#it was made obvious that he missed wilson at the start of the season when he hired a private investigator to stalk him

[kayluh1915]

Rewatching House S6 E4 and I am giggling and kicking my feet at how happy House was to wake up to Wilson from his involuntary sedation. He's so fucking happy to see him again and it's got me feeling all mushy 😭

[here-there-be-fics]

I too have a feeling it won´t be long until the 911 is done for good and I am not sorry. To think that all signs point to this season being nothing more than a rehash of previous storylines still fills me with rage.

Buck is only the latest character Tim put back on the hamsterwheel- all characters are on a perpetual spin cycle with the same storyline repeating over and over again. I had a bad feeling when they fumbled Ortiz and Gerrard and dropped actually NEW story bits they teased like tension between Madney and Henren but I´ve never thought they would fuck up bucktommy so royally. Eddie, to me, has always been boring, but they had something here this time around and they resolved it all by having a priest he doesn´t know tell him he should enjoy himself?! He is cured now. What is this?

Anyways, my bets are currently on 9 seasons max. What do you think?

Hi Nonny!!

Sorry for the late reply, I pretty much never get asks so, Hi!

I agree. The storylines constantly being rehashed is tedious and their losing audience interest, they had previously managed to coast well enough with odd twists thrown in to try and disguise that it is the same story again but that isnt working quite the same now. They absolutely rushed through Ortiz and Gerrard, plot ideas that had intrigued me like the Wilson Han tension being dropped was a dumb move. They constantly tack on story pieces that vanish, the budget cuts being an obvious one. Nothing has time to breathe, even the run up to madney baby #2 was over in what 2 scenes. The inconsistentcies gwt harder to ignore. I miss Chris but understand why they had to remove him from the story for the actor but his and Eddie's dynamic was the part I liked most, otherwise there isnt much for Eddie. I don't think we'll see the resolutions for Eddie we might want, finding happiness is great but doesn't fix the mistakes he made or get rid of the trauma.

I thought that they were finally setting up some endgame storylines to bring a satisfying end for each of the characters which resolved their main themes. Because I agree, season 9 will probably be its last, it may even be a shorter season. They will use the last season to launch the new 911 spin off. They probably won't announce the end of the series until their sure the next one is in motion so that they can transfer the 911 audience over to a cheaper spin off.

The show is incredibly expensive and the budget cuts are showing, they have only have big emergencies at the start of the show with a few more exciting ones scattered through the season but those barely exist in s7 and s8 so far, I mean when was the last time they tackled an actual structual fire on the job? The opening was also on the smaller scale for s8, the opening emergency was cgi and the plane emergency was kinda fun but only had one of the mains and would have been significantly cheaper than the cruise emergency ABC allowed to make sure they successfully pulled the audience over from Fox.

I've had an inkling that things would be wrapping up since towards the end of season 7. The adoption storyline was building and completing the Wilson family unit, the Hans taking in Mara to prompt the wish for another baby, the new home for Bobby and Athena, with Bobby no doubt retiring as captain and passing the mantle to Hen or Buck. And I had hoped that having Tommy come in was going to start that process of resolving Buck's ongoing theme of finding family, love and his place in the world. All signs were pointing there, especially going into season 8, so the break up was very sudden. OS said he only knew two episodes ahead, I wouldn't be surprised if that decision was made at that time. The idea the Tim knew beforehand doesn't entirely ring true to me, he has explained many times he concocts stories on a whim as they go. Also the fact they extended the opening to 3 eps to get their moneys worth and then shifted the episodes around, it might be cast availability but ive not heard of them doing this before so it must have been quite a pivot to make it happen, I could be wrong. Perhaps the viewer numbers dropping freaked them out and they needed to throw in a shock factor after audiences were so taken with Buck's coming out, so they thought breaking them up would boost engagement and it has but just not the way they intended. Too many happy couples doesn't bring enough drama in their minds perhaps and the other couple have to stick to the status quo so Tommy took the hit. I dunno but I've worked in film and TV and it's always about a hook and getting peoples eyes on the screen.

Sorry this was so long and probably way beyond your question...I've been dwelling on a lot of thoughts since even before 806. Feel free to come and chat further. I'd kept my speculation about the end to myself wanting to have a happy bucktommy blog but that's kinda off the table now.

[these-modern-times]

Thoughts On Leverage: Redemption

I finally got around to watching Leverage: Redemption. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! I had such a great time watching the cast all back together and all the character growth. 

At first I was worried how the show was going to be without Nate since he was really the engine of the group. It was weird watching Redemption for like the first two eps and then I was totally fine with Nate not being around. I really like where all the characters are now, especially Parker, and I think if Nate had been in the show all the characters would’ve snapped to and gone back to being their old selves in certain ways. I think they would have been more reserved if Nate was still around (but they definitely would’ve called out his shit real fast). Parker has let her freak flag fly and I do not think she would have been that way with Nate back in the picture. Still miss Nate a bit but the crew is so awesome without him. 

I was also worried about how the show was going to be without Aldis Hodge being a regular but, again, it was fine. I loved when he came back but the show and characters were so good that I didn’t miss him as much as I thought I would. All the Parker and Hardison scenes were great. 

Parker will forever be my girl. Beth Riesgraf continues to just be amazing playing Parker (I want to know how she managed to keep a straight face with some of her scenes and lines or how anyone else did for that matter). I read someone’s review here on tumblr that the writers did Parker dirty. I don’t think the writers did Parker dirty at all, if anything they made her more fun and they really let Parker be herself. Think about all the times she almost started going off the rails with being really goofy (the pinata she dumped on the table in front of Eliot, the chocolate convention, the Ghostbusters scene/line, etc) and then she was pulled back. Parker is the leader now and Hardison and Eliot are used to her antics, they just let her go. I think Parker has always known when it’s time to have fun and when it’s time to be serious when it comes to being a thief and running a con. 

Sophie, for me, became a good character to watch. Gina Bellman always nailed the hell out of playing Sophie and I don’t think she ever gets the credit she deserves for playing the character. I loved how Parker, Hardison, and Eliot knew they had to see her and help pull her out of her deep grief. They gave her no choice and she went along with it. Sophie always looked like she had a great time on jobs in the original series and that fun was still there. I adored her friendship with Harry (”our Mr. Wilson,” a sweet, and very British, addition to her character). I’m glad there was an outside person for her to speak to and to ground her. She even said the team saw her as Sophie Deveraux they didn’t see her in the way he saw her as an outsider. There’s a lot of respect between Sophie and Harry and I enjoyed that a lot. 

Eliot was Eliot, the same hard ass with a very soft inside. He was grumpier and punchier then ever. He’s still the same big brother to Parker and Hardison keeping them in line. Eliot and Sophie have always had a very interesting relationship and dynamic and it was still good to see they had that in this series as well. 

Breanna is a great addition to the crew. Parker being her (reluctant) mentor was fun. Her line about college being a scam in 2nd season hit me right in the soul. 

Harry was a good addition. He brought the law side to the team and gave them a different angle to their cons. He’s also just a total goofball who had no choice but to join the family and just had a good time. As I mentioned, I like his relationship with Sophie. He was the other grown up in the family who balanced things out for not only Sophie but for the whole team. 

The throw backs to the original series through the new 2 seasons were perfection. Some of them were slight and some of them were super obvious. All of them gave me so much joy. Parker with the horse painting in the first episode made me laugh way too hard. 

There are so many good moments throughout the 2 seasons. Parker and Hardison’s scenes will always be a favorite. The team going to Sophie in the first episode is precious. Do not even get me started on Sophie’s line to Harry about Hardison, “He is his father’s son.” My soft interior definitely shed a slight a tear and a little heart rip happened hearing that line. In the first ep you can see Parker, Hardison, and Eliot were still grieving over Nate too and they needed their “mom.” The ending of The Paranormal Hacktivity Job made my day when I watched it. Hurley coming back was a great throwback and touch. Parker loving Christmas will never get old. Harry freaking out in the vents with Parker was hilarious. Parker pretending to be pregnant was probably one of the funniest moments of this series because she found it fun to hide stuff on her that way. Possibly the best thing was the team being afraid of the Canadian Mounties. These idiots have taken down the worst kinds of people and yet they’re all afraid of the Mounties. I can’t handle them. 

Just like the original series I love the stories that revolve around museums and the museum and art worlds. I have a BA in Art History and a MA in Museum Collections Management. I currently work in the museum field. The show majorly glamorizes museums and especially their security systems (maybe the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Louvre can afford something close to what the museums in Leverage and Redemption use) but it’s fun to see what could be done if money wasn’t an object for museums. The last two eps of season 2 made me nuts with the air vents being so big and so close to the art works but it’s a TV show. My new dream job would be as a museum consultant for Leverage: Redemption, haha. I cracked up when Parker said she’s stolen three Rembrandts, a hat trick. 

My one and only complaint about Leverage: Redemption was the backstory eps for Sophie and Eliot. One of the reasons I absolutely love Leverage is because they never revealed too much about the characters. I love not knowing Parker’s full name and complete background. The fact that no one knows Sophie’s real name after all these years is brilliant. Even Hardison doesn’t have a super in depth backstory. The writing for the show has always been satisfying and great that I never felt the need or want to know more about the characters. Leverage is literally one of the only shows I don’t have an issue with in any way with character development and story writing. I just found Sophie and Eliot’s back stories to be a little dull. At least Sophie’s was about cons and grifters which fits into the overall show. I am praying if this show comes back for a 3rd season that they do NOT in any way really dive into Parker’s background. Keep her elusive and just Parker. 

I think Leverage: Redemption is a lot of fun because it is different. I’m so happy the show is still the same in a lot of ways but it’s not, it’s its own thing. I can still see the same characters from the first episode of Leverage, they’ve all grown but the people we were first introduced to are still there. The show made me laugh and it made me happy in a lot of ways from the writing to the acting to the stories to the complete silliness of so many lines and scenes. I am so hoping for a 3rd season of Leverage: Redemption, I’m fully ready for more fun adventures with this group of crazies.  

[causewhywouldnti]

My thoughts as I’m watching 24 seasons of law & order svu:

Season 7

The season is starting off strong with Elliot undercover. He and Fin are just great together. Elliot being made aware of his anger management problems whilst he’s pretending to be a pedophile is ironic.

7x03 “911”, I get why it got Mariska an Emmy, her acting is great in it and the story is set up differently. However, it probably won’t go on my rewatch list. And I’m sorry, but I have to say this, but her chest compressions were more like stomach compressions. They would have saved no one.

Absolutely loved getting an insight into Elliot in 7x04. Also, him finally addressing his anger problems.

7x06, what can I say, nazis getting their asses kicked, Munch getting shot in the ass, Benson and Stabler having a hospital scene and Marcia Gay Harden showing up. Great episode all around.

7x08, I liked their discussions about end of life care or pulling the plug. Did not like the open ending with the rapes.

7x10, good episode, got even better after they were told to stand down. Olivia leaking to the press, Elliot calling her out on it, and Dad mode for Cragen. I do wonder if they ever followed up with Jackson Zane. Or is the dude still held in contempt?

I love in TV, when medical equipment isn't correctly installed, yet the monitor is still normal. Like in 7x11, when the electrode isn't even attached to the body.

Donelly conspiring to have a kid get free was great in 7x12. And their discussion on gun control is still accurate 17 years later.

Elliot hiding in the trunk of the car in 7x13 sent me. I just really was not expecting that. Warner getting her time to shine though.

So I know Mariska was pregnant during this season. So they did the obvious things to hide it: started off with her wearing open coats all the time, then the camera only showed her chest and face. In 7x13, we graduated to big objects for her to hold. Camera work in the last few episodes is creative.

7x19, well let's be honest here, I knew how this episode was gonna play out. It didn't disappoint. Benson and Stabler both choosing each other over the job. My personal favorite moment of the episode has to be the silence of the two of them after Gitano was killed. Just great acting of the two of them communicating without saying a word.

Stabler really misses Benson in 7x20. I did like that she came to him after he and Blaine got into it. Stabler's eyes say so much when Benson hands him the evidence to arrest the girl.

Look how happy Benson is, when Fin and Stabler go to her in 7x21. The season finale was kinda depressing.

Familiar faces: Chandra Wilson, Paul Wesley (the Vampire Diaries), Noah Emmerich (White Collar), Marin Hinkle (Madam Secretary), Marcia Gay Harden (the Newsroom), Cody Kasch (Desperate Housewives), Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Castle), Tina Holmes (House), Keke Palmer (Scream Queens), Matthew Settle (Band if Brothers), Tom Verica (How to Get Away with Murder), Zeljko Ivanek (Madam Secretary), Schuyler Fisk (OTH), Rebecca De Mornay (Raise Your Voice), Brian Slaten (Rizzoli&Isles), Michael Boatman (Spin City), Rebecca Wisocky (Ghosts CBS) and Brittany Snow.

Favorite episodes: 7x04, 7x06, 7x10, 7x12, 7x13 and 7x19

Favorite lines:

"You’re not weak. You’re so busy being strong and helping everyone, you’ve got nothing left for yourself.“ - Dr. Hendrix to Stabler in 7x04

"Four-pack of coolers and a box of condoms. What, you plan on getting frisky with the Hamburglar?“ - Fin 7x21

"Your conversation skills are what I like best about you.“ - Donna to Stabler 7x21

[sacredsorceress]

Three’s a Crowd || Bucky Barnes

pairing: bucky barnes x fem!reader

summary: when you come down to visit your boyfriend, bucky barnes, at the wilson residence and see his interaction with sam’s nephews firsthand- you can’t help but entertain the idea of having a family of your own with the super soldier.

a/n: here’s some short and sweet fluff prior to the season finale! reblogs and/or replies are super appreciated!!

word count: 2k

warnings: mentions of starting a family? it’s pure fluff

masterlist || request || taglist

“Hey sleepyhead.” You hummed, running your fingers through your boyfriend’s hair.

At the sound of your voice and the gentle touch of your fingers slipping through his hair and brushing against his skin ever so slightly, Bucky opened his eyes to bet met with your figure sitting at his side, staring down at him. 

No matter how many times he woke up to see you first thing in the morning with the sunlight highlighting your features, he would swear he was in heaven- utterly consumed with the feeling of pure bliss.

“Hi, doll.” He smiled, his voice still raspy.

At the feeling of his hands moving to lay on either side of your waist you smiled. “Hi.”

“What are you doing here?” He asked, realizing that you had come all the way down to the Wilson’s home when the last place Bucky had left you before going on his mission with Sam was at your shared apartment in New York.

“I missed you.” You shrugged. 

“I told you I was coming home today, Y/n.”

“I know, Buck.” You said, now laying your palm against his cheek. “But I heard about everything that happened and I couldn’t wait another day to see you.”

Looking up at you and leaning into your palm that was cupping his cheek, Bucky couldn’t believe how he ever got so lucky as to have you.

Breaking him out of his moment spent admiring you, he heard the sound of Sam’s nephews running into the room, and turned his head only to see them playing with the famous vibranium shield in their hands.

“Hey!” He exclaimed.

Immediately upon being caught by the super soldier, the boys dropped the shield onto the ground, scurrying out of the room, no doubt scared about getting caught with their uncle’s prized possession.

“Look at you babysitting.” You laughed, playfully swatting at your boyfriend’s chest.

Bucky caught your hand midair and scoffed. “I’m not babysitting... it’s just... dangerous... you know?”

“Sure,” You smiled. “Whatever you say, tough guy.”

Grasping the dog tags that were lying on his chest, you gently tugged on the chain and brought his face inches away from yours. Seeing his sleepy, smiling face- you brought your lips to meet his for a soft kiss before pulling away.

“One more?” He asked, quirking his eyebrows.

“Go brush your teeth first.” You laughed, watching as he threw you a fake pout. “Then I’ll see what I can do.”

-

Although the two of you spent the remainder of the day apart- Bucky training with Sam and you helping Sarah with things she needed done around the property- you came together again on the docks that evening while the Sun began to set over the horizon.

Carrying a crate in your hands that you had assured Sarah wasn’t too heavy for you, you made your way near the boat again, laying your eyes on your super soldier boyfriend for the first time since that morning.

You swear your heart could’ve burst right in your chest, taking in the sight in front of you.

Bucky was stood at the end of the dock, one hand on his knee while he chatted with Sam and his sister beside him. His other arm- his vibranium one- was stretched out and you couldn’t help the smile that crept onto your face as you witnessed Sam’s nephews and other children you hadn’t seen before hanging off of it, laughing to one another in awe about how “cool” his arm was. 

With the golden hue of the sunset setting over your boyfriend’s features, you wished you had a camera on you so you could never forget the moment. You could’ve sworn you would’ve stood there for eternity staring if it weren’t for Bucky catching your eye, waving back at you smiling.

Although you couldn’t hear him, you watched as he said something to the kids, gently shaking them off of his arm, before striding over to you.

“Here, let me take that.” He offered, taking the crate from your arms and setting it down on the dock.

Watching as he did so, your mind was still utterly consumed with the image you had just seen in front of you.

“So kids really seem to like you, huh?” You asked.

“What?” He asked, before remembering what he had just been up to. “Oh that?” Bucky asked gesturing back towards where the kids were playing at the end of the dock. “No... they just like the arm, you know?”

As much as you loved your boyfriend, you knew that he was completely naive when it came to the positive effects he had on people.

“Buck...” You cooed, reaching for his hands and pulling his body closer to yours. “When are you going to realize that people like you for you? They think you’re cool! Sure, the metal arm helps, but just admit it babe- kids like you.”

Resting his hands on your waist, you watched as a teasing smirk formed on his face.

“Why are you so obsessed with how kids act around me today?”

As soon as he asked, you began to feel flustered by him not only noticing, but calling you out on it. You hadn't realized you were being so obvious, but you could barely help yourself. Seeing your boyfriend, Bucky Barnes, surrounded by kids? You couldn’t help but think of him surrounded by children of your own. All you could think about all day when not engaged in an active conversation with those around you was entertaining the idea of starting a family with your favorite 106 year-old man.

“I’m not!” You exclaimed, playfully swatting at his chest. “Why are you so obsessed with me being obsessed about you with kids? Hmm? Wanna answer that old man?”

Watching as you laughed while teasing him, Bucky couldn’t help but get lost in the moment.

“Buck-” You began.

“You know you look so beautiful right now?” He cut you off.

You bit your bottom lip to try to hide the large smile that was creeping over your face at his compliment. No matter how long the two of you had been together, or how many times he complimented you, he always knew how to make you feel the same butterflies you did the first time you met him.

“Especially with the sunset? You look beautiful all the time, doll, but... wow.” He said.

“Bucky, stop flattering me.” You insisted, running your hands up his chest before wrapping your arms around the back of his neck.

“I mean it, Y/n.” He said. “You’re the best looking thing on this damn planet.”

Utterly consumed in the moment, you couldn’t help but smile.

“Me?” You asked. “Have you ever seen yourself? I swear I want our kids to look just like you.”

As soon as the sentence slipped out of your mouth, you regretted it. It came out so naturally you hadn’t even had time to think about it before you essentially just confessed to your boyfriend that you wanted to have children with him.

Although you and him had no doubt in your minds that you would spend the rest of your lives together, you understood that now might not have been the best time to bring up such a big life change with both of you only being thrown back into existence half a year ago and him being consumed in his work not only in saving the world, but in saving himself.

Embarrassed, you tried to weasel your way out of his grasp, but he only gripped his hands tighter on your waist pulling you towards him.

“What did you say?” He asked.

“I’m so sorry! Forget I said anything-” You pleaded.

“No, Y/n, stop. Stop apologizing.” He said. “Were you... were you talking about kids all day because you were thinking about... were you thinking about me being a dad?”

As you looked into his eyes, you could see how serious he was and you knew you couldn’t lie to him.

“Yes.”

The two of you stood staring at each other in silence for a few moments and just as you were beginning to grow afraid that you might have ruined everything, you watched as your boyfriend began to chuckle, a light smile playing on his lips.

“What?” You asked. “What is it?”

“Thank God.”

Quirking your eyebrows you pressed again. “What do you mean?”

“What do I mean?” He asked playfully, pulling on your waist to tug you closer towards him. “Do you think I haven’t been thinking the same thing all day?”

“What-”

“Y/n.” He said seriously, the smile leaving his face. “You’ve been taking care of Sam’s nephews all day. Do you think the thought hasn’t crossed my mind? I know... I know I’ve been through a lot... we’ve been through a lot... but I want this with you.”

You could feel your heart swell in your chest, listening to your boyfriend’s words.

“What are you saying, Buck?” You asked.

“You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?” He asked, smiling once again. “Okay. Today when I couldn’t tie the kid’s shoelaces because of my hand and you stepped in and did it for me I thought about how good of a mom you would be. You’d be such a good mom, Y/n. I’m a piece of work- I know that- but God you would be so good at it and if I have... you know... mini me’s running around I wouldn’t want anyone else because I know that they would be the most loved and cared for kids in the damn world having you as their mom.”

You once again couldn’t help the smile that spread across your face as you listened to your boyfriend’s praise. It wasn’t uncommon for bucky to worship the ground you walked on, but for him to give such a compliment regarding a future family of your own, you couldn’t help but feel as though you had been personally escorted to paradise.

Unable to find the words to describe the joy and excitement you were feeling, you spoke the only words you could find it in yourself to say to him.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” He said.

“I want it all with you too, Buck.” You said, moving your hand to cup his cheeks, “And for the record- you would be a great dad. I know you put on the tough guy look for everyone else, but as the luckiest woman on the planet- I’ve seen the love you have in your heart. You would spoil those kids rotten with love.”

You watched as the very rare instance of blush coated Bucky’s cheeks. Still smiling- so much so it almost began to hurt- you pulled your boyfriend’s face towards yours, allowing your lips to meet his. Just as you were about to deepen the kiss however, you heard a loud whistle, sounding from behind Bucky.

Peeking behind Bucky, you saw Sam standing a few feet away, sleeves rolled up and hands on his hips.

“Hey!” Sam teased. “There’s kids here!”

“Thanks for ruining the moment, Sam.” Your boyfriend grumbled beside you, and you couldn’t help but chuckle.

You watched as Sam, laughing, took a swig of the beer in his hand, the sun setting behind him.

“I’m just messing with you, man.” He said. “Are you two staying tonight?”

The two of you glanced at one another, wordlessly communicating while smiling- both knowing what the other was thinking.

“I think...” You began. “I think we’re gonna start a family.”

When the words slipped out of your mouth, you and Bucky couldn't help but gaze at each other in awe of the situation. You were really going to do this. You were going to start a family with one another. You could hardly believe it, but you also couldn’t be happier than you were in that moment.

In front of the two of you, however, still stood Sam who spit out his beer at the sound of your words.

“Not on my sister’s couch you’re not!”

[calzona-ga]

In her unauthorized book, Lynette Rice explores the stories behind some of the ABC drama's biggest moments, including — in this exclusive excerpt — the factors that led to McDreamy's shocking death.

In How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey’s Anatomy, author Lynette Rice recounts the ABC medical drama’s eventful 16-year history, revealing new details behind some of the show’s biggest departures. Included in the unauthorized, 320-page oral history (St. Martin’s Press, Sept. 21, $29.99) is a chapter that offers new insight into leading man Patrick Dempsey’s shocking exit in season 11 of the Shonda Rhimes-created drama. In the chapter, Rice speaks with Dempsey’s co-stars and exec producers who were present during filming of his final days on Grey’s Anatomy, and reveals claims of “HR issues” that contributed to the death of his alter-ego, Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd.

“There were HR issues. It wasn’t sexual in any way. He sort of was terrorizing the set. Some cast members had all sorts of PTSD with him,” recalls exec producer James D. Parriott, who was brought back to the series to oversee Dempsey’s exit.

In more than 80 interviews with current and former cast- and crewmembers, Rice, an editor-at-large at Entertainment Weekly, also explores the show’s early days, recounts the thinking behind some of its more polarizing storylines and offers exclusive details about the show’s behind-the-scenes culture.

“After 17 seasons, fans still can’t get enough of Grey’s Anatomy,” Rice tells THR. But what went down behind the scenes was just as dramatic as what viewers saw every Thursday. I’m excited for fans to read what I learned about those early days, along with what it was like to work for Shonda Rhimes, and why the drama was so freakin’ headline-prone.”

Below, The Hollywood Reporter shares an excerpt — the full eighth chapter — from How to Save a Life, and tune in Friday to TV’s Top 5 for an interview with Rice about her book and the other big reveals she uncovered in her reporting for it.

(Reps for ABC, ABC Signature, Shondaland, and Dempsey declined comment on the reveals in Rice’s book.)

“He’s Very Dreamy, but He’s Not the Sun,” Or, How Grey’s Anatomy Loved — Then Learned to Live Without — Patrick Dempsey Ellen Pompeo may have played the titular role, but for many fans over many years, Patrick Dempsey was the real draw to Grey’s Anatomy. Some of it had to do with his celebrity: Dempsey was the most famous member of the original cast at the time of the pilot and brought with him quite a cult following from his 1987 movie Can’t Buy Me Love. But a lot of it was due to the way Rhimes wrote her McDreamy and how Dempsey depicted him. James D. Parriott I would say, “The guy would never say that,” and Shonda would say, “He’s McDreamy. He’s the perfect man. He would say that.” I’d say, “Okay. It’s your show.” Eric Buchman Shonda had a very clear idea of how important it was to keep Derek as this almost idealized love interest, not just for Meredith but for the audience. Naturally, the writers—especially writers who had been working on one-hour dramas for a while—were like, “Well, maybe have McDreamy make a big mistake in surgery and kill somebody. Or he develops an addiction of some kind. What is his deep, dark secret?” Shonda was very insistent: that’s not the character we do that with. Even when you find out he’s married, that was done in a very sympathetic way that kept him being a hero. He was wronged by his spouse and in spite of it all he was still gonna give his marriage a second chance. Stacy McKee Shonda was protective of McDreamy, but it was really with an eye toward being protective of Meredith. I don’t think the two were separate from one another. I don’t think she wanted to put something out there that maybe on the surface might seem a little frivolous. At its core, there was something really substantial that she wanted to say. She wanted to be very specific about the type of relationship values that she put out there. Tony Phelan I was in editing with Shonda once, and it was the scene where Meredith and Derek had broken up. He comes over and she’s like, “I can’t remember the last time we kissed.” And he says, “I remember. You were wearing this and you smelled of this …”

Joan Rater “Your shampoo smelled like flowers, you had that sweater on …” He described their last kiss. Tony Phelan Typically in editing you start on Derek, then you cut to Meredith for a reaction, and then you’ll go back to him. I noticed that we weren’t ever cutting back to Meredith. I asked why. Shonda said, “Because the woman in Iowa who’s watching this show wants to believe that Patrick is talking to her, and if you cut back to Meredith, it pushes them out of it.” In those special moments, we would just lock into Derek and let him do his thing. Joan Rater And he was a master at it. Patrick Dempsey He’s the ideal man, and that’s what Shonda constructed. There’s a projection [of him] onto me when you come in contact with fans, certainly with the younger and older fans. There is a certain amount of expectation. There is a responsibility to it. It made me grow, too. There were good qualities [of his] that you work on to obtain. Off camera, Dempsey was equally as charismatic to his fellow actors, crew members, and anyone who would come to visit the set. Lauren Stamile I was going in to meet him, and I remember I had this little cardigan sweater on and I took it off before I got into the room. Dempsey is one of those people—it’s almost like there’s a light shining around his body, and you feel like you’re the only person in the room. I got so hot and I remember saying, “Gosh, I would take off my sweater if I had one on because I’m so hot, but I took it off.” I was just babbling. He said, “You look nice,” and I said, “You look nicer.” I felt so awkward and he was so gracious and lovely. I was having a nervous breakdown. It’s like this “it” factor. I was like, God, whatever he has, I wish I had. I think it was very obvious how nervous I was, and he went out of his way to make sure he introduced me to everybody and made sure I felt comfortable, which he certainly didn’t have to do. But he did. Joan Rater He knew I had a giant crush on him, and he loved it. And when we’d go to table reads—I was an actress at one point in my life—they would always give me Meredith if Ellen wasn’t there. And I’d be getting my chicken tenders at craft services before the table read and he’d come up behind me and say, “Are you reading Meredith?” in my ear, like, so sexy. I’d be like, Oh my God. I mean, I could barely … I could not look at him. Tina Majorino I worked with Patrick a ton. I love him so much. We had a really great time working together. I think he’s such a great actor and he really made me laugh a lot. I feel like we had a good dynamic in scenes together, and it was always fun to play opposite him. Yes, he’s that charismatic in real life. Yes, his hair is that awesome. Yes, he is dreamy up close.

Chandra Wilson Patrick Dempsey will forever be known as Grey’s Anatomy’s McDreamy. Derek Shepherd is a permanent part of television history.

Norman Leavitt He is a big, personable guy.

Jeannine Renshaw We all love Patrick. Patrick is a sweetheart. If I saw him on the street, I’d give him a hug. I love the guy.

Mark Wilding I’ve always had a soft spot for Patrick. He really does try to do the right thing. Brooke Smith, who played Dr. Erica Hahn, remembers how Dempsey defended her when the decision was made to fire her from the show in 2008. Brooke Smith I remember calling him and saying, “Oh my God, they said they can’t write for me anymore, so I guess I’m leaving.” And he was like, “What are you talking about? You’re the only one they’re writing for.” Which at that time, it kind of did feel that way. But I guess someone didn’t like that. They gave me a statement [to release, about her departure] and I never said it. Patrick said that he actually took it out of his jacket on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and read the statement. He won’t let me forget it. He was like, “I defended you, see?” And it was true.

By season eleven, however, fans saw a disturbing break in MerDer’s once unbreakable bond. Six episodes had gone by without a peep from Derek, who was supposedly in Washington, D.C., where he had apparently made out with a research fellow. Fans began threatening to bolt if their hero didn’t return soon to Seattle. “I have never missed one episode,” wrote a fan on Dempsey’s Facebook page. “But I swear if [Rhimes] kills you off I’m done.” But there was a critical reason for Derek’s strange absence: behind the scenes, there was talk of Dempsey’s diva-like fits and tension between him and Pompeo. To help manage the explosive situation, executive producer James D. Parriott was brought back in to serve as a veritable Dempsey whisperer.

Patrick Dempsey [That] was the first year that I haven’t been in every episode. I [was] in every episode since the pilot— close to 250 episodes. That [was a] huge run. James D. Parriott Shonda needed an OG to come in as sort of a showrunner for fourteen episodes. There were HR issues. It wasn’t sexual in any way. He sort of was terrorizing the set. Some cast members had all sorts of PTSD with him. He had this hold on the set where he knew he could stop production and scare people. The network and studio came down and we had sessions with them. I think he was just done with the show. He didn’t like the inconvenience of coming in every day and working. He and Shonda were at each other’s throats.

Jeannine Renshaw There were times where Ellen was frustrated with Patrick and she would get angry that he wasn’t working as much. She was very big on having things be fair. She just didn’t like that Patrick would complain that “I’m here too late” or “I’ve been here too long” when she had twice as many scenes in the episode as he did. When I brought it up to Patrick, I would say, “Look around you. These people have been here since six thirty a.m.” He would go, “Oh, yeah.” He would get it. It’s just that actors tend to see things from their own perspective. He’s like a kid. He’s so high energy and would go, “What’s happening next?” He literally goes out of his skin, sitting and waiting. He wants to be out driving his race car or doing something fun. He’s the kid in class who wants to go to recess.

Patrick Dempsey It’s ten months, fifteen hours a day. You never know your schedule, so your kid asks you, “What are you doing on Monday?” And you go, “I don’t know,” because I don’t know my schedule. Doing that for eleven years is challenging. But you have to be grateful, because you’re well compensated, so you can’t really complain because you don’t really have a right. You don’t have control over your schedule. So, you have to just be flexible.

Longtime Crew Member Poor Patrick. I’m not defending his schtick. I like him, but he was the Lone Ranger. All of these actresses were getting all this power. All the rogue actresses would go running to Shonda and say, “Hey, Patrick’s doing this. Patrick’s late for work. He’s a nightmare.” He was just shut out in the cold. His behavior wasn’t the greatest, but he had nowhere to go. He was so miserable. He had no one to talk to. When Sandra left, I remember him telling me, “I should’ve left then, but I stayed on because they showed me all this money. They just were dumping money on me.”

Patrick Dempsey It [was] hard to say no to that kind of money. How do you say no to that? It’s remarkable to be a working actor, and then on top of that to be on a show that’s visible. And then on top of that to be on a phenomenal show that’s known around the world, and play a character who is beloved around the world. It’s very heady. It [was] a lot to process, and not wanting to let that go, because you never know whether you will work again and have success again.

Jeannine Renshaw A lot of the complaining … I think Shonda finally witnessed it herself, and that was the final straw. Shonda had to say to the network, “If he doesn’t go, I go.” Nobody wanted him to leave, because he was the show. Him and Ellen. Patrick is a sweetheart. It messes you up, this business.

James D. Parriott I vaguely recall something like that, but I can’t be sure. It would have happened right toward the end, because I know they were negotiating and negotiating, trying to figure out what to do. We had three different scenarios that we actually had to break because we didn’t know until I think about three days before he came back to set which one we were going to go with. We didn’t know if he was going to be able to negotiate his way out of it. We had a whole story line where we were going to keep him in Washington, D.C., so we could separate him from the rest of the show. He would not have to work with Ellen again. Then we had the one where he comes back, doesn’t die, and we figure out what Derek’s relationship with Meredith would be. Then there was the one we did. It was kind of crazy. We didn’t know if he was going to be able to negotiate his way out of it. It was ultimately decided that just bringing him back was going to be too hard on the other actors. The studio just said it was going to be more trouble than it was worth and decided to move on.

Stacy McKee I don’t think there was any way to exit him without him dying. He and Meredith were such an incredibly bonded couple at that point. It would be completely out of character if he left his kids. There was no exit that would honor that character other than if he were to die. Patrick Dempsey I don’t remember the date [I got the news]. It was not in the fall. Maybe February or March. It was just a natural progression. And the way everything was unfolding in a very organic way, it was like, “Okay! This is obviously the right time.” Things happened very quickly. We were like, “Oh, this is where it’s going to go.”

So that was that: McDreamy would die in episode twenty-one of season eleven, even though Dempsey was in year one of his recently signed two-year contract extension. Rhimes wrote a script that was befitting of her lead’s heroic persona: she began “How to Save a Life” by having Derek witness a car crash and helping the injured. Once it appeared everyone was out of harm’s way, Derek continues on his road trip but is suddenly broadsided by a truck.

Rob Hardy (Director) The paramedics leave. He’s there by himself. He’s having a moment. The nice music is playing, and all of a sudden, bang. It comes out of nowhere, which, you know, is how accidents happen. So as opposed to watching it as a viewer, we saw the accident happen through Derek’s perspective. Derek ends up at Dillard Medical Center, a hospital far from Grey Sloan and the talented doctors who work there. His eyes are open, but his brain is severely damaged. No one hears his plea for a CT scan; he can’t speak. To help keep the episode a secret, the scenes were shot in an abandoned hospital in Hawthorne, California, about twenty-two miles from the show’s home studio in Los Feliz.

Mimi Melgaard It was really hard on all of us because it was so secretive and we had so many different locations. We shot at this closed-down hospital that was absolutely creepy haunted. All the scenes there were so sad anyway, and in this yucky-feeling haunted hospital? It was really weird. His whole last episode was really tough. Patrick Dempsey It was like any other day. It was just another workday. There was still too much going on. You’re in the midst of it—you’re not really processing it. Rob Hardy Here’s a guy who’s immobile. Now you’re inside of his head. We were trying to make that feel scary from the perspective of a person who’s used to being in control, from a person who usually has the power of life and death in his own hands. But now he doesn’t have the ability to speak on his own behalf.

Samantha Sloyan When I went to audition, I didn’t recognize any of these doctors’ names. I assumed they were just dummy sides so people wouldn’t ruin the story line or anything like that. All we knew is that we were dealing with a man who’s been in a car accident. I had no idea that it was going to be Derek. I just figured I was going to be a guest doctor and that whoever this person was who was injured, was going to be just a character on the show. Once it became clear what we were working on, I was like, Oh, my gosh. I can’t believe this is the episode I’m on.

Mike McColl (Dr. Paul Castello) I signed an NDA before they would release the script to me. I was reading it in my house, and I was like, “Oh, my God.” I didn’t tell anyone, including my agents. I just said, “This is a really great booking. It’s a great role on Grey’s.” And they didn’t know anything until it aired.

Savannah Paige Rae (Winnie) The first scene I shot was actually the sentimental scene when I’m saying, “It’s a beautiful day to save lives, right?” I’m in the hospital room with Derek and talking to him. Even though I never watched the show, I recognized the value of the episode I was in and just really took it to heart. It was so special that I got to be a part of it.

Rob Hardy [Patrick] had a lot of emotions during the whole shoot, which evolved. I think when we first started, he was very calm and cool … the same Patrick that I remembered when I worked on the show a year or so before. With each passing day, he was a lot more emotional. A lot more was on his mind, and that would show itself in different ways. The finality of the episode and for his character was setting in. You’ve become a global icon on this show and then in five, four, three, two, a day … it’s over.

James D. Parriott Patrick was very cooperative and good.

Mike McColl When I met Patrick, he’s lying on a stretcher and we’re rushing him into the ER. I just introduced myself, shook his hand, and was like, “Man, I cannot tell you what an honor it is to be the guy to take you down.” He loved it. He could not have been nicer to me and was funny through the whole shoot. He was on the table in front of me there when I cut his chest open and all that stuff. He gave me a hug at the end. It was a real privilege to be a part of TV history in that way.

Samantha Sloyan I remember him being incredibly kind. They had his neck in a brace, and he’s strapped down to the board, so there wasn’t a ton of chatting. I remember him being really kind, but it was clearly intense for him.

Stacy McKee It was such a beautiful piece of storytelling. I knew this event was going to be a really sad, horrible event for Meredith, but I also knew it was going to be the beginning of such an incredible chapter for Meredith.

Dempsey completed his final hours of shooting on a rainy night. There was no goodbye party, no goodbye cake. Maybe that’s because some cast members were left out of the loop. James Pickens, Jr., told ABC News that the cast “didn’t know a whole lot. It was kind of on the fly. So whatever information we got, we pretty much got it kind of right before it happened.”

Caterina Scorsone (Dr. Amelia Shepherd) I didn’t get to say goodbye to Patrick when he left. I do think that helped, because I’ve been using the character of Derek in my internal landscape since Private Practice. Derek was the stability in Amelia’s life. He became a father figure after they watched robbers shoot their father. When he was suddenly gone from the show, we didn’t have that closure, so I got to play it out. She’s about to use drugs again before Owen confronts her in a way that she finally talks about her feelings about losing Derek. She doesn’t end up using.

James D. Parriott The day he left, that was my last day. There was a certain sadness to it, but I think he was relieved. I mean, I think it took a toll on him, too.

Rob Hardy I didn’t see other actors showing up and saying, “Hey, it’s the last day! Wanted to come and wish you well.” I didn’t get that. It was more the Patrick show. We were in the Patrick world, and then Ellen came, and there was definitely a lot of emotion that both of them had individually … not necessarily together. It was more so her being there on the day that he died. He had his own way of being with that, and the same thing with her. It was like two people who grew up together and … here we are. They had their own way of reflecting.

Patrick Dempsey I very quietly left. It was beautiful. It was raining, which was really touching. I got in my Panamera, got in rush-hour traffic, and two hours later I was home. Big news like this doesn’t stay quiet for long. Both Michael Ausiello—who left EW in 2010 to launch the news site TVLine—and Lesley Goldberg of The Hollywood Reporter learned two weeks prior to Dempsey’s final episode that he would be leaving the show. No reporter worth their salt wants to sit on a scoop—least of all one as huge as this—but Ausiello and Goldberg didn’t want to spoil the outcome for fans, so they agreed to hold the story until after the episode aired. I eventually found out, too, but in the nuttiest way imaginable: I was standing on the set of CSI: Cyber, watching Patricia Arquette talk about some droll techno-criminal. Unfortunately, the publicist also cc’d Dempsey’s manager and ABC publicist while trying to give me a major story, so I couldn’t immediately report the scoop. But I did use the information to successfully negotiate the one and only exit interview with Dempsey. Two weeks before his final episode, I met him and his publicist at Feed Body & Soul in Venice, California, for a story that would hit newsstands on April 24. He seemed a little shell-shocked and at one point choked up, but at the time he said nothing about how his on-set behavior may have contributed to his ouster. My editor, Henry Goldblatt, wanted to put him on the cover of Entertainment Weekly, but he couldn’t guarantee to ABC that no one would see it before the episode aired. Good thing we didn’t: some subscribers got the issue on the morning of Dempsey’s final episode— and one actually tweeted the story. Our PR department tried to get the tweets removed, but the cat was out of the bag: some fans found out early that McDreamy was about to be McHistory. Outlets like Variety reported how the story got out early, while our PR department released this statement: “We are surprised that an EW subscriber may have received their issue a day earlier than planned. We always try our best to bring readers exclusive news first. We would like to apologize to fans of the show that learned the news ahead of time.” Dempsey’s final episode was watched by 8.83 million viewers—the show’s largest audience since the premiere that season. Variety even pontificated whether the ratings boost was due to my exclusive with Dempsey.

Lesley Goldberg (The Hollywood Reporter) I’m used to working with networks to hold news as part of their efforts to guard against plot spoilers. But the way Patrick Dempsey’s exit was handled involved a layer of paranoia and secrecy that has been unlike anything I’ve seen in my reporting career. News that he was leaving, and his character being killed off, would have been a major story considering how big the show is domestically and internationally. However, it also would have meant spoiling the episode and, more important, damaging key relationships I’ve worked hard to build. At some point, publishing the news of Dempsey’s exit before the episode aired became an ethical question of what was more important—a big story and its subsequent traffic, which would have come no matter what, or the relationships and trust that it took years to craft. Ultimately, I still published early because EW subscribers received the issue with Lynette’s Dempsey interview before the episode aired.

Mike McColl The morning after Derek’s last episode aired, my daughter sent me a link that was on YouTube or Facebook or something. I actually pulled it up to look at it, and it was a Grey’s Anatomy showbiz cheat sheet. It asked the question “Who is the attending doctor who killed Derek ‘McDreamy’ Shepherd?” It included a photo that I posted from the set. I had on a bloody rubber glove and was in my scrubs and mask. I never obviously would have posted this before it aired. I posted it well after the episode aired, and I [captioned it] “McDeadly.” This writer said something like, “Kill McDeadly.” Maybe that’s why the producer didn’t choose a big-name actor to be the one who killed our beloved McDreamy! I want to be ultrasensitive to these hard-core fans because it means so much to them, and I certainly didn’t mean in that case to make light of it. It’s just, I’m an actor, and I recognize it for what it is. Is everybody clear on the fact that this is just pretend and Patrick knew he was going to be leaving the show? It was just like, “God. He’s okay. He really is okay.”

Peter Horton Derek was going to be there forever with Meredith because you went through a whole journey with them. That was incredibly fulfilling. So even if he’s not there, he’s there. I don’t think any of us really worried about that going away because by then you were so invested in it. The show can last as it has for years.

Patrick Dempsey Lots of people [miss him]. “It’s good to see you alive” is the comment I get. I’m like, “Yes, I’m very much alive in reruns.” People were really invested in that relationship. I knew it would be heavy. Very happy to have moved on with a different chapter in my life.

Samantha Sloyan The montage just killed me, when Meredith says, “It’s okay, you can go.” God, I’m getting choked up just thinking about it. The chemistry they have as a pair and the way they were able to build that and sustain it! So many of these relationships are, like, “Will they, won’t they,” and then it wears thin. They sustained it for the duration of their relationship on the show, and it’s just, I think, a testament to what those two created. It was just unbelievable.

Pompeo addressed Dempsey’s departure with a tweet that focused solely on his character, not on how she spent eleven years working side by side with him: “There are so many people out there who have suffered tremendous loss and tragedy. Husbands and wives of soldiers, victims of senseless violence, and parents who have lost children. People who get up every day and do what feels like is the impossible. So it is for these people and in the spirit of resilance [sic] I am honored and excited to tell the story of how Meredith goes on in the face of what feels like the impossible.” Meanwhile, fans futilely created a Change.org petition to reinstate McDempsey, while other, more desperate ones simply tweeted “We Hate You” to Rhimes.

Shonda Rhimes Derek Shepherd is and will always be an incredibly important character—for Meredith, for me, and for the fans. I absolutely never imagined saying goodbye to our McDreamy. Patrick Dempsey’s performance shaped Derek in a way that I know we both hope became a meaningful example— happy, sad, romantic, painful, and always true—of what young women should demand from modern love. His loss will be felt by all.

Talk about the mother (father?) of all postscripts: In November of 2020 Dempsey reprised his role as McDreamy in the season opener—but only in Meredith’s dreams. Stricken with COVID-19, an unconscious Meredith “imagined” reuniting with her husband on the beach. After talking exclusively to Deadline and saying how it was “really a very healing process, and really rewarding,” Dempsey would return for more beach-based episodes that would ultimately stand out as the best moments of season seventeen. “It was a second chance thing,” one ABC executive told me at the time. “Shonda likes a comeback. Also, they wanted him in their last season.”

[jobrookekarev]

I’ll Leave A Light On For You To Come Home

Chapter One of One

Words: 4818 

Summary: Season 16 Fix-it AU where Alex comes home to Jo. He slips into their bed late that night and Jo wakes up to him sleeping next to her in the morning. 

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy.

Relationship: Alex Karev/Jo Wilson. 

Characters: Alex Karev and Jo Wilson

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences. 

Additional Tags: Soft and Fluffy, Fix It, Sleep and Softness, Coming Home, Alex was an Iowa and not Kansas! 

Read at AO3

Read at FFN

AN: It's my birthday and I wanted to work on something that would bring me a little joy. So, I literally pulled this draft out of the dumpster and polished it up for you all to enjoy. 

……………………………………………………………………

The moment the lock clicked on the red rusted door, Alex felt at home. The dark, cold air of the Loft greeted him as he slipped open the door. Yet, the string of lights around the window illuminated the space and served as their night light. It was just enough for them to see the way to the bathroom or the door if they got up in the middle of the night. Right now, it was just enough light for him to see the entryway. 

As he gently closed the door behind him, it squeaked more than usual and he made a mental note to put oil on it tomorrow. Alex paused, listening for any sign that the squeak woke up Jo, but it was quiet. Maybe she wasn't home, but he hoped that she was. He kicked off his shoes and dropped his bags against their shelves. Then he took off his coat and tossed it onto the hook, but it fell to the floor, and he didn't have the energy nor the will to pick it up again. 

He could deal with it all tomorrow. Right now, he needed sleep and his wife. Meredith said she was at home, but Jo must still be at the hospital as there were no signs of her presents. Her shoes weren't in the entryway and her bag wasn't by the door. He let out a sigh as he walked around to their bed. He was hoping to come in and have her be the first person he saw, but he would settle for seeing her as soon as she got home.

Iowa was hard. His mom had a slip and was wandering around in the cold winter storm when he got there. He had to search all over town for her and when he did find her, she was half-frozen and disoriented. Alex immediately took her to the hospital, where they realized she had developed pneumonia. Then he spent two weeks in the hospital at her bedside before she recovered enough psychically and mentally to go home. His mom was doing well now that she was back on her meds and back at home. As she recovered, her mental state returned and she was eager to get back to her schedule and back to work. Yet it became apparent that Helen was struggling with the household and day to day tasks. 

It was then that he and Amber decided to find a long-term at home caregiver for her. Helen wasn’t a fan of it, but Alex argued that having someone to check in on her and help with the cleaning and make meals for her wasn't the worst thing in the world. His mom had finally relented and Alex spent the next two weeks finding the right person. Finally, he hired an at home nurse. Mina, an Iranian woman in her 50s, was more of a companion than a caregiver, and she and Helen got along like a house on fire. He trained Mina to look for Helen’s signs of slipping and taught her, her schedule, her likes and dislikes, and everything about her until it became obvious that he was just staying because he was worried. It was true, Alex was reluctant to leave. As much as he missed his wife, he didn’t want to leave his mom until he was certain she wouldn’t have another slip.

He worried for his mother despite how he trusted Mina. Ever since he had reconnected with his mom, Alex had been more involved in her life and she in theirs. They talked at least once a week, although she, Jo, and Amber had weekly video calls. He felt guilty that he hadn't noticed the split until she was deep into her delusions. If he had paid more attention to her, maybe he would have noticed before she started wandering out of the house and caught pneumonia. So he wanted to be there now to make up for it. 

Finally, Helen and Amber sat him down, gave him a one way plane ticket home, and threatened to call Jo if he did leave. Amber had come down with Matt and their son to visit for a week and promised she would call him if anything happened. Yet, Alex convinced them to let him stay so he could see his nephew for a few days. The morning he was set to fly out, Amber promptly woke him up and in her words, she was going to ship him back to Seattle whether he liked it or not. She packed up his stuff, dropped him off at the airport, and told him to go home. 

Alex was both relieved and terrified to go back. It had been a month and a half since he left. So much time had passed and he felt guilty for ignoring everyone. He had let his life in Seattle slip away as he was so focused on things in Iowa. He had ignored and didn't return Jo’s calls. Every time her picture and her ringtone rang, he smiled, yet the thought of actually speaking to her felt too much. He didn't want to worry her about everything that was going on and give her this burden. The more time he ignored Jo, the harder it was to pick up her calls. Yet, Alex still listened to every voicemail and read every text Jo and Meredith sent as they told him little details of their life. The last one he had gotten from Jo, of her begging to know what was going on, was what prompted him to finally go home. The thought of going home to Jo filled him with such relief as he boarded the plane and he came home. 

Alex turned the corner around the bookshelf to their bed, intending to get some sleep. He looked at the bed only to find her side empty. Alex sighed as he tore off his sweater, but as his eyes adjusted to the dark, he saw her. Jo was fast asleep and curled up on his side of the bed. She clutched his pillow as she slept on it. Her hair splayed across his pillow and she was curled up like a little kid. She had her own pillow against her back and was completely surrounded and tucked in with all of the blankets around her like a little cocoon. Alex couldn't help the easy smile that spread across his face as he stared at her. Jo looked like an angel asleep on his pillow, despite how she snored. He missed sleeping next to her more than anything.

He remembered the last voicemail she sent him begging him to come home. She was begging him for answers about what was going on and it broke his heart to hear her cry on the phone, but he was home now and he would tell her everything when she woke up. He didn't want to wake her up and instead decided to crawl in next to her. He untangled a bit of the blanket cocoon, although crawling in bed next to Jo was something he was a bit of an expert at. It was something he had done a thousand times before. 

Alex changed into a fresh pair of pajama pants from his shelf and went over to her side of the bed. He crawled in before he gently pulled back the covers and was careful as he moved the pillow from her back. As usual, Jo didn't wake up as he pulled back the covers and slid in next to her. He moved his legs next to hers first, letting his legs follow the curve of her knees and letting her cold toes rest against his thighs. He always complained about her cold toes and her reluctance to wear socks in bed. Alex never thought that he would miss her cold toes, but he did. Then, he gently laid down until he was able to scoot forward and lay right up against her. Finally, he moved her hair back, twisting it just a little bit before putting it over her shoulder as he rested his head on his pillow next to her. He was finally pressed up against her and completely surrounded by her. Alex needed to hold her and wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. He took in a deep breath, breathing her in as he closed his eyes. 

He was home. 

There was a touch of perfume that lingered on her neck, but the smell of her shampoo and conditioner was strong and he buried his nose in her hair. He knew he would miss her, which is why he had stolen one of her extra scrub hats. She had two identical ones and he had stolen it straight from the hamper. It was small enough that he could carry around a little bit of her. He also stole one of her sweatshirts as she usually got the bigger sizes that hung off of her frame, although it barely fit him. 

When the smell of her faded, he ordered some of her perfume and was able to keep the memory of her alive. Perhaps it was a bit embarrassing, but he couldn't fall asleep unless she was next to him. While in Iowa, he would fall asleep clutching her scrub cap or wearing her sweater. Now he had the real thing right in front of him and it was so much better than a memory, especially as he got to hold her. He was completely enveloped in her. It was almost overwhelming, but he didn't want to be anywhere other than surrounded by Jo. 

He finally closed his eyes and moved his arm around her waist up against her chest to press his hand against her heart. He felt the study beat under his hand as he pulled her closer, giving her a light hug before he relaxed. Jo took a deep breath in as her snoring paused for a moment. He thought she had woken up, but she didn't. Instead, she settled back against him with a little sigh and he knew that she was smiling in her sleep. 

“I missed you so much,” Alex whispered as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. He would wait to kiss her lips until she was awake enough to kiss him back.

Her skin was soft under his lips and he hoped that the beard he had grown in Iowa didn't scratch her cheek too much. She always complained when his rough facial hair scraped her skin. As he pulled back, he noticed that her cheeks were a little fuller than before. There were other changes, too now that he looked at her fully. Her hair was longer and shinier. Her breasts certainly looked bigger, but maybe that was just because it had been so long since he had seen her. It could just be because she was stressing eating while he was gone, but either way, he didn't care. He was just happy to hold her again as he drifted off. 

With his wife in his arms, Alex was home.

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

Jo woke up later than usual to the morning sun streaming into the Loft. These days she was a little bit lazier and for just a second she didn't recognize the warmth that was around her. It had been so cold in the last few weeks since Alex left. The heater wasn't working properly and her human heater was gone, leaving the bed cold and empty. She had substituted the empty space and the cold with extra blankets and extra pillows, but nothing could compare to having her husband next to her. 

However, this morning as she woke up, she was warm and comfortable. She felt like she had slept better than she had in weeks. She was cozy enough to snuggle back further into the blankets and tried to catch a few extra minutes of sleep before she had to get up to go to work. Suddenly, she realized the reason she was so warm and comfortable was because Alex was sleeping next to her. He was curled up behind her and pressed against her back with his hand on her heart, holding her close.

Alex was back.

Jo instantly turned around to see him sleeping beside her. She blinked once and then twice before she finally smiled. He was home. He was really home and sleeping beside her. He must have gotten in late last night and just snuggled up behind her and fell asleep. 

As she looked down at him, she noticed how different he looked. His hair was longer, reaching just past his ears, meaning he hadn’t cut it since before he left. His beard was longer and his hair was coarse as she ran her fingers over his face. She tucked a little strand of hair behind his ear. It had started to turn gray rather than brown, a sign of his age and the stress of the past month and a half. His cheeks were also a little thinner and the dark circles under his eyes seemed deeper, but he looked so at peace sleeping next to her. He even had a soft little smile on his face even as he snored. 

Alex was home. 

Jo bit her lip and smiled as she cupped his cheek with her hand. She didn't know how late he had gotten in last night and a part of her wanted to let him sleep. But she figured he could go back to sleep after she woke him up and she knew he would want to see her too. 

She reached down to press a gentle kiss to his lips. It was just a light pack before she moved to kiss his nose, his cheek, and his forehead as she peppered him with little kisses. Just like a fairy tale, he stirred under her lips and she pulled back. She watched as his eyelids fluttered open and he instantly smiled when their eyes met. She had missed his brown eyes. Alex leaned in and kissed her again with an excitement that she shared as he pulled her up against him and she wrapped her arms around his neck. 

“Hi,” Jo said when she finally pulled back and smiled so wide that her cheeks hurt. 

“Hi,” Alex said, his smile matching hers. 

“You're back,” Jo said, rubbing her thumb along his cheek. “I missed you so much.”

“I know, I’m sorry, but I'm back now. I'm home,” Alex said as he leaned in to kiss her again. He couldn't seem to get enough of her lips, but Jo pulled back. 

“Why did you stop taking my calls, Alexander?” Jo asked as she pressed her hand against his chest. “Do you know how worried I was about you? I called Amber, and she said you weren't returning her calls either. So I called your mom and she said that everything was fine. She said she would ask you to call me, but then you didn’t. I was beginning to think that you, that you had died or that you were... I don't know, cheating on me with your ex-wife or something.”

“You thought I was with Izzie?” Alex asked as he looked at her and just laughed as if it was all just one big joke. 

She glared at him and slapped his chest before Alex caught her hand and kissed her palm as he held her hand against his cheek. 

“I'm sorry and I promise you, I was with my mom the entire time. For what it's worth, I read all of your texts and I listened to all of your voicemail. I'm sorry Jo, I didn't mean to worry you, but everything with my mom was just so stressful. She had a slip, so she was wandering around outside in the cold and got pneumonia.”

“Oh my god, is she okay?” Jo asked, putting a hand over her mouth as tears collected in her eyes, suddenly feeling guilty for pulling Alex away from Helen.

“Yes, she's fine now. She’s fully recovered from the pneumonia and I got her set up with a caregiver, Mina. Although she's more of a friend,” Alex said with a smile as he remembered how his mom and Mina got on. “I just didn't want to leave her again too soon, and everything was so stressful. I ignored your calls because I didn't want to stress you out too, but I was wrong to do that. I'm sorry.”

“I know you were stressed out, but so was I, Alex. And If you think I don't want to hear about what’s going on with your family or if it's too much for me, it's not. I love your mom and if something happens to her, I want to know about it so I can be there for you and for her.” 

As Jo spoke, she laid back down on the pillow and stared at him. She stared deep into his eyes. In his eyes, she could see his thoughts, even as he glanced down. She could tell that he felt immense guilt for ignoring her and that he was still coming down from the stress of everything in Iowa. She reached out to rub her fingers across his cheek, hoping to take away some of the stress that had weighed upon his shoulders.

“I know, I just didn't want to worry you or Amber and I'm just so used to dealing with everything with my mom alone.”

“But, you're not alone, Alex. So long as you have me, you're never alone. When we got married, we made vows. For better or for worse, and this is part of the worst and I want to go through it with you.” 

“I know, I'm sorry I broke our vows. I swear I'm never going to leave you and I'm going to make it up to you,” Alex said, staring into her eyes, and she knew that his promise was true. 

“You better,” Jo said with a smirk as he smiled. She knew Alex never intentionally broke his promises to her. Ignore her, yes, but she knew he would never leave her.

Jo smiled as he pulled her in to kiss him again. This time, his kiss was full of passion and heat as his hands trailed under the hem of her shirt. His fingers ghosted over her stomach before trailing up her chest. She thought for sure he would have noticed the extra weight she carried now, but he seemed too focused on getting into her pants. Alex tried to pull her shirt over her head, but Jo pulled away from the kiss and stopped him. 

“Wait, Alex. I have something to tell you,” Jo said, laughing as he sighed and sat back. 

She couldn't wait to tell him so she could finally see the look on his face. Watching him now, Jo knew that she had made the right choice by choosing to hold off and keep this little secret to herself until he got home. 

“Okay, what is it?” Alex asked, his eyes looking up to her face.

“Well, do you notice anything different about me?” Jo asked, letting a smile spread across her face. 

Alex’s eyes looked her up and down, but his lips parted and she could tell he was drawing a blank. “Um, no?”

Jo almost laughed at his words. No matter how she spelled it out for him, he would never get it as he was just too clueless sometimes. Still, she didn't mind just telling him instead. Jo took his hand and put it on the little bump she had. There was a slight curve of her stomach, evidence of the baby they had created together. 

“I'm pregnant,” Jo said, a large excited smile spread across her cheeks.

“You're pregnant?” Alex asked, still not quite believing her, yet his face immediately lit up with a smile as he sat up in bed. 

They had started trying for a baby around Christmas. Jo finally felt stable enough to do so and she felt ready to be a mom. Alex was over the moon as he had wanted a baby with her for several years but waited for her to be ready too. They both decided not to put too much pressure on themselves and just have fun. Although Jo secretly tracked her ovulation cycle and initiated intimacy on the day she was ovulating. The first month she got her period was disappointing. She also took a pregnancy test just before Alex left for Iowa, but it was negative. He promised her that they would continue to try when he got back. Yet, Jo had started to feel sick a few days later, so she took another pregnancy test. To her surprise, this one was positive.

“Yes,” Jo said, smiling up at him. “I'm about nine weeks along.”

“You're nine weeks pregnant!” Alex said, finally getting it as he looked down at their hands and laughed. “We're having a baby!”

“We're having a baby!” Jo said with a laugh as his excitement was infectious.

“Oh my God, I'm going to be a dad,” Alex said, letting his excitement overtake him as he leaped up from the bed and she sat up to watch him as he excitedly raced around the room. “Oh my God, I'm going to be a Dad. I’ve got to call Meredith and tell her, and I’ve got to call my mom and tell her too. We're going to have a baby.”

Alex searched around for his phone and Jo couldn't help but laugh as she watched him run around. He was so happy, so over the moon, and excited for their child. She loved sharing this joyous moment with him.

Jo had always been so hesitant about kids. Little kids had big hearts that could get broken so easily. She knew that Alex would be a good dad and that she would be at least an okay mom. Yet, ever since she got pregnant, she realized that this was something that she could do. She could be a good mom and she knew that together they could raise a good kid. They could give their child enough strength to take on whatever life threw at them. They would finally have the family they had always wanted and she was so happy.

“Alex, Alex,” Jo called to him with a laugh as she pulled on her shirt again while he reached for his phone. “Meredith already knows and so does your mom and Amber too. Meredith was the one who helped me get my blood drawn to confirm it and I told Helen and Amber a few days ago. I'm sorry I wanted to tell you first but, but you weren't here and I needed you home. I’ve been sick around the clock and I’m exhausted. I’ve been eating only takeout or food from the cafeteria, but I can barely keep it down. I’ve been sending out the laundry and I even hired a maid because the smell of the soap makes me vomit. Everything has just felt like too much on my own and I need you.”

She looked down as she played with her wedding rings on her fingers. Then, she heard Alex's footsteps come back over to her as he sat back on the bed next to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in to lean his forehead against hers. 

“I'm home now and I’m gonna take care of you. I promise you, Jo, for the rest of your pregnancy, I'm not going anywhere,” Alex said to her and she knew that he would keep his promise. In fact, she knew she'd have a hard time getting him to leave her side from then on. 

“I know, I'm glad you're home,” Jo said, leaning in to kiss him. He was so tender and sweet with her, but instead of letting her pull him back into bed, he pulled away and broke their kiss. 

“Seriously, you told Meredith, my mom, and Amber that you were pregnant before you told me?” Alex said, teasing her, although she could tell he was a little disappointed.

“You weren't answering your phone,” Jo yelled, giving his arm a light slap. “I tried to fly out to see you, but I got too sick at the airport, and Meredith wouldn't let me go. So I told Helen and Amber when I asked them to send you home because again, you weren't answering your phone, jerk.”

“Okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,” Alex asked, holding his hands up as he shook his head and smiled. “I'm never going to ignore your calls again.”

“You better not,” Jo said as she gave his shoulder a light shove before she pulled him into her. “Because next time it's going to be me calling you to tell you I'm in labor and if you miss the birth of our kid, I will never forgive you.” 

“Oh, I’m definitely not missing that,” Alex said with a smile before his eyes went wide as he looked around the loft.

It seemed the reality of their impending parenthood finally dawned upon him and he got up as he looked around the Loft. “We're going to have a baby in 31 weeks! We're going to need a crib, and a car seat, and toys, and swaddles, and blankets, and clothing, and, and, we're going to need to baby-proof the Loft and get diapers, a lot of diapers.”

“Alex, relax, we've got like eight months to plan for them and get everything ready. I already got a ton of baby stuff from Meredith. She practically gave me everything from when the kids were little and since Amelia is pregnant too, Link and I have been looking at cribs and car seats together. Besides, the hospital always gives new parents a ton of free stuff and what we don't have, we can always steal from the storage room.”

“It's not just that, Jo. We're going to have a baby soon and this place is a mess,” Alex said, gesturing around to the Loft that she had to admit, it had gotten a little messy. It had been a week since the maid service had come and Jo had been too sick to do the dishes the night before. “It's freezing in here, and that means the heater is probably broken. We have exposed outlets and wires and there's no way we can block off the kitchen. We got to put corner covers on everything and put away the alcohol and….” 

Alex continued to ramble off the list of things he had to do to get ready for the baby. Jo just sat there and watched him as he ran around the loft in a bit of a panic. This was the man she loved, the father of her child, who was going to do everything he could to make sure that their home was safe for them and that they would have everything they needed. She knew that Alex would give them the best home and the best childhood.

“Alex, Alex!” Jo called out to him, but it took him a few times of calling his name before he finally paused and looked over at her. “Take a deep breath and come back to me for a second.”

Alex nodded as he came over to her. She laid down again and pulled him into her embrace. As they laid down together, he wrapped his arms around her waist and closed his eyes. He laid his head on her chest and put a hand on her belly to hold their baby as well. 

“Everything is going to be okay,” Jo said as she laid a kiss on his forehead. “We have plenty of time to get everything ready and we don’t have to do it right now. I know it's been a long night for you. You just got home and I gave you some big news, so let's just take a moment and relax and just enjoy the fact that we're having a baby and that you’re finally home.”

“Okay,” Alex mumbled, still buried in her chest with his eyes still closed and Jo wrapped her arms around him, running her fingers through his hair. Soon enough, he was asleep in her arms. 

Jo smiled at her sleeping husband, reveling in the fact that he was home before she dozed off as well. They slept together in each other's arms with their baby in between them, together again and for always.

[myhockeyworld87]

Bubble Wrapped - Part 2

Word Count: 4,247

POV: Reader

Warnings: Language, NSFW, Smut, Please read the note in the Masterlist

Teams: Bruins, Caps, Flyers, Lightning and Pens

Notes:  Ok so here we go with Part 2. I hope you guys enjoy this. I’m trying to add some of the suggestions that I’ve gotten in. Please feel free to send me an idea if you have it and I will try and work it in. Also I would love your feedback on this, as well as tell me what players you want to see. With that Happy Reading!!!

As you made your way down the long hallway to Conference Room three, you realized that you didn’t pack enough flats for these next several weeks. If things were going to happen this fast you definitely needed to ditch the heels for a pair of running shoes instead. You couldn’t imagine what had gone wrong in this short amount of time. By your calculations, the Capitals should be in there now having dinner. The Pens were Conference Room one, two was being cleaned from when the Flyers were in there and then the Lightning would go in, and the Bruins should’ve been long out of three before the Caps even went in. Even though you had everything timed out to the minute with ample time in between, you knew things were bound to go wrong, but you didn’t expect to see your conference room in complete shambles.

“What the hell is going on?” you asked Alexis as you took in the room. Food was thrown everywhere. It was on the walls, on the floor, and on the plexiglass where your servers stood; it was even on the players, even though there were only a few of them in the room itself at the moment.

“Well, you see those guys there,” Alexis pointed to a table where David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, and Charlie Coyle all sat. “They were still eating and I had the room cleaned just like you said, but let them go because the plane was late. I totally thought they’d be done before these guys showed up.” You looked over to where Tom Wilson, TJ Oshie, and Jakub Vrana sat, some green vegetable hanging off the shirt of Oshie. “They said it wouldn’t be a problem and I only left for a second, when I came back they were already throwing food at each other.”

“Where’s the rest of the team?”

“I sent them over to Conference Room one since it’d already been cleared out.”

“Alright, go make sure everything is fine with everyone else and I’ll handle this.” Alexis scurried out of the room, as you surveyed the damage. “Alright which one of you guys started this?” They all acted like you hadn’t said a word. It was seriously like dealing with a bunch of kindergarteners. You walked over to the Bruins table first. “It’s a little ironic is it not, that they call you Pasta?” you said picking noodles off of David Pastrnak, his shoulders shook as he tried to contain his laughter. Maybe you’d have luck with the Caps players. “What about you? You guys have anything to say?” When no one said anything, you had no choice but to say. “Look you know I can go to the league with this and you guys can be sent home.” While it was true that you could do this, you doubted a little good fight was going to get anyone sent back. “But I don’t want to do this, we’re only a few hours into this...guys, can’t we try and make this work?” They seemed to mull this over yet still no one said a word. “Fine, you and you,” you said pointing the Wilson and Pastrnak. “Come with me. The rest of you have five minutes to get to your rooms.”

“Why us?” Pasta asked.

“It’s obvious, you two started it.” They both seemed taken back by the statement, so you explained further. “You both have more food on you than anyone else.”

“Well, she’s not wrong,” Oshie muttered and you were barely able to contain the laughter that bubbled inside you.

“Now, I suggest you get going as your down to four minutes.”

“But I haven’t even got to eat yet,” Vrana whined.

“Call room service.” You then told a few of the staff to clean up the mess and close off the conference room until the morning, then turned to the two culprits that were picking food off themselves to the side. “Come with me.” They turned and followed you up to your suite, which had basically become your makeshift office. Once you were inside, you turned to both of them. “Now, tell me what this is about?”

“No way you have a pool table,” Wilson stated. God, men could be so simple-minded at times. They got so easily distracted.

“Yes, Tom, it’s a pool table. Now can we focus on the matter at hand?”

“I’ll play you? Whoever wins has to follow through with the bet.” Pasta immediately said, as if you weren’t even in the room.

You stuck your thumb and index finger in your mouth, squealing out a high-pitched whistle for the boys’ attention. They both turned in your direction then. “Now that I have your attention. You’re not here to play pool. You’re here to tell me what the hell happened in my conference room and how it will never happen again.”

“You know you’re even hotter when you’re angry.” All you could do was roll your eyes and cross your arms, at Wilson’s comment. He must have noticed your impatience, for he finally added. “Look it’s a stupid bet we had last season, that he didn’t follow through on when he lost, that’s what started the food fight.”

“I didn’t lose.” Pasta insisted. “I won, and you know it.”

“You did not.”

“Woah, stop!” You hollered as the two started to bicker back and forth. “Are you saying this can all be settled with a game of pool?”

“Yeah!” They both answered simultaneously.

“Perfect, then have at it.” You motioned to the pool table and Pasta headed in the direction only to be stopped by Tom’s arm.

“So, what’s in it for us?” He asked.

“I’m sorry what? I’m giving you the opportunity to solve your damn problem.” You fairly spat the words at him.

“Yeah, but you’re also getting something out of this. I’m just thinking that we could all get a little something out of this.” He looked over at Pasta, who seemed to catch on to his meaning.

“What exactly do you want? It’s not like I have a ton to offer, and don’t forget I can still turn you both into the league.”

“Nothing major, just a little kiss.” Why you were surprised when Tom suggested that, you weren’t entirely sure. Let’s face it, you knew they were stuck in this bubble without female companionship. Hell, you were in the same situation, well maybe not the same since you were surrounded by a bunch of hot NHLers. You just didn’t expect this so early in their quarantine here.

“Fine, but after this stupid bet is settled.” They nodded their agreement, then headed over to the pool table. You barely paid attention to the game, texting Alexis to make sure everything was running smoothly downstairs; which it was. It seemed that Pasta was stripes and Wilson was solids, and it definitely seemed like Pasta had the upper hand. When you finally gave your full attention over to the game, you couldn’t help but notice when Tom leaned over the table how nice his ass was. Both men were well-toned and muscular in all the right places and you knew it wouldn’t be a hardship kissing either of them or anything else for that matter. When David stretched out to make a shot, you noticed his tattoos and your fingers itched to trace them. To say you were getting hot and bothered by these two men was an understatement.

The game started to get intense as fewer and fewer balls were on the table. Pasta missed his shot, turning it over to Tom; who literally started to run the table. It was as if he couldn’t miss. Finally, he was down to just the eight ball. If he made the shot, he would win and the game would be over. He took a deep breath, the action making you take notice of how his shirt strained against the muscles of his chest. Lining the cue up, he took the shot, and the black ball sunk into the pocket just like he had called. A bark of laughter left Tom’s lips. “I told you I was the winner before. Pay up Pasta.”

You had to admit, you were curious how much money was on the line that would cause all this trouble. David, for his part, just shook his head and pulled out his phone. It must be a huge sum if he had to transfer it from his bank account. “What do you want me to tweet?”

“I’m sorry did you just say tweet, as in Twitter?”

“Yeah,” Tom said looking at you as if you were the one that was out of your mind and not him. This whole damn mess was over a stupid Twitter message. You literally wanted to scream, but instead, you just listened as Tom told David what to say. “All it has to say is, ‘In my opinion, Tom Wilson is the best goal scorer in the league.’”

“Done,” Pasta announced shoving the phone in Wilson’s face. You had to lean over Tom’s shoulder so that you could see it as well, for you still couldn’t believe your entire conference room was in shambles over something so juvenile.

“Well, now that, that’s settled boys, I assume I won’t have any more problems from the two of you in my hotel.”

“Oh, you still have your part of this bargain,” Tom said, gliding the back of his finger down your arm. You suppressed the shiver the sensation gave you.

“Alright, who’s first then.” You were never one to back down from a bet and this was no exception.

“By all means,” Tom motioned for Pasta to go first.

David took a step toward you, wrapping a strong arm around your waist as he pulled you close to him. Your hand pressed against the rock-hard muscles of his chest before making its way to the back of his neck. He brushed a lock of hair from your face, then placed his hand gently on your cheek to caress it before his lips came down on yours. The kiss was gentle, yet firm at the same time and you opened tentatively so that he could slide his tongue into your mouth. His hand which rested at your back pulled you in closer and you went willingly. You had a feeling if Tom wasn’t watching this would turn into something more than just a kiss. But Tom was watching and waiting, and you weren’t willing to give David anything more with an audience. So you gently broke away, allowing him to chase your lips with a few last kisses.

“You may have won the little pool match Wilson, but I doubt you’ll win anything more with this one here.” Why did everything have to be a competition?

You turned toward Tom, fully expecting him to take you in his arms and kiss you senseless. Instead, he grabbed you around the waist only to whisper low in your ear. “Another time princess, maybe when we don’t have eyes on us.” He released you then but then turned back. “I will be back for that kiss you owe me.”  With that the two left your suite, leaving you a bit dazed and breathless, and longing for that kiss as well.

Shaking yourself, you brought yourself back to the present and what needed to be done at the hotel, instead of daydreaming of what kissing Tom Wilson would be like. A quick call to Alexis told you that all the players had eaten but there were still a few milling about in each of their designated workout areas. You slipped out of your business attire and opted for a comfy pair of leggings with an oversized shirt to make one more round through the hotel before calling it a night.

You ran into Carly in the lobby. “So how’d everything go on your end? Any outlandish requests for something to be brought in?”

“Not so far. I think the Pens want some extra gym equipment, but I’ve got it covered.”

“I knew I put the right woman in charge.”

“Speaking of being in charge? What the hell happened with Conference Room 3?” You rolled your eyes.

“Food fight.”

“Oh, I heard that. I also heard you took two of them to your room?” she wiggled her eyebrows at you suggestively before elbowing you in the ribs.

“Had to get everything straightened out.”

“And…”

“And maybe, I might have kissed one of them.” She gave you a mocked look of shock.

“Nothing else?”

“Not at the moment, though I do owe the other one something, and let me tell you I won’t mind paying off that debt at all.” Just the thought of Tom holding you had you hot and bothered. “And on that note, I’m going to finish up down here before calling it a night. I think Tim has the night shift tonight if anyone needs anything.”

“Yeah, he does. He’s back in the office, making sure things are ready for breakfast. I just told him I was done for the night. I’m heading off to bed, don’t have too much fun down here.”

“Me, what about you, Car? There’s not some hot NHLer waiting in your room?” She headed for the elevators but turned back to answer you.

“Not tonight, but tomorrow could be a whole other story.” With that, she was gone as the elevator doors slid open and shut again.

You headed off to make sure the conference rooms were fine. When you noted that everything was in place, you went to check on the workout rooms. They were supposed to be cleaned periodically throughout the day, but with being open twenty-four seven; you wanted to make sure housekeeping wasn’t slacking. A quick walk past the Capitals and Pens rooms showed that no one was in there and they were spotless. As you went into the Flyers' workout facility, you could see someone inside. You tried to cough discreetly as to not scare them, but they didn’t hear you. The room had a few mirrors around it, but he happened to not be looking in any of them as he was doing squats with some free weights. He had his shirt off and a tight pair of shorts on, that let you see every muscle as he crouched down working on his quads and other various leg muscles. A few droplets of sweat had formed on his body and you itched to dry them off for him. Your mouth went dry the longer you stared at him as you were trying to make out the tattoo on his arm. It was at that moment that he caught you staring, a knowing smiling crossing his face. “Sorry…” you stuttered out after being caught red-handed.

“I’m not.” He dropped the weight down on the bench beside where he was working out before grabbing a towel and wiping off the sweat on his body. “Did you come to use the equipment or did something else bring you here?”

“Something else,” you realized the mistake as soon as the words left your mouth. “I mean…I was…” In a few short steps, he was standing in front of you and suddenly you couldn’t quite remember why you were there.

“Something else works for me.” He leaned his hand against the wall behind your head; his body so close you could feel the heat coming off of it.

Taking a deep breath, you tried to compose yourself, as you didn’t need this man to get under your skin as much as he was. “I was just making sure everything was fine in this room. I didn’t mean to disrupt your workout. I’ll let you get back to it.”

You made a move to back out the door when he grabbed your hand. There was an electricity in his touch and had you both looking down to where his hand touched your body. “Don’t go…I mean, I was done…” It was nice to see he was just as flustered as you were for a moment. It put you both on an even playing ground after you’d been caught staring at him. “I’m Travis by the way, most people call me TK.”

“I know.” You replied, before adding. “Konecny from the Flyers.”

“Well, now you have me at a disadvantage.”

“I’m (Y/N). I manage the hotel.” You said almost extending your hand to shake his and then realizing that wasn’t acceptable at the moment.

“Oh, so you’re the one in my little handbook to call if I have any problems.”

“That’s me. Here to help you in any way I can.” You let the innuendo hang in the air a bit and you saw its meaning wasn’t lost on him.

“So if I told you there was a problem in my room, would you send maintenance to come look at it or would you do a thorough inspection yourself?” Oh, he was smooth, you had to admit that.

“Well, it wouldn’t make sense to call maintenance when I’m right here, now would it?”

A raise of his eyebrows was your answer back before he went over and grabbed his shirt and belongings. “Then I think we should definitely go check out that problem.” His hand went to the small of your back as he led you out of the room and to the elevators. “I’m in room…”

“Five-twenty,” you supplied.

“Should I feel special that you know that?”

“Do you want the honest answer?” He shook his head yes. “No, it’s my job to know who’s in what room. In case you haven’t noticed this whole thing is kind of a big deal. I have all my I’s dotted and my T’s crossed.”

“So you know every guys' room number here?”

“It sounds a little pathetic when you put it that way.” Maybe pathetic wasn’t the right word, but desperate was one you didn’t want to use.

“No, I’m actually impressed.” He tilted his head looking over at you as you pressed the number five in the elevator. “So if I asked you what room Brad Marchand was in you’d say?”

“That I can’t tell you that, but it’s in the teens and about three floors up from you.” He chuckled softly and you realized you liked the sound of his laugh.

The two of you walked in silence the rest of the way to his room. Thankfully, there weren’t any players milling about in the hallway. “This me.” He said when you were in front of his door. He fumbled with the key, then opened it.

“What seems to be the problem? TV not working? View not to your liking?” You teased and he caught on quickly.

“Actually, it’s the mattress. I swore I heard it squeak earlier.” He tossed his t-shirt and keys on the dresser.

You moved to the bed, pressing on the mattress. “Hmm, seems fine now.”

He grabbed at your waist then, pressing you close to his body. “But see, I’m a very active sleeper. You can’t get the full effect unless you’re on the bed.” He tossed you back onto the mattress and a giggle escaped your lips. Travis crawled on the mattress then, stalking his way up your body. “Didn’t seem to do it then either. I think we’re going to have to give it a thorough workout.”

“But of course, I mean I want you to be completely satisfied with our hotel service.” A half-smile appeared on his face for a split second before his lips were crashing down on yours. His lips were soft yet sure, and you opened immediately for him; his tongue sweeping inside to tangle with yours. He was a good kisser, that was your first thought, and you wouldn’t mind just doing this all night. But then he was pressing his hips into your body and realized you wanted more. Your hands glided up his back, feeling his slightly damp skin from his workout.

He finally broke the kiss, both of you needing air. His hands gathered your shirt, but then he stopped himself. “Can I?” You moaned out a yes, wanting as little clothing between your bodies as possible and he hauled you up so he could take the oversized shirt off. “This is pretty.” He commented, while lightly tracing the lace of your bra. “I think I’d like it better off though.” Travis hands worked around to your back unclasping your bra and toss it to the side. “Fuck, these are perfect,” he breathed out as he drank in the sight of your breasts. His mouth was on them then, taking a peaked nipple in his mouth and swirling his tongue around it. A moan left your mouth and you could feel yourself growing wet as he continued to lavish your breasts.

Snaking your hands around his neck, you drew him back down onto the mattress with you. He rolled you both onto your sides, his mouth coming back to yours so he could kiss you again. Neither of you was in a rush, as your hands ghosted along his chest and his played with your nipples. Time sort of stood still, as the two of you just laid there kissing slow and sensually. After a while, Travis pushed you back against the mattress, your legs on either side of his waist. He flexed his hips into your clothed core and you felt a rush of wetness between your spread legs. He continued to roll his hips into you, as his mouth alternated between your breasts. You lay there panting and moaning with each flex. “TK…” you finally breathed out. “Stop teasing.”

“Oh baby, you haven’t seen me tease yet.” As if to prove his words, he sat back on his legs and started to remove your leggings. He only rolled them halfway past your hips, then brought the waistband up before snapping it back down on your core. Heated flooded you there and the moan that left your mouth was almost obscene. “You like that?” and he repeated it one more time before stripping of you of both your panties and legging. “Fuck yeah you do. You’re soaking.” He didn’t have to even touch you to see how wet you were. He wasted no time, inserting two of his fingers in you as his mouth sucked on your clit. You about came off the bed. He continued to work his fingers in and out of your body as his tongue made kitten licks on your nub. You could feel your body tingle as the orgasm started to build. It hovered there, just beyond your reach and you threaded your hands in TK’s hair urging him on; only to have him stop.

“Travis…” you whined out.

His eyebrows shot up. “That’s teasing babe.”  You groaned in frustration as his fingers left your pussy. “Don’t worry, I’ll make it better in a sec.” He pushed his shorts down his hips, then kicked them off. His mouth coming up to cover yours and you could taste yourself on his lips. With one smooth glide forward, his cock pushed into you; your hips rising up to meet him. “Fuck you feel good.” He moaned out, then started to pump in and out of your body. It was a slow pace at first as he was building up a rhythm for the both of you to follow. “Yeah babe, that’s it.” He praised as you met each of his thrusts. The combination of his teasing beforehand and steady pace, had you back on the edge in no time. Travis leaned in close to your body, your faces merely inches away. “Come on baby…I know you’re close….” He sped up then, his cock hitting that sweet spot perfectly. “That’s it.” You went to scream as a wave of pleasure washed over your body, but he captured your mouth swallowing the sound down as he came with you. He pumped inside you a few times, just reveling in the feel of your pussy clenching around him, before breaking the kiss so you both could breathe. When he was finally spent, he collapsed onto his side, rolling you with him. “That was…”

“Mmm, I agree.” You whispered back. “Though I don’t think your mattress has any problems.”

He laughed and you felt the vibrations in your body, as he held you close to him. “Who could tell with all your moaning.” He teased back then flicked your nose.

“Me? I wasn’t the only one.”

He shrugged a shoulder as if he didn’t want to admit he was just as loud as you. “Hope the walls are thick here.”

“They’re decent, just don’t give me away if Hart asks you any questions in the morning.”

He laughed out a, “never.” You pecked him on the lips, then started to get out of bed. “Where are you going?”

“I’ve got things to do.”

“Things or other people?” You couldn’t quite tell if he was teasing or jealous.

“Things… but you have my number if the mattress suddenly starts squeaking again.” You gave him a wink as you shimmied on your leggings and threw on your shirt.

He grabbed your hand and brought you down so your face was inches from him. “I have a feeling it may act up again.” His lips were on yours kissing you hard and fast.

“I’ll be waiting for your call.” With that you headed out the door, quietly shutting it before walking down to the elevator. Well, day one was definitely interesting. You couldn’t wait to see what day number two would bring.

[chancelloramidala]

Staring at the Sun ➤ Evan Buckley

Chapter Five: Growing Pains.

Masterlist.

Marceline Pierce was trying her very hardest to move on from Evan Buckley. It sucked because yeah, maybe this should’ve happened long ago when it was obvious that he didn’t return her affections, but hey at least she’s learning.

She got tired of waiting, of being filled with sadness and jealousy whenever Abby was brought up (especially whenever the subject of "Abby made me a better person!", god that made her blood boil) or whenever she was around.

It made Marceline feel… ugly if that made sense. She didn’t like those feelings brimming at the top of her surface and sort of gave up on her feelings for Buck.

She went on a few dates, finding that the men, women, and non-binary folk she met were just trying to find a one-time thing. And in most cases, Marceline was fine with that, nothing too serious and just a little fun for one night, but she craved something more than a quick interaction like that.

She wanted to get to know someone, figure out what they like and dislike, what they’re allergic to, what drives them to be a good person, and many other things. Marceline wanted a human connection that lasted longer than one night, one that would be reciprocated instead of one-sided.

And that’s how she met Elena Chavez. A beautiful Argentinian-American woman who's easy on the eyes and had the ability to make Marceline actually laugh without trying too hard. They’ve been on a few dates, namely four, and kissed for the first time towards the end of their third.

It was strange for Marceline to be dating again after several years of remaining single and then the several months quietly pinning over a goddamn oaf, but she was proud of herself. She realized that Buck was just never going to love her back in the same capacity she did and decided that she deserved better, even if it wasn’t with him like she initially hoped.

Even if something crucial was just… missing.

Nicolette was ecstatic to see her moving on from Buck. She even helped set up many of Marceline’s failed dates, but she was glad that Marceline was leaving her options open to people other than Buck. Nic has spent the better half of her days listening to her best friend go on and on about her unrequited love for Evan Buckley, and watched her cry when he attended her get-well-soon party with his new girlfriend.

Plus, it helped Marceline think Elena was actually there for her when she watched the other woman interact with Gemma and Nic. Because if there was anything you had to know about Marceline Pierce was that her friends and somewhat co-parentship to Nicolette and Gemma Pierce were an added deal into dating her.

And after the sixth date, Marceline worked up the courage to introduce Elena to another set of important people in her life: her team. Even if they didn’t know they were that important to her.

“Hey, guys, uh,” Marceline cleared her throat at the table whilst Bobby laid out the food with the help of Chimney and Buck. “Can I talk to you?”

“Hm?” They all turned their attention to her, and at that moment she kinda wanted to disappear.

“So,” she pressed her lips into a thin line as she recalled the dialogue she made up last night. “I know I haven’t been the most… open person here with my personal life, but I do consider you to be people I hold very close to my heart.“ she paused for a moment, her green and brown eyes glancing around the table to find they were all looking at her with soft expressions and a small smile tinged on their lips. ”So, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to introduce you all to my girlfriend?”

“Of course,” Bobby nodded without any hesitation and smiled softly at Marceline for taking a step at opening herself up to them.

“Aw, so the Ice Queen does have a heart.” Chimney jokes, thus earning a smack to the back of his head from Hen. “Hey, hey, I was joking, I’m very excited to meet her, Mars.” He winked at her as he rubbed the back of his head and shot Hen a playful glare.

“Great,” then she checked the watch on her wrist, “she’ll be here any moment. She’s bringing a pie.”

Marceline then led Elena towards the table after she arrived, and gestured to each person as they introduced themselves. “This is my dysfunctional team, El,” she said with a small firm.

Elena smiled brightly at everyone and waved, “It’s great to finally put faces to the names, Mars talks about,”

“Please, sit,” Bobby gestured to the table, specifically at the open spot next to Marceline.

Chimney, ever so the man to break the ice eyed the tin towards the end of the table. “So, what kind of pie did ya bring for us?”

She grinned as pink tinted her cheeks. “I baked you guys some peach pie,”

Bobby was instantly intrigued. “You made it yourself?”

Buck laughed, “We’ll you’ve already sold, Bobby huh?”

“Yes, I’m a baker and owner of Delicate Taste Buds downtown.”

Then, for the majority of the meal, Elena and Bobby exchanged their favorite dessert recipes with Marceline smiling softly at the woman next to her. It didn’t go unnoticed that the two women were holding hands at this point. Their clasped hands could be seen on the table when Elena talked about herself and grew nervous, wanting to make a good impression for the 118. So Marceline carefully reached over and put her hand on Elena’s, and gave it a gentle squeeze

Hen and Chimney whispered conspicuously to one another, smiling at Marceline and Elena’s display of affection and talking about how cute the two women were.

Buck sat there, nodding and listening to Elena talk about herself, and would add his own inquiries every so often. Then his eyes would flicker to Marceline who seemed to be only staring at the woman beside her with this soft, gentle gaze that matched how he felt he looked at Abby.

Evan Buckley never thought he’d see Marceline Pierce like this. So entranced with another being. But perhaps he wasn’t looking hard enough, to begin with.

Because if Henrietta Wilson knew the long, pining gazes of Marceline Pierce, it certainly wasn’t directed to Elena Chavez. While Buck, Bobby, and Chimney were busy talking with Elena, they never caught Marceline staring at Buck with heartbreak in her heterochromatic eyes.

The facade of warmth she thought she was holding together for her own sake slipped whenever she even spared a look to Evan Buckley.

Eventually, Elena had to go stating that she had errands to run and a business to manage. The team gave Elena and Marceline some time to say their goodbyes as they cleaned up from their meal before smirking at the woman as she walked up the twisting stairs.

“What?” she asked, dubious as to why the hell her coworkers were acting so goddamn weird. “Do I have something on my face or…?”

“We’re just happy for you, that’s all.” Bobby cut in before Chimney or Buck could make a fool of themselves.

“Oh,” Marceline replied, dumbfounded at how her team seemed to enjoy Elena’s company. “Well, don’t be too happy,” she mumbled under her breath as she walked over to the sink since it was her turn to wash the dishes.

As she rolled up her sleeves, Buck slid beside her with a red rag in hand. “You wash and I’ll dry?”

For a moment, she eyed the other man strangely, knowing very well that they had a drying rack for this very purpose but whatever, to each their own. “Sure,” she mused before turning the water on.

Silence washed over the two firefighters by the sink, one passing a wet plate or fork the other’s way as they dried it with a dishrag. But just because it was quiet, didn’t mean it was uncomfortable. Marceline and Buck were in sync with each other’s movements, the only sound coming from the splashing of water from the sink or the small squeak from the cloth against a plate.

This gave Marceline a lot of time to think about where she was in her life right now. And the more she thought about it, the worse she felt. In the end, no matter how hard she tried to get over Buck, he would still tug on her heartstrings and linger in the back of her mind, and that was in no way fair to Elena. Even if she was the perfect person to be dating, Marceline had too much shit to work through and Elena didn’t deserve to be used as a distraction of sorts.

(In short, her efforts of shoving her feelings for Evan Buckley into a box locked away deep within her wasn't going so well.)

After they finished washing and drying each and every dish in the sink and the epiphany she was having, Marceline took a blue rag nearby and wiped her hands before turning to Buck. “I think I’m going to break up with Elena,”

“What?” Buck was absolutely floored to hear this because he thought Marceline was head-over-heels with Elena.

She shrugged lamely as she threw the towel onto the counter after she finished drying her hands, “She’s a great person, but… I lack that spark with her, you know?” she turned her head to look at him, curious to know if Buck would understand.

Buck tilted his head to the side for a moment, pondering at the word spark. Because if anything, he’d think that he has that special spark with Abby. She brought the best in him, Buck 2.0 which was the best Buck, so that had to mean something, right? “Yeah,”

But then Abby’s mom died and that spark he thought he had with her started to dwindle when she walked past the glass doors and into the airport.

@skyslowalking @beelarson 4 u <3

˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ AUTHOR’S NOTE: we in season two now bitches

[tilbageidanmark]

Movies I watched this week - 50 

The Hand of God, my third Paolo Sorrentino’s film (After ‘The Great Beauty’ and ‘Youth’). Sheer movie making delights from the new Fellini, like current Amarcord but for Napoli in 1984, the year Maradona was transferred there. Interesting that the young protagonist is listening to his Walkman throughout, but we never find out what he’s listening to. Superb - 9/10.

✴️    

2 (and again) by Hiromasa Yonebayashi:

✳️✳️✳️ Yonebayashi worked for Ghibli for 18 years before leaving in 2014 to establish his own Studio Ponoc. It is obvious that he sees himself as heir apparent to Hayao Miyazaki, and deservedly so. Mary and the Witch’s Flower is the first film he directed there.

A psychedelic fairy tale about another young girl who becomes a witch combines the emotional twists from ‘Spirited Away’, basic story from ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ and Ponyo’s magic, together with Harry Potter adventures. The animation kept changing unexpectedly at least 10-15 times into new, phantasmagorical styles. Highly creative!

Together with ‘The Secret World of Arrietty’, I’ve now seen all three films he directed. One of my best movies of the year!

✳️✳️✳️ When Marnie Was There, seeing it once again after just one week. "I missed you. I kept calling you in my heart." Just beautiful.

✴️    

Antonioni’s 1960 rule-breaker L'Avventura. Visually & stylishly innovative, I loved the early part on the island, as Monica Vitti is looking for her disappeared friend. But I didn’t ‘get’ the changing focus of the story, as it moves later into the empty, doomed attraction between her and her friend’s former lover. (Photo Above).

✴️    

2 With Adrien Brody, Fisher Stevens AND Larry Pine: 

✳️✳️✳️ Season 3 of Succession, a modern day ‘Dallas’, about a despicable ‘King Lear’ mogul and his mediocre four kids. Tedious, brutal and fascinating dive into the depravity of greed, power and abuse. This repetitive season continued with the complete disintegration of ‘Dark Prince’ Kendall Roy, and of patriarch Roy Logan who keeps assuring that his children hate one another just enough to never take sides against him. Why is it so compelling to watch, when it’s clear from the get go that all four heirs are too incompetent to take over the father’s role?

“I’ve seen you get fucked a lot, and I’ve never seen Logan get fucked once...”

✳️✳️✳️ The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun, Wes Anderson’s intellectual homage to The New Yorker magazine and to the mid-centrury Paris of Jacques Tati. It’s a really good movie for people who like that sort of movies.

(For me, I still can’t stand Owen Wilson). 6/10

✴️    

I’m going to go through the Steven Soderbergh‘s films I missed up to now. First watch: The Limey, a standard crime story with Terence Stamp, which unusually flashes back to scenes from ‘Poor Cow’, a much earlier Stamp film done by Ken Loach. 3/10.

✴️    

I Was at Home, But, an award-winning, SUPER-slow German film directed by Angela Schanelec, of the “First wave Berlin School”. The puzzling story of a grief-stricken, single mother with two kids struggling to keep it together two years after her husband died. It starts with a static, long shot of a donkey and a dog walking into an abandoned living room. Reminiscent of Bresson, Ozu and Roy Andersson. 5/10.

✴️    

Fabulous deadpan comedian Steven Wright X 2:

✳️✳️✳️ TV on YouTube: Steven Wright appeared on Craig Ferguson’s show 22 times. They both had a blast. 9/10

✳️✳️✳️ I never knew that he actually won an Oscar in 1988 for his offbeat film, The Appointments of Dennis Jennings. As if a disturbed inner dialogue from his stand-up, was made into a strange short comedy. With Mike Starr as the doorman / substitute psychiatrist, and Rowan Atkinson as his real, bored psychiatrist.

✴️      

Shadows and Fog,  Woody Allen’s misfired German Expressionist experiment, an idiotic  Kafkaesque indulgent, a-la Fritz Lang, Pabst and Murnau. One of his worst movies.  2/10

✴️

2 more re-watches:

✳️✳️✳️ San Junipero is considered by some as one of the best Black Mirror episodes, because of its unusual uplifting tone. But even after watching it a few times, I still don’t see it. Maybe because the dating scenes were too young for me, or because the simulated reality background is hokum, or because its “daring” same-sex happy ending story was mundane.

✳️✳️✳️ Guilty pleasure: The perfect Close Encounters of the Third Kind, with François Truffaut as Claude Lacombe. George Lucas was sure that the movie will be such a colossal hit so he traded points with Spielberg before the premiers. He gave 2.5% of Star Wars profits against 2.5% of Close Encounters.

(I remember taking David to the original viewing, when he was 7 in 1977.)

✴️    

Alan J. Pakula’s Presumed Innocent, a terrible court “drama” with Harrison Ford and Raul Julia. Uninspired piece of average trash. 1/10

- - - - -

(My complete movie list is here)

[chaoslaura]

Hello! I really enjoy your jatp fics. Can I prompt Fluff 9. “You took all the pillows so I’m using you as one.” Reggie to anyone. Bonus points for Reggie/Bobby. Or Fluff 28. “Can I stay here tonight?”  For platonic sunset curve.

Here it is: One Reggie/Bobby fic for you, and I really enjoyed writing this one.    I will get back to your other prompt after I worked through the others, don’t worry. Thank you for commenting on my other stuff and I hope you like it.

Read it on AO3

Reggie was balancing the last plates of waffles on his arm for today, hoping the man he served would at least leave a decent tip for the behaviour Reggie had to endure from the family sitting at the table near the window when they decided to finally leave. The kids had been so loud, running around the table, knocking over their glasses, other guests gave them glares from their seats and Reggie rolled his eyes more than once from where he stood behind the counter. Honestly, some people, he could only sigh.

Only two more weeks, then summer would be over and with it the holiday, his last school year would start, and he could finally quit this job. The money from tourists visiting the city over the holidays would tear a hole into the register and the owner would lay off a few seasonal workers as every year. But Reggie would’ve quit nevertheless. Having enough of rude guests and demanding customers that didn’t respect him, working overtime and dealing with snappy co-workers. He could go back to helping elderly neighbours with their yards and grocery shopping even though it gave less money. On the other hand, a lot more cookies. The tightwad of an owner didn’t like it when the servers took leftovers with them and Reggie was tired of sneaking the boxes of food out of the shop. Reggie would walk away on his last day with raised finger till he was around the next corner and then he would leave them up in spirit.

If he had known from the start how stressful that job would turn out to be, he would’ve joined Bobby at the kiosk next to his neighbourhood and sort oranges and bananas, they at least didn’t talk back at him. And his boyfriend looked so much more relaxed too at the end of the day as if he hadn’t been working at all. Reggie had to remember all the orders and to which table the plates to bring, how to bribe the cook to favour his order when he forgot to pin the paper from his noteblock at the cooking station. Sometimes he would love to do nothing more than scream in the cold storage room.

His parents didn’t believe he could tackle a job when he told them about it, not with his character they said, being unfocused, and hyperenergetic at worst time and then absentminded for the other half of the time. But whatever, Reggie had thought, what his parents said didn’t had to be the truth, not after all the bullshit arguments he heard them throwing at each other in their arguments. Reggie was even proud to be accepted after the owner gave him the call and that is how Reggie found himself working to sweat almost every day in the summer holidays.  

Finally checking out and changing into his beloved shirt and flannel, feeling way better instantly, he gave the only other sever he liked at the place a wave and threw open the backdoor. His feet were slowly killing him and his shoulder and back ached from carrying the plates all day long. He never got used to it and rubbed with one hand at the other shoulder in an attempt to loosen the muscle while searching for his bike.

It wouldn’t be far to his parent’s house, the restaurant he was working at located at the beach too, but in the summertime he would crash as often as he could with his friends when he had no obligation to be home by 10 because of school the next day. Alex was away at summer camp or bible camp like every summer even though Alex would have liked it better to be around his friends, and Luke was gone on vacation somewhere with his family to mend the relationship with his parents.

That left only Bobby. For the second week in a row. Reggie was afraid Bobby’s parents would get sick of him some day, feeding him through, washing his laundry, making sure he got up for work. But Bobby reassured him that his parents loved having him around, stating they always wanted a brother for Bobby but couldn’t have another kid and now they could love Reggie instead. Reggie couldn’t fully wrap his head around that when not even his own parents could love him unconditionally like this or rather missed to show it so openly. Just yesterday Mrs. Wilson cooked Reggie’s favourite meal and Reggie was too stunned to form a “Thank you” while Bobby watched him lovingly from where he sat at the dinner table. After all he was the one who told his mother.

It took Reggie maybe 30 minutes with his bike, paddling with sore feet and tired eyes, till he saw the house around the corner. It was almost 11 pm by the time he reached the front door fishing for the keys in his pocket after making sure his bike was secure in the shack. The Wilson’s had entrusted him with a set of spare keys in case he run late at night and didn’t need to ring, as they often got early to bed. (Reggie only teared up a little when the keys were put in his hands and he would forever vehemently deny any of that sort happening.)

He would really miss this once he got back to his own house, at the latest in two weeks from now, but tonight he could enjoy another sleepover.

Opening the door slowly so it wouldn’t creak, Reggie followed the dark corridor to the stairs and climbed them up to the first floor, almost knowing the way by heart by now. Only bumping into the small table that he always forgot was there.

Stumbling into Bobby’s room from tiredness he threw his jacket carelessly over the chair and let himself fall onto the bed before Bobby could get out an “Hello”. He shuffled around to get comfy but couldn’t get his hands on neither a blanket nor pillows, so he moved till his head lay on Bobby’s chest, nestling his head there and letting out a satisfied sigh once he deemed the position comfortable.

A hand found his way into his hair and Reggie exhaled, with it letting out all the stress that accumulated over the day. Bobby was the only one allowed to play with his normally neatly styled hair (Luke had pouted when Reggie had slapped his hand away, but Alex had clearly understood) and Reggie savoured the moment.

“Hello to you too. What are you doing there?” Bobby asked with an obvious smile on his face even though Reggie couldn’t see, but it was clear in his tone.

“You took all the pillows so I’m using you as one” He mumbled into Bobby’s shirt before scooting closer and throwing a leg over Bobby’s, pressing his body into the other. “And stealing your heat.”

Bobby laughed and his chest moved from it along with Reggie’s head, but he didn’t mind, a small smile on his lips too. “It’s 86F outside how on earth can you be cold? I swear you’re worse than Alex.” His hand had gone from his hair to his back, rubbing small circles in it like he knew would relax Reggie’s muscles after a demanding workday. “Also, this is my bed in case you forgot, I hold all the rights over the pillows.”

Reggie perched his head on his hands on Bobby’s chest and looked at him with faked scandalization. “Oh, is that so? What else here is yours?”

Bobby seemed to contemplate for a moment, clearly faking his long thinking before replying. “The blanket for sure. The very soft sweater you know which one, because you always steal it when I’m not looking.” Bobby’s eyes locked on Reggie’s before he added, “And you.” With that Bobby gave Reggie a quick kiss on the nose making him chuckle.

“You should think that through, are you sure you permanently want me around for an indefinite time? I can be tiring. And all the food I eat, your fridge would never be full again. And I would get at least five puppies and when I’m sick you would have to walk them. And don’t think I would get tired of watching Star Wars, every month there will be a watch trough.”

A pair of arms were folded around his body and pulled him closer until Reggie’s head was tucked under Bobby’s chin and he could hear Bobby’s heartbeat under him, beating in a soothing rhythm, making him close his eyes and relax into the body under him where he felt so safe. A feeling he never really understood before he met the boys and especially Bobby, who made him feel so special and loved, he could tear up every time Bobby kissed him with such care like Reggie was the most valuable thing in the world.

“I could never get tired of you; don’t ever believe I would leave you. Not for eating all the food I would cook for you or the puppies I would snuggle on the couch, or watching the movies while you speak the lines in sync with the characters and tell me every little detail you know about the universe. And mostly not for being yourself, that’s why I fell in love with you in the first place.”

Reggie could feel the other lips pressing a kiss on his head, but it didn’t feel like it was enough, not after listening to this love declaration from his boyfriend. Again lifting his head while still being hold tight in Bobby’s embrace with one hand under his shirt and fingers brushing across his bare skin, Reggie slowly got closer to Bobby’s face until they were nose to nose, still being able to look each other in the eyes but already feeling the other pair of lips on their own, their breaths mingling together.

Finally tearing his eyes away, Reggie closed the small gap between them and moved his lips against Bobby, also slowly and sweet, too tired to begin anything more heated. He was fully content where he was and wouldn’t change a thing about the moment. Not with Bobby’s musical guilty pleasure David Bowie silently playing in the background. Or when Bobby gave in and put the pillows back on Reggie’s side and Reggie regardless of it stayed on Bobby’s chest with a hand carding through his hair while humming to the melody. Not when Bobby woke him up the next morning with featherlight kisses on his nose, and cheek, and forehead, and the sun already shining through the curtains, dipping the room in a beautiful orange.

With all that Reggie could face another day at work, or two more, or the remaining 13, when it meant he could go home to Bobby waiting for him with open arms.

[chal-lelerc]

Out of curiosity, who were the first drivers to steal a place in y’alls hearts and how did it happen? Mine were Lando, Max, and Charles, and they still remain at the top (after the short months I’ve been an F1 fan). Warning: I gush under the cut.

For me, the first time I really noticed F1 was seeing it trend in the Tumblr tags so often last year to be honest lmao. Whenever I would scroll through out of curiosity I would always and without fail see this lil puppy like kid named Lando Norris pop up like every other post (f1blr really loves him) and I just thought he was adorable. I didn’t know how old he was but it was clear that he was incredibly young in what’s hailed as a man’s sport, and I’ve always had a soft spot for youngins doing Good Things (hello, hockey rookies). I was impressed by how well-spoken he often was (though this may just be because I’m used to hockey players literally being speech illiterate), especially considering his age, and even more so now that I know he can’t even say the word statistic and yet can give pretty insightful and lucid responses. It’s been a journey getting to learn the kind of person he is, or at least what he presents himself as, particularly throughout this unprecedented quarantine break. I know it sounds ridiculous when I say this considering he’s literally an F1 driver son of one of the richest couples in his region of the UK, but I’m so proud of everything he’s been able to do at such a young age and I think he deserves absolutely every good thing coming for him in F1, and I always worry that he’s burning himself out trying to please others and being self-deprecating, especially with his Twitch streams. I hope he’s taking care of himself and eating earlier than the 20:00 that he tends to eat at now and is drinking water and sleeping well and as a fan, I’m so excited to see him grow as a driver and as a person.

My first real intro to F1 was watching season 1 of Drive To Survive, which I’m sure is a rather painful sentence for many of y’all to read. Which means my first impression of Max Verstappen was that him and Daniel hate each other (how dare Netflix do this I’m heartbroken I missed prime Maxiel era) and that He’s An Asshole. But something about his prick-ish energy was just so appealing and it was obvious that he was supremely talented just from watching DTS. Also I thought he was ugly-cute right from the start sue me lmfao. I think this has made my love for him feel even more significant, because I feel like I was really able to unlearn the negatives and discover all the positives that he has to offer. Again, my affection for The Kids really popped out when I learned that he was the youngest person to ever drive in F1 and I’m reeeeally gunning for him to be the youngest WDC (I’m sorry Charles but I saw Max first), although at this rate this doesn’t seem plausible ://, but I digress. And obviously, I don’t know anything about his personal life or childhood, really, but knowing all that I’ve been made privy to about J*s, it’s so gratifying (even as an outsider) to see just how good he is at driving, the best and most well-deserved “fuck you” to his dad’s face. Toto Wolff basically gushing over him and subtly calling J*s out? Cried. He’s also quite the character and he never fails to make me laugh with his jokes while he streams or with his lack of fear of making things awkward if he’s asked a stupid question. And maybe I’ll be the first to admit this but I’m literally in love with his driving style (again, perhaps it’s the aggressive hockey fan in me that also loves Tom Wilson) and the sheer size of his massive fuckin balls bro.

Charles came to me last simply because DTS introduced him to me last lol. But y’all know Sauber Charles came along and stole my breath away at first sight. I’m not ashamed to say that I thought he was literally so hot and that was my first and only impression of him. But DTS finally did a good job at telling his story with his father and Jules, and when I heard that he fulfilled his lifelong dream by joining Ferrari “for Jules”, my love and pride for him erupted and solidified into the monster that it is now. He’s still so young and has gone through so much, and yet he’s been able to do so much as well (clearly he’s fuckin driving a Ferrari on and off track) and, like Max, he is just raw talent. Speaking of Max, the Lestappen relationship has been SUCH A SAGA and I literally am in love with it this is just me projecting my infatuation with the enemies to lovers trope into real life but what the fuck eh? I adore his enthusiasm for everything that he does, which obviously correlates with his racing driver’s obsession with winning, but also with his sim racing and Fortnite-ing as well as his determination to get his Twitch stream transitions perfected and his own brother’s similar drive to win. As someone who finds it difficult to get myself to do literally even the things I enjoy, I admire this so much. On that note, I think it’s been such a blessing to see such a loud and rambunctious personality behind the Ferrari racing machine that we see through the regular season.

There’s such a bright future for each of these guys and I’m lucky to have chosen guys that most likely have a long ways to go with this sport and won’t be going away anytime soon. The amount of excitement I feel for what I anticipate they’ll bring to the sport is literally unparalleled. Clearly, I’m not used to writing in any sophisticated manner on this website because it’s turned out to really not be sophisticated at all but I really just wanted to gush after beginning to watch the 2019 season in its entirety. ANYWAY I’m feeling mushy and awkward and uncomfy now so yall sound off lol

[jellicleetcetera]

Cats 2019: A Spectacle of a Trainwreck

I saw cats 2019. And I had a lot of thoughts about it. So I thought I'd write an essay. Because that's what I do when I have a lot of feelings about something. I write about it.

So, I’m going to start this off by saying that I’m actually a huge fan of the original musical. I get the songs stuck in my head constantly. My personal favorite rendition is the 1998 direct-to-video adaptation. When I first saw the trailer, I was terrified. I saw that they were adding a speaking plot, and I immediately knew there were going to be a lot of changes. I was prepared, though, because the original musical would be very hard to sell to general audiences. Hell, Cats is hardly a musical for people that like musicals. Cats us a beast of its own kind. A lot of changes would have to be made if this were going to do well at all in the box office. So, I promised myself that I would go into it with an open mind.

My mom asked me a couple months later if I would go with her to see it. Now, as most of you die-hards would know, seeing Cats with your mother is a very dangerous gamble. Either she’ll understand what’s going on in That Scene, or she won’t. But either way, you’ll be uncomfortable the whole time. I didn’t know if they were going to include the scene or not. I was hoping so because I would love to see the reactions, but also praying that it would be cut because Jesus Christ I’m seeing it with my mother. I agreed, though, because I knew I was contractually obligated to see this damn thing and if my mom took me I wouldn’t have to spend my own money on the ticket. So, the release happens, a few days go by, and then my mom and I walk into an empty theater on the morning of Christmas Eve.

It was certainly a spectacle of a film. Everything was super vibrant and flashy. I absolutely adored the giant sets. I honestly think it’s incredible that they actually built giant sets so the actors would look effectively cat-sized. They looked a little too small, but then again, Jellicle cats are rather small. Also, my sense of cat size is warped because my own cat, Comet, is absolutely massive. But I digress.

Aside from the set design and the flashy palette, though, one thing really bothered me visually. And it will surprise no one. I really, really didn’t like the cats themselves. Design-wise, fine, they’re alright. Their faces are a little creepy but it’s not that bad. Add a little more cheek fluff and you’re good. However, there’s a specific reason I didn’t like that they did CGI fur rather than practical costumes. It cheapened the dancing.

The moment you slap something CGI onto something real, it makes the real thing look like it’s CGI. That’s just unavoidable. During the whole movie, I couldn’t really get over the fact that they looked CGI because it made the dancing look like it was computer-animated rather than real people actually dancing. Which sucks, because when you look past the gross look of their digital fur, the choreography and the dancers were incredible. (Although I do wish it was a bit more… feline. The original musical’s choreography wasn’t as complex or impressive, but it really got the message across that they’re cats, and not just human dancers with cat features.) It’s really a shame. If they had been in practical costumes, they would have looked like much better dancers. Creating practical costumes would have also added a bonus of getting to create interesting, modern reimaginings of the old 80’s fluffy wigs and legwarmers.

Now, on to the story and characters. Some changes I liked, some I was fine with, and some I didn’t like one bit. I think it would be easiest to share all of my thoughts by going down the list of musical numbers and sharing my thoughts on each one, with some digressions to talk about other related things. I don’t think I need to say this, but many spoilers lie ahead. I’m going to mostly assume that you, the reader, have at least a basic knowledge of the original plot and characters of Cats, but I’ll fill in crucial details here and there as needed. Here we go.

When the movie opens, we’re treated to a fresh new story for one of the main chorus cats, Victoria. In this film, she’s an abandoned cat dropped off at the dump in a canvas bag. I immediately knew she’d be our main character. I found the decision to make her a newcomer to be a pretty smart one. Victoria became the audience stand-in, since the movie is assuming you’re going into this having never seen Cats.

Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats was a banger. Can’t deny that. It was fun and upbeat, and the choreography was great. I loved the junkyard set, too. Plus, through the speaking plot, they gave The Naming of Cats a little more justification. Honestly, I think the entire speaking plot was just a huge justification for the songs for people that can’t connect the dots between them. But whatever. Anyways. Macavity also appears in this scene, but I’m going to get to him later.

I wish they kept Victoria’s solo dance… you know, a solo. The dance with Munkustrap was lovely, but I wish Victoria got to keep it. This is due to my own personal bias of that dance being my favorite, though.

Now, The Invitation to the Jellicle Ball brings me to a character that changed a lot. Mr. Mistoffelees. They say, in his song, that he is vague and aloof. There was nothing vague nor aloof about this Mistoffelees. They turned him into a hapless, bumbling fool. Personally, I thought he was kind of cute, but it seemed like an unneeded change. The plot would have been fine without it. I liked his pencil wand, though. I suppose they wanted to make the relationship between Victoria and Misto more sympathetic? Rather than making Misto this cool, distant character that any newcomer kitty cat would fall for, they gotta make him clumsy and dumb so Victoria doesn’t look shallow I guess? I dunno. It’s fine. I’m fine with it. Everything’s fine.

Also that song was fine.

Gumby Cat. Oh, Jennyanydots, what have they done to you? Okay, I’ll say it, I’ve never really found Rebel Wilson to be all that funny. I know, boo me, I’m the worst, I suck, moving on. She was fine in this role, and I’ll admit, some of the gags were pretty silly and fun, but watching Cat Rebel Wilson eat tiny roach people was just… not great. Also, the mice were creepy. *shudders*

Now, I’m going to go into this next song’s review with a disclaimer. The Rum Tum Tugger, in Cats 1998 specifically, is my favorite character. I love him. He’s an 80’s rockstar himbo delight with a smooth, sexy voice and he knows it. God help me. When I heard Jason Derulo would be playing the new Tugger, I found it to be a pretty obvious choice in making Tugger new and hip to the modern crowd. It’s fine, I get it. However, making him, like… Not as smooth? I don’t get why they did that. He’s supposed to be an unflinching badass personification (catification?) of swag and confidence. I didn’t like that change one bit. #NotMyTugger

Grizabella the Glamor Cat was pretty great. I loved Jennifer Hudson killed her role in this movie. 10/10 amazing job. However, this song brings me to another matter entirely. I couldn’t tell who was singing it! Pretty much none of the chorus cats were recognizable to me. I could pick out Jemima and that’s pretty much it! It took someone telling me that they changed Demeter to a russian blue for me to even have a chance of knowing which one she was. Demeter is one of my favorite cats, and we’ll be talking about her again later.

Although I wasn’t expecting it, I really liked Bustopher Jones. I thought that it was fun that they really went for it, making him shown literally digging through the garbage for all of the gourmet food he loves so much. It’s not made very clear in the original musical that this was what it was implying. I’m glad they did this, because otherwise it probably would have flown over everybody’s heads. I miss the “toodle-pip” though.

I loved Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. They chilled it down a lot, which I was fine with, though I did miss their loud cockney accents and eccentric choreography. I also miss the double cartwheel… The movie made up for it, though, with having really fun imagery. This one was definitely my favorite one from the movie. They made them more like sly, seasoned mischief-makers, rather than boisterous bastards. (I do love bastards, though…)

I loved Old Deuteronomy. Judi Dench is wonderful, and that song is always a lovely delight. Not much else to say about it.

Can we get an F in chat for The Pekes and the Pollicles? It shall be missed.

They cut down a significant amount of the ten-minute dance sequence that takes place in the middle of the show. DAMN them for shortening it. Cowards, the lot of you. However, this also means they cut out That Scene. I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. To those saying this movie is incredibly horny, I BEG you to go watch Cats 1998. THAT movie is horny. It has The Scene, and also a multitude of ass shots throughout the film.

Also I was fine with them changing Victoria’s dance with Plato. (I think they replaced him with Munkustrap? I don’t quite remember.)

I loved Memory. Jennifer Hudson. *chef’s kiss* Amazing.

Beautiful Ghosts was… fine. It was a lovely song, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t… sound like the rest of the musical. It sounds more modern than the rest of the soundtrack. And they modernized the soundtrack, too, so that’s saying something. It just felt a little out of place for me. Also, I don’t like its placement. Let me explain.

Grizzabella and Gus the Theater Cat are supposed to be comparisons of each other. They’re both old and nearing their final days, wishing for days long past. However, the thing that makes them different is their relationship to the other Jellicle cats. While Grizzabella is cast out and rejected, Gus is loved by the clan and he’s a very strong candidate for being the Jellicle choice. There’s already a song between their two songs, The Moments of Happiness, but that song acts as more of a bridge between the two songs, rather than an interruption like Beautiful Ghosts feels to be.

I liked Gus the Theater Cat. Ian McKellen seemed to like his role, which I liked. He’s amazing at everything he does, too, so his performance was no surprise.

Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat was fun and upbeat and everything I hoped it would be. 10/10 would tap dance again.

I didn’t like Macavity the Mystery Cat at all. They cut Demeter out of it entirely, removing her implied history with Macavity, and in the process removing her entire relationship with Bombalurina. Instead, they made Bombalurina Macavity’s bitch. She got the song all to herself. And I’ve gotta say it. I don’t like Taylor Swift. That song felt like nails on a chalkboard. I hated every moment of it. Also, I find it hilarious that they kept the lyric, “Macavity’s a ginger cat. He’s very tall and thin.” and he is very obviously none of those things in this movie.

I didn’t like a lot of things about Macavity, too. I liked Macavity he got more of a presence than in the stage musical, but some things were kind of… lame I guess. Some of the scenes on Growltiger’s boat (I thought they would do Growltiger’s last stand but I was wrong!) were slow and boring. Even their little “action” scene. They also removed the Macavity fight scene, where he tries to kidnap Demeter. Very cringe of them. ANOTHER thing that is very cringe fail terrible was what they did to Grizzabella. They stripped her of her original backstory and just made her Macavity’s ex. FORGET that. Horrible. Hate it. Stop making everything about Macavity.

Back to Mistoffelees and his own song. Although I didn’t like that they removed Tugger’s role in Mr. Mistoffelees, I understood why. They turned him into a main character, so of course he had to sing his own song. However, they kept the lyric, “His manner is vague and aloof,” (well, “My manner is vague and aloof.”) which I find very silly of them. Yet another lyric that directly contradicts what the movie is providing. Also, I didn’t like the lack of dancing in this scene! Mistoffelees is one of my favorite dancers in the original productions. Specifically the big, impressive toe touches. Cowards.

I wish they let Jemima keep her solo. I know why they gave her solo to Victoria, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Congrats, Webber, you got to cut your ex-wife’s part out of the musical. *claps*

I liked the reprise of Memory and the subsequent journey to the Heaviside layer. I loved the chandelier balloon, too. It was all very emotionally impactful. My mom literally cried next to me during Memory’s reprise. Amazing job.

I never really liked The Ad-dressing of Cats in the musical because it feels unnecessary after such an emotional, perfect ending note with the journey to the Heaviside layer, but this version was kind of fun, I guess. Old Deuts looking directly into the camera was a little off-putting, though.

Overall, I thought this movie was fine. Will I watch it again? I don’t know, maybe. If someone put it in front of me, I would probably watch it, but I’m probably not going to go seeking it out when Cats 1998 is right there. It was fun, and it was definitely a spectacle. But was it Cats? Mmmmmm… It sure does look like Cats, but it doesn’t really feel like Cats. Do I think it’s a good movie for someone that isn’t already a fan of the musical? I don’t know, maybe? I’m seeing that most people hate it, which is a shame. If anything, I hope this movie compels people to seek out other productions of this musical. It really is a fun romp of a musical that I think people might like if they give it a try. I mean, it was Broadway’s longest running show in its time for a reason.

Do I recommend this movie? Sure. Go see it if you want. I’m not about to give this movie a score out of ten, because I find those kinds of rating arbitrary. But sure, go see Cats. Maybe it’ll lead you toward the superior version. Cats 1998.

[scotianostra]

I have a number of posts already scheduled by Tumblr for the coming days, this is an add on as I just discovered it while Rummaging around, I think it's only right to post it and take a few moments to remember all those in the emergency services that work through the festive season, and indeed all year to keep us safe. 

Disaster struck on Christmas Eve 1927 when four firemen were killed during a warehouse fire on Graham Street.

49-year-old James Conn , Morrison Dunbar, 23, 31-year-old Harry W. McKellar and David Jeffrey, 24 died in the Gallowgate blaze.

Heartbroken colleagues worked through Christmas and for the next three days to recover their bodies.

The following is taken from The Glasgow Herald Tuesday, December 27, 1927.

FOUR FIREMEN PERISH

Christmas Eve Tragedy in Glasgow

EAST END WAREHOUSES GUTTED

ESTIMATED LOSS, £50,000

Four members of Glasgow Fire Brigade lost their lives while on duty at a fire in the East end of the city on Saturday night. 

The scene of the fire was a six storey warehouse in Graham Square, and owing to the threatening circumstances many tenants of adjoining dwellings were warned out.Some of the tenants were absent at the time of the outbreak, and on return – carrying with them, in numerous instances, their parcels got in the course of Christmas shopping – were surprised and alarmed when informed that it was unsafe to enter their houses.A touching feature of the fire tragedy is that the men of the Eastern Division were enjoying Christmas festivities with their families in the Fire Station when the call which was to mean death to some of their colleagues in the Central. 

FROM JOY TO SORROW

In the long history of the Fire Brigade of Glasgow many deeds of heroism stand to the credit of the men. In the great majority of cases their bravery has gone unnoticed or been known to a limited few – the instances of calm courage and of grave risks taken to save property and frequently life have come in the ordinary course of duty when no eye was there to see or pen to chronicle. It is only when such a tragedy as that of Christmas Eve shocks the community that full light is thrown on the dangerous nature of the fireman’s calling and recognition is paid to the magnificent manner in which he carries out his trying and difficult work.

While the Fire Brigade in Glasgow has enjoyed a remarkable immunity from loss of life when a period of, say, half a century is scanned, nevertheless death with unwelcome frequency has exacted a grim toll.

Surely never was the toll made under more distressing circumstances than on Saturday evening. The Eastern Division men, with their children and friends, were in the midst of Christmas rejoicings when the call came. The men are used to such breaks in the social round, and cheerfully they responded to the summons to duty, which is taken as a matter of course. With the celerity characteristic of the Brigade, the men from this and other Divisions with their equipment quickly set out for the scene of the fire, and the civilians remained behind to continue the happy entertainment, not dreaming of the dreadful fate that was soon to overtake four members of the Brigade, who, in the face of obvious danger, carried on till death overtook them.

The missing firemen are:–

James Conn (49), married, and with three of a family, who had 23 years’ service with the brigade.

H. W. M’Kellar (31), married.

David Jeffery (24), single.

Morrison Dunbar (23), single.

SCENE OF THE FIRE

The fire was located in Graham Square, a cul-de-sac on the north side of Gallowgate, which leads to an entrance to the Corporation Cattle Market. The east side of the square consists, starting from the Gallowgate end, of a modern tenement and of a brick building of six storeys with a frontage of 135ft, and a depth of 30ft. This building, which was totally destroyed, along with corrugated iron sheds, and a warehouse at the rear, contained business premises, workshops, and an hotel. The tenants of these premises are Messrs P. and R. Fleming, engineers 8-16 Graham Square; David Arthur, auctioneer, 12 Graham Square; Alexander Jack and Son (Limited), implement makers 20 Graham Square; Wilson, Ronald and Co. (Limited), wholesale grocers, 26-30 Graham Square; A. M’Vean and Co., manufacturers, 30 Graham Square; Thomas Dunlop, implement maker, 38 Graham Square; Pringle, Logan and Gallocher, seed merchants, 38 Graham Square; and James Houston, cabinetmaker, 12 Graham Square.

THE ALARM

About 8pm two constables on duty in Graham Square observed that fire had broken out in the premises occupied by James Houston. Further examination revealed that the outbreak had originated in a hoist at 34 Graham Square, which was used by several of the firms in the block. The constables smashed the fire alarm and turned out several detachments of the Fire Brigade. By this time the fire was extending to other parts of the building. On the arrival of the first two detachments of the Fire Brigade from the Central Station great volumes of smoke pouring from the building indicated that the flames had taken a firm hold, and further reinforcements were summoned, along with four pumps and the fire escape, Firemaster Waddell took charge of the operations.

FIREMEN WITHDRAWN

Immediately, the fire was attacked both from the interior of the building and from the street. The intense heat, the density of the smoke, and the general threat to the structure, made it obvious at an early stage of the operations that it was highly perilous for the firemen to remain for long periods inside the building. Therefore, adopting what methods they could, the firemen continued the main attack from the roadway in Graham Square, from the roofs of buildings to the east and south of the endangered premises, and even from the top of the fire escape. It soon became apparent that the entire structure was doomed and that any measures adopted by the Fire Brigade would be futile except to restrict the area of devastation.

TRAM SERVICE STOPPED

The flames were being strongly fanned by a north easterly breeze, and showers of sparks and poisonous clouds of smoke were causing much alarm in Gallowgate towards which they were drifting, and in which large crowds of spectators had gathered. The pungent smoke hung in dense clouds over the streets and sparks floated thickly down. The tramcar service, interrupted owing to the lines of hose across the street, was diverted for a period, and then was ultimately resumed over rail bridges. The tenants of houses, who had been Christmas shopping when the fire occurred, mingled with the crowd, their arms full of parcels. Some of them were unable to reach their homes, and experienced grave anxiety as the flames darted ominously higher and seemed to endanger the tenement.

TENANTS WARNED OUT

This tenement building, which adjoins the ruined warehouses was considered at this time to be within the danger zone, and the tenants were advised to consult with their own ultimate safety and desert their homes. There are nine families in the tenement, and the alarm was raised when most of the children had hung up their stockings and retired early to bed in eager expectation of Christmas morning. Some of the tenants elected to leave, and these assembled in the street to watch the battle with the flames, but others stayed in their homes during the entire course of the fire.

COLLAPSE OF WALLS AND ROOF

A thrill ran through the watching crowd when the roof of the burning building collapsed amid an awesome pyrotechnic display of flame and sparks, to be followed a few minutes later by the thunderous crash of large portions of the walls into the interior of the structure. Dust and smoke arose in suffocating clouds. With this fresh development the career of the fire was checked, however, and half an hour later – that is, two hours after the raising of the first alarm – the outbreak was under control, and the occupiers of the tenement were informed that they might return to their homes. Lines of hose were in use all through the night, however, as a precaution against further outbreak.

FATE OF THE FIREMEN

About ten o’clock the fire was so far extinguished that several detachments of the Fire Brigade were ordered to prepare to return to their stations. The discovery was then made as the motors were about to depart that four firemen from the Central Division were missing. An exhaustive inquiry was at once begun, but it was early feared that the men had been trapped in the building when the walls and flooring had collapsed. So far as can be ascertained the four missing men, along with others, were on the third floor at the south end of the building when the flames were first attacked. At that time the fire was confined largely to the northern end of the building, and it is assumed that with great fortitude the men had pressed some distance through the building towards the seat of the fire so as to be of greater service.

INSTANTANEOUS DEATH

Suddenly, it appears, there was a loud crash and the north end of the structure, towards which the men had gone, tumbled inwards, carrying several floors in a downward rush of destruction. Several of the firemen who were inside managed to get clear, and at that time it was thought that all of the firemen had emerged safely. When the first collapse occurred one of the officers at once dashed into the building and up the stairways right to the top flat to warn out the men. He met one fireman who was under the impression that he was the last to leave. Jeffrey was last observed when he called for more hose, and it is one theory that, furnished with the extra length of hose, he and his colleagues had courageously penetrated towards the seat of the fire unknown to their comrades – numbering 60, and widely dispersed – who were all actively at work. There seems no doubt, at all events, that they were caught in the devastating fall of beams and brickwork and hurled down to be buried in the immense heap of debris. It is certain, whether due to injuries or fire, that their death must have been practically instantaneous.

THE SEARCH BEGINS

As portions of the remaining walls were in an extremely dangerous condition, it was recognised, reluctantly, that it would be unwise to risk the lives of other firemen in an immediate endeavour to extricate the missing men from among the still smoking wreckage during the darkness of the night. Several firemen were posted on duty, and immediately daylight broke on Christmas morning a well equipped rescue party of firemen were dispatched to take up the tragic task of attempting to recover the bodies of their unfortunate comrades. A preliminary search was conducted with the assistance of a ladder and the fire escape, but it was found impossible to interfere to any great extent with the debris until the dangerous tottering and smoke blackened walls which marked the site of the destroyed building had been taken down. Accordingly another unavoidable hitch occurred in the work of retrieving the bodies while a gang of workmen, under the supervision of Mr Thomas Somers, Master of Works, demolished the dangerous walls.

THE DAMAGE

The loss caused by the fire is provisionally estimated at between £40,000 and £50,000.

SOCIAL FUNCTIONS CANCELLED

All of the social functions which usually take place at this time of year at the various fire stations in the city have been cancelled owing to the tragedy at Graham Square.

IN THE RUINS

SEARCHING FOR THE MISSING MEN

Throughout the day on Sunday gangs of firemen, working in relays, continued their tragic task of endeavouring to locate the bodies of their unfortunate comrades. They dug amongst the broken masonry with picks and shovels until darkness descended, but no trace of the bodies could then be found. Flare lamps were obtained in order that the work of the rescue might not be interrupted.

OXY-ACETYLENE BURNERS

Portions of shafting and heavy machinery had become so intertwined when the floors collapsed that it was extremely difficult to separate and remove the twisted metal from the debris. A number of skilled operators armed with oxy-acetylene burners were obtained from the Corporation Tramway Department. Many pieces of metal were cut through, and the task of removal was thus made less difficult. As the broken masonry, charred timber, and twisted machinery were taken from the building these were removed to the street by a large number of workmen. All night long the firemen laboured heroically, but their efforts to reach the entombed men were unsuccessful when daylight broke yesterday.

FRESH RELAYS OF WORKERS

Another batch of firemen took up the search, and were engaged all day in removing the tons of debris which separated them from their unfortunate comrades. By the afternoon they had succeeded in penetrating to a considerable depth in the centre of the ruined building, and they were hopeful of being able to reach the flooring at that point before darkness came on. The search is being continued.

Further articles tell us that the mens "badly ,mutilated" bodies were discovered on the Sunday and only identified by personal affects and remains of their uniforms, their funeral took place on December 30th The second pic is the grave in the city's Necropolis.

It's fair to say Glasgow has been blighted by fire much more than any other Scottish town or city, the Cheapside Street whisky bond fire in Glasgow on 28 March 1960 was Britain's worst peacetime fire services disaster. The fire at a whisky bond killed 14 fire service and 5 salvage corps personnel. The Kilbirnie Street fire, on Friday 25 August 1972, was a warehouse fire in the Port Eglinton area, on the south side of Glasgow cost seven firefighters their lives. 

Thankfully the recent fires at most notably The Glasgow School of Art, even in the past week 40 firefighters were needed to extinguish a fire at Pitt Street in the city centre.

Nearby Paisley has not been immune either with the death toll at Glen Cinema disaster in 1929 being 71, I will post more on this very sad disaster on December 31st.

I sourced this story from this page which details The History of Scottish Fire Brigades http://www.graemekirkwood.co.uk/

I must add a shout out to Jennifer at Random Scottish History, a must read page for anyone interested in Scottish history https://randomscottishhistory.com/

[gatorwadeh10]

Florida Gators 2020

It comes as no surprise that in most predictions around the college football community have UF as the favorites to go to the SEC Championship this December. With Georgia looking for a new QB to replace Jake Fromm and no real threat besides a typical Kentucky or Tennessee, the Florida Gators seem to have the opportunity of a lifetime. With Kyle Trask and Emory Jones keeping Defenses on their toes, an almost full returning O-Line, and most importantly the weapons to throw to including the best TE in the country Kyle Pitts, the human joystick Kadarious Toney, and the always reliable Grimes next to the up and coming Copeland the offense will be thriving. The worry I see is actually on the defensive side of the ball. The loss of Jabari Zuniga and Jonathan Grenard will slow up the pass rush that really set us apart from LSU and Georgia last season. I am not as worried about the Linebackers and DB’s as Houston pairing with Miller (I’m assuming) and Elam/Wilson will be running the show. Campbell will need to step up into those shoes for his senior year at the nose. His junior stats include 39 total tackles with 4 for a loss and 1 sack. He also was apart of the reason we beat Miami with a forced fumble and the recovery. Next to him we will see most likely Slaton who tallied a decent 29 tackles with 3.5 for a loss and 2 sacks. On the outside, we will see the transfer Brandon Cox from Georgia who missed last season after transferring midway through the year. But he did manage 20 tackles 2 for a loss and 1 sack in only his freshman campaign. I cannot wait to see this young man in action as his Junior year approaches. The man that I predict to be the best on this D-Line is Zach Carter. Although I think he may switch a lot from DT to DE, he still managed 28 tackles with 4.5 for loss and 4.5 sacks. This versatility is what we need on the line. This allows for more stunts on the line and hidden blitz packages.

Do not be surprised when UF waltz through the competition this year with their loaded offense and versatile defense. I can see them easily going undefeated this season with the most obvious struggles against LSU in Week 6 and Georgia in Week 9 after the bye. LSU I think will be a 9-3 team this year. You cannot replace Joe Burrow that fast just like you cannot with Fromm. Also, 14 of their top players were drafted leaving a lot of question marks for them. Yes they still have Chase who will be good if they can get the ball to him and Stingley who is probably the best young CB in college football and a definite top 5 overall but that is 2 and you are still missing 14 essential spots. I think they lose to us, Bama, and either Auburn or an upset from Ole Miss. I think Georgia loses 2 this year. Lost Fromm, both running backs, and Andrew Thompson but still kept an overall decent team. They lose to Alabama Week 3 and then lose to UF Week 9.

I could see UF struggling Week 2 against Kentucky unless things start to get back to normal soon. The lack of practices and camps and the spring game might shake them up with less than 3 months to go until the opener against Eastern WA. Kentucky put us in our place and made us respect them in that game. Franks going down and Trask coming in did turn the tide however. No offense to Franks and I wish him all the best at Arkansas, but he was not the right fit for this team. Trask is the calm and collected under pressure and while I admit he could just have Emory run the ball as he is no Tebow, he does go through progressions beautifully and puts the ball where his receiver has the best chance to get it. I trust he will only get better with the last season upon us. Throwing for the second most yards in the SEC behind Burrow was no small feat also. Having almost 3,000 with a couple games he did not play fully is a great stat line by itself. Throwing 310 yards and 3 TD’s against LSU is even better. I am happy where Mullen has brought us back to and they will be in many peoples prediction for the playoffs.

[daresplaining]

Daredevil Countdown: 10 Days

A (Potential) Season 3 Reading Guide

    Despite early indications that this season might draw heavily from the famous Miller/Mazzucchelli/Scheele “Born Again” storyline, showrunner Erik Oleson has made clear over the past week that this will be very much a new story, which will take inspiration from many sources without adhering too closely to any. Based on what we’ve heard/seen so far about the new season, here are some of the story arcs that might be referenced: 

Daredevil vol. 1 #48-130: Elden Henson let slip this past weekend that MCU Foggy is going to run for office as the new D.A. (thanks, Elden)! There are three D.A. Foggy stories in the comics: one in which he is duped into a fake nomination by a supervillain (vol. 1 #10-11), one in which he actually runs for real and wins (vol. 1 #48-50), and one in which his re-election campaign is sabotaged by another supervillain (vol. 1 #124-130). It’s tough to say what stories they might pull from, if any, but from vol. 1 #50-130 Foggy becomes the sternest version of himself, gets shot once, and generally grapples with both the issues of crime in New York and his public stance on superheroes. Matt also works as his assistant for a while, thus presenting a fun new version of their dynamic. 

Daredevil vol. 1 #56-57: We know we will finally be discovering Karen’s backstory this season. It’s likely that it will end up being something entirely new, but if they do look to the comics for inspiration, the only story that covers her family and past is the Death’s Head arc in volume 1. In this story, Karen returns to her hometown of Fagan Corners, Vermont, where she discovers that her paranoid engineer father has gotten involved in some dark deeds. This is also the story in which Matt tells Karen that he’s Daredevil.

Daredevil vol. 1 #166, 226: The trailer indicates that Melvin Potter may finally become the Gladiator! These two stories seem like good potential sources of inspiration, since both deal with Melvin’s humanity and struggle to be a good person. 

Daredevil vol. 1 #169: Oleson mentioned at NYCC that there were things he couldn’t believe Marvel allowed him to do with Bullseye. The footage we’ve seen so far suggests Dex might possibly be suffering from some mental/personality challenges. DD 169 (“Devils”) is a bizarre story that delves into Bullseye’s psyche and his relationship with Matt, in which an undiagnosed brain tumor causes him to hallucinate Daredevil everywhere. Matt hunts him down to try and help him. 

Daredevil vol. 1 #191: "Roulette” is a hugely famous issue centered around Matt and Bullseye, and while we haven’t seen any obvious references to it yet, we would be shocked if it didn’t receive at least a nod. Matt nearly kills Bullseye following Elektra’s death, and he ends up in the hospital, completely paralyzed. Matt visits him and runs through an internal monologue on the nature of heroism and the reason he is unable to actually kill Bullseye, framed by a silent, issue-long game of Russian roulette.

Daredevil vol. 1 #227-233: We are still confident that this season will draw a fair amount from “Born Again”, since that story arc includes: Maggie nursing Matt back to health, Matt battling the Kingpin after losing everything, an imposter dressed as Daredevil (whose costume is provided by Melvin Potter), and Matt spending a significant period of time out of the DD suit. It’s also noteworthy that during this arc, Foggy unknowingly takes a lucrative job working for the Kingpin. In the show, with Foggy possibly becoming the DA and Fisk looking to gather pawns and allies, it’s possible we may see something similar. 

Daredevil vol. 1 #284-290 (not digitized): Matt returns to NYC from a literal trip to hell and develops amnesia. With Daredevil missing, Bullseye decides to try on the red suit, later receiving the Kingpin’s endorsement to go out and ruin DD’s reputation. By the end, both of their identities get scrambled when Matt regains his memories, puts on a Bullseye costume, and goes out to confront his enemy. We know Bullseye will be acting as Daredevil this season, likely at Fisk’s prompting, so we’re expecting major references to this story arc-- hopefully with the ensuing analysis of morality and identity.   

Daredevil vol. 1 #297-300 (not digitized): In many ways, D.G. Chichester’s “Last Rites” is the real ending to “Born Again”. It is also one of the greatest Daredevil/Kingpin stories ever told, and is criminally underrated. In this arc, Fisk attempts to solidify his power by forming “legitimate” business connections and purchasing broadcasting properties, through which he might further influence the minds of New York’s citizens. Having recovered from his own destruction at Fisk’s hands, Matt decides that he needs to take his old enemy down once and for all. The ensuing story is a chess match, in which Matt schemes behind the scenes to topple the Kingpin, just as the Kingpin once toppled him. We’re including this story on this list more out of wishful thinking than anything, in the hopes that it might be referenced. Either way, it’s a story everyone should read. The span of 50-ish issues afterward, which chronicle Fisk’s slow-yet-steady progress from the pits of the underworld back to his seat of power, are also filled with sources of inspiration. Since the process is so long and so slow, it’s tough to pick any one part to recommend.

Daredevil vol. 2 #1-8: “Guardian Devil” is my least favorite Daredevil arc, but they are definitely going to be referencing it. At the very least, we already have this significant panel recreation (from #5). It also digs into Matt’s relationship with Maggie, and is the main reason people think Matt is religious, so it has already had a huge influence on the Netflix show. Bullseye in the church is a “Guardian Devil” reference (and also a movie reference!). In this case, we’re hoping most of the references will be reversals, since a major plot point in this arc is Bullseye killing Karen. 

Daredevil vol. 2 #26-31: The first story arc of Bendis’s main run (following “Wake Up”) details the Kingpin’s near-fatal stabbing at the hands of his son and several of his subordinates. And maybe that part will be referenced, but we’re mainly including it on this list because of Vanessa. During this arc, Vanessa Fisk takes her first steps away from the image of innocence and goodness that she represented in previous stories. With her husband out of commission, she seizes control of his resources and uses them to enact lethal vengeance on his attackers. In Season 1, we were treated to a touching exploration of Vanessa and Wilson’s developing romance, and also saw glimpses of Vanessa’s potential ruthlessness. This season, we’re hoping we might see her take on a more active role in Fisk’s enterprises as he rises to power once more.  

Daredevil vol. 2 #76-81: This season, Fisk is going to be doing a whole lot of messing with the FBI, starting with bargaining his way out of prison. This has strong “Murdock Papers” vibes, in which Fisk attempts to secure his freedom by offering up proof to the FBI that Matt Murdock is Daredevil. There’s been a lot of speculation that the trademark Murdock Secret Identity Struggles(TM) might finally make their way into the show this season, and that Fisk might figure out/discover that vital information. This is another “Born Again” plot point, and is something we saw him looking into at the end of Season 2. There have been a lot of story arcs dealing with this issue, but the primary ones are: vol. 1 #320-325 and vol. 2 #32-37 (two times in which the press learns Matt’s secret identity and attempts to use it), vol. 3 #35-36 (in which Matt publicly outs himself), and vol. 1 #25-41 (the Mike Murdock Saga, of course). 

Daredevil: The Man Without Fear #1-5: This is Miller’s alternate version of the origin story, and is the source of the black bandanna look, so it was heavily referenced in Season 1. However, since Matt is going to be back in black this season, brutally beating on people (MWF is a notably bloody version of Matt’s origin), we wouldn’t be surprised if there were some more visual/tonal references. In this same vein, Daredevil: Reborn features post-“Shadowland” Matt trying to find himself and wearing the same black bandanna look, so we might even get some references to that story...  

Daredevil vol. 4 #6-7: We heard Maggie’s voice in Season 1 and glimpsed her in Season 2, but she is finally being introduced in a meaningful way in Season 3. If, indeed, she is Matt’s mom in this universe, we hope they took inspiration from this arc in volume 4. Not only is this the only story to provide a comprehensive overview of Maggie’s motivations for leaving, it also presents a much more compelling and powerful explanation (post-partum depression) than the vague religious guilt implied in previous runs.