#the lead up to the storm we got last night was killing me

[namira]

I have got to move back to the desert like yesterday I love storms but my entire body hates barometric pressure changes so much

[marvelfanfn2187a113]

Stay With Me

Dean Winchester x sister!reader

Synopsis: Really just a lot of drabbles about reader growing up with big brother Dean.

Warnings: ANGST at the end, but with a happy ending (Because I’m a total coward that doesn’t believe in any other kind of ending, deal with it I’m never changing)

Author’s Note: Another one, really? Yeah I don’t know where they’re coming from, enjoy it while the obsession lasts!

“Stay with Dean, ok?”

That was your earliest memory. John Winchester, covered in blood, placed you in the strong arms of your oldest brother, and ran off to go after the vampire that had killed your mother and injured you.

You had tried to follow him, thinking he would somehow lead you back to your mom, too young to understand that she was gone forever.

Dean had snatched you up, holding you in his lap even as you struggled and cried.

“Hey, hey, stay with me baby, stay with me.”

A chill in the air bit into your skin. You were bleeding from various vampire cuts. You were trembling, and the only parent you had ever known was gone forever. But all you had to do was look up into your big brother’s eyes, and you somehow knew that everything would be ok.

…

“Hey, stay with me.”

Your eyes snapped up to your big brother, who was gesturing for you to keep up.

“But I wanted to get a balloon from the clown!” Your six-year old self whined, pointing over at one of the carnival booths.

Dean’s eyes scanned the area, before he lifted you into his arms and gave a meaningful glance to Sam. Sam looked terrified, but you couldn’t understand why he seemed so scared of the nice clowns.

“We’re not here to play with the clowns. You gotta stay with me, understand?”

You sighed in annoyance, glancing over at the clown with the big balloon. You really wanted one of those.

You let out a whine and kicked your legs, trying in vain to get out of Dean’s arms, “But Dean!”

Dean just chuckled, “c’mon baby, I’ll get you a funnel cake if you’re good.”

That was enough to make you go from whining and squirming, to clapping and leaning your head against your brother’s shoulder.

“Ok Dean.”

“Good girl.”

…

“Stay with me.”

“But Sam said to split up, shouldn’t we-”

Dean cut you off with a- “Y/N look out!” as he tackled you sideways. You saw the ax bury itself right where your head had been a second ago, the spirit wielding it clearly angry at having missed.

You and Dean both scrambled to your feet as the spirit vanished into thin air. You reached out to your brother and gripped onto his arm, trying to control your breathing. Dean took a moment to pull you into his chest, which you appreciated since you knew he was also trying to focus on where the spirit went. But you were only thirteen, and it was one of your first hunts, so Dean was going to make sure you got through it both physically and emotionally whole.

“Ok, ok, I’ll stay with you.”

Dean’s chest rumbled as his low chuckle reached your ears.

“Good girl.”

…

“Stay…stay with me. Please?”

Never, not even on a hunt, had a night scared you as much as this one. Sam and dad had spent hours yelling at each other, before Sam had finally packed a bag and stormed out the door, college-bound. You had run into his room while he was frantically shoving clothes into a bag, and you had begged him not to go away. He had just smiled sadly, wrapped you into his arms, kissed your head, and said goodbye.

And now this. Now Dean was staring up at you, his eyes almost…almost…vulnerable. Lost, even. Asking you to stay like he thought you were about to run away like Sam. It scared you. Dean was never vulnerable, he was never weak, he never had to ask you for anything. Then, you realized. Maybe he was just as scared as you were. He and Sam had been more than inseparable, they had a bond that you had been so certain would never be broken. But now it was. 

You walked over to where Dean was leaning against the wall, and slid down next to him. He pulled you into his arms, and clung to you as though you were his anchor to the world. You reached your hand up and pulled his head against your shoulder. Even with Sam gone, you had never felt safer and more secure than you did right now in Dean’s arms.

“We’re gonna be ok,” your voice was quiet, but resolute. Impossibly, Dean’s arms got even tighter around you.

“I know we will, baby. As long as you stay with me.”

…

“No, no, stay with me, I’m right here baby, stay with me.”

You struggled to clear the fog clouding your mind, fighting your way back to the voice that was calling to you. You blinked your eyes open and saw Dean, his face hovering over yours, his eyes wide. Panicked. You felt something warm and wet against your hand, and you looked down to see that it was covered in dark red liquid that was pooling around a tear in your shirt.

The demon. It had attacked you, ripping open a gash in your face, your leg, then finally your stomach.

“Dean…” your voice croaked past the lump in your throat, and you reached a hand up towards your brother. He gripped your smaller hand in his, and you felt his other hand behind your head, holding you up.

“You’re ok,” Dean swallowed hard, and you felt a tear drop onto your nose. Dean was crying. “You’re ok baby, I’ve got you, I promise I’ve got you, just stay with me, please.”

You felt the ground beneath you shake, and it took you a moment to realize why. You were in Baby, the car driving dangerously fast. You craned your neck to see Sam at the wheel. You glanced back and forth between your brothers, confused.

“Dean…why’s Sam…”

Dean brushed your hair away from your face, cringing when his hand came away from your face covered in blood.

“Shh, shh N/N, don’t try to talk. Sam’s driving so I can be here, I’m not gonna leave you baby.”

“We’re almost there,” Sam called from the front seat, glancing to the back for a split second. “Dean, you’ve gotta keep her awake.”

Dean looked down at you, alarmed when he saw your eyes drooping.

“Hey, hey c’mon N/N. Stay with me, I know you can, I know you can, ok? I’m right here, stay with me, stay.”

You forced your eyes open, and focused all of your attention on the green of Dean’s eyes. It was a pretty color, you decided. You had never really noticed…

“Pretty eyes,” you murmured.

“What?” Dean propped your head up a little higher, trying to keep you awake.

“You have pretty eyes,” you smiled up at your big brother.

Dean laughed softly, blinking rapidly to push the tears away from the surface.

“Yeah, ok sweetheart. Look right here, look at my eyes, don’t you fall asleep ok?”

You gripped his free hand hard in yours, squeezing it to try to force yourself to feel something other than the numbness that was threatening to take over.

“Ok Dean.”

…

The second that Sam brought the car to a stop, Dean had you cradled in his arms and was rushing you inside the emergency room.

“Help! I need help!”

…

You felt like there was a weight chained to your legs, dragging you down, down, down. Deep into some black…thing. Something you didn’t understand. Something that scared you. You struggled, trying to…to what? To fly, you supposed. But you couldn’t do it. You were being dragged down, and nothing could…

Wait. There was…something. A voice? It was calling out to you. The voice made you feel weightless, and impossibly, you felt yourself drawn to it, lifting up and away from the black void that threatened to claim you.

The voice was deep. Soft. soothing.

The voice was home.

“You come back to me. You hear me? I need you to stay with me.”

You knew that voice…

“Dean?” you felt your eyes open, and you felt suddenly snapped back into reality. A sharp antiseptic smell accosted your nose, and a harsh beeping made your ears ring. A blinding light was above you, but then suddenly, it was blocked out. 

Replacing it was a pair of bright green eyes.

“Baby? Oh, baby…” Dean’s strong arms wrapped around you, and you let your body collapse into him. Your brain still felt foggy, but you understood enough to know that you had just come back from a very dangerous edge, one that you weren’t ready to fall down. And so you clung to the thing that had brought you back from that edge.

You clung to your big brother.

You felt tears dripping down your cheeks, soaking Dean’s shirt.

“I stayed with you,” you cried, clinging to the fabric of Dean’s shirt as he held you in his arms, one hand at the back of your head, holding you to him, while the other rubbed up and down your back.

“I know, I know you did, sweetheart. Baby you were so strong.” Dean’s voice came out thick, and a little higher than usual, and you knew he was crying too. “I know you stayed with me. And I’m never gonna let you go, ok? I’m never gonna let you go.”

You smiled against your brother’s warm embrace.

“Ok, Dean.”

[dtrghost]

closeness and proximity part.5

pairing: ghost x f!reader

synopsis: callsign is sunshine, because you're anything but. team 141 thought ghost was bad? at least they could crack a smile out of the guy from time to time, you? you were stone faced, all day, every day. until one day you're not, not with a certain someone anyway.

warnings: inaccurate military language and sequences, mega angst, allusions to mental illness (reader has sociopathic tendencies) you get the gist. violence, torture (reoccurring themes i know), angry ghost cause yes. FLUFF. YAY. Sexual situation to gain advantage over the enemy.

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT:

word count: 3.7k

Simon sat with his team, his eyes trained on the seat she'd sat in when she was there last. It had been a week. A long, gruesome, week with her still out there. He was tormented each night by nightmares, some where he followed through and killed her that night, others where he had saved her, only to wake up to the harsh reality that he didn't.

He failed. She was gone, and she may never come back because of him. They cleared all the bases that came up on their radar, and for once he was glad she was such an asset to HQ. They had all available teams looking for her, Price being at the forefront of the search.

"Let's call it a night then." Soap sighed, everyone nodding in agreement, except for him as they expected. His head shot up, his eyes lighting in a rage that they'd been subjected to since he woke up after his rescue.

"Like hell we're calling it a night." He growled at him. The anger made Gaz and Johnny shrink back, Price squeezing the bridge of his nose.

"Ghost, please-"

"We've got nothing! No leads! No updates!" His hand pounded on the table with each mention of what they lacked.

"We're sittin' at this table like a bunch of lazy fuckers while she's out there-"

"And what would you have us do?" Price interrupted. The room grew tense as two angry, powerful men glared at each other.

"You don't think I wanna find her too? You don't think I'm doin' everything I can? We're tired, and we need to regroup. Nothing good's coming out of us like this." He knew he was right, he hated that he was right. He felt useless, and it pissed him off. He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"He's not lightening up until we find her."

"Can't blame him. Get to bed the lot of you." And with that, Price left too, feeling a similar anger to his officer when he slept.

~.~

Cold water pushed her weight back, shocking her awake as the liquid shot up her nostrils and soaking her completely. They used a powerful hose to wake her up after her beating her unconscious the night before, thankfully avoiding her face.

"Morning Sunshine, piss baby callsign yes?" His accent was thick, laughs going around the room as the water turned off. She forced her eyes open, taking in her situation once more. Not the best, not the worst. Her legs were kept free of restraints, but they just barely hit the ground with her hands chained to the ceiling. She spit the water in her mouth out, chuckling lightly as she nodded her head towards them.

"You'd know a thing or two about piss babies wouldn't you." His fist connected with her stomach, but with a puff of her cheeks, no reaction came. He tried again, and yet, nothing, no wince, her feet cementing into the ground so not even a swing either.

"Right~" She drawled out, a bit breathless as she took a look around the room as they stared back in mild shock from the lack of reaction.

"After a while they all feel the same. Let me out and I'll show you how to punch sweetheart." This was her play. Intimidation, sensuality, it worked on the weaker ones, and when she caught the gaze of some of them, she knew she got em. The plan formulated in her mind, and for now she'd tune it out. It was a messy technique, as while she was gone she'd have no idea what happens to her body, so deep into her mind that she couldn't feel anything. It was a severe form of dissociation, but it worked.

"They don't want us touching your face. But they didn't say anything about the rest of you." He pulled out two high power shock sticks, and she knew she was in for it. The pain was excruciating. She could taste the blood in her mouth as she bit down her lip to keep her screams in. It took her back, the feeling of her first round of ECT.

Soon he moved to just beating her, pounding on her body as if she were a punching bag.

Her eyes went blank for a minute, focusing on a spot on the floor as she slowly slipped away, all the pain in her body disappearing.

~.~

"Mrs. L/N. I asked you a question." The lawyer spoke, stepping closer to where she sat on the stand, the courtroom watching this young girl getting berated consistently for the last 10 minutes. Her siblings watched as she was nearing tears from behind the plaintiff, having already been on the stand testifying against their own parents.

"I-uh.. can you say that again?" It was the job of a lawyer to break the client, to force the truth, or whatever would benefit the person they were meant to defend, but this was a child, someone just trying to get by with her life.

"What happened 10 years ago, to your recollection." He repeated calmly. She refused to look at her parents, because if she did she'd lose her words, her ability to speak. So she stared at her siblings, her older sister giving her a smile in attempt to calm her down. But nothing that came out of her in the next few moments would keep that smile on her sister's face, in fact it wiped it from the face of the planet. The flood of words that vomited out her mouth left everyone floored.

Her mother screamed at her from the defendant's side, throwing the first thing she got her hands on at her daughter. The jury watched as a notepad hit her in the head, and all she could do was cry and cover her face. She accused her of lying, screaming profanities to anyone who listened as she was dragged out of the room. Her father on the other hand, he broke down.

That's not fair. She thought. Why is he crying? He was the reason why she was here, why she was confessing her shame, her disgust with herself in front of a room full of people. Why did he have the right to cry? She wanted to tell him to stop. To stop trying to steal their moments of recognition. But the words got lost somewhere, and she stayed quiet as she was escorted off the stand.

When she opened the door to leave, she noticed Simon leaning against the wall in front of her. She looked down at what she was wearing, and suddenly she was an adult again, wearing a ripped black tank top and dirty cargo pants.

"Time to wake up love. Things to do, noses to break."

"It's not looking too good for me Simon. Feels like my body's gonna give out before I get my chance." He shook his head.

"Told you about a week ago that there's not a thing you can't do. I intend to make sure you stick to that. Now get your arse out there and give em hell." She sighed, giving him one last look until she shut her eyes, ripping herself out of her trance.

Her eyes opened and she came to, the room empty with a single guard sitting at a small table next to her.

"Hey." She called to him, blinking the haze out her eyes. He looked up to her, his face lighting up in a way that made her internally grimace. She saw the desire in his face, and she fed into it. He made his way to her with a sultry walk. He was on the shorter side of the spectrum and she looked down at him.

"Hey honey." He hummed, his finger trailing down her cheek for a moment. She ran her eyes down his body, faking seductiveness to get a glimpse on what he had on him. A pistol, standard issue belt with some stuff she could use on it.

Bingo, keys.

"They call you a siren from where I'm from." His accent wasn't as thick, and his words were easily understood. She leaned forward, him following as she leaned towards his ear.

"Let me down and I'll show you what kind of noises I can make." As cliche as it was, it worked. His eyes darkened, his hand twitching over his keys as he felt her lips graze over his ears. Slowly, he flicked through the set he had, and with little work done on her behalf, one unlocked, his hand quick to grasp her wrist. Before he could get the other one, the door slammed open, revealing her original capturer.

"Hey!" He shouted. In a flash her head slammed on his, her foot kicking his gun from his holster, watching it fly from his waist towards her hand, and with a stretch she caught it. She swung it in her hand, putting a bullet in his head before turning it the idiot who let her out.

"Siren's a new one. Maybe that'll be my next callsign." And with that he dropped dead. She had to be quick, her arm now released allowed for one foot to have a farther reach, the keys hanging on her toe as she carefully tossed it up to her hand, the gun now being held in her mouth. She tried each key carefully, knowing if she moved too fast she'd fumble and risk dropping it with the uneven weight now causing her to sway. Her weight was on one arm, and it quickly got sore, so when she dropped to the floor she felt heavy and wobbly.

The pain she pushed off had began coming back to her, and before she knew it she was crouching to the floor, her head between her knees as she gasped for air.

She crawled to the door, having to use all her body weight and strength to push it closed due to it's steel material. She locked herself inside as heavy thuds raced to the room at the sound of the shots fired. The room was designed to lock from the inside so nobody from the other side could pick it, but it quickly became a detriment as they had to use what they had to try and open it another way. She unclipped the vest from one of the men, quickly putting it on herself. It was large on her, the chest piece hanging lower than she'd like, but there was no helping it.

Better than nothing.

She searched the bodies, finding two grenades, she could work with that. She unlocked it, rushing back to the corner on the left of the door, and when it burst open she pulled the pin, watching the soldiers jump back in terror at the explosive in their face. she rushed to the door, shutting it again and listening to the boom from a safer distance. She tuned in to her environment for any more steps, and when she heard none she pried it open again. She picked up someone's rifle that had been flung to the side.

No doubt people heard the explosion, and she was in for it when they came down. So she stocked. She went to any body that was still intact and took whatever gear they had, shoving it anywhere she had room. She was likely underground, noticing the long staircase up as she took in her surroundings.

With the heavy thud of boots, she inhaled and prepared.

Life or death.

~.~

Simon had stayed up that night, finding himself unable to sleep without being haunted by her face. He found himself jolting awake with a shout of her name, and he decided that if she couldn't sleep, and likely she couldn't, he wouldn't either. It wasn't until Soap burst through his door, out of breath that he moved an inch from his position.

He shot up from his cot, looking at him with hope.

"We've got something. Someone in a base near the border of Verdansk reported a need for reinforcements. Bodies dropping like flies from a single prisoner they had held there." It had to be her. HQ had hacked into radio frequencies since she had disappeared, hence the amount of missions TF teams were being sent on recently. The team scurried into the aircraft waiting for them outside, Simon anxious and itching to get there as fast as he could.

When they landed he was the first one out, hearing gunshots from inside the facility. Reinforcements had shown up the same time, and before they could rush in they were shot down, directing the attention to them rather than the person currently fighting for her life.

She twisted an arm, ducking under the arm of another and sweeping him off his feet with her leg, dragging the other down and slamming his head into the floor. She shot the next two before flipping a man attempting to grab her over her back and onto the floor.

She heard footsteps, the barrel of her gun being the first thing to face the front door.

"Hey! It's just me! It's Ghost." He called out to her, immediately putting his hands up in surrender as they finished clearing the ground outside. He noticed her deep, uneven breaths, her eyes mistrusting as she kept her gun up and pointing at him.

"Ghost-" His hand silenced his teammate for a moment, slowly taking steps to her. He watched her eyes flicker as his hand gently rested at the top of her rifle, pushing it down at an unhurried pace, not wanting to trigger her with quick movements.

"It's just me.. lovie." She could've cried. His hands went to her shoulders as she dropped her gun off to the side.

"You're safe now. Nothin' to worry about." She felt herself relax, all of her adrenaline fading as she soon collapsed. Whatever he was saying to her was left unheard, her ears muting as her eyes closed from the sheer exhaustion and overexertion of her body.

"We need to get her to medical now." Price told him, Simon one step ahead as he held her in his arms and rushed out the door.

She didn't wake up for 3 days, and for a full 72 hours he had not left her side. He ate his meals in her room, slept in the uncomfortable hospital chair, and when he used the bathroom he waited until he couldn't hold it anymore and rushed that too, his hands still wet from the sink when he sat down. He was gone for a maximum 20 minutes for the entire day, and only that long because Price volunteered to sit with her as he showered, wearing the clothes he brought from him.

One night it was pouring rain, the drops slamming against the window with lightning brightening up the room every so often and powerful thunder that shook the building. She awoke to it, finally, her eyes crusty and her throat dry as a bone. Her memory failed her for a moment, shooting up in her bed in a panic that jolted Simon awake. He immediately rushed to soothe her with a gentle call of her name, dragging her attention to him as his hand cupped her chin.

"You're safe. You're in a hospital, recovering. Deep breaths alright? Like mine." He placed her hand on his chest, guiding her through mimicking his breathing until she was calm. He gave her a moment to take in her surrounds, her voice hoarse and raspy.

"How long was I out?" He handed her a cup of water, watching her gulp it down hastily.

"Fuckin' hell. Slow down you're making a bloody mess on yourself." He muttered, watching the water flow down the sides of her mouth and down her neck as she exhaled after finishing.

"You try getting the living shit beat and shocked out of you for a week straight. Had to seduce my way out. Dirty fuckers." She scowled at the thought, placing the cup on the table next to him.

"Did anyone..." He trailed off, too afraid to finish the sentence.

"No. No they didn't." Relief had lifted off his chest, his body relaxing for a moment before looking back up at her. His guilt never left him, and he wanted nothing more than to apologize.

"I-"

"I'll call HQ in the morning for the team switch-" "No!" He should've felt embarrassed by how quickly he cut her off. She looked at him confused. Is that not what he wanted?

"I'm sorry, for what I said, what I did... It wasn't right. The last thing I want is you off my team." She didn't understand it. He saw what she was, a monster. She killed and tortured how she pleased. "Why the sudden change of heart? Don't tell me you're getting soft on me." She teased, making him roll his eyes.

"It's not your fault. You need help... Y/N. Which is why with some fighting with those bloody wankers at HQ you're on leave with mandatory therapy sessions." Her eyes widened, and for once, she had something to be happy about. She could make her therapy jokes become real. Her breathed hitched for a beat, a sudden realization dawning on her.

Someone fought for her.

She felt the familiar pad of his thumb stroke under her eye, and it wasn't until she felt a wetness sinking into her mask that she realized she was shedding tears again.

"Comere lovie." Lovie. She liked that one, she was certain about that. He pulled her into a hug. For the first time in years, someone embraced her. She felt herself crack, every guarded aspect of her mind shattered in that moment as sobs flooded through her body involuntarily. Just like he promised himself, Simon was there to help her through it. His arms around her were tight, as if she could share the weight of the world she carried on her shoulders and he'd help her lift it until she could do it on her own.

"I need to get a nurse to check on you." He muttered in her ear, feeling her shiver at the feeling of his breath dusting over her skin. She only tightened her grip.

"Can we just, stay like this for a while. Please." Her voice was small, quiet, and he couldn't help but agree, maintaining a constant vice grip around her. She felt protected, and she needed that. So she clung to him as if her life depended on it, and he held her for as long as she needed him to. He felt her weight eventually slump against him, her arms dropping as her breath evened out to the same one he'd memorized from her 3-day slumber.

He laid her back, pulling the sheets up to make sure she didn't get cold before finding a nurse. They checked her vitals, blood pressure, wounds, everything.

"She's healing well. Everything looks good. We'll keep her one more night for observation and then we can discuss taking her home." He nodded, and she awkwardly smiled and walked out, shutting the door behind her. Simon sat back down in his seat, feeling more relaxed than he had before.

Healing well, looks good. Those words repeated in his head over and over. He leaned forward, pushing his mask up to the bridge of his nose as he hovered over her for a minute. The serene look on her face, even in the dark was enough to make his heart stutter. The way her hair, now in it's natural state, free from a balaclava, looked as it sat around her head like flowers in a meadow. She still wore a mask that covered the lower half of her face, but this was the most he'd get to see her for a while, so he took what he could get.

He pressed a slow kiss on her forehead, embracing the moment for what it was before he pulled his mask back down and released the breath he was holding, letting himself fall back asleep to the gentle exhales he heard from her.

~.~

Next thing she knew, she was holding a duffle bag with all her work stuff in it, Team 141 standing with her as she stood in her front door. They escorted her home, filling her in on her therapy sessions, when they start, how participation and progress were necessary for her to be allowed back in the field after her leave was up. Price had been assigned to live with her for the time being to make sure she was adjusting well and attending her sessions. She had half a year, which was enough, and it was mandatory to continue during work.

She dropped her bag off to the side behind the door before looking back at her teammates, Price flopping on her couch with a sigh as his eyes closed.

"Well, bye." She went to shut the door, only for Simon's foot to stop it from shutting.

"Fuckin' hell. No thanks for the people who saved your life?" Soap scoffed, watching her roll her eyes as she reopened the door.

"Thank you my saviors. What would I have ever done without you." Her voices was monotone, clearly bored and wanting to lay down for a bit.

"Alright then. Just don't get yourself killed in the next 6 months before we come back yeah." Simon grumbled, rolling his eyes too.

"You're not visiting?" She questioned, eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

"We wanna see a full transformation. Adds to the extra shock factor." Gaz smiled, watching her sigh before she painfully opened her arms for a hug.

"One for the road I guess." The embrace was horribly awkward and lasted a solid 2 seconds before she pulled herself back with a clear grimace.

"Do we get to see what's under the mask?" Soap pressed.

"Do you ever not ask questions? No? Then there's your answer." She quickly shut him down, watching him deflate in minor amusement before turning to Simon. He grunted as her arms wrapped around his middle, frozen in place for a minute.

"Hug me back dickhead." She muttered. His arms wrapped around her with a huff, though they both knew he didn't mind.

"Why the hell does he get a special hug." Soap whined, watching her pull away.

"Because he doesn't piss me off. Now bye." She shut the door in their face, kicking off her shoes and throwing a sock at Price's head. He groaned and turned, looking at her through bleary, groggy eyes.

"When's my first session again?"

The last part will be next!! I hope you enjoyed this one, more ghost fluff!! LOVIEEEEEE. My all time favorite. She's getting somewhere, finally getting some much needed help. Again I hope you guys enjoyed this part and the next one will be out fairly soon because I'm impulsive!! See ya next time!

@thaprilks @bowtruckleninja @almightywdm

[heyiwrotesomethings]

DEMON SLAYER CUZ YESSSSSSSS.

shinobu x female reader

I wanna kick uzuis ass again soooooooo

Uzui is being a dick to everyone because he is in a mood and make fun of shinobu (u find the reason nth comes to mind rn) and the reader having an awful day herself kicks his ass and brings him to his wives "next time that disgrace you call a husband insults my soon to be wife again I'm gonna cut his tongue of and shove it so far up his ass it will come out of his mouth again 🙃

have a good day ladies oh and do keep him a check or I will 🙂 byeeeee"

gl finishing all of those rqst

Bad Morning

Shinobu Kochou x She/Her Reader

A/N: I don’t know what’s up with me, but this threat was a bit too descriptive for me and since this is like, at least the third time we’re beating Uzui up, this one is kind of lackluster, apologies! Hopefully I still got the message across lol. Hope you still like it! Word Count: ~1,220

Uzui Tengen woke up on the wrong side of the bed earlier that morning. Which was to say Suma had accidentally pushed Makio out of bed, which in turn lead to Makio dragging her out of said bed by the ankles in retaliation. Tengen tried his best to ignore them and focus on Hinatsuru’s cute mumblings as she turned to lay on her other side, but Makio’s growls and Suma’s cries made it downright impossible.

“Could you two keep it down, goddamnit! Why does this have to happen every morning?!”

“Maybe we should invest in a bigger bed.” Hinatsuru murmured, pressing a pillow over her head.

“Or we just make Suma sleep on the floor. She kicked me last night too and I have the bruise to prove it!” Makio pulled up the hem of her sleepware to show the bruise her thigh was sporting and Suma wailed.

“I’m sorry! Let me kiss it better! Don’t make me sleep on the floor Makio, please!”

“Nobody is sleeping on the floor!” Tengen groaned. “I’ll get a bigger bed, okay? Can I just get one more hour of sleep—“

“Caw!” Nijimaru came in through the window with flapping wings and rattling beads. A damn fine, flamboyant bird if Tengen did say so himself, but he couldn’t think of anyone he’d rather see less at the moment. “You’ll be late for the meeting if you stay in bed any longer, Uzui!”

“Damn it all, that’s today?” Tengen shot out of bed, jamming his toe against the bedside table. He cursed and limped his way to the bathroom, now even more pissed because he would have to skip his morning skin care routine if he was going to make it to Oyakata-sama’s mansion in time.

He barely had enough time to bathe and put on his makeup before heading out the door. No time to even eat breakfast. At least Suma ran him some toast at the door and jumped up to give him a quick peck on the cheek. It certainly made up for the rude awakening at least, sweet girl.

Still, all the toast and kisses in the world couldn’t make him shake off the sour mood he was in. His morning routine was sacred. When his routine was disturbed, it honestly felt like his whole day was ruined.

People have bad days. It’s normal to maybe ask for a little space, to tell people you aren’t really feeling yourself, but the moment you use your bad morning as an excuse to be shitty to other people, then expect your day to get much, much worse.

“Iguro, come on man. Can you get your scrawny ass outta my way? Shouldn’t you be sitting like a broody tree’d raccoon by now?”

“We’re talking, walk around. It’s a fucking garden.” Sanemi was quick to shoot back as Obanai glared.

“Nobody can make anything easy today, can they?” Tengen sighed loudly, bumping into Sanemi as he walked past the two fuming men.

He rested in his usual spot, hoping to maybe get a little bit more sleep in before the Master arrived. However, Mitsuri was talking up a storm with Shinobu and (Y/n) and the excitement in her voice as she spoke made it hard for Tengen to relax.

“She made me dango for helping me get her cat out of the tree! Isn’t that great? It was really good too! And then—!”

“Gods, Kanroji,” Tengen groaned, “would it kill you to take a page out of Tomioka’s book and be quite for once?”

“Hey! What the hell is your problem?” (Y/n) scowled.

“Just because you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, it doesn’t give you license to make everyone else around you feel miserable as well.” Shinobu chimed in, she put a reassuring hand on Mitsuri’s shoulder while she gave Tengen a disapproving look.

“I’m gonna kill that bastard.” Obanai growled, Kaburamaru hissed in agreement.

“Perhaps you should take a page out of Tomioka-san’s book and butt out of conversations that have nothing to do with you, hm? Contrary to what your ego may tell you, the world does not revolve around you.” Shinobu added for good measure.

“Big words for somebody so small. I could crush you like a grape between my fingers.”

“Uzui, my friend! You should stop talking before you say something you’ll really regret!” Rengoku advised.

“So disgruntled,” Shinobu tisked pityingly, “Given how out of sorts you are this morning, I doubt you could even brush me with those meaty, perpetually sweaty hands.

Tengen took a deep breath through clenched teeth, but (Y/n) spoke up before him, her voice low, warning,

“Uzui-san, I’d listen to Rengoku-san if I were you. Act like an adult and let it go. With any luck, the meeting will be over in an hour and you can sleep the rest of the day away.”

“Tch,“ Tengen sneered, “how about this, you tell your little, and I do mean shrimpy, puny, girlfriend to zip it, and then I will too.”

“I am not her keeper.” (Y/n) said through gritted teeth.

“Well if she can’t keep her mouth shut, why should I?!”

“Ah, my deepest apologies, Uzui-san,” Shinobu began, not looking very sorry at all, “(Y/n) and I had a rather late night in the lab ourselves. My mistake for trying to hold you to the same standards we hold ourselves to.”

Tengen was seeing red. He wanted to wipe that perfect little smile right off of Shinobu’s face and before he could think better of it, he had thought of something to say that would hit her where it would hurt.

“Wipe that fake-ass smile off your face, little Kanae wannabe. You want to imitate her so bad, start by acting like less of a bitch maybe.”

Well, that sure made the smile fall from Shinobu’s lips. Her expression became impassive, an eerie blankness, but no one took the time to really notice because (Y/n) was already leaping to her feet, kicking up pebbles that scattered over Tengen’s thighs as she got closer.

“The fuck did you just say?!” Sanemi growled, his head snapping towards Uzui.

“Uzui-san, I know you can be abrasive, but that kind of talk is unacceptable.” Gyomei spoke up for the first time that day and that was how Tengen knew he might have really fucked up.

“Okay, okay, you are a fucking dead man now! I don’t give a damn about you not getting your beauty sleep, you wanna play nasty, we’ll play nasty alright!”

(Y/n) knew Shinobu could take care of herself, but she also knew that Uzui had hit a nerve. Like Shinobu had said, they had a tough night, tougher than Uzui’s, she imagined. She had been helping Shinobu with her latest experiment on her journey to find a poison that could end an Upper Moon.

Despite all of the promising research, the experiment had fallen flat, or well, more accurately caused a small explosion that (Y/n) and Shinobu spent the next three hours cleaning up after. Thankfully they had been wearing the proper gear during the whole ordeal, but they still smelt overwhelmingly of wisteria.

(Y/n) got close enough to Uzui that he could smell it on her and the potency stung his nose. She grabbed him by the collar of his uniform and he engulfed her wrist with his hand—

“Oyakata-sama is coming!” Mitsuri squealed, noticing two of the Master’s children leading him around the building. It must have been one of his good days and he decided to take a stroll.

“I’m not done with you.” (Y/n) hissed, letting go of Uzui’s uniform with a shove before quickly dropping to the ground.

“You’re like a yappy little dog,” he sneered, “All I gotta say is, ‘boo!’ and you’ll be shaking in your sandals.”

“The first thing I’m gonna do is cut out your own tongue and feed it to you, asshole.”

Tengen grit his teeth together. The Master was much too close now to continue trading vulgarities.

Tengen started out the meeting boiling hot, but listening to the Master speak had its usual calming affects and before Tengen knew it, he was in a relaxed, meditative state. It was the closest thing to sleep one could have while awake. It was like magic. The Master bid them all farewell and Tengen inhaled deeply, then released a relaxed exhaled, tension leaving his shoulders. He felt so much better—

(Y/n)’s fist came sailing at him with all the force of a mantis shrimp and she decked him, making direct contact with his temple.

“Alright Uzui, how about you and me go for a little stroll?” (Y/n) grunted, heaving the hulking man to his feet was no simple task, especially now that he was having a hard time standing up himself after that vision spotting hit. She turned to look back at Shinobu with adoration and concern, “Would you like to come along, dear?”

“I suppose.” Shinobu shrugged before rising to her feet as well. Truthfully, she didn’t want to have to look at Uzui for another minute, but if (Y/n) accidentally killed him, that would be one less Hashira and they were already spread thin enough as it was.

The remaining Hashira, that cared enough to, watched on as (Y/n) pulled Tengen away from the mansion by his ear, very thankful they weren’t in his shoes at that moment.

Tengen shuffled down the path, bending with (Y/n)’s sharp pushes and pulls while the two women discussed what they should eat for lunch. Sadistic beings…

Though it was hard for his eyes to focus because of that sharp punch to his temple, he soon recognized the scenery and realized (Y/n) was taking him home, to what end, he was afraid to find out.

“Good afternoon, ladies.” He heard (Y/n)’s muffled voice through the ringing in his ears.

“Oh gods, what did he do this time?” Makio groaned.

“(Y/n)-san, I don’t know what he did, but please, be a little more gentle with him.” Hinatsuru requested hesitantly.

She was hesitant because she knew her husband had a track record of saying or doing stupid things. Even Suma, the most sympathetic of the bunch, could agree that sometimes getting slapped around a little bit was warranted when it came to their husband’s unfiltered words and uncouth actions.

“Don’t worry, I caught him off guard with the first punch, so I didn’t go any further. I probably nearly fractured his skull since he didn’t think to defend himself at all, don’t you think so, Shinobu?”

“Oh yes, given how he’s been wobbling, and that he threw up in the bushes on the way here, it’s safe to say he would have been in real trouble if you had decided to keep going.”

Makio, Hina and Suma paled, quickly taking possession of their loopy husband when (Y/n) offered him to them. It was difficult to keep all that muscle up right, so they could only imagine just how furious (Y/n) was to have been able to basically drag him all the way home.

“The next time your disgraceful, woefully un-flamboyant husband says or does anything that hurts my fiancée, intentionally or not, he may not make it back to you in one piece. Understand?”

“Yes, we’ll talk to him. I’m sorry.” Hinatsuru hung her head low.

“You have nothing to apologize for, but when your husband snaps out of it, you might suggest he start looking for ways to atone because I’m not quite so sure I could hold myself back if I see him again too soon. That single punch was not satisfying at all.”

“We’ll work on it.” Makio swore.

“We promise! Please don’t kill him!” Suma sobbed.

“I won’t kill him, too much paperwork.” (Y/n) promised, then after a pause added, “Well, I wouldn’t kill him on purpose anyway.”

“Here,” Shinobu stepped up to the three horrified looking wives and handed Hinatsuru a small paper bag, “I suspect he has a concussion. I have provided all instructions and materials needed to give him proper treatment.”

“Thank you…” the three answered in unison.

Shinobu gave them a short nod of acknowledgment before linking back up with (Y/n). The two strolled off like nothing had happened, smiling and gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes as they disappeared over the hill.

“We need that new bed stat!” Suma said with an exhausted sigh as the trio dragged Tengen into the house.

“I think our dumbass husband needs a personality check more.” Makio grunted.

[d1xonss]

Desert Rose

Chapter 41 ~ Peace

✧ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x Reader

✧ Era : Season 3

✧ Word Count : 6.4k

In this chapter ~ When the group makes a decision to fight off The Governor in a way they hadn't thought of before, they found they were successful at scaring them away. But they didn't stop there, as they wanted to make sure his men would never come back like they did before. However, a shocking death ensues, though it led to the long-awaited peace they had been craving for so long.

Last night was tough to say the least.

It took about a half hour just for Daryl to finally break away from me, but I waited patiently, holding him close the entire time. But it then took us even longer to finally get back to the prison, everyone rushing over to us and bombarding us with question after question the second we got off his bike. I attempted to calm all of them down, but Daryl had enough before I could even open my mouth to speak.

He snapped at all of them, yelling in their faces about how he had just lost his brother and they all seemed to shut up pretty quickly after that, watching him storm off with nothing else to say. My expression saddened even further as I watched him go, debating in my head whether to just let him go and have some time by himself to process this, or go after him in case he didn't want to be alone.

But ultimately I decided to just leave him be for the time being, explaining to everyone that I didn't quite know what happened, but all I knew was that Merle had turned. I informed them that the place looked like a warzone, leading me to believe that The Governor had something to do with it, potentially Merle's death as well.

The man's voice then echoed in the back of my mind, reminding me of what he told me from the start, that the man would kill him first, then only make his way down the line.

Almost the entire group stayed up for hours after what I told them, coming up with some type of plan to end all of this once and for all. Everyone was fed up, tired of having to constantly look over our shoulder and expecting something to be there waiting to kill us. We wanted this done, taken care of, and finished.

After some time passed and the sun had finally set, the plan now fully set in stone, I slowly made my way back to our cell for the night and saw Daryl laying on the bed with his back facing me. I knew he was awake from the way his breathing was steady, but I said nothing as I gently got into bed next to him. He didn't turn over, or even really acknowledge that I was there, but it didn't bother me in the slightest. He needed time and some space, and I understood that completely.

Though it felt like I tossed and turned throughout the whole night, not being able to stay still for more than a few minutes at least without growing uncomfortable. Maybe it was the nervousness for tomorrow, or everything all together, I wasn't sure. But it was getting harder to ignore that little voice in the back of my mind about the outcome potentially not working out for us in the end. It was what I feared most.

When I finally did fall asleep, I still woke up fairly early the next morning, turning over to see Daryl was still facing away from me, soft snores leaving him now as he got at least a little bit of sleep. I got up quietly, not wanting to wake him as I began to pack up all of our things.

The plan we had devised was that when The Governor and his men roll through here, we would pack up everything and pretend like we fled away. But we were going to trick them, mess with their heads a little bit and then attack them the second that their guard was down. It was a way to scare them, knowing that his people weren't the strongest fighters and that they were scared of us to begin with. Not wanting to come back and mess with us after the scare we were going to give them.

After I gathered all of our bags, I headed out towards the cars to load them all up with all the things I could pick up and place over my shoulders. There were only a few others awake as I made my way outside, placing all of the things in the many trunks we had lined up carefully before offering to take Rick's place where he watched the outskirts of our surroundings. He gave me a thankful nod before he made his way back in the building, making sure Carl was ready to go and doing another sweep through the place to check and see if there was anything we missed.

I didn't know how much time had passed as I looked out to the scenery, making sure they weren't paying us an early visit, but just by hearing the amount of people that were out and about behind me, I silently knew it had been a while. Maybe an hour or two of me completely disassociating and focusing on my surroundings, not really knowing or caring how many minutes passed by.

But the others seemed to be almost ready to go as I glanced back every once and a while, seeing Hershel gathering up Carl, Beth, and Judith to take them out somewhere safe. They were the ones who would take all the things we had packed up, before driving out and finding a secluded place to hide out in the woods until it was all over. The rest of us staying back to fight. I couldn't lie, I was slightly nervous about how well this would work, but it was the best chance we had.

I eventually heard faint footsteps coming up from behind me, turning back over my shoulder to see Daryl slowly making his way over towards me. I gave him a small smile before I turned back around to scan the area once more, not wanting to take my eyes off of everything because of the constant paranoia. But I felt him come up to stand next to me as he too looked out in front of us, an awkward silence filling the air.

I didn't know what to say. He looked a lot better than he did yesterday and he got more sleep than I thought he would, but that didn't mean he was okay. I knew he would put up a front that he was, not wanting anyone else to worry, but I would always know.

Clearing my throat awkwardly, I decided to speak first, "How're you holding up?"

My eyes then closed in slight embarrassment the second the question left my mouth. That was like the one thing you don't ask someone who's obviously mourning.

I opened my mouth to apologize, but his voice cut me off, "Better than yesterday." he stated as he glanced over at me, not taking the question the wrong way like I assumed.

A relieved sigh passed my lips as I nodded, "Good..."

There was another few beats of silence as we stared up ahead, before I felt him gently nudge my side, "Ya weren't there when I woke up."

I let out a soft breath as I turned to face him a bit better, "I know...I just wanted to get a head start on packing everything. Just wanted to be ready, I guess. And...I also wanted to give you some space."

He shook his head slowly, "I don't want no space. I want you."

I smiled warmly at him and nodded, "I just- I just didn't want to say the wrong thing. And I didn't want to push it-"

"Ya don't gotta walk on eggshells around me. I want ya with me, I always want ya with me. I just couldn't talk last night...it was just..." he trailed off, the emotions coming back full force the more he thought about it.

"Yeah," I nodded to show that I understood, "And now I know. I won't leave you alone unless you want to be."

He rolled his eyes playfully, "My God woman do ya ever listen to me?" he chuckled lightly, "I want ya. I ain't ever gonna tell ya to leave me alone, because I want ya with me. Always."

"Well, good to see your sarcastic smartass sense of humor is back." I laughed a bit, "But okay, I'll never leave you again."

He gently grabbed one on my hands, raising it up to his mouth to kiss the back of it lightly, "Good." he nodded.

"I'll even follow you when you have to pee." I joked.

He scoffed, "Okay, no maybe leave me alone for that." he said as he rolled his eyes again.

"No, no, I'll even come with you to shower."

"No, don't-" he began to say but stopped himself suddenly, realizing what I had said as he watched me raise my eyebrows. "Alright...maybe you can come with me for that." he said seductively.

I laughed, bringing my hand up to the back of his neck to bring him close, placing a delicate kiss on his lips, before he quickly pulled back once more as if he forgot something. "Oh, and... m' sorry for all the shit I said to ya yesterday. Ya know I just want ya safe...right?"

I shook my head, "Stop. We're okay, I promise."

He nodded, "I love you."

"I love you too." I smiled and pulled him back in for another kiss.

A few long moments passed where we were just lost in one another's touch, craving the feeling of each other as we were tucked away where no one could really see us. Using the privacy to our advantage as I truly had missed him. Even if it was only a short while.

But the moment was cut short quicker than I expected as someone suddenly cleared their throat from behind us, causing us to slightly jump apart in surprise. Michonne stood there with a small smirk on her face and her hands on her hips as she approached, "Sorry...can I just talk to Rose for a second?" she asked.

We both nodded quickly, Daryl coughing awkwardly as he tried to get away as fast as he could with the embarrassment that was creeping up the back of his neck. Michonne's gaze followed him before looking back at me to see my face a little flushed as I laughed a bit uncomfortably.

"Didn't mean to interrupt." she lightly teased as she came over to stand next to me.

I waved her off, "No, don't worry about it. What's up?" I asked.

She paused for a moment as if to collect her thoughts, "I realized never thanked you for trying to help me. And for taking me in, in the first place."

"Oh no, you don't need to thank me-"

"I do." she insisted, "So...thank you."

I gave her a soft smile, "You're welcome."

"But I also wanted to ask why? I mean you didn't know me at all, you still really don't. So...why were you trying so hard to help me?" she asked.

"Because you needed help." I said simply, "I wanted you to stay because you're a badass and I like you," I winked and she chuckled at that. "And I tried to help you because The Governor is crazy, you of all people would know that better than the rest of us. I just wanted you safe because you belong here...you're a part of this group now."

A slow smile spread across her face as she nodded at my genuine reasoning, "Well...thank you again." she spoke genuinely.

I nodded again as we stayed standing side by side, allowing the peaceful silence to take over as we watched the woods carefully for movement. I felt myself take in a small breath before exhaling it deeply, trying to mentally prepare myself now for the shit show that was about to go down here.

All I could see was darkness as I waited patiently in the tunnels, the anticipation was beginning to kill me as I had no idea what was happening. Glenn and Maggie attempted to convince me to stay with them near the hidden area outside when the time came, to shoot at their feet as they fled, but Daryl was having none of it. He truly meant it when he said he wanted me by his side when The Governor came here, to calm his nerves knowing that I was safe and within his sight. Though no one argued too much considering what he was going through.

Though a part of me wished I had taken them up on that offer regardless because at least out there I could see my own hand in front of my face. Down here, the only light shining in were through the small windows up high against the cement walls, if that at all. I began to worry the longer we sat down there that I wouldn't be able to see a damn thing when it came time to do the most important thing. Aim.

But suddenly, hushed and unfamiliar voices entering the tunnels is what snapped me out of my thoughts, confirming that they were finally here and had found nothing, luring them to search through the dark area. I began to tense up the moment their voices became clearer, their footsteps coming closer and closer to where we hid, and I quickly felt someone grasp my hand. My body jumped a little in surprise, but relaxed quickly once I felt them squeeze my hand three times in reassurance, causing a small smile to trace over my lips.

Hearing The Governor and his people finally creeping up far enough, Daryl gave my hand one more squeeze, signaling me to finally throw the flash bomb. I nodded to myself, though he wouldn't be able to see, quickly pulling the thing from my pocket and pulling the pin out of it, before throwing it around the corner and into the darkness with a small clink.

The second it exploded, they all began to scream as Rick and Carol did the same thing from the other end of the hall, hiding back behind it quickly. The sudden noise, smoke, and gunshots we began to fire near them only drew in some stray walkers into the area, causing them all to panic even more than before. They all fought them off as best as they could, firing through the dead as they rushed out of the place with their tails between their legs.

We were then only met with deafening silence, but none of us seemed to trust it yet, all of us staying quiet as we listened for anything else. There were brief and quieted gunshots coming from outside, hearing them began to scream again as Glenn and Maggie fired bullets to get them out of here faster. Once everything seemed to stop and there wasn't another sound to be heard, we finally all stood back up and headed out towards the entrance, seeing if it had actually worked the way we hoped.

We opened the door hesitantly, seeing that The Governor's men peeled it out of here with nothing left behind. I sighed in relief as Daryl wordlessly pulled me into him, walking out further to check on Glenn and Maggie. The couple looked like they were on cloud nine the second we spotted them, Maggie quickly rushing up to me to wrap me in a hug, while Glenn came around and sandwiched me in between them. We all laughed in relief and pure astonishment that our plan had worked, glancing through the trees to make sure their vehicles were nowhere in sight.

"We did it, we drove them out." Rick stated.

Michonne's eyes stayed fixated on the trees, squinting through them as she thought to herself, "We should go after them."

I almost couldn't believe I was about to agree, but I knew she was right. We couldn't just let them go as if nothing ever happened. We had to make sure they weren't coming back. "...We should finish it." I spoke.

Maggie's expression began to turn sour as she shook her head quickly, "It is finished, didn't you see them hightail it out of here?" she asked.

"They could regroup." Michonne said, "We can't take that chance, he won't just stop here."

Carol was breathless as she nodded along in agreement, "They're right, we can't keep living like this."

"So, we take the fight back to Woodbury? We barely made it back last time." Maggie stated.

"I don't care." Daryl spoke lowly, wanting to end them for good after everything that went down yesterday, grief and loss still fresh in his mind.

A tense silence fell over us, though we all knew that it couldn't just stop here no matter how much we wanted it to. We had to know it was over for good, not wanting to take any chances in case they could somehow come back from this.

Knowing that we were all somewhat in agreement about what to do next, we gave Hershel the okay for them to come back now, knowing that it was safe. They rolled back up slowly through the gates before parking the car off to the side, beginning to unload everything back into the building as we all pitched in to help in one way or another.

I attempted to busy myself with the few crates of food, bringing them back into the building and setting them down on the empty tables in the common room. My pace was somewhat fast as I moved the items we had saved up back onto the shelves, before I spotted Beth walking back inside the building safely. She bounced Judith in her arms as she approached me with a smile, seemingly just as relieved as the rest of us.

"I would hug you if I didn't have this baby in my arms." she joked as she walked up to me.

I laughed softly and kissed the top of her head, moving down to Judith's as well before I spoke, "You guys were okay out there?" I confirmed.

She looked weary, "Yeah...but uh... we sort of ran into this kid while we were waiting. We think he was with The Governor, and he ran up on us. He had a gun, but he was handing it over and... Carl just shot him."

I was taken aback, leaving it to process for a moment before I shook my head in slight disbelief, "Wait what?"

"He's changed, he's...gotten colder. Especially ever since Rick admitted to us about Michonne, he's been so angry. I'm worried about him." she said quietly, making sure no one else could hear.

"I know he hasn't been the same since his mom, and... who would be? But that makes me worry more about him too. We'll both just... keep a close eye on him, yeah?" I asked.

She nodded in agreement before Hershel called her over to help with their things, giving my arm a gentle squeeze before she walked away and back towards the cellblock. But not even a second after she left, Carl made his way back inside to drop off more food I was attempting to put away. I gave him a smile as he passed through, but he only glanced over at me somewhat distantly before walking back towards the door to carry more things.

My brows furrowed, "Hey!" I called out to him before he could fully escape.

His shoulders dropped down with a deep sigh before he turned around to face me again with an annoyed expression, "What?" he asked sharply.

"Woah okay, hi." I spoke in slight surprise at his tone, "You...doing okay? What's up with you?"

"Nothing, get off my back." he snapped as he turned around to speed walk away from me.

I scoffed, "Oh yeah, you better run with how you're talking to me." I called after him, watching as he only moved faster out the door upon hearing my tone.

I knew now wasn't the best time to be petty, but his attitude has been a nightmare. He's never dared to snap at me, leaving me to only witness the many times he's been cold and distant towards the others, but mainly the pattern continued to fall on his dad. I knew he was going through a lot, doing things a kid should never have to do, but it truly tested my patience when he acted distant toward the people who were only trying to help him.

I only sighed to myself however, watching the door he left through without making an attempt to go after him, heading in towards the cellblock instead to give him some time. Carol stood there with the many bags and people's belongings piled up, handing me mine and Daryl's with a smile. I took them from her hands before making my way up the stairs, dropping them on the cell floor for now before I began to pick through my bag for my remaining weapons.

Loading ammo into the handgun I still held onto, and making sure I had enough arrows to take with me as well as my knives, placing them all back in their regular spots around my hips as I pulled them one by one from the bag. But I stopped suddenly when I heard a shuffling sound from behind me, turning around to see Daryl standing in the doorway with an unreadable expression. But it wasn't hard to guess what was going through his head.

I sighed, "What is it?"

He stalled for a moment as he kicked the ground with his dirty boot, "Is there...any chance of convincing ya to stay here?" he finally asked somewhat hopefully.

"No." I deadpanned, causing him to sigh and hang his head while I turned back around to place the rest of my weapons on me.

"Please darlin, I don't want anything to happen out there. I don't wanna take that chance." he pleaded.

I huffed softly and stood up to face him, placing a hand on his cheek, "I thought you always wanted me by your side?" I asked ironically, "Look, The Governor could still come back here if he wanted to. So technically I'm not safe either way."

He sighed heavily again as he thought, before placing his hand over mine with a nod, "Alright."

"We'll be careful," I pecked his lips, "We always are."

He was still very unsure, but in the back of his mind he knew that I could take care of myself no matter what kind of situation we were in. So, we walked back out of the prison together, weapons in hand to place them in the cars and load everything up once more. Hopefully for the last time.

"We're staying," Glenn announced, motioning to himself and Maggie as we gathered around once more before we left. "We don't know where The Governor is, if he comes back, we'll hold him off."

Daryl turned back towards me with hopeful eyes, "No." I repeated again, watching him huff and turn back to continue to load up the car. The two seemed to have a laugh at that, before confirming that's what they really wanted to do, needing to have a watchful eye here in case of any unexpected surprises.

I pulled both of them in for a quick hug, not knowing for sure what would happen out there, before repeatedly telling them to stay safe. It was almost harder now knowing that we were leaving them here to keep the place safe, but we all silently knew it was for the best.

I turned back and made my way over to Daryl's bike. He handed his crossbow over his shoulder to me so I could place it on my back, extending his hand out to help me on before starting up his loud engine, taking off down the gravel roads. Rick and Michonne road in the car not too far behind us, looking back to see the group standing outside waving like crazy as they watched us leave.

There was a pit in my stomach for most of the drive, trying to ignore it as best as I could while the wind whipped by us quickly with how fast we were going. Although, we weren't on the road for very long, not even halfway to their community before we came across what looked like a bunch of abandoned cars parked on the side of the road. We slowed to a stop, seeing a few walkers scattered around feasting on a few fresh dead bodies that where all laying in puddles of blood.

I hopped off the bike quickly, moving to hand Daryl his weapon before pulling out my gun to aim at the dead, Rick and Michonne coming out of the car not even a second later with their weapons drawn as well, scanning the area in suspicion. We all stepped forward to kill the remaining walkers before they could even notice our presence, taking them out quietly as we looked around for anything, wondering what the hell caused this kind of disaster.

I took in the scene in front of me as I slowly backed up, seeing the handprints of blood and guts that were spilled everywhere on the pavement before my back suddenly hit something. I glanced over my shoulder to see I had backed up into a truck, glancing up at the blood that had smeared on the door of the vehicle. But my heart about fell out of my ass as I quickly jumped back upon seeing two hands coming up to the window with a loud slap.

Everyone immediately aimed their weapons towards the glass the moment they heard the noise, squinting through the tinted window to see that the woman in there was still very much alive and nearly shaking in her boots. Her brows were furrowed with fear and her hands shook violently as she glanced around at all of us, her eyes darting to the weapons we had in our hands.

I loaded my gun quickly as I backed up further, "Open the door." I said with a nod of my head, watching Rick move to place his hand over the handle.

The woman came out of the truck instantly the second the door was open, completely disregarding the weapon in my hands and threw her arms around me in a hug, "Oh thank God." she praised as she squeezed me.

I tensed up, "You have about five seconds to get the fuck off of me." I said lowly and she quickly got the message, jumping back with her hands raised.

I pointed my weapon at her head as I nodded around the area, "What the hell happened here?" I asked her.

"The Governor. He shot everyone; he killed them all." she cried.

"The Governor did this?" Rick asked.

I turned to look at him with narrowed eyes, "Did she stutter?" I asked sarcastically.

He fixed me a glare before turning back towards the woman, gesturing with his gun as he spoke, "We need to get to Woodbury, and finish this."

She seemed to understand, nodding frantically, "Take me with you, I can get you in."

A part of me didn't want to agree, we didn't know this woman for shit but I barely even got to open my mouth before Rick was suddenly nodding his head. He gestured for the woman to follow them to the back of their vehicle, helping her in and getting her situated while I tried to pretend like this wasn't a terrible idea.

But we needed to get in, and that's all I cared about.

Night had fallen by the time we made our way up to the familiar gates of Woodbury. It seemed oddly quiet as we slowly made our way through the abandoned cars still littered outside, ducking behind them as we approached closer. We were getting close. But suddenly there were shots coming from the top of the gate, the people on watch somehow spotting us as they fired into the metal of a car we all quickly ducked behind.

"Tyreese! Stop!" the woman yelled over the gunfire.

My mouth slightly dropped in realization as I ran a hand over my face in annoyance. If this was the same Tyreese that Rick screamed at and threatened with a gun, we should all just go ahead and walk away now.

"Karen? Karen, are you okay?!" the man yelled back, squinting through the darkness, watching as she began to stand up to her full height from behind the vehicle.

"I'm fine!" she replied.

"Where's the Governor?" he asked.

"He fired on everyone, he killed them all. These people saved me!" she informed him as her hand gestured down to all of us, giving us the chance to stand as well with raised hands.

The man didn't respond, but the sounds of him opening the gate clearly proved his curiosity, wanting to know exactly what happened. Almost as if he couldn't believe it. We all slowly began to walk up closer to meet him halfway, and my brows immediately raised. There in front of my very eyes was Tyreese and his sister Sasha, the same exact people that Rick flipped out on as he waved a gun around their faces.

I didn't even hesitate as I ducked my head down, turning on my heel to walk away in the other direction to avoid the painfully awkward tension. But I didn't get very far as Daryl caught my arm to stop me nearly the second I turned around, pulling me back to walk forward.

"Come on." I pleaded quietly, noting how close we were getting to them.

He shook his head, "Nah, we go down, we go down together."

I huffed as I ripped my arm away from him and turned to face the brother and sister once again, Rick stepping up to give them a nod, "What are you doing here?" Tyreese asked us while lowering his gun.

Rick sighed, "We came to end this, until we saw what The Governor did."

"He- he killed them?" he asked.

Rick just nodded his head, "Karen told us on the way here that Andrea hopped the wall going for the prison. She never made it." he finished.

Well shit, this was news to me. But Tyreese nodded immediately as he gestured for us to come in with the intention of finding her. Rick moved through the streets easily, not really needing any kind of direction as he assumed she could be in the same building where they held Glenn and Maggie hostage. Without all the smoke covering every inch of the buildings, it was a lot creepier here than I remembered, the uncomfortable silence lingering in the air.

As we finally made it to the familiar tall building with our weapons raised, we searched through the place cautiously but there was no one nearby in the narrowed halls. Though eventually we turned a corner to see a door we hadn't cleared, noticing blood pooling out the small crack underneath of it.

Worry was planted in all of us after seeing that, Michonne quickly taking out her sword while Rick didn't hesitate to break the lock. The door practically swung open after he had got it, peering inside quickly to see a dead body laying right in front of our feet, blood pouring from their head. I recognized the man immediately as Milton, the man we grew to know as we waited together for the meeting to end.

But shock grew on Michonne's face as she stepped in further, seeing Andrea sitting up against the wall only inches away from the man, blood covering the entirety of her body. She was still alive, breathing shakily, but looked to be hurt pretty badly. We all piled in after seeing her, Michonne dropping to her knees at her side as her eyes scanned quickly all over her body for any kind of injuries.

The rest of us seemed to stay back a little as we watched in guilt, seeing her on the brink of consciousness as she tried to keep herself from passing out, smiling the second she recognized it was really us.

"I tried to stop them." she whispered.

Michonne's hand went instinctively up towards her forehead, feeling how warm it was as she moved her hands to the sides of her face, "You're burning up."

Andrea stared at all of us for a moment, moving her hand up slowly towards her shoulder, and pulling her jacket down for us all to see. Revealing a giant bloody bite mark embedded in her skin. We all froze at the sight, Michonne letting out a breath of disbelief as she stared at the injury, not being able to take her eyes away.

"Judith, Carl, the rest of them..." Andrea started.

"Us," Rick corrected her as he slowly got down to her level, "The rest of us."

She smiled slightly upon hearing his voice say that to her, one of the last things she would ever hear was that she was truly always a part of the group no matter what. "Are they alive?" she asked.

Rick looked back towards Daryl briefly, Merle crossing his mind before glancing back towards Andrea and nodding, "Yeah...they're alive." he told her.

My hand moved down discretely to grasp Daryl's hand with my own, giving it a squeeze in reassurance at the things that were most likely still clouding his mind. He looked down to me, his expression neutral yet grateful as he gave my hand a small squeeze in return.

Andrea sighed in relief at Rick's words, glancing back towards Michonne with a smile, "It's good you found them." she told her.

Michonne only nodded her head slowly, her eyes filling with tears and her face contorting with sadness, "No one can make it alone now." Andrea hinted.

Daryl began to nod, "I never could." he stated, swallowing a bit thickly as I felt him grip my hand a little bit tighter than before.

I felt myself smile as Andrea's eyes were glued to us, laughing lightly as she shook her head, "You guys are made for each other. I'm glad you finally saw it just as much as the rest of us did back on that farm."

My eyes softened as I caught her gaze, sucking in a soft breath, "Andrea, I'm sorr-"

"Me too," she smiled slightly, "We got on each other's nerves but...I still wanted you to be okay."

In the back of my mind, so did I. Andrea got under my skin just as much as I got under hers, but deep down we were still family and I never wanted to see her go like this. It hurt all of us to witness.

"I wanted you to be okay too." I agreed.

She smiled tiredly before turning back to Rick, gesturing for the gun in his hands, "I can do it myself." she breathed.

"No." Michonne declined immediately.

"I have to. While I still can, please? ...I know how the safety works."

A chill went up my spine at her words that she said so long ago, yet it still felt so recent. Rick debated in his head for the longest time, truly not wanting her to have to do this herself, but then slowly handing her the gun. Knowing that this is what she wanted.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere." Michonne told her.

She nodded in agreement before taking on last final look at all of us, a certain sadness written in her eyes, "I tried." she spoke barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, you did. You did." Rick assured, placing one last comforting hand on her shoulder.

After saying some type of goodbye to her, it was difficult to leave the room, knowing that this would be the final time we would ever see her. But yet we all found the strength, seeing Tyreese still lingering outside of the room, sending each of us a sad and understanding look to tell us that he heard everything.

I leaned up against the wall with my arms crossed over my chest, feeling Daryl come up next to me to follow my actions, beginning to chew on his thumbnail anxiously. There was a long and agonizing silence that followed, before a single gunshot was finally heard from outside the big wooden door, only followed by more silence.

I felt the slight chill of the morning air as I rode on the back of the motorcycle back to the prison. My arms wrapped tightly around Daryl's middle as he occasionally reached to give my hand a squeeze. The long ride back gave me time to think about the things we were doing, the things that we chose to do and move forward with. Though none of us really had to think twice of the idea because all these people from the abandoned community wanted was a fighting chance. Knowing The Governor had ran like a coward, they had no one else to turn to. And we wanted to give them the opportunity they deserved.

As we finally made it back to the familiar building, Glenn and Maggie opened up the broken gates for us, not even attempting to hide the confused look on their faces as a giant bus followed in right behind us. Daryl pulled over to a stop a little further in than usual, getting off his bike while I followed his actions from right behind him. Our eyes then landed on the school bus now parking front and center, watching the many people begin to pile out of it and glance around at the new place they would call home.

The rest of the group came out of the prison in obvious shock, Rick making his way over to the rest of them to explain everything that went down in Woodbury. I knew this would all be a huge adjustment with the many new people we hardly knew moving in to stay with us, but it was an adjustment that I was willing to make. One that I for once was willing to accept.

"Ya think this is gonna work?" Daryl asked.

My eyes followed the new people for a moment, noticing a few little kids bouncing around in excitement along with a woman holding a small baby, and I felt myself smile. "Yeah." I said simply as I glanced over at him.

He smiled softly, having a certain glint in his eye that made my brows furrow, "What?" I asked with a tilt of my head.

He shrugged, "Nothin." he said simply, causing me to drop the topic as I looked back to the many people still introducing themselves as they greeted everyone with warm smiles, resting my head on his shoulder as my mind began to run with all the possibilities.

I couldn't help but think about the bright future that we could have here, together. A small smile stretched on my face as I was confident that everything was going to be okay. We didn't have to run, or fight, or live in constant fear of The Governor. We could all just finally be at peace.

But even though I looked away, I could still feel Daryl's eyes on me. And all I wanted to know is what the hell that man was thinking.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ DARYL POV *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I’m gonna marry this girl.

~ Thanks for reading! (Ahhh season 3 is done!!)

Taglist - @justareader95 @hayley1998 @welcumetomyescape @ryoujoking @sipsthecoffee

[daenerystargaryen06]

" we have ample evidence from the books that there can/will be a Targ Restoration, but it won't end with the Targs on the throne"

could you tell me which ones?

The evidence for a Targ restoration is laid within small hints and foreshadowing within the books. It is subtle and not easily caught, but if you take a moment to go through the books with a careful eye and speculate over the reasons GRRM has written certain things in Dany and Jon's chapters, it can be led as a potential hint/speculative potential of Dany and Jon to be the ones to carry out the Targ legacy/restoration.

Let's begin with the beginning foundations of Dany and Jon being set up to meet:

"A blue flower grew from a chink in a wall of ice, and filled the air with sweetness. . . . mother of dragons, bride of fire . . ." -A Clash of Kings - Daenerys IV

"We should have twenty trebuchets, not two, and they should be mounted on sledges and turntables so we could move them. It was a futile thought. He might as well wish for another thousand men, and maybe a dragon or three." -A Storm of Swords - Jon VIII

"Sometimes she would close her eyes and dream of him, but it was never Jorah Mormont she dreamed of; her lover was always younger and more comely, though his face remained a shifting shadow." -A Storm of Swords - Daenerys II

"All in black, he was a shadow among shadows, dark of hair, long of face, grey of eye." -A Clash of Kings - Jon I

Jon and Daenerys are meant to meet, and a relationship will spark between them, as hinted at within the books. GRRM has also stated to D&D (as said by them) that the main point of GoT/ASOIAF is Jon and Daenerys meeting. Two people who struggle with politics, leading, and coming to terms with their true identities. Daenerys just wants peace and a home, Jon just wants to know who his mother was and a home for himself as well.

Now where does Targ restoration come into play and is hinted at? We have a few select lines within the books that give us some subtle cues:

"Drogon killed a little girl. Her name was … her name …" Dany could not recall the child's name. That made her so sad that she would have cried if all her tears had not been burned away. "I will never have a little girl. I was the Mother of Dragons." -A Dance with Dragons - Daenerys X

"I would need to steal her if I wanted her love, but she might give me children. I might someday hold a son of my own blood in my arms. A son was something Jon Snow had never dared dream of, since he decided to live his life on the Wall. I could name him Robb." -A Storm of Swords - Jon XII

Both Jon and Daenerys think of having children, but both resign into accepting that they may never have children of their own. Daenerys due to believing she was cursed by Mirri Maz Duur, and Jon due to being a sworn brother of the Night's Watch along with thinking that he is a bastard.

There is also the fact that when Daenerys is out upon the Dothraki Sea, she has a miscarriage:

"When she woke, gasping, her thighs were slick with blood. . . For a moment she did not realize what it was. The world had just begun to lighten, and the tall grass rustled softly in the wind. No, please, let me sleep some more. I'm so tired. She tried to burrow back beneath the pile of grass she had torn up when she went to sleep. Some of the stalks felt wet. Had it rained again? She sat up, afraid that she had soiled herself as she slept. When she brought her fingers to her face, she could smell the blood on them. Am I dying? Then she saw the pale crescent moon, floating high above the grass, and it came to her that this was no more than her moon blood. If she had not been so sick and scared, that might have come as a relief. Instead she began to shiver violently. She was bleeding, but it was only woman's blood. The moon is still a crescent, though. How can that be? She tried to remember the last time she had bled. The last full moon? The one before? The one before that? No, it cannot have been so long as that. . . As she splashed her face, she saw fresh blood on her thighs. The ragged hem of her undertunic was stained with it. The sight of so much red frightened her. Moon blood, it's only my moon blood, but she did not remember ever having such a heavy flow." -A Dance with Dragons - Daenerys X

When Daenerys has the miscarriage, she thinks it's her menstrual cycle. But the blood is too heavy, and occurs after she has eaten green berries and drank polluted water upon the Dothraki Sea- which could have resulted in her losing the pregnancy. This is a subtle hint that Daenerys can get pregnant, and likely will get pregnant again with Jon's child in the future, and will carry it to full term.

There are also hints within the books of Viserion exhibiting nesting like behavior, which can also result in bringing more dragon eggs into the world, that would eventually hatch and bring a new age of dragons:

"Viserion had shattered one chain and melted the others. He clung to the roof of the pit like some huge white bat, his claws dug deep into the burnt and crumbling bricks." -A Dance with Dragons - Daenerys VIII

"For a moment he saw only the blackened arches of the bricks above, scorched by dragonflame. A trickle of ash caught his eye, betraying movement. Something pale, half-hidden, stirring. He's made himself a cave, the prince realized. A burrow in the brick. The foundations of the Great Pyramid of Meereen were massive and thick to support the weight of the huge structure overhead; even the interior walls were three times thicker than any castle's curtain walls. But Viserion had dug himself a hole in them with flame and claw, a hole big enough to sleep in." -A Dance with Dragons - The Dragontamer

Dragons are mentioned within the book to be genderless, truly, and they can switch their gender at will. Which means that any one of Daenerys' dragons could lay eggs and bring more dragons into the world, but Viserion might be the one to do so first.

"No one ever looked for a girl," he said. "It was a prince that was promised, not a princess. Rhaegar, I thought . . . the smoke was from the fire that devoured Summerhall on the day of his birth, the salt from the tears shed for those who died. He shared my belief when he was young, but later he became persuaded that it was his own son who fulfilled the prophecy, for a comet had been seen above King's Landing on the night Aegon was conceived, and Rhaegar was certain the bleeding star had to be a comet. What fools we were, who thought ourselves so wise! The error crept in from the translation. Dragons are neither male nor female, Barth saw the truth of that, but now one and now the other, as changeable as flame. The language misled us all for a thousand years. Daenerys is the one, born amidst salt and smoke. The dragons prove it." Just talking of her seemed to make him stronger. "I must go to her. I must. Would that I was even ten years younger." -A Feast for Crows - Samwell IV

As for Jon and Daenerys not winding up on the throne, that is mere speculation. But Jon and Daenerys both long for home, and even though their arcs are centered around ruling, leading, politics, etc. they necessarily don't want the burden of ruling as well. Both are thrust into their positions of power and are doing the best they can with being so young and having to deal with all of this going on. Which means that in the end they could very well turn away from ruling to lead their own lives of peace within a home they find for themselves with their future potential children.

"If I were not the blood of the dragon, she thought wistfully, this could be my home. She was khaleesi, she had a strong man and a swift horse, handmaids to serve her, warriors to keep her safe, an honored place in the dosh khaleen awaiting her when she grew old … and in her womb grew a son who would one day bestride the world. That should be enough for any woman … but not for the dragon. With Viserys gone, Daenerys was the last, the very last. She was the seed of kings and conquerors, and so too the child inside her. She must not forget." -A Game of Thrones - Daenerys VI

"Meereen was not her home, and never would be. It was a city of strange men with strange gods and stranger hair, of slavers wrapped in fringed tokars, where grace was earned through whoring, butchery was art, and dog was a delicacy. Meereen would always be the Harpy's city, and Daenerys could not be a harpy." -A Dance with Dragons - Daenerys X

"We will have it all back someday, sweet sister," he would promise her. Sometimes his hands shook when he talked about it. "The jewels and the silks, Dragonstone and King's Landing, the Iron Throne and the Seven Kingdoms, all they have taken from us, we will have it back." Viserys lived for that day. All that Daenerys wanted back was the big house with the red door, the lemon tree outside her window, the childhood she had never known." -A Game of Thrones - Daenerys I

"Of the ride back, Jon Snow remembered little. It seemed shorter than the journey south, perhaps because his mind was elsewhere. Pyp set the pace, galloping, walking, trotting, and then breaking into another gallop. Mole's Town came and went, the red lantern over the brothel long extinguished. They made good time. Dawn was still an hour off when Jon glimpsed the towers of Castle Black ahead of them, dark against the pale immensity of the Wall. It did not seem like home this time." -A Game of Thrones - Jon IX

"Thunder rumbled softly in the distance, but above him the clouds were breaking up. Jon searched the sky until he found the Ice Dragon, then turned the mare north for the Wall and Castle Black. The throb of pain in his thigh muscle made him wince as he put his heels into the old man's horse. I am going home, he told himself. But if that was true, why did he feel so hollow?" -A Storm of Swords - Jon V

"When the dreams took him, he found himself back home once more, splashing in the hot pools beneath a huge white weirwood that had his father's face. Ygritte was with him, laughing at him, shedding her skins till she was naked as her name day, trying to kiss him, but he couldn't, not with his father watching. He was the blood of Winterfell, a man of the Night's Watch. I will not father a bastard, he told her. I will not. I will not. "You know nothing, Jon Snow," she whispered, her skin dissolving in the hot water, the flesh beneath sloughing off her bones until only skull and skeleton remained, and the pool bubbled thick and red." -A Storm of Swords - Jon VI

There is also the fact that apparently GRRM told D&D that Bran would become King. Now, I don't exactly believe that myself as stated in another post made by me here. And there is also the fact that GRRM could change Bran's ending/role, or make him King of something else (such as King of the North). But if Bran DOES become King of the 7k as stated by D&D for GRRM's planned ending, Jon and Daenerys bringing a Targ restoration together within their own form of home away from ruling is another ending I can imagine for them. We have the groundwork and subtle cues/hints/foreshadowing for such a thing to happen. Of course, I do want Jon and Daenerys to wind up ruling together as equals over the 7k with a family of their own and their dragons, but in the end- I'll accept any ending just as long as my babies wind up together and happy. Thanks for the ask! :)

[angelthefirst1]

Omaha Hotel - the story of Beth's attempted funeral and her return. Watch here

Many of you already know, I believe Emily's side projects are planned, funded by, and organised by AMC.

Yes, I believe she is still contracted by AMC and has been telling us Beth's missing story and future story in her "unseen" or "off-screen" projects.

Coincidences are only valid if they are rare, but with Emily's side projects, since she left the walking dead, we have seen a tidal wave of symbolism related to TWD.

So today, I want to talk about Emily's song Omaha Hotel and how I believe it's Beth's attempted funeral and burial story, but also the story of Beth coming home...

The music video opens with Emily Kinney as "The supporting character."

I've talked about this before, but the title "The supporting character" is another way of quoting the bible verse that Father Gabrielle quoted at Beth's unseen "funeral," which was actually the funeral for Tyreese.

2 Corinthians 4.18

We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen, are temporal; but the things which are not seen, are eternal.

The supporting character opening title is written over the top of a train Crossroads...

Beth was first lost at a 3-way crossroads in Alone. The below photo shows the real filming location in Georgia compared with the shot we saw when Daryl meets the Claimers.

Rail crossing and 3 roads or tracks.

What struck me is that we currently have 3 different spin-offs on the go, and one of them (Daryl Dixon season 1) leads Daryl to a car garage and then to France, in a similar manner to the one he ends up in with the Claimers.

The other spin-offs are relative to what was happening in season 4 too, Maggie was looking for Glenn, which is a repeat of Maggie looking for Hershel in Dead City.

And Michonne looks for and finds Rick (TOWL) on the road after the prison.

We are repeating history.

Back to Omaha Hotel, the song opens talking about the flood taking the town and the fire 🔥 taking the bank.

In "Find Me," which was a template to find Beth AKA Rick, a large electrical storm with heavy rain washes away Daryl's map.

In Omaha Hotel, we hear the lyrics...🎶 "I watched them tuning the soil" (digging a grave)

🎶 "With the turning of the weather" (a storm was coming as they tried to bury Beth, and this in part contributed to Daryl not being able to track her down) The shot shows water sprinklers with the turning of the weather line, a hint to rain.

"All at once there were no more chances" (Emily's song Last Chance is about Beth and Daryl's last chance when she returns)

"I wish we could have caught up under better circumstances"

"The fire took the bank" 🔥

The film clip for Omaha Hotel shows a water tower...

With the lyrics, 🎶"No one had the money to recover what sank."

We saw a water tower in 511 just after the music box plays in 510.

Emily's song talks about...

🎶 "I'm sure this place was Greener 💚 (Greene) when i was little." while showing a church with a steeple.

She talks about coming from the airport (we know Rick got airlifted out with his injuries) Could Beth have been airlifted to Omaha before it fell?

🎶 "But I always loved the part where we pray to Mary"

🎶 "Omaha Hotel, where I spent the night, I watched the bugs fly around in the parking lot light"

The lost filming spoilers really line up with this song, as we believe Beth was left in a car (parking lot) at some point.

🎶 "Couldn't catch a wink sleeping in my blue jeans. Tears in church kinda killed my dreams"

Missing filming spoilers from the missing church footage, also line up with this song and the "Tears in church, kinda killed my dreams"

Beth could hear them crying, because she couldn't "sleep" in her blue jeans (She wasn't dead)

Beth "i stepped away for a few years"

The song talks about coming home after years "With the wrinkles on our face, nostalgia is setting in"

She left because she was dying like Rick.

"Just want to live my life and this place is dying"

The second last thing the song ends with is a few lines of OH OH

Then it finished like it starts - the beginning is the end and the end is the beginning. Alpha and Omega (Jesus)

"The flood took the town the fire took the bank and no one has the money to recover what sank."

[lady-of-tearshed]

A Court of Sins and Nightmares

Chapter four

(Chapters index here)

Eris Vanserra x OC!Alessia Mors

Warnings: death, blood, injuries, swearing, gore, angst

Alessia clutched her book against her chest, praying the Mother that she had managed to send that book page successfully to Eris, to the only person she considered trustworthy enough. Was he, though? She couldn't tell for sure. She barely knew him. Actually, everything she had read and heard about him was negative but… The man she had seen in that cave that night, as her powers pinned him down beneath her, making him vulnerable, she felt as if that man, underneath that cold mask, was loyal, true, a dreamer… Not a monster.

Cauldron… What if she was wrong? She had no other options. Her powers… where were they?! She tried to concentrate, to summon them, but she failed miserably. Her back tensed against the back of the armchair where she was hiding as she heard footsteps walking into the library. She puts her bleeding finger in her mouth, the one she had bitten so that she could highlight the letters on the coded book page to Eris. She couldn't risk them, whoever they were, smell her blood. Find her here. She knew by the smell and noises that a lot of people had been killed in the last minutes. That woman, guessing by the sound of her heels thumping against the carpeted floors of the library, smelled like blood. She had been discreet, no one had screamed, or barely. Only muffled whimpers had alerted Alessia to hide.

“Tired of following me like a dog Azriel?” Morrigan's familiar bitching tone rang through the library walls. Azriel… the Shadow Singer. That's why those kills had been discreet. He probably helped Morrigan achieve that gruesome murder. Great.

Alessia knew it, knew that that day would eventually come. The day that Morrigan would get her revenge on Keir. That she would kill him like he had killed her childhood by forcing her to marry Eris, just like Thanatos had done for his own daughter.

“Mor,” The shadow singer warned, growling. “We had agreed, Rhysand included, that Keir would be the only victim in this affair.”

Alessia felt like throwing up. Her turn was coming. Morrigan was looking for her. Alessia had no weapons, nothing, her powers… Where were they, her powers, when she needed them?! She clutched the stupid book against her chest as if it would shield her from anything.

“Rhysand also said he wouldn't say a word about how I'd get there.” The blond quickly shut up when she heard the armchair in the furthest corner grind against the floor. Alessia was shaking like a leaf, biting her tongue as she heard footsteps walk in her direction.

“Morrigan.” Azriel warned her, but Morrigan only quickened her pace. Then there was silence.

Alessia risked to peer over the armchair, but she quickly regretted it when she saw Morrigan lunging towards her. Everything happened really fast. Morrigan lunged, Azriel held her back, and Alessia was reeled back into a forming cocoon of wind, mist, and murk.

Alessia threw up, the emotions trapped in her stomach cascading out of her mouth as her powers kept spinning and spinning around her, and she could barely hear Morrigan trying to break through her magic shield.

Help…

For the first time in her life, Alessia wanted, needed, would even go as far as beg to be helped.

-----

Eris's eyes were burning as he leaded his horse in an infernal canter. Sweat was clinging onto his horse's coat from the efforts of his run.

Help or I die… Help or I die…

Alessia's coded message was replaying non-stop in his head. He was panicked, terrified even. Why? He didn't even know. He just needed her. They were to be married, he was responsible for her, whether he liked it or not.

The streets of Hewn City were empty, and when Eris flew down his horse, not even thinking of tying him up somewhere. He stormed into the castle and got greeted with the silence of the castle halls.

He walked a few steps, silently, keeping his breath controlled. His hands were tightly grasping the hilt of his sword as he passed the living room, the dining room, the kitchen… Shredded bodies were laying in every corner, but Cauldron… the kitchen was the worst. Keir's blood had been splattered everywhere, before the man had passed out, his body resting right in front of a cabinet. But Eris hadn't found Alessia's body yet, good, he thought.

Eris climbed the central stairs cautiously, his nose and ears working hard to catch any sound or smell. And then, he could smell it, the smell of magic. Alessia, it smelled like Alessia. Fresh rain, jasmine, and moonflowers, just like the day she had a dagger held at his throat. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, trying to concentrate on other smells, and his nose scrunched. The Morrigan, and that stupid bat. They were hurting his future wife.

Azriel was already pulling the hissing and growling blond female away from the sphere of pure and raw power as Eris slammed open the library doors. Couches were turned over, books scattered everywhere in a mess, and precious parchments ripped from the force of the spinning cocoon of fog in a corner of the library.

“What the fuck is this?!” Eris roared. Morrigan was squirming in the Shadow Singer tight grip, her pupils as dilated as Eris’. His fists were curled in a mass of flames, Azriel’s shadows were sharp and ready to strike, and Morrigan… Morrigan could do absolutely nothing except wiggling and complaining in the black haired man's hold. “You expect me to convince my father to support the war against Hybern, when this court doesn’t have a unified front?”

“Fuck you.” Morrigan hissed, spitting at Eris feets. Azriel’s grip tightened around the blond.

Eris snickered, an evil glint shining in his amber eyes. “Got tired of eating pussies, Morrigan?”

Azriel’s face seemed to be drained from its tanned shade, but his features remained neutral. His shadows danced around his eyes and Eris walked past him, his long braid swinging in the wind caused by Alesssia’s spinning dome of power.

The fire on his skin extinguished as he got closer to the thick wall of murk, his face was covered in pearls of mist. “Alessia.” He called for her, his voice firm and strict, the voice he used to order his soldier around. Alessia’s powers only spun faster and nicked at the skin of his cheek.

"Eris," The shadow singer started, Eris did not even care about what the fuck this bastard had to say, “She’s probably going to be eaten whole by her powers. She doesn't have any control on them.” Azriel's tone was low, careful.

The Autumn heir slowly turns his head to peer over his shoulder and Azriel's shoulders tensed slightly, securing his embrace around Morrigan. He tried to keep his composure calm and stoic, but Eris' eyes scrutinized him, a flame seemed to flicker in his amber eyes. The Shadow Singer slightly tilted his chin up, hoping that Eris wouldn't notice how his silent threat sent a shiver of nervousness through his body. “Get. Out.” Eris snarled, his lips curled at the Spy Master.

Eris head snapped back at the swirls of dark and heavy fog as they shifted slightly. He didn’t even bother to confirm that Azriel winnowed away as he called her back, “Alessia…” His voice was barely a hint softer now, and Alessia_s power seemed to calm down, the spinning slowed, and the fog shifted into a sheer mist. Eris sighed, then took a tentative step through it, he did it. She was letting him in… Well, her, or her powers. He wasn't sure.

_____

“Alessia.”

She could hear the voice calling for her through the storm of wind, mist and fog swirling frantically around her. She tried to stand on her feet, to get out of here, to fight, but a magical force kept dragging her down on her knees. “I do not need protection. I had it all under control!” She gasped as a blow of wind ran into her cheek, as if her own power had just tried to slap the nonsense out of her. She growled, trying to stand up again when the voice resonated again.

“…She doesn't have any control on them.”

“Get.Out.”

Her neck tilted back, power crawling up her skin, covering her whole. She couldn't hear anything except the loud whistle of the wind blowing at full force around her anymore, her disheveled hair flying in every direction. Her eyes burned, her nails dug painfully into her knees as she remained stuck in a kneeling position. It felt as if she was dipped in poison, her skin burning as she screamed. She must've dissociated, because now she couldn't see anything of that dome of power anymore. Memories she had buried deep surged through her mind.

Don't fight. Please, don't fight... I'm scared.

“The smell of her magic is clinging to you.” The harsh tone that his father used on her mother made little Alessia startle out of her dreams. She silently moved out of her bed, and tiptoed to the creak of her bedroom door. She tried to brush off the strings of murk that tried to cover her tiny ears, to protect them from hearing the harsh reality of her parents arguing in the kitchen. Their fights had been more frequent since Alessia’s powers had manifested. Alessia felt horribly guilty about the situation despite her mother’s comforting words and embrace every time she got overwhelmed by her own powers.

“I’ll shield it, I won't let Amarantha smell it, smell her… Smell us. I can shield the smell of my own magic, I'll manage to shield hers too. I promise-” Her mother startled as Thanatos fists banged onto the table. The vase that centered the table wobbled a little, fell to the side, and rolled off the table, crashing on the floor as petals, water, and glass splattered everywhere. Alessia cheeks were now stained with tears as she tried to keep listening. There was only silence for a while, and the loud thumping of her heart echoed in her ears.

Then, she heard her mother's skirts rustle, as she bent down to start picking up the pieces of glass so Alessia wouldn't hurt her little feets on them when she would wake up the next morning. The little girl then heard her father exhale loudly, he was probably rubbing the bridge of his nose. He always did that when he was “stressed”, he had once explained to her. “Nem… listen to me I… I'm sorry.” Alessia's eyes widened at hearing his father's words. She covered her mouth with her hands to muffle her sobs. She had never heard those words come out of her father's mouth. Especially not to her mother.

Then her mother was crying, and her own young innocent heart was breaking on the other side of her door. She barely heard her father's soft voice through her sobs. “You need to teach our daughter how to control her powers, dear. I can smell them on you. If Amarantha finds out-” “She didn't find out about my powers yet. She's still a child, she shouldn't have to worry about hiding who she is, what she is.” Her mother argued back, but Thanatos stayed silent. Moments later, Alessia heard footsteps walking out of the kitchen, and she quickly headed back to her bed, just in case someone would come to check on her.

But deep down, she knew no one would.

“God's you're trouble, hey, look at me little storm.” A pair of hands holding her cheeks pulled her from her memory, and she blinked. Once. Twice. Then the walls of fog and swirling winds melted down. Eris kept stroking her wet cheeks with his thumbs. “Hey,” He greeted her quietly, and she swore she could see the hint of a smirk on his lips. But his face hardened quickly once the fog in her eyes vanished completely. “Stop crying now.” His tone was harsh, a command. She wiped her snotty nose with the sleeve of her dress, “I'm not crying. It's condensation.”. Her voice was hoarse, and her head was spinning. Eris' braid was slightly disheveled. He was utterly sexy looking like this.

“Good,” Eris answered, graciously standing up from his squatted position in front of her. He flattened his wrinkled shirt with the palms of his hands before addressing her again, “Because I wouldn't have comforted you anyway.” The softness Alessia heard previously in his voice had now completely vanished. Maybe she had imagined it. Why would a Vanserra be nice to anyone? She snorted, and Eris' gaze darkened, his fingers twitched, then he looked away from her as she shakily stood up.

Her head was spinning when she stood up, questions and worries quickly rushing through her head. “Keir..?”

“Bloodied in the kitchens.” Eris answers coldly, he shrugged his shoulders unbothered, but he still kept a careful eye fixed on her.

Alessia nodded and ran her fingers through her knotted hair slowly. She bit her lip and took a deep breath before asking carefully, “Thanatos..?”

“Your father?”

“Thanatos.” She insisted, her teeth clenched tight.

Eris grinned slightly, but it faded as he answered her. “He probably hid or ran away.”

Alessia frowned, confusion crossing her features. Her father would never run away and leave his brother unprotected… He might be an asshole, but he was not a quitter.

Eris frowned, too, at her concerned expression. “What's wrong?” He asked, instinctively walking closer to her frail body.

“Thanatos would've never run away.”

_________

Eris was quickly following behind Alessia. Her head was still feeling fuzzy, and her muscles felt weak, as if her powers sucked all of her energy. The kitchens… Eris said he found Keir's… remains in the kitchens. She almost threw up at the macabre scene. Eris, on the other hand, stood beside her with his hands tucked in his pockets. He smelled the air, and his nose only scrunched in disgust. “Ew. He peed himself.”

Alessia rolled her eyes and looked away from the body, Morrigan's nails still planted into Keir's eyes. Honestly, if Alessia had been the one to suffer from a death like that, she would've probably peed herself a little too. But Thanatos… Thanatos probably wasn't far from here. For the first time of her life, she kind of hoped Thanatos was still alive. Right now, she realized she still had unfinished business and discussions going on with her… Father.

Eris sighed, his boredom clearly expressed, and walked towards the pantry. “Cauldron, I'm starving. Aren't you?” He opened the pantry doors, and his eyes widened as Thanatos body fell to the ground, crushing Eris beneath him.

Alessia quickly ran to his side, helping Eris to roll Thanatos off of him. “Dad?” She called for him, checking his pulse point. It was low, very low. And his wounds… He wouldn't be able to recover from these gruesome lacerations.

“Nemesis…” Thanatos voice was weak and raspy. He was dying.

Thanatos' eyes fluttered, and he raised his hand to his daughter's cheek. His father calling out her mother's name made Alessia freeze, and she fought her tears back. That monster didn't deserve her tears. Even on his deathbed.

“Cauldron boil me, Nemesis… You're beautiful…” Thanatos smiled foundly, lovingly, like she had never seen him smile before. That was if she had ever seen him smile. She could feel Eris tense behind her, but she ignored him.

Alessia raised her skirts to untie a little leather purse from her thigh, and pulled out a vial from it. She silently murmured a prayer to the Mother, wishing that her father would be judged fairly in the afterlife. Alessia then brought the content of the vial to her father's lips.

A hand moved atop of hers, halting her movement. She rose her head to find Eris staring down at her in concern, “What are you doing?"

"Speeding up his death."

"Aren't you going to let him suffer? Make him pay for what he'd-"

“I wouldn't even let an animal die like this.” She hissed at him, moving his hand off to force her father to swallow the poison. He died seconds after, and she fought hard to not shed a tear. She stood up. What now?

As if Eris had read her thoughts, he spoke up, “Well, technically, I came here only to bring you back in Autumn. There have been modifications to our initial agreement,” Alessia scoffed. Incredible. That man just saw the worst gory scene she had seen in her entire life, and all he thought about was to marry her? She stayed silent, for the first time in her life she didn't know what to say, what to think, what to feel. Eris, noticing her silence, placed a hand on the small of her back and led them out of the kitchen.

Domestics and guards' bloody corpses were dispatched everywhere in the halls, some atop of the others. A smell of rust and decaying corpses flooded the corridors. The silence here was heavy, their footsteps were the only thing echoing through the castle. What the fuck just happened… What am I doing? Alessia's eyes were wide, her hands shaky, and she couldn't register anything that was happening around her. Only the sound of her rapid heartbeat filled her ears, and she felt as if her body was moving by itself.

Alessia was numb. It felt as if she had been walking in thick fog. She didn't even recall their walk towards Eris' horse until his footsteps halted, and he had lifted her chin to try snapping her back into reality. She saw his lips move, but the sound came to her as if her head was dunked underwater. “We're going home.” Eris said, but her ears didn't pick up anything he told her. The shock of the recent event made her utterly vulnerable and defenseless.

Alessia didn't fight, nor complained, when Eris swooped her up into his arms, carrying her up bridal style. Bride… She was to be that arrogant red-hair's bride… Gods… Alessia's head was spinning, and she was so drained that she swept into a dreamless sleep once Eris settled them down on his horse. The hoofs tapping on the ground peacefully were lulling her on their way to her new home, to Autumn.

Taglist: @sarawritestories @milswrites @mybestfriendmademe @lilah-asteria

[house-of-past-lives]

Can we sit and talk about some of the scenes in cars 3 that i liked?

This proves my past theories that they're pretty friendly with each other- past all of the New Gen's hard exteriors, they are just a bunch of goofballs... hence me giving snippets and shenanigans I think they do! Mainly following-

Cruz Ramirez.

Chase Racelott.

Bubba Wheelhouse.

Ryan Laney.

Daniel Swervez.

Lightning Mcqueen.

Jackson Storm.

Cam Spinner.

Tim Treadless.

And vague mentions of the other New Gens!

Welcome to my new series:

Next-Gen shenanigans.

SCENE 1:

With the races finishing off for the night, all the press and security lined up for the interview for Jackson Storm, being hosted by Darrell Cartrip and Bob Cutlass, was set to begin.

With the press' camera shutters flashing and illuminating the small stage that the 3 cars parked upon, you could see Jackson's simple, but practically iconic, smile shining through as he then looked at Darrell, who had begun to talk. "Alrighty then, let's get onto the details about tonight's race - how's it feeling to be in the top lead so far, Storm? I mean, let's be fair here. It ain't much of a surprise, but it's gotta feel good!" He let out a hearty laugh as the crowd followed. Jackson glanced away for a moment, feigning humbleness. "Come on, let's cut these guys some slack. Without those legends, someone's gotta pick up the pace. If it isn't them, then we all already know who it'll be." He chuckled, letting the camera's shine illuminate his livery. But as Bob had gone on to ask another question, no one had a single clue what was happening right behind the stage.

"Guys, are you sure about this?! He'll kill us!" Cruz stated, watching her familiar racers begin to absolutely ruin the interview.

"Cruz, come on, relax! I think this one's deserved for that stunt he pulled earlier." Chase rolled his eyes, looking up at the string that led up to the side of the stage. "Plus, it'll be fun. If he's such a tough guy, this won't do a thing." Danny let out a laugh, holding another string as Ryan held the last one. "Let's be honest- he's had this coming all week." Bubba blinked from the sidelines, wanting to be involved enough to see, but avoid most punishment. "Whatever happens, it's on you guys."

"Oh shut it Bubba."

Lightning was lucky enough to be passing by as they were doing this, quickly rolling up and startling them. "What are you guys doing?"

"...nothing."

Lightning stared at them, unamused. "You guys are ridiculous, I know what you're doing."

Ryan nearly dropped his string in surprise, causing the others to whisper-yell at him. "Don't tell our crew chiefs!"

Lightning stared, before laughing. "What? No! I'll help you guys. This stuff's always fun. 'Scuse me, Cruz."

Cruz blinked and watched. How did they get here? Why are they planning this now? She doesn't want to get in trouble- is Tex gonna be mad? She hopes not. But she did as he said and quickly reversed.

Lightning easily passed by, rolling to the side of the stage, already knowing he was visible and knew what would happen. Darrell quickly saw him and called him up, causing him to grin and roll up the ramp. This did not amuse Jackson but kept it played for the press. "Champ, good to see you." "Storm." They nodded in acknowledgment.

While Lightning went on to sabotage the interview, the others had prepared for the best possible moment.

While Jackson was facing toward the 2 interviewers, Lightning was lucky to get a side glance at the racers, who peaked over and quickly held up a tire, telling him to go.

He quickly moved himself to look at Jackson. "Hey, Storm, your crew chief's callin' you!" He got the racer's attention, quickly reversing down the ramp, letting the #20 begin to turn, and looking to the side of the ramp, wondering why Ray was calling him mid-interview.

He wasn't given enough time to even shout as he saw the bright liveries peeking out from the edge of the stage before he was practically blinded.

All of the racers laughed as he was practically shot at by some sort of light adhesive, causing him to shut his eyes. Right after, he could feel something cover him, and to add on, as soon as he opened his eyes, he heard the pop and the sudden cold cover his hood from what he could only assume was extinguisher agent. What did he hear right after?

The cackling of the racers he knew all too well, and the following of the crowd.

"Hey, Storm! You look good in pink, man!" Bubba laughed as Jackson shook the foam off of him, revealing his newly coated livery, now covered in bright pink glitter.

Lightning offered a wheel bump to Chase, before hearing the furious racer.

"MCQUEEN!"

"Uh oh."

"GO GO GO-"

Danny could hardly yell out past his laughing, and right after drifted around and sped off, causing the other 5 racers to skid off right after them, Cruz hesitating and meeting eyes with the furious Jackson.

"CRUZ, MOVE!"

"Oh- OH- NO NO NO I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!-" She yelled as she quickly reversed and drifted around, racing right up to the rest of them, Jackson right behind them as they all cackled.

Cam and a few of the other racers sitting behind the pits with their cans of oil had been chatting, Rich sitting next to him as Tim sat in front of them with J.D. and Harvey beside him. "Hey, did you guys see where Ryan and the other morons went?" "Nope. Haven't seen them since this afternoon- said they had something to go do."

Tim hummed as he took a quick sip of Nitroade before hearing a faint noise of the squealing of tires and loud laughing and yelling. Stopping, he squinted as he saw a few lightly illuminated liveries. "...Oh no..."

This caused the others to look at him before looking turning to where he was looking. Poor Cam didn't even get a chance before getting his can of oil splattered all over him and seeing a fleeing Cruz try to regain her treading. "I'm so sorry - I'll buy you another!" She panicked, hearing the other racers laugh at him before the rest of her friends passed them. They didn't even get much of a chance before seeing Jackson speed by and seeing his glitter covered livery, and that made them shift their attention and laugh at him and the small peices of foam still flying off of him.

...it was a long night.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

OK THIS TOOK ME FOREVER BUT I LOVE THEM SO MUCH 😭 they're such cuties. Hope you had a lovely day today! I'm going to be offline for a little, don't know when I'll be back!

This was in fact not proofread- let me know of any mistakes!! I am currently leaving the country so I'm on the road right now.

Bye!! ♡

[zizzlekwum]

Stranger In A Not-So-Strange Land

Masterlist

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The BAU goes to New Orleans to solve a series of murders. Follows the events of Criminal Minds Season 2 Episode 18 "Jones."

Trigger Warnings: mentions of and mild descriptions of sexual assault

Word Count: 6,396

Tag List: @leftoverenvy @itsmeanobody @ctrljuls @theclassicgaycousin @fatherfigured [if you want to be added to the tag list, please comment or send me an ask]

NOTE: Sorry it took so long. I was sick for a week, and then I was almost finished last night (I had one more scene to write) and then my bunny, Pippa, unexpectedly died, so that ruined the rest of the night and I basically stayed in bed crying.

You arrive at work early, yawning as you sit down at your desk. You’re not surprised to see Hotch already at work. He gives you a nod as you sit down at your desk and start researching crime statistics.

“Morning, Y/L/N.”

You look up to see Prentiss sitting down at her desk across from you, giving you a small smile. “Hey, Emily,” you greet before yawning again.

“Rough night?” she asks.

You shrug. “I’m bipolar,” you explain. “I’m medicated, but about once a month, like clockwork, I go three days without sleeping.”

She frowns, eyebrows furrowing in sympathy. “That sucks. What do you do all night?”

“I lay in bed and pretend I’m sleeping,” you tell her. “I read a study once that found that pretending to sleep is actually more beneficial than just saying ‘fuck it’ and not trying. Basically, laying down and trying to sleep will help you feel more rested, even if you don’t actually sleep.”

“That’s really interesting,” Emily says.

“I thought so, too,” you say. “I would try to find the study for you, but it was back in my own universe, so I’m not sure it exists yet.”

“You should tell Reid about it,” she says. “I’m sure he would be interested.”

“What would I be interested in?” Reid asks from behind her, walking through the doorway.

“Just a study I read years ago,” you tell him. You’re filling him in when Hotch comes out of his office.

“We have a case,” he says. “Conference room, please.” You all nod and follow him into the room, where JJ is standing in front of the TV.

“We’ve got a serial killer in New Orleans who killed at least three men pre-Katrina,” JJ informs you. “Until now, the New Orleans police department believed that the serial killer died in the storm.”

“What’s happened to tell them otherwise?” Morgan asks, taking a sip of his coffee.

“A fourth body was found in the French Quarter last night.” JJ pulls up an image of the victim. “Same MO. Another male. Throat slashed, eviscerated.”

Prentiss frowns. “A year and a half? That’s a long cooling-off period. Are we sure this is the same unsub?”

“Well, he was probably displaced by the storm,” you point out. “Maybe he kept committing murders in another jurisdiction?”

“Possible,” JJ says, nodding at you. “He send a letter to William LaMontagne, the head detective on the case, claiming to be the same unsub.”

Gideon crossed his arms in front of him. “LaMontagne have any leads?”

“He died in Katrina,” JJ says. “His son is actually heading the case now.” You fight back a smile at her unknowingly mentioning her future husband.

“That can’t be easy,” Morgan says, frowning.

“Well, we need to pour over the evidence from the first three murders and determine the pattern,” Hotch says.

JJ shakes her head. “Katrina washed everything away. The three victims we know of, their autopsy reports, witness statements, DNA test results.”

“So basically, all we have to go on is the latest victim?” Reid says.

“Until he kills again,” Hotch adds.

“Fun,” you say, sarcasm dripping from your voice.

*   *   *   *   *

On the jet, you’re playing Pokemon Diamond on your DS, since there aren’t any files to go over.

“Hey Reid,” Morgan says. “What’s going on up there?”

Reid shakes his head as if to clear his thoughts. “I was just thinking of this old friend of mine from Las Vegas— Ethan. I’m pretty sure he lives in New Orleans now.”

“Really? Gonna give him a call?” Morgan asks.

Reid shrugs. “We grew up competing against each other in absolutely everything. Spelling bees, science fairs. We also both had our hearts set on joining the Bureau, but… first day at Quantico, he backed out.”

“He probably just couldn’t take the heat,” Prentiss jokes with a smile.

“It’s not really for us to judge, is it?” Reid frowns.

Prentiss’ smile fades. “Right. My bad.”

JJ clears her throat. “These are copies of the newspaper articles on the murders, dating back to early August, 2005.” She hands you a stack of papers as you close your DS and put it back in your bag. “It’s all we have to go on.”

“He killed three times, he stopped for eighteen months, then he started killing again,” Hotch says.

“We should have Garcia run a list of any offenders in the area,” Gideon says. “Anyone who spent the last year and a half doing time, and like Y/L/N suggested, anyone who was forced to relocate after the storm and recently moved back.” He nods at you.

“What is the victimology in killing a mechanic, a real estate broker, and a cook, with ages ranging from twenty-two to forty-five?” Prentiss asks.

JJ nods. “And this latest is a thirty-three year old taxi driver. They just don’t seem to have very much in common.”

“Apart from being men,” you say.

“And walking the French Quarter at night,” Morgan adds.

“Which is notorious for muggings off the main drag,” JJ says.

Prentiss frowns. “Yeah, but this guy isn’t in a rush to flee the scene. A slaughter like this takes time.”

“Andrei Chikatilo fantasized that the men he killed were his captives,” Reid chimes in, “and that torturing and mutilating them somehow made him a hero.”

“The city’s barely back to life,” Gideon says. “Something like this could cripple its psyche.”

“So where do we start?” JJ asks.

“We don’t have any case files or anything,” you remind her. “We really only have one place to start.”

Hotch nods. “Square one.”

*   *   *   *   *

When the plane lands, the team splits up. You go with Reid and Prentiss to the ME to examine the body.

“Four layers of fatty tissue sliced through like butter,” the ME says, uncovering the body. “I only seen that three other times.”

“You work this case initially?” Reid asks.

The ME nods as you slip on a pair of latex gloves. “You don’t forget victims like this. It’s like they were dissected.”

“I can still smell the alcohol on him,” Prentiss notes, also putting on gloves.

The ME shrugs. “This is New Orleans. Dead or alive, it’s a smell you get used to.”

“No defensive wounds,” you note, carefully lifting up the victim’s arm.

“Most likely a blitz attack,” Reid adds. He examines the stab wounds. “No hesitation marks or rapid thrusts. Cuts were methodical. Almost procedural.”

“My guess?” the ME chimes in. “Whoever gutted this guy was taught to.”

“You’re thinking he might have some medical training?” Prentiss asks.

The ME nods. “How else could he carve around every organ and leave each one intact?”

“Has anyone come to claim the body yet?” you ask.

“Anyone we could speak with?” Prentiss says.

“No,” the ME says, shaking his head. “I’ll end up boxing up the poor bastard’s ashes, left to collect dust in storage. All the bodies I’ve been through in the last year and a half, it’s a wonder I still have room.”

*   *   *   *   *

When the three of you get back to the station, Hotch is looking at a projection on the wall.

“Is that the letter from the unsub?” Prentiss asks.

“Yeah,” Hotch says. He reads it aloud. “‘I’m back with a vengeance. I wanted you to know… the last guy made it easy, being out so late, stumbling home drunk. I enjoyed slicing around the organs, thought about sending you one. He was asking to be ripped. Don’t you think, Boss? Yours Truly.’”

“To say that the victims were asking to be killed denies all culpability,” Reid says. “Most sexual sadists rationalize their own behavior by blaming the victims like that.”

Prentiss shakes her head. “But there was no evidence of sexual assault in the autopsy. He could be a homosexual male stabbing because he needs violence for arousal.”

“Every kill he’s acting out a fantasy of revenge,” Hotch says.

“What if he’s trying to act out something else?” Reid says.

“Like what?” Hotch asks.

Reid glances at the projection of the unsub’s letter. “With the exception of the victims being men, it’s the same MO.”

“What are you talking about?” Prentiss asks.

“Oh!” you exclaim. “Jack the Ripper?”

Reid nods. “Exactly. All four victims were found with their throats slashed, eviscerated, and the murders perpetrated in semi-public places after dark. Investigators taunted with letters addressed to ‘Boss.’ The only difference is that case was a hundred years ago and the murders took place in London.”

“And the unsub wants us to think that he’s the modern-day version loose in New Orleans,” Hotch says.

*   *   *   *   *

The next day, you find yourself at the scene of another murder. You, Morgan, and Reid are questioning the victim’s friends.

“So the three of you were out together last night?” Reid asks.

The man to your left nods. “Mark had just paid his tab at one bar and was on his way to meet us at another.”

“You guys get in any trouble?” Morgan asks. “Drunken brawl? Anybody get out of hand?”

The other man shakes his head. “We were just out to have fun, you know? Minded our own business.”

You adjust your glasses on your nose. “Could Mark have met a girl? Maybe upset her boyfriend?”

“No, ma’am.” The man on the right shakes his head again. “He struck out like we all did.”

Morgan nods. “Thanks guys.” You, Morgan, and Reid turn back to the body, where Prentiss, Gideon, and Detective Will LaMontagne are standing around the victim.

Will crosses his arms. “I can hardly keep up with this guy.”

“Well, if he’s mimicking Jack the Ripper, that might be precisely the point,” Prentiss says. “He terrorized London for months without ever getting caught.”

Gideon looks at Will. “I’d appreciate it if you’d gather your men. We’d like to give you a profile of who you’re up against.”

*   *   *   *   *

Back at the precinct, the team stands in front of the New Orleans cops, ready to tell them the profile. Hotch stands in the middle, while Emily is leaning against the wall next to you.

“The offender we’re looking for is friendly, agile, somewhere between thirty and thirty-five,” Hotch starts.

“He’ll lure with charm, kill with rage,” Gideon continues.

“We believe he’s murdering men to reclaim his power,” Emily says. “This unsub suffers from low self-esteem, but he probably covers it well. He dresses impeccably to feed the facade. Jack the Ripper himself was an impetuous lust murderer, whereas this offender is organized, calculating. He might even stalk his victims for days before the actual kill.”

“We believe this killer identifies with Jack the Ripper because he’s lost his own identity,” Gideon says. “Maybe through years of child abuse or some catastrophic event.”

Hotch continues the profile. “Because he overcompensates to hide his insecurities, we believe he may hold a position of authority at work.”

“We also believe the unsub has had medical training,” you add. “Consider EMTs, doctors, and veterinarians, people who may have an advanced understanding of the human body.”

“Please be careful,” Gideon says. “For this unsub, the French Quarter is a hunting ground. He’s certainly already proven he knows the terrain.”

The cops disperse and you and Emily return to the conference room to look over the evidence when Emily’s phone rings.

“Prentiss,” she answers, putting the phone on speaker.

“What was the thing Jack the Ripper took from one of his victims?” Garcia asks. “Besides. Well, you know. Her life.”

“Oh, uh….” Prentiss trails off.

“Tick, tock,” Garcia says.

You think for a moment. “Kidney?”

“Ding ding ding! Y/N’s right,” Garcia exclaims. “How horrifyingly fantastic is that?”

Emily nods at you, making you smile. “Garcia, are you going anywhere with this?” she asks.

“Just that I found an unsolved murder that happened four months ago in Galveston, Texas, with the same MO, the victim missing that very organ. I amaze myself.”

“Hey, I did wonder if the unsub was displaced by the hurricane,” you point out.

“Y/N, you are also amazing,” Garcia says.

Emily laughs. “I agree,” she says, causing your cheeks to heat up. “Great work, Garcia,” she says.

“Who was that?” Gideon asks, walking into the room.

“I may have been right,” you tell him. “Garcia found a case in Texas that fits the Ripper’s MO, four months ago.”

Gideon nods. “A lot of Katrina refugees relocated there after the storm.”

“It could definitely be our unsub,” Prentiss agrees. “He removes the kidney, just like Jack the Ripper.”

Gideon gestures to you. “Call Reid and Morgan. I want the four of you on a plane to Texas tonight.”

You nod, biting your lip. “Will do,” you tell him quietly.

*   *   *   *   *

Emily glances back at you as you follow her up the stairs into the jet. “Are you okay? I know you had a hard time in Texas during the last case.”

You sigh, fiddling with your hands. “I’m treating it as exposure therapy,” you tell her with a shrug. “It’s how I got myself used to the grocery store during the weekend days when it was wicked crowded. Besides,” you say, shooting her a smile, “I know you wouldn’t let anything happen to me, even if my asshole ex somehow did show up.”

She chuckles, throwing an arm around you. “You got that right. We have your back.”

The two of you settle in and wait for Reid and Morgan to get there, chatting about the case as you wait. After a few minutes, Morgan walks onto the jet.

You nod at him. “Hey.”

“Hey,” he says, putting his bag down. “Where’s Reid?”

“He’s not with you?” you ask. Morgan shakes his head.

Next to you, Emily frowns. “We were hoping he was.”

“Thought you said you called him?” Morgan asks her.

She nods. “I did! Four times, nothing.” She glances at her watch. “The victim’s fiancée is expecting us.”

“What do we do?” you ask.

Morgan shakes his head. “We got one option. Wheels up.” He goes to tell the pilot to take off.

*   *   *   *   *

When you get to the fiancée’s house, it’s dark out. She invites you in and you take a seat next to Prentiss on the couch, Morgan on her other side.

“Everyone kept saying crime’s gonna skyrocket after the relocation,” the victim’s fiancée says. “You just never think it’s gonna happen to you.”

“The report said that your fiancé was bar-hopping for his bachelor party on the night he was killed,” Prentiss says.

“We were supposed to be married in October,” the fiancée says. She takes a deep breath. “He was just out celebrating that with friends.”

“Was there anyone at Leonard’s bachelor party you didn’t know?” Morgan asks.

She shakes her head. “We all grew up together. They’re like family to me. Whether they met somebody out, you know, that’s a different story.” She laughs humorlessly. “They’re a rowdy bunch. They’d party with anybody.”

You finish up the interview and leave the house. You hop in the back seat, giving Emily the passenger seat while Morgan drives. Emily sighs. “Each of the last two victims was traveling with a group. Both were drinking, both in public arenas, bar-hopping. So how could their friends not see anything?”

“It’s like when the lion preys upon an antelope,” Morgan says.

Emily frowns. “You lost me.”

Morgan laughs. “Well that’s because you, Emily Prentiss, have never been one of the antelope.”

“Oh, scratch that,” Emily says. “You totally lost me.”

“Me too,” you say, frowning.

“Okay, check this out,” Morgan says. “The antelope travel in packs. So the lion just sits and waits. Waits for just one of the antelope to break away from its herd, so when he’s alone, vulnerable, and completely unprotected, that’s when the lioness strikes. That’s when she makes her move.”

“Wait a minute, ‘her’ move,” Emily repeats.

Morgan nods. “There’s only one thing that’s gonna make a straight man leave his friends on a guys night out. And it’ll make him leave every time. One of the victims was out for his bachelor party. Another one out with just the guys. What’s the only temptation that’s gonna lure these men away from each other.” He takes out his phone and dials.

“The unsub’s a woman,” you finish.

*   *   *   *   *

Back at the precinct, you, Morgan, and Prentiss are looking through the case files again when Reid walks in.

“Hey, you guys are back from Galveston?” he asks, sitting down next to you.

“First light this morning,” Morgan replies. “Where were you?”

“I was out with a friend, I already told you,” Reid says casually.

“I called you four times,” Prentiss says.

“I didn’t have any cell phone reception, so I didn’t get your message until late,” Reid says.

Prentiss rolls her eyes. “Right.”

Reid looks to you. “What’s going on?”

“Unsub’s a woman,” you tell him. “We’re looking through the evidence again with that in mind.” He opens his mouth to respond when Hotch walks up behind him.

“We just found another body in the Quarter,” Hotch says. “Let’s go.”

*   *   *   *   *

At the scene of the newest murder, Morgan is examining the body as you, Prentiss, Gideon, and Reid watch him.

“Throat’s been cut,” Morgan says. “He’s been disemboweled, too.”

Gideon crouches down next to the body. “Reeks of booze,” he says. “It’s more than a pattern.”

“Only this time, she cut off the earlobe,” Morgan adds.

You nod. “Like Jack the Ripper.”

Prentiss looks at you. “What do you mean?”

“In one letter or correspondence, Jack the Ripper promised to cut the earlobe off his next victim, and he did,” Reid says.

“Wasn’t that the only day he killed twice?” you ask. Reid nods.

“So she’s gonna kill again by the end of the day,” Gideon says.

“Most likely,” you say. “Unless we can stop her by then.”

“Okay,” Prentiss starts, “what do we know about female serial killers?”

Gideon nods. “Basically, you have two types.”

“The Sante Kimes model,” Morgan says. “Cold, calculated. Preys on men for money. Takes her time building relationships.”

“Doesn’t sound like this unsub,” you say.

“It’s more likely we’re dealing with the Aileen Wuornos archetype,” Reid agrees, nodding at you. “Motivated by paranoia and fear, luring men with sex.”

“This unsub’s organized,” Gideon says. “She follows a routine. She meets men in a bar, flirts with them over drinks, and suggests they consummate the evening in an alley.”

“We should patrol the streets tonight,” you say. “Especially knowing we can expect another body by the end of the day.”

“Office just brought me this,” Detective LaMontagne says from behind you. You turn and see him holding out an evidence bag with what appears to be another letter from the unsub inside.

Emily takes it from him and reads. “Dear boss, by now I have rid the world of one more. So many men, so little time. I hope you don’t mind the mess. They make it so easy, I just can’t help myself. Yours truly.”

*   *   *   *   *

Later that night, you and Emily are patrolling the alleys together.

“Most of the women are in groups,” you note, looking around.

Emily nods from beside you. “We should be looking for someone on her own.”

You frown, thinking of the latest letter. “So many men, so little time,” you repeat. “She’s dead set on killing men. I wonder why?”

“She might be misplacing the rage from a father who molested her,” Emily suggests. “Some people think Jack the Ripper mutilated women after his mother sexually abused him for years.”

“She seems apologetic, weirdly enough,” you add. “At least for leaving a messy scene. I don’t understand why.”

Emily shrugs. “That might be what the detective’s father figured out before he died.”

You sigh. “Okay, I’m going to preface this with the fact that I’m not victim blaming, simply curious, but why are these men just fine with following a stranger into a random alley alone? I would never.”

Emily chuckles. “They’re not thinking with their head.”

“At least, not the correct one,” you respond. She laughs.

“Exactly.” The two of you continue looking around for anything that stands out, conversation lulling for a bit.

“Do you know what’s going on with Reid?” Emily asks after a little while.

You let out a long breath. “He… I mean, he hasn’t been the same since Tobias Hankel, and understandably so,” you tell her. “But I wish he’d let us in.”

She looks out at the crowd around you. “Not to change the subject, but I feel like we’re missing something. Let’s go meet up with the others, see if they’ve had any luck.”

You nod, following her through groups of people, fighting the urge to reach out and grab her hand so you don’t lose her. You find Morgan and Reid first.

“Hey,” Morgan says, shaking his head. “We got nothing.”

You frown. “Well, we’re running out of time. Day’s almost over.”

Emily sighs. “Hopefully Hotch and Gideon or JJ and the detective had better luck. Otherwise….” Her voice trails off, but you all know what she means.

Otherwise, you’re going to find another body.

*   *   *   *   *

The next morning, you arrive at the scene of the newest murder. Detective LaMontagne is kneeling next to the body, shaking his head.

“She’s mocking us,” he says, standing as you, Emily, JJ, Gideon, and Reid duck under the crime scene tape.

“And she’s true to her word,” Emily notes.

Reid crouches down next to the body. “Does anyone have any tweezers?” he asks. One of the crime scene techs hands him a pair. “Thank you.” He uses them to extract something white from the victim’s mouth.

“What is that?” JJ asks.

“I have no idea,” Reid says.

You look closer as Reid stands. “A note, maybe?”

Reid unfolds the paper and nods. “Y/L/N is right.” He looks over at the detective. “It’s addressed to your father.”

“Let’s see it,” Gideon says. Reid hands him the paper. “‘Dear boss,’” Gideon reads, “‘he wanted it, with that sharp tongue and vulgar hand. Thought you’d like to know, another will soon get what he deserves. Yours truly.’”

“It’s weird,” Reid notes.

You frown. “How so?”

“Typically offenders write letters to be heard,” he explains. “Jack the Ripper bragged about not being caught, but this unsub isn’t using correspondence to flaunt her latest kill, only to explain why she did it.”

“It’s possible that she considers herself a vigilante,” Prentiss suggests. “That the men she’s killing deserve to die.”

“Or maybe she’s contacting your father, not because he was the lead detective on the case, but… because she believes he’d understand,” Gideon tells the detective.

“You think he knew her somehow?” Detective LaMontagne asks.

“Can you think of a woman in your dad’s life he helped through a tough time?” JJ asks. “Might be another police officer, I don’t know, a prostitute he helped get off the street?”

The detective shakes his head. “Nah, he hasn’t dealt with prostitutes since he worked sex crimes.”

“The unsub wrote, ‘he was asking to be ripped,’ ‘I just couldn’t help myself,’ and ‘he wanted it,’” Reid says.

“Wait, that sounds a lot like what rapists say to excuse their behavior,” you say. You turn to the detective. “You said your dad worked sex crimes? Maybe she was one of his victims.”

Reid nods at you. “Exactly. She may be mirroring the man who raped her.”

“Detective, where are the files stored from your sex crimes division?” Gideon asks.

Detective LaMontagne shakes his head. “They were housed in the same place as homicide. Most of them washed away.”

“Did your dad have a partner?” JJ asks.

“Yeah, J.R. Smith,” the detective says. “Smitty, they called him.”

“Maybe he remembers something,” you suggest.

“Yeah, but they had a falling out,” Detective LaMontagne says.

Emily frowns. “What about?”

The detective shrugs. “I don’t know. They stopped talking when he left sex crimes. That was nine years ago. The guy didn’t even come to my daddy’s funeral, so….”

“Do you have a problem calling him?” Gideon asks.

“Not if it means breaking this case,” Detective LaMontagne says. He looks down at the body, frowning. “Honey, may I borrow your hand for a minute?” he asks JJ. She nods. The detective uses her to look at the victim’s hand, where there’s a stamp. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

“What?” you ask.

He gestures to the hand. “That stamp? It’s admittance into the Mon Cherie. It’s a bar in the French Quarter.” He stands. “Nine years ago? It was called Jones.”

“Bingo,” Gideon says. He turns to JJ. “Get Garcia on the phone.”

*   *   *   *   *

At the Mon Cherie, Detective LaMontagne leads you all towards a man sitting alone at a table. “Smitty, how are you?” he says, holding out a hand to shake.

Smitty stares at him. “I hope you got a good reason for dredging this crap up,” he says coldly.

Detective LaMontagne lowers his hand. “Well I was hoping you might remember being called here with my daddy nine years ago.”

“Is that a joke?” Smitty asks, glaring at him.

The detective shakes his head. “No?”

Gideon steps forward. “My name’s Jason Gideon. We’re from the FBI. We’re investigating the series of murders in the French Quarter.”

Smitty shrugs. “What’s that got to do with me?”

“We need you to tell us what happened the night you and Detective LaMontagne answered the call in this bar,” Emily says. Smitty just stares at her.

“Am I missing something?” the detective asks.

Smitty smiles, and it makes you want to take a step back. “You really don’t know, do you? After that night, your daddy tried to bring me up on sanctions.”

“Why?” Detective LaMontagne asks.

“It was Mardi Gras. Some girl claimed she was raped,” Smitty tells him. You grit your teeth at his wording and flippant attitude. “I wasn’t buying it.” You fight the urge to cross your arms.

“What did she say happened to her?” JJ asks.

“Brass backed me up,” Smitty continues, ignoring JJ. “They ended up transferring your daddy out to shut him up.”

“What happened here?” Emily asks, glancing at you with a frown.

“It almost cost me my career.” Smitty ignores her.

“Do you mind telling us what happened?” Gideon asks the question this time.

Smitty stands, walking across the room. “My best recollection, she said she was sitting at the bar with two friends. One of the boys asked her if she wanted to play some pool. Witnesses claim she was up for anything.” You grit your teeth again but say nothing.

“She followed him up here?” Emily asks as he gets to the stairs.

Smitty nods. “His friend not far behind. She knew he was there.” You bite your lip. “That girl was a tease,” Smitty says. You want to punch the smug look off his face. “She was looking for a good time. Anyway, a couple guys were going along with that.”

“Did she yell out for help?” JJ asks.

“She said she did,” Smitty says, rolling his eyes. “But not a single person claimed that they heard her.”

“That’s what you registered as a disturbance?” you ask incredulously, your voice coming out louder than you mean for it to.

“It was Mardi Gras,” Smitty tells you. “Listen to me, that girl had enough beads hanging from her neck to jewel a small city. Anyone who exposes themself that much in one day isn’t a credible witness in my book.” You flex your fingers in an attempt to not curl them into a fist, a habit you formed as a child when you would get upset.

“But she wanted to press charges,” Detective LaMontagne says.

“I told her it was a waste of time,” Smitty says. “I knew one of the accused. He was a good kid.” He shakes his head. “He didn’t need the stink of that accusation.” You grab the bottom of your shirt into a fist.

Gideon sits down next to Smitty. “So you protected a rapist.”

Smitty scoffs. “Well, that right there was a bone of contention between his daddy and I. As far as I was concerned, no such rape ever took place. Now are you gonna tell me why you went and dragged this dirt back through my life?”

There’s a pause, and then Gideon speaks. “You know the serial killed who’s cutting up men in the French Quarter? She was your victim.”

“We’re trying to find a name,” Detective LaMontagne says. Smitty shakes his head.

“You don’t even remember her name?” Emily says.

Smitty rolls his eyes. “It was nine years ago.”

“Okay then, how about the name of the ‘good kid?’” you ask. “You know, the one who raped her.” Smitty takes another sip of his drink, not responding.

“Smitty,” Detective LaMontagne says. “You tell me right now or I’ll file a new sanction against you, and I guarantee you, this time it’ll stick.”

“Ronnie Thibideaux,” Smitty grumbles.

You turn and stalk outside, where you allow yourself to clench your hands into fists.

“You okay?” Emily asks from behind you.

You turn to face her. “I don’t like him.”

She smiles softly. “I can tell.”

“Was I that obvious?” you ask.

She shrugs. “Maybe not to a normal person, but I am a profiler, and it was written all over your face.”

You sigh. “I’ve watched enough SVU to know how common his mindset it, but I can’t fucking stand it.” You kick a pebble. “Like, he’s supposed to help protect people, not victimize them further! God, I fucking hate people.”

She puts an arm around your shoulders as the others exit the bar. “Caring so deeply about other people is a good thing,” she tells you. “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

Gideon gives you a questioning look, and you nod resolutely at him. “I’m good. Let’s go interview a rapist.”

*   *   *   *   *

Back at the station, you’re watching from the other side of the glass as Emily and JJ talk to the rapist, Ronnie.

“Mr. Thibideaux,” Emily starts, “we need you to answer a few questions about a disturbance you were involved with in 1998.”

Ronnie looks at her, a small smirk on his face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“At a bar called Jones,” JJ adds. “It was Mardi Gras.”

“Well, then, I must’ve been drinking some, because I don’t remember a thing,” Ronnie says, that stupid smirk growing wider.

“We just need to know the name of your accuser,” Prentiss tells him.

Ronnie shakes his head. “Look, I told you I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

JJ shakes her head. “The statute of limitations is up,” she says, rubbing her face. “We just need a name.”

“Someone accuses me of rape, I’m gonna remember her name,” Emily says, sitting down across from the rapist.

“Unless you’re used to it,” you grumble to yourself. “Probably raped other women, too.”

“Well what can I tell you, cher?” Ronnie says, slight agitation creeping into his voice. “I guess she didn’t make that good of an impression.”

“Oh, that fucker,” you seethe, fidgeting. Your cross your arms, then uncross them.

“Unlike yourself, right now?” Emily is saying to Ronnie.

“Y/L/N, take a breath,” Hotch says quietly from beside you, his tone soft.

You sigh. “I’m fine,” you tell him. “Just really hate rapists.” You refocus on the interrogation room.

“You know,” Ronnie says, leaning forward, a dangerous glint in his eye, “I’m guessing if someone did do something to that girl that night, then she was probably asking for it. Maybe even liked it.”

“Oh, what a fucking ass hat,” you say. “He’s not even gonna tell us a name!”

“Guy’s not giving up anything,” Detective LaMontagne says from behind you.

“Reid, after the double murder, what was the Ripper’s next move?” Hotch asks.

“He mutilated and dismembered Mary Kelly in her one-room flat until she was unrecognizable,” Reid reports. “It’s believed to be his most vicious kill of all.”

“He had privacy,” you say.

“And time to torture his victim before killing her,” Morgan adds. “Maybe we’re not too late.”

You shift your attention back to the interrogation room, where JJ is showing Ronnie pictures of the victims. “She murdered these men, and I’m guessing it’s only a matter of time before she works her way back to the one she really wants to kill.” Ronnie looks at her abruptly, alarm written all over his face.

“She make an impression now?” Emily asks.

Ronnie swallows. “Sarah Danlin.”

You turn and walk away, grabbing a drink of water while JJ calls Garcia. She’s hanging up when you return, water in hand. “We got her,” she tells you.

*   *   *   *   *

At Sarah Danlin’s apartment, the team spreads out in groups to cover all entrances. You’re paired up with Hotch and Morgan, while Reid and Detective LaMontagne take the back entrance.

“Sarah Danlin! FBI! Open up!” Morgan yells. When there’s no answer, Hotch gives him a nod and he kicks the door in. You follow behind Hotch and Morgan, gun drawn, as you check each room.

“Clear!” you call out.

“Clear!” Morgan shouts.

You meet in the living room. “She’s definitely not here,” you say.

“Guys, there are some ripperologists who speculate that Mary Kelly was actually killed in a flat that Jack the Ripper rented for the night,” Reid says.

Morgan takes out his phone. “I’m gonna have Garcia check Sarah Danlin’s credit card accounts. It’s a long shot, but maybe we can trace her room back to her charge cards.”

You look closer at the coffee table. “Look.”

“Souvenirs,” Hotch says, picking up a paper. “These are from bars in the French Quarter. This is from Mon Cherie.”

Morgan shakes his head. “She’s trolling for victims in the place where it all began.”

“She can’t move on,” Hotch says. “The rape isn’t the whole story. I’ll bet there’s a history of sexual abuse that contributes to her rage as well.”

“It’s almost like by taking on the Ripper persona, she was trying to kill something within herself,” Reid says.

Morgan’s phone rings. He opens it and puts it on speaker. “Yeah, mama, what do you got?”

“Sarah Danlin’s Visa was charged an hour ago at the Royal Ruby Inn,” Garcia tells him.

Morgan smiles. “Ah, baby girl, you never disappoint. Thank you.” He hangs up and looks at the detective.

“That’s two blocks from here,” Detective LaMontagne says.

“Let’s go,” you say, everyone rushing out of the room and back to the SUVs.

It only takes a minute to get to the Inn, and you jump out of the car as soon as it stops, following Hotch at a run. He quickly describes Sarah Danlin to the desk attendant, who directs you to her rented room.

Hotch kicks the door open to find Sarah Danlin standing over a naked man who’s tied to the bed by his wrists. She has a knife in her hand. “FBI!” Hotch shouts.

“Drop the knife!” you tell her.

“Drop the weapon!” Hotch repeats.

“He wanted it,” Sarah says, pointing the knife at the man’s throat. “And he got it.”

“Put it down, now,” Morgan says.

Hotch raises his wrist to his mouth. “We need an EMT tech right away,” he says quietly into the receiver.

Sarah looks over her shoulder, focusing on you. “What are you waiting for?”

Morgan shakes his head. “Ma’am, we don’t want to shoot you,” he says.

She smiles humorlessly, looking at Morgan. “Be such a shame to waste this. Do you want it, too?”

“What we want is for you to please put the knife down,” Morgan says.

“Come on,” Sarah tells him. “Don’t fight it.”

You shake your head. “Sarah, please. We don’t want to hurt you.”

Detective LaMontagne comes into the room, lowering his weapon. “Sarah,” he says carefully. “My name’s William LaMontagne Jr. You knew my daddy?” Sarah’s eyes fill with tears as Detective LaMontagne inches his way closer to her. “Hey there. You trusted him, so trust me.”

“Where is he?” Sarah asks him.

“The storm took him,” the detective tells her. A tear rolls down her cheek. The detective puts a hand out, slowly reaching for the knife. “Come on. It’s over.” Sarah gives him the knife and breaks down, falling into his arms. “It’s over,” he repeats, carrying her out of the room.

You immediately start working to free the victim from his restraints, taking out your knife and slicing though the fabric. “You’re going to be okay,” you tell him as the EMTs rush into the room and begin their assessment.

You follow the EMTs as they load the victim into a stretcher and wheel him out to the ambulance, breaking away from them when you notice JJ and Prentiss pulling up.

“Hey,” you greet them. JJ gives you a nod as she walks over to where the detective is leaning against his car. You smile over at them.

“What’s that look for?” Emily asks, following your line of sight.

You shrug. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” you tease.

She laughs before her expression turns more serious. “I just wanted to check in on you, make sure you’re okay.”

You nod. “I’m good. I just hate that rape isn’t taken seriously a lot of the time. There’s a quote, something along the lines of, ‘rape is the only crime where you have to prove the victim’s innocence.’ I just hate that that’s pretty much true. It doesn’t matter if the victim was walking around naked, as long as they say don’t provide consent, it’s rape.” You sigh. “I’m lucky enough to never have been sexually assaulted, but I know a lot of women who were. Well, you know. I used to know a lot of women who were,” you correct yourself, frowning. “Anyway, as much as I miss my old life, I’m glad I found a new family, too. The BAU and the Jeffersonian team are the only reason I’m able to function, really. I’m not sure what I’d do without you guys.”

She smiles, putting an arm around you. “You’ll never find out.”

[writingwhimsey]

Hiii I saw the following celebrationn so i just had to ask for ikesen Mitsuhide only one bed and smut (i am over 18) honestly would live it if it’s their first time so like cute feelings but ofc you are the writer 😁

Sorry it has taken me so long to get to this ask. I've had a shit ton of stuff going on irl. I still have a few more to get to in this celebration, but I want to thank you all for your support for hanging in there with me during all of these crazy ups and downs.

Here we are Mitsuhide and one bed smut...with a modern AU twist. Hope you enjoy!

18+ content, female reader, PIV, fingering, oral female receiving

A Business Trip turns Personal

I sighed as I arrived at the hotel with my business partner, Mitsuhide Akechi. We had been traveling for work and were due to head home when a sudden storm hit. So we had no choice but to pull into the first hotel we could find and hope we could wait out the storm for the night.

“We are gonna get soaked, even if we had umbrellas.” I said as we sat in the car. “The weatherman said we were supposed to have clear skies.”

“It seems they get wrong more often than they get right.” Mitsuhide replied. “We’ll just have to make a run for it. I’ve parked as close as we can.”

I nodded. “Alright.”

We got out of the car, making a mad dash for the front door. I was surprised when Mitsuhide caught up to me, taking his coat off and holding it over the both of us to try and provide some level of protection against the hard rain. Though this did require us to be rather close together… which had my heart racing. I’d be lying if I were to say that I didn’t find Mitsuhide attractive.

Once we made it inside the hotel lobby, Mitsuhide was bringing his jacket down. We were both still rather soaked, but at least our heads were mostly dry. A sweet old lady was sitting behind the front desk. “Oh you poor dears.” She greeted us. “Got caught in the storm.”

“Yes, we were on our way home from a business trip.” Mitsuhide explained.

“I see. Well you are in luck. We have one last room available.” The woman replied, grabbing her book and the key for us.

“Only one room?” I asked.

“That won’t be a problem, will it dearest?” Mitsuhide said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

I was stunned as I looked up at him. “M-Mitsuhide…”

He winked at me as he signed the guest book and took the key. The old lady behind the desk smiled and winked at me. “You two are so cute. Enjoy your stay.”

We were then heading away from the front desk and down the hall, Mitsuhide leading me to the room indicated by the number on the key. “Mitsuhide, w-what…”

“She said they only had one room.” Mitsuhide replied with a shrug. “And she seemed to be mistaken. It seemed easier to go along with it than to worry about anything.”

I just hope there’s two beds. I thought. Being close to Mitsuhide like this was bad enough on my heart. I had always thought Mitsuhide was attractive…every woman in our department did… and they were all jealous of me when I got put on this project with Mitsuhide.

But of course, just like the plot of some romance novel, when we arrived at the room, there was only one bed. Okay all the girls at the office are gonna kill me if this ever gets out.

“Oh look at that only one bed.” Mitsuhide said, his voice sounding rather sly.

I looked up at him. “There’s a couch there, I can sleep on that…”

“Nonsense.” Mitsuhide replied. “What kind of man would make a woman sleep on the couch. I can take it.”

“That wouldn’t be fair to you, though.” I replied.  I then let out a sigh. “Well, we are both adults. It’s no different than if I were on a roadtrip with one of my girlfriends.”

“See, we can work through this.” Mitsuhide said, giving me a cheshire grin.

Something about that smile made my heart flutter. “Well….uh I think I’m going to go grab a shower and change in the bathroom real quick.” 

“Good idea.” Mitsuhide said. “You don’t want to catch a cold.”

Well, if you keep looking at me like that I’m going to need a cold shower. I thought before heading into the bathroom. Even though I was the one who said we could share the bed… this was so completely different from being on a road trip with one of my girlfriends.

I ended up taking a rather cool shower, trying to calm my racing heart. I changed into a t-shirt and clean underwear before heading back into the room. Mitsuhide had dried off and changed into some casual clothes…looked like a t-shirt and boxers…was I really seeing him in his underwear? To be fair…I mean I was in just a t-shirt and my underwear too.

“Ah, did you enjoy your shower?” Mitsuhide asked.

“Uh…yeah.” I replied, suddenly self conscious about my pajamas. We’d been traveling and staying in hotels for so long now…but we’d each had our own rooms.

Mitsuhide sat down on the bed and patted the space next to him. “Come, we should probably be getting some rest.”

“Right.” I replied as I made my way over to the bed. I mechanically sat down on the bed, my back to Mitsuhide. 

“You are not going to get much sleep if you don’t lay down.” Mitsuhide said.

“I…uh…”

“Nor if you cannot relax.” Mitsuhide said. I could hear him moving on the bed behind me and then his lips were at my ear. “Perhaps I should help you.”

I shivered and shot up. “Mitsuhide…what…”

Mitsuhide smiled at me. “I was merely thinking I could give you a massage.” He said, his voice far too innocent yet not at all. “I do know my way around the human body. Allow my hands to work magic for you.”

“I mean…a massage might…be nice.” I said. “But…I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“It would be my pleasure.” Mitsuhide said, his long graceful fingers grasping mine and gently pulling until I was sitting back on the bed. He was sitting behind me and then his hands were on my shoulders, gently kneading my muscles.

“This…does feel nice.” I admitted.

“See, I knew I could make you feel good.” Mitsuhide said, his tone rather suggestive as his breath washed over the nape of my neck.

My breath hitched and my heart rate picked up. “Uhm…Mitsuhide…”

Mitsuhide was leaning in, his nose was running along the side of my neck. “Yes…” He replied, his voice husky.

“W-what…what are you doing? I mean…this isn’t…exactly relaxing…me…”

“Hmm, then perhaps you would like this?” Mitsuhide asked as his lips began to kiss along the side of my neck.

I felt electric thrills running through my body from his touch. “I…I think…I am… feeling quite… the opposite…a little…worked up…”

“Then that means my plan is working.”

I turned my head and was face to face with Mitsuhide’s gorgeous amber eyes, which were holding a barely concealed desire. “I…”

Mitsuhide’s slender fingers were beneath my chin, tilting my head ever so slightly and then his lips were on mine. My body responded of its own accord, my lips molding to his as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

When we broke the kiss, I was breathless. “Mitsuhide…”

He smiled at me as he lowered me back on the mattress and hovered over me. “I had been hoping that we could get this lucky to be alone like this.”

“You…have?” I asked.

“Yes, I was rather pleased when we were paired for this project. I have been attracted to you for a long time.”

Before I could respond his lips were on mine once again. My lips parted of their own accord as his tongue slipped inside to caress my own. Mitsuhide just admitted to having wanted me and we were really here…and he was really kissing me.

Mitsuhide broke the kiss again, looking at me with an achingly tender smile. “If you do not want this just say so and we’ll end the night here.”

“I…I do want it.” I said. “I want you.”

Mitsuhide kissed me again, his hand sliding up under the hem of my shirt and teasing over my bare flesh. Our kiss quickly became passionate as Mitsuhide began to remove my clothes. His eyes drank in my form in the most gratifying of ways.

“You’re even more beautiful than I imagined.” He told me, his long graceful fingers stroking my skin.

“You’ve…imagined?”

Mitsuhide grinned at me. “You are a beautiful woman. I would be insane to not notice you or not think of you or imagine what this moment would be like…and it’s not as if you haven’t had similar thoughts about me?” He added this last part with a teasing smile before taking his shirt off.

He was then reaching for my hand and bringing it to his lips to kiss my fingertips before resting my hand on his chest. “Feel free to touch me as much as you like.”

I ran my hands over his body, feeling every line and muscle as I did. Mitsuhide shivered deliciously under my touch. He was leaning back down to cover me in kisses as I continued to run my hands over his body. I let out a moan when Mitsuhide’s lips enclosed one of my nipples, sucking even as he flicked the peak with his tongue.

“M-Mitsu…hide…” I moaned.

His hands were moving over my curves, fingertips tracing delicately over my most sensitive places. I gasped when his wandering hands found their way between my thighs, fingers stroking my sensitive bud before sliding back and slipping between my folds.

“You’re so wet already…” Mitsuhide cooed as he came back over me, his fingers still working me.

“I…ngh…Mitsuhide…” I moaned as the waves of pleasure washed over me. 

“The sight of you writhing in pleasure beneath me…you’re simply irresistible.” 

I moaned and arched my back as his long fingers continued to work me. Just as I was about to fall over the edge, Mitsuhide withdrew his fingers. I let out a whimper at the sudden loss of stimulation.

“Mitsuhide…why…” I pouted up at him.

He grinned at me. “Don’t worry, I intend to take care of you.” He told me before moving once again. The next thing I knew, my thighs were resting on his shoulders and Mitsuhide’s head was between my legs. His lips descended upon my heat, tongue snaking out to flick my bud.

“Ah…ngh…” I moaned as the pleasure washed over me once more.

I could feel the coil winding tighter in my lower belly as Mitsuhide performed gymnastics with his tongue. Stroke after stroke, twisting and teasing…the coil winding ever tighter. My back arched and my thighs began to tremble as a powerful orgasm washed over me, Mitsuhide remained between my thighs, his tongue drawing out my release.

I was still trembling and sensitive as I began to descend from my high. Mitsuhide was kissing up the front of my body. “You taste…delicious.” He told me as he was now directly over me once again.

I shivered as I looked into his eyes, burning with desire, lips still glistening with the proof of my release. “I…I wouldn’t know…” I replied.

Mitsuhide grinned. “Well you should…” He was then capturing my lips with his, his tongue diving into my mouth, allowing me to taste my own desire.

I moaned into the kiss as I wrapped my arms around him and pressed myself close. Mitsuhide’s hands moved over my curves once again, pinching and fondling my breasts before tracing patterns over my lower belly.

He was grinning as he broke the kiss. “I hope you know…I am just getting started with you, my dear little mouse.”

I didn’t even know when he had slid his boxers off, but they were gone and the next thing I knew, he was sliding inside of me, causing me to gasp and moan. I wrapped my arms and my legs around Mitsuhide, drawing him in for a kiss. I was in for the longest and most pleasurable evening of my life.

[edlihtam]

Bonus Chapter!

Xaden arrives at Basgiath just before Conscription Day. Bodhi has been missing for a while now but he's back!!

This is Xaden's POV when he finds Bodhi again in chapter 29:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/56804518/chapters/146967205

Xaden

The damn horse is going to give me hell, and she knows it. I mutter a curse under my breath, watching Garrick quicken his pace to catch up with her. He better not leave her sight, not even for a second. 

I turn my attention to Storm, who snorts as if he’s in on the joke. « Alright, you stubborn beast, » I mutter, taking hold of the reins. The horse immediately pulls back, jerking his head and stamping his hooves, clearly not interested in cooperating.

« Great, » I sigh, tightening my grip on the reins. « Just great. » I still can’t believe my father’s horse’s relationship with El. The special bond they share. Since my father’s death, Storm doesn’t let anyone else come near him other than her, or Bran whenever she’s away for too long. He’s a magnificent horse when she’s around, and a hellish one when she’s not. 

Storm rears up slightly, and I struggle to keep hold of him. « Liam! » I call out, my voice strained. « A little help here! »

Liam hurries over, eyes widening as he takes in the scene. « Oh shit! He’s really giving you trouble, huh? »

« Understatement of the year, » I mutter, wrestling with the reins as Storm tries to pull away again. Liam grabs the bridle, helping me steady the stallion.

« Easy, boy, » Liam murmurs, his voice soothing. Together, we manage to calm Storm enough to start leading him towards the stables, but it’s a struggle every step of the way. 

After getting Storm and our horses in overcrowded stables of the war college, we continue our search for Bodhi, and hopefully secure lodging for tonight. I can already see rainclouds gathering on the horizon and I really don't want to have to sleep in the rain the night before parapet.

We finally find another inn, less crowded than the last but still buzzing with activity. The innkeeper, a stern-looking woman with sharp eyes, greets us as we enter.

« Looking for a place to stay? » she asks, her tone brisk.

« Yes, » I reply, scanning the room. « And a friend. Bodhi Durran. Has he checked in here? »

The innkeeper’s sharp eyes narrow slightly as she checks her ledger. « Yes, he has, he got the three last room. Just moments ago, actually. »

Before I can respond, a familiar voice sounds from behind us. « Missed me? »

I spin around to see Bodhi, a smug grin plastered on his face. Relief floods through me, but it’s quickly overshadowed by a surge of anger.

« What the fuck happened, Bodhi? » I demand, stepping closer. « Where the hell have you been? »

Bodhi raises his hands in mock surrender, still grinning. « Easy, Xaden. I got held up, that’s all. »

« Held up? » I echo, my voice dangerously low. « Do you have any idea how worried we’ve been? You just disappeared without a word. »

Bodhi’s grin falters slightly, and he sighs. « I’m sorry, guys. Really. I had to go to Calldyr. It turned out to be more complicated than I thought, but I rushed here as fast as I could. »

Liam, who’s been watching the exchange with a mixture of amusement and frustration, steps forward. « What were you thinking, Bodhi? You could’ve let us know somehow. »

« I know, I know, » Bodhi says, rubbing the back of his neck. « I just... I thought it’d be quick. I went all the way to Luceras for nothing. Couldn't get any reliable information on her. But hey, I saw Imogen, and she wanted me to remind you, Xaden, that if you die this year, she’d personally go to Malek to have you resurrected just so that she can kill you again. »

« Always so sentimental. » I say, shaking my head. But then I realise, « Her? » my irritation flaring again. « Really, Bodhi, you couldn’t have picked another time for girl problems? »

Bodhi shrugs. « It doesn’t matter now. I’m here, aren’t I? »

« Yeah, you’re here, » I mutter, trying to push down the lingering frustration. « But next time, a little communication would go a long way. »

Bodhi’s face falls a bit, and he nods. « You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll do better. »

Liam shakes his head, a wry smile on his face. « So, are you going to tell us more about the girl, then? »

Bodhi’s expression shutters, his usual carefree mask slipping into something more guarded. « No, » he says, his voice flat. « It’s complicated. »

I sense something in Bodhi’s voice that tells me this girl hurt him. Badly. It’s not like him to be this closed off, especially with us. Whoever she is, she’s left a mark.

Bodhi quickly changes the subject, looking at Liam. « What’s Liam doing here, anyway? »

I sigh, the tension easing slightly now that Bodhi’s here with us. « Liam’s here to escort Elysande back to Lindell. She insisted on riding with us. »

Bodhi’s expression shifts immediately, a mix of surprise and something I can’t quite place flickering across his face. It’s gone in an instant before he schools his features into a neutral mask. I know he’s been dying to meet El for a while now. 

Well, he actually already have, years ago. But he does not know about that. Somehow, their paths had crossed briefly when he was checking on our allies in Navarre’s capital. I am not entirely sure how El ended up alone in a market in the outskirts of the city when she was supposedly guarded like a princess at all time. It doesn’t really matter, she always does whatever she wants. 

But she found herself in Bodhi’s arms for a split second and it was enough for him to be completely bewitched. He had been fascinated by his mystery girl, always mentioning her whenever he’d get a chance, and that’s part of the reason I never wanted them to meet. Liam’s feelings are one thing but Bodhi would never have the same self control. He’d go after what he wants, consequences be damned. Even if those consequences could lead him to his death. 

But now, they're going to meet, and there’s nothing I can do about that. I can’t help but wonder what Bodhi's reaction will be when he realises she’s his mystery girl from the market. Maybe it will distract him from his current heartbreak. Or maybe his current heartbreak would be enough to keep him grounded. 

« Bodhi, you okay? » Liam asks, noticing the shift in Bodhi.

Bodhi blinks, then forces a smile. « Yeah, just didn’t expect Elysande to be here. »

Liam nods. « She came to Tirvainne with Prince Halden a few weeks ago. Something happened at court. Something bad and she had been staying with us. She insisted on coming to see Xaden and Garrick off. Typical El. »

Bodhi frowns. « What do you mean something bad? » 

I watch Bodhi closely, sensing the turmoil while he tries to maintain his calm facade. He was there when El ran away and we thought she was dead. And he was also there for Liam when she came back, a shadow of herself last year. She has always been part of our group whether Bodhi has met her or not. He knows the stories, the pain, the victories. 

Liam gives me a look, daring me to answer. He suspects someone attacked her physically but has no idea of the extent of it. And I’m not about to reveal it now.

« Just court politics, » I say, keeping my tone even, avoiding Liam’s eyes. « She got caught in the crossfire. »

Bodhi’s eyes narrow, not entirely convinced but willing to let it slide for now. « I hope she’s alright. »

His jaw tightens, and he looks away briefly. When he turns back to me, his gaze is steady but shadowed with worry. Whatever happened with that girl has him on edge. Maybe meeting El is exactly what he needs to get over it and put his damn good looking smile back on his face again.

« Let’s get settled, » I say, trying to steer the conversation back to practical matters. « I’ve got a big day tomorrow, and I’d like to be ready. »

The innkeeper hands us three keys, each attached to a worn leather tag with a room number scratched into it. « Three rooms, » she says briskly. « Only one with a private bathroom. Take your pick. »

« Perfect, » I say, taking the keys. « El can have the room with the private bathroom to herself. Bodhi, you’re with me. Liam, you will share with Garrick. »

Bodhi hesitates, his expression uneasy. « Actually, Xaden, no offence, but I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in weeks. I’m not sure I can handle your usual tossing and turning all night. Can I share with Garrick instead? »

I raise an eyebrow, caught off guard by his request. « You sure? Garrick snores like a damn dragon. You could share with Liam—»

Bodhi cuts me off. « Yeah, I’ll take my chances. »

[trashcatsnark]

*Makes tea* Omg, can we please get your thoughts on the dlc and THAT ending?

ABSOLUTELY

Suffice to say, spoilers and a very long post, I am a verbose whore Ngl this is coming fresh off finishing it all last night, so my opinions may still be settling in a little bit and I also had to play it in more spread out sessions than I usually do with games.

Firstly, on a just a technical level, for me personally as someone who started playing at launch, finished all the endings, and had like 700+ hours in the game before Phantom Liberty was even announced- to me it felt a little out of place, granted might be because I jumped into on the tail end of an almost finished save. So, maybe for folks who started new runs it flows a bit better.

Like getting a dedicated credits listing as if the game is over after the decision at the orbital station just to cut back to Johnny going Wait, V, you're still dying!

It's a little strange, I understand you wanna give full credit to the Phantom Liberty specific team but also, was that really the only way to transition V out of the space station?

Songbird, I'm mixed on, I don't hate her but I don't love her like I think the game wanted me too. She feels a little... pushed on V for my liking. Like early on, it really felt like CDPR rattling a barbie doll at me and screaming at me to think she's the coolest thing in the universe and she's alright. I get why she does the things she does, I get that she is a narrative reflection of V, that her and Solomon honestly are meant to mirror the V and Johnny relationship.

The ideas of betrayal, the idea that the person who's trying to save you, and wants to save you the most is the very one who's gonna be your end.

I like that component for sure, like honestly, to the surprise of no one- the biggest things I got out of it was related to SilverV I also really do love Songbird's connection to the Blackwall and the way it's eating at her, I love those touches and when at the Orbital station you link with her to like- release Blackwall pulses. Very cool, still feel like there's more there to sink our teeth into, but very much liked the Blackwall in particular coming back.

My first impulse and choice was to side with Songbird, because even if I didn't love her like CDPR wanted me to, I did feel some connection to her through her being in similar situation to V and just being desperate to survive and live.

That said, it is disappointing that Songbird is... another person who was just lying to V in hopes of getting what she wanted. I get the desperation for survival, but it did feel like Hey, what if we did it again?

Like- that's what the game is, just over and over. I love it, but the game is V gets a lead, goes full steam ahead in trying to save themselves, and oop- someone was lying and V gets kicked right in the fucking teeth. Again. Again. Again. Again.

And I understood we weren't gonna get a magical fix it ending, but it is frustrating to be like- hey, wasn't it fun when the VDB betrayed V? Or when you found out Evelyn lied? Or when you finally found Hellman and all he gave was a hospice recommendation? Or when Hanako finally hears you out but only if you kill her brother and even then lol not really you're still gonna die? Or when Alt says oh btw you're still gonna die?

What if- we did it again?!

And in a similar vein, I really loved a lot of aspects of the Tower Ending (I believe it is?) where you side with the FIA.

The conversation with Johnny in the AV is fucking beautiful. That alone was worth all my money. Him saying that he feels more at peace than he ever has before, I still fuck- I love the way they play up that even in endings where Johnny doesn't necessarily agree with V's actions, he's just happy they're gonna survive. He's at peace with dying again, he's at peace knowing this time it means something to him. He died before his ideals, so convinced when he stormed Arasaka Tower that when he died in the flames it'd mean something, it'd fix something. Only to come back and find that despite everything having changed, nothing really did. He died and the world just moved on. But this time, him going means V gets to live, he gets to go out knowing (at least believing, hoping) that by doing so they'll get to live on, they'll get to fight another day, and can go away content knowing that he'll be leaving the world just little bit better of a place- because V will still be in it.

Got emotional there, my bad.

That said, beyond that component.... more of the same?

Like, it's the Devil Ending. Reskinned, revamped- but it's Devil Ending. V sided with the shadowy secretive shady corporation/agency, underwent extensive medical treatment, and oop- turns out none of your friends were worth a fuck, now deal with the consequences!

And like, I don't know, I do find the idea interesting of V no longer being able to have like combat implants and physically just not being the same, the idea of them being forced into trying to carve out a normal life after everything is actually pretty neat.

But it still feels like a reskin to me.

I also really just don't like the way CDPR tries to illustrate bad ends by making V's friends/love interests worse people? Like don't get me wrong, I can completely vibe with the idea that A) they'd have some grievances with V siding with FIA or Arasaka and B) that after two years of not knowing what happened to V, they would've moved on in some capacity.

But do they have to be like, mean?

Like Panam going full scale, don't answer the call, have Mitch tell you to fuck off. I was in a coma???? Like, I know she doesn't know that, but also maybe listen??? Like that feels like yeah, her character hasn't developed at all, she's still incredibly stubborn and won't even hear you out.

And River selling police secrets for Randy's rehab, so he's in a guilt spiral, so he just... can't meet up??? Like legit, CDPR, honey- what the fuck is your fascination with ruining this man's life? Literally, one of if not the only LI who can canonically die??? Or go to jail???? Like, what did River do to you????

Judy moving across the country and being married, I don't have inherent beef with, I think that does make sense for her character- that said, convo still feels weird, like the whole "please don't ruin this for me" like I'm sorry??? V literally nearly died for you several times and murdered for you several times and has been so nice to you- but you just assume they're gonna show up at your door and try to ruin your life? Wow, great to know what you think of me....

And of course Kerry is just busy with his career, that said I did find it kind of funny/in character that V calls and the first thing Kerry wants to do is talk about himself. Like, yeah, that's Kerry. But also, like again, the dialogue heavily implies that when he makes the bare minimum offer of hey... maybe we can hang out in four months, that no- you probably won't, it's bullshit.

Like, it just sucks because I really love all of these characters and feel like they do genuinely have love and affection for V, but this constant- oh nope they're all abandoning you, oof, pull on any ending that isn't Star or Sun is just.... frustrating and really undermines it and honestly reinforces that V's best friend and the one person who cares for them most is fucking Johnny.

Vik selling out to Zetatech also sucked ass, don't do that to my ripper- but hey, at least he made five fucking minutes for V. Even if he spent trying to convince them he's happy and eventually they will be too.

Misty I loved seeing again in the ending- though I don't know why, maybe it's just me- is her VA suddenly doing a harley quinn impression??? Like that kind of Boston(?) accent she suddenly has in the DLC for .... no fucking reason? That said, even if I'm sad to see her go, I am happy she's finding her peace, though kind of wish there was a "can I go with you?" option, because- V literally doesn't have a home anymore??? Maybe someone should help them.... not be homeless, that'd be cool. Maybe my V wants to go to the old forest in Poland too???

Also, also- Delamain, more of a true friend than any of the love interests in that ending. Picked V up, got them booze for them and Vik, helped them catch up on news, said they missed them, and were happy to see them again. Fuck yeah, Delamain.

But uhhh, overall, I think my opinions are there are some interesting and fun things within the DLC, some fun concepts that I definitely wanna play with in my fanfic. Some solid fucking SIlverV content. But like narratively and story wise- it's just alright. It's nothing ground breaking, I don't feel like the game needed it, I don't feel like it "fixed" the game. I think people who got into Cyberpunk 2077 through Phantom Liberty and praise it as what "saved" the game- just like Cyberpunk 2077. Like, cause the DLC is more of the same, like it's fun, it's a good time but it's the same narrative structure we've had times 3 within the main game. It's like if I eat a sandwich, and CDPR said "Hey, I know what will go well with that-" and handed me a third of the same exact kind of sandwich. I don't dislike it, I liked the sandwich, a lot- but also it doesn't complement or add to it like a side dish or a dessert might to a meal. It's a just a bit of the same- maybe it has a slightly new condiment on it, but its overall the same.

Like I said, this might change if/when I do a full replay of the game and can handle doing it as like a full run rather than kind of tacking it onto the end of another save. I think that might help with making it feel a bit more a part of the story.

But I think I'd still land in the same overall space of, it's was alright- some parts I loved more than others, and if this had been in the base game, I'd probably feel very different because Reed and Songbird probably wouldn't feel as sprung on V to me.

All that said, I also do feel a bit more confident and secure in how I'm gonna implement it into my fic- which is gonna mean heavy rewrites which should be fun. So, I definitely got a little something to sink my teeth into.

[ash-whimsicalfanfic]

Agent Rushmore (CH 8)

Leroy Jethro Gibbs X Fem OC/Reader

Word Count: 828

Warning: Mild language, violence, gore, guns, fluff, smut, angst, PTSD, graphic scenes…

Prompt: Special Agent Locklyn Rushmore, a highly trained Russian assassin who is skilled in all forms of hand-to-hand combat, weaponry, negotiating and more. When her cover is blown, she is returning back to NCIS headquarters in D.C…

Locklyn Rushmore

I spit out another mouthful of blood, lifting my head to look at Kenzo. The fire that burned in his eyes never dwindled. He was furious.

I tug at the chains I was hanging from, but once again, there was nothing I could do. I grunt from the blow to my stomach. I stare straight ahead, taking the beating I was getting.

"Come on! Say something! Scream! Cry! Beg!" He exclaims out of frustration.

"The only man I'll get on my knees for and beg is the man who managed to fuck me so good last night, Kenzo. Not you." I spat.

"You whore!" He shouts.

I look over to see that Kayvon was pushing over a cart with supplies I knew were meant for utter pain. I let a breath out, preparing myself for the worst.

Kazor walks over to me with scissors, cutting of the tank top. I clench my jaw, swallowing the cry of pain as he stabs the pair of scissors in my thigh.

He pulls the useless tank top off, tossing it to the side and I was left in my bra and pants. I watch as he dips a sponge in water before connecting it to the car battery jump cables.

Jethro Gibbs

"Anything?" I ask, storming back into the bullpen.

"No. I'm going to set my search date back to earlier distillery's that may be abandoned though boss." Tim says and I clench my jaw, sitting down.

It's been fifty-two hours since she was taken. Each hour that passes...it looks worse for her. Abby walks in and I watch as she sits next to Tim. I knew she felt guilty, but this wasn't her fault.

"Jethro! Someone found Locklyn lying on the side of the road. Called an ambulance and she was rushed to the hospital. She's in surgery now. However, she mumbled to the man who found her about a distillery. A distillery in the woods." Jen says as she rushes down the stairs.

"Got it boss!" Tim says.

"Let's go get those bastards." I say.

"I'll go to the hospital and wait for any updates. Abby, come with me. I'm sure Locklyn would be happy to see you when she wakes up." Jen says.

"I-I don't know about that." Abby mumbles.

"Abby, it wasn't your fault. You told me Locklyn told you that." I say.

"I should of called you...acted like you were Locklyn." She says.

"Abby...Locklyn will be okay. She's a fighter. And she'd be glad it was her you called because she'd feel even worse knowing anyone else from her team getting hurt. Now come on." Jen says.

Abby follows Jen to the stairs. I lead the team to the elevators, eager to get down to the cars. Ziva and Tony took off towards the van while Tim came with me. The drive was quick and I know I broke about every damn law just to get to that distillery. I wasn't ready for what I walked in on.

There were three dead men who looked like they died a savage death. But, when I saw what was on the cart and the chains hanging from the rafters...I knew that Locklyn went through hell. There was blood everywhere.

"Holy hell." Tony mumbles.

"She must've got out of the chains, took them by surprise, killed them and tried to make her way back to the city." Tim says.

"She put up one hell of a fight." Tony says, snapping pictures.

"Boss, what's this?" Tim asks while pointing to the car battery that was on the floor.

"They attached those cables to the sponges which are wet and probably electrocuted her. It's a very brutal torture method. In fact, all of this looks very brutal." I say.

"Sorry we are...late. What happened?" Palmer asks as he walks in with Ducky.

"Locklyn. Or in other words, she let out a side she isn't particularly fond of anymore. Locklia Rashmor. A person she was before becoming a federal agent and learning the meaning of family. She had no choice. She'll feel guilty for letting that side out. However, this was life or death situation. I'm quite thankful she isn't on my table and that it's these bastards who've hurt her for far too long." He says.

"She's not out of the woods yet, Duck." I say.

"I'm aware, but I have faith in Locklyn pulling through. She is a fighter. She's gone through hell and back more than once, Jethro. Trust me when I say this...this is all another ball in the park." He says.

That made me wonder what she went though. What other ghosts of her past are haunting her? For someone who's suffered so much, she keeps it together quite well.

I listened to Tony, Tim and Ziva's findings as Ducky and Palmer gathered up the bodies. I let a sigh out, running my hand through my hair.

[tavyliasin]

Yurgir: Did you lick the dead spider next door or something?

Tav: No but I can lick you

Gale: Not to doubt your, ahem, abilities, but I think such an act might kill you

Tav: No it's fine, I know the enlarge spell. Besides, we've got resurrection scrolls, haven't we?

Yurgir: Will not say it but at this point he might just find Tav too endearing to kill

Meanwhile Raphael is screaming into a pillow. A real "you vs the guy they have a crush on" moment

I wanted to reply to this - and the alarmingly similar one also in my inbox - last night when it came in, but I wanted a little more energy to do it justice. Farbeit from me to let down a fan of the fiend and the orthon with half arsed words~ Act 3 House of Hope spoilers follow, along with...well I'm not sure where this is leading yet, I have an idea so I'm going to chase it and give you the incident report~ ---

Size Matters, Not?

"Size doesn't matter," Haarlep muttered, combing through their master's hair as he sat on the edge of the bed fuming, "but you did show the Little Mouse your full form, didn't you?" "Of course I didn't stay in the pitiful mortal shell, Harlot, I spread my wings upon our first meeting when I summoned them here - I had thought them to be properly dazzled by my horns, my wings, my tail. I showed them a taste of greatness, all that I could offer, the devil they could know-..." Raphael paused, finally understanding the incubus's words. He began to sit up a little straighter, his shoulders carrying more pride even in the human guise that made it easier for the ever-preening creature behind him to ensure he would look his best for every meeting. "Why don't you just portal yourself right back there, wait til they emerge from that rancid little prison you left the Orthon in, and show them what real power looks like?" Haarlep gave him a gentle shove, the not so subtle cue to get up and stop sulking. "Unless you'd rather stay here, and play with me~" Their lilting voice was more than enough to spur the fiend to action. He was well aware of what would happen if he stayed, and as satisfying as it would be to lay with his personal incubus, that would do nothing for the festering rage in the bottom of his gut. "Fine. But you had better be right. I will not suffer such impudence from the rodent again. They are mine." The growl betrayed a little of everything Raphael worked so hard to deny, but was not missed by the quietly smirking incubus behind him. --- Several hours later, the House of Hope was a flurry of activity. Debtors were running through the halls, each seeking somewhere, anywhere, to hide from the footsteps shaking the walls, and indeed the one who was making them. Fire flared out from his whole body, huge and terrifying frame storming through the corridors and clawing hot molten lines in the solid stone walls. The fury burned hot in his mind as well as his body, a hundred thoughts condensed to a searing rage. Is this still not enough for them? I am huge, made of pure power, I have the flame of a thousand infernal suns...and I find them curled up with that...that...THING while he calls them "Little Rabbit"?! I was the first to name them, I dubbed them my Little Mouse, they should be mine, MINE- --- A few rooms away, a certain incubus suddenly realised they had somewhere else to be. Anywhere else. For at least a decade until this tantrum cooled off. --- END --- I may get to the other ask in my inbox a few hours from now~ thanks for the ideas! They're rather fun, and the other one will be much more focused on Yurgir rather than Raphael's side of things. --- Bonus Meme Gif --- This one is for the lovers of size difference. You know exactly what I mean, don't pretend you're innocent now, far too late for that~

[hsangel64]

bandmates part 4!!

pairings: bass player!ellie x lead singer reader

summary: time for the gig but of course there has to be drama through the bliss

warnings: cussing, a little bit of angst, ellie being a dumb dumb

part 1, part 2, part 3

a/n: i’m going to be posting these more often alongside new things! i’m making a tag list so if you want to be on it comment please!

todays the day of the gig. you were more nervous than usual which is weird because usually you’re fine but you’re sweating buckets right now pacing around your room. you did your makeup and already had your usual punk rock ish attire on. you were running your hands through your hair and pacing back and forth. you couldn’t stop thinking about last night. after you said you had liked ellie, dina and jesse stormed in and we haven’t spoken about it since then.

“hey bee you okay?” you halted your actions and turned to face ellie.

“yeah yeah i’m fine- just fine.” you said and turned back around. you didn’t hear ellie move closer until she put her arms around you and your nerves instantly meddled down. she rested her head on your shoulder and you smiled a little.

“are you sure bee?” she whispered in your ear and your cheeks flushed. ellie turned you around to face her, she put her hand under your chin. you felt like you were in a trance almost. just so focused and entranced by her. she pulled your face to kiss you in the cheek.

“if it’s about yesterday we can talk about it after the show so we aren’t worrying about the show yeah?” you nodded and smiled at her she smiled back and placed a quick kiss to your lips.

“okay we gotta go.”

…

you guys got to the venue about an hour ago and go on second to last. you’re all in the dressing room warming up. you’re walking around doing vocal warm ups, ellie is warming up on bass, dina is warming up vocals and guitar and jesse is doing some arm exercises.

“hey.”

“hey what’s up d?” you stop pacing and turn to dina.

“so don’t be mad-“

“oh god what’s up?”

“cats here…” you whip your head towards the door and see cat and ellie talking. oh god

“why is she here she never comes to our shows?!”

“fuckin beats me…no one wants her here not even ellie-“ you both turned to look and ellie looked at us and mouthed ‘help me’ you both giggled and shrugged your shoulders.

“we go on soon though so get ready.”

“oh shit okay.” you rushed to grab your ear piece and make your way to ellie.

“hey don’t mean to interrupt but i need help getting set up. els please?”

“oh yeah of course.” you lifted the back of your shirt to have her hook up the ear piece to your skirt. you and cat made eye contact and she gave you a disgusted look and you just smiled at her. you thanked ellie and let her know that we’re on in about 10.

you made your way back over to your things and made sure you had everything. you grabbed your water and followed everyone else to the side of the stage.

“you ready?”

“ready as i’ll ever be.” you smiled at ellie and made your way on stage. this is the time ellie watches you the most. she can’t take her eyes off of you actually. ellie will always be looking over at you while you sing, you just look so passionate about singing. ellie is so in love with you.

…

you guys had sang four of your own songs and have one more left. you were sweaty and your throat was killing you but the show much go on.

“how’s everyone doing tonight?” you yelled and the crowd yelled back at you.

“we only have one more song for you tonight and it’s a little different than usual. this song means quite a bit to me as it’s about a very important person.” everyone cheered and you grabbed some water because the music started up again.

i’ve never known someone like you

tangled in love, stuck by you from the glue

don't forget to kiss me or else you'll have to miss me

i guess I'm stuck forever by the glue, oh, and you

it didn’t take long to put two and two together that you and ellie had something going on. you and ellie were staring at each other the whole time while singing the song.

finding the right words to use for this song

i have you in mind so it won't take so long

never thought I'd find you but you're here

and so I love you

not once did you two look away from each other.

i’m not wrong

when I say I've been stuck

by the glue onto you

i’ve been stuck by glue

right onto you

i’ve been stuck by glue

you guys finished the song and everyone cheered. you were smiling from ear to ear so much it hurt. you guys ran off stage and all cheered with each other.

“that was probably our best show yet!!”

“let’s go get drinks !!” jesse yelled and pulled dina to the dressing room. leaving you and ellie alone.

“you did a great job bee. i’m so proud of you.” she threw her arm around your shoulders.

“thank you els i think the song was a crowd hit.”

“oh it absolutely was! it all came together you sounded amazing.” she pulled you closer and kissed your head. everything felt perfect but of course it just can’t last.

you guys walked back to the dressing room and just outside cat was waiting. she caught a glimpse of ellie and ran to her, she hugged her and basically pushed you away. you rolled your eyes and scoffed at her.

“hey i’ll catch up with you guys in a bit let me just talk to cat.” she smiled at you and you nodded walking into the room. you audibly groaned.

“what’s wrong?”

“cat of course is sooo happy to see ellie.” you rolled your eyes and started to get your things together.

“oh jesus.” dina rolled her eyes. “come on let’s just get everything together so we can leave.” you nodded and grabbed your bag and put away your things in a case. you guys started to make your way to the car to put things away. you were the first to walk out, remember when you said everything was perfect?

you turned the corner and lo and behold cat and ellie are kissing. you let out a small gasp and just stood frozen.

“what’s wrong?” dina came out of the room and looked at the two.

“oh honey…” she pulled you in and you just stood there shocked simply because just earlier ellie was so lovey with you even asking to talk about what you guys were after the show.

“let’s go come on.” dina pulled you away and let jesse know that you guys weren’t going to come back in. you now had tears in your eyes trying not to openly sob in this hallway.

“you’re a fuckin idiot ellie.” dina stopped you both and you looked at ellie. she whipped her head around to dina wondering why the hell she’s saying this and then looked at you seeing you crying.

“what happ-“ before she could even finish dina pulled you away to the car. it feels like the world is in slow motion there’s so much going on. you want it to stop. you want everything to go back to normal.

…

@gold-dustwomxn