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groundzeroagency · 5 years ago

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> 𝓢𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓑𝓲𝓻𝓭 <

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[ Hawks x Reader ]

Quirk : Canary Cry ; Similar to Dc comics super-heroine, Black Canary. The reader can use their voice as a weapon of destruction.

Character background : Reader is a singer for a night club owned by one of the many mafia’s in Japan. She sings there due to being in debt to the mafia that owns the club. She’s been trying to find a way out of her situation but it never ended good for her.

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[ Warning : Angst, Violence, Swearing and Fluff ]

{This is a long Oneshot }

@trashys-things @bubbleteaa

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Hawks was finally free from his Hero work and decided to go to a club to relax with some alcohol. He heard there was a club with a wonderful singer that could relax the senses of anyone. He flew over towards the club and landed in front of it before walking in. It was a nice setting actually with a stage in the middle with a microphone at the center.

The pro hero sat down in the back from the crowd there was. He ordered two beers at first before hearing a man introducing a person of the name,Canary. Hawks looked over towards the stage as a young woman with long H/C in a red silk dress walk out from the curtains. The woman had a kind smile upon their face as the music started to play. They swayed their hips gently to the music before singing a song softy into the microphone. Hawks eyes widen slightly at the beautiful woman that was singing with their beautiful voice. Hawks felt his nerves and body slowly relaxed at the beautiful sound that filled the club.

“A beauty, isn’t she ?” a voice suddenly said interrupting Hawks thoughts. Hawks looked over to see a man standing next to his booth. The Man looked at Hawks with a slight grin before introducing himself as the owner of the club. “It’s absolutely an honor to have the number 2 hero in my club “ The man said who’s name was Sam Kirov. Hawks simply nodded softly at the man. Hawks kept glancing at the beautiful singer on the stage. Sam grinned at Hawks eye movements. “That’s our canary, she’s like a siren with that voice of her’s“ he joked before leaving to do his rounds around the club.

Hawks was simply hypnotized by Canary’s Singing. Minutes later, Canary’s show was over. The pro hero clapped with the rest of the crowd in the club at the beautiful show was given. Canary was backstage drinking some water as she was suddenly pulled by Sam. She looked at Sam with a confused look on her face but her body was tensed at his hands on her. “There’s someone you should meet “ he simply said pulling her from backstage and towards a certain Pro Hero’s booth. Hawks was finishing his second beer and was going to head home until he saw the owner of the club dragging over the beautiful singer of the club.

“Hawks! This is our lovely canary “ Sam said with a wide grin. Canary looked at her at Hawks and blushed softly before looking down. Sam placed Canary in Hawk’s booth and said “Make conversation “ before leaving them. Hawks looked over at Canary before saying “You have a beautiful miss Canary” with a gentle smile. Canary looked at hawks before replying “Please call me, Y/N “ in a soft tone and smile. “Thank you as well “ she added with a blush. Hawks smiled “Y/n. That’s a pretty name. “ he said looking at them. Suddenly the pro hero and singer made conversation enjoying each other’s company.

One conversation became two to more eventually, Hawks came to the club every night to listen to Y/n’s beautiful singing and every night they sat down together and talked enjoying each other’s company. They would tell their secrets towards another including how Y/n came to be the club’s singer, she fell in love with the wrong person and was a part of Sam’s “group” and she was in debt to him now. Hawks told Y/n, his name and about his past. The two were slowly falling in love with one another but Sam wasn’t happy that his canary was taken a liking towards another man other than him. Sam was a very possessive man specially with his Toys.

One night, Hawks didn’t come due to a night rescue. Y/n just finished her nightly show, Sam came over and slapped the woman harshly causing her to fall down. She looked up at Sam shocked before he pulled her up harshly. “Get up, Bitch” he growled as he pulled her up completely grabbing her tightly by her chin. She looked at Sam with tears at the stinging pain, this wasn’t new that Sam abused her physically. “You are never seeing that hero ever again. He taking my sweet canary from me “ he said harshly before cooing and caressing her hair causing the young woman to flinch slightly. Sam glared darkly at Y/n before tighten his grip on her “Stay away from him or I’ll kill your precious hero. Got it!” He yelled causing Y/n to flinched and nod letting out a soft sob out.

Sam pushes her away before leaving her alone. She cried softy to herself before running out through the back door. She ran towards her apartment but bumped into the man of the hour, Hawks. Hawks grabbed her gently “Hey Songbird! Did I miss your show ?” He asked tilting his head with a smile before his smile faded away as he saw her with tears. “Are you okay ? Y/n?” He asked softy in a worried tone. Y/n simply looked up Hawks and cried softy “Keigo. We can’t see each other anymore. “.

Keigo looked at Y/n confused and worried “Why ?” He asked with a frown causing for the girl to tense up and looked at Keigo with the Harshest glare they could make and yell at him “BECAUSE I DON’T LIKE YOU ! I NEVER DID!”. She was shaking slightly thinking “I’m doing this to protect you. I’m sorry”. Hawks flinched slightly before looking at her and nods gently “Fuck you “ he said glaring and flying off. She was the first person, he opened up to about his life, about everything.

She flinched before seeing him flying away. She whimpered softy before screaming out their frustration out accidentally using their quirk destroying a bus stop and signs. She covered her mouth immediately in shock before crying again and running home. Once she made it home, she closed the door and slide down against it crying her heart out. She loved him and found happiness in him but now it was taken from her.

Hawks never came back to the club for drinks or to see her. Y/n kept singing at the club but she was different, more duller like she lost the light within her. Sam abused the young singer more frequently leaving bruises on her arms and throat. The young girl had to wear makeup to cover up the physical abuse she had to endured from the owner of the club. It was a nightmare that she couldn’t escape from and no body could had help her, her only savior was pushed away by her for his protection. The abuse would go on for many nights until one night.

Hawks came back that night, he sat in back like he did when he came to the club for the first time. He had to see her one more time, he couldn’t get his songbird out of his head. He made it just time for the show. He kept to himself as he heard Sam introduce “Canary “ on stage. He sat up straight as he saw her walking through the curtains with a black silk dress and a collar around her neck. He noticed some makeup on her arms and some bruising around her throat.

Y/n started singing not even looking at the crowd, just wanting this to end. She sang softly as she was simply tired of the abuse and missing Hawks. She slowly looked up at the crowd and immediately made eye contact with Hawks. Something in her eyes changed like they lighten up slightly at appearance at Hawks. She looked only at Hawks as she sang softy letting her hands out ;

Could you hold me through the night?

Put your lips all over my mine

Salty face when I start cryin'

Could you be my first time?

Eat me up like apple pie

Make me not wanna die

Love me rough and let me fly

Get me up, yeah, get me high

Tie me down, don't leave my side

Don't be a waste of my time.

Hawks slowly got up from his booth which gained the attention of Sam. Sam glared at Hawks then looked over at his little Canary before calling his men over. Y/n noticed before stopping her singing and saying “No! Don’t hurt him !” in a scared tone. Hawks looked over at Y/n confused before looking at Sam noticing there were more men now. Y/n ran off stage and in front of Hawks “Don’t hurt him, Please “ she pleads toward Sam. Sam glared darkly before grabbing her roughly sending his men on Hawks.

Hawks immediately fought back with his fists and quirk. Y/n struggled against Sam screaming for the men to stop. She fought against her abuser but it was no use. Hawks was knocked down and getting beaten up. Y/n eyes widen before yelling “Cover your ears, Keigo!”. Hawks listened without a doubt before Y/n used her quirk, Canary cry. A sonic scream was let out causing the men to stop and fall cradling their heads as blood came out of their ears. Sam immediately let go of Y/n as she used her quirk, since he was the closest to her, he was hurt badly. She fell down as she stopped her canary cry. She looked over at Hawks and got up running towards him.

She looked at him worried “Keigo!” She cried out causing him to look at her. She looked at him completely worried and he looked at her Same. He sat up slowly in slight pain checking on her to see any injuries. The police came shortly after as calls were made about the club and the disturbance. Hawks and Y/N were checked over by the Ambulances. Hawks was set free as his injuries weren’t that bad. He immediately went over to Y/n. The Ambulance person was looking over the bruises the young singer had on her body. Hawks saw them and eyes widen. She noticed Hawks and looked down not wanting to make eye contact with him.

Hawks asked the ambulance for some privacy with Y/n. They got their privacy and Hawks immediately made a comment “What the hell did he do to you ?” Looking at her bruises causing her to flinch gently and tear up. “Songbird “ he whispered gently towards her, coming closer and grabbing her hands gently. She looked up at him slowly “He would hit me every night “ she whispered softy before crying. “I pushed you away to protect you, Keigo. He was going to kill you if I didn’t stop talking to you “ she said telling him the truth about why she yelled at him that night. He frowned at her words before replying “Y/n. You could had told me, I would had stopped him. I’m a hero after all”. She looked at him before yelling “I know ! But I was scared what would happen ! Because I LOVE YOU ! “.

Hawks eyes widen at her confession before hugging her gently. She sniffed softy and hugged him back “I love you, Keigo Tamaki” she whispered into his chest. He held her close before whispering “I love you too, Y/n L/n”. She tensed up slightly at his confession but relaxed immediately saying his arms. He looked at her “He’s going to jail, all of his men too. You’re free, Songbird “ he told her. Y/n let out a breath of relief, she was free from her cage. Finally her nightmare was over and was free at last.

She slowly smiled and stayed in Hawks arms, her safe haven. She pulled away and looked up at him before kissing him gently. He kissed her back gently and held her close before pulling away.

“Now, let’s go home, Songbird and live a cage free life “ Hawks told the Young Singer with a gentle smile.

#Spotify #hawks x reader #keigo takami x reader #my hero academia keigo takami #my hero academia #wing hero hawks #bnha hawks #boko no hero academia #songbird

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happy-haunts · 5 years ago

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Captain Blood (pt.2)

CAPTAIN BLOOD Pt. 2

Chapter one | Constance pt.1 : Constance pt.2

Chapter two | Mister Topper pt.1 : Mister Topper pt.2

Chapter three | Madame Leota pt.1 : Madame Leota pt.2

Chapter four | The Hostess

Chapter five | Captain Blood pt.1 : Captain Blood pt.2

Chapter six | Emily DeClaire pt.1 : Emily DeClaire pt.2 : Emily DeClaire pt.3

Chapter seven | Finale

She grabbed her skirts and turned away from me, sliding her bare foot over the ground in a half circle, looking over her shoulder at me with a mischievous grin, I sighed and watched as she began a solo tango- but you know what they say about tangos? It takes two.

I slid in behind her and spun her around, we twisted and slid across the cobblestone, I leaned her over my arm and swung her just over the street and then she was pressed back against my chest as we looked into each others eyes - our chests heaving.

“Now may I get down to business?” She rolled her eyes and slipped past my arms, walking down the street- she looked back to me.

“Are you coming? Captain business?” I came up beside her as we walked. “I swear, first Mister Topper and now you, why is everyone so concerned with business? There is a whole world staring all of you in the face and yet you choose to subject yourself to one place.” I chuckled as I listened to her rant,

“I take it you’re used to traveling with the caravan then?” She looked to me, confused.

“No, but I would if I could…” she looked longingly at the stars, “Can you imagine? They’ve probably been to Spain… England… China?” She held herself and twirled as she walked.

“I can see why the Mayor wants to meet you.” I smiled, but her upbeat attitude fell as soon as I mentioned him. “I have to say it was rather simple putting together who the canary was, I mean … yellow dress?”

“What? The Mayor is looking for me?” She was becoming panicked, “Please, you can’t tell him you saw me out here.”

“Whoa, whoa calm down - I already told him I wasn’t interested in bird hunting some gypsy for him.”

“I’m not a gypsy.” Emily whispered, “I live here, in this town.” I can honestly say I was rather shocked by that considering what normal person walks around barefoot?

“Well you’ve caught my interest, a lady from the town that dances with gypsies, dances with pirates, and is sought after by the most powerful man in town… well second now that I’m here.” I puffed up my chest and hoped she would be impressed.

“I’m flattered Captain, but I am already seeing someone.” I deflated my chest.

“Well could you at least do me the honor of escorting you home? Wouldn’t want you running into any undesirables.”

“Oh no?” Emily giggled and linked an arm with me, “I would like it very much to walk home with you, Captain.”

“Please, Call me William.”

❧

It was easy to establish myself in the town as a wealthy aristocrat seeing as my parents had attempted to groom me into the lifestyle for my entire childhood, and I already had all the treasure I could possibly ask for so I could look the part as well with minimal effort.

I was invited to several different parties - all of which were a means of gaining a higher status in the community, it was hilarious to attend such parties because I absolutely loved messing with the upper-class to see what it was they would do to keep their status.

I can recall one evening where I was entertaining and a group of ladies had gathered about me while one tall glass of blonde stood back - looking rather bored I must admit. The ladies were all asking me about how my skin was so perfectly smooth and I attempted to win the attention of the blonde by toying with the girls a bit.

“Oh I went to see a painter about my skin.”

“A painter?”

“Yes, you see I asked him to paint a portrait of myself, something that made me look radiant.”

“How did that help?”

“Well I took that portrait to a witch-doctor and he cast a spell on it to make me look like that forever, the portrait is in my parlor.” I gestured behind me and surprisingly the girls weren’t appalled by the joke I made in such poor taste.

“What was the painter’s name that you commissioned?”

“Was it that Cavanaugh girl that lived here?”

“No I’ll bet it was Eddy, he is so talented.”

I turned my attention back to the blonde, her blue eyed gaze had settled onto me now but as soon as our eyes met she rolled hers.

“If you can excuse me ladies.” I moved through the girls and slid beside the blonde. “I couldn’t help but notice your doubt in how I treat my skin, William Gracey, and you are?” I took her hand - kissing her knuckles.

“Constance Harper.” She groaned and rolled her eyes again, “Married.”

“Ah, no wonder you’re onto me, married women always know better. Especially happily married women.” Her eyes began wandering over the dance floor, I had to observe closer to notice. “Unless you aren’t happily married? Mrs. Harper?” She looked to me quickly and straightened.

“I am perfectly happy thank you very much Mister Gracey.”

“Well I was just thinking if you were then you would be wearing your wedding ring.”

“My Husband went missing, if you must know.” She avoided my gaze, “And I am assuming the worst - so is my mother.” I followed her gaze to see an older woman talking with a few gentlemen and pointing back to Constance.

“I see, well then what are you doing tonight Miss Constance?”

“Not joining you.” She gave a tired sigh.

“My that hurt, did you have someone else planned for this evening perhaps a nice gentleman?” I prodded and gave a playful smile, “Or a nice girl?” She looked at me in a panic and slapped me across the face.

“You are out of line!” I rubbed my cheek as I looked at her in shock.

“It was only a bit of fun, I apologize if I struck a nerve.” Constance sucked in her breath as she composed herself, giving a small nod.

“I understand but you will forgive me if I don’t find any of your jokes that entertaining.”

“Aw, even the painting joke?”

“Even the painting joke.”

“Well then I think I’ve run out of my best material.”

“So who is it?” She had her arms crossed while she looked me up and down.

“I don’t know what you mean?”

“The girl, you have no interest in me or any of these ladies here, I can tell by your lack of remorse- you poke fun at us no matter if it is making fun of us or not.”

“Well I didn’t think I was an open book until now.” I laughed, but Constance remained straight-faced, I cleared my throat. “I suppose there is a … um … other love.”

“How did she reject you?”

“She didn’t!” I said it louder than I intended, a couple people turned their gaze on us. “She… I … We were separated.”

“I see, so she has moved on but you haven’t.” I could feel my lips tightening into a thin line, she was trying to get under my skin … And it was working.

“It doesn’t much matter really, say I’ve been talking to the mayor and he says you have a local legend? The Canary?” Constance’s cheeks turned red and she shrugged her shoulders in response. “Surely you’ve heard of her? Apparently she’s really starting something in this town?”

“Yes I know of her, she’s …She’s just a very kind girl that’s all, regardless if anyone else is nice to her.”

“And what makes you say that?”

“Because, she seems to get along quite well with the Haberdasher from what I understand? The town says that she is constantly going in and out of his shop.”

“Really? Are they courting perhaps?”

“Please, she wouldn’t be interested in someone like you.” Constance snorted and shook her head to me, “I think you should stick to a girl who doesn’t see through all of … this.” She gestured to all of me and walked away.

I made a mental note to make time to visit the Haberdasher- you know just to see if he was right for Emily? Not that I was bothered by him, not bothered at all, not that I was really in love with emily either- no way.

Not at all.

❧

I stood before the Haberdashery now, a little hole in the wall shop with a sign hanging out front in the shape of a hat … No text on the sign but I suppose that customers could figure it out themselves.

Not that I was being critical or anything.

Just that it could be better.

I stepped inside and caught the yellow dress of Emily in the back where the Haberdasher himself was working on a hat, she had picked out a ribbon and held it against the velvet material as the Haberdasher turned and kissed her.

I cleared my throat to let them know I was inside before it got too involved.

“William!” Emily grinned and hurried over to me, giving me a big hug.

“Well Hello there! I was just coming to order a hat but it is lovely to see you little one.”

“So this is William.” The man working on the hat now stood behind Emily as he cleaned his hands with a rag, his brown eyes looked me up and down suspiciously.

“William this is Mister Topper!” She placed her hands on her cheeks as she blushed. “We’re courting.”

“I could kind of guess.” I chuckled.

“Emily has told me alot about you, Mister Gracey, forgive me if I don’t trust you since you have a background of piracy.”

“Emily, did you let in Mister Topper on my secret?” She gave a small shrug.

“I can’t help it! I can’t keep secrets from him.” I couldn’t be frustrated, not to mention it was bound to get out sometime while I was here.

“And to think I got to meet the famous Captain Blood?” Mister Topper chuckled, “You’re alot more scrawny than I expected.”

“Well you’re much older than I expected, the town holds you in such high regards Mister Topper.”

“Why don’t you order a hat then Captain, and I can show you what I can do?” I cocked an eyebrow in response to him, this old man had a spark to him.

“Oh yes! What kind of hat did you want?” Emily was sitting on his workbench in the back while kicking her feet. “I think a nice traditional black top hat?”

“Perhaps, I would like one with wildflowers on the rim though.” At the mention I saw Mister Topper stiffen, he worked his jaw a bit.

“Flowers are usually a fashion worn by ladies.”

“What does that matter? I’m sure it will look wonderful in your hands Hatty!”

“It’s Topper.”

“That’s what I said, Hatty.” I nudged the man as he wrote down my order in his little journal. “If that’s all I think I’ll be on my way, but both of you are invited to the mansion - it’s usually my turn to host the parties on the third Thursday of the month.” I paused and flickered my gaze to Emily still seated happily on Topper’s work bench. “But both of you can show up anytime, you will always have a place at my table.” I looked back to Topper who seemed to soften a bit at my mention.

“We will keep that in mind, thank you Mister Gracey.”

“We’ll try to stop by William!” Emily waved, “Take care of yourself an you had better stay out of trouble!”

I stepped outside where things began to get a bit more complicated, it seemed that my brother Vincent sent a gypsy woman here to get me to visit him in New Orleans, it was a good thing I had run into her since the Mayor was about to throw her in jail by the look of his blood pressure. I quickly took her in and found her a place inside the mansion.

❧

The next few weeks consisted of Leota and I getting to know one another, but it was the day she read the mayor in one of her sessions that really caught my attention.

“Wow, I’m the only one who can get the old man’s face that red.” I called from my front door. “What did you tell him you saw?”

“I saw his truest desire.” she stated matter of factly.

“Well whatever you guessed - it hit close to home.” I took Leota’s table and followed her back to her wagon as I began putting her things away.

“I don’t guess, he was after a young girl’s heart and kissed her while she was gathering flowers.” she reached back to me from her wagon to take her table.

“Gathering flowers…?” I mumbled, “What was she wearing?” Leota rolled her eyes and leaned on her wagon before me- arms crossed.

“It hardly matters what she was wearing, he had no right to touch such a young girl like that.”

“T-that’s not what I meant!” I turned red and ran my hand through my hair. “You know what never mind, do you need help with anything else?”

“That should be all of it… William let me give you a reading, I’m curious to know what dirty deeds you have resting inside here.” she poked my chest making me cock an eyebrow to her, but I rolled my eyes and held out my palms.

“Alright but hurry up, dinner is ready and I don’t want my roast to be cold.”

she placed her hands on mine and closed her eyes, I felt a little shiver go up my spine which I assume was unrelated, curses and magic weren’t real as much as he world wanted it to be.

Once she came back to reality she was smiling (shocking really).

“You knew the girl in black!” She was so excited, she wanted to know all about her and what the Mayor had done or if I knew anything about it, she wanted to know about my days of piracy as well, and she also had the gall to threaten me.

“You know…” I remember telling her after a couple glasses of wine, “I got this B by pissing off the Pope himself, he thought even when I died I would have this scar to show God that I was unworthy of Heaven.”

“You pissed off the Pope?!” Leota cackled and leaned back inn her chair while sloshing her drink about, “Is that why you were on your way to raid a church in my vision?” she was still laughing as she took her next gulp of the merlot.

I looked into my dark red wine and smirked, “I raided several convents but none of them had the treasure I was looking for, because… I was looking for a girl.” I looked up from my glass but Leota was slumped over the table and falling asleep, I smirked and lifted her up- taking her to her room and setting her on her bed while I sat on the edge of it. “The girl in black… Was the only girl… I have ever loved, and I only wished that I could have said so before I was sent away from her.”

❧

The next thing I can remember is what happened to Mister Topper, I had come back to the Haberdashery to pick up my hat and found Mister Topper scrambling to pack his things between customers.

“Um, do you mind if I ask what is going on? And if you tell me you’re skipping town from Emily I swear to -.”

“No! No, I am taking Emily with me…. Have you seen Emily lately? She is supposed to be here in an hour or so and I wasn’t sure if maybe you had passed her on the way here?”

“I haven’t…” I blinked while looking him up and down, something was wrong. “What happened?”

“I- Well…” Mister Topper ran a hand through his hair, “She came into me the other day with bruises on her neck and I … I’m getting her out of here, out of this town and away from these people!”

“Whoa, whoa!” I grabbed onto Topper’s wrist as he kept trying to pack. “You’re going to tell me who hurt her and we’re going to take care of them like they ought to be.”

“I won’t say, I promised her I wouldn’t say…”

“Topper at least take some of my men, they’ll do anything for you if you pay them as much … Except Charlie- that boy has a heart of Gold.”

“We’ll be fine, I’ll have Emily write you as soon as we get into the next town I assure you.” He placed a hand on my shoulder with a smile, “But thank you for the offer, you’re a good friend to Emily.” And he shooed me off onto the streets, I don’t think I had ever drank more in my life than that night, ranting to Leota about ‘How could anyone hurt such a sweet person?’ or ‘I should burn this town to the ground!’ And when I saw Mister Topper’s ‘Closed sign in the window the next day I figured it was all over, that I was going to hear from them any day now when they got to the nearest town to us …

But of course things aren’t ever so simple.

Charlie, a former crew-mate, came to me as I sat in the dining hall waiting for Leota so we could begin dinner.

“C-Captain…” He mumbled, wringing his hands as he stood beside me.

“Charlie, call me William we talked about this.”

“Captain this is important, the other night Henry and I got a job and … Well we got a job to … well it involved….”

“Just tell me! For god’s sake!”

“It’s Miss Emily, the Mayor had us teach her a lesson the other day and I thought it was just an old intimidation job on this Topper fellow but it turns out….” Charlie shut his eyes as he thought back to what happened, “Henry and I were beating the daylights out of him all while Miss Emily was there, when I noticed I tried to help sir I really did! But Mister Topper sir-.”

“What happened, Charlie.” I growled, standing up now.

“The Mayor… Mister Topper… He’s dead.” I slammed my hands on the table and ran my hands through my hair, I wasn’t sure what to do exactly, the Mayor needed to b dealt with but at the same time I needed to get Emily back.

“What happened with Emily?”

“That’s the thing sir, the Mayor is her grandfather and I … I think he’s doing something unsavory to the little Miss.” I inhaled deeply as I thought, despicable.

“Thank you Charlie, please leave…. I need to think.”

The Mayor had everything he wanted, power, admiration, money … yet he was still after more. And what could I bring to the table to take him down- my family’s name could only get me so far in this town but not far enough to bring down the mayor.

“So did you want to talk about it or am I going to be eating alone tonight?” Leota asked as she pulled up a char beside me, I threw my glass at the wall in response. “Mature.” She nodded with a chuckle.

“I can’t say I just… I’m stuck in a situation where there is little I can do.”

“With your reputation? I would have thought you could get away with anything.”

I was nodding expecting her to be giving some long speech about ‘putting your mind to it’ and nonsense like that, but she actually had a good point. My reputation!

“Leota! You’re amazing!” I hugged her making her spill her wine all over her shirt, and then hurried out of the room to begin planning.

❧

I knocked upon the Mayor’s door the next day, he was the one who greeted me at the door, his blue eyes looking down on me as though I was a bad taste in his mouth.

“William Gracey, what can I do you the pleasure for?”

“I came to discuss business with you Mister Mayor, I hope you don’t mind if I come in?” I stepped past him and looked around the familiar space with all of his son’s pictures hung on the wall, now knowing his blue eyes looked just like Emily’s.

“I thought our business would be over Mister Gracey, you refused my offer before I-.”

“Well, I have a new offer Mister Mayor.” I turned on my heels and looked him in the eyes now, “I can either take your reputation from you or your granddaughter’s hand in marriage.” He stepped toward me as if he were about to attack but composed himself.

“My son is dead, Mister Gracey, I don’t know-.”

“Don’t try that with me, I know the Canary was a way to keep track of Emily, I know you killed Mister Topper, and I know you will do everything in your power to keep your records as clean as a whistle.” I Got into his face, “So I wish to marry your lovely granddaughter, if not then I will let this entire town know about my history of piracy and how you had a hand in the murder of Mister Topper as well as the mistreatment of Emily DeClaire.”

His face was blistering red with rage but I could tell he was giving up, I had won this, he called a servant named Delilah to fetch Emily as she was escorted down the stairs in a different dress… a scarlet dress.

She looked stunning.

As soon as she came down to stand beside me I took her in my arms and held her as tightly as I could, my heart almost broke in two as I felt her arms tugging me against her and her head bury into my chest.

And we were out of the house - shopping for a dress and flowers all at once as well as my tux. We planned the ceremony to take place in the ballroom of the mansion and transition to the reception- we would travel the world after we were married and I would show Emily everything she desired, I would let her be free.

We announced our engagement to the caravan and then after a long night of partying I left with Emily up the stairs to get ready for bed.

I flopped onto the mattress and sighed with a smile, looking at Emily as she stood beside the bed- I jolted upright and got to my feet. “I didn’t mean to presume…” She placed a hand on my lips and shook her head

“It’s okay, I just…” she wrapped her arms around my torso and rubbed her face into my chest. “I don’t want to be scared anymore… I want to already be gone.”

“Everything is going to be okay, Emily.” I whispered and smoothed her hair down, “I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”

But I did.

I was too late.

I let her die.

I couldn’t even save her.

So much of that day is all a drunken stupor now, but the days to come… Those I remember clear as day… Those I take great pride in.

The mayor tried to start talk in the town that I murdered Emily and her lover, they erased themselves entirely from her story - calling her a gypsy that entranced men with her beauty, calling her a harlot.

They convinced the town her image was nothing more than a seductress, not that she was kind, loving, or gentle! Not that she suffered in silence! Not that she had such a big heart that she believed no one was ever what they seemed.

She never believed I was what I seemed.

I remember how they died even more clearly than when I died.

I had heard the whispers in town and decided to make a complaint to the mayor himself - at night so most of the town would be asleep.

When I knocked on the door Delilah answered but I grabbed her by the arm and whispered in her ear. “Grab all the servants and wait outside, I have a show for you all.”

The mayor himself graced me with his presence then, there was a sick grin on his face.

“Can I help you Mister Gracey?”

“You surely can! I have been getting several accusations thrown my way, accusations I feel are better suited for you.” I poked his chest, he didn’t move.

“I cannot stop the town from talk, and what the authorities believe… well…” he shrugged, “From what I’ve heard they are quite convinced you’ll do time.”

“Ah I see, I see… Although there is something I would love you to do for me before I must go away.” He took a step back from me but I grabbed his coat and knocked him in the face. “I want to hear you beg.” I snarled and punched him again.

He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me down on the ground then began pummeling my face, I grabbed both of his fists and spat the blood in my mouth on his face- whacking him in the head with his own fist and kicking him off me into the stair railing.

I found my feet as did he, but as he gripped the railing I came up to him and stomped on his leg- hearing the stomach turning crack of his bone followed by the scream of pain.

“Beg for me Howard!” I laughed and broke the other leg. “Come on now! Surely you know how to beg! You listened to Emily for EIGHT DAMN YEARS! IT’S YOUR TURN NOW, BEG!”

I pressed my foot on the mayor’s leg.

“Beg.” I growled. “Isn’t this better? Don’t you feel how small you are? Don’t you feel how helpless you are? I want you to feel the same as you made her feel every single day.” The tears rolled down my cheeks, but this was no use. I skipped to the end and tied Howard up to a chair and poured the oil from he lamps onto his head and then lit a match. I continued with curtains, carpets, mattresses, pillows, and anything else that would set the house a blaze.

I paused only as I saw Emily’s room, I knew it was her’s because there were dried up and dead wildflowers scattered on the floor, inside was only a cot, a mirror, and some books. I wondered how she could stand it in here for so long, then I noticed the largest thing in her room was her window - the moonlight filtered inside like a spotlight and the stars reflected off the view she had of the river, the wildflowers dancing with the breeze.

I opened her window and stood there on the ledge but when I jumped I rolled off the over hang- landing softly in the flowers below, sparks were flying from the house and fading into the night sky as I lay there.

I had hoped with the fall that I might also die, that I could be with her but it was almost as if the soft cushion from the flowers were her arms- keeping me from harm. She would have wanted that, to try and keep me safe - that’s how sweet she was.

I slinked back to the mansion as the authorities took stories from witnesses, I had made it all the way back to the stretching room, standing at the top above where a few pictures were hung - just beneath the glass ceiling.

“Mister Gracey you are under arrest for the murder of Howard DeClaire, I order you to come down immediately.”’“If I come down then I’ll have to do it my way.”

“As long as you come down, we need to take you back to the cells and then we can discuss your sentencing.” I strolled a bit as I tied my knot and gave a small nod, walking up to the ledge.

“Alright then.” And I stepped off.

But time seemed to have stopped, I was standing in the air- moonlight poured into the stretching room… There were new paintings on the walls?

I walked down on the air as though they were stairs and then moved my way through the halls of the mansion- everything was old as though it had been left abandoned for several years.

Was this hell? Living in my mansion alone? Remembering Emily.

Oh Emily…

As I thought it, then it became, I heard sobbing from one of the rooms and I materialized accordingly, it was the attic and sitting by the window with her glowing heart beating in her chest- was Emily.

“Hurry…” she whimpered, “Hurry back … Please Hurry… I’m scared.” I felt the pain in my chest as I knelt beside her.

“Emily…” I whispered, “It’s alright now, you’re alright… At least I think you’re alright?”

“William?” She looked up and her glowing blue eyes lit up, “You came! William!” She wrapped her arms around me. “He was here and he was about to push me- when…”

“Emily…” I stopped her, “You are dead … we’re both dead… I didn’t…” I kissed her hands gently as I shut my eyes. “I was too late, I couldn’t save you…”

“He… Killed me?” She looked at herself and the sound of her heartbeat was deafening, “But… He wouldn’t… why… he would.” It’s as though she was coming back to the realization of who her grandfather was. “Oh god…” her transparent hands were shaking as she began to sob once more.

I wished I could make her forget… I wanted her to forget she was ever hurt and to just be herself.

And as I wanted it to be… It was.

She blinked the tears away and looked at me with a smile as if just realizing I was there, she hugged me. “William! I heard you let Leota into the mansion! Topper told me when we were…” she thought a moment, “I don’t remember what we were doing but anyway! We should dance! I love dancing!” She flew into the air and lifted me up with her. “We can have a swinging wake!” She laughed and spun herself around.

I pressed my luck, commanding that the dead of this mansion rise- but I couldn’t risk the thought of Hatty telling Emily what he knew so I slid into the walls, I became the mansion, I could hear the chatter in the house in the back of my mind and materialize when needed- but as soon as my form disappeared Emily would cry and beg for me to hurry back for what I made her forget was controlled by her bright beating heart.

And so when she moved through the halls alone she would call, waiting and wailing until I or another apparition appeared to calm her or distract her from her tragic death.

❧

They all stared at me as if I was a completely different person, all except Emily who hugged me with tears pouring down her cheeks.

“Oh William! I didn’t know I hurt you so much!”

“It wasn’t you at all weren’t you listening?” I sighed, patting her head. “I’m just sorry I acted so rash and made you forget everything Emily…”

“I know you wouldn’t hurt me William!” She smiled up at me with her chin on my chest, “I trust you.”

Constance and Red both made faces, not understanding why exactly since I had done so much to prove otherwise. “But you did leave a good bit of details out of your story, so I’ll tell them mine! That is if everyone is okay with going to my favorite spot for it? And luckily I think it’s a full moon tonight!”

#captain blood #william gracey #wdw #disneyland #disney world #fanfiction #the haunted mansion #madame leota #constance hatchaway #emily declaire #ghost #we wants the redhead

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locke-writes · 5 years ago

Text

A View of The Unknown

Or rather here is a movie recommendation list made up primarily of underrated, unknown (or oft forgotten), and cult classic films as of: July 28, 2019.

Tagging: @panro-musiclover

1890′s

Boxing Cats (1894)

Boxing Kangaroo (1895)

The Sprinkler Sprinkled (1895)

A Hallucinated Alchemist (1897)

1900 - 1939

Going to Bed Under Difficulties (1900)

Fire! (1901)

The Man With the Rubber Head (1901)

Rip Van Winkle (1903)

The Infernal Cauldron (1903)

Antony & Cleopatra (1908)

Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde (1908)

The Cowboy Millionaire (1909)

Baseball & Bloomers (1911)

The Inferno (1911)

Robin Hood (1912)

At Midnight (1913)

Atlantis (1913)

The House of Darkness (1913)

The Wishing Rings (1914)

The Crazy Clock Maker (1915)

The Prisoner of Zenda (1915)

The Mystery of the Leaping Fish (1916)

The Outlaw and His Wife (1918)

The Ghost of Slumber Mountain (1918)

The Cinema Murder (1919)

Victory (1919)

Satan (1920)

Dracula's Death (1921)

The Fire Eater (1921)

The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse (1921)

A Debt of Honour (1922)

The Grass Orphan (1922)

Håxan (1922)

When Knighthood Was In Flower (1922)

Ashes of Vengeance (1923)

Raskolnikov (1923)

Ballet Mécanique (1924)

The Dark Angel (1925)

Smoldering Fires (1925)

Zander the Great (1925)

Kid Boots (1926)

The Triumph of the Rat (1926)

The Drop Kick (1927)

London After Midnight (1927)

Midnight Taxi (1928)

Sweeney Todd (1928)

The Terror (1928)

The Viking (1928)

A Knight in London (1929)

Bride of the Regiment (1930)

The Girl Said No (1930)

Manslaughter (1930)

The Temporary Widow (1930)

Bought! (1931)

Night Nurse (1931)

The Beast of the City (1932)

Devil and the Deep (1932)

Freaks (1932)

Blood Money (1933)

Design For Living (1933)

The Ghost Camera (1933)

The Vampire Bat (1933)

Viktor und Viktoria (1933)

You Made Me Love You (1933)

The Black Cat (1934)

Death Takes A Holiday (1934)

Little Man, What Now? (1934)

Black Fury (1935)

Crime and Punishment (1935)

Mad Love (1935)

Werewolves in London (1935)

Mr Deeds Goes To Town (1936)

Pennies From Heaven (1936)

The Awful Truth (1937)

La Grande Illusion (1937)

Madame X (1937)

Maid of Salem (1937)

The Prince and the Pauper (1937)

Young and Innocent (1937)

Woman Against Woman (1938)

Each Dawn I Die (1939)

Four Feathers (1939)

In Name Only (1939)

It's A Wonderful World (1939)

The Spy In Black (1939)

1940 - 1969

Arise My Love (1940)

Crimes At The Dark House (1940)

Dead Man's Shoes (1940)

My Favorite Wife (1940)

The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

Man-Made Monster (1941)

Meet John Doe (1941)

One Night in Transylvania (1941)

American Empire (1942)

The Black Sheep of Whitehall (1942)

There Was A Father (1942)

Angels of Sin (1943)

Cabin in the Sky (1943)

Calling Dr Death (1943)

Edge of Darkness (1943)

Heaven Can Wait (1943)

The Leopard Man (1943)

Yellow Canary (1943)

The Children Are Watching Us (1944)

Crime By Night (1944)

It Happened Tomorrow (1944)

Melody of Murder (1944)

The Body Snatcher (1945)

Detour (1945)

The Lost Letter (1945)

A Royal Scandal (1945)

The Beast With Five Fingers (1946)

The Big Sleep (1945)

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

The Razor's Edge (1946)

Gentlemen's Agreement (1947)

Devil in the Flesh (1947)

Kiss of Death (1947)

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947)

Bicycle Thieves (1948)

Monkey's Paw (1948)

Noose (1948)

The Red Shoes (1948)

Blue Swords (1949)

The Red Pony (1949)

The Secret Garden (1949)

The Black Rose (1950)

Death Is A Caress (1950)

Destination Moon (1950)

Edge of Doom (1950)

The Flame and the Arrow (1950)

Death of a Salesmen (1951)

The Idiot (1951)

The Thing From Another World (1951)

Your Day Will Come (1951)

The Quiet Man (1952)

The Beggar's Open (1953)

The Blue Gardenia (1953)

By The Light of the Silvery Moon (1953)

Escape By Night (1953)

From Here To Eternity (1953)

House of Wax (1953)

Man on a Tightrope (1953)

Shane (1953)

Tokyo Story (1953)

Robinson Crusoe (1954)

The Caine Mutiny (1954)

Sabrina (1954)

Seven Samurai (1954)

Battle Cry (1955)

Blackboard Jungle (1955)

East of Eden (1955)

Marty (1955)

Giant (1956)

Please Murder Me (1956)

Fear Strikes Out (1957)

Night of the Demon (1957)

The Quiet American (1958)

A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958)

The Death Ship (1959)

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1959)

The Broken Pots (1960)

Circus of Horrors (1960)

The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1960)

Exodus (1960)

Eyes Without A Face (1960)

Girl of the Night (1960)

The Human Vapor (1960)

The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)

The Ninth Circle (1960)

Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960)

Portrait in Black (1960)

Purple Noon (1960)

Testament of Orpheus (1960)

The Time Machine (1960)

The Village of the Damned (1960)

Antigone (1961)

A Bomb Was Stolen (1961)

The Children's Hour (1961)

Homicidal (1961)

The Human Condition (1961)

The Long and the Short and the Tall (1961)

Mothra (1961)

Mysterious Island (1961)

Pocketful of Miracles (1961)

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)

The Young Savages (1961)

Advise & Consent (1962)

Big and Little Wong Tin Bar (1962)

The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962)

Carnival of Souls (1962)

Experiment In Terror (1962)

The Exterminating Angel (1962)

Five Miles to Midnight (1962)

Knife in the Water (1962)

Long Days Journey Into Night (1962)

Manchurian Candidate (1962)

Moon Pilot (1962)

The Trial (1962)

A View From The Bridge (1962)

Charade (1963)

Diary of a Madman (1963)

Lilies of the Field (1963)

A Matter of Choice (1963)

Mother of the Bride (1963)

Passenger (1963)

The Raven (1963)

Sunday in New York (1963)

Take Her, She's Mine (1963)

Toys in the Attic (1963)

Walking the Streets of Moscow (1963)

First Men In the Moon (1964)

Of Human Bondage (1964)

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)

Chronicle of a Boy Alone (1965)

The Collector (1965)

Flight of the Phoenix (1965)

Lord Jim (1965)

Nightmare Castle (1965)

Tattooed Life (1965)

Alfie (1966)

Arabesque (1966)

Chimes at Midnight (1966)

Daisies (1966)

Come Spy With Me (1967)

Far From the Madding Crowd (1967)

The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967)

The Flim-Flam Man (1967)

Oedipus Rex (1967)

Paranoia (1967)

The Trip (1967)

Ulysses (1967)

The Boston Strangler (1968)

Destroy All Monsters (1968)

The Doll (1968)

The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968)

High School (1968)

The Sea Gull (1968)

The Secret Life of an American Wife (1968)

Signs of Life (1968)

What So Bad About Feeling Good? (1968)

The Assassination Bureau (1969)

The Color of Pomegranates (1969)

Don't Drink the Water (1969)

I'm An Elephant, Madame (1969)

If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969)

A Talent For Loving (1969)

What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? (1969)

1970-1999

Alex In Wonderland (1970)

Catch-22 (1970)

Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970)

Dionysus in '69 (1970)

How Do I Love Thee? (1970)

I Never Sang For My Father (1970)

The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970)

Michael The Brave (1970)

Of Gods and the Undead (1970)

The Phantom Tollbooth (1970)

There's A Girl In My Soup (1970)

The Traveling Executioner (1970)

The Beguiled (1971)

Bless the Beasts and Children (1971)

The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971)

The Devil Has Seven Faces (1971)

Drive, He Said (1971)

Land of Silence and Darkness (1971)

The Panic In Needle Park (1971)

Straw Dogs (1971)

Villain (1971)

Willard (1971)

1776 (1972)

Aguirre, Wrath of God (1972)

The Assassination of Trotsky (1972)

Frogs (1972)

The Scientific Cardplayer (1972)

Solaris (1972)

The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (1972)

They Only Kill Their Masters (1972)

Badlands (1973)

Blue Blood (1973)

Cops and Robbers (1973)

The Day of the Dolphin (1973)

The Long Goodbye (1973)

Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing (1973)

Soylent Green (1973)

Westworld (1973)

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)

At Home Among Strangers (1974)

The Clockmaker (1974)

Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)

Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Rhinoceros (1974)

Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

Brother, Can You Spare A Dime (1975)

Chronicle of the Years of Fire (1975)

Cornbread, Earl and Me (1975)

Deep Red (1975)

Graveyard of Honor (1975)

The Land That Time Forgot (1975)

Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)

Queen of the Stardust Ballroom (1975)

Tommy (1975)

The Bricklayers (1976)

The Devil's Playground (1976)

Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000 (1976)

The Killer Inside Me (1976)

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976)

Logan's Run (1976)

Backroads (1977)

The Prince and the Pauper (1977)

Death of a President (1977)

The Disappearance (1977)

Eraserhead (1977)

New York, New York (1977)

The Other Side of Midnight (1977)

Pete's Dragon (1977)

The Serpent's Egg (1977)

Wizards (1977)

The Big Fix (1978)

Coming Home (1978)

Days of Heaven (1978)

Germany In Autumn (1978)

Midnight Express (1978)

Remember My Name (1978)

Bloodline (1979)

City on Fire (1979)

A Perfect Couple (1979)

Skatetown, USA (1979)

The Dogs of War (1980)

Heaven's Gate (1980)

Rude Boy (1980)

Stalker (1980)

An American Werewolf In London (1981)

Escape From New York (1981)

Fever (1981)

My Bloody Valentine (1981)

Time Bandits (1981)

Tuck Everlasting (1981)

Alone in the Dark (1982)

Android (1982)

Another Way (1982)

The Beastmaster (1982)

The Border (1982)

Butterfly (1982)

Cannery Row (1982)

Creepshow (1982)

Diner (1982)

Fanny and Alexander (1982)

The Flight of Dragons (1982)

Moonlighting (1982)

The Plague Doctors (1982)

The Pokrovsky Gate (1982)

Tex (1982)

The World According To Garp (1982)

Betrayal (1983)

The Big Chill (1983)

Brainstorm (1983)

Christine (1983)

Daniel (1983)

The Dead Zone (1983)

The Dresser (1983)

The Honorary Consul (1983)

The Illusionist (1983)

The King of Comedy (1983)

Rumble Fish (1983)

The Scarlet and the Pipe (1983)

The Survivors (1983)

Trading Places (1983)

The Ice Pirates (1984)

The Killing Fields (1984)

The Last Starfighter (1984)

Repo Man (1984)

Rhinestone (1984)

A Year of Quiet Sun (1984)

Better Off Dead (1985)

The Black Cauldron (1985)

Fletch (1985)

Fright Night (1985)

Mask (1985)

Re-Animator (1985)

A Room With A View (1985)

9 1/2 Weeks (1986)

The Adventures of Milo and Otis (1986)

An American Tale (1986)

Back to School (1986)

Bue Velvet (1986)

Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)

River's Edge (1986)

Seize the Day (1986)

Sid and Nancy (1986)

Terrorizers (1986)

Voyage to Nowhere (1986)

Youngblood (1986)

Batteries Not Included (1987)

Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1987)

Cross My Heart (1987)

Deadline (1987)

The Hidden (1987)

Ishtar (1987)

Less Than Zero (1987)

The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1987)

The Lost Boys (1987)

Mannequin (1987)

Maurice (1987)

Number One With A Bullet (1987)

The Pick Up Artist (1987)

Roxanne (1987)

Wings of Desire (1987)

Withnail and I (1987)

The Year My Voice Broke (1987)

Biloxi Blues (1988)

Bright Lights, Big City (1988)

Dead Ringers (1988)

Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)

Johnny Be Good (1988)

The Music Teacher (1988)

Painted Faces (1988)

Permanent Record (1988)

The Prince of Pennsylvania (1988)

Stealing Heaven (1988)

The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)

We Think The World Of You (1988)

Working Girl (1988)

Wuthering Heights (1988)

Young Guns (1988)

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

Chances Are (1989)

Dead Calm (1989)

Drugstore Cowboy (1989)

I Love, You Love (1989)

Loverboy (1989)

See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989)

Signs of Life (1989)

UHF (1989)

Vampire's Kiss (1989)

Weekend At Bernies's (1989)

Darkman (1990)

Flatliners (1990)

The Freshman (1990)

Joe Versus The Volcano (1990)

Problem Child (1990)

Quigley Down Under (1990)

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990)

Vincent & Theo (1990)

King Ralph (1991)

My Own Private Idaho (1991)

Raise the Red Lantern (1991)

The Babe (1992)

The Crying Game (1992)

Death Becomes Her (1992)

Encino Man (1992)

Howard's End (1992)

Jámon Jámon (1992)

School Ties (1992)

Toys (1992)

Benny & Joon (1992)

Dave (1992)

Dazed and Confused (1992)

Heart and Souls (1993)

In the Name of the Father (1993)

Malice (1993)

Money For Nothing (1993)

The Night We Never Met (1993)

The Piano (1993)

The Remains of the Day (1993)

Searching For Bobby Fischer (1993)

So I Married An Axe Murderer (1993)

Swing Kids (1993)

The Three Musketeers (1993)

Tombstone (1993)

The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert (1994)

Airheads (1994)

Corrina, Corrina (1994)

Only You (1994)

The Pagemaster (1994)

Quiz Show (1994)

Stargate (1994)

When A Man Loves A Woman (1994)

The Arsonist (1995)

Babe (1995)

The Basketball Diaries (1995)

Before Sunrise (1995)

Demon Knight (1995)

Dolores Claiborne (1995)

Empire Records (1995)

Forgotten Silver (1995)

Four Rooms (1995)

Funny Bones (1995)

Hackers (1995)

Home For The Holidays (1995)

Kids (1995)

Mallrats (1995)

Powder (1995)

The Quick and the Dead (1995)

Sabrina (1995)

Crime that Changed Serbia (1995)

Tommy Boy (1995)

Before and After (1996)

The Birdcage (1996)

Bottle Rocket (1996)

The Crucible (1996)

The Fan (1996)

Fear (1996)

From Dusk till Dawn (1996)

Glory Daze (1996)

Marvin's Room (1996)

Michael (1996)

Mr Holland's Opus (1996)

Multiplicity (1996)

Primal Fear (1996)

Pusher (1996)

Shall We Dance (1996)

Sling Blade (1996)

Somersault in a Coffin (1996)

Swingers (1996)

That Thing You Do! (1996)

Trainspotting (1996)

Amistad (1997)

Anastasia (1997)

Boogie Nights (1997)

The Boxer (1997)

Chasing Amy (1997)

Dante's Peak (1997)

The Fifth Element (1997)

Fools Rush In (1997)

Funny Games (1997)

Gattaca (1997)

Lawn Dogs (1997)

Life is Beautiful (1997)

My Best Friends Wedding (1997)

The Postman (1997)

The Rainmaker (1997)

Romy and Michelle's High School Renion (1997)

Wag the Dog (1997)

American History X (1998)

Antz (1998)

Can't Hardly Wait (1998)

Godzilla (1998)

Great Expectations (1998)

Home Fries (1998)

The Interview (1998)

Meet Joe Black (1998)

Music From Another Room (1998)

A Night At the Roxbury (1998)

Of Freaks and Men (1998)

Overnight Delivery (1998)

Patch Adams (1998)

Phantoms (1998)

Pleasantville (1998)

Quest for Camelot (1998)

Return To Paradise (1998)

Rounders (1998)

Rushmore (1998)

Sliding Doors (1998)

Velvet Goldmine (1998)

What Dreams May Come (1998)

After Stonewall (1999)

All the Little Animals (1999)

The Astronauts Wife (1999)

Being John Malkovich (1999)

Big Daddy (1999)

The Bone Collector (1999)

But I'm A Cheerleader (1999)

The Cider House Rules (1999)

Dogma (1999)

EDtv (1999)

eXistenZ (1999)

Galaxy Quest (1999)

Girl, Interrupted (1999)

The Iron Giant (1999)

Monkeybone (1999)

Mystery, Alaska (1999)

Mystery Men (1999)

Never Been Kissed (1999)

Notting Hill (1999)

Office Space (1999)

Snow Falling On Cedars (1999)

Summer of Sam (1999)

2000-Now

28 Days (2000)

Almost Famous (2000)

Bedazzled (2000)

Best in Show (2000)

Billy Elliot (2000)

Dracula 2000 (2000)

Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)

High Fidelity (2000)

Keeping the Faith (2000)

Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

Spring Forward (2000)

Unbreakable (2000)

Bubble Boy (2001)

Disco Pigs (2001)

Donnie Darko (2001)

Ghost World (2001)

Josie and the Pussycats (2001)

Kate & Leopold (2001)

The Others (2001)

Rock Star (2001)

Saving Silverman (2001)

Swordfish (2001)

The Musketeer (2001)

City of God (2002)

Equilibrium (2002)

The Pianist (2002)

Possession (2002)

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

The Quiet American (2002)

All the Real Girls (2003)

Danny Deckchair (2003)

Gothika (2003)

Green Butchers (2003)

A Guy Thing (2003)

The Room (2003)

School of Rock (2003)

Shattered Glass (2003)

The Station Agent (2003)

Timeline (2003)

Win A Date With Tad Hamilton (2004)

Hidalgo (2004)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

The Girl Next Door (2004)

13 Going on 30 (2004)

Garden State (2004)

The Village (2004)

Layer Cake (2004)

Raise Your Voice (2004)

Closer (2004)

The Wedding Date (2005)

The Island (2005)

Red Eye (2005)

Just Like Heaven (2005)

Shopgirl (2005)

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Aeon Flux (2005)

Grandma's Boy (2006)

Aquamarine (2006)

Failure to Launch (2006)

She's the Man (2006)

Thank You For Smoking (2006)

V For Vendetta (2006)

Slither (2006)

Just My Luck (2006)

The Omen (2006)

Little Man (2006)

My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006)

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

The Illusionist (2006)

Employee of the Month (2006)

The Prestige (2006)

Let's Go To Prison (2006)

The Fall (2006)

Disturbia (2007)

Hannibal Rising (2007)

Waitress (2007)

Bug (2007)

Eagle vs Shark (2007)

No Reservations (2007)

The Brothers Solomon (2007)

Sydney White (2007)

Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

The Martian Child (2007)

Margot at the Wedding (2007)

August Rush (2007)

In Bruges (2008)

Definitely, Maybe (2008)

Be Kind Rewind (2008)

Charlie Bartlett (2008)

Paranoid Park (2008)

Funny Games (2008)

21 (2008)

My Blueberry Nights (2008)

The Foot Fist Way (2008)

The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

The Rocker (2008)

The House Bunny (2008)

Ghost Town (2008)

My Best Friend's Girl (2008)

RocknRolla (2008)

Repo! The Genetic Opera

Fanboys (2009)

Incendiary (2009)

Fired Up! (2009)

Ghost of Girlfriends Past (2009)

The Brothers Bloom (2009)

The Ugly Truth (2009)

Adam (2009)

Big Fan (2009)

Gamer (2009)

Splice (2009)

Bronson (2009)

Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

The Road (2009)

A Single Man (2009)

The Collector (2009)

Fish Tank (2009)

Legion (2010)

Repo Men (2010)

The Losers (2010)

The Trotsky (2010)

Cyrus (2010)

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

Salt (2010)

Never Let Me Go (2010)

Easy A (2010)

I Love You Philip Morris (2010)

Blue Valentine (2010)

Take Shelter (2011)

Sanctum (2011)

Paul (2011)

Limitless (2011)

Jane Eyre (2011)

Source Code (2011)

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2011)

Hanna (2011)

We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

Priest (2011)

Super 8 (2011)

Fright Night (2011)

The Ides of March (2011)

Anonymous (2011)

Warrior (2011)

Dream House (2011)

In Time (2011)

Young Adult (2011)

Premium Rush (2012)

Would You Rather (2012)

Chronicle (2012)

This Means War (2012)

Wanderlust (2012)

A Royal Affair (2012)

The Five-Year Engagement (2012)

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)

Lawless (2012)

For A Good Time, Call (2012)

The Words (2012)

Looper (2012)

Seven Psychopaths (2012)

Side Effects (2013)

Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)

Stoker (2013)

Mud (2013)

Byzantium (2013)

The Kings of Summer (2013)

Bad Words (2013)

The Way, Way Back (2013)

Prisoners (2013)

Frank (2014)

Chef (2014)

Rosewater (2014)

The Equalizer (2014)

The Drop (2014)

This Is Where I Leave You (2014)

A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014)

Dracula Untold (2014)

Me and Earl And the Dying Girl (2015)

Chappie (2015)

Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015)

The Gift (2015)

The End of the Tour (2015)

Burnt (2015)

Mr Right (2016)

Jane Got A Gun (2016)

Midnight Special (2016)

Everybody Want Some! (2016)

Green Room (2016)

Money Monster (2016)

The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)

Anthropoid (2016)

Loving (2016)

Frank & Lola (2016)

Paterson (2016)

Sleight (2017)

Table 19 (2017)

Dean (2017)

Brigsby Bear (2017)

You Were Never Really Here (2018)

First Reformed (2018)

Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot (2018)

Blindspotting (2018)

Juliet, Naked (2018)

Hunter Killer (2018)

#movie recommendations #movie recs

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raywritesthings · 6 years ago

Text

Rebirth

My Writing Fandom: Arrow Characters: Laurel Lance, Oliver Queen, Thea Queen, Ra’s al Ghul, John Diggle, Felicity Smoak, Malcolm Merlyn, Maseo Tamashiro Pairing: Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen (implied) Summary: When Ra's al Ghul's attack falls on another of Oliver's loved ones, it has unintended consequences. *Can also be read on my AO3 account*

Laurel went to the loft as soon as she heard the news. It seemed impossible for Roy to be gone so suddenly — that hadn’t been the plan at all — and she knew Thea would be taking it hardest of all.

Her younger friend’s eyes were red-rimmed but dry when she opened the door, and Laurel immediately came through and put her arms around her.

“I just got word. I’m so sorry, Thea.”

“This just keeps happening,” Thea murmured. “I mean not even a couple months ago, Ollie was gone. But Roy’s not coming back.”

Laurel rubbed at Thea’s back and remained there until her friend pulled away. She followed her over to the high table where a wine glass sat by a half-empty decanter.

“Sorry.” Thea put the lid on the decanter, eyes downcast. “I’m not really good company right now.”

“That’s okay.” She set her purse down on a chair as Thea walked around her to put the wine glass away. “I’m here for whatever you need. If you don’t want to talk, we don’t have to talk.”

“Yeah, that’s probably—” Thea dropped the glass with a gasp as she looked past Laurel, and Laurel spun around to see what had caused the reaction.

She’d only seen him briefly before as they had ran from the police helicopters, but Laurel would know him anywhere. Ra’s al Ghul stood in the sitting room of Thea and Oliver’s loft.

“Do you know who I am?”

Thea swallowed once. “You’re the Demon.”

“I am the Demon’s Head. As those were before me, and very soon, your brother.”

Laurel shook her head. “Oliver will never take your place.”

“He will. Once I’ve given him sufficient motivation.” His gaze never wavered from Thea. Laurel moved to place herself in front of her friend.

“Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not happening.” She’d already lost one sister to the power play of the League of Assassins, and she’d be damned if she lost another.

Thea darted to the side where Laurel had a feeling she’d stashed a weapon, but Ra’s moved swiftly to block her way. He grabbed her wrist when she tried to strike, but Laurel caught his own arm when he went for Thea’s undefended side. After that, it was a flurry of fists, jabs, and kicks, faster than could be kept up with. She and Thea were running purely on instinct and adrenaline, while Ra’s seemed to have the next several steps in this deadly dance already mapped out. He wasn’t even breathing harshly, and his face was a mask of calm.

She had thought Nyssa the best out of anyone, and yet her mentor’s father was in a class of his own, easily blocking both their hits and striking back. He knocked Laurel back into one of the brick support beams, and the wind rushed out of her, defenseless. But Ra’s instead turned towards Thea, his focus still on her. His intent was clear, and there was little either of them could do to stop him on their own.

They needed an edge.

Her eyes landed on her purse sitting on the chair. The device Cisco had made her was still in its casing inside. Laurel pushed up onto her feet, running and pulling it out. There was a crash as she fastened it around her neck, and Laurel wheeled around to see Thea falling through the shattered coffee table. Ra’s moved forward, unsheathing his sword, and Laurel prayed this would work.

She let out a scream, more glass exploding all around them as Ra’s reeled back, his hands over his ears. He glared in her direction, a fleeting break in his unaffected visage.

Laurel walked forward, standing between him and Thea once again.

“You’ve made some improvements to the Canary’s weaponry,” he stated. “It won’t save you.”

“Maybe not.” She tried to keep the tremor out of her voice. This was the man who had nearly killed Oliver. She’d be a fool to think she’d fare any better. “It just has to save her.”

Thea was rising back up gingerly. “Laurel...no.”

“Get out of here, Thea.” Her friend stood there, and Laurel hardened her voice. “Go!”

Ra’s lunged before she could be sure Thea had listened, and Laurel was immediately on the defensive. It was clear the game was over now, and Ra’s was no longer toying.

Laurel risked precious seconds to turn the choker back on, and only barely blocked another attack. She opened her mouth to activate the sonic device a second time and the cry resounded, but Ra’s arm twisted upwards with a flash of steel.

“No!”

It felt like nothing. She was aware of the cut, of the blood that spurted from her throat, of the breath that was suddenly a struggle to draw. But it felt like nothing.

Laurel staggered forward a step and was caught by the Demon.

“Your sacrifice was honorable. May your friend feel the same.” He murmured something, words Laurel couldn’t understand, as he bent to lay her on the floor.

Her friend. Ollie. Her heart sped up, though it hurt. Maybe she hadn’t had the training, but she’d protected his sister. He wouldn’t be joining the League.

In her blurring vision, she saw a smaller figure — Thea — lunge at Ra’s. He batted her away easily with one hand. Then he turned and walked away. Thea appeared again before her, but Laurel blinked and it was darker, harder to see.

Her body was limp and growing numb. All she could register were two arms around her and a voice crying her name. She wondered if Sara had known that last comfort, too.

—-

Oliver had just reached the lobby of his and Thea’s building when his phone began buzzing. It was his sister, and Oliver sighed. He felt guilty she hadn’t been there to see Roy off, but at the least he could assure her that his now former partner had not died in prison as the team were leading everyone to believe.

“Hey, Thea—”

“Ollie?!”

Thea’s voice was utterly shaken and echoey as though he were on speaker. Oliver frowned and changed course from waiting for the elevator.

“Thea, where are you? What’s going on?”

“I’m- we’re in the loft. But Ra’s — Oh God, Ollie, there’s so much — there’s so much blood. I don’t know what to do. Laurel!”

The wailed name pierced him like a shard of ice through the heart. He threw back the fire door and raced up the stairs.

Oliver burst through the door to the loft and found a wreck. Shattered glass littered the floor, and by the fireplace were Thea and Laurel. His little sister had removed her shirt and bunched it up to press to Laurel’s neck, and it was already deep red with blood.

“Please, Laurel, stay with me!” Thea was sobbing. “Don’t go, too! Not you too!”

He was frozen in the doorway for a moment, unable to accept what was happening in front of him. Laurel couldn’t be — she couldn’t.

The time was ticking on. Oliver forced himself into moving, dropping down to the rug beside Thea and taking Laurel’s hand. It was still warm. He dug around in his pocket for his phone.

“We need to get her help. We need…”

But his thumb hovered over the 9. Calling an ambulance meant Captain Lance finding out. And this would kill him.

Oliver went into his contacts instead, pressing the phone to his ear and gritting his teeth as he waited for it to be picked up.

“Oliver?”

“John, bring the medical kit to the loft. Now!”

Thea was shaking with her sobs, and he gently placed his hands over hers to take over holding the shirt to Laurel’s wound.

“Are you okay?”

His sister managed a nod.

“Where’s Ra’s?”

“He left. He- he just left me here. He only came here to kill me, and now Laurel — it’s my fault, God, it’s my fault!”

“No. No, Thea, it’s mine.” If he had just accepted Ra’s offer from the start, the Demon Head would not have continued to escalate things so far. The people killed by the imposter Arrows would be alive, Roy would still be here, and Laurel wouldn’t be hovering on the brink of death.

God, how could he have let this happen? His eyes were stinging as he looked at her. This whole year they had been at odds, all over his efforts to try and protect her. Yet she had been the one to place herself between his sister and certain death. Just as a hero would.

“Just a little longer, Laurel,” he said, his voice wavering badly. “Please.”

It couldn’t end this way. She was stronger than this; he knew she was.

“Laurel.”

Oliver turned his head at the sound of John’s voice. Their friend had come through the open door and now hurried to join them.

“What happened?”

“Ra’s.”

John worked quickly, carefully peeling back the cloth just slightly to get and look and retrieving the right set of tools for the patch job they had to pray would save her life. “Okay, on my count, you move, and I start stitching.”

Oliver nodded.

John was still watching him. “You’re going to have to let go, Oliver.”

“I know.” He was hardly able to choke out.

“One, two, three.”

He pulled the shirt and his hands away despite the panic at the thought of just letting Laurel’s life slip away, and John was immediately blocking his view as he started closing up the wound at her neck. He wasn’t sure if seeing or not was better, if it made the panic less.

Thea had her arms wrapped around herself, shaking still as she cried. Oliver reached toward her but stopped as he took in both of their appearances.

He stared down at his hands, red with Laurel’s blood. Thea had it on her hands, her arms, her clothes were stained with it. There was too much blood.

He couldn’t do anything for Laurel while John was working; that was in his hands. But he could take care of his sister. He could try.

Oliver got to his feet and pulled her up, half-leading and half-carrying her to the bathroom. He started the shower while Thea methodically stripped down and stepped inside, her sobs still occasionally breaking out. Oliver scrubbed at his hands in the sink. The skin felt raw by the time he finished, and he tossed the soap bar in the trash. He couldn’t look at the rusty color it had taken on.

He went back out to the main room. There was both calm and panic within him now. The world was either over or it wasn’t. Only John could answer as to which.

His friend was sitting back on his heels, his shoulders hunched and the gloves stripped off. He looked up at Oliver’s approach.

“Help me move her to the couch. She should be comfortable.”

The tone wasn’t promising. Oliver swallowed down a lump and moved to slide his arms as gently as possible under Laurel. He cradled her close as he and John walked the short distance and laid her back down. Without thinking, he reached to brush some of her hair out of her face.

“Had to take this off her first to put the bandages on.” John held out a black choker Oliver had never seen her wear before. It had something on the front, with a tiny light still glowing. His fingers traced over it for a brief moment. “You recognize it?”

“No.” He took it from his friend and placed it beside her. Then he drew in a breath. “Will she be okay?”

“She’s lost a lot of blood, Oliver. She could have swallowed some. We don’t even know if there’s been damage to her windpipe. There’s no telling if she wakes up from this.” John shook his head. “A hospital would put her on life support. From there, it’d be a question of how long to delay the inevitable.”

His heart was lead, sinking deep within him. Laurel’s smile, the pitch of her voice as she railed against an injustice, the warmth in her hugs, those had all been ripped from the world as she herself slowly slipped away from them all.

Oliver couldn’t remember the last thing he’d said to her. She had gotten him out of police custody. Had he thanked her? He’d been so worried about Roy…

John placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Oliver.”

Something dripped onto the floor in front of him. Then again. Belatedly, Oliver realized it was tears, and his own.

She didn’t deserve this, dying for his family. Even as much as she cared for Thea in her own right. But he could just picture the stubborn set to her shoulders, the fire in her eyes as she faced down Ra’s al Ghul himself. It was absolutely her, and Oliver had always known that.

And he’d dreaded this sort of end all the time.

He turned away from John and Laurel on the couch, his hands pressed over his mouth to hold in some sound. Losing Roy, even as he lived, had been bittersweet. Losing Sara, again, had been sudden and wrenching as always. But Laurel...it was too much. She had been with him too long. When he thought of Starling City, she was first in his mind. Because of him, they were all losing her.

As he stared out the high windows trying to wrest back control over his emotions, something caught his eye. Purple smoke was rising in the distance. Maseo.

John had followed his fixed gaze and was frowning at the smoke as he came up to his side. “What is that? The League?”

“He’s won,” said Oliver. Whatever the next stage of Ra’s plan was, Oliver knew it was over for him. He had already lost too much in trying to resist. He couldn’t withstand any more. One way or another, as Slade had said at their last meeting, there would be no more Oliver Queen.

“What do you mean?” John asked him.

But Oliver didn’t answer. Instead, he turned and left the loft. He had an assassin to meet.

—-

As soon as Oliver left the bathroom, Thea shut the cold water off completely. Steam rose all around her as her skin was scalded, but she didn’t care. It at least let her feel something. The water pooled at her feet was red, and then brown, and then clear as it disappeared down the drain, and part of her wanted to pretend that meant everything was fine. That there had been no fight, and no blood, and Laurel wasn’t- wasn’t—

Thea stood there until the water ran cold, and then stood there some more. She was shivering as she staggered out and wrapped herself in a towel. Then she wandered out to the sitting room again, only to stop as she took in the new circumstances.

Oliver was nowhere to be found, but Felicity had joined them. She stood by Diggle, speaking softly, though the two fell silent and looked around at her.

“Is Laurel…”

Diggle nodded to the couch where her friend was laid out. She looked far too pale, even as her mouth still hung slightly open like she’d just nodded off. Not been cut down right in front of Thea just like her mother.

She screwed her face up, trying to hold in an anguished scream. With the others here, she couldn’t break down. Instead, Thea tried to focus on something else, and caught sight of the choker sitting beside Laurel on the cushion. She wasn’t really sure what it was, but she knew that it — and Laurel’s intervention — had likely saved her own life.

Carefully, Thea took it and refastened it around the woman’s neck. She deserved to have it.

“Where’s Oliver?” She asked the room at large, her voice wavering but calm.

“He saw some signal from the League. Went to talk to them,” Diggle answered.

“Why?”

“We don’t know.”

“We need to find out,” Felicity insisted. “He can’t just leave us, John. We can’t let that happen.”

Thea didn’t know what to think. Oliver wouldn’t join the League after what Ra’s had done. He couldn’t. There had to be something else at work here.

She took the stairs up to her room, pulling on the first clothes she came across in her closet. Then she sat on her bed. It didn’t feel real. It was like time had stopped the moment that blade had connected with Laurel’s skin. She couldn’t be dying. What would they do?

Thea couldn’t say for how long she sat there staring at a wall and willing herself not to think anything. But abruptly, she registered raised voices, and one of them was her brother’s.

“The Pit’s real. I’ve seen it. It can save Laurel.”

“Right. But only if you become the new Ra's.”

“Okay. Well, even if a magic hot tub were not crazy talk, we're not going to let you go and join the League of psychotic murderers, even if it is to save Laurel.”

Her heart jumped and she hurried from her room to the top of the steps. They could bring Laurel back?

Oliver had a small travel bag and was wrapping a blanket over Laurel with the clear intent to transport her. Diggle stood a couple feet away, arms crossed, while Felicity was right at her brother’s side and trying to catch his eye.

“Oliver, if you accept the League’s deal, we’ll lose you. I’ll lose you.”

“If Lance finds out about this, Oliver’s through either way,” Diggle grudgingly pointed out.

Oliver straightened and turned to face the other two. “Felicity, John, I don’t care about what happens to me. A deal with Ra’s is the only option that is going to save Laurel, and it is the only option I am going to take.”

“Well, what- what about Thea?” Felicity asked, and Thea felt both her eyebrows raise. “You said you’d do anything to keep her safe, and you’re just going to leave her behind while you become an assassin?”

Oliver hesitated, and that was when Thea went for the stairs.

“Do I get a say in this?” They all turned to look at her as she cleared the last step and kept going until she was right in front of Oliver. “The League can save Laurel?”

He nodded. “I have to agree to be the heir if they do.”

She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. This was the furthest thing from an easy decision. Oliver was her brother, her only family — the only family she felt all that willing to acknowledge lately, anyway. The last thing she wanted was to lose him.

But Laurel...Thea opened her eyes and met his. “She’s always been there for us.”

“I know,” he agreed softly. His decision was made. And even if Thea’s word could stay him, she couldn’t give it. If she could take the punishment in either his or Laurel’s place — but the world didn’t work that way.

“Then let’s go.” For however long she could be, Thea was going to be right there with him.

Despite her clear objections, Felicity got them access to Ray Palmer’s private jet, and within hours they were cleared for takeoff. She stuck by her brother’s side as they crossed the tarmac to the plane.

Before they could board, a familiar voice called out. “Oliver.”

Thea turned with apprehension to watch as her father approached them.

“I would not do this if I were you.”

“Of course you wouldn’t.” Thea’s fists were clenched at her sides. She wasn’t even surprised he already knew the whole story. “You don’t care if other people die for you.”

“I care about you, Thea,” he insisted. “And your happiness. If Oliver goes to Nanda Parbat tonight, you will lose your brother forever.”

Oliver shifted to stand slightly in front of her, a barrier between her and her father. “Spare me the act, Malcolm. If you cared at all for your daughter, you wouldn’t have forced her to kill her own friend. You wouldn’t have set the League in motion to tear her life apart.” There was tension in every line of him, like he was only barely holding himself back. “Laurel was right about you. You brought this on me, on Thea, on Roy, on Sara, and on her. You are a poison,” he spat. “And I am through protecting you.”

Oliver turned and resumed his stride towards the steps of the plane.

“I’m going with you if you’re taking my daughter to Nanda Parbat.”

“Like hell you are,” Thea said, and it was a relief and a rush to watch his eyes widen in surprise. “You really think after everything, just because we’re related that makes us family? I’m going to Nanda Parbat to get my real family back, and you’re not welcome. You’re not welcome in my life ever again.”

The relief was only greater as she left him standing there. Whatever ties Malcolm might have been trying to build between the two of them, he had severed them all on his own, and it was past time for her to make that clear.

“She won’t be the woman you knew and cared for, Oliver,” he called after them. “The Pit changes people in their soul.”

Oliver’s frown deepened, but otherwise, he acted as though nothing had been said. Thea followed his example and entered the plane.

—-

The ride was mostly quiet. Thea sat beside him, a constant presence and comfort. In the next aisle were Felicity and John. Felicity in particular looked troubled, but there was nothing he could say to change that. He had to go forward with this. If he didn’t, he couldn’t live with himself.

Sometime during the flight, Thea nodded off on his shoulder, and Oliver nearly thought he had too when he just barely picked up Felicity’s voice. “Would Laurel even want this?”

“Hm?” He sat up straighter.

She was looking right at him. “You joining the League. She fought Ra’s to keep him from getting at Thea, who he was obviously planning to use to pressure you. Isn’t doing this, I don’t know, disrespecting her wishes?”

He frowned. “I’d rather have Laurel alive and angry with me than dead. She can yell at me all she wants after the Pit heals her.”

“But for how long, Oliver?” John asked. “You’re gonna be with the League.”

That was true, and, if he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t putting much thought into what being with the League would be like. He just knew he could endure it if she was safe along with the others. He’d survived hell for five years with that thought in mind; he could survive this.

When they landed, he woke Thea and then went to collect Laurel. She was totally limp in his hold, and a part of him had to wonder what would happen if the stories weren’t true and the Pit didn’t work. Oliver pushed those thoughts from his mind as quickly as they came.

They were greeted outside the fortress by countless members of the League and Ra’s al Ghul himself, and Laurel was taken from him by Maseo.

They next time they were all gathered was before the pit. Laurel had been placed in a white gown and was laid out on a board attached to four ropes. He was given one, John another, with Maseo and a fourth League member taking the remaining two as Thea and Felicity both looked on.

A priestess came forward to start a chant in Arabic that was then picked up by the rest of the League while they slowly lowered Laurel in. His heart was in his throat as she disappeared below the surface.

The chanting abruptly ceased, and it was totally still. Even the waters of the Pit.

Oliver held his breath, waiting. In his head ran a mantra of Come on, Laurel, come on. It had to work.

The waters began to bubble and roil again, and the ropes were suddenly ripped from their hands. Oliver stepped forward, peering into the waters trying to make out anything at all.

And then he was knocked flat onto his back as she leapt straight out of the waters and several feet in the air, landing in a crouch at the edge of the Pit with her hair hanging in her face.

He almost didn’t have the breath to ask, “...Laurel?” He was echoed by Thea.

Laurel looked up, but there was nothing but pure, animal rage in her eyes. Her lips were pulled back in a snarl, and her head snapped in one direction and the other before fixing on the Demon Head. She opened her mouth and let out a scream.

It was like nothing Oliver had ever heard or seen. Because it could be seen.

Waves of air, energy, something, left her mouth and hit Ra’s squarely. He flew back, slamming against the far wall and slumping to the ground. Several assassins rushed to his sides. Others ran to grab at Laurel.

She struggled, growling and kicking out. Oliver pushed back onto his feet and hurried to reach her.

“Laurel, Laurel! Don’t hurt her!”

The priestess snuck in under someone’s arm and injected Laurel with something. Her eyes rolled back and she slumped into his arms. Oliver held her close, unnerved and terrified to let any of the League members near her.

Especially when Maseo pronounced for all to hear, “Ra’s al Ghul is dead.”

Oliver turned to see the Demon Head lying in a crumpled heap, blood trickling from his ears. The scream that had come from Laurel had killed him. Oliver looked down at her, asleep in his arms. What had he done?”

Thea hurried to his side, and the others were not far behind her. “Ollie, what happens now?”

He had no answer. But Maseo did.

His former friend left Ra’s and walked to him. “Now the chosen heir becomes the next Ra’s al Ghul.” He knelt in front of Oliver, and the rest of the League followed suit.

This wasn’t at all what he had expected or wanted. He had hoped that in agreeing to become the heir, he could buy some time to think of a new strategy to end the League’s control over his and his loved ones’ lives. But without that window in between, where did that leave him?

His first priority was making sure that Laurel was actually alright. He lifted her fully into his arms again, heedless of the water that dampened his own clothes. “Where can she rest?”

Maseo stood back up and led them all to a bedchamber. As they walked, John came to his side.

“Oliver, what are we gonna do?”

“I don’t know yet. We figure out what’s happened to Laurel first.”

“Or if she’s even Laurel?”

He didn’t reply.

—-

This had been a terrible idea. She’d known it from the start. But had Oliver listened? Scratch that, did Oliver ever listen was the better question.

The men all stood outside as Felicity helped Thea to dry Laurel off and change her into some clothes Thea had packed for the trip. They were a little small on Laurel, but none of them had wanted to risk stopping by her apartment or otherwise running the risk of encountering Captain Lance. Though imagining what he would have to say now, Felicity wondered if it wouldn’t have been better for him to stop this whole thing from happening.

Laurel hadn’t come out of the Pit, that much was clear. She wasn’t sure what had, or how it had managed to kill Ra’s with a scream, but it had. So now some unknown entity was possessing their friend’s body and Oliver was the de facto Ra’s. Truly a brilliant plan.

They got not-Laurel into bed and let Oliver and John back in the room. Oliver went straight to Laurel’s bedside, his brow creased with worry. Watching him was causing a sinking sort of sensation in her gut, so Felicity went and sat on an ottoman, John coming to stand against the wall beside her.

No one seemed ready to really talk, and the silence stretched on for an uncomfortable while.

With a gasp and terrified cry — not accompanied by eardrum-shattering waves this time — not-Laurel sat up with no warning. Felicity jumped in her seat.

Oliver reached out to touch their panicked friend’s shoulder. “Laurel? Laurel, you’re okay. It’s okay.”

Her gasps for breath slowed as she took in the sight of him. “Ollie?”

Okay, so that did sound like Laurel’s voice, and she did clearly recognize Oliver. Maybe it wasn’t a full possession, then.

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s me.” A full smile broke out on Oliver’s face. He sat on the edge of the bed, facing Laurel. “How are you feeling?”

“I don’t know. Where are we?”

“It doesn’t matter,” said Thea, standing on the other side of the bed. “We’re just so glad you’re okay.”

But Laurel shrank back towards Oliver. “I’m sorry, who are you?”

Thea froze, and everyone else in the room seemed to collectively hold their breath. “Laurel, it’s- it’s me. Thea.”

“Thea?” Laurel shook her head slowly. “That can’t be right. Thea’s only twelve.”

Felicity felt her eyes widen, and she looked down as Thea backed away seeming totally lost.

“Ollie, where’s my dad?”

“He, um, he had to work. So did your mom.”

“And Sara?”

There was another terrible pause at the innocent question. It was almost too much to stand.

“She’s not here right now, Laurel. I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay.” It was clear by her tone that Laurel merely thought her sister was out somewhere else and not dead. “Did you cut your hair?”

“Uh—” Oliver sent a brief, panicked glance back at the rest of them. Felicity just sighed. This was his choice, his mess.

“I like it.” Laurel was smiling; warm, open, even a little flirty.

And Oliver’s voice sounded entirely too soft as he replied, “Thank you.” The sinking feeling in Felicity’s stomach was getting worse.

“What’s the matter?” A slight pout formed on Laurel’s lips. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No,” Oliver lied. “You’re fine. Why don’t you try and get some more rest?” He helped her to settle back against the pillows and pulled the blanket up over her chest. But Laurel pushed back up again slightly as he made to step away.

“Ollie? You won’t leave, will you?”

There was something absolutely shattered in his gaze. And Felicity knew without question, it was his heart. Her eyes fell shut.

She could still hear his response. “No. Never.”

And he really never would. Not fully. For some part of Oliver, Laurel was always going to be the dream. That goal he single-mindedly strove towards. Why else would he have used Felicity, and not Laurel, as the bait for Slade? Why else had it been Laurel who had gotten through to him last year when he’d been intent on committing suicide? Even whenever he said he gave up on her, that was never really the case. And it never would be.

She had wondered for some time if his hesitance to begin a relationship with her had only been because of the dangers of being a vigilante. It had felt like such a ridiculous excuse to use when only hours ago he had been ready to start a relationship while being a vigilante and when she had been in danger plenty of times before. Perhaps, on some level, he was aware that he wasn’t fully committed, not when he still harbored feelings for Laurel. No matter who Oliver was with, Laurel was always going to be the woman he loved. Even if he claimed to love Felicity, too.

Why should she have to settle for that? Why would she want to?

Ray had been willing to say he loved her. Full stop. And she’d been too conflicted at the time to know her answer, but she could say for certain now that that was what she wanted. Someone whose past was in the past and who could commit himself fully to her.

If she wanted to be happy, history showed that long-term that didn’t seem to be something Oliver was capable of. Especially with his new role as Ra’s al Ghul looming over them all. Felicity could only be glad she’d wised up to that now rather than later. She wished she could be glad they had Laurel back now, too, but how much good was it if she’d lost a sizeable chunk of her own memory in the process?

The first thing she was doing if and when they got home was calling Ray. Maybe it wasn’t too late to salvage things.

—-

Disoriented didn’t cover her experience waking up. Laurel groaned, one hand going to her head and the other reaching blindly for her bedside table — which wasn’t there. She sat up, pillows flopping off the sides of a bed she didn’t recognize, in a room with stone walls and medieval-style decoration. Where in the world was she? She’d been at Oliver and Thea’s loft—

The loft. Ra’s.

Her hand left her head and instead felt around her neck, but there was nothing. No wound. The skin was completely smooth. But she had been cut.

Then was this…?

Before she could become too panicked over metaphysics, a large and heavy looking door swung open, with Oliver coming through it wearing some sort of robes.

“Hey, I’m here.”

“Okay.” She blinked, but he was still in the robes. That wasn’t necessarily a good sign that any of this was real. “Where’s here? And where’s Thea?”

He paused. Laurel felt faint.

“Is she okay?” Had she failed to protect her? How could she be alive if Thea was dead?

“She’s- she’s fine. I just don’t know if you — do you remember waking up earlier?”

Laurel shook her head slowly. “The last thing I remember is fighting Ra’s...I thought I died.”

“Yeah, that’s the thing. You sort of did,” Oliver stated. “In a manner of speaking.”

Laurel stared at him. “What does that mean?”

“Ra’s mortally injured you in your fight. He sent Maseo to tell me that if I agreed to be his heir, he would use the Lazarus Pit here in Nanda Parbat to restore you to life.”

As crazy as that sounded, some of the details in their surroundings and the clothes he was dressed in were starting to make a horrible amount of sense. “Oliver, tell me you didn’t.”

“I had to.”

His tone wasn’t angry. He hadn’t even raised his voice. And yet, in this moment more than any other, she could tell just by the look in his eyes that there would be no room for argument.

There were running footsteps outside, and they both looked as Thea appeared in the doorway. She hung there a moment, something uncertain in her gaze.

“It’s okay,” Oliver told his sister. “She remembers.”

“Oh, thank God.” Thea ran up to her bedside and leaned over to hug her. “We were so worried about you!”

Laurel returned the embrace, grateful to see her unharmed, but looked over to Oliver for some sort of explanation as to Thea’s momentary hesitance.

“You woke up once and had some memory issues,” he said. “You’ve been asleep almost a whole day since then.”

A whole day. Thea released her and Laurel took a moment to rub at her temples with both hands while she processed just some of what she’d been told. Then it hit her.

“Nobody called off work for me, did they?”

Thea gave her an incredulous look which Oliver mirrored before letting out a short laugh.

“No. No, we forgot. Sorry.”

There was a light knock, and she looked to see John and Felicity in the open doorway. They walked further into the room, with John remarking, “Looks like you’re doing better.”

“You guys came, too?”

“Of course we did,” Felicity answered.

“We’re a team,” John agreed. “And the team needs to make some decisions right about now.”

Right, the League. Oliver.

“How long do you have before you officially become the heir?”

Most of the others exchanged a look, but Felicity spoke up. “Oh, no, they’re skipping over all of that entirely. He’s Ra’s al Ghul now.”

Laurel blinked. “Wait, what?”

Oliver’s eyes were more on the blankets than on her as he said, “When you came out of the Pit, you weren’t exactly yourself. And something happened. We’re not sure what.”

“Hopefully it doesn’t happen again,” John added.

“What do you guys mean?”

“Ra’s died,” Thea stated, and Laurel felt her mouth drop open. “Because, um, you attacked him. Not- not physically, just — it was like what you used in the loft, only more.”

What she’d used in the loft? The sonic choker Cisco had built her. She felt around her neck once more, but it wasn’t there. Yet they were saying Ra’s was dead. She had killed him.

She wondered dimly if this was how Thea had felt when she’d learned the truth about Sara. Try as she might, the memory just would not come. Why had she done it? And how?

“Thea, what are you talking about?” Oliver asked, breaking Laurel from her thoughts. “You’ve seen it before?”

“Not exactly. I didn’t think of it till just now. When we were fighting Ra’s, Laurel got out that choker and it could make this really loud noise.”

“It had one of Sara’s sonic devices attached to it,” she explained. “I asked Barry’s friend Cisco to rework them for me when he was in town a couple days ago. I hadn’t had the chance to use it in the field yet.”

“You weren’t wearing it when you went into the Pit,” John said. “And it wasn’t just noise that came out of your mouth. I mean, you could see it.”

“Sonic waves, visible to the eye,” Felicity stated. “At the close range you hit Ra’s with them, it was enough to kill him. Not that — no one’s blaming you for it, Laurel. I mean, we’re not even mourning him, really.”

“It just means that I’ve ascended the ranks of the League a little faster than I was expecting to,” Oliver said.

“Well, we can’t just leave you here to run the League,” she insisted.

Felicity nodded. “Yeah, that’s not happening. Worst case scenario, we find somebody for you to train up really fast to be the next heir.”

Oliver frowned. “I don’t think that’s gonna happen over a long weekend, guys.”

“Do we know if there’s other options for a Ra’s to step down?” John asked. “What if you abdicate?”

“To who?”

“I don’t know, you’re on pretty good terms with that Maseo guy,” Thea remarked. “Does it really matter?”

“Yes, it does,” Oliver replied. “If the last few years have been any indication, the League can have a serious impact on all our lives. To leave it in the wrong hands is only going to hurt us in the long run.”

That much was true. They were all quiet for some time.

“Nyssa,” Laurel blurted. “She’s trained for this role her entire life, and she’s a good person.”

Oliver thought that over. “It’s probably the best we can hope for. I’ll have to check if Maseo thinks the League will accept that. And Nyssa will have to come back to Nanda Parbat.”

“Let’s hope she wasn’t too attached to her dad,” John remarked, and Laurel felt her insides squirm unpleasantly. There was little excuse for it, but she kept forgetting that Ra’s was dead, and by her hand. It just sounded impossible. But he was dead, and there were consequences to deal with as a result.

One of those consequences might be losing yet another person in her life. Nyssa was her friend, and, horrible as he’d been, Laurel had killed her father. Would Nyssa even want to see her, let alone help them once she learned this?

“So, hypothetically, you could take the plane back with us to Starling since you would be on a mission to relocate Nyssa,” Thea said with a grin.

“I could probably swing that.” Oliver grew a little more serious as he addressed the whole group. “We need to be ready to move once I announce my decision to the League. I don’t want any complications. I’ll meet you four at the plane.” He paused and turned to her. “If you’re okay to move.”

“I think I am,” she answered. “I really don’t remember the Pit or- or anything you all have told me. But I feel fine.”

“Okay.” He helped her out of the bed, and as she left the warm blankets Laurel realized she must have been placed in one of Thea’s sweaters. A fair bit of her midriff was showing, and she couldn’t help wrapping her arms around herself as she stood in the cooler air of the room.

“Are you cold?”

“I’ll be fine.”

Oliver looked to John. “My jacket should be in the room with the rest of our stuff.”

John nodded. “Right.”

Laurel rolled her eyes. “I can make it to the plane.”

“Laurel, we didn’t know if you were going to live a day ago,” Oliver reminded her. “And considering we’re still not sure what exactly the Pit did, I don’t want to take any risks. Please?”

“Okay,” she agreed quietly. It was sweet of Oliver to be so concerned, though she’d have to be on guard for what qualified as risks. She wasn’t just giving up on being a part of the team, no matter how dangerous it was. What would be the point of getting her life back if she didn’t live it?

She followed Thea, John, and Felicity out of her room and down a corridor to the room they must have set up in to wait, where she was given back her shoes and handed Oliver’s jacket. It was a good deal warmer, and it provided a level of comfort hard to define. Mostly because she didn’t want to define it.

“If this all works out, we have gotten so lucky,” Felicity commented as she hefted a bag onto one shoulder. “I mean, again, I’m not saying I wanted you to have to kill Ra’s, but if he’d still been here to order Oliver around, I was going to have to do something drastic.”

“I just can’t believe he agreed to this at all.” Becoming Ra’s went against everything Oliver had been trying to accomplish since he’d left killing behind as the Arrow.

“Well, he didn’t feel he had any other choice.” Felicity had stopped moving around, and Laurel stopped as well. Her friend had an almost solemn look to her as she continued, “He really cares about you, you know?”

It took Laurel a moment to reply. “I know. He cares about everyone.”

Felicity smiled, but it wasn’t her usual bright one. “Yeah.”

“Everybody ready?” John asked from where he stood in the door. “Don’t want to get left behind in this labyrinth.”

“Definitely not,” Thea agreed. She reached out for Laurel’s hand, and Laurel took it while reaching back for Felicity as well, glad to see a reassured smile on her friend’s face at the touch.

John led the way out, and as they emerged she found herself blinking in unexpected sunlight. She hadn’t even known what time it was, and truthfully wasn’t entirely clear on what day it was, either. It was a rocky path down to the plane that they had to take, which Thea and Felicity seemed to feel she needed help navigating. As much as she could understand their worrying, Laurel knew it would only be a matter of time before she started to feel smothered.

They all stood around outside the plane, none of them wanting to board without Oliver, and after a while they spotted him jogging down the path back in his usual clothes. He looked far less weighed down in them than the League robes, she noted to herself.

“I’ve left Maseo in charge until Nyssa’s return. If she agrees,” he added. “I think she will.”

“We better hope she does, cause we don’t know too many other assassins.”

“Just Malcolm,” Laurel couldn’t help remarking with obvious distaste.

Oliver glanced down. “Actually, Malcolm’s not likely to be in the business of doing me any favors at the moment.”

Laurel crossed her arms. “No?”

“Ollie kind of let him have it before we left,” Thea revealed with smirk. “You should’ve seen it.”

She didn’t really know what to say. It had been such a blow when she’d realized he was willing to keep Malcolm around in spite of what they knew about his part in Sara’s death. Laurel hadn’t wanted to believe it of him; she’d felt as if her heart had broken with betrayal all over again.

Yet as he peeked up at her with his head still slightly ducked, she could see him again. The boy she’d once thought she’d spend the rest of her life with. The man she still, impossibly, loved.

“So...going home now?” Felicity asked, and it was hard not to jump a little as she came back to herself.

“Right,” Oliver agreed. “Let’s go.”

They all started to board. Laurel took one last look up the path towards Nanda Parbat, a place she had never really been to but defined such a huge portion of her life. And had consumed her sister’s.

“Oliver.” Laurel caught his sleeve, keeping her voice low as she said, “If this Lazarus Pit can bring people back from the dead…”

She didn’t even have to finish her thought. Oliver sighed. “I’m not sure using it again is a good idea until we know what the full effects of it on you are.”

The brief flare of hope she’d had for a moment cooled, but Laurel couldn’t necessarily argue with that. Emerging from the Pit had caused her to kill a man, and she wouldn’t want to subject Sara to something irreversible until they knew more. Yet still, in the event that there weren’t anymore side effects moving forward, there was possibly a way to fix things. To get her sister actual justice by undoing the injustice in the first place. That was enough to keep just the tiniest spark of hope alive for now.

She let Oliver show her up the steps and headed with him down an aisle. Laurel took the window seat and was only a little surprised when he placed himself next to her. As the plane started up and took off, she could spot him watching her out of the corner of his eye.

“Do I seem like a different person?”

He leaned back slightly. “You’re asking me?”

“You know me,” she replied.

Oliver sighed. “I don’t think so. When you first woke up, I thought maybe. But that seems to have cleared up since. We’ll just have to see.”

“What happened then?” Had she thought she was someone else? Had she still been violent like they said she was when she’d first come out of the Pit?

He shrugged. “You just thought it was about seven or eight years ago or something. Didn’t recognize Thea because you could only remember her from when she was younger.”

“Oh.” She tried to imagine what that would have been like, or what she would have been like, rather. “I didn’t say anything embarrassing, did I?”

Oliver gave a slow shake of the head. “Nothing comes to mind. Uh, but you did say you liked my hair.”

Laurel winced. “Did I?”

“Yeah.” They cleared some of the clouds, and Oliver allowed himself a smile. Across the aisle, she caught Thea watching them from her seat, a fond look on her face. Laurel turned her face towards the window instead.

“Laurel.” Oliver’s hand landed over hers on the armrest, and there was a slight hitch in her breath.

She kept her gaze on the clouds. “Yeah, Ollie?”

“I don’t know how to tell you how glad I am you’re still with us. And even if I had had to become the Heir, it was more than worth it.”

She glanced back at him. “I don’t know about that.”

“I do,” he insisted. His hand still rested over hers, and his fingers curled around it ever so slightly. “You are always worth it.”

Laurel felt a smile spread over her lips she had very little control over. “Well, so are you.”

Whatever else happened in their lives, that wasn’t going to change. She settled comfortably into her seat, happy to have just a few more quiet hours to spend with him and the others before seeing what awaited them next back home.

#lauriver #laurel x oliver #laurel lance #oliver queen #arrow #thea queen #ra's al ghul #john diggle #felicity smoak #malcolm merlyn #maseo tamashiro #green arrow #black canary #my writing

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cogentranting · 6 years ago

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Arrow Season 2 Highlights

As part of my countdown to the season 7 premiere, here are my picks for the best and most memorable parts of season 2. Though not one of my favorite seasons overall, it has some of the absolute best moments of the series.

Top 5 Episodes

Keep Your Enemies Closer 2x06- Frankly, I just love whenever the show does anything to do with Russia or the Bratva. This one breaks formula a bit, which is fun. It’s got the reveal that Diggle and Lyla were married and has nice Dyla stuff in it, along with some of the earliest signs of Oliver having romantic feelings for Felicity. It also has strong Diggle character work, not just with Lyla, but also with Deadshot. It has Anatoly, who is a favorite of mine. And it has Oliver threatening people in Russian.

State V. Queen 2x07- This episode has Arrow’s most interesting courtroom scenes until season 6. Moira gets to shine, and her relationship with both Thea and Oliver is important. Thea gets some nice character work. The vigilante story line plays out in a less conventional way with Felicity getting to a take action a bit. Laurel and Oliver’s relationship is put through some interesting tests. Oliver’s priorities are explored and he’s dealing with a lot emotionally. Seth Gabel is back as the Count. And, of course, there is a very important scene for Oliver and Felicity’s relationship.

Three Ghosts 2x09- Barry Allen gets thrown into the world of vigilante justice and gets a look at the real Oliver. And really Barry’s presence and the lighter moments he brings are great when sprinkled through a more serious and a bit sad episode. Anytime Oliver hallucinates, I have a good time. His scenes with Shado are sad and lovely. The Slade hallucinations serve as a great tease of what’s to come. We get to see our beloved Tommy and he delivers what comes to be his defining line (even though he never actually said it...). Roy has an interesting arc. And we see the tragic death of Shado, followed by (in two senses) the birth of Deathstroke. One of the best episodes of the show.

The Promise 2x15- the action in the flashbacks drives this episode and its such a fun spy-style adventure, with Oliver, Slade and Sara trying to break on to the Amazo, all while Slade is slowly losing himself and while Oliver and Sara lie to him. It’s also where we see the relationship between Oliver and Slade fracture and it’s immediately reflected in the fantastic present day story line that sees Slade reappear in Oliver’s life. The tension in the present scenes keeps you fully engaged even as most of what happens is just small talk with Moira and Thea. But you can feel Oliver’s fear and anger and the subtle menace Slade brings.

Seeing Red 2x20- It’s a great exploration of Thea and Roy. It has good character moments for Sara as she tries to come to terms with the darkness in her. The scene in the tower where Sara and Oliver confront Roy is a great one. William is teased for the first time. But we all know that this episode is one of the all time greats for 1 reason: Moira. Her flashbacks with Oliver. The ways she reaches out to Thea. Her reveal that she knows Oliver is the Arrow and that she’s proud. And of course, her death scene. It’s a great swan song for one of the Arrowverse’s best characters.

*Upon reviewing my entries in the other sections, it appears I also really like 2x04, so consider it an honorable mention*

Top 5 Fights

Arrow v Bronze Tiger 2x02- to be perfectly honest, I was struggling to come up with a fifth specific fight scene from this season that stands out for the fight itself. Without just listing every time Slade does anything. But this is a fun fight. Bronze Tiger is a nice villain of the week and with this scene they had a fun situation where it wasn’t so much a direct fight as Arrow just being unable to find Tiger and it gives this impression of being hunted which fits Bronze Tiger’s vibe nicely.

Arrow and Canary v The Mayor 2x04- This fight is one of the first times (if not the first time) we see Canary and Arrow fight together and at the time that prospect was very exciting. In fact it was probably the first real superhero team up fight in the Arrowverse, unless you count Huntress in season 1 (or if I’m forgetting something). But the real reason it stands out to me, is the fact that at one point Arrow and Canary drop their weapons, Arrow picks up the bow-staff, Canary grabs the bow, and they continue on like nothings happened. And it’s awesome.

Arrow V Nyssa 2x13- Nyssa’s first major fight on the show (maybe first ever?) is also probably her best. It really goes out of its way to show how skilled she is and to make her into someone who rivals Oliver. Some fun acrobatics and clever moves make it fun to watch. And I just love Nyssa.

Team Arrow v Deathstroke bunker fight 2x19- It’s like the first thing in the episode so it catches you off guard. It’s quick, it’s brutal and it’s terrifying how easily Deathstroke fends off all of Team Arrow in their own hideout.

Arrow/Oliver V. Deathstroke/Slade Dual fight 2x23- The twin fights are so nicely juxtaposed. It depicts the relationship so well. It’s nice to finally see these two go head to head on an even playing field. And the contrast of Oliver chosing to kill Slade in the past, versus sparing him in the present is such a great moment.

10 (+ a few) Great Scenes/Moments

Not a top 10 because I’m sure I’ve forgotten some. But 10 that I really like. Plus honorable mentions.

Oliver kills a man to save Shado 2x01- In flashbacks, Oliver tries to save Shado from an attack, loses control and beats a man to death with a rock, ending up with blood all over his hands. This is only the second person Oliver has deliberately killed but already he’s turning into something else. Even hardened warriors like Slade and Shado look a little wary. It’s an important step in Oliver’s characterization-- if killing Fyers was a step toward heroics, this is a step toward being a monster. It also leads to a nice demonstration of the found family aspect of this trio.

“It means strength” 2x04- we meet Anatoly and Oliver pulls a bullet out of his own stomach. It always stands out to me as one of the defining moments of Oliver’s experiences on the island, and really its a testament to his strength, like Anatoly said. And it is the foundation of the friendship that he and Oliver form.

“Five years where nothing good happened” 2x04- Oliver reveals that Sara is alive to Diggle and Felicity and they begin questioning him, leading to this line. It showcases Amell’s acting talent. It shows Oliver’s emotional vulnerability and gives a little glimpse at why he’s so closed off all the time. It’s also a good moment for Diggle and Felicity, even though the focus isn’t on them. You can see their doubt and frustration as they realize how little they know about this man that they’ve thrown in with.

“There was no choice to make” 2x07- Not actually the scene that this quote is from (though that is a great one) but the one that precedes it-- Oliver saves Felicity from the Count by shooting his three times in the chest. With prejudice. Because nothing is going to stand in the way of Oliver protecting Felicity. It’s a defining moment of early Olicity and it’s so. so. good.

Roy finds out Oliver’s identity 2x12- I just love secret identity reveals. I particularly love the shock on the faces of people (like Roy) who didn’t think Oliver was capable of being the Arrow. It also transitions the uneasy training dynamic Roy and the Arrow have into the actual mentorship role that Oliver takes on. And it’s always nice when someone takes a moment to love and appreciate Oliver, the way Roy does in thanking Oliver for saving him at the end of the scene.

“I am done chasing after you” 2x14- Oliver and Laurel’s fight after the Lance family dinner. I think the acting in this scene is top notch. The emotions are raw and real. And I thinking it is a defining character moment for both of them. It’s where they finally stop chasing after who they used to be and are finally able to break free from the toxic relationship they’ve had. I define this as the moment these two break up, even though they weren’t dating. From here they could have rebuilt something better romantically, but instead they moved forward. And only after this break were they able to build a friendship.

Slade in Queen Mansion 2x15- The relationship between Oliver and Slade is one of the most important of the show. And this demonstrates one aspect of that perfectly. The tension in the scenes, with Oliver unable to do anything to stop it, and Slade toying with him. And especially the moment when Oliver is so desperate that he tries to kill Slade with an icepick in his own living room, with his mother and sister right next door.

“Can you imagine what it’s like to be him?” 2x19- Quentin gives Laurel a speech about why he doesn’t want to know who the Arrow is talking about how he can’t imagine what it’s like to be the “man under the hood”. It’s a great look at Quentin’s perspective, and a nice outside analysis of how hard it is to be Oliver, which everyone needs reminder of every once in a while. It’s a lovely little scene and it results in Oliver getting a much needed hug later in the episodes.

Moira’s death 2x20- Moira’s death scene is powerful, and emotional and a testimony to her character. Her bravery, the brutality of the scene, and Oliver’s utter desperation and devastation make it easily one of the best Arrowverse death scenes.

“You are not alone and I believe in you” 2x23 (I think. could be 22)- Another defining early Olicity moment. It’s a nice character moment for Felicity, it’s a nice shared moment between the two of them. It’s the belief that Oliver needs at that moment.

Meet Barry Allen 2x08- Meeting Barry changed the Arrowverse and gave us the definitive Flash portrayal.

“What’d you say” Please” 2x06- Oliver threatening the guy in Russian and then shrugging it off to flirt with Felicity is just so great.

Moira tells Laurel and Quentin about Sara’s death 2x13- It’s the first time we get a glimpse of what it was like for the families when they thought Oliver and Sara were dead and it’s such an emotional scene.

#arrow #arrow season 2 #arrow season highlights #again if you didn't see the first list #within each list they're in chronological order- not ranked #if you're wondering about my note at the top #i usually rank season 2 as my fourth of fifth favorite season #not because it doesn't have great moments #but because of a few elements I'm not fond of and just because of how much I love the odd seasons

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supershanzykhan · 4 years ago

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Entertainment for a corporate party for the New Year. New Year's contests for corporate parties

New Year ... Even the name of this holiday breathes an incredible freshness and magic, because we associate new hopes with this holiday, we make new plans, we wait for new gifts and unforgettable meetings. And therefore, many New Year's amusements are directly related to these expectations, with endless riddles and mutual wishes, all the best in the New Year.

New Year's table games presented here help to immerse yourself in this magical atmosphere.

1. Playing at the table "Next year I ..."

At the festive table, you can arrange an auction: who is the last of the guests who comes up with a rhyme to the phrase: "I promise next year ..." - receive a prize. In this case, it is not the truth that matters, but the speed of inventing, the first thing that comes to mind.

E.g., "I promise next year

I give birth too many children! "

I promise next year

Flight to the Canary Islands “and so on.

The conditions of the game can be strengthened: let the guests who sit at the table to come in turns (for "one, two, three") did not have time, leave the game, the winner is the one with the richest imagination and the fastest reaction - receive the prize.

If the conditions of the holiday allow this, then predictions can be based on this game. For example, each receives three pieces of paper on which he writes his wish or dream, then all the pieces of paper are collected in a hat, mixed, and what someone takes out will be fulfilled.

2. Distribution of gifts at the New Year's table "Lottery win-win"

Each guest draws (or receives for participation in games and contests) a lottery ticket with a certain number, each number being a certain prize.

List of prize samples:

1. You have a piano in the bushes - a New Year's calendar.

2. If you surprise the whole world, you will receive a souvenir.

3. And you a miracle.

4. And for you what adults and children love, of course, sweet treats

5. And you have a stinging darling, but a useful fork in the household.

6. And with this prize you will certainly not miss, you will carry it with you and you will always be full (give a spoon)

7. Get a place for a spare and something extra useful (socks or socks).

8. Remember us more often, invite us to seagulls (tea pack)

9. It will give a thrill and will be useful to you, no doubt (mustard box)

10. You will be more beautiful with this award of ours (something from cosmetics)

11. Sadness and discouragement will disappear, here is a fun for you all night (bottle) 12. Even if something doesn't go well and doesn't stick, you definitely have something to hope for (glue tube)

13. You have received the main prize - take it and sign (any prize)

14. on any holiday, useful and important, paper towels.

15. Three, whatever you want, it is not a sin, because you have a new sponge.

16. It will help you solve the problem of hair styling (curlers or hairpins)

17. Will Montana envy such a thin body product (family panties?)

1 8. Brush your teeth often, your smile will be great (Toothpaste)

19. To keep your hairstyle, we will give you a comb.

20. We, friends, will not hide - nowadays the fashion of the crystal is, we offer you a chandelier made by Montreal (bulb).

21. You have a rose flower, which does not fade from heat and frost (postcard with a flower)

22. The symbol of the year presented today will help you at any time (magnet or souvenir)

23. Of course, winning a nice Persian rug or house. But wealth has given you a self-written pen (pen)

24. You have an old gadget, the amount of memory is huge (notebook or notebook)

3. General toast "New Year's alphabet". To add a playful note to the toast proclamation, the toastmaster in the middle of the New Year holiday may, for example, doubt that amused guests remember the alphabet. Then he invites everyone to fill their glasses and make one toast in the New Year, the first with the letter "A", as: " A x, what a fabulous night! I suggest you drink it, so it never ends! "The second person starts their toast with the letter" B "and so on.

The most interesting thing is when it comes to "Y" or "Y". Here the facilitator can suggest that you start by exclaiming, “Yih! How well! "Or" Oh, what a lady we've gathered here! " Of course, letters that do not denote sounds are omitted. The guest receives a comic book medal, whose toast was especially appreciated by the public.

4. Decoy for dancing "Both boys and girls are all very good" This drinking game can serve as fun entertainment and a bait for the presenter announces that there is a wish for the New Year, that anyone who celebrates the happy New Year, dances a lot, can "Get out" of all problems and leave them in the past, then suggests doing a little warm-up. As soon as the word "boys" is heard, all the young people get up quickly and spin around their axis and sit down again, and at the word "girls" the girls return, respectively. And so - for every word "boy" and "girl" heard. That's it, it started. On New Year's Eve in our country, everyone gives presents and everyone warms up with fun and love. Young people often give flowers to girls so that all their dreams come true. And the girls kiss them back and say there is no better one in the world. The girls raise their glasses for the young people, wish the young people health. Young men, of course, keep up with them, for today's girls they dance and sing. The girls gathered are very nice. And young people will dance with such souls.

4. Activation of the "New Year's Bells" room. Lead.

Before the final summary, it's time to arrange a deafening New Year's sound. (The presenter approaches the first sector.) You will interpret the part of the big bell, preferably ringing low, loud and slow: "Boo-u-um! Boo-u-um!" Repeating ... (The presenter approaches the second sector.) You have a bell part in the middle, your sound is louder and shorter: "Bim-bom! Bim-bom!" Trying ... (The presenter approaches sector 3.) Your part is the part of the small bell, the sound is even louder and more frequent: "Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!" So… (The presenter approaches sector 4.) You also received the party of the bells, the sound is the loudest and most frequent: "La-la! La-la! La-la! La-la!" Image ... So be careful! The big bell starts ringing ... The middle one enters ... The small bell is connected ... And the bells that are ringing flow in ... Each sector plays its part - this is the bell. Option 2. Greetings to Santa Claus. The same game to activate the hall or can be organized before the arrival of Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden, offering to arrange a fireworks in their honor. To do this, the presenter divides the room into three teams, the first, when Santa Claus appears, shouts "Hooray!", The second applauds loudly, and the third steps on his feet. Any game either in honor of Santa Claus or with him will be very useful.

6. Playing at the table "In the new year without debts". The management of the game is something like this: “Everyone knows a sign that in order to live all year without debt, you have to pay them in the old year. I suggest to those who have not yet had time to do so to conduct a ritual. Here I have a magic box (it looks like a purse or a box). Anyone who wants to break away from their creditors once and for all can throw any amount into it, while internally you have to want very strong and sincere wealth and prosperity. And remember, the more generous you are in repaying your debts, the more favorable your New Year will be! “Then the "chest" goes in a circle to the song "Money, money". When everyone who wants to repay the debts "completes the treasury" and the piggy bank returns to the host, you can arrange an auction, saying that one of the guests will become richer right now, he will be the one to guess the exact amount collected. Let the special people write down all the versions presented together with the names of the "predictors". Then, together, people have to choose a "banker" to "break" the wallet and honestly calculate how much money it actually contains and hand it to the winner (discrepancies of five to ten rubles are allowed).

7. The "Magic Bag of Fortunes" game. A list of cheap little things that can be taken as gifts from Santa Claus: a box of matches, a ball, an eraser, a tennis ball, a lighter, a chupa-chups, a disc, a brush, a pencil, glasses, an adapter, a package, decals, paper clips, a pack of tea, calendar, notebook, postcard, coffee package, eraser, rotating tip, sharpener, spring, magnet, pen, thimble, toy, bell, medal and so on Choice cards: What will I do with my gift? I'll kiss him I'll powder my nose with this I will eat immediately with pleasure This will become my talisman I will block and admire I will share this with friends I'll fight the fans with this I'm going to comb my hair with this I will ask for this gift I will use it instead of a spoon I will wave it like a flag I'll make beads out of this I'll lick her and beat her I smell it all night I will share this with my loved one I will write letters with this I'll stick it on his forehead, let everyone be jealous I will stick it in my ears and I will be the most - the most This will caress my neighbor's hands I'll call her out loud I'll put it on my hand instead of a watch I'll sprinkle it hot I will use it instead of cigarettes I'll beat my neighbor with this, he'll like it I'll put it in my pocket and take care of it I'll draw a Christmas tree with this I'll make a sandwich out of this I'll make this a snowflake Playing at the table on New Year's Eve helps to distract guests, lift the general mood, overcome the discomfort that many feel at the beginning of the party, energize them for dancing or become a good example for presenting gifts. On New Year's Eve, most companies and organizations hold corporate events for their employees. Someone prefers to go to a restaurant, someone arranges a vacation right at the office and someone really prefers an active form of recreation. One way or another, as a rule, any corporate party is remembered by colleagues not only because of the delicious treats, but also because of the New Year's program for corporate parties. New Year's competitions for corporate parties are the best way to "revive" the holiday, to give each employee the opportunity to participate in the event and even to unite the team, without mentioning a good mood and unforgettable impressions. Also, raise the thematic ones for colleagues. Corporate events In order for the New Year's holiday in the circle of colleagues to pass without hesitation and long thoughts about what to do, it is better to prepare the competition program in advance, as well as the props (if necessary) for contests and games. "Parody" competition everyone participates in the competition. The presenter writes on a piece of paper the names of all the employees in the office. Then, each in turn blindly pulls out a piece of paper with a name. The participant's task is to show the person whose name is written on a piece of paper using pantomime, while others have to guess who the player looks like. The winner is the one who parodies his most interesting and exact colleague. The purpose of the competition Men and women are paired. Each man has an empty belt attached. Women are 10 meters away from men, they are offered 20 moments. The woman's task is to enter the bank with a coin. At the same time, men can help their ladies, for example, rotate their waists. But no participant in the competition can move from one place to another. The winner is the one who manages to toss more coins. Think in advance, like at a corporate party. Noah's Ark Contest The host of the corporate party writes different animals on pieces of paper. Animals must be mated, for example 2 elephants, 2 rabbits, 2 bears. You can make the competition even more themed and make sure you enter the animal symbol of the coming year, the Goat. Moreover, the participants in the competition draw an animal for themselves. It seems like everyone has a partner, but you have to find your own partner. The participant's task is to find his animal with the help of gestures and movements. Speaking and making sounds are prohibited. The first to guess where his pair is wins. To make the competition more interesting, it is better to think of less recognized animals, such as a lynx or a hippopotamus. Beautiful New Year's contests for a corporate party nothing helps you relax like in New Year's Eve competitions. In addition, fun competitions not only create a relaxed atmosphere, but also help employees to relax.

Courtesy:corporate party venues in lahore

#eventplanning corporatelife managementskills photographers foodblog lahorediaries dressupnotdown decorationideas styleinspiration gue

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allisonswrittenwords · 5 years ago

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Or “Bee” My Valentine. No one is judging your cute, pun-filled Valentine card.

Way Back, In Allison’s Past…

When I was in elementary school, from Kindergarten until fourth grade (I don’t remember the exchange happening beyond that, or it was totally optional by then), there was the time-honored tradition of creating a mailbox and passing out Valentine’s Day cards to the other kids in class. Store brought or home made, we carefully printed our recipients’ and our own names on the back of the cards.

On February 14th (or thereabouts, if Valentine’s Day fell on the weekend, or the Friday of President’s Day), there would be a designated time to deliver the Valentines during a classroom party. Junk food and card exchanges, it’s like Christmas, but with hearts!

A few weeks before the holiday, the teachers would give us a list of the names of our classmates, and we would go about purchasing the Valentines for our class. I don’t remember what I gave out prior to the final year I handed out Valentines, but in fourth grade, my mom ordered Valentines from the Current catalog. They came with envelopes – how cool! I can’t remember specifically what they looked like (I’m sure pink and red with hearts, nothing totally obvious), but they had envelopes. They were like real letters!

I used to love giving out Valentines to my classmates – even if the little brats in my class didn’t deserve a Valentine, they still got one, because it was the rule of elementary school Valentine’s Day. Fourth grade was the last time I did it, and I had no problem not having to fill out Valentine’s cards anymore. It was fun while it lasted, and while kids were appreciative of them. It’s a shame that kids stopped being appreciative of them, but hey, kids.

Can’t imagine what this tradition is like today. Probably involves digital something of some kind.

So Many Ways To Say “Be Mine!”

The Valentines themselves were always cute – some came with candy (a card with a lollipop tucked into holes on the card), licensed characters, cute animals holding hearts – it was always fun to dump out the mailboxes and read the Valentines after they were delivered. Having grown up and gone to school during the late 1980s through the 1990s (I graduated high school in 2001), the best licensed character Valentines were a few years before my time, but the beauty of the internet is that wanting to see what kids gave as Valentines in the 1980s (and even into the 1990s) is a Google (or Pinterest) search away.

Because you know I live for looking up these kinds of treats, here are a few of my favorites, culled from multiple Pinterest searches.

Robots In Disguise…Of Their True Feelings!

I was trying to find Transformers Valentines, preferably Generation 1, because that’s what I was raised on. Optimus Prime holding a heart, Megatron and his bromance Starscream saying “be mine,” stuff like that. And just when I thought I came up short on finding the perfect Transformers Valentine, I found this one…

My happy geeky heart squeed a little bit – ok, alot – over seeing Bumblebee on a Valentine. I love Bumblebee the way I love Optimus Prime, if only because…he’s super adorable. True story – my husband and I watched Bumblebee over the summer, and when Bumblebee lost his voice and his memory, I screamed out (probably a little louder than I should have, but it’s the nostalgic geek in me) “Oh my God! That’s how he lost his voice!!!!!!” My husband, who is not really a Transformers fan, stared at me over my reaction. Like I said, it was louder than it should have been, but it answered what I didn’t already know about Bumblebee!

But this Valentine…he’s cute!!!

Gahhhh! So cute!!!!!

Heroes in a Half Shell, with Big, Full Hearts!

In addition to a deep love for robots with personalities and mad fighting skills, I was also into turtles with personalities and mad fighting skills. Michelangelo was my Turtle of choice, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was on my TV, in my brother’s toys, and currently part of my Funko Pop Collection.

And the best part (for my brother) about Christmas 1989.

“TURTLES!” (Christmas 1989, age 7). Photo Credit: Venezio Family Collection

I remember the Turtles being on Valentines given out by little boys in school (I’m pretty sure I got at least one in elementary school), but I found this one on Google, and Dudes, it’s time for Hugs and Kisses!

The Seas Are Shining Bright with All the Colors of The Rainbow On Valentine’s Day…

Rolls off the tip of your tongue when you think “what belongs on a Valentine’s Day greeting,” right?

Rainbow Bright and her friends (well, Canary Yellow, Buddy Blue, and Red Butler, because apparently they double date) love to share in some Valentine love. If I were in school when Rainbow Brite was popular, you can guarantee I would have been giving out Rainbow Brite Valentines to my classmates. They’re not too girly, since there are boys on it; therefore, these are the ones you give to the boys!

But if Rainbow Brite is just too girly for you, perhaps some colorful bears with hearts do more for you?

Care Bears Care About Valentine’s Day!

These are ridiculously cute, and so simple in their approach. I watched The Care Bears Family, and the movies they starred in (as well as those two early animated specials that still weird me out to this day). They’re not fancy, not throwing some huge, long-winded message of Valentine’s Day at you, but rather, a simple sentence and a few hearts. They’re not saccharin, not at all.

But, if you prefer something sweet…

Little girls, boys, and pets named after desserts deserve plenty of 1980s love. Strawberry Shortcake not only was cute and cuddly in her own special way, but if you ever had a doll from that collection, it smelled freakin’ amazing. My best friend gave me a Strawberry Shortcake (along with Custard) Funko Pop a few years ago, and she smelled so good. So did Custard. That smell lasted a long time, way longer than it had any right to last.

Again, these are the kind of Valentines I would have given out, without regard to the fact that boys were always included in giving out these cards. And to them, I say…

Huckleberry Pie WAS A BOY!

Pop-Pop-Popples!

I loved Popples when I was four years old. I had three Popples – one big plush, one smaller plush, and one of those pocket-sized plushie/vinyl hybrids, and I had pajamas. I’ve watched the “movie,” the cartoon, and I still think they’re cute to this day, even if I don’t have any of my Popples to prove my love.

I have come to the realization that I would have been hard pressed to pick a freakin’ set of Valentines Day cards, had I been given the choice. For me, 1985-1986 was all about Rainbow Brite, Jem, Popples, and She-Ra. I would have been all about giving out these choice Valentines to my classmates.

Oh, and did I say She-Ra?

She-Ra: Princess of Powerful Stickers!

Image: Etsy

*Brain explodes*

I think I’ve chosen the Valentines I would have given out to my classmates. She-Ra and stickers…you can never go wrong with bonuses on you Valentines!

Of course, knowing me, I would probably have given out Valentine with California Raisins on them. Apparently I was into that when I was five, because I had a California Raisins nightgown.

I’m serious.

It’s over 30 years later, and I don’t understand why this was so popular. Were five-year-olds into Motown or something?

And Now, You!

What kind of Valentines did you give your “Valentines” at school? Did you have the tradition of making mailboxes and delivering your mail to the other kids in class? Did you give out any of these Valentines?

I’d love to hear your stories of Valentine’s Day past!

We’re a few days away from Valentine’s Day, as the Month of Love keeps on going. I’ve got commercials and a Valentine’s Day treat coming up for you this week. As for the rest of the month, I have more music and nostalgia-heavy articles coming. When I celebrate a holiday, it overtakes the entire month!

Have a great day!

Be My #Valentine - Do you remember the Valentines you gave out at school to your "Valentines"? Or "Bee" My Valentine. No one is judging your cute, pun-filled Valentine card.

#ValentinesDay #1980s #licensed characters #Popples #Rainbow Brite #Strawberry Shortcake #Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #Transformers #Valentine&039;s Day

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brokengem · 7 years ago

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A Matter of Hello

Fandom: Descendants Pairing: Past Harry x Evie, Implied if you squint Jay x Evie Rated: T for slight crepy Harry behavior Notes: [Can be found on AO3 if you like it and would like to leave a comment or kudo] I’ve been liking the idea of EviexHarry for months and NOW the plot bunnies want to attack.

Evie shivered as they continued through the dark alleys of the Isle. They hadn’t even been back on the Isle for an hour and she already missed home. This was no longer her home. She wanted the beauty of Auradon, not the doom and gloom of the Isle. The princess jumped as a hand gently landed on her shoulder, her hair slapping her across the face when she turned.

Carlos smiled apologetically for startling her, “I didn’t mean to scare you, E.” He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, “are you okay?”

She nodded, “I’m fine. It’s just...I wish we didn’t have to be here.”

Carlos mimicked her, his head bobbing in agreement. She knew Carlos’ lack of love for the Isle matched hers. Of the four, Carlos and her wished nothing more than to never step foot on the island again. But Mal was here and they needed to find her before any sort of trouble arose.

“We’ll find Mal before you know it and be back in Auradon in no time,” Carlos assured her with a pat. “Ben’s getting the hang of this villain thing.”

Evie looked up towards the young King. Ben slouched beside a cross-armed Jay, who looked as though he were providing a few more tips to blend in. Ben was trying his best and if all goes well no one will notice the Auradonian in their midst.

“Ben,” Carlos called, leaving Evie to join the others, “we need to give you a new name to call you while here.”

The blue-haired princess shook her head as the boys continued walking, Jay and Carlos arguing over what to rename the King. She followed a few steps behind, her arms wrapping tightly around her body in a fruitless attempt to protect herself from the chilly Isle air. Something loud came from the dark alley at her side, giving her pause. Frightened eyes attempted to find its source but found nothing. Another shiver ran through her body, though this time it wasn’t because of the cold.

“You’re just hearing things,” she mumbled to herself, looking back towards the boys who clearly hadn’t heard a thing. “The sooner we find Mal the better.”

A moment before she could continue after the boys, she found herself pressed harshly against the alley’s wall. A scream threatened to escape her, but a leather clad hand covered her mouth.

“You’re a bit a ways from home, aren’t ye traitor?”

Dark eyes adjusted, trying to focus on the teen pressed against her. The grin she faced looking for all the world like the cat who ate the canary. She stopped herself from cringing at the sound of metal against the concrete beside her head.

“How ya doin’, Princess?” the familiar voice asked, “have ye lost somethin’?”

Her eyes narrowed, glaring up at Harry Hook. His grin only growing impossibly wider. Evie made to bite his hand, a small frown coming to his lips at her action.

“‘Now, now, that’s no way to treat an old friend,” Harry tsked, “now, I’m going to remove my hand. Promise not to scream?”

She nodded, ignoring the ‘good girl’ he whispered before removing his hand. Evie opened her mouth, not missing how the bright blue-eyes narrowed in warning.

“Harry,” she whispered, breathlessly.

“Ah so she does remember me,” he taunted, bowing just slightly in the barely there space between them, “what an honor, your highness.”

“What do you want, Harry,” she asked, controlling her voice. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing how he affected her.

He gave a shrug, “I heard a little rumor about some rats sneaking onto the Isle, came to see for myself. Thought I’d come say hello” The red leather clad pirate drew even closer, their noses touching as he looked down at her. He never moved the hand beside her head but his left hand moved up, a flash of silver drawing her attention as the cold metal of his hook touched her cheek. “Found yourself a nice prince while away?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” she spat back, turning her head away despite knowing it would do nothing. She had no way of escaping. Evie could scream, but Harry had always been just as quick as she was and she had nothing to defend herself if he decided to turn that hook the wrong way.

“Oh but I do,” he whispered, his forehead pressed to hers, “a pirate has to know who he needs to gut to reclaim his princess.”

She closed her eyes as the tip of hook slowly travelled down her cheek. There was a hitch in her breath and she felt Harry’s grin growing.

“How about the king ye and yer friends are trying to smuggle into the Isle?”

Her eyes snapped open, “how did you know?”

Harry laughed, his crackle sending a shiver down her spine, “any proper villain can tell. He’s not one of us.”

“Neither am I,” she replied, “not anymore.”

Harry hummed, his eyes narrowed and that blasted hook still played gently on her skin. “I don’t believe that,” he whispered dangerously, his lips replacing the hook. “Once a villain always a villain. Ye can try all you want to escape the Isle but it’ll never leave ye. You were so nice to bring us a new toy. Uma is just gonna love meeting the King.”

Evie froze, not liking his tone. Harry stepped away, finally giving her room to breathe. His infuriating grin still plastered on his lips.

“You leave Ben alone.”

Harry’s shoulder shook as he laughed, his blue eyes darkening, “First name basis and all. The kingling must be just amazing. I can’t wait to introduce him to mah hook.”

The threat hung in the air, Evie hoped he wasn’t serious. She opened her mouth to give her own threat but his lips crashed against her’s, effectively shutting her up. She hated that. Her teeth caught his lip and she bit down as hard as she could. He pulled back in an instant, eyes narrowed but he didn’t do anything.

“I suggest ye find yer friends,” he nodded towards the entrance to the alley, “you’ll need help finding your king.”

He was gone before she could ask what he meant. Evie frowned, staring back into the darkness that had taken him. She shook her head, leaving the alley behind only to collide into something solid.

Jay stared back at her catching her before she fell back, relief showing in his eyes. He clutched her close against him, “I thought we lost you too.”

Evie returned the bone-crashing hug, “lost me? No, I was-” she stopped herself, not wanting to tell him about her run in with Harry. Not yet anyway. “What do you mean too?”

“I…” Jay mumbled something against her shoulder.

“Jay?”

“Where’s Ben?” Carlos asked, looking for their friend.

Jay sighed, “I don’t know. When we realized Evie wasn’t behind us and you ran off, I started to head back but when I turned Ben wasn’t there.”

Evie gasped, her hands coming up to cover her mouth, “Uma’s gang has him.”

Carlos frowned, “How do you know that?”

She shook her head, “just trust me on this. We need to get to Ursula’s Fish and Chips Shoppe.”

When the boys made no attempt to move, Evie frowned. She pulled herself from Jay’s arms and pushed him forward, grabbing Carlos’ hand to made them. That’s what Harry meant. She must have been some sort of distraction for them to take Ben. And she’d fallen for it.

#descendants #harry hook #evie #harry x evie #evie x harry #descendants 2 #gaelle writes

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welllpthisishappening · 7 years ago

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Out of the Frying Pan (17/?)

“Were there extra cookies?” “You literally just ate a plate of onion rings.” “Were there extra cookies?” Henry repeated.

“No,” Killian laughed. “And even if there were, your mom absolutely would have eaten them.” “Rude,” Emma mumbled and Killian’s side moved slightly when he laughed again in response. Mary Margaret looked like she was going to start crying again at the sight of early-relationship-whatever banter.

AN: If you haven’t told @laurnorder how delightful and awesome she is, go ahead and do that now because it’d probably be weird if I just did it, like, all the time.

Living it up on Ao3 and tag’ed up on Tumblr as per usual.

“We’re going to take another ten before we film the third, ok?” Regina asked, appearing a few feet in front of them suddenly. She’d seized control of the show again, something about instructions from Zelena and having the most experience with competition shows and no one really seemed to care except for her.

Killian barely even processed the words – taken back a bit by how much watching Emma lose had made his stomach churn.

What a fucking disaster.

She still hadn’t moved – Regina glanced at her warily and Killian met his producer’s eyes. “We’ve got it, Gina,” he said softly, body turned entirely towards Emma. She still hadn’t moved.

Regina nodded and did her best to smile encouragingly and Killian appreciated the effort, even if the final result fell a bit flat. He didn’t say anything else until the sound of Regina’s heels had retreated to the other side of the studio, taking a step towards Emma and wrapping his fingers around her shoulder.

She moved then – shoulder slumping underneath his touch as she took a step back. And he tried very hard not to sigh.

He didn’t succeed.

“They didn’t like it,” she said softly, eyes trained at her feet.

“I heard.” “They liked yours. And Graham’s. They didn’t like mine.” “That happens sometimes, Swan,” Killian said, doing his best to sound reasonable and supportive when his mind was still very much hung up on the fact that she’d taken a step back.

“Not for you.” “Ah, well, we can’t all be quite as fantastic as I am.” She let out a shaky laugh and that felt a bit like a victory – enough to make him take a step back towards her and, this time, Emma didn’t move. Instead, she lifted her head, meeting his eyes with something that almost looked like a smile as she twisted her hands together in the space between them.

“That’s probably true,” she said softly.

“You’re a very close second, love.” “Gee, thanks.” “I know, you don’t have to tell me how overwhelmingly charming I am.” Emma laughed again and she was actually smiling now, tongue darting across her lips as she pushed her hair back behind her ears. “You going to let me try your food now?” she asked, taking a step towards the table and grabbing the plate before he’d even given her an answer.

“Of course.” She leaned against the edge of the table, twirling the fork in between in her fingers before taking a bite, closing her eyes slightly as she ate. And then she beamed at him. “You’re right,” she said, nodding towards the space next to her.

Killian moved where she directed, grabbing the plate of her food as he went. “About what, Swan?” “This is fantastic.” “Look who’s the charmer now. And anyway, that’s half your victory, you’re the one who explained what to do with the beans.” “I’m being honest,” she said and there was absolutely no way to doubt her. “And fat lot of good that did me. Jeez, Henry’s going to be so mad. We had a whole system. I was supposed to repurpose everything.” “You cooked them, Swan. That’s all I did too.” “Not well enough, apparently.” “What are you worried about?” “Would you like an itemized list?” “Just an answer would be good.” She sighed, taking another bite of food before he answered. “I needed this one,” Emma said slowly. “The Cutthroat win has been huge. The numbers have gone up over the last couple of weeks and Zelena had a meeting with Ruby about possibly getting me my timeslot back. So we talked about it, which is all we seem to be doing now, and Rubes thought if I won today and then added a good showing with the Christmas episode, we might get back to 10 by the start of next year. But then I couldn’t repurpose beans with a disgusting name and Henry’s going to be so disappointed.” Killian took a bite of her food so he didn’t have to answer immediately – a dozen different emotions coursing through his system. Mostly he was frustrated with himself and curious how long first-time offenders got for robbing a bank.

Because he’d have to rob the bank.

There was no way around it. He couldn’t beat her at this thing. He couldn’t let her think she wasn’t enough.

And the only way he’d be able to afford the expansion was if he robbed a bank and paid off Gold.

Emma bit her lip, glancing at him and shifting her body where she was sitting. “Anyway,” she said quickly, taking his silence as something entirely different the conflicted mess he was. “That’s my sad, little story. I’m glad you made it through though. That’s a good thing.” “Swan,” he sighed. “Nah, we’re not doing the pity thing. That’s not how we roll.” “I’m not, honestly. I just don’t think one episode of this stupid all-star thing is going to completely change the numbers you’re pulling. You didn’t get chopped first, so that’s good and this food is fucking delicious so I don’t know what the judges were thinking.” She stared at him, eyes going wide and green. “Yeah?” “Scout’s honor.” “I hardly pegged you for some kind of boy scout,” Emma laughed. “I was under the impression you were a ruthless pirate.” “Not ruthless. Dashing, maybe. But never ruthless.” “Good to know.” “You know Henry could never be disappointed in you right?”

Emma’s shoulders sagged and she twisted around, setting down the plate behind her. “That might be what I’m worried most about.” “That should be the bottom of the list.” “You don’t really know him.” “And you’re pulling at straws.”

“It’s just that I’ve sacrificed a lot for this or something that sounds a little less melodramatic,” she said, pressing her palms into the edge of the table. “And Henry’s only got me as far as parents go and that’s my fault and he’s always at M’s and David’s apartment and I didn’t know about that history test.” “He got an A on that.” “That was because of you. I didn’t know any of those dates.” “I’d be happy to help again,” Killian said, staring at her and doing his best not to blink. She twisted her hands again, toying with the edges of her fingernails and this might actually be the longest ten-minute break in the history of filming.

“I bet he’d like that.” “Good. So would I.” “Really?” “You don’t have to sound so stunned every time, Swan,” Killian said, pulling apart her hands with his own. Her eyes flashed down, staring at them and nodding slowly. “I can guarantee I’m not lying to you.” About that at least.

Fuck. He really was an asshole.

“Believing you is a bit of a work in progress,” she mumbled.

“I can wait.” Emma stared at him – like she was waiting for the but or the list of demands that came along with the promises and her mouth dropped open a bit when she realized neither one of those things were coming.

He could be better.

And he could wait.

He could be someone his brother would actually be proud of – not someone who walked away or didn’t believe in anything or was fairly positive everything he’d ever loved would, eventually, be yanked away from him.

And he’d be enough for Emma Swan.

“Killian, you ready to go?” Regina asked, heels sounding like a jackhammer on the studio floors. Emma tried to move, but Killian’s fingers wrapped around her wrist, holding her in place as he kept his eyes straight on her.

“Yeah, let’s get this over with.” “Emma,” Regina continued, voice almost sounding friendly and Killian would have to thank her for that later. Add an extra olive in the martini or something. “I think they want you to do your talking head now, just to kind of keep things on schedule.” “Oh, yeah, absolutely,” Emma said briskly, pulling her hand away from Killian’s and standing up. She glanced back at him, the smile on her face wide and earnest. “I think you should probably make cookies. That’ll totally beat Graham. What does he know about baking anyway? He’s good at meat and like building his own fires or something.” “Noted, Swan, thank you.” She nodded once, still smiling as she leaned forward and kissed his cheek quickly before calling for Ruby and walking towards the door of the studio.

And, Goddamn, if he wasn’t absolutely going to make cookies now.

“You look like the cat that ate the canary,” Regina said, jerking his attention back to the very real cooking show he still had to take part in.

“And you look smug. Save your I told you so speech or whatever, Robin already gave it yesterday.” “So I heard.”

“You two talk about everything?” “That’s usually how relationships work. Good ones at least.” “Yuh huh.” “You tell her about Gold yet?” Killian groaned, rolling his head back and pressing his fingertips into his cheekbones. “I’ll take that as a no, then.” “It hasn’t really come up.”

“Too busy acting like teenagers?” “Your fianc é was the one who asked how kissing worked yesterday.” “Yeah, I don’t think you should be giving him any advice,” Regina said pointedly, shifting her weight on her heels. “He’s been doing a pretty good job on his own for the last five years.” “That’s not something I need to know.” Regina shrugged. “You should tell her about Gold.” “You’re all pro-this now?” “I am, always, pro-you and I can’t remember the last time I saw you smile this much. Or saw Emma smile this much, honestly. So, sure, I am pro-this whatever it is. But you should tell her about Gold and the deal and then you two should stop making out in the pantry while you’re filming because it took me nearly the entire second round to persuade them not to keep that footage.” Killian squeezed his eyes shut – he’d probably have to give Regina unlimited martinis for the rest of the week. And he realized, again, that he might actually be the luckiest bastard in the entire world for the one night she’d decided to walk into his restaurant and decide he was some sort of project she had to take on.

“You didn’t have to do that,” he mumbled.

“And how exactly do you think Emma would have reacted if I hadn’t?” Killian sighed. “That’s what I figured,” Regina said, smug look back on her face. “I’m just saying, you two have already sparked some rumors and that’s good for TV, but I’ve got a pretty good feeling that she spooks easily, so unless you want to actually define this whatever and go public, then stop making out while you’re filming.” “How did you know there was no definition?” “Because you’re you and you haven’t done something like this in the entire time I’ve known you.” “What is this? Exactly?” Regina stared at him speculatively and Killian just grinned in response, enjoying the teasing a bit more than he probably should. “You falling in love with Emma Swan. Obviously.”

He didn’t say anything – couldn’t come up with an argument that wouldn’t paint him firmly in obviously territory. So he sat still, eyes falling away from Regina and, somehow, that was worse. She laughed at him, heels moving as she turned back towards the set.

“C’mon,” Regina called. “Dessert time.”

The next thirty minutes passed in a blur of sugar and flour and zucchini – which threw Killian off for all of five seconds before he remembered zucchini actually went pretty well with nutmeg and then he was off.

He saw Emma walk back into the studio just before judging, standing on the side of the set with Ruby and Belle next to her. She smiled at him as the three judges took a bite of the cookie and if he wasn’t desperately trying to avoid the melodramatic he would have considered that a better win than beating Graham in the dessert round.

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t go with chocolate,” Tink said, laughing as she spoke. Killian lifted one eyebrow, eyes darting towards Emma who was still smiling at him.

He hadn’t used chocolate at all.

He had, however, made frosting – copious amounts, chock full of vanilla and sprinkled with more cinnamon and nutmeg and Tink ate the entire cookie.

Graham’s ice cream had melted in the machine.

And – after being forced to walk down the hallway and then back so it looked as if the judges were deliberating on camera – Killian won Chopped.

Graham groaned when they showed his ice cream soup underneath the plate cover and Killian's eyes immediately sought out Emma on the other side of the studio, green eyes bright and the smile on her face making him drift right back to the melodramatic.

“Congratulations, Jones,” Graham said, sticking his hand out in the space between them.

“Yeah, thanks. Sorry about the ice cream machine.” “Ah, got too fancy for my own good,” he laughed. “And I’m glad you got a chance to show off a little bit in front of Emma.” “Excuse me?” “I won’t say anything, but it’s a little obvious. Almost painfully, all things considered.” “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “She didn’t tell you?” “Tell me?” “That we went out. A couple of months ago.” Killian’s stomach was on the floor. Or maybe in his throat. And he was more angry than he thought he’d be. And jealous. Again.

“That so?” he said slowly, the sound of Emma’s sneakers approaching him the only thing that kept him rooted to the spot.

Graham nodded. “Yeah, just dinner one night. Ruby set it up. She’s far more interested in you than me.” Killian didn’t say anything else, Emma suddenly next to him, hand falling on his shoulder as she muttered congratulations in his ear. “Anyway,” Graham continued. “Figured I’d let you know. And congratulations again. I’ll see you guys at the next promotion.” And then he was gone and Killian still wasn’t certain where his stomach had ended up.

This was far too much information for one day.

“Hey,” Emma said softly, fingers brushing over his neck, just above the collar of his shirt. “You made cookies.” “As per instructions, Swan.” She laughed, turning so she was standing in front of him, the smile on her face making him wish his stomach would return to its appropriate place so it could flip at the look of her. “There aren’t any left.” “They were a bit of a hit.” “Of course they were,” she said, hands running up and down his arms. He could feel how tense he was under her touch, the way he was glancing over her head as Graham’s words lingered in his head and that uncertainty and lack of confidence returned in full-force. “You alright?” Emma asked. “You won!” “I did, love,” he agreed. “Just thinking.” “What did Graham say?” “How do you know Graham said anything?” “Because you should be thrilled. You made a zucchini cookie that was so good I can’t even have one and you’re not even excited. Now, come on, what did he say?” He took a deep breath, trying to come up with the right words that wouldn’t make him sound like a child. There weren’t any. He was acting like a child. “You went out with Graham.” Emma groaned softly, but her hands stayed trained on his arms, tightening slightly as she spoke. “Yeah. Not really willingly though.” “That sounds vaguely evil.” “It was Ruby’s idea,” she sighed. “And, you know, it wasn’t evil. It also wasn’t a lot of fun. Which is why I never called.” “No?”

She’d called him.

Granted that had been nearly a month ago, but she’d done it. And that meant something. It had to mean something.

Probably.

Jeez.

“No,” Emma repeated. “I didn’t see him again until we filmed those first promos. And I’ve barely talked to him since.” She narrowed her eyes at him, smile pulling on her lips and Killian tried not to look as ridiculous as he felt. “Why?” she asked. “Are you jealous?” “Look who’s talking – you with your guacamole metaphors and questions.” Emma laughed loudly, stepping towards him and resting her forehead on his shoulder. His hand came up to wrap around her waist instinctively and this was not the under-the-radar Regina had suggested.

At all.

“Even footing,” she mumbled.

“So it’d seem, love,” he answered, brushing his lips over the top of her head without even thinking about the half a dozen crew members still in the studio.

“There just wasn’t...anything,” Emma said, lifting her head back up to look at him.

“Where?” “With Graham.” “And now?”

Emma looked at him for a moment and the seconds seemed to drag. “Now there is.” Killian nodded and it wasn’t a definition and it wasn’t an explanation, but, for now it was enough. “I made more cookies,” he said softly.

“What?” Emma gaped at him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. He grinned at her, hand tightening until the back of her jacket was bunched between his fingers. “Thought it might be necessary.” “You were that confident in zucchini cookies?” “I was that confident in you wanting to eat my food.” Emma rolled her eyes, as she walked back towards his station and the cookie sheet that still had two extra cookies sitting on top of it. “That ego is really something else.” He shrugged and she bit down on the cookie, frosting lingering on the edges of her lips in a way that absolutely wasn’t fair.

“Well?” he prompted.

“The ego seems warranted,” she sighed. “How come you don’t make this kind of stuff more often?” “What do you mean, Swan?” “I mean why don’t you have a regular dessert menu at The Jolly and why aren’t these cookies in grocery stores across the country?”

He shrugged again. “You’re far too generous with your compliments.” “I’m serious.” “The desserts are for me, Swan. The baking is for me. I told you, it’s what I do when I can’t handle anything else. If I started to sell that, I wouldn’t have an outlet for anything.” “And you need that? An outlet?” His eyes flashed up and God she could read him better than anyone he’d ever met. Maybe even better than Liam had. Better than Milah.

And that was the first time Killian had thought of that name in a very long time – it was usually just her , a refusal to acknowledge everything he lost tied up in one moment and one name and one face.

Emma smiled at him and he got the distinct impression that, maybe, he’d suddenly found something in another moment and her name and face.

Melodramatic asshole.

“Is it because of the expansion?” she asked, thumb pulling across her lip as she licked the frosting off her finger.

“Some of it, I guess,” Killian admitted, suddenly treading on dangerous dessert-ridden terrain. “It’s a much bigger space than I thought it would be.”

“Is that bad?” “Just expensive.” Emma nodded knowingly. “Can I ask you a question?” he asked.

“Sure.” “How come you don’t have a restaurant?” “What?” Her foot slid out from underneath her as she pushed herself away from where she was leaning on his station and her eyes went wide.

“You’re good, Swan. And you fall into a rhythm when you cook, all quick movements and everything works . It just seems to make sense.” She stood up straighter, teeth tugging on her lower lip. “I thought about it. A long time ago.” “But?” “But then Ruby showed up and brought me to the network and I got the show and it was doing so well that I kind of forgot about restaurants. I figured this was the safe bet, you know? And now that’s kind of slipping away.” “It’s not,” he countered and Emma made a dismissive sound in the back of her throat. “Honestly, Swan.”

“Look who’s doling out compliments now,” she laughed. “Nah, restaurants aren’t for me anymore. Although, I will tell you that I enjoyed chopping vegetables for you. It was strangely soothing or something.” Killian grinned at her, tugging her closer to him and kissing her softly. And she seemed to sigh against him and that wasn’t fair either.

They were horrible at this.

She pulled away before he was even ready to consider stopping, keeping her forehead rested against his while her fingers brushed over the back of his hair. “We should probably stop doing this on set,” Emma mumbled, still so close he could almost feel her lips move against his when she spoke.

“Probably.”

“Work in progress.” “An admirable effort.” Emma huffed out a laugh, moving her head back and staring at him with a look that nearly knocked all the air out of him. “You still want to come to Granny’s?” she asked softly.

“Of course.”

She nodded once – like she was convincing herself he wasn’t lying – and leaned forward to kiss him again quickly. “Make sure you order your own plate of onion rings, because Henry’s not good at sharing them.”

“Duly noted.”

Emma smiled at him, hand dropping away from his neck to wrap around his fingers and lead him away from set.

“Killian!”

Henry nearly knocked over several glasses as he practically leapt out of the corner booth in Granny’s, sprinting across the diner floor and earning a low chuckle from the man next to Emma. Who still had his fingers wrapped up in hers.

“Hi Henry,” Killian said, smile threatening to take up his entire face.

Henry grinned in response, bobbing up and down on the balls of his feet like he did when he got particularly excited about something and Emma couldn’t even bring herself to be frustrated that her kid hadn’t even acknowledged her yet.

“How was the show? Who won? Did you repurpose ingredients?” Henry asked, rattling off questions like he was being paid by the letter. “Because you have to repurpose the ingredients or you’ll totally get chopped. That’s what we figured out this weekend, right mom?” “Oh, I’m here too then?” Emma joked.

Henry groaned loudly and Emma heard David laugh pointedly from the booth on the other side of the room. “Hi, mom,” Henry replied dutifully and Emma reached forward to brush his hair off his forehead.

“Hi kid,” she said. “You didn’t drive M’s nuts this afternoon, did you?”

“Of course he didn’t,” Mary Margaret yelled, twisting around the back of the booth and only moving when David muttered something about aggravating her back .

“Eventually you’re just going to have to invest in a bubble or something,” Emma laughed, pushing on Henry’s shoulder to turn him back towards the table. Killian followed behind her as she walked, fingers tightening a fraction of an inch when David’s gaze lingered on their hands a few seconds longer than necessary. “Just put M’s inside and then let her go out and take on the world on her own.” “You’re hysterical, Emma, you know that?” David muttered and she grinned at him, sliding into the booth, Henry and Killian on either side of her.

And that seemed like a sign. Or something.

“Years of practice,” she shot back. David rolled his eyes.

“So,” Mary Margaret said pointedly, cutting into the middle of a patented Nolan-sibling fight like they were still sitting in the Blanchard’s living room on Main Street. “Spill, Em, how did it go? Any crazy food?” “Dragon tongue beans,” Killian answered, the disgust in his voice enough to make Emma’s smile widen even more.

“That sounds awesome!” Henry exclaimed. “What’d you make with them, mom? What round where they in?” “Is he always this full of questions?” Killian asked, voice lilting into Emma’s ear and she suddenly realized that his thigh was pressed up against hers underneath the table. And they still hadn’t actually defined anything.

They’d kissed instead.

Again.

“Always,” Emma promised, wrapping her arm around Henry’s shoulders and ignoring the soon-to-come groan at this motherly display of affection. “Alright, kid, let’s start at the top. They were not awesome. They were horrible and they taste horrible and I don’t know why anyone would eat them. I didn’t make anything with them. Killian did something with onions that was unfairly delicious. And they were main course.” “Mom,” Henry sighed, rolling his head onto her shoulder. “You didn’t do anything with them? That wasn’t part of the plan.” “I know.” “But main course seems good, right?” Mary Margaret added, a picture of sunshine and optimism on the other side of the booth. “You didn’t get cut first.” “I didn’t,” Emma agreed, biting her lip as she tried to push of the wave of nerves threatening to drown here right there in the middle of the diner on Leonard Street. “I got chopped second.”

She could feel Henry sigh next to her, his shoulders moving as he exhaled and Emma bit her lip so hard she could actually taste blood. She blinked quickly, trying to avoid the wave or the tide or whatever metaphor she was going with when she felt a hand on her knee and Killian’s eyes on her.

He was ignoring David’s very obvious glare, eyes trained on her – all blue and supportive and not talking about how he’d actually won Chopped that afternoon. And she was in way over her head.

“You did do something with the beans, Swan,” Killian said softly, every other head at the table snapping towards him when he spoke. “You cooked them. Very well, actually.” “How do you know they were good?” David asked sharply and Emma rolled her eyes. “I thought only the judges ate the food.” “Yeah, well, I’ve kind of got an agreement with the chef.” “That so?”

Mary Margaret’s hand landed on her husband’s shoulder and she widened her eyes in warning. David huffed out a deep breath, eyes, finally, pulling away from Killian’s to stare at Emma. “What’s he talking about?” he asked.

“We’ve kind of been stealing each other’s food after rounds,” Emma explained. “They’re long days, you know, and the catering table is horrible for a network built on food. He’s a far better option.” “Wow, Swan,” Killian laughed. “I didn’t know you felt so strongly about my food. Glad to see I’m just your best option.” Emma grinned at him and he answered her in kind and she didn’t even care how uncomfortable David was. “Seriously, Uncle David, you should try some of Killian’s food. It’s really good,” Henry added and Emma tried not to slump down in the booth “When have you had his food?” David asked sharply.

Henry glanced warily at Emma, eyes wide and she glanced up at the ceiling of the restaurant, wondering if Granny was actually avoiding the table because they were arguing so loudly. “Couple of weeks ago,” Emma answered. “Killian helped Henry study for an American history exam.” “What?” “David,” Mary Margaret sighed, but he just shook his head quickly.

“No, no,” he muttered. “Why didn’t I know that happened?” “Because it’s none of your business?” Emma asked, voice rising of its own accord. “I don’t have to give you a detailed description of where Henry and I are going every night.” “Weeks ago, Emma. That was weeks ago. And it never came up once? Not even at Halloween? I tried to tell you something I thought was important and you brushed me off. Is that why? Because you were nervous that you’d already involved Henry in all of this?”

“You’re being an ass again,” Emma hissed.

David made a face, eyes landing on Killian again with a look that made it all too clear he had something he desperately wanted to say. Emma didn’t give him a chance. “And, as previously mentioned, David, none of that is your business. Henry got an A on that exam, so, honestly, that’s all I’m really concerned about.”

She chanced a look at Killian – smiling softly at her out of the corner of her eye – and David deflated slightly. “An A’s really good,” he mumbled. “Good for you, Henry.” “Killian helped with the dates,” Henry added and David looked like he was about to argue something, but Killian cut him off.

“That was all you,” he said quickly. “I didn’t take the test.” David didn’t know what to do what that.

“Did you study history, Killian?” Mary Margaret asked, hand still on David’s shoulder.

“They don’t have majors at the Academy,” David muttered and Emma nearly sagged against Henry. Killian’s hand tightened around her knee.

“Actually,” he countered, “they do. It’s still a school, you know. And, to answer, your question, Mary Margaret, I did.”

She nodded quickly, fingers tracing along David’s spine as she tried to keep the conversation on track. Emma appreciated that – until her next question. “At the Academy? What Academy are we talking about here?” Killian’s eyes darted towards Emma and she tried to apologize without actually saying anything. “He was in the Navy,” Henry answered, voice picking up again. “He told me he knows how to shoot a gun. Kind of like you, Uncle David, only like on a boat.” “Ship,” Killian corrected softly and Emma’s heart did something stupid at that.

“Ship,” Henry repeated reverently.

“You were in the Navy, Killian?” Mary Margaret asked. “How did you end up on Iron Chef? And with your own restaurant?” “It’s kind of a long story,” he said. “One David apparently didn’t go into much detail about.” “I didn’t really want to know. Figured it was kind of like cheating.” Killian laughed and stared at Mary Margaret like he’d never quite seen anything like her. He probably hadn’t. She was too nice for her own good. “I appreciate that,” he said and Mary Margaret just shrugged softly. “I was in the Navy, for about five years before I left.” David scoffed and Emma kicked him underneath the table. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“Unfortunately it wasn’t a very positive end for either us – me or the Navy. My brother had died in action and without him there, there didn’t seem to be much of a point to serving anymore. So I left – without much permission. Any really.” “You left?” Henry repeated and Killian’s jaw flexed.

Emma was going to kill David. Right there in the booth. And then they’d never be able to come back to Granny’s.

“Wasn’t my finest moment,” Killian said quickly.

“Is that how you lost your hand? When your brother died?” “Henry!” Emma, Mary Margaret and David spoke at once, voices sharp in the restaurant. Emma was positive she saw Granny turn around and walk back into the kitchen when she heard the three of them yell. She kicked David again.

“It’s alright, Swan,” Killian said softly, thumb moving in a small circle across the bottom of her thigh. “And you don’t have to keep kicking your brother.” She glared at him pointedly, David muttering under his breath on the other side of the table. “Sorry,” Henry said quietly, but Killian just shook his head.

“Don’t be. It’s a fair question.” He took a deep breath, glancing at Emma once before leaning around her and meeting Henry’s curious gaze head on. “I didn’t lose my hand in the Navy. About a year and a half after, actually.” “How?”

“Henry,” Emma whispered sharply, shaking her head. Killian pulled his hand off her leg and moved it back up to her shoulder, squeezing slightly in silent contradiction. She didn’t say anything else – ignoring the way her mind raced at the feel of his hand and the admission that he hadn’t lost his hand in the Navy.

David looked a little nervous and she could hear what he’d told her in the kitchen two weeks ago – And, probably, who that woman tattooed on his arm is.

She didn’t know how she knew, probably something about being an open book to each other or some other absurd nonsense that made her feel more connected to Killian Jones than just about anyone else in her life, but Emma was positive it had to do with her – Milah. It was all about her, somehow, his hand and the way he seemed to kind of hate himself sometimes and that, admittedly very attractive, determination to prove himself.

“Car accident,” Killian said simply, not breaking away from Henry’s gaze. “I was 27 and I got in a cab one night and we didn’t realize the driver was drunk. It all happened kind of fast, honestly. He was driving back uptown and tried to take a left and didn’t see the car coming right at him until it was too late.” Henry bit his lip – looking so much like Emma she had to blink a few times to stop herself from actually starting to cry at the sight – and the entire table sat silent for what felt like several decades.

“I’m sorry,” Henry said softly and before Emma could stop him he reached around her, hand resting on Killian’s forearm, just above his brace.

And he didn’t pull away, didn’t move an inch – just looked slightly stunned at the twelve-year-old kid in front of him and Emma was absolutely on the verge of hysterics.

“I, uh, I didn’t know that part,” David said suddenly, making Emma’s head whip towards him. Killian hummed questioningly in the back of his throat, fingers dancing along the bottom of Emma’s head as they pushed into her hair. “I didn’t know there was a drunk driver involved. In the accident, I mean.” His hand stopped moving and Emma held her breath – that was a David Nolan sorry-I-was-a-dick-but-I’m-just-trying-to-protect-my-sister apology. And she wasn’t sure anyone except her and Mary Margaret would figure it out.

“Looks like you need better background checks then,” Killian said. “I distinctly remembering filling out an obscene amount of NYPD paperwork when I woke up. Luckily I’m right handed, so it wasn’t a big deal.” Emma’s whole body nearly fell over with slightly-manic sounding laughter and Killian grinned at her, moving his eyebrows quickly. David nodded slowly, smile spreading across his face as he stuck his hand out over the table. “I’m sorry,” he said and it sounded like he meant it and Emma couldn’t figure out if she was going to faint or start to cry.

“What is happening?” she muttered, mostly to Mary Margaret who just shrugged in response.

“I like him,” David said, nodding towards Killian. “And if he can get Henry an A on an American history exam, then that seems pretty good. Even if I do have a minor in history.” “European,” Emma pointed out. “And only because you had too many AP credits when you got to school and walked in with a minor. That doesn’t count.” “Whatever.”

And then it was fine – or as fine as a quasi-family dinner in an otherwise abandoned diner could be on a Tuesday night.

Granny, finally, showed up at the table, bringing a pre-dinner plate of onion rings for Henry. And he only objected slightly when Killian moved around Emma to grab one off the plate, claiming he had to test them before flashing a smile at her that went straight to her toes.

And she was so goddamn happy her face hurt from smiling.

“You know,” Henry said once their food arrived later, chewing on a grilled cheese in between syllables. “You never told us who actually won today.” “Chew, kid.” He rolled his eyes in response and Emma bit into her grilled cheese, earning herself a frustrated groan from both her kid and her brother. “You’re both horribly impatient. You know they put the show on TV.” “And why would we do that when you’re here to tell us?” David asked.

“Don’t do it Emma,” Ruby said sharply, walking into the diner with a frustrated look on her face.

“Where have you been?” Emma asked, sitting up a bit straighter as her producer marched into the restaurant, only pausing long enough to grab a bear claw off the display on the counter. “I thought you were on your way out like hours ago.” “I was,” Ruby said, wrapping her foot around the bottom of a chair to drag it to the end of the table. “But then I ran into Regina and she was on the warpath because someone,” she glared pointedly at Killian, “walked out without filming his talking head. You need to answer your phone.” “It’s on silent,” he muttered and Emma bit back a laugh. “And I can do it later. It’s not like they’re putting it on TV tomorrow.” “You know what I just did?” Killian shook his head slowly, holding an onion ring halfway in front of his mouth. “I just spent the last hour with your producer explaining to Zelena why everything wasn’t filmed yet and how no one had managed to stop the two of you from walking off set together. Jeez, I thought this morning was bad, but this is worse. You’re not even official and you’re already messing everything up.”

“What happened this morning?” Henry asked, a picture of curious innocence. Emma waved her hand quickly in front of him, trying not to kick Ruby under the table as well.

“Official, huh?” David repeated, laughing slightly under her breath and Emma couldn’t quite deal with the whiplash of that. Killian looked slightly overwhelmed – for someone who claimed they didn’t have a family, Emma certainly appeared to have plenty of people ready and willing to butt their way into things that weren’t their business.

She opened her mouth – not certain who she was going to answer first or how she was going to explain any of this when she couldn’t quite figure it out herself. Except she never even got a word out.

“It’s a boy!” Mary Margaret shouted and every head at the table turned towards her, each mouth hanging open slightly. “What?” Emma muttered, tears pricking her eyes almost immediately.

“It’s a boy,” Mary Margaret repeated, ignoring David’s frustrated groan.

“We weren’t going to tell them yet,” he said. “Yeah, well, you weren’t supposed to be an asshole to Killian again either and yet here we are.” David’s open-mouthed stare quickly turned into a smile and he leaned forward to kiss Mary Margaret quickly as Henry groaned loudly. Emma might have groaned a bit too.

“They do that all the time,” Henry said, turning to look at Killian who just smirked at the overwhelmingly family moment in front of him. He still had his fingers wrapped around the back of Emma’s neck and, for one moment, she let herself lean into the touch – ignoring her brother’s happiness for a second or two of her own.

“It’s not the worst thing in the world,” Killian muttered.

Henry groaned again. “I guess.” “Let’s pump the brakes on that conversation real quick,” Emma said and Henry nearly slid down the back of the booth as Killian nodded and kissed the top of her head. The whole thing was overwhelmingly domestic. “When did you find out?” Emma asked, trying to refocus the conversation on anything that wasn’t her. Or her relationship.

If that’s the word they were using.

“Couple of days ago,” Mary Margaret answered, pulled flush against David’s side. Emma was positive she’d never seen her brother so happy.

“And you didn’t say anything?” “You’ve been busy.” “I wish everyone would stop using that as an excuse.”

“It’s true,” David shrugged.

Emma pressed her lips together and shook her head and she absolutely wasn’t crying. She wasn’t. She was just kind of overwhelmed. But not crying. A boy.

They were going to have a boy.

“Em, are you crying?” David asked, voice tinged with surprised laughter.

“No,” Emma said quickly and she knew she wasn’t fooling anyone. “Of course not. Being emotional about you having a kid, a son , is totally out of the question. Whatever. I don’t care at all.” “I thought you didn’t want to know,” Ruby cut in. “Weren’t we all instructed to purchase gender neutral gifts? Because I was all about decking that kid out in red from head to toe.” “Is red gender neutral?” Emma asked.

Ruby just shrugged. “I honestly don’t care. It’s a good color. I had a whole plan, so it better at least be good enough for tiny-Nolan because that’s what he’s getting from here on out.” “I’m sure tiny-Nolan will appreciate whatever you buy him,” Mary Margaret said. “And we might not have to call him that much longer either.” “You are just chock full of secrets today, aren’t you?” Emma laughed, grabbing an onion ring off Henry’s plate and grinning at him when he cried in disbelief of what she’d done.

“Not secrets really, ” Mary Margaret countered. “Just previously unheard information.” “Sounds a lot like the definition of secrets.” “We might have a name picked out?” “Might?” Mary Margaret nodded, glancing at David. “Leo,” he said softly and Emma was absolutely crying now, fingers rubbing roughly at her cheeks as she tried to get rid of the evidence as quickly as possible.

“Oh,” she muttered softly, a half-eaten onion ring still in her other hand. “Of course.”

“Who’s Leo?” Henry asked and Emma took a deep breath through her nose, lifting her head back up to find that Mary Margaret was crying too.

Killian probably thought they were all crazy.

“My dad,” Mary Margaret said.

“I’ve never met him.” “Yeah, yeah, you wouldn’t have. He, uh, he died when I was in college. But he was the most important person in my life for a really long time.” “It’s perfect, M’s,” Emma said, meaning every word.

Emma had been fifteen.

Mary Margaret and David were sophomores and it had all happened incredibly fast – too fast for anyone to really be able to process any of it. Mr. Blanchard had been diagnosed in August and he was gone by Christmas.

Just days before.

The funeral was two days before Christmas.

Mary Margaret didn’t cry at the funeral. Her voice didn’t break when she gave the eulogy. She hardly even nodded at the line of Storybrooke residents filed out of the church, shaking her hand and telling her how sorry they were for her loss.

She didn’t cry until the end, until they walked away from the grave site and turned their backs on the casket. And then she nearly fell against David, his arms wrapped tightly around her while Emma tried to do something , rubbing circles on Mary Margaret’s back while she cried until she couldn’t breathe anymore.

And that was when Emma knew – there was no one stronger than Mary Margaret. Not in Storybrooke and, likely, not in the entire world.

She paid for college on her own from there on out – worked two jobs during her final two years and then got a GA position so she could get her masters. She student-taught in the Bronx and held after-school reading groups for her students and Emma had all but forced Henry into her class when he’d been that age.

Mary Margaret was, at times, painfully positive, certain the world would just work the way it was supposed to and Emma’s natural cynicism fought against that more often than not, but no one deserved some sort of metaphorical happy ending more.

And no one would ever be loved more than the soon-to-be Leo Nolan.

“Don’t waste all your tears on that quite yet, because I’ve got one more secret,” Mary Margaret warned.

Emma nodded, sitting up a little straighter as Killian’s arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders. “Ok,” she said. “Do your worst. Or best.” “We picked a middle name too.” “I don’t know what you guys are talking about with me, you’re the busy ones. Do we have other relatives to honor with names?”

“See, that’s where we kind of need your permission?” “Mine?” Emma repeated, stunned slightly. “What for?” “Well, you and Henry actually,” Mary Margaret answered, smile nearly taking over every part of her face. “Tiny-Nolan’s full name will, we hope, be Leo Henry Nolan.”

Emma’s head landed on Killian’s shoulder before she could stop herself and the tears were just absurd at this point. She felt him laugh softly underneath her, hand moving up and down her arm and making her sleeve bunch against his fingers.

“You want to name him after me?” Henry asked, nearly screaming the words.

“Kind of,” David said. “We just thought it’d be cool if he knew who his heroes should be from the get-go, you know what I mean? And, well, we can’t really use Emma as a middle name, although we considered it, so we thought Henry kind of got both of you in one fell swoop.” “What do you think?” Mary Margaret asked quietly, eyes wide when she looked at Emma.

“I think it’s perfect,” she said, not entirely sure how she managed to talk when she couldn’t really breathe. That seemed to be a trend for the day.

Mary Margaret reached across the table, ignoring David’s protests about stretching too far and squeezed Emma’s hand tightly in hers. “Me too,” she whispered.

“Now, come on,” David said, pulling Mary Margaret back against the booth as both Emma and Ruby rolled their eyes at the absurdity of it. “We told our secrets or news or whatever. Now you’ve got to tell us who won today.” Emma glanced questioningly at Ruby who just shrugged. “Fine,” she sighed. “But no specifics or anything. We’ve got to at least act like we play by the rules on this.” “To be fair,” Killian added. “Regina absolutely tells Robin everything that happens on set. And probably my hostess too. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were talking about it now.”

“I knew she would,” Ruby hissed, scowling. “I knew it! And she acted like it was all under lock and key and..” “Guys,” David cut in sharply. “Who won?” “Oh,” Ruby said flippantly, shaking her hair off her shoulders, the light of the diner’s overhead bulbs practically reflecting off her red highlights. “Killian did.” “For real?” Henry exclaimed, nearly tackling Emma as he moved to look at a slightly-embarrassed Killian. “What’d you make for dessert? Who’d you beat? Was there something super crazy in the final basket?”

“Breathe,” Emma laughed, pushing Henry back into his seat.

Killian held up three fingers, making sure he didn't miss any of Henry’s questions. “Cookies, per your mom’s request. Graham. Zucchini, but that’s deceptively crazy because it actually works pretty well with dessert-like spices, so I’m not sure that there’s an actual answer to the final question.” “Were there extra cookies?” “You literally just ate a plate of onion rings.” “Were there extra cookies?” Henry repeated.

“I can’t believe you ate the extra cookies,” Henry groaned at her.

“They were good!” “I’ll make you a deal,” Killian said, looking at Henry over the top of Emma’s head. “You stop texting while you’re in class and the next time you’re at The Jolly we’ll make some kind of dessert again, ok?”

“Like the cookies you made for the team?” “I seem to remember I promised brownies before.” “You did.” “Then brownies seems fair.”

Mary Margaret sniffed audibly and Ruby practically fell out of her chair when she started laughing. “What is your deal, M’s?” Emma asked, eyebrows rising close to her hairline. “We still on names?” “No, no, I’m fine,” she said, looking like the freaking sun in the middle of the diner as she beamed across the table. “Pregnancy hormones.”

Emma didn’t respond, positive it absolutely wasn’t pregnancy hormones, but that wasn’t a conversation she was willing to have in this suddenly very-crowded booth. She stole another onion ring off her kid’s plate instead.

They were waiting for Granny to wrap up half a dozen leftover baked goods for Henry half an hour later when David walked up to Emma at the end of the counter, holding his hands up as he moved towards her, an apologetic look on his face.

“What?” she sighed, not quite able to stay mad at him.

“You know what.” “I’d love to hear you say it.” “I’m sorry. For being an ass. You know, again.” “I don’t get why,” Emma said, crossing her arms and leaning against the counter. She glanced to the other end of the restaurant, Killian next to Henry with his hand on his shoulder, talking about the soccer game he’d had over the weekend.

“I worry about you,” David answered, like that explained everything.

“You worry about everything.” “Especially you though. I wouldn’t have thought he’d tell you about the Navy.” “You kind of backed him into a corner.” “He tell you anything else?” Emma sighed, exasperation written across her face. “Sorry, sorry,” David muttered. “I know I’m doing it again.” “I need you to let me figure this out. I don’t have any answers for you yet and I’m not going to push him to talk to me until he wants to. So, frankly, take your background check and shove it.” David laughed loudly, shaking his head as he wrapped Emma in a hug, hand wrapping around the back of her head. “I can do that,” he agreed. “He seems like a good guy. And Henry really seems to like him.” “He does, but that doesn’t change anything you know. No one is encroaching on your status here.” “What do you mean?” David asked and Emma just stared at him – he wasn’t a very good liar either.

“Henry will still want to hang out with you. And you’re just as important as ever. This is all still really new and really undefined and I need you to stop trying to scare Killian away.” “That is the opposite of what I’m trying to do,” David promised. “You’re happy, Em. I just want to make sure you’ve got all the facts. “I can get ‘em on my own.” “I don’t doubt that.” “You ready to go, Swan?” Killian asked. Emma spun around, vaguely terrified at how much he heard, but the smile on his face made her believe he was more focused on her than he was on the discussion she’d been having with her brother.

“You don’t have to walk us back,” she said. “It’s only a couple of blocks.” “And my restaurant is three blocks away from where you live. I should probably acknowledge them at some point today, make sure it hasn’t burned down or anything.”

“I doubt Ariel would let that happen.” Killian nodded solemnly, but his eyes were bright and Emma needed her brother to move . “Mom,” Henry said, skidding to a stop next to Killian, a paper bag clutched in his hand. “If we’re going to go back to The Jolly, you think I can get one of those root beer floats again? It was really good the last time.” “School night,” Emma said, shaking her head. Henry’s shoulders drooped, but Killian nudged his side, glancing at him with a smirk on his face.

“Next time,” he promised.

“Alright,” Emma muttered, ignoring whatever her pulse was doing. “Come on, let’s head home.”

They’d made quite a trio – walking the ten blocks from Granny’s back downtown and if Emma let herself, it almost felt like something . She wouldn’t use the word, couldn’t let herself think that when they hadn’t even defined the whatever.

Her mind, however, had different ideas.

It felt like a family.

#cs fic #cs au #cs ff #cs fanfic #captain swan ff #captain swan fanfiction #ootfp #david won't be a jerk forever #also for someone who can't even turn on their own oven #i've looked up a lot of actual recipes for this fic

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