#they took out the scene where james pleads his case. this feels important to me. its like the only time you see the two interact

[friendlyfangs]

Okay so my overall take on Silent Hill 2 remake. Pretty good game. Would not call it a Great game but good. Would definitely recommend the original over the remake

[hxlyhead-harpies]

Double Date (S.B.)

Requested: Yes  “Why are you looking at me like that…?” and  “It’s not a double date. We’re just third and fourth wheeling.”

Pairing: Sirius Black x Reader

Summary: (Y/n) and Sirius are third and fourth wheeling to the Yule Ball

Word Count: 2.6k

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol and brief allusions to abuse

Your jaw was slack as you watched James Potter hop up on to the table and ask Lily to the Yule Ball in front of the entire Great Hall. Her cheeks were flaming red but she accepted anyway, giving him a tentative nod before pulling him down, his foot accidentally stepping on a plate of potatoes. You rolled your eyes at the exchange, finding James’s antics to be a tad bit annoying. It wasn’t that you disliked the boy, you just were not the type to be so cavalier and bold. 

James slid into the seat beside Lily with a grin stretching from ear to ear. He leaned against his elbow, studying Lily with a far off look in his eyes. Even if you did find him a bit irritating, he adored Lily and that was the important part. Lily deserved to be adored. 

“I told Padfoot you’d say yes this time, he swore you’d just turn me down again,” he said with a triumphant smile. Lily groaned and shoved his shoulder. 

“If you pull a stunt like that again I might just change my mind,” she responded before shoveling a roll into her mouth. James’s grin only widened as she said this. 

“Too late, you can’t get rid of me now,” he replied. At that moment, his best friend sauntered over and gave him a congratulatory pat on the shoulder. 

“Congrats Prongs, I didn’t think you had it in you,” Sirius Black said with a smirk. James rolled his shoulder to rid it of Sirius’s palm before turning back to Lily and attempted to start a conversation with her. Sirius then decided to slide into the seat across from you and give you a confident grin. You suddenly became very interested in your dinner, refusing to meet his eyes. 

You had complicated feelings towards Sirius Black. On one hand, he was incredibly attractive and enticing; his jaw-length hair and stormy grey eyes held a mysterious beauty that often distracted you in class. You found his boisterous laugh and alluring smile to be incredibly bewitching and you often blushed when his gaze fell on you. But his looks seemed to be where your attraction towards him ended. 

He was loud and brash, a self-proclaimed jokester who always had to be the center of attention. You thought that he was too cocky and full of himself and you found his need to assert himself as a trouble maker to be unsavory. Not to mention his excessive flirting grated on your nerves. It was as if he knew how attractive you found him and thought it was entertaining to watch you flush. Lily often told you that there was more to him than your surface-level observations, but you didn’t exactly want to find out if she was right.

“And how about you?” he asked, his head cocked and his eyebrow raised. “Do you have a date to the ball?” he asked, leaning forward. You sighed and placed down your fork, and looked him in the eyes. 

“No, I do not,” you answered, your words stern and clipped. Sirius hummed before reaching to grab a carrot from your plate. You slapped his hand away and sent him a glare which only led him to laugh. He leaned back and you could practically feel how he raked his eyes across your form, looking you up and down. 

“So I was thinking,” he started, his voice smooth and even. But, unbeknownst to you, his hands were shaking slightly underneath the table. “How would you like to go to the ball with me?” he asked as if the answer was obvious. You rolled your eyes and hoped that you could hide how red your cheeks were. 

“No thank you,” you replied without missing a beat. You couldn’t imagine having to spend an entire night with him, having to endure his quips and jokes. You imagined that he’d find a way to make the night about himself and embarrass you in front of your classmates. He was so confident that it was intimidating. You were usually incredibly shy, and people as extroverted as Sirius had a tendency to make you uncomfortable.  

“Why not?” he prodded. You looked up at him and attempted to formulate some kind of excuse. 

“I- because…” you sputtered, floundering as you tried to grasp for a reason.

“See, there’s no reason for you to say no,” he said triumphantly. You groaned and put your head in your hands. 

“I just don’t want to,” you said, “I think that’s a good enough reason.” Sirius frowned slightly, but you had looked away and missed the look of genuine hurt that had flashed across his face. Lily leaned over and bumped your shoulder with her’s. She had apparently been tuned into your conversation. 

“Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea if you went with him,” Lily suggested, causing your gaze to snap up to meet her’s. 

“What?” you asked, bewildered. Lily was relatively attuned to your dislike towards him. You thought she would have been on your side. But you mentally cursed yourself when you remembered how you told her that you thought that he was handsome one night when you were drunk on firewhiskey. When you were frunk you had trouble keeping secrets. That night you had spilled all of your feelings about Sirius Black.

“You and Sirius could go together and come with me and James,” she suggested with a shrug, “It’d be like a double date.” You gaped at her before looking towards Sirius who had an obnoxious grin on his face. 

“I knew there was a reason I liked you,” he told Lily. She met his comment with a sarcastic grin before turning back towards you. She gave you a slightly pleading look and you huffed. 

“Fine,” you grumbled. Sirius’s smile only grew wider. 

“I knew you’d succumb to my charm eventually,” he said. 

“But,” you held your finger up to interrupt him, “It’s not a double date. We’re just third and fourth wheeling.” Sirius sighed before standing up from the table. 

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that,” he said jokingly before walking out of the Great Hall. James gave Lily a look before he took off after his friend. You turned back to your food before Lily slapped your shoulder. 

“(Y/n)!” she practically screeched. You dropped your fork and rubbed your shoulder before you turned to give Lily a confused look.

“What was that for?” you cried. Lily rolled her eyes at you. 

“He was practically begging you to go to the ball with him and you just shot him down,” she said exasperatedly. You gave her an incredulous look. 

“He was not begging,” you emphasized, “And I don’t want to go with him.” Lily scoffed. 

“Yes, he was! He looked like a wounded puppy when you first said no,” Lily said, pointedly ignoring your exasperated sigh, “And come on, we both know that you like him.” You shook your head. 

“I absolutely do not like Sirius Black,” you stated. 

“Really?” Lily asked with narrowed eyes, “Because that night after the Slytherin match you rambled on for nearly fifteen minutes about how much you liked him.” You felt your cheeks heat up and you looked away. 

“I think that he’s good looking, it doesn’t mean I like him,” you said softly. Lily shook her head again. 

“I’m not supposed to tell you this, but James told me that Sirius fancies you,” Lily revealed. Your eyes widened. 

“No he doesn’t!” you insisted. Lily pressed her lips together and gave you a look. 

“He flirts with you all the time and he’s constantly trying to impress you,” Lily said. You sputtered.

“He flirts with everyone!” you cried, “I doubt he has any real feelings towards me, I’m just another one of his conquests.” You thought back to all the stories you had heard about Sirius attempting to sweep your peers off of their feet. 

“Even if you’re too oblivious to notice, he only flirts with you. And what conquests? All of those stories are just rumors,” Lily said. You mulled over her words. Was it possible that all of his flirting was genuine? All of the times that he had drawn an unnecessary amount of attention to you with his pranks or his disruptions, could those have been misguided attempts to impress you? 

Across the castle, in the boy’s dormitory, Sirius was slumped against his bed with a dismayed look on his face. He had been trying to get your attention for months now and he had hoped that you would accept his invitation to the dance. He had thought that he had elicited some sort of reaction from you with his flirting, but now he was questioning if he had read the signals wrong. The way you had spoken to him that morning suggested that he really had the wrong idea. 

“Hey, at least she kind of agreed,” James said with a grimace, hoping that his tone was at least a little reassuring. Sirius let out a groan. 

“Barely,” he bemoaned. 

“Maybe you’re going about this the wrong way,” James suggested. Sirius sat up and gave him a curious look. 

“What do you mean? I’ll I’ve been trying to do for ages is impress her,” he said. James shrugged and sat at the edge of Sirius’s bed. 

“She’s pretty shy, maybe she doesn’t like all of that flashy stuff,” he suggested. Sirius hummed and sat back. Maybe James was right. 

A few days later you were sitting in transfiguration, waiting for class to start. Sirius made his way over to the desk and you internally braced yourself. Usually, when he came up to you he caused some sort of scene. It always attracted a ton of attention that you didn’t want. But this time Sirius seemed different. He was fidgeting with his hands and almost seemed, nervous? He stopped in front of your desk and ran a hand through his hair. 

“Hey, (Y/n),” he said, timidly meeting your gaze. You furrowed your eyebrows. 

“Hey Sirius,” you said, suspicion edging its way into your voice. 

“What color is your dress?” he questioned, “In case you wanted me to match or something.” You blinked in slight surprise, not quite expecting the question. 

“It’s pink,” you answered with a small smile. Sirius nodded before heading back to his seat.

“Thanks,” he called over his shoulder. You leaned back against your seat and tilted your head. Sirius usually never missed an opportunity to embarrass you. 

In the weeks leading up to the ball, Sirius seemed… different. He still played pranks with his friends, but none of them ever involved you anymore. He also seemed to be somewhat softer towards you; he actually attempted to talk to you instead of his usual mindless flirting, he offered to help you with a charms essay, and he had even attempted to carry your book in between classes. It was surprisingly nice and you found yourself enjoying this new side of Sirius. It turns out that Lily was right, there was much more than meets the eye. He wasn’t the drama queen that you had always assumed. He was actually kind and nice, something you hadn’t exactly expected. 

He was also surprisingly sensitive. One night in the common room you saw him flinch when play fighting with his friends. When the two of you were alone you asked him about it and he hesitantly told you about his troubles with his family. Suddenly everything about him made sense. He wasn’t just the pompous rich kid that you had always assumed he had been; he was just a boy who was hurt and wanted desperately to prove that he was different. 

The night of the ball you sat with Lily in your dorm. You plaited her hair into a half-crown before you finished your own hair and makeup. Your makeup was light and glowy, sparkling softly in the light. You slipped on your gown which was a beautiful shade of blush pink. The sleeves were puffy and the skirt flared out at your waist. Lily slid up next to you at the mirror, her blue dress contrasting perfectly with her hair. She shot you a quick smile.

“You look so good,” she said affectionately. 

“So do you,” you replied. Lily grabbed your hand and the two of you made your way towards the common room where your dates were waiting. 

When James caught sight of Lily he looked as if he was going to pass out. His smile stretched impossibly wide as he reached his hand towards her. She took his hand and smiled at him softly before the two of them headed for the great hall. You watched the interaction with a smile, glad that Lily had found someone who admired her so deeply. You turned towards Sirius and shyly tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. You smiled softly at the pink tie he had around his neck. Your eyes finally reached his face and saw how he was looking at you. His eyes were blown and his lips were slightly parted as he took in your appearance. You took a step towards him which seemingly broke him from his trance. 

“You look… wow,” he breathed out, causing you to giggle. You put your hands behind your back and swayed back and forth. 

“You look nice too,” you replied. Sirius beamed at you before offering his arm. 

The two of you stepped into the Great Hall and took in the beauty of the lights. The room looked gorgeous and the music that was playing was beautiful as well. Soon enough you and Sirius were dancing. Your skin seemed to burn under his touch, his fingers splayed across your waist. The two of you glided across the floor and he spun you under his arm. It was absolutely magical.

Eventually, a slower song began to play. You adjusted your arms so they were now draped over his shoulders and Sirius pulled you slightly closer to him. You breathed in his scent, firewood and cologne, and smiled to yourself. You were slowly coming to the realization that Lily was right, you did like Sirius. You looked up and caught his gaze. His eyes were soft, a certain vulnerability shining in them, and his cheeks were pink. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” you whispered, searching his face. Sirius stopped dancing and lifted his hand from your waist to brush away a stray strand of hair. You held your breath as he started to lean in closer. He paused mere centimeters from your face, seemingly asking you a question with his eyes. You answered by closing the distance. 

Time seemed to stop as you kissed, your heart fluttering in your chest. Your knees went weak but all you could focus on was how his mouth felt against yours and how sweet he tasted. His hand was hot against your cheek and he smiled into the kiss as his nose bumped into yours. As he pulled back you felt yourself lean forward lightly, as if chasing his lips with your own, not wanting the moment to end. After he tore himself away he leaned his forehead against yours, smiling gently at you. 

“I’ve wanted to do that for the longest time,” he said, sneaking a kiss to your cheek. You let out a breath and pulled him closer, resting your head on his chest. Maybe you hadn’t realized it before, but you had wanted this for a long time as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[ashesandhackles]

More of where Snack came from

This is what happens when you discuss narrative parallels between them and end up creating scenes during the conversation. @thedreamermusing wrote the Sirius parts, while I wrote the Snape ones.

Here is a little AU, where Sirius lives at the end of Order of Phoenix.

When Sirius sees Lily's patronus--beautiful and graceful and almost forgotten in the years in Azkaban -- landing in the kitchen of Grimmauld place, he's mystified, remembering when James saw it for the first time. 'We're made for each other,' he'd said, spinning Lily around in his arms. Sirius reverently reaches out an arm to touch it. And then---'Black,' a silky voice made of grease and cold water says. 'Your godson is of the opinion that you aren't uselessly hiding away in your mother's house and somehow thinks that you're with the Dark Lord. Do try to prove him wrong and stay where you are.' As the patronus fades away, the only thought left in Sirius's mind is 'Motherfucker'.

..

Snape always wondered if his life was an elaborate joke. It was humiliating enough, revealing his Patronus to Black, of all people. He was dreading stepping foot in the house. It was amazing - how showing that vulnerable part of himself, that part he asked Dumbledore to swear no one must know, makes him feel like a teenager again. Powerless. Anxious. Twitchy. This is all the fault of that stupid boy - if he didn't prize that connection of his, if he had heeded what was said, he would not have been in this position. It's only luck that no one got killed for his stupidity. Luck favours everyone but him, apparently.

To Snape's horror, he was early at the headquarters. Black was sitting at the long table, reading a letter. He stilled when he entered. "Snape" Black acknowledged gruffly, without looking up. He didn't deign to respond. It was a trap - whatever it was. He wondered when that ridiculous woman would come and knock over the umbrella, so that the entire house is filled with Black's delightful mother's shrieks. There was an uncomfortable silence, broken by Black looking up at him. "So....Evans?"

Snape's insides were glacial. Don't react, don't react, don't react. He used her maiden name to get a rise out of you .. lull you into a false sense of security...

It seemed that Black was amused by his inability to respond. This made him angry. "Well, it turns out I no longer doubt your alliegances" he continued. "So what's in it for you Snivellus? Revenge?"

Snape raised his eyebrows. "Spare me your curiosity. You know as well as I do that I have no inclination to chat with you". "But I want to chat with you" Black smirked. "You see, I want to make sense of this". Snape reached for the handle of his wand instinctively. "Contrary to whatever you may believe, Black, you are not entitled to any answers and certainly not from me".

"When did you turn spy?" Black asked abruptly. "Were you the one who told Dumbledore that there was someone close to us who had betrayed us?"

Snape said nothing. He would give nothing to Black, no information about that hideous year spent fearing for her life and his own, tangled in loyalties he knew not where. "I am going to take that as a yes" Black said, his grey eyes boring into him. "Why did you do it? What really made you turn?"

"Shut up" he hissed, finally drawing his wand and flicking it into his most useful spell, Langlock. No one can know. No one, he remembered telling Dumbledore.

Black stopped speaking as his tongue got stuck to the roof of his mouth. He looked furious as he whipped out his own wand. The Order filed in just then - all looking unsurprised to see them both pointing their wands at each other. "Sirius, please" the werewolf implored. Black looked up at him angrily, but his jinx rendered him unable to say whatever was on his mind.

For the first time since he stepped into the house, the anxiety in Snape's chest eased a bit. He still had power. He was no longer that young boy - no longer. "Unfortunately for us, Black wouldn't be gracing us with his remarkable wit today," he said, stuffing his own wand back into his robes. The werewolf glared at him. He sneered. "It's quite alright, not like he has been upto anything useful recently - apart from not getting lured into the Ministry to run after his idiot of a godson. And we don't want endless reminisces of that, do we?"

..

'Fucking Snivellus,' Sirius thought furiously, hardly listening to the Order meeting. It burned--burned him to think he owed his and Harry's life to the greasy bastard, that he'd listened to the warning and stayed put, that Harry and his friends were apprehended before they went on to make a tragedy of things at the Ministry. He never would have thought Snape would be capable of such depth of emotion, that he felt so deeply for Lily. He'd known of course that they were friends of a sort in their initial years at Hogwarts, something James railed about constantly back then. But he'd never considered it important, thought Snape was a bit of a charity case for Lily. But he should have known better; Lily wasn't one to make friends out of charity. She'd seen something in him evidently, something they had all missed.

And yet, none of them had seen anything in Peter.

Sirius glares at Snape, who continues to glare back. 'Fucking greasy bat. Why couldn't you just be an enemy?' To think that Sirius had gotten it all so wrong about Peter, his brother in all but blood, the boy he'd patiently tutored through the animagus transformation, the boy who he would have died for while Snape, fucking Snivellus Snape, would end up being loyal to a friend who'd cut him off years earlier, would switch sides and save Sirius's life even--it's funny really. He's tempted to laugh, laugh like a maniac, at the absurdity, the injustice, out of grief--let out all his curled up emotions in a big hearty laugh. But then again, that hadn't worked out so well for him 15 years ago. So the only thing he can do is glare at Snape. But the familiar hatred is more unsettling now than comforting.

..

Snape couldn't help but stiffen at the prickly sensation of being watched during his meeting report. He knew without really looking that it was Black - Black trying to fish out his truth with his grey eyes, truth that he is not willing to give to him. He would leave immediately after the meeting - perhaps ask Dumbledore whether he could just give his reports in person, in his office, rather than bother coming to Headquarters. After all, the Order is hardly a democracy with Dumbledore controlling what information gets presented in his report and what remains between them. What's the difference? It's not a good idea anymore to come here. And Black will surely be prepared for his jinx next time - he can't be stupid enough to hope he will get him to shut up everytime.

So when the meeting got over, he jumped to his feet, ready to escape, when a thin hand gripped his shoulder. Snape turned around, pulling out his wand and wasn't surprised to find it pointed at Black's face.

A small, teenage part of him wanted to yell, leave me alone!

"Easy" Black said, quietly. He made no move to take out his wand. It could perhaps be the werewolf close by, watching them. "I want answers. I am grateful you saved Harry's life- and if I hadn't known what I know about you now, I would have not thought too much about this. But I want to know, Snape. I want to know what happened before they died. I want to know how many other transgressions I should be killing Wormtail for".

Snape took in the look on his face. "You want me to help with murder? Great idea Black, since I was on receiving end of your clever jokes-"

"You don't want to kill him?" Black interuppted, raising a disbelieving eyebrow. "You wanted to get me Kissed by Dementors because you thought I killed her and now-"

"I can't kill him!" Snape hissed at him.A twisted truth came tumbling out of him. He wanted to - oh, he wanted to. He went on: "Unfortunately for you, not every fight is won by smashing your way in like a moronic Gryffindor - there are things only I can do and I don't intend to put myself in any position that is dangerous to the cause".

There was a silence. "Fair enough. " Black said, stepping back. Snape thought it was safer to put his own wand back into his pocket now. "You don't kill him" Black simply said. "You help me find him".

Snape looked at him in utter disbelief. He couldn't believe him ."Didn't you just hear me? I am not risking blowing my cover. There will be a time for that and an opportunity will arise - he is no longer useful to the Dark Lord. But I don't want any eyes on me and certainly not for your schemes. Get your wolf to do it for you - at least he can plead temporary insanity".

"Leave him out of it" Black said harshly, glancing at him sitting close by. "Too late for that, isn't it?" Snape said, softly. "You involved him in the first place. What's the matter? These are your rules, I am just playing by them".

Black looked like he was praying for patience before he said what he did next. "I don't suppose you will tell me about that year". Snape sneered at him. "No, I won't. Now, goodbye Black " he whipped out of the headquarters, hoping he'd never have to step foot in it again.

.

Remus approached Sirius, a little amused. "Well, that went well. " Sirius shrugged. "I suppose. I still need him to tell me about Peter". Remus' eyes were cold. "You think he would help us?"

"He has to," Sirius said flatly. "After what Peter did to Harry in the graveyard, I am going to kill him with my bare hands if I have to".

Now if anyone wants to make this full fledged AU where they all corner Wormtail and revise their traumas and deep projections in the process, feel free to continue. XD

[canonicallysoulmates]

Walker 1.06

This was….okay. I liked it more than I thought I would...

Let’s just get into it.

This is the first episode where there is no case. Sorta. Kind of. The focus of this week is that it’s the one year anniversary of Emily’s death so the case elements are about her murder and it’s a part of the episode but it’s not a focus.

The episode is like divided into three groups of characters, everything they’re doing comes back to Emily’s death but each group is doing their own thing: there’s Liam and Captain James, Cordell, Micki, Trey and Micki’s mom (yes, Micki’s mom), and the final group is the grandparents, the kids, and Stella’s wannabe boyfriend.

So, I’m gonna follow that same format and go group by group and at the end put it all together.

First up is Cordell, Micki, Trey and Micki’s mom.

Walker is in trouble, because if you remember in the first episode he punched a guy who spit in his face and mentioned Emily so now Walker could lose his job due to unwarranted use of excessive force. Cordell is taking things calmly because while it’s not right things always tend to fall in favor of the cop (in this case ranger) but Micki is worried because his cowboy ways is costing the department a lot of money and he could lose his job. She’s even more worried when out of the blue her merciless shark of a psychiatrist mom shows up and it’s revealed she’s gonna be the one to do Cordell’s psych evaluation.

While that’s going on, it’s the day of the anniversary of Emily’s death and Cordell received a call from Geri letting him know she plans to sell the bar cause she thinks its time to move on and she’s been made an offer by a developer. I don’t really care for that set, they have not done enough to make it important to the audience but for Cordell it’s a big deal since that was Emily’s favorite place and it’s where the two of them and Hoyt and Geri used to hang out. So, he dumps the plans he had made with his kids to go camping in honor his wife’s memory since that’s something she loved to do, except not really but she was quirky and said things like “not all things have to be good to be good” something she apparently said all the time and yet her kids didn’t know- that character is such a fucking Mary Sue but I’m getting off track, point is he comes up with some bs and stalls the deal Geri was making with a developer and decides he’s gonna fix up the bar himself. Oh, yeah, the night before a section of the bar collapsed so a lot of the episode has him trying to fix it.

And that’s where Micki trying to be a good friend and partner finds him and tries to warn him and prep him for her mom who if you haven’t guessed she doesn’t have the best relationship with; she’s worried that her mom is gonna use him to teach her a lesson, she knows her mom is not gonna go easy on him, that she’ll make him look guilty and is gonna suggest they take his badge.

Cordell is a stubborn fool who’s dealing with his own personal shit and ends up stapling a nail unto his hand with the nail gun he was using. Not gonna lie that was funny af 😂 And then because he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, and he doesn’t wanna risk losing the bar, he decides that removing the nail himself is a better option than going to the ER, so with Trey’s instructions and Micki’s help he gets the nail out; he is so lucky he didn’t damage a nerve or make things worse. And luckily for him, Micki’s dating an army medic so Trey goes to check up on him and bandage him up. Trey who brought along Micki’s mom, Adriana.

Her and Cordell don’t exactly start off on the right foot on account of Cordell going on the defensive as soon as he meets the woman.

Defensive, by the way, is pretty much Walker’s middle name in this episode: he snaps at Trey who was patching him up, he yells at Micki, who was just trying to be a good friend and help him not just with her mom but with fixing up the bar, more than once; he is filled with anger and grief and is just a ticking bomb and it all comes to head when all the work he and Micki had done collapses again and makes an even bigger mess. 

And that was where the show made a big mistake, because we know Cordell has a lot of bottled up anger that has been building inside him and he’s been letting out in short bursts- it’s why he’s in trouble and has to go through evaluation because his anger got the best of him! And it’s a big focus of this episode with him he letting his temper get the best of him a couple of times so there’s all this build up but there’s no payoff.

After all of their hard work collapses, Cordell snaps and he grabs a chair and he smashes it to the ground but Micki stops him from destroying anything else. And I get it, they don’t wanna keep destroying the bar and he’d probably feel really shitty if he did but he needed to have that breakdown, the show needed him to have that breakdown. He needs to let out all that anger he has build up and sometimes the only way to do that is to scream and break things and have a physical release of everything that’s inside you. And it’s a shame that the show pulled back from showing us the full extend of Cordell’s grief and anger, that they didn’t let the scene play out.

On the other side of town we have what’s gonna be our group two: the grandparents, the kids and Stellla’s wannabe boyfriend, Trevor aka the dude she met at the stables where she’s doing her community service.

As I had said, the kiddos and their papa were supposed to go camping in honor of their mom but he bailed to go and try to fix the bar, so the kids decide they’re gonna go anyways on their own but since they can’t drive Stella decides she’s gonna kill two birds with one stone: honor her mom, and more importantly get some time with the boy she likes. So she contacts Trevor to give them a ride but turns out the grandparents are tagging along on the camping trip something Stella is not happy about cause you know she was hoping to get that alone time.

Anyways, she has a little back and forth with her grandma and in the end they end up taking the dude along with them in the camping trip. 

While that’s going on we go to our group three: Liam and Captain James. They have the most interesting part of the episode, and the “case related” portion of it. Sadly, they don’t have nearly enough time dedicated to what they were doing, and this isn’t really a focus of the episode it’s just part of it; as you know, they are re-investigating Emily’s case and it’s a good thing too cause apparently they did a shit investigation the first time around.

They go to the prison to talk to the man who confessed to Emily’s murder but shocker he ain’t gonna tell them shit, so they decide to go to Hoyt who is in the same prison with a nice little deal, they’re gonna put him in the same cell as the guy to get info, in exchange Hoyt can get a reduced sentence.

In just two hours, that fucker manages to give info that leads Liam and James to a major breakthrough. Sherlock Homes, doesn’t work this fast! That was way too easy, too fast, too clean cut- too plot convenient, show seriously. 

So what was the major breakthrough? Can’t tell you that yet.

Back to Cordell, after his almost breakdown and a conversation with Micki where he admits he’s pissed and tells her he’s gonna plead guilty, he calls up his dad and asks for him to turn back around and bring the kids to the bar. Since the bar was Emily’s favorite place, that’s where he and the kids are going to camp in honor of her memory. The next morning Geri shows up to tell them the guy who is buying the place is gonna tear it all down and use the lot to build some condos but Cordell and the kids come to the conclusion that was seen coming from a mile away and is impressive it took them this long to get to: that they should buy the bar. So, Geri sells it to them and they’re gonna fix it up with Emily’s life insurance money. I’m sure I’m supposed to find this a really nice moment but as I said, they have not done enough to make the audience be invested in this bar, and I’m sorry but the fact that it was his place to hang out with the wife is not enough to make me care about it.

Anyways, Micki returns home after her conversation with Cordell, where she admitted that she’s avoiding her mother cause she doesn’t wanna accept that her mom may be right about her, to find her mom cooking with Trey who she seems to get along with and honestly why wouldn’t she the man is a dream son-in-law. Side note: the man speaks Spanish so he has officially moved up even higher on the hotness scale 🔥

The episode wraps up with three major reveals- well, two major reveals and one sorta expected one.

The first one comes curtesy of the info Hoyt provided Liam and James. He told them about the dude’s niece and their shared love of art which seems insignificant but it’s what leads James to find out the girl owns a small gallery that is somehow making big money. The gallery has someone making repeat purchases, with money coming from a bank in Austin that started two days after Emily’s murder. And from whom is the money coming from? Straw Ring, LLP which is the LLP Geri used for the bar. So, she had something to do with Emily’s death.  

Honestly, to me this reveal wasn’t that surprising cause she always seemed like she was hiding something about that day. 

However, the other two shockers from the end did surprise me. 

The second reveal is that there’s a warrant for Micki’s mom and they arrest her!

And last but certainly not least, it turns out, Stella’s wanna be boyfriend: Trevor, is Clint’s - the leader of the team that Cordell ran with back when he was undercover as Duke - son! And he recognized Cordell from a picture of his dad’s and went and told him! I knew that boy was trouble! Out of the three, this was the thing that shocked me the most and left me literally screaming.

And that was the epi!

Like I said at the beginning, I liked this episode more than I thought I would; I was actually sort of expecting this to be the first episode I didn’t like because all of the focus was on the wife arc but it actually had some aspects and scenes I really enjoyed.  

No surprise to anyone that among the things I loved are the Cordell and Micki scenes, y’all know I love that relationship and how they’re helping each other become better people and deal with things. Trey is always great, I’m so happy we got to see him interact with Cordell I hope that’s something we see more of, the parts that were about the mystery and case of Emily’s murder were surprisingly some of my favorite, up till this point I hadn’t cared much for the mystery. The kids for once weren’t annoying which is an appreciated miracle. Not sure how I feel yet about Mama Ramirez. The ending with all the reveals was imo the best part of the episode.

So, there were definitely parts that I really liked and enjoyed, however, as a whole this ain’t my favorite epi so far. Which is why, even though there are things that I really like I think it’s just an okay episode. 

I wish they had used the time they had better like I wish that instead of doing two flashbacks and a hallucination that they had done just one of the two and used that time for Liam and James investigation, or used that time to give us that Cordell breakdown.

And since I mentioned the flashbacks and hallucination let’s talk about them real quick; in terms of editing and placement the flashbacks in this epi were integrated pretty well and they technically served a purpose in the story because through the flashbacks we learn about Walker’s emotional connection to a specific decoration in the bar, a boars head he was gifted by his wife. Thing is though...it is as emotionally bland as a stale cracker. I'm not entirely sure what the point is of the wife flashbacks, I assume it's to...help you understand and connect with Cordell and learn about his marriage and stuff but honestly they're the worst part of the show; they're not used to their full potential, they're badly acted, they don’t really contribute to character development and they don't have the emotional weight the show thinks it does.

It would have been more impactful if they had turned the boars head into its own little mystery of why it means so much to him even though he doesn’t really like it, and then at the end when the kids are sleeping instead of seeing her he had sunk into the his memories of when she got him that thing and that’s when we get the flashback. And only one, no need to divide it into two.

The show wants the focus, at least of this season, to be the family and how they're dealing with the loss of someone so important in their life, this was the episode to show that they could deliver something meaningful when it comes to that but it didn't really do that; I felt bad for Walker, I'm rooting for him but at no point in this episode did I feel like crying with him or for him, and I think that may be why I'm not crazy about this episode because it didn't hit any emotional notes even though it was supposed to be an emotionally heavy episode.

There wasn't that impactful moment you know? That moment where you see the full extent of what a character is going through, this episode needed that and there was build up to it but with no payoff. (Which let me tell you is also a damm shame cause we know how amazing Jared is in emotional scenes and how much he shines in them.)

All that being said - and goodness gracious this post got long time to wrap it up - while overall I consider it just an okay episode there were a lot of good things about it enough for me to still like the episode, and to become really excited for what future episodes hold and see how things develop. 

[simplyshelbs16xoxo]

‘Repeating History’ Chapter 5: A Dangerous Game

FFN | Ao3 | Buy Me a Coffee?

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1894

The chilling voice had the hair on the back of Molly’s neck standing on end. Sherlock held an arm out in front of her to keep her away from the door. “Stay here,” he ordered quietly.

“Bring her along,” Moriarty’s voice drifted out.

“No.” Sherlock’s baritone voice boomed.

“If you want answers, I suggest you not dawdle,” Moriarty spoke in a sing-song voice. “Bring her with you; do not mollycoddle.” He snickered at his own joke.

Molly, taking matters into her own hands, stepped in front of Sherlock. “I’ll go. He wants to see me, and we need answers. I do not see any reason why we should not give him what he wants. The man is locked up.”

“He is not a man,” Sherlock corrected her, continuing to stare down Moriarty through the small barred window. “He is a spider at the center of a criminal web.” Upon giving the guard a nod of approval, he unlocked the cell, allowing Sherlock and Molly to enter. James Moriarty was bound by a straightjacket, sitting in the far right corner of the cell. His hair was long and shaggy, and the stench in the air was that of sweat and God knows what else.

“Ahhhh,” Moriarty began. “If what you seek is an identity, then you must heed my warning. Inside of your home, this man will creep, and one will be gone by morning.”

“What does he mean?” Molly looked to Sherlock for an answer he did not have.

“Stop fooling around,” Sherlock snapped. “Who is the murderer? Has Jack-the-Ripper come back?”

Moriarty grinned like the Cheshire cat. “Good ol’ Jack goes by many names; upon hearing the truth you will not be the same.”

“For God’s sakes,” Sherlock grumbled, but Moriarty ignored his outburst.

“He buries his bones in the catacombs, on his way to his well-deserved fame. Think of your family, for it will be clear, the murderer is, in fact, a Holmes.” Moriarty was delighted, smug satisfaction on his face.

Taking a hold of Molly’s arm, Sherlock turned them toward the cell door to leave. “I have had enough.”

It was then that Moriarty began shouting at them. “Margaret Hooper had morbid humour ; too bad she never wed. She fell apart with a broken heart, and all they found was her head.”

Molly’s face paled, feeling sick to her stomach. She prayed that James Moriarty wasn’t a clairvoyant, but feared there may be truth to his mad ramblings. The last thing they heard was another riddle, this time about the detective.  

“Sherlock Holmes upon his throne likes to slay the dragons. He loved to roam amongst funny gravestones, before he fell off the wagon.”

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“Holmes!” Watson greeted the detective when he answered his door. “How is the case going?”

Sherlock only groaned in response.

“Not well, then,” Mary Watson remarked as she waddled into the sitting room. She couldn’t help but notice the uncomfortable girl who had sat down beside Sherlock. “Doctor Hooper?” she smiled.

“Yes, hello, Mrs. Watson!” Molly smiled in return. “Are you feeling quite well?”

“I’ll feel even better after I give birth,” she laughed. Turning to Sherlock, she asked, “When were you going to tell us you were courting this lovely girl?”

“What? No,” Sherlock laughed. “Miss Hooper is merely a client who happens to be assisting me on this case.” Molly looked as if the ground fell from beneath her. This reaction did not escape Mary’s notice who now gave the young doctor a once over.

“Really,” Mary replied dryly. “Then perhaps you should have kept your lips to yourself.” She felt smug seeing Sherlock’s brows furrow. He then took one look at Molly, noticing the mark he had left upon her porcelain skin just above her collarbone. Molly’s face flushed, the heat getting to her. She was getting up to leave when Mary offered her hand. “Come along, poppet, we shall find you a coat to cover that up with for now.”

All was silent in the sitting room until Mary returned sans Molly. She was glaring at Sherlock. “What do you think you’re doing? You are hurting a nice girl, Mister Holmes. Do not treat her as some common harlot. From what John tells me, you fancy the girl, so why are you suddenly so callous?”

“It was a moment of weakness and it shall never happen again,” Sherlock replied. “I haven’t the slightest idea what came over me.”

“Well,” Mary huffed, “the next time you feel the urge to canoodle with some poor unsuspecting girl, be sure to think with the right head.”

Sherlock blanched at her words. He felt guilty for the mess he had now caused. Sure, he had been smitten with Molly, but nothing was more important than the work…at least that’s what he continued to tell himself.

The detective stood when Molly appeared in the sitting room after having chosen a lovely plum coloured coat with a high collar. “Thank you, Mrs. Watson,” she blushed. “I promise I will return your coat as soon as possible.”

“Not to worry, dear, you may keep it. The colour contrasts beautifully with your dark hair,” Mary told her kindly. “You may call me Mary. Shall I call you Margaret?”

“Molly is preferable,” she answered.

“We should get going,” Sherlock interjected. “It is quite late already.”

“Yes, of course, we probably should,” Molly agreed. “Thank you again, Mary.”

“It was nothing, Molly,” she replied. “Please come by for tea sometime.” As Sherlock and Molly made their way down the foyer, Mary Watson couldn’t help but notice his hand hovering over the small of her back. It had been automatic, as if it were a habit. The longer he denied his heart’s desire, the more he would come to regret having done so.  

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2016

               221B was a madhouse for the next two mornings. Molly had been staying there, burning the midnight oil with Sherlock on this case. His wall was covered with the crime scene photos and newspaper clippings that claimed we had a modern day Jack the Ripper on our hands. Mrs. Hudson had been in and out making sure they were properly feeding themselves. To Molly’s surprise, Sherlock had eaten twice although it was unusual for him during a case.

               “I just don’t understand,” she finally voiced aloud, curled up into a ball in Sherlock’s chair. “Serial killers like these are usually dying to show off. Where are the taunting notes or the complex clues they leave about that make them feel so clever?”

               Sherlock felt guilt wash over him. He hadn’t shown Molly the note that had been left at the crime scene. “There was something,” he began, “at the last crime scene with the two girls.” He shifted his eyes, hesitating to look at her reaction. Molly was now sitting straight up, and looking as if she couldn’t figure out why he hadn’t told her. “It was a riddle.”

               “Can I see it?” she asked impatiently.

Sherlock sighed. “I don’t have it, but I can tell you what it said.” He sat upon the sofa before speaking the words aloud. “I am the Hunter, but you’re not the prey. Your heart will be torn asunder. Think of your family; it will pave the way. Does the devil live within me? You wonder.” He gauged her reactions as he recited it word for word. Molly remained curious throughout most of it, but seemed she had come to a conclusion when he read the last half.

“Think of your family; it will pave the way,” Molly repeated. “Does the devil live within me?” An answer seemed to hit her full force. “I was born with the Devil in me.”

Sherlock stood, taking the few steps to close the distance between them. “Molly? What is it?”

“Think of famous serial killers, Sherlock,” she told him. “What happened in America after The Ripper disappeared?”

Realisation dawned on him. “H.H. Holmes,” he answered. “Our killer is obsessed with H.H. Holmes, but he didn’t murder like this; The Ripper did.”

“Maybe they were one in the same,” Molly suggested. “It did seem strange that the murders stopped here when H.H. Holmes began a spree in America. And by changing up how he murdered people, nobody would think the two were actually the same person.”

Sherlock ran a hand through his curls. “There is one problem, though,” he told her. “We share a last name, but the man was born as Herman Webster Mudgett.”

“Holmes was his mother’s maiden name,” Molly informed him. “I’m not saying you are related to him, but this copycat killer seems to think so. If you do have ties to him, then this killer might be related too.”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Sherlock plopped down on the sofa. “Can’t I have one break from murderous family?” he pleaded to no one in particular. “Just one. Break.” Molly’s heart broke for him, knowing that this was the last thing he needed whilst he was still trying to process what had happened at Sherrinford. She moved out of Sherlock’s chair, and sat beside him, her arms wrapped around his torso, and her head resting over his chest.

She lifted her head to look at him, his face taut with the stress he was feeling. “Let’s step away from the case for now,” she suggested. “I know that’s not what you do, but I think you should. We’ll find something fun to do.”

Like clockwork, John strolled into the flat with Rosie who could now walk as long as you held her hand. She was wobbly when she tried it by herself, but refused to be carried any longer. Rosie was definitely her mother’s daughter, independent and determined as she was. “Sorry to interrupt, but I have to go into the surgery today, and hoped—“

“Yes!” Molly jumped up, appearing to frighten John just a little bit. “Of course, we can watch Rosie, right Sherlock?”

“Yes, of course we can.” He was rubbing his hands over his face, willing the stress to go away.

“Well…alright then,” John remarked. “Thank you. Here are her things.” He handed off the bag to Molly.

Rosie was now crawling toward her godfather calling out for “Unca Wock.” Sherlock flashed her soft smile, and picked her up to sit on his lap when she reached her arms up, the tension leaving him if only for a bit.

“Is he alright?” John asked Molly quietly, having remembered how tense Sherlock seemed when he first arrived.

“It’s been…difficult,” Molly told him. “There may be another murderous family relation on the loose right now.”

John’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding?”

Molly shook her head. “There’s a real chance that we’re dealing with a Holmes.”

“Jesus,” John sighed. “Well, I hope this gives you two some reprieve from it, then. I have to go, but I’ll be back around six-ish.”

“Alright,” Molly nodded.  When John took his leave, she turned around to find Rosie throwing her arms around Sherlock who was holding the little girl close. It brought tears to her eyes knowing how much Sherlock loved their goddaughter. Rosie had him wrapped around her little finger. “What do you say we do a little shopping?”

Sherlock cocked his head to the side ever so slightly, confusion plain on his face. “What for?”

“Well, it’s nearly mid-October, and Rosie doesn’t have a costume yet,” Molly explained.

Looking at the golden-haired baby girl in his arms, Sherlock asked her, “Ready for an adventure, Watson?” Rosie clapped her hands excitably in response. “The game is on, then!”

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Though they had her stroller with them, Rosie was adamant about walking, so Sherlock and Molly held her hands, sometimes swinging her between them gently just to get a few giggles. There were quite a few costumes to choose from, but nothing caught Rosie’s eye until they turned the corner. “Bee!!” she shouted. “Aunt Mowwy, bee!!” It was a black and yellow striped bumblebee dress with tulle netting as the skirt. It came with an antenna headband and wings that were worn over the shoulders. “You bee, Aunt Mowwy!”

“What do you mean, sweetheart?” Molly smiled curiously, looking up at Sherlock who now looked as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “Sherlock?”

“I,” he paused, “may have referred to you as my…honey bee once or…twice .”

“Hun bee!” Rosie shouted, pointing at the costume.

“Well, it seems we have a winner,” Molly laughed. “I’ll go on and pay for this, so you two don’t go wanderin’ too far.”

After Molly had purchased the bumblebee costume, she searched for Sherlock and Rosie. She hadn’t a clue where they got off to. It wasn’t as if it was difficult to spot those onyx curls in crowd with the height he had. She eventually spotted them at another register, having just purchased something.

“What’s in the bag?” she asked when he made his way over towards her. Rosie reached up to Molly who then scooped her up in her arms.

“Our costumes,” he replied matter-of-factly.

“Since when do you dress up for Halloween? And what are these costumes?” Molly asked, trying to peer inside the bag.

“Ah, well, you see, that’s for me to know and you to find out,” he teased. “I’ll show you when we return. Are we ready?”

“Think so,” Molly replied.

“How sweet,” said a kind, feeble voice belonging to an elderly woman. “You don’t see family outings happen very often anymore. How old is your little girl.”

Molly stifled a laugh. “Oh, she’s no—“

“Nearly a year old now,” Sherlock replied, interrupting Molly.

“She is darling,” the old woman cooed. “Lucky parents, you are.”

Molly was speechless, allowing Sherlock to do all the talking, though she smiled in response.

“We sure are,” Sherlock agreed just before the woman went off further into the store. He then looked at Molly, his eyes a brilliant shade of icy blue. “We’re very lucky godparents.”

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One week later, Molly had gone so far down the research rabbit hole, it was nearly two-thirty in the morning when she stumbled across a name that brought the riddle to the forefront of her mind. It appeared that one of H.H. Holmes’s children, Lucy Theodate Holmes, had once been to a man by the name of James Douglas Hunter. “I am the hunter,” Molly repeated aloud. “Hunter was capitalized.”

She read on to find out that marriage only lasted four years due to the fact that Hunter was not ready to settle down after all. No children were mentioned, but Molly was sure a child coming into the picture is exactly why the divorce happened.  Lucy most likely brought the child to an orphanage. There was no trace of their offspring anywhere, but Molly knew there had to be one if this psychopath claimed to be related to Sherlock and was a Hunter.

She pulled her eyes away from the computer, removing her reading glasses to rub her eyes. Exhausted as she was, it was imperative that she try to get to the bottom of this case. Now, she knew what Sherlock felt like. Molly eyed her costume draped over the back of the sofa. It was a tattered bluish-white wedding dress in the style of Emily's from one of Molly's favourite movies, Corpse Bride. Sherlock was to be dressed as Victor, which wasn't much different than dressing in his own clothes.

Her mobile rang just then, Sherlock’s photo popping up on screen. “Hello?” Molly answered.

“I think you ought to come ‘round, Molly,” he told her.

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Sitting in his chair by the lit fire, Sherlock Holmes held his phone in his right hand and an old photo dated back in 1894 in his left where his and Molly’s faces stared back at him.

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1894

Watson was wrong. He did not fancy Miss Hooper, and that fact did not change just because he snogged her senselessly. It did not mean anything. He repeated the mantra in his head, unaware that it he was having a difficult time convincing himself of it. Romantic entanglements were beneath him, and he mentally berated himself for allowing her to get around his perfectly built walls. She made them crumble, but he would not allow her to do so any longer. Though he was angry with her and himself, Sherlock was taken aback when she appeared downstairs, bag in hand.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he snapped.

“I’m leaving,” she answered, “I thought it was fairly obvious.”

“You will not be leaving, Miss Hooper, it is too dangerous for you to be on your own,” Sherlock stated.

Molly tossed her bag on the sofa and stormed her way over to where he was standing by the fireplace, the light of the flame flickering against the damask wallpaper. “Make up your mind then! I refuse to be treated like this, Mister Holmes. You run hot and cold, and the one thing your miniscule brain cannot seem to do is make a clear decision about your personal relationships. I am either a hindrance or a help to you.” Her face was burning with anger. “Oh wait, that’s right, I am only a help to you when you cannot keep your urges in check. I am nothing more than a play thing to you, and I forbid you to kiss me ever again! You do not feel anything for me, and it was a dirty rotten game to play, making me believe you actually had a heart!”

The color drained from Sherlock’s face as she shouted at him, rightfully so. Never before had anyone ever called him out on his shortcomings…at least not in such an aggressive manner. Before he had time to open his mouth in response, the press stormed into the sitting room of 221B. As Molly turned to see their entrance, a photo was taken of the two of them, neither looking particularly happy. Questions were being shouted at them left and right pertaining to the gruesome murders.

“Who is this, Mister ‘Olmes?” one reporter asked, motioning towards Molly.

“That’s Doctor Margaret Hooper,” another one answered.

“Are you courting her?”

“Is she helping with the case?”

One deep breath, and Sherlock took on the crowd, answering their questions as best as he could. When he finally managed to push the last one out of the room, he closed the door behind him swiftly, locking it up for good measure. His eyes flickered over to where Molly had stayed seated in his chair by the fire.

“If you want to leave, I will not stop you,” he spoke softly. “I am sorry, Miss Hooper.”

“Thank you,” she replied scornfully. Molly stood and retrieved her bag from the sofa. Sherlock stepped aside from the door upon opening it for her.

“Molly,” he said, his voice nearly a whisper. “I won’t keep you from this case. If you would still like to help, that is.”

“I do not think it is a good idea,” she told him. “Goodbye, Mister Holmes.”

[easily-distracted-ivashkov]

Back to the Start

So I had an idea for a fanfic where Sirius gets informed of his being sent back to Grimmauld. I made a couple of minor changes so I could put Marlene into it. I might continue with this if I get enough feedback so, enjoy!

†††††††††††

It wasn't long since Sirius had escaped from Azkaban and tracked down Harry to out Peter. Harry and the rest of the trio had known about his innocence. That was all that mattered to him. However, it wasn't long until Albus Dumbledore had called for a meeting regarding where Sirius would be staying as he was still very much a wanted man on the run. He got a letter from Albus saying that they would be meeting in Dumbledore's office while all the students were asleep. Sirius had been enjoying his short lived freedom off in Hawaii where no one knew who he was, there, he was just a lazy bum who didn't have a care in the world. Again, it was very short lived. There was a war going on and Sirius needed to focus on Harry's safety, but he couldn't be back where he grew up. Not even remotely close. People from both sides wanted him dead and that was that. Despite how close Sirius wanted to be to Harry, he had to be as far away as possible from him.

Though when he got the letter from Albus, he climbed on Buckbeak who was hiding out not far from where Sirius was staying. Flying off towards Hogwarts, Sirius felt his heart panging in his chest. Albus informed him that most of the Order members would be there. He would see Marlene and Remus. He could hardly contain his excitement. He hardly had any time at all to see Marlene when he went back to Hogwarts to call out Peter and hopefully even kill him but that didn't work out the best. His heart was aching to see her again. He needed to see her, just to hold her in his arms again. The feeling he craved most in Azkaban, was finally here. Surely Albus would send Sirius someplace safe where he was comfortable? And Marlene would be there with him? He suffered enough those years in Azkaban. Maybe Albus even had information about when Sirius' name would be cleared! Surely he had been informing others about how he was innocent?

The fly back to Hogwarts seemed to feel like forever for Sirius. But seeing the castle again... All the memories flooded back to him. Last time he was here, he didn't have time for such sentimentalities. But now, flying over the place where all of his best memories were at, it was all surreal. It hit him just how much things had changed those twelve years he suffered alone in that prison cell. The castle didn't change one bit but at the same time it wasn't the place he knew. Not without his best friends. Not without them all causing mischief. Not without those late nights where Sirius and James would keep poor Remus and Peter up with their constant talking and obnoxious laughter. It wasn't the same because instead of Sirius arriving with his best friends on the Hogwarts express, he was arriving alone on a Hippogriff. Just those thoughts alone wanted to make him sob. His friends meant the world to him. They were the only family he knew. The only place where he felt he truly, wholeheartedly felt he belonged. And it was all ripped away from him within an instant.

Clearing back the large lump in his throat, Sirius shifted down into his animagus form after dismounting Buckbeak and entering the castle. Safety precautions in case there were students off wandering this late at night. The black dog trotted up the staircases until he reached Dumbledore's office. He heard talking through the door. And there seemed to be a lot of argument going on through it. He heard so many familiar voices. Mostly Marlene's voice screaming in absolute outrage. Then Remus was even piping up here and there. And even Minerva was making her shock evident in whatever they were all discussing. Bowing his head down, Sirius began whimpering and pawing at the door. The entire room went completely silent just then. Anyone would be able to hear a pin drop with how quiet it went. They all knew Sirius had finally arrived. It took a moment before someone opened the door. It was Minerva whom was to heave open the heavy door. Sirius made his way in, his body shifting up back into his human form once more. His eyes immediately caught onto Marlene's beautiful hues of blue. The eyes that he spent so long dreaming about in Azkaban.

"I see I'm still able to silence a room just with my presence." Was the first remark that came from Sirius. A small smile playing at his lips as he looked around, seeing everyone he loved so much. But nobody laughed with him. Not even a shadow of a smile from anyone. "Tough crowd today, huh?" He spoke up again. Silence was never something he was good with. It got on his nerves from the get-go. Azkaban certainly didn't help that little pet peeve of his.

"Sirius. Please, sit." Albus instructed sternly. Nodding off towards a seat across from Marlene and Remus. Just the tone of Albus' voice let Sirius knew just how severe matters were. Nodding, the pureblood did as instructed and sat down. His eyes unable to stay off of Marlene. She was so close to him. He needed her so badly. But he didn't dare touch her. For all he knew, she still thought Sirius was guilty for her family dying. He knew not to cross that line. If Marlene felt comfortable, she would reach out to him. It was Dumbledore that cleared his throat to snap Sirius out from his daydreaming over Marlene. "Thank you for coming, Mr. Black-"

"Sirius." The wizard corrected immediately. He hated his last name and despised whenever someone referred to him by it. "Call me Sirius."

Albus nodded then, "Sirius. Thank you for coming. I can't imagine how you must feel to be back here. But this is a very important matter that... We feel is in your best interest. Until your name is cleared." The headmaster explained.

"My name is going to be cleared soon... Right? You're working on it?" The pureblood responded hopefully as he peered around the room. However, judging by the shameful expressions on peoples faces and those that looked down, they weren't anywhere near clearing Sirius' name. His heart quickly dropped to his stomach just then. Albus had so much power in the Wizarding World. He could have kept Sirius out from Azkaban! He could have easily cleared Sirius' name by now! The wizard felt anger boiling up inside of him, but it was Minerva then who spoke up before Sirius could lash out.

"We are working on it as best we can, Sirius. We will get you there eventually. But patience is what we need from you right now." The elderly witch spoke out calmly. No matter how upset she was, she always maintained a certain elegance to her. She was without a doubt one of the few women that Sirius respected.

"Patience? You don't think I've been patient enough? I'VE BEEN ROTTING IN A FUCKING CELL THE PAST TWELVE YEARS, MINERVA! I have had to try avoiding getting my SOUL sucked out on a daily basis! I have been as patient as I can be! I want my freedom! I am sick of being a prisoner of my own mind! I am sick and tired of 'waiting'-"

"Sirius, right now the best step of action we can take is keeping you safe and away from everyone else. Somewhere no one can find you. We will clear your name but you must understand we all need to sacrifice in this war." Albus chimed in. His voice unnervingly calm for Sirius.

"'I HAVE SACRIFICED ENOUGH!" He screamed out. "And 'someplace where no one can find me'? Where might you think that would be, huh, Albus? Because last I checked people are at my ass left and right!"

Then, another long silence came from the room. No one wanting to be the one to respond to his question. Until Minerva sighed, going to speak up again. "We thought it be in your best interest to go back to Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, Sirius..." The witch replied sadly.

It was then that Sirius went completely silent as well. Did he hear her right? Did she really say that? There was no way he was going back to that hellhole he grew up in. "No." He answered softly. Almost in a whisper. "Absolutely not. No. I refuse. I am not going back there. You can't make me go back there. I won't."

"Sirius-" Both Marlene and Remus spoke out at once.

"NO! I WON'T!" He screeched out, slamming his fists down on the table as he abruptly stood up from his seat. "I am not going back to there! Send me back to Azkaban! I'd rather be there than back at that place! I am NOT going back there and none of you can force me too!" He exclaimed, his voice cracking near the end of his sentence. He could already feel tears welling up in his eyes. The fear in Sirius' eyes were evident. The trauma he had endured in that horrible manor was not something he wanted to remember.

He didn't want to remember his father's wrath. He didn't want to reminisce on his mothers words that cut through him like a knife. He didn't want to remember how he got all these hideous scars on his body. He may not have gone insane while at Azkaban, but if he went back to Grimmauld, he certainly would go insane within days. Lord knows what shape that place was even in. Or what kind of spells got put on and in it since the day that Sirius left.

"Sirius, we understand that you're upset-" Remus began finally.

"NO YOU DON'T! None of you do!! If you understood then you wouldn't be sending me back to that hell! If you understood, you would work on clearing my name and not sit around on your arses all damn day!" Sirius yelled out.

It was Minerva then who placed a light hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Sirius... Please. If you won't do this for us, then do it for Harry."

Sirius' eyes softened at the mention of his godson. He then looked around at everyone in the room. No one said a thing but they were all pleading for him to stop making a scene. It wasn't good for anyone and Sirius knew there was no talking Dumbledore down from this decision. Chewing his lower lip, he couldn't help his eyes going back to Marlene. "Please don't leave me alone there-" was all he could mutter, mostly to the blonde witch.

It was then that Marlene smiled over at Sirius. "I wouldn't dream of it, Sirius." The female responded finally. Despite how much Sirius wanted to argue further, he didn't. As long as Marlene was with him and Harry was safe, that was all that really mattered.

[stunudo]

The aim of a college education is to teach you to know a good man when you see one.

William James

One of the Guys: A Criminal Minds Fan-fiction

Featuring: Spencer Reid x Luke Alvez     Setting: Season 13

Requested: Anonymous

“Can I request a Ralvez fic where Luke wants to introduce Reid to some of his army pals but Reid is nervous because that's a lot of like big buff manly men and he's afraid he won't relate? Or that he'll embarrass Luke? Sorry if this is dumb. Thanks!”      

A/N: I finally got it up! I hope you like it....xoxo Stu

It had been some time since Luke had checked in with his Regiment buddies when Johnson sent him an event invite on Facebook for an annual cookout signifying the anniversary of their return from Iraq. Luke Alvez had been neck deep in hunting fugitives and trying to get a falsely accused teammate out of prison during the last two gatherings. This year he was going to be there, he was adamant.

He just needed to breach the subject with his boyfriend of almost a year, the incomparable Dr. Spencer Reid. Since they started dating, they had been open with their teammates at the BAU. Which were essentially, Spencer’s family. Luke was a part of the team, but he hadn’t quite survived the trenches with them like he had his old Army buddies. Wanting Spencer to meet them was natural, but it was bound to bring up a few concerns.

Spencer had finally established a comfortable normal after, well, everything. Moving in with Luke had been on his mind since his mother had entered into a new (local) facility after her doctors had begun working with a new trial for her Alzheimer diagnosis. He was teaching this week and the team was away on a case. The lack of Luke’s comforting presence apparent through out his day. Spencer cleared his desk and stopped by to say goodnight to Garcia.

“I just wanted to check in before I headed home.” Spencer had approached her desk, but Garcia was rapidly flying between monitors.

“Reid!” She grinned. “Remember way back when you were forced to squat in my domain because you had lied about being cleared for field work?”

“It wasn’t a lie.” Spencer muttered.

“Right. Anyway, I could scrounge up another chair if you aren’t busy. It is lonely with my babies gone for so long.”

Spencer watched as the bespectacled blonde pleaded for companionship. He gave her a considering half smile. “How about I run and grab dinner for the two of us?”

“Would you?” Garcia stamped her platformed feet on the ground. “Oh I knew this restriction was going to be good luck!”

“I need to go check on Roxy first though. With traffic it will be over an hour before I am back, an hour and twelve minutes actually.” Spencer clarified.

She waved at him, sending him off to his tasks with a joyful shrug.

On nights when Spencer was on his required office days, Luke slept terribly. He had gotten so used to Spence’s soothing voice lulling him to sleep. The other half of the bed was cold and vast. On the road, he missed Roxy too, her instincts so keen to his every emotion. Luke grabbed an extra pillow and cradled it to his chest, nestling it below his goatee-covered chin. It had been an hour since Emily had sent the team to the hotel for the night, each agent exhausted and frustrated. It has after another thirty minutes of tossing and turning that Luke broke down and called home.

“Can’t sleep?” Spencer’s voice answered on the second ring.

“Uh, yeah, how ‘bout you?” Luke leaned back, resting his free arm behind his head.

“I kept Garcia company for most the night, so now I am going over my lecture for tomorrow.” Spencer explained.

“Didn’t you finish that last week?” Luke asked, amused. “Overachiever.”

“I’ve got to keep busy while the team does or, I, just, - I miss you too much.”

“Miss me? Or the team?” Luke teased. “Probably the unsubs the most though, huh?”

“Stop it, Luke. You know what I meant.” Spencer smirked, closing the folder he had spread open on his lap.

“So, I’ve been meaning to tell you. But I got an invite to a yearly barbecue from one of the guys from my days in the Rangers. It should be just before you’re due back in for field work. Think we can be that queer couple at the semi-redneck gathering?”

Luke held his breath, he tended to make light of uncomfortable situations. He knew Spencer would worry, but he had to put it out there. And sooner was always better than later.

Spencer’s hands were sweating and his voice kept catching in his throat. Luke was picking him up in ten minutes to drive to Johnson’s house for the yearly reunion with Luke’s friends. Spencer had changed his clothing three times. He put on a tie and would take it off. He worried he should have gotten a hair cut, though he hadn’t shaved either. Did it even matter? Spencer walked determinedly away from the mirror and returned not a moment later.

His deep set eyes bore into himself, “You have five bachelor degrees and three phds.” He coached at his reflection. “You have an amazing, devoted, handsome boyfriend that would do anything for you... Even introduce you to his tough army buddies who could snap you in half!” Spencer sat down on the edge of the tub in a thorough pout.

Luke found him in that exact spot five minutes later, zoned out as he walked through possible scenarios for the remainder of the day.

“Hey, Spence, you, uh, you good?” Luke sat down next to him on the cold stone ledge. He wore a simple polo shirt and khakis, Spencer’s heart slowed ten beats per minute by Luke’s sheer presence. Luke slid his hand into Spencer’s left and waited until he was ready. He didn’t worry about the time, he knew Spencer knew exactly how long they had before they became late. Luke didn’t prod, he just sat beside his love as their breathing harmonized.

Finally, Spencer turned and let Luke see the distress in his eyes. Luke leaned forward and rubbed the back of Spencer’s knuckles with his free hand. “Hey, if you don’t want to go with, just say the word. I won’t be upset, I’ll just go alone. And be home before dark.”

“Don’t you think it will be better that way? I mean, I would be quite the odd man out, even if we aren’t the only gay couple in attendance.”

“Spencer, if I didn’t want you to go, I wouldn’t have asked.” Luke tried to be reassuring.

“What if I embarrass you? I can give detailed accounts of the missions you completed from reading the reports, but I have no first hand experience. I feel like an intruder, like I am somehow unworthy, or, I guess, not masculine enough?”

Luke’s compassionate eyes watched every reaction on Spencer’s memorized features. Luke leaned in and took Spencer’s face in the palms of his hands, forcing Spencer’s warm eyes to follow his own darker pair.

“Querido, no. You have more than proven your strength day in and day out on the job. None of the spouses or partners are going to know exactly what we went through out there. That is why you are so important, you are here for us, even though we have these battle wounds. The ones that can be seen and the ones that remain unseen. Spencer, I want you there, because I am so proud to have you by my side.” Luke placed a soft kiss in between Spencer’s furrowed eyebrows. “Let me show you off to my unit, show them how Alvez scored someone out of his league.” He grinned, watching Spencer’s lips curl as that heart-melting blush slid over his cheeks.

Spencer considered backing out, but felt like a coward for even humoring the idea. He exhaled and stood, clutching Luke’s strong hand. “You really know how to boost an ego there, Alvez.”

“Good, because I already told them all about you.” Luke smirked as Spencer’s eyes took in the new information. It was going to be a long day.

As Luke pulled into the circular drive, Spencer took notice of the various cars and SUVs lining the side yard. By the number of vehicles, there would be no more than twenty eight people in attendance. Spencer gave lectures to upwards of two hundred students, and even now these twenty eight people wouldn’t be hanging on his every word. It wasn’t like he was walking on to a football field in a blindfold, Luke was here, he would be fine. Perfectly fine, right?

The white cottage had a deep gray trim, as the couple rounded the house Spencer took note of the metal ramp to the porch. There was music playing and voices carrying on the summer breeze.

“Well, well, look who finally decided to show his slack-jawed face again!” A red haired balding man called out from one of the four picnic tables spread over the stone patio. “That’s Harper.” Luke said under his breath.

“Look who hasn’t forgotten his drill voice, I mean, we’re all standing right here, Harp.” Luke volleyed back. SFC Harper stood and shook Luke’s hand, bringing him in for a manly hug with many pats on the back. Soon it was a frenzy, Luke hugging and shaking hands with everyone. Some of the women kissed him on the cheek, when he finally came to a new face he spun on the spot. Looking to introduce Spencer to his army family, meanwhile Spencer had unceremoniously hung back, taking in the scene of camaraderie. The tall genius remained uncharacteristically quiet.

“I’ll be right back.” Luke excused himself and returned to Spencer’s side. “How do you want to me to do this?” He whispered gently, waiting for the go ahead. Spencer sized up the situation and realized one on one introductions would be putting him on the spot for physical affections.

“One big introduction?” Spencer offered. Luke nodded and spun on the spot.

“Hey, so, everyone? This is Spencer.” Luke called out to the group. Everyone did the AA chant of an enthusiastic echo of “Hi, Spencer.” Luke pressed on, grinning with pride. “Spencer is my teammate at the BAU, and also my boyfriend. Be nice, guys.”

A couple cat call whistles burst from the crowd, but overall it was a jovial welcome, and Spencer got out of shaking hands by waving back delicately. A muscular pink faced man rolled over to Spencer and Luke first, he used a manual wheel chair instead of a mechanical one. “Good to see you smiling, Alvez. Nice to meet you, Doc. Brenton Johnson, host extraordinaire. Welcome.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Sergeant Johnson.” Spencer stated happily. A plump woman scurried over to introduce herself, rubbing Johnson’s back mindlessly.

“I’m so glad, y’all could make it.” Her accent was pleasant, her smile pristine. “It had been so long since we have seen our Latin Luke, the girls and I were getting worried.”

“Don’t mind my wife, Doc. The other wives all had bets on what tickled Alvez’s fancy.” Johnson barked out a laugh. “Missy’s just rubbing it in everyone’s faces because she called it.”

“Called what?” Spencer asked confused.

“Why don’t you give us the tour, Missy?” Luke interrupted to avoid the social undertones that Spencer had missed.

After a tour and more formal introductions, Spencer slowly began to relax. Luke hovered when the packs of wives and girlfriends tried to give Spencer the third degree. There were lots of, “What’s it like in the FBI?” or “I bet your patients just love you.” When one of Luke’s brothers in arms approached Spencer, he held his own. Spencer managed to only scared away two with his ramblings. Just before night fall the cards came out.

“Alvez, you want in? Only twenty dollar buy in.” Harper called from the dealer’s seat.

“Nah, man, I’m good. I’m going to help Missy with the dishes.” Luke waved out of the offer.

“Mind if I take a seat?” Spencer asked innocently. “What’s the game?”

“Texas Hold ‘Em, sure you want to go toe to toe with these guys, Doc?” Johnson asked warily.

“Can’t hurt to try.” Spencer shrugged. The men around the table laughed, but no one was laughing as hard as Luke Alvez, whose army buddies were bound to lose their shirts to his quirky genius.

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” - Plato

@dontshootmespence @imagicana @tarciau @starbucksreid @ralvezmood @gubl-oser

[la-fille-en-aiguilles]

Young!Remus Lupin x Female Reader: Marauder Invasion (Night Intruder, Part 2)

A/N: Un-fucking-believable, pardon my french. I’m sorry to sound like a broken record, but I just want to take a second to thank each and every one of you for the time you’ve accorded to this reader insert, it honestly means the world to me. The support you’ve shown came completely unexpected and I honestly hope that you guys are going to like what follows! The third part is probably going to be out before the end of the week, if you would still want to read what I have all mapped out in my head, that is lol

WARNINGS: Marauder squad (a very legit warning if you think about it), a LOT of swear words and my hideous English - the usual. New to the series? Accio first part! P.S. This gif made by talented @potter-imagines-here is this part summed up. I couldn’t resist :)  As always, I hope you enjoy, lads xo

Sitting in the Grand Hall, you tried desperately to focus on the Transfiguration essay you had finished writing yesterday, proof-reading it. Both Lily and Marlene kept silent, their interest in cinnamon-sprinkled porridge phenomenal. 

When you finally abandoned any attempt to fall asleep at around six in the morning, you lay in your bed struggling to keep your mind from wandering towards a certain Gryffindor Scarface, whom you once considered your best friend. As you kept rereading the same line in your Herbology textbook an hour later, sitting cross-legged on your pillows, you heard Lily’s worried ramble, as she grabbed your shoulders, still half asleep, her piercing green eyes studying your face.

“Y/N, are you hurt?!”

“What?” you furrowed your eyebrows, looking at your friend as if she’d gone mental.

“Your face…” Lily said, confused, not noticing any visible scratches.

“Oh!” it finally dawned on you as you jumped off your bed, leaving Lily behind. “It’s nothing, it’s just…”

“You didn’t kill that poor guy last night, did you?” Marlene asked, disappointed, awoken by all the commotion.

“No, I…” your brain was running at the speed of sound, trying to come up with a legit excuse for the blood smudged all over your face. The fact that you couldn’t invent anything that very instant was maddening you even more – you were sick of lying for Remus. “I guess I cut my palm and the blood ended up all over my face… You know how agitated my sleep gets, so…” Lie number 10005000697.

From the looks on girls’ faces they didn’t buy it, nor did they ask any more questions ever since, not even regarding last night’s visit. As a matter of fact, they refused to talk to you, point blank. And you were perfectly fine with that – if someone would make you lie on Remus Lupin’s behalf one more fucking time, you were going to kill your now least favorite werewolf in the world.

When you were about to pack your things and head for your Potions class, you felt the bench you were sitting on tremble, as masculine voices echoed all around you.

“Marlene, Lils,” you barely found the strength to crush a groan in your throat before you could let it out. “Do you mind if we steal Y/N here for a couple of minutes?” the infamous Gryffindor Chaser, James Potter, placed a chaste kiss on top of Lily’s head, standing across the table from you, his eyes fixed firmly on yours.

“Make it fifteen,” you turned your head to your right just to meet Sirius Black’s resting smug face. This boy had so much swagger you internally wished he’d choke on it one day.

“It’s important,” a small voice to your left added and you didn’t have to turn around to know that Peter Pettigrew was sitting there.

What is this, a fucking Marauder Invasion? you thought, grabbing your essay and standing up in an attempt to flee.

Before you could make as much as a step away from the trio, both Sirius and Peter placed their hands on your shoulders, making you sit back down.

“On a different note,” you heard Sirius speak sweetly. “We can talk here.”

You turned his way and honestly contemplated whether you should silently hex him. Noticing your glare, Sirius did justice to his name for once, his smile quickly fading. Moony had probably told him all about your non-verbal ways of performing spells.

“It’s okay,” you snapped your head back only to see both Lily and Marlene standing up. “You can stay here. We have finished eating anyway”.

You tried to catch Lily’s eye, silently begging her to stay, but she only muttered ‘see you’ and both girls disappeared from the Great Hall so fast as if they learned how to apparate. You followed them with your narrowed eyes, unbelieving. You could bet a galleon both Lily and Marlene knew what was going on, thanks to Potter and his sidekicks.

“So, Y/N”, James took Lily’s seat right in front of you, studying you face. You stared back at him, daring him to continue. You were never close with James or any other of the Marauder squad except for Remus. In fact, you were positive the legendary marauders were scared of you shitless. “I bet you know what we came here to talk to you about”.

You rolled your eyes, masterfully hiding the expression of utter surprise behind it. What did Remus tell them? Why in the world would they come to plead his case considering they didn’t even know you?

“We think you might have misunderstood Moony last night”, Peter let out, letting go of your shoulder.

You directed your glance at him with a burning desire to facepalm. This was just plain stupid. You couldn’t believe Remus would talk his friends into having this conversation with you.

“Oh I understood him alright,��� you assured them, your gaze travelling from one marauder to another. “And even though I have no fucking idea what you four fuckboys were up to last night, I think it’s only fair that Remus should come banging on my door himself to justify that shitty stunt he pulled! I am so done playing Madame Pomfrey with that jerk seeing that he has his head so far up his ass that he just wouldn’t see how my heart can’t take seeing him bleed anymore!”

It took a minute for the meaning of your words to settle in. When you realized you might have just confessed your undying love to a certain werewolf in front of the three closest people Remus had – after you, of course – strangely, you couldn’t bring yourself to give a flying fuck. Last night and this whole consequent mess had started to finally have its toll on you, and a part of you was glad that your naked feelings were now out in the relative open.

“I will just pretend I didn’t hear ‘the fuckboys’ part, because the rest of it is brilliant”, Sirius finally spoke, making you turn his way. “I know we have never been that close, Y/N, but I have it on a good authority that you are a girl to die for, you get what I mean?” you raised your brows at him in confusion.

“We weren’t with Remus last night, Y/N”, James informed you in a low voice. “That idiot got himself in a double duel with Gerard Crabbe and Lucius Malfoy when he heard what these two trolls were saying behind your back… And he didn’t even invite us.”

Your breath hitched as you felt the drops of cold sweat roll down your back. Oh Merlin, he couldn’t have…

“When he went out of the dorm yesterday he told us he had a date in the Astronomy Tower”, Peter picked up where James had left off. “Of course we automatically assumed that he had finally grown a pair and was going to tell you how he felt about you. Sirius and James wanted to follow him, but I talked them both out of it, privacy and all… I wished I didn’t though’, Peter added, his voice small and sad.

“Oh My Godric,” you subconsciously covered your mouth with a palm of your hand, the scene from last night playing over and over in your head.

“…So when he came back at night all three of us were already asleep, it wasn’t until this morning that he told us what had actually happened. We spent two hours searching for this,” Sirius produced Rem’s wand out of his robes, as your best friends’ voice resonated in your ears:

I don’t have it… I lost it when I fell…

“Is this all some kind of an attempt to redeem Remus in my eyes? Please tell me it is!” you urged all three of them, imagining all too-well Remus standing up for you after Lucius and Gerard called you a mudblood behind your back and getting himself a double duel rendez-vous. Actually, that sounded exactly like what Moony would do. Remus John Lupin, always a gentleman.

“No,” all three Marauders showed no mercy, shaking their heads negatively.

“Moony doesn’t even know we’re here talking to you”, James added, his eyes darting around warily. Somehow you got a feeling that if Remus had known, the remaining three marauders would have ended up running from his hexes faster than Snivellus from shampoo.

You felt blood boil in your veins as a wave of anger consumed you.

“What a stupid moron! I bet that Malfoy bitch insulted me on purpose… What kind of idiot would fall for that?” you felt your face redden against your will and you smashed both of your hands on the table surface, making a couple of heads turn in your direction.

“A head-over-heels-in-love idiot, I’d say”, Sirius winked at you.

You closed your eyes for a second, regaining composure, trying to prevent your heart from jumping out of your ribcage. Remus, your best friend, was in love with you. And you told him yesterday that you wanted nothing to do with him.

Still, some things didn’t add up. He must have noticed how much you cared for his sorry ass. Why didn’t he tell you he cared for you too, or at least didn’t kiss you senseless, instead of walking away every time the atmosphere in the room got heated?

“Okay, you three, listen to me,” you opened your eyes abruptly, eyeing all three of them. “This changes nothing. Don’t expect me to wear a Marauders T-shirt now that you’ve helped me learn what has really happened. I still disapprove of your ways of having fun.”

Just when Sirius was about to open his mouth to protest, obviously willing to tell you more about all those ways in which you two could have fun, James shut him up with a very telltale look.

“And If you tell Moony I love him before I do, I will skin you alive, is that clear?” you finished, pretending not to notice their antics.

Your message was definitely received. Peter nodded frantically, moving a couple of inches away from you. James threw both of his hands in the air, his expression dead-serious.

“Clear as vodka”, Sirius swallowed hard, a mix of fear and admiration almost tangible in his voice.

The sound of the school bell reached your ears.

“Alrighty then,” James seemed way too happy at this beginning of the school day announcement. “See ya around then, Y/N?”

Not waiting for your answer, the three marauders rushed out of the Great Hall, never before had been so keen on making it to their Potions class on time.

As expected, Remus never showed. Considering that his broken hand was the last to be healed, you thought you might have done a next to shitty job on it. Your mind fixed on how bad Remus was having it that very instant, you completely fell out of the class discussion. When Slughorn asked you something about a poison antidote, you didn’t have a slightest idea what the conversation was all about.

“You just made your House lose ten points, Mrs Y/L/N,” all the Gryffindors groaned silently. “And earned yourself a three hour detention. Maybe next time you’ll honor my lectures by paying your undivided attention to what I’m saying”.

The day passed in a blur. Every single time you wanted to go see Remus in the boys’ dorm, fate seemed to be against it. Professor McGonagall asked you to help her out with the preparations for tomorrow’s class right before lunch, so you missed the meal entirely, rushing to the DADA class and still not making it on time, but luckily, getting away with a warning.  

When at 8 p.m. you finally made it back to the dungeons to complete your detention, you were a nervous, tired mess. Scrubbing what seemed like century old cauldrons clean, you somehow managed to fall asleep, exhausted from last night and a really bad day you were having. When you stirred awake, one of your hands buried inside an exceptionally disgusting cauldron, professor Slughorn came in, saying he’d accompany you, seeing it was well past 10 p.m.

When you stumbled through the hole behind the Fat Lady’s portrait, struggling to keep your eyes open, you tried to stop yourself from nurturing a tiny hope living in your chest that Remus would be waiting for you in the Common Room, as usual. You heart still fell once you spotted no one in the dimly lit chambers – crushing a sigh in its wake, you slowly made your way up, to the room you shared with Lily and Marlene.

The talk you ached to have with Remus was going to have to wait.

My first ever and oh-so special tag: @zakthedrak 

[spherewine28-blog]

Jayme Closs Update: Suspect Jake Patterson accused of kidnapping Wis. girl, murdering her parents

BARRON COUNTY, Wis. --

A 21-year-old man shot a Wisconsin couple to death at their home in a scheme to kidnap their teenage daughter, then held the girl captive for three months in an isolated north woods town before she managed to escape, authorities said Friday.

Jayme Closs, 13, was skinny, disheveled and wearing shoes too big for her when she approached a stranger and pleaded for help Thursday in the small town of Gordon, where Jake Thomas Patterson lives. Patterson was quickly arrested and jailed on kidnapping and homicide charges.

The news that Jayme was safe set off joy and relief 60 miles (96 kilometers) away in her hometown of Barron, population 3,300, ending an all-out search that gripped the state, with many people fearing the worst the longer she was missing.

WATCH: Wis. sheriff ID's suspect in Jayme Closs kidnapping

"My legs started to shake. It was awesome. The stress, the relief - it was awesome," Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said, describing the moment when he learned Jayme had been found.

Jayme told one of the neighbors in Gordon who took her in that she had walked away from a cabin where she had been held captive.

"She said that this person's name was Jake Patterson, 'he killed my parents and took me,'" said another one of the neighbors, Kristin Kasinskas. "She did not talk about why or how. She said she did not know him."

TIMELINE: Missing teen Jayme Closs' kidnapping, discovery

At a 4 p.m. press conference, Fitzgerald said investigators recovered a shotgun from Patterson's house that appeared to match the gun used to kill Jayme's parents, although he said that match still had to be confirmed by ballistic testing.

Fitzgerald said the front door of the Closs home had not been kicked in the night Jayme was taken, but instead shot open. Fitzgerald also said the attack and abduction appeared to be meticulously planned, and that Patterson took steps to minimize evidence left behind at the scene including doing things like shaving his head so he would not leave hair behind. Investigators said the suspect had specific intentions to kidnap Jayme and had prepared to take her.

Fitzgerald said Patterson was not at home when Jayme escaped his cabin and that police believe he was out looking for her when he was located and arrested. Police said he was driving around in his vehicle at the time of his arrest.

Investigators continued to serve a search warrant and collect evidence from Patterson's cabin Friday afternoon.

The sheriff gave no immediate details on what happened to Jayme during her captivity, why she was seized or how she escaped. He said that he did not know if she had been physically abused but that she was hospitalized overnight for observation and released after an exam. Investigators were still interviewing her.

The sheriff said investigators do not believe Patterson and the girl knew each other, and Fitzgerald said investigators don't believe there was a social media connection. Investigators are still working to determine how Patterson became aware of Jayme.

However, Patterson worked for one day in 2016 at the same Jennie-O turkey plant in Barron as Jayme's parents, Jennie-O Turkey Store President Steve Lykken said. Patterson quit the next day, saying he was moving from the area, Lykken said.

WATCH: Jayme Closs' rescuers describe finding her, calling 911

Kasinskas called 911 to report the girl had been found after another neighbor out walking her dog encountered Jayme and brought her to Kasinskas' house. Minutes later, Patterson was pulled over by a sheriff's deputy based on a description of his vehicle Jayme provided, authorities said.

He was scheduled for an initial court appearance Monday. It was not immediately known whether the unemployed Patterson had an attorney.

Jayme's grandfather, Robert Naiberg, said he had been praying for months for the call he received about his granddaughter.

"I thought, 'Good for her she escaped,'" he said.

Jayme disappeared without from her home near Barron after someone broke in and killed her parents, James and Denise Closs, on Oct. 15. The sheriff said investigators believe Patterson killed them in order to abduct the girl.

Property records show that the cabin in Gordon belonged to Patterson's father at the time of Jayme's disappearance.

Patterson had no criminal record, according to the sheriff. He graduated in 2015 from Northwood High School, where he was on the quiz bowl team and was a good student with a "great group of friends," said District Superintendent Jean Serum.

Kasinskas said she taught Patterson science in middle school, but added: "I don't really remember a ton about him."

"He seemed like a quiet kid," she said. "I don't recall anything that would have explained this, by any means."

The woman who first spotted Jayme on Thursday, Jeanne Nutter, said she was walking her dog along a rural road when a disheveled girl called out to her, grabbed her and revealed her name.

"I was terrified, but I didn't want to show her that," Nutter, a social worker who spent years working in child protection, told The Associated Press. "She just yelled, 'Please help me! I don't know where I am! I'm lost!'"

Nutter took her to the home of Peter and Kristin Kasinskas. Jayme was quiet, her emotions "pretty flat," Peter Kasinskas said.

Jayme told the couple she didn't know where she was or anything about Gordon, a town of about 644 people in a heavily forested region where logging in the top industry. From what she told them, they believed she was there for most of her disappearance.

After Jayme vanished, detectives pursued thousands of tips, watched dozens of surveillance videos and conducted numerous searches. Officials recruited 2,000 volunteers for a huge ground search Oct. 23, but it yielded no clues.

Fitzgerald said in November that he kept similar cases in the back of his mind as he worked to find Jayme, including the abduction of Elizabeth Smart, who was 14 when she was taken from her Salt Lake City home in 2002. Smart was rescued nine months later after witnesses recognized her abductors from an "America's Most Wanted" episode.

On Friday, Smart posted on her Instagram account that it was a "miracle" Jayme had been found alive.

Smart said the girl's family should be given "space and privacy on their road to finding a new sense of normal and moving forward."

"Whatever other details may surface, the most important will still remain that she is alive," Smart said.

Smart said in a telephone interview that Jayme's story is "why we can never give up hope on any missing child."

"It was only a few months ago that we as a community gathered to pray for Jayme's safe return at Barron High School," Barron County District Attorney Brian Wright said at a news conference. "God has answered those prayers."

During the 20 minutes Jayme was in their home, Peter and Kristin Kasinskas said they tried to make her feel more comfortable. They offered her water and food, but she declined both. Jayme was quiet, her emotions "pretty flat," Peter Kasinskas said.

"When she walked in the door, I thought I was dreaming and seeing a ghost for real," Peter Kasinskas told KSTP.

Sue Allard, Jayme's aunt, told the Star Tribune newspaper that she could barely express her joy after learning the news Thursday night.

"Praise the Lord," Allard said between sobs. "It's the news we've been waiting on for three months. I can't wait to get my arms around her. I just can't wait."

Jennifer Smith, another aunt and the teen's godmother, told KSTP she had been counting the minutes since Closs disappeared.

WATCH: Closs' godmother recalls hearing the emotional news that her niece had been found alive

WLS-TV contributed to this report

(Copyright ©2019 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Source: https://6abc.com/suspect-jake-patterson-accused-of-kidnapping-jayme-closs-murdering-her-parents-/5052767/

[the-author-hunty-blog]

Scene 6 Final

“Where is my son? Why has he not been found?” The King roared at the advisory council. It was a small council that was rarely called except in times of national importance. The barons of the lands all came together, along with a representative from the capital. In this case, it was Amelia. She was squished between Lord Adalric and Lord Vernon, two hulking men from the north and south barons. She sat stone-faced with her hand clenched in her lap, trying to contact her Fae with no equipment. She knew it was futile, but it was better than listening to the King complain.

“He has been missing for only a few days, Majesty,” said a weaselly council member. Lord Frothing, Amelia guessed by the voice. “It is very likely we will be found within a week.”

“A week? A week?! Why did no-one notice earlier? When he hadn’t shown to his first lesson four days ago, I should have been informed! What kind of incompetence is teaching my son? The only one with any sense around here is Amelia!”

Amelia’s head snapped up at hearing her name. When she noticed she wasn’t actually being addressed, she returned to her casting.

“Y-your Majesty, we haven’t even a place to start looking. It’s almost like he vanished! Lord James’ men are searching the city as we speak and the castle has been swept twice.” Amelia snorted. If it were as easy as searching the surrounding area, she would’ve found him days ago through the wards.

“And just what is funny about this situation Lady Amelia,” Lord Frothing scolded, brows bunched together, arms crossed.

She stopped her unsuccessful casting and replied, “Lord, I tried magic to locate him. He is not in the city.” He gawked.

“Mere parlour tricks and potions will not find his Highness, Lady Amelia,” He insisted insultingly.

“Enough!” King Guarnerius barked. “I want to find my son, not listen to you two argue. Doesn’t anyone have anything helpful to say?”

“Well,” Queen Symonne interjected serenely, “My son has an affinity for the woods to the north and the ocean to the west. I would suggest starting there if he cannot be found in the city. Perhaps look into the routes normally taken by his Highness.” The whole council was taken aback. The Queen rarely spoke during the council, and almost never offered more than word of caution. Amelia thought she must be deeply troubled to actually speak.

“Majesty,” Amelia offered, “If it would help, I could try tracking him beyond the city’s wards.” Amelia ignored the scoffs and silent objections of the other council members. She did not feel the need to mention she already was tracking him.

“Please,” her Majesty answered. Council members began whispering to one another, murmuring about Amelia’s lack of control and their distrust of magic. The air in the room quickly became heavy with their judgment.

“Majesty, surely we wouldn’t have to take such… archaic methods to find one boy?” Lord James pleaded feebly, a look of ignorant fear in his eyes. He was the only one brash enough to bring up everyone’s concerns. “Couldn’t we just send out the scouts or something more, eh, reliable?”

Lord Frothing added, “Yes, surely, the scouts can find him without such a, uh, drastic measure involved. After all, we would want any freak accidents to happen due to incompetency or a miscalculation.”

Soon other Lords were chiming in. “It is extremely unreliable,” Lord Aldaric mentioned.

“Surely my horsemen could find him faster,” Lord Caradoc stated.

“Wouldn’t it take too long?” Lady Fabian questioned.

Amelia clenched her teeth. “My Lords, you sit there and protest the use of magic for an actual emergency - one of royal importance - and act so highly above the practices of alchemy and divination, but to whom do you crawl when your wife is ill or your children or yourself? Magic has more beneficial uses than keeping pointless barons alive and you ought to remember it well before you disrespect my craft again.” Amelia glared at the weaselly Lords. They had nothing to say in response, eyes filled with shock. King Guarnerius simply shrugged when they looked to him for help.

“Lady Amelia is not wrong, and there is no reason to distrust her ability. She was the valedictorian of the College, after all. Magic will help more than manpower. We have no idea where he is or what’s happening to him. It would be best to scout him out before sending men to every corner of the country.” He nodded solemnly. “Yes, Lady Amelia, please track him with magic. Caradoc, prepare me your quickest scouts and bring them to the palace. Same with you, Vernon. They will be sent out after Lady Amelia reports.” He turned to address her directly. “Amelia, I am giving you two days to report back with magic. If he is not located by then, continue looking, but I will send out the scouts with or without the report by then. That’s all. You’re dismissed.” The King stood from his chair and walked out of the room.

Right after, the barons scrambled out with him. Amelia sighed heavily, knowing the nobles would avoid her for a long while because of her outburst, but she was entirely tired of them distrusting her after so many years of work. Amelia stood, ready to walk out the door as well when Queen Symonne came up to her and offered her a sad smile.

“Darling, I know it is difficult to deal with them, but outbursts like that are not good. They could land you in a dangerous place,” She said kindly. Amelia smiled back to the woman. She had always been like a mother to her and she appreciated the warning. “I know. I’m terribly sorry, I just want to be able to help without fighting every step of the way.” Queen Symonne nodded and offered her arm to Amelia before escorting her out of the council room.

As they walked through the halls, Queen Symonne said, “Noblemen like James and Frothing are from the southwest, near the Free Tribes. They fear magic more than most and color people’s perspectives of it. Ignore them if you can, darling.” She sighed gently. “Let’s go out into the gardens. They always soothe me after those dreadful meetings.”  

Amelia nodded silently and followed Queen Symonne toward the gardens. Her mind quickly bounced back to getting to Kimble, but she ignored the urge to excuse herself. She missed spending him with the Queen.

As they walked out of the castle and into the path of lilies and rose of sharon, Amelia said, “I was thinking about what you said of the hunting paths. I think he might’ve gone north toward Taffeta. He always did enjoy the woods.”

“But why would he leave like that? What is so important in the north that he wanted to flee?” Symonne’s voice cracked, but her face remained serene. Years of social etiquette trained her well.

Amelia shrugged. “Maybe he wanted to see it one last time before the winter. Isn’t he supposed to be wed before next hunting season? Perhaps he was desperate to go one last time.” It was a longshot, she knew, but anything could happen when it came to the Prince.

Symonne offered a small smile, but Amelia knew she had little faith in that assumption as well. “Perhaps.”

They walked for awhile longer in the gardens, a cool breeze guiding them along the cobblestone path through the flowers. The scent of rain drifted lazily with the wind, mingling with the smells of flowers and fruit trees. Soon they would all die and make way for winter, but for now, they were beautiful. Amelia regretted that she wouldn’t see much of them before the frost set in. Too much work to do, especially with the Prince missing.

Symonne made a turn for a side entrance into the castle, signaling the end of their walk. Just as well, Amelia thought. They were both very busy. Once inside the decadent halls of the palace, Queen Symonne untangled their arms and said, “I must be going, darling. Good luck finding him.” Amelia nodded with a smile.

“I’ll get him back to us, Majesty.” The Queen returned her smile before walking away.

Amelia pivoted on her heel and walked toward her tower. There was much work to be done, especially since she was eager to see the progress Kimble had made since she sent him out last night. The only problem was she didn’t quite know how to make a connection. Was it telepathic or something? She assumed she could check the grimoire and find out.

Soon she was sprinting up the tower steps two at a time, once again regretting her decision to live in a tower. It was practical, but annoying. Her chest heaved with heavy breaths by the time she pushed open the heavy door, stumbling into her small living area. Shadows covered the small entrance room despite large windows. Rain was building outside, clouds gathering and blocking out the sun. She walked toward the door on the left and threw her cloak on the small table nearby.

Beyond the door was her workroom which took up most of her suite. It was organized and clean with shelves towering up to the ceiling. There were four in total, one filled with leather bound books, another of potions, the shortest one had half-finished experiments, and the last one held containers of various ingredients. The floor was soft, carpeted, and filled with enchantments to prevent any stains. On the wall between two bookshelves was a large desk filled with paperwork and royal insignias. The far wall was full of various bowls, jars, and other tools and was where she spent most of her days.

Amelia went to her work area and pulled out a small wooden bowl, placing it over a burner she filled with witchfire. She dropped in blue lotus, mugwort, and powdered Xhosa dream root. Amelia whisked them together and poured in a small amount of a dull blue liquid. She allowed it boil for roughly ten minutes, then stirred until the mixture became a bright turquoise. Removing it from the fire, she grabbed a small vial and poured it in.

Capping and pocketing the bottle, she turned and walked into the small entrance room and then into the door on the right, which lead to her living quarters, consisting of a kitchenette, a small bed, and a bathroom. All but the bathroom fit into the room, which was significantly smaller than her workroom, but still roomy enough to be comfortable. Her bed was just under the window while the kitchenette was set up on the opposite end of the room. A large carpet bridged the two areas and in between, a door led to the toilet and shower.

Amelia walked over to the kitchenette, grabbed a mug, and began to boil some water. She found that drinking potions were easier to stomach when they were boiled down, especially dream potions. She nearly fumbled the mug twice since there was almost no light in the room currently, despite it being only early evening. The heavy rain blocked out the sun and she felt it was useless to light a candle when she was just going to pass out a moment later.

Once the water was just about to a boil, she poured it halfway into the mug and filled the other half with the potion. She crossed the room, sat on her bed, and downed the mug. Soon she felt a wave of fatigue come over her and she collapsed.

Before long she was seeing a mystic, far off place. It was surrounded by pastel colors and fog. It seemed to be a place she had only heard of, but it was real. The Living Wilde.

She looked through Kimble’s eyes and saw him. She saw her Prince, passed out, with a strange, Tussorian girl barking orders at her Fae. Kimble looked at her, and Amelia could feel the overwhelming need to serve that he felt. “Yes, Witchling. I will take care of it,” she heard him say, He moved and the colorful fog blurred and thickened before revealing the Prince once more. He was lying with a dozen herbs and crystals on top of him. They glinted in the fog, producing rays of soft pinks and blues that cut through her vision.

“Master,” she heard Kimble say, “This will hurt you if you stay.” The Tussorian girl he had called Witchling remained still. Amelia guessed only she could hear him, but there was no way for her to reply.

“I’m going to sever the link you’ve established. I am only going to wake him up. He is safe. We will return in a few days at the most.”

Kimble lay his hands over the Prince’s body. They were long and bony. Soon they became engulfed in the pastel fog. Everything was smothered. And then, almost on queue, Amelia was forced out of the dream.

AN

Spent a few days editing this one and i think it’s finally done, enjoy :)