#did we ever find out if harry was just being weird when he told michael to never wash his skinny jeans? i can't unrecall that happened

[dadvans]

9-1-1 S8x04 Liveblog Notes

This episode starts and ends with Bobby being underestimated by Gerrard in completely unique ways. Amazing.

Underrated line: "So they took my house from me. Yes, it was humiliating. Well, I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I'm back." I really don't think Gerrard is fully gone. We know there will be more Hotshots + Brad this season. Gerrard is a man who survives out of spite, and there are depths of his hatred we don't even know.

I'm so curious about how Gerrard has, if I remember correctly, said mooks twice. Gerrard/Sal OTP.

As long as we're going to talk about Gerrard, I'm adding this here much, much later: awful, terrible people have good sides to them. This will always be true, especially for powerful people. I've seen a few different interpretations of "Tight End," but I'm going to be real with you all from someone who grew up in male spaces? This is affection. This is Old Guard shit. It is not good. It is the kind of preferential affection that tells you that you're on thin ice but you're special enough or good enough if you work hard, and you've been noticed. Your name will always be your strongest weakness. Someone has their eye on you. You can be called out by the leader something awful, but at least you have a name. (My coach's name for me was "Bruiser.")

Buck is terrible at golf. I feel like there was a lot of spec this episode about his outfit: that's just a golf outfit. Buck strikes me as the kind of guy who knows how to socially fake appearances, and Gerrard isn't calling him on his terrible performance here. NOTABLY: in terms of performance, Oliver Stark can act his way through terrible drives down the line with the addition of SFX and flailing with the net, but I'm still frustrated at how capable he was in the basketball montage in s7 after Buck is supposed to hate/suck at basketball.

Yes, you can be good at a sport and hate it. That's me with golf. That's Buck with basketball.

Someday, if anyone ever wants, I would love to nerd out about how they blocked and choreographed the basketball scene, because it DOES make me a little crazy.

Did they actually play a full 18 after this? And Buck survived?

The apartment Bobby and Athena are looking at is at least $2mil. It actually looks like several listings where I was trying to gauge new build in surrounding neighborhoods when I was writing "An Outlier."

Michael... plans. I find it a little weird that Athena would do it, a lot weird she would do it without Bobby. Bobby and Michael had a good relationship! But then Athena was excited! It's a weird way to navigate how Michael can't physically appear in the show anymore. It almost feels like a regression, because Bobby and Michael were so close. Michael would probably have reached out to Bobby if Athena reached out to him. I miss their made, intentional, yet triumphant family so much (including May and Harry).

I was SO into Chimney pointing out the obvious about the blueprints until he made it about the 118-- although his Gerrard impression was the unsettling kind of impressive.

The tiger would have simply become friends with me and I would have called 9-1-1 while we were chilling on the couch together. But I would have told them it was okay and to never come because I found my best friend forever.

Crazy that they had to use a tranq dart. I simply would have entered the apartment and said hello and the tiger would have recognized me as a friend and we would have left together laughing over shared interests.

I totally think Eddie violated HIPAA contacting an underage patient's parent without his OR his guardian's permission. Eddie also showed said parent photos of his son's injury that Eddie had taken without permission. The mother even clarified that she would not notify the father. For me, the biggest implication here is that Eddie's on-the-job performance (despite being impeccable during the emergency itself) could begin to suffer, or his ability to remain impartial in situations will continue to take hits before it gets better without Christopher.

People are BIG MAD about the above opinion on Reddit. Why are you booing me, I'm right.

I had an HR post script about how Bobby financially runs his department here and how he underhires with overperformers to navigate attrition, but it is lost to time. I guess we will never know how my sexy HR brain works in a situation that it has never been in, but I'm sure I was right, because I always am.

[self-proclaimed-chaotic-good]

The Road Ahead | Adam Milligan x Reader

Words: 2279

Warning: None, except some typos and Adam not being in this one as much.

A/N: How does writing work again? What do you mean I have to type it out? I’m thinking of a series name for this to organize these continuous oneshots. No promises of regular updates. It’s only when I can.

Continuation of [True Winchester Fashion] and [Night at the Museum].

-

The museum director hummed softly to herself as her heels echoed through the empty halls of the building. The exhibit was coming along nicely and her contact had come through and found an actual grimoire. Finally, her years of searching were finally over. If only she had brushed up on her Latin, then she would have had no problem translating it herself. Her senior curator had fallen sick after a week of trying to translate the ancient book, which left the college student rookie to translate. She had kept an eye on you for some time now. She had seen the potential in you, the potential of witchcraft. It takes practice and intelligence to master it and she had only wished the matrilineal side of her family had kept on the tradition of passing down the defunct coven’s knowledge. No matter. Blood of the coven is thicker than water of the womb, as they say. You make your own family.

With each passing week of you translating the grimoire, more incidents had been occurring around town. She wanted to approach you about it, to help you control the power of the book, but it would mean revealing her intentions too soon. She had watched you run in fear when the growing number of creatures had reached the museum. Then, those damn FBI agents had to get involved. They stopped by the museum after you had reported the bodies of the security guards that night and she had to pretend to be a clueless director that had limited knowledge about the objects in the museum and the history they hold.

It would be a matter of time before the grimoire gets out of control.

Exiting the museum, she felt a cold presence behind her. She spun around and saw a woman with the reddest hair, palest skin, and radiating the most powerful energy she had ever felt. The woman’s red lips split into a smile, a chill running down the director’s back telling her that it wasn’t a friendly one.

“Who are you?” she asked, taking a step back.

“Oh, dear. Oh, sweet dearie. You dare mess with magic and not know who I am?” The woman chuckled, taking a step forward. “I’m Rowena, the most powerful witch that ever graced this horrible planet and… the current Queen of Hell.”

“Queen of Hell. You must be joking.”

Rowena stared her down and the director suddenly felt her knees giving out. “I have been told that I have a grim sense of humor, but I do not joke about this. And you, missy, must think that witchcraft is a joke. What was it? Some kind of soul searching, finding out who you are from your family tree? Think you could feel close to them if you get a fancy old book and a cauldron?” she said mockingly. “What’s your name, sweetheart.”

“Joana Faith,” she gasped as the weight on her shoulders lifted.

Rowena hummed. “You. You need to fix this mess. As much as I love chaos, I love organized chaos and I’m not going to let some amature run around with a powerful grimoire like she’s in Harry Potter. You watch yourself, because I will also be watching you, Joana Faith.”

“Alright, alright.” Joana slowly picked herself off the ground. “And what about those FBI agents that have been snooping around? How is all of this going to be explained?”

Rowena rolled her eyes, a mix of irritable fondness in one gesture. “Those boys. They probably already know by now. As long as you set things right, you don’t have to worry about them. You do know how to stabilize that grimoire, right?”

“Well…”

Rowena rolled her eyes again.

-

Adam felt Michael’s presence in the back of his mind, asking to take over. “I can help,” the archangel said. Adam nodded, taking a step back and allowing Michael to take control.

“I don’t know what to do,” you moaned, clutching your head between your hands as eerie figures began to crowd around the windows of your apartment.

Your eyes landed on the grimoire, the leathery surface and crispy pages drawing you in like a magnet. Heat radiated off of the old padlock as your hand drifted closer. There were ancient powers in that book, power to change things, to manipulate them, and to end things. And the grimoire chose you.

You could hear Adam’s voice, but it sounded like you were under water. You couldn’t catch what it was, but you felt your heart pick up in panic. This wasn’t right. This was something that you don’t know about… but maybe you can learn to.

Firm hands gripped your shoulders as you were yanked away from the grimoire. Adam’s hazel eyes were looking down at you, but it didn’t feel like Adam. You still couldn’t understand what he was saying. He frowned, pressing two fingers onto your forehead. Heat spread through your head, brightness filling your vision as if you were pulled out of the ocean.

“Sam and Dean will be coming to deal with the monsters outside, but I need you to focus.” He paused, watching as your eyes still drifted down to the grimoire. “That thing doesn’t call to just anyone, you know.”

As you calmed yourself, so did the noises outside, the dark shadows disappearing from view. Your eyes snapped back to him. “What does that mean?”

“It means, my dear, that you have a gift and a curse,” came a Scottish woman’s voice.

You spun a head around and saw a red haired woman and Joana who looked haggard. The red haired woman rolled her eyes at her.

“Oh, please, you want to be a witch and you can’t even handle teleportation,” she chided. She looked over at you and Adam and smiled. “Hello, Michael. Fancy seeing you here. Playing college student, I see.”

“Rowena,” ‘Adam’ said with a curt nod, “You’re here for the book.”

“Of course I am. Even if the Winchesters deal with those monsters outside, there’ll be more coming if we don’t get that book under control. You,” Rowena sauntered over to you, “How much of the book you’ve read already?”

“Almost all of it,” you said sheepishly.

She hummed, looking almost impressed. A grimoire would be difficult for a beginner, but for someone who had no experience to make it that far into the book is a feat in itself. Maybe you’d be useful to her in the future, or maybe become a potential apprentice.

“Well, you two are glad that I’m here. Listen up, I’m about to give you a Witchcraft crash course and I expect you to pay attention. You wouldn’t want me to visit you when I’m upset. Michael, help those boys outside while I sort this out, would you?”

Adam stood up and gave her a look of warning. “Make sure (Y/n) is safe-”

“Or else what, dearie?” she smirked. There wasn’t much use arguing with the Queen of Hell, especially if it was Rowena Macleod.

He glowered before turning to you. “It’s going to be okay,” he assured you.

You watched him disappear with a small gust, strands of your hair flying out of your face and loose paper flying off the table. “What do you mean by Michael?” you asked Rowena.

“Oh, he didn’t tell you? Your boyfriend Adam is the vessel of the archangel Michael,” she said nonchalantly, “but we’ll unpack that later. We’ve got work to do.”

-

There was an energy that coursed through your veins that you never knew was possible. It was invigorating, like you could fly or punch through a wall. Rowena warned you about becoming too power hungry.

“Ambition is good, but too much can kill you,” she said, then added with a smirk, “Unless you find a way to cheat death, I suggest you know your limits first.”

After the incident with the grimoire, everything seemed to go back to normal. Your friend, who the Winchesters had saved from the vampire den also had no recollection, convinced that she was drugged and kidnapped while your other friend was not so lucky in getting out. The two of you mourned all the same, but only you knew how she really died. No one in town even remembered what happened with the disappearances and the killings, except for you and Joana. You now see her in a different light, knowing what her main goal was in creating the Salem witch exhibit. Her talk with Rowena seemed to humble her and she regarded you with a little more respect than she used to. The exhibit was still ongoing, but this time, no dangerous objects for display. No, that grimoire stayed with you after Rowena helped the two of you contain it. It was now imprinted with you and under your care. You didn’t know where to start.

Adam had disappeared that night and no one remembered him, either. It was as if he had vanished along with everything that was unnatural, like some weird fever dream. Rowena had said that he was a vessel to an angel, the archangel Michael of all things. In any other circumstances, you would have had a hard time believing it, but with the grimoire and the monsters and witches that came with it, it was just another piece to the universal puzzle found. Now you know the truth. The things in stories like the werewolves, the vampires, the witches, and even angels and demons, were all real, and there were people that dealt with them within the shadows. They come and go and only a few even notice them. They save lives without any recognition or reward. Hunters, they were called. The Winchesters.

After graduating college, you weren’t sure what you wanted to do. There was the museum library, but it was no longer what you wanted to do. Now that you have discovered witchcraft, you wanted to know what you could do. Maybe you could help people, too, like Adam and his brothers.

You cleared up your desk at the museum as you snacked on the brownies that a senior curator had brought in for your last day. They were sad to see you go, but you told them that you had applied to a museum in the city and wanted to see where you went from there.

“You are always welcomed back here,” one of them said as they hugged you.

Your last stop was the cemetery where your friend had already left flowers. She didn’t talk to you all that much, saying she needed more time with her family and had sought professional help to cope with your mutual loss. Maybe it was for the best. You still blamed yourself for your mutual friend’s death after all.

You turned to leave and was immediately faced with Joana. She had dropped her perky and enthusiastic mask that she had kept up around others and offered a sympathetic smile instead.

“I’m sorry about your friend,” she said, “I didn’t realize that an old leathery book would cause this much trouble. I’m sorry.” She looked around, eyes squinting as the summer sun beamed down on the two of you. “I heard you were leaving town. Good for you. I… there’s another thing I should apologize for.”

It was then you realized that she had a small book tucked under her arm. She pulled it out and handed it over to you. It was worn from constant use, scribbles and rough sketches on every page. Flipping through them, words like wendigo, werewolves, and revenant, stood out.

“It had been left on your desk that night when… the whole thing with the grimoire had been put to rest. I got curious and… I might have borrowed it. I realized it must have been left by those hunters that had helped us,” Joana explained.

“Possibly by Adam,” you muttered, closing the journal.

“Adam. Rowena said that he was a vessel of an angel. Is that true? Did you know?”

You shook your head. “Not sure how much from the Queen of Hell is true but I wouldn’t be too surprised anymore if it was. There is a lot out there that people don’t know about. What about you? What are you going to do now?”

She shrugged. “I could dabble here and there. I think I want to use it to protect this town, though. After everything that happened, I realized the impact of one thing could have on a whole community, especially when it involves things that people don’t believe existed. If those hunters hadn’t come here, hell, even if Adam hadn’t decided to go to school here, who knows what would have happened.”

“Yeah. Makes you think about those that weren’t so lucky. I’m going to try to learn more about this… this whole business with supernatural things. If I have a gift, I should use it, right?”

Joana nodded before stepping back. “Well, good luck. Come back whenever and tell me about what you’ve found. I’m curious, but I don’t think I’m cut out for venturing.”

“I’ll be sure to do that.”

As you walked towards your car, there was the bittersweet ache in your chest. You had never lived away from home before, the town was practically all you knew. Yet, there was something inside of you that felt that you had the potential to do more and be more than what you were now, and it wasn’t going to change unless you stepped away into something new.

The road ahead was dangerous, but it was better than staying in one spot forever. Maybe one day, you would even run into Adam again.

[allsassnoclass]

hi hazel!! i know you didn't reblog the director's cut thing (unless i missed it then oops kdbfvd) BUT if you want, no worries if you don't, would you tell me a little more about your vampire michael fic? i'd love to know what was the inspiration behind it, what was your favourite scene(s) to write, fave parts to come up with, also can i ask if you like ashotn or michael better? or is that like asking who your favourite child is?? anyway yes and also anything you want to say about it i'd love to hear!! <3

I reblogged it at a kinda weird time a few days ago but I am always ready and willing to talk about my writing so thank you for asking!!!

the vampire michael fic in question (spoilers below)

fun fact! this is the only fic that I have ever had a deadline for and actually finished on time.  In fact, I finished I think a week or two early!  this fic was part of a halloween fic event put together by the illustrious @ashesonthefloor.  ainslee assigned everyone involved a pairing, then we got to choose a prompt from a list of them.  My prompt was  

“You’ve told me three separate times now you have a vampire kink and I’m starting to wonder if you know I’m a vampire.” Or, pretty explanatory. One person is a vampire. The other has a vampire “kink”. (Can also be them saying they like the aesthetic, or trying to hint that they know and don’t mind. Literally do what you want with it)

I twisted the prompt to be more along the lines of “this person knows and is dropping hints that they know and are okay with it” rather than anything solely kinky.  Vampire!Michael was speaking to me and I felt like there was a lot of potential for fun stuff in there.  I also felt like I could easily convert this into a 5+1 fic, which I enjoy reading but almost never think to write.

Looking back in my doc, I did some brainstorming about what could be instances where Michael would obviously be a vampire or Ashton could make a reference to vampires in the beginning of October.  My original notes were this:

comment about biting kink

inviting into house

“wow, you really never go out in the sun, huh”

paper cut moment

I asked the group chat for the fic event for help coming up with the last instance (“so if, theoretically, person a knows that person b is a vampire and is trying to drop hints that he not only knows but is kinda into it, what are some things person a might say in casual conversation? i want so badly to turn this into a 5+1 and i am missing one scenario”) and meg gave me the idea for “something about not needing to sleep much and enjoying being awake at night” while ainslee gave me the ketchup packet line which I found hilarious and resolved to include.  From there I just reordered the scenarios and figured out the context for them, then started writing.

I wrote them all in order and tbh I don’t really remember if any of them were easier or harder than the others.  The comment about the biting kink was probably the hardest tbh simply because I do not know how to craft scenarios where conversations about someone’s kinks would come up.  I did, however, really enjoy the idea of them watching Twilight.  I kind of enjoyed writing the third scenario (never sleeping sexy times) because I don’t write that stuff so it was different and interesting.  (I will also say that there’s a line there about how letting Ashton kiss him is easier than breathing for Michael, and I really like that because for Michael breathing isn’t actually an automatic response.  He doesn’t need to breathe. idk I liked it).

From the beginning, I knew that I wanted Ashton to be some sort of supernatural/mythical creature as well, and I knew that I wanted Luke to be both his roommate and a witch at the shop that Calum and Michael get their blood supply from.  I figured out what sort of being Ashton was by asking my non-5sos friends for ideas.  I find the idea of deities only existing due to their follower’s belief in them very fascinating (Neil Gaiman’s book American Gods uses this idea, and while I haven’t read the book that’s where I got the idea from).  Using that idea, it probably would be very easy for an old god to seem perfectly human and ordinary if his believers had all died out except his family (and now Luke, Michael, and Calum :)).  I also like the twist in the power dynamic that it gives at the end: Michael has been scared of being perceived as a monster, he is old and he is powerful and he is dangerous, but Ashton is older and was significantly more powerful and is more than capable of handling himself.  He knows all about Michael and he very actively wants to be involved in not just his human side, but his vampire side as well (hence the blood offering with the paper cut).  I really liked writing this fic knowing that Ashton was a minor deity.  that’s probably my favorite part honestly.

the blood feeding sequel came from a few people saying “hey I was waiting for michael to feed from him” and me saying “idk how to write that” and them saying “if you ever did it would be good and I would read it.”  so then I wrote it lol.  I also have a bit of a Thing about romanticizing food as connection between people and eating as intimacy so it was really easy to infuse that into this since Ashton is literally feeding Michael with himself.  To be honest I still feel like I somehow did it wrong but lots of people have told me it was great so! idk dude! I was guessing the entire time but I suppose it paid off. my favorite part of that fic is when Michael kisses Ashton on the forehead afterwards while sitting on his lap.  I just really like forehead kisses and also couples sitting on each other and this combined both of those things. also the harry I mentioned who had been Michael’s previous flame is 100% harry styles.

As far as whether I like Michael or Ashton better, I don’t know if I can answer that?  I’m inclined to say Michael because we spend the most time with him, but I am really really fascinated and compelled by the possibilities in Ashton’s backstory.  I like them both for different reasons so it’s hard to compare!

Thank you for asking Taylor this was super fun to talk about!!!

[percywinchester27]

About a boy (Part-9)

Word count: 2.8K

Warning: Suspense, feels, physical abuse, child-trafficking and bullying

Characters: Dean, Cas, Gabriel, Benny, Michael, OCs and… Sam?

Summary: Dean Winchester has a secret. A secret that could really land him in trouble. He never expected to connect with anyone when he walked into the ‘Blue Stone Orphanage for Boys,’ but even then, the walls he has put up are slowly coming down. Now, a series of strange events are threatening to expose him. When everything starts falling apart around him, will he still be able to save the one person that matters the most?

A/N: I’m incredibly sorry that this took so long, guys! That too after a cliffhanger. Really, really sorry. Hope you like it nonetheless :)

Thanks to my lovelies @thing-you-do-with-that-thing​​​​​​ and @deanssweetheart23​​​​​​ for beta reading this story <3

About a boy masterlist

Dean stood there stunned, as if someone had slapped the sense out of him.

“Don’t try to deny it,” Benny warned, his expression wary and almost threatening. “You’re not an orphan, so what the hell are you even doing here?”

“I-I am an orphan,” Dean said, surprised that his voice sounded steady when his insides were in a twist.

This was it. This was as far as Dean would go. Any moment now, Benny would go running to Andy and spill his guts about what he’d heard and there was nothing Dean could do about it.

Benny was still looking down at him with blatant distrust, hands crossed over his chest, waiting for an answer.

Maybe he saw the raw panic in Dean’s eyes, or realised that Dean was paralysed and wouldn’t answer because Benny eventually sighed and dropped his hands.

“Look,” he said, raising his chin slightly so Dean could see his eyes clearly under the hood of his cap. They were a startling dark blue. “I am not going to rat you out. I knew there was something up with you since the day you walked into our room.”

“H-How?” Dean asked, mostly to keep Benny talking. He wasn’t surprised that Benny had noticed all the unusual stuff.

“You disappear into the night, every night. You look like you have an agenda,” Benny shrugged. “I’ve spent most of my life in an orphanage, I know homelessness when I see it. You’ve never looked homeless. And then there’s that pager in your bag.”

Dean scowled. “You went through my stuff? You spied on me?”

“Like you aren’t spying on this place, yourself,” Benny shot back. “I knew you were sneaky. Finding out all I could about you was self preservation instinct.”

This was the most that Dean had ever heard Benny talk. His voice had a roughness that sounded out of place for a teenager and over that there was an odd graveness.

“I’ve had my reservations about you, especially since you and Castiel have gotten so close,” Benny paused, and Dean realised that all this while Benny had also been curious for Cas’s sake. Cas was a frigging saint when it came to looking out for people and it was natural to take a liking to him, to want to keep him out of harm’s way. It was why Gaberiel- who never bothered about anyone but himself- had gone out of his way to help Cas on that night of Dean’s initiation. Apparently, Benny wasn’t immune to Cas’s weird power over people. He had been worried about Cas getting mixed up with a bad person.

“Now, are you going to tell me what’s up?” Benny asked impatiently. “You’re involved with the police somehow so I can guess where this is going. Spill, Winchester!”

Dean started talking, his eyes trained on the second button of Benny’s coat. He talked and talked and talked till his throat felt dry, about his past, Bobby, Jody and… the Stynes. At that Benny drew in a sharp breath.

“What about the Stynes?” He asked.

Dean knew a bit about Benny’s past. How he used to be a friendly boy before his best friend was shifted, or to put it more correctly, before his best friend disappeared. This was why Dean had been completely honest with his story.

“We think that the Stynes are involved in child trafficking. That all these kids who suddenly get transferred or whatever, are being shipped off to God knows where and forced into begging rackets or maybe even prostitution.” Dean had never said the last part out loud. It disgusted him to his core, scared him that he might be actually right. And the last thing he wanted was to be right on that count.

Under his cap, Benny had gone completely white. His hands clenched and unclenched. Then, he looked hard at Dean and said, “You really think that’s the case, too, then? That whatever is happening here is not normal?”

“Look around!” Dean gestured, so relieved that Benny wasn’t going to turn him in, that his voice sounded exasperated. “Does any of this horse crap feel normal to you? Of course something is wrong!”

On an impulse Dean added, “But I am not doing this completely out of the goodness of my heart either. I have my own interest.”

Benny raised an eyebrow.

“My brother,” Dean said, “The one I told you about, who I was separated from…” Dean paused, checking his voice. Why was it always so hard to talk about Sam? He’d had years to accept the truth, then why was this still so hard? Would it always be like this?

Dean cleared his throat, then said, “I have reason to believe that he’s actually here. Jody figured that I could continue looking for my brother as long as I found real dirt on the Stynes. Two birds with one stone. I know you must think I’m selfish,” Dean added, “To do this just for my brother, but-”

“I get it,” Benny said, “If I could, I would do it all to get Jaime back.”

“Jaime?” Dean asked but he had an inkling of who he might actually be.

Benny’s eyes were far away as he said, “My buddy. They took him, too.” Then, he looked right at Dean. “Look, if you’re really going to find out what’s happening around here, then I want in. I’ve been here for a long time, not as long as others, but I’ve been suspicious for a longer time than most of these buffoons.”

Benny put a hand in his over large coat and drew out a bunch of keys. “This is the master key set,” he said. “I’ve had this for a while now; stole it off Garth once when he was distracted. It opens most of the doors in this place. I’m not sure Garth even tries going into the west wing, but if you’re gonna go scouting the place, this might be of help.”

Dean frowned. This was too good to be true. “If you’ve had the master key all this while, why didn’t you try to sneak out and use it yourself?”

“Use it and do what?” Benny hissed, “I see the look you’re giving me, Winchester, but I didn’t have the Police backing me. I shouted till my throat was sore when they took Jaime. But no one listened. Not a single soul came out to help me. And the punishment I got for it… Oh, the punishment.” Benny moved up the sleeve of his arm to show welts on the back of his wrist. They looked like thin vertical burn marks.

Dean’s eyes went wide.

“His name was Jacob. Jacob Styne. Didn’t even blink as he put the rod to my skin,” Benny murmured.

Dean suddenly felt too cold under his clothes. This was terrible. The Stynes were monsters… And Andy was a sick son of a bitch. He was supposed to be in-charge, he was supposed to protect the kids. Instead he just watched and let this happen. Dean wanted to punch him where it would hurt seven shades of Sunday. And boy, did he wanna put the Stynes behind the bars for they did. To Jaime and countless others.

“Why didn’t you run?” Dean asked, eyes cast down and away from Benny now.

“We don’t all have a father of sorts waiting for us,” Benny said, but not unkindly. “It was either this or another round of foster homes. Known evil is better than the unknown one, I suppose.” He jingled the keys in the space before them

Dean nodded, grabbed the masterkey and then limped back towards the dorms after Benny disappeared out back.

“Dean!” Cas exhaled, jumping out of his top bunk. “What took so long? I was worried about you.”

Cas looked harried. His black hair was plastered to the side of his face with sweat and the backs of his thumbs had nail marks in them. Cas did that when he was anxious.

“And you look… weird,” Cas said, giving Dean a once over. “Have you been crying?”

Yes he had been crying, but he wasn’t gonna admit to that. Instead, he pulled Cas outside and towards the far end of the corridor, away from the crowded area, then told him everything. From seeing Jody to Bobby and finally Benny.

“Whoa!” Cas looked dazed. “This means we don’t have to wait for Andy to sneak out to his weird dates. We can go to the record room whenever we want. We can have access to all those files.”

“Tonight,” Dean nodded, “After the lights out, we sneak into the west wing.”

-------------------------------------------------

Dean lay on his side, facing the wall that night. Waiting for the time to be right. Over him, Cas was very still in his bed, which was how Dean knew he was up, too. Usually Cas tossed and turned quite a lot and the old rickety frame of their twin bed shook with him. It was past 11 when Gabriel came to bed. He rolled over and fell asleep immediately. Dean gave it 15 more minutes, then quietly stepped out of bed, Cas following in a few seconds. Dean nodded to Benny on his way out. Whether or not Benny wanted anything to do with Dean’s epic nightly adventures, he was unfortunately at least a silent accomplice and audience now.

As sneakily as they could, he and Cas  made their way towards the end of the corridor and the west wing door.

“Okay, here goes,” Dean huffed and inserted the most promising key into the lock. Did not work.

“Damn it!” he swore, then tired another one.

“Dean, I hear footsteps,” said Cas, edging closer. “Hurry.”

The third key clicked and Dean pushed the door open. He and Cas slipped inside and pushed the door shut, hoping against hope that the clang wasn’t a give away. They waited with their ears pressed against the cold metal till the faint footsteps faded and Cas breathed out in relief.

“I thought we were done for,” he said.

“Not yet,” Dean replied grimly, peering ahead of them.

The west wing was darker than it was possible to imagine and it smelled strongly of rust, damp salt… and like something had died and rotted here for ages.

Behind him, Cas gagged.

They moved cautiously in the general direction of where the staircase would be, reaching out with their hands, trying to feel the space around them.

There was a distant muted thud from ahead.

“Did you hear that?” Dean whispered.

“Hear what?”

“The noise… from the corridor ahead!” he said.

“There can’t be,” replied Cas. “This side is abandoned, remember?”

But Dean was almost sure he’d heard something from up ahead, like metal being scraped against something. However, Cas was right. Maybe it was Dean’s head getting creative in the dark.

“Here’s the staircase!” Cas exclaimed. “Right here.”

Dean was going to point out that there was no ‘right here’ in this doomed dead hellscape, but he let it go and followed Cas down the spiraling steps, all the way to the ground floor. The dim lights from the front driveway made it easier to find the way to the eastern side here, and within minutes they found themselves in the record room, the door safely shut behind them.

“We did it!” Cas grinned. Dean was about to fist bump him to celebrate the small victory when the shadow at the far end of the room moved and Will came into view.

“Will! What are you doing here?” Dean hissed, outraged. What in the name of holy mother!

Will gave no expression. “I could ask you the same,” he retaliated.

“God damn it, kid!”

“Hey don’t go swearing on me like you’re on some high horse here, okay?” Will pointed a finger at Dean. “You broke the rule, just like me, so stop acting all prissy.”

Dean was flummoxed. “How did you even get down here?”

“You two chuckleheads might have forgotten the incident of great fire, but I got you down here,” Will said angrily, pointing at Cas. “By picking the locks.”

Oh.

“And now,” he said, “You, Dean, are going to tell me exactly what’s going on. Don’t make some bullshit reason or excuse because I’ll know. I’m not stupid. You two act like you’re planning to overthrow a government with all your secret talk and you have me looking for some Sam, and never bothered to explain why!”

Boy, he really was angry, Dean thought to himself.

“Listen, Will…” Dean tried, “What we are doing here… it’s dangerous. Really dangerous. You don’t want to get involved in this.”

“The hell I don’t want to involve myself with this,” Will shot back. “I’ve been going out of my head trying to find your Sam for you. I don’t even know who he is. I almost committed arson for you, so don’t you ‘listen, Will…’ me, Dean. I deserve to know.”

Dean was taken aback with Will’s outburst. He didn’t know the boy was so invested, but he had to agree we Will.

He sighed. “You’re right, Will. You deserve the truth.”

It was like a recap of the morning, having to go through with the story again, but Dean did it just the same. Only, while Benny’s face had been impassive throughout, Will’s expression broke at the mention of the fire and how Sam was taken away. His hazel eyes looked watery and his brow furrowed with each word, to the point where Dean had to look away to be able to continue the story.

“So your brother, he’s here?” Will asked in a strangled voice.

“That’s right,” Dean said. “And Cas here has been helping me with the records, trying to find Sam’s file. Ain’t that right, Cas?”

Cas who had been standing silent all this while nodded his head, and Dean noticed him furtively rubbing his eyes against his sleeve. Dean’s heart gave a lurch.

“Alright,” he said hurriedly, trying to spare both Cas and Will the moment, “If you want to jump on to this train, pick a rack and start pulling out files.”

Will nodded vehemently, but the look in his eyes still had Dean’s stomach in a knot. It was tender and just so innocent. That kid deserved the world, and it sucked that he had grown up in a hell hole like this.

Cas had taken up a rack and was pointing to Will, showing him which of the shelves they had completed looking into. Will was as attentive as ever and quickly dove into the files. Dean watched them work. Cas squinting into the racks, the Torch they had left here last time balanced between his shoulder and neck, while Will flipped through the papers at an inhuman speed, his brown hair falling into his eyes.

Cas finally yawned, hours into the search “Hey check this out, I found Michael's file!”

Will scooted closer to Cas, peered over his elbow and read out loud. “It says he was found on the steps of the orphanage when he was about 3 weeks old. That’s horrible.”

Dean couldn’t fathom where Will got all his empathy from. He had been in the orphanage since as long as he could remember. Maybe his story was something like this, too. Dean was lucky in this regard, in the sense that he knew that his parents had loved him, and not left him on the steps like this.

“Well, that’s the 5th Angel-names Orphanage kid we’ve found,” Cas sighed.

Will laughed. “You know I always thought it was hilarious the names you guys got. I mean you got lucky, Cas. But the kids who got stuck with Balthazar and Uriel? I don’t envy them.”

“Yeah, right, William.” Cas made a face, but he did purse his lips like he was trying not to laugh.

“Don’t you think, Dean?” Will asked, looking up with his wide eyes. “Dean… Dean, are you okay?”

Dean had gone still. “How old does it say the others were when they got into that Angel-names Orphanage?” Dean asked, barely controlling his voice.

“It says that Raphael was 3 months old, Uriel was 8 months and Michael-”

“No… no no no no…” Dean chanted slowly getting up. “This can’t be happening. Fuck!”

“What happened?” Cas asked

But Dean was already backing into the wall, his heart sinking and spirits breaking. “Sam,” he whispered, breath leaving his lungs. “Sam was only 6 months. What if… what if they changed his name when they took him in?”

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

A/N 2: Once again sorry for the delay. But I will post the next part asap cause it is already written! Please do tell me what you thought of the chapter? I live for comments!

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[timeagainreviews]

Twin Peaks s01e01 “Traces to Nowhere”

Happy New Year, and welcome back to Twin Peaks, friends. Before we dive further into the mystery of Laura Palmer, I would like to tell you about my friend Jason. Jason was a pal of mine in high school. We used to hang out, listen to music, watch TV, and smoke. He lived with his girlfriend at the time who was also my friend. This may sound sappy, but around these two, I genuinely felt like the best version of myself. I miss those days incredibly. Jason also happened to be the first person to ever introduce me to Twin Peaks. One night, he and a friend were watching the movie as I came over to buy a bag. On that day, I discovered what was to become my newest obsession, one of which would stick with me for the next eighteen years of my life. Sadly, Jason and I fell out of contact and we lost track of one another.

I mention this because I recently heard through a mutual friend that Jason died two years ago. I'll not go into the details, suffice it to say, it was too soon. I always wanted to track him down to say hello, and now I'll never get the chance. While my friendship with Jason was immensely rewarding, one of the most persistent things he left me with was a love for Twin Peaks. Much of my personal philosophy comes from Twin Peaks, and it continues to inform the person I am today. If it weren't for Jason, I wouldn't be me. Therefore, I would like to dedicate this article in his memory. To Jason Walton- My friend in the stars.

Thank you for allowing me that moment, friend. Now if you remember, we left off on kind of a spooky note. Through some sort of line of sight, Sarah Palmer was given a vision of a gloved hand retrieving James' half of the heart necklace from where he and Donna had buried it. Dale Cooper, after a long day of detection, has turned in for a night of sleep at the Great Northern hotel, which is exactly where today's episode begins.

I've read in the past that you can tell right away when David Lynch is directing, or in this case, when he isn't directing. This is not a complaint about director Duwayne Dunham's work, but there is a clear departure from the slow wave of emotions that permeates the pilot episode. However, the more straightforward procedural pacing works much to the episode's credit. Being written by David Lynch and Mark Frost, this episode is drenched in Twin Peaks tones and textures. I'd go as far as to say Dunham does a damn fine job following the hard act that is David Lynch.

We start with a pan across Cooper's hotel room. As I've done with my Doctor Who reviews, I found myself trying to see this scene as though it were my first time. You watch Twin Peaks for eighteen years, and you tend to forget just how strange the decor at the Great Northern truly is. Off-camera we can hear Agent Cooper talking to Diane through his recorder. As the camera searches across taxidermied deer hooves holding hunting riffles, and ornate nature paintings, we fall upon Cooper, hanging upside down by a pair of metal hooks around his ankles. It's never explained why he's doing this, but for some reason the late '80s and early '90s had a weird thing about hanging guys upside down as so form of exercise. Michael Keaton did it in Batman, Patrick Bateman had one, and even Dale Cooper. Perhaps it was quick way to indicate both athleticism and eccentricity.

Cooper, hanging about in his hot dad garters and boxers dismounts from his perch with an ease that is both impressive and sexy. Before ending his recording session with Diane, Cooper waxes philosophical about Marilyn Monroe and the Kennedys. In a way, this is Lynch and Frost drawing parallels between the deaths of both Monroe and Laura- two blonde women surrounded by powerful men and mystery. It's fitting when you consider that Lynch and Frost's first collaboration was in the form of a Marilyn Monroe biopic which never came into fruition. In many ways, the project laid some of the groundwork for what would become Twin Peaks.

Starting his day right with a balanced hotel breakfast, we're treated to yet another fascinating glimpse into Cooper's diet. As Sheriff Truman says later in the episode, he must have the metabolism of a bumblebee. Cooper orders a breakfast he refers to as "hard on the arteries," which is as hard as he wants his eggs. He wants his bacon super crispy- cremated. It may sound as though I'm exaggerating, but I've always loved watching Cooper order breakfast. He seems to revere food in a way not regularly seen on dramatic television. The morning coffee is more than one of the best, it's "damn fine." People have complained that the way people talk about food in Twin Peaks is weird. Sure, maybe in life creamed corn isn't an allegory to pain and suffering, but we've all been there when someone is having a similar reaction to the stuff. Food is personal, and it's a part of everyone's lives, why wouldn't characters talk about it?

Arriving at the tail end of Cooper's order is Audrey Horne, who has seemingly grown a good six or seven inches of hair overnight. Out of all of the mysteries in Twin Peaks, this was the least perplexing. Somewhere between filming the pilot and the first episode, Sherilyn Fenn grew her hair out, and it looks stunning. Everything about Audrey is stunning. Her eyebrows are stunning. That sweater is stunning. But at the moment, it is she who is stunned by Agent Cooper. Just as charmed by his eccentricities and his slicked black hair, she approaches Agent Cooper and asks to join him. Immediately Cooper sizes up that she finds him attractive, she's not exactly hiding it, and neither is he for that matter. For many fans, this is the moment the ship of Cooper and Audrey set sail. I personally always prefer the version where Cooper does the adult thing and doesn't date a high schooler.

After questioning Audrey, Cooper heads off to the Sheriff Station where they seem to still be having their breakfast as everyone he encounters has a mouthful of donuts. I'd also like to note the weird guy with a welding torch and ladder near the entrance. Twin Peaks is a lived in world filled with these people toiling away. Sheriff Harry Truman, mouth full of donuts, can't get a word in as Cooper flies into the room. After spelling out the itinerary, Cooper disappears to "urinate." This marks the first of many references to Dale Cooper's pee. Much like Tom Hanks, our favourite FBI agent is passionate about pissing. It's one of those life things, like food, that Twin Peaks likes to celebrate. Sometimes it's really nice to have a good piss, therefore sometimes Twin Peaks is about having a really good piss. I'm being completely earnest here.

Dr Hayward arrives to the sheriff station to report the findings of the post mortem. Unable to carry out the procedure himself, he outsourced the job to a nearby colleague. I've always admired the way Warren Frost plays this scene. His sadness seems to come and go in waves of realisation. There are the same echos from the pilot episode present here. From the report we learn that Laura died from a loss of blood from numerous shallow wounds. She had bite marks on her shoulders and marks on her arms from having been bound. She had also had sex with at least three men the night of her murder. The doctor also concludes that there is no doubt that Ronette was also present. As Dr Hayward relays this grizzly tale, his eyes wander to the photo of Laura. Pangs of sadness wash over his face as he questions who could do such a thing. He was the doctor present at her birth. She was his daughter's best friend. Laura was family to him.

On the other spectrum of family, we join the Johnsons at their incomplete home. Unable to just ask Shelly if she would do his laundry, Leo has to play mind games. He asks her if she did his laundry and chastises her as if catching her in a lie because his bag of nasty truck cabin clothes are still dirty. Eric Da Re is not a great actor, but there's something perfect about that. Leo is a big asshole that gaslights his wife, I don't expect much depth there. The only good thing I say about him is they got rid of his awful perm from the pilot. Even the way he pinches her cheek is controlling and unnatural. There's clearly no love between them, which is why when she discovers a blood-stained shirt in Leo's laundry she hides it. With Laura recently dead, and his behaviour as of late, this could be evidence. When he comes back later in a frenzy to find said shirt, he flies into a rage at its absence.

We're back at the Sheriff Station where we learn James Hurley owned the other half of Laura's necklace. As compared to Bobby's interrogation, James is Mr Manners. He answers all of Agent Cooper's questions with a quiet intensity. He admits to shooting the picnic video, and to owning the other half of the necklace, but not knowing who dug it up. He was also aware Laura was taking drugs but tried to get her to stop. On the night she died, James picked Laura up on his motorcycle. Acting strangely Laura disembarked from his bike, a disagreement ensued, Laura told James she loved him and disappeared into the woods. Cooper seems pleased with this information. We're then shown slow-motion picnic footage of Laura smiling at the camera. A somewhat cheesy "Help me," is played over the sound of wind and haunting music. It's a sort of fourth-wall-breaking that makes Twin Peaks feel as though not only the town, but the show itself is haunted by the late Laura Palmer.

Bobby and Mike, freshly arrested from their fistfight with Ed argue in their holding cells about the money they owe Leo Johnson. After being briefly questioned by Agent Cooper, they're both sent away with a warning not to harm James. James is also released into the custody of Big Ed, who confides that he believes the bartender, Jacques Renault,  slipped a Mickey in his drink. Ed wasn't just meeting Norma that night, he was also staking out Jacques' activities as a suspected drug dealer.

Speaking of Norma, we're given a brief but intense encounter at the general store between her and Nadine. At this point in the show, Nadine is completely bonkers. While I don't feel like she becomes any less touched in the head, we do begin to see more depth to her than just Ed's crazy wife. Wendie Robie is so good as Nadine, that Peggy Lipton only really need to react in kind as Nadine goes on about her drape runners. You can tell there's a quiet rivalry between the two women, both of whom resent one another for what they represent to one another. Norma is the woman Ed loves, and Nadine is the woman that stole him from Norma. When Nadine emphatically mentions the cotton balls that will make her drape runners completely silent, Norma can only stand as if in disbelief. It's the epitome of "weird flex, but ok." It doesn't help that all of this cotton ball talk is nestled into a conversation about Ed being in intensive care. Nadine exits as soon as she entered, leaving poor Norma looking confused and slightly violated.

Speaking of forbidden love, we're given a great scene between Donna Hayward and her mother, Eileen. We learn that despite her grief for Laura, and the guilt it makes her feel, Donna is finding herself loving James. Despite the nightmare that surrounds her, this love for James is like a beautiful dream. Eileen encourages her to invite James over for dinner, which she does. When watching James meet the Haywards I couldn't help but think of Eraserhead. In both, we get two entirely different, albeit very Lynchian "meet the parents," scenes. While James isn't asked to carve any manmade chickens, the awkward politeness permeates both scenes. There’s a sort of wholesomeness that borders on absurdity. Watching James make small talk in his big boy sweater is about the cutest damn thing that you almost forget how violent and terrifying Twin Peaks can be at times. This is something lifted straight out of the Waltons with it's cheesy Americana and good-natured sincerity. Of course, not everyone is as pleased about this new pairing as Mike and Bobby spot James' bike outside Donna's house.

Meanwhile, Dale and Harry find their way at the Martel residence to speak with Josie about her language classes with Laura. Through body language alone, Cooper deduces that the Sheriff and Josie are an item of sorts, as indicated at the end of the pilot episode. Pete is his usual charming self, offering up a cup of Joe to our boys. We're given another Cooperism as he asks for his coffee "black as midnight on a moonless night." That's pure poetry. We don't learn much from Josie here, other than the fact that Laura used to tutor her English and that she seemed distracted the last time they met. The biggest takeaway from the scene is that somehow Pete accidentally brewed a pot of coffee with a fish in the percolator. This is easily one of the most iconic scenes from the original series. Jack Nance was a treasure, and I will never not feel absolute delight when he comes rushing in just a touch too late- they've already tried the coffee.

Josie is called away for a phone call from the ice queen Catherine who informs her that shutting down the mill for the day cost the company more money than it was worth. After hanging up with Josie, we can see Catherine is in a strange motel, sipping champagne with Ben Horne. They're clearly working against Josie, but it's no secret that neither of them trust one another. Everyone is playing the double secret con, and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. However, we do learn that the two are on again off again lovers. On the other side of town, Deputy Hawk follows up with Ronette's parents at the hospital. The Pulaskis don't have much information other than the fact that Ronette used to work the perfume counter at Horne's Department Store. As he is leaving, Hawk sees a suspicious one armed man skulking around the morgue. Following his gut instinct he starts tailing this mysterious figure through the dark halls of the hospital. Upon entering a room alight in a trippy dayglo black light, Hawk finds himself alone. Whoever this mystery man was, he disappeared into thin air.

A lot of this episode's theme seems to centre around the relationship between the parents and the high schoolers. Along with her conversation with her own mother, we get a scene between Donna and Sarah Palmer. Sarah, still sick with grief, seems genuinely pleased to see Donna until she sees Laura's face superimposed over Donna's. As she's pulling her closer she gets another vision, this time of a creepy grey-haired man sitting at the edge of Laura's bed. Sarah goes into full-on panic mode in a way only Grace Zabriskie is capable of delivering. Leland rushes in to whisk Donna away from the traumatic experience. In his own home, Bobby is getting a stern lecture from his father, Major Garland Briggs. The Major awkwardly tries to treat Bobby with some tough love, but ultimately misses the mark. Bobby's problems are bigger than anything his poor parents could fathom. The Hornes also experience a bit of domestic turmoil with Ben confronts Audrey about how her conversation with the Norwegians cost their family greatly. But unlike the Briggses, if Ben wanted to understand Audrey's rebellious nature, he only need look in the mirror.

Let's take a moment now to consider Laura Palmer. She was a troubled teenage girl with a drug habit, yes. Add to that being homecoming queen, in Spanish club, tutoring immigrants, caring for Audrey's special needs brother, and even heading Meals on Wheels for the elderly and shut-ins. It's the Meals on Wheels program that brings Cooper and Truman to the Double R Diner, where Laura used to work. We learn that Laura didn't just head the program, she created it. If any fictional characters were gunning for sainthood, Laura would be high on the list. It's easy to see why losing her has wounded the town so completely. The Log Lady approaches Cooper about Laura Palmer informing him that her log saw something the night Laura died. However, Cooper's reluctance to ask the log directly leads to her leaving before relaying the log's message.

Fresh off her shift from the Double R, Shelly returns home to Leo who has just put a bar of soap into a sock. He questions her about the bloody shirt, but she feigns ignorance. He tells her he's going to "teach," her about respecting people's property as he advances toward her with the sock swinging over his head. We can only look on hopelessly as the brutish Leo approaches a cowering Shelly. The scene graciously cuts away, as we know what comes next. The episode concludes in Dr Jacoby's bizarre Hawaii themed office (or maybe apartment, maybe both). Inside a fishtank sits three dried out puffer fish filled with blinking lights like paper lamps. After putting a tape into his stereo he dons a pair of giant headphones revealing a taped conversation from his former secret patient- Laura Palmer. He pulls coconut from a palm tree and settles in to listen to his tape. He opens up the coconut to reveal the other half of Laura's necklace. It appears that Dr Jacoby was the one following James and Donna into the woods.

The contents of the recording are revealing, not just about Laura, but also about Dr Jacoby. Laura's flirtatious nature indicates that we can add one more sexual partner to Laura's list. She mentions how James is sweet but too dumb to talk to her about her problems like Jacoby is capable of doing. But part of the brilliance in the scene is that you can also sense that Laura is acting for Dr Jacoby. Fulfilling the role of a young helpless girl who loves him, so that he may fulfil some role she needs. Whether it be a form of protection or just a soundboard for her problems, she had him wrapped around her finger. So what is this ritual of Jacoby's? Are these the actions of a killer reminiscing over the trophies of his hunt, or a man grieving the real, if not inappropriate relationship he had with a young girl? As the tape continues, we hear Laura talking about a man in a red car who can really light her "F-I-R-E." She continues to make a confession about a mystery man, but the audio drops out, leaving us only the doctor's perplexed face to clue us into what she said. The credits roll as we're left wondering.

Truth be told, I could have written this review without having to rewatch the episode. I try and rewatch Twin Peaks in its entirety at least once every one or two years. However, I am glad I did revisit this one as there are lots of little pieces of minutiae I may have overlooked. More than anything, I was curious to weigh Dunham's directing against David Lynch's, and I have to say, it's not bad. The tone is correct for the series and the emotions are played for real. It's always going to be different because the two directors are different people. But as certain episodes in season two prove, some directors begin to parody Lynch's style, adding weird for the sake of weird. But this early on, it is as though Twin Peaks is a juggernaut of unstoppable creativity. Even the duller storylines take on the energy of the greater mystery. Lynch only directed a handful of the original series episodes, which is why the next episode I'm reviewing is an especially exciting one. Not only is episode two (aka the third episode) directed by David Lynch, but it also begins to introduce some of the more metaphysical elements of the series. You could almost say that Lynch directs the most important episodes, and my god is this next one a doozy.

Well, friends, that's all from the world of Twin Peaks for now. I'll have the next review up soonish, but not before the new Doctor Who review. Speaking of which, it is now less than an hour until it airs! Who else is excited? What a great way to ring in the new year! See you all soon!

[harrrrrryyyy]

A Twist In My Story || Harry Styles | Chapter Two.

Okay, so I was gonna wait to post this, but I’m way too excited to get it posted. 

Summary: Olivia Michaels is a young girl who goes to college to experience life to become her own person, not who her mom has made her out to be.  When she meets a curly headed bad boy named Harry Styles, everything changes for her. 

Word Count: 1,285

Warnings: swearing, mentions of sex

Chapter One

The first few weeks of school were okay. I liked all of my classes and the professors were nice enough. I haven’t seen Harry since the beginning of the year party. He hasn’t shown up with Jade since the first time I met him. I didn’t know if I was relieved about that or not.  I’ve decided that I really wasn’t that into him, it was just pure sexual attraction and nothing more. I’ve gotten to know Niall more the past week. He’s the sweetest guy ever. You wouldn’t believe it because of all the tattoos and “bad boy persona.” But I had a feeling that they all weren’t as hard as they tried to be.  

I walk to my British Lit class and take a seat in the middle, more towards the back next to a girl with a septum piercing and black beanie on.

“You’re Olivia, right?” she asks as I sit down.

“Yeah, how’d you..”

She cuts me off before I can get the words out, “I’d be careful if I were you, that group of people you’ve been hanging around is bad news.”

“What do you mean?” The professor trudges in the room, interrupting me.

I think about what the girl next to me said the whole entire duration of the class. After class is over, I walk back to my dorm room. I’m surprised when I see Harry sitting on my bed, but before I say anything, my phone goes off, Cory.  

I answer, “Hey Bean!”

“Hey Sprout, how’s school so far?” he asks.

“It’s been pretty good, I like my classes, the people are nice,” I answer.

“Any boys?” he asks sternly.

“You know I don’t have the time for that.” I laugh.

“It’s college, Liv, live life, mess around, do irresponsible pre-adult shit,” he tells me.

“If only it were that easy,” I scoff.

“It is! This is an order, live your goddamn life. Who cares what mom has to say? You’re an adult now, do what the fuck you want.” At this point, I feel like he’s preaching.

“Alright, alright, I have to go,” I tell him. I hang up after we say goodbye and look at Harry.

“Boyfriend?” he asks.

“What are you doing in here?” I ask.

“Haven’t seen you in so long, love. Figured I’d stop in to say ‘hi’, now tell me,” he stands up and walks over to me, “was that your boyfriend?”

I laugh, “why do you care?”

“Don’t get it twisted, love, I don’t,” he snaps.

“Was my brother,” I say quietly, “can you uh..leave?”

“Whoa! Kicking me out already? Must say, that’s pretty rude of ya.” He acts like I hurt him.

“I have shit to do, and dealing with yours is not on the list.” I roll my eyes, “out.”

“That’s alright, I think I’m gonna say,” he says with the goofiest smile on his face.

“Unbelievable,” I say under my breath.

“You know, you should really speak up, can’t hear ya.” I roll my eyes,

The next two hours consist of me trying to do school work, and Harry trying to get a reaction out of me, and about a half hour in, he did.

“C’ mon, love, Def Leppard or Great White?” he asks.

“Tough choice.” I rub my chin, “Metallica.”

“Not an option, but I like your style.”

The door opens to reveal Jade and Louis.

“Oh hey, Harry what are you doing here?” Jade asks.

“Just hanging out with Liv,” he answers looking over at me, winking.

I try to hide the blush on my face.

“Didn’t mean to interrupt anything, we’ll leave you guys to it,” Jade says, ushering Louis back out of the room.

“So where were we?” he asks.

“You were asking absolutely meaningless questions,” I answer.

“Whoa whoa, no need to get smart.” He throws his hands up in defense.

I huff and lay down on my back.

“Who’s was the best lay you’ve ever had?” he asks.

I freeze, “w-what?”

“Sex, who was the best at it?” he asks.

I clear my throat as I try not to stutter, “I wouldn’t know.”

He sits up immediately, “what do you mean you don’t know?”

His eyes study me as I try to find the right words, “I’ve never..”

“You’re a virgin?!” The excitement and bewilderment are adamant in his voice.

“Yeah,” I say quietly.

Nothing more is said after that, we just sit there in complete silence.

“It’s not like I didn’t want to, my mom was really strict. The only time I ever went out was when I snuck out to go to parties with my older brother,” I explain myself. I don’t know why I feel the need to explain the reason why I’m still a virgin to him.

“It’s okay, don’t need to explain yourself to me,” he says as he rubs my arm.

“I know, I’m lame, 18-year-old virgin.”

“You’re in no way lame, it’s actually kind of hot,” he tells me.

My eyes immediately go wide.

“I’ve always dreamt about being with a virgin,” he goes on, “I heard they get wet so easily.”

I’m in shock because of his words.

“Well, I have to go, see you around, love,” he says before getting up and walking out the door. I wasn’t entirely sure what his problem was but his words still left a ringing in my ear. It sounded so dirty coming from his mouth.  

Jade comes back an hour after Harry left; squealing about how good Louis is in bed. I couldn’t say I knew, I’m not sexually active. The only sexual experience I have was giving Tommy Kapowski a handjob during Seven Minutes in Heaven.

“So why was Harry here earlier?” Jade asks curiously.

“I honestly have no idea, I came back from class and he was just here,” I answer truthfully.

“I told ya, I think he has a thing for you.” She winks.

“I don’t think that’s what it is,” I say doubtfully.

“Trust me, girl, Harry doesn’t just talk to anyone. I told you, I haven’t ever seen him with a girl before. Seriously think he’s gay.” she laughs.

“I don’t think he’s gay,” I tell her, “he said some weird shit to me today.”

She stops what she’s doing and looks at me, “bitch, spill!”

“I told him I was a virgin and I’m pretty sure he said he wanted to take my virginity?” I answer in more of a question.

“Okay, first, you’re a virgin? And second, Harry having sex?” she says surprised, “I don’t know, I never used to think Harry was a normal guy, he was never a horndog. Always seemed like he didn’t like sex that much.”

I shrug, “I wouldn’t know anything about that subject.”

“Seriously, you’re a fucking virgin?” she asks.

I nod.

“But how?” she asks.

“Strict mom.” She nods.

“Well you know what they say, college is the place to experiment,” she winks.

“I don’t know,” I say shyly.

“Liv, it’s your time to get a little wild. I say you lose your virginity to Harry, obviously, he’s down,” she says.

“Wouldn’t that be weird?” I ask.

“Why would it be? No one really knows the people they’re having sex with.” she shrugs and sits down on her bed, “no one really knows what Harry’s like in bed, so you can give me all the deets.”

“I really don’t know about all of this,” I tell her.

“Live a little, Harry’s not a bad choice,” she assures me.

“I guess.”

“Atta girl!” she exclaims, throwing her hand in the air. I high five her and we both lay down. I had a bad feeling about all of this.

[seouledbysisi]

Ambitious Dreams

Chapter Three

The ladies decided to go grocery shopping first and later went shopping for something to wear to the dinner.

“Is this gonna be something fancy or what?” Nova inquired as she looked through shirts and dresses. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for but even the thought of being around these guys after all the chaos last night was nerve wrecking. She had drank way too much and completely put them in a situation that wasn’t safe and could’ve been avoided. She felt terrible and seeing them was going to maximize the feeling even more.

“I’m pretty sure it’s just something casual. Hash didn’t say otherwise.” Nori patted her shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Nova nodded but then suddenly broke down in the middle of the clothing store in tears. “I just-“ she tried to catch her breath enough to speak. “I just never lose control with alcohol like that and to think that y’all could’ve been hurt because of me just makes me feel like a piece of shit to be honest.”

Nori rubbed her back to calm her down. “It’s not your fault and nothing happened to us so stop blaming yourself!”

Nova nodded. “I’m sorry I just wish they hadn’t had to be involved at all. I’m not their friend or someone they care about so I hate that it involved them.”

“No one is blaming you. Thank goodness that they were there! Now let’s find something to wear and take our mind off of last night, the best way we can.” Nori pulled her over to another rack of clothes which were on sale but really cute.

They grabbed some things and headed to the register. Nori pulled her card out of her Michael Kors handbag.

Nova pushed her card away. “I got it. It’s the least I can do to repay you for being so kind to me.” She smiled and handed the associate her card.

Nori shook her head. “It doesn’t cost to show kindness. I like you!” She grabbed both their bags and they headed out to the food court. “I’m starving so I hope you have a appetite as well!”

Nova nodded quickly. “My stomach feels like if it could it would eat itself. That’s how hungry I am.” By the time she finished her sentence her tummy rumbled.

They shared food since the portion sizes were huge.

Nori’s phone pinged. She smiled. “Hash strikes again!” He had gave her the address of the restaurant that had been rented out for the night.

Nova gave her a quick smile. “Did you know them before the shoot?”

Nori nodded. “We never hung out or anything but in this line of work you meet a lot of people. You’ll see when you start styling more often. I’ve shot for them before.”

Nova nodded. “I think Hash Swan, that’s his name, right?” She waited for a response.

Nori nodded.

“Well yeah him, I think he’s feeling you.” Nova told her as she took a bit of some of the veggies.

Nori chuckled a bit. “I think he’s just nice.”

“No, Ash is nice. I mean he flirted with you but he wasn’t trying to buy the whole menu for you last night! Hash wants you to be bae!”

Nori shook her head. “He bought US food! He’s a good guy. They’re men so they flirt with probably every pretty female they come across.”

“They didn’t flirt with me, not that I’m pretty or whatever, but just saying. He paid a lot of attention to you.” Nova sipped some of her hot tea.

Nori shrugged. “I’m going to pretend like you didn’t just say you weren’t pretty and besides I kind of had my eye on someone else to be honest.”

Nova raised a questioning eyebrow. “Like who?”

“The quiet one. He intrigues me. People as quiet as him always have a story behind their silence. It makes me want to dig deeper into his world.” She revealed.

“So you like the chase?” Nova was taking mental notes. Maybe she had been dating all wrong. Maybe she made herself too available. Clearly she chose the wrong type of guys all the time.

Nori giggled. “I guess you could say that. I’m just really attracted to weird things when it comes to guys. Like any other girl would be soaking up all the attention that Hash was giving me but here I am wondering more about what’s up with Hyoeun. Strange, right?”

Nova shrugged. “Not anymore strange than the fact that the entire night I was so uncomfortable being around these guys that I let myself get filthy drunk. I’m not normally nervous around guys, so I don’t know what happened last night.”

“Well let’s not have a replay tonight, okay? Two drinks is your limit for sure. Not that anyone there is going to try and jump your bones but still it’s better to be safe that sorry.”

Nova felt a twinge of jealousy. She was absolutely right, with a female like Nori around of course no one would pay attention to her and she knew that but hearing it out of the horses own mouth seemed to sting more than it should’ve.

Nori sensed the tension as she thought about what she had just said. “I totally didn’t mean that the way it probably sounded!”

“I know what you meant. We’re cool, girl.” Nova half smiled and checked her phone. No missed calls or texts.

Nori

Nori opened her door to be greeted by her ex’s dog. She picked her up. “I missed you, Holly!” She kissed the white fluffy dog.

Her phone began to ring. It was her ex. “What, Harry?”

He sighed on the other line. “I just wanted you to know that my plane just landed so I’ll be by to pick Holly up.”

“Not tonight you won’t. I have plans. You can pick her up in the morning before I go to work.” She responded as she rubbed the dog.

She tell that he had caught a mild attitude from his change in breathing. “Whatever, Nori. Thanks for watching her while I was on tour.”

Nori rolled her eyes even though he couldn’t see her. “No problem after all we share her buddy whether you like it or not. You’re lucky I don’t just keep her to myself.”

“You can’t! I had her before we even got together therefore you’re lucky that I still allow you to keep her sometimes.” He responded as he rushed through the airport to find his luggage.

“Well I spent two years nurturing her like she was mine from the beginning so don’t give me that crap!”

“I know and I appreciate everything you do to help me with her, okay? Can we not argue tonight? It’s been a long day!”

Nori squeezed her eyes shut. “These days I feel like that’s all we ever do. Somehow we make nothing into a argument.”

“Yeah it’s the sad truth. Maybe one day we’ll figure out how to let all this hurt go.” He got quiet on the line but she could hear the background chaos of the airport.

She twisted a lock of her hair. “I sure hope so. See you in the morning.” She ended the call and squeezed her eyes shut.

Nova

Nova stepped out the shower and wrapped a towel around her. She pulled out her makeup trunk and began to moisturize her face before she invaded it with makeup. She noticed a pimple that had popped up, over the past hour it seemed. She grunted and grabbed some concealer. Just my luck! She thought. After she put the finishing touch on her face she loosened her hair out of its messy bun that she simply threw up so she could shower. She slicked it back into a low ponytail. This’ll have to do.

She grabbed her clothes and got dressed, she only had a few minutes before Nori would be arriving.

About fifteen minutes later there was a knock at her door. It was Nori.

Nova took her appearance in. Her long wavy locks of hair perfectly fixated. Her outfit on point. Her body was perfection.

“You really know how to lower someone’s confidence!” Nova spoke as she grabbed her purse.

Nori rolled her eyes. “You’re actually really pretty I don’t know why you can’t see it.”

Nova shook her head. “That’s a story for another night. Let’s go.” She said and locked her front door.

Dinner

They walked into the restaurant and it was quite a few people there. It was more like a gathering or party of some sort. Nova wondered what was the occasion.

Hash Swan immediately ran up to greet them. “Thank y’all for coming!”

“Had nothing else to do and girls do love to eat!” Nori responded with a smile.

Nova took a look around. “Out of curiosity, what is this for?”

“Oh this, nothing really. Our CEOs just like to treat us to dinner every once in awhile.” He beckoned for them to follow him to a table where the other guys were.

Nova smiled and waved to all the guys.

Ash stood and grabbed one of their hands and kissed the top of it. “It’s always nice to see beautiful women.”

Marz cleared his throat but didn’t say a word.

Nova noticed that there was a girl sitting beside him. She wondered if she was apart of the company or was there a story behind her presence. She watched him get up and walk outside.

Nori tapped her shoulder to pull her attention away from him. “You good?”

Nova nodded. “Yeah of course. You?”

“I’ll be absolutely good once I talk to Mr. Mystery. I’ll be back, okay?”

“Yeah go! I’ll be fine.” She said and watched Nori head to the vacant seat beside Hyoeun. She decided to go outside and grab some fresh air. She was beginning to become a bit hot.

Marz was taking a smoke break.

She didn’t dare say a word to him, she kept her distance and sat on the sidewalk for a moment.

“Want some?” He spoke lowly.

His voice startled her. He hadn’t talked to her not once since the incidence. “I actually could probably use it.” She took the cigarette and pulled a long draw from it and got choked up. She patted her chest.

He laughed out loud and sat beside her. “You’re definitely not a smoker.”

She shook her head while steady coughing. “Not. . .at. . .all!”

“Not a drinker either, right?” He asked as he drew in more nicotine.

She sighed. “How’d you guess?!” She giggled. “About last night, I’m sorry you had to witness my stupid actions. I don’t think I thanked you last night but I do appreciate you for what you did.”

“Yeah, that was a lot! I’m just glad it didn’t go further than it did.”

“I don’t want you to think badly of me, I don’t usually drink like that-“

He threw his hand up to stop her. “My opinion of you doesn’t matter, so no need to explain.”

She kept quiet. Might as well since he had completely shut her down.

The door opened and Ash came out. “Let me hit that!”

Nova snatched her head around. “Excuse me?!”

His eyes widened. “What?!” He asked in shock.

“After what I experienced last night and you’re really going to ask me to let you hit?! You’re a douchebag!” She yelled.

Marz and Ash burst into laughter.

“You’re gorgeous and all but I was telling him to let me hit the cigarette.”

She covered her face immediately from embarrassment. “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry. I totally misread that.” She shook her head. “I’m just gonna go back inside-“

Ash pulled her back down beside him. “Nope, I’m enjoying your entertainment.”

She rolled her eyes. “Glad I can make y’all laugh.” She told them sarcastically.

The door opened once again. This time it was the girl who had been sitting beside Marz inside. She spoke in Korean. Marz seemed irritated with his response, but then again he always seemed irritated. He got up and went back inside after he handed the rest of his cigarette to Ash.

They both sat in silence for a while.

“How you feeling?” He asked her sincerely.

Nova stared up at the stars. “Honestly I feel like shit.”

“If it makes you feel any better, that situation last night doesn’t define who you are.”

She nodded. “Thanks. Why are you being so nice to me?”

He blew some smoke out of his mouth. “Should I not be?”

“No it’s just you barely know me and you’re out here, what, giving me words of encouragement?”

He chuckled. “I like you. You’re funny.”

Nova gave him a peculiar look. “You keep laughing as if I’m some sort of comedian, I don’t like it.”

“We’ll get over it. But forreal don’t let what happened get to you.” He rubbed her hand softly.

Nova pulled it away from him and clasped her hands together. The door opened again. She looked around to find Nori standing in the doorway.

“There you are! Come on so we can eat!” She called.

Nova got up and wiped the asphalt off the back of her pants and headed towards her.

“Oh and Nova?!” Ash called out.

She stopped in her tracks and looked around. “Mhm?”

“You never said thank you. . .”

She raised an eyebrow. “For?”

“The gorgeous comment?” He stood.

“Hmph.” She licked her lips and smiled. “Thank you. Happy?”

“Couldn’t be any happier.” He moved past the ladies and headed straight to the food table which was setup buffet style.

Nori snatched Nova’s arm. “What the hell was that?”

“I don’t even know.”

[mittensmorgul]

4.17: It's a Terrible Life.

Dean: Details are everything. You don't wanna go fighting ghosts without any health insurance.

Here's the emotional whiplash episode partner to 4.16, which tried to break Dean's will by forcing him to torture his own torturer, and in 4.17 we meet Zachariah, Heaven's Chief of Manipulation. Wipe their memories, drop them into an actual haunting, and wait for Sam and Dean (and especially Dean, because he's always been Zachariah's target, since Zach's firmly Team Michael, Go Heaven!) to do what they were born and bred to do. It's all about destiny...

Poor Sam, though, gets stuck in a boring IT job, just one of the flunkies dressed like everyone else, doing the same job interchangably with everyone else. We never even see Sam's apartment or what his life is like outside of work. And yet, he's having weird dreams and being mocked for them:

SAM: I dreamt that I saved a Grim Reaper named Tessa from demons. IAN bursts out laughing. SAM looks away and sighs. IAN: Classic! How much D&D did you play when you were a kid? Oh, my—okay, so you—rescuing the Grim Reaper. That's—you're a hero. I mean, thank God we got Harry Potter here to save us all from the apocalypse. SAM: Dick. IAN: Wizard.

And, yikes, honestly. Sam doesn't mention the apocalypse, but here's this random dude saying it (incidentally a random dude who will later be targeted and killed by the ghost, right in front of Dean, who's also powerless to stop it happening-- WEAK, as Sam has been accusing him for a while... but honestly, can we blame Dean because angels literally stole his memories and dropped him in this situation as some sort of weird experiment to prove Dean's a natural hunter, and would chose it over and over regardless of who he believed he was). But here's this guy, basically mocking Sam for all the stuff Actual!Sam would feel... pretty damn uncomfy with. As much of this episode is specifically targeting Dean, as the "building him back up after breaking him down" phase of preparing him to do as he's told to stop the apocalypse, there's a number of really pointed jabs at Sam, too. Yes, this stuff about him being a Wizard who will "save us all from the apocalypse." But also:

SAM: Well, did you back up? PAUL: No, I didn't back up. I wish to God I backed up but I didn't. I'll get it back. I'll find it. It's somewhere. I'll find it.

Wow, dude regrets not being able to go back and do the right thing, and it's too late now. Of course he's already under the influence of the ghost, and this failure drives him to suicide. But he wishes to God he backed up, but there's nothing to find anymore. There's no saving what he's lost. Kinda... metaphorically awful regarding the path Sam's been on lately, and the fact he's nearly beyond saving himself...

DEAN: It's the Master Cleanse. You tried it? Phenomenal. Detoxes you like nobody's business.

Sam just looks at him like he's bonkers. No, he hasn't tried the Master Cleanse, but you'll both be working on learning the demon detox in a few weeks, so I guess this was good practice for that sort of misery?

After the security guard gets crushed in the elevator, spattering Sam with his blood, Dean sees him covered in blood:

DEAN: Whoa. That's a lot of blood.

And like... this is a kicker when Dean learns (in three more episodes!) what Sam's actually doing to make his demon powers go... it's wild to see him comment on it unknowingly like this, and be so dang blase about it.

But Dean is also having his fair share of  "following his instincts," which is again what Tessa advised him to do a few episodes back. He recognizes the strangeness of what's going on, pieces together what's happening, and when it comes to fighting against the ghost, he instinctively knows exactly what to do-- reach for iron and swing. Sam, too:

SAM: No. Well, look, it's more than that. Like, I don't like my job. I don't like this town. I don't like my clothes. I don't like my own last name. I don't know how else to explain it, except that...it feels like I should be doing something else. There's just something in my blood. Like I was destined for something different. What about you? You ever feel that way? DEAN: I don't believe in destiny. I do believe in dealing with what's right in front of us, though.

And how ironic is it that the source of info they find online is... the Ghostfacers... who only learned anything they actually knew about real ghost hunting... from the Winchesters. And round and round this ridiculous bit of the spiral goes. Poor Sam and Dean though, when their memories come back, they're both gonna hate themselves for ever thinking the Ghostfacers were clever. :')

Perhaps most ironically of all, it's Sam who first suggests that they should keep doing this, go out on the road to hunt ghosts together, leave their lives behind. And Dean rejects that idea as insane, at first, because he wasn't about to give up his life (that he believed was his life) because some random guy had a dream about it...

But he DOES quit. When Zachahriah comes in and offers him a huge bonus and a promotion that makes that life out to be kind of a grind, giving him the illusion of a choice... Dean chooses... and quits. To go hunting. Which is what Zachariah wanted from him in the first place. He wanted him shaken-- shaken out of the funk that 14.16 left him in, and also shaken out of the "delusion" that he ever really had a choice at all. It's all been one long, sad con on Dean Winchester.

Just like the ghost in the case, the guy at the top of the company literally manipulating his employees, controlling them into literally sacrificing their lives for "failing the company," just like the angels have been threatening to do to Dean if he fails them.

And that's the narrative spiral. Manipulated over and over again, even when given a choice, it's never really a choice.

[pinkbubbles-and-bigtroubles]

Crush (Girls Talk Boys part 28)

It's crazy I'm thinking Just knowing that the world is round

Here I'm dancing on the ground Am I right side up or upside down Is this real or am I dreaming

Lovely lady Let me drink you please I won't spill a drop, I promise you Lying under this spell you cast on me

Ashton blinked at the clock and stretched out trying to shake the feeling that something was off. He rolled over onto his side and fumbled for his phone just as his foot hit something soft yet solid. He was not alone and for a minute he had no clue where the fuck he even was. He rolled over slowly trying not to disturb the person sleeping next to him and Ashton was relieved when he recognized the long brown hair and shoulder Pisces constellation tattoo that belonged to Cher.  He started to remember what happened last night. He and Cal showing up to surprise the girls, and then Cher agreeing to get out of the club with him and come back to his place. Ashton smiled at the memory of her bent over his couch then on her knees before him. It finally dawned on him that he'd passed out while she was in the shower.

He slipped out of bed and down the stairs to make a cup of tea. He made two cups and took one up to leave for Cher in case she woke up. He hopped in the shower, wanting to rinse the sweat and stickiness of last night away before trying again. He was kind of surprised Cher stayed the night, although with Calum back at Camille's it was probably the only way she could get some sleep. It wasn't like she hadn't slept over before but those were unintentional, like when she falls asleep on the couch watching Shameless or a movie. This was different, there were expectations to live up to and a lot of shit talking he had to live up to. Ashton stood under the water surprised at how anxious he felt about walking back into his own bedroom.

Cher unnerved him but at the same time he'd never been more attracted to a girl. It was the contradictions about her that fascinated him. Cher wasn't the prettiest, thinnest, or curviest girl he'd ever been with, but she was hands down the sexiest. Tall with nice boobs, an even better ass, Cher was the soft side of thick, but it was the way she carried herself that was irresistible. There was an innocence to her that made her unabashed love of sex and kinky nature that much more unexpected.

Ashton got out and wrapped a towel around his waist and padded back down the hall. Cher had rolled over to his side of the bed and stirred slightly as he came into the room. Ashton opened his dresser looking for a pair of shorts to slip on when he heard a sleepy voice “You don't have to get dressed just come back to bed.”He turned around and Cher was looking at him through half opened eyes and pouting, “I'm cold.”

Ashton grinned, “we can't have that now can we doll?”  He left the shorts in the drawer, dropped the towel and crawled back into bed wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back into his chest. His lips found her skin as he buried his face in her neck. Cher hummed in response and pushed back against him. His hand toyed with the edge of his T shirt, the one she had worn to bed, before sliding up to grip her hip. He smiled when he realized she wasn't wearing any panties. Cher could feel his erection pressing against her as his other hand went under her shirt grasping her breast and pinching her nipple, his teeth on her now, biting and sucking along her shoulder. Ashton reached down and gave her ass a sharp smack causing her to cry out. He rubbed the red mark and asked her “do you like that kitten?” “Yes sir,” Cher purred bouncing her ass against him eliciting a groan from Ashton.He gave her two more smacks each time caressing the skin he'd just struck. Ashton was growing impatient and moved his hand between her thighs. His fingers found her opening already wet and waiting for him. “Damn kitten you're so ready for me,” Ashton growled in her ear. His fingers went to work while continuing to suck and kiss her neck which he knew made her crazy. Cher was at his mercy as she felt her orgasm build, but Ashton denied her pulling his fingers away just as she was at the edge.

Cher whined in protest but Ashton just rolled away from her and reached into his nightstand pulling out a condom and a bullet vibrator. He put the condom on before positioning himself behind her. He started slowly entering her, giving her time to adjust to his size, but Cher pushed back against him and rocked her hips both of them moaning together. Ashton used the bullet to tease her placing it on her clit and stopping his hips entirely before pulling it away and pounding hard into her. His other hand was on her breast, at her throat or with his fingers in her mouth. Cher felt herself building up and Ashton knew it too he put the bullet back against her clit and fucked her hard. Cher was getting louder as she got closer and then Ashton denied her again. Pulling out and away and holding her thighs open taking away any chance of finding friction or release.

“WHAT THE FUCK ASHTON” Cher's face was pink with frustration. Ashton rolled her onto her back and held her legs open on his knees looking down at her. “Look at me kitten.”Cher pouted and refused to look at him earning her a slap on the thigh. She whined but Ashton saw the grin she was trying to hold back.“You wanna be a brat? We both know I'm gonna win this, and when I win, you win.” Ashton put just the tip of his cock inside her and didn't move. Cher whined again and tried to move her hips but he had her pinned down. Finally she met his eyes and the intensity was almost too much. Cher smirked back at him and went for the kill. “Please fuck me daddy, make me cum,” she whined, smiling at the look of surprise that crossed his face right before he began to fuck her senseless. Ashton slammed into her holding the bullet against her throbbing clit and Cher screamed from the intense pleasure. He hovered over her fucking her with long hard steady strokes while her nails scraped his back and arms. His teeth were on her skin scraping her jaw, biting her collarbone, grazing her nipples. Cher felt like she was floating underneath him as he brought her closer to climax the build-up intensified by the times he'd denied her until she finally clenched hard around him before finding release.“That's it kitten, come for daddy. Squirt on my cock baby. Fuck that feels so good doll,” Ashton wasn't far behind as Cher quivered from her orgasm. His hips stuttered before he collapsed onto her panting and sweating.

Michael and Luke had been back almost a week before Camille recruited Luke to go on a road trip to run some out of town business errands. Cher had flat out refused to go and Camille knew if Calum came along she'd be distracted and possibly late depending on when and where Calum pulled off the road to fuck in the car. Luke laughed when she'd told him that and agreed to go with her. Luke drove and Camille was the co pilot in charge of music, directions, and snacks. First she was meeting with a potential vendor for The Chelsea, with fantasy season mostly finished Camille had a little time and was unofficially working for Harry. He paid well enough and with most of her current salary tied up in her mortgage, student loans and savings, Camille was stashing the Harry money into a travel fund. Calum hadn't been thrilled when she'd talked to him, but he was getting better about his jealousy. Camille couldn't figure out why Calum was like that, and all he'd ever say is “I don't know, I just am.”

Camille had her 80's playlist and soon she and Luke were both singing along. Camille thought Cher was better with Ashton but she was grateful Luke's brief fling with Cher had led to him being close to Camille. They had a brother/sister bond and Luke could read Camille almost better than anyone, it was a shame his girlfriend didn't like her. Camille shrugged it off, she had a big personality and it rubbed some people the wrong way. Cher thought it was weird, but Summer didn't really come around as much and then they were always in a big group so it was easy to avoid her.

“How are things between you and Cal?” Luke teased her turning down the radio.“I don't want to say because I don't want to jinx it,” Camille grinned at him. “I missed him terribly while y'all were gone.” Luke pouted at her and Camille laughed “I missed you too sweet boy,” and reached over and scratched him behind his ear like she did to Duke. “What's the deal with Ashton and Cher? I'm dying to ask but I'm afraid it'd seem weird.” Luke asked bobbing his head before hitting the high note in Take On Me.“Well, they finally slept together New Year's Eve.” Camille told him.“I knew something had changed. You know he didn't hook up with anyone at all in Australia. He had chances but shrugged them all off. He always says they're no strings, no commitment, no big deal but I think he's full of shit.” Luke replied.“She didn't hook up either,” Camille nudged him.“What about Niall thought they had a thing?” Luke asked her.“They hooked up again but that was before Thanksgiving.” Camille had to think “but these two are so skittish neither will admit they want to be together. I know Cher's history but what's Ashton's deal?”“His ex played games with him. She'd break up with him, fuck another guy then call up Ashton begging him to take her back. She really fucked with his head, then he's had a couple girls he started to catch feelings for but they had agendas. He stopped trusting his own judgement.” Luke sighed. “I know Cher's ex is an asshole, was he abusive?”“Sort of, he's older and met her when she was really young. The sex was good and he took care of her but then he turned on her. Started talking down to her and acting like He owned her, as she got older she got  more independent and he didn't like that. Then she gets these guys that she starts dating or sleeps with and they get super clingy and needy right off the bat. The poor girl snatches souls.” Camille shook her head.“Sounds like what you did to Calum., got any plans for his birthday?” Luke changed the subject before it got too sad.“None that I can tell you,” Camille was blushing “but I am thinking about booking a trip for Valentine's day.”“Don't do that,” Luke cut her off “I can't say anything but don't do that. Is this the exit?”  

It took about twenty minutes for the distillery partners to annoy Camille to the point where she was done. She'd ask question and they'd exchange a little smile like they thought it was too cute she was asking real questions. They kept over explaining things to her with a really condescending attitude. Camille didn't care how good their whiskey was it couldn't be worth the hassle of dealing with these assholes. She cut the meeting a bit short, but they didn't seem bothered. In fact they were so confident they were getting an order they sent her back with boxes of freebies and an order guide.  Camille took the free booze and called Harry as soon as she was out of there.

With that settled she stopped by her lawyer's office to iron out some details of her new contract with ProFantasySports. Her boss Stephen had moved her up to be the face of the company and this past season had been their best yet. Female enrollment in both pay and free leagues were up over 40% She had the second most successful fantasy record amongst the company behind only Stephen. Camille had created the Holloway scoring system that had been widely copied and all but killed PPR leagues on some sites. She was a regular guest on ESPN and SportsTV, Camille was upgrading to nearly six figures a year plus travel perks for the draft and other major games. Calum had been the one who kept pushing her to ask for more. He convinced her not to let her close friendship with Stephen stand in the way of asking for what she was worth. She couldn't wait to tell him what she'd ended up signing for.

On their way home they passed by a little Tex-Mex restaurant that Camille absolutely loved. Even though they were only 30 minutes from home they were both starving and decided to stop and eat, and then they could get take out for their friends waiting at home. The restaurant was busy so the hostess told them they could wait in the bar until their table was ready.

Cher worked through that morning before Calum and Ashton stopped by with a pizza around 2 thinking she could use a break. Calum had Duke with him and the little dog immediately hopped up on Camille's chair to take a nap. “That's his favorite spot when she's not here” Cher told Calum making him smile.Michael and Crystal came by a couple hours later and they all hung out Cher and Crystal listening to the guys talk about a song they were working on. After that Michael started asking Cher some questions. He had the Vexxed video games and Cher had gotten him some merch from the second games release. She was showing them storyboards from the upcoming graphic novel when they heard a car horn outside.

Cher opened the front door to see Camille and Luke stumbling out of an Uber.“What the fuck guys?” Cher was laughing but a bit concerned.Camille staggered into the house followed by Luke tripping over himself.“Okay, listen,” Camille slurred “I just wanted tacos and then that bitch said we could wait at the bar  and she FORGETS US.”“I'm still hungry,” Luke whined slumping onto the couch and looking up at Cher. “Me too all I've had are chips and tequila,” Camille tried to take her shoes off and almost fell before Calum caught her. Camille face lit up “BABY!” she squealed “Okay never mind no food just Calum looking like a snack.”Calum laughed surprised at Camille's attitude and intoxicated state. “Did you get everything taken care of? Where's the car.”“At Carina's restaurant!” Luke shouted “They wouldn't let us drive home or get take out. Cher bear will you get me some food please” He looked so pitiful Cher had to give in and went to find something for the poor boy to eat.Camille grabbed the drawstring on Calum's pants “Darling what are you doing?” Calum grabbed her hands.“I want to take you upstairs as suck you off” Camille whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.

They all laughed including Calum and Camille blushed a little. Luke spoke up “Camille we all know you guys are always having sex. He won't shut up about it.”

Camille looked worried “I hope he says nice things.”

That made everyone laugh harder and Luke replied “He says you're the best he's ever had and we know you love his cock,” Luke cracked himself up.

Camille sighed “actually it's his tongue, my boyfriend is the pussy eating king right baby?” she said kissing Calum's jaw.

Ashton snorted and reached for his phone to film this but Calum shook his head. “Okay Camille darling let's get you upstairs.”

“That's what I've been trying to do” Camille told him letting him pick her up and carry her upstairs over his shoulder. Calum laid her on her bed and gave her a kiss before getting back up.

“We're not gonna have sex?” Camille was pouting.

“Darling I need to get you some food and some water and I'll be back. Then you're gonna take a little nap, just wait here.”

Calum stroked her cheek and spoke softly. Calum headed downstairs to grab Camille a Powerade and make her a sandwich. Luke was sitting on the couch happily finishing cold fried chicken and potato salad. He smacked his lips and leaned back putting his head on Cher's shoulder. Calum went to the fridge and grabbed corned beef and Swiss, put a little honey mustard on some sourdough bread, and popped the sandwich into the toaster oven.  There was a weird energy in the room that made Calum look up. Ashton was scowling from across the room at Cher and Luke on the couch. Luke was still resting his head on Cher's shoulder and playing with Cher's bracelets as he told the story of his and Camille's day. Cher straightened up when she saw the look on Ashton's face and pushed Luke away gently. Luke caught what happened and was instantly pissed.

“You've got to be kidding me. Are you serious right now Ashton? After all the shit I overlooked between you two and you're gonna act like I'm doing something wrong? You're an asshole.” Luke got up and half staggered half stormed out of the apartment.

Calum was stunned as he looked at Ashton “I have to take care of Camille, this is your problem. You need to fix it.”

Cher was visibly upset and Ashton felt like a total dick. Cher stood up to go after Luke and Ashton stopped her.

“Hey, please don't be mad. I'm a dick but I'll fix this.” Ashton kissed her gently on her nose before running after Luke.He found Luke trying to get in his back door but struggling with the handle.

“I got it Luke,” Ashton reached around and opened it for him.Luke stumbled in to his condo Ashton catching him before he fell. He led him to the couch and got him situated with a glass of water and the remote.

“Thank you,” Luke grumbled still annoyed. “You're still an asshole.” Luke started giggling “I called you an asshole.” More giggling, “You’re a stubborn dickhead who won't admit your feelings, you're afraid to admit you like Cher because she scares you. You never cared the whole time I was sleeping with her why do you care now?”

“I cared then too, I just couldn't do anything because she chose you and not me. There wasn't anything I could do about that. You're right though I'm still an asshole and I'll probably fuck this up just like I do all my relationships.” Ashton sighed.

“So don't be an asshole then, go back over there, she likes you too dumbass.” Luke giggled again. “Will you bring me pizza or food later. I'm gonna go to sleep for a bit” Luke stretched out and turned the tv on.Ashton went back over, Michael and Crystal had left, Calum was upstairs still and he found Cher digging through the downstairs bathroom closet till she found her plastic tub with her nail polishes. “I'm going to paint my toes, pick a color.” Cher told him.

“Red, always red,” Ashton told her confused by her demeanor.Cher nodded and winked at him before hopping up on the kitchen counter and handing him the bottle.

“Please paint my toes for me daddy?” Cher grinned at him and Ashton realized she wasn't freaked out by what happened, she was turned on by it.

@biba3434 @toofadedtofight @babygirlcashton @slimthicccal @kiiiimberlyriiiicker1995 @vfdsstuff @unabashedlymyself

[whatthehelltimespell]

Only Time Will Tell Chapter Eleven

Title: Only Time Will Tell Chapter 11/? Chapter Summary:  It’s mostly fluff until you get to the end Warnings: slightly disturbing imagery, but again . . . if you’re watching AHS then this won’t trigger you at all, I don’t think.

When Michael woke up the next morning it took him a moment to get oriented. Miss Elizabeth was in bed with him, still sleeping next to him. That had never happened before. Even if she was there when he went to sleep, she was never there when he woke up. She would leave after he fell asleep.

Usually she was up and making breakfast before he even woke up. The smell of her cooking was usually what woke him up in the first place. The fact that she was still deeply asleep just proved that what had happened the day before had worn her out. It was mostly his fault. She wouldn't have had to wake up in the middle of the night if he hadn't walked right out of the house and into the night.

Michael didn't get up right away. He thought about everything that had happened – his gramma, the fire, sleepwalking, his dad – and fought against the sadness in his chest. His gramma was gone forever as was the home he'd grown up in – or whatever it was he'd done, considering he'd grown up overnight. Gramma hadn't been like Elizabeth, and it confused him to think that he maybe preferred Elizabeth, but he hadn't wished her dead either. Whatever it was that had caused him to choke her in the middle of the night – the same thing that had caused the fire - had wished her harm, but he – Michael – had never wanted to hurt her.

They were two separate entities – himself and the thing inside him. He knew that now. Just from listening to what Elizabeth said, to how she explained it, Michael knew that what he wanted and what it wanted were two very different things.

He was lucky that whatever it was hadn't hurt Miss Elizabeth the night before because he hadn't been in control of anything. He hadn't been lying when he'd said that he'd fallen asleep in his room only to wake up in the living room of the Murder House. He didn't remember getting up or leaving the house or walking to the other one. Once he had become aware of where he was, he just started looking around. He'd been born there and Gramma had lived there at some point, and his parents had as well, so he had been curious.

He hadn't known the room he'd picked to go through had once belonged to his dad. Should he even call him that anymore? Tate obviously wanted nothing to do with him. He didn't know why his dad hated him so much. Michael had never done anything to him. He was glad Elizabeth had gotten to him when she had – she was always there.

He hadn't known her for very long, he knew that, but he felt better with her than he ever had with Gramma. He felt almost disloyal thinking that, but he didn't know what else to think because it was true. Besides, it was nice knowing she actually wanted him there, that he wasn't some problem she had to deal with. She even went out of her way to make sure he was okay and comfortable and happy. She made it clear that he could come to her with things, be open with her without fear of rejection or judgment. She accepted him.

Michael took a deep breath. A small but genuine smile pulled at his lips. Not everything was good at the moment, but he had someone who cared about him, truly cared about him, maybe for the first time in his life, and it made him realize that he didn't have to let the sadness take over. He'd been learning how to make the voices in his head take a backseat to Miss Elizabeth's voice. It wasn't hard to do because he knew she cared about him, and he cared about her too. He wanted her safe and happy as much as she seemed to want him safe and happy

Michael continued to lie there until his bladder decided it was time for him to get up. Elizabeth was stirring by that time, but her eyes remained closed. She would soon be awake, though, so Michael decided he would make breakfast that morning. He couldn't do much more than toast, cereal, and fruit, but it was still breakfast. ---------- When Elizabeth walked into the kitchen to find that Michael was in the middle of cutting up some fruit for a fruit salad she stopped in the doorway and just watched for a few seconds. He was still in his pajamas – so was she, actually – and he was so focused on his job that he didn't look up as she came in.

He seemed able to use the knife efficiently and hadn't hurt himself at all, so she let him continue.

"Good morning, or afternoon . . . whatever."

She continued over to the counter, where Michael was cutting up the fruit – strawberries, bananas, kiwi; grapes and blueberries were to the side since they didn't have to be cut – and leaned against it.

"Look at you, becoming a master chef," she teased.

Michael's movements faltered for just a few seconds as he ducked his head. His mouth scrunched up as if he were trying to hide a smile and his cheeks reddened as blood rushed to his face.

"I woke up before you did," he said. "You always make breakfast." He looked up then, eyes seeking approval. "It's okay, right?"

He was doing something nice for her, so of course it was okay. The fact that he had to ask, though, was just further proof that he hadn't had any normal type of upbringing.

"I think it's great, Michael. It's going to be delicious."

He didn't try to hide his smile this time. That was good. His smile was bright when he meant it – it was a reminder that he wasn't the same person as the man she'd met the night before, because she definitely hadn't forgotten Langdon at all.

She touched his back, rubbed back and forth a few times, and then went to the fridge to get the milk carton. She poured both of them a glass each and put the milk back.

"Thank you for doing this," she said. "I don't usually sleep so late, but . . . last night was a weird night."

Michael agreed. "We have a lot of those."

"Yeah. We do. But it's okay." ---------- After breakfast, Elizabeth left Michael on the couch to play a video game while she went for her jog. The fruit salad had been great, something light, so she hadn't had to wait long for it to settle. She had to work again that day, another four-hour shift, and she knew Michael would want to go with her. It wasn't just because he didn't want to leave her side for long, though that was the main thing, but he also enjoyed getting out of the house. Though to be fair, she didn't know if he'd want to go anywhere if she wasn't with him.

She spent most of her jog thinking about ways she could slowly get Michael used to socialization – if not him actually participating in it, him being out in it. He'd enjoyed going to the batting cage the day before, so maybe sports related things would help. She'd also never really taken him out to eat at an actual restaurant, so that was something she could try as well.

There were other things she needed to do, too, like start teaching him things. Michael had mentioned that Constance had always been on him about his grammar, so she'd obviously tried teaching him some things. Elizabeth just wasn't sure how far he was in his education. She'd never really thought about it until just then.

As she was returning from her jog, the same way she always had, she noticed a car parked in front of the Murder House, two women standing outside of it. It made her pause for a second, because she didn't know who they were. She didn't want to be that nosy neighbor person, but she also wanted to make sure they didn't go in the house.

"Hey, you guys aren't thinking of moving in there, are you?" she called out, and they turned to her.

Both of them had dark hair. Their faces were open even though what Elizabeth had done could've been considered rude by some.

"We're waiting for a realtor, actually, so we can go in."

"Oh. Did the realtor tell you the history of the house?"

"You mean that everyone who buys the house dies? We've heard the stories. But that's all they are, right?"

"Not so much. I don't know the whole history of the house, but I know at least three of the stories are true. You should really do some research before you say yes."

The women didn't look much older than Elizabeth was, but this couldn't be a starter house for them – who would buy such a big house for just two people? Maybe they had other people coming? They'd just been sent to check the house out. Whatever. They couldn't buy the house. Even if Langdon hadn't been using it as a place to stay, there were other dangers inside.

She knew there was nothing else she could do about the situation so she continued on with her jog, praying to whoever or whatever was listening that they would listen to her. ---------- That night, Michael agreed to watch the first Harry Potter movie since they had finished the book. They had picked up burgers and fries on the way home from Miss Elizabeth's work, so she didn't have to cook. They went straight to watching the movie.

Michael enjoyed it even though they took out one of his favorite characters – Peeves the poltergeist, he was always causing trouble – and some of his favorite parts.

They were done eating long before the movie was over, but once it was Michael was able to convince Miss Elizabeth to play a round of Mario Kart with him. He'd never seen her become so frustrated with anything before. She'd told him before that she wasn't great at video games. She hadn't been lying. She was actually terrible at them. It made him laugh harder than he remembered ever laughing.

"That's okay, Miss Elizabeth. You can't be good at everything."

"I would be okay, if I could just stay on the track," she said. "And maybe learn how to drift properly."

After the round was over, Michael taught her how to put the safety on her car so that she wouldn't fall off the track. It helped only a little. She still didn't know how to drift, but she was able to come in fifth now instead of close to last place.

"Okay, that wasn't too bad," she admitted. "Thank goodness I'm a better driver in real life." ---------- That night, around eight, Elizabeth got a call from her mom – her mom was pretty much the only one that called her. Her dad wasn't the best at communicating with her or her sister, and her sister was angry that she'd moved away, so they weren't speaking at the moment.

To be honest, her mother had never communicated much with her before she'd moved, so to have her calling once in a while was new, even if it was to just check in with her for three minutes.

After the normal "I hate that you moved an hour away and that you're alone," stuff her mom always gave her, her mom said, "Do you at least like it there?"

"Uh . . . I guess. It's definitely interesting. I never have a chance to be bored, at least."

Her mother, the doctor, said, "I hope you're not doing too much, running around doing whatever it is you do."

"I deliver groceries to people, Mom. It's not hard. I promise. It's mostly for people who can't do it themselves or are rich enough not to have to."

"Still, you always have taken on more than you should."

Her mom was probably referring to the fact that she'd practically helped raise Tara, her sister, from the moment she was actually able to help take care of her. Once Elizabeth had been at a responsible enough age, both her mom and her dad had thought that meant they could leave her and Tara alone for longer periods of time.

She did not, however, say any of this.

"So . . . Thanksgiving is next week," her mother said.

"Okay . . ."

Her family had never really celebrated anything. Not Thanksgiving, not Christmas, not Easter. They'd always treated it like any other day. No big dinners, no family get togethers. Elizabeth didn't understand why her mother was bringing it up.

"Do you have plans?"

"Not especially. I'll probably just stay home."

"Or you could come visit."

"Why would I do that? It's an hour away, and you and dad are probably not going to be home anyway."

"Tara misses you."

"Tara won't even talk to me."

"Maybe she could come stay with you over her break – or for Christmas."

"I can't. I . . . I have a roommate now, and I don't have any place for her."

She felt terrible for saying that because the guest room had actually originally been intended for her sister's use if she were to visit, but now that the room belonged to Michael, she couldn't just let her sister come and take it from him, no matter how short a period a time it would be for.

Plus, all the weird things that had been happening to her and to Michael – she didn't want her sister around that.

"The thing is –"

"Here we go," she muttered.

"The thing is," her mother said firmly, "that your father and I would like to take a vacation around Christmas time."

"And you don't want to take her with you," Elizabeth seethed. "You do realize that you're her mother, not me. You should be responsible for her."

She had never had a problem with taking care of her sister – she'd even enjoyed it sometimes – but the fact was that she had moved because her sister was old enough to take care of herself now, and Elizabeth wanted to go to a school near where she was now living. Even if she hadn't actually moved into a house, the school was far enough away from her parents' house that she wouldn't have been able to stay there anyway.

Her mother went on about how Tara would love to visit her, and couldn't Elizabeth just share a bed with her sister, or even let Tara sleep on the couch. They did not end on a happy note with each other.

Elizabeth was pretty sure she wouldn't be hearing from her mom for a while. ---------- Michael didn't know if he liked Elizabeth's mother. Every time her mother called, Miss Elizabeth became sad and serious, and it took her a while to smile again. That night she'd even looked a little angry – but it was a righteous type of anger. All he knew was that it involved Tara, Miss Elizabeth's sister. He didn't know much about Tara, just that she was a few years younger than Elizabeth. Well, he knew what she looked like because of the pictures Miss Elizabeth had on the walls, but they'd never really talked about her.

So, of course that was what they did that night, because that was when they always seemed to have discussions. He was the one to bring up Tara, mostly because of what he'd heard about there not being room for her because he was there. He was glad that Miss Elizabeth seemed intent on keeping him there even though her sister wanted to come visit, but . . . Tara was her sister. She was family. He would understand if she needed the room back for a while.

When he explained that, Miss Elizabeth told him about the trip her parents wanted to take and they just wanted to drop Tara off on her like they'd always done.

"Besides . . . I don't know if it's safe here, what with everything that's been going on."

That much was true, and Michael wasn't only thinking about himself. They still didn't know whether that thing – whatever it had been – was gone for good.

"Mom mentioned Thanksgiving next week. Did you and Constance ever do anything to celebrate?"

"She would cook a lot of food. Enough to have leftovers for days." He'd always gotten the feeling that she only did it because she thought it was expected of her, not because she was actually commemorating anything. He'd still enjoyed all the food.

"My family never celebrated it, but I can maybe make us a little something that day."

"Okay."

Miss Elizabeth didn't stay with him that night. Neither of them was upset. Michael just hoped that he wouldn't sleepwalk again. ---------- Because Elizabeth had gotten up late that day, she didn't go to bed right away. She actually did a little bit of cleaning, mostly dusting. She couldn't believe that she'd gone so long without giving her house a good cleaning, but she understood why. She'd been busy with other things.

After about an hour of cleaning, she relaxed on the couch and began aimlessly flipping through the channels. She settled on an old movie she'd loved growing up called The Goonies. Cleaning must have tired her out, though, because it didn't take her long to doze off right there.

When she woke up, she didn't know how long she'd been asleep, but she did know what woke her up. A shuffling noise was coming from the kitchen. It lasted for a moment or two and then it stopped. It started a short time later. There was a pattern to it that was familiar. It was just like the knocking on her door that one night. It happened three times, stopped, and then three more. Over and over. Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle. Stop. Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle. Stop.

She was almost scared to get up. If it was the same thing, it had tried to hurt her last time.

The shuffling changed quickly to banging, though there was no pattern to that, and she knew what it was instantly. The cabinets were being opened and slammed shut. It was almost like whatever this was was calling her out, challenging her specifically – like it had done last time. She really had no choice, not if she wanted it gone. She had to face it.

She got up and went to the kitchen, and sure enough the cabinets were being opened and closed. She could feel the evil – only in the kitchen, though, because it hadn't been in the living room with her.

"This is still my house," she said. That was her main thought, much like it had been the last time. "You're still not welcome here if you're going to do stuff like this."

A plate launched itself out of one of the cabinets and shattered on the floor. Another one came out right after, only this one came straight at her head. If she hadn't ducked, it would have hit her. It hit the wall instead, exploding behind her.

This thing was angry at her for having won last time, and it didn't seem to be willing to give up as easily now.

The lights began flickering like they had the first time she'd faced this thing. That didn't even faze her. It was just the lights. The fact that this thing had actually thrown something at her head was what bothered her the most. It only did it once, but it was still making things come out of the cabinets.

In the biggest show of power yet, every plate and bowl she had seemed to come out of their respective place only to fall to the floor and shatter. She knew that whatever it was wanted to scare her, but it was just making her angry. This was her stuff, her belongings, and it was destroying them.

"What's happening?" That was Michael, of course. He'd obviously been woken up because of the noise and was now coming down the hallway.

And just like that everything stopped. It was as if nothing had ever happened – if not for the damage done, Elizabeth would've thought maybe she'd imagined it. It was completely quiet. She could tell they were not alone, though, because she could still feel the presence of whatever it had been. The lights were staying on, all the cabinets were closed, but the air was still oppressive.

Michael stopped at the doorway of the kitchen and his eyes widened when he took in the mess. His eyes snapped to her and she realized he was checking her over, making sure she hadn't been hurt. It almost made her want to cry because she knew that she was a priority to him.

It was at that particular moment a growling noise filled the room. If ever asked, Elizabeth would swear up and down that whatever this was didn't like that Michael cared about her at all, and it was realizing just how much he'd come to depend on her. A shadow even began to appear on the wall opposite them. All Elizabeth could see were horns and wings – they were almost bat-like.

That was when she began to feel real fear. This thing . . . there was nothing human about it . . . and she could tell that she had been wrong. It had never been about her, had never really been after her. It was after Michael. It had only been tormenting her because she was standing in the way. Michael had never had anybody to help him keep the darkness at bay before, but she was doing that for him, and so she was a threat to whatever this was that wanted him.

Was it a demon? Was it the devil? She didn't know, but there was definitely something spiritual and supernatural going on. It didn't change anything, though, because Michael was still Michael, and she was still going to help him.

The shadow moved – Elizabeth noticed that Michael wasn't looking at it, so she assumed he couldn't see it – and took flight. It came right at her and hit her as a mass of hot, fetid air. It was so strong that it knocked her back into the wall – she was grateful it was there, because if it hadn't been, she would've fallen to the ground.

"What's that smell?" Michael asked.

He hadn't come to her, but he looked like he wanted to – all the broken glass was keeping him from her. Michael was right, though. That thing had left behind a terrible smell – rotten eggs, or sulfur - and she was drenched in it because it had gone through her. She was surprised she didn't have any lingering effects from that – though she did have a headache now, but that could just be from being knocked into the wall.

"Michael, I need you to just stay right there, okay? I don't want you to get hurt."

He was still barefoot from getting up from bed, but she still had her shoes on from earlier. She didn't want him cutting himself. She ended up sweeping the entranceway clean so he could at least get in and to the table. But that was as far as she got because everything hit her then – what had happened and how she felt about it, mostly anger but a little bit of fear as well – and she basically collapsed onto her behind on the floor. She had angry tears filling her eyes.

"Miss Elizabeth?" He was kneeling beside her.

"I just cleaned!" she exclaimed. "It's like it waited to do this. I just cleaned, and everything is a mess again! And all my dishes are smashed!"

She hadn't meant to yell. She really hadn't. And she regretted it instantly because it made Michael flinch as if she'd scared him. Tears filled his eyes as well, and she knew he was probably thinking that she was angry at him because he was who she'd directed the words at.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"It's not – it's not your fault," she said. She took a deep breath to calm down before speaking again. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm sorry. I just . . . I did just clean. That's what I was doing before I fell asleep on the couch."

Cautiously, almost timidly even, he said, "Y-you never raise your voice."

"I try not to. Yelling doesn't help anything, not really. Some people say it's a release, but I just feel bad for scaring you."

"I don't like loud noises, especially if I'm not expecting it."

She rubbed her face with her hands and allowed Michael to help her up. She took in the mess underneath the cabinets and shook her head.

"I don't even feel like doing this right now. It can wait."

She was just about to put the broom to rest against the wall when she felt Michael's hand on her back. She looked at him and she saw a small grin on his face.

"Let me help."

"We should just go to bed. The mess will be there in the morning."

He shook his head and then gestured to the floor. She humored him and looked. Within seconds, all the shattered pieces were floating in the air, stacked as they had been on the floor. She understood what was happening almost right away. He was using his powers. All he had to do was get the pieces to the trashcan, which he did. The lid opened on its own and then that was that. The mess was cleaned up off the floor, ready to be taken out when the trash truck next ran.

A smile broke out on her face. She would still have to sweep across the floor to make sure there weren't any slivers of plate left over, but the mess was gone!

"Okay, that was so much better than having to pick all that up on my own!" She hugged him quickly, noticing that he seemed to be happy too. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

A big weight seemed to have lifted and she knew it had everything to do with her mood change. The air, the atmosphere itself had lightened.

She ran the broom over the floor just to be safe, but then she put the broom back and again relaxed in front of the TV for a bit, only this time Michael watched it with her. They only stayed up long enough for the adrenaline from the encounter in the kitchen to fade and then they both went to bed, each in their own room.

There were no more disturbances that night.

[vinylackles]

chapter two: the calling

a story about an angel, a hunter, a choice, love, a kitten named bumble, and will

masterlist of chapters ||  ao3 link 

To say he was shocked was an understatement. The last he had heard about God’s whereabouts he was off in a far galaxy, experimenting new creations with Amara. And now here he was. In front of him in the woods in Nebraska, with a tiny kitten in his hands. 

“Hello Castiel. It’s been a long time. I see that you found my friend.” He looked down at the kitten, who had very casually curled up in a tiny ball and was lulling itself to sleep with a few purrs in his palm. If Cas’ thoughts hadn’t been otherwise engaged, he probably would have smiled at how precious it was. 

“You’re back,” is what he said instead.

“Indeed. Apparently, I missed quite a lot.” His diction was more formal, and he looked less like Chuck and more like the ethereal being that Cas had spent his entire existence hearing about; a man to be feared. His hair was shorter, his beard shaved. No graphic t-shirts and converse. Something had changed on a deeper level, though Cas couldn’t put a finger on it. 

“Yes. You could say that. Why are you here?”

“I needed to speak with you.” 

“And you choose here?” Cas looked around, almost sure that there would be other settings that would be better suited for the meeting. Especially since it was God after all, and he could choose anywhere he liked. 

“It’s private, and I needed to speak with you alone.”

“Dean is right around the corner,” Cas warned. “He’ll be wondering where I am.”

“Your lover won’t realize that you’re gone, don’t worry. If our conversation runs too long, I’ll… pause things. Our matters are much more important.”

Cas waited, a nervous knot forming in his stomach. What could God want with him? Something so important that he’d come out of hiding again just to tell him. He doubted that was a good thing.

“The natural order of this place has been… disrupted. When I created the arch angels, I never really considered the fact that they may be able to travel between different dimensions of time and reality. In all honesty, I never thought that a Nephilim as powerful as Jack would come into being, so the thought never worried my mind. But alas, as I so often seem to be, I was wrong.”

“As I’m sure you guessed, I’ve been off with my sister. And she has taught me much more than I could have hoped for. But most importantly, she has told me that I need to take responsibility for the things that I create and bring into the world. I need to make it right.”

As unnecessarily wordy as his response was, Cas understood the point that he was skirting around. 

“So you know about Michael, from the apocalypse world. And you’re here to stop him.”

“Not exactly. I won’t need to take any action in that. Besides, I have a weak spot for my children, I often find it hard to kill them. I highly doubt I’m the best suited for the job.”

“The humans on this earth are your children as well. Dean is your child, and you left him here to be taken over by your power hungry, malicious, evil son. Or had no one filled you in on that little incident.” Cas couldn’t hold his tongue, although he knew that he should. He could feel the heat rising in him, filling him to the fingertips.

“Easy, Castiel. I am fully aware of everything that has happened, and I know how frustrated you must be. The way I see it, it makes you perfect for the job.” “The job?”

“I need you to stop Michael. To put an end to him.” His tone was very matter of fact, and it angered Cas to his deepest fibers.

“Right. I haven’t been trying to do that since he came over here in the first place or anything. Let me get right on that.”

To the angel’s surprise, God simply laughed. He bent down slowly, shifting the kitten that Castiel had almost forgotten about into one hand, gathering a few leaves together to make a bed of sorts before sitting the tiny creature down amongst them. He wiggled a bit at the new surface, peaked one blue eye open, and then settled back down into sleep. 

“Your anger will help fuel you. When I made you, I knew that you would be protective to a fault. You will do anything to protect those you love the most, which means you will do absolutely anything to stop Michael. That is why I need you Castiel. You do not know the meaning of quitting, you never have.”

“But I’ve been trying. I’ve exhausted everything that I know how to do. How am I supposed to stop him?” Cas hated the way the words sounded. He felt like a small child, begging. 

“Did I ever say that I wouldn’t offer you any help? There is someone who knows far more about Michael. He’s a… closer relative of his, I suppose. I would like you to speak to him. Meet him in the Amazon as soon as you can get away without anyone noticing. He will help you in your mission, which should remain between you and him. No need for Dean to know, for his own sake.” 

“How am I supposed to get to another continent by tonight?”

“Oh, right. I forget sometimes, about the fall.”

And with a simple snap of his fingers, Castiel’s wings were restored. The feeling was euphoric, like stretching out a muscle that had been cramped for as long as he could remember. He had forgotten what it felt like, to have his feather touched by the wind, not just the cold air on the bare bones of the skeletal remains. He let them stretch to their widest range, relishing in the sensation again. It took him a moment to realize that his grace had been restored to its full capacity as well.

“I wouldn’t keep him waiting long Castiel. As soon as you can get away from Dean with no detection, you should go. I’ll be watching. Remember why you rebelled, and who you can trust. Oh, and if you don’t mind, take care of my friend for me. I think you’ll find him quite endearing, and possibly useful.” 

And with another snap as simple as the first, he was gone. Cas stood there for a moment, unable to make his feet – or his wings now he supposed – move. The whole interaction had come so far from left field he wasn’t sure he even wanted to catch it. But he supposed now he didn’t have much of an option. 

“Well, I guess you’re coming with me since I’m responsible for you now.” Cas sighed, reaching down into the leaves to scoop up the kitten, who meowed very quietly and rested in his hand. He carefully opened one of the pockets of his trench coat, placing the creature in it. He curled up, completely content in his cozy new home. 

Like riding a bike, he tensed the right muscles and suddenly he was up in the air again, flying freely. It was glorious, so glorious that he almost forgot that he was trying to be discreet, and appearing out of thin air was the opposite of that. At the last moment, he veered to the left, landing behind the frame of the van. Good thing too, because Dean was already outside the garage, a small box in his hands.

“There you are. Where the hell did you go?” He said as soon as Cas emerged from behind the vehicle. 

“I was just… walking.” The lie felt odd on his tongue. He hadn’t lied to Dean in a long, long time. 

“Right… Well, you ready to go? I was thinking we should stop for lunch, I’m starvin’.” 

“Sure.”

And so Cas followed Dean back to the impala, coat pocket heavy and mind heavier.

“So. These five dates. You wanna elaborate?” Dean asked. At least, that’s what Cas thought he asked, considering the words were inhibited by an un-humanely large bite of a burger.

“I would assume your thoughts would be the same as mine. You were present during them, after all,” Cas murmured.

“Well, the first one you came up with was way off base. So, I’m curious what you think the other ones are.” Dean continued eating, shoving fries in his mouth at an alarming rate while Cas began to speak.

“First one was the night you came back. The second one was that hunt in Arizona. We left Sam back in the hotel and drove all night, out into the desert. Third was our Halloween movie marathon. Fourth was the hunt in Indiana, though I didn’t enjoy that one particularly.”

“What!? That one was fun! I took you to that weird antique shop and bought you that creepy snow-globe you wanted!” Dean looked honestly offended. 

“Yeah, and you almost got yourself killed the next day. If I had to decide between a Christmas decoration with small woodland creatures and mediocre snow, or avoiding my boyfriend’s death, which one do you think I’d choose? Although, if I’m so worried about your death I suppose I should make you order a salad once in a while. You’re going to get heart disease.” Cas eyed the grease on the plate that had snuck out the back of Dean’s burger. 

“And I need to start burning Sam’s Men’s Digest mags before you get your paws on ‘em,” Dean grumbled. “You only said four dates. What’s the fifth?”

He opened his mouth to answer, but all that came out was a small meow, though it didn’t come from Cas. Unfortunately, Dean heard it, even over the bustle of the diner. Damn hunter’s senses.

“Do you see a cat in here? I swear I just heard one.” He looked around, ducking a little to peak under the nearby tables. 

“No. There is most definitely not a cat in this diner,” Cas panicked. If he could sweat, he would be doing so. In all honestly, he had forgotten about the little creature in his pocket, and he wasn’t sure how Dean would react. He hadn’t really considered it, with everything else he had going on in his brain.

“Castiel.” Dean rarely used his full name. He assumed that if he’d had a middle or last name, Dean would have used those too, for emphasis. “You better not have a cat in your friggin’ lap.”

“I don’t have a cat in my lap.” Cas said proudly, much to Dean’s relief. “He’s in my pocket.”

And as if he understood, the kitten popped his head up, two bright blue eyes wide and awake, and seemingly very interested in all of the patrons in the restaurant. 

“Cas! You can’t just carry kittens around in your pockets. What the hell, man!?”

“But he’s mine. And I love him.” 

“Yeah, alright, I hear yah. But you coulda just told me. He probably belongs at Harry’s anyways; he has a bunch of strays out there. He gives em’ all food, they live happy lives.” Dean was eyeing the little thing, who was paying him no attention, and instead watching the sunlight glint off of the fork resting beside Dean’s plate.

“This one is my responsibility. I’ll care for him. I know you don’t particularly like cats. I also think it’ll be good for Jack to have an animal around.”

The kitten launched itself then, wiggling out of Cas’ pocket and jumping, just barely clearing the table. Its little paws slipped and skidded on its quest towards the shiny object, and Dean snatched it and held it under the table, the waitress missing the incident by just a few seconds.

“Anything else I can get you gentlemen?” She asked, popping over to their table.

“Just the check ple-OW!” Dean said, suddenly bringing his hand up to suck on his finger.

“You alright dear?” The waitress looked concerned, her eyes flicking back and forth between the two of them. 

“Oh yeah, just peachy.” 

Cas felt a tiny furry tail rub against his ankle where his pant leg had ridden up a bit. He looked down to see the kitten pawing at the pattern of bees on his socks. Cas found it immensely amusing.

“That lil son of a bitch bit me!” Dean murmured across the table as soon as the waitress was out of earshot, still cradling his finger.

“Well, you startled him. Here, let me see.” 

Reluctantly, Dean held out his hand, revealing the scratch mark and one tiny wound, with a single drop of blood. Cas swiped a finger over it, healing it instantly.

“Better?” 

“You didn’t need to use your grace for that, it was just a scratch.”

“I have plenty to go around.” Cas immediately regretted the words. He was never going to make it without blowing this whole operation before it had even begun.

“Yeah? Since when.” 

Cas was saved from answering as the waitress came back and set the check down on the table. Dean reached for his wallet, throwing a twenty down before rising quickly from his seat. Cas discreetly reached under the table and scooped up the kitten, who seemed very sad to be moving away from the bee socks he was so intently playing with. By the time Cas made it to the car, Dean already had it started and was tapping his fingers against the steering wheel.

“If that thing scratches up my Baby’s leather, we’re leaving him in Nebraska, you hear me?” 

“His name is Bumble, and he won’t mess up your precious car.” Cas had just enough venom into his tone to let Dean know that he was going to give him this one thing, and the hunter seemed to get the message.

“Yell if you see a pet store anywhere. We’ll have to get him some food, and a box.” 

“And toys. Babies need toys, for stimulus.” Dean didn’t have to ask to know that Cas had read that in one of the parenting books he’d studied before Jack had arrived. At least the knowledge was going to get some use. And even if he didn’t want to admit it, seeing his angel in the passenger seat with the tiny kitten in his hands was adorable to say the least. 

Cas sat Bumble down on his lap, only to have him jump again, this time onto the dashboard. The pair watched as he looked out the windshield for a moment, then curled up on the vent, fur blowing slightly from the outpouring heat, his purrs matching up with the rattling of the Legos below him for the rest of the ride.

It was as if Christmas had come early in the bunker for both Jack and Sam. They were head over heels in love with the little fur-ball that was now running around freely as if he owned the place. 

“Bumble! Bumble, come back!” Jack would call out each time the new family pet even went out of eyesight. And he seemed to already know his name, because he would come prancing back with a new toy in his mouth – Cas had essentially bought the entire aisle of fluffy mice and small balls filled with bells. Sam was subtler, but each time Cas would leave the room and come back, he had moved to follow the little guy around, occasionally picking him up to scratch his ears. 

But, even with all the playing and love, when Bumble was ready to sleep, he meandered his way past Jack’s white sneakers and around Sam’s pile of files to follow Dean as he decided to head to bed.

“I thought you were going to put that car part on? And you were going to teach me how to do it.” Cas said, moving to follow him as well.

“I’m beat Cas. Bed is the only thing I’m doin’ right now… unless you have other plans.” Dean raised a suggestive eyebrow, earning an eye roll.

“We’re not having sex tonight. You said you were going to teach me about cars.”

“I’m sorry sweetheart, but I’ll show you tomorrow, okay? Promise. C’mon, let’s go to bed.” Dean’s eyes went soft, a mixture of sweetness and sleep. It made the pit of guilt in Cas’ stomach swell.

 He was stalling. If Dean went to sleep, he’d have no excuse for staying and not following God’s instructions. He supposed no one was forcing him to partake in this, but a shot at Michael was hard to pass up. And he knew his older brother well enough to know that unless he was dead, he was still a threat to Dean.

Try as he might, Cas couldn’t think of a valid reason to keep Dean up any longer than he already had. So instead, he followed him around closely, even to the bathroom to watch him brush his teeth. He didn’t know what he was going to be told tonight, but he had a gut feeling that it wasn’t going to be easy, or quick. And that meant more time away from Dean, which was the last thing he ever wanted. When Dean spun around from the sink, he had a frown on his face.

Cas couldn’t help it – he leaned forward, closing the space between them for a quick kiss. It wasn’t their first, but they had only shared a few, and Cas missed just barely, catching the corner of his mouth.

“Try that again,” Dean murmured, a gentle encouragement. Cas leaned in again, kissing him a little harder, getting the angle right that time. He tasted like spearmint and it brought a smile to Cas’ lips, which lasted until Dean effectively kissed it away. Dean never missed. He’d had much more practice than Cas, the angel supposed.

“What’s gotten into you today, huh? You aren’t usually this lovey-dovey.”

“Do you want me to stop?” Cas asked.

“’Course not. I just wanted to make sure that you’re alright. Is it about me not calling you my boyfriend, back at Harry’s? Cause, I was gettin’ there, I swear. It’s just kinda new, and I’m not used to saying ‘my boyfriend’, yah kno- “ Cas cut off his ramble with another kiss. He had already forgotten that interaction entirely anyways.

“Didn’t miss that time. C’mon, let’s get you to bed.” Cas took his lovers hand in reassurance, pulling him gently back to their room. They climbed into bed after shedding a few layers that Cas knew he was going to have to put right back on. He didn’t care. Being close to Dean was all that mattered for the moment. He relished in the weight of him next to him on the bed, and as he began to doze off, Dean curled onto his side, right against Cas. His head rested on his chest, his hand coming up to grasp at Cas’ shirt, as if he was afraid that he would leave in while he slept. And it broke the angel’s heart to know that his fear would come true, at least tonight. 

And so Cas waited until Dean was snoring soundly to move out from underneath him and don his clothes again. He picked Bumble up from where he was laying on some laundry and placed him on the end of the bed, as if the small creature could replace his presence somehow. 

And then, he flew.

chapter three: weapons drawn

any feedback would make my day :’)

[peggy-faces]

Mad Men rewatch: Season 1, episode 2: Ladies Room

We didn’t get much at all of Betty in the first episode. In fact, she allegedly didn’t have any lines at all in the first draft of the script. So this is the first time we really get to meet her. Betty’s mother has recently died and she clearly isn’t coping well. To the point that she’s starting to experience stiff and shaky hands, and ends up crashing her car with the kids inside.

Don and Betty have a new neighbor who is *gasp* D I V O R C E D. I don’t know if it was the intention but I got the feeling that this didn’t help Betty’s anxiety. It’s implied that Betty does know about Don’s philandering and doesn’t want to admit it. The arrival of Helen Bishop makes her consider, perhaps subconsciously, that she too could one day be in the situation and it terrifies her.

From a modern perspective(and as someone who suffers from severe anxiety myself), it really is cringeworthy to watch Don’s dismissal of Betty’s mental health issues, but I guess that was par for the course for the early 1960s.

There is a sweet side to Don and Betty’s relationship. It gets lost in the wayside, but it’s there. The scene at the end where they’re having dinner at a fancy restaurant in the city is actually pretty cute. You can see why they got married.

At Sterling Cooper, Don and the dudebro brigade are having trouble with coming up with an idea for Gillette's new spray on deodorant as Roger and Cooper are trying to persuade Don to work on Nixon’s election campaign. I probably missed something but are they pitching directly to the Nixon campaign? Are they forming a PAC? Did they have PACs back then? It’s been a while since I’ve watched Season 1, don’t judge me.

Meanwhile, Peggy is having trouble fitting in at her work. Pete(who, as you’ll recall, she just had sex with last week) is off on his honeymoon and literally every man in the office is being a weird creep. She thinks she finds an ally in Kinsey, but then it turns out he’s just as much a creep as the rest of them. I love Peggy(obviously), but I generally prefer later series Peggy to early Peggy, but I have so much sympathy for her here, which is why the scene where she goes into the bathroom to cry but then decides that she’s not getting to let those bastards get to her is so satisfying.

The seeds of Peggy’s copywriting career are planted in this episode. While it’s clear he’s just hitting on rather than actually having faith in her abilities, Kinsey is the first person to tell Peggy that there are female copywriters. Then, after rejecting Sal and Kinsey’s astronaut idea(“who is this moron flying around space? He pees in his pants!”), Don says they should be targeting women who buy deodorant for men. Shame they don’t have any female copywriters on staff!

Random Observations

Peggy takes Pete’s postcard and hides it in her desk. NGL Pegs, that’s a tad stalkery.

I have problems with feeling in my hands/arms due to anxiety myself and it is truly terrifying so the scene where Betty’s hand start shaking and she crashes the car brought back some not great memories.

I don’t care how fancy that restaurant is, you couldn’t pay me to eat a raw egg.

We get our first glimpse of the legend that is Creepy Glen Bishop sitting on the steps as his mother struggles to lift a giant cardboard box with a pitchfork sticking out of it.

Francine is simultaneously the best and worst character on the show.

I love Mona. She and Roger have the most incredible chemistry, even when it’s clear that their marriage is unhappy. They are married in real life so of course they’d be great on-screen together.

Roger is apparently young enough to have had a nanny during the Lindbergh Baby debacle in the 1930s, which actually makes him only 2 or 3 years older than Don at the very most. That’s… weird to think about. The show makes him seem so much older. And I believe later events on the show actually contradict this claim so ???.

Don calling Betty “Birdie” is really cute, but hearing him call her “Bets” drives me up the fucking wall.

Peggy earns $35($294.48) minus $6.75($56.79) for FICA. Just a few years later she would be making the equivalent of a six figure salary.

Who is this guy? No really, who is he? Do we ever see him again?

The banana Peggy brings for lunch is the nastiest banana I’ve ever seen holy shit.

I always get a kick out of the scene where Don is doing push ups: “seven, eight, nine, ten *sees Betty get into bed* ninety-nine, a hundred.” Same, Don.

Audio commentary

There are two commentary tracks for this episode. The first is with January Jones and Rosemarie Dewitt and the second is with Michael Gladis and Elisabeth Moss. Jones and Dewitt do their commentary together and have some pretty amusing banter, but Moss and Gladis do theirs separately and the tracks are edited together. This is something that happens a lot on the Season 1 sets(but not on any other season, so at least they learned their lesson). I get that scheduling issues are a problem and there’s a limited amount of space on the DVDs, but it sounds awkward and weird tbh.

Harry Crane was supposed to kill himself, but Weiner ended up liking the character so he lived. I’ve heard this before and I vaguely remember there being more info in future commentaries but I believe this is the first it’s been mentioned so I’ll put it here.

Jones and Dewitt agree with me on the raw egg thing. Ewww.

The restaurant scene was shot in a restaurant/bar called The Prince in Koreatown in Los Angeles.

Despite being married IRL, this is the first time that John Slattery and Talia Balsam have acted together and they were nervous.

January Jones originally auditioned for Peggy and she got pretty close to landing the role, but Matthew Weiner told that she didn’t come across as “innocent” enough whatever the hell that means. Betty was originally supposed to be a very minor character but Jones made Weiner decide to expand her role in the series.

Jones complains that she never gets to see any of the actors besides Don and kids.

Dewitt didn’t want to cut her hair, so they made her wear a wig. But the wig looked so fake that they wrote it into the show.

This episode was shot a full year after they shot the pilot. The actors had no idea whether or not the show was going to be picked up. They also didn’t know if they were going to shoot in New York or Los Angeles(the pilot was shot in New York, but the series of the series in LA). Ultimately it came down to Matthew Weiner not wanting to move his family across the country. Moss argues that it’s actually more practical to shoot in Los Angeles because it’s not like they can make modern day New York look like the New York of 1960 and in LA, they have easier access to sets and such, there are a lot of restaurants and other businesses in Los Angeles(“there are a lot of places that look like they were abandoned in the 60s”) that are very reminiscent of that 1960s aesthetic, and the architecture in LA is apparently more period-appropriate than the architecture in New York.

Weiner told Moss that in every ladies room in every office, at some point you’ll see a female employee in there crying(???). How Matthew Weiner knows so much about what goes on in women’s bathrooms is unexplained.

Gladis says the character he played in the pilot(“Dick”) and Paul are considered to be different characters and he had to re-audition for Paul when the show got picked up. The main difference, he says, is that Dick smokes cigarettes and Paul smokes a pipe.

Moss has extremely high praise for Christina Hendricks, her most frequent scene partner in the earliest episodes, and calls her one of the most wonderful actresses she’s ever seen.

Gladis had bronchitis and was “drugged to the gills” during filming.

Gladis worked on the impersonation of the Rod Serling and watched a lot of the Twilight Zone. He loves that Paul is a sci-fi nerd.

Moss says that the closest thing Peggy has to a friend is Don because he’s only one not trying to fool her or take advantage of her.

Gladis says that his kiss with Peggy was his first on-screen kiss and he was very nervous.

“No one worries about the bomb anymore” says Michael Gladis. Man, I miss 2007 sometimes.

Anyway, pretty good episode. Six and a half bad wigs out of ten.

[xx-thedarklord-xx]

There’s a Ball?

So, this was a prompt. I have included the ask at the very end this time because I don’t want to give away the spoiler! Another one that was slightly longer than expected. Oh well. 

-----------------------------------

            “Did you hear?” A boy whispered in delight, voice echoing around the now silent corridor. Draco rolled his eyes heavily. What was with immature people being obsessed with gossip? One would think that there would be better things to talk about than mindless shite.

             “Harry Potter is coming back for the Remembrance Ball next month!”

               Draco froze as he fought the urge to demand the boy to spill his sources. It wouldn’t do well to bring himself attention, especially about Potter.

               Excited whispers broke out as they all waited for Slughorn to open his door for class.

               “Where did you hear that?” Smith asked doubtfully. “Someone else brought up Potter at the beginning of the year but it turned out to be false.”

               For once, Draco was rather grateful for the Hufflepuff’s insight. He just hoped that it wouldn’t be a recurring thing.

               “I overheard McGonagall telling Flitwick about it when I was passing by the staffroom.”

               Draco furrowed his brows. If Potter was stopping by for a visit, Granger or Weasley would have acted like it, wouldn’t they? He shot a look towards Granger, who had a book on Modern Goat Conspiracy Theories compared to Anciently Deceased Theories open in one hand and their Potion’s book in the other. Surely, she couldn’t be reading both, right? Weasley had his head resting on Granger’s shoulder and appeared to be asleep. His mouth was open and Draco was pretty sure he saw drool.

               The clang of the door opening had Draco putting this behind him. It was no doubt just gossip.

 ----------------------------------------------------------

               “If Potter is coming back for the ball, who do you think will be his date?” Abbott asked as Draco sighed heavily, a few seats away from her in History of Magic.

               “Who says he has to have a date?” Macmillan asked with a scoff. “I’m going stag and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

               Finch-Fletchley snorted loudly. “You’re going stag because everyone you asked turned you down.”

               Draco was incredibly sick of everyone talking about Potter. This was getting out of hand. What was with everyone being obsessed with the savior? Merlin, there had to be better things to talk about.

               “That’s because he is blind to Abbott’s desperate pining after him.” Draco snarked, not bothering to turn around. He was just fed up with the whole conversation.

               There was a stunned silence that filled the room. Macmillan sounded as if he was choking on his own tongue and that was certainly the highlight to Draco’s day.

               “Is—Is Malfoy telling the truth?” Macmillan whispered, sounding awed. As if he hadn’t noticed that the girl had been in love with him for seven years.

               “I—umm.”

              Draco spared a miniscule moment of guilt as the girl sounded positively miserable. But it was for the best. He knew how this would end. And really, what was a little pain as long as it ended in happiness? Well, if they actually lasted as a couple that is. As a realist, he predicted those two would break up after one or two children.

               “Would you like to go to the ball with me?” Macmillan’s tone was scared, which had Draco rolling his eyes.

               “Yes!” Abbott squeaked out far louder than was necessary, causing Draco to nod approvingly.

               And if a small smile also escaped, well, no one had to know.

------------------------------------------------------------ 

               “Did you see the article in the Prophet? No one has seen Harry since the Death Eater trials.” Finnigan informed the Eighth-year common room.

               “I heard he died and was replaced by an intelligent Niffler.”

               Everyone within hearing distance turned to Weasley with arched brows.

               “I didn’t say I believed it!” Weasley argued, ears pink. “I was just stating what I heard!”

               “Was that Luna?” Granger wondered curiously, not bothering to look up from her book on Mysterious but Easily Explained Coincidences on the Mating Cycles Between Foreign Walnuts. “Because that sounds like Luna.”

               Before Weasley could inform anyone of his sources on the ridiculous rumor, Longbottom spoke up. Which Draco was immensely grateful for. This entire discussion was ruining his previously good day of avoiding Potter rumors.

               “You both really don’t know where Harry is? I thought for sure he would have told you guys.”

               Granger snapped her book shut sharply. “He sends us letters, letting us know that he is safe and okay. Harry said he is looking for something. We have no idea where he is.”

               “Is he really coming back for the ball?” Thomas asked curiously.

               Despite himself, Draco leaned to the side, wanting to hear what Granger would say.

               “Your guess is as good as mine.”

 --------------------------------------------------------------------

               “So, Ginny, are you going to the ball with Potter?” Corner asked a little sullenly.

               Draco sighed heavily and loudly from the end of his table in the library. Did every waking moment of the inhabitants of Hogwarts have to be obsessed with Potter?

               “No.” Weaslette answered flippantly. “I am not.”

               “Oh.” Corner’s tone brightened dramatically. “In that case do you want—”

               “Sorry Michael, I am going with Luna.”

               “Lovegood?” The boy asked in disbelief. “I didn’t know that you were into women. I mean you and I dated.”

               The argument was rather unintelligent. Which Weaslette must have found lacking as well.

               “Spot on.” Her tone was far dryer than Draco had ever heard from her before. “We also ended disastrously and in a very awkward manner. Which is a fact, just as yours was. But both have nothing to do with my relationship with Luna. Dating a man previously does not mean that I cannot date someone of the same gender.”

               “It’s called bisexuality.” Draco drawled, looking to Corner. “Something you should look into. Either for your own ignorance or perhaps because Boot has been in love with you for months.” Really, were people blind to reality these days?

               The spluttering of Corner and the smirk on Weaslette’s face was the last thing he saw before gathering his things and leaving the library.

               He really should look into matchmaking. It was turning out to be a success.

----------------------------------------------------------------

               “Look! Over there! It’s Potter!”

               “He actually came!”

               “His hair is longer.”

               “Where do you think he has been?”

               “Think he has been rounding up the Death Eaters that evaded capture?”

               “The ball isn’t until tomorrow! What’s he doing here now?”

               No one even bothered whispering. Their gossip was talked about as if this was normal. As if it wasn’t rude to just point and make assumptions about others. Draco pushed through the crowd of nosy simpletons to see Potter greeting his friends.

               The man’s hair certainly did get longer. The length seemed to tame the unruly locks just a little. It was hard to tell but Draco wondered if Potter had gotten taller too. He seemed to have aged inwardly in his time gone. The stance was solid, his smile was firm and the way he talked was easy.

               Potter looked up, clearly sensing someone’s eyes on him. When green met silver, an intense look crossed the savior’s face and it had the courtyard going still.

               “You wouldn’t happen to be willing to give me help, would you?”

               Draco arched his brows as he tilted his head to the side curiously. What on earth was the man talking about?

               “You see, I have this gorgeous but moody boyfriend around here somewhere. It’s been so long that I think I forgot what he looks like.”

               “Well, you have always had poor vision, Potter.” Draco could make out calculating looks from Weasley and Granger but he ignored those. “What’s he look like? He must be a real idiot to want to be associated with you.”

               Potter snorted loudly. “I’ve always thought he was an idiot but it’s nice to have your affirmation.” The Gryffindor smirked a little before clearing his throat. “He’s about this tall.” The hand demonstrating this came close to Potter’s own height. “Blonde hair slicked back with ungodly amounts of hair care product. Grey eyes that are sharp but kind if one knows what to look for. Soft lips that are usually in a sneer but say sweet things when one knows how to listen.”

               A few people let out gasps but Draco only had eyes for Potter.

               “In other words, he’s beautiful.” The man finished, eyes glued to Draco’s face.

               It took several lasting seconds of debate for Draco to set aside his decorum and sprint towards the Gryffindor. He let out a breathy chuckle when he was swept up into strong arms and lifted into the air.

               “Hello, love.” Harry whispered as Draco wrapped his legs around the brunette’s waist. “I’ve missed you.”

               Draco couldn’t help but smile as his face was peppered with enthusiastic kisses. “How was Greece? And Turkey? India? Russia? Africa? Japan? And the dozens of other places around the world?” He peered into sparkling eyes and felt more at home than Hogwarts has ever provided for him.

               “They were enlightening, breathtaking and stunning. I found what I was looking for.” Which Draco knew that his boyfriend had been hoping to find the wonder in the world that he had been lacking his whole life and himself in the process. “But I was lacking something important.”

               “Oh?” Draco prompted, running his fingers down Harry’s cheek. He was just glad that his boyfriend was in once solid peace. Letters were fine, fire calls were better, but nothing was as reassuring as seeing him in person.

               “Seeing the world was amazing but it wasn’t the same without you. Next time, come with me?”

               Draco leaned forward to press his lips against Harry’s. Sighing softly as their lips moved easily. “Only if you go to the ball with me.” He whispered almost reverently.

               “There’s a ball?”

               Draco couldn’t help it. He threw his head back and laughed loudly. After weeks of listening to everyone gossip about the ball and Harry in tangent, his lover hadn’t even known.

              Merlin, this was perfect. Perhaps gossip wasn’t as bad as he originally thought.

So, I don’t know if the ask was quite what anon was hoping for but I had a lot of fun with it! 

Also! I was feeling weird and that is where the inspiration for Hermione’s book titles came in. I also was just wanting to see who was paying attention as well. 

[blindersbeach]

right place right time

wc: 1786 blurb: after a breakup, the reader randomly finds Michael and he comforts her. requested: If you’re taking requests, could you do one with Michael where you work for the shelby’s and he’s secretly in love with and all the boys know and tease him about it. He finds you one night drunk and emotional after a heartbreak and he comforts you and makes you realise he’s all you really need. - anonymous

“Stop it! She is coming!” Michael whisper–yelled at Isaiah, John, and Arthur. Finn couldn’t stop laughing. They were gathered around his desk. You walked down towards Tommy’s office with paperwork in your hands. You looked over your shoulder to see what was going on with all of them because you thought that it was quite odd seeing them all quiet and huddled together. As long as you can remember the Peaky Blinders were never a quiet bunch. Michael waved at you with a crooked smile and you returned it back with a gentle one. You entered Tommy’s office to give him some paperwork.

“Oi! Michael, just ask her out.” Isaiah had said after you weren’t in hearing distance.

“She has a boyfriend. That stupid prick Wallace.”

“Someone is jealous.” John chimed in. Michael’s cheeks were tinted pink. The bunch started to laugh again when Michael walked away from them.

You got blasted at the Garrison. Shot after shot, glass after glass. You were dancing on the tables, singing at the top of your lungs. Some of the regulars joined you. Harry laughed mindlessly at your shenanigans. You also kept saying that you could beat anyone at the pub in a fight, but everyone knew that you could never hurt a fly. For the most part, you were having fun. There was not one worry streaming through you body. The night was ending and dawn’s colors would be rising in a few hours. Tears were now streaming down your cheeks and the fun was over. All you could think about was the dinner before you had. You actually didn’t have any because your now ex-boyfriend, Wallace dumped you and you walked out. You were together for a little less than a year and it hit you hard. With Wallace it was different, but not in a weird way. He was always jealous and way too overprotective. He was always telling you to quit working for the Shelby’s and forcing you to leave work early. You agreed and walked away. Ironically you had wanted to break up with him first and you were just trying to find the right time. Polly had always told you to break up with Wallace and date one of her nephews, but specifically her son. Wallace was always afraid of her and your friends.

“Dear, we’re closing. I would keep it open for you because you’re like family to the Shelby’s, but I can’t serve you anymore alcohol.” Harry said sliding in the seat next to you. All the chairs were stacked on top of their tables. You looked around as saw that the pub was completely empty other than you, Harry, and the barmaid.

“Sorry Harry, I hadn’t noticed the time.” Your glass was empty and you felt around for your purse, not realizing that you didn’t bring one to begin with.

“It’s on the house.” Harry said getting up from the seat and cleaning off the table.

You left the Garrison and started to wander the streets of Small Heath. The streets were empty and quiet. The only sounds were the shoes hitting the cobblestone and your soft sniffles. Tears were still streaming down and your vision was blurry. It didn’t help that it was also in the middle of the night and the street lights weren’t bright. Someone started to call your name. Due to your intoxication, you couldn’t quite recognize the voice or the figure.

“What are you doing out so late?” It was Michael. As he came closer he noticed your tear stained cheeks and red eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Why are you out so late? It’s almost…” You said looking at your wrist where a watch should be, but wasn’t. Michael softly chuckled. He was completely sober and could tell that you weren’t.

“I went to take a break from doing some work at home. I was back there now.”

“So, that’s where I was going.” You tapped your finger to your chin.

Michael was confused, but still went along with it. He had never seen you out so late or in the state you were in. You began to walk in the direction of Michael’s, but stumbled. He caught you and helped you walk the rest of the way there. Your arm was wrapped around his broad shoulders as his arm was laced around your waist. You liked it there, you felt warm and safe. You started to think about Michael, maybe you had always had feelings for him. He was sweet and quite caring. Not to mention very attractive. You were already walking to your house, which means you were subconsciously thinking about him. You were always glancing at him while at work and Polly always teased you. She has blatantly said on multiple occasions that she wanted you to date her son.

“What did you say?” Michael said as he jiggled his key into the door, unlocking it.

“I said that I think I am in lo–” You caught yourself before confessing your feelings drunk, even if they’ve been there for a long time. “I’m completely wasted. Don’t listen to me, Mickey.” Michael loved when you called him that. No one ever had a nickname for him. He didn’t like how ‘Mike’ sounded. He thought it sounded too ‘tough-guy’ and that he got into too many bar fights, which were untrue about him.

Michael helped you inside and sat you on the chair. The fire was low, but still lit the room warmly. Michael took off his coat and shoes and went to his desk. You could feel something crawling up your throat. Searching for the nearest trash bin, you couldn’t find one. You ran to the bathroom and vomited in the toilet. Michael heard this and ran to your side. He held your hair back as it happened. The smell was horrible and you flushed it instantly. You still sat hunched over the toilet. Michael rubbed your back up and down. It eased your body.

“How much did you have to drink?” Michael chuckled.

“Too much. Sorry, I didn’t want to ruin your living room.” You lifted your head, but it fell again as you vomited again. You sat there for a few moments waiting to make sure everything was out of your system. You felt much better as you sat up. “Thank you, Wallace never comforted me like you have.” You rubbed your head. You hadn’t looked up, but Michael’s face was in confusion.

“Wallace never comforted you like this? Why do you speak of him in the past tense?” Michael said still rubbing your back. You flushed the toilet for the last time and tucked some loose hair behind your ear.

“Polly didn’t tell you? We broke up. She ran out the Garrison with the biggest smile on her face when I told her. I thought she came here.” You sat back waiting for the feeling of fatigue and lightheadedness to fade away.

“Why would she come tell me?” Michael said, he was lying. He knew exactly why she would go tell him. Polly knew how madly in love he was with you. She did come over to his apartment, but didn’t say anything other than, “You’ll be surprised tomorrow.” Michael didn’t really think anything of it.

You started to stand up and lean against Michael. You went to the sink and did your best to get the vomit mixed alcohol taste out of your mouth.

“Because she thinks that we should be together. More than your cousins. She never liked Wallace.”

“I’m sorry to break it to you, but no one liked Wallace. We only pretended because he seemed to make you happy.” Michael said and you both started to chuckle. It warmed your heart to think that they cared enough to pretend to like the man you were dating.

“He was SCARED of you guys. Why do you think I was leaving work early or sometimes I wouldn’t be with you and your family?” You said as Michael helped you to his bed. He figured that you might as well stay the night since it was so late. He also wanted to take care of you as much as he could. Michael enjoyed being there for you.

“Do you want to change? You sorta got some on your dress…” He tried to be serious, but couldn’t hold in his laugh. He turned around to search for something for you to wear. He handed the white cotton button up shirt to you. There was an awkward silence between the two of you. “Oh, right, sorry…” Michael said nervously scratched his head as he walked out of the room for you to change.

The shirt hit you just above the knee. You cuffed the sleeves because they were ridiculously long.  You piled your clothes in the corner and climbed into Michael’s bed. His warm, heavy blankets engulfed you. You shivered as you got deeper into the bed. Michael knocked on the door. He popped his head in slightly to make sure you were clothed. He entered with a glass and a bucket.

“These are for you.” He handed you the water and put the bucket by the bed. You took a few sips before placing it on the bedside table. You both laid on your backs with only a couple of inches in between each other. You could feel the back of his hand against yours. Michael could feel the sensation and badly wanted to intertwine his in yours. He wanted you to be his, even if it was for one night. Your index finger was slightly bumped into his on purpose. He brushed his fingers more against yours. You started to interlock your fingers with him. Michael hesitated for a moment and then reached for your hand fully locking yours with his. You rubbed the top of his thumb with yours.

Polly walked into Michael’s house. The fire was out. His desk was a mess. She found a pair of shoes that definitely didn’t belong to Michael. She carefully wandered around the house, hopefully not finding a naked woman in his bedroom. Peering through the door with one eye open, she found a bucket on the floor and the clothes beside it that looked awfully familiar. She thought that it was quite odd, but so was her son and the rest of her family. Polly opened both eyes and continued her gaze upward and found you and Michael sleeping in the same bed. Your head was rested on his chest as he had an arm around you. You were still holding hands. With the biggest grin possible, she closed the door behind her as she walked out.

[fk12b]

First love

Balthazar x Reader

Plot: Just having a girl’s talk with Charlie, just gossiping

Main Characters: Team Free Will, Gabriel, Balthazar, Charlie, Special guest star

Prompts: 3 - “Hm… fascinating” & 310 - “We can leave, you know?”

Warnings: A bit of Harry Potter, A bit of fluff, a bit of gossip, annoying Balthazar, the usual.

Word Count: 2418 Words

A/N: Based on this song -> Outlaws - Green Day

You were having a lazy afternoon with your friend Charlie at the Bunker’s living room, watching a full marathon of Harry Potter movies alternating them with the books. You just finished watching The Prisoner of Azkaban and were halfway throw the third book as well.

“Y’know” You suddenly said glancing up from your book “The Prisoner of Azkaban, is one of the bests, it has always been one of my favorites. The movie’s quite accurate too” You simply said.

“What do you mean one of the bests? You meant the best, right?” Charlie looked up from his book and turned in her spot on the couch to face you.

“Oi, come on! Not again!” You rolled your eyes “You know I always have a hard time choosing my favorite because I like the fourth book too” You turned to face her.

“Who’s your favorite character?” She asked you expectantly placing her book on the couch.

“Hum, that’s an easy one,” You said smiling “The Weasley twins” you stated proudly.

“They are two. I said favorite, no favorites” Charlie spoke after clicking his her tongue twice.

“I beg to differ, but,” you said raising your index finger “The twins go together as a pack, There’s no Fred without George as there is no George without Fred” You looked at your friend knowingly.

“Yeah okay, you got a point there. The only times they separated, George was left without his left ear and Fred died” Charlie agreed.

“You had to say it, didn’t you?” You warned at the mention of Fred’s death “We still are in the third book and you had to say that Fred died.” You angrily said tears welling up in your eyes.

“Come on, I’m sorry, His dead broke my heart too” Charlie softened his tone as she felt tears welling up in her eyes too.

“He deserved better” you whispered, “It broke a perfect family” you softly said “I don’t care how many times Rowling apologizes, but I hate that woman so much for killing Fred, and torturing the poor Neville like she did” You continued heartbrokenly.

“Stop you’re gonna make me cry” You friend agreed. And suddenly you both were crying and hugging tightly.

Dean entered the living room to see what you two were up too, and he stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted the two of you hugging and crying inconsolably.

“What happened?” Dean said worry evident in his tone, but instantly relaxed when he saw the credits of Harry Potter and the pile of books stacked on the coffee table.

“Come on!” He said rolling his eyes “It’s just a character!” Dean spoke annoyed.

“Shut up!” Charlie and you said in one as you threw at him your books, hitting him in the chest making him leave you alone. You instantly regretted it.

You stood up to pick up the books and returned to your spot on the couch. You dusted your book off and kissed it apologizing for doing such a thing. You loved books and you really treat them with so much deserved care.

You were finishing the fifth book, which you’ve watched all the previous movies and read the books when the boys decided it was time to play some poker. They settled everything on the table behind the couch. Neither Charlie nor you seemed to notice them.

“You don’t know how much I hate that awful Dolores Umbridge” Charlie spoke closing the book and placing it on the coffee table.

“It’s like I can hear McGonagall say ‘Were you ever nice?’” You playfully said “And Dolores answering ‘1985 worst year of my life’” Charlie and you laughed.

“Not all villains wear black and own hellhounds” Your friend joked and you laughed hard at his implication.

“Yeah, they are covered in pink and have a fetish with fluffy kittens” Charlie joined your laugh, making the boys look at each other not knowing what was happening and was so funny.

“You know, Y/N, you never told me who your first crush was” Charlie smirked.

“That’s an easy one” you chuckled “Sean Biggerstaff” you grinned proudly, earning an eye roll from Dean.

“Oh, really?” Charlie chuckled glaring at you.

“I mean he’s cute” you shrugged “And of course, he’s the cute captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team” Charlie laughed.

“Yeah, cute captain, huh?” Charlie raised an eyebrow.

“Oh come on, I was only nine years old when I first watched Harry Potter, and the only thing I can remember from that time was that I had a massive crush on Oliver Wood, like most of the girls in this world,” You said matter of factly.

“I have to admit he’s attractive, though” Charlie nodded in agreement.

“Come on who was your first crush? Hermione? I mean it’s your favorite character. She hooked up with the wrong guy though”

“Ten points for Gryffindor!” She cheered agreeing with the fact of Hermione “And answering your question, no it wasn’t Hermione. Her name was Genna Broderick, sixth grade.” She answered.

“Oh, come on!” you threw your arms in the air “Now, I’m the weirdo! You were supposed to have a crush on another fictional character! Maybe from Hogwarts too.” You said crossing your arms over your chest.

“Okay, I had a crush on Hermione. You happy now?” She said in mock surrender.

“I thought you were gonna say, Ginevra Weasley” You frowned fighting to giggle “You know, she’s a redhead, too” you teased her earning a punch on your shoulder, using the impulse, you moved to pick the water bottle settled on the floor next to you.

The guys by now were flipping out. You’ve almost spent the whole afternoon watching and talking about Harry Potter, boys, and other girls stuff. Dean to say the least was clearly annoyed.

“Hm… fascinating” Balthazar said mixing the cards and dealing some cards.

“We can leave, you know?” Dean said more than annoyed.

“Okay, Slytherin crush?” Charlie asked oblivious to the fact that the boys joined you in the living room.

“Hm... you mean being Gryffindor and having a Slytherin crush or the forbidden love?” You wondered not knowing that you picked certain angel’s interest.

“I meant Gryffindor-Slytherin crush, but I’m all ears to what you have to say about the forbidden love” Charlie sat cross-legged facing you and placing her elbows on her knees giving you all her attention.

“The typical. You fall for the stupid annoying sarcastic sassy angel that clearly makes your life a living hell because you are a human and he’s a powerful angel” you said chugging at your water. Suddenly the boys were finding your conversation interesting, especially Balthazar.

“Wait a minute,” Charlie said frowning in confusion “You love him or you hate him?” She wondered

“Both” you sighed “I mean, I’ve admitted the fact he doesn't want to know nothing about me, because human here, and clearly he hates me, why annoy the hell out of me then? So, I have no other option than to hate him if I want to forget him. Well, in the end, he’s eternal, he would forget me anyways” You explained laying on the couch.

“And I thought Dramione was a love story” Charlie added “Y/N and the angel of the lord” She nodded.

“Soon in your nearest bookstore with 50% more angst” You added chuckling

“Who’s the lucky angel?” Charlie wondered.

“Come on! I thought you knew by now” You simply answered.

“Castiel?”

“No”

“Gabriel”

“No”

“Lucifer”

“No”

“Michael”

“No”

“Raphael”

“I said angel, no archangel”

“Samandriel?”

“No”

“Gadreel”

“Are you fucking serious that you’re gonna name all the angels in the garrison?”

“No way!” She gasped realizing who it was.

“What?!” You frowned sitting up suddenly scared that he might be behind you and have heard everything.

“It’s Balthazar!” She cheered with a smirk on her face.

“No,” you said after a second earning a glare from her “Yeah okay it’s him. Don’t say a word for your sake or else I’ll smite you. I don’t want anyone to make fun of me. I have enough with having to deal with Balthazar”

“So, you love Balthazar then?” Charlie asked you again.

“Of course not!” You lied “He loves no other than his ego” you rolled your eyes at her. Well, now everybody in the room was confused. Except the aforenamed who was more than pissed off.

“Now, I’m confused” Charlie frowned.

“Yeah, I have that effect sometimes” you sassed “People find me weird and confusing. I’ve run out of popcorn, want some more?” You asked standing from your spot and stretching your limbs, in way of changing the subject.

Glancing sideways you caught sight of the boys playing poker and caught certain angel looking intently at you. You froze for a second your heart skyping a beat and forgetting about anything else. There’s no escape from his tease now.

“And bring a coke too” Charlie’s voice snapped you back from your train of thoughts.

“Anything else, her majesty?” You joked, trying to make her repeat what you’ve missed if odds were in your favor.

“That’s it for now. Popcorn and coke, you can leave now” Chalie joked back. You bowed at her lifting an imaginary long dress and left the living room chuckling pretending you saw nobody sitting on the table playing poker and the blonde angel following your moves with a glare you couldn’t decipher.

You placed the bag of popcorn in the microwave and set the timer up to 3:00 minutes and served yourself a glass of Balthazar’s whiskey before leaning on the kitchen’s cold metal counter. Thank your ability to say things you should keep to yourself, but Charlie was your best friend, she should know what’s going on inside your heart. You were that focused on your thoughts that you didn’t notice the blonde angel joining you there. You were raising the untouched glass of whiskey to your lips when you heard him clear his throat.

“You’re blocking my way to the whiskey,” he said annoyance evident in his tone when he was millimeters away from your body.

Scoffing and ignoring him you placed your glass in his hand and moved to the microwave which was ringing loudly. You retrieved the bag of popcorn enjoying the smell of them and took a bowl from the counter and emptied the bag on it. Discarding the pack you placed another one in the microwave before returning to your spot on the counter and taking the glass from Balthazar’s hands.

“That’s my whiskey,” He said in mock annoyance

“I’m sorry haven’t seen a label with your name on it” You sassed taking a sip from the whiskey.

“And?” He said you shrugged in response without looking at him

“Did you mean those words?” He suddenly asked

“Will it change something if I say something?” You said looking up at those blue eyes.

“Will it change something if I say you are my soulmate and I love you too?” He said simply

“Is this another joke?” You frowned at him but he kissed you this time.

“I don’t love you” You answered when you pulled apart.

“You always were such a terrible liar,” He said cradling your face in both of his hands. This time he kissed you more passionately only to be interrupted by the microwaves ringing.

“Shit,” You said softly while moving to retrieve the popcorn and place them in another bowl.

“Well resume this later” He winked at you and with a smile you took from the fridge a can of soda and another of Ice tea.

“You’d better” picking up the bowls and the cans you joined Charlie on the couch again.

“Took you long enough” Charlie greeted you “What were you doing?”

“Waiting six minutes for the popcorn to be cooked” You answered while you place in her hand the soda can

“Twenty bucks he forgets the whiskey” Dean bet

“Twenty-five” Gabriel raised

“Fifty” Samm joined

“Fifty he brings only two glasses” Castiel added

At that moment you heard footsteps approaching and Balthazar’s humming.

“Shit! The whiskey” Balthazar swore followed by two glass clinking making you and Charlie burst into laughs.

Some years later...

“Daddy! Daddy!” Your four years old son yelled, “How you fell in love with mommy?”

“Well, that’s a good story,” Balthazar said to his son while smirking.

“Don’t listen to him. He made fun of me as much as he could and more” you said to your son while you joined them on the library.

“She’s fun to tease” Balthazar whispered to him making him giggle.

“Andy, they’re a couple of liars” Sam started

“We had to put up with your father’s girl talk for so long” Dean continued making the angel roll his eyes.

“And with your mothers complaining too,” Charlie added. Now it was your turn to roll your eyes.

“She made us watch Titanic just to annoy your father” Gabriel added “Your mother doesn’t even like that movie”

“I hate it, to be honest” You chuckled at the memory.

“She’s evil” Your mate explained to his son earning a ‘No, she’s lovely’ from him “Yeah, but she drank my whiskey. One which was rare and expensive” Balthazar glared at you.

“He drank it himself but doesn’t remember because he has memory problems because he’s such a greybeard” Your son laughed at your comment and you stuck out your tongue at your soulmate.

“Besides all the teasing” Castiel continued gaining Andy’s attention “They were made for each other”

“And your father won't admit it,” Chuck said from behind Balthazar making all of you turn to him, except your mate who was looking at you intently with so much adoration and love “but he fell in love with your mother since the very first moment he heard her name” He explained with a smile.

Hope you liked this send me an ask if you want to be tagged. Love Y'all.

[aion-rsa]

The Office: The Farm Spin-Off Would Have Wrecked Dwight and Angela’s Ending

https://ift.tt/3yUPU8j

Warning: contains spoilers for The Office seasons 1-9.

“Geese and goats and Schrutes and hijinks at the Bed and Breakfast” is how Rainn Wilson, the actor behind The Office‘s Dwight K. Schrute, summed up proposed spin-off The Farm, which never went beyond its pilot episode. Speaking to fans on a Reddit AMA back in 2012, Wilson called the Dwight-focussed show a terrific, weird yet accessible rural family comedy. Had it been ordered to series, it would have told the story of the Dunder Mifflin paper salesman running a 1,600 acre farm and B&B with his brother and sister.  

“It would have been a really big hit,” The Farm writer-director Paul Lieberstein told ‘The Office Deep Dive with Brian Baumgartner’ podcast in 2021. Lieberstein was co-showrunner on The Office for seasons five to eight, and played HR manager Toby Flenderson on the comedy. He told podcast presenter Brian Baumgartner how disappointed he was when NBC chose not to pursue the project in 2012, blaming a change in management. “I don’t see how someone could not give The Farm a chance. Not give the Dwight spin-off a chance,” he told the podcast. 

The year before, Comcast had bought a controlling share in NBCUniversal, which resulted in a change of NBC Entertainment Chair. The new boss, says Lieberstein, did not champion The Office. “I have to say that they didn’t even know all of the characters’ names at that point, they weren’t really following the show. I think we were just a disappointing line item at the time.” 

Lieberstein had planned for the spin-off to develop into a mockumentary about the hardships of running a small family farm “at a time when they’re being squeezed out”, he told The Daily Beast in 2018. “It would have old characters and new, and they’d have kept the B&B going. It would have been a lot of fun.” 

The spin-off’s major new characters were introduced in the unaired pilot, 12 minutes of which were chopped up and edited into season nine The Office episode ‘The Farm’. A pre-Silicon Valley Thomas Middleditch played Dwight’s unlikely brother Jeb, a hapless drifter who’d stumbled into Californian weed farming. Roswell’s Majandra Delfino played their pseudo-intellectual, amateur poet, Chicago-dwelling sister Fannie, single mother to nine-year-old city mouse Cameron, played by Mom’s Blake Garrett-Rosenthal. The 12 minutes of the pilot shown laid the groundwork for Dwight to take ‘Cammy’ under his wing and school him in Schrute tradition.

‘The Farm’ episode also introduced a new love interest for Dwight in the form of Esther Bruegger (played by writer-director Nora Kirkpatrick). Bruegger’s character was an attractive, younger-than-Dwight sprout farmer from a neighbouring farm, who recurred as Dwight’s girlfriend on season nine of The Office until Dwight and Angela finally reunited and went on to marry in the series finale. If The Farm had come to fruition though, that series finale would have been entirely different.

Angela Kinsey – the actor behind The Office’s uptight, judgmental accountant Angela, who had a long-running secret affair with Dwight – was not part of The Farm’s cast. After the end of The Office, Kinsey was lined up to star alongside her real-life pal Rachael Harris in FOX sitcom pilot Dirty Blondes, a post-divorce female friendship comedy by Black-Ish’s Stacy Traub. When that didn’t happen, Kinsey starred alongside The Daily Show’s Rob Riggle in the pilot for oddball family comedy The Gabriels. That one didn’t go either, but if either had gone to series, then Kinsey obviously could not have also been part of The Farm, meaning that ‘Dwangela’ wasn’t always destined to be Dwight’s romantic endgame. Perhaps Kinsey would have made Lilith Sternin-in-Frasier-style guest appearances in the spin-off, but it seems that she and baby Philip weren’t always intended to be Dwight’s big story.

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Parks and Recreation: What Happened to Mark Brendanawicz?

By Gavin Jasper

The original plan, if The Farm had gone to series, was for the backdoor pilot to have slotted in around episode five of The Office’s final season. At that point, Dwight had given up on Angela after (wrongly) learning in the season premiere that he wasn’t the biological father of her son. Rainn Wilson’s character would have been written out of the show around the mid-season point, leaving Dunder Mifflin for an Angela-free future. 

Somewhat counter-intuitively, Dwight would also be leaving for a Mose-free future. Mose Schrute was Dwight’s strange cousin, a recurring character who lived at Schrute Farms and popped up to add weird vibes whenever the story ventured in that direction. Any fan would have expected Mose to be a cert for The Farm spin-off, but that was an impossibility. Mose’s character was played by one of the show’s writer-producers Michael Schur, and originally intended as a seldom-seen joke. The character though, proved a fan favourite, so the team kept finding ways to bring him back. 

At the end of season four, Mike Schur and Greg Daniels left The Office to run its first ever spin-off, a city council-focused comedy that eventually became Parks & Recreation. In 2013, Parks & Rec was entering its fifth season, and there was no way that Schur would have time to run that show and continue playing Mose. Schur told Aint It Cool in June 2012 that Mose’s absence from the series proper would be explained, “and that the explanation was too funny to reveal ahead of the pilot’s airing.” A tragic farm-related accident? Scouted for a new season of Amish in the City? Or perhaps Mose finally elopes with his lady scarecrow… we’ll never know.

When NBC declined to pick up The Farm, the decision was made in good enough time for Dwight to be re-inserted as a lead into the last half of season nine, and for the series finale to be written around his and Angela’s wedding. An unintended victim, showrunner Greg Daniels told fastcompany.com in 2013, was British actor Catherine Tate who played Nellie on The Office:

“The toughest part was for Catherine Tate. There was going to be this zone where Rainn had left and Ed Helms was doing The Hangover [Part III] and we had talked to Catherine about the character of Nellie kind of filling the gap and being the driver of comedy A-stories in that period. Then when The Farm didn’t go, Rainn kind of came back and filled that role. So I think we kind of wasted a brilliant comedian this year a little bit with Catherine Tate.”

Greg Daniels, 2013.

‘The Farm’ half-hour eventually aired as episode 17 of the season, which introduced Dwight’s new girlfriend Esther just in time for Angela’s marriage to her closeted gay husband Senator Robert Lipton to have fallen apart, creating a mini love triangle. Who would Dwight choose, a young teutonic beauty who knew her way around a combine harvester, or his ‘Monkey’?

Dwight chose Monkey, and promised to raise her son Philip despite not being his biological father. That’s when Angela told Dwight that she’d faked the DNA results and Philip was, as suspected, his son. ‘Faked the results’ isn’t quite how editor-producer David Rogers put it in this 2013 interview with Office Tally. Rogers explained that lines had been cut from scenes suggesting that when Dwight took a used diaper from the garbage to test Philip’s paternal DNA, he accidentally picked up one used by Jim and Pam’s baby or another child, hence the lack of a match. In the end, that explanation was dropped to simplify things. 

Dwight and Angela’s one-year-later wedding story in the series finale gave The Office the perfect premise to reunite the show’s cast, many of who had left Dunder Mifflin for pastures new. It let Steve Carell make a deliberately low-key cameo (he didn’t want to draw focus from the main event) as Michael Scott, Dwight’s surprise best man. It let Jim and Dwight show their brotherly affection for each other, after years of enmity. And it gave Dwight and a partially redeemed Angela – who’d been brought low by the end of her marriage and lost some of her sharper corners in the process – a happy ending. Had The Farm happened, all of that would have been different.

Some think that that NBC’s decision not to move forward with the spin-off was no bad thing. When writer of The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s Andy Greene was asked about the defunct series in this Jeremy Roberts interview, he clearly thought it was for the best:

“Everyone I spoke to felt it was a bad idea. I agree. You don’t want to spend that much time with Dwight on the farm. He’s funny at an office with people that are his total opposites. “The Farm” is a salvaged failed pilot that they chopped up into a regular episode because NBC didn’t want to pick it up. The whole thing was just a colossally wrong-headed idea and one of the worst Office episodes ever.“

Andy Greene, 2020.

Dwight works so well as a character in The Office because he’s the chaotic element in Dunder Mifflin’s everyday mix, the unpredictable wildcard in a place of crushing predictability. Surround Dwight K. Schrute with characters as unhinged as he is, and he loses his unique power. If The Office is ultimately about – as Pam says in the show’s last ever line – seeing beauty in ordinary things, then The Farm, with its oddball characters and outlandish Schrute family traditions, would have been anything but ordinary, so maybe wouldn’t have captured the same beauty.

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The Office: An American Workplace is available to stream on Netflix in the UK, and on Peacock in the US.

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