#they obviously realised i went to the police since i was now in the company of a police officer | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

wallwriterstuff · 4 years ago

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A Stitch In Time || Alec and Jane and Reader||

Warnings: Mentions of poverty but mostly this is fluff

Word Count: 6429

Summary: Alec and Jane are...going to school? As if that wasn’t bad enough, they’re constantly pestered by one irritating little human who clearly has no concept of self-preservation. Spending a winter in Forks was not how they had planned the end of their year to go, but winter traditions have changed since they were human, and they find the new ones aren’t all that bad.

It was well known that you didn’t anger the witch twins unless you wanted to die. First, there was Jane, whose temper was as quick to flare as though it were a match being struck. Alec was, in comparison, far calmer in outward appearance while he mentally plotted twenty steps ahead as to how best to exact his revenge for the displeasure caused to him. In both cases the victims of their anger met ruthless ends; it was merely dependent on which witch twin they had pissed off as to how swiftly the end came. With that in mind, one has to question what on Earth Felix and Demetri were thinking when they started sending the twins to school.

When Carlisle had entreated the Volturi to aid them in reclaiming their territory, Aro had agreed without a second thought to “aid an old friend”, as he had put it. None of the guard had any qualms about helping the coven (they had done them no wrong after all even if their way of life was rather strange) but they hadn’t expected it to be such an arduous process. The nomads who had taken over the Olympic Peninsula travelled in the usual small group but Demetri just couldn’t track them. He had caught the tenors yes, but the trail they left just…looped around. Somebody was clearly messing with his gift and enjoying watching him run about in circles, and it was taking a considerable toll on the tracker to try and figure out where the group was at any given time.

They had stayed at the Cullen’s house for the most part, Carlisle and Esme sending them the keys and alarm codes before they had arrived, and once the place was scoped out and found to be clean they had moved in post haste. The place was lavish, large, modern, and it allowed them to live in seclusion and comfort. It became their base of operations as they tried to track down these nomads. They were vicious and killing in droves, drawing attention to themselves and threatening the Cullen’s openly. Demetri was grateful for the encounter that Rosalie had had or else he would have had very little hope of finding a tenor to follow.

Then the Chief of Police had come past.

It was an unusual pattern, not at all a regular patrol route since it took him so far off of the main path, but fate had determined he was going to come their way and spot Alec and Jane just as they were headed back into the house after an afternoon walk. They had ran at a human pace, warning the others as they went, and by the time Police Chief Swan rang the doorbell they all had contacts in and was prepared to greet their unexpected guest. After a lot of explaining they had managed to convince him that they had rented the property while they worked abroad for a short period. Volturi Ltd. Was a legitimate company he could look up after all and the Secretaries were trained in how to handle inquiries into the company from the outside world. The only problem then was Alec and Jane. Despite being a thousand years of age, the twins still looked to be physically 14 at the most. Any self-respecting people would be sending their 14 year olds to school wouldn’t they?

Well, what else could they do at that point?

“Sister.” Alec placed a hand on her shoulder but couldn’t help the way his lips quirked upward in amusement. Her glare was fixated on a boy of small stature, with an ego twice his size. She wasn’t quite using her gift on him yet, but the boy had twitched a bit and was showing obvious signs of distress. Jane broke her gaze, turning to look at Alec with an expression that screamed of displeasure.

“I dislike him immensely.” She deadpanned.

“So I can see.” Alec murmured. They kept their voices so low nobody would hear them, and the teacher was so busy praising the know-it-all bully Jane had had her eye on he doubted she would see he was clearly not playing attention.

“I do not know how much more of this I can take. Ugh, look, Y/N is writing you another note, insufferable little-“

“Alec? Pssst.” your voice was so loud in comparison to theirs. He tried not to sigh, though he found your consistent need to bother them somewhat amusing when he was in better moods. Lucky for you, this moment was one of them. He let you whisper for him once more before he turned, raising an eyebrow at you. You stared ahead robotically, so obviously up to no good it made him wonder how anyone could ever think you innocent in that moment, and slid a piece of paper across the tabletop to him. Alec opened it up with a slight sigh.

Want to play tic-tac-toe with me?

He tilted his head slightly.

“What’s that?” he whispered. Your jaw dropped slightly and you hurriedly took the paper back from him, drawing out a 3x3 grid and drawing a circle on it.

“Noughts and crosses?” you murmured hopefully, wondering if he knew it by another name. Alec stared at the strange design with a furrowed brow.

“I’ve never heard of it.” He said finally, glancing back up towards the front of the room as the teacher asked for contributions to the discussion. You were absolutely screwed. You were still looking at the side of his head.

“I’m sure you know Y/N since you’re so keen to tell Alec all about it. Would you share with the rest of the class?” she asked, her eyebrows raised and expression screaming ‘I caught you’ despite her friendly tone. Alec stifled a laugh, enjoying your obvious discomfort as you stuttered for a response. Jane smothered a smile with her hand, a very human action she had picked up from you but didn’t realise. This was how they spent the majority of their days since they’d started school three weeks ago; lessons were boring and covered topics they already knew, and the children were cruel. Cruelty was nothing new to either of the twins but there had been some small part of them that had hoped that perhaps it would be different this time, that perhaps they were too different now they knew how to blend in better.

Of course, vampire teenagers in an otherwise human class was not going to be as discrete as they liked but there was just something about the twins sharp tongues and apathetic expressions that was not inviting enough for the other children to even pretend to be friendly – that and they were all teenagers in a small town who had grown up in their cliques since birth. Only you had bothered to welcome them with any sort of warm regard, and it was both tiresome and heat warming that at least one of the wretched little humans had tried. By the time they trudged into the cafeteria to sit with a tray of food they wouldn’t touch unless you forced them to, Jane was grinding her teeth in distaste. She was enjoying this even less than Alec was, though he put his twin’s rotten mood down to the need to hunt.

It was nearing December now and the winter months had brought with it even more rain that quickly turned to ice, with cold winds that stung human cheeks. Jane and Alec felt none of it of course but given the way your tray of food nearly toppled on top of the table with the violence of your shivering it was safe to say the humans did. The twins had guessed you weren’t from the richest family in the world, your clothes didn’t have the same labels as the other children did and were sometimes too big or too small, a little tattered or sewn back together with patches or mismatching threads in a shade that was similar, but not exact to the colour of the material.

“Here we go again.” Jane muttered for his ears only. You had sat with them at lunch every day for the past two weeks since you realised they often sat alone. Your wide Y/E/C eyes took them in, teeth chattering.

“How a-are you n-not cold?” you demanded, limbs trembling as you rubbed your hands together furiously in an effort to warm up. Your jacket looked thin, definitely not able to withstand the temperatures that had continued to drop throughout the day. The grey sky was threatening snow. Alec could smell what would be rain but had the fresher, sharper scent snow brought with it.

“Because it isn’t as cold as you think.” Alec answered. Not when your flesh is already frozen he tacked on mentally. You frowned.

“N-not cold? Are you insane?” you shook your head, ignoring your shivers for now to dig into your food. You always ate like you were starving to, and Alec sometimes wondered if you were getting enough to eat at home, but it wasn’t his place to ask. You had a hot chocolate today to, something you had clearly saved up to buy since he remembered you looking rather sad when you read the price beside it on the menu board the other week. It struck him that perhaps your kindness stemmed from your own perceived difference. You weren’t the same as the other children. You worked harder and were quite obviously poorer. Alec and Jane were the strange new kids. In some ways, your trio was perfectly compatible when it came to categorical ostracization.

“Are you?” Jane’s answer was curt but you tilted your head like you were genuinely considering the question.

“My brother says I am.” You shrugged, shovelling another forkful of mac and cheese into your mouth. If it tasted as bad as it looked, Alec pitied you greatly. Jane just blinked, looking slightly surprised.

“You have a brother?” she questioned. You hummed around a mouthful of food.

“He’s older than me, he g-goes to high school.” Your shivering had lessened a little, the food warming you up even if it did little else. The usual silence fell over you all then. You tended to fill the silence when you were done eating, usually with questions about why they weren’t eating and if they were sick, or simply trying to coax more information about where they’d come from out of them. Today the routine was interrupted by the snow Alec had predicted.

“It’s here! It’s here! The first snowfall!” a young girl yelled, pointing back outside. A cacophony of noise made Alec and Jane cringe, their sensitive ears protesting against the sounds of scraping chairs and shrieking children, a thousand little feet thudding into the tile to reach the snow first as zippers on jackets whizzed up towards chins. Your eyes were sparkling, obvious delight on your face as you worked twice as hard to finish off the last of your mac and cheese. Alec’s eyebrows rose as you turned to your dessert next, the jello cup being ripped open.

“If you eat too fast you’ll make yourself sick.” Alec reminded you. You gulped, almost choking on your jello.

“I’s ‘no’.” your voice came out all garbled but Alec understood the general premise of it, his disapproval at your decision to go outside with the others obvious on his face.

“You were just complaining you were cold.” Jane huffed. You swallowed.

“But it’s the first snow! Come on! Come on you have to come! Please please please please please please please please-“

“My god we’ll follow you!” Jane snapped. You ignored her tone completely and jumped to your feet, whizzing to collect your things and clean up your tray. Alec watched you go with a shake of his head. Humans were such stupid little creatures. He knew you’d be freezing the moment you set foot outside but that didn’t deter you in the slightest. Neither, apparently, did their cold skin. With your warm hands enveloping theirs you dragged the twins outside into the snow. It was something they had seen before of course, but Alec and Jane had the added advantage of having enhanced eyesight. They could see every little snowflake as it fell, all its unique edges and shapes. Your arms flew outward as you span around, giggling all the while as you reached out and tried to catch a snowflake in your palm. Alec tilted his head as he watched you, Jane sighing quietly beside him.

“They seem so happy...they don’t even see the full wonder of the phenomena.” he mused. Jane was watching you with critical eyes, but Alec could see the slightest softening of her expression and guessed she was as fascinated with your reaction as he was. Your hands were far too warm too catch anything of course, the snowflakes melting upon contact with your skin, but your smile never once dropped and you kept trying again and again, your enthusiasm undeterred.

“They’re already shivering, and yet they carry on,” Jane observed, “Their determination is admirable though.” Alec chuckled.

“You almost sound fond.” He teased. She scoffed, shooting him a wry look from the corner of her eye.

“I’m about as fond of any of them as I am of those idiots picking us up later.” She sniffed. Alec had to laugh at that, even as you came running up to them rabbiting about snowmen and snow angels. You were trembling head to foot. With a small sigh, he shrugged out of his jacket and held it towards you. Your eyes widened.

“But y-you’ll g-g-get cold.” You said, teeth gnashing together noisily.

“You are already frozen. Just swap my jacket with yours.” He huffed.

“But-“

“Y/N.” his voice was curt, no nonsense, the same sort of tone he imagined his mother had once used on him when he was smaller. You obediently took his jacket from him and even though it wasn’t saturated with any sort of human warmth, the wool was thick and you snuggled down into it like it was a lifeline. Your own threadbare denim looked slightly ridiculous on him, too small and the fit all wrong, but Alec didn’t complain once. He held his hand out, knowing it would be cold enough for what he wanted to do, and in one go caught a snowflake he let you inspect to your heart’s desire.

“Softie.” Jane grumbled under her breath. He ignored her. What was the point of making themselves miserable at school? If they had to be here then they should try to make the best of it right? Besides, when you looked at him like that…how could he say no? You invoked some of his oldest, foggiest memories of a wide-eyed Jane staring up at him with awe and admiration, it felt like he was getting a second chance to be the big brother he should have been in that cold, snowy moment.

“Oh Alec! Isn’t it so pretty!” you cried. You can’t even see it he thought incredulously, though he still nodded in agreement. He really hadn’t been expecting you to hug him and he wasn’t quite sure what to do in reply either. Did he hug you back? His arms hesitated, not quite winding around you. His hands were awkwardly left bent outwards as if too touch you would be lethal. His awkward display only made Jane snort, smothering her laughter in her jacket as you bounced back from him and demanded that they all go the Jungle Gym. The bars would surely freeze your fingers and gloves were so slippery not many people were on them today, and those that were quickly disappeared when they saw Alec and Jane coming anyhow.

This was the day Alec blamed for your absence the following week.

You hadn’t bounced in like you usually did, hanging your jacket on the peg beside Jane’s, nor had you wished the teacher good morning when she called your name for the roll call. Truth be told, both twins were rather worried about you when you didn’t show up by the end of first period either, so much so, Alec decided to ask about you. Miss Destiel was a fairly nice woman, strict perhaps but she always found time for her students, so she greeted the two strange newcomers to her class with the same warm smile she gave everyone. Alec didn’t have to be Edward Cullen to know she was probably thinking of several different ways to get them out of her way as quickly as possible despite her friendly demeanour.

“We want to know if you know where Y/N is.” Jane said, cutting straight to the point. She tilted her head.

“I see. You three are good friends, aren’t you? I see you together at recess a lot. You needn’t worry too much. Her mother called in to tell us she was sick, a little bit of a flu bug they think. She should be back by the end of the week.” Miss Destiel promised them. Alec let his disgust show on his face. A flu bug? Why did humans have to be so weak! It was the cold wasn’t it? It had seeped into your bones and tried to leech the life out of you. Dammit! If only you’d had a better jacket! Or maybe some gloves! Maybe you shouldn’t have been stupid enough to play outside in the snow with them…

You didn’t show up for another four days, and when you did return you drove them half mad with your sniffling and nose blowing and coughing. The other children were giving you dirty looks to, calling you germy and demanding you stay away from them in case you passed on your germs. Alec and Jane were not popular and neither were you, but you did have a few other friends beside them, even those children tried to stay away till you were better, and only one of them was apologetic about it. You were obviously disheartened by the whole affair and prodded at your food with a miserable expression.

“Cheer up, you don’t need to cry in that pie, it smells salty enough already.” Jane’s attempt at comfort was half-hearted at best but Alec was amazed she had even tried at all. You gave her a weak smile.

“I’m not feeling all that hungry.” You mumbled.

“But you always eat,” Alec frowned, “Even when they bring out that awful soggy pizza.”

“S’just the flu.” You sighed.

“Y/N you have to eat.” Alec reprimanded. He really wasn’t sure if you’d make it through the day without a little something in your system and was pleased when you forced down another few bites for him. You glanced at the clock through droopy, watery eyes. You really weren’t ready to come back to school today and it was obvious to both of them.

“I need to go get my medicine from the nurse. I’ll see you in class.” You sniffed, a tickle you tried to clear turning into a coughing spree as you walked away.

“We need to do something.” Jane scowled at her tray.

“We cannot make her better, sister.” Alec pointed out. Jane stared him down for a long moment, and then a smile twitched up her lips.

“Maybe not, but we can stop her getting sick again. Come on, help me.” She ordered. Alec raised his eyebrows but followed her lead, dumping his tray and heading back towards the classroom with her. He stood guard, hearing paper shuffling inside the room as Jane put whatever plan she had into action. He didn’t question it until Friday afternoon rolled around and Miss Destiel decided to read out the names of the secret Santa pairings one more time, at Jane’s request. Next Thursday was the last day of term before the Christmas break started and there would be secret Santa and some choosing time in the afternoon that neither twin was looking forward to.

“Alec and Y/N…huh? Debbie didn’t you have Y/N last time we read out the names?” Miss Destiel looked to the red headed girl for answers, but she just shrugged, uncertain. Alec smiled slightly.

“You switched the papers.” He murmured. Jane hummed, her face the picture of angelic.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about dear brother, but I do have an ideas as to what you could get Y/N if you’re interested.” She was hardly done with her plan just yet though. Demetri wasn’t particularly surprised when the twins came marching towards him; they were often eager to get out of school, but the surprise lay in their demeanours. Usually he could count on a very grumpy Jane and a clearly exasperated Alec, but today they both looked determined. Jane brushed past him with all the regal stature of a woman who knew her self-worth, and Demetri raised an eyebrow slightly as he turned to face Alec.

“We have plans to attend to Demetri. We’re still headed to Port Angeles tonight are we not?” he questioned. Demetri nodded.

“We are, why?”

“We’re going to go earlier than planned. We have secret Santa obligations to fulfil.” He explained, ducking into the car. Demetri looked even more confused at that, but he didn’t dare question either twin as he headed for the driver’s side door. Wasn’t Santa always secret? Had he misunderstood human traditions? He didn’t know and neither Alec nor Jane cared enough to tell him. They were hyper focused now on their plan, a plan they hoped would ensure the health and happiness of the one human being they actually (though they remained very reluctant to admit it) liked. Secrecy was the very nature of their work and yet Alec’s tongue itched whenever he saw you, the secret on the tip of his tongue desperately trying to leap off into the air between you both. Jane struggled too, unable to hide her growing impatience as the week dragged on and your shivers grew worse, your sniffly nose a new, permanent feature on your face.

“Good tidying everyone. Nicky, tell me one thing you’ve learned today?” Miss Destiel snapped Alec out of his daydream and he sat up straighter, wanting to give the appearance of paying attention. Nicky was a smallish boy who had yet to have any sort of growth spurt apparently, all long gangly limbs and braces.

“Erm…After World War 2, they split up Germany and Berlin?” he sounded more like he was guessing than anything else and the twins fought the urge to scoff. How ignorant these little humans were.

“Yes they did! You can go and get your secret Santa present. Can you expand on Nicky’s point somehow Bridget?” Miss Destiel turned to the opposite side of the room now and Alec almost groaned when he realised what she was doing. One by one, they were left to answer questions in order to exit the room, and the process was excruciatingly slow given how stupid the small beings were. By the time the whole affair was over and everyone had a present in front of them, Alec’s fingers were itching at the colourful paper he’d wrapped your present in. Jane had watched multiple youtube videos to get the bow on top just right.

“Miss Destiel can we please give our presents out!” Debbie whined.

“Yeah please?”

“Please!”

“Let us give our presents Miss!”

She held up her hands, waiting for silence, and not until you could have heard a pin drop did she nod and motion for them to get up out of their seats.

You didn’t move.

Alec watched you with a small frown as Jane moved away to find Nicky in the sea of humans. She all but threw the small package at his chest, briefly thanking him in a curt and ice cold voice for the present he gave her in return before she gave him a nod, and the pair drifted with all the grace their vampirism allowed towards you. You only seemed to grow smaller in your seat, some wrinkled looking tissue paper wrapped around a lumpy looking package on your desk in front of you.

“Merry Christmas, Y/N.” Alec held out the parcel in his hand. It looked much neater in comparison, with shiny gold paper and a shimmering, expertly tied black bow. You swallowed, your fists clenching on top of the tabletop as you took a breath and gathered the courage to face him. Your eyes widened slightly.

“It looks so…fancy…” you fretted. Alec frowned, tilting his head.

“It’s just a present.” Alec said. You bit your lip, taking it when he shook it impatiently before you and carefully setting it on your desk like it was made of precious gold. He folded his arms, standing and watching expectantly as your shaky fingers lifted to try and untie the bow. Jane watched in surprise as you reverently unfurled the ribbon from the paper, making sure it didn’t crumple. You were equally as careful with the paper, a sharp exhale escaping you when you pulled it away to reveal the present within.

Your fingers brushed the thick, woolen fabric, shaky and unsure as you carefully unfolded the clothing and stood up to hold it before you. Your wide eyes looked over the shiny black buttons on the coat, your eyes drifting to the hallway where your own, threadbare denim hung still. You hadn’t taken off the hoodie you wore underneath all day in an effort to keep away the chill, but with your new coat you definitely wouldn’t need to wear triple layers just to stay warm anymore. Tears welled in your eyes.

“Is it not to your liking?” Jane asked confusedly.

“I thought you would want to be warmer given the cold weather.” Alec added. Had they got it wrong? Had your denim maybe got sentimental value they’d accidentally besmirched by giving you a new coat? They just wanted you to be warm! They didn’t like seeing you sick and shivering…

“This is expensive. You weren’t supposed to buy expensive things!” You fretted, but your fingers had curled into the fabric like you didn’t want to let go. Alec tilted his head.

“Y/N, this was hardly-“

“I can’t give you mine if you give me this! It looks so stupid and – and – it’s not – it’s not-“

“Y/N,” Alec gripped your shoulders with a troubled frown, “Our parents have more money than they know what to do with, spending a little of it to keep your warm is what we wanted to do for Christmas and we didn’t expect anything in return for it.” He said firmly. You sniffled, looking absolutely overwhelmed at the gesture. Neither twin could fully understand why. Sure, they had guessed you didn’t come from a well-off family but this reaction seemed extreme…then again, they couldn’t really remember what it was like to not have things. They had grown up farming, self-sufficiency meaning anything they didn’t have they grew or harvested to acquire it. Once they were turned, they had access to the Volturi’s vast treasury - money really had no meaning to them anymore.

Your fingers twitched for the lumpy package on the desk and Alec gave you an encouraging nod.

“I…they’re not…I couldn’t buy anything but, I wanted you to be warm to…so…so…” you stumbled over your words, your apparent shyness taking over. Alec and Jane had never known you to be lost for words. You were always chattering away at them, even when they were less than responsive. Jane’s eyebrows rose as you pulled out a second lumpy looking package with her name on, and the twins exchanged a glance as they felt the squishy, thick material through the thin paper. You had ducked your head, cheeks flushed with embarrassment as they pulled away the paper as carefully as they could. If you had been so intent on keeping theirs intact to recycle they would show you the same courtesy.

Alec blinked, and not just because the contacts were irritating his eyes. The thick and squishy material beneath his fingertips turned out to be black and blue, two colours he wore often as part of his charade since he couldn’t wear his guard uniform to school. The stripes of chunky knitting unfolded as he held them out into a long strip, the wool a little scratchy but soft, dense, designed to hold heat. Jane’s own red and black piece tumbled out of the paper towards the floor. They had seen them before of course, but with the slightly uneven width in places and a few missing stitches here and there, these were clearly homemade and not the fancy store bought ones they knew of.

You’d knitted them each a scarf.

He didn’t need it, he didn’t get cold, but Alec carefully wrapped the woolly scarf around his throat anyway. It warmed him in ways he couldn’t explain, his expression softening as he stroked the soft but scratchy material that dangled against his chest. Jane followed his lead, admiring the stitching with awe.

“You made these for us?” she asked. You nodded sheepishly.

“I know they’re not very good but-“

“They’re perfect.” Alec interrupted. Your fingers were still clamped around your new coat and Alec’s eyes rolled, taking it from you to force you into it. Your fingers trailed over the fabric, the buttons, a soft smile lighting up your face.

“Can I really keep it?” you asked quietly.

“Only if we can keep these.” Jane replied. You nodded, more enthusiastic now. Your Y/E/C eyes sparkled as you snuggled down in your new coat. Already Alec could see the colour returning slowly to your cheeks as your temperature rose, and he and Jane shared a nod of approval at the sight – it was a job well done. Alec and jane cared for very few people, none of them human until you came along, actually disappointed when they caught the nomads over Christmas and realised they couldn’t return to school to say goodbye to you properly.

You’d pressed the call button hours ago.

When the tightness in your chest had began Tuesday night you were sure it was going to pass. It had rapidly gotten worse however, so much so your daughter had been forced to call an ambulance out to you. The hospital was doing all they could but the place was miserable. Nobody saw you unless it was to do your observations and the food tasted awful. Not that you really had an appetite of course given how weak you felt.

It had been three very long days.

“If you don’t eat, you’ll make yourself sick.” The voice seemed so familiar but you couldn’t quite place it. With a gentle sigh, you turned your head away from the window you were lucky enough to be near and found a young boy watching you, his eyes gentle and sad. Beside him stood an petite blonde girl, both of them with the deepest brown eyes and palest skin you had ever seen. You frowned slightly, the faintest itch in your brain telling you that somehow you knew these children.

“That’s very true young man,” You nodded finally, “Are you visiting someone? I think you have the wrong room.” He nodded slowly.

“We are visiting a friend, I don’t think she knows we’re here.” He said, head tilting. The small girl beside him sighed. You hummed.

“Well you can ask at the desk, they know all the rooms.” You coughed slightly, a bony, age spotted hand reaching for your water. Your mouth felt rather dry, or maybe the room was just warm. You didn’t feel warm though.

“Has nobody come to visit you?” the girl wondered, helping bring the water to your lips. Her touch was gentle against your own but her hands were freezing cold. You shivered involuntarily, sipping at your water in an effort to soothe your throat.

“My daughter and grandkids came yesterday, you don’t have to – to worry about me.” You frowned slightly as you swallowed again. You had found breath a little hard to come by recently and the oxygen running up through your nostrils was hardly any use now. The boy was gentle as he pulled your blanket up around your chest.

“I’m glad, you haven’t been alone. You won’t be now, either.” He promised. Your frown deepened. Why was the room so cold all over a sudden? Why did the lights seem dimmer? You chest rattled slightly as you tried to take in air, the oxygen making you choke a little. The small blonde girl stepped up, pulling a red and black scarf that looked like it had been worn often, the threads worn down. Once it was carefully looped around your throat she stepped back, her cold hand settling in yours while the young boy took the other one. The air was stuffier still, even the breeze from the slightly open window wasn’t helping now, and everything suddenly became so clear. It was like you had previously been sitting surrounded by static.

“Alec…Jane…”your breathed, eyes watering. They looked exactly the same, not a day older than the day they had left. You had been so excited to see them in January when school was finally in session again but they hadn’t been there, they’d moved away again.

“Hello, Y/N. It’s been a long time, old friend.” Alec smiled softly, though his expression remained saddened. Your eyes watered.

“It’s been 70 years.” You rasped.

“78 years, 5 months and 13 days, if you want to be precise.” Jane spoke up. Her voice and her face was as apathetic as you remembered it to be. It was her scarf, she had given you her scarf. 78 years and she still had it. Alec pulled a stack of letters from his pocket, and you recognised the spidery handwriting easily in your bizarre state of clarity. All the letters you had written to Volturi Ltd in the hopesof keeping in contact with your friends. It was Jane who gently wiped away the few tears that spilt down sallow, wrinkled cheeks. You were so old, but they were wondrously young, vibrant in their youth. You wanted to know how, but you sensed somehow you didn’t have the time for the explanations you wanted.

“There were a few important answers we felt we should give you,” Alec said, sitting beside you and opening the first letter, “Firstly, we are well, we are happy and we did miss you to. We miss very few people, it surprised our masters when we requested to come and visit you.” You croaked a laugh. It was hardly surprising from what you remembered of the twins; even your friendship with them was strained at points, but they were hardly palatable to most in your class. Alec continued to scroll through the letters, and you suspected he knew with every answer he and Jane gave you that you were running short on air and time with every word he spoke.

When your lungs were really starting to battle for air you couldn’t quite stop the tears from coming. You wanted more time. You wanted more time with your old friends to try to understand why they left, why they were still so long. Maybe they weren’t even real, but the way their hands felt in yours was so realistic you doubted you could imagine it.

“I…d-don’t want…to go.” You struggled to get the words out, your heart trying to hard and your lungs ready to give up. Even if your mind was desperately pleading with it to hold on your body was clearly ready.

“Sometimes, it is simply our time, little human.” Alec said softly.

“Please don’t think less of us for not calling a nurse or a doctor. We think it’s kinder this way. You’re ready, even if you don’t think you are.” Jane promised, giving your hand the lightest squeeze.

“My g-grandaughters…she’s graduating i-in March…”you whispered. Alec soothingly ran his thumb over the back of your hand.

“She will keep you with her I’m sure…you’re quite difficult to forget, you know,” He smiled gently at you.

“It’s time to sleep now, Y/N.” Jane said. There was a darkness creeping in at the edges of your vision as your heart finally gave way in your chest, and Alec watched as you desperately fought for one last breath, his grip on your hand tightening ever so slightly while the light in your eyes died. Your heart monitor was screaming, the noise was going to attract someone very quickly they were sure, but they had finally gotten the goodbye they had been deprived of all those years ago.

“Will you take your scarf back with you sister?” Alec asked as they stood up and quickly cleaned away the letters and any other trace they had ever been there. Jane paused briefly, staring back at your frail body. You were much older now, still as skinny as they remembered, but any colour was stripped from your hair and replaced with grey. She very gently closed your vacant eyes, unable to keep looking at the empty Y/E/C, and shook her head.

“No, she’s still cold.” She frowned. Alec placed a hand on her shoulder briefly, his ears picking up the sound of feet thudding on the tile outside.

“We need to leave.” He said. Jane nodded her head.

“Lets.”

They disappeared as quickly as they came, Demetri waiting for them beside a Sedan with tinted windows. His eyebrows rose ever so slightly as they approached but neither twin said anything, so he didn’t either. He had felt the familiar tenor fade as you passed, he knew what they had come to do now, understood it even. Every winter Alec and Jane had worn those threadbare scarves, even when the wool had faded and it was clearly past the prime of its life. You had made a lasting impression on the witch twins, a friend they had made without any interfering influence from the masters or Chelsea or any other outside force. Alec stared at the hospital getting smaller in the rear view mirror. They wouldn’t go to your funeral, they had said their goodbyes to you today, and until the last thread unravelled, he would always have his scarf to remember you by. You had been stitched into the very fabric of whatever was left of his soul, where you would always be, to keep him warm when his heart threatened to turn cold once more.

#twilight #twilight fanfiction #alec volturi #jane volturi #x reader #demetri volturi #volturi #volturi fanfiction #alec and jane got to school #scarves #the ending got away from me #i got wrapped up in feels #and hurt my feelings

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jaskiersvalley · 4 years ago

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@ohnomybreadsticks The idea hasn’t left me alone since our chat. So...this one is all on you buddy :D

Living in a block of flats was usually quite nice. There was never the feeling of being utterly alone in the world, usually a bustle of life being lived surrounded them. It meant Lambert and Eskel were happy there. More than happy. At least, they were most of the time. Though there were moments where they both immensely regretted being the kinds of people who hated true solitude while valuing their own space. Because the moment Eskel had Lambert on his back, wrists pinned above his head and legs wrapped around his waist was, of course, the moment the fire alarm went off. It was an instant erection killer.

Grumbling, they untanlged themselves. Eskel managed to snag a pair of jeans and shimmied into it, ignoring the uncomfortable squelch of lube and the way the seams chafed. They needed to get out, everything else could wait. Next to him, Lambert had fashioned himself a toga out of the bed throw and was grabbing their phones and wallets. Feet jammed into shoes, they stomped down to join the other residents in the car park.

“I’m in love,” Lambert announced, eyes fixed behind Eskel. Turning, all he was was a man looking rather half awake, pyjamas and slipped under a fluffy dressing gown. “His gown, I want in.”

On second glance, it did look like a decadently soft gown and Eskel was half tempted to go over, just to touch it. Maybe hug the man. Purely for his dressing gown and nothing else. Honest. Even if Eskel’s mind and body were still keyed up from their interrupted sex. To make things worse, his jeans were starting to be really uncomfortable.

“Alight my lovelies,” a fireman called over the din. His voice carried and Eskel snorted at the way Lambert’s head snapped towards him. “I’m Aiden, I’m your firefighter for the day. We need to go through everyone to make sure all residents are safe.”

“Behave,” Eskel growled at Lambert, not quite in the mood. He’d been so close earlier, being denied made him a bit grumpy. “He’s working. Don’t distract the nice firefighter.”

It was all pointless because Aiden was worse than Lambert. He worked his way through the residents, making sure everyone was accounted for.

“Lambert and Eskel from 14,” Lambert announced their presence with a wide smile.

“Well, Lambert and Eskel,” Aiden replied, “I’m glad you’re okay but let me tell you, rescuing you would have been no hardship. Be your hero for the night and all that.”

Eskel snorted and shook his head. However, Lambert looked intrigued. “Want me to head back in just so you can be my knight?”

“No but I think sleepyhead over there could do with a pick-me-up. You look like the exact thing anyone could possibly hope for right now. Go brighten up Cahir’s day.”

Glancing between Aiden, Eskel and Cahir, Lambert nodded. He wanted to work off the energy that was still left over from sex and flirting seemed to be the best idea on earth. Marching up to Cahir, he wasted no time.

“You’re like a custard doughnut.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Cahir frowned at Lambert, arms wrapped around himself and looking quite sorry for himself.

“Just looking at you, I already know you’re a treat. Your dressing gown ensure that. But then I see the filling and hot damn.”

“Thanks.” It was obvious Cahir had no idea what was going on. His eyes landed on Eskel and there seemed to be some relief there because obviously Lambert’s attention was going to be redirected. Little did Cahir know this was not at all what was going to happen.

“Please ignore Lambert,” Eskel apologised, slipping close to Cahir. “He means well.”

“I could show you how well you mean.” Lambert purred with a wink that only garnered him a sleepy blink.

Determined to be the more gentle one, Eskel patted Cahir’s shoulder. “Long day?”

“Could make it a long night,” Lambert butted in.

A light bulb moment happened in Eskel’s mind in that moment. Why flirt with just one person when there was obviously someone else who would enjoy it too. “See the firefighter over there? That’s Aiden.”

“Yeah. I spoke to him already.”

Undeterred, Eskel pressed on. “He wouldn’t mind if you spoke to him a bit more. Maybe tell him what you did today.”

“I worked.”

That was the least helpful response and Eskel looked at Cahir, hoping for more information. ‘Work’ wasn’t exactly a lot to go on.

“A very noble way to spend time.” Thankfully Lambert stepped in, giving Cahir a once over. “Let me guess. Muscular, good looking but look like you can handle yourself. Military? Police?”

“Vet. I was shoulder deep in a cow at 2am and stayed on the farm until 7pm to make sure everyone was okay. Had ten minutes sleep before the alarm went off. So no offence but I don’t want to be in another hole for at least 12 hours. I’ll plough you through a mattress after that though.”

It explained why he looked so dead on his feet and Eskel beckoned Aiden closer. Maybe they could all distract Cahir from his fatigue.

“Aiden,” Eskel drawled, noting how Lambert’s eyes darkened. It was good to know they were both on the same page. “Cahir here has had a long day. I’m going to go to the shop round the corner to grab us all coffees. Can we get you one?”

Orders taken, Eskel took off with a final instruction to Lambert to behave and keep their lovely new friends company. His jeans chafed as he walked and Eskel cursed himself for not sending Lambert. However, he had more of a chance at being served in just jeans than Lambert in his makeshift toga. Even if he did look unfairly good like that.

Coffees in hand, he returned just in time for people to be let back in, a faulty detector in the basement having been the cause of all the fuss. Handing the drinks out, Eskel and Lambert waved goodbye to Aiden and Cahir. They walked back into their apartment and smiled.

“We should see them again,” Lambert said. it was something Eskel nodded along to until he realised their one big mistake. They had no way to get in touch.

“You go get Aiden, I’ll handle Cahir.”

They hared out of the flat, breaking off, Lambert rushing down to catch Aiden before he left. Eskel went down with him, just to look at the list of names by the bells. Number 24 had Cahir’s name which seemed excessively long but that was something to query later. For now, Eskel had two flights of stairs to race up.

Phone number and a promise of a drink one evening later, Eskel wandered back down to their floor and raised an eyebrow when he spotted Lambert in front of the door and frowning. There was a phone number scrawled across his chest.

“Do you have a key?” Lambert asked.

The answer to that was a resounding no. Their phones, wallets and keys were in there. Fuck.

“Ask Aiden if they can get their ladder high enough, the kitchen window is open.”

Together, they trudged down and caught the firetruck before it left. After being laughed at, they found themselves being carted up in the cherry picker, Aiden snickering next to them relentlessly.

“I knew you were keen to get me in your bed but this is more creative than I would have given you credit for.” He looked up and smiled with a wave. “Hi Cahir!”

The window above Lambert and Eskel’s kitchen was open and Cahir was leaning out, trying to make sense of what the noise was now. As far as first impressions went, Eskel was certain they had managed to bomb it. However, he caught a glimpse of a smile on Cahir’s face and decided it was more than okay.

“Just keep the noise down. I can’t sleep when I have a boner,” he called down. And suddenly, a whole new world opened up to Lambert. They could have noisy sex and an appreciative audience. His next mission was absolutely to get Eskel screaming.

#eskel/lambert/cahir #eskel/lambert #eskel/lambert/cahir/aiden #lambert/aiden #cahir mawr dyffryn aep ceallach #eskel #lambert #aiden #modern au #tldr: two idiots flirt with two more idiots

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randomoranges · 4 years ago

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we’re halfway there??? does that make anyone feel better? lamao

more warning for another minor character death lamao!

The Five Times Étienne Fell in Love

PART III

It takes Étienne a while before he starts again once the storm of emotions has come and gone really. Edward nearly insists they stop for now, but just as he’s about to, Étienne picks up the conversation again.

“It was decades – hell almost a century later, when I ran into Nicolas, quite by accident really. He was missing a nickel for the tramway fare and I happened to be right behind him. On top of that, he didn’t really speak French and I could tell the driver was getting irritated, so I stepped in and paid for him. Everyone seemed appeased and I didn’t think much of it, but we ended up sitting besides each other and he started chatting to me – I didn’t mind; he was very cute and his accents was utterly endearing.”

“It turned out that his parents had immigrated after the first war. A relative of theirs had settled here and so his parents had followed afterwards. Nicolas was born shortly after they arrived, and he’d always considered himself British. He hadn’t really taken to the French vibe of the city, but at the time, it didn’t really bother me. He was handsome and cute with his deep blue eyes and charming smile, and he could have spoken a completely different language and it would have been fine!” Étienne laughs at that, amused by his own tale.

“We ended up talking throughout the entire ride and both realised we had missed our stops when we got to the end of it. The driver had to tell us to get off. We were in a part of town he was unfamiliar with, and I volunteered to show him around – maybe to show him how nice the city was, maybe to stay with him a little longer – maybe even both. Whether out of genuine curiosity or growing interest, he agreed and so we spent the better part of that afternoon walking around town.”

Edward can easily imagine Étienne coming to the aid of a cute stranger and then playing tour guide for them. Hell, Étienne’s played tour guide with him a number of times and it’s a role that suits him quite well. Étienne has a knack for making the city come alive as he weaves tales about it and he’s very skilled in finding all the right places one ought to see.

“I was fascinated by him – his accent, his upbringing and his view of the world. He wasn’t like the usual people I hung around with and maybe that’s what pulled me to him initially. He was into different things, he played different sports, he read different books – everything about him was borderline exotic. By the end of the evening, we were famished, so we went to one of my favourite restaurants for dinner. He was so funny – the way his nose crinkled when I suggested some items on the menu or how he laughed when I purposely mispronounced things in English.”

“What was most surprising though, was at the end of the night, when we were headed back towards our respective places, he asked me if I wanted to come over – for a night cap or some other bogus excuse. I wasn’t exactly sure I was reading him correctly, but I thought that was extremely bold of him – to ask so openly and shortly after meeting me, even if it was just for a drink. I obviously said yes. I had enjoyed our time together and even if he would have been straight, he was easy on the eyes and interesting to listen to, so it was an easy decision to make.”

“He actually did go through the motions when we got to his place; a charming little apartment that was the perfect size for a single guy. He did offer me a drink, which I accepted, but once the it was served and we were seated, I don’t have to paint you a picture of what happened next. He was very forward, which was surprising, considering, and also a nice change of pace. It was still risky of him – I could have gone to the police about his advances and he could have been prosecuted, but he flat out sat close, placed an arm around my shoulders and then leaned in to kiss me.”

Edward too is surprised by the forwardness of Nicholas, considering the time period and the location, but then again, Montreal had always had a bubble of exceptions that had managed to thrive, one way or another, despite the catholic stronghold that had overseen the province for decades. One thing is for sure, he envies the ease at which Nicholas seemed to have conducted his life and nearly envies him that.

“I was shocked! Surprised! But also extremely pleased by this turn of events. This, already, was so much different from the other men I had been with up until then. This wasn’t some brave soul in a brothel, or some anonymous jacking off in a bush with some man filled with shame and self-disgust. Nicholas was self-assured and okay with who he was. He left the lights on when we kissed and he didn’t kick me out of his bed after our first time together. He kept me close and even asked me if I wanted to spend the night. I was enchanted. This felt surreal. Needless to say, I stayed that night, the one after that and we started spending a lot of time together. In fact, it almost felt as though I had moved in with him within weeks of our first meeting.”

“Being with Nicolas was exhilarating in ways I hadn’t experienced in years, at that point, and even though we were quite different, our differences made us work. There weren’t those usual franco-anglo tensions and as much as I took delight in his expressions and ways of being, he genuinely seemed to like my own quirks. For the first time since Charlotte had passed, I felt like I was at the top of my game; the sex was good, the company better and with time, I did come to love him – a lot.”

“It was exhilarating to be with a man and even more so with Nicholas. He was – alive. Intelligent and – oh, he was flirty to boot! I loved being with him. It was easy being with him, which is saying something considering the fact that he wasn’t necessarily out, but he didn’t exactly hide it either. It helped that his parents lived far and that he wasn’t particularly close to them. In a way, he was carefree and I loved that about him. He managed to make every shitty situation better; it was just the way he was – very positive about life. What was even greater still was that at least, this time around, there’d be no pregnancy scares – I didn’t have to worry about that and losing both him and a baby all over again. We could simply be and it felt like opportunities I had never experienced before. He made it feel as though this could be a long-term thing and that maybe, one day soon, same sex relationships could be accepted. That we could be fully out in public beyond the underground meet up places.”

“That sounds quite euphoric,” Edward says, disbelief evident in his voice. The 1930s weren’t exactly the most forward thinking of times, but hearing Étienne go about this part of his tale, it almost sounds as if he’s talking of some far away future.

“I know, but that was part of Nicholas’ charm. He made you think that anything was possible. It was like a magic power he had; even when the news was terrible, he’d manage to find something positive to focus on and get my mind off of it and I loved that about him. For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, I had a lover. We were together in ways I had never thought I’d want to be ever again and I loved him. Fully and truly and so did he. It felt wonderful and it felt like a dream. We were together for a few years and they were spectacular years. I honestly thoughts I had found the one and that I could spend the rest of his lifetime with him. That I could wake up next to him for many more years to come and I looked forward to that...” He trails off again and once more, Edward knows that this is the part of the story that shifts and goes from good to bad.

Étienne takes a deep breath and sighs sadly.

“And then came the stupid war.”

There had been many people in Québec who hadn’t wanted to participate in the war effort. This wasn’t their conflict, but one happening across the ocean. They felt bad for the people who died, sure, but it wasn’t up to them to be cannon fodder. The divide and tensions had been mighty and if anything, it had only made Quebecers even angrier – more resentful.

“Of course, Nicolas wanted to join. He was British. He felt compelled to help the motherland or whatever. I tried to dissuade him from it. I didn’t want him to die, and it wasn’t up to him to save the world. Others could do that great sacrifice. He could stay here, with me, where he’d be loved and looked after and where we could be – happy. At first, he resisted and I managed to keep him safe, but I could tell that it bothered him that he was here, when he could be out there fighting.”

“D’you know what he did in the war?” Edward asks softly, out of genuine curiosity. The letters had never mentioned and he’d always wondered.

“He flew those goddamned planes.” Étienne answers him with an annoyed sort of sigh.

Edward nearly laughs and tries to disguise it as a cough, but his boyfriend notices and gives him a sharp look. “Sorry, sorry – it’s just ironic,” At the questioning look he receives, he goes on, “I wanted to join as well – to fly planes more than anything.” He twiddles his thumbs nervously and avoids looking at Étienne, as if afraid he’d get angry or that for some reason he’d be hurt by the admission.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. I’m certainly glad you didn’t – would’ve worried sick over you had I known.”

He’s touched by Étienne’s comment and gives his hand another squeeze to help him calm down. Nothing had happened in the end. He’d chickened out, in a way. There would have been too much paperwork, he would have been away from home for too long of a stretch and it could have negatively impacted him. Then, there was obviously the fact that he couldn’t really die, which would have been a strange thing to explain during a war and too much of a headache to bother with. In the end, he’d stayed back and had found other ways to contribute.

“Anyways; Nicolas waited out as long as he could, but in the end, he signed up regardless and promised to write as often as possible. I hated that I couldn’t be enough and keep him here where it was safe. It felt as though I was second best to some stupid war where the casualties kept climbing day after day and I came to resent him for it.”

“I still remember the morning he left, clear as day. I hoped and prayed that as he headed out, he’d have a change of heart and come back to me, but after one last quick kiss behind the door, he left and never even looked back… It hurt. So much. I hadn’t cried that hard since Charlotte’s funeral. Still, I must have written to him every single day, hoping and praying that he was safe and sound – that he’d come back to me soon. We’d even decided to use Élyse as our middle-woman. It would be less strange for a “love-struck” woman to write to the front to her sweetheart, than for me to do the same. It worked, for a while. She’d get the letters and bring them over, and I would give her mine to mail out.”

“Obviously, I didn’t hear from him as often, since he was on the front, but every letter I got from him was like a lifeline – assuring me that he was still alive. I heard horror stories back here, from wounded soldiers who returned and part of me wanted him to get hurt enough to be dispatched back home. Where I could take care of him. I wanted our old life back. I wanted its simplicity and I wanted to hold him close. I missed him, and every time they put up the list of new fallen soldiers, I checked, heart racing, hoping I wouldn’t see his name. When I didn’t, I would be relieved for a moment, until the anxiety would settle back it and I would worry until the next posting would be made.”

“There were those few who were proud of their sons and men who’d gone off to fight – the proud widows who’d wear their grief as an honour badge, but I wanted none of that. I wanted a coward who had weaseled his way out of the war and who could stay with me. I didn’t want some war hero. I didn’t care about that.”

He fidgets with his lighter, forcefully flicking it on and off with more force than necessary. Edward lets him and remains quiet, but keeps an eye on him in case Étienne was to accidentally set something on fire. Even Mercury looks up at him, concerned but Étienne ignores them both and takes a shaky breath to try and settle his nerves.

“It would have been easier not to love him.” He says through gritted teeth. “It would have been easier to simply bed him and move on, but instead I went ahead and fell for him hard. The time we had together was too short and I hoped he’d come back to me – that we could resume our lives together.”

“Of course, the universe had other plans. Of course, I wasn’t allowed to have any prolonged happiness. They went to my sister with the news, after they found the letters addressed to her in his bag. They assumed Élyse was his girlfriend and went to her with the news – telling her of the terrible accident – of the bravery the men in the plane had faced – of the great sacrifice they had done for our country. The usual bullshit they’d told so many others. There was no body found in the wreckage and so they pronounced him missing in action.”

“The minute they were gone, she came to see me to tell me the news. The moment I saw her face – the moment I saw her walk up to my door, I knew she had news of Nicolas and that it wasn’t good. I think I would have preferred him to be dead for good, instead of the ugly false hope that lived in me for years after – that he might show up one day, out of the blue. Instead, I was stuck unable to mourn properly. There was no body to burry, no marker to go to, and no way for me to find closure. Until the war ended and every soldier was returned, I was left waiting and hoping. And even then. Years after, I was still looking for him. Sometimes, I’d think I’d hear his laugh. A person with similar hair would trick me into believing it was him. He was gone and yet, I saw his ghost everywhere.”

Despite knowing all of this, Edward stills at the mention. He wonders how he would have reacted had he been in a similar situation and knows he would have been as much of a wreck as Étienne had.

“On top of that, I couldn’t even find comfort or solace with his family. His parents didn’t know of us and neither did his other siblings. The only one I could turn to was Élyse and she did her best – really, but she wasn’t Nicolas, and what I wanted above all else was him.”

“Eventually, years later, I bought a little spot at the cemetery and buried the last of his belongings that I had. I needed to put him to rest in my own way to move on. I still couldn’t cope and I needed to – do something. I took the clothes he had left at my place and the bag they had brought back to my sister and buried them in that little plot. There was no big fanfare about it and only a small headstone to mark the place, but it was some type of closure, even if the body wasn’t there.” Étienne tries not to draw parallels between Charlotte and Nicholas – of graves that have been more or less lost to time and that no one has visited in years. He knows where both are and has, on occasion, purposely passed by to reflect and commemorate. Time has done its due course and has healed some of his aches, yet there have still been times when he’s yearned for one more chance to see them again.

Edward gives the necessary space to the words that Étienne has just said. He thinks about how unlucky his boyfriend has been in love, but keeps the comment to himself, convinced Étienne is properly aware. He’s buried his own fare share of friends he’d been close to; brothers and sisters lost in one way or another and he supposes that to a certain point, he can related. Yet knowing how close Étienne keeps his pains and how much he internalises everything, he wonders just how deep his wounds really run.

“I asked Emma, later, to look into him – to use her contacts to see if she could find out anything. She told me there wasn’t anything else – what I knew was what was out there and I left it at that. Still, there were times when I felt as though she had found out more – some terrible truth, or maybe just something more emotionally painful. I didn’t pursue it. I didn’t want to re-open old wounds that had barely started to scab over. I chose to believe her that he’d died just like they’d said – he’d died in his plane and his body had been lost over the sea. The other possibilities were too painful to consider and I chose to remember our time together as one of love instead of having it tainted by something ugly.”

“After Nicolas, I felt like I had been left to the side of the road to die. I felt empty – as if my heart had been ripped out of my ribcage. It was easier to return to the previous status-quo – to go on with everyday life and forget I had ever felt anything for them. Charlotte and Nicholas were gone and I was still here. That’s always been our curse – we can’t die and we don’t really change, while everyone else around us does. We notice them grow older until they’re gone and no matter how hard we try to remember, eventually even that’s taken away... But I’d get over it – with time. I’d had my fun and I had been reminded why I had found the whole thing pointless. Why it was best to stay away from love.”

Edward agrees to a point. It is hard, certainly, but in his opinion, there is also beauty in love and in falling in love. He knows Étienne means it from a point of hurt, so he keeps the thought to himself and listens on.

Part II

Part IV

#pc: montreal #pc: edmonton #edward murphy #étienne maisonneuve #fic #projocanondoko

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simsadventures · 5 years ago

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Only Mine:Chapter 1: One Night

Summary: Being single’s got its perks, such as going partying with your friends, and shamelessly flirting with people you know you shouldn’t be flirting with. And will you just flirt?

Warnings: swearing, alcohol abuse, smut (MUST 18+ TO READ THE PART BETWEEN WARNINGS- these will be put in front of the smut and when it ends, so that those who aren’t comfortable reading it, won’t have to, plenty will happen even without it)

Word Count: 3615 A/N: It’s finally here!! What do you guys think? I had so much fun writing it, I hope y’all enjoy it as much as I did. Feedback is gold, so pleaaaaase don’t hesitate and tell me what was on your mind reading it. Even constructive criticism is welcomed. Love you to pieces guys!! xx

Series Masterlist __ Masterlist

The combination of being single and out on Friday night made you giddy. It took you over three months to properly get over your ex-boyfriend, and you were finally willing to have some fun. Not that the relationship ended badly, not at all. You and Colin were still friends, but you woke up one day realising, that you couldn’t anymore. That this was not the life you wanted to live- being the goody-goody, the perfect girlfriend turned perfect wife. Mike was a sweet guy, but if you were being honest with yourself, he never really was your type.

You met him in college, he was studying law, and you were doing English literature because books and reading have always been your passions. Everyone around you said you were perfect for each other, except your best friend, Natasha. She would always say that he is nice enough, but that he wasn’t the one for you. That you needed a little more. You would always dismiss her, telling her that this was exactly what every girl dreams of. The perfect life. But three years into this perfect life, you realised that the gilded cage wasn’t perfect at all and that your freedom was more valuable to you than loads of money, and golf-club lunches on Sundays.

When you told Mike, he looked devastated. He would tell you that he wanted to marry you and that he didn’t understand what happened. But the more you talked, the more he realised that you weren’t happy there with him and that you desperately wanted something he couldn’t give you. You knew he would find the perfect girl without a problem, he was a real catch.

And even though you were the one who ended the relationship, you were still in pain, over the loss of your friend, mostly. You missed Mike’s advice, his listening skills, and his warm hugs. So yeah, it took you three months to first and foremost move out of his house, and find an apartment that you could afford, with the payroll of an editor. Luckily, Nat wanted to move as well, and so you found a place for the two of you. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a small little space, just enough for the two of you to be close together, but still have some sort of privacy.

Tonight marked the first night ever since you left Mike, that you wanted to go out, and actually enjoy a male company. You wanted just a little flirting here and there, some dancing maybe, and you’d be good. All you wanted was to feel desirable again.

To achieve that, you wore your red bondage dress, which ended on your mid-thigh. You matched your lipstick with the colour of your dress, curled your hair, checked if everything fitted the way it should, and walked out of your room.

Nat was already seating by the dining table, her phone in her hand, waiting for you patiently. She looked up and had to do a double-check. “Holy shit, Y/N!! You so freaking hot I would jump your bones, for fuck’s sake! Men are gonna lose their minds tonight, baby!”

You laughed and swatted her shoulder. “You’re the one speaking. Have you looked in the mirror? You’re breathtaking, babe!” She was wearing a tight black dress, with a little flare around her hips, which only intensified her hour-glass figure. “They’re gonna be drooling on you!”

You decided to go to the Compound, a new club opened in the middle of Brooklyn. You heard a lot of stories about how it’s just a pretence, so they had a place to launder the money, but you didn’t really care. You also heard that the club owned the one and only Bucky Barnes, a guy who had his fingers in pretty much everything illegal happening on the East Coast. From time to time, you thought how it was possible, that a man of his reputation hasn’t been arrested yet, but Mike told you that because of his monopoly. His cooperation with the police when it came to stuff being snuggled to the Us by someone else than him, they just let him run the show.

He and his crew allegedly took care of most of the crime regarding women, and murders of innocent people in New York, and that’s why the police closed their eyes when it came to drugs and the other shit he was in.

But you didn’t care about any of that, mainly because you’d never meet this guy. Didn’t mean that just because you were going to a club supposedly owned by him, you’d have to meet him, or even if you met him, he would never notice you and you would never talk to him.

—-

When you came to the club, the line at the entrance was just long enough for you to be willing to stand there for a few minutes before they let you in. Were it any longer, you’d probably turn on your heels and go somewhere where it wasn’t this crowded.

The club was full, not to the point of it being uncomfortable, but enough that the air was tacky, and everywhere now and then someone would bump into you, trying to squeeze towards the bar. You were determined to have fun, so you tried to remain calm, even after what felt like 15th girl shoved you, because she saw someone she knew at the very opposite corner of the club.

You and Nat had few drinks, and even though you weren’t a newbie to drinking, this shit was strong, and because your choice of beverage was vodka with soda, it tended to go to your head a little faster. You knew you had to slow down a little, so you both went to the bar once again, but this time for a glass of water. It was only around 1 AM, and you knew that if you wanted to stay and have fun that night, you had to slow down with the drinks.

As you were sipping on the water, you looked around the club. People were mostly dancing, lost in the rhythm of the music, unaware of what was happening around them. You liked to watch this kind of scenes. These people were happy and relaxed, and you always enjoyed the energy that emitted from them. You shifted your gaze towards the tables and saw few couples making out, some crews of both men and women, chatting and laughing mindlessly. In the furthest corner from you was the VIP section. When you came, it was unoccupied, so expected it to be the same now, but when you looked, you saw that there were now 5 guys sitting there.

They were too far away for you to see properly, but you thought you saw them all roaming their eyes across the room, their faces cold as ice. You shook your head and told yourself not to bother. What you couldn’t see was one of the guys intently watching you, licking his lips as he was doing so. You were beautiful, and he wanted to meet you. Now.

As you turned around, you found Natasha chatting with a cute guy. She was all smiles, she would throw her hair here and there, touching his arm, and all the charming things she would do every time she set her eyes on somebody.

You were about to order a drink once again when you suddenly felt somebody’s hand on the small of your back. You turned your head and saw that one of the security guys was standing right behind you, touching you.

“Can I help you?” You said, loud enough for him to hear you through the music. You cocked your head and waited for a response.

“I was told to come to fetch you, girl. Somebody would like to meet you.” He said, and his arm was suddenly on your elbow. This guy was obviously not taking no for an answer. You showed him your index finger to tell him to wait a second and tapped Nat’s shoulder. “I’m going away for a sec, but don’t worry, ok? Some guy wants to meet me, or something.” She just raised an eyebrow and let you go, knowing full well that you were an adult able to make your own decision. She just made a mental note to see where you were going and to not really let you go anywhere without her knowing it.

You nodded at the security guy, and he led you towards the VIP section you were looking at just a few moments ago. When you reached your destination, the guy in front of you, just showed you to go ahead, and you followed his orders.

You stood there, in front of 5 men you’ve never seen in your life. The music was a little quieter here, but still, nobody was talking. All of them were just watching you, their eyes roaming across your body, shamelessly stopping at your boobs.

You were feeling like you were being judged like they were deciding whether you were good enough to talk to them. And you didn’t have time nor energy for that.

“Am I here for a reason, or for you to just watch me? ‘Cause if that’s the case, I’m heading back there, and I’m gonna enjoy myself.”

“That so, doll?” The one seating in the middle said with a raised eyebrow and smirked playing on his mouth.

You just nodded curtly and waited for his next move. Who the hell did this smug motherfucker think he was? Huh!

“Good! Boys, make some space, I would like to get to know this beautiful woman, even though she’s got some mouth on her!” You fought the urge to roll your eyes at him because he was just too much. He acted like a gangster… Wait a minute!

You cautiously sat down next to him, and he turned so he could face you. “What’s your name, beautiful?” The nicknames rolled off his tongue so easily, he must be used to calling all women that way. You took your time answering. If he was who you thought he was, you didn’t really need him knowing your name. So you decided for a little lie.

“Dita, and yours?” He smiled smugly, threw his arm around the cushion of the sofa you were sitting at. “I’m Bucky, doll, it’s really my pleasure to meet ya!” Ha! You thought. So it was him. You were contemplating whether to run away from this mobster or if you wanted to stay. But the looks he was giving you, the way he was biting his lip his eyes still locked in your, and the way his right hand was now resting on your thigh, this all send tingles to both your stomach and a little lowers.

He was a handsome guy, you had to give him that. He was chatting so easily, all smiles, hand squeezing your flesh, leaving you to crave more. What was more, he would order more drinks of your choice for you, so in an hour, or so, you could feel the familiar feeling of haze in your mind. You would lean into his touch more and more, enjoying the warmth that his body emitted. Your phone buzzed in your purse, and when you checked it, you realised that you had left Nat standing there, with a stranger.

Hey babe, just wanted to let you know that I’m going home with this guy, you ok? Having fun in the VIP?

You smiled and quickly typed your answer. Good for you, he was a cutie! I’m fine, don’t worry about me, Mr Important here is pretty easy on the eye too, think I’m gonna have a fun night. See ya tomorrow, love you!! xx

You put it away and smiled at Bucky sweetly. He handed you your drink, which you gave him to type your message correctly, and took a generous sip. A little drop of the poison stayed on your lips, and it didn’t escape Bucky’s attention. He swiped his thumb along your lower lip, wiping away the droplet, and then bringing the thumb to his mouth and putting it in his mouth. The sight of it all was so intense and giving off sexual vibes, that you shuddered involuntarily.

“What do you say we get out of here?” It was your turn to squeeze his thigh in confirmation, and Bucky helped you up, snaked his arm around your hip, bringing you closer to him. He led you out through the private exit, right towards the prepared black jeep. As soon as you were seated, Bucky was on you. He kissed you fervently, trying to touch as much of your skin as he could, but still leave the best to his apartment.

Warning: smut starting

The second he closed the door to his apartment, all bets were off. You were tugging at his shirt to pull it off him, to finally feel his skin against yours. He was doing the same to your dress and was much more successful at undressing you. You were left standing only in your underwear and high heels. Bucky took his time ogling your body. “Damn, Dita! You’re so fucking hot, come here, baby.” He all but growled at you, and you were more than happy to oblige, even though the fake name made you cringe a little.

His shirt went flying, and you set your job at unzipping his pants and pulling them off of him. You wanted to enjoy his body to the fullest, so you sank to your knees underneath him and cupped him in your hand through his boxers.

He groaned at sight in front of him. Beautiful woman, almost naked, was very willingly offering him a blowjob, and who was he to deny you. He let you strip him off his underwear and leave him completely naked in front of you. Your mouth watered at the sight of him. He might have been a feared mobster, but he was a sight for a sore eye! His member was more than average, proudly standing parallel to his abdomen. You were proud to be the cause of that. And you wanted more.

You spit in your hand, and took him firmly, stroking him teasingly, from top to bottom, stopping there to cup his balls and back up to wipe the leak coming from the head. You marvelled at the sight of in your hand. You smirked and took him in your mouth swiftly. Bucky tensed up and grabbed your hair in his hand, both to see your face and to be able to control your movement if needed. Bucky loved his control, and he wanted it all the time.

You wanted to tease him some more, but Bucky wasn’t having any of it. He pulled you towards him, not so you were choking on him, but enough for his cock to be comfortably in your mouth. You chuckled at his impatience but went with the flow.

You bobbed up and down, sucking intensely, not letting Bucky have a rest from the pleasure you were giving him. And when you were not sucking, you were licking and tracing the vein on his dick. You tried to take as much of him as possible, but you were still not able to take him fully even if you were gagging. Bucky was amazed by how easily you made it look. Most girls he’s been with weren’t that eager to give and were much rather on the receiving end of the pleasure, but you were good at this, and you knew it. Bucky wanted to stay like this forever. A girl on his feet, sucking him intently.

But he knew that if he wanted to keep his reputation, he needed to pull you off of him ASAP. Because if you continued at this speed, he would have come in your mouth in no time. He grabbed your chin and wiped away the saliva connecting you still to his achingly hard dick. You pouted when he did so, enjoying yourself too much. He laughed at you and raised you by your elbow.

“I know baby girl, I was loving it, but I would love to enjoy your pussy as well. Let’s get you to my bed, and I’m gonna let you experience the real show.”

God, he was smug! You just hoped he was as good as he thought he was.

He threw you on the mattress, and was immediately on you, kissing down your neck, nibbling at your soft skin, definitely leaving some marks for you to sport for next few days. He was unclasping your bra like a professional, with one hand, the other supporting his weight on top of you. As soon as you were free from the confines of your bra, he sucked on your nipples like a craved man. You were already writhing underneath him, the alcohol in your system making you all that much hornier- you could feel your panties being more soaked by every passing second.

His hand finally reached your soaked core, smirking at the wetness he found there. “Someone’s eager!” He mumbled against your nipples, still paying them the so needed attention. “Please, Bucky!” You were starting to be desperate. You wanted him inside you, like yesterday.

He ripped the panties from your body, leaving a pleasant sting on your skin. His skilled fingers finally found the place where he was needed the most, all moist and puffy, waiting for his member.

“I bet you could take me without any preparation, huh? You’re so wet for me, doll!” He inserted two of his fingers abruptly into you, making you moan out loud. You were feeling like a pornstar, and you were loving it.

“Bucky! God damn, please! Just fuck me already!” You grabbed his hand to stop his movement and to let him know just how serious you were!

“You don’t need to tell me twice.” He whispered, and prompted him on his elbows, guiding his cock to your aching core. “Aaaah!” You both moaned at the same moment, revelling in the fantastic feeling of him inside you.

“Fuck, you’re tight, doll! So god damn tight! Fucking love this pussy!” Bucky didn’t even know what he was saying, he just marvelled in the feeling of your velvet walls squeezing him. He could feel you were close already, the alcohol helping you with that, and he knew he wouldn’t last. The combination of the bj you’ve given him and your beautiful body and your tight walls was deadly.

He was thrusting into you relentlessly, taking your breath away and not letting your mind wander away from him. He was everywhere, and your senses were completely overwhelmed by him. You could feel him hitting your sweet spot over and over again, and before you knew it, the coil in your belly snapped, and you coming, mewling, crying, and scratching Bucky’s back in complete pleasure. Bucky sank his teeth in your shoulder, thrust half a dozen times, and came with a shout.

Warning ending

You were both panting messes, laying there, in Bucky’s bed, enjoying the post-coital bliss. You could hear his breath evening out, and suddenly, the realisation hit you. You were in Bucky Barnes’ bed, you just had sex with him, and you suddenly didn’t know what to do. You had probably the best sex of your life, no shame to admit that, but you knew very well that this was a one-time thing, and that you had to get away from there.

You didn’t want to be one of Bucky’s flings, or as you heard someone talking about the girls- his monthly prizes. You loved yourself too much to be just somebody’s prize, for him to kick you out the second he got bored with you. You waited another few minutes, listening to Buck’s breath, and when he started to snore lightly, you decided it was your chance.

You quietly took all of your clothes, hastily put them on, and pretty much ran from the apartment. The sun was already getting up, but you didn’t pay it too much attention. You just wanted to get home, sleep this crazy night away, and keep it only in your memory. You knew that there wasn’t much Bucky could work with if he wanted to find you, but you highly doubted he would go to some measures to look for you. You were just good sex for him, just like he was for you.

When Bucky woke up around lunch, he was facing away from where he last left you. He liked you, and he definitely liked having sex with you. You would do a good monthly girl, and he couldn’t wait to do more with you, enjoy your body until it was completely spent.

He smiled when he imagined what you probably looked like, lipstick smeared, his marks covering your skin, which would be still flushed from all the bliss. But when he turned around, he was met with empty sheets. He frowned, and got up promptly, roaming his apartment to see if you were hiding somewhere, playing some games with him. But when he reached the last door, and you were still nowhere to find, Bucky realised what was happening. You left without a word to him, which was something no women has ever done to him. He could feel his control slipping away, and he disliked the feeling it left him. He actually enjoyed your company last night and wanted more of it, but now he couldn’t. And that made him want you even more.

Next Chapter >

Only Mine: @albinotigerpython @brownlee-22 @yennewolf @heywess

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@this-kitten-is-smitten @sebbbystaaan @paradisiacalsparks @crazybutconfidentaf @owlyannah @lassini

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If you’d like to be tagged comment/message/send an ask. If you like the story, please reblog :) any comments are appreciated, even the critical ones. Always a space to get better, so let me know what you guys think.

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky #bucky barnes fanfiction #james bucky barnes #mobster bucky #mobster au #avengers #avengers fanfiction #marvel #mcu #mcu fanfiction #multiple chapters #new fic alert #only mine #Smut

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my-miraculous-headcanons · 5 years ago

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Kim Possible AU

In which Marinette is in gymnastics, is childhood friends with Adrien, and somehow became an agent-for-hire when someone accidentally dialed her number to call for help instead of actual, professionally trained agents. That’s right, they called a preteen for help, didn’t have the time to call anyone else, and rolled with it.

Also Adrien is a total goofball with a hairless cat. He still has both his parents, who start out overprotective but gradually loosen the reigns when it becomes clear that his friend will keep him safe.

(The reason I put gymnastics and not cheerleading is because I’m pretty sure that’s an exclusively American thing? Besides, gymnastics kind of makes more sense, skillset-wise.)

Origins

• Marinette took gymnastics since she was seven, mainly because her clumsiness had been turning into a bit of a problem. (Parents start to get worried when their child’s having genuine physical difficulty in not hurting themselves. They thought gymnastics would help her learn balance, and also allow her to burn off some of her natural childlike energy.) By the age of eleven, Marinette is the best in her class, and is thinking about entering competitions.

• Adrien is Marinette’s childhood best friend. Along with gymnastics, Marinette also started taking ballet, which is where the two met. Adrien was taking ballet because both his parents had taken it, and also because he thought it would be fun. Since he’d been taking it longer than Marinette, he helped her out in class, and the two have been inseparable ever since.

• Adrien helped Marinette build a website to help get her name out there when they were eleven. They took videos of her doing a couple moves, and added a contact number. Unfortunately, (or, rather fortunately, actually,) Marinette’s number is very similar to a number for a group of agents who do pretty dangerous, life-saving jobs.

• Marinette’s first call is from a man requesting for help at a rather big bank in Paris, not far from her house. Being eleven, she doesn’t really understand that this is probably something she should inform the police, rather than handle herself. So, she and Adrien (who she sneaks out of his house) rush over, and save the day themselves.

• Adrien had videotaped the impressive gymnastics Marinette had pulled off in order to safely get through the security lasers and shut them off. After that video was posted, she started getting calls on a much more regular basis, all from people in need of help. It wasn’t the sort of attention she was looking for when making the website, but she can’t deny she doesn’t love her new job.

The Present

• By the ages of 16, Marinette and Adrien have travelled all over the world, gaining favors from a bunch of grateful individuals, and are pretty dang famous. They aren’t necessarily given special privileges at school, but if things are urgent, then they’re allowed to leave and makeup missing work online.

• Adrien is still a model, still plays piano, still takes Chinese, and still does a lot of different sports. On his own, he’s actually pretty famous. However, in this world, it’s pretty much impossible for him to display the ‘perfect, gentlemanly son’ persona when most of the world has seen videos of him screaming at the top of his lungs, running around in his underwear because somehow his pants got pulled off again. Yeah, he’s a straight A student with the classic, rich people training, but he’s still an utter dork and everyone knows it.

• Marinette, while still taking gymnastics, has lost interest in making it a life career when she already sort of does it already. She’s picked up other interests, one of them being fashion design when Adrien had introduced her to what goes on behind the scenes in his workplace. She’s good at designing stylish, yet very practical outfits, and made uniforms for herself and Adrien for their ‘side jobs’ as agents-for-hire.

• While Adrien isn’t necessarily incompetent, he’s more of the ‘do first, think later’ type of guy when it comes to their dynamic, which often leaves Marinette to do the planning and problem-solving. At this point, it’s kind of abundantly obvious that, while Adrien is academically more profound, Marinette is vastly more analytical, and probably has a ridiculously high IQ if they ever bothered to check.

• There isn’t a main villain. Papillion doesn’t exist because Gabriel is completely aware of what his son is doing, still has his darling wife, and has literally no reason to waste his money on illegal activities. He’s a big name in the fashion world, it’s not like he’s looking for world domination or something stupid like that.

• (I’m sure you’re wondering why the fuck Gabriel Agreste would let his only son go off on dangerous adventures like that on a daily. Well, he didn’t at first, but over time Marinette proved to be a more effective bodyguard than Adrien’s actual bodyguard, so he became more chill. Also, Adrien’s the face of his company, and with all the brave and daring things he’s done alongside Marinette, his popularity ratings are through the roof. Son has fun, is well-taken care of, still performs exceptionally in all his extracurriculars, and does well by the family business? It’s a win-win on all sides.)

• I would make Lila Shego, except Shego is an actually likeable villain who’s genuinely smart, badass, and fun to watch. So, idk who Shego is, definitely not any of the catty girl rivals Marinette has to put up with, but you can’t have a Kim Possible AU without Shego, so she’s definitely in there.

• Max is probably Wade. Honestly makes the most sense, but here’s a suggestion: Max and Kim are the ones who contact Marinette when she has a mission. Max is great with numbers, technology, etc, but Kim’s expertise in completely random shit like sports, terrain, and necessary gear needed for specific situations makes him a valuable asset to the team.

• We all know who Chloé is going to be, I don’t even need to say it but I will anyways. Say hello to our Bonnie, everyone. She was probably in that ballet class with Marinette and Adrien too, years ago.

• While Tom Dupain is still a baker, in this AU Sabine Cheng went on to pursue her dream as a literal rocket scientist, and succeeded. So, Sabine is basically Dr. James Timothy Possible.

• Adrien has a hairless cat named Plagg. His father is allergic to fur, and Adrien’s allergic to feathers, so he was sort of limited to pets like fish or lizards, neither of which he really wanted. He found Plagg outside gorging himself on camembert by a dumpster. Having been previously a street cat, Plagg’s growth was stunted, so he stayed pretty small.

• Luka is obviously Josh Mankey. Marinette and Luka date for a while, but eventually break up on mutual terms due to him not being able to handle some of the dangerous things that pop up in her life often. While he doesn’t panic when things go south, he’s not really physically equipped to protect himself... He’s a musician, not a fighter.

• Listen, y’all can fight me, Marinette’s longest relationship before finally getting together with Adrien is going to be with Kagami. Kagami handles the dangerous things that go on in Marinette’s life perfectly well, and they date for several months. Eventually, they do break up, but still remain good friends. (This is the period in which Adrien realises he’s jealous of Kagami, and has feelings for Marinette.)

Get Together

• For those of you who haven’t watched Kim Possible, (and honestly what the hell are you even doing with your life if you haven’t,) Kim and Ron get together at a school dance (prom, but I don’t think prom exists in France,) and share a slow dance with each other. Uhhh so basically think Despair Bear, except Adrien and Marinette are wearing fancy clothes, just got together, and share a kiss in the end.

• Marinette had recently broken up with Kagami before the dance, and is a little upset over not having a date when she already made herself a dress. Adrien is dealing with his realisation that he likes Marinette romantically, but keeps quiet about it and gives her a shoulder to cry on because she’s hurt, and he’s not going to take advantage of that. He suggests they go to the dance together as friends.

• Kagami is there, and Adrien confronts her as to why she had broken up with the most amazing girl in Paris. She tells him that she came to the conclusion that, though she loved Marinette with all her heart, Marinette clearly had someone else as her #1. Kagami was sick of having to compete for that position when the other person didn’t even need to try. Adrien is left baffled by this.

• Marinette overhears this as she’s walking over to ask Adrien for a dance. Kagami looked past Adrien’s shoulder, directly into Marinette’s eyes, and smiled knowingly. Then she walked away, sipping at her drink.

• Adrien turns around, pretty green eyes latching onto hers, and Marinette immediately understands what Kagami had meant. A slow song comes on, and she asks him to dance. Things fall in place from there.

• (Of course, after they’ve kissed and become a couple, some dumb villain is going to inevitably crash the party and try to kill Marinette, as usual, but they deal with it like they always do.)

Alright that’s the end! This was an almost completed draft of mine I had, and since I’ve been lacking on content recently, I thought I’d quickly polish this up a bit and post it. I also have some other completed things I could polish up on, but eh, don’t feel like it right now. Enjoy!

(And maybe tell me how you’d imagine your favourite KP episode would go with Marinette and Adrien as the protagonists instead!)

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calumrose · 5 years ago

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Trigger [Police/Gang!AU] Chapter 4 || C.H

A//N: Here we bloody go! Enjoy chapter 4! I was gonna stick in a GIF for Calum but then realised he’s not actually in this chapter *spoiler ;)* But there’s almost no good gifs for my face claim for Eloise so... If one gets attached by the time I post this, then google images clearly felt like being nice to me for once.

Word Count: 11.3k

Summary: Eloise Gray and Calum Hood, not two people you would ever think to put together. What started as a ploy for power turned into a romance, resulting in the realisation that loving your enemy may not be such a bad thing after all.

Previous Chapters: Prologue / Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3

22 Days Left

The park was surprisingly quiet for a Thursday afternoon. There was a quiet bustle that continued to fill the open space, people enjoying a peaceful afternoon walk while others enjoyed a more strenuous afternoon run. The sun beat down through the blue skies, the reflection of light bouncing off of the pond in the centre of the grassed area where Paige and Eloise sat together.

Eloise was in desperate need of a catch up with a friend; one who didn’t have any ties with a so-called gang. Paige was always one to think straight, and that’s exactly what Eloise needed right now, a straight talker. Her mind was a minefield and had been for the past few days; more so than usual. Typically, the reason for the treacherous tiptoeing around her own thoughts were due to the highly illegal escapades she found herself tied up in, but instead this time they were caused by a hopelessly handsome, tall Australian who she had been texting back and forth with for the past few days.

Ever since their date in Calum’s apartment, ever since she felt his lips against hers once again, she was in a trance. She couldn’t think straight anymore, unable to block him out. And unfortunately for her, she was struggling to convince herself that none of it was genuine.

Talking to Calum was so easy for her, it was as easy as walking. And it confused her. She was unable to comprehend how she felt so comfortable around him, how she was able to be rendered speechless by his words, how she was able to become putty in his hands without even realising. She hated that it seemed so involatile, unable to be stopped no matter how hard she tried to fight it – even though she didn’t make the strongest effort to.

A gust of wind blew through the park, catching Paige off-guard as she tried to keep her cap secured on her head against the wind, a gentle huff escaping her as she waited for it to calm down. Eloise’s hair flew freely from the breeze, her body welcoming the cold chill that rattled through her bones as she sat in the company of her friend. “Could you have picked a windier spot to sit down?” Paige scoffed, a playful smirk on her face as she turned in her seat, trying to find a better position to battle against the wind, to which Eloise sent a shrug in response.

Eloise and Paige had been friends for years, meeting in high school and being paired up in their history class for a project, becoming and remaining close friends ever since. She had introduced Eloise to her other friends, and then Eloise introduced them to Scott. The small group of them became a team during their time in school, a group who stuck together and supported one another throughout most trials and tribulations, especially when it came to Eloise.

“So, uh, y’know there’s a reason why I asked if we could meet up today,” Paige plucked a few strands of grass from the ground next to her, avoiding Eloise’s eyes. Her whole face was rosy, a mixture of that being from the radiating sun shining down on them and also from the remaining effects of the cold she had been suffering with.

“Uh huh,” Eloise sounded, trying to encourage Paige to continue with whatever she was trying to come out with. The words looked to be as if they were on the tip of the blonde’s tongue, her blue eyes, that shared the same shade as the sky, searching for something to focus on. “Paige, out with it already for god’s sake!”

Eloise could see the intake of breath Paige took in as her blue eyes finally met brown. “Remember the promotion I mentioned a few weeks back, the one for the Lead Graphic Designer position in Georgia?” Eloise felt her throat tighten at the word ‘Georgia’, realising very quickly what her friend was trying to explain to her. “And how I thought about going for it, but I fought against it because it meant packing up everything and moving to another state,”

Eloise nodded, “Yeah, I remember. And from what you had told me, it sounded pretty perfect you,”

Paige swallowed the lump in her throat as she plucked up the courage to continue, “Well, I applied for it, but I didn’t want to tell anyone in case I got my hopes up for nothing, but I’ve heard back. And they want me to start in a few weeks.”

Eloise mouth dropped; the corners of mouth tilted up as she stared at the blonde in surprise. She didn’t say anything at first, unable to find the words before she found the strength in her throat to let out a subtle shriek of joy before leaning over and wrapping her arms around her friend. “Paige, that’s great news! This is fantastic!” Paige’s arms were felt around Eloise’s shoulders, a gentle appreciative laugh coming from her nude coloured lips.

“Do you think I’m crazy for doing it?” Her voice spoke softly in Eloise’s ear, wonder lacing the sweet sound. Eloise pulled away from the hug, sitting back in her previous position as she studied the puzzled face of the gifted individual in front of her. “I mean, packing up my entire life and shipping it across to Atlanta, Georgia wasn’t exactly how I imagined myself taking the next step.”

“You’re not crazy,” Eloise assured her, “Trust me, this is the right thing for you to do. This is the big push you needed; I can feel it.”

Although she was excited for Paige, Eloise could feel her heart sink ever so slightly at the realisation of Paige’s departure. She knew she was selfish for feeling sorry for herself due to her friend’s success, thinking about how she was being left behind, being abandoned by someone she cared about so they could go and explore a new chapter of their life meanwhile she was left in New York to live the same old shambled chapters she knew would repeat. She needed to pull herself back again. This was Paige’s happy moment, she needed to embrace it for her. Paige didn’t seem too ecstatic about it herself, so, Eloise needed to be the one to fuel the excitement for her.

“You’ll be a right o’ southern belle by the time you come back and visit,” Eloise joked, trying to find some humour in the situation, trying to bring the mood back up, trying to make Paige moving to be a positive experience, “You’re gonna be that woman who owns a big ranch-style house and starts preparing for Thanksgiving three months early.”

Paige’s wide smile couldn’t be hidden as her laugh erupted from her gut, her hand slapping her knee at her friend’s poor excuse of a joke. It was the simple, but terrible, comedy that she would miss when she moved to Atlanta. Of course, she would make new friends, she knew that, but they wouldn’t be able to replace the close ones she had made throughout her years of living in the Big Apple.

“Have you told Roman about the job?” Eloise asked, her fingers raking through her dark hair, pushing the few straggling strands back into place. She could sense by Paige’s grimace that she had told him, and it obviously didn’t go too well. “How’d he take it?”

Paige let out a slow breath, leaning back on her hands as she tilted her head back, sunglasses resting comfortably against her nose as they protected her baby blues from the harsh rays. “He’s not exactly talking to me right now, it’s like being with a moody teenager. It’s like every time I try to have a conversation with him, he just brushes it off or excuses himself and says he’s busy.” Her heart clenched at the struggle she knew she was going through with Roman, their relationship always being one of compromise and conversation. They had always been able to talk things through; it was quite something if this transition was going to be what broke them.

“Have you thought about asking him to move with you?” Eloise spoke out, cautiously as she attempted to approach the matter with care, knowing that it probably wasn’t Paige’s favourite topic of conversation, “Could he not transfer to another school for work? I imagine Atlanta has plenty of high schools across the city, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to get a job over there.” She knew Roman had always been the stubborn one out of their friends, always having a plan for himself and that being the way it had to be done, no exceptions. Maybe that’s why he was so successful in his career.

Paige shook her head, pushing herself to sit up straight, pulling her knees up so they went up against her chest, her bare arms wrapping around them. “He’s already fought enough to get his professors to place him in a school in New York so he could stay at home, he won’t want to move again. So, I think we’re just going to do long distance, I just… I also just don’t think he’s ready to commit to the big step of moving to a new city, getting a place together, or being solely independent right now. El, you know I would love for him to come with me, but I know he’s not ready for that, not yet anyway,” She sighed, her eyes sparking in the sunlight, before she could add, “Jackson actually called me last night to talk about Roman. Apparently, he called him not long after I told him about Georgia, he said he was crying about how I was leaving and how he felt as though I was running away from him but then he even admitted that he’s too afraid to commit to the move, he claimed that he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do.”

“Paige, you know he loves you so much,” Eloise tried to assure her friend, “He’s smitten and it’s painful to watch if I’m honest with you. Maybe this is what he needs; for you to move and start your next chapter on your own, maybe this will the kick up the ass he needs to know that you’re his whole life and nothin’ else makes him as happy as you do.”

Paige covered her face with her hands, her palms rubbing her soft skin as she let out a quiet groan of frustration before looking up and meeting Eloise’s caring gaze. “Jackson said the same thing. He told me this is what Roman needs for him to realise if I’m what he really wants.”

“I wouldn’t have put it quite like that. Paige, y’know that he wants you and only you, it’s more that he just needs a push to realise that he’s more in love with you than what he thinks.” Blue eyes met brown yet again as a deadpanned expression spread across the blonde’s face, a look that spoke a thousand words but one that also realised that Eloise had a point. Roman was deeply in love with Paige, he just needed to realise it.

“Can we change the subject now? I didn’t think me announcing my promotion would result in mini pity party for myself,” The blonde’s voice tried to speak more clearly, more confident as if she were trying to push back her emotions about her current situation and find a distraction, “What’s been going on with you lately? I haven’t seen you properly since your birth- “

Paige was cut up the sound of a phone beeping, looking towards where Eloise’s device lay next to her, unable to help as her eyes peered over and spotted the name that rested above a notification of a text message. Eloise grabbed the phone from beside her, her eyes spotting the name and trying to stop the tickling flutter of her heart as she opened it and read the text message from Calum.

I was thinking we could do a movie night or something? I’ve got Saturday night off if you’re free - I can pick you up and we can hang out. How does that sound?

Eloise had begun writing out her reply, her fingers quickly working against the screen before Paige’s voice stopped her halfway.

“Who’s Calum?”

Eloise prayed that the redness in her face could be played off as being caused by the heat of the sun, feeling the heat radiating throughout her entire body as she glanced up at Paige’s perfectly sculpted face that stared at the nerve-struck girl. Why she was getting nervous? Sometimes Eloise forgot that there were people in her life that weren’t linked to the game of the Gypsy Kings, forgetting that some people she spent time with had good intentions, some who only saw her as Eloise and not a Gypsy King.

“Do you remember when we were at Moxi’s for my birthday, and there was a guy at the bar that Mia kept pointing out to me?” Eloise spoke as she continued to type out her response to Calum’s text message before sending, I’m not 100% sure what I’m doing on Saturday, but I’ll get back to you on that. A movie night sounds good though, do I get to pick?

She wasn’t lying. She knew there was some business that needed taking care of in regard to the protection service plan she had come up with as a method of making money within the gang. She recalled Han mentioning that he and Jay had discussed rates and he had a potential client who was interested, but what she didn’t know was when exactly any details would be put in place or confirmed. It was quite literally being played by ear, just how she hated it.

She locked her phone and placed it back down onto the ground beside where she sat, her fingers brushing against the short green grass briefly before crossing her legs and resting her nimble hands in her lap. “I ended up running into him later on that night, we got talking and next thing I know I’m in the back of cab with him, kissing him, and before I can even register where I am, we’re at his house an- “

“Hold the fucking phone!” Paige yelled out, stopping Eloise in her tracks, she leaned forward as if to hear her better, her jaw nearly hitting the floor as her eyes were as wide as bowling balls, “You mean to tell me; that you pulled a guy, who had been watching you the entire night, went back to his place and slept with him?!”

“You’re getting ahead of yourself,” Eloise let out a gentle chuckle as she shook her head, “I never slept with him. I chickened out; I couldn’t bring myself to do it. But for some reason, he still asked me to stay the night.”

“This is definitely something that could only happen to you,” Paige shook her head twice as she smiled, “So, what? You guys just cuddled and kissed throughout the night and now you’re texting?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Eloise realised a breathy laugh, a smile resting across her face as she thought about how odd it sounded. It did sound like something almost out of movie. Very odd indeed.

“Please tell me you have a photograph of him, or you can find him online or something? I’m sorry, but I can’t believe that you, Eloise Gray, actually committed the moral sin of pulling a guy at a bar when you’ve refused point blank to do anything along those lines for years, until I see photographic evidence of this man,” Paige wiggled her fingers in a ‘give’ motion to Eloise, waiting for the photograph of the man she claimed to be talking to.

Eloise rolled her eyes as she pulled open her text thread with Calum, scrolling through the recent conversation before finding what she was looking for. Calum had sent her a picture that morning; he was taking Duke out for a walk and had snapped a quick picture of himself and the pup and sent it to Eloise with the message, Before my dog and a trail of mud ruin my shoes, pray for me please. She chuckled to herself before clicking on the photo, enlarging it on her screen before handing the device over to Paige who gasped almost instantly at the sight on the screen.

If Paige’s eyes could have rolled out of her head then they would have in that moment, her jaw once again connecting with the floor. Eloise held back the awful the joke of needing to pick it up for her. She watched as Paige’s ocean eyes dissected the photograph, obviously taking longer than necessary. It wasn’t much longer before the phone was handed back to Eloise, it being locked and returned to the ground as Paige’s expression never faltered.

“If the wind changes your face is gonna stay like that.” She spoke in joking tone, laughing breathily as she watched the maths in Paige’s head try to add up what she had just seen.

“El, listen to me, you know that I love you very much, so what I’m about to say, I mean in the nicest way possible,” Paige began, her hands gentle waving around as if to try and portray that she was figuring out her words as she went, “You’ve got to be shitting me, right! El, he is gorgeous! How did you not sleep with him?”

Eloise rolled her eyes yet again, practically slamming her head into her hands as she held back a groan mixed with a laugh, shaking her head, and letting out an overexaggerated sigh before looking back up at the blonde. “Because it would seem as though I have some self-respect,” She stated, tilting her head to side ever so slightly, raising her eyebrows.

“You need to arrange a date with him, like right now, like right this very minute,” Paige insisted, pointing at the mobile phone that lay next to Eloise’s thigh, “You’re crazy if you don’t, considering you’ve apparently been texting since you left that man with blue balls, so clearly he’s got some interest.”

“Just because we can have a conversation after I nearly slept with him, doesn’t mean I need to go on a date with him,” Eloise shrugged, knowing that she wasn’t going to win this argument that she was starting with Paige, already witnessing the frustration grow on her friend’s fair face.

“Eloise, I swear to god, if you don’t go on a date with this man, I think I might combust!”

“That’s very extreme, Paige.”

“Just go on a date with him please, if it’s awful then fine; you don’t see him again.” Paige practically begged.

“Why are you pushing so hard for me to go on a date with him? And how do you know if I haven’t already?” Eloise quirked an eyebrow, smirking at catching her friend out on her words.

“Because this is the first time that I’ve known you t- I’m sorry, what did you just say?” The blonde stopped herself midsentence, needing to make a doubletake to be sure she heard Eloise correctly, “You’ve already had a date? El, why didn’t you just say that at the beginning?!”

“Because you never asked,” Eloise smirked, laughing wholeheartedly at her friend’s stunned expression, as if it irritated her that she never caught on quicker.

One of Eloise’s favourite pastimes had to be irritating her friends in the harmless ways of catching them out with small things like this, along with teasing them about matters she knew irritated them. It never came from a place of malice, only ever full of fun.

“Well, I hope you’re about to tell me how it went,” Paige’s perfectly plucked eyebrows raised along her smooth forehead, “You’ve kept me in suspense this long, I think the least you could do is fill me in on what godforsaken acts the two of you got up to on your date.”

Eloise couldn’t help as she bit the inside of her cheek, gnawing gently on the flesh as she recalled the night that Calum and she hadn’t stopped talking since. It was if she could still feel his touch of her waist, the searing heat of his hands making imprints on her body that she couldn’t get rid of. She could still feel the light stubble of his chin scratching against her palms, neck, and shoulder as he kissed her. She hated that she remembered it so well, hating that she had to admit to herself that she enjoyed it. She wasn’t supposed to revel in the feelings he gave her. She was supposed to pretend that she did.

It was almost like the feeling ate away at her, but she enjoyed it. She liked the feeling the thought of Calum and that night gave her. It scared her nonetheless but yet she still had an inkling to feel it again. Was she losing her mind? Possibly.

She recalled to Paige about how his home was bigger than her apartment; the living alone being close to the size of both her own living room and kitchen combined. The details of how she discovered that Calum had a dog flowed from her lips, laughing as she admitted that she would have accepted his date offer a lot quicker if she had known about the dog beforehand. She got excited over the food that she found in his kitchen, explaining how he insisted they order takeout but she couldn’t stop wanting to eat some of the leftovers he had – having not had a proper homecooked meal like that in what felt was forever – and it being one of the best things she had ever tasted.

The smile on Eloise’s face only grew as she talked where he was from, how his family were living in separate parts of the world, highlighting how amazing it must be to be able to travel to those places and be reunited with his family after time apart.

“Okay, and then what happened?” Paige pushed for more, leaning forward as if she was a child at story time. She thrived off of romance stories, basking in people’s tales of first dates and romantic proposals, only fuelling her urge as the hopeless romantic that she was.

Eloise froze for a moment, sighing as she knew there was something she had forgotten to mention about Calum. She didn’t fear Paige’s reaction, knowing that she wouldn’t react like some, but she knew that with her next statement, there would only be a response of concern for Eloise. Guess she better get on with it…

“We talked about his job for bit as well,” Eloise nodded, letting out a sharp exhale before she looked over at Paige to watch her reaction to her following words, “It turns out he’s a detective in the NYPD.” Her brown eyes watched as Paige’s body stopped in place, her eyes blinking a few times before she slowly leaned back into a normal seated position, her face puzzled as she tried to muster the courage to say the words on her tongue.

“He’s a cop?” Eloise couldn’t decide whether Paige was making a statement or asking a question, her lips remaining parted as if she was going to continue, “El, a-are you sure? I mean, I know I’m not involved in the whole gang lifestyle but… El, surely this isn’t good. What if they find out? What’s going to happen?”

“You don’t need to worry about it, it’s alright,” Eloise shook her head, trying to keep her voice calm as a way of reassuring Paige’s concerned demeanour, “It’ll work itself out, I can feel it.”

“Are you that’s not just paranoia of someone shooting you for dating a cop that you’re feeling?” Paige spoke through gritted teeth, keeping her voice quiet as if it were a secret.

Eloise was thankful for friends like Paige who weren’t involved in the same affiliations as she was. She knew that Paige would be supportive of her decisions but at the same time, she would show more concern for Eloise’s wellbeing, acting as a friend rather than a member she ran with. Eloise had found that her friends like Paige and Roman had more compassion than the others within the Gypsy Kings.

“Like I said, it’ll be fine,” Eloise repeated, her voice stronger this time, trying to solidify the assurance in Paige that it would truly work out. Of course, Paige didn’t know the whole story but that’s fine. That’s the way Eloise needed to keep it.

She couldn’t help but note the shift of tension between them; nothing but worry in Paige’s eyes for her dear friend who was doing something that she couldn’t decide if she would label it as reckless or plain stupid. Eloise could see the mental fight Paige was having with herself over if she should discourage Eloise or if she should give in to her antics and allow for her friend to be happy in a romantic setting. Only Paige didn’t know the actual reason as to why she even in a romantic setting.

But it was the next question that followed that relaxed Eloise, giving her the comfort that she didn’t quite know she wanted. Or needed. She felt a makeshift weight practically lift as Paige let out an understanding breath and asked, “So, does it he look good in his uniform?”

Eloise couldn’t stop the thankful smile from creasing her lips, silently thanking Paige for trusting her words that she couldn’t even be one hundred percent trusting in herself.

“I’m still yet to see the full blues,” Eloise chuckled, “But I think they only wear those for formal police matters, if they’re attending a gathering with the commissioner or something along those lines. I’m not too clued up on how it works honestly.”

Eloise continued to talk about the date, mentioning how they found common ground of knowing people who had the same character. She missed out a few bits and pieces, dismissing Paige from having to know the full details of their discussions. Her smile returned when she thought about the turn that the date took when they were sat on the couch. She described how his eyes were darker than her own but yet somehow brighter, she swore she could see gold in them if she looked hard enough. She smiled at Paige’s small coos throughout the story, a fond smile spread across her face as she listened while Eloise reminisced about her forbidden night with the detective. She laughed as she talked about how she didn’t even hear her phone ring when she was kissing him, as if she had become deaf to all that surrounded her.

“Wait, who was calling you?” Paige asked, eyebrows furrowed as she watched Eloise look up at the sky, as if she was watching a moving picture of her night in the bright landscape.

“Scott,” Eloise scoffed, shaking her head barely before she looked over at her blonde companion of the day, “He called me because he had an emergency which he needed me to help with. Apparently, there was no one else he could call without being told to ‘get over it’.” She raised her fingers and air-quoted the words, unable to hold back the laugh at the memory.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Paige laughed out loud, a slight groan escaping as she playfully slapped Eloise’s leg a few times, “He cockblocked you!”

Eloise couldn’t hold back the giggles as they continued to erupt, shaking her head in agreement. “I felt bad for Calum a little bit. I had to apologise and tell him that my best friend was having a crisis and I needed to go and help him.”

“That poor man.” Paige said through the laughs, trying to sound of sympathetic as possible. She rubbed her face with her freehand, her cheeks beginning to ache a little from laughing, “So, what was Scott’s crisis if it was so urgent that it quite literally broke up your date?”

“Do you remember that Lydia girl that he disappeared with in Moxi’s?” Eloise asked, gaining an immediate nod in response from Paige, “Well, apparently she had turned up at my apartment demanding to speak to Scott and thought that my apartment was his. She was kicking and screaming at the door, so she phoned Scott and told him to come out and speak to her- “

“But she’s outside your apartment in Sunset Park, and doesn’t he live over in Mapleton- “

“Exactly! So, he headed over to try and stop her from breaking my door down. And when he got there, all my neighbours were standing around and asking why there was a girl outside my apartment having a meltdown, which only got worse when she saw him. And from what Scott told me about why she was upset, I don’t think he called her back after she left him a voicemail asking to see him again and she didn’t take it too well, so, she thought it would be a good idea to come and confront him in person.” Eloise struggled to hold a straight face as she recalled the words Scott had spewed out to her a few nights ago.

“So, you were called – why? Because it’s your apartment or did he actually need you to do something?” Paige questioned, looking at Eloise with perched brows as if waiting for the punchline.

“Here comes the best part; Scott asked me to escort her out of the building because he was too afraid.”

“Hold on, just wait- wait a minute… Scott was too scared to ask a girl to leave because she was crying, so he calls you, a fellow girl, to come and get rid of his problem? And yet, he can fire a gun and not flinch?” Paige asked, waving her hand around as she was piecing it together, gaining a nod from Eloise. She had summed it up perfectly. Paige’s face fell into her hands as she tried to hold in her laughter, fighting the urge to allow the entire park to hear her. Eloise joined her in the laughter, her hand coming up and wiping away the small water leaks from her eyes before she tried to catch her breath.

It took a few minutes for them to compose themselves, the harmless laughter still being shared between them as they sat again and enjoyed their time together in the park, embracing the few hours they could spend with one another before they were separated by busy schedules. Mainly Paige’s.

But unfortunately for Eloise, she was about to be brought back down to earth from her short, temporary high, Paige’s voice asking her a question she had hoped she would avoid.

“You know I hate to be a negative Nancy but, El, do you realise how bad it looks for a goddamn criminal to be dating a cop? Even you have to see how alien that is, and I hope you know what you’re doing because the last thing I want- “

“Do you wanna know something, Paige?” Eloise scoffed, her tongue poking the inside of her cheek as she took a shaky but angry breath, trying to contain her sudden frustration with her friend, “I’m not worried about it. It’s almost as if for the first time, I feel normal. When I think about him or I’m with him, I feel like a normal twenty-one-year-old. I feel like I’m your average young adult who is dating someone just as average. But now I think I actually like him and that’s what fucking scares me. I’ve never been afraid of someone holding a gun to my head, or someone coming at me with a knife, but all of a sudden, I like somebody who might even like me back, and I feel like I’m dying insi- “

Her voice cracked throughout her rushed statement, her voice and emotions taking over as she let the words spew from her mouth without even thinking about them. Did she just –

“So, you like him?” Paige’s voice piped up, looking at Eloise as she waited for an answer, “You like Calum?”

Eloise thought for a moment. The obvious answer was for her to say ‘yes’. It was the easy answer for her to give, the ploy of the Gypsy Kings sitting in the back of her mind as she thought of her answer, but also the way her heart quivered at the thought of his smile. She fought over why the answer was so easy, was it because she knew that it made the plan easier to work with? Or was it because she did? Did she really like Calum?

Her mind flooded back a few seconds to the statement she had just allowed to consume the space between her and Paige, allowing for the first time, her emotions about someone to be out in the open, for them to be said and shared with someone other than the voice in the back of her head. The realisation of her words set in, the discovery of the admission she had made sitting prominent in her mind as she looked for some sort of excuse as to why she had said it, a seed of doubt attempting to sprout as if on instinct, trying to figure out why she had just said all that. It was false, wasn’t it? She didn’t feel all those things for Calum. She barely knew him.

But if that were the case, why did she find her heartbeat picking up at the thought of telling someone she liked him? Why did she enjoy the flutter of butterflies within her stomach as she thought of him on each of those nights? Why did she try and play the psychology game, trying to believe she had somehow psyched herself into feeling this way for the sole purpose of the scheme following through?

Why couldn’t Eloise just admit to herself that what she had just said out loud was the truth?

And then she surprised herself.

“Yeah I do,”

Paige’s teeth were showing in her smile, her hand reaching out and wrapping around her dear friend as she pulled her into a hug, squeezing her gently. It shouldn’t have been such a big moment for Eloise to admit she had some form of feelings, but it was. It was a moment that Paige had never seen before; none of her friends had seen this moment before when it came to Eloise.

“I don’t know how to describe it,” Eloise’s voice began to speak, quiet and almost uncertain as if every sentence was a question, “It feels I’m going to be sick every time I see him. It feels like I can’t think straight without something about him appearing in my mind, or I see something that makes me think of him. I don’t know how to feel other than as if I’m on fire, as if someone’s dipped me in gasoline and set me alight.”

Paige’s expression was one of admiration, basking in the admission she had just witnessed, watching as Eloise discovered what it felt like to be attracted to someone in a way other than through a physical connection. It was a proud moment, one that Paige didn’t want to take away from Eloise, one that she wanted to allow the brunette to cherish for as long as she could.

“It’s like I have no control over it,” Eloise let out a breath, staring down at her hands as if they were foreign objects, things she had never seen before, “I don’t know what this means and that’s what scares me.”

And if Eloise thought she was scared of her own feelings; she truly hadn’t known what fear felt like until Paige spoke.

“You’re in love.”

It was if the air in her lungs suddenly evaporated, disappearing at the speed of light as she stared at Paige with an incredulous look on her face. She was certain she had heard wrong, refusing to the believe that word had just been spoken in regard to how she was feeling. There was no way that Eloise felt that, not with knowing what was brought along as baggage as if in a holy matrimony.

“Don’t be stupid, Paige, I’m not. I said I liked the guy, that doesn’t mean that I’m in lo- “

She couldn’t even bring herself to say the word, the word itself brought an uncomfortable queasy sensation to her stomach. And not the one she felt previously and guiltily enjoyed when she thought of the Australian officer. She shook her head at the thought, refusing point blank to even consider such a word for a man she had only technically been on one date with.

“You know I’m right.” She smirked, nudging Eloise’s t-shirt clad shoulder. Eloise reached to the ground, finding the sleeve of her leather jacket she was sitting on, allowing her fingers to fiddle with the material and roll up the sleeve, as if it were an attempt to briefly distract herself from the words of Paige Romanoff.

“I know you’re ridiculous.” Eloise countered, sighing as she dropped her jacket sleeve and picked up her phone, unlocking it to find the picture of Calum still on her screen from when her phone was last open. She took a deep breath as she returned to the text thread, letting her fingers work as she tried to piece together a sentence to send to him, her body rushing ahead before her mind had a chance to take a moment and realise what she was doing. Before she could think about her actions, she had pressed send.

It looks like I’m free on Saturday. I’ll get the train into Queens and meet you at your place just after 6 if that works for you. Guess I’ll see you then.

“That better be you arranging another date,” Paige’s eyebrows wiggled at the phone, smirking at Eloise’s subtle concentration as she wrote out the text before she locked her phone and put it away.

Eloise half-rolled her eyes at the blonde’s comment, shaking her head lightly before her lips pursed and she found herself asking, “Why does the word ‘date’ suddenly sound so dirty coming from you?”

“Because you know that it’s more than that,” Paige teased, her shoulders rising as she rubbed her hands together, “You’re finally letting your heart make decisions for you, and for the first time in your life, it looks like you can trust it.”

“If I can trust my heart, then why do I feel like it’s only going to betray me and let me drown when it all goes wrong?”

Paige couldn’t handle her frustration, her hand raising in the air for a second before lowering back down as she composed herself, “I swear, El, I am this close to hitting you one day,” She showed her index finger and thumb mere millimetres apart, “I don’t think you realise how afraid you are sometimes. You’re so scared of letting yourself be happy that you talk yourself into seeing people as only being something that will hurt you, and before they even have a chance to prove you wrong, you push them away. And maybe for the first time in the time that I’ve known you, Eloise, you may just be starting to let your guard down a little. This is a good thing.”

“So basically, what you’re saying is I self-sabotage?” Her cocoa-coloured eyes squinted a little at Paige as if trying to force the admission out of her, her chapped lips rolling into her mouth.

“What I’m saying, El, is that you’re so scared of letting people see the real you that you block them out before they have a chance. And it’s about time people got to see you for who you really are. Because believe it or not, but you’re pretty fucking fantastic. Let them see you for once.”

Paige’s words struck a chord within Eloise that she didn’t see coming. The string of words resonated with the scared young woman who sat opposite her blonde friend. Maybe Paige was right? Maybe it was all just because she was scared? Maybe people did have good intentions, but Eloise was too blinded by her fear of being hurt that she eliminated all possibilities; good and bad. She was too afraid to be loved and abandoned that she banished all the chances of feeling that again.

Maybe it was time that changed.

*****

22 Days Left

It was colder than usual for New York, especially in August. The gentle breeze drifting through the city only adding the chill Eloise tried to protect herself from, a maroon hoodie being worn beneath her jacket as an extra layer. Her back was resting against a brick wall behind her, her left foot perched up on it also as she stood opposite the familiar face of Han, the only light source coming from the unstable neon sign above them and the gentle amber glow that flowed from the windows of the bar they stood outside. The pink light giving a rosy tinge to their skin tones, making them seem almost as if they were shadows in the alley without it.

Eloise stood with one hand in her jacket pocket, her phone in the other as she mindlessly swiped through Twitter, her eyes only skimming the brief paragraphs of words that people spilled on the bird-themed app.

It was late. It was very late. Eloise spotted the clock at the top of her phone screen, sighing as she thought about how this had become a normal sociable hour for the likes of her. It was coming close to one in the morning, the dark sky canvasing the city as it remained lit with the help of streetlamps, although many of them were broken and would only let out a flicker of a golden light every so often. The alley was practically silent around them, the only sound being the rare car that passed along the road on the other side of red building.

Well it would have been silent if Han didn’t make his voice known, disturbing Eloise from her peaceful interaction with her mobile phone.

“Jay’ll be out soon and then we can get going, this is the last stop for the night,” Han rested a hand on the back of his head, attempting to secure the grey beanie he wore that had begun to slip, “Mooney just needs to pay up and then- “

“What’s Mooney even paying for? He’s a businessman - a successful one at that - what business does he have with Jay that makes him drag us out in the middle of the night?” Eloise sighed, exasperated as she slid her phone back into her pocket, as she looked at the face which she knew all too well.

“Mooney needed a job done a while back, and Jay offered to do it for a good price. It’s been three months since Mooney’s problem was taken care of and Jay still hasn’t seen a penny, so he wanted to call in and at least get a down payment on what he’s owed.”

Eloise raised her eyebrows knowingly, her tongue pushing against her bottom lip before speaking. “And by ‘down payment’ you mean he’s going to take exactly what’s owed. I know as well as you do, Han, Jay doesn’t do things by halves. But why are we here, last time I checked, Jay can handle himself, can’t he?”

“He just wanted some backup in case things got rowdy and they didn’t want to pay up. Think of it as a way of stopping Mooney from doing something stupid.” Han dropped his head a little, eyes meeting Eloise’s brown ones as he let the right corner of his mouth quip up.

It wasn’t Mooney who they needed to worry about doing something stupid. Eloise knew that, and so did Han although he didn’t want to admit it. Jay always tended to get ahead of himself in situations like this.

Eloise let herself focus on the faint sound of chatter and music she could hear from a few buildings over, smiling briefly at the thought of the club that had recently opened on the street behind Mooney’s; the new attraction being at the very end of the road but yet the music was so loud she could still hear it. She recognised the song, tapping her foot along to the beat in the hope of making time pass by quicker if she lost herself in the music.

A presence was felt next to her, a warm shoulder nudging against her own before her eyes met Han’s cold ones yet again. He had shifted to stand beside her, his back resting against the same wall as he searched his pocket for the very thing that Eloise rolled her eyes at the sight of. “You know if this gang doesn’t kill you then those definitely will.” She scoffed, sighing as she watched Han pluck a white cigarette from the tattered box, his other hand holding his lighter.

It was a habit she never understood, one that she never got into. She didn’t hate smoking; it just wasn’t her thing. She watched as the amber light sparked from the tip of the lighter, the end of the cigarette sizzling softy against the flame before Han took his first drag of the sin, holding his inhale for a few seconds and basking in the gentle burn the filled his lungs before the grey smoke escaped his lips in a long exhale, “I think I’ll take my chances.”

Eloise shook her head, rolling her eyes as she watched the man who she had grown up with smoke what she assumed to be his hundredth cigarette that day. Okay, maybe not his hundredth but at least double digits.

“You haven’t said much about the plan in the past few days, since I rumbled you about your little escapade you’ve been practically void,” Han gently coughed as he held the cigarette between his index and middle finger, his spare hand resting by his side, “Care to give me an update on our little cop friend and you? How far along we are?”

Eloise fought against her natural instinct to freeze, focusing to keep her body as casual as possible, to control her heartbeat, breathe, as well to try and prevent her voice from shaking nor cracking. Why did she have to so much work into trying to sound convincing? Oh yeah – she admitted that she may or not actually like the man who’s she’s supposed to be pretending to like. Something that almost felt as if it was a mild form of Stockholm Syndrome, but instead she was beginning to feel a warmth inside of her for the man she was supposedly lying to, the man she was setting up, the one who she was betraying. She hated that she felt guilty about it: for both Calum and the Kings. They were all she had ever really known, they had taken her in and protected her when she was at her worst, Han specifically, taking her in an older brother and making sure she was cared for.

Eloise couldn’t help but feel as though she was throwing everything that he had done for her right back in his face, all because she let her heart get in the way. But at the same time, she couldn’t bring herself to agree to throwing Calum out of the plane without a parachute, something inside of her didn’t want to hang him out to dry.

The brunette worked to keep her expression stale as she responded to Han, “As good as we can hope. I’ve been working my way into him bit by bit, now I just need to figure out who I slip in that I’m a one of us and pray that he doesn’t arrest me on the spot. This is hard bit, Han. If he reacts how most cops would, then this whole plan goes up in smoke.”

“Then don’t let him react like most cops,” Han responded with ease, “Tell me who you are. Lie to him more, tell him you want out and you need his help to do that. El, if I’m being honest, it doesn’t seem like it’s the hardest thing you need to do. Just tell a few lies, what harm is it doing?”

A lot is what she wanted to say but she bit her tongue. “Fine. Let’s see how long it takes for him to shoot me once I reveal the news.”

“Don’t be overdram- “

Han’s words were cut short by the sound of a gunshot echoing from inside the bar. Heavy footsteps carried Eloise and Han inside through the back of the bar, bursting through the stockroom door that connected into the main common area. The sight that greeted them was one that neither expected to see that night. Well, they had hoped not to.

Eloise’s shocked eyes were drawn to the floor, witnessing the aftermath of the explosive gunshot she had heard when she was outside. A young boy was lying on the wooden floor of the bar, a seeping bloody wound in his chest as he gasped for air, his hands sprawled against the floor as if the shot had paralysed him. His blond hair stuck to his sweat-covered forehead, his chest shaking as he tried to breathe through what Eloise could only imagine was a horrendous pain. He didn’t look old enough to be involved in whatever business Jay was conducting inside the bar, he was so young. She saw the small scattering of acne scarring on his cheeks, god he was only a kid. He must’ve been sixteen, barely, and yet he was lying there on the bloody floor fighting for his life.

She could see Mooney stood by the bar, his eyes shining as tears flowed and he reached out as if to try and touch the boy though the distance between them didn’t allow him to do so. A million emotions were encrypted on the man’s face: fear, sadness, desperation, and anger were the prominent few. It was if someone flicked a switch in her head that allowed her to create the link between the shaking body on the floor and the man across the bar; it was Mooney’s son.

Thoughts were rushing through Eloise’s mind at a million miles an hour, her hands shaking ever so slightly as she tried to figure out what happened. Her eyes met the tall body of Jay as he stood against the pool table in the centre of the room, wiping his hands on what she presumed to be a tea towel, her eyes meeting his briefly before his green connected with Han as he tossed the towel in his direction. Han caught it as if it were second nature, his fingers grasping the contaminated cloth as he stared at his friend in shock.

There were so many questions floating in the air that she wanted to ask, although clarification of what had happened wasn’t necessary, but she still found herself needing to hear it to believe it. Like the teenager on the floor who was grasping onto his life wasn’t enough of an indication of exactly what had unfolded.

“Jay, what – “

“He came out of nowhere, started waving a gun around and making threats,” Jay excused, a natural uncaring shrug rolling off his shoulders, “He was going on about how he was going to kill me if I didn’t get out. So, I taught him a lesson in why you don’t make empty threats to a Gypsy King.”

The way the excuse rolled off of his tongue just emphasised the snake that he was. A sick twisted creature who would do whatever it took to get what he wanted, without a care or second thought for those who stood in his way. His words stung Eloise’s ears as he spoke, each one laced with poison as he shrugged off a murder as if the victim was a used tissue.

The lack of a weapon next to the body only proved Jay’s lie, having no indication that the boy had raised a weapon. He probably didn’t even know how to use a gun.

“You murdered my son!” A voice cried out, the eyes in the room falling on the broken man who knelt by the bar, his face soaked from tears as his body shook in grief, “You killed my boy!”

The sound of Jay’s heavy footsteps echoed throughout the empty bar, his face being mere inches from the older man as he lowered to his level, raising a warning finger to the man known as Mooney, before he spoke in a quiet yet aggressive voice, “And you’ll be next if I don’t get my money. You’ve got three days and I’ll back. If I don’t see every single penny on that bar top by the time I come back then his life won’t be the only one lost in this bar, so take this as a warning.”

He was cold towards the grieving man, having no sorrow for what he had just taken from him. Eloise didn’t even register his hard shoulder pushing past hers as he shoved past Han and her, looking towards Han as he spoke quietly, “Clean up the mess before the cops get here.”

The fact that he discarded the boy as a ‘mess’ allowed Jay’s lack of empathy to shine through. The hollowness of his heart could be felt by everyone as he left the bar, the door slamming behind him as he abandoned the crime scene he had just created. This wasn’t right.

Eloise followed Han’s figure as he ran out of the bar behind Jay, keeping hot on his tail, as he let his voice yell out in frustration. She noticed how Mooney’s eyes never left his son’s body, the shaking of his chest matching the young boy’s as they both took what felt like their last breaths. Something that she couldn’t bring herself watch any longer, making her exit from the bar. She wanted to apologise to Mooney, to apologise to his son. But she couldn’t, she knew she wouldn’t be able to find the strength nor the words that he needed to hear. She doubted that Mooney himself even knew what those words were. The only thing she did know is that he would want Jay to pay for what he did.

“What the fuck happened in there?” Han was at the point of destruction, outraged and hot at the actions of his companion, “Jay, what fuckin’ happened?”

Jay let out an unbothered huff, finding his car keys in his pocket before making his way down the alley towards where his car was hidden away. He was walking away from his own mess that he created. He always walked away. “He had it comin’.”

That wasn’t the right thing to say. It only fuelled Han’s disbelief of what had erupted moments ago, his anger being released at full throttle as he out cried, “He was a kid, Jay. He was a fuckin’ kid, and you shot- You fuckin’ shot him as a warnin’!”

Eloise stood witness to Han’s anger unfolding, watching as how with each passing second, the events began to trouble him more and more; the consequences of Jay’s actions playing prominent in his mind as he shouted. She noted Jay’s face remained cold, unphased and stern as he watched Han’s emotions get the better of him for a brief few minutes. She couldn’t ignore the growing concern in her stomach, her eyes looking around at the dark alley, knowing it wouldn’t be long before the yelling match would be heard by a stranger passing by in the night resulting in an unwanted visit from the cops if the two men in front of her continued as they seemed fit.

The unbothered manner of which Jay handled Han’s accusations, the meaningless shrugs and rolls of his eyes only reminded her that this wasn’t the first time this kind of thing had happened. But never before, had he shot a kid. He used people as warnings all the time to get what he wanted, used rivals’ loved ones as persuasion tactics, playing with their life in order to gain control and power over a situation. He called everyone else around him soft, talking about them as if they were sand which crumbled and dissipated at the touch of someone’s hand. She could remember him yelling about how it’s people like him who have the drive to better their position in the world, to climb up the food chain to get to the top. She knew he wasn’t right; she knew he was truly the broken one in the Gypsy Kings. He was the one who had lost all control, never knowing when enough was enough.

It was Jay’s loud roar that caused Eloise to jump, her body not ready for the loud volume that erupted from him. Her eyes watched his as they stared into Han’s, a warning finger, much like the one he had at Mooney before, was raised in Han’s face as he spat out, “You’re gonna back off if you know what’s good for you. You’re going to go back inside that bar and clean up like I told you or else there’s gonna be a second body needin’ disposed of tonight, got it?”

Eloise couldn’t see Han’s face, but she could tell from the tense muscles in his shoulders that he was furious, a bitter, “Fine” being heard in the quiet of the night.

Jay took this as his queue to leave, slipping into his dark car, matching his heart, before he sped off down the streets of downtown Brooklyn, leaving Han and Eloise to face the music of the destruction he left in his path. It took a few minutes for Han to move, the towel still in his hands as he turned around and began to make his way back inside the bar, as if what Eloise had just witnessed never happened.

“What’re we supposed to do now?” Eloise’s quiet voice sounded louder in the dark of the night, her hands being tossed into her pockets as she tilted her head, waiting for a response from Han, the anger still visible on his face.

“We continue as normal,” He returned, scrunching the cloth in his left hand, “Nothing’s changed so we keep going.”

Eloise couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She had stood aside and watched Han lose his mind over the death of a boy and now he was saying they do nothing. This wasn’t the Han she knew. As much as Han was a stickler for the rules, she knew he couldn’t stand by and let this go.

“So, you’re just going to let this slide? Han, he’s getting out of hand and you know it. He’s taking things too far and he’s out of control… We’ve lost too many people on his watch and the city have lost too many at his hand. How many more innocent people have to die for you to realise that he’s out of his depth, as are you?” Eloise fought against the crack in her voice as she thought about the innocent life that was lost that night, trying to prevent herself from acting as though she had been the one to lose someone like the man inside the bar who would be grieving over a son.

“What else am I supposed to do, huh El? What choice do I have?” As much as she fought her own voice cracking under the pressure, she noted how Han didn’t fight his as he asked her the painful question. She knew it conflicted him, put him in a position that he didn’t like.

“We have rules for a reason, Han, and you kn- “

“Do you not think I fucking know that, El?! He has started a war that he doesn’t even know is coming. He’s just given every other gang in this entire city a reason to come after him once and for all, and they’ll be coming after us as well. He’ll get what’s coming to him, and he’ll finally pay for not playing by the rules.” Han let out a defeated groan, his hand ripping the beanie from his head as he threw it to the floor. “We’ll all be the ones paying for his actions.”

“And that’s what you want? You’re happy for us to stand back and let the others come and tear us all apart piece by piece all because Jay decided to go rogue. But until then, we’re supposed to just sit around like nothing has happened and wait for someone to decide that enough is enough. How long is that going to be?” Eloise rolled her eyes, unable to stop her voice getting louder as the anger inside her stomach bubbled, “It’s not good enough, Han.”

Angry was an understatement to the feeling that was shared between Eloise and Han. There wasn’t a word to describe the rage inside of them to its true extent. Eloise’s was mixed with sadness, sympathy lacing her voice as she thought about the grieving family who would never share a smile together with their son. She was getting too emotionally attached to those who were tied up with the Gypsy Kings; she knew that. She had known that since that night with Calum. Her emotions were going to be what destroyed her.

“I can’t just stand aside this time and wait for someone to come and kill me all because of his stupid mistake. I know what’s it’s like to lose everything to a stupid gan- “ She stopped herself, trying to hold her emotions together as her vision blurred with the salty tears, “I know what it’s like to lose someone and to never get the closure of knowing that those who did it paid for their actions. That family deserve that, it’s the least they deserve after tonight.”

“And that’s exactly what they’ll get if you just have patience. El, we still need to look out for ourselves. We’ve got just over three weeks until that shipment comes in, we’ve still got time to get through this and then we can run. We can take the money and get out of New York, we can leave Jay to his own devices and let him suffer the consequences. We just need to hold on, just until the deal is done.” Han looked desperate, as if searching Eloise’s eyes for some sort of answer to a question he didn’t know he was asking. Eloise could hear the struggle in his voice, she could see the tiredness in his eyes as he pained at the way she looked at him. It was as if he were stranger, someone she couldn’t recognise anymore; someone who was willing to play blind to death when they knew better. “Just please be patient, and we’ll work this out.”

The word sounded bitter to her, the thought of it against her tongue leaving a sour taste. Patience. How was she supposed to stand back and be patient when she knew a young boy wouldn’t graduate high school and go off to college? How was she supposed to be patient when she knew a family would be planning a funeral that they never should’ve needed to? How was she supposed to be patient when she would stand opposite the man who took an innocent life and act as though it was nothing? She couldn’t grasp how that was expected of her. She had witnessed an innocent’s death before, but this time it was different. It was never a child. Never.

Her eyes fell to her boots as she scuffed them along the ground, taking a shaky breath as she tried to compose herself, tried to withhold her emotions as Han called out her name. She painfully allowed for her brown eyes to meet his broken ones, expression stoic as she nibbled at the skin on the inside of her lip, unable to trust herself to make a verbal response to his call.

“Let’s get this over with, I’ll do the dirty work. You need to talk to Mooney.” Han’s voice sounded disappointed as they made their way back inside of the bar.

The body still lay there in position, shirt stained with the crimson as an older man lay over the body, shaking violently as he sobbed. The pain in her heart was excruciating as she watched, her eyes falling to Han as he kneeled next to the body and attempted to remove a crying father from his deceased son; a sight that she knew she would never be able to unsee. It felt like déjà vu, something that had happened before, but this time it was different. The memory bringing a tear to her eye and letting it fall down her supple cheek, her hand quickly wiping it away as she composed herself the best she could.

“Sal,” Her shaky voice whispered, her body moving along the floor before she kneeled next to the crying bar owner, knowing she had to play her part in this process. But this time not for the sake of the gang, this time for the sake of the grieving father, “You need to let him go, come on…”

The yell of the man by her side would never leave her, the outcry full of pain and desperation as the call out of his son’s name echoed in her ears for what she felt like forever. How was she supposed to just brush this off?

It was as if things finally began to make sense. Every sense of emotion she had been learnt to feel again since that night overwhelmed her. Her ignorance she had played on so often was non-existent as she felt nothing but sorrow, sympathy and pain for the boy who had died that night. She couldn’t help but feel as though she had a purpose, the urge of justice now coursing through her body as she held the crying man in her arms and tried to comfort him, offering him a shoulder to cry on as Han lifted the limp body and removed it from the bar.

Jay had been out of control for too long. The years of destruction and rage he endorsed on the city of New York were now breaking barriers and were impacting the gang in the complete opposite way of how they thought. It was going bad, really bad. Han’s reminder of how the city would come after Jay as a consequence played on Eloise’s mind, but she knew she couldn’t wait for that. She couldn’t play along with the Gypsy Kings’ game until that day came. She had sat back for too long and allowed for the people around her to decide her fate, to control what she did and how she lived her life to some degree.

It was about time she changed that. It was about time she took control and did something right.

Of course, she knew the consequences of her actions, knowing that if she followed through then it would mean everything she knew would be gone. She would be betraying her family, betraying her best friend, and betraying herself.

And she was more than willing to accept that. She couldn’t stand in the shadows any longer. It was time to change. It was time to end it all. It was time to make her real family proud.

---

Tag List: @steviemae @elsysoza

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doof-doofblog · 4 years ago

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"Ian Is The Reason Dennis Is Dead!"

Monday 7th September 2020

Good evening everyone and what an exciting night it is!!! EastEnders is back on our screens tonight! It's been a good few months since the soap has been on our screens. Tonight it's finally back, even though the time has been reduced from 30 minutes to 20 minutes, it doesn't matter! Our favourite characters will be back and the story-lines will be able to continue, so many answers will be given and so many secrets revealed!

But before we delve into the excitement of tonight's episode, i'm sure the majority of you have been made aware of the news regarding the beautiful Chantelle Atkins. For those of you who might've missed it somehow, EastEnders have announced that poor Chantelle will pass away due to domestic violence at the hands of her husband, Gray.

Since Chantelle and Gray appeared on the Square, they portrayed the perfect family! Two successful people working brilliant jobs, with two beautiful children and on the outside, it looked as if they lived a very happy life! But little do the Walford residents know that behind closed doors, poor Chantelle has been the target of domestic abuse from her husband. Taking beatings and beatings and suffering in silence. None of her close friends or family are aware of what is happening in their family home when no one else is around. Gray appears to have nasty temper on him, and he takes it out on his wife. EastEnders have announced the passing of Chantelle before the soap reappears on our screens due to the fact that the next few episodes will be quite harrowing, as viewers will see Chantelle attempt to escape and leave her husband. Jessica Plummer's last appearance as Chantelle will be on the 18th September. I believe both Jessica Plummer and Toby-Alexander Smith's performance as Chantelle and Gray have been phenomenal! It's a very sensitive issue to portray, but in all seriousness ... this does happen to people every single day, and unfortunately - due to the lock-down, some people are suffering in silence, being victims of domestic abuse and being attacked at their home day after day. I, for one will be devastated to see Chantelle be killed off, but I do feel it's a very important issue and it's fantastic of EastEnders to be raising awareness of such vicious acts of cruelty. What the big questions I want to ask now are, what will happen in the aftermath? Will Gray be found out? How will the Taylor family react to the passing of Chantelle? Will Gray go to deep lengths to hide the truth from his family and neighbours? I'm sure many fans were always hoping that Chantelle would find a way to speak up and ask for help or eventually escape Gray, but sadly in Chantelle's case, it will never be that way. I applaud the cast and story writers who took part in this story-line, it's a big subject and it's needs to be spoken about openly, more and more, and if anyone who views this story-line, who is currently in Chantelle's situation, hopefully they'll get the courage to speak out and/or seek help to escape. --- Now, shall we focus on tonight's episode? I don't know about you lot but I've been really looking forward to the day EastEnders came back on air! And it certainly came back with a bang!! Ahhh it felt so good to hear that theme tune again!! Brilliant!!

Awww and what a brilliant opening, Ian looking all smug and proud, putting the Queen Vic bust back on the counter. Quick question ... where the hell did he get that from?! I'm assuming it's something that could've been replaced, but me - being naive, honestly thought that the old Queen Vic bust which sank during the anniversary episodes, was one of a kind! Clearly - obviously not! Oh gosh ... look at all those photos of Ian and Sharon being landlords of the Vic! Makes a nice realistic touch, don't you guys think? Clearly, Ian has been making himself at home at the Vic during lock-down! Oooh it does look as if Ian and Dotty still have daggers for each other, Dotty's case has come up after Ian grassed her up to the police about selling some form of drugs at the club and they both appear to be going to court together. Dotty is NOT going to keep quiet for long, she will soon tell Sharon all about the secrets Ian has been hiding form her regarding her son, Dennis. Dotty must've been finding it so hard to watch Ian and Sharon together in the Vic, the secret must be eating her up to the core!

Is it just me, or is Chantelle looking very fragile? She's very shaky, nervous ... it looks as if while she's been in lock-down, she's had nothing but abuse from Gray. It looks as if she's looking to divorce her husband and get away as soon as she can! Watching this, knowing what is going to happen in a couple of episodes time, I'm already feeling worried and scared for her. She's made things perfectly clear that she wants to the divorce to be quick and easy. Gray will still be able to see his children and they'll be living near by. This is something that does worry me, will Gray find out about her wanting a divorce and lash out? She's been told that a divorce could be incredibly expensive. Is she going to be able to afford what she needs to be able to go ahead? I know I am asking all sorts of questions, but with this being the first episode back, there are so many things that could happen with each and every story! Plus it feels like it's been so long since we've seen these characters, it feels so good to have them back again! Will Chantelle be able to open up to Kheerat before it's too late! Suki has already informed him that Gray was the one who put him up to Trading Standards, could there be some kind of conversation to come between Chantelle and Kheerat where he'll confront her about Gray's behaviour, and could she finally be able to tell him how Gray actually treats her?! You can see the fear in Chantelle's eyes as she enters her house and Gray comes to approach her from the stairs, already questioning her where she has been. When he reached into her bag I was worried he was going to pull out some form of paperwork regarding a divorce, but instead he's putting a tracker on her phone, to keep an eye on her. Chantelle clearly isn't happy about this, but sadly, there's nothing she can say. Gray is controlling and is wanting to keep an eye on her every move, he's frustrated as he has been put on furlough from his job, so he has also been stuck in the house while his children have gone back to school and Chantelle working also. How is Chantelle going to be able to escape Gray now he's put a tracker on her phone? Gosh, I just want to hold her and tell her she can escape from this! She later approaches Kheerat, telling him he's the only one she can trust and asks him for the money for her divorce, even though she can't tell him what it's for. But of course she feels guilty for asking after finding out her husband was the one who called up Trading Standards on Kheerat's company. I really do think Chantelle will tell him something, if not everything, but something before she sadly passes away. Kheerat will do everything he can to get justice for Chantelle!

Oh Ballum!!!! Gosh I almost forgot about Ballum!!! Ha! Ben's hair has surely grown ... of course so had millions of other men's hair during lock-down! I love how happy they both appear to be able to see each other. Oh, is Ben going to ask Callum to move in?! IS THAT GOING TO BE A THING?! Haha is anyone feeling really proud of Callum? Is he now an official police officer? When he stopped that thief and stated "I'm a police officer! You're nicked!" I just felt a little sense of pride! God bless his little soul! Oh and look at him in his police gear!!! He looks SO good!!!!! I can't get over how manly he's become, I know that's a bit pathetic to say ... but we've seen him become a real man, come to terms with his sexuality and now he's followed his dreams and become a Police Officer, with the support of his boyfriend. Callum is eager to get his job done so he can go to the hospital with Ben, needless to say his colleagues aren't aware that he's gay, but in all honesty ... it's none of their business really. But I do have a feeling that eventually it will come to their attention, and as soon as they realise who Callum's partner is, his job could be at risk, even before it's started! Ooooh noooo, Callum is going to figure out what Ben did, while he is sat looking through the CCTV footage that he's been given, Ben slowly appears onto the screen. This would've been when he and Phil went after Danny and his money during this job that was meant to happen. How is Callum going to approach this with Ben? Am I right in thinking that Ben lied to him and told him he had nothing to do with it, but of course, the CCTV tells otherwise.

Ahhh okay, so Linda has revealed that Sharon has renamed her son "Albie" ... Honestly, I think I preferred Kayden, but each to their own! Awww both Mick and Linda are adjusting to their life out of the Queen Vic. It looks as if Mick has some kind of interview or something the way he has dressed smartly with his waistcoat. Linda has been working in the cafe as a cleaner from the looks of it, while Mick has been home-schooling Ollie. It's going to be so weird not seeing them behind the Queen Vic bar, but I'm sure we'll get used to them being out in the community in a much different way.

Sharon seems really happy where she is, she is back in her home to be honest! She grew up in the pub, it's only right that she brings up her child where she spent her childhood. It's only when she sees the Queen Vic pub, she stops in her tracks and goes silent. Has Ian made the right decision in ordering a second Queen Vic bust? Or is it something that is going to haunt Sharon, knowing it sank where her son lost his life? It's questionable.

Oh I am so happy to see Kat back!!! Is it going to be revealed why she left? We know Jessie Wallace was suspended, but what was the reason for Kat to depart the Square? Is this going to made known? Oh and soon as she spots Ruby and Martin together, she's doing what Kat does best and sticking up for her family! Are Ruby and Martin now an item? Have they decided to become official while during lockdown together? It's been revealed that Martin has had the time of his life living with Ruby, but also she has kept secret from him that she has been having money problems due to the club being closed. When Stacey returns, she is going to be such a shock when she learns about Ruby and Martin, I already am kind of feeling sorry for her.

When Ian and Dotty are back from the court, Ian is just slightly poking at Dotty more and more, saying that she should thank him for changing his statement, or even buy him a drink. You can see it's slowly eating her upside, how much she's desperate for him to have his comeuppance. She's made it clear now that she's not going to prison, what is to stop her from telling Sharon the truth now? What other threats could he throw at her? It's only when Sharon approaches in dismay asking whether any of Dennis's things had been returned from the police that Ian goes all scares. Ahh so, the Queen Vic bust is actually the original, from what I understand, it was recovered from the accident and sent back to the Vic where it belongs! (And there's me thinking it was a brand new one!) Later when Dotty is sat on Albert's bench, Bobby approaches her saying that she must be thankful for his Dad to help her out of the situation. But she makes a slight dig at Ian, saying that her father, Nick Cotton, was more like Mother Theresa compared to him! Which, Bobby can't seem to understand, he can't understand why Dotty enjoys slagging him off, but she makes a fair point that Nick never coward behind someone else and he always accepted who he was and took everyone else how they were. It's then she claims that she just like her father and is proud for what she stands for and believes in. She makes her way into the Vic just as Ian and Sharon are clearing the air about things being returned to the Vic, this is when the climax comes, what viewers have been waiting for for months! Ian getting his comeuppance and Sharon finding out the truth about how her boy died. Dotty goes on to say that people deserve to know the truth about how their loved ones die, Ian trying to worm his way out of the conversation, maybe trying to change the conversation and say it's not right to upset Sharon ... then she comes out with it, "He's the reason Dennis died! He locked him in the cabin on the boat and that's why he drowned!"

Ian's eyes look frantic from Dotty to Sharon, Sharon face in absolute disbelief that he dearest friend could've done something so cruel to her and not said anything, kept the absolute worst secret from her. Dotty's words ringing in her ears. Is Ian going to worm his way out of it and claim Dotty doesn't know what she's talking about? Or is Sharon going to demand answers from Ian! What an absolute brilliant ending to first episode back on air! It's true tomorrow's episode is going to be just as gripping! What was your opinion on tonight's episode? I personally thought it was brilliant! So many things happening and I can't wait to see them all unravel. I am so glad to be back posting as well, I know it's been a long time and I know I've only done one post a week - if that - but I hope you'll all enjoy my blog now EastEnders is back and better than ever! I'll be back either tomorrow or Wednesday following up tomorrow's episode. Goodnight everyone and enjoy the rest of your night xXx

#eastenders #chantelleatkins #grayatkins #sharonwatts #ianbeale #dottycotton #benmitchell #callumhighway #ballum #martinfowler #rubyallen #katslater #kheerat panesar

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msjr0119 · 5 years ago

Text

One Temptation

Part 8

*This series is based on The Royal Romance characters who belong to Pixelberry - AU Plot switch*

Riley Brooks moves back to New York after leaving five years prior- struggling to get by in life she wanted to go home. After getting mugged, a woman and man come to her rescue and offer her a job at their strip club. A rich business man Liam Rhys is forced to visit the club as part of his bachelor party. What will happen that night?

Tags-if you want to be removed let me know 😊: @pedudley @kacie-0156 @loveellamae @annekebbphotography @burnsoslow @ladyangel70 @kingliam2019 @bbrandy2002 @butindeed @bascmve01 @drakewalker04 @captain-kingliamsqueen @duchessemersynwalker @drxkewalker @texaskitten30 @ibldw-main @kimmiedoo5 @nikkis1983 @gnatbrain @walker7519 @lodberg @cmestrella @kozabaji @hopefulmoonobject @addictedtodrakefanfic @angi15h @liamxs-world @rafasgirl23415 @notoriouscs @whenyourheartskipsabeat @jovialyouthmusic @nz1091 @yukinagato2012 @seriouslybadchoices @rainbowsinthestorm @cordonianroyalty @dcbbw @qammh-blog @jared2612 @princess-geek @desiree---1986 @indiacater

Finally started this series back up- sorry for the hiatus! To refresh your memories click the link for Part 7. This part is set a few days after the last part ended- showing POV’s from the main characters; Drake, Riley, Liam and Leo. Part 9 will lead on straight from the ending of part 7.

Warnings: Swearing, mention of rape, affair?

*****

Drake walked through the ranch, hoping that Riley had just gone for a stroll- waking up without her this morning made him think back to all that happened in New York as well as their few days in Texas. The thought that had constantly kept crossing her mind was if she was having second thoughts about their relationship. On the road trip down to Texas, she showed a genuine smile- excitement to have a break from New York City and all the drama that had occurred. As the days went by she suddenly became distant with him, every time he asked her what the matter was- she would just respond with the one word answer ‘nothing’.

Returning to the ranch, the coffee aroma flooded the kitchen- he saw his mom and aunt look at him with the same expression- disappointment.

“What?” He questioned the two of them, feeling unwelcome for the first time since he had returned.

“You can do better than her Drake. She left this morning.” Not really comprehending what his mother had just said, he wondered what had happened whilst he hadn’t been around. On occasions he would check the animals, do chores around the ranch, get food in from the shop- leaving Riley to bond with his family. Possibly her future family, in his mind.

“Left? What do you mean?”

“She’s gone back to New York. You obviously don’t mean a lot to her. Or she would have said goodbye.” Leona just shook her head, excusing herself from the situation- knowing that her nephew was about to blow his top.

“Why didn’t you fucking stop her? I’m going.”

“Drake! Stay here. You don’t need her. There’s other women, or should I say another woman.”

“I do need her, and she needs me. I love her. Goodbye mom.”

******

Riley returned to New York, not knowing what her plan was- all she knew was that she needed a new job, that she needed to avoid her friends for a while. The Walkers unknowingly to Drake made her feel unwelcome at every given opportunity.

Are you using my son for his money? Sluts like you will never be loyal partners.

My nephew can do so much better than a stripper. You was probably just lust for him, nothing more.

Thinking about the word slut as Bianca labelled her, made her think about the day after the rape. Did she deserve all that had happened to her?

The day after waking up in Liam’s penthouse, Riley kept watching the video- grimacing every time. The tears wouldn’t stop forming. Assuming Liam didn’t use protection, she knew she had to pay a visit to the hospital or the local clinic but also to the police station. At first she didn’t want to go and report the crime, it was still trying to sink in what had happened- hence why she put herself through the torture of rewatching it.

Walking to the clinic, she wished she had the guts to tell her friends and Drake what had happened. Feeling ashamed, she believed that they would judge her. Not listen to her. Possibly blame her. Would they ask personal questions? Would they ask why she couldn’t stop him, prevent it from happening? Drake. What would he think? Their ‘relationship’ was complicated to say the least. Deep down, Riley was utterly in love with him but wouldn’t admit that anyone- only her drunk drugged mind spoke the truth to her abuser.

Giving her name to the reception, she turned around to sit down- her jaw was agape seeing the ghost from her past gulp at her as they locked eyes.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m going for a swim, what the fuck do you think I’m doing in a clinic you bimbo?”

“You’ve not changed one bit have you Riley? Still the sarcastic, stubborn little bitch. Did you enjoy your night the other night BELLE?”

“Go away Madeleine, I assume you’re here because you can’t keep your legs closed for more than a second.”

“I’m not a slut, who has a ‘sleepover’ at my house then mentions the word rape infront of my daughter.”

“He raped me Madeleine. I didn’t realise that Alice was there when that word slipped out....I just want to thank you, for everything that you did to me. See you around.” Leaving the clinic, she headed to the police station- hoping that they would believe her.

“I’d like to report an incident. My ex boyfriend raped me and he and my boss drugged me.” The police officer led her into the room, after the interview in the back of her mind she believed that it would be a waste of time. Due to the fact that she wasn’t a reliable witness because of the affect due to the drugs and alcohol- she held on to the hope of the video. Hoping that it would be enough evidence.

“We will arrest Mr Rhys and bring him in for questioning. You was very brave reporting this type of incident, many people are too afraid to do this.”

“Could you wait? His company has a charity event- could you wait until after that? Or do it during that?” The police officer looked at her confused not knowing the reasoning behind the unusual request.

“This could delay court proceedings, you do understand that Miss Brooks?”

“If you arrest him now, he may suspect it. If you do it unexpectedly- he won’t have time to come up with excuses.”

“Very well, but if this backfires it will be your fault. If you change your mind let us know. We will arrest your boss now though.”

If it wasn’t Liam trying to split them up, or Madeline- there was now Drakes family. Whenever Drake walked back into the room, the two women would act differently- as if they were happy that Riley was there.

Walking the streets of New York, she entered every bar asking if there were any vacancies. With no luck, she felt like giving in and just moving out of New York completely.

*****

Over the last few days Leo had become like a sloth, not having the motivation to do anything. Feeling guilty that he had allowed his brother to hurt his friend yet again.

“Why did you do it?” Leo held Liam against the wall, out of the way of prying eyes. At this moment in time, he wanted to kill his brother or at least inflict a slight bit on pain on to him. No pain would be as much as the pain he had put Riley through the years.

“I love her Leo. I fucked up losing her.” Attempting to remove his brother’s hand from his neck, Liam failed as Leo’s grip became tighter every second that went by.

“You don’t fucking rape someone you love!”

“You don’t shag someone who’s your friend. Don’t lie to me, you have feelings towards her too.” Leo released his tight grip knowing what he was referring to. His fling with Riley in Florida.

“It was just sex! If I did have feelings for her, don’t you think that I’d have brought her back. Made us an official couple. Hell, if I was lucky enough to call her my girlfriend I wouldn’t have let her go.”

“So you do like her more than a friend. Why am I surrounded by betrayers? Who’s next? Maxwell? Riley is mine. No one else’s.”

“Yes I do love her. Possibly more than a friend. Happy now? But she doesn’t love me back that way. She loves Drake. Let her be happy- she isn’t yours!”

“And this is why you’re defending her. Acting like the knight in shining armour- hoping that she would fall for you. What would you do? Dump Olivia? I’m glad I raped her, money buys you everything. I’ll get her back.”

“You bastard!”

Beating his brother to a pulp that day of the charity event, Leo felt guilty not informing Riley about the truth. Knowing she would berate him for stooping so low.

“Leo... who’s blood is that on your hands?” Fuck. Leo looked at Riley as Drake held her protectively on the bed. Gulping, he knew he probably shouldn’t have reacted the way he did. Realising that they all need to just ignore Liam’s existence instead.

“It’s my blood. I was so annoyed with Liam- that I punched the wall. Please don’t ever talk to him again. You have all of us. He will pay for what he’s done. I hope you two are very happy together- you deserve it Ri.” Riley looked at him, jumping out of bed- she hugged Leo. Cupping his cheeks, her eyes searched his hoping for some truth and answers.

“You’d tell me if you’d hurt him? Right?” Leo gulped as he nodded, knowing that she possibly had some inkling as to how he had received his injuries.

“He won’t hurt you again. Stay with Drake, he’s a good guy.

*****

Liam had decided to work from home ever since the disastrous charity ball. Losing trust from his clients, this time at home made him think long and hard about his actions. I didn’t want to rape her. I love her.

“You love who daddy?” Not realising that he said those words out loud, he couldn’t lie to his daughter. Even at such a young age, the girls mind was as bright as a button.

“Daddy loves Belle.”

“Is she going to be my new mommy? She was angry with you the other day. I don’t think she loves you.” Kneeling down, he held his daughters hand as he spoke the next words.

“Belle used to love daddy. Before you was born, daddy and Belle lived together.” Thinking back to the times that they shared, they was happy- like love struck teenagers. If it wasn’t for Alice’s existence, he would go back in time if he could. Save his relationship.

“You need to say sorry daddy. That’s what Miss Parkins says at school. She said if you upset someone, you say sorry. See you later.” Taking in Alice’s words, he knew she was right. But he would never admit to anyone that he was in the wrong. That he had gone too far. There was a knock at the door, Liam ran his fingers through his hair as he stood up to answer.

“Come in Gordon, thank you for coming.” The lawyer sat down, sighing at Liam.

“So you’re on bail. I need you to be truthful. Did you rape Riley? And did you harm Leo before you was arrested?”

“You bastard!” Liam didn't know how Leo threw the first punch, all he remembered was feeling that pain suddenly slamming into his jaw. It happened so quick. Blood pooled in and around his mouth as Leo backed off. They was only apart for a brief moment - possibly to catch their breaths before lurching back towards each other, both sets of baby blues narrowed - both determined to not surrender. Leo has dodged a few fists that Liam threw towards him- until he aimed for his ribs. Falling to the floor, Liam hovered over his brother- pining him to the floor with no escape route.

"Is that all you’ve got big bro? Or can we call it a draw? End it now?” Leo was about to raise his knees to knock Liam off him, as he was feeling like he was being suffocated.

“Liam Rhys I am arresting you on suspicion of rape. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence".

Everyone at the event, gasped. The echo filled the room, as did a crowd around the puddles of the brothers blood on the floor. Bastien shook his head, not knowing what to do. Not knowing if the press had managed to catch wind of what was happening.

“Leo! Why would you call them? I’m innocent!” Liam shouted as the police dragged him away.

“I didn’t! Maybe the woman you hurt did that! Rot in hell Liam!” Leo held his ribs, the relief that Liam was about to get some comeuppance was over riding the pain that was lingering.

“Would it sound bad if I admitted to both? You know I love Riley, you have been our families lawyer all my life. I went the wrong way about it all. When she returned, I called off my engagement to Madeleine- all of my feelings for Riley resurfaced. I lost her Gordon.”

“We will work this out Liam. But you need to admit to Riley what you did and apologise. She may drop the charges if you’re truthful with her. Possibly try and rebuild the relationship with your brother. I’ll see you in court. Remember, the truth.”

*****

Drake arrived back in New York, hoping that Riley was going to be in his apartment that he shared with Max - hoping that she was going to jump out from somewhere and shout ‘surprise’. Possibly jump into his arms. Walking through the door, Maxwell just shook his head, sorrow in his eyes. Pulling Drake in for a hug, they both decided to look for her.

*****

It was late at night, Riley was exhausted walking the streets. She believed that her luck was in when she stumbled across a dive bar which was advertising for bar staff. Walking in the stern looking man at the bar, asked her if she wanted a drink.

“I’m here about the job. I’ve worked in a str- bar.” The man looked up and down her body, then focused his eyes on the blonde stood behind her. The top she was wearing flaunted her assets, and the man immediately offered her the job over Riley. Ordering a drink, she gulped it in one. Leaving the bar, she felt defeated- the heavens had opened up and she was now drenched. Continuing to walk down the street, her phone rang constantly. Maxwell. Her heart wanted to answer to answer it immediately, but her stubborn mind refused to acknowledge the importance of the call. Ignoring it, as she pressed reject the phone slipped out of her hand and smashed on the concrete. For fuck sake. Sitting in a puddle, the tears from her eyes were uncontrollably flowing matching the weather- not giving a damn that her clothes were now soaked to the rafters, she believed that karma was hitting her right in the face - not expecting any good luck to appear anytime soon.

“Hey, don’t cry. What’s up?” Looking up at the woman, Riley softly smiled as the woman helped her stand. Wiping her tears and her clothes, she felt like an idiot.

“Thank you.”

“Are you okay?”

“I just need a bed, a job. Is that too much to ask? I’ll do anything. I’m desperate.”

“Well I have vacancies. I own this club.” Looking towards the club entrance, Riley sighed. Great another strip club.

“Can you dance?” I can, it doesn’t mean that I want to though.

“I used to work at Wildcats. I didn’t dance though.”

“The offer is there if you want it. I also have a spare room in my apartment. Look after yourself honey.” Riley stared at the building, not knowing how long for until a decision was made. “Wait!” The woman turned around, smiling at her.

“I’m a fast learner. I’m labelled a slut anyway. I only have $200 to my name.” Laughing at Riley, Gill hated it when people described dancers as sluts- it was a common nickname. But not in her club, the local punters knew that if they took advantage that Gill would possibly place their bodies in a body bag.

“My names Gill. What’s your name?”

“Riley.”

“Come on Riley, come inside before you catch pneumonia.”

*****

Drake pressed the button in the elevator, taking him up to the highest floor. Walking towards the desk, the receptionist looked Drake up and down- wondering who he was and what his intentions were.

“I’m here to see Mr Rhys. Before you ask, no- I haven’t got an appointment.”

“Name?”

“Just tell him his worse nightmare is paying him a visit..” panic was written across the woman’s face, leaning closer towards her desk- her hand hovered over the security button. “Just tell him, it’s Drake.”

Hello Mr Rhys, you have a visitor. His name is Drake.

Hanging up, she explained that Liam would be with them momentarily. Sitting down on the leather chair, Drake was unsure how Liam would react to seeing him- would he throw him out? Would he play mind games?

“Drake. It’s nice to see you.” Not. “Follow me into my office.” Drake followed his instructions, as the two men walked into the room. Liam poured them both a drink, however Drake politely rejected. Not knowing if Liam could have potentially added poison to it as revenge.

“What can I do for you? I never thought I’d see the day that you’d pay me a visit voluntarily.”

“Trust me, I don’t want to be here. I despise you. Have you seen or heard from Riley?”

“No. Why would I hear from her? She wanted to send me to prison for raping her.” Hearing that word, Drake grit his teeth- knowing that Liam was still in denial with his past actions.

“Well you did do that. Listen, you probably know her better than any of us. We need your help. She ran away, she left me in Texas.” Liam laughed in Drakes face, just picturing Riley riding off into the sunset wearing a cowboy hat.

“What did you do?” He asked Drake, assuming he was the reasoning behind her disappearance- from past experience he should know how her mind ticked. She did the same when he hurt her.

“I did nothing, my mom and aunt Leona spoke to her. Then she went cold towards me, and was gone. Do you know anywhere that she could have gone?” Liam now knew the reasoning behind her departure- he was the reason why. Instead of acting like a dick, he felt empathy towards everyone who was looking for her- guilt for his past actions.

“Bianca, this is Liam Rhys- a friend of Drakes.” Bianca recognised the name immediately- clearing her throat, she provided a fake posh accent.

“Hello, Sir. How may I help?”

“Has Drake arrived in Texas yet? His flatmate was just wondering but he’s broken his phone.”

“No not yet. I assume he should be here shortly. I’ll get him to ring you once he arrives.”

“Okay, thank you Mrs Walker. I hope the prostitute he is in a relationship with doesn’t ruin your families reputation. Have a good day.”

“I don’t know where she is Drake. I’m sorry I can’t help you. I’m sorry for everything.” Fuck what have I done? What if she’s gone for good? What if she’s in danger? I’ll have blood on my hands. I knew I shouldn’t have interfered, twisting the truth to Bianca.

“Cut with the shit Liam. You are not sorry for anything that you’ve done. Don’t worry, we will find her, and when we do I hope she has some answers. Liam, stay away from us all.”

“Drake... I’ll get a private detective to search for her. I’ll come to your apartment tomorrow with any updates.” Drake just wanted to punch him for his past actions, however if this was the only way they could find her he would be civil for now.

“Can I trust you?”

“Yes. I swear on Alice’s life. We all love Riley. If she’s in trouble, she will need you. I now understand that I’ve lost her and that she loves you. I’m sorry Drake.” Placing his hand out towards Drake, he wasn’t sure if Liam was being sincere. Not being able to trust him just yet, he just turned around and left the building.

*****

The day after, Drake and Maxwell began pacing the room- both frustrated that they hadn’t found Riley. Both frustrated that her phone kept going immediately to voicemail every time they attempted to ring her.

“Will you both just sit down. You’re both going to injure yourselves somehow.” Leo said, watching the two of them. There was a knock at the door- the three of them all ran towards the door, hoping that it was Riley. Drake knew if it wasn’t Riley it would be Liam, as he promised. Opening the door, he pushed Leo away- not knowing how he would react, not wanting another fight to break out. He understood Leo’s anger, but at this moment in time they all needed to hold the anger back.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” Leo questioned Drake and Maxwell as Liam walked through the door.

“I come in peace.” Liam said sarcastically, holding his hands up in the air.

“Get the fuck out of here before I kill you!”

“Leo, leave him. Have you got any news Liam?” Leo looked at Drake confused, wondering if he had forgotten what Liam had done to the woman that Drake loved.

“She’s working at another strip club. Downtown. The Phoenix.” Liam sighed at he waited for the men to respond. Drake grabbed his coat, whilst searching the clubs details on google.

“I swear to god if you’re lying Liam, you won’t need to worry about Leo killing you....”

“I’m not Drake. The limo is outside. Bastien will take us all.”

*****

There was silence in the limo on route to the club, Maxwell tried to break the silence with stupid jokes until he realised that no one was interested. Walking into the club, they was greeted by Gill who assisted them to a booth- followed by a tray of shots.

“If you need anything else gentlemen, the girls will be walking around - just ask them for anything that you may require. You’re just in time for the main event. Enjoy.” The lights dimmed, and music began to play. Men, who they assumed were regular punters gathered around the stage- all retrieving their wallets out of their pockets. As the woman strut down the stage, she gripped onto the cold steel pole, climbing up on the pole- she immediately spun around gracefully. Sliding down and eventually coming off the pole, she walked closer to the older men- removing her dress, she stood in front of them wearing just her lacy underwear- her breasts in full view, as well as her high heels. Teasing them, she provided sexual movements as they threw money towards her.

“Erm, Drake?” Leo narrowed his eyes realising who it was. They all looked towards the stage- Seeing their friend degrade herself. Noticing one man try to unclip her bra, Drake stood up abruptly. Pushing through the crowd, he stood on stage and carried her over his shoulder. Liam noticed Gill run over, distracting the woman with money as bribery- he explained why Drake did what he did, causing a riot between the punters. Gill refused to take his money and suggested to take Riley out into the back room.

Drake put her down, surrounded by men ‘booing’- potentially about to cause a fist fight with him for ruining the entertainment. Before that could happen Liam grabbed Riley’s hand and dragged her into the back room, with the others following. Folding her arms, they all surrounded her scowling at her- covering her body up, she was unsure as to why she was doing this. All of them have seen me like this before, three of them have slept with me. Fuck I am a slut. Why do they look so pissed? Two of them have broken my heart, the other two are just my friends.

“What?” She snapped at them all, after coming out of her thoughts- leaving the lingering questions roam through her mind.

“Care to explain what’s going off?” Leo asked in a stern tone of voice, knowing that Drake was in a state of shock once his adrenaline rush had deteriorated.

“Well I’m a slut. So may as well act like one.” Shaking his head, Drake wondered why she was talking about herself in such a manner- looking at the other men he could read that they was probably wondering the same.

“Why did you leave me in Texas?”

“It was too hard to say goodbye, your family hate me. They said I was using you for your money; they called me a slut, they said I was a stripper- which at the time I wasn’t, I’m not good enough for you. So I made their words become a reality.” Empathising the word slut, until the morning that she left Texas she was sure that they had a future together.

“Riley, you have three men stood in front of you who love you. Quit, and make at least one of us happy.” They all faced Liam as he said this, only Leo and Liam knew who the third man was. Leo. Hoping that she assumed the third man was Maxwell, Leo needed to change the subject- change his sheepish expression that was brewing into something that wouldn’t expose his secret.

“I think, Riley and Drake need to talk alone. Don’t you think Liam and Max?” Riley’s eyes pleaded with Leo for them not to leave- she would rather have four men berate her than be alone with the man who she abandoned without saying a word to prior to leaving.

“I’ll be back in a minute.” She whimpered, as she made a move towards the door Drake put his hand on to her bare skin.

“Oh no. You are not running away from me again. I need answers. I love you, why is that so hard for you to understand?”

“I was just going to get dressed Drake. I love you too.”

“Then come back with me. Please.”

“I can’t Drake. Your mom and aunt.. they... they told me to leave you and to never see you again. Somebody rung them and told them that you was dating a prostitute. They offered me $10k to leave that morning I left but I didn’t accept it.” Ten grand? They haven’t even got that type of money. Drake knew exactly who had that type of money, someone who wanted Riley all to himself. Was all of his ‘sincere’ words that he mentioned fake? Did Liam actually pay his family off as he threatened to do all those months ago. “They said that I wasn’t good enough for you, and that you would eventually forget me, forget about New York and return to Texas. Before I left they introduced me to someone. I’m a slut, I’m Madeleine. You’re Liam. Go back to Texas Drake, go back to your fiancée.”

#trr #trr fanfic #trr au one temptation #drake x mc #drake x riley #liam x mc #liam x riley #leo x mc #leo x riley #drake walker #liam rhys #leo rhys #riley brooks #maxwell beaumont #trr bianca walker #trr leona

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wolfpawn · 5 years ago

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I Hate You, I Love You, Chapter 120

Chapter Summary -

And so the alum is released, how will Tom and Danielle act?

Previous Chapter

Rating - Mature (some chapters contain smut)

Triggers - references to Tom Hiddleston’s work with the #MeToo Movement. That chapter will be tagged accordingly.

authors Note - I have been working on this for the last 3 years, it is currently 180+ chapters long. This will be updated daily, so long as I can get time to do so, obviously.

I am not one to dwell on the past and those in it, but when Reputation was released in November, you know it had to be checked and reported to Tom regarding its content.

All image rights belong to their owners

tags: @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog @jessibelle-nerdy-mum @nonsensicalobsessions @damalseer @hiddlesbitch1 @winterisakiller @fairlightswiftly @salempoe @wolfsmom1

‘Hey,’ Danielle walked into the kitchen with a smile on her face, which fell when she looked at the concerned look on Tom’s face. ‘What?’

Tom swallowed slightly as Luke cleared his throat. ‘The new album is out.’

‘And?’ She asked, folding her arms and bracing for the worst.

‘Well, there are a few references.’

‘Are they defamatory?’ Danielle asked.

‘No, but they are not pleasant.’

‘Well, she is hardly going to be pleasant, is she? That’s not her style, “I’m a victim, I am so lovely and the big bad men hurted me” is more her style.’ She put on a pathetic whiny voice as she spoke. ‘I bet Kardashian and the husband got it worse though.’

‘They did, and the press. Apparently, her songs are about no one and the press and people try to make it about her and people she is somewhat connected to.’ Luke scoffed.

‘Give me a line that proves otherwise.’

‘She references men with Jaguars and Range Rovers.’ Luke looked at some of the lyrics on the sheet.

‘What does Harris drive?’ Danielle already knew the answer.

‘A Range Rover.’ Tom confirmed.

‘Wow, shocking. “I reference things but don’t want to be accused of it being about anyone”. She really needs to grow the fuck up. Either say “Yes, I do sing about these things, and?” or actually keep away from it all, she comes across as a fool otherwise when it clear she is lying, but let’s face it, she was caught doing that before.’

‘Have you heard any of the songs?’ Tom asked.

‘No, I didn’t even know this pile of trash was out, why, should I have?’

‘The first song was released today.’

‘Please tell me it’s ridiculous. What is the album even called?’ She looked at the title on the page. “Reputation” Yeah, she’s building one of those alright.’

‘The song is called “Look What You Made Me Do,” Luke informed her.

Danielle paused for a moment, her eyebrows raised. ‘Is there a reason she titled a song after something abusive people say? That gives me the creeps. I have had to deal with a woman that had her jaw broken, her cheekbone broken and her eye swollen shut by a guy who yelled those words at her as he was being dragged away in a police car. She is mental. She is actually implying she’s abusive?’

‘I don’t think so. The lyrics are implying other people making her have to do stuff.’

‘Yeah, abusers do that too, imply the actions of others are why they do the shit they do. Highly narcissistic,’ Danielle growled, taking the groceries out of the bag she brought. ‘Where are the dogs?’

‘Outside, Mac is teaching Bobby in the ways of staring at birds hoping for them to fall out of a tree.’ Tom informed her. Seeing she was annoyed by everything, he walked over and rubbed her arms. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Annoyed, pissed off and angry that someone makes a living out of being an utter cunt to others. So many good songwriters can actually go an album without this shit.’ She growled before shaking her head. ‘I am glad this happened here, I just need to spit about it for a minute and I will go back to normal.’ She sighed before looking at Luke. ‘What’s the worst of it?’

‘Getaway Car.’ He stated getting to the page in question. ‘It’s a song that implies she is in an unhappy relationship and she uses another man to get out of it, but it was only a pitstop relationship, it was only to get rid of the first guy, it was only ever that from the start.’

‘Classy. So much for being a strong independent woman if you cannot even leave a relationship like an adult.’ She looked at Tom. ‘How many more relationships are you going to be accused of ruining?’ She scoffed. ‘I’ll have to keep an eye on you.’

Tom smiled at her attempt at humour, ‘Yes.’

‘How do you feel?’

‘Embarrassed, annoyed, as to be expected. Most of her focus seems to be on others, but it still is hurtful, to me, you Mum, Em and Sarah, we are all facing this now, I brought this on us.’

Danielle rubbed his arm. ‘She chose to do this, you took an adult approach to a break-up, she did not show the same courtesy.’ She then walked over to Luke with her hand extended, the publicist handed her the pages with the song lyrics on them, the parts suspected to be about Tom were highlighted. She scanned them and frowned. ‘She’s losing her touch, her whole chorus is literally “Look What You Made Me Do” no other words. Oasis, U2, Michael Jackson, and Prince she is not.’ She threw it down again. ‘I hope her voice is better autotuned this time. Would anyone else like a cup of tea?’ She asked.

Luke looked at Tom half in concern but seeing the other man smile slightly. Tom realised that Danielle was not overly bothered by it all anymore and was just moving on with the day. ‘Tea for me Darling, Luke is a coffee man.’

‘Okay. There are fresh hobnobs in the bag and I got a duck for dinner.’ She stated as she got the cafetiere out of the press for Luke.

‘Lovely.’ Tom smiled, going over to the bag to retrieve the biscuits. ‘We have been found to be house-hunting as well by the way.’

‘How many weeks pregnant am I?’

‘Not showing yet, but the winter jackets could be hiding it.’ Luke chuckled.

‘Good to know. I feel like almost going and getting a fake bump from a set to fuck with them. Nacelle offered and everything.’

Tom laughed. ‘That would screw with them alright.’

‘Please warn me in advance when you do that.’ Luke pleaded.

‘“When”?’ Danielle asked with a smirk.

‘You have a streak to you that I would imagine would cause you to seriously consider it.’

‘Aw, Luke, I believe you are actually getting to know me.’ Danielle laughed. She passed him a mug and the coffee. ‘Nah, it’s too much bother, it did cross my mind though. So what is the general consensus on that?’

‘That we are looking at a house worth four million belonging to Michael McIntyre.’ Tom grinned and folded his arms as he awaited her reaction.

Danielle stared blankly at him. ‘Four…..Four million? I nearly lost the plot at two million, I’d need to be anointed if you brought me to a place for that, what would you even buy for that, the Darcy house in Pride and Prejudice?’

‘A lot of the manor houses are in terrible condition, so they probably would go for that.’ Luke shrugged.

‘What the absolute fuck made them think that?’ Danielle asked.

‘Well, the “source” is a friend of mine that I apparently told, and they mentioned it.’

‘Did you tell anyone?’

‘Ben, Jeremy and Luke.’

‘Hardly three gossips.’

‘People hear titbits of our conversations and assume the rest.’ Tom dismissed. ‘It doesn’t matter in general, only I thought I ought to tell you.’

‘Well yes, given my current condition, I cannot risk the stress of not knowing and it being dumped on me.’ Danielle rolled her eyes. ‘Are people actually that obsessed with you procreating?’

‘It is my own fault, I mentioned watching Jungle Book with my kids someday in an interview and they all are mad about it since.’ Tom shrugged. ‘No pressure on you.’

‘Clearly not.’ She scoffed. ‘I am going to let you two gentlemen get on with whatever you need to do and I am going to be boring and get some stuff done.’ She smiled going to the back door. ‘Come on you two fuzzbutts, get in and leave that poor chaffinch alone.’ The dogs immediately rushed over to her. ‘Come on, into the living room with me.’ She took her cup of tea that Tom was holding out for her and smiled at him before going into the other room, the two dogs following after her, though Bobby stopped at Tom or a moment and sat, hoping for a rub, on receiving it, he rushed after Danielle and Mac again before Danielle went out of sight.

‘That went as well as can be expected.’ Luke commented.

‘She is fine, once she is allowed a minute to be annoyed, I said as much.’

‘Yes, it is odd she calmed so quickly.’

‘She is not calm, she’s very much annoyed, but she cannot bottle it in, if she did, she would probably be five times angrier later. If she hadn’t already gone running today, she would be gone out now.’ He informed his friend. ‘But she has work to do, so she is going to focus on that now.’

‘How is she doing with work?’

‘Busy as hell, but she is a business partner now, so that is par for the course, right?’ Tom smiled. ‘She insists on doing everything she can from here and is looking into getting a fax machine for here too to minimise what she has to do in the office.’

‘Is she here quite a bit then?’

‘Most days of the week, because of the dogs more than anything.’ Tom smiled. ‘Another reason we need a bigger place, she needs a proper office.’

‘I ended up with a one-bedroom apartment making my second one an office, it does make life easier.’ Luke concurred. ‘See if her company will okay it as an expense, she could get it for nothing then.’

‘I will mention that to her.’ Tom smiled. ‘Now, what was this about a schedule?’

An hour later, Danielle came into the kitchen with paperwork in her hand and went over to preheat the oven. It was only after she got the duck out of the fridge that she realised the two men were still talking. ‘I am not after walking in on private Infinity War stuff, am I?’

‘No, nothing private, just dates and premiers.’ Tom smiled.

‘Okay, nothing too bad so,’ She sighed in relief as she continued to prepare the meat, noting the sheer amount of pages and dates on them. ‘It looks busy.’ She noted.

‘It is, it is utter insanity how much of it there is.’ Tom commented, Luke nodding in agreement.

‘When is the first trailer hitting?’ She enquired

‘Soon enough apparently, again, they are not telling us, but around the end of this month, start of next month.’ Tom smirked.

‘God, this is going to be something else.’ Danielle smiled. ‘How many of ye are without further contracts so far?’

‘We don’t know, we are all not allowed say, even to each other. Chris wants to move on though, as you know, he said that when we were talking to him. The others, I cannot say for sure. Ben is still contracted.’

‘Well, they left the whole situation at the end with Baron Mordo that needs to be addressed in the Strange movie.’ Danielle commented as she cut up an orange. ‘Adding Iron Man to Spiderman would make things interesting too, but it depends on what happens in the next two Avenger Movies. Damn it, I hate waiting.’

Tom chuckled. ‘If it is any consolation, we don’t know what happens other cast members, only ourselves.’

‘And anyone who you witness die.’

‘True actually, yes.’ Tom conceded. ‘But let’s face it, Loki survived how many deaths now, others could do the same.’

‘Yes, we have Black Panther to go to soon as well, that will be great.’

‘I had not realised that you are an actual Marvel fan.’ Luke stated.

‘Yeah, DC and Marvel were huge as cartoons when I was a kid, Spiderman, X-Men, Batman, Superman, it wasn’t Saturday or Sunday morning without the TV on with them on it.’ She smiled.

‘True actually.’ Luke conceded.

‘Elle, how long will that take to cook?’

‘About an hour and a half, I’d say, why? Will you be done?’ The men looked at one another and shook their heads. ‘Have you dinner plans this for evening, Luke?’

‘No,’ He said unsurely.

‘Wonderful, do you like duck?’

‘Yes, he does.’ Tom smiled. ‘You don’t mind?’

‘I am cooking anyway, what’s a few more potatoes or a bit of extra vegetables. What I will do is get my stuff and the dogs out of the living room and you two go in there and that way you can talk more without the sound of me clanging pots and pans.’

‘Elle, thank you, Darling, but it is just dates and other such things.’ Tom dismissed. ‘Work away.’

She said no more and did as required to ready the meal. With only a short time to go before it was ready, Tom went to the bathroom for a moment. ‘You do not mind my being here, do you?’ Luke asked.

‘Not at all, you are more than his publicist, you are his friend.’ Danielle dismissed.

‘But you and I do not know too great a deal about one another.’

‘No, but surely the best way to rectify that is to actually spend time in one another’s company.’

‘That is again, true.’ Luke chuckled as she offered him a wine glass. ‘Red, please.’

‘You’re not driving, are you?’

‘No, Tom drove me here, I will get a taxi back.’

‘I am not going to drink, I can drop you if he decides to.’ Danielle smiled as she got a nice red wine and opened it for him.

‘You are an incredibly healthy mature person, do you know that?’ Luke stated out of the blue, causing Danielle to look at him with her brows raised. ‘I mean that in a good way, I swear. You trust and respect Tom’s space.’

‘He has never given me reason to not trust it. If he says he is going out and will be back soon, he is; if he says he needs space for whatever reason, usually work, he is never far away. He does not stay away overnight when “going out with friends”. He has never come home covered in lipstick and love bites, so I don’t care.’

‘Or perfume.’

‘No, he has come home with a smell of that on him, because people hug him with perfume on, that is just the nature of his work, it does not mean there is anything untoward going on.’

‘Do you know, there are women that all but stick to their partners at premiers and sets. It is fascinating to watch when it does not involve your clients.’

‘I would actually love to watch that.’ Danielle laughed. ‘But that is so incredibly unhealthy. That, I would imagine, does nothing but urge a wandering partner. Plus could you imagine being stuck in each other’s pockets all the time.’

‘Or making scenes at events.’

‘I couldn’t do it to you. You’ve suffered enough.’ Danielle smiled.

‘Thank you. At least you are considerate of my health.’ Luke grinned in return.

#I Hate You I Love You #chapter 120 #Tom hiddleston fic #tom hiddleston

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singledarkshade · 4 years ago

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Draining The Swamp

Part Three

(Part One and Part Two.)

The band and crew along with John, Rip and Gideon piled into the hotel that Rip had found for them, with the police escort. It wasn’t a five-star hotel, but it was good enough for their needs that night.

“Alright everyone,” John took charge, “We will have to all double up in rooms, so I want no complaints. Pick a roommate,” he turned to Rip, “You can stick with me and I’ll put Gideon with Veronica. Although she already seems to have done that herself.”

Rip turned to where Gideon had her arms wrapped around Veronica’s and was talking to her as though they’d known one another for years.

It amazed him sometimes that despite the fact she couldn’t actually interact with people properly in real life, Gideon was incredible at ‘making friends’ during a case. She had this natural charm that people responded to and talked to her openly without realising it.

John quickly sorted out the rooms and started handing out keys, sending everyone away as soon as they had their key. Finally there were only two left.

“Veronica,” John took her arm moving her to one side while Gideon started to study the layout of the hotel, “I’ve asked Rip and Gideon to stick around to help us. Do you mind sharing with Gideon, since you two have hit it off and she doesn’t know anyone else in the crew?”

“Oh, that’s no problem,” Veronica smiled, glancing to where Gideon was ignoring them, “She is adorable.”

“That she is,” John smirked slightly, before realising Rip was standing at his side, “Thanks, love.” He grabbed her bag, John said, “Come on I’ll walk up with you.”

As John left with Veronica, Rip turned to Gideon, “I had Eve pack some things for us and send it to the station.”

“That was smart,” Gideon smiled as they started walking to where Harry and Kendra had set up.

Rip wrapped his arm around her, “John and I will be next door to you, so if you need anything then just bang on the wall. Okay?”

“Do you want me to keep an open phoneline instead?” she asked before her eyes lit up, “We can listen to each other sleep.”

Ignoring her, Rip opened the door and pushed her into the room where Harry and Kendra were waiting.

Gideon slid into the seat beside Kendra who smiled at her.

“You ordered this,” Harry handed two bags to Rip, an annoyed frown on his face, “And never use us as a baggage service again.”

Rip nodded and checked the bags before handing one to Gideon. Taking his seat, he waited while Harry joined them.

“Alright,” the older Detective said, “The hotel has been inspected, and it’s been discovered that the fire started in a bag belonging to one of the band.”

“Let me guess,” Rip said, “Veronica.”

Kendra nodded, “We think that there might have been some kind of timer, but something meant it went off before it was designed to.”

“Someone is really out to hurt her,” Gideon grimaced, “And I’m not sure why.”

Kendra turned to her, “What are you getting?”

Gideon sighed, “Nothing specific. But she’s sweet and loves being in the band. She is scared by what’s been happening but is determined not to let this ruin the end of the tour.”

“John asked that Gideon be Veronica’s roommate while we’re here,” Rip told them.

Harry nodded, “That’s good. It means we don’t have to worry she’s sharing a room with whoever is trying to harm her.”

“But it could put Gideon in harms way,” Kendra noted.

Gideon waved her away, “Rip and John are next door. We’ll be fine.”

Kendra frowned but knew that Rip would never put Gideon in danger, not that she wouldn’t do it herself.

“We’ll also be downstairs,” Harry added, rolling his eyes, “Since Captain West seems to like you two that he wastes our time babysitting you.”

Rip placed his hand over Gideon’s mouth before she could speak, “We appreciate it,” he took her arm, “We’ll check in later.”

Gideon frowned as Rip dragged her out the room, he was no fun sometimes. Annoying Harry until he got that furrowed brow and clenched teeth was one of her favourite hobbies.

“John messaged me,” Rip told her, “Once we drop off our bags, we’ll have dinner with him and Veronica.”

Gideon nodded.

“I don’t like this, Gideon,” he sighed as they stepped into the elevator, “There’s something we’re missing.”

Leaning against his arm, Gideon smiled, “We’ll work it out.”

“You know if anything happens to you,” Rip pulled her close and murmured in her hair, “It would destroy me.”

Wrapping her arms around him, Gideon breathed, “Rip, nothing is going to happen to me.” Pulling back she took his face in her hands, “I survived six months without you, okay barely but I managed without you. When we’re together, Rip we can do anything. With my brains, and my charm and your…” she smiled mischievously, “We can do anything.”

The doors opened and Rip hugged her close for a second before moving her into the corridor.

“Five minutes,” he said.

Gideon blew him a kiss before disappearing through the door and he shook his head.

She drove him crazy at times but he wouldn’t have her any other way.

*********************************************

Gideon slipped into her seat, smiling as Rip pushed it in. She loved how old fashioned he was at times. Mary had impressed manners on him from the moment she’d taken him in, and it always made Gideon smile when she watched women swoon at his chivalry.

“As much as I would love to eat with you,” Veronica smiled, “The rest of the band is over there.”

Gideon nodded in understanding, “I’ll meet you to head back up to the room.”

Grimacing slightly, Veronica nodded after John gave her a pointed look.

“Also,” John added, “Stay where the police can see you. None of you disappear or I will make the rest of this tour hell for you.”

Veronica nodded with a smile before she headed across the room, she settled in the chair beside Jordan who hugged her before the other two guys did.

“They care about her a lot,” Gideon mused softly, feeling Rip gently squeeze her hand.

John nodded, “Veronica is their little sister. The guys have been really worried about what’s been happening.”

Gideon mused for a moment, “Tell us about them.”

“Can’t you just…” John waved his hand near his head.

“It doesn’t work like that,” Gideon told him.

John nodded, “Well, how much do you know about the band.”

“Pretend we know nothing,” Rip said, taking a sip of water.

“Okay,” John shrugged, “Jordan, Max and Tony formed Swamp Things about four years ago. I heard them play in a pub two and half years ago, liked their sound and signed them.”

Rip mused for a moment, “Why did they bring Veronica in?”

“Jordan wrote a song that he felt needed a female voice,” John explained.

“Veronica was only meant to be on the demo,” Gideon spoke up.

John looked at her startled, “Yes.”

“Then why is she now in the band?” Rip asked.

“Because when she and Jordan sang together, it was magical,” John told them, “They blended together perfectly. Max and Tony demanded she be the one to sing it on the album, then the three of them persuaded her to join the band.”

“So,” Rip mused, “It was their decision.”

John nodded, “The guys love her. Jordan and Veronica have been writing together ever since. You’ve heard some of their stuff. Gideon was singing one of them this afternoon.”

“What about this time?” Gideon mused, “How is the singing split for the new album?”

John shrugged, “Some of Jordan, some with both of them but there are a few where just Veronica is singing solo.”

Rip mused for a moment, “I wonder if the accidents are to stop the album.”

“When I read about you both,” John spoke up, “I knew you’d be able to help. I’ve always believed in the supernatural. I mean your abilities are fascinating, Gideon. My house is reputedly haunted, not that I’ve got to spend much time there, but I would love to have you come and see what you can sense there.” Annoyance covered his face as his phone rang, “I swear,” John sighed, “I’m going to have one day where I don’t spend half of it on this bloody phone. Excuse me.”

When he left them alone, Gideon rolled her eyes, “I can’t believe you’re friends with someone who believes in that malarkey. Ghosts and voodoo mumbo jumbo”

“Says the fake psychic,” Rip replied amused before he moved them back to their case, “I take it we’re taking the band out of suspicion.”

“It seems unlikely any of them are behind these accidents,” Gideon mused, “But we should probably talk to them just in case.”

The waiter appeared for them to order, Rip somehow knew exactly what John wanted to eat which made Gideon frown annoyed. He on occasion ordered for her but it seemed odd.

“John told me what he wanted earlier,” Rip said, reading her mind as always, “He knew he might get called away.”

Appeased Gideon sat talking generally with Rip until Gideon noticed Jordan leave the table rubbing just behind his ear.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” Gideon told him.

“Gideon…”

She leaned over and kissed his cheek, “John’s coming back. Keep him company.”

She saw the annoyance filling his eyes, but he didn’t get a chance to say anything as she strolled away.

Gideon followed Jordan as he left the restaurant. At first she thought he was going to the restrooms, but he walked past them and continued towards the small reading room. Making sure she wasn’t seen, Gideon followed him. One good thing about her small stature meant she could hide easily.

Frowning Gideon watched the young man sit and wince, rubbing behind his ear. He was obviously in a lot of pain and Gideon frowned worriedly. Jordan pushed his hands through his hair angrily before she saw tears fill his eyes. He quickly shook it away and took some painkillers from his pockets. Jordan swallowed two and sat for another few minutes before he stood, took a slow deep breath, and left the room again, heading back to the restaurant.

“Where did you go?” Rip demanded when Gideon slipped back into her seat again.

“The Ladies,” she beamed, changing the subject as their first course was served, “Oh this looks good.”

Rip let out a small huff of annoyance but held his silence as they began to eat.

Dinner was quiet, although Gideon every so often kept making little noises as she thought things over. John kept looking over at her, but Rip had enough experience with her process that he just ignored her.

After dinner they took over the bar and the band along with the crew had a singalong, of anything and everything except their own songs. It was clear they did this on a regular basis as there was a rhythm to the songs they sang and the challenges that were set by the group. During the entire thing, Rip could see Gideon looking intently around the room. Every so often she would stare at Jordan who was in the centre of the group laughing along with everyone else.

Finally John called an end to the evening, sending them all packing to their room. Rip and John walked with Veronica and Gideon to their room.

“If you need anything,” John told the young woman, “Just let me know. I’m right next door. The police are also downstairs. Okay?”

Veronica nodded.

As she entered her room, Gideon followed. Her hand holding onto Rip’s until the final second.

Rip followed John into the hotel room they were sharing, and watched his friend drop onto his bed with a sigh.

“Hey, it’s like the old days,” Rip tried to lighten the mood.

John laughed slightly, “Except we’re older.”

“No wiser though,” Rip replied with a smile.

“All I need is to get through tomorrow’s concert and then hopefully I can get the band home with no more incidents,” John told him.

Rip reached over and clapped his friend’s shoulder, “Get some sleep.”

#fic #legends of tomorrow #rip hunter #gideon #john constantine #kendra saunders #harry wells #psych au #psych verse

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lilith-lovett · 5 years ago

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Found Families - Home is Where the Hart is - Chapter Twelve

Here is a brand new chapter, This one hurt my heart to write but I warned you angst would be coming your way and he still have a few more chapters to suffer through before we get to the fluff but I promise it will be worth it. Also we are almost finished with this arc of the story and after it is finished, before beginning the next one I plan to write and post a few oneshots I have planned, including the Logince one I posted about a couple of days ago. So, if you would like to be added to the tag-list for that fic or my general tag-list please shoot me a message or ask and I will get it sorted as soon as possible. I hope you enjoy this chapter and don’t hate me to much for it. Thanks.

Masterlist

Summary: Logan begins to lose faith and Maggie takes a stand.

Word Count: 4124

Warnings: Child abuse, anxiety, self-deprecation, disordered eating mention, blood mention, physical abuse, description of injuries (bruises), fainting, past child abuse, implied inappropriate relationship (I had no idea what to tag this as so here it is), loss of job, police mention. (If there is anything I have missed please let me know).

Logan was awfully bored without Patton’s regular visits which had become an integral part of his routine and it had been almost an entire week since their last session. When he met Patton’s children - Roman, Virgil and Declan - for the first time. Though Logan suspected he was merely busy, after all he did work two jobs in order to support his three children. So it was a logical conclusion, but it didn’t prevent dangerous ‘What ifs’ from infiltrating his mind. What if Patton’s children didn’t like him and had convinced Patton to stop meeting him? He had enjoyed Virgil’s company and Virgil appeared to enjoy conversing with him also, but what if it was merely an act of politeness, so not to displease Patton and he actually hated him? He had insulted Roman. What if his apology wasn’t enough? He had made Patton cry - despite his assurances they were ‘happy tears’ - what if he only said that to spares Logan’s…feelings.

This pessimistic thought pattern continued until Logan recalled, he had session with Patton today. In his negative mental spiral he must have forgotten and in an instant all of his previously anxieties vanished in an instant. If Patton hated him he wouldn’t continued to meet with, implying the recent meeting with his children went well which sent a pleasant sensation fluttering within his stomach. He had spent the majority of his morning reading, in preparation of the upcoming meeting, thinking of potential questions to ask or subjects to discuss. Patton was a surprisingly excellent debate partner. He completed his breakfast swiftly, still adhering to his food rules, and then set about readying himself, without the presence of Mrs Davis. Logan studied his appearance, it had improved over the last week, though he suspected Patton’s introduction into his life had, had an impact. His dark circles had lessened with the betterment of his sleep schedule and maybe the knowledge that Patton would be visiting him again today, had brought about a certain brightness to his eyes.

Once Logan had deemed his appearance satisfactory, he went almost immediately to wait in the meeting room he had grown to love for Patton’s arrival. Initially he found himself in his usual armchair, his book in his lap, re-reading his favourite chapters. In his excitement he had came to the meeting room prematurely, so had expected he would be waiting. Once he grew bored of his book, he ventured towards the open window which allowed a pleasant breeze to circulate throughout the room, where he perched watching out for Patton’s sunshine yellow coat. It was approaching their regular meeting time when Logan became anxious, he tore himself away from the window to pace the length of the room as there was still no sign of Patton.

However, it was still early. Perhaps Patton had some sort of prior engagement he couldn’t miss and had scheduled a later meeting time. Or maybe, there had been traffic on the road and he was running late. The logical explanations brought Logan some comfort. There was most likely a legitimate reason for Patton’s absence and it wasn’t that he had forgotten all about him. He murmured this over and over again, in order to make himself believe it. Patton was coming. He had never once broken his promise. Logan had a sensitive relationship with promises because of some unpleasant situations in the past, where he had given someone his fragile bond of trust and in turn they shattered it. Leaving Logan behind to mend the broken pieces and he swore to himself he would never allow anyone close enough harm him. It seemed now he had completely abandoned his former rules, since meeting and befriending Patton, establishing a delicate bond of trust with him and he was yet to break his promise.

Logan realised it was far past lunch when he eventually collapsed into the armchair, the persistent ache in the limbs increasing with overexertion, but Patton still wasn’t here. Perhaps he had misheard the date and it was actually tomorrow. He was 99.9% certain he hadn’t but it was a possibility. Patton wouldn’t intentionally break a promise…would he?

Logan bit down hard on his lip, hard enough to draw blood, filling his mouth with the unpleasant metallic taste. A strange pain burned within his chest, it wasn’t a pain he recognised but their was a sense of familiarity to it, he fisted his hand into his shirt as his breathing became more heavy and laboured as more spiralling thoughts flashed through his head. Was Patton planning on coming back? Was this it? No apology. No explanation. Nothing. Logan hands curled into fists, his trimmed nails slicing into his palms, in order to cease the trembling. No. Patton wasn’t like that. He wouldn’t leave him and disappear without an explanation. He wouldn’t…he wouldn’t.

Logan couldn’t sit still. Despite the deep ache in his muscles he continued to pace, wearing a figurative hole in the floor as the minutes ticked by. He continued until he heard a set of footsteps approaching. Logan heart leapt. Patton hadn’t forgotten their meeting or his promise A wide smile stretched across his face and he prepared to greet Patton but as the door opened, his smile immediately vanished.

As it wasn’t Patton behind the door.

It was Madame Claire.

Logan instantly stiffened, taking tentative steps backwards, creating distance between himself and Madame Claire as she approached. Closing and locking the door behind her. Trapping him inside with no means of escape.

“Oh poor, pathetic Logan. Were you waiting for Mr Hart?” Madame Claire said mockery lacing her tone as she sauntered towards his frozen figure. He rigidly nodded, frightened of what she would do if he didn’t answer, clenching his jaw in order to maintain his expression of composure. “I’m sorry but he isn’t coming,”.

What? Logan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. She was lying, she had to be. It was in her very nature to spread falsehoods, to manipulate her victims. Patton would never, not without an apology and suitable explanation. Patton was different from the potential guardians he had met with in the past, he would never break a promise or lie to Logan. He believed Patton truly cared for him, something which he had ever experienced before.

“What,” Logan whispered barely audible as fear seized a hold of him, constricting his airways.

“Oh you stupid, stupid boy. Mr Hart cancelled your session,” Madame Claire stated a wicked grin stretched slowly across her lips as Logan processed what she had said. Cancelled. But why? Surely he had an simple explanation. Work? His children? Did he no longer want to see Logan any more? No! Logan wouldn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe. Patton wasn’t capable of something so cruel.

“Yes, he cancelled it and he even left you a message,” She smirked her grin growing even wider. “He is no longer interested in meeting with you,”.

What? Why would Patton say such a thing? He wouldn’t do something like that…would he? No. Madame Claire was a liar. She was obviously lying in order to subject her dominance over him.

“FALSEHOOD!” Logan screamed startling both Madame Claire and himself with his sudden outburst of emotion-fuelled rage. He almost felt a sense of pride until he caught sight of Madame Claire terrifying expression and he immediately recoiled, flinching at the intensity.

“Don’t you dare call me a liar boy!” Madame Claire snarled on hand clamping down on his healing shoulder, aggravating the former injury and the other seized a hold of his face, sharpened nails digging into the soft flesh of his cheeks. Logan yelped in pain but his body froze, his hands fell limply by his sides, refusing to fight back or even defend himself. “Why would Mr Hart ever want a insolent, troublesome boy like you?”.

Logan fell silent. Madame Claire’s grip on him tightened as he released a pitiful whimper and tears began to build in his eyes which only increased Madame Claire’s amusement.

“That Mr Hart may be stupid but he isn’t entirely incompetent,” She said pressing her thumb deeper into Logan’s shoulder joint, revelling in the pained noises he emitted as he squirmed beneath her, unable to escape or fight against her grip.

“Patton isn’t like that,” Logan spat out, with a burst of confidence, words slurring together due to the restriction of his jaw.

“Well then, I’ll make sure you never see your precious Patton again,” Madame Claire sneered, her devilish grin returning full force and sunk her nails deeper into his cheeks, drawing blood as his face contorted in pain and salty tears streamed down his face. “Do you understand?”.

“Y-y..y-yes,” Logan stammered, wincing as the salty tears entered his new wounds. He prayed she would merciful and spare him from physical punishment tonight, instead ordering him to his room without dinner or giving him an impossible amount additional chores but internally he knew it was merely wishful thinking. As he knew well fate was rarely ever kind to Logan.

“Good, now it seems you need to be taught another lesson about respect,” Madame Claire said with a sinister grin spread across her face and she released Logan with a sharp shove, sending him sprawling across his floor, his legs to weak to keep him upright but he didn’t try to. He simply lowered his head and awaited the first blow and when it came he shut down. Becoming numb to the pain as he fell, deeper and deeper into darkness.

***

Once the punished had been completed, Logan limped back to the room, grasping onto to every available surface to keep him upright but he was swiftly growing weaker, barely able to to walk in a straight line. Black spots swarmed his vision and his head pounded, his legs eventually gave out beneath him and he was forced to crawl the remainder of the way to his dorm. Pain seared so intensely all over his body but he could hardly make a sound, to call out for help but it was a pointless endeavour. Nobody was coming for him. Nobody cared for him. He was destined to be alone.

Logan didn’t make to far before his minimal energy was spent, he had reached the dormitory but did not have the capability of dragging himself into bed. So instead chose to remain curled up on the floor despite the intense amount of pain it caused him. Tears slipped from his eyes, staining the floor beneath him as he slipped in and out of consciousness before he stopped fighting and allowed himself to fall completely into the empty blackness.

Maggie paced back and forth in her small office, Logan had not yet arrived for their daily meeting which was strange in itself as it was long after the kid’s scheduled dinner time and Logan usually made an appearance after breakfast or if he had a session with Patton sometimes after lunch. At first she merely assumed Logan got distracted by his new book or study materials and had simply lost track of time, so she returned to her paperwork without a second thought, believing it wouldn’t be long before Logan turned up. But he didn’t. And then she had started to worry. Had something happened? Maggie knew Logan had a rocky relationship with some of the other children within the orphanage. Did he not want to see her? It wasn’t uncommon for Logan to spend several hours at a time in the quiet room, when everything got too overwhelming but he always informed her ahead of time if that was the case.

Maggie continued to pace, coming up with theories regarding Logan’s whereabouts and reasons for his absence, each more worrisome than the last. She compelled herself to sit at her desk, peering down at her piles of marking as the scrawly handwriting blurred together, into a disarray of splotchy ink. She pushed the pile aside, repeatedly tapping her pen against her desk, staring fixated at the clock as the seconds turned into minutes and then before she knew it an entire hour had passed an there was still no sign of Logan. A singular sharp knock on her door snapped her out of her mental spiral.

“Come in,” Maggie called out from her desk as the door opened revealing Noah, a relatively timid boy, who she struggled to get to participate in her classes. He was on the younger side, maybe eight or nine years old, dressed in clothes which were much to big for is lithe frame and he wore a troubled expression on his thin face. “Ah Noah, what can I do for you?”.

Noah didn’t respond, merely gesturing for Maggie to follow him with a flick of his wrist before he turned disappearing down the corridor, without another word. She was momentarily puzzled, but did as she was asked. Discarding her work, following behind the small boy as he moved quickly through the winding corridors. She couldn’t help wondering why it was her he chose? What was so important it required her attention, a simple teacher and not one of the matrons?

Noah lead Maggie towards one of the boys dormitories, where a small crowd had gathered, encircling something in the centre of the room. Shared whispers too quiet for her to hear as they gawked at whatever was so interesting. Noah stopped just outside the door, staring pointedly towards the centre of the room where the majority of the crowd had gathered. Maggie furrowed her brow but she didn’t question the young boy and she made her way towards the centre of the crowd, where she saw a figure curled in on themselves, lying passed out on the floor.

“Out of the way!” Maggie announced as she cleared a pathway through the children towards the shivering figure, dripping with sweat, breaths coming out short and raspy. But as she knelt beside the child, she immediately recognised the smart attire, they were Logan’s usual clothes, the child unconscious before her was Logan. “Logan!”.

Logan jolted awake, struggling to sit eventually collapsing back onto his back in exhaustion as he groaned in pain, his breathing growing more heavy and uneven as he whimpered. His skin was deathly pale and drenched with sweat,his face flushed with a fever. How had Logan gotten so sick so quickly? He hadn’t shown any symptoms in any of their previous meetings. Why hadn’t he told her? She knew the answer to that question. Logan was damaged, he was taught from birth that emotions were a weakness and he had grown believing he had none. Of course he didn’t come to her. He was vulnerable. Unable to conceal the emotions he so desperately tried to hide. So, he allowed it to fester until his body couldn’t take the strain any longer.

“M-Maggie,” Logan murmured before his eyes slipped shut. Falling once again into unconsciousness.

“You, go and get a bowl of cold water and a wash cloth,” Maggie order pointing to one of the older boys. “The rest of you out,”.

They all obeyed, leaving only Logan and herself in the dormitory. Maggie placed one arm underneath his knees and the other wound around his waist as she lifted him with frightening ease, placing him down on his bed, swaddling him in as many blankets as she could find in an effort to cease his shivering and knelt by his side. When they returned with the water and wash cloth, Maggie went to work immediately, before brushing back Logan’s damp fringe and setting the cool cloth on his clammy forehead which roused him from his restless slumber.

“M…M-Maggie…w-what happened?” Logan stuttered attempting to sit up but ultimately admitted defeat and collapsed back onto his bed with a frustrated groan.

“You collapsed Logan, you have a fever,” Maggie explained brushing her cool hands through Logan’s hair but a sharp wince immediately caught her attention. “Logan, are you hurt anywhere else?”.

Logan shook his head violently but it was evident he was lying from the obvious grimace resulting from the action. He was undeniably in pain. Perhaps, he had injured himself from falling but he could hardly move, without flinching. Something else was going on and Maggie was determined to figure out what. She raked her eyes down Logan’s figure, searching for any indicators of injury. He was noticeably skinnier, evident from the way his clothing hung limply of his thin frame, sleeves rolling up involuntarily to reveal narrow wrists covered in severe bruising. Her heart clenched at the horrific sight. She audibly gasped, alarming Logan who she swiftly settled, urging him to sleep, promising she would be right by his bedside when he awoke which seemed to appease him as he allowed himself to drift off once again.

Maggie stood abruptly, her formerly calm and composed manner vanishing in an instant as she caught sight of the bruises once again. How long had this been going on? Days? Weeks? Months? Years, even? And she hadn’t noticed. She had some theories about how they got there but didn’t want to believe they were true. But the facts could not be denied. Someone was hurting Logan. And someone was going to have hell to pay.

Maggie immediately made her way to Madame Claire’s office, she wasn’t overly fond of the women and often disagreed with her old-fashioned methods of discipline but she had given her this job, so she tolerated the rather extravagant women. But now, abuse was taking place in her Orphanage and Maggie could not allow it to continue. A short while later she founds herself outside Madame Claire’s office, inhaling once before exhaling, knocking three times on the door before entering. The office was much larger than her own, walls painted a deep shade of burgundy and a grand mahogany desk was placed at the head of the room where Madame Claire sat, examining her nails, without acknowledging Maggie’s presence.

“Close the door behind you Miss Blair,” Madame Claire called out from the position behind her desk, still without sparing a single glance towards Maggie. She did as she was asked and approached the desk.

“Hello, Madame Claire. I apologise for bothering you this late but I have something rather serious I need to discuss with you,” Maggie explained lowering herself into the chair opposite Madame Claire’s. “Logan Baxter collapsed today, he is burning a high fever and I wanted to make you aware of the situation,”.

“A yes, thank you for informing me. It shall be dealt with,” Madame Claire said with a nonchalant shrug. “But do you really think it is your place to monitor the children’s health?”.

“Of course it is!” Maggie exclaimed she couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. “It is my responsibility to make sure the children are safe and healthy, observing for any distressing behaviour which may be the result of abuse,”.

“Abuse!” Madame Claire called out visibly shocked by Maggie’s statement. “Now Miss Blair, I would be extremely careful with throwing around accusations like that,”.

“No, I won’t. I have reason to believe Logan is being abused by someone in this orphanage,” Maggie stated holding her ground against the imposing women in front of her.

“You are aware Mr Baxter has a habit of lying, I wouldn’t be surprised if he fabricated the entire story,” Madame Claire said leaning back casually in her ornate chair, a grin spread across her lips. Maggie had to conceal the utter shock she felt after hearing that, she was aware of Madame Claire’s outdated thinking but believing a child would lie about something as serious as abuse, especially Logan who she seemed to have a seething hatred for.

“That will not work on me, I have heard what lies you and the other matrons have spun about the poor boy and I know he is nothing like you say he is!” She spat he voice laced with contempt from the sudden burst of anger she felt within her chest.

“I believe your closeness to Logan Baxter is clouding your judgement,” Madame Claire said with a grin. “How inappropriate it is for a woman in your position to have such a relationship with a student?”.

“What are you implying?” Maggie questioned.

“I am implying that because of your relationship with young Logan he has manipulated you into lying for him and claiming he is being abused for his own gain,” Madame Claire explained and Maggie’s jaw dropped. How would she believe such lies? How could she be so corrupted by hatred to ignore the serious signs of abuse…unless. Madame Claire was the abuser.

“That is ridiculous!” Maggie exclaimed eyes wide, nostrils flared in rage. “It is you who is the manipulator, hurting all of those poor defenceless children you promised to protect and care for. You should be ashamed of yourself!”.

“I will not be spoken to and disrespected like this!” Madame Claire announced leaping to her feet, pointing an accusatory finger towards Maggie. “I am reliving you of your position as you’re clearly unfit for it!”.

“WHAT!” Maggie exploded. Madame Claire was firing her. No she couldn’t. Who was going to look after all of the kids? Who was going to take care of Logan?

“You are one hour to remove your belongings,” She said with a victorious grin.

“But…but, you can’t do this,” Maggie pleaded hoping, praying Madame Claire would have a change of heart.

“Yes I can. Now leave the premises before I call the Police,” She threatened and Maggie was forced to accept her defeat.

Maggie collected her belongings from her office relatively quickly but all she could think about was Logan. She would have to break her promise to him. She wouldn’t be there when he awoke. He would be trapped here, surrounded by people who would love to see him hurt and she was helpless to stop them. She was escorted outside with her belongings as salty tears fell from her eyes and once she was completely off the property, she made her way to her car. She loaded up the boxes and took a final glance at the orphanage which had been her livelihood for the past three years and now she was being forced to leave it in the hands of a child abuser. She thought of Logan and prayed he would someday soon escape this horrible place with Patton and find the happiness he deserved.

Wait.

Patton.

That was it. Maggie could call Patton to get Logan out. She scrambled with her phone on which she had already begun to dial the number for the Police and called Patton. It ringed. Once. Twice. Three times before he eventually picked up.

“Hey Patton, this is Maggie. This is urgent. I need you to come to the Orphanage right away,” Maggie said her breathing heavy and laboured, hands shaking as she spoke through the phone. “It is about Logan,”.

And with that Maggie prayed Patton would arrive in time.

Notes: I managed to get a falsehood in there and I was wondering if anyone would be interested in some Maggie headcanons (I just really want to talk about her).

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