#sean mcallister

[flaminghotjareau]

i’m at the doyle arc in my rewatch and i would totally watch a spin-off based on the jtf-12 team, like just that phone conversation between emily, tsia and clyde at whatever park in dc was enough to convince me of their team dynamic, also i love tsia i wish she had been in the show for longer

[ash5monster01]

finally that time of year 🍂🤍

Dead Poets Society (1989)

[sequinsmile-x]

The Call

Movie night was, of course, Penelope’s idea. 

AKA - the one where a classic horror film makes Emily, who is freshly back from Paris, panic, and it changes things between her and Aaron forever.

-x-

Hi besties,

Happy Halloween to those who celebrate it! I hope you all have fun and eat all the candy your heart desires.

I did a little poll for what Halloween fic you guys wanted, and the results were so close I decided to do both!! This one won so I've done it first, and the cute family one with them in matching costumes will hopefully go up tomorrow!

I hope you enjoy this, and as always please let me know what you think <3

-x-

Warnings: brief/non specific references to PTSD

Words: 3.9k

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

Movie night was, of course, Penelope’s idea. 

Ever since Emily’s return from Paris, from the dead, both Penelope and Dave were going to great lengths to bring the team back together, to erase the pain from the last year. It’s why she agrees to go to movie night in the first place, even though it’s truly the last thing she wants to do. 

She’d only been home for a handful of weeks. She still felt unsteady, the path beneath her feet uneven and paved with the choices of her past, decisions she refused to call mistakes no matter how much she despised their outcome. She’d done what she had to - both when she was with Ian, and when she was protecting the team, the closest thing she had to a family, from him. Her lack of regret didn’t make any of it any easier to deal with. She hated how her friends looked at her sometimes, how they’d look at her as if they didn’t know her. As if she was still dead and buried to them and they were simply looking at a ghost. 

Sometimes, she wondered if she was one. The person she was before all of this long gone, with someone else left in her place. 

The only person who didn’t treat her that way was Aaron. He didn’t try and pretend everything was okay like Penelope, or look at her like she was a stranger like she’d sometimes catch Derek doing, a spark of betrayal in his eyes that she knows she’ll have to address one day. Aaron simply just let her be. He would take her lead on everything whether it was at work or in their personal lives outside of the BAU. He was kind to her, achingly so, and it only made her one and only regret in this entire mess hurt even more. 

Before Sean McAllister had called her, before his warning about Ian had torn her life to shreds, the comfort and safety she’d found in the last few years ripped apart at the seams, she and Aaron had been close to something more than simply being friends. 

She helped him after Haley died. Did whatever she could to make him and Jack as content as they could be. She’d cook for them, and go grocery shopping so Aaron didn’t have to deal with crowds of people all going about their day as if his world hadn’t changed forever. She’d spend weekends with them at diners that served smiley face pancakes and then at the zoo, holding Jack on her hip as she let him repeat all the facts he knew about the lions, his fingers curled around a necklace that had since been sold in the liquidation of her estate after her death. 

Sometimes, she would catch Aaron looking at her, a glint in his eyes she thought she knew the name of at the time, the same feelings she’d only come to terms with when she found him in hospital after Foyet attacked him.  She didn’t know when she’d fallen in love with him. It had happened slowly, taking over bit by bit until she didn’t remember how it felt to not love him. It was only when he was missing, fear a vice around her heart, that she dared to name it. All pretence that it was nothing more than a crush left shattered around her on his living room floor, the pieces of it mixed in with his drying blood and the smell of iron in the air. 

She waited. Ignored every moment that felt like it could be their moment, because the last thing she wanted was to be a rebound. A place of misplaced comfort for him after the death of the woman he’d once promised forever to. 

Eventually, when he was doing better. When his smile was real and she’d have to clench her fists to stop herself from pressing her thumbs into his dimples, she felt like it might just be their time. Before she could ask him on a date, he beat her to it. His request coming out as a fumbled demand, his eyes wide and cheeks warm with embarrassment as he admitted he hadn’t asked anyone out since he was 16 years old. If anything, it made her love him even more, and she kissed his cheek and told him she’d love a date with him. 

Sean called the next day, and her life as she knew it came to an end. She pulled away from him, ignored the look in his eyes when she cancelled their date, and she told herself it was the right thing to protect him and Jack. 

Her one regret now she was home, now she was trying to pick up the pieces of who she was and build someone new out of them, was that she’d never kissed him properly. That she’d never pressed her lips against his and found out if it was more than she’d imagined. If their lips would slot against each other like she thought they would, if their noses could squish against each other’s cheeks. She regretted it, because she’d missed her chance. He hadn’t brought up the date they never had, the couple they could have been, and she couldn’t bring herself to do it herself. Couldn’t bear the rejection now he knew the worst thing she’d ever done, his perspective of who she was forever changed by the person she’d actually always been, even if he hadn’t known those parts of her. 

She could settle for being his friend. Could accept that was all they’d ever be, but she’d never stop regretting not taking the leap when she had the chance. 

She jumps a little when she hears a knock on the passenger window of her car, and she rolls her eyes when she sees Aaron standing outside, a smile on his face as she unlocks the doors.

“You were in your own little world,” he says as he climbs into the car, his smile turning into a teasing smirk, “I was stood there long enough I started to think I’d have to walk to Dave’s.” 

She chuckles dryly and raises her eyebrow at him as she watches him click his seatbelt into place, “That’s still an option if you continue to mock your designated driver for the evening.” 

His car had broken down, much to his annoyance, and he’d originally said he wasn’t going to go to movie night as a result. She’d immediately offered to drive him, a brief reflection of another time when she’d made the same offer, because she found herself unwilling to spend the evening without him. He hadn’t taken much persuading, although Dave had teased him a little and called him a ‘passenger princess,’ and she was grateful for it, for the comfort his presence brought her in situations where she felt like she had to perform for everyone else. 

“You’re right,” he says, his smile not fading, his hands held up in surrender, “I do appreciate you coming to get me.” 

She hums as she starts to drive away, “It’s purely selfish really,” she says, smiling as she briefly looks at him, “If you’re not there, who would stop me from snapping spaghetti in front of Dave just to get a reaction?” 

He laughs, the sound beautiful and goofy and entirely him, and she feels her heart grow in her chest. She looks back at the road, ignoring what she thinks might be affection in his eyes, convinced she was wrong. “Well, we can’t have that.” 

___

He was in love with her. 

He’d been desperate to ignore it at first. His attraction to her something that made him feel guilty, the familiar pull in his gut whenever he looked at her, whenever he’d focus on the cut of her jaw and the slope of her neck, quickly turning to irritation aimed at her. He piled it on top of his mistrust of her and her sudden appearance on his team. 

As that all faded, disappearing along with his marriage with the signing of divorce papers, leaving just the attraction and something more in its wake. As soon as he started trusting her, he saw everything else he’d been desperately ignoring. Her kindness. Her empathy. Her bravery. How she looked after everyone around her, how she cared for people she loved and the victims of the cases they worked. Everything she did enhanced her beauty, made her more incredible to him, and everything he had found out about her time at Interpol, her time with Ian Doyle, had been no different. 

Just when he thought she couldn’t be braver, she had proven him wrong. 

He wished so many things were different. He wished she’d spoken to him about it, that she’d given him the chance to help her. He wished he’d asked her out on a date sooner, and that he hadn’t taken her eventual rejection so personally he hadn’t been able to see through it to the panic and fear that laid beneath. 

He wished he’d kissed her, just once, so he knew what it felt like. 

She was different now she was back. Still her. Still the Emily he loved, but different. Changed by the things she’d been through, by the things she’d died for and the things she’d survived. He knew how it felt to have your life as you knew it torn from under you, how long it took to feel like you were back on an even footing. She’d helped him after Haley died. She’d looked after him and Jack, been whatever they needed her to be. Sometimes he’d watch her, Jack happy and content in her arms as he spoke at her about anything and everything, and he’d find himself impossibly more in love with her. 

From the outside, he’s sure they looked like the family he hoped that they one day would be. 

He so desperately wanted to pick up where they’d left off. The 9 months without her had been torture, the separation confirming how much he loved her, how much he needed her, but he didn’t want to push her, half convinced that her time away had changed her mind anyway. 

He decided he’d follow her lead. He’d happily be her friend for as long as she needed him to be, even if that was forever, as long as he could be in her life in some way. 

He’d lived without her before, and he had no intention to do it again. 

“So,” Penelope says, clapping her hands together to get everyone's attention, making him jump a little as she draws him out of his thoughts, “Since it’s Halloween tomorrow, I thought we could watch a classic horror,” she pulls a DVD out of her purse and holds it up proudly so they can all see it, the words When a Stranger Calls emblazoned on the front. Penelope sighs when no one else shows the same enthusiasm as her, “Unless anyone else has a better idea.” 

“No, that sounds fine,” Dave says, handing her the remote so she can get everything going, “Horror and pasta - the nights in dreams are made of.” 

Penelope narrows her eyes at him, “I know you’re making fun of me, but that actually is a perfect evening.” 

“I would have thought you weren’t into horror, Baby Girl,” Derek says, his smile amused as he watches her set everything up, “It doesn’t seem like your kind of thing.” 

“Usually it isn’t,” she says, sitting next to him on the couch, making a point of sitting as close as possible, “But it’s Halloween, so it has to be done. Plus, it was made in the 70s. It’s not even that scary when you compare it to everything they make these days.” 

“I recently saw one set almost entirely in an elevator,” Spencer adds, throwing some popcorn into his mouth, “The twist was predictable.” 

JJ rolls her eyes at him, “You think every twist is predictable.” 

As the others carry on their discussion, Aaron realises Emily is silent next to him, her shoulders so tight he can practically feel the tension rolling off of her. He looks at her and concern blooms in his gut, her jaw also tense as she stares straight ahead, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. 

“Are you okay, Em?” He asks, his voice quiet so only she can hear him. She looks up at him and nods, a short sharp thing that does nothing to convince him. 

“I’m okay,” she replies, “Just tired I think.” 

He doesn’t believe her, but he lets it go, files it away for later, because the others are quietening down as the movie starts. He barely focuses on it, all of his attention on her, how she holds her breath at certain points, anticipating moments in a movie she’s seen before, the awareness of what is to come somehow making it worse. Her shoulders get impossibly tighter, and he looks down to see her picking at her cuticles. He’s about to reach out to stop her, unable to prevent his hand from moving towards hers, when she sucks in a sharp breath. It sounds painful even to him, drowned out by the infamous line of the movie he wasn’t watching. 

"We've traced the call... it's coming from inside the house.”

She stands up suddenly, looking as surprised as everyone else, a flash of something close to fear in her eyes as she walks towards the door. 

“Do you want us to pause the movie?” Penelope asks, and Emily’s hand grips the door handle tighter than necessary for a moment before she shakes her head. 

“No,” she says, a smile Aaron knows is fake painted across her face, “I’ve seen it before. I just need the bathroom.” 

She’s gone before anyone can say anything else, her departure from the room forgotten almost immediately as a jump scare happens on the screen. Aaron gives it a couple of minutes before he goes to check on her, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself or her, and he tells Dave when he asks where he’s going that he’s getting another drink. He heads towards the bathroom, but changes direction towards the front door when he feels a cool breeze and sees the door slightly ajar. He finds her outside, sitting on the top step of Dave’s porch, her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. He walks over, makes sure he’s a little heavy footed so she hears him coming, and he sits next to her. He doesn’t say anything. He simply sits there, providing the silent support he would want in her situation. 

“You don’t have to check on me,” she says, clearing her throat as she turns to look at him, tears shining in her eyes that they both ignore.

“Yes I do,” he replies, leaving no room for argument, “Was it the movie?” 

She scoffs at herself and nods, “It’s stupid really. I’ve seen it maybe a hundred times. I love horror movies,” she blows out a breath, “But the phone calls. The shadow of the intruder,” she shakes her head and wipes a stray tear from her cheek, “It all felt a little…”

“Close to home,” he finishes for her when she drifts off, and she nods in agreement, looking down at her lap instead of at him. 

“Yeah,” she says, swallowing thickly, “Every time I…every time I think I’m doing okay something like this happens. It’s like he keeps taking things from me even though he’s dead.”

He knows she doesn’t want platitudes. That she doesn’t want assurances that everything will be okay, so he doesn’t say them. Holds them back no matter how much he wants to comfort her in that way. 

“After Foyet, I had to take down every picture in my apartment,” he says, his eyes fixed on her as she looks up at him, her brows furrowed in curiosity, “Just before he attacked me, and I mean seconds before, I saw his reflection in a picture hanging on the wall. When I got back from the hospital I couldn’t look at them. Every reflection, every change in lighting made me panic.” 

“What stopped it?” 

He smiles sadly, “Well, it still happens occasionally,” he says, his heart aching when her face falls, “But it got better. I started putting them back up bit by bit,” he smiles fondly, “When Jack came home he asked why the apartment ‘looked boring’ so I put most of them back up then. Except the one I saw Foyet in.” 

She hums, her eyes closed as she smiles sadly, “So, you’re saying I need to be patient with myself?” 

“I’m saying, Em, that healing isn’t linear. And you should never be mad at yourself for some things being harder than they were before, even if it’s something like not being able to watch horror movies anymore.” 

She chuckles, the sound wet as it catches in her throat, “Maybe I should stick to Disney movies with you and Jack.”

He reaches out for her, his hand on her shoulder as he squeezes it, hoping it provides some comfort, “You know we’ll never say no to that,” he says, smiling when she nods, “Do you want to go home?” 

“I don’t want the others to know,” she says, her lips pressed together, “It would upset Pen if she knew the film she chose upset me…” she sighs, “And I just don’t want anyone to know but you.” 

“No one has to know,” he assures her, and she raises her eyebrows at him, something other than sadness flashing in he eyes as she rolls them at him. 

“And how would we get around leaving 15 minutes into the movie?”

“I’ll tell them I don’t like horror films and that I’m going to go,” he says, shrugging one of his shoulders, “And you drove me here, so you have to go too.” 

She beams at him, her lips pressed together as she tries to contain it, as if it feels at odds with the emotions still tumbling in her gut, “You’d do that for me?” 

He nods and squeezes her shoulder one more time, “I’d do anything for you.”

___

When she wakes up in the morning, she has a headache. She groans as she pulls herself out of bed, rubbing her eyes as she blearily walks out of the bedroom. She yawns as she walks through her apartment, desperate to seek out a cup of tea, but she comes to a stop when she smells bacon, her eyebrows furrowing as she steps into the kitchen and finds Aaron standing at her counter, two plates of pancakes and bacon plated up in front of him.

“I was just about to wake you up,” he says, his smile soft as he looks up at her. He’s still in his clothes from the night before, his polo shirt slightly rumpled and his hair askew, “You could do with going grocery shopping,” he raises his eyebrow at her, “But there was enough for me to make pancakes and I found some bacon in your freezer.” 

She opens her mouth to talk, but no words come out, the shock of finding him in her kitchen looking so deliciously domestic, stealing her ability to speak. He’d offered to come to her place with her, able to tell from her behaviour she wasn’t sure how she felt about being home alone after the reaction she’d had to the movie, and he said he’d get a cab home when she was ready for him to leave. They’d watched Star Wars together and shared a bottle of wine. She’d eventually felt brave enough to ask him to stay until she fell asleep, barely able to look him in the eye as she asked. He’d agreed without pause, and they’d said goodnight. She’d slept well for once, something she was sure in part was because she knew he’d been there when she fell asleep, and she wasn’t expecting to find him still here this morning. 

“Did you go home at all?” 

He looks sheepish as she asks the question, avoiding her gaze as he finishes plating up breakfast, “No,” he says, clearing his throat, “I slept on the couch.” 

Her eyebrows raise at that, “Aaron, that couch isn’t big enough to sleep on,” she says, looking him up and down, “You must have been so uncomfortable.” 

He shrugs, as if it’s nothing, “It wasn’t that bad,” he replies, and she narrows her eyes at him, “Okay, my back is killing me. But I wanted to be here in case you needed me.” 

Suddenly, she can see everything she’s been missing since she came back. The love in his eyes, the way he was looking at her. The way he looked after her at every turn, somehow always managing to be whatever she needed him to be. 

They were both idiots. 

She walks over, not allowing herself to second guess anything, not herself or their feelings for each another, and she cups his cheeks as she kisses him. He tastes like pancake batter and coffee, and something that she knows is just him. It takes him a moment to respond, the longest in her life, but he does. His hands on her back as he pulls her closer, his nose squished against her cheek as he leans into the kiss.

It answers every question they’d both ever had, and creates more - like how had they lived without this for so long? Why had they delayed what now felt inevitable?

She pulls away when breathing becomes necessary, and she rests her forehead against his, completely unsure what she should say, “I…”

“I think we’ve both been waiting a long time to do that,” he says, cupping her cheek as her hands drift down his chest, eventually landing on his hips. 

“Yeah,” she replies, her tongue peeking out to lick her lower lip, chasing the flavour of him, “I think we have,” she stamps he lips against his again, unable to stop herself, the glass broken now she’d done it, “We should talk.” 

He nods and kisses her, his hand tangling in her hair, “Good thing I made breakfast,” he says, smiling at her like she’d hung the moon and the stars, as if she’s the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in her oversized t-shirt and pyjama shorts, “We can eat and talk about everything,” he tucks her hair behind her ear, “But, I think we’ll be on the same page about a lot of things.”

She smiles and rests her forehead against his, “I think we will be,” she smiles, happiness flooding through her chest, “I was going to tell you that I have a spare bedroom, in case you ended up sleeping over in future to save your back,” she chuckles when his eyes go wide, internally cursing himself for the unnecessary back pain, “But I have a feeling you won’t be needing it,” she runs her fingers through his hair, flattening it out, “The mattress in my room is much better anyway.” 

He kisses her to stop himself from saying he loves her then and there, and she does the same, pouring everything she doesn’t have the words for yet into it. 

She loved him, and he loved her too, and for now, just knowing that would be enough for them both. 

[eyesontheskyline]

reckless (just enough) - ch 3/3.

Read here on ao3.

Rating: M

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply (but we're talking about pregnancy, abortion and Emily-typical Catholic guilt, sexual content, and there's a decent amount of non-graphic vomiting going on.)

Relationships: This chapter is established Hotchniss.

Summary: Emily Prentiss and three pregnancies: at fifteen, thirty-three, and forty. (Demonology, Lauren arc and Hotchniss vibes.)

Chapter Excerpt: Her period is two days late when Sean McAllister tells her Ian Doyle escaped from prison. It’s just over a week late when Maya watches curiously as she throws the purple freesia in the trash. “You like flowers,” she says, brow furrowed. “It was pretty.”

“We’ll get better flowers,” Emily says, taking her hand and leading her into her ensuite bathroom, the only room in the house with no windows. “I need you to stay in here for me for two minutes, okay? I’ll be right back.”

“Why?”

“Because –” A wave of nausea hits suddenly, and she stops, grips the sink to breathe through it, then hands Maya the dry erase marker she brought with her from the kitchen, anticipating her objection to staying in one place without a satisfactory explanation. “Because I need somebody to write the alphabet on this mirror. I keep forgetting what comes after M.”

[deeptrashwitch]

Some characters more to give context for future "A Haunting Past" parts!

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

Major Oliver "Deepwater" Reyes

Name: Oliver Reyes

Age: 40

Date of birth: 17th january 1994, San Francisco, CL

Residence: Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, NC

Profession: Marine Corps Major, Raider in active service

Height: 1,79 m (5'10.4 ft)

Weight: 83 kg

Blood type: O-

Pronouns: He/him

Sexuality: Straight

Languages: English (native), Portuguese, French, Russian and Hindi

Personality:

-He's cold and serious when he's on duty, and no one really knows about his life outside it. Except that he is single and doesn't have kids, to be honest Oliver is really mysterious in his general life.

-During their time in the 267, he was really close to Alicia and they were really good friends, but when he became a Major he started to get colder. And after Firewall, he started to hate and rescent Alicia to the point that he blames her for everything that happened.

Trivia:

-During many years, he was Alicia's direct superior (and still is), as Lieutenant, Captain and now as Major. He was the one who put Cpt. Marchant in charge after he was promoted. Also he was the direct subordinate of the deceased Cpt. McAllister.

-His nickname appeared because of his great results during underwater missions, also because he had the record of apnea of the whole 267, he could stay 5 minutes underwater and moving without need to go back and breathe. (The nearest uses to be Sean, with 3:50 minutes)

-He has trained with the Delta Force during some conjoined excercises that are oficially secret, during his time on the 267, he was one of the most lethal soldiers. Also he has done a short survival course in Indonesia.

-For an unknown reason Oliver was an objective for The White Tomorrow, taken down during Operation Ironfist.

Random Quote:

"You shouldn't have come back, Marchant" -to Alicia after her rescue

[infiniteseriesofhalfways]

Thank you @jonsaremembers for the tag! I don't know who to tag that might want to do this, so if you want to and you haven't been tagged, consider this me tagging you!

Gonna preface and say that I'm an audiobook person through and through, so most of these I probably listened to in the last couple of years.

Last book I read: I listened to the audiobook for Funny Story by Emily Henry, and like most of her books I had a great time and also cried a couple times.

A book I recommend: Lot by Bryan Washington. It's heavy in a lot of ways, but I'm a big fan of his writing style and the way he skips around between different perspectives and pieces of a community narrative. Aja's storyline in particular has lived in my head since the moment I read it.

Book I couldn't put down: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna. I loved this book so so much. It was fun, and sweet, and (to me) a perfect example of magical realism. I am not a fantasy/magic person really, (although I've been trying to branch out in the last year or so) but this was Magic for people who don't read Magic. It was so wonderful and now that I'm thinking about it again, it's probably going to be my next reread.

Book I've read twice: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. I'm kind of cheating because this is also very much a recommendation, but I've read it twice so it goes here. Again, I'm not big into sci-fi books, but the Wayfarers series? I'm so in love. Even if you're not a sci-fi person, I would give it a shot because I think she explains everything in such a way that it's easy to get into.

A book on my TBR: The Canopy Keepers by Veronica G Henry. I got it when I was determined to make myself like fantasy and I thought it sounded fascinating, and now whenever I open my kindle library I see it and tell myself I'm going to start it. And then I find another romance and say next time. Maybe this will actually get me to sit down and Read It.

A book I have put down: Less by Andrew Sean Greer. I'm sorry. I've tried so many times. I get a hundred pages in and I just do not care. The premise is so up my alley and on paper I should love it, but I don't. I still have it so maybe one day the stars will align and I'll actually get through it, but man. Not any time soon.

A book on my wish list: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. I listened to the audiobook about a year ago, and ever since I've wanted to get a physical copy to reread. The way she wrote about grief has stuck with me for so long, partly for what I was going through at the time.

A favorite book from childhood: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I know I was in elementary school, and I remember checking it out of the library multiple times, in multiple grades, and from the public library over summer. I was always searching for the feeling it gave me, but nothing measured up except the book itself.

A book I would give a friend: Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister. I actually gave a copy to my sister last Christmas. It's such an interesting concept for a story, and I got soooo invested I knew she would too.

A book poetry or lyrics I own: Lazarus Rises (amongst Other Things) by Berklie Novak-Stolz ( @icaruspendragon here on tumblr) I truly do no have adequate words to describe my experience reading their poetry. I've never read anything that so accurately describes my own grief.

A non-fiction book I own: Because Internet by Gretchen McCulloch. I am fascinated by linguistics and also the internet in general. I've started this a few times but I have to be in the right mindset for non fiction, but I really think once I Sit Down And Read It I will love it.

Currently reading: I'm almost done with the audiobook for How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang. I don't know what I expected going in, but I've really enjoyed it thus far.

Planning on reading next: I just went through my TBR to find what speaks to me most, and I think I'm gonna listen to Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby. I've read two other books of his (Razorblade Tears & My Darkest Prayer) both of which I really enjoyed, so I should be into this as well.

[emilyshotchniss]

When You’re Feeling Alone, I’ll Remind You of Home

deciding to write this was a very, very last minute decision - i had intended to try and finish it on Christmas Day, so I apologise that technically it’s being posted on Boxing Day :/

i hope you all enjoy nonetheless! i hope you everyone had a lovely christmas, consider this a belated gift - i’m so thankful to have stumbled across this many people who love these two as much as i do❤️

word count- 2k

warnings - none, just pure fluff with a pinch of angst if you squint :)

-x-

She was having a bad day.

Emily knew Christmas time was going to be difficult, but she failed to anticipate just how isolated she was going to feel. Ever since she returned from Paris, it had felt like she was trying to squeeze herself back into a life that no longer had room for her. She should've known the holidays would only heighten the imposter syndrome that followed her around like a shadow.

Last Christmas, life was so different that on days like this she found it difficult to fathom. From team nights out to spending Christmas Day all together at Rossi’s, Emily had never felt more at home. Only two months later, a phone call from Sean McAllister tore through her life - she wondered now if she’d ever find that feeling of home again.

Aaron could see her struggling. He saw her struggling to find her footing again, saw how she was overcompensating in both her work and personal life, desperate for things just to go back to how they were. However, he didn't want to force her into a conversation she wasn’t ready to have, and risk spooking her. He knew from experience that this was something she needed to come to him with, on her own terms.

In the end he’d had to prompt her. A gentle reminder that bad days were something he was all too familiar with, that he was always there for her should she need him. When he found her not even three days later, curled in on herself alone on the jet, he knew he’d made the right call.

“Have dinner with Jack and I tonight,” he proposed.

He didn’t miss the way her face faltered, the ramblings of imposing on them forming in her head, so he spoke again before she could get the words out of her mouth.

“I’m serious, Em. Jack would love to see you and I may or may not have left all my Christmas wrapping to the last minute. I could really use another pair of hands,”

She thought about it for a minute, before shooting him a mischievous smirk. Something he hadn't seen in far too long, something so distinctly Emily that had his stomach doing flips.

“You’re playing dirty Hotch, you know I can never say no to that angel of a son you’ve got,” she grinned.

“It’s true! He’s been asking for weeks when he can next have a playdate ‘Emmy’,” he smiled.

“He really does love you,”.

The sincerity in his tone alleviated any anxiety that had previously been looming over her, and she felt her cheeks warm as she turned her head to meet his soft gaze.

“Does six-thirty work?”

As promised, a knock on the front door rang through the Hotchner Household at six-thirty on the dot. Emily stood outside the door, grinning to herself as she heard a screech from the other side, followed by the thundering of footsteps running down the hall.

“DAD!”

Suddenly the door swung open, and to her surprise, she found Jack staring up at her from inside the apartment.

“EMMY!” he screamed, a whole millisecond before launching himself against her, hugging her legs so tight she had to grab the door frame for balance.

“Hey little guy!” she giggled, crouching down to his eye level. “Oh, I’ve missed you!” She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a proper hug, blinking away the tears that had welled in her eyes as she heard Aaron’s footsteps round the corner.

“At least let Emily get in the door Jack,” He chastised, but she could hear the humour in his tone. “Sorry about that, come on in Emily.” He offered her his hand to help her up, and ignored the shiver that ran through his body as her hand slid so perfectly into his.

“Never apologise for that sweet boy - if I’m going to get a welcome like that everytime I come over, you’ll never get rid of me,” Emily laughed.

“Don’t give Jack any ideas, that’s his idea of heaven,” He smiled at her.

Wordlessly, he appeared behind her and gently slipped her coat off her shoulders. Her eyes fluttered shut for a fleeting moment as she relished the feel of his breath on the back of her neck. Something about the way he skimmed her shoulders ever so gently she could only just feel it, had her heart beating that little bit faster.

Emily knew she couldn’t feel this way about him. But if she was truly honest with herself, she had done for years now.

She couldn't pinpoint the exact moment she fell in love with him, instead she felt it had crept up on her, getting stronger and stronger until it consumed her. She loved everything about him - from his dedication to his work to the dimple in his left cheek. Most of all, she loved the way he put his son before anything else in his life. Despite everything they’d both been through, Aaron had still raised the kindest, politest, most perfect little boy - a carbon copy of his father through and through.

“I hope you don’t mind, but Jack has decided the only thing he was willing to eat tonight was a Happy Meal, so I ordered in McDonalds. Chicken nuggets are still your favourite, right?” He said, grinning.

She narrowed her eyes at him as she tried to deflect attention from the blush forming across her cheeks. It was something he used to tease her mercilessly for, how she’d grown up immersed in so many different cuisines around the world, yet her favourite dish was a six chicken nugget meal from McDonalds.

“Try all you want to embarrass me, but I can assure you it won’t work - I have no shame.” She replied, following him into the kitchen.

“Look Emily, I put your plate next to mine so we can sit next to each other at the table!” Jack exclaimed, as he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the table.

“Wow, Jack, thank you!” She chuckled, throwing a reassuring smile to Aaron over her shoulder before following Jack to the table, leaving Aaron to plate their food.

“So tell me something,” She began as she folded the sides of the paper up and onto the gift she was currently wrapping. “Did you really invite me over to check in on me, or did you just need someone to wrap all your gifts?”

He laughed, shaking his head as he passed her a piece of tape.

“Busted,” He replied, a grin on his face.

“Knew it!” She laughed, swatting his arm playfully as she accepted the tape gratefully, securing the paper against the box.

“Okay, this one is good to join the rest under the tree,” She stated, handing him the present as he made his way to the large Christmas tree.

She began to unwind more paper from the roll, cutting a new piece ready for the next gift. When she reached around to take said next gift from Aaron, he was suddenly much closer than she remembered him being before. He sat the present on the floor next to him, before reaching out and gently squeezing her arm.

“All jokes aside Emily, I’m worried about you.” He said, a sincerity to his tone that made her feel exposed - she should’ve known she could never hide anything from him. She took a deep breath, and gently blew it out, before turning to face him.

She was met with eyes swimming with concern. “That bad?” He asked her.

“What?” She asked, genuinely confused.

“That’s your tell,” He told her, eyebrows furrowing.

“It is? For how long?” She stuttered.

“Uh, ever since I’ve known you?” He deadpanned, as she rolled her eyes.

“Well, you have one too.” She huffed in response.

“I do?” He smiled.

“Yeah, only I’m not going to tell you what it is or you’ll stop doing it.” She giggled.

“I see,” He replied, a genuine smile on his face. They sat for a moment, simply looking at one another, comfortable silence engulfing them.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He began tentatively.

“I guess…“ She started shakily. “The holidays are just hard, I guess.” She tried to shrug it off, desperate to convince him she was fine so she could leave this state of sheer vulnerability. The moment she faced him she knew that it was pointless, that he would see right through her.

“It's more the thought of the fact that I finally felt like…”

“Like you had a home?” He prompted.

“Yeah…” She replied, her voice tight, sharply inhaling as tears she refused to let fall brimmed in her eyes as she met his. “He took my home, Aaron,” She breathed out, her vision clouding over as she felt a stray tear fall from her lash line.

Aaron reached his hand up to carefully wipe it away, cradling her face in his hands like she was made of glass. The reverence in his touch only caused more tears to fall. She leant into his touch as he skimmed her cheekbone with this thumb.

“Emily, listen to me when I say this - you are home.” He told her, with so much sincerity behind his words.

“This is your home - we are your home. I need you to know that,” His voice suddenly sounding thick.

She was sure she heard something in her neck crack as she snapped her head back up to find him so close their noses were close to touching.

“Do you mean that?” She all but whispered.

“You’ve always had a home with me.” He choked out, his thumb still tracing her skin.

They stared at one another for a moment, eyes fleeting down to one another's lips and back to each other, as a feeling of understanding settled between the two - both acutely aware of the shift about to occur between them.

The moment their lips met, she knew he was right. He was always right.

This was her home. All her fears, all her anxieties melted away the second he pulled her into his embrace.

He cupped the back of her head, fingers trailing through her dark hair as her hands ran across his shoulders, and up to the short hair at the base of his neck. What began as something delicate and tentative quickly progressed, the second he gave her hair a light tug.

He swallowed up her moan, pulling back quickly before diving back in, chasing her lips. Before they even knew what was happening, he had manoeuvred her onto the floor as he hovered above her, her hands stroking the strong muscles in his back as he snuck his under the soft material of her sweater, groaning at the feel of the soft skin that lay beneath.

However, their bubble burst suddenly as Emily cried out, quickly pushing him off of her.

“Oh god, Emily, I don’t- I’m so sorry, I completely overstepped-“ He began.

“Aaron,” She smiled, cutting him off from his rambling. Why was she smiling? Hadn’t he just completely taken advantage of her?

“Relax - I just rolled onto the scissors,” She giggled.

“Oh. Oh,” He replied as relief washed over him.

She crawled off the floor and up towards him, pushing him back against the edge of the couch as she settled in his lap. She mimicked his earlier movements, running her thumb over his cheekbone.

“I’m home.” She whispered, tears brimming in her eyes again.

“You’re home,” He choked out in reply, as he brought his hand to the back of her head again, holding her in place. He kissed the tip of her nose, and slowly pulled back to look her in the eyes again.

“You have tape in your hair,” He said barely above a whisper, and she barked out a laugh as her face flushed red, resting her forehead against his.

“Way to ruin the moment you asshole,” She laughed, removing the rogue piece of tape from her hair.

They had so much to discuss, a lot to work though, but all of it could wait.

This was her forever home after all. They had all the time in the world.

[youhavetosmile]

KD Prompt: matt get jealous 😏

I wanted to get this done for Charlie's birthday yesterday, but no dice. Thank you so much for the prompt! Hope you enjoy it.

Find it on AO3

It wasn’t that Matt didn’t like parties, per se.  They were just—a lot.  The noise, the smells, the heat.  Sorting through that much sensory input was exhausting.  So he initially declined when Foggy asked him to please please please tag along to the Landman & Zack Christmas party he was attending with Marci.  Even when he begged him not to “leave him alone in the shark tank,” he refused.

Karen, however, was much more persuasive.  And so, with the promise that she would make it up to him, Matt found himself standing at the bar of some upscale hotel, nursing a whiskey neat and fighting off waves of nausea every time someone walked past him wearing too much cologne.

He was relieved when he heard the clicking of Karen’s heels as she came back from the bathroom.  It was so much easier when he could just focus on her.  But it suddenly stopped as, with all the narcissism of a hot-shot attorney who only did it for the money, a voice drawled, “Karen Page.”

“What?” said Foggy, noticing his scowl.

Matt tilted his head toward the other side of the room.  “Sean McAllister’s just intercepted Karen.”

“Shit,” Marci muttered from her seat on a bar stool between them.  “He’s such an asshole.  He called me ‘sweetheart’ last week.  I hate that guy.”

“Join the club.”

“Damnit, Karen.”  Marci took a sip of her martini.  “This is why we don’t go to the bathroom alone.”

Matt turned his attention back to Karen.  “Can I ask you a favor?” Sean was asking.

“That depends.  What is it?” Karen replied, her heartbeat calm and steady.

“I was hoping you could look into something for me…” Sean took a step closer as he explained the situation.  Matt heard the soft brush of his hand against Karen’s elbow.

He set his drink down.  “I’m going over there.”

“Oh, no, you’re not,” said Marci, grabbing his arm and pulling him back to the bar.

“Marci, that guy’s hated me since law school.  I can’t just leave Karen alone with him.”

He made another attempt to leave, but Marci pulled him back again.  “You really don’t get it, Murdock.”

“Get what?” Foggy asked.

“How hard it is to be a woman in this room right now.  Don’t you dare roll your eyes, either of you.  It’s true.  I have had to work my ass off to get the respect in this field that you two get just by existing.”

“Yeah, but Karen’s not an attorney,” Matt argued, “she’s a PI.”

“Which means she’s in an even more male-dominated field than I am.”  Marci huffed in frustration at the sustained looks of confusion on Matt and Foggy’s faces.  “Look, in this world, the worst thing for a woman is to be perceived as weak.”

“Karen is not weak,” Matt defended emphatically.

“I know that.  But if you go swoop in and save her, that’s exactly how she’ll look to Sean, and nobody wants that.  Trust me, Matt, it’s best if you don’t get involved.  Karen can handle him.”

“And if she can’t?”

“Then I see an unfortunate run-in with Daredevil in Sean’s future.”

Matt groaned in frustration.  “Fine.  But you can’t stop me from eavesdropping.”

And eavesdrop he did.  “I can’t make any promises,” Karen said when Sean had finished his explanation, “I’m swamped with Nelson and Murdock cases already.”

“I could really use the help.  Maybe we could grab coffee or dinner sometime and talk about it?”

“Ah,” Karen said with a click of her tongue, “there it is.”

“What?”

“The real reason we’re having this conversation.  You spun a great story, Sean, I’ll give you that.”

Matt’s discomfort was quickly turning to a possessive pride.  “You got me,” Sean admitted, because what else could he do?  “I guess I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

“Excuse me?”

“You look so good, Karen.”  He touched her elbow again, and Matt gripped his cane to keep himself from marching up and punching him right in his stupid face.  “You deserve someone who can appreciate that.”

Karen actually laughed in his face.  Matt scowled, pushing the thought of he’s right out of his mind.  But the uptick in her heart rate had him smiling despite the doubts.  He’d made Karen mad enough times to know what it sounded like—and to know this wouldn’t end well for Sean.

“I appreciate the concern,” Karen was saying, “but it’s unnecessary.” 

“You can’t tell me you don’t think about it.”

She leaned closer in that slightly threatening, incredibly sexy way she did and said (truthfully, he could tell), “I can’t tell you how little I think about it.  Matt appreciates me more with four senses than you ever could with five.  So you can take your suit, and your lines, and your made-up case and go find someone else to help you, because I’m doing just fine.”  Matt was grinning as she smiled at Sean and strutted back toward him.  “You heard all of that, didn’t you?” she asked as she approached.

“Every word,” he replied, reaching out to wrap his arm around her waist tighter than was strictly necessary.

He could feel her staring at him, licking her lips then running her teeth across them.  “Marci?  Is he still watching?”

Marci glanced inconspicuously back across the room.  “Yep.”

“Good.”  Then she put her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him into a kiss, just intense enough to capture Sean’s attention but not anyone else’s.  He could win a million fights and never feel this good.

He stayed close when she let him go.  “You’re incredible,” he whispered in her ear.

“Glad you enjoyed it,” she replied with a coy smile.

“Well,” Marci finished her drink and set it back on the bar, “I think we’ve had enough excitement for tonight, don’t you, babe?”

“Yeah, I think we’d better go,” said Foggy, “before Matt starts taking Karen’s clothes off right here.”

Matt smiled, kissed the side of Karen’s face, and didn’t deny it.

[girl-tips]

Light Autumn Media Masterlist

⚠️Google Trigger Warnings before watching/reading as I haven’t put them here⚠️

Movies

Fantastic mr fox

After 12 years of bucolic bliss, Mr. Fox (George Clooney) breaks a promise to his wife (Meryl Streep) and raids the farms of their human neighbors, Boggis, Bunce and Bean. Giving in to his animal instincts endangers not only his marriage but also the lives of his family and their animal friends. When the farmers force Mr. Fox and company deep underground, he has to resort to his natural craftiness to rise above the opposition.

The Jane Austen Book Club

Quirky dog-lover Jocelyn and many-time married Bernadette decide to start a book club exclusively dedicated to Jane Austen, primarily to help distract their friend Sylvia from the fact that her husband has just dumped her. Frustrated French teacher Prudie, Sylvia's daughter Allegra and sci-fi fan Grigg join up as well.

Practical Magic

Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Nicole Kidman), born into a magical family, have mostly avoided witchcraft themselves. But when Gillian's vicious boyfriend, Jimmy Angelov (Goran Visnjic), dies unexpectedly, the Owens sisters give themselves a crash course in hard magic. With policeman Gary Hallet (Aidan Quinn) growing suspicious, the girls struggle to resurrect Angelov -- and unwittingly inject his corpse with an evil spirit that threatens to end their family line.

Dead poets society

A new English teacher, John Keating (Robin Williams), is introduced to an all-boys preparatory school that is known for its ancient traditions and high standards. He uses unorthodox methods to reach out to his students, who face enormous pressures from their parents and the school. With Keating's help, students Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard), Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke) and others learn to break out of their shells, pursue their dreams and seize the day.

Election

Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick), a well-liked high school government teacher, can't help but notice that successful student Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) uses less than ethical tactics to get what she wants. When Tracy runs for school president, Jim feels that she will be a poor influence on the student body and convinces Paul, a dim-witted but popular student athlete, to run against Tracy. When she becomes aware of Jim's secret involvement in the race, a bitter feud is sparked.

The basketball Diaries

Jim Carroll (Leonardo DiCaprio) is consumed by his life as a high school basketball star. Pressured by a wicked coach (Bruno Kirby) and a concerned mother (Lorraine Bracco), Jim develops an appetite for heroin. Soon, the mean streets of New York City have replaced the basketball court as his main destination. Jim and his friends scrounge, steal and prostitute themselves to score drugs. Jim's only chance to escape addiction may be Reggie (Ernie Hudson), a neighborhood friend and hoops companion.

The English Game

The story of the invention of football and how it quickly rose to become the world's most popular game by crossing class divides. England, 1879. With football still in its infancy and an amateur sport, upper-class teams, led by Old Etonians, have dominated the early years of the FA Cup.

The History Boys

Talented but rough-edged British schoolboys have their worlds changed forever when two teachers with opposing viewpoints on education engage in a battle to get them into Oxford and Cambridge.

A boy named Charlie Brown

When Charlie Brown (Peter Robbins) enters the school spelling bee, the perpetually crabby Lucy (Pamelyn Ferdin) predicts his humiliation. But with the help of his best friend, Linus (Glenn Gilger), and faithful dog, Snoopy (Bill Melendez), Charlie Brown not only wins the spelling bee, he's chosen to attend the national spelling bee in New York City, leading to many misadventures in the big city. This is the first animated feature based on Charles Schulz's comic strip, "Peanuts."

I’ll be doing Books next!

[lostgoonie1980]

433. O Revolucionário Involuntário (The Reluctant Revolutionary, 2012), dir. Sean McAllister

[ulkaralakbarova]

In 1818, high-spirited young Fanny Brawne finds herself increasingly intrigued by the handsome but aloof poet John Keats, who lives next door to her family friends the Dilkes. After reading a book of his poetry, she finds herself even more drawn to the taciturn Keats. Although he agrees to teach her about poetry, Keats cannot act on his reciprocated feelings for Fanny, since as a struggling poet he has no money to support a wife. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Fanny Brawne: Abbie Cornish John Keats: Ben Whishaw Mr. Brown: Paul Schneider Mrs. Brawne: Kerry Fox Toots: Edie Martin Samuel: Thomas Brodie-Sangster Maria Dilke: Claudie Blakley Charles Dilke: Gerard Monaco Abigail: Antonia Campbell-Hughes Reynolds: Samuel Roukin Reynolds sister: Amanda Hale Reynolds sister: Lucinda Raikes Mr. Severn: Samuel Barnett Mr. Hunt: Jonathan Aris Tom Keats: Olly Alexander shopkeeper: Roger Ashton-Griffiths Mrs. Bentley: Eileen Davies Mr. Haslam: Sebastian Armesto Mr. Taylor: Adrian Schiller Charlotte: Theresa Watson Dr. Bree: Vincent Franklin Film Crew: Writer: Jane Campion Producer: Jan Chapman Producer: Caroline Hewitt Executive Producer: François Ivernel Executive Producer: Christine Langan Line Producer: Emma Mager Executive Producer: Cameron McCracken Executive Producer: David M. Thompson Director of Photography: Greig Fraser Editor: Alexandre de Franceschi Casting: Nina Gold Costume Design: Janet Patterson Art Direction: Christian Huband Set Decoration: Charlotte Dirickx Stunt Coordinator: Glenn Marks Supervising Art Director: David Hindle Sound Re-Recording Mixer: John Dennison Visual Effects Producer: Steve Dunn First Assistant Director: Michael Elliott Makeup Artist: Fulvia Bartoli Hair Designer: Konnie Daniel Makeup & Hair: Jane Logan Makeup Artist: Laura Schiavo Hairstylist: Anita Anderson Foley Editor: Leon Anderson Sound Recordist: Angelo Bonanni Foley Artist: Helen Brown ADR Mixer: Peter Gleaves Foley Artist: Paul Huntingford Foley Artist: Dan Johnston Foley Recordist: Duncan McAllister ADR Mixer: Chris Navarro Sound Effects Editor: Sean O’Reilly Dialogue Editor: Tony Vaccher Art Direction: Stefano Maria Ortolani Casting Associate: Robert Sterne Original Music Composer: Mark Bradshaw Movie Reviews: Andres Gomez: Good performances from Cornish, Whishaw and Schneider for a folks and costums movie. You will enjoy it if you like the genre. If not … well, probably it would be a slow and dull romantic drama for you. tmdb28039023: Bright Star is the rare biopic of an artist that actually provides some insight into its subject’s craft. Usually, a film about a writer, including such recent examples as To Olivia (Roald Dahl) and The Laureate (Robert Graves), will approach the creative process as 99-percent inspiration and 1-percent actual work – and sometimes not even that. Writing is taken as matter of course; poems come out straight out of the author’s mouth, fully formed like Athena emerging from Zeus’s forehead. Bright Star doesn’t dismiss the notion of divine inspiration, but it does not tacitly take it for granted either; on the contrary, it acknowledges and articulates it (“If poetry does not come as naturally as leaves to a tree, then it had better not come at all”). Moreover, even though it declares “Poetic craft is a carcass, a sham,” it does so perhaps out of modesty (after all, “A poet is not at all poetical. He is the most un-poetical thing in existence. He has no identity”), before diving right into the crux of the craft itself (“A poem needs understanding through the senses. The point of diving in a lake is not immediately to swim to the shore but to be in the lake, to luxuriate in the sensation of water. You do not work the lake out. It is an experience beyond thought. Poetry soothes and emboldens the soul to accept mystery”). This is all great stuff, and writer/director Jane Campion displays a sincere love for poetry with which she infuses her characters (who not only commit their favorite poems to memory, but can even recite verbatim from literary reviews). The problem is...

[alaturkanews]

Lite Brite, Electric Playhouse, Terry Fator’s New Spot | Vegas Revealed

Vegas Revealed hosts Sean McAllister and Dayna Roselli join us to talk about new attractions coming to Las Vegas this summer.

[izzyaro]

Summary: What was supposed to be a relaxing night out after a tough case proves otherwise when an incident triggers bad memories for Clyde. Emily and Tsia do what they can.

Warnings: Contains non-con drug use in the form of drinks being spiked, and very vague references to sexual assault.

[upsettingandunfortunateclasshate]

A Northern Soul functions brilliantly on both a political and emotional level. At no point is anyone patronised or pitied, and much of British TV and film could learn a lot from how McAllister makes films about poverty and working-class characters. This film may not be the most beautiful looking or sounding film, but it doesn’t matter. It’s a personal cry for social mobility of the kind McAllister himself benefited from, and a demonstration that given an opportunity, northern working-class people can and will make and engage in culture for themselves. Ultimately uplifting and hopeful, it’s a documentary that some sections of London-based media would learn a lot about the rest of the country from by watching and listening to.

This sounds fucking great

[deeptrashwitch]

Task Force 267

A team composed only by spec ops Marines (Raiders), created after the first gulf war for light infantry interventions and sabotage missions. It has, always, six members and the command officer, no register of secondary teams. Its motto is "never doubt, do the mission", that reflects exactly how the TF works.

Last mission known: Operation Firewall

Current status: Desauthorized

Stationary base: Camp Lejeune, NC

Former command officers: [...] Cpt. William "Artemis" McAllister (2000-2005), Cpt. Oliver "Deepwater" Reyes (2005-2010) and Cpt. Alicia "Guardian" Marchant (2010-2016)

Note (??): Artemis has been taken care of, Guardian is more difficult

CIA contact link: [Redacted]

Actual members: Lt. Richard "Blade" Porter (2016) (deceased), Sergeant Leo "Tiger" Jameson (2016) (deceased), Sergeant Kate "Hope" Petrova (2016) (deceased), Corporal Sean "Marble" Walker (2016) (deceased), Private Arthur "Lotus" Greenhill (2016) (deceased) and Private Jason "Runner" King (2016) (deceased)

Note (??): What a shame. They were as stubborn as their Captain

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

Richard "Blade" Porter

First words: "Private Porter, ready for service!"

Last words: "I'm sorry Guardian, but I can't do this anymore. It's my turn to protect the team"

Cause of death: Silt throat.

Leo "Tiger" Jameson

First words: "Pleasure to meet you, sir. I'm Private Jameson"

Last words: "Please, no more...just no more"

Cause of death: Bullet wound

Kate "Hope" Petrova

First words: "Private Petrova at your orders, Captain! I'm ready for the mission!"

Last words: "CAPTAIN! PLEASE MAKE THEM STOP! I BEG YOU!"

Cause of death: Chemical burns inside the digestive system

Sean "Marble" Walker

First words: "Good morning Captain, we are ready to go"

Last words: "It hurts so much, but I'm so tired..."

Cause of death: Blood loss

Arthur "Lotus" Greenhill

First words: "Captain, it's a pleasure"

Last words: "Forgive me, I never...sorry. I'm sorry"

Cause of death: Bullet wound

Jason "Runner" King

First words: "Hi Captain! I hope we can work well together"

Last words: "Mom...I wanna go home. I wanna see my mom. Please Captain, can we go?"

Cause of death: Bullet wound

Alicia "Guardian" Marchant

First words: "I'm Sergeant Marchant, welcome to your new life, Privates"

Last words: "Kill me already. You took everything from me. Fucking end with this..."

Cause of death: Unconfirmed

Note (??): Unfortunately we lost comms with Orisha to be sure of the cause of death

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

Archive 0834173: Last Meteor (June 20th, 2016). Seventh interrogation. 10 minutes. [Corrupted audio]

▶️ ------------------------- 0:00/10:08

"Won't you talk? You know the price"

"...I'll never w[static]"

"It's a shame. The spec ops soldiers are well valued as mercenaries"

"Fuck off"

*horrified screams (2min)* *sobs*

"Where is the team assigned to Lebanon?"

"K-kiss my ass"

"As rabid as a dog even wounded, huh? Then maybe [static]"

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH THEM!"

"Wow, I might have found your weakness, Guardian. Bring the other one!"

"NO! WAIT! DON'T DO ANYTHING TO THEM! PLEASE!"

[Static] [Static] [Click] [End of record]

Note (??): Interesting...apparently Guardian is this loyal to her people. This is something I need to see later

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

Luke felt nausea when he stopped reading and hearing, throwing to the side the earphones while feeling a chill down his spine. He wondered why Wraith gave him that archive, it didn't have anything to do with their mission on Madagascar. As well, hearing that voice he knows so well, it was terryfing.

He walked out of his office with the archive, going to Alicia's office. For a second he doubted before knocking and entering, looking at the Captain and their Coordinator.

"I don't understand why are you giving me this, but if it's a joke...never do it again" he hissed while giving the archive back to Wraith

"A recorder?" Alicia muttered while taking the earphones

"Wait Captain!"

Then the woman pressed play and for a second nothing happened, but then she got pale and her face filled of fear. She practically ripped off the earphones, throwing them with the recorder to the floor. It shattered and she stumbled back, almost falling. Luke was quick to hold her, surprised to feel her shake out of fear and to watch her eyes filled of tears.

"Why he has this?" she whispered towards Wraith, now filled with anger "why do you gave it to him?"

"I didn't" the agent said with surprise "this archive was presumed lost"

"What?"

"I'll explain you later, I promise, but I need to investigate all this. Mostly who is Orisha"

"Carabalí, he was Orisha. That's how he referred to himself"

"Then I'll look who gave this to Lieutenant Michaelis and who was the last one to edit this archive. We'll talk later"

Like that, Wraith left the office and Luke let go Alicia, who just looked at the void for a second. The red-haired was worried for her, and tried to take her back, swallowing his own questions. But then Alicia sighed and blinked before sit down in front of her desk, feeling suddenly weak.

"Do you need water, Alicia?" he asked, sitting by her side

"No...no, I'm fine" she said while nodding "you may have questions, do just one and I'll answer"

"...Why they put you as dead?"

"I don't know, but probably they thought that I was dead once I stopped moving"

"Stopped moving...?"

Alicia didn't answer, but Luke could see how her eyes lost any shine they had, and how she tensed as a wire. That was enough answer. It was better not to ask.

"If it makes feel any better, I'll be by your side if you have to face that past again..."

"Thanks boy" she whispered with a bitter smile "but you don't need to see what would I become if I ever face my past"

[suspiciondaily]

Yeah, with lots of windows. I know.