#v.joan. main

[galacticforces]

"There is no happy ending. You know that, surely?"

[[continued from [ x ] with @ourcwnside

Confusion flashed across blue eyes as Aziraphale canted his head at her. His usual smile had dimmed a bit, though not yet faded entirely. No happy endings? Perhaps not for everyone---such was the ineffable nature of things---and Aziraphale may have privately believed that there was no happy ending waiting for him, personally. But did she really believe they didn't exist at all? How It was terribly sad.

"Surely you don't really believe that?"

She smiled back sadly, then looked down for a moment. "It's all just stories. It would be lovely, of course, but love... it fades. It's dangerous. People don't actually ever get happily ever after with their true love--the best anyone can hope for is just to find someone safe that they like well enough. Someone they can respect, and if they're lucky, who respects them in turn." She shrugged. "Chasing after a happy ending is what gets people hurt by those they care about most."

[galacticforces]

"You realize now that if he goes to try to talk to me there, he's going to just about lose his mind?" And though she didn't blame Morse for lying, she did care about Jim's general well-being. Ultimately, though, it was out of her hands, and he was a grown man, capable of making his own decisions.

Joan sighed and closed her eyes to try to remember, and described as much as she could of the men she'd gotten a look at, including the voice of one of them. "They'd done this before, or at least something similar. They were coordinated. Like military, maybe. No hesitation over involving me, that's for sure, and they knew right when to attack. And they did blindfold me, though it was easy enough to shrug off with the help of the tree, so I only really saw the beginning. I'm sorry it's not more--would've been handy if I were a pickpocket and I could just hand you their identification."

She swallowed the last of the liquid in her glass with a grimace, then stood and (after a wince over her ankle) held out her hands to him. "Time for bed, I think."

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

Joan looked at him doubtfully. Playing dumb, almost certainly, but one never could tell with men. "There." She nodded at him. "Left behind, watching them go. Wishing they saw you how you saw them. Not saying anything because maybe then they wouldn't come back." She stirred her drink, then looked down at it, a little miserably. "I wish I could say it gets easier."

"I've been there too a few times." ~galacticforces, Joan ((after she's observed the two of them in a public place and one of them walks away, apparently with no clue abouf just how the other one is staring after them))

1989 Starters @galacticforces

Slowly, Crowley's head turned towards the table nearest his at the little cafe's outdoor patio, one eyebrow arched high about his unusually dark glasses. A young woman, one he had certainly never spoke to before, and yet she had somehow felt it appropriate to chime in with...whatever that remark was.

"Been where, exactly?" he asked dryly.

[galacticforces]

"It's terrible," she said dryly, then, after only a second's pause, she turned and leaned, and without forcing him to look away from the road, kissed his cheek. Then she sat back down like nothing had happened. "It'll be alright; I'll live." And that was a wonderful thing, all on its own. "This was all very stupid though, just so you know. I bet you could've had half the force out here, if you'd slowed down enough to think of it." She smiled though, and hoped it softened the criticism.

She was deliberately avoiding thinking, because what exactly was she supposed to think about? The expense of cancelling the wedding? What it meant that she was relieved by it? Why she just felt the need to kiss Morse? That could be explained easily enough as just a grateful or relieved gesture, but unfortunately, she knew herself better than that. "Where are we going to go?" Her not-thoughts had circled back to how obviously in-danger Morse was now. "Not home, certainly. They'd know to look for you there."

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

It was the most they'd ever touched. That overrode nearly everything in her brain for a moment. He must have seen the swelling from her twisted ankle, but his arm around her felt almost like the hug she still wanted so badly, and she leaned into it gratefully, at least while she steadied herself and got used to putting weight on the sore joint.

"I can walk. Running might prove a problem, but I'll pull through if it becomes necessary. You have backup, at least, yes?" Knowing him, he probably didn't, which was terrifying. "Because you're not allowed to die, Morse. I don't give you permission." She realized quickly how childish that made her sound, but she couldn't take it back, and she didn't truly want to.

Joan moved as soon as he indicated it was time to do so and she ignored the pain in favor of getting to safety. "They could just as easily be waiting back at your car for you."

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

They'd better be facing consequences together, because there were going to be a hell of a lot of them, and she'd thrown everything in with Morse. Her parents were moving away, her brother was ... Well, he was moving with them, but more importantly, he was a wreck. Her ex-fiance has just been left nearly at the altar, and would be rightfully furious at the both of them. It was good he was likely to be moving too, but Joan had burned some bridges. Even some of her closest friends were going to judge and hate her for doing this, and Morse... Well. His friends were likely to be worse. They'd paint him as the villain who swooped in and stole another man's fianceé, as though she were merely property to be owned or stolen at a man's leisure.

She smiled, just a little, and though she was still breathing unevenly from her fit of tears, it was easy enough to brush it off then with a wet laugh and a glance down and back up. "You said it earlier--there's no sense in worrying about could have beens." She paused, just to look at him and wonder at how incredibly lovely he was, then she hugged him tightly again. "I don't suppose you've got anything stronger than tea? It's been a terror of a day."

It was after the first sip of whiskey that the telephone rang. "You don't have to answer it. I'm sure you know... You don't have to, is all. You don't always have to be the perfectly honorable hero."

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

Joan had screamed herself hoarse for what felt like hours, calling out in the hopes that someone would hear her and help. Or at least call the police, who would send someone. Of course, when no one came and her own efforts to get free proved just as futile as they had at the start, it left her with plenty of time to think. She didn't know who had kidnapped her, of course, but she could guess that it had something to do with whatever her father had gotten caught up in recently. Maybe it was something to do with her brother--he certainly hadn't been living on the straight and narrow as of late, and it was possible he had debts. Regardless, either option meant this was likely to be a trap.

After swirling that thought around for long enough, she'd almost determined to stay quiet and not let anyone find her so as to not help whoever had set this up, but then it wasn't her father's voice she finally heard. No, that was Morse. At least she thought it was.

The sound of him out here looking for her sent a sharp and painful sort of fear through her. She hadn't a clue what was going on then, if it was him. And if it was him... She dropped that line of thinking before it could drag her down further into the achy mess of hopes and feelings she had about him.

"Here! Over here!" And then, for good measure, "Be careful!" Joan called out to him as he got closer and closer, until she actually saw him, and then she let her eyes close with relief.

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

She reached awkwardly for the door handle, then swung it open to reveal herself, not even half-dressed, sitting on the edge of the bath with his first aid supplies spread out around her. She was dabbing one of her scrapes with iodine.

Joan had cleaned up a bit, using a wash towel to wipe away most of the dirt and grime, but some spots had certainly been missed, and her hair hadn't been such a hopeless tangle since she'd stopped climbing trees as a child.

"If you can't call me by my given name now, you're a lost cause," she said lightly, only glancing up before going back to what she was doing. "I'll put things back when I'm done--hope you don't mind. I think my ankle will be alright with some ice and rest, actually." She hoped, at least.

Joan set the iodine aside again and looked up at him properly. "I'm sorry for this. I didn't- I didn't mean for it to get so serious with Jim in the first place. I certainly didn't mean to put you in such an awful situation. But I have done now, and I'm sorry for that."

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

"Well," she responded, smiling teasingly. "I trust you'll do your duty and make every effort." She took a large swallow before she set the glass aside and scooted comfortably up to Morse's side. She planted her elbow on the back of the couch by his head so she could lean her cheek into her hand. "And when he does come for you, I'll be sure to stand in the way so he can't harm your poor face. Frankly, you've had plenty of head injuries already--enough to last a lifetime, I'd think." She stroked his cheek affectionately.

Jim didn't and wouldn't forgive her for anything, of course. If she did go back to him now, he'd resent her for tonight's events till the day he died. Still, she supposed it was reasonable that he was floundering, looking for any way to avoid suffering through this disastrous change to his plans, anything to soothe the shocking pain of his heartbreak. Joan felt terrible for how little of that pain she felt herself, but it was hard to dwell on it while she was looking at Morse.

"Taking me back to my flat, are you?" she continued, changing the subject slightly. That was easily the most amusing part of what she'd heard. "Because if you are taking me home tonight, I'm going to have to insist that you stay with me. I wouldn't want to be unprotected if those kidnappers returned."

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

Joan could see him battling with his own emotions. She could see him falter, and deliberately avoid looking her way, and she was sure she saw him silence himself--a slight tightening of his lips, like he'd decided very firmly not to say whatever he'd wanted to. It felt as though he'd been doing that for the entire time of their acquaintance. It was only fair, given she'd been doing much the same.

She let him have his silence. Just, "It's very much like you," and then she was quiet too, all the way until they reached his home. It was pleasantly different from the residence she'd seen him in the last time she'd taken him up on his hospitality, if only for a few minutes. Her heart ached just to think of that encounter, but that whole year had been tainted with the most awful feelings, and heartache was one of the lesser of them.

She let him help her out of the car, hissing when she put weight back on her injured ankle. She hobbled inside with him as a support, but before he could help her to a seat, she stopped him. She just stopped, right there in his little sitting space, all her weight on her left foot and her hand on his arm, and she stared up at his face.

He wasn't going to do it. Not ever. She could see that now, but between the pain and the relief and the letdown from the adrenaline that had fueled their escape... she wasn't content with it. Not nearly as much as she'd convinced herself she was. So she looked up at him, and she wet her lips with a quick dart of her tongue, and then she pulled him down by his lapels, close enough that her intentions were obvious, though she didn't actually press her lips to his--not yet.

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

It shouldn't be so surprising, that he's been holding himself at this distance so purposefully, but it was. It was a surprise, because how could he not have said anything before? How could he have ignored all of her hinting, and all of the opportunities, if he'd been so sure of his desire? How could he have such enormous self-control?

She couldn't deny, though, that his restraint had been part of his charm. "No one's ever said that you'd need to stop, have they?"

She let him take over, and, after a moment of staring at him, she let herself be lured in by the call of him again. Messy as it was now, his hair was beautiful, and she touched gently at first before combing her fingers through it.

"Were you in love with me all that time ago?" she asked softly. "When you asked me?" She didn't think she needed to specify what question she was referring to. "I wish you'd said. I thought- Well. You know what I thought. But I wish I'd known."

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

Joan cupped his cheek and tilted his face up enough to kiss him again, soft and gentle and grateful, then she laid her head down on his shoulder while he finished up.

"In the interest of fairness..." She swallowed, but he deserved to know. If he'd been pining after her all this time, he deserved to know that she'd been almost as bad. "I've been trying to nudge you into asking me for a date since you first turned up at our door. I only- I only agreed to go with Jim because I'd just about given up on you. I thought- I thought your best friend might be enough to stir up a little jealousy, if you had any feelings for me--that it might get you to finally say something. And then when you didn't..." She shrugged. "Well. I did give up hope. And at least with Jim I'd still get to see you."

It was embarrassing to lay it out like that. It sounded so terribly pathetic. "I haven't a clue what I'm meant to tell him now though. The truth, I suppose, though it makes me out to be a monster."

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

Trust him. Trust him, as though she'd ever had a thought not to, as though he hadn't saved her life before, and as though she didn't already possess absolute faith in his ability to do it again. It was notable, wasn't it, that it was him here and not her fiance? Jim was Morse's best friend, to hear him tell it, and yet the pair of them hardly spent time together anymore. Certainly not around her. And Morse hadn't thought to call him in when Joan was in danger? Surely, anyone else would have placed this right in Jim Strange's hands. Joan knew her fiance at least well enough to say this for certain: he wasn't going to appreciate being left out of the loop.

It wasn't particularly helpful, really, to have her arm around his shoulders. All she needed to do was step carefully, and she could do that almost as easily without his support. But that would involve stepping away, and she couldn't bear to reinsert that terrible distance when she'd finally just been granted this closeness. And when his inaction had revealed such an enticing path to possibilities in him.

"I trust you to protect me. What I don't trust is that you'll take care of yourself." She paused to let that settle, then amid the crunching of their steps and the soft sound of their breathing, she said, "Morse..." quiet and curious and hopeful. Then she shook her head. Later. When they got out of here. When they weren't trying to be quick and stealthy and aware of their surroundings. "Just focus on the heroics, hmm? I don't need comforting too."

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

When the gunshot rang out, she flinched so violently that she almost fell, terrified. She didn't have to be told twice to run. It hurt, of course, and she was certainly doing more damage to her ankle, but she ran.

It was a struggle to keep up with Morse and his long legs, though, and several times, she found herself tripping up and squeezing his hand more tightly as he pulled her along. Credit where credit was due, though--they didn't get shot. Not even when more bangs rung out through the trees toward them.

She wanted to look back, because if she didn't know where the bullets were coming from, how could she dodge? But of course she wouldn't really be able to dodge anyway, so between the tripping and her heavy breathing and that knowledge, she resisted the desire. All the way until they were out of the trees and, because fate could be terribly cruel, she fell properly, ripping her hand out of his by the simple facts of gravity and anxious sweat.

She looked then. How could she not? Scrambling up backwards, she looked, and she didn't even see anything helpful; it just slowed her down.

Back on her feet, her ankle screaming in hot, horrible pain, she felt a glimmer of inappropriate relief. They'd have to delay the wedding now. Not just the bruises to cover, but now she wouldn't be able to even walk down the aisle. Sorry to the family, but there wasn't going to be a party tomorrow after all.

"In-?" she asked breathlessly, as her hands hit the side of the car. "Should I-?" And everything was too fast and too urgent for more words than that, really, when that communicated well enough what she was asking.

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

Was she alright? Not in the slightest, really, but what could she say to him about that? She huffed in a way that was almost laughter, then she pulled away from the loosened ropes and rubbed at the friction burns on her wrists. She gave him another smile, though it certainly didn't come out as reassuring as she meant it to be. "My knight in shining armour once again, it seems."

And yet he never quite played out the part. Joan rubbed a little harder at her wrists, then made some attempt to straighten her clothes, then... Well. Then she'd been quiet too long, and let herself think for too long and it all became rather overwhelming. She was meant to be married tomorrow and here she was, with Morse in the middle of the woods, a kidnapped damsel with injuries that were going to be impossible to hide.

It was quite the effort, resisting the impulse to throw her arms around him and hide her face in his shoulder, but it simply wouldn't be sensible, with the still-possible trap and all. "We should go, yes? Quickly? Just in case there's people around. Or were you out here searching for something else?"

﹙take me into your loving arms ; endeavour x joan ; for @galacticforces﹚

It was the eve of Joan Thursday's wedding.

He could not see her anywhere.

Half an hour ago, he'd received a tip-off from an anonymous caller about Joan's abduction. Now, he was searching through the woods close to Blenheim Vale, his eyes carefully scanning all around him as he walked in one direction and then another.

God, he hoped this wasn't a trap.

"Miss Thursday?" he called out, trying to ward off his anxiousness, the near silence of the woods worrying him.

Only birds could be heard, chirping away happily in the trees as the summer sun began to set.

She had to be here somewhere. Her abduction was related to the Blenheim Vale case. If she wasn't here, then where the hell was she?

[galacticforces]

She smiled wryly. "Should two people find each other? Perfectly suited people don't simply find each other, Mr. Fell. If they did, you'd be entangled, wouldn’t you? And when love strikes, it's untrustworthy. No. It's much more sensible to settle for a kind, dependable man than one whom I'm madly in love with, but will beat me or humiliate me or gamble away a life's savings at the slightest provocation."

She shook her head. "Happily ever after comes out of desperate hope. That doesn't make it true."

"There is no happy ending. You know that, surely?"

[[continued from [ x ] with @ourcwnside

Confusion flashed across blue eyes as Aziraphale canted his head at her. His usual smile had dimmed a bit, though not yet faded entirely. No happy endings? Perhaps not for everyone---such was the ineffable nature of things---and Aziraphale may have privately believed that there was no happy ending waiting for him, personally. But did she really believe they didn't exist at all? How It was terribly sad.

"Surely you don't really believe that?"

She smiled back sadly, then looked down for a moment. "It's all just stories. It would be lovely, of course, but love... it fades. It's dangerous. People don't actually ever get happily ever after with their true love--the best anyone can hope for is just to find someone safe that they like well enough. Someone they can respect, and if they're lucky, who respects them in turn." She shrugged. "Chasing after a happy ending is what gets people hurt by those they care about most."