#thread. / ( cal + rory )

[filllthecrown]

closed starter for @notaviibe​

Like a scene from a movie, a group of girls were crowded around a weathered picnic table watching a certain someone very intently. “Do you think that’s him?” Rory asked, letting her sunglasses fall down the bridge of her nose to get a better look. They were supposed to be assisting with all the check-ins but this was much more important. A few weeks ago, all the counselors had received emails that there was a new camp director and were given a name but not a picture. The guy who was currently talking to one of the other leads sure did look like someone who would be in the top position but there were doubts because he was so hot. Popping up, she decided to take matters into her own hands and decided to get her question answered from the source. There were noises from behind her and she moved her hands behind her body to shush them as she walked up to the two guys, moving her glasses to rest on her head. “Hey, Luke,” she said, nodding towards him before turning her attention to the hottie. “Hi. I’m Rory.” She looked down at her shirt, a worn-out camp one she’s had since she was about seventeen. “Camp counselor.” Did she want them both to look at her chest? Maybe. But she was pointing out the obvious. “What’s your name?”

[whump-it]

The Bad Thing:  Rory’s Tape Gag

Ok.  Here it is!  The Bad Thing is happeneing and Rory is starting to get whumped!  CW here for victim blaming, self blame, self hatred, whumper playing whumpees off against one another, threatening to whump a woman and a tape gag of course!

Tag time!

@haro-whumps @grizzlie70 @castielamigos-whump-side-blog @iaminamoodymoodtoday @burtlederp @my-whumpy-little-heart @moose-teeth @pepperonyscience @faewhump @crowned-avery @whump-tr0pes @spookyboywhump @finder-of-rings @liliability @whumpfigure @girlwithacoolcat @tears-and-lilies @inpainandsuffering @whumppsychology

He was laughing.  It was muted by a hand to his mouth.  Knuckles against his teeth.  But he was laughing.  She didn't dare look at him.  Didn't dare make eye contact for fear that somewhere through the terror and dread, that somewhere in the horror of her emotions, the hated of him might be showing on her face.  Taking that kind of liberty would only lead to trouble. 

Beyond the basement door and blissfully, briefly unaware of the ridicule and hurt coming their way, Rory and Callum carried on talking.

***

"I miss Haz,"  Callum muttered, a slight slur to the words.  A slip at the edge.  He had shuffled over to Rory with an ease born of history despite the fact that his hands were bound behind his back.

"I know," Rory whispered.  He nearly always whispered.  Callum spoke out loud with an uninhibited volume that made Rory cringe away and want to yell at him to shut up.   To be quiet.  To tell him that their situation was precarious enough without him talking at a volume that might attract unwanted attention. 

"The last time I was in a basement I had him," Callum said, matter-of-fact.

"Alyaa had to take him back to her apartment," Rory winced as Callum tipped his head to rest his right temple against Rory's shoulder, which was still bruised from his most recent beating.  "We had to let him go so we wouldn't get hurt."

"Wouldn't get hurt," Callum muttered back, breathing in then exhaling a shaking sigh.  "I miss him.  He's soft."

"I wish I could bring him to you," Rory murmured the words with a tip of his head.  A tilt of his lips into Callum's hair right above where his brain was fighting against him.  "Cal.  We'll get back to him.  You're going to have him again I promise you.  I promise.  I know how important he is to you but if you can just hold on just... just..."  Rory breathed in shaky and unsteady and closed his eyes against the tears that always seemed to be there.  Always just on the edge of falling.  He pushed his face into Callum's curls and let them tickle at his skin.  Let them sweep across his forehead and cheek where he would feel their phantom touch long after they'd moved apart.  His bound hands unable to move the sensation. 

Next to him, Callum shifted.  He moved and tipped his head and carried on until their foreheads met. 

"Cal," Rory said, louder than he meant to, the volume unmodulated by the constriction of his throat against the fall of his tears.  "Cal I love you.  Haz is waiting for you.  He's safe.  He's safe and he's waiting for you." 

***

Ethan snorted and bent forward then breathed in and composed himself.

"Oh that's just precious," he said, his words sneered out over a laugh.  "They're going on about that stupid teddy aren't they?"  He looked at Alyaa, her head bowed and eyes fixed on the ground.  Her hair falling down past her cheek.  "I asked you a question."  The laughter had gone.  Dried up.  It hadn't been funny to begin with.

"Yes," she said quietly.  So very quietly.  "Haz is... Callum's... he's not well."

Ethan looked at her.  Looked and looked until she began to bend under the weight of his stare.  She jumped and flinched when he raised his hand, spinning a roll of heavy duty tape around his index finger.

"Hmm,"  Ethan spun the roll around and around.

"He's not..." Alyaa stopped speaking as soon as she had started.  Her throat cut off her words without her permission, the muscles tightening around the threat of tears.  Callum was ill and Rory was scared and Haz was too far away.

And Ethan had a roll of tape.

She flinched again at the sound of the bolt on the door slamming back, looking up just in time to catch the swift movement as Ethan reached out and gripped at her forearm hard enough to bruise. 

"Time to pay your favourite pair a little visit," Ethan said, pulling her arm to drag her closer.  "Well come on then.  Anyone would think you didn't want to see them."  Ethan smiled at her, cruel and cold, the twist of his lips utterly unmatched by the hatred in his eyes.

Ethan pulled her through the door and into the basement, and she was utterly unable to stop herself from looking straight at Rory.  Straight at Callum.  Glancing back and for between their faces until the weight of her guilt for not keeping them safe forced her shoulders to hunch.  Her gaze to lower. 

Callum looked shattered.  Completely and entirely worn out.  Yet despite that, when he saw her, when he saw Ethan, he had mouthed the word "master".  He had bowed his head.  Across his face, she saw the flash of emotions and memories that had taken only seconds but that she had enough knowledge of to recognise.  He wanted atonement.  He wanted perfection.  He was too ill to know if he was ashamed or not anymore.

Rory looked furious.  And scared.  And he looked at her and Ethan equally before tipping his head back down to touch temples with Callum.  The utter horror that he was protecting Callum from her felt like a shard of ice settling through her core.

"Sounds like someone's missing his little teddy bear," Ethan said, smiling that smile again.  The one that never reached his eyes.  Alyaa could hear Rory's breathing pick up, his teeth clenched as he breathed heavily and just a little too fast through his nose.  She could see his jaw working and she had no idea whether she wanted him to speak or to stay silent.  Each option had the potential to harm all of them.  It was just a question of which of them would pay the highest price.

"Wow," Ethan said, cold sarcasm threading through the word.   "You look really cross.   Really cross."   He drew the words out, stretching them out on a rack of scorn and humiliation, deliberately designed to make Rory more and more furious.

Alyaa could see Rory's breathing speed up in the rise and fall of his chest.  In the flare of his nostrils.  Her mind overlapped on itself on two words.  Speak.  Hush. 

"Damn right I'm cross," Rory said.  Alyaa closed her eyes.  “Where do you get off thinking that any of what you’re doing here is ok?  What the fuck is the matter with you, you sick freak!?  Callum is not well.  He should’ve been in the hospital days ago.  He needs an operation.  You’re hurting him.  You’re going to hurt him.”

"I'm not going to hurt him," Ethan said with a cruel laugh.  "Have you seen him!?  I mean come on.  Look at him.  Why would I hurt that?"  Rory glared back.  "Oh I'm sorry.  Did I speak in a foreign language?  Are you too stupid to understand?"  Alyaa saw Callum's flinch at the word stupid.  He mouthed it silently, eyes downcast.

"I said "look at him"."

"I'm looking," Rory said slowly and quietly.  "At you.  And I don't like what I'm seeing."

Alyaa dared to open her eyes but kept her head down.  Her shoulders up.  She jumped when Ethan ripped a long strip of tape off the roll, biting it off with his teeth and holding it up in front of her face while he pointed at Rory with his free hand.

“That one needs to stop talking don’t you think?”

She held her breath.  The room seemed to buzz with the oppressive silence that followed the statement and the tearing of tape.  She couldn’t move.  She couldn’t make herself touch the tape.  She braved a quick look at Rory beyond the tape dangling in front of her and he looked terrified.  He didn’t have his hands to use, tied up behind him.  He was trapped in a basement and he was about to have his voice taken from him.  He looked like he was fighting to stay upright, fighting against his body that wanted to curl up, and fighting against crying. 

“Well my sweet little nightbird,” Ethan said.  “You have a choice.  Either you take this piece of tape and shut him up,” he jerked the piece of tape a couple of times in front of her. “Or I can shut you up.  You choose.”

“Me,” Alyaa said, quickly.  The need to protect pushed forward in her mind.  Rory and Callum should bein the hospital right now while Callum recovered from surgery.  They shouldn’t be tied up in a basement and she was all too aware that if they had stayed away from her then this would never have happened.  She should have kept them at arms length instead of pulling them down to be damaged along with her. “You...if you want...want...to shut someone up then shut me...shut me up Ethan.”

On the floor in front of her, a sob broke free from Rory, quickly followed by Callum looking over at him, horrified and shushing him in the presence of the person that he believed to be his Master.

“Don’t even, for one moment, think that you can tell me what I want,” Ethan spat the words at her, and she cowered under their weight, shaking.  Trembling.  “Tape his mouth and then, as you’re so keen, I’ll shut you up too.”

“No!  Please Ethan, please.”  Alyaa forced the words out even as they shook with the forced of her body’s shaking.  “Please just me...just...just me.  They didn’t...they...they’ll be quiet,  I promise.  Please Ethan.  Please!”

“Hmm...you see, as much as I enjoy listening to all of this?  It’s boring me now.  Taope his mouth shut.  Don’t argue with me.  Do.  It.”

Alyaa gasped out on the air that she didn’t realise she had been holding.  As she reached with a shaking hand to take the piece of tape she heard Rory starting to plead with her.  Small, whispered out, begging little no’s and pleases.  He was shaking his head.  Saying her name, interspersing it with his begging.  It felt like a physical attack upon her.  It hurt to hear it.  It made her want hinm to stop and she had the means to do that in her hand.  It made Ethan into the winner.  It made her into the villain. 

She wanted to be sick.

“I’m sorry Rory,” she whispered as she knelt in front of him.  “S...sorry.  I’ll be gentle  I’m so sorry.”  As she took the tape in both hands and raised it, she almost choked on the feeling in her gut when Rory mouthed “please don’t” at her, the words silent, the terror stripping him of his voice as much as the tape did when she pressed it to his lips.

His tears fell as she stood back up. 

[thehomemadehooligan]

List of everything in my drafts for my own purposes

1. agron/nasir @malsrp 2. alastairyork/noah @malsrp 3. alastairyork/noah @malsrp 4. aleksandrlubomirksi/dominik @malsrp 5. aloncrisanto/kieran @cvntboys 6. andreasvasilescu/destin @malsrp 7. archieandrews/jughead @malsrp 8. austindisantos/danni @femmeshavemorefun 9. avicallahanconstantine/nivaan @jigglypuffwrites 10. babygrant/koda @malsrp 11. balancegrant/kian @malsrp 12. beatriceporter/ivy @malsrp 13. beattycres/issy @malsrp 14. bellamyblake/murphy @rebellhearted 15. bellamyblake/murphy @rebellhearted 16. bellamyblake/murphy @rebellhearted 17. bellamyblake/murphy @rebellhearted 18. bellamyblake/murphy @rebellhearted 19. bellamyblake/murphy @sarcasiisms 20. benfrench/harry @malsrp 21. benfrench/harry @thehearbreakprinces 22. benfringe/liam @svnliqhts 23. benkilmartin/felix @malsrp 24. betsyshrivatsa/giselle @malsrp 25. bettycooper/veronica @malsrp 26. biggrant/kade @malsrp 27. billyhargrove/cal @pinkestlyps 28. billyhargrove/hildr @hildr-daughter-of-loki 29. billyhargrove/murphy @rebellhearted 30. billyhargrove/nancy @hawkinssleuth 31. billyhargrove/nancy @hawkinssleuth 32. billyhargrove/puck @losingluck 33. billyhargrove/puck @losingluck 34. billyhargrove/steve @halefirewarrior 35. billyhargrove/steve @jocksitter 36. billyhargrove/steve @jocksitter 37. billyhargrove/steve @semicanonfuckboys - don't know new url 38. bosseljung/alan @ecclecticgays 39. bridgetbarker/dorothea @malsrp 40. cainedunbar/cynthia @beaconwhores 41. cainedunbar/liam @malsrp 42. carlgallagher/kammy @malsrp 43. carlgallagher/kammy @malsrp 44. caspianlance/seth @lewdlegion 45. cherielewis/toni @malsrp 46. cherokeecash/emily @wickcdcreations 47. chibstelford/juice @malsrp 48. ciaranbyrne/alyx @malsrp 49. claryhelstrom/bentley @malsrp 50. connormacmanus/murphy @malsrp 51. damonsalvatore/laurie @cvntboisandfems4u 52. derekhale/stiles @malsrp 53. diegohargreeves/klaus @malsrp 54. diegohargreeves/klaus @malsrp 55. diegohargreeves/klaus @malsrp 56. diegohargreeves/klaus @malsrp 57. diegohargreeves/klaus @malsrp 58. dixieenger/quinn @malsrp 59. donovantorrance/jas @ecclecticgays 60. edriclange/kiran @malsrp 61. edwardbrock/peter @ohnosmallknives 62. edwardbrock/peter @semicanonfuckboys - don't know new url 63. edwardbrock/peter @wallcrawlparker 64. eliotwaugh/quentin @q-makepeace 65. elodieirvine&jadetonnick/sophia @malsrp 66. enzoferris/hunter @malsrp 67. enzoferris/hunter @malsrp 68. erasylmaier/austin @malsrp 69. evgenishankarov/casper @breedables 70. eviegrimhilde/mal @malsrp 71. fangsfogarty/kevin @malsrp 72. fievelvoelkel/skylar @malsrp 73. finleonidus&arikalongan/amadej @malsrp 74. fionnlagh&dubhlaghpfdunbroch/orion @malsrp 75. fpjones/archie @theheartbreakprinces 76. georgiagarth/hayley @malsrp 77. georgiagarth/poppy @malsrp 78. glassbaldwin/robin @ahoy-dingus 79. greysonrutherford/dmitry @malsrp 80. griffin/riaan @malsrp 81. gryphontrent/sascha @malsrp 82. hanseoul-oh/sean @jigglypuffwrites 83. harleykeener/peter @ohnosmallknives 84. harleykeener/peter @ohnosmallknives 85. harleykeener/peter @ohnosmallknives 86. harleykeener/peter @ohnosmallknives 87. harleykeener/peter @wallcrawlparker 88. harryosborn/peter @ohnosmallknives 89. harryosborn/peter @ohnosmallknives 90. harryosborn/peter @ohnosmallknives 91. harryosborn/peter @ohnosmallknives 92. harryosborn/peter @wallcrawlparker 93. hayleygold/carlos @jigglypuffwrites 94. hecate/quinn @malsrp 95. hecate/venus @malsrp 96. iangallagher/mickey @glassmenagerieofmuses 97. iangallagher/mickey @malsrp 98. ianto&iefanmumbles/leon @malsrp 99. ianton&iefanmumbles/leon @malsrp 100. illyiadbarakan/kit @malsrp 101. inkmarburg/bobbi @malsrp 102. issaclawson/kai @malsrp 103. ivamalone/kira @malsrp 104. ivamalone/kira @malsrp 105. ivamalone/kira @pinkestlyps 106. jacelightwood/alec @malsrp 107. jakobyellis/joshua @malsrp 108. jaxlakota/lola @malsrp 109. jeanmoreau/veronica @malsrp 110. jefferson/killian @malsrp 111. jeremiahfenrirson/mihai @malsrp 112. jettmccreightonhill/adam @tannderandthesociety 113. jettmccreightonhill/xavi @malsrp 114. jimimars/lucas @svnliqhts 115. jimmymalone/blaine @jigglypuffwrites 116. joaquindesantos/fangs @not-helpfcl 117. joaquindesantos/jughead @theheartbreakprinces 118. joaquindesantos/kevin @theheartbreakprinces 119. john&jrmurphy/felix @malsrp 120. johnmurphy/bellamy @malsrp 121. jonsnow/robb @dangerousbeasts 122. joshwheeler/wesley @strawbcrryfanta 123. jrmurphy/felix @malsrp 124. jugheadjones&sweetpea/joaquin @malsrp 125. jugheadjones/archie @theheartbreakprinces 126. jugheadjones/archie @theheartbreakprinces 127. jugheadjones/joaquin @malsrp 128. jumpcutjones/archie @malsrp 129. kelleenacrighton/clarke @malsrp 130. kelleenacrighton/tabitha @malsrp 131. keriannagraves/xavi @malsrp 132. keriannegraves/april @jigglypuffwrites 133. kerryholt/caleb @malsrp 134. kitrook/ty @malsrp 135. kostiakomtrikru/lexa @malsrp 136. Lavrentycomescu/nora @beaconwhores 137. lilahsanderson/ava @malsrp 138. lorelaivierra/isis @malsrp 139. lorelaivierra/lola @malsrp 140. lykaiosgodfrey/jude @malsrp 141. lyriaofleah/caty @malsrp 142. madriganhatter/kam @malsrp 143. magnusbane/alec @malsrp 144. makenakysely/shane @malsrp 145. matildazolnerowich/corey @malsrp 146. mikaelawhistler/dorian @wickcdcreations 147. mileso'shaughnessy/hephaestus @galahadsrp 148. mileso'shaughnessy/joaquin @malsrp 149. moosemason/kevin @theheartbreakprinces 150. nathanielspooner/casey @malsrp 151. niabradbury/rory @ovcrtly-sexual 152. nickscratch/harvey @dangerousbeasts 153. nova/phoenix @malsrp 154. nova/phoenix @malsrp 155. nova/phoenix @malsrp 156. pamelaisley/harley @malsrp 157. pawcavanagh/mackenzie @malsrp 158. peilanisalvatore/kade @pinkestlyps 159. peterburke/neal @malsrp 160. peterhale/liam @malsrp 161. peterparker/bucky @ofmenofsins 162. peterparker/wade @bootymaster-420 163. peterparker/wade @bootymaster-420 164. philippearson/trevor @jigglypuffwrites  165. philippearson/trevor @jigglypufwrites  166. pollyrise/isis @malsrp 167. prudencenight/sabrina @malsrp 168. quentin&quinlancruikshanks/carmen @pynkcandiies 169. quentincoldwater/eliot @malsrp  170. radovanzivkovic/noah @svnliqhts 171. ravenreyes/octavia @malsrp 172. ravenreyes/octavia@malsrp 173. raylanbernice/spencer @malsrp 174. reggiemantle/jughead @theheartbreakprinces 175. remingtongoldwyn-mayer/arlan @malsrp 176. remingtongoldwyn-mayer/arlan @malsrp 177. remingtongoldwyn-mayer/arlan @malsrp 178. renaddington/taylor @malsrp 179. revolver/blake @malsrp 180. rikovelli/shayne @malsrp 181. roankomazgeda/clark @canonbcys 182. romangodfrey/peter @malsrp 183. rooksmith/kade @pinkestlyps 184. rooksmith/river @tabboboys4u 185. rooksmith/xavi @malsrp 186. rosaleelette/celeste @malsrp 187. rosaleelette/mia @malsrp 188. sam&sebshankarov/logan @tcnebris 189. sam&sebshankarov/robert @maleshaven 190. samosetavanyu/rout @jigglypuffwrites 191. scottmccall/isaac @not-helpfcl 192. sebastianmichaelis/ciel @malsrp 193. shelbykiyaya/ilia @malsrp 194. simonlewis/jace @dangerousbeasts 195. simonlewis/jace @jigglypuffwrites 196. spotconlon/race @malsrp 197. stanrotor/michael @fxxlssxcxld 198. steffenvigo/jericho @malsrp 199. steffenvigo/jericho @malsrp 200. steveharrington/jonathan @drkrooms 201. stevejinks/claude @malsrp 202. stevewinchell/french @aprilxblooms 203. stevewinchell/french @aprilxblooms 204. stevewinchell/french @jigglypuffwrites 205. stevewinchell/french @jigglypuffwrites 206. stirlingargent/joshua @malsrp 207. stirlingargent/laurie @cvntboisandfems4u 208. sweetpea/jughead @not-helpfcl 209. switchmckenna/blair @malsrp 210. switchmckenna/blair @malsrp 211. tammythompson/robin @ahoy-dingus 212. teasaidhaddams/daemon @jigglypuffwrites 213. templetonpeck/murdock @malsrp 214. theoraeken/louis @tannerandthesociety 215. theoraeken/micah @malsrp 216. tigtrager/abel @sonsoftheking 217. tobiasbourne/kam @malsrp 218. tonymonroe/silas @assfcrdays 219. tonystonem/maxxie @malsrp 220. turbopokaski/wesley @strawbcrryfanta 221. wadewilson/peter @wallcrawlparker 222. walkersimon/beau @malsrp 223. weiryncernonnus/eoin @malsrp 224. willherondale/jem @malsrp 225. wolfgangbogdanow/alcide @ofmenofsins 226. yukimusume/eva @malsrp 227. yukimusume/eva @malsrp 228. zinaidakuznetsova/xavi @malsrp 229. zylafolsom/zoe @malsrp 230. loganhowlett/victor @ofmenofsins

Starters for me to do

Sicario Montoya for @theownerslove

Eddie Brock for @spiderprodigy

Billy Hargrove for @femmantics

Ian Gallagher for @sarcasiisms

Eddie Brock for @speedsterandweedster

Paul Tristan for @theheartbreakprinces

Peter Hale for @theheartbreakprinces

Jon Snow for @theheartbreakprinces

Robin Locksley for @ranodo

Tate Harrington for @everlcstinq

Carl Grimes for @everlcstinq

Carl Grimes for @spiderprodigy

Ron Anderson for @everlcstinq

Randall Carpio for @fvckingmagic

Morbid Kitchell for @malsrp

Dove Finch for @malsrp

Dove French for @diviinitism

Dove Finch for @dangerousbeasts

Dove Finch for @rebellhearted

Cherokee Cash for @theheartbreakprinces

Billy Hargrove for @h010type

Billy Hargrove for @halefirewarrior

Roman Godfrey for @maleshaven

Javan Bengal for @ranodo

Peter Parker for @abreedoftheirown

Fabien Mariani for @touchfelt

Theo Raeken for @hunksrps

wishlist plotting to do

This [x] With @softghostboy

This [x] With @stxrdvstt 

I also have a list of older threads that I’m going to add to my tracker and see if an are my turn. I’ll be crossing things out as I do them, rather than deleting them. I’ll add them to the tracker as I get them posted. 

[cj-rhodes]

the hunt.

rhodes family thread || ft : @jonahrhodes, @rhodescooks, @julianxrhodes, @luisb-rhodes, @annabellerhodes-x, @calxrhodes, @aurorarhodes. written by: amanda, lindsey, erika, dianne & mel. what: multiple pov’s surrounding the same hunt. when: december 2017. 

a preamble.

Rory had just woken from a bender around one in the afternoon when she saw the text from CJ claiming she got new intel on the whereabouts of their mother. Every time Rory heard that there was new information she would get her hopes up just for them to be crushed in the end when they came to a dead end. After verifying the legitimacy of this information from CJ and that it would be the entire family going out, Rory sobered up quickly so she could be on her A game if anything were to go down.

CJ didn’t need more time, more prep, more anything and she knew her siblings felt the same. They needed to take action. To find the people who’d taken their mother. The Ouroboros. They needed to find her. It had been two months and no answers so even the slightest bit of information, well, that wasn’t nothing. CJ contacted her siblings, still not in the best way since her scuffle with the original. The eldest Rhodes told them the intel she had and then they were off.

part one.

As they drove up in two separate cars, Rory remained silent only replying with one-worded answers here and there. She was mentally exhausted and felt like she was on her last fumes, but she also knew that she couldn’t slack whatsoever – her life and those of her siblings depended on it. Having a general plan in place and each of their specific roles in place, when they arrived at the location there was no one present or any sign of their mother to be found. Frustration setting in for the youngest Rhodes, all she wanted to do was go back home to a gun range and shoot up a bunch of things. It was only then that they ended up near the outskirts of Catskill Mountains were supposedly a large group of rogue vampires had kidnapped civilians from a nearby town, using them as their feeding trays. With the Ouroboros nowhere in sight to relinquish their animosity upon, these vampires were the next best thing.

Shutting the engines of both cars, they gathered behind the trunks unloading their weapons and tech as CJ and Jonah gave out orders on how to execute the plan. Luis, Cal, Sydney, and Annabelle were the scouts on the east and west side of the warehouse. CJ and Jonah were the leads taking the main entrance, and Rory and Julian would be the eyes in the sky hiding in the trees surrounding the building. Once everyone agreed to the plan, each of them took their position; with Julian and Rory each scaled their own tree about 15 feet from one another.

The drive was several hours upstate but the time was spent in silence for CJ. They stopped a mile or so away from the suspected location of the warehouse and went the rest of the way on foot. Once they were able to see it, scanning the exterior, they could see there was movement but something was off. They weren’t the Ouroboros. There were vampires and humans. From her vantage point it was clear to see there were a group of humans being ushered into the warehouse. Blood bags. CJ clenched her jaw in displeasure and nodded to Jonah. They’d take point. They usually always did, delegating tasks in the way that seemed to work best for the Rhodes family– each each other’s pair which meant that it when paired with any of them, they were still stronger. So her siblings began to scout and she whispered to Jonah in an almost inaudible tone but knew he’d hear all the same, “they all die.” The vampires. There was no redemption in killing innocent humans. Not in CJ’s book. Tonight would be a bloodbath but it wouldn’t be their own.

Even with his layers, Jonah was still cold. He didn’t mind the snow when he was inside but it was a whole different story when he had to stand in it. He knew that wouldn’t matter once the fight started. His adrenaline would heat him up. He observed the warehouse and watched his siblings run off to their different positions. CJ’s and his plan was full proof. But they never know how the vampires would react, so there was still room for plenty of things to go wrong. He took a step toward CJ hoping there would be warmth in numbers. While waiting for Luís, Cali, Sydney, and Annabelle to come back, Jonah watched the warehouse, looking for vantage points or things that would be helpful to remember if they ended up fighting. He knew his siblings would come back with more detailed information, but he wanted a gauge of the building. 

It was dark and cold, but nothing would stop a Rhodes from following a lead and gaining justice on those that harmed innocents. The lead on their mother turned out to be a dead end that frustrated Annabelle to no end, if she were being honest. She felt lost without seeing her mother milling around the department, or nagging her over something trivial. Not that her mother nagged a lot, but she still missed seeing her around. She still felt empty. The huntress ran a hand through her hair before exhaling a silent breath. But the lead also led to this warehouse full of vampires. She had been itching for a good hunt to be honest, something to keep her mind off all of the bullshit going on.

“There is a door here on the east, guarded by 3 vamps,” Anna told Syd as she continued to look around, she got an affirmed nod from the older male out of the corner of her eye. “Two just went around the back, so safe to say there’s probably an entrance there,” she said, keeping track of every vamp she could see on their side and knew they were in for a long night. She was ready for it. Her hands were a little twitchy and she could see her breath every time she exhaled. Anna heard Syd say something about a couple more vamps before suggesting that they grouped back up with the others to move in. The fun was about to begin.

Fingers spread to hold the band secure as Calypso wound it tightly around her hair, now positioned in a tail. Her gear was thick enough to shield her from the cold but thin enough for her to be able to move freely. Leaving the meeting point, she moved with Luís knowing fully well what their tasks were: scout the west side of the warehouse gauging the amount of enemies, the amount of entrances and exits and scout out vantage points. She remained silent, not wanting to tip off any close by hostiles. Instead if and when Luís spoke she simply looked at him, shaking her head or nodding to acknowledge she heard his words and her reply to them. She could hear the distant chatter from their targets, unaware of the fact their lives would end that night. One entrance point was cleared out by the two siblings, moving swiftly and without making any sound, taking two vampires by surprise that strayed into their paths. A fact of which she signaled to Julian and Rory, letting them know that part of the westside was secure. Once they had made sure they had everything they needed to know, down to the smallest of detail did they return.

Jonah let out a sigh of his relief as he saw his siblings returning. He listened intently as they explained what they’d found and the layout of the building. Jonah had been disappointed when they’d discovered their mom wasn’t there (he shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up in the first place). Still, he was glad something he could fight was there. He was itching for a fight; it would be a great way to release his ever growing tension and anger. He felt for his knife, making sure it was easily accessible and he focused on the feelings of the rest of the weapons hidden on his figure. Jonah was ready.

part 2.

Once Anna and Syd got back with the rest of their siblings they waited for Rory and Julian to get into their vantage points before moving in. It was silent and swift as she and Syd came up on the east side. She was the first to engage, maybe a little bit to eager to get into the fighting. It was like muscle memory for her, she and Syd worked in sync completely just as she did with all of her siblings. That was the benefit of their blessing, of being completely bonded. The first vamp was down in the matter of seconds just as Syd took down the second one. Another group came from around the back and in the distance she could hear her other siblings taking down their own enemies.

Jonah wished he could say he charged in the warehouse with guns blazing, but that hadn’t been in the plan. He snuck in stealthily; they had to get the jump on the vampires. A genuine smile had crept up on his face. As he entered the building, he pulled out a knife and cut off the head of the nearest vampire. Now that the hunters’ presences were known, he began channeling the strength of his siblings. The power surged through his veins. He relished in the enhanced strength. He sliced through vampires easily, feeling invisible, unstoppable. He focused on his stress over the past month and he channeled it into each swing of the blade. A vampire tried to sneak up on him, but with the speed of eight hunters, he swung his arm in an arch and listened to the thud as the head feel to the ground. He never relished in the kill, knowing there were more vampires to take care of.

He was fighting a particularly skilled vampire. As Jonah tried to stab him, he knocked the knife out of his hand and knocked Jonah to the ground. More vampires piled on top of Jonah, and while he tried to roll away, one grabbed his knife and stabbed him in the right thigh. Jonah bit back a scream, which proved not to be too challenging as he felt the pain diffuse away to his siblings. Still, the vampires had took advantage of Jonah’s pain to pin his arms down so he couldn’t reach for his gun. As one was about to bite him, it was shot through the heart. Jonah would have to remember to thank Rory later. He ripped the knife out of his leg with a wince and jabbed the blade into the neck of one of the vampires. He was outnumbered until Calypso ran over to his aid. Once they’d disposed of the vampires attacking him, she held out her hand and hoisted Jonah up. He patted her arm and shook his leg out. His leg felt as though he’d fallen and scraped it not like he’d just been stabbed.

As everyone signaled they were in position and ready to go, Rory watched steadily from her scope as her siblings moved in on the warehouse. Taking care of Jonah, Sydney and Annabelle on the east side of the building, Rory fired a few shots at her sibling’s blind spots, dropping several vampires in their path. All was well until the three came around a bend, with Jonah in the lead and a large group of vampires were on the opposite side. Firing as many headshots with Invictus, Rory felt a sudden sharp throbbing pain in her right thigh, grasping at her leg for all of a moment to see through the scope that Jonah had been overtaken by four vampires and one had sliced at his thigh with his knife. Ignoring the pain and the pounding sensation of blood flowing to the site, she took several more shots taking down the vamps that had surrounded her brother with Octavius.

Once her siblings returned with the layout and numbers CJ knew it would be a lot but they were a stonewall when they fought together. Impenetrable. Unshakeable. But there was a part of her that knew they were still incomplete. All eight of them were because Oliver was missing. He was the piece that would never be filled. And if anything it was that thought, along with the thought of finding their mother after this shit show that propelled CJ forward with her other siblings and it wasn’t long before the vampires were aware they were under attack. If she could’ve seen herself, CJ knew her eyes would be carrying that distinct white glow they did when she fought with her siblings. They were all angels of death tonight. Weapons wielded with such power drawn from each other. CJ’s sai blades were soon coated in blood and guts, slicing through vampire after vampire as they swarmed her and Jonah, her and Annabelle, her and Cal, they were fighting back to back and then switching, back to back and switching. Because they fought together seamlessly. Luís was beside her and she shifted behind him in time for to stab a vampire as he cut off their head.

Not a moment later did another group of fifteen vampires spot Rory and Julian in the trees. Avoiding the gunshots that fired up at the tree, Rory was able to scale her way back down with both guns in tow, firing with her handgun that was attached to her thigh. As she landed onto the ground, she dropped down swiftly, blocking a lunge from a vamp with her legs, and slicing at their jugular with her hunting knives. As they surrounded her, she took them on, several at a time until, one knocked the air right out of her, forcing her onto her back, and breathing over her. She was able to kick back and flip them over shooting them cleanly in the head, but with the piercing ringing from the shot, Rory didn’t react quickly enough to another one lurching at her with canine teeth in sight as it leeched onto her arm, taking a massive bite. Rory let out an ear piercing scream, for only the vampire to rip their teeth from her skin, her bloodstream being spelled with vervain and she gripped her arm, sliding backwards on the ground as the rest of them came for. Trying to pull her gun before her, several gunshots came her way with the vampire dropping in a heap in front of her. From behind them came Julian, who gave her a hand pulling her up from the ground as they stood back to back, killing off the rest that came their way.

Anna was engaging with a vamp who was a little quicker than the others, she vaguely heard Syd shout at her to get down and she turned to see a vamp lunge at her. Only he didn’t reach his goal because before she knew it a bullet went through his skull and he dropped to the ground. She inwardly thanked Julian and Rory for having her back like that. The vamp that she’d been attacking initially tried to take advantage of her distraction, but Anna swiped her blade from her thigh and embedded it in its chest, right in the heart and yanked it out. She had splatters of blood on her face and she winced as she felt a sharp pain on her arm. Her stomach lurched slightly, knowing that one of her siblings had gotten bit, but it would have felt much worse had one of them died. She knew they were going to be okay.

The fight had started as swiftly as could be. Calypso’s sword in a gloved hand, one of her daggers finding it’s target in someone’s chest before all hell broke loose. She heard the swinging of swords and daggers, gunshots from afar and close taking out hostiles that charged at them with inhuman speed. The siblings were prepared, experts when talking about vampires. Calypso chose her targets, finding clear entry points to take them out and keep herself out of harm’s way. Others required creativity, and it was where her dexterity and flexibility came in handy. Sweeping low, kicking down a large vampire fighting with Luís so he could go for the kill. A smaller vampire, one protecting himself from being staked, planning to attack her sister. Hands were clutching his shoulders, swinging herself over him so that she had him back to back, pulling him down so that Annabelle had a clear chance at piercing his heart.

The Huntress became restless, eager to move in though did not voice her reasons, she simply waited for instructions by the eldest two, sharing what she and Luís had found and seen, including the vampire bodies they had hidden out of sight, listening to Sydney and Annabelle for their own finding. It wouldn’t take long before the other vampires would know their comrades were gone, or perhaps they were already looking. But her siblings didn’t dwell on waiting and once they went in as a group, Calypso felt safe nevertheless, knowing they were in good hands by Julian and Rory that stayed behind and have their backs.

The body had barely dropped on the ground when Calypso felt her leg being pierced, but as she examined didn’t see anything that would have caused it. Illuminating eyes searched, spotting Jonah to be in trouble. She didn’t act, her sword into her brother’s attacker’s chest, lodging it between ribs. The pain in her leg began to subside, but her attention was pulled away by two pair of hands dragging her down. A set of jaws came dangerously close, held at bay by her hand pressed against cold flesh, holding a chin firmly in her hand while the other was swinging punches. Blood spattered, a bullet lodging into the attempting biter, causing it to drop to the ground while CJ came to her rescue with the other vampire. She swung her hand, grabbing that of her sister who pulled her up. She’d thank her later, for the fight wouldn’t stop for her to say her thanks. Fists were raised, defending herself with her lower arms and throwing punches, switching enemies with Jonah halfway through. She always preferred fighting with her sword, taken with her after her brother’s death instead of with fights, and as if he could read her mind she caught the Wudang sword thrown to her by Jonah so that she could impale the vampire she had worked to the ground.

A moment of solitary, looking for another target when flesh was shred from Calypso’s arm, along with a gunshot lodging itself in pavement-- or so it felt like. Momentary worry spread through her bones, reassuring herself that Julian would protect Rory while they fought on.

CJ threw her sai blade at another, the magical weight of it preventing them from getting up as Annabelle stabbed their heart, staking them through. Shots rang out around her, precisely landing their targets as Rory and Julian covered them from their vantage points in the tree. There was a type of peace CJ could feel when she was fighting with her siblings, more so than when she fought on her own. Then she only felt rage. An anger that had been boiling since she was a girl, stolen from her home. But right now there was only this– the feeling of synchronization and rhythm until she felt a sharp pain on her thigh and she felt it grow damp with what could only be blood. Sharp eyes scanned the chaotic area, searching for which sibling had been wounded before seeing Jonah swarmed.

She almost went to him when she saw Cal finish off the vampire. So CJ kept fighting, sweat causing her hair to cling to her temple as she collected her sai from another body, going through vampires like butter when she felt a skin tear open on her forearm and she knew that, once more, a sibling as hurt. She saw her others around her reacting the same, it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been spread over eight but she knew it was a bitch. And that whichever sibling was feeling it directly knew that. It didn’t matter though because it wasn’t fatal and while she wanted to make sure the others were okay, she didn’t see any directly hurt so she knew it was either Julian or Rory and either would have each other’s back.

Jonah was fighting alongside his siblings when he felt a burning sensation on his left arm like his skin was being ripped open. When he spared a glance at his arm, he saw bite marks on his arm. He winced not only at the pain but at the thought of one of his siblings getting injured, yet he was thankful he was right handed. The injury didn’t deter him as the vampires dropped like flies. While some vampires landed blows on him or knocked him around, they didn’t really do any damage besides impaling him with the knife. They were no match for the Rhodes, especially when all eight of them were together.

part 3.

At the last of the vampires that attacked the two, she was heaving in pure exhaustion, winded, not having hunted to that caliber in such a long time. As Rory sat in the back of the trunk patching up her forearm, she watched as the rest of her siblings pulled the vampires bodies into a heap, lighting them up to ignite the night, while taking care of those who’ve been spelled there as a feeding source. Taking a seat in the back of the car, the youngest Rhodes didn’t help to make sure everyone else was okay. She was done and simply couldn’t do it anymore. Closing her eyes the entire ride home, she ignored the questions and comments of her siblings only desiring to be in the solitude of her apartment and laying in her bed.

Finally the last of the vamps was slain, Annabelle heard her sister calling for them and she helped Syd drag the bodies to the pile that was forming in front of the warehouse. A job well done in her book. Once Julian and Rory rejoined them, they all helped the victims out of the warehouse and looked over their wounds, helping to stop the bleeding. Someone stepped away to call the sheriff’s department and Anna wiped her face off with the sleeve of her leather jacket. God she needed a shower. “Alright, let’s move out,” she heard one of her siblings say and they dispersed as sirens were heard coming straight towards the warehouse. The vamps were burning in a bonfire and she knew they’d be a pile of ash by the time the cops got to the victims.

Heavy breaths escaped her lips, smoke arising in the air that disappeared within a fragment of a second. Calypso wiped her sword, a habit of something she always did, before she sheathed it in the scabbard on her back. “Are you okay?” She asked Jonah, a folly question but one she had to ask anyway, examining the wound on his leg for a moment. Only then did they make their way to helping the others piling the bodies with Sydney, retrieving the daggers she had used throughout the fight and making sure every one of them were staked. Once the bodies were burning, incinerating into ashes did she turn her attention back to the wounded two, taking a look at the wounds she had to made sure would be treated as soon as they made it to Sanctuary, regardless of the fact they had stopped bleeding.

Jonah admired the flames reaching towards the sky as they burned the bodies. His leg had been wrapped as had his arm, but he hadn’t felt this alive since Halloween. Hunting was his element; there was nothing better for him. He still felt the adrenaline pulsing through his veins and he relished in it. They had patched the victims up the best they could and called the sheriff. He knew it was about time for them to return home but he didn’t want to. Jonah wanted to freeze this moment, and the feelings forever. In the time they were fighting, he’d forgotten about all the bad that had befallen them in the recent past and he was in a state of euphoria. He was immensely proud of the work they had done today. The world was slightly safer now because of them. Fighting with all his siblings reminded him how grateful he was to be part of the Rhodes clan.

How much longer the fight lasted, CJ couldn’t say, all she knew was that at the end they were the ones standing and the vampires were around them with the humans huddled in the corner, covered in blood, bites and bruises. They did their best to help them but many needed proper medical attention for the “animal” attack they’d suffered. The Rhodes called a contact in the sheriff’s department a few towns from where they were and knew they’d arrive shortly. She gave Julian a questioning look when he and Rory entered the warehouse, sniper rifles in tow. He shook his head at himself, jerking a chin toward Rory and she gave her youngest sister a quick once over. She and Jonah were fine. 

The eight of them were in proximity enough that they could syphon each other’s wounds, lessening the burden for everyone. “Pile them up on the opposite end. You guys stay clear of it.” She instructed the shaking humans. There wasn’t much to be done for them but what the Rhodes could do they did, which, right now, was getting them the help they needed. As the vampire’s corpses began to burn, sirens sounded in the distance which was their cue to leave. The eldest Rhodes took one last look at the pile of burning bodies and offered the humans as assuring a smile as she could muster (which wasn’t much) but they were alright. They hadn't found their mother. She was still loss to them but they’d saved others tonight. They’d upheld their purpose once more.