#jake desperate to find out who in his family was involved exactly | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

dirkjakeweekly · 4 years ago

Text

DIRKJAKE FIC RECS

This is a rebloggeable version of our sidebar page reproduced in full, for those who prefer to save things on their own blogs for later!

INTRO

This page is not intended to be an encyclopedia, but rather a non-exhaustive list of a few Dirkjake Fanfics (and Fancomics) for those that may be interested in the ship, but a little too tired of trawling through AO3 search! Some of these contain NSFW or suggestive content, viewer discretion is advised.

[ FIC RECS (last updated Jan 2021, click readmore for full list) ]

It’s only a canvas sky

Their guardians dead at the hands of the Condesce, growing up in the shadow of her slow takeover of the Skaian Federation, Dirk Strider and Jake English have spent their whole lives alone up until shortly before their twelfth birthdays.

Or: Dirk fixes a transmitter, makes a friend, builds a robot, and tries to communicate affection over distance to the barest possible minimum.

Read here!

GOD’S BRAND NEW FATE SELECTOR (Fancomics)

In ONE PARTICULAR TIMELINE, detached from many similar ones, an aspiring divorcee stands by his baby’s cradle and attempts to hatch an escape plan with some aid from the ghost of his long-deceased boyfriend. He’s not exactly helpful.

SOMEWHERE ELSE ENTIRELY, Dirk Strider is overcame by the nagging feeling his splinters may be getting a little out of hand and far too into his head, when he gets a booty call.

One timeline is Epilogues-Compliant, another Epilogues-Divergent.

Read here!

We’re All Friends & Family Here (And Frankly, We’re Sick Of Your Shit)

It’s been about a year since the big Fast Forward, and sure, things on Earth C aren’t perfect for everyone. But they’re fine. Really. It’s fine. Everything is super fuckin’ swell, and that’s that.

It’s not like one night is going to change anything.

Read here!

Perpetuity

“Call it a car crash waiting to happen, you’ll just call it your downfall”

Dirk is a romantic, just not a particularly optimistic one.

(Written pre-epilogues release, post-game, fix-it)

Read here!

Tailspinning Into the Epilogues with Dirk and Jake (complete series)

Read here!

Stark Nonfiction (Part of the Tailspinning series)

Jake tries his hand at a gentler epilogue.

Read here!

Between the Lines (Part of the Tailspinning series)

“It’s just… I can’t remember the last time I felt so at peace, I guess. It was such a lovely jaunt with Jade, and instead of being all torn up about coming home, I feel even better, now. It’s actually been a real while and a half since I felt… bad, you know? Like actually bad.”

You don’t have much in the way of emotional permanence about that sort of thing. Surely it was months ago, when you were staring gloomily at the bottoms of bottles like the world’s most up-his-own-ass useless overdramatic dilettante. Did it even really happen, if it all, in hindsight, just seems like a dumb pantomime of misery to get attention? A successful dumb pantomime of misery to get attention, mind you, you definitely got it, and a boyfriend to boot. Was it ever really as atrocious and apocalyptic and unsurvivable as it seemed?

Read here!

A Palate Cleanser (Part of the Tailspinning series)

ROXY: hay everybody its jakes turn! ROXY: hes got a few words hed like to say about our dear departed buddy

The eulogy we missed on Candy’s page 15.

Read here!

Eschewal

“you hope he’s a benevolent god”

Read here!

Grublr. (Fancomic)

In the consort kingdom, atop of the large, humongous mansion where the god of Hope lives, there is an apartment complex.

Read here!

The Hitchhikers Guide to Your Ex-Boyfriend (Fancomic)

Jake English waking up sore and alone on a cold floor is not a strange occurrence for him as of late. The ethereal beam of light and sluggishly churning floor is new, but he’s woken up in stranger places.

If circumstances were better he’d probably have something shocked and relevant to say about this strange landscape he’s found himself in, but circumstances are in fact legendarily shit right now.

(A comic/fic where Jake English gets rights)

Read here!

The Four Kings, the God Thief, and the Black Diamond Pirates

Dirk and Vriska have it good. They raid ships, pillage merchant vessels, constantly poison each other, possess a lucrative pact with the Wind King, sing a lot of dope fuckin’ sea shanties, and captain a loveable crew of pirate scum. They’re ready to kick back, take it easy, and become the vile and revered scourge of the diamond trading line.

Then they find someone in the water.

Read here!

Sea shanties for Thots (Four Kings continuation)

Jake English has never done anything wrong, ever, in his life, if you don’t count literally all that stuff from the first installment of oxfordRoulette’s diegetic-musical-cum-found-family-pirate-AU. Luckily, that was in the last story, and he is completely better now in all respects. None of that nonsense is a thing anymore and it will not be relevant at all! Surrounded by friends and allies, with a very cool piratey boyfriend and a hold full of treasure from his recently decimated country, he’s got everything a fellow could want.

What will he do?

Befriend an octopus god. Learn to fish. Kick back. Take it easy. Kiss his boyfriend a lot. Open a jewelry company? Pursue immortality. Confront his past. Embrace his future. Maybe save the world. One thing’s for sure: there will be a lot of songs involved.

Read here!

Two idiots at Homoville, N69, TX

In a moment of desperation, Dirk goes on r/relationships. Things get oversharey real quick. He types as follows:

“I [23M] cannot understand my [24M?] roommate. He is the most bizarre man to ever set foot on earth and I’m afraid I’m losing him.”

or, and They Were Roommates.

Read here!

Drive it home with one headlight

Some mistakes are so fucking big that they divert the path of your life entirely, sending you somewhere you were never meant to go. Some mistakes are so seismic and so obvious that when you look back on your life all you can see is the beacon where you made them. Some mistakes leave you so far off course you don’t even recognize who you are or why you’re still here.

You don’t usually get a chance to make amends.

Read here!

A Tallied List of Various Occasions in Which Jake English Encountered the Elusive Smile Belonging to One Dirk Strider

Jake English, explorer extraordinaire, tracks down the most unique treasure of all: a nerd in pointy sunglasses.

Read here!

BONES OF BLACK MARROW

Dirk summons a demon for the exclusive purpose of ‘cathartic boning.’ He gets what he wants.

NOTE: This fic is ergodic (think House of Leaves), which means it cannot be downloaded for offline perusal on your kindle/pdf reader. Also has CYOA elements, so clicking “Entire Work” will make the fic impossible to read.

Read here!

fire fly

A wedding. An anxiety attack. A daring tryst.

Read here!

DIRK TOPS (Fancomic)

Ever think about how Dirk Strider got full narrative awareness of the fanfics where he’s the big scary hunk in charge and went “I can do that” when he wasn’t, in fact, able to do that? i do. i think about that.

Read here!

MLM stands for Moron loving Moron (Fancomic)

aren’t you TIRED of longing? don’t you just want to go APESHIT while dating your best bro? i mean, you’ve earned it, right? (Collection of oneshot comics. marked as complete, updates whenever)

Read here!

fist is a four letter word

Jake’s face quirks. “App?“

“Yeah, app. Like, application. You know your phone can do other things right? Like, apps.”

“You sure do keep using that word! I’m not quite sure I understand what you mean.”

“You know, apps.” You try to think of how to explain apps. You suddenly can’t think of what apps are.

What’s the name of an app.

Literally just name any app.

He’s staring at you.

Oh my god.

Read here!

Witching Hour

There’s something almost magical about that time between too late at night and too early in the morning. It’s the perfect time to meet a stranger and go on an adventure.

Read here!

#homestuck #dirkjake #dirk strider #jake english #homestuck 2 #fanfics #Sweet Picks #fancomics

96 notes · View notes

tallstars-rewrite · 3 years ago

Text

Chapter 39

chapter list / previous / next

Without getting lost or chased around, the distance from where they were to Jake’s house was comparatively quite short. But it still felt like an eternity. Jake had to keep stopping while Dusty struggled to keep up. It was hard to believe he had managed to come so far with how sick he was. Dusty didn’t even have the energy to acknowledge Talltail when he brushed against the dog's scruffy brown side.

When they arrived on the stone path that led to Jake’s home, Talltail spotted their twoleg already outside, looking up and down the street. When it turned and spotted Jake and Dusty, it began hobbling toward them and Talltail ducked just out of sight and watched from a distance. As soon as Dusty saw his twoleg, he apparently decided then and there he was done struggling to keep walking, and lay down in the sparse grass near the houses. The twoleg tried for a moment to tug the dog along but quickly seemed to give up and just sat there stroking Dusty’s head while Jake padded around and meowed at him anxiously, worried questions it of course had no way of understanding.

Talltail was content to leave Dusty to the twolegs care, but he still wanted to get to Jake so he could ensure he’d be ok. Waiting a long time for some sign of Jake to re-emerge from the house, Talltail began to let himself droop from exhaustion while tucked in a hidden corner of the garden. Which of course, had been a terrible idea. His dreams were as dreadful as ever, and they were always worse when he was upset. No matter how many times it happened, he never got used to it.

This time the sensation that he couldn’t breath was more intense than ever. The tunnels felt stiflingly hot instead of freezing like they normally were. Somehow the strange heat was worse than the empty cold. His throat burned, the walls felt brittle, almost charred. Were the glowing amber lights in the darkness eyes or embers? Which was worse? He had an overwhelming urge to run, but of course he couldn’t. He never could.

He awoke with a start and hissed in pain as the surge of fear made him kick out hard, and his hind foot connected with a thorny rose bush. Crossly licking the prickles from his pad, he mumbled, "I should know by now trying to rest when I’m worried is a bad idea..."

He had gotten no farther. Still he was punished with these dreams, and each time he woke from them he was increasingly more angry than afraid. I'm so tired of this…

Instead of sleeping, Talltail began patrolling the entire fence perimeter, slipping around the houses and keeping all his senses trained on the forest bordering the town. If he had to fight a whole patrol himself to get them to leave Jake alone, he would. But the cat he sought was still out there, betraying his family and scheming with ShadowClan. And Sparrow had just watched while his fox-hearted allies cornered Jake! He would have sat back and laughed while they killed him! Jake never harmed anyone, Sparrow had to have known that, he just didn’t care. Would he have joined in if Talltail’s sudden arrival hadn’t frightened him off?

Talltail dared step further into the trees, feeling a furious growl rising in his throat as he searched desperately for that faint familiar scent among the stale crossings of ShadowClan. When this mission was finished, he could breathe again. His desperation to be free of it made his paws itch terribly.

Maybe it would be better to go now. There was nothing he could do to help Jake, and he’d complicated things enough by pulling him away from his sick friend. ShadowClan hasn’t come back here, and whatever they’re doing doesn’t involve Jake. If Jake’s not out there, surely there’s no reason for them to track him. Besides, it’s more likely me they’d want to shut up over him.

He was so focused on the scent trails ahead, he didn’t hear the noisy pawsteps behind him until they were nearly right at his heels. Talltail whipped around with a menacing hiss, and was greeted with a startled brown tortoiseshell who immediately backed up with a yelp. Talltail recognized the paranoid nosy kittypet and immediately strained out of his defensive crouch.

“Nutmeg? Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

“I wasn’t trying to sneak at all!” Nutmeg yelped.

Talltail winced. She was probably right. He really was focused on the wrong things if a kittypet could walk up to him so easily.

“I’m sorry about that, but what are you doing out here? I thought you hated the woods.”

“I do,” Nutmeg growled, licking her fur to flatten it. “Believe me I do, but...It’s Jake.”

“Jake?” Talltail immediately felt claws of anxiety grip hard at his chest. “What’s wrong? Has something happened?”

“I think so--not to Jake, but...rather his dog.” Nutmeg shuffled her paws. “I’m not good with these things, but I feel awful. However much I don’t exactly trust you, Jake does, and he’s a mess. He ran out into the streets saying he had to find Dusty and I couldn't catch up to him. So I followed you.”

Dusty. That couldn’t mean anything good.

“I thought Jake’s twoleg--or his housefolk, was taking care of Dusty?”

“He was, at least I saw him leave in the car with the dog. I don’t know what happened, Jake was too upset to talk to me and then he ran off. Look I…”

Talltail hadn’t seen the guarded molly look so distressed before. She must have been concerned if she braved even a pawstep into the trees.

“I just don’t know what to do. Quince’s locked inside, and I don’t want to leave him alone. Will you come back?”

Of course, there was no other choice.

If he found Sparrow once after several moons, then he could do it again when he needed to. After he found Jake.

***

It didn’t take long for Talltail to catch Jake’s scent. It criss-crossed all over the place, but was easy to follow. The trail led out the same hole in the fence they’d both escaped from before. It was bigger now, and there were deep claw marks in the dirt where Talltail assumed Dusty had dug his way out.

He found Jake sniffing around a nearby alley, looking disheveled and mumbling to himself.

“Jake?” Talltail mewed gently. “What are you doing out here?”

Jake’s head shot up, looking bewildered for a moment before running to Talltail and bumping his head against his chest. Talltail pressed his nose to the back of Jake’s head and licked down some of his bristled fur.

“I thought you’d have gone off,” Jake mumbled

“Your friends are worried,” Talltail said. “So was I. Of course I'm still here.”

Jake looked up at him, “I have to find Dusty, he’s gone again.”

“How could he be gone again? Wasn’t he with your housefolk?”

“I woke up and he wasn’t here. He must have got out, I have to find him, he can’t be out on his own.” Jake left his side and resumed sniffing around the alleyway.

“Ok.” Talltail padded up behind him and gave him a small reassuring nuzzle. “I’ll look with you.”

They didn’t wander far from the house. Jake followed Dusty’s stale trail out from under the fence and Talltail followed him, passively suggesting new places they hadn’t looked for a fresh scent. His own nose told him Dusty’s trail was only left over from days earlier. But he followed Jake down sidewalks checking everything, pushing through bushes and looking behind bins that were certainly too small to reasonably hide a big dog. Talltail pressed close beside Jake when he stopped to rest. The usually bright and chipper tom’s whiskers drooped miserably and his tail collected debris from dragging on the ground.

The sun rose and dipped again in the sky, and not many words passed between them. Talltail didn’t know what to do other than offer what little his company provided. It didn’t feel like enough. They’d ended up back where they started for the third time, and Jake was sitting with his paws tucked under him, watching the sun sink beneath the trees, casting a deep blue shade across the twoleg place and the woods beyond.

“Perhaps…” Talltail began, “There’s somewhere in the park's direction we didn’t catch?”

Jake didn't reply for a long time, his gaze dragged down to stare at the crumpled grass. Talltail’s heart broke seeing him look so wretched.

“No…” he said at last, so quietly Talltail scarcely heard it.

“No? Why not?”

Jake’s chin sunk to rest on the cold ground. “I know there’s no point, Talltail. I knew that before, I just…” his voice trembled and broke off. Talltail quietly groomed his ears while Jake took a shaky breath. “Sometimes housefolk take us away somewhere when we’re ill, and they don’t come back. I knew something was really wrong. But I didn’t want to believe it. I just didn’t want to go back to the house. It’s too empty. It feels wrong. I really wanted to hope that the obvious wasn’t true but...Dusty’s not ever coming back.”

Talltail rested his muzzle on Jake’s head. He didn’t know what twolegs did with their ill housemates, but the truth had been plain to him as well. “I’m sorry,” he said, though he knew it wouldn’t do much.

“I’m sorry,” Jake moaned. “I’m wasting your time keeping you here.”

“I’m here because I want to be. You haven’t made me do anything.” He couldn’t imagine Jake feeling that way. If anything, it was him who had been wasting Jake’s time.

“I don’t know what to do now,” Jake mewed, muffled by the grass he buried his face in “I should go home but...”

“I understand,” Talltail said. He meant it. He knew how it felt to have trouble feeling home somewhere that was suddenly quieter and emptier, and forever different for the lack of someone there. But even so, they couldn’t stay out in the open near the woods. Talltail stood slowly, not sure if the idea he had was any better, but if he knew grief, he knew Jake would probably let himself be led anywhere, as long as he didn’t have to make a decision himself.

Talltail pressed his nose gently to Jake's cheek. “Come on, Jake. We can’t stay here forever.”

Eventually Jake got to his shaky paws and followed. They squeezed back under the fence and padded around to the side of Jake's house. Talltail leapt onto the fence and waited for Jake to join him. There were paw holds on the window and up a wooden ladder leaning against the wall that made the climb to the top easier.

Talltail and Jake clambered up onto the rough tiles of the roof, away from anyone below that may try to pester them, and high enough to see for a distance.

The sun was gone now, giving way to a darkening sky slowly filling with stars. Jake pressed against Talltail and for a long while they were quiet, just watching the world silently darken. Talltail wished he knew what to say to Jake, but he felt from experience that platitudes would feel empty.

Over on the far horizon, he saw dark clouds gathering, and a tremor in the air against his whiskers warned there may be a storm rolling in over those hills. The first in a long time. But how could he worry about that now? The storm would have to be pushed out of his mind as he looked back to Jake and passively started to groom his fur, picking out the debris and leaves that stuck to him from their long fruitless search.

Talltail was almost surprised when Jake finally spoke. “You know…” he rasped, his mew weak. “I know a lot of cats think it’s silly, the way I am. How close I was with Dusty. Even other cats that live with dogs just ignore them. But Dusty was different. I saw him even when I was a kit living on the farm. I was closer to him than my littermates. He didn’t speak, but it felt like he really understood me. Even if he wasn’t related to me in any way, or even a cat…” Jake's voice broke off and he tried to compose himself. “He was my family. I loved that fluff-brained dog...I don’t know what to do now. I’ve never lost anyone before...” Jake paused, his sad emerald eyes glimmered dark viridian in the dusk. “Or I suppose I have, but I never let myself dwell on it.”

“Yeah?”

“It was a similar feeling when my mom went away. A little bit before I met you actually. It was so long ago that now I don’t even know how to feel about it. She just didn’t come back to the barn one day, and I don’t actually know if she’s alive or not. It’s easier to imagine she’s just...gone off adventuring somewhere. I didn’t have to feel as sad about it. It’s so much harder to accept that someone just...suddenly isn’t there anymore. Just vanished and you can’t see them again. I don’t even know how to make sense of it. But I can’t ignore it this time.”

Talltail rested his head on Jake’s shoulder, wishing he could find the words to articulate his understanding. He’d never gotten to share a vigil with any cat either. At the time, he thought not seeing it up close was better, but perhaps them just disappearing had only served to make the acceptance that much harder.

“I don’t know how I couldn’t have realized,” Jake sniffed. “If I’d known, I’d have...I don’t know...I just wasn’t ready for this all of a sudden.”

“I don’t know that anyone is ever really ready,” Talltail said. “It just...happens anyway.”

Jake looked up at him, “I’ve been thinking about the spirits in the stars you told me about.”

“Yeah. We always believed that you're more than your body. Like there’s a part of you that exists outside of it. And that part never disappears. It just goes to a new place.”

“Do you think there’s a place like that for dogs too?”

Talltail thought for a moment. He wouldn’t have thought so before, but then, he didn’t know there was so much world outside his own when he was young. He didn’t think about the sky stretching far beyond their territory, and yet it did. And then he thought about what he’d heard from Hen and Reena so long ago. Everyone had ghosts.

“I’ll bet there is,” Talltail said at last. “Reena once told me they had their own spirits, that everyone does, whether they realize it or not. There’s a lot of stars. The sky is big enough.”

The moon crawled up into the sky as they watched the stars twinkle above their heads.

“I should go back...” Jake murmured.

Talltail was almost surprised. “Are you sure? If you’re not ready…”

“I’m not. But...I’ll try anyway...Thank you, Talltail.”

Talltail followed close behind him as he leaped down from the roof. Back in the garden, they saw that the back glass door was open and the fireplace inside cast a warm glow around the dark room. His housefolk must have been waiting... Talltail thought. Jake turned and pressed his muzzle under Talltail’s chin for a long moment, and then squeezed back inside.

Talltail wouldn’t follow him inside. This was a grief that didn’t belong to him. Jake’s twoleg was sat down in front of his fire, staring into it. In his paw something shiny caught the light. It was a tag hanging off of the collar that Dusty always wore around his neck. Jake walked tentatively up to him and headbutted the twoleg’s long leg. He reached down and lifted Jake up, holding him close to his chest. The twoleg appeared to be speaking to Jake as he stroked his fur, eyes strangely wet in the warm ember light of the small contained fire while Jake purred up at him.

Talltail never used to imagine a twoleg feeling much of anything, but somehow he finally understood in a way, how Jake bonded to such a different creature. There were no two alike things living in this house, but they still loved each other, and they both grieved all the same.

It was not a family Talltail would ever be a part of. As he watched alone from the dark, with nothing left to distract him, there came that creeping heavy guilt that he’d been trying to push off throughout the day. It was impossible not to feel that Jake would have been better off if he’d never come here. Never drawn him out of his home, never took him away from his denmate in the last days of his life so he could help Talltail with his own needs... Maybe Dusty’s illness wouldn’t have been exacerbated if the dog hadn't tried to follow so far.

Talltail wanted to tell Jake a lot of things, about how grateful he was, how much he’d come to care for him, perhaps even more than that. He wanted to tell Jake he was sorry too, for seemingly bringing so much misfortune with his presence, although he knew that sentiment wouldn’t be accepted.

Talltail desperately didn’t want to go, and that was how he knew that to stay longer would be more selfish than anything. Jake was safe and home now, and should be left in peace to sort out his grief, not tempted into pointless danger again.

I’m sorry I’m going to leave so suddenly. But the sooner I’m gone, the sooner you can figure out how to go on with your life as it was... Maybe he’d be able to return later and offer a proper goodbye. But probably not. Talltail turned from the house, squeezed under the fence, and padded into the yawning shadows of woodland beyond.

He stared down at his paws as he trudged along, knowing Jake wouldn’t have cause to chase after him this time and feeling that lonely realization stab him deep in the gut.

The dark woods around him felt deep and empty. He was on his own at last, as he had always sought to be. What now?

You know what you have to do, the cruel voice in the back of his head hissed. It’s the only thing left to do now.

Talltail curled his lip. Fine, he thought in bitter resignation. Let’s get this over with then. He was sick of this. Sick of the nightmares. Sick of the guilt. At least after this, his subconscious would have nothing left to taunt him with.

A sudden chill of night wind blew cold at his back, sending a shiver up his spine. He turned to look up at the sky, and was shocked to see the dark clouds that had hung on the horizon had blown in so fast, choking out the sparse moonlight. The air was muggy and thick, and his fur prickled with apprehension at the electricity in the air. A wise cat would be taking cover. But a storm wasn’t going to stop him now. No more hiding.

chapter list / previous / next

#cw animal death #cw pet death #implied #FRU39 #chapter 39

14 notes · View notes

thiswasinevitableid · 4 years ago

Note

Hi!!!!!!!!!! I just saw your playlist for the indruck rockstar au so naturally I had to go and reread the whole entire thing in one go this morning and I just wanted to say how much I Love it and the way you write that whole scenario, especially with the way you incorporated the music lyrics??? (Especially since you wrote a bunch of those????) chefs kiss. I was wondering if you had ever written or planned out any of the sternclay that happened before this story took place because the way you described what we got of how they got together sounded so amazing and I would Die to hear their point of view. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!!!!!!!!

Thank you so much! I’m really proud of that fic, and it seems to have been one a lot of folks really enjoyed. And well, when you asked this, it got me thinking. So here’s a brief history of how Stern and Barclay got together in this universe. Heads up: it is NSFW

That didn’t go as planned.

Joseph only meant to alert The Cryptids to the fact their manager was clearly skimming off the top and downplaying offers for further connections in the business before turning every ounce of charm he could muster on Barclay. He came to fuck bigfoot, not change careers.

Now he’s packing up the second of his two suitcases, conversation with his parents still ringing in his ears. They’re not taking the fact that he’s dropping out of college to manage an up and coming, horror rock, very gay band particularly well and have tried twice to talk him out of it. Which is why he’s glad he went through all the bureaucratic steps before calling them.

He’s never been more terrified or excited in his life. He’s sure he can do this, he’s already booked them four more gigs in a logical tour path, found a better system for making their merch, and is tracking down a promising P.R lead. It’s the close quarters that scare him the most; he’s certain he could charm Barclay for an evening, could get the others to like him enough to hang around back stage once or twice. But for months on end? What if they think he’s prissy, or too perfectionistic, or too normal?

What if Barclay hates him?

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

“I must admit, I’d have thought you would have made a move on Joseph by now.” Indrid says before pulling a sweater on over his head. It gets caught on his glasses, and he flails until Barclay helps it the rest of the way down. They’re somewhere south of Madison, the van cutting a lonely path down the dark road; it’s so late, and they’re on one of those vast, distinctly midwestern stretches where there’s nothing but night sky and fields. Jake drives, tapping the wheel in time with the radio while Joseph sleeps in the passenger seat and Vincent sprawls on the far back one.

“Kinda weird to hit on your manager, right?” Barclay peers warily around the passenger seat to be double sure the manager in question isn’t listening. He isn’t, lips parted slightly and dark hair falling in his face as his sleeping body is tilted this way and that by the motion of the car.

“Not when the manager looks like that and has already broadcasted his eagerness to fuck you.”

Barclay can’t really argue that first point; Joseph walked into that sorry excuse for a dressing room looking like centerfold come to life. There’s a certain kind of fan of theirs who spends their daily life buttoned up and following the rules, and Joseph struck him as exactly that kind of self-repressing, well groomed gym bunny. They’re always the most fun fans to fuck, in his experience. Couple that with the fact Joseph was (is) hot and willing, Barclay would have happily called dibs on the van for an hour to fuck him senseless that first night. But now…

“I dunno, he hasn’t really flirted with me since we met. And even then he didn’t flirt much.”

“The lecture on Haye’s deficits did start about two seconds after he entered the room.”

“Yeah” Barclay sighs fondly at the memory, “maybe he’s just not interested now that he’s seen me offstage.”

“Or maybe you’re both acting from the same vein of professionalism. Which is not terribly punk rock.”

“I’m being myself” Barclay grumbles “that’s-”

“The most punk rock thing you can be.” Indrid finishes, nodding sagely. Then he smirks, “but that doesn’t change the fact Joseph wants to get into those leather pants of yours. Why do you think he keeps recommending the stage outfits that involve them?”

“Hey, I like that look too. It’s my idea as much as it’s his.”

“Mmmmhmm.” Indrid yawns, rests his head on Barclay’s shoulder. Then he sings in his ear “Baby you got the clothes, baby he’s got the romance, you’ve got the moves so while you’ve got the chance, you wanna get in his pants, you wanna get in his pants, you wanna-”

Barclay elbows him sideways onto the seat, making them both giggle like they’re ten and wrestling on the trampoline in his backyard.

“Enough with the prophecies, Mothman.”

“That was hardly a prophecy.” Indrid sticks his legs into Barclays laugh, “but very well. I will leave you to pine for as long as you please.”

Barclay spares another glance towards the front of the car.

“I’m not pining. I just want him to like me.”

A snore in reply, Indrid out with his arms sprawled in different directions. Barclay chuckles softly, roots around for one of their two pillows, and settles his head against the window. He doesn’t shut his eyes right away; instead he watches the lights of distant houses and stars race past, melding into the reflection of Joseph’s sleeping face.

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

“I bought us ten more minutes, I cannot believe they didn’t warn us this was a double appearance. I’ll-” Joseph finishes shutting the van door and promptly grips it so hard it leaves an indent in his palm.

The band is in various states of rapid undress, trying to get back into their first set of outfits, and smack in the center of the tableau is Barclay, naked from the waist down.

“-I’ll be more thorough going, um, going forward. See you all backstage.”

He can’t scramble out of the vehicle fast enough, finds one of the two functioning bathrooms in the place and locks himself in without a second thought. Leans against the graffiti coated door and shoves his hand down pants, a little embarrassed at how turned on he is just from one peek at Barclay’s dick. That doesn’t stop him from picturing it as he shoves two fingers into himself and jacks off like it’s the last chance he’ll ever get. The smell of two kinds of smoke, the half dead bulb, the din of the crowd gathering in the building all make him harder; he’s so desperately horny for his bassist he’ll make himself cum in a shitty dive bathroom. The thought has him moaning, and he covers his mouth with his free hand as he cums.

With a much clearer head, he washes his hands and leaves to round up his band. It’s better this way, better for him to get off alone than put Barclay in a weird position by his manager coming onto him. That’d be weird for everyone; this way is much easier.

Ten minutes later, standing in the shadowy steps and watching The Cryptids perform, Barclay growling and sweat-soaked, giving Indrid a messy, open-mouthed kiss when the singer initiates it, he knows it won’t be easy at all.

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

They’ve done it; Joseph helped the others successfully sign with Amnesty Records, securing them a re-release of their first album at higher quality and with wider distribution, a massive U.S tour, and more money up front than any of them have ever seen. Amnesty sees promise in them, and Barclay knows they can deliver. They celebrated for two nights solid, and now reality sets in; Indrid is locked in a hotel room, writing like he’s possessed by the ghost of several rockstars at once, Vincent and Jake are trying to find places to live now that they’re based in Atlanta, and Barclay…

Barclay is standing in a half-furnished apartment that doesn’t belong to him. It belongs to Joseph, currently hopping on and off the phone while Barclay waits for dinner to arrive. In a perfect world he would have just cooked, but given how Joseph’s been the last few weeks, he’s worried that gesture of intimacy might freak him out. The manager was in meetings all day and is still in his suit, a forty dollar one they bought in a strip mall at the edge of town. On him it looks like it cost a thousand dollars just for the slacks. The slacks Barclay is failing very hard at not staring at. Joseph isn’t even twenty-one, but he’s been working deals like a pro, and it is the hottest fucking thing Barclay has ever seen.

He tries distracting himself from his unhelpful gay thoughts via distressing images. All he comes up with is having to steal Indrid’s phone from him after the singer called his family for the first time in almost three years. Whether that was to deliver a final fuck you or toss a hail Mary of reconciliation their way, Barclay isn’t sure. All he knows is he watched Indrid’s face take a turn, old hurts smothering the spark in his eyes, and he took the phone away while someone yelled on the other end of it.

“How are your parents taking it?” Joseph looks up from the laptop on the kitchen table where he’s entering dates into a calendar.

Barclay smiles, “Good. Pretty sure they’ve told everyone in the family the good news. Alice can get a chain email out like nobody’s business. They say they love me and are proud of me and that I have to promise to still come home for Christmas every now and then.”

Joseph smiles back, open for a moment before a guard slips back up. Barclay tucks his hands in his pockets, psyching himself up. He has to do this. He has to know.

“Have I, like, made you angry or something? You’ve just been standoffish lately.”

“Working out everything for the contract has been so stressful I’m not sure anyone but the execs have seen much of me.” The answer is well-rehearsed.

“Oh.” Barclay nods, hands still in his pockets and shoulders slouched.

“And, um, and they haven’t gone away. My feelings for you.” This answer is far quieter, the other man looking up from the screen with fearful eyes.

“That’s a...bad thing? But I, uh, I, like you too. I like so fucking much.”

A little puff of laughter, “I can tell. Believe me, I can. It’s just that being your manager is different than being a random fan looking for a hook-up; I might want something you’re not ready to give, or vice versa, and if we rush into things it could fuck up everything you guys worked for. Everything we worked for.”

Barclay cautiously steps forward, “What if we took things slow? Like, really slow.”

Hope sneaks into the corners of Joseph’s eyes, “What would that look like?”

“Like we go step by step, with first dates and like, hand holding and shit. We can take as long as we want; I mean, unless you’re planning on ditching the next big thing in the music world, think we’re gonna have plenty of time to spend together.”

“I like the sound of that.”

Barclay circles the table as Joseph stands. He cups his cheek, running his thumb up his cheekbone.

“Hey.”

“Hi” Joseph’s eyes have taken on a distinctly Bambi-ish shape.

“You wanna go get dinner tomorrow?”

The other man loops his arms around his shoulders, “Absolutely.”

Their first kiss comes less than twenty four hours; they may be taking it slow, but there’s only so much two men who’ve been pining in the confines of a van for months can take. It’s soft and popcorn scented and Joseph holds his hand the entire time.

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

Joseph waits in the dressing room, ears ringing from the sound system and the screaming crowd. It’s the first time The Cryptids have played any sort of true arena, and they sold out the show a week in advance.

Barclay clomps into the room in his combat boots, grinning as soon as he sees him. He’s dripping with sweat, his eyeliner is a little smudged, and even though he isn’t the lead vocalist, he has enough backing vocals that his voice is a touch raw when he speaks.

“Fuck that was fun.”

“You all did so well. I, this is going to sound corny, but I’m so proud of you.”

“Should be proud of yourself too, babe. Without you, we’d probably still be playing no-name bars in Des Moines or Fresno.”

“Managing is easy when the talent’s this good.” He runs his hands up Barclays’ fishnet-clad chest.

“Take the compliment, blue eyes.”

High on pride and the knowledge that at least a third of the crowd would commit a felony to take his place, Joseph pinches Barclay’s left nipple, “No.”

Barclay growls, grabbing his lapels and yanking him into a salty, toothy kiss. He moans in reply, drops his hands down to undo Barclay’s fly so he can grind against him, feel him getting hard through his dress pants.

“You really wanna do that here, babe? Don’t wanna make our first time all soft sheets and candlelight?” Barclay rubs the top button of Joseph’s shirt between his thumb and finger.

“Yes, I want you and I want you now”

Barclay lunges, shoving him back until his ass hits the dressing room table.

“Fine” he grunts, getting his cock out while Joseph kicks one leg free of his pants, “can’t take a compliment, gonna take something else.”

“OHmylord, fuck, fucking finally.” He thunks his head back against the mirror as Barclay sets a ferocious tempo.

“Shit, you feel even better than I thought you would, and I’ve been, fuck, thinking about it for a long fucking time. Ever since you walked into that shitty dressing room in those tight shorts and shirt with my name on it.”

“Nnhng” He spreads his legs wider at the memory.

“Oh you fucking like that, don’t you babe? That why you wanted to do this here? So I could treat you like the horny fucking fanboy you really are?”

“Yes, ohmylord, yes, yes.” He can’t feel anything but the points where they connect, can’t hear anything beyond Barclay’s growls in his ear and the slap of skin on skin.

“Fuck” Barclay pulls his hair with one hand, shoves his knee further up with the other, “shoulda known, even with that fancy suit all you wanna be is my fucking toy.” It’s a snarl, the hottest sound he’s ever heard and he drags Barclay into another kiss, amazed that he feels close to cumming already.

Knockknock.

Barclay turns his head towards the door, Joseph muffling his panting breath in his shoulder.

“Uh, who is it?”

“Mothman. The winners of that drawing are back here to meet us.”

“Shit” Joseph hisses, starting to sit up only for strong hands to trap him in place.

“Cool. Uh, gimme like” Barclay looks down to where his cock is buried into Joseph, “three minutes?”

The smile in Indrid’s voice is unmistakable, “Of course. I still need to find Vincent. See you soon.”

“Three minutes seems optimisticAH, ohgod” He holds on for dear life as Barclay fucks him with sharp, deep thrusts. A calloused hand finds his dick and Joseph bites down on a broad shoulder to keep from alerting everyone in the vicinity to his impending orgasm.

“That’s it babe, cum for me, cum on my cock in a backroom like the horny, needy thing you are.” Barclay stills his hips, hand working with slick, messy movements until Joseph cums. He doesn’t wait for him to finish all the way before slamming into him for ten of the best seconds of Stern’s life and cumming with a deep moan.

“Fucking-A that was good.”

“Good is an understatement.”

“I love you so fucking much.”

“I love you too.”

A kiss on the head as Barclay helps him onto the ground, a flurry of putting their clothes into a rough approximation of order. Then Barclay kisses him again as Joseph strokes his hair.

“Offer of soft sheets and candlelight still stands.”

Joseph holds him tighter, smiling against his neck, “I guess we know what we’re doing tomorrow night.”

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

It’s the last day of recording the tracks for “Blood on the Mirror” and the mood is bittersweet. After this, there’s one more tour and then The Cryptids go their separate ways. It was time, everyone but Indrid and Jake ready to move on to other projects, and Joseph is already on board to manage Indrid’s solo career (“I’d trust it to no one else, Joseph. I mean it”). All the same, when the final track is deemed done, everyone applauds and embraces like they’re going off to war.

He heads down to his office to finish reading over venue contracts while the band packs up, but he only gets through one before Barclay appears.

“Hey, blue eyes.”

“Hi, Bigfoot.” Joseph stands and comes to the door to kiss him, “are you already set to go home.”

“More or less” Barclay rubs his arm, his most consistent anxiety tell, “uh, there’s just one thing I gotta ask before we leave.”

Hushed voices down the hall, but no one there when Joseph looks behind him to check. When he turns back, his hands fly up to cover his mouth. Barclay is down on one knee.

“I, uh, I know this might not be the most, uh, traditional spot to do this but it feels right. I’ve just been thinking about how a huge chapter of my life is coming to a close and there’s this whole new, exciting, terrifying blank page where I have to write the next one. And I, I realized that I want you to be in that chapter with me, and the next one, and the one after that. So, uh, what I want to know is: Joseph Stern, will you marry me?”

He nods, not trusting his voice to come out with intelligible words.

“Oh thank god.” Barclay springs up, cupping his face and spinning him in a kiss. Joseph laughs as whooping cheers echo towards them. Indrid, Jake, and Vincent, are peering around the nearest corner, beaming.

“Indrid is for sure going to say I told you so the second he gets me alone” Barclay chuckles, “I was so afraid you’d say no because things will be kind of up in the air for the next few years.”

Joseph turns his face back towards him, “You’re right, they will. But I can’t think of anyone I’d rather spend them with.”

#agent stern/barclay #sternclay #rockstar au #TAZ amnesty

20 notes · View notes

lynelovespopculture · 4 years ago

Text

THE CHILLING ADVENTURES OF ZELDA CHAPTER 19-SALEM FAUSTUS MUST RESCUE HIS DAUGHTER FROM WHERE NO WITCH SHOULD GO.

Zelda didn’t believe what she just heard. She walked across the room so she could read the text herself. She read it twice and still shook her head. “No, I don��t believe it. Our Cordelia just can’t be on her way to Salem. She just can’t be!”

Jake, who wasn’t exactly in the loop, gasped. “You can’t mean that Cordelia is on her way to Salem, that Salem, THE Salem?!”

“Apparently so,” Ambrose answered him.

Faustus, meanwhile, checked his watch and walked quickly to the front hall where everyone followed him.

“Where are you going, Uncle Faustus,” Ambrose called out.

“It’s 8:30 now and I know that the bus should have left at 5:30. Despite that 3-hour head start, I going to see if I can catch it before they reach Salem.”

“I’m going with you.” Zelda reached for her coat but Faustus stopped her.

“No, dearest.” Faustus shook his head. “I understand completely why you want to come along, but if worse comes to worst and I have to go all the way to Salem, I won’t be able to explain your presence. It’s my class on that trip. The only reason I’m not with them right now is that I told them I was sick.” Zelda looked upset and Faustus sought to comfort her with his next statement. “Our girl is very clever. She might get away and come home on her own so someone needs to be here.”

Zelda was still upset but managed to put on a brave face. “Faustus, your trip will go by faster if you don’t have to stop much. I could pack you some sandwiches if you want.”

“Excellent idea, my love.”

10 minutes later, the car was packed and Faustus was ready to go. Jake and Ambrose hung back to allow Zelda and Faustus a private goodbye.

“Do you have everything?” Zelda asked.

“I think so.”

“Call me as soon as you find Cordelia. I don’t care where you are.” Faustus nodded and Zelda sighed and threw her arms around her husband. “And for Hecate’s sake, Faustus,” Zelda whispered into his neck. “Please, please be careful. I simply wouldn’t know what I would do if anything ever happened to you or Cordelia.”

“Shhh, hush my love, the only thing that going to happen is mine and Cordelia’s safe return. Any other outcome is unacceptable.” He then kissed her goodbye. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Zelda returned “Bring home our girl.”

Faustus nodded, kissed her again before he got into the car, and drove off. Even before Faustus’s car drove out of sight, Zelda could feel Ambrose’s arm around her shoulders.

“Don’t worry, Aunt Z, if anyone up to this task, it’s uncle Faustus.”

“Absolutely,” Jake agreed. “They’ll be back before you know it.”

The 7-hour bus trip flew by. From the very back, Cordelia watched the other students filed off the bus. Cordelia took a deep breath and got up and tried to get off the bus. However, Mrs. Robinson blocked her.

“Not yet, Cordelia. They’re not ready for you.”

“Ready for me?”

Nina didn’t respond but when Cordelia was allowed to leave the bus, Nina was right by her side. Cordelia noticed that the rest of the class had formed a half-circle. Then, a tall, scary man dressed in a black robe walked out of the shadows and stopped right in front of Cordelia. “Is this the child, then?”

Nina nodded. “It is, your honor.”

Your honor? Cordelia looked from 1 adult to the other.

The man in black pointed at Cordelia. “Has she been charged yet?”

“No, your honor. We thought it best to get her down here and then charge her.”

Charge me? The horror finally dawned on Cordelia. This was no field trip, this was a witch trial. HER witch trial!

Meanwhile, the man in black continued. “What is the child’s name?”

“Cordelia Spellman.” Nina answered.

The man in black arched his eyebrow. “Really? SPELLman? And the name Cordelia hasn’t been in fashion for at least an century. It’s like she’s not even trying to hide it.” For the 1st time, the man in black spoke to Cordelia directly. “So, what do you say, girl? Do you deny it? Do you deny that you’re a witch?”

Cordelia stood tall. “Of course, I deny it. Everyone knows that witches don’t really exist.”

“Is that right, girlie? Let see if you say that after you see this!” He grabbed Cordelia roughly by the arm and guided her between 2 old houses.

“Hey!”

The man in black let go of Cordelia after giving her a little shove. Cordelia looked up and was in shock. There they were; all in a row, bound and gagged, all standing on barrels with nooses around their necks. Her entire family, Faustus, Zelda, Jake, LJ, Prudence, Ambrose, Sabrina, Hilda, and even Dr. C.

Without a 2nd thought, Cordelia turned to the man in black. “Okay, you got me. I am a witch. But I’m the only 1. My family didn’t even know, they’re completely innocent. Do whatever you want to me but let them go!”

“Bull!” The man in black declared. “Everyone knows that magic goes through the bloodline so if you're a witch, so is your family.”

“But I’m adopted!” Cordelia stressed. It was the 1st thing she could think of.

“Then why do you look exactly like your mother? You’re lying!” The man in black turned to the men behind the barrels. “Hang them!” He ordered.

“NO!” Cordelia screamed but the man in black held her as the barrels were kicked and the Spellmans were hanged.

“And as for you,” The man in black stared hatefully down at Cordelia. “You’re a witch by your own admission. Your punishment will be to burn at the stake.”

Cordelia didn’t, couldn’t say anything. Her entire family was just murdered for just being born witches. She choked back tears as she was tied to the stake.

“Daughter, would you like to do the honors?” The man in black asked.

“I would love to.”

Suddenly, Cordelia was face to face with Sara, who had a torch in her hand.

“I knew you were trouble since the 1st day I saw you!”

Sara only smiled. “Goodbye, witch. Thanks for the friends.” Sara lit the pyre and Cordelia watched the orange flames crack, flickering, and then it jumped? When the fire jumped for the 2nd time, Cordelia felt her body jump with it.

The next thing Cordelia knew, her eyes opened and she realized she was still on the bus. As the other students were laughing and talking, some about the recent speedbump they just passed, Cordelia sat up. Her hand on her chest, willing her heartbeat to go back to normal. Cordelia looked up at the sound of loud laughter. She grew sad when she realized it was Sara and the triplets. Cordelia frowned; she was so happy and excited to get the text this morning. She practically ran all the way to the schoolyard. When she discovered that they were already on the bus, Cordelia thought nothing of going on the bus. Yet the more she talked, the more Cordelia saw the triplets’ faces grew blanker and blanker. They had no idea what she was talking about! Cordelia’s heart sank yet she knew she wasn’t crazy. She knew that the text came from Erin’s phone. Cordelia suspected that Sara may have stolen the phone and sent the message herself to make Cordelia look foolish. Cordelia turned to get off the bus when Mrs. Robinson stopped her. Mrs. Robinson then showed her the paper and the name on it. Cordelia knew it was faked, (it must be!) There was no one there to save her. Cordelia’s heart fell into her shoes when she realized the bus to Salem was moving and she was still on it. With no other choice, Cordelia sat in the very back, which on a deluxe bus was like a padded bench with seat belts, and tried to control her breathing, just like she was trying to do now.

“Are you okay, Cordelia?” asked a classmate who sat nearby.

“I’m fine, Anne.” Cordelia lied. She was anything but fine! It was actual life and death if someone discovered her secret. As she sat up and looked around the bus, she envied the happy carefree smiles of her peers. Half of Cordelia just wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole. The other half of her just wanted to stand up and scream. This entire journey was billed as an educational trip but Cordelia couldn’t understand what, if anything, could be ‘educational’ about a town infamous for killing witches, her kind, her people. For Cordelia, this was just as cruel as taking a person of the Jewish faith to tour a WW II death camp. Cordelia sighed as she quickly wiped a tear away. She had already decided that the only way to survive this weekend was to stay down and keep quiet. Hoping to distract herself, Cordelia took out her phone.

“Aw, man!” Cordelia groaned as she read the new message. Cordelia decided earlier not to involve her family. After all, nothing good could come from bringing even more witches to Salem. Despite this, by around 8:30, in a fit of panic, Cordelia texted her father. The instant she hit send, she regretted it. The only thing she could do now was hoping against hope that Faustus didn’t get the message. Now she knew; not only did her father get the message, but he also sent a reply.

Dear Cody,

Stay clam. I’m coming to get you as soon as can. I love you. Dad.

With a defeated sigh, Cordelia let her phone drop into her lap and rested her forehead against the window. She was already stressed as hades and they weren’t even there yet! When Cordelia noticed the sun was beaming down on her, she reached for the golden crescent moon at her neck. “Father sun, mother moon, make time fly. Make this weekend end soon.” She whispered.

Faustus didn’t understand. It was only 2 days ago that Cordelia came home crying at the mere thought of going to Salem, convinced she would die. Now she was on a bus going there? It just didn’t make any sense. Faustus knew how important Cordelia’s friends were to her but still, he just couldn’t imagine his strong-willed daughter being so desperate to win her friends’ favor that she would be talked into taking the trip. Further proof of this was Cordelia’s own text message. The message wasn’t a confessional of a kid who got carried away. It was more like a cry for help. It actually contained the phase S.O.S, which had to be a plea for help. Even if Cordelia had gone to Salem willingly, it shouldn’t have been allowed by her teachers. Even though he had always planned to claim illness and pull out at the last second, as the 7th-grade teacher, Faustus was preparing for this trip all week. Therefore, he knew that every student needed a permission slip signed by a parent or guardian to even go on the trip. Now he knew that Zelda would never sign anything that would put their daughter anywhere near Salem and Hecate knows he didn’t sign a permission slip so Cordelia should have never been able to leave with the others. She should have been kicked off that bus the moment a teacher saw her. Every time Faustus thought of his sweet, youngest child alone in that witch-hating town make Faustus pressed his foot hard on the gas pedal. He was driving on the highway, just about to enter yet another town, when something odd happened. The bottom left side of the car bounced and then dragged. The sudden movement startled Faustus so he took his eyes off the road for just a second to see what was wrong in the back. When he turned his attention back to the road, he saw a cat lying in the middle of the laneway. On instinct, Faustus turned to miss the cat and went up onto a curb. As soon as Faustus collected himself, he got out of the car. He slammed the door, angry at what he saw. The rear left tire had a big nail in it and was still leaking air. The front tire was busted up from hitting the curb.

“Damn!” Faustus swore. So much for catching up to the bus before it got to Salem. Unless…Faustus knelt by the rear tire, raised his hand, and was about to say a spell when-

“Hi there, fellow. Do ya need some help?”

Faustus looked up and saw a kind, elderly man with a tow truck right behind him. Faustus sighed, now he felt stuck. Yes, it would undoubtedly be faster to fix the car by magic, Faustus couldn’t use magic in front of a witness nor could he deny that he was in trouble. So he greeted the man, who was named Gus and it turned out that Gus owned an auto shop in the city. So Gus hooked Faustus’s car up to his truck and they drove to the shop. When they got there, Gus left Faustus in the lobby. 10 minutes later, Gus returned, frowning.

“I’m sorry, friend, but I just found a note from my partner and he had to go tend to an emergency so I’m the only 1 to look after the shop. Plus, I was just in the back, and I swear this never happens, but we seem to out of tires. So, I’m afraid you’re stuck here for a while.”

Faustus sighed. He knew he should have used magic! “Thank you for the ride into town.” He told Gus. Faustus began to walk around the waiting room as Gus went back to work. In the seating area, among the magazines, Faustus found a town map.

“Hey, do you have a bathroom here?”

“Yeah. 1st door on the left.” Gus answered.

“Thank you.” Faustus was pleased to discover that it was a private, single-person bathroom. After locking the door, Faustus unfolded the map and studied it until he found that there was A Walmart supercenter in this town. Astral projecting to a place you never been before was always risky, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He laid the map on the floor and then he laid beside the map. Faustus closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. It worked; for when Faustus opened his eyes again, he was right in front of the store. After thanking Hecate, Faustus entered the store. It was big and crowded so Faustus knew he had to hurry. Faustus made quick work of finding the auto department and selecting the correct tires. The trouble, as Faustus soon learned, was upfront. There was only 1 check-out station open and a very long lineup. Faustus stood in line, carrying a tire in each hand when he saw the 1st of those hateful birds in the window.

Oh no! Come on, come on, come on! Faustus silently willed the line to get a move on already.

Soon after, came another bird and another. By the time there were 4, Faustus realized his nose was bleeding. When 6 birds were all in a row, Faustus’s entire body was shaking and his head felt ready to explode. He could hold on no more. Sighing, Faustus dropped the tires and closed his eyes, only to return to his body on the bathroom floor. Faustus sat up and hit the titles with his palms. “Damn it!” He had to find another way to fix his car and get to his daughter and soon!

After all the stories about how all the mortals tortured and killed them, Cordelia wondered if any of the Salem witches ever simply died from boredom. If so, Cordelia may have found their descendent. It was late afternoon and the class was listening to a lecture in an old town hall. The only thing that Cordelia found remotely interesting about this guy was he has been talking for over 2 hours and had still to get a single fact right. If this so ‘witch expect’ attended the academy, Cordelia felt certain that he would easily fail 1st-year witch history. Cordelia sighed and looked out the window, only to see a graveyard, because, of course, there was a graveyard right there! Maybe it was because she was a real witch, but ever since she had arrived in Salem, Cordelia has been experienced odd things. Like wherever she went, Cordelia heard noises, like moaning and weeping, possibly from the murdered witches. Even though the Salem roads were paved, Cordelia could swear she heard splashing, as if she was walking on blood. Cordelia shook her head and turned the other way. Cordelia managed to lock eyes with Erin, and they smiled at each other. The bus had arrived in Salem at 12:30. So the first thing the class did was have lunch at a restaurant called The Witch’s Brew. (Salem got absolutely zero points for subtly.) Cordelia had a bit of luck when she was seated next to Erin at lunch. She was finally got to explain about the text, how the girls wanted to talk to her before leaving for Salem and how it came from Erin’s phone. Erin then explained that she lost her phone 3 days ago. In fact, the last thing Erin did before she left the house this morning was to ask her mom to keep looking for it. Therefore, Erin couldn’t have written that text. Still, the 2 girls got to talking during the meal and at least, for now, there was peace between Cordelia and 1 of her friends. The lecture was finally over and the class started to file out. Cordelia sneaked away to the bathroom. She did this several times today, whenever she felt the need to regroup.

You’re doing great, girl. Cordelia thought to herself. All you have to do now is get through supper, another walking tour, and then it’s off to the motel for the night. Then just 3 more days, Cordelia sighed.

When Cordelia returned to the front, she noticed that everyone from before had gone and only 2 maids were talking to each other.

“I don’t know, Dru. We come in here every day and we listen to that blockhead, every single day, telling lie after lie. But it seems especially wrong to let him tell all this to schoolchildren. It just seems so irresponsible to me.”

Drusilla, the other maid, sighed. “Shelley, if I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times. It doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, he’s just another mortal spinning fairy tales for mortal children. It has nothing to with us.”

“Us?” Cordelia jumped into the conversation without thinking. “You’re not mortals either? Are you witches?”

The 2 maids were visually shocked. “Mortal? Who said mortal?” Drusilla asked. “I said more tell, yeah, more tell. That darn lecturer is always leaving without telling us.”

While Drusilla was trying, very unsuccessfully, to talk herself out of trouble, Shelley knocked over the bucket of water she was mopping with. “Oh, for Hades’s sake!”

Cordelia smiled. “For Hade’s sake? That sounds like a witch phase to me. Don’t worry, I’m a witch too.”

“Oh, great. Another little girl who thinks she’s a real witch.” Although Drusilla muttered this to herself, Cordelia still overheard her.

The Spellman witch raised her hand and the spilled water was back in the bucket. “Now do you believe me?” Cordelia smiled.

“You are a witch.” Shelley said with awe and then pointed to the door. “What about the class you came in with? Are they witches?”

“No.” Cordelia shook her head. “They’re all mortals, I’m the only one.”

Drusilla raised an eyebrow. “You’re here all alone? What are you? 11?”

“12, actually,” Cordelia answered. “Yes, I’m alone, but it’s a long and confusing story and I don’t know how to explain it. What about you 2? Do you live in Salem as well as working here?”

“Dru lives in town, but you wouldn’t find me here after dark.”

Drusilla rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t be such a baby, Shelley. I figured I’m safer here than anywhere else, kind of how like a farmer will never search for a fox in a henhouse.”

Cord smiled, she wasn’t sure whether that statement was madness or brilliant.

“Don’t worry, kid.” Drusilla continued. “Your day trip must be almost over. You’ll be home before you know it.”

“Oh, it’s not a day trip. The class will be here until Monday.”

“You’re staying overnight? Here? At a motel? But what about the rebels?” Shelley seemed frightened.

“The rebels?” Cordelia asked. “Who or what are the rebels?”

“They’re a secret group of mortals who believe that witches never left Salem. It’s said that to this day, they go around at night, leaving fresh blood on the motel door of witches.”

“Don’t scare her with that old wives’ tales! I’ve lived here for almost ten years and that never happened to me.”

“That’s because you don’t use motels.”

Drusilla dismissed Shelley with a shake of her head and took something out of her pocket. “Pay no mind to Shelley, but I would feel better if you took this good luck charm.”

“I just can’t take it. What if I pay for it?” Cordelia suggested. “$5 bucks?”

They agreed and as they exchanged items, Drusilla caught sight of Cordelia’s wrist. “Oh my gosh! Have you always had that?”

“What? My birthmark? Yes, I’ve always it.”

Drusilla rubbed it a bit with her thumb. “It’s not coming off. If this is what I think it is, well, honey, you are not a witch, you are THE witch.”

“What does that mean?”

Before anyone could speak further, Mrs. Applegate, another teacher from Greendale middle school, appeared at the door. “Here you are, Cordelia. Come along, it’s time for dinner and it’s starting to rain.”

It was still raining when Faustus watched the sunset from 1 of the auto shop’s windows then he sighed and turned away. Faustus simply couldn’t believe he had wasted most of the day here. This partnership with the van had yet to show up and Gus was busy with a steady stream of customers. Despite being in the same place most of the day, Faustus tried desperately to make contact with his daughter with a series of calls, texts, and video messages, all to no avail. It wasn’t surprising. After all, the class must have arrived in Salem hours ago and the 1st rule of any field trip was to turn off any and all cell phones. As for Zelda, Faustus sighed again. Faustus was too ashamed to call Zelda. Yes, he promised to call his wife as soon as he found Cordelia, but not only had he yet to find their daughter, he had no new news of her whatsoever. Maybe because it was later, Faustus thought he should try to reach Cordelia again. He took a seat in the waiting room and once again, pulled out his phone.

“Hey, I know that girl,” said the guy next to and tapped where Cordelia was on the family picture that was Faustus’s screen.

Faustus turned to the stranger. “You do?”

“Sure. I’m a traveling salesman and today I had a business lunch in Salem. Anyway, I was just leaving the restaurant when I saw a bus with a pile of kids coming off it. I remember that girl because she was the last 1 off the bus and she didn’t seem at all happy to be there.”

Faustus nodded as he listening to the other man. Knowing that his daughter was in fact in Salem and had been since lunch lit a fire under Faustus. He stood up and walked with purpose.

“What are you doing?” asked the salesman.

“What I should have done hours ago,” Faustus murmured to himself. He borrowed a phone book from behind the front desk, looked up the listing for a local cab company, and called. He then took a taxi to Walmart and picked out the 2 correct tires in person. 20 minutes after he returned to the auto shop, a man came to see him.

“Mr. Spellman, your new tires are on and ready to go.”

“Great!”

“But I’d like to have a look at your muffler.”

“My muffler?” Aside from the tires, Faustus knew that his car was fine. This guy was just trying to play him for a sucker and Faustus simply didn’t have time for this.

Still, he just said, “Sure, do whatever you have to.”

The man went back into the garage. Faustus found a discreet place to hide, where he could see his car. He waited until someone touched his car before he whispered a spell in Latin. Then the car roared to life, seemly by itself.

Faustus then ran up to the man. “Wow, you seem to have the golden touch. My car is purring like a kitten now. I gave Gus my address so you can bill me. Thank you.” Faustus got into his car and drove off while the man was still trying to figure out what just happened.

Before long, Faustus was back on the highway. One advantage of driving at night was there was barely any traffic. However, as the hours passed and Faustus got closer to Salem, the rain came down harder and harder. So hard that the paved road, that Faustus could barely see, seemed like silver. Still, Faustus kept on driving because of heaven or high water, he was determined to find his daughter…tonight! The clock on the dash read 10:37 when he finally passed the Welcome to Salem sign. Now, all he had to do was find the motel with a bus in front of it. He found it on the 3rd block he went down. Faustus parked his car and ran out of the rain and out the roof of the motel. He ran into some of his students that were lingering outside. They seemed surprised to see him but unfortunately, none of them knew where Cordelia was. Faustus was making his way to the motel’s office. He rounded the corner and ran into Nina, who smiled at him.

“Fausty! You made it! I knew you would.”

“Mrs. Robinson, please tell me, where is my daughter?”

“Oh, she’s rooming with a couple of other girls.” Nina said casually but then she leaned in and whispered “As for me, I’m in room 13, alone and ready whenever you are.”

As Nina walked away, Faustus rolled his eyes and beyond him, he heard a door open, girlish laughter, then a firm closing of the door, and finally a splash, as if falling in a puddle. Faustus turned and indeed, it was a mud puddle. It took a second for the girl to moan and turn over.

“Cordelia?”

Her eyes widened. “Dad?” Cordelia got up and went up to her father. With a quivering lip, Cordelia let go of the tears that she had kept inside all day as she threw her arm around Faustus’s waist.

“I’m sorry, Dad” She nodded. “I really am. I got scared and panicked. I regretted that text message the moment I sent it. I never meant for you or any of the family to come here.”

Faustus gently put his hand under Cordelia’s chin and forced his daughter to look up at him. “Never mind that text.” Faustus gently said. “What are you doing here?”

Cordelia shook her head, furiously. “I don’t know, I really don’t! I meant it when I told Jake I would be back in 10 minutes. I only got on the bus because the triplets were already on it when I reached the schoolyard. It was a total bust because Erin didn’t even send me the message and they just kicked me out because, for the 1st time in my life, I lied to the triplets about believing in witches.”

“Cordy, why didn’t you get off the bus?”

“I tried, but Mrs. Robinson wouldn’t let me. I begged and begged. I even considered teleporting myself home but there were too many witnesses. Then she showed me my permission slip.”

Faustus was confused. “What do you mean? Permission slips are useless until they’re signed.”

“But it was signed, Dad,” Cordelia told him. “It had your signature.”

Mine? Faustus thought, dumbstruck. Then, Faustus thought about how everyone was rightly surprised to see him, except for Nina. Faustus took off his coat and wrapped it around Cordelia. “You’re wet, muddy and you must be cold. Go and wait for me in the office. I’ll be right there, I promise.”

As soon as Cordelia was out of sight, Faustus sighed, turned, and muttered to himself, “Nina Robinson, for your own sake, I better be wrong about this!”

Faustus walked up and knocked on the door of room 13.

“Come in.”

As soon as he opened the door, Faustus noticed that there were candles everywhere in the darkened room, even on the 2nd bed. On the 1st bed, lay Nina, on her stomach, posed as if she was in a playboy magazine. All she wore was a black leather corset, a matching thong, and heels. “I knew you would come. All I had to do is get you away from the school and your wife.”

Furious, Faustus entered the room and slammed the switch that turned on the big light.

“Where are they?” He demanded.

“Where is what?” Asked Nina.

“The permission slips. You have them with you I know it!” Faustus returned, quite fiercely.

Nina said nothing so Faustus looked around and saw a teacher’s leather briefcase leaning against the TV.

“Ah!” Faustus went to the case and searched through it. 1 brief look in the mirror told Faustus that Nina had crawled to the end of the bed and was now was dangerously close to him. “Madam, I advise you to keep your hands to yourself.”

Oh?” said Nina in a flirty manner. “And why is that?”

“Because anything of yours that touches me, you are not getting back!”

Nina frowned. “You’re in a mood.”

Faustus turned to face her. “Yes, I am. Especially since I just found these.” There was a piece of paper in each hand. “Here is a permission slip for Cordelia Spellman and it does indeed bear my signature but I don’t remember signing this but this might explain it.” Faustus raised his other hand. “This is a lined paper, with nothing but my name written on it, over and over again, front and back. Yet the strange thing is at the top of the front paper looks like your handwriting, but the bottom of the back page looks like my handwriting. You forged my name on this permission slip, didn’t you?”

Nina wore her smile proudly. “It worked, didn’t it? You’re here.”

“I came here to bring Cordelia home!” Faustus fumed. “It has nothing whatsoever to do with you! And where do you get your nerve? Kidnapping my daughter and bringing her here, of all places!”

“Kidnapping? Oh, don’t be so overdramatic. It’s only a field trip.”

“To a town infamous for its injustice and murder! It wasn’t your place. It’s up to me and Zelda to decide what our daughter is exposed to!”

“Did you really have to bring your wife up again?” Nina asked, looking bored. “If you ask me, I think that Zelda is too old for you.”

“Not that’s any of your business, but Zelda and I are the same age and you want to know what I think? I think you’re not worthy enough to speak Zelda’s name!”

“Oh, come on, next you’ll tell me that you’re not attracted to me.”

“I’m not and another thing- “Faustus’s voice was drowned out by the ringing of a phone. Faustus automatically looked to the bedside table, where Nina’s phone lay charging. However, Faustus soon realized that the ringing was closer to him. In fact, the phone was in the briefcase. Nina leaped off the bed, trying to get the phone first but because he was closer, Faustus got it.

The pink, sparkly girlish phone looked oddly familiar. “Hello?” Faustus answered. “Mrs. Warner?” Faustus listened for a moment. “Oh, I see. May I ask how long has Erin been looking for this phone? Oh, I see. Yes, I’ll bring it by soon.” He ended the call and then turned to Nina. “Oh, this is low, even for you.”

Nina gave an innocent shrug. “What?”

“You know perfectly well ‘what’” Faustus snapped. “This cell phone belongs to Erin Warner. According to her mother, Erin had been looking everywhere for this for the past 3 days. This makes it impossible for Erin to send that message to Cordelia about wanting to make up at 5 this morning. You did it, didn’t you? You knew the girls were fighting and you knew that Cordelia and I were not coming on this trip. You took advantage of my daughter’s desire to make up with her friends, and once you got her on that damn bus, you kept her there, knowing full well I would come to collect my daughter!”

“But Faustus, I did it for us.”

“There is no us, you lunatic!” Faustus spat. “And I’m getting so tired of rejecting you.”

Nina smiled. “Then don’t.” She tried to put her around Faustus’s neck but he fought her off.

“Enough!” Faustus growled. “I have had it with you! I’ve tried to reason with you, to avoid you, and to explain to you how important my family is to me. All that’s left is the ugly truth so here it is. I will NEVER sleep with you! You could be the last woman, scratch that, the last person on earth, and I would still never sleep with you. In fact, you sickened me because you remind me of who I used to be and who I swore I would never become again. The fact that you would steal a child’s phone makes you a disgrace to the entire teaching profession!” Faustus then ripped up the permission slip and let the pieces fall to the floor. “Consider this me taking back custody of my daughter.” Faustus turned and left without another word, slamming the door behind him. Faustus didn’t want Cordelia to see him angry so he took a moment on the motel’s tiny porch. That’s where he first saw the thunder and lighting in addition to the rain.

The Spellman house had been filling with family all day. As word got around about Faustus, Cordelia, and Salem, people came running. Prudence was first. She was worried when Zelda, who was never late, missed the morning assembly at the academy. Prudence was even more worried when she learned when Zelda wouldn’t be leaving the house today. Hilda learned everything when she called the mortuary. By the time late afternoon rolled around, all the family knew and Ambrose, Jake, Prudence, Hilda, Sabrina, and LJ were all at the house. After dinner, they were joined by Dr. C and the other 2 weird sisters. At first, the plan was simple, just keep Zelda busy and distracted until Faustus called then everything would calm down. But the later it got, the more worried everyone got. By 11, they had run out of topics of conversation and games to play. They all felt helpless as they just sat in the drawing-room and Zelda walked0 up and down the hallway for the million time. Zelda couldn’t sit down; the only reason she ate at all was due to Hilda’s pleading. Zelda refused to go 10 feet without a phone so she stayed on the main floor all day. Zelda had no idea what to do with her hands since her last cigarette was long gone. Zelda sighed when she checked her watch. It was getting so late. If there was still no word from either Faustus or Cordelia by dawn, Zelda had already decided to go to Salem herself but she hadn’t told the others because she didn’t want anyone to talk her out of it. Zelda’s head whipped around as the phone began to ring. She ran to the phone and picked it up.

“Hello, hello?” Zelda tensed as the family gathered around her.

“Zelda? Dearest?”

Zelda’s grip tightened on the phone and closed her eyes and cherishing her husband’s voice. “Faustus! Finally, how are you? Where are you? Have you found Cordelia yet?”

“I’m fine, my dearest,” Faustus assured Zelda. “It’s been an insanely long day but I’m finally in Salem and as for Cordelia” The line went silent for a second and then… “Hi, Mom!”

Zelda bit her lip to keep her tears of joy and relief in check. “Oh, Cordelia, my sweet, precious girl. How are you? Did anyone hurt you?”

“No. I’m fine, Mom. I’ve been with the class all day and no one suspected me at all, I promise. And I definitely feel safer now that Dad’s here with me. Mom, is LJ there?”

“Yes, she’s right here.” Zelda passed the phone to her stepdaughter.

“Hello? Cordy? What’s wrong?”

“LJ, I’m so sorry.”

LJ was confused. “Why are you apologizing to me?”

“Because tonight was the night you were supposed to bring your boyfriend to dinner to meet the family.”

LJ was touched. “The fact that you remember that after all, you had to deal with today proves that you are the sweetest little sister in the whole wide world. Peter can wait. What’s important now is to get you and Dad home safe and sound.”

The sisters chatted for a few minutes and then LJ gave the phone back to Zelda and after a few moments, Cordelia passed the phone back to Faustus.

“So, now that you’re located Cordelia, are you in your home now?” Zelda asked.

“Oh, not exactly dearest. I know that it was my idea to just grab Cordelia and then drive all through the night back to Greendale, but there’s a problem here. You see, there’s a raging storm here and it’s not safe to be on the road. I barely made it here.”

“Can’t you teleport?” Zelda suggested. “Surely you must know the way home.”

“I do, but people saw Cordy and I come in this motel room so we just can’t up and disappear.”

Zelda frowned. “I don’t like the idea of you and Cordelia spending the whole night in Salem.”

“Neither do I,” Faustus agreed, “but it could be a lot worse. You see, Mrs. Applegate was kind enough to give up her room so she will have to share with Mrs. Robinson.” Was it Zelda’s imagination or was there laughter in her husband’s voice? “Anyway,” Faustus continued, “this is a single room so Cordy and I will have to share the bed tonight. The storm is sure to be over by morning and then Cordy and I will be on our way. I can assure you, dearest, I won’t be in this town a moment more than I need to.”

Zelda sighed; she still didn’t like it, but she understood. “Please be careful, Faustus, and give Cordy a goodnight kiss for me. I love you.”

“We’ll be home before you know it. I love you too.”

Although she had taken her wet clothes off when she first got to the room, Cordelia was still cold after the phone call home, so she treated herself to a hot bath. Since she had no PJs, she put the white plush motel robe back on and double knotted it so she could wear it as a nightdress. Faustus then took a quick shower to wash off his road trip. When he stepped back into the main room, he found Cordelia standing before the window, the rain and the moon casting her face in a ghastly glow.

“You know; you were born on a night very much like this.”

Cordelia looked up at him. “Don’t you hear them, Dad?”

“Hear what?”

Cordelia frowned. “The moans pleads and cries of our people. Thousands and thousands of them, crying out in pain and for justice. I’ve been hearing them all day, ever since I got off the bus.”

Faustus heard nothing and thought it must be a divine child thing. “Come on honey, we have a long drive home tomorrow. We better get some sleep.”

As they made themselves comfortable in bed, Faustus noticed something he hadn’t before. “Cordy, why are shivering? Didn’t that bath warm you up?”

“Oh, am I shivering?” His daughter asked. “I’ve been doing it all day. I guess I don’t even notice it anymore.”

Faustus could help smiling to himself. As a 12-year-old witch who had in the company of mortals, doing a tour of Salem all day, Cordelia had every right to be afraid but she would never admit it. She was so strong, so proud, so like her mother. “You’re very brave.”

Cordelia rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. If I was so brave, I would have never caved and texted you that message.”

“Oh, will you stop! I’m glad you sent that message. I’m glad that I was able to track you down. Besides, the text doesn’t take away from the fact that you just spent an entire day learning about 1 of the darkest chapter in our people’s history.”

“Yep, that’s me. Cordelia the brave…and the friendless.” She muttered.

Faustus felt his face grow hot. This whole thing started because Cordelia wanted to make right with her friends. She must have been heartbroken to learn that her friends didn’t text her this morning. Damn you, Nina! Faustus thought and then said out loud, “Don’t worry Cordy. You’ll make up with the Warners soon, I know it.”

Faustus turned off the lamp and despite being quiet, neither Cordelia nor Faustus slept all night. Maybe they were overtired or overstressed by being 2 witches in Salem. It was dawn when exhaustion finally took Cordelia and she rolled over into her father’s arms. Faustus curled his long-limbed body around her protectively before kissing her forehead. “Don’t worry baby, Daddy’s got you.” He whispered before sleep claimed him too.

1 hour later, a scream woke them up. They jumped out of bed and open the door to see the class, teachers and all of the hotel staff were in front of them. Faustus looked at the door. “Is that paint? Or blood?”

“The rebels” Cordelia whispered, suddenly remembering what the maids told her. She looked around and froze. Her room wasn’t the only marked. There was also blood on the door of the room that the triplets shared with Sara.

#chilling adventures of sabrina #caoz #chapter 19 #fanfic #spellwood #zelda spellman #faustus blackwood #hilda spellman #sabrina spellman #ambrose spellman #prudence blackwood #cordelia spellman #lj spellman #jake spellman #please comment #please reblog

6 notes · View notes

asinglebraincell · 4 years ago

Text

Bella And The Great Goodbye

Okay ya’ll i’ve written the first part to this absolutely heartbreaking fic that’s been bouncing around in my head. This is my first fan fic i’ve ever written and i’m not that strong of a writer so bare with me! It is NOT a happy story.

Major TW warning. S*icide, D*pr*ssion, Intr*sive thoughts. It’s a long one. Third person narrative because that felt natural for me.

I maintain that this fic is less about Jacob and Bella and more about Bella herself. I didn’t want to involve the tribe anymore than I HAD to so they’re barely mentioned. I think that EdBella are the end game that makes sense bc they’re just as awful to those around them and deserve each other.

I’ve placed it two years after her 18th birthday. Her and Jake are in a relationship but it’s not going well. Bella has her own apartment in Forks, goes to the community college near there and works at the Newton’s store. We pick up after one of Jacob and Bella’s fights. I hope you enjoy it and if you read it and hate it please let me know. If this triggers you in anyway and need to talk, please reach out. I’ve taken quite a lot of Bella’s depression from my own.

I hope you enjoy!

What rotten luck, Jacob thought as his VW rabbit stopped dead in the middle of the road. This day just gets better and better. First I spend hours fighting with Bella and now my car dies?

Jacob had been having a very unpleasant day. He kept his anger under control with Bella earlier. It was hard but he knew that he couldn’t lose control around her. So he fought to keep the anger from exploding out of him. He felt even angrier now. And since no one was around he could blow off some steam at least.

He jumped out of his car after putting it in neutral and began pushing the rust bucket to the side of the road. He engaged the e-brake after putting it into park, just in case. It wouldn’t hurt him too bad if the car started rolling but he couldn’t bear the thought of his baby getting hurt. He popped the hood and began trying to figure out what was wrong now. He couldn’t afford a new part so hopefully, it wasn’t something major.

He had just begun his diagnostics when he heard someone clear their throat.

He wasn’t paying attention to who it was, just that they were human. He had noticed the sound of the engine that pulled up in front of him but he wasn’t paying attention. He turned around and didn’t have to look down to find their eyes. The slight but well-muscled woman grinned at him. She had a round face with high wide cheekbones. She had freckles lightly covering her nose and cheeks, they weren’t super noticeable as her skin was as dark as his own and they were just a shade or two lighter. She had her wildly curly black hair pulled back into a bun with a cotton strip. She smelled like car grease and sandalwood. As he met her gaze, he felt something.

Like the whole world had a big red curtain in front of it and it was suddenly ripped away. The strings that held him where he was suddenly shifted like he was a puppet or something. He felt the pull this stranger had on the strings. Not that she was controlling him, but that she was helping him move. Holding his hand almost to help guide him through life. The fact that she was a stranger made Jacob feel uneasy. His wolf told him that this stranger was the only person in the world he could ever want or need. The strings that tied him to the pack shifted too. They used to be the strongest bond he had. Not anymore. Suddenly, he would fight his pack family for this woman.

He knew from Sam’s internal thoughts about Emily that he had imprinted on this poor unsuspecting woman. Oh crap! He thought ruefully.

“ Uh Oh! Looks like your wabbit needs a carrot!” The woman said, “I’m Cass. Do you need a hand?”

“ I think she’s a lost cause for right now. Thanks, though.” He said with a returning smile. Jake was never really formal but he reached his hand out to shake hers, “I’m Jacob.”

“I can take a look if you’d like. I’m sort of an amateur VW mechanic.”

“By all means. I’m not sure what you’d find. I rebuilt her myself so it’s not up to original manufacturer quality.” He said apologetically while he stepping out of her way. She just laughed. What a laugh Jacob thought. And then he mentally kicked himself for being weird.

“Then I’m sure I’ll probably find a lot wrong.” She said as she looked under the hood.

Just as Jacob had said she couldn’t track down the issue from a glance but offered to drive him wherever he needed to go. They spent the short car ride to Jacob’s house chatting about cars. She gave him a card of a guy she knew with a tow truck. She had written her phone number on the back of the card in case they needed to swap parts sometime soon.

When he was sure she was out of sight, he phased. Desperate to figure out what the hell to do.

Bella knew something was wrong. She could feel it. Jacob was slipping away from her and she couldn’t stop it. They’d be on the rocks lately and she knew it was her fault. Jacob had left in such a fuss that she wasn’t sure where they stood. The hole in her chest felt bigger, threatening to give way at any moment.

He was sure that she was overreacting, as usual. But that didn’t do anything to calm her down. Just made her mad. She had spent the last few hours replaying their argument. He had been getting tired of her insecurities. And there were a lot. She felt guilty because she knew Jake deserved better. And that he needed to walk away. But he wouldn’t give up on her. And she needed him more than she admitted. He filled the hole in her chest for a while. It wasn’t a perfect fit and things slipped through often but she felt more whole than she ever had without Jake. She had once told him that she wasn’t a car he could just fix-up. He seemed to beg to differ.

When it seemed late enough that he wouldn’t call, she went to bed. Slipping on a t-shirt he left on the back of the small chair in her apartment’s living room. It made her feel a little better. Like the Jake she loved was there. Not the Jake she had forced him to be. She tried not to cry but it was hard.

She felt a little bit worse for wear the next day. Jake still hadn’t called her. She wouldn’t call him first, she was hurt by him being so quick to dismiss her feelings. Her worry over losing him turned to anger at herself. She was pushing him too hard. She knew she was. But she didn’t know how to stop it. She felt desperate to fix it all. She didn’t have work today so she had time to focus on her pain and let it simmer for a while.

At around 2:30 in the afternoon, she heard a knock on the door. Knowing it was Jake by the type of knock. They had made a system for which knock he would use so she would know who it was. She had a bout of paranoia when she first moved into this apartment.

She was still in bed and hadn’t bothered to lock the front door last night. Even if Jake didn’t have a key, he could’ve gotten in.

She heard his footsteps get louder as he walked down the hallway to her little bedroom. She covered her head with the blanket. Childishly to not see his face.

“Bells? Come out from under there.” Jake said with a tone she hadn’t ever heard him use before. It was so..formal. It made her shudder as she thought about who that tone reminded her of.

She peeked out from her cocoon at him. He was standing next to her bed, jacket still on. That was a bad sign. He wasn’t planning on staying long. She had to fight the urge to hide further under the covers. This was the bad feeling she’d had yesterday. Her instincts for pain and heartbreak had warned her.

She sat up and didn’t look at him. Choosing to try to find patterns in the quilt she had gotten from Renee last Christmas.

“I need to talk to you.” He said. That formal tone was still there, but there was sadness now.

“Go ahead.” She said just above a whisper. The pain coated her throat and it came out rougher than she intended. He sat next to her on the bed then and hugged her.

“So….you know that miserable and crazy way Sam and Emily got together?” He said with a lot more sadness and anger bleeding through the calm and formal façade. Bella’s stomach dropped. She knew exactly what he was getting at. Imprinting wasn’t something to be ignored. It was too powerful. She suddenly felt a lot of..pain for Leah that she hadn’t before. She knew the story. Sam and Leah were high school sweethearts until her cousin Emily came to visit.

She felt the hole break wide open. She fought hard against the overwhelming pain. Tears welled up in her eyes but she held them back. Because she knew. It wasn’t his fault he had found his person. It’s not his fault that he was just another person to leave her.

“Bella listen to me, please. This doesn’t mean I’m going to just leave and never come back. I’ll still be here for you. I just…nothing makes any sense right now. I don’t know how to explain.” He hurried through the words to comfort her.

“She’s the one for you…I understand. It’s not your fault. Just hurts that I’m not the one. I’m…happy for you.” The tears threatened again and she won against them again. If this was her goodbye to her second love, she would make sure he could go be happy without a fight. They’d done enough fighting.

“It hurts me too. I don’t want to have to do this. I don’t want to hurt you like this. I know you need me. I love you, Bells. I do.” Jacob said quietly as tears rolled down his face.

“S’not the same, though, Jake. I know. The pack explained it pretty well. And I know you won’t just leave my life entirely. You’re still my best friend no matter what.” She said with her zombie Bella tone. She hadn’t had to use the false inflection in over a year. Thanks to Jacob.

He kissed her softly. His and her tears made the kiss wet. It was like the tears were dissolving her tie to him in this way. When he pulled away she could see the pain this had caused him too. She reached out to put her hand on his face.

“Don’t worry about me, Jake. Just be happy. It’ll make me happy to see it. I know I haven’t been making you happy for a long time.” She said sternly

“Bella, that’s not true. I’ve been happy with you. Being your boyfriend was every teenage boy’s dream.” She cringed, knowing it was a lie. It was most definitely not a dream.

“Is that all you needed to talk about?” She said ignoring his attempt to make her feel better.

“I don’t suppose you’d wanna know about her, huh?” He said as he stood up.

“I need time, Jake.” She said with pain marking her entire body. She couldn’t hide it anymore. She had given him up without a fight. She could wallow in her pain now.

He left without another word. She thought it was because he knew she needed time alone. It still hurt him to leave her hurting like that. But he was the one doing the hurting.

Bella seemed to lose track of the days after that. Just barely registering anything that was happening. She had been going through the motions of work and school. Her college workload was light and she only met once a month in person at the tiny community college in Forks. She stopped registering the passage of time again. Just like when…she couldn’t allow herself to think about them. She would surely just end it all then if she did.

Bella had gotten better at hiding her pain. She didn’t want to be the cause of any worry. She was tired of being around anyone. But she put on the almost perfect façade of a happier Bella for Charlie and Jacob.Their friendship was hard at first. Jacob was constantly with Cass and he didn’t want to flaunt this in her face. But they found a healthier rhythm and she even met Cass a few times.

It made Bella happy to see Jake happy. Cass was the perfect person for him. She was an amateur mechanic like he was. She was warm and friendly and made Bella comfortable to be around. Like she had found another human sun. They fit together so much more than he and Bella had. He looked so happy that it hadn’t hurt Bella as much anymore. They drifted more and more as he spent more and more time with Cassie. Bella found it hard to be nice to either of them as time went on. She started getting angrier with their constant optimism. She started declining their invitations places so she wouldn’t have to deal with this newfound aggression towards them. She was just bitter that they were able to be with their soulmate, at least that’s what she told herself.

One day after work as she was driving home, she found herself just driving aimlessly at first. Until she found herself at the spot she and Jake went cliff diving at early on in their relationship. She shivered as she remembered the first few months with Jake. The happiest she had felt in a while. She didn’t get out, though the urge to cliff jump was strong. The adrenaline rush was something she became more addicted too as their relationship blossomed and her depression manifested in ugly ways. Jacob had put a stop to the more death-defying stuns she tried to pull. She got hurt too easily and he persuaded her to try other things that were just as fun.

She turned back down the narrow road to the main highway and drove home. She couldn’t allow herself to remember the happier times because she knew that there wouldn’t be any more for her.

She had resigned herself to being alone and barely human again. She didn’t live with Charlie anymore and only saw him now and then. She hadn’t remembered the last time she spoke with her mother. She didn’t care that she couldn’t remember. Renee was happy with Phil that’s all that mattered. She didn’t have to pretend to be anything at home. She could scream, she could cry, she could die and no one would know for a while. Her neighbors had gotten used to her nightmares.

Die. A small voice broke through to the forefront of Bella’s mind. The small voice turned louder as she got closer to her little apartment. It seemed like it was screaming at her as she walked through her door.

This was new. She didn’t have intrusive thoughts before. Maybe it was a sign. She had finally snapped.

She took three long looks around the small living room. There wasn’t anything left. Nothing keeping her here. She didn’t want anything anymore. She couldn’t even bring herself to read anymore. Her books sat in piles around the wood bookcase in her living room collecting dust. Her favorite stories couldn’t take her away anymore. She couldn’t bury herself in the worlds she had once reached out to for comfort in her young life.

The agony of living and being constantly reminded that she wasn’t good enough to be in anyone’s life was too much. She couldn’t find her place anywhere. It used to not bother her but as she got older, she realized the reason she couldn’t find her place. It was her fault. No one wanted to put up with her. Destiny made up a very convenient excuse for Jacob to cut his losses and leave her. The family she had once hoped to belong to decided she wasn’t worth risking their existence for. Her mother had never really wanted a child. Bella had just tied her down for all those years. Charlie had his own happy enough life without her.

Everyone was better off without her.

Bella found herself two days later on her small tattered couch. Her apartment was packed in boxes. She had four sheets of paper on the coffee table in front of her. The sobs started again. She hadn’t fully stopped crying in the past few days. Hoping that she would cry it all out. But she couldn’t find an end. She wanted it to all end. To never wake up again. To have some relief from the knowledge that no one wanted her. No one ever would want her. She wrote letters to Charlie, Renee, and Jacob before she turned to the last piece of paper. She let herself feel again. Releasing all of the pain she had kept locked away. The family she wanted to join came to the forefront of that pain. Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Carlisle, Esme, Alice…Edward. The family she lost because none of them wanted her. Their names burned in her brain. She didn’t need to write one to each of them. Just one of them. The one she wished she could’ve been good enough for the most.

She didn’t think about whether or not Alice would be watching. She didn’t think it would be very likely. Bella had more than enough close calls with death in the past two years. And Alice never came back. She didn’t care about her. Just like everyone else.

Her hand shook as she penned everything she had wanted to say to her lost love. Her anger at him, her hopes for him, her love for him. Still, after all this time and even with the distraction of Jacob, he was the only true love she had felt. The only place she felt at home. When she was done writing she placed the letters in separate envelopes, leaving them on the coffee table. She had her truck and motorcycle keys laid out on the table neatly next to the letters. She stared at the table for a long while. Thinking the same question over and over again. Was it selfish of her to take herself out of this life? No, she had caused enough stress and heartache for those that she loved. She thought over all of the people she loved, leaving Edward for last. Savoring the pain it gave her.

The light from outside was fading and Bella felt a peace she hadn’t felt in two years. Almost as if he was there with her giving her the strength she needed to follow through. She sat on the floor of her bathroom in the doorway, holding the tool she would use to end her pain. It was probably one of the more slow deaths but it was the one she knew would work.

She hadn’t realized that she was slipping away until she heard the front door open.

“Bella!” A high shrill voice like an angel called out to her. Alice.

#bellaandthegreatgoodbye #new moon #bella swan #jacob black #alice cullen #twilight fanfiction

4 notes · View notes

charmedtheselfproclaimedking · 5 years ago

Text

Charmed Again: Season 3 (Charmed Fanfic)

Episode 5 - The Charmed Bride: A Valentine’s Day Special

Warnings: I don’t own the rights to any of the characters from the hit TV show “Charmed” or the storylines related to the show those rights belong to original creator Constance M Burge.

15+ Moderate/Graphic Displays of Violence, Sexual Innuendos, Witchcraft and Potentially Triggering Scenes.

Many Years Ago

Melinda Halliwell was walking down the first floor hallway of the Halliwell Manor looking for her eight year old daughter Pan when she noticed her bedroom door open and upon investigation found her little girl stood there trying on her wedding dress from her wedding to her ex-husband Luke Adams.

“Pandora Paige Halliwell what are you doing?” Melinda laughed at her daughter as she walked into her bedroom.

“I didn’t mean to pinch your dress mum it just kind of called out to me and I couldn’t help myself.” An eight-year-old Pan cutely lied while she climbed out of a wedding dress far too big for a child and sat down on the edge of her mother’s bed. “I just wanted to see if I looked as beautiful as you mummy.”

“Well as you can see, you’re too small and too young to be trying or even thinking about wedding days just yet.” Melinda told her as she sat down next to her daughter and cuddled into the eight-year-old. “But when your day comes, I can promise you that you will be the most beautiful bride in the whole wide world.”

“I hope my husband makes me as happy as daddy used to make you.” Little Pan hoped.

“You’re a smart kid Pan I’m sure whoever you wind up with whether it be a bride or groom you will be the happiest bride out there because you’ll choose wisely even more wisely than me.” Melinda said sincerely to her daughter.

Many Years Later

A teenage Lacey and Drake walked down the school corridors of their local high school within San Francisco just like they did every school day longing for the days school would be over, they’d grow up and be parent free never knowing then the tragedies that awaited them in the future.

“I’m telling your dad is going to be super cool to find out your dating a girl I mean at least he can ease off with the pregnancy lectures besides he’s super supportive of Jake and me.” Drake told a nervous Lacey who planned to come out to her father after school.

“Yeah well Jake didn’t break the news to dad until he brought you home one night which is super not fair because you’ve always been my dad’s favorite non-child.” Lacey argued with her best-friend. “I doubt he’s going to be too chill unless I take Wonder Woman herself home with me.”

“Please Wonder Woman is way too old for you your dad would just flip about the age difference.” Drake joked.

After a pep talk from her best-friend and a long school day Lacey returned home that day to find her father Eric and her brother Jake sat on the couch in the living room of their family home watching some cheesy sitcom and laughing away to themselves until Lacey switched the television off and sat down between them.

“So, I’m just going to come straight out with it…dad I’m a lesbian.” Lacey admitted to her father and brother at the same time, feeling freed by the words she had just said.

“Darling don’t be so stupid,” Eric laughed as hugged his daughter. “I’ve known you were into girls long before you even knew. Good on you for finally admitting it to yourself must’ve taken a lot kid.”

“Yeah good for you sister even if it wasn’t exactly a secret.” Jake joked with his sister.

“Your mother used to always say sexuality is a spectrum or is like a spectrum I can’t remember it word for word but the point is in this household it don’t matter what your orientation, ethnicity or sex is as long as you’re a good person.” Eric told both his children. “Although if you date crappy people, I’m going to tell you their crappy whether use like it or not.”

“So, sis, have you got yourself a girlfriend yet?” Jake asked Lacey.

“No.” Lacey blushed. “Can we please change the subject now?”

“You should totally get your brother to set you up he’s got good taste in people I mean just look at his boyfriend.” Eric suggested to his daughter instantly making her eyes roll.

“Do you have to be Drake’s number one cheerleader all the time?” Lacey mocked her father. “Next you’ll be telling me it’s a shame he hasn’t got a sister or cousin for me to date.”

“Don’t think I haven’t asked him already but sadly no family members that are of age to date you.” Eric teased his daughter.

The Day Before Valentine’s Day

Drake was walking down the main hallway of magic school when he suddenly saw Cole from a distance holding a bouquet of roses and a heart shaped box of what Drake could only presume was chocolates and considering Cole was closer to Drake’s office than he was he had no choice but to dart for Dermot’s office and run in there in a bid to avoid his friend he shared a kiss with before realizing he just walked into the office of a headmaster he had shared a kiss with.

“Now whose busting into whose office?” Dermot asked Drake while sitting behind his desk as Drake burst into his office, slamming the door closed behind him.

“Yeah I wasn’t really thinking I was too busy in avoidance mode to remember I’m also avoiding you.” Drake replied a little too honestly. “No offense meant of course.”

“Don’t worry only a little offense taken,” Dermot joked as he stood up from his chair. “I did figure you were avoiding me but who else are you avoiding?”

“My former demonic best friend who betrayed me only for me to start becoming his friend again until…well until that got complicated too.” Drake admitted to the headmaster of magic school.

“Your life in general seems complicated.” Dermot told him.

“Fair point.” Drake agreed.

“While you’re here I have a little card, I was going to give you…” Dermot began to say.

“I swear if it’s a valentine’s card I will vanquish you!” Drake snapped at his boss.

“Fair enough,” Dermot laughed at Drake’s reaction. “So, do you want to talk about what happened between us or keep avoiding?”

“Keep avoiding.” Drake joked for a moment before realizing Drake look unimpressed. “Here’s the thing I was still getting over my ex who was a great guy until he lied to me, brainwashed me and then left me to become an elder although in his defense I was kind of dead at the time. Then Cole came along and I clearly transferred my feelings to nearest standby got rejected and realized we were better off as friends until he back-stabbed me and then along comes you who I really hate or at least did hate until that kiss and now I’m all kinds of confused and desperate to keep avoiding.”

“Hold up elder Jason Quinn brainwashed you?” Dermot continued to laugh at Drake’s expense making Drake laugh along with him. “God your love life really is a train wreck.”

“Yeah and I haven’t even told you about my first ex who wound up in jail for murdering my parents.” Drake couldn’t help but laugh as his reckless love life. “Then there was this demonic strip club owner who I wound up getting pregnant which actually turned out to me my most successful relationship considering I got Lilah out of my dalliances with Cindy.”

“So, I’m guessing a lifetime of that doesn’t make you the biggest valentines day fan?” Dermot asked him.

“You could say that yeah.” Drake replied.

Raven walked into her office at Halliwell and Turner only to be left shocked to see a trail of roses leading to her desk with a luxurious box of chocolates and a card within a red envelope placed on her desk as she walked into the room only to hear a knock on the door to find Paul stood there with a bouquet of beautiful and colorful flowers.

“Wow, this is totally unexpected!” Raven said as Paul walked over to her and handed her the flowers before kissing her. “You realize Valentine’s Day is still a day, away right?”

“True but considering my sister’s getting married on Valentine’s Day even the cupids themselves better be on holiday this year because Pan Halliwell and Lacey Morgan are about to make it their day.” Paul joked. “Speaking of which I need a plus one for the wedding if you fancy being my date?”

“Well I was given my own invite but I’m sure I can slum it as your plus one.” Raven replied before giving her boyfriend and business partner another kiss. “The flowers are lovely thank you.”

“I figured we could do something nice for lunch as well I booked us a table at Quake I’d say dinner but I think Drake’s plotting something for tonight and considering we missed his last plans I’m going to make sure not to miss this one.” Paul revealed to Raven.

“How are the soon to be brides?” Raven wondered. “I can’t wait for a lovely wedding and on Valentine’s Day too it’s just the thing to lift the mood around here.”

“Careful now we try not to try and jinx ourselves in this family.” Paul joked.

The soon to be brides Pan and Lacey found themselves sitting on the couch in the living room of the Halliwell Manor cuddled up together under a thick blanket while watching a cheesy romance movie on the television which was quickly interrupted when Drake blink in front of them both interrupting their movie time.

“This is totally not acceptable it’s one day before the wedding and the two of you are sat here watching god knows what.” Drake said to them both before switching off the television. “You both have separate hens’ nights to start preparing emphasis on the plural use there because we’re going traditional and separating you two until the big day.”

“I thought you understood it when we said no to any hen nights let alone two?” Lacey asked him.

“Well that’s on you for being foolish enough to believe I’d just settle with a no I never settle for anything.” Drake told his best-friend. “You have plenty of time to be old and boring after the wedding tonight’s about fun and I’m going to make you both have some even if it involves kidnapping use both.”

“I guess we have no choice then.” Pan said to Lacey while smiling at her soon to be bride.

Before Lacey could respond to Drake’s demands the three of them were interrupted by a knock at the door which instantly made Drake smile knowing who was at the door.

“Well this is your house too Lacey get off your butt and answer the door!” Drake ordered Lacey.

“When the hell did you get so bossy?” Lacey asked as she stood up from the sofa and began walking towards the foyer. “I’m only going because you’re clearly a man on a mission today and I have no interest in going up against that.”

Lacey continued walking through the foyer of the Halliwell home and walked straight towards the door only to be left completely shell shocked when she opened the door to find her brother Jake stood in the doorstep.

“Jake,” Lacey said with excitement. “What are you doing here?”

“I figured to stop being a bitch and risk getting locked up so I can see my little sister get hitched.” Jake revealed before hugging his sister.

“I’m so happy you came around I thought I was never going to see you again.” Lacey squealed as she was overcome with joy. “I’m so happy your back! I’m so happy you’ll be here for my wedding I’ve missed you so damn much.”

Meanwhile back in the living room Pan’s suspicion over Drake’s scheming smiles only managed to grow after overhearing her fiancé screaming with joy from the front door of the family home.

“What exactly did you do?” Pan asked as she stood up from the couch to face her nephew.

“I may have cast the tiniest acceptance spell on Jake to help him get over his beef and get him here for the wedding.” Drake revealed to his aunt.

“You seriously cast a spell on a guy whose life was ruined by magic.” Pan laughed nervously. “That’s going to end well.”

“Okay you and I both know when it comes to a little personal gain here and there, we’re both willing to take the risk besides am I really a Halliwell if I don’t interfere like the rest of you?” Drake joked.

Jake and Lacey walked into the living room hugging each other just before Pan had any chance of arguing with her nephew over his recent meddling but Drake was far from out of the woods yet as he found himself face to face with his first love who he wrongly accused of murdering his parents.

“Hi Drake, it’s good to see you again.” Jake said to him awkwardly.

“Hey, it’s good to see you too.” Drake replied sincerely although equally as awkwardly.

“So, what are these plans then? I must admit you play an unfair but highly good game.” Lacey said to Drake, happy to be reunited with her brother.

“Pan’s hen night is taking place in P3 where I’ve got Paul working on the finishes touched to the night and Lacey’s hen night will take place in Devilish Delights which will re-open for one night thanks to Cindy giving me the all clear to use the strip club.” Drake revealed to the room.

“Wait a strip club…how do you know people that own a strip club?” Jake asked his former boyfriend.

“I used to be a stripper there before becoming a cop then I briefly returned to stripping and now I’m a guidance counselor telling students not to strip for a living some people call it the circle of life.” Drake informed him.

“Well nothing in your life has ever not been complicated.” Jake joked.

“You have no idea!” Drake laughed.

Drake blinked into P3 to find the beautiful valentines themed decorations all hung up around the club and his father Paul sat at the bar counter drinking from a bottle of whisky.

“Well I’ll give you something you’ve got quite the hand for decorations I guess I know where I get it from.” Drake told his father as he walked and sat down next to him before stealing the bottle of whisky from his hands. “However, it’s missing a little something…”

Drake waved his hand along the bar counter blinking plates of food onto the surface much to Paul’s amusement.

“I’m really going to have to discuss personal gain with you at some point Drake.” Paul told his son.

“Personal what now?” Drake joked with his father before taking a drink from the bottle of whiskey and handing it back to Paul. “I managed to convince Raven to take Lilah for the night which really means Raven, and more than likely Cole are babysitting I would’ve asked him myself but…”

“He kissed you before your new boss kissed you and you’re all kinds of confused.” Paul interrupted his son. “What is it with you and your bosses anyway?”

“If Lacey wasn’t already dead, I’d kill the little blabber.” Drake moaned. “Well anyone Lilah’s sorted for tonight which means this baby daddy can’t get as drunk as he wants too.”

“Now that sounds like I showed up just in time for a great night.” Quinn said with enthusiasm as he orbed into the club. “Hi guys!”

“Quinn it’s been far too long.” Paul replied with a smile as he stood up from his chair and hugged his former white lighter. “I’m so glad you can make it tonight.”

“Yeah it’s really good you could make it.” Drake agreed with a forced smile as he had now seen four people, he had shared kisses with in one day.

“I couldn’t miss Pan’s wedding I mean you guys are like family to me and I’ve always rooted for them two to make it down the aisle.” Quinn told both father and son.

“Drake’s decided to split the brides up for separate hen nights, so we’ll only be seeing Pan tonight.” Paul told Quinn before turning to ask Drake. “Are you sure planning two hen nights isn’t too much for you?”

“My mother was a party planning extraordinaire I learned everything I know from her in fact she’d be in her element right now.” Drake admitted. “She just loved valentines’ day too it was the one day in a year where dad was the one who went all out and boy, he did it in style. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a couple more suited for each other until Lacey and Pan.”

“I love when you share happy stories from your past you always seem so happy when telling them.” Paul said as he hugged his son.

“Okay enough of the mushy stuff I have parties to attend to.” Drake replied before blinking out of sight.

Lacey and Jake walked into Devilish Delights to find the entire club decked out with valentines themed decorations and a large table on the stage filled with all kinds of different food.

“I’m guessing Drake got a deal on Valentine’s decorations.” Jake joked.

“Oh, I highly doubt he paid for any of this.” Lacey laughed. “Somebody really needs to discuss personal gain with that one.”

“You mean all this was done by magic?” Jake asked as he looked around the club amazed. “Drake sure has changed since our high school days.”

“We’ve all changed since high school to be fair and all for the better.” Lacey told her brother as they sat down at a table together.

“I guess this means it’s just the two of us tonight?” Jake wondered before his and Lacey’s father suddenly appeared in front of them as if from out of nowhere.

“Dad...” Lacey and Jake said in unison before standing up from the chairs and rushing over to hug their father.

“Quinn I wasn’t expecting you to be here!” Pan said with excitement in her voice as she walked into P3 to find Paul and Quinn stood by the bar before she walked over to them both and gave her former white lighter a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here my wedding wouldn’t have been the same without you.”

“I’m guessing it’s just a party of three then considering Drake will no doubt be attending his best friend’s hen night.” Paul told them both before all three of them were left stunned when Piper and Melinda appeared from out of nowhere.

“Well in that case there’s more than enough space for another two to add to the party.” Melinda said to them before rushing over to hug her two children Paul and Pan. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

“And let’s not forget who you’re really excited to see.” Piper announced before going over to join Melinda, Paul and Pan’s group hug as she pulled Quinn in to join in on the hugging.

“I guess Drake really does know how to plan things perfectly.” Paul said with a smile as the group hug broke off.

“There is nothing in this world that would stop us from being there at your wedding.” Piper told her granddaughter Pan. “We tried to push the elders to let us all come down, but they don’t go for it.”

Suddenly artist Avril Lavigne blinked on stage along with her band and their equipment much to everyone in P3’s surprise.

“Okay now that’s a slightly impressive yet highly problematic use of magic right there.” Piper said to Pan, and Paul as Avril and her band began to set up to play for them. “Have you even mentioned personal gain to Drake?”

“Yeah I just kind of said it like it was more of a suggestion than a necessity but don’t worry grams I’m sure Avril Lavigne or her band won’t remember any of this come tomorrow.” Pan replied to her.

“I hope I’m not interrupting family night I just thought I’d pop in to make sure everything’s running along smoothly.” Drake said after blinking into Devilish Delights to find Eric, Lacey and Jake stood at the bar only for Eric to quickly meet him with a hug.

“You’ve always been a part of this family Drake.” Eric told him while continuing to hug Drake tighter. “You’ve done a great job tonight now enjoy it with us.”

“Yeah my hen night isn’t complete without my best friend.” Lacey said to Drake after he broke off his hug with her dad.

“You’ve done a really good job tonight.” Jake congratulated Drake.

“You really have,” Lacey agreed as she hugged into her father once again. “This is already the best hen night a girl could ever ask for.”

“Yeah well it’s only fair that after all magic has cost you all that it gives you a little something back.” Drake told his best friend Lacey. “After all you’ve been through and knowing you all these years it really is a true pleasure getting to see you watch the woman you love tomorrow.”

“Look at you all emotion forward and everything.” Lacey laughed before breaking away from her dad to hug her best friend. “You’ve come such a long way too and I’m glad we did it together like we always have.”

Artist Avril Lavigne stood on stage with her band at P3 performing her song it was in me while Pan, Paul, Piper, Quinn and Melinda sat within the family booth each holding drinks in their hands and enjoying some quality family time as the night before Pan and Lacey’s valentine wedding drew closer and closer to an end.

“I can’t believe my daughter is getting married tomorrow and to angel just like you mum.” Melinda happily gushed to her mother Piper while the others mumbling amongst themselves.

“I can believe it in fact I’m surprised it took them this long, but nothing is ever easy in this family.” Piper replied to her daughter before raising her glass, grabbing everyone’s attention to make a toast. “Here’s to a couple who couldn’t be anymore suited for each other and a valentine wedding that is truly going to be magical.”

“Yeah and to Pan and Lacey hopefully finding the perfect home.” Quinn let slip while everyone raised their glasses to toast to Pan and Lacey leaving Paul shocked and very unamused. “Oh, which wasn’t going to be revealed until after they found somewhere.”

“Your planning on moving out?” Paul asked his sister, clearly not liking the idea of no longer living with his little sister.

“You guys have lived together forever but now is a time for you all to start a new chapter in your lives son.” Melinda told Paul, trying to defend her daughter’s decision. “You’ve made your own little family and now it’s Pan’s turn to do the same with Lacey.”

“I was going to tell you once we found somewhere but I guess now it’s out.” Pan admitted to her brother. “It’s not like you’re going to be alone I mean Drake and Lilah will still be living with you.”

“I know Pan it’s just you and I have always lived together we’ve always done everything together and it’s going to be weird living in a home you no longer live in.” Paul replied to her. “You’re more than just my little sister you’re my best friend.”

“I’m going to miss you too you, big idiot but it’s not like we’re not still going to see each other all the time.” Pan said as she pulled her brother in for a hug. “And you’ll always be my best friend that will never change.”

As the hours passed on the night before Valentine’s Day Drake, Jake, Lacey and Eric had found themselves sat around a table within an otherwise empty Devilish Delights the foursome continued to laugh and reminisce while keeping the beers and shots flowing throughout the night.

“Between Lacey trying on my suits when she was a kid and Jake always breaking into his mother’s shoe collection, we literally had to get really good at hiding things from them.” Eric laughed.

“Yeah well I guess I was going through an experimental stage back then.” Jake blushed before looking over at Drake as the two shared a smile with each other.

“I’m still a solid fan of suits I just have better taste in them now no offense dad.” Lacey teased her father.

“Talking about offenses.” Drake said before waving his hand blinking a large ton of paperwork onto their table.

“What is all that?” Jake asked him, while Lacey and Eric both look equally as confused as Jake himself.

“To save you having to read all the boring paperwork it’s basically a record declaring that all charges made against you have been completely wiped from your record.” Drake revealed to him. “I know it’s far too late to try and bring all those years you spent in jail or on the run back to you but I figured it was about time you stopped running and could call this city your home again.”

“I don’t know what to say.” Jake said while stunned by Drake’s actions.

“It included various spells a father who’s a lawyer for the legal stuff and a few elders who tolerate me to lend me some fairy dust in order to get everything all wiped including memories all except from the inner circle of course but you Jake Morgan are now and free man.” Drake explained to his first love before waving his hand making a folder appear on top of the paperwork. “And that is an application for San Francisco Police Department so that if you want to continue your family’s legacy like you wanted to all those years ago you can feel free to go ahead.”

“I think Pan may have actually been bet as the super witch around here.” Lacey joked before turning to look at her brother. “I’m so happy for you to finally be free I’m just sorry it took this long and sorry all this happened to you in the first place.”

As the night before the big day was close to coming to an end Piper and Melinda had found themselves having to assist a very drunk Pan and Paul home to the Halliwell Manor before throwing the passed out siblings onto the couch in the living room and throwing a blanket over them both.

“I can’t help but feel like we’re forgetting something or someone.” Melinda said to her mother while watching over her sleeping children.

“Not that I can think…damn.” Piper began to say before realizing they had left Quinn asleep at P3. “Quinn, we forgot Quinn oh well I’m sure he’ll be fine crashing at P3 until morning.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Melinda laughed while continuing to watch her son and daughter sleep. “I just can’t believe how much they’ve grown I just wish Patience could be here too for Pan’s big day but that would be far too complicated to try and explain to everybody.”

“Yeah besides poor Patty is still adjusting to the after life and telling them their sister was so close all this time only to have recently died would only torture them as much as it did us.” Piper replied to her daughter. “I’m just glad at least one of my grandchildren gets to have a happy ending and I hope both Paul and Drake will follow Pan’s path towards happiness for themselves too.”

“Grams I’m sorry I didn’t make it tonight, but I got carried away reminiscing with the others.” Drake said after blinking into the living room before rushing over to Piper to give her a hug. “I always love it when you swing by for a visit…well nowadays I do anyway.”

“It’s good to see you too Drake I’m so proud of all you’ve done tonight.” Piper told him. “And all you’ve came through recently speaking of which where is my darling great-great granddaughter?”

“Cole’s sister Raven is babysitting her tonight you’ll get to see Lilah at the wedding and just wait till you see this adorable dress Pan picked out for her.” Drake replied to his grams.

“It’s nice to see you again…well for the first-time face to face.” Melinda said to her grandson who immediately looked awkwardly at her.

“Thanks,” Drake forced himself to say to his father’s mother before returning all his attention back to Piper. “Listen I’m actually pretty tired and I’m planning on getting up extra early tomorrow so I can squeeze in some quality time with Lilah before Pan and Lacey’s wedding, so I’ll see you in the morning.”

Drake quickly gave Piper another hug before blinking out of sight clearly in a rush to get away from his grandmother Melinda as quickly as possible.

“He still hates me for convincing Paul to give him up, doesn’t he?” Melinda asked her mother, already knowing the answer was yes.

“Drake will come around it just takes him time he’s stubborn like his father but he’s also good a big heart like his father too.” Piper told her daughter.

Valentine’s Day

Drake walked into the dining room of his family home still in his pajamas to find Cole sat at the table in a smart suit with Drake’s daughter Lilah on his lap who was wearing a pretty pink dress and looked so beyond adorable that Drake’s face instantly lit up as he walked over to them both and took his daughter in his arms for some cuddles and kisses.

“Daddy missed you so much last night.” Drake told his daughter before looking at Cole. “Thanks for bringing her over.”

“Of course, you know I always have time for my main girl.” Cole said as he stood up to face Drake. “Listen Drake about our kiss…”

“Shouldn’t have happened just like the time when I shouldn’t have kissed you because you were right, we’re friends and we don’t need to complicate things between us.” Drake butted in. “I hope you’re okay with that?”

“Oh, thank god,” Cole breathed a sigh of relief. “Not that I wasn’t tempted to complicate things because trust me I was I even went out and got you a valentine gift out of a moment of weakness before realizing that’s not what I wanted for us. We’re a good team the way we are, or we were before we complicated everything, and I’d like to go back to no complications.”

“Yeah I’d really like that,” Drake said sincerely. “I’ve missed our friendship and I’d like to try uncomplicating my life just a little.”

“Tell Pan and Lacey I wish them all the best, but I can’t stay today I’ve got to leave the city for a while for reasons I can’t explain right now.” Cole told his friend before kissing Lilah on the forehead and then kissing Drake’s before shimmering away.

“Well that’s one less complication now I’ve just got to put up with the other three today and I’m golden.” Drake told his daughter before Piper walked in from the kitchen.

“I’m so glad you didn’t make the same mistake as my sister and married that guy.” Piper said to Drake.

“He’s a changed man from those days.” Drake defended his friend. “He’s just not the one for me.”

“You’re so willing to give him so many chances why not try giving Melinda one?” Piper suggested to her great-grandson before walking over and taking Lilah into her arms. “She only wants to get to know you and try make up for her mistakes.”

“Fine I’ll give the woman a chance but no promises…” Drake sighed.

Piper, Drake, Melinda and Raven stood within the front row of chairs in the sun-room of the family home which was perfectly decorated in red and white wedding decorations symbolizing a valentines style wedding while artist Kelly Clarkson and her band stood to the side of a beautiful altar made of white and red roses as Quinn and Leo Wyatt orbed into the room to stand next to Piper.

“I didn’t think they’d let you come for this,” Piper said with a smile before kissing her husband. “Pan’s going to be so happy you could make it.”

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Leo replied to his wife.

“Hi, I’m Drake I’m your…” Drake began to introduce himself to Leo before Leo rushed over to hug his great-grandson.

“I know who you are I’m glad to meet you.” Leo told him before breaking of his hug with his great-grandson.

Kelly Clarkson began singing an acoustic version of her hit single my life would suck without you as Lacey walked into the sun-room wearing a beautiful wedding dress with her brother Jake on one arm and her father Eric on the other arm as she walked down the aisle before reaching the altar as Eric and Jake went to stand within the second row of chairs among the family.

Moments later Pan was the next beautiful and blushing bride to walk into the sun-room wearing an equally beautiful wedding dress with her brother Paul on her arm as the song continued while the two of them walked down the aisle before Paul gave his sister a kiss on the cheek as he left her at the altar with Lacey and walked over to hug his grandfather Leo before the family sat down ready to watch Pan Halliwell and Lacey Morgan get married as the original grams and Pan’s great-great grandmother Penny Halliwell appeared in front of the two brides ready to marry them.

“You look stunning Mrs Morgan.” Lacey told her future wife while grabbing a hold of Pan’s hands.

“As do you Mrs Halliwell.” Pan responded with love for her future wife glowing from her.

The family watched as the two brides became two wives on valentine’s day marking the start of a beautiful marriage between Pan Morgan-Halliwell and Lacey Morgan-Halliwell.

“We’ve been through a lot both together and alone and I have never been happier than when you are with me getting through the many storms in our lives.” Pan said during her vows to Lacey. “I knew I loved you from the first moment we met, and I know I’m going to love you until my last breath and long after that. Even in death I my spirit will go on to love you for all of eternity.”

“I never thought I’d ever meet someone who could well and truly complete me in ways I never thought possible.” Lacey said during her vows to Pan. “I vow to make you the most important person always and to never forget how much I love you for as long as we both shall live and I’m kind of living or not living until the end of time.”

“I do!” Mrs and Mrs Morgan-Halliwell both declared before sharing a kiss as the entire room cheered on the two blushing brides with glee.

1 note · View note

marmolady · 5 years ago

Text

Roots

Book/Series: Endless Summer

Main Pairings: Estela x MC/Taylor (f)

Summary: Post-ending (Endless Ending) Follow on from ‘Home, Sweet Home’. Taylor is adjusting to a life beyond La Huerta, and seeing for the first time what she’s really missing.

Word Count: 5741

Warnings: Coarse language, non-graphic sexual content

Reviews and reblogs are hugely appreciated!

Tagging: @brightpinkpeppercorn @sceptilemasterr @bbaba-yagaa@edgydepressedchoicesthot@blightarts@princessstellaris@acidsugar0@taramitch96 @sapphovonchat @strangerofbraidwood @noeschoices @kennaxval @queerchoicesblog

A small smile played on Nicolas’ face as he turned another page in the album. His eyes skimmed images he’d long been afraid of seeing, the memories painful in light of all that had been lost. He lingered upon the face of a young girl, frozen in time, caught in a laugh. That sweet smile was so distant a recollection that he’d almost forgotten it had ever been there. He’d grieved that carefree child.

Hearing the faint sounds of stirring, the wiry silver-haired man rose to put some water on to boil. It had been so very long since he’d shared his home; not since Estela had left for Hartfeld, putting into motion what he’d been sure would be her destruction. It had been his greatest failure. That his niece was alive -alive and a free woman, back home at last, was something of a miracle. Nicolas had no faith in miracles.

It was the pilot who stumbled out of bed and down the hall first, hair ruffled from being slept on.

“Buenos días, Lobito.”

“Hey, I told ya, Master Shifu, nicknames are my thing!”

“How I would hate to step on your toes… I trust you are well rested?” Nicolas poured out a steaming mug of coffee for his guest.

Jake took the drink with a word of thanks and ran his free hand over his stubble, thoughtful. This was not exactly where he’d expected to find himself, hiding out in his favourite sparring partner’s San Trobidan home. Estela had been desperate that he wouldn’t retreat back to a life of solitude, of putting on a carefree air that hid the truth of himself. He had been resistant, but when the chips fell, he’d taken the chance to dream of something better. For the time being, that meant going with the flow, trusting that between his friends -now as good as family-, gaining his freedom would be just another challenge that they’d rise to. Estela had been right about him; he wasn’t ready to give up the people he loved.

“I slept all right.” He paused. “Ya know, when I agreed to come, I didn’t realise I’d be taking Katniss’ mom’s old room. I told her I didn’t mind takin’ the couch…”

Nicolas shook his head briskly. “Don’t be stupid. It’s just a bed. If I’m honest, it’s a nice change to have the house not feel like it’s echoing with ghosts. If Estela had a problem, she’d let you know. I’m sure you already know that.”

Jake couldn’t hold back a quiet snicker. Damn straight, he already knew that. “Man, do I. You raised a force of nature, right there. I wouldn’t mess with her. But it’s like she gets it in her head the way things should be, even if it ain’t what she needs.” He sat down at the table across from the older man, and glanced over the album, then noticed the wistful expression on Nicolas’ face.

“I always wanted her safe,” the silver-haired man said sadly. “It was why I was involved in this damn war to begin with, why I taught her to fight, to survive since she was small. But then Olivia was killed. In her grief, everything I’d done to protect Estela made her a danger to herself. I tried still to guide her, to give her half a chance to succeed. To stop her would be to stop a runaway train; I could not, but I could try to minimise the damage. When she left, I knew I had failed her. The little girl my sister had loved so much was gone. The war had been won, but the very thing that had inspired me to fight for a better future was destroying itself. I knew I would likely never see her again, long before the news reached me that she’d been among of group of students who’d disappeared on Rourke’s island.”

Over his coffee, Jake found himself thinking of his own family… back home waiting for him, no doubt having come to accept that he was lost to them for good. It had to be the worst kind of torture. They knew now, at least, that he was alive… or he had been on the fateful day he’d set off for La Huerta. What needed to be said… Jake wasn’t sure it could be done over the phone. Not after all these years. He looked up from the coffee and realised that Nicolas was reading him like a book.

“I’ll put my folks outta their misery soon. Maybe it’s selfish to wait, but I can’t bring myself face them before they know the truth. Hearin’ the shame in my mom’s voice? It’s bad enough in my head, let alone… ya know?”

Nicolas took a long drink of coffee and sat up straight. “It’s never too late to go home. Whatever lies she’s been told; no doubt your mother will be ready to hear your story whenever you are ready to share it. I understand, though. I have always been so proud of what I’ve been fighting for; to have it twisted into everything you’ve stood against… that cannot be easy to bear.”

“Huh, that it ain’t,” said Jake dryly. “But I’ve gotta believe someday soon it’s gonna change. I’ve been too scared to hope for so long… guess that’s the first step. I know what I’ve got, and I’m sure as hell not gonna throw it away.”

“Well, I’ll drink to that, my friend.”

There was a shuffling of two pairs of feet on the old tiled floor. Estela practically skipped to her uncle, and threw her arms around him in a big hug. “Morning, Tio!”

“Morning, Estelita.” Nicolas couldn’t help but be tickled by the obvious spring in her step. “I take it you slept well.”

“Yes. I didn’t realise I missed my old bed. It felt nice to sleep there, and with Taylor.”

“Aw!” Taylor took Estela in her arms so that they were pressed cheek-to-cheek, and squeezed her around the middle.

“Dios, girl, you really are getting soft!”

Estela rolled her eyes defiantly, but held her wife all the tighter. She noticed the album her tio had spread across the table. “It didn’t take you long to drag that out. I’ve been back five minutes and you go straight to the embarrassing photos.”

Jake’s eyes gleamed. “Totally here for baby Katniss in ugly dresses… Nineties fashion, can’t beat it, ya’ll.”

“Ah, you caught me reminiscing…” said Nicolas.

“And I’m going soft, Tio?”

“Oh, who cares?” Taylor said, jiggling with excitement. “I’m all in for baby Estela!” She leaned in close and cooed, laughing a little as Estela hid her face. “So. Freaking. Cute. I can’t even take it.”

They gathered around, poring over the photographs. A whole life in pictures; so much that Taylor could never have truly imagined. She reached out, delicately stroking an image that seemed to grab her right by the heart. A tiny Estela, barely more than a newborn, held tenderly against her mother’s chest. Oh, how Olivia looked at that little baby… the love was so intense it felt to radiate off the paper. Somewhere in her subconscious, Taylor knew she’d felt it before, when she’d been lost beyond the world of the living. It made her heart ache. For what had been taken from Estela. For what she herself had never had.

“This one’s beautiful…” she croaked.

Estela had turned away, pained. She nodded, almost imperceptibly, before recovering herself. “Yes. She was very beautiful. Sadly under the delusion that little me looked good in tie-dye, but I guess no one’s perfect.”

Feeling Taylor’s gentle pressure on her hand, and concerned eyes studying her, Estela made the effort to give her a smile. It was all right. Memories hurt, but they were also healing.

The pages kept turning, a life playing out before their eyes. Birthdays, holidays… and all those small moments that stuck in the mind, building the person Estela would become. Such rich depth was almost beyond Taylor’s comprehension… how limited her view on the world was. Bittersweet emotion churned through her; love and loneliness, the piece of her heart that was Estela swelled, but the rest echoingly hollow. That her own emptiness might threaten to overwhelm her was, Taylor knew, completely selfish. This wasn’t about her. What mattered was that her wife was helped along the process of letting go. Looking at the serene face of a young Estela, surely no older than nine, sitting by a campfire, toasting marshmallows with her mother, Taylor pushed away those intrusive thoughts. She fondled with Estela’s fingers and smiled as she felt the gesture returned.

“Where is that? It looks pretty.”

“It’s a way out of town. We used to go out there a lot when I was little, actually, before the fighting spilled out into that part of the country. There were trails through the forest, all leading out to the most beautiful lake. I’ll take you there sometime.”

“I’d like that.”

Aware of the emotional undercurrents just below the surface Jake was uncharacteristically cautious about taking shots at Estela’s expense, and, for the most part, took in what was being shared with him quietly. That he was invited in to see her vulnerable meant something to him, and he was honestly touched.

“What- wait a minute! How old are you, waving that sword around?” Suddenly, Jake’s eyes were like saucers. That girl was a special kind of hardcore… and he was immeasurably grateful that they tended to be fighting on the same side.

Estela shrugged. “About fourteen. I wasn’t especially skilled, even though Tio had sort of taught me with blunted blades before then.”

“That would be around the time he stabbed you, right?” Taylor queried, automatically glancing to her wife’s chest, where she knew a jagged scar told the story.

“Woah, what?!”

Nicolas scowled. “It does not sound good when you say it like that. Estelita, what stories have you been telling her about me?”

With a snort, Estela shook her head. “Only the truth. I did mention that it was my fault for being stubborn and overconfident. But, yes, that was just before Tio nearly gutted me.”

Jake gave an appreciative whistle. “Still; next-level badass. Colour me impressed.”

“Mom was not. We tried to hide it, but she could always see right through me.” Estela shared a conspiratorial smile with her uncle. “I think that’s the maddest I ever saw her.”

“Joder! She wanted to bury me alive. Impaling her bebé on a sword- ha!”

“So, no more sword-fighting lessons… that Mom knew about, anyhow.”

______________________________________________

For Taylor, San Trobida was a brave new world, one that she took on with her characteristic daring. She had Estela right beside her, after all, who knew the place like the back of her hand. It was eye-opening. When they went for groceries for Nicolas, it occurred to Taylor that she hadn’t so much as walked into a supermarket in her life. It was the stupidest little thing, but it made her bravado falter. Estela zipped around efficiently, knowing where to find everything she needed, for she’d gone through the routine countless times before, since she was a child trailing along by her mother’s hand. She pointed out all the little things to Taylor and Jake; the cakes her mom would bring home on special occasions, the sought-after snacks that the kids in school would get into fist fights over… the small details that made the place wonderfully nostalgic. Jake countered with his own childhood tales. And then there was Taylor, for whom that kind of profound nostalgia was something she could only dream of. She kept on smiling, appreciating those windows into her friends’ lives, but somewhere beneath it, there was longing.

“Earth to Princess!”

Taylor was stirred to her senses, looking out over the beach, now bustling with locals. They’d settled down there for lunch having throw together a modest picnic. Quietly taking it all in, Taylor had found herself dwelling once more on that hollow feeling in her heart.

“Are you okay, Taylor?” Estela asked, offering her a plate. “You look like you’re miles away.”

“Oh, yeah- fine. Just tired, that’s all.” They had only just made the journey to San Trobida the day before, after an emotionally taxing farewell to their friends. Considering that just over a week ago Taylor had been clinging to life by a thread, it was natural that she be exhausted. The look that Estela gave her, though, suggested that she wasn’t buying it. “I’ll be fine once I’ve got some food down me. Pass the patacones…”

Estela let it rest… for the time being. She trusted that if something was bothering Taylor, she’d let her know in her own time. She loaded up Taylor’s plate and left a kiss on her cheek. Truth be told, being home was strange for her too. In the years leading up to her departure, she’d rarely come up for breath between helping her tio in the rebellion and readying herself to bring Rourke down. Any waking moment that she wasn’t needed for something, she’d be training her body, pushing herself farther, harder. Now… it was hard to know what to do with herself. She couldn’t exercise, not with her savaged leg still healing. All that she had to share with Taylor and Jake were ghosts from a distant past, the past she’d never given herself the space to properly grieve.

Her thoughts were disturbed by Taylor violently spluttering her juice.

“Tio! You’ve gotta warn people before you add booze to their drinks.” Estela took a sip and grimaced. “And that’s way too much. She’d be dancing naked on the tables after two solid gulps.”

Jake scoffed. “Lightweight!” He reached for the boozed-up juice and chinked it to Nicolas’ glass. “Cheers.”

With a roll of her eyes, Taylor edged a little closer to her wife and spoke under her breath. “So, uh, we’ll save that naked dancing for later, right?”

After lunch, Jake went off on his own, staking out this new environment. Estela and Taylor walked -or limped in Estela’s case- with Nicolas along the edge of the water, sharing stories. The limp was of some concern to Nicolas; his niece had taken some brutal knocks and scrapes in her time, but that lameness could be plaguing her for some time to come. Still, she was still in better shape than he’d expected to find her. Oblivious to his worry for her, Estela was cheery… abnormally so, as if on some sort of high from the simple pleasure of being home. She laughed airily as she lashed out at him, goading her tio into a playful scuffle. Nicolas jabbed her hard in the ribs, but she just giggled and retaliated further. It was new. They’d sparred so many times before, but it had been purposeful, deadly serious. Now… now Estela just wanted to play, to reach out and love her uncle. Frolicking like a spring lamb, she overexerted her poor leg and collapsed into the wet sand, a goofy grin still on her face, even as Nicolas took the opportunity to clock her around the head.

Seeing her wife so completely at ease fed Taylor’s soul. It was hard to believe how far Estela had come from the woman who was prepared to throw all of this away if it meant she could take her revenge. Taylor had brought her home. Her short life amounted to very little, and she felt it acutely, but was one impact she wore with pride. There it was again; that feeling of being… incomplete. The rapport that Estela had with Nicolas, born of a full life history, of seeking the love and guidance of a parental figure; Taylor couldn’t have known quite what she was missing until she’d seen it, shining and wonderful before her.

All of a sudden, that utter joy she felt for Estela slipped away, replaced with something new. It was deep envy, almost… resentment. Sickened with herself for feeling it even momentarily, Taylor just wanted to hide in shame. That wasn’t the person she was; this was what she’d been prepared to sacrifice herself for. But facing up to the truth of what she was had thrown her.

San Trobida was as scarred and beaten down as the people who lived there, but it was rich with people and their experiences. Every other person they crossed paths with, Nicolas had a story to tell of… most frequently of hardship during the difficult years of the civil war. The woman holding the fresh smoothie stall, whose son had been in the year above Estela in elementary school, who’d perished at the age of only fifteen having joined the faction rising up against Salazar… when they’d greeted her, she looked at Estela with a heart-rending mixture of joy sorrow in her prematurely aged eyes, and offered them each a drink on the house. It reminded Taylor how shallow her life experience was; she had known and loved Estela all her life, but Estela’s life was made up of so much more than that small window. On La Huerta, lost with her friends at the end of the world, she hadn’t felt just how alien she was; but this was reality, and everything she lacked weighed heavy. Taylor had nothing beyond her not-even-two-years of existence. No connections, no roots woven into a family, a place, or a community. No history, no childhood. And no one could ever truly understand.

Ashamed of herself, Taylor was distant and quiet for the rest of the day, despite all attempts at putting on a brave face. When Jake innocently tried to goad a smile out of her, she all but took his head off, and then felt even worse. Of all the people to take it out on… he had everything she was longing for, but it was all out of his reach. It was just so messed up, and she couldn’t stand it. Taylor retreated further into herself, explaining away her behaviour to a concerned Estela simply as tiredness. By dinnertime, genuine exhaustion exacerbated her nagging sadness, and she couldn’t wait to retreat to her bed, to stop pretending.

_______________________________________

With the dinner dishes put away, Taylor finally sank into the mattress, and felt relief course through her body. No more putting on a brave face. Estela followed after her, dark eyes soft with concern.

“Taylor…” she said quietly. “Is all this weirding you out? You can talk to me.”

Looking away, Taylor nodded. “A little, yeah. I… I think I need to take a lie down. Is that okay?”

“Oh. Okay. Do you want me to get you anything?”

“Maybe a glass of water? And a kiss, please.”

Estela reeled Taylor in and held her against her chest, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “…Te amo.”

Taylor hugged back, utterly grateful for the woman who’d invited her to share her world. She’d find her place there for sure, but the kind of connection she craved, that would take time.

“…Love you too. So, so much.”

As she went to leave, Estela’s gaze lingered on her wife’s eyes, reading the strange sadness that hung there and silently giving her support. This was what they’d dreamed of, but that didn’t make it easy. To be on the outside, seeing the world in a way that everyone around could not begin to understand… Estela knew it, she’d felt it herself. She couldn’t offer her soulmate a past, memories to fill that hollow void; all she could do was to take Taylor and ensure she was deeply entwined into her world as it stood now. To make her feel that this was real, that it was hers.

Left alone, Taylor fell backwards into the mattress with a heavy sigh and stared at the ceiling. Within moments, her cheeks were wet. She wiped away the tears hastily and breathed deeply. Guilt gnawed at her. She should have been happy, not raining on Estela’s parade. But even just in that small room, there was so much history, and it made her feel tiny. The mattress shifted as Estela sat down. Taylor nuzzled into the hand that stroked her face, and kissed Estela’s wrist.

“Here…” Estela offered the water, helping her wife to sit up. While Taylor sipped, she massaged her shoulders and back. “Does this help?”

“…Mmmmmm… you’re good at that. Thanks, love.” Even as she relaxed into the soothing touch, her quiet insecurities and loneliness lingered. How ridiculous, she thought, to feel lonely, when she was so very much loved. “I know it’s dumb. I just hadn’t quite felt how much I was missing. Not until I saw you with your tio. And looking through all those photos. You’ve lived a real life… and I know it’s not been an easy one, but… but it’s what you’re made from. You’ve got real memories, family. With me, there’s nothing… nothing beneath the surface.”

“You have family, Taylor. It looks different, but that doesn’t mean it’s not real.” Estela gently brushed away a lock of blonde hair and kissed the back of Taylor’s neck. “And it’s not dumb to feel that way. You’re only human.”

Taylor sniffed and leaned back into Estela, letting her arms and legs wrap around her from behind. Only human… ha.

“Oh, if only.”

“Look, people can be alive for ages and never actually live. It’s not been long, I get it, but the way you touched us all… that’s not nothing. All the best parts of me are there because of you. It’s not blood, but that doesn’t mean it matters less.”

Her lip trembled, and Taylor felt herself squeezed lovingly. Estela trailed kisses up her neck and along her jaw. Held tight, Taylor could cry out her sadness without shame or fear of judgement.

“Love you, Estela,” she sniffed. “I know I’m lucky. Incredibly lucky.”

“But it must be lonely. It’s not as if anyone can really understand what this is like for you. I just wish I could help.”

Taylor nodded and wiped her face, before reaching back to fondle the dark hair that tickled her cheek. “Yeah… yeah, it is… kind of lonely. But you do help. I feel guilty for wanting anything more than that- I’m so damn happy with you, and it’s a miracle that it’s even possible.” She sighed. “Maybe I just needed a good cry, you know?”

“You’re allowed to feel more than one thing at once.” Adjusting herself so she could look her wife in the eye, Estela studied Taylor with tender concern. “Hey… if this is too much for you, we don’t have to stay long. We can go back to La Huerta anytime. Whatever you need.”

“No. No, it’s not that I’m not happy here. I love it here. It’s like I can feel you all around me, and it’s magic. I’m really excited to get to know your tio… but part of me wishes we could just skip to the part where I’m family to him.”

Estela shook her head, an amused smile coming to her face. “Taylor, he loves you already! There was almost enough rum in that juice he poured you at lunch to knock you unconscious. That’s Tio speak for ‘welcome to the family, chica; you’re in’. If I hadn’t hammered it in that you’re supposed to be resting, he’d be training you up on the sword by now.”

In spite of everything, Taylor giggled. “That was a hella strong drink. It’s no wonder you can handle your alcohol if he was the man who raised you.”

“Tio doesn’t warm to people that quick; he can see that you’re my family, real as anything.” For a little while, Estela was quiet, searching her mind for the best way to help. It dawned on her that she was not the person best placed to give what Taylor needed. She pulled her phone from her pocket. “Here. You should give Diego a call. I’d guess he’s been missing you.”

Taylor’s eyes grew misty at her loyal friend’s name, and she gave an appreciative nod. “Yes. I bet he has.” She brought Estela’s face close to hers, until their lips met. “Thank you. Really.”

Caressing her lover’s face, Estela kissed her once more. “You’re not alone, love. Never.” With one last squeeze of her shoulders, she left Taylor to make the call.

The phone rang. Taylor, suddenly anxious to hear Diego’s voice, strummed her fingers against her thigh. Pick up, pick up…

“Taylor-baby!”

And then a huge grin split her face. “Diego! You haven’t forgotten me? Found a new BFF?”

Diego laughed. “You caught me. I’m best-friend-cheating on you with Raj. What can I say? There’s a special bond you can only get by being Freaky Fridayed with someone.”

“I know you’re shit-stirring, but that’s not funny, okay? It’s crazy how much I miss you already. Well, everyone really, but especially you.”

“Uh, Taylor, it’s been a day…”

Taylor faltered. Man, it had felt so much longer... “I know. I’ve just… never known any different. Actually getting out here in the world beyond La Huerta, it’s kinda confronting.”

For a moment, Diego was quiet, as though picking up on her underlying sadness. “Hey, put it on video. I’ve never video called to San Trobida.”

Clicking on the video mode, Taylor couldn’t hold back the smile when she saw her friend grinning back at her. “Here you go. San Trobida. I’m just hanging out in Estela’s room right now; I’m pretty wrecked to be honest. So, how’s Raj’s place? What’s his grandma like?”

“Eh, you’re still recovering from being almost dead; you’re allowed to be wrecked. Once we got back home, I realised just how much I couldn’t face my parents right now. They’ve ignored my messages, so nothing new. But it’s all good, all good… it’s not as if I’m all alone on the world. It’s pretty chill here- obviously. Raj’s grandma is seriously the nicest person on earth; she’s like… a walking hug. And ohmygod, the food! We’re actually gonna have a big dinner with everyone round before I head back to La Huerta.”

“Ugh, I am crazy jealous that you get to meet and get fed by the famous Grandma Bhandarkar…”

They chatted happily, and Taylor’s woes felt so much less significant, forgotten in the excitement of catching up with all that had happened in the day her friends had spent home again. At one point, Diego took the phone briefly into the kitchen, where Raj and his grandmother were cooking dinner together, putting Taylor on speaker to say hi. The laughter slowly faded to a comfortable silence as Diego studied her quietly.

“Taylor… you are okay, right? I’m pretty indebted to you in the pep talk department, so you can lay it all on me.”

If only he knew how much she appreciated him… so much more than the sidekick he’d once considered himself. Taylor’s smile wobbled but held up. “I’m okay,” she said, firmly. “I think Estela wanted you to pep talk me up, but actually… I know what you would have said to me. And I know you’d be right.”

“…You’re losing me now…”

“Thing is, I’ve got all caught up in my head, feeling I’m missing out on some of the stuff that matters most. You know; history, family, a childhood… I’m not really even freaking human.”

“But you are.”

Taylor smirked. “That’s what I knew you were gonna say.” Her smile grew broader. “Vaanu made me from you, and then when I was broken, you all rebuilt me. My memories of you rebuilt me. So I guess… you’re my family. And the rest I… it’ll just take some time.”

“Of course we’re your family, you dope!” Diego’s eyes had grown misty. “The best kind. It’s not about being related to someone. My mom and dad…” His voice cracked. “Let’s just say, they’re not a great model of what family should be. We’re not like that, you and me.”

“No, we’re not like that. I guess, go through the end of the world together, you’ve got a bond that can withstand anything.”

Diego smiled sadly. “We better bring my parents along to the next apocalypse, right?”

Taylor wished she could reach through the screen and hug him. In her longing, she’d oversimplified the human experience. Being a bit of a mess- now that was human. “I’m always here for you,” she whispered. “And you know… they’ll come around. You saw it, and I honestly believe they’re gonna wake up someday and realise how amazing you are.”

“So, uh, I guess we just ride this out together. ‘til it gets easier.”

“You got it. I’m sending you a virtual hug and we’ll talk real soon, okay? Love you, buddy.”

The warmth in Diego’s eyes was palpable, even through the window of the small screen. “Talk later, Taylor. Love you too- bye…”

Hanging up, Taylor leant back into the headboard and breathed out. This wouldn’t be easy, but she had everything she needed… and her friends needed her in return. She wiped away those last tears as the door creaked open and Estela peeked in cautiously. Taylor scooched to the edge of the bed, drawn forward as if by a magnet and got to her feet.

“Hey, gorgeous,” she winked as she took a step forward, and her heart melted at the tenderness she saw in Estela’s eyes. She needed to be closer to her.

“…Hey. Did… that help? I can give some more space if you need it. I get it. This is… this is stuff you’ve never really had to confront before. Not really.”

“It really helped, yeah. But there’s, uh, actually something else that’s been bothering me.”

Estela faltered, lines of worry returning to her face in an instant. God, she couldn’t stand it when Taylor was hurting… she’d take her every burden and carry it herself if she could. “Oh? Anything I can help you with?”

“Actually, yes. This bed of yours… isn’t it about time we tested it out properly?”

“Oh…”

And then the worry was gone. Estela’s features shifted into a lustful and expectant smile. Could Taylor know just how much she yearned to hold her? Without tearing her gaze from her lover’s eyes, which were bright with desire, she pushed the door closed and nudged in a wooden wedge with the side of her foot. It was better they were not disturbed.

Taylor flicked her tongue out over her lips, responding to the heat that flared out to her from that look. That look that made her legs weak. They hadn’t done this, not properly, since she’d given Vaanu their essence back. She’d been frail, tiring at the slightest exertion, and Estela nervous of causing her harm. Backing towards the single bed, she beckoned her lover in with an enticing curl of the finger and unbuttoned her shirt, just enough so she could slide it down to reveal her shoulders. The sharp exhale that reached her ears made Taylor smirk. “So, you’re interested?” she taunted.

Estela surged forward and captured Taylor’s mouth in a messy kiss, shutting her up. They fell back into the mattress together, all in a tangle within seconds. Taylor grasped a handful of dark hair, anchoring herself in as her lips crashed against Estela’s hungrily.

“Oh god- ohgod, Taylor…”

“Shhh… just kiss me…”

A teasing smile came to Estela’s face. “You promise you won’t fall asleep on me again, mi amor?”

Taylor gasped dramatically and slapped her on the butt before redoubling her efforts, tongue lapping wantonly at her love’s sweet-tasting mouth. Estela was grinding hard against her thigh and even as they’d barely begun, soft moans vibrated against her lips. Taylor came up for breath, panting.

“Too rough?” Estela stopped in her tracks, concern showing in her eyes. She stroked an errant lock of hair from Taylor’s face.

“Maybe a little?” Taylor met Estela’s hand, and took it to her lips for a gentle peck. “Here- “ she tugged at her wife’s pants, “what I’m really thinking is that there are way too many clothes getting between us right now. May I?”

Kicking the last pieces of clothing into a haphazard pile on the floor, Estela pulled Taylor back into her arms and guided her gently down, never losing eye contact. “Is this better?” She kissed slowly, smiling against Taylor’s lips as she felt her melt into the tender caress.

Taylor could only respond by whimpering blissfully into the kiss, her heart racing, eyelids fluttering. A trail of goosepimples followed the stroke of Estela’s fingertips over her thigh and inwards. Oh, how she loved her… she could just shout it from the rooftops… but the words escaped her. She could only grasp, and feel, and kiss… her blissful moans joining her love’s in an ecstatic duet.

Afterwards, they lay together, legs entwined. Estela kept on stroking the backs of her fingers over Taylor’s cheek, leaving delicate kisses in their wake and smiling helplessly. This was truly heaven on earth.

“I just can’t stop kissing you…”

“I don’t mind.” Taylor exhaled in contentment and nuzzled close to Estela’s face, wishing she could just breathe in the very essence of her. She hummed throatily. “…my starlight…”

The love that hung off every sound made Estela giddy. She kissed a tender trail down from Taylor’s ear, tracing her jawline, feeling her relax totally in the embrace, breaths becoming slow, deep, peaceful, teetering on the edge of slumber. Estela let her eyes flutter closed, her lips resting at the base of her wife’s neck. Her words were a whisper against Taylor’s soft skin. “… I love you…”

Her fingers guided Taylor’s to her chest, where the Andromeda sigil had been inked permanently over her heart. This was where Taylor’s roots were, tethering her to what mattered, her mark left indelibly. If only she could realise it.

“…see…you are my heart…”

Taylor’s fingertips traced the symbol on her wife’s body with a featherlight touch, and she felt a lump come to her throat. In all ways that mattered, she was ingrained into the lives of her loved ones, as they were in herself. She took Estela’s hand, bringing it to her own chest and smiled as Estela’s eyes opened a crack, gazing upon the Draco sigil there before kissing Taylor’s neck once more.

“… And you are mine. My heart… my home… my family. Always and forever.”

#estela montoya #nicolas montoya #jake mckenzie #estela x mc #endless summer #diego soto

18 notes · View notes

thejakeformerlyknownasprince · 6 years ago

Text

To carry on indefinitely with the characterization list...

The Book in Which Each Animorph is the Most Spectacularly BadAss:

Rachel: MM4. To be clear, Rachel cannot morph in this book. She still manages to take down six or seven controllers as an ordinary teenager with zero combat skills, because she’s Rachel. And that means kneecapping Tom with a baseball bat when Temrash 114 tries to kidnap Jake. It means finding a dracon beam and shooting it at a freaking Blade ship when she loses the baseball bat. It means grabbing a severed hork-bajir head off the floor and stabbing a different hork-bajir-controller in the chest with it after Ax takes her dracon beam away. This chick laughs in the face of anyone who thinks that she needs morphing to kick ass and take names.

Cassie: #34. There are multiple moments with Cassie doing incredibly cool estreen stuff throughout the series — MM1 and #44 both also come to mind — but I love the way that Cassie doesn’t push back against Aldrea’s control of her mind until Jake’s and Rachel’s lives are in danger, at which point Cassie brings a mental sledgehammer down upon Ms. Entitled Andalite Mind-Controller. The fact that she does this while also falling from the sky as an osprey-human-whale-thing just goes to show that Cassie could’ve done that all along, but (unlike certain undead andalites who suck at respecting others’ bodily autonomy) she was too polite to do it until it was absolutely necessary.

Ax: #54. Ax’s performance during the whole sticky negotiation with the andalites in this book is the perfect demonstration of the old adage that you can’t be brave if you’re not first crapping your pants in fear. Marco’s and Jake’s narration make it explicitly clear that Ax is more or less telling his entire culture to go fuck itself and is utterly terrified of the implications of doing so — but he’s still standing there doing it, even knowing full well it’ll probably cost him his tail blade and morphing power if not his life.

Tobias: #51. There are a couple different awesome developments in Tobias’s fighting style in this book, from his killdeer-esque distraction display when defending Ax at the Gardens to his divebombing an entire U.S. Army platoon when helping the governor escape. However, I also just love how self-assured he is throughout this book, jokingly snarking right back at Marco throughout their tank heist and announcing to the governor what’s what while also having to adapt their world-saving plan in real time. It took Tobias a long-ass time to get to the point of being cheerily nihilistic instead of gloomy and self-doubting, but he does get there in the end.

Marco: #31. Marco’s two greatest strengths as an individual are his strategic intelligence and his close attachments to his loved ones. The resolution of this book beautifully combines the two when Marco (in a moment we sadly don’t get to see) performs a very polite but firm coup d’êtat and packs all the Animorphs in the car to go save Jake from himself whether Jake likes it or not. Marco not only realizes that the whole family conflict has Jake spiraling out of control, he also figures out a third way out that doesn’t involve sacrificing any of Jake’s family members (okay, maybe parts of Tom get sacrificed, but what’s a little maiming between friends?) and then implements that strategy without permission but with the assumption of forgiveness. He’s also so sweet about the whole thing, and so obviously concerned for Jake, that one can’t even end up holding the mutiny against him.

Jake: #25. There are times when Jake’s tendency to be stoic and responsible nudge him into boringness (case in point, this is also the book where Marco twice calls him “Dad”) but there are a lot of times when Jake’s tendency to be stoic and responsible are exactly what the team needs to hold itself together. The whole situation in this book goes to hell within minutes of the Animorphs landing on Visser Three. First they’re trapped in a back room of the Blade ship and waiting around for some of the dozens of controllers on board to find them and murder them. Then they’re stranded in an environment cold enough that it will literally kill them in minutes. Then they’re desperately careening around an enemy base and an enemy ship in the hope of a ride home. In each case Jake is the force that ensures the center will hold, standing firm and putting on a mask of confidence while just as scared and confused and lost as everyone else there. He looks out for Ax and Tobias, finds a way to keep the others warm — and only then remorphs himself, even though the whole time Marco can see frostbite advancing on him with every moment they stand there. He assumes they’re all going to die just as thoroughly as Marco does, but he keeps it together enough to make sure Rachel doesn’t recklessly sacrifice himself and that Ax doesn’t get killed by venber. Someone should really get this kid a Dad of the Year award.

#animorphs #animorphs meta #characterization #rachel berenson #jake berenson #tobias fangor #aximili esgarrouth isthill #tiger mommy #i love them all #q space

95 notes · View notes

hotelsweet · 6 years ago

Text

you might kill me with desire - chapter 4

it’s me! back with the fic I apparently only update when I damn well feel like it!

ao3 link

***

As a detective, Amy’s made habit of reminding herself that she can never know anything for sure.

Today, standing to the side of Major Crimes’ biggest press junket yet, she has changed her mind. There is one thing of which she has never been more certain.

Keith Pembroke is an asshole.

As a self-respecting woman with at least half a shred of common sense, she’s always suspected it- but standing here, now, watching him take credit for her decision to reorder Oliver Clare’s autopsy, it’s decidedly clear.

Though it’s far from the reason she works where she does, Amy will happily admit that she enjoys receiving credit for her work. Being humble is one thing, obviously, but where it’s due, there’s nothing wrong with accepting praise for your hard work. Of course, she’s been told she’s a teacher’s pet- she can be smug, proud, and hugely competitive. But this is just insanely unfair.

She watches Pembroke, sat next to the commissioner. A seemingly endless tide of camera flashes blind the air, a room full of eager eyes, and he’s lapping it up- he’s not even smirking, putting on his Serious Face, and somehow this infuriates Amy even more. He’s doing everything he can to make himself convincing, like it was him who figured out Oliver might have been murdered, when he’s actually a total asshat who’s done virtually nothing this entire case-

“Hey.”

Jake, stood next to her, smiles lowly down at her. “You’ve got crazy eyes again,” he says under his breath.

Amy stays quiet- it’s unlikely that anyone would see them talking and question it, but she’s not sure she can even bring herself to risk it.

They must have opened the floor to questions, because suddenly the room is filled with the noise of eager voices competing to make themselves heard.

“I’m fine,” she says calmly to Jake, smiling politely, while she has the chance.

She’s not fine. She’s angry, confused, and determined to find out who hurt Oliver Clare. If it’s not torture enough having to stand here and watch the Vulture take credit for her work, it’s taking too long, and she desperately wants to be working.

It’s not like she’s really in the mood to have Jake comforting her, either- since she saw that text on his phone last night, she can’t help but feel a little wound up. She knows it’s petty, especially if she’s not going to ask him about it or give him a chance to explain, but they’re finally in a kind-of good place and she doesn’t want to ruin it by bringing something unnecessary up. Anyway, it could be nothing. It is nothing. If he wanted to see someone else, he’d see someone else.

There is, of course, the possibility that he’s seeing someone at the same time as their relationship-slash-not-relationship is happening. Amy can’t bring herself to believe it, but men she’s known have done worse.

All of a sudden, everything hits her. Jake, the case, the look on Pembroke’s face- her jaw aches slightly and before she knows it she feels sick to her stomach.

“I can’t be here,” Amy whispers quickly.

“What?!” Jake hisses back, but she’s already silently making her way out of the room.

Thankfully, it’s not too hard to be quiet. If the sudden tide of voices is anything to go by, they’re taking questions. She’ll be unnoticed.

The near-empty hall she finds herself in is far cooler, and she immediately finds herself more relaxed as a result. There’s a little residual dizziness, but nothing she can’t handle- she sinks into a seat off to the side and rubs her temples in a futile attempt to slow it all down.

There’s movement from the other side of the hall, which must mean things are coming to a close. Amy wipes the small sheen of sweat from her forehead and takes a deep breath. Her head is pounding, every negative emotion possible is boiling over, and she’s just about ready to punch somebody in the throat.

“Keep going, Amy.”

There’s no real belief in the words she’s speaking to herself, but hearing it is enough to get her back on her feet and moving towards the exit. Through the doors, and into the parking lot, and into her car, and back to the office. She wonders if she should wait for Jake, then decides against it. If she’s going to work she needs to be focused, and she can’t have him in her front seat and spend the entire time wondering if that text on his phone was from a girl, or worse yet, somebody who actually mattered to him.

No. Instead of waiting for Jake, she keeps repeating the same words over and over in her head.

Keep going, Amy.

***

“Thanks for meeting me. This should be pretty… brief.”

“No worries. I just want to help.”

The young, handsome man sat in front of Jake seems oddly comfortable. Naturally confident. Surprisingly at ease, given that his boss- and his boss’s son- have just been murdered.

“We appreciate it. This shouldn’t take too long- we’re just looking over everyone we’ve already spoken to,” Jake explains, in his super-manly-and-professional-detective voice. Secretly, this voice is one of his favourite parts of his job.

“No problem. Ask away.”

Daniel Clarke may just be the most charismatic man Jake’s ever met. He’s sat opposite a cop in an interview room, and he seems as appropriately at ease as a reasonable man could be in this situation. Of course, there’s an anguished seriousness behind those impossibly blue eyes, but he’s friendly, self-assured, and instantly likable. Makes sense- he seems exactly the kind of person someone as busy and powerful as Kristoff would want to hire.

“You said last time we spoke to you that you were almost constantly in the house, working with Kristoff.”

Daniel nods, completely focused on Jake.

“What was that like, being in his home so often, rather than an office?”

“I mean,” Daniel begins, pausing to think for a moment. “I was between the house and the offices. 70/30, really. It wasn’t too intense. But when it was just Kristoff and I in the house, things definitely felt… quiet.”

“Were you ever brought into family matters?”

“Never,” Daniel replies quickly. “I drove Angelica to therapy once or twice, but that’s it. It wasn’t the closest family environment, if y’know what I mean.”

“Angelica was in therapy?”

“Is,” Daniel corrects him. “I probably shouldn’t even be saying anything.”

“Why?”

Daniel sighs, an uncomfortable look on his face, as if realising he’s dug himself a hole.

“It’s pretty hush-hush. Emilia doesn’t want it getting out. Angelica’s had some problems with alcohol and drugs over the last couple years.”

“Didn’t she graduate high school early?”

“I’d imagine that’s thanks to the Adderall.”

“I see,” Jake replies solemnly, slightly discomfited by Daniel’s smooth reply. Angelica’s just a kid, with god knows what kind of pressures going on in her life. “From what you’re telling me, you sound like a pretty integral part of this life.”

“Eh,” Daniel brushes this off, “Kristoff was a self-made millionaire. I was just a pair of helping hands.”

Jake smiles politely at his modesty.

“Did Oliver have much involvement in the company?”

Daniel grimaces.

“Kristoff and his son weren’t on the best of terms. When Oliver was at MIT, Kristoff offered him work in the… online presence of the company, if you will, since he was studying computer science. He turned it down.”

Jake nods, but finds it hard not to feel a little frustrated. He’s hearing the same thing over and over, from everyone he interviews- Kristoff and Oliver had little to no relationship, both were closed-off moody men, et cetera, et cetera. There’s a missing link in something, or someone, that’s supposed to be coming after this family.

“Is there anyone you can think of that’d want to hurt the Clare family?”

“You’ve asked me that before.” Daniel smiles wryly.

“Better safe than sorry, I guess.”

“Well, there’s plenty,” Daniel half-laughs, “but none that’d want to kill them. Business is cut-throat, but Kristoff was virtually untouchable.”

“Or so it seemed.”

“Exactly.”

“If you don’t mind,” Jake continues cautiously, “could you take me back to the night Kristoff was killed? You said you were called back to the estate in the evening. Was there anything unusual about that?”

“Oh. Sure,” Daniel agrees, clearing his throat. “I was on a date, as you know, and I got a text from Kristoff asking me to come back to the estate urgently. I have no idea what it was for. Not that it mattered in the end, obviously.”

Except it did, Jake thinks- Kristoff might have known he was going to be hurt.

“Honestly, I didn’t think much of it. I don’t get much time off, and when I do it’s not exactly unusual to be called back in. I was essentially Kristoff’s bitch,” he half-laughs.

“Huh.” Jake flicks back and forth through the file Amy’s given him on Daniel. It’s only a couple of pages- his details, original alibi, that kind of stuff. But there’s no record of a text. “Would you be able to show me the text from Kristoff?”

Fleetingly, Daniel looks a little panicked.

“Uh, yeah-”

“Don’t worry, it’s just so we have a full collection of evidence. We need everything possible to make sure whoever did this is punished. We’ll take it on the way out.”

“Sure,” he agrees.

“Great. That’s all we really need from you today.”

“Sure.” Daniel repeats himself.

Once the interview’s been tied up and the screenshots have been collected as evidence, there’s very little for Jake to do except head back up to the office. Truthfully, Amy’s taken over the bulk of the work, barely uttering a word unless it’s to do with the case- he had to convince her to let him take the interview with Daniel just so he had something to do.

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t worried about her.

The worst part is, he suspects it has something to do with him; since the night he received that text from the woman he met at the bar, she’s been… off. Not angry. Not cold. Just not quite Amy. If he thought she was intense about work before, he’s certainly coming to change his mind now. He wants to sit her down and tell her it was nothing, but he can barely get a word in edgeways if she’s talking to him at all.

When he reaches the office she’s leaning on one of her hands, hunched over a pile of papers so wide they’re almost falling off her desk. For the life of him he can’t even figure out what she’s looking at- but he daren’t disturb her. She doesn’t look up when he sits down at his desk, opposite her.

“I didn’t have much luck with Daniel,” he confesses, after at least a full minute of silence since he’s entered the room.

“Damn.” Amy glances up quickly to offer this one-word response, shooting him a brief, pitying look.

“Did get something new, though. I don’t know how helpful it really is.”

“What?” She doesn’t look up.

“Angelica’s in therapy.”

“Oh, I knew that. I thought I sent it to you last night.”

“No. What’ve you got there?” Jake asks after a pause lasting exactly the amount of time he feels makes it clear she’s not looking to further the conversation herself.

“Family records,” she replies absently.

“We’ve looked over those a hundred times,” he says reluctantly, conscious that this is neither helpful nor positive.

“I’m aware. I was hoping the hundred-and-first time would bring up something we haven’t seen yet.”

This time she doesn’t look at him when she says it, and now he’s sure she’s pissed off with him. He can’t be in the office while it’s like this, he decides, pulling on his jacket.

“I’m gonna get some coffee, maybe some lunch. Want anything?”

Staying away, for now, seems the best option; knowing the way their relationship is swinging back and forth right now, the icy reception could very easily be hot sex within the next twelve hours. Regardless, that vague sense of unease, of guilt, remains. They need to talk, he thinks, observing her as she twiddles a pen over her lower lip in concentration- but not right now.

“I’m good, thanks.”

He nods, instead of forcing a reply, and heads for the door.

But a loud, distinct iPhone’s ping! stops him in his tracks- for a moment, he thinks he might have left his phone on his desk, seeing as his is the only one that ever has the ringer switched on. But the noise has come from the corner, where Amy’s phone is charging on top of a filing cabinet. He’s not sure what makes him reach for it- perhaps the inviting look of curiosity that’s peeled her gaze away from her work and towards the phone.

“Who is it? Only VIP contacts have a ringtone,” Amy explains curiously, a touch of concern in her voice.

Jake can’t reply. His eyes have already found the screen, and he’s not sure he can look away. He can’t bring himself to mentally process the block of a message, only catching real buzzwords like miss you and touch and fuck and come back and what we had. Perhaps he’d be able to read this message if it weren’t for the name above it.

“Jake? Who is it?”

“It’s Teddy.” He’s almost embarrassed at how obviously thick his voice sounds when he says this. He couldn’t be more obviously affected.

“What?!” Amy springs up out of her chair and towards him, but she needn’t bother; Jake’s already holding out her phone towards her.

“So, when did that start again?” Jake forces these words through a laugh. It threatens to choke him.

“It didn’t.” She replies indignantly, staring wide-eyed at her lockscreen. “God, this is intense.”

“He really misses you.”

“Or he’s just horny. That’s a little embarrassing,” Amy grimaces, stepping past Jake as she clicks her phone shut and plugs the charger back in.

Jake can’t quite believe how easily she’s brushing over this. Amy’s about as likely to send a message that overtly sexual as she is to skip laundry day- so he’s a little surprised, to say the least, that receiving one hasn’t completely disgusted her. On the other hand is the fact that they’ve slept together several times now, not to mention the underlying romantic weirdness still lingering between them. Some part of him, however, small, feels owed an explanation.

“What’re you gonna say back?” He asks bluntly, maybe a little too late, since Amy’s already settled back into her reading.

“I…” She looks at him strangely. “I don’t know. I honestly wasn’t planning on texting back at all.”

“We both know you’re too polite to not text back.” Jake forces a smile. “C’mon, what’re you going to say?”

Amy smiles back, but it seems slightly pained- her eyes narrow and her lips part into an uncomfortable position, like she’s trying to read him on the spot.

“Jake, why do you care?”

There’s something sad in her eyes. He wonders if that’s because she pities him, or because she already regrets asking that question.

“Are you-” Jake has to steady himself for a moment, feeling that anger at their situation rise again. Every time they reach a solution they hit another wall, and it’s driving him insane. “Are you kidding me, Amy?”

She just raises her eyebrows at him, staring up at him with dark, sad eyes.

“We both have feelings for eachother. We’ve been sleeping together on and off for weeks, staying in eachother’s apartments, and I like you, Amy- obviously a message like that is gonna make me feel like crap.”

She doesn’t reply this time, just watching him. Her expression becomes more concentrated, upset transforming into red cheeks and angry eyes and ever so slightly glistening eyes.

“I mean, you just said yourself he’s a VIP contact, or whatever,” Jake continues, unable to stop the words falling out of his mouth. He can hear himself being bitter, petty, maybe even straight-up childish, but it’s been days of virtually no communication and he can feel it all spilling out in one go. “Why? Have you been talking to him?”

Amy sighs. Her eyes find another point in the room and seem to stay there for a second, before she’s back on her feet again moving over to her phone.

“First of all, Jake-” she says calmly, taking her phone down from where it’s charging- “he’s a VIP contact because he used to be my boyfriend. I guess I never turned it off. It’s the first message he’s sent in months, as you can see,” she says, holding up the screen displaying their conversation to Jake’s face, “and secondly, I think it’s pretty rich that you’re this mad.”

Instantly, the penny drops-

“You did see that text!” Jake almost laughs, incredulous. “I knew it.”

“You knew?!” Amy laughs exasperatedly. “Oh my god-”

“- I knew it. You’ve been acting weird all week!”

“I’ve been busy.”

“No, you’ve been bitter. I wish you’d have said something-”

“If you knew, you should have said something to me!” Her eyes burn into him. “I had just slept with you, I didn’t want to mess things up by bringing up something that was probably nothing.”

“That-” Jake finds himself replying too quickly, and slows himself down. “That… makes sense. I didn’t want to bring it up because it’s nothing, so… y’know…”

“If I hadn’t seen it then you’d be bringing it up for no reason at all. Right,” Amy agrees, an understanding exasperation clouding over her expression. “What was the text even about, anyway?”

“She’s this girl I met in a bar a few weeks ago. We talked, she invited me to sit with her friends, nothing happened.”

“Except for the taking her number part?”

“Yeah,” Jake admits. “I wasn’t in a great place, it was a couple days after we agreed not to sleep together again. I didn’t want to do anything with her. She knew that, I guess, but asked for my number. I never even got hers.”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to explain. We’re adults,” Amy responds, mostly unconvincingly.

There’s a moment of quiet as they look at each other.

“I’m sorry for not talking to you,” Amy’s voice is quiet. “It’s difficult, sometimes… we’re both so exhausted and stressed that we can’t really date right now, but I do care about you.”

“I care about you too,” Jake says softly. “Sorry for being such a baby.”

Amy smiles, a little amused.

“It’s okay.”

“I was just jealous. I shouldn’t have acted like that.”

“… jealous?”

Amy’s got a kind of smirk on her lips. She draws her hand to her mouth, like she’s trying to stop herself.

“What? Are you laughing?” Jake smiles as he watches her.

“No! I just,” she sighs, leaning against her desk. “Never thought I’d see the day.”

Jake laughs.

“Amy, I’ve been jealous of everyone you’ve dated for a solid year and a half.”

She beams.

“Shut up.”

“I’m serious.”

For a moment they just smile at eachother, and Jake feels awake for the first time all week.

“For the record,” she adds- “I was mentally planning what I’d do if I ever met her. Y’know, if you two were dating.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Mm. It mostly included alcohol and a lot of side-eye.”

“Huh. Amy Santiago likes me enough that she’d be deliberately impolite to somebody.”

She shrugs, smiling, watching him as he makes his excuses about getting their lunch from that place they both love down the street. Jake will admit it’s tiring: they’re between not talking at all, flirting, and having sex in a matter of a week. But having her look at him like that makes him feel like he’s in the room with his first crush all over again. When it’s good, it’s so good.

He couldn’t get over her in a thousand years.

***

Amy shivers a little in the cold of the night. She’s stood outside her apartment complex holding a cardboard box filled to the brim with an assortment of total junk. It needs to go. Call this spring-cleaning.

Unfortunately, Teddy is late.

Her eyes search the roads around her building, looking for his car. Nerves bubble within her. The relationship’s long dead, but after that text today she’s slightly worried about the kind of conversation he might try and start while he’s here. In her head she rehearses the lines she’s constructed to make this situation go by as swiftly as possible- it’s what’s best for both of us, please don’t contact me again, and the real kicker: I’m seeing someone else.

The words sound as strange in her mouth as they do in her head. Whatever it is that’s going on between her and Jake, it’s far from easy to define. As far as Amy can tell, they’re hanging in the balance somewhere between friends and lovers, and the mess of the case is limiting the communication they’re able to share. On top of that, they’re both perpetually tired, stressed, angry, and, apparently, still dealing with other people.

They’re not boyfriend and girlfriend. At the rate things are going, Amy can’t help but wonder if they’ll even make it that far- if the work becomes any more strenuous there’s a very real chance they’ll end up killing each other. Objectively, she knows they were stupid for hooking up in the first place. If they’d have waited until everything had blown over, maybe instead of all the complicated emotions currently on their side, it’d still just be a case of moderate sexual tension and teasing. There wouldn’t be entire days or weeks going by where she didn’t feel like they were friends anymore.

If they want to move forward they need to be ready as soon as it comes. And this, standing out here in the dark waiting for Teddy to come by and collect the very last of his things, is part of it. She wants to be prepared for him.

Eventually, the car she’s been waiting for comes around the corner and stops in front of her building.

Amy comes down the steps and moves towards the vehicle, which is when he opens his door. His face is steely, almost angry, the pained face of a man holding back his feelings. Some part of her senses that she’s about to hear about these feelings. In detail.

“Oh, no, it’s okay-” she stammers, in a futile attempt to stop him from leaving the car. “You don’t have to get out. I can just put these in the back.”

“We need to talk,” he says quickly. “Please.”

“Teddy.” She holds out the box, in some part just to create a necessary distance between them. “We’ve been broken up for four months. I think everything that needs to be said has been said. I’m sorry.”

“I can’t let you walk away.” He shakes his head as he says this. There’s real desperation in his eyes, Amy thinks, feeling a little guilty. “I’ve been thinking about you every single day.”

“Teddy-”

“Do you know what you mean to me, Amy?”

“I have an idea,” she mutters weakly. She’s used to this flair for the dramatic.

“You’re my future. I can’t picture my life without you in it. I’ll do whatever it takes to change, I’ll make it better than it was before-”

“You weren’t the problem, Teddy.” She breathes. “I mean… you weren’t not the problem, but I had my own issues to work through. I still do. And I’m super busy, I’m on the Clare case-”

“Which I’m so proud of, Ames-”

“- and I have feelings for somebody else.”

This stops him in his tracks.

“Who?”

“That’s not important-”

“- Amy, if this is actually goodbye…”

“It was goodbye four and a half months ago. This is me giving you your stuff back.” She looks down at the box in her hands. “Which you still haven’t taken out of my hands, by the way.”

“I have to kiss you one last time.”

Before she’s really got a chance to do anything, he’s pressing his lips against hers. Her eyes are wide open, and her first instinct is to push him off her. Unfortunately, her hands are a little full.

“Mm!” She objects against his mouth.

He pulls away, a sullen look on his face.

“You know where to find me,” he says sulkily, taking the box from her and pushing it into the passenger seat of his car.

“Sure.”

Part of her feels bad for being blunt. The other part feels like a chapter has been legitimately closed, and room’s been made for Jake. That part feels a hell of a lot better than the other one.

She stands and watches as his car pulls away from her building, her eyes following it until he’s out of sight.

The absence is a wonderful thing, if not just relaxing.

Right until she sees Jake standing across the street, looking at her with the most pain in his eyes she’s ever seen.

Maybe the exhaustion makes her feel worse, but she could swear things are coming crumbling down. Her stomach churns the second she sees him, plastic bag in hand- oh god, he brought takeout- and pure confusion in his eyes. She’s running across the street, not looking twice for traffic. She needs to explain-

“Jake-”

His name is leaving her lips over and over, because he’s walking away-

“It’s not what it looks like-” He’s not stopping. “Jake!”

He stops and turns to her. His face is eerily… blank. He just seems tired, she thinks, and she doesn’t blame him. It’s a misunderstanding, and she can fix it-

“I’m tired. I need to go home.”

“Are you gonna let me explain?” She can’t help it. She’s angry. It’s one catastrophe after another right now, and after the last ten minutes, she could really use just one of the men in her life listening to her.

“Amy… I don’t think you’re a liar.” He looks at her funnily, like he can’t find the right thing to say.

She tries to find the words to reply, but she can’t. What’s she supposed to say to that?

“So?” Is all she manages.

“I can’t deal with this. One second you’re not talking to me, the next we’re sleeping together…the next your ex-boyfriend is kissing you outside your apartment.”

“That’s not fair. I was giving him his stuff back.”

“You were right. About timing. This entire… attempt, at whatever our relationship is, has been a mess. I miss my friend. I love you, Amy” he says, like it’s nothing, and Amy’s heart drops- “but I miss things being simple.”

No matter who’s wrong or right, in any of this, the worst thing which Amy has to admit to herself is that she misses him too. Everything made sense, and now it’s in tatters. Every time they come close to fixing it, things only become worse. Her heart is swollen, a painful beating in the middle of her chest. He looks so sad, and it’s her fault.

“I miss it too.” Her voice is hoarse; talking hurts the lump in her throat, which is what makes her realise she might be about to cry.

“I want this,” he continues, his voice low, “but I want it in the right way.”

“Me too.”

And to think only minutes ago she was forcing herself not to mock Teddy for being overdramatic.

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

***

The next day is hell.

There’s word around the office that things aren’t moving quick enough, and the case is being considered for the FBI instead.

Amy can’t let it happen. She’s come too far, had too much credit stolen for her work, had almost her entire relationship with Jake destroyed. She needs a lead and she needs one now.

Of course, being able to find something without wildly damaging mental strain coming first would be far too easy, so when 7pm comes and they’ve made no progress other than reinvestigating Julian, Emilia, Angelica, and Oliver for the millionth time, as well as double-checking Daniel and Greta, Amy feels like she could just about sink into the ground.

“Alright, ding-dongs.”

Yes. She’s ready now. If the ground would like to open up, now would be the perfect time.

“Keith,” Jake responds monotonously. Pembroke grimaces at the use of his first name. Amy enjoys it for approximately .1 second.

“You’ll have heard about the FBI coming in to scoop up our case.”

“It’s happening?!” Amy can hear how panicked she sounds. She doesn’t care.

“Not yet. We’ve got until Sunday.”

“For what?” Jake asks. “Are we talkin’ Solve The Entire Case, or just some evidence, or what?”

“This may sound unfamiliar to the two of you, since you’re capable of finding one about once a month, but we need a lead,” Pembroke widens his eyes, clearly irritated. “This is getting embarrassing.”

“I’d say it’d be great if we had your help, but that’s obviously a lie.”

“Pleasure as always,” he replies, ignoring Jake’s comment, and like that he’s gone.

“I wonder what he does during the day.” Amy says sadly once he’s gone. “He’s getting paid to be a jackass.”

“So was I, until I got put on this case,” Jake jokes resentfully.

Amy smiles weakly. The night before still lingers in the air. Over and over and over in her head she hears him telling her he loves her, but it doesn’t matter. Neither of them seem quite sure where they stand.

“Do you want to work tonight?” She offers, although she’d enjoy virtually anything except this. It’s a peace offering.

“I’m actually grabbing a drink with Boyle.”

“That sounds nice.”

“You’re welcome to join, if you want-”

“No, no,” Amy insists. “I’m okay. I think I’m gonna stay here for a little while.”

“Are you sure? You’ve barely slept.”

There is no plausible explanation as to how he might know this. And yet he’s completely right. Must mean the bags under her eyes are more telling of the hours she spent awake after their exchange last night than she thought.

“Now I’ve got a deadline there’s no way I’ll be able to relax at home.”

Jake nods knowingly as slings his bag over his shoulder.

“Makes sense. I’ll see you in the morning.”

In her quiet, dim corner of the office, she watches him leave. Eventually, the sound of his steps disappears and she’s left only with the soft whirring of the heater in the corner of the room. Alone.

Keep going, Amy.

***

“I’m sorry, buddy. Sounds like you’re going through a lot. I just wish you’d have told me sooner"”

Charles looks at his best friend earnestly, patting him on the back, causing a small prang of guilt in Jake’s system. He wishes he’d told him sooner, too.

“I’ve missed you, bud.”

“It’s not the same at the precinct. Those two empty desks are heartbreaking. Now I really understand how Marius felt when he sang Empty Chairs at Empty Tables.”

“The awful, heart-breaking story of all his friends dying at the barricade wasn’t explanatory enough?” Jake asks. Charles shrugs.

“I still can’t believe you never told me you and Amy hooked up!” Charles grins. Jake gives him a pointed look. “I know, I know. Your relationship has become chaos as a result. But still! It’s the romance I’ve always dreamt of.”

“And you can’t tell anyone.”

“Not even Genevieve?”

That reply was too quick.

“You’ve already texted her about it under the table, haven’t you?”

“We share everything, Jake! My excitement is her excitement, quite literally-”

“Yes! Yes, you can tell Genevieve anything you want, as long as you stop talking right now.”

“Fine.”

"How're the others?"

Charles stops to think.

"Gina's exactly the same. Word has it she met someone, but obviously she won't tell us who."

"Sounds just like her."

"Rosa body-tackled a perp the other day, right in the middle of the precinct. I filmed it for you."

"Oh, man, you did?!" Jake feels a surge of love for his best friend. "Show me!"

"Sure! Oh," Charles opens his phone, dismayed. "I filmed it with the front-facing camera."

Sure enough, the video he brings up is a solid forty seconds of pure shock filtering in and out of his face. Jake's convinced it may be better than any other video he's ever seen.

For the first time this evening, there’s a pause in their conversation.

“I told Amy I loved her last night.��

The words sound strange out loud, real. Now he's told Charles, last night's incident exists outside of the bubble that is the case. The bubble where it's only he and Amy that exist.

Charles’s face lights up with glee.

“WHAT?!”

“I didn’t even… I didn’t mean it like that, y’know?”

“No, I don’t know. Continue. Explain,” Charles stares at him, continuing to sip at the straw of his diet coke like a teenage girl being fed the hottest gossip she’s ever heard.

The fact of it is that he’s scared. He always loves too quickly and too hard and, if he’s being honest with himself, he’s been doomed for since the day he met her. He’s surprised he lasted this long before letting the words spill- it’s just a shame they’re not actually in a relationship, or even really sure of what they are at all. Great timing, Jake.

“I try not to say it, usually, when I’m in a relationship.” He sighs. “I realised pretty quickly that I was normally saying it too soon.”

“Adorable. You’re the king of love itself,” Charles gushes, pressing a hand against his chest. Jake shoots him a stern look. “Sorry. Continue.”

“With Amy it is romantic, but it’s more like… I care about her like family. I have… loving feelings for her. It’s not the same as being in love with her.”

“Sure.” Charles rolls his eyes.

Jake glances at his phone, tipsy and finding his own words are confusing him. It’s almost midnight.

“I bet Amy’s still in the office.”

“She stayed behind?”

“Yeah. She’s putting herself under crazy pressure.”

He wonders if she’s achieved anything. If the office is as painfully quiet as he imagines it to be. If, god forbid, she’s fallen asleep at her desk.

“Hey, I’ve only had one drink. I’ll drive you back to the office.”

“What?” Jake looks at Charles oddly. “Why would you do that?”

“Because all you’ve talked about all evening is Amy, and you just casually told me that she’s alone at work late at night, then wistfully gazed off into space for a solid ten seconds.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to. C’mon.”

And like that, Charles is leading him outside and into the car, and he’s on his way back. The journey, under the lights of the city, makes Jake realise just how tired he is. They’re a while from home- they’ll have to come all the way from the offices back to Brooklyn. Poor Amy’s not even had a break.

The offices are eerie. Half the lights are off, and the entire place is silent.

When he enters their office, he’s actually relatively relieved to see Amy passed out at her desk. Something about the office is telling him he would have found it even creepier if she was able to work in an environment like this.

“Ames?” He knocks gently on the door, standing in its frame. He doesn’t want to alarm her.

She stirs for a moment, her breathing becoming momentarily stronger, out of pace.

“Ames, wake up.”

After a moment she lifts her head, slowly at first.

“What time is it?” You can hear the exhaustion in her voice, now reduced to a croak.

“Gone midnight. C’mon, we’ll get a cab.”

“I’ll just sleep here,” Amy murmurs, but he knows she doesn’t really mean it. She might be obsessive over her work, but she hates not having a fresh pantsuit in the morning, and he knows for a fact she’s used the spare clothes she’s been keeping here. “I’ve made progress.”

“Nope. C’mon. You can tell me all about it on the way back. Or even sleep.” He’s closer now, shaking gently at her arm.

She lifts her head, looking up at him with dark, slightly reddened eyes, half-asleep. She looks beautiful, even with the small patch of hair she’s been leaning on which is now an upwards-facing scruff of bed hair. Desk hair, if you will.

“Fine. Better be a comfy-ass cab.”

He laughs lowly at this, only too aware of how ready she is to pass out. It’d be irresponsible to send her home by herself- not because she couldn’t handle herself, not in any scenario, Jake thinks- but purely because she deserves a nap.

Luckily, it doesn’t take too long to get a taxi. Admittedly, at first, the driver seems a little wary of what Jake can only assume from an outsider’s perspective appears to be a vulnerable woman passed out in the arms of a man trying to take her home.

The drive back to hers feels like a decade. Jake doesn’t mind. He savours each second, especially when she passes out on his shoulder. The radio is playing softly in the front of the car, some late-night dance station. She’s warm against him, and occasionally the scent of her hair floats upwards. He can’t get over how beautiful she looks, and so he spends the journey memorizing each detail of her face. Freckles, eyelashes, eyebrows, the cupid’s bow of her lips.

He’s beyond exhaustion. After last night’s exchange he obviously couldn’t sleep, and the worst part is that he knows it’s his fault. If he’d just been understanding maybe they could have talked it through again. But, frankly, he doesn’t regret saying the things he did. He cares about her, maybe more than anything, but while the last two months have been exciting, scary, and new, they’ve also been some of the most stressful he’s ever known. He wants her, but not with the way things are right now. She deserves better than him in this state.

She hums against his chest, and, for some reason, this is the moment at which he realises he's never, ever, felt like this about somebody. She amazes him, in every possible way, but on top of all of this, she frightens him. Amy is everything he could possibly want or need and he doesn't have the room to mess a single thing up. Maybe he already has.

Miraculously, Jake succeeds in staying awake until they reach her apartment. He can’t help but feel a little guilty as he wakes her, talking softly to her until she stirs again.

Amy doesn’t let go of him as they walk up the steps into her building, or even when they’re in the elevator on the way up. She’s not clinging, not by any means- rather, he keeps an arm over her shoulder, and, gently, she holds up her hand so she can hold his. It’s intimate, obviously, and all Jake can think of is helping her into bed and climbing in next to her, falling asleep beside her. But there’s an understanding between them, and he knows it as well as she does. If he kisses her now, he makes everything awkward and weird again for a couple of days.

Maybe this is the perfect balance, he thinks. Just being able to hold each other, let the other know they’re there. No talking. No sex. No complications. Just caring for each other when it matters the most. Maybe.

“Stay here. The blanket’s already on the couch,” she says firmly once they’re inside. He knows there’s no point in arguing, especially since it’s nearing 2 in the morning, and more practically speaking he lives a solid 15 minutes away and right now he feels like he could pass out on the spot. “I’ll get you a pillow,” she adds, wandering off towards her bedroom.

After a minute she reappears in the living area with one of her pillows, throwing it onto the couch.

“Night, Jake.”

She stands in front of him for a second, smiling tiredly, but then, out of nowhere, he finds himself being pulled into a hug. Her arms are thrown around his neck, and for a moment she’s just breathing into him. Jake takes this as permission to do the same, pulling her in, closing his eyes against the top of her head as the fatigue threatens to take him to sleep a few minutes too early. He could swear she fits into him, against him, perfectly. She's made to be there. Hours of work haven't affected the softness of her skin, or the gentle waft of her perfume, and for a moment he wishes he could fall asleep here, in her arms.

The words she says next, muffled against his chest, are little more than a whisper; if he’d been even breathing a little louder he might have missed them. Missed her. But it’s certain, and even when she pulls away and ambles slowly away to her bedroom, it echoes throughout the room. Throughout the city. The most spectacular four words Jake’s ever heard.

“I love you too.”

#hiiiiiiiiiii #sorry this took ages #again #u kno me #only motivated once in a century #I'm tryin okay #my writing #ymkm

14 notes · View notes

ladyseaheart1668 · 7 years ago

Text

Endless Summer Book 4 : Daughter of Vaanu (Chapter 5)

Description: Fun and games in Elyys’tel, but Alodia is starting to get worried as the Catalyst Reunion nears its end.

Tagging: @xo-endlessmayhem-xo , @princesstopgun

Chapter Five : The Pebble in the Pond

Estela

I probably should have known better than to get cocky. As the silence stretches on between us, her mouth twists sulkily. “Come on, Estela, I really didn't want you to look at me like that...”

“Sorry. It's just...my mother is...”

“Dead. I know. But so was Mike when I gave myself back to Vaanu. And he turned up alive. I think I felt guilty leaving Jake less than an hour after he watched Mike die again, and I begged Vaanu for that one favor. But...I can't imagine that I wouldn't have...no...I'm sure I did at least ask if you could have your mother back, too...”

She's speaking so quickly that her words barely have time to register before I'm focusing on her next sentence. But then she abruptly trails off, and my brain has a chance to catch up.

“...It's...been five years,” I say slowly. “If somehow my mother was restored, I can't imagine that she wouldn't have come back to San Trobida sooner than this...”

Alodia's shoulders sag. She looks disappointed. More disappointed than I feel. Perhaps I should be more crushed, but the truth is that it has been eleven years now since my mother's death, and such a fleeting, barely believable glimmer of hope is too little to excite me. It doesn't even feel disloyal to admit it.

“...I'm sorry, Estela. I just hoped...”

“It's all right. It's not your fault.”

“That whole moment is just...such a blur...”

“Why not come back inside?”

“...No...I think I need some fresh air. You go on, though. I'm just going to wander a bit.”

Quinn

No one can help being curious and worried when Estela returns to the audience hall alone, but she quickly assures us that nothing is wrong.

“She...was wondering if it was possible my mother had been restored along with Mike. I think she's a little disappointed that she wasn't.”

“I...should I go after her?” Jake asks uncertainly. “I...don't want to crowd her...but...”

“Let her have a few minutes to herself,” I reply. “She's in Elyys'tel. No one here is going to let any harm come to her.”

He shoves his hands into his pockets, pouting a little. “I know...It's just...”

Sean puts a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, we all get it, man. But you said yourself you don't want to crowd her.”

“She must be feeling so crazy disoriented right now,” Diego sighs. “A little solitude might do her a world of good.”

“Why don't we all go down to the beach?” Varyyn suggests. “Taari has been eager to play with you.”

As we make our way down to the beach, we spot Alodia on one of the far platforms, stretched out on her back with her hands laced behind her bed, staring up into the magnificent canopy above her.

On the beach, Taari immediately claims Estela and Zahra to team up with him for quuk'tanoi. Varyyn, Seraxa, and Diego volunteer to oppose them.

“You gonna earn your mask today, buddy?” Diego asks, grinning.

“I'm gonna try!” Taari replies.

“Do not imagine we will go easy on you,” Varyyn warns. Taari scoffs.

“You never do anyway. Even if I wanted you to, you wouldn't.”

“That's right.”

The six of them gather their sailboards and splash into the ocean. The others drift off towards various games and activities set up on the beach. It's like the Valinorim all over again. Except that this time, it's in honor of the Catalysts. I amuse myself with the children, playing a game that involves seashells and coconuts until I spot Alodia hovering near the treeline like a seventh grader at a dance working up the nerve to ask her crush onto floor. I smile, wandering over to her.

“Thinking of joining us? You're welcome to, of course.”

She smiles a little. “...The last time I played Vaanti games was at the Valinorim.”

I chuckle. “I was just thinking of that myself.”

“...I was more remembering what had happened before that.”

I feel my smile slip. “You mean when you saved my life with the Island's Heart.”

She nods. “...Do you remember much of what happened on that bridge?”

“Not...too much. I...I was fading. It was hard to focus on anything. I don't even think I really realized what was happening to me.”

“I knew exactly what was happening. I had seen it before, when we both touched your idol on Sharktooth Isle. That's why I started crying then. Because I had just watched you die in my arms on a bridge in Elyys'tel. I didn't realize then how soon it was going to happen. When it started to happen in front of me...I begged you not to go. I was furious and terrified that this was happening when I hadn't had a chance to stop it yet. And if I couldn't save you...”

“You did, though. You saved all of us. Everything.” She reaches out a hand to me, and I take it, squeezing.

“I never really had the chance to explain about those idols, did I.”

“Well, you told us that you were watching us die, and I think we all guessed those were visions of previous timelines, but...we never got details, no.”

“It wasn't just your deaths that I saw. I saw visions from your pasts, too. It's how I knew that Michelle never actually cheated on Sean...” She trails off, frowning. “...Wait...did they ever tell you guys about that? Did I just blab someone's embarrassing secret?”

“No, don't worry. Michelle told me. But I don't know how many of the others know.”

“...Right...well...I saw visions from your pasts. From before the island. Everyone's except Diego's. ...I don't know why I never questioned that...”

“Wait, but...you had an idol, too. Did...you see your own past?”

“...I saw myself talking to Diego, encouraging him to go to the party he'd been talking about all week. ...I suppose if that actually happened, he was talking to himself...”

“Did...you see your own death?”

“No. Worse. Just before you collapsed on the bridge, I saw myself alone, digging eleven graves.”

As the gravity of her words settles in, I shudder. “I guess that must have made you pretty desperate.”

“I would have been desperate either way. But yes. That vision made everything that much larger.”

“You know...I never actually knew you were the Endless, or the missing piece of the Island's Heart...but from the time I was cured, I was able to sense that you were...different somehow. That you were connected to the same spirit that was riding inside me. There was an energy in you that matched the one in me, but it seemed like it was...locked behind something.”

“In retrospect, that makes perfect sense. ...Why didn't you tell me?”

“Probably for the same reason you never told us about the visions from the idols. A combination of fear and a desire not to face a bunch of questions I didn't have answers to.”

“Fair enough.” She is quiet for a long moment. “Do you...feel anything of Vaanu now?”

“...Not that I can tell, no. I figure it took itself out of me when it left.”

“But presumably Silas Prescott's crystal had enough energy to bring me back.” She sighs. “I wish I could remember more about Vaanu's home planet...about what the crystals actually were. The crystals weren't Vaanu itself. They weren't actually part of its body or its spirit. That was the Island's Heart...and...the crystal pillar...” She hisses suddenly, grimacing, bringing a hand up to clutch her head.

“Are you okay?”

“I'm getting the feeling I'm going to get tired of that question,” she replies wryly. In spite of myself, I chuckle.

“I know the feeling.”

She lifts her head to smile at me. For a long moment, she is quiet, just looking at me. I look back, willing myself to be patient, to wait until she feels that she can say what's on her mind. I refuse to push her.

“...Do you remember after you were cured, when you told me about feeling a kind of...grief?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you ever feel...overwhelmed? By the thought of living a full life? Finishing school, finding a job, possibly getting married and having a family? Growing old?”

“Of course. ...Is...that what you're feeling now?”

“Yeah. Of course. I mean, I didn't live with the idea that it wouldn't happen as long as you did. When things got hard, I would imagine my future. But...in retrospect, the future I imagined was all about you guys. Everything Vaanu showed us. You founding a non-profit, Diego writing a book, Jake clearing his name, Sean becoming a football star...all I really imagined for myself was living with Jake, and maybe having his kids...”

“Do you not want that anymore?”

“Oh, I still want it, don't you worry about that. At least, I still want him. And his kids if he wants any. I like the idea of having kids, but I don't need them if he doesn't. Either way, though...that might be something for further down the line. But my point is that because I was born for all of you...I never truly thought about a future for myself outside of you. And then that became moot. But now...”

“Now there's a world of possibility in front of you.”

“Yeah. And I don't really know where to start.”

I feel a kind of relief flooding through me at that. I expect she and the others may have felt something similar when I started to talk about the future as something I needed to prepare for.

“What was your major at Hartfeld?”

“History, I think. With a minor in dance.”

“Oh, that's right. You were a dancer, weren't you? I think I remember that...”

“Yup. And a gymnast. I was pretty good at it, too. But I didn't have nearly the dedication to make an Olympic career out of it or anything.”

“Do you know what you wanted to do with your history degree?”

“...Walk through the world and get to know the people who walked that ground thousands of years before me...”

I feel a chill creep over my shoulders. There's something terribly beautiful and haunting in the sentiment.

“Well...I'm sure you can take a little time to figure it out. As far as the world is concerned you've been lost for five years. I'm sure everyone will forgive you if you don't dive right into the business of paying bills and taxes.”

“You're probably right. ...But it's still scary to think about.”

“Of course it is. But that's why it's okay not to rush into it.”

She frowns a little. “...Hey...why is Murphy still around?”

“...I...think you would know better than I would.”

“T'kal is still here, too. What about the Yeti?”

“We...haven't seen her since Vaanu left. Or Cetus, or any of the Guardians. I think Cetus and the Shore Guardian are still dead. But I don't know about the Deep Guardian. We haven't had much reason to go into the volcano.”

“...But clearly, not all of the anomalies were taken away...”

“Maybe...it just wasn't possible to undo everything...”

“Maybe not. ...Vaanu's arrival sent a shockwave over the planet. Compared to that, T'kal and Murphy and I are just pebbles thrown in a pond. What concerns me is that any one of us has the potential to make waves.”

“But you don't think you have the power to break reality like Vaanu?”

“I don't think so, no.”

“And if you don't, I doubt that T'kal or Murphy do, either.”

“You're probably right,” she sighs. For a moment, she is quiet, looking out over the water. The quuk'tanoi game is tied two-to-two. Taari just barely manages to keep Varyyn from ending it with the winning goal. Her gaze shifts to further down the beach, in somewhat shallower water, a series of narrow wooden posts rise above water's rippling surface. I remember Michelle and Craig facing off against Varyyn and Diego in that event at the Valinorim. The dueling staves are lying on the sand. Alodia abruptly strips down to the bathing suit I've loaned her for the week and starts toward the water.

“Where are you going?”

“To see if I still have the right stuff.”

She wades into the ocean, swimming out to the posts and mounting the nearest one in a single graceful motion. She balances carefully on its flat, narrow top, barely large enough for the balls of both her feet. She starts tentatively at first, just stepping from one post to the next. Gradually, she starts to fold in a pirouette or two. Jake and Sean take notice and start to wander over, followed by a few of the others. Alodia starts to add in some handstands and flips. A crowd of Vaanti and Catalysts starts to form as she starts to move faster and more artistically. One of the Vaanti begins pounding out a rhythm for her on a traditional drum. She moves with it, dancing over the posts with cat-like balance and grace. Some of the Vaanti start singing and chanting. I find myself clapping to the beat of the drummer. It seems to motivate her. She is dancing for an audience now, aiming to impress and inspire. Finally, she stills, ending in a crouch on the center post. Even from the shore, I can see the sweat glistening on her skin and the way her breasts heave with exertion. The crowd erupts into enthusiastic applause and cheers.

I notice Jake starting into the water, his pace somewhat hurried as he swims out to the posts. I quickly realize why as Alodia wobbles slightly in her attempt to slip off the post and into the water. She could probably do with a little help getting back to shore. She's trembling a little as she climbs out of the water, leaning on Jake. She smiles sheepishly.

“I think I'm going to be feeling that in the morning.”

“Maybe, but that was frickin' awesome!” Craig exclaims. “Where did you learn to do that?!”

“Uh...gymnastics classes? I think the real question should be where I learned to do that in the timeline where I never existed before the island.”

“Well, that's easy,” Diego remarks. “Being able to do cool stunts was one of the superhero powers I imagined for you.”

She snorts. “That's not a power, that's a skill. Couldn't you have given me the power of flight or something? I've always wanted to fly.”

“What, time travel isn't good enough for you?”

“Well, you didn't dream that up for me, that was a side effect of being part-alien.”

Diego grins. “...I challenge anyone to say they've got a cooler best friend than I do.”

“Next time we play quuk'tanoi,” Taari declares, “she's on my team!”

I start a little at the sound of his voice. I am embarrassed to admit that I missed the end of the game.

“How did you do out there, Taari?”

“He has not yet earned his mask,” Varyyn says. “But it will not be long. He put up a good fight.”

“Say, I got an idea,” Jake pipes up. “I'm guessing Alodia needs to rest tonight after that display, but what's say tomorrow we get the old dream team back together? Me, Cap, and Princess against Varyyn, Seraxa, and Taari.”

“Well, I'm game if Alodia is,” Sean says, grinning.

“I...I don't know. It's been years since I played...”

“It's been years since you were on a balance beam, too,” Diego points out.

“After that display, I'd be more concerned about those two weighing you down,” Seraxa agrees, nodding at Jake and Sean with a smirk.

“Hey, watch it,” Jake retorts. “Remember what underestimating us got you last time.”

“Well...” Alodia smiles, and I can see her trying to hide her eagerness. “We'll see how my body feels in the morning. If I'm walking like an old lady, I'm out.”

Varyyn

We spend the last daylight hours in play on the shore. Alodia appears to have recovered from whatever melancholy mood had gripped her earlier. Though her performance on the sparring poles has exhausted her, she engages in conversation, laughing and telling jokes with the Catalysts and the Vaanti. She listens eagerly to Taari's stories of the last five years in Elyys'tel, and shares in the feasting back in the village.

The skies have turned dark by the time the feasting is over. Seraxa has shuffled Taari off to bed, and the Catalysts have drifted off towards their beds. When Diego begins yawning, I encourage him to wait for me in our hammock, but I am not quite ready to join him there. At first, I'm not sure what it is that compels me to make my way up the top platform instead of joining my beloved in blissful sleep, but the urge is to overwhelming to ignore. When I arrive there, I find Alodia, staring out at the stars glittering above the ocean. I stop dead in my tracks when I realize what precisely drew me up here.

… I can still feel her. Her presence remains on the edges of my mind, a consciousness separate from my own. For five years, it was gone. But I must have felt it return the same moment she did.

“Anlashokk,” I murmur.

“You feel it too, then?” she asks in Vaanti.

“I did not realize it until now. But yes. I do. We are still linked.”

“So we are.”

“Do you suppose it means anything?”

“As far as I can tell, it means that I am the daughter of Vaanu, and you are Vaanti, whose ancestors imbibed the sap from the tree nurtured by my parent's energy. It means that on a beach five and a half years ago, you touched my forehead and broke the barrier between our minds so that we could communicate. ...It means that we are who we are, and that has not been fundamentally altered either by Vaanu's leaving this planet or my returning to it.”

“...Do you want Diego or the others to know?”

She sighs, leaning back against Elyys'tel's massive trunk. “I don't think it should be a secret, but I don't feel the need to tell them, either. I don't mind if you tell Diego. Perhaps I will tell the others in time, if it feels necessary.”

I nod. “It is your decision.”

She is quiet for a long time. When she speaks again, it is in English. “Varyyn? How come you never turned on me? When you learned that I was the Endless?”

I could tell her that she was never the Endless, that the Endless was an alternate version of herself, but part of the advantage of having her in my mind is knowing when I would only be wasting words. It would not comfort her to hear that. But I believe the truth might.

“Because of Diego.”

She sighs. “I see. Because he loves me and you love him, you couldn't hate me.”

“No. Well, yes. But that's not why I didn't turn on you.”

“I don't follow.”

It is my turn to be silent for awhile, looking out over the still, peaceful water. “...Do you remember the previous timelines? Those lives you lived before?”

“Not all of them. And not all the time. I think they've been largely repressed as a matter of self-preservation.”

“...The Endless went back to change the Vaanti because the meeting between the Vaanti and the Catalysts always ended with the Catalysts slaughtered.”

“...Yes.”

“...Do you...do you know if I was ever there?”

The look she passes to me suggests that she had never considered the question before. “I...I don't know, Varyyn. I suppose it's possible some version of you was there. Though...you probably were not recognizable. Whatever version of Varyyn lived in those timelines before the Endless changed you would have been feral like the other Vaanti. Part of what makes you the Varyyn we know is your upbringing. And you were raised with the Endless' teachings.”

The relief that floods through me is so strong that I feel my knees weaken, but I manage to stay upright, gripping the rope support in front of me. A knot of tears crystalizes in my throat.

“...Since the Endless revealed herself to us in the temple, since she took off her helmet and showed us your aged face, since she revealed that it was in an attempt to keep her loved ones alive that she made herself a god to us...I have wondered if I was there when the Catalysts were slaughtered. I have wondered...” I choke, swallowing hard before continuing, “...In my nightmares, I can see the day Cetus killed my mother. That happened right in front of me. That memory is barely more real than the images my mind conjures up of the Catalysts being slaughtered by the Vaanti. I can see Diego. ...I can see him on his knees, begging for his life. For his friends' lives. I don't want to imagine things like this, but I cannot help it. My mind tortures me, filling in every detail. Who he has already seen die. Who is still living, still begging, still frightened, still fighting, still weeping.

“I can't bear to think of it, but I do. All the time. I see him die, Alodia. My mind shows me his death, and I want to tear apart the one who held the spear with my bare hands. ...But then I realize that it might have been me. There might have been a time when I heard his cries and his pleas and was unmoved. There might have been a time when I looked into his eyes and felt nothing. When I saw his fear and his anguish and never felt the desire to take him in my arms and fight any who would harm him.” I look at her, my tears flowing freely now. “...How could I condemn you for loving him more than I did then? For never wavering in that love, and doing everything in your power to save him?”

Her mouth twists, her eyes shimmering in the moonlight. “...It wasn't you, Varyyn. You did not come into being until after the Endless changed your people. I don't care if the Vaanti who killed Diego was the only son of your parents, it wasn't you. You are my best friend's soulmate.”

“...And you are the woman who brought hope to my people. You brought my soulmate to my side. And you will always have my friendship.”

“As you will have mine.” She smiles, wiping her eyes. “...I should probably find my own soulmate. I expect he won't sleep until he knows I haven't vanished again.”

I offer her my arm as we descend the winding platforms. She still looks worn out from her performance earlier, and I fear in her exhausted state that she will stagger and invite disaster. After seeing her safely into Jake's arms, I make my way to my own beloved.

He appears to be asleep already, his arms resting on his belly, his head lolled to one side. But as I climb carefully into the hammock beside him, he stirs, turning to nestle into me. I draw him to my chest.

“It has been too long since I slept with you in my arms,” I murmur, kissing his hair.

“It's only been three nights.”

“That might as well be an eternity, my darling.”

He snorts, lifting his head to kiss me. We lie nose-to-nose beneath the canopy of leaves and stars. He winds his arm around me and lets his fingertips trail gently up and down my back, making me shiver. His breath is warm on my face. I let my hand slip under his shirt, gently massaging along his narrow torso. I want to feel his body. I want to feel every inch of his flesh, warm with lifeblood. I press my palm to his breastbone, feeling his heart thump against my skin.

“You sure sleeping is all you want to do?” he chuckles teasingly. In spite of myself, I feel a hot blush blooming in my cheeks.

“...Sleeping is never all I want to do when you are in my arms, my love. ...But I do not think our present location is the proper place for anything else.”

“Maybe not,” he concedes, but I hear a note of mischief in his voice. He brings his hand up to stroke my cheek, and lets his thumb trail over my lips. “But we don't have to stay here, do we. We know all the secluded romantic spots in Elyys'tel.”

He shifts, kissing down my neck toward my chest. I can't help laughing. “An hour ago, you were yawning!”

“Maybe so, but I've had a nice little nap. And I've been dreaming of you playing quuk'tanoi. It's got me in the mood.”

“Well then,” I roll out of the hammock and offer him my hand. “The moon is beautiful tonight, my darling. Let us not waste it.”

He accepts my hand, climbing out of the hammock. As soon as his feet touch the ground, I sweep him into my arms, cradling him. He laughs, winding his arms around my neck.

“I think you're in the mood too, sweetheart.”

I bend to capture his mouth in a kiss. “Hold on tight,” I whisper against his mouth. “Don't let go of me.”

He tightens his grip. “Never, Varyyn. Not as long as I live.” He lets his head drop onto my shoulder. “I promise.”

#Endless Summer #pixelberry choices #choices stories you play #playchoices #Diego Ricardo Ortiz Soto #Jake McKenzie #sean gayle #Craig Hsiao #raj bhandarkar #aleister rourke #grace hall #estela montoya #quinn kelly #michelle nguyen #zahra namazi

20 notes · View notes

utopianparadoxist · 7 years ago

Text

HERALD OF THE POST-APOCALYPTIC POG ECONOMY- Jude Harley, the SEER of DOOM

When you say you’re going on hiatus, that means you ramp up your posting massively, right? I was going to leave this by the wayside but I am, lucky for you guys, I’m still too sick to record.

Plus the Xefros and A.Claire posts are doing really well and frankly winning over the fandom is my best shot at long-term stability and things changed for the better for me in a big way recently, so I have the time to get out a couple more of the things I’ve really wanted to say before I start focusing on video--these will all be useful scripts for me soon anyway.

Let’s talk Jude Harley, who has already given us a likely Class and a definite Aspect. And who knows--maybe he’ll lead us to a bit of prophecy on the threats our heroes will face in Hauntswitch? Maybe, maybe not, but either way it’s clear I was doomed to make this post from the start.

So let’s dive right in, and let’s start with the side of Jude’s title I’m surest about: His affinity for the Aspect of Doom.

If Jude’s psyche is concerned with anything, then it’s concerned with death, risks, threats, and the rules you follow to avoid them. While not exactly cynical, Jude is certainly cautious and wary. Even his interest in aliens and cryptids frames them as mysterious threats to watch out for--his shirt isn’t depicting a simple alien, but an alien abduction.

He keeps a flare gun because the chance of a life-threatening emergency is a basically constant presence in his mind, and his interest in POGS is linked to his belief in their eventual post-apocalyptic value. Jude sees the worst in the world, and he prepares for it.

Apparently pretty well, too! I’m not AS sure that Jude is a Seer as I am that he’s a Doom player, but if this is a case of Class Roleplay, then it’s an oddly successful one. The big twist of the first half of Hiveswap is, of course, that Jude was right about basically everything--even if he muddled the execution a bit.

The Seer/Mage key verb--Know--is repeatedly linked to Jude’s biggest contributions, and it’s his foresight that keeps not just Joey but her beloved dog Tesseract safe.

All of this squares quite nicely with the verbiage we can extrapolate for a Seer: One who knows Doom (or through Doom) for the benefit of others.

And we should stress that “for others” part, because where his plans stumble, Jude himself is the one to pay the price. For Joey’s benefit, but also for ours--the audience’s-- as his tragedy give us the deepest glimpse into his psyche and character we get during Act 1.

As @curlicuecal ‘s excellent post on Jude tells us, Jude’s pigeons actually each reflect his relationship to one of his family members, and how he experiences the loss of each of them in turn. Of course we start off with Frohike, apparently Jude’s favorite. Jude is devastated by Frohike’s tragic death, but nothing about it necessarily links the bird to A.Claire except context.

Langly makes things far clearer. When Jude finds himself abandoned, his fury is outright vicious. He makes it clear that he regards this as both betrayal and abandonment, an act of cowardice. He also alludes to being unable to communicate his anger properly and needing to suppress the emotion in order to focus on the task at hand.

Given that we’re talking about Jude, who basically ALWAYS has a task at hand, this all reads as a clear analog for his feelings about Pa. Emotional repression is something of a hallmark of the Harley line--John, Jake, Jade and Jane are all known to dabble in it. If he’s this upset when a bird abandons him, how does he feel about his own father doing so?

All this loss had already gotten to him before the attack on the Harley manor--Joey refers to all of this stress on Jude growing bad enough that Roxy took him to a doctor.

And the losses of his birds leave Jude isolated and desperate--he begs Joey to protect Byers and refers to him as “all he has left”. Not long after, he begs Joey not to go near the portal, saying he can’t lose her, too.

Byers, of course, is the bird that represents Joey in Jude’s heart, and he leaves with her when she’s abducted. However things work out between him and Dammek, for the time being, Jude is now alone.

And maybe worst of all is that this always seems to have been the plan, because Jude is the victim of Act 1′s titular Kansas City Shuffle.

In order for a confidence game to be a "Kansas City Shuffle", the mark must be aware that he is involved in a con, but also be wrong about how the con artist is planning to deceive him. The con artist will attempt to misdirect the mark in a way that leaves him with the impression that he has figured out the game and has the knowledge necessary to outsmart the con artist, but by attempting to retaliate, the mark unwittingly performs an action that helps the con artist to further the scheme.

Given that we know that Scratch was expecting Joey, and that he is involved in the events that have put her here, we know for a fact that the swap between her and Dammek was always the plan.

Jude assumed the cult wanted the Cherub Portal for themselves, and that may well be true, but it’s his very defense of the thing that leads Joey right to it--and so, right into Scratch’s plans.

In this regard, Jude’s fears have come fully to fruition, as his knowledge of Doom helped the aliens who abducted his sister in the first place. Jude’s shirt is not just a mark of interest, but a prophecy of the fate Jude himself was doomed to witness, and Joey to experience.

And here is where it gets interesting (and somewhat speculative), because Jude’s Classpect is only half as relevant to his family as it is to his relationship with the source of all their troubles, the true antagonistic force behind both Hiveswap and Hauntswitch.

Homestuck’s Doom players were always marked by a duality motif, largely centered on Red and Blue. This was fitting for the trolls, as everything that Beforus and Alternia were doomed to was ultimately linked to the Red/Blue bomb that would eventually lead to the creation of the Green Sun.

Notice how once the sun is created, Sollux’s red/blue motif expires, and reaching the sun is basically the end of his relevance to the plot.

But even then he maintains a focus on Black/White duality. As is fitting of a Doom player, because Duality seems to be one of the biggest fundamental principles of Paradox Space. Everything in Homestuck comes in pairs: Aspects, Classes, Class Verbs, Players--all of it.

Duality is the rule, the boundary--just as death is a rule we all must follow, just as some fates are unavoidable. And so Jude, like the Captors, is similarly marked by a motif of duality. Only instead of the Red/Blue that the Captors are bound by, Jude is marked by the Red/Green color contrast linked to all Cherubs and, specifically, the cherub responsible for these games’ events:

Lord English.

Jude’s Red/Green motif directly references Lord English at least once, when the red and green marbles are used as the Lion’s eyes. Yaldabaoth--the evil, flawed creator God that Lord English is partly based on--is commonly depicted as a serpent with a lion’s head. And this lion has its gaze planted firmly on a globe of Alternia, reflecting Lord English’s indomitable control over the planet.

It goes further.

Whether or not the Cherub portal is a literal doomsday device, as has been hypothesized, it’s undeniable that every member of the cast is doomed. Both Alternia and Earth are doomed by Sburb in a matter of decades, so Jude, Joey, Xefros and Dammek are all on borrowed time.

Hell, this even extends to Trizza, who must inevitably be ousted or killed as Heiress in order to make way for Feferi’s short-lived reign. And on both sides of the Portal, the fates the characters are being led to are tied to agents of the

Lord of Time himself.

Because while Joey and Xefros seem to be dealing with the nefarious influence of Doc Scratch, Jude still has his Cultists to deal with--and they’re likely more linked to Lord English than it initially seems.

After all, The Condesce spent time on Earth before her dissapearance--perhaps enough to craft the perfect Heiress, but almost definitely enough to continue her habit of empowering clown-themed cults to carry out her agendas for her, just as she did on Alternia through Subjugglators and as she will on Alpha Earth through the juggalo presidents.

And while we never learned about the cult of the Mirthful Messiahs in too much detail in the comic, they are described as being spread across the cosmos. It makes sense to think they may be a smaller operation on the Beta Earth, where the Condesce spent relatively little time. But it is still altogether likely that they are already here.

And if so, Jude and his friends seem to be the only ones watching.

I’m really overwhelmed and grateful by the support so many have shown me, and excited to take posts like the one I did on Joey and this one to Youtube, where more of the fandom can engage with classpects in an accessible way!

You can also feel free to drop by and chat about this and other interesting Hiveswap and Homestuck topics in the r/Hiveswap discord!

Hope to see you soon, and until then–

Keep Rising!

[Patreon] [Hiveswap Discord]

#Hiveswap #Jude Harley #Seer of Doom #Joey Claire #Dammek #Doc Scratch #A. Claire #Lord English #Condesce #My MSPA Analysis #Hiveswap spoilers #Hauntswitch speculation #Mirthful Messiahs

479 notes · View notes

letscuttothefeeling · 5 years ago

Text

season three episode five

How much allegiance does your hairdresser owe you? Most people form a pretty tight bond with the person cutting their hair. Not only do you entrust your hairdresser with your appearance and whatever gossip you share while getting your head massaged – you also trust them not to murder you even though they could easily slit your throat with scissors!! I know you’re pondering that ethical dilemma, but dropetté because it’s time to cut to the feeling!

Okay, we’re starting off with Amanda and Chloe at the beach, discussing Cara’s freakoutté in the last episode, which is great because I want to rewind and delve further into it. The more I watch it, the less it makes sense. Why would the producers intervene? They barely stepped in when Juliette started hitting Chloe and Amanda – why whisk Cara away just for yelling that no one graduated high school for the fortieth time? Well, I hope you’re a fan of conspiracy theories because have I got one for you. I believe that the producers instructed Alex to push a fabricated storyline involving Cara cheating on G Baby. I’m guessing that they figured Cara would either go along with it, or that she’d get angry, (because that’s her job…) but what they didn’t predict was that Cara had reached her breaking point. Instead of screaming at Alex, (which is what they tried to play this off as,) I think she was screaming at the producers about the utter fakeness of the show. She was tired of constantly being painted as the villain. Which is why they ultimately removed her from the boat. It would also explain the choppy editing and the fact that she dropped out of the show. Thoughts? Opinions? I don’t care, I’m right. Let’s move on.

Finally, the moment I’ve been waiting for – ALYSSA’S SIESTA KEY DEBUT! Who is Alyssa, you ask? LET ME EXPLAIN. Alyssa is Alex’s long-time family friend and current baby mama! She is also Juliette’s former friend from FSU and – you guessed it – HAIRDRESSER. Hairdresser! Has she no decency!? If you’re a friend, feel free to date my ex, but if you’re my hairdresser?! Dream on, bitch! I swear to God, the day Savannah (my hairdresser) starts dating my ex?! Utter chaos! Sadly, Juliette was warned that her hairdresser was a sneaky brownnoser with a hidden agenda. In last season, we witnessed a Chloe and Juliette blowuppé caused by Juliette’s pesky hairdresser! Her OWN HAIRDRESSER told Chloe she was talking shit. While that would be more than enough for me to say goodbye, Juliette kind of has this pattern of ignoring people’s many glaring red flags, idk if you’ve noticed it though, it’s something not many people know about her.

Anyways, this is a betrayal worse than JC and Brutus, worse than JC and Judas, and dare I say – even worse than that time in Stephanie Meyer’s third American novel in the Twilight Series – Eclipse, when Bella, desperate to stop Jacob from fighting in werewolf form against the savage newborn vampire army Victoria and her new lover Riley had created, kisses Jacob in what she claims is an attempt to get him to stay with her in the safety of the tent, but what we know is an act of love and a direct betrayal of Vampire Edward. It hurts to even think about it. And right after they got engaged? Bella, you can be so heartless. But is this funny because we find out later that even though Alex may find Alyssa to be hotter than Juliette, he literally doesn’t like her. Ouch!

Wait – he doesn’t like her? I thought she was with child – his child! Well, you’re right, she is carrying a small Shrek Alex inside of her uterus, but I guess having someone’s child doesn’t actually force them to like you. Who knew? Would have saved me a lot of grief to have that intel, let me tell you. LOL!! Anyways, we know he doesn’t like Alyssa because he told Juliette to her face that he doesn’t like Alyssa. After Juliette and Boring Robby: The Liar have yet another unsuccessful (and boring) conversation about Alex, Juliette ignores his wishes and goes to see Alex for the first time since the breakuppé anyways. But before we discuss their conversation, I need to get something off my chest. I get a distinctly strange Fatherly vibe from Boring Robby when he and Juliette talk, and it’s so unsettling. Maybe it’s the never-ending rip off of Confucius quotes that spill out of his mouth hole uncontrollably? Seriously, Boring Robby’s only talent (besides stealing) is word vomiting random phrases that don’t pertain to the topic of conversation whatsoever. I mean, “That’s like sitting in the driver’s seat, moving forward, while watching the rearview mirror.” Intern, get this philosopher a quill, some ink, and a Pulitzer Prize…STAT!

Juliette and Alex’s talk goes just about as well as it could possibly go. (It goes horribly.) Luckily, we got some genuine dynamite quotes from the exchange. I was geeking watching this because Juliette has this wonderful habit of exercising exactly zero willpower when it comes to Alex, so we truly get a look inside her brain during this convo. Like she literally can’t control what she says. Maybe that’s why she’s dating Boring Robby. He can’t stop quoting Seventeen Magazine, and Juliette can’t stop herself from screaming “You haven’t found a girl that’s hotter than me” at her ex. It’s one and the same. When Alex and Juliette sit down to talk, it gets heated pretty quickly. Alex admits that he’s not over Juliette, and even though he has “found a girl (or ten) hotter than [Juliette]”, he “hasn’t found a girl [he] likes more than [Juliette].” Juliette brings up Alex’s threating texts to Boring Robby, there are tears from both parties, and Juliette drives off. It’s like, I get why you wanted to, but really Juliette – how did you think this would go?

Okay so let’s take a break from all of this Jalex drama. As much as I love it – wow it’s exhausting! Cut to: BG and Amanda getting steamy in the hot tub! Unfortunately for Brandon, the only thing he’s getting is a steaming pile of rejection. When BG asks Amanda to be official, presumably because he’s worried about her ex, she tells him she doesn’t want to put a label on it. Cringe! Meanwhile, Kelsey and her new friend Jake seem to be getting close, and no – I didn’t mean to type “Jared.” That’s right, Kelsey is up to her usual antics and starting to date multiple guys at once again, finally! As Jake, who is also Robby’s best friend, tearfully confides in Kelsey about his sick father, Kelsey reassuringly responds, “Clearly you have a good shoulder on your head. Your Dad has raised you right.” Normally I would crucify her for this blunder, but she’s been so great this season that I’ll let it slide. Kind of.

This is me not letting it slide.

Time for Amanda’s party! The first fun thing that happens is that Chloe and Juliette finally makeup, thank GOD because I like both of them infinitely more when they’re friends. The second fun thing is that even though noble Juliette leaves Boring Robby at home out of respect for Alex, Alex walks in holding her – gasp – HAIRDRESSER’S hand. Mike drop, Alex! Jake, Kelsey’s new love interest and Robby’s BFF, makes a sly comment about Alex which TOTALLY comes back to bite him in the ass when none other than shit-stirrer Chloe decides to blow up his spot – but we’ll get to that later. For now, Juliette’s just trying to keep her cool. Respect!

Juliette has been keeping it under control until Amanda confronts her about the lost phone. As we know, Amanda suspects Robby of stealing her phone. And based on Juliette’s face, he is guilty as charged. Juliette breaks down and tells Amanda that Boring Robby threw her phone in the ocean. Surprisingly, Amanda is really nice to Juliette about it, so major props! I think Amanda knows Juliette didn’t have anything to do with the phone and is probably very overwhelmed since she’s being filmed while her ex-boyfriend and ex-hairdresser are making out in front of her face while she’s trying to repair relationships with her best friends. So good for Amanda. Now that Juliette has her friends back, she’s ready for anything. Well, almost anything.

The party’s going too well, so Chloe decides to stir the pot and tell Alex that Jake called him a “sociopath” as Jake is sitting right next to him. Alex immediately dares him to define the word sociopath. This is particularly hilarious because just last week, Alex asked Cara to define the word slander. Why is his go-to insult asking people if they know the Merriam Webster definition of various words? Like next thing you know, you’re going to be asking me how to spell it and use it in a sentence. This isn’t Scripps. Anyways, before Jake can even try to define it, Alex steps in and defines sociopath as “Someone that obsesses over multiple things, that is um…very uh…self-centered, I guess you could say.” SO close, buddy! But no cigar. He truly puts the dick in dictionary, am I right?! His new girlfriend also channels his dick vibe and waltzes up to Juliette to “talk.” I love when people decide to “talk” to Juliette when she’s wasted and vulnerable. Leave Juliette alone! Luckily, Alyssa ends up looking like a complete idiot. She’s condescending, rude, and acts like Juliette has no reason to be thrown off. Even when Alex comes up, Juliette stands her ground and remains fairly level-headed. Alyssa walks away to let the two hash it out, but then proceeds to scream from across the room for Alex to come stand next to her, and admits defeat by confiding in her friends that “he still loves Juliette.” Stay in your lane, sweetie. You’re just a rebound. (Until you get knocked up…but we don’t know that yet.) See you next week.

#siestakey #alexkompo #julietteporter #mtv #mtvsiestakey

0 notes

blessedsinnersrp-blog · 7 years ago

Photo

Follow your fellow sheep down to the slaughter, Lennon.

You’ve been accepted as Colette Young with the FC Emmy Rossum. Saying wow five hundred times would not adequately describe how we felt about your audition. The depth you put into Colette was incomparable. she already had so many issues, and you were cruel enough to add to the pot. You are just such an incredibly talented writer, and we can’t wait to watch this town devour your characters.

Please send in your account within the next twenty-four hours.

desired character → colette wanda young

face claims ⟨⟨ please list 2-3 options ⟩⟩ → emmy rossum, phoebe tonkin

why do you want this character → Colette is a fascinating character to me; her skeleton suggests that there is a lot more than what meets the eye which I positively love. It’s not that she’s stronger than she seems, it’s that she is likely weaker. The first bullet point suggests someone who is fearless and blunt, but the fact that she allows these men to walk all over her suggest something else. She reminds me a lot of the women I grew up around- truly southern women. Not the bless your heart church goers, but the redneck wives that are tough as nails but ‘know their place.’ I have a love/hate relationship with that trope and I wanted to try to make it my own.

character quote ⟨⟨ this can be dialogue that your character has said, a song lyric, etc. just something that catches the vibe of your person ⟩⟩ → i have survived so many fires, i can no longer tell if i am alive or still burning

possible future plot ideas ⟨⟨ this could be pertaining to a certain direction you wish to take your character as well as connections and potential plots with other characters ⟩⟩ →

I’m still trying to feather out exactly where I think Colette would go but I do have a few basic connections with most of the groups already existing in bumfuck.

i. The MCs; Obviously, she works for them, she fears them in her own way, and she fucking despises them. I would love to see how her interactions differ between the older more racist members and the newer ones. She would be weary of all of them and I can’t see her being fond of Hunter at all- ‘yes ma’am. no, i don’t mean hunter- i mean ma’am. because like it or not having that name don’t make you better than me, ya’ fuckin’ bitch.’ Colette hates it when people talk down to her and I could see Hunter doing that a lot- doing woman’s work at all that. It would really rub her the wrong way because of everyone involved with the MCs, she would expect Hunter to get it. And the fact that she would treat her the same way as the testosterone fueled dumbasses, boils her blood. If anything, she might try to fuck Leo to secure her position in the bar, and to make sure one of his trigger happy minions won’t shoot her if she ever snaps at them.

ii. Church Goers; Depending on how long the members have been there, they might remember Colette and her siblings coming to church every Sunday. Or when they suddenly stopped because their momma was serving life in prison for shooting their daddy in the head. It wouldn’t be that shocking if one of them reached out to her family following the tragedy of their father’s death. Colette fucking hates the church and everything that has to do with religion but she likely sees a lot of them around town. She has probably butted heads more than once with Jeremiah and Juliet, which isn’t doing her any favors. As her skeleton stated, she’s likely served multiple church goers and she loves having something over the self proclaimed saints.

iii. The Law; She, like any self respecting redneck, does not much care for the police. She doesn’t trust them and even though it has been over ten years since she shot her father, she is still worried that someone is going to reopen the case of her father’s murder and find her guilty. No one, save for one of her younger sisters, knows that she was the one that killed her father. I would love to see that fear explored on a deeper level.

iv. Meth Ring; Her family- her father, her mother, her brothers and sisters- have all dabbled in the drugs and meth has always had a place in her family’s home. Her siblings have probably dealt for the ring before. I could see her father have worked for or with the ring before, but if that doesn’t comply with what you guys had in mind I totally understand. Either way, I think that she, or at least her family, would be well known to the ring. Remi is, of course, another connection that I think would be amazing because I can’t see how this relationship wouldn’t be toxic as hell. As much as Colette knows that she’s addicted- like really fucking addicted to the point that she’s turning into her dearest mother- she can’t stop. That’s the great thing about addiction, ya see. And she probably has a love/hate relationship with Remi, loves that he keeps giving her what she wants but hates him because she sees him as something of an enabler.

v. Other- Character Specific; Colette could have a very interesting relationship with Rhys, simply because he likely frequents the bar she works at and he’s associated with the criminal justice system so she already has a chip on her shoulder against him.

Other - General;

- Colette is very protective over her siblings, particularly her younger sisters. She’s acted as the ‘father with a shotgun’ for much of their lives so she probably could have threatened someone who was attempting to fuck one of her siblings.

- Colette is a sucker for a pretty face - well, not really, but she does get around a lot. I could see her having one or more fuck buddies.

- I can’t imagine Colette has a lot, or really any, friends, but I imagine that she has one or two from high school or childhood that remained in her life. After all, with how fuckin’ small bumfuck is, it would be impossible not to.

ＨＩＳＴＯＲＹ

biography ⟨⟨ minimum of 400 words ⟩⟩ →

tw: rape, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, abortion, murder

John Young, a cousin fuckin’ good ole boy, had nine children with Claudette Pickens; most of his kin were following in his footsteps of making a career out of being incarcerated. His fourth child and first daughter, Colette Wanda, was the apple of his eye. Of course, that meant instead of slapping her around like he did his boys, he saved her until she was old enough to take him to bed. The first eight years of her life were relatively happy; her house stunk of meth and cigarettes and desperation, but she thanked the Lord above that her daddy loved her enough not to put out his cigarettes on her arms. Her brothers got the brunt of her father’s anger, though on occasion he would strike Claudette with a beer bottle. But his daughters, his precious little girls, would remain untouched until a certain age.

She tries not to think about her childhood after her eighth birthday, the year John said she became a woman. The touch of older men is still enough to make her stomach turn and her hands twitch towards her knife. The years after that didn’t matter much to her. They were spent hiding bruises on herself and on her siblings, learning how to hold her liquor and when to switch daddy from bourbon to apple juice, how to throw a punch and how to take one. It cultivated a pistol in her mouth, one that caused her father to promote her from a bedwarmer, to a punching bag and a bedwarmer. Her momma was so proud.

Colette tries not to think about the years between eight and fourteen. She was fourteen when her father got her pregnant. She was fourteen when she had her first and last abortion. She was fourteen when she started sleeping with a knife under her pillow. She was fourteen when her father tried to sneak into her room and she stabbed him in the eye. He lived; Colette was in the hospital for two weeks- fell down the stairs, her mother said. When she came back, her father stopped coming into her room.

Colette was fifteen when she went to her first funeral. She was fifteen when her father was killed by a bullet that was lodged in his head. She was fifteen when her mother went to prison for life for his murder- one look at Claudette’s rotting teeth and arms covered in track marks and the jury couldn’t deliberate fast enough. She was fifteen when she had to keep the secret that still haunts her. She isn’t sorry that she took the shotgun off the wall and shot her father dead. She was sorry he was standing over her little sister when he fell over with a bullet blasted through his brain.

Two of her older brothers were over eighteen, but both of them were serving time when the rest of the children were left without any sort of parent to speak of. Colette and her siblings were ready to fight tooth and nail to force that state’s hand and let them all stay together. Fortunately for the Young siblings - or unfortunately depending on one’s view - child protective services in bumfuck were lack luster to say the least. No one wanted to waste the time or resources on children who would likely end up in prison and someone else’s problem sooner or later. Colette and her twin brother, Carl, were the ones to carry the family and take care of the younger siblings. Carl immediately dropped out of high school, but Colette attempted to stay for another year. Eventually she had to drop out to work full time. As far as her employers at Legs knew, Colette was well over eighteen, though most people knew that the eldest Young daughter was barely sixteen.

When she was offered a job at Snake ‘n’ Jake’s, she was more than willing to leave her job at Legs. The MC set her goddamn teeth on edge but working with limp dicked bible thumpers who got off on calling her a whore when they only lasted twelve seconds was making her go out of her goddamn mind. Colette never had the longest fuse when it came to… well, anything- she much preferred to come out fists swinging instead of taking shit endlessly. She figured that working with drunken patrons would be a slight step up from working at Legs. It takes every ounce of her self control not to crack a bottle of beer over the patrons’ heads but she’s managed so far. She hates how much the bar, or rather who owns it, feels so familiar to her. The guns, the drugs, the white supremacy- reminded her of daddy dearest and her brothers. As much as she hates her job, it’s not as though she can quit, or get fired- there’s not much employment options for a high school drop out without a GED or much anger management to speak of.

3-5 factoids ⟨⟨ these can be as simple as a few of their favorite movies and colors, to something more complex that you feel fleshes out your character ⟩⟩ →

i. She grew up with a father that was very handsy, to put it politely. People, especially men that are much larger than her, touching her sets her teeth on edge. Most of the time, she would unload her glock into their skull, but at work, she is unable to do so. That doesn’t stop the thought from entering her mind everytime an MC gets a bit to close. Her patience has never been that impressive, and it’s wearing thinner and thinner as time goes on.

ii. Colette wouldn’t say she has a vendetta against the church, but she sure as fuck doesn’t believe in their God. As a child, she and her mother would attend every Sunday service and she would pray every week to God above to save her from the awful monster that was inside her daddy. And she never felt any relief. As an adult, she is incredibly bitter about the church and any who place their faith in the old building- or the crook who preaches there. Colette is thankful that most of those high and mighty bible thumpers stay the fuck out of her bar. On the rare occasion that one of them stumble into a seat before her, she maintains composure enough to allow them to come to confession over cheap whiskey.

iii. Despite working for the MC, Colette is positively disgusted with the views the club has about… literally everything. Everything they spew is literal bullshit. She’s lived in bumfuck just as long as the rest of them, and she knows exactly how hateful this town is. She doesn’t agree with any of it, and she’s fairly certain that at least one of the member have caught her snickering at their dated ideals. She’s been able to brush it off, batting her eye lashes and flattering them with compliments until they dropped it. Colette knows she needs to get her mouth under control, for her own safety and stability. She might think all of them are fucking idiots that she doesn’t agree with but she happens to agree with living and having a stable income, thank you very much.

iv. She wouldn’t say that she is an avid defender of the second amendment but she is damn sure that she’s not going to get hurt because some cousin fuckin’ good ole boys come in and decide to test her. Because of this, Colette is always armed. Always. She always has her knife attached to her thigh and she keeps a gun underneath the bar at work. Every room in her house has at least one firearm, though all of them are hidden from the house’s other occupants.

v. Colette and those of her siblings that aren’t incarcerated live in their childhood home. Plenty of her siblings and cousins pass through the house when they’re out on bail, and are welcome to stay as long as they follow Colette’s rules namely - ‘you touch one of my kids and they will never find your body’ - but she is the oldest permanent occupant. As such, she currently resides in the old master bedroom, formerly owned by her parents. There are still bullet holes in the walls and there’s a stink of meth that a decade couldn’t waft out but she prefers it to the time that she had to share her bedroom with three or more people.

#accepted #accepted: colette young #rp #rpg #roleplay

3 notes · View notes