#i think this last chapter gave us a hint at how jake feels about y/n being pregnant

[jakeyt]

What if… covet Jake has a breeding kink

.......... this is an interesting thought, hm? 😏😏 ;)

[gretavanmoon]

an omnipresent force • ch 5

Chapter 5 - DARK ABDUCTION

Jake x female reader

Words: 12K

A/N: Semi-AU// Set six years in the future, the world has decided to cast humankind aside, starting with the poisonous entities that are destroying her the most.

*So sorry it took me a damned month to write this LOL I love you all

Warnings: Dystopian Horror, Cursing, Suspense, Feelings of Fear and Uncertainty, An Apocalyptic World, Violence (& mention of firearms), Mentions of Smoking, Kidnapping, Blood, Death & Dying, Lying, Attacks, Deceit, Panic, Mental Anguish. Smut: Kissing, Heavy Pining, Heavy Touching, Mentions of Sex

JAKE

“Wait, you two kissed?” Sam places his hand harshly on my shoulder as his tired eyes delve deeply into mine. I see the tiniest hint of a smirk poking at his mouth, and I immediately regret my decision to let the admission of what happened last night slip. I’m struck silent for a second as I bite my own tongue for telling my brother what happened on the wall by the koi pond, but he perseveres. “Answer me, asshole! Tell me what happened!” His hand shakes at my shoulder as I glance around to be sure we’re away from the rest of the group, but I feel Danny’s presence suddenly hovering at my back.

“Wait, what happened?” he says with a monotone grunt, sitting down beside Sam and I with a plate full of canned something. “Who kissed somebody?”

Jesus Christ.

We’d all awoken from the restlessness of sorry excuses for sleep nearly an hour ago, buried up under old, musty quilts and blankets from the home Odin had us hiding out in. I fell asleep with Y/N’s hand in mine as we laid head to head on the dusty cushions, trying our best to calm our minds enough to sleep. We knew we needed it, hell, even if we didn’t fall into unconsciousness, just resting our bodies enough to relax was helpful enough. My mind had raced all night long with half-asleep dreams of Josh… of my parents and my family, all my dark daily thoughts even darker then under the cover of nighttime and complete silence. 

But her warm hand in mine gave me some type of solace, though she is still yet unfamiliar and more or less a stranger to me, that kiss on the wall felt like more than just two humans begging for physical touch after so many months without it. Deep down I knew that my body was acting more powerfully than my mind, taking whatever it could get just to feel something again, but after sitting with the memory of the feeling of her lips on mine all night long, I started to think it felt like something different.

Luckily Y/N had taken off to the woods to do her business, giving me a second of reprieve to sort my thoughts out while Odin and the brothers made some type of breakfast over the fire in the backyard. Sparrow was still deep in sleep, resting peacefully in the bedroom across the hall from us. 

“Jake kissed Y/N!” Sam belts to Danny in a loud whisper, earning him a swift slap of the back of my hand across his stomach. “Ow, fuck! What, you didn’t want him to know or something?”

“No, I don’t care that he knows, it’s just… not a big deal–”

“Not a big deal? Jake, this is like the first episode of a soap opera, man!” Danny exclaims with a toothy smile. “Need some romantic drama in my life, tell us what happened,” Danny orders as the two of them sit beside me with expressions of extreme interest. For a split second, it feels like we’re 16 again, telling each other stories about girls and hookups and how we managed to sneak out after midnight without getting caught.

“No drama to it, Daniel,” I begin to reluctantly explain, running my hand over my mustache. “Just… kinda happened, I dunno.” I stare back at the both of them, all three of us haggard, dirty, unshaven and feral… looking outwardly worse for wear than we ever have in our lives. I make a mental note to re-think what Y/N even sees in me, right now.  

Their eyes are trained on me, their jaws hanging slack as they wait with bated breath for the dirty details. It feels private, but also…eh, they’re going to learn about it eventually, I guess. I’ll keep a little bit to myself, but feeding into them will make for some unexpected entertainment. 

“Just happened…” Sam repeats. “I mean was it, good?” he asks, swallowing down his excitement. You’d never guess that we’re thirty-something year old men having this discussion right now. 

I feel my chest bloom with the memory of it, remembering everything about how she felt pressed against me, how she tasted, how she sounded when I let my hands wander…

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, it was… really good,” I can feel my cheeks blushing. “We just…” I throw my hands into the air and try to down play it all, but they know me too well. The bite of my lips between my teeth is doing all it can to keep me from relinquishing every detail to them, simply so I can relive it, myself.

“Fuckin’ come on, Jake. I didn’t realize you guys were that close…” Danny tries to urge me.

“We’re not, I mean, we were locked up in the same pod, she was a damned fan, for fuck’s sake,” I breathe, checking our surroundings again as I whisper. “She saved me, back at the sink hole…” I recount to them. “Got me out of there. They’d just hit me over the head when I was trying to save her Paps, I was passing out. I wouldn’t have made it out if she didn’t–”

I watch them adjust themselves as they listen, huffing through deep breaths of imagining what my negative memory might be going through. 

“I mean of course I’m… ya know. It’s been some time since I’ve—,” I try and explain without saying, earning understanding nods from them. “But things got a little…handsy, I guess.”

“Oooo!” Sam squeals, rubbing his hands together.  “You lucky motherfucker! What else happened? Did you do it?”

“God, no, Sam, we didn’t do it, you fuckin’ idiot,” I bite back as Danny laughs loudly. 

“What?” he howls. “I’m trying to live vicariously here!”

“Nah man, she’s like… really nice. It was really uhm, not just physical, I guess. We talked and stuff. She feels like…” I raise my hands and squeeze the air as I realize I’m having a hard time explaining to them exactly what I feel. Of course my body is feigning for more human touch, any type of connection I can get my hands on. I’m ashamed of the thoughts that plagued me on the couch last night, but I remind myself that it’s normal. And, after hearing what she had to say about a little touchin’ and squeezin’...

“She feels good. I don’t know how else to explain it. Just, really good. All the way around.”

“So there’s mutual attraction?” Sam asks, nearly begging for more detail.

I fight back another smirk. “Oh yeah. M’sure of that.”

“I saw her looking at you last night,” Danny adds quietly as he pulls food into his mouth. “She got those googly eyes.”

“Of course she did, Daniel, do you not remember being on stage? It hasn’t been that fucking long ago…” Sam bickers.

“No,” Danny laughs, “not that kind of eyes. She was looking at you. Like, really looking. With concern and empathy…while we were listening to Sparrow talk.”

All I can do is nod, remembering that I’ve caught her looking at me like that, too. A few times now. And each time it sends a surge of some type of emotion that I don’t have time to think about right now straight through my body like an electric shock. It’s funny, I’ve had my fair share of what you’d call crushes in my lifetime, some evolving into serious, years-long relationships and some fizzling out before I even had a chance to think twice about them. 

But never have I felt like I didn’t want to eat the food in front of me when I’m nearly starving, simply for the fact that the emanating peace I’ve felt in my chest and stomach for the past few days takes up enough space that I don’t need sustenance. Because she fills me. She’s making my heart race for a reason that I don’t yet understand, and I’m teetering on the edge of feeling guilty about it, as my heart should be racing with worry and concern for my family, instead. 

“Well,” Sam breaks the silence, “I hope that things stay moving forward for you, brother. Nothing like a little romance during the fucking apocalypse.”

Just then I hear her giggle from the back side of the house, causing my head to dart that way as I long to hear it again. I toss the pebbles that I had mindlessly picked up back into the murky koi pond and stand with Sam and Daniel, and we begin to make our way back to the fire to see what the day will hold. 

I catch her eyes as soon as I round the corner of the house, bright and rested as I assume she got better sleep than I did. Her face immediately turns the prettiest shade of pink before she shyly breaks her gaze, tossing a few pieces of hair behind her ear. That familiar knot pulls at my stomach, making me forget how to breathe for a second as I watch the too-bright sun bounce off her features. The day is already beginning to feel strange as the wind begins to shift from the warmth of the night into the freezing cold of the day. 

“Where is Odin?” Danny asks the brothers as they work to prepare a makeshift meal. 

“Went to sit with Sparrow until she wakes up,” Robbie answers as he stirs whatever is in the pot that hangs above the fire. “Want some?” He holds the wooden spoon out to me as I realize it’s some kind of oatmeal, and I immediately feel my stomach churn with hunger. Maybe I do need real sustenance, after all. I nod, grabbing two bowls from the stack and letting Robbie fill them for Y/N and I. 

I pass the bowl off to her as we both take our seats on a rock by the fire. “Awfully kind of you to think of me, Jacob,” she says sweetly, taking the hot bowl from my hand. 

You’re the only thing that’s been on my mind since last night, if we’re being honest…

“Sharing is caring,” I blurt, making her giggle again. 

“Do we have a plan? Are we making moves soon?” Danny asks, turning the bleak cheeriness of the morning straight into business. We always leave it to him to keep things on track. And honestly, if it weren’t for him naturally doing that at every single turn, it’s hard to tell where we would be today.

“As soon as Sparrow wakes up, and we see that she’s ready to share again, we will define a more detailed plan,” Josiah explains. “For now, Odin wants you all fed and for us to gather necessary supplies from the house. I found some backpacks and camping gear in the upstairs closet, we can fill them with whatever we need.” 

I tilt the bowl up and let the soupy oatmeal fall into my mouth, and as it burns my lips and tongue I feel nothing but gratitude for it. My mouth waters and my stomach churns again as it thanks me, my mind suddenly feeling a bit of clarity as the food hits my stomach. 

“We also need to hydrate. All of us,” Robbie adds. “I think these people were preppers before we even knew the world was ending… I found a ton of canteens and potable water in the basement this morning. Firestarters, water filters, hot hands, oil lamps… take whatever you want but make sure it doesn’t weigh you down. There’s also still a ton of clothing in the closets. Grab whatever you can.”

“We also need to remember that we’re being hunted,” Josiah says grimly from behind him. His eyes seem dark in the sunlight, a stark contrast to his brother’s cheery disposition. “Hunted by the ones who Robbie and I ‘work’ for.”

“Worked,” Robbie corrects him, glaring behind him to meet eyes with his brother. My gut suddenly falls as a worrisome thought flows through my head, one that hopes to the heavens above that these men aren’t actually luring us somewhere. I know Y/N, Sam, and Danny have the same thought, but it’s quickly extinguished as Josiah explains his demeanor. 

“Right, worked. Sorry. I’m just…” Josiah works his hands over his face and licks his lips, letting out a large breath of air as he shakes his nerves away. It hadn’t dawned on me that these two men have put everything out on the line for this, for us. To help save us, keep us protected. They are just humans like we are, just a couple of guys who agreed to fight the good fight. Of course they’re feeling just as overwhelmed. 

“We haven’t forgotten that, Josiah. And I don’t think you know how much we appreciate you both for coming out here and helping defend our asses,” Sam says through full mouths of his oatmeal. The other three of us agree and nod.

“We’re not gonna let these motherfuckers win,” Robbie growls. “They mistreated us for far too long. Lied to us, and we played their games, but we caught them up. Now we know how they operate. We’ll be damned if we let them take anything more from us.”

“Your family, are we searching for them, too?” Y/N asks from beside me. 

Robbie and Josiah share a sullen glance before their eyes land back on her. “No, we lost them all to the rash. Dad was able to stay with us for a while, but. It got him in the end,” Robbie says, tossing a few pieces of broken sticks into the flames. 

“Neither one of us have even shown any symptoms. Then we got picked up by these scary fuckers, they agreed to give us shelter and a lavish life in safety from what has happened to the world. Not sure why we agreed, we felt desperate at the time, I guess,” Josiah adds. “They said they would make it worth our while to come and work for them, and before we knew it we were in too deep. But we did learn nearly everything there was to know about how their world intersects with ours, and then we learned about you guys being found. Made all the musical ties ourselves, realized all the lyrics, knew that you’d be in grave danger, and we were right.”

“I still can’t believe you two were fans, too,” Danny breathes. “Feels strange.”

“Yeah man, big time. Used to play you guys all the time while we were overseas, bugged the shit out of everyone until they all started singing along. Took some time, but we converted them,” Josiah went on. 

“Wait, overseas?” I implore. 

Robbie clears his throat. “Yeah, we were both in the military. I was Air Force, Joe was Marines. We were both stationed separately when Starcatcher came out, but I remember we got on some shitty Zoom call and talked about it for like an hour. We were hyped.”

“Oh yeah!” Josiah yelps. “That was killer, I remember that. Fuck I played that shit over and over, got the whole squad turned on to you guys. Playin’ fuckin Highway Tune on jukeboxes in random bars in Germany… ah, what wild times.”

I feel a genuine smile warm through me as I realize that our music really did tie bonds between people, and they found comfort in it even while they were living in what most likely was their own versions of hell. Even now, months after we realized that our dreams had come to a quick and forced ending, it feels good to hear the stories of days past, when it truly did mean something to someone. At least we all will always have that. “So that’s why they hired you guys… you had experience in this shit…”

They both nod. “Yeah, somewhat. We ended up coming back home around the same time, I got an MP job, and Joe stayed with Special Forces for a while. Got out and got some civilian jobs or whatever, then the world ended,” Robbie says with a twist of his neck. 

I gulp down the strange sadness that has washed over me, and I feel Y/N’s side press a little harder onto mine. 

“Bet that was tough…” I mutter. 

“Yeah, ya know. We didn’t hate our lives, but it wasn’t sunshine and rainbows. The thrill of the job is what we got addicted to, but it felt like a prison most days,” Josiah goes on. “Now we deserted our posts as work hounds for those motherfuckers, guess we’re a couple of renegades, now.”

Danny’s eyes shoot open as he glances to them, then to me, realizing yet another connection that hadn’t even dawned on any of us, yet. Son of a bitch, Josh…how in the fuck did you do this? 

I shake my head in disbelief, feeling Y/N exhale hard as she makes the connection, too. It’s quiet for a minute or so as a heaviness falls over us.  

“Till Valhalla?” I finally ask, unsure of how else to propose it. 

Josiah purses his lips, offering me a stern look. “Or is it Alas, Babylon?”

I huff through my nose, breathing a quiet “fuck” as I place my bowl down onto the rocky ground, running my hands over my face. They’ve realized it, too. As the minutes tick, things become more and more unreal. Or more real, depending on how you look at it. I’m awestruck at how our words are still coming to life at every turn, realizing now that these two brothers are our Barbarians. 

“Well, thank you, guys… for all of it. Really,” Sam says with a little conviction as we all add in our words of agreement.

“Ah, no need for that. But it’s appreciated,” Josiah says as he stands up and elbows his brother. “We’re just out here still doing what we do best, huh?”

Just as the conversation starts to lighten a little, we hear the back sliding glass door open as Odin gently bounds through, giving us looks of intrigue as his one orange eye glistens in the sun. Behind him in hand, is Sparrow. 

“Good morning, everyone. I trust you all got some rest,” his voice is low and graveled as he uses caution to lead a tired Sparrow outside into the cool wind. 

“Got enough, I suppose,” I say, standing to greet them. “How are you, Sparrow?”

Her aura seems to shift as she moves, the air around her almost glittering in a dusty haze. “Well, Jacob, thank you.” It’s like the breeze warms as she speaks, blowing across us with a new wave of positivity and calmness. She emotes some kind of invisible tranquility, almost immediately filling me with a new gumption to keep going, keep fighting. I can hardly fathom the emotion, but I feel a warm buzz of stamina begin pulsing through my veins. She makes me feel like I’m…alive. 

Odin leads her over to take a seat on a bench as she hobbles across the gravel with her hand clutched protectively over her sword. 

“Is she…limping?” I hear Y/N whisper quietly in my ear, again furthering that the visions of her in Josh’s dreams were spot on. 

I nod slowly as she begins to relax onto the seat, stretching her back and raising her arms high above her head. “My friends, my sincerest apologies for bestowing that news upon you with such haste last night, but I thought it prevalent to our situation, and urgency became paramount. And then, my slumber afterward is always overpowering, and again I am sorry. I simply can never fight through it…” 

I feel Y/N rise from her seat beside me as she wraps a blanket around herself, making her way over to sit beside Sparrow. “It’s alright, you don’t need to be sorry. I think we are all grateful that you’re here, and willing to help us, right guys?”

“Right, absolutely,” we all viciously agree. At this point, I’m chomping at the bit for her to continue, to feed us more information that I know she is holding inside her. But I’ve learned that patience is key. 

We all gather in around her like children being read a Christmas story, anxiously waiting to hear what new news she has to offer. I’m nervous, and I’m a little scared to know, but I also can’t bring myself to think about anything else at the moment. The newfound urge to keep going is amplified the closer I get to Sparrow, but I also could absolutely collapse with worry for my brother. 

“Alright, I’ve got good news, and I’ve got bad news…”

Y/N

I feel the overwhelming urge to reach out and grab Sparrow’s hand, but I resist, not knowing whether or not that will comfort her at all. I’m not sure where my want to comfort her has come from, but I can’t seem to step away from it. 

The guys and I sit and wait for her news, and I’m positive none of us have taken a breath since the last word left her lips. My nerves are swirling but I suppress them, knowing that Jake, Sam, and Danny are a thousand times more anxious than I am. Paps would want me to stay strong.

“The good news is that your brother is alive. And he is safe, in some sense of the word,” she sings, her accent flowing through a hundred millenia, but all of us are somehow able to understand it. “My friends, as I’m sure you all have probably assumed by now, Joshua has been found and captured by those who rule the Tower. His mind is still his own, but you must understand, once one crosses into the other world and begins inserting oneself with the beliefs of those who inhabit there, it takes a great deal of power to begin to reverse it. The words that flowed from me last night were indeed words spoken by your brother, himself, to the people there whom he will one day rule over.”

“Wait, rule over? What does that mean?” I interrupt, my body tensing. 

“Jacob, your brother is a Seer. Even in his adolescent dreams and nightmares, he was witnessing and experiencing a plethora of occurrences that were happening in real time, in the past and in the future, in our world. You know this, now. You wrote about it, about it all. Once our people learned that Joshua possessed this gift through learning of your music, they made it their mission to try and take him for their own. To rule over them as the true one that they could believe in, the one who stands, and watches over,” Sparrow says. My chest caves and my breath hitches as it all begins to come to life again. All of our lyrics, all of our stories…

She goes on, “Of course they wanted him, they just had no idea that a mere human would be the one to possess the power to see time. Time and events being prophesied by a human man in an enemy world is… unfathomable, for them. The end of your world just happened to be the perfect time for them to act upon their plans, as our worlds cannot live while the other is struggling to stay alive. Two sides of the same coin, spinning rapidly on its axis until it begins to slow and falter. But this time, oh, this time, things are different.”

“So they wanted Josh… to be their Seer, to be the one who can warn them of what’s to come, what will work in their favor, and what will not…” Sam drones, choking back tears. 

“Correct, Samuel. Odin, have you told them of what they are doing to their elderly? With their memories?” Sparrow asks. 

Odin shakes his head. “Yes, I have.”

“Your immune elders are being used for their experiments. They are trying to wipe their memories, wipe anything and everything they have ever known to soon bring them over into their own world, and convert them to follow the Seer. A whole new population that will know nothing but following him.”

“Blind faith…” Danny murmurs from beside me, his elbow pressing into my back. “It’s their fate.”

“That’s right Daniel,” Sparrow agrees, emanating another glow of positivity around us. “Blind in the sense that they will have no recollection of how they got there, or why they feel compelled to follow this omniscient. It’s the perfect storm.”

“You said that the hooded guards are all omniscient, why can’t they use one of them? Why does it have to be Josh?” I press, remembering what Odin had said. 

“I said they are all nearly omniscient. Your brother, in their eyes, is completely so,” Odin reiterates. 

I huff out an air of disappointment for news that I partially already knew, but hearing it all said out loud has crushed me. Why? Why?

“Josh didn’t know what we were writing about was real, though! They can’t take him and claim his mind like that, they can’t take away his free will!” I yell, feeling my heartrate taking off. 

“They can, Jacob, and they have already begun the process. You heard his words last night, and I know you know they were not his own. They’ve begun to manipulate his thoughts into believing that all he claims is truth, which partially, it is. They are deeming him as a new leader, a sovereign entity of whom will lead the people to their destiny.”

“Destiny? What destiny?” Danny asks.

“If their trials are successful, and they are able to completely wipe the memories of every immune human left on earth, they will take them all as their own and the Earth will have no choice but to relinquish all its power unto them,” Sparrow barks, and I can tell that the words sting a bit as they leave her mouth. 

“But I thought our worlds can’t exist without one another,” Y/N blurts, her hand now gripping hard onto mine. 

“They can’t, my love, without inhabitants who are strong and thriving.” Sparrow stands and approaches us, her warmth bellowing toward us as she raises her hand to brush across all of our faces. “That’s why they are hunting you. You are worth everything to them. If they can erase the memories of your elders, then they will be sure they can erase the memories of the stronger, younger immunes. Wipe your Mother Earth of her inhabitants, and watch as she completely crumbles. Once they convert you all, then their world will have more than enough power to exist on it’s own, without needing the support of Earth to survive.”

She comes in closer, her aura dripping with what feels like forced happiness. “You see, they want to fully extinguish the human race from the face of the Earth. They want you as their own. Their plan is to take you all, and Joshua is their sole key to the abductions.”

Abductions. 

Suddenly, I can’t breathe. 

I can’t blink, I can’t swallow… I can’t even feel the rocks that I know are poking through the thinning soles of my boots. 

Jake’s hand slips from my own as I feel him slowly turn to me, and to Sam and Danny, all of their faces void of any real emotion at all, other than complete terror. 

“This isn’t fair…” I whisper, and I’m not sure any sound came from me, at all. It feels like my chest is made of stone, the small breaths I’m pulling in unable to expand my lungs. Josh…

“What do we do?” Jake asks us, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as his pupils shrink to pinpoints. His face has dropped to a stark white, and I can feel the terrified energy radiating from him. His eyes dart from his brothers to me, looking to all of us for answers that we simply don’t have. “What do we do?” Tears begin welling in his eyes and the rims of them turn a bright red. I can see his hands visibly shaking.

“We search. Today. We leave, now,” Odin harks, standing from Sparrow’s side as he throws his bow and arrow over his shoulder. “Into the house, pack your bags, take only all that is necessary and nothing more. Pack water, warm clothing. Josiah, Robbie, the same for you. Make sure you lock all of the doors and windows, we will return to this place eventually.”

“Where are we going? What’s the plan?” Danny asks as everyone begins to shuffle. 

“First we find your families. Get them to safety. Then we find your brother and cross him back over. That will be the hard part,” he says, punching through all of us to go and begin packing his horse. Danny, Sam, and the others jump into action and begin rushing into the house to pack their things.

I notice that Jake is frozen where he stands, the news that Sparrow has just shared still coursing through him. I fear he is in shock, feeling the effects of learning the truth about his twin fully and completely. Truly, I’m not sure what to even say to him right now, but then I look to Sparrow and she gives me a tight grin, and I immediately feel another wave of comfort and courage wash over us. 

“Jake, I know you’re scared right now, and I know this is a lot to process, but. We’re going to find him, he’s going to be okay,” I reason, taking his cheeks into my hands to try to get him to look at me. 

“How do you know that, Y/N? What if we can’t get to him, and he’s already too far gone? What if he– what if he never comes back?” I never thought I would see him cry, I never thought I would have to be the one comforting him when he did… But here I find myself…

“You wanna know how I know that, Jake? Blind faith.”

“What–what do you mean? That’s…”

My hands release his cheeks and fall to catch his still trembling hands, cold and clammy in the blowing air. “How do we ever know anything is going to work for certain, Jake? We don’t, we just have to persevere. Josh wouldn’t stop looking for you, and he’d never give up on you. None of you would give up on each other. Right? All these years, all you’ve done is trusted each other, because it’s all that you had. You seized every opportunity, together. And look where it got you. You can’t stop now. You can’t think thoughts like that now, Jake. We don’t have time for them. Every single one of you is stronger than you know, and I’ll be damned if I sit here and watch you crumble because of a little fear. You’ve overcome so much, Jake, in your lives and in your careers, because of your blind faith.”

“Kill fear,” he whispers. 

I watch as his pupils grow a bit, and his muscles relax. I wipe the tears that are beginning to freeze onto his face, catching in his lengthening beard and mustache. “Yeah, fuck fear,” I smile.

He nods, turning his head to press a sweet kiss onto my palm. “Okay, yeah. You’re right. We’re gonna find him, he’s gonna be alright, the son of a bitch.” I smile as he picks himself up, gripping my hands that are still cupping his cheeks and placing more kisses onto my palms and fingers. “Thank you…”

I push myself onto him, wrapping my arms around his neck as he finally takes his first full breath in a few minutes. “Don’t thank me, Jake. You don’t know how many times you and your brothers have comforted me when I thought there was nothing else left for me in this world. You and your music were always there.” 

I hear him laugh, his chest shaking a little against mine as I realized the words I’d just said. “I didn’t mean to say that, it just came out,” I laugh along with him as he pulls away a little, holding my elbows in his hands. 

“Hell, maybe he dreamed about you and me too, then,” he mutters, sending my heart straight into glittering explosions. What did I do to deserve spending this time with him? The person that pulled me from the depths so many times… and now we’ve found ourselves here…

“Maybe he did…” I reply shyly, feeling his thumbs grazing across my arms. 

“Hey, love birds! Come on, we’ve got bags to pack!” We hear Sam yelling from the upstairs balcony of the house, and if it weren’t for the immediate action we jumped into, I would have had time to process the fact that Sam just used the word love.

JAKE

Only all that is necessary…

You always think about what you would grab and take with you if your house was burning down, but when it actually came down to it, you always knew you’d be able to gather resources again. Meals from a neighbor, supplies from the store, fuel from a gas station… 

But when it comes down, truly, to only what is necessary… I think I’ve drawn a blank. 

The empty backpack sits open in my hands as I kneel in the closet of the stranger’s house, my eyes scanning over the clothing that once kept this person warm. Sweaters that his wife had gifted him, socks with holes he had worn in, boots still covered in mud and debris from the hike he didn’t know was going to be his last... 

I swallow hard as my eyes scan even further into the bottom of the closet, shelves full of old memorabilia, high-school basketball trophies, photo albums, old vinyl records… these were part of someone’s life. And I am taking it, because I need to survive. 

“I can’t do this…” I mutter, shaking my head of the sudden overwhelming feeling of impeding into someone’s personal space, though their earthly body is long gone from this home. 

“You have to,” I hear from the doorway, looking up to see Robbie looking back at me. “Promise you, this guy wouldn’t care.”

I huff through my nose. “How would you know, did you know him?”

“No, but I feel like if he knew that it’s the actual end of the earth, the seasons are blending, your family was kidnapped by inhabitants of another world, and you’re running around with mythical creatures while you’re being hunted and used for your mind, I’m pretty positive he wouldn’t care if you stole a pair of socks or two,” Robbie says sarcastically as he gnaws on a long piece of red candy. “Twizzler?”

I laugh again, opening the drawer that houses the underwear and socks. “Yeah, actually, thanks. They aren’t stale?”

“Fuck yeah, they are. But it don’t bother me. Just keeps my hands and mouth busy, ya know?”

I stuff two pairs of woolen socks into a zippered part of the bag before removing my boots and slipping a fresh pair on. “You used to smoke, didn’t you?” I ask. 

“How’d you know?”

“Just a guess,” I reply, reaching far back into the closet to grab a pair of the man’s old hiking boots, happy with finding we were almost the exact same size. “I would have gotten you a pack or five if I’d have known… Right before you found us, we were in an old convenience store chock full of them. That’s where Y/N and I found Sam and Danny.”

Robbie grunts a laugh as he pulls another rogue Twizzler from his pocket, handing it off to me. “Sounds like we might have to make a pitstop.” 

It does sound intriguing… A cigarette would be fucking glorious, right about now. “Might could make that happen…”

“So Y/N… you didn’t know her before?” he asks, piquing my interest.

I shake my head. “No, just in the pods. She used to listen to us a lot, like you and Josiah did, so I guess she knew me, kinda… Why?”

I see him shrug from the corner of my eye. “Just wonderin’. Ya’ll seem pretty close.”

I shrug back, pulling a hoodie off a metal hanger. “Guess you could say that.” I pop the Twizzler into my mouth and bite off the end, zipping the overfull bag closed and tossing it over my shoulder. “Kinda feel like she’s mine to protect.”

He tosses me the last candy in his pocket as I stand and face him, watching his jaw work as he chews. “Raid the bathroom, too,” he suggests. “Soap would be nice.”

—-

“Got everything you need?” I ask Y/N as everyone gathers out back again. We’re all in a slow-motion hurry, now, as the morning is slowly drifting into noon. 

“Uh, yeah, think so,” she says, zipping the oversized pullover she’d found up around her chin, and pulling a toboggan down over her ears. “It’s so hard to think about it being so hot at night, and there’s ice blowing through the air, now…”

“I know, everything is so backwards,” I agree, leaning down to re-tie my boots. 

As I stand back up, she pulls me to the side, causing me to stumble a little bit into her. “Come here…” she whispers, her hand gripped hard in my jacket. 

“Yeah, whoa, yeah?” I laugh as she catches my fall and takes me in her embrace. 

“I found something else, while I was searching the house,” she whispers, her eyes trained on my face. 

“Oh?” I ask. “What’d you find?”

She reaches into her pocket, pulling out a brand new razor and a tiny bottle of travel shaving cream. My face falls and I feel my lips flatten into a sarcastic look. “What, you got a problem with this more rugged side of me, or somethin’?” I rake my fingernails through my beard, scratching hard at it. 

She glances around and sees that everyone else is taken up by their own tasks before she wraps her hands in my jacket, pulling me forward into her and around the corner of the house. We stumble back underneath the second-floor porch, hiding in the shadows and away from the wind a bit. She grips me again, pulling me into her as she speaks. 

“No. I love it. Really suits you,” she murmurs, her eyes traveling quickly from my eyes to my mouth. I watch as her breath turns to steam as she exhales, heavy and hot even in the blistering cold. It’s strange to say, but I almost feel like she beckons me without even saying a word. 

And fuck, she is so…

“Know what else I love about it? You feel more mature to me like this, I’ve always been one to prefer facial hair.”

“So I’m guessing you hated it when I used to shave my mustache off for shows, then?” I implore with a teasing tone, leaning in and letting my nose drift over hers playfully. “I couldn’t even grow a beard until I turned 31…”

“Yeah, used to get real fuckin’ mad about it,” she smiles, lurching her hips into mine. “We all used to place bets on if you’d show up with or without one. I lost most of the time, because you always shaved the damned thing off. But I guess it’s also cool that I’m the only one who’s ever seen you like this…”

I growl a laugh, gritting my teeth and feeling the need to be near her again. I feel flushed, even in the cold blowing air, but being near her makes me forget about every bad thing that’s surrounding us. I let my cold hands snake up under her coat, searching like hell to find her bare skin. Finally I find her stomach, attaching my cold palms to it and her hips. “Yeah, actually, I guess you’re right. Just you…”

“Fuck…” she breathes, her body shivering from my touch. “Just me?”

“Just you…” I repeat, taking her bottom lip between my teeth. God, she makes me want to lay her the fuck down, right here in this freezing cold grass. My mind begins spinning with want again as I feel her body weight pressing itself into me, my hands beginning to freely do what they please underneath her layers of shirts, just as they had last night. “What’s the razor for, then? If you like it so well?” 

Her hand comes up and grips the base of my neck, squeezing hard as I allow my hands to finally grip at her tits. She lets out a pitiful sound as her head falls back a little, spurring me on to keep exploring. I can feel her nipples hardening in my fingers, and I’m fighting with everything in me to stop myself from getting too excited, but the more her chest heaves, the harder it gets to concentrate. Her lips are ghosting across mine, and I feel her warm breath landing on my tongue. I need to taste her again.

“Just giving you the option to shave, if you wanted to,” she breathes, her eyes fluttering open and closed. “If not, you can pass it off to Danny.”

Her hand comes around and grips at my jaw, forcing me to thrust my hips into her again. I feel warm all over, almost as if the wind isn’t cutting us in two. There’s no way she can’t tell I’m impossibly hard now, and if the circumstances were different…

“If you like it, I love it,” I breathe into her as our bodies begin lurching and craning onto each other, my hands still massaging at her breasts. God, what I’d give to see her…

“Kiss me, Jake,” she mumbles into my mouth, our lips already almost touching, anyway. My mouth finally overtakes hers, my tongue unable to fight any longer as it begins exploring without any warning. She reacts the same way, pressing her chest more harshly into my hands, practically begging me to feel her even more. We stay this way for a minute or so, just like we did by the koi pond, our bodies pressing and moving as I forcefully back her up against the cold block wall of the house. 

She pushes me away a little, but catches her fingertips in the waistband of my pants, giving her a split second’s access to slip her hand inside. God fucking damnit. 

I take it as it comes as I feel her frozen hand work its way into my boxers, wasting no time in taking me fully in her hand. “Jesus Christ, baby…” I all but moan as I feel my head tilt back on its own. I reach for the wall behind her to steady myself as she squeezes me, her palm soft and gentle but using a little bit of force to show me what she wants. I come in close again, kissing her like my life fully depends on it. “Mmhmm…” I moan against her, my lips vibrating onto hers. 

“Call me baby again,” she whispers when we disconnect for a second to breathe. 

“Baby, baby, baby…” I say quietly, rolling my hips into her hand. “I’ll call you anything you fuckin’ want…”

She whimpers quietly into my mouth again as she pulls at my hair, knotted and ratty at the base of my neck. I’m reminded again of the thought of what she actually sees in me right now, dirty and gritted and unclean, but then again, she probably thinks of herself all the same. Her hair is tangled, her features are tired and a little sunburnt, yet I see her as the most beautiful thing I’ve encountered in ages. All of the things that society deemed as making a person desirable have flown out the window. Because truly, none of it fucking matters. 

Her hand grips around me again as my fingernails dig into the cinderblock, pulsing and throbbing as she takes her time with her show of intimacy. The essence of her is satiating all my senses… her taste, her scent, her touch… 

Then it hits me- this is the rawest I’ve ever felt in my life. 

Attraction comes in all shapes and sizes, and when you stumble upon it, it can either knock you down or confuse you even further. I’ve always been positive in what I want; I know exactly what attracts me and keeps my attention. And I’ve prided myself on that. Coming of age also determines and filters out what you do and do not want in life, and in a lover. And I know that my vision is blurred right now with this overwhelming need to fornicate, but shit, if she isn’t turning all of my past ideals about myself and what I want on their fucking tops. 

She’s different… she’s headstrong and brave, smarter than I could ever even think about being. She’s bold, and she’s unashamed. She acts as though she comes from a time that she didn’t have any business being in. She’s fucking beautiful, taking my breath away with every stolen glance. Yet she’s reserved in all the ways that I am… thinking before she speaks, studying people before she trusts them. I can tell all of this about her, and I’ve committed it all to memory, and I’ve only known her for less than a few weeks. 

Raw, unbridled and desperate, the wind biting at our cheeks as the wetness of our kiss coats our lips and faces, her hand gripping over me still, without any shyness about her aura, at all. Her preference of privacy stunning me as she shows me that she wants me just as badly as I want her. Not because of who she knew me as for the majority of our lives, but who she sees me as right now, untamed and ravenous for one another. And I am fucking enamored.

My hand leaves her breast and travels to grip her ass, covered in layers of pants and coveralls, but I don’t care. I hike her leg up across my hip, letting our bodies become closer as the cold wind whips through the bright green trees. I glance around every few seconds so that I’m positive we’re still alone, though at this point my mind is so fogged with desire that I truly couldn’t care less if we were caught. Her body is warm and inviting, and I let my fingers grip into the muscle between her ass and thigh, squeezing and kneading the skin there as her body rolls into mine again. 

“Would it be too forward of me to say that I fucking want you?” I blurt out with a forced whisper, my mouth overtaking my mind for just a second.

She laughs a little as we separate, her pupils blown as she shakes her head quickly from side to side. “No. It wouldn’t be too forward at all,” she says, squeezing me harder than she has, yet. “I’m the one with my hand on your cock, stupid.”

Fuck fuck fuck. Shit, get it together. My body shudders as I let out a quiet grunt of aggravation, completely blown with desire as my fist pounds into the wall that’s holding us up.

I swear if we weren’t fucking leaving in two goddamned minutes…

“I swear to god, baby, I do…” I growl again, making her grip on me move at a quicker pace. 

Just then we’re surprised by loud conversation near the fire pit, a rustle of everyone gathering up again breaking us from our intertwinement. She removes her hand from my pants and I adjust myself, rolling my eyes at our interruption as my teeth grit with annoyance. We both look at one another with the tiniest bit of shame on our faces, pink and wet with the after-effects of the session. I nod to the side as I silently tell her we’d better go. 

“Wait, Jake,” she whispers, pulling me back by the hand a little. “That’s not what I really wanted to give you.” Her closed fist stuffs into my jacket pocket and drops something inside it, and I watch her coyly turn and walk away with the sweetest smirk on her lips. 

Puzzled, I reach into the pocket and feel the familiar feeling of a small plastic package in my hand. A condom. I can’t help the cheesy smile that crosses my face even if I wanted to. I pull it out to inspect it, looking first and foremost for an expiration date. 

I glance back at her, purely entertained by her bold action. “2034,” she answers the question I didn’t even have to ask. “Actually found a whole box. We’ve got all kinds of time.” She shoots me a wink as she tops back into the gravel pit, going to join the others without me so as not to raise too much suspicion. 

Truly, if she thinks we’re waiting that long, she can go ahead and keep lying to herself. She has no idea what she’s doing to me, and it’s only worsening as the hours tick. For a mere five minutes, my carnal needs completely overshadowed the fact that we’re about to go on a mission that could cost us our lives, and the fact that my brother is currently being fucking brainwashed by entities that belong to another realm completely. I punish myself, but only for a second, as I know for a fact he would go on some big tirade about how humans need sex to thrive and survive in life. He wouldn’t fault me for it at all. In fact, he’d probably celebrate it with me. 

—

“Everyone gather, here is what we’re going to do,” Odin presents himself with a commanding tone, looking each of us in the eye as he speaks. We all take our places near the extinguished fire pit, backpacks and supplies in hand as we all listen intently. I try my best to calm my nerves and take in every detail of his directions, knowing that things could change at the drop of a hat. 

“Josiah and Robbie have reason to believe that your families have been taken to another set of pods just south of here, where no sinkholes have been reported as of yet. These pods are a bit smaller, locked down just as the ones you were in, but if they are going to be anywhere nearby, we assume that it is there,” he explains. “We will travel as a unit, sleep in shifts, and take cover as much as possible under the hindrance of the treelines. The brothers will scout, but we’ve decided it best to arm you, as well.”

Shit. I’ve fired a gun maybe twice, three times in my life? But when it comes to life or death…

The brothers bring us firearms that they’d found inside the home, passing them off to Danny and I. I throw it across my back and hope to the heavens above that muscle memory would kick in, had I need to actually use it. 

“I don’t believe that you will actually need these, as I will be with you always and our most dangerous threat are the hooded guards, of whom I can put to sleep with an arrow,” Odin goes on. “And I’m sorry, we can’t risk the sound of gunshot giving away our location. The smoke from this fire was already too much.”

We all bid a silent goodbye to the house that gave us the shelter we needed, and took off on foot from the coverage of the yard and nearby woodline, watching and waiting for the next threat to come our way.

Y/N

Was I too forward? Did I say too much? Did I move too fast… was the condom overkill?

A million and a half questions are rolling through my mind as we all traverse the heavy trails, making our way south to the other set of pods. We know it will be about a day’s travel, but luckily, with the guidance of Odin and the newfound spirit Sparrow had instilled in each of us, we know the journey will be fruitful. Treacherous, and probably a bit dramatic, but fruitful. Now that we have a better idea of where our families are, and likely Paps, I have a bit more pep in my step to get to him. And to Josh. 

Of course it wasn’t overkill, he reacted exactly how I expected him to. He even said he wanted me. Hello? Me?? I don’t even know what is happening between Jake and I, it’s difficult to even fathom. Just months ago he was an image on my phone screen or a video on my stupid tikok feed, but now. Now… 

I find myself wanting to text my friends again. Say, ‘You are never going to fucking believe this. Like, you’re really not…’, and they really wouldn’t. It’d be too good to be true. It’d take convincing, it’d take proof, it’d take receipts. I can hear them all squealing through voice memos, sending long strings of mismatched letters that don’t form words, immediate facetimes so they could watch me explain myself to their faces. Listen to every detail that we had all envisioned at one point or another in our lives.

But it’d never happen. I don’t even know if they’re all alive. 

“Watcha thinkin’ about?” I hear Sam’s voice suddenly startle me from watching my feet walk across the ground. 

“Oh, ah, nothing. Just…my friends,” I say to him, giving him a sullen smile as I pull my jacket closer around me. “I was thinking about what they’d say if I could tell them that I ended up meeting up with you guys. If they’d believe me.”

“Hm,” he laughs. “You think they would?”

“It’d take some convincing, but, I think they’d know I wouldn’t make something like that up,” I grin, pulling a few pieces of tree limbs away from my path. 

“Crazy that we all ended up here,” he says. “Crazy how we all found each other.”

“I know,” I breathe, glancing to Jake ten or so steps ahead of me. “I never even thought I’d even get to have a conversation with any of you, let alone–”

“Sneak off with one under a porch?” he cuts me off. 

I– oh fuck.

“Sam, what– what are you talking about,” I stutter, my face falling into a deep dark shade of red. Oh my god, if he saw us…

He lets out his classic guttural ha-ha laugh as a particularly harsh wind rips through us. His loud laugh causes Jake and Danny to whip around and look at us, and I shoot them and Sam a deathly glare. But I know that Jake probably notices the worry on my face. 

“I’m not gonna rat you out, don’t worry,” he goes on. “I didn’t see anything… just… watched you sneak off. That’s all. The rest wasn’t my business.”

“The rest?” I squeak, trying to stay quiet. “Sam!”

He’s gritting his teeth together in a huge, shit-eating smile, hissing annoying little laughs as he pulls sticks free from our way. I feel like I could trip him and watch him eat dirt right now, the little twit. Jake keeps turning around and glancing at us; he knows his brother is digging himself a cute little hole to jump into if he isn’t careful. 

“What the fuck do you think happened?” I press, kind of wanting to hear what he has to say. 

“Hey, I said it’s none of my business,” he goes on, puffing his cheeks up with air as he avoids laughing again. “My brother’s love life isn’t any concern of mine.” 

Will you please quit using that word, Samuel…

“God, can you just, not? Please?” I bark in a quiet tone, completely enjoying this back and forth with him. “I already feel weird enough…”

“Why?” he asks way too quickly. 

“Because,” I bite. I toss my hands up, trying to get him to understand. “I was, ya know… A fan, and stuff, and now it’s like..” 

“Oh whatever,” he interrupts me. “Hey Y/N, the goddamn world is ending and all our loved ones got killed by a flesh-eating rash. Yours did, ours did. There’s no such thing as levels of hierarchy anymore, if that’s the way you’re looking at it. We’re just fucking humans, ya know? We’re all just out here trying to survive this shit. Please don’t think like that…” he says a little confrontationally. “We could run into freaking Taylor Swift right now, and she’d still be trudging along in this damned frozen jungle just as we are.” 

I giggle at his comparison, as corny as it is, feeling just a little more at ease. “You’re right, you’re right. Just. Strange, I guess.”

He shrugs. “It is strange, Y/N. Nothing about anything that has happened in the past year is anything close to normal. But… maybe you were meant to run into him in the pods. Maybe it was meant to be this way, who knows?”

I nod, glancing again up to Odin and Sparrow on the horse to make sure they haven’t noticed any threats. 

“You guys are cute together, too,” he adds. 

I roll my eyes. “Ugh, Sam, don’t make me gag. I will shove you down onto this thorn bush.”

“I’m serious,” he laughs. “I don’t mean to poke fun at you. I’m just saying, maybe this is a really, really good thing, Y/N. He seems… I dunno. Excited. Even while worrying about Josh. It’s like you come around and he’s instantly relaxed. I think you have more of an effect on him than you realize.”

“HOLD!” Odin suddenly says from the front of the group, holding his fist high in the air as everyone freezes where we stand. My heart begins pattering as he slowly hops down from his horse, leading Sparrow to do the same. I watch as he pulls his bow from his back and loads it, Sparrow doing the same as she pulls her sword from it’s sheath at her side. 

“Fuck, what’s happening, what’s going on?” I whisper to Sam as he instantly grabs onto my shoulder, quietly leading us nearer to the front with Danny and Jake. 

The brothers bring up the rear and have their weapons drawn and ready. I don’t hear anything, and I don’t see anything, but I do feel Jake’s hand land forcefully on my hip as we gather in a protective circle. 

“Do not fire your weapon unless we say so, got it?” Robbie says to Jake and Danny as he passes, and I feel my heart drop. They both nod in understanding. The brothers exchange a few hand signals as they quickly dash off the trail beside us, keeping eyes with Odin as they scout around. 

“What did they hear?” Jake asks us, and we all shrug as our eyes stay trained on our surroundings. The wind has settled a bit, but the sun is bright and hot as it shines through the leaves of the trees. There’s bits of ice on the tall grasses beside us, and I feel myself become disoriented with the way the weather is working, again. 

I feel my heart pounding in my ears as my eyes scatter around the thick woods, Jake’s hand clutching mine protectively, now. I hear cracks in the trees, I hear steps that don’t sound like steps. High up, and down low. Sparrow backs up toward us, her dusty light following her as the wind floats her long hair into the air. 

A fast glance from Odin tells her something I cannot read, and he quickly hops back onto his horse, kicking his leg into its side as it takes off just off the pathway. They’ve disappeared and we’re still left clueless, the brothers back from their scout and closed in, just as confused as we are. 

“What was that?” I ask Sparrow quietly, my hot breath floating like smoke across the air. 

“More guards, they aren’t very close, but we can sense when they’re near,” she replies. “Their tactics to find us are becoming more clever, as they are now being told that you’re missing from the pods. And that Josiah and Robbie have turned on them.”

“They can come and fuckin’ get us, if they want us,” Robbie snarls as he readjusts his weapon. “Pardon my language, Ma’am.” 

I watch Sparrow smirk, giving him a look that says she is the last one he should worry about offending. 

“Come, let’s continue on,” she says as she draws her sword and keeps it protectively at her side as we keep going. “Odin will alert me if anything is close.”

It feels like my feet don’t want to move without me actively telling them to, now. The fear that’s beginning to settle in my bones has grown tenfold after that scare, and without me being able to see Odin. He has become a wall of peace and protection for us in the past few days, and it feels strange not having him in my line of sight. 

But still yet, Jake’s hand clutches mine, and to me, that feels more safe than anything else in our crumbling world. 

We walk along for another silent twenty minutes or so, clumped together and anxious along what used to be an old worn-in path used by hikers and bikers, now very much overgrown and succumbing to the wild again. Thorns catch on my clothing, and rocks and dirt scatter as I step, but we keep along, our eyes watchful and patrolling as we head south. I wish to god Odin would reappear. 

As we walk in the quiet, my mind drifts to Paps and what he might be doing right now, what they might be doing to him. Watching him be ripped away from me might be one of the most aggravating and terrifying things I’ve ever had to witness, and even though I know he is the strongest man I know, deep down I know that he hides his fears. 

If they really have taken him as a pawn for their testing, will he still have his memory? Will he remember me at all?

I feel a shudder as the frigid air envelops me and bites at the tip of my nose, making me feel like I’m frozen to the core. This cold feels different, especially with the sun shining so brightly. It doesn’t feel like it used to, it almost seems as though the debilitating feeling of fear is sewn into it, nefariously making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. My body doesn’t shake with the chill anymore, but it shakes with the unending fear of not knowing what the next second of my life will hold. What the earth will be doing. If we will be alive tomorrow or not. And the most terrifying thought of it all, is that there is nothing we can do to change it.

The wicked shiver chills me down to my soul…only time will tell.

I miss Paps so badly, and I want nothing more than to get to him. The possibility of their family being in the same pod as Paps is likely, which makes me feel a little bit better, but what are we going to do when we get there? Ambush the place? Sneak in a back door while we try not to get caught?

Surely Odin and Sparrow have thought it through, and I’m sure that the brothers have some sort of plan as to how to infiltrate the building. Or maybe, we’re just flying along with no plan at all. Because truly, none of us know the reality of what we're walking into.

Sam and Danny trail behind me, steadfast and courageous, truly grown into the men that I always envisioned they might have. I know they are just as worried as Jake is of what state of mind we will find Josh in, but I think they are holding it together for him. They don’t want to speak- yet- and bring such a horrific reality to life. If Josh is too far gone, and his mind is not his own anymore, will we have to leave him behind for the safety of ourselves?

I can’t even fathom that thought, right now. There is no way that will be our new reality. Starting a new life without Josh is just…

The sun has begun to slip behind the trees, and I know that the heat will return soon and we will all be sweating in the night air instead of freezing. I’m ready to feel a little relief from this new shiver that’s taken up shop in the deepest tissues of my body. In the back of my mind, I hope that Sparrow’s ability to make us all feel more at ease doesn’t take away from her energy source; she doesn’t know how badly we all need her.

Just as my mind feels as though it’s completely shoved full of too many unanswered thoughts, heavy cloud coverage moves in over the sun and begins casting strange shadows across the thick woods around us, and suddenly, my wicked shiver turns from a physical feeling into a subconscious gut suspicion of uneasiness. 

The wind hasn’t blown in minutes, now. 

I slow my steps, glancing around through the trees as darkness begins to shower us, faster and faster. Odin isn’t back yet, and the air feels as if it is standing still and creeping in around us. Something isn’t right. 

Suddenly I get the urge to pause and listen, stopping myself in my tracks as Sam bumps into me from behind. “Whoa, what’s–”

“Shh,” I hold my hand up to him, watching as Jake has noticed I’ve stopped, too. 

“You’re right, child, something feels wrong,” Sparrow says quietly from in front of Jake. Her hand grips her sword more tightly as she cranes her neck all over, looking up and around and through the woods. My chest tightens as I feel as though I’m preparing myself for something, something that has intention to hurt me. Hurt all of us. The feeling that I had when Paps and I had driven the truck into town and were stopped by those creatures has come back full force. Like a dark black cloud is hanging over me, and there is no way I am ever going to wash the feeling of dread from my psyche. 

Within seconds, the sunlight is almost completely gone. Jake’s hand takes mine again as we all press together in a terrified huddle, the brothers at the edges with their weapons drawn. “What is this? What’s happening?” Jake relents. I feel myself beginning to panic, my head darting side to side erratically as I begin to hear unfamiliar sounds coming from the forest. Not birds, not animals… there is no wind to rustle the trees, and there is no way of seeing what is now surely closing in on us. But I can feel it.

“Stay close, everyone, it seems as though we’re surrounded…” Sparrow says a little more loudly now. Her voice is panicked for the first time since we’ve met her. “Odin, Odin, where are you?” she says to herself, drawing her weapon higher. 

It’s dark, now. Pitch black. The world feels more hollow than it ever has. My skin feels like it could fall from my body as my depraved mindset becomes more and more dreadful. I know that whatever is surrounding us in the shadows is draining every ounce of happiness from my body, and try as I might, I can’t form one positive or uplifting thought. 

“Don’t let it consume you, my loves, don’t let it…” I hear Sparrow's voice as a loud hum begins to eat away at my ear drums, deafening me to almost totality. I grip onto Jake’s hand as we all crowd in together, writhing under the feeling of being so suddenly enclosed and debilitated. I can’t even see what’s around us. Not even Sparrow’s overwhelming power of comfort can match whatever it is they are putting onto us. 

“We should run!” I hear Danny suggest, the drone of the hum making him sound like he is a million miles away. “Let’s go!!” 

I feel him pull away from us as I begin to become disoriented, weakening as the seconds tick. “Jake.. I–” I can hardly form any words as I feel like all my energy is depleting. His hand is still latched tightly onto mine, and I begin to see spurts of light through the darkness of my vision, blurry and bright as my eyelids get heavy. 

“Y/N, no!” I hear his voice in my ear, the sweetest sound I have ever heard. “We’ve got to run, we’ve got to go!” Suddenly I feel as though every emotion has been ripped away from my body. 

Where is my gumption? Nothing matters, we’re all going to die, anyway. 

“Sweet Y/N, run!” Sparrow urges me, too, as I feel Jake begin to pull me along just as I had pulled him through the building as it crumbled into the sinkhole around us back at the pod. 

I can’t move, just leave me here. 

I feel my knees hit the dirt at the same time that I feel many sets of unwelcome hands all over me, burning through my thick coats and jackets as they touch me. The hum grows louder and louder, and my blood grows thicker and thicker. Just leave me…

I’m being pulled two ways- one way with the burning hands and one way toward the man whom I have come to adore so intensely, but I could somehow care less who ends up with me. I don’t even mind one way or the other. My endurance is gone. 

Jake squeezes my hands in the darkness, pulling me with everything in him as I feel Sam and Danny join him in his attempts. “Don’t let go of me, Y/N! Do you hear me!” he screams, his voice so worried and terrified. Why are you so scared, Jake? Why do you care about me? “Don’t let her go, Danny! Don’t let her slip!”

“She’s ours, now, you all belong to us…” I hear the crippling voice of the hooded guard say from behind me. I recognize the sing-song voice from their first attempts at taking us, like sirens luring us into the deepest depths of the night. “There’s nothing you can do, your world is a star defying time… you must come with us…”

Everything is blurry, nothing has shape. The burning hands are gripping at all points of my body, now, as I feel like I’m being ripped in two. I hear Sparrow’s shrieks in the distance, and I feel Jake’s grip on my hands begin to weaken. 

“Sam, Sam, get up! Let’s go! I– I can’t hold you both–”

His hands feel like my only anchors to the earth, sure and grounding, but I can’t find the strength to even try and hold on to them. He’s slipping from me, and it’s then that I realize he’s being pulled by them, too. 

We’re being taken. And there’s nothing we can do to stop it.

“Y/N, baby, please!” I hear his honeyed voice again, still so perfect even when he’s terrified. Don’t be so scared, Jake… you shouldn’t even be worried about me. I mean nothing to you. 

“Let GO of me!!” he yells, but it’s no use. He’s ten paces away from me now as I realize that our hands have finally separated, and the burning hands are still holding me. His screaming voice is nothing but a howl in the distance. “Y/N!!!”

My body feels limp and lifeless as the burning hands hold me upright, pulling my body across bushes and grasses and limbs, my legs and feet falling behind me. But I don’t even care. Why don’t I care? Death is probably soon, anyway. Nothing matters.

The eyes of the creatures taking me are burning a bright red, the drone of the hum still prevalent in my ears. 

Again I hear his voice calling out for me across the hillside, bouncing off the treetrunks and cutting through the warming air as the sound of it warms my soul and kills it at the same time. I want him, I need him… he’s the only thing that’s kept my head above water… But our magnets have somehow lost their polarity. I dig down deep and plead with myself, and whoever in the heavens above will listen to forsake me this one time, and bring me out on the other side of this. I have to help them, I have to find Paps… 

Jake…Please… Don’t let them keep me…

Tags: @gretavangroupie @britney-gvf @sacredstarcatcher @wetkleenex-gvf @farfromthehomelands @takenbythemadness @writingcold @builtbybrokenbells @ohgodthefeeling-gvf @fleet-of-fiction @milkgemini @gvfpal @ageofcj@dancingcarbon @highway-tuna @stardustjake @jakekiszkapunchmeintheface @gvfmarge @gracev0609 @myleftsock @literal-dead-leaf @peaceloveunitygvf @ageofbajabule @slut4lando @jordie-gvf @sadiechar @tinydancer40 @rosabellagvf @capnjaket @lyndz2names @thetroublegetssoloud71 @gretavanomens @spark-my-nature @josh-iamyour-mama @anythingforjtk @alwaysonthemend @danieljlmwagner @klarxtr @fortunatelytinybasement @demonrat444 @gretavansara @watchingover-hypegirl @hippievanfleet @digitalnomadz @raviolilegs @lipstickitty @hippievanfleet @klarxtr @strange-whorizons @do-it-jakey-baby @myownparadise96 @gvf-luna @starshine-wagner @cassiesgreta @joopsandjangs @whimsiliz @kiszkas-canvas @whimsiliz @joopsandjangs @broken0mens @scoreofinfantryvines @whereiskeara @do-it-jakey-baby @miravanfleet @heckingfrick@kiszka-canvas @whimsiliz @joopsandjangs @broken0mens @scoreofinfantryvines @whereiskeara @do-it-jakey-baby @miravanfleet @heckingfrick @jenniferkiszka @jjwasneverhere @gvfmarge @pineapple-photographer @vanfleeter @gretnavannfleet @pineapple-photographer @joshylanefleet @becinabubblegvf @ageofmach1ne

[iamcalmdammit]

She said yes 5 - Secrets || [Steven Grant x reader x Jake Lockley]

Summary: Steven finds out Jake saved you and he gets jealous. Jake convinces you that he's right. And with Layla's help you get some important news.

Note: part 1, part 2 and part 3, part 4. The last part of this chapter is written from the reader's POV instead of Marc's. (This is a first, I usually write from the boys' POV. I might switch to multiple POV instead of just one.) Unedited as usual. What do you think?

Taglist: @crystalchrysalis19 @pyrokineticbaby @susbuttercup @abrielleholland @yuukiahim @0mint-chocolate0 @collyrubies @wheresgamora @tubble-wubble @daddysfavoritesexkitten @obnoxioussmiley @moony-artemis @uncle-eggy @lokibutterknife @andrewgarfieldsspidey @dembiscuitstho @coffeyorky @padfootlovesyou @natkisskiss @princessleah129

Steven woke up to having his arm wrapped around a warm body in bed, with the person’s back pressed against his chest. He couldn’t remember falling asleep. No, the last memory—as it came back with a crushing feeling—was you being pushed into a cab against your will.

But when he took a deep breath and pulled back his arm, his brain kicked in and he recognized a familiar scent. It was you. It was really you. “Y/N!” he exclaimed as he gently turned you around. You opened your eyes while you let out a tired groan. “How?”

It took you a few seconds to wake up enough to talk. “It’s okay, Steven, I’m fine. Jake found me,” you explained with a faint smile.

“What? How long was I out?”

“I don’t know, you should check the date and time.”

He reached for the phone on the nightstand and checked its screen. Oh, God, could it be possible? “Over three days?” he asked incredulously, looking at you as if he was waiting for you to verify it. “Anyway, are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

You shook your head. “No, they didn’t. They just gave me a sedative or something so I was out for a while.”

Pulling you into a hug, Steven kissed the top of your head. “I’m so sorry, love, I didn’t know you would get into the middle of this mess,” he apologized.

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“Yes, it was,” he said, sounding upset. “If it wasn’t for me—for us—they wouldn’t have come after you.”

You looked up at him and let out a sigh. “I’m fine. This is all that matters,” you told him with a warm smile.

Steven nodded, but he didn't know what else to say. So he did the only thing he was sure of—he held you close and peppered your face with kisses. You had parted following a fight before you were kidnapped and he could only hope you knew how much he loved you.

But the problem didn't go away. No, it was part of the system, something that would be around no matter how hard he tried to fight it. Hell, Jake could force his way to the front, keeping both him and Marc in the background with no recollection of what he was doing with the body.

What he was doing with you.

He gulped loudly then leaned back to look at you. “So Jake saved you?” he asked hesitantly.

“He did.” There was something about your voice, a hint of softness he had only heard when you were talking about your loved ones. “What’s with the look?” you suddenly asked.

“There’s no look.”

You shook your head and pointed a finger at him. “There was, I could see it,” you told him then stopped to think. “Are you… jealous?”

Yes.

But he didn’t want to admit it. He’d been talking about how much he loved you, how much he trusted you since the beginning, but now that level of trust was slipping away. He was terrified that Jake might find a way to get under your skin and put him on the sideline.

“Steven, listen. There’s nothing to worry about. I’ll find a way to tame Jake so he'll stop with this nonsense. I promise,” you said before you placed a soft kiss on his lips.

He wished he could believe you, but a voice in the back of his mind told him it wouldn’t be this easy.

Once they were back from Cairo, Jake forced himself to the front the moment he could to visit you. He had to see you because he couldn’t think straight anymore. So he bought flowers and chocolate and ignored Khonshu who was constantly talking to him about his plan to get rid of Harrow for good.

He nervously fixed his tie while he waited for you to open the door. Will you be angry? Or was that night after he saved you enough to change your mind about him?

You opened the door, standing there with your arm resting against the doorframe. “Jake?”

“How did you know?” he asked with a questioning look.

“White shirt, tie, ugly hat. Steven or Marc would never,” you explained as you stepped aside to let him in. “What are you doing here?”

You sounded angry. Were you mad at him? He wasn’t entirely sure and he didn’t want to make you more upset by asking. So he kept his mouth shut and walked inside, handing you his gifts with an unusually nervous look on his face. You gave him a pointed look but took them nonetheless, quickly putting the flowers in a vase.

“What you did that morning,” you finally began, and from these words Jake already knew you were mad at him for pretending to be Steven… again. “If I knew it was you, I would have said no.”

“Come on, deep down you knew it wasn’t him.” He cautiously walked over to you, putting a hand on your shoulder then letting his hand run down your arm. “You knew from the moment I kissed you,” he said as he leaned so close that he could almost kiss you.

You gulped loudly, your body staying still as he breathed in your scent. “I thought he was in a good mood,” you noted before biting on your lip.

“Sweetheart, stop denying it. Maybe you don’t know me well enough yet to tell the difference by a single look, but you can easily tell us apart by the way we kiss you,” he said, putting a hand on the back of your neck and gently pulling you even closer. “And I’m pretty sure the sex was entirely different too,” he whispered in your ear.

He could barely hear it, but Jake was sure you said the word stop. But it didn’t make sense. “You don’t really want me to stop. No, you want more of what you got a taste of that morning,” he told you quietly.

“Jake, please, Steven doesn’t deserve this.”

There it was. You were thinking about hurting Steven’s feelings. You didn’t say no because you didn’t want it. No, you just didn’t want to cheat on your fiancé. But why should you keep yourself from the pleasures he could offer? You had fun that morning, you made it very clear then, and he was more than willing to give you more, even if it meant you had to do it behind Steven’s back.

“Maybe he doesn’t,” he said eventually. “But I want to give you exactly what you deserve. Wanna know what that is?” He leaned back to see your face and he noticed the small nod you gave in response. “I want to make you beg for more. I want you to fall apart so I can build you up from scratch, just the way I want. When I’m done with you, you won’t even remember Steven’s name.”

“I can’t do this to him,” you told him weakly.

“Come on, you can,” Jake went on before kissing you, surprised to feel you returning it without much hesitation. He moved his hand down your chest, moving all the way between your legs. When he reached your panties, he smiled at you. “You wouldn’t be this wet already if you didn’t want it,” he breathed against your neck.

You let out a quiet whine as he playfully bit your neck and Jake couldn’t help but laugh. You were enjoying this, giving him better access by moving your head to the side as your arms sneaked around his body. He took your reaction as a green light and began to push you towards the bedroom, ready to repeat the last time the two of you got intimate—except now you knew perfectly well who you were having sex with.

“I don’t trust Jake,” Marc stated angrily as he paced in his living room. They had a blackout recently and found out Arthur Harrow was missing, presumably being dead. “He killed so many people in Cairo that—It’s insane! We were blaming each other with Steven. And now this.”

Layla seemed tired of listening to her husband, and you assumed it was because she had the fortune to listen to his tirades for weeks now. But eventually she stood up and walked over to him, soothingly wrapping an arm around his body then placing a kiss on his shoulder.

They were so in love once again that the sight of them made you feel sick. Not because it was way-too-sweet for you, but because of what you were doing behind Steven’s back. The two of you were supposed to be just like this, celebrating your engagement and planning an unofficial wedding even Marc agreed to do somewhere far from London. But things had changed since you fucked up.

Several times.

In the past few weeks, you’d met Jake more and more often, by now recognizing him by a single look in his brown eyes. He was right, he really did make you forget about Steven, and every time the two of you were alone, your mind was always focused on him alone. You never thought about what you were doing, that you were cheating on the sweetest man you’d ever known.

Steven didn’t deserve this, yet you kept going back to his alter, begging him for more.

“Maybe you should try to talk to each other. Y/N might be able to help mediate,” Layla suggested. “Apparently Jake is only willing to talk to you after all,” she told you.

You gulped. “Yeah, sure,” you said quietly, your eyes fixed on the floor.

“Yeah, but when was the last time you saw him?” Marc asked, pushing a rebellious lock back to its place. “Right after we came back from Egypt. That was weeks ago.”

Suddenly his posture changed and he moved closer, kneeling in front of you. “You haven’t seen him since then, right, love?” Steven asked.

It was hard to get used to how seamlessly they switched places with Marc now. With Jake it was still forced. Well, Jake forced his way to the front and the others still had no idea what he was doing. With these two? They knew everything about each other.

Clearing your throat, you flashed a weak smile at him and shook your head. “No, that was the last time,” you lied.

Out of the corner of your eye you noticed a strange look crossing Layla’s face. Was she suspecting something? Was it too obvious that you were lying? Steven hadn’t noticed yet, and you hoped it would stay that way. You didn’t need the drama in your life. You didn’t want to see him with a broken heart.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked worriedly, gently taking your chin in his hand to make you look at him. “You look sick.”

He was right, you felt sick. You’d spent quite a lot of time kneeling in front of your toilet in the past few days, but you didn’t think it was anything you should worry about. It was just a stomach flu or something. No big deal. This is what you got for eating at some shady place with your co-worker.

But you didn’t want Steven to worry so you flashed a smile at him and said, “I’m fine, I just need some fresh air, I guess.”

“Let’s go out for a walk then,” he offered immediately.

You shook your head. “Would you mind if I went alone? I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

Suddenly Layla cleared her throat. “I can go with you. I could use a short walk too,” she said kindly.

As long as Steven wasn’t around, you were fine. Recently you found it harder and harder to be around him, and you weren’t sure how long you could keep doing this to him. Lying was harder than you’d ever imagined, you didn’t even know how some people managed to do it through their entire lives.

So you and Layla made your way out of the apartment, but once you stepped out on the street, she grabbed your arm and made you stop. “Are you pregnant?” she asked seriously.

“What? Me? No,” you replied with a dismissive wave of your hand.

“I heard you throwing up back there, and Steven’s right, you do look sick.” You kept shaking your head, trying to get rid of the idea of becoming a mother, but Layla was relentless. “We’re buying you a pregnancy test right now,” she told you, her tone making it clear she wouldn’t take no as an answer.

You wanted to object, but you soon realized resistance would be futile. You followed her lead, wondering if this was the reason why she had given you that strange look back there. Did she only notice you were sick? Was she oblivious to you lying to Steven and Marc about Jake? It was getting too much and too confusing.

You had no idea how, but Layla managed to convince to store owner to let you use the staff’s restroom to take the test. She wanted to know the result, so she waited outside and tried to entertain you through the door by telling you stories about their trip to Egypt. Stories you’d already heard from Steven, although from their perspective, which wasn’t necessarily the same as Layla’s. But you were grateful for that, because the conversation made time pass faster.

Your phone beeped, telling you it was time. Hesitantly, you picked up the test and took a look at it.

“Oh, shit,” you said defeatedly as you unlocked the door.

Hearing the light click, Layla teared the door open and rushed inside to see the result with her own eyes. “It’s positive,” she whispered, a wide grin growing on her face. “This is fantastic, Steven will be thrilled!”

She pulled you into a hug which you returned as if you were celebrating with her. But you weren’t happy about it. Sure, Steven would be a great father, but you weren’t sure if he or Jake was the father. Which in their situation was absurd, because technically speaking, it was Marc’s child. He just… wasn’t around when you got pregnant.

(part 6)

[im-in-love-with-pizza-bites]

It Takes A Village Chapter 2

Chris Evans x Pregnant!daughter!reader

Series Master List

Series summary: You find out that your pregnant. After being kicked out of your mom's house you go to live full time with your Dad who you only saw once every few months. Will he react badly to you being a mom at such a young age?

Chapter Summary: You move in with Chris and decide what your doing with the baby.

Series warnings: swearing, fighting with a parent, teen pregnancy, speak of abortion.

Chapter warnings: swearing, teen pregnancy, hinting to abortion I don't directly say abortion but y'know it's hinting to it so.

Y/n means your name. (Divider isn't mine)

It had been a few days since everything, your mom has been giving you a cold shoulder, Jake told his parents and Grandma, they were mad at the both of you, and believe you should terminate your pregnancy because your so young. Your dad and you talked every day, after a few days he did give you a lecture about using protection, and let you know he would've preferred being a grandpa a little later in life. He told you that your room was all ready for when you got there and that your grandma was excited to see you though no one except your parents and Jake's family actually know why you're moving back to Boston. Now you're on the airplane going to Boston. It's only a three-hour flight so you began thinking over all the decisions you made leading up to this.

First, you met Jake when you moved to town when you were five, started dating at 14, then you got pregnant with his kid and your mom disowned you at 15. Now you need to decide, be a mom at 15 or terminate the pregnancy. Since you had found out about the baby your hands kinda self consciously went to your stomach to rub it, not like you are showing yet it just gave you comfort. You looked out the window deep in thought, if you kept the baby you would have to deal with the whole pregnancy and then raise a kid at 15 alone because your boyfriend broke up with you. If you didn't keep the baby you could keep being a kid, but what if you regret not keeping them. Your dad already told you he'd support whatever you do and would even help you set up a nursery nook in your bedroom for the baby if you decided to keep them, and with him there to help you the baby would at least have a male figure in their life even if it was not a dad. Dating would be hard with a kid but it's not like you were planning to date for a while anyway. What would people think? Chris Evans' precious daughter pregnant at 15. After a while in your thoughts you decided, it was the choice you had been leaning toward since you and your dad had that talk.

The plane eventually landed in Boston and you nervously looked around the airport for your dad, and uncle who your dad told you wanted to come with. You eventually spotted Chris standing with Scott smiling at you. You ran into Chris' arms feeling relieved to finally having a comforting hug only your dad could give you. "Howdy dad!" You said smiling. Since you lived in Texas since you were 5 you began saying southern words but still have a Boston (ma) accent. You'd pretty much go from full blown Boston accent to saying yall and other southern words.

"What about me?" Scott asked when you pulled out of the hug with your dad.

"Howdy Uncle Scott!" You gave him a quick hug before the three of you began to walk to the car. The decision you had made on the plane ride here was hanging over your head and you knew you had to tell him soon but not when your uncle was here so you'll wait for when it's just you and your dad.

"Chris won't tell anyone why your moving back what happened?" Scott asked you. He knew you loved it in Texas with your friends and especially your boyfriend.. Which your assuming he doesn't know you and Jake broke up or if he does he doesn't know the real reason.

"Mom kicked me out..." You mumbled as you made it to the car tossing your bags into the trunk.

You didn't see how Scott looked at Chris questioningly. There are so many different reasons your mom could kick you out for but he just couldn't settle on one. Chris just shook his head, telling Scott not to ask. You got into the backseat while they both got into the front. You pulled out your phone looking through your friend's Instagram. Eventually your dad pulled up to his house and you excitedly jump out of the car to go say hi to Dodger. You heard the two men chuckle as you ran up to the house. Dodger ran straight to you when you walked in. Your dad and uncle grabbed your bags before going inside to find you playing with Dodger on the floor.

"Someone missed you." Scott said smiling at you. You smiled back before continuing to pet Dodger.

"Yeah." You laughed as dodger licked your face. You finally stood wiping off your face before following Chris up to your room which hadn't changed in the two years since you had been here. (He was in LA the last time you visited him) "Home sweet home!" You said jumping onto your bed a relaxed sigh leaving you as you closed you eyes.

Scott and Chris smiled as you took in being back in Boston. You opened your eyes and smiled at them before you smile faltered remembering you still have to tell your dad about what you're doing with the baby.

"Missed your room?" Chris asked raising an eyebrow at you as they walked in. He sat your bags down.

"Yeah!" Other then the fact this room was still decorated for young you since you had never really bothered redecorating it since you only wanted to spend time with your family, it was definitely the place you felt most at home.

---------

After a little while of catching up with Scott on everything except why you got kicked out he went home. You and your dad were now sitting in the kitchen eating pizza in silence.

"Dad? I decided what I want to do." You said quietly.

"Okay, what do you want to do?" He asked you looking your way.

"I'm keeping the baby." You said giving him a nervous smile. He smiled at you secretly excited that he was going to have a grandchild.

"Okay! I'll help you book an appointment. Make sure the little one and you are both healthy." He assured patting your back reassuring you. 

"Thanks." You smiled less nervous than before.

A/n: I started a Taglist! just ask to be in it!

Taglist: @toastisgood

[fatiguing-thoughts]

“Natural” - Chapter 6 - Embry Call x Reader

New Introductions

 I woke to the sun shining through my windows. I look at my phone to check the time. 

9:00. I rub the sleepiness out of my eyes. I sit up in bed and recall the memories from last night. I look to my left, noticing the absence of Embry’s body from where it once was. My stomach sank a bit looking at the empty pillow. 

I get up and walk over to my desk, hoping there would be another note from Embry. Looking down, I see that there is.

Good morning bean,

I had to go on patrol but by the time you wake up I should be off. Call me when you wake up. I love you. I’d like for you to come over today. 

Love, 

Em

I smile down at the note, placing it with the previous one, hoping to keep a collection of them all. 

I walk down the stairs, grabbing some breakfast as I send Embry a text asking when to come over. 

I go upstairs to get dressed and ready for the day when Embry texted me back.

“Come at 11, my mom can’t wait to see you :)” 

I smile, send a quick response before tidying up the living room from last night’s game fiasco.  

I figure it was best to bring something to Embry’s house, but it was too late to really make anything. Something from the grocery store would have to do, I guess. 

I hop in my car and drive over to the store. I look around and decide to grab a fruit salad and a small cake. I check out at the register and head over to Embry’s. 

I pull up in front of his house, texting him to let him know I was here. 

As I unbuckle my seatbelt, I see his front door open and an excited Embry jogging over to my car. 

I smile at his goofy grin as he opens my door so I can get out of my car. 

“Hey there, bean.” He presses a kiss to my forehead, pulling me into his arms. 

“Hey, Em. You’re in a good mood.” I look up at his beaming face. 

“My mom is just really happy to see you, like super excited about it. This is the least amount of tension between us in a while.” He shrugs his shoulders. 

“I’m excited to see her, too. I’m glad things are calm with you guys right now.” I lean up and kiss his cheek. 

He gently grabs my hand, grabbing the stuff I brought with me in his other hand, and leads me into his house where I am welcomed by a warm Tiffany Call. 

“(Y/N)! I missed you so much.” She cooed, pulling me into a heartwarming hug. 

“Hi Mrs. Call, I missed you, too.” I smile into the hug. 

“(Y/N), please call me Tiffany. You know that.” She laughs. 

Embry and I sit down with her at the kitchen table. 

“So are you happy to be back in Forks?” Tiffany smiles at me.

“I’m so happy.” I grin back. 

“I’m so happy you’re back, Embry’s been so much happier since you’ve been back… Almost back to the old Embry.” She gives me a smile, this one hinting at some deeper sadness. 

I gave her an understanding smile, glancing over at Embry’s awkward face. 

“Yeah, I think all the guys are pretty thrilled to hang out again.” 

“Yeah, I’m sure.” She says meekly.

“So, (Y/N) brought fruit salad. Maybe we should eat some?” Embry offers. 

“Yeah.” Her spirits lift up.

“So, how have things been with you? How’s the souvenir shop?” I smile at her. 

“It’s good, it’s quiet. It’s just crazy how many bear attacks there have been lately, so a lot of people have been coming out less. Overall, I still enjoy the peace and quiet, I love First Beach.” Her warm eyes looking into mine. 

“It’s beautiful there, I can see why you love it.” 

I ignore the mention of bear attacks, unsure of how much I had to avoid for Embry’s sake. 

“Yeah, (Y/N) was pretty bummed to hear about the bear attacks, she loves hiking.” Embry remarks. 

“I know, I remember. You guys used to do it all the time.” She smiles, thinking about our younger years. 

“I wish I could still do it, maybe more in the winter.” I shrug with a soft smile. 

“That would work. I can’t believe how old you guys are now.” 

“It is nuts, huh?” Embry’s voice trails off. 

“So, I hear you guys are finally together?” She smiles, reaching out to grab my hand across the table. 

“Yeah.” I blush, smiling like an absolute dork.

I glance over at Embry’s blushing face, watching the corners of his soft lips curling into a beautiful smile.

“I’m so glad, I always knew you guys would be together.” She smiles, taking a piece of pineapple. 

I eat a piece of honeydew, trying to contain my giggle from escaping my lips. 

“Me too.” Embry smiled, causing my blush to only deepen. 

We sat around, chatting for another hour or so before she had to go to her shift at the store. 

“It was great to see you.” I smile, hugging her goodbye. 

“Of course, you’re always welcome, honey.” She pulls me in tighter, before giving Embry a kiss on his head as a goodbye. 

I smile and wave as she gets into her car and leaves, feeling Embry’s arm snake around my waist. 

“It was so nice to see her again.” I look up at him smiling. 

“It was, it was nice to see her happy instead of upset. She really loves you.” 

“I love her, too. I do. I’m happy you guys had a calm moment between you two.” I kiss his cheek. 

Embry pulls me back into his house, pulling me into yet another tight hug.

“Bean?” 

“Yeah?”

“Can we maybe, cuddle in my bed?” He looks down at me with those big, brown eyes. 

My heart fluttered in my chest every time his eyes melted into mine. 

“Of course, Em. Lead the way.” His hand held mine, walking us into his room. 

I look around, admiring how neat it was and how I imagined that it would be a bit more cluttered, especially since he was almost never home to clean it. 

“Did you clean your room because I was coming over today?” I smirk at him. 

“What?” A blush appears on his cheeks, causing me to giggle.

“That’s cute.” I walk over and sit on his bed. 

“I think you’re pretty cute, actually.” He plops down next to me, pulling me into his lap. 

“Oh, that so?” I raise an eyebrow at him. 

“Very much so.” He presses a kiss to my nose. 

It quickly became very apparent to the both of us that the way we were sitting was a bit more suggestive than we originally intended. I had my arms around his neck, straddling his lap. His arms holding my ribs. 

After a moment of silence, a deep blush appeared upon his cheeks, mine mirroring his. 

I leaned in, pressing a kiss to his soft lips. Surprisingly, he deepened it, allowing me to make out with him. His hands traveled a bit lower, holding my waist, and then eventually my hips. 

I moved into him, bringing myself closer. I began to feel his… “excitement” growing. 

After about a minute, Embry brought his hands back up to my waist, pulling away from the kiss. 

“Sorry.” He chuckled. 

“It’s okay. I understand.” I blush, laughing softly. 

“I just, I’m trying really hard to take it slow. You just make it very difficult.” He licks his lips.

“I think it’s you who makes it difficult for me.” I tease, smiling at his sweet eyes. 

He picks me up by my waist and places me next to him once more. He lays down on the bed, patting the spot next to him. 

I lay down next to him, bringing myself closer to his chest, inhaling his scent. 

“It’s nice to have you here, in my arms. I like feeling you so close to me.” He kisses the top of my head. 

“It feels like home.” I smile into his chest. 

He grabs his phone out of his pocket and begins to shuffle our shared playlist, causing me to smile further like an idiot. 

All of a sudden, my thoughts circled back to last night. 

“How was patrol? Did you get it?” I ask, looking up into his eyes. 

He let out a frustrated sigh as he looked down at my face. 

“No, she got away. Then Paul and Emmett got into it.” He pursed his lips together. 

“Emmett?” I ask.

“Emmett Cullen. He came onto our land trying to catch the leech.” 

“Was everyone okay?” I ask, a bit worried. 

“Yeah, of course. Nothing bad. But we missed the redhead.” 

“I’m sorry.” I give him a sad smile. 

“We just don’t get why she keeps coming around, we have Bella protected at all times between the Cullens and us.” 

“She’s after Bella?” I ask, more worried. 

“Yeah. The shit that Edward gets her thrown into. Then Jake gets involved, which involves us.” He rolls his eyes. 

“Damn. I’m sorry, Embry.” I look into those deep brown eyes again. 

“It’s alright. We’ll be okay. I have another thing to fight for now. Just some more motivation to get rid of her quicker.” He kisses my forehead. 

I blush at his words, realizing how real they truly are. 

“What time is her graduation party tomorrow?” I ask, trying to lighten the subject. 

“We should get there at like 7:30.” He smiles, appreciating the lighter mood. 

“Do you have patrol tonight?” I ask.

“Yeah, I do. I’m gonna hang out with you the rest of the day, first of course.” He kisses my forehead, making me smile.

“Em?” 

“Yeah?” He pulls back to look me in the eyes once again. 

“Could you maybe, show me more like Paul said? You guys say you’re really strong and fast. I just… I wanna see. I need to know you’ll be okay.” I blush. 

“Oh bean. I can show you. Maybe you can meet everyone in that form, just to get acquainted with it. We can start with Jake and Quil today if you’d like? And whoever else is hanging around at Sam’s.” 

“Yeah, I’d like that. I wanna know that you guys are safe.” 

“I understand. We can head over there. Just after I get to hold my girl a little bit longer.” He smirks, pulling me close again. 

I couldn’t stop the heat from rushing to my cheeks when Embry called me his girl. I couldn’t stop the butterflies from fluttering throughout my stomach. I couldn’t stop the chills from running up my spine. 

I felt his hands stroking through my hair for a few minutes, causing me to fall asleep. 

I woke up not long after, looking around the room to remember where I was. I looked up at Embry’s sleeping face, and it brought a smile upon my own. 

Damn, how could I get so lucky? 

I took my phone out, snapping a picture of Embry, as he looked just so sweet. 

“Whatcha doing there, babe?” He chuckles, waking up. 

I guess my movement woke him up. 

“You just look so cute.” 

“Thank you, I still think you’re cuter. What time is it?” He asks, rubbing his eyes.

“A little after five.” I put my phone back in my pocket after checking the time. 

“We should go to Sam’s. We’ll see who’s there to show you some stuff, then I’ll patrol from there.” He smiles, kissing my forehead before beginning to sit up. 

“Okay.” I follow suit, grabbing my keys off his dresser. 

We head over to my car, getting in and going on our merry way. 

Upon our arrival to Sam’s house, Embry lets out a “whoop” to announce his arrival. 

We walk in, only to be greeted with an excited Emily and some of the guys sitting at her kitchen table. I look around to see Paul, Quil, and Jared. 

“Hey, (Y/N). Finally, another girl.” She smiles, letting out an exhale of relief. 

“Hi Emily, it’s great to see you.” I smile back at her, returning the hug she approached me for. 

“So boys, (Y/N) wants to see a little bit of us doing our thing, thanks to Paul.” He directs his gaze at Paul. 

“Well, I think it’d be fun.” Paul grins. 

“I guess so. You don’t believe we’re as cool as we say or something?” Quil teases. 

“You caught me.” I smirk in his direction. 

“Maybe Quil and Paul could wrestle for you. If it won’t scare you.” Jared teases. 

“I imagine that might be a bit frightening. But I wanna know how it works, all of it. I wanna see what I’ve been hearing about.” I look down at my feet. 

“Good idea, Jared. Instead, you and Paul can wrestle. Embry and I will stand there looking pretty, that way (Y/N) doesn’t piss her pants. She’s a scaredy-cat, you know.” He laughs.

“Oh I am so not.” I retaliate. 

“Can you walk around your house in the dark yet?” Quil raises his eyebrows at me. “Shut up.” I hiss, laughing. 

The boys all smile before heading outside, Emily following us. 

“Don’t be scared, nobody is gonna hurt you. Okay?” Embry looks me in the eyes. 

I nod and he presses a kiss to my cheek before he and the rest of the guys go behind the brush to strip down. 

“I assume you’re used to all this?” I ask, turning to Emily. 

“Oh yeah. It was nuts at first, but you get used to it. When they get into scuffles I used to get so scared. Now, I just wait for them to come ask me for food after.” She giggles. 

I then heard shuffling in the bushes, and some snarls coming from behind them. They made their way out to the clearing. 

I look around, trying to figure out who is who. I notice Embry immediately. 

He walks over and nuzzles his head into my shoulder, causing me to smile. 

“The dark silver one is Paul, Jared is the light brown and grey one with some grey on his face, and Quil is the one who looks like chocolate.” She smiles. 

Just then, they ran past me. I felt the air whoosh around me, almost knocking me over. 

I smiled, amazed at how fast they were. 

“Paul and Jared might play around, wrestle a bit to show you.” She warns. 

I nod, looking them in the eye, and then back at Embry and Quil as they walk over to Emily and I’s side. Quil standing to the left of Emily and Embry almost shielding me from any potential damage. 

And that’s when Jared and Paul look at me and nod, before returning the same gesture to each other. 

I heard a puff before seeing Paul fly at Jared. I heard the growls and snarls, felt the ground move from their enormous bodies. 

I have to admit, my heart raced hearing it, let alone watching it. Embry must’ve noticed as he moved his head closer to my body, trying to comfort me. 

I look at him, feeling safety wash over me. I nod my head at him and suddenly Paul and Jared stopped. He must’ve told them in their mental link to stop. 

All four boys went back behind the trees again to shift back. 

I look at Emily with wide eyes. 

“Wow.” I say, in disbelief at just how huge they were. How fast, how strong.

“I know.” She smiles. 

They all run back, Embry’s hands finding my waist faster than I could blink.

“So, you impressed yet?” Paul laughs. 

“Yeah, I’ll say so.” I look at him, smirking. 

“Bet it was more than you thought.” Quil nudges my shoulder.

“Yeah, I don’t know what I thought. Embry only showed me his wolf form, didn’t show me any of the extra stuff.” I chuckle. 

“Well, I didn’t wanna overwhelm you.” He kisses the top of my head.

“You look like you handled it well.” Jared claps me on the back.

“Yeah, it was pretty cool.” I smile. 

“Jesus, you’re so good with weird.” Embry shakes his head in disbelief. 

“Well in my defense, you, Jake, and Quil have been my best friends since childhood. I had to be good with weird from the start.” I poke his side. 

“Yeah, yeah.” Embry laughs into my ear. 

“Okay, let’s get you boys something to eat before you go on patrol.” Emily ushers us inside. 

“Can’t argue with that.” Quil laughs, running past me into the house. 

Embry and I follow them all inside, his arm never leaving my waist. 

“(Y/N) would you like anything to eat before they inhale it all?” Emily offers me, stirring the pot of pasta. 

“Sure, just a little bit. Thank you.” I smile at her. 

We all ate, hanging out and talking before Sam came through the door. 

“Hello there, babe.” He says as he walks into Emily’s arms, leaving kisses all over her face.

Following Sam was a tired looking Jacob, Seth, and Leah. They all came in and began eating. 

“Okay guys, get on out there it’s your turn.” Sam directs. 

Almost immediately Embry, Quil, Jared, and Paul get up from the table. “I’ll see you tonight or tomorrow, okay? Leave your window open.” Embry says to me, kissing me on the forehead goodbye. 

“Okay.” I smile at him. 

They all rushed out of the house and disappeared into the treeline. 

“Hey, Leah.” I smile.

“Hey. How’s it going?” She asks, taking a break from eating. 

“Pretty good. What’re you up to tonight?” I ask. 

“Not much. Got something in mind?” She turns to look at me. 

“I just wanted to see if you’d wanna watch movies at my house.” I smile. 

“Sure. Sounds good.” 

I turn to Emily and offer to help her clean up dinner.

“You don’t have to.” She smiles, trying to make me sit down. 

“No, I want to. You do this all the time, I should help you.” I get up anyway and walk over to the sink. 

About an hour later, Leah comes back to my house with me. 

We talk about the Sam and Emily thing a bit more, I try to comfort her as best as possible.

“It’s nothing that can be fixed, unless I imprint. God I would even take that just to make myself happy.” She sighs.

“Your person will come, and they’ll blow Sam out of the water.” I give her a soft smile. 

“Thank you. It feels nice to talk to a girl for once.” She chuckles. 

And that was it. Leah wasn’t one for too much talking, so we turned to the movies after that. 

After two movies, she decides to head out and I go into my room, bidding my father a goodnight on the way. 

I walk over to my window and leave it open as Embry requested before walking to my bed and laying down. 

I send Jacob a meme I found on twitter about cars before dropping my phone on the nightstand next to my bed. 

Before I knew it, I was passed out. 

In the middle of my deep slumber, I heard someone outside my window. I initially panicked, only to realize that it was probably Embry. The fear of someone being outside my window at three in the morning subsided at the thought of him. 

I walk over to the window, seeing his beautiful face looking back up at me. I smile down at him. 

He quickly jumps into the tree by my window, and then into my window. 

“Jeez Em, I didn’t realize you mastered parkour.” I laugh.

“Just for you, bean.” He laughs, hugging me hello. 

I yawn, almost limp in Embry’s warm embrace. 

“Let’s get you into bed.” He kisses the top of my head before picking me up and walking us back to my bed. 

I nuzzle myself further into his warm chest. 

“How was patrol?” I ask. 

“Uneventful. That’s a good thing, though.” He chuckles, his voice raspy and riddled with sleepiness. 

“That is a good thing.” I yawn again. 

“I love you, bean.” 

“I love you too, Em.” 

I press a light kiss to his chest, to only be pulled closer. I smile before I once again enter a peaceful slumber. 

______________________ Word Count: 3427

 I  II  III  IV  V  VI  VII  VIII  VIIII  X  XIR XIE  XII  XIII  XIV  XV XVI  XVII  XVIII  XIIII

[breanime]

Dynamite (Part Six)

Here we are, the last chapter... Hold onto your hats, kids, here we go! And I apologize in advance :(

warning: descriptions of violence, character death

*cover by @moonlit-void-to-the-far-unknown​*

Part Six: The Bones

You’d only been to Miguel’s weird little murder bunker twice before now, and it was just as creepy as you remembered it. Miguel was standing a few feet away from you, talking quietly with Nestor. He’d given you a pretty good beatdown, and you licked your lips, tasting blood and feeling the cuts in them. Your arm was tied to the pew, which was still sticky with someone else’s blood, which…

…was probably not a good sign.

“This is the longest murder I’ve ever been to,” you sighed, leaning your head on your arm, “Are you going to kill me or keep kissing each other’s ears over there?”

They both turned, and you could see the uneasiness on Nestor’s face. He had been your friend before, and while you knew his loyalties lied with Miguel—always did, always would—you also knew he wasn’t happy to see you, bloodied and bruised, on the pew.

“You know,” Miguel said calmly, wiping his bloody knuckles on a rag, “you get mouthy when you get scared, mi amor.”

The sweet name made your skin crawl. “How long has it been,” you asked, sitting up, “since you actually meant that?”

“Meant what?”

“Mi amor,” you answered, glaring at him, “How long has it been since we loved each other, Miguel?”

He sighed, and for a second, you could see his features soften as he looked over at you. You could only imagine what you looked like, beaten down and tied to a wooden bench. It was a far cry from the way you’d looked on your wedding day, that was for sure. “I’ve always loved you,” he said back, his voice heavy with emotion, “and I always will.”

“Yeah? You loved me when you were knee deep in Emily?” You asked back. “You loved me then?”

He grit his teeth. “Unlike you, I can love more than one person at once.” He turned to you fully. “When did you stop loving me?”

“A long, long time ago,” you answered honestly.

He closed his eyes, nodding at your words. When he opened them, his eyes were hard. “Is that why you opened your legs to the help?”

“That,” you said, “and the fact that Johnny’s tongue is like a fucking wizard, and his cock—”

Miguel stepped over to you, wrapping his large hand around your throat, choking the taunts right out of you. “Do you even realize what you’ve done?” He growled, glaring down at you as you struggled in his grasp. “What you broke? Me and Emily that’s… That was…” He shook you, and you clawed at his arm with your free hand, your eyes wide. “I loved you. I love you! We weren’t perfect, but we were something—and you fucking ruined it!”

Your eyes were starting to roll back in your head, and it occurred to you, as you struggled for air, that your eyes had done the same thing a few hours ago when Johnny was inside of you. This was definitely a downgrade.

“Mikey.” Nestor’s voice broke through your musings, and you felt Miguel’s hand fall away.

You fell forward, gasping and sucking in air through your now bruised throat. Tears gathered in your eyes, and you coughed, the action causing you more pain. When you could see again, Miguel was pacing a few feet away, and Nestor was standing in front of you, his eyes sad. He turned from you, going over to Miguel, and suddenly, the reality of your current situation hit you.

You were going to die.

You let the tears fall, and you bent your head down, tucking it between your legs, as you cried. God, you’d come so close, so close to happiness. Johnny was back in your life, and even after the hard left the two of you had taken all those years ago, you were alright. You’d found each other again, and this time, your love was stronger, more mature; it grounded you, and made you feel like you could fly all at once. And you weren’t sure if it was fate or dumb luck or destiny, but even though you and Johnny had both messed things up with each other, you were still strong, still meant to be. He used to say, back when you were younger, that he was going to marry you. The two of you would lie on the beach, sand in your shoes and the sun on your skin, discussing all of your plans, the life you were going to build, strong and sturdy, with each other. But now, the wolves came, and your time was nearing its end, but at least you got to be with Johnny before you left this world, at least you got to hear those three words coming from his lips one more time. That alone made all of this worth it.

You gaped when you felt your hair being pulled, and Miguel yanked your head up, glaring down at you. “Why?” He asked. “Why would you do this to us?” You coughed, still trying to catch your breath, and he pulled at your hair again. “Why, Y/N?!”

“Because…” You answered, closing your eyes. If you had to go, you would go in peace, thinking about Johnny. “…I love him.”

You felt his slap like a hot poker in your face, and then…

…it was nothing but darkness.

Johnny had only ever seen Emily Galindo in photos, and she did not look like her picture at all…

…maybe it was because she was puking her guts out in a tiny cement jail cell.

“Emily,” Paige said, her hands on the bars of the cell, “We need to know where this place is.” She thrust the polaroid into the cell, and Emily wiped her mouth, crawling closer to look at it.

“Oh God,” she closed her eyes, but Johnny wasn’t sure if that was the nauseous or her own guilt that was plaguing her, “that’s Miguel’s church pew. It’s where he… Where he deals with the other side of his businesses.”

“What other side?” Mike prodded. “What does that mean?”

“It means he’s going to kill her,” Emily answered, her eyes went to Johnny, “I am so sorry.”

Johnny didn’t even question how she knew he was connected to you—his shaking, tense body was probably hint enough, plus he was sure Miguel had talked about him before. Miguel. If Johnny didn’t arrest him, he was going to kill him.

“Where is this place?” Paige asked, shaking the picture in Emily’s face to get her attention again. “We need an address!”

“I’ll tell you,” Emily said back, wiping at her eyes, “but please, get me out of here—I can’t have my baby in jail, please—”

“—The address!” Paige and Mike barked at the same time.

Johnny watched, feeling like the world was moving too fast for his mind to catch up to, as Emily gave them the directions to Miguel’s church pew. Johnny couldn’t speak, could barely breath; the fact that you were hurt had been bad enough, but this? Miguel was going to kill you if he didn’t get to you in time. He stared straight ahead of him as the team rushed out of the building and back into their cars, heading to the address, hoping it wasn’t a fake. How the hell did he have you—twice—and lose you? Twice! He’d promised you that he would take you away from all this, and he’d failed.

He hated himself.

“We’re gonna get her back, Johnny,” Briggs said, both of his hands on the wheel as he sped through traffic, “Keep your head in the game—we’re gonna get her back.”

Johnny closed his eyes, another wave of self-hatred crashing through him as he felt tears in his throat.

“We’re with you, baby,” Charlie reached out from the back seat and put a hand on his shoulder, steadying him, “We’ve got your back. She’s gonna be fine.”

He opened his eyes, his vision blurry from the unshed tears. “I love her,” he said, his voice breaking, “Charlie, I love her, I can’t lose her, I just got her back—”

“You’re not gonna lose her,” Charlie said, her voice and touch soothing, “okay? You are not going to lose her.”

“We’re with you, JT,” Briggs added, glancing over at him. For once, Johnny didn’t question him, for once, he could tell that Briggs was being honest. “We’re with you.”

The radio crackled, and Charlie grabbed it, switching to the right channel. “Hello?”

“We’ve got the warehouse surrounded,” Holden reported, and Johnny, Briggs, and Charlie exchanged surprised looks, “What? You thought I couldn’t track you?” The smirk was clear in his voice. “Galindo is in there with his number two, we don’t have eyes on them, but from the body heat count, they’re in there.”

“What about Y/N?” Charlie asked. Johnny’s heart was pounding so hard, it hurt.

“She’s there,” Holden answered, and a small knot released in Johnny’s chest, “I’ve got agents and a negotiator out here, but they’re not budging…” He paused, and when he spoke, they could all hear the emotion in his voice. “I got no sway here. I need my team.”

Briggs slammed his foot on the petal. “On the way, boss.”

Holden hadn’t been kidding. When they pulled up—Paige and Mike behind them—they were greeted with a slew of cops, federal agents, and an ambulance. Johnny hopped out of the car, followed by his team—his family—and ran over to Holden.

“Sit rep,” he requested, heart pounding.

“It’s a standstill,” Holden answered, “Galindo’s not coming out, not communicating…”

“And Y/N?” He asked.

Holden shook his head. “No word.”

“We gotta get in that building,” Mike said, stepping up, “how many entrances are there? Do they have surveillance? What do we know?”

“Not much,” Holden answered, and Johnny groaned, his fists balling at his side, “I think there’s a two-way camera, but no one here’s trained to hack it—”

“—Nah,” a familiar voice called out, “I can hack it.” Jakes stepped up, his face serious, and Johnny’s eyes filled with tears all over again. Jakes came right up to him, crushing him to his chest in a hug. “I’m here for you, brother. Let me help.”

The team—the whole team—gathered around Jakes as he sat at a computer, clicking away. In a matter of seconds, his screen was full of different camera angles around the building.

“There,” Briggs said, pointing at the corner of the screen, “there’s a shaft there and a slight blind spot in the camera. That’s our point of entry.” Johnny moved, ready to go, but Briggs stopped him. “You gotta suit up, Johnny.”

Johnny pulled back. “We don’t have time—”

“—No one goes in until they’re wearing full combat gear,” Holden spoke up.

Charlie rushed to the closest van and grabbed a bulletproof vest, pushing it into Johnny’s chest. “Then let’s move, people.”

It felt like hours passed, but in reality, it was only a couple minutes until Johnny, Jakes, Briggs, Charlie, Paige, and Mike were all dressed in Kevlar vests. They each had an earpiece in, keeping them connected to Holden and the others as they moved towards the building. Holden directed them, telling them when to fall back and when to move forward as the cameras scanned the premises. Johnny had never felt so on edge in his entire life. He was surrounded by cops and federal agents, backed up by the people he trusted the most in the world, but you weren’t with him, and every second he didn’t have you with him was an eternity to Johnny. Finally, they breached the perimeter. As soon as they stepped into the building, Johnny smelt the familiar, terrifying scent of blood.

Briggs was taking point, and he stuck his fist up, and they all paused. He turned, making eye contact with Johnny, and nodded. Miguel was just around the corner. This was it—you and him were in the homestretch of some hard times, but Johnny believed you’d make it through it; he had to.

“FBI!” Briggs called out, stepping around the corner with his gun out. Johnny was right behind him, and so was the rest of the team.

Nestor pushed Miguel behind him, and both men held their guns up.

“Put your weapons down!” Jakes demanded.

Miguel laughed, shaking his head. “You’re a fucking Federal Agent?” He asked, looking over at Johnny. “Son of a bitch…”

Johnny looked around, his eyes taking in all of the blood and dirt before they landed on you. You were tied to the church pew, laying on your side in a pool of pool.

His heart stopped.

Johnny moved towards you, but Miguel shot at the ground, and he stopped, glaring over at your husband.

“No, no, Romeo,” Miguel taunted, “that’s not how this is gonna happen.”

“You’re surrounded, Galindo,” Paige said, “There are agents and local cops all over this place. Just put down your weapons!”

“This isn’t going to end well for you,” Mike added, “Your ex-wife is in a jail cell right now, she needs you. The baby is going to need you.”

Miguel’s smug look faltered. “The… The baby?”

“You didn’t know?” Paige asked. “Yeah, Emily’s pregnant with your kid.”

“And let me tell you,” Charlie drawled, “It’s no fun to have your kid in prison.”

“Put your weapons down,” Briggs said again, “and we’ll let you see her.”

Miguel looked at Johnny, nothing but hatred in his eyes. The feeling was mutual. “You’re a Fed,” he said, disgusted.

“Mikey…” Nestor said, his voice low.

Miguel’s eyes didn’t leave Johnny. “Does she know?”

Johnny couldn’t look at you. “Yeah,” he answered, his gun heavy in his hands, “she knows. She knew from the second I walked through the door—probably even before that, knowing her.”

Miguel closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. When he opened them, they were wet with tears. He hung his gun on his fingers, stepping back with his arms outstretched behind Nestor.

“Mikey,” Nestor’s eyes looked from Miguel, to the team, and back again, “what are you doing?”

“Surrendering,” Miguel answered, his voice tired. He dropped his gun and stepped forward. “I know when I’ve lost.”

Johnny felt a thrill of relief go through the team, and Charlie stepped up to cuff Miguel. But then he grabbed Nestor’s gun, ripping it out of his hand, pointed it at Johnny, and shot.

It felt like he had been hit in the chest with a hammer, and Johnny flew back. He heard his name being called, and then there were more shots. Charlie and Mike were on their knees beside him, shaking him and saying his name over and over again. Johnny groaned, his hand going to the middle of his chest; he could feel the bullet, still warm, stuck in his Kevlar vest.

“Fuck,” he croaked, “Holden was right…”

“Jesus!” Charlie cried, tears in her eyes. Mike laughed, helping Johnny stand up. A few feet away, Miguel was on his back. Briggs was on top of him, beating the ever-loving shit out of him. Paige and Jakes had to lift him up. Paige cuffed him, turning him onto his stomach and pressing her foot into his back. Nestor was lying next to Miguel with a single bullet in his skull. As soon as Miguel had shot Johnny, Nestor had jumped in front of his friend, shielding him from the perfect shot Mike had aimed right at his head.

Johnny limped over to you quickly, he reached down, his heart pounding, and felt your pulse.

You were breathing.

Carefully, he lifted your head. You were unconscious, and his heart broke at the blood and bruises on your face. “I got you,” he whispered, cutting you free, “I’m here, baby… I got you.” He picked you up, leaning on Mike a little bit, and carried you out.

“She’s still my wife!” Miguel was yelling, his face in the dirt. “She’s my wife!”

Briggs kicked him in the face, and suddenly…he stopped shouting. “I’m sorry,” he quipped, “were you saying something?”

You had been existing in this kind of dark, hazy, dreamless world, and as you slowly came out of it, you started picking up on things.

“…looks badass,” a female voice was saying.

“…barely a wound,” a male voice snarked.

You could hear beeping, and you could smell anesthetic.

“…so much paperwork,” you recognized that voice—that was Mike.

You tried to shift, but your body simply wasn’t having it. So instead, you kept listening, slowly feeling yourself float back into your body. You felt sluggish, and you couldn’t get your eyes to open, no matter how curious you were about where the hell you were. You were just so tired, you felt yourself floating away again, ready to go back into that void, when you heard the most angelic sound in the world.

“We all know how much you love paperwork, Levi,” Johnny said, his deep chuckle vibrating through the air and piercing your soul.

And suddenly, you could open your eyes.

“Oh,” a woman with dark hair was looking down at you, “Johnny!”

You blinked against the harsh light. You were in a hospital, surrounded by Johnny and a bunch of people you didn’t know, and Johnny…

...was shirtless.

“That can’t be sterile,” you said, your voice coming out rough.

Johnny laughed, coming to hover over you. You caught Mike’s eye as followed the others out, a warm smile on his face. He reached out and ran his hand down your face, his touch careful and gentle and everything you’d always wanted. “Hi,” he said simply, his eyes soft as he looked down at you.

You reached over, your hand brushing against the dark purple bruise on Johnny’s chest. “Wh—what happened?” You croaked out, coughing.

“Shh,” he helped you sit up, wincing with you, and rubber your back, “The doctor said your vocal cords are gonna be a little rough for a few days.”

You nodded, leaning into his touch. You closed your eyes as Johnny’s arms wrapped around you, holding you close. He felt strong against you, he felt warm and sturdy and reliable—he felt like home. He kissed your forehead, and you smiled, even as the tears started trialing down your cheeks. Neither of you spoke, you just held onto each other, both silently vowing to never let go.

Later, you learned what had happened while you’d been unconscious. Miguel was arrested and being tried for a laundry list of crimes. Emily was doing time as well for aiding and abetting, and she wasn’t pregnant with Miguel’s child. Apparently, she’d hooked up with her first love, a biker named Ezekiel, and the baby was his. Nestor was dead, and for that, you were sad. His only crime had been loving Miguel more than anyone else—neither of Miguel’s wives had even come close to loving him as much as Nestor had, and all that love and loyalty had gotten him was a bullet in the brain. Johnny’s friends—who you owed so much to, but they asked for nothing—pulled some strings and got you a quickie divorce from Miguel, even finagling most of his assets, titles, deeds, and fortune and awarding them all to you. Briggs and Jakes had some friends in high places that made that happen. You had suffered a bruised throat, a busted lip, black eye, bruises on your torso and wrist, and a collection of cuts and other bruises. But you got Johnny, so…

…it was all worth it, as far as you were concerned.

You and Johnny moved to a nice beachfront property together, and you were married on the beach. Briggs, of all people, officiated the wedding. Jakes got Johnny a job working for his private investigation and security firm, and Graceland was officially retired, but the family stayed intact.

You went to sleep wrapped in Johnny’s arms each night and woke up every morning to his smile as the sun crept in through the blinds, which, of course, you didn’t mine.

After all, a little sunshine never hurt anybody.

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

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think! And that was all she (me) wrote! Thank you all for reading this and indulging me in this time. I seriously wrote this series in one day, and I had so much fun. Please, please, please, tell me what you thought of this chapter and the series as a whole. 

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[my-emotional-self]

The Mission Chapter 10

Pairings: Ari Levinson x Reader

Warnings:  swearing, fluff, smut, oral (female receiving)

Summary: Ari Levinson tries to recruit you for Operation Brothers.  While you weren’t ready for any kind of mission, you obliged after much consideration. You didn’t plan on falling in love along the way.  But will Ari return those feelings? Or will his heart only be on the mission?

Six Months Later

It had been a whirlwind six months staying at the resort and in those six months, another four missions had been successfully completed.  There was a lot of down time between missions, as Kabede had to gather refugees and walk across the Sudan dessert.  Once they reached the refugee camp, that’s when Ari and the guys would go and pick them up and drive them to a secret location where the dinghies from the Navy Boat would come and bring them to safety.  

During said downtime, now that the resort was fully functional, you and the crew did what any normal person would do in this situation; you all ran a resort.  

There was, of course diving, Tai Chi lessons, workout sessions, amazing fresh food and lots of tourists relaxing and swimming around.  

The only downside of it all? Ari had been acting like nothing happened between the two of you.  There had not been even one more kiss ever since you had gone down on him; but that didn’t hinder your feelings for him.  The two of you had actually been spending more time together, if that was even possible.  Some nights you would ask him to join you in bed, but there was nothing more than cuddling and you didn’t mind that at all.  But you wished for more, yearned for more but at the same time, you knew the mission and saving refugees was priority.  

Seeing Ari smiling and laughing on a daily basis, hearing stories of his past with his friends, and seeing the way his face lit up every time he came back from a successful mission only made you fall deeper in love with him.  You couldn’t help the way you felt; you honestly can’t help who you fall in love with.  It just hurt not knowing if he felt the same way, and lately, you were beginning to think he had no feelings for you whatsoever.

One thing the Mossad did gift the resort were radios with such a strong signal, you were able to play actual popular songs.  It was magnificent to hear music again and you were always dancing around the resort when the music was playing.  

One morning, a week after your last successful mission, you were hunched over the front lobby desk doing some light reading when Ari came up to you.  

“Hey, what are you up to?” he asked, placing his hands on the counter, a sly smile on his face.  

You didn’t look up from the book because you were so enthralled with it.  Instead, you replied, “Reading.  And you?”  

Ari chuckled, but you were still glued to the book.  

“I was thinking about going out for a dive.”

His words were jumbled in your mind as you paid strict attention to your book.  “Mmmmm,” was all that came out of your mouth.  

“Y/N!”

“Mmmm?”

Another laugh came from Ari before he grabbed your book from the counter and taking it away from you.

“Hey!  I was reading that!”

“I know you were.  Did you even hear what I said?”

Your lips pursed together as you racked your brain, but nothing came to mind.  “Ummm….”

He shook his head, leaning towards you on the desk.  “That’s what I thought.  I said was planning on going for a dive.  Would you like to join me?”

Your face lit up as you began to bounce on your feet.  “Seriously?” He nodded his head.  “Of course!  I would love to!”

He gave you the book back and you placed it in the drawer before happily following Ari outside and towards the dinghy.  

Taking off your outer clothing, it left you in nothing but a bikini as you put on a wetsuit.  From the corner of your eye, you caught Ari staring at you.  It had been months since he had seen this much bare skin on you and you tried to stifle your giggle from his ogling.  

Ari grabbed the diving gear, placed it in the dinghy and the two of you made your way out into the open sea.

The smile never left your face as the dinghy raced away from shore.  After all these months, you were finally getting the chance to go diving, and alone with Ari as well.  

You had grown close to Jake, Max and Sammy, even closer to Rachel over the last few months.  But when it came to Ari, you were hypnotized. He was the kind of person you would take home to meet your parents; someone with a good heart and loyal.  

“This is a good spot. We came here a few days ago with the tourists and it was a hit.  A lot of sea life down below,” Ari said as he cut the motor to the dinghy.  

“I can’t wait!” you replied excitedly.  

Ari helped you with all the diving equipment and showed you how to tell if you were getting low on oxygen. After his mini training session, he jumped into the water; you quickly getting in behind him.  

You were in complete awe at how beautiful it was in the depths of the water.  The sea was crystal clear and you could see everything.  The coral reefs were beyond gorgeous as you swam closer to the bottom, expecting the reefs up close.  

A large fish swam out of one of the reefs you were closer too, completely startling you.  Your arms flailed around, trying to swim away but you soon found yourself engulfed by a pair of strong arms.  

Turning around, Ari was there, a concerned look on his face through his goggles.  He held up his fingers in an ‘okay’ sign and you nodded your head at him.  He took your hand in his, guiding you over to another area filled with schools of fish. The fish were vibrant colors of oranges and yellows.  You couldn’t believe it took you this long to go diving.  Now you knew to come along each time they took tourists out.  

After what felt like hours of diving, you and Ari emerged from the water and he helped you into the dinghy.  Taking off your diving gear, you let out a deep breath before laughing.  “I’m sorry if I worried you down there.  A huge fish came out of the reefs and it startled me. I kind of freaked out.”

He watched you unzip your wetsuit, your breasts nearly popping out of your bikini top.  “Don’t worry about it.  Once you gave me the nod that you were okay, we had a good time, right?”

You smiled brightly. “Oh yes.  I can’t wait to go back down again!”

Even though your body was wet from the sea, you were still stifling in the wetsuit and you took it completely off your body, relaxing and lying back on the small boat.  

Knowing Ari was ogling your body, you closed your eyes and soaked up the sun; the warmth starting to finally grow on you.  

The dinghy began to shift and when you opened your eyes to see what it was, Ari was hovering right above you.  “Ari, what are you…”

But before he could finish, he cut you off with a searing kiss.  A gasp escaped your lips, but you quickly recovered, racking your nails across his scalp.  Feeling his tongue at your lower lip, you parted your mouth for him, needing to feel more of him.  His tongue tangled with yours as his right hand trailed down your body; goosebumps breaking out across your exposed skin.  

His hand cupped your sex and he swallowed your moan with his mouth.  He began to tease your pussy through the thin material of your bikini bottoms; your entire body igniting on fire from his touch.

“Ari, please,” you begged as his lips left yours, instead claiming your neck.  Your hips gyrated, needing more of his touch and luckily, he got the hint.  

He pulled away from you, his eyes dark with lust as he hooked his fingers into the band of your bikini bottoms, pulling it down your legs.  You knew what was about to happen next, but you were nervous; nobody had ever done this with you before.  

Ari parted your legs as he settled down on the floor of the dinghy.  His nose nuzzled the soft curls above your mound as you rested your legs over his shoulders.  You had never felt so exposed before, but there was an excitement about being out in the sea, in the open while Ari went to town on you.  

Using his fingers, he parted your wet folds.  He licked a long strip from your hole to your clit and you were finally able to cry out in relief.  “FUCK!” you cried out, loving his tongue on you most sensitive area.  

The circling of his tongue around your nub had you nearly in tears of pleasure, never feeling such delight in your life.  Your hips jerked as his tongue dipped lower, lapping between your folds and his strong arms held you still.  Ari’s mouth fully enveloped your clit and your head rolled back as a strangled cry ripped from your throat.  

“Mmmmm,” Ari hummed around your clit, “you taste so good baby.”  The praise and the endearment had you shuddering around him, but not nearly as hard as when he inserted two long fingers into your now dripping core.  He began to pump his fingers in and out of you in a torturously slow rhythm, all the while his mouth enveloped your nub. Your body was on overdrive of sensations; your arms trying to grip anything around you, but you came up short. “You enjoying this baby?”

“Oh fuck yes Ari,” you moaned as he hit that special spot inside of you.  Your body jerked and he hummed again around you, the vibrations rocketing throughout you.  

Your back began to arch as you felt your inner walls start to tighten.  “Let go baby,” Ari growled before attaching his lips back to you clit; his tongue flicking fervently, sending you over the edge.  Your breath hitched in your throat as your legs quivered around his head; a strangled cry leaving your throat as you dissolved into pleasure from his hands and mouth.  It had been the most intense orgasm you ever had as Ari’s fingers worked you through your high, ultimately sending another quick orgasm to wash over you.

Collapsing back onto the dinghy, your limbs hung limply at your side as you watched through tired eyes as Ari licked his fingers clean of your juices.  This man was going to be the death of you; that much you knew.  

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[pretty-little-howtown]

Amortentia

Tom Holland x Reader {Harry Potter AU}

Summary: A particularly dangerous love potion makes Tom realise some feelings for you.

Genre: Fluff, Angst

Word Count: 2,042

H/H - Hogwarts House

——————————————————

Potions class was never your favourite but today promised to be a good class. You were finally brewing armortentia. So it was prime time to so snoop and see who's crushing on who. Despite being a H/H you were extremely nosey. You sat down next to your best friend and asked

"So are you ready to find out who everyone's crushes are. Including yours?" The smirk was evident on your face. "Come on. You really think I wouldn't find out?"

"And what about yours?" She asked. Red-faced you insisted you don't have one and that you should just get brewing. You'd finished a little early and after sniffing something that smelt like some soft smelling cologne, hair gel and hot chocolate you decided it was high time to do the snooping you promised yourself to do.

You went around the classroom pretending to make your way to the professor's desk. As you made your way you heard various smells and obvious crushes. You stifled a laugh when you heard Lizzie had a crush on Jake. Poor girl, she doesn't know what's coming. You decided to pass one of your classmates. You stood behind Tom, a couple meters away. You were getting ready to scare him when you heard him describing what he smelt to his best friends.

"It smells like a summer's breeze, books and the smell of the grass after it rains. I wonder who it could represent" Tom questioned. You froze, you could have sworn that that was- no. The reason the two of you don't hang out as much anymore is because you were sure he didn't like you and you wanted to spare your self the heartbreak.

"But didn't you always say that that's what-" Jacob started saying before you interrupted him with a scare. You didn't want to hear the name. Even though you distanced yourself from him whilst still staying friends you feeling for Tom hadn't faded. You made a mental note to change that. For your own good.

"Boo! What are you guys talking about?" You asked the trio. They all started telling you never to do that again wildly laughing. All except Tom. He had a hint of blush on his cheeks while he awkwardly laughed along with the others but you were sure you just imagined it.

"Oh nothing, just discussing Tom's not so secret crush." Harrison raised an eyebrow mockingly at Tom.

"I'll leave you guys to it then. I'd rather it to be a surprise when he finally asks her out." You winked at Tom while laughing your way away. However, you weren't as gleeful as you seemed. You hated the thought of Tom with someone else but you knew you had no right to claim him as your own because the truth was he wasn't yours and he was never going to be. You walked back your friend ready for the end of class.

The two of you walked back to the H/H common room. You bid her goodbye and walked through the door. You walked in to see a cup of hot chocolate on the table near the fireplace and a familiar figure curled up leaning against the sofa. You went over to the figure and sat down next to him.

“Hey there, you okay?” You waited for him to give your answer. You’d figured it was Tom. He only ever drank hot chocolate when he was upset. He looked at you with those big sad eyes of his and said,

“Yeah I-I’m fine.” You could tell he wasn’t so you asked him again but this time more specifically.

“Is this about that girl you like?” Tom only reply was nodding. For a while, you sat there in silence. You wanted to wrap him up in a massive hug like you used to. Tom wanted you to wrap him up in a massive hug like you used to. But you couldn’t.

“I just don’t think she likes me and it hurts. She’s so pretty and happy and she’s just fantastic. Her smile is so bright and I think I love her.” Your heart sank as he talked about someone who wasn’t you. You pushed those feelings aside and carried on listening. “I don’t know what to do. I want to tell her so badly but I’m also scared that she’ll reject me and I just can’t bring myself to say it. Y/N What do I do?” He looked so hopeless and it broke your heart.

“If you love her like you say you do tell her. Don’t worry about getting rejected. The worst thing she can say is no. And if she's half the girl you say she is, well. She won't say no.” You looked him in the eyes, “You got this Tom. I believe in you.” You walked back to your dorm with a sad smile. You were used to going to bed with a feeling of hopelessness. So much so that now that feeling hurt a little less but it was still there.

You woke up the next day exhausted from yesterday’s emotions. Thankfully today was the weekend. You jumped out of bed remembering and put in some jeans, a t-shirt and a nice warm jumper. You bounded into the cool October air. The smell of the grass after rain filled your lungs. You smiled and walked along the path towards Hagrid’s hut. You had no intention of going inside. You just liked to sit outside and watch everyone walkabout. You saw everything. Arguments, breakups, dates, couples, students, teachers, people. Normal people just going about their lives. You leaned against the wall of the hut. You closed your eyes and thought back to the day your and Tom used to play together when you were kids.

You were playing hide and seek. You were running around, a summer breeze blowing. You were so carefree, so happy. You looked behind trees and houses yelling ‘where are you Tom’ and ‘I’m going to find you’ in hope of him coming out of his hiding spot or revealing himself somehow. Just as you found Tom the rain started pouring down. The two of you ran home to shelter from the rain. That’s when both of you found your parents holding your Hogwarts letters. The both of you or practically screamed whilst jumping up and down hugging each other.

You were pulled from your nostalgic state with the smell of cologne. It was somewhat familiar so you opened your eyes, only to be met with Tom sat right next to you a dazed look on his face. He looked like he was about to pass out.

“Tom are you okay? You look-“ you thought carefully about your choice of words after all you didn’t want to say the wrong thing, “tired. Only a bit though.” You paused still looking at him, “look let’s just get you back to the common room then you can get some rest.” With much protest and a lot of interrupting, you managed to drag him back to the common room. You pushed him up the stairs to the boys' dorm and told him to go inside. Once he opened the door you peered in and asked to have a word with Harrison. Tom got instantly jealous. He knew Harrison wouldn’t go after the same girl he liked, they were best mates! What he was worried about was you liking Harrison and not him.

“Haz,” you sighed, “will you make sure he goes to sleep and let me know when he does?” You asked, you cared for him too much. Too much for your own good. This boy was going to be the death of you.

As Harrison went back in you walked up to your dorm room, then your bed and picked up your book. Nerve by Jeanne Ryan. You were dying to finish and you only had a couple chapters left. The book was actually a present from Tom. He gave it to you for your birthday last year. You were wondering what he would get you this year. That is of course if he got you anything at all. You certainly didn’t expect him too. With his new girlfriend, he certainly won’t have time for old friends. You sat down by the fireplace and opened up your book it was time to finish this book, finish the Tom chapter of your life and get over him.

Meanwhile, instead of getting Tom to sleep Haz was giving him a pep talk. Tom sat on his bed irritated. Not because of the pep talk but because of how useless he was. He’s had this crush in your for a year. A whole year. Maybe even longer. He only just realised his feelings about a year ago and through that whole year, he hasn’t made a single move. He was mad at himself for being such a coward; he was mad at the universe that it had to turn his whole world upside down by uncovering his feelings for you too him and above all, he was mad that his best friend was wasting his time trying to fix something that can’t be fixed.

”So what you're going to do is: go up to her tell her you need to tell her something, then you're just going to say it. If you need to you can dress it up a bit with ’you're really pretty’ or ’I love the way your eyes sparkle’ something like that. Got it?” Harrison asked his friend. Tom nodded yes and took a deep breath, gathered his courage and walked out the door.

He almost ran back in after he saw how peaceful you looked reading the book he gave you for your birthday. His heart melted at the sight. But he had to be brave. He gently walked down the stairs so as to not alert you to his presence. He walked behind the sofa you were leaning on and slowly knelt down next to you. He tapped you on your shoulder and watched as you turned around to face him. He started memorising every detail of your face.

”Hey, Tom, you feeling any better?” Tom nodded and started talking before you could say something stupidly nice and caring to question his courage and make him chicken out.

”Y/N, I have to tell you something. It's extremely important and I need you not to interrupt me. So I've been meaning to tell you this for a long time but I've just never had the courage. I like you. A lot and not as a friend. I think you're really pretty and your eyes a just so beautiful and no joke I could get lost in them. It's okay if you don't like me back I get it, just tell me so that I can get over you or something, ” he took another breath but before he could start talking you slammed your lips onto his. Your heart soared. You were so sure that he didn't like you but you were wrong. In so many ways. You pulled away a little star struck by your own courage. You ran a hand through his hair feeling the gel he put into it, thinking about the effort he went to, to look good for you. He tasted like hot chocolate. He was like a warm winters night as he kissed you, his hands on your hips but roaming around every so often. You feel his hand getting closer to your butt but he stopped himself going back up to your hips and slowly tracing up to your waist. You tugged on his hair making him groan. Tom loved it. He adored it. He adored you. You smelt of rain and well-read books. You felt like a cool summers breeze. You were the cool summer day to his warm wintry night. Things that sounded so glorious when put together. You completed each other. The two of you begrudgingly pulled away.

”Wow.” Tom breathed out, ”that was the best kiss of my life I think.” you looked back at your unfinished book and then back at Tom.

”There's more where that came from,” you said and brought him into another but this time more passionate kiss.

[princessofthedarkrealm]

Dark Phoenix Rising- Chapter 10

“So where was you and Roman’s first date?” “At the Rocket. It’s a diner.” “How big is Derry?” You smiled. You loved how curious Jake was. At least it was keeping your mind off of your romantic life and the physical pain you were in. Your foot crunched on another stick. Even if you and Jake hadn’t been talking, if Pennywise or Walter were still around, just your loud footsteps would give you away. “It’s pretty small. And very old fashioned. You probably wouldn’t like it if you’re so used to modern technology and a big city. Have you ever walked on the Brooklyn Bridge?” “Yeah. I’ve been there. Have you?” You nodded. “Walter took me there. It’s very noisy but I love the view.”

Jake stopped short, his mouth gaping open. “Walter took you on a date?”

“Well I uh…I wouldn’t really call it that. We went to see about the portal and then he bought me a hotdog. If bought is the word you want to use.” You rolled your eyes. “He’s something else, yeah. Oh, and he took me to one of his hideouts. I didn’t see how to get there though. He blinded me.”

“What?!” Roland’s hand was on your arm in a nanosecond. “Walter did what?”

Oh shit. “Not really. He just…” You waved your hand in front of your eyes, “he put some kind of mist over my eyes. It was an illusion. Still scary though.”

You could practically see Roland’s jaw clench. You were actually nervous. Your group had been walking  through the woods for a while now and Roland had asked you nothing about your time with Walter at all.

“Roland, if there’s something you want to say, please do so. You know I’m not good with beating around the bush.” You shifted your weight to one foot.

Roland opened his mouth to speak and then glanced over at Jake. Poor boy. He was so in the dark about what all had happened the last couple of weeks. He hadn’t even asked you about your pregnancy. And you hoped he never would.

“I’m just worried about you,” Roland finally answered.

You gave him a tired smile. “You and me both.”

Later that afternoon, a thick mist started to creep in.

“You know, this is kind of like on the Wizard of Oz when they get to the Wicked Witch’s forest,” you idly commented.

“You think flying monkeys are going to come out?” Jake shot you a half grin.

“I take it that’s another reference from your world,” Roland commented.

You could hear a hint of sadness in his voice. Was he jealous that you had someone to talk to about your own culture now?

You sighed. “Not monkeys, no. I don’t know what to expect. That’s what scares me.”

“You know I’m not going to let anything happen to you?” Roland raised an eyebrow at you.

You smiled. “I know. I just wished I knew what-”

Roland put out his arm to stop you.

“What is it?”

Roland pulled out one of his pistols. “I don’t know.”

Then you heard it. A loud rustling noise coming from the hill to your left. Part of you wanted to summon your magic just to be ready. Then all was quiet.

“If that is who I think it is…” you muttered with a scowl.

“Then he’s going to have a fight on his hands,” Roland finished.

Jake shot you and Roland a worried glance. “W-who do you think it is? Walter? Pennywise?”

“My guess is on Pennywise. Stay alert,” you told Jake.

You had told Jake about your mate. Or at least somewhat. You had said he didn’t like children. Which he didn’t, depending on how you looked at it.

The three of you went further into the woods without any issues. Your nerves were becoming more wound by the minute though. You wanted to scream at whoever was watching you to come out. Finally at some point, you were coming around a bend in a group of trees. Roland pulled Jake back. He motioned for the two of you to get down.

“What’s-”

Roland put his finger over his mouth for you to hush. He pointed through the brush. You looked around until you saw it. Taheen. Several of them. They were going in the opposite direction. They hadn’t seen your group.

“What are they?” Jake asked quietly.

“Taheen. Walter’s minions. We need to be more careful,” Roland responded.

Your heart started pounding. Were they looking for you or Jake? You hated not knowing. If you would know for sure it was you, you would go with them in a heartbeat. But would you? Could you do that to Roland? You glanced over at him and saw him watching you. You stood. Either way, you weren’t afraid. If the Taheen were here for Jake and they tried to attack, you and Roland could easily pick them off. You started to take off, but Roland grabbed your wrist.

He stood. “I need to talk to you.”

You shifted your posture. “Alright.”

“Stay close,” Roland told Jake.

Roland led you off a little ways. “You know I’ve been trying my best not to ask anything. But since you got back,” Roland sighed, “you haven’t been yourself.”

You snorted. “I’m growing wings, Roland. That’s not normal for anyone.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Well obviously I don’t,” you retorted. “I’ve been through hell these last couple of weeks, Roland.” You crossed your arms over your chest.

“I know that.” He gently grabbed both of your arms right above your elbows and looked you square in the face. “Whatever Walter has done to you…you don’t have to be ashamed. Let me help you.”

You lowered your gaze with a sigh. So that was it. He thought Walter had forced himself on you while you were with him.

“I swear to you, Y/N…I will do everything in my power to stop him. He won’t hurt you again.”

“Walter has never hurt me, Roland.” Now it was your turn to meet his gaze. “Don’t you get it? I mean, yes, he may have in the beginning. On that one night. But Pennywise has done exponentially worse.” You pulled yourself out of Roland’s grasp. “If anything Walter saved me from that. And he saved me again. Two days ago. I would be dead, Roland, if it wasn’t for him.”

Roland scowled at you.

“You know it’s true. It has been hell for me not knowing what was going on with you. And I knew you had to be worried sick about me. I’m sorry for that. Walter was going to let me see you. Not in person, but he said he had a way to let me see that you were alright. The only reason why he didn’t was because of everything that came up with Jake. And now Walter may or may not be looking for him. Or the Taheen could be looking for me. I don’t know.” You shrugged both shoulders. “Walter never hurt me, Roland. These last couple of days, he didn’t…” you shook your head, “he didn’t hurt me. In any way. We shared a…” you shifted from one foot to the other, “we shared his bed together. Last night. But no sex. At all. He took care of me. And if I’ve been,” another sigh, “if I’ve been acting weird, it’s because I feel lost without him. I feel…vulnerable. And now I’m hurting and there’s…” You scrunched your face up as a wave of emotion rushed through you. “There’s nothing that I can do about it. I just feel so lost.”

The tears fell now. You put your hand over your mouth. You heard someone coming and you and Roland both glanced in that direction. It was Jake.

“Uh…guys…you might want to see this.” He pointed back in the direction he had just come from.

You quickly wiped your tears and without giving Roland another glance, followed Jake. You didn’t see anything at first that would warrant attention, but as soon as Jake pointed upwards, your mouth fell open.

It was a tall, metal sign, like you would see at a carnival. But it wasn’t the presence of the sign that made you stare in shock. It was the wording on it. One word.

PENNYWISE

Several emotions warred inside you—awe, fear, joy, confusion. Pennywise had been to Mid-world. And from the looks of it…

He’d had his own amusement park.

You and Jake walked underneath the sign. A large Ferris wheel came into view. It was even more dilapidated than the sign. Images flashed through your mind of when Roman had taken you for your date with him underneath the Neibolt house.

The date that had been a lie.

Pennywise was the master of creating illusions, but this…to actually see that he had at some point existed in another realm…somehow that, more than anything else that you had seen and experienced with him in the last several months, brought it home for you.

Pennywise was an alien. He was a demonic, child eating alien. How old was he even? Where did he even come from? Was it Mid-world? Had this really been his amusement park or was it just where he had gotten that particular persona from?

You shook your head. “I can’t believe this. Pennywise has been to Mid-world. Why hasn’t he told me?”

“Probably for the same reason he didn’t tell you a lot of things,” came Roland’s terse answer.

“Yeah, but this…” you pointed back at the sign. “He could have told me this. I know he’s not even really a clown. He could have-” You stopped when a bout of nausea flared up. You put your hand on your stomach and rubbed it.

“You ok?” Jake asked you.

You nodded. “It’s just nausea. I get that sometimes.”

“From the baby?”

You regarded his now downtrodden face. You smiled at him. “I’m okay yeah. My baby’s gonna be strong. But the thing is…so am I.”

“That you are, my dear.”

You whirled around. Pennywise was standing just feet away from you.

“Penny,” you breathed.

“What’s wrong, dearest?” He smiled at you. It gave you the chills, and not one of pleasure either. “Aren’t you going to give me a hug?”

He stepped towards you but both you and Jake backed up. Roland came forward, one of his guns pointed at the clown’s head.

“You just can’t leave her alone, can you?” Roland asked.

“I hear congratulations are in order,” Pennywise told you.

“What are you talking about?” you snapped.

“Oh you haven’t told him?” Pennywise’s mouth fell open into an ‘o’ as he turned his gaze towards Roland.

“Told him what, Pennywise? Spit it out!”

“Your new beau.” Pennywise’s yellow gaze was now completely on you. “Your new mate.”

His cherry red mouth was twisted in a sneer. And the right side of his face was all jacked up. Like someone had poured acid on it. Had you done that? Or had it been Walter?

“Penny…you know things weren’t working out between us.”

“And so you bedded him! You bedded him like the whore you are!” Pennywise screeched.

“And what if I did? Why should you care?” you hollered back. “You don’t care if I fuck half the men in Mid-world so long as I’m yours, that I belong to you! Well I’m sick of belonging to you, Pennywise!” Your hands were at your side, balled into fists. “So Walter told you we’re sleeping together, did he? Did he tell you about my sleep?” You pointed at yourself. “Did he tell you that he couldn’t wake me up this morning?” You took a few steps toward him. “Is that what you want? For me to sleep with you instead? A deep, dark sleep from which there is no waking? Until I’ve lost everything?” You snarled that last word. “I am PREGNANT! What do you think that’s going to do to me? To me and Walter’s baby?”

You shook your head slowly as angry tears obscured your vision. “All I wanted was your love,” you said in a small voice.

“Deny him.”

Your eyes widened. Walter! Was he watching you right now?

“Deny him, my love. It is the only way you will be free from him.”

“I can’t do this anymore, Pennywise. And I won’t.” You took a few steps closer to him. “I deny you. By all that is good and right in this universe, I deny you.”

Pennywise’s eyes turned blood red. “Deny me? You will deny yourself as well. You will cease to exist.”

Your blood ran cold. Was this it then? Were you to die right here? After all you had been through, did it really matter anymore? You glanced around. If you were going to die, then you might as well take him with you. Your eyes landed on a pile of crumpled up long, skinny pieces of metal. You didn’t know what it had once been. You didn’t care. You made your hand into a fist behind you.

And you concentrated.

“And if I die, then so be it.” The tears started to fall. “But at least I will be free of you.”

You straightened your posture. “I, Y/N, Guardian of the Dark Tower, deny you Pennywise.” You felt a pointed scrap of metal form in your fist. “I deny your claim on me.”

Pennywise snarled.

“I deny your claim on my soul.”

You clasped the metal so tightly, you felt it cut into your palm.

“I deny your claim on my life.”

You were crying so much now that you couldn’t see. But you didn’t have to. You knew exactly where Pennywise’s heart was.

Because it didn’t exist.

“I love you.”

With an inhuman screech, you lunged. Pennywise was faster. He leapt on you and at the same instant, you heard a gunshot. You landed hard on your back.

“AAAHHHHHH!!”

It felt like two knives had gone through your back. Pennywise had crushed you against the ground. His mouth was contorted. You felt something wet spraying the front of your nightgown. Finally Pennywise staggered off of you.

The metal was sticking out of his chest.

You couldn’t move. Your entire back was in agony. You watched Pennywise grab at the piece of metal. He started to pull it out. You heard Roland cock his gun. Saw him point it at Pennywise.

You laid back on the ground. Stared straight up at the mist obscured trees.

BANG!

Me: *hides behind Walter* save me!

Walter: You asked for this, sweetheart.

Me: Yeah but they had to have known that something like this would eventually happen.

@booklover2929  @grotesquegabby  @allkundsofwrong  @mummerthemimo  @tomuchofaclownlover @pinoflicious