#because the idea of surrendering to the cia with him on the outside -

[juliareed]

You still cling to naive ideals. I learned, at a very young age, the only currency worth anything in this world is power.

[sapphire-weapon]

I saw your meta analysis about how Leon die as a hero is so great. I kinda found some similar story (from my friends) about a man who fought many wars and always won, the one who took the most risks, and want to die while on it the most. But fate tells different, he eventually die at his old age (approx. 80th years), on his bed. Before he die, he told to his comrades who visited about how pissed off he is and ranted why he didn't die on the battlefield. WHYYY!!!???? And his comrades like....😑....(.....

UGH see I'm torn about this. The irony in the idea of Leon living out the full length of his natural born life is appealing for a number of different literary reasons. There's a real message that could be conveyed by doing that if it's done right. Dying won't undo Leon's suffering, and it won't unmake his choices.

Because I think that's what's really missing from his character arc right now -- and it's something that I didn't really notice until I played through FFXVI.

We all like to say "Leon didn't get a choice" -- but that's not actually true... is it?

There's always a choice. And what Leon did was make the easy one. And he didn't just do it the one time. He did it again. And again. And again. And again. And again. Ever since escaping Raccoon City, he has always only ever taken the easy way out.

It's very easy to surrender. It's very easy to throw up your hands and say "it's out of my control."

And that's what he did. He surrendered.

I'm not saying that he should've tried to fight the CIA while he had a bum shoulder and only rudimentary combat training via police academy -- that's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that, once Leon found himself in the situation that he was in, he never tried to change it.

He never tried to get Sherry back or broker a deal for her freedom. He never even tried to ask for help -- not even from Ashley's dad, who was probably Leon's best chance at making this happen as a sort of "you saved my daughter, I'll save yours" thing.

And once Sherry was emancipated after RE6, he still didn't walk away. He resigned himself to his fate and committed to staying in the repeating nightmare that is his role in the federal government -- and he blames everyone but himself for his life turning out that way.

Think about how much power Leon actually has by the time of Infinite Darkness, even -- much less RE6. He is the most skilled and deadly combat unit the US government has ever produced, and he has the admiration and respect of most federal LEOs and high-ranking politicians. He also has knowledge of the inner workings of the federal government that could topple the whole goddamn system if he were to ever open his mouth and say something in front of a camera. And yet, every single day, he chooses not to use that power. Every single day, he chooses to take the easy road and keep his head down while doing the same thing that he's always done.

In 1998, the CIA kidnapped Leon off the street outside of Raccoon City and said to him, "We own you now." And, in response, he said, "Okay."

And he gave up.

So, to kill him at the end of his story is kind of like... okay, this is what he wanted, but does he actually deserve it? Does he deserve the easy out of a hero's death, when he spent literally his entire adult life already taking the easy way out?

BUT............ WITH ALL OF THAT HAVING BEEN SAID.........

I don't trust Capcom to understand, capture, or convey the nuances of all of that. I'm pretty sure that my only two choices for a character ending in RE are death or happily-ever-after.

And I don't actually see how Leon could possibly even get a happily-ever-after at this point, so I guess my choice is death LMAO

[agonycrossbow]

I'm torn about what I want for the ending of Leon's story. The irony in the idea of Leon living out the full length of his natural born life is appealing for a number of different literary reasons. There's a real message that could be conveyed by doing that if it's done right. Dying won't undo Leon's suffering, and it won't unmake his choices.

Because I think that's what's really missing from his character arc right now.

We all like to say "Leon didn't get a choice" -- but that's not actually true... is it?

There's always a choice. And what Leon did was make the easy one. And he didn't just do it the one time. He did it again. And again. And again. And again. And again. Ever since escaping Raccoon City, he has always only ever taken the easy way out.

It's very easy to surrender. It's very easy to throw up your hands and say "it's out of my control."

And that's what he did. He surrendered.

I'm not saying that he should've tried to fight the CIA while he had a bum shoulder and only rudimentary combat training via police academy -- that's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that, once Leon found himself in the situation that he was in, he never tried to change it.

He never tried to get Sherry back or broker a deal for her freedom. He never even tried to ask for help -- not even from Ashley's dad, who was probably Leon's best chance at making this happen as a sort of "you saved my daughter, I'll save yours" thing.

And once Sherry was emancipated after RE6, he still didn't walk away. He resigned himself to his fate and committed to staying in the repeating nightmare that is his role in the federal government -- and he blames everyone but himself for his life turning out that way.

Think about how much power Leon actually has by the time of Infinite Darkness, even -- much less RE6. He is the most skilled and deadly combat unit the US government has ever produced, and he has the admiration and respect of most federal LEOs and high-ranking politicians. He also has knowledge of the inner workings of the federal government that could topple the whole goddamn system if he were to ever open his mouth and say something in front of a camera. And yet, every single day, he chooses not to use that power. Every single day, he chooses to take the easy road and keep his head down while doing the same thing that he's always done.

In 1998, the CIA kidnapped Leon off the street outside of Raccoon City and said to him, "We own you now." And, in response, he said, "Okay."

And he gave up.

So, to kill him at the end of his story is kind of like... okay, this is what he wanted, but does he actually deserve it? Does he deserve the easy out of a hero's death, when he spent literally his entire adult life already taking the easy way out?

BUT............ WITH ALL OF THAT HAVING BEEN SAID.........

I don't trust Capcom to understand, capture, or convey the nuances of all of that. I'm pretty sure that my only two choices for a character ending in RE are death or happily-ever-after.

And I don't actually see how Leon could possibly even get a happily-ever-after at this point, so I guess my choice is death.

[write-orflight]

Like Real People Do. (Spencer x Reader)

Chapter 1

*Gif not mine*

Prologue Chapter 2

Rating: M, eventually will be smut.

Words: 2.5k

Warnings: regular CM crime stuff. brief mentions of previous assault. vomit. 

Request: OPEN/CLOSED

A.N Thanks for the love on the Prologue, message to be added to taglist. much love Cia

        Chapter 1: However scary 

You start to follow Hotch outside his office, barely containing the smile on your face. You couldn’t help it, the job you’ve been dreaming about for a decade was yours now. As you left the office, you couldn’t help but notice the short Italian man exiting his. 

“Rossi?” You smiled. The man in question turned and grinned upon seeing you. 

“Bella!” He opened his arms to hug you which you automatically accepted. 

“I thought you retired, old man.” 

Rossi scoffed. “You know me, can’t stay away for long.” Hotch stepped up, joining you guys. “So am I correct in assuming you’ve taken the job?” Rossi asks. 

“You would be correct.” You smile. “And now, since I have a big girl job and can take care of myself. I’m hoping those mysterious money drops into my bank account will stop.” You gave him a knowing look. Though you and Rossi were not as close as you and Hotch, you still revered him as a father figure as much as he did you a daughter.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He says holding up his hands. 

“Sure you don’t, old man.” You laughed. “How’s… Krystal?” You say trying to remember which wife Rossi was on now. 

“Divorced.” Rossi smirks. 

“Aw, I’m sorry, Dave. I thought 3 would be the lucky number.” 

“So did I.” Rossi smiled. “How’s Persephone?” David smiles widely at the mention of your adoptive mother's name. 

“Still not interested in becoming number 4.” You laughed, inducing a boisterous laugh from Dave and a small chuckle from Hotch. “She’s currently backpacking through India and building eco houses along the way.” 

“Sounds like Persephone.” David smiles. You guys continue to catch up for a couple of more minutes not noticing the team staring up at you from the bullpen.

“Do you guys know who she is?” Emily asks 

“No but Rossi and Hotch know her by the looks of it.” Derek replies. 

“I met her in the elevator.” Spencer speaks up. “Her name’s Y/N.” 

“Wonder what she's doing here.” Derek says as Penelope walks up with a tin of her famous cookies that Spencer is already reaching for. She pulls back so it’s out of reach from his perch on his desk. 

“Well, if she took the job then that is your newest team member.” Penelope smiled. “Hotch asked me to do a background check last week so I assume he’s hiring her. Which means these cookies are for her.” She says pulling even more back as Spencer continues to make grabby hands at the tin. 

“Why does she get cookies her first day? I didn’t get any on my first day.” Spencer points out, not caring how much he sounds like a child. 

“I’m not really allowed to talk about it, but let’s just say I think she could really use the kindness.” 

“What did you find out about her, Baby girl?” Derek asked. 

Penelope frowns slightly, she never liked keeping secrets, especially from the team. “I’m really not allowed to say, but what I can tell you is that she’s smart, like really smart. Maybe not Reid’s level but smart enough to make dean's list at an Ivy League every year.” 

“Which school?” Spencer asks. 

“Stanford.” 

Spencer nods. That would make her pretty smart, that or just good at school. As he’s exiting his thoughts, JJ walks past them, throwing a “We have a case.” Over her shoulder before heading to Rossi, Hotch and the new girl. 

We all begin filing into the conference room, Rossi, Hotch and Y/N walking in last. Hotch clears his throat. “This is Agent Y/L/N.” He says gesturing at you. “She will be joining us this case. I’m sure you guys will get around to formal introductions later.” Hotch says before taking a seat nodding at JJ to start. You hold up your hand in a small wave before taking a seat next to Hotch. Everyone else regards you with a small nod except a brightly dressed blonde woman who excitedly waves back at you. 

“We’re heading to Nashville.” A blonde woman, you assume, is JJ says pulling up images of victims on the screen. You swallowed the lump in your throat, you were used to crime scene photos, you studied several in the FBI academy but kids would always get to you. “3 boys ages 10-13 all have gone missing on their way home from school, all found 5 days later buried arms across chest, heads shaved.” 

“Signs of remorse are obviously there but the hair...is something different.” A dark haired woman pointed out. 

“Could be trichophilia.” You pointed out. Everyone looked at you, you cleared your throat under the scrutiny. “Trichophilia. It’s the fetishzation of hair.” You provide. Everyone nods and JJ continues to provide information on the case before Hotch announces wheels up in 30. You go to grab your files and notebook when the brightly dressed blonde woman ambushes you a tin fully extended to you. 

“Hi, I’m Penelope Garcia, and these are for you!” practically shoving the tin into your hands. 

“Thank you, I’m Y/N.” You smiled, you weren’t really a sweets person but you weren’t going to turn down the kindness. A brown skinned man and the dark haired woman from before walked up to you both. 

“I’m Emily Prentiss, this is Derek Morgan” she says both holding their hands out for you to shake. You shuffle the cookies and files into one arm to shake hands with them.

“Y/N Y/L/N.” You say back. 

“So you seemed to already know Hotch?” Derek pointed out. 

You had been prepared for someone to ask about that so you rattled off your prepared speech. “Yes, Hotch is a family friend.” That seemed like the easiest way to explain your relationship. 

“So that’s how you were able to steamroll in here, huh? Friends with the boss?” The man laughs. 

“No, I think it might’ve been one of my several degrees, merits or letters of recommendation, one of which from the director himself.” You point out. “Though I suppose knowing Aaron didn’t necessarily hurt things.” 

Derek holds up his hands in surrender. “That could be true too. I guess we’ll see out on the field.” He says before him and Prentiss walk out. 

You sigh heavily and start heading out the same way before a small voice pipes up behind you. 

“They’ll come around.” 

You turn your eyes onto the man you had met in the elevator before. “Sorry?” 

“Morgan and Prentiss. They’ll come around, they acted like that towards me when I first started too. It’s-uh because you’re young.” 

You nodded. He had a point and so did Morgan in a sense. You were very young, seemingly too young to be starting in a field like this. You knew it’d be hard to believe Hotch didn’t pull some strings for you. 

“I knew my age would probably raise some questions. But I worked really hard, and it sucks I have to prove myself 10x over just because of my age.” 

“I understand.” He says, following you out of the conference room. 

“I felt like you would. You introduced yourself as Dr. Reid before but we look around the same age.” 

“Yes, I hold 3 doctorates.” 

“Three?!” You said incredulously. “What were you like, eleven starting college?” 

“12, actually.” He smiles. He has a nice smile, instantly crosses your brain. You dash that thought immediately. 

“That would have to make you some sort of genius.” 

“I believe there’s not quantifiable way to measure intelligence but I suppose by societal standards, I am. I have an IQ of 187.” 

You let out a deep whistle. “And here I thought I’d be the smart one.” You laugh. 

He fumbles a bit over his words. “I-I mean you still could be. L-Like I said, there’s no way to accurately measure intelligence.” 

You laugh before rounding your new desk grabbing your go bag underneath it. “Thanks for the vote of confidence but we both know that’s not true.” You smile before turning to head towards the jet. 

——————————————————

You and the team had been in Madison county for 4 days now and you were hitting a wall. The day you arrived there had been a 4th body found, same cause of death, same shaved head only this time the word HELP was carved into the boy’s back. You knew this was a part of the job, going to crime scenes and having to see bodies but you couldn’t stop the thoughts. His hands were on your neck again, his knife grazing your sides. You felt the bile rise up. 

“Pull over.” You all but scream to Morgan he nods, zipping the car to the side of the road. You instantly hop out and release your lunch. 

Morgan steps out and pats your back. “It’s alright, kid. First one’s never easy. Especially when it’s children.” 

He thinks you’re sick from the crime scene You think. That’s probably for the best.

“Thanks.” You mumble.  He nods as you guys wordlessly walk back to the SUV. 

Since then you’ve been at the police station working on the geographical profile with Spencer. You know Morgan had probably said something to Hotch about your upchuck and that was why you were stuck here. But still, you couldn’t think to complain. Spencer was incredibly smart and great to work with. 

“There’s something we’re missing.” He says off handedly. You nod agreeing. You take in the circle like pattern the unsub seemed to be going in. It didn’t make sense. You had profiled him as a socially awkward loner with an overbearing parent. He wasn’t good with adults but could somehow get kids to trust him. Enough to get into the car with him late at night. It hit you a second later. 

“Oh my god.” You said scrambling for your phone to call Garcia. Spencer looks over at you, raising an eyebrow questioningly. 

“You’ve reached your high priestess.” You hear Penelope’s voice come through the speaker. 

“Hey Garcia, it’s Y/N.” You say. “Can you tell me what business is near the first dump site? I have an idea.” 

You hear the faint sound of clacking as she finds the information for you. “Looks to be a bus lot.” You fought the urge to pump your fist in the air. You were right. 

“Alright Garcia. I need a background check on all school bus drivers in Madison county, cross check it with anything that would fit the profile so minor stalking charges, assault…” you train off. “How long do you think that’ll take?” You ask. 

“If I get started now, a couple hours.” She says. “Penelope out.” She says, hanging up. 

You look up to see Spencer looking right back at you. “A bus driver.” You say smiling. “Think about it, everyday you ride the bus home from school and play outside with your friends until late. And when you're heading home your bus driver approaches you in his car offering to take you back. You have no reason not to trust him because he’s brought you home safely so many times before.” You explain, a brief frown grazing your lips. These children met an untimely demise all for trusting someone they were supposed to trust. 

Spencer nods, taking in your words. “Good work,” he says. “You figured it out.” 

You flushed under the high praise. “I’m sure you would’ve come to the same conclusion given more time.” You say. 

“But I didn’t.” He says. “You did, and you probably saved another kid's life in the meantime.” He smiled and patted your shoulder before turning back to the board. 

You looked at his back for a while. You knew since you stepped on the elevator that first time you were attracted to Spencer Reid. He was tall with a lean build and a nice set jaw and incredibly smart. You’d be lying to yourself if that wasn’t your exact type. But on top of all that, he was nice. Almost sickeningly so. 

Suddenly you felt a lot more at risk than before. 

 ————————————————

William Davison was arrested September 7th. You were right,  he was a bus driver for Madison county. Police caught him in his car full of things that pointed him directly to the abductions. 

You and the team were now back on the jet heading home. While the rest team was playing cards you opted to sit in the back. Textbooks laid out on the table as you tried to take notes from them. You were so engrossed. You didn’t see Spencer come take the seat in front of you. 

“What’re you studying?” He asked. 

You look up. “Uh, I’m in my doctoral program for psychology right now.” You say. “Right now, I’m working on an essay about nature vs. nurture effects on the killer's mind.” 

“And what is your theory?” He asks.

“That while I do believe nurture plays a role somewhat, if someone has a predisposition to kill, hurt or maim that is something they are born with. Primates and to some effects humans are naturally empathetic creatures so I think people with the desire for violence are defects. Now even though that’s the case it’s still your own conscious decision to kill.” You say pausing. “Some people are born with natural predispositions they don’t follow all the time. Like your hands for instance.”  

“What about my hands?” He inquired. 

You swallow, clearing your throat. “Well you have fairly large hands, with l-long fingers.” You stutter. Nice going, Y/N. You think. Way to tell the guy you’re starting to develop a crush on that you’ve been staring at his hands. “In the primitive stage, that would’ve made you good at hunting and gathering. In a more modern sense, you’d be good at piano. Though I imagine, you don’t do either.” You say, already knowing the answer. You were a profiler now after all. 

“No, I do not.” He smiled widely at you, he always appreciated intelligent conversation when it came by. “I disagree with your theory though.” 

“Really? Why’s that?” You question. He begins to go on a long winded explanation why he thinks Nature vs. Nurture is outdated, taking several detours to talk about some other theories he’s found interesting. You watch him intensely taking in the words. You try to pay attention, you really do. But your eyes keep going back to the mouth the rapid words are coming out of and the hands that are also gesturing widely. You just had tuned back in when he suddenly stopped. You tilted your head at him. 

“What’s wrong?” you asked. 

“Nothing.” he says, looking mildly uncomfortable. “It’s just… no one lets me talk for this long.” 

“Really?” You question, he nods. “Well, I was listening, I find it interesting. Actually…” you trail off picking up your pen, flipping to a new page in your notebook. “Do you mind if I write some of this down, might come in handy when I write my paper later.” 

He nods enthusiastically as he continues his thoughts from before. You start writing fast now to keep up, interjecting here and there to ask him to expand on some stuff. Eventually the rest of the team drifts off until it's only the sound of his soft voice and the scratch of your pen filling the plane.     

Taglist: @haylaansmi​ 

[echo-three-one]

Whatever It Takes : RELOADED

Augustus' burner phone is the key to locating Nero but the team discovers that it's more than just Nero that's behind all of this. Will the former 141 soldiers find out what Nero is up to? Will Alex rescue Samantha?

Table of Contents

Hello! Ray's Back in his game!

Chapter 16 to another story made by Ray (echo-three-one) Comments and Reviews appreciated! I hope you enjoy! Love you all ❤️

My Damsel in Distress

"Alex"

Task Force 141 - Disbanded

On a plane off to somewhere

General Shepherd.

The name sent Alex's blood boiling from rage. He couldn't believe that a high ranking official would actually betray them and could still run away from it.

It's no secret that he wanted 141 out of the Nero scene. But why? He knew full well that Samantha doesn't have access over the address but he still took her? And he also knew that this little team won't walk away without her safe. Alex wondered what's running inside the snow-caterpillar-stache's little brain. He couldn't even say his name now.

He clenched his fists, feeling the thick leather gloves he wore for battle. It was a devastating day for him. They just bonded for a few moments here and there and now she’s already taken away from him. He couldn’t keep count how many times it happened. It was frustrating.

“So, which safehouse are you bringing us today?” Alex joked with his former CO. Jack looked serious as always, he never gets these kinds of humor.

“Same one in Brazil. It’s the most forgotten and spacious. No one’s going to come looking for us in South America.” Jack replied, looking worriedly at Alex.

“I know when you’re preoccupied Alex. What happened afterward?” Jack turned to him and Alex knew he had to open up. He deserved the truth anyway.

“I uh… I fell for her, Jack. I know I told you that I won’t but it just hit me.”

“Like a fucking brick…” Jack interrupted and chuckled.

“All I can say is that you’ve done a better job than I did when I fell in love. I could still see your determination towards your work. Or maybe because she’s still involved in all of this.” he added, causing Alex to relax his tensed shoulders.

“It’s good to have you back, old man.” Alex shook his hand and smiled. With all the problems around him, it was good to have someone close to him to talk to. He was glad Nero didn't kill him back in the Gulag.

“Yeah. Me too, and it looks like you’ve got yourselves a determined bunch. Especially that guy.” he noted, pointing to Soap who was sitting with France. Alex remembered how the two of them met at the Gulag and in that short span of time Jack was able to read the whole guy’s personality.

“Soap? Yeah, he’s an achiever. Heard he’s top of every obstacle course back at the base.” Alex mused, looking at the two. They were sitting together quietly but Alex felt jealous. He could've been doing that with Samantha right now. Now that she's ready to hear the truth about them.

"Yeah. He's got some fight in him. I'm sure we'll defeat Nero even with this little band right here. And I'll do my best to be of assistance to you." he patted Alex's shoulder and went back to check on Nikolai.

~

Safehouse 110197, Brazil

Alex remembered that this place was compromised, but then again that was the CIA mole's henchmen that found them here and they're no longer affiliated with Nero. Or he picked this place because no one would think of going back here after being compromised. The Reverse Psychology card. Either way, Alex didn't mind.

As the team slowly scattered around the house and prepared everything, Alex took note of some changes since his last visit. More beds were added and supplies got restocked. Even the bullet cache looked reloaded.

The team loaded off everything they salvaged, or stole, from the 141 and set it all up. Ghost prioritized the tech stuff while the women fixed the bedrooms. Alex offered help but was denied by Gary saying "Your face still hurts so don't over exert yourself, we can do this on our own."

So Alex plopped by the central couch as Ghost untangle the wires, putting them on their respective slots.

"You holding up okay?" The masked man asked as soon as Alex released a deep sigh.

"I'm worried about Samantha." he replied, resting his hands on the back of his head.

"She doesn't have the address, what does Shepherd want from her?" Alex added, his tone raised like a kid complaining.

"I have no idea. But I do have something else. Information on the surprise attack at the 141." Ghost said, as Jack and Price moved toward them and discussed the contents of Augustus' phone.

"That bastard gave away our location." Price cursed.

"So his plan to disband us would be successful." Alex added and Ghost nodded.

"Why get Samantha though? He knows we'll be coming for him." Ghost added and the rest of them speculated their theories.

"Augustus failed to get her so Shepherd did it for him? For what?" Jack noted, reviewing their whole mission for reference.

"Something bigger, I presume." Price spat and everyone fell silent. The rest of the team except for Gary and Maxine gathered for a short briefing. Everyone gave away their take as to why, some of them made sense while some reasons don't add up. And thinking about it was only making them more frustrated.

Everyone looked serious until they inhaled the fresh aroma of dinner from the kitchen. Alex turned and saw Gary and Maxine, smiling while serving up the team's dinner. He could sense something him and Samantha once shared in this place and it looked like the Safe house did it's charm once again.

"Now that's bloody good cookin'" Price announced and everyone laughed. He wasn't the kind of person to say those kinds of things, but he did, and it was all they needed to ease the tension of not knowing what's next.

They never gathered like this before, together, happy and noisy. The two oldies sat on the opposite edges of the round table while Soap, France, Gary and Maxine sat beside each other on the left. Simon and Alex sat on the other side, an empty chair resided beside them.

"Don't worry lad, we'll rescue her." Price muttered and Jack nodded. Alex smiled as they started to eat some food.

"Hold on a minute!" Soap exclaimed causing everyone to halt.

"Thank you Lord for thy blessings which we are about to receive. Amen." he muttered while everyone looked at him.

"Amen!" they all said in unison and wolfed down Gary and Maxine's delicious meal.

"This tastes so good! Just like Mom used to make!" Francine chewed happily. Maxine stared at her supposed to be sister and smiled.

"It does?" she breathed.

"Mmhmm.. I was always jealous that you two were so close together in the kitchen, everything I touch turns to a culinary mess." she frowned and made everyone else laugh. Soap stared at her in amazement.

"You and me both, France." Jack agreed. The gang bonded throughout dinner and enjoyed the company. Alex volunteered on the dishes and France offered to help.

"You think she's going to be fine?" Maxine asked as she checked the contents of the fridge, looking at Alex who looked very focused on the dishes he's cleaning.

"She's been kidnapped a lot of times now. I think she's used to it." Alex attempted to joke, but the tone of his voice was far from kidding.

"Aye, That lassie's a tough one. Don't worry Alex. We'll get her, Shepherd's bound to make a mistake anytime soon." Soap commented from behind him while leaning on the kitchen island.

"I told you I can handle assisting Alex on my own!" France giggled as she wiped the plates dry.

"Aye! I know! Can't a man just enjoy some time with his girlfriend?" he raised his hand mocking surrender. France turned back and crossed her arms.

"Ahem. Girl space Friend. There's a space in between." she scolded and MacTavish just chuckled.

"Whatever you say, Babe." he joked once again as he stepped out of the kitchen.

"Ugh. That guy's so full of himself." France groaned. Alex and Maxine exchanged glances and laughed, causing the female soldier to worry.

"What?" she asked.

"You two look cute together." Maxine chuckled, closed the fridge and walked away.

"We're not together!" France yelled, making sure Maxine would hear it wherever she went.

"We will be soon!" Soap exclaimed from outside, followed by collective laughter from the group of men with him.

~

Alex groaned and looked at his watch. It's already 3:36 am and he couldn't sleep. He slowly got up and looked around. On the huge bed, Jack and Price slept peacefully as evidenced by the loud snoring. Beside him on the floor was Soap, Roach and an empty spot where Ghost was supposed to sleep. The girls occupied the guest room.

Alex slowly got up and carefully assisted his metal leg, trying not to make noise as he waltzed to the balcony where he suspected Ghost to be.

And he was right, Ghost sat by the railings on the terrace, not a single expression of fear etched on his face. A face Alex saw for the first time.

"Can't sleep?" the former CIA asked. Ghost slowly turned his head and nodded.

"I'm just contemplating…" he muttered, the tone of his voice sound defeated.

"We caught ourselves in a crazy situation, huh?" Alex chuckled trying to make the best of the situation. Ghost didn't seem to like the vote of happiness as he clicked his tongue and sighed.

"I'm into France… but it looked like she's happier with John." he spat. From what Alex heard from Roach, Ghost was not the kind of person to open up. And this was all too surprising for him.

"I… uh…" Alex stammered.

"Look, I'm also sorry… You don't have to reply… I was about to vent to Gary about this but he seemed too preoccupied with Maxine and I didn't want to bother him."

"Look, it's okay. Ghost."

"It's Simon, Simon Riley."

"It's okay Simon. That's life. You win some, you lose some." he consoled. He tried to make it as positive as possible but he was also down in the dumps, like him.

"Thanks for the honesty. I just realized how devastated you must be. I never got to hear your story until Gary told me. It must've been tough losing her over and over again." Gary talked without looking at him.

"It's like I've been cursed to lose her and save her all over again." Alex complained.

"Like Link." Simon announced like it's a great metaphor which Alex didn't get.

"Link?"

"Like from the video game. Where this knight was always out to save her damsel in distress. It's got many different variations but it's always the same name. Generations have passed and Link was always destined to save Zelda." he said in amusement.

"My damsel in distress…" Alex noted and looked up at the stars, wishing that wherever Samantha may be, he hoped she's safe and also thinking of him.

Next Chapter : Delayed Flight

Notification Squad my beloved

@smokeywhalee @samatedeansbroccoli @enderio @whimsywispsblog @beemybee @ricinbach

[demivampirew]

Do I mean anything to you? part 2 (final part)

It started as a one-shot, but I had an idea for a second part, so here it is 😁

Soft and fluffy (and angry too) August x reader

Triggers: fighting; kidnapping; anarchism/terrorism; metions of guns, bombs, etc; crying

A/N: This is a re-writing of the movie ending.

You can find more of my writings in the Masterlist

Tag list: @lunedelorient​​ @henrythickcavill​ @wolvesandhoundshowltogether​ @mary-ann84​ @desperate-and-broken​ @peakygroupie​ @summersong69​ @ivvitm1109​ @madbaddic7ed​ @iloveyouyen​ @the-soot-sprite @hell1129-blog​

- Did you truly think you could fool me and get away with it, Walker? - Sloane asked August, who was handcuffed into a chair in an interrogation room. They were alone in that room, but there were plenty of agents outside of the room in case their boss needed them to help to control him. August remained silent with his eyes fixed on her.

After the IMF played him to prove that he was the double agent, August allowed them to take him as a prisoner, only to allow the rest of the anarchist team to help Lane escape. They asked him many times about his location but August did not know the answer and even if he did he wouldn't help the CIA catch him. He knew that he was to value to the cause against The Apostles so they wouldn't get rid of him, and if they did it, at least his mission of freeing Solomon was a success.

- You won't talk, would you? Huh.- she questioned, raising an eyebrow- Well, let's see if I can find something that'd make you talk.- Erika said and grabbed his phone, dialled a number and after waiting for the person in the other side of the line to respond, she said "bring her in" while starring directly into his eyes. There was panic on them, anyone could have noticed it. He knew at that moment who "her" was.

Minutes went by and then the door opened. An agent grabbed you by your arm as he walked you into the room and as soon as you saw August, you ran into him. You cupped his face with your hands and press your forehead against him. He wanted to fight it. He should have pretended not to know you for that would have been the best for you, but as soon as he felt your sweet touch, he lost all the strength for resistance.

The agents in the room forced you to stand afar from him, not without a fight.

- Hurt her and I'll fucking kill you!- he shouted with burning anger. His eyes went from the agents to Sloane.

- Calm down.- the CIA leader ordered to the double agent- Tell me what I need to know and I'll set her free. Hell, if you give me all the information I need, I might consider pardoning you and allowing you to retire to live a happy life with this woman, but that's all up to you.- she offered him- So, tell me August, what are you going to do? He closed his eyes and looked to the other side. Erika sighed and gave a new order- Take her away and locked her. He quickly turned his eyes when he heard her complain about how the agent that was holding her was grabbing her too tight and made her hurt.

- Stop!- Walker shouted and Sloane looked at him. His white pearls were showing. Rage was written all over his face- You want Lane? Fine, I'll give him to you. I don't know where he's now, but I'll find him for you.- he promised her- But first, I need your word that you would let her and me go afterwards.- he said, looking at you and then his eyes were set on her again. -Fine. Considered it done.- she agreed after a moment of thinking. - She, of course, will stay here until your mission is fulfilled. Considerate a security deposit. Bring me Lane and the plutonium and you both are free; fool me and I'll kill her. Don't play with me August, you know me well.-she warned him and with a head gesture she indicated her employees to take you away- The sooner you complete the mission, the sooner you'll be back in the arms of your lovely woman.

He wanted to kill everyone there. He hated every single rat working there and he hated you. He had ideals he was fighting for...a better reality and he was about to give all that up to save you and to be with you. But, even the thought of hating on you hurt him: he loved you, more than anything. He hated himself to be honest. He hated how he allowed himself to fall in love with you and he despited himself for putting you in danger. Now was the time to make things right.

He had no idea where Solomon was, but he figured out that at least one of all the other double agents should know something about it. He found one of them and convinced him that he managed to escape or that was what he thought. The man set him a trap and a group of gunmen were waiting for him to kill him. August might be a big man, but he was quicker than he seemed. He took down the anarchists, leaving the one who planned the trap alive to make him tell him where Lane was. Walker broke the fingers of the agent's right hand, hearing his screams of pain, promising that the pain would get worse if he didn't give him the information he required.

Solomon was in a small medical camp on Siachen Glacier. He planned to explode the plutonium bombs there.

As August expected, Lane knew that Walker was a traitor. He had him surrounded by his subordinates as soon as he set a foot on the house he was staying.

- I did not have you as a weak person.- Solomon told him- what's the reason behind your change of teams?- he asked studying August's face- Let me guess, they found your lady friend, didn't they?- Walker's eyes were wide open now. He knew about her as well. - Yes, I know about her.- he replied as if he could read his mind- And I was going to finished her in you failed on the mission, but I guess they found her first.

That confession unleashed August's anger and with quick yet strong moves he took down the ten men in the place, leaving only Lane alive. He grabbed him and threw him on the floor, quickly tying him so he would no escape. After the call with Sloane, he remembered that he still needed the plutonium to complete the mission.

- What's the matter? Missing something?- Lane mocked him when he saw August focused on his thoughts. - Shut up.- he ordered him. - Do you think she's worthy of all this trouble? Tell me, do you seriously believe that you'll be able to live a happy life with that woman now that she knows what you have done? All those lives you took... people like her do no understand our mission. “There cannot be peace without first a great suffering. The greater the suffering, the greater the peace.” You'll suffer a lot her loss, true, but think about the reward. You still on time to do the right thing.- Solomon said trying to change August's mind.

- Raise your hands!- someone shouted to him. It was Ethan Hunt. He entered the house and was pointing towards Augusts with a gun. He turned around to face the IMF agent, as he did what he asked him. - I'm on your team, Hunt.- he informed him bitterly. - Yeah, sure.- Ethan answered with a short sarcastic laugh. - I'm being honest. Sloane sent me to bring her Lane and the plutonium.- he explained. - Why I'm supposed to believe that you're telling the truth?- he questioned. - Julia. - August said and he saw his enemy's eye open wide in surprise. - How do you know that name? -he requested both angry and afraid. - Don't you think I would work with you without making a previous research, did you?- he explained- Anyhow... you have your Julia, Sloane has mine. She will kill her if I don't give him what she wants. - That doesn't make you being on my team. Now surrender, I'm taking you both back to CIA.

To Hunt's surprise, Walker was quicker than he seemed and was fighting him even before he had a chance to blink. The men fight each other until August had Ethan's head trapped in his arm. The IMF hero tried to set himself free but couldn't for his arms were too big and strong. August realized that he needed to work with him if he wanted to succeed, so he had to convince him.

- Listen to me.- August shouted to the man fighting him to free himself- We need to work together. We can end this sooner and you'll save the life of the woman you love and I'll save mine. The CIA will soon be here to take him down and I'll go with them. You can come as well if you don't trust me. But I need to find the plutonium and give it back. If we stop fighting now and get to work, soon this will be over, otherwise, I'll have to kill you, because I won't risk the life of the person I love for you. - I cannot trust you, Walker.- Ethan pointed out. August sighed and grabbed his phone with his free hand and searched on his gallery, opening a folder locked with a password and then showed to Hunt. He looked at the photos: lots of photos of you - sleeping, cooking, laughing; pictures of the two of you kissing and hugging. The way August looked at you was what the IMF agent needed to know you were being honest. Your man trusted him because he knew that Hunt wouldn't allow an innocent life to be taken as collateral damage.

Ilsa Faust and Benji Dunn took the task of making sure Lane didn't escape while they searched for the bombs. One was found by Luther and Ethan's sidekick called him to let him know that the other explosive was on the house.

Lane's words were stuck in August's mind. He was on his way back to rescue you. Getting the plutonium and the anarchist was the easy part, making the love of his life, such a sweet woman to want to be with him knowing that he was not how he told her he was. He never lied to you since your relationship started, but certainly, he hid information about his other side. Could you forgive him for killing people? He knew that even if you hate him now, just the fact that you were safe was good reason enough for him to go that mission.

Sloane kept her part of the deal and released you and pardon him, with the condition that she would send people constantly to check that he was truly out of the game.

You ran into his arms and he pulled you closer to him, putting an arm on your back and the other in your head. After an inspection to make sure you were unharmed, he kissed you and pressed his forehead against yours. You hugged him tight and cry of fear for everything that had happened.

Two weeks later...

He bought a new house in a suburb using his life savings. He was used to renting apartments and move constantly, but this time he wanted a stable place for you two. After a long talk, he promised you that his anarchist days were behind, same for the CIA job. He would find something else to earn money and live a decent life with you. You, on the other hand, assured him that you would work hard to make him see the world through other eyes, so he could see why his previous belief was wrong. You'll teach him how beautiful the world could be.

[unstoppableforcce]

dark side

—CHAPTER TWO: complicated

pairing: Javier Peña x reader

previous part | next part | masterlist

a/n: this part may not flow the best but I think the next chapter is where a lot of it is going to come together. I just really love these two but to show y’all why, I have to get to the next chapter so bear with me here

There’s more to Colombia than drugs and communists.

He’d been in deep in this game for longer than he liked to admit, but he had never once heard a single soul at the Embassy acknowledge the country for anything more than America’s playground as moral authority. The United States government wanted to protect their interests, they put the DEA on the ground to stop the coke influx stateside and they put the CIA there to make sure their precious capitalism was protected.

That was drugs and that was communism. So what the hell did you mean when you said there was more?

He understood the greater sense of the sentiment, that it’s a real country with real people and real culture, but he figured that wasn’t what you had meant. When you said it, you meant there was another reason for you to be in Colombia.

Not something as big as coke and communism, otherwise Stechner would have never pulled you off of it, but clearly something big enough to piss you off about the new position you had in his bullpen. He just didn’t know what.

What he did know was that Stechner, for all that he was, was not lying when he said you were good at your job.

Javi spent the majority of his days trying to keep his head down in budget meetings and strategy discussions with the Ambassador, the Colombian government, and more men in suits than he cared to count, but you sat at your desk, and against every grain of rational thought you surely possessed, did work as you were ordered. Reviewing intelligence reports from the police that gave up nothing because the police were paid to give up nothing, transcribing summaries on useless movements of underling cartel members, making phone calls for tips that turned out to be nothing 99% of the time and most of all, leaving the room whenever he wanted to talk without CIA ears around.

In all honesty, he had never, in a million years, expected you to have been telling the truth when you said you didn’t want to be the spy you were placed there to be, but each and every day, he showed up to the office and there you were, already there before him, head down and doing work that wasn’t close to worth your time.

He just didn’t get it. He didn’t get you.

But against as better judgement, he was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, he was starting to believe you, to trust you.

So when the reporter outside all but told him explicitly that the accidental gas leak in Cali was a coverup, he got stuck on an idea he knew was bad the second it hit his mind.

“Can we talk in my office?”

Standing at the front of your desk as you listened to tapes through headphones, at first all he got was a finger held up to his face, asking him to wait while you tried to hear the last of the recording. From the looks of the files scattered across the top of your desk, it looked like it was probably a tape from a cornerstone interrogation in Miami.

However, from the look of the empty pad underneath the tip of your pen, it wasn’t yielding much in the way of information.

After a few seconds, you stopped the tape and pulled the headphones off, looking back up to him, “yeah?”

“My office?”

You nodded, following him in through the sliding glass door and waiting by his desk as he slowly shut it behind him. “Is there a problem?”

“What do you know about this gas leak?” He asked somewhat mindlessly as he slid around you and sat back at his desk. If this whole ‘putting a plant on his team’ thing was under the cover of interagency cooperation, shouldn’t he be getting something out of it too?

Judging by the way your brow quirked, he figured maybe not.

But after a second to steal a glance to the bullpen then to scan over him, your face returned to the look before the shock and you took a step closer with a shrug of your shoulders. “What do you know?”

“That there was a gas leak.”

You scoffed at that, shaking your head. “Amazing detective work there—“

“What do you know?” He was quick to cut you off before your sarcasm could make a full appearance but you merely shrugged again.

“They’re calling it an accident.” You took a step forward, resting your hands on the back of the chair across from him, “I think anyone with the ability to think for themselves know it probably wasn’t, or at least, not the kind they are going say it is.”

“You have more information that we do?”

“The CIA has guys on the ground in Cali, you don’t.” Everything sounded so matter-of-fact when you said it, like you had this infinite knowledge and his questions merely bored you. He hated that he wanted to know what you know, he hated it because he knew how you knew it.

Looking at you, he didn’t see you as the enemy anymore, but you certainly weren’t an ally, not as long as you were CIA. He couldn’t ignore that.

“I kind of got shit on the last time I had guys in Cali.” He tried to play off casually, like the weight of the mistakes made wasn’t still sitting on his shoulders, like he didn’t have to send two perfectly good agents back to the states to appease the absurdity of the situation...

But it got you to chuckle, a break in your serious disposition he had yet to see from you until now. And he really didn’t mind it. If anything, he wanted more.

“You have to play by the rules.” You smirked, “until you can’t.”

He quirked his head at that this time, “What do you know that I don’t?”

Another chuckle. He was in much deeper than he thought if you were going to keep doing that.

“The total tonnage of what I know that you don’t...” you shook your head as you trailed off, patting the chair gently before standing back up to full height. “You trust your people more than me anyways, right?”

He gave a curt nod.

“Then put some of them on the ground in Cali.”

With that, he gave you another nod and watched you leave, back to your desk to do more work that was so far beneath your skill level it wasn’t even funny. And that night, long after he noticed you leave with a stack of files under your arm, he turned on his TV to watch the news call the leak in Cali an accident, and like you said, it didn’t feel right.

He needed people in Cali, despite everything the ambassador wanted from him and Stechner expected of him, he knew what he wanted from himself.

He wasn’t so much as sleeping these days as he was laying in bed, threatening to succumb to the hellish weight of guilt on his chest. Both from the past and from now. And it certainly didn’t help that every time he fell to his bed even slightly sober that he was enraptured with thoughts of you and that one idiotic night.

The days of using woman as sources were over now that he was dealing with Cali and not Escobar, so his days of going home with anyone else had really ended the night he was with you and getting off to the thought of you, the CIA agent, and his hand certainly wasn’t helping his conscience.

He knew what he needed to do, he knew he needed to be a real agent again, supposed surrender or not.

So that night, before he left the office, he ordered Fiestl to Cali with his partner, and by the time he made it home, he actually caught an hour of real sleep.

Turns out you gave good advice.

Not just on putting men in Cali, but two days later, when he found you lingering by the coffee pot, you silently encouraged him to “follow the money”, and you were right then too.

The combined wit of himself, your sly commentary, and the ample help of the reporter and he found himself thanking Bill Clinton and knowing the name of the cartel’s money man within a matter of days. It was luck he hadn’t had in a very long time, so long that it felt way too good to be true.

He was getting back into the rhythm that reminded him of working on Escobar, doing real work, working towards real answers. He lacked good men to bounce ideas off of, missing Murphy and Carrillo more and more everyday, but he was doing good work. For the first time since he had been back in Colombia, he felt like he was doing the right thing.

He should’ve know the second he moved for a plane to Panama that nothing could ever work this perfectly for him, he just didn’t deserve it.

But you looked good in fatigues.

He wished he could’ve done more looking at the way you were practically highlighted against the drab airfield by the sharp cuts of your black tank top and the stilling army green of your cargo pants. He wished he could’ve taken a dive head deep into that distraction but he couldn’t.

As with every time he almost got caught staring at you, he was painfully reminded of exactly who you were. This time, it was you arguing with Stechner to pull him back to reality.

He didn’t hear the argument, he could just see the two of you were locked in it as he approached. By the time Stechner spotted his approach, he dismissed whatever you were saying and ended the conversation before Peña came close enough to hear.

He caught your stare briefly, noticing what he almost tricked himself into thinking was a blink of apology in your sincere stare, but he knew now that he didn’t have that kind of luck.

“What the fuck is going on?” He turned to the CIA station chief, trying to figure out if he really knew the definition of smug until he met him.

“Orders are orders, you heard the ambassador.” Stechner responded simply, the same kind of simple he always got from you, but at least a thousand times more superior in every way as he crossed his arms over his chest and gave a minuscule shrug. “Our friends from the senate want the down low from a real life hero.”

He heard your scoff from where you leaned against the helicopter, even as you tried to muffle it.

“Guess that’s you.” Stechner continued on, gesturing with a turn of his shoulders to the senators he had met earlier in the week, suiting up in vests and boots. “You got somewhere better to be?”

With that, he turned away completely, leaving just you, still leaning against the helicopter colored in the same shade of camouflage green as your fatigue pants were.

“You’re wearing the wrong shoes.” You tried to joke out but it was clear even through the heavy sheet of tension between the two of you that he didn’t find it very funny.

He let out an exhausted sigh and reluctantly loaded into the helicopter with you, Stechner and the two senators, pulling out his tie as he did. Unfortunately, as you moved for the empty seat next to him, Stechner grabbed ahold of your hand and redirected you to the seat next to him, leaving the prime real estate next to Peña wide open for the desperately chatty senators.

You tried to offer something of an apology in your stare as you pulled your headphones on and strapped in, but either he wasn’t reading into it what you were putting into it or he was just too annoyed to care. You certainly had no problem reading the frustrated annoyance in his stare, especially as the senator next to him tried to ask some question you couldn’t hear over the noise from the helicopter.

After a while of traversing over the seemingly endless green landscape, you felt the acceleration shift as the chopper began to land, but as you hopped out behind Stechner and tried to steal a glance back to Javier, he was back to ignoring you, stripping off he jacket and rolling up his sleeves.

He was terribly overdressed for a day in the jungle, which was a shame, it was a good suit on him.

As Stechner began his lecture for the Senators, you specifically hung back to be only a step in front of him.

“You were out, otherwise I would have warned you.” You offered over you shoulder once you were convinced the senators were entranced by the demonstration.

He was out tailing the king of cartel money laundering, he was making real progress... he couldn’t help but roll his eyes, no matter how genuine you sounded.

“I’m being serious—���

“I’m supposed to trust you?” He spoke in more of a whisper as he crunched through the jungle on your heel.

“Some things do exist outside my range of control, Peña.”

He starts making real progress and he gets detoured like this? No matter what you argued, mo matter what he thought about his own bad luck, coincidences like this didn’t just happen. He wasn’t needed here, ambassador’s orders or not, what the hell did the senators need to come out here for anyways?

Then came the smell.

The jungle had its own smell, but coke and dead bodies always managed to shine through.

“FARC or traffickers?” The senator asked.

“Both...” he heard Stechner say as he continued his explanation.

A blatant lie. All of this was a big fucking lie, one you seemed to have a personal hand in telling now that Stechner turned to you and easily coaxed facts from you, he couldn’t stand it.

He peeled off from the group, just trying to get out of his head but by the sound of crunching jungle beneath boots from behind him, he knew you were close following. Turning back towards you, he threw his hands up by his sides and let a scoff slip out, not expecting you to flinch but in no way comforted by your near robotic stare directed back his way.

Glancing behind you to be sure the senators and Stechner were out of range, he blew out a breath and turned back towards the jungle, “this whole thing is staged.”

You didn’t respond though, you just maneuvered around him, coming face to face with him.

“These aren’t traffickers.” He would kill for a cigarette as he stared you down, “they’re strapped with AK ammo and those fancy guns Stechner had you modeling are M-4s.”

“You know your guns...” you mused carefully and he purposefully scoffed directly in your face this time.

He was so far from amused, your comment barely registered with him before he continued on, “He’s using you as what? The pretty face behind all of this?”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing, like you’re the hero who brought down Escobar.” Shooting back, you took a challenging step up towards him. “He’s using you too.”

“You think I don’t know that?” He didn’t raise his voice, but his low shift in tone was just enough to send shivers down your spine.

But you weren’t one to back down, “Well you could’ve fooled me—“

“You’re the one who plays along—“ he was just as quick.

“It’s my job to play along, what the hell is your excuse?”

He stopped for a second, realizing just how close to argument brought him to you and took a step back, scratching at his brow as he did. He didn’t know why he let you get him so riled up, he didn’t know why you had the effect on him that you did.

Part of him figured it was because he liked you, that the determination and ability you demonstrate when you work as hard as you do is enough to distract him from who you are just long enough to let you in under his skin. But then he remembers why he isn’t supposed to like you, he remembers what you are a part of and it infuriates him. He can’t blame you for being what you are, he can’t even blame you for lying about it. Everything you had done up to this point was honest...

He could only blame himself for letting it get to him and he was pretty good at blaming himself for things.

“You have a cigarette?” He muttered as he turned back to you.

With your arms crossed over your chest, practically drawing his eyes to the low neck of your tank top, you shook your head, snapping his gaze back to yours. “I don’t smoke.”

He kicked the dirt beneath his shoes, the wrong shoes, and let out another hefty sigh.

“Were you lying about being in Colombia for something other that drugs and communism?” He eked out with a voice weaker than he could be proud of.

“I haven’t lied to you since I met you, Peña.” You were quick to retort, your voice never dropping in strength. “Why?”

He shook his head, settling his hands to his hips, “if you’re not here for this, why the hell do you let Stechner use you as a prop? Why do you let him get away with these lies for fucking fundraising?”

“It’s politics.” You scoffed back to him, taking a step closer. “You didn’t come to Colombia for it either, but here we both are.”

Great, he thought, another similarity between the two of you.

He hated that he couldn’t out-argue you, not that he was used to outsmarting the women he worked with, but most of the women he worked with were secretaries and assistants who were almost eager to bend to his will. You were smarter than him and he could tell the first time you opened your mouth in that bar.

He just wished he had realized then the shit he was about to bring down on himself and stopped before he even started.

But you were smarter than him, and he had to deal with that now.

“What did you come to Colombia for?”

You twisted your head, having not expected the question, but before you could open your mouth to give him the answer he was looking for, another voice called from behind the two of you.

“Agent Peña?” Both of you turned to see Stechner stood with his hands on his hips, “the Senators want to speak with you.”

He stole a glance back to you and you gave a heartless shrug, “good luck.”

A laugh nearly bubbled to the surface of his frustrated demeanor, like a joke the universe was playing. He had never had an ounce of good luck in his life, not before Colombia and certainly not now, as he scanned you over one last time.

You were his type, almost too perfectly his type. He couldn’t help but wonder if Stechner grew you in a tube just to mess with him, he certainly wouldn’t put it past the man. A beautiful woman, standing strong in army fatigues and a member of the CIA. He was shaking his head a lot more these days then his last time in Colombia, or at least it felt like he was.

Good luck...

He didn’t have any of that. All he could hope was that maybe Fiestl and Van Ness did.

-> tags: (let me know if you’d like to be added or if I missed you! I’m not great at tagging lol)

@the-feckless-wonder @arrowswithwifi @ms-dont-care @leo-moon @tiffdawg @readsalot73 @way-too-addicted-to-anime @keeper0fthestars @adikaofmandalore @opheliaelysia @magneticbucky

[shra-vasti]

Assets

Word count : 1.7k

Pairing : wonwoo x reader

Warrings : mention of death, drugs, club and crime.

Genre : Crime fanfiction, fluff, angst, romance, drama

Chapter : chapter 02 l previous l next

Synopsis : After getting arrested for allegedly killing 2 people you find yourself joining CIA to find out who the real culprit is. With a criminal background yourself how will you gain trust of the CIA and find out the real killer?

A/N : Hello everyone. This is my first time writing on Tumblr and I still don't know how it works so please bare with me. Any sort of gifs and photos used in this book isn't mine it's credit goes to their respective owners except for the cover of book. This idea is purely based on my imagination and any sort of resemblance to any other book or imagine is purely coincidental. I hope you will enjoy the book as much as I will enjoy writing it. Thank you. Enjoy the reading <3

Seoul Police Station

A wave of shock went through your body when you were woken up by the splash of cold water thrown on your face.

You gasped wiping your face with your hand as you sat inside the police interrogation room.

The room was dark with only a single table and two chairs. A light blub hanging above the table.

You have been in the custody for 4 days already but the police insisted that you would loosen up if you are intimidated enough.

But how could you give them details when it wasn't you in the first place?

"You need to cooperate and we will go easy on you." the cop said getting frustrated.

You sighed once again preparing to say the same thing you have been saying from the past 4 days.

"I told you I wasn't the one who killed them. I don't even recognize the person who got killed. Just because I was present at that moment and the piece of evidence ended up in my pocket it doesn't mean that I am the one who killed them."

You were exhausted to say at least. You have lost count on how many times you have had an anxiety attack and fainted because of it.

The Officer groan in frustration and smack the table hard earning a shudder from you. You have gotten a couple of slaps as to blurt out the truth but you were determined to prove your innocence.

"You do have a clean background Miss. But that doesn't mean I will go easy on you." he said as he leaned more on the table to come eye level with you.

"I'll find the evidence so you get what you deserve-"

He couldn't finish his sentence as the door of the room opened. You squinted your eyes as light from the outside fell directly at you.

You saw a figure approach you as your vision adjusted. The cop quickly standing straight and saluting the  approaching figure.

The guy nodded at the cop and signaled him to go outside. The cop was hesitant and first but made his way outside but not before giving you a sharp glare.

Now that the guy was standing right in front, you took in his appearance.

He was wearing casual clothes, just a white tshirt paired up with black jeans. He was well built and was fairly tall. He was good looking with sharp facial features. He looked intimidating yet approachable.

He eyed you up and down and you felt self conscious. He took a deep breath and sat in the chair which was placed across the table you were sitting.

"Here drink it." he said handing you a water bottle and you obliged. Between all of these panic attacks you actually forgot how hungry and thirsty you were.

It tasted different though which had you furrowing your eyebrows in confusion and you eyed the man in front of you.

"Did you perhaps mixed something in this?" you asked scared as to what all measures these people were going to take for you to surrender.

He nodded. "A truth serum."

"A truth serum?" you weren't sure what you were hearing was a joke or something.

"Not many people use this technique but it's a drug namely Sodium Thiopental which will allow us to get information from you faster. Don't worry it won't harm you in any way." He said as he leaned back on his chair.

"Who are you?" you asked, wanting to get done with this already. You were telling the truth all the time anyway what was the deal.

"I'm Choi Seungcheol or you can call me Scoups. I'm the Head operation officer of the CIA.." He said and with that you straightened your back gulping.

"...and now your case is given to CIA since the other police officers are unable to get any information from you. So mind telling me what you were doing in the club around 10-11 pm on 20 December?"

Your heart beat quickened as you stared into his eyes and the way he was not breaking the eye contact with you made the situation more difficult.

He sighed when you decided to keep your mouth close. You couldn't just tell him what you were doing. You didn't want your group mates to get into some trouble with you too.

"Listen." he spoke softly completely opposite of the strong and stern voice he was using on you earlier.

"Tell me the truth and if you are innocent it's upon me. I'll do anything and everything to take you out of this mess but for that you have to cooperate with me."

You couldn't figure out if it was the drug/truth serum doing its work or the look in Seungcheol's face which made you feel that its okay to tell him the truth and so you did.

" I was there to smuggle some drugs to the local gang of Seoul." you said and you looked at him.

His eyes widened but signalled you to continue.

"I was there to deliver the drug and it was my first time doing such thing so I may have done some mistakes and gave away myself but I wasn't the one who killed. I wasn't even aware of it."

"What about the piece of plastic found in your coat pocket?" He questioned.

You shrug your shoulder at that still thinking as to how you got that piece in your pocket.

"Did you perhaps had a conversation with someone when you were at Club or something?" he asked.

You couldn't quite remember so you shook your head.

"I don't know but how did they manage to suspect me out of hundreds of people in the club?" you questioned back.

"One of the officer was at the club off duty and he heard your conversation with someone via earpiece so he thought he should keep an eye on you."

And then it dawned to you. The handsome guy who randomly approached you to when you entered the club to whom you ignored and later decided to be less subtle about your disguise and snap at Mingyu for constantly checking up on you.

You eyes widened as a second realization hit you which made Seungcheol lean in as he waited for you to say something.

"I bumped into a guy when I was on my way towards the club. We shared a brief moment together. He apologized to me but he quickly ran away like he was in hurry. I remember my coat getting crumpled in the process but I thought nothing of it, straightened my coat and went ahead. " you exclaimed.

" Do you remember his face?" you shook your head at that.

" I was going to enter to the club from back door which opens up in the dark alley and that's exactly where I bumped into him. I couldn't see his face."

Seungcheol sighed nodding his head as he took in the information.

" You said you were there to deliver some drugs right?" He asked and you nodded.

"It surely means you weren't alone. Someone made you do this task right?" He asked as you sighed.

"How come you have such a clean record I checked your background before coming to interrogate you and I was sure you never had any criminal background." he exclaimed.

"We are a group of five people. We do theft, we fraud people, we smuggle drugs just so we can fill our empty stomachs. It wasn't intended but it was hard to find a decent job to have a peaceful life in Seoul without killing yourself with workloads."

"So there are four more people with you in this?"

"Yes there are four more people aside from me. Each of us have a specific job to do but since one of my friend was away for business I had to replace him for the job and now here we are."

"You do realize that you and your whole group can go to jail for this right?"

"I know but you don't have any proof for that." you eyed him and he could feel a very different aura coming out of you with that sentence.

"Tell me about your other friends and I'll tell you a way to get out of this mess."

The truth serum was surely working well as you still couldn't get yourself to lie.

"We are a group of five people as I told you. We have Woozi, our main operator or the hacker and then we have Mingyu who is our lookout. Jeonghan is a mole who mainly goes to carry out all of the deliveries then we have Suzy who is excellent at manipulation and then there's me who usually spy on people and get their information and give it to the group."

Seungcheol nodded as you continued.

"Woozi is very excellent at what he does. He's like our leader sort of. He made sure to have all of our records clean so that whenever we get caught in an unfavorable situation we can get out of the situation."

"It isn't easy for clean up all your records from the databases though." Seungcheol wandered.

You laughed at that. Feeling somewhat proud. "It's not that hard considering of all the time Woozi was away and I had to clean up the records. Even I can do that."

Seungcheol was shocked to say atleast. He never really thought that there is a gang out there and yet managed to have a clean record.

He look at you with a stern expression and he motioned to you come closer, with a confused face you did as he motioned.

"I know you aren't the one who killed them." He said you opened your mouth but he cut you off.

"I know that because today in came another report of a murder similar to the other two and I can tell that this is far more deeper than it seems but neither I nor you can prove this to the police so..."

He looked here and there as if to make sure no one was listening.

"...you with your gang join CIA in order to find the real culprit and you are free after we find the real killer. The choice is yours otherwise get ready to rot in the jail for something you never did."

[spaztronautwriter]

Truth Be Told (an Olicity fic)

Summary: Agent Oliver Queen is prepared to take down Helix and its leader, Cayden James. What he isn't prepared for is the tiny, blonde hacker who's only crime, in his opinion, is stealing his heart.

A/N: This was written for the Olicity Clue challenge. My prompts were: computer, bunker, Cayden James. Can you guess where the title is from ;)

###

“Jonas!”

Oliver’s spine tingled as the name ricocheted off the walls of Helix’s underground bunker. It was a tight space made exclusively of concrete and metal, so the sound traveled louder and further than it would have in, say, a normal room. Not to mention she was using her loud voice again.

He turned, placing the weapon he’d been cleaning back on the table, and saw her walking toward him at a fast clip, her tablet held in one hand, ponytail swinging.

“I thought I said no guns? And yet—” She came to a stop a few feet away, one eyebrow raised. “I have this requisition form for guns.”

She leaned to the right, looking at the table behind him where Rene and Diggle were helping him get everything ready.

“Yeah, well, we need guns for this one.” He shrugged, then turned back to finish putting his weapon back together.

He could feel her angry glare burning a hole in the back of his head, but he ignored it. He couldn’t let her distract him tonight. That seemed to piss her off even more.

“You’re standing in, literally, the most technologically advanced base in probably the world and you need guns to get things done?”

“What would you like me to do, Felicity?” he growled, clicking the magazine into place. “Throw a computer at them?”

She exhaled loudly. “I don’t know why you have to engage anyone at all. I can get you in—“

“Not this time.”

He turned just in time to see her jaw clench. She didn’t like that answer.

Stepping closer, she lowered her voice. “You're going up against guards who are just doing their jobs. Not to mention they could shoot back. You could—“

She snapped her mouth shut, but he could see the concern in her eyes.

Felicity Smoak had a good heart. He honestly had no idea how she’d ended up working for a terrorist group like Helix. He was sure Caden James had tricked her somehow. Just another reason to take that bastard down.

Tonight.

Caden James—Helix—was going down tonight.

A wave of fresh nerves skated through him as he looked down at Felicity. She’d go down with them.

He’d been fighting the urge to clue her in ever since Lyla had okayed his plan, but even if he did, even if she ran, ARGUS already knew who she was. She’d be a fugitive. No, he had to let things play out. Once everyone was safely in custody, then he could talk to Lyla about getting her a deal. If, that was, she would even speak to him after tonight.

As he looked at her, the tiny crease between her forehead deepened and she reached out, placing a hand on his forearm. “Jonas? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” he said, giving her hand a quick squeeze before stepping back. “Just need tonight to go well, is all.”

“It will,” she said without hesitation. “I believe in you. And if you say you need guns… Just be careful.”

It took every bit of self discipline he had not to pull her into a private room and confess everything. To not tell her he was an undercover plant, an ARGUS agent tasked with taking down James and his whole operation.

To not tell her he was already half in love with her.

He hadn’t meant to fall for her. He hadn’t even considered anything like that in a long time. But there was just something about her. She’d blindsided him and, for the first time in years, he felt like maybe there was more to life than just the next mission. Which was… unfortunate, considering she was one of Helix’s top hackers. A brilliant, beautiful woman who didn’t belong down here in this bunker, overseeing missions to steal data and computer parts and whatever else Caden James demanded of her.

He really hoped she wasn’t aware of what James was after tonight. He suspected she wasn’t, considering how concerned she was for the innocent guards they would be accosting.

Except they wouldn’t be, of course. ARGUS agents had already taken over the guard detail at the facility they were headed to tonight. Oliver and his small team of inside men had done their part, switching out the ammo in Helix’s small armory for blanks. By the time James knew he’d been double crossed it would be too late.

Two of his men, Rene and Curtis, were staying back at the Helix bunker to help round up James’ team of hackers and cyber criminals. Rene, like Oliver, was just a hired gun in Helix’s eyes, but Curtis was a computer engineer. It was his job to make sure Lyla’s team of agents could get past security when the time came. He had no doubt his men could handle it, but his nerves still fluttered worriedly.

“I’ll be careful,” he said lowly, meeting Felicity’s blue gaze. “We need to get going, though. Mr. James is waiting.”

She looked like she wanted to say something, but she bit her lip, nodding instead.

God, he really hoped she wouldn’t hate him after tonight.

###

Rushing out of the van, gun in hand, men at his back, Oliver felt that familiar surge of adrenaline pumping through his veins.

He’d done a dozen of these missions in his time at ARGUS. He was no stranger to standing between a bad man and his really bad idea. In Caden James’ case, that bad idea involved corrupting the safety systems at the nuclear power plant outside of Starling City.

He’d been briefed on James, a computer genius who’d fallen to the dark side after his son had been murdered. Personally, he didn’t care about the guy’s sob story, just about making sure he didn’t take down any innocent bystanders in his quest for revenge.

His mind flickered to Felicity, imagining how she’d react in just a few minutes when ARGUS stormed the bunker. He tried to shake it off, refocus on the mission as James led them up the gates of the facility.

His comm crackled a split second before her voice filled his ear.

“Jonas?”

He slowed his pace, just enough to not be heard by the others. “Felicity? What is it?”

“I know you guys have Alena with you and she’s good, she knows what she’s doing, but after you left I couldn’t shake this feeling that something was wrong, you know? So I did a scan of the power plant, just to see—“

“Felicity!”

“Right,” she said, reeling herself in from her babble and getting to the point. “There’s a lot of heat signatures coming from inside the building, Jonas. Like, a lot. The plant’s schedule says there should only be about five guards on duty, but there’s almost triple that.”

Of course there were, because Lyla and a whole team full of agents were inside, waiting on Oliver’s signal.

“I’ll take care of it,” he said into his comm as John Diggle, one of Oliver’s men and ARGUS Director Lyla Michaels’ husband, quietly took out the guard at the gate.

It was just for show. The guard was an ARGUS agent, but John made it look good and Caden James and his men didn’t question it. Once the gate was clear, they began moving towards the facility, right for the side door James had pointed out when they’d planned the infiltration. The same side door Oliver had informed Lyla they’d be coming through.

“Jonas!”

This time her voice was more urgent.

“Talk to me.”

He said it, but he really wished she’d stop talking to him. He didn’t need her on the comms when this all went down. Didn’t want to hear how she reacted when—

“The heat signatures are moving towards your location. I don’t see any tripped alarms and Alena already looped the security cameras so I don’t know how they know you’re there, but they do.”

“I’ll handle it, Felicity. Keep the comms clear.”

She didn’t say anything for a long moment and he hoped she’d listened to him, but then, just as James went to work on the electronic locks, his comm crackled again.

“Let me help. Please.”

It was all she said, but he didn’t need to hear anymore. He could hear enough in her tone, the concern that washed over him in ways he wanted to ignore, but couldn’t. Because he was just as concerned for what was about to happen to her.

As James finished with the lock, popping the doors open, Oliver knew with a terrifying clarity that, whatever happened tonight, he had very likely ruined any chance he ever had with Felicity Smoak.

“I’m sorry.”

It was all he could give her.

With a signal, Oliver ordered John through the doors, right to where Lyla and her team were waiting for them. James and his men went next, with Oliver taking up the rear. As soon as they’d made it into the hallway, ARGUS agents flooded in from around a corner, guns drawn.

“Jonas!”

The fear in her voice gutted him, but he pushed through, raising his own gun along with James’ men.

“Caden James,” Lyla said, stepping forward confidently like the unflappable agent Oliver knew her to be. “You’re under arrest. If you lower your weapons and surrender this will go a lot easier for you.”

“And who are you with? FBI? CIA? It doesn’t matter, I suppose.” James smiled calmly, gesturing to Oliver and the other men. “I don't think my men are the surrendering type.”

With that, James took a step back towards the doors, and all but Oliver and John began to fire on ARGUS. Or, they would have if Oliver’s team hadn’t switched out their ammo. The men stared at the guns, the first signs of panic setting in. Alena, James’ right hand woman, plastered herself to the wall, looking like she wanted to vomit.

“What are you idiots doing?” James demanded, taking another step back, right towards Oliver. “Shoot them!”

“They can’t,” Lyla informed him, a smug smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “For a genius, you’re kind of slow on the uptake, aren’t you?”

James took another step back, right into the barrel of Oliver’s gun. One of two that had actual bullets in it.

“Wha—?”

“Hands above your head,” Oliver ordered, pressing the barrel deeper into his spine until the man had no choice but to comply.

James bit back a reply, instead doing as he was told and avoiding the show of force Oliver was itching to let loose on someone, because Felicity? Well, Felicity was a lot faster at putting two and two together than her boss was.

“You were working against us this whole time?” Her voice wavered as he wrenched James’ hands behind his back, securing them with zip ties. “How could yo—Ahh!”

Loud shouting came over Felicity’s comm and then it went dead, leaving Oliver to wonder—worry—about what was happening back at the bunker. As he led James out to the ARGUS transport vans outside, he wondered if someone was doing the same to Felicity. If she was okay. If anyone hurt her he’d…

He wasn’t sure what he’d do, but he was pretty sure he’d get suspended for it.

###

It took three hours to get all of Helix transported back to ARGUS headquarters and into detainment.

Three hours of absolute hell.

All Oliver could hear was Felicity’s betrayed voice in his head. Her strangled scream as ARGUS agents stormed the Helix bunker to arrest her. He could barely even concentrate as he and his team were debriefed by Lyla. He’d asked Rene and Curtis about her as soon as they’d made it back. Their matching smirks normally would have embarrassed him—or pissed him off—but at the time he hadn’t cared. He just needed to know she was alright.

“We took care of her, hoss, don’t worry. Let her ride in the back of our car instead of with the others. She wasn’t very happy with any of us, but she’s fine.”

He hadn’t been able to do much more than shoot them a grateful nod before Lyla had called them into be debriefed. But now, as he stood just outside the interrogation room door, he knew that those three hours weren’t hell. This was. Watching her through the glass as she sat so stiffly, her wrists chained to the table. Her eyes were closed, but even from the hallway he could make out the mascara streaked across her cheeks.

She’d been crying.

And now he had to go speak to her. To tell her everything she believed in was a lie. That the man she’d trusted had been playing her the whole time. He had to look her in the eyes and see the betrayal on her face.

He could get Diggle to do it. In all honesty, he should get Diggle to do it. John Diggle was a good man and Oliver trusted him with Felicity, but he knew that any chance he had of her forgiveness, it began and ended in this interrogation room.

He opened the door.

Her eyes snapped open and, as they met his, the startled fear morphed into disdain in an instant.

His gut rolled.

“You must have questions.”

She tilted her head. “Shouldn’t you be the one with questions? This is supposed to be an interrogation, right?”

She lifted her hands, rattling the chain that bound them. It felt like an accusation and he supposed it was.

“Felicity…”

She shook her head, refusing his pleading tone as he murmured her name. “You were ARGUS this whole time. I trusted you! I—“ She sucked in a breath, leaving her unfinished sentence to float between them, haunting him. “I don’t even know your real name.”

“It’s Oliver. Jonas is my middle name.”

“Oliver.” She closed her eyes briefly. “I know we weren’t doing the most legal things at Helix, but we were trying to help people.”

“Caden James planned to break into and hack a nuclear power plant.”

“Yes,” Felicity argued. “But only to show them how easily their security could be compromised. He was never going to—“

“Felicity…”

She took one look at his face and paled. “No. No, you’re wrong.”

“He contacted the mayor of Starling City two days ago, demanding the release of a prisoner named Ricardo Diaz. Diaz supposedly has some insight into the man who killed James’ son earlier this year.”

“No,” she said again, pressing her lips tightly together and staring at her bound hands.

“He planned to hack the facility and use it as leverage to secure Diaz’s release. Helix was only ever a means to an end, a way to secure knowledge and power. Not to mention money. But after his son was killed, James got sloppy.”

“And that’s where you came in?”

Her tone was sharp, eyes bright and filled with tears. If he’d ever even considered the possibility that she’d known what James was up to, that single look would have proved him wrong.

“That’s where I came in,” he agreed. He’d joined Helix as a mercenary-for-hire soon after and he’d been gathering evidence against James ever since. “Caden James used you, Felicity.”

“Oh, and you didn’t?” She scoffed and shot him a glare.

“He recruited brilliant minds who could easily disappear into his organization,” he went on, ignoring her. “Told you you were doing good deeds, fighting corruption. He used your convictions and morality against you—“

“You used me!”

Her shout echoed around the small room, bouncing off the two way mirror behind him.

“I lied to you,” he admitted, his heart in his throat. “But I never used you. I never manipulated you the way he did.” Oliver lowered his voice, even though he knew no one was listening in. That would come later. For now, it was just the two of them. “And I never, ever thought you were like him.”

She didn’t say anything, but her eyes were still welling and her lips trembled just slightly. Her jaw was tense, as if she were desperately trying to hold another outburst inside.

“Tell me you didn’t know.”

“I didn’t know,” she said, looking down into her lap as her tears spilled down her cheeks. “I didn’t know that both of you were liars.”

His heart cracked in half at that, but he tried to take it in stride. He nodded, then stepped closer. “Someone will be down in a few minutes to ask you some questions.”

Her eyes snapped to his, looking more nervous than angry for the first time since he entered the room.

“It’ll be okay,” he promised. “Just tell the truth.”

She glanced back down at her hands. “That’s ironic.”

He wanted to reach for her, to comfort her in some small way, but he knew it wasn’t wanted. It certainly wasn’t appropriate. He really shouldn’t have even been down here if he wasn’t going to question her, but he just… couldn’t. She wouldn’t cooperate with him and he knew he couldn’t be as disciplined an agent as he needed to be with her. If ARGUS was going to cut her a deal like he was hoping they would, they’d need someone unbiased leading the investigation into her role with Helix. And that wasn’t him.

As hard as it was, he turned to leave, hoping that Lyla would see in her what he did. A brilliant young woman who put her trust in the wrong man and got burnt.

###

Nearly a week after he left Felicity in that interrogation room, Lyla called Oliver into her office.

His stomach had tied in knots when he’d received the message. He hadn’t been able to get much information out of her, but he knew it was Helix related.

After the bust, things had died down quickly. Caden James was high profile and ARGUS brass wanted things kept quiet until they figured out what to do with him. He’d struggled to even get information on Felicity the past few days. All he knew was she had been questioned multiple times by multiple agents, just like the rest of Helix.

He pushed into Lyla’s office, hoping this meeting was about her plans for the prisoners, specifically Felicity.

“Oliver,” Lyla greeted, sitting behind her desk. Diggle was leaning against a bookshelf behind her and he threw Oliver a nod.

“Lyla. John.” He stood in front of Lyla’s desk, hands folded behind his back. “You wanted to see me?”

She leaned forward, spinning her monitor so Oliver could see the screen. A dossier on Felicity was open, displaying a photo taken while they’d been gathering information on Helix. It was just a normal surveillance photo, an image of Felicity on her way to get lunch or coffee. It made his heart ache all the same.

“I wanted to get your opinion on Felicity Smoak. John says you two were… close during your time with Helix.”

Oliver shot a look at Diggle, but the man only shrugged.

“We were friendly.” Which wasn’t a lie. Nothing inappropriate had happened between them. “I think she joined Helix with good intentions and, given the chance, she’d be a valuable asset.”

Lyla’s brows lifted at that. “You think I should recruit her?”

“I think she was manipulated by James and doesn’t deserve to be sent to prison when all she wanted to do was help people.”

Lyla watched him silently, then turned to share a quick look with Diggle. She flipped her monitor back around and sat back in her chair.

“That’s exactly the conclusion I came to after speaking to her.”

Oliver felt the air rush out of him in a relieved sigh, but other than that he tried not to react as Lyla went on.

“I think she’ll be open to a probationary position with ARGUS. It’s better than the few years in Iron Heights she’d get with all the evidence we have against her. Johnny” —she glanced back at her husband with a small smile— “thought you might want to be the one to tell her.”

Oliver’s we’ll practiced mask finally cracked and he blinked at Lyla, then stuttered, “M-Me? No. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Alright,” Lyla said, shooting him a strange look. “I thought you might have an easier time convincing her given that you were close, but I’ll talk to her.”

Oliver nodded, ridgedly.

Diggle stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll walk you out.”

Once they were in the hallway, Diggle turned to him, but Oliver beat him to it.

“She hates me, Dig. You send me in and she’ll choose prison.”

Diggle snorted. “Felicity is one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. She wouldn’t choose prison, no matter how angry she is with you.”

He conceded the point. Felicity was too smart for that. But still… “I don’t know how to face her.”

“Well, you’ll have to figure it out if she’s gonna be working with us.” Diggle reached out, patting Oliver’s shoulder. “Look, man. She’s feeling betrayed and lied to right now. Give her a little time, she’ll come around.”

Oliver wasn’t so sure, but he nodded anyway.

###

It took him a few days to build up the courage to go see her.

Felicity had, understandably, jumped at Lyla’s offer of a probationary position within ARGUS. From what he’d heard from Diggle and Curtis, her first couple days had gone smoothly. He’d wanted to go see her, even found himself on her floor a few times, but so far had never been brave enough to stop by her desk.

On the fourth day Oliver decided he was done avoiding her. After stopping off at the cafe down the block, he took the elevator up to her floor, coffees in hand. He knew she shared an office with a few other techs, so he was surprised when he stepped inside to find her alone. But not so surprised to find her wholly fixated by the string of code on her computer screen, a red pen dangling from between her lips. It was a sight he’d become used to during his time at Helix.

He cleared his throat.

Startled, the pen fell to her desk and she spun to see him standing awkwardly in the doorway. “Jo— Oliver! Hi.”

“Hi.”

He took a step closer and she scrambled from her seat, meeting him halfway.

“Did you need something? Because everyone’s at lunch and, technically, I’m on probation so I’m not really supposed to be doing anything without supervision which is just—“ She shook her head, then glanced down at his hands, seeming to notice the coffee he was carrying. “Is that for me?”

She seemed excited at the idea that he’d brought her coffee, so he quickly held it out. “Yeah. I know you’re usually always looking for coffee by lunch so…”

She met his gaze, eyes wide and shining in a way that took his breath away. “My hero,” she teased, taking the cup from him.

“How are you?” he choked out as she took a long sip.

“Good. You know, as good as one can be after finding out the secret organization they worked for was actually the bad guys, then joining another secret organization that’s supposedly the good guys, but how am I supposed to really know, you know?” She ran her free hand over her head, smoothing back her ponytail. “God, I feel like Sydney Bristow. Except I don’t know if I could pull off those awesome wigs she always wore. Do spies actually wear wigs?”

Oliver smiled, glad to know she was still herself after everything, babbles and all.

“Not in my experience.”

“That’s too bad,” she said, taking another sip of coffee, then leaning back against one of her coworker’s desks. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment, before meeting his eyes. “I want to apologize. For what I said to you—“

Oliver waved her off. “Don’t worry about it.”

“No, I’ve been thinking about it ever since and… I was hurt. And confused.” She ducked her head. “And pretty scared, honestly.”

He stepped closer, tentatively reaching for her hand. When she didn’t pull away, he wrapped his fingers around hers, giving them a squeeze. “I wanted to tell you. I should have told you.”

“I understand why you couldn’t,” she said with a shake of her head. “I was working with, well, basically terrorists. You had no way of knowing I wasn’t one of them.”

“I knew.” He hoped she could hear the conviction in his voice, see it in his eyes. “And I should have told you.”

Her mouth rounded into a small, surprised circle, as she stared up at him. He squeezed her hand again, shooting her a small smile that she quickly returned.

“You know,” she drawled, biting her lip and stepping closer, their hands still clasped together tightly. “One of the reasons I was so angry with you was because I thought… I thought you were using the way I felt about you against me.”

“The way you felt?” He could barely breathe.

“Mmhm.”

She stepped closer, right up against him.

“Felicity…”

Her eyes slipped shut. “And then you say my name like that and I think I don’t know anything at all.”

She opened her eyes, gazing up at him, and he couldn’t help himself. He reached for her, hands skimming along her waist, leaning down just as she pressed up on her toes—

The elevator dinged and the boisterous sound of her coworkers returning from lunch echoed through the halls.

They pulled apart, Felicity looking adorably embarrassed as the other techs piled back into the room, discussing some tv show or something. Oliver glared at them, frustrated at the interruption, and they all gave him a wide berth as they went back to their desks.

Oliver gestured towards the empty hallway and she shot him a smile, following his lead.

“Have you had lunch?” he asked, watching as she picked at the cardboard sleeve circling her coffee cup.

“No.” She spun, walking backwards in front of him, towards the elevator, a blinding smile lighting her face. “But I could eat.”

[racheljchen]

story vomit

-hong kong runaway idea reality in mental hospital? mr robot perfect blue -blue hour love "i wanna be scary" heart break shaves eyebrows red lipstick black panther for asians space? dreamjng of home story about learning to let go and putting yourself first story about choosing happiness, prolonged misery JYN AND CASSIAN IMMORTALS her fingers ruffled through soft locks of his hair, and her heart swelled. it was too little and too much all at once, after all the years apart, how could she have ever doubted wanting to be by his side again? Now that he was in her arms the certainty seemed to settle into an unshakable truth, that she and he were meant to return to each other, circling each other, standing by the other's side no matter the circumstances of the rest of the foolish world. the girl from before, who only knew of solitude, of running, looking over shoulder at every turned would have thought this new certainty unthinkable. it might have terrified her or disgusted her, but the Jyn of now was a different woman. his eyes caught her transfixed gaze and crinkled with a smile she knew better than her own. no words needed to break the cozy silence for the understanding to pass between them. there was nothing she wanted more than to crush his body to hers, to hold him gently and never let go again but the feeling overwhelmed her and she could only continue to cradle his head in her lap, stroking a finger down the jawline she loved. mine. mine. her heart said, touching a body that was not her own, this skin which would pierce me to be bruised, these bones which would shatter her to be broken. hours later, after many hushed words had passed between them, describing in few short words the many hard years that had passed for each of them, as the sky began to flush lilac with the rising  sun, they broke apart with much hesitance. after several failed attempts on cassian's part to urge her to the fresher for a much needed shower, she finally relented breaking the connecting touch betwen them. jyn couldnt contain the tiniest childish pout. how could she miss holding him within seconds of relinquishing the contact? annoyed at feeling like a childish teenager but still petulant to let go. "go!" urged cassian, his eyes crinkling with a grin, and then, of course how she resist grabbing his smiling face again and kissing those grinning lips. cassians arms could not help but to circle around her waist but of course he was the one with the greater self restraint and he withdrew them after a few moments, pushing her gently towards the fresher door. under the hot satisfying spray Jyn allower herself the luxury of a quick moment to just enjoy the comforts of a life not based on the next meal, next job, and the overhanging urgency of survival, before she got to work scrubbing off the unholy layers of grime on her body. as she lathered suds into her hair, the fresher door clicked open with a soft hiss, and she peered through the fogged shower door at cassian, who of course smiled at her again, and she marveled at the ease of his surrending unlimited smiles for her when he was a man of few smiles for the rest of the universe. and with that her traitorous heart was off again, squeezing with the overwhelming painful joy of having him by her side again. cassian rinsed his toothbrush, finished with brushing his teeth. with a mischievous grin he peeled of his under shirt and dropped his trousers to the floor. steam poured out of the fresher as he slipped in beside her, putting his rough hands on the soft slick skin of her waist. jyn hooked her arms around his neck and tiptoed up to kiss him, soft sweet and slow, and they stood under the spray, feeling each other up like teenagers until suddenly Jyn shrieked. "Ah! Sorry, sorry, the boiler tank is small, I've been wanting to install a bigger one-" Jyn laughed despite the freezing spray erasing her comfortable warmth by the second. "get out you horn dog i still have to rinse out my hair" one of them gets executed but comes back to life cassian? comes back to find jyn and their child // cassian as a fire breathing bar tender modern au where they're divorced drug cartel AU krennic and galen in the cia/dea jyn smuggles or deals arms or something cassian is an undercover DEA agent cassian riding a horse, wearing a cowboy hat, smoking patron notices cassian is into jyn and 'gives' her to him "you're a lucky guy" thats just a nice way to say i want to fuck your girl jyn if you do this i can't protect you ive known these guys my whole life and you think you can get into this game for a couple months and i need you to protect me from them i dont mean from them cassian joserra jerome antonio anglés andrez after they settle down: oh where did you guys meet jyn: tinder // divorced soulmates when they meet jyn can tell its something special. she's been around the block enough to know that this one wasn't for messing around, that they meant too much to each other. cassian tamed her and she brought him to life and his friends were all supportive of course, relieved he had found some joy at last, that he finally had a reason to leave the office without putting in overtime more days of the week than not, a reason for brief smiles to stsrt escaping his serious outward demeanor. all they saw was cassian hiding a smile in a tumblr of mezcal st the bar with them, watching jyn dance with han and kes, twirling around them with smooth confidence as they tried not to trip on their own feet. how could it be anything but good? jyn knows cassian would never hurt her on purpose so she lets herself fall too easily, then slowly her life revolved around him. he occupied her throughts, her space, and she became nothing more than a part of cassian, his wife, as honoured and respectable as the role was she became suffocated with being introduced as his wife, people telling her what a great man her husband was, and she became defined by him, strangers assuming insight of her. when she leaves she finds herself all alone, realising all the friends she had were gifted to her by cassian, and the thought infuriates her. not at cassian, never at cassian, but at her past self for allowing this to happen, blind to painfully learned lessons to always have an escape route in sight, to rely on herself first and foremost. when she leaves, the pain is unbearable. she cries and she cries herself to sleep, and when she wakes up she's temporarily soothed her mind betraying her with the false sense that all the pain was just a bad dream and she would roll over and see cassian there, soft and warm and comforting and ready to hold her close and kiss the nightmare away. but the realisation came quick and she would be sobbing again. in the end it was only her stubborn pride that saved her the indignity of crawling back to him on her knees begging. or maybe it was the stone pit on her stomach that said you did this. you hurt him like this, and for what? how can you deserve to try and salvage what was perfectly good before you picked it up and smashed it on the ground just to see how the splinters would fall? when the fog of misery starts to fade though, she is relieved. even as she sits in her crappy, hole in the wall apartment, eating left over pizza for a undignified amount of times in a month, she is so relieved to be free. even if the AC keeps crapping out and she's sweating in February and bodhi has been the only other person to visit her apartment she is so relieved. her thoughts were her own again and she was so happy she could cry "jyn you will always be my family. you know that right?" she doesn't deserve it cassian walking barefoot in the shore wash at blue hour this pain wasn't unbearable but it was a unique brand of torturous. knowing exactly what she wanted was right in front of her, seeing it, touching it in soft polite embraces that lingered just on the dangerous end of perfunctory hellos and goodbyes. she's already had a taste of exactly everything she wants (not needs, not anymore, and that made the pain tolerable but a new unique brand of torturous), and she couldn't have it. she threw it all away. no regrets could be had, she would have never made it here without giving it up, but it certainly didnt help when they sat on the opposite ends of the friends spanning a bar counter and her attention still strayed from whatever kes was talking about to start at his lips, soft  from worrying at the glass tumbler in his hand, hearing the memory of the laugh she only watched escape from him in real life as it was lost in the din of the bar. "i forgave you for literally tearing my heart apart the first time, but as much of a masochist as i am, I can't give you permission to do it again. so what is it jyn?" "come on jyn. it doesn't take an idiot to see how much we still care about each other" their scars are the only soft and tender part on them, new and innocent skin next to hard won calluses cassian's ex wife meet first time when cassian gets backup for his mission huge sexual tension competence porn celebrating successful mission, cassian shoots his shot she reveals she used to be in intelligence "understand this captain andor. i have a lot of respect for what you do. it's horrid work but it needs to be done. matter of fact i started in intelligence. but the one thing i know, is the kind of person that can stand that line of work, the kind of person i was back then, thats not the kind of people i want to break bread with" she pulls rank on him despite him being older and more experienced. "in my branch you get promoted fast because you die fast" cassian was being pessimistic/realist sbout expected bad outcome but young recruit is horrified more massive sexual tension at a bar or something, she goes outside to make out with some rando guy, cassian follows her and chases him off and kisses her. not nice and tender, hatefuck in an alleyway but it's so hot doesn't see each other again fuck in a tent, fuck in the showers start to bond, see each other's honour and kindess. after a bad mission she's doubting herself, unable to sleep, cassian takes her to a secret vantage point. "sometimes i think i'm a dispicable person" "not to me" he kisses her "what, really here?" where they're in constant threat of being walked in on "no." they just make out and its tender snd loving and it scares her off and she avoids him for a while cassian gets captured and held in solitary confinement for months, mentally tortured, starved. tries to escape, gets punished. gets fucked up in the head. draven and elkie are the only one pushing to find him and break him out.  after cassian is found and returns to base he's a shell of himself, spooked, makes intense eye contact with elkie as he passes her but no aknowledgement of their signifigance to each other. after medical checks he's left alone and starts to panic, but before he freaks out fully, she comes into his room with shaving kit and a peach. she cuts a few slices for him to enjoy because hes not really allowed fruit, talks to him and shaves him as he heals she arranges for him to be put in a room with a chatty old soldier who keeps telling him old war stories, and visits him whenever she back on base. after a particularly bad mission. she crawls into his hospital bed in the middle of the night. after he's discharged, she sleeps with him whenever she can, calming him down after nightmares. one night he knows she's sleep deprived and needing to wake up early for important things the next day and tells her to stop sacrificing her sleep to help him. she's quiet before she asks if he is making her leave. he says no, so she just snuggles up to him. he realizes she prefers being woken up all night to sleeping without him. one say when cassian's feeling like he cant stand being amongst the people on the base in the mess hall, she brings him back to the vantage point to have lunch. they fuck but it's making love. something in between she gets captured and tortured. breaks leg. cassian rescues her. cassian cares for her in the immediate aftermath, she wakes up to him asleep in the hospital chair after he comes back from his own mission back on base, superiors want to send her off base to recuperate and get better PT, she really doesn't want to go, she knows she might never make it back and lose her nerve and her mind. their sleeping in cassian's bed and she admits this. he says there's desk work she can do on base. "married officers get first choice of postings" she's stunned by the insinuation "i need to know you arent whoring yourself out out of some misplaced need to take care of me. just because you slept with me a couple times doesn't mean i'm your responsibility." "i need to know you aren't... offering... out of convenience. just a loophole to help me out" "i'm not. i can't live without you anymore" they get married, she takes his name. captain andor and captain andor she drops off the grid for an extended period of time, she sees him in a crowd and he thinks she's a hostile, tries to take her down but she takes off her mask and goggles she dies in his arms CASSIAN'S LITTLE SISTER/DAUGHTER cassian's 16 she's 8, he saves her and has to babysit her for a while around rogue one she's 18 starting to do field work as an agent cassian as fulcrum is not nice or friendly but mentors her and takes care of her she just starts acting like a friend even though she has no reason to treat him like one bonds with jyn they go to each other when they're concerned about cassian, jyn tells her about a miscarriage, she tells jyn about PTSD she doesn't want to admit to cassian later as peace becomes more viable and cassian less cold and jaded, he starts to act like her family and at first it scares her off a bit she's hostile, says you don't have any right treating me like a child considering how you treated me in the past CASSIAN JYN F1 bodhi jyn both trained by legendary race strategist galen erso (betrays imperial team and orson krennic?) bodhi was trained to to compete and be great, jyn was thrown in and not expected by others to be a real competitor jyn joins f1 with saw gerrera's partisans, low midfield team, strapped for cash bodhi drives with his brain jyn drives with her gut bodhi tells her she can be truly great when she masters melding the thinking and control with her raw talent jyn podiums once and is over the moon but cassian isnt happy for her and she doesnt understand cassian says she doesnt understand racing yet, put herself on the line for revenge, had no way of knowing she was gonna survive her dirty trick and she only won when almost half the field retired calls her hotheaded and not ready cassian was an excellent ruthless driver, would drive dirty to make the win very good (champion?) gets into bad crash (jyn saves him?) and retires, join rebellion as race strategist cassian suggests jyn as new driver leia backs him up jyn helps cassian with his PT and tells him he doesn't have to put on a mask for her and he allows himself to show that he's in pain jyn falls asleep in cassian's hotel room and when he tucks her in she grabs him and they fall asleep together at a party after a good win jyn's tipsy and grabs cassian and starts singing and dancing in his face and cassian is laughing and loving every moment jyn's championship title comes down to the last race she gets a rough bump that physically takes a toll on her she has a good lead but she blows a tire and limps home (krennic gets on the radio somehow to try and break her confidence?) cassian: "do your best, bring her home. i'm right here jyn, I'm with you to the end. I'm not going anywhere" jyn wins a championship and retires she's proved herself after no one thought she would, defeated vader for a season she knows she doesn't have a strong chance of doing it again and wants to make room for luke and han so they don't join imperial F1 STORY young hotshot female driver gets put into falling from glory ferrari with him he used to be eyed as the next great talent but in a shit car he doesn't have any accomplishments to show and is starting to lose the hype and his drive to win she idolizes him, after a race where she does very well for a rookie and he delivers good but not great results, she goes into his driver's room and congratulates him on a good drive out of a need to assert control he fucks her he's trying to massage his own shoulder, she says here let me help, get close, talking, he turns to catch her eye and realises how close they are and kisses her fucks her on the desk, hot and dirty after their lustful scramble he comes back yo his senses and is a bit ashamed of what he's done kisses her on the forehead and leaves, saying see you tomorrow they keep hooking up throughout her rookie season, and spending time together in the public eye, her sweet genuine humorous personality tempers his steely cold and focussed persona and media and fans eat it up, everyone loves them as old gruff dude and young hotshot jokester duo two seasons like that as they grow closer there's a picture of him as a f1 rookie giving 14yo her a trophy forehead kisses become a meme she tells him what he already knows, he needs to jump ship from the team he loves in order to win he signs with a top three team as she continues to get more experience at their old team throughout the season they continue hooking up and hanging out in winter break they spend a lot of time with each other, to the point it seems like they're dating but theyve never discussed it he wins a world championship, realises the only person he wants to celebrate with is her she gets signed to a title contender team next time they hook up he's being a tender and says something commitment related she freezes up "what did you think this is" "yeah of course anyone would jump at the chance to fuck their idols, that doesn't mean their idols would be a good person to settle down with" "did u think i would fall in love with you just because i look up to you? im not some groupie. as if you weren't just taking advantage of me the first time, cheating on your girlfriend. im smart enough to know I'm not special, if you did it to her you certainly have it in you to do it to me" "i think we should stop doing this" breakup, theyre both heartbroken he feels betrayed, thinking the girl he's in love with just used him she doesn't want to admit she really did fall for him he gets signed to the same team as her the whole world is super excited to see their chemistry again but they're super cold, barely together, barely acknowledge each other press conference she blows off the question of whether she's excited to be teammates again he gets into tabloids rumored to be dating hot celebs they have a bad rivalry on the track fighting for positions gets double retirement and other bad things eventually he realises she only pushed him away out of self preservation and she mist have loved him to have done so much and cared for him the way she did he apologizes and asks her to give them a chance she's shocked but she agrees, but she says they shouldnt be together until the season is over cue sexual tension she misses him too much and he comes into her hotel room to get a fright shes in his bed and they cuddle she wins the championship after 5 years of being together and racing, he retires proposes to her, to the shock of the world

[marionetteblues]

the future

JILY CHALLENGE | @marionetteblues vs @chierafied TV Show AU -  "i am painfully in love with a woman who has been engaged to another man for 3 years, who she is marrying now because she is in denial about the fact she has feelings for me so honestly no i'm not okAY... my wife is marrying someone else" jim and pam the office au

what is this? who knows, not me soooo this is an eensy bit late because i’m an idiot but it’s just about on time! also i have no idea how security works in any shape or form so please don’t yell at me over it and let’s all call it creative license ok 

Sometimes, James thinks he can tell the future. He gets these weird feelings - flashes, maybe - when he meets a person. He knew the moment he met Sirius that this person would become like a brother to him. He could see it spread out before his feet, scrolling through every second of his life.

He had the same feeling when he met Remus. He knew when he met Lisa how their relationship would end. It played out in a way that was eerily accurate to his own prediction.

He’s been wrong once - Peter, unfortunately - and it never changes. It usually happens in that first split second of looking into someone’s eyes and just knowing.

That’s why he never sees Lily coming. She kind of sneaks up on him.

The briefing has been steadily melting his brain all morning. He didn’t finish up last night until at least a quarter to midnight, because the band did three encores and then invited a bunch of people back to the green room.

Alastor Moody stands at the top of the room, and at least he looks as bored as James does. He’s crawling through a list of assignments in a drone, but his eyes never rest. They dart around uneasily. Nothing unusual.

He’s been at Moody’s specialised security firm for about a year now. Most of the guys are a lot like Moody - slightly older, grizzly looking guys who look like they could punch through cement. Having a missing limb isn’t a requirement, but Moody knows what he likes, and that’s apparently amputees who could kill you.

James is kind of an anomaly, if you think about it. But he’s good - he does a lot of tech stuff, a lot of crawling into tight spaces that no one else can fit in, a lot of pretending to be a hipster arts student to “blend in”. James doesn’t mind; he’s still a junior member of the team - a lot of the time, he just gets puts on a team because he’s on the payroll and Moody is going to be damn sure he’s going to use anyone he’s paying.  

That feeling he gets? It makes him pretty good at his job.

“Potter,” Moody barks. “I’m putting you on Dawlish’s team to guard the ambassador’s family. We’re expecting it to be an easy job. Which is why you’re taking the new recruit with you.”

It’s some kind of magic, but that’s the exact second there’s a knock on the door. The girl who lets herself in is compact, a little on the short side. Her dark red hair is pulled into a sharp, sleek ponytail. She’s dressed in black, sensible clothes. Her expression makes her look like she could eat them alive.

A couple of the guys shift uncomfortably. There have been women before, obviously, but a lot of the team have been there for decades, and Moody doesn’t see any sense in replacing them while they’re still good and not dead. Which means that there’s not a lot of staff turnover.

“Alastor?” she says, easy and light, like she isn’t looking at one of the scariest guys anyone’s ever come across.

“Ah, Evans, just in time,” Moody mutters, clapping his hands together. “I don’t like late.”

She shrugs her shoulders. “I got a little held up at your HR department.”

Moody blinks at her for a second - the rest of the room holds its breath - and then coughs out a laugh.

“Take a seat. Everyone, this is Lily Evans. She’s our new recruit, and she’s one of the best in the business. I wouldn’t cross her,” he adds with a wry smile, even a tiny, harsh chuckle.

“As I was saying, Potter, you’ll be staying with Evans until she gets acquainted with how we work around here. He’ll fill you in, Evans. Right. Back to work!”

And that’s how he meets her, giving her the details of a glorified babysitting mission, which involves a lot of walking while looking menacing, driving cars in tight packs so they get hit with the bombs or bullets or anything else that could be heading for the target.

“Is this your first time in security?” he asks her as they leave, geared up and split into pairs.

Lily walks alongside him with breezy confidence, turning her head to look at him sharply. “Well. I’ve been with MI6 and the CIA for three years, and I’ve got three advanced degrees in criminology and security management. Can you defuse a bomb?”

James can’t help but laugh, throwing his hands up in surrender. “Alright, I’m waving a white flag here. I didn’t mean to imply you had something to prove. Just making small talk.”

Lily grumbles something under her breath that he doesn’t quite catch, and she says nothing until they get to their car.

He takes one look at her and then nods to the driver’s seat. “I’m guessing you want to drive, then?”

James can see her, biting back her smirk. But she doesn’t quite manage it as she climbs into the driver’s side and starts the engine. James grins and follows her.

The thing is, James doesn’t see it. Not right away.

Here’s what he sees: this is the first co-worker in Moody’s entire outfit that is anywhere close to his age, so it makes sense for them to band together. They’d probably be partners a lot, and Lily would do that thing where she deflects his prodding and personal questions and keep it kind of professional, while at the same time they’re eating a mountain of chinese food out of cardboard containers while sitting in their car, maybe tossing cheetos at each other or something.

It doesn’t really start like that.

Lily is … quiet. She wears her sunglasses and stares at the windshield when they’re doing the more covert stuff. She stands much taller than she actually is and stares straight ahead when she’s on duty.

At briefings, she sits and takes notes and plays with a ring that’s kept on a silver chain around her neck, tugging it back and forth.

But slowly, Lily opens up, and they end up more or less exactly the way James saw. And that’s fine, because that’s how it works. James sees, and then the world sees.

They’re doing heightened security for some singer who’s convinced that someone is planning to kill him after his show. They’ve got people on every entrance, two on either side of the stage, plants in the audience. Moody says they’re making a fortune from this guy’s anxiety.

They’re kind of spares, here. They’re alert, they’re ready, but there’s not really much for them to do except sit against the wall under harsh fluorescent lights outside of the dressing room - locked, of course - and feel the bass vibrating through the floor, rattling their bones.

Lily’s got her head buried in her phone, toying with her ring. She wears it around her neck on a silver chain when she’s in the field - if you could even call this in the field - and James has seen her tug on it a lot, back and forth.

“Is there really something more interesting than me on that thing?” James says, poking her arm. His earpiece crackles like someone’s trying to get through, but no one says anything.

“Is this about your ego or about you being a Luddite?” she says with a wry grin, but she doesn’t look up.

James pouts. “Can’t it be about both?”

“Isn’t it always about both?”

“Sometimes it’s about your ego,” he points out, making her laugh.

She lifts her head, rests it against the wall and blinks at him. “It’s my mum.”

James snorts into his bottle of water. “Is she antiquing or crafting?”

Lily wrinkles up her nose like she does so often. It’s her signature move. “She’s not doing either. You’ll be appropriately horrified to find out that my mother has found an even worse hobby.”

“Something worse than antiquing?”

Lily nods gravely, letting out a deep, dramatic sigh.

James narrows his eyes. “Something worse than crafting?”

“Considering that antiquing is worse than crafting, obviously…”

James holds up a hand, resting his elbow on his knee before she can go any further. “Lily, I am not getting into this argument with you again, there is no way -”

“You said you weren’t getting into this argument again, you’re just -”

“I just can’t believe you think antiquing is more of a problem here -”

“You know, I think you’re more of a problem here -”

They both pause to take in a large breath at the same moment, and then burst out laughing. They’re sitting in the hallway that runs from the dressing room to the steps up to the stage. One of their guys pokes his head around from where he stands on the wings to peer at the commotion, and they just laugh when they try to silence the other.

They both go quiet, and in the silence Lily starts fiddling with her ring again, glancing at her phone.

“So, what is worse than crafting and antiquing?” James says, glancing at the phone. It hasn’t buzzed or lit up.

Lily groans. “Wedding planning.”

There’s a few beats of silence; whatever James was expecting, it was in the abstract. If he had to guess, maybe beekeeping or making her own shoes something else a little wacky. He hasn’t met Lily’s mum, but he’s seen a lot of pictures and heard a lot of stories.

He shifts his weight uncomfortably before he realizes he hasn’t said anything, and Lily’s looking at him with this sort of expectant expression.

There’s not a whole lot James can say back to that.

“Have you set a date? Did you deliberately not invite me?”

Lily doesn’t scowl the way normal people scowl. She scowls with her whole face, her whole body, her whole self - past, present and future. It’s terrifying.

She scowls now and James braces himself to scoot away from her.

“No, we haven’t set a date yet,” she tells him, her arms folded tightly across her chest. “Three years I’ve been waiting for Aaron to set a date. Now, I think he’s just taking bets on how long I last before my head blows up.”

James clears his throat. Lily talks about Aaron too. They met so many years ago, it’s like a whole other Lily. Before she ever got a qualification, before any of her training, she worked as a receptionist for a newspaper, and that’s where she met him.

Privately, James thinks that Aaron is trying to set the record for world’s longest engagement.

And then it hits him, jabbing him right in his stomach. He blinks over at Lily and he can see something else, something he never saw before. He swallows, his whole body going cold as Lily keeps talking about her fiancé. He can’t look away, but he can barely look at her. His heart is hammering and his insides are shaking, his entire body reeling from the gravity of … this.

Once he’s home, James lies in bed, wide awake for hours. He watches the sun crawl up from behind the horizon from his spot on the bed, he watches his room slowly lighten from pitch black to shadows and shapes.

This is what he sees now: the same arguments, crafting or antiquing or even something worse, only now they’re in his apartment instead of their work space. Instead of sharing his lunch because she never remembers to bring food, he makes them both lunch. Backing away when she scowls with her own body, but hearing her laugh when he does. Distracting her from her phone in other ways than poking her in the arm, much more exciting ways …

He alternates between lying on his sides, stomach, and back. He pinches his nose and stares at the ceiling. Every second he spends not sleeping, he grows more uncomfortable, and the less he can think about anything else.

He’s heard Lily talk about her fiancé dozens of times. He asked her about her ring once, and she said she didn’t want to lose it, and he felt nothing. He remembers feeling nothing.

Or maybe he just doesn’t remember feeling anything, so he thinks he didn’t.

Or maybe he remembers feeling something, but he never realized that this was what he was remembering.  

It makes no sense, to see the trajectory of a relationship, to think you know exactly what’s going to happen and have no idea, all in one moment. And in the very next, you know, and you realize you knew nothing.

And that’s when James knows.

He’s been wrong twice.

He tries telling her. His first attempt is some ridiculous teapot scheme while they’re all passing out Christmas presents.

It doesn’t go according to plan.

But she likes the teapot.

“Maybe I don’t need to tell her,” he says to Sirius one day, over  their breakfast. For James, that’s fried eggs and bacon. For Sirius, it is coffee as black as his name.

Sirius does not look impressed.

“All you’ve talked about for months is that you need to tell her,” he points out, his eyebrow drawn up delicately. “And especially before she gets married. Not that you couldn’t tell her after, but it might be a little more tricky. All things considered.”

“Yeah, but she wants to get married, right? I shouldn’t get in the way of that.”

Sirius takes a massive gulp of his coffee like he’s chugging a beer. “Look, I think if she really wants to be married, she’d be married.”

“She’s waiting for -”

“Oh my god, James, I physically cannot care about this anymore.”

“I know, I’m just saying that -”

“Don’t. Care.” James glares at him in complete silence until Sirius shrugs his shoulders again. “People make things happen when they want them to happen.”

“So you think I should make it happen?”

“I never said that,” replies Sirius, going back for more coffee, because he never learns.

“But you think I should?”

“If it makes you stop whining about the girl, tell her in skywriting, Potter, just do something.”

Do something. That’s never been something that James has had a problem with. He’s pretty good at getting things done. He’s pretty good at wanting to do things, even. He gets what he wants, most of the time.

But this? This feels different, and weird, and new, and he continues to do this dance with her, feeling his heart thud when she smiles at him across the table during their briefings, experiencing a consuming ache of disappointment when they aren’t on the same assignment.

He even convinces himself that he’s happy to do it. After all, he’s not the opposite of happy.

James picks the worst moment to realize that he can’t wait a second longer. He comes into the break room, and it’s a quiet day. He and Lily are charged with manning the phones, hopping with frantic calls from people with warbling voices who need more security than the local mall can provide.

Lily’s already in the break room, and she nods her head towards the tea that is sitting on the counter, steaming.

“For me?”

She nods distractedly. “It’s so you don’t mind that I’ve commandeered the entire table.”

He sits down opposite her - she’s right. There isn’t a single place to put a small cup of tea. He adds enough sugar to make Lily pull a face, since she’s a purist who doesn’t even put milk in her tea, and then sips on it happily.

“What is all this?” he asks her. It’s a lot of papers, bright colours and fancy fonts.

He peers, and has a sinking feeling in his chest.

“Wedding stuff,” she grumbles. She could have very well said ‘battle plan’ in the same tone. “I figure if I do some of the ground work, maybe Aaron will just ... “

“Just what?” he prompts her, frowning deeply.

Her own face starts to crumple. “What does it mean when someone asks you to marry you and then doesn’t for four years?”

It’s another one of those moments in his life where James thinks he can see the future. He feels the pressure of it laying in front of him, his feet fast approaching him.

“It means you shouldn’t marry him,” he says, his tone lighthearted.

But Lily’s eyes dart up to meet his, her face stricken. “What?”

James’ breath is unsteady; he needs to force his lungs to take in more air before he can speak. “I don’t think you should marry him, Lily.”

She says nothing. Nothing. James watches as she swallows hard, eyes boring into his.

“And why is that, James?”

She leans across the table, and he really sees it - he sees the outcome before it happens, he knows how this is going to work. She wants to hear him say it out loud.

So he does. He tells her exactly why, and he waits for her to smile and say that she loves him too, that they’re much better matched than she ever was with Aaron.

This is when James realizes, for the third time, that he’s wrong.

It’s four a.m. in the morning, and James has given up trying to tell the future. Three strikes and you’re out, and he doesn’t want to find out what happens when you’re wrong for the fourth time.

But just like always, Lily has other ideas. She never fails to sneak up on him. Maybe she thrives on subverting his expectations. Maybe it’s just the universe.

But she shows up - and she doesn’t knock, she bangs, hammers, pounds, brings down the thunder on his door until he opens it - and she stands there, dressed in mismatched socks and her hair in these ridiculous braids that she obviously wears to bed.

And she glares and glares, her hands still balled into fists. “I broke off my wedding for you,” she says, her voice loud and clear. “I broke off my wedding, and you just didn’t say anything. After all the stupid things you said!”

“Stupid?” he repeats, frowning as he rubs sleep from his eyes. He works in security, so he’s got a swiss knife tucked between his fingers. He drops it on the nearest surface. “Technically, you didn’t have a wedding to break off.”

“I had a ring to give back,” she replies, stomping into his apartment. He shuts the door behind her, and finds there are no words inside of him.

“And you don’t even react,” she mumbles, her voice breaking a little bit.

“I wasn’t sure you wanted me to,” James admits, rubbing the back of his neck.

All the fight seems to leave her. She flaps her hands to either side as if she’s saying take a look around, idiot - she’s got a point. It’s four a.m. in the morning, and she’s here in his apartment, looking ridiculous, and yelling at him about wedding rings.

“James…” she whispers, shaking her head. Her eyes are so wide. James can tell she’s doing everything she can not to insult him right now.

And just like that, he can’t see anything. Well, he can see her, he can see the smile growing as the anger wears off to be replaced by something warm and hopeful and good. He can’t see the future. But he can feel it, somewhere deep down, he can feel his future standing in the room with them. This is it.

[xtruss]

'Convenient Scapegoat': Imran Khan Urges West Against Blaming Pakistan For 'Unwinnable' Afghan War

— Sangeeta Yadav - Sputnik International | September 29, 2021

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has addressed several reports which claim that Islamabad is actively supporting the Taliban and that the terrorists could not have been successful in their offensive without the country's assistance.

In an opinion piece published in The Washington Post on Monday, Khan criticises the Afghan and Western governments for making his country "a convenient scapegoat" for the outcome of the war in Afghanistan.

"Let me put it plainly. Since 2001, I have repeatedly warned that the Afghan war was unwinnable. Given their history, Afghans would never accept a protracted foreign military presence, and no outsider, including Pakistan, could change this reality," he writes.

Khan hits out at successive Pakistani governments and former military chief Pervez Musharraf, saying that they had sought to please the US instead of pointing out the flaws of a military-driven approach in Afghanistan.

"Pakistan’s military dictator Pervez Musharraf agreed to every American demand for military support after 9/11. This cost Pakistan, and the United States, dearly," he stresses.

Citing an incident of the US support for the Afghan Taliban way back in the 1980s, PM Khan points out how then US President Ronald Reagan hosted them at the White House during the days when the CIA and Pakistan's spy agency ISI trained them to fight against the Soviets.

"Once the Soviets were defeated, the United States abandoned Afghanistan and sanctioned my country, leaving behind over 4 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan and a bloody civil war in Afghanistan. From this security vacuum emerged the Taliban, many born and educated in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan," he argues.

"Fast forward to 9/11, when the United States needed us again — but this time against the very actors we had jointly supported to fight foreign occupation," adds Khan.

He laments how General Musharraf, who was then ruling over Pakistan, turned a blind eye to US drone attacks and gave the CIA a foot hold in Pakistan.

He also regrets how Pakistani troops were sent into the semi-autonomous tribal areas on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, "which had earlier been used as the staging ground for the anti-Soviet jihad."

"The fiercely independent Pashtun tribes in these areas had deep ethnic ties with the Taliban," he writes.

Between 2005 and 2016, Khan shares, about 16,000 terrorist attacks were conducted against Pakistan by over 50 militant groups, who viewed Washington and Islamabad as collaborators.

"We suffered more than 80,000 casualties and lost over $150 billion in the economy. The conflict drove 3.5 million of our citizens from their homes. The militants escaping from Pakistani counterterrorism efforts entered Afghanistan and were then supported and financed by Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies, launching even more attacks against us," he says.

Pakistan "a Convenient Scapegoat"

Calling former Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari "the most corrupt man to have led my country," Khan has blasted both him and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, accusing them of not worrying about the collateral damage caused by US drone strikes.

"In Afghanistan, the lack of legitimacy for an outsider’s protracted war was compounded by a corrupt and inept Afghan government, seen as a puppet regime without credibility, especially by rural Afghans," he says.

Khan highlights that Islamabad offered Kabul a joint border visibility mechanism, suggesting biometric border controls, advocated fencing the border, and other measures. However, each and every idea was rejected.

"Instead, the Afghan government intensified the 'blame Pakistan' narrative, aided by Indian-run fake news networks operating hundreds of propaganda outlets in multiple countries," the article continues.

Khan says that the collapse of the Afghan Army and the Ashraf Ghani government could have been avoided if a more realistic approach was adopted.

"Surely Pakistan is not to blame for the fact that 300,000-plus well-trained and well-equipped Afghan security forces saw no reason to fight the lightly armed Taliban. The underlying problem was an Afghan government structure lacking legitimacy in the eyes of the average Afghan," he adds.

'Engage With New Afghan Government'

Khan opines that the "right thing" right now for the world to do would be to engage with the new Afghanistan government for the sake of peace and stability, and by assuring constant humanitarian aid, the Taliban will have greater incentive to honour the global community's demands.

"Providing such incentives will also give the outside world additional leverage to continue persuading the Taliban to honor its commitments," he adds.

"If we do this right, we could achieve what the Doha peace process aimed at all along: an Afghanistan that is no longer a threat to the world, where Afghans can finally dream of peace after four decades of conflict. The alternative — abandoning Afghanistan — has been tried before," warns the Pakistan Prime Minister.

On 15 August, Taliban insurgents took control of the last government-controlled border crossing, leaving Kabul Airport as the only route out of the country. They subsequently surrounded and captured the Afghan capital after the city surrendered without a fight, and Ghani fled for the UAE.

On 6 September, the Taliban announced that the last resisting province, Panjshir, had come under their control. Shortly after, the group announced the formation of a new interim government of Afghanistan. Mohammad Hasan Akhund, who has been on the UN sanctions list since 2001, became the head of the new cabinet.

Opinion: Imran Khan: Don’t Blame Pakistan for the Outcome of the War in Afghanistan

— The Washington Post | September 29, 2021

A man surveys the site of the blast targeting the government girls school in Tank, Pakistan, on Sept. 22. (Saood Rehman/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Imran Khan is the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Watching the recent Congressional hearings on Afghanistan, I was surprised to see that no mention was made of Pakistan’s sacrifices as a U.S. ally in the war on terror for more than two decades. Instead, we were blamed for America’s loss.

Let me put it plainly. Since 2001, I have repeatedly warned that the Afghan war was unwinnable. Given their history, Afghans would never accept a protracted foreign military presence, and no outsider, including Pakistan, could change this reality.

Unfortunately, successive Pakistani governments after 9/11 sought to please the United States instead of pointing out the error of a military-dominated approach. Desperate for global relevance and domestic legitimacy, Pakistan’s military dictator Pervez Musharraf agreed to every American demand for military support after 9/11. This cost Pakistan, and the United States, dearly.

Those the United States asked Pakistan to target included groups trained jointly by the CIA and our intelligence agency, the ISI, to defeat the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Back then, these Afghans were hailed as freedom fighters performing a sacred duty. President Ronald Reagan even entertained the mujahideen at the White House.

Once the Soviets were defeated, the United States abandoned Afghanistan and sanctioned my country, leaving behind over 4 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan and a bloody civil war in Afghanistan. From this security vacuum emerged the Taliban, many born and educated in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan.

Fast forward to 9/11, when the United States needed us again — but this time against the very actors we had jointly supported to fight foreign occupation. Musharraf offered Washington logistics and air bases, allowed a CIA footprint in Pakistan and even turned a blind eye to American drones bombing Pakistanis on our soil. For the first time ever, our army swept into the semiautonomous tribal areas on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, which had earlier been used as the staging ground for the anti-Soviet jihad. The fiercely independent Pashtun tribes in these areas had deep ethnic ties with the Taliban and other Islamist militants.

For these people, the United States was an “occupier” of Afghanistan just like the Soviets, deserving of the same treatment. As Pakistan was now America’s collaborator, we too were deemed guilty and attacked. This was made much worse by over 450 U.S. drone strikes on our territory, making us the only country in history to be so bombed by an ally. These strikes caused immense civilian casualties, riling up anti-American (and anti-Pakistan army) sentiment further.

The die was cast. Between 2006 and 2015, nearly 50 militant groups declared jihad on the Pakistani state, conducting over 16,000 terrorist attacks on us. We suffered more than 80,000 casualties and lost over $150 billion in the economy. The conflict drove 3.5 million of our citizens from their homes. The militants escaping from Pakistani counterterrorism efforts entered Afghanistan and were then supported and financed by Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies, launching even more attacks against us.

Pakistan had to fight for its survival. As a former CIA station chief in Kabul wrote in 2009, the country was “beginning to crack under the relentless pressure directly exerted by the US.” Yet the United States continued to ask us to do more for the war in Afghanistan.

A year earlier, in 2008, I met then-Sens. Joe Biden, John F. Kerry and Harry M. Reid (among others) to explain this dangerous dynamic and stress the futility of continuing a military campaign in Afghanistan.

Even so, political expediency prevailed in Islamabad throughout the post-9/11 period. President Asif Zardari, undoubtedly the most corrupt man to have led my country, told the Americans to continue targeting Pakistanis because “collateral damage worries you Americans. It does not worry me.” Nawaz Sharif, our next prime minister, was no different.

While Pakistan had mostly defeated the terrorist onslaught by 2016, the Afghan situation continued to deteriorate, as we had warned. Why the difference? Pakistan had a disciplined army and intelligence agency, both of which enjoyed popular support. In Afghanistan, the lack of legitimacy for an outsider’s protracted war was compounded by a corrupt and inept Afghan government, seen as a puppet regime without credibility, especially by rural Afghans.

Tragically, instead of facing this reality, the Afghan and Western governments created a convenient scapegoat by blaming Pakistan, wrongly accusing us of providing safe havens to the Taliban and allowing its free movement across our border. If it had been so, would the United States not have used some of the 450-plus drone strikes to target these supposed sanctuaries?

Still, to satisfy Kabul, Pakistan offered a joint border visibility mechanism, suggested biometric border controls, advocated fencing the border (which we have now largely done on our own) and other measures. Each idea was rejected. Instead, the Afghan government intensified the “blame Pakistan” narrative, aided by Indian-run fake news networks operating hundreds of propaganda outlets in multiple countries.

A more realistic approach would have been to negotiate with the Taliban much earlier, avoiding the embarrassment of the collapse of the Afghan army and the Ashraf Ghani government. Surely Pakistan is not to blame for the fact that 300,000-plus well-trained and well-equipped Afghan security forces saw no reason to fight the lightly armed Taliban. The underlying problem was an Afghan government structure lacking legitimacy in the eyes of the average Afghan.

Today, with Afghanistan at another crossroads, we must look to the future to prevent another violent conflict in that country rather than perpetuating the blame game of the past.

I am convinced the right thing for the world now is to engage with the new Afghan government to ensure peace and stability. The international community will want to see the inclusion of major ethnic groups in government, respect for the rights of all Afghans and commitments that Afghan soil shall never again be used for terrorism against any country. Taliban leaders will have greater reason and ability to stick to their promises if they are assured of the consistent humanitarian and developmental assistance they need to run the government effectively. Providing such incentives will also give the outside world additional leverage to continue persuading the Taliban to honor its commitments.

If we do this right, we could achieve what the Doha peace process aimed at all along: an Afghanistan that is no longer a threat to the world, where Afghans can finally dream of peace after four decades of conflict. The alternative — abandoning Afghanistan — has been tried before. As in the 1990s, it will inevitably lead to a meltdown. Chaos, mass migration and a revived threat of international terror will be natural corollaries. Avoiding this must surely be our global imperative.

[echo-three-one]

Chapter 38

THE ROAD SO FAR

The EIGHT-Thirty Appointment

John 'Soap' MacTavish

London, UK

Following the events of Shepherd's surrender to authorities, the members of Task Force 141 who went rogue in pursuit of him had been exonerated from treason. This meant that from then on, life would be a little more 'normal'. No more hiding in public, no more lack of equipment, no more secret hiding areas.

This prompted Laswell to recreate the task force she once poured her heart on, with a few changes to its jurisdiction. With Ghost, Roach and Alexandra still recovering, the remaining members were invited to celebrate their success.

"So John, now that 141 is back your main focus will be Nero. Do you want the reassigned members back?" Laswell asked Price while they exited the building. Soap overheard this because he thought he was the John being called.

"If it's still okay and not much of a hassle, then yes." Price replied.

"What about Kyle?" Laswell added.

"No. Not yet. Just keep an eye on him." Price mused and turned to Soap, who quickly turned to focus back on Alex as he pushed his wheelchair.

"Excuse me, Captain Price. Can we talk for a moment?" Samantha interrupted as they stopped on their tracks. Alex turned out of curiosity, wondering what matter they were discussing.

"Hey hey hey. What was that about?" Alex asked Soap and France, who continued walking. Laswell turned to the next right as she already finished her conversation with Price, waving at Alex and the rest of the 141.

Soap chuckled at the CIA. This was about Samantha's surprise for him and he shouldn't spoil it.

"Well, with 141 back maybe she just wanted to know where she will be now. Nero no longer needs the IP Address and she's been through a lot." France reasoned, making Alex frown.

"You know… I want her safe and all but I also want her within my reach. I've lost her far too many times already. I'm not going to lose her again." Alex grumbled making Soap and France look at each other, their faces were worried at their sorry excuse.

"I think Samantha feels the same way too. Maybe she's bargaining for staying at 141." Soap lied, making France question him quietly.

"You know what, Alex? Don't overthink this." Soap tapped his shoulders reassuringly.

"Overthink what?" Samantha inserted. They fell quiet and Samantha slowly asked Soap to let her push Alex as they moved forward, Samantha being excited of what's next.

"Well, we did a great job. I guess." Soap quietly commented sarcastically, earning a soft elbow from France.

"Ow!" he exaggerated and turned to France, his face looked bewildered.

"Way to go, John." She sneered and followed the two on their way to their appointment, riding Soap's trusty jeep.

The drive to the surprise area consisted of mostly Soap and Francine acting like couples while they drove. Soap could see the two murmuring at each other whenever Soap would argue with France on whatever's going on in the road.

"I always wanted to try out some London restaurants." she mused, looking at the place they just passed by.

"Yeah? I could see you as the fancy kind." he chuckled at his guess.

"What does that mean?" France gave him a suspicious glare. Soap looked at her, feigning surrender.

"I just said it as is. You're the kind of person who would want fancy stuff." He explained, focusing back on the road.

"I-"

"Come on. You don't have to read everything I say between the lines. Sometimes, I'm just a simple man" he whined and Alex and Samantha burst out laughing, causing the two to be quiet.

"Are you sure there's nothing going on with you two?" Samantha asked, making the silence a little bit more awkward.

Soap carefully rolled his eyes toward Francine, who was actually looking down and blushing. He really had no definitive stance on whatever's going on between them, and if you ask him, he'd love to assume that they're already together. But he remembered that he told her that he'll be patient, and that's the only thing that's hindering him from taking her to the next level.

"Well…" Francine croaked, her voice was shaky and Soap was actually worried that she was already under pressure.

"We're here." Soap interrupted, wishing he did the right thing. Alex quickly looked outside to see where they actually were.

"What is this place, Soap? Where did you bring us?" Alex asked and Soap just nodded.

"I'll let your girl fill in everything for you. This was her idea after all and we're here to help her out." Soap replied as he assisted him to his wheelchair and watched the two enter the establishment.

He then knocked on Samantha's door as she was still out of focus.

"There's a coffee shop across the street, we could wait there until they finish." He invited her for another coffee date. Hopefully this time, there would be no more emp phone wielding persons to interrupt it.

"About Samantha's question…" She muttered.

"Don't pressure yourself about it. You actually owe me for saving you, by the way." He chuckled, already opening her door.

France slowly stepped down the vehicle and turned to Soap, her head looked up to his face.

"Look John. There's no other reason I can think of that would make you wait anymore. I really enjoy your company, your personality, and I'm curious about everything else about you. So, if you've been waiting all this time ever since that night, my answer is that I'm ready." She smiled, and John's eyes widened at the sight of her. The message made him hug her tight, lift her up and spin her around briefly while she giggled at the feeling.

"Wow. You don't know how much you made my day, France!" he sighed as he slowly set her down and closed the door and made their way to the coffee shop.

"I missed these so much!" France happily chewed on a slice of blueberry cheesecake, with a few crumbs stuck on the edge of her mouth. Soap smiled as she watched her enjoy the simple things in life, a thing he was always looking for in women.

Most of his dating life were his parents setting him up on business dates and most women there were far too serious. They looked like they haven't enjoyed anything in years. Some of them admittedly loved to have fun, but their idea of fun was far too complicated. Like expensive travels and luxurious shopping sprees, none of them piqued Soap's interest.

However, Francine was the first one who begged to differ. It's like every great idea in John's activity book is enjoyable for her. Simple things such as Netflix, Cinemas and even this coffee shop date, made her smile.

"What's funny?" Francine asked as she noticed the odd smile on his face.

"Oh nothing… you just looked cute eating that whole thing. It makes me want to buy a whole cake and watch you smile and eat that all day." he mused, imagining how things would've been if they weren't in public. He could've been tasting that cake from her mouth already.

He quickly grabbed a tissue and wiped off the crumbs as Francine blushed in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. I didn't notice it was there." she blushed shyly and looked down.

"Nah… why apologize. I was thinking you were hinting at me to kiss you. Like what most movies and cliché shows would mean." He scoffed and sipped on his coffee.

"Ha ha. Well you could try. As if I'd let you." She smiled bravely, but Soap could see her weakness behind that smile. She's raising her guard up again, and it's always like that when people are around.

"Wow. Umm that went differently." Soap commented, attempting to let France open up. This has been a common trend with her lately, toughening up when people are around but when they're alone, she's still strict but less tense.

"I'm sorry. It's just-" She hesitated and turned to the window.

"Say, how long would it take for them to finish?" She asked. Soap also turned to the building and shrugged.

"I don't know. Honestly, I'm excited for him. They make the best prosthetics around here and it'd make Alex's life easier. It'll look and weigh and bend like an actual leg." he said proudly as he turned to France who was looking at him weirdly.

"What?" he asked as he checked his phone which just beeped.

"Actually, they're almost done. And they're asking for an order. I'll just go get some for them, you stay here." He added, holding the thought, wiping his face and proceeded to the counter.

The reformed Task Force 141 would soon be back in business as papers were already approved by the board. They'll be situating themselves on American soil as their previous base was compromised by the traitorous General.

As for their last day on English soil, the rest of the team stayed in a penthouse condominium unit owned by the MacTavishes.

"Wow. This is top class!" Samantha mused as Alex plopped himself on the couch, his new leg quickly rested on the table. He's been in it for only a few hours but he already got the hang of it.

Samantha shot a glare at Alex's actions to which he shrugged on, prompting Soap to reply.

"Don't worry Samantha, make yourselves at home. We don't use this place anyway so help yourselves out. I promise it'll be fine." he eased as Samantha slowly plopped down beside him as Alex's arm rested on her shoulders. Soap actually wondered if he could do that to her too, get comfortable, open up, just normal stuff.

"I'll go get tea." he quickly said to himself as his imagination got the best of him as he walked to the kitchen. France quickly followed him to help out.

"Fancy place you got here, John. I wonder how many girls you've brought in here." She mused standing in front of him, helping with the teacups. Soap eyed her for a second and replied.

"Honestly, I can't count. I used to stay here when I studied and that was years ago." he replied as seriously as possible, looking at the changes on her face. She's actually jealous.

"Yeah. Figures. I saw your photos from earlier years. It was no doubt you'd have a lot of women over." She chuckled, nervously at it. Soap saw through her as she started to get curious about his life. A sign that she's ready to stop lowering her guard. Soap on the other hand, wanted her to feel special. Asking her out as soon as possible would make him come out as a desperate one, so he planned to do it the long traditional way. Which he actually despised, he would want to hug her so tight right now and it was already killing him.

"What about you? How many different rooms did you wake up to already?" he asked, changing the subject as she was already starting to feel bad about her question.

"Me?! Only a few. And most of them were owned by you. I've been very serious about my life choices that I never let myself loose." she sighed as Soap raised an eyebrow.

"Let loose? Like going out to parties?" He added.

"Yes. But broader. Like letting myself loose. I've always followed the path I wanted to be in, not letting any distractions bother me." she explained, blushing at it like it's a secret she was too shy to tell. Soap on the other hand, didn't quite get it.

"So you mean…" He tilted his head.

"Yes. Since birth, I never had a boyfriend." she looked down in embarrassment for the second time today.

Soap gulped. He didn't actually know how to respond to her statement. Sure he wanted to be the first one, but now wasn't the time. It would feel forced. And he wasn't a fan of forced relationships.

The kettle whistled and the two of them quickly responded to it as they both reached out for it, their hands met just by the handle.

"I'll take care of this one." She said as Soap slowly let go of her soft hands and watched her pour it on, carrying it to Samantha and Alex who were already giggling through a romcom.

"Way to go, John." he muttered to himself with a sigh as he ran his hand on his hair.

The day actually felt worse as France continued to remain quiet towards Soap as she invested herself on the television, third wheeling on Alex and Samantha.

Soap pondered about the words he chose to say to her and those he didn't over a steamy shower.

With the place having only two bedrooms, it was inevitable that France would sleep beside him but he also considered sleeping on the couch to respect her privacy or something like that.

As soon as he exited the bathroom, he saw France already tucked on her side of the bed, scrolling through her phone.

"Hey there." he muttered as she rolled her eyes to him and back to her phone.

"Hey." she said nonchalantly, her eyes dead focused on her screen. Soap quickly grabbed his nighttime clothes and slipped them on.

"Are you in any way excited for tomorrow?" he asked, trying to keep her from interacting with him.

"Yeah. A little." she said as she turned to him and smiled.

"Listen, about earlier today, in the kitchen..." he said.

"I'm not mad, John. I just wanted to say it out there so you could understand me."

"Tell me what you feel."

"Embarrassed."

"Why?"

"Because I looked like a fool earlier. When I told you I was ready and now I feel that you're the one who isn't. You told me you would wait but-" Soap placed his hand on her face, gently touching her cheek.

"France. You don't have to worry. You're still the one I'm thinking about every second. I just… wanted to do this the slow and steady way, where I would show off how worthy I am for you. I want you to enjoy the whole John MacTavish Experience." he smiled and she slowly turned her frown upside down.

Soap wanted to take a picture of that smile and plaster it all around the room as his heart started to pound like crazy, his face unknowingly moving closer to hers. They both started to close their eyes as they let their lips do the talking, but in a quiet and intimate way. Soap felt France's greed for his kiss as she slowly learned how to beg for more of him. It was true that she had no experience on these things but something told him that she's starting to learn some tricks herself.

Soap didn't hesitate to retaliate as she released a soft groan, a sign of her being content as her hands slowly grazed his arms, her thumb softly pressed his biceps, digging deeper as their tongues clashed. After a few more seconds, they both broke their kiss as they gasped for air.

"Yeah. Go sleep on the floor before we do something stupid." She giggled and Soap nodded in agreement as they quickly shuffled about, set their beds and called it a night.

Next Chapter - The SEVEN Inch Wound

Notification Squad my Beloved

@samatedeansbroccoli @smokeywhalee @enderio @bumblingbee1 @ricinbach @whimsywispsblog

[thisdaynews]

Breaking News: US sizes up Kim ahead of possible nuclear summit

New Post has been published on https://www.thisdaynews.net/2018/05/31/breaking-news-us-sizes-up-kim-ahead-of-possible-nuclear-summit/

Breaking News: US sizes up Kim ahead of possible nuclear summit

While Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s recent meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un were billed primarily as diplomatic missions, the face-to-face encounters have also served as valuable intelligence gathering opportunities that are helping shape US officials’ understanding of the reclusive dictator and guide ongoing talks between the two countries.

A series of constantly updated US intelligence assessments have determined that Kim will come to the negotiating table with his own red lines revolving around a single calculation: How much, if any, of his nuclear weapons program does he give up while still assuring the survival of his regime and his singular position in power?

These intelligence assessments, largely led by the CIA’s Korea Mission Center, are examining all issues that could impact Kim’s thinking and approach to the negotiations, including the impact of US-backed economic development how Kim can maintain the loyalty of his top military commanders. The issue of Kim’s concern for his safety and survival was even addressed by President Donald Trump in public comments when he guaranteed the Kim’s safety if he agreed to denuclearize.

The US intelligence community has been working to understand what makes Kim tick since he took power in 2011 — gathering details related to his psychological makeup, leadership style and personality in order to support the policymakers tasked with dealing with North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

And that effort has only been amplified in recent weeks as US officials continue to lay the groundwork for on-again, off-again talks between Kim and Trump in Singapore on June 12.

Despite Trump’s threat last week to call off the summit, the White House has indicated that preparations are still under way.

Representatives from Washington and Pyongyang have been dispatched in recent days to conduct various meetings, and in his most significant gesture so far, Kim has sent his former intelligence chief and close confidante Kim Yong Chol to New York to meet with Pompeo.

Even after Trump made his cancellation announcement, Pompeo has continued to work on preparations for a potential summit. Defense Secretary James Mattis has also continued to publicly emphasize diplomacy led by Pompeo.

Those familiar with Pompeo’s thinking have said that his meeting with Chol will set some of the terms and agenda for a potential summit — but most importantly Pompeo loyalists believe the meeting is a sign that he is the senior US official, short of the President, that Kim is willing to work with.

If Pompeo is included at the summit table, his role will include ensuring both Kim and Trump keep to the agenda and do not get unduly distracted by their rhetoric, one US official said.

“Secretary Pompeo has spent more time with the ‘living God’ than any other American … Kim has been sheltered from foreign view very deliberately up until now,” Nick Eberstadt, American Enterprise Institute scholar and adviser to National Bureau of Asian Research, told CNN.

While sources have relayed various rumors about Kim to intelligence officials over the years, Eberstadt said the US can be most confident in assessments regarding North Korea’s “objectives because those haven’t really changed between three generations of Kims.”

On the same page?

While US intelligence officials have determined Kim is unlikely to completely surrender his nuclear program as part of a negotiation with the US, Trump has laid out a red line of his own — saying any summit must include a guarantee that North Korea’s weapons can no longer threaten the US or its allies.

But a series of US intelligence assessments have concluded that while Kim could give up some weapons including warheads and missiles, he may not be willing to give up his capabilities to regenerate his program.

That would include keeping scientific, engineering and technical capabilities and personnel which would be seen by Kim as his insurance policy to ensure he could stay in power, officials said.

“He is not going to do anything that allows him to become vulnerable,” one official told CNN. He also could decide to keep some hidden weapons inventories, officials acknowledged.

So far, US officials say, the Kim regime hasn’t taken any steps on denuclearization that could not be readily reversed. They said the May 24 destruction of underground tunnels to test nuclear devices was a “serious gesture.” But it “doesn’t foreclose further testing” at other locations, one official said.

US satellite imagery recorded technical equipment and gear being removed from the site prior to the destruction of the tunnels, three US defense officials say. “They are not going to give up anything valuable,” one official said.

In addition the US has preliminarily identified other potential sites where the North Koreans could dig new underground tunnels for testing.

Kim a ‘rational actor’ with his position largely set

Intelligence assessments have concluded that Kim is coming to the table with his position largely set with regards to what he will give up and what he plans to retain or possibly hide away.

It’s not clear what security guarantees the US could give Kim that would convince him to give up his entire program, including those scientific, engineering and technical capabilities including underground sites that could shield key items.

That idea is largely supported by the US intelligence community’s assessment that Kim is a “rational actor” motivated by the survival of his own regime.

Pompeo, who took a leading role on the North Korea issue even before he was confirmedas secretary of state, has had direct contact with Kim on two occasions — providing unique insight into the isolated leader’s personal makeup that also supports the latest findings from the intelligence community.

Prior to his first trip to Pyongyang last month, then-CIA director Pompeo said that the US intelligence community considered Kim to be a “rational actor” and there has been no indication that assessment has changed in the wake of his second meeting with the North Korean leader earlier this month.

“My personal view is that the assessment hasn’t changed: he’s a rational actor who has consolidated power; he’s in control,” said Ambassador Joseph R. DeTrani, who previously served at the Department of State as the special envoy for Six-Party Talks with North Korea.

A former intelligence official specializing in Asia who maintains contact with current officials told CNN: “I’m sure [CIA] would stick by the line that Kim just wants to die peacefully of old age.”

The CIA did not respond to CNN’s request for a comment.

But Pompeo himself has said that the meeting not only supported the intelligence community’s existing assessment, but that Kim’s behavior indicated he was sincere about pursuing a path toward denuclearization.

“I did get a sense that he was serious,” Pompeo said.

“The economic pressure that has been put in place by this global effort that President Trump has led has led him to believe that it is in his best interests to come to the table and talk about denuclearization,” he added.

Currently the highest-ranking US administration official to meet with Kim, Pompeo’s observations support the idea that Kim is not irrational or crazy — an image that has been perpetuated at times by the media, some lawmakers and even President Trump himself, according to Bruce Klingner, a former deputy division chief for Korea at the CIA who’s now a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation

“He was painted as someone who the US could not count on to not start a war,” Klingner said. “We are seeing some of that now as people realize that Kim, contrary to perception, is not crazy or irrational.”

Value of direct contact

North Korea’s history of isolation has traditionally forced US intelligence agencies to utilize second-hand information gathered through interviews with individuals who have had direct contact Kim during his life.

Analysts try to put together a profile of a leader based on readouts from people who have met with them and reading about them to get a sense of their psychology and how they make decisions, Klingner said.

With an isolated leader like Kim, intelligence is rarely collected directly from the source, making Pompeo’s contact so valuable.

“Having Pompeo in a room with Kim provides direct contact and offers insight into Kim’s mannerisms, how capable he is as a leader, and how much he relies on others,” according to Klingner.

“Having direct access to someone should provide a lot better insight,” he said.

Pompeo is not specifically trained to interpret body language indicators or other subtle details that may have presented themselves in these meetings, but he was accompanied by intelligence officials who were taking note of these cues, a source familiar told CNN.

Two US officials have told CNN that Kim was very straightforward, professional, calm and on top of his brief in his meeting with Pompeo, adding that he knew and could discuss the issues in detail.

And one source briefed on the matter told CNN that it was clear to Pompeo that Kim understands how to present himself as a fairly normal politician.

But while those who meet with Kim often determine he is not necessarily insane, Klingner warned that the difference between those misconceptions and the impression Kim gives off in person can also lead to an overreaction.

“When someone meets with Kim, they often come back sort of in awe — realizing that he is not the crazy guy in the basement — and with the conclusion that the US can deal with him,” he said.

“But due to the fact that they often go into the meeting with a misconception of Kim based on caricatures from outside intelligence community, the perceptions often shifts from one extreme to another,” he added.

Pompeo, however, has expressed a sense of cautious optimism about Kim’s intentions.

Even after Trump threatened to cancel the scheduled summit last week, Pompeo said he was “hopeful” discussions could get back on track, adding there was “little doubt” in his mind that Kim understood the scope of what the US was asking for with regards to the permanent denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

He has also cautioned that North Korea has made and broken promises in the past.

“President Trump has made clear we are going to work to get a meeting set up, the two of them will meet. In the event it fails, respectfully, President Trump will walk away and the pressure will remain but in the event we reach a resolution it would be a wonderful thing for the world,” Pompeo said last week after Trump threatened to cancel the summit.

One source with knowledge of the situation told CNN that while some progress has already been made to this point, there is still a general understanding within the administration that the North Korean regime remains unpredictable — as it has been for decades.

And despite Pompeo’s assurances that he believes Kim is serious about wanting to negotiate, some within the administration remain deeply skeptical about North Korea’s intentions — specifically their willingness to give up their nuclear weapons, the source said.

Trump the wild card

It remains unclear as to how Trump is personally preparing for the potential sitdown with Kim, but he has told advisers he’s confident in his ability to sway the North Korean leader in person.

But the President’s push for a face-to-face meeting with Kim is raising concerns that he may disregard the vast intelligence resources provided on Kim in favor of leaning on his own instincts.

An intelligence profile of Kim is provided for Trump in his daily briefing, according to DeTrani, but it remains unclear as to whether the President regularly reads intelligence reports provided to him.

“That profile includes intelligence related to Kim’s personality, negotiation tactics, personal history and potential weaknesses so that the President might be able to anticipate certain moves once they are in the same room,” DeTrani said.

Ultimately, intelligence analysts are trying to enable policymakers to make the most informed decisions possible, but “at the end of the day, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force someone to read the briefing,” according to Klingner.

“Trump has thrown out the usual diplomatic playbook and the concept of bureaucratic timelines,” Klingner said. “Traditionally, the US would not deploy a president to negotiate terms but to sign the agreement once the details were in place.”

“Trump doing the opposite, implementing a top-down approach,” he added. “He’s not going to go through tons of background materials or meetings with experts but instead, as he wrote in Art of the Deal, goes with his gut.”

CNN’s Elise Labott contributed to this report