#as with a lot of the chapters centered around Nick’s childhood

[notanorigami]

Chapter 688

Surnames

Damao: “Nick, are these two packages yours?”

Nick: “Oh, that’s the stuff I bought online. I sent it straight to your guy’s place so Lynn could cook everyone spicy stir-fried seafood~”

Damao: “Why are the names of these two packages different? One is Nick Holt, the other is Nick Hoult?

(Nick): “Both of these are my names, of course. In order to talk about them, I’ll have to start from my childhood.”

“After my dad left me and my mom, my mom wanted to cut all ties with him. She took everything related to my dad and threw them away.”

(Nick): “Even my last name, Hoult, wasn’t an exception to this. But I wasn’t willing to give it up because this was a connection only me and my dad shared.

"However, I also didn't want my mom to be upset…”

Nick: “So I got rid of my last name and changed it from Hoult to Holt. It’s read the same way, but the spelling is different.

So, what do you guys think?~ Aren’t I smart?~”

Ira: “It hurts! It hurts too much! This kind of childhood memory!.”

Damao: “Nope, I can’t breathe.”

Uses/Benefits/Utility

Nick: “Aren’t you guys reacting too much…”

Ira: “Wuwuwu... Nick…I want to apologize for looking down on you before.”

Damao: “You are such a good kid!”

Nick: “A name is just an alias. It doesn’t matter if I’m Holt or Hoult, I’m still me.”

(Ira or Damao): “Well said!”

Nick: “Besides, sometimes it’s beneficial to have two names.”

Ira: “Like when?”

(Nick): “Like when dodging exes.”

Nick’s Ex: “H-O-U-L-T, Hoult! Are you sure there isn’t one?! He definitely lives in this apartment!”

Receptionist: “I’m sorry madam, but our system doesn’t list such a person!”

[romanarose]

If You Wanna Be Wild: Chapter 4

Co-written with @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction

Javier Peña x Latina!sex worker!informant!Reader x Santiago Garcia

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Summary: Javier confronts Santi, but Candy has Santi's back; we get a little insight into Santi's childhood and what makes him this way.

Content and warnings for whole fic, not chapter by chapter unless something is added: Sex work, drug trade, some drug use/pressured used, sex workers and the mistreatment/stigma surrounding them specifically in the 70’s (my blog is sex worker positive) but ima put potential dub con depending how you look at it as a sex worker who works with dangerous men, some action surrounding reader and the guys and the drug trade, SMUT HEAVY, corruption kink (were corrupting santi here, he’s young, 25), no loss of virginity tho, threesomes, some slight m/m smut but that’s not the focus here, but as you know this blog is an lgbt blog so I’m always open to gay shit. Talk of war and some PTSD but I won't be going a whole lot into it.

For the record, this is a fic that takes place in the drug trade and deals with the darker side of humanity, so anything from Narco's and Triple Frontier is liable to be discussed or mentioned here. This is your warning. This is not a dark fic nor is it centered around dark themes like Leather and Lace or Sunshine Starlight Sweetheart Brightside, but they are open to be talked about.

Reader has a nick name: Candy. Not her real name just what she goes by on her profession. Much of the inspo for this and for the title came from the Bruce Springsteen song “Candy’s room” so check it out for the vibes.

Reader speaks Spanish and had hair. I've decided Candy is just latina bc she's a sex worker in Colombia so this is what I'm doing. Reader also has curly hair and dark skin.

ADDITIONAL WARNING!: I'm adding implied covert incest to the warnings. If you don't know what it is, it's NOT the same as physical/sexual, its where the child has a relationship with a parent that is more like spouses than parent/child. I'll leave more to google. In the context of this fic, Santi's mom parentified Santi, made him the "man of the house", treated him like a husband and relied on him to help pay bills.

Thank you as always to my beloved Fen <3 I couldn't do this without your encouragement.

A short 1.8 words

Support writers! Reblog and comment!

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

“GARCIA!” Javi chased after the young man, running down the stairs. Santi moved fast with his youth, but Javi’s longer legs gained an advantage, skipping stairs and eventually catching Santi and slamming him against the wall.

“I’m sorry!”

“You’re damn right you are! How did you get her number?”

“Your book!”

“You’re going through my shit, Garcia?”

Candy’s voice rang at the top of the stairs, her robe and wild curls flowing as she transcended down the stairs. “Let him go!” 

Javi backed up, letting go of Santi’s shirt with a shove. “You stay the hell away from her!” He said to Santiago.

“Excuse me?” Candy stood in front of Santi, crossing her arms over her robe to protect her modesty, for whatever that was worth. “He is my client, and if he wants to see me, he can see me! You don’t own me!”

Jaci sighed, pinching at the bridge of his nose with a huff. “That’s not what I meant. He’s a DEA agent-”

“And you aren’t?”

“He’s not going to be careful! Candy, you sleep with dangerous men, men we are after! If he’s not subtle, you both end up dead!”

“And screaming out his name in my stairwell is being subtle?” 

Javi didn’t have a response, chewing on his cheeks and Santi tried to excuse himself. “I’m just, I’m going to go.” But Candy caught his hand. 

“Santi, sweetheart, it’s okay, we can go back upstairs. You paid me, sweetie.”

He was still avoidant. “No, it’s okay, I reserved the time, I-I’ll just go… yeah- fuck,” he shook his head and tried to go.

Santi pulled away again, but Candy held on: tight but gentle. 

Javi tried to nudge him on. “Go on out of here-”

“I’m sorry-” Santi tried to apologize to the floor when the door opened, and an old woman in a black lace vale shuffled in.

Candy dropped Santi’s hand in favor of wrapping her robe better. “Hola, Señora Perez.”

The old woman eyes Santi and Javi, then looks at Candy. “You alright here, mija?”

With a soft smile, Candy assures her. “Si, Señora, gracias. El,” She nodded to Javi with a glare. “él se va.”

Señora Perez nodded, placing a withered hand on Candy’s shoulder and turning her away from the two boys. “Mija, have I ever told you about my grandson?”

Candy held back a laugh. “No, Señora.”

“He’s a nice young man, a church going boy.” She touched the cross around her neck. “If I may offer some advice, I would suggest you find some different company.” She glanced at Santi and Javi who both avoided her eyes, then back to Candy’s expensive, flowing robe. “And perhaps some more clothes.” Señora Perez patted Candy’s shoulder and moved on towards her door.

Candy muttered “Garcias, Senora” and everyone waited in silence until her apartment door was closed before Candy turned to Santi, as soothing as ever. “Would you like to come back upstairs with me?”

Santi seemed to be considering it when Javier butted in. “Garcia, don’t you fucking-”

“Enough! You are not in charge of him!” Candy shouted before grabbing Javi’s arm and pulling him out the front door and closing it behind her. “What are you doing?” She asked, unsure why Javi was acting this way. 

But Javi didn’t know himself. He wasn’t an idiot, he knew she saw other men. Hell, he saw plenty of other women himself. Was it that he saw Candy with another man? Was it that the man was Santi? Or was it what he was claiming, that Santiago couldn’t be careful, that he couldn’t protect her? Yeah that was it. It certainly wasn’t the bubbling jealous at the idea that Santi was fucking her, holding her, that she kissed his plush lips- uh, that he kissed her plush lips. No, Javier Peña was jealous. 

Instead of divulging all this, Javi diverted. “What are you doing with him? He’s just a kid.”

She scoffed at him. “He’s 25, plenty old enough.”

“Yeah, old enough to get sex from bars, or a nice girlfriend not-” Javi stopped, but it was too late.

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “A prostitute? You can say it, Javi. I’m aware of my job title.” 

“Candy, baby, that’s not what I meant-”

Candy rolled her eyes, her hand reaching for the door. “Call me whenever, Javi, but you leave that boy alone.”

She opened the door and Javi only got a peak at Santi, connecting eyes before the door shut in Javi’s face as he took a step forward.

*

Santi watched as Javi walked towards the door, and when it shut he was certain Javi would open it… but he didn’t, and eventually the sound of descending footsteps signaled he left.

“Santiago? Can I call you that now?” She asked as she approached him carefully, with that soft smile that always put Santi at ease. Santi kept looking at the door. “I knew that was your name, before. Knew you worked for the DEA, didn’t know you were Javi’s partner.”

Finally, Santi turned toward her. “Can we not talk about him?”

“Sure. Would you like to go back upstairs with me?” Candy extended her hand that Santi took. She smiled wider. “Let’s go, handsome.”

As they ascended the stairs, Santi’s nerves were through the roof. He felt guilt, like he’d been caught. Santi never got caught before, because he’s never done anything wrong. The pressure from such a young age to be good, to do right, to be the man of the house… it carried over. Santi got his first job at 8 with a paper route he held for years until he found a less than legal job at 13 in a kitchen. The job had so many health code violations and safety hazards, Santi’s arms and legs were burned and cut with scars he now passed off as from the military. He had wounds from there too, but that was primarily the scar down his neck from the bullet that almost killed him, and a few in the chest that went straight through. Frankie said the 4th bullet you don’t even really notice anymore. Santi’s fourth bullet he didn’t feel because he thought he was dead.

All his life he’d needed to do right. His older sister, she was the problem child, the one causing mami problems… Santi loved her too. Elena had her own troubles, their father leaving severely affected her and she sought out that healing from men way too old for her. By the time she entered college, she was a full blown feminist and was teaching Santi all she knew. For his sister’s part, Elena was insistent that Santi be a good man. He learned a lot of valuable lessons about consent and how to treat a woman, not that he had much opportunity to use it.

Santi had become the man of the house when their dad left, his mother treating him like a husband some days. She called him her esposito; her little husband. She’d stay up late at night with him on the couch talking, talking to him about how his father did her wrong, her troubles at work or church… Sometimes it made him feel special, but often it just made him feel worried. He felt like all the problems were his to fix. Elena got into college on scholarship. She’d been a part of a women’s group and had worked hard to save up… Every dime Santi made in his youth went to his mom, so when it came time for adulthood, he couldn’t afford the luxury of college. Santi enlisted in the army at 17, sending home chunks of his paycheck to his mom until the day she died.

The pressure to be good, to be right, to never mess up even the slightest… it manifested in anxiety that Santiago pushed down and down and down… it was bubbling up right now, gurgling in his stomach and in the bile at his throat.

Mami would not approve. She was violently against Elena’s premarital sex, and had told him he could not be like her. God forbid she knew he was seeing a prostitute. Did she know? Was she watching him? Did she know of all the meet ups they'd had this month? Elena wouldn’t approve either, she thought prostitution was degrading to women and that men that sought out prostitutes were objectifying them… this act with Candy was desecrating the two opinions he valued most.

But he didn’t want to stop.

“Do you want to have sex, or would you rather just talk?”

Santi turned to her, confused at that statement. “I thought… do you…”

Her smile changed from soft and assuring to bright and joyful. “Talk? Yes Santiago I can do more than suck dick.”

Panic swept through him. He didn’t want her to think of him like that. She was special to him. He wasn’t stupid, he knew they weren’t dating, but he didn’t just value her for her body. “No! Oh god no, Candy I don’t think of you like that, fuck- you’re- I”

“Santiago.” She placed her comforting hands on his shoulder, a hunt of worry in her eyes. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m just teasing you. Breathe, can you do that for me? In your nose, out your mouth…”

Santi did as she said, and slowly calmed down. “I’m sorry, I just…” When she cocked an eyebrow in concern again, Santi collected his thoughts better. “I enjoy your company. P-physical or not.”

Her reassuring smile was back. “Well I’m glad. I enjoy yours too.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“No I’m not.” She frowned ever-so slightly, but unlike his mother he didn’t automatically feel like the frown was his fault or his problem to fix. “Santiago…” Candy took his hand, leading him to the small loveseat and sitting down. “I have a lot of different kinds of men here. I hope that isn’t shocking to say, but I do.” With a gentle nudge to his shoulder, Santi smiled again. “You’d be surprised how many men just want to talk. It’s a lot of them. Before or after sex, but sometimes that’s all we do. I like talking to them, getting to know them. And Santi?” She kissed his cheek and giggled at the tickle of his mustache. “I like getting to know you.”

So Santi stayed there with Candy curled up and lying against his chest on the love seat, just talking. She calmed him. He liked being with her, just being. He knew it was an act, at least part of it. She was paid to be here… but Santi couldn’t help feeling for her, wanting to be with her… With Candy, Santi felt like he could actually be himself, he could be that version of himself he was with Frankie, Benny, Will, and slowly but surely Javi, even if today set him back. Fuck, what was Javi going to say at work tomorrow? Would he yell at him again, get him fired for soliciting prostitutes or for going through his things, would he request a new partner- Santi’s finger wrapped around one of Candy’s curls, carefully letting the lock slip through his fingers as to not to mess them up… he found himself grounded again. That could wait until tomorrow. Candy mattered now.

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

Check out the playlist!!! Lots of fleetwood mac and eagles!

Prescious baby Santi <3

Now tell me...

please tell me why in the comments and reblogs! I love to here your thoughts on who had better chemistry, who would work better, who needs to work on themselves etc bc they both got their issues, Javi is a sad slut and Santi is a sad baby.

Thank you so so much for reading!!!

And I want to add, to all my readers effect by the war, whether you or your family or friends, I'm praying for your safety. I don't know how much that means to you, but it's what I have <3

@runa-falls @lunar-ghoulie @campingwiththecharmings@whatthefishh @persephone-girl @criticalarchitecture @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog @beelzebeth87 @pimosworld @millerscoffee @heareball @thatwonderouswoman @poolboo @meveispunk @lovable-liar @millllenniawrites @read-and-wip @missdictatorme @the-fox-den @milkymoon2483 @k-ra @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin @rosellacwrites @legendary-pink-dot @dreamingofbucky @axshadows @englandsgray @starsthatwatch @fairlyang @alwaysmicado @theywhowriteandknowthings @casa-boiardi @lostfleur @ninebluehearts @puglover12 @sub-aro @laiisleitte @itspdameronthings @heareball @comfortlessjoy @csarab615 @calaveramangonda @bit-dodgy-innit @stevngrant @nanfafnan @kirsteng42

[blogger360ncislarules]

CBS‘ No. 1 comedy series Young Sheldon is coming to an end. The Big Bang Theory spinoff will conclude with the upcoming seventh season, which will consist of 14 episodes. Young Sheldon will air a one-hour series finale on Thursday, May 16 at 8 PM.

The news is not surprising. The upcoming seventh season, which premieres Feb. 15, is the last in a three-year pickup Young Sheldon received in 2021.

And while CBS would’ve probably liked to keep its flagship comedy series around longer, there had been a lot of speculation that Season 7 may be its final chapter as the show’s story is coming to a natural end with events that have been referenced on the mothership series.

“As a prequel to one of the biggest comedies, Young Sheldon proved lightning can strike twice,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “It set itself apart with a remarkable cast that felt like a family from the first moment we saw them on screen and brought characters to life with unique heartfelt stories that drew audiences in from the start. We extend a sincere thank you to executive producers Chuck Lorre, Steve Molaro and Steve Holland and the entire writing and producing teams for six wonderful seasons. We look forward to seeing their final season unfold and giving it a proper send off with the best episodes yet for their fans to enjoy.”

From creators, executive producers and writers Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro, Young Sheldon centers on Sheldon Cooper, a once-in-a-generation mind capable of advanced mathematics and science, which isn’t always helpful in a land where church and football are king. And while the vulnerable, gifted and somewhat naïve Sheldon deals with the world, his very normal family must find a way to deal with him.

The finale of Young Sheldon brings the journey of the Sheldon Cooper character to an end. The single-camera, half-hour comedy takes viewers through his childhood, as he embarks on his innocent, awkward and hopeful journey toward the person fans got to know on The Big Bang Theory.

Young Sheldon has been a strong ratings performer. It premiered as the #1 new comedy of the 2017-2018 television season and became the #1 comedy in the 2019-2020 season after The Big Bang Theory completed its run. The show remains the #1 comedy for the 2022-2023 season and consistently outperforms its competition, attracting a large viewership of 11 million in L+35 and streaming on Paramount+ and CBS TVE (CBS.com and the CBS App).

The series stars Iain Armitage, Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Annie Potts, Montana Jordan, Raegan Revord and Jim Parsons (as the voice of Sheldon). Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro, Steve Holland, Nick Bakay, Jim Parsons and Todd Spiewak serve as executive producers. Young Sheldon is produced by Chuck Lorre Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

“Being able to tell the origin of Sheldon Cooper, and expanding the story to include the entire Cooper family has been a wonderful experience,” said executive producers Steve Holland, Steven Molaro and Chuck Lorre. “We are grateful to our fans for embracing this chapter of the Coopers these past six seasons, and on behalf of the entire Young Sheldon family, we’re excited to share this final season with you.”

[ruvviks]

hand over the detes abt vito's college years my liege 🔫🔫🔫

on it boss >:) for the people who missed it, here is the original post and here is the first ask i answered about it!

warnings >> alcohol, drugs, nsfw, smoking mention, transphobia mention

when vitali starts college he's moved out of the house and most of his childhood he kinda felt trapped, which is basically what his entire college experience is centered around LMAO because now that he's no longer stuck at home he can do. whatever he wants. and he goes a little bit far in that sometimes!!!

vitali's first year is centered around him going to. so many parties. and he just works his way through so so so many guys LMFAO it's mostly one night stands and those who DO stay longer are all. not very good </3 his first boyfriend (at college. he's had more in the past. yeah LMAO) was a cunt who ended up stealing and breaking his phone (which is how vitali lost contact with mikhail. yea. good times. no vitali never finds out about it. haha xoxo) and his second boyfriend is nick. there's a lot going on there bear with me

so vitali and nick meet at the start of the year already but so far they've only danced together at parties or just. seen each other at school. vitali IS interested in him though because nick is. well. pretty and handsome. but also he kinda seems like a bit of a douchebag and it turns out he is a huge fucking cunt so yeah that's great <3 they get together after vitali loses contact with mikhail and at first it all goes well but they kinda make each other worse ://

nick basically just wants to bang all the time and vitali is fine with that but it's not. good for him since it's kinda become an addiction at that point </3 their relationship is closed and vitali gets very restless which makes nick Panik and chase the one thing he knows vitali likes (le sex) even MORE than he already was and. well. it's an endless cycle as you can see. they start having insanely petty arguments to the point it reminds vitali of his parents and he breaks up with nick

soon after that vitali picks up sex work because he is desperately in need of money (he left home so he lost his safety net. wink wink reference in the first broker chapter wink wink) and well. he's doing the work already anyway but for Free so might as well start charging people money for it LMFAO but then nick comes crawling back and he's very hostile towards vitali still?? even though vitali left that part of their relationship behind him so he's a bit pissed about that. starts charging nick money too hoping it will scare him away but nick is a stubborn bitch and keeps coming back smh

then. third boyfriend. he's a sweetheart but vitali is just kinda using him to forget nick :// of course nick catches wind of this and will forever hold it against vitali and the boyfriend's friends ALSO catch wind of it and vitali kind of ends up in a physical fight which he loses </3 but he's fine with it because he feels like he deserved that

and that's just his first year <3 HGFDHGJFDG during his summer vacation he goes on vacation with some random people who invited him and it's just. a month of him continuously getting high and drunk to try and forget about mikhail :( he feels horrible for making mistake after mistake but at the same time just keeps making them. which makes him feel worse which makes him make more mistakes and so on you know how it goes

the one good thing to come out of the vacation is that he ends up with two boyfriends!! they're all dating each other and it's actually a very nice and stable relationship, they're a bit inexperienced with trans bodies but are more than willing to learn so everything is looking good for vitali for a while :) until during the start of year 2 nick comes back again and gets into a fight with vitali and he tells him he's just using his boyfriends as distraction like he did before. it's not the case but vitali feels so bad about it that he breaks up with them because he believes they deserve better than him :| i'm killing nick rn

and then vitali has top surgery <3 stays with jackie for a bit and up to that point jackie HAS in fact showed his face at some parties on occasion despite not going to that school and he and vitali HAVE made out on occasion. but vitali wants to stop doing that because he doesn't want jackie to end up like either mikhail or nick :(( but they do remain friends so that's good :)

i won't go into great detail for the remainder of the years but long story short: continuous ups and downs and most of the downs are because of nick. he does actually become nice for a little bit on occasions (after vitali's top surgery and after his leg surgery) but he mostly just keeps coming back with trouble and vitali keeps spiraling as a result

vitali joins a book club at some point! it goes pretty well for him until he starts dating one of the guys and he turns out to be a transphobe and after that, even though the club throws the guy out and is supportive of vitali he decides to leave anyway because it just doesn't feel right anymore :// after that there's one more guy he starts dating but the guy is a massive dick so it. doesn't last long LMFAO

and then in vitali's fourth year nick has an internship for the first semester and he didn't tell vitali about it :/ which causes vitali to just cut him out of his life because he's been looking for an opportunity to do either that OR fix their relationship because, as i said in the other ask, vitali really just. wants to fix things if they can still be fixed. and he believes a lot of things are still fixable, but it doesn't really work out if he's the only one pulling his weight in it all :(

vitali's wild party life has also been moving with his ups and downs. he stopped doing drugs pretty early on but kept drinking and eventually picked up smoking again after his leg surgery in year 3 (but the fake cigs then of course LOL) and he kept going to parties. kept getting into fights. sometimes more and sometimes less but it's always just kinda Been There

but after his breakdown in year 4 he doesn't do that shit anymore <3 becomes a lot more serious and focused on finishing school because he wants to do things RIGHT this time, and it's a bit weird for nick when he comes back and vitali suddenly has short hair and barely speaks to him anymore but. it's probably for the better

tl;dr vitali's college life was very busy and filled with people but at the end of it all he's still just. alone. jackie was kinda sorta there all along but other than that, everyone he cared about in college isn't there anymore :/ it's kinda sad to think about the fact vitali is terrified of ending up alone but at the same time HE is the one to walk away in most situations because he believes the other people deserve better. shaking him

and all of this ties in with the other ask i answered, because this is just to like. show how unbalanced vitali's life was during those years LMAO it was all going very fast and he was secretly struggling to keep up with it all, but mostly because he was just. doing so many things all the time. but he felt like he had missed out before and now just really wanted to catch up. and in all of that he kinda lost himself a little bit :(

i have more details because i wrote a whole timeline but i just wanted to grab the most important stuff from that to spare you all the 4k words version SHFDJGHJ but yeah that's vitali's college years!! stark contrast with how he is now which makes everything in the broker chapter even more :)))) hahaha :)))))) it's all really just about anger and control huh. anyway <3

[victoriareyloficlists]

18/11/2020 Additions to Reylo Fluff

These fics have been added to the Fluff list located here.

Sweet Home by Violetwilson (AO3 2018  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Honestly, she only came to Waffle House at two AM to pick up Finn and Poe and maybe order some pancakes. Maybe. But what was she supposed to do when she found a hot businessman with a broken car in the parking lot? Not invite him to sleep over at her place until the town's only mechanic sobered up?) A Child and a Mortgage by AverageEpaulet (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: It was bring your child to work day. Whoever came up with that bright idea had a special place reserved in hell for all Ben Solo cared. He loved his daughter, more than anything, but that didn't mean he liked flaunting her around like a trophy with ”Got laid at least once” engraved on it.) I Still Do by merrymercy (AO3 2020  Rated M Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: 'Remember when you had a huuuge crush on me?That was so embarrassing for you.'' Drunk Rey greets her husband.) We'll tell our kids we met at Starbucks by M1ssJess (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, 2 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey goes on a date with Poe but ends up spending a much more enjoyable night with his roommate Ben.) Clumsily Yours by Hellyjellybean (AO3 2020  Rated M Complete, 3 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey is injured at work. She is shocked when her boss Ben Solo carries her to his car and takes her to hospital much to her embarrassment. He is over-bearing and over-protective of her during her stay and Rey doesn’t understand...although it is sort of sweet in a way...could it be that the big bad executive Ben Solo actually likes her?) Go And Catch A Falling Star Chapter 46 by Ayearandaday (AO3 2020  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey's familiar, Kira, usually hates other people but keeps escaping to go visit her neighbor Ben, could he have his own secret?) Goodnight Moon by LittleAndikin (AO3 2020  Rated M Complete, 2 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben's 3 year old daughter Lily won't go to sleep without listening to the library's podcast reading of Goodnight Moon. When she's in the elevator with her father & a neighbour, she recognises Rey from her voice as the person who reads to her every night.) Where's my wife? by AverageEpaulet (AO3 2020  Rated M Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey dresses up as Ben's favourite TV character while he's out for drinks. But she's underestimated drunk Ben's loyalty.) Crisis: Girlfriend by perperuna (AO3 2018  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben had been in love with Rey for over a year when he asked her to go with him to his ex’s wedding as his date and ‘girlfriend’.) Go And Catch A Falling Star Chapter 11 by Ayearandaday (AO3 2020  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben asks his father for help with the classmate that has been frustrating him. ) Pining and Puzzles by greywilde (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, 2 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey finds scraps of paper in the washer as she's doing her laundry, and her roommate Ben is acting strange about them.) Threads by Hellyjellybean (AO3 2020  Rated M Complete, 2 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben Solo is a cantankerous boss known for throwing away any gift his underlings give him. When newbie Rey decides to knit everyone a scarf for the start of fall, she's warned that Solo will not appreciate it. Everyone is surprised when he shows up the next day wearing it.) Go And Catch A Falling Star Chapter 35 by Ayearandaday (AO3 2020  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben is always suspicious about his mother's matchmaking. This is how he fell for it again.) About You by LadyBrettAshley (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: An eight-month dry spell drives Rey to create a Tinder account. Already stressed about work, she finds herself exceptionally discouraged after her first date is a flop, and her neighbor, Ben, won't stop harassing her for being on Tinder in the first place. That is, until Ben makes her an offer she can't refuse...) In Bloom by Celia_and (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, 4 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: The flowers that bedeck her skin don’t lie. Ballet dancer Rey is in love with her partner, Ben. But the years go by and his skin stays resolutely, devastatingly blank. He doesn’t love her. But when his hands are on her body, she can pretend.) How Not to Break Up by LadyBrettAshley (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Nothing means more to Leia than her Annual Pumpkin Carving extravaganza. That’s why Ben asks Rey to keep their recent breakup a secret until after the party. After a carving-related accident, Ben comes to her aid and it turns out... they may not have to tell anyone they broke up at all.) Only Make-Believe by Hartmannclan (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey is in a car accident, so best friend Ben races to the hospital to be with her. What happens when she wakes up with amnesia and believes they are married?) would you be so kind? by youcarrymeaway (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, 3 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: An au where Ben accidentally hits Rey with his car, and also falls in love with her a little.) urgent caring by blessedreylo (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: ben meets rey on a visit to the local urgent care, and somehow keeps finding ways to see the cute girl behind the front desk (hopefully not losing an appendage in the process). ) What if I want to kiss you tomorrow? by Hellyjellybean (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben needs to share Rey's bed for the night, but does he want to share more than a bed with her? ) Go And Catch A Falling Star Chapter 45 by Ayearandaday (AO3 2020  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: From childhood to adulthood, Ben is practiced at catching a clumsy Rey.) Close Enough to Kiss by Somewhere_overthe_Reylo (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, 2 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey's daughter comes with her to take a final exam. Dr.Solo ends up being soft for babies.) a tale of baseball and broken elevators by Zoa (AO3 2019  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey has sprained her knee. The elevator in her building is broken. She lives on the sixth floor. Her neighbor, Ben Solo, has arrived in the nick of time to help, but there's one problem: she hates him.) Lizzy Solo by Hellyjellybean (AO3 2020  Rated M Complete, 3 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Its bring your kids to work day and little Lizzy Solo meets Rey for the first time. "Are you the same Rey that my dad told Uncle Hux he was half in love with?") a night under the stars by blessedreylo (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Grandma Padme's retired life mostly takes place at the local senior center. When it comes time for senior prom, she asks Ben to go with her. Padme introduces him to senior center employee Rey, for whom this is the first prom she's ever experienced.) Go And Catch A Falling Star Chapter 5 by Ayearandaday (AO3 2020  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben reluctantly helps his friend Kaydel pick up lingerie. In the dressing room, he runs into his intern Rey as she's trying out some items.) Wrong Number, Right Guy by greywilde (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Grandma Padmé texts Ben to invite him for dinner and reminds him he can bring his apple pie but she's mistyped his number and texts a stranger. Rey texts back to let her know she has the wrong number but Padmé invites Rey to join them anyway.) Anything You Need by SuchaPrettyPoison (AO3 2020  Rated M Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben knows women don’t come to him for his lacking social skills and awkward nature; they want to see if he's big all over. He figures why not finally use his assets to his advantage and (try to) flirt with and impress trainer Rey by working out in only biking shorts?) say it with a braid by reylo_mo (writermo) (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, 2 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: An AU where hairdresser Ben loves to style actress Rey’s hair in braids for events. There’s even a particular type he always goes for.One day Leia texts to ask him why he hasn’t brought his fiancée over for dinner. Thing is... he’s been giving Rey Alderaanian wedding braids.) I'm going to teach you (all about love) by Trish47 (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: When Rey's imposing roommate lands a position teaching kindergarten, she spends the year celebrating his victories and cheering him up in equal measure. It just so happens that Rey discovers her favorite method for doing so: kissing him.) You Make Me Weak by Hellyjellybean (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey decides to faint to get her boss's attention.) to climb steep hills by galvanator (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: No one really talks to the new girl who sits in the back of the class. She’s been here a month but kids are afraid of her and teachers are too overworked to be able to solve a problem like Rey. No one really talks to the new girl - except for Ben. A childhood to adulthood love story.) When Love is Like Pulling Teeth by CaliforniaQueen (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Han sends Rey his favorite mechanic to pick up his son Ben after a dental operation. High on meds, normally arrogant and cold Ben becomes quite the chatterbox.) Go And Catch A Falling Star Chapter 30 by Ayearandaday (AO3 2020  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ex-military Ben doesn't expect anyone to wait for him in the airport. And yet...) Go And Catch A Falling Star Chapter 2 by Ayearandaday (AO3 2020  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey constantly needs librarian Ben to help her get books from the top shelf.) Rey is Tired by mcloveproductions (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, 2 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey Niima is tired. Tired of college. Of her shitty interning job at Plutt's garage. Ben is also tired of the job he just quit. When he meets and pretends to be Rey's boyfriend, maybe that'll be the answer to their problems.) Go And Catch A Falling Star Chapter 30 Sequel by Ayearandaday (AO3 2020  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey is attracted to morons. Ben assumes she doesn't like him and tries to apologize for his feelings.) Go And Catch A Falling Star Chapter 18 by Ayearandaday (AO3 2020  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey asked for something to keep her warm for her birthday. Poe decides the best present he could get is Ben.) Go And Catch A Falling Star Chapter 24 by Ayearandaday (AO3 2020  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben is absolutely terrified of the dentist. Luckily, Rey is by his side.) The Prince of Alderaan & Me by lalaitskelcey (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, 5 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey’s daughter steals popcorn from the prince of Alderaan, and a clip of it goes viral, much to Rey’s dismay.) Go And Catch A Falling Star Chapter 20 by Ayearandaday (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Meddly Mama Leia only wants her son to find his love and give her pretty grandkids to spoil. That's not too much to ask, right?) By Hand by Celia_and (AO3 2020  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Socially anxious Ben visits the same cafe every morning, and he’s fallen for sweet waitress, Rey. Every day he writes down a lovely thought about her, folds into a boat, and leaves it behind to be swept into the trash. He doesn't know that Rey has kept every single one.) I Don't Wanna Live Forever by MotherofScavengers (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Love goddess Rey has been tasked with finding love for Kylo, her friend and god of death. After centuries refusing any of the suitors she suggests, Kylo finally names the only person he would ever be willing to marry: Rey herself) Find Something You Like by ekayla (AO3 2020  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey is playing hide and seek in IKEA with Rose and Finn. She hides in a wardrobe. Ben is in need of new furniture. He finds a lot more than ample suit space when a freckley brunette nearly gives him a heart attack jumping out of one of the shop floor examples.) i found love where it wasn’t supposed to be, right in front of me by Lutrosis (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben’s the sweetheart nanny to Rey’s twin daughters. When her new boyfriend is frustrated that he’s lower on her list of priorities than her children, he dumps her. Rey texts Ben and comes home early to find her kids tucked in, and Ben, ready with ice cream.) An Open Invitation by monsterleadmehome (AO3 2019  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey has a crush on her boss's son, Ben Solo. Ben is head over heels for Rey. They hang out all the time--he cooks her dinner, they cuddle on the couch. But he can't work up the courage to ask her on a real date. Rey thinks they're already dating and wonders why Ben won't kiss her.) Rocky Mountain High by reyloanne (AO3 2019  Rated M Complete, 11 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Pro tennis player Ben Solo suffers a season-ending injury in the finals of the US Open, prompting a personal crisis that leads him back home to Colorado. He just may find more than he was searching for along the way in the form of a pretty park ranger named Rey.) that's where you take me by blessedreylo (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, 2 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Single dad Ben asks his daughters nanny Rey to live with them during quarantine so she can help take care of her while he works remote. Lots of domestic proximity and mutual pining ensues.)

[saiilorstars]

Dare To Forget Me

Ch. 13: Playing with Fire

/ Story Masterlist /

Fandom: Law & Order SVU

Pairing:  Rafael Barba x Original female character

Warnings: Due to the nature of the series’ plots, I do have to rate this as ‘mature’ for constant mentions of rape.

~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ` 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~

Chapter Summary: Montserrat does her best to help Rafael as Muñoz's case comes to an end, even when the ADA is snarkier than usual.

Montserrat sat on her therapist's couch, relaying with ease what was currently going on with her. It felt nice having a place to freely talk without fear of being snapped at. It was just easy, which showed a lot of progress she made since she first arrived. Dr. Weslin had that recorded every time Montserrat showed up too. Even now, while Montserrat debated by herself whether or not to take it easy on her brother, she showed significant to in the free space offered to talk in.

"I mean, Gael is just being overly dramatic. He's ignoring me and what's worse - or childish one could say - is that he's separating his girls from me too," Montserrat sighed, pausing to think about her older brother. "Sometimes I just want to smack him like when we were kids. We used to actually throw punches at each other, can you believe that? Dad had to come in and separate us. He'd yell at us for thirty minutes without break."

"It seems like your father has always been your mediator then," Weslin noted. "Does he have anything to say about this argument between you and your brother?"

"He doesn't know and honestly he shouldn't have to deal with this. I'm almost 30 and Gael is reaching his forties, we're grown adults acting ridiculous."

"Have you told this to Gael?"

"Please, he's not speaking to me. I have a very a good talent at irritating people, whether I want to in that moment or not. Maybe that's how I always get myself into problems." Montserrat said with a heavy resignation that Dr. Weslin gave her a strange look.

"We're not talking about your argument with your brother anymore, are we?"

Montserrat shrugged her shoulders in an attempt to be casual. "I guess not."

"Would you care to elaborate, then?"

"There's not much too it, really," Montserrat shrugged yet again.

Weslin had come to notice Montserrat only did this as an overly attempt at being casual when she neared the topic of her rape. It was like Montserrat tried pushing it all behind her to form a past.

"Maybe if I hadn't been so irritating at work, people would have given more of a damn about what happened to me," Montserrat finally spat out. "Maybe they wouldn't have been so quick to brush it away and transfer me."

"Montserrat, you're not blaming yourself for this right?" Dr. Weslin feared Montserrat had somehow regressed in her recovery.

"No," Montserrat said with absolute certainty. "It shouldn't have happened to me, period. I just meant maybe if I had acted better, people at my old job, who knew what happened, would have had more consideration for me." Montserrat didn't like to think a lot about her old job in Queens, but the people there had never been the kindest. She didn't expect - nor want for that matter - a whole sympathy party from them, but she didn't expect to be pushed out of the job either. "That's why I like where I am now. At least if anything happens to me again, I know people might care."

It was a rather cynical way of thinking, but Montserrat felt it to be nothing but the truth.

~0~

By the time Montserrat returned to the precinct, many things had already gone down. For starters, the team had discovered their mayor-to-be was using secret websites to chat with other women, sometimes going truly explicit. Poor Amanda had been the center of his attention the previous night.

"Alex claims wall street is setting him up," Rafael wearily repeated the excuse Alex had given him earlier in the morning after speaking to him about the pictures he sent to Amanda.

The rest of the team exchanged curious glances but no one, except Nick, dared to mention what they were thinking.

"What, you told him we were looking at his account?"

Rafael took the accusation somewhat calmly. He expected some type of accusation along those lines. "I gave him a chance to get out in front of this."

Nick seemed to be angered with the answer, as he firmly believed Rafael was on another plan. "So now not only is he tampering with witnesses, he has you covering it up for him!"

"Nick," Olivia's call made no sense for Nick.

"What!? It's what you're all thinking!"

"Did you find any evidence at all that Lindsay is shaking him down or that he's paying to hush her up?" Rafael's question seemed more like a challenge to defy his words, and it only irritated Nick more.

"There's nothing so far on the public sites, but we'll keep checking," Amanda's fingers hovered over her laptop.

"Do that."

"We will," Montserrat spoke up for the first time since the conversation started. Her curt, brief answer was enough indication she was still very much irritated with him.

He took the jab with a nod of his head. It was well deserved, he knew. "Since we're all clear…" he turned to go, but of course it wouldn't be easy to escape with Nick trailing behind him.

"That's not going to end well," Montserrat got up from her desk and headed for the lounge to get some needed coffee. As she was pouring herself warm coffee, Sonny came into the room. "You want some?" she asked without looking up.

"Sure." Sonny moved over and reached for a couple sugar packs he knew she liked.

"Did Nick come back in one piece?" Montserrat slid her coffee cup to Sonny then grabbed another for herself.

"Not sure. I left before he did," Sonny ripped open a sugar pack and let it all drown into his coffee. "I bet Barba is just trying to keep it together right now." Montserrat briefly paused her coffee pouring, something Sonny noticed but didn't comment on. "I mean, it can't be easy being childhood friends with someone who's, well...turning out not to be the righteous man he once knew."

Montserrat carefully returned the coffee pot to its place. "No, it can't be. But it doesn't give him a right to be so rude when we're just trying to help, and to mention doing our job." There was a particular sourness covering her tone, but Sonny felt like there was an underlying hurt somewhere there.

"Course not, but try being in his shoes for a moment."

Montserrat finally stopped altogether and turned to Sonny. "Is there something you want to say to me?"

"I'm not trying to poke or interfere in whatever you and Barba have going on-"

"-it's nothing," snapped Montserrat, but there was a subtle shift on her feet. "And if you're that interested to know, I'm just a little pissed off that he's being more snarky than usual when all I did was try to be nice and be there for him." As soon as she finished her quick, but feeling-covered, explanation she regretted it. Sonny gave her a look and the fact his lips were twitching to form a smile made her feel no better. "Please don't say anything," she sighed and went back to preparing her coffee. "It's really nothing. I'm just...I tried to be nice and he... practically barked in my face to leave him the hell alone."

"Did he actually say those words?"

"...no. It was more of a…rushed 'I'm good'," Montserrat closed her eyes as another realization hit her. "...which really just means he wasn't. Dammit."

Sonny patted her back and took over the coffee preparation.

Montserrat released a big sigh and brought her fingers to pinch the bridge of her nose. "And me being the dumbass that I am, missed that." Sonny laughed beside her. "In my defense, I have my own problems too so my temperament is off!"

Sonny held her coffee cup to her with his usual smile. "No one blames you."

"I think one person does," Montserrat took her coffee cup and headed back for the bullpen.

Nick was returning as well but he seemed to be physically fine. "Guys like Barba, too smart for their own good."

"I'm sure he said the same about you," Olivia gave him a pat on the arm as he passed by.

"What, everyone thinks we should just let this go?" Nick looked around to see who was on that side of the coin.

"It's not that we want to," Montserrat spoke up. "But...we really don't have anything incriminating on Muñoz."

"Muñoz sent out some selfies but that's not a sex crime," Fin said before he chuckled. "All I know is I don't want to see any more of them."

Nick was frustrated that no one was taking him serious. "It's not just selfies, all right? This clown could be mayor. He opened himself up to blackmail, right? Eddie had cash. Where did he get it from, huh? This could just be the tip of the iceberg."

"I think we saw more than just the tip," Finn snickered at his spot.

Olivia motioned him to stop before the comments got worse. "Nick, even if you're right, this is a political corruption case. We'd have to hand it over to the feds anyway. What are we going to hand over? The pics he sent to Rollins?"

The woman in question cleared her throat at her desk. She'd been immersed in her computer ever since Rafael had left. "It looks like I may not be the only one. Enrique Trouble's popping up on other sites. It goes back over a year."

Hearing this made the rest of the team gather behind her chair to see her screen.

"Look, I found ten so far!"

"That makes him a dog, not a criminal," Fin still shrugged.

"That's not the word I'd use to describe him," Montserrat said before sipping her coffee.

"Well, one of these women that he was sexting with just got an executive position at the New York gaming commission," Amanda revealed and brought up the profile of said woman. "I wonder who could have pulled those strings."

"Anna Please," Olivia read off the screen. "She have any governmental background?"

"Doesn't seem like it."

"Hold up. I've seen this girl on a screen before, and it wasn't on c-span," Finn said with a curious smile.

~0~

"I don't understand this. I already have the position," the woman named Anna insisted for the second time, already sounding annoyed to the two detectives tailing her down the hallway.

"We have a few background questions," Finn simply repeated their excuse, which was the honest truth anyways.

"Mhm," agreed Montserrat, not quite in the mood for games. She wanted to be direct. "Your resume says you went to university of Michigan, but they don't have any record of you attending."

There was a brief flash of panicked on Anna's face as she sat at her desk. "They don't? Mm-mm. I should fix that. I was more like auditing."

Lies. Montserrat barely restrained herself from rolling her eyes. "Really? What subjects?"

"Dance and movement."

"No acting?"

Anna laughed casually, at least that was her attempt. "No. I never studied any acting."

Montserrat gave the woman one look before glancing at Finn. The man seemed giddy as he reached inside his jacket's pocket.

"That's funny, Amber, because my partner here says you're a real natural in - what is it, Finn?"

"This is my favorite," Finn turned over a movie box he'd brought with them. "Million Dollar a Night Baby."

With that in the air, Amber didn't see any point in lying anymore. She released a heavy sigh and looked past the two detectives to the open door. "Okay, this is unfair. It was a long time ago. I didn't do any adult films after that. Are you from vice?" she paused to once again look at the open door. She was being extra quiet now. "I didn't do anything illegal."

"Yeah, we're not so interested in your past jobs," Montserrat clarified. She planted her hands on the desk and leaned forwards. "We want to know how you got your job here. Did Enrique Trouble put in a call for you?"

Amber leveled Montserrat's look, not looking so intimidated as they'd hoped. "So what if he did? It's Albany. Believe me, there are people a lot less qualified than I am working here."

Of course, Montserrat wasn't one to lose so easily. "Fine, we'll remember that as we get your ass fired. Think about that then give us a call," she smiled sweetly then turned to leave with Finn.

They didn't make it out the office door when Amber called for them to stop.

~0~

"I'm home," called Montserrat as soon as she walked into her apartment. She could hear clinging and clanging from Kara's room while she set her things down.

A couple minutes later, Kara emerged from the hallway wearing a pretty blue dress that hugged her body. Her hair was curled and pulled back by two clips.

"Stark red lipstick," Montserrat smirked as she headed by for the kitchen. "That can only mean someone's got a hot date tonight."

"Oh, you betcha," Kara hurriedly patted down her dress as if it needed more help. "He finally asked."

"Who?" Montserrat returned holding a bag of trail mix.

As Kara opened her mouth, someone knocked on the door. Kara hushed up and went to answer instead.

"Oh hell no," Montserrat honestly blamed herself for not realizing quicker.

"Good thing is you know him," Kara pulled Sonny right into the apartment, skipping all the hellos and whatnot.

"Unfortunately."

"Montse," went both with the same disapproval.

"No," Montserrat stuffed more trail mix into her mouth. "If I don't see it, it's not real." And with that, she turned away from the two with no intention of looking back.

"You're a child!" Kara shouted.

Sonny was smarter in that aspect and said something that definitely made Montserrat look back. "And I'll make sure to let you know how it went tomorrow."

"You wouldn't…"

Sonny's smile said it all. "See you later, partner."

Montserrat practically shouted for them to get going already. She shivered once she was alone and dreaded what Sonny would tell her tomorrow, and even more so what Kara would say.

~0~

Rafael didn't think he would ever have to make such a grim visit to one of his old friends. One friend was already borderlining the enemy line, in Alex's perspective anyways. Rafael still had hope - albeit a tiny hope - that Alex would come to his senses sooner or later. For now, he had to try to get Eddie to come back.

He found the old friend in a familiar spot, the same park he used to play at when he was a kid.

"Hey, Raffi. What's good, hermano? How you find me here?" Eddie scooted on the park bench to make more room.

"I stopped by your place, saw your mom," Rafael took the seat but purposely kept a distance. It was awful being like that with an old friend.

"My mom looks good," Eddie knew what Rafael had come for, but he didn't want to get to it. He didn't want to argue.

"Bueno, we got to talk-"

"You know, they...they fixed this park since we were kids, right?" Eddie cut in.

"Yeah, they did. I remember how you always used to look out for me here," Rafael leaned back against the bench. Talking about their good days wasn't helping, but he couldn't stop. "When that gang from P.S. 109 would come after me for my lunch money...you'd put your arm around me. You'd walk me to school. You said anybody that hurt me would have to deal with you."

"You're my brother, Raffi. I would never have learned English if it wasn't for you. We're even, right?"

"I know that. You're loyal...To a fault," Rafael paused, taking a breath in in order to deal with what came next.

"We're not talking about p.S. 109 now, are we?" Eddie took the silence as the answer. "How much trouble am I in, Raffi?"

"Witness tampering, bribery…Eddie, those are felonies."

"I can't... I can't roll on Alex-"

Perhaps it was the final straw in the whole case, or maybe his irritation towards Alex and his blatant disregard for their friend finally got to Rafael, but he snapped. "You've got - you have got to think about yourself now! Jail's gonna go hard for an ex C.O!"

"Raffi, Alex has always been good to me, okay? He said when he becomes mayor, he's going to get me a job at one P.P-"

"Listen to me," Rafael once again snapped. He turned his body towards Eddie, hoping he could get through to Eddie once and for all. "Eddie, Alex is looking out for himself now. You've got your son and your mother to think about. You're not gonna be any good to them upstate."

Eddie looked out to the playground where his son was playing. "I can't hurt Alex. You tell me what I should do. You were always the smart one."

Well, at least one was still good.

~0~

While Amanda and Finn interrogated Eddie (with his lawyer present), Montserrat, Olivia, Nick and Sonny watched from behind the one-way glass. Eddie was practically singing like a canary about Alex's dirty work.

"We got him now," Nick said with visible pride. Everyone looked at him but there was a hesitancy to agree. "What? It's only right with everything Muñoz did."

"Don't get so cocky," Montserrat warned. "It's not real until the prosecutor gets the case."

"It's basically a done deal," Nick waved a hand at them and walked off.

"How horrible," Montserrat mumbled and started to leave as well. Olivia would remain to oversee the rest of the interrogation. "I don't want to even imagine how Rafael is feeling."

"He's the one who got Eddie to spill, so...he must be seeing the light," Nick said, stopping under the hallway threshold.

"Say that to his face," Sonny went right to his desk.

"You think I won't?"

"Oh," both Montserrat and Sonny collectively scoffed, making Nick roll his eyes.

"We know you will," Montserrat took a seat at her desk.

Just as the three were about to have a round, Olivia emerged from the hallway.

"We got him?" Nick was the first to ask, missing how Montserrat and Sonny glanced at each other.

"Yes…" but judging by Olivia's face there was more than she was telling. "We're going to have to do some digging."

~0~

After doing some digging, Olivia immediately sent Montserrat and Sonny to a high school in Yonkers that wasn't even that far from them.

"Is he frikin kidding me?" Montserrat continued to repeat even as the principal of the school led her and Sonny down a crowded hallway.

Sonny didn't say much but it was clear he was disgusted as he saw more of the innocent students walking by. They were targets of their next mayor-to-be.

Jodie Lanier was not a school teacher, far from it. She was a fifteen year old student with an addiction to her cellphone. The blonde girl was taken to a secluded classroom in order to be talked to.

"If this is about the mall, I paid for these bracelets," Jodie hugged her wrist full of bracelets.

"It's about Alex Muñoz," Sonny's response made the girl stiffen.

"I-I don't know who that is."

"No?" Montserrat raised an eyebrow. She had no mood to tolerate the girl's lies. "Then why is he giving you money? And I would be careful with how you talk to a detective."

"O-okay. I know who he is, but I've never met him," Jodie said quickly.

"Not in person? How about on social media?" Montserrat glanced at Sonny who was nodding in agreement. "I mean, you've exchanged messages."

"I can't talk to you about this," Jodie's eyes flickered between the detectives, feeling more and more trapped.

"Because that's why he's paying you?" Sonny's question was met with silence. "Look, Jodie, you're not in any trouble here."

"Then can I go?"

"Soon. But we need to take a look at your cell phone."

Jodie quickly shook her head. "No way. I have rights!" But seeing the two serious detectives made her falter. "Don't I?"

"Okay, Jodie, this is how it'll work if you don't cooperate right now," Montserrat stepped forwards, intimidating the girl without effort. "If you don't hand the phone over right now, we can and will get a warrant for it. However, to do that we'll have to talk to your mom."

Bingo, the right words had been said.

"Please don't call my mom."

~0~

"Okay Nick, now we got him," Olivia said after reviewing their evidence against Alex. And boy was it a lot.

"Now what?" Amanda looked at the rest of the group, all solemnly quiet due to the problems they were about to cause for not only their friend, but for the city itself. "The election is happening and like it or not, what Barba said is true. Should we attack before or after?"

"We need to do it now," Finn said before anyone else spoke up. "It'll be a lot harder to make the case when he had even more power."

"It's not quite up to us, though," Olivia reminded them all where the case would be going.

"But it will be handled before anything happens," Nick said the obvious.

"We have to hand this over to Barba," Olivia pulled her glasses off and rubbed her forehead. It was going to be a difficult conversation.

"Let me do it," Montserrat's volunteer came as a surprise to the group, although not so much for Sonny. Whoever volunteered would be volunteering to get yelled at and probably insulted.

The job was hers.

~0~

The last thing Rafael expected was for Montserrat to stop by his office. She came with a mission, however, and it was not a good one.

"Sorry," she felt the need to say as he watched him go through the evidence.

Rafael did a double-take at her, seeming almost incredulous. For a split second, Montserrat thought she did something wrong again.

"Oh God, what I say now?" she sighed.

"Nothing," Rafael said quietly then returned his attention to the report. "Absolutely nothing," he mumbled under his breath.

"When are you handing that over to the special prosecutor?" she then asked, though the fact she was rocking on her feet was signal enough of her nervousness.

"I... I'm not sure. I want Alex - I want him to do it out of his own accord. Be the man he used to be."

Montserrat could say that was a failed plan, but she thought she should be more cautious with her words. "But you just said it. He's someone else now. You can't keep giving him chances you wouldn't offer other perps."

The label hurt more than it should've because it was true.

"I have to try," Rafael insisted, pushing himself up from his seat. He knew what she was thinking - that he was biased, and he probably was - but he needed to do it one more time, at least one more time to say he did everything he could. "Maybe now that he knows what's coming, he'll want to do the right thing."

Montserrat watched him move around the office, trying to convince himself that things could be turned down the right path. She knew what the outcome would be and she was pretty sure that he knew too. He was just trying to convincing himself Alex would take the last chance.

"That's your plan?" she took a seat on his desk, ignoring his brief look for that, and crossed her legs. "Stupidly waste your time? And at night, by the way?"

"It's not a waste of time," he snapped. "I'm giving him the opportunity-"

"-he doesn't want an opportunity!" Montserrat suddenly snapped louder than he had. "C'mon, Rafael, you're too smart for that. How did Nick put it? You're too smart for your own good!"

Rafael stopped his pacing to glare at her, but even then Montserrat didn't back down. She'd grown very used to it by now. Still, she knew this was a different situation, one that had him going crazier than usual. That pushed her guilt.

"You're not desisting, are you?"

"Not at all."

You stubborn man. Montserrat inwardly sighed but still ventured to help him. "Fine. Then I'm coming with."

Rafael paused for another second, thinking it was a joke or another tactic to get him to stop. But when she didn't retract, he became uncomfortable. "Why?"

"Because you're hell-bent on losing your job and because I'm an idiot who loves being yelled at."

That sting was of course meant for him and it was well delivered, but she didn't actually seem to be upset. That just made things odder. He knew he'd been unnecessarily rude to her, in the same situation they were in again, and yet she was stupid enough to come back for more?

"No, absolutely not," he said in the end, but he should've known who he was dealing with.

"You don't have a choice. I'm coming, end of story. Or I go and arrest Alex myself. I'm sure Nick would accompany me if I asked."

Rafael's glare returned, and deeper too, but he knew when he lost...even though it wasn't often. Montserrat got him. In another moment, he would've been impressed. "First, get off my desk."

"Sorry," Montserrat quickly got off and smiled cheerfully.

"Second of all, don't ever threaten me like that again."

"That I cannot promise. You have a tendency to only understand if you're being threatened," Montserrat shrugged and moved to the side. She gestured towards the desk where the evidence rested. "Get what you need."

Rafael looked at her for a full minute before walking up to his desk. Before sifting through the evidence, he glanced at her. "Novak, you're setting yourself up for trouble."

"I know," Montserrat said with all honesty. Her bluntness was even more surprising to him.

She was dead serious.

~0~

The flashing lights in the building would make Montserrat blind if she remained there for too long. Fifteen minutes of standing there were already doing a number on her.

"Now I see why you say 'no' to these events," she told Rafael while she rubbed her eyes.

The ADA was quietly standing beside her, eyes trained on the incoming guests. So many important people had passed by except for the one he needed. Eventually, he began to hear Alex's voice greeting those at the entrance. It was, of course, sucking up.

"Do you want me to come with you, or…?" Montserrat trailed off when Rafael raised a hand indicating her stop.

"Just make sure no one else follows," he curtly warned before taking off.

Montserrat frowned after him. She hated the way he was talking to her, but she tried to remind herself his situation. It was courtesy, leniency, she was trying to offer...but he was pushing her buttons.

"Be the bigger person, be the bigger person," Montserrat mumbled under her breath as she walked past the guests.

"Now? Seriously?" She arrived in time to see Alex's response to Rafael's probable polite asking for a talk.

The local reverend of the place came forwards, almost reeling Alex away from Rafael. "There's a room full of union leaders and CEOs waiting to hear how he's going to save the city."

Montserrat practically pushed her way through the crowd in order to cleverly respond with, "Then unless you want that whole room of Union leaders and CEOs to hear that your friend may be guilty - of several serious charges by the way - you should listen to my friend."

Rafael gave her a side-glance, seemingly thankful for the jab.

"Rafael, todo bien?" Yelina had done the same as Montserrat - moved people out of her way to get there, but the only difference was she did in a lavender cocktail dress.

Rafael kept a straight face when he replied. "Alex and I need to talk."

"Ahora?"

"Well, let's get a nice shot," the priest pulled Yelina towards a photographer and a group of waiting guests. "Mr. Slater, will you join us?"

"I won't be long," Alex promised Yelina, giving her a long kiss afterwards.

Montserrat rolled her eyes in plain sight. She was so done with these people.

"Do you know what they're going to talk about?" Yelina approached Montserrat almost immediately after Rafael left with Alex.

Montserrat cleared her throat and practically looked anywhere but Yelina's face. "I...may have an idea, but I definitely know you're not gonna like it." And even though she kept true to her words, she could tell that Yelina had figured out a good portion of the situation. "I'm so sorry," Montserrat could only say before leaving herself.

As she exited the building, she could see the two shadows of men across the street. She's didn't want to admit that she could hear some pieces of their conversation - turning into an argument real fast, she might add - but it was inevitable. What she was lost on was how someone could deny what was so blatantly true especially when it hit them in the face. Because that's exactly what Alex was doing, even when Rafael kept springing new evidence right to Alex's face.

In fact, Alex was getting offended as if he had a reason to get offended. It was ridiculous.

Rafael was left to walk the street alone since, according to Alex - and a hidden truth - he was no longer friends with the people of his neighborhood. Montserrat felt sympathy for them all, but even more for her friend. And by this point, Rafael was going to go mad. It hurt that he was being accused of purposely drowning his once best friend into an abyss. As if he was the wrong one.

One thing Montserrat was sure of was that friendship was over. The bad blood was too much.

"Rafael! Hey! Stop walking!" Montserrat sprinted after him down the street. "Would you - I know you can hear me!"

Finally, the ADA stopped and turned sideways, his expression warning her to stay away. Of course, Montserrat wasn't one to always listen. "Novak, you're free to go."

Montserrat snorted, her offence etching across her face. "No one was threatening with me with a gun, Rafael. I came for you. As backup. As...support because I can't imagine what you're feeling. I wouldn't be able to take it."

"I can. You can go-"

"-I'm not leaving you alone like this! What the hell did Alex tell you?"

"That he doesn't care, basically. He has…" Rafael stopped for a second, still unable to believe where they were now. "He has no morals left. So now I have to do what my job tells me to."

"You're going to turn him in," Montserrat quietly said. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Rafael said then turned to leave.

"Well…" Montserrat hesitated to follow, knowing she was just pushing his anger to double, but it wasn't a good idea to leave him alone either. "Do you want to go get some drinks? Coffee maybe…?" She'd only taken a couple steps in his direction when he whirled around with newfound anger.

"Novak, leave me the hell alone! I don't want your company, I don't need anyone else! So leave me alone already!"

Montserrat blinked in shock at his outburst. Of course she figured she'd finally pushed the right button of his to make him snap like that. She couldn't say she was surprised. "Sorry…" she cleared her throat and brought her coat closer to her chest. "I'll...see you tomorrow, then." She started turning in the opposite direction and only paused for a second to apologize again.

Rafael shook his head and started on his own way home, but as he walked he remembered this wasn't the first time he snapped at Montserrat while she was trying to help him...the guilt started settling in. He didn't feel guilt very often, which was what made it hard to ignore this one. "Dammit," he muttered to himself before turning back. He didn't exactly know what he was doing but his feet were moving in Montserrat's direction, and fast too.

He spotted the familiar red hair nearly at the end of the block. She was on the phone...and he started to overhear.

"No, I'm coming home right now. Jesus, who are you? My father?" Montserrat snorted at whoever was on the other line. "Oh no, if you're at my place then I'm not coming home for a long time."

Montserrat pushed the pedestrian button to cross the street and waited her turn. "I did go with Rafael to that stupid event but in the end I got the worst of it." There was a brief pause before Montserrat snorted again. "Nah, he's being an ass. I'll go check up on him tomorrow morning." Another pause passed then Montserrat started bidding goodbye. "Yeah, whatever. See you tomorrow, Carisi." She stuffed her phone into her coat's pocket and continued to wait for the light to switch.

Montserrat heard someone clear their throat followed by a, "So you talk to Carisi at this hour?"

Montserrat playfully rolled her eyes. The pedestrian light switched to go so she stepped onto the road to cross the street. "What do you care if I talk to Sonny?"

"I'm just curious," Rafael walked alongside her.

"Why are you back?" Montserrat's question was asked in the a tiring manner, as if she'd done this over and over. (And she had). Two times was enough to get a hint, though.

"I realized I acted like…"

Montserrat stopped once they'd crossed the street and turned to face him. "...an ass? Yeah. You are. It's why I was giving you the night to cool off."

Rafael's smile was wide and amused. "Really? And you were still going to come back?"

Montserrat wanted to ignore his amusement but she somehow ended up smiling as well. "Yeah. You're an extra rude prick but I'm letting it go on, on account of the situation."

Despite the light atmosphere between them, Rafael had to get serious. And when he did, the guilt returned. "Montserrat, I'm...you came with me - you offered to come with me and I...I yelled...I was…"

Montserrat smiled even wider when she realized what he was attempting to do. She would've let it go on for pure amusement but she figured he was already having enough troubles, so she gave him a break and surprised him with a hug.

"What are you doing…?" Rafael went stiff, to the point where Montserrat nearly laughed.

"Hugging you because you need it," she mumbled. "I'm sorry about Alex."

"So am I," Rafael admitted. "But don't count him out. He's a winner." Montserrat scoffed, but he was quite serious. "When I was seven, my mom said, 'stick with Alex. He'll be mayor of New York someday.' She never said that about me."

"But you turned out even better," Montserrat said automatically and missed his brief smile. 

"It's politics. No danger of a traffic jam on the high road."

"He was a friend-"

"-so was Yelina. She thinks this was personal, not professional."

"Stop," Montserrat drew away from him to look him in the eyes. "If they'd been your friends, they wouldn't have put you through all of that. It's on them, not on you."

"Thank you," Rafael said after a minute. He looked at her for a minute while it donned on him she'd been the only one to be with him throughout the entire case, even when he probably didn't deserve it. He pulled her back for another hug, startling her, but it was ironic since he wasn't able to hug back the way Montserrat would expect. It showed he didn't do a lot of hugging in his life...which was a shame because he had the arms for it...and a good scent.

Get ahold of yourself, Montse, she silently berated herself.

"Is your brother still not talking to you?"

Montserrat was startled by the question. "No. In his perspective, I'm still the ungrateful daughter who insulted our father." Her sarcastic remark wasn't enough to make it seem like it hurt less. But just like Rafael, a grimness settled across her face. "He's not letting me talk to my nieces, nor see them. I don't have a lot of family in New York, so...it's a little hard dealing with it…"

"I know," Rafael agreed. "You'll get through this."

"...so will you," Montserrat whispered.

She sincerely hoped they could.

[american-satanxx]

Hell of a Night//Chapter 2

Author’s note: Let me know if you want to be tagged. Also sending me prompts and requests for Jimmy imagines! I’m in the mood to write something this weekend!

Masterpost!

Give Me Tall Dark And Handsome. Mix It Up With Something Strong

“Sutton, I have the perfect guy for you!” Brandi tells me over drinks, causing the guys around us to groan, as well as their wives. All of us know Brandi and have been victims of her hookups. “Guys I’m serious, he’s perfect for her. He’s just her type!” “What’s her type exactly?” Aaron Murray, the ex, asks, chuckling. “Tall, dark, handsome and Italian.” She smiles. “Plus he’s also a quarterback.” “How is being a quarterback my type?” I question the brunette. “I only dated one QB and that was our first two years in college.” “Why do I keep forgetting you and Aaron dated?” Sharon, Aaron’s wife, asks with a laugh. “We really need to go out for drinks and talk about all of his annoying habits. I’d like to hear someone else’s thoughts.” “Don’t you dare.” He playfully glares at his wife before laughing and kissing her. It’s nice to finally see him happy. “Would the guy you’re trying to hook me up with be named Jimmy?” I question her, causing her to gasp. “How the hell did you know!?” “I ran into him in the elevator after checking in.” I smile. “He mentioned something about you trying to hook him up with one of your bridesmaids.” “So what are your thoughts on my boy?” She asks, wiggling her eyebrows at him. “Cute right?” “He has an amazing smile.” I admit. “But Brandi, a relationship isn’t in the cards right now. I’ve got a lot of shit going on with my career. I can’t put a guy through that.” “He’s a football player, he’s used to the constant travel.” She states. “He’s an NFL player.” “What team does he play for?” David Andrews, center for the Patriots and possibly my best friend, asks. “And what’s his last name?”

She blushes. “You’d know him. He was drafted to your team. He was supposed to be groomed to be Brady’s replacement.” “Garoppolo is your Jimmy?” David chuckles before turning to me. “He’s a great guy, Sut. Trust me. You could do a lot worse.” “No means no.” I sigh. “A relationship isn’t in the cards for me. No matter how awesome of a guy he is. I’m not going to be responsible for breaking a guy’s heart. Can’t do it.” “Where is Jimmy anyway?” David asks. “I haven’t seen him in a while.” “He’s having drinks with Nick.” Brandi replies. “He wants to get to know the man I’m about to marry. I’ve been friends with Jimmy since we were in diapers. He’s always been protective of me.” “Poor Jimmy,” I chuckle. “My brother isn’t exactly pleasant company.” “And why is that short stuff?” I hear my brother’s voice ask behind me. I turn around and see him and Jimmy standing there with PBRs in their hands. “Your taste in beer is horrendous and you aren’t fun.” I smile at him. “Ask your former teammates.” I turn to the boys in front of me and they all avoid eye contact with me. I can’t help the laugh that escapes as I turn back to my brother. “Hoes ain’t loyal, huh?” “Did you seriously call yourself a hoe?” Nick chuckles. “You’re something else.” “Well people have called me worse.” I shrug as both him and Jimmy take their seats next to Brandi. “Where did O-line disappear to?” Nick questions. “Is it seriously just Aaron and David?” “Again, hoes ain’t loyal.” I laugh. “Besides, David and Aaron are seriously the best part of the O-Line.” “I’m so going to tell Arthur you said that.” Aaron chuckles. “You might just break his heart.” “Add him to the list of broken hearts.” I laugh. “Jimmy, I just talked to you on the phone the other day.” David starts. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me you’d be in Georgia?” “Didn’t think it would have been a big deal.” Jimmy laughs. “But I did mention I had a wedding to go to. I just didn’t tell you where.” Jimmy then turns to Brandi. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew David Andrews?” “Didn’t think to mention it.” She shrugs. “He’s not like this superstar in my eyes. He’s just David. Just like you’re just Jimmy.” “The tall, dark, handsome Italian quarterback.” I chuckle, earning a confused look from Jimmy. “Those were Brandi’s selling points. Apparently I’m that bridesmaid she was trying to hook you up with.” “Oh okay then.” He chuckles. “Now I feel even worse for that comment.” “You’re good.” I assure him with a smile. “I would have made the same comment if Brandi did that to me as soon as I walked into the hotel.” “I’m telling you, you guys are perfect for each other.” Brandi defends herself. “But noooo, you guys rather think of your careers than finding love.” “I’m just coming off an injury, I have a lot to prove this upcoming season.” Jimmy defends his actions. “And I just released a new CD.” I defend my own reasoning. “That includes press tours, national tour, international tour and everything in between. Jimmy may be a good guy, but again a relationship is—-” “Isn’t in the cards, I know.” Brandi sighs. This causes Nick to rub her back for comfort. “I know you want them to be as happy as you are but you can’t force it, babe.” Nick tells her. “You just have to let this happen naturally.” “But they’d be perfect together.” Brandi pouts. “Then love will find away.” I tell her, appealing to her romantic side. “But you can’t force it.” “Fine, but when you guys get married I have the right to tell you guys I told you so at your wedding.” Brandi points at us in a semi-threatening matter. “Sure, you can do that.” Jimmy laughs at his childhood friend before looking at me. His smile growing as he watches me. That damn smile is going to be the end of me.

[rottenroyalebooks]

Animals seemed to love her.

Ever since she was a child, animals of all species would be attracted to her. She was often found in the backyard of our family home, holding a baby animal of some sort with the mother sitting calmly next to her, watching with complete trust.

I would call her Snow White, a loving nickname from the Disney movie of the girl who attracted animals. It seemed to fit, especially when she would run off into the woods in search of nick nacks to put into her room. She always came home with strange and shiny objects.

Once she brought home a sack full of rocks, asking to bring it in the house. I agreed, with the terms that she washed them in the sink first before putting them on any furniture. She agreed; She was seven years old.

She would leave the house after doing her chores, going into the woods and only coming back after I called for supper. She loved the adventure of the woods and I let her explore it as long as she could hear me calling for her.

Though, whenever I asked about her adventures in the woods, she never wanted to talk about them. "It's a secret." She would say. "They don't trust adults very much, I don't blame them, though."

I didn't push the matter any further, I only instructed her to get ready for a bath.

I always tried to respect her boundaries, I only went into her room when she was home, which was when she was eating a meal or sleeping at night unless it was raining. One day it was raining and she stayed in the house, I asked her why she never explored when it rained.

"They don't like the rain. It makes it hard for them to move around. They prefer sun or dry weather." I assumed she meant a friend, until I remembered that there were no kids around for miles.

On one sunny day I watched as she skipped out into the woods, a basket in her arms to collect her trinkets. I grabbed my sneakers and followed her a few feet behind.

I tried to be quiet as I stepped into logs, skipped over rocks and followed her movements. She was ten so her movements were a lot more fluid than mine.

She came across a river, skipping on the rocks that stuck out above just enough for her feet to stay dry. When I tried it, my sneakers got wet.

Along the way, she stopped and picked berries that I taught her were healthy to eat. She had asked me about wild berries and if they were okay to eat one day during supper. I gave her a book on dangers of the woods with that chapter marked. She pulled the berries off the bush one by one until she was satisfied. Her berry picking was making the journey longer than it needed to be, but I wasn't in a position to complain.

She walked out into the clearing once we got into a deep part of the woods. The sun was shining bright and it seemed to sparkle, animals were eating and flowers were blossoming in many colors.

I stayed by a tree, watching the girl as she sat in the center of the clearing. She dumped the berries onto the ground and backed up slightly. I stood on a log to get a better view, the berries were in the middle a large circle made from round stones.

"Come out come out wherever you are! I'm here to play!" She called to the woods, giggling.

I decided to climb the tree, my brain reverting back to my own childhood where I had done similar things. I climbed and climbed until I had a good view so I could make sure she was safe and in her element.

She looked around, a frown made its way into her lips but it was replaced by a smile as she saw something rustle in the woods. It was far away, but I swore a saw a small figure approach the circle.

I could see the large grass rustling and multiple people growing through the grass, faces popping out and giggling as she stood up.

I gasped quietly as I saw their wings blossoming from their backs, rainbows shining through as the sunlight hit the transparent felt that their wings were made of.

They acted like children themselves, playing in the field, racing in the sky, shrinking and growing to get their way.

I learned a few things that day; my daughter spent her days safe with the fae and I still had enough childhood in me to see them too.

[nothingbutfangirlsmut]

The Girl Out of Time

Pairing: Bucky X Reader and Sam X Reader

Background: Willow Roffe was born and raised in Brooklyn. She lived her life as happily as she could with her two childhood best friends Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers. When they both left her to join the military she tried to continue with life but that didn't get to happen for her for the simple fact that she meant something to James Buchanan Barnes.

Rating: Story will be overall MATURE but not every chapter. There will be strong language, tall of both mental and physical abuse, some good ole angst, and smut. There will be a warning at the beginning on the chapter when it includes smut.

Chapter 15

Steve, Sam, Hill and I were together in a group. We needed to enter as quietly as possible so we took the forest area some ways away from Sheild Headquarters. We are heading for the security control room.

"Willow, I want you by my side the whole time. Sam and Hill got back up." Steve ordered quietly as we entered the building.

"This way" Hill whispered.

We turned a few corners then finally stopped at a metal door. Hill pushed a button on a small device causing the electronic equipment in the room beyond the door to ring loudly. The door swung open to reveal a skinny young man. Sam and Hill's guns were pointed directly at him. Steve and I stood shoulder to shoulder. He in his original Captain America uniform and me in black jeans and some random dark brown leather jacket that looked a bit weathered. It fit pretty good though.

"Excuse us" Steve said in a very polite manner.

The young man raised his arms, nodded as he gestured for us to enter, then stepped back. Steve went straight for the controls to override the coms.

"Attention all Shield Agents." Steve said threw the small microphone then paused.

He took a deep breath then continued.

"The is Steve Rogers." He paused for a breath.

"You've heard a lot about me over the last few days. Some of you were even ordered to hunt me down." He paused again then looked back at me.

I gave him a small smile and nod.

"I think it's time you know the truth. Shield is not what we thought it was. It's been taken over by Hydra. Alexander Pierce is their leader. The Strike and Insight crew are Hydra as well. I don't know how many more. I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you. They almost have what they want. Absolute Control. They shot Nick Fury and it won't end there. If you launch those helicarriers today Hydra will be able to kill anyone who stands in their way. Unless we stop them. I know I'm asking a lot. The price of freedom is high. Always has been. It's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one then so be it. I'm willing to bet I'm not." Steve stepped back from the PA system.

Sam chuckled softly as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Did you write that down first? Or was it off the top of your head?" Sam asked smirking at Steve.

Steve smiled but didn't answer.

"I got this. You three get to the helicarriers and switch those blades." Hill said as she took a seat at the control desk.

"I'll take Alpha, Falcon take Bravo, and Will you got Charlie. If you need anything please call for me." Steve said ending with me.

I rolled my eyes but nodded anyway. I knew it was a possibility I could need Captain America's help.

I was quick to stow away on my designated ship. They were already in the process of taking off. I knew what I needed to do. I had to clear the ship and get as close to the blades as possible. I turned on my ear piece to make sure I could communicate with Steve and Sam.

"Hey Cap, how do we know the good guys from the bad guys?" Sam asked.

"If they're shooting at you they're bad." Steve answered.

I rolled my eyes. I crept threw the halls of the massive helicarrier. I had a vague idea of where to go. At the moment everyone must be at their stations. Each corner I went around I half expected someone to be there but each time it was empty.

"Hey Cap, found those bad guys you were talking about." Sam shouted.

"You okay?" Steve asked.

"I'm not dead yet." Sam answered.

I finally heard a set of foot steps coming in my direction. I put myself as close to the wall as I could. I let them walk past me then lunged forward. One arm around their neck the other covering their mouth. I squeezed until they went limp. I slowly and silently lowered his body to the floor.

"Falcon status" Hill called to Sam.

"Engaging" Sam shouted clearly in the midst of action.

I moved farther into the ship towards the center. Stopping to listen at every corner before going around it.

"Alright Cap, I'm in." Sam said sounding a bit winded.

"Shit" Sam's voice was barely audible.

My heart raced with the thought of Sam in trouble. He and Steve were fighting from the top down while I was quick to start below deck. Only because I caught a door open right after a pilot ran out.

"8 minutes Cap" Hill stated.

"Working on it" Steve grunted.

I finally paused at a metal door at the end of a hallway. I slowly slid the door open to find that that was a mistake. Five people were standing there already facing me.

"Willow how you doing?" Hill asked me.

"Give me just a sec" I replied then let the metal door close behind me.

Only two of them pulled a gun. The other three seemed to be some kind of engineers or maintenance. I was quick to duck from their bullets. I fell into a crouch then spun myself around with my leg extended. One man was taken off his feet the other kept his footing. I grabbed the barrel of the gun with my right hand as I spun around to put my back to his front. My left arm wrapped around the back of his neck. I snapped his wrist as hard as I could making sure I'd break it. His gun fell to the floor. As quick as I could I threw him over my shoulder as I knelt on one knee. He landed perfectly hitting his head on the floor knocking him out cold.

The man that was on the floor first was now standing again. I upper cut the barrel of his gun just as he fired moving it so it went off right above my head. Without missing a beat I punched him as hard as I could sending him to the floor in a heap of limbs.

"Almost there" I answered Hill's earlier question.

The three other men all raised their hands as I looked at them.

"We're with the Captain." One of them said.

I nodded then continued on threw the door on the other side of the room.

"Alpha locked" Steve called out.

"Falcon, where are you now?" Hill asked.

"Had to take a detour!" Sam shouted.

I picked up my pace trying to reach the console in time.

"Oh yea!" Sam shouted in excitement.

My heart lifted. He sounded ok.

"I'm in" Sam panted.

I pushed threw another door to find an empty storage room.

"Bravo locked" Sam cheered.

"Two down one to go. How you doing Willow?" Hill asked.

"Just about there. This place is a maze." I answered quietly.

"6 minutes" Hill said.

"Hey Sam, gonna need a ride!" Steve shouted.

"Roger! Let me know when you're ready!" Sam shouted back.

An explosion in the distance went off. It didn't sound like it was on this ship.

"I just did!" Steve shouted.

I stayed frozen listening to the coms. I had to make sure they were okay.

Sam shouted like he was in pain.

"You know you're a lot heavier than you look." Sam grumbled.

"Had a big breakfast" Steve answered casually.

I chuckled then quickly continued down more hallways.

"Steve!" Sam shouted in panic.

I froze again this time in pure fear of what just happened.

"Steve?" I questioned.

There was no answer. All I could hear was the static of the com. A few minutes of silence passed. I did my best to continue to creep down the hall as I listened for something from Steve or Sam.

"Cap, Cap, come in, are you okay?" Sam asked as he groaned.

"Yea, I'm here! I'm still on the helicarrier! Where are you?" Steve asked.

I stopped at another door.

"Grounded, suits down, sorry Cap." Sam said softly.

This door wasn't the same as the others. It wasn't old looking.

"Don't worry I got it." Steve grunted.

The door was freshly painted black or looked that way. It slid open as I stepped up to it. Inside was exactly what I was looking for. I moved closer to the center of the narrow metal bridge. The blades are right there. A sudden jolt to the bridge had me spinning around.

There he was. James Barnes. He wasn't wearing a mask now. His face was on full display.

"Step away from it." He ordered.

I stepped backwards.

"Sorry Jamie I can't do that." I said softly but loud enough for him to hear.

The look on his face told me he did indeed remember me. Steve had told me I was the only one to ever call him Jamie. He looked at me in complete disbelief. His eyes fell to the dark brown jacket I was wearing. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he stared at it for a few seconds.

"You remember?" He asked taking a step forward.

I shook my head.

"I have no memory of you. I only know what Steve has told me." I explained taking a few quick steps back towards the blades.

James lunged forward but I was quicker. I ducked grabbing the rail to swing myself out of his way then back on the bridge.

"Falcon, Rumlow's heading for the counsel." I faintly heard Hill say.

"I'm on it" came Sam's much louder reply.

I ran as fast as I could to the other side. I had to switch the blades. I can do this. Right as I spun around to face the blades James dropped in front of me. He landed perfectly between me and what I needed. He stepped towards me forcing me back towards another narrow bridge.

"I don't want to fight you." He said threw clenched teeth.

"Why?" I asked narrowing my eyes at him.

His fists clenched at his side as he stepped towards me again. This time I stood my ground.

"Because they made me remember you." He growled.

I took an involuntary step back in shock. I was right?

"Why me?" I asked curiously.

His eyes locked on mine. The feeling that ran down my spine wasn't cold. It was a warming sensation that slowly covered my entire body.

"Because you were their weapon against me." He answered quietly.

Before I could question him further the bridge jostled again. Steve had started walking across the bridge toward me. When he reached me he shoved me behind him so he could face his friend.

"People are gonna die Buck. I can't let that happen." Steve said softly.

James stayed quiet.

"Please don't make me do this." Steve pleaded.

I had to jump backwards as the two men collided. I was back on the platform watching the men on the bridge. They both seemed to be equal in strength. They both landed blows and blocked blows. They were both seriously skilled fighters.

James punched Steve knocking him off the bridge onto the glass dome below. I ran back down the bridge to the blades then leaned over the railing so I could see them. They were still fighting hand to hand. Steve suddenly gained the upper hand getting James down. Steve had his arm around James' throat and his legs pinning down the metal arm.

James went limp letting the blade we needed fall from his hand. Steve was quick to pick it up then get to his feet. He started climbing back up towards me. He was halfway up when a shot rang out. Steve groaned as he slammed against the wall. He continued to climb although he was starting to struggle. Another shot rang out. Steve shouted.

"No!" I screamed down to James.

His head instantly snapped up to look at me.

"Steve!" I shouted as I leaned under the railing extending my hand to him.

Instead of giving me his hand he gave me the blade. Without a second hesitation I took it. Two more quick shots rang out followed by a sound of pain from Steve. I was at the blades now. As soon as they lowered into place I yanked one out then placed ours in it's spot.

"Charlie locked" I called out.

Steve got to the top of the bridge. I helped pull him the rest of the way up.

"Ok Cap, you and Willow get out of there." Hill ordered.

Steve suddenly grabbed the gun that was hidden in my boot. He shot the entire clip into one of the glass panes causing it to shatter. He shoved the gun back in my boot.

"Sorry Will but I need you safe." He said then shoved me over the rail.

I was so surprised I couldn't react until it was too late. I was falling threw the air towards the water below. Just as I hit the water all three carriers started to fire on themselves. We did it.

The cold water took my breath but I was glad to be alive. I swam towards the shore pulling myself onto the sand. My chest was rising and falling rapidly as I laid on my back staring up at the helicarrier I was just on. The one Steve and james were still on.

---

Masterlist

[alexboehm55144]

Alex Final Wars 2: Dark Alex, Chapter 19 - The Second Battle of Zootopia

After a long hiatus, Alex Final Wars is back! Why was it gone for so long? I was waiting for some awesome chapter artwork from Starwishermidnight! (https://www.deviantart.com/starwishermidnight)

Pretty cool huh?! I hope everyone enjoys that picture, and enjoys this action packed chapter! Lets jump into the fray with Heroes!

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The city of Zootopia occupied a key location on the US west coast, and it would certainly be a prime target for any force seeking to deal damage against the country. It was no wonder then that the Chinese had devoted a large number of mammalpower and resources to the city's capture. Although the city had the ZIA and ZPD for defense, it still relied on the US military.

Enroute back to Zootopia, the team had prepared to forcibly evict the Chinese out of the city. This was an all-paws-on-deck mission. Everyone had been given a combat role and an operational area that they would work in. Even Haida and Retsuko has been tasked with providing combat support over the radio. While they were glad to finally be doing more, the state of Zootopia still had the pair worried. Fabienne was also joining a Heroes team heading towards ZNN, where she would help some of her colleagues evacuate. She had been surprisingly calm, probably because she was an experienced reporter and had been in her fair share of war zones. The Typhoon was alive with activity as warriors frantically raced around the ship, preparing for battle.

There were sightings of Kion's Dark counterpart, but his location was unknown. US marines were already on site, defending the city. Multiple Heroes teams would join the US forces in a counteroffensive to push the enemy back.

Chinese ships occupied the bay, while fires burned all over the city, creating massive plumes of smoke. Chinese jets streaked across the skies, strafing machine-gun fire on any target they saw.

The Typhoon set down in a US controlled area, as everyone prepared to enter the fray.

"We've failed." Jack said, gathering up his gear. His ears were droopy and he was not preparing himself with the same determined spirit that he'd had in other missions. "Our job as ZIA agents was to keep Zootopia safe, and now the Chinese are attacking the city. We've failed at our foremost objective."

Skye nodded, and her face gave away the fact that she was also feeling the same burden of guilt that Jack felt.

"Don't say that." Toothdee said. "It's not your fault. You did all you could."

"There's no way you could have known this was gonna happen. Blame the people attacking the city, don't blame yourself." Nick said, putting his paw on his friend's shoulder.

"But now that we're here, we can make a difference." Judy said, maintaining the steadfast determination that she had since childhood.

A determined look came across Skye's face as she realized her allies were correct. The best way for her to serve Zootopia now, was stopping the Chinese invasion. "Your right, let's do this." The arctic fox clicked the safety off on her rifle.

After gathering up gear, weapons, and ammo, the heroes assembled in the hangar bay where vehicles had been prepared and fueled. Capitan Boehm cleared his throat and tried to rouse everyone's spirits, even though he was nervous. Dialogue was not his forte, but his friends could use a rousing speech, so he would at least try.

"Zootopia needs our help!"

There were whoops and yells from the warriors in the room. Each of them was eager to get out in the fray and give the Chinese a firm kick in the pants.

"We are incredible warriors, we can do this! We can beat them back!"

There was another round of cheers and the excitement in the room was palpable.

"Are you ready to get out there in the fray?!"

Everyone let out a battle cry and raised a fist or a weapon.

"Heroes, form up!"

Each individual team hopped in a truck or Jeep, and Alex opened the doors to the Typhoon's garage, letting the teams race out, going past US soldiers and heading to their predetermined areas.

Nick and Judy headed to ZPD HQ, while Skye and Jack made haste to the ZIA HQ.

Alex, Kion, and Jasiri were in a Humvee; driving to meet hostile forces head on. As Alex maneuvered the vehicle through abandoned cars and rubble, they passed by some civilians trying to get to safety. The captain went as fast as he could, swerving through the streets, narrowly avoiding obstacles.

"Whoa! Careful dude!" Kion said, holding onto his seat and watching a downed lamppost narrowly miss the vehicle. "Your gonna kill us before we can even get to the Chinese!"

"What? Do you want to drive?"

"Ugh, just don't send us careening off a cliff." Kion begrudgingly said.

"You know, between you and me, that speech went a lot better than I expected."

"You did great, I've never seen a group of people so eager to enter into combat."

"I am not good with words; it took me a moment to work up my courage."

"Ha! Bullets aren't a problem, but words are?" Kion laughed.

"You keep that to yourself." Alex jested.

The team reached a US tank on a main road, along with a group of US Marines that were taking cover behind concrete debris. A squad of Chinese soldiers was engaging the Marines and pinning them down, while the tank tried its best to beat the enemy back.

Hopping out of the Humvee, the team engaged the Chinese, downing a few before being noticed.

"Heroes?!" A US Marine yelled, clearly surprised.

Kion cut down 2 Chinese soldiers, while Jasiri gunned down 2 more with her pistols. The last few soldiers fell back, and disappeared from view behind a large pile of rubble that was blocking the road.

"We weren't expecting elite forces." One of the Marines said.

"What's the situation?" Captain Boehm said, wanting to get a grip on things and chase the Chinese out of the city.

"We're getting ready to push back, but the Chinese are still hitting us hard."

Suddenly a rocket streaked down from one of the nearby buildings and hit the US tank that was nearby. The vehicle exploded in a ball of fire, killing the crew inside.

"Take cover!" Kion said, prompting Heroes and the Marines to hide in a small shop off to the side of the road.

"Alright, you stay here and push forward with the other US forces once they arrive." Alex said to the Marines as he checked his ammo. "We'll act as the tip of the spear and make things easier for the main force."

"Roger that, good luck sir." A Marine said.

This was the job of Heroes. As elite forces, it was their duty to help their allies however best they could. The team headed into the back of the shop, and found a door with a staircase behind it. They began to make their way up, heading towards the location where the Chinese rocket had come from.

It was difficult to find a route through the tight and dark corridors of the building, but eventually the team reached another door, and they heard a foreign language on the other side.

The captain smiled and chuckled a bit. He loved it when a situation presented itself that allowed him or his allies get the drop on an enemy. Alex counted down. "3... 2... 1... Go!"

The trio burst through the door and immediately engaged the group of Chinese soldiers in the room. The rocket trooper that destroyed the tank was quickly gunned down in a hail of bullets, along with all the other hostiles. One soldier had been thrown back onto the floor when the opening door hit him, making him easy for Kion to dispatch with his blade.

"Hell yeah! That was awesome!" Alex said "Keep it up!"

Taking a look at their surroundings, the team picked another hallway and began to move down through it. In the close confines, Alex and Kion were cutting down many enemy soldiers with swords, while Jasiri kept laying down supporting fire with her pistols.

"We should get back to the street; those US soldiers need us." The hyena said, killing a bunch of hostile soldiers by performing a flourishing attack, in which she twirled and fired shots all around her, hitting anyone in the area.

"Agreed," Captain Boehm said, slicing a PLA trooper with his sword, and quickly followed up with 2 chi blasts to the heads of enemy troops.

"There's a stairwell over here!" Kion said, charging at a heavy weapons soldier and ramming his sword through his adversary.

Not wanting to leave the US soldiers on the street without friendly support, the group moved down the stairwell. They heard a commotion from the bottom of the building and looked down the center of the stairwell shaft. They saw a large group of enemy soldiers sprinting up the stairs from the bottom.

Kion took out a grenade and looked to his friends with a questioning expression. They instantly knew what he was thinking.

"We're gonna have to time this right." Jasiri said, as her and Alex took out grenades. The trio pulled the grenade pins and cooked them in their hands for a few seconds, before dropping them down the center of the stairwell.

Right as the grenades fell by the soldiers, they exploded, killing the Chinese troopers. The team were able to proceed down the stairs uninterrupted. They passed one trooper who, despite being critically wounded by the grenades, was still alive. The captain took pity and put him out of his misery, as he would have otherwise slowly died from his wounds. Even though the soldier was his enemy, Alex was still kind enough to show him mercy.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, the team was finally able to get to the street. The sky was hazy with smoke, and the setting sun caused an orange tint across the entire city. Rubble was strewn about the entire area, and the sounds of combat filled the air.

"There!" Kion said, pointing towards a group of PLA soldiers. The team engaged the hostile forces, while some civilians nearby fled for their lives.

Alex noticed a young cheetah, probably only 5 or 6 years old, standing in the middle of the ruined street, looking around. She clutched a stuffed cheetah in her paws, and while she looked scared, she wasn't crying or screaming.

Overcome with fear and determination, Alex charged forward towards the lost cheetah, cutting in half a PLA soldier with his sword as he ran. Kion and Jasiri provided cover fire, presumably also having seen the young cheetah and feared for the girl's life.

Reaching the young girl, Alex quickly pulled her to safety as his allies kept them covered.

"I'm gonna get you out of here, sweetie." Alex said, trying to sound soft and caring. "Do you think you can run?"

"Y-yes." The young girl said as she quickly nodded, her eyes wide. Jasiri reloaded and gave Alex a nod of confirmation that they were ready to provide suppressing fire.

"Ok, you be brave for me." The captain and the cheetah sprinted out of cover, and managed to get into an alleyway where they bumped into a group of ZPD SWAT.

"This young girl lost her parents, she needs to be escorted out of here." Alex said to the team leader.

"On it, sir!" The officer responded before speaking into his radio.

"You were very brave today." Boehm said, crouching down to the girl's height, as well as taking out a ration bar, and giving it to her. "These fine mammals are gonna get you back to your parents. What's your name?"

"F-F-Fuli" the young girl said, trembling. "F-Fuli D-Duma."

The captain stood up and gestured to himself. "Alex Boehm." He said, before running off to assist his friends.

As more US Marines, ZPD officers, and ZIA agents entered the area, the trio of heroes continued battling the PLA soldiers. Alex and Jasiri gunned down any enemy soldier they laid eyes on, while Kion deflected incoming bullets with his sword. Though they were outnumbered by enemy soldiers, they showed no fear, as they knew the Chinese were clearly outmatched.

The last soldier fell to Jasiri's shots, and the hyena blew the gun smoke off the ends of her pistols, before triumphantly stating "They weren't expecting elite forces!"

A truck of enemy soldiers pulled up, but was obliterated by machine gun fire from an approaching US armored vehicle. A ZIA agent ran up to give a report to the Heroes team.

"The Chinese forward base is just ahead!" The agent reported. "Thats where the Chinese fleet is deploying forces and coordinating the assault."

"Then that's our target. Let's go kick them out of Zootopia!" Jasiri yelled, rallying friendly forces, before they moved forwards towards the Chinese base. The large group of infantry was accompanied by light and heavy armored vehicles, and a few aircraft in support.

Three PLA soldiers, using grenade launcher turrets, engaged the US force, causing the marines to run for cover.

"I'll get the right turret." Captain Boehm said.

"Jasiri, you get the middle one, I'll get the left one!" Kion said, charging forward with his head down.

Bullets whizzed over his head and struck the rubble he was taking cover behind. He had to roll and move as fast as he could to avoid being hit. The lion managed to reach the turret and stab the operator with his sword, before turning it on another hostile.

Jasiri and Alex also had similar luck with their targets, enabling their allies to continue pressing forward. This assault was going smoothly, and Heroes were easily pushing back the attacking force. They were driven by the singular desire to stop the assault on their glorious city.

A Chinese helicopter moved in and opened fire, forcing Jasiri and Alex to engage it with their firearms. Kion used one of the commandeered turrets to engage the aircraft. Bullets struck the canopy and engines, cracking the glass and soon caused smoke to pour from the engines. After sustaining enough damage, the aircraft fell back, having trouble controlling its movement.

The US force had now reached the Chinese base. Vehicles, soldiers, communications tech, and other equipment were set up throughout the area. Chinese landing hovercraft were assembled on the beach, and 2 amphibious assault ships floated in the bay nearby.

The Chinese soldiers began to take cover and open fire on the incoming enemies, with the PLA vehicles doing the same. Even the turrets on the hovercraft joined the engagement.

As Alex and the team pushed forward towards a communications center nearby, friendly rocket troopers fired at the enemy vehicles with explosives. A US tank also destroyed some of the turrets on the hovercraft.

The communications center was filled with large servers and small military laptops set up on tables. Wires ran along the floor, and cooling fans in the servers created a slight buzzing sound in the area.

"Pull any hard drives and data you can get; knowledge is power." Alex said, cutting down a Chinese soldier, "Any intel is useful. Once you get it, blast everything else into scrap."

Jasiri and Kion went to work, ripping out servers and transferring files from computers, while Alex kept them covered, shooting any enemy that tried to interfere with their operation.

After Heroes had all the data they needed, Jasiri blasted the communications equipment with her pistols. Kion moved to slice through a computer server with his sword, but Jasiri stopped him and recommended unplugging the device to avoid the fate of Dark Laval. After a few seconds the communications center had been reduced to smoldering equipment that could never be fixed.

Chinese vehicles were still active, and the team settled on those as their next targets, as they were the most dangerous. Kion knew he couldn't do much damage to vehicle armor with his sword, so he looked around in a Chinese weapon stash. A smug expression crossed the lion's face as he found a rocket launcher. He quickly turned it on a Chinese tank and turned the enemy vehicle into a flaming heap. Alex jumped onto an armored personnel carrier and managed to pry the top hatch open, before dropping in a grenade.

The Chinese attack helicopter returned and launched a volley of rockets, making Jasiri run for her life as explosions rocked the ground behind her.

"Jasiri!" Kion yelled, turning the rocket launcher on the aircraft, before firing and ripping through its armor. The vehicle spun out of control and crashed onto one of the hovercraft, destroying the still active turret.

"YEAH!" Kion gave a middle finger to the smoldering wreckage. He was very protective of his hyena.

Jasiri spotted a Chinese surface-to-air missile site and quickly alerted her teammates to its existence. After gunning and cutting down a few Chinese soldiers guarding the site, the team of heroes was able to get close, and place primed grenades onto the missile launcher. As the trio quickly got clear, the grenades exploded, destroying the launcher.

Two Chinese attack boats pulled up to the shore, but they continued moving forward onto the beach. As the vessels emerged from the water, it was revealed that they had 4 tracks on the underside, that allowed the vehicles to leave the water and move on land.

"Uh... what the hell are those things?" Kion said as Chinese troops disembarked the craft.

"Whatever it is, shoot it." Alex said, following his own words, as a turret on one of the amphibious vehicles opened fire. The captain would have loved to figure out more about the vehicles, as he loved new technology. But unfortunately the vehicles were shooting back at him.

An enemy heavy-arms trooper, carrying a grenade launcher, opened fire, blowing up a US vehicle and killing many US soldiers. Alex changed his target to the heavy trooper, attacking him with his sword. The captain managed to get a few good hits on the trooper before he could react. Once the trooper did react though, he blocked Alex's sword with his grenade launcher. The 2 combatants got into a weapon lock, before Alex used the blaster on his sword to kill the soldier by shooting him in the face.

Picking up the grenade launcher, the captain noticed one of the amphibious vehicles moving backwards into the water. There was probably a driver inside, or maybe it was autonomous. Directing the grenade launcher towards the vehicle, a couple shots managed to disable it.

"Man I would have loved to get a closer look at that thing!"

Jasiri and Kion had destroyed the turret on the second vehicle, and managed to do enough damage to disable the craft.

A United States B-1B Lancer bomber and its escort jets flew over the Chinese ships, the bomber dropping its payload and obliterating the vessels.

The Heroes team cheered and raised their weapons triumphantly as they watched the vessels burn. But this moment of victory was cut short when Judy's voice came through the radio, filled with worry.

"Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

"Oh hey, Officer Hopps." Kion said, feeling pleased with his work "We just took out a Chinese base."

"ZPD reports that the tide is turning in our favor, Kion, but we've also got a confirmed sighting of your counterpart. We're heading to investigate now."

"Do not engage! This guy is dangerous. I repeat, do not engage!" Alex said, hoping the rabbit listened to him. "We'll come there and assist you."

The trio turned away from the burning ships and headed back into the city. Their cheerful mood had changed to a drive to stop Kion's counterpart, as they did not want him to cause anymore chaos. Zootopia was not free just yet.

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Well, I hope everyone enjoyed this new chapter! Next week, Heroes goes after Kion's counterpart. Until next time!

[lost-n-stereo]

A/N: Nabrina Prompt #18 “Did i ever tell you how beautiful your eyes are?”

and I keep waiting (but I won’t say I’m waiting)

They say time heals all wounds.

That would be great if she wasn’t practically immortal, in an odd limbo where her body is barely changing but her friends are growing up and moving on.

You would think that it would hurt less as the days go by, since it’s been nearly two years since Nick sacrificed himself for the greater good and Lilith took him to hell. Except, he didn’t sacrifice himself for the greater good, he sacrificed himself for her. And that makes it a hell of a lot tougher to let go.

The first few months were the worst, when it was still fresh, always there in the back of her mind that he was possibly suffering in hell because of her. She took solace in Lilith’s promise to watch over him but it didn’t keep her from imagining horrible scenarios of torture and pain.

The Fright Club met often, dreaming up ways to go into hell to rescue Nick. They plotted ways to get Lucifer out of his body, searched tomes and spell books for clues or incantations, but always came up just a little too short.

Things changed within their friend group gradually over the last two years of mortal high school. Theo started dating a sweet girl from Riverdale and started spending less time with them. Roz and Harvey took a break in their junior year, in which time Sabrina and Harvey gave it another shot. They soon realized their mistake, that their love was one based in their past, and it wasn’t long before Harvey and Roz were back together for good.

Sabrina wasn’t waiting for Nick, exactly, but she always had him in the back of her mind. And always in her heart. She went on dates with nice boys, mortal and warlock alike, but never felt the connection she’d had with him.

“Tell me again why I decided to go to school all the way across the state,” Roz says, her voice pulling Sabrina out of her mind and back into the room her best friend is currently packing up.

“Because it’s fun and exciting,” Sabrina says, shaking off her inner monologue, as she grabs a pink stuffed bunny off of Roz’s nightstand. “Are you taking Mr. Wiggles with you?”

Roz laughs. “I’m eighteen now. Do I really need to bring my childhood toys with me to college?” She nibbles on her bottom lip and both girls speak at the same time.

“Yes.”

Sabrina giggles and sets the bunny on an already packed suitcase. “I think he’ll fit right in. Are the boys still meeting us at the diner before you head out?”

“Yeah, Theo said they would meet us around five.”

It’s been a summer full of the four of them, which isn’t to say it’s been much different than every summer since before she could remember.

Summer always comes with an expiration date. The days are long and warm, afternoons spent in Sweetwater River playing and splashing around with the kids from across the water and nights spent at bonfires and house parties. Fall is always a surprise no matter how much you’re prepared for it. She used to wait all summer long for autumn to hit. It meant her favorite season, her birthday and all the fun witchy holidays that she loved so much.

Now it’s just a reminder that high school is over and everyone is going their separate ways.

“I can’t believe I’m going to be all alone here for awhile,” Sabrina says wistfully. “Greendale won’t be the same without you guys.”

Roz stops packing, drops the dress she was holding into the open suitcase in front of her without folding it, and curls up on her bed with Sabrina. “You have so many responsibilities at the academy, time is going to fly by and before you know it, it’ll be Christmas break.”

“Winter solstice,” Sabrina amends and they both laugh. “You’re right. I’m just going to miss you all so much.”

They hug and Roz gives a watery laugh as she pulls away. “Okay, no more crying. We’re going to go have fun and we won’t be saying goodbye tonight. Just a ‘see you soon’.”

Sabrina nods and stands, wiping the corner of her eye with her thumb. “You’re right. Let’s get you packed up. You’ve got a long car ride ahead of you in the morning.”

*** The sun is shining high and bright when she wakes up the next day.

A look at her bedside clock tells her that it’s after nine, which means Roz and Harvey are already on the road and headed to their new school. Sabrina wasn’t surprised when Harvey told her months ago that he was applying to the same school as his girlfriend. Their relationship was built to last and it made her happy knowing they would have each other living so far from home. Theo wasn’t going far, only a short two hour drive away, so Sabrina knew she’d see him more often than the others.

She tried not to think about how she was losing her mortal friends to the real world. Instead, she decided to focus her attention to her non-mortal side and all of the people she still had here at home.

When Father Blackwood took off the Church of Night was left with only a handful of people, not many students at all. But with Aunt Zelda becoming High Priestess it brought forth a whole new group of witches and warlocks that were eager to study under her new leadership.

“Sabrina!”

Speaking of Aunt Zelda…

“I’m up!” She calls, popping up out of bed refreshed and ready to begin the next chapter of her life. Salem meows from his window perch and Sabrina smiles, scratches him on the head behind his ears the way she knows he likes. “You may not be a real cat, Salem. But you sure do purr like one.”

Twenty minutes later they are on their way to the academy, with Aunt Hilda and Ambrose in tow. Rebuilding the Church of Night was a family effort, one that Sabrina has not yet lived full time because of her dedication to finishing mortal high school. Now, she can not only help her family in their quest to make the church one that is wholly inclusive and thriving, but she can finish her dark arts studies without having to juggle her mortal ones.

“Conjuring today, eh Sabrina?” Ambrose asks as they walk through the doors of Gehenna Station. After passing all of her general courses last semester she’s finally able, and more than ready, to start her conjuring training.

In reality, she doesn’t need schooling or classes or spells, even. Learning you’re the daughter of Lucifer Morningstar, with power most witches and warlocks can only imagine, was difficult to come to terms with. She decided that she wouldn’t use those powers unless absolutely necessary and instead sticks to the magic used by everyone else.

“I’m excited,” she says as they pass the new sculpture in the center of the room, Lilith in her true form, beauty and power emanating from the carved stone. “Conjuring was always Nick’s favorite...”

Ambrose frowns when he sees Sabrina’s face fall. “I’m sorry, cousin. I know it doesn’t get any easier. But one day, maybe…”

“It’s a big maybe, Ambrose,” she says sadly. “Plus, there’s no use thinking about it constantly. Thinking about it changes nothing. I’m going to focus on what is happening in the here and now.”

“Good on you, Sabrina.” Aunt Zelda steps up beside her and looks up at the statue of Lilith. “I’m sure the Queen of Hell is watching over your young warlock as we speak. She knows how important he was to you.”

“Is,” Sabrina corrects gently. “How important he is to me.”

***

August turns into September and then into October with little fanfare.

She keeps in touch with Harvey, Roz and Theo over group chats and Skype sessions. There are tentative plans for Halloween, also known as her birthday, but she knows there are no guarantees when it comes to long distance friendships. They have mortal responsibilities that she just doesn’t have any more.

Besides, even if her eighteenth birthday is spent with just her aunties and Ambrose, it will still be fun.

“I love this weather,” Sabrina says to Ambrose as they walk through the woods on their way home from the academy. “The sky looks like it could crack open at any time. I can’t wait for the rain to begin.”

“Agree completely, cousin. All feels right in the world when it’s dark and gloomy.”

Sabrina kicks a small rock out of the way of the path with the toe of her boot. “How’s Prudence? Have you spoken with her?”

Ambrose shrugs and offers a small smile. “Still on the hunt for her father, o’course. I wish I could be out there with her but…”

“But Aunt Zelda needed you,” Sabrina finishes for him and he nods.

“She’s a strong girl, that one. I know she’ll find him and when she does…I’ll be there to help take him down.”

It’s been strange being at the academy without Prudence, especially considering two thirds of the Weird Sisters are still attending students. Dorcas and Agatha have been unlikely friends, although Sabrina thinks sometimes it’s her heritage they admire in her and not her personality.

Still, it’s nice to have friends.

“So what’s the big plan for your birthday this year, cuz? Your friends making the trip?”

Sabrina sighs. “I’m honestly not sure. They are so busy with school and the distance is a lot. I’m hopeful but won’t be disappointed if they can’t make it.”

“Very mature of you,” he says with a grin and she smacks him on the arm.

“Well I am almost an adult.”

Ambrose snorts, winds his arm through Sabrina’s and leads her towards their house.

“Trust me, cousin. You’re nowhere near an adult. Now your 118th birthday? That’s when the real fun begins.”

***

A knock on the front door wakes her up at 12:03 am on October 31st.

“Can’t even get a good night’s sleep the night before my birthday,” she mumbles as she climbs out of bed, slipping into a robe and a pair of slippers to save her bare feet from the cold wood floor.

No one else in the house woke up to the knock, which surprises her not at all. Her family sleeps like the dead most of the time and the knock isn’t particularly loud or demanding. In fact, she’s shocked that she heard it at all.

It doesn’t occur to her to maybe be wary of a knock sounding at midnight. There could be an untold number of dangers awaiting her on the other side but she doesn’t feel fearful at all.

Nothing can prepare her for what’s actually on the other side of the door.

“Happy Birthday, Spellman.”

Sabrina’s breath catches in her throat and she’s scared this is some kind of trick. An evil manipulation, perhaps, although she has no current enemies that she can think of. Except Lucifer, obviously, but he’s supposed to be in hell. In Nick. Except…

“Nicholas?”

“Hello, Sabrina.”

He looks exactly the same as when she last saw him, except his eyes aren’t red with the devil inside. There are no marks or blemishes on his skin, no visible signs of torture like she was afraid of.

“How…? What…?”

Nick chuckles softly. “Two very excellent questions. Sabrina…”

Her name is barely out of his mouth when she flings herself at him, her hands coming up to touch his hair, his face, his shoulders. He’s so solid and strong and real.

“I can’t believe you’re really here,” she says, relishing the feel of his arms around her waist. “I don’t know how this is possible but I almost don’t care.”

“Lilith,” he whispers. “She found a way to contain him in Hell. I can explain it all to you but right now…”

His fingers card through her hair and she smiles against his lips when he presses them to hers.

“Your hair is longer,” he says when they pull apart. His eyes are intense when he looks down at her and she blushes.

“What?”

“Did i ever tell you how beautiful your eyes are? Because the memory of them has kept me sane for the last two years and now, looking into them…it’s like a dream come true.”

Her blood warms at his confession. “Nicholas.”

He kisses her again and she can feel in that single moment the amount of love and devotion that he has for her. Nothing that’s ever happened in her life thus far feels like this.

“I know we have a lot to talk about,” he says, his eyes downcast. “So much happened before I left and I know how angry you must be with me.”

Sabrina shakes her head, puts her hand on his cheek so he’s forced to look at her. “I was angry, Nick. But I also missed you terribly. And I know why you did what you did. It doesn’t make it easier or excuse it but I do understand.”

“I’m so sorry, Spellman.” He practically collapses into her when he hugs her again and she can actually feel the wave of exhaustion roll off of him. “I promise to make it up to you.”

“Stay here tonight,” she whispers. “Come with me.”

She holds her hand out and he takes it, bringing it up to his lips to kiss her knuckles.

There is a piece of parchment on her bed that wasn’t there before. She turns it over in her hands to see a simple line etched in black ink.

Happy Birthday Sabrina. I told you I’d take good care of him.

“What is that?” Nick asks, coming around behind her to rest his chin on her shoulder.

“A birthday present from Lilith,” she says as she leans back into him.

“The parchment?”

Sabrina laughs, turns around in his arms and brings his head down for a kiss. “No, silly. It was you.”

***

She wakes up hours later to her aunts’ surprised voices.

“Nicholas? What are you doing here?!”

“And in Sabrina’s bed, no less!”

“Aunties,” she says, pulling her blanket up around her and Nick. “I’m eighteen and my boyfriend just escaped hell. Can you cut me a little bit of a break?”

Hilda mumbles something about baking a cake and Zelda eyes Nick carefully.

“We’ll expect a full report of how exactly you’re back,” she says and Nick nods earnestly. “Well then, have a good morning you two.”

Ambrose passes by the doorway as Zelda is leaving. “Happy birthday, cousin.” He does a double take when he sees Nick. “Nicholas, good to have you back, friend.”

Nick laughs when the door closes again. “Your family is something else, Spellman.”

She turns so they are lying face to face. “I still can’t believe you’re here. In the flesh, lying next to me right now. I thought this day would never come.”

“Not me,” he says seriously. “Every single day I had to be away was just one day closer to being with you again.”

Sabrina sighs happily and lets him pull her body flush with his so he can kiss her. “Nick…what would you have done if I had, you know, moved on?”

“Cried.”  They both laugh and he drops feather light kisses to her nose, then her cheeks and forehead.  “It wouldn’t have mattered. As long as you’re safe and happy, that’s all I care about. You’re all I care about.”

He snuggles closer to her and kisses the top of her head.

“It would have really fucking sucked though.”

Sabrina laughs out loud, pulls him so he has to brace himself on both hands over her.

“Good thing for you the other boys I dated were so bland.”

Nick kisses her, presses his body down on hers a bit before sitting up with a start.

“Wait…what other boys?”

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[jayfromriverside-blog]

Comics I read this week: 9/9-9/13

Hey all, here’s a smattering of some of the books I read this week. Some interesting issues out this week, but also some disappointments:

Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers #23

There were two driving forces behind my moral development as a child: Batman and the Power Rangers. It was more than a little disappointing to grow up and find out that you couldn’t just punch bad people and that solved things, but when Boom Studios started this Power Rangers comic, it reminded me of why I loved the Power Rangers in the first place.

I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who was a fan of the Rangers at any point, or who is looking for a good new Action book, but it comes with a caveat: This series is not easy to jump into, for 2 main reasons.

Though this is the better series, it’s not the first Power Rangers comic that Boom Studios currently has going, and unfortunately the first series goes further in depth on the larger Rangers Universe

The stories from each of the 2 Rangers books often reference or call back to elements from each other. This often means that keeping track of plot elements or continuity can get confusing between the 2 books if you’re not following along closely.

If you’re still interested in hopping into these comics, here would be the reading order I would suggest: start with this series (Go Go) for issues #1-20, as it covers the origins of the Rangers and their first year. Then start the mainline book, Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. After you’re all caught up there, you should be good to jump back into Go Go without any issues, and can even hop between series with toooooo much confusion. 

Into the actual meat of this week’s issue: while the mainline series is much more focused on a grander Sci-Fi narrative, this series has a lot of the “monster-of-the-week” feel of the show. That’s definitely on display in this issue, where action and monster bashing take center stage. But what this comic has over the show is character depth and long-term story telling. The characters in this comic feel fleshed out and are evolving like real people, and while it’s definitely still fun, it doesn’t skimp out on the drama either. 

If you’re looking for a fun throwback to childhood with a little more emotional oomph for your mature soul, definitely give this book a go.

Justice League Odyssey #13

I’m genuinely surprised every time a new edition of this book comes out, cause I’m half expecting it to be quietly cancelled every other week. But hey, I’m not gonna complain, cause as much as the changes in art have been less than great, I’m still excited to see the Justice League Z-Team struggle with cosmic cleanup duty out in the Ghost Sector.

For anyone who hasn’t read this book and doesn’t feel like starting from the beginning, you could get away with hopping on now. It would be safe to say that the first 12 issues were the first arc of this comic, and that #13 is setting the groundwork for the second big arc. With the destruction of the Source Wall way back in No Justice, the Ghost Sector has been left as almost a wild-West out in deep space. If you’re a fan of Dex-Starr, Jessica Cruz and some other cosmic outcast characters, I’d hop on now and see if this book is for you.

For anyone currently reading this book, some minor opinions and SPOILERS AHEAD:

So Jess stayed dead for way shorter than even I thought. But hey, revival at the hands of the Omega Radiation that killed her only to be imbued with Omega Beam shooting fists seems almost poetic. I’m interested to see what the new cast of outcasts has to bring to the table in terms of opposing Darkseid and assaulting the Ghost Sector, especially now that our original team has been almost entirely converted into NEW New Gods. But it’s a welcome evolution of Jessica’s character to see her taking charge and leading a team, and more Dex-Starr in my life is always appreciated. 

On a less story focused note, the art in this new ark is good so far, but man, fuck whoever did the flashback sequence with Cyborg. On a page with his face popping up at least 5 or 6 times head on, you couldn’t remember or decide if his cybernetic side was on the left or the right? It flip flops every panel so that it’s facing away from the reader. It’s overall a minor thing, but c’mon, it’s not hard to keep that straight.

The Flash #78

I’m just tired at this point. 

The Flash’s mythos being re-written to have such an emphasis on the forces is just... really boring. The force users are pretty one-note characters and though Barry’s musings on life and trying to outrun Death are interesting, the rest of the chapter and this story arc haven’t been nearly as much. The art isn’t bad, but it’s not enough to save this title. If you’re gonna stick around for the Flash ride, have fun, let me know when it gets interesting again.

Young Justice #8

I think I mentioned it last week, but similar to Justice League Odyssey and the Terrifics, I think it’s a great idea for writers to take some of the smaller teams in the DCU out of the greater narrative and put them (effectively) in their own worlds. Better yet, Brian Michael Bendis seems to be having a ton of fun taking this young team on a multiverse-exploring adventure. 

While his work with Alias and Daredevil are some of my favorite books, I think Bendis does his best work when writing younger heroes. He seems to understand how to write entertaining young characters while making them believable, and most importantly not making them grating. 

If you need anymore convincing to get this series, and you maybe don’t fully trust Bendis after the pretty terrible years he’s had of late, then John Timms’ art should swing you. Timms has managed to strike a great balance between cartoonish modeling and dynamic action paneling which is difficult enough, but he’s also been switching up his art styles as the team goes from world to world. The guy is on top of his game right now and it’s perfectly complimenting Bendis’ universe-hopping story.

I don’t want to spoil this issue too much, but the team find themselves on Earth-3, the home of the Crime Syndicate, and face off against evil versions of themselves. While this issue was wall-to-wall action from the start, it managed to have some good character moments peppered throughout, and it looks like it might the start of the next micro-arc. This book has been great so far and only looks like it’s going to get better.

Batman Universe #3

I feel like I can’t judge this book fairly. 

I love pop-art, I’m a sucker for a good Batman story, and lighthearted superhero stories are exactly what I need to breakup the self-serious tones of a lot of the other superhero books I read. This book by Bendis and Nick Derington hits every single one of those beats. 

If you’re looking for a self-serious Batman book you’re looking in the wrong place; but if you’re looking for a book where Batman jokes with Green Lantern about how much he likes dinosaurs before being transported through time, then you’ve got a lot of fun ahead of you.

On a side note, DC put a huge amount of faith in Bendis giving him this series, Action Comics, Superman, Naomi and Young Justice. Aside from the main Superman book, which has been horrendous in every sense of the word, he’s been writing some of the best stuff he’s done in years. Not quite on par with his Daredevil or Ultimate Spider-Man runs, but still some really great stuff.

Detective Comics #1011

Last we left the Caped Crusader, he and a bunch of his billionaire friends were stranded on an island, with Bruce teamed up with a pair of crotchety WWII fighter pilots and his rich friends held captive by Deadshot. Basically we’re in a “Deadliest Game” scenario with Batman and Deadshot hunting each other on a remote island. It’s kind of like all the parts of “Arrow” that people have told me are actually good. I don’t know, I haven’t watched that show, it looks like hot garbage. 

Anyway, this 2-issue story was always just a stop-gap while Mr. Freeze (or the writers) figured out how to use the new technology boost from Lex Luthor. While I always appreciate a visit from Deadshot, as he’s one of Batman’s more under appreciated villains in my opinion, this story was pretty paint by numbers. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t fun, just that it was always the stuff coming next that felt more compelling. 

Event Leviathan #4

This book has been pretty interesting so far, but seems to have the fanbase pretty divided. I’ve seen a lot of comments on the latest issue claiming that nothing has actually happened in this story so far, and that we’re just watching Bendis spin his gears in search of a story. Maybe I’m a sucker for a good noir, but I would say that this story has had its share of action at the start, but unlike a lot of comics, it’s a slow burn story. I’m not nervous yet, as Bendis has experience with noir and has shown he can do it well.

I’m not saying that this book doesn’t have its problems: the art, while objectively impressive, is hard to parse out the details in some of the darker scenes with all of the texture filters thrown over it. Similarly, though I have faith that Bendis has an idea where this story is going, the last issue didn’t really make a ton of sense (until a little later in this issue, but at the time it wasn’t wholly believable).

Batman #78

It seems that so many people have soured on Tom King at this point that I’m in the minority saying that I’m still enjoying his run on Batman. I’m not saying it hasn’t been without its faults, I was gutted just like everyone else when issue 50 came out and tore a chance at tangible change in the Bat-universe out from under us fans. But King’s writing and storytelling, though self-indulgent at times, has been largely good and in clear pursuit of a single goal: to tell the story of Batman being broken, like he’s never been broken before. 

As fans we need to remember that the man was handed the reins to 100 issues of Batman and said he was going to tell 1 story. Not an event that would inform the rest of his run, but 1 singular story told over 100 issues. It was a herculean task and it was always going to be a slow burn, but we’re in the endgame now with City of Bane in full swing and Batman just beginning to look up from the pit he’s fallen in. He’s been physically and emotionally broken, shamed himself in front of his family and been discredited amongst his peers, and ultimately forced out of his own city. So let’s see the way back.

Ok, so this wasn’t a bad issue, but it wasn’t the right issue. I’m a huge fan of how Tom King has written Bat/Cat, and when combined with Clay Manpi’s art and paneling this issue feels like I’m watching a classic James Bond movie. But while watching Bat/Cat reconcile their issues that originally tore them apart was long overdue and felt great, this was not the right time for this issue. 

After being left on the cliffhanger of Damion being captured and ALFRED POTENTIALLY KILLED, seeing Bat and Cat talking at an island retreat was just too far removed and casual. This has probably been the biggest issue I’ve personally had with King’s run: timing. But it seems like it’s all kicking off in the next few issues, so let’s see where this all finally ends.

[topicprinter]

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiUWCZkHbA8​Let me know if there are any other books you'd like to see summaries of.I've done summaries of other books like:the personal mbathe $100 startupzero to onegritthe compound effectthe princethe slight edgemeditationswho moved my cheese?the one thingthe 6 pillars of self esttem7 habits of highly effective peoplesecrets of the millionaire mindthinking fast and slowthe power of positive thinkingthink and grow richhow to win friends and influence peoplerich dad poor dadthe subtle art of not giving a fuckmodels by mark mansonthe power of now12 rules for life by jordan petersonthe 10x rulethe inside out revolutionman's search for meaninghow to stop worrying and start livingmillionaire fastlane.and some others...If you're interested and want to subscribe here's a link:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfbLDMh6uGOZePAfqqjVZ-g?sub_confirmation=1​If you'd prefer to read the script instead of watching the video, here it is:Delivering Happiness By Tony HsiehTony Hsieh, Zappos founder, shares powerful insights on how to deliver happiness to customers in order to make a business venture successful. The book is more of a biography that shares Hsieh’s stories and viewpoints on creating the path to success and building a happy workplace.If you’re interested in this book you can get 2 audiobooks for free with a trial of audible using the link in the description of this video.Here is a summary of the different things covered in the book.Chapter 1 & 2: The ups and downsIn the first chapter, Hsieh takes the reader down the memory lane of his childhood wherein he tells the readers about how his parents had mapped out his life. From wanting him to learn to play piano to doing every little to big thing in life, Hsieh’s parents had decided everything for him when he had plans of his own and wanted to study computers, technology and build his own business.He also discusses how he began thinking outside the box at a young age when he was in school and eventually made his way to Harvard. While he never took too many classes in college or school, he learnt a lot, did well in the exams and also kept running his business. It was creative thinking that helped him achieve that.The second chapter talks about the different struggles people experience in life and how people emerge victorious, but sometimes things do not work out in their favor. The chapter also discusses how Hsieh experimented with different career options such as working for a reputable company, running his own business, declining offers to sell it and eventually selling it at a whopping price of $265 million to Microsoft.Chapter 3 & 4: DiversifyIn chapter 3, Hsieh shares his story about how he invested in and diversified Zappos by looking for different companies that required seed money to start off their business ventures. He then met Nick and Fred who had worked on creating a website that sold shoes. While Hsieh wasn’t sure of the idea, he still invested in it and soon, the business started doing well. It was then that Hsieh invested more money in the company and changed its name to Zappos.Following that success story, Hsieh invested in around 27 other business in need of seed money and diversified his investments. However, he was soon bored with not being directly involved in the routine activities of all the businesses and then experimented with poker. He talks about how a company’s CEO must study the business in depth before investing in it to make an informed decision.Then in the next chapter, Hsieh talks about how Zappos was doing good business, but its sales became adversely affected after the 9/11 episode. The sales dropped low and to save his company, Hsieh changed Zappos’ business model and turned into a dropshipping. He also liquidated his assets to get enough money to buy inventory and was able to turn the idea into a huge success. However, Zappos experienced problems with a company that it had outsourced to ship their orders, which affected their sales to which Hsieh argues that while outsourcing can be great, it is not always the best option especially when you don’t have any control over what the other service provider is doing.Chapter 5 & 6: Platform for GrowthChapter 5 centers on the importance of building a company culture and focusing more on creating loyal customers instead of advertising. When a company has scores of happy customers, they will publicize it themselves and the company won’t really need the support of any other advertisement. Hsieh emphasizes on the importance of establishing core values and principles in a business to make it a huge success.Then in chapter 6, the focus is on the need to build and maintain great, profitable relationships with influential and reputable people across the globe to take your business to the next level. Building strong networks is what helps a business grow and that’s how Hsieh drew the attention of other successful businesses towards Zappos.Chapter 7: End GameIn the last chapter of the book, Hsieh encourages the readers to ponder on their goals and aspirations in life because it is only when you are clear on what you wish to achieve that you can become successful in life. He also talks about how one’s mission should be to deliver happiness to the entire world, including your customers when running a business because that’s how you can influence people. This can be achieved by pursuing an idea you are truly invested in.Delivering Happiness is a warm, inspirational read that holds readers by the hand on how to run a successful business.

[lumiolivier]

Chapter Fourteen:  Follow the Post-Its

Word Count:  4022

Chapter No. 14/36

Notes:  This chapter kind of takes some weird twists and turns.  Just a side note.  Any and all feedback would be appreciated, too, by the way...

Chapter Thirteen:  Meet Me on the High Dive

Another morning to begin at four-thirty.  Oddly enough, I was completely prepared to go back to Julian’s and make him Russell again. However, when my phone beeped, it wasn’t my usual alarm beep.  It was Sebastian saying “a letter from the queen, my lord” and that only played when I got a text message.  A part of me wanted to ignore it, but the screen was too bright.

 Stay in bed, Mimi.  I got this.

Julian

 Bless this boy.  I needed that extra half hour of sleep. Even though this half hour would last an entire hour.  And I’d have almost no time to get ready.  I did a quick skim through my closet.  Who was I yesterday?  Ciel Phantomhive.  Did I want to do Black Butler two days in a row?  I kind of wanted to make myself Grell Sutcliff, but opting against it.  Instead, I’d be Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail.  Lucy’s a doll and I loved her.

 And she was so easy to casually cosplay.  All it took was a white tank top, my long, loose, chiffon skirt in the brightest blue to ever exist, a brown braided belt, and some keys to go around my neck.  And some black boots, too.  Granted, I had found some casual cosplay online that suggested jute wedges, but I liked the boots better.  They were more Lucy.  I put half of my hair up in a ponytail, tying it with a blue bow, did a bit of brown eyeliner and some brown mascara and I was out the door.  Damn, I looked cute!

 I got to the café in the nick of time.  Never in my life had I ever been that almost late.  Sure enough, though, standing behind the counter was Russell waiting for me. Shit, Julian did a nice job.  For not playing with special effects makeup often, he was a natural.  I don’t think he even realized I had come in yet.  He was still making sure everything in the pastry case was perfectly aligned. Obsessive compulsive, maybe? Going by his closet, I wouldn’t dispute it, but something tells me bringing up any mental illness isn’t a good idea with him.

 “Good morning, Russell,” I chimed, giving him a hand, straightening the tables.

 “Ah, Miss Heartfilia!” Julian sang out, tossing me my apron, “Good morning!  Enjoy that extra half hour I was so kind to give you?”

 “Oh yeah,” I nodded, blushing a little,” So much that I thought I’d extend it.  And when I say a little, I mean I doubled it on accident.”

 “Mimi,” he scolded, “I’m disappointed in you.  You shall be flogged at dawn.”

 “Is that a promise?” I shot him a wink.

 “That is sexual harassment in the workplace,” Julian gasped, “You’re two for two this morning.  That extra half hour must have done something.”

 “You’re the one that mentioned the flogging,” I threw my hands up, “You started it.  I finished it.”

 “Fair enough.”

 “Now,” I stared a hole through him, “Here it is, a Saturday morning.”

 “We should turn some cartoons on,” Julian suggested, “There’s a TV in here, right?”

 “Yeah,” I nodded, “Nice attempt at a diversion.”

 “I aim to please.”

 “So,” I asked, “What’s the reasoning for my free Saturday night?”

 “You’ll find out tonight,” Julian shut me down, “Hey, Kyle!  You got the rest of the cinnamon rolls frosted or did you beer bong the frosting again?”

 “I got it, Julian,” Kyle came out with a tray on his arm.

 “Kyle,” I squeaked, “You’re here on time.  And weirdly productive.  Julian, what did you do to him?”

 “I have good news,” Kyle announced, “I quit.”

 “Quit what?” I wondered, looking in his eyes.  His oddly clear eyes, “Kyle, are you straight right now?”

 “Crystal clear.”

 “I’m so proud of you!” I threw my arms around him.

 “Thanks, Mimi,” Kyle gave me a look, “Is this what you’re going to be like from now on?”

 “Every day,” I promised, “I will never bitch at you again.”

 “Because I won’t be giving you a reason to?”

 “That’s right,” I nodded, “So, what made you stop?”

 “I woke up in the kitchen around two this morning,” he explained, “I was covered in frosting and some kind of jelly.  I don’t know how I got here.  My dealer laced my last batch without me knowing and I came here to come down, I think. Not fun.”

 “Scared you straight?” I assumed.

 “Yep,” Kyle confirmed, “Never again.”

 “Good for you, sweetie,” I praised, “You need anything, let either me or Julian know, ok?”

 “I will.”

 “Hold on,” Julian stepped in, “Since when does Julian not have a say in whether he’s available for that kind of thing or not?”

 “Since Mimi said so,” I put my foot down, “Come on, Julian.  You can do that, can’t you?”

 “Of course I can.”

 “It’s settled then!” I chirped as the bell at the door dinged, “Boys, get to work.”

 “Well-oiled machine, Mimi,” Mr. Griffin joined us, “Nicely handled.”

 “Thank you, sir.” Maybe this was going to be a rare good day.

 “Hey, Mr. Griffin,” Julian caught his attention, “I have to bow out of work early today.  Is that ok?”

 “Sure,” he allowed, “What for?”

 “I have a thing,” Julian explained, “It’s kind of a special, delicate thing.”

 “You can tell me, Russell,” Mr. Griffin assured, “What is it?”

 “It tickled me when Griffin called him Russell.  Julian’s name wasn’t Russell.  But I listened anxiously, “Yeah, Russell.  What’s the special, delicate thing?”

 “I have to go to the clinic, ok?” he murmured.

 “Is everything ok?” Mr. Griffin worried while I knew damn well he was lying through his teeth.

 “Booster shot…” Julian kept his voice down, “I got a call from this girl the other day…And I usually get pretty dizzy after shots, so I’m going to be rendered useless.  My appointment’s at three.”

 “Oh,” Mr. Griffin cringed while I did all I could to keep myself from rolling my eyes, “I’m not going to ask.  What you do in your down time is your own business.”

 “Thank you for understanding,” he put on a hell of a performance.  I had to give him that much.

 “Make me proud!” Mr. Griffin turned on his heel and started heading out the door.

 “Hey, boss!” Julian stopped him, “Since it’s Saturday and the news is so depressing, do you mind if I put on some cartoons?”

 “Why would we have cartoons on?”

 “A lot of moms come in here on Saturdays with their kids,” he pointed out, “Something to keep their screaming to a minimum.”

 “Capital idea!” he approved, “Go ahead.  See you Monday!”

 As soon as the boss left, Julian jumped the counter and thumbed through the channels.  I turned around and grabbed the open sign, “Well played, Julian.  Well played.”

 “You like how I did that?” he grinned from ear to ear, “Like a fiddle.”

 “You don’t have an appointment, do you?”

 “Nope.”

 “Then, what do you have to leave early for?” I wondered, “If it’s not for a booster shot.”

 “It’s because of a girl, though,” Julian told, “So, I wasn’t completely lying.  I have to take care of some things.  Run some errands.  Oh, hell yeah!”

 “What?”

 “It’s six o'clock!” he sang along with the TV, “Fighting evil by moonlight!  Winning love by daylight!  Never running from a real fight!  She is the one named Sailor Moon!”

 “Oh my God!” I squealed, “Yes!  That was one of my favorites when I was younger!”

 “Every otaku had to start somewhere,” Julian was just as excited as me, “I got so much shit for liking Sailor Moon.  Why do you like a girl show so much?  Because magical girls are awesome!  And magical girls that kick ass like the Sailor Scouts are even better!”

 “And being born when I was,” my eyes were glued to the TV, “either got their introduction to anime from Pokémon or Sailor Moon.”

 “What about Digimon?”

 I glared daggers through Julian’s soul, “How dare you come into my house and disrespect me?”

 “I was joking,” he settled me, “Digimon didn’t really do much for me either.”

 “I remember coming home from school,” I got nostalgic, “I got off the bus.  Four o'clock rolled around.  My ass was in front of the TV watching Sailor Moon.”

 “I didn’t get to discover Sailor Moon that way,” he told, “Gather ‘round, kids.  Uncle Julian’s about to tell a story.”

 “You’re not my uncle,” I giggled a bit, “But go on.”

 “After my parents split,” he spun the tale, “I ended up around a lot of strong women.  My grandma and my aunt had to put my mom back together. She was kind of touch and go for a while.  But nonetheless, my mom had fallen in love with the art style of manga and anime and she wanted to duplicate it.  And that led to her finding Sailor Moon.  Of course, I was usually right by her side, so we ended up watching it together.  One day, she had gotten a little emotional after a date gone horrible.  Little Julian crawled up on his mommy’s lap and told her that one day, she’d find her Tuxedo Mask.”

 “Julian,” I got a little emotional myself, “Can I hug you?”

 “You have to ask?” he squeezed me tight, “Even then, I was adorable.”

 Yeah.  This asshole was making it really hard not to fall in love with him.  Before Julian could see them, I wiped the tears out of my eyes, “We should probably get to work.”

 “Probably,” Julian changed the channel, “The warm, fuzzy childhood memories were nice while they lasted.”

 I started taking orders and Julian made them as we went along.  The two of us ran the hell out of this little café dead center of BFE.  It was only a matter of time before the hipsters in Kansas City started making the twenty-minute trip here.  Sure, we were good, but we weren’t that good.  Then again, on that same token, Julian did go that same twenty minutes to get us bento boxes.  Regardless, we had things well handled here.  And to make my day even better, a sweet, little face popped up at the front counter with her boyfriend on her heels.

 “Hi, Mimi!” Veronica sang.

 “Hey, Mimi,” Luke matched his girlfriend’s enthusiasm.

 “Hi, guys,” I beamed, “What brings you two in here?”

 “It’s lunchtime on a Saturday afternoon,” Veronica said, “Do we need another reason?”

 “Usual order then?” I assumed.

 “You know us all too well,” Luke confirmed.

 “You two are creatures of habit,” I punched their order in, “Julian!”

 “Yes, Mimi?” he sang back to me.

 “Get me a chicken spinach wrap and a BLT,” I requested, “I can get their coffee orders.”

 “Hi, Veronica,” Julian chirped.

 “Julian?” Veronica gave me a look, “I thought you said his name was Russell.”

 “It is Julian,” I confessed, “But remember?  He’s incognito?”

 “That’s right,” her lightbulb turned on.

 “So, that’s Julian?” Luke looked over my shoulder, “That’s the guy?”

 “That’s the guy,” Veronica nodded.

 “Hold on,” I stopped them both, “What are you two going on about?”

 “When you were at Julian’s,” Veronica said, “Ten minutes after we got off the phone, Luke came over. I had to tell someone!”

 “Guess this is a small town,” Julian grabbed their food from the window, “I didn’t realize I’d be the shiny toy around here.”

 “Just wait until the Red Hats meet you,” Veronica grinned.

 “The Red Hats?” Julian gave me a look.

 “They’re a group of older ladies,” I clarified, “They’re like book club, only instead of wanting to bang you senseless, the Red Hats just want to feed you until you can’t move and send you cards on your birthday with three dollars in them.”

 “Aww,” Julian clutched his chest, “Flattered.  They just want to be grandma.  I love them already!  Old ladies are so cute.”

 “Yeah,” I smiled, “They are. Especially the local Red Hats. They’re precious.  If you’re lucky, when Christmas rolls around, they’ll knit you booties.”

 “Seriously?” I had never seen Julian’s face light up so much.  I was waiting for sparkles to start forming around him, “I want to actively meet these women.”

 “You’ll find them at bingo on Tuesdays at the First Christian Church,” Veronica directed him, taking hers and Luke’s respective coffee orders.

 “I need me some of them booties,” Julian got all excited.

 “Dial it back, Julian,” I settled him, “You’ll give yourself a nosebleed.”

 “You’re the only one that gets nosebleeds at work.” Shots fired.

 “Hey!”

 “Did you not?”

 “Yeah…”

 “Score one for me!” Julian chalked up a point for himself.  And to think I was falling for this dork.

 “Well,” Veronica tweeted, “We’re off.  See you later!”

 She and Luke skipped out the door and I was left with the baby at heart.  But not for long.  I couldn’t get a thing out of him all day about whatever he had planned for tonight. And I was completely clueless.  I only wanted to know what Julian’s scheme was. Was that too much to ask?  Any time I’d bring it up, he’d just yell at me. How the hell am I supposed to let things happen when they’re happening regardless?  I had no control over them!

 “Wish me luck,” Julian crossed his fingers, “Here’s to no more gonorrhea.”

 “You don’t have gonorrhea, you moron,” I rolled my eyes, “And don’t say that too loud!  We have customers!”

 “I wouldn’t be calling me a moron if I were you,” he warned.

 “Go get your booster shot,” I shoved him, “And run your errands and do whatever it is you need to do.”

 “Yes, ma’am!” Julian threw his apron back under the register and left me with Kyle.  What were you planning, Julian?  I didn’t know if he was the type for the grand gesture or the type for the little things.  Or even worse.  The type for both.  I was going to work myself up into another nosebleed over this.  The anticipation had a stranglehold on me!

 Although it felt like an eternity had passed, six o'clock had finally rolled around and the magic of closing time washed over the café.  Now, I could see why I had to keep my Saturday open.  Whatever it was, I hoped we wouldn’t be out too late.  Julian and I were still doing Death Note shots in the morning. We needed poses and scenarios.  I never took pictures before.  I just made my cosplays for something to feel cute in while I was watching whatever series.  That means…Eww…I had to be Misa tomorrow.  There goes my IQ.  

 When I got in my car, I had found a pastel green post-it note on my steering wheel.  Be still, my pastel addicted heart.  I was a sucker for the lighter colored things in life. Call it weird.  Call it a curse.  I loved them.  The post-it looked so sweet and sugary and I loved it!

 So, it wasn’t a booster shot.

 No shit, Sherlock.  I could’ve told you that.  I had to be a complete idiot to think Julian had a doctor’s appointment.  He even told me he didn’t!  Alright. If this was how he was going to do this, I guess I had to follow the post-it notes.  I guess I could chalk that one up to being adorable.  I still held my firm belief that Julian was a giant dork, but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t changing any time soon.

 Once I got home, a pastel purple post-it waited for me.  This time, instead of the gold letters like the first one, these were silver:  

 Welcome home, my lady.

 I wasn’t sure what he was trying to get at here, but I’m sure it’ll all make sense in the end. However, for now, it was confusing the shit out of me.  I unzipped my boots and left them at the door.  Huh.  Empty house. I went into the kitchen and found a note on the counter from my mom saying that she and Dad were going to be gone until Tuesday.  Cool. House to myself.  Run around in my undies.  Fun weekend for me!

 At the foot of the stairs, right on the wall was a light blue post-it now.  Oh, Julian.  You’ve outdone yourself, haven’t you?  His gold sharpie must have died on him.  This one was written in silver, too:

 Lovely day at work?

 He’d know.  He works there, too.  This was going from cute to creepy really quick.  And the post-its kept on coming as the purple notes lined the staircase, alternating sides.

 You had a hard day.

 You deserve to relax a little.

 Or maybe…

 You’d like an evening out?

 Julian, what did you do? A light pink post-it was stuck to my bedroom door.  And the gold letters came back.

 Ah, yes.  The bedroom. Go on.  Relax a little.  You worked hard today.  You deserve it.

 Ok.  This was officially into weird territory.  I kept checking my phone, thinking Julian would’ve texted me eventually.  Nope. Nothing.  No text.  No phone call.  Nothing but pastel pieces of paper stuck all over my house.  Another green one was stuck to my computer monitor.

 No, no, Mistress.  Not there. Why don’t you try checking your closet?

 I couldn’t believe I was taking orders from a damn post-it note.  Mistress?  I opened my closet doors, hoping for a little more clarity.  But instead, I got a blue note on the bar.

 Notice anything missing?

 Immediately, my brain went for my underwear drawer.  I didn’t think Julian was a creepy pervert, but one could never be too careful.  Was he weird enough to steal my underpants?  I didn’t understand why he would.  It’s not like we slept together, so he couldn’t keep them as a souvenir.  And he really didn’t strike me as the type to wear ladies’ underwear.  But of course, he was one step ahead of me.  This time, in the form of a yellow note.

 Really?  Did you really think I was that disturbed?  Honestly, my lady, I’m disappointed.  Go back through your closet.  I’m sure you’ll find it.  Or won’t, in this case.

 I kept digging through my closet, wondering what the hell Julian was talking about.  And why he was wording these notes so strangely.  My closet may have been chaotic, but it was organized chaos.  I had my system.  Sorted by series, but not much else.  Maybe Julian was being uncharacteristically clever.  We were doing our Death Note shoot tomorrow.  Maybe there’d be a note on Misa.

 Dammit.  Nothing.  And my Misa cosplay was still there.  He said there’d be something missing.  I looked through my accessories, my wigs, my props.  Still nothing.  Until I noticed my Black Butler cosplays seemed a bit thin.  Staring me right in the face was a note on my Grell Sutcliff. I knew exactly what was missing.

 If you’re looking for the young master’s dress.  You won’t find it here.  Perhaps at Julian’s?  He did say pink was his color.

 Alright.  Now, it was getting personal.  Julian stole my Ciel dress.  And its coordinates!  What the fuck, man?  I put a lot of love into this project.  I put a pair of black flats on and drove over to Julian’s.  His car wasn’t there, but I was greeted by yet another post-it note. What a fucking surprise…He took my Ciel. How dare he?  Also, how did he get into my house?  Unless he got there before Mom and Dad left.  At least, I hope so.

 So, you are listening to me.  In that case, you will, in fact, find the young master’s dress in the bedroom. You needn’t worry, Mistress.  He’s not home right now.  Just be sure to lock the door when you leave.  I can do many things from a distance, but locking doors isn’t one of them.

 I opened this idiot’s front door and went inside.  By the looks of things, he hadn’t been here in a while.  Nothing seemed amiss.  Although, it did look like he got some more unpacking done since I was last here. This place was starting to look like home.  Good for you, Julian.  I found a post-it on the wall by his katanas.  I’m sure he was intending this to be fun, but it’s almost starting to piss me off.

 By the way, have you figured out who I am yet?

 Wait a minute…Were these not Julian?  I didn’t know what his handwriting looked like and I could’ve sworn he was the one doing all this.  Now, it went from cute to creepy to downright terrifying.  I didn’t know if I was being stalked.  I didn’t know if Julian was ok.  I didn’t know if whoever had him tied up in their basement, dripping hot candlewax on his back or doing some weird Silence of the Lambs shit.  

 The best thing to do at this point was to see this through to the end.  Maybe if I comply, Julian will be ok.  I’ll be ok.  And we’ll get off easy.  I found Ciel’s dress on Julian’s bed with another note on it.

 I want you to get dressed for me.  Everything else you will need is in the bathroom.

 This was giving me a really uneasy feeling.  I dropped my skirt around my ankles and took my tank top off, lacing up my corset.  If only I had Sebastian here to tighten it for me. Mmm…I could hear him now…Please hold on a little longer…Mmm…Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that.  now was the time to not panic and keep a level head.

 I went into Julian’s bathroom and found my corkscrew pigtails on the counter.  I ran a quick braid through my hair and went from blond do dark gray in almost seconds.  I had to admit.  I looked real adorable when I cosplayed Ciel.  Even when I’m not Ciel crossdressing, I made a really cute Ciel.  The post-it wasn’t lying.  Everything was here.  From my wig to my eyepatch to my lashes.  I finished getting ready and found another couple post-its on the bathroom door.

 My, my.  Positively stunning, Mistress.  Then again, I should expect nothing less from you.  And after your struggle with that corset…Ahem.  Excuse me. Whenever you’re ready, go to the park. I’ll be waiting for you at the gazebo. Please be careful and make sure you’re wearing your seatbelt.

 Huh.  A stalker with a concern for my safety and gives little boosts to my ego.  Ok.  This was starting to get kind of cute again.  These damn post-its have been such a roller coaster. First, I think they’re Julian.  Then, they’re not Julian.  But that last one sounded like something he’d say to me. Especially that last part.  I got in my car and headed toward the park.

 A part of me was still debating whether or not to go through with this.  I may have been walking right into a trap, but I didn’t have any enemies. And I didn’t use my real name when I posted fan fiction.  I was smart and picked a pen name.  They just called me by my username.  Nobody on the internet knows that SenshiTenshi’s name is actually Mimi. And that was to keep the creepy stalker types away.  Some of my readers could probably hack like a mother fucker.  I’d be ok.  If all else fails, I can bite really hard.

 I sat in the parking lot by the playground for a minute or two with the gazebo just on the other side of the tree line.  It was kind of tucked away in the woods near the pond.  Very serene.  A perfect place to kill someone or skin me alive and keep wearing my skin as their skin, wondering how long it would take my relatives to notice it wasn’t me.  I was going to be ok.  I got out of the car and found one more note stuck to the swing set.

 Do you remember telling me your ideal man?

 I guess it was time to meet my stalker.