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ereardon · 8 months ago

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Golden Hour || Ch. 10

[Bob Floyd x Bradley Bradshaw x OC]

A Bob Floyd & Bradley Bradshaw AU [Hart of Dixie inspired]

Synopsis: Willow, Georgia. Barely even a town, just a speck on a map that you tried to wipe off, mistaking it for a crumb. You’re the outsider: a fancy New York doctor, fresh out of a failed engagement, with zero primary care experience. You’re also the new town doctor, taking over for a recent retiree who was beloved. His son, Bob Floyd, is the other physician at the practice, and takes an immediate dislike to you. But you were looking for a fresh start, and Willow doesn’t seem all that bad if you can get past the fact that there's only one restaurant in town. It helps that you've caught the eye of Bradley Bradshaw, the town attorney, despite the fact that you vowed to take a break from dating. How long until you start to make friends in a town where social circles have been set in stone since elementary school? And what will it take to make Bob Floyd see you’re not as bad as he wants to believe you are?

Pairing: Bob Floyd x OC; Bradley Bradshaw x OC

Tropes: Love triangle, enemies to lovers

Warnings: Angst, cursing, alcohol

Chapter summary: Bradley invites Bob and Olive to dinner. Olive and Bob have a real conversation following their spontaneous kiss

WC: 2K

Masterlist here; previous chapter here

The office was busy by the time you showed up. You were late on purpose, because the earlier you showed up the more likely you were to run into Bob.

“Dr. James.” Molly was frazzled. You frowned as she showed a handful of paperclipped charts in your arms. “You’re late. We have five patients waiting for you.”

“Give me two minutes and then send the first person in.” You turned, trying not to look up as you made your way into your office. Closing the door, you collapsed into your desk chair. On the other side of the wall, you heard Bob’s voice, low murmurs. A shiver crawled up your back.

And then the door swung open. “Doc!”

“Mr. Peterson,” you said, standing up. “What’s bothering you today?”

He grunted and sat down, heavily, on the exam table. “This bum hip, like always.”

You snapped on a pair of gloves and turned to him. “Alright, let’s see what’s going on.”

The day was chock full of patients. Mr. Peterson’s arthritic hip, two cases of spider bites, one kid with pink eye, an ice cream shop worker with carpal tunnel.

It was well after seven by the time you stood up and inched your door open, peering around. The hallway was empty, Molly was gone. You breathed out a sigh of relief, grabbing your purse and shutting your office door. But just as you turned, a shadow crossed the floor and you looked up.

Bob looked like a deer in headlights. He had one hand on the doorknob to his office, his hair tousled. “Dr. James,” he said, voice low and rough. You remembered what his hands felt like on your neck, his lips on yours.

Your voice gasped a little. “Bob.”

His blue eyes flashed for a moment and you weren’t sure if it was excitement or anger flooding his features. And then all of the light drained out of his eyes and he turned, breezing past you, practically running out the door once again.

***

You were sitting on a barstool at Breakers, nursing a glass of white boxed wine, when a pair of hands wrapped around your shoulders, causing you to gasp.

Bradley spun you around on the chair, a grin spread wide across his face. He leaned down and kissed you, in front of everyone, leaving you gasping for air as he pulled back.

“Hey there, Doc,” he said, settling onto the seat next to you. “Miss me?”

You crossed your legs, hooking one heel into the bottom bar of his stool and Bradley placed a large, warm hand on your bare thigh. “Of course.”

He grinned. “What did you get up to while I was gone?”

You hesitated. On the other side of the bar, Phoenix was watching the two of you, polishing a glass from a few feet away, her dark hair swept up in a ponytail. You shrugged. “Oh not much. Just work, you know. Lots of patients, had to do some filing and admin.”

Bradley frowned. “Admin? I hope Floyd isn’t pushing you too hard.”

The memory of Bob’s kiss flitted across your mind. The way his hand had felt on the back of your neck, tugging you forward with reckless abandon. “No,” you whispered. “He’s been great.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Great? So the two of you are finally getting along?”

“Um, yeah, I think so.”

Bradley pulled his hand from your thigh and smiled, tugging his phone out and placing it on the bar. “Perfect. Then let’s do dinner, the three of us. My place.”

“Oh, no, I—”

“He’s a good guy,” Bradley interrupted. “And we’ve been friends for a long time. So I’d love if the three of us could hang out.”

There was something finite about his words. He had made up his mind. You nodded. “OK, sure. Dinner.”

***

Standing at Bradley’s doorstep, you raised one hand to knock before taking a deep breath. And then you lowered your fist and let out the breath.

What the hell were you doing? Why was this so uncomfortable? You had slept with Bradley once, and kissed Bob once. Did either of them mean anything? You weren’t exclusive with Bradley, you weren’t even dating. You weren’t sure what you were.

On the other hand, Bob Floyd acted like you didn’t exist 99% of the time. The other 1% of the time he was actively hating you.

So why should you care if it was weird for him to see you and Bradley together?

“Are you going to knock, or do you expect the door to fly open through telekinesis?”

You whirled around. Bob stood a few steps down on the pathway, holding a bottle of wine. HIs face was unreadable.

“I was going to knock,” you said.

Bob stepped closer and you caught a whiff of his soap – minty and herbal – and leaned over, knocking on the door sharply, his eyes never leaving yours.

The door swung open a second later, Bradley standing barefoot with a kitchen towel slung over one shoulder. “Hey guys, come on in.”

Bob held out a hand and you stepped inside first, the sound of your heels clacking against the wooden floor. To your surprise, Bradley leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to your lips. A blush crept over your face and neck, and you averted your eyes from him or Bob.

“Is that for tonight?” Bob nodded, handing over the bottle of wine. “NIce, thanks man. Come on in.”

You scampered behind Bradley, unable to meet Bob’s gaze, wandering into the kitchen where he had a bowl of guacamole out and some chips. Instinctively, you dragged a chip through the green dip and shoved it into your face to prevent talking. Nerves were bubbling at the surface of your skin.

“How was the trial?” Bob’s voice surprised you. He was a man of so few words, so having him lead the conversation was shocking.

Bradley stood at the stove, stirring a pot of beans. “Long,” he replied. “Tedious, as always.” There was a pause. Then, “Anything happen while I was gone?”

Was it you, or did the air in the room shift? You quickly shoved another tortilla chip in your mouth to cover the silence. Bob put one hand on the counter, not too far from where you sat hunched over the bowl of chips. “Not much,” he replied, nonchalant. “Usual Willow drama.”

Bradley raised an eyebrow. “Drama?”

You practically choked on the chip.

Bob looked at you before responding, “The Mayfields are at it again.”

Relief, hot like vodka, spread through your body. Bradley laughed. “Really? I don’t want to have to oversee the third divorce.”

“Third?” you asked.

He nodded, but Bob’s voice was the one that cut through the kitchen air. “Mr. and Mrs. Mayfield got divorced probably ten years ago, and then promptly had an affair together and got pregnant. They got married again before the baby was born, but divorced when Anna turned three.”

“So they’re divorced?”

“Nope, got together again a few years later. But from the sounds of it, divorce number three might be incoming.”

“This town should be its own sitcom,” you said, lifting the glass of wine that Bradley had poured to your lips.

“So have you changed your mind about our little town, Doc?” Bradley asked, turning around pouring Bob another scotch. You hadn’t even seen him pour the first one.

You shrugged. “It’s no New York.”

“Nothing is.” Bradley put the wooden spoon down. “Floyd, remember that time you came to visit me at Columbia?”

You frowned. Bob had gone to New York? You couldn’t picture him in the city. With all the suits and fast walking and snippy baristas. He would stick out like a sore thumb in his jeans and button down shirts, his Southern twang.

Bob nodded. “I still think about that Korean chicken place you brought me to.”

Bradley laughed. “Wow, Koreatown. I haven’t thought of that in ages.”

You leaned on the counter and watched them. There was something so casual and easy about the way they spoke with each other. It was the first time it dawned on you that they had been friends for years.

And you were getting in the middle of a friendship.

Dinner was delicious, with black beans sauteed with bacon and pork belly tacos and margaritas so strong your head started to buzz halfway through the meal.

Before you realized it, you and Bob were standing in the doorway again.

“Thanks for dinner,” Bob said, reaching out and clapping Bradley on the shoulder.

Bradley grinned. “Anytime Floyd.” He turned to you, leaning in, his lips brushing against your ear. “You should stay.”

You pulled back, face frozen, head shaking. “I have a lot of work in the morning,” you whispered. “But I’ll call you.”

He nodded as Bob opened the door and the two of you were ushered out into the cool night. Before you could even squeak out a word, Bob was halfway down the driveway, speeding toward his house next door. You broke out into practically a jog behind him, running up the stairs to his house in heels. “Floyd!”

He whipped around, eyes wide, one hand on the door. He was silent.

You crossed your arms over your chest, suddenly cold. “So this is it?” you asked. “You’re just going to run away every time you see me? What the hell is going on?” you demanded. “Do you take it back?”

Those last words came out as a sharp whisper. Bob reached out, grabbing your arm and pulling you around the front porch of the house to the opposite side, so you were out of view of Bradley’s home.

Even when the two of you rounded the corner, his fingers didn’t leave your skin. Instead, he stepped closer, until you could feel the heat radiating off of his muscular body. “No,” he said gruffly. “I don’t want to take it back.”

“Then what?” you pleaded. “What do you want?”

“Take a wild guess, Olive.” Bob cocked his head to one side.

“I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do.” His voice forced a chill through your bones, a tingling settling in between your legs. “You’re a smart girl,” he whispered. “I think you know.”

Your chest heaved uncontrollably. No one had ever looked at you the way Bob Floyd was looking at you in that moment. Not Bradley. Not Peter. Not any of the men you had dated in the past. It was all consuming. It threatened to swallow you whole.

“We always want what we can’t have,” Bob murmured, letting his fingertips drop from your arm. “That’s human nature, I guess.”

“Is that your diagnosis, Doctor?”

He nodded.

You shook your head. “In my professional opinion, it’s better to tell the truth than to hide how you feel.”

“So you’re a psychiatrist now?” he murmured.

“God, never.”

Bob grinned. He lifted one arm, placing it on the siding of the house behind your head, creating a triangle with his body, practically pinning you against the house. You looked up, eyes wide. “Bradley is my best friend,” he whispered. “And you’re my business partner.”

“Almond milk isn’t real milk.”

He frowned. “What?”

“I thought we were just listing facts.”

Bob shook his head and grunted. He was exasperated with you. You were all too familiar with that. “Jesus Chris, Livvy, I swear—”

You interrupted him. “Livvy?” No one had ever called you that before.

His eyes flashed. “I mean Olive.” He flushed.

You shook your head. “I like it.”

Bob leaned down, letting his free hand cup your cheek. “Livvy,” he murmured.

“Yes?”

“Shut up and let me kiss you.”

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lime1991 · 2 months ago

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List of sims 2 premades who are people of color

(university, dead, and binned sims not listed. If I missed anyone else, let me know!)

Strangetown

Circe Beaker - 1/2 Greek, 1/4 Black 1/4 White

Nervous Subject - African Ancestry (Black)

Curious Brothers - 1/2 Black, 1/4 Not White 1/4 White

Jenny Smith - 1/2 Black, 1/4 Not White 1/4 White

Jill Smith - 1/2 Alien, 1/4 Black 1/8 Not White 1/8 White

(Note: In real life, Jill wouldn’t be considered a poc but because she looks exactly like Jenny, who should look black, she should also look black. Also Not White is my go-to when I can’t tell the intention behind their grandparents’ designs. Some read Kitty Curious as wasian or half native, I personally see her as half white and half black.)

Lola & Chloe Singles - Aliens with a black father

Olive Specter - African (Maiden name is Swahili)

Ophelia Nigmos - African Ancestry (Black)

(Note: When I say “African Ancestry” I mean there’s a degree of separation between the sim and the place their ancestors are from, Ophelia and Nervous are both black and have direct ties to specific places in Africa. I just mean that they themselves did not come from Africa and nor did their parents.)

Pleasantview

Daniel Pleasant - 1/2 Black, 1/2 Not White

Mary-Sue Pleasant - Fully Asian, Adopted

Angela & Lilith - 1/2 Asian, 1/4 Black 1/4 Not White

Jennifer Burb - 1/2 Black, 1/2 Not White

Lucy Burb - 1/2 Black, 1/2 White

Bella Goth - 1/2 Black, 1/4 Hispanic 1/4 Not White

Cassandra Goth - 1/2 White, 1/4 Black 2/8 Other

(Note: Cassandra looks more like Bella, which is why she’s on the list. In real life, people would not consider her a person of color if she had lighter skin.)

Dina & Nina Caliente - 1/2 Hispanic, 1/2 Egyptian Arab

Don Lothario - Spicy White (Italian) (felt worth mentioning)

Dreamer Family - Black (obviously)

Brandi Broke - White, but with Not White ancestry

Veronaville

Monty Family - Confusing

Oberon Summerdream - Black

Bottom Summerdream - Black

Titania Summerdream - 1/2 Asian, 1/2 White

Belladonna Cove

Benjamin Baldwin - 1/2 Black, 1/2 Arab

Isabel Baldwin - Black, possibly something else too

Sofia & Marcus Baldwin - Black

Carlos Contender - Black

Vivian Cho - Mixed Ancestry Asian

Etsu Cho - Mixed Ancestry Asian

Timothy Riley - 1/2 Irish, 1/2 Indian

Sally Riley - Mostly white, 1/4 Indian 1/4 Native

Chastity Gere - 1/2 Black, 1/2 White

Gabriel Green - Hispanic

Jessica Peterson - White but maybe Not White

Patel Family - Indian (duh)

Geoff Rutherford - White but 1/4 Black

Connor Weir - 1/2 Black, 1/2 White

Desiderata Valley

Una-Aspir Families - Russian? Mongolian, maybe?

Bell-Wirth Family - Black

Edward Contrary - Black-ish

Opal Contrary - Asian

Rick Contrary - Blasian-ish

Marcel Jocque - White but 1/4 Black and tan skin

Violet Jocque - White but 1/8 Black with tan skin

(Note: I’m only mentioning them bc they have non-white ancestry and it shows.)

John Mole - 1/2 Asian, 1/4 Black 1/4 White

Riverblossom Hills

Jason Greenman - White but 1/4 Black

Gabe O’Mackey - White but 1/4 Black and tan

Morty Roth - Black(?)

(Note: His father is black with an afro and his mother has cornrows which imply she’s black but neither grandparents look black? His mom’s dad might be? His dad’s dad is named Tyronne which is a stereotypically black name? I don’t know man.)

Sandra & Xander Roth - Questionably 1/2 Black

Patrica Wan - 1/2 Chinese, 1/2 Japanese

Cleo Shikibu - 1/2 Japanese, 1/2 White

Andrew & Jacob Martin - Hispanic

#the sims #the sims 2 #ts2 premades #ts2 simblr #ts2 #simblr #strangetown #pleasantview #veronaville #belladonna cove #desiderata valley #riverblossom hills #I just thought this was a fun idea and I spent like 3 hours doing this #just looking at family trees and seeing the premade sims’ ancestrys #if I’m wrong about anything lmk or if I missed anyone lmk!#I might make a post about university sims too idk if anyone cares though

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princesssarisa · 11 months ago

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This… out of curiosity

Do you know the different meanings of the name of Cinderella's Stepsisters?

Charles Perrault's Cendrillon

Javotte: A nickname for Geneviève, which means "of the race of woman," "woman of the family," or "white wave."

(Perrault only reveals the older stepsister's name in one scene, not the younger one's.)

Rossini's opera La Cenerentola

Clorinda: “Youthful” or “greenery.”

Tisbe: Unknown; it’s a name from Greek mythology.

Massenet's opera Cendrillon

Noémie: “Pleasantness.”

Dorothée: “Gift from God.”

The 1947 Russian film

Anna: “Grace” or “favor.”

Marianna: A cross between Mary, meaning “bitter,” “drop of the sea,” or “beloved,” and Anna (see above).

The Let's Pretend radio adaptation

Flora: “Flower.”

Isabella: A form of Elizabeth, meaning “My God is an oath.”

The Disney version, animated and live action

Anastasia: “Resurrection.”

Drizella: Probably a variant of Drusilla, meaning “little strong one.”

The 1955 film The Glass Slipper

Birdena: “Little bird.”

Serafina: “Fiery one.”

The 1957 version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical

Portia: “Pig.”

Joy: Self-evident.

The 1965 version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical

Prunella: “Little plum.”

Esmeralda: “Emerald.”

The Muppets' Hey, Cinderella!

Mona: “My lady.”

Lisa: Derived from Elizabeth, meaning “my God is an oath.”

Rankin/Bass's Festival of Family Classics

Fatima: “To abstain” (though it serves as a play on “fat,” because she is fat)

Leania: Probably derived from Helen, meaning “light” (though it serves as a play on “lean” because she’s scrawny)

The 1969 Czech film

Katerina: “Far off” or “pure.”

Dorota: "Gift from God."

The 1973 Czech film Three Wishes for Cinderella

Dora: “Gift.”

The 1976 film The Slipper and the Rose

Isobella: “My God is an oath” (see above).

Palatine: “Of the palace.”

The 1978 African-American adaptation Cindy

Olive: "Olive," of course.

Venus: "Love."

The Faerie Tale Theatre adaptation

Arlene: “Honor” or “eagle.”

Bertha: “Bright.”

The Grimm's Faerie Tale Classics adaptation (English dub)

Phoebe: “Bright.”

Griselda: “Gray battle.”

Stephen Sondheim's musical Into the Woods

Florinda: "Flower."

Lucinda: "Light."

The Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child adaptation

Margarita: “Pearl” or “daisy flower.”

Esmeralda: “Emerald” (see above).

The musical A Tale of Cinderella

Moltovoce: “Much voice.”

Seppia: “Squid.”

The 1996 Burbank Animation version

Nellie: A nickname for Ellen or Helen, meaning “torch” or “light.”

Melba: Derived from Melbourne, Australia. Melbourne means “mill stream.”

(Their names are inspired by the famous Australian opera singer Nellie Melba, whose birth name was Helen Mitchell and who took her stage name from her home city of Melbourne.)

The anime series Cinderella Monogatari

Catherine: “Far off” or “pure.”

Jeanne: “God is gracious.”

The 1997 version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical

Minerva: “Intellect.”

Calliope: “Beautiful voice.”

The 1998 film Ever After: A Cinderella Story

Marguerite: “Pearl” or “daisy flower.”

Jacqueline: “Heel-grabber” or “supplanter."

Gregory Maguire's novel Confession of an Ugly Stepsister

Iris: "Rainbow" or "iris flower."

Ruth: "Friend."

Margaret Peterson Haddix's novel Just Ella

Griselda: "Gray battle" (see above).

Corimunde: Possibly a variant of "Clarimond," meaning "shining defender."

The Shrek franchise

Doris: "Dorian woman."

Mabel: "Lovable."

The 2000 stage version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical

Grace: Self-evident.

Joy: Self-evident (see above).

The 2000 British TV film

Goneril: Unknown meaning.

Regan: "Little ruler" or "king's child."

(In case anyone didn't know it, their names are taken from the evil sisters in Shakespeare's King Lear.)

The Simsala Grimm adaptation

Agatha: “Good.”

Beatrice: "One who blesses.”

The novel and film Ella Enchanted

Hattie: A nickname for Harriet, meaning “home ruler.”

Olive: Self-evident (see above).

The 2004 film A Cinderella Story

Brianna: "High" or "noble."

Gabriella: "God is my strength."

Malinda Lo's novel Ash

Ana: "Grace" or "favor" (see above).

Clara: "Clear" or "bright.

The 2010 Märchenperlen adaptation

Clothilde: “Glorious battle.”

The 2011 Sechs auf einen Streich adaptation

Annabella: "Grace and beauty."

The 2013 stage version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical

Gabrielle: “God is my strength” (see above).

Charlotte: “Free woman.”

Alma Deutscher's opera

Griselda: “Gray battle” (see above).

Zibaldona: Possibly derived from Zebada, which is derived from Zebadiah, meaning “God has bestowed.”

Betsy Cornwell's novel Mechanica

Piety: Self-evident.

Chastity: Self-evident.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Bad Cinderella

Adéle: “Noble.”

Marie: “Bitter,” “drop of the sea,” or “beloved.”

The 2021 Sony/Amazon film

Narissa: “Sea nymph.”

Malvolia: “Ill will.”

#cinderella #fairy tale #cinderella's stepsisters #name meanings

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prying-pandora666 · 2 years ago

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FULLY ANIMATED PREVIEW! Young Iroh vs Kid Ozai Episode: Legacy of Fire

I promised you guys the full previewed didn’t I? Made for @book4air - a project bringing Book 4 of ATLA to life!

So here it is! Peep the video below:

Help us finish this episode and many others by supporting us on Patreon!

If you can’t afford to pledge, that’s okay! Support us by spreading our episodes so we can overcome the YouTube algorithm!

Credits

Animated by: Sam Lee Wins aka @samleewins

Voice Cast Ozai (Adult): Jakob Dillon Ozai (Kid): Kat Peterson Iroh (Young): Daven Tyler Fultz Maki: Sam Lee Wins Stuffy Noble: Jazzy Oliver Servant: Maia Harlap

Music: James A. Reilly

Mixing: Ryoma Ishizuka

Written by: Lucia Lobosvilla aka me @prying-pandora666

Feedback and signal boosts much appreciated! We are struggling to not shut down right now due to costs, but we don’t want to give up!

#avatar the last airbender #atla #avatar #book 4 air restoration project #Iroh #Ozai #fire hazard siblings

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noforkingclue · 5 months ago

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Love to Hate and Hate to Love, Chapter 5 (River Cartwright x OC)

So happy Slow Horses day and of course I had to celebrate with some fanfiction. I feel like I haven't published anything in a while (at least for me...) and I wanted to get back in the swing of things with one of my OCs.

This is also the longest chapter I've written in a very long time!

So yeah, enjoy the fic and please be mindful of the warnings! I didn't say this was going to be a particularly feel good chapter, in true Slow Horses style.

Warnings: murder (including of children)

Slow Horses tag list: @cillmequick

“Who was he?”

“Hmm,” Laura looked up from her work, “what do you mean?”

“Fitz updated you right?” asked Olivia and when Laura and Kara nodded she continued, “so I was just wondering who the person who died was.”

Warren and Kara looked at each other and Laura drummed her fingers on the desk. They had only seen Fitz briefly that morning. He made a cup of coffee (which was unusual in itself) before he swiftly exited the office.

“Fitz has been, I don’t know, jumpier lately.” said Laura, “maybe this has shook him more than he’s letting on.”

“Nah,” Warren said, shaking his head, “Fitz operated behind The Wall. He’s not the type of person to get jumpy.”

“He seems distracted,” said Kara, “and we all know what happened last time he got distracted.”

“I don’t.” said Olivia

“Ahh yeah,” said Kara with a smile, “forgot you’re still new Olive.”

“Back with ‘Olive’,” muttered Olivia, “so are you going to tell me what happened?”

“It was back with the Hassan Ahmed situation,” said Laura, “before you joined. Fitz was off having private conversations with Lady Di.”

“And when Lamb got rounded up he was very fucking smug about that,” said Kara, “something definitely went on between them during the Cold War.”

“And this Peterson person is dragging it all up again,” said Warren bitterly, “and Fitz is hiding things from us. How is he expecting us to trust him if he won’t give us all the facts?”

“Maybe he’s expecting us to work it out for ourselves?” asked Olivia, “like an exercise.”

“Nah,” said Laura, “Fitz doesn’t work like that.”

“He’ll tell us eventually.” said Kara

“I doubt it,” said Warren bitterly, “but Olivia is right for once.”

“I am? And what do you mean by ‘right for once?”

“Maybe we’ll have to do our own investigations.” said Warren

“But if you say Fitz doesn’t operate that way, is that really wise?” asked Olivia, “Running our own investigations? Is that something we should be doing?”

The other three shared an amused look and once again Warren wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He gave her a comforting squeeze and said,

“Fitz has been told to look into this. We’re Fitz’s team therefore I think it’s alright if we help our boss out a bit, don’t you?”

“Well..” said Olivia although she still wasn’t sure

“And as you were right about that previous point you can go and get the coffee,” said Warren as he patted Olivia’s back, “usual order.”

“And best get a drink for Fitz,” said Laura as Olivia stomped towards the door, “you know how he gets!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Olivia said as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes, “got it.”

Olivia let out a sigh when she was out of the office. Yeah, she cared about her colleagues but sometimes she still got treated like a child. She was the youngest, and newest, member of the team so it was to be expected. But still… She thought that maybe, just maybe, they’d stop treating her like a child.

She stopped by the lift and pressed the button to go down. She was still lost in thought when the doors opened and she stepped in. It took her a second before she realised that she wasn’t alone.

“Ma’am,” she said when she said that she was sharing a lift with Diana Taverner, “I didn’t realise… I’m sorry… I’ll-”

She stopped when Taverner held up a hand. She gave Olivia a sharp smile and said cooly,

“You work with Max.”

“Max? Oh Fitz. Yeah, I mean, yes I do.”

“Unfortunate business this,” she continued lightly, as though she was commenting on the weather, “I heard that Max took you down to Slough House.”

“Yes he did. It was an enlightening experience.”

“Enlightening?” This seemed to amuse her, “Most people don’t use that word when describing Slough House.”

Why did it always feel that time slowed down when in the company of senior staff? It felt like Olivia had been trapped in the lift for an eternity.

“Well,” Olivia continued, “it has given me extra motivation for not fu- I mean, screwing up.”

“Good. It’s always tense when an agent dies. Doesn’t matter whether they’ve retired or not.”

The lift came to a shuddering stop and the doors slid open. Olivia watched Taverner leave with an open mouth as she realised what she had given her.

An agent?

“Who was he?”

Fitz glanced up over the rim of his glasses at Olivia. He nodded at the drinks holder she was holding and she handed over his Earl Grey. He popped open the takeaway lid and inspected the colour before taking a sip. He closed his eyes and nodded.

“Decent,” he said, “you’re improving.”

“Is taking tea orders an integral part of becoming a spook?”

“It shows you’re listening. Come, the others should be hearing this as well. That is, if they’re not already at the door.”

Fitz raised his voice for the last sentence and after a second the door to his voice opened and Warren, Laura and Kara walked in. Laura was the only person who looked slightly guilty. Warren folded his arms and raised his eyebrows at Fitz and Kara collapsed into a chair. Olivia held up the container and everyone picked up their drinks.

“George Kelly.” said Fitz at last

“He retired last year didn’t he?” asked Kara

“Yeah, I remember his leaving card and collection going around.” said Warren

“I think I was doing training when that happened.” said Olivia, once again feeling left out of the loop

“Yes, of course,” Fitz took another sip of his tea, “Kelly was another Cold Warrior. Came to Berlin on occasions but mainly operated in London. He was largely focused on clearing our Soviet agents from The Service.”

“So he knew Peterson?” said Laura

“Peterson wasn’t just a defector,” said Fitz with a bitter smile, “he had to give the Soviets something. Kelly was instrumental in finding out what Peterson was doing.”

“And now he’s dead,” said Laura, “bit of a coincidence, don’t you think?”

“More than just a coincidence.” said Fitz

“And does Lamb know?” asked Warren, “I guess that’s why you bolted off this morning?”

“Yes and yes.”

“But how can he-” started Olivia

“This is Jackson fucking Lamb,” snarled Fitz, “even stuck in Slough House he has ways of finding out information. Diana has given me,” he let out a bitter laugh, “permission to do whatever I see fit to resolve this.”

“Well that’s good right?” said Olivia

“Not sure yet,” said Fitz, “I still need to work out if she’s playing London or Moscow rules.”

“So what exactly do you want us to do?” asked Warren

Fitz smiled and wrote something down on a piece of paper. He tossed it to Olivia who quickly caught it.

“Had to get Molly Doran to send that over,” he said, “which pissed her off of course.”

“What exactly happened between you two?” asked Kara

“None of your business.” snapped Fitz

“Because it’s a pain in the arse to get any information from her,” Kara continued, “we’re part of your team and therefore we’re not allowed on her floor. Do you know how irritating it is to wait outside with Dogs?”

“Anyway,” said Fitz with a glare at Kara, “Olivia, this is where I want you to go.”

Olivia looked at the address and Kara looked over her shoulder.

“Where is this?” Olivia asked, although she had a sneaking suspicion about what it was

“Kelly’s address.” replied Fitz

“You want me to break into his house?”

“Any means.” said Fitz with a bright smile

“Hey Fitz,” said Warren, “you do realise that Lamb will be thinking the same thing.”

“Oh I do hope so,” said Fitz, “so please, don’t get caught. It’ll be bad enough if the Met comes but it’ll just be humiliating for you if you get caught by a Slow Horse. We are the professionals after all.”

“But I’ve never done this before.” said Olivia

“Then it’ll be good practice! Baptism of fire and all that shit. Oh and Olive?”

“Yeah?”

“You won’t exactly be breaking in. You’re going to be needing these.”

Fitz tossed over a pair of keys which Olivia stumbled to get. Fitz rolled his eyes as she dropped them and she asked,

“Where did you get these?”

“Off of Kelly’s body.”

“What?”

“What?” said Fitz, ignoring her shocked face, “he’s not going to be needing them anymore.”

It felt strange entering someone's house knowing that they were dead. Kelly’s house was located in Holland Park and Olivia couldn’t help but feel a stab of envy at the property. It was so much nicer than her pokey little one bed. It was a quiet street with few neighbours so Olivia wasn’t stopped although her Service ID was in her pocket. Olivia was suddenly acutely aware of its power. The power she held in her pocket. Something so small and yet it held so much sway.

“Are you in?”

Warren’s voice crackled in Olivia’s ear. That was another thing she was going to have to get used to- wearing an earpiece. Olivia rested against the front door and locked it behind her. You never knew who might be following her and after her run in with Cartwright she’d rather not take any chances.

“Yeah,” she whispered, “I am. What exactly am I looking for again?”

“Anything out of the ordinary.”

“Wow. Specific.”

“Just keep a look out and keep me updated.”

“Will do.”

Olivia slowly made her way through the house. She crept quietly along, trying to keep as silent as she could. She knew that it would take practice to walk silently. Fitz was a fucking master at it but he had been in this game for far too long. She pushed open the door which she assumed would lead to the kitchen and froze.

“Warren.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I…”

“Olivia. Deep breaths. Speak to me. I’m here.”

“There’s a body.”

“Shit. You sure?”

“Y… yeah. There’s a lot of blood.”

She leant against the wall as she took in the sight before her. The body of a woman rested against the island in the middle of the kitchen. The kitchen was white where the bright red of the blood clashed violently. Her throat was slashed and Olivia didn’t want to get any closer than necessary. The kitchen led onto the dining area where a glass wall showed an immaculately tended garden.

“Ignore the body,” this was said by Fitz, “carry on.”

“But Fitz-” started Olivia

“We’ll deal with this later,” said Fitz, “but right now there are more pressing matters.”

“There’s a dead body,” said Olivia, her voice cracking slightly, “we need to-”

“Right at the moment the dead do not matter. It’s the living you need to watch out for. The dead can’t hurt you but the living can. The living can kill.”

Olivia drew in a shuddering breath and nodded before realising that the others couldn’t see her.

“You’re right.” she said

“You haven’t thrown up have you?” asked Fitz

“No.”

“Good because that would contaminate the crime scene and compromise you.”

Olivia closed her eyes as she tried to ignore just how uncaring Fitz’s words sounded. He was just going into spy mode. She slowly moved through the rest of the house. It was unnervingly quiet, even more so knowing that there was a body downstairs. Olivia’s stomach churned and she was thankful that she had only had a cup of tea that morning. If she had eaten anything she couldn’t have guaranteed that the floor would be vomit free. On the other hand, she could feel her blood sugar crashing. She slowly walked up the stairs, wincing as the stairs creaked underfoot.

“On the first floor,” she said, “it looks like it's mainly just bedrooms.”

“You’ll need to go into them.” said Warren

“I know.” said Olivia

Again, why was everyone treating her like an idiot?

“You’re hesitating.” Warren said

“Can you blame me?”

“You can do this, Olive. It gets easier.”

“Great.”

The master bedroom was body free but not evidence free. Sheets were torn off the bed and clothes strewn all over the floor. A splattering of blood up the wall. The wardrobe doors were flung open and the drawers were wrenched free.

“Someone was looking for something,” she muttered, “not sure what though.”

“Interesting,” muttered Fitz, “very interesting. Is it the same in all the bedrooms?”

“Just checking.”

Olivia pushed open the next door and froze. She swallowed thickly as Fitz said,

“Olive?”

“I’m in the children’s bedroom.”

“Children’s?” she could hear the frown in Fitz’s voice, “Kerry is older then I am. Probably grandchildren. What’s in there.”

“Blood.”

A thick silence followed.

“Blood.” said Warren and Olivia could hear the crack in his voice

“In the bed. Lots of it. It’s… dripping onto the floor.”

“Are you ok to continue?” asked Warren

‘Do I have a choice?’ Olivia thought

“Yeah.” she said instead

Clothes were also strewn about in that bedroom. The third and final bedroom held the same as the second. A covered small lump was in the bed and a mess on the floor. Olivia closed her eyes as she tried not to think too hard about it. Suddenly she stiffened and looked towards the door. There was the unmistakable sound of someone moving about downstairs.

“Someone else is in here,” she whispered, “I’ve got to go dark.”

“Olive-”

Olivia froze as she heard someone climbing the stairs. Fuck, she should’ve insisted on backup. Yeah, Fitz and Warren were in the car but they wouldn’t be much use. This guy just slaughtered at least three innocent people. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill her.

Well, escaping down the stairs was out. She looked around the room and grimaced as she made her way towards the wardrobe. She slipped inside and carefully shut the doors. All she could do now was hope and pray that whoever was outside wouldn’t go into this room.

A whispering voice grew closer but it was too faint to fully hear what it was saying. Definitely male but that was all she could hear. Most likely southern but Olivia was shit at placing accents. Laura was the Accent Queen. Olivia slowly slid to the floor and closed her eyes. Tears leaked down her face as her thoughts drifted to the body she was sharing a room with. What kind of person would fucking kill children? Even Warren and Fitz provided little reassurance. They were deathly quiet on the other end of the earpiece.

The creaking of the floor had Olivia’s eyes snapping open again. The person had gone quiet. Maybe they too had registered that they were not the only living soul in the house. Maybe they realised that they had missed someone and had gone hunting to finish the job. She put her hand over her mouth to try and muffle any sounds. Maybe she’d be lucky? Maybe this person would be satisfied for now and leave the room-

And then the doors were flung open.

A light blinded her and she shrunk back and closed her eyes tightly, preparing herself for the blow to come. The older woman had her throat slashed. A knife didn’t attract as much noise as a gun. She assumed that the children would’ve been slaughtered in a similar manner, a knife instead a bullet. However, nothing came. No hail of bullets. No repeating stabs. No hands curling around her neck as they squeezed the life from her one sickening breath at a time. So shakily she looked through her fingers and up into the face of River Cartwright.

His eyes widened when he saw her and he immediately dropped to his knees. He raised a hand and when Olivia flinched away he stopped. He pointed to her earpiece and she nodded before gesturing her head at him. He held up his phone which showed that he was speaking to Louisa. He walked out of the room to end his call and Olivia said,

“It’s ok. False alarm. It was just tension and I was hearing things that aren’t there.”

“Are you sure?” asked Warren

“Yeah. Look,” Olivia drew a deep breath, “I might sign off for a bit. Do my own investigations.”

“Are you-”

“Yes,” snapped Olivia, “I’m sure.”

And she disconnected the earpiece. She rested her head against the wardrobe panelling and took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Fuck, why did it have to be Cartwright. She didn’t want him to see her like this. She opened her eyes as she heard him approaching her. River looked away as she wiped her eyes, trying to cover up the fact that she’d been crying. He held out a hand and she gave him a disgusted look and he sat down next to her. The silence became increasingly awkward. She hated showing this weakness in front of him.

She'd rather it be anyone but him.

Well, apart from Ho or Lamb.

Louisa seemed sensible enough and Shirley was probably good in a fight. Marcus seemed like he’d be able to keep a cool head and if Warren liked him that was good enough for Olivia.

“So,” she said eventually, “how did you know to come here? Don’t tell me you followed me again.”

“No,” River said, “why the fuck would I want to follow you.”

“You were pretty keen last week.”

“Maybe I learnt my lesson.”

“That would be a first.”

The thick silence returned. The only sound was the occasional drip of blood on the floor. Olivia flinched whenever she heard it but it was less and less frequent as it congealed.

“I doubt it was Lamb,” said Olivia, “that gave you the information. From what I understood the only person he wants working on this is him. Well, apart from getting you to deliver messages. So that means you’re working on this by yourself.”

She could see the tension in his back and she nudged him with her knee.

“Am I right?” she asked

River grunted in response and Olivia smirked.

“Does Lamb know you’re thinking for yourself?”

River’s silence told Olivia everything. She shook her head and stood up on shaking legs. River watched her as she slowly moved out of the bedroom.

“Where are you going?” he asked as he followed her

“Away from the dead body.”

“That’s… fair.”

Olivia found the study and gently pushed open the door. She let out a sigh of relief when she didn’t see a dead body. River poked his head over her shoulder.

“No body,” he said, “It’s clear.”

“Thank fuck for your keen powers of observation.”

Olivia sat down on the high backed, leather swivel chair and spun around. River gave her an unimpressed look as he walked to the other side of the desk. He slammed his hands down on the desk as Olivia swivelled to face him. She jumped in response and glared at him. At River’s smirk she rested her elbows on the desk and looked around at the mess.

“Do you think they found whatever it was they were looking for?” she asked

“How do you know they were looking for something?”

“Because of all the mess.”

“Oh. Right,” River picks up a sheet of paper, “possibly but I don’t know… something doesn’t feel right.”

“Spy senses tingling?”

River gave her an unimpressed look and said,

“It feels, I don’t know, frustrated.”

“Right.”

Olivia held back her comments about the bodies. She was trying her hardest not to think about them. Try not to think about just how small those bodies under the covers were. Try not to think about the blood saturating the sheets and mattress-

“Hey,” a surprisingly gentle hand was at her shoulder, “do you want me to look? You get some air.”

She glared up at River and quickly shook off his hand. River looked at her in surprise before quickly matching her glare.

“And let you walk off with whatever it is this murderer was looking for? No thanks. I’m going to be searching this desk so you can,” Olivia waved her hand about the room, “inspect the papers. Maybe you’ll be able to understand them.”

“Unlike our intruder?”

“Murderer. Well, your grandfather told you plenty of stories, didn’t he? Maybe one of those will crop up here.”

River sighed and turned his back on Olivia. With his attention off of her Olivia slumped back in the chair and closed her eyes. She couldn’t get the image of those bloodied beds out of her mind. Not being able to see the true extent of the violence and yet knowing exactly what lay under the covers.

No.

She needed to focus right now. Focus on the job and get justice later.

She sat up and pulled open a drawer. She wasn’t surprised to see it empty and she continued to pull open the others. She drummed her fingers on the desk causing River to look over at her. Olivia frowned as she looked at the top left drawer. She opened the top right drawer and looked between the two. There was something about it that seemed wrong but she couldn’t place her finger on it.

“Everything ok?” asked River, and then added quickly, “with your search.”

“I don’t know.”

River walked over and looked at the drawers. He gave Olivia and amused look and said,

“This one has a false bottom.”

“Huh.”

“If you’ll just-”

He leant over her, getting far too into her personal bubble for her liking. He pressed down on the left drawer and it popped open. Olivia’s breath hitched and he slowly lifted it up. There was a memory stick. For a second neither of them moved and then they both scrambled for it at the same time.

“Fuck you, Cuntwright,” hissed Olivia, “that’s mine.”

“You didn’t even notice that the drawer was fake,” said River, “I was the one who found it.”

“Oh yes, because Lamb is going to be so appreciative.”

“Lamb has nothing to do with this!”

Olivia staggered out of the chair. River wrapped his arms around her waist and practically lifted her off the ground. Before he managed to trap her arms Olivia briefly managed to curl her fingers around the stick but that was all she needed. She yanked her hand free and brought it closer to her chest and shoved the memory stick down her top and hid it in her bra. River paused for a moment and said,

“Did you seriously put that down your top?”

“I dare you to try and take it,” hissed Olivia as she tilted her head back to glare up at him, “go on. Try and see where that gets you.”

Once again she was close to the bastard. Noses touching, breath ghosting over her face, his face so close to hers that she could almost feel his stubble. But this was different to last time. His arms trapped her against him, pulling her tightly against his chest. She could faintly feel his heartbeat against her back and she was suddenly acutely aware of the position they were in. River seemed to realise it too and he let Olivia go and spun her around to face him.

Olivia was forced to look up at him and took half a step back. She hit the desk and winced and River smirked, knowing that he had her trapped. He put one hand by her side and slowly raised the other to her chin. However, he stopped when he saw the tears she hadn’t realised were dripping down her face. He gently brushed them away with the back on his hand before stepping away. The awkwardness once again settled between them.

“I won’t tell,” Olivia said, “that you were here.”

“Why.”

“Because now you’ll be in my debt.”

River rolled his eyes as Olivia walked on shaking legs towards the door of the study. She glanced at him over her shoulder and nodded before quickly leaving. The quicker she was out of this slaughterhouse the better. She didn’t fully relax until she was safely in Warren’s car. He and Fitz had parked several streets away in order not to attract too much attention to themselves. Fitz looked at Olivia in the rearview mirror as she said,

“Just fucking drive.”

“We’ll be talking about this later.” Fitz said

“Yeah,” Olivia made eye contact with him in the rearview mirror, “I don’t doubt it.”

#fanfiction #slow horses #river cartwright #river cartwright x oc

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jazzdailyblog · 5 months ago

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Oliver Jones: A Master of Jazz Piano and Canadian Treasure

Introduction: Oliver Jones, born Oliver Theophilus Jones ninety years ago today on September 11, 1934, in Little Burgundy, Montreal, Quebec, stands as a towering figure in the jazz world. His remarkable career as a pianist, composer, arranger, and educator has left an indelible mark on the landscape of jazz music, both in Canada and internationally. This blog post delves into the life and career…

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kuri-crocus · 1 year ago

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Results: A Michael Sheen bf/gf for a David Tennant character

I made a result post for the GO3 wishes. So here are the results for the Good Omens Extended Universe shipping polls as well. These are the results for David's characters. Here are the results for Michael's characters. It doesn't mean to be the end: I am still open for requests for other characters...

1. The Doctor -255 votes-