitress walked by distracting Dean.

“All right,” Sam agreed, “Lake Manitoc,” no answer from Dean. “Hey!”

Dean returns his attention to Sam.

“Huh?” Dean hummed.

“How far?” asked Sam

You got back on the road again, your journey musicalized with Round and Round by Ratt on the stereo, you watched a clothesline with white sheets in one place, a little bit further was a man fishing on a small bridge. After a while, you see the “Welcome to Lake Manitoc, WI” sign. You go straight to the Carlton house. Dean pulls up in front of it and stops the engine. You get out and go to knock on the door. A man opens it.

“Will Carlton?” Dean asks.

“Yeah, that's right,” he answers

“I'm Agent Ford,” Dean lies, “This is Agent Hamill and Agent Fisher. We're with the US Wildlife Service,” he shows up a fake ID.

Will takes you around to the lake, his father Bill is sitting on a bench on the dock.

“She was about a hundred yards out,” Will explains to us looking at the lake, “That's where she got dragged down.”

“And you're sure she didn't just drown?” Dean asks.

“Yeah. She was a varsity swimmer,” Will answered. “She practically grew up in that lake. She was as safe out there as in her own bathtub.”

“So no splashing? No signs of distress?” Sam wonders.

“No,” Will shakes his head. “That's what I'm telling you.”

“Did you see any shadows in the water?” You add, “Maybe some dark shape breach the surface?”

“No,” Will denied. “Again, she was really far out there.”

“You ever see any strange tracks by the shoreline?” Dean asked.

“No, never. Why?” Will frowned, “Why, what do you think's out there?”

“We'll let you know as soon as we do,” you calm him.

Dean and you turn to head back to the car.

“What about your father?” Sam questions, making Dean and you to stop walking and turn back. “Can we talk to him?”

Will turns to look at his father, then turns back to you. “Look, if you don't mind, I mean... He didn't see anything and he kind of been through a lot,” he states.

“We understand,” Sam nods.

After that, the three of you go back to the car and drive up to the police station to talk to Sheriff Jake Devins.

“Now, I'm sorry,” Jake says, “but why does the Wildlife Service care about an accidental drowning?” he lets you into the station to go to his office.

“You sure it's accidental?” Sam asks him. “Will Carlton saw something grab his sister.”

“Like what?” the sheriff sighs while you get into his office. “Here, sit, please, “ he motions the chairs in front of his desk. “There are no indigenous carnivores in that lake,” he states, “There's nothing even big enough to pull down a person unless it was the Loch Ness Monster.”

“Yeah,” Dean nods, chuckling, “Right.” He glances at Sam and you.

“Will Carlton was traumatized, and sometimes the mind plays tricks,” Jake said looking at us. “Still—” he continued and sat down, “We dragged that entire lake. We even ran a sonar sweep, just to be sure, and there was nothing down there.”

“I’m sorry, but that's weird, though,” you say, “I mean, that's the third missing body reported this year.”

“I know,” he nods, ”These are people from my town. These are people I care about.”

“I know,” Dean responds.

“Anyway…” Jake sighs, leaning back in his chair, “All this...it won't be a problem much longer.”

“What do you mean?” you frown.

“Well, the dam, of course,” he states.

“Of course, the dam,” Dean looks at Sam and you, “It's, uh, it sprung a leak,” he agrees.

“It's falling apart,” he declares, “And the feds won't give us the grant to repair it, so they've opened the spillway. In another six months, there won't be much of a lake. There won't be much of a town, either. But as Federal Wildlife, you already knew that.”

“Exactly,” Dean nods.

Someone taps on the door, interrupting the conversation. You turn to see a young woman coming in. "Sorry, am I interrupting?” she apologizes and all of you stand up. “I can come back later.”

“Gentlemen and lady,” Jake said, “This is my daughter.”

“Hi,” you greet her.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Dean says shaking her hand. “I’m Dean.”

“Andrea Barr,” she introduces, “Hi.”

“Hi,” Dean smiles.

You shake your head fighting the urge to laugh.

“They’re from Wildlife Service,” Jake says, “About the lake.”

“Oh,” she deadpans.

A boy walks in and around Andrea.

“Oh, hey there,” Dean says, “What’s your name?”

The kid just walks away without speaking and Andrea follows him.

“His name is Lucas,” Jake explains.

You turn back and look at the main room where Andrea and Lucas are.

“Is he okay?” Sam asks.

“My grandson's been through a lot,” Jake explains. “We all have.” He stands and goes to the door. “Well, if there's anything else I can do for you, please let me know.”

The four of you walk to leave the office.

“Thank you, Jake,” you thank him. “You know, now that you mentioned it, could you point us in the direction of a reasonably priced motel?”

“Lakefront Motel,” Andrea answers. “Go around the corner. It's about two blocks south.”

“Two—would you mind showing us?” Dean asked.

Andrea laughs. “You want me to walk you two blocks?”

“Not if it's any trouble,” Dean says.

“I'm heading that way anyway,” she nods and turns to Jake, “I'll be back to pick up Lucas at three.”

She then turns to Lucas, “We'll go to the park, okay, sweetie?” she kisses him on the head.

Dean wave as you leave and Jake nods.

“Thanks again,” Sam says.

Outside, Andrea leads your way along the street.

“So, cute kid,” Dean tells her.

“Thanks,” she says.

“Kids are the best, huh?” he mentions, Andrea glances at him and ignores him.

You look at Sam, frowning and feeling the cringe. You keep walking until you stop in front of the Lakefront Motel.

“There it is,” Andrea points, “Like I said, two blocks.”

“Thanks,” you and Sam say in unison.

Andrea looks at Dean. “Must be hard, with your sense of direction, never being able to find your way to a decent pickup line.” She leaves and calls back over he shoulder, “Enjoy your stay!”

That’s when you lose it and start laughing.

“'Kids are the best'?” Sam mocks. “You don't even like kids.”

“I love kids,” Dean shrugs.

“Name three children that you even know,” Sam dares.

Dean thinks and comes up with nothing. Sam waves a hand and walks into the hotel, leaving Dean scratching his head and whining that he’s thinking.

“Dude,” you pat his shoulder, “That made my skin crawl of how lame that was.”

“Shut up,” he mumbles.

You got a room at the motel Andrea recommended you. Sam was working on his laptop, you were lying in one of the beds, and Dean was going through his clothing.

“So there are the three drowning victims this year,” Sam acknowledged.

“Any before that?” Dean asked.

“Uh, yeah...” Sam answered, checking the browsers he has open with The Lake Manitoc Tribune, the local newspaper. “Six more, spread out over the past thirty-five years. Those bodies were never recovered either. If there is something out there, it's picking up its pace.”

Dean folds his clothes and tosses them onto the bed. “So, what, we got a lake monster on a binge?”

“This whole lake monster theory, it, it just bugs me,” Sam shakes his head.

”Why?” Dean asked coming to read over our shoulders.

“Loch Ness,” he started to number, “Uh, Lake Champlain, there are literally hundreds of eyewitness accounts, but here, almost nothing. Whatever it is out there, no one's living to talk about it.”

“Wait,” Dean says pointing at the screen. You get up and crawl to them. “Barr, Christopher Barr. Where have I heard that name before?”

“It’s Andrea’s last name,” you remind him, standing next to them and looking at the computer.

“Christopher Barr, the victim in May,” Sam reads. He clicks a link opening a new page. You read the header “Local man in tragic accident.” A picture of Lucas loads up. “Oh. Christopher Barr was Andrea's husband, Lucas's father. Apparently, he took Lucas out swimming. Lucas was on a floating wooden platform when Chris drowned. Two hours before the kid got rescued.”

You suddenly felt goosebumps on your back and shudder. Dean looks at you.

Sam clicks the picture for a better look, then scratches his head. “Maybe we have an eyewitness after all.”

“No wonder that kid was so freaked out,” Dean states. “Watching one of your parents die isn't something you just get over.”

Next Part

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[minijenn]

Universe Falls Chapter 51

SURPRISE BITCHES!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAH GUESS WHO WROTE AN ENTIRE ORIGINAL CHAPTER OF UNIVERSE FALLS PRETTY MUCH ENTIRELY UNDER WRAPS! YEAH THAT”S RIGHT FUCKIN ME! AND WOOO BOY IS THIS ONE A FUCKING DOOZY TOO! ARC 6 OPENS WITH ANGST AHAHAHAHAH But yeah this one is like... completely original and it kinda is mostly a bunch of character interaction, going downward from the last chapter and whatnot,, yadda yadda whatever whatever. Either way, I hope you enjoy it because its time for some BOMBSHELLS AHAHAHAH WOO BABY!

Previous: http://minijenn.tumblr.com/post/172209617169/universe-falls-chapter-50-part-2

Chapter 51: Lost and Found

WLICWC YPDVS NDR CSDRGP D POE WMMP WS RPPIMMHV WSDX TTPI FZUKOE ZLAE RRCP ZES WRWT SDW NZZ GOXH XO WLKHE EYT EKI QFHWTTRR RPPEIYV: HIO USSP GS WSDX WLV VIRKX?

A teardrop splashed onto the page, staining it as the hand writing the letter stilled. A tug of grief pulled at the writer’s heart, grief that prompted even more tears as they continued their letter.

“I should have told them.”

Their script was flowing and elegant, but their message was sad and solemn, though hard to make out through their pressing tears. Still, it was a message that needed to be relayed all the same, even if they weren’t sure their intended recipient would ever receive them.

“If I had just let them know about the danger we were facing from the beginning, then maybe none of this would have happened…”

They sighed, pausing to shake their head remorsefully. It seemed as though regrets of the past never really died, no matter how much time and healing passed.

“But I did what I had to… for them… for us…”

The very act of writing the letter itself was becoming almost too painful to bear, given the nature of it, but they had put this off long enough. If they didn’t finish this now, then chances are, they never would.

“If you were still here, then I know you’d understand…”

The letter was nearing its end now, but even so, it still felt incredibly incomplete. After all, there was so very much to say that a simple handwritten page couldn’t ever hope to contain it all.

“But you’re gone… and its all my fault… just like everything else…”

Another tear slipped down their cheek, just one more do add to the almost endless flow that had begun even before they had ever sat down to write this letter. A letter that could only ever serve as a forever insufficient, eternally empty way of reckoning with the wrongs of the past.

“And I’m so, so sorry… for everything I’ve done…”

Steven awoke with a gasp, his eyes wide as soon as they opened as his mind reeled from whatever it was he had just dreamt about. By all accounts, what he had just seen made no sense to him whatsoever, but what made even less sense was the fact that his cheeks were damp with tears. Apparently, the very same tears he seemed to have shed in his unexplainable, context-free dream.

Yet that wasn’t all. As the young Gem slowly pulled himself up out of bed and wiped his face dry, he couldn’t help but feel weighed down by a wave of immense guilt, guilt that he couldn’t really pin the source down for. After all, the only things he had fallen asleep with last night had been worry and uncertainty given everything that had happened the previous day and all that had been uncovered, but for once, he had been relatively free of any tangible guilt. So then why did he feel like he had done something so horribly, unforgivably wrong?

For a moment, Steven simply sat on the edge of his bed, trying to sort these mysterious, almost random feelings out, quite alarmed by just how heavy they seemed to be. And yet, his focus was soon diverted away from his own confusion emotions as he overheard quiet voices coming from the front porch. Steven’s brow furrowed as he recognized these voices to be those of the Gems, and given just how shaken they had all been the last time he saw them the previous night, he couldn’t help but tiptoe down from the loft and press against the wall near the door to listen to what they were saying.

“There’s no denying that he was close to Rose,” Garnet said, leaning against the railing as Pearl hung close to her, though Amethyst was oddly somewhat distanced from them. “The journals alone are proof of that.”

Steven quickly realized that the Gems had to be talking about Ford based on this mention of the journals, and even though he felt somewhat bad for eavesdropping on them, he couldn’t resist. Especially given the apparent and now forgotten camaraderie between them that the young Gem still wanted to know more about.

“W-well even if they do, that doesn’t mean we can just take everything he told us yesterday at face value,” Pearl huffed crossly. “For all we know, he could have been fabricating any given part of all that just to… to save face or something.”

“As far as I can tell, he’d have no reason to lie,” Garnet shook her head, her manner seemingly calm, though there was still some uncertainty beneath it. “And the evidence does add up: our gems on the portal, what happened in the bunker and with the Society… Everything points to the fact that there was indeed a time that we worked together with Stanford. We just don’t remember it.”

“And that’s exactly the problem!” the white Gem moaned impatiently. She paused for a moment, anxiety filling her features before she spoke up again, her voice even softer as she clasped her hands together tightly. “G-Garnet? I… I know this is ridiculous to even bring up but… what Stan said yesterday about Rose knowing something regarding our memories… you don’t think-?”

“H-hey! Ste-man!” Amethyst suddenly spoke up with a tightly forced grin upon noticing Steven standing on the other side of the screen door. The young Gem flinched, having wanted to remain discreet, but still, he emerged from the house nonetheless somewhat sheepishly as Amethyst continued greeting him. “H-how ya feeling? You somehow manage to get some shut-eye after, uh… everything that went down yesterday?”

“Y-yes,” Pearl chimed in, offering her young ward a placating smile. “We know that a lot happened yesterday, what with the agents, the portal and everything else, s-so if you feel like you need to talk through any of it, t-then we’re right here to listen.”

Steven frowned as he took in the warm, but ultimately fake smiles each of his guardians were offering, smiles that were merely serving as masks for much deeper, underlying dread and apprehension. “Uh… I think I’m ok…” Steven said evenly enough, though this wasn’t entirely the truth. For much like the Gems, he too was quite concerned by the accusation that his mother had some knowledge of what happened to their missing memories, an accusation that, by all accounts, he didn’t want to believe just as much as they didn’t. Still, he didn’t bring this up just yet, at least not so directly. “But um… i-is there anything you guys wanna talk about?”

The Gems exchanged a surprised glance at this, but even so, Amethyst played it off. “Uh… like what?”

“Like…” Steven bit his lip, unsure of where he really wanted to go. After all, there was so much to talk about in light of what happened in the past 24 hours alone that it felt like he’d never truly be able to cover it all. Still, he figured he’d start with at least one of his pressing curiosities. “Like, are you guys… mad at Mr. Ford for… well, for what happened back when Mom was still around?”

“Steven, we don’t remember what happened back then,” Pearl sighed, glancing away. “And even if we did, we’d be hard pressed to forgive Stanford based on everything he told us about that disastrous machine of his…”

“Well, to me it seems like he just made a mistake…” Steven said somewhat sympathetically. “And he made it sound like it was a mistake that he was pretty sorry about and that he did just about everything he could to try and fix.”

While Amethyst and Pearl didn’t share this sentiment, Garnet couldn’t help but smile somewhat at this as she placed a gentle hand on top of her young ward’s head. “Maybe you’re right, Steven,” she said, catching her teammates off guard somewhat. “But there’s only one way we can know for sure: we need to find our lost memories, once and for all. There can be no more putting this off. As of right now, it’s the only way we can finally learn what really happened for ourselves and why.”

“But how are we supposed to do that?” Amethyst asked hesitantly. “We still got like, no clues about what happened to them. Well, unless you wanna believe what Stan said,” the purple Gem scoffed harshly upon mentioning the conman, her ire towards him over his betrayal still quite apparently. “Which I sure as heck don’t.”

“Neither do I,” Pearl asserted firmly. “There’s no way Rose had any involvement in what happened to our memories. More likely than not, that was just another one of Stan’s countless lies and after everything we’ve seen and heard yesterday, I’d say he’s just about the least credible source of information out there!”

“Well… what about Mr. Ford?” Steven suggested thoughtfully. “I mean, he seems like he’s really smart; he did write the journals and he built that portal, so… maybe he might be able to help us figure this out.”

The Gems were hesitant about this idea, to say the least, their expressions alone conveying that none of them were really too keen on asking the author for help in this matter. Still, given the fact that they had essentially no leads, none of them could deny that the assistance of a proven genius would be rather welcome in solving this long ongoing mystery. Or at least getting somewhere closer to the truth than they had ever been before. Which was why, when Pearl and Amethyst looked to her for the final verdict on this plan, Garnet simply shrugged, showing that she was every bit as clueless as they were for a change. “It’s worth a try.”

A great deal could change over the course of 30 years; this was something that Ford was well aware of, largely since it was a matter of common logic. But what exactly had changed during his absence was what the author hadn’t been able to anticipate, and as he reacclimated himself to his native dimension, he was quick to find that some changes were much more alarming than others. For example, the discovery that he now had a great niece and nephew was fitting, welcome even given that he had never really had the chance to be much of an uncle prior to the portal incident. The revelation that Rose was no longer around and the Gems bore no recollection of him, however, was much more shocking and much more disheartening, to the point that he was still largely trying to process it all himself. But at the moment, the change that Ford found the most appalling and offending was what Stan had apparently done to his home over the past 30 years, both cosmetically and functionally.

What was once his proud and stately research base had been transformed into a tacky, homely tourist trap dubbed the “Mystery Shack”, of all things. Ford scoffed to himself as he stood outside of it, sketching the changes to its exterior out in his third journal as a form of venting his frustrations. It was bad enough that Stan had embezzled his name, but to turn his property, his home into a tawdry, fabricated sideshow for mindless vacationers to pass through and sink their money into was perhaps the most disrespectful slight his brother had made against him yet. Which was why Ford had absolutely no qualms about sending Stan the harshest glare he could muster upon noticing the conman emerge from the shack a moment later.

“Mornin’, Sixer,” Stan greeted casually enough, even though he was still aware he was essentially walking on eggshells with his brother now. Which, of course, was far from what he had wanted after finally saving him after 30 years, but even so he had no choice to accept the tense state of things between them. For now, at least. “What are you up to? Makin’ up for lost time by writing more ‘nerd notes’ in those ‘nerd books’ of yours?”

Ford’s glower deepened somewhat upon hearing this teasing, teasing that he would have laughingly accepted from Stan back when they were kids, but now only saw with contempt and bitterness. Much like how he viewed his brother in general at the moment. “Two things,” he began coldly as he shut the journal. “One: my journals are not so-called ‘nerd books’. They’re important, highly detailed chronicles of my research of Gravity Falls, and after wrongfully using their knowledge for the past 30 years now, I’d think you’d have finally come to understand that, Stanley.”

“Yeesh, I almost forgot how annoying you are when you get into one of your little ‘genius’ rants,” Stan rolled his eyes at Ford’s sour scolding. Still, the author paid his callous remark no mind as he continued.

“Two: care to explain the meaning of this?” he nodded to the Mystery Shack, his expression alone conveying that he was far from supportive of it.

“What’s there to explain?” Stan shrugged. “Like I said yesterday, I did what I had to do to keep things up and running here. It gave me a way to keep your bills paid so I could stay here and keep working on your dumb portal. When you think about it, the Mystery Shack pretty much saved both our butts, whether you wanna admit that or not.”

“Did it ever occur to you that maybe I didn’t want to be saved?” Ford asked sharply. “That perhaps I was willing and ready to sacrifice my own wellbeing for the sake of protecting the entire universe by wanting the portal to remain deactivated forever?”

“Ugh, you sound just like Rose used to with all that self-righteous garbage,” Stan remarked dryly. “No wonder you two were such good friends; you two are probably the some of the most pretentious know-it-alls the world’s ever seen. Well, you and Pearl.”

Ford’s reaction to this was much harsher than Stan had been expecting as he took a step closer, his expression fierce with genuine fury. “Say what you want about me, but you will not disrespect Rose Quartz like that,” he growled bitterly. “She is—was one of the closest and most trusted friends I’ve ever known, even despite everything that regrettably went wrong between us. In fact, Stanley, I’d even say that she’s done more for me than you ever have.”

It took every ounce of willpower Stan had in him to keep himself from punching his brother square in the face upon hearing this. Because how dare he uphold the honor of the Gem who had stubbornly tried to keep him trapped in another dimension for thirty years as opposed to take the side of his own brother who had risked so much and worked so hard to save him. But even if he didn’t intend to physically harm Ford, that still didn’t stop Stan from lashing out and grabbing his brother by the collar of his sweater and sending him an incredibly harsh glare. “Listen here, Sixer,” he began, his tone chillingly hostile. “You’re kidding yourself if you think that stupid pink broad was some kinda perfect saint, because she was just about the exact opposite of that. She was nothing but a lying, stubborn, selfish bi-”

“Grunkle Stan? Grunkle Ford?” Stan instantly cut himself off upon hearing Mabel’s confused questioning. The brothers starkly turned to see their nibblings both emerging from the shack, Dipper a good bit behind Mabel, though neither of the kids seemed to be in really high spirits as they looked to their uncles questioningly upon seeing how Stan was holding onto Ford rather threateningly. “What’s going on?”

Stan was quick to release Ford after a beat of somewhat awkward silence and both brothers readily scowled away from each other, giving the younger twins a pretty good impression of what was going on, despite their uncles’ attempts at playing it off. “Uh, n-nothing!” Stan remarked with a forced, fake smile. “Me and your Grunkle Ford were just, uh… we were…”

“We were just… catching up,” Ford finished, sending another critical glance Stan’s way before he turned to address his nibblings with a much softer expression. “Anyway… Good morning, children. How are you feeling? Neither of you are suffering from any sort of portal radiation from yesterday, are you?”

“Uh, no, I don’t think so…” Mabel said, innocently shaking her head. “But I am going through a bit of a sugar rush from the baker’s dozen of super chocolatey chunk cupcakes I had for breakfast!”

Ford took pause, looking to his niece with apt concern upon hearing this, though he didn’t get much of a chance to ask Stan about her nutrition habits before Dipper cut in. “Don’t worry, Mabel’s pretty much on a perpetual sugar rush,” he said dismissively, ignoring his sister’s flustered scoff as he perked up while addressing the author. “B-but anyway, Great Uncle Ford, I was just wondering… Did you really take on a Gremloblin on your own? What do you think the secret behind the bottomless pit really is? Have the Gems ever told you any huge secrets about the war or Homeworld? Do you think there are any ghosts out there above a category ten? Did you and the Gems ever try to find a way to fix corrupted Gems? What did you do when-”

“Ah, s-slow down, my boy,” Ford interupted with something of a bemused chuckle at this round of rapid-fire, curious inquiries. “Based on all those questions, it seems as though you really weren’t kidding yesterday when you said you read my journals.”

“Oh, several times over, at least,” Dipper said with clear pride over this fact. “Well… to be honest, the only one I’ve really gotten the chance to read is the third one, but it’s still super informative!”

“Hm…” Ford duly noted, raising an eyebrow as he flipped through the later pages of the journal still in his hands. “So I would be correct in assuming that you were the one who made all these… additions to this one, then?”

Dipper’s excited manner faltered upon noticing that Ford looked less than pleased about the notes he had compiled on his own within journal 3 throughout the summer. “Um, y-yeah, I… sorry…” he muttered, glancing down sheepishly as he realized his unintentional slight against the author. After all, he could have never even considered that when he first began recording his findings on the journal’s empty pages, but now he wished he had never written anything on them at all in light of the disapproval he had apparently garnished from his longtime unknown idol.

Mabel was the first to pick up upon her brother’s newfound fretfulness, but as soon as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, Dipper was quick to pull it away with returned bitterness, refusing to so much as even glance over at her. Proof that he was still just as upset with her as he had been last night, something that only served to make Mabel feel even worse about it all.

Stan readily noticed the shared, silent despondency of both his nibblings, and he was quick to blame Ford for it as he sent him a sharp, almost furious glare. The author himself didn’t really notice that though as much as he did his own tactlessness towards his nephew in particular, but before he could make an attempt to apologize for it, the informal family gathering was suddenly interupted.

“Hey, Mr. Pines!” Soos exclaimed with a cheerful grin as both him and Wendy showed up for their shift. “And hey, Mr. Pines!” the handyman greeted again, this time to Ford as he passed him by.

“’Sup, Stan Two?” Wendy nodded to the author sardonically, already well informed of his arrival thanks to Soos’ thorough recounting of the tale. “Nice turtleneck.”

While Ford was rather confused by the pair’s arrival, Stan spoke up with something of a relieved sigh, glad that his employees unknowingly broke through the ongoing tension. “Glad to see you two are actually both on time for a chance,” he remarked, crossing his arms. “I don’t expect any customers today, but as you can tell, the shack is kinda torn up from yesterday’s fiasco, so get to work and make this place look a little less like a sci-fi portal exploded underneath it, ok?”

“You got it, Mr. Pines!” Soos grinned with an eager thumbs up as him and Wendy headed off, though he didn’t hesitate to express his excitement to his coworker in a frenetic whisper. “See? I told you, Wendy! There really are two Stans around here now! Isn’t it great?!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Wendy remarked dryly, pulling her phone out of her pocket and disinterestedly texting away. “Of course, it would’ve been better if you hadn’t kept me up until 3 AM last night telling me about it.”

“Oh yeah…” the handyman frowned briefly, though he hardly let this dim his innocent elation over it all. “Sorry! Next time we have a bunch of huge truthbombs drop on us, I’ll only keep you up till 2 AM to tell you about them!”

“…Gee, thanks, Soos,” Wendy deadpanned, rolling her eyes as the pair went about their respective tasks for the day.

“Stanley,” Ford began as soon as the cashier and the handyman were out of earshot. “Who are those two… young adults?”

“Uh, my employees, poindexter,” Stan said. “You already met Soos yesterday, and the sarcastic one is Wendy. Might as well get used to seeing them around here, just like the Gems. Speaking of which…” The conman let out an aggravated sigh as he nodded ahead to the Gems and Steven as they came down for the temple, their expressions all rather tense and uncertain as they approached the Pines, who returned their gazes just as stiffly.

“Uh, h-hey, you guys,” Steven greeted them with a small, but genuine smile.

“Hi, Steven,” Mabel said just as awkwardly, though her smile faded as she glanced to the rest of her family. Dipper still stood alongside her, but he refused to spare either her or the young Gem another glance, Stan’s expression was still set in a cold scowl away from just about everyone, and Ford was clearly apprehensive and anxious as he gave the Gems only a terse nod of greeting. One that none of them made any sort of effort to return.

“So… um… h-how is everyone after, uh… yesterday…?” Steven asked unsteadily, rather concerned that the Gems hadn’t stepped forward to address Ford concerning their memories yet, like they had previously planned.

“We… could be better…” Mabel noted, rubbing her arm as she looked over to Dipper once more. “R-Right, bro-bro?”

Of course, Dipper didn’t bother giving her any sort of response as he instead turned away from her even more, his arms crossed as he let out a small, almost bitter sigh. Steven and Mabel exchanged a silent, worried glance at this, realizing that he was still clearly upset with them from what happened yesterday. Though exactly why he was still carrying this grudge so heavily and adamantly was beyond either of them.

Even so, a bout of general uneasy silence lingered between both the Pines and the Gems, none of them quite sure of what to say in the aftermath of all that had unfolded, mostly as a result of no one really knowing where they stood with each other now. Things between the kids alone were shaken and soured, but then there was the tenuous, largely forgotten ties between Ford and the Gems, not to mention the distain still very much present between Stan and Ford themselves. Really, it was as though they were all on unstable ground with each other, friendships fractured, relationships ruined, and everything else left in just as many shambles as the shack standing before them currently was.

Still, that didn’t mean there could be no attempt at fixing at least some of it.

“Hey, uh… Amethyst?” Stan spoke up, looking to the purple Gem apprehensively as she finally spared a glare in his direction. “I, uh… um… I was thinkin’ of blowing off some steam after everything that’s happened with a good ol’ Revenge Trip tonight. Are you along for the ride or what?”

“I dunno,” Amethyst muttered, her arms tightly crossed as she scowled away from him. “I think I’m gonna be busy doing just anything but that.”

Everyone was rather taken aback by the fire in the purple Gem’s tone as she said this, especially Stan as he flinched back, as if her harsh words had actually hurt him, which in a way, they did. Fortunately, they didn’t linger in the air for too long before Ford cut in, collectively addressing all of the Gems, though not without clearing his throat somewhat awkwardly. “So, h-how are you three doing? Have you happened to recall any of your memories of our… time together?”

“A-actually…” Pearl began, averting the author’s gaze as she spoke tightly. “That’s… why we’re here… we… w-well, we were hoping that… we… you-”

“We need your help,” Garnet finally finished where Pearl was unable to out of pride.

“Oh, r-really?” Ford asked, somewhat surprised by this request. “With what?”

“With finding our lost memories,” the Gem leader continued just as evening. “At this point, we’re not sure who else we can go to aid us with this, and so we have no choice but to ask you.”

Ford took pause, both confused and somewhat offended by the Gems’ apparent hesitance to seek his assistance, something that Steven in particular noticed and quickly made an attempt to clarify. “Uh, I-I think what they meant is that we think you could really help us figure all this out, Mr. Ford,” he said with a warm, hopeful smile. “Your journals already proved to us how great you are at solving mysteries, so this one’s bound to be a cinch for you!”

The author finally grinned at this, clearly glad for this vote of confidence as he began to exude the very same confidence himself. “Ah, yes, well in that cause, I’d be more than happy to help in any way I can, just as I said I would yesterday,” Ford said, adjusting his glasses as he offered the Gems a genuinely friendly smile, one that none of them returned, though their expressions did soften somewhat. “Now, I suppose the best place to start would likely be… Oh! I know! The memory gun! Back when Fiddleford built that infernal contraption, I had always doubted that it would be able to work on Gems, but seems as though it could be the very thing responsible for stripping you three of your memories!”

“Uh… yeah, we already figured that,” Amethyst huffed, rolling her eyes.

“And that wretched Society of the Blind Eye didn’t have our memories in their archives,” Pearl added with a frown. “So where exactly are they? And who would dare to even take them in the first place? And why?”

“…Those are all very good questions…” Ford noted thoughtfully. “We have the answer as to how, but everything else is still up in the air… Which means that we’ll need to look into a variety of possible scenarios that could have resulted in the loss of your memories. Its bound to be a lengthy process, given how many sheer possibilities there are, so we’ll have to be patient and hope for the best in analyzing each of them.”

“Ugh, we’re tired of waiting!” Amethyst groaned hotly. “We’ve been waiting to figure this junk out all summer! We want our memories back now!”

“That’s… understandable…” the author remarked, trying his best to remain tactful amidst the Gems’ mutually thin patience. “But relatively unlikely. I’m sorry to say this, but to me it seems as though finding the key to restoring your memories could take quite some time, if we can even find it at all.”

Despite their shared disappointment upon hearing this sum of probability, the Gems didn’t get to voice it as a familiar horn blared out, followed by the arrival of a familiar van. Greg sped into the shack’s lot, slamming on the breaks as he stuck his head out the window rather frantically. “Steven! Thank goodness you’re ok!” he cried, jumping out of the vehicle to rush over to embrace his son. “I wanted to come check on you as soon as I saw that huge explosion of light on this end of town, but the road here was blocked off by this huge tree and they only just cleared it out this morning! Heck, it took so long to get over here that I even managed to pick Connie up along the way.”

“Steven! Dipper! Mabel!” Connie called as she hopped out of the van herself and hurried over to her friends. “Are you guys alright? I haven’t been able to get in touch with any of you since the other day! What’s been going on!?”

“I think the better question is what hasn’t been going on…” Dipper remarked somewhat dryly.

“Connie! You’ll never believe what happened!” Steven exclaimed. “We just-”

“Wait! I wanna tell her!” Mabel excitedly cut in. “So it all started when Grunkle Stan got arrested by these government agents-”

“And they tried to take me and the Gems away too-” Steven interjected before Mabel carried on.

“So we tried to prove his innocence only to find out that he-”

“That he had all these fake IDs and this huge machine under the shack-”

“Which turned out to be this crazy powerful portal that his long-lost twin brother came out of-”

“And he wrote the journals and he used to work with my mom and the Gems years ago but-”

“But they kinda hate each other now and everything’s all awkward and weird and confusing-”

“But we’re trying to sort it all out by finding the Gems’ lost memories by thinking about all the ways they could have lost them!”

“Pretty intense, huh?” Mabel finished this rapid-fire tale, one that left Connie aptly confused as she tried and failed to catch up with it all.

“Uh… what?”

“Long story short,” Dipper cut in much more calmly. “Is that Grunkle Stan’s been hiding an interdimensional portal under the shack all summer that he opened up again to bring his brother back here.”

“Ohh…” Connie mused in understanding. “That makes much more sense! Well… kind of. The whole ‘interdimensional portal’ thing is something you guys will definitely have to fill me in on later.”

“Would you believe that’s hardly even the craziest part of it all?” Dipper asked with a small, but growing smile of excitement as he dropped down to a whisper. “The craziest and the best part is that Stan’s brother, our Great Uncle Ford, just so happens to be the author of the journals himself!”

“Wait, what!?” Connie gasped, completely stunned upon hearing this and knowing full well just how baffling this mystery had been to them all for the entire summer. “You guys finally met the author?! And he’s your uncle?! No way!”

“Way!” Mabel chimed in brightly. “And you gotta meet him too, Connie! Come on!” Before Connie could really even respond to this, Mabel and Steven were pulling her over to where Ford was still in the midst of conversing with the Gems, largely not paying much mind to the two new arrivals as the continued discussing matters of memory. Or at least they were until Mabel blithely interupted. “Grunkle Ford, this is our friend, Connie!”

“I-it’s an honor to meet you, sir!” Connie said with an amazed smile as she shook the author’s hand. “Your work is so fascinating! Honestly, if it wasn’t for your journal then we probably wouldn’t have made it out of half of what we’ve been through this summer alive!”

“Oh, well… that’s… good to hear…” Ford noted, unsure of what to really make of that, though he offered Connie a small smile all the same. “What’s really fascinating (and rather concerning) though is just how many children seemed to have read through my research over the course of this summer alone…”

“Uh, we probably shouldn’t tell him that Gideon had his second journal then, should we?” Steven whispered somewhat awkwardly.

“Wait a second,” Greg interjected, having overheard the conversation. “I-I can’t believe it… You’re him!” The former rock star’s jaw was dropped as he approached the author, clearly in a state of disbelief that nobody else really understood. “You’re Stanford!”

“Um… yes?” Ford raised a confused eyebrow, unsure of what the former rock star’s apparent amazement was all about.

“Wow! This… this is incredible! I never thought I’d ever get the chance to actually meet you myself!” Greg exclaimed with an incredulous chuckle. “After all, Rose said you were basically gone for good but then again, Mr. Pines has been working on that portal to try and bring you back all these years, so I guess it’d only make sense that he’d finally get it up and running eventually.”

“Yeah, Greg,” Stan deadpanned, not noticing the Gems’ growing expressions of absolute shock beside him over what Greg was divulging. “Told ya I’d figure it out.”

“Heh, well, I’m sorry for ever doubting you, I guess,” the former rock star grinned, flusteredly rubbing the back of his neck before he turned back to Ford. “But man, if only Rose were here! She’d be so happy to see you again! Well… happy and maybe a little upset about the whole portal thing but still, she’d-”

“Excuse me,” Ford interupted rather stiffly. “But… who are you exactly?”

“Oh, right, sorry!” Greg laughed again as he shook the author’s hand warmly. “I’m Greg Universe; Steven’s dad.”

Ford was silent for a moment upon hearing this as he looked between the former rock star and the young Gem, his brow furrowing and his expression largely not changing as he put the pieces together. “So you and Rose were… I see…”

“Y-yeah, she… used to talk a lot about you,” Greg remarked, still grinning slightly. “In fact, she even-”

“Greg!” Pearl’s very sharp exclamation interupted the conversation, prompting the young rock star to glance over at the Gems. All three of whom looked simultaneously dumbfounded and outraged all at once. “You knew about the portal?!”

“I, uh… oh!” Greg gasped, his eyes wide as he looked between the angry trio in newfound fear. “D-did I say portal? I-I… I meant, um… I didn’t know anything about any… w-well, you see, I-”

“Forget it, Greg,” Stan remarked, rolling his eyes at his former employee’s hectic attempt to explain. “The jig is up. They already know about everything.”

“No, we don’t!” Pearl scoffed, completely appalled. “We don’t know a thing about what’s happened to our missing memories and we certainly don’t know why Greg, of all people would know more about all this than we do!”

“D-Dad?” Steven spoke up apprehensively. “You don’t… y-you wouldn’t know anything about what happened to the Gems’ memories about Mr. Ford and the portal… would you?”

Greg froze up at this, this question completely catching him off guard, especially as he looked to the Gems starkly. All three of them were silently demanding answers, answers that he had no idea how to give, even if he could. So instead, he went with the easier alternative. “N-no,” he shook his head, his voice shaky as he tried to sound as convincing as possible. “R-Rose… Rose never told me anything about that. I’m sorry…”

“What do ya mean Rose never told you about that?!” Amethyst spat harshly. “Seems like she sure had a heck of a time telling you everything else!”

“Everything she didn’t bother telling us…” Garnet added, clearly hosting a glare underneath her shades.

“W-wha—no!” Pearl exclaimed hotly. “You two can’t be serious! Rose couldn’t have known what happened to our memories! It makes no sense!”

“What doesn’t make any sense is that she would have told Greg about all of this and not us,” Garnet remarked, adjusting her shades as she tried to remain as calm and as rational as possible.

“M-maybe she just never got the chance to?” Steven offered anxiously. “L-like… maybe your memories were erased right after I was born.”

“But that wouldn’t make add up,” Dipper interested, shaking his head. “Grunkle Stan said something about their memories being erased almost 22 years ago.”

“Well, I mean, as far as I know,” Stan said with a small shrug, unwitting eliciting ire from the Gems with such a remark.

“And how exactly would you know that?” Pearl asked, glaring coldly at the conman. “Unless you happened to have some hand in all this yourself, Stan!”

“Ugh, seriously, with this whole accusation thing again?” Stan scoffed. “I already told you, I don’t know anything about what happened! And even if I did, why would I keep something like that hidden from you three for so long?”

“Oh gee, I dunno, Stan,” Amethyst growled sharply. “Maybe for the same reason you kept that dumb machine hidden from us! Or those fake IDs! Or every other stupid secret you’ve been sitting on for years now without even thinking about being honest for a change!”

“It seems as though you would have a pretty good motive,” Garnet nodded. “With us not knowing about the portal, that likely made it easier for you to work on it without us trying to stop you like Rose would have wanted.”

“A-and for all we know you probably recruited Greg back when he used to work here to help you keep all this under wraps,” Pearl huffed angrily, shooting a fierce glance over at the former rock star as well. “Both of you were in on this for all these years! You must have thought that you weren’t going to get caught, but you are, so you might as well just admit it, Stan, and tell us where our memories are already!”

“I ain’t admitting nothing because I didn’t do anything!” Stan protested adamantly. “Even if I did keep this whole portal thing under wraps from just about everyone else, I never went after your memories to keep you three from getting in my way! That’d be just stupid!”

“Well, then it sounds like it would be exactly your kind of plan, Stan,” Pearl remarked crossly.

“Oh I’ll show ya what my kinda plan is!” the conman exclaimed, beyond infuriated by these groundless allegations to the point that things quickly devolved into an all-out shouting match on both sides. With both Stan and the Gems as outright outraged as they were, they held nothing back as they argued brutally, all of them acting off emotions rather than any real logic as they held their grounds against each other. The others were all rather surprised to see things heat up so aggressively, especially the kids as they stood on the sidelines, watching in dismay as everything seemed to explode in absolute fury all at once.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Gems so mad before…” Connie muttered, her eyes wide in alarm.

“Me either…” Mabel agreed stiffly. “But I don’t get it. Why do they think Stan got rid of their memories? He’d never, ever do something like that!”

“Yeah, just like he wouldn’t run an incredibly dangerous portal underneath the Mystery Shack, right?” Dipper asked, his tone quite dour as he crossed his arms and largely dropped out of the conversation.

“Uh, w-well, either way, we’re not gonna figure out what really happened to the Gems’ memories with everyone arguing like this,” Steven said earnestly. “Come on, you guys, we have to do something!”

Mabel and Connie were quick to follow after the young Gem, intent on trying to make peace between the conman and the Gems. Dipper, on the other hand, hung back somewhat, his hands shoved into his vest pockets as he instead glanced over at Ford, opting to discreetly listen in on the conversation that was just striking between him and Greg.

“Hey, uh… M-Mr. Pines?” the former rock star began rather awkwardly.

“Please, call me Stanford.”

“Oh, um, ok, Mr. Stanford,” Greg continued, still being as respectful as he could. “I just, uh… W-well I know the Gems aren’t really in the mood to hear this right now, but I didn’t… I wasn’t-”

“You didn’t have anything to do with what happened to the Gems’ memories?” Ford finished presumptuously, glancing the former rock star up and down. “Well, I figured that much, considering how you and Rose were apparently… ahem, together. At the same time, I also don’t think Stanley was responsible for this either. My brother may be a lying, unscrupulous cheapskate, but despite his many faults, it seems highly unlikely that he’d do something as lowbrow as outright take a person’s—or Gem’s, for that matter—memories . Then again, I suppose there really is no way to know for sure until we figure this mess out once and for all.”

“Um, yeah, about that…” Greg took in a somewhat unsteady breath. “I… Well, Rose, she-” The former rock star cut himself off, dropping his voice down to a serious whisper. “Look, she missed you… a lot. Heck, almost every time she brought you up, she’d end up blaming herself for what happened to you.”

“But it wasn’t her fault,” Ford said, his tone softening quite a bit upon hearing this.

“Well, of course it wasn’t,” Greg agreed. “But you know Rose; she always felt so much for everyone, especially her friends.”

“That she did…” the author remarked with a fond smile in the pink Gem’s memory. “And our friendship was one I always valued very highly. I only wish… I wish I could have had the chance to speak to her one last time, even if it was only for the sake of saying a proper farewell… I still can’t believe she’s really gone…”

“A lot of the time, neither can I…” the former rock star glanced down sadly. “But, she always wanted one last chance to talk to you too, which was why… right before she had Steven she sat down and wrote everything she never got the chance to say to you out. She said she didn’t know if you’d ever make it back here, but if you ever did, then she wanted you to have it. So she gave it to me to hold onto, just in case, and now that you actually are back, well, you might as well have it.”

Ford was rather surprised to hear that Rose had apparently left him some sort of note, but all the same, he followed Greg over to his van, where the former rock star dug around the back of the vehicle for a bit before finally finding what he was looking for. “Aha! Here it is,” he grinned as he pulled a light pink envelope out and presented it to Ford. “And here you go. To be honest, nobody’s ever seen what it says before. I just… didn’t think it’d be right to read something that she only meant for you, you know?”

The author was silent at first, his eyes wide as he held the envelope, apparently the last message Rose Quartz herself had left for him, as though it was the most precious and fragile thing in the entire world. And given just how much the fact that it existed at all meant to him, it very well could have been. “I… T-thank you… Greg,” Ford said, absolutely genuine in this sentiment.

“You’re welcome,” the former rock star said warmly, nodding his affirmation before stepping away to give the author some privacy as he opened the envelope up. Ford wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, even as he initially glanced over the lengthy page Rose had written for him, but even so, it was as though he could hear her lovely voice saying every word to him as he read it silently to himself.

Dear Stanford,

If you’re reading this letter, then that means that you’ve finally made it home, back to Earth and back to Gravity Falls, where you truly belong. A part of me, a part that dismisses all of the danger this world would be put in if such a thing ever did happen, has spent the past 16 years hoping this day would come, and that I’d be there for it, to welcome you back with open arms. But… I know I’ll never get that chance… I’ve made a choice… I want to do something that no Gem has ever done before, to create something that this world has never seen before… But the only way I can do that is at the expense of myself… A sacrifice not too dissimilar to one you were willing to make the last time we met.

But even so, if this letter has found its way to you, then I’m no longer around, or at least I’m not around in the way you were used to. Because in a sense, I’ll forever be a part of the child I’m about to have, a child I hope you’ll hold nothing against, even despite everything that went wrong between us.

Speaking of which… I feel as though I owe you another apology for, well, everything really. Not a day goes by that I don’t regret how hard and fast our friendship fell apart… Even before you fell into that portal, there had been so many times when I wanted to go down the hill and pour my heart out to you, but I never ended up working up the nerve. Funny, isn’t it? How I had all the courage in the world to stand against my former home and fight for this planet until the bitter end, but I didn’t have enough to walk a few feet and simply tell you “I’m sorry”?

You need to know that if there had been another way to bring you back, even if it was just for a second, I would have taken it. But the portal was far too risky; I knew that. That’s why I did what you asked and kept the third journal hidden safe and sound, even from your brother (You never told me you had a brother, by the way). I tried everything I could to right our wrongs and fix our mistakes…

And in the process, I only ended up causing so many more.

Its much too… risky to divulge everything here, but… something happened several years ago. Something that none of us were prepared for, though I should have been prepared. It was a threat I knew, a threat we both knew… a threat swept through our lives and nearly took everything away in the process. And I wasn’t able to do anything to stop it.

I Can only myself to blame for what happEned that awful night. I should hAve told them. If I had just Let them know about the danger we were faCing from thE beginning, then maybe none of this would have haPpened… But I did what I had to… for them… for us… If you were still hEre, then I know you’d undeRstand… But you’re gone… and iTs all my fault… just like everything else… And I’m so, so Sorry… for everything I’ve done…

I need, need you to know that, Stanford. I need Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl to know that. I need my child to know that. I need everyone I’ve wronged because of this to know that. I never wanted to hurt any of you, I promise that. I just wanted to save you, my friends, this planet, everything I truly care about. But it seems I’ve only managed to hurt them all instead. Which means I suppose the key to healing them lies not with me, but with whoever comes next… And I have the upmost confidence that they’ll succeed where I have failed.

There are so many more things I want to say to you, Stanford, but I know there would never be enough time to write it all out. I had thought to offer you one final apology but that just didn’t seem right, as sorry as I truly am. So instead of lingering on the shadows permeating our past, I’ll leave you with a reminder of the light that once shined through it instead.

Do you remember the first time we met? Amethyst had pointed out your six fingers to the rest of us, and at the time, I had thought that was the most spectacular thing about you. Little did I know that I’d quickly find out that there was so much more to be amazed when it came to you, Stanford. Your intelligence, your determination, your passion, all these things and more made me realize that you were by far one of the most special humans I’ve ever had the privilege of getting to meet, and believe me, I’ve met plenty. There were times when I saw it: you underestimating your own brilliance and abilities, but those were things I never once doubted. Which is why, despite how impossible things might seem right now, I encourage you to hold onto the words you wrote at the start of the journal you entrusted to me years ago, words that I hope will inspire you and comfort you, even when I can’t:

“Ad astra per aspera”: To the stars through difficulties.

Yours truly,

Rose Quartz

Ford had never been one to get too emotional, but he was unable to stem the silent flow of tears as he finished reading Rose’s final words to him. Up until that point, the author hadn’t put too much thought into the pink Gem’s absence; of course, he knew that she wasn’t around anymore in place of Steven existing, but some small, irrational, yet persistent part of him still wanted to believe that it wasn’t true. That Rose would make her long-awaited appearance and that everything would go back to the way it was supposed to be. And yet, upon reading her last message intended for him himself, the truth of it all finally sunk in once and for all: Rose Quartz really was gone, most likely never to return. Even after 30 seemingly endless years of longing and remorse, he’d never get to speak to her, laugh with her, apologize to her, to simply see her ever again. It was a crushing reality, to the point that it was almost unbearable, to know that he’d be forever separated from one of his closest and most cherished friends, left with only a page of ultimately unfeeling letters to remember her by.

Yet at the same time, three of his other most invaluable friends were still there, still present and still alive and well. The only problem was they held no recollection of the bond they used to share, the camaraderie they used to uphold. A deep sense of loneliness filled Ford as this wave of realization washed over him yet again, a kind of loneliness that he hadn’t even ever felt traversing the empty voids of the multiverse. The author truly wanted to help restore the Gems’ memories to them, to the point of near desperation almost, but if he was perfectly honest with himself, even he didn’t know where to start with such an arduous task. By all accounts, the chances of things ever returning to even a shadow of how they used to be seemed incredibly slim, to the point that Ford was beginning to lose hope that such a thing was even a possibility at all.

Despite the still-ongoing argument between Stan and the Gems, Ford paid none of them any mind as he looked down to Rose’s letter again, its ending catching his attention in particular. “Which is why, despite how impossible things might seem right now, I encourage you to hold onto the words you wrote at the start of the journal you entrusted to me years ago, words that I hope will inspire you and comfort you, even when I can’t: “Ad astra per aspera”: To the stars through difficulties.”

“To the stars through difficulties…” Ford muttered to himself, taking in a steadying breath. It was a Latin phrase he had always been very fond of, one he had heard during his college years and kept close to his heart throughout his studies, both academically and in Gravity Falls. He had always seen it as a call to greatness, an affirmation of aspiration, no matter how daunting circumstances might seem. But now, the author began to realize that perhaps it held another meaning as well; perhaps it wasn’t just a message of upwards inspiration. Perhaps it was also just what Rose had said: a message of hope, of comfort, a promise that even though the road ahead seemed dark and uncertain, the stars of something better could still be reached regardless if one only worked hard and persevered enough to get to them. And while this was only a mere small spark of hope, it was one Ford decided to hold onto nonetheless, as the final piece of encouragement Rose had to offer for him. Encouragement that could perhaps at last lead them towards the answers they were all looking for.

Ford couldn’t profess to understanding everything concerning what Rose had spoken of in her letter, but several parts of it came across as somewhat bizarre to the author, to the point of being downright cryptic almost. Ford had never known Rose to be so indirect; the pink Gem, with her relative lack of understanding when it came to human subtlety, had always been very literal and forward in her conversations with him. Yet the vagueness in her letter threw the author off, especially when she sparsely described whatever apparently disastrous event had transpired quite some time ago. Certainly there must have been a reason that Rose hadn’t just written it all out if it was so significant and horrific; because instead of transcribing it all, the pink Gem had left only clues, breadcrumbs really to something that already seemed to lead to something so much more.

“I’ve only managed to hurt them all instead. Which means I suppose the key to healing them lies not with me, but with whoever comes next… And I have the upmost confidence that they’ll succeed where I have failed.”

“Whoever comes next…” Ford read once again, initially confused by what this meant until he happened to finally glance up from the letter and over to the still-brawling group just a few feet away. Or more specifically, towards Rose’s son, Steven.

The author was somewhat hesitant, knowing that he was really just working off mere conjecture alone as he approached the young Gem, Rose’s letter still in hand. In truth, Ford was still rather confused about exactly how the pink Gem had managed to reproduce at all, much less with a human, but his curiosity about Steven’s no-doubt bizarre hybrid biology would have to wait. After all, a far more pressing question needed answers now.

“Excuse me, um… Steven, was it?” Ford addressed the young Gem, placing a hand on his shoulder to pull his attention away from the ongoing fight between Stan and the Gems. Despite the tension behind them, Steven offered the author a friendly smile and a nod of patient confirmation, prompting him to go on, even as the other kids took notice of this almost random interaction. “Rose—I mean, your mother left this letter behind for me before she-” Ford cut himself off tightly; just because he had accepted the reality that Rose was gone didn’t make it any easier for him to admit it out loud. “A-anyway, the nature of this note implies something that I’m rather unclear of, something that she made it sound like only you can figure out.”

As Ford handed the letter off to Steven for him to see it, the quarrel between Stan and the Gems gradually fizzled out as they glanced over to the exchange between the author and the young Gem. An exchange that just about every single one of them disapproved of on some level, especially Stan. “Ford, what did I say about-” the conman’s sour callout was interupted by his brother, who put a silent hand up before patiently turning his attention back to Steven. The young Gem himself was focused on his mother’s letter, his eyes wide as he skimmed over it and tried to make sense of its more mysterious parts, though he did glance back up at Ford as he slowly knelt down to his level.

“Steven, this-” Ford stopped short, his brow furrowing, almost as if he wasn’t entirely sure how to put this, though he continued on a moment later anyway. “I should be honest… I have reason to believe that this letter might hold our first real, tangible clues about what’s happened to the Crystal Gems’ memories.”

Upon hearing this, Pearl was more than ready to speak up in heated protest against it, though Garnet quickly stopped her. “Wait,” she urged, keeping her sights trained on the conversation unfolding before them, one that could prove to be very helpful in their most pressing cause.

“Which is why I feel compelled to ask…” Ford continued, hesitantly but earnestly. “Would you be willing to help me decode the clues your mother left behind and uncover the truth behind this mystery once and for all?”

Steven didn’t answer this right away, instead taking a moment to glance back at his guardians somewhat apprehensively. Amethyst’s expression showed a general sense of apathy towards the situation at large, while Pearl intently shook her head in staunch disapproval over such an idea. Garnet, on the other hand, looked to the young Gem expectantly, with a air about her that told him that this was his choice to make alone. And as Steven turned to the author once more and took in his sincere, solemn, almost sad even, he found that it wasn’t that hard of a choice to really make.

“W-well, I’d love to help, Mr. Ford, I really would,” Steven said with a small but fretful smile. “But… I’ve never met my mom before. She stopped, uh… being around when I was born, so I didn’t get the chance to really know what she was like which means I might not be the best person to figure out what she tried to say here…”

“Oh…” Ford’s expression fell in slight disappointment as he rose to stand. “Well, I suppose that… does make things complicated, doesn’t it?”

“Well… even if I don’t know a lot about Mom myself, that still doesn’t mean we haven’t figured anything out about her,” Steven ventured, taking a glance over at Dipper, Mabel, and Connie. “In a way, we’ve… kinda been learning more about her all summer in some… pretty crazy ways.”

“Yeah, that’s right!” Mabel spoke up brightly. “Like the time we found her light canon out here near the shack and used it to blow that Red Eye to smithereens!”

“Wait, you… you kids found the light canon Rose asked me to hide away years ago?” Ford asked, aptly surprised.

“Yeah and we’ve been to hear healing fountain,” Dipper added intently.

“And her hidden armory,” Connie said with a nod.

“Heck, we even found her sword and its scabbard!” Steven’s smile widened with confidence. “And we’ve solved a bunch of other huge mysteries too!”

“And that’s why they call us the Mystery Kids!” Mabel chimed daringly.

“So I think that between the four of us,” Steven went on. “Maybe we can figure out what the deal with Mom’s letter is and if it has anything to do with the Gems’ memories!”

“Oh… well, are you sure you kids are really up for a task this… daunting?” Ford asked, not entirely convinced of their merit.

“Oh believe us, we’ve been up against plenty of daunting odds this summer,” Connie assured with a bit of an ironic laugh.

“Yeah, nothing stumps us as long as we’re working together!” Mabel boldly proclaimed. “Right, you guys?”

“Right,” Steven and Connie affirmed with clear resolve, though Dipper was noticeably silent as he glared away from the rest of the group. The young Gem in particular took notice of this, his heart sinking a bit as he realized that part of his impromptu plan still wasn’t working; the Mystery Kids were still fractured in some way, and as long as they were, then chances were, they wouldn’t be getting anywhere to any degree. Including fixing the past and moving forward into the future, things that all needed to be done sooner rather than later, as far as Steven was concerned.

“Uh, Dipper?” he began with a small, anxious smile. “You’re on bored with us in this too, aren’t you?”

Of course, Dipper didn’t respond to this right away, instead looking to the young Gem with a rather incredulous scowl, one that said everything that words didn’t really need to about how he was feeling about both him and Mabel at the moment. In truth, the pair was surprised that he was carrying this apparent grudge out for so long, neither of them really understanding why the decision they had made in the heat of the moment before that blinding portal still upset him so much. But at the same time, it was something of a small relief when Dipper let out a relenting sigh, even if his manner didn’t lighten up at all as he made it very clear on where he stood in all this. “Fine, whatever,” he complied sourly. “But only until we figure out what happened with the Gems’ memories.”

“Well… i-it’s a start…” Mabel said to Steven as Connie looked between her three friends in confusion, not knowing where this apparent tension between them all really came from.

“Uh… what’s going on with you guys today?” she asked with a concerned frown.

“It’s a… long story…” Steven whispered to her. “We’ll fill you in later.”

“Well,” Garnet spoke up, her hands on her hips and a hint of a coy smile on her face as she looked from her teammates to the kids. “I don’t know about you two, but for me, there’s no one I’d rather trust with a mystery like this than the Mystery Kids themselves.”

“Yes, well then,” Ford said, still somewhat uncertain about this plan of action. “Reasonably the best thing to do first would to be to carefully analyze Rose’s letter for any of its more subtle, possibly leading details. Then depending on whatever we uncover, we can work from there to-”

“I said,” Garnet interjected, crossing her arms. “We were going to trust the kids with this one.”

“Oh …r-right…” the author cleared his throat as he backed off, somewhat flustered as he let the kids investigate the matter on their own.

“Uh, well actually, Mr. Stanford’s plan seemed like it’s a pretty good one,” Connie shrugged, reading Rose’s letter from over Steven’s shoulder.

“Yeah, there does seem to be something off about this letter…” Dipper noted, putting his bitterness aside as he became invested in this mystery himself. “Like this paragraph right here. Some of the letters are just… randomly capitalized for some reason. Why would Rose do that?”

“Well, normally she wouldn’t,” Pearl cut in pointedly. “Rose’s handwriting was impeccable, just like everything else she did.”

“So… that probably means she had a good reason to do that,” Steven mused. “And in only this part of the letter too… weird…”

“Maybe she was just really tired when she wrote that part?” Mabel suggested, though even she didn’t really buy into such a theory too much.

“Or maybe…” Dipper trailed off as a newfound idea came to him, one that he was quick to act on. “Quick, someone write this down!”

Connie was quick to do so, pulling out a piece of paper and a pen as she recorded all of the letters that Dipper read out, each one of them bizarrely and improperly capitalized within Rose’s letter. Everyone else watched this work with baited breath, hoping that perhaps it would lead them to some kind of answer, though by the time they were done, the results they had gotten were… less than conclusive.

“Ok, so it all adds up to… CEALCEPERTS…?” Connie read, raising a baffled eyebrow as she did.

“Uh… I’m pretty sure that’s not a word…” Mabel frowned before quickly perking up. “Though it does kinda sound like seal-experts! Oh! What if Rose wanted to tell everyone that she was secretly a seal expert!?”

A beat of doubtful silence passed at this bizarre limb before Steven went off on another one. “CEALCEPERTS…” he repeated, looking to the letter once more. “Does that mean anything to any of you guys?” he asked both Ford and the Gems collectively.

“No,” Ford said, equally confused by this odd clue.

“Not at all,” Garnet remarked as the other two Gems shook their heads.

“Dad?” Steven ventured, hoping that perhaps the former rock star might have some kind of idea.

“Sorry, kiddo, I got nothing,” Greg shrugged. “What about you, Mr. Pines?”

“Ugh, heck if I know,” Stan rolled his eyes impetuously. “I think I’ve had enough of dealing with Rose and her little ‘mysteries’ for one day. I’m takin’ off. I have a feeling you nerds will be just fine without my ‘help’.”

And with that, the conman turned on his heel and headed for the shack, not bothering to spare another glance back at either the Gems or at Ford as aggravated as he was with them both. “Just as well,” Ford scoffed, rolling his eyes at his brother’s attitude. “Stanley wouldn’t have been much help in this anyway. Or much help in anything else, really.”

“I heard that!” Stan shot back crossly, though he didn’t bother to stick around and protest it any further.

“Hm… what if this CEALCEPERTS thing isn’t really a word…?” Connie theorized, tapping her pen against the page thoughtfully. “What if it’s… something else?”

“Oh yeah!” Dipper exclaimed in realization. “For all we know, it could be a message written in code, or an acronym, or heck, even an anagram!”

“What’s an anagram?” Steven asked curiously.

“It’s when the letters of a word are all mixed up and out of order,” Connie explained, sitting on the ground so she could work properly. “Like, for instance if we took CEALCEPERTS here and tried to turn it into something else using just the letters it has in it.”

“Oh I think I got one!” Mabel said, looking over the bizarre word once more. “Maybe this is supposed to be two words? Like… CASTLE CREEP?”

“Or… LACE SCEPTER?” Dipper tried, though he was quick to denounce the result. “No, that can’t be it…”

“Um… what about CREPE SELECT?” Steven guessed with a shrug.

“Or it could be ELECT RECAP…” Connie mused. “But none of these make any sense… There’s got to be one that-”

“Wait,” Dipper interupted, his eyes wide with realization as he worked through this in a different way. “PACER… PLACER… PLACE… It’s some kind of place… And then what’s left makes… ERECTS or…” he trailed off with a stunned gasp before revealing what he had uncovered. “SECRET… SECRET PLACE! That must be what its supposed to say! Secret place!”

“Secret place?” Amethyst asked dubiously. “Uh… like what?”

“Maybe its talking about some place that was a secret to Mom?” Steven purposed thoughtfully. “Like… oh! I know! Mom’s secret armory!”

“Steven!” Pearl quickly chastised upon mention of the pink Gem’s hidden sanctum. A sanctum that she would much prefer to keep the relative secret that it was.

“Oops… sorry, Pearl…” the young Gem rubbed the back of his neck. “I kinda forgot about the whole secret part of it…”

“Wait… Rose’s armory…?” Ford asked knowingly. “The one buried under the town cemetery? I’ve been there before. Rose took me to see it years ago after I asked her about advanced Gem weaponry. It’s really quite impressive!”

“What?! She took you to—oh… that’s right…” Pearl grumbled, crossing her arms with a scowl as she recalled the journals’ mention of the armory.

“Armory?” Amethyst asked, confused. Confusion that Garnet mirror as well. “What the heck are you guys talking about?”

“Well… why don’t we all just go there together?” Mabel suggested. “After all, it does sorta seem like it’s the place that anagram thingy in Rose’s letter is talking about, so its probably worth checking out, right?”

“Wha—no!” Pearl protested adamantly. “We can’t all just go to Rose’s private sanctum like its some kind of… field trip! It’s already been defiled by far too many intruders already! We should just leave it well enough al-”

“Pearl,” Garnet interjected calmly, placing a hand on her frustrated teammate’s shoulder. “We know this place, whatever it is, was special for both you and Rose. But if there’s anything there that could possibly lead us towards the whereabouts of our memories, then we have to go investigate it.”

“B-but…” the white Gem’s argument weakly fizzled out as she realized Garnet was right. If Rose’s letter indeed pointed towards any leads in particular, then the armory was most likely the exactly that. And as much as she wanted to preserve that special place’s sanctity, she wanted to reclaim her and her teammates’ lost memories even more. “A-alright…” she sighed reluctantly as she began to lead the way towards the cemetery, feeling as though she was breaking something important and cherished between herself and her former liege as she did. “Then… let’s go…”

Since there was no warp pad leading to Rose’s armory, the collective group of the kids, the Gems, and Ford had to walk across town to get there, in a trek that was spent mostly in stiff, awkward silence. Along the way, however, Steven, Mabel, and Dipper all managed to fill Connie in on more of the details of what had happened over the past two days, each of them telling her disconnected accounts that both confused her and allowed her to understand the newfound division among them at the same time. A division that, for all intents and purposes, she found wise not to take a clear stance on, lest that create even more of a rift between them all than there already was.

Things were still in a relative state of silence even as the group ventured into Rose’s armory, the vast, cavernous hold still just as pristine and stately as ever. And while the kids, Pearl, and Ford were largely unphased by its familiar, sparkling interior, Garnet and Amethyst were quite amazed by it, seeing as how they had never once step foot into this secret sanctum that belong to their longtime leader.

“Well, uh… here we are,” Steven announced as he stepped up onto the central platform. “Mom’s armory.”

“Incredible…” Garnet murmured, adjusting her shades amidst looking around the cave.

“Seriously…” Amethyst agreed, her eyes wide and her jaw dropped. “Why didn’t Rose ever tell us about this place? Its not like we would have went and blabbed about it to anyone.”

“M-maybe because it was just… really special to her,” Steven ventured with a bit of a reassuring smile.

“Then why’d she show it to these two?” Amethyst nodded over to Pearl and Ford.

“Well she showed it to me because I was her most trusted confidant!” the white Gem proclaimed with a proud smile that quickly disappeared as she glanced over at the author. “Or at least… I thought I was…”

“Rose brought me here purely for the sake of historical research, I can assure you,” Ford clarified conclusively.

“Oh, right, research…” Pearl scoffed coldly. “Research about her private sanctum that you went and liberally recorded in those infernal journals of yours for the entire world to see, right?!”

“T-that was never my intention!” Ford protested earnestly. “I only wanted to-”

“That’s enough,” Garnet interupted staunchly as she wisely stepped between the pair. “We are not getting into another argument today. We need to focus on finding answers, no matter where and what they might be.”

“Well then, this is as good a place as any to start looking,” Steven said as he tapped his hand down onto the central switch, which instantly lit up the moment he made contact with it. Ford and the Gems all watched in apt amazement as the young Gem cycled through each of the weapon collections the armory had to offer, with Mabel and Connie both helping him out by poking him in the right places to get them to appear. However, none of the armory’s contents seemed to point towards any further clues, from the Armor of the Fallen, to the Axes of Ages, to the Heretic’s Anguish, to even the Quatizine Trio. Even some of the collections the kids themselves had never seen before were ultimately fruitless in anything that told of missing memories or untold secrets, aside from the existence of the armory itself. And by the time they had been through everything, the majority of the group was starting to get quite frustrated by the lack of any real, tangible hints they were still facing.

“Ugh, this is stupid,” Amethyst groaned impatiently as Steven began going through the weapons once more, just to make sure there wasn’t anything they had missed. “Wherever our memories are, its pretty obvious they’re not here, so why are we still wasting our time doing this?”

“Because Rose’s letter pointed towards a secret place,” Garnet reiterated. “And, given the fact that so few actually knew about this armory, I’d say it was exactly that.”

“W-well even if this place was a secret, I don’t see any reason why our memories would have been stored here anyway,” Pearl said pointedly. “Especially since, as we’ve said multiple times, Rose had nothing to do with their erasure!”

“No, of course she wouldn’t have,” Ford agreed with complete sincerity as he looked over the pink Gem’s letter to him again. “However, she did imply that she might have known what happened to them after they were taken. Which means that the leads she’s offered for us are the best we have to go off of for right now.”

“If those leads are even pointing towards our memories,” Pearl countered. “Which, for all we know, they not be at all.”

Based on this bout of speculation, a round of heated debating broke out between Ford and the Gems, one that wasn’t quite an argument, though given how on edge they all were, it could have very well been mistaken for one. The kids watched in unanimous dismay as the adults bickered, knowing that such contention seemed to be a running theme today, one that didn’t show any signs of breaking any time soon.

“Ugh, more fighting…” Mabel sighed with an exasperated frown. “How are we ever gonna figure any of this stuff out if everyone just keeps getting mad and yelling at each other?”

“I guess its because everyone’s just a little tense…” Steven noted sympathetically. “Especially the Gems; they won’t really tell me a lot about it but… its sorta like everything’s just been turned upside down for them and they don’t understand why or how. It can’t be easy for them.”

“Well… do you think finding their memories will really fix that?” Connie asked worriedly.

“I…. don’t know… Maybe?” Steven replied, honestly. “I think what’s bothering them the most right now is the chance that Mom might have actually known about what happened to them, but… that doesn’t make any sense… Why would she keep a secret like that from them for all those years?”

“Well, she did keep this whole armory thing a secret from Amethyst and Garnet for a whole bunch of years, it sounds like,” Mabel pointed out.

“Yeah, but… this is different,” Steven frowned fretfully. “This armory was hers’. But the Gems’ memories belonged to them. If she knew all this time, then why would she keep something that’s theirs hidden from them, especially something this important? Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl were her best friends, so why wouldn’t she trust them with their own memories?”

“Oh gee, I don’t know, Steven,” Dipper spoke up, his tone quite cross and sardonic as he glared at his sister and the young Gem. “Why wouldn’t Rose trust her friends on something really important? Then again, its not like you and Mabel really know anything about putting your trust in the right people, now would you?”

“Uh… what are you talking about, bro-bro?” Mabel asked, exchanging a confused, but still concerned glance with Steven upon hearing this.

“Are you serious?” Dipper asked in harsh disbelief. “You guys still don’t get what the problem is here?”

“W-with the Gems?” Steven guessed, though even as he said it, he knew that wasn’t the focus of this conversation anymore.

“No, with us!” Dipper exclaimed in unbridled frustration. “With what you guys did yesterday! You two saw what the journals said; that portal could have torn the universe apart and killed us all! And you both were in the perfect places to put a stop to it and save us all but you just… didn’t!”

“B-but everything turned out fine!” Mabel protested, not understanding her brother’s perspective on this. “We’re all still ok and now we even have Grunkle Ford around! Aren’t you happy about getting the chance to meet him seeing as how he’s the author you’ve been just about dying to find all summer?!”

“Well, of course I am!” Dipper snapped, his hands in tight fists at his sides. “But that’s not the point! The point is that you guys knew something really bad could have happened, and who did you decide to trust about it in the end? Not me, you know, your twin brother, one of your best friends? No, you decided to trust Stan, a literal conman who we just found out had been lying to us about basically everything all summer!”

“Dipper, we didn’t decide to trust Mr. Pines over you,” Steven clarified gently. “It was just a really intense, heat of the moment sort of thing and we were being pressured on both sides and things just sort of… happened.”

“Things just ‘sort of’ happened?” Dipper repeated with a cold scoff. “Oh what you mean like how you guys ‘sort of happened’ to go have a little ‘chat’ with Peridot even after the Gems and I told you not to? Or, Steven, like how you ‘sort of happened’ to keep me trapped in a fusion with you just so you could feel good!? Or, Mabel, how you ‘sort of happened’ to not help me with the laptop which left me with only a psychotic, sadistic demon to turn to for help!? Or how you guys just ‘sort of happen’ to always do stuff like this! You always have to do what works for you guys, what you guys think is right. Well maybe what’s right for you two isn’t always right for everyone else, did you ever think about that?! Oh, well, of course you didn’t because you two just hate thinking about anything even remotely unpleasant, don’t you!?”

“Whoa, hold on-” Connie attempted to intervene upon seeing how heated things were getting, though Mabel quickly, angrily interupted her.

“Dipper, none of that is fair and you know it!” she exclaimed sharply. “I thought we already settled all this! What happened with the invasion or with Bill is none of our faults and neither is what happened yesterday! Don’t you get it?! If we had shut down that portal yesterday, then Grunkle Stan would have never gotten to see his brother again! He wasn’t trying to destroy the world; he was trying to save his family! I totally would have done the same thing if you were the one trapped in some nightmare dimension like Grunkle Ford was!”

“Would you have, Mabel?” Dipper asked dubiously. “Because if we’re being perfectly honest here, I don’t think you would. After all, I’m always the one who has to end up sacrificing the things I want and need for you, not the other way around! If Bill was right about one thing, it was that. And you pretty much just proved that completely yesterday by not hearing me out about hitting that shutdown switch! The one time I ask you to do something that could have potentially saved the entire world and you don’t even listen to me!”

“Dipper, I—we wanted to listen to you!” Mabel argued back intensely, and by now, Ford and the Gems had start to take notice of the effective shouting matching that was unfolding pretty much between just the twins at this point. “But your problem is that you think way too much with your head and never with your heart! Because me and Steven went with our hearts yesterday and they turned out to be right! Why can’t you just accept that!?”

“Because you didn’t trust me!” Dipper reiterated fiercely, clearly upset enough that he was almost to the point of tears, though he held them back nonetheless. “How many times do I have to say it?! A few weeks ago you guys made such a big deal about how important it was that we stand together and listen to each other, but then you two turned around and did the exact opposite of that! Do you guys even know what that felt like to me? It was like you guys just… shut me out, like you-”

Steven suddenly interupted with a sharp gasp of realization upon hearing this, his eyes growing wide as he finally hit what very well could be a breakthrough in everything. “L-like what Mom did to the Gems…” he muttered, his eyes wide as he stared up to the nearby pink platform.

“Steven?” Connie frowned in confusion, the twins doing the same as they wondered how any of this related back to the argument at hand.

“Pearl,” Steven began, looking to the white Gem as he started to work of this realization. “You said that Mom used to keep a lot of secrets because she wanted to protect everyone?”

“W-well… yes…” Pearl nodded, unsure of where her young ward was going with this. “But what does that have to do with anything?”

“Well, if that’s true, then that means Mom didn’t keep secrets from you guys because she didn’t trust you…” Steven continued, pacing around in the shallow water of the cave as he continued thinking thins out. “She did it to keep you guys safe from… something…”

“Something…” Amethyst repeated, raising an eyebrow. “Like… what?”

“I… don’t know…” Steven shook his head. “But I don’t think that’s the important thing here anyway. What’s important is that she did trust you guys, and she trusted you too, Mr. Ford, didn’t she?”

“W-well, I’d like to think that she did,” Ford remarked, glancing down in slight shame. “For a time anyway…”

“Well, she trusted you enough to show you armory, and a bunch of other things too!” Steven assured thoughtfully. “But… what if there were things that she still kept secret from everyone, things that she didn’t ever tell anyone about ever, because she wanted to keep her friends safe from something really bad.”

“Well what kinda secret would that be?” Amethyst asked, hands on her hips.

“It would be something like… hm…” the young Gem had to take pause from his ongoing line of reasoning here, knowing that he was still missing one essential piece out of this growing puzzle. A piece that had to be something that neither the Gems nor Ford had any prior knowledge of. A piece that could very well lead to the answers they were all still so desperate to find. A piece that, as it finally dawned upon Steven in another burst of sudden realization, was much more pinker and fluffier than he thought it would be. “Lion!”

“Lion?” everyone save for Ford asked rather incredulously, all of them now completely lost by the young Gem’s newfound, bizarre conclusion.

“We gotta get back to the temple, right now!” Steven implored, splashing loudly through the cave as he ran towards its exit, the others all curiously following after him. “Come on!”

No one really understood what Steven had in mind for his impromptu plan as they arrived back at the temple, save for the fact that it apparently involved Lion. Almost as soon as they all stepped inside, however, the young Gem wasted no time in frantically rushing forward and urgently calling for his pink pet, knowing that time was of the essence in solving this longstanding mystery now.

“Lion!” he shouted, glancing around for the pink beast as the others filed in behind him. “Lion! Come on out! We need you to-”

The young Gem was interupted as the pink beast suddenly leapt down from the loft above, nearly knocking him down in the process. As Steven re-steadied himself, he let something of an exasperated huff out upon seeing his comforter draped over his pet’s head. “Ugh, Lion!” he groaned, pulling the blanket off of him. “How many times do I have to tell you!? My bed is for me to sleep on, not for you, even when I’m not here!”

“By Tesla’s coil…” Ford muttered in amazement as he stepped forward to take a better look at the pink beast. “T-that lion is pink!”

“Uh, yeah, tell us something we don’t know,” Amethyst rolled her eyes.

“What a scientific marvel!” the author continued with an impressed smile. Lion sent him an unenthused glare but surprisingly didn’t growl at him as he curiously approached him. “And he’s so tame too! Certainly, he has to have some sort of magical or supernatural origins! Where on earth did you find him?”

“In the desert, a few months before this summer started,” Steven replied, stroking his pink pet’s fur. “But… he has this huge tree inside his mane, i-it’s a little hard to explain, but there are a whole bunch of stuff in there. Stuff that I think used to belong to my mom… Its where we found her sword and this tape she left for me, and there’s a lot of other things in there too. A-and…” he turned to the Gems as he briefly paused, clearly nervous as he purposed his latest idea to them. “Maybe it’s the ‘secret place’ Mom’s letter talked about. Maybe… its where your memories are.”

“Oh, Steven, don’t be ridiculous,” Pearl scoffed. “The chances of our memories being hidden inside Lion’s mane are even lower than them being at the armory.”

“It’s a good guess,” Garnet assured, placing a hand on her young ward’s shoulder. “But it just doesn’t seem very likely.”

“No!” Steven protested, pulling his shoulder away. “Garnet, you said that we have to investigate anything that could lead us to where your memories are. Well I really do think that whatever’s inside Lion’s mane could at least help us get closer to finding them! Please, just… trust me on this, ok? It’s worth a look, isn’t it?”

The Gems said nothing to this, instead exchanging an uncertain glance before they all backed off to allow Steven the room to do what he needed to. The young Gem himself took in a deep, steady breath as he nodded to Lion, who simply tilted his chin up, granting his master access to the pocket dimension tucked away inside his pastel mane. And, taking in a deep breath and letting go of any reservations about what he might find, Steven jumped right in.

The grassy fields of Lion’s mane were just as calm and peacefully silent as Steven always knew them to be, though unlike the countless times he had visited them before, this time, something felt… different. It was as though the very atmosphere, or lack there of rather, that covered the seemingly boundless space was filled with something ominous and unsettling, almost as if it knew what he was there looking for.

And it wasn’t happy about it.

Even so, Steven forced himself to ignore the growing dread in his own heart as he pressed forward through the tall grass, the large, pink tree still afar off in the distance, though it loomed closer with each step he inched towards it. As he ventured closer, his breath dutifully held and his eyes focused on his destination, the young Gem couldn’t help but think about his mother. Rose Quartz, the leader of the Crystal Gems, who saved so many and gave so much. Who harbored so many secrets, both big and small. Who had left so much confusion and uncertainty behind. Who, the more he learned about, the more he seemed to know nothing about at all.

“She was more than just nice,” his father had told him with a warm, earnest smile of deepest affection and love. “She was sweet, and selfless, and funny, and brave, and beautiful, and amazing…”

“Your mother always believed that trust was something that shouldn’t be given away so easily,” Garnet had said, but Steven couldn’t help but question that supposed belief now, in spite of it all. “She believed it was something that should be earned, and that everyone should be given the chance to earn it.”

“I don’t know what kind of sweet, little fluffy lies the Gems have been feeding you, kid, but your mom was far from the amazing, perfect, flawless goddess those three thought she was!” Stan had harshly criticized, with a kind of disdain that the young Gem now understood the reasoning behind. Disdain that, in a way, he even saw as somewhat reasonable, at least from the conman’s perspective.

“She was always, always thinking of humanity, of the earth, of her fellow Crystal Gems over herself,” Pearl had said with a loving sigh of adoration, one that perhaps, Steven started to realize, carried some biases to it all their own.

“I was always able to bear my secrets to her, just as she often entrusted her own secrets to me,” the journal had read and Ford still echoed his sentiments of deepest respect for the pink Gem even now. Sentiments that, much like the Gems’ refused to be shaken. “I can only hope she’ll understand. She has to understand. She’s the only one I still completely trust…”

“Then again, I’m hardly surprised,” Bill had said during a moment of such high intensity that it had barely even registered again in Steven’s mind until now. “After all, your mom did the exact same thing way back when before just making everybody forget about it later on!”

Steven had to take in a sharp gasp of realization upon recalling this callous remark, to the point that he was forced to stick his head outside of Lion’s mane ever so briefly to catch it. He didn’t even bother sticking around to answer anyone’s pressing questions as he quickly shoved himself back inside, his mind absolutely reeling by what the dream demon had said several weeks ago no. There was no way, no way Bill could have been right about that; certainly it had to have been just another one of his infamous lies and deceitful ploys. The idea that Rose had known where the Gems’ memories had been all this time was bad enough; but the implication that she had been the very one to take them in the first place was something else altogether. Certainly, it wasn’t true. It couldn’t be. Because…

“Take care of them, Steven…” Rose had said herself to him in a tape made years ago. A tape filled with so much warmth and love and sincerity that it usually pushed all thoughts of his mother’s shadowed secrets away. But not this time. Because as Steven scaled the hill leading to the tree, the only thing left in place of that warmth was a bitter chill, in place of that love was fear, in place of that sincerity was doubt, more doubt that he had ever really felt before. She had entrusted him with the Crystal Gems, with the protection of the earth and everything upon it. Those were burdens he could handle, burdens that were heavy yes, but manageable. But she had also left him with her secrets, with the ghosts of her past still unreckoned in the present, with all the horrible mistakes she might have made. With all the things that he knew he wasn’t strong enough to carry, even if he wanted to.

And as he finally reached the tree and happened to peer just beyond the chest resting near its base, he found just about the heaviest burden she could have left him with.

His heart sank with a feeling of absolute woe as he caught sight of it: an unassuming glass tube, the very same kind the Society of the Blind Eye had once horded en masse. It lay gently in the low grass, a label pressed to its side that bore a very simple designation written in a deceptively beautiful script:

“Crystal Gems’ Memories”

Steven’s hands were shaking as he reached down to pick the tube up, grasping it ever so gently as he pulled it into his grasp. Tears had started to well up in the young Gem’s eyes as the realization crashed down upon him all at once that it was all true. That Rose really had been keeping this momentous secret from her teammates, from her friends all this time. That she had barred them from the truth, truth that they had agonized over missing for so very long now, truth that she could have very well stolen away from them herself. Truth that he had finally, finally found, and truth that he had every intention of returning to who it rightfully belonged to.

Something that his mother had apparently never bothered to od.

Since he was starting to run out of air, Steven quickly bounded down the hill, practically leaping out of Lion’s mane and back into the house as he landed on the floor clumsily. As tense as everyone was, no one really bothered to give him too much of a chance to catch his breath as they all crowded around him, eager to hear his findings.

“Steven, are you ok?” Mabel asked with concern upon noticing the tears streaming down the young Gem’s face.

“Did you find anything in there?” Connie asked, equally worried as Steven slowly pushed himself up to sit.

“Uh… y-yeah…” he muttered morosely, looking down to the memory tube held tightly in his arms. “I… I think I did…”

Steven let out a sad sigh as he held the tube up for the Gems to see, a unified gasp of shock escaping them as they realized what it was. The young Gem had always imagined this to be a moment of immense relief and joy for his guardians; the long awaited reunion with their lost memories should have been exciting and liberating. But instead, it only felt like a betrayal of the absolute worst kind.

“T-those are… they can’t be…” Pearl whispered, wrapping her hands around Garnet’s arm tightly.

“T-they are…” the Gem leader said weakly, not even hiding the dismay in her tone.

“B-but… but why were they… in there all this time?” Amethyst asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

Garnet took in a deep breath, steadying herself for her teammates as resolve filled her expression. “There’s only one way to find out,” she said, looking to the memory tube first, and then to her teammates. “Gems?” she offered, though neither Amethyst nor Pearl seemed very keen on taking the initiative. “Alright then, I’ll go first.”

The others all watched in tentative silence as Garnet took the tube, placing her palms against both of its end tips. However, the moment she did so, a spark of energy rushed from the tube to the two gemstones making contact with it, eliciting a gasp of surprise from the Gem leader as she went rigid and still. For a moment, her expression only conveyed shock; her jaw dropped and her eyes unreadable underneath her shades. No one else had any idea what she could have been seeing, what memories she was recalling, what secrets she was learning, but in the end, it all proved to be too much for her as she let out a sharp, distraught cry, her hands flying away from the tube as she stumbled backwards. The tube itself nearly shattered on the ground, but fortunately, Pearl managed to catch it just in time as the others all looked to the compromised Gem leader in concerned alarm.

Garnet said nothing as she backed against the far wall, her shades disappearing to reveal her trio of eyes, all huge with terror and oncoming tears in an expression of unabridged fear that none of them had ever seen on her before. Her breathing was shallow and uneven, a hand pressed tightly against the side of her head as she shook it repeatedly, as sign of how unable she was to comprehend what she had just seen.

“G-Garnet…” Steven asked, taking a small, hesitant step towards her. “A-are you… ok?”

The Gem leader didn’t respond, her eyes darting downward as she remained in her state of silent, frantic panic, completely unresponsive to everyone else around her. Pearl and Amethyst in particular were quite stunned to see their usually steadfast leader so shaken, and as they looked to the memory tube again, they were both left wondering if reclaiming what she just had was even worth it at all. “W-what did she see just now?” Amethyst asked quite apprehensively.

“I-I don’t know…” Pearl said, warily eyeing the tube once more. “Whatever it was, it couldn’t have been that bad, right?”

Amethyst simply shrugged in response to this, something that Pearl took with a readying sigh as she began to lift the tube up to the gem on her forehead, knowing that was how Garnet had absorbed the memories contained therein. And much like Garnet, Pearl’s expression went completely blank as she touched it to her gemstone, though it only took a moment or two for the same kind of horror to fill her eyes as she let out nothing short of a scream of anguished fear. The white Gem practically threw the memory tube away from her, though Amethyst managed to nab it with a well timed stretch of her arm before it could hit the wall. All the same, Pearl let out another heartbroken cry as she quickly collapsed to her knees, choking on several sobs all the while as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

“H-how could we… w-we were tricked, we didn’t… what have we done?!” she cried miserably, her voice rising in yet another agonized shriek before she broke down into the same, tearful, inconsolable state Garnet was still in. The kids, Ford, and Amethyst could all only watch their absolute breakdowns with apt alarm, none of them having the faintest idea about what apparent horrors their previously lost memories could hold. The purple Gem in particular looked down at the tube anxiously, knowing that if she were to gain those memories herself, then she’d likely fall apart just as her teammates had. And yet…

“Amethyst, wait,” Steven stopped her as she began to pull the tube towards the gem on her chest. “Y-you don’t have to…”

The purple Gem’s expression turned grave as she heard this, shaking her head solemnly as she spared another pitied glance towards Garnet and Pearl. “Yeah… I do…” she muttered despondently, taking in a deep breath before she placed the tube against her gem. Just like her teammates, it took a moment for Amethyst to really respond to whatever secrets the tube held inside it, but when she did, her reaction wasn’t one of shock or grief. It was anger. The purple Gem let out an appalled gasp, her eyes igniting with furious fire as she ripped the memory tube away from her, letting out a fierce shout as she slammed it hard into the ground, shattering it into hundreds of irreparable pieces.

“She lied to us!” Amethyst practically screamed with fury, her fingers tightly knitted into her messy hair. “All this time! All these years and she couldn’t even bother to tell us anything just so she could hide her own mistakes!? How could she do this to us?!”

“Do what?” Ford asked, both immensely concerned and immensely curious as he addressed all three of the Gems. “What happened? What did you see?”

As soon as the author asked this, the Gems all snapped their gazes over to him, each of them wearing some variation of a hostile scowl, something that Ford was genuinely caught off guard by. “W-what did we see?” Pearl began coldly, wiping her tears away and replacing them with anger as she stood. “I’ll tell you what we saw! We saw-”

“Pearl,” Garnet quickly cut in, still against the wall, though her expression had hardened somewhat. Her shades were still gone as she sent an intentful glance towards the kids, silently telling her teammate that what they had witnessed was something that didn’t need to be discussed in front of them.

The white Gem heeded her leader, though all the same, she turned to Ford briefly, whispering only two words that none of the kids were able to hear, though they left the author completely in shock. “W-what?” he stammered, hoping he had heard Pearl wrong, though she didn’t bother to repeat herself as she abruptly turned on her heel and marched towards the temple, letting out another remorseful, bitter sob as she did. Amethyst followed soon after, grumbling hotly to herself as she stormed into her room, not even sending another glance back at the stunned group behind her. Garnet lingered just a moment longer, her three-eyed sights fixated on the broken remains of the memory tube on the ground before her, as if it held any of the answers she was failing to find.

“G-Garnet?” Steven spoke up apprehensively, taking a step towards the shaken Gem leader. Garnet briefly glanced up at him, her eyes filled with pain, regret, fear, and a million other things at once as she prepared to speak to him, only to end up saying nothing at all. Instead, she simply summoned her shades once again, standing upright as she too retreated inside the temple, unable to even begin describing the horrors her and her teammates had just seen.

“W-wait!” Ford called after her, rushing up to the temple gate just as it closed. “Please, just tell me what happened! W-what did he—what did Rose do to…” The author trailed off, stilling his knocking on the door as he let out a defeated sigh and hung his head in shame, knowing that, based on the incredibly small amount of information he had so far, he couldn’t help but blame himself for it all.

“G-Grunkle Ford?” Mabel spoke up anxiously. “Are the Gems… ok?”

Ford hesitated in turning back to face the kids, but when he did it was with a small, largely fake smile of reassurance. “Ah… um… t-they will be. There’s no doubt that whatever memories they just recalled were… somewhat intense. It’s understandable that they’d need a little time to… adjust, so to speak…”

“It was Mom, wasn’t it?” Steven asked, his back turned to everyone else as he instead stared at the portrait of his mother rather coldly. “She was the one who erased their memories. That’s why they were hidden in Lion’s mane; she put them there. Like Amethyst said, s-she lied to them…”

“I-I… I’m not sure if she… M-maybe she just… She…” Ford stammered, clearly unsure of what to say as he looked to the serene portrait of the pink Gem himself. The author knew there was much that he could have said, not just to the kids, but to the Gems, to himself really, in a moment like this. Unspoken regrets, unkept promises, unabashed guilt; but in the end, he said none of it, opting to take the same route of silence as the Gems had by making a swift retreat of his own. “I… don’t know…” he mumbled to the kids as he passed by them, his tone and his manner both low and remorseful. Yet all the same, he did stop briefly as he began to step outside, offering the kids something of a bittersweet smile as he left them with a few genuine words of affirmation. “You know, despite how everything turned out, you kids really did come through and figure this conundrum out, and that’s something to be proud of. The four of you really make quite an impressive team.” Ford let out a small, somewhat sad laugh as he finally left, though not before muttering one final, wistful statement to himself. “Just like myself and the Gems did back in the day, I suppose…”

And with that, the author departed, leaving the kids alone in a state of heavy silence as they all tried to wrap their heads around everything that had just happened. There was no doubt that something significant had changed with the restoration of the Gems’ memories, but exactly what that something was was largely unclear. However, Steven hardly even thought of this apparent change as he instead continued staring at the picture of his mother, his hands slowly clenching into tight fists at his side as his despair started to grow into frustration. Which in turn, quickly grew into a rare kind of anger he was powerless to control.

“I can’t believe it…” he began, quietly at first, though his volume quickly rose as the others all looked to him in confusion. “All this time, all this time we’ve been trying to figure out what happened to the Gems’ memories, and the answer was always right here! Mom took their memories! They were her friends and she stole from them without even thinking about how much it might hurt them!”

“Oh, Steven…” Connie frowned, wanting to comfort the young Gem amidst his upset anger. “M-maybe she had to erase their memories. Whatever the Gems saw… it looked like it really scared them. Maybe that was her way of helping them deal with that.”

“But why couldn’t she think of another way?!” Steven exclaimed, distraught as he began to intensely pace back and forth. “Why did she have to go and take something that was so important to them and just… just hide them for so long without telling anyone?! She didn’t give them a choice or anything, she just did it to try and fix whatever happened, but it didn’t fix anything at all! It wasn’t fair! It wasn’t right! It’s just like-!” The young Gem cut himself off with a sharp gasp, his eyes widening as he realized he had no right to be upset with his mother for such a momentous mistake. After all, he had nearly done the exact same thing to one of his own friends just a few mere days ago.

Steven’s eyes welled up with tears, a guilty sob escaping him as he looked to Dipper, who, up until that point, had only been watching the young Gem’s outburst in concerned alarm. However, his surprise only grew as Steven suddenly rushed towards him, pulling him into a tight, sorrowful hug that admittedly caught Dipper completely off guard.

“S-Steven, what-”

“Dipper, I-I’m so sorry!” the young Gem cried morosely. “I finally understand why you were so upset with me and Mabel about what happened yesterday! Its because we didn’t trust you! B-because I didn’t trust you, a-and that’s why I almost erased your memories back when we were dealing with the society! I thought you couldn’t handle it all but I was wrong! I was only thinking about how bad I felt then, about how scared I was yesterday that I didn’t even t-think about how… about… about anything else! You’re right… I-I… I’m selfish… Just like my mom was…”

Dipper had to take pause upon hearing all this, still lost in surprise as he felt the young Gem sob miserably while still maintaining their embrace. For the first time, he couldn’t help but feel guilty himself for the grudge he had been holding onto so tightly ever since that portal blew open. A grudge that, in light of everything they had uncovered and everything that they had been through together, seemed far too petty and unimportant to really hold a place in his heart any longer.

And yet, before he could let it go, Mabel spoke up, her tone shaken yet sincere as she managed to join in on the hug between the boys herself. “Dipper, I… I’m sorry too…” she said, much softer than Steven had, though tears were starting to fill her eyes as well. “You were right… we really did shut you out. We broke our promise to stick by each other and be a team, and then we—I guess I just thought that things would get better on their own, so I didn’t even try to make it right… J-just like I always do, right?”

“Mabel, no…” Dipper protested softly, gently pulling himself out of Steven and Mabel’s shared embrace. “Y-you guys didn’t… I was just…” He trailed off, trying to focus everything he wanted to say to them both down to something concise, meaningful. And once he did, he couldn’t help but do so with a remorseful sigh. “I… I was wrong. About Stan, about the portal, about… well, just about everything. In fact, when it comes to the big things this summer, there’s probably about only a handful of times when I’ve actually been right. And I guess I was just so tired of being wrong about everything all the time that I wanted to blame it on someone other than myself so… maybe I sort of just… pinned it all on you two. Which is something else that’s wrong, when you think about it, because you guys totally don’t deserve that. You did what you thought was right. And… in the end, it turned out for the best. I mean, it brought Great Uncle Ford back to where he belongs, it led to us finding the Gems’ memories—for better or worse—it gave us the answers to so many of the questions we had this summer. So… I’m sorry for holding it all against you guys. What happened yesterday… it changed pretty much everything. But the one thing that it shouldn’t change because of any of it is us.”

“And it won’t,” Mabel assured with a small, but steadily growing smile. “Remember what we talked about last night? About not getting all stupid like Stan and Ford, and heck, even the Gems did? Well, we’re not gonna turn out like them. We’re better than that, all four of us are!”

“That’s right!” Steven agreed as they welcomed Connie into their quickly developing group hug. “Because we’re…”

“The Mystery Kids!” they all chimed in together, laughing warmly as they all pulled together, both physically and symbolically. The past few days, the past few weeks really had been tumultuous for all four of them, through trials ranging from Homeworld invasions to battles against demons both external and internal to even interdimensional portals and hidden memories sealed away. But even despite all the strain it had been put under, their bond was a resilient one, built to last under the pressure stacked against it without crumbling apart. What was lost between the kids had been found, and as long as they kept sight of it, so it would remain.

And yet… even despite the comforting assurance of their newly-secured friendship, the kids still had their worries. Worries of the past they still knew nothing about, about the mistakes and terrors laying dead but not buried somewhere years before any of them were even born. Anxiety about the present, about how things were now as shaken and shattered as they were in light of everything they had learned.

And most of all fears of the future, of what they’d find as they moved onward into the unsteady, uncertain darkness ahead, where literally anything or anyone could lie in wait.

Next: 

[dontcallmecarrie]

Your rambles have my imagination working. What if, in an AU TWIFFON, a Steve who is romantically involved with his Tony meets The one the regular Tony has to deal with?

…which one? MCU!Steve, or TWiFFON!Steve? Mind, there’s not much difference until later on in the fic [past the Civil War arc, or the Final Battle], but…hmm. For simplicity’s sake, let’s stick with post-Final Battle arc, because that’s where the crack takes the spotlight. Since I like messing with team reactions, let’s toss that in there as well, shall we? 

…also, misread this at first, so might not be as expected. Under the cut, because it grew on me. Again. Because my brain did a thing, and it might be continued at a later time. [Ha. ‘Might.’ Very funny, brain.]

Not sure if this counts as a minific or not, but here goes anyway. 

Steve’s doesn’t know what’s going on, but there’s an alarmingly familiar suit headed towards them, except it’s all black and gold, which, when contrasted to Tony’s red right next to him, means that something is most definitely off. [The slightly different skyline’s just a footnote, really.]

Clint rocks back on his feet when he points it out to them, and goes “remind me to punch the weirdo fucking around with the fabric of time and space when we get back,” which…Steve can’t even fault him for. Not when he doesn’t recognize where they are, not when they’re surrounded by what looks like a slightly more sinister version of the Iron Legion. [Thicker panels, unfamiliar turrets on the shoulders; where exactly were they?]

The Avengers, however, have learned to roll with it over the years, and it’s not like the Prank Wars of ‘14, so it can’t be that bad, can it? They’re ready for battle, but they’re in a place they don’t know, so diplomacy’s the way to go. They can do that, sure. [Doesn’t mean Steve doesn’t feel slightly anxious about Tony being the greeting committee/representative, though. And it doesn’t mean he’ll leave Tony’s side, for that matter.]

The black armor doesn’t falter, just calmly strides up to them, slaps Tony in chest with a metallic clang and him with…that’s a pamphlet, okay. He got hit with a pamphlet, that’s new. But even as he’s trying staring at its strangely specific title [Accidental Shadow Government? Really?], a cool and dispassionate voice says, “come with me.”

…that’s Tony’s voice. [”Yep, definitely punching that guy once we get home,” Clint mutters, and Steve ignores Natasha’s unsubtle smack to the shoulder.] Different universe, got it. With an Iron Man, though, so shouldn’t be that different, right? And yet.

“I take it you’re our greeting committee?” He finally asks, because this is weird and at his side Tony’s busier analyzing this new suit. He needed some way to establish rapport, some way to start the banter because this was weird even by his standards and—

The faceplate finally goes up, and Steve felt a rush of ice as Tony looked back at him, meanwhile his Tony went rigid, and he heard Natasha’s carefully measured exhale behind him as Clint hissed. [Goodness knew what Bruce and Thor were up to, but doubtlessly they were also gearing up for battle.] Steve didn’t blame them; after all, they were dealing with the Merchant of Death here, all sleek lines and sharp smiles edged with menace.

“No, just in the neighborhood when Jo sounded the alert. Come with me, we’ll clear this up. Your faces aren’t exactly welcome in some places, you know.” And it’s Tony’s voice, but the team’s never heard him that cold, apart from that one time with Ross and Bruce had a picture of the then-Secretary of State’s face on his lock screen because that had been a doozy. 

It’s Tony, and this should be familiar, but the way he’s acting is downright alien, because not even during the train wreck of a first meeting in the Helicarrier was he as frigidly dispassionate as he is now. In the back, he can practically hear Natasha’s mind frantically taking everything in, trying to catalog the differences while at his side Tony’s almost scarily silent.

“I think we’re in a different universe,” Steve offered, trying to break the silence that’d settled after Tony [the other Tony, geez this was going to get confusing] had said his part. 

But the faceplate simply went back down, and it’s a cool female voice from behind them that remarks, “we are aware of that, Captain. Please follow Dr. Stark this way, a call has already been made to the proper authorities and Dr. Strange is already reviewing possible ways to expedite your return home.”

He…doesn’t know what to say, to that. [”What the hell happened here?” Clint muttered, and Steve wishes he knew.] He bumped his shoulder against Tony, and felt a bit of relief when Tony nudged him back, a smidgen of familiarity in this strange universe.

Their Peter had been at school when their latest battle had happened, but it was still jarring to see him acting so warily around them. Especially since, not a day ago, he and Clint had been ‘applying the practical applications of physics’ [nice try, Clint, now put the nerf guns away] and joking around. And yet. 

Yet here, Clint got the cold shoulder, and why was Peter pretending Steve didn’t exist?

“What the hell did my counterpart do?” Steve couldn’t help but ask, and the scoff he got did not help his growing dread. 

At all. 

That his Tony refused to leave his side helped; the looks thrown their way whenever they saw the red-and-gold armor so close to him, however, didn’t. 

This Dr. Strange was apparently running late, and while the penthouse they were situated in looked nice, Steve was well aware that it was just like the one they had at home, to monitor possible threats while trying for a peaceful resolution. 

At least Tony had removed the helmet, though the look of dawning horrified fascination was not exactly comforting, as he read through the pamphlet he’d been given. 

Actually…that reminded Steve of the one he’d also gotten a copy of. The one he’d stuck in his pocket, and had forgotten about with the Merchant of Death’s appearance. Just what was stressing Tony out so much? Steve carefully started to flick through his copy, and—

…ah. No wonder Tony was freaking out so much.

“Well then. This is new,” he couldn’t help but say, after rereading it just in case he’d missed something, and reached towards Tony reflexively. 

The flash of gold that came out of nowhere was just the icing on the cake, really.

After the chaos that ensued with Dr. Strange’s arrival [quelled by the flicker of green in Bruce’s eyes], things started to make more sense than before. 

Even if nobody really answered Steve’s increasingly-unnerved questions as to just what the hell his counterpart had done, and leaning against Tony because force of habit was a thing, he got an idea as what went down.

It was in their faces when Tony had snapped “hands off my partner, asshole”, and in the way Vision eyed them oddly when Clint muttered about hell dimensions and ‘next thing you know I’ll have a wife and kids for maximum Twilight Zone bullshit’ and Natasha’s hovering near them with a quip to offset Tony’s stress even more because Steve could only do so much when he himself was trying not to freak out.

He didn’t know just what went down, for the Wasp to stare when Clint made a world domination joke, or just why this other Tony was even more guarded than before, if that was even possible when he was wearing nothing more heavy ordnance than a Tom Ford suit. 

Steve didn’t know what was going on, but he didn’t like it. 

Now, maybe Something Goes Down, or…actually, something that’d be pretty spoilery for what I’ve got planned re: TWiFFON, so let’s just make up an excuse for them to meet up, now, shall we?

Steve had been caught flat-footed for the past few hours now. This universe seemed to be out to get him, and JARVIS’ blunt briefing had been an eye-opening experience. 

On the plus side, at least his imagination wasn’t torturing him with possibilities of his counterpart being a Nazi, or something…but Steve wasn’t exactly pleased with hearing just what he had gotten up to, either. 

And he might’ve possibly been leaning on his team more than usual, but it was only par for course, when James had failed to hide his surprise at Steve’s ‘being an actual team leader’ [that had stung, even if this James wasn’t his Tony’s best friend]. 

All in all, Steve wasn’t exactly a happy camper. 

Neither was the rest of the team, for that matter; Clint hid his nerves with only-slightly-forced banter, Natasha’s smiles had an edge that normally meant she’d get first pick next movie night, Bruce was on his fifth cup of tea and counting, meanwhile Thor’s normally congenial nature had been dampened by all the wary looks thrown their way.

Not to mention his Tony.

His Tony, who hadn’t removed his suit since their arrival, who had become their spokesperson despite clearly wishing to be anywhere else and reluctant to let the team out of his sight even if he clearly wanted to talk to his counterpart.

So, when Steve got…forcibly introduced to his counterpart, things kind of went…sideways from the start.

…huh. He’d thought Dr. Strange’s face had been entertaining, when Tony’d pulled out the big guns and fake wedding rings, but if this was what he looked like when stunned, Steve didn’t blame Tony and the others for teasing him so often. [More entertaining than the other Tony’s face, to be certain.]

…didn’t mean he didn’t want to punch his other self, though. 

Actually, strike that; punching was most definitely on the table, nobody talked about Tony like that on his watch—

Suffice it is to say, JARVIS got some lovely footage of Captain America fighting Steve Rogers while defending Tony Stark’s honor, and it was as entertaining as it sounds. Breaking it up ended up requiring one Bruce Banner, two Thors, and an impressive amount of duct tape [good to know Peter’s rubbing off on you, Clint], among other things.

And that’s before Steve found out about Siberia. [If the team had known, they would’ve been cheering him on, and/or jumping in.]

…um. Dammit, brain! 

For some context: AU!Avengers crash-landed TWiFFON post-Final Battle arc. Their team dynamics are basically the ones from the Inception-y AU I Sometimes Want To Write, aka healthy, team-as-family, etc. 

This isn’t their first rodeo re: dimension-crashing, but it’s pretty close. Same with the TWiFFON crew; the encounter was surreal for them both.

Steve and Tony aren’t married, but they’ve been dating for quite a while, and the ‘fake’ rings Tony conveniently had on him were the ones he’d picked out because he was trying to figure out a way to propose but was having as much success in doing so as he was in telling Pepper he was dying, back in IM2. 

More to this, but I’ll continue it later on, in that one sequel/spinoff fic for TWiFFON, because this got pretty long as is.  

[mysilverylining]

Previously on Neptune

I’m getting closer and closer to finally posting an update on this monster.  It occurred to me that it’s been so long since I posted, that nobody could possibly remember the plot.  Other than THOSE two scenes, I mean.  

If this wheel’s a-rockin’, don’t come a-knockin’

Anyway, I’ve written up a recap.  Feel free to sing along in the style of Braindead, if you so desire. 

Spoilers under the cut  

Prologue:

Homicide Detective Veronica Mars exits a crime scene in a blind rage.  An unidentified male watches her through binoculars from a nearby building as she assaults a gate and her boss, and fantasizes about doing vile things.  

Episode One:

Here, the author experiments with a different writing style, turning what should be an easy drive to town into thousands of words too long.  A bored and exhausted Veronica finally makes it to her dad’s doorstep.  

She’s quit her job on the force, gave up her lease, and wants her old life back.  Keith tentatively welcomes her home, and it feels just like old times when Veronica catches a glimpse of his special lady friend on his phone’s wallpaper and erupts.     

By some non-contrived and totally coincidental twist of fate, Jackie Cook arrives back in Neptune with her eight year old son, and wants to hire Mars Investigations to clear her father’s name.  He’s been fired from his job as a baseball coach at Hearst, and is potentially facing criminal charges for game fixing.  Sure, he’s done it before, but this time he’s TOTALLY innocent.  She swears.  “Oh, and by the way, maybe don’t mention it to Wallace that I’m back in town.  He kinda had a meltdown the last time we saw each other.”   

Veronica joins Wallace and Weevil for dinner at Neptune’s new celebrity restaurant.  Wallace has been divorced for about a year now, from Jane Kuhne, and while he doesn’t regret leaving, the experience has altered his disposition.  Weevil seems suspiciously (V’s words, not mine) happy running the city’s Fleet Services Department.  “He knows people”.    

She vaguely mentions her new case, and Weevil fills her in on the tightened security over at Hearst. 

Wallace is looking forward to strutting the stage in the upcoming bachelor auction, which trigger’s Veronica’s protective nature.  She decides to attend.  You know, to scare off  vet the bidders.  

The following day, Veronica sets to work making a Hearst ID badge out Weevil’s old one, and phone-squabbling with her former partner-slash-friend-with-benefits, Joe.  He doesn’t take the breakup well.  

For insurance reasons, Keith needs her to renew her P.I. license.  Oh no!  She missed the final deadline by a few months, and now she’ll have to begin the entire process all over again.  Never fear, there’s a special extension document that will grant her a little extra time.  All it needs is a signature from the County Supervisor.

“Great dad!  I’ll get right on that, but now I’ll have to cut you off mid-sentence to deal with this service worker, and I’m probably going to turn off my phone afterwards, because my ex is just SO obsessed with me, and I can’t deal with him calling anymore.  But I’ll be sure to butter up Mayor Jenkins with some tiramisu.  K. Bye.”

The mayor’s assistant is none other than Gia Goodman, and maybe Veronica can just sneak past her.  Sure, crawling down the hallway is a little bit undignified, but everyone knows how hard it is to break away from a Gia conversation once she starts rambling.  

Having vanquished the obstacles of timid service-men, pissed ex-FWBs, and chatty secretaries, Veronica arrives at the Wizard’s Mayor’s inner sanctum.  Holding up her tiramisu bribe, she announces her presence.  

Whaddya know?  The mayor is her old friend, Logan Echolls.  

Veronica and Logan have a long and productive conversation.  Sans words.  And clothing.  Horizontally.  

Episode Two

Logan Echolls has zero chill, so literally nobody is surprised when he immediately admits that he’s still in love with Veronica.  

Veronica:  “Um...yeah.  I’m just here to get a form signed.  Also, we are never ever ever getting back together.  

Logan:  You DO still love me!  I knew it.  

Dessert interlude.  

Veronica drives and angsts and mopes and angsts.  

Madison Sinclair has undergone a personality transplant in the intervening years (Caitlin Ford has not).  She tries to apologize to Veronica at Java the Hut, even inviting her to attend the bachelor auction, but things take a turn for the ugly when she mentions the “L” word.  Insults are exchanged, and Madison’s idle threat to bid 17K on Logan at the auction ends up trapping her when Caitlin repeats it to the HBIC.   Trying again to make amends, Madison follows Veronica over to her car where she learns the truth of Veronica’s rape at Shelly’s party and Dick’s part in it.  

Mac calls Veronica at home to apologize for missing dinner the night before, but it’s hard to find time for fun when you’re doing the work of the boss in addition to your own.  Mac despises Madison for keeping her from visiting her bio-mom in the weeks before her death.  Checking the mail, she finds a postcard warning her to resign from Casablancas.  

Madison flashes-back on her romance with her secret lovah.  He showed up in her life when she was reeling from her mom’s death, depressed, and taking some nasty drugs.  He helped her get cleaned up, and set her on the path of redemption through contribution.  She confesses what happened with Veronica, and how she’d trapped herself into bidding on Logan.  Loverboy doesn’t like it, but assures her he’s not mad, and confesses his love to her.  

Veronica wakes to find a food truck in the driveway, sent by Logan, who intends to win her heart through her stomach.  

Veronica and Keith interrogate Terrance Cook, compiling a list of suspects consisting of rivals and ex-lovers.  

At Hearst, Veronica recognizes the assistant coach as Luke Haldeman.  He supports his boss’ story.  She interviews the players, who react to her with hostility, sexism, and shameless flirtation. 

Later, at Neptunalia, Veronica receives a phone call from one of the players, disguising their voice, and pointing the finger at Luke for the thrown game.  

Logan shows up, and plies Veronica with food and flirtation.  He makes a bargain with Veronica that she’ll agree to go on a date with him if he can win her an “I love you beary much” bear. There is no such bear on the fairgrounds (as she’d suspected) , which is fine, because he’s a crappy ring toss player, anyway.  Veronica wins him a bear instead, and then they head to the Ferris Wheel for another...um...productive conversation.  

It’s time for the bachelor auction.  Veronica runs into Weevil, and together, they interviews one of the Hearst baseball players, who just happens to be bartending.  There’s probably an age-related continuity error there, if you squint. 

Weevil’s attitude about Veronica being in Neptune is a bit fishy.  Why is he practically shoving her out the door?  Well, it turns out, Weevil and Logan have taken their bromance to a new level.  Best friend charms, and everything.  An understandably weirded-out Veronica explains that there’s nothing to see.  Logan, who?  I don’t know any Logan.  Gia arrives minutes later, outing their sexy-times on Logan’s desk.  Weevil gives exasperation face.  

The auction begins.  Jackie reveals herself by submitting the winning bid on Wallace.  St. Mac of Arc plays martyr and bids on Dick.  You know, to keep him from committing office shenanigans with Gia.  Veronica does NOT bid on Logan.  She takes off when it becomes clear that Madison is sticking to her word.  

Veronica meets up with Mac and Jackie the next morning at Java.  They commiserate on the upcoming dates.  They part ways when Jackie gets a call that her father’s been arrested. 

At the Sheriff’s Department, VVL tries to keep Veronica from consulting with Terrance Cook.  She runs into Carmen Ruiz on the way out, who’s now married (with children) to Tad.  Yes, that Tad.  Barf.  She can’t look Veronica in the eyes, and has the demeanor of an abused wife.  

In the women’s room, while taking out her anger on a garbage can, Veronica meets Deputy Siobhan Fitzpatrick.  Siobhanica hit it off immediately, as they’re both cops, both despise Tad, and have many other things in common.  Maybe TOO much in common.  Record scratch.  Turns out, Siobhan used to be engaged to Logan.   And, almost as bad, had been allowed to honey trap for Keith.  Not fair.  

Back at Mars Investigations, Veronica finds a newspaper that shows her and Logan locking lips at Neptunaila.   Mac arrives, introducing Veronica’s new part-time hacker, Lauren Sinclair.  

The auction dates begin, and Madison isn’t having the best night.  First, Logan is snippy and dramatic, and polishing off his drinks a bit too quickly.  Then, she’s shut-down when she attempts to apologize to Mac.  She does, however, agree to reach out to the MacKenzies, and feels pretty good about it.  Finally, Dick tries to stop her on the way back from the bathroom.  After what she learned from Veronica, he’s the LAST person she wants to be alone in a hallway with.  Back at the table, she finally has an adult conversation with Logan, and (maybe?) a new truce?  

Mac’s time isn’t much better.  Dick is being blackmailed, which is fine.  Couldn’t happen to a better man.  But he’s been given a month to resign, and the blackmailer wants her out too.  

Across town, Wallace is sullen and unresponsive on his date with Jackie.  She calls him out on some harsh truths, and almost seems to be getting through to him.  Then his ex sister-in-law shows up, and starts snapping pictures of them.  They make a quick exit, and an awkward goodbye.  

It’s late and Veronica receives a text that Logan is at Madison’s place, and wasted.  She’d better come get him if she doesn’t want him driving.  Veronica drives to Madison’s house.  She has an emotional crises, thinking she’s been set up, and is going to find them in bed together.  

When she finally opens the bedroom door, Madison is alone.  And dead.  Dun dun dun.