#i came with a group of four other people from our office

[whentherewerebicycles]

Watching you suffer and bail on this is SO validating actually. I remember in high school we used to do a "women's day" where we'd sit in circles and they'd get us to tell personal stories that were uncomfortable and talk about how hard being a teenage girl was and tell each other affirmations and after the first year I BEGGED my mum to let me skip off of this fake vulnerability and manufactured closeness and she let me thank god.

I'm sorry you have to go through this, but I am begging you to be "vulnerable and brave" and "live your truth" and "make space for honesty" in your evaluation. Please, for the haters in all of us.

oh my goddd this is only semi-related but your description of women's day (gag) is giving me flashbacks to youth group where we'd be divided into groups of four or five teenage girls to talk about our Struggles in Faith. i just remember this one popular girl named jessica was always like 'SIGHHH my struggle is that i am so Pursued by Potential Boyfriends' and then would tearfully allude to her difficulties in Refraining from Premarital Sex. i mean in retrospect she probably WAS having complicated teen girl experiences around sexuality and navigating relationships with men. but at the time i was like eyeroll eyeroll we get it you're oppressed by your own hotness & desirability. god gives his hardest battles to his toughest soldiers

[mama2bears]

Starting Over Again - Chapter 5

Warnings: Swear words, attack

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Chapter 5

“Y/N? Y/N?” You were suddenly aware of someone calling your name. You looked up, scanning the packed waiting room, then you saw them...Boone, Dexter, Lily, and Dani were pushing their way though the crowed, “Y/N?” Lily called.

“Here! Over here!” You stand and put your arm up and the four rush to you. Boone is the first one to you and hugs you, “You okay?” he asked.

“I am okay...” you nod as Lily and Dani rush to pull you into a hug. You break down into tears, body shaking with the sobs, “I don't know about Tyler though..”

“What happened?” Dani asked softly as the team sat around you on the uncomfortable waiting room chairs.

“Tyler took me to the park out by the lake for a picnic. We were getting ready to leave when the storm hit.” you took slow steady breaths trying to calm yourself, but you just couldn't.

“It's okay. Take your time.” Lily squeezed your hand. “We're here for you.” Boone placed a hand on your shoulder.

“The keys were locked in the truck, along with our phones.” You said, “Tyler and I went and took shelter in a ditch.”

Dani took your other hand in support and everyone sat in silence for a moment, waiting for you to continue.

“Tyler was on top of me, protecting me.” you sobbed, “It's my fault. It's my fault.” you whispered.

“Oh no...no don't you do that. None of this is your fault, Y/N.” Dexter said.

“No sweetie...It's not your fault. Tyler cares about you. We all could see that the first day. Of course he was going to protect you. It's Tyler. That's what he does. He protects those he cares about.” Lily said, “There was one time he literally was hanging onto a movie theater seat by his ANKLES, holding onto my arm with both of his hands to keep me from flying into the tornado.

“A tree fell on us.” you continue. We were pinned and part of it cut into his leg. If it weren't for Tyler...that would have been me. Should have been me.” you sobbed. “As if that wasn't bad enough, the river we were near flooded. I was trapped under Tyler, but somehow...somehow he moved enough that I could get out. I almost had him free, then the tree rolled back on him.” you broke down, unable to continue.

The team all had tears in there eyes, unable to imagine just what you had to be going though at this moment. What each one of them would have been going though, if the tables were turned.

“He was pinned under the water.” you gasped between the sobs. “Once I was able to free him, there wasn't a pulse...I...I...I did CPR.”

All four of the team members were crying with you, encircling you in a hug, “Has there been any word on him since you got here?” Dexter asked softly.

“No.” you shook your head, “He was stable but unconscious when we arrived. The medics said he lost a lot of blood and they were going into surgery.”

“A lot of people got hurt. It was a bad one.” Dani said, “They will be out soon. Tyler's tough, he's been though a lot. He always bounces back. This time will be no different.”.

* * * * *

Lee pulled into the hotel parking lot and walked into the office.

“Any chance you have a room for the night?” he asked as nicely as he could.

“I am sorry...between the storms that just came though here and all the storm chasers here for those storms, we are booked.” the clerk stated, “some people who lost their homes to the twister are camping out in the lobby.” she points to a group of people gathered around the TV. “You can join them for the night, if you'd like.”

“Thank you very much.” Lee fixed himself a cup of coffee from the lobby's refreshment table and stood behind the group, staring at the TV.

“also it has been reported that famed YouTube star and storm chaser Tyler Owens was taken to an area hospital earlier this evening. There is no update on his current condition at this time. We will update as more details come available.”

Lee grinned, only half listening to the rest of the news before approaching the desk again, “I am sorry to bother you miss, but can you tell me where the closest hospital is? I believe a friend of mine might be there.”

“That would be the St. Anthony Healthplex.” she told him, giving quick directions there.

“Thank you miss.” Lee was grinning as he hurried from the hotel lobby.

* * * * *

“Y/N? Y/N Y/LN?” The doctor called from the door.

You're heart sinks in your chest and you stand quickly, “here.” you say in a trembling voice.

“This way.” the doctor motions you though the door.

“I want them to come to.” you say, pointing to the team behind you.

“We're all family.” Lily stated.

“Very well.” The doctor nodded.

“How is he?” you ask before the door can even get closed. You needed to know, you needed to know that he was okay.

“The cut on his leg was the worse. We were able to get in there and repair the damage and stitch it up. He's got a few broken ribs.” the doctor looked at the group in front of him, “It's a miracle he doesn't have more injuries.” he paused, “It's a miracle he's alive, to be honest. He was awake a few minutes ago asking about a Y/N. He was very upset, demanding we get you. You may have a few moments with him.”

“Thank you.” you smile at the doctor as he leads you down the long hallway, followed by the rest of the team.

“Y/N? Oh my God, Y/N...I was so scared. I didn't know. I didn't remember.” Tyler had tears streaming down his face. “I last remembered being trapped under the water and then..nothing.”

“I am so sorry.” you rush over to him, giving him a gentle hug as he placed tender kisses all over your face, brushing a stand of hair back softly with his hand. “Are you okay?” he asked softly.

Dani, Dexter, Lily, and Boone look on with a smile on their face. They suspected, but they had no idea you two had fallen in love.

“I am fine...now that I know you are going to be okay.” you kiss him softly.

Tyler turns from you and looks at his team, “Thank you for being here for her.” he smiles. “Please...take care of her for me. Make sure she takes care of herself until they let me out of here.”

“We got her, T.” Boone nodded, “Whatever you need done, we got.”

“First things first.” he looked at you, “I want you to go back to the hotel. Get some rest, get some food. Take care of yourself.” he said sternly then turned Lily, “I want you and Dani to stay with her. Make sure she's okay. Make sure she doesn't need anything. DO NOT leave her alone.”

Then, Tyler turned to Boone, “I need you and Dexter to check on the truck. Have someone come by and unlock it and get it back to the hotel.”

“We can't just leave you alone here.” you say softly, brushing your hand across his cheek.

“I'll be fine. The doctors want me to get some rest and they gave me something that is going to knock me out here in a minute.” he smiled at you, already feeling his eyes grow heavy, but not willing to give in just yet, “They aren't going to allow anyone to stay in here. I would feel better knowing that you and the team were back at the hotel and taken care of. Not stuck out there in the waiting room. Hopefully I won't be in here too much longer. They will call with any updates. I'll make sure of it.”

You nod, knowing he was right. You were too tired and sore to fight a losing battle. “We'll be back tomorrow.” you promised.

“See you then, sweetheart.” Tyler squeezed your hand one more time before you turned to leave.

“Take care of her!” he issued one more stern command to his team, knowing that they would.

Once out in the hallway Boone hooted, “You go girl! You and Tyler?? When were you going to fill the rest of us in?”

You blush, “I think it just kinda happen. We just talked about our relationship before the tornado hit.” you sighed, “I am still not sure I am really ready, after...everything.”

“Husband? Boyfriend?” Lily asked, nodding to the bruises. They all were wondering, but none of them wanted to ask. They wanted to give you time and space, just as Tyler did.

“Husband.” you confirm, “Started off great until we married. Then it was like I was his punching bag.” you shutter. “I knew if he caught me leaving a second time he would kill me.”

“Second time? Don't tell me you left that asshole and then went back!” Dani said.

“No..I tried to leave and he put me in the hospital for it. Once I got out of the hospital I tired a second time. That's when I got away and saw this job opening and just ran here. I didn't know what to expect, but it had to have been better then the hell I was in.”

“Glad you came.” Boone hugged you. “Hey, Dexter and I are gonna go get T's truck. We'll meet you back at the hotel, okay?”

“Thank you...thank you all for everything.” you smile.

“No problem. You're like our sister now. We've got your back.” Boone gave you another hug before him and Dexter headed off to check out the truck.

“Come on, let's get you back to the hotel. You can bunk with us tonight so you aren't alone.”

“Thank you. I'd like that.” you agreed. The last thing you wanted right now was to be alone.

As you follow them out into the parking lot, you paused, looking up at the sky as lighting flashed over head.

Dani and Lily had kept walking. You stood for a moment, feeling the wind against your face and listening to the rumbling thunder. Everything you were seeing and feeling told you the storms were moving out.

“There you are...” a voice seethed from behind you. You froze in fear, a chill running down your back. How the hell did he find you here?

You scream out in pain and fear as Lee grabs you roughly and throws you to the ground, “I told you, Bitch! I would kill you and whoever you were with if you ever left me again!”

Dani and Lily turn, hearing you cry out and seeing you laying on the ground and a towering figure looming above you; they both came running. “Get away from her!” Dani yelled, plowing into the man. She didn't know or care who he was or what was going on.

“You okay?” Lily asked, “What happened?” she knelt at your side.

Your body was trembling in fear. “It's my husband.” you gasp out.

Not only was your life in danger, but so was Tyler's and the lives of your new friends. You knew Lee would kill them all, because of you.

Dani had Lee pinned to the ground, until he brought a knee up and kicked her off.

“NO!” you yell, seeing Lee pull a knife from the pocket and go after Dani. You were damned if one more person was going to get hurt because of you.

You stumble to you feet, tackling Lee and throwing a punch into his face.

“Oh yes!” he yelled, “NOW you want it rough he laughed, bringing the knife up and into your side.” You gasp, rolling over and Lee scrambles to his feet taking off into the night. He knew he was no match for the three of you.

“Y/N!” Dani and Lily were at your side in a moment, “Come on, we've got to get you into the ER.” they helped you to your feet.

“Tyler..” you gasped, “You've got to make sure he's not alone. Lee could come after him.”

“We're going to get you looked at first and then call the police.” Lily promised, “In the meantime, I'll make sure the doctors are aware. We won't let anything happen to you or Ty.”

*******

Chapter 6

* * * * *

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[thatsrightice]

are there any excerpts from Crosby’s memoir about Gale you could post, if that’s alright? I’m really curious about him!

Thank you for the ask, I am more than happy to oblige! Just as a little note, I think both Egan and Cleven were nicknamed Bucky, but the show made one Buck and one Bucky so that people wouldn’t get them confused. Also, Crosby never really mentions Cleven without mentioning Egan which is kind of a testament to their relationship. There’s a lot of them btw so most of them will be under the cut! :)

*

"You fly tomorrow," Bucky Elton told us. He was Squadron Operations Officer. Both leaders had the same nickname. In the Group we had Bucky Egan, Bucky Elton, and Bucky Cleven. Cleven and Egan were best friends, top flyers, devil-may-care. All the 100th pilots wanted to be like them.

*

"What I can't really handle is that when Cleven and Egan were still around, the men were happier. With them gone, the heart of the 100th has stopped beating." - Harry Crosby

*

Then come the four squadron commanders, with Bucky Egan and Bucky Cleven together. They, more than any other of our leaders, had the real Air Corps raunch, their hats cocked on the backs of their heads. Egan's white fleece-lined jacket is his trademark. They both are wearing white scarves.

Egan and Cleven trade quips with their men as they walk forward. I don't normally use the word "debonair," but that's what they are. Bucky Cleven and Bucky Egan are like what their men saw in the movie I Wanted Wings. The men wanted leaders like that. Cleven's real first name is Gale, and Egan's is John, but I never heard either name used.

The two Buckys talk like Hollywood. The first time I ever saw Cleven was at the Officers' Club. For some reason he wanted to talk with me, and he said, "Taxi over here, Lootenant."

*

The Group Navigator [Omar Gonzalez] is a first lieutenant from San Antonio, Texas. Because of his skin color and his quiet diffidence, he doesn't belong up there with the boisterous, swaggering Egan and Cleven. Egan calls him "Pancho." Cleven calls him "Omar the Tent Maker."

*

When we all assembled on the airfield for parade, our lines were straggly and our men out of step. When the squadrons stood by for inspection, Colonel LeMay didn't see Cleven. When he asked where the squadron commander was, the first sergeant responded, "He took to the woods." This did not surprise LeMay who had heard from our previous commanding officers, Turner and Huglin, that Cleven and Egan were at the root of the 100th's raunchy discipline.

On the next day, Bucky even gathered up the enlisted men who worked at 350th Squadron Headquarters and told them he was going to make up for the indignity they had suffered the day before. He took them out to the flight line and loaded them up in an old stripped-down B-17E, which our group brass used for joyrides and taxi service. Since it had no guns or armaments, it was light and Cleven could fly it like a P-39 fighter plane.

Apparently Cleven had phoned some of his pilot training classmates who were now assigned to P-47's and arranged a surprise. The E was hardly off the runway when it was "attacked" by three American fighters.

For the next twenty minutes, Cleven-whose superb skill as a pilot no one questioned-wrung that old plane out as though it was a Piper Cub. He twisted and turned and plunged, all in a simulated dog fight with his three fighter pilot chums. The three Thunderbolts buzzed the 17 and came within inches of it.

The ground-duty enlisted men in the plane probably never forgot that flight, but it hardly was what the 100th needed at that time. When the fight was reported by the British Home Guard observation team, the report did the 100th no good.

*

The "Two Buckys," John Egan, commander of the 418th Squadron, and Gale Cleven, of the 350th, were the heart of the original 100th-dashing, undisciplined, superb pilots, exactly what Hollywood expected them to be. When they were shot down, even over Bremen (October 8, 1943), and Egan over Münster (October 10), the 100th was devastated-and a new era began.

*

We knew that Bucky Cleven's plane had been hit badly just before Regensburg, and we had heard that he and the pilot, Norman Scott, had differed about what to do. When we got on the ground in Africa, there seemed to be no tension between the two of them, and Scott was laughing and joking just like the rest of us.

According to the Lay report, after the hits, the pilot had pleaded with Cleven to abandon ship. When Cleven refused to ring the bell, Scott had gotten up and started to leave alone. At this point, "although the odds were heavily against him, Major Cleven's reply was as follows: 'You son of a bitch, you sit there and take it."

Lay's report continued, "These strong words were heard over interphone and had a magical effect on the rest of the crew, and they stuck to their guns."

For this, Colonel Lay recommended Bucky Cleven for the Congressional Medal of Honor. The citation was scaled down a bit, and he did get the Distinguished Service Cross.

This story electrified the base, a triumph for the group's most admired twosome. Already Cleven and Egan were the 100th Group heroes. New crews almost immediately began to talk like the two squadron commanders. In the Officers' Club or at Group Ops, young flyers circled around them, and watched the two fly missions with their hands. Enlisted men adored them. Pilots wanted to fly the way the two Buckys did. Back in the days before anyone knew what a role model was, Bucky Cleven and Bucky Egan were the role models of the 100th.

When the story appeared in The Saturday Evening Post it made Bucky Cleven a national hero.

*

From the tail: "High squadron lead gone. There it goes."

It can't be. Bucky Cleven is in that plane. He is indestructible.

No German alive could get him.

*

The British lorry drives off with our profuse thanks. Just as we climb into one of the base personnel carriers, Colonel Harding drives up in his sedan, with Bucky Egan behind him in another car.

A volley of words.

"We thought you had it!"

"We got reports that four chutes got out.”

"Did you see Bucky Cleven get it?"

We take the enlisted men to their quarters. Since we have not eaten since morning, we need food. We look at our watches: 1930 hours. The Flying Mess will be closed. We head for the Officers' Club.

As we enter, officers, ground and air alike, look up. Stunned.

"It's Blakely's crew!"

Pandemonium. Every man in the club, even the enlisted waiters, rush up and pound us on the back. At least half of them offer us their drinks.

"We thought you bought it!"

"They reported four chutes."

"Did you see Major Cleven blow up?"

*

Bucky Cleven, the impervious, the invincible, was gone. If he couldn't make it, who could? His good friend, Bucky Egan, didn't talk much that night.

*

The loss of Bucky Cleven over Bremen and Bucky Egan over Münster seemed to have cut the heart right out of the the 100th. Without them the 100th was a shadow.

*

Bucky Cleven and Bucky Egan, the two squadron leaders who went down over Bremen and Münster, were the very soul of Romanticism. They hated discipline. I told Landra that discipline was called "chicken shit." Like the two Buckys, our pilots all wanted to be dashing individualists.

*

Jack Kidd, John Bennett, and Tom Jeffrey showed us how to win a war. Bucky Cleven and Bucky Egan gave the 100th its personality. Bob Rosenthal helped us want to win the war.

[lambtotheslaughterr]

Rise : Chapter Fifteen

A Rafe Cameron Series

[THIS STORY WILL CONTAIN THEMES OF NON-CON/DUB-CON, MENTAL-EMOTIONAL-PHYSICAL ABUSE, ETC. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. 18+. MINORS DO NOT INTERACT]

WC: 4.7k

Dividers provided by @firefly-graphics

CHAPTER FOURTEEN | MASTERLIST | CHAPTER SIXTEEN

IMPORTANT NOTE* hey ya'll! just a reminder that my requests are OPEN. please read this POST before making any requests as i have rules in place. there are four spots left (which you will see at the bottom of the linked post). so get your requests in if you're wanting to use me;p

            You taught yourself to not wish for the obvious in the end of times. You stopped wondering what ever happened to your parents, your friends, your neighbors. You quit hoping that someway, somehow, the world would heal itself & you would find yourself & millions of others back to some semblance of a normal life. But most off all, you didn’t dream about waking up from this nightmare. It was real. It was happening. And all you could do was run with it. But what you would spend your time wishing for is that time would move faster.

            The last week dragged by miserably. Though you were glad to have your own secure role in the group, it was oftentimes lonely. Those who scavenged were gone for days at a time, & those who didn’t worked together day-in & day-out. You were the only one who had this small corner of the building to yourself, & others rarely came to visit. One visitor you could always count on though was Rafe.

            Though you were still wary of him, of the truths he told you, you still welcomed his presence. It was your only real human connection in the midst of all the bullshit. But your relationship with Rafe was beginning to bother you.

            It wasn’t until a couple days ago when you were heading to the mess hall to get your lunch that you heard voices talking carelessly about you. The mess hall was large, where people sat to eat at the other end of it, but voices carried, & the voices that day were as clear as glass.

            Your assimilation to the group was being mocked. They welcomed you, at first. But that was only when you were working alongside them. Now, the others were beginning to resent you. You heard as such before entering the mess hall, pausing outside the door to listen.

            “Everyone knows that manning a radio is easy work. Boring, but easy.” One voice began. From what little interaction you had with the others, you thought it to be Enzo.

            “Don’t forget useless.” Another pointed out & the others chuckled at that.

            “Seriously. She doesn’t help at all. Rafe giving her that role was stupid, in my opinion. I mean, he told us when we got here that they were on the radio for days, only hearing recycled announcements. No one else is out there.”

            You frowned at that but you knew it to be true.

            “He just puts her there to keep an eye on her. He’ll bitch at us about pulling our weight but god forbid if he gives his whore a task worth doing.”

            Your heart slammed in your chest at the insult. These people weren’t your friends, but they were supposed to be your community. Now, every smile they gave you felt forced. Every greeting was just a means to keep the peace. They didn’t care about you, they thought so little of you. But perhaps they were right.

            Squaring your shoulders, you entered the mess hall, & the voices quieted instantly. But they played it off well.

            Maddy elongated her neck, spotting you over Enzo’s shoulder, “Hey, _____.”

            You waved a hand but said nothing in return. You gathered some food on your plate & got yourself a cup of water before leaving. You didn’t miss the judgmental scoffs as you did,

            “Guess she’s too good for us now.” They all laughed.

            Back down in the office, you threw your plate onto the desk, some food falling off. You weren’t hungry, but you couldn’t show weakness in front of them. You didn’t need friends. But the thought saddened you. Only a few months ago you had nine of them. But the world took the lives of half of them & the remaining few had little to say to you. Even Bear.

            You thought a lot about Bear. You’d often catch him watching you with a concerned expression. It wasn’t filled with annoyance or resentment like the others. But you rarely had time to speak to him. Rafe was always nearby to interject, send Bear to do a task or find some reason to talk to you. Deep down, you knew Bear was your only friend, but you didn’t know how to get alone with him.

            Downing your glass of water, you picked at your food mindlessly. The other were right though. After doing comms for a week there was nothing out there, no one. At first, you felt it was an important role & were happy to take it. But now, the others & their whispers were getting to you. You pushed your plate further back on the desk, your appetite lost.

            It was midday, the scavengers were expected to return at some point today, as long as everything went according to plan & it usually did. You hoped to sneak some alone time with Bear. And as you thought about it further, Micah, too. Yes, he hated you, that much was clear. His reasoning was ridiculous but you could live with it. However, he was the one who could get you partnered with the scavengers. He had Rafe’s ear. If you got his approval, you didn’t see why it wouldn’t lead to Rafe’s. Scavenging was, after all, a lot more useful than the comms. The others would quit shit talking then.

            You were beginning to doze off in your chair, the sound of white noise acting like a lullaby when it began to cackle & pop. You opened your eyes, confused & staring at the radio. It sounded like when you’re on the phone with someone & they forget to hang up, putting their phone in their pocket. All muffled movement. And then…

            “Come in, hello.” The voice was clear as day before the radio cackled some more, the signal weak.

            You rushed forward, knocking items off the desk in the process. You snatched the walkie connected to the radio.

            “Hello, hello.” You spoke back, your heart pounding. As far as you knew, no one had ever made contact with another on this radio.

            The radio continued to produce only white noise, but just underneath it all, you could make out the muffle of the voice.

            “We—” more white noise.

            “I’m here!” You gasped, grateful to hear others. But with the connection so weak you were fearful you wouldn’t get a location of where they were at.

            “Our connection is weak.” You shared, hoping they could at least hear you better than you them, “Where are you?”

            More muffling. More pops.

            The voice responded but it was too static to make out, the interference strong. You gripped the talkie tighter.

            Then, one word made it through.

            “—of Rockingham.”

            Dropping the walkie, you rolled your chair over to the back wall were a map of North Carolina was pinned, the edges fraying.

            Your eyes rapidly moved over the map. Rockingham. Rockingham.

            There!

            It was 60 miles south of Asheboro, a feasible hour drive. You returned to the desk, your voice frantic with excitement as you spoke into the walkie.

            “Where in Rockingham?”

            The radio only responded with white noise. You asked the question again.

            No. You couldn’t lose them. This was the first sign of life.

            “Hello, I’m losing you.” You shared. But there was no response.

            The radio only returned with it’s usual white noise. You tossed the walkie down in frustration. You had lost them. But it wasn’t all said & done quite yet. Glancing over your shoulder, you eyed Rockingham on the map. The voice had said ‘of Rockingham’. That left a lot to consider. East of Rockingham? West? And if so, how far in either direction? What was their nearest landmark? Or did they mean the Walmart of Rockingham? The precinct? The possibilities were endless. It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

            But it was something. The first something any of the group had had in weeks. You wouldn’t be useless. And more so, you could be the one to find them. You only needed to get Micah & Rafe on board.

            Rafe joined you in time for when the scavengers returned. He still wouldn’t trust you alone with them. It aggravated you, but you couldn’t let it show. You needed him to think you were trustworthy.

            As Matt & Robbie passed off boxes & bags of what they found off to Micah & Bear, you & Rafe were in charge of bringing the goods inside. But shortly after you started, Adrianna appeared.

            “Rafe.” She stood in the doorway, her eyes hard, “We need you upstairs. Got a problem.”

            Rafe sighed heavily, “Can it wait? We just got started.”

            “I guess.” She shrugged, “I’ll just tell the others I won’t know how long till the water’s back on.”

            “Shit.” He groaned. It had been a nice surprise to learn that the Mill still had running water. But if they water supply was giving grief, it’d only be a matter of time before a domino effect happened.

            Rafe turned to you, “Keep bringing stuff in, alright?”

            “Yeah, alright.” You nodded. Rafe stepped forward, his hand on your shoulder as he leaned forward to leave a kiss on your temple. You forced a small smile up at him.

            Once Rafe & Adrianna were gone, you went back outside. This was your moment. You had to get Bear alone. You couldn’t trust Rafe with the information about the others. Not yet.

            Micah spotted you first, his expression always one of irritability.

            “Where the fuck is Rafe?”

            You nodded back towards the building, “Had other priorities.”

            “Fuckin’ of course.” Micah mumbled.

            On the ground was a pile of goods. But you wouldn’t be able to carry them all yourself. At the risk of appearing weak, you got Micah’s attention.

            “I’m gonna need help with these.” You gestured to the goods at your feet, “Bear can help me.”

            Micah glared at you, his eyes narrowed. But he ultimately shook his head, “Whatever, just make it fuckin’ fast.”

            Bear stepped away from the other side of Micah, helping you to gather what you could carry. He followed after you as you led him back towards the building. Once you were far enough away, you kept your voice hush.

            “Bear.” You began, “I heard people on the radio.”

            Bear looked at you with wide eyes as he glanced over his shoulder in Micah & the other’s direction.

            “Are you sure?”

            “Yes!” You whispered excitedly. Inside, you felt safer to speak louder. “They’re in Rockingham. Or near it. I’m not sure. The connection was weak.”

            Bear frowned but nodded. You two took your time putting the goods away.

            “We can go.” You told him, “Find them.”

            But Bear slowly shook his head, “That’s not a good idea.”

            Now, it was your turn to frown, “Why not?”

            Bear sighed, looking you deep in the eyes, “Because Rafe’ll kill them.”

            You returned his stare, “I wasn’t talking about Rafe…”

            It was then that Bear seemed to understand what you were saying.

            “You think we should leave?”

            “Yes.” You nodded, checking the window to make sure Micah & the others were still far away. “You & me, we’ll go. Leave here. Join others.”

            “I’m not against that, but…why?”

            “Because Rafe told me how he runs things. How he’s killed people. And I feel like he’s not telling me the whole truth.”

            “What has he told you?” Bear squinted his eyes.

            “Doesn’t matter. I don’t trust him. And he doesn’t trust us, that much is clear. So, I say we make a run for it. Head to Rockingham, see if we can’t find those on the radio. But if anything, at least were gone from here.”

            Bear leaned against the wall, contemplating your words. He nodded.

            “That’ll be tough, ya know. Getting out of here. Rafe keeps it tight.”

            “But you know how he runs things. I don’t. We’ll work together & get out.”

            He stared hard at the ground, “Are you sure, _____? Because if he finds out what we’re planning, there’s no saying what he’ll do.”

            “I know.” You nodded in agreement, “But I’ll feel safer out there with you then with all of them in here.”

            “Alright.” Bear stepped forward, his arms crossed over his chest, “We’ll do it. But we’ll need a solid plan. No fucking up.”

            “I know.”

            “Hey!” You both jumped as Micah suddenly appeared. His flashed between the two of you. “The fuck is taking so long?”

            “Sorry.” You mumbled.

            “Get back out there.” Micah growled. Bear gave you a look, one that said you two would talk later, before leaving the room. You were about to follow behind him when Micah stepped in your way.

            “What the hell were you two just talking about?”

            You eyed him innocently, shaking your head, “Nothing. Bitching, really.”

            “Yeah? About what?” Micah narrowed his eyes, his favorite look to give you.

            “Just life.” You gave a half-hearted smile.

            Micah leaned forward then, his voice low, “At least you have one.”

            The threatening undertone was there. He leaned back, meeting your eyes, “I’d be grateful.”

            “Of course.” Your voice was barely audible. Micah stared at you for a moment longer before finally stepping to the side to allow you to pass.

            You rushed forward, your heart thrumming inside your ribcage. Back outside you resumed loading goods inside but Micah was keeping a close eye on the two of you. It felt like you were back in school after having gotten caught passing notes in class. You were a bad seed. Micah wanted to rip your roots out.

            You were alone, finishing the final bit of unloading when Bear appeared. It was quick, but to the point.

            “He heard us.” Bear began, referencing Micah, “We leave tonight. Meet me in the back alley. There’s a hole in the wall near the room where Rafe kept me. Don’t bring anything with you, it’ll draw his attention.”

            “What?” There was no plan. It would be too dangerous, “But we—”

            “We go or we suffer.” Bear interjected. He was about to leave, in a hurry to not be spotted by Micah but you grabbed his arm.

            “When tonight?”

            Bear sniffed, “It’s gonna rain. You can see it in the clouds. When you hear the first thunderclap, go. I’ll set a distraction.”

            You nodded. Then he was gone.

            You swallowed a lump that was growing in your throat. This was really happening. You & Bear would be leaving. Your hands shook as you put items from the scavenging away.

            “What’s got you spooked?” You jumped slightly at Rafe’s voice behind you.

            Spinning around, you shook your head, “You were right about Micah.”

            Rafe’s eyes hardened at that, “What’d he do?”

            “Nothing.” You replied breathlessly, “Just scared me is all.”

            It was true, but it would also track if Rafe confronted him. He’d be focused on Micah, not you. And that’s what you needed.

            “What’d he do, _____?” He grabbed your elbow gently, but was firm in making you look at him.

            “Just said I should be grateful I have a life.” You mustered a smile, “See? So, nothing bad.”

            Rafe looked away, his eyes wide with fury, “Go upstairs. You’re done for the day. I’ll talk to Micah.”

            “Okay.” You went to move past him but he was still holding you.

            “I’d never let him hurt you, you know that, right?”

            “I do.”

            Rafe nodded then brought you closer. His mouth found yours, his lips warm. You forced yourself to return the kiss. At least you had him in your favor, & you’d be damned if you didn’t take advantage of it.

            “Go, I’ll see you in a bit.”

            With that, you parted from Rafe & walked away, hoping it wouldn’t be too long before you were released from him for good.

            It was dark out. Heavy clouds rolled in & you sat in anticipation on your shared bed with Rafe. He had been gone for a couple hours. You had yet to see him, or Bear even. Your mind was racing at what was about to unfold. Bear said to wait for the first thunderclap, that he would set a distraction. But what kind? You sincerely hoped that with no planning, you would succeed in getting out.

            About twenty minutes later, Rafe finally appeared. He came into the room looking exhausted. You sat up in bed.

            “You okay?”

            He peered at you, giving you a half-smile before nodding, “Yeah, people are just dumbasses, ya know.”

            “Mmm.” You replied wordlessly.

            He approached you on the bed, crawling up it until he was beside you. You allowed yourself to relax as he brought you into his arms.

            “I talked to Micah.”

            That made your heart stop. If Micah did hear like Bear said so, what would he have told Rafe? You were no friend of Micah’s, he would have no reason to protect you.

            “Oh?”

            “Yeah, told him he better quit with the passive aggressive threats or it’ll be his life he’s gotta worry about.”

            You gulped. You didn’t want Micah dead. But it would be better him than you.

            “What else did he say?”

            Rafe sighed heavily, “Just bitched a lot. Nothing for you to worry about. He’ll come around. One day.”

            You hoped you would be long gone if that day ever came.

            Rafe slipped a hand under your arm, maneuvering you until you were situated atop him, straddling his hips. You didn’t like the positioning.

            His hands rubbed up & down your exposed thighs as he stared up at you. Your own hands were mindlessly placed on his stomach.

            “What?” You huffed out, giving an awkward smile.

            “You wouldn’t lie to me, would you?” He asked. Shit. Micah did hear something.

            “No.” You frowned, “Why?”

            “Like I told you before, some people want to drive us apart.”

            You needed him to trust you, to believe you would never betray him. If only for a little while longer.

            “They can’t keep us apart.” You told him, feeling brave enough to lean forward, “We belong together, remember? You told me that.”

            You ran your fingers along his jawline before threading them through his hair.

            “Yeah.”

            But he didn’t look entirely convinced. So, you took it one step further.

            Rafe sighed into your mouth as you kissed him, his hands gripping your thighs. You opened your eyes enough to see that his were closed. He was licked & nipped at your lips, hoping for entrance. You obliged. As his tongue massaged your own, you were suddenly flipped onto your back. Rafe grinded his hips into yours & a pulse shot up your spine.

            It felt wrong. All of it. You unlatched your mouth from his but he continued to kiss your jaw, neck, & shoulder as his hands slipped under your oversized t-shirt. You fluttered your eyes closed, trying to calm your heavy breathing. Rafe would view it as euphoria coming over you, but it was dread.

            He leaned upwards to rip of his own t-shirt before returning his body to yours. He cupped your cheek, making you look at him before he returned to kissing you. Bile rose in your throat but you forced yourself to keep it down.

            Rafe’s hands found the underside of your breasts, his fingers grazing the sensitive skin there. You gasped into the kiss, feeling him smile against your lips. He dragged his hips against yours, his evident arousal hitting your center nearly perfectly. You moaned reluctantly. But he took it as a means to go further.

            Before you could resist, Rafe lifted your top, removing it effectively from your body. You instinctively covered your exposed breasts but Rafe frowned, gently grabbing your wrists, “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”

            Your mind was racing, desperately searching for the memories that would back up his claims. But nothing turned up. Rafe kissed down your neck to the valley between your breasts. Your skin erupted with goosebumps as his mouth hovered over a pert nipple. When his tongue grazed over it, your body pushed up into his touch.

            “God, I’ve missed this.” He shared breathlessly.

            Words failed you, but your body was beginning to respond to his touch. His other hand reached below graze the edge of your underwear.

            No. No, no, no.

            Tears pricked your eyes. Please.

            A clap thunder boomed above, practically shaking the building. You yelped from the loud sound & Rafe’s teeth accidentally nipping your sensitive flesh.

            “Shh, calm down.” Rafe grinned, “It’s only a storm.”

            It was more than that, though. It was your time to go.

            “Rafe.” You pushed backwards, out of his arms, resting against the wall, “I’m not ready.”

            “What?” His hooded, heated gaze shifted into one of frustration, “What the fuck are you talking about?”

            “I’m sorry. It’s not gonna happen overnight.”

            “It’s been more than a night, it’s been a goddamn week!” He raised his voice, making you jump more than the thunder had.

            You stared at him wide-eyed, “I’m sorry, okay? I don’t what else to say.”

            “You don’t have to say anything.” He growled, shaking his head, “You don’t have to do anything. I can do all the work.”

            “What?” The fuck was he getting at?

            Rafe harshly gripped your ankle, dragging you back down the bed, “Nothing I haven’t done already.”

            “Rafe, no!” But he wasn’t listening. He was quick to snatch both your wrists in one hand, holding them above your head as his other hand reached for the button on his jeans.

            You shook violently beneath, trying to throw him off you with your hips but he was bigger than you, stronger, & quite literally, had the upper hand.

            “After everything I’ve done for you!” Rafe hollered as he moved to rip your underwear off, “This is the least you can do for me.”

            A cry tore from your throat as you lied bare before Rafe, your imprisoner.

            But just as he was shoving his jeans down his thighs, a sudden boom sounded, shaking the building. But this wasn’t thunder.

            “What the fuck was that?” Rafe mindlessly let go of your wrists, listening as you both heard panicked screams in the distance.

            “Rafe!” It was Adrianna in the hallway. “Rafe, hurry!”

            “Fuck!” He shouted, shoving himself off the bed, “Fuck, fuck!”

            Hurriedly dressing, Rafe had seemingly forgotten about you on the bed. You took the opportunity to search desperately for your clothes. You managed to get your underwear & t-shirt back on before Rafe focused his attention on you again.

            “You.” He pointed, “Stay here. I’ll be back.”

            You said nothing, your body shaking after what he was just about to do to you.

            “And when I come back,” He approached you, snatching your chin in his hand, “I’ll finish what you started.”

            Tears skipped down your cheeks, your chin quaking in his hold. You ripped your head away from him, but nodded. He didn’t need to know that you wouldn’t be here when he returned.

            Adrianna burst into the room then, her eyes briefly flashing to yours, taking in your state of dress before frowning slightly. Then she looked at Rafe, “There’s a fire out front, I think someone exploded your truck.”

            “Goddamnit! Let’s go.” Tossing you a look of warning, Rafe finally disappeared with Adrianna, the door slamming shut behind him. But then you heard the grinding pop of metal.

            Did he…?

            Racing forward, you tugged on the door. It wouldn’t budge.

            “No!” You banged on the door, pulling uselessly on it, hoping it would give. But it was locked securely.

            “Fuck.” You breathed out. Running to the dresser, you quickly slipped into a pair of jeans before throwing a pair of boots on. You grabbed a jacket folded over the back of a chair & slung an empty backpack over your arms. You couldn’t just sit here & wait. You still had to try.

            Another clap of thunder boomed above followed by the sound of heavy rain pelting against the windows. Rushing to windows, you cranked one open, the metal rusting as you did. You groaned painfully as you mustered all your strength to get it all the way open. Rain pelted you in the face, quickly soaking your hair as you leaned out. Rafe’s room faced the back alley where Bear would be.

            Leaning out, your looked up & down the alley but it was difficult to make anything out. It was too dark, rain was getting in your eyes, your hair was whipping you in the face.

            “Bear!” You screamed but you knew it wouldn’t carry against the rage of the storm.

            But then, at the mouth of the alleyway, you saw a figure. Bear. He was too far away to hear you.

            “Fuck, Bear!” You yelled again, but no luck. He wasn’t even looking in your direction.

            Panicking, you begun to look for anything outside the window you could use to scale down on. But there was nothing, no piping, no grips in the brick that would make getting down easier, no fire escape. Besides, in the chaos of the storm you’d likely fall anyway. But perhaps that’s what you had to do to get away.

            You peered down in the dark. It was only two stories. But it wasn’t the typical two stories. The walls were taller here. You’d at least have to jump two & a half to get down. But you had to. Without giving yourself to think on it, you gripped the center of the window, carefully leveraging yourself to swing your legs out.

            “Bear!” You screamed once more, hoping he would hear you. But as you peered through the darkness you watched as he took off around the corner. Away from the mill. He had waited for you. He couldn’t wait any longer, Rafe & the others would find him & kill him. You had to be quick if you were going to catch up to him.

            Breathing fast, you felt yourself stiffen, you needed to jump. Now! Before Rafe came back, before Bear was in the wind. Jump, _____! Jump! NOW!

            A scream ripped from your throat as you launched yourself out the window. The ground came fast, too fast, & you hit it, landing on your feet, but your ankles gave out & you collapsed to the ground.

            “Ahh, fuuuuck!” You screeched, reaching down to hold your ankles. They were pulsing. But you had to go. Heaving yourself up, you tested your ankles. They were sore, tender, likely having twisted them, but you couldn’t let that stop you. Limping, you began to move as fast as you could toward the end of the alley where you had last seen Bear.

            Please, don’t be far.

            You continued hobbling, desperate to get as far away as possible before Rafe discovered you were gone. You had just made it to the mouth of the alleyway, looking in the direction that Bear took off it. It was towards the woods. You had to get there fast.

            But just as you started limping in that direction, voices sounded behind you. The loudest was Micah’s. And it was growing closer. There was a few dumpsters to your left & you were quick to dive in between them, desperately hoping that the darkness would shield you from murderous intent.

            You tugged your legs to your chest, pressing yourself as much as you could against the brick. Micah’s voice was getting closer. Another voice joined his. Rafe’s.

            The storm continued to boom & flash & whip about, making it difficult for you to hear as their footfalls grew closer. And by the time you could, it was already too late.

            A bright light blinded you, forcing you to whine as you shieled your eyes from the flashlight.

            An impressed whistle came from behind the flashlight, “Well, look what I found.”

            The flashlight lowered & Micah stood before you, a deadly grin on his face.

            “I told you, man. Her & Bear were up to no good.”

            Rafe appeared then as he spotted you. The heavy rain had his hair stuck to his forehead. Another clap of thunder sounded followed by a bolt of lightning that lit up the alleyway. In that brief moment, you saw the look in Rafe’s eyes. And the wrath you saw there rivaled the storm.

            This was it for you. That much you accepted quickly. But you hoped Bear got away. But hope, as you knew, was a silly thing to cling to.

alright, the second to last plot turn Rise will take before finishing strong.

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[4:51 pm]

Everyone who worked for CEO!Johnny could say he was a good boss. He knew every single one of his employees names from the interns to the mailmen that came in on a regular basis. He was friendly and never found the small talk with his peers to be annoying since he was usually the one to initiate it. He had even told his employees to simply call him John, no titles, just John. He was so friendly and open to being there for his employees that he had taken to removing the door from his office for some reason no one could remember.

Despite how friendly he was, he was also a very private man. He loved to learn and hear about his peers' lives, but very rarely shared personal information about himself. They knew where he went to school because he had his degrees up on his walls, but besides that there was nothing. His office was minimally decorated, no personal wallpaper on his computer, and they never heard him take personal calls. They had guessed he had friends just because he was so friendly it would be weird if he didn't. They had also guessed that a guy as good as he was would have to be taken.

Everyone in the office had their own theories. Maybe he had a college love that he was hung up on, maybe he was dating a celebrity and had to keep the details to himself, but the most popular theory involved you. You were on the board of a company that regularly worked with Johnny's company, so you were in and out of the building at least a few times a month.

A lot of the office wondered when you two would get together. Every time you came in Johnny seemed happier, more smiley, and laughing more. He took you out to lunch regularly which he never did with any other person from your company that came in. Some people had even sworn they had heard Johnny on the phone with you a couple times, his personal cellphone, talking about something besides work. Thus, a bet was started among the employees about when or even if the two of you would get together. The winning pot was big, with three of the main groups having already lost because after a month, 3 months, and 5 months there seemed to be no changes or confirmation between the two of you.

Today, the air felt different, the 6 month betters were more excited than ever for some reason they couldn't explain. Today, you were coming in for a meeting, and there was just some electricity in the air that they couldn't describe.

No one would be able to dispute that there was a serious lack of work being done while you and Johnny were in the conference room which was thankfully had glass walls. The noticed the smiles you both sent at each other, laughs that had to have been over something else besides the paperwork you were both looking over. Then there was the goldmine, the jackpot, a single lingering touch of your hands as you slid the file back in Johnny's direction.

There were whispers that the prize pool had just been won, and they only got louder as Johnny led you out of the office with a hand at the small of your back.

"I'll see you at home," you told him quietly as you both walked toward the elevator.

"Home?!" Johnny's secretary screeched.

You both froze mid-stride to look at her, taking notice of all the anticipated pairs of eyes that were locked on the both of you. Johnny lets out a surprised chuckle, “Yes, we live together.”

“Since when?” Another surprised voice calls out.

“Since shortly after we got engaged,” you reply calmly.

“You’re engaged?!” Various voices scream.

Johnny laughs heartily, “We’ve been married for four years. Why are you all acting surprised?”

“Nobody knew, we’ve had a bet going on for almost six months,” Johnny’s secretary replies while running a hand over her face.

“Dude- sorry, John. How could you not tell us?” An intern asks.

“I thought it was obvious. There’s a picture from our wedding day on my desk and I wear a wedding band,” Johnny shrugs shyly.

You quickly slap Johnny’s shoulder, “That wallet sized picture John?! How are they meant to see that?”

“I swear I said something before,” he pauses, “I told my last secretary… who retired at the start of the year. My bad guys.”

“Well, Johnny will make sure that he matches the prize pool with end of year bonuses. I’ll see you all soon, and see you at home. We’re going to have a nice chat,” you smile at the office, narrowing your eyes at your husband before you continue on your way to the elevator.

Johnny sighs, running a hand through his hair, “Thanks a lot guys. Wish I had a door to slam right now, do you know how long the waitlist is at our favorite restaurant is so I can fix this the right way? Two months. Can you let me in on the plan in advance next time?”

“We’re not going to bet on you finding romance as a married man, can you let us get to work now?” Another intern asks.

“As if you were working during that meeting we just had, forget about those bonuses now,” Johnny smirks.

His secretary smiles menacingly, “Then forget about that chat at home being short, I have backup now. And don’t forget who makes those reservations at your favorite restaurant.”

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Joan E Greve at The Guardian:

Just one month after making the historic choice to withdraw from the presidential race, Joe Biden took the stage at the Democratic national convention on Monday to deliver a reflective and optimistic address, urging the nation to elect Kamala Harris to protect American democracy. Looking back on his one and only presidential term, Biden reminded Americans that he took office just two weeks after the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, when the country was still in the early grips of the coronavirus pandemic. “Yet, I believe then and I believe now, that progress was and is possible. Justice is achievable, and our best days are not behind us. They’re before us,” Biden said. “With a grateful heart, I stand before you now on this August night to report that democracy has prevailed. Democracy has delivered, and now democracy must be preserved.”

Only a few weeks ago, Biden was expected to be on the convention stage this week to accept his party’s nomination for the second time. Instead, the speech came a month after Biden shocked the nation with his decision to not seek re-election. After weeks of mounting doubts about his ability to effectively campaign following a devastating debate performance, Biden announced that he would step aside. He immediately endorsed Harris.

[...]

On Monday, Biden described selecting Harris as his vice-president as “the best decision I made my whole career”, and he drew a sharp contrast between her and Donald Trump. Mocking Trump over his recent conviction on 34 felony counts, Biden said: “Violent crime has dropped to the lowest level of more than 50 years, and crime will keep coming down when we put a prosecutor in the Oval Office instead of a convicted felon.”

Biden landed other punches against Trump as well, attacking the Republican nominee for describing America as a “failing nation”. “When he talks about America being a failing nation, he says, we’re losing. He’s the loser. He’s dead wrong,” Biden said to loud cheers. Even as he promoted Harris’ candidacy, Biden took a victory lap of sorts to celebrate his own legislative achievements over his four years in office. He reminded viewers of the major bills he signed, including the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act. “We’ve had one of the most extraordinary four years of progress ever, period,” Biden said. “Just think about it. Covid no longer controls our lives. We’ve gone from economic crisis to the strongest economy in the entire world.”

Still, Biden made a point to credit Harris with helping to deliver change. When discussing his administration’s efforts to lower prescription drug prices, Biden said, “Guess who cast the tie-breaking vote? Vice-president, soon-to-be-president, Kamala Harris.” And when audience members repeatedly broke out in chants of “Thank you, Joe,” the president responded, “Thank you, Kamala!”

The speech was not without its moments of conflict. One group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators displayed a banner reading, “Stop arming Israel!” Other convention attendees attempted to rip the banner away from them, and the lights were then dimmed over that section in the United Center. There appeared to be isolated shouts attacking Biden over his response to the war in Gaza, but those protesters were drowned out by the president’s supporters chanting, “We love Joe!” However, the president did not shy away from discussing the war in Gaza. Nodding to the pro-ceasefire protests unfolding in Chicago this week, Biden said: “A lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides.” Of the recent ceasefire negotiations, Biden said, “We’re working around the clock, my secretary of state, [to] prevent a wider war, reunite hostages with their families and surge humanitarian, health and food assistance into Gaza now to end the civilian suffering of the Palestinian people and finally, finally, finally, deliver a ceasefire and end this war.”

On the DNC stage Monday night, President Joe Biden (D) gave a barnburner of a speech that detailed his achievements over his Presidency and his pre-Presidency tenure while passing the torch onto a new generation with VP Kamala Harris leading the Democratic ticket.

[creedslove]

HEARTLESS 💔 - PART EIGHTEEN

Agent Whiskey (Jack Daniels) x f!reader

Summary: You and the cowboy spend some time alone, talking about your lives and having an intimate moment. Then, Jack has a heartfelt conversation with his son and asks for his help in order to do something really special for his sugar

(This is the eighteenth chapter of my HEARTLESS 💔 series)

• PART ONE TO SEVENTEEN ON MY MASTERLIST

Warnings: angst, hurt, sad!cowboy, mentions of death, brief mentions of suicide attempt, fluff, smut (oral sex m!receiving and unprotected piv), mom!reader

A/N: besties, I know it's been quite a while, but I seem to have lost the inspiration to write in the past couple of weeks but it's finally back and so is our cowboy! Also, this chapter ended up a lot longer and smuttier than I expected and I hope you all enjoyed it as well! Feedback is life, so let me know what you besties think of this story!

5.5k words

Silver Star rested quietly on the green field, feeling tired after playing with Wyatt the whole day; the small animal was warm and felt when their best friend wrapped his small arms around their body, resting against the soft fur and closed his eyes.

If Jack had seen that scene any other day, he would be in a mix of happiness and affection, he loved his son so much sometimes he thought it would open a hole into his chest, right through his heart, as the love was so intense and overwhelming, and it was because of that love Jack felt like dying at that moment, he couldn't accept the pure, genuine love he felt from his son could end like that, not after what that witch he was forced to call a mother-in-law. It was so cruel to have done that to an innocent, sweet child like Wyatt. The older woman could have done anything she wanted to Whiskey himself, she could've said any words that came to her mind, it didn't matter, but she had no right to do that to his son. Wyatt refused to talk to him, the memory of his beautiful face red with tears falling down as he sniffed and looked between his mommy and his daddy, needing support and assurance, but the painful words his grandma told him stung so heavily into his chest it was hard to breathe, he could only feel a little better when he ran into his beautiful friend: Silver Star.

Jack watched his son dozing off next to his pony from his home office's window. He downed a second glass of whiskey as he sighed and dried the stubborn tears that insisted on running down his cheek. Jack had learned from a young age from his pa that men weren't supposed to cry, that crying was something done by weak people and that real men needed to hide their feelings, even better if they acted as if they didn't have any, that would be the right thing.

But unfortunately, from a younger age, he learned that things weren't like that; tragedies happened every day to good people and it was just so hard not to cry, to hold things back, Jack learned the hard way that pretending not to have feelings could destroy a man, it nearly destroyed him, his relationship with the woman he loved the most in the world and prevented him from building a beautiful father and son relationship, to which he was grateful to no end; his sugar and their baby boy Wyatt was the best thing he could have ever had, the way it changed his life that was once shallow and empty into something worth living. The cowboy just had to do something about it, but he didn't know what or how to. If he didn't feel so bad about the entire situation, it would've been quite funny to see a senior agent like himself, who was able to take a group of men down with a lasso without much effort, was just so anxious about dealing with a four-year-old. You, on the other hand, stood right outside Jack's office, not sure if you should enter it or not. You wanted to talk to him, touch him, look into his warm, heart-warming eyes, kiss his perfect soft lips and remind him everything was alright, that your family was a beautiful and strong one, that your son would walk into the door with his tummy howling in hunger and the three of you would have a delicious dinner together, but you didn't know until that extent it would happen; you didn't know how hurt Jack was, but you knew it was a lot, maybe he was somehow blaming it on you, and you couldn't even argue with that, as it was your mom who did it, who made that scene and angered you to no end. It wasn't your fault, but you felt guilty because you had never imagined your mom would be that low towards you and your son. Jack had made so many mistakes, but he was a good man, he was kind and sweet and he would never hurt you and your son ever again. It was unfair and heartbreaking to say the least.

After thinking to yourself way too many times, you decided to enter, seeing he hadn't locked himself in, but he was sitting on his chair, watching out the window as Wyatt spent time with Silver Pony.

"Jack?" You called him in a soft, low voice, hoping he wouldn't bark at you. Overall, Jack was a gentleman, but you'd seen his ugly side and you really hoped it wouldn't be the case at that moment. You were silent as you approached him, your fingers tangling into his stubborn curls that tried to make an appearance, they were messy from his usage of the hat and it had given him a boyish look. You smiled at him, as he looked up at you, his face was serious and his eyes were red from crying; it broke your heart, your mom had no right to cause that much trouble to your family. Taking another step, you stood in front of him, sitting on his lap and wrapping your arm around his shoulder. Jack let out a sigh and hid his face into your neck, nuzzling your skin softly and taking in your scent, there was nothing he loved more in the world than your body, your weight, your scent on him. You could feel his lips on your skin, his mustache tickling you softly as his arms formed a tight grip, his big hands groping your body in a way it moved your body as closely to his as possible.

"Sugar, I-"

"Shh, don't say anything cowboy, I know it" she said and kissed his temple, right where Harry's bullet had broken the skin and killed your man for a couple of hours. That story always made shivers run down your spine, you couldn't believe he had died and Ginger had managed to bring him back to life and to you, but you never wanted him to leave again.

"Don't leave me again, Jack, please, I beg you, my heart won't take another disappointment from you" you said and his lips trailed their way down your neck

"I ain't never leaving you, sugar… I need you as much as you need me, we're meant to be and no matter what happened, that witch ain't breaking us apart" his voice was serious and firm, he was never leaving his son nor his sugar, that was a fact, Jack's heart was only beating because of his family, that was the only thing that has kept him alive after the last disastrous events of his life. He was sure that if it weren't the love he felt for his beloved son and sugar he would've just been gone, either when he tried doing it through his own hands or when he nearly found his fate inside the meat grinder.

"I'm so sorry sugar, your mom is a horrible person, you are so different from her, and the things she said, about you and Wyatt being a replacement… it isn't true, I love you both with all my heart, it was this love that kept me alive for so long, otherwise I wouldn't have-"

"Don't go on missions anymore, Jack. Please. You have a great position at Statesman, both the agency and the company, you don't need the money, nor the thrill, you don't have to risk not coming home anymore, I know you won't be reckless, but Wyatt and I need you, what happened today was just a bump on the way, our son is crazy for you and if you just go and talk to him, with patience, I'm sure he will understand, he's small, but he's as smart as his handsome daddy" you smiled at your cowboy and pecked his lips gently. He looked at you with his sad eyes and it felt like your heart was pierced through

"I know what's going through this thick skull of yours cowboy, I know exactly how you are torturing yourself and before you go further into it, remember that my mom is a bitter woman, she's someone who doesn't accept I take my own decisions, if she got angry because of what happened between us it would be understandable, but we both know it isn't because of that, it's just because she simply can't accept I love you and we have a family together"

"But sugar, the things she said there's some truth to it… I made you go away as if you meant nothing and -" his voice broke and Jack's eyes filled with tears once more, he had hurt you so much and he already suffered his punishment, which was carrying that guilt for the rest of his life.

"You did, Jack Daniels. And it was the worst thing you could have ever done to someone who only loved you, to an innocent baby who grew up in my womb without even knowing what was happening, but Jack…" you held his head between your hands and looked into his eyes "you regret it so bad, I'm sure the pain and the guilt you feel now is worse than the pain you caused me, and I'm not going to lie, I think you'll suffer with it for a long time, cowboy, but what I can offer you now is my forgiveness and my love and a second chance so we can start over, it will never erase what happened between us, so if something similar ever happens again, you can be sure you will never see me or Wyatt again" you told him seriously, but you expression softened up immediately as you leaned towards him and pecked his lips once more, longer this time, your hand touching his smooth cheek, as you deepened it, a soft muffled sound of pleasure coming from you, so you broke the kiss and nibbled his lower lip

"That ain't never happening, sugar, I promise you with my life, that I will never disappoint you and Wyatt ever again, all I want is to be the best husband and father in the world, I love you so much, sugar… You are the love of my life; I tried fighting that off for so long, I tried running away from this feeling, even before our son, I already knew it but couldn't accept it, but you had always been the one, I know I don't deserve it, but if you just give me one chance, one simple chance, I can make you my wife and maybe one day, we could give our son a little brother or a little sister-"

You kissed the cowboy in order to shut him up. Jack often talked too much, sometimes it was something good, and sometimes it was something bad, at that moment, after you both opened your hearts, you didn't want to discuss the future, not that you didn't want it with him, you were certain you did, you wanted to marry that stupid cowboy, not so sure about another Daniels baby, not yet, but you definitely wanted your family together for good; however, at that moment you both needed something else, you needed to be close, to show each other you were there physically rather than using just words. You looked outside the window and smiled sadly at the sight of Wyatt dozing off next to his pony, but you knew that was something only Jack could fix later, so you closed the blinders and turned to him, lowering yourself and kissing him "let me take care of my cowboy, mm? Let me show him how much I love and appreciate him, make him close his eyes and relax and forget about his problems and sorrows" you whispered against his neck, your teeth sinking into his skin in an affectionate way, nibbling his flesh at the same time your hands roamed around his torso, unbuttoning his shirt and finding his warmth underneath it, the cowboy was experienced and knew exactly where that was going, his eyes darkened with lust at the same time his right hand tangled into your hair, bringing it into a messy ponytail while you got on your knees in front of him.

"Fuck sugar, what are you doing to me? You wanna kill your old cowboy like that?" He bit his lips and looked down at you, loving how you smiled at him and undid his belt. You rested your arms on his thick thighs, undoing his pants at the same time you could see his bulge getting bigger and bigger, the tent forming in his pants could be amusing if you weren't so needy of him. The thought of taking his cock into your mouth was causing you to feel as if you were on fire for your cowboy. Senior Agent Whiskey would never fail in turning you into a cock slut for him.

He stared into your eyes, giving you a consenting nod and showing he was ready for his treat

"Don't be sad my cowboy, let me show you your worth" you purred with innocent eyes at the same time you freed his cock. Wrapped your hands around his length, feeling it pulsating under your touch, his warm skin, his popping veins and that glistening tip, filled with pre cum, it all made you lick your lips before finally taking your cowboy into your mouth. You left hand gripped the side of his thigh, nails sinking softly into his skin as you went deeper down onto him, taking his length as far as you could, feeling the cowboy pulsating in the back of your throat. The right hand holding him by the base, and then going to his heavy balls, it always made them quiver and the cowboy whimpered whenever you touched, massaged and gently squeezed them. You turned your attention back to his needy tip, suckling on it, and felt how tight his grip was on your hair. It made you even more turned on, your inner walls clenching as you felt the pooling arousal at the same time your hard clit throbbed, needing some attention from that cowboy's rough hands or soft, devilish tongue. His breathing got heavier, he panted and his dirty words lost among obscene sounds coming from his mouth and you knew he was close, it was just a matter of seconds for you to taste his hot load.

"Sugar, stop" he groaned and held you by the hair, stopping you from continuing tasting him, just as he licked his lips "come on, sit on my cock, ride your fucking cowboy" he demanded in a serious tone which was more than enough evidence he was in charge again. You nodded obediently, leaving a soft, chaste kiss on his tip, causing his cock to throb some more and stood in front of him.

Jack's hands were sloppy as he undressed you, he wasn't too careful, the urge and the rush to get you naked, the way he stripped you off your jeans and thumbed your sensitive clit over your thin panties. He wasn't a patient man, not at that moment, so he used his index finger to move your panties to the side by its string. He let out another low groan the moment the fabric brushed against your soaked lips and he could see the wet puddle it formed, he loved to see how wet you were for him, you were his perfect slut, and he wouldn't trade that for any other cunt in the world. His fingers spread your pussy lips apart just enough for him to take a good look at your wetness and how hard your clit was. He chuckled seeing it throbbed at nothing but air and he knew you were perfect for him, you took his cock so well, all your holes were his and no one would touch you but that goddamn cowboy.

"Come here, sugar, your cowboy needs you, be a good fucking slut and ride me" he said and pulled you to his lap, helping you straddle him as he gripped the base of his cock, using his own tip to slap it against your clit. You moved your hips without any words, letting his tip rub against your clit slowly at first but fastening the pace as his length ran through your wet folds, just enough to have your honey spread all over his shaft

"Mm don't tease me cowboy, please, I need it as much as you do" you whimpered and in response Jack kissed you once more. His hands went for your hips, sustaining your weight and helping you sink down onto him. You slippery cunt stretching at the size of him and sliding so quickly, making you feel full and whole because of him; it was a feeling you never wanted to let go, you knew you belonged to him, that damn cowboy would be your owner, your master forever. As you moved slightly on top of him, you took both of his hands and placed it on your breasts, Jack fucking loved your tits, how soft they were, your pretty nipples pearking hard. He squeezed them, massaging gently while his thumbs ghosted over your nipples, at the same time you moved faster on top of him, riding the cowboy at your own pace, not getting enough of him, ever.

Jack pulled your torso forward, taking his hungry mouth to your nipples, suckling on each of them while his hands traveled to your ass cheeks, squeezing them and sustaining your weight so you could ride him faster and more safely. You frowned as he ignored your clit on purpose, you didn't understand why he was such a tease sometimes, but even if avoided your sensitive spot, your walls didn't fail in tightening and contracting and he felt that knot in his lower belly. He knew he wouldn't hold back any longer, so he stopped you and pulled you for another kiss

"Get off me, sugar" he commanded as you felt a little confused at first, not understanding exactly why he told you to stop riding him, but it all made sense when he stood up right behind you and told you to sit on his desk with your legs spread, which you gladly obeyed your cowboy, biting your lips as he took his time watching your body at full display for him.

"You like it, cowboy?"

"You know I fucking do, my beautiful sugar, you are always so sweet to me, only when you are being a filthy dirty slut, then you are my best girl, baby girl" he groaned and slapped your cunt without a warning, smirking at the whimper you let out. Then, Jack lowered himself, hovering over you, using his right hand to spread your pussy lips wide, making your clit so exposed to him, at his mercy, before he just lapped at it, he didn't touch the rest of your pussy though, only his tongue flicked your needy clit, the cowboy's left hand was strong enough to hold you in place the moment he began suckling on your sensitive bundle of nerves. Your pussy hole wouldn't stop clenching and gaping so softly at the cowboy's ministrations, you gushed wetness, as it dropped down your asshole and it made him savor every passing second of having you as he pleased. He knew your body just as well as you knew his and the moment he focused on how your legs were shaking, how burning hot your skin felt against his own, he just knew you were close to your orgasm.

But Whiskey wasn't letting you cum just yet, not while he didn't fuck you exactly the way he wanted to. So Jack gave your clit one last lick and smirked at you, his hands flipping you over his desk "spread these beautiful legs, sugar, take my cock like you love it, baby" he whispered into your ear, kissing your neck and using his teeth to nibble at it at the same time he slid his cock once more inside of you. Whiskey's hands were on your hips, holding you by your sides as he adjusted the pace and then went for your hair, gripping at it as he fucked you. The cowboy knew he couldn't hold it any longer and the moment he felt your cunt clenching around him, your clit rubbing against the cool wood of his desk at the same he railed you was enough to set you to your very needed orgasm. You moaned your cowboy's name as loud as you could, his cock was ball deep inside of you at the same time you felt that characteristic throbbing and your Whiskey couldn't hold it anymore, cumming hard, with a loud groan while his thick load flooded into you.

•••

Jack rubbed your arms as you snuggled towards him as tight as you could, while the two of you shared the small couch he kept in his home office. You were still in your orgasm haze, wrapping your head around everything that happened between you and your cowboy, thinking of how intense your wave of lust had been; one moment you two were having a heartfelt, serious and emotional conversation and the next, you were riding your cowboy. However, it felt just so good, so carefree, so loved and desired. Jack Daniels knew how to touch a woman and make her feel like a goddess, that you had to give into your cowboy. As your eyes were getting heavy, you felt him nuzzling your neck, his hand resting on your stomach as he rubbed your belly gently and looked into your eyes

"Funny how I wanted another child so bad and yet I can't even get our son to talk to me after what happened" he sighed and you shook your head, pecking his lips

"Wyatt loves you like crazy, he's a little hurt and he needed his space, go talk to him in a while and he will be the sweetest child we both know" you assured him, taking his hand and entwining your fingers together.

Your cowboy kissed your lips gently, stroking your cheek with his gentle touch under rough hands and stared into your eyes with his warm brown ones, a soft frown appearing on his face

"What made you change your mind about me… well, us?"

You licked your lips and stared at him, would he be mad if he knew the real reason? Would Jack consider it a lack of privacy? Perhaps he would even find it offensive? You weren't very sure… visiting his first wife's grave seemed so personal, something he had always done and openly talked about it but never really invited you to do so, which you understood perfectly and felt quite relieved because you didn't know how you would do so, however, you decided you wouldn't keep any secrets from your cowboy, you two were starting your relationship once more and building it up over a bunch of lies wouldn't work at all.

"I-I went to Gabriella's grave, Jack… yesterday, when you took our son to Statesman with you, I hadn't planned on it, but while I was riding Silver Pony I ended up going too far from the property and accidentally stopped by the cemetery, then I thought I should just walk in, I'm sorry if you don't like it for whatever reason or if you think it was an invasion to your privacy, I just wanted to pay my respect to someone who was so important to you, and while I was there, I realized life is too short, and it's not fair wasting our time playing hard to get. We love each other, we want to be together, we have a beautiful son, a small but gorgeous family and our whole future ahead of us, I mean… Why not?!" You poured your heart out, being as honest as someone could be, showing him how much you meant it, and in return, Jack leaned towards you, kissing you again, his heart was a puddle of love and affection, he couldn't even imagine you had gone to Gabriella's grave, not even in his wildest dreams, but he wasn't mad, quite the opposite, it brought peace within him, to know you had acknowledged her story with him in a physical way, instead of just having heard about it, it comforted him and it made him feel better about himself.

"I love you, sugar, with my whole heart"

•••

After taking you to his master bedroom so you could shower and relax, Jack decided to go after Wyatt. He had given his son enough time but he wanted to make things clear, talk to his son honestly and explain to him that everything that old witch had said was filled with poison. While you were in the shower, he managed to take something he wanted from his nightstand drawer and headed to the kitchen, knowing exactly what could possibly cheer his son up. Cutting up a generous slice of the peach pie you'd made and a huge spoon of vanilla ice cream, Jack had a safe guess the way to his son's pure little heart was a good dessert, just as his own, when Jack Daniels was nothing but a little boy as well. He chuckled at himself and hoped that would work for them. Walking through the green fields, he didn't take long to spot his son and his beloved pony. Silver Star seemed exhausted after spending the whole day playing, lying on the grass as Wyatt caressed its fur gently, he wouldn't stop talking and giggling, certainly telling his friend all about a fascinating story that inhabited his creative mind. Jack's heart warmed with how sweet he truly was, sitting down next to him and gently rubbing his son's back. Wyatt wasn't expecting and jumped a little startled.

"Daddy?!"

"I thought you'd like some sugar, cowboy," Jack said, offering his son a plate with the pie and ice cream, Wyatt watching it with wide eyes as his tummy growled. Only at that moment he remembered he hadn't eaten anything the whole day and that pie looked and smelled so yummy when his mommy was making it. The little boy extended his small hands and took the plate carefully, taking a big bite and moaning in approval at the taste of it. He chewed up his dessert calmly and giggled as Silver Star leaned towards Jack's touch while the cowboy rubbed her face gently.

"She likes you daddy!" Wyatt said sweetly and stared at Whiskey, who tried organizing his thoughts in order to know the right thing to say and above all, trying to hide the nervousness. One could think it was actually quite funny to see senior Agent Whiskey acting that way, but a conversation with his son was much more important than any high profile meeting he could ever have with Champ or another member of the agency. He cleared his throat softly

"Wyatt, daddy wants to talk to you… Mommy and I are very sorry about the things grandma said, she had no right to say those mean things. Some people are so sad and bitter they can't handle seeing other people like you, your beautiful mama and me happy, and unfortunately grandma is one of these people, do you understand?"

Wyatt nodded softly and wouldn't break eye contact with his daddy, he was tiny yes, but so smart and attentive, and the cowboy's heart weighed heavily with pride at how similar his son was to his beautiful sugar.

"So… what grandma said isn't true, I love you and your beautiful mama so much, my boy. You and her are my world, I will always love and cherish you both, daddy had another family, yeah. We, uh-" his voice broke as Jack was still getting used to talking about them so frequently, they spent so long it his memory it was kind of odd to mention them so often, especially to his son, who was only a child, but showed great emotional intelligence, just by the way he placed his tiny little hand on top of his daddy, in a silent way to reassure him and tell him to go on.

"Well, we, uh.. I mean, I had a family, a long time ago, way before I met your beautiful mama, I was married to another girl, she was also beautiful and kind, and we had a little boy too, but he was still very tiny and he lived in her belly, like one day you lived in your Mama's belly…"

"What happened, daddy?" Wyatt couldn't hold back his curiosity and wanted to know more about it.

"Well, they went to live in heaven and daddy was all alone for a very long time. Until one day I met your mom, my sugar and my life changed for good. Your mommy was and she still is the most beautiful girl I've ever seen and for the first time in years I had a reason to smile, to feel happy, but the fact that my first family had to go live in heaven still scared me a lot, and when I found out your mommy was carrying you in her belly" Jack brushed his thumb over his son's cheek in a gentle caress "... I was terrified that one day you and mommy would be gone too, so I made her go away, but I regret this every single day because there's nothing in the world that I love more than you and her, and I will never be away from the two of you, ever again. I promise you, my son, we will always be a family. All I'm trying to say is that no matter what grandma says, I love you and your mommy and I hope one day you can forgive me for what happened"

Jack looked down, trying to hide the annoying, insisting tears that ran down his cheek. He sniffed and wiped his face, being surprised by how fast Wyatt climbed up his lap and hugged him.

"I love you daddy" he said not understanding why his dad had tears in his eyes, but he knew that whenever he cried, his mommy would always hold him, so he figured it would work out with his daddy too.

Whiskey wrapped his arms around his son's small frame, kissing the top of his head and rubbing his back gently, that cowboy knew he didn't deserve that much love, forgiveness and affection from his son and you, he'd been too bad for the two of you, but he was going to get down on his knees every single day and thank the Lord for being so blessed like he was.

He kept his son in a tight embrace, not many words were needed, just the two of them, the big cowboy and the little one, in each other's company silently proving nothing could come between their bond.

It took them a few minutes to calm down their emotions and finally be able to talk about other things, just as if nothing had happened, Wyatt finished his dessert and told his dad about his fun afternoon with Silver Star. Jack listened to it intently, as if it was the most interesting piece of information in the world, and well, to him it was, because he loved his son and he was fascinated by him on a daily basis, still being a little shocked at how a child could be so smart and precious like he was. Only when Jack patted his pocket, was that he remembered one thing he needed to discuss with his son.

"Wyatt, I know you love your mommy as much as I love her, right? So I need your help to do something really nice for her, but it gotta be a cowboy secret okay? So you can't tell mommy"

And Wyatt was sold at that moment; he loved his mommy and he loved doing nice things for his mommy and above all, he was so excited to be a part of a cowboy secret, which meant only his daddy and him could know what it was, after all, Wyatt was already a cowboy and he liked it. He nodded eagerly and Jack laughed, getting the small box out of his pocket and opened it, showing his son the gorgeous engagement ring he had bought

"I need your cowboy help to make mommy a surprise so I can give her this, alright?!"

____

[ell0ra-br3kk3r-writes]

The Phoenix and the Crow

pairing: (future)kaz brekker x fem!reader

genre: neutural

el's thoughts: this is part three in the series and... yeah haha this picks up at the very start of s2 ep1 so here you go! thank you for all the love on the last two parts! comments and reblogs are much appreciated :)

masterlist

“Home sweet home,” Jesper spoke as he walked beside Y/N whose nose was wrinkled between her eyes as she took in the dirty streets of the Barrel. “Straight off the boat from Ravka and no one was waiting to kill us as soon as we arrived. That’s a good sign. I might go off to celebrate.”

“If you do, you must show me around-”

“No.” Kaz’s voice was stern but not loud over the voices of the people around them. “No celebrating, we have stops to make.”

Inej followed him a bit more earnestly, “Where first? Tante Heleen?” 

“We get the Crow Club.”

Y/N furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to keep up with the conversation based on the quick rundown Inej and Jesper gave her on the boat. Crow Club. The gambling den was owned by Per Haskel but run by Kaz. Tante Heleen. The woman who owned the Menagerie and held captive girls like her new Suli friend. Just hearing the name made chills run down the inferni’s spine. 

Once the club came into view the trio stopped abruptly causing Y/N to run into Jesper’s back, muttering apologies as she moved to stand by his side staring ahead in confusion. 

“Where’s our sign?”

“It’s been replaced.”

“The Kaelish Prince?”

“What kind of name is that?” Y/N rolled her eyes at Kaz’s harsh glare, “Sorry.”

“Dime Lions.” Kaz’s shoulders grew tenser with each passing second as the other’s caught up to his realization. “Pekka Rollins owns the Crow Club?” Inej finally spoke, her eyes wide as she looked back at the club in front of them. “Where does that leave us? Are you saying we have no home?” Jesper’s voice was slightly deeper than normal as Y/N assumed the shock of the situation took over his own body.

Kaz ignored Jesper’s complaints about his clothing and told them to split up. Y/N stood frozen for a second before the tallest of the group grabbed her hand and pulled her after him, but they didn’t make it far. Whistles were heard behind them, “Oi! You three!” Four men stood there dressed in officer uniforms, two of which held guns pointed at the other four.

“Kaz Brekker. Jesper Fahey. And Inej Ghafa.”

Y/N stepped out from behind the sharpshooter causing the officer to look at her with slight confusion. “And you are?” She tilted her head slightly, “Y/N.” He rolled his eyes in irritation after waiting a moment for her to continue, “Last name?” 

“Sorry, it’s classified.”

“Are you with them?”

“Yes.” “No.”

Y/N shot Kaz a glare, “Yes, I’m with them.”

“Is there a problem?” Kaz continued and held his tone as if he was talking business.

“For you there is. You three are wanted for murder.” His eyes trained back to Y/N, “Along with you now, for the association.”

Jesper sighed, “What? We just got back.” As he spoke his hands lowered slightly, and the officer with a gun shoved it forward making him raise his hands up again.

“Now hand over those shooters. And you, the cane. And you spy-” 

Y/N only then realized Inej had gone missing. The officers looked around franticly for the well-known Wraith, muttering their surprise and concern. Jesper just shrugged and smiled, “Yeah she does that.” 

“Well… Two’s enough for now.  Come on.” He pointed at the officer behind him, “You check her for any weapons.” 

Y/N rolled her eyes as she was patted down briefly in search of any weapon on her. The guard called back, “No weapons, Sir.” She smiled sarcastically and clenched her fist when she felt a spark escape her finger. 

“Then bring her along. Quickly!”

~

The shuffling of feet and the guard's voices filled the room as Y/N tried to pull away from their tight grips. “Let go of me.” She grunted when they shoved her down into a chair. She looked around the beautiful room lit by warm candlelight. 

“What’s all this, then?”

“Someone paid good kruge to get a moment alone with you.”

The heavy wooden doors swung open and an old man with graying hair and a mustache walked in with his own personal guards behind him. “Criminals.”

Kaz looked down and let out a heavy sigh, “Dreesen.”

Dreesen quickly paid the officers off and told them to leave. Kaz and the older man went back and forth on the topic of the new-found sun summoner with Jesper chiming in every so often. Y/N paid no mind to the conversation and instead continued to look around the room, taking into mind the bodyguards that stood around them. She looked over them all except one. She recognized him within seconds and felt her heartbeat speed up. Sturmhond. The celebrity privateer of Ravka. Only a handful of people knew his true identity and since being so close to the red-headed tailor who gave the prince his other face, Y/N knew that Nikolai Lantsov stood in the corner of the room. 

“It wasn’t your money, Dreesen.” Kaz’s voice caught her attention. “You were brought in as an intermediary. Someone to hire the likes of us. This operation wasn’t yours.” He looked over to the guard with an emerald pinned to his sleeve, “It was yours, wasn’t it?” 

Y/N watched Kaz beside her with wide eyes. How did he figure it out?

Dreesen stuttered out objections before Sturmhond walked forward. “Oh yes yes. Totally convincing. Thank you, Dreesen, but I’ll take it from here.” 

A moment of silence settled in the room before he turned to the older man and leaned closer, “That was me politely telling you to get out.” He nodded to the door, “So go on.”

The gray-haired man scoffed and nodded to his guards to follow him out. The wooden doors closed behind him.

“Well, this is much easier.” Sturmhond took off his hat and placed it on a table behind him. “Tell me, what gave it away?”

“You dress too well for a bodyguard. And you were hanging on every word like it was your money on the table. You wanted to hear our story, but we don’t know you.” Kaz turned his head toward Jesper, just slightly. “We know him.” 

The strawberry-blonde walked forward, astonishment painted on his face as he listened to the criminal speak.

“So you kept up the charade until now. My question is… Who are you?”

“What? You don’t know me? Maybe in profile.” He turned to give them a proper view of his right profile making Y/N struggle to hide her laugh. Jesper and Kaz shared a look of confusion. “Still no? Very well. The name’s Sturmhond.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of you,” Jesper said in amazement. 

“Yeah, I sure hope so.” He leaned on a table and placed his hand on his waist.

“He’s a very rich pirate.” The gunslinger explained.

“A privateer, actually. It’s an important distinction.”

Kaz grew frustrated, “The question remains, why is the Sun Summoner so important to a privateer?”

“You may not be aware, but half the world is looking for her. Or even just confirmation of death.” Sturmhond pulled out a folded piece of parchment, “And the reward’s gone up. Twenty million to hand her over to Fjerda. Turns out they weren’t particularly pleased with Kirigan and the Sun summoner’s plans to weaponize the Fold.” 

Jesper laughed, “Alina never had such…” Kaz glared at him and he cleared his throat. “You were saying.”

“You’re on first-name terms,” Sturmhond said with amusement in his tone. “Where is she now?”

Jesper groaned, “We don’t know where Alina is. She’s gone.”

A scoff left the privateer’s throat. “Escaped?” He trained his eyes back on Kaz, glancing down at his cuffed wrists. “I know you’ve gotten out of those cuffs. If I had more time, I’d insist you tell me how.” 

Kaz watched him in suspicion as he dropped his metal cuffs to the floor. 

“My intel informs me the Sun Summoner was wearing this,” He pulled out the diamond and blue gem necklace from a rucksack that sat on a table. “When she entered the fold. It’s part of the Queen’s collection. A well-known piece, the fabled garnets of Ivets. So, either she used this to pay you off to keep quiet about where she was going, or you found her bloody corpse and stole it off her neck like vultures.”

Kaz’s eyebrows furrowed and Y/N could see the wheels turning in his mind again. ‘Kaz wasn’t the only mastermind in the world…’ She thought to herself, ‘But he was still probably the best.’

“How dare you? How even-” Jesper cut himself off in utter offense. “We are not vultures, we are crows.” Sturmhond chuckled as the Zemmini continued. “And that makes more sense with context.” Kaz looked down in what Y/N made out to be embarrassment. Jesper looked around, “My point is, we’re not grave robbers.” 

“Which means it was a payoff. So you know where she went. Now if you tell me, I’ll give you twenty seconds alone here before the Stadwatch comes back in.”

Jesper chuckled in disbelief, “You can’t bribe us.”

“Leave the necklace. Give us twenty seconds and I’ll tell you.”

“Kaz?” Confusion overtook Jesper’s facial expression. 

Sturmhond scoffed in amusement, “The bribe she paid you to keep quiet about her next move, in exchange for her next move. I like it. Still, there is the mess of having to fence Royal jewels.” He pulled out a large stack of kruge from his coat pocket. 

“Kaz.” Jesper’s tone was a warning. 

The two in the bargain ignored him. “You stepped off the Edam tonight. Was she with you then? Is she in town somewhere?”

Kaz looked down in quick thought before he spoke, “She stayed on the ship to Novyi Zem.”

Sturmhond hummed with a smile while Jesper shook his head in disappointment. “Good luck. Gentleman.” He nodded to the inferni whose hands were still cuffed, “Y/N. Always a pleasure to see you again.” She rolled her eyes, “The same here, pirate.”

~*~*~*~

tagging: @rachelcarroll1819 @xcharlottemikaelsonx @khaleesihavilliard @simrah1012 @foulkryptonitepeanut @astridyoo15 @queenofshinigamis @peakyispunk @jahayla-parker @maliciousbrekker @writingmysanity

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Amazing what you can get done when you're not golfing everyday.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

August 1, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Aug 02, 2024

“This is a very good afternoon,” President Joe Biden said today. “[A] very good afternoon.”

“Today, we’re bringing home Paul, Evan, Alsu, and Vladimir—three American citizens and one American green-card holder. 

“All four have been imprisoned unjustly in Russia…. Russian authorities arrested them, convicted them in show trials, and sentenced them to long prison terms with absolutely no legitimate reason whatsoever. None.” 

In a complicated prisoner swap involving the U.S., Russia, and at least seven other countries, Americans Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, and Alsu Kurmasheva and British-Russian activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, who openly opposed the invasion of Ukraine, came home from Russia. Four German citizens who had also been wrongfully detained—meaning they had not broken laws but were being held as political bargaining chips—were also part of the exchange, along with a fifth who was released from Belarus. 

Also in the swap were seven Russian citizens who had been detained as political prisoners, four of whom worked with Alexei Navalny, the political opposition leader who died in February in a Russian prison. They have left Russia and will make their way to other countries. It is extraordinary that the U.S. government managed to force Putin to release his own citizens, and Biden called it out. “It says a lot about the United States that we work relentlessly to free Americans who are unjustly held around the world,” he said. “It also says a lot about us that this deal includes the release of Russian political prisoners. They stood up for democracy and human rights. Their own leaders threw them in prison. The United States helped secure their release as well. That’s who we are in the United States.

“We stand for freedom, for liberty, for justice—not only for our own people but for others as well. And that’s why all Americans can take pride in what we’ve achieved today.” 

In exchange, Russian president Vladimir Putin got the prisoner he wanted most, hit man Vadim Krasikov, back from Germany. In addition, the U.S. released three Russians, Slovenia released two, and Norway and Poland each released one. All told, eight Russians went home. 

Foreign affairs journalist Anne Applebaum noted that “a group of brave journalists and democracy activists are being exchanged for a group of brutal spies.” The exchange included no money or sanctions relief. 

The U.S. had been calling for the freedom of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny as part of the negotiations when he died abruptly in Russian custody in February 2024. His death briefly derailed the negotiations that had been going on since shortly after Biden took office. Even before he took office, he had asked his national security team to dig into all the cases of hostages being wrongfully detained, which they were inheriting from the previous administration. “I wanted to make sure we’d hit the ground running,” Biden said today, “and we did.” 

He noted that with today’s releases, his administration “has brought home over 70 Americans who were wrongfully detained and held hostage abroad, many since before I took office.” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan later noted that the administration has reclaimed U.S. citizens from “Afghanistan, Burma, Gaza, Haiti, Iran, Russia, Venezuela, Rwanda, and elsewhere.”

Asking Germany to release Krasikov was a big ask, but the government was willing to exchange him for Navalny. After Navalny’s death, it seemed likely the deal could not be revived. But Sullivan believed he saw a way forward, and Biden called German chancellor Olaf Scholz and asked him to continue to move forward. “For you, I will do this,” Scholz said. The president told Sullivan to get it done. In April President Biden sent a formal request to Scholz asking him to make the complicated swap that transpired today. When a reporter today asked Biden what Scholz had demanded in return, Biden answered: “Nothing.”

In his remarks today, Biden emphasized that the deal was “a feat of diplomacy and friendship—friendship. Multiple countries helped get this done. They joined difficult, complex negotiations at my request. And I personally thank them all again.  And I’ve thanked them personally, and I’ll thank them again.”

“This deal would not have been made possible without our allies Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Turkey. They all stepped up, and they stood with us. They stood with us, and they made bold and brave decisions, released prisoners being held in their countries who were justifiably being held, and provided logistical support to get the Americans home. So, for anyone who questions whether allies matter, they do. They matter. 

“And today is a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world—friends you can trust, work with, and depend upon, especially on matters of great consequence and sensitivity like this. 

“Our alliances make our people safer.”  

Sullivan was clear about where specific praise was due. “Today’s exchange is a feat of diplomacy that honestly could only be achieved by a leader like Joe Biden,” he said at a press conference this afternoon.” He directed the team and was personally engaged in the diplomacy necessary. “There is no more singular or concrete demonstration that the alliances that the president has reinvigorated around the world matter to Americans—to the individual safety of Americans and to the collective security of Americans,” Sullivan said. “And honestly, guys, I can just say this was vintage Joe Biden, rallying…American allies to save American citizens and Russian freedom fighters and doing it with intricate statecraft, pulling his whole team together to drive this across the finish line.” 

Tearing up, Sullivan added, “Today…was a very good day.”

This deal was in the works during the weeks when the press was hounding the president and suggesting he was not fit to do the work of the office. In fact, a senior administration official briefing reporters this morning pointed out that on July 20, an hour before he announced to the nation that he would not accept the Democratic nomination for president, Biden “was on the phone with his Slovenian counterpart, urging them to make the final arrangements and to get this deal over the finish line.” 

This is the largest prisoner swap since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The administration warned journalists that no one should think that there has been a breakthrough in the relationship between the U.S. and Russia or that tensions have eased. Putin’s continuing attacks on Ukraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and our European partners, as well as his growing defense relationship with China, North Korea, and Iran, all mean that “you will not see a policy change from President Biden or the administration when it comes to standing up to Putin’s aggression as a result of this,” an official said. 

But the deal does suggest that Putin might be finding it in his own interest to look like he might be willing to negotiate on different issues going forward, a reflection of the damage the Ukraine war has inflicted on his own society. Russia has recently pulled its ships from the Sea of Azov, Russian mercenaries just suffered big losses in Mali, and today, Russian media reported that the country’s largest oil refinery was on fire. Putin might also be seeing that Trump’s path to the White House has gotten dramatically steeper in the past couple of weeks. 

Indeed, Putin’s decision to go ahead with the swap was a blow to Trump. Gershkovich was a Wall Street Journal reporter when he was taken into custody in March 2023, and the Wall Street Journal covered the negotiations in quite some depth today. Reporters Joe Parkinson, Drew Hinshaw, Bojan Pancevski, and Aruna Viswanatha noted that Trump got wind that a deal was coming together and began to insist at his rallies and in interviews that Putin would free Gershkovich only for him.

Putin has proven Trump wrong. 

That did not, however, stop Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance from claiming that Trump deserved credit for the swap despite Trump’s insistence that Gershkovich would be released only after Trump was reelected. For his part, Trump didn’t express any joy at all in the deal, simply claiming that Biden got fleeced and saying “[o]ur ‘negotiators’ are always an embarrassment to us!”  

And from the Department of Poor Timing, MAGA representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina tweeted this morning: “Biden is MIA. Why is no one talking about it?”

At today’s White House announcement, a reporter noted that former president Trump “has said repeatedly that he could have gotten the hostages out without giving anything in exchange,” and asked President Biden: “What do you say to that?”

“Why didn’t he do it when he was president?” Biden answered.  

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[prettyinlimegreenboots]

Taking Comfort (In Your Arms) - Chapter 17

April 28, 1945, 1000 Hours

“Captain Baker, please join us.” Jeffrey called from his office as Addie’s eyes drifted from the report she was typing up. Sighing, she pushed away from her desk, giving Josie a nervous look before walking into the CO’s office.

Stepping into the office, Jeffrey motioned to her to shut the door, pointing to a seat in front of his desk. She looked between Buck, Rosie, and Charlie, all who had big grins on their faces before looking at Jeffrey taking a seat. “Whatever they said I did, I most definitely did not do.” 

Buck, Rosie, and Charlie had to hide their chuckles, while Jeffrey merely raised an eyebrow. “Guilty are we, Captain Baker?” 

“With those three grinning at you, yes. I have been keeping my nose clean for the last few weeks.” She looked over her shoulder at the three, giving them a menacing look. “Whatever this is about, I assure you I’m innocent. It must’ve been the ground crew.” 

Jeffrey chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re not in trouble, Addie. Though I assume there’s something that I’m not aware of yet.” 

“So, what did you want to see me about, sir?” She asked, trying to stop herself from digging a hole. She heard the three men behind her chuckle. Since Buck’s return to base, the jokes had returned and picked up. Though Addie had steered clear of getting herself into any prank wars, she might have been the brains behind some of them. 

Jeffrey looked between the four pilots, wishing he was away from the antics, clearing his throat, wanting to get down to business. “The Allied forces have put out two calls for different missions - one will be a humanitarian food drop for the Dutch while the other is ferrying POW men and women to different bases. Now I’m nominating you four for the missions, but I thought I would see if any of you have a preference on which mission I sign you up for.” 

“When are these missions slated to take place?” Rosie asked, looking between Addie and Jeffrey. Addie bit her lip, attempting to figure out what questions she needed answered before she decided which mission she wanted on.

“May 1 will be the first one for both. The RAF starts their drops tomorrow and we’ll drop on May 1 - we’ll be hitting different areas than the RAF groups. The POW camps have started to be liberated so we’ll have a list of where to go, most likely Germany to start.” Jeffrey explained. 

Addie shifted in her chair. “What will we be flying into Germany?” 

“Lemmons and his crew are currently stripping down a B-17, big enough to fit 25-30 POWs. You might be running two to three missions before you land back here. I’ll get more details in the coming days, but I’ve gotten word there could be more than 4500 people in just one stalag. Allies aren’t sure what you’re going to be walking into.” Jeffrey gave the four of them looks. “Now, are there any other questions?” 

Addie shook her head. She didn’t dare get up hope that John and Elizabeth could be at one that they were planning on landing at. She bit her lip as she looked at the men behind her. “Sir, I’d like to be on the rescue mission.” 

Jeffrey nodded. He knew she would want on that mission. “Charlie, are you okay going with her?” 

“Yes, sir.” Charlie parroted back, while Addie grinned at her big brother. “Is there anything else we need to know before we take off?”

“We’ll do a debriefing in two days, by then I should have more information.” Jeffrey looked between the siblings. “One other thing, you’ll have to fly below 10,000 feet due to not fitting the plane with oxygen tanks. We don’t have the room for them.” 

Charlie and Addie both nodded. “Yes, sir.” 

“One more thing, the rescue mission is highly confidential - no one on this base outside of us five know this is happening. Of course, our infirmary will be ready for any wounded, but not a word of this until that plane touches down on May 1st.” Jeffrey eyed them, seriousness in his eyes as they came to attention and saluted him. “Alright, dismissed.” 

Leaving the office, Addie’s eyes went wide as she took a seat at her desk. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly. 

She couldn’t believe what she had been waiting for could finally become a reality. John and Elizabeth could finally be coming home.

May 1, 1945, 0500 Hours

Throwing her bag into the stripped-out B-17, she made her way up into the belly of the plane, taking a moment to see just how empty the back of the bird was. There were stacks of extra blankets in the middle of the plane but other than that, the space was empty. Knocking her knuckles along the tin side, she made her way to the yolk. Grinning, she hopped up, seeing Charlie in the co-pilot seat. 

“Morning!” She smirked, watching him jump as she collapsed into the pilot’s seat. “You saved my seat!” 

Charlie grinned at her. “Didn’t feel like fighting you this morning. That 0330 wakeup call came earlier than anticipated.” 

“Get fired up, Charlie. We’re going to rescue some people today.” 

Charlie grumbled to himself, something about there’s not enough coffee, making Addie giggle. 

Fighting off a yawn, she started her pre-flight checklist. Soon the engines were turned on and they were taxiing down the tarmac. “You know we are getting the raw end of the first part of the deal?” 

“How so?” She asked, ferrying down before they were airborne, pushing the bird through the low-hanging clouds. The still dark sky made her smile. 

Charlie brought the landing gear up, before looking over at her. “Buck and Rosie didn’t have a 0330 wakeup call like we did. Their wake-up call was happening at 0800 hours.” 

“Awww, does Charlie need his beauty sleep?” She teased, adjusting their airspeed. “Besides, they’re going to be making more runs than we will - they’ve got two runs today. I’ll take the longer run and the earlier start time.” 

Charlie shook his head. “You’re just happy you got to be in the yolk today.” 

“Damn right, Charlie.” She adjusted in the seat, knowing they had another 3 hours of flight before they would land in Munich Germany. 

They were told that these POWs were transported from Poland to Munich days before. Allied Forces had gotten them out of the Stalag, brought to a processing center, where they were triaged and grouped, depending on the base they needed to get back to. Those that were more seriously injured were already sent to English hospitals. Those that remained just had to wait for planes to come pick them up. Addie couldn’t imagine the anticipation they had - they had survived the most awful thing, and all those men and women were told just to wait a bit longer.

She didn’t know if it was anticipation or wishing time would go by faster that made the three hours pass by more quickly than she realized. But soon, Charlie was radioing the base’s tower for landing instructions. 

She groaned hearing the distance of the tarmac and how tight of a landing it was going to be. She had done worse but not since her ATA days. Charlie followed her instructions and soon enough they were on the ground, pulling onto the designated hardstand. 

Shutting the engines off, Charlie made the first move to exit the plane, with her right behind him. Swinging out of the plane, landing softly, he looked up at her still in the plane. “Do you remember the name Jeffrey gave us to give?” 

Slipping out of the plane, she reached for her little notebook. Flipping it open, Addie shielded her eyes from the sunshine. “Colonel Owens?” 

Nodding, Charlie looked around the little airfield, with people seemingly taking up every square inch. “I’m going to see if I can track him down.”

Following behind him, she heard various accents as they passed groups of men. There had to be hundreds, if not thousands of men across the vast space. She kept her head swiveling as she attempted to keep up with Charlie for anyone that she may know. 

Charlie came to a stop, standing at attention before introducing herself and him to the Major. “Major Charlie Baker, and Captain Adelaide Baker, sir. We’re with the 8th Bomb Group - Colonel Jeffrey sent us.” 

“Ahh, yes, Jeffrey.” Colonel Owen gave them both looks, shaking Charlie’s outstretched hand. “8th Bomb Group you say?” 

Addie tuned them out as she looked around the space. Worn out faces stared back at her. She tried to keep a smile on her face but found it hard at what she was witnessing. “Addie?” 

Charlie softly called her name as she whirled around to face him. “Sorry, caught up in my thoughts.” 

“No problem, ma’am.” Colonel Owens gave her a curious look, holding out his hand for her to shake. “Just asked what’s a woman like you doing out here?” 

A bright smile crossed her face, eagerly shaking his hand. “Want to do my part to bring our boys home, sir.” 

“I see.” He looked at her suspiciously. “Well, let me get your flight manifest, then you can get on your way.”

Charlie motioned that he would follow the Colonel, leaving her alone. She pushed herself to move forward. She had to at least look, though it would take her hours to look at every man and woman within the space. 

Seeing men on stretchers, she headed that way. Carefully making her way up and down the makeshift aisle, she was glad when she didn’t recognize anyone. Turning, she started to make her way back towards where she left Charlie. But before she could make her way back there, something barreled into her. She fought to get her balance, wrapping an arm around whatever it was that barreled into her.

Addie couldn’t see anything. A body clung to her, tears streaming down their face as Addie looked. Once the face pulled back, Addie instantly recognized the eyes, causing tears to well up in her own eyes as she hugged the person. “Oh, tell me you’re not a mirage.” 

“Elizabeth!” Addie tightened her hold on her sister, as Elizabeth’s arms tightened slightly. “Oh, you’re okay!”

The two sisters stood, hugging one another, not saying a word, relishing in the fact they both made it. Elizabeth was alive and okay. She was safe and sound, and Addie wasn’t letting her go anytime soon. “Oh, it’s so good to see you, Elizabeth. How are you?”

“Much better than most of the men here! Who came with you?” Elizabeth asked, pulling back to stand beside Addie. 

Addie grinned, reaching down to link her hand with Elizabeth’s, giving it a squeeze. “He’s with Colonel Owens, getting our flight manifest for the trip back.” 

“Addie, I have to tell you something.” Elizabeth’s eyes scanned the area, before landing on her sister’s. “Buck . . . Buck escaped back when we were still doing night marches. Him and two others made it out but I don’t know where he ended up.” 

Hugging her sister to her tightly, Addie carted a hand through her hair. “Buck’s okay. He’s doing a humanitarian run today. He made it back to Thorpe April 2nd. He’s okay, I promise.” 

Elizabeth’s shoulders sagged in relief at the news. “That’s good to hear. There’s something else you should know. I don’t know where John is. I haven’t seen him since we left the stalag. As a nurse, I left earlier than he did once the Americans came to liberate us. I haven’t seen any of the boys in the five days I’ve been here.” 

Addie could see the anguish on her sister’s face as the prospect of not keeping her promise of watching out for John, making sure he got home safe and sound. Tears streamed down Elizabeth’s face as she looked up at her sister. “I’m so sorry, Addie.”

“Hey, hey, you have nothing to be sorry for.” Addie cooed, pulling her sister into her arms. “God, Elizabeth, John and I will be reunited at some point but right now, you’re here with me, safe and sound. I can’t ask for anything more - you’re here, back by my side, safe.” 

Pulling back, Elizabeth wiped the tears from her face as Addie scanned the area. She knew Charlie would be coming back any time and she wanted to make sure she saw him in the mayhem of the place. “You said you’ve been here for 5 days. How many planes have been coming and going?” 

“I think the first land at 1000 hours and the last at 1800 hours. It’s nonstop - they’re trying to get everyone out of here and back at a base before sending them home.” Elizabeth sighed. “The guys I flew out with have already been sent back to England - they wouldn’t send me back as I’m an American and had to wait for my own forces to bring me home.” 

Addie smiled. “Well, I think I can make room on my plane for you. I think I can get my co-pilot to agree.” 

“Speaking of who is this grand co-pilot of yours?” Elizabeth asked as a man caught Addie’s attention. 

Turning her sister towards the hut Charlie was coming out of, she pointed. “Recognize him?” 

Before Addie could say another word, Elizabeth had gasped, and the tears started flowing all over again. “He’s back?” 

“Yeah, he got transferred back to Thorpe just before you were captured. He’s teaching at Thorpe and the only missions he’s gone up have been with me - two now.” She grinned, watching Charlie make his way towards them, reading the papers in his hand. As he looked up, he scanned the area looking for her. Addie pushed Elizabeth forward, motioning her to go surprise their brother. 

Addie stood there as Elizabeth walked up to Charlie and watched her two siblings reunited with hugs, laughter, and tears. She let them have their moment, crossing her arms, biting her lip to ward off another round of tears. 

Sniffling, she reached up and wiped away a few stray tears. Hearing a plane fly overhead, she looked up, shielding her eyes from the sunshine as she watched the P-51 fly effortlessly across the sky. A grin crossed her face as she felt herself relax a bit. Despite the emotions, she was happy to have her brother and sister both by her side.

“ADDIE!” 

She whipped her head from left to right trying to figure out who called her. She didn’t recognize the voice until she saw the man a few feet away from her. A smirk crossed her face as she crossed the distance between them. “DeMarco!” 

Throwing herself into his arms, she squealed when he picked her up and swung her around. As her feet touched the ground, he pulled her into a tight hug. “Addie Baker, as I live and breathe. It’s so good to see you.” 

“You as well, Benny! How are you doing?” She looked him over, head to toe. Besides being a bit skinnier and a new cut on his face, he looked well. 

Laughing, Benny shook his head. “Cannot complain. Heard from a little birdy you’re flying us home.” 

“Charlie is holding the manifest list hostage so I don’t know exactly who I’m flying home but I’m sure I can make space for you, if you’re not on the list.” She grinned. 

Benny threw his head back and laughed. “Appreciate that, Addie. How’s your dog doing?” 

“Meatball? Last I checked, he’s your dog. I was just keeping an eye on him.” She deadpanned, giving him a look. 

Shaking his head, Benny smiled. “Nope, he’s yours. He won’t even recognize me at this point - you take him home. He’s your dog, Addie.” 

“Agree to disagree; at least for a little bit longer.” She said, holding out his hand for her to shake. “We’ll see how he reacts when you come back.” 

Benny gave her a look. “I already discussed it with Egan. You two are taking him home with you when you go back to the states.” 

“You discussed this with John?” She asked, eyes wide with amusement. “Wasn’t there anything else better to discuss?” 

Benny chuckled. “There were days all we did was talk. You’d be surprised by what was discussed.” 

“Benny, don’t you remember the rules? What was discussed in the Stalag, stayed in the Stalag.” A teasing voice called as Addie squinted to see who was teasing her friend. 

Gasping, Addie squealed a bit, spotting Murphy, Crank, Brady and two other men she didn’t recognize coming closer to where her and Benny stood.  She eagerly gave them all hugs, letting them know it was good to see them. 

“Since these dodos don’t know how to introduce us, I’m Captain Adelaide Baker, formerly of the ATAs. You can call me Addie.” Addie held out her hand, introducing herself. 

“Second Lieutenant Alexander Jefferson, you can call me Alex.” He held his hand out for Addie to shake. 

She accepted it with a big grin. “It’s very nice to meet you, Alex.” 

Looking over his shoulder, she grinned at the other man standing there. “Second Lieutenant Richard Macon.” 

Addie shook his hand as the two men looked between Addie and the others around them. “Wait, is this Bucky’s Addie?” 

“In the flesh. I’m guessing that bigger dodo didn’t stop talking about me, did he? Or did you learn a lot about me from Elizabeth?” Addie looked at the two men curious. 

Richard laughed. “Between the two of them along with the rest of the men in the barracks, we heard plenty about you.” 

“Bunch of little hens - don’t know when you keep your mouths shut.” Addie mocking glared at all the men around her. “I’m guessing they told you all the secrets. For that, I apologize.” 

“Hey, we kept you in good light, Addie.” DeMarco huffed, giving her a look. 

Raising an eyebrow, Addie returned his look. DeMarco soon deflated, sighing. “Damnit Addie, there were a lot of downtimes in the barracks so storytelling was the only way to kill time.” 

Groaning softly, Addie shook her head. Turning to Alex and Richard, she grinned. “Do I want to know which of the stories they told you made you all laugh the hardest?” 

“The box you gave Douglass of course.” Alex chuckled, scratching his chin. “Bucky’s retelling might have made the entire barrack laugh pretty loudly that the Germans came and shut off the lights.” 

Addie smiled. Despite the storytelling, she was happy they were able to have some levity within the barracks. Laughter was a powerful tool and she was happy everyone seemed to hold onto it. 

She relaxed as she eyed at each of the men in their little circle. Despite the hell they had been through, they were smiling and relaxed in the moment. Raising an eyebrow, she looked at Brady, who seemed to shrink under her gaze. “Guilty about something, Brady?” 

“No, no Addie.” He stammered as he avoided her gaze, by looking behind her where Charlie and Elizabeth were standing, talking. “Glad to see your sister, Addie?” 

“I am. It’s good to see you all made it.” She crossed her arms, looking at Brady carefully. “Brady, a little birdy told me that there may be something going on between you and my sister - care to clue me in?” 

Brady sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Did this information come from a letter or a big bird named Buck?” 

“Possibly both of those sources.” She replied gently, giving him a smile. 

“Buck made it?” DeMarco exclaimed, giving Addie a look, reaching out to slug her arm. “Why didn’t you lead with that?”

She looked at them with a guilty look on her face. “Sorry, forgot you all don’t know that. Yes, Buck made it out alive. He arrived in Paris on April 1st, and I went to pick him up to bring him back to Thorpe on April 2nd.”

“You picked him up?” Elizabeth cried as she and Charlie joined the group. 

Nodding, Addie smirked. “It was my second mission since you went down. The Air Force reluctantly let me fly a couple of times.” 

“I expect a full rundown of everything that you did while we were in the Stalag.” Elizabeth gave her a knowing look, which Addie winked at. 

“I’ll tell you all about it.” She promised, turning to her big brother. “Were we given a wheel up time?” 

Charlie flipped through the papers, nodding. “They want us up within the hour. We have our manifest and they were going to start guiding people towards our bird. We should probably start to head over there.” 

Charlie started to lead the group back to their plane. Addie sighed, following them. She knew it was a long shot to find John amongst the hundreds of men. She shouldn’t have gotten her hopes up. And now, she was potentially going to leave him behind. But she had friends and family surrounding her as she started to make her way back to the plane. 

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the tears away, willing herself to be brave until she was on the plane. She would let Charlie be the pilot on the way back. Only when they were airborne, she promised herself that she would let herself feel the anger and let down of not finding the one person she was so desperate to see. 

One foot in front of the other was her mantra as she made her way closer to the plane. She listened to her boots hit the ground, one after another. The rhythm pattern grounded herself as the voices of men around her pushed her forward. 

“Addie Baker.” 

Looking over her shoulder, she could have sworn she heard her name being called but not seeing anyone there. She shook her head, she was hearing things. She just needed to close the distance between her and the plane. The early morning and the adrenaline easing were catching up to her. 

“Adelaide Baker.” 

Again, she thought she heard someone calling her name. Looking in front of her, she watched DeMarco, Murphy, Alex, Richard, Brady, Crank, and Elizabeth follow Charlie up into the plane. There was a line at the plane of other men that were being helped up inside. She watched the line, scanning the faces of the men to see if she recognized any. 

Shaking off the delusion of hearing her name, she took a step forward, only for something to make her pause. “ADELAIDE BAKER.” 

This time she wasn’t going crazy. Her name was clearly being called from behind her. Whirling around, her eyes shifted from the left to the right until they landed on a man. A grin burst across her face as she took him in. Eighteen months it had been. Eighteen months of no hugs, kisses, affection from the man, only his letters letting her know he was okay. And there, standing right there in front of her, was Major John Egan. A wide grin on his face as he took two steps forward, just as she ran directly into his arms. Throwing her arms around his broad shoulders, she felt him tug her up. She felt her feet leave the ground as he twirled them around. “Addie, baby.” 

“John.” She choked past a sob. “You’re here!” 

Leaning back, she put her hands on either side of his face, eyes scanning his face. Leaning down, she pressed a soft kiss to his lips. Putting her back down on the ground, she threw her arms back around his waist, pulling him closer to her. “You’re here.” 

“I’m here, Addie. I’m not leaving you again, sweetheart.” He murmured, tilting her head up so he could look at her. “You’re absolutely beautiful, Addie. I can’t believe I'm here.” 

Pushing to her tiptoes, she pressed another kiss to his lips, as his hand came up to her neck, deepening it. Hoots and hollers rang out around them as they pulled back, dazed looks in their eyes. Reaching up, she cupped his cheek, running her thumb over the stubble that was on his cheek. “I love you, John Egan.” 

“I love you too, Addie Baker.” 

With those words, tears ran down her face. Eighteen months it’s been since she heard his voice, those words, directed at her. John’s thumb ran its way across her jaw, a smile tugged on his lips before reaching up and wiping the tears away. “God, you’re a sore sight to see, Addie. Don’t think I’m ever going to stop looking at you.” 

Reaching up, she squeezed his hand. “I’m here, John and I'm never going anywhere.” 

His eyes trailed over her face, as if to memorize it as he smiled happily. The biggest grin she had ever seen was on his face, as if to remember that he had made it and came home to her. “One thing I have to tell you, Buck made it home. I picked him up in Paris a few weeks ago.” 

“You flew to Paris?” John’s eyes went wide, before laughing loudly. “Whatever happened to Buck swearing he would never fly with you again?” 

She giggled. “He didn’t have much choice. Charlie and I picked him up and brought him back to Thorpe. He’s alright - he’s actually on his own mission today, delivering food with Rosie to the Dutch.” 

“Him and Rosie? Delivering food to the Dutch?” He shook his head, reaching down to lace his fingers with hers. “I feel like there’s so much you need to catch me up on.” 

Nodding, she grinned. “We have all the time in the world. C’mon, I fear my co-pilot is getting antsy.” 

“Co-pilot?” John echoed, looking at her with wide eyes. “You’re flying us home?” 

Squeezing his hand, she nodded, eyes lit up with excitement. “Of course, handsome. I’m not leaving you here. Come on, let’s go before the Colonel gets word that we’re not wheels up yet.” 

Tugging him along, she felt him untangle their hands before throwing his arm around her. Stepping right up to the plane, her eyes lit up seeing Elizabeth and Charlie standing in the door of the plane watching the two of them. “Welcome back, John!” 

Charlie hopped down from the plane, holding his hand out for John to shake. Addie felt Elizabeth wrap her arms around her tugging her close, giving her a side a squeeze. “Happy?” 

“Feeling all the emotions currently. I shed tears when I saw him. I don’t know how I feel right now.”  She rested her head on Elizabeth’s shoulder. “I can’t believe he was standing right in front of me. Eighteen months.” 

Elizabeth smiled, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. “Believe it - your family is back together and we’re all safe and sound. Shall we head back to merry old England?” 

“As soon as you all get your butts on the plane.” She smirked, detangling herself from Elizabeth’s hold, starting her pre-flight checks. 

Running a hand on the belly of the plane, she watched Charlie and Elizabeth hop up into the plane while John waited for her. “Go on, get up in the plane. I’m right behind you - just have to finish the last checks.” 

Continuing on with her checks, she paused, watching him jump up in the plane. Finishing everything up, she pulled herself up into the plane, slamming the door behind her. Walking through the plane, she saw several men that she didn’t recognize but gave them big smiles, welcoming them aboard. 

Making her way through the plane, she pulled herself up into the yolk, collapsing on the chair adjacent to Charlie. “Are we heading straight home, or do we have to make a stop along the way?” 

“We have to stop at Radcliff before we touchdown at Thorpe.” Charlie grinned, watching Addie’s eyes rise. 

“Do they know we’re coming?” 

Charlie shook his head. “Nope, just that we’re going to be dropping off a few POWs there before heading back to our base.”

“Add that to our to-do list. Have a long discussion on where we’re going after the war is over - not sure if you want to go back to Michigan or somewhere else.” Addie looked over at her brother before starting the first engine. The other three were quickly started and before long, Addie was radioing the tower requesting take off instructions. Soon she was calling for tail wheel up and reaching cruising altitude just before 10,000 feet. 

Charlie shook his head. “Haven’t even thought that far ahead. Depending on where Anna wants to go - we still have a wedding to plan.” 

“I’m right there with you - depending on where John wants to go. I’m sure we’ll be back in Wisconsin before too long.” She chuckled. “And a wedding to plan - a crazy thought for sure.” 

Charlie nodded. “Ever think what mom would think?” 

“All the time. She would be so ecstatic to meet John and Anna. And Brady from what I heard.” She smirked, watching her brother’s eyes narrow. “She would be just excited that we were all coming home.” 

She bit her lip, attempting to ward off another round of tears. Throwing her head back, she looked up at the ceiling of the plane before laughing loudly. “I’m going to get sick of all these tears really quickly. The last thing John is going to want to deal with is a weepy gal.” 

“Don’t be too quick to think that, Bluebird.” His smooth voice broke through her laughter as she looked over her shoulder at him. 

“What are you doing up here, John? Don’t you know that you’re not supposed to be walking around in a plane while it’s in flight?” She teased, raising an eyebrow at him. 

Leaning a hip against her chair, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Had to see my girl in action, flying the plane.” 

Charlie looked between the two. “I can let you have the yolk, and I’ll go in the back by the men.” 

Addie glared at her brother as John cracked up laughing at the two. John put his hands up, turning to head back down to the navigator’s area. “No need, I’ll go back. Just had to watch Addie work as I will probably never see her in the pilot seat of a big bird any time soon.” 

“All your barrack dreams just came true, huh Egan?” Charlie called as John poked his head back in with the biggest grin.

“You know it, Charlie.” 

Addie rolled her eyes at the two. She did hope the two of them would become really good friends, and at that moment, she was regretting her wishes. “I have nothing - always thought you’d hate whomever I brought home.” 

“John Egan is a pretty great guy, and he treats you really well.” Charlie gave her a look. “You should be ecstatic that we get along so well.” 

Addie nodded, slowly. “I do but not when you two gang up against me. But rather you two get along than fight with each other.” 

“It’s the start of a beautiful life as one big happy family.” Charlie quipped, just as Addie reached over and slugged his arm. 

The rest of the flight was smooth and when Charlie radioed into the tower for landing instructions, she knew she was going to cry some more tears as soon as they landed. Landing softly, she navigated the plane onto the hardstand, killing the engines. Walking to the back of the plane, she looked at all the people in the belly. “We made a stop at Radcliff - if this is your base, you’re more than welcome to head out now. Elizabeth, wait here for a moment. Dad’s on his way out - we’re not staying long as we have a timetable to stick to but figured he’d want to set eyes on you.” 

Following those that were staying at Radcliff out, Addie joined Charlie as they watched the approaching jeep make its way onto the tarmac. Once the jeep was parked, Addie grinned seeing Anna and her father make their way to where they stood. Anna all but collapsed into Charlie’s arms as her dad pulled her into a big hug. “Good flight?” 

“Yeah, can’t complain. It was mayhem at the processing center in Munich. Brought you back 10 pilots.” She said, hugging her dad back. “We have one last surprise for you though.” 

Whistling, Addie turned towards the plane, watching the hatch open as Elizabeth tumbled out with a flourish, attempting to land gracefully. “I don’t know how you all do that so gracefully.” 

“When you’ve done it hundreds of times in your career, you just get good at it.” Addie called back, as she watched her dad’s eyes sweep over his daughter. 

“You’re home.” Her father said quietly, before pulling Elizabeth into a tight hug. 

Tears flowed down Addie’s face as she watched her dad and sister reunite after being apart for so long. Arms wrapped around her, tucking her close. Leaning down, John pressed a kiss to the side of her head. “Good tears?” 

“The best kind of tears. Hello tears, instead of goodbye tears.” She whispered, reaching up to wipe the stray tears away.  Lacing their fingers together, she gave his hand a squeeze, pressing a kiss to the back of his hand. 

Watching her family reunite with one another, she cleared her throat, a frown at her face. “While I hate to do this, we do need to get back to Thorpe. Dad, Anna, want to come over later this week? I think we need to have a big family meeting, now that we’re all back.” 

Hugs were exchanged, welcome back greetings for John and Elizabeth before promises to see everyone later that week. Soon, Charlie, Elizabeth, Addie, and John were back in the plane, and they were taxiing down the runway, heading back to Thorpe. “What’s with the sudden urge to get back to Thorpe?” 

“Well, Charlie. It’s currently 1300 hours and Buck and Rosie are supposed to be back around 1500 hours. I want to make sure we’re back first so that another reunion can happen, and I want a front row seat to that one.” She said, giving him a look, watching as his eyes went wide and he chuckled. 

“Ahh Buck and Bucky’s reunion?” He asked as she silently agreed. “That’s going to be a great reunion

Nodding, she got them airborne, pushing the throttle a bit to ease into their ascent. “I know just the way John can welcome Buck back.”

“Not sure I like that evil grin you have on your face.” Charlie quipped, giving his sister a look. 

Waving him off, she smiled. “It’s going to be a great reunion, and I’ll probably shed tears again.” 

Before long, the descent to Thorpe’s started. Addie confirmed with Charlie that the landing gears were coming down and they radioed to the tower for landing instructions. Soon enough, they were back on the ground, with a gentle bump, Addie easing the plane to a stop on a hardstand. She could hear everyone rustling around in the back and she couldn’t wipe the grin off her face. 

Her found family had made their way back home to her. Through unexpected odds, they survived, and they were all home. 

Gathering up her items, she made her way through the plane, smiling when she saw John standing there waiting for her. “Back to where it all began.” 

“The plane or the base?” She grinned up at him, standing by his side.

“Both, I guess. But I was thinking about the belly of the plane, when you were having one of your sad nights.” He said, sighing. “How far away that feels but that night solidified it for me - you’re it for me Addie. I’m the luckiest man in the world because I have you by my side. I love you.” 

Reaching out, she punched him as the tears crowded her eyes. Sighing, she looked up at the man that made her fall hopelessly in love. Sniffling, she shook her head. “I love you too, John. I’m going to have to put a limit on how many times you make me cry.” 

“I’ll be there to wipe your tears away every single time. I promise.” He leaned down, capturing her lips in a kiss as a throat cleared behind them. 

“How about you let the rest of us leave the plane, then you two can do whatever you want in an empty plane?” Charlie smirked, as John tugged Addie out of his way. As he passed them, Addie slugged him. 

“Should’ve left you at Radcliff for Anna and dad to deal with you.” Addie gave him a look. “Also, leave me alone - I’ve got 18 months of lost kisses, hugs, and sweet sentiments to make up for, pain in my butt.” 

Charlie held up his hands in surrender. “Alright, I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone. Just remember, you have just over an hour before you need to be up in the tower.” 

Saluting him, Addie smiled at him, watching him duck out of the plane, leaving her and John alone. “An hour? What’s going on up in the tower?” 

“You’ll see. Not going to give that surprise away.” She smirked, lacing their hands together. “What do you want to do? Like Charlie said, you’ve got about an hour.” 

Scratching the back of his head, he grimaced looking at her. “I could really go for a shower.” 

“Ok! Shower for you it is.” She said before stepping on her tiptoes, throwing her arm around his shoulder, pulling him in for a steamy kiss, one that left so much to promise. “We have to make a pit stop at my hut first.” 

Dazed from that kiss, John didn’t even question her as he followed behind her. Hopping out of the plane, Addie watched as he spoke quickly to the ground crew before hopping into the jeep left for them. He tugged her right hand off the steering wheel, lacing their fingers together. Looking at her, he noticed something. “Is that the fake engagement ring I gave you before London?”

“It is. I started wearing it after you went down. More as a physical reminder of your promise. Haven’t taken it off.” She whispered the last part, focused on the road in front of them, and avoiding his gaze. 

He let her avoid him as they pulled up to her hut. Getting out of the jeep, she motioned for him to wait as she checked the hut before motioning him to follow her inside. Walking down the aisle, she paused in front of her bed. “Two things were given to me when we got word that you went down - one was your jacket, which for the record, I have worn almost every day since Kidd gave it to me. Two, they gave me your footlocker, and I’ve kept it safe for you.” 

“They gave you my stuff?” John said, crouching down, opening his locker. “Did you look through this?” 

Sitting down on her bed, she placed a hand on his shoulder. “I did. We found out you were in the POW camp on December 5th, and I went through it Christmas morning as I was missing you badly that morning. I may have found a letter that you wrote but I’ll be completely surprised when you give it to me officially.” 

He chuckled. “I wrote that letter after finding you in the big bird that night. There was something about you that drew me in and I wanted to know more.” 

“Well, whatever it was, I felt it too. I wanted to know more about you.” She whispered, squeezing his shoulder. “Come on, you need a shower, and we have places to go and people to see.” 

She watched him pick up his footlocker and haul it out of her hut, placing it in the back of the jeep. Driving him towards his old hut, she watched him take in the surrounding area. “Things haven’t changed much, have they?” 

“Not really - new faces are about the only thing that has changed. Everything else has pretty much stayed the same.” She pulled to a stop outside of his hut. “Go get a shower, freshen up, then meet me at my desk when you’re done. I’ll clue you in about your surprise.” 

Getting out of the jeep, he leaned across the seats, placing a gentle kiss on her lips before pulling back winking. “I’ll see you soon, Bluebird.” 

He grabbed his footlocker from the back. She watched him walk away, the smile tugging at her lips as he paused, winked at her again, before disappearing into his hut. She shook her head, happiness flowing through her as she drove to the tower. She should have made sure Elizabeth had everything she needed before she left the plane but her sister knew the base like the back of her hand, so Addie wasn’t too concerned. 

Walking up the stairs, she threw open the door, not sure what she was expecting, but a quiet office wasn’t it. Walking into the main part, she saw Elizabeth sitting behind her desk with a smirk. “Oh, you finally realized that I was here, huh?” 

“Well . . .” Addie hesitated, grinning at her older sister. “I’m sorry. You probably need clothes and somewhere to bunk, huh?” 

Elizabeth giggled at her sister. “I wasn’t going to interrupt whatever you and Bucky got up to. Luckily for you, I had a shower this morning, but I won’t say no to clothes or a bed.” 

“You can bunk with me. As for clothes, I’m sure we can scrounge up something - if nothing else, there’s a few extra nurse outfits that’ll work.” Addie added as she avoided Elizabeth’s swat to her arm. 

“Where did you leave John?” Her sister pushed away from her desk, coming to stand next to Addie at the windows. 

She watched old friends catch up with one another. Josie and DeMarco were walking hand in hand down the tarmac. Looking around for the canine of the base, she failed to see him. “He’s getting a shower. Did you happen to see Meatball around anywhere?” 

“He is in Jeffrey’s office. Never heard a CO baby talk to a dog before but that’s what I heard when I walked in a few minutes ago.” She smirked, nodding to the closed door. 

Addie rolled her eyes, successfully swatting her sister. “Lovely. What are your plans for the day?” 

“Avoiding you and Bucky as long as humanly possible. You two are going to be lovesick idiots now. I managed to avoid it the first time but I don’t think I’m going to be so lucky this time.” She gagged, exaggerating a shutter. 

Crossing her arms, Addie gave her a long look. “And you and Brady? What’s the story there?” 

“That, my dear sister, is a story for another time.” She grinned. “Let’s just say he’s very talented with his hands.” 

Addie put her hand on her mouth as she pretended to gag at the news. “Things I didn’t need to know about my friend. Thank you, Elizabeth.” 

“I was only saying he’s talented with his hands because he’s a musician, Addie.” Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Goodness, Egan has corrupted you, Ads.”

Quickly shaking her head, Addie pursed her lips. “He did not, the look on your face is what horrified me. Do I need to give Brady a talk about if he hurts my sister?”

“John may have already done that - double check with him. But if he did not, then feel free to do so.” Elizabeth smiled, pushing off the wall. “I’m going to head back to your hut, maybe take a nap. Will you come grab me when you head to dinner?” 

Nodding, Addie tugged her sister into a hug before kissing her cheek. “If I haven’t said it, it’s really good to have you home. Sister catch up soon?” 

“Absolutely. Need to know what badass stuff you got up to in the 18 months we were gone.” Elizabeth smirked, returning her hug before heading out of the tower. 

Pushing herself off the wall, she walked over to Jeffrey’s office, knocking quickly. “Enter.” 

Pushing open the door, Addie smiled seeing Meatball jump up from the floor to circle her. Reaching down, she gave him a few pats and scratched before looking up at her CO. “Thank you for watching him today.”

“Not a problem. You were right, he is a pretty chill dog.” Jeffrey smiled, seeing the dog sit at Addie’s feet. “Everything go alright with the mission?” 

Nodding, she felt Meatball lick her hand. “We brought home 30 men, 10 of which we dropped off at Radcliff before bringing the other 20 men here. I’ll make sure you meet them properly soon.” 

“Was your Major Egan one of them to return?” Jeffrey asked, watching a light blush cover his secretary’s cheeks. 

“He was.” She smiled. “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to bring him and the men home. It was a great honor to fly them back.” 

Jeffrey stood, making his way over to her. “I am glad you got the opportunity. You do so much for the base, it was the least I could do to have you fly that mission. Now, take the rest of the afternoon off - I’m sure there will be some celebrations to welcome the men back.” 

Nodding, her and Meatball left his office, she stopped at her desk. She needed to send a telegram to Harding but finding the words was difficult. She figured simply saying that Buck and Bucky had made it back. She finished it with her signature before promising herself she’d send it later that afternoon. 

She was caught in her thoughts that she failed to hear the door open, until she saw a bouquet of wildflowers in front of her. Looking up, she grinned seeing Bucky standing there with the flowers, just as he had done countless times. “John, they’re gorgeous.” 

“Luckily, they didn’t mow down my field.” He handed them to her, Addie inhaling them before putting them in her makeshift vase, adding a bit of water from the cooled tea kettle. 

Addie turned, shaking her head at him, watching him greet Meatball. “They tried but I wouldn’t let them. Even got Jeffrey to write up an executive order that put the kibosh on that.” 

John chuckled, a grin on his face as he continued to pet the dog. “Oh, I missed you too, Meatball.” Looking up at Addie, he chuckled. “Of course you would. Now what’s my surprise?” 

“Come along, then.” She laced their hands together, leading him up the stairs in the tower, Meatball trailing behind them. Opening the door, she motioned John to go in ahead of her. “Maddie moo!” Addie cried just as the door shut behind her. 

“Hey, you! Good flight today?” Maddie asked, twirling around in her chair, only to stop when she saw John standing next to her friend. “Bucky! Welcome back!”

“I had to pick up a few men who had lost their way, including this one.” She smiled, taking a seat next to Maddie. “We’re here to surprise the crew coming back in a bit.” 

“Hi Maddie. Did my girl get my missives?” John asked, sitting in a chair beside Addie. 

“She did - left them on her desk after we got word. And you’re right on time, they should be calling into the tower any second.” Maddie said, giving the two of them a look. “He does know about that, doesn’t he?” 

Addie looked over at John, who was confused at the two. “Buck and Rosie are coming back from their mission. Thought you’d like to be the one to give them landing instructions.” 

John laughed. “Are you trying to give my best friend a heart attack?” 

“Something like that. Just think, it’ll be payback from something.” She teased, hearing the radio static come through. 

“Clearup Tower, this is Chowhound One requesting landing instructions, over.” Gale’s strong voice came through the radio as Addie watched the grin cross Bucky’s face. 

“Chowhound One, you are clear for overhead approach. Runway 281 at 1,200 indicated. Winds are 300 at 12. Altimeter, 29.96. Over.” John reported back, a smirk on his face at hearing Buck’s voice for the first time in weeks.

Addie shook her head at John. This was the perfect way to let Buck know he had returned to base, safe. John reached over, grabbing her hand, and squeezing it. 

“Clearup Tower, please repeat. Over.” Buck’s confused voice radioed back as they all bit back a laugh.

The smile was clear in his voice as he radioed back. “Oh, you heard me the first goddamn time, Gale”

“Well, I’ll be damned.”

Throwing down the earpiece, John pushed back from the desk, giving Addie a look. “Want to go meet him at the hardstand with me?” 

Nodding, Addie turned to Maddie. “Thank you for letting us crash the Tower for a bit.” 

“Anytime. Always happy to have you here with me.” Maddie grinned, watching the two of them head out of the tower, with Meatball hot on their heels.  

John tugged her down the stairs, making sure she didn’t trip. He hopped into the driver’s side of the jeep, waiting for her to get in. Meatball hopped in beside Addie before John tore off down the runway. She pointed to Buck’s plane as it landed softly on the tarmac. 

John waited for the plane to turn to the hardstand, before pulling up alongside the plane. Honking the horn, he smirked as Buck caught sight of him in the jeep.  Buck’s face was worth all the agony and pain they had been through. Addie watched Buck’s grin widened as he saw his best friend. 

“Look who it is. Stone in my shoe!” Buck called out, shaking his head at his best friend.

“Oh, I’m back!” All Bucky could do was laugh as he continued to follow the B-17 to the hard stand.

Putting the jeep into park, John jumped out, antsy to be face to face with Buck in a handful of weeks. Addie stood back, Meatball by her side, as she waited for the reunion. 

Soon enough, the hatch was opened and Buck dropped out, a big grin on his face. Immediately John tugged him into a hug, a few back slaps exchanged before they pulled back. Buck looked over his shoulder grinning at Addie. “Had a hand in bringing him back?” 

“Sure did. Didn’t think he was even there until literally the last 5 minutes we were on the ground.” She smirked looking between the two friends. “He found me though.”

“Had to yell her name three times before she saw me.” John teased. 

Addie smiled. “Well, it was an emotional morning. Elizabeth, DeMarco, Brady, Murphy, Crank, Alex, and Richard all came home with us too.” 

Buck grinned. “You brought them all home. I’m sure they were glad to see you.” 

“Too true, Buck.” John smiled, seeing more people come up to them. Lemmons, Rosie and Crosby joined them with handshakes and welcome backs. 

Addie reached down, petting Meatball, attempting to remind herself that they had made it, all safe and standing her on the hard stand like it was any other day. But it wasn’t and that day was one for celebrations. 

“What’s the plan for the rest of the day?” Rosie asked, looking between the group. 

Addie shrugged. “I have the rest of the day off. Jeffrey mentioned something about a celebration, so I’m guessing the club will be loud tonight.” 

The men hopped into the jeep, leaving Addie and Meatball to walk back. Addie needed some time to wrap her head around the day. Caught up in her thoughts, she didn’t realize Meatball had torn off down the way until she heard laughter. Looking up, she saw Meatball had noticed DeMarco and was excitedly jumping up and down, lapping up the attention from the man. 

Walking towards Josie, Addie grinned at her friend. “Good day?” 

“The best. You brought him home.” Josie looked over at her. “Thank you.” 

Addie chuckled. “No thanks needed. John and Elizabeth are both home too. Did he find you in the tower?” 

Nodding, Josie smiled. “I’m glad they’re back. As for Benny, he walked in, door slamming behind him and rushed up to my desk, pulling me to a stand before kissing me. Jeffrey kicked us out and we’ve been catching up since. He mentioned Meatball is yours and John’s now.” 

“Yet to be determined. I told him Meatball remembers him but Benny said he’s mine now. So, we agreed to disagree for the time being.” Addie grinned, watching DeMarco scratch Meatball’s belly. “Told you he didn’t forget you.” 

“Yeah, yeah but he’s still your dog.” DeMarco called back, vigorously scratching the dog. 

Giving them a few more minutes, she slapped her thigh, watching the dog come to her side. “I don’t know what the plans are, but there is a celebration in the club tonight.” 

Leaving them, her and Meatball continued their walk towards her hut. She didn’t know where John had gotten to but figured she would see him at the mess hall for dinner. 

Walking into her hut, she smiled seeing Elizabeth in the bed next to her, sound asleep. Collapsing on her own bed, she settled in, Meatball curled up at her feet. Sighing, she let the emotions of the day hit her. Her makeshift family was all back on base. Everyone was in high spirits and excitement was palpable. 

“What did I miss?” Elizabeth’s sleepy voice called to her. 

Addie smiled at her sister’s messy hair. “Good morning, sleeping beauty. Buck and Rosie came back. John was on the radio to welcome them back. A celebration later in the club is all I know. Everything else is yet to be determined.”

A yawn escaped Elizabeth’s mouth. “Sounds like a typical Tuesday.” 

Addie laughed. “The first one that’s felt normal in over a year.”

“You doing okay, Addie?” Elizabeth pushed herself up before coming to sit beside her, wrapping an arm around her. Meatball nudged his way between the two, both girls giving him pets. 

Sighing, Addie shrugged. “I should be asking you that question.” 

“You’re avoiding it.” Elizabeth softly sang, giving her sister a knowing look. 

“Maybe I am.” She sighed softly. “I don’t know what I feel, Lizzie. I’m over the moon excited that you all are back but how do I explain to you and John what happened over the 18 months? I mean, how do I tell you that I helped plan out the missions this base did with the D-Day after Crosby collapsed from exhaustion. I saw Ryan and called him an asshole to his face. I took Rosie for a ride in Daffodil. Rosie went down then came back then I went to pick Buck up. And somehow, I made it through, one foot in front of the other for 570 days. Thank goodness for Rosie and Crosby - they made sure I ate and took care of myself while you all were away.” 

Tears fell as she whispered the last part. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her sister, much to the dismay of Meatball. Elizabeth cooed as she ran a hand through Addie’s hair. “Let it out, Ads. Just let everything that you’ve been holding in out. Shh, I got you now.” 

She cried, cried until she couldn’t cry any longer. Slumped against her sister, she snubbed, hastily reaching up to wipe away her tears. “You’re so strong, Addie. So strong but you don’t have to be strong for anyone any longer. Your family is back, and we’re not going anywhere.” 

Sniffling, Addie hugged her sister tight. “Love you, Lizzie.” 

“Love you too, Ads.” 

2200 Hours

Stumbling out of the officer’s club, John by her side, she was wound up from a night of drinking and dancing. Tugging on John’s hand, she led him to a fort, standing in front of it with a grin. “We always end up here, don’t we?” 

“You led us here. I just followed.” He joked, an easy on his face. “I’m surprised you’re not more tired, you’ve been up since 0330.” 

At his words, a yawn escaped her mouth. She gave him a look. “Didn’t want to go to bed early on your first night back. Quite honestly, I don't want you out of my sight but what can we do?” 

John looked at the fort before looking at her. “C’mon, let’s go up.” 

Opening the hatch, he got up as she followed behind him. Grabbing a blanket, she threw it over her shoulder, hoping to ward off the chill, as he pulled her into his arms. “This, this right here, is what I’ve been looking forward to most. Being alone with you, without anyone around.”

“Me too.” She gave him a shy look, taking a deep breath. “You still smell like you did before you went down.” 

“You’ve smelt me before?” He teased, causing her to knock her shoulder into his. 

“Your jacket - I wore it before it smelt like you. Tobacco, sandalwood, and mint.” She gave him another shy look, eyes looking at their connecting hands instead of him. He reached over and rubbed his thumb on her jaw before tilting her head up. 

John locked eyes with her. “Where has my Addie gone? Why are you so shy?” 

“It’s been 18 months, John. We’re both different people.” She smiled softly. “What if what we had before you went down is now completely different?” 

John nodded, leaning over and gently kissing her. “The thought crossed my mind but Addie, what we have is real. I get it, you’re nervous, hell I’m nervous. Eighteen months is a long time to be a part, but you’re it for me baby. Yes, I asked you to marry me but when we get married is up to you.” 

“I want to marry you, John. There’s no question there. Just - I want to tell you everything that happened in the last 18 months. And I’m sure there’s things that you’ll need to tell me.” She paused, sighing. “I just don’t know where to start. I hated that you felt like you needed to go back up - and it took me a long time to realize that you needed not to feel so hopeless. Like I said in a letter, I forgave you for that a long time ago. I faced my ex-fiancé and called him an asshole. I helped plan around 200 D-Day missions for our boys to make, I did a few things that may make you roll your eyes, and I did a lot of other things that probably made a difference in the war. I took Rosie up in Daffodil on Thanksgiving. Rosie and Crosby watched over me to make sure I was eating and taking care of myself. And somehow, I managed to put one foot in front of the other and we made it, John. And now we’re free to start our lives together.” 

John nodded, leaning over and kissing her. His voice dropped to a whisper. “Addie, what can I say? You did it, baby. We made it through. I’m in awe of you and everything you had to endure while I was gone. But I’m home now, and you don’t have to endure that any longer. You can lean on me, through the tough days.” 

“But you’re working through your own stuff.” She said, picking up his hand, lacing their fingers together. 

John placed a finger under her chin, tilting it up so she locked eyes with him. “We’ll work on our own stuff, together, side by side, Addie. This will be the last time you're on your own. I’m not leaving you.” 

Squeezing his hand, a few stray tears fell down her cheeks. John reached over and whipped them away, rubbing his thumb along her chin, soothingly. “I love you, John.” 

“I love you too, Adelaide.” 

Nestled against John’s chest, she listened to his heartbeat. He was here, sitting beside her. The only thing she wanted the last 570 days. She just wanted him by her side, and finally, her wish came true. 

“John?” She asked, lifting her head to look over at him, a grin crossing her face. 

“Hmm?” He hummed, continuing to play with the ring on her finger before looking up at him. 

“I don’t want to wait . . . I want to marry you as soon as possible.” Her eyes lit up at the prospect. “Will you marry me, just as soon as we can pull things together?” 

John’s jaw dropped at her words. “But you just said . . .”

“Forget what I said. I don’t want to wait.” She squeezed his hand. “I want to be Mrs. John Egan, just as soon as we can make it happen. And if we need to wait until we get back to Wisconsin, so your mom and sisters are there, then so be it but I want to be your wife.” 

Grinning, he leaned in and kissed her soundly. Throwing her arms around his shoulders, she deepened the kiss. Tugging her, he helped her settle on his lap as they continued to kiss. “Addie, baby, yes, I will marry you. Wanna marry you just as soon as we can.” 

She didn’t say anything, just leaned forward to kiss him. He groaned at the heat behind the kiss. “Been dreaming of this, Bluebird.” 

“Make love to me, John.” She whispered, against his lips. Looking at him, she watched him bite his lip as she nodded. “I want you John. So unfair that I only had you for a night before you went down.” 

Leaning closer to his ear, her hot breath sent shivers down his spine. “Love you, John.” 

“Love you too, Adelaide.” Pushing her gently off him, he guided her back on the blanket, kneeling over her. Leaning over her, his kiss, sealed a promise between them. This, this was just the beginning for them. 

Thank you for reading!!! 10,379 words to round out chapter 17. They've reunited and Addie's found family are all back at base. There's one more chapter, a wrap-up and a look into the future. I have (currently) 4 scenes that were nixed when I originally updated chapters that I'll be posting once they're all cleaned up. But if there's anything else you'd like to see, feel free to send me a message or comment below. As always, feedback is welcomed and appreciated.

Chapter 18

[anonymousewrites]

Logos and Pathos (Book 3) Chapter Twenty-Four

TOS! Spock x Empath! Reader

Chapter Twenty-Four: Controlling Psychics

Summary: Spock, (Y/N), Kirk, and Bones arrive on Platonius for an unknown distress call and find themselves in a psychic mess.

            Captain’s Log: We are responding to desperate distress calls from an unknown planet. My science officer, Mr. Spock, is unable to account for this since he reported no sign of life on the planet. It is rich in kironide deposits, a very rare and long-lasting source of great power. Mr. Spock, Mx. (L/N), Dr. McCoy, and I have beamed down to investigate.

            They materialized in an entryway to a room that reminded (Y/N) of designs of ancient Earth ruins. Greece, they believed (though their memory for ancient history was often clouded by what they knew about current cultures).

            “Are you from the starship Enterprise?” said a booming voice, though it came from no discernable body. Then, a shadow appeared as someone walked closer.

            “We are,” said Kirk.

            A man, quite short, appeared around the corner. The walls of the room had amplified his voice. He was dressed in what (Y/N) again believed was ancient Greek robes. “Alexander, at your service,” he said, smiling He was nervous, but his emotions were more warmth than anything. “I sing, I dance, I play all variety of games, and I’m a good loser, a very good loser.” His nerves grew stronger, and (Y/N) furrowed their brow. “Please, sir, try to bear that in mind.” He waved for them to follow, and the group did.

            “Who are the people of this planet?” asked (Y/N).

            “Oh, Platonians,” said Alexander. “I’m sure you’ve never heard of us. Our native star is Sahndara. Millennia ago, just before it went nova, we managed to escape. Our leader liked Plato’s ideas. Plato, Platonius, see? In fact, our current king, Parmen, sometimes called us Plato’s children, although we sometimes think of ourselves more as Plato’s stepchildren.”

            He paused suddenly, and (Y/N) felt a tremble in their empathic senses. Another psychic was around and, judging by Alexander’s expression, speaking to him.

            “Excuse me, uh, someone’s waiting for you,” said Alexander.

            He stiffened and hopped away uncomfortably as if compelled by an unseen force. (Y/N) frowned uncomfortably at the motion. However, there was nothing the group could do but exchange glances and follow.

            Alexander’s hopping led them to another room, and once the doors open, they could see a lavishly decorated room in the same Grecian style. A man reclined on a sofa, and a woman doted upon him. Several other people stood around. All wore the same Grecian robes, though theirs were more ornate than Alexander’s. The woman at the sofa rose when she saw the guests and descended from the dais, her green dress swirling elegantly as she moved.

            (Y/N) could feel the pain of the man lying down and the worry of the woman instantly, and it was amplified in their senses. These two were psychics—with no barriers to their minds, they gave off stronger emotions.

            (Most psychic species were like this to varying degrees. The more open the mind and stronger the abilities, the stronger the emotions. Vulcans were exceptions due to the closed-off nature of their minds and emotions. They kept barriers that stopped empaths from sensing their emotions to any degree. When Spock chose to share his emotions with (Y/N), though, they encompassed all of their senses)

            “Welcome to our republic,” said the woman. “Who among you is the physician?”

            “I am,” said Bones. “What’s the problem?”

            “My spouse—his leg,” said the woman. “Come this way.” She escorted them to the dais.

            Bones stepped up and looked at the man. “Well, what happened to his leg?”

            “I suppose I scratched it,” said the man.

            “I don’t understand,” said Bones, staring at the cut. “This should’ve been attended to immediately.”

            “Sheer ignorance,” said the man, groaning. “Is there anything you can do?”

            “Well, we’re certainly going to try,” said Bones. He looked at (Y/N). “Can you calm some of his pain so I can get to work? The infection is massive and probably agonizing.”

            (Y/N) nodded. “Of course.”

            “What if they hurt him?” said the woman suspiciously.

            “(Y/N) is an Empath. They need only touch your spouse to ease his pain,” said Spock, defending (Y/N)’s skill and honor.

            “And I wouldn’t harm him,” said (Y/N).

            “Very well,” said the man. “I will accept the empath’s help.”

            (Y/N) approached and put a hand on his arm. They allowed themself to take some of his pain and dull his suffering. The man sighed and relaxed. Around them, the various Platonians’ emotions turned pleased as they saw the empath at work. (Y/N) felt disconcerted by the attention.

            “Good,” said Bones, opening his med pack. “Now something for the infection.” He reached for a needle, but it floated up.

            Psychics, as I thought, thought (Y/N).

            “Where?” asked the man, keeping the needle floating.

            “In the leg,” said Bones, looking on in surprise.

            The needle pushed into his leg and injected. Then, it floated back to Bones’s hand. (Y/N)’s attention snapped towards the woman as she sat and observed them. Her face was cold, and Alexander’s emotions were full of fear as he spoke to her.

            (Y/N) knew that gut feelings were effective in missions, but this…something they didn’t like was going on. It was disconcerting. (Y/N) watched as the woman forced Alexander to cover his mouth, and her emotions sharpened to anger.

            No, they definitely didn’t like this.

            (Y/N) drew their hand back once the pain of the man abated enough. Around them, the Platonians were playing chess with Alexander. They amused themselves by moving the stone pieces with their minds while Alexander had to lift it himself. (Y/N) didn’t like how they played with him. These psychics…there was something in their manner that reminded them of the Novisans.

            “What is your prognosis, Doctor?” asked the man.

            “I’ll let you know when I have the results,” said Bones. “And from now on, it would be better if I handled the instruments without your help.”

            He stepped down from the dais, scan completed. (Y/N) followed. The Starfleet officers gathered in the center of the room.

            “Bones, I don’t understand why a simple cut like that could become so serious,” said Kirk.

            “Neither do I, but it has,” said Bones. “How do I knock out an infection when the tricorder doesn’t show any information on Platonius bacteria? What I’ve given him is the basics, but it won’t continue to help.”

            “His pain is returning, too,” said (Y/N).

            “All I could do was match his bugs with a known strain and hope,” said Bones.

            The woman in green approached. “I apologize for my rudeness. I am Philana.” Although she spoke politely, she was cold, and her emotions were the same. It seemed she just wanted them to continue to treat her spouse well.

            “Hello,” said Kirk. “Thank you for having us. I have to ask, though, this psychokinetic power of yours—how long have you had it?             Did it come from Sahndar?”

            “We’ve had it two and a half—ever since our arrival here on Platonius,” said Philana.

            “How is the power transmitted?” asked Spock.

            “Brain waves,” Philana replied.

            “Do these waves cease when you’re asleep?” questioned Spock.

            “No, not if they’re imbedded in the unconscious,” said Philana.

            “Well, what about medicine? Why no doctors?” asked Bones.

            “Well, we haven’t any pressing need for the medical arts,” said Philana. “You see, while still on Sahndara, we instituted a mass eugenics program. We are the result.”

            (Y/N)’s eyes widened at the phrase, the idea and the lack of emotions Philana expressed while speaking both horrifying. It seemed their suspicion had been correct. They exchanged a glance with the others, equally tense. This place…they would leave as soon as they were finished.

            “Pared down to a population of 38, we’re perfect for our Eutopia,” said Philana. “We’re bred for contemplation and self-reliance…and longevity.” She lifted her chin proudly. “How old would you say I am?” Kirk hesitated politely. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m not vain.”

            Lie, thought (Y/N).

            “Thirty-five,” said Spock without hesitation.

            Anger tinged Philana’s emotions. “That old? I stopped aging at thirty.”

            (Y/N) was very proud of Spock all of a sudden.

            “Well, anyway, you’re off by two thousand years,” said Philana. “I’m 2,300 years old. Parmen and I were married very young. I was only 117, and he was 128. You see, we scarcely have to move anymore, let alone work.”

            “That’s why you have no resistance?” asked Kirk.

            “That’s right,” said Philana. “A break in the skin or cut can be fatal.”

            Parmen cried out, and Philana went to his side as a statue broke. Parmen’s pain was causing his telekinesis to go haywire, and statues were flying across the room dangerously. Kirk and Bones ducked for cover, and Spock pulled (Y/N) down beside him for safety. He wouldn’t see them harmed.

            “Fascinating,” said Spock. “Does pain affect your abilities, too, (Y/N)?”

            “This is a man acting out because he has no proper control or understanding of his own abilities,” murmured (Y/N), their opinion clear.

            Before several statues could hit them, a man stopped them with his mind and lowered them to the ground. He had on orange robes lined with gold. He smiled at the group (at (Y/N)). “Apologies for this. Our king is experiencing extreme delirium.” He extended a hand to (Y/N) to help them up. They didn’t take it. “I am Aristos, and I thank you for your assistance, even with this mishap.”

            “This mishap is still occurring,” said Spock, looking around as the room shook violently.

            (Y/N) nodded and pressed their fingers to their temples as they felt Parmen’s emotions fly out of control. The Platonians glanced at them as they realized how sensitive (Y/N)’s empathy was.

            “Captain!” Kirk’s communicator beeped, and Scotty’s voice came over it. “Captain!”

            “Scotty, what’s the matter?!” said Kirk.

            “Captain, we’re in the midst of a storm,” said Scotty.

            Parmen’s outburst, thought (Y/N). The delirium was more dangerous than they’d thought. They could feel his emotions pressing in around them, and it was aggravating.

            “No discernible cause, and I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Scotty worriedly. “There’s ten-scale turbulence, and right now, emergency gyros and stabilizers are at maximum. If this keeps up, Captain, we can’t last.”

            “Engines at full speed,” said Kirk. “Get her out of orbit and into space.”

            “I’ve tried that, sir. She’s locked tight,” said Scotty.

            “Then there’s nothing you can do but batten down and weather,” said Kirk.

            “Right, Captain,” said Scotty before the communication ended.

            “Parmen’s mind is affecting the Enterprise and the rest of the crew,” said (Y/N). “I’m going to calm him down.”

            “Be careful,” said Spock. “It could harm you.” He didn’t want them to be hurt.

            “Don’t worry, Spock,” said (Y/N), smiling gently before running up to the dais. Behind them, Alexander began to choke as Parmen’s mind grabbed him, and Kirk ran to help him.

            “Let him die!” called Philana carelessly as she held Parmen.

            (Y/N) was disgusted, but they pushed their feelings aside to grab Parmen’s mind and force his pain away. It agonized and exhausted them, but Parmen heaved a gasp and collapsed tiredly. Finally, he was still and quiet.

            Everyone let out a breath, and Kirk quickly checked on the Enterprise. Thankfully, it wasn’t being harmed anymore.

     ��      “I don’t know how we can ever thank you,” said Philana, following (Y/N) down from the dais to where they met with Bones and the others. “Not only for Platonius, but for myself.”

            “Indeed. Your assistance was of great help,” said Aristos to Bones and (Y/N). He smiled, and it was blindingly warm, but the want was apparent, and (Y/N) shifted back to Spock’s side. “You were quite talented.”

            Spock’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he was tempted to reach around (Y/N) as if he could block them from the Platonians. The way they looked at his t’hy’la—Aristos in particular—was far too similar to the Novisans or Khan. It was want, desire. And Spock disliked it greatly.

            “Alexander, show our guests to the South Wing,” commanded Philana.

            “We must return to our ship,” said Spock, wanting to get (Y/N) back to the Enterprise and away from the Platonians as quickly and efficiently as possible.

            “We do need to wait until Parmen’s fever breaks,” said Bones. “I’ll stick around until then.”

            “I believe (Y/N) should also wait,” said Aristos. “After all, they can handle Parmen’s delirium with their empathy. It is impressive as well as helpful.”

            “If they stay, I guess we’ll all stay,” said Kirk, acutely aware that he shouldn’t leave his officers alone with these people, not with the interest being shown in them.

            “I’ll monitor Parmen,” said Bones.

            “I’ll sense if he has problems, and I’ll come back if his delirium grows again,” said (Y/N), deciding to leave with Spock and Kirk. They deliberately wanted to avoid the desire the Platonians had for them to stay.

            “Are you certain you do not wish to stay?” asked Aristos. He smiled coyly. “We’ve always wanted to know other psychics with different types of abilities. After all, we only have one. To understand each other more…it could be fascinating.”

            “Maybe another time,” said (Y/N) resolutely.

            They turned and walked out the door with them to follow Alexander. They ignored the negative emotions their departure created.

            Aristos and Philana glanced at one another.

            “New psychic powers to join with ours,” said Philana.

            “Excitement in the midst of boredom.” Aristos smirked. “And in such a pretty package.”

l

            “I need to get off this planet,” murmured (Y/N) as they walked into their quarters with Spock and Kirk. Alexander walked in front of them, so (Y/N) spoke quietly.

            “I agree,” said Kirk. “These people…We can’t trust them. Not when they’ve committed genocide and seem too eager to have us stay.”

            “And the additional threat is that it is clear the Platonians have a similar interest in (Y/N) as the Novisans did,” said Spock.

            (Y/N) shivered uncomfortably. “I don’t want a repeat of what happened on Novis.”

            “None of us do,” said Kirk.

            Spock nodded, and he reached out to brush his fingers against (Y/N)’s. He was worried. He didn’t want (Y/N) to be harmed. “We’ll be alright, T’hy’la,” he murmured.

            (Y/N) smiled. “Thank you, Spock.”

            Alexander opened the door to their quarters. “A-Anything you want, just ask me. Anything,” he said.

            “Thank you, Alexander,” said Kirk.

            “Oh, think nothing of it, you saved my life,” said Alexander, smiling. Then, his smile fell. “Listen, I think I should tell you that…”

            “Tell me what?” asked Kirk.

            “Well, just that I never knew that there were people like you,” said Alexander.

            “Alexander, is there anyone else like you on Platonus?” asked (Y/N).

            “What do you mean like me?” asked Alexander warily.

            “You don’t have telekinesis,” said (Y/N).

            Alexander smiled. “Oh, I thought you were talking about my size. They make fun of me for my size.” Sadness swept around him. “But, um, to answer my question, I’m the only one who doesn’t have it. I was brought here as the court buffoon. That’s why I’m everybody’s slave, and I have to be ten places at once, and I never do anything right.”

            He’s mistreated. Like the non-empaths were on Novis, thought (Y/N). More and more red flags. We need to get out of here.

            “How did they obtain the power?” asked Spock.

            “As far as I know, it just comes to you,” said Alexander. “They say I’m a ‘throwback,’ and I am, and so are you.” He glanced at (Y/N). “I, uh, I think they like you because you’re a psychic.”

            “If it helps, I don’t like them or how they treat you,” said (Y/N). They smiled. “And for the record, Alexander, psychic abilities don’t make someone better than anyone else.”

            “Right,” said Kirk, smiling. “We’re happier without it.” Spock nodded.

            Alexander smiled, and his emotions warmed. “You know, I believe you are. Listen, where you come from, are there a lot of people without the power and my size?”

            “Alexander, where we’re from, size, shape, or color make no difference,” said Kirk. “And whether they have power or anything similar doesn’t matter. They’re all just people.”

            Alexander smiled happily, and then he tensed up. The Platonians were calling him. “Uh, s-somebody wants me,” he said as he was pulled from the room.

            “Captain,” said Spock. “It will be very gratifying to leave here.” For very many reasons.

            “That might not be easy if Parmen dies,” said Kirk, sighing.

            “Even if he shouldn’t,” said Spock.

            “Yes. This utopia of theirs is one of the best-kept secrets in the galaxy,” said Kirk. “Screening themselves from our sensors, locking us into orbit. All this adds up to a pattern.”

            “Not to mention their clear desire for (Y/N) to stay,” said Spock. He disliked the general interest in their empathy and the particular interest of Aristos in them.

            “I can feel their emotions,” said (Y/N). “Unfortunately, he’s right.”

            Kirk nodded. “We need to find a way to leave.”

            “Jim!” A pleased Bones walked into the room. “My concoction actually worked. The fever’s broken. And what recuperative powers! The infection’s begun to drain already.” He was quite proud of himself.

            “Dr. McCoy, you may yet cure the common cold,” said Spock.

            “If there was ever a time to get out of here, it’s now,” said Kirk.

            “What’s the matter?” asked Bones, glancing around.

            “The Platonians are reminding us all a bit too much of the Novisans,” said (Y/N).

            Bones’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t want a repeat of that any more than the others. “Right. I thought something felt off.”

            “Then we’re leaving,” said Kirk. He flipped open his communicator. “Kirk to Enterprise. Scotty, come in.”

            “Scott here, sir,” said Scotty.

            “Prepare to beam us up,” said Kirk.

            “I’m afraid I can’t do that, sir,” said Scotty regretfully. “Everything’s frozen.”

            (Y/N)’s blood ran cold, and they reached over to Spock for support.

            “The turbulence hit you that hard?” asked Kirk hesitantly.

            “It’s not the turbulence, sir,” said Scotty. “Damage to the ship is minimal.”

            “What caused it?” asked (Y/N).

            “I don’t know. And those are the facts,” said Scotty. “And what’s more, our orbit is locked tighter than ever, and we have no communication with Starfleet.”

            “It’s the Platonians,” said (Y/N). They’re cutting us off from escape.

            “Ordinarily, I do not approve of ‘jumping to conclusions,’ as they say. However, given the circumstances, I agree with (Y/N),” said Spock.

            “It looks like I have to have a talk with Parmen,” said Kirk, furrowing his brow. “Spock, Bones, stay here with (L/N).”

            “Got it, Jim,” said Bones.

            “Of course,” said Spock.

            Kirk nodded, and he walked out of the room.

            (Y/N) sighed and sat down, putting their hands on their face. They didn’t want to deal with this again. This was different than the Novisans. At least they were empaths, something (Y/N) understood. This telekinesis, this near mind-control…it was far more dangerous. (Y/N) was scared they couldn’t protect anyone if the Platonians tried to hurt their friends.

            “T’hy’la,” said Spock, kneeling in front of them. “We will leave Platonius.”

            “These people…they’re dangerous, Spock,” said (Y/N). They looked athim. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

            Spock’s gaze softened. “T’hy’la—”

            The doors opened, and Kirk stumbled back in. Uncontrollably, he kept hitting himself.

            (Y/N) tensed. The Platonians had begun to toy with them. And (Y/N) couldn’t stop it.

            But they would still fight.

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[wrens-versus-the-world]

Dazai’s path:  umarekawattara, anata o motto hayaku mitsukeru darō.

If I were to live my life again, I’d find you sooner

I’d decided to go with the armed detective agency, deciding to go with someone whom I was more familiar with. And that person just so happened to be one Osamu Dazai. It took us but a few hours to fully exit what I had perceived as a jail (which was actually just some abandoned warehouse that an anti-ability organization had utilized). After we had escaped from the cell they held us in the larger group split into four smaller groups who I would later come to know as: the armed detective agency, the port mafia, the decay of angels, and the hunting dogs. 

I later found out that the I went with the armed detective agency (whom Dazai was apart of) and that Chuuya (the shorted male) was apart of the Port Mafia (a rival organization to the ADA), while Fyodor was apart of a much darker organization, the Decay of Angels. 

A few months after my bumpy arrival to Yokohama I have found myself working for the ADA alongside Dazai, Ranpo, Yosano and a few others. Many of the people here are really sweet and entertaining. Kunikida often scolded Dazai for his lack of work, while Ranpo would send me on snack runs with him. 

In these months I’ve fallen into habit, making me not want to leave Yokohama so soon anymore. Especially when it means I’ll have to leave my new friends and the city I’ve come to love. Not to mention that I’ll have to leave a certain bandaged maniac. 

“-n, Y-N” Dazai called sing-songedly causing me to tear my gaze away from the window looking out at the people below. “Yes, Dazai?” I asked, wondering what he could possibly want now, just minutes after Kunikida had yelled at him for neglecting his paperwork. 

He stared at me for a few moment, a serious expression on his face before his expression briefly changed to one of being beaten, only for a moment though, before it was replaced by a cheerful goofy expression. “I must say, you’re the most beautiful person I’ve had the luck of working with. Would you honor my deepest wishes and,” He paused, his ears turning a shade a pink, “Commit double suicide with me?” 

I let out a sigh, a small smile gracing my lips, “No, sorry not today Dazai.” I said as I picked up some of my completed work to hand into the president. 

Once I had entered the president’s office Dazai leaned back in his chair, head pointed up towards the ceiling while covering his eyes with his arm (covering his blush). “Why can’t I just ask them out?” he wondered in a quiet whisper to himself, quickly fixing his posture once he heard the click of the door opening, signaling that I was coming out. 

Just as I came out, Ranpo beamed, “Hey, Y/n wanna go get snacks with me?” he asked, smiling goofily like a small child. Not being able to resist his charms, I obliged, “Sure Ranpo, allow me to put my papers away first.” I said, returning his smile as I made my way over to my desk, putting the papers away. 

As Ranpo and I made our way out of the ADA office Ranpo turned around, looking towards Dazai and mouthed something to him, ‘coward,’  which Dazai responded to with a callous glare. A glare that became even more pointed when Ranpo smiled evilly and grasped my hand, giving me a, “Let’s go! I know of a great place to get snacks!!” as he dragged me out of the building, causing a smile to find its way to my lips. 

After the hour-long excursion for snacks, Ranpo and I made our return, handing snacks to the various members of the ADA. As Ranpo retired to the couch to eat his snacks I made my way over to Dazai, placing a snack on his desk, drawing his attention away from his paperwork. “Ah, my dearest bookworm you shouldn’t have,” he said dramatically, picking up the bag and spinning around in his chair in joy, “I will cherish it!” He said, grinning at me. 

“You do that, Dazai,” I responded, feeling a smile appear on my face as I made my way to my own seat. Taking a deep breath I resumed my work on the paperwork before me. Soon, the sun sank in the sky, giving the agency office a golden glow. By this time everyone had made their way home, only Dazai and I remained. After fifteen more minutes of paperwork I decided to finally retire for the day. I turned my head towards Dazai, only to meet his eyes, ‘oh gosh, how long had he been staring?’ I wondered to myself. 

“It’s pretty late isn’t it, Dazai?” I asked, already knowing the answer, “Want to go to the dorms together?” I asked, watching him stare at me—studying me almost before saying, “Osamu.” 

“I’m sorry?” I asked, not sure what he meant by his sudden statement. 

“Call me, Osamu,” He said, gazing into my eyes the golden glow of the sun making him look almost ethereal, accentuating the color of his eyes. 

‘Call him, Osamu?’ I pondered to myself, ‘isn’t that more intimate than just his first name?’ I shook myself out of my thoughts, ‘if that's what he wants there is no point in fighting him on it.’ I took a deep breath, trying to keep my expressions under control, ‘it's not like it’s a big deal, it’s just his first name. So let’s try this one more time.’ “Would you like to walk to the dorms together, Osamu?” I asked, watching his eyes twinkle. 

“Why of course my bookworm,” He responded, sitting up offering me a hand. I smiled, taking his hand in my own as we made our way out of the agency. 

After a while of walking hand in hand Dazai, or Osamu rather stopped drawing my attention away from the path before us. “Say, Y/n.” he called out, a rather serious expression adorning his features. “Yes, Da- Osamu?” I asked, correcting myself mid-sentence. “Let’s go on a date.” He said, looking at me, a familiar emotion swimming in his eyes. 

“I,” I paused, ‘I what, I have to leave soon. I’ve been in Yokohama for a few months and I’ve overstayed my time.’ Sensing my inner turmoil Osamu gave me a small smile, “It doesn’t have to be anything too big,” he said, looking at me with a sort of fondness that you’d only see lovers with, “We can start with this walk.”

I was speechless, what was I supposed to say to that? I would be a liar if I said I didn’t harbor some sort of feeling towards Osamu Dazai, romantic feelings. But am I even allowed to feel such things? I am going to have to leave Yokohama at some point, I have a life back home (even if it was far too bland for my tastes). Can I afford to be selfish before I leave? “Okay,” I said, my voice smaller than a whisper. 

But Osamu heard it and smiled even more (if that was possible), and turned to resume our walk before I stopped him, grabbing his sleeve. “Osamu, I like you,” I said, looking into his eyes, watching as they widened in surprise. “And I would love to go on dates with you, but I’m not sure how long I can stay here.” I said, voicing my concerns, watching as he stared at me with an unreadable expression. 

Osamu came close, grabbing my hand, “Y/n, I’d think by now you would’ve known that you can stay here as long as you’d like.” He said, looking into my eyes as I stared back with shock. 

“What do you mean?” I asked, genuinely confused. 

“The agency has taken you under our wing, you are apart of us now.” He paused, “Meaning you don't have to leave, if you don't want to.” He added

I could feel my eyes widening in surprise, “I dont have to leave?” He shook his head. 

A sense of relief overcame me at the news and I found myself reaching out towards Osamu, pulling him into a hug. One he graciously returned, going as far as picking me up and spinning me around.

Still hugging me, “So, how about we go for dinner first?” 

“Sure, I’d love that.” 

Fin!

(1399 words) 

Bonus: jealousy 

A few months later: 

After the first dinner Osamu and I had many more dinners followed. I’m fairly certain the rest of the agency could see that something had happened between the two of us, not that they were against it, quite the opposite. 

Although, Ranpo and Osamu frequently glare at each other when I am with the other. Just because Osamu and I started dating didn’t necessarily mean I was going to stop being friends with other men or treat them any differently. And because of this Osamu and Ranpo have begun competing.

Ranpo and I go on our normal snack runs every other day, and whenever we leave he shoots Osamu a shiteating grin. One Osamu returns with a death glare (likely perfected from his days in the Port Mafia).

But on the other side, whenever Osamu and I go on break he makes sure to hold my hand and press kisses on my face as we leave for lunch. And while he does so, he makes sure to give Ranpo a shiteating grin (to return the favor from earlier incidents).

(A/N: Ranpo is your best friend, and Osamu knows that it just irritates him with how close you are sometimes (and Ranpo lives for irritating Osamu))

[hastalavistabyebye]

Don't lose your anchor

Ao3 version

Spiritual sequel of The Keychain story (part 1 and part 2 here). I think it can be read as a stand alone, but only at the same degree as any other ficlet of this universe 😅 it's better to have read some others at least, but can be managed on its own.

Neyo wasn’t one to lose his composure easily. But this campaign was hell warmed over. It had been supposed to be a simple recon mission, two squads, backed up by the rest of the Battalion to take the city, once the path was clear. Of course it went tits up faster than it takes him to change his ammo. 

As any Clone Commander, he hated when someone (generally his jetii) said they had “a bad feeling about it”. For once, he had been the one with a bad feeling at the start of the mission. It was getting worse now. Like a jittery, itchy feeling in his fingers, crawling up his arms and down his back. Admittedly, the blaster fire they were receiving didn't help. 

He ducked under cover at Allie’s side, both of them covered in red dust, making them blend with the surrounding walls of stone that formed the canyons they had retreated in.

“What’s the situation, sir ?” He shouted more than asked, over the loud detonations of the fight around them.

“We’re getting there, Commander. We just need to clear the path a bit more and we’ll be able to blow up those rocks, up there, and close the entryway.”

He barely had the time to think “If they don’t explode it before us” when a loud detonation ringed in the entire gorge. 

“Kriff. Sitrep !” He ordered through the comms. 

“It was us, Commander. No casualties from our side,” was the quick answer he got.

He didn’t have the time to sight in relief when a second explosion made the stone tremble behind them. This one came from the corridor Windu and Ponds had disappeared into with a squad, to secure the path and hopefully acquire them an escape route.

Neyo and his General exchanged a look, before both commed the two officers of Lighting in a single movement. Neither of them got an answer.

It didn’t take long for them to get a report on what happened -Ponds and Windu followed a small group of clankers who ended up blowing up the passage on them. It took them even less time to make sure everything was settled on their end, organize the research for a way out of this labyrinth and run to the second explosion’s site. 

Thankfully, only four people had been trapped under the rubble. Of course, Neyo’s ori’vod and his Jedi were part of those four people. 

The dread growing in him only got worse when he found a small salamander keychain half buried between a few rocks. Bacara was going to kill him, he thought derisively, while carefully freeing the little talisman. It was a bit scratched and the leather rope crooked, but still in good shape. Small mercies. It should still have protective capacities even if a bit banged up. Surely it wasn't supposed to be its owner’s anchor and compass thanks to the straightness of the rope. He stood there, observing the precious object cradle in his palm, when General Allie came at his side. 

“I can still sense Mace, Commander, even if weakly. We’ll find them.”

Neyo nodded once, before turning determined eyes to his general. The visor of his helmet never stopped her from perceiving his gaze.

“Could this help you establish a more precise area of research ?” He said while showing her the little salamander head. The gorge was wide here, and there was too much rubble for them to clean it all up, especially not quickly enough to be of any help. “Ponds always has it on him.”

Neyo knew for a fact that his ori’vod only put it down long enough to shower, and not a second more. And that was only because he didn't want to damage the leather. He always had it with him. That knowledge definitely didn’t help with the icy worry eating at his mind.

“Yes, yes it could !” The Jedi smiled at him, a little less stiff and concerned than it had been seconds ago. 

She thankfully didn’t try to pry it from Neyo’s hand, just placed her fingers delicately on top of the purple stone, eyes closed. A minute later, she was lifting a massive stone out of the way, revealing a small cavity hidden in the middle of the rubble. Neyo and a few of his troops extracted the four rescapies -injured but thankfully alive- in record time. 

Once the medics cleared from Ponds’ side, Neyo lightly threw the keychain into his lap. His ori’vod was in a too pitiful state for him to smack the back of his head, like he would have loved to do. The dikutla would have deserved it, jumping under explosions like a kriffing jetii -that it was to save someone else was irrelevant. 

“Don’t lose your anchor ever again, dikut. Bacara would kill us both.”

The small, warm chuckle that earned him made the last of his worry dissolve.

[starliights-shining]

"Never Find Someone."

I wrote this one too, I figured why not post this one as well. :) Enjoy

Pairing: Maxim "Kapkan" Basuda x Fem! Reader

Warnings: UHHHH none,

Translations: Олененок - Baby Deer

You honestly thought you’d never find someone, at least not in your line of work. You spend most if not all your time at headquarters, either with mission briefs, training, or helping others with training. So when you were asked out for dinner by the Kapkan, you honestly didn’t think you would have to fit him in your schedule. Your schedule recently was tight, you have the next three days off and you planned on spending that time at home in the comfort of your bed and blankets, a show you could binge on and take out. Well, you now see how that turned out. You went on one date which turned into three which turned into 10, and then it was official you were the Kapkan’s girlfriend, and god do you remember when he asked. 

Your back was against the wall, a manilla folder in your hands. The folder contained information about the next operator joining Rainbow, you hadn’t shut up about them, how clear their record was and blah blah blah. You remember catching that word glint in his eyes, the one where he’s obviously not happy about what he’s hearing. 

“Maxim,” 

You almost whispered, his blue eyes were piercing. Staring down at you like prey, trapped by its hunter, him. His hand flat on the wall behind you, he was trapping you. He didn’t have his hood or mask on, it was nothing but his face paint left. It was quite literally making you feral, your eyes flicking from his and down to his lips as you awaited his next move, his next breath, his next words, but there was nothing. He blinked, lifting his free hand to grip your chin between his thumb and index fingers. He lifted your head, allowing you to fully make eye contact with him. He just stared, tilting his head down a bit, he then started to move your head, examining you, watching you. He smirked, leaning in and kissing you. It was quick, far too quick, you barely had time to fully enjoy it. He pulled back fully, blue eyes still staring into you. 

“Enough about the operator,” 

He paused, releasing your chin and moving his hand on the wall. He straightened up, pulling the folder from your hands and setting it on your desk next to you. 

“Let’s talk about us.” 

He spoke softly, and that was it. In the next few days you were his, his Олененок.

Now came for the girlfriend ride, and boy was it a rollercoaster. With you now having to deal with Kapkan, you also dealt with most, if not all, of RedHammer. The constant lil banter and always asking about you when talking to the man. You got to know them, from their names to what kinda drinks they liked. It was different going from ‘office worker’ to ‘this is our buddy’s girlfriend, make her feel welcomed’. Times where it was no longer Kapkan coming up to your office but three to four of them. Large and intimidating people showing up to ask if you were out for drinks after work. But they were his family, a tight knit group of apex predators who loved their off time. 

You sat at your desk, the phone held up to your ear as you listened to some lady try to plan a meeting with Rainbow from somewhere in the U.S. A pen being twirled in your other hand as it hovered over the notepad ready for use. You nodded to yourself and gave the lady a few yes’s and mhm’s as she talked. She was honestly giving you a headache, and the fluorescent building lights were not making it better. The lady asked you when the next available opening for a meeting with Harry would be and you sighed, dropping your pen and reaching for your computer mouse, clicking a few things before giving a date. It went quiet, she said a few more things before asking for another date. You sighed, telling her that was the latest ‘free’ opening and if she needed it sooner it wasn’t going to work. You were getting frustrated, no one seemed to be listening to you on the phone. 

“I'm sorry but there's nothing I can do about that. If something pops up do have them contact us immediately.” 

Your office door opened, and in came three operators. Kapkan, Thermite, and Ash. They were all smiles, Ash took off her hat and sat down in one of the two chairs on the other side of your desk. Kapkan took his place at your side, reading off your ‘to do’ notepad and other random things you had laying on your desk, and Thermite was looking at your wall of picture frames, moments from you and Kapkan, to your graduating college, and random happy moments in your life. It was then that the lady had an attitude with you, saying something rude because you couldn’t find another opening. You placed your hand flat on your desk, gripping the phone tighter in your hand before speaking. 

“I truly am sorry that's how you feel, but this has nothing to do with if I am a ‘real’ secretary, when obviously you have generally no clue how to schedule things for your boss. You do know who you even called correct? You called Rainbow, you know the people your boss sends to take care of special grade missions that not just some random platoon in the military could take care of. If you truly have a problem call HR, because that date is the only open date. It’s a take it or leave it moment, but since you are SO insistent on getting a meeting scheduled how about I put you down for that date at like noon. Thank you, have a nice day Ma’am.” 

You hung up the phone, sighing as you clicked around on your monitor and then typed out a few things. You turned towards your visitors, a smile on your face as you looked towards Ash and Thermite. 

“Hello, how can I help you all today.” 

You laced your fingers together and put them on the desk in front of you. Ash let out a laugh before speaking. 

“Oh you let them know now. You got yourself one fierce lady, Kapkan.” 

She smiled, leaning back into the chair and looking up at the man next to you. Thermite turned towards you, placing his hands on the desk and smiling. 

“You look like you could use a break. Drinks after work, you’ll join us, right?” 

He asked, you watched as you looked between you and Maxim, waiting for you to look towards the operator at your side for an answer, but instead you stood up. Placing a hand on Maxim elbow before speaking. 

“Of course, I’d love to get out of this stuffy ass office.” 

You bend over, hand going to your mouse as you click your computer out of the windows and shut it down. The two other visitors stood up straight, gathering their things they spoke to Kapkan and then left, bidding you a see you later. You gathered your things, picking your purse up from under your desk and shuffling through it.  You felt hands being placed on your hips, they flexed on the soft material of your work clothes before pulling you backwards. 

“You didn’t even let me respond for you,” 

He spoke, he was talking softly. The only tone of voice he chooses to use with you, soft and gentle, he didn’t wanna spook you. You sighed, leaning back into his as he took most of your weight. 

“I figured it would be nice to get out early.” 

You closed your eyes, enjoying your moment with him. He let out a soft chuckle.

“You’re starting to sound like the rest of RedHammer.” 

You smiled, placing a hand on his. 

“I mean, I practically am a member with how often you all just show up.” 

He hummed in agreement, placing a kiss on your crown before moving away. He walked to the door, teal eyes watching your every move. You scooped up your things and walked over, he opened the door a hand gesturing you to go first. You just laughed, a little giggle at just how human he was around you. 

Your time with RedHammer and Kapkan seemed to fly by, from year 1 to year 8. Of course, there were moments where you two generally had different schedules and time apart, but at the end Kapkan always came back. Whether it be with flowers or a dinner or a heartfelt apology for his coldness and you did the same. Allowing his space and also making sure he knew you were still trying for the relationship. With your effort and his, your time got you here. A candlelit dinner after his return home from a mission, well you wouldn’t say it was intentional candle lit. 

You had just heard the front door open and close. You sound of fabric rustling and the noise of a man fumbling with his bag and boots. You poked your head around the corner, looking at the large man fumble with the back of his boot with one leg up and a hand on the wall in front of him. His hood still over his head when he finally stood up, looking over towards you, his hand coming up to pull his hood off his head. 

“Hello, Олененок.” 

He spoke, unzipping his jacket in the process as well. You smiled, greeting him before going back to what you were doing. Your hand held the spoon to the Miso soup you had just made, stirring it one more time before putting your spoon down and picking up the pot. You sat it on the made up dinner table, two empty matching bowls on either side with smaller bowls of side dishes placed here and there. You smiled, happy he made it just in time for dinner and how well your cooking experience was. 

“Maxim,” 

You called out, making your way to get the drinks out of the fridge. 

“Are you ready to eat?” 

You heard him hum from the hallway. You set the drinks down on the table and looked over. The larger man was now in just his military undershirt and pants, his face paint always looked washed away, leaving small black and green marks on his face. He blinked, a tired look on his face as he waited for you to sit first. Right as you pulled the chair out the lights overhead flickered twice before it became fully dark. You sighed letting out a string of curse words before slumping your shoulders before an idea hit your brain. Candlelit miso soup dinner. You retreated into the kitchen, hands out feeling for the correct drawer. You opened it and felt around until you grabbed what you thought were the small round candles and a lighter. You felt your way back to the table and placed them on down, you lit the lighter and then candles. 

“Tadahh,” 

You said, holding a candle in your hand before putting it in the spot you wanted. Kapkan watched, blue eyes already adjusted to the dark, he even held a hand out for two so he could put them on his side. 

“Well, I guess we will be having a romantic dinner tonight.” 

You smiled, things were going as planned short. You stood on your side looking at him, examining his figure in the dark. He truly did look like a hunter, that same apex predator they describe in his files and that same thing that got him the spot in Rainbow. He wasn’t moving, eyes stalking your every move from his position, he stood behind his chair, hands on the top of the backing. His teals being illuminated by the candles. You finally sat down, he was benign a little too quiet tonight. Not a giggle at your fairly boring jokes, and only hums of acknowledgement. You watch as he sat down, pulling his chair up as he got comfortable. 

“I made us Miso Soup, thought it’d be nice to have after a long day like yours.” 

You said, voice soft as you attempted to not overthink about his quietness. 

“Sounds good.” 

He said, he held his hand out, waiting for you to give him your bowl. You did, your fingers grazing his, they were bare, no longer confined to the fingerless wraps he wore. You watched patiently as he fixed your bowl first, put just the right amount of soup in it before gently handing it back to you. He made sure you had a grip before he fully let go, eyes watching you for any sign of discomfort. He retracted his hand, doing the same thing with his bowl. He placed it in front of him and smiled softly at you. 

“Thank you for the food, Олененок.” 

You smiled, humming as you felt the nervousness in your stomach disparate. Kapkan liked making sure you got food first and ate but you always wanted to know his own opinion on the food before you started, but you couldn’t, Your spoon was already in your own hand. 

The miso was gone, it was just you finishing off your last bowl. You sipped the last little bit from your spoon when you heard Maxim speak. 

“Since we’re already having a candlelit dinner, you can have this.” 

You looked up at him, watching as his hand went under the table and then came back up. He slid a small velvet box towards you. You watched as his hand reattached, leaving the box to stand by itself. You picked it up, opening it slowly. In the box sat a simple but gorgeous engagement ring. You let out a sigh, realizing you were actually holding your breath since he slid the box to you. Your eyes examined it carefully, like it would break it if you stared too hard. Your hand came up to rest on your chest, you looked up at the man across from you. You could barely see him, you wanted to cry. Your emotions came like a wave, you didn’t know what to do, cry, scream, laugh, smile, you felt it all and all you could do was look from the ring and back to him. You opened your mouth and then closed it again, you couldn’t get your words out. A frown placed on your face as you looked down into the box, you were trying not to cry. Your hand came from your chest to wipe the stray tear that fell. 

“Are you sure?” 

Was all you could say, it's not what you were wanting to say, but in the moment you just wanted him to make sure what he was doing. You gave the man the same question you gave him before he left for every mission, before he made a huge decision, and of course before he judged new operators. Your eyes went back down to the ring, when you heard the sound of his chair scraping the wooden floors. He was now at your side, down on one knee, a hand on your upper back giving soothing movements while his other cupped your hand with the box. You looked at him, now down on one knee next to you with a smile on his face. You were full on crying now, you let out a little sob before he started speaking. 

“Of course I am. This I am 100 percent sure of.” 

He smiled at you, you just started, trying your best not to full on ugly cry in front of the man you love. You tried to look away from him, turning your head the other way so he wouldn’t see, but his hand came up to meet your cheek, turning your head towards him. 

“(Y/N), will you marry me?” 

Is all he said, you let out your last sob while nodding. Trying your best to gather up enough of yourself to speak. You just couldn’t, your hand wiping the tears and fanning your face as you nodded, giving yourself a second you finally spoke. 

“Yes,” 

It was a broken yes but it was better than not responding. He just smiled, gently taking the box from your hands. Picking the ring from its plush seat, calloused hands gently grabbing at your mellow one, a chafed thumb brushed over your knuckles, stopping at your ring finger. He took a moment, almost admiring the last time he will ever see that finger bare. A forever resting symbol that you will forever and always be his, his little lover from overseas, Ms. (L/N). He mourned the end of Ms. (L/N), but now was graciously expecting and awaiting the arrival of Mrs. Basuda. He slipped the ring on, admiring the way it shined so perfectly on you. He looked up, eyes meeting your damp ones as you gave him the biggest smile he thinks he’s ever seen. 

“I love you,” 

He whispered, both hands now holding your one.

“I love you too, Max.”

Now honestly, You thought you’d never marry, at least not in your line of work, but life works in mysterious ways. Ways that brought the best person in your life to you, ways that turned you into Kapkan’s little wife from overseas! 

[wordsmithwhumpsandfluff]

Word!! I'm sorry, I know I'm not caught up in the Ollie concussion fic, I promise I'm gonna get to that this weekend 🙈 your most recent post gave me a plot bunny tho... How about hurt Aiden with caretaker Spirit? As in he gets beaten up on duty and Spirit is FURIOUS but also having to be gentle bc his ribs are hurt and he's a little concussed?

Other ask:

Can we have more of Aiden? I loved him in the 3 fics there is about him and I am obsessed 😍😂 ~🌼

Combining the results of the Spirit&Aiden poll with this amazing ask. I couldn’t help myself🤭. Thanks for this awesome idea Soup, and thanks for the initial ask 🌼anon!

Also, adding a lil twist to the end of this one👀

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

One thing that genuinely surprised Aiden was that Spirit always texted him back fairly quickly. He loved that. She never texted first, but he didn’t mind that fact.

“So, who is it?”

Aiden almost jumped as Mikey—the officer who was mentoring him—came up beside him. Aiden went three shades paler and fumbled to put his phone in his pocket. He wasn’t supposed to be on it while on security duty at the mall.

Mikey laughed at his panic. “Y’know, you’re lucky you got stuck with me, kid. If you’d been put with Bryan or Adamson, then you would’ve been chewed out for texting whoever it is that’s making you smile like a moron.”

Aiden flushed, looking straight ahead and focusing on being alert. “I’m sorry, sir.”

Mikey shrugged. “It’s fine, kid.” Mikey was only in his early thirties, though he liked to try and convince people that he was still 27. He was funny and chill and good at his job, so Aiden really was glad that he got to work with this guy while on duty.

“Our rotation ends in ten minutes, kid. Thank God. Do me a favor and go get us a couple of coffees once we’re done here.”

Aiden smiled. “Yes, sir.”

It seemed like it would be another easy day. Aiden was glad and couldn’t wait for his shift to be over. He was planning to surprise Spirit at the music store where she worked in the mall so he could finally ask her out on a second date. He felt that he’d waited long enough.

Suddenly, there was shouting and a series of screams. Aiden’s head snapped towards the commotion, and Mikey took off running. Aiden followed.

At the mall’s technology store, there was a group of about six guys. About four had ski-masks, and the other two had regular face masks. All of them had bats and were breaking shelves, yelling at people, and grabbing phones and cameras and whatever else they could shove into a few large duffle bags.

Crud, Aiden thought, his hand going to his baton (he really wished he could have a taser already).

“Drop the stuff and put your hands in the air!” Mikey screamed, all chillness gone from his voice. He held up his taser, pointing it at the thieves.

Aiden clicked his walkie talkie. “This is Clark. Reece and I need backup at the Tech Shop. We’ve got six robbers here. I repeat, we need backup.”

Clearly, none of the guys were listening to Mikey. One of them even raised his bat and began to charge at him, but Mikey tased him.

Everything began to happen too fast. In a flash, suddenly a brawl had broken out, and Aiden was throwing punches as well before he realized it.

He grunted as he got struck multiple times in the ribs and gut. He could hear announcements on the mall’s speakers, notifying people of the robbery.

Adrenaline was pumping through Aiden as he fought back. A few guys managed to slip out though and ran for it. Aiden got one of them on the ground and was trying to get cuffs on him, but then received a swift kick to the head from one of the others. “C’mon, Zeke!” one of them yelled.

The force knocked Aiden to the side and had the world going fuzzy, his ears ringing, and both of the thieves got away.

The last things Aiden Saw before the world went dark was Mikey securing cuffs on one of the guys before walking over to him.

— — —

The music store closed as soon as word of the fight spread to all the businesses. People were being asked to quickly pay and leave, and employees were getting asked to go as soon as all the costumers were gone.

Spirit—aside from her annoying boss—was the last music store employee to leave. The mall was almost entirely cleared out by then.

Apparently, from what she heard, there was a robbery at a store not far from the music store. She was too busy dealing with an annoying Karen to even notice the commotion.

As Spirit was leaving the building, she saw an open ambulance and saw someone being wheeled on a stretcher towards it. At first, Spirit only noticed his uniform and just thought that he was one of the security guards who got caught up in the whole thing. Then, suddenly, she noticed and recognized his face. Even without his glasses and all of the bloodied bruises.

Aiden.

Spirit’s eyes widened and her stomach dropped. Without realizing it, she was making her way over towards the paramedics. “Aiden,” she called, worried and a bit scared. Spirit hated that feeling.

One of a few officers stopped her before she could get closer. “Miss, I’m going to have to ask you to stay back.”

Spirit frowned, brows creasing. “Is he okay? Did the robbers do that to him?”

The officer seemed annoyed. “Miss, this doesn’t concern you. Please just—”

Spirit scoffed and was about to retort something—probably something with a lot of angry curse words—when another cop came up to them.

“What’s going on over here?” the other cop asked. He also looked quite beaten up.

“I just want to know if Aiden’s okay,” Spirit said in a hard tone, heart racing.

The other cop raised a brow. “You know the kid?”

“Yes, he’s my—” Spirit froze for a second, her mind trying to come up with a word to describe what Aiden was to her. “—my friend.”

The other cop seemed to be much more understanding than the other. “Aiden’s in pretty rough shape. I’ll give you a ride to the hospital, if you’d like.”

The first cop seemed annoyed that this other guy had taken over the situation.

Spirit found herself nodding. “Yes, please.”

The officer led her to his police car. On the drive over, Spirit found out that this officer was named Mikey Reece, and he was Aiden’s mentor. Aiden had mentioned this guy to her once or twice in their texting conversations.

At the hospital, Spirit and Mikey had to wait for news on Aiden while tests were run. A few other officers came to ask Mikey some questions, and Spirit bounced her leg anxiously as she waited.

This whole situation gave her an uneasy feeling. She overheard a few things that Mikey was saying to the officers: six of them. . . bats. . . black face masks. None of that made Spirit super suspicious until she heard him ask what the name of the one he arrested was, and one of the other officers answered, “Jeremy Hernandez.” That name had Spirit wondering something.

Eventually, a doctor came out and explained that Aiden was slightly concussed and had a few fractured ribs. But aside from that, a small fever and a bit of bruises, he was fine. Awake and responsive.

The officers went into the room first to talk to Aiden and write a report. Then, after that, Mikey wanted to go in but had a higher ranked officer telling him to get himself checked out for injuries. So, Spirit went in to see Aiden alone.

Aiden was sitting up in his bed, bandaged and with some of the blood cleaned up. When he saw Spirit enter the room, he looked genuinely shocked. “What’re you doing here?”

She shrugged, looking serious. Stone cold, even. For some reason, thinking that someone had put Aiden in a hospital had her blood boiling. “Long story,” she said.

Aiden’s surprised look melted a bit and he smiled. “I think I should join your boxing classes. I’m not that great at fighting just yet.”

His comment was laced with a bit of humor, but Spirit remained grim. “Do you know who it was? The robbers?”

Aiden’s smile faltered a bit. “Not really. One of the guys was named. . . Zeke, I think? I don’t know. He could be anyone. They all had masks on, so no facial details.”

Spirit felt her whole body run cold even as she still felt hot with anger. “This guy named Zeke. . . did he have dyed hair? Kinda longish?”

Aiden’s brows creased. “What? Why do you—”

“Just answer the question.”

Aiden worked his jaw, seeming a bit confused and unsure as he nodded. “Yeah dark purple hair. But why—?”

“I’ll be back later,” Spirit stated, her voice low as she turned to walk out the door. She froze before she got to it, turning and going over to Aiden. Before he even comprehended what was happening, she hugged him, being gentle and not putting any weight on him since his ribs were fractured.

Aiden felt his whole body become warm and he melted in the hug a bit, getting butterflies in his stomach. She'd never hugged him before. He decided right then that he really liked her hugs.

Spirit pulled away and looked him in the eye. “I’ll be back later. Or, I might just text later. It depends on how pretty my face will still be in the next few hours.”

Aiden raised a brow, once again seeming confused. Spirit left before he could ask her what she meant.

— — —

Spirit hated her old neighborhood.

The air there reeked of cigarettes and cheap alcohol. There was always someone yelling in their house or at a neighbor, cats knocked over trash cans, and some of the worst people Spirit had ever met lived there.

Spirit went up to a house that she often avoided while growing up. The old man that used to live in it had died when Spirit was a Senior in high school, but the guy’s nephew—and Spirit’s old classmate—still lived there.

Zeke Danes opened the door, a lit cigar in his mouth and looking drunk. He had a black eye and a few other bruises that looked fresh.

Spirit scowled, and Zeke’s eyes widened and he grinned as he recognized her.

“Holy shit. Spirit Mitchel, as I live and breathe.” He took out his cigar, blowing smoke on her face. “To what do I owe this pleasure, hot-stuff.”

Spirit could hear other voices inside, laughing and talking. “Having a party?” Spirit asked, her hands forming into fists in her pockets.

Zeke shrugged, still smiling. “Kinda.” He ran a hand through his long purple hair.

“Let me guess,” Spirit said. “Henry, Javon, Mike, and Freddie?”

“Yeah,” Zeke nodded. “Just my buddies.”

“But Jeremy isn’t here.” The way she said it had Zeke’s smirk falling.

“What do you want, Spirit?” he asked, opening the door all the way so Spirit could see her other old classmates and neighbors scattered inside Zeke’s filthy living room. They had music playing that was suddenly turned down, and all of the guys in there were looking at Spirit curiously and suspiciously.

Spirit stood a bit straighter. She was just as tall as Zeke was, so she could look him directly in the eye. “You robbed a store at the mall today, didn’t you?”

They all snickered a bit.

“So what?” Freddie called from inside, and Spirit noticed that he had gotten more tattoos since she last saw him. “You gonna snitch?”

Spirit wasn’t going to snitch. After all, the saying was very much true: Snitches really didget stitches.

“You beat up a cop,” Spirit said. “The one our age. You got him pretty good.”

Zeke took another puff of his cigarette. “Get to the point, hot-stuff.”

“He’s my friend,” Spirit stated. “You hurt my friend, and now he’s in the hospital.”

All of the guys were silent for a second before laughing.

“Since when do you become friends with police, woman,” Javon laughed. “People like us don’ go around becoming buddy-buddy with cops.”

“Well, I’m not like you,” Spirit spat.

“Oh, but you are,” Zeke said, leaning closer and blowing more smoke on her face. “You’re just like us. You used to fight for extra money behind the school, remember? And we’ve all run from cops together before, baby. Ringing a bell?”

Spirit bared her teeth as her scowl deepened. “Keep your pants on, Zeke. And don’t you dare call me ‘baby’. And I stopped running around with you morons after tenth grade, so quit grouping me in with you guys.”

Zeke chuckled a bit, leaning back against the door frame. “So, did you just come here to pitch a little hissy-fit over us hurting your friend? A little pathetic, don’t you think?”

Spirit nodded. “If I was here just to pitch a fit, that would be pathetic.” Swiftly, she raised her leg and kneed Zeke in his groin, making him gasp and stumble back, doubling over and protectively cupping his throbbing manhood. “It’s a good thing I’m not pathetic.”

Zeke spat his cigarette out of his mouth, glaring at Spirit with tears in the corner of his eyes. “You bitch.”

The other four guys all got up, now looking annoyed.

Spirit cracked her neck and raised her fists.

Looked like she was just going to text Aiden tonight.

[dailyunsolvedmysteries-movedd]

Ape Canyon’s Bizarre 1924 Bigfoot Attack

In July 1924 five miners claimed that they were attacked by a group of apemen. The story goes that a member of the mining party, a man named Fred Beck, took a shot at one of the creatures after being spooked. Later that night, the monsters appeared at the miners’ cabin, tossing boulders and rushing the door to break it down.

According to The Oregonian, the first paper to break the story, the apemen were covered in long black hair. They stood at 7 feet, weighed over 400 pounds, and possessed great strength. At one point, they made a hole in the cabin’s roof and dropped a rock inside, knocking Beck in the head. Despite the apemen’s mastery of rock-throwing, the gun-toting miners were able to hold their ground. By the morning, the creatures had retreated, allowing Beck and the other humans to run out the log-fort and return to civilization.

At a time when the word “Bigfoot” hadn’t been coined yet, people referred to the miners’ violent apemen as “mountain devils” and “gorillas.” As word of the ambush spread, the story also became increasingly outlandish. A skeptical mention in the Engineering and Mining Journal put the number of combatants involved at “more than twenty animals,” while one Native American editor tied the apemen to the Seeahtik, a mythical tribe who used hypnotism to hunt for their game.

Although the Washington media’s interest in the Bigfoot assault eventually faded, the gorge where it happened was christened “Ape Canyon,” ensuring that the battle remained a part of local folklore. After the modern conception of Sasquatch took off in the late 1950s, researchers like journalist Betty Allen rediscovered the Ape Canyon incident and incorporated it into Bigfoot mythology. Probably encouraged by this new Bigfoot mania, Fred Beck sat down with his son Roland to create a memoir of the failed 1924 siege, titling his 1967 booklet “I Fought the Ape Men of Mt. St. Helens.”

Despite the long passage of time, Beck remembered the greatest Bigfoot brawl of the century rather well. Before that fateful day in July, Beck and the other miners had already come across large, unfamiliar tracks. The week of the incident, they heard whistling outside every evening, as though two creatures were trying to communicate with one another. During his description of the attack in the booklet’s first chapter, Beck clarifies a couple details that were misreported in the press. It was actually his friend “Hank” (a pseudonym) who shot the first apeman, for example, and it wasn’t true that Beck was hit in the head by a rock.

At most, Beck and his mining party saw only three apemen at a time, although there might have been more. When things quieted down in the morning, the miners came out of their cabin, and Beck spotted one of the creatures standing near a cliff. He shot it three times, sending the damn dirty ape over the edge, down to a fall that was four hundred feet below. After fleeing to a park ranger station at Spirit Lake, Beck wanted to keep the whole ordeal a secret, but “Hank” couldn’t keep his mouth shut. The story spread, journalists requested interviews, and curiosity-seekers and law officers scoured the area for signs of the attackers.

In the second chapter of the booklet, Beck reprints a 1964 news article about the Mt. St. Helen apemen, mentioning his own incident and the 1950 disappearance of a skier on the mountain. Further on, he admits to having been clairvoyant since childhood, noting a history of “visions” and “spiritual meetings.” Because a psychic element just wasn’t enough, Beck completely twists his story and speculates that the apemen were beings from a lower plane of existence. As a lost link between humans and their ancestors, the apemen sometimes manifested into our own dimension, anxious to ascend their petty state. They are curious, largely harmless critters, and are only searching for a higher consciousness.

This spiritual gobbledygook, although not entirely unwelcome for entertainment purposes, is entirely absent from the original ’20s reportage. There’s been debate over how much influence Roland had on his father’s written account, and even whether Fred Beck could remember the story as accurately as he thought he did. In terms of more practical solutions, a logger named Rant Mullins admitted in 1982 that he rolled rocks onto a cabin in the Mt. St. Helen area in 1924. Mullins had also faked giant footprints for decades, suggesting he was responsible for another important part of Beck’s “ambush.”

Another theory argues that the miners mistook a rock slide that hit their cabin for the monsters, and yet a third maintains that the assailants were teenagers from a local YMCA, who couldn’t be seen clearly due to the time of night. As for the Bigfoot that Beck shot and sent down into oblivion, this was either the case of an overactive imagination, or the brutal assassination of an innocent apeman attempting to reach a higher consciousness.