#never mind that he's technically the boss--lucy will decide for lucy

[tulipe-rose]

I can imagine Lucy finding out about Q being locked inside the Mafia basement by chance while serving a pair of mafiosi at the Cafe.

She knew that Q worked for the Mafia to begin with, so she figured it wasn't her place to interfere if the kid wanted to stay there, but then one of the mafiosi said “That vile kid is probably never gonna see the light of day after that, you never know with the boss.” Apparently, Q had wiped out another Port Mafia division while being allowed some time outside the basement (but it was just Mori indirectly eliminating that division since it was full of incompetent druggies that were always failing missions and causing losses for the Mafia).

She would listen in to the conversation, and while they made Q out to be some merciless monster, Lucy felt like that it was an accident caused by the fact that Q couldn't control their ability. Lucy decided to do some digging, and eventually hears the story from a blonde girl she shops with at the grocery store every other day (they're buddies, they exchange brand recommendations from time to time. They also talk about their taste in music [that's for another post.]) because she heard her muttering about it.

The whole thing doesn't sit right with her the more she hears about it, and she snaps internally when she realizes how objectified that child is, and how long the kid was in the Mafia. She personally spoke with the kid during their little tea party, their childish enthusiasm doesn't fit the 'monster' persona imposed on them. I can see her attempting to hire the armed detective agency after some consideration and thinking, hoping they could do something about the Q situation, but they refuse the case since they're on a truce with the Port Mafia and can't breach it, not at the moment at least. They know how terrible the situation is, they know how shitty it must be for the kid, but it is not their position to interfere with Mafia members, or more accurately, assets.

Lucy just sits in her apartment that night, coming up with a final decision: if they won't help with the Q situation, then she'll have to take matters into her own hands. The longer she thought about it the more she made up her mind (This is reckless AF, not thought out, because what is she going to do the moment Q is with her but with a full bounty on his head? The only reason why this isn't as dooming as it would be is because she doesn't have any formal ties or affiliations with either organization, and this is technically a solo infiltration so the Ada and pm have no reason to start an all out war.)

Girl went against the government and barged into their office without a second thought because she was certain of Atsushi's innocence, and even made one of the biggest contributions to their plan; she's the definition of ride or die, so the idea of breaking in to the Mafia HQ didn't sound as terrifying, or insane as it should've.

(Atsushi is in on it, he distracts Akutagawa and his division by provoking Akutagawa into a large scale fight with him and dragging everyone into it to cause a commotion; they needed to get an ID to get into the Mafia HQ, so Atsushi was giving Lucy a chance to swipe it from any of them and enter while no one was paying attention. Atsushi might not like Q, but he knows what abuse is like, and he knows that even if he didn't cooperate, Lucy would still do it either way, so the least he could do is make sure she doesn't jump into it headfirst. #orphansolidarity.)

Lucy dresses in a full black suit and uses temporary black hair dye to hide her wine red hair (it backfires and turns into a very dark green. Anne comforts her with things like 'it's at least more subtle than the red' or something). She managed to get the Port Mafia floorplan from Atsushi, who got it from Dazai at one point in time (Dazai knew Atsushi would help Lucy, and planned to sneak into Atsushi's apartment to retrieve the map, but instead ends up marking a few pointers and passageways on the map for Lucy to use; he even marked the places and hallways she should avoid if she didn't want to get caught.). She manages to make her way through the building and to the basement, and somehow broke into the basement. It takes Q a hot minute to recognize her, and is confused until she begins frantically explaining and telling Q that they don't have time. Q is confused as hell by now because they(? What is Q I still don't know ;-;) probably never even realize that escaping is an option. Q tells her that they can't leave, and begins talking to her in a moment of raw honesty. People would be terrified if something like Q was out in the open without any restraints or anything holding them back. That there's no hope for them. That God doesn't love them, and goes on about that load of bull John told them. Luc takes them to Anne's room and gives them a pep talk, and it ends with her giving Q the biggest bear hug ever.

(John you better watch out 'cause Lucy has a huge bone to pick with you next time she sees you).

Q cries, because this is the very first time someone spoke to them so... Kindly. Q cries, because this is the first time someone ever told them that they were good for anything beyond destruction. Q cries, because they forgot what the bare minimum of affection felt like. Lucy manages to sneak out with Q inside Anne's room, and for some reason (read: Kyōka and Anne's threatening), Mushitarō provides assistance, and uses her ability and manages to not get caught.

i NEED lucy and q interacting pls omg

[wonkasmissstarshine]

The Chocolatier’s Rose {Willy Wonka x OC} Ch.25

GIF not mine. Credit goes to owner.

Summary: Rose goes dress shopping with her mother and Charlie. While shopping, she also meets a new friend.

Tagging: @holdmeicant​ @willymywonkers​ @sleepiesapphicxoxo​

When Rose woke up in the morning, she found it odd that Willy wasn't in bed with her. She frowned at that. However, she did find a note on her bedside table. She grabbed it and read it.

Morning starshine

I had some things that needed to be done today, so I got up extra early to do them. The reason for this is because I want to take you somewhere special tonight. I love you, and I'll see you tonight! Oh, and make sure you wear something extra special!

Rose smiled. She couldn't wait for tonight. Willy always had the most special and unforgettable things planned for her, so she couldn't wait to see what he would do tonight. For now though, Rose decided that she would go join her family for breakfast.

******

Rose opened the door to the Bucket house to find them preparing for breakfast. "Morning Buckets!" She greeted everyone.

"Hello, Rose!" Everyone else greeted back.

The house smelled of pancakes, bacon, eggs and freshly squeezed orange juice. "I came to join you all for breakfast" She sat in her usual spot, between Grandma Josephine and Grandma Georgina.

"Absolutely dear" Mrs Bucket said with a smile. "We always have a place set for you, and for Willy" Once all the food was on the table, everyone helped themselves and began eating. "Rose, I was thinking. There's extra money saved up. How about you and me go dress shopping?"

"Really mum?" Rose asked. She's never been dress shopping with her mum before, since they could never afford to go, but now they could. And it was a perfect opportunity, since Willy wanted her to wear something extra special. What's more special than a brand new dress? "I'd like that. Thank you"

"Can I come too?" Charlie asked. He missed spending time with his sister.

"Of course, Charlie" Rose nodded. "As long as you don't mind watching me try on dresses"

"Where is Willy this morning, Rose?" Mr Bucket asked.

"He had things he needed to get done this morning. Then for this evening, he said he's taking me somewhere special tonight" Rose explained.

Mrs Bucket smirked. "Well, it's a good thing we're going dress shopping then"

"Do you know where he's taking you?" Grandpa Joe wondered.

Rose shook her head. "No idea, but I have a feeling that it's somewhere outside the factory" But Rose knew that it wasn't the location the made her time with Willy special. It was the fact that she was just with him. Of course, there was a reason tonight was going to be special, and the other Buckets knew.

Willy was planning to propose tonight.

******

Rose, Charlie, and Mrs Bucket took the glass elevator to a well known dress shop in town. The minute she stepped inside, everyone had stopped to stare at Rose. No one had quite seen a woman dress quite the way she had. After all, she had a thick black fur coat draped over her, black goggles on her face, purple gloves, a top hat and walked around with a candy-cane cane.

"Everyone is staring at you" Charlie whispered to Rose.

Rose smiled. "Let them, Charlie. I'm quite proud of the person I've become"

Mrs Bucket smiled as she pat Rose on the shoulder. "I am too, dear"

A girl with fiery red hair approached the three Buckets. "Excuse me, miss?" The woman called to Rose in particular. Rose looked at the woman. "I must say you have the best sense of style that I've ever seen. I wish more people would be more extraordinary like you"

Rose grinned at the woman. "Thank you..." She noticed the red head wearing a name tag. Rose leaned over to read it. "Lucy. If you think I'm stylish, you should see my boyfriend"

Lucy giggled. She wished there were more customers like this woman. Everyone that comes into the store is always so stuck up and judgemental. But this woman, she seemed whimsical and full of wonder.

"Normally, I wouldn't offer what I'm about to offer" Lucy started. "But I actually design some of my own dresses, but my boss always calls them too "nonsensical" to let me display them. I think they might be to your liking though, Miss..."

"Rose Wo...." She caught herself. She had to remind herself that her and Willy weren't married yet, so she technically didn't have his name yet. "I mean, Bucket. Rose Bucket" Rose shook Lucy's hand. "This is my younger brother, Charlie, and this lovely woman is our mother"

"Pleasure to meet all of you" Lucy smiled at them. "Would you like to see my dresses?"

"I would absolutely love to, Lucy"

******

Lucy brought Rose, Charlie, and Mrs Bucket to a private dressing room in the back. It also doubled as Lucy's design studio. "Please have a seat, and excuse the mess" She said. Charlie and Mrs Bucket both sat on the couch. Lucy stood in front of Rose. "Can I take your coat, hat, gloves, cane and goggles for you?"

Rose nodded and handed each item off to Lucy. She made sure to handle each item with care. When it came to Rose removing her goggles, Lucy gasped "Wow. You have very lovely eyes!"

"Oh, thank you" Rose said. "But they're just plain old brown"

"Brown?" Lucy quirked her head to the side. "They're not brown. They're violet"

Rose's eyebrows raised. "Violet?" She turned around and looked in the mirror. Lucy was right. Her eyes had somehow turned violet. Like Willy's eyes. "Oh my marshmallows..."

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows and turned to face Charlie and Mrs Bucket. "Is she always like this?" She asked them.

"Not until recently" Mrs Bucket explained. "Then she met and fell in love with Willy. She's been dressing and acting the same way as him"

"As in Willy Wonka?" Lucy asked. She wondered why Rose almost said the name. "Oh, he's absolutely amazing! You're a very lucky girl, Rose. How did you two meet?"

"Charlie actually found one of the golden tickets" Rose said, smiling over at her brother.

"I had to bring a chaperone with me, so I brought Rose" Charlie further explained. "Rose and Mr Wonka fell in love during the tour"

An inhuman noise escaped Lucy's mouth as she squealed. "Oh, that's so cute!"

"Willy is taking me out for a special date tonight and he wants me to wear a special dress. Can you help me out, Lucy?" Rose said.

"Of course!" Lucy replied, clapping her hands together. She eyed Rose up and down. "Hmm. I think I know the perfect dress for you" With that, Lucy momentarily left to go find a dress.

"She seems really nice" Charlie commented.

"Doesn't she?" Mrs Bucket agreed with a nod. She looked around the room and noticed all the papers with designs on them sticking on the wall. "Look at all her designs. You can tell she's really passionate about fashion"

Rose was also looking around at Lucy's designs. One in particular caught her attention. "Oh, look at his one!" She carefully took the picture of the wall and got a closer look at it. 

It was a dress with white puffy sleeves, like fluffy white clouds in the sky. The top of the dress was a darker grey colour with raindrop shapes on it. The skirt of the dress was short and puffy, and bright blue with a rainbow coloured sash wrapped around the length of the skirt. "It reminds me of a rainy day, but then as you go down the dress, the skies get clearer and then a beautiful rainbow appears in the sky"

"I'm glad someone understands what I was going for" Lucy said when she came back into the room. She had a long white bag with her, no doubt containing a dress in it. "I showed that design to Judy, my boss, but she called it too childish and said I need to keep my head out of the clouds" Lucy frowned and looked down at the ground. "Said I need to stop dreaming"

"Nonsense, Lucy!" Rose said. She grabbed her by the shoulders. Lucy raised her head to look at Rose. "Do you think if Willy Wonka stopped dreaming, that he'd be the amazing chocolatier he is today? Do you think that if Charlie stopped dreaming, he'd ever have found that golden ticket? If Mrs Mason had stopped dreaming, would her pies still be as magical?"

Lucy smiled, and Rose continued. "The point is Lucy, the most successful people got to where they are because they never stopped dreaming. Dreams are what give this world hope. I bet you, one day, you'll open a dress shop of your own and every young girl and woman will be lining up at the door just to wear a Lucy original"

"Thank you, Rose" Lucy said. "You're very kind. Mr Wonka is a very lucky man" She winked and then held up the bag. "The dress is in here. You can change just behind the curtain" Lucy handed the dress of to Rose. Rose then went behind the curtain to change.

Rose gasped when she actually saw the dress. It was a long, burgundy, off the shoulder dress. The skirt reached down to the ground and a slit came halfway up the dress. Rose petals decorated the top of the dress, just above the bust and the top part of the sleeves. There were also rose petals lined on the hem of the dress.

Rose put the dress on and stepped out to show everyone. Mrs Bucket gasped, putting her hands over her mouth, Charlie smiled and his eyes sparkled with admiration, and Lucy eyed her over with a proud smile on her face.

"You look real beautiful in that, Rose" Lucy complimented her. She stood behind the girl, placing her hands on her shoulders and moved her in front of the full-body mirror. "Like something out of a storybook"

"Lucy, this dress is beautiful. And are these real rose petals?" Rose asked.

"Yep" Lucy confirmed. "I preserved them so they'll never wilt. You can preserve anything to use for a dress if you really wanted to. And I'm the best at it"

"Lucy, I think this dress will be perfect!" Rose beamed. "For whatever Willy has planned tonight. I'm sure he'll love this dress as well"

Mrs Bucket and Charlie smiled at each other. If only Rose knew. Mrs Bucket then proceeded to pull the money out of her pocket. "How much for the dress, Lucy?" She asked.

"Mrs Bucket, consider this dress a gift for your beautiful daughter" Lucy said.

Mrs Bucket was taken back with the woman's kindness. "Are you sure, dear?"

"Absolutely. I've been looking for someone to take that dress home for a long time. And I'm just glad it's going home with someone who dreams as big as I do"

******

Lucy walked everyone back outside. Mrs Bucket offered to carry the dress home, which was now off of Rose and safely kept in the bag. "It was nice meeting you all" Lucy said to the Buckets. "I hope you come by my shop again"

"You can count on that, Lucy" Rose said. "And remember what I said, don't ever quit dreaming"

Lucy smiled and then hugged Rose. She then looked down at Charlie. "Very lucky boy you are, Charlie. Having a sister like Rose"

"I am" Charlie said, glancing at Rose. Charlie couldn't see it under the goggles, but he knew she winked at him.

"But she's also lucky having a brother like you" Lucy added. She held out her hand for Charlie to shake. He happily shook it. "And you know, I've got a younger sister around your age. I think the two of you would get along wonderfully, if you'd ever like to meet her"

Charlie's grin widened. "That'd be great"

"Thanks again, Lucy" Mrs Bucket said. "You've been very wonderful to us"

"It's very rare meeting people like you. People with pure kindness in their hearts. So, I have to thank you for that, Mrs Bucket" Lucy then began looking around. "How are you all going to get home? I don't see a car anywhere"

"Oh, we've got something much better than a car!" Rose said. She began walking to the glass elevator. "You see, we've got something called a great glass elevator and it can--" Rose wasn't paying attention and she wound up walking into the closed doors of the elevator, and she fell to the ground.

Lucy let out a worried gasp. "Are you alright, Rose?"

Rose gathered herself and stood up. "Now I feel bad for anytime I might have laughed at Willy for doing that..."

[writingfromkitchenator]

A Not So Dreamless Sleep ~ Part 2

A Crowley x Winchester!Sister OC

Lucy Winchester wakes up to a normal life, a life she had always wanted with a loving partner, a solid career with her brother, and a family that is complete.  The problem is, she’s knows that it was wrong, a feeling nagging away in the back of her mind, and once she figures out what is going on, the consequences bring up a whole new set of problems that she wasn’t quite ready to deal with.

Part 1

This is an 18+ story.  Warnings below.

Series Warnings: Suicide, talk of suicide (fair warning, the suicide isn’t technically real in the context of the story), angst, violence, torture, severe injuries, near death experiences, NSFW content, unprotected sex, fingering, plenty of fluff and teasing, mutual pining, minor touch starvation.

Words: 9,817

Part Warnings: Mentions of suicide, angst, violence, torture, severe injuries

Part 2

A beeping cut harshly through her ears, making Lucy groan a little, things slowly coming into focus, her head feeling heavy, her body feeling weak.  She struggles to open her eyes and through all the blur she makes out the source of the noise, a heart monitor next to her bed.

A tumble of thoughts made her stare at it, wondering what had happened, two sets of memories seeming to vastly conflict with each other, a pain in the back of her skull not helping to determine which one was real.

“I was starting to wonder whether you’d wake up.”

It was a struggle, but she turned her head towards the voice, her eyes still blurry, but she had a suspicion on who it was.  “Crowley?”

“Hello darling,” He said with a grin, casting a quick look at the door.  “Can’t stay long, just wanted to make sure you didn’t die on me, I don’t think your brothers would’ve liked that, I think they would’ve been more unbearable than they already are.”

Lucy fights to stay conscious, her body extremely tired, and this just confused her more, frowning slightly, the memories seeming even more unfocused.  “What?  Did I say yes?”

She couldn’t make out Crowley’s confused expression at this, her eyes closing as she breathes deeply, still trying to stay conscious.

“Get some rest,” He said after a moment.  “You lost a lot of blood Lucy.”

Lucy made a noise, but she couldn’t fight it any more, allowing herself to drift back to sleep, still confused, but it was all too much right now.

It was almost a full day before Lucy stirred again, feeling better this time, blinking up at the hospital lights above her bed, giving herself a moment for her mind to catch up before she looked around the room, seeing the drip being fed into her arm.

She lets out a sigh, the memories clearer, remembering the Djin and what had happened, of the false world he’d put in her mind.  There was a sharp pain in the back of her skull that makes her wince, the memory of what she’d done to get out of it seeming all to real.

“Hey,” Lucy blinks and looks towards the door, Sam standing there, smiling, a coffee cup in hand as he enters and sits next to the bed.  “We were starting to wonder when you’d wake up.”

“How long have I been out?” She asked, her voice hoarse.

“A couple of days,” Sam said.  “You certainly scared the hell out of Dean and I when we got the call you were in hospital.  Do you remember what happened?”

“Djin,” She tries to move but quickly decides it was a bad idea, her limps feeling heavy.  “I…don’t remember how he got a hold of me, but the rest wasn’t exactly fun.”  She frowned then, looking at Sam.  “How did I get here?”

Sam shakes his head. “We don’t know, the nurses just told us that someone found you and brought you in.”  He looks at her seriously.  “You were very lucky Luce, you’d lost a lot of blood and were only just holding on.”

“Oh,” Lucy looks over to the chair on the other side of the bed, one that felt too empty, the memory seeming vague.  “Crowley…”

He frowns a little. “Crowley?  What’s he got to do with this?”

Lucy licks her lips and screws her face up in pain, it hurting too much to think.  “I dunno, I guess the Djin did a worse number on me than I thought.”

Sam gives a sympathetic smile.  “He must of if you’ve been seeing Crowley around, can’t imagine that was overly pleasant.”

Her chest ached. “Yeah…I guess…”

“Hey!  Look who’s awake!”  Dean cuts Sam off, a wide grin on his face as he comes in.  “Don’t worry, I’ll murder you later when you’re back on your feet.”

Lucy returns the smile. “Thanks Dean, that makes me feel better.”

He chuckles as Sam shakes his head.  “In all seriousness Luce, it’s good to see you back, I thought Sam was going to have a heart attack when we got the call.”

Sam scoffs.  “Says the one that went into instant panic mode.”

Dean shrugs, as if it was no big deal.  “At least I didn’t burst into tears when I saw her.”

“I did not!”  Sam denied, even as Lucy grins at the two them. “Seriously dude?  That’s the best you come up with?”

“It got her smiling properly,” Dean chuckles, taking a seat and putting his feet up on the bed.  “You mightn’t have cried, but you did go awfully pale.”

“So did you.”  Sam said matter-of-factly.  “Or did you already forget that?”

“Dean was probably too busy paying attention to a nurse,” Lucy cut in, making Dean laugh.  “That’s usually what happens right?”

“Glad you still know my priorities sis,” He grins for a moment before a softness comes to his gaze. “How are you feeling though?”

“Okay, for the most part,” She said.  “Still incredibly tired though, which I suppose is a given after facing off against a Djin.”

“You did a Djin hunt on your own?”  Dean asked flatly.  “Are you nuts?”

“It wouldn’t have been the first one I’ve done,” Lucy half smiled at him.  “And I still handled it, no matter what condition I’m in.”

Dean still doesn’t look impressed but he sighs.  “Well, at least someone managed to find you and get you here, I don’t know what sort of weird luck that is, but at least Sam and I…”

“Yeah,” Sam agreed as Dean trailed off, looking a little pained.  “There’s at least that.”

Lucy snorts, closing her eyes.  “For two guys that hate chick flick moments, that was one hell of a one.”

“Shut up.”  They both said, just making her smile.

It was another couple of days before Lucy was released from hospital and almost a week before she was properly on her feet.  She didn’t tell Sam and Dean what the Djin showed her, even when they asked, just joking that it would’ve been their worst nightmare.

Once she’d processed what had happened, she wanted to keep it herself, as far as she was concerned, no one had to know, even when it started giving her nightmares.  She could take a few guesses as to why, but again, she wasn’t about to tell anyone.

Technically speaking she had the same reasons as Sam and Dean to hate Crowley, being on his radar more than a few times, and yet, she could never find it in herself to do so. She was never really sure why, and it had taken her some time before she realised that she had any sort of feelings towards the demon, and that was something she’d never really come to terms with.

Now that he’d saved her life, it seemed, it was even worse.

She’d actually met Crowley before the apocalypse, not that Sam and Dean knew this, she knew that that was safer information to keep to herself, and it seemed that Crowley realised that too, the two of them having never talked on it since.

Lucy hadn’t done the same as Sam when Dean had made the crossroads deal, she’d still freaked out, and there’d been a lot of yelling, but she hadn’t done everything she could to try and get him out of it.  She knew that this was a deal that was sealed tight, that the Winchester name was not a popular name in Hell, and they were going to do whatever necessary to make sure they kept him.

Instead, she went after information.  She wanted to know as much as she could about it all and maybe, just maybe, she could find same way around it, either before or after he was taken.

The crossroads demon that had turned up when she performed the ritual looked more than amused.  “Are both of you really going to try this?  Or didn’t little brother give you the memo?”

Lucy calmly lent against the hood of her car, an old bombed out Holden that she felt she spent more time fixing than actually driving.  “As much as I’m sure the rest of you like to think so, we do actually communicate with each other.  I’m not here to try and make a deal.”

The demons smile had faded, a frown creasing her forehead.  “If you’re not here to even try, then I’m not interested.”

A smirk crossed Lucy’s lips. “What?  You’re going to run away from a Winchester that quickly?  I don’t think your boss would like that.”

She scowled.  “I have other potential contracts I can attend to that would more than make up for it, I assure you.”

Lucy nods, still unfazed. “Maybe, but then if I put you in a little devil trap and left you there, it’s not going to do much, is it?  I’m sure there’ll be questions as to why no numbers are coming in.”

“You’d have to get me into one first,” The demon rolls her eyes.  “Now, stop wasting my time.  What do you want?”

“It wouldn’t be that hard, I can promise you that.”  Lucy said quietly.  “I want to talk to your boss.”

The demon scoffs. “You’re joking.”

“Nope,” Lucy looks around to the empty fields on one side of the road for a moment before looking back at the demon.  “You’re not worth my time, I want to talk to him.”

She blinked, taken back for a moment.  “How do you know it’s a him?”

“You demons like to think you’re good with words,” Lucy smirks.  “But it’s very easy to get you to slip up.  Now, be a good little demon and go get him, before I do trap you, torture the information I want out of you, and then use you as an example to the next crossroads demon I summon.”

“He’d kill me,” The demon said quietly.  “And then he’d eat you alive.”

“I’d like to see him try,” Lucy waves a hand at her.  “So go on, if you can’t talk your way around death, that’s your prerogative.”

The demon hesitated for a moment longer, before vanishing, and Lucy waits, knowing it could be a little while before someone made any sort of appearance again.

The night had been warm but clear, a trickle of sweat beading down the back of her neck as she watches the stars above, looking for the constellations she knew to pass the time. She had little doubt that the demon would deliver, by name alone she was worth more than what most other people were, and the fact that she wanted to talk would draw some attention.

As the night dragged on, she pulled her pistol free, checking it over, making sure that it was all in working order and loaded.

“I do hope you don’t intend to use that on me.”

Lucy didn’t look up straight away, holstering her gun.  “No, that would be waste of ammo and I’m sure it would only piss you off, believe or not, I am smarter than that.”

“But not so smart as to ask to talk the King the Crossroads,” He said, a little flatly. “I hope you realise the consequences of doing so.”

She chuckles, unable to help it, finally looking at him, taking him in as he stood before her, a careful distance away.  “I already told the little demon I’m not here to make a deal, I just want to talk, but I can understand your caution.”

Crowley snorts, amusement flicking across his eyes.  “If that is meant to be a threat, it’s a very poor one.”

“Take it how you want, but I’m sure you’re powerful enough to know if I’m lying or not.”  Lucy said, still not moving from her car.  “I’m not here to barter or try and get you to free Dean’s soul.”

He observes her closely, taking a moment to decide on how to take her and whether or not he had reason to be as cautious as he was.  There was no lie in her voice, but it seemed to go against everything he’d been told about the Winchester’s.  The two of them were alone out here, but for some reason, that was little comfort.

Finally, he smirks. “Very well darling, I’ll play your game. What did you want to talk about?”

“I want to know how Hell works,” She said simply.  “Crossroad deals, twisting a soul into a demon, all of it.”

This definitely takes him back.  “I’m sorry?”

“Call it professional curiosity,” She said.  “Seeing as my brother is getting thrown in there and all.”

Crowley stares at her, quickly hiding his shock.  “You know, you could always die and find out.”

Lucy shrugs.  “I could, but I do rather like being alive, not only that, I assure you, you’d be the first one I was after.”

Her grin gets a laugh out of him, and he can’t help but shake his head.  “Oh, I like you darling, even if those threats are rather empty.” He thinks for a moment.  “You know I can’t just give that information for free?”

“And you know I’m not going to give up my soul for some information,” She said.  “Hence why I said I wanted to talk.”

He stared at her.  “Information for information then?”

“If you think that’s fair,” She folds her arms across herself.  “Or are you still being overly cautious?”

“Considering how painful you Winchester’s have been to deal with, I’d say it’s more than fair,” He clipped. “But don’t take it for one moment that I’m afraid of you.”

“There is a big difference between caution and fear,” Lucy said.  “I know you could snap your fingers and I’d be a pile of dust on the wind. You won’t of course, but you could.”

Crowley snorts.  “And why exactly won’t I?  I am a very busy person believe it or not.”

“Professional curiosity,” She smirks.  “You want to know what I’m playing at, why I’m not just demanding things, it has you more than a little stumped.”

He didn’t like being read, he was more careful than that, but it seemed she could see right through him. “I could just torture you and get the information I want.”

“You could,” She agrees. “But you’d have to get a hold of me first.”

Chuckling, Crowley steps closer.  “My, my, aren’t you the confident little hunter?  Toying with the King of the Crossroads is never a wise option darling, you may just find-”

He stops, about a meter before her, and looks at the ground.

“You were saying?” Lucy asked, having not even flinched. “Or have I stumped you for words again?”

Crowley toed the line of the devils trap that was not under his feet, but hers, preventing him from getting any closer to her without trapping himself.  He looks at her, finding her watching him, amused. “Aren’t you a brave one?”

She grins.  “I could always pull the lighter out of my pocket, then you can get the real answer to that.”

It was then Crowley took notice of a string that was sitting on the hood of her car next to her, within very easy and quick reach, and he followed it down, finding the other end buried into the ground.

“I could just leave.” He said, his voice quiet, looking back to her.  “You don’t have me trapped.”

Lucy shrugged.  “Well, off you go then, I’m not stopping you.”

Crowley stared at her and knew instantly that all the reports he’d received on her were very wrong, and so, he takes this very new situation in his stride, letting his shoulders relax and burying his hands in his pockets.  “Very well darling, you have my full attention, question for a question.”

“A name would be good first,” She said.  “Unless you would prefer that lovely title of yours?”

He snorts, amused. “The name’s Crowley, Lucy Winchester, and I don’t recommend trying my patience more than what you already have.”

Lucy smiles and shrugs again.  “I’m just playing the game, Crowley, if you can’t keep up with me, that’s your problem.”

She was still sure that she’d learnt the most a human had about Hell in a very long time, once she’d got through the jokes and lies about it all, Crowley not making it easier to get the information she wanted, at least, not until he realised that she was being completely honest with every question he asked her.  He didn’t understand it, but never did question it.

They met a couple of times after that before the apocalypse brought everything to a head, she was the one that had led Sam and Dean to Crowley, not that they knew that, and while the information she’d gained on Hell was useful, it hadn’t really helped Dean until he was back, and she could actually talk to him about it and what he went through.  He never asked how she knew so much, but he was more than grateful that someone understood without him having to explain it.

After the apocalypse and the fall of Lucifer and Michael, Crowley only saw her once on her own, having let Dean go his own way while she kept hunting, keeping in touch with Bobby. She felt like a bit of an idiot on this occasion because she’d successfully gotten herself lost and had a map spread out on the boot of her car trying to work out where she was while cursing under her breath.

“Car troubles darling?”

Lucy rolled her eyes, glancing up to find Crowley leaning on her car, smirking at her.  “Don’t you think I’d be at the other end of my car?”

He shrugs.  “Probably, but you were foolish enough to get yourself lost, so I figured you must just be struggling with directions.”

Snorting, Lucy turns back to her map.  “What can I do for you oh King of the Crossroads?”

A chuckle leaves him at the heavy sarcasm in her voice.  “It’s actually King of Hell now, darling, it seemed that little apocalypse was actually good for something.”

“A promotion?  You must feel so blessed.”  She didn’t bother looking up.  “And that matters to me how?”

“A simple courtesy call,” Crowley said, watching her.  “And a warning to tell you to stay out of my business.”

She’d never been able to put her finger on it, but there was just something in the way he said it that, even today, made her pause and think on it.  She finally met his gaze again.  “Up to something are we?”

“With a change of management comes a change of plans,” He said vaguely, grinning.  “And I felt it only fair, after all your help, that I return a bit of a favour.”

“By being obscure about it,” Lucy sighs.  “I suppose I shouldn’t expect any less.”

Crowley pushed himself off her car and stepped closer, a trickle of tension shooting up her spine, although she knew that there was little she could do if he did try anything.

“No,” he said, the amusement gone from his expression.  “You shouldn’t, and if you’ve alluded yourself otherwise, I recommend changing that view quick smart.”

Lucy held his gaze. “I haven’t alluded myself to anything, I assure you, I was simply remarking that you are even bothering at all.”

“As I said, a courtesy,” he said.  “If you stay out of my way, then I won’t have to hurt you.”

“You know you’d be doing yourself a favour if you killed me,” She said flatly.  “With Sam trapped with Lucifer and Dean quitting, I’m the last Winchester out on the road putting up with your nonsense.”

Crowley snorts.  “As much as I like the idea darling, you’re much too valuable to kill, I may just need your help again one day.”

“I’m sure,” She broke away and went back to her map.  “Keep telling yourself that I’d do it.”

She did tense this time as he lent in close to her ear.  “Keep telling yourself that you won’t, it’ll be much more amusing when I have you under my thumb.”

Lucy swallows and looks at him, but he’d already stepped back, a subtle smirk on his lips and he points to a spot on her map.  “You’re here, by the way.”

He vanished before she could say anything else, and she huffed, realising he was right, about more than one thing.  “Bloody demon.”

Of course, once she’d found out exactly what he was doing, there wasn’t really much she could do to avoid being involved, quickly following after Sam and Dean, but she had a feeling that Crowley knew this, her presence only seeming to amuse him.

Then, she did something very, very stupid.

She saved his life.

It had been a gut reaction, purely instinctual, and it had made her question everything.  It was why her and Castiel got along even worse now than they did before.  She’d shot him to protect Crowley.  Luckily, Sam and Dean hadn’t been there to see that one, and, as far as she knew, Castiel had never mentioned it to them, she was pretty sure they wouldn’t take it well, even less so when she had no explanation.

That was when she’d questioned herself about him, questioned exactly what it was that was going through her mind about him.  She didn’t like the explanation she came up with.

Now, with him saving her in return, it was making it all feel much more complicated.

It had taken her a few days before she managed to confirm that it had indeed been Crowley that got her out of her tight spot, the final confirmation coming from a nurse just as she was signing herself out, saying that it was a shame he couldn’t stick around, being as handsome as he was.  Lucy didn’t ask for specifics, Sam and Dean waiting too close by, but it was enough to know the memory of him sitting by her bedside was very real.

Which conflicted her further.

There was something about Crowley…

Once discharged, the real shock came when Sam and Dean told her about what they’d been up to while she was out on her own, talking about meeting their grandfather, taking out one hell of a demon, and then getting a key to Men of Letters storehouse.

Then, they told her that they knew how to close the gate of Hell.

“Oh?”  She realised too late that this was not the response they were looking for, Dean, Sam and Kevin giving her an odd look.  “I mean, that’s great news.”

Dean frowns at her. “I feel like you’re not overly happy about this.”

“Of course I am,” She said, too quickly, not meeting their gazes.  “God, we’ve been dealing with demons long enough, of course that’s a good thing.”

He looks at her seriously. “Luce, if you got a problem with this, I’d rather know now.”

“I don’t have a problem with it Dean,” Lucy meets his gaze calmly.  “It just seems like it’s us that’s always fixing the world’s problems. It gets tiring.”

“Well, who else is going to do it?”  Dean asked as Sam sighs.  “If you’ve got any volunteers, please, point them out to me.”

She rolls her eyes. “Don’t be dramatic, I’m not saying I won’t do it, just voicing that I’m tired of doing it.”

Dean remained unconvinced, but he let it drop, Sam shaking his head between the two of them and Kevin watching Lucy carefully, he’d been around them long enough now to know a few tricks of the trade.

He knew that she wasn’t telling the whole truth.

Lucy didn’t want to think on it any more than she had to, and it just so happened that she was still recovering when Sam and Dean had to take off to complete the first step.  She remained behind with Kevin, the phone sitting on the table next to her in case they needed help.

Kevin watched as she flicked through one of the many books in the library, her eyes scanning over the pages, pausing occasionally to read something more in depth.

“Do you mind if I ask you something?”

She glances up and smiles at him.  “Go for it.”

Kevin didn’t return the smile.  “Don’t you think if the three of you actually told each other the truth, things would be a lot easier?”

She stares at him for a moment too long, breaking away from his gaze.  “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You do,” He said. “And for whatever reason you seem to want to keep this awfully close to the chest.”

Sighing, Lucy closes the book.  “Look, I meant what I said to them Kevin, I do want to close the gates to Hell, demons have done enough to our family, and there are enough other things out there to deal with without some of their nonsense too.  From Azazel to Ruby to Crowley…” She trails off for a moment, the ache in her chest returning, but she shakes her head.  “It is what is, the Winchester’s off to save the world again, dragging whoever they need to along on the way.”

Kevin was frowning though. “Why do I get the feeling then that there’s something holding you back from being really happy about this?”

“You want something to eat?” Lucy stands and starts to head towards the kitchen.

“Lucy-”

“I’m fine Kevin,” She said it a little angrily, but managed to keep most of the bite out of her tone. “I’m just…dealing with some things, things I don’t need the boys and you to know about right now, and if things go…well enough, then you won’t need to know.”  She sighs.  “Look, just…keep this quiet, okay?  I don’t need them worrying about me, and I’m not in any sort of danger, so, just focus on this, that’s what matters, right?”

Lucy walks away before he can say anything else, and it takes a moment before he can hear her in the kitchen.  Sighing, he sits back in his chair, a pen tapping on the table, wondering what to do about it.

She really didn’t know how to deal with the news that they’d completed the first step, both in the success of it and that it was Sam that had put himself out there to do it, she just kept her act up in saying they were doing the right thing.

After a little while in the bunker on backup, she took to the road again on her own, assuring Sam and Dean that she was going to ease back into, even though they both knew she was more than capable.  Neither of them had said it, but the Djin incident had put them both a little on edge.

Out on the road, Lucy could force some of the memories and thoughts away, although, it still wasn’t stopping the nightmares, and after a few weeks and a call from Dean, she found herself back, throwing her bag in her room, something that still felt strange, even if this place was now their own.

“How was the vamp hunt?” Sam asked as she came back to the library, sliding a couple of beers over to the two of them, ignoring the slightly nervous look from Kevin.

“Same old, same old.” She shrugs as she sits.  “Nothing too complicated, just an in and out nest, they weren’t very good at hiding themselves.”

“No problems?”

She raised an eyebrow, glancing at a both concerned and slightly angry Dean.  “No?  Why would there be?”

Sam went to answer, but Dean beat him to it, cutting straight to whatever was bothering him. “Have you made a demon deal?”

Lucy’s eyebrows shot up, stunned.  “What?”

“Don’t act like you didn’t hear me,” Dean said, frustrated.  “Have you made a demon deal?  Is that why you don’t want to close the gates of Hell?”

“No!”  She said, a little angry.  “Why would you even think that Dean?”

“Because Kevin said you were still acting odd over it all!”  Dean snapped.  “And that’s the only reason the three of us can come up with for it.”

Lucy makes a disgusted noise.  “Let me say it again, Dean, no.  Nothing would ever possibly make me make a demon deal, and even if I had, I would still want the gates closed, which I still do now!”

“Then why are you acting so weird about it?”  Dean asked, cutting Sam off again, who sighs.  “Last I checked we didn’t owe any demons any favours.”

“I’m not acting weird over it,” She growled.  “I’m just trying to deal with something and I’m sorry if that means my entire focus isn’t on closing the gates!”

“We’re just trying to find out what’s wrong Lucy,” Sam said quickly, cutting in over Dean, who rolled his eyes and took a heavy drink of beer.  “Your reaction just wasn’t what we were expecting, and after what Kevin told us…”

She shoots a look at Kevin, who won’t meet her gaze.  “Let me ask you both this, have either of you been under the influence of a Djin before?”

They both blanched at the memory.

“Right,” She snapped. “Were either of you able to just shake off that feeling straight away?”

Slowly, they both shook their heads.

“Then there you go, there’s your answer.”  Lucy takes a drink.  “Honestly, I told you not to worry about me, don’t you think there was a reason for it?”

Sam licked his lips a little nervously.  “Then talk it through with us, you know we’re here for that too, not just you for us.”

Lucy sighs heavily, knowing he was right, but this, she knew they wouldn’t understand.  “I know Sam, and I’m sorry that I haven’t, but I can’t.”

“Why?”  Dean asked quietly.  “If it was that bad…”

But Lucy shakes her head. “Because I can’t Dean, and that should be enough of an answer.  I’m still out there hunting, so if you guys want to focus on this and I take care of everything else, that’s fine, but just…don’t ask me, please.”

The two of them share a look, and Kevin looks at her guiltily.  “I’m sorry Lucy.”

She shrugs.  “You were worried, it was fair, but I assure it’s nothing as dramatic as a demon deal.”

“Luce,” Dean said quietly, leaning forward, looking at her closely.  “Come on, we’ve got enough going without holding this shit in.  Talk to me.”

Lucy sighs.  “What do you want me to say Dean?  That I got to watch you and Sam be happy?  You were with Lisa, Sam had just married Jess, and we were celebrating our birthday with Mum and Dad.  Is that what you want to hear?”

Sam and Dean look at each other a little guiltily, but Dean looks back at her.  “I’m sorry Luce.”

She grimaces and doesn’t look at them.  “No you’re not, not really, because you two can have that life, that normal life.  I can’t.”

“What do you mean?” Sam asked.

“It means that that is never going to be an option for me,” She said quietly, taking another drink, her eyes shining a little.  “No matter what I wish, I’ve just got to live with that memory of what the Djin showed me and deal with it.”

“Lucy,” Dean’s voice was unsure, sharing a quick look with Sam.  “What kind of life did it show for you?”

“A happy, normal one,” She said and stood, walking away, resisting the urge to wipe her eyes. “And just leave it at that.”

They watched her go, unsure of the pained set in her shoulders.

“What…exactly does a Djin show you?”  Kevin asked.

“Whatever you wish for,” Sam said, watching Dean closely, who was still looking after her.  “Makes it seem real.  Most normal victims aren’t even aware of what’s actually happening, can live out a whole life in the world that this Djin created for them.  The only way out…”

“Is to kill yourself,” Dean said grimly, finally looking away and between the two of them. “Whatever happened to her in that world, wasn’t good.”

“I think it might be the opposite Dean,” Sam said.  “I think it might have just been too good.  Mum and Dad still around?  You and I with-with Jess and Lisa?  It wasn’t just her own happiness she was seeing but ours too.”

Dean rubs the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable.  “I know man but…Lucy has never stopped hunting, for anything, after anything, even recently with Purgatory and all that, she couldn’t stop.  I know that doesn’t really mean much, but in all that time, have you ever known her to be sitting down comfortably with anyone?”

“No,” Sam said slowly. “But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t met someone.  It’s not like she ever talks about any of the relationships she’s had.”

“So, what?  He’s either dead or worse?”  Dean asked.

“I don’t know dude, but I wouldn’t recommend pressing her on it.”  Sam shakes his head.  “We shouldn’t have pushed it that far.”

Dean winces slightly. “Yeah, but at least we know it’s definitely not a demon deal.”

Lucy sits on the end of her bed, staring intently at the floor, her mind working things over quickly, both frustrated and upset that the thoughts wouldn’t leave her.  She wanted to ignore it all, wanted to move on, like she used to, but a part of her knew that there was no turning back on this.

Later that night, Lucy took off, leaving a note for Sam and Dean that if they desperately needed her, to call, but she wouldn’t be coming back any time soon.  She needed time away to think and right now, being around them, wasn’t helping.

“I would’ve thought the Djin would’ve changed your mind about hunting alone?”

Lucy looked up from the grave she’d been digging, a little surprised to see Crowley.  “It’s never stopped me before, hardly going to let one small incident stop me now.”

He raised an eyebrow, watching as she breaks open the coffin, revealing the skeleton within. “Almost dying is a small incident?”

She sighs and climbs out, grabbing the salt and lighter fluid.  “What do you want Crowley?”

“Well, your brothers were being their usual pain in my backside, but I couldn’t help but wonder why you were absent.”  He said it lightly, but the question was there.

“You all seem very interested in that.”  She growled and started feeling her pockets for matches.  “Shit.”

Crowley snaps his fingers and grave bursts into flames, making her jump a little, but then sigh in relief.  “Cheers, it’s a long walk back to the car.”

He was frowning at her though.  “You know, even when I asked nicely, you still didn’t stay out of it.  Now, considering what they’re trying to do, you are? It doesn’t make sense.”

“What can I say, I’m an enigma.”  Lucy rolled her eyes and started gathering her things.  “My reasons are my own Crowley, whether it’s you asking or them, you’re going to get the same answer.”

This just makes his frown deepen.  “I know for a fact darling that you could’ve given them some information.”

Lucy flinches and shoots him an annoyed look.  “And then have to explain how I got it?  Yeah, right.”

She starts walking back to her car, only to get annoyed when Crowley follows her.  She lets the silence drag on for a few moments but eventually has to say something.  “What do you want Crowley?  I’m really not in the mood to do…whatever it is we normally do.”

“It is a rather simple answer really,” He said.  “Apart from annoying you, it seems, although, either way you’re still not going to like it.”

“You’re being as vague as ever.”  Lucy opens her boot and throws her stuff in, slamming it shut, only to find him looking amused.  “What?”

“You’re bait darling,” He said, causing her to freeze.  “Sometimes it really is best to not hunt alone.”

Lucy doesn’t get a chance to react, her world going black.

Bait, the bastard was using her as bait.  It was the first thing that came to mind as she woke up, shaking her head to rid the last of the drowsiness on her and looking around herself.

She couldn’t believe it, she was in Bobby’s old salvage yard, Crowley was standing next to her, but apart from that, they seemed alone at the moment.

She shot him a furious look, realising she was tied to a chair and gagged.

“Don’t look at me like that,” He said, catching her look.  “What other choice did I have?  You’ve never actually been to Hell, if you had, you wouldn’t want to be locked up there forever either.”

Lucy snorts and tries to tug herself free.

“You’re brothers will get you out of this and stop these ridiculous trials, and I get that demon tablet. It’s all win win.”  Crowley watches as she struggles.  “Even if you got out of that darling, how far do you think you’ll get?”

She tries to say something through the gag, ignoring him.

Crowley rolls his eyes. “Here I was thinking that you weren’t the difficult one.”

Lucy growls in her throat, shooting him another look, one that made him shrug.

“Just play along and you’ll be fine.”

When Sam and Dean arrived, they looked less than impressed, especially when Crowley sounded more than smug about the whole thing.  Impatiently, she waited, not really paying attention to the words being said, just wanting her freedom back.  She knew full well that this was going to go one way or another, that Crowley was going to get his way or her brothers were going to have a plan.

Sure enough, her brothers had a plan.

Her voice was muffled as Dean moved quickly, snapping a cuff over Crowley’s wrist, and she didn’t need to see the marking carved into them to know that they’d just rendered him powerless, Crowley’s stunned expression more than enough to show that.

Sam was by her side, untying her quickly.  “Are you alright?”

“Peachy,” She spat as the gag was finally removed, rubbing her wrists.  “I don’t suppose anyone would care to explain what is going on?”

“Yeah, he’s the last piece in helping us close the gates of Hell.”  Dean said, looking a little smugly at Crowley.

“What?”  Lucy and Crowley said together.

“Turns out demons can be cured,” Sam said and Lucy stared at him, suddenly seeing just how weak and tired Sam looked.  “And that’s the final step.”

Lucy pushed this sudden confliction aside.  “Are you alright Sam?”

He gives a pained smile as Dean drags Crowley away.  “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”  He realises Dean is leaving and follows.  “Come on, the sooner we finish this, the better.”

The car ride was uncomfortable, especially when she had to explain how Crowley had got a hold of her and wondering why she wasn’t being more cautious.  She argued that they had never told her just how specific things were in going against him, so they were ones to talk.

She quickly realised that they’d been talking more about her since she’d left, so she let the car sit in an uncomfortable silence, not wanting to discuss it any further.

Never mind the fact that she wasn’t impressed by Crowley being in the boot of the car.

The church was old, almost falling apart, but it was clear this was where Sam and Dean had decided for this to go down.  She went in first to make the devils trap in the centre of the church, and she used the few moments alone to reflect on exactly what was going to happen.

They were going to try and make Crowley human.

The very idea made her head spin, and she doesn’t look up as they enter, getting Crowley into the trap and Sam and Dean discussing what had to be done.  Lucy moves and sits heavily on the stairs that led up to a small stage like area, suddenly feeling very tired and wanting to be anywhere else but here.

She didn’t want to witness this.  Her chest ached with the thought.

Dean came over as Sam disappeared into a side room, pulling a pistol off his belt and handing it her. “You alright?”

“Tired,” She said, taking the gun.  “But I guess this is more important than that.”

He nods grimly. “Yeah, but Sam’s got it the worst. We’ve just got to be here for him, right?”

Lucy nods slowly, not meeting his eye.  “Right.”

She didn’t ask for details, she didn’t want to know, but seeing the needle and Sam taking his own blood, was enough to tell her what was happening.

Then Castiel turned up and took Dean away, leaving her to look after Sam.

Lucy went through the few weapons Dean had left, mostly to distract herself from what was happening, looking at a particular bottle.  “Why have we got holy oil?”

“It comes in handy,” Sam said.  “And we don’t really know what’s going to happen with this.”

“I can answer that if you like,” Crowley growled.  “It certainly won’t be pleasant for you.”

“Shut up Crowley,” Sam snapped.  “You brought this on yourself.”

Lucy bit her tongue hard to hold back a response, keeping her gaze focused on the weapons, picking up an angel blade and turning it in her hands.

It dragged on for a while, until Sam had to take a break, staggering from the room to get some air, leaving Lucy with Crowley.

She could feel his gaze on her, even as she stared resolutely out the window, watching the night. “I don’t suppose you want to get me out of this?  You seem very intent on ignoring all this happen.”

It took a moment for her to respond, but she still doesn’t look over.  “What do you want me to say to that Crowley?”

“Yes?”

Lucy frowns.  “And watch you kill Sam?  No thank you.”

“This trial is only going to kill him anyway,” Crowley said, a little irritated.  “And you know that.  I’d at least make it a quick death.”

She shoots him a glare, but it only causes him to smirk, and she realises that that was what he’d wanted. Rolling her eyes, she points the angel blade at him.  “Keep it up, I dare you, my gratefulness in you saving my life will only go so far, and you’ve already pushed that by kidnapping me.”

“We both know how the rules work darling,” He said, glancing back for a moment over his shoulder, queuing Sam’s return.  “Because we’ve both been breaking them, whether we admit that to ourselves or not.”

“Is human blood making you sentimental Crowley?”  She asked, folding her arms.  “Or was that a poor version of an apology?”

“Take it how you see fit.” He said with a shrug and then tips his head back as Sam enters.  “Moose! Come on, you don’t really want to do this, right?  It would be so much easier to let me go.”

Sam’s gaze is cold. “No, I very much do want to do this, and with all the things you’ve done, you’ll be lucky to get out of this alive.”

Another couple of hours later and it seemed Crowley’s desperation was starting to break through more, the resolve he usually held starting to crumble.

Crowley blanches after another injection and looks a little desperately around the room.  “What did you ask forgiveness for in there Moose? I only ask because…with all the things I’ve done…I’m not even sure where I would begin.  Where do I even begin to look to ask for forgiveness?”

Lucy catches a very quick look in Crowley’s eye, one that she’s definitely never seen before, one that makes her stomach twist and her heart rate increase.

Fear.

She watches Sam struggle for a moment, muttering under his breath.  “Sam…you can barely stand on your feet.”

“I’m fine.”  Sam said indignantly.  “Just keep…keep watch Luce.  I’ll be fine.”

Lucy sighed and looks away again, focusing back out the window, her arms wrapping around herself and wondering just how far she was going to be able to let this go on before she either walked out, or did something incredibly stupid.

Sam’s shout of pain made her jump, only to flinch a moment later when he punches Crowley.

“Are you alright Sam?” She asked, coming over and seeing blood on Crowley’s lips as he looks up at her innocently.

Sam was holding his hand over a bleeding wound.  “Bastard bit me.”

Lucy takes his arm before he can do anything else, dragging him outside and tending to the wound, even as Sam tells her not to.

“Don’t be so stubborn,” She said, ignoring his protests.  “I’ve been tending to your cuts and bruises since before you could walk Sam, I’m not about to stop now.”

He looks at her, looks at the tired lines under her eyes, at the peakiness in her cheeks.  “You look like shit.”

A smile tugs at her lips. “Gee, thanks.”

“I mean it,” He said seriously, watching as she bandages the bite mark.  “Have you been sleeping?”

“Now’s hardly the time to be asking me that Sam,” she said quietly.  “You don’t have to-”

Sam takes her hands in his, stilling her and letting her meet his gaze.  “Luce…”

“It’s just nightmares, okay?”  She said. “They’ve been plaguing me for a while, but it’s currently the least of our problems here.”

His jaw clenches and he nods, a little hesitantly, but the two of them head back inside.

The longer it went on, the worse Crowley got, and Lucy could see the panic really starting to set in, as he no longer seemed to be in control of his words.  He tried to talk Sam out of it, tried to plead with him, and it turned Lucy’s stomach.

She didn’t want this, her heart breaking with every plea, and she was seriously debating whether or not to stop Sam, no matter what cost.

Sam’s arm lit up and he grits his teeth against the pain, Lucy watching him, her voice quiet.  “Sam…you don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do.”  He said.  “We can finally put a stop to all this, to anyone being used by them, to anyone making stupid deals for stupid things, to unnecessary death.  Isn’t that what you want too?”

Lucy glanced at Crowley before looking back at Sam, licking her lips as she thought quickly of an answer. “At the cost of your life Sam?  At the cost of his?”

“This is bigger than all of us Lucy,” Sam said, pushing her hand away as she reaches out for him.  “And if it means one or two deaths along the way, then so be it.”

As he stalks away, back to Crowley, Crowley meets her gaze.  “Love…please…”

Her heart hammered in her chest, her mouth dry, and she felt her eyes start to burn.  With a strangled noise caught in her throat, she left the room, letting the fresh air hit her, drawing in a deep breath to try and keep herself in control.

One way or another, she couldn’t let this happen.  She didn’t know how, but she just couldn’t.

The sound of smashing glass has her head snap around, the hair on the back of her neck rising.  She waits, listening, and she knows that something has gone terribly wrong.

Her gun in one hand, the angel blade in the other, she creeps back into the church, keeping herself as quiet and as steady as possible.

The crack of flesh on flesh made Lucy flinch, followed by the loud crash of someone falling over. A part of her didn’t need to hear the next voice to know what was happening.

“Somebody thought it was a good idea to make you the King of Hell.”  The female voice snarled and Lucy ducked her head cautiously around the door frame, seeing a red headed woman standing over Crowley.

“You know what that boy's trying to do, right?”  Crowley spat out a mouthful of blood, his gaze furious on her.  “He's trying to shut the Gates of Hell!”

“Don’t worry, I have a plan to deal with the Winchester’s after we’ve discussed a regime change.” She kicks Crowley hard in the stomach and Lucy catches sight of a silver glint in her hand.  “I’ll make sure I handle it, something you don’t seem to be willing to do!”

Lucy moved fast, her gun firing twice, the first shot knocking the blade free from the demons hand, the second a direct shot between her eyes, making her stagger.

She ignored the sudden terrified look Crowley was giving her.  “Clearly you haven’t learnt much.  Usually if there’s one around, another isn’t far behind.”

The demon rolled her neck, the bullet falling free, looking more than amused.  “Like little cockroaches then, you’ll be just as fun to squash under my boot, I assure you.”

“It’s Abaddon, I take it?” Lucy asked, trying to draw out time, hoping that Sam wasn’t too far away with some sort of plan.  “Don’t worry, my brothers told me all about you.  Was it good fun?  Being chopped up into little pieces?”

Abaddon scowled and with a wave of her hand, Lucy’s gun jerked free, spinning to the other side of the room.  Somehow, she managed to keep a hold of the blade, standing quickly in a fighting stance.

“Are you actually going to try and fight me?”  Abaddon laughed.  “I’m a Knight of Hell cupcake.  I eat idiots like you for breakfast.”

“And I’m a Hunter, you demonic whore,” Lucy said lightly.  “But if that makes you too afraid to do anythi-”

Lucy had to move fast to deflect Abaddon’s blow, so much so that she didn’t even register the blow to her arm, instead, reacting to each movement purely instinctually, her angel blade eventually catching Abaddon across the cheek.

The two of them stepped away from each other, Abaddon touching the trickle of blood, her eyes glaring back at Lucy, filled with fury.  “What do you know?  One of you can actually fight.”

“Perks of having never left the game,” Lucy growled, one arm pressed into her body, pain bolting along it now that she had this brief moment to breath, she had little doubt that it had been broken.  “You though, that was sloppy, so much for being a so called Knight.”

“Aw, cupcake,” Abaddon’s eyes shift black.  “I was just warming up.”

Lucy knew before it happened that she didn’t have a chance against the next blow, even if her arm hadn’t been broken, and as much as she tried to get back into a rhythm, even catching Abaddon with the blade hidden in her shoe, it was all going to be too much.

Abaddon’s hand was around her throat, Lucy barely keeping a grip on the angel blade as it was turned in her hand, the point pressing in under her bottom rib.

“You really think that there’s a point in fighting this?”  Abaddon asked, grinning.  “That you are actually holding me back?”

“I’m optimistic,” Lucy said through gritted teeth, using everything she had to try and hold the blade back.

Abaddon tuts and the blade sinks into Lucy’s chest easily, a sharp intake of breath leaving her, her body tensing as tears spring to her eyes, the pain unimaginable.

She drops, Abaddon having released her, and Lucy cries out as she hits the floor, both from her arm and the blade now sticking out of her.

“Oh, sorry,” Abaddon mocked. “Did I not tell you I was going to make this as painful as possible for you?”

Lucy grits and bares her teeth, fighting to sit herself up, to get any sort of leverage back that she could.

“Clearly, you just want to make this worse on yourself,” Abaddon said and snapped her fingers.

Lucy screamed as there was a clear resounding snap through the room, starting a coughing fit as blood began to fill her mouth, bringing more pain as she buckles, trying to control it.

“Should I break the other one too?”  Abaddon asked.  “Or are you going to sit still until I’ve dealt with the so called King over there?”

Abaddon’s footsteps moved away from her as Lucy fought for breath, pain hitting every point imaginable in her body, one arm and now one leg radiating with agony.  She spits out a mouthful of blood to the floor, having little doubt that the angel blade had punctured her lung, her chest hurting with every breath.

If she was going to go down, it certainly wasn’t going to be begging for mercy on the floor.

“You know,” Lucy grunt as she somehow managed to push herself back up, all her pressure leaning on her one good leg.  “If you were smart, you’d just finish me off.”

Abaddon looked at her amused, twirling her own blade in her hand as she stood back over Crowley.  “Is that so?”

Lucy nods, her vision swimming.  “You could torture me all you want in Hell, without the risk of having my brothers come and save the day.”

“Lucy…” Crowley’s voice was quiet, but Lucy ignored him.

“Of course, if you kill me,” Lucy smirks at her as best she can.  “I can promise you’ll be the first one I’ll come after.”

Abaddon laughs and starts towards her again.  “I certainly can’t deny that you’ve got balls, no matter how baseless those threats are.”

“Baseless?”  Lucy asked, fighting with herself to stop herself from swaying.  “I could work my way through Hell’s ranks before you said ‘Lucifer!  Save me!’”

A force of power hit Lucy, launching her across the room and pinning her to a wall, making her cry out as pain ripped through her, Abaddon now looking less than amused.

“Don’t mock me, little girl,” Abaddon said darkly.  “I might just take that threat seriously enough to do something about it.”

Lucy grinned, despite it all.  “Well, it’s a risk you’re going to have to take then, isn’t it?”

Abaddon’s eyes narrowed on her, before a slow sinister grin came to her.  “Is it now?  We’ll have to see about that.”

A pinpoint of heat started on Lucy’s shoulder, causing her to jam her eyes shut as it began to intensify.

“If you Hunter’s want to start being clever,” Abaddon said, amused.  “You’re going to have to start finding more original ways to protect you from demonic possession.”

The heat turned into burning and Lucy tried to arch away from it, tried to hold onto the scream that was rising in her throat as it felt like her skin was being melted away.  Her toes curled and there was a flicker of flame on her shirt, opening up a hole, revealing her burning skin underneath, a black twisted mark all that was left from the tattoo that used to be there.

“I’d like to see your brothers try and kill me while wearing your meat suit,” Abaddon said, approaching closer.  “But don’t worry, I’ll make sure to let you watch as I tear them apart.”

Lucy barely sees the jar fly into the room, it smashing over Abaddon, who turns and glares at Sam.

Lucy actually grins as Sam lights a match.  “Told you, you haven’t learnt much.”

Sam throws the match and Abaddon catches alight, the holy oil burning her, screaming, until she smokes out and disappears.

Lucy collapses the floor with a loud thunk, barely making her grunt, her body weak from the pain, and she knew, even as Sam ran over, she didn’t have long.

“What the hell were you thinking?”  Sam asked, his expression panicked and grim as he looked over her wounds, his hands pausing over the blade still sticking from her chest.  “Lucy…”

“Just…buying time.” Lucy coughed a laugh, unable to move, every breath a gurgle in her throat.  “It worked…right…”

“We have to get you to a hospital,” Sam said, but it looked like he didn’t even know where to begin. “Shit Luce…tell me what to do here.”

Lucy could feel hot tears streaming down her cheeks, even as her eyes drift shut for a moment.  “Let me go.”

“No.”  Crowley’s voice rang out and she managed to crack her eyes open enough to see a blurry outline of him, having managed to get to his feet, but still cuffed, his powers useless.  “Sam, you have to let me help.”

“Just shut it Crowley,” Sam snapped.  “Now is not the time!”

“She is dying!” Crowley said furiously.  “And unless you have some sort of spell-”

“You’re not going anywhere until I’ve finished and we can lock that Abaddon bitch up in Hell!”  Sam shouted.

“And lock Lucy in there with her?”  Crowley asked.  “Are you daft?”

The door bursts open then and Dean runs in, his face quickly turning pale, his step faltering as he sees Lucy.  “What…”

“There is no time for questions,” Crowley barked.  “Let me out and let me help!”

Tears were streaming down Sam’s cheeks, his indecision clear.  “We need…we need…”

“You don’t need to anything Sam,” Dean said, coming down and crouching next to Lucy, whose eyes had drifted shut again.  “This is it. We’re done.”

“We can’t just-”

“This is going to kill you,” Dean looked over Lucy’s injuries.  “I’m not losing two of you today.”

“Are you bloody deaf?” Crowley roared, tugging angrily at the chains.  “If you two were any thicker I think I’d be talking to gnats!  I’m standing here shouting at you that I can save her life!”

“How?” Dean croaked, looking at Crowley.  “She’s in no state to make a deal, not that we’d let you do that anyway.”

“Possession…” They all looked back at Lucy, her eyes open but unfocused.  “But you’d have to pull the blade out.”

“We can’t do that Lucy,” Dean said.  “It would kill you…”

She makes a small noise that was meant to be a laugh.  “Dean…it’s really uncomfortable anyway…”

Dean’s looked away from her, a faint smile coming to him, his eyes shining, meeting Sam’s.

Sam shakes his head. “Dean…no…we can’t do that to her.”

“There’s no other choice here Sam,” Dean said, getting to his feet and heading towards Crowley. “Unless you just want to sit there and watch her die?”

“It must be about time that it was my turn…” Lucy mumbled, the blurriness giving away to blackness. “Was starting to feel left out…”

The three watched as Lucy’s head slumped forward on her chest, Sam’s expression panicked. “Lucy!”

The noises of the world faded, the pain disappeared, and Lucy didn’t hold on anymore.

[moonstone-blues]

Fallout 4 AU: October 24th

If you guys remember, a while ago I quickly sketched up an idea of a modern/what if the bombs didn't drop Fallout AU for FOCCA (I'll get round to finishing the rest of the submissions eventually.)

Well, I've been doing some thinking and just wanted to share my notes on how the story would go. (This is my own personal interpretation.) 

For now, the name is October 24th. Although the main story takes place after that, the name is supposed to symbolise that we're after the day of reckoning and everything is fine… mostly.

Be warned: This is a long one. 

Story:

Okay so the story starts on the Morning of October 23 2077. Everything is the same as in game. River and Jack do their thing, joking around and making sure they look good. Shaun in this story is older, being around eight years old. (This is because I wanted to keep the 10 year old Shaun element and he can't be an old man in this version.) The television continues playing the usual news and… The bombs never fall. Not a single detonation. The McConnell family continue on with their day and attend the event at the Veteran's Hall. 

When they go home, that night as they're sleeping, Kellogg breaks in and attempts to kidnap Shaun. In the struggle, Jack is shot dead and River is attacked, being knocked into a coma. This coma lasts a year with nearly another year of physical and mental therapy to go through before she returns home. Upon realising they never found Shaun or Jack's killer, she sets up on her own, trying to find her son and avenge her husband. The story beats are obviously very similar but adapted to be more modern. Synths are now clones because I felt like synths would be too Sci fi for this story. 

Factions:

The Minutemen - A kind of neighbourhood watch organisation. Funded by the army, they were supposed to try and keep the peace, without using violence. Thus made sure the military had all of their soldiers back so they could fight. However, after some fighting within the organisation and the military suddenly cutting off funding, things quickly went downhill from there. 

The BOS - This is simply the army. After the shut down of the Minutemen, a new group was made, the Brotherhood of Steel. These were soldiers sent by the military to patrol Boston, much like how they did before the Minutemen. However, since the threat of war is now gone, they have the soldiers to spare and want to show off their muscle to intimidate the people. 

The Institute - I'm still not entirely sure about the synths being clones instead things so this one is really up for debate. My thoughts so far are that the Institute still kidnaps people. They harvest their organs and make a clone to send off to replace the original person. I know, not the best idea. But I was thinking about what they would do with the kidnapped people that seemed justified in their minds? Well, they still have the same belief that humanity is doomed with the way it's going. Rioting, corrupt governments and the rest. They replace people with clones of themselves, engineered to behave. And they kill and harvest the organs of the original person and send them to hospitals for people who can't get organ donations because they're too low on the list. In their minds, they're getting rid of corrupt people, replacing them with people who they see as being better for society and giving people who may not have one a chance at life. They're technically doing good, but they are killing people. They still work out of the CIT but in secret laboratories.

The Railroad - Very similar to their in game selves. A secretive organisation dedicated to setting clones free and stopping the Institute. 

Characters:

Dogmeat - A stray dog that kept turning up on River's doorsteps during the first couple of weeks she stays at home. She eventually takes him in, being reminded of her other dog that ran away. She calls him Biscuit. 

Codsworth - Mostly the same. A faithful robot butler mourning the loss of two of his masters and constantly worrying over River. He makes sure she takes all of her medicine and never let's her miss an appointment. 

Preston - An ex Minuteman who spends most of his free time handing out fliers that promote it and tries to get people to sign a petition to bring the Minutemen back. His efforts are mostly in vain until he meets River after being attacked in an alleyway. 

Piper - The same noisy reporter working for the Boston Bugle. Known for her sometimes controversial articles and her willingness to do anything for a story. She's very interested in River since the kidnapping of her son seemed to be the beginning of all of what she believes to be the Institute's kidnappings. At first River wants to stay away from her as Piper is particularly intruding in her life but accepts her help. 

Nick - After the original Nick Valentine went for his brain scan, he was disposed of. The new Nick was made with Nick's DNA but due to the fact that the cloning technology had only just started being put to use, it wasn't perfect. He wasn't a complete copy of the original Nick and he was more than aware that he wasn't actually the original. At first he was loved up, the scientists not knowing what to do with him, but eventually Nick was broken out with the help of DIMA. He tried explaining that to 'his' boss and coworkers but they said he was mad. Eventually, Nick quit the police, feeling like he hadn't deserved to be there in the first place. After all, a man was murdered so he could live. He roamed the streets, no clue of what to do. He eventually found his way at the original Nick's home, still covered in evidence against Eddie Winters. Eventually, people started knocking on his door. They knew Nick Valentine was a great cop and did his job damn well. So when the police started ignoring missing person cases they came to him. Nick would've refused but without a job, he had no money to live. He begrudgingly accepted a job from someone in high power. (The same missing person case he dealt with in the original game but without the hilarious beeping part.) When he succeeded, he was overcome with a passion to help people. He stopped feeling sorry for himself and officially turned his place into Valentine Detective Agency. With the knowledge of his big case, people came to him from all over for help and he continued to give it to them. He had his lower right arm, some of his face, some parts generally all over damaged when one of Eddie Winter's men planted a bomb in his mailbox. He only placed his hand in so it wasn't as bad as it could've been. He did need everything below his left elbow removed and he now has a prophetic arm and eye. River Meets Nick when she rescues him from Mafia boss, Skinny Malone. 

Hancock - John and his brother came from a poor family. Honest but poor. Living in a bad part of town, their parents tried to instill good values into them despite their circumstances. Unfortunately, neither really took it to heart. They were still a happy family, doing the best they could, even taking trips to museums as a treat. As they grew up, John found himself in a lot of trouble. Joining gangs, drinking, doing chems. However, his brother was going places. He worked hard, eventually becoming assistant to the mayor. However, once it was found out the mayor was using taxpayer's money to build his own luxurious vault, he was kicked out of office. With a position to fill, Hancock's brother worked hard. His campaign was brutal. His major promise was to move the poor people to the opposite side of Boston so they couldn't bother the more wealthy. This also meant they would be receiving less help from tax payers and left to fend for themselves. The people, after having plenty of money taken off them for years, loved this plan. He won at a landslide. John was furious. He thought with their situation, his brother wouldn't dream to hurt those who could barely afford to live. But his brother still carried it out. He left the promise of a cushy life with his brother and decided to live with the less fortunate. It wasn't the best situation but anywhere would've been better than with his brother. The particular section of Boston was horrible. Mostly lawless, police not even wanting to go near the place. It was a dog eat dog kind of town. Eventually, a mob boss named Vic overtook the town, making himself the leader. Forcing people to pay for protection or they would be beat. John watched every day. Despite wanting nothing to do with him, the mayor still gave John protection. He hated it. Being treated better than everyone else who was suffering. He got insanely wasted one night, feeling horrible for the protection he got and the way he ignored Vic's actions. He needed things to change. He couldn't stand the man he saw in the mirror. He poured his remaining bear over himself and set himself on fire. Most of the damage was on the left side of his body, mostly burning his face so that he was hardly recognisable. After putting the flames out, he broke into one of the museums he loved so much as a kid. He remembered learning about the men that built America. It was when he looked up at the coat of John Hancock that he decided enough was enough. After a very long trip to the ER with a very expensive medical bill his brother paid off, he went back to the town with a crew who hated Vic and challenged him directly. He managed to kill Vic, albeit not as barbaric as he does in the game, and took over the town. Vic's old crew feared John's strength and left the people alone. Hancock stepped up to be the leader, officially naming the town Goodneighbor. He even changed his name to John Hancock, fully separating himself from his brother and becoming his own person. He runs it mostly the same as he does in the game. River meets him after going into Goodneighbor with Nick following a lead on her case. 

MacCready - Grew up in an orphanage in DC. He was roped into criminal activity at a young age. When he met his wife, Lucy, he claimed he was military being deployed in many places when he was off committing crimes. When his son was a few years old, Lucy was killed by a pack of rabid wolves when he didn't check out a camping spot. Duncan eventually became sick so MacCready moved to Boston with him after hearing that Med Tek was working on a cure. Unfortunately, that meant that Duncan had to live in the Facility and the cost to keep him safe and quarantined was high. MacCready works odd jobs, even stooping to criminal activity to help his son. He meets River after she hires him to help with doing some shady things since he knows his way around a lock and he's good protection. 

Curie - Curie's 'father' Kenneth Collins works as a scientist in the CIT. While he isn't aware of the Institute, he had a friend in it who he confided in about how he was sad he could never have a child since he was alone and old. This friend wanted to surprise him one day and using his connections, managed to get the Institute to create a clone for him. They created an amalgamation of personalities, most intelligent and scientific and put it in a young woman. This became Curie. Collins quickly figured out that his friend must've been part of the Institute. After all, the rumours were largely spread around the CIT building. He kept Curie a secret, knowing how suspicious it would be for a random woman with no records of anything suddenly popping up. She stayed in mostly total isolation, learning everything she could about everything to do with science. While she did very rarely step outside her home only under the supervision of her father, she still didn't understand a lot and yearned to be outside to explore and study. Eventually, the Institute found out that their 'property' had been given away. Kenneth was killed and Curie remained trapped, locked in her room. River meets her after walking past her house, hearing her bang on her window. She eventually gets her out of the house and with nowhere else to go and no clue of what the outside world is like, River offers her guidance. 

Danse - A Brotherhood member who is very patriotic and eager to defend the people and his country. However, despite his love for his country, he hates how the country is run. Despite the threat of nuclear war disappearing, Danse believes that America has become too relaxed and lazy, expecting everyone else to do the work. He believes the military are the only people pulling their weight and the American people need to wake up. He was replaced with a clone shortly after being deployed in Boston. River meets him when she comes across a small riot going on in the street between Danse's small squad and some members of the Minutemen. She steps in and resolves the situation. Danse is, of course, mistrustful since they were her people and he doesn't know if the Minutemen are a threat yet. However, River offers her help, guilty that Minutemen were involved in riots and Danse finds her to be quite useful for his mission. 

Deacon - He was always a con man, weaseling his way into situations for his own benefit. However, he was also very troubled by the growing tensions between America and China. He joined a group that were against the Chinese and harassed any they met, even lynching a young man. Deacon left the group after this, being disgusted by his involvement and soon met the love of his life, Barbara. A Chinese-American woman. Despite some lingering feelings of fear and hatred, he eventually came to love her, growing out of his previous beliefs. They were happy together, even wanting to have a child together, however, before they had the chance, his old group found out about the pair and reported Barbara to be a Chinese spy, taking her away forever to what Deacon assumed to be her death for sure. Using his skills as a master of disguise and a con man, he managed to ruin every single one of their lives. The least someone got was being put in prison for life. He felt empty after he had his revenge. He didn't know what to do with himself. That's when he heard about the Railroad. A group dedicated to helping people. Deacon found his new cause. He may not be able to protect everyone but he could at least try to protect some. River meets him when she finds the Railroad, looking for their help. However, Deacon has had his eye on her for much longer than that. 

Cait - Her parents abused her much like in the game. After she turned 18, her parents made her work on the streets to get money for their drinking, drugs and debts. Cait was isolated most of her life with the abuse and didn't know what she could've done to escape. Eventually her parents revealed their debt was too great to be paid off by Cait being on the street. So, as part of a deal she wasn't aware of, she was forced into an underground cage fighting ring. The owner of the ring itself was Tommy who was sympathetic towards Cait but the real people in control were the gang that took over, the people Cait's parents owed money too. She was forced to stay there under a contract, her only option to fight. River Meets her accidently when she wanders into a bad part of town and uses her legal knowledge to get Cait out of her contract. 

Strong - Armstrong was the youngest out of six brothers. With his parents dying too young for him to remember, he was raised by his brothers, being abused and neglected by them. He was looked in his room most days and given the scraps of food. His brothers would fight them, knowing he was a weak target. Armstrong became stronger this way. Eventually, he escaped from his home. However, due to his lack of socialisation and education, he couldn't find work. Fortunately, he eventually found a free education program for adults. There, he was taught by radio personality Rex Goodman about literature. Macbeth stuck with him especially. Rex offered him work in his studio, hauling equipment but Armstrong still doesn't have the best socialisation and Rex doesn't get to spend as much time with him to teach him. River Meets Armstrong after she is invited on Rex's radio show to talk about her son. River feels bad for Armstrong and after some explanation about his life from Rex, River offers to help Armstrong and educate him in her free time. 

X6-88 - A clone working as security for the Institute scientists. During the times the Institute scientists are not working, he works as a security guard at the CIT. He also brings in any clones who figure out they're clones. River first meets him when she enters the CIT looking for answers after she gets clues that the CIT is where the Institute is.

DiMA - Dima was the Institute's first attempt at creating life without the use of cloning. He was put with Nick who was the first attempt at creating life with the use of cloning and the two formed a bond with their imprisonment. They even considered themselves brothers. However, with Dima's lack of an imported personality, he tended to be quite unemotional, something the Institute would take advantage of when making their security. However, Dima could tell how much Nick was suffering and wanted to freeze him. He himself wanted to be free too, of course, but he wanted his brother to be happy more than anything. He eventually helped him escape but something happened. Nick was injured in the escape, causing him to lose most of his memory of the Institute and Dima. Dima was scared, especially since his brother didn't recognise him anymore so he fled. He hoped to see him again some day but he would wait for Nick to find him. 

Obviously there's more characters and stuff but this is what I've thought of so far.

Feel free to ask questions or request something about this! 

[5tornhomos]

Always Your Advocate - Chapter 1

A/N: This is the first chapter of a fic that I’ve been working on. I’ve also posted it on Wattpad and AO3. It’s been a little while since I’ve written something like this, but it feels great to get back into writing. Huge thanks to @harryeatmyass​, who’s been helping with proofreading and giving me feedback. Please let me know your thoughts! Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Story Summary:  After five years of being in one of the most successful boy bands in the world, Harry Styles is about to embark on his solo career. While at Columbia, he meets Bethany Russo, who’s just been assigned to work with him.  As much as she wants to remain professional, she just can’t keep away from him.

Word Count: 2.9k

Bethany Russo had been working at Columbia Records in New York City for almost 8 years. She had started as an intern when she was 18 years old. Once she graduated from college, at the top of her class, she was officially hired for a full-time position. When she started working at Columbia, she started at the bottom, like any other intern. She didn’t get the chance to work with the major artists right away. Usually, the more seasoned employees got to work with the bigger names.

Beth had a degree in music management, with a minor in the operations. Her main role at Columbia was to figure out the best way to promote the artist. This could be anything from scheduling billboards in Times Square, to setting up TV and radio interviews. She also helped to plan tour dates and produce music videos.

Beth was the type of person that you could always rely on. She always submitted things on time. She was never late, or even on time because she was always early. She was also extremely diligent and thorough, which is what made her so good at her job. She was a planner. She had to be extremely well organized, especially when dealing with artists and their hectic schedules.

Beth always felt pressure to be on time, or to be so diligent. She always felt like she had to work as hard as she possibly could. She never wanted to let people down, and she always wanted to exceed people’s expectations. That’s just how she’s always been. She was always trying to please people.

The longer that Beth worked at Columbia, she slowly started moving up in the company. She proved that she was valuable to the company, especially when helping to plan and execute promotional activities. She slowly got to work on more important tasks and work with some bigger artists. She was becoming a more trusted member of the Columbia team. But the biggest opportunity in her career came when the CEO of Columbia, Ron Perry, asked her directly to work with one of their upcoming clients. She had worked closely with Ron over the last few years, but she knew that getting called into his office was a big deal.

“I just wanted to start by telling you how much I appreciate all the hard work you’ve been doing. I want you to know that I’ve noticed, and I think you deserve to be rewarded,” Ron told her.

“Well, thank you for noticing. What kind of reward did you have in mind?” she asked.

“I think you’re ready to start working with one of our top artists. Well, technically he’s not a top artist yet, because he hasn’t put out his first album yet. But he’s already got a massive and passionate fanbase behind him. He’s already started working on the album, so we’re ready to start planning for the promotion. And I want you to take the lead,” Ron explained.

“That sounds great. But who’s the artist?” Beth asked.

“How do you feel about working for Mr. Harry Styles?”

When she heard that name, Beth was immediately filled with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. When Ron told her that she would be working with a major artist, she didn’t think he meant someone like that. Beth knew that Columbia had signed Harry, but she didn’t realize that she would be working for him, let alone that she would be taking the lead. She knew that Columbia expected big things from Harry. Everyone hoped that he would be the star of the group. They were hoping that he would be the next Justin Timberlake. An artist like Harry was way beyond anything she’s ever worked on. But she was ready for the challenge.

“That would be amazing,” Beth said.

“This is a huge responsibility. It will be a lot more work, but an increase in salary, of course. But I think you’ll be a great fit to work with him. You’ve already proven that you’re a hard worker and that you get results. But I also think you bring a unique perspective because you’re around the target audience that we’d like to reach. And I think it’s about time that you’d be given a more substantial project to work on. I think you’re ready,” he said.

“I really appreciate this opportunity. I won’t let you down,” she told him.

“Oh, and one more thing. I don’t want you working on anything else right now. Harry Styles is your main priority,” Ron said. “Understood,” Beth responded.

Ron explained that Beth would be responsible for booking Harry on different interviews, including talk shows and radio shows. She would also be helping to plan and produce his music videos. The major project would be planning his world tour. Ron also told her that Harry would be coming to Columbia for a meeting in two weeks, to discuss the progress of his album.

On top of being a planner, Beth also liked to do her research. Before meeting Harry, she tried to get to know as much about him as possible. She was trying to understand what she was getting herself into. While Beth liked some of the One Direction songs that she heard on the radio, she never considered herself a huge fan. But regardless of whether she was a fan, she still understood the magnitude of working with someone that came from One Direction.

For the next two weeks, Beth went home and did hours of research every night on Harry, and One Direction. She watched countless interviews, talk show appearances, and live performances. She even went back to the days when he was on the X Factor. And of course, she had to listen to all five One Direction albums. The more she listened to their music, the more she started to find songs that she enjoyed. She realized that there was so much more to the band than the upbeat pop songs that she heard on the radio.

Beth had a few friends that worked in London, at Syco Records, which mainly managed One Direction. She started asking people about Harry, and what he was like to work with. She considered this furthering her research. Beth called her friend, Lucy, who worked at Syco, to get some information. Lucy was a few years older, and a bit more seasoned in the music industry.

“So, they recently told me that I’ll be the lead working with Harry Styles,” she told Lucy.

“That’s amazing! Congrats Beth!” Lucy said.

“Thank you! But I’m a little nervous. I’ve never worked with someone on this level. Can you give me an idea of what I’m in for?” Beth asked.

“Well, you’re very lucky that Harry is your first major artist. Whenever I interacted with him, he was always very pleasant to be around. Even when the band got massively successful, he remained humble and kind. He seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, but he also works very hard,” Lucy said.

“Good to know.”

Based on everything she learned, Harry had a reputation for being sweet, and pleasant to work with. She only heard good things about him, which seemed odd. In the music industry, most artists have at least a few questionable stories about then. Beth was starting to question her sources and wonder if all these positive stories were true. How could one person be so nice? So humble? So down to earth? So charismatic? She thought that there was no way that all these things could be accurate, so she tried to lower her expectations of Harry. She didn’t want to be disappointed if he didn’t live up to an image that she created in her head.

After two weeks of trying to gather as much information about Harry as possible, it was finally time for the big meeting.  While Beth had been around several successful musicians throughout her years at Columbia, she never worked directly with someone like Harry.  As the meeting was starting to come closer, she was growing more nervous to be in a room with someone like him. Beth hoped that Ron, and some of the other executives, would do most of the talking. She hoped that would ease some of her anxiety. She didn’t plan on speaking at all unless she was spoken to directly. Beth was good at planning and execution. But she wasn’t exactly the most sociable type. She was shy and nervous around any new person, let alone someone as famous as Harry Styles.

Beth had arrived early that morning. Even earlier than normal. She couldn’t be late for one of the biggest meetings of her life. Normally she would get breakfast before work, but she was too nervous to eat. She felt like she was going to throw up. She didn’t want to ruin this. If she messed this up, her career could be ruined. This was her opportunity to prove herself, and she couldn’t let herself fail. She had to show her bosses at Columbia that she was worthy of working with someone like Harry.

Right before the meeting was set to begin, Beth went into the bathroom to compose herself. She looked at herself in the mirror, noticing all the flaws in herself. She thought that she looked like a mess. And she felt like a mess. But she knew that she had to pull herself together. She touched up her makeup, reapplying her favorite bright red lipstick, and added some blush to her pale skin. After quickly brushing through her long hair, Beth decided that she was ready, or at least as ready as she would ever be. She took a deep breath and headed down the hall to the meeting.  

Beth, Ron, and other important executives from Columbia all sat around the conference table, waiting for Harry’s arrival. Luckily, he didn’t keep people waiting long, and he arrived right on time. He entered the room, alongside his manager Jeffrey. Harry walked around the room, and politely shook hands with everyone in the room. He even introduced himself, as if everyone didn’t already know who he was. As if this entire meeting wasn’t just for him. This was the kind of respectful behavior that Beth heard about.

When the nerves started to hit Beth, she tried to remind herself that she was around musicians all the time. But that didn’t change the fact that she was starstruck. She never expected that when Harry looked into her eyes to shake her hand, that she would feel butterflies in her stomach. It was like she was a teenager again. She didn’t understand why she was feeling like such a fangirl. Maybe it was because she had just spent the last two weeks watching videos of him, and now he was actually standing in front of her. She tried to brush away those feelings and remain professional. Besides, he was a global superstar who could have any woman that he wants. Why would he ever be interested in someone like her? How could she ever have a chance in the world?

“Hi, I’m Harry,” he said, shaking her hand.

“I’m Bethany. It’s nice to meet you,” she said, smiling at him, while she tried to maintain her composure.

“Bethany will be taking the lead in working on the day to day operations of promoting you and the album,” Ron explained.

“Nice to meet you, love,” Harry said.

  After everyone introduced themselves, it was time to get down to business. The people from the record label hadn’t heard any of Harry’s music yet, and they were anxious to get an update on his progress. They expected him to match the level of success that he had while he was in the band. Everyone was expecting him to do well.  

“So, Harry, tell us how your album is going,” Ron said.

“I think it’s going well so far. I’ve really been enjoying my time in the studio, getting to take my time with this one. You know, when I was in the band things were a bit more rushed. We’ve written a lot of songs so far. I think we’re close to deciding on the first single,” Harry told them.

“That’s good to hear. But, as you know, we’re a little nervous that we haven’t heard anything yet,” one of the executives told him.

“I guess, maybe, I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I usually don’t like to share something until it’s finished. Or almost finished. It’s still in progress. But I should have something to share with you soon,” Harry explained.

“That’s fine, Harry. But can we at least get an idea of what this new album might sound like?” another executive asked.

Beth could only imagine the type of pressure that Harry was feeling. Everyone wanted to know what his solo music would sound like. There was already a constant debate in their office of what they wanted from Harry. And now they got the chance to address him directly. Beth noticed that Harry was constantly looking in her direction. But she hadn’t said a word since she introduced herself. Each time that Harry tried to look into her eyes, Beth would look away, trying to seem distracted by the papers in front of her.

“Harry, your fan base is used to hearing pop music from you. I think you should stick with what people know and love,” one of the executives said.

“I disagree. I think he should go for a more mature sound since his audience has grown up. Maybe something more rock? Or folksy? I think that would suit his voice,” another executive said.

As each person gave their own opinions, Beth remained silent. She was just looking around, trying to take in what everyone else was saying. But she also started to tense up. She was itching to say something, but she was too scared to give her opinion. It seemed like Harry could tell how uncomfortable she was. After watching her internal struggle, Harry decided to address her directly.

“Bethany, what are your thoughts?” he asked her.

“Well… I think…. I think you need to make whatever music feels right,” she struggled to say, as she finally got her opinion out.

“But what about the fans? What if he goes too far off what they already know?” one of her bosses scowled.

“Can you expand on that, please?” Harry asked.

“Well, realistically, the fans that first fell in love with you from One Direction are older now. Hopefully, they’ll grow with you. But honestly, even if they don’t, we can’t just worry about your existing fans. That puts you into too much of a box. We don’t just want One Direction fans to listen to your music. We want a 40-year old man or a 65-year old grandmother to listen to your music and fall in love. But people will know if it’s fake or manufactured. I think you should do whatever feels authentic to you. People will be drawn to that,” Beth explained.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Harry said.  

Harry smiled, knowing that Beth was supportive of him. She felt drawn to him and wanted to be someone at the label who would be looking out for him.

After discussing some more details of the album, the executives at the label felt like they had everything they needed. Beth was happy that she was able to meet Harry before she began working on his album’s promotion. They all said goodbye to Harry, but after the meeting, he was waiting for Beth outside her office.

“Oh. Hi, Harry. How are you? Is there something I can help you with?” she asked, as she was a bit caught off guard by his presence.

“I just wanted to say thank you. I really appreciate you sticking up for me and telling them how you feel. It’s nice to know that I have your support,” Harry told her.

“You don’t have to thank me. As of right now, I’m exclusively working for you. So, I’m here to fight for you and be your cheerleader. Whatever you need from me,” she said, proudly smiling at him.

“Well, I appreciate that. Could I take you out for a drink to thank you?” he asked, abruptly.

“I don’t know… I’m supposed to be working for you. I don’t know if that would be appropriate,” she said, but she was struggling with the decision.

“Come on… What’s one drink? We can say it’s for business purposes if that makes you feel better,” he said.

“Well... I guess that would be okay,” she agreed, not needed much convincing.

“So, I’ll see you tonight?”

“I would love to,” she smiled. “Here, you’ll probably need this anyway, since we’ll be working together closely,” she said, as she wrote down her phone number and handed it to him.

Somehow, after only spending a few minutes with Harry, she was already more comfortable with him. She went from barely being able to look at him, to boldly giving him her phone number. She realized that she would probably be in constant contact with him for the next few months and that she would have to get used to being around him. And despite being this massively successful musician, he was still just a person. She shouldn’t treat him any differently. What’s the harm in going out with him? It didn’t have to mean anything. And how could she say no to Harry Styles? Beth was looking forward to working for him. But more importantly, she was looking forward to getting to know Harry for herself.

[ruffiorocks]

James Olsen Issues with powerful men and women (anti James, but only because i think i finally see the issue!)

OK, so after the last episode i have come to the conclusion James is and has been in need of some serious therapy since he first came to National City and even before then! I've started to see a pattern of jealously towards both powerful men and women. Essentially, people more relevant that himself.

Kelly stated that Lex has tried to kill James 8 times now.

We’ve also learned that Lex kidnapped and tortured James to get to Superman. 

That is a lot of bad s**t to happen to a guy and not have him work through it. That is guaranteed to cause some kind of issues! 

When James got to National City the first thing he did was get involved with yet another super, even though he clearly hasn't worked through the issues that being involved with the first super had caused. This was a super he could get involved with and influence, have some degree of control over.

After seeing his poor treatment of Kelly (before the end of the ep) im wondering if this is what has caused him to have issues with women telling him what to do or being his superiors. 

Hear me out (then you can tell me if you think im wrong,which is fine, each to their own).

So ever since James met Superman he has been in the shadow and the side kick of the most powerful alien on Earth. A man that James is even taller than! In addition to this James has been in the middle of a battle royale between the most powerful alien on earth and the most powerful man (Lex). James’ only role in this rivalry was to be kidnapped, tortured and basically nearly killed 8 times. James has basically been a damsel in distress. Maybe this is what led James to go and get himself a black belt. 

So, James has never been able to be on par with the men in his life while in Metropolis. Clark is Superman so no competition there, Lex is a billionaire genius, James cant compete and he worked for Perry White a powerful man in the media. Who is James here other than the guy who gets kidnapped? He isnt really relevant in the grand scheme of things and he just takes photos. (By relevant, i mean he is no different to any other civilian other than the fact he knows Superman).

Now James goes to National City, pretty much just after he has been kidnapped, tortured and been given 18 scars. The first thing he does? Gets involved with the shenanigans of yet another super and put himself in yet more dangerous situations with no way to really defend himself. By rights the guy should already have PTSD and should have been in therapy and having a looong get away somewhere quiet without super drama (pun intended).

In the very first episode after Kara meets him and says Cat doesn't like to be kept waiting, James replies with ‘whats she going to do? Fire me right after hiring me?’ His attitude towards his new female boss here is not a good start. A prelude to how he will later treat Lena as his boss? 

James also thought he was enough of a big shot to sit on the arm of the couch in Cats office while everyone else was standing up in respect and fear. One look from Cat was enough to nip that in the bud! James got a reality check here.

The first season he got annoyed that Winn knew Kara’s secret, like he was the only one that should have known it. He made a point to flirt with Kara even though he still had a girlfriend he hadnt broken up with.

When his girlfriend came after him he tried again with her while continuing his flirtation with Kara. He then got annoyed at Lucy for working at Cat Co, he broke up with her, he then got annoyed when she came back and Kara revealed herself to her. James was annoyed when Lucy said ‘and you’re back in Kara’s loft, nothings changed then’. Lucy wasnt willing to have a boyfriend who had no respect for her and outwardly flirted with other women in front of her. 

So what was James' issue with Lucy? A strong, independent woman who was career driven? Well, maybe that was exactly it. Remember how Lucy was/is a Major in the army with respect, status, is involved in alien, government, DEO business? She’s also freaking tiny and James is like 6 foot tall. he couldnt handle a small in stature girlfriend being above him in any way. James also stood up Lucy to help Kara and always put Kara first, the only one willing to put any work into that relationship was Lucy. James put Superman first, then Supergirl. Lucy Land deserved so much better than James. Lucy would later be made the head of the DEO and work with Supergirl and Alex, being relevant where James was just not. 

General Lane, even James’ girlfriends father was a man of more power , influence and relevance than James was. Out shined by both your girlfriend and her father. Even more out shined by your girlfriends sister since shes the Daily Planets top reporter. Who also happens to be the girlfriend of  his best friend and the man he will never outshine. 

Then we had Barry Allen show up and James was instantly jealous of the attention that Kara gave him. He was once again shown up (in his mind) by a man who was more powerful than he was. A man that could help Kara take down enemies that James couldn't help with. 

Winn, well Winn contributed more to helping Kara save the day than James ever did, both in season 1 and when he put on that ridiculous Guardian outfit. Winn was a smaller, none athletic nerdy guy who was 100xs smarter than James and way more useful. James in season 1 was a glorified love interest who didnt do much. 

When James did try to help in season 1 he managed to piss people off. He called Clark because he didnt believe Kara could handle Reactron because her male counter part couldnt. (proved wrong)/ He went snooping after Maxwell Lord and got kidnapped and got his ass handed to him again by a billionaire man more powerful and relevant  than himself. 

When James turned up at  the DEO he was told by Jonn to go home, he wasnt wanted there because he wasnt needed or relevant. 

Winn was asked to join the DEO and he left Cat Co to go and continue to be a valuable relevant member of the team. Winn was wanted and needed by the DEO, Jonn and Alex. 

Remember when Kara was on red K? James wanted nothing to do with her afterwards. Yes she absolutely assaulted him, but that just backs up my point of James’ experiences with someone far more powerful than himself and a woman to boot. 

When Lena turned up James was instantly suspicious, another powerful billionaire with more influence than himself. A woman he instantly judged for her family name, even though we learned last week she was kidnapped the same as him by the same guy. She was also the reason that Lex was caught. Lena did what Clark and James were incapable of doing. 

James became Guardian because he felt he had the same call to help people and he was ‘meant for this?’ No, James was watching everyone else he knew be relevant and was watching people more powerful than him have influence and was jealous. 

James demanded that Winn finish his suit because he couldn't stand being left out and watching the people whose job it was to deal with threats and were perfectly capable of dealing with them handle it.

James told Kara she had no right to decide who gets to be a hero, true, but then he thought he deserved to be one because he had a ‘call’ and he had a black belt. Go join the freaking police academy then! He couldnt stand Kara telling him no’ another powerful woman with more influence than him. Kara didnt want her human friend to get hurt, her untrained human friend. She did meet Oliver, Sara and CO, but they had years of intense physical and psychological training. They didnt get a black belt and put on a Halloween costume and think they were the s**t. Even Alex had to train for month before Jonn let her out into the field. 

Alex? Another powerful more relevant woman than James will ever be. She told James and Winn to tell Kara the truth and he didnt. 

James couldn't deal with Mon El, ‘I had to deal with the civilians’ ‘Mon El cares about you and himself!’ He didn't believe Mon El could be a hero and didnt want to give him a chance. What was his issue with Mon El? Another man more powerful than him, replaced him as a love interest and was welcomed at the DEO to be part of the team.  

Cat leaves James in charge of Cat Co, a job he has zero experience in. But he finally gets to be a man of influence, this shows in later seasons, especially with the COL story line. James has become a man that now has some influence and is more relevant, his words now mean something. But then Lena buys Cat Co and James just thinks he’s going to keep his position and he’ll continue to run things the way he has been and will give her weekly updates. Well she soon nipped that in the bud didnt she? He even said they didnt have an office for her. Well technically his office was still Cat’s and since Lena bought it it becomes her office. He was even rude to her when she asked where Kara was running off to and he got annoyed that Lena held a meeting without him. Sure she probably should have told him, but dont forget this is a man who had no love for Lena and she had no reason to like him, so maybe she wanted to meet the staff without James’ influence, so she knew what she was dealing with. 

This was clear example of yet another powerful, influential billionaire being more relevant and one upping James. To add to it she’s another woman who can now tell James what to do. 

James realized Lena was staying? Well he’ll just get romantically involved with his boss, that will keep his position and influence in tact.

James looked beyond annoyed when he touched Lena’s bare shoulder and she squirmed (yes squirmed) out of his grasp.

James was approached by the COL who saw something in him and wanted to work with him. James was so flattered by this he got involved with them without even thinking about it, leading to of course disaster!! 

Lena told James as his boss not to go and meet with the COL because she had booked him to debate with Ben Lockwood on TV, something that would have made more sense. But James told her she wasn't allowed an opinion on what he does because its work. He told this to his BOSS! She then had to pull rank on him and he couldn't stand the fact that a woman could tell him what to do. He ignored her and sent an inexperienced rookie reporter to do it instead.

James even got pissed at Lena because she saved him from going to prison for a long time for coming out as Guardian. Instead of thanking her he got mad and rejected her love. Another/same woman able to do something that he himself would never have been able to do. He was once again saved by a woman and someone more powerful than he was. A woman who supported his stupid decision to come out as Guardian in the first place. 

James gets dumped and decides he may have to look into the lead he tried to squash on his girlfriend. Take down the woman who dumped you? Your boss? Using her resources? 

James gets shot and his sister authorizes the use of a drug to save his life. He wakes up and is instantly disrespectful to her and tells her she just wants to tell him what to do and she should go home! 

OK so, i conclude from this that James’ traumas in Metropolis has given him serious issues. He is always being kidnapped by male billionaires and beaten up. He cannot stand that there are both alien and human women that are more powerful, relevant and influential than he is and have authority over him. He cannot stand being on the outside looking in, he has to get involved in whats going on even when he’s told not to and people dont want him to. His romantic interests always consist of women who have more power and influence than he ever will, whose thoughts, opinions and decisions actually matter in the situations the gang find themselves in. When those women tell him ‘no’ or pull rank on him, he even dumps them, tells them they cant tell him what to do or he makes them feel like they are in the wrong. 

He cannot stand that there are humans out there more relevant and useful than him (Winn) or aliens (Mon El).

James needs therapy, all of this trauma has turned him into this man that doesn't like female authority, cant stand men of more influence than him and has left him with a desperate need to be in the thick of the fight when in fact he has no business being out on the battle field at all. James’ time as the ‘dude/damsel in distress’ when he was with Superman has left him feeling weak and vulnerable and his masculinity has taken a huge hit. 

General Lane said ‘You surround yourself with special people, but that doesn't make you special’. Probably the truest words ever spoken to James. James is/was special in his own way, he should have stuck to being a photographer. Like a few episodes back when he got back into that again. All of the above is just James trying to be something he will never be.

Either that, or poor writing. You decide.

[swishandflickwit]

Deckerstar — raising hell 1/1

Summary: In which there’s one sure fire way for Lucifer’s son to get to sleep.

Ratings: General Audiences

Words: 666

Warnings: Post-reveal. Established relationship. Fluff galore.

AN: Prompt by Blackamor on AO3.

Could you do one where Chloe’s pregnant or they already have a child? Love to see Luci’s thoughts on it.

Also on ff.net | AO3

Other writing

The Devil’s Lucky Number series: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | [ IX ]

“One of those nights, then?” Lucifer commented, exasperation—and an unmistakable fondness—lining his words when no amount of coaxing would get the babe to latch onto the bottle.

He hugged him close to his chest for a moment longer, heat emanating from his skin like a hearth. His cries mellowed then, bellowing wails fading to soft whimpers.

“Come on, you little Hell-raiser you,” he crooned, before yawning. He glimpsed at the clock in the room and, noting he had three more hours before his actual alarm, grimaced.

Just another sleepless night for the Devil, it seemed. He glanced at the reason, bopping him on the nose.

“You’re lucky I like you.”

He buckled him up into his carrier basket and together they slunk to the living room, Lucifer speaking quietly to his son of the things he’d done the previous day—things he couldn’t wait for them to do together.

He placed the carrier atop the lacquered surface of the pianoforte. All that could be heard from the baby was steady breathing now, as if in anticipation of his father’s playing. He kissed his forehead.

“Your mother insists on calling you, ‘Al’ but—just as I call your sister anything but Trixie—I refuse. I named you because you brought such joy in my life, inspired a happiness in me that I never knew I could reclaim, not even with this little family that I’ve gained. Not until you came into my life.”

He sat on the bench.

“So this one’s for you, Allegro.”

The ninth of Listz’s Transcendental Étude S. 139 wafted from his fingers as if he spun the composition himself (well… that was a story for another time). And though the tempo demanded a certain swiftness to it, he was mindful of the slumbering occupants of the house and pressed lightly upon the notes though no less lively. When the piece concluded, he glanced at his son, saw that he was still awake, then rolled his eyes and threw his hands up.

“You could at least try to fall asleep, you know.”

Allegro continued to stare at him with equal intent. Lucifer caved.

“Fine,” he pouted even if he felt the very opposite of inconvenienced. “But just once more.”

He let Beethoven’s Sonata Pathétique fly through the ivory keys this time, less jaunty than the étude though longer, and soon found himself getting lost to the music.

He hadn’t realized he had more than an audience of one till a small hand descended on his shoulder, the rest of the owner’s limbs climbing onto the space beside him.

“He’s finally asleep,” Beatrice mumbled, head lulling to his shoulder.

He wrapped an arm around her, his tone apologetic when he asked, “Did we wake you?”

She shook her head, and though her lids were heavily fighting sleep, she asked, “Will you play some more? I like it when you do.”

He knew he should decline. But he was still floored by the shine of loving acceptance in her eyes, and he was helpless against the current of her.

In answer, he retracted his arm.

Lucifer switched it up, and Bach’s Adagio painted the night air, a genial harmony to Allegro’s—and now Beatrice’s—steady breaths and his own tranquil heartbeat. Utterly content, a few more esteemed pieces flew from his fingers till they twinged with a satisfying soreness.

And when the final melody was laid, Lucifer had to concede that it was time to get his children to their respective beds.

Beatrice fell easily onto his shoulder while Allegro’s basket was held in his free hand. To his surprise, however, he turned on his heel only to find Chloe’s blonde tresses spilled over the arm of the couch.

With a chuckle, he positioned Beatrice on the opposite sofa before he took the armchair, Allegro’s carrier by his feet.

Dawn broke through the muslin curtains of their home, but the Lightbringer paid it no mind.

His favorite lights had long been all ready here.

AN: Look, YOU KNOW that if this happened irl, Lucifer would freak the fuck out and I tried to incorporate it in this but as much as I love a challenge, that’s just too much angst and character development to shove into 666 words lol so let’s just skip to the part where he’s good and happy and BOSS at this baby business XD

That name took me ages to decide on. I’m still not entirely sure if I’m happy with it but *shrugs* this is fanfic and we do whatever the fuck we want hahaha we go hard or we go home lmao.

Btw, THIS WAS SO HARD FOR ME TO WRITE tbh and it shows in the writing. I think it’s cause I still have a hard time imagining Lucifer as a dad. I mean, I’d like to see it, but the Lucifer we have now is so far from it that they’re not even in the same planet lol. I went through six versions before settling on this.

Also, I know this is a day late but I wanted to play around my video editor and then deadass got obsessed with compiling a deckerstar video and that took me 21 hours lol!!! The labors of that obsession can be found here it sucks but that’s 21 hours of my life I’ll never get back so kadjlkfjlakfjgkl

I’m still going through with 29 chapters even if I’m technically on time so just expect two posts for one of these days.

ANYWAY, long author’s notes aside, as always hope you enjoyed this latest installment! Hit me up if you have any requests :)

And here are the songs Lucifer plays for baby Al: Beethoven, Liszt, and Bach.

The Devil’s Lucky Number series: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | [ IX ]

[goddamnthatponytail]

Day 4: King’s Magic + Drunken Shenanigans

I combined two prompts for this day’s theme. Hope everyone enjoys!

Day 4

Title: King’s Magic and Drunken Shenanigans

Theme: Work & Play

Main Ship: Nyx Ulric/OC

Words: 2213

Rating: T, SFW

Warning: There are curse words, and something suggestive.

Summary: Alcohol and Magic Users equals not safe drunken shenanigans.

They warped across the training ground, using the King's magic to get the best of each other. Lyra rolled her eyes as she came to stand next to Crowe. Nyx and Luche were forever competing with each other. They'd only been dating a couple of months, but even she could tell the history of competition ran deep with those two without any explanation needed. Their shift was far from over. They were merely waiting for the reason they had been ordered here all at once. She supposed it was inevitable that one of the Glaive's would have gotten bored after being kept waiting and started something.

Why did it always have to be her boyfriend?

She had received word from her father that the Kingsglaive were deploying, so she'd come to say goodbye to Nyx before he left. Looks like that wouldn't be happening anytime soon. Instead, she turned to Crowe. "So how long have they been at this?"

Crowe scoffed, "They started this within 30 minutes of getting here. Loser has to buy drinks when we get back."

Lyra cast a worried brow towards the two men. Nyx had yet to notice her presence, his entire focus on Luche. "Should they even be doing this? You guys are about to deploy."

Crowe shrugged. "Technically, it's training."

She pursed her lips, but let it go. "Alright. Tell Nyx I said to be safe, and I'll see him when he gets back."

Crowe stopped her retreat. "Idiot will be in a bad mood if he found out you stopped by, and he didn't get to see you." She turned to the boys, cupping her hands over her mouth. "Hey, Nyx! It's rude to keep your girlfriend waiting after she's come all the way to see the Hero off!"

Distracted at the mention of Lyra, Nyx looked down at them. His lips pulled into a smile that she reciprocated. Luche, seeing Nyx's distracted form, formed a ball of ice and launched it at Nyx. Nyx came crashing to the ground in surprise, Crowe and Lyra crying foul at Luche. He simply laughed, saying, "Drinks are on you, Hero!"

Lyra helped him up, glancing at him worriedly. "Are you alright?"

He put his arms around her, pulling her to him and giving her a quick hard kiss. He was grinning as he pulled away. "I am now."

Lyra pulled his face down to hers, rubbing his nose with her own in her gesture of affection. "I came to say goodbye."

"I heard," Nyx replied. "What would the boss say if he found out his daughter was disturbing the Kingsglaive during working hours?"

Lyra pursed her lips teasingly this time, giving him a thoughtful look. "Nothing if he found out the Kingsglaive weren't working and were using his magic to win bets."

Nyx opened his mouth to reply, but his Captain made an appearance. "Alright Glaive, form up!" He looked at Nyx and Lyra, who were still wrapped up in each other. "Lyra! Just because you're the Princess doesn't mean you get to bother the Kingsglaive while they're working!"

She glared at Nyx as he covered a laugh with a cough. She disentangled herself from his arms, turning to smile demurely at Titus. "Of course, Uncle. I'll be going now."

She walked past him, turning around to wave at the Kingsglaive cheerily before leaving them to their work.

Lyra slammed back another shot, grinning at Gladio. She was definitely on her way to being drunk. They'd earned it. Today's training session had been extra grueling, having to fight both Ignis and Gladio. Noctis was supposed to have participated, but he'd come down with a cold that morning, so Lyra was left to face them on her own.

She'd lost, but the scratch on Gladio's arm proved she was improving.

She loved training with the guys. They never went easy on her the way other trainers had. Well, Ignis had at first, but that had ended once she'd told him he wasn't doing his job by trying not to hurt her. If there was one thing Ignis hated, it was being told his performance was subpar.

Proud that she had actually landed a hit on him, Gladio had insisted he buy a round of drinks to celebrate the occasion. One bottle had turned into shots, and now they were here, both tipsy enough to get into trouble if they wanted to.

Lyra's phone vibrated, the Princess looking down to see who had messaged her. She squealed, "Look Gladio, Nyx is back!"

Gladio looked at the bright screen, confirming that the Glaive was indeed in Insomnia and looking for his girlfriend. "Better answer him."

She giggled, already typing away:

L: Hi Baby!

N: Hey gorgeous. Where are you?

L: At the bar with Gladio.

N: Gotcha. Some of us are headed to our dive. Want to join?

L: Sure! Come pick me up:)

Lyra looked up from her phone, giving Gladio an apologetic grin. "Nyx is coming for me right now."

Gladio waved away her apology. "Go see your guy. I'll see you at training tomorrow."

Hugging Gladio goodbye, Lyra made her way out of the bar. Unless she was with Nyx, she only ever went to one bar when she wanted to drink. She personally knew the owner, the man being the father of one of her school friends, and he ensured the tabloids wouldn't get a scoop on drunk Lyra. In turn, many of the Citadel workers came to unwind after a long day. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence when the place was filled with Crownsguard sometime during the week.

She spotted Nyx walking down with Pelna, Luche, Crowe, and Libertus. They were the usual gang that Lyra hung around with on nights like these. She waved at Nyx, launching herself into his arms when he was close enough. She gave him a deep kiss, happy to see him.

Nyx pulled back, looking at her with amusement in his eyes. "Someone's drunk."

Lyra giggled. "I'm not drunk, just very tipsy."

"Definitely drunk," Gladio said, walking to them.

She shot a dirty glare at him. "Am not, you great big behemoth."

He shot her a look. "I'm going to kick your ass tomorrow."

Lyra sniffed, lifting her chin and looking away from him. "I'd like to see you try." She grinned at Nyx. "I took down Gladio today."

Gladio rolled his eyes. "You literally got one scratch in before I slammed you to the ground."

Lyra thought about this for a second before shrugging. "I wasn't using my magic."

Noticing the gleam entering Gladio's eyes, Nyx intervened. "Alright, let's not start. I thought we were all headed out for drinks."

Lyra forgot about challenging Gladio to another match. "Yea! Let's go do shots."

Everyone laughed at her enthusiasm, saying their goodbyes to Gladio and headed to their normal hangout. The place was a cheerful hole in the wall on the other side of town that most of the Kingsglaive favored. The bartender wasn't surprised anymore to see the Princess of Lucis walk in and shoot down drinks. She certainly didn't act like a princess when she was with her usual company, but a visit from The Marshall before they'd opened one day had made it clear that the quick Gil they made off a story would not be worth it.

Nyx bought the first couple rounds of shots and drinks as promised from losing his bet to Luche. He'd decided to take it easy and nurse his drink as Lyra was in no state to keep her head straight. Plus, he had fun watching her get along so well with those he considered family.

Crowe turned to Lyra once they'd downed another drink. "So Gladio beat you today in training?"

Luche snorted, "Please, like it's hard."

Nyx tensed, but Lyra was already turning. "I'll have you know that I'm a decent fighter. I'm not a monster like some people." She eyed the people around her. "But I can hold my own. Besides, besides warping, there was no magic involved." She pouted. "Iggy wouldn't let me."

"Must not be very good at either," Luche taunted.

"That's enough," Nyx snapped.

Lyra stood up. "You wanna try me?" Her words were slurring.

Luche was no better as he stood up. "Let's go, Princess. Just don't go crying to Nyx when I beat your ass."

Now Nyx stood, stopping them from coming any closer to each other. "You two are not fighting each other."

Libertus laughed, "Just let them Nyx. You're not her father."

Nyx turned to stare at his friends. They were all drunk and were forgetting exactly who Lyra was and why her getting hurt would be a bad idea. Neither did they take in mind how badly he would beat Luche's ass if she got so much as a scratch. Or maybe they did and just wanted to see Luche get beat up.

Sighing, Nyx wrapped Lyra up in his arms, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "Princess, fighting right now is a bad idea. You want to get me in trouble?"

She frowned, trying to process his words. "No…" Then an idea came to mind, and she grinned. "We won't fight. We'll race!" She turned to Luche. "How about it, dickhead? Race to the Citadel?"

Everyone cheered. Nyx groaned and let his forehead fall onto his crazy girlfriend's shoulder.

They made their way out of the bar, their group taking bets. Most bet on Luche winning and that irritated Nyx as no one had actually seen Lyra in action, so how could they judge her ability? Didn't they realize that Lyra had been born with this magic? Crowe, who had practiced with her before, placed hers on Lyra. In her mind, it was easy winnings.

Everyone warped onto a building, blue lights lighting up the street. Crowe nodded at the two to get into position. "The first to get to the Citadel building wins, got it?"

Luche and Lyra nodded, both clutching their weapons. Nyx kept hold of his Kukri, intending to follow and made sure she stayed safe. The two competitors were both intoxicated to all hell. They couldn't even stand still, struggling to stay in position. With their luck, they'd warp straight into the King's bedroom, and the Captain would have all their asses.

Crowe counted off, and they were gone before three even left her mouth. Mouths dropped as Lyra took the lead, having thrown her short sword farther than Luche had thrown his Kukri. Pelna swore, turning to Nyx. "What the hell, man? You training her?"

Nyx rolled his eyes and didn't answer, throwing his Kukri and following his girlfriend. The other Glaive's followed, Libertus' moaning fading into the background. Lyra was fast, her movements graceful, even when drunk. Luche was almost just as quick though, and he hated losing to anyone, especially if the person was Insomnian. Nyx kept up with two, keeping his eyes on them as they approached the Citadel.

When the two warped into the air just before the Citadel, Luche made his move. He hurled a ball of fire at Lyra as she was getting ready to warp to the top. From the height they were at, she would slam into the concrete and severely hurt herself. Nyx couldn't stop the fire, but he could catch her and make sure she landed safely.

Just before the fireball hit Lyra, she brought up a barrier. Blowing Luche a kiss, she threw her short sword to the top of the Citadel and disappeared. Luche yelled in outrage before disappearing as well, Nyx following close behind.

He found them sprawled out at the top, heavy breaths and pale skin a clear sign they had overexerted themselves. He ran to Lyra, helping her sit up and then pulling her into his lap. She grinned at him. "I won!"

He chuckled, able to relax now that everything was done. "Sure did, honey. How'd you know to put up a shield?"

She rolled her eyes in Luche's direction, smirking. "I remember your earlier competition, and I have a brother. Both like to play dirty." She frowned. "Damn, I'm pretty much sober now."

Nyx ran a hand down her back. "Now that you're done playing with Luche, want to go back to my place and play dirty?"

Lyra snorted, "You're so bad." She smiled, pecking him on the mouth. "Let's go."

"Rematch," Luche croaked from his place on the ground.

Nyx covered Lyra's mouth with his hand before she could open it. "No can do, Luche. I have my own plans with the Princess now that she'd done humoring another man."

[bestfriendforhire]

Children of BFFH, Entry 50

 :Who’s that with Dea?: we questioned almost at once.

 :Is she really that jumpy?: questioned Aika.

 Maiko firmly said, :No.  She looks too curious to be jumpy.  I think she’s just bad at pretending to be human.:

 :We should go introduce ourselves.: suggested Maimo.

 Being in agreement, we all jogged over, surrounding Dea and the guest.  The girl whirled around, looking at all of us in surprise.  She was obviously faster than us, but what was she?

 :Vampire.: we all suggested at once when I checked her temperature, but doubted ourselves just as quickly.  She’d be pretty old to be that fast as a vampire, wouldn’t she?  Well, there is Cosette…  But the girl clearly had a slow-ish heartbeat.

 “Valeria, these are the quadruplets.  Well, not technically, but sorta quadruplets.  Girls, this is Valeria Cornaro, a vampire that Cosette’s adopting.

 :Nailed it!: we exclaimed to ourselves.  Then we played Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock for order of introduction.  Dad got us hooked on Big Bang Theory

 “I’m Aiko.” I told her.

 “Maiko here.” stated my sister.

 “Aika.” added another one with a wave.

 “And I’m Maimo.” finished the loser of our game.  “So what else are you?  You seem pretty fast for a vampire.”

 “Hmm..?” questioned the girl, her eyes were still darting around rapidly even when she seemed somewhat focused on one of us.

 “You’re really fast for a kid.” asserted Dea.  “Young vampires typically aren’t that fast from what we’ve heard.”

 “Oh.  I am five-hundred-and-sixty-four years old now, though I have trouble believing it at times.” she replied, not seeming to think anything was odd about it.  Her speech grew rapid off and on as she talked.

 “Five hundred!?” exclaimed Dea, gaping at her.  “I thought you were a kid.  You’re being adopted, right?”

 Valeria nodded.  “I am a child.”

 “Wait!  We’ve got this!” exclaimed Maiko as we quickly tried to remember how that could happen.  Our moms taught us a great deal about vampires, wanting us to have the knowledge even though we weren’t going to hunt them as our moms were trained to do.

 “You were sleeping for five hundred years!?” questioned Aika instead of continuing our discussion on possibilities.

 “Five-hundred-and-fifty-four years.” replied Valeria, nodding again as she stared off toward the gym’s entrance.

 “Hello!  Have we met?” asked Ella as she joined us.

 Valeria rapidly shook her head negatively.

 “I’m Ella!” replied Ella as she held out her hand.  “I’ll probably forget you over the next hour, but if you spend several hours with me today, I’ll probably be able to remember you.  I managed to remember all sorts of things about my friend Rona just yesterday.”

 “Ella, that was two weeks ago.” replied Maimo as Valeria very carefully shook Ella’s hand.

 “And Rona was here for days.” I added.

 “Oh.” stated Ella with a frown.  “Well, I still remember things!  She had the best expressions!”

 My sisters and I giggled, unable to argue.

 “She really did.” admitted Maiko.

 “Five hundred?  I’ve got to ask you about fifteenth century Italy sometime.” stated Luce after jogging over to us with her brothers.  “I’m Luce, and these are my brothers, Four and Aid.”

 “James Michael Somerset IV is my actual name, but everyone does call me ‘Four’ to avoid confusion with our father.” explained Four with a smile.

 Then Aid said, “I’m Aiden Gruffydd Somerset, and our sister’s full name is Alma Lucy Somerset, like our mother.”

 Valeria blinked rapidly, her eyes darting between them.  Then she curtsied and said, “I am Valeria Cornaro.  I’ll be living with Cosette Bourbon, so I might become Valeria Bourbon.  Is that how things are done here?  I never asked, and Vito’s memories aren’t always the most helpful.”

 “His memories?  He can share them!?” questioned Ella excitedly.  

 Valeria nodded and said, “Through his blood.”

 “Sorry, Ella, but that won’t work for you.” stated Luce as she hugged Ella from behind.  “You’d probably get some information, but it wouldn’t last any better than anything else.”

 “Oh.” replied Ella glumly, before looking off at the ceiling.  Blinking and looking around, she stared at Valeria in surprise.  “Hi!  I’m Ella!”

 Valeria looked startled, but shook Ella’s hand as she introduced herself again.

 “Four, you’ll be helping Valeria with basic exercises today.  Be careful.” stated Auntie Raine after appearing next to us.  “She’s not used to Portentia’s blood yet.”

 “I will.” he replied.

 “You can introduce Doc, Aspy, and Stormcrow after our exercises.  We’re starting a little early today” explained Auntie Raine before reappearing at the far end of the gym.

 “You heard her, guys.  Let’s get in our places.” ordered Four.  “Valeria, you’re with me.”

 My sisters and I had a little debate about whether or not someone should have warned Valeria about Four’s magic, but we decided that it’d make no difference with her living here.  Despite her innate resistance to mind-affecting spells as a vampire, Four’s magic was obviously working by the end of the physical exercise.  Of course, we knew it would.

 “Do you know anything about magic?” questioned Four as Auntie Raine started assisting with the magical lessons.

 “I have started learning how to use my vampiric abilities over the past couple weeks.  I can also do this.” she told him, and he disappeared.

 My sisters and I exclaimed “Four!?”

 “All of you have to check this out!” yelled Four, loud enough to echo through the gym.

 When we arrived by Valeria, we could see Four through a doorway, standing in a void.

 “Whoa.” whispered Luce, obviously as surprised as we were.

 “Show the adults!” exclaimed Aid with a grin.

 Valeria shrugged, and Four vanished again.

 “Where is he!?” asked Luce.

 “She moved the door!” exclaimed Four off to our right.

 “Momma Mila, please say you’re showing this to Dad!  He’s going to flip!” exclaimed Aika in response to the rest of our thoughts.

 “And show us the recording of his reaction later.” added our moms, having arrived by us.  Then one of them said, “James and Alma just had to be out this morning, didn’t they.”

 “THIS IS SO COOL!” exclaimed Crazy, appearing next to Four with Messy in her grip.  “Guys, there are walls!  Valeria, can you trap us in here!?”

 The door vanished, and a number of the adults instantly started speaking over each other.

 Valeria replied faster than the four of us could follow, looking around nervously.

 “Shhh… Go back to practice.” stated Auntie Raine, motioning everyone to leave.  Then she gently patted Valeria’s shoulder, saying, “You’re fine.  No one’s mad.  Mind opening the door again?  Crazy will probably complain, but Four and Messy will probably want out.”

 Valeria nodded, and the door instantly reappeared..

 “Hey!  I haven’t cracked it yet!” exclaimed Crazy.

 “Sure, but I’m supposed to be working with her on magic.” replied Four, walking out.

 “I’m going to stay longer as well.  We’ll pop out after she gives up.” asserted Messy, looking amused as she watched Crazy attack something we couldn’t see.  She was sitting at an elaborate table, perfectly comfortable despite the lack of a discernable floor.

 “Where did you get a table and chair!?” exclaimed Valeria in obvious surprise.

 Messy demonstrated, causing another table to appear in a flash of light before vanishing in a cloud of darkness.

 Valeria’s mouth dropped open as she said something I couldn’t understand.

 “No swearing, or the Boss might give you a frowny face when he sees you next.” stated Auntie Raine.

 Valeria looked at her in surprise and started speaking very rapidly.

 “Yes, I’ve studied many languages, even dated ones.  You need to practice speaking slowly.  Mind if I balance your energy out?” questioned Raine.

 “What do you mean?” questioned Valeria.

 “Please, shut the do-” started Crazy when the door vanished.

 “I’ll make you feel more comfortable.” replied Auntie Raine.

 “Please, do!” exclaimed Valeria in surprise.

 Shadow poured off her like smoke from a wet bonfire.  When the shadows cleared, Valeria did seem less twitchy.

 “How do you feel?” questioned Auntie Raine.

 “I don’t feel like I will burst anymore, but… the hunger is more noticeable again.” replied Valeria.

 Auntie Raine nodded and said, “Sorry, but I shouldn’t do anything about that.”

 “Think three strains of vampires is enough?” teased Four.

 “I don’t want to experiment on someone, even with their permission.” replied Auntie Raine with a shrug.  “Back to work.”  She appeared halfway across the room to help one of the adults with a spell.

 Four started trying different ways to get Valeria to notice residual energy, but we all knew that might be tough for her.  Many vampires simply couldn’t do any magic that didn’t come from being a vampire.  Vito’s strain was the strongest with residual energy, but nearly as rare as Papak’s.  Most vampires came from Zachary’s blood.

 “I wasn’t done yet!” complained Crazy when she and Messy suddenly appeared.

 “You weren’t even close to breaking out.” teased Messy, grinning at her.

 “But you did it!” exclaimed Crazy, frowning at her.

 “Should’ve paid more attention to how.” replied Messy.

 “How!?” asked Valeria, staring at her with wide eyes.

 “Eh… I think you’ll have to study a while before you want to attempt that explanation, since I have considerable advantages with magic.” explained Messy apologetically.

 Four laughed and said, “That is a dramatic understatement.  I have tremendous advantages.  You and Crazy are like cheat codes incarnate.”

 “No.  No arguing.” insisted Aid when Messy opened her mouth.

 Crazy giggled, and I instantly fought my nervousness, paranoid about what she might be plotting.  How did people really manage their feelings without a connection to their siblings?  Just knowing that my sisters also felt nervous when Crazy giggled always helped me be certain I wasn’t simply being paranoid.

 :We are being paranoid.: insisted Aika.

 :But paranoia is a necessity as Crazy’s friend.: insisted Maiko.

 :Totally!: agreed Maimo.

 As we practiced our lessons, the four of us continued trying to work out how Valeria’s magic worked.  Dad wasn’t any help with the how when we arrived in his lab later, but he already was thinking up different uses for that type of magic.  My sisters and I all placed bets on how quickly he’d be asking the Boss and Auntie Cosette about getting Valeria to let him do some tests on that room she created.  Dad loved doing experiments.

[snaggletoothed]

100 Character Development Questions; Part Six, Occupational Questions.

          1. Do you have a job ? What is it ? Do you like it ? If no job, where does your money come from?

     if not a companion of the courier, he generally does work within the thorn for red lucy. he partakes in fights that’re set up for him, or guards the entrance with the most heavy traffic. he doesn’t mind it, but patch more prefers fighting than acting as a bouncer.      he does work on the side as a hunter, seeking out various wasteland creatures and taking them down, followed by taking them apart. the hunting brings better money than the thorn stuff does, ironically, but that’s likely because he provides food and raw materials ( for clothing or whatever ), which are more useful.      with the courier, he’s just a companion who travels with them and makes sure they don’t end up dead. their fame is his fame, so he relishes in their adventures.

          2. What is your boss or employer like ? (Or publisher, or agent, or whatever.)

     his boss is either himself, red lucy, or the courier ( technically ).      he doesn’t care for red lucy. the seriousness that she runs the thorn with is a bit of a joke to him, not that he’d say so himself.      with the courier, he obviously likes him to willingly travel alongside them ( ... and do his best to keep them out of trouble ), but depending on the choices they make faction-wise, it may turn out with patch disliking them. he dislikes the legion since they’re heavily based upon slavery, which he opposes. the brotherhood he dislikes as much as the legion, since they take it upon themselves to ‘ purify ‘ the wasteland-- they see themselves as ‘ holier than thou ‘ by thinking they can decide what can and can’t stay. the other factions he either is neutral towards or likes.

          3. What are your co-workers like ? Do you get along with them ? Any in particular ? Which ones don’t you get along with ?

     the other possible courier companions he has mixed feelings towards, depending on the person. patch would get along with boone since he’s a quieter guy and he also dislikes the legion. lily he’d feel mixed towards, as she is a super mutant but also is friendly ? he’s not sure what to think of it. cass is likely the one he’d get along with best, as their personalities are somewhat similar as are their bad habits. arcade is another one patch would get along with, if only because the man is a member of the followers. as for veronica, he’d refuse to travel with her since she’s apart of the bos, but he’d also terrorize her ( for fun ). raul is funny but he can bitch a bit much, so patch wouldn’t mind him. ed-e is a robot so whatever... and rex, despite at times contemplating eating the cyberdog, patch wouldn’t mind him either.

          4. What is something you had to learn that you hated?

     he hates having to haul his big, scaly ass around the mojave. patch is a bit of a lazy bastard, so having to travel long distances without a break can be tiresome for him, and it’s even worse when he ( or the courier ) is in a rush.

          5. Do you tend to save or spend your money ? Why ?

     he half saves / half spends, but usually prefers saving if possible. he tries to save up for his medication and anything else he absolutely needs ( water sometimes, bullets, extra clothing if needed, etc ).       he’ll splurge on alcohol if he’s feeling it, which he does often. he’s been working on his drinking issue for sometime, but he lapsed when faith disappeared. she made him promise he’d work on it no matter what, so he’s struggling to hold his end of the deal.      if trying to woo someone, he does have a habit of lavishing gifts... his ex-girlfriend compared him to a mythical creature she read about in books during her time within her vault. a dragon, he thinks it was called ?       he hoards his money and precious things, but when wooing, he goes all out and will both willingly and easily part with things he previously never would of.