#poor guy just wanted his red panda buddy

[bluebxrry-seal]

absolute crime chris didn't name lost and found

LIKE COME ON BRO LOOK AT HOW SAD HE WAS WHEN HE COULDNT FIND HER 😭😭

[annab-nana]

Something There That Wasn’t There Before - Colby Brock

After a meaningless kiss one drunken night, the friend group notices a difference in Colby and y/n’s relationship, though they don’t. They barely even remember it, but that doesn’t stop their group of buddies from pushing them together.

Warnings: some curse words

Word Count: 2.5k+

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

“So, what have you been up to, girlie?” Tara asked as she skipped on along to the couch with Katrina, Devyn, and Cassie following in behind her. I roll my eyes at her before shutting my apartment door behind them and make my way over to the couch with them.

“Well after work, I took a shower, tidied up around here really quick, and then worked on a few songs,” I tell her as I plop down on the couch next to her.

“Oh, so you have been busy,” Dev adds, earning a nod from me.

“Yep, I’ve been going nonstop since like seven this morning and it is now…” I let my words trail off as I glance down at my phone to see the time, “five o’clock.”

“What songs were you working on?” Cassie wonders as she reaches for the papers I had laying on the coffee table in front of us, but I swiped them before she could grasp them. She gave me a fake pout before leaning back onto the couch.

“You know that I want to keep them a surprise,” I say as I get up to put them on the kitchen counter.

“I don’t know how you do that. I can’t keep my songs a surprise. I have to at least tell Sam,” Kat speaks her opinion and I laugh.

“I can’t either. I tell someone, but I want them to be a surprise to you guys.”

“Who do you tell?” Tara asks, her curiosity getting the better of her.

“Probably Colby,” Kat snickers as I nod.

“That is exactly who I tell. He’s my best friend. I couldn’t keep it from him if I tried,” I explain.

“I think there is something more going on between you two that you guys won’t let on,” Kat starts, and I roll my eyes.

“Are you serious? This again? We don’t like each other like that,” I protest. Ever since Colby and I kissed a few weeks ago when we were each out of our minds, blackout drunk, everyone has been saying that we should get together or that they think we already have and are just hiding from them. I don’t even remember the kiss and neither does he. I honestly wouldn’t believe them if it weren’t for the video Tara took while also being highly intoxicated.

“You guys have been acting different ever since that night, y/n. You can’t deny that. It’s obvious,” Cassie states and the girls nod along with her in agreement.

“That’s the thing though. We haven’t. Literally nothing has changed except for the fact that you guys and everyone else has been egging on a relationship between us. If anything has changed, it’s been the way you all act,” I defend myself. It’s been annoying to be honest. The constant pushing and interfering has been getting on my nerves. I wish it would stop, but I know that they probably won’t until we get together or one of us snaps or if we stop being friends all together. I don’t want any of those to happen.

“You always sit next to him or even lean into him at pizza night,” Devyn brings up.

“We are best friends, so what?”

“He gave you his hoodie the other night when we went to Chipotle,” Tara mentions, and I roll my eyes again.

“Can he not be a nice guy? It was freezing that night and Jake gave you his.” I fight back.

“Jake is my boyfriend.”

“Ever since that night, y’all hang out with each other, just you two, a whole lot more than before. You guys used to hang out with all of us, but you seem to keep to yourselves lately,” Kat points out.

“Wanna know why? Because literally every time we are around anyone in the friend group, y’all try to get us together. The guys aren’t as bad about it as you are. Maybe that’s why Colby isn’t having as hard of a time with all this as I have but you guys have been basically suffocating me with it. I talked to Colby about it, but I kind of don’t want to go to pizza night anymore because I can’t even enjoy myself without thinking ‘Am I too close to Colby?’, ‘Are they going to think we are dating?’, ‘I’ll just stay close to the other guys so that they don’t suspect anything’. I just want to have fun with my friends, but my friends are making it hard for me to have fun.” I finish. I stood up in the middle of my whole speech because I was too mad to stay sitting. I could tell that I had taken them back a bit, but what I said had to be said.

“I’m sorry I had to unload all of that on you guys, but I had to say it. I’m sorta tired, so I’m going to go to my room and take a nap. Y’all can hang in here or leave if you want. I just want to be alone,” I softly speak before I walk off to my room.

KATRINA’S POV

“We did kind of come at her, guys,” Cassie mutters and I nod at her. I thought y/n liked Colby and figured we were helping her out by pushing them together, but I must have been wrong. I throw my head in my hands and groan in frustration at myself.

“I feel like shit,” I murmur into my hands. I didn’t realize that we had pushed her so bad to the point that she doesn’t even want to hang out with us anymore.

“I’m going to go talk to her,” Devyn’s soft voice spoke before she stood from her spot on the sofa. Cassie and Tara do the same as me and stand with her.

“Let’s all go talk to her,” Tara speaks, and we nod before I lead the way to y/n’s bedroom. My right hand places a soft knock against her door as my left reaches for the doorknob, twisting it and swinging it open. Sadness washes over me when my eyes lay sight to y/n. She lays facing away from the door, but I can tell from the slight shakes of her body that she is crying. I look back at the girls behind me, sticking my lip out sadly before walking in.

I walk over to the side that she is facing before taking a seat next to her. Her gloomy eyes meet mine and she grabs a small pillow that laid next to her, covering her face with it. I let my fingers swipe across her forehead, pushing any hair that was in her face out of the way, then pulling the pillow out of the way.

“We’re sorry for pushing you,” Cassie is the first to speak.

“We didn’t know we were hurting your feelings or making you feel like you couldn’t have fun or hang out without our judgment,” Tara adds.

“We just saw something in you and Colby that we didn’t see before and immediately thought y’all were in love, but maybe it was nothing or y’all are getting closer as friends if that is even possible,” Devyn chuckles as she rubs y/n’s leg comfortingly through the covers.

“We love you, y/n, and would hate it if you didn’t come to pizza night and have fun because we made you feel like you couldn’t. We are really sorry,” I apologize before wiping away the tears that had laid on y/n’s face before we came in. She gave me a shy smile before speaking.

“I love you guys too, but you’ve got to cool it with the constant Colby stuff. We are just friends,” She says as she props herself up on her elbows to look at us all. We all nod at her in agreement.

“We will. We promise,” Tara answers, sticking her pinky out in front of us all. I laugh before placing mine with hers and the other girls follow suit. After a few shared giggles, I decide its best we leave y/n because she is probably really tired.

“Okay girls, let’s go, so she can take a nap,” I announce before standing.

“Give me a hug first,” She pouts, and I roll my eyes playfully before leaning down and wrapping my arms around her.

“I love you, Kat,” I hear her whisper in my ear and I pull away, smiling down at her.

“I love you too bubs,” I coo. The rest of the girls get their hugs before we head out to let the poor girl get some much-needed sleep.

Y/N’S POV

“Damn, how long did I sleep?” I whisper to myself after seeing how dark it is outside and I grab my phone. 9:18 p.m. I groan as I sit up and rub the sleepiness out of my eyes before shooting Colby a quick text.

Y/n: you busy?

Colbert😜: nope

Y/n: wanna walk with me to panda

Colbert😜: yeah i’ll be down there in a few

I am starving, so as soon as he gets here, we are leaving. Walking to my closet, I pull out the neon yellow ‘Okay 2 Decay’ hoodie he gave me the other night when we went to Chipotle with Jake and Tara and contemplate putting it on. I have borrowed his clothes before. I don’t know why I am even thinking about this. It has never been a problem before, and it shouldn’t be a problem now.

I slip the hoodie on and walk to the bathroom to put some concealer on to hide what I could of my slightly puffy and red eyes from crying right before falling asleep. My mascara from earlier today was still on mostly, but I added a little more just because. After putting on a little chapstick, I brush through my hair, throwing it into a ponytail, and slip on my shoes just as Colby walks in.

“What happened to you?” Colby jokingly asks as he watches my worn-out self.

“I am exhausted and hungry. Leave me alone,” I pout before grabbing my phone, keys, and money and stuffing them into the hoodie pocket. “Let’s go.”

“Yes ma’am,” He chuckles as he shuts and locks my door behind him. We walk to the elevator and descend on down to the lobby before beginning our walk to Panda Express.

“So, what did you and the girls do earlier?”

“How’d you know I was with them?” I question. I never told him that they came over.

“Sam and Jake told me.” I give him a look that tells him to continue which he does. “I went over to Sam’s to see what he was doing because I was bored and you told me you were going to work on songs today and I couldn’t bother you. He told me that Kat was going to your place. Then, Jake said that Tara was going too with Devyn and Cassie.”

“Oh, we were just hanging out before they brought up what they always do. Then things sort of blew up and I snapped at them about it, but we all apologized, and they promised to chill out with the pushing,” I tell him.

“It's good that you finally told them how you feel because if you didn’t, they would have driven you crazy,” He states before I nod my head in agreement. We make it to the restaurant and Colby opens the door for me, allowing me in first.

“Thanks, Colbert,” I sweetly thank him as he groans at my nickname for him. He says he hates it, but I think deep down he loves it. After we order and get our food, we sit down.

“So, what did you do with your Kansas boys?” I ask as I spin my fork to get some noodles.

“Same thing as y’all, but it didn’t end in a huge argument. We hung out and then they started to talk about how they think we’d be good together.” Colby tells me as he stuffs a big bite of orange chicken and fried rice into his mouth. I don’t know how he manages to fit it all in there, but he surprisingly does.

“Yeah, but all of them have been saying that ever since we became close friends. I do not get why it changed so quickly and everyone pushed for it so much harder. It can’t be because we kissed while we were drunk. Before she started dating Jake, Tara and I kissed while drunk at one of your parties and no one was jumping on us to date.” Colby laughed at the brought-up memory before speaking.

“I don’t get it either. Sam mentioned something about there being something there that wasn’t there before.”

“Devyn said something like that earlier too,” I add as I slide some honey walnut shrimp onto my fork.

“Hopefully, it will all blow over and things will go back to normal soon,” Colby says. I nod before we go back to talking about our days before I realize something.

“This is where we first met, isn’t it?”

“Yeah about two years ago, wasn’t it?” I nod to answer his question.

“Yep, I wasn’t paying attention as usual and bumped into you. We started to talk for a long ass time before realizing how late it was getting and you would not let me walk home by myself,” I reminisce.

“Because I couldn’t let you walk home in the dark by yourself after I had kept you out so late. And especially since it is L.A. and you look like you do, there is no telling what could have happened to you.”

“What do you mean ‘you look like you do’? How do I look?” I question him as I watch him look down slightly before meeting my gaze again and his cheeks redden a bit.

“You’re gorgeous, y/n. Anyone can see that,” He compliments, and I can’t help the blush that rises to my cheeks.

“Maybe they’re right. You like me,” I joke. His blush darkens as he shakes his head.

“I can’t think my best friend is hot? Well damn, what a world we live in,” He chuckles before finishing up his last bit of food. I still had a little bit left to go since I wasn’t taking monstrous-sized bites like he was.

“For the record, I think you are hot, too,” I giggle as I sip on my drink.

“Oh so, you like me now?” He grins as he pushes his food to the side and leans in closer to me, trying to challenge me. I slide my food over as well before leaning in too.

“Wouldn’t you like that?” I push. A smirk falls upon his lips as the tension between us grows. It feels like a magnet, pulling me closer to him and I don’t know what to do about it. I don’t stop myself. I let myself get closer to him as he does to me.

“You’re not drunk, are you?” He asks and I shake my head.

“No, are you?”

“No, but I want to kiss you.”

“Then, kiss me.”

[justanoutlawfic]

The Virgin: Chapt. 2

Summary: The day that changes their lives forever. Lacey has to break the news to both Regina and Robin about her “mistake”.

Also on AO3

They say you never see a broken heart coming. Robin, on the other hand, had been preparing for his for the past 3 weeks.

He knew the odds, both he and Marian did. They had talked over the procedure extensively before they decided to actually go through it. After he was given a clean bill of health, they at first debated if they would ever use the sample. They were lucky enough to have Roland, he was just over a year old when they got the news that the cancer was gone. For the next three years, they were extremely happy. They had each other, their thriving hotel.

 Even so, Robin couldn’t shake this overwhelming need that something was missing. He had only felt that once before, right after they conceived Roland. It was then he had decided to open his own hotel. It’d be under his father’s branch (along with her family being on the board), but it would still be something that he and Marian would run mostly on their own. The Marbella was their second child, they had put so much blood, sweat and tears in it. Now, he felt that again. Roland was getting older, he and Marian were doing very good. So, after his yearly check-up, he had broached the subject with Marian.

 She was skeptical and rightfully so. The procedure had such a slim chance of working and it was his only sample, his last sample. The doctors had encouraged him to give it prior to his chemotherapy and it had been the right choice. After everything was said and done, there was no way they could conceive another child without that sample. Robin pointed out that it was there for a reason. If it didn’t work, then they could discuss other options. There was no harm in trying, right?

 So, Marian had agreed. She scheduled an appointment with Lacey and had done all the right things after. For once, she delegated her duties with the hotel and heavied her assistant’s workload. She went to bed at a reasonable hour and though she already ate healthy, she was even more on top of it. Robin did whatever he could to make it easier on her.

 They didn’t discuss the possible outcomes over those 3 weeks, they had done that enough. Whether it was good or bad, they didn’t bring it up at all. If it weren’t for the little note in both of their calendars to head to Lacey’s office exactly 3 weeks after the insemination, they may not have ever spoken of it at all.

 The morning of the appointment, things went as normal. Robin woke up to the smell of Marian cooking breakfast. He showered and dressed before making his way into the kitchen part of their suite. They had decided to have a suite built onto the hotel for them while it was in construction, so they would be close if there were any issues. It was like a penthouse, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and kitchen. Roland found it cool that he got to live in a hotel, just like the character in his favorite books, Eloise at the Plaza.

 “Morning,” he said, kissing the top of Roland’s head before pecking Marian’s lips.

“You’re having breakfast with us this morning, Papa?” Roland asked from his spot at the table.

“That’s right. Your mama and I have an appointment to head to later.”

“I still get to hang out with Grace, right?”

“Of course.”

Marian turned towards the table, two plates in hand. “I’ve got pancakes for my boys.”

“What would we do without you?” Robin wrapped an arm around her. “What do we say to Mama, Roland?”

“Thank you, Mama!”

 Marian grinned and set them down, before giving Robin another kiss. He let it linger for a moment, wanting to savor the happy moment. She stroked his cheek.

 “No matter what the outcome, we’re going to be okay,” she whispered. “No matter what Lacey says.”

“I know,” Robin said, wishing more than anything his heart would let him believe it.

Regina hated Saturdays. During the week, she had work to keep her busy. On the weekends, all she had was her apartment. Sure, she’d grade papers or go to the store, but those were the days she was reminded most that she was alone.

 Luckily, that particular Saturday, she had been invited to join Emma, Neal and Henry at the zoo. If she could count on anything remotely close to family, it’d be those three. She had met Emma when they were 10 years old. Both had grown up in the foster system, having scarily similar stories. Regina had nearly been adopted by a great foster family when she was 5 years old, but then the foster mother passed away and the father couldn’t afford to keep her, no matter how hard he tried. Emma had been passed by when her long term foster family got pregnant with a biological child and his medical bills meant they could only keep one. While Regina had been left on the steps of the fire station, Emma was abandoned on the side of the road.

 They were both headstrong and determined, a combination that might have made them enemies, if they didn’t love each other so much. Together, they stayed in the same group home until they were 16. That was when faux-leather wearing Emma met equally covered in faux-leather Neal Cassidy. Emma snuck out of the room they shared with 2 other girls every night for 6 months, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when she got pregnant. She emancipated herself and Neal got kicked out of his dad’s, the two managing to find housing together by the time Henry was born. Regina became Henry’s godmother and for the past 8 years, that was the closest she had to family.

 As happy as Emma was at 24, it hadn’t always been easy for her. She struggled to keep up with work and had to drop out of high school, just to be able to take care of Henry. Her and Neal’s relationship had been rocky, including a split once both turned 20. They had only gotten back together a year prior, as they had both grown up some and were ready. Henry was a happy and well-adjusted kid, both his parents loved him. It didn’t mean that both clearly hadn’t had their lives derailed.

 Regina had made a vow after she saw firsthand what Emma had been through. She wasn’t going to have sex until marriage. She was going to college, start her career. One day she’d start a family, but not until she was ready.

 She had come close in college. When she met Daniel at freshmen orientation, it almost felt like fate. They dated for 2 years, getting engaged a year in and planned to marry as soon as she got her teaching certificate. He was perfectly fine with waiting, something most guys weren’t. Regina didn’t believe in fairytales, but it certainly felt like she was living in one.

 Her bubble burst a year into the engagement. Daniel had been walking back to his dorm after a night out to buddies and was hit by a driver that didn’t stop at a red light. They never found who it was and Regina was left devastated. If it weren’t for her academic scholarship, she probably would’ve spent every day in bed. Suddenly, her life became more than just proving she wasn’t the poor foster kid. She had to do it for Daniel. He wouldn’t get to live the rest of his life, so she would live hers for him.

 Regina pulled into the parking lot of the zoo and started heading towards the zoo. She hadn’t been feeling well and hadn’t been able to keep anything down for the past couple of days, but a promise was a promise. Besides, getting a glimpse of the Swan-Cassidy family made it worth it.

“Auntie Regina!” Regina smiled as Henry ran towards her, rosy cheeks and hazel eyes.

“Hey sweetie.” She pulled him into her arms and kissed the top of his head. “You ready to see some animals?”

“Yeah, I was reading up about all the different ones they had. I guess one of the pandas just had a baby. Did you know they weighs less than a pound when they’re born?”

“I didn’t know that,” Regina said, allowing him to take her hand and prattle on about all the panda facts he read.

Emma chuckled, ruffling her son’s hair. “You’re going to talk your aunt’s ear off, aren’t you?”

“At least he’s well read. I wonder who he gets that from, because it certainly wasn’t either of you.”

Neal pretended to look offended. “Just for that, I am so not buying you a pretzel.”

Regina laughed, shaking her head. “That’s fine. I haven’t been able to eat for days now.”

Emma studied her face. “You do look a bit pale. If you’re not up to this, we could always come another day.”

“Nah, I’ll be fine. I made the mistake of eating from that deli on the corner, that always messes me up. Come on, let’s buy tickets.”

 Regina kept drinking from her water bottle as they made it around the zoo, but that only seemed to make her feel worse. She plastered a smile on her face, not wanting to ruin it for Henry. They spent a lot of time with the pandas and standing in the shade helped, at least a little bit. When they stopped for lunch, she tried to eat a salad. Halfway through the overpriced Cesar, however, she felt sick to her stomach. Regina raced to the bathroom, unaware that Emma was on her tail.

 “Neal can finish up with Henry here, I’m taking you to the doctor,” she said, standing outside the stall.

Regina groaned, wiping her mouth and flushing. “I’m fine, Emma.”

“No, you’re not. Come on, if you’ve been this sick for days, it has to be more than Al’s.”

Regina felt stupid as she sat on the cot in the emergency room, Emma standing beside her. The doctors were running tests, but couldn’t find anything wrong with her. If it truly was food poisoning, it would’ve been gone by then. At most, it was probably just the stomach flu. In which case, she could’ve avoided a trip to the doctor. Even so, Emma wasn’t backing down.

 The doctor that had taken her vitals came back in. “Well, we have your results. You’re not sick, you’re pregnant.”

Regina laughed. “That’s impossible.”

“I’m afraid it’s very possible. We tested both your urine.”

Emma’s eyes widened and a grin spread across her face. “Did you get some, finally?”

Regina rolled her eyes. “No! I’m a virgin.”

The doctor raised an eyebrow. “A virgin?”

“Yes, I know it’s hard to believe…”

“It’s very hard to believe, given your test.”

“False positives are a thing.”

“Yes, but normally false negatives are more popular.”

Emma held up her hand, interrupting. “Where did you get your degree? The University of Freaking Dumbass? If my best friend says she’s a virgin, then she’s a virgin. Your test must be faulty or something!”

“Our tests are not…”

“Run the test again.”

The doctor rolled his eyes, but nodded. “Fine. She’ll need to pee again.”

 Regina was given a bottle of water and she downed it, peeing in the cup as soon as she was able to. She stayed standing this time, watching the nurse put the strip in herself.

 “Pink means pregnant.” He pulled the strip up from the cup…revealing the pink.

 Regina had always fucking hated pink.

Robin knew his sister very well. After years of watching her battle sobriety and numerous other bad decisions, he could spot her “I fucked up” face from a mile away. She had it on as soon as she walked into her office the morning that his world was turned on its head.

 “It didn’t work,” he said, bluntly. He could feel Marian squeezing his hand and he returned the gesture. “Just say it.”

Lacey slowly sat down behind her desk. “There’s a bit more to it than that.”

Robin’s mind instantly went to the worst. “Did you pick up something else in the tests?”

“No…not that…it’s just…I didn’t inseminate Marian.”

Marian’s grip tightened on her husband’s as she focused in on her sister-in-law. “What? Yes you did, I was there.”

“I put saline in.”

“Why the hell would you do that?”

“Because I accidentally put Robin’s sperm in another patient.”

 Robin had been angry with Lacey in the past. When they were kids and she broke his favorite action figure because she wanted to play surgeon. When they were teenagers and she stole his prom money to go partying with her friends. The time she missed Roland’s first birthday to go on a vacation with a man she had just met.

 Anger wasn’t the right word in this moment. There was shock, of course, but once that settled…he was left with this bubbling feeling in his stomach.

 “How the hell does that happen?” Marian asked, when she realized Robin wasn’t going to.

“I was stressed out, that was the morning after I found out that Adam was cheating on me…”

Robin finally found his words. “Were you drinking?”

“No.”

The look in her eyes said it all. He gritted his teeth. “So, my one and only sample…our only chance at adding to our family…is out in some random woman? Who will probably never even think that it could be mine? If it even worked.”

“Well, actually, we’re lucky in that regard. It did work…and she’s been calling me for the past hour, because she’s unsure of how it could’ve happened. I guess she hasn’t had sex lately.”

 Robin wasn’t sure whether that made things better or worse. It had worked, he was going to be a father…to another woman’s child. Marian still had a grip on his hand, but it wasn’t tight anymore. Despite sitting so close to her, he had never felt so far away.

Regina sat next to Emma, waiting for Dr. French-Gold to come in. This wasn’t possible, it just couldn’t be. There had to be some hormonal reason behind it, maybe she needed to take pills? She was just lucky that the doctor had agreed to see her on such short notice.

 The door opened and Lacey walked in, looking just as stressed as she had the day Regina had met her. Maybe this woman needed a therapist or pills or yoga. She always looked like she was on the brink of tears.

“Doctor, I think there’s something wrong with me. These pregnancy tests keep coming back possible, but it’s just not possible.”

Lacey cleared her throat, leaning against the cabinets. “I’m afraid it is.”

“Excuse me?”

“I…accidentally inseminated you with a man’s sperm.”

 Regina’s heart began beating heavily in her chest. Emma was yelling at the doctor, but she couldn’t make out the words. This wasn’t supposed to happen, no, it was impossible! She had done everything that she had told herself she would. She hadn’t even had sex with the man that she loved with everything in her. She was supposed to wait until marriage. That was the plan, you can’t get pregnant by being abstinent. It’s the one fool proof way. At least that was what every sex ed class she ever had told her.

 Her hand went over her stomach. A life was growing in there. A life she had created with a man she didn’t even know. That sounded so wrong.

 What was she going to do? She lived in a one-bedroom apartment, she got a teacher’s salary. She barely had her life together, how was she supposed to take care of this one?

 Lacey’s words finally broke through. “The father knows what happened, but I haven’t told him your name.”

Regina looked up at her, her eyes wet with tears. “The father?” She whispered.

“He’s here…if you wanted to meet him.”

“No…no. I need…I need to think.”

Lacey nodded, pulling out a pad and scribbling on it. “This is a prescription, for a pill that would terminate the pregnancy. You have no obligation to talk with him. While it is his sperm, it’s your body. Your choice.”

 Abortion. Regina could get an abortion. Years of fighting for the pro-choice movement and suddenly, she was forced to make it herself.

 “Yeah, because that makes it so much easier,” she mumbled, taking the piece of paper away from her.

“If you do choose to carry forward…”

“She won’t be talking to you,” Emma interrupted. “You should lose your license!”

Lacey let out a deep breath, focusing in on Regina. “I am so sorry, Miss Mills. You have no idea.”

“You’re sorry?” Regina felt her blood boil. “You’re sorry?”

“I never meant for this to happen.”

“Well this is going to be real easy for you, isn’t it? You’re not the one that’s fucking pregnant.”

 She walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Leaning up against the wall, she felt her breathing pick up once again, the tears sliding down her face. Emma stepped out of the room, putting a hand on her arm.

“Let’s go back to my place. I asked Neal to take Henry to Cecelia’s. We can talk…”

“I’m sorry, but that’s the last thing I want to do.”

“You can’t do this alone.”

“I just need to think.” She wiped her eyes, trying to will herself to stop crying. “I’ll drop you off at home.”

“If you’re sure.”

 Regina wasn’t sure of anything. She just knew that if she let Emma coddle her, she was going to break. As they walked out of the office, she found herself looking around the waiting room. There were some men sitting there. Some were clearly waiting on the women in their lives, but one could very well be the father of the baby she was carrying.

 The baby she was under no pressure to carry to term, as the doctor told her.

 Regina had always tried to plan for even what couldn’t be. There was no way she ever could’ve done that this time.

[greekmythstoldbyanasshole]

Odysseus

So first off, we’re going to talk about Odysseus. Odysseus was like that smart, but weasely guy you know. The kind of guy who is great to have around if you need to find a way to sneak out of a bad blind date, but also the kind of guy who cheats on his wife while she’s sitting at home literally turning away handsome and rich guys left and right. 

But I digress. 

So, Odysseus was on his way back from the Trojan War on his way home to Ithaca. The place, not the college. At this point, his ego must have been huge, since he created the entire field of hacking when he designed the original Trojan Horse. 

After leaving Troy, Odysseus and his buddies were looking for a place to stop and chill out for a bit. I mean, I probably would have just grabbed a couple of Red Bulls and tried to power through until I got home, but that’s just me. They eventually found an island and thought, “This island probably isn’t full of monsters, so that’s cool.”

Island was totally full of monsters. It held the terrible Cyclopes, known for horrendous things like living in caves, eschewing government (and law) and grouwing crops from rain personally sprinkled by Zeus. Seriously? This is the description that these guys get? They’re horrible because they are special farmers who live in caves and fuck with the government? They’re only a few steps away from being a US Senator. 

Odysseus, feeling like Jesus, took 12 of his guys with him to do some ‘splorin’. He told everyone else to stay on board and remain at the ready at their oars, to which I’m sure the not-cool-enough-to-be-a-part-of-the-landing-party guys gave a very convincing nod and said, “Ya, we’re totally going to do that.”

O-dawg and crew then saw a cyclops and decided that the best course of action would be to follow the fucker while holding a wineskin full of specifically unmixed wine. None of that “Barefoot Red Blend” bullshit. 

Ok, so at the beginning of the story, I know I said that Odysseus was super smart, but the following tidbit makes him seem like a bit of a moron. He took one look at the big, ugly, Fox News Conspiracy touting Cyclopes and was like, “It’s customary for all Greeks to be, like, super inviting hosts, who give out sweet gifts to their guests. I’m sure these guys will be like that and not murder us in their caves or anything.”

Then, like a normal Air BnB guest, Odysseus waited in the bushes until the cylops started tending to his sheep, and then snuck into his house. 

When they got into the cave, everyone started bitching about how musty and cluttered it was, as if they hadn’t just broken in hoping for free shit. There were baskets full of cheese and animal pens full of lambs and little baby goats, who were hopefully weraing those little pajamas like you always see on Facebook. The cyclops had made a bed out of willow branches because Ikea hadn’t been invented yet. 

After a while, Odysseus’s homeboys started getting nervous about the whole, “breaking and entering” thing, so they suggested some light robbery. 

“Why don’t we just take some cheese and leave?” They asked, like dicks, “We can always come back later for some lambs.”

Odysseus decided to take the moral high ground. He packed up their things, left a nice tip and a detailed review, got back on his ship and sailed home. 

Just kidding. He acted like a baby. 

“They’re supposed to give us a gift because we’re their guests,” he pouted, knowing full well the difference between an intruder and a guest. He also had a name! How great. His name was Polyphemus, which definitely doesn’t sound like a sexuality. 

So Polyphemus came back to his house and had his sheep with him (like a normal person), rolled his rock-door into place and then milked his sheep. When he was done, he realized that there were 13 strange men in his cave. Not one to judge, but what kind of life does Polyphemus lead that he doesn’t notice 13 random guys in his house? Just how into milking his sheep does he get? Also, what were Odysseus and his crew doing while they were waiting? Politely coughing to let him know that people were watching? There are so many questions. 

When Polyphemus finally got around to talkking to them, he said, “Who the hell are you guys? Like, pirates? Or what?”

Odysseus, super pumped to get his weird guest-gift, said, “We’re Achaen soldiers. We were just fighting in Troy, but we got blown off course, so now we’re here by Fate. We’re in your cave because Zeus says that hosts should give their guests gifts...so...you know...”

“Dumbass,” Polyphemus retorted, “We’re Cyclopes, bruh. We don’t care about Zeus’s laws. We helped him defeat the Titans, so now he waters our plants. He’s essentially our sprinkler system. But,” he continued, “I do care about something. Where did you land your ship?”

As soon as Polyphemus said this, all of Odysseus’s men were probably like, “Fuck. We’re probably not getting that god-damned gift basket.”

Odysseus, though, being the king of thinky-thinky said, “We don’t have a ship. Poseidon decided to smash it against some rocks. We are the only survivors.”

Suddenly, Polyphemus remembered that he hated the number 13, so he grabbed the 2 nearest guys to him, smashed their heads against the wall, and then fucking helped himself to a nice meal. 

Cyclops Cave Air Bnb:

           We got some free cheese and the goat yoga was fantastic, but the host fucking ate my cousin. 2/5 stars

After that, the cyclops laid down on his sad excuse for a bed and went to sleep. 

After apparently just hanging out while his buddies got devoured, Odysseus pulled his sword out of his ass and charged headlong at Polyphemus. However, he paused halfway down the cave as soon as he remembered that there was a big-ass rock blocking the doorway. Remembering that he was better at verbal jousting than physical activity, Odysseus put down his sword to think up a plan. 

After waking up, the giant strolled over to his kitchen, cracked 2 eggs and made himself an omelette. Only, instead of eggs, it was men. Because this guy is just terrible. 

After this, Polyphemus led his sheep out to pasture, and rolled the stone back into place, because everyone in this story is a dick. 

At this point, Odysseus’s men start to cry, which is the first reasonable reaction anyone has had up until this point. Meanwhile, Odysseus decided to try something useful for a change. Among his weird collection of things, Polyphemus had a “hug olive wood log” which was “definitely not a dildo.” Odysseus told his men to sharpen the log and then harden it in the fire. 

When Polyphemus got back, he milked his sheep and then ate some Panda Express while watching Ellen. Nah, he ate more guys. 

After the cyclops was done eating, Odysseus gave him some of that crazy, unmixed wine. Which was apparently a big deal because, apparently back then, everyone would lose a drinking competition to a college girl named Amanda who passes out after 1 1/2 Bacardi Breezers. Anyways, Polyphemus downed it. 

“You know,” the cyclops slurred, “If you tell me your name, I’ll give you a gift.”

At this, Odysseus got a guest-gift hard-on. It didn’t matter that literally half of his men died, he was going to get some decorative bath soap. Odysseus just smiled like a sleazeball while pouring more wine. Not yet having gotten the spins, Polyphemus continued drinking. This whole cycle repeated itself again, and not until the cyclops was good and wasted did Odysseus say,

“You want to know my name? My name is Nobody. That’s definitely what everyone calls me. Nobody. I would tell you to ask my buddy over there to vouch for me, but you fucking ate him.”

Accepting this to be as normal of a name as Polyphemus, Polyphemus said, “Well, Nobody, here’s your gift: I’ll eat you last!”

At this, the cyclops laughed so hard that he threw up the wine and human bits, and then passed out in all of that. 

Gross. 

Without a moment to lose, Odysseus and his men pulled the log “out of hiding,” whatever that means, and stuck it in the fire until it was as red-hot as early 2000′s Ricky Martin. The men took the flaming rod and jammed it into the cyclops’ eye hole. Since he had killed all their buddies, they made sure to wiggle it all around and keep it there until his blood boiled out of the socket. 

Gross.

Meanwhile, Polyphemus was understandably freaking the fuck out. He was causing such a hubbub that all of the nearby cyclopes came over to see what all the yelling was about.

“Dammit, Polyphemus, what is wrong? Surely nobody is killing you by force or treachery?” they asked, apparently unaware of all the strapping young men in the cave.

Polyphemus screamed, “Yes! Nobody is killing me by force and treachery!” 

Apparently fed up with his sarcastic-ass answers, the other cyclopes said, “Ok, man. Whatever. If you are alone and screaming like that, you must be crazy. Try praying to Poseidon to cure your womanly hysteria.” And, without opening the door like decent friends, you know, to see if he was actually ok, the cyclopes just left. “Eh, he’ll be fine.”

Hearing all of his definitely-not-getting-Christmas-presents-this-year friends leave, Polyphemus screamed. He shoved the boulder out of the way and stood in the opening, ready to catch any shithead who tried to escape. However, Odysseus weren’t no bitch. 

Later that night, after the cyclops had put in his earplugs or something, Odysseus stole some branches from the branchopedic bed and used the branches to tie groups of 3 sheep together. He did this just enough times so that each of his buddies would have a 3 sheep luxury package, but not enough for him, because he was an arrogant motherfucker. 

After tying the three sheep together, he told his crew to each grab on to the belly of a sheep, which, I guess, were huge? Odysseus took the biggest ram for himself (phrasing) and held on. 

Instead of waiting until, like, 5 o’clock in the morning to grab some sheep, the poor suckers spent the whole night hanging upside down. When the sun finally rose, Polyphemus let his sheepies out to play. As the sheep went by their blind master, he tapped each one on the back to make sure no one was escaping. The following is how I picture that scene to have played out:

*pat pat*

“Hmm, this is weird. 3 of my sheep must have gotten tangled in my bed and got stuck together. I’ll deal with that later. Next!”

*pat pat*

“God, my sheep are dumb today. 3 more sheep are stuck together. Good thing I’m patting these sheep down for escaping prisoners, or I might think someone was up to something.”

*pat pat*

Odysseus and his big ram *wink wink* were the last to leave. As it came near the cave’s entrance, Polyphemus put on his Border Patrol cap and stopped the ram.

“My old buddy,” Polyphemus said to the ram, probably while looking in the wrong direction, “why are you in the back today? You usually lead the group. Maybe you feel bad that daddykins got blinded by that big, mean bully, Nobody? And he got me drunk! Rude. I’m sure if you could talk, you would tell me where he is hiding.”

But he couldn’t talk, because he was a ram, and that would not be logical. Like the rest of the story. 

Odysseus had a mild panic attack when Polyphemus *pat pat*ed his ram down, before it waddled over to its friends in the pasture. 

When all the sheep had gone far enough away from the cave, Odysseus and his men released themselves from the sheep. Can you imagine how badly their arms must have hurt at that point? I mean, I sometimes need to take a break when I’m straightening my hair, and that takes, like, 8 minutes. Tops.

After getting off the sheep with jello-for-arms, they grabbed a bunch of lambs (with their mouths?) and hauled ass down the mountain. When he finally reached his ship, Odysseus, being an arrogant moron, turned around and yelled, “You! The guy who was a dick and ate your guests, the ones who totally didn’t sneak into your shitty cave, I hope you enjoy the punishment Zeus has in store for you!”

Polyphemus, the guy who didn’t just hear the whole sheep plan, nor the sheep yoking, nor the lamb stealing, heard this taunt from forever away on a boat in the middle of the ocean. Pissed, he grabbed a piece of the mountain and threw it at the ship. It’s a whole new level of angry to rip off, and then throw, a piece of mountain. The piece of mountain grazed the ship, which resulted in a mini tsunami. This pushed Odysseus back into the shore. His crew frantically pushed the boat back out, where they doubled the distance they had before. Odysseus was about to call out to the cyclops again, but his crew told him to shut the hell up and be glad that they had escaped. However, Odysseus was mad and arrogant, and Twitter didn’t have the balls to block his account, even with all the racism and threats of nuclear war, so he yelled again. 

“Cyclops! If anyone asks you who blinded you, you can tell them it was Odysseus of Ithaca!”

Hearing this, Polyphemus remembered a prophesy he’d heard about the Boy Who Lived. No, not that one. About Odysseus. He prayed to Poseidon in the style of Veruca Salt, if Veruca Salt had become a dictator. 

“Don’t let Odysseus make it home! Actually, no. Let him go home, but all his friends die! And...it takes forever! And when he gets there, there’s a whole bunch of shit going on! And make his lawyer get arrested for paying off a prostitute! And kill his hamster!”

After praying/bitching, Polyphemus threw another mountain chunk at Odysseus. This throw also resulted in a mini tsunami that pushed his boat to shore. This time, however, it pushed the boat towards the rest of Odysseus’s fleet, which apparently existed. Instead of booking it, the men decided that right then was the best time for a gyro, so they ate a feast of the lambs they had stolen and drank DILUTED wine. When the sun rose the next morning, they took sail. They were happy to be alive, but also really sad about the guys who had been turned into BK’s Chicken Fries. 

But, the fun was just beginning because Poseidon was pissed. 

[your-rose-highness]

Tell me What is Love (ch.1)

Hye hee entered a coffee shop at a dreadful hour when there was hardly anyone present. Being an assistant editor of a publishing house, didn't help in her dire need of a routine. Most of her days passed pulling deadlines late into the night.

Today was just another night of editing a long guideline of using a mechanical bicycle. As she entered the dimly lit cozy coffee shop, the barista gave her a pitiful smile, knowing very well why she was here at 1 A.M.

“Hey there.”, Minseok greeted as the little bell rang marking the arrival of customers.

“Hi.”, she groaned back.

She makes her way to the back of the shop, which was her deemed ‘spot’, that she used for feeling mega productive to finish her all nighters.

Minseok heads to the table carrying her pomegranate tea, which she regularly ordered during her night ventures.

“Here you go”, he said, placing the aesthetically pleasing pink tea in front of her, taking the seat opposite to her.

“Thanks min, you’re an angel.”

“So what is it tonight?”, he inquired, supporting his head on his palm, expecting another high rush novel.

“Mechanical sport bicycle guidelines. Want to hear more?”, she laughed sneakily.

“Bye.”, he got up as a reflex, making both of them chuckle. “Any way if you want anything, i’ll be just behind this screen. I’m not really expecting anyone tonight, it’s a slow evening.”

She nodded and began typing away. Sipping her tea, she felt exhaustion creep in by 2.30.

If only i had not taken up the extra manuscript yesterday, i could be in bed today, she thought.

Barely able to keep her eyes open, she typed the last few pages, when the little bell jingled a little too loud into the quiet night. Hye hee peeped from her laptop, to find a man covered in black clothes, a face mask and black goggles step in, shivering from the cold outside. Minseok stumbled out and the mysterious man ordered his drink. Hye hee resumed her work, her thoughts slightly clouded by entrance of the man.

Idol?

She thought to herself. Poor fellas, don't get proper alone time that they probably need to hanker about in the middle of the night. As she worked out her theories, minseok approached her again, to ask if she needed anything. The man had seated himself with his back to her, so she couldn't make out who he was.

You've grown, Song hye hee, she congratulated herself.

It was still hard for her to see idols anywhere since baekhyun.

Baekhyun, her dorky friend from the seventh grade. The both of them had never spoken to each other before he spilled his pudding all over her skirt in the cafeteria one time, when he slipped while demonstrating a move his dog had done earlier that day.

Hye hee was the class president and had dreaded the clown baekhyun was. He had always teased her in the past for being too nerdy. He could be the definition of trouble all by himself But this was the limit. Baekhyun had expected her to yell at him, sincerely sorry for have done the deed. To his surprise, she cried in the middle of the crowded cafeteria, attracting annoying looks from everyone. Baekhyun’s friends slipped away from him, afraid of being embarrassed. He rushed to soothe her, but she wailed even louder, running into the girl’s bathroom. He waited for her to come out, but when she didn't for 30 minutes, he picked up courage and entered calling out her name.

He found her, head between her knees, sobbing with red eyes. She looked up at him with defeat. Hye hee was tired of his impractical jokes, but he had surprised her that day. Handing her tissues, and offering his school coat to her to cover her skirt. They had walked home together that day, which was a rare event even though they had lived across the street from each other. She was touched from his actions and he had a found a good friend in his nerdy, irritating class president cum neighbour.

From that point onwards, Baekhyun and Hye Hee were pretty much inseparable. They enjoyed each other's company to their and their classmate's surprise. He still teased her but knew his limits. At times, he would join in and help her with the tasks in hand.

They were happy. It felt complete. Extremely mismatched, although, it seemed to work out for them.

Hye hee brought herself back to reality when the black hoodie man got up from his table. She looked at him till he went to the door, when suddenly he turned to meet eyes with her for a second, as if he knew she was watching him.

Finishing the last page, she lifted her eyes to find that it was nearly six in the morning. Picking herself up and rushing to her office, she submitted her manuscript when her friend found her.

“You! Do you even check your phone?.... Omg what the hell? Girl, you look like a panda again!!!”, Jae In said surprised.

Lee Jae In, her only comrade in this lonely business. Hye hee and Jae In were both interns when they met. The competitiveness wouldn't let them be friends in the beginning. Getting ahead was more important. As years passed, they realised how alike they were and slowly got to know each other. Jae In (or Jane, as she preferred to be called) and hye hee were now the rare colleague- friend combo.

“I’m sorry.. You called? I had to work overnight for this…”, hye hee explained, frantically digging through her bag to find her phone.

“Forget about that… i have to tell you something really important.”

Jane paused to have her friend’s full attention.

“Baekhyun’s getting married.”

“What?”, hye hee whispered.

“Go out with me.”, baekhyun casually dropped one evening when both of them sat by a tiny pond, feet dipped in the water.

Hye hee turned to stare at him with disbelief. “What? No!”, she exclaimed.

“Why?”, he whined, “look i’m way better than daniel anyway. So you’ll be safer with me.”

“Safer?”

“The guy’s a literal jerk. How can i trust him with you?”

“You thought i was asking for your permission?”

“Look, you like me, i like you. What's the problem?”

“The problem is we’re friends!”

Baekhyun then kissed her. Trying to give her reasons, hoping that the kiss will be a silent confession of his feelings that he did not quite understand himself. All the 16 year old knew was that he was jealous when his friend spoke to other boys or dressed up for them. He hated that she would be their company.

He loved her. He had always loved her.

Breaking the kiss, both sat without uttering a word. It was new for them. The feelings that they were experiencing. Baekhyun watched her with the corner of his eye, judging her reactions. A tiny smile broke across her face, and he sighed in relief.

They were in love.

No one was surprised, really. Their friends always thought they were dating secretly.

Like all young lovers, they faced everything. Misunderstandings, passion, anger, jealousy and unceasing love.

Regardless, they became each other's strength. Hye hee wanted to pursue journalism and write, Baekhyun wanted to be a singer, as his passion wouldn't let him pursue anything other. They worked hard to achieve their goals, frequently disappointed with the outcomes. Working as  team, they supported each other, and became the other’s driving force to hold on and keep trying.

“I'm giving up.”, Baekhyun screamed, as he walked into Hye Hee’s room one evening.

“Baekhyun?”, Hye hee inquired from the bathroom.

“Yeah..”, he sulked on the bed.

“You should KNOCK when you come. I'm a GIRL.”, she stressed across the door.

“Yeah… GIRLFRIEND. by the way that's not the point. I'm tired Hye hee. I didn't get in through this audition too. I… I can't anymore.”, He sighed.

“Don't give up Baekhyun. You love music and you're good. Honestly, if you weren't, I wouldn't be pushing you. But you're really good!”, She said stepping out of the bathroom.

He looked at her, and he forgot about the audition for a minute. What had he done to deserve her? She was beautiful. She caught him staring and smiled.

“You're being so obvious that you're in love with me.”, She cockily said.

“I do love you.”, Baekhyun cooed, wrapping his arms around her waist.

The past came back like a whip. It was just a second. Jane realised that Hye Hee wasn't listening to her. Baekhyun and Hye Hee's relationship had gone downhill ever since he was accepted into SM agency as a trainee.

First, they hardly had any time to see each other. When they did, Baekhyun would just sleep, too tired to go out.

Only, during the trainee year, he was still the Baekhyun she knew. He was tired, but at least he was still her old buddy, her first love.

After he debuted, that's when the difference began. He wouldn't pick her calls, if he did, he wouldn't talk much. It drove her insane.

Baekhyun was in ecstasy. The new found fame, the popularity, his name on everyone's lips, it made him feel on top of the world. He was a sensation and he knew it.

“Hi.. Baekhyun right?”, A young girl peeped in one day when he was in a vocal room of his company practicing.

“Oh! Hello! Yes, I'm Baekhyun.”, Baekhyun bowed to his senior, and his idol.

Girls generation's leader, Taeyeon.

“I've been meaning to meet you guys! But we had to leave for a concert.”, She said shaking his hand.

It had begun there. Girls generation was always hanging out with their new maknae boy group who were so filled with energy. Everyone noticed how much taeyeon and Baekhyun loved each other's company. They shared food, jokes, even had inside jokes that they giggled on.

Baekhyun had idolized Taeyeon. He had a massive crush on her since school days. Now, he was able to talk to her and she was exactly how he had dreamed she would be. Sweet, gentle, an Angel, and so beautiful. Taeyeon was attracted to him too. He was lively, cute and made her laugh.

Baekhyun was loving life. He would tell Hye Hee about taeyeon when they spoke on the phone. It was always about taeyeon or exo. He was so drunk off of his company, that he couldn't wait each day to get back to work. He anticipated taeyeon’s call more than Hye Hee. At times, he'd pick her call when Hye hee and Baek went out on their very rare trips out, talking for hours.

Hye hee was jealous. She wanted to be supportive and not behave like a controlling bitch. But her boyfriend was suddenly so into another super pretty, model-esque girl, not to mention part of the biggest girl group of the time, it bugged her. They had common ground of conversation. Something now Baekhyun and Hye hee lacked.

“We're just really good friends, Hye Hee. She's amazing too…”, he convinced her.

“Did you tell her you have a girlfriend?”, Hye hee asked innocently, poking at her noodles.

“Yeah, that's what we discuss about at work.”, He laughed it off.

“It didn't seem like you were talking about work..”, she whispered softly, but he heard it.

“Are you being suspicious?”, He asked.

“No…”, she said, unable to meet his eyes.

���Look, I don't really want to do this right now. Let's eat and go, I'm really tired.”

Hye hee convinced herself that it wasn't how she thought it was. Deciding to have dinner with him today, she bought his favourite food, healthy ofcourse, and called up Junmyeon.

“Hey Hye Hee!”, Jun Myeon boomed on the phone, “ it's been long since we've spoken! How're you?”

“Hi oppa. I'm good. It's just that I miss you guys, and thought we could have dinner together? Are you all free tonight? I wanted to surprise Baekhyun.”, Hye hee radiated.

“Ah! Yes we're free. But all the boys wouldn't be home till late 10 I guess. Baekhyun and Jongdae are home I think. Why don't you ahead over? I'll see you there later..”, he informed.

Thanking him, Hye Hee, bopped to their dorm. Feeling oddly happy that she was doing something for the tired Baekhyun. Usually she would be too busy with work herself to enjoy any free time.

Reaching over, she put in the code, she knew so well. Baekhyun's room was on the first floor, so she decided to say hello to Jongdae first. Knocking twice, when she slowly opened the door, she found him strewn on his bed, sleeping with his mouth open.

Wow, he must be really tired. I’ll wake him up later when junmyeon gets here.  She thought and shut his door.

Baekhyun must be tired too, i was so harsh on him. He needed me the most now and all i've really done is be all jealous. I was being a bad girlfriend.

She opened his door slightly, incase he was sleeping too. He wasnt in his room though. Hearing muffled voices coming from the balcony, she tiptoed across the bedroom to find him.

“I miss you too… guess what? Let’s have dinner at my place tomorrow. The guys will be out and we can have the place to ourselves.”, baekhyun giggled over the phone, with no idea that hye hee was standing right behind him.

It was taeyeon on the phone. Hye Hee’s heart shattered. Without knowing how to deal with anything, she left without a word. Baekhyun, giddy over the phone, hadn't realized anything yet. It was when suho came home, finding the takeouts on the table, did he ask baekhyun about it.

“Hey baek, where’s hye hee?”

“What? I don't know.. At home maybe. Why hyung?”,baekhyun without a care in the world.

“Why didn't she stay?”

“Stay where?”

“She came here to see you right? The food is on the table.”, suho said confused, pointing at the dinner table.

Horror crawled in on Baekhyun’s face.

“When? When did she?”

“She didn't meet you?”

“When did she call you?”

“I don't know around 8?.....”

Baekhyun knew. She had heard him. He did notice someone who looked so much like her run down the street. But he had brushed it off.

He grabbed his jacket and ran to his home, his heart thudding uncontrollably.

Hye Hee wasn't responding to his calls anymore and after sometime it said switched off. She wasn't home.

Where could she have gone?

Running around his neighbourhood at 1 AM, he found her at last. She stared straight at him. She had been crying for long, but now her cheeks were stained with the dried tears.

He approached her slowly, sitting beside her. When she didn't say a word, Baekhyun worked up courage.

“Hye hee.”

“We're over.”, She stated.

“Let me explain.”

“There's nothing to explain Baekhyun.”

“Taeyeon…”

“Stop it! STOP IT!”, she screamed into the night.

“Stop saying her name! I get it! She's the one you've always wanted! But you should have had the mere decency to tell me that you didn't love me anymore! You could…”, she broke into tears again.

It hurt him to watch her so broken, worse, because of him. He had knew that he had feelings for Taeyeon, but he forgot that unintentionally was hurting Hye hee.

“I guess we should just take a break.”, Baekhyun whispered. It was making him crazy. He loved Hye Hee but taeyeon made his heart beat. Was it possible to be in love with two people at the same time?

“You love her..”, Hye hee softly said.

“I love you too.”

“No. You don't. I'm just someone you're used to.”

“No… Hye hee…”,tears filled his eyes realising what her words meant.

“Look. We've been dating since high school, right? So we never really dated a lot. Maybe she's the one. You never know.”, Hye hee muttered, more to convince herself.

“C'mon, run back. You've got to leave for China tomorrow right? You need rest.”, She continued.

Baekhyun stared at her. He felt an ache build in his chest. She'd been such an important part of his life and ripping it out wasn't going to be easy. “No point continuing this if there's no love Baekhyun. We'll just continue to be anxious. It's time to move on. I don't want to hold you back.”

With that, she hugged him one last time. Hye Hee embraced him, wanting to engrave him in her memory forever. Baekhyun wrapped his hands around her. His first love, his best friend, the super girl, who was good at video games as well as academics was leaving him. Nothing he said or did would make a difference now. They had grown and they had changed.

It was an end of an era.

Meanwhile, the words rang in her head as Hye Hee tried to continue her day as usual...Baekhyun is getting married.

It’s out! I’m so nervous about this story so do let me know your thoughts on it!! :D thank you for reading

[webarebears-imagines]

What if one day when the bears were out in the woods, they find a scary mutated human? They have like shark teeth and weird claws coming out from their hands. But they're like really shy and gentle, and always carry around a small potted daisy and they risk their life for the daisy.

Now to answer this question, I’ve decided to do a little ficlet for it. It’s Nebulous’ very first answer so I hope you all enjoy. If not, then give me all the criticism you wanna give so that I can improve!…

I imagine Pandafinding it first (because Panda always has to meet weird wildlifebefore anybody else for comedic effect) and he screams and thecreature just runs into their tool shed, and Panda bars the door andtrapping it inside. He doesn’t notice the daisy being heldprotectively the sharkman’s arms or the look of terror on its face.In the swiftness of the moment all Panda had seen were pointed teethand razor sharp claws.

After convincing anannoyed Ice to grab his ax, and then after pulling Grizz away fromrecording himself doing the Cinnamon challenge for online fame, Pandaleads them all to the shed, trailing nervously behind hisbrothers.“Guys, be careful.” Panda said withapprehension. “That thing is evil! I swear I saw it try to rip meto shreds with its razor sharp claws!”In the face ofhis little brother’s frazzled nerves, Grizz simply answered withcasual ease. He figured it was just another wild beaver. “It’sokay, PanPan. We’re here now. Nothin’ to worry your cute littlehead about, trust me.” “Ice Bear will clip itsnails.”Panda gave a distressed whimper. “You guys,I’m serious! You shouldn’t be taking this lightly! Ohhh, maybe weshould call animal control or something…”

Smirking, Grizzshrugged. “What for? We’ve chased wild animals away before.Remember the time that wild turkey jumped through the open window andattacked us?” He looked at the polar bear on his right. “Youremember that, right bro?”

“Ice Bear stillhas flashbacks.” Panda grabbed tufts of his own hair.“ARGH, you guys! This isn’t some dumb turkey, it’s a… aTHING! I don’t even know what to call it! And it’s fast! I’mlucky I trapped it in there. What if it attacks one of you and youget hurt real badly? Or worse?”

The despair in hisbrother’s voice was enough to get Grizz to take his littlebrother’s fears more seriously. Even when there were times hecouldn’t understand how Panda had such sensitive stress triggers,Grizz was always ready to accommodate his little PanPan. He loved hissweet little brother too much to dismiss him so callously, even ifhis fears weren’t all that bad.

“Hey.” Grizzsaid, his voice taking a more serious tone. He put both paws on hislittle brother’s shoulders to assure him. “Nothing bad is goingto happen, PanPan, I promise. Just stay behind us, we got this!”

Ice Bearkicked the door down before Panda could object. From within the shedthey heard a bloodcurdling scream. The creature washuddled in the corner, staring at the bears with glassy wide eyes.Its mouth contained sharp teeth that barely poked out of its closedlips. What made its appearance so nerve wracking was the fact thatalthough it was clearly abnormal, its face held just enoughsimilarities to a human face that it unnerved them. It had two eyes,a mouth, and a nose, all in proportionate areas. It even had littleears in the right places, although those looked rather small and moreelfish.

All the boastingspirit within Grizz had completely died at the sight of it. Itsappearance was even worse than how Panda had described it. Thegrizzly was expecting a tiny beaver, not this mutant-looking…human.

It appeared to bemore lizard than anything, with its green scaled body. But it hadlimbs that were reminiscent of a human. It was alien but all toofamiliar. Its savage looking stance appeared ready to pounce. Grizzreflexively held his arms wide apart, trying to shield his brothers.

Ice Bear initiallyjumped when he saw it. Its razor sharp teeth and claws mixed withhuman flesh looked what he could only describe as monstrous. If ithadn’t shrieked the way it did he would’ve believed it to be anactor in poor makeup…

But his curiositypiqued when he noticed something in its eyes… He knew fear in acreature’s eyes when he saw it. He recognized how it was huddledover. Like it was protecting something.

He slowly loweredhis ax, listening to the beasts’ whimpers.

The polar bear’sheart jumped up his throat when he was suddenly shoved forward andalmost fell. He whipped around and shot Grizz the angriest glare hehad made in a while.

Grizz gulped,sheepishly rubbing the back of his head and glancing away. “Uh…You’re the one with a weapon, bro… Go get it!”

Ice rolled his eyesand took careful steps towards the creature, gripping his ax.

As the polar bearapproached, he noticed how the creature looked away from Ice’sapproaching eyes, almost shyly.

When Ice had finallyreached the shark man, he saw just how frail it was, how weak itsarms and legs appeared up close. Like thin plastic bags coveringbone. And its “claws”, if you could call them that, were simplyuncut nails. Hardly a threat. Moreover, it didn’t seem all thathostile. It just looked hungry, and from this close proximity thepolar bear could smell its fear. Ice had an exceptional talent forsmelling fear, let alone seeing it. Hell, with his instincts kickingin he could practically feel its fear too. It looked pitiful.

“Not worthkilling.”

He stood there for afull minute just assessing what he should do when a sudden highpitched voice squeaked across the shed, startling the polar bear.

“L-Littlebrooooo!?” Panda called from the doorway. Ice glanced back at himand rolled his eyes. “Are you okay? Uhm… Maybe just chase itaway, or something? It doesn’t look all that dangerous now that Isee it like this, but…”

The atmosphere inthe shed was losing most of its earlier tension. Grizz’ shouldersslumped down and he breathed out a small breath.

“… Yeah,actually…” The grizzly began. “It just looks… scared.”

Grizz moved forward,loud footsteps echoing in the dusty shed. Upon seeing the creaturecurl into itself in fear, Grizz slowed down and took lighter steps,raising his own paws up to chest level in a show of peace. “Hey,hey, it’s okay buddy. I’m not gonna hurt you…”

Once he stood beforeit, the creature looked up and trembled at the bear’s sheer size.The big fuzzy monster was going to eat him, he believed.

Grizz loweredhimself to his knees to meet the shark creature at eye level, sendinghim a gentle gaze.

“See? It’s okay.I’m not gonna bite.” Grizz said with tender care, as thoughtalking to a toddler. “How are you?”

The creature was tooembarrassed and didn’t know how to respond. It quickly looked away,still using its arms to cover something.

Something about itsshy nature had reminded Grizz of someone. Who that person was hecouldn’t say exactly. Regardless, he knew how to deal with shytypes. All it took to break the tension was a little gentlepersistence.

“I’m Grizz. Andthat’s my little brother. Introduce yourself, little bro.”

Ice Bear pointed tohimself and said, “Ice Bear.”

“And that there isPanPan.”

Panda, stillstanding by the door frame, swallowed his own apprehension, or atleast he tried to. “Uh, I-I’m Panda… Uhm… It’s nice to meetyou?”

“See? We’refriendly!” Grizz exclaimed with an excited arm flail which causedthe creature to flinch. The grizzly quickly pulled down his own armsand apologized for the sudden outburst.

“Say, what do yougot there?” The grizzly gently inquired. Grizz could see what hebelieved to be a red  rock or something poking through the sharkman’slanky arms.

The creature kepthis glance aimed at the floor.

Ice Bear gave a fewsniffs, “Ice Bear smells daisy.”

“Huh?” Grizzsaid. “What does that mean?”

“I think he meanshe smells a daisy.” Panda said, finally joining his brothers insidethe shed. “Look, he’s holding like a plant pot orsomething.”Grizz did a double take. “Hey, yeah,you’re right! He totally is! Is that what it is? Are you carrying asmall daisy?” Grizz asked, raising his voice in uncheckedexcitement. He wanted to learn more about this scaled little creaturenow that he thought it could be friendly.

The scaled man stolequick glances at all three of them, appearing more frightened thanbefore.

“Uh…” Grizztried to amend.

“Grizz,” Pandascolded. “stop freaking out the poor guy.”

“Hey, I’m nottrying to freak him out or anything. I just wanna be friends.”

“Well you’recoming off too strong man. You gotta relax.”

“Right. Sorry,sorry.” He turned back to the creature with a smile. “So, uh…You got a daisy there or what?” He yelped when he got bonked on thehead by the stick of Ice Bear’s ax. “Ow!”

“Still too strong,dude!”

“Ah, I’m sorry,I’m sorry, bros! My bad.”

Before they couldsay anything, the sharkman shifted his body to face them. He sat onhis rump and presented to them what he was so defensive over theentire time.

“Ha! I knew it! Itotally called it!”

“Bro, our littlebrother called it, not you.”

“Ice Bear likeshow you take care of daisy.”

The sharkpersonsmiled for the first time, which wasn’t frightening to the bearsanymore. In fact, it looked kinda cute, in a godzilla kinda way. Atleast in Grizz’ opinion.

“Hey, Godzilla canbe cute!” Neither of the bros agreed, although neither did theydisagree, so that’s an agreement in Grizz’ book.

A few hours laterand the bears invited the creature to dinner. It was a vegetarianlike Panda. Grizz took to calling him “Sharky.” It seemed to likethat name.

[whatdoyouthinkmyjobis]

Hunters on the Hellmouth

masterlist

first chapter

previous chapter

AN: This chapter was inspired by BTVS 7.09 “Never Leave Me.”

Warnings: threats of rape, implied torture

Chapter 25: House Full of Hostages

The sun was barely up, but the Scoobies were already nervously waiting in the living room while Buffy and Dean were busy with the vampire upstairs. "I'm not sure I've heard a worse idea," said Willow, "and that includes the time Xander covered a pepperoni pizza with M&Ms."

"I knew The Supremer would have its moment in the sun,” Xander replied.

“Spike killed a bunch of people, so Buffy and Dean brought him back to the house?” Dawn asked in disbelief.

“Willow’s back in the house,” said Anya.

“That’s different,” snapped Dawn. “Not like you can judge.”

“I’m just saying we’ve seen this from Buffy before,” Anya continued. “She’s not always with the group think of who to kill and who to not-kill. Frankly, I’m surprised Dean is going along with this lunacy. I thought he’d be more black and white and stabby about this. Plus, bonus he-man points for killing Buffy’s ex.”

“If Dean thought the best option was staking Spike, he would have done it,” said Sam, “but he thinks Spike’s more valuable alive at the moment.”

“It’s not just Spike.” Willow paced as she calculated the possible outcomes. “They think he’s being controlled by something. Okay, what if it pushes his big red murder buttons while he’s here? Or worse! What if it comes for him? I mean, it’s followed him from the school basement, to town, and to that old woman’s house. Who’s to say it won’t come here?”

“It already did,” Dawn said grimly.

“For being the head of the Kill The Bleached Bastard Club, you’ve been very quiet, Xander.”

Xander stood up and headed for the kitchen. “Anyone want some cereal? I hear it’s in peak season.”

Spike’s head pounded, a feat since he didn’t have any blood to pound. Several parts of his body ached and tingled the way it did when it was trying to heal, the way it did when he’d been in a fight.

He opened his eyes, but his vision was blurred, no doubt from the blow to his head. From the smell, he could tell he was in Buffy’s house. It was a concentrated scent. The vanilla extra sweet, the lilac fresh, the sex overpowering. Last time he’d smelled this was in his lower, more perverse moments when he’d sneaked into Buffy’s bedroom to rifle through her underwear drawer and steal souvenirs.

Something was holding down his arms, his legs, his body. He was tied to a chair, but why? “Buffy?”

“Sorry, buddy boy, it’s just me,” said an unfriendly, rumbling voice.

“‘Buddy boy?’ Are we besties now, Dean?”

The prior night came back to him in flashes. A room full of vampires. Drusilla. He’d begged to be staked, but instead, he was in Buffy’s home. She didn’t know the danger her mercy put everyone in.

“Why ‘aven’t you killed me?” Spike asked again, his vision coming into focus. “Know you’re aching to.”

Sitting on the end of the bed, Dean set his elbows on his knees and leaned in as if about to share a secret. “Because of Buffy.”

Momentarily delighted, Spike ran his tongue over his lip, licking the stale blood. “Got you on a short leash, does she?”

Dean looked at his hands and rubbed them together like he was trying to brush off dirt. “I hated you the moment I laid eyes on you. Hated the way you talk, the way you move. Hated the hungry way you look at her. And then I found out you were a goddamn vampire.”

“Stop. You’ll make a monster blush.”

Dean rose from the bed, scratching his neck, and wandered over to a collection of photos on Buffy’s bulletin board. He had probably seen the pictures a hundred times as he passed in an out of her bedroom, but he inspected them silently as if they were brand new.

“You know what I like about Buffy?” Dean asked.

Spike rolled his eyes. “Do tell the inner workings of your torrid love affair.”

“She has so much life in her.”

Spike snorted. Buffy was a nightmare. A killing machine. A creature of the night deadlier than any he’d ever known. Life wasn’t her gift.

Undeterred, Dean continued, wistfulness in his voice. “She wants to grab all the life she can. Most hunters I know are dead men walking, withdrawn alcoholics just waiting for the inevitable. But Buffy, she has hopes and dreams and friends, the sort of friends who would put themselves in danger for her. Good friends.

“And for some crazy ass reason, she considers you one of those friends.”

This was not what Spike expected to hear when tied to a chair. “She, she said that? Those words?”

“She keeps saying, ‘Spike has a soul now,’ as if that can erase your past. But I was reading the other week about how vampires are empty husks led around by their demons. And reading your history, William the Bloody. Maybe that was you. Somehow I can’t imagine a blood-thirsty demon wanting to shack up with a soul.”

His piercing gaze on Spike, Dean said, “I know the look on a man’s face when he’s been forced to do something terrible.”

“You ever ‘ave a demon in you?” Spike asked.

Dean shook his head but said nothing.

“It’s like those cartoons with an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other, only the devil is alone and steering,” Spike said with a sneer. “I learned ‘ow to wrestle control back from this piss poor roommate. Thought getting my soul back would put me firmly in the driver seat, but I still ‘ear it growling up a storm, telling me what to do.”

“What’s it telling you now?” Dean asked.

Spike flexed his arms, but the rope held tight. They weren’t taking chances. “It wants me to rip your ‘andsome face off, cut you to bits. It doesn’t like you at all.”

Dean snorted as if Spike had told a pathetic joke.

But it wasn’t a joke. This wasn’t the time for posturing, for cock fights. He needed to understand the threat that sat before him. “It doesn’t want to kill ‘er. It wants to rape 'er, destroy ‘er. I will suck Buffy dry while I fuck ‘er, when she comes back, she’ll be all mine. Maybe I won’t kill you, just snap your neck and leave you paralyzed, keep you around as a blood donor, ‘ang you up in the bedroom so you can watch us ‘aving a good shag. Real question is, do I kill the little bit, take ‘er as she is, or let ‘er ripen a few more years?”

“You ain’t gonna do any of that.” Darkness took over Dean’s face.

“You know what I’m capable of.” Spike wasn’t sure himself anymore; the demon’s voice was worse than he remembered.

“I know what I’m capable of. If you’ve turned evil sock puppet, I’ll do what she can’t.”

Buffy wouldn’t be able to kill Spike and he knew it. She’d lost all perspective dropping him, a live grenade, in with her friends. He needed to make sure Dean would do the right thing despite what she wanted. ”Raping Buffy’s just unfinished business. She tell you about that? Tried to fuck her a few months ago, but didn’t finish the job. And she still likes ‘aving me around.”

Dean smirked before twisting back and socking Spike in the jaw, knocking his chair over and loosening a few teeth.

Buffy was searching for another phone number, hoping to find Giles, when she heard banging up in her bedroom. “What happened?” she asked Dean as he came down the stairs.

“Spike’s chair fell over.”

“Really?” She grabbed Dean’s right hand and rubbed her thumb over his red knuckles. “Put some ice on that. How’s the rest of you?”

He pointed to the bandage on his neck. “Just a new scar for the collection.”

“And the other thing?”

Wincing, Dean adjusted himself. “Not gonna feel like screwing tonight, if that’s what you want to know.”

“That was sort of off the table anyway seeing as there’s a vampire in our bedroom.”

Poking at the mix of business cards and paper scraps on the counter, Buffy tried to remember which numbers she’d called. Giles wasn’t answering his cell or his landline. The coven that helped Willow heal said they hadn’t heard from him in months. She picked up a heavy card on linen stock and tapped it on the counter. It was a simple design, just a phone number and the name Quentin Travers embossed in gold letters.

“I’m going to call the Watcher’s Council,” she said to Dean, who was watching her as he iced his hand.

“You need a gun that big for Spike?”

“I’m sure they’re chomping at the bit to help a vampire. No, Dean, this is bigger than Spike. It’s bigger than us. Whatever is controlling him, I’m sure it’s not planning to gift the world with pocket pandas and chocolate. Then there’s my blood-soaked visions.”

She crossed the kitchen and buried her face in his plaid shirt. Still smelling of basement dirt, he felt warm and solid in her arms. Present. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Dean, but I feel alone in this. Yes, you’re here. We have Sam and Willow, but we can only hit so much if we don’t know where to strike. Without Giles, I -- I feel lost.”

Tucking a lock of loose hair behind her ear, Dean said, “I know the feeling. So what do I need to know ‘bout these Watcher guys?”

“I’m hoping they’ll help me find Giles. I’m afraid they’re going to send someone with a disapproving scowly face and stuck up accent. Someone I’m going to have to argue with. Someone who’s going to get all nosy about you and where you’re from.”

“What happens if they find out?”

“Don’t know.” Buffy stood up and smoothed his shirt. “If they try anything, I’ll put on my protective girlfriend pants and rescue you.”

“My hero,” he said, leaning down to kiss her.

“There’s a crazed vampire upstairs, and you’re making out?” said Sam, who’d stolen into the kitchen.

Buffy estimated she’d had three seconds not thinking about the crisis they were in, three seconds away from the brink of tears, but before she could respond, Dean was embracing her. “Sammy, you’re interrupting a very important strategy meeting.”

“I can see that,” he replied, eyebrows up and dimples of disapproval on display. “You’ve got a room full of nervous people who want in on the plan.”

“Spike’s been in contact with the mysterious It more than any of us. We need to find out what It’s told him, how It’s communicating with him, and how It’s making him kill,” said Buffy.

“Do you actually see him sharing any of that info?” Dean asked.

“Maybe. We’ll start with kid gloves. He was pretty messed up at that house.”

“Let me know when you want me to step in for the messy stuff,” said Dean. “Maybe we should take him somewhere else so Dawn doesn’t hear?”

How long had he been alone with Spike? It couldn’t have taken her more than half an hour to shower and change, but he was already beating on the vampire. Once, she’d seen Dean cry, near hysterics triggered by memories of Sam’s death, of consequential decades spent in Hell torturing and being tortured. Knowing what he’d been through, how could she ask him to step into that role again? “I don’t want you to step in for the messy stuff.”

“You think it won’t go that far?”

“I’m not saying I don’t need you. There’s plenty to do. I’m saying the torture tools can stay in the trunk.”

“How can I help?”

Fucking grocery getter for a monster, Dean grumbled to himself. He appreciated that Buffy didn’t want him involved in interrogating Spike; he didn’t want her to see him like that, to know what he was capable of. Still, he’d rather be back at the house keeping an eye on things than out buying pig’s blood for his girlfriend to feed the vampire. Willow, nervously wringing her hands in the passenger seat, knew all the places in town they could hit for this unpalatable snack run.

“Can you turn that off?” she asked.

Dean bit his tongue and ejected the cassette. “Not a Metallica fan?”

“I like rock and alternative stuff, but that was making me so nervous, my skin was all prickly.”

“Relaxes me,” Dean said.

“You’re joking, right?”

“It’s easy to get lost in. Their early stuff has these beautiful, complicated melodies and long ass guitar solos you just don't hear anymore, which is one of modern rock’s biggest tragedies. Tell ya what, I got a copy of this on Sam’s computer from a concert they did with the San Francisco orchestra, and I bet you’ll like it backed by violins and stuff.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then Buffy won’t be the only person in the house with shit taste in music.”

Willow snapped to look at something out the window and yelled, “Stop the car! Stop the car!”

Dean slammed on the brakes, and she bolted down the sidewalk after a short blond boy in a large black coat. Quickly finding a place to park, Dean chased after her and found her scuffling in an alley.

She had the boy pinned against the wall and was practically spitting in his face. “You don't know the first thing about pain, but I'm willing to give a lesson.”

“Help me! Please, save me! She’s trying to kill me!” shouted the kid when he spotted Dean.

“Hey, I was speechifying!” whined Willow.

“Ginger, you wanna fill me in?” Dean asked. He’d never seen her violent and pushy, but it was hard to believe this trembling kid with a puddle of piss forming at his feet could possibly be any threat.

“Remember Warren?” Her voice was dark, dangerous.

“Killed Tara. Suffered the consequences. Got a pretty strong mental picture.”

“Andrew here was one of his lackeys.”

“I didn’t kill Tara!” Andrew protested, trembling. “I had nothing to do with that. Buffy beat us so bad, I was packing up to leave town.”

“Shut up, you worm. Dean, check his bag.”

Near the mouth of the alley was a brown paper sack with a blossoming bloodstain. “Please, don’t be a cat. Please, don’t be a cat,” Dean muttered. “Looks like someone else went to the butcher. We got some fresh meat and a whole lotta blood. One of ‘em popped open, but he had eight quarts.”

“Pull the car around. Do you think he’ll fit in the trunk?”

Dean huffed. “I can fit three of him in the trunk.”

Xander and Anya searched Andrew’s coat while the Winchesters tied him to a chair in Dawn’s room, a pile of stuffed animals transfixed on the scene.

“I won’t tell you anything,” their new captive squeaked, “no matter how roughly you manhandle my body. Seriously, you should maybe touch my body some more.”

Sam rolled his eyes and left.

“You don’t want me handling you, kid. I’d take your fingernails first, then start asking questions,” Dean said before following his brother out the door.

Standing in the hallway, they could hear Xander and Anya start their good cop, bad cop routine. “We’re gonna make you squeal, little piggie!”

“Today has only increased in crazy,” Sam sighed.

“Double the hostages, double the fun?”

Sam shook his head. “Where are all the pieces?”

“Whatever the big boss is has visited Dawn, Willow and Fangs McGee, who’s been killing people on request, but cuz a that chip, he ain’t supposed to be able to do that. The little one --” there was a smack and thump behind Dawn’s bedroom door, “fancies himself some sorta criminal mastermind. Willow said he can conjure up some pretty sick spells, so she’s thinkin’ he’s connected to whatever hell else is going on.”

“And he was one of the people who killed Tara?”

“No, he was in on the world conquering part of it, but was seriously afraid of Buffy beating the shit outta him. You shoulda seen him in the alley with Willow. Pissed himself.”

“Like all criminal masterminds,” Sam said dryly.

“She did skin his buddy.”

Xander and Anya came out of Dawn’s room looking stern before closing the door and dissolving into a giggle fit. “Did you see that?! I made him cry!”

“You’re a good bad cop,” Xander beamed.

“He was annoying me, and I wanted to slap him, so I went ahead and slapped him!”

“Oh, nice line there about the fingernails, Dean. You really helped get him ready to spill. ‘Course he jumps every time Willow’s mentioned too. Where is Will?”

“She’s downstairs folding laundry with Dawn,” Sam replied.

“Sinister, thy name is Willow. Okay, An, you go relax for a bit, and I’ll go pretend to be the weasel’s friend.”

“Feel free to turn up my demon reputation but gloss over how I can’t bring any of that pain anymore.”

“Never underestimate your ability to cause people pain,” said Xander before ducking back into the bedroom.

Anya smiled a love-swoony smile. “Xander’s so sweet. He still believes in me.” Pleased with her accomplishments, she practically skipped down the stairs.

Over an hour later, Buffy, looking exhausted and downcast, found Dean in the kitchen making a late grilled cheese lunch with Dawn. She fell into Dean’s arms, groaning as he rubbed her back. “Not going so hot, baby?”

“The whole blood-eating thing is super gross,” she said into his chest. “It has to digest or absorb or whatever happens inside a vampire. I skipped the biology lesson. He’s too exhausted to explain anything.”

“I’m sure that’s it,” Dawn grumbled.

“What do you mean?”

“He always wants to spend time with you, right? Now he’s got you alone in your bedroom feeding him. Spike’s gotta be thinking that’s pretty hot.”

“Ew. This just got worse.”

Dean held her face in his hands and smiled at her. He hated seeing her stressed like this, hated her feeling backed against a wall, hated her feeling so lost. “We got a pile of sandwiches with your name on them.”

“Not true,” said Dawn, grabbing two. “The ones with pickles are mine.”

“You need to eat and sleep,” Dean said gently. “Go curl up on the couch an’ take a nap. You’ve been up all night, barely slept the night before. No use grinding yourself down. I’ll make sure he stays tied up.”

Grabbing a non-pickled sandwich, Buffy said through bites, “Sam’s sort of taking up the entire couch, and last time you were alone with Spike, you punched him.”

“He deserved it.”

“No doubt, but I don’t want to lose you. I’ll sleep eventually.”

Sleepy eyed, Sam stumbled in. “I’m gonna head out for a few hours. Shower. Change.”

“Give me a minute,” Dean said before his brother disappeared. “What do you need me to do, Girly?”

Willow and Buffy sat on Willow’s bed, arms around their knees, listening to Andrew’s whimpering and Spike’s muttering.

“I could organize the basement,” Willow said, her voice hollow, her eyes far away. “Or I could build some sort of padded panic room for the panicking.”

Buffy grabbed her friend’s hand and squeezed. “Dean said you were a badass when you spotted Andrew.”

Pale, eyes wide, Willow nodded. “I-I figured he couldn’t be good news, but…” She leaned over and curled into a ball, her head on Buffy’s lap.

“Where does having him in the house fall on the weirdness scale?” Buffy asked, combing Willow’s hair with her fingers.

“You know that nightmare where you walk into class and there’s a test you forgot to study for?”

“Nightmare. Yeah. Sure, Will,” said Buffy dryly.

“It’s pass/fail, and I don’t remember any of the material.”

But it went beyond Andrew. Her mind buzzed with the past and a thousand what ifs. But something else was crowding out the flashbacks of Tara’s death.

Dread grew in Willow’s heart. Something was very wrong with Spike, she could feel it wafting off him, a similar disharmonious buzz as when she tried to get a read on the Winchesters. She’d noticed it a bit when she saw the demon in him, but brushed it off as a side effect of the spell. Now it was a war drum charge pounding on the other side of the wall.

Anya, working out some post-demon stress, had climbed deep into her bad cop role. So deep, Xander was having a hard time pulling her off Andrew, crying in the fetal position on the floor. “Anya, honey, that’s enough!”

“Isn’t this why you untied him, so the cowering would be more satisfying?”

“I’ll tell you anything, just keep the psycho chick away from me!”

“Let’s start with why you came back to Sunnydale.”

The bedroom was starting to reek of blood. Spike preferred the Buffy smell, but three quarts in, he was perking up, remembering.

“I didn’t know the bleedin’ chip ‘ad stopped working.”

“Would it have made a difference?”

“Don’t know. I don’t remember killing anyone. I mean, I know I did it, not denying that, but I don’t remember it. You know like ‘ow when you find a ticket stub in your pocket, and that proof in your ‘and is the only memory you have of a shoddy movie? It’s like that. I don’t know what I was thinking, feeling, doing, just that I turned and buried them.”

“Has that been happening a lot? The memory loss?”

Arms crossed and scowling, Dean stepped forward. “We have a bigger problem. Andrew is here. You know how he ties in.”

“Yeah, what of it?”

“Do you remember what happened in the basement last night?” Buffy asked. “You said Drusilla was there. You said she visited you in the school basement every day. What did she tell you, Spike?”

“That’s right. Dru was always there for me. Supporting me. Singing to me. She may ‘ave been mad, but that woman knows for love and loyalty, unlike some. Got myself resouled and was left to talk to hallucinations. ‘Ow’s that for a hello?”

Buffy rose from the edge of the bed and paced the room. “Spike, this isn’t about us.”

“It really isn’t,” Dean said. “This is about the sorry pickle you’ve got yourself in. Tied up. Confused. Still hungry. And right through that wall, answers. It’s you or him.”

“I know what you’re tryin, Dean, but I’m not falling for it.”

Buffy stiffened and looked around the room. “Spike, do you see Dean? Dean’s not here.”

Dean plunged his hand into Spike’s chest; sizzling, sharp, it felt like a lightning bolt to the heart.

Spike’s fangs descended. With a swift jerk, he broke the arms off the chair and swung at Buffy, scratching her face with the broken wood. He kicked her down and charged at the wall. Breaking through to Dawn’s room, Spike grabbed Andrew by the throat and bit him. Hands tugged at him, swatted him, but he clamped down harder. Andrew had to be stopped. A strong pair of small hands grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him into the door frame.

Spike shook his head, confused as to why he was suddenly on the floor, untied, and with a crowd gathered around a small blonde boy. Buffy stomped toward Spike, and kicked him in the face.

The tiredness made Buffy’s fingers stiff as she checked the lock on Spike’s manacles once again.

“Sure this will ‘old me? I don’t want to ‘urt anyone.”

Without answering, Buffy headed upstairs to her friends. She was tired of talking, of trying to figure out what was happening, of what she was even fighting. She wanted a giant plate of sweet and sour chicken and the freedom to sleep for three days.

Dawn was curled under Willow’s arm on the couch. Sitting on the coffee table in front of them, Buffy said, “I’ll call Dean. You can stay at his place until we get this sorted.”

“You shouldn’t have told him to leave, or, you know, invited a killer into the house,” Dawn grumbled.

“Thank you for the hindsight alert, but who else was going to patrol?”

Xander and Anya came downstairs. “Good news, Buff, is that Spike didn’t rip any electrical when he Hulked the wall. Bad news is there’s zero privacy for you and Dawn. The hardware store is closed, but if the Winchesters lend a hand, we can get it like new tomorrow.”

“Thank you. Anya?”

Anya, twisting one foot like a little girl, was staring wistfully at Xander.

“Earth to Anya?”

“Yes?”

“How’s Andrew?” Buffy asked.

“Sorry, with the interrogation, the fighting, and the manly construction talk, I started to feel a little aroused, which obviously pushed Andrew from my mind. Oh, well, the little twerp will live. I patched up his neck and tied him up again.”

“Other than Anya’s attraction to drywall, did we learn anything for all of this mess?” asked Willow.

“We did get our stoolie to sing,” said Anya, with a proud smile. “Andrew came back because he was having visions of a seal that he needed to give blood to for vague evil purposes. He was about to clarify, when KA-BAM! That’s the sound Spike made with the wall.”

“Did Spike tell you anything, Buffy?”

“What happened to Willow and Dawn has pretty much been an everyday occurrence with Spike, but he thought the ghosts were part of the soul guilt. He said he sees me and Drusilla the most. I yell at him, and Drusilla encourages him.”

“Good cop, bad cop!” Anya interjected.

“Maybe. He was talking to invisible Drusilla at the vamp house. Screaming at her. Upstairs, he was talking to Dean--”

“Oh God!” Dawn gasped. “So this baddie can look like anyone? Not just the dead? How do we know who’s real?”

Buffy sighed and unloaded the Winchesters’ secret. “Dean has died before. So’s Sam.”

Mouths agape, the Scoobies stared at Buffy. “Well, that explains your relationship a bit,” said Willow.

“Were you just not going to tell us this?” Xander asked. “Seems kind of important with a costume-loving evil on the loose.”

“A lot has happened in the last couple days, okay? It slipped my mind. Anyway, Spike thought he was talking to Dean, then he just...changed. He wasn’t even like the Spike who came to kill me in high school. He was different.”

“Perhaps we have a Manchurian Candidate situation,” said Xander, who was met with silent stares. “C’mon! It’s a classic! Okay, so Angela Lansbury has brainwashed her son for the Communist party. Every time she wants him to kill someone, she tells him to play solitaire, and gives him the mission when a certain card triggers his sleeper agent side. Only in our case, Spike is the son, the trigger is some unknown message from the undead person, and mystery baddie is evil Jessica Fletcher.”

“So what’s the mission?” asked Willow.

“When Spike broke free, he knocked me down, then went straight for Andrew, like he had a purpose. Anya, you said he was about to tell you what the seal is for. That has to be connected.”

“What now, Buff? Should we interrogate Andrew some more?”

“Stake Spike?”

“No.” Buffy stood up and stretched. “It’s past eight. Dinner, then plan. I’ll call Dean, and if someone could pick up a giant order of Chinese food, you will officially be my favorite.”

Leaving the phone to the important task of food fetching, she trudged up the stairs to the cellphone in her wrecked bedroom. She wanted a little privacy anyway. Her friends all expected her have answers, plans, foresight. With Dean, she could cry, maybe even gripe a little, and he respected her, still followed her lead even if it was something as distasteful as getting blood for Spike.

She’d just reached the top of the stairs when the lights went out and robed figures crashed through the windows and doors. Two bolted toward her, staves held high. She snatched one staff and butted the owner down the stairs, but the other sneaked past her. She chased him to Dawn’s room. With two daggers drawn, he stood over a whimpering Andrew. Grabbing one wrist, she spun the intruder around and headbutted him before yanking the blades from his hands. As she stabbed him in the chest, she swung back and gutted the second assassin who’d appeared behind her.

Checking that the upstairs was secure, she bolted downstairs calling for her sister. “She’s okay,” said Xander, standing over a bleeding body, Dawn shaking on the floor behind him.

Anya was by the broken back door, shaking awake Willow who was bleeding from a head wound.

“Looks like the house got the worst of it.”

Crouching over the assassin Xander had killed, Buffy felt a nauseating recognition. The robe. The runes branded over the eyes. “I know these guys. I’ve been dreaming about them for months. They’re the assassins in my visions. They -- they went straight for Andrew.”

“That makes sense,” said Anya. “If they’re connected to what was talking to Spike earlier, it knew who was here and where. Your house was a sieve even without the windows broken.”

“Spike,” Buffy whispered. “Has anyone checked on Spike?” She ran to the basement, practically tripping on the stairs. Against the wall hung an empty pair of manacles.

Spike’s head was throbbing again, and he could feel someone yanking on his arms as they tied him up. “You know, I’m getting right sick of being battered about.”

He opened his eyes to see the smirking face of Buffy lit by torchlight as robed figures with mutilated faces dug up a seal. “I told you there would be consequences. Andrew is possibly the most pathetic human I’ve ever met, yet you failed to kill him.” Two of her minions approached Spike with knives and began carving into his chest and stomach. He bit his tongue to deny her satisfaction. “Since he failed to bring me a blood sacrifice, you’ll have to do.”

Whatever he was tied to was hoisted up so he was parallel to the goat-faced seal below, his blood filling the grooves. “Buffy will stop you,” he hissed.

“Yes, Buffy. You didn’t kill her like I asked. You didn’t kill Dean either. Now they’re on to me. I was tired of hiding anyway, and I have some friends who want to play. Spike, do you want to meet a real vampire?”

The goat face disappeared under the pool of blood. The arms of the pentagram around it turned up and twisted to create a staircase. A gnarled grey hand struck the dirt, and a bony creature with a full set of spiny teeth rose from the ground and roared.

next chapter

[buzzandnova]

This Story Of Someone Interrupting A Creepy Date Is Truly Inspiring

Oh, the “Nice Guy.” The dude who thinks you owe him time attention and probably sex just because they didn’t immediately call you names or they helped you move a couch once. All women have met them at some point, and a Reddit thread on the phenomenon contains many a sad tale about an abusive Nice Guy. 

But amongst the bad stuff, Bored Panda found a story from a user named ThrowAwayForPancakes told an incredibly well-paced and heart warming tale about someone stepping in when a Nice Guy was openly threatening a woman in a restaurant:

Comment from discussion Women of Reddit, what has been your worst ‘nice guy’ experience?.

It reads:

So, possibly one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. I mean you know how you hear the “women want him, men want to be him” stuff in old movies? Well I’m a man and by god I wanted to be this guy. Anyway! I’m having dinner with my girlfriend at the time, and behind us are a couple on a date. It is.. not going well. Guy was being rather creepy and making some pretty inappropriate comments, the girl doesn’t look at all comfortable. The girl finishes her appetiser really quickly, my guess is she wanted to get it over with. Guy proceeds to comment on it and says “well, least I know you can swallow right?”. Loudly. Girl goes red and tells him that isn’t appropriate, he literally waves his hand in a “shoo” type motion and says “oh calm down I was going to find out in a few hours anyway”.

I missed her exact reply as she moved to a hushed tone, but it was fairly obvious what was being said – fuck no, fuck off, fuck this. He responded with “sweetheart I picked you up, I know where you live”. She lost the colour in her face and said nothing. No. No. Fuck no. I’m one of those “get involved” type of people and there is no way I’m sitting here watching this go down. I get up. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I’m 23, fighting fit and happy to put that motherfucker through a wall. I may have had a slight temper in my youth. But anyway. I was halfway out of my chair when a hand came down on my shoulder and I look up to this mid-50s but super fit guy who says “Easy.. I’ve got this one son”. Absolute, total confidence in his voice.. so seeing as my current plan amounted to “stab him in the neck” and I’m already thinking maybe that’s not the best idea, I sit down.

He walks over, grabs a nearby chair, flips it around and sits down with the couple. Then.. he pulls out his police ID and puts it on the table. Now the guy doesn’t have any colour in his face. 

Cop: “So, I’m quietly celebrating my daughters birthday with my family when I distinctly hear you threaten this young lady, would you care to explain yourself?”

Guy: “I, ah, well, um, you see..”

Cop: “That’s what I thought. Now see, we take a very dim view of that kind of thing, so right now I’m deciding if I want to have some of my buddies come pick you up.”

Guy: “oh no well that…”

Cop: “But that would disrupt everyone’s dinner, so how about you hand me your ID, because I wouldn’t want you running off on me, then you go see one of the staff here and settle your bill.. the full bill now, this young lady shouldn’t go hungry on account of your poor behaviour. Or we can go with the first option, I’ll leave it up to you.”

Guy: “No no! That’s perfectly fine!” *hands over ID, gets up and walks very quickly in the direction of the counter*

Cop: *while writing down the guys details* “Sorry about that miss, I hope I’m not intruding it just seemed like you could use some help. Oh and don’t worry, if you want to pursue this further I’ll have some of the boys pick him up on his way home, we can definitely take this further.”

Girl: “No, thank you so much, I wanted to run out 30 minutes ago but he drove me here”.

Cop: *shifts from hardarse cop to comforting father figure in about half a second* “Well I’m here with my daughter, she’s about your age, perhaps you’d like to finish your meal with us? We can run you home afterwards if you’d like, unless you’d prefer to call someone else?”

Girl: “Oh.. that would be really nice.. thankyou so much!”*guy returns, so does the hardarse cop*

Guy: “Uh so, I’ve paid the bill, if I could have my ID back..”.

Cop: “There you go.. now I have your details right here so I highly recommend you don’t go near or contact this young lady ever again.”

Guy: “Yes yes of course, I’m so sorry!”

The guy pretty much fled the restaurant, the girl went and sat with the cop and his family and by the time we left they were still sitting around talking and laughing about random crap.It was hands down the best way I have ever seen anybody handle any situation, ever. That cop is my hero.

Too good to be true? Maybe, but let’s believe it is and enjoy it as much as the commenters did:

Comment from discussion Women of Reddit, what has been your worst ‘nice guy’ experience?.

Comment from discussion Women of Reddit, what has been your worst ‘nice guy’ experience?.

Comment from discussion Women of Reddit, what has been your worst ‘nice guy’ experience?.

I want to believe in a hero cowboy! He doesn’t have to be nice. Just good.

This Story Of Someone Interrupting A Creepy Date Is Truly Inspiring was originally published on Buzzing Lives