#i saw the christmas tree in the game files a while back and i was waiting to see this little easter egg

[solidssnakeass]

Merry Christmas :^) 🎄

[incapableclown]

The Sims Mega-Legacy

The Sims has been my go-to guilty pleasure since I was a little girl and the first game came out. I remember begging for the expansion packs for my birthday or Christmas, and setting a timer to take turns with my sister and always trying to sneak a few extra minutes.

Decades later, I’m still playing. I don’t have to take turns with my sister anymore, and I don’t spend all my free time meticulously controlling my Sims’ lives anymore. But I still love the game.

But that’s the thing - I’ve always meticulously played out all of the details of my Sims’ lives, but I always picked the same things. I almost always started with a single YA female, who almost always enjoyed gardening and painting. She almost always got a job as a writer or painter or educator, and she almost always married (or at least had a relationship) with Thorne Bailey or Akira Kibo. She always had just one or two kids, and the kids were always A students who had earned all the Top Notch traits. I’d abandon the family after 2 or 3 generations, always starting over with a new file and vowing to switch it up this time, but I’d do the same thing within a few in-game weeks. I got bored, but I was stuck in a rut.

I was determined to love the game like I did when I was a kid again, even just for a little bit.

I discovered mods and started having fun exploring the game again. MCCC became my new obsession, and I slowly branched out (but still have so many more I’d like to try!). I was thrilled when I discovered instructions on how to download Sims from the Gallery and have MCCC populate them into my game! It always made me chuckle a bit to be out in town and run into Patrick Dempsey, or Hasan Piker, or Mr. Bean. I started a Not-So-Berry Challenge and had a lot of fun with that, but I felt like I wasn’t utilizing all of the packs and wanted to really do some things I hadn’t done in-game before.

So I started thinking - what were my biggest complaints about how I was playing the game recently? I came up with three main issues:

I was stuck in a perpetual Same-Sim Syndrome cycle. I didn’t play with mean Sims, or elder Sims, or big families. I didn’t pay attention to the household descriptions of the premade Sims, so the lack of storyline gameplay was even more amplified.

I felt rushed to complete the goal, whether it be Aspiration or work or relationship. Not every kid is an A student, not every adult makes it to the top of their career, and not every relationship lasts forever. Why was I forcing that standard on my Sims? In a game that’s supposed to be fun?

I lost attention and interest when playing the same family for a while, but felt nervous to play another family in the same file in case things were messed up when I came back. I was micromanaging the fun out of it.

I thought of a few things to try to spice up the game, like trying to find another updated legacy challenge to play, or finding a kind of scenario spinner. I decided to play a scenario on a new file to try it out, and then I saw a TikTok of someone showing off their family tree, which they’d created using an external app. That caught my attention, and I abandoned my search for a new gameplay style to go meticulously record my Sims on a family tree. It was fun going through and organizing everything, and seeing the connections, but I was annoyed that I couldn’t go back far enough in-game to grab family tree info about my Sims’ ancestors.

So I - you guessed it - started a new save file. I threw together my standard Single YA Female and moved her into a house, but I didn’t play her. I immediately started going through each household in the game to record the family members in my family tree app. I decided I would just record what happened (via Neighborhood Stories/MCCC Population Notifications) in the family tree while I focused on my family; I was interested to see how long it would take for all the tiny family groups (and yes, I included single unrelated sims!) to eventually be able to be found on one another’s family tree branches.

I was about two thirds of the way through my third day of recording Sim family tree info. My project had expanded exponentially; I’d taken some time to build a handy spreadsheet to track Sim data and assign a “birthday” to each Sim, once I’d decided that 1. It was annoying leaving that field blank in the app, and 2. It was annoying that a Young Adult Day 0 could have a teenaged child, when with my lifespan settings that would mean they were Child aged … it creeped me out once I realized and I couldn’t ignore it! That meant I had to assign the age to each Sim, and when I was doing that, I realized I had an MCCC setting on that moved out non-ancestral elders into “group homes”, and I wanted to fix it. I had to look up some Sims on the Wiki to make sure I was placing them back into the right household, and then I found it.

The lore.

(Quick pause - my phone autocorrected that to “the lord”, and I lost it - imagine reading this far, only for me to have been setting up some insane segue into proselytizing?!)

The lore, you guys. I knew it existed but never played with townies, so I never looked it up. I’ve been missing out! I know the Sims 4 storytelling system is trash, but imagining some of the connections with the old Sims 2 storytelling system is my new fixation.

I’m gonna try to do it myself.

I get bored playing one type of Sim family - why not play EVERY household? I always pick the same careers and aspirations, so why not just have a premade Sim with a pre-destined path to play through some stuff I’ve never done? I never play with all the features of all the expansions I have (which is everything except Batuu), because I feel like I’m wasting time my Sim should be focused on completing a task, so why not take that pressure away?

I’m gonna play the whole file. I’m not going to have “my” Sim and the others, I’m going to play all of the families. I’m going to read the household descriptions, read the Wiki to learn the lore, and I’m going to let the story lead me.

I’m sure this isn’t a novel idea, but it’s something I’ve never attempted. I’m excited to start, but I’m still setting up my save file, adjusting for realistic ages and adding family connections that don’t exist in-game, but that exist in the Sims canon universe (and some that don’t!). Since I’m tracking the data anyway, I’m thinking I’ll share my data here. I hope someone besides me finds this interesting - I’m planning to share family tree data, Sim statistics, new and existing “lore”, and maybe some gameplay updates.

My first post will be a walkthrough of the Sims that I added to my file so that I could make the appropriate canon family connections. I hope you have fun following along!

[papasmistakeria]

MORE cursed TNG headcanons cause I can't stop thinking about them lol

Barclay's favourite holo-game is Doom Eternal. Meanwhile, Worf's new favourite is Animal Crossing New Horizon. They accidentally accessed each other's holo programs and it turns out they enjoyed it!

Meanwhile, Tasha's just enjoying her usual holo-game of Runescape (she scams people)

Picard is a brony and his favourite is Applejack. Q once tried to rope Picard into an MLP roleplay because of this

Geordi once did cringe nsfw furry roleplay with an anonymous Discord user by the name of CommanderFucker#5069. The weird thing is that Riker has also done nsfw furry roleplay with a user named ShrimpVision#7280 at the same time (they haven't realized they're roleplaying with each other)

Wesley Crusher watches anime and is a certified weeb. His favourite anime is 'One Piece' and 'My Hero Academia'

Wesley also plays Osu! and Genshin Impact. This is the only instance where Beverly is disappointed in her son

Data plays Neko Atsume on the holodeck on a daily basis and gets upset whenever he missed the cats coming in while he was on shift. One time some dumbass visiting commander accidentally erased his save files (including ALL of the photos of the cats visiting) and for a moment Data saw red and the entire Bridge crew had to hold him back from throwing hands

Beverly and the Enterprise-E's EMH have deep discussions over the latest Grey's Anatomy episodes (both of them have very strong opinions about season 100)

One time the universal translator malfunctions and no one could understand anyone. They discovered that Data's default language were Irish and Korean. He has a very thick Irish accent and literally no one could understand him when he speaks. Apparently, the universal translator also translates accents and without it, all they could hear from Data was an angry Irish man

Worf is VERY allergic to peanuts (despite his insistance that 'Klingons don't have allergies')

Deanna is a firm believer that everything tastes better if you dip them in chocolate. Even chocolate. Chocolate on ice cream? Amazing. Chocolate on vegetables? Questionable but great. Chocolate on chocolate? YES

Deanna's least favourite flavour is mint. Not even the presence of chocolate chips on mint could convince her otherwise

Every halloween, the Enterprise holds the Annual Couple's Costume Contest. Data and Geordi wins almost every year with costumes ranging from Holmes and Watson, Legolas and Gimli, to a literal christmas tree and box (they're not even a couple at this point, they're just THAT fruity)

While Geordi and Data call themselves 'The Perceivers', Riker and Data also has a team of their own and they call themselves 'The Condiment Brothers'

Picard can ice skate. Like, not just recreational ice skating, he's a figure skating champion. He's graceful on his feet and can literally land a quad like it's nothing (He hid this from the others cause it's embarassing but they knew)

The Senior Crew (and Wesley) have monthly Minecraft sessions. Geordi and Wesley are tasked with builds and redstones, Riker usually mines and gathers materials, Data is the one that keeps bringing every animal home despite it being crowded already and gets upset whenever someone kills any of them, Worf and Tasha are there to fight literally Every Mob On Sight, Deanna farms and is the one crafting necessary stuff. Picard and Beverly rarely join and even if they did, Picard usually just rides his horse around and gets disconnected a lot while Beverly goes along with them to mine

[cuttoothed]

Getting this in just under the wire for day 1 of @jonmartinweek prompt “Comfy Jumpers”. I get so much joy from writing these two in s1 and thinking “lol you idiots are going to be in love some day.”

*

Martin knows that Jon doesn’t approve of the way he dresses.

It’s not exactly a surprise. Jon doesn’t approve of much about Martin: his report-writing, his Latin translations, even his very existence seems to irk Jon at times. Frankly, the feeling is mutual. Martin was perfectly happy working in the library, where his boss wasn’t an overbearing perfectionist arsehole, and if he’d been given a choice in the matter he’d still be shelving books and updating the filing systems, not getting glared at for his clothing choices. He’s well aware that Jon never wanted him in the Archives either, but they’re here now, so Mister Head Archivist is just going to have to live with it. They’re both going to have to.

Jon isn’t subtle about his displeasure; it’s difficult to miss his pointed scowls at Martin’s scuffed trainers and graphic-print t-shirts. And considering that Sasha wears jeans and t-shirts some days as well—though admittedly she tends to plain colors or muted prints, rather than retro video game characters—it’s pretty clear that it’s less about the clothes than it is the person wearing them.

Well, Jon can scowl all he wants, because everything Martin wears technically falls within the Institute’s dress code and there’s not a word Jon can say to him.

Martin has always run hot, so as winter closes in and other people are bundling up in heavy coats and jumpers, he throws hoodies over his t-shirts and zips them up only far enough that the bright graphic prints are still clearly visible to Jon’s critical eye.

Yeah, he thinks sometimes when he walks into Jon’s office, get an eyeful of Yoshi and see how you like it.

Jon, for his part, seems determined to outlast the winter in his usual dress shirt and tweed jacket combo. Martin knows that Jon isn’t particularly warm blooded—he’s seen the way the man huddles into his jacket like a tortoise in its shell until the central heating warms the basement up in the mornings—but he still refuses to add so much as an argyle sweater vest to his outfit in deference to the season.

The only concession Jon makes to the weather is a voluminous gray overcoat and a dark purple scarf, which he takes off the moment he gets into the office, regardless of how cold it is before the ancient heating system creaks to life.

And, well, it’s none of Martin’s business if his boss is too much of a pompous arse to dress appropriately for the weather. If he wants to freeze his backside off to maintain his academic dignity, far be it from Martin to intervene. Martin doesn’t feel sorry for him, when he sees Jon blowing on his fingers to warm them up, or briskly rubbing his arms while he waits for the kettle to boil and he thinks nobody else is around. Not in the slightest.

It’s below zero on the day in December when the central heating finally gives up the ghost. Even Martin can feel the chill in the Archives this morning, keeps his hoodie zipped up all the way even when he runs into Jon in the kitchenette. Jon looks miserably cold, his shoulders hunched and his movements stiff as he makes his tea.

“Morning, Jon,” Martin says cheerfully. “Bit nippy, isn’t it?”

“Just a bit,” says Jon sardonically. Somewhere overhead, there’s a metallic clanking as the heating system starts up.

“Finally,” Jon mutters, casting his eyes upward. The pipes creak and clank some more, and there’s an odd whirring sound that Martin’s fairly sure isn’t normal, and then a long, descending groan into silence.

“Oh,” says Martin. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“Bloody hell,” says Jon, and storms off to his office. A while later, he sends an email to inform them all that he’s spoken to Elias and the heating is out for the whole building, and that they should all feel free to work from home for the rest of the day if they choose. Sasha and Tim waste no time packing up, but Martin lingers, agonizing over which notes and references he should take with him. He’s never before had a job where working from home was an option, and he isn’t Tim or Sasha, isn’t someone Jon trusts and actually wanted to work with. Martin needs to make sure he gets it right.

At last he thinks he has everything he needs, but still Martin is hesitating, fiddling with the strap of his satchel. Maybe he should just check in with Jon before he leaves, make sure there isn’t anything else he needs to do. Make sure Jon knows I’m going to be working today, not just skiving off.

The door to Jon’s office is standing ajar; Martin taps on it, and pokes his head in without waiting for a response.

Jon looks up as he walks in, his expression startled. He is wearing a jumper. A chunky knit jumper in a warm maroon color, with a Christmas tree and several reindeer on the front. One of the reindeer has a red bobble for a nose. The jumper is oversized, the ends of the sleeves falling past Jon’s wrists.

It’s...incredibly cute, which is not a term that Martin ever expected to associate with his arsehole boss. Attractive, in a severe, unattainable way, sure, but not cute. Yet somehow, here they are.

“Ah, Martin,” Jon says, looking flustered. “I, uh, I thought you’d left with the others?”

“I was—I just wanted to check in with you first, make sure you didn’t need anything. You should head home too, it’s freezing in here.”

“I—I’m perfectly fine.” Jon plucks at the front of the jumper, looking embarrassed. “This is, ah, I bought this for the Institute Christmas party, but it’s surprisingly warm—and quite comfortable.”

“Oh, that’s, uh, that’s not part of your usual wardrobe then?” Martin hazards a chuckle, and to his relief, Jon huffs an amused breath. He raises a hand to adjust his glasses, but his sleeve gets in the way; he pushes both sleeves up to the elbows, and oh no, that’s even cuter.

“No, not—not usually,” he says. Martin frowns, suddenly remembering.

“You didn’t wear it at the party last week, though?”

“No, it’s—it was from the previous year, when I was in Research. It-it didn’t seem appropriate this year, being in a management role. Fortunately I still had it in a box, though I, uh, I didn’t really expect anyone to see me in it.”

Martin feels a sudden pang of something that might be sympathy. He understands how it feels, the desperate pressure to be professional, to be taken seriously, the constant second guessing of what you’re doing, whether you’re giving away something you shouldn’t. It’s hardly the same, of course: Jon’s not likely to be fired for wearing a silly jumper. But...Martin gets it.

“Actually,” he lies, “I, uh, I have to meet with Sophie up in the library later, so I’m around for the day. I was just going to go out and pick up some early lunch. Thought I’d see if you want anything?”

“Oh, ah, where are you going?” Jon asks tentatively, looking surprised at the offer.

“I was thinking of that cafe just around the corner—maybe get some soup and a sandwich?”

“That would be...very nice, actually. If you’re sure you don’t mind?”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I did,” says Martin, and takes the ten pound note Jon offers him.

“Thank you, Martin,” says Jon, and it’s the probably the most sincere thing Martin’s ever heard him say. He finds himself smiling without meaning to.

“Not a problem.”

It’s too early for lunch, really, but Martin knows Jon never eats breakfast and he missed it himself this morning. He gets two portions of steaming tomato and basil soup and toasted cheese sandwiches from the cafe, and when he gets back, Jon’s found a small space heater to plug in, so his office is marginally warmer than the rest of the Archives. They sit on opposite sides of Jon’s desk to eat, talking about the case that Martin’s working on. It’s the first time Martin’s actually had the chance to properly discuss a case, rather than stumbling through his report while Jon watches expectantly; Jon listens, and asks questions, and even offers some helpful suggestions for Martin’s follow up. It’s...oddly nice.

(Jon also continues to look unreasonably cute in his oversized Christmas jumper, but Martin carefully ignores that.)

The heating gets fixed by early afternoon, and the Archives warm up to the point where Martin can unzip his hoodie. When he drops off his finished case report to Jon’s office, Jon is back in his shirt and jacket, the maroon jumper packed away out of sight. He looks perfectly staid and professional once again. I saw you looking cute, though, Martin thinks, and then tries to pretend he didn’t; he is not going down that route.

Jon glances up when Martin comes in, taking in the “Marvin the Martian” t-shirt that’s now visible beneath his hoodie. Instead of a disapproving scowl, however, he gives a small, hesitant smile.

“Thank you, Martin,” he says as he takes the report, and something flutters warm in Martin’s chest.

Oh no, he thinks.

[brownflower23]

I’m Fucked Up

(Spencer Reid x Reader)

*Mature Content Warning*

Summary: Reader notices new strange behavior of Spencer, who usually keeps their interactions very brief. She later finds he's struggling to resist bringing her into his world of pain and pleasure.

-

"Merry Christmas doll!" Rossi smiles opening his front door. "Merry Christmas Rossi!" You giggle receiving his warm hug. You were nervous, this was your first annual team Christmas party. Following Rossi into the large living room, smiling and waving at everyone.

Emily walks up to you holding two drinks. "About time Y/N! Here you've got some catching up to do" She smiles handling you the glass. "No problem." You laugh and quickly down the drink.

After making small talk for a while, you then went to make another drink. Entering the kitchen to see Spencer doing the same. "Hi, Spencer." You greet softly, trying to not be awkward and he glances up at you. "Hi." Is all he answers quietly after clearing his throat, you noticed he did that a lot when he spoke to you, which didn't happen often. He quickly looks back down to his glass and then stepped away from the counter letting you get to the drinks.

Spencer was nice, but you always felt like he kept you at a distance since you joined the team. He wasn't rude, but not friendly like he was with everyone else. You had only been on the team 5 months, so you figured he just took a while to warm up to new people.

You begin fixing your drink, and you could feel eyes on the backside of your body. You hear a deep strangled breath from behind you, it almost sounded like a growl. You froze, not sure what to do. Was that Spencer?

"Time for secret Santa!" You hear announced from the living room by Penelope. Turning around hesitantly on your heels to look, but there was no one else in the kitchen now. You walk to the next room, seeing Spencer now sitting on a couch with the group. Maybe that wasn't him, strange.

"Looking good tonight Mama." Derek exclaims glancing up and down at your fitted black skirt. You had dressed a little sexy tonight for the party. You roll your eyes back at him, knowing he was always like this. You didn't think anyone else notices, but as soon as Derek said that Spencer's eyes shot straight to him. His expression wasn't pleasant, to say the least, his eyes were hooded, jaw clenched. You had never seen Spencer like that before, especially to his best friend. He may not feel well.

You quickly sit and try to shake off the situation. Hotch begins pulling the presents from under the tree and announced each person's name.

"Y/N" he smiles and passes the medium-sized wrapped box. "Thank you" you smile back and then begin to unwrap the box. There was a beautiful red silk scarf sitting in the white box with a note. Time to find out who your secret Santa is, it had to one of the girls with such great taste.

I hope you can put this to good use . -Reid

You glance over to Spencer, he was already watching for your reaction. "Thank you, it's very nice." You offer a small smile but he only nods back. "You're welcome, Y/N." He said your name so smoothly, it gave you a shiver. Maybe you had enough alcohol you think to yourself.

The next day at the office walking in juggling your bag, coffee, and files. Saying your morning hellos, you walk near Spencer's desk. "Good morning." You announce admiring the man in front of you. He slowly looks up and his eyes linger around your neck. You decided to wear the scarf he gave you last night. He swallows hard and then came up to look into your eyes. "Good morning, Y/N." there is was again. The second time he said your name, it made your insides contract. Trying to keep your composure you quickly make it to your desk, letting out the sigh you were holding.

What the hell was happening? You just need to get through this day and get home so you can think. Around two o'clock, you could feel your energy depleting so you went to get coffee. Walking into the break room, your breath catching as you saw him. He looks up hearing someone enter.

His demeanor shifts seeing you, you awkwardly get your coffee as quickly as possible. "Shit" you mumble realizing you forgot the sugar, and coffee was disgusting without sugar.

You start walking back down the hallway toward the break room, and suddenly feel a hard grip on your arm. You were pulled into a closet, that had absolutely no light. Your heart feels as it was about to come through your chest. As your eyes adjusted to the dark, you make out the figure in front of you. It was him.

"What are you doing Spencer?" You whisper still trying to calm your heart. He places a hand on each side of your face against the wall behind you. "Is something wrong Y/N?" He sounds completely different, husky almost. Hearing it made your knees weak. He steps closer, you could feel his breath on your neck.

"I like you in this scarf." He huffs and you felt him twirl the edge of it with his long fingers. "Wwwhy did you pull me in here?" You stutter confused, this wasn't like him. "Did you not want me to?" He replies, pausing from your response. "You're just kind of scaring me, Spencer." You whisper back and he instantly put space between you and him.

"I'm so sorry y/n". He apologizes and then ran out of the room. What the actual hell was that? You stay in the dark room for a few minutes trying to process what just happened. What came over him? He usually avoids being close to you. He can't just walk away like that.

You cross your arms over your chest, and quickly walk to his desk to demand answers. Once at his desk you find that he and his bag were gone.

You finally get home, and just want to relax. After taking a shower you slipped into an underwear set and then hear a knock at the door. You rush to wrap yourself in a robe and to answer the door. "Who is it?" You question holding the handle. "Me" you hear a hesitant male voice say. Your stomach twirled.

You slowly open the door, seeing him standing there awkwardly. His head was low, looking much more casual than usual. No vest just a black button-down shirt and a loose tie.

"Hey, Spencer." you say softly, still very confused about earlier. "Hey. Look I'm sorry about earlier okay. I just lost control and I shouldn't have pulled you. I hope you don't hate me." He rambles out, with a deep breath looking away. "I don't hate you, Spencer." You offer a small smile to try to make him feel better. "I was just really confused, I still am actually." You continue.

"I'm sure you were, I'm sorry. I would never usually do that. You just get to me Y/N, okay? I'm having trouble controlling myself around you. I'm sorry, it won't happen again." He finally admits why he acts so strange around you. He turns to leave the doorway, surely not wanting the have this conversation longer than necessary. What he didn't know was that you had always been slightly interested in him, but he would never give you a chance to get close to him.

"Is that why you never look at me?" You ask with a glimmer of laughter in your voice, causing him to halt his escape. He slowly looks up to your eyes, staring, but not saying anything. Now that he was finally looking at you for more than three seconds you noticed how gorgeous his eyes are.

"What do you have trouble controlling wanting to do to me?" You question softly watching his body tense at your words, you wanted to push your luck. "If I tell you, you'll hate me." He whispers sounding strained. "Why?" You ask again still obviously flirting, it couldn't be that bad. He huffs slightly. "I can't tell you out here." He replies lifting an eyebrow. As if asking are you going to let me in. Were you going to allow the opportunity for something to happen? Both of you knowing where it would lead.

You slide over in the doorway allowing him to enter, the smell of him coated you as he passes. You shut the door and turned to see him looking around kind of awkwardly. "I'm sorry, do you want a drink or something?" You offer and he nods yes.

You leave to get the drinks, trying to figure out what was about to happen next. "Thanks" he mumbles taking the beer after you return, chugging it. You both sit on the couch silently, you could cut the space between you two with a knife. Okay then. "Are you going to tell me?" You finally break the silence, looking down at your fingers, playing with the glass bottle. You heard a loud sigh.

"I'm fucked up y/n." He blankly states causing your eyes to shoot up to him. "We all have our days." You shrug, not breaking the hold he had on your eyes. "No, you don't understand. You're amazing and so sweet. The things I want to do to you." He looks so serious. "Then why don't you help me understand?" You whisper a smirk playing on the edge of your lips.

"Stop. Don't do that." He blurts, abruptly getting off the couch making you jump. "Don't do what?" You yell back following him as he walked toward the door.

Suddenly he spins around slamming your back against the wall, holding you by the shoulders. "You don't yell at me, do you understand?" He hisses. His usual caramel eyes were a burning dark brown, his demeanor was like a different person. His jaw clenched, chest heaving. You stood there shocked, trying to control your own breathing.

"Okay." You whisper. He shook his head with a frustrated groan like it wasn't the answer he wanted, but you were confused. "You're sweet too Spencer, one of the nicest guys I've ever met. So what the hell are you talking about?" You groan, getting frustrated with his game. You heard him chuckle at your words shaking his head slightly. You stared at him, waiting until he finally gave in.

"Fine, I'll tell you. I want to control you, hurt you, make you scream, beg for me, completely dominate you." He outright growls staring into your eyes.

You were shocked. Hurt you? What the hell. He could see your confusion and softened his grip on your shoulder. "Not so sweet now, huh?" He mumbled removing his hands from your shoulder. Now you understood. Why he didn't want to tell you, why he said you would hate him. The look in his eyes now almost resembled regret, like he had messed up his shot with you. 

Although, you just wanted to understand him more than anything, and you were a pretty open-minded person. "Why would you do that?" You mumble looking down between your bodies. "To give you the most pleasure you've ever received." He confidently replies. Wow.

"Hurt me?" "Yes, for both of our pleasure. I know it's a lot and confusing. I promise it will never be more than you can handle." He explains like he was trying to sell you something. Your mind trying to take it all in, were you actually considering this?

"How would you know what is too much for me? We've never slept together" You ask after a moment of contemplating. You could see a slight glimmer of hope shoot through him, like when he realized he'd solved a case.

"I have a word that would instantly stop me, commonly known as a safe word. I would never hurt you in any way you didn't want, and I would always take care of you." He spoke gently, giving you a very vague explanation. This was normal to him. You could feel the heat coming off of his body.

"What is the word?" You ask out of curiosity. "Walter, it's my middle name and I hate it. You don't have to do this though Y/N. I don't know if you would want a relationship with me, but I promise it would be the best of your life." He panted, staring down at your lips, biting on his own as he towered over you.

Spencer was not normally such a confident person, so his confidence in his sexual abilities intrigued you. "What happens if I say yes?" You answer with a nervous knot in your stomach, finding yourself staring at the lip he was biting.

"Do not tease me. It is taking every ounce of my control not to bend you over right now, and show you how to behave." He challenges back, voice becoming more raspier, positioning himself closer to you.

"Then do it." You reply back without skipping a beat, not sure where the new confidence came from. He looked surprised. "Are you sure? Do you know what you're asking for babygirl? There is no going back once you take me there." He huffs, the nickname making your shutter. You can see how hard he was having to restrain himself.

"Dominate me, Spencer." You whisper, and without another second passing his hand roughly wrapped around your throat, he leaned his lips down to yours. You were taken back by his hand choking you, but his firm yet passionate kiss led you through it. Your fingers tangle through his soft messy hair, him groaning as you tug.

He separates your kiss, lowering slightly and lifting you from the bottom of your thighs. You wrap your legs around his waist, remembering you were only in underwear under the robe when you felt his warm body against your core. He attacked your neck with kisses and bites, definitely marking you. "Mmm Spencer" You moan out, and seconds later feel a hard slap on your right ass cheek. You wince at the pain, he did say he would hurt you, it wasn't overbearing though. "You will call me Daddy or Sir, do you understand?" He requests with a stern tone in your ear, you nodded eagerly. "Answer when I ask you a fucking question." He growls again with another slap to your ass. It was hard enough to make you yelp but soft enough to not make you cry. He was good.

"Yes, daddy." You panted. "Good girl." He chuckles, running his hand over the cheek he just hit, soothing the sting. "Are you okay?" He asks searching your eyes, not like he was just talking but genuinely, giving you one last chance to run. "Yes, I'm okay I promise." "Just follow my instructions exactly and you'll be rewarded, okay?" You nod, honestly, you were more than okay. You always wanted to experience something like this, that pushed you to the edge.

He nods back at you, and reattached his lips to your neck, his fingers gripping into your ass through the thin underwear. "Where's.. bedroom?" He asks through muffled kisses. "First left.. in hallway. " You manage to mutter, he began walking still holding you in his strong arms.

Once he made it to the bedroom he lowers you to your feet. "Trust me okay?" He whispers, you nod. He slid his fingers to the insides of your rode pushing it off your shoulders to the floor. "You're so beautiful y/n" he compliments looking over your body just in underwear. You blush slightly, thinking that someone as gorgeous as him would think so.

"I bet you look gorgeous with that pretty little mouth wrapped around my cock." He huffs in your ear, your eyes grew huge hearing him speak like that. Running his tongue over your earlobe, you moan at his words making him chuckle. "Get on your knees now." He commands, you falling into a kneeling position instantly. He smiled down at you approving. You have never moved on command for anyone, what is he doing to you?

You watch as he rolls up each of his sleeves slowly then pulling loose his tie roughly, anticipation killing you. He slowly moves to his belt buckle, removing it and his pants, kicking them off. He looks down at you again, smiling seeing you were biting your lip. "You want daddy's cock in your mouth don't you?" He asks, catching you off guard. You had never talked so dirty before, but it was definitely turning you on.

You also wanted to impress him, you had a slight idea of how this kind of relationship worked from movies. "Yes sir, I want to suck your dick" You reply, playing his game, which judging by his eyes he loved. "Such a good girl." He grunts and pulled his dick from the restrain of the boxers. You gulp at the size.

He steps closer to you, your mouth opening almost as a reflex for him. You took your hand and stroked over his length before taking him to your lips. He hisses as your warm mouth took him in, bobbing your head quickly.

"Fuck. You have no idea how much I have dreamed of that mouth around my cock. How many times you made me touch myself after seeing you at work. You wanted this didn't you baby." He groans, you couldn't believe what he was saying. He masturbates thinking of you?

"Yes, I wanted it." You reply between strokes. You swirl your tongue, wanting to please him as much as possible. "Now I'm going to fuck your mouth for making me wait so long." He growls, you felt his hand wrap to the back of your head into your hair. He holds your head in place while he pumped himself into your mouth faster. You began to gag, but closed your eyes and make yourself relax.

You look up at his face as he went faster, tears starting to run down your face. You loved it. His hisses and moans were the sexiest sounds you've ever heard. "Oh fuck y/n" he yells out as his hips started to jolt out of his control. He met your eyes, his expression had softened, you loved seeing him in such a euphoric and vulnerable state. His eyes continue to roll back in his head, the sight completely soaked the panties between your legs.

"Swallow for me y/n" he groans but before you could answer you felt his warm liquid squirting down your throat. He cussed out slowly riding through his orgasm, you licking every drop from the tip of his dick.

His eyes reopened looking at you very pleased. "Stand up baby girl." You slowly lift wiping the tears and liquids from your face. He kisses you sweetly holding the sides of your face, you take the opportunity to unbutton the rest of his shirt feeling down his toned body.

"I think that deserves a reward baby." He whispers, your body stood on end with excitement. "Please." You breathe out before you knew it. Shit, he had you wrapped around his finger, and he knew it. "Mmm knew you'd enjoy this." He chuckles and then pushing you to the bed.

Your legs land slightly parted, giving him a clear view of your most intimate part. "Why are your panties so wet y/n?" He asks licking over his bottom lip. "Because you make me this wet." You answer honestly. "Such a good fucking girl" he devilishly smirks. Next, you hear the cloth of your underwear rip making you gasp. "Sorry, they were in my way." He shrugs while lowing himself closer to your glistening pussy.

His comment made you laugh, which turned into a loud moan as his tongue attacked your clit with precise movements. "Oh shit." You cry out, you never had a man please you with his mouth this well. He groans in response to your cries. You tangle your hands in his hair again, rocking your hips against his face. You look down and watch his tongue engulf you, his eyes stay focused on you.

"Ugh feels so amazing" you sigh letting the feeling overtake you as his fingers dug into your thighs spreading you more for him. You couldn't believe Spencer Reid was in between your legs right now.

"You taste so good baby girl" he moans between your legs. You felt the tingling sensation start to cover your body, and the familiar warming in the base of your stomach. "Oh fuck." You scream as he pushes you over your edge, making your whole body shake in the best way possible.

You finally come down from the high with a smile on your face and look down at Spencer. His lips were still wet with your liquids, but the pissed expression on his face scared you.

He crawls up the bed until he is right above you staring down at your face. "Did you enjoy that?" He coos but not in an amusing matter. "Yes, it was amazing." You whisper reaching for his face, but he roughly grabs your hand and pins it to the bed.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it because you're about to pay for it" he spat and then pulled you off the bed with him. He rests on the edge of the bed, yanking you face down across his lap. "You're a greedy little girl y/n" he informs with an unsettling calmness. You couldn't even respond not knowing what he was talking about. He began rubbing a hand over your bare ass, you had an eerie gut feeling of what was coming next.

"So now...I have to give you a punishment. Okay?" He continues, the ending sounds more like a question. He was asking if you were okay with him punishing you. Did you want him to seriously hit you? There was only one way to find out.

"Yes" is all you say, and brace yourself for what was next. "You do not cum unless I tell you to." He hisses and you felt the same smack across your ass, but this time harder, more intense now that he had permission. Then again and again. After the sixth slap, you could feel tears forming in your eyes, but moans also tried escaping your lips.

"Are you going to cum again without permission?" He asks with a glimmer of amusement in his voice, delivering the seventh slap. "No,I won't." You said with a shaky voice. Eight. "I know you won't babygirl, but your ass is so pretty. Nice and pink with my handprint." He huffs, giving a ninth spank, you are so close to having use the safe word. "Please, sir." You plea for his mercy as his hand came down again. "I think you've learned your lesson." He finally stopped and massaged over the ass cheek he was just abusing, making it feel better. It still stung, but you almost liked the feeling. You were proud of your self for taking ten hits.

"You did so good baby." He praises while shifting you up and into his lap, laying your head on his chest. He brushed his fingers through your hair softly, letting your breathing even out. You look up, finding him staring down at you with such adoring eyes. In that moment, you had never before felt so loved and safe. The way he commands you, but he still sweetly made sure you were okay with everything he did.

The feeling he gave you made your head spin, it was like nothing else. Was this the kind of relationship you craved? All you knew was that you're now entrapped in Spencer Reid, and you didn't ever want to let go.

After a few minutes, he laid you back onto the bed. He then got up and walked out of your bedroom door. He isn't leaving, is he? For some reason, you couldn't imagine not being with him right now. He can't leave after that. You start to panic until you saw him coming back through the door.

He was holding up in his hand the red scarf that he had bought you, he must have seen it before on your coat rack. You giggle seeing him. "I am going to restrain you, okay, if you try to get loose I will punish you. Understand?" He asks waiting for your response. You nod eagerly "I understand." He begins tying both of your hands above your head to the headboard, you wondering what he has in store for you. "And yes, this is exactly what I meant by good use." He answers what you were wondering with a smirk on his face. Gosh, this boy.

After he was happy with the restraints, he walks to the side of the bed laying beside you. Running his fingers over your stomach, making you squirm. He quickly removes your bra, greedily looking over your breast. "You know since you just took your orgasm last time without asking, you do not get to cum this time while I finger your pussy. Understood?" He informs causing you to groan not knowing how you would be able to do it. You wouldn't want another punishment, right?

"Yes, daddy." You answer softly, and he smirks knowing it would be torture. Lowering his fingers slowly between your legs, to what belongs to him now and he knew it. Your body jolts as his finger sunk in, your wet entrance accepted it eagerly.

"Fuck your so wet for me baby." He groans adding another finger. "I only get wet for you daddy." You moan, maybe you could persuade him to let you finish. "That's right babygirl. ONLY MINE." He growls and pumped his fingers faster making your back arched off the bed, while your head flung back into the pillow. "Oh shit daddy." You whimper every time the palm of his hand would bump your clit.

You then felt warm wetness around your nipple, looking down to see Spencer's perfect lips around one of your breasts as he still worked you with his long fingers. He tugged at your nipple and curled his fingers at just the right spot making your body shake with the need for release.

"Please please I want to cum daddy" you cry out scratching into your bedsheets. You pull at the scarf, wanting so bad to orgasm. "Why should I let you?" He taunts speeding up his fingers as fast as he could. "Because I will be a good girl, please." You whine, not knowing how much longer you would last. You felt his fingers retract, and you heard a whimper of disappointment escape your mouth.

"Don't look so sad baby." He laughs at you and pulled the hand restraints loose and then continued "I promise you're about to cum harder than you ever have." He smirks and then he positioned himself between your legs, you bit your tongue trying to contain your excitement.

One hard thrust filled you completely, making you take all of him. You yell out at the pain and pleasure all at once. He pauses for a second letting your muscles become molded to him. "Shit your so tight y/n" he growls with hooded eyes watching you take him. He then lifted one of your legs over his shoulder and began pounding into you roughly, the position hitting your sweet spot over and over. You clawed into his back hard, surely drawing blood but he didn't seem to care. You felt a hand grasp around your neck once again, and the sensation made your eyes roll back.

"You like being choked don't you, dirty girl " he hisses, slightly tightening the grip on your neck. "Yes I love when you choke me daddy" You groan out barely able to speak, not just trying to please him anymore, but you honestly liked it. He was right when he said it was the most pleasure you have ever received.

He moans at your words, feeling he wasn't going to last much longer. "Rub your pretty clit for me, baby." He commands through clenched teeth, sounding so rugged and sexy. You did as instructed, rubbing fiercely making your legs start to shake.

"Daddy I want.. I need to cum please" you beg, feeling the knot in your stomach. "You want to cum all over daddy's cock babygirl?" He groans watching you beg was something he would never forget. "Yes please let me cum on your cock." You plea, trying desperately to hold it.

"You want me to cum in your tight pussy y/n?" He asks as his hips began to thrust wildly. Your eyes flash open in shock, looking up to Spencer biting his lip looking at you with such passion. You had never let a man finish inside before, but you wanted all of Spencer.

"Yes, cum in your pussy sir." You cry out, determined to pull him over with you. "Yes my fucking pussy." He moans out loudly, fucking you as fast as he could now.

His stroke hit just the right spot as your fingers moved faster and faster, your breath hitched and you became light-headed from the amount of pleasure. "Cum for me babygirl." You could barely hear over your cries of pleasure but as soon as you heard him your body responds. Your insides contract around his cock as he groans out your name letting his head fall back, his climax spilling over into you.

He slowly rolled through both of your orgasms, both of you panting despite for air. He gently removed himself from you, falling in the bed next to you. He guides you into his arms and softly snuggling into his chest.

"Are you okay baby?" He asks once his breathing evened out. You smile at him calling you baby even though you weren't having sex still. "I'm okay." You answer, still feeling your body tingling trying to process everything that just happened.

"Do you need anything? Ice, lotion, water?" He questions again making you giggle. You just shook your head no. He sat up looking at you with a serious expression. "Look, part of this is me taking care of you after. I'll always take care of you. Please talk to me, did I scare you?" He sighs.

"No Spencer you didn't I promise, I liked it a lot." You assured him, he let out a breath of relief. "I didn't hurt you too badly?" He asks rubbing the side of your face. "You hurt me just right" you giggle. "Well that's just the beginning sweetheart" he teases kissing the back of your hand.

"I actually might need something." You announce after thinking for a few minutes. "Anything." He answers looking concerned. "I think I need help taking a shower." You shyly admit. He chuckles at you. "Can someone not feel her legs." Teasing you more. "No, you made them go numb daddy." You tease back.

He moans lightly "Don't get me started again, I don't think you could handle that yet." He warns helping you up. "Maybe I will" you wink stepping into the shower pulling him with you.

Returning to work was awkward, to say the least, having to keep your relationship a secret. Spencer making sly remarks that only you would understand just to watch you squirm. Teasing you around every hidden corner didn't help either.

The team had just been assigned a new case and everyone was at the circle table going over the different files. "Y/n give me that file." Spencer said from across the table, concentrating on the papers so his voice sounded stern.

"Yes daa..." You freeze catching yourself and his eyes going wide looking at you. You try to play it off. "Dr. Reid " you stated with a couple of fake coughs, trying to make it sound like a mix of words. The redness of your face would surely give it away. You hand over the file keeping your eyes down.

"Oh hell no, we are not about to act like that didn't just happen." Derek pries with that smile, looking between you and Spencer. Spencer just smirks shrugging his shoulders and returned his attention to the paper in his hand. The whole team gasped at his subtle confirmation, you instantly hid in your hands. How were you going to survive being Spender Reid's woman.

[slytherinbarnes]

Sub Rosa [72]

i. sanctum 

Pairing: Bellamy Blake x reader

Word Count: 10.1k

Warnings: mentions of past injuries, angst, sadness, death, anxiety,  language, bugs (I know some people get the creepy crawlies), violence.

Summary: Monty has given all of you hope after charting your course to a new planet: Sanctum. You and a small group of friends head to the surface to explore the new planet you plan to call home.

a/n: HAPPY SEASON 6 PREMIERE! I CAN’T BELIEVE WE ARE IN THE LAST TWO SEASONS NOW, WE ARE NEARING THE END AND I THINK I MIGHT CRY!!!!! p.s. sorry for the late upload today, I was getting a christmas tree with my family!!! the taglist for this series is open! I hope you enjoy, please let me know what you think!!!

previous chapter // season masterlist // series masterlist

Jordan gives you, Bellamy, and Clarke a few minutes to process everything you’ve just learned before informing you of the last of Monty’s instructions: tell your friends.

You wake a small group of people, those who were present at the meeting 125 years ago, including Spacekru, Shaw, and your mother. You tried to wake Octavia too, but Bellamy stopped you, telling you to wait for now. Though you disagree with him, you respect his decision and keep her asleep. Everyone gets a brief rundown of what’s happened since they were last awake, and then you play the videos for them too, revealing planet Alpha the same way it was revealed to you. As Monty's last lines play and the video ends, there are no dry eyes in the room from anyone that knew Monty and Harper. Everyone is crying as they peer down at the planet Monty found for the rest of you to survive on. 

Bellamy takes in the group’s silence, and softly says, “I know this is a lot to process. Take an hour and meet in the mess, we need to game this out.”

Clarke looks over everyone, reminding them of Monty’s sacrifice. “Guys, we survived. Monty made sure of it.”

“Now we get our humanity back.”

Your mother’s words send Raven reeling, though you don't know why. She turns on her, pissed, and snaps,  “Some of us never lost it.”

Then she storms out of the room, leaving Shaw to run out after her. You turn to look at Clarke, confused, and she mutters, “There’s a lot I need to tell you.”

“Then tell me.”

“Not here.” She nods towards the door, motioning for you and Bellamy to follow her. “Someplace more private.”

Clarke takes you and Bellamy to one of the many abandoned staterooms and proceeds to catch the two of you up on everything she learned while in Shallow Valley with the Eligius prisoners and your mother. She finally lets you both know about the Dark Year and the cannibalism in the bunker, which shocks you and Bellamy both. She also tells you about your mother’s addiction to pain pills, and her overdose that nearly killed her, and you realize now that all the times you thought she looked incredibly exhausted were because she was going through withdrawals. When she finishes updating you both, you and Bellamy sit in shock for a few minutes before she leaves to check on Madi, leaving the two of you alone to come to terms with everything you’ve learned.

You and Bellamy sit in the stateroom a while longer talking before you head back to the bridge to read over the files Monty gathered on Eligius III. As you read, you and Bellamy discuss a bare bones plan, one that can be expanded on as you talk to the rest of your friends. Once you have an idea of what to do next, you walk down to the mess hall to meet up with the others. Echo, Murphy, and Emori are already there when you arrive, sitting at a table and drinking algae from bowls that Jordan is passing around. He brings you and Bellamy both a bowl, which you eye warily before setting it down in front of you, not eager to taste it just yet. Bellamy takes a few sips, unbothered by the years of algae he had on the ring, and you watch him with amusement, nose scrunched up in disgust. He feels your gaze on him and he turns to you, trying to hide a smirk. “What?”

You peer into your bowl, staring at the bright green liquid, before looking back to him. “You’re eating that stuff?”

“It’s what we ate for six years on the ring, it’s not that bad. Besides, you should eat, you’ll need your strength.”

You think of the variety of foods you ate in Shallow Valley and sigh, knowing this isn't and will never be as good as the food from the valley, but you know Bellamy is right and you need your strength. You slide the bowl towards you and lift it, musing, “It’s no harvest of fresh berries, but-”

You never get to finish your sentence, because the table around you erupts in a series of laughs and groans. Murphy tosses his napkin at you and you laugh, looking around at all of them in confusion. “What?”

“We don’t want to hear about everything we missed out on in the valley.”

You cringe a little, not realizing how your comments must have seemed to them. “I’m sorry, I didn't mean it like that.”

Bellamy puts his bowl down and reaches out to put his hand on your arm. You meet his gaze and see that his eyes are still bright with amusement. “They’re just messing with you, don’t listen to them.”

Murphy adds, “And I thought you were the twin that knew how to joke. Guess six years without someone as witty as me around will make anyone lose their sense of humor.”

You roll your eyes and laugh, tossing his napkin back to him. “Shut up, Murphy.”

He cocks his head to the side, looking at you closely. “Or is your humor missing because of the whole ‘Bellamy’s ex girlfriend is sitting beside you’ thing?”

You and Bellamy both cut your eyes at him, deadpanning at the same time, “Shut up, Murphy.”

The moment is broken when you hear someone else walk in, and your eyes move to the door and land on your mother. She looks more stressed than the last time you saw her a few minutes ago, and you realize she must have gone to see Kane. She takes the bowl that Jordan offers her and goes to sit at the table behind you, alone. You turn to look at her, and Bellamy follows your gaze as he whispers, “You should talk to her.”

“I wouldn't know what to say.”

“I don't think that matters. Just being there for her would help.”

“Maybe. But my mother and I have never had a relationship like that before. That’s more of Clarke’s territory.”

He doesn't answer, unsure what to say, so he reaches out for your hand, threading your fingers together. Clarke walks into the room next, gladly accepting her bowl of algae from Jordan, and her eyes find yours as she starts to cross the room. You smile at her as she stops near your table, asking, “How’s our little sun?”

“Good. Still sleeping.”

“Good.”

Clarke nods and starts to walk away, heading towards your mom, but Bellamy calls out to her, stopping her again. “Hey, did you see Raven or Shaw on your way back?”

Emori quips, “You know, the people you handed over to our enemy to be tortured.”

“Now, for Clarke, we call that a Tuesday.”

You cut your eyes at the couple sitting across from you and snap, “Enough.”

To your surprise, Echo does the same, giving them a scolding look as she lectures, “Easy, she did the right thing in the end.”

You look at her in confusion, not expecting her to speak up in Clarke’s defense, and she meets your gaze, the air between you growing awkward again. Still, you nod your thanks, as Clarke answers Bellamy’s question and ignores the others. “No, I haven't seen them.”

She continues past your table and joins your mother, and you can hear the two of them quietly talking as soon as she sits down. You feel a soft pang of jealousy, your relationship with your mom never as good as her relationship with Clarke, only made worse by the six years you spent apart from her. At times, it was easy to forget that you, Madi, and Clarke weren't actually the last three people alive. It was easy to forget there were hundreds of people locked up in a bunker nearly a hundred miles away. You spent so long with so few people, that moments of socialization like this feel foreign to you. You’re sitting at a table of people you know and like, yet they feel like strangers to you. In a lot of ways, they are. The reunions you’ve had since they landed have been tense and stressful, carried out in the middle of a war. There’s been no time to catch up like this, to sit at a table together and just eat and talk. And now that you’re doing it, it feels weird. 

Luckily, Jordan ends the weirdness by coming back into the room with a jar of algae, handing it to your mother on a tray. “First culture algae, like Bellamy used on Octavia. The first generation induces coma, and my dad was hoping you could use it to save Kane.”

Your mom takes it, a smile spreading across her face for the first time in a long time. “Thank you.”

She stands from the table, already ready to get back to Kane, turning to tell Clarke, “Take Jackson to the ground, I'll wake up Niylah to assist me.”

Clarke barely has enough time to nod before your mom rushes out of the room, just in time for Raven and Shaw to come walking in. “What did we miss?”

“Nothing.” Bellamy looks down at their conjoined hands, and the equally large smiles on their faces and muses, “It's about time.”

You nudge him with your elbow and he turns to smirk at you before standing, motioning for everyone to gather at one table. You and Bellamy stand side by side, facing them, and Clarke comes to stand on your other side, the three of you presenting a united front. You turn to Bellamy, nodding at him to begin. “Okay, everyone, listen up. Here's what we know: Eligius III was a colonizing mission. According to the file, the mothership went to 5 planets that met necessary conditions for life, dropping mission teams on each one. Monty picked planet Alpha for us because it's the closest, and probably the most like Earth.”

“Probably?”

Shaw turns to glance back at Murphy, answering his question before anyone else. “We have to assume they couldn't know for sure until they got here. We can scan the atmosphere from the bridge.”

“Actually, we can't.” You all turn to look at Jordan, waiting for him to clarify. “None of the equipment we used to monitor Earth is working. I'm guessing it's interference from the ionosphere.”

You look them all over and clarify, “Bottom line is, we won't know if it's survivable until we get down there.”

“Sounds familiar.”

You turn and smile at Clarke, thinking of your first trip to the ground, now so long ago. Raven pulls you from your thoughts when she asks, “What about radio signals? Anything from the ground that says the mission team survived?”

Bellamy shakes his head, “No radio signals.”

“Likely also the ionosphere. There is an ultra high frequency ping on radar, faint but-”

Shaw cuts him off, “A rescue beacon. We used them on Eligius IV to-”

And then Emori cuts him off, sounding excited. “Great. If there's a beacon, that means someone's down there, right?”

“Not necessarily. They're solar, so-” Raven finishes the sentence for Shaw, giving a resolute nod. “So they can last forever. How long ago did Eligius III get here?”

All of you look to Jordan again, knowing he’s the most well versed on the files from his father. “Hard to tell since they never radioed back, but the best estimate is 200 years, give or take.”

“That's a long time to wait for a rescue.”

Your gaze moves from Murphy to Echo, the only member of the group who has stayed silent the entire time. She just shrugs beneath your gaze, clearly up for anything. “I trust Monty.”

Bellamy looks at you and you nod, so he turns back to the group. “Great, then it's settled. We land at a distance, give us time to acclimate. We'll wait for them to come to us.”

Clarke breaks her silence for the first time in a few minutes, looking over at you and Bellamy. “Let's talk about guns. If we have them, we'll use them.”

Bellamy tenses beside you, and you’re sure he’s thinking of Monty’s ‘do better’ mantra. You’re also sure he’s running through a million memories of nearly being killed by Grounders as soon as you landed on Earth, because he counters, “We're taking guns.”

At your sister’s disapproving look, he adds, “We're also taking non lethals. Eligius IV had gas grenades and shock batons to control the criminals. We won't shoot first this time.”

“In that case, Clarke should stay here.”

You turn your glare on Raven, angry to hear the quip directed at your twin. You know that Clarke’s betrayal nearly got Raven and Shaw killed, and that they both had to endure torture at the hands of McCreary because of her. And though you feel sympathetic to them both, aware of how sadistic McCreary was, you think all the little quips and comments from Spacekru are becoming a little much. Yes, Clarke messed up and made terrible decisions, ones that hurt everyone, you included, but so have the rest of you at some point or another. Besides, you made a promise to the Universe that you’d do better and stop holding grudges if you got to the ship alive, so that’s what you’re going to do. It seems your version of ‘do better’ is the only one that includes forgiveness for mistakes. 

Still though, you find a small amount of satisfaction watching Raven’s face fall at Bellamy’s response to her quip. “Raven, you're the one that's staying here.”

“What? Like hell I am.”

“We can't take both our pilots, and since we'll be flying blind until we're below the ionosphere, it has to be Shaw.” Raven seems to understand his reasoning, but she still looks pissed to be the one left behind. Bellamy adds, “That's not all. Jordan, you're staying, too.”

“Me? Why?”

This time you answer, turning your sympathetic gaze towards him. “I know it's hard, but your parents asked us to keep you safe. We have no idea what's waiting for us down there.”

Echo muses, “Which is why we should take our best fighters.”

Bellamy immediately turns to look at his former lover, catching onto the real meaning of her statement. “My sister is the last person I trust not to shoot first, so she stays on ice with everyone else until we know what we're dealing with.”

“And if it's too late by then?”

Bellamy grows tense, and you watch him take a deep breath before relenting. “Fine. I'll wake up Miller.”

Echo nods, satisfied with his answer, and you just look between the two of them, still uncomfortable with their interactions. Though, it’s something you’ll have to get used to, because everyone that lived on the ring together seems to stick close to each other, meaning Echo isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Bellamy looks over everyone, waiting for any more questions or comments, but when none come, he nods his head. “Good. Say your goodbyes, head to the transport ship.”

Everyone disperses from the room, prepping for the trip down to the ground. You and Bellamy go to the cubby to get your belongings, including the Iliad, which you stuff into your pack. You also wake Miller up while you’re there, and catch him and Jackson up on everything. Your mom gives you a few medkits, along with pain meds for your leg if you need it, though you’re getting around pretty well despite the gash down the back of your calf. Then you and Bellamy go to the armory and grab weapons. You holster your Grounder knife to your thigh, and you manage to find another holster small enough to fit the skull knife you swiped from the Eligius prisoner after he nearly killed you. You attach the small knife and holster around your left calf, tugging your pants down over it, now secured as a hidden weapon. Bellamy gives you a few gas canisters for your pack, along with a pistol, which you also pack into your bag. Everyone else comes to the armory at some point to arm up, and you and Bellamy pass out weapons until everyone is ready to go. 

With everyone packed up, you head towards the transport ship, preparing to say your last goodbyes before you take another ship down to another planet that might not be survivable. You, Bellamy, and Clarke are the last three to arrive, walking into the hallway just as Jackson and your mom are hugging goodbye. You all wait your turn nearby, and Miller wanders over, eyes locked on Bellamy. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“Thanks for taking me, that must have been hard for you.”

Bellamy shakes his head. “Not really. We go back, Miller. I trust you.”

“Even after I threw you both into the pit?”

Bellamy glances over at you, and you give him a small smile, encouraging his forgiveness. He turns back to Miller and nods. “My sister did that, not you. We're good, okay?”

Miller nods, a small smile on his face, and he waits for Jackson to step away from your mother before he follows him into the transport ship. Once your mom is free, she turns to you and Clarke, both of you stepping forward to say your goodbyes, and Bellamy hangs back and waits for you to finish. As soon as you step up to your mom, you whisper, “I’m sorry we couldn't be there for you in the bunker. Maybe if we were-”

She seems to sense where your words are heading, because a sad smile crosses her features as she lifts her hand to caress your cheek. “It’s not your fault, la lune.”

She lifts her other hand to Clarke’s cheek and adds, “I wish both of my girls could have been with me, but I’m glad neither of you had to go through what we did in the bunker.”

She glances to the door of the transport, tears welling up in her eyes. “God, I hate sending you both to the ground.”

Clarke answers, “Look, mom, if anything happens to me-”

“It won't.”

“If it does-”

Your mom nods, instantly understanding. “I'll take care of Madi.”

She pulls you both towards her, hugging you tight as you prepare to be separated from each other once again. When you pull away, you smile at her. “Go save Kane.”

She looks between you and Clarke, smiling at you both. “Go save us all.”

You nod and start to walk away together, towards the ship where Bellamy stands, still waiting. Your mom watches you both as you get closer to him, and you see his eyes land on her as she calls out to him, “Take care of my girls.”

“Yes ma’am, always.”

You smile at him and he motions for you and Clarke to step inside before him, leaving him to be the last one onto the ship. He closes the door behind him and all of you make your way to your seats, strapping yourself in between Clarke and Bellamy, nerves coiling through your body and making you jittery. Once Shaw is sure everyone is secured, he takes off, guiding the ship closer and closer to the planet as Raven calls out to him on the radio. “How are those instruments, Shaw?”

“Instruments are for amateurs.”

She starts to answer but her voice comes through staticky, impossible to hear. You look at Bellamy, growing anxious, and he smiles at you, trying to reassure you. Shaw moves the ship through the atmosphere, the clouds making it impossible for you to see anything out of the windows, the whole ship shaking from the resistance. You reach out for Bellamy, getting more nervous with each passing second, and he grabs your hand, squeezing once to let you know everything’s okay. You close your eyes and work to control your breathing as Shaw calls out, “We're below the ionosphere and I still don't have any instruments. There must be something else, hang on.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Yeah, pray.” Shaw’s response to Emori does nothing to quell your nerves, and you squeeze Bellamy’s hand hard, keeping your eyes shut tight, not sure you want to see your possible impending death. Your other hand grips the straps that secure you to your seat, and you try to keep your focus on your breathing and not the horrifying shaking that is moving the ship around. But just as you’re sure that you’re all about to die, you hear Shaw call out, “Boys and girls, meet planet Alpha.”

You pull your eyes open, gaze falling onto a set of mountain ranges, covered with lush green foliage. The sun is shining bright, lighting up the landscape, reminding you of the valley. You turn to glance at Clarke, her face a look of awe and sadness, and when she meets your gaze, you know she’s thinking of your destroyed home too. Both of you turn back to the front as Shaw finds a place to land, and once he gets the ship on the ground, all of you unbuckle your seatbelts and stand quickly, eager to get outside and explore the new planet. 

Before you know it, all of you stand at the door to leave, waiting for it to lower and become the ramp that will take all of you outside. You grab both Clarke and Bellamy’s hands, prepared to die with them if the door opens to an unsurvivable planet. As it lowers, Jackson stands behind you, repeating a phrase like a mantra, “Please be breathable. Please be breathable.”

The door hits the ground, and everyone takes a few tentative breaths, looking around at each other in excitement. Jackson announces, “Breathable air, check.”

Emori checks the radiation scanner in her hand, nodding with satisfaction. “Radiation levels are good, too. Eligius III didn't need to send Nightbloods after all.”

“How about that beacon, Shaw?”

“Eight clicks due East, I think it's on high ground. There's a water source about halfway.”

You turn to look at Bellamy, remembering that he sent Octavia out first, allowing her to be the first person on Earth in over 100 years. You smile at him, urging him to do the same thing here. “You should go first this time.”

“No. We go together, all of us.”

You nod, looking over at Clarke, and she nods too. And then all of you step down the ramp tentatively, walking towards the lush green foliage that surrounds your parked transport ship. It looks like you’ve landed in a field of flowers, and trees line the field on either side, reminding you so much of when you landed in the dropship. You feel a pang in your heart, thinking about your first home away from the Ark, missing those first few days of freedom before the fight for survival began. As you near the end of the ramp, Miller asks, “Anyone got anything better than 'We're back, bitches'?”

You, Bellamy, Clarke, Miller, and Murphy all laugh, all of you the last few remaining members of the 100 (101 including Bellamy), with the exception of Octavia, who is still back on the ship. As your laughter dies down, Murphy turns serious, looking around at the beautiful landscape that surrounds you. “Monty would know what to say, he should be here.”

“He is.”

Clarke smiles, remembering his words from his final video. “He already said it: 'Do better there'. So let's do better.”

All of you nod in agreement, but you see a sour look pass over Shaw’s face as he turns to your twin. “That's easy to say, but talk is cheap.”

And before any of you can say anything to defend Clarke, he turns and walks off, gaze locked on the device in his hand that is tracking the emergency beacon. Clarke looks after him, her expression one of hurt, and you squeeze her hand, still held within your own. “He'll come around, they all will.”

She nods, her expression still sad, but you can see her push that away as she fixes a smile to her face and nods after the group. “Come on, we don't want to fall behind.”

You nod and the three of you drop hands, disconnecting, making it easier to hike after the others. Shaw leads the way and Bellamy brings up the rear, staying behind you to make sure you’re moving okay with your injured leg. Clarke keeps close to you as well, also worried about your injuries, and you know both of them are wondering if they should have left you behind to make sure you don't make things worse. Which is exactly why you try to keep your limping to a minimum, and you hide any indication that there is a growing throb of pain in your calf, courtesy of all the movement you’ve done. You don’t want to be responsible for slowing the group down, and you don't want anyone to regret bringing you, because this is a mission you wouldn't miss for the world. 

After a few hours of walking, the path that you’ve been following through the woods opens up onto a beach, a large lake spread out in front of you, framed by mountains on nearly every side. As you get clear of the trees, the sky opens up too, giving you a better view of the suns in the sky, moving closer and closer to each other. Clarke sees them too, because she comments, “It looks like the suns are eclipsing.”

You look to your left, to the rest of the open sky, gaze falling on a large looking object looming nearby in space, surrounded by a ring of asteroids orbiting it. You think of everything your father has ever told you about planets and space and moons, and you let out a short laugh of disbelief. “Alpha is a moon.”

Bellamy turns to you in confusion as all of you walk closer to the water. “What?”

“We’re on a moon, not a planet.” You point to the large planet in the sky. “That’s a planet, and we’re orbiting it.”

Bellamy’s face splits into a grin, in just as much disbelief as you that you’re walking on a moon, something you never could have imagined in a million years. As you all come to a stop on the shoreline, he calls out, “Looks like we found the water source. We camp here.”

Everyone starts to drop their packs, and you sigh with relief, unsure of how much more hiking you could have handled today. You briefly wonder how Murphy is doing considering the two bullet wounds he’s battling, and he seems to answer your unspoken question by dropping his pack and taking off running towards the water, whooping with excitement. You laugh as he runs into the water, despite Jackson’s protests. “Murphy. Murphy, wait! We haven't tested it! Your wounds haven't healed yet!”

Murphy ignores him and dives under the water, and all of you watch him disappear from view, waiting patiently for him to resurface. But a few seconds pass and his head doesn't pop up again, making everyone start to worry. And then a few seconds becomes a minute, and you can feel the panic level rise as Emori stares out towards the water, scanning it for any sign of Murphy. “John?”

Clarke eyes the unmoving lake with fear. “Something's wrong.”

Bellamy drops his pack, already moving to yank off his jacket and dive in after Murphy, when Murphy suddenly pops up, laughing as he looks at all of your worried expressions. “Come on in, the water's fine!”

Emori laughs, “Oh, who knew cockroaches could swim?”

“What, you want me to teach you?”

Murphy comes out of the water, walking towards his girlfriend as she starts to back away, “No, John, no.”

But before she can protest further, he scoops her up and throws her over his shoulder, taking her back towards the water and dunking them both. You turn to Bellamy with a smile as their laughter punctuates the air, a rare moment of happiness blanketing all of you as you watch on. For the first time in years, there is no death, no war, no killing to worry about. There’s just a group of you at the edge of a lake, watching your friends have fun as you explore a moon.

-

All of you set up camp and spend the next few hours relaxing until nightfall. Jackson checks both you and Murphy over, making sure your stitches have survived the long hike. You wince as he inspects your leg, and he doesn't miss it, though he pretends that he does. You’re thankful for that. 

Once he has given you his stamp of approval, everyone lounges around the fire, relaxing for the first time in a long time. With no war looming over your heads, you're able to enjoy each other’s presence. Jackson and Miller are on the outer edge of the group, followed by Murphy and Emori, who are lounging side by side against a log. You and Bellamy are beside them, Bellamy leaned back into your arms, watching as you etch a new notch into your Grounder knife with your skull knife, recording the death of the Eligius prisoner that nearly killed you. Clarke sits on your other side, perched on a log, watching you and Bellamy, and Echo and Shaw are across from you, sharing a different log. You can feel Echo’s gaze on you every few minutes, but you avoid looking her way, not wanting to catch her eyes. Shaw ignores all of you, repeatedly calling Raven on the radio every few minutes, reminding you of the countless calls you made to Bellamy after Praimfaya.

You finish with your knives and slide them both back into their holsters, leaning back against your log and getting more comfortable. Bellamy sinks into your embrace, resting his arm over your knee, tracing invisible patterns there. One of your hands lifts to his hair, absentmindedly playing with his curls, while the other rests on his arm, keeping him as close to you as you possibly can. You hear Bellamy sigh a little, and you look down at him, following his gaze to Miller and Jackson, who sit comforting each other, clearly discussing the sins of their past. You watch them for a second too, before looking down at your boyfriend and whispering, “Miller helped keep Octavia alive, someday you'll thank him for that.”

Bellamy’s gaze lifts from the couple and up to you, clearly unconvinced. “Will I?”

You glance over at your twin, who smiles when you meet her gaze. You smile back, thinking of all the times the two of you have hurt and betrayed each other, and all the times you’ve forgiven each other and grown even closer. And you know that not every set of siblings is the same, but the Blakes operate in a way similar to you and Clarke, all of you more alike than you really realize. And there was once a time when Octavia said she’d never forgive Bellamy for the role she thinks he played in Lincoln’s death, and yet, she forgave him eventually. Octavia’s transformation into Blodreina was shocking to all of you, unable to understand how she got the way she was. But knowing the truth behind the Dark Year helps you to understand Octavia a little more. Though you can't relate to her, and you think she has done a lot of awful things, she’s not a bad person. Just like the rest of you, terrible things have been done to her, and she’s been forced to choose between the lesser of two evils, but none of that makes her bad. Choosing between death or cannibalism is enough to make anyone lose their minds a little bit. Unfortunately, you don't think Bellamy sees it quite the same way you do, but you’re sure that eventually he’ll come around. Which is why you glance down at him with a small smile on your face and whisper back, “There's no starting over without forgiveness, Bellamy.”

“I can't.”

You nod, dropping the conversation for now, aware that pushing him too hard too fast is never helpful. So you plant the seeds of forgiveness in his mind, and you leave them to grow on their own. Bellamy turns his gaze from you, sinking into your arms again, glancing over at Shaw, who mutters, “One more time, Eligius IV, this is Expedition One. Raven, do you read?”

“Raven'll get the radio fixed.” Shaw lowers the radio, face setting into a glare, which he turns on your sister, clearly not interested in any of her comfort. She sees the change, and instantly looks remorseful. “I'm sorry I turned you in, Shaw.”

“You really wanna do this now?”

Murphy calls out from your other side, sounding annoyed that his peaceful evening is about to end. “Maybe you two should speak in private.”

“No, I want you all to hear this.”

“Great.”

Clarke looks at you, and you nod, encouraging her to say her piece. “If I could, I'd go back and do things differently, but I can't. None of us can. For some reason, Monty thought we deserved a second chance.”

“Not for nothing, but this is, like, your fifth chance.”

The insult lands the way Murphy intends it to, and Clarke snaps back, “Yours too, Murphy.”

Murphy smirks, standing up and wiping sand from his pants. “Very good, I got watch.”

As Murphy walks away, Shaw turns to look at Clarke. “You're right. Your friend Monty gave you a second chance, but now what? Salvation comes from faith and good works, what you do, not what you say. You haven't done anything yet.”

Clarke says nothing in return. She just nods, accepting his anger, and you’re about to offer her words of comfort when Bellamy’s hand grows still, no longer tracing patterns on your knee. You look down at him in confusion and he mutters, “Hey, listen. You hear that?”

And as you listen, you have the horrifying realization that you hear nothing. Ten minutes ago the trees were alive with the sound of insects, and it reminds you of the silence in the air before Praimfaya, when Jaha was on the hunt for the Second Dawn bunker. You ask, “What happened to all the bugs?”

Answering your question, Jackson calls out, “You guys gotta see this!”

All of you jump to your feet and jog over to him, meeting him halfway across the beach as he holds out a jar with a bug inside. The bug is scratching and clawing at the glass, trying to reach all of you, clearly pissed that he’s locked up. “Five minutes ago, this thing ate a leaf out of my hand. Now, it wants to eat me. Not only that, its entire physiology has changed from-”

Murphy cuts him off when he slaps a bug on his neck, killing it. The bug inside the jar grows more wild, more intense, and Murphy jokes, “Oh, look at that. Your pet's pissed that I killed its brother.”

You all watch the bug closely, a chill rolling down your spine as you see it tap against the glass trying to escape. But Emori pulls all you of from your thoughts when she looks up at the sky and asks, “What the hell is that?”

You all pause, looking around as the gradual whine and buzz of bugs grows louder, and when you look towards the trees along the beach, you can see hundreds of bugs flying out over the water. Clarke whispers in horror, “Swarm.”

Echo looks at the bugs in a panic, turning to glance at the rest of you as she says, “It's coming from the direction of the ship, we'll never make it back.”

Bellamy’s demeanor changes quickly, catching onto your impending danger before anyone else does. “Everyone cover up, we're heading to the beacon now!”

All of you run back to your belongings, digging through your bags to pull out scarves and jackets, pulling them tight over your body and around your face. Just as you cover up and get your bag pulled on, the swarm bursts through the trees, heading straight for all of you. Bellamy yells, “Move, move now! Cover your faces!”

You all take off running down the beach, Shaw in the lead, the tracking device in his hand. The bugs zip and bite at your skin, all of you yelping out in pain and panic as they make contact with you. As you’re tearing through the woods, you hear Emori call out for help, and Murphy stops in front of you, turning and looking in a panic. “Emori!”

“Help!”

You stop beside Murphy, looking around, trying to find the direction of Emori’s voice over the sound of the swarming bugs, swatting them away from you as they bite and sting your still bodies. Somebody runs up to you and turns, yelling, “Take the flare out of my bag!”

Once you hear his voice, you realize it’s Miller, and you reach into his bag and grab a flare, instantly lighting it and holding it up. The bugs fly away from you, Murphy, and Miller, the three of you standing together, and you hear the others turn and run back your way. Bellamy stops at your side, his brows the only thing you can see through his face cover. They’re pulled together with worry, clearly freaked out that the two of you were temporarily separated, but as he sees the flare keep the bugs at bay, he calls out to the others, “They hate the fire! The flares, light them all!”

Two more flares are pulled from packs and lit, and you hear Emori call out for Murphy once again. He takes off running toward the sound of her voice, and you follow him, keeping the flare held high so neither of you will get attacked. You hear the other two flares burning nearby, following you as you reach Emori, who is laying on the ground and shielding her face. Jackson and Murphy pull her to her feet, and you turn to look at the other flare holders, calling out to them. “Stay together, flares at 3 corners!”

They nod, Shaw taking the lead with his flare, as you and Echo take the back corners, gathering the others inside of your safe zone. All of you run through the woods in a tight knit group, following Shaw as he calls out, “Here, it's here!”

He breaks free from the trees and into an open space, and before any of you realize what’s happening, Shaw lets out a sudden scream of pain. Your eyes land on him, surrounded by smoke, light, and electricity, all circling his body. He falls to the ground, yelling in pain, clearly stuck in something. Searching for a source, your eyes follow one of the bolts of electricity up to a tower. Beside that tower is another, then another, towers spaced out every few feet, forming some sort of invisible barrier, which Shaw is now caught in. Jackson yells to the man, who is still screaming in pain, “Shaw, get out of there!”

“It's killing him! Get him out!”

You look to the towers again, eyes falling on a large danger sign, bright yellow with a large message printed on it. WARNING: RADIATION. You turn to look at the others, yanking your face covering down as your eyes find Bellamy’s. “It’s radiation, it won’t affect me!”

You see his expression morph into one of panic, but you take off running before he can stop you, ignoring his scared voice following you to Shaw, “No! Get back, natshana!”

You cross right through the barrier, your body feeling nothing as you hook your arms beneath Shaw’s, yelling to be heard over his screams of pain, “Hang on, Shaw! I got you!”

You drag him into the field on the other side of the barrier, his cries of pain stopping as soon as the electricity stops connecting to his body. You drop down at his side, getting a look at him from the light from one of the flares, his skin covered in lesions, red and angry, reminding you of Clarke after Praimfaya. You hear the shield crackle briefly as Clarke runs through, following your path, dropping down on Shaw’s other side and looking at him in alarm. The two of you share a worried look, knowing that much radiation was barely survivable with Clarke’s Nightblood, but your thoughts are interrupted by Bellamy calling out, “We're running out of time here!”

Shaw looks at you, reaching out to grab your hand, “The tower.”

You look down at him, nodding. “I see it.”

“Eligius tech, the failsafe code. 47815.”

You look to Clarke, and she nods, immediately taking off running towards the tower. You tug off your pack, yanking it open and digging around until you find your medkit, hand closing around it as Clarke yells to the others, “It's down! Run now!”

The others run inside the barrier, and you hear it go back up a second later as Clarke retypes the code, killing all the bugs as they hit the shield. You search through your medkit until you find morphine, enough to take away Shaw’s pain as he dies from the radiation. You fight the wave of emotion that threatens you, trying to stay calm for both Shaw and the others as you pull the painkiller out of your bag, reaching out for his hand so you can inject it into one of his veins. But his hand closes over yours, and you look to Shaw in shock as he gasps out, “No, don't waste it.”

You open your mouth to protest, but he looks away from you and over to Clarke, who has just dropped down to his other side. “Earn this.” 

She nods, and you meet her eyes, both of you aware that these are likely his final words. Shaw turns back to you, squeezing your hand to get your attention, and you move your gaze back down to his, meeting his eyes. “Tell Raven she deserves happiness. She doesn't think she does, but...she does.”

You nod, fighting back your tears as you remember Shaw’s kindness to you when the prisoners took you hostage. The only person who advocated for you, tried to keep you safe, stitched you up after you were shot. You whisper, “I will, I’ll tell her.”

And as soon as he has your confirmation that you’ll pass on his dying wish, he takes one last shaky breath, and then he goes completely still. You drop your head, trying to hide your tears, thankful when the last of the flares dies out, plunging all of you into darkness. You feel someone kneel down beside you, wrapping strong arms around you, and you know it’s Bellamy before he tugs you closer to him, tucking your crying face into his chest. You allow yourself to shed a few tears for the man you barely knew, before you dry your eyes, and look to Bellamy. “We should bury him.”

He nods, pulling a shovel from his bag, and Miller grabs one from his own, the two men digging a grave for the Eligius pilot. It takes a while to dig a hole big enough, the shovels small, only digging up small patches of dirt at a time, and dawn starts to settle in before you get him buried. As the boys work, you and Clarke make a cross out of a thick branch, remembering his story about being an altar boy in his life before Eligius, meaning he was probably still religious. You use your knife to carve his name into the wood, and once he’s buried beneath the dirt, Bellamy helps you drive the cross into the ground, marking his grave. 

Bellamy says the Traveler’s Blessing, honoring Shaw one last time before you all continue your own final journey on the ground. “In peace, may you leave this shore. In love, may you find the next. Safe passage on your travels, until our final journey to the ground. May we meet again.”

You all whisper, “May we meet again.”

You sit around the grave in silence for a few seconds longer before you start to walk away, following Bellamy and the tracker to the path that is etched out in the field around you. You all follow it in silence, you, Bellamy, and Clarke in the lead, and eventually the field gives way to an incline, the path now winding up a mountainside. As you near the top, Emori finally breaks the group’s silence. “What kind of people have a radiation fence?” 

Clarke counters, “The kind of people that want to keep something out.”

Bellamy ignores them both and announces to the others, “Beacon should be right up ahead.”

Clarke shifts closer to you, voice dropping slightly. “What are we gonna tell Raven?”

“That he died a hero.” Clarke nods, accepting your answer. Murphy, however, does not. “Look, I do hate to make this about us, but-”

Clarke cuts him off, “Then don't. Shaw just saved your life, Murphy.”

“I'm aware. I'm also aware that we just lost our pilot. Madi's still up there, you're not worried you're never gonna see her again?”

Clarke spins, turning to shove Murphy, and you and Miller reach out for her, grabbing her to hold her back. Miller glares at Murphy and mutters, “Ignore him.”

Everyone stops to watch the scene unfolding around you, and Murphy turns to Miller, a smirk on his face. You sigh, knowing shit is about to hit the fan. “Your Red Queen is still up there too, Miller. Who you gonna follow now?”

Miller grabs the front of Murphy's jacket, and you’re about to step in and break up their fight when Bellamy calls out, “Hey! Miller! As therapeutic it is to beat up on Murphy, Emori can fly.”

“Sure. Yeah. I've had one successful landing in a ship I trained in for 6 years.” Emori smiles sarcastically, clearly not confident in taking over the pilot duties. “No problem.”

Echo, who has stayed silent the entire time, calls out to the rest of you, “Guys, stairs.”

You spin around, following her pointed finger, and all of you start moving again, excited at what you’ll find at the top. “Easy. We approach slow, no hostile movements.”

Everyone keeps their guns held low, trying to appear as docile as possible, and as you climb up the stairs it brings you to the edge of a large village. There are houses everywhere, a small pond in the center, and in the back, behind it all, is a large palace, looming high in the sky. You all look at it in shock, taking in the bright colors of the village, and Murphy whispers in awe, “They have a castle.”

You walk slowly into the village, looking for any sign of civilization, surprised to see it still and unmoving. You all spread out, knocking on the doors of the homes in search of people, and you aren’t apart for long before Emori turns towards you, Clarke, and Bellamy, calling out to you, “Hey!”

You all walk over to her, looking up at the small flag she’s pointing to. It’s purple in color, with two suns shining at the bottom of the flag. Within the bottom sun is the infinity logo, and Emori eyes it warily. “Alie?”

You feel a rush of fear until you remember the infinity symbol was part of Becca’s corporate logo. The very same Becca who created the Eligius tech. You shake your head at Emori, reassuring her, “Becca did the tech for Eligius.”

Bellamy deadpans, “Right. Destroy the world, and 200 years later they put you on a flag.”

You look over at him, not used to hearing the cynical tone from him. He gives you and Clarke half a smirk. “See? Hope for us yet.”

You roll your eyes, watching as he turns away and walks over to Murphy, who stands pounding on a door. “Hello? Invaders from Earth. Can we come in?”

“John, keep it down.”

“I don't know why we're knocking. We’ve gone door to door, and no one's here.”

“We don't know that yet.”

Bellamy glares towards Murphy, watching him walk from one door to the next one. “These are people's homes, we're not breaking in like thieves.”

“Bellamy's right. If we want to do better here, we can't just-”

Murphy cuts you off by swiftly kicking the next door open, the double doors flying wide and bouncing against the wall on the inside. You all turn to look at him, incredulous, and he smirks back at you, unbothered. “Well, look at that. This one's unlocked.”

You and Bellamy share a look before you follow Murphy into the open room. Clarke steps in behind you, all of you walking over to a small, miniature altar. Hanging above it is the same flag from before, along with a picture of a smiling family. Below that is a collection of bowls, filled with various objects. You muse, “It's some kind of shrine.”

Clarke kneels down and lifts one of the bowls, turning it towards you and Bellamy. “Blood.”

A shiver rolls down your spine, not liking the idea of blood sacrifices. Bellamy peers at the photo, getting a closer look, before he looks over at you and your twin. “Eligius III, all named Lightbourne.”

Your brows pull together, turning to look at Clarke. “They sent families?”

She nods, assuming that’s the case, and you wonder what it would have been like to leave your home planet and journey to a new one. You guess, in a way, that’s what all of you are doing now. Though, Eligius III probably chose their space exploration. All of you were forced into it. Bellamy gazes at the picture again. “Nice to be remembered.”

Clarke counters, “Or worshipped.”

You step back from the shrine, not wanting to spend anymore time in the room, an eerie feeling washing over you. “Come on, we shouldn't be here.”

Bellamy and Clarke nod, both of them following you towards the door. As you near the exit, Murphy holds up a small device. “Hey, you want a music player?”

Bellamy cuts his eyes to the troublesome cockroach, taking the music player from his hands and returning it to the table near the door. “Behave, Murphy.”

All of you walk out of the shrine, closing the doors behind you, before Bellamy calls out to the whole group, “Split up, look for any signs someone was here.”

Everyone does as they’re told, breaking off into small groups, and you, Clarke, and Bellamy all travel together to the other side of the pond, investigating some of the buildings on the outer edge of the village. When you find nothing, Bellamy wanders over to a swing set, motioning for you to sit in the swing that hangs in front of him, and you pull off your pack and smile at him before settling into the seat. He pushes you, soft at first, your body moving back and forth slowly, until he starts to push harder, your body now swinging through the air. You close your eyes and let out a laugh, amazed at the rush of wind over your skin, making you feel like you’re flying. When you open your eyes again, Bellamy now stands in front of you where you can see him, his gaze locked on you, his smile wide and full of adoration. You smile back at him, both of you watching each other as you slowly lose speed, finally coming to a stop again. Bellamy plops into the swing beside you, and you reach out for him, both of you holding hands as you sit side by side. Your moment of serenity, however, is ruined by the sound of someone loudly singing. You and Bellamy both turn your gazes towards the source of the sound, finding Murphy standing at the top of the castle stairs, singing loudly to all of you. You look over at your boyfriend, both of you laughing as soon as you lock eyes, turning to look back at the personal concert Murphy is giving all of you.

You watch him for a few minutes, and Bellamy eventually reaches into his pocket and pulls out the radio that Shaw was carrying, deciding to test the reception from your new location. “Raven, come in. You read me?”

As expected, the radio is silent, and Bellamy sighs before putting it back into his pocket. You look around at the village, an eerie realization washing over you. “This place is too well maintained to be abandoned. Any guesses where all the people went?”

“If they’re gone, then there's enough room here for everybody on the ship.”

You nod, turning to look around for Clarke, wanting to ask her opinion. But when you look around, your twin is gone, no longer lingering nearby. The building behind you, however, has a door swung wide open, and you turn to Bellamy. “Let’s go find Clarke.”

He nods, and you drop his hand as the two of you stand from the swings, wandering over to the open door of the building, relieved to find Clarke standing inside, a children’s book in her hand. You call out to her, “Hey.”

She looks up in surprise, not hearing either of you walk in, a smile spreading across her face. “Hey.”

You and Bellamy walk closer to her, and you realize now that the building is a small school. There are toys and books everywhere, along with easels, abandoned with art still hanging from them. Clarke closes the book in her hand and looks around at the room. “I wish Madi could have gone to school.”

Bellamy whispers, “I wish Octavia could have.”

You add, “I wish I could have.”

They both look at you, realizing that despite the fact you learned nearly everything Clarke did, you never actually got the experience of going to school like they did. You got close to going on a field trip once, until you opened your mouth and ruined the trick you and Clarke played on your mom. 

Clarke hands you the book in her hand, her eyes gazing at the radio sticking out of Bellamy’s pocket as she does. She turns her gaze to him as you peer down at the book. “Still no luck on the radio?”

“No.”

“Trust me, I know the feeling.” You don’t even realize the words have left your mouth until they do. You freeze up, then try to relax, aware that Bellamy won’t understand what that means, and that your secret is still safe. Bellamy surprises you by whispering, “I'm sorry I couldn't respond all those years.”

You freeze again, your eyes going wide in alarm as you turn to look at him, worried about his reaction. He sees the panic on your face, along with the confusion of how he knows when you never told him, and he clarifies, “Madi told me.”

You sigh, “Of course she did.”

You see Clarke shift awkwardly beside you, and she reaches out to squeeze your hand as she mutters, “I’ll be outside if you need me.”

You nod, barely looking her way, your eyes still locked on Bellamy. When you hear the door of the school close behind Clarke, you look up at his soft expression, no sign of weirdness in his gaze. “I know it sounds crazy, but talking to you every day, even though you didn't answer, it kept me sane. It made me feel like you were still with me.”

“It's not crazy.” He reaches out and grabs your free hand, the one not holding the book, and he threads your fingers together. “I’m so sorry I left you behind. I regretted it everyday for six years, and I still regret it now. I wish I could have been with you, or at the very least, I wish I could have answered your radio calls while we were separated. I hate that I left you on earth alone.”

“I don't want you to regret leaving me behind, Bellamy. You did exactly what I wanted you to do and made a decision that was right for everyone. It was hard to be separated from you for so long, but I had Madi and Clarke, so I wasn't completely alone.” You smile at him, trying to make a joke out of the situation. “Besides, most of the radio calls weren’t that interesting, just little updates about what we did that day, how I was feeling, stuff like that. Largely uneventful.”

He smiles back at you. “Still, I wish I could have heard them.”

He pulls you in for a kiss, long and slow, and you melt into his arms. The two of you have six years worth of lost kisses to make up for, and you’re more than happy to start now. Bellamy must be too, because he backs you up a little, until your butt hits the table behind you. He surprises you by pulling back and swiping the art supplies away, knocking them onto the floor, and you look up at him in shock. He meets your gaze, looking sheepish, before whispering, “Oops.”

You laugh and he pulls you in for a kiss again, tasting your laughter, smiling against your lips. His hands reach beneath your thighs, lifting you and sliding you back onto the table. Your hands go up, around his neck, and you lose your grip on the book that’s been in your hand the entire time. It hits the floor, the spine loudly smacking on the ground, and you pull away and repeat Bellamy’s earlier words. “Oops.” 

He bends down to pick it up, his eyes falling on the title, and you watch the amusement on his face turn into one of curiosity. He holds the book up and reads the title out to you, “Red sun rising?”

He flips the book open to the first page, and the two of you read the words together, something about it seeming a little more familiar than you'd like it to. You exchange a look and without a word you hop off the table, both of you heading outside. Your eyes fall on Clarke, who is standing nearby, listening to Murphy sing. “Clarke!”

She turns and looks at you and Bellamy as you approach, and when you stop by her side, Bellamy holds out the book. “Clarke, did you read this?”

“No.”

She looks between the two of you in confusion, and Bellamy flips open the book to the first page, beginning to read. “Trees and plants give us shade. We eat them every day.”

He turns the page, passing it to her as he reads, “When the stars align, and the forest wakes, it's time to run away.” 

Clarke stares at the picture of the large red sun, her eyes lifting to the eclipsing suns in the sky, looking almost identical to the picture on the page. She flips through the next few pages, reading the words quickly before she looks over at you and Bellamy, horrified. “It's not a nursery rhyme, it's a warning.”

Before either of you can answer, Murphy stops his singing to yell out, “No! No!”

You all turn towards the palace, looking at him in confusion, finding that his gaze is firmly locked on the sky. When you follow it, you realize why. Your transport ship is lifting from the ground, before it turns and flies off quickly, leaving all of you abandoned here, without another way back up to the sky. But then the chaos isn't finished there, because you hear a bloodthirsty cry break through all of your thoughts, and when you look back to Murphy, you see Emori leaping at him, a knife in her hand. Before you’ve even processed the image, she stabs him in the shoulder, and he falls to the ground with a cry of pain. 

You, Bellamy, and Clarke take off running towards them, though you’re the farthest from the couple, and the wound on your calf aches from the strain you’re putting on it now. Miller and Jackson are lounging nearby on the stairs, along with Echo, and Clarke yells, “Miller, stop her!”

Miller and Echo reach Emori first and avoid the knife she’s swinging, both of them managing to grab her and pull her off of her boyfriend. The three of you finally reach them, dropping down to Murphy’s side, next to Jackson as he looks him over. Emori fights against Echo and Miller, screaming out, “He'll do it to you too! He'll do it to you too!”

All of you look at her in confusion, not understanding what she means, as Bellamy helps Jackson put pressure on the knife wound on Murphy’s shoulder. You look over at your twin, scared, unsure what to do, and her gaze is on the book in her hands. She seems to read the words again, taking them in, before she looks up to the sky, staring at the eclipsing sun. You watch her face morph into one of horror before she looks to you, looking just as scared and unsure. And then she says the words none of you are ready to hear: “It's in the air.”

-

next chapter

[sanoiro]

Lucifer 5x09 - Family Dinner -Spoilers & Speculation

Written by Joe Henderson

Directed by Nathan Hope

Nathan Hope has directed

1x02 - Lucifer, Stay. Good Devil 1x13 - Take Me Back to Hell 2x01 - Everything's Coming Up Lucifer 2x07 - Trip to Stabby Town  2x10 - Quid Pro Ho 3x05 - Welcome Back, Charlotte Richards 3x19 - Orange Is the New Maze 5x07 - Our Mojo He will also direct Episode 2 or 3 of S6

Behind The Scenes Video 

Ignore the fact that I accidentally watermarked it with the number 519... 

The Case & Deckerstar

Now we can start with the case of the week.

The murder happens at Golf n Stuff which is rather popular due to the scenes that were shot there for The Karate Kid. Rafferty was actually giddy over that.

So we have a murder. After over 70 episodes we know that the case of the week is somehow connected to the main plot and that it leads to a resolving of Lucifer’s issues or at least a small or big breakthrough.

The victim in this case was burned to death or at least he was… charred. A bit like how Mum ‘enlightened’ Jared in 2x17 but worse.

(In order to make sure most bts are included I have put them in the same file in their original resolution and you need to open the image and zoom. You can do it from your PC, MAC or mobile)

The mini golf has several fun statues like knights and pirates but what was not supposed to be there was the figure at the hole where nearby the victim was found. To be more You might have guessed it has many teeth by the photo and the answer is, it’s a reddish dragon head.

Back in December I came across the props building it and I thought it was cool but I wasn’t aware it was for Lucifer as the account is not affiliated with our crew or production. So imagine my surprise when a friend told me about what she had seen on the lot and going through the archived bts I found the victim photo as well.

You may have noticed it but in two particular episodes more dragons made their appearance. First it was at the second showrunner’s office in 503. There we see a dragon impelled by a sword, it seemed really out of place but I then correlated it with Baphament’s blade which is a representation of Azrael’s blade.

Later on I saw something else. In 508 Pete’s apartment had shelves dedicated to dragon figures as well as some knights. All along I was wondering can I even meta about that? What can it symbolise if it means anything at all? For some reason all I could think was the movie ‘Dragonheart’.

But let’s assume they have laid some hints, so far we have seen that they go very basic on bible and comic material so it’s funny how dragon-like Lucifer was presented in Series 3 of the black label of DC/ vertigo. But there are also more tidbits.

Now in 1x12 you all remember the Angel who was defeating a very Lucifer-looking Satan?

That was a prop. But it is derived by the work of Guido Reni ‘Michael and Satan’ (1636) Who was in turn influenced by Raphael’s painting ‘St. Michael Vanquishing Satan’ (1518) and if we go to Raphael’s early works... St. Michael (1504-1505)

Anyways!

The investigation of this ‘week’s’ case has its usual suspect chase which leads us to an arcade where we can spot some members of the crew doing rounds with the go-carts on that location. What I do know is that we are looking for someone young as far as guest posts go but other than that not much is known. The case seems to be progressing slowly but at some point the murderer appears to want to skip town so the leads bring us to L.A.’s train Union Station.

We also have scenes at the precinct during the case as we have seen from Aimee’s bts but not much is known there. 

Now the suspect might be played by the elusive guest of this episode John Clover whose appearance was posted on Reddit and had sparked the first speculations over the title of the episode.

We should now wonder whether the theme of this episode’s case which takes us to gaming areas has anything to do with how Lucifer views his Father’s appearance in the mid-season finale and whether it will provide him with a resolution to not act in a rush way. The same after all happened with Mum.

Do not forget that Lucifer in Season 2 and especially at the beginning with Mum and when he thought Earl Johnson was his Father, Lucifer’s plans changed as his vengeance turned to a slow paced questioning over why their relationship deteriorated. 

For an Angel who was ‘forced’ - not yet clarified so let’s not take that for granted- to punish the guilty Lucifer seems to be more merciful, understanding and open to explanations in the long run especially with the people who wronged him. Amenadiel, Michael, Uriel, Azrael, Mum, and Earl ‘God’ Johnson.

As Amenadiel said in the Pilot Lucifer away from Hell showed restrain and mercy… Perhaps it is true that we cannot escape from what we truly are. In any case that’s meta talk!

Back to the Union Station. 

In the train station we have a bts where we can see Chloe and Lucifer chasing the suspect and from the photos and videos outside of it we can safely say they are successful on apprehending the murderer.

Now a funny incident was that during the shooting the area was closed to the actual travelers but somehow a Japanese tourist ended up sitting where the background actors were. No idea if it was her Pizza or it was given by the craft service but the girl was obviously bewildered on what was happening. It’s the little absurdities of life I guess…

It seems though as a lighthearted episode at first...

Do not be mistaken, the writers, cast and showrunners have revealed that in S5P2 we enter the emotional and equally dark (In P1 I missed the darkness aside from Pete of course) part of this season. It means that by the end of 5x09 as we roll on the last minutes of this episode, Lucifer is heavily conflicted and a resolution is needed, one that seems to be somewhat provided.

Since P1 I thought it would be weird to have Deckerstar break up for effect, in order to break us, especially since S5 was supposed to be the last season and S6 is effectively from what they imply (again cast and showrunners) an epilogue. So do not expect Deckerstar to break up but on the contrary as we saw Lucifer and Chloe in 507 they pull each other back up. 

It is why I’m wondering what will be unraveled after the arrest of 5x09’s murderer.

The end of the episode takes us at night to L.A.’s Grand Park. The Grand Park is across the City Hall by the way, and for the Christmas season it was decorated with a Christmas tree made out of light bulbs.

In the bts the prominent colour of that tree is deep lilac. That’s where our next Deckerstar moment will unravel. We should also be ready for the Lucifer Universe to acknowledge yet another holiday of the human world, Christmas!

A tiny break here but you should remember that on each side of the elevator we have two bronze plates depicting the transfer of Christ after he was taken down dead from the Cross. So in the most discrete of ways Lucifer’s Universe has acknowledged Christ and perhaps it was because before the Sumerian text set Amenadiel as the favourite son, in Season 1 and for the majority of S2 we knew Lucifer as the favourite one.

On the cross Christ (no I didn’t write Lucifer at first :P) according to the scripts in a moment of lapsed faith “Father, Father why do you abandon me?”. In a way we might meta that for 516 but also for what Lucifer has experienced so far and has so eloquently expressed in 3x11 and in 1x09.  

But back to the Deckerstar moment…

It takes place on the ‘balcony’ above the fountain as the purple Christmas tree is behind them. The setting happens at night and provides the place for our characters to talk, to open up and perhaps even express certain fears but also be urged to take advantage of the current circumstances.

From my perspective is the scene of a couple that talks a difficult matter but at the end of that talk they know each has the other’s back so they can step forward, take that chance and their partner will always be there to catch them if they fall. It is also how we will experience Lucifer finally opening up without Linda probing him. But whatever comes forward also gives space to truths and a realisation which will break our Devil as we have seen from the bts of the next episodes.

We might even have an understanding why ‘I love you’s’ are difficult for Lucifer and for Chloe to also realise that. We might even get Lucifer to say it. Here is to hoping…

On a final note. Maze in this episode seems to have gone MIA but many times we do not see the bts of every scene so all we have is Lesley-Ann’s bts from her trailer during that time. Also do not forget how things ended in 508. Maze did betray Lucifer and with God on Earth... 

The Dinner

This episode is expected to open back to the precinct. The reason is because it is a mid-season finale which means that the in between scenes are not implied but also because of some spoilers we had back in December.

As you remember the actress who played officer Cacuzza had posted on Twitter that she and Lauren were in a ‘very small’ room which had just been painted. That room we can safely say is the ‘evidence room’ and that Cacuzza managed finally to find a way to close the surveillance in order to take a nap.

Now do remember that back in S4 Cacuzza was also the officer who let Lucifer ‘sample’ the drug busts… I’m not sure if that will come back somehow but we do know that Cacuzza will appear later this season, whether alive or not is yet to be seen.

What we do know is from the clues that were given by the actress.

1) She will be in the same room as Chloe meaning we will revisit the evidence room once Dad arrives and perhaps it will be a comic moment? Perhaps a random human will figure things out? But what was interesting is that according to the bts photo we see the actress and Lauren in their own clothes while Dennis is in his ‘Dad/God’ clothes.

2) Both Chloe and Officer Cacuzza were supposed to act distressed and shaken. If we take the ‘I love you’ element from that scene for Chloe let’s remember that the evidence is suddenly a bit of a mess. A glass has broken, the sound and effect will be heard once the time has started running again and they are two cops in a room with no idea of what is happening outside. So perhaps the shaken and distressed effect comes before they open the door (or walk out) and are sure there is no imminent threat.

3) In my opinion in this episode Cacuzza has some lines no matter how brief they might be.

Now the question here is how to proceed.

We obviously have a Family Dinner from which only two bts exist. 

If we assume that the Family Dinner is arranged after the brothers have hid their wings and then Dad has met Linda then the dinner is set up by a very flabbergasted Linda.

I do expect Linda to bow by the way and for this dinner to bring some elements from 1x10 Pops. For this speculation I’ll include the video of the scene from that episode and I’ll try to tie them up with 5x09.

All the episodes in P2 are meant to do a full circle and the writers have based most of their storytelling on the events of S1 and S2.

So first the spoilers of what we know from 5x09 and then the ties we may find with 1x10 and some more past episodes.  

The 11 minutes are quite long but is it really all things concerning? 

Henderson tweeted that there will be 5 actors but as we know know Ellis plays two characters which is why the dinner scene may have taken three days to shoot so we should count six people at the Dinner Table.

The location will be (most probably) at Linda’s house as we have seen from a bts that her main table is full of different varieties of fruits and food in an attempt to recreate an Olympian affluent meal. For Linda is only normal to be out of her element and try to impress God. So far she has been almost killed by his ex, has a child that can be snatched away to the Silver City if she is not deemed worthy perhaps or even because of Charlie’s half genetic code.

Remember there was a stand in actor for Michael 

The problem Linda also faces is that she has supported Lucifer. Yes, he is her friend but how will God react to that? Having a human siding with His rebellious son? Linda as it has been written knows how far pissed off celestials can go and I’m sure she remembers Lucifer’s agony and fear over his Father where Chloe was concerned. So she tries, really tries to present a wonderful setting for the grandfather of her child.

So we do have Linda in the mix. Obviously God, Amenadiel, Lucifer and Michael. That makes us five characters and four actors. Little Charlie also makes an appearance as far as I’m aware as the twin babies were on set and that also contributes on why the scene took so long to be shot. However the babies do not count as the sixth character. Chloe though does.

In short we have:

Linda

God/Dad

Amenadiel

Lucifer

Michael

Chloe

and

Charlie

Another thing we should take into account for this scene is Rafferty’s posted script page of the midseason finale.

While Amenadiel and Lucifer appear shocked and in awe, Michael seems rather pleased. I mean he literally ‘Grins with excitement’.

Amenadiel in 5x03 said that the only one who was talking to the throne meanwhile Henderson as far as I remember in one of the post P1 interviews, revealed that God and Michael have a relationship that Lucifer wishes he had with Him. D.B on one of the virtual cons (or ET interview. I have issues with keeping track of them now) have said that the scene at the family dinner would be gut wrenching and absolutely fall down hilarious’.

So in this dinner we will get to know our characters more and as Ildy and Henderson have said Lucifer will go back being a 14 year old at the Thanksgiving table. That perhaps is the reason why the script episodes 510 and 511were reversed. The last time that had happened was in S1 in order for Lucifer’s vulnerability to not come too soon in the season. In the case of these two episodes I believe it has to do with Lucifer’s emotional state but also the constant collisions he will have with his father in the Family Dinner but also during the Musical episode.

Another aspect to consider is that if 5x09 reminds us a lot of 1x10 -Pops right now and 5x10 the Musical episode is directly influenced by 2x16 - God Johnson.

The next section will now be dedicated to a quick recap of 1x10 - Pops and the possible connection to Michael and his story.

Michael in 5x09 teases Chloe as she is kept captive that there is a bigger plan and ‘Spoiler Alert’ it will be EPIC. That can be left alone as a promise to see more of that plan in S5P2 but before we go forward we should also go back in 2x04 - Weaponiser.

Do you see the parallel? How far Uriel’s view of the ‘Patterns’ could go was always a meta I couldn’t crack. Sure Michael hinted as per one Anon hinted on Tumblr that Michael might have been the one to urge Uriel on Earth to kill Mum and hopefully Lucifer as well. It is also perhaps why we were reminded of Azrael’s Blade in 5x03 - Diablo with Baphament’s blade, the only blade that could kill the Devil. Perhaps that was Michael’s plan back then but it didn’t work out.

But is Michael the big villain? According to the showrunners no. There are more things happening but Michael has a reasoning, has a story, one that explains his deformity and is the hero of his own story as all  the other season ‘villains’ so far were. Mum, Amenadiel, Malcolm, Kinley, even Cain.

What the Interviews say about Michael:

Beginning with the parallel between the dinner we had in 1x10’s dinner and plot, and in what may have in episode 5x09 I would like to remind you- 

- at this point I have censored some spoilers, not speculations, spoilers for episodes of P2 that will not be added in the S&S -

I’ll return to this topic and explore it thoroughly as the S&S are written but for now remember that 1x10 might tell us more than what we think right now and it might take us as a point of reference even up to 5x16.

Between 1x10 and 5x09 we can also wonder what are God’s intentions, can we attribute them all to Michael’s manipulation or it goes beyond that because the showrunners have promised us an emotional P2. I do believe issues are addressed and Lucifer will have to come face to face with some hard truths without that meaning that Dad was always right.

In the Pilot - wait.. Pilot? Yes, 5x09 is an episode that slowly builds us to the very end. There are spoilers and references that need to be addressed from past and future episodes before and after 5x09.

We need to address that in the Pilot, Lucifer told Delilah the very truth he uttered to Linda where he was concerned in S4 (4x08). God has nothing to do with your mess. Like Delilah, Lucifer was putting the blame to others, circumstances and even questioned God. He was wasting his eternal life and his talent, which he eventually found in crime solving.

On cue we get to the scene with Chloe asking God what she is doing to a bar with Lucifer. And what follows is Chloe telling Lucifer how she saw things differently from everyone and she paid for it. That story for me at least rings a bell.

We still do not know why Lucifer was cast out, the actual reason. No matter the sexescapeding with Eve or the rebellion what was the core of all that acting out as Linda called it in season 2? Whatever it was if we go back to 3x11 we will see that Chloe in the Pilot is basically Lucifer in 3x11.

They feel alone, misjudged and while Chloe tries to move on and later in S1 finds what actually happened, in Lucifer’s case he gives up on waiting for forgiveness from his Father until Michael comes, and tells him that even his Fall was a manipulation.

In Pops Lucifer asked something very interesting what did the sous chef wanted? And the answer was to surpass Pops. I do wonder if that’s what Lucifer wanted in a way and of course Michael on Lucifer’s expense. Two ‘children’ fighting for attention but only one was groomed to take over.

Speaking of taking over at the end of the episode of 1x10 we learn that Pops despite what Junior had done still had his son in his mind for taking over the restaurant. Pops believed in his son but allowed him space to grow eventually when everything failed.

If you remember Zadkiel’s spoiler we see that in 5x15 for some reason Lucifer wants to re-join the Host. That aside from a reconciliation shows that like Junior, Lucifer for his own reasons - we do not know what has happened but we will go back to that in the S&S of 5x15 - wants what divine power has to offer.

What happens next is again interesting -censored-. I just want you to see how we do not deal with standalones but everything progresses towards a point, a familiar yet innovative point for the series.

In episode 2x01, Lucifer asks mockingly an offended Chloe who did she thought he took after, his Dad? That happened because Lucifer believed to have taken more after his mother but as we know genetics is a funny thing, Celestial genetics even more so.

God’s absence from Lucifer’s life shaped him. He did drove Lucifer to become something he wasn’t but after 4.5 seasons can we claim that Lucifer and God are nothing alike? 

Maze I believe was spot on on the similarities God and Lucifer held.

Lucifer believes in justice, in truth and is able to love. He has been more of an Angel than any non fallen Angel has ever been so far. 

Amenadiel tricked a dead human to kill Lucifer thus condemning him again in Hell however as we know from Charlotte’s case a redemption was not impossible. 

Uriel wanted to kill his mother and wouldn’t hesitate to kill Chloe in the process. Azrael is basically a liar and manipulator, Remiel would gleefully cut open a human for their half-celestial baby while Michael is really-really messed up.

So what has happened?

Like with Junior, Lucifer was pushed by his Father to become the man he is today. And Lucifer likes what he is, who he is because he sees the change and is even afraid of not being real when that change is questioned or exposed to him.

The same happened with Amenadiel, once he decided to embrace humanity and brotherhood. He changed for the better and became more ‘angelic’.

So yes, Junior’s story does apply to Lucifer on many levels. But Junior didn’t have that dinner with his Father, Lucifer will as they will do two more of his siblings. Some will be hurt, some will feel betrayed and some may walk out.

Which brings us to a very big question. 

Was Mum truthful when she said to Lucifer, his Dad wanted to destroy him? If the answer is yes, how will both deal with that? Because Lucifer may have not totally believed Mum.

If that answer comes to play we should consider it as the common question children come forward to when they learn they were not planned or their parents had opted at first to have an abortion. The fact that they didn’t get on with the abortion or had willingly made a child does affect their feelings towards that child now? Do they regret it? Do they want what that child has become?

These are all tough questions and sometimes the answers are not easy either. Mainly because humans like celestials with human emotions as it seems, are secure and balanced only with the totality of a circumstance. Everything or nothing, the rest in between are not welcome and it’s bound to hurt.

Finally, on this 1x10 weird reminisce. Can we say that Lucifer will be allowed in the end to create something that represents him? I think he may but more about that in 5x16 S&S.

Probably the story will not end with redemption but with Lucifer finally becoming his own person one that resembles a lot of Dad and Dad may accept or even encourage that path. That does not mean he will start anew though

Which brings us back to the adversary of 1x10 - Pops. The sous chef believed that Junior was not worthy of his father’s tolerance and reward so she made sure to destroy his reputation and went as far as trying to kill him. That sounds a lot like Michael.

Michael’s speech towards Maze about what was happening in the Silver City in 5x02 did echo the sous chef words:

So we should wonder if Michael will succeed to a point to ruin Lucifer’s chances and leave Lucifer live with the consequences in the end as our hero learns to move on from whatever injustice happened or the writers will provide a catharsis.

And a final question here… Is Amenadiel really the favourite son? I somehow doubt that, perhaps I’ll be proved wrong as in many interviews Henderson has gone back to Amenadiel’s arc as he learns he is the ‘favourite’ and so far he has not said anything to contradict the belief 2x17 brought to us with so many translated Sumerian words.

But as we said teh Dinner will not be cathartic on the contrary so does that mean that Lucifer eventually walks away? Probably.

At the photos that were posted near Christmas we have two bts one crystal clear and the other more hazy which shows Lucifer at the Penthouse and Dad being there in his white cardigan. I do suspect that meeting at the penthouse happens after the dinner but it does not resolve things between Father and son. it is also possible that it’s why we need the very emotional scene from the musical to be moved forward and 511 script to become 5x10 aired episode.

Perhaps the comment on it’s not just Lucifer who hits the keys was referring to Dad and not Maze in 5x01.

Although we cannot be sure on what will happen in the penthouse and whether Scarlet was meant to join that scene or simply was on set for the day (highly probable) for another scene, we do know that in this episode we had a LUX night. A most perhaps unconventional one.

By this point you know that the writers are ready to address everything or at least make parallels and so somehow we have one with 1x09 - A Priest Walks Into A Bar. This time however it is seems like God Walks Into His Son’s Bar.

If the camera is clear enough we can see God (?) talking to a white person. I would have loved it if it was Dan but I cannot tell for sure.

Whether that visit happens before or after the family dinner I believe it may happen before as the clothes Dennis wore at the lot around that time were different from the white we saw him appear with in the end of 5x08. Of course that does not say much as we will see Dad in the same/similar white clothes in at least three different episodes in Part 2.

Therefore in the conclusion of this S&S we should speculate that the Dinner is placed at the middle of the episode and a resolution is reached for Deckerstar in the end of the episode but Lucifer’s turmoil did fit better through the musical episode hence the change. 

[annie-blackhill]

Hi~ Could I request oneshot Chuuya x fem!reader where they’re partners and she gets a new partner so they’ve been spending time together like training or going to missions together and chuuya gets jealous and they kinda get into an argument about it~

If its possible can you give it a happy ending I know it’s too much sorry~ tysm 🤍

#3 Request

Oh, hun it ain't too much at all! I live for all of your ideas, prompts and amazing minds!!! Thank you for your request this is by far my 3rd request!!!

Alright, so I kinda decided to make it in Dazai Dark Era, so, reader will be partnered up with Dazai for awhile.

✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️

Chuuya wasn't always the type of be too jealous or petty when it came to his partner and best friend (L/N) (Y/N).

He's known her for quite the time and they've been friends for long. But as he sat in his office and stared as Dazai and (Y/N) discussed about the upcoming mission they were partnered together to finish, he felt his chest burn with jealously and his mind was filled with red. The red of Dazai's blood.

He was no yandere but still, Dazai always managed to get on his nerves without even trying to do it at all. Kudos to Dazai for his talented skills!

"(N/N)-chan~ I think that's all for now. If you need or want to know anything else for the prep of the mission, just ask me, alright?" Dazai purred at the woman while sending Chuuya discreet wink and sly smirk that (Y/N) didn't notice at all.

"Of course, Dazai-san. I'll you around then. Oh and Chuuya, Dazai-san, I'll be heading out for awhile. I'm sending Mori-san some important documents concerning the last mission Chuuya and I went on together," (Y/N) excused herself from the two boy before walking out of their shared office room.

"Chuuya, I can't believe that you're actually jealous! I knew you liked her! Just admit it, Chuuya, you like (Y/N)!!!" Dazai exclaimed, teasing the ginger.

"So, what if I am? It's got nothing to do with you, Dazai!" Chuuya started shouting at the bandage wrapped boy and that was the start of a huge argument that flew completely away from the original topic and moved onto a mere playground insult throwing game.

"I leave the two of you alone for 1 second and this happens. Why am I not surprised?" (Y/N) said sarcastically as oon as she entered. Both boys immediately stopped and starting pointing fingers at each other.

"(N/N)-chan! Chuuya was the one who started it!" Dazai whined.

"(Y/N), Dazai was the one who started it!" Chuuya defended himself.

"Shut up the two of you, I still have reports to finish and Mori-san told me to inform you two that all of you're reports are due tomorrow!" (Y/N) scolded the two boys before starting to rapidly type on her laptop.

Most of the afternoon flew by just like that with the three of them trying their best to finish their leftover paperwork.

Dazai had been the first to realize that they were finally off work.

"Ah, I'll be late for my little meet up by now," Dazai groaned as he quickly saved all of the files and then started to quickly pack up his things.

"Well then, see you tomorrow, Chuuya, (N/N)-chan~!" Dazai said as he exited the office.

As soon as Dazai was out of the office, Chuuya decided to confront (Y/N) about his concerns about her getting closer to Dazai.

"(Y/N)... Maybe you should asked boss whether or not you could either ask out of the upcoming mission or maybe you could get someone else to be your partner," Chuuya suggested.

"Chuuya, you now that I can't go against whatever Mori-san has asked of me to do. If he's assigned me with Dazai the there has to be a reason as to why he did so," (Y/N) reasoned with Chuuya.

"Dazai is nuts, (Y/N)! He's a f***ing psychopath! Have you seen how that guy's mind is?! He'll twist the whole situation to match his needs and then he'll trick you to fullfil his needs and you'll end up being the fool in the end!" Chuuya exclaimed.

"Just because Dazai is smarter than you doesn't mean that he's a psycho, Chuuya!" (Y/N) argued.

And that was how the argument sparked like a volcano ready to erupt, and erupt it did.

Their shouts and yells jumped off the four walls of the room and bounced back to them, making their shouts and yells more powerful than they actually were.

"I'm just trying to look out for you, okay?! You're my best friend, my partner!!! Andi like you! I like you so much that even the smallest thought of Dazai using you makes me want to choke that bastard to death right here and now!!! I want to keep you safe!" Chuuya shouted without even realising what he had just confessed to her and when he saw (Y/N)'s beautiful (E/C) orbs widen, he realized his mistake.

"You like me?" she muttered, eyes still wide.

Chuuya immediately looked away, cheeks flushed a light pink and he was embarrassed beyond his wits, he didn't expect his confession to be like this.

"I like you too," (Y/N) blurted out too.

This made Chuuya literally choke on his spit.

"You're not saying that out of pity, right? You genuinely like me too, right?" Chuuya asked, the look in his eyes almost made (Y/N) melt because at that moment he almost looked like a lost child, desperate and disbelief in his eyes.

"I'm not saying it out of pity at all! I really do like you back!" (Y/N) answered with a bright smile of assurance on her face.

"If that's the case then... Will you go out on a date with me tomorrow?" Chuuya asked, scratching the back of his neck out is embarrassment.

"Of course, I will," (Y/N) replied.

At that, Chuuya lit up like a Christmas tree and they both packed up their things and decides to head out for a celebratory wine drinking outing.

To say the least, Chuuya has never felt more grateful than he ever did to Dazai than that day for making him so jealous.

✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️✒️

Thank you so much for reading,I hope you like the one-shot, and I'm sorry if it was too short for your liking but I'm a little busier with online school these days.

I'm still accepting requests though, so please send in requests if you all feel like it!

Hearts and hugs,

Anis the Unknown

[aiorevelations]

A Number, Not a Name: chapter three

Chapter 3: No Turning Back

Jason and Tasha walked towards the automatic doors of the Bulin International Airport, their bags in tow. Each experiencing jet lag caused by the long flight. “I’m so glad to finally be here. It seemed like that flight would never end” Jason said, barely finishing his sentence before he yawned. 

“I know what you mean. In our line of work you have to be able to do two things well - catch the bad guys and endure extremely long flights” Tasha joked causing them each to softly laugh. 

They weaved their way through the crowds of people around them, headed out the airport doors, and scanned the surrounding area looking for their rendezvous point with Tarek Matthins. Surrounding them Tasha and Jason could see the gleaming skyscrapers of the city and the beautiful historic buildings, centuries-old, that stood as a constant reminder of Krudia’s impressive past. They also saw countless shops and restaurants all selling either the latest fashions, technological innovations, or food delicacies. “Do you see the toy shop that was mentioned in the file Donovan gave us,” asked Jason, “because I don—” 

“Wait!” Tasha interrupted. “It’s right there at the intersection of Alteza and Ponce de Leon, across the street,” Tasha said pointing to a two-story red brick building. 

“Thanks, I see it now.”

The two of them began to walk across the crosswalk. Once they had made it to the other side of the street, Tasha and Jason walked to the toy shop and waited for Tarek Matthins to arrive. About fifteen minutes had passed since their arranged meeting time with their contact and still, Matthins had not shown up. While Tasha was still as calm and relaxed as ever Jason was getting more impatient and anxious by the minute. Where is Matthins we’ve been here for like...forever. I guess members of terrorist cells don’t care much about punctuality. Tasha found herself watching and amused by Jason’s ever-changing expressions as he unsuccessfully tried to hide his growing impatience. “Jason I know what you’re thinking right now. I felt the same way on my first assignment. But don’t worry you’ll get your chance to act soon enough, believe me.” Tasha said understandingly.

“Yeah, I know you’re right. I was never good at waiting for anything. One Christmas when I was six I had a really hard time going to sleep and the morning seemed just too far away. So around 3 o’clock I sneaked downstairs to the tree and opened all my presents. Needless to say, my parents and siblings were quite shocked that morning when they discovered me playing with my toy trucks and action figures in a sea of wrapping paper” Jason laughed still seeing that wonderful memory clearly in his mind.

Tasha joined in the laughter. “Somehow that’s not too hard for me to imagine,” she said, still giggling as she tried to control her laughter. “I have an idea,” Tasha continued, “for a new game to help pass the time.”

“Well, I’m game. No pun intended.” Jason and Tasha chuckled.

“How about we choose a word, take out all its vowels, and have the other person try to guess what that word is with only the consonants” Tasha suggested.

“Sounds great! I’m ready. Do your worst.” Jason joked.

“Okay, but you don’t know what you’re asking for. I have a very extensive vocabulary” Tasha fired back.

“I’m sure I can handle it. Bring it on” Jason said, confidant in his abilities.

“All right. How about n-d-f-t-g-b-l” Tasha gave him a sly smile.

“What?!” Jason asked, a somewhat shocked expression on his face.

 “You said you wanted a challenge so I gave you one.” 

“Yeah but...can you give me a little hint.”

“I’m afraid not. You can always give up if you like” Tasha smiled.

Jason then chuckled and shook his head from side to side. “Ah no, you don’t. I’ll get it eventually.  Just give me a sec.” 

“Of course. Take all the time you need” Tasha said as she crossed her arms together, almost certain she had this one in the bag. For several minutes Jason kept repeating the letters over and over again, trying to come up with a word that would work. No, it can’t be that it’s missing an “L”, no too short, hmmm, Jason thought. Finally, after a few minutes, and numerous failed mental word attempts he called out, “I think I got it! Is it...indefatigable?”

“Yes. You are...correct” Tasha said hesitantly, a little disappointed that he had figured it out.

“Yes! I knew the vocabulary I learned from Mrs. Taylor’s 9th grade English class would come in handy someday.”

“I see I’ve met someone just as competitive as myself.”

“Let’s just say I don’t like to lose.”

“Well don’t get too confident I’m sure I can do much better than that.”

“Yeah, we’ll see. But now it’s my turn so—”

“Wait,” Tasha interrupted, “I think our dear Mr. Matthins is finally here,” she said, glancing toward a man approaching them who resembled the man they had seen in a picture within the files Donovan had given them. He was short and stocky, had dark brown hair with spots of gray near his temples, and amber-colored eyes with a scar that ran across his right eye. 

The man soon reached them and spoke “Hello, are you Melinda Tylerson and Edward Delucas?”  

“Yes, we are” Jason spoke up. 

Tarek extended out his hand to Jason “Tarek Matthins. Code sign zeta delta gamma 7104. Welcome to Krudia.” 

Jason shook his hand “Thank you. It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Matthins.” 

“Yes, we’ve been looking forward to our meeting” Tasha spoke as she offered her hand to Tarek. 

“Likewise,” Tarek said as he also shook her hand, released it, and continued speaking, “my car is waiting just in the next alley. I’ll drive you to where my boss is waiting. There you both can discuss the deal with him in detail.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Tasha responded. The three of them walked down the street and turned into a dark alleyway where a black Mercedes was parked. In the car two large muscular men were waiting, one in the driver’s seat and the other in the back of the car, two of Dalmar’s henchmen Tasha and Jason presumed. Jason and Tasha placed their luggage in the trunk and then climbed into the car with Tarek. After they were all seated the driver took off towards Dalmar’s meeting place with Tasha and Jason. 

[huntertales]

Part One: Life Isn’t A Book. (Slumber Party S09E04)

Episode Summary: The reader and the boys call in I.T. expert Charlie Bradbury to help track fallen angels with technology found in the Men of Letters bunker. However, they soon discover something more in the form of the one and only Dorothy from Wizard of Oz. Everyone joins forces to take down the Wicked Witch and her evil plans. Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader  Word Count: 4,038.

Previous Part | Supernatural Rewrite Masterlist

Like any other day when you weren’t working on a case, you sat in the war room with your laptop wide open and several files you grabbed from the archives spread around you. For the past hour you had been diligently working on a project while Dean left early this morning on a trip with Kevin. It had been just you and Sam in the bunker ever since, however you noticed he disappeared a few minutes ago without a verbal reason. You didn't think much of it before going back to your work, reading up on a file that you thought might have been the thing you were looking for. Before you could get a definite answer, you found your gaze lifting up from the paper and to what was in front of you after you heard approaching footsteps.

You raised your brow slightly in curiosity at what you saw the younger Winchester holding. It was a piece of blank paper and a black crayon. What he could have possibly needed it for, how or he even got a crayon in the first place, made you chuckle to yourself in amusement and catch the man’s attention. Sam stopped at the table and gave you a slightly confused expression as to what was so funny to you. 

“Are you off to draw me a pretty picture, Sammy?” You cracked a joke with the man. He lifted up the hand that was holding the black crayon in one hand, the blank paper in the other when he figured out that’s what you were focusing on. “What’s with the arts and crafts?”

"I'm gonna go talk to Crowley. See if he's willing to give us anymore names." Sam said. It sounded good in theory, but the younger man's plan made you lean back in the rolling seat and give him a hesitant look. "And obviously it'd be stupid to give him something that he could hurt us with, so...I improvised." 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” You wondered. “I mean, the only reason why Crowley gave us names in the first place was because Kevin beat the crap out of him. That’s the equivalent of getting off to a demon like him.” 

“Yeah. Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll throw us a bone.” Sam said. He could see the confliction in your initial plan of how you wanted things to go. You wanted to let the demon sit in his own personal thoughts in the dungeon for long as you could, using what he had confessed back at the church to your own advantage. You wanted to push him to the point where he was almost desperate for any kind of interaction he would sing off every name he had up in that up in that brain. “What’s the worst thing that could happen? He gives us some side remarks?”

You quietly tapped your pen against the notepad you had next to you and bit your bottom lip. After a few seconds of deliberating you dropped your pen down to the table. Sam was right. There wasn't much you had to lose. The both of you headed down to the dungeon where Crowley had been sitting down by his lonesome for the past several days in complete darkness. Sam moved the shelves that were the makeshift doors to the secret room, the demon was blinded by the lights you turned on to see your way around without stumbling. You made your way inside first, greeting the demon with a smile as his eyes adjusted to the brightness he wasn't used to seeing.

"Hello, Kitten. Moose." Crowley welcomed you with the usual nicknames. Sam walked over to the table you provided for him and set the piece of paper and crayon down. The demon stared at the materials for a moment before back up to you. An amused look crossed his face at what you were asking from him. "You want more demon names." He suspected the reason why you were here in the first place after days of abandonment. The demon reached over and grabbed the piece of paper, only to crumple it up into a ball. "I want a room with a view." 

You and Sam exchanged a glance from the demon's demands you were expecting to hear at some point. Crowley thought you were desperate enough to give into any sort of his personal whims, or you were going to entertain a conversation with him. You felt a smirk spread to the ends of your lips, Sam chuckled in amusement. You followed behind the younger man when he began to make his way out, showing Crowley what you were going to do until he cooperated. You hoped something like solitary confinement would work on someone like Crowley, who found torture and threats nothing but something to do on a Friday night. So, you were going to do the opposite to him. No human contact. No entertainment. Nothing.

You didn't say goodbye to the demon before you made your way to the door and flicked off the lights, engulfing the room into darkness once more. The demon sank down into his seat when he heard the door slam shut, leaving him alone once more for who knows how long. 

You and Sam went back to work for a little while after giving Crowley some time to think about his limited options that he had left to participate. Sam sat across from you as he skimmed through some files you found in the archives you hoped might have been helpful for the project you had been working on all morning. The sight was no surprise to see when Dean arrived back from his trip. You looked up to see your boyfriend standing on top of the staircase after announcing his safe arrival back from the squeaky hinges of the metal door. 

"Hey." Sam greeted his brother, looking up from the case file after finishing up a sentence he was reading. "How'd it go with Kevin?"

Dean let out a sigh from the strange car ride he endured on his way to Missouri. "Oh, that little nerd is in a lovely warded motel room in Branson. He's got about forty-eight hours of pay-per-porn and Kenny Rogers ahead of him."

"How's he feeling?" You asked, curious to see how the kid was handling himself after being granted a much needed vacation a few states away from his problems. 

"Well, he stared at the angel tablet and repeated the word 'falafel' for the entire ride. Kid's cracked. I'm hoping this break will clear his head." Dean gave a small update on the prophet, making you start to worry about his dwindling mental state. Ever since you heard about his attempt at flying the coop you had been trying to keep an extra eye on him. Everyone was on high alert. You were stressed out of your mind, and it seemed Dean could sense all of you needed to pump the breaks. "You know, after everything that happened, I figured we could use a little break ourselves." 

"Really?" You asked, the tone of your voice shifting into pleasant sounding from what he was suggesting. "What were you thinking?"

"I picked you two up season one of 'Game of Thrones.'" Dean opened up the plastic bag from a store he stopped by on his way home and read off the title of the DVD he bought. "Figured we'd get a little takeout." 

"All right. Before we embark on a ten episode binge," You changed the subject to the project you had been working on during his absence away. "I think Sam and I might have found a way to help Cas." 

Dean glanced up from the details he was reading about on the back of the DVD and to you, suddenly appearing to be concerned. "Did you talk to him?"

"No. And by the way, I still don't understand why he left in the first place. I mean, the bunker is the safest place for him." You said. The reason Cas had given you before bolting still made you scratch your head. He was all for getting himself settled in here, and the next he was out the door without a proper goodbye. None of it made sense to you. "Bartholomew and who knows how many other angels are out there, gunning for him." 

"Hey, look, nobody wants him here more than I do, okay? But he felt like he'd bring trouble down on us, so he had to split." Dean's excuse made you look at him with slight disbelief. It sounded phony to you. You had faced plenty of danger in your lifetime and caused trouble with the wrong kinds of people. You could handle some angels, Dean didn't entertain your opinion for long as he threw his jacket to the table after taking it off. "But if you got a way to help him, I'm all ears."

"All right. So, Kevin said the table lit up like a Christmas tree when the angels fell, right?" You summarized the details about what happened that night. Dean nodded his head, seeming to be on the same page as you as you continued on with your theory. "So it turns out each light was where a cluster of angels fell. So I'm thinking maybe there's some way to hot-wire this, make it track angels. That way, we could help Cas steer clear of danger."

"This was...both of your ideas?" Dean looked between you and his brother, acting as if there was a third person here you were trying to steal the credit from out under them. 

You glanced around the room, your lips stretching into a small smile from how he was acting all of a sudden. "Actually, it was mine. Sam's been helping me out." You explained better to him. He looked over to his brother, as if he didn't believe you. "Do you see anyone else in here, Dean? Sometimes I do come up with good ideas."

"That wasn't what I..." Dean stopped talking when he saw you lean back in your seat, wondering exactly what he was going to say. He veered the conversation to where it belonged before he could get any more of his foot into his mouth. "So, how would it work?"

"Oh, no idea. See, at first, we thought the table was the computer, but it's not. It turns out it's just part of it. But Y/N found these cables underneath and we followed them." Sam told his brother the details you and him found extraordinary from the things you were learning about the place. Along with a history lesson on technology dated well over seventy years ago. Sam leaned out of his seat and pointed a finger to a set of red wires that disappeared into an air vent and broke out into a smile. "You're never gonna believe what we found."

The three of you headed to a part of the bunker you hadn't been to before yet. You discovered almost every chance you got. Over the months you had lived here you didn't have much time to go digging around the place, however you were given the perfect opportunity to discover what you guessed was the electrical room, filled with all sorts of different machines you had no clue did what just yet. The sight for someone like you and Sam put you at awe from the history that was under your nose. All around you was electric panels with the center of the room taken over by a dated machine with too many buttons and red lights you had been trying to figure out what they did.

"Volia." You gestured an arm to the scenery around you, stepping deeper inside the room with the boys following behind. 

"This is a computer?" Dean asked. He examined the outdated technology for a moment, still not exactly sure what he was looking at. 

"Yeah—or it was in 1951, when it was first installed. Now, here's the crazy thing. It's not plugged into anything. I mean, Y/N and I tried to figure it out." Sam said. You could hear the fascination in his voice, same as how he was when you discovered the room for yourself and showed him. "We have no idea what's making this thing work." 

Dean walked over to the back of the computer to take a better look at the thing you were working with. He placed his hand out and pressed it against the machine, his brow raised slightly when he felt warmth against his skin. It meant the thing was still working after these years, and even after the map went off. "It's warm here."

Dean found what appeared to be a flat screwdriver sitting on a nearby shelf that looked like it would be good enough to help him rip off the back panel and inspect the machine from the inside. He shoved the tool between a small crack and then began to slowly put pressure on the screwdriver, trying to jimmy the piece of metal free. When he noticed how much resistance he was getting, Dean put all of his strength into trying to get the thing to go free. He ended up stumbling back after the panel popped off and dropped to the ground with a noisy bang. He accidentally hit the shelf right behind him, and while the contents slightly shook, nothing fell. Dean pushed himself back up to a standing position, trying to pretend like nothing happened.

"Got it." He said. 

"Ya think?" You muttered. You crouched down and inspected the inside of the computer you hoped you might be able to understand if you got a peek inside. You quickly realized you had no idea what you were looking at. Sam pulled out a small flashlight from his back pocket to help give all of you a better look at what you were working with. "Huh. This isn't exactly what I was expecting."

"Well, that looks simple." Dean noted, sarcasm clear in his tone. "Does it come with a manual?"

"Nothing in the archives, and Y/N obviously couldn't find anything like it online," Sam said, telling his brother about the bump in the road you had been faced with. The both of you were pretty tech savvy. But even for you this was near impossible to figure out. "Not to mention I'm pretty sure that the Men of Letters doesn't have I.T. support anymore, either." 

"I think I know somebody who could help us." Dean said. "Come on." 

You and the boys headed out of the room and flipped off the lights, making your way back to the main area of the bunker to make a call to a friend you hadn't seen in a few months. However you didn't realize when Dean stumbled into the shelf there was something hiding back there in a clear glass jar. A pale grey goo that held something sinister for over seventy years. What you unleashed was something almost out of a book. 

+ + +

A little later into the day was when Charlie Bradbury, your favorite LARPer and tech genius, arrived in Lebanon safely after you gave her a call about the trouble you were facing. And only someone like her could come to your rescue. You didn’t realize she had arrived, distracted by Dean when he surprised you with a cup of coffee after he put a fresh pot on. And exactly the way how you liked it. You smiled in appreciation and mumbled a thank you, sneaking a quick kiss when he leaned down and pressed his lips against yours, thinking you had a minute before a certain some made her arrival. 

“Hey. Get a room you two.” The both of you broke away and looked up to see Charlie was here, Sam following behind as they made their way down the stairs. “There’s my favorite lovebirds.”

“And there’s my favorite redhead.” You joked back with her. You placed down your cup to the table and got up from your seat to welcome her, pulling the young woman into a tight hug after Dean greeted her first. "Thanks for coming on such short notice. Sam and I tried figuring it ourselves, but we're stumped. Dean thought our favorite I.T. tech would be able to come to our rescue." 

"Not a problem." Charlie gave you a smile of appreciation when you thought of her. You watched as it faded away when she finished her sentence, dropping a bit of bad news you weren't expecting to hear. "especially since I got fired last week." 

"Hey, what?" Sam was surprised at hearing this. He placed her overnight bag down on the table next to him. "What happened?"

"Turns out the company I work for was outsourcing to child labor, so I took a big Wikileak all over that." Charlie was a fighter behind the screen. While it wasn't technically legal, you couldn't help the smile that spread across your lips after hearing what she had done, adding a playful wink of approval. "And, yeah. It's cool, though. It's given me more time to focus on my hobbies...like larping, macrame," she listed off a few of her favorite things you learned she liked from the first time you formally met her months back. She tried slipping one more in, hoping you and the boys wouldn't notice. “...And hunting.” 

"Excuse me?" You were taken off guard by hearing what she had been doing in her free time. Part of you wanted to be disappointed at the danger she was putting herself in. Someone like you, who had been doing this for almost a decade, knew the mental toll that took on you after a while after you glossed over the dangers of cutting your life short. But Charlie was here in one piece, and her bubbly self. Dean was alarmed and Sam appeared to be taken back at her step towards the lifestyle.

"Okay. It was a couple of little cases. I took down a teenage vampire and a ghost." She tried to explain herself while you and Dean stared at her with a scolding expression that reminded her of her parents. You had your brow raised like how her mother used to while Dean stood behind you with his hands on his hips. The disapproval was written all over your face. You wanted better things for her. But you couldn’t deny the temptation of the lifestyle. "Which sounds like a Y.A. novel if you say it out loud." 

"Charlie," Sam spoke the young woman's name, breaking her concentration away from your face and over to him. All of you were more concerned at how she was handling herself after getting a taste of danger by herself. "How'd it go?"

"It was, uh...it was intense. But I kind of wish hunting was more...magical, you know?" You let out a heavy sigh as Dean rolled his eyes from the young woman's perception of how she thought hunting was always going to be. She realized you weren’t amused as you were, causing her smile to fade away and focus on the reason why she was here in the first place. “Nevermind. So, where is this commodore sixty-four of yours?”

All of you headed down to the electrical room where you showed her the piece of machinery she would be working with. You weren’t sure if she was going to be able figure out something like this considering how dated it was. When she caught sight of the computer, Charlie’s face lit up like a kid in a candy store, she rushed over to inspect the beauty for herself. You and the boys watched as she took a minute to inspect what she could to get a better understanding of what you were about to ask of her. She crouched down to the ground to inspect the inner workings as you leaned over every so often when you heard her mumble something underneath her breath. ‘

“Sweet Ada Lovelace. This thing belongs in a museum. I mean, it’s got encryption software. It seems to be powered by something magical.” Charlie listed off a few of the things she figured out on her own after taking a peek around at the inner workings. Dean was fascinated as much as he could, but he pushed her along to the end, wanting to know what it really did. “It’s kind of an alarm system. Global badness? It freaks. This computer is what locked this place down.”

“Can we use it to track angels?” Sam asked.

You knew what you were asking from her was a lot from such dated technology. Charlie thought about the task for a second or two before she decided the challenge was something she was up to. She cracked her knuckles and grew a smirk. "All right. Let me see what I can do.”

Charlie worked her magic and figured out a system that would work. You and the boys watched as she tinkered with the insides for a little while and pulled out some wires and pulled in a few cords into an outlet. Soon enough she grabbed her tablet and began to tap the screen, finishing the final task. “All right. It took some doing, but now we can download. This beast has all the Men of Letters files. Time for a little drag-and-drop.” 

“Wow. It’s a start. Thank you. That’s great.” You were very much thankful for the hard work she had put in. While you were grateful, there was something else you and the boys wanted to try and discuss now that you had a minute free. Dean urged you to get the ball rolling when he gently nudged you in the side with his elbow. “So, you’ve been hunting. Alone.” 

“I know. Not a good idea, according to the ‘Supernatural’ books.” Charlie rolled her eyes from her amature moves that she should’ve known better after reading all the series, treating them as if they were a guide. You grimaced at the mention of those things you tried to avoid much as possible.

“You really can’t delete those from the internet?” Sam couldn’t help himself but ask, making you give him a slightly confused look. He seriously thought those things were still underground with no popularity to attract mainstream attention. Everything was digital these days. And so were those books. No matter what, they were going to haunt you forever.

“Not even I can do that.” Charlie said. “Come on.” 

“Where do you even find them?” Dean asked. 

“A top secret place I call Amazon.” You replied back to the man. While your tone of voice was serious, the sarcasm was clear enough for him to give you an amused expression. “Seriously. Get used to it. They’re gonna be in our lives forever.”

“And someone uploaded all the unpublished works.” Charlie added on to the disaster. You let out a frustrated sigh at the mention of the tale that went on farther than the finale where you and Dean died and went to hell. You would have been fine with that. For a moment you thought it might have been Chuck who uploaded his own work, but the culvert who did it was someone close to him. And was the biggest fan of it all. “I thought it was fanfic at first, but it was clearly Edlund’s work. Their screen name was BeckyWinchester176. Ring any bells?”

“None. Uh, nobody’s. Uh, no, there are no bells. Uh...no.” Sam stumbled his way to an answer. You tried your hardest to keep a smile from going when you saw him become flustered at the mention of someone who had been obsessed with him. Dean stared at his brother, slowly shaking his head from his behavior. 

“Ugh, these files are encrypted. This is gonna take a while.” Charlie said. While she was going to be here for longer than intended, she decided to make use of the time by having a little fun. “So, takeout, sleepover, braid each other’s hair?”

Sam suddenly got hit with a plan that everyone would enjoy. “I got an idea.”

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[af-answers]

Four Times Artemis Tries to Convince Holly to go with him to Mars and the One Time he Didn’t

This is part 1 of my Christmas/holiday contribution this year. :D Minor The Fowl Twins spoilers. Enjoy!

First Time

Part 2

The first time was in the Netherlands. It was a trip they’d been planning for a while: Artemis would meet Holly at the oak tree near Tara, and they would take a clandestine trip to the Netherlands for a couple days. Artemis had proposed the idea months ago, but she’d thought it a pipe dream. Then Foaly told her the Council had OK’d her leave of absence.

Getting leave to go topside didn’t surprise her. Ever since the Council found out Artemis was not only back from the dead, but a clone, they had dropped all subtlety in their monitoring of the boy. They required Artemis to come to health examinations in Haven every three months, Holly visited and filed a report on him every two, and he was to send a blood work-up every week. There was a small sect of the government who believed the clone Artemis was their property, and they should reclaim him for permanent, more invasive study. However, due to Artemis’s track record for being annoyingly useful and Butler being Butler, no one had made good on these threats.

But this wasn’t one of her bimonthly visits. Her next one wasn’t due for another two weeks, and she was never allowed to stay more than a day.

“You’re going to be testing some new urban camouflage Artemis and I have been working on,” he said.

Holly laughed. She’d been wondering what all this was about, and that sounded like Artemis. “I’m your guinea pig,” she said with a small bow.

Now at Tara, she snagged an acorn from a low-hanging branch of the ancient oak and tucked it in her pocket, then jogged over to the waiting Bentley.

“Shielded, Commodore?” Artemis said over his spectacles as the side door opened seemingly on its own. Artemis called her by her new title so much he barely used her name anymore. It got kind of annoying, but she suspected he did it because he was proud of her, so she didn’t comment.

“Yes, Mr. Fowl,” she said, kicking her overnight bag into the floorboards. “You never know, there may be a kidnapper about. What are these?” She snatched the spectacles from his nose. “You don’t need glasses.”

“No,” he agreed, gingerly retrieving them. “I’m working on programming NANNI into them, for Myles.”

“Ah.” Something about his reply bothered her, be it the sad way he smiled down at the glasses case, or the tone of finality in his words. It made her uneasy.

Her unease mounted every time his sad smile made an appearance, because Artemis didn’t do sad. He didn’t do happy, either, more often a smug satisfaction or neutral contentment. So for him to mask one uncommon emotion with another made her very suspicious. Her gut reaction was to ask for a blood work-up a right now to see if something were wrong with his new body, but she stifled her paranoia. This was sort of a vacation, after all, and he was normal in all other respects.

Their first day in The Hague he gave her what looked like a child’s headband with a little blue bow on it. She sneered at it, turning it over in her hands but not putting it on.

“The bow is, in actuality, a holocloaker,” he explained.

“But why a bow at all, Arty.”

“Because the purpose of this camouflage is not to be unseen, but to blend in,” he said, checking some diagnostics on his phone, “and while I could program a 150 centimeter tall female for this exercise, the illusion would break as soon as you threw a punch.”

“You say that like punching is something I do often,” she protested, then punched him in the knee.

An hour later she walked down Frederik Hendriklaan in broad daylight, unshielded. She hadn’t been able to see her holo-self in the hotel mirror, something to do with light refraction and physics, but Artemis did show her a picture of what she should look like.

“That’s Beckett,” she said, deadpan.

“Yes,” he replied, equally calm. “In a dress. I wasn’t going to build a human rig from scratch.”

Old ladies waved at Beckett-Holly from park benches and a young couple encouraged her to pet their enthusiastic Scottish terrier. On the technical side of things, the only hiccup was avoiding walking too near windows so their ruse wouldn’t be revealed.

“We should do this more often,” she said, accepting the ice cream she’d ordered from a street vendor.

At this Artemis smiled, sadly.

When she turned around and cut him off Artemis, eyes on the hologram read-out on his phone, almost ran into her.

“OK Mud boy, what’s going on?” She planted her free hand on her hip.

He looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “What’s going on is we’re conducting a secret fairy experiment,” he whispered, but with a lilt to his voice so anyone who overheard would think he was playing a game with his little sister.

“Not that.” She sighed, and her frown eased from annoyed to concerned. “I know you, Artemis. I can tell something more is on your mind.”

He put his phone in his pocket, looked over her head, and nodded at Butler who watched them from across the street. “Come with me,” he said.

Holly barely contained her impatience as they ordered lunch from a delicatessen, took a bus to a park, and found a secluded spot. Three times she almost accused him of trying to dodge her before catching Butler’s eye and calming down. When the manservant made a point of giving them privacy in the park, sitting out of earshot but in their eye line, Holly’s suspicion bubbled over.

“What wrong?” she asked, not bothering to unwrap her sandwich. “Are you alright? Healthy? Did something happen at home?”

“No, no,” he said quickly, the sad smile fixed now. “Nothing like that. Good news, actually.”

She watched him with wide eyes, unconvinced. He laughed when he noticed her expression.

“Truthfully! I’d planned on telling you, well, asking you on our last night here, but—“ he inhaled deeply, grounding himself.

She raised an eyebrow. Now this sounded like something else entirely, something she had not picked up on at all.

“I’m going to Mars,” he said.

Her derailing train of thought suddenly sprouted jet engines and shot the moon, leaving her tracks barren.

“You mean— you’re sending a robot?”

“The robot launched in the ship prototype months ago. It hasn’t reached Mars, obviously, but the self-winding engine is working perfectly. It was never the point to send a robot, that’s been done. No, the goal is human passengers. Well, human and—“ he looked at her.

“Me?” she pointed to herself. “The Commodore?”

Artemis sighed. “I’m sorry, I have to turn the hologram off, it’s very distracting and this is a serious conversation.” Thankfully, they were safely ensconced in a copse of bushes, only visible through the one entrance Butler guarded.

“Yes,” he said when she was once again herself. “Five years is nothing to you, and I’m sure Foaly could come up with a sensible explanation for you to come with me—“

“Foaly,” she said, gritting her teeth. “He knew about this, didn’t he? This trip wasn’t just to test your urban camouflage!”

Artemis shrugged. “I’m sure he suspects, but he hasn’t collaborated with me. This is a personal project. As for this weekend, I simply took advantage of the privacy and beautiful locale to approach a delicate subject.”

“And you’re so sure Foaly would take your side on this?”

“Foaly rarely takes my side on anything,” Artemis pointed out. “What matters is, are you with me?”

Her brows knit together as she seriously considered this question. Regardless of whether she took his offer or not, did she support this crazy venture? Going into space, millions of miles from medical care, relying only on the fellow crew for sanity and community. It sounded terrifying. And yet, she had that tight excitement in her stomach she got whenever she took down a wily suspect or executed a perfect barrel roll. It was all too much at once.

Artemis saw the conflict in her eyes.

“Take as much time as you need,” he said.

She nodded, her gaze dropping to her lap.

They both stared at their unwrapped lunches, appetites gone.

[anistarrose]

Tulip’s Return (Infinity Train One-Shot)

Summary: Tulip reunites with her parents, and finds a strange gift in her bedroom.

Warnings: none

Word Count: 1200

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20192683

Tying up some loose ends (because I’m a big softy).

***

Tulip tumbled to the ground, hands and knees landing on soft earth. The golden glow of her exit door dissipated in the blink of an eye, leaving her kneeling alone in the middle of the yard.

Her yard.

She really was home.

The front door was unlocked, but she hesitated before opening it. How would she explain to her parents? Would they even believe her if she told them the truth? How could she prove —

She shook her head, and swung the door wide open. She’d faced countless challenges far more intimidating than reuniting with her parents. She was ready for this.

They were both here, her mom and her dad, and they were sitting at the kitchen table.

“I think I’m gonna head out now,” her dad said. “Can you call me if they say it looks like the Michigan lead might actually… amount to something?”

“You know I will,” her mom replied as he stood up. “Be careful on the road. I heard there’s a thunderstorm coming in —”

Almost in perfect unison, their heads swiveled around to stare at Tulip as she entered the kitchen. They didn’t say anything.

Tulip froze. She wasn’t ready for this.

“I’m back from game design camp,” she said weakly, and gave an awkward wave.

As if her words had broken a spell of paralysis, her parents rushed towards her. Her dad got there first, and practically crushed her in a bear hug.

“Tulip, where have you been? We know it’s not game design camp, so — so don’t try and tell us — oh my god, I just can’t believe you’re okay.”

“You are okay, aren’t you? No one hurt you?” her mom asked, brushing a hand against Tulip’s cheek as she pulled her into another hug. “This scar — when did this happen? Who did this to you?”

“The police have been looking all over,” her dad explained. “We were afraid you were dead in the Wisconsin wilderness, or tied up in someone’s basement — where were you, Tulip?!”

“It’s good to see you guys too,” Tulip whispered, wiping her eyes. “But it’s — it’s kind of hard to explain. I don’t think I ever thought about how I would explain it, because getting home always felt so far away…”

She took a deep breath. “Okay, here goes. This is going to sound unbelievable, but… I was on this crazy magical train where every car was a different universe. And there were robots, and corgis, and evil robots too, and this number on my hand that I had to get to zero before I could leave —”

Her parents exchanged a concerned look.

“Don’t look at each other like that! It was all real —” Tulip gasped. “And I can prove it, too! I need something reflective!”

She rushed back to the hallway, and skidded to a stop in front of the large rectangular mirror that hung on the wall. “See? No reflection!”

Reflected in the mirror, she saw her mother’s jaw drop as her father raised his hands to cover his mouth. There was no sign of Tulip’s reflection.

To drive the point home, she pulled a pen out of her pocket and waved it around. The mirror showed it floating through thin air, even when Tulip held it behind her back.

“How…?”

“I pulled my reflection out of a mirror and let her wander the world on her own,” Tulip explained. “She’s pretty cool once you get to know her. I just wish I had a way to know how she and the others are doing now…”

***

Tulip was used to that strange sensation when you return home to sleep in your own bed for the first night after a long road trip, and all the perfectly normal fixtures of your house feel alien for the first few hours back. But that feeling was nothing compared to the wave of disbelief she felt when she finally made her way back into her bedroom.

Her shelves had been dusted and her fish had been feed, but almost everything was still right where she’d left it — from her coding books, to the pictures of Mikayla and her family, and even the ribbons pinned to her bulletin board and the medal hanging from the lamp on her desktop. Her room looked too clean to be lived in, yet still too cluttered to be out of use — just like how she felt she’d been away for both an eternity, and no time at all — and the more she thought about that contradiction, the more overwhelming it grew.

(Tulip felt a brief pang of guilt for forcing her mom to make the choice between cleaning up and leaving things as they were. How many days had she come in here to dust, forced to look at all the reminders of her missing child?)

She collapsed onto her bed and lay motionless for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling and tracing the path that the cracks in the tiles took, just like she used to do whenever she couldn’t fall asleep. The winding path led her eyes down to the shelf above her desk, decorated with extra Christmas tree lights that never ended up being needed — lights that she hadn’t yet turned on this evening, but were somehow still flickering before her eyes.

Tiny sparks danced in tiny bulbs, as if the current running through was coming not from the plug they were attached to, but rather induced by some other electromagnetic phenomenon nearby. A soft clatter rang in her ears — like a piece of plastic falling and landing on something hard — but went silent after just a fraction of a second, leaving Tulip to wonder if she’d imagined it.

She stood up, approaching her desk with a caution she’d learned early in her stay on the train. There was one new object on her shelf, in front of her bulletin board of notes and awards — and she couldn’t be sure, but she had a hunch it hadn’t been there for more than just a few moments.

It was a sleek, black, rectangular flash drive, and as she picked it up, she noticed there were two words written on one side in a familiar glowing green font.

Infinity Train.

She inserted it into her computer’s USB port — getting the alignment right on her first try, which was probably a stronger indication of supernatural involvement than anything — and opened the single folder it contained, labeled with the same title.

Inside was a long list of .mp4 files, so long that several seconds of scrolling with the mouse wheel seemed to hardly move the scroll bar at all. Tulip did, however, recognize several familiar file names:

Music_ in_Space_Car

Corgi_Car

Italy_Car

Chrome_Car

And so on, continuing seemingly ad infinitum. But more than any other, Tulip felt drawn to the first file, titled:

Engine.

She double-clicked to open it, and for a moment, static filled her brain. But then she blinked, and found herself staring down at her own hands — holographic and transparent, as if she was still physically sitting at her desk while her mind was projected into a distant location.

“Hello, Miss Tulip!” One-One chirped from his position in the center of the train’s control board. “My mom and I figured out a way to keep in touch!”

***

(Thanks for reading, comments are welcomed as always! I definitely have plans for more Infinity Train fics (mainly one-shots, but potentially also crossovers) so stay tuned!)

[perriewinklenerdie]

Wine and flying mistletoes (Ethan Ramsey x MC)

Open Heart, Ethan Ramsey x MC

Author’s note: Hello, hello, hello! Christmas writing is fun, pass it on :D This fic came together throughout the day, got finished late at night, and I was replaying OH in between writing, so as you can probably guess, I’m an emotional mess, going through Ethan Ramsey withdrawal :D

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21731254

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Enjoy! <3

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

Christmas always reminded her of her family. How her father would come home from work with a perfect tree and then spend the next three hours figuring out the right place for it and then another two, tangled in strings of colorful lights. Her mother was in the kitchen, baking and cooking, laughing at the face her husband made when the lights were placed on the tree but just weren’t working, driving him mad. Claire left her childhood home when she decided to move to the US and study medicine there. It wasn’t an easy decision, given the fact that she was living right in the middle of Europe, and the flight to New York took 12 hours on the plane. She thought about it, long and hard, before finally deciding to do it, having full support of her family.

Her friends decided that they either decorate their apartment right, or they don’t do it at all, so by the end of the previous night, lights were hanging around the ceiling, a tree was standing by the window and a few candles adorned the free spaces, giving the room a soft glow when they were lighted. Not to mention the smell, spreading the warmth in every room.

Claire came home earlier than the rest of her friends, changing into the most comfortable clothes she had, preparing herself for the workout that would be baking and cooking. She was the only one of her friends that wasn’t going to visit her family for Christmas, as she was living too far away from them and she didn’t have that much money saved up to go back any time she wanted. Instead, she was staying at home, most likely with a good book and a warm blanket, enjoying the quiet evening. It wasn’t the first thing she would have decided on if she had a choice, she always preferred to be with people she loved in this time of year, but she didn’t have much of a choice.

She made her way to the kitchen, her bare feet making soft noises against the wooden floor as she went. Looking around the living room, she decided to turn on the lights they put up the day before, as well as the lights on the tree, and then deciding to light one of the candles too. She took a look behind the window as she walked to the kitchen counter but couldn’t see much. Snow was falling much more heavily now, nowhere near the delicate sprinkle that she experienced as she was walking back home. The world was slowly disappearing behind the thick curtain of white, making her feel as though she was on top of the world, all alone, not disturbed by all the troubles that she left behind the door when she came home.

Sitting down with a steaming cup of tea, she started going over her game plan. She wanted to bake something for her friends to take with them for the holidays and some festive food for herself, determined to make the Christmas feel like Christmas, even if only a little bit. She got up, prepared all the ingredients she needed and got to work. Time seemed to fly the more she got done, and she wouldn’t even have noticed that the afternoon turned into an evening if it wasn’t for the doorbell that broke through the silence. She grabbed the hand towel and walked over to answer it. Claire’s eyes didn’t focus on the door, instead observing the situation in the kitchen. Her hand grabbed the handle, opening the front door slowly.

“Do you always greet people with flour in your hair?” Ethan’s voice dripped with sarcasm, making her head whip around to look at him. He was the last person she expected to see that evening. She noticed the way his eyes dragged up and down her body, taking in the way she looked, before coming back to her eyes, spark of amusement in them.

“Dr. Ramsey! What are you doing here?” she exclaimed, dropping the piece of material she was holding. Too surprised to pick it up, she left it where it was, staring at him with wide eyes. He sighed heavily, leaning down to pick it up, snickering at the flour that flew into the air when he folded it into a neat square.

“I’m here to pick you up for a party.”

“In that case, I’m terribly sorry I didn’t put my dress on.” she smirked, raising her eyebrow at him. Their eyes fought for a while, seeing who would look away first. She won. “Seriously, though, what are you doing here?”

“You left those in my office.” He lifted a handful of files, his face straight, expressionless. “I know it’s Christmas and you most probably won’t even look at them, but I thought you might need them later on, so just in case…”

She nodded, taking them from him, their fingers brushing against one another for a split second. She felt a spark run up her arm, barely there, but enough to make her startled. Neither of them said anything, just stood there wordlessly for a long moment. After a while, she seemed to have snapped out of a dreamlike haze, turning around to look outside the window. The snow was still falling heavily, seemingly even worse than before.

“Thank you for the files, Dr. Ramsey.” She spoke softly, a hint of a smile on his face as he took a step to say goodbye and leave. She called out after him, noticing how his shoulders tensed as he heard her voice again. “I don’t want to say anything, but it seems as though the storm is picking up and I would not be comfortable with letting you go out into that mess. Who will take over the diagnostic team if you freeze out there?”

Her giggle was what finally caused him to turn around, a ghost of a smirk on his lips. He walked back to her side, watching her for a moment before getting inside, letting the door fall shut behind them. The warmth engulfed him like a blanket as he sat down in the kitchen, leaving the towel he was still holding on the counter. Claire went back to work, kneading the dough in the bowl for a while before dunking it out onto the flat surface.

“So, how was- uh, your day?” she asked, panting as she worked, force she was using making her a little tired.

“Wow, Rookie, your hospitality is one for the books.” He laughed, leaning forward, resting on his elbows. “It’s been long and tiring, as it is every year. Christmas songs should have a limit of how many times one can play it a day.”

“That bad, huh? And my hospitality is amazing, thank you very much. I would have offered you something to drink or eat, but I really needed to finish the dough so it can rise.” She scrunched her nose at him playfully, grabbing the towel he left and covering the dough with it. She sighed softly, training her eyes on him. “Okay, you have my full attention now. Did you come here by car?”

“And just why would you like to know that?” he asked, surprised by her question. He watched her as she walked to the other side of the kitchen, opening the cabinet.

“I have some wine that is best when it’s hot, and I think you’d like it, but I’m not going to give you alcohol if you have a car to drive later.” She explained, looking away from the shelf before her and back to him.

“In that case, I came by a taxi, so by all means…” he waved his hand, the corners of his lips lifting just the tiniest bit. Claire nodded, standing on her tiptoes to reach the top shelf, taking the bottle into her hands. He noticed how relaxed she was, moving around the kitchen with ease. It’s been a while since he last saw her like that, and it was a sight he welcomed eagerly. While he remained seated, she poured the liquid into the pot, adding a few spices and letting it warm up. Humming under her breath, she danced around the kitchen a little, almost as though Ethan wasn’t even there, giving him a first-row view of her being carefree. Claire poured the wine into two glasses, passing him one of them and then going back to work.

“Thank you.” he wrapped his fingers around the warm glass, running his eyes over the many dishes she had already finished. “What exactly are you doing?”

“Cooking. Baking. Drinking wine. Answering obvious questions from my boss.” She smirked, locking her eyes with his as she took a sip of her drink. He held her gaze for a moment before standing up from his seat, taking a short look around the space that surrounded him. With her permission, he went into the living room to do some exploring. As he was looking at the Christmas tree, he asked.

“Very funny, Rookie. I’m serious, though. Why are you here, cooking the amount of food that could feed an army?”

“I’m cooking for my friends and for myself. I do have to eat something for the next three days, and now that you’re here, I’ll send you home with some of the food too.” She answered, already looking for some sort of a container to pack the food for him. He opened his mouth to protest, but she already held her hand up, stopping him before he said anything. “There is no way you’re leaving here without food. It would be against my nature and my genes would most likely combust if I don’t show enough hospitality.” She laughed, walking to the fridge to fetch a bowl with filling for the cake she was making.

“What could you possibly mean by that?”

“My family is Polish, I would literally die if I didn’t give you food to take home with you. That’s just how it is, no use in arguing about it.” she revealed, her accent suddenly hard, completely different from what he was used to. While he was in a state of shock, she began rolling out the dough and spreading the filling for it.

“How is it that I’m finding out about it just now?”

“Well, we never really talked about anything like that, it never came up before. Ugh, I should have listened to my Mom.” She answered and then moaned immediately after as she stared at the cake before her.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, walking over to her, confused. She moved to the side, letting him stand next to her. “What kind of cake is that supposed to be?”

“Poppy seed cake. It’s a traditional Christmas cake in Poland, and that recipe is my Mom’s. She did mention that it would be hard for me to do, as it is my first time doing it, but I didn’t think it would be that hard.” Claire explained, leaning onto the counter with defeat spelled across her face.

“What do you need to do?”

“Roll it up, tight enough so that when it bakes, there are no big pockets of air in between layers. Which is going to be impossible to do, so I might as well just give up.” she shook her head, rubbing her forehead with her fingers.

“Okay, let’s see what we can do.” Ethan muttered under his breath, rolling the sleeves of his shirt up. Claire stared at him with wide eyes, confused and definitely shocked at his willingness and eagerness to help her.

“You know how to bake?”

“Not exactly, but I’m sure we can figure out something together.” He stopped in his tracks, trying to think of the best way to get to it, before finally deciding that the most effective way to roll up the cake would be to stand behind her, his arms on either side of her. He embraced her gently, leaving space for her to push him away, and for a moment he thought she just might do that. Her whole body tensed the moment he touched her, and the sensation almost made him step away, but then she relaxed a bit, letting him come a bit closer, their hands next to each other. Working together, they managed to get the cake done, moved to the baking sheet and put it into the oven. Claire turned around to thank him, only to see him already looking at her, a spark in his eye being almost playful.

“You have some flour… here-“ He reached towards her with his hand, brushing her cheek delicately. His touch lingered for a long time, his gaze softening. She noticed a smudge of flour on the tip of his nose and reached for him too, swiping her fingers over it slowly. Their eyes met finally met, intense and deep with unspoken words and feelings, left to hang in the air around them.

“Claire…” he muttered under his breath, leaning towards her just a little bit, his lips tingling with anticipation. She seemed to begin doing it too, despite herself, wanting nothing more to feel him again, even if only for a short moment.

“Claire, I’m back! You better have that cake for me or I’ll be very- oh. Hi, Dr. Ramsey!” Sienna’s cheerful voice made them jump away from each other as though they got burned, standing on the opposite ends of the counter. She looked between the pair, a hint of a smirk playing on her face.

“The cake is, uh, almost done baking. Everything else is ready for you to pack.” Claire answered, refusing to look at Ethan again.

“Great! So, what are you doing this Christmas, Dr. Ramsey? Any plans, if I may ask?” Sienna asked, digging into her bag, searching for god only knew what. Ethan cleared his throat, drumming his fingers against the flat surface beneath them.

“I’m staying at home. Naveen gave me a few days off, I’ll spend it with Jenner.” He said, his voice back to the emotionless one that he used at work.

“Oh! So is Claire! You’re staying at home, right?” she turned to her best friend, only to see Claire’s eyes already on her, daggers practically flying her way.

“…Yes.”

Sienna didn’t say anything else for a while, finally finding what she was looking for. Using a moment of distraction, she threw something right at them. They both saw it at the same time, taking a step towards each other to avoid getting hit by the object. The said thing flew over their heads, a clean arch above them, before falling to the ground on the other side of the room. Claire turned to see what that was and as soon as she realized what Sienna did, she blushed a deep shade of red, killing her friend with her eyes once more.

“Rookie, what was tha- oh.” Ethan started speaking, only to be cut off by the sight of a small bundle of mistletoe, lying on the ground. Only moments ago, it was flying above them, and now it was right there, leaving them in a rather difficult position.

“Sienna, I don’t know what you wanted to achieve, but it doesn’t work like that.” Claire tried to find them a way out of a situation, but Sienna didn’t let her finish.

“No, no, no. Was it over your heads? Then it counts. Now come on, kiss already.” She giggled, shaking her head at how childish they were acting. It was just a kiss. Of course, Sienna knew that for these two, it wasn’t just a kiss, but she wasn’t about to let them get away from it.

Claire thought she was about to die, any moment now. Ethan’s eyes were staring at her intensively, just as unsure of what to do as she was. They both knew that there was nothing that Sienna could do to make them kiss, really, but the idea was very potent, and the opportunity presented itself. They were standing so close to each other that all she had to do was tilt her head upwards a little, and he had to bend down just a bit, and their lips would brush against one another. And that’s exactly what happened a few seconds later.

It somehow was better than either of them remembered it to be. It could, of course, have been the added factor of longing and the distance they kept between each other for the past few months, it could have been the undeniable chemistry that she always felt when he was near. It could have been the spirit of Christmas, or the risk factor that made their blood rush through their bodies quicker. Regardless of the reasons behind her strong reaction, she was almost certain that if she were to step away from him right this second, her knees would buckle underneath her and she would fall to the ground. Their hands, hanging by their sides, found each other, fingers tangling together and holding on for dear life. After what could have been mere seconds or millions of eternities, they leaned away from each other, their eyes once more locked in an intense stare that made their storm of emotions even more complicated and even more intense. Claire was breathing heavily, still holding his hand, and was about to say something when the timer on the oven went off, startling them both, throwing them back into the reality.

“Um… thank you for your help with baking. I don’t think I could have done it without you.” she whispered before moving to get the cake out of the oven, letting it cool down as she prepared the rest of the food for him to take home. A quick look out the window revealed that the snowstorm has died down and it was safe for him to go back home now. He grabbed his coat and walked towards the door, taking the package from her hands when she handed it to him.

“No point in arguing, right?” he asked with a slight smirk, looking at her one last time. She shook her head with a ghost of a smile.

“No.”

He was about to say something more, but ultimately decided against it. Nodding his head, he moved to leave, turning around by the door.

“Merry Christmas, Claire.”

“Merry Christmas, Ethan.”

The door separated them and Claire was once more alone. Sienna left to get her bags, letting Claire have a moment to process what had happened. She would be lying if she said that the thought of Ethan’s lips on hers wasn’t haunting her dreams. Now that she tasted him again, she felt the hunger that she was sure has been pushed aside and quieted months ago. Turns out, the feelings she had for him never went away, and now they came back to hit her twice as hard. With a wistful smile, she walked to the tree in the middle of the room, watching the lights flickering in the dim light. Her eyes caught the glimpse of something lying underneath it, a small box, wrapped with expertise and care. Ethan.

She picked it up, moving to sit on the couch, startled and speechless. She could pinpoint the exact moment in which he must have left it there, and a wide grin made its way onto her lips as she pulled the ribbon to open it. A small card was inside, along with the smallest piece of mistletoe she had ever seen.

If you find yourself alone this Christmas, you know where to find me.

She doesn’t remember the last time she got dressed so quickly, and she prayed that the taxi would not get stuck in traffic. Twenty minutes later, she was standing before the door to his apartment, looking into his eyes.

“Rookie.” He whispered, smiling at her gently. She smirked, holding up a piece of mistletoe he gave her, as high above their heads as possible.

“I heard that I could find someone here to spend my Christmas with.” She teased and he laughed, taking a step towards her, his hand running up and down her side.

“That would appear to be correct. But what made you come here?” he whispered, looking into her eyes curiously. She took one final step, their lips brushing together when she answered.

“Did you honestly expect me to stay away from you after a kiss like that?” Claire’s voice was low and filled with longing, so much more intense than he’s heard it in a while. Ethan wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against his chest, speaking final words before kissing her properly, dragging her into his apartment.

“I can give you so much more.”

[starstaiined]

Surprise! (Pt. 1)

SUMMARY: Don’t have the brainpower for a pretty blurb, but basically some cute lil fluff centering around the Queen’s first Christmas together (after doing the show for a year) and some secret santa shenanigans! Did half of the exchange now, the other half will be posted in the next few days. 

TW: None, really? Tis a fluffy fic my mates. But there is a bit at the end where they discuss the kids they had in their past lives and how much they miss them, so lil sad piece. 

TAGGING: no one this time i don’t think

Katherine Howard loved Christmas. Even back when the holidays had been rough, living with a dad with a hairpin temper and two older brothers determined to wreck her day, she’d wait eagerly all year for the time of year where she could shower them with affection and they would semi tolerate it. And she was beyond excited to spend this Christmas with the other queens, who didn’t mind her more affectionate ways. 

And the present! If there was one thing she prided herself on, it was her expert gift giving abilities. She’d barely been able to sleep through Christmas Eve, and at six sharp she’d rolled out of bed and carefully padded down to the kitchen. She had decided, in her sleepless haze, that she would make the other Queens a beautiful breakfast to celebrate the holidays, that they could eat before the present exchange. 

Of course, there was one problem with that idea: Kitty had the culinary expertise of a seven year old. Nevertheless she prepared for breakfast. She set up six plates on the table, and immediately set to work making a wreck of the kitchen... 

The other five queens, however, woke to the smoke alarm going off. They stumbled towards the kitchen in alarm, only to find Kat fanning the toaster and looking a little worse for wear. Flour and bits of eggshells clung to her hair, but her smile was undeniably wide as she saw them. “I made breakfast!” Kat hummed happily, gesturing towards the plates on the table proudly. The plates which consisted of: two Eggo waffles that were stiff and brown on the edges but still had frost glittering at their centers, a single cold pop-tart, and a couple forkfuls of rubbery looking eggs — flecked with pieces of eggshells. 

“What-” Anne mumbled, still addled with sleep, before Jane cut her off.

“-a kind thing to do, Kitty! Isn’t it great, girls?” Jane glared at the rest of the queens, who were quick to murmur in agreement and plaster on fake smiles while still eyeing the food warily. 

Aragon ruffled Kat’s hair affectionately. “Why don’t you go sort the presents into piles while I get some hot chocolate going?” And some coffee, she was going to need coffee to get through this. “And thank you for breakfast, Kat, it looks wonderful!” She could worry about the moral implications of lying later, right now she was more than content to enjoy the bright smile on Kat’s face. 

None of the queens were willing to risk hurting Kat’s feelings, so they all (valiantly) choked down their mess of a breakfast. The only one who managed not to gag at all was Cathy, who could eat just about anything with a straight face. (It was the sleep deprivation, it numbed the sense.) Finally, finally, they finished and filed into the living room. 

Kat was on the couch, her gift for her secret santa in front of her while she all but vibrated in place. Jane smiled, settling on the space next to her. Aragon settled down by the tree, Cathy on her left and Anna on her right. Anne sat across from them, her back pressed flat against the wall. Overall, they were in more or less of a circle. Anne, noticing Kitty all but vibrating, nodded to her younger. “I think Kit Kat should start this whole thing off.” 

The rest of the queens seemed fine with that. Kat all but launched herself off the couch, pushing her giant, neatly wrapped box over to Anna. 

Anna carefully peeled off the wrapping paper, being sure to go extra slow as she watched Kat nearly implode. Finally, she stopped teasing the girl and ripped into the present. She tore off the remaining wrapping paper, then opened the box. Inside...was a stack of sweaters. Anna laughed. “This your way of making up for the sweaters you’ve stolen, Kitty?” 

Kat smiled brightly. “No, these are too replenish your stock so I can steal more.” She was only half joking. Nonethless, the others laughed. But Kat was quick to point to the box. “There’s more in there, you’ve got to pull the sweaters out. And be careful!” 

Anna raised a brow, interested piqued, and gingerly pulled out a sweater. There was obviously something hidden in the folds, so she carefully reached inside and pulled out a bottle. She stared in shock at the clear bottle — her favorite brand of vodka — before laughing. She can hear poor Jane sputtering in the background. 

“Katherine! When—How?” Jane stumbled over her words, eyebrows disappearing into her hairline in confusion and concern. 

“I have my ways.” Kat’s lips were pulled into a half smirk, freckled nose scrunching as her eyes glittered in a way eerily similar to Anne’s. (In that moment, the family resemblance was damn near startling.) The others often forgot that Kat could be just as much of a delinquent as her older cousin—those doe eyes hid a penance for mischief. “It’s better not to ask.” 

Jane buried her head in her hands, trying to process what just happened, as Anna continued to open her present. Luckily, or unluckily depending on who you ask, there wasn’t anymore alcohol. There was, however, enough energy drinks to power a small city. Underneath the sweaters and forbidden drinks was a simple best friends matching necklace, clearly home made. One half of a heart hung on a red necklace, the other on a pink one. Anne’s lips quirked into a smile. “So, I can give this necklace to anyone I choose?” 

“Uh huh. Your choice. Totally. One hundred percent.” Kat answered, attempting to appear disinterested. Even so, the smallest twinge of hurt passed over her features. But it disappeared as soon as Anna fixed the other half of the necklace around her neck.

“I was just teasing you, Kat.” Anna said, pulling the younger girl into a half hug. “I love it, all of it. Thank you.” 

Kat beamed, and settled back on the couch. Almost instinctively, Jane held out an arm and Kat curled up to her side. 

Anne watched the scene unfold fondly, glad to see her baby cousin enjoying herself. Her musings, however, were cut short as Anna yelled her name. Anne turned in time to see a small wrapped box flying directly towards her face. She let out a yelp, sticking her hands up to block her face. The box hit the top of her head before bouncing to the floor, and although it didn’t hurt in the least Anne looked up fuming. “What the fuck, Anna?” Her swearing was lost amidst the laughing of the other queens, surprised to see the princess of pranks dethroned. Anne grumbled something under her breath, before unwrapping the small box that had hit her. She opened it and...it was empty? She blinked a few times, confused, before she noticed the scrap of paper. Pulling it out, she read the words in Anna’s chicken scratch writing. Cleaning closet. 

She stood up, walking over to the closet that only Jane really used. Opening it, she found at least ten medium sized, neatly wrapped boxes lining the shelves. Well, that was one way to keep her from going through the presents. She loaded up her arms, and Cathy walked over to help carry the ones that didn’t fit, As she settled back in her seat, she gave Anna a quizzical look. 

Anna just grinned. “Thought I should give your presents a bit more of a personal touch. You know, let them reflect you.” Anne just stared, not getting it, to which Anna sighed. “You know, since you spent so much time in the closet?” 

Jane choked on her hot chocolate, Kat nearly howled with laughter, Cathy buried her head in her hands to hide her grin, and even Aragon couldn’t help the tears of laughter building in her eyes. Anne made a noise of protest, but it died to second it reached her lips—after all no one appreciated a good closet joke more than Anne. She give the queens a couple seconds to settle down, Kitty was still giggling maniacally, before she opened her present. 

Much to the horror of the other queens, they were chock full of pranking material. Itching powder. Realistic looking fake bugs. Fake blood. When Anne pulled out the stinkbombs, Aragon sighed and shot Jane a distressed look. By the time Anne had opened nine of the ten packages, each worst than the last, the queens waited with baited breath for the last package. But when she did, they breathed a sigh of relief. Anne’s eyes gleamed. “Jelly beans!!” Before Anna could say anything, Anne shoved a handful in her mouth...to spit them back out immediately. She looked utterly distraught as dark eyes focused on Anna for an explanation. 

Anna chuckled nervously. “Those....weren’t meant for you to eat, Annie. They’re called beanboozled, they put in a bunch of gross flavors. Thought it’d be good prank material-”

“You ruined jellybeans.” Anne pouted, pushing the last box far away from her. “Jellybeans Anna! That’s sacrilegious.” 

“Oh, stop being so dramatic you big baby. Just give your gift.” Aragon said with a roll of her eyes. Anne glared at her, but nonetheless picked up her gift. She walked over the couch, while Kitty all but vibrated in place. And she handed Jane three boxes, stacked on top of each other and tied off with ribbon. “Start with the biggest box. Kitty helped me with that one.” 

She took it carefully, smiling up at Anne before she unwrapped....a book? Jane’s brow furrowed as she opened it...and found a page carefully decorated with stickers, glitter, and Anne’s loopy script next to a set of adorable candids. She flipped through each page, in shock at the obvious care placed in each page’s appearance. 

And the pictures, they were pictures she’d never seen before. Aragon, caught mid-laugh with her eyes sparkling like the sun. Cathy, illuminated by her computer, sleeping on the kitchen table. Anna scowling down at her video game console. There was even one of her and Kitty. Her arm was thrown around Kat’s shoulders, her eyes shining with love, while Kat looked up at her with a lopsided grin. They were snapshots of real life: like someone had stopped time and caught their honest reactions when they didn’t even notice. Jane’s eyes had teared up while she flipped through, not that she’d noticed. “Where did you get these pictures?” She asked, voice rough with emotion. 

Anne was avidly trying to avoid eye contact. She had never been the mushy type, and she could tell that Jane was on the verge of getting sentimental. “I took them.” Anne answered after a minute. “I like taking pictures when you guys aren’t paying attention. Sometimes you guys look really stupid, and it’s good blackmail material.” She was lying through her teeth, attempting to keep her image. 

Jane saw right through her, but she didn’t say that. Instead she composed herself and nodded. Her fingers traced the cover of the book, before she handed it to Kitty to hold while she opened her next gift. The second box was filled with various kinds of knick-knacks and sweets: aka Anne’s favorite way of expressing her love. It brought a smile to Jane’s face. But it was the last gift that pushed her over the edge. Anne fidgeted uncomfortably as Jane began to unwrap that last gift, all eyes on both of them. 

Inside the last box was a rather plain locket, and a piece of paper. 

Jane’s brow furrowed, and Anne began to explain. Her cheeks burned bright red, her eyes suspiciously bright. “It’s uh — there’s this — ” Anne tripped over her words, looking uncharacteristically on edge. Kitty edged her way over, tilting her head and taking Anne’s hand. The contact seemed to soothe her, and with a shaky exhale she tried again. “There’s a company that sells stars. Like, the stars in the sky. You can buy one, and name it, and then they send you this locket with a picture of your star, and that certificate.” 

“You named a star after me?” Jane asked in confusion, not understanding why Anne seemed so on edge by that. Until...she looked down at the certificate. 

Edward. 

That one word sucked all the air from her lungs. It was lifetimes ago, but the pain had never ebbed. It was a five hundred year old wound that hurt just as much as a five second old wound. Shaking hands opened the locket, and on one side was a picture of a singular star. On the other, Anne had slipped in a portrait of him. Her heart twisted in her chest, and a tear hit the paper. She carefully put the gifts to the side, pulling Anne into a tight hug. 

To her surprise, Anne squeezed back just as hard. They stayed locked in that embrace for a long time, the rest of the room utterly still. When they finally broke from their embrace, both of them were sniffling. It was then that Jane noticed the same locket around Anne’s neck. And it was then that she remembered. Elizabeth. 

As much as Anne hid behind the laughter and the antics and the carefree attitude, she carried around the same pain. It was easy to forget sometimes. Jane squeezed Anne’s hand. Her mouth said, “Thank you.” Her eyes said I understand, and I’m here. 

Anne gave a watery grin back. “Don’t get all sappy on me, Seymour.” She scoffed, but her red rimmed eyes said I know. The two shared a moment of understanding, and then Anne settled on the couch next to Kitty. Her younger cousin curled up to her side and held her hand, and Anne felt some of the tension drain from her shoulders. “Okay Jane, why don’t you give your secret santa their gift? Get the ball rolling again?” Anne said with a forced chuckle. 

[tbhwhocaresanymore]

God I’ve never done this before, but hi @bnsammydee. As you have probably guessed from the tags, I’m your blacklist secret santa! I have written for you the following Keenler fic (about 3k words), which in the holiday spirit I have done my best to make very cute and fluffy. Happy holidays!

Agent Alina Park liked to think she was a fairly observant person, and she knew she was at least a lot more intelligent than your average John. Add that to a sparsely-indulged love of gossip – fed only through tabloids – and she was afraid she may be reading just a tad too much into her coworkers’ relationship.

Every time Liz and Ressler were in the same room, there was a plethora of small moments. They didn’t so much stare at each other as constantly look over to the other one, seeking reassurance or understanding or a smile at a secret joke. While working together in the field they practically read each other’s minds; and although from what Alina had seen so far Liz seemed to be an island unto herself, she depended on Ressler without thinking twice about it.

Right now they were going over a case report together, standing a smidge closer than absolutely necessary, shoulders and upper arms almost touching.

“Deep in concentration I see.”

Alina blinked, losing her train of thought as she turned to see Aram teasing her. She realized she had been staring at Liz and Ressler for upwards of five minutes, brow narrowed and mouth slightly open, and blushed. “Just thinking.”

“Thinking?”

“Yes. Thinking… thoughts.”

Aram glanced over to where Ressler was stealing a look at the back of Liz’s neck, and lowered his voice. “Please tell me you see it too.”

“Liz and Ressler?” When he nodded, relief flooded through her shoulders. “Thank God, I thought I might be imagining it!”

“I know!” He moved around so he was hovering over her shoulders, Liz and Ressler oblivious to their observation, indeed oblivious to anyone that wasn’t their partner.

“It’s all so chaste half the time,” Alina whispered, “just these little secret smiles and stolen glances. But they’re both so serious, I could never be sure if it was just a good friendship or something more. It’s been driving me crazy.”

Aram gave a derisive snort. “Oh, you think it’s been driving you crazy? You’ve worked here less than seven weeks, I’ve worked with them for seven years.”

She felt her eyes widen in disbelief. “Have they been this bad all that time?”

“Well, not all the time,” he relented. “Liz was married to a sociopath for a while, became a fugitive, and had a kid, so that was a whole thing. But like, 95% of the time I’ve known them both? Yeah, it’s been this bad.”

As they spoke, Ressler closed the file and headed off to go see Cooper, giving Liz the barest touch to the back of her shoulders as he did so.

“I can’t possibly take seven more years of this,” she hissed at Aram, recoiling at the very thought. “I’m this close to locking them both in a room as it is.”

“Well what do you propose we do?” Aram muttered, watching Liz look over at Ressler’s retreating form before turning her focus back to her paperwork.

Alina’s eyes landed upon the calendar hanging on the wall, marking the date as less than a week before Christmas. She began to smile. “I might have an idea.”

*

Liz eyed the decorations distastefully. “Isn’t the federal government prohibited from endorsing any one kind of religion?”

Aram and Park gave her rather pitying glances over the fairy lights on the desktop computer. “It’s not like we’re chopping down a Christmas tree, it’s just some pretty lights and Velcro snowmen. To help everyone get in the holiday mood.”

Liz looked to her left to share a disbelieving expression with Ressler. He appeared as turned off as she was. Apparently their lack of enthusiasm was palpable, because Aram hurriedly continued his defense of the new office décor. “Besides it’s mostly for me. Samar and I would always grab a drink and she’d help me decorate my apartment during this time of year, and I guess I was feeling nostalgic.” He sighed rather theatrically and Liz saw Park step on his foot, causing him to wince. “I can take it down if it really bothers you guys that much.”

Liz stopped herself from sighing. “No it’s fine Aram, just as long as it doesn’t get us fired.”

Ressler scowled. “If I hear any carolers I’m resigning,” he warned, before walking off.

“No danger of that, they’d take one look at you and run away,” Aram muttered. Park choked on her coffee, prompting Aram to thump her on the back.

Reluctantly acknowledging it wasn’t the worst thing in the world, Liz resigned herself to the admittedly subtle festivities and headed over to her office. She noted a sprig of mistletoe hanging from the doorway as she entered and scoffed, reaching up to tear it down. But something stilled her hand at the last second and she quickly dropped it back to her side, hoping no one had noticed the movement.

She was rearranging her files when Ressler came in, swallowing when she saw him notice the plant in the doorframe. “Is that mistletoe?” he demanded.

Liz gave a very casual shrug. “I must’ve missed it.”

He made a displeased sound, but left it alone. Conflicting emotions of relief and confusion tangled inside her chest, and she immediately returned to her own work, hoping they would die down.

And the feelings did die down, at least for a couple of hours, until she and Park were going over witness statements for a museum robbery. The newest agent chose that moment to whisper in a conspiratorial voice, “Is it just me or does Ressler look hotter than usual today?”

“What?” Distracted, Liz knocked the folder off the desk, the papers sliding across the smooth floor. She swore under her breath and knelt down to pick them up, Park moving to help. Hoping furiously she wasn’t blushing, Liz tried to get the pages back in some semblance of organization as they stood up. “Thanks.”

Park nodded before looking at her expectantly, head tilted like an inquisitive bird. “So?”

Thoughts still slightly in disarray, Liz played ignorance. “What?”

Park leaned in close and grinned like they were high school sophomores. “I said, is it just me or does Ressler look hotter than usual today?”

“I don’t – I hadn’t – why would I notice, I don’t –” Liz floundered for an answer, wondering desperately where her normally comprehensive vocabulary had gone before forcefully pulling herself together. “I’m not sure that’s entirely appropriate.”

Park dismissed this with a wave of her hand. “It’s not like I’m propositioning him in the interrogation room, just stating the obvious. Him in suits is nice to look at and all, but dressed like this?” She shook her head. “Damn.”

Certain her face was on fire, Liz managed a shrug. “I hadn’t really noticed.”

She received an unconvinced look. “Do you have eyes?”

Ruefully, Liz laughed. “I do have eyes, and I will admit he looks good in the outfit. It’s just, he’s Ressler. My first reaction to seeing him is not normally ‘hot damn he looks good today’.” Only on days when he’s dressed like this.Ressler did indeed look good in suits, but in winter months when he wore an overcoat on top, or when he was expecting to take a tumble and wore a shirt with long dark sleeves like today, Liz often found herself taking very cold showers later that night.

“Well what is your typical first reaction then?” Park pressed.

Hey Ressler, is there any chance you could pin me up against the wall and kiss me so hard I forget my own name?“It’s generally something along the lines of ‘oh look it’s Ressler’,” Liz said instead. “‘I wonder how he’s been doing in the four to eight hours since I saw him last’.”

Thankfully, Park let the subject drop, and they wrapped out the day with minimal talk of personal lives or feelings. After they did all they could for the day, the task force was wrapping up and she and Aram extended an invitation. “We thought it could be fun if the four of us all went out for drinks,” said Aram, looking excited. “That bar a couple blocks down that only shows bowling on the television?”

“You mean Smithy’s?” she guessed. Park and Aram were going regardless, and Liz was always in the mood to get drunk and contemplate how shitty her life was. “I’m in.”

“I’ll come too,” said Ressler.

Liz and Park grabbed their purses, and the group bundled up and took the elevator to the surface.

The late December evening was coupled with a light snow and a brisk wind, and so they walked hurriedly down the sidewalk. Park and Aram were glued to each other’s side, and so Liz fell into step beside Ressler. He held open the door for her when they reached Smithy’s, and it made her stomach clench. Damn it, but she’d always had a weakness for chivalry.

Aram suggested a drinking game, Park came up with two truths and a lie, one thing lead to another and before Liz knew it she had downed four shots and was riding one hell of a buzz.

“Okay okay okay okay okay, it is Agent Ressler’s turn,” said Aram.

Park giggled drunkenly. “Yeah, Super Special FBI Agent Ressler.”

Liz got the sense he was mostly just going along with this because he didn’t have to pay, but she was still impressed with how he was being such a good sport. He also knew Aram remarkably better than she’d suspected.

Ressler ran a finger around the rim of one of his empty shot glasses. “When I was seventeen I crashed a motorcycle, I chipped my tooth playing basketball as a kid, and I can run a six minute mile.”

“Second one is a lie, you have perfect teeth,” said Park immediately.

Ressler shrugged. “Any other guesses?”

Aram shook his head, looking a bit like a dog with water in its ears. “Second one, you don’t seem like a basketball kid.”

He met her eyes. “Keen?”

Liz held his gaze, doing her best to run through all the things she knew about him, all the personal details he’d dropped, stories he’d shared. “The first one’s a lie.”

Ressler didn’t blink. “Is that your final answer?”

“It is.” Her heart felt a bit like it had clawed its way into her throat, but she somehow managed not to choke on her words.

His face split into a grin. “My cousincrashed a motorcycle when I was seventeen, which is why I never ride them.”

Liz clapped her hands and threw them in the air. “Drink up losers.”

After they each took a couple more turns – apparently Aram had over sixteen cavities and Park had once skydived from a height of 18,000 feet – Aram went to go get a new round of drinks. Liz was not entirely sure this was a good idea, as Park looked like she was about to fall off her chair. “So, Super Special Agent Ressler,” she drawled, slightly slurring her words. “Liz and I were talking earlier, and we agree you look particularly hot today.”

One minute words were leaving Park’s mouth, the next there was the feeling of being in midair before Liz crashed into the floor.

She blinked, disoriented, and realized Ressler was kneeling next to her, his arm around her back. “Liz, are you all right?”

She tried to nod, focusing on his somehow clear eyes. “Have you had less to drink than us?” she accused.

His lips twitched. “I figured at least one of us should be able to tell left from right.”

Liz rubbed the hip she’d fallen on. “Cheater,” she muttered as he helped her back onto the chair. Park looked pleased with herself, though Liz couldn’t figure out why.

“So you think I’m hot today?”

Liz groaned, before glaring at Park. “Those were her words, not mine.”

“You didn’t disagree,” the younger agent snickered. Liz made a mental note to get her fired when they were both sober. “Anyway, you do look totally hot. Shirts like that do great things for your shoulders.”

“You do realize this is going to go straight to his ego,” Liz deadpanned.

“No please, keep going,” Ressler grinned into his glass. “This is the most fun I’ve had in weeks.”

Liz made a face. “I feel that speaks to your lack of a social life more than anything else.”

“Says the woman who’s practically agoraphobic.”

“I am notafraid of spiders!”

He laughed. “No, Keen, agoraphobia is the fear of social situations.”

Liz swatted at him. “I knew that.”

Aram got back with the drinks, but Park stopped him before handing them out. “Let’s switch it up. I vote for… Never Have I Ever.”

Ressler groaned. “It’s like high school all over again.”

“Speak for yourself, some of us didn’t get invited to any parties in high school,” quipped Aram. For some reason this struck Liz as enormously funny, and she laughed hard enough she almost fell off her chair again. But this time rather than tilting in the direction of open space, she tilted in the direction of her partner, and he wrapped an arm around her waist to make sure she didn’t fall.

“Easy there Liz,” he murmured, his lips a hairs breadth away from her ear.

Liz could practically feel as every ounce of rational thought left her brain, and moved over so she was sitting on his lap. She felt his chest hitch beneath her fingers as she draped her right arm over his shoulder for balance. “What?” she asked in her most innocent voice as he looked at her in a state of semi-shock. “I clearly can’t be trusted to take care of myself in this state.”

Ressler didn’t answer just kept looking at her, hand still wrapped securely on her waist, before turning back to the other two who were looking simply delighted. Aram drummed his hands on the table. “I’ll go first. Never have I ever punched someone in the face.” Everyone else immediately drank, and Aram looked vaguely disappointed in them all.

Ressler went next. “Never have I ever shot the attorney general.”

Liz whipped around to give him a betrayed look. “Seriously?”

His eyes twinkled at her. “Drink up Keen.”

Keeping eye contact the entire time, Liz downed the shot. “My turn,” she said emphatically. “Never have I ever hired a date to my cousin’s wedding.”

Now it was Ressler’s turn to look betrayed. “Low blow.”

Her smile widened. “Drink up honey.”

Ressler drank, his throat bobbing as he swallowed and Liz felt her mouth go dry.

“My turn,” said Park, and Liz turned to look at her, realizing too late her expression was entirely too smug. “Never have I ever been in love with a coworker.”

Dimly, Liz thought that Aram should probably drink, but all she could look at was the glass in Ressler’s hand. In her periphery, she could see that he was looking at her. Then she saw him raise the glass up to his lips and swallow. She met his eyes as he put it down. “What’ll it be Liz?” His voice was thick.

Liz reached blindly towards the table for a shot glass, and quickly swallowed it down. Her face burned, her throat burned, her lips burned where his eyes flickered to them; every part of her burned. She wanted someone to set her on fire. Aram and Park stood and walked over to the bar, Liz thought they may have given an excuse but she didn’t care, she was incapable of caring about absolutely anything when Ressler was looking at her like that, the way he always looked at her, the way he’d been looking at her for years now.

She leaned in to press her lips to his, cautiously, afraid of his rejection despite the alcohol surging through her veins. But his hand came up to gently cup her cheek, and now she could let herself lean into it. His lips were soft and tasted like scotch, she pulled herself closer to him, feeling their chests press together as his own grip on her tightened. He bit down softly on her lower lip and she moaned into the feeling, opening up more fully to him.

Eventually they broke apart, both panting, foreheads touching. When Liz could bring herself to open her eyes, she saw he was staring at her again. She summoned her courage. “Never have I ever gone home with someone after a first kiss.”

His eyes darkened. “Let’s fix that.” * Alina clinked her glass with Aram’s as their two coworkers got up from where they were practically grinding on a chair, threw on their jackets and hastily made their way to the door.

“Very impressive,” her co-conspirator praised. “How’d you do it?”

Alina laughed. “Holidays plus unresolved feelings plus alcohol and just a little bit of meddling tends to yield good results.”

“Hopefully they don’t both wake up in the morning and decide to pretend it never happened,” he muttered, throwing back a drink in one go.

Alina shook her head. “They won’t.”

He raised his eyebrows. “And how do you know that?”

She shook a chastising finger at him. “Haven’t you learned by now not to question me?”

Aram raised his hands in surrender. “My apologies. Am I forgiven?”

She laughed. “Oh, what the hell. It’s Christmas.”

[blazewatergem]

The year is 2016.

We had started the world a year, maybe two ago. It felt like it was always a part of us. You had made pixel art, using wool blocks from the wild herds of sheep wandering the grasslands. I was busy making a hidden hideout, a HQ of sorts. It was just the two of us, at first, but I knew we would get more involved. That our two little houses would grow into three, four, and more. The players list grew and so did our realm.

We had a huge bridge built across the swamplands, because yes we’re bringing those horses home. I made a barn on the water. You made a giant stadium all because we wanted to do firework shows. I managed to start experimenting with red stone and next thing we know I’ve got a half built arena that’s Hunger Games style, never mind I’ve never read the books. You laugh when I admit that. There’s a bakery somewhere. There’s a mountain fortress half built that honestly, was a country-cabin version of Erebor. So many builds I never finished, jumping from project to project. That hasn’t changed in the slightest. We had a nether base, too. We had a giant Christmas tree and got each other presents in the form of enchanted swords and armor. You gave me the Enderdragon Egg and it was the best thing in the world. I made a room for it in the HQ and everything.

You made statues. They’d be overlooking the hills.

I made fox holes. I’m not sure why I called them that but it was fun hiding from the night in them.

Our friends joined in. Some for weeks, months. Some only for a few days. It started with us two though. It was under my name, but it was ours.

The year is 2016 when it fell. When my computer suddenly didn’t want to load up. When the system had so many viruses it just...wouldn’t go. I made promises then. Promises I’d get the world out. It couldn’t be that hard, to download a world full of so much and so many memories. To keep them safe. To keep everything we built safe and stored away in the digital void of a thumb drive until we could show it the light again.

I come home from a day of high school to see my computer broken, and the Realm gone.

I stop paying the subscription — we got busy, couldn’t play much anymore. Both of us. The friendship never died, it changed and I would call us stronger for it but the realm is...not forgotten but put aside. We remember it fondly, talk about what we would do if we could go back. We’ve grown, learnt new things. Surely we could make it better, bigger. Nothing could stop us now, and all the changes would just add to the thrill. You mention you’re back from Indiana, and your PC will be put back together soon. “Let’s play!” You text me “Let’s do it. Let’s start again.”

I’ve never said yes so fast. So I set things up. Some technical difficulties but soon things are running smoothly. The Realm is back up and running, and I’m happy to make new memories even if I miss the old world. The old one lost to a broken computer now long, long gone for four whole years. I check the settings, the player list. Finally, urged alone by a passing thought, I check the back up logs for the system.

Last Backup Saved: November 6th, 2016

I see the mountains again. I see the HQ again. I see it all again. It’s still there. It stayed. It stayed and it’s back and it’s ours again.

A hiatus four years in the making, now ended by the fact that while we remembered it survived.

Onward and upward, and don’t worry. This time I saved it. We’ll never lose our home again.

~~~~~~~

Back in 2016 my friend and I had a Minecraft Realm that we built so much on, it was basically our own little kingdom. We’d start and end worlds at random, but I always kept our “original” save in a folder to use whenever. When my computer busted and died, I thought that world lost for good. I honestly mourned all that lost progress, we had been building for two years. Hell maybe even more!

Today, when I finally repurchased the Realm and was setting it up again so we could start fresh and new, I noticed there was a backup file saved. Over FOUR. YEARS. AGO.

It was our old world. It had been saved by the system. I never even considered that, and I actually ended up crying a bit as I logged in and saw the old builds. There’s houses of people I don’t even talk to anymore, things I haven’t touched in so long and silly memories we made by playing at like midnight and being sleep deprived. It was all there, and I texted her immediately freaking out about it.

Then I proceeded to save it to my account so I’ll never lose it again.

Chances are we’ll start another world, fresh and ready for our chaos(my friend is a streamer, after all. Maybe a Let’s Play? Not like it won’t be chaotic with us anyways lol) but the emotions I felt when just flying around and seeing it all still there. I had to write something. I HAD to.

Minecraft has changed quite a bit since then. It’ll be fun, building a new Realm. Maybe this time I’ll actually finish all my builds 😂