#wilson be like “miranda i thought you were--” | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

catierambles · 2 years ago

Text

Paved with Good Intentions

Pairing: Mike x Miranda Chambers (OFC)

WC 7980 (honestly expected more as it’s 20 friggen pages in Google Docs)

Warnings: Oh jeez, Mike being an asshole, her ex being a dick, smut (sub!Mike, soft dom!Miranda)

@liecastillo @summersong69

The song I reference is this one

She sat in the college library, trying to focus on her paper but a group of friends not far off were making it difficult. They were being loud, disruptive, and generally just a nuisance. She stared daggers at them for a moment before one of them caught her eye and she looked away quickly. Of course, it had been Mike, why wouldn’t it have been Mike. She was digging her phone and headphones out to listen to music when she caught movement and looked up to see him slide into the chair across from her at the table.

“Hey.” He said.

“Hello.” She said, wondering why on earth he was over here talking to her and not with his friends.

“Miranda, right?” He asked and she nodded. “Yeah, you’re in my accounting class.” Another nod. “Listen, uh…there’s a test coming up and I’m gonna flunk it. Bad.” He said, looking down as he started tracing figures on the tabletop with a fingertip.

“Okay?” She asked.

“But, I'm hoping, maybe you could help me out.” He said, turning those blue eyes up at her. “If you could help me study for it, maybe I won’t crash and burn as badly.”

“And how do you know I’m not just as terrible at it?” She asked and he gave her a smile. Seeing his smile never failed to give her chest flutters, and it was even worse now that it was directed at her.

“Oh please, girl like you is probably good at everything.” He said and she gave him a look over the rim of her black glasses. “Please?” He drew the word out, giving her lost puppy dog eyes and she sighed.

“Fine.” She said and the smile was back.

“Sweet!” He said, and reached over, grabbing a spare sheet of paper and her pen, scribbling on it. “Here is my dorm number, I’m in the Wilson building, come by say…8 o’clock? We’ll get a jump on it.”

“Okay.” She said and he gave her another smile before leaving the table and going back over to his friends.

Miranda left her dorm at 745pm for the walk over to his building, having not bothered to change out of her t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers that she wore that day, not really seeing any need to. It was a study date, not a date date, she reminded herself for the umpteenth time, and while she didn’t bother putting on any makeup, she did admit to swiping some lightly tinted lip gloss over her lips before leaving. Mike was attractive, and he obviously knew it, flirting with almost every girl he met but she had escaped his notice, or so she had thought. He obviously had noticed her enough to remember that they were in the same class together among all the others.

A quick pause at his door to fix her hair and apply more lip gloss and she raised her hand to knock. It opened almost immediately and he fixed her in place with another smile when he saw her there. He also hadn’t changed out of the clothes he had been wearing that day and she felt some self-affirmation at this.

“Come on in!” He said and moved aside only so much as necessary for her to enter the room, having to brush past him closely, the smell of his cologne making her heart pound.

“So, where do you want to begin?” She asked, after taking a quick peek around his room, seeing the video game and band posters on the walls.

“I thought we could go over the homework we got today, do something we just learned before getting into the harder stuff.” He said as he closed the door.

“I’m not doing your homework for you, Mike.” She said, turning to look at him.

“I didn’t say you were.” He said and turned her back around with hands on her shoulders. “Just that we could start with something recent.” He had nearly whispered this in her ear, causing her to inhale sharply and her cheeks to heat. If he noticed, he didn’t call any attention to it. Down, girl. She stared at him as he moved around her, flopping onto his bed on his stomach and looking at her, propped up on his elbows. He must have sensed her hesitation because he gave her another smile, patting the space next to him. Fine, why not, she thought and set her backpack on the floor by the bed as she laid on it with him, also on her stomach, and unzipped her bag, pulling out the accounting textbook and opening it.

“Okay, let’s start off with the cost of goods sold equation and go from there.” She said and they started going over it. He asked surprisingly intelligent questions and obviously had a grasp of the concept and she was starting to wonder why he needed her help at all.

“Miranda?” He asked and she looked at him, “Have you ever thought about wearing contacts?” He reached over, gently taking her glasses from her face, and the world in the distance went blurry.

“I used to.” She said with a small scowl, taking her glasses back from him and slipping them back on, “But they got to be too much of a nuisance so I stopped.”

“You should think about starting up again.” He said, leaning into her and bumping her shoulder with his and she caught the smell of his cologne again. Looking into his eyes, she noticed that they weren’t entirely blue, he had a block of brown in one of them and she looked away quickly, turning her attention back to the textbook.

“We’re here for accounting, Mike, not my…optometrical--” Was that a word? Yeah, it’s a word. “Needs.”

“I’m just saying,” He started, “Your eyes are way too pretty to hide behind glasses.”

“My eyes are brown, Mike. The color of mud.”

“Nah,” He said, “Chocolate. With just a hint of--” He moved his head around to catch her eyes again. “Is that red? Yeah, your eyes are a dark chocolate red color.”

“I blame my mother and weird genetics.” She said looking away from him, “She has green eyes with bits of red in them.”

“Like I said, they’re pretty.” He leaned into her again with a smile and she didn’t see the way his eyes moved over her, his tongue darting out to wet his bottom lip.

“Okay, I need to stand up.” She said.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, my low back is killing me from being in this position too long.”

“Okay, hold on, don’t get up.” He said and slid the textbook away from her, closing it and setting it on the floor. “Relax.”

“What?”

“Just, relax, I’m going to help you with your back.” She didn’t relax, but he pushed up anyway, pulling his legs under him. The first touch against her back made her breathing hitch and her cheeks heated again as he slid his hands under her t-shirt, thumbs moving into the muscle of her low back. Her head hung as he worked into them. “This would be much easier if you relaxed.”

“I am relaxed.”

“No, you’re not.” He said with a small laugh but continued his massage of her back. Her breath hitched again as he pushed his hands further up her back, tracing over her ribs and she felt him touch the clasps to her bra.

“Okay, that’s enough.” She said with a nervous laugh and got off the bed, tugging her shirt straight.

“What?” He asked, still sitting on the bed. “What’s wrong?”

“I should go.” She said and went to her backpack, shoving the textbook back inside and zipping it closed. He got off the bed and took the backpack from her as she went to pick it up, setting it aside.

“Aww, come on, I thought you liked me.” He said with a smile and her head snapped up to look at him.

“What?”

“Yeah, your friend Janet said you liked me, said you thought I was cute.” Mike said, “She said I should take a shot with you.”

“Did she, now?” Miranda asked and he nodded.

“Yeah, said you hadn’t been with anyone since your last boyfriend and I thought, hey why not, you’re not bad on the eyes and…”

“Oh, okay.” Miranda said, “So that’s why you invited me over here, not to study but to shoot your shot.”

“Yeah, I mean, I haven’t seen anyone else take an interest in you.” Anger boiled up quickly along with gut-wrenching embarrassment.

“So you invited me over for a pity fuck, is that it?”

“Yeah, what’s the big deal? We both get something out of it.” She wanted to hit him, oh she wanted to wipe that smile off his face. Instead, she just grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder angrily.

“Good night, Mike.” She ground out and when she opened the door to leave, she saw that he had put a sock on the doorknob facing the hall. That just made her angrier and she slammed the door behind her.

Hot, angry tears fell down her face as she walked quickly back to her building and she wiped them away. How could she have been so stupid? How could she have been so naïve? Everything he did was now tainted, the smiles, the touching, the compliments.

“Miranda!” She heard behind her, “Miranda, wait!” Gods, he was persistent. “Stop! Wait up!” He grabbed her arm, stopping and turning her around and she ripped it out of his hand. “Listen, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to--”

“No, Mike, you listen to me!” She said, pointing up at him angrily, “Stay away from me. Don’t talk to me, don’t even look at me ever again. Just go back to pretending that I don’t exist, and the next time you get the urge to try to get your dick wet, try it with one of the other girls that fawn over you. I’m sure they’d be oh so grateful for the attention.” He just stared down at her, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Huh.” He said when she was done, “Janet was right. You really do just need a good railing.” She snapped, hauling off and punching him across the face. Not expecting it, he went down and she turned on her heel, leaving him on the ground and heading to her building, clenching and unclenching her stinging hand.

Janet, her friend and also her roommate was in the room when she got back, looking up at her from her bed as she came into the room, kicking the door closed behind her.

“Hey, you’re back ear--what happened?” She could see the tears and the flushed face, but her question just made her angrier.

“Wouldn’t you like to fucking know.” Miranda ground out, setting her bag down.

“He told you.” Janet said after a moment.

“Of course he told me, Janet!” She said, swinging around to face her. “What the hell were you thinking?! Did you think I would thank you? Did you think I would be grateful for the attention?”

“I haven’t seen you with anyone since you and Steve broke up and I just thought--”

“Thought what?! That I just “needed a good railing”?”

“Well, I didn’t word it like that.”

“I don’t care how you worded it, Janet! You embarrassed me! You made me feel like unwanted garbage only good for a pity fuck!”

“I just wanted to see you happy, babe. That’s all. I can tell you’re still hung up on Steve and I thought that maybe if you were with a guy you liked, it would get him out of your system.”

“I am not still hung up on Steve! You do not know the full story of why we broke up and now you never will.” She was still angry, but it was fading away into the hurt of the circumstances of her breakup, leaving her tired. “I’m going to bed.”

“It’s still early.”

“I don’t care.”

Mike got back to his dorm, his cheekbone throbbing where she had hit him. Fuck, it would probably bruise and he would have to explain it to the guys. Not that he would tell them the truth, they wouldn’t let him live it down if they found out he had been decked by a girl. Hell of a right hook, Uncle Sy would have been proud of the way she laid him out.

Speaking of…

Digging out his phone, he dialed the number and listened to it ring for a moment before it picked up.

“What’s up, Mikey?” Sy was the only one he allowed to call him that, a nickname from when he was knee-high.

“I fucked up.” He said and there was a pause.

“How much to bail you out?”

“No, Uncle Sy, not that kind of fuck up.”

“Then tell me about it, son, lay it on me.” He said and Mike did, telling him the whole sordid tale. When he was done, there was silence on the other end of the line before Sy let out a low whistle.

“Yeah, that’s a fuck up if I ever heard one.” Sy said, “And she decked you?”

“Yeah, fucking ow.”

“Bout time you got that pretty face bruised up.” Sy said, “Builds character.” There was another pause and he gave a growling sigh. “And you like this girl?”

“She’s pretty and she’s smart and a badass--”

“Apparently. Then why you say all that shit, then?”

“Fuck, I don’t know! I panicked!”

“You need to apologize to the girl.”

“I tried that and she hit me!”

“Try harder.” Sy said, “Not sayin’ it’s gonna be easy, Mikey, but if you really like this girl, you gotta work for it. Especially after the six-foot hole you dug yourself in, and be smart about it, don’t let that mouth of yours keep diggin’.”

“I know.” He said, flopping down on his bed. “Hey, don’t tell Aunt Amelia about this, okay? Getting punched is one thing, but I’ll never see Amy coming and if I run, I’ll just die tired.” Sy chuckled at that but didn’t disagree with him.

“Don’t worry, it’ll stay between us.”

“You know, you never did tell me how you and Amy met. Just that it was in Iraq.” He said and there was a pause.

“I’ll tell you when you’re older.” Sy said, “And the gag order lapses.”

“I…I don’t think I want to know anymore.” Mike said, knowing his uncle did some scary shit while he was Army Special Forces, and Sy gave a chuckle.

“Head on to bed, son, and keep me updated.” Sy said, “And remember, play it smart.”

“Yes, Sir.” Mike said after they said their goodbyes, Mike ended the call and let the phone fall to the bed. He pressed his hands to his face but pulled them away with a curse as it aggravated his cheek.

The next day his economics lecture ended and he jumped from his seat, heading out the door quickly before he lost who he was looking for. Accounting had been a nightmare, he had seen Miranda walk in but had looked away quickly after meeting her eyes and he knew she saw the bruise she had given him. Her presence at the back of the hall had been almost palpable, but every time he looked at her, her eyes had been forward or down on her notebook.

“Hey, Steve!” He called out and the guy stopped at his name, turning around.

“Yeah?” He asked curiously.

“You used to date Miranda, right? Miranda Chambers?” Mike asked and Steve nodded. “Yeah, thought so. Hey, I got a couple questions I wanted to ask you about her.”

“Don’t waste your time, man.” Steve said with a snort, “Bitch is a total ice queen.”

“Really.” Mike said.

“Yeah, never put out the entire time we were together except one time and she wouldn’t stop crying during it. Kept saying I was hurting her.”

“Really.” Mike said, his anger starting to rise.

“It’s not my fault she couldn’t get any before we got together. Bitch should have just--” He went down as Mike’s fist came across his face and Mike turned and walked away, ignoring the shocked looks he was getting from other students. He waited until he rounded a corner before stopping and holding his hand, his jaw clenching as pain radiated up his arm, stomping his foot to keep from crying out.

“Never hit a man with a closed fist, son.” Sy’s words came back to him, “Though it is on occasion hilarious.” Yeah, ha ha, Uncle Sy, real funny. Miranda had punched him and walked away like it was nothing, but this fucking hurt. Maybe she’d give him pointers on how to do it properly, and hopefully not demonstrate the technique on him. Eventually, the pain mostly stopped and he went on with his day, though it hurt to use that hand.

Miranda got up from her desk at the knock at the door, opening it without a thought. Her eyes went cold as she saw him standing there, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans.

“I thought I told you to leave me alone.” She said and his lips pulled into a grimace/smile. “I thought I was very clear on that fact.”

“Can I come in?” He asked.

“No.” She said, “Fuck off.” She went to close the door, but he stopped it with a hand.

“I talked to Steve.” He said in a rush and she blinked at him in surprise. “He told me why you two broke up.”

“And?” She asked.

“And I punched him.” Mike said and she blinked at him again. Her mouth opened and closed as several things she wanted to say entered her brain but left just as quickly.

“Get in here.” She said and stepped back to let him in, the door closing behind him.

“Where’s Janet?” He asked, looking around as if she could be hiding somewhere in the one-room dorm.

“Spending the night at her boyfriend’s. Let me see your hand.” Miranda said.

“What?”

“Let me see your damn hand.” She said and he held it out to her, wincing as she grabbed it roughly. The knuckles were red and swollen and he watched her examine them. “You didn’t stance your feet properly, did you.” It was a statement, not a question.

“No?” He asked and she gave him a look.

“When you punch someone, you’re supposed to stance your feet so your body drives your movement, not your arm. That way the impact isn’t completely absorbed by your fist.”

“How do you know so much about--ow--punching dudes?”

“I do boxing and kickboxing at the gym in town.”

“Really?” He asked with a smile, “That’s kinda hot.” She pressed on one of his knuckles and his jaw clenched, one of his feet coming down in a stomp as his eyes closed tight. “Okay, point taken.”

“Sit.” She said pointing at her bed and he followed directions, sitting on the edge as she took two ice packs from the small fridge in the room, slapping one to his face and the other to his hand making him jump. She sat on Janet’s bed across from him and stared at him, one leg over another and her arms crossed over her stomach.

“Thank you.” He after a moment, holding the ice pack to his face and letting the other balance across his knuckles as he laid his hand on his knee.

“I don’t think you broke anything in your hand,” She said, “But it’s going to suck to use that one for a little while.”

“Good to know.”

“Keep it iced and try not to use it.”

“No jackin’ off then, got it.” She gave him a look that told him she was very unamused. “Sorry.”

“So what on Earth possessed you to talk to Steve?” She asked.

“I wanted to know more about you.” He admitted.

“So you went to my asshole ex?”

“Well you weren’t going to talk to me.” Mike said, “And talking to Janet probably wasn’t a very good idea after what happened last time.”

“You said he told you why he and I broke up?” Miranda asked, looking away from him.

“Yeah.” Mike said, “He was an asshole.”

“He hit it and quit it, just like you were going to.” Miranda said, “Pissed someone beat you to it?”

“It was your first time.” He said, “You should have been with someone who took care of you.”

“Like you?” She asked snidely and he rolled his eyes.

“At least I would have made sure you came.” He said and the temperature of the room plummeted. So much for playing it smart, he could almost taste the dirt in his mouth. “Fuck, I’m doing this all wrong.”

“Doing what, exactly.”

“Apologizing to you.”

“What makes you think I want an apology from you?”

“You might not want one, but you deserve one.”

“Mike, how exactly were you envisioning this going down?” Miranda asked, “Were you thinking you’d apologize, maybe bat those blue eyes at me, all would be forgiven and I’d jump into bed with you?”

“No, that’s not why I’m here.” He said and she uncrossed her arms and legs, leaning forward and clasping her hands in front of her, resting her elbows on her knees.

“Then explain to me why you’re here.�� She said, giving him a look that honestly made a shiver go down his spine.

“Miranda, I’m sorry.” He said, “You deserve better than to be treated how I treated you. How Steve treated you. You’re not something to be used to get your rocks off, and I’m honestly truly sorry if that’s how I made you feel.” She didn’t say anything, still giving him that heavy look, her head tilting to the side slowly, reminding him of a tiger he had seen the last time he had gone to the zoo. “Can you say something, please? You’re scaring the hell outta me.”

“Apology accepted.” She said and he exhaled the breath he hadn’t known he had been holding.

“Do you hate me?”

“No.” She said evenly.

“Okay, good.” He said and gave her a smile, “I don’t want you to hate me.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, you’re probably not going to believe this, but I really do like you.” Mike said, “And not just because you have a rockin’ body, probably from all of the boxing and kickboxing, but also because you’re smart, and you’re pretty, and when you smile it makes my chest tight. You can also kick my ass and frankly, that’s hot.” She just snorted, shaking her head.

“Steve hated that I fought.”

“Steve is a dumbass.” Mike said, “Shit, I’d even get dressed up in one of those sparkly dresses and hold up the round numbers at your matches. Do you…fight matches?”

“First off, there’s a mental image. Secondly, sometimes, but they’re strictly amateur. I’m not going for titles or anything.”

“You’re such a badass.” He mock-sobbed and she snorted again, hanging her head. After a bit, her head picked up and she sighed audibly as she stood from the bed. He stood with her, but stopped her with a hand to her waist as she went to move away. She looked up at him again with that look that made him shudder and he leaned into her, tongue darting out to wet his lips.

Please don’t hit me, please don’t hit me, please don’t hit me.

He pressed his lips to hers gently and there was a moment where she didn’t do anything before she sighed, pressing back against him, her hands sliding under his jacket and over his t-shirt. Picking her up with his hands gripping the backs of her thighs, he took them to the bed and she pulled away from him.

“We’re not having sex!” She said and there was a ripple of disappointment.

“Okay.” He pouted.

“Really, don’t try anything, Mike.” He held up a couple of fingers.

“Scouts honor.” He said and she gave him a disbelieving look.

“You were a scout?”

“Briefly.” He said, “It was my Uncle’s idea, man practically raised me when he was home from deployment.”

“I’d like to meet him.”

“Oh, he would love you.” Mike said, “In fact, why don’t I--” He dug into his pocket, pulling out his phone, selecting the contact, and putting it on speaker.

“Hey, Mikey.” Sy said when he picked up.

“Hey, Uncle Sy.”

“You sound better than the last time we talked.”

“Yeah, about that. Say hi, Miranda!” Mike said.

“Um…hello.” She said.

“I’m guessin’ you two worked things out?” Sy asked.

“I made my apology and she doesn’t hate me!”

“Good to hear it, son.” Sy said with a chuckle. “Miranda, heard you laid out my nephew.”

“He deserved it.” She said and he gave her a look.

“I’m sure he did.” Sy said with another chuckle. “Mikey, I’m going to be in town next weekend, you want to meet up?”

“Yeah, you can meet Miranda!” Mike said excitedly and she pulled a face. “What?”

“I have a match next weekend.” She said.

“A match?” Sy asked.

“She boxes and kickboxes.” Mike explained quickly, “Oh! We can go to your match! Watch you fight!”

“You’re getting way too excited about this.” Miranda pointed out with a snort and he grinned at her.

“I want to watch my girl punch something that isn’t me.”

“Your girl?” She asked with an amused smile. “Getting ahead of ourselves, aren’t we? Also, I punched you once, you make it sound like I have a habit of it.”

“Please?”

“Okay, fine, stop pouting.” She said and Sy barked a laugh over the phone.

“I’ll leave you two lovebirds be.” Sy said, “Miranda, it was nice talking to you, I’ll see you next weekend.”

“Goodnight, Sy.” Mike said and she said her goodnights as well, watching him hang up the phone. He reached over, putting it on her nightstand before relaxing again. Holding the side of his jaw, she leaned in, pressing her lips to the bruise on his cheekbone lightly and he sighed, relaxing into her as he wrapped his hands around her waist. His hands tightened as he kissed her, pulling her closer until they were flush together. Her fingers came up to weave in his hair as he pushed her onto her back and he shrugged off his jacket, his hands going back to her waist to push up her t-shirt as he ducked his head under her chin to lay kisses against her neck.

“Mike, Mike, Mike.” She said and he picked his head up. “I told you, we’re not having sex.” He collapsed on her with a pout and a defeated noise and she snorted, patting his back.

“Can I still spend the night?” He asked, picking his head up to look at her and she nodded.

“Yes, you can spend the night.” She said and he smiled at her, pulling off his shirt.

“Just so you know, I sleep naked.” He said and she laughed.

“And what happens if someone pulls a fire alarm in the middle of the night?” She asked and he shrugged.

“I’m not shy.” he said and rolled off her, laying on his back as he kicked off his sneakers and undid his belt.

“Drawers stay on!” She said and he pouted again.

“Okay, fine.” He said and pushed his jeans off but left his boxers in place. She got off the bed and he rolled onto his stomach, watching her go to the closet and pull out her pajamas. She kept her back to him as she undressed and his eyes moved over her slowly as more skin was revealed. She was encased in muscle, but not heavily so, and he could see the defined musculature of her back moving under her skin as she reached around to undo her bra. Goddamnit. “You sure we can’t have sex?”

“Yes, Michael, I’m sure.” She said, pulling the large sleep shirt on and stepping into the basketball shorts.

“Can I eat you out, at least?” He asked and there was a pause.

“Not tonight.” She said and he huffed.

“What about fingering you?” She turned, giving him a look and he pouted again, pressing his face into the covers. “I just want to make you feel good.”

“You can do that without re-enacting pornos.” She said going over to the bed and he slid off it to lay on it properly, throwing back the blankets and getting in between the sheets.

“Not as fun though.” He groused as she joined him and he wrapped himself around her as she laid on her back, nuzzling into her chest with a smile.

“Okay, baby koala.” She said and laid her arm around his shoulders, relaxing as they both settled in for the night.

She woke up to a very persistent erection grinding into the hollow of her hip, Mike's breath in her ear as he pressed her into the bed. A hand curled around her hip and she shuddered slightly at the size of him pressing against her, heat blooming over her face and chest. Noticing she was awake, he took his face from her neck, his eyes drowsy and his curls sleep tousled.

"Good morning." She said and he kissed her, parting her lips and sliding his tongue between to twine with her own. It took her a second, but she kissed back, her hands sliding over his chest that was, surprisingly, covered in hair. Would have figured him for a clean shaven kind of guy. There was also a decent amount of muscle. Guy may have the face of a twink, but he had the body of a twunk.

"I want you." He gasped as he pulled away from her lips, pressing into her tighter, his hips moving to get some kind of friction against him. "Fuck, baby, I wanna be inside you so bad." She responded by pushing her hands down his back and under his boxers, palming the muscle of his ass and squeezing, forcing a groan from his lips. "I'll be good to you, I promise."

"Will you?" She asked, pressing her lips to the shell of his ear, "Will you be my good boy?" A shudder ran down his spine at the words and he kissed her again, wrapping her legs around his waist and pressing into her core. When he looked into her eyes, she saw the pupils blown wide with desire, his full lips kiss bruised.

"I'll take care of you." He nodded, "Let me take care of you."

"Ground rules." She said, "Outside of here, you can act anyway you want. You want to be the tough guy, fine, you want to act possessive and dominating, okay, but in here? While we're in bed? I'm the boss, got it?" A blush came over his pale cheeks and he nodded, biting down on his lower lip. "Lock the door." He pulled away from her, getting out of bed and flipping the top and bottom locks before coming back to her, her arms and legs wrapping around him again as he settled in the cradle of her hips. He was hard against her core, pressing to her through their layers of clothing. "You may start undressing me now." She said and his fingers went to the edge of her shirt, her hands leaving him as he pulled it up and off. "You can touch me."

"Thank you." He sighed and she relaxed against the bed as his hands went to her breasts, molding and shaping them in his palms. His lips pressed to the mound of one gently and he looked up at her for approval, getting a nod in return. A small moan left her lips as he pulled the tip of her breast into the warmth of his mouth, almost playing with it with the tip of his tongue before moving onto the other. "Can I taste you?" He asked and she gave him another nod, watching as he kissed a line down her body, his tongue darting out to taste her skin. Their roles seemed to have flipped, he was acting the shy inexperienced one and she the seasoned veteran. Miranda had gotten a feeling from him that he was like this, wasn't sure how, as his actions and demeanor around campus hadn't suggested it, but she had known others like him that put up a front when around others and only let themselves be controlled when alone with their dominant.

Mike slipped off her shorts and underwear, pressing a kiss to the inside of her knees as he spread her legs slowly. Reaching down, she brushed the curls from his forehead and his eyes closed, his face turning into her touch. It should have embarrassed her to be spread out for him like this, but she knew she was in control and that he would stop if she gave the word.

"Please." He whispered, staring down at her as he slid his hands under her thighs to hold them pinning his arms to the bed.

"You may." She said and he sighed again, his breath moving over her skin as he lowered his face between her legs. The first touch of his tongue made her fall back to the bed, her hand weaving in his hair as he lapped at her slowly. He's obviously done this before, as his lips and tongue moved over her skillfully, pulling moans and gasps from her lips. She felt his fingertips at her entrance, tracing it with just the barest pressure. "Yes." She gasped and he groaned as he pushed two fingers into her slowly. They moved in her slowly, the push and pull of his hand adding to the feel of his lips on her. “Mike!” She gasped but he didn’t seem to hear her, too focused on his task. Grabbing a handful of his hair, she pulled his face up and he looked at her with parted lips and dark eyes. “I want you now.” He nodded, pressing one last kiss to her as he pulled his fingers from her. “Do you have protection?”

“I do.” He said.

“Use it.” She said and he pulled himself up to sit on the edge of his bed, reaching into his pants on the floor and pulling out his wallet and the condom he kept in it. She watched him as he pushed off his boxers, pulling open the wrapper and slipping it on. He moved to lay over her again and she peeked between them, her eyes going back up to meet his. He was bigger than Steve had been, thicker and longer, and she swallowed heavily as the pain from when they had been together came back to her mind.

“I won’t hurt you.” He said, as if he could read her thoughts, “I’ll take care of you.” She nodded and when he kissed her, she could taste herself on his lips and tongue. There was a slight pressure at her core before her back arched off the bed as he pushed into her, taking it slow, making sure she felt every inch of him and she was able to adjust to him. He gave a groan as he was seated in her to the base, his weight holding to her the bed as he pressed gentle kisses to her neck and shoulder.

“Okay.” She said after a moment, her voice breathy at the incredibly full feeling of him inside her. “You can move now.”

“Thank you.” He sighed and started a gentle rock of his hips, pushing and pulling slowly. “Let me please you.” He whispered and she nodded. His arm wrapped around her waist and he started pumping faster, her legs wrapping high around his hips. “You’re so tight.”

“Mike.” She said and he kissed her, starting to move in earnest, the springs of the bed creaking in protest. Their breath mingled between them and she held the side of his face, fingers moving through his hair. She could feel a coil twisting in her lower stomach as he moved, curling tighter with every stroke of his hips. It suddenly broke and stars danced in front of her eyes, her hips rocking against his as her release washed over her, the clench and release of her muscles around him almost painful.

“Fuck!” He gasped, “I’m going to come. Please, please, please let me come.”

“Not yet.” She said, “Just a little bit more, fuck you feel so good.” She didn’t want it to end, didn’t want the feeling of him moving inside her to stop, but she couldn’t be selfish, she had to look after his needs too. “Just a little further…there!” Her second orgasm hit her like a tidal wave, her legs cinching tight around him, “Come!” She said and he gave a shout, seating his hips in her flush as she felt him twitch inside her. He nearly collapsed on her, his breath hot against her skin and she ran her fingers through his hair. “My good boy.” She said, “My wonderful boy.”

“Thank you.” He chanted breathily, pressing kisses to her shoulder. Picking his head up, he looked at her for a moment before a wide grin came over his face and he was back. “See? Told you I’d make you come.” She laughed, still giggling as she kissed him. Reaching over, she grabbed her phone off her nightstand and looked at the time.

“Well, we missed our first couple classes.”

“Worth it.” He said and she giggled again, pressing her lips to the side of his face.

“Get yourself cleaned up.” She said and he made a protesting sound, but did as he was told, pulling away from her, the air hitting her skin making her shiver slightly. He slid off the condom, pinching it so he didn’t spill any of the mess inside before chucking it in her garbage can. He crawled back into bed with her, wrapping himself around her. “We can’t lay here all day.”

“Says who.”

“Says me.” She said and snorted at the pout he gave her.

“Just a little while longer.” Mike said, “I just want to hold you a little while longer.”

“There will be plenty of time for that later.” She said, patting his arm, “Come on.” He gave a mock-sob but got off the bed as she did.

“Did I hurt you?” He asked, seeing her wince as she stretched.

“A good hurt.” She reassured him as they got dressed and he pulled her into his arms again, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck before they left the room.

He kept his arm around her shoulders whenever they had the chance to be together on campus between classes and he very much played the part of the cocky frat boy, swaggering around and leaning on her, whispering in her ear before pressing a kiss to her cheek and making her laugh. His friends gave him no small amount of grief at the display but she paid them no mind.

“Hey!” Came the angry voice behind them, “Syverson!” They turned as Steve stomped up them.

“Oh hey, Steve!” Mike said with a wide smile, “How’s the face?”

“You fucker! Think you can just punch me and get away with it!”

“Yeah, I think so.” He said with a nod.

“You don’t know who the fuck you’re messin’ with!”

“He sounds a bit cliche, don’t you think?” Miranda asked and Mike nodded.

“A bad one.” He said and pulled away from her, going up to Steve. “Word of advice, lose gracefully.”

“Stance your feet.” Miranda said and he looked back at her.

“I’m not gonna hit him again!” He said and looked back at him.

“Whatever, enjoy that frosty bitch. She’ll give you nothing but blue balls.”

“She didn’t this morning.” Mike said, his brows jumping as he gave him a grin, “We had tons of fun, didn’t we babe?”

“Oh absolutely.” She said, joining him at his side. “More than I had with you, Steven.” Mike wiggled his pinky finger at him and his face twisted in anger. Miranda put herself between them before he got any ideas, looking up at him. “Back off.”

“You gonna hide behind her?! You pussy!”

“Steve,” Mike said, “As much as I would love to watch you get your ass kicked. We have places we need to be.” Lacing an arm around her shoulders, he steered her away. “Come on, babe.” They walked away, joining his friends and his hand lifted off her shoulder briefly to flip him off as they went.

A week later, Mike left her to pick up his uncle from the airport while Miranda got ready for her match at the gym. He knew she had to prepare so he left her to it, saying she would see him that night. Nighttime came and the gym was packed around the ring, Mike looking around and jumping a few times, trying to get a glance of her over the crowd but she was nowhere to be seen.

“Easy, son.” Sy said, “She’ll be out.”

“I’m just excited!” He said, “I’ve never seen her fight before, you know, not professionally.”

“Well, if the bruise she gave you is any indication, it should be a good match.” Sy said and the crowd cheered as the lights went down save for the lights over the ring. “Let’s try to get up front, better vantage point.” He said and they pushed their way through the crowd, getting as close to the ring as possible.

She was nervous, she was always nervous before a match, adrenaline making her bounce on the balls of her feet. She could barely hear her trainer as he went over who she was going up against, someone from a gym the town over, but she caught the gist of it. Undefeated, aggressive, yadda yadda. Her opponent was announced and she watched from her spot as the woman showboated around the ring, the crowd eating it up.

“You’re up, Miranda!” Her trainer said and she nodded, moving down the lane that had been cordoned off through the crowd, checking the fit on her gloves as she went.

“There she is!” Mike said, smiling wide. A low bass line backed with violin music started as she walked down the lane, a tradition of the gym to play a song of the home fighter’s choice on repeat during the match.

“Weighing in at one-hundred twenty-five pounds, undisputed champion of the ring, Miranda Chambers!” The announcer said and she climbed into the ring, bouncing on the balls of her feet and stretching her neck.

“One brings shadow, one brings the light. Two toned echoes tumbling through time. Three score wasted, ten cast aside. Four-fold knowing, no end in sight.” Came the whispered lyrics and she felt the music flow through her.

“The hell?” Sy asked, looking up at one of the speakers.

“A song from a video game she likes.” Mike explained briefly, moving his head to the beat.

“One brings shadow, one brings the light. One dark future, no one survives. On their shadows, away we fly.”

Her eyes moved over the crowd and she saw Mike, his smile wide as he cheered for her and standing next to him was probably his Uncle Sy. Damn those genetics ran strong in that family, the resemblance was striking, and if that’s what Mike was going to look like in 10-15 years time, she was in trouble. The man had a gruff sort of handsome to him with a buzzed head and thick beard, arms crossed over what was obviously a powerful chest, biceps straining against the cuffs of his red dilligaf t-shirt. Even his eyes were the same shade of blue as far as she could tell.

“The road that we walk is lost in the flood. Here proud angels bathe in their wages of blood.”

“You got this, babe!” She heard Mike yell and looked at him, giving him a wink. She met her opponent in the middle of the ring, her eyes settling on her as the referee laid out the ground rules. The ref moved away and with that the match started. Her opponent was indeed aggressive, but her moves were too choreographed and when she saw an opening, she took it.

“Oh!” Mike said, flinching back as Miranda landed a one two punch on her opponent's midsection before twisting, her leg raising and her foot connecting to the side of her head and sending her to the mat.

“Girl’s got good form.” Sy remarked. They watched her fight, Mike mouthing along to the music and moving his head to the beat as he kept his eyes on her. Her opponent went down again and again while she could barely get a hit in, Miranda blocking almost every punch and kick. Her head snapped to the side as a foot connected but she didn’t go down, her head snapping back to fix her opponent with a steady gaze that made her falter slightly. “Goddamn.” Sy said as Miranda tilted her head to the side slightly, “If that doesn’t give you chills, nothing will.”

“I’ve been on the receiving end of that look.” Mike said, “It’s scary.”

“Damn right.” Sy said, “She’s getting serious now. No more playing.” With a flurry of punches and kicks, her opponent went down and stayed down long enough for a tap out and the ref called the match, going to Miranda and raising her hand in victory. The crowd roared at this, Mike doing his damndest to be the loudest as Sy applauded. Looking around quickly, he ducked under the rope keeping an area clear around the ring and Miranda barked out a laugh as she went to the edge, bending down as he reached up, pulling her into a kiss that made the crowd holler.

“Back of the gym, I’ll meet you there.” She said against his lips and he nodded, smiling and biting down on his bottom lip. She pulled away from him and he watched her leave before ducking back under the rope and rejoining his uncle who just snorted, shaking his head with a smile.

Mike and Sy left the gym, heading around back just as the door opened and Miranda poked her head out. She smiled wide as she saw him and he caught her as she ran into his arms, laughing as he lifted her into the air before bringing her down into a kiss. Sy just watched them with a smile and Mike set her down on her feet.

“Nicely done.” Sy said and she gave him a bashful smile, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Thank you.” She said and held her hand out, “Miranda. It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

“Likewise.” Sy said as he shook her hand. “This one,” He said, reaching out and grabbing Mike’s shoulder. “Hasn’t shut up about you. Now I see what all the fuss is about.” Mike looked back and forth between them quickly, seeing the small blush Miranda had on her face and the steady look Sy was giving her.

“Hey, now. Hey.” He said, “Knock it off. She’s taken and so are you.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it, son.” Sy said, but he didn’t take his eyes off her.

“Okay, well, yup, that’s not happening.” Mike said and ducked down quickly, throwing Miranda over his shoulder and picking up her gym bag from the ground.

“Michael!” She yelled out in surprise, laughing.

“Call me later, Uncle Sy!” He called out as he carried her off back to his car, her laughter following them through the night.

#henry cavill #hellraiser mike #mike hellraiser #captain (uncle) syverson #paved with good intentions #my writing #*lays down*

33 notes · View notes

writemarcus · 4 years ago

Text

HITTING NEW HEIGHTS

BY MARCUS SCOTT

ORIGINAL RENT STAR DAPHNE RUBIN-VEGA TAKES YOU INSIDE THE IN THE HEIGHTS FILM

Qué quiere decir sueñito?” The disembodied voice of a girlchild ponders. “It means ‘little dream,’” responds an unseen authoritative figure, his feathery tenor with a soft rasp and tender lilt implying there’s more to the story.

Teal waves crash against the white sand coastal lines of the Dominican Republic and a quartet of children plead with the voice to illuminate and tell a story. Usnavi de la Vega (played by Anthony Ramos), sporting his signature newsboy flat cap and full goatee, begins to narrate and weave a tall-tale from the comforts of his beachside food cart: “This is the story of a block that was disappearing. Once upon a time in a faraway land called Nueva York, en barrio called Washington Heights. Say it, so it doesn’t disappear,” he decrees.

And we’re off, this distant magic kingdom ensnared within the winding urban sprawl of farthest-uptown Manhattan, the music of the neighborhood chiming with infinite possibilities: a door-latch fastening on tempo, a ring of keys sprinkling a sweet embellishment, the splish-splash of a garden hose licking the city streets like a drumstick to a snare fill, a manhole cover rotating like vinyl on a get-down turntable, the hiss of paint cans spraying graffiti like venoms from cobras and roll-up steel doors rumbling, not unlike the ultra-fast subway cars zigzagging underground. So begins the opening moments of In the Heights, the Warner Bros. stage-to-screen adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical by composer-lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton) and librettist Quiara Alegría Hudes (Water by the Spoonful) that is set to premiere in movie theatres and on HBO Max on June 11, 2021.

This stunning patchwork of visuals and reverberations combine to create a defiant and instantly memorable collage of inner-city living not seen since Walter Hill’s 1979 cult classic The Warriors or West Side Story, the iconic romantic musical tragedy directed on film by Robert Wise and original Broadway director Jerome Robbins. With Jon M. Chu at the helm, the musical feature has all the trademarks of the director’s opulent signature style: Striking spectacles full of stark colors, va-va-voom visuals, ooh-la-la hyperkinetic showstopping sequences and out-of-this-world destination locations.

WANT TO SEE MORE STORIES LIKE THIS?

SUBSCRIBE NOW

A Kind of Priestess

Joining the fray of proscenium stage vets in the film is Broadway star Daphne Rubin-Vega, who originated the role of Mimi in the Off-Broadway and Broadway original productions of Rent. She returns to major motion pictures after a decade since her last outing in Nancy Savoca’s Union Square, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2011. When we caught up with Rubin-Vega, she was hard at work, in-between rehearsals with her In the Heights co-star Jimmy Smits on Two Sisters and a Piano, the 1999 play by Miami-based playwright Nilo Cruz, a frequent collaborator. Rubin-Vega netted a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role as the enraptured Conchita in Cruz’s Anna in the Tropics; that same year Cruz was awarded the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, making him the first Latino playwright to receive the honor. Despite significant global, social and economic disruption, especially within the arts community, Rubin-Vega has been working throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“People around me have [contracted] COVID… My father-in-law just had it. I’m very fortunate,” Rubin-Vega said. “This collective experience, it’s funny because it’s a year now and things seem better. Last year it was, like, ‘Damn, how inconvenient!’ The one comfort was that, you know, it’s happening to every one of us. That clarity that this is a collective experience is much more humbling and tolerable to me.”

The last time Rubin-Vega graced Washington Heights on screen or stage, she acted in the interest of survival and hunger as a probationer released after a 13-year stint in prison and given a new lease on life as an unlicensed amateur masseuse in the basement of an empanada shop in Empanada Loca, The Spalding Gray-style Grand Guignol horror play by Aaron Mark at the LAByrinth Theater Company in 2015. In In the Heights she plays Daniela, an outrageously vivacious belting beautician with a flair for the dramatics, forced to battle a price-gouging real estate bubble in the wake of gentrification.

“She’s like the deputy or the priestess,” Rubin-Vega said. “Owning a salon means that you have a lot of information; you’re in a hub of community, of information, of sharing… it’s also where you go for physical grooming. It’s a place where women were empowered to create their own work and it is a place of closeness, spiritual advice, not-so-spiritual advice. Physical attention.”

She said, “Daniela also being an elder; I think she’s not so much a person that imposes order on other people. She’s there to bring out the best—she leads with love. She tells it like it is. I don’t think she sugar-coats things. What you see is what you get with Daniela. It’s refreshing; she has a candor and sure-footedness that I admire.”

With the film adaptation, Chu and Hudes promised to expand the universe of the Upper Manhattan-based musical, crafting new dimensions and nuances to two characters in particular: Daniela and hairdresser Carla, originally portrayed as business associates and gossip buddies in the stage musical. On the big screen they are reimagined as romantic life partners. Stephanie Beatriz, known to audiences for her hilarious turn as the mysterious and aloof Detective Rosa Diaz in the police procedural sitcom romp “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” co-stars as the fast-talking firecracker, Carla.

It’s been a year waiting, you know. It’s like the lid’s been on it and so we’re just so ready to explode.

Where Is Home?

“Well, Quiara and Jon really expanded on what Lin and Quiara originally created and now they’re partners—and not just work partners, right? But they’re life partners,” Beatriz said at a March press event celebrating the release of the film’s two promo trailers. “What was so gratifying to me as a person who is queer is to see this relationship in the film be part of the fabric of the community, and to be normal, and be happy and functioning, and part of the quilt they’ve all created.”

She continued, “So much of this film is about where home is and who home is to you. And for Carla, Daniela is home. Wherever Daniela is, that’s where Carla feels at home. I thought that they did such a beautiful job of guiding us to this, really, you know, it’s just a happy functioning relationship that happens to be gay and in the movie. And I love that they did that, because it is such a part of our world.”

Rubin-Vega said she had no interest in playing any trope of what one might think a lesbian Latina might look or act like, noting that the queer experience isn’t monolithic, while expressing that the role offered her a newfound freedom, especially with regard to being present in the role and in her everyday life.

“Spoiler alert! I felt like not wearing a bra was going to free me. Did I get it right? Am I saying that gay women don’t wear bras? No, it was just a way for me to be in my body and feel my breasts. To feel my femaleness and celebrate it in a more unapologetic way,” she said, laughing. “To be honest, I was really looking forward to playing a lesbian Latina. It’s something that I hadn’t really explored before. Latinos [can be] very homophobic as a culture, and I wanted to play someone who didn’t care about homophobia; I was gonna live my best life. That’s a bigger thing. It’s also like, maybe I’m bisexual. Who knows? Who cares? If you see that in the film, that’s cool too, you know?”

Stand-out performances abound, especially with regard to the supporting cast; newcomers Melissa Barrera (in a role originated by Tony Award winner Karen Olivo) and Gregory Diaz IV (replacing three-time Tony Award nominee Robin de Jesús) are noteworthy as the aspiring fashion designer Vanessa and budding activist Sonny. Olga Merediz, who earned a Tony Award nomination for originating her role as Abuela Claudia, returns to the silver screen in a captivating performance that will be a contender come award season. However, Rubin-Vega may just be the one to watch. Her performance is incandescent and full of moxie, designed to raise endorphin levels. She leads an ensemble in the rousing “Carnaval del Barrio,” a highlight in the film.

Musical Bootcamp

“We shot in June [2019]. In April, we started musical bootcamp. In May, we started to do the choreography. My big joke was that I would have to get a knee replacement in December; that was in direct relation to all that choreography. I mean, there were hundreds of A-1 dancers in the posse,” Rubin-Vega said. “The family consisted of hundreds of superlative dancers led by Chris[topher] Scott, with an amazing team of dancers like Ebony Williams, Emilio Dosal, Dana Wilson, Eddie Torres Jr. and Princess Serrano. We rehearsed a fair bit. Monday through Friday for maybe five weeks. The first day of rehearsal I met Melissa [Barrera] and Corey [Hawkins], I pretty much hadn’t known everyone yet. I hadn’t met Leslie [Grace] yet. Chris Scott, the choreographer, just went straight into ‘let’s see what you can do.’ It was the first [dance] routine of ‘In The Heights,’ the opening number. He was like, ‘OK, let’s go. Five, six, seven, eight!’”

Rubin-Vega said that she tried to bring her best game, though it had “been a minute” since she had to execute such intricate choreography, noting that they shot the opening number within a day while praising Chu’s work ethic and leadership.

“There was a balance between focus and fun and that’s rare. Everyone was there because they wanted to be there,” she said. “I think back to the day we shot ‘96,000.’ That day it wouldn’t stop raining; [it was] grey and then the sky would clear and we’d get into places and then it would be grey again and so we’d have to wait and just have to endure. But even the bad parts were kind of good, too. Even the hottest days. There were gunshots, there was a fire while we were shooting and we had to shut down, there was traffic and noise and yet every time I looked around me or went into video village and saw the faces in there, I mean…it felt like the only place to be. You want to feel like that in every place you are: The recognition. I could recognize people who look like me. For now on, you cannot say I’ve never seen a Panamanian on film before or a Columbian or a Mexican, you know?”

Another Notion of Beauty

Rubin-Vega’s professional relationship with the playwright Hudes extends to 2015, when she was tapped to [participate in the] workshop [production of] Daphne’s Dive. Under the direction of Thomas Kail (Hamilton) and starring alongside Samira Wiley (“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Orange Is the New Black”), the play premiered Off-Broadway at the Pershing Square Signature Center the following year. Rubin-Vega also starred in Miss You Like Hell, the cross-country road musical by Hudes and Erin McKeown, which premiered at La Jolla Playhouse in 2016 before it transferred to The Public Theater in 2018. With her participation in the production of In the Heights, she is among the few to have collaborated with all of the living Latinx playwrights to have won the Pulitzer Prize; Hudes won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play Water by the Spoonful, while Miranda took home the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Hamilton. Speaking on her multiple collaborations over the years, Rubin-Vega also acknowledged having known Miranda years before they would join voices.

“Lin to me is like a little bro or legacy; he’s a direct descent to me from [Rent author] Jonathan Larson, which is a bigger sort of all-encompassing arch,” she said, though she stressed that she auditioned like everyone else, landing the role after two or three callbacks. “Quiara and I have a wonderful working and personal relationship, I think. Which isn’t to say I had dibs by any means because…it’s a business that wants the best for itself, I suppose. […] So, when I walked in, I was determined to really give it my best.”

Life During and After Rent

Rubin-Vega has built an impressive resume over the course of her career, singing along with the likes of rock stars like David Bowie and starring in a multitude of divergent roles on Broadway and off. From a harrowing Fantine in Les Misérables and a co-dependent Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire to a sinister Magenta in The Rocky Horror Show, her evolution into the atypical character actor and leading lady can be traced back 25 years to January 25, 1996, when Larson’s groundbreaking musical Rent, a retelling of Giacomo Puccini’s 19th-century opera La Bohème, premiered at the New York Theatre Workshop. On the morning of the first preview, Larson suffered an aortic dissection, likely from undiagnosed Marfan’s syndrome and died at the age of 35, just ten days shy of what would have been his 36th birthday.

On April 29, 1996, due to overwhelming popularity, Rent transferred to Nederlander Theatre on Broadway, tackling contemporary topics the Great White Way had rarely seen, such as poverty and class warfare during the AIDS epidemic in New York City’s gritty East Village at the turn of the millennium. Rubin-Vega would go on to be nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for her role as sex kitten Mimi Márquez, an HIV-positive heroin addict and erotic dancer.

The show became a cultural phenomenon, receiving several awards including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and four Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Rubin-Vega and members of the original Broadway cast were suddenly overnight sensations, recording “Seasons of Love” alongside music icon Stevie Wonder, receiving a photo shoot with Vanity Fair and landing the May 13, 1996 cover of Newsweek. Throughout its 12-year Broadway run, many of the show’s original cast members and subsequent replacements would go on to be stars, including Renée Elise Goldsberry, who followed in Rubin-Vega’s footsteps to play the popular character before originating the role of Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton, for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

When the screen adaptation of Rent hit cinemas in 2005 under the direction of Chris Columbus, Rubin-Vega’s conspicuous absence came as a blow to longtime fans. The confluence of pregnancy with the casting and filming process of Rent hindered her from participating at the time. The role was subsequently given to movie star Rosario Dawson.

“First of all, if you’re meant to be in a film, you’re meant to be in it,” Rubin-Vega said. “That’s just the way it goes. It took a quarter of a century but this [In the Heights] is a film that I wanted to make, that I felt the elements sat right. I always felt that Rent was a little bit darker than all that. Rent to me is Rated R. In The Heights is not. It’s also a testament. Unless it’s sucking your soul and killing you softly or hardly, just stick with it. This is a business and I keep forgetting it’s a business because actors just want to show art. So, it’s really wonderful when you get a chance to say what you mean and mean what you say with your work. It’s a really wonderful gift.”

Rarely-Explored Themes

Like Larson’s award-winning show and the film adapted from it, In The Heights is jam-packed with hard-hitting subject matter, addressing themes of urban blight, immigration, gentrification, cultural identity, assimilation and U.S. political history. When Rubin-Vega’s character Daniela and her partner were priced out of the rent for her salon, most of her clientele moved to the Grand Concourse Historic District in the Bronx. Her salon, a bastion of the community, is met with a polar response when she announces she’s joining the mass exodus with the other victims of gentrification who were pushed out by rising rents. The news is met with negative response from long-time patrons who refuse to take the short commute to the new location. Daniela counters, “Our people survived slave ships, we survived Taino [indigenous Caribbean people] genocide, we survived conquistadores and dictators…you’re telling me we can’t survive the D train to Grand Concourse?”

The question is humorous, but also insinuates a more nuanced understanding of the AfroLatinidad experience in the Western world. The film also looks at the American Dream with a naturalistic approach. Leslie Grace, who plays Nina Rosario, a first-generation college student returning from her freshman year at Stanford University and grappling with finances and the expectations of her community, noted that while her character “finds [herself] at some point at a fork in the road,” she may not have the luxury to be indecisive because of the pressures put on by family, community and country.

“The struggle of the first-generation Americans in the Latino community is not talked about a lot because it’s almost like a privilege,” Grace asserted. “You feel like it’s a privilege to talk about it. But there is a lot of identity crisis that comes with it and I think we explore that.” Speaking on the character, she elaborated: “Home for her is where her heart is, but also where her purpose is. So, she finds her purpose in doing something outside of herself, greater than herself and going back to Stanford for the people she loves in her community. I really relate to where she’s at, trying to find herself. And I think a lot of other people will, too.”

Worth Singing About

For Miranda, a first-generation Puerto Rican New Yorker that grew up in Inwood at the northernmost tip of Manhattan before attending Wesleyan University where he would develop the musical, this speaks to a larger issue of what defines a home.

“What does ‘home’ even mean? Every character is sort of answering it in a different way,” he said. “For some people, home is somewhere else. For some people, home is like ‘the block’ they’re on. So, that’s worth singing about. It’s worth celebrating in a movie of this size.”

Given the current zeitgeist, it’s no wonder why Chu, Hudes and Miranda decided to pivot with adapting the stage musical for the big screen, leaning in to tackle the plights and predicaments of DREAMers [children of undocumented immigrants seeking citizenship] stateside. In one scene, glimpses of posters at a protest rally read “Immigrant Rights are Human Rights” and “Refugees Are People Too.” Growing up in a multicultural household as a Latina with a Black Latina mother, a white father and a Jewish American stepfather, Rubin-Vega said she was used to being in spaces that were truly multiracial. Nevertheless, there were times when she often felt alien, especially as a du jour rock musical ingenue who looked as she did in the mid-1990s through the 2000s.

“Undocumented people come in different shapes and colors,” she noted. “To be born in a land that doesn’t recognize you, it’s a thing that holds so much horror… so much disgrace happens on the planet because human beings aren’t recognized as such sometimes.”

The film “definitely sheds light on that, but it also talks about having your dream taken away and its human violation—it’s a physical, spiritual, social, cultural violation,” Rubin-Vega said. “There’s a difference between pursuing dreams and being aware of reality. They’re not mutually exclusive. What this film does, it presents a story that is fairly grounded in reality. It’s a musical, it’s over the top… but it reflects a bigger reality, which is like an emotional reality…that people that are challenged on the daily, have incredible resolve, incredible resoluteness and lifeforce.”

She said: “Growing up, looking like me, I got to ingest the same information as everyone else except when it came time to implement my contributions, they weren’t as welcomed or as seen. The dream is to be seen and to be recognized. Maybe I could be an astronaut or an ingenue on Broadway? You can’t achieve stuff that you haven’t imagined. When it talks about DREAMers, it talks about that and it talks about how to not be passive in a culture that would have you think you are passive but to be that change and to dare to be that change.”

Dreams Come True

Dreams are coming true. Alongside the nationwide release of the much-anticipated film, Random House announced it will publish In the Heights: Finding Home, which will give a behind-the-scenes look at the beginnings of Miranda’s 2008 breakout Broadway debut and journey to the soon-to-be-released film adaptation. The table book will chronicle the show’s 20-year voyage from page to stage—from Miranda’s first drawings at the age of 19 to lyric annotations by Miranda and essays written by Hudes to never-before-seen photos from productions around the world and the 2021 movie set. It will be released to the public on June 22, eleven days after the release of the film; an audiobook will be simultaneously released by Penguin Random House Audio.

Hinting at the year-long delay due to the pandemic, Rubin-Vega said, “It’s been a year waiting, you know. It’s like the lid’s been on it and so we’re just so ready to explode.”

Bigger Dreams

“Jon [Chu], I think, dreams bigger than any of us dare to dream in terms of the size and scope of this,” Miranda said. “We spent our summer [in 2018] on 175th Street. You know, he was committed to the authenticity of being in that neighborhood we [all] grew up in, that we love, but then also when it comes to production numbers, dreaming so big. I mean, this is a big movie musical!”

Miranda continued, “We’re so used to asking for less, just to ask to occupy space, you know? As Latinos, we’re, like, ‘Please just let us make our little movie.’ And Jon, every step of the way, said, like, ‘No, these guys have big dreams. We’re allowed to go that big!’ So, I’m just thrilled with what he did ’cause I think it’s bigger than any of us ever dreamed.”

Speaking at the online press conference, Miranda said, “I’m talking to you from Washington Heights right now! I love it here. The whole [movie] is a love letter to this neighborhood. I think it’s such an incredible neighborhood. It’s the first chapter in so many stories. It’s a Latinx neighborhood [today]. It was a Dominican neighborhood when I was growing up there in the ’80s. But before that it was an Irish neighborhood and Italian. It’s always the first chapter in so many American stories.”

#Marcus Scott #MarcusScott #Write Marcus #writemarcus #Encore Monthly #theatre #Theater #Musical Theatre #musical theater #daphne rubin vega #rent #rent musical #Jon M Chu #lin manuel miranda #in the heights #Anthony Ramos

72 notes · View notes

insanityclause · 3 years ago

Text

It’s been a long, long time since Broadway last held a Tony Awards ceremony.

Tonight, after a 27-month hiatus, the event honoring Broadway’s best plays and musicals is back.

There will be plenty of awards — there are 25 competitive categories this year — and lots of speeches.

But the thrust of the evening is a little different: reminding viewers that Broadway has reopened after a disastrously long pandemic shutdown, and hoping that a showcase of show tunes and sentiment will persuade audiences to return. There are now 15 productions running on Broadway, and that number is growing every week, but the pandemic is not over, and tourism remains down, so the industry is looking for a boost.

The event is part streaming, and part network.

This year’s Tony Awards are taking place, live and in-person, at Broadway’s Winter Garden Theater, starting at 7 p.m. Eastern, and scheduled to end at 11.

Most of the awards will be announced during the first two hours, at a ceremony hosted by the six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald. That segment of the evening will be viewable only on the streaming service Paramount+.

The second half of the evening will consist of a concert at which stars of the theater world will perform classic and contemporary show tunes. That portion of the event, called “The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back!,” will be hosted by Leslie Odom Jr. (a Tony winner for “Hamilton”) and broadcast on CBS, and it will include three big awards, for best musical, best play and best play revival.

Because the coronavirus pandemic is ongoing, the ceremony is restricted in many ways.

The red carpet is shorter than usual. There is no official after-party. (A request for a permit to hold one on the street was rejected by the city.)

And the audience watching in person will be limited — the Winter Garden holds 1,500 people, compared to 6,000 at Radio City Music Hall, where the event was often held in previous years. All of the attendees must show proof of vaccination, and they are being asked to wear masks throughout the event.

The awards ceremony will honor plays and musicals that opened during a pandemic-shortened eligibility period — from April 26, 2019, to Feb. 19, 2020. Only 18 shows were eligible for awards — about half as many as usual — and only 15 scored nominations.

The most-nominated shows are the musicals “Jagged Little Pill,” with 15, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” with 14, and “Tina — The Tina Turner Musical,” with 12, as well as “Slave Play,” which with 12 is the most-nominated play in Tonys history.

The ceremony, originally scheduled to take place in June 2020, has been repeatedly delayed and rethought; the nominations, chosen by 41 theater experts who saw every eligible show, were announced last October, and electronic voting, by 778 producers, performers and other industry insiders, took place in March. The ballots were stored by the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche LLP, which somehow has managed to keep them secret ever since.

There are several unusual aspects to this season’s Tonys race.

All of the nominees for best score are plays — an odd situation caused by the fact that three of the four musicals that opened before the pandemic were jukebox musicals, meaning they did not have original scores, and the fourth was shut out by nominators.

In one category, best leading actor in a musical, there is only one nominee, Aaron Tveit of “Moulin Rouge!” He will win if he gets a positive vote from 60 percent of those who cast ballots in that race.

A starry concert will dominate the televised portion of the evening.

The Broadway League and the American Theater Wing, the two organizations that present the Tony Awards, decided, in discussions with CBS, that the portion of the evening with the broadest reach — that is, on network television — would be primarily a concert.

The goal is to highlight Broadway’s talent, and to remind viewers of the pleasures of live theater, with the hope that some of those viewers will then buy tickets to a show as theaters in New York (and around the world) seek to rebuild audiences.

What kinds of performances can you expect?

There will be, as per tradition, a razzly-dazzly opening number, led by Odom, at the start of the concert, celebrating Broadway and its shows.The evening will appeal to theater lovers’ nostalgia: Jennifer Holliday will recreate her performance of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” from “Dreamgirls” (which opened in 1981); Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell are expected to perform from “Ragtime” (1998); Marissa Jaret Winokur and Matthew Morrison from “Hairspray” (2002); and Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel from “Wicked” (2003).

Each of the productions nominated for the best musical Tony Award — “Jagged Little Pill,” “Moulin Rouge!” and “Tina” — will perform, as always, but this year those performances were recorded in advance inside the theaters where those musicals are running. (Why? To reduce the cost to the pandemic-damaged productions. In ordinary years, producers spend several hundred thousand dollars per musical to staff and stage live numbers at the Tony Awards.)

Two shows that are receiving special Tony Awards will also present live performances. David Byrne will lead the cast of “American Utopia,” his concert show that is now running, for a second time, on Broadway, while Lin-Manuel Miranda will be featured in a closing sketch from “Freestyle Love Supreme,” the improv group he co-founded, which is scheduled to begin its second Broadway run on Oct. 7, followed by a national tour starting in San Francisco.

What else? John Legend will perform with the cast of “Ain’t Too Proud,” a jukebox musical about the Temptations that is slated to resume performances on Broadway on Oct. 16. Daniel J. Watts, a Tony nominee for “Tina,” is expected to perform a spoken-word tribute to the Broadway Advocacy Coalition, which is receiving a special Tony Award for its work on racial justice. And, at some point, Ben Platt and Anika Noni Rose are expected to pay tribute to high school theater students with a song from “Sunday in the Park With George.

”Plenty of other boldface names will be taking part in the broadcast, either as presenters or performers, including Darren Criss, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jordan Fisher, Andrew Garfield, Josh Groban, Jake Gyllenhaal, Cyndi Lauper, John Lithgow, Bernadette Peters, Lea Salonga, Black Thought and many others.

The awards show is being executive produced by Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss, who have put the ceremony together for years. Weiss is also directing the event, and it is being choreographed by Sergio Trujillo, a Tony winner for his work on “Ain’t Too Proud.”

The nominees for best musical are all jukebox shows.

The three nominees for best musical are “Jagged Little Pill,” “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” and “Tina — The Tina Turner Musical.”All of them are jukebox musicals — meaning that their scores consist of previously recorded pop songs — and all of them opened in 2019.

The three nominated musicals are reopening this fall. “Moulin Rouge!,” which is an adaptation of the 2001 Baz Luhrmann film, began performances on Friday; “Tina,” which is a biomusical about the life and career of Tina Turner, returns Oct. 8; and “Jagged Little Pill,” a contemporary family drama inspired by the Alanis Morissette album, returns Oct. 21.

Only one show with an original score opened before the pandemic — “The Lightning Thief” — but it was shut out by nominators. Several other musicals with original scores were slated to open in 2020, but didn’t make it to opening night before theaters shut down.A fourth jukebox musical, “Girl From the North Country,” opened right before the shutdown but was deemed ineligible for awards because not enough Tony voters managed to see it. That show, a drama inspired by the songs of Bob Dylan, is scheduled to resume performances Oct. 13.

There are no nominees for best musical revival, because the only one that opened before the pandemic, “West Side Story,” also was not seen by enough voters. And now that production is over — its producers have decided not to reopen it.

Keep an eye on the play categories for some drama.

As hard as it may be to believe, the last time a play by a Black writer won the Tony Award for best play was in 1987, when August Wilson won for “Fences.”

That could change this year, when the leading contender is “Slave Play,” a daring drama by Jeremy O. Harris that uses an imaginary form of couples therapy to explore the lingering impact of slavery. The play scored more Tony nominations — 12 — than any in history; it won strong review from critics and managed to achieve a level of buzz that is rare for any play, although, like most plays, it ended its run without recouping its capitalization costs.

But “Slave Play” was also polarizing, leaving an opening for another drama to claim the prize. The most likely upset would be by “The Inheritance,” a two-part drama by Matthew López about two generations of gay male New Yorkers. That play was heralded in London, but was greeted with far more skepticism in New York; its run was also unprofitable, and was cut a few days short by the pandemic.

The most likely winner in the category of best play revival will be “A Soldier’s Play” or “Betrayal.”

“A Soldier’s Play” is a 1981 drama by Charles Fuller, about the murder of a Black sergeant in the U.S. Army, that won the Pulitzer Prize when it was first published. It was then adapted into a Hollywood film, but didn’t make it to Broadway until 2020. The production, directed by Kenny Leon, starred Blair Underwood and David Alan Grier, and was presented by the nonprofit Roundabout Theater Company.

“Betrayal” is a 1978 play by Harold Pinter about an extramarital affair. The revival was a commercial production, transferred from London, directed by Jamie Lloyd and starring Tom Hiddleston.

And what about the actors?

Eight acting prizes will be given out tonight — four for work in musicals, and four for work in plays.

The musical prizes all have heavy favorites, and the favorites would all be first-time Tony winners.

Look for Adrienne Warren to win the leading actress in a musical prize for her superhuman performance as Tina Turner in “Tina,” and for Lauren Patten to win as featured actress for her showstopping vocals in “Jagged Little Pill.”

Aaron Tveit, the only nominee for leading actor, should easily pick up that prize for playing the bohemian Christian in “Moulin Rouge!” (he needs to win support from 60 percent of those who cast ballots in the category to do so), while his co-star, Danny Burstein, is the favorite in the featured actor category, for playing the impresario Harold Zidler.

The play categories are thought to be much tighter, in part because there are fewer voters — to participate in any Tony race, a voter had to have seen each nominated performance, and that narrowed the pool of qualified voters.

But watch for one possible record to be set: Lois Smith, 90, is a leading contender for best featured actress in a play, for her work in “The Inheritance.” If she wins, she will become the oldest person ever to win a Tony Award for acting, a record previously held by Cicely Tyson, who won at 88.

#Tony Awards #Betrayal #Tom Hiddleston #Jamie Lloyd

20 notes · View notes

calzona-ga · 4 years ago

Link

Since 2005, Shondaland has produced groundbreaking television. And over the course of 17 seasons, Grey’s Anatomy has made more than its fair share of bold choices. From the killing off of Patrick Dempsey’s beloved McDreamy to the still-controversial ghost-sex story line, the ABC series has seen, and done, it all. But perhaps no episode was riskier than turning the popular medical drama into a musical for “Song Beneath the Song,” the infamous season-7 hour in which a pregnant Callie (Sara Ramirez) gets badly injured in a car accident and, while her fellow doctors work to save her life, sees her hallucinatory self burst into song — with the rest of the characters quickly following suit.

Coming from the mind of series creator Shonda Rhimes, a vocal fan of both Broadway shows and TV musicals like Buffy’s “Once More, With Feeling,” the Grey’s musical episode was a monumental moment for the show and for television. Many viewers praised its audacity and swooned over the vocal chops of stars like Ramirez and Chandra Wilson.

“Song Beneath the Song” made for one of the most memorable hours of television, earning strong ratings and leading the soundtrack, particularly Ramirez’s show-stopping rendition of Brandi Carlile’s “The Story,” to Billboard success. A decade later, its impact is still growing, thanks in part to the countless teenage Grey’s fans who’ve only recently discovered the series via Netflix. Like the show itself, the musical has become an indelible part of TV history — and so, 10 years after its premiere in March 2011, we spoke to the episode’s cast and crew to get the story of how it came to be.

Featuring thoughts from Rhimes; writers, producers, and co-showrunners Tony Phelan and Joan Rater; and actors Wilson, Kevin McKidd, Jessica Capshaw, Kim Raver, and Eric Dane, this is the oral history of “Song Beneath the Song.”

Finding the Inspiration

Inspired by a 2008 benefit concert in which several stars of Grey’s and its spinoff show Private Practice performed songs to support out-of-work Hollywood workers during the 2007-2008 writers’ strike, Rhimes decided to turn her long-held desire to make a Grey’s musical episode into a reality.

Rhimes (series creator and writer): I remember thinking to myself at a certain point, I have this sort of murderers’ row of Broadway people. Like, Chandra had been on Broadway and singing; obviously, Sara Ramirez had won a Tony on Broadway [for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, in 2005], which is how I first met her; and then I knew that Kevin could sing. There were so many people in the show with beautiful voices. ... It felt like it was leaning in that direction in a good way.

Rater (writer, producer, and co-showrunner): The first iteration for, like, two days when we first started batting around the idea was that we would write original music. It was all gonna be original music. And then we quickly realized that a) who’s gonna write that music?, and b) no, it doesn’t feel like the right thing. And then Shonda, I think a day or two later, came in with the idea that we would use these iconic songs.

Wilson (Dr. Miranda Bailey): But the studio wasn’t quite on board with this whole idea.

Convincing a Skeptical Network

After coming up with the episode’s plot and deciding that the characters would sing classic songs from the Grey’s soundtrack, like Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars” and the Fray’s “How to Save a Life,” Rhimes pitched the idea to the network — but, in a surprising first, she was told that they were going to pass.

Rhimes: By that point, I wasn’t getting notes on anything; nobody was saying no to me about anything. So it was really bizarre to me that there was all this resistance to doing a musical episode. And I remember somebody at the network saying, “Can’t you just do one of your love-triangle thingies again?” And I thought, my head’s gonna explode, because the show is not a bunch of “love-triangle thingies.” You guys have missed the point entirely. I felt like, no, every year of the show is a completely different show, and this year the show has a musical episode. And that’s the story.

McKidd (Dr. Owen Hunt): Tony, Joan, and Shonda basically said to us, “We are trying to convince Disney to give us actual money to do this musical episode, and we feel like we want to do a show-and-tell to show them what this musical episode could be. Are you guys willing to give your time to help us create this show-and-tell?” And we were like, “Yeah, of course.”

Wilson: So we gave them a concert. Sara, Kevin McKidd, and I, along with musicians, got together, and we performed this script that Shonda and Tony Phelan put together. Shonda did the narrating. And we went through what the entire episode would be, based on those iconic songs.

McKidd: I remember Sandra Oh came to the concert for the execs just to be moral support for us. And she became like our groupie — she would stand and cheer and whoop and holler in between all the songs.

Phelan (writer, producer, director, and co-showrunner): Once [the executives] saw it, and saw it could work, then they gave us the okay to do it.

Rhimes: I still feel like they thought we were crazy. But you couldn’t deny the talent in the room.

Getting the Cast on Board

Once the episode was greenlit, the team began the task of persuading a cast full of non-singers to simultaneously sing, act, and — in some cases — dance on screen.

Wilson: The offer was put out on the table from the beginning from Shonda — anybody that’s not interested in singing, you’re not required; you don’t have to do it.

Rater: I think Sandra from the beginning was like, nope.

Rhimes: She looked at me — it was her very deadpan face — and she was like, “I’m not singing.” And I was like, okay! If that’s not your thing, that is not your thing — that’s completely okay. And it didn’t feel like she was afraid to sing or push past this barrier. It felt like Cristina Yang doesn’t sing. And that made sense to me.

Rater: Ellen [Pompeo] has a great voice. She could’ve done more. ... Ellen was very gracious about, like, “I’ll doo-wop in the back; don’t worry about me. Let’s hear Chandra, let’s hear Sara, this is theirs.”

Capshaw (Dr. Arizona Robbins): In addition to Sara having this powerhouse voice, she was always very generous about others and never made anyone feel smaller because of her giant power. But singing with her was like, “Aw, man [laughs], how about you get this one? You got this leg of the race.”

Wilson: Probably the most frightened person was Kim Raver, bless her heart.

Raver (Dr. Teddy Altman): It was super-exciting and terrifying at the same time. We all love singing, but unless you’re Sara Ramirez or Chandra Wilson.

Dane (Dr. Mark Sloan): I don’t fancy myself a singer, so I said, “Shonda, in this particular episode, I want the least amount of lines.”

Rhimes: Eric Dane surprised me, because his voice had this lovely quality to it that was really nice.

Dane: I set her up for a catastrophe, so she had very low expectations.

Starting Rehearsals

For months leading up to the episode, the cast embarked on a grueling series of rehearsals and voice lessons, adding hours onto their already long daily schedules.

Capshaw: I had just had a baby, and I was really taking my life one day at a time. I knew it was going to be a big episode, but, timeliness-wise, it was a tough time. I think I was still breast-feeding.

Phelan: Usually in the writers’ room, you’ve got maybe six-to-eight weeks from the time you come up with an idea to the time that it’s shot. This we needed almost the entire season to plan for.

Raver: It was like riding a bike but then adding, like, six more wheels to it, and you had to kind of figure it out.

Capshaw: We were all bringing our A games. In normal days, it feels like there’s a familiarity, you can feel a little more casual, a little more off-the-cuff, but there was nothing off-the-cuff about this. It was all very high stakes because it was life or death, literally.

There were some silver linings, though.

Dane: We had these little earbuds in our ears, I guess like how you film musicals, so you can sync what you’re mouthing with the music in your ear. And so I went to the sound operator and said, “I can buy one of these earbuds, right? And I can create a content-receiver pack and connect it to an iPod and pipe music into this too theoretically, yes?” And he said, “Yeah, you could do that if you want to.” So I said, “So when I’m performing surgery in later episodes on this show, and I don’t have very many lines, theoretically I could be listening to music, and nobody would know?” And he said, “Yeah, theoretically, that would work.” So I had one made, and I shot many episodes in the surgical theater, sometimes with lines, listening to music, many times.

Filming the Episode

“Song Beneath the Song” revolved largely around the seriousness of Callie’s condition, but there were also some light moments, including a sexy, dance-filled take on “Running on Sunshine” featuring several of the show’s couples.

Capshaw: When Sara and I are in the car in the clouds — oh my god, I’ve never felt so goofy in my life [laughs].

Raver: Scott Foley [who played Teddy’s love interest Henry] and I had so much fun working together. He’s so funny, and so choreographing that dance singing number was really fun.

Wilson: Debbie Allen sent in Eartha Robinson, one of her choreographers from the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, who I knew from Fame, the television series. So this is who was coming in, teaching us how to twirl. And I was like, oh my god, I’m on Fame!

Early in the episode, McKidd’s Owen sing-shouts at his crew of doctors to “calm down” — a moment that, years later, became a widely shared meme for its over-the-top nature.

McKidd: In the scene, I think it was Kate Walsh — she’s brilliant; she’s a prankster — and Patrick and Eric Dane. And they were all arguing. And I’m sitting there and [the cameras] push in on me and I go, “Calm down.” And they couldn’t keep a straight face. Every time we did a take, they just would fall over laughing. And they were on camera giving me the eye line, and I had to sing this song seriously with those two actors just doubled over, like sidesplitting. It just tickled their funny bones so much. That was one of the hardest acting days of my life [laughs].

Capshaw: For sure, many, many, many shots were taken at Kevin McKidd for his “calm down” [laughs]. ... He really took on the rock-&-roll part of it.

McKidd: My daughter, who’s big on Twitter, she said that “calm down” thing’s like a serious meme thing now, which I guess is an honor. I don’t know.

The biggest moment of the hour came at the end, when Ramirez, a Tony winner for Spamalot, sang “The Story” as Callie fought for her life.

Phelan: When Sara came to Grey’s, she had this idea that she absolutely wanted to be known as an actress not a singer. And so for her first couple seasons on the show, she kind of left that side of her behind. Then, here was Shonda and I coming to her and saying, “No, we want to re-engage that part of you and put it on the show.” And so I think that she got nervous about that ... but to hear that amazing, magical voice come out of her ... that was the moment that was going to be able to sustain the music [of the whole episode].

Rhimes: When she sings “The Story,” I mean — I wrote the episode; I know what’s gonna happen. I’ve seen it a thousand times. It has nothing to do with me. But I always tear up a little bit because of her extraordinary voice and extraordinary performance.

Wilson: What a showcase it was for Sara Ramirez. I’m so glad that she got to share that part of herself with our audiences.

Reading Those Reviews

On March 31, 2011, the episode aired. While it garnered strong ratings, viewers’ reactions to “Song Beneath the Song” were mixed.

McKidd: I think we all went into it with our eyes open, and we knew there was gonna be mixed reviews. Because some people are gonna love it, and some people aren’t. But that shouldn’t stop people from taking a few risks in what we do, you know?

Rater: I remember being shocked that there were people who didn’t like it. I was like, come on!

Capshaw: It didn’t feel like [the reviews] were gonna affect anything either way. It wasn’t gonna be like, “Oh my gosh, that was too silly, and I’m never watching Grey’s again.” It had already found its place in people’s hearts.

Rhimes: I learned very quickly [on Grey’s] that if you’re gonna believe the good things people say about you, you have to believe the bad things people say. So there’s no point in paying attention to any of it. ... Nobody’s gonna like everything that you do.

Phelan: I know there are a lot of people who don’t like it, who felt like it bent the show too much, but it’s season 7 of a show, and if you’re not taking big swings when you’re on season 7 on a show, something’s wrong.

Creating a Legacy

Despite the critical reactions, the episode has developed something of a cult following over the years, thanks to live benefits and TikTok memes. A decade later, its creators all look back fondly on the hour and its impact.

Wilson: [The cast] watched it together, and I remember feeling like, wow, look at what we did!

Capshaw: When we showed up to do that benefit concert, I remember coming out onstage ... and being completely, completely overwhelmed with the people that responded to Arizona in that episode, and to the love story between Callie and Arizona.

Phelan: As a director, it was the biggest challenge of my career to do that, and it’s one of the things that I’m most proud of.

Raver: I’ll be in my car singing along, or at work if we’re in the hair-and-makeup trailer and we’re listening to [the soundtrack], it’s just an immediate flashback. It kind of feels like yesterday.

Wilson: The soundtrack is on my playlist on my phone [laughs]. So I will pop that thing out in a minute, because it’s just absolute happy memories.

Rater: If I’m cooking, that is what I put on. That’s what I tell Alexa to play for me.

Rhimes: I feel like that episode just always reminds me of having so much fun. That was what was really great. We had so much fun. And how much do you get to say that about just being at work?

Dane: As a cast, contrary to what some of the entertainment media might have speculated, we were all very close. We all spent a lot of time together, and a lot of that stuff felt really real to us. It was easy to access because of how we felt about each other off screen.

Raver: I just remember it being such an incredible experience, being able to work with all these incredibly talented actors and creators.

Rhimes: It’s right in my top 10 of episodes we’ve ever done.

Dane: I don’t particularly want to do it again, but I’m glad I did it.

#grey's anatomy #7x18 #jessica capshaw #eric dane #chandra wilson #shonda rhimes #kevin mckidd #kim raver #tony phelan #Joan Rater

61 notes · View notes

lucisfavoritedemon · 3 years ago

Text

Waiting For Forever Chapter 8

Pairing: Bucky x reader, Sam Wilson x platonic!reader

Summary: You met Bucky for a brief second at Stark Expo back in 1943. Little did you know you would run into him again as you assist Peggy Carter with Captain America. There was just something about the sadness in Bucky’s eyes that night that captured your soul, and he was all you could think about. You have a secret though. You aren’t exactly who he thinks you are.

Warnings: PTSD attack, panic attack, crying, soft!Bucky, best friend!Sam (yes it’s a warning), fluffy family bonding, Bucky being a dad (yes, also a warning)

Word Count: 6448

A/N: This is my thoughts on what happens to reader During The Falcon and The Winter Soldier: Episode Two (roughly). It is not 100% accurate, but I wanted to put a little twist to it. This gives you a glimpse at how the reader and Bucky are balancing personal life and work life. It is kind of a long one, but there was a lot of detail I wanted to add. All mistakes are mine. TFATWS SPOILERS!!!!!

Enjoy!

Bucky and I woke up the next morning, and got ready before Jamie got up, so we were ready to go by the time his sitter came to get him. I made breakfast for us, and went to get Jamie up, “Jamie, sweetheart. It’s time to get up.” All I got in response was a groan. I heard Bucky answer the door, and heard him talking.

“Jamie, Miranda is here. You need to get up, and get dressed. Breakfast is already ready on the table for you. Daddy wanted to eat breakfast with you before we left.”

“Where are you going? Will you be back? Are you going to be super heroes?” He jumps up and runs to the kitchen.

“Slow down there mister. Daddy and I have some business to take care of with Sam. You remember Sam right?”

“Yeah, he’s the one who has Uncle Steve’s shield right?”

“That’s right. Well I believe a bad man may have the shield, and we have to figure out who took it. So, we have to go help Sam get it back. I’m sure when we’ll be back, but you have to promise to be good for Miranda for us okay?”

“Okay mommy. Can you tell me more stories about you and daddy like you did last night?”

“I don’t see why not. Let’s get you dressed first, and head out to eat breakfast.” He nods, and lets me dress him quickly.

“How did you find daddy again?” He asked, as I helped him put on his shoes.

“What do you mean?”

“I heard you calling him last night. I saw in your head that he fell off a train. Did that actually happen?”

“Sadly, yes. Him and Uncle Steve were on a mission to capture a bad guy. Things didn’t go quite to plan. The bar he was holding onto,” I sniffled a little, thinking about how I felt after I found out what had happened to him, “it broke off the side of the opened part of the train, and he fell.”

Jamie reached his hand to wipe the stray tear, “you have him back now mommy. You don’t need to be sad.”

“Why is mommy sad?” Bucky asked, coming into the room.

“Nothing. Just telling him more stories.”

“Jamie, why don’t you go start eating. Miranda is out there to watch you. We’ll be out there in a minute.” Bucky spoke, waiting for Jamie to leave before pulling me into a hug. “What’s wrong, doll?”

I hugged him back as tightly as I could, “I never got to say goodbye. Everytime I lose you, I never get to say goodbye.” I started to tear up.

“Shh. It’s okay, doll. I’m here now. I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here.” He played with my hair to try to calm me down.

“We should probably go out there. He won’t stop begging Miranda for something till he gets it.”

“Not till I know you’re okay.” He cups my face, and strokes my cheeks with his thumbs.

“I’m okay. I just- that memory of you and the train, I got from Steve, and what he saw. I wasn’t there, but I could feel what he was feeling, I could see what he saw. When he allowed me in, that is.”

“I’m here now, and I don’t plan on going anywhere, anytime soon. I promise.” Bucky leaned in and kissed me gently.

I relaxed some, but the thought of the fact that I really never got to ever say goodbye every time I lost him was hitting me hard. He walked me out to the kitchen slowly, keeping his arm around my shoulder. I knew that he felt so bad for all that I have been through, but at the same time he had no control over the fact he was always taken away from me.

“Mommy, did I make you sad by asking that question?”

“No. How I found daddy again was by complete accident. Him and uncle Steve were fighting because daddy didn’t remember him, or me for that matter. Uncle Steve flipped him over his shoulder by grabbing his face. When daddy landed the mask he was wearing, that covered his nose and mouth, fell off.

“Uncle Steve and I took one look and we knew exactly who it was, but daddy didn’t remember who he was. I felt like it was our job to help him remember us. I was taken by the bad people that had held daddy captive as well. They took me straight to him, but he still didn’t remember who I was. That was till some of the guards tried to take me away. He grabbed my wrist, and tried to fight them off. That’s when I knew the Bucky I knew was still in there somewhere. I had to make him fully remember me.”

“I feel like your mom has a tracking device on me or something. Within 72 hours of her being out of the hospital, she was able to find my hiding place with little to no information on my exact location.”

“To be fair you did give me a piece of paper telling me relative location. I also knew the area well, and figured you would attempt to find a sheltered hideaway.”

“Then you know me too well.”

“Better too well than not at all right?”

“So she used her mom senses on you to find you?”

Bucky chuckled, “you could say that. I’m assuming that’s how she was able to find me here.”

“You would be correct. That, and you’re a creature of habit, and I also figured you would want to come back to the city you grew up in. Without Steve, the shield and Brooklyn are really all you have left of him.”

“Thanks for rubbing that in.” Bucky walks into the kitchen, and grabs something from the fridge.

“We will just be going then. Don’t want Jamie to be late for school.” Miranda spoke up, sensing an argument coming on.

“I want to be called James.”

“We’ve always called you Jamie though.” I looked at him confused.

“I want to be known as James, just like dad.”

“Alright James. You should get going,” I kiss him on the cheek, “be good for Miranda, and we’ll be home as soon as possible.”

“Okay mommy,” he goes to Bucky, and hugs him, “take care of mommy for us?”

“Of course I will bud. I promise.”

“Pinky promise?” Jamie holds out his pinky.

“Pinky promise.” Bucky grabs his pinky gently.

Miranda takes Jamie out, and downstairs. I watched from the window as they drove off before turning my attention to Bucky who was now staring at me. “I didn’t mean for that to sound bad.”

“We should go find Sam.”

“Don’t do this please.”

“Do what?”

“Act like it didn’t hurt, or that you don’t think we need to talk about it?”

“We don’t, you apologized. Let’s just go.”

“Bucky. Can we please talk about this without you getting upset?”

“What do you want me to say? That yeah it hurts, that you’re right. The shield and Brooklyn are the only things I have left to signify family to me.”

“Are Jamie and I not your family?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Bucky? Do you want us in your life? It’s okay if you don’t. I’d rather know now, and go back to the place Jamie and I have lived for the last five years and forget about this, if that truly is the case.”

“Y/n, I want you in my life. I want you and Jamie both in my life. This whole parent thing is new to me though. I have a hard time believing that I actually have someone who wants me around. That I actually do have a family.”

“You do Buck. Me, Jamie, even Sam. We are all here for you.”

He nods, and hugs me tight. I hug him back, running my fingers through his hair. I knew it was going to be hard for him to remember that he actually does have a family now, but I was going to help him along the way. No matter how long it took. I wanted to help him, and I really hope he knew that. I had no doubt he did.

We finished gathering our stuff before we headed to go find Sam. I remember him saying he would be leaving soon, so I figured checking the nearby military hanger would be a good place to start. Sure enough that’s where he was, “Sam.”

“Y/n,” he turned to me smiling, but then noticed Bucky, “and Bucky. What are you two doing here?”

“Why did you give up that shield?” Bucky asked, casually.

“Bucky.” I shot a death glare at him.

“Trust me, it broke my heart when I saw that man with that shield.” Sam said, and he looked genuinely sad about it.

“I know. Look, we just came to see if you needed any help. I heard you were on a mission, maybe you could use some backup?”

“Thanks, Y/n,” Sam showed us a video that his buddy Torres took, “Red Wing may have found something in Munich, that could be where they are hiding out.”

“I don’t trust Red Wing.” Bucky butted in.

“You don’t have to trust Red Wing, but I’m going to see if he’s right. I think it could be part of the big three.”

“Big three? What big three?”

“Androids, Aliens, and Wizards.”

“That’s not a thing.”

“That’s definitely a thing. Every time we fight, we fight one of the big three.”

“He has a point.” I interjected.

“Alright, so who are we fighting now, Gandalf?”

“How do you know about Gandalf?”

“I read the Hobbit, in 1937, when it first came out.”

“So you see my point.”

“No I don’t. There are no wizards.”

“Dr. Strange.”

“Is a sorcerer.”

“A sorcerer is a wizard without a hat. I just came up with that.”

“Are we going to Germany, or not? Never thought I’d ever ask that question again.”

“We’re coming with you Sam.” Bucky stated.

“No you’re not.”

“Yes we are.”

We followed Sam onto the plane, and we took off towards Munich. Bucky and Sam of course bickered the whole time, but for the most part they got along. That was till Sam kept us out of his plan for when we got near the drop zone.

“So, what’s the plan?” Bucky asked.

Sam stayed silent. That really annoyed Bucky, but I knew Sam had a plan. He obviously had to have one, he wouldn’t be going on this mission if he didn’t have a plan.

"So no plan!" Bucky yelled.

"I've got a plan, Buck." Sam said, getting ready.

"No you can't call me that." Bucky shot back.

"But Steve and Y/n call you that?"

"They have known me longer and they had a plan." Bucky retorted.

I rolled my eyes at them. They act more like a married couple than Bucky and I. And we're actually together. It was funny though to watch those two bicker back and forth. Not long after that though, Sam jumped out of the plane. Bucky and I went and followed. Bucky just straight fell, and I glided down. I made sure Bucky was okay before I began laughing.

"I have all that on camera, you know that right?" Sam snickered, speaking through Red Wing.

"Get that thing out of my face or I'll break it." Bucky snarked.

I giggled and helped Bucky to his feet. We followed Sam's directions and found an old abandoned building. We both walked slowly, and stealthily through the building.

"Go in to Wakanda Winter Soldier, and you come out White Panther." Sam spoke.

"It's actually White Wolf." Bucky said, nonchalantly.

"For real?" Sam questioned.

"Yep. I think it suits him." I spoke up.

"Fair enough."

We kept walking till we came to a warehouse area. Bucky and I hid behind some shelving units as we looked to see how many people.

"Looks like maybe 2 or 3. I could take them."

"No Bucky. You don't know if that's true or not." Sam ordered.

"I can take them. Plus, you're farther away."

Just then Sam came flying next to us, "hey."

"Hello, how are you?" Bucky said, sounding really annoyed.

“Good, now what did I miss?” Sam snapped back.

"Guys focus please." I tried to reel them back in.

Sam nodded and asked Redwing to scan for more people. He didn’t believe that there could only be three people. When Redwing scanned, he found that there were about 6 or 7. Bucky tried to say he could take them all because he had a ‘vibranium arm’. I just rolled my eyes at him, and how cocky he was being.

“It looks like they also may have a hostage.” Sam stated as the trucks took off.

Bucky ran off after the trucks, and Sam flew off after him. I just rolled my eyes, and followed suit. I caught quickly to Bucky as he hopped on the back of the truck, and opened it, looking for the hostage.

“I found the hostage.” I heard him say over comms.

Almost immediately after he said that, he went flying into the windshield of the truck behind it. I shook my head, why didn’t we think this would be a trap? I saw Bucky climb on top of the crate the semi had loaded on, and I hopped up there with him. We were greeted by three people with black masks, with red handprints over the left side of the face.

I sensed something was not right as we engaged in a fight. They were able to hold their own against us which shouldn’t have been the case. That’s when we were joined by the new ‘Captain America’.

“John Walker, Captain America.” He introduced, but I ignored him.

We fought hard back and forth for what seemed like a while, and we could sense we no longer had the upper hand. Even with Sam flying in and out of the fight, trying to knock them down. That’s when I saw two of them had grabbed Bucky. He struggled to fight to get loose. For a normal human it should have been harder for them to keep a hold on him. They seemed to do it with ease. That’s when I noticed one of the other ones grabbed Redwing and smashed him over their knee.

“I’ve always wanted to do that.” Bucky shouted, hoping that would help him.

I ran at the two holding onto Bucky, and used a huge gust of wind to push them, hoping they would let him go to catch their balance. They did, but that sent Bucky over the side of the truck. I began to panic. Had I just lost Bucky again? Flashes of him falling off the train back in 1945 came rushing back as I walked over to see if he was okay.

He had grabbed the foot railing of the semi. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, but I still couldn’t shake the panic feeling I had. I felt myself get pulled up by the back of my shirt, they pulled me back, and shoved me off the other side of the container. Thankfully I caught myself, and went to go after the truck when I saw Sam fly, and roll with Bucky into the field of flowers.

“Looks like you two look comfortable.” I tried to laugh.

“Get off me,” Sam huffed out, “you’re welcome by the way.” Sam stated once Bucky had rolled off him.

We started walking back towards the road. I lagged behind a little trying to keep calm. I couldn’t help but still feel panicked. I thought I just lost Bucky again, the same way I did the very first time. I was pretty sure they didn’t even realise I was so far behind them.

“Seems like everyone is a super soldier nowadays.” Sam spoke.

“Yeah, well this seemed like a whole new kind to me.” Bucky interjected.

I stayed quiet. I had nothing to add. I just let them talk, but Bucky turned to me. I didn’t look him in the eyes. I couldn’t. Not after what I just saw. I didn’t want him to worry about me. I saw he stopped, but I kept walking hoping I could just walk past him, and he wouldn’t say anything.

“You okay, doll?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.” I tried to speak quickly.

“No you’re not. I can tell when you’re upset. You can talk to me.”

“It’s nothing. Just thinking how those guys were super soldiers. They didn’t look like any super soldier I had ever seen.”

“You have only met Steve and I. As far as I know at least.”

“Yeah.” I try to walk a little faster, but he grabs my arm

“Something is really wrong. Y/n, you can talk to me. I’m trying to be better with this relationship stuff. I know communication is key, so talk to me.”

I finally looked at him, and I knew he could tell my eyes were full of sadness, “please don’t be worried. I’ll be okay. I just need to think.”

“Why are you so sad, doll? I haven’t seen that look since,” he thinks for a minute, and I think it finally clicks, “oh, doll.” He pulls me close as we keep walking.

I rest my head on his shoulder. I hold back tears that have threatened to fall since I saw him fall off the edge of the truck. He rubs my shoulder gently to calm my nerves down. It started to work till I heard a military truck come up behind us.

“You guys need a ride?” It was the new ‘Captain America’ again.

Sam, Bucky, and I kept walking ignoring him and his sidekick. We wanted nothing to do with them. I knew Bucky was still upset about the government replacing his best friend with some wannabe Steve. Not to mention he said that Steve was like a brother to him. That really irked me.

“Let us give you guys a lift. We’re heading to the airport to head back to the States. You guys should come join us.”

“No thank you.” I spat back.

The truck stopped, “just get in and let us talk this through.”

“Come on, Bucky. We could at least hear what he has to say.” Sam suggested.

I looked at Bucky, then looked at Sam, “okay. We can at least hear what he has to say.”

“Fine.” Bucky agreed and we climbed in.

They began to talk about a solution for these new super soldiers. Well, Sam and Walker were talking. Bucky was just staring him, and his cohort, down. I just kept to myself not wanting the attention to be on me.

“Does your friend have a staring problem?”

“He’s not my friend. More of a co-worker.” Sam answered.

“He’s not staring, he just doesn’t like you.” I butt in.

“And you would be?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“Someone who could kick your ass in two seconds flat if you provoke her further.” Bucky chimed in.

I smiled a little at him standing up for me. I really appreciated that. I didn’t really feel like fighting back. I was so emotionally exhausted so it was nice.

“I’m sure she couldn’t do any real damage. She’s just there to stand and look pretty. Possibly tempt the enemy into leaving you guys alone.”

“Are you saying because I’m a woman that I can’t hold my own!? I’ll have you know that I had to suffer through the pain of childbirth, and I was alone to raise my child for five years, and I’m still our fighting to protect the world from threats, while still making sure my son turns into the best man he can be, and not some piece of shit like you. I have been through hell and back. I have loved and lost so much in the last 78 years. So, tell me again that I can’t hold my own ground.”

“There is no way you are 78 years old.”

“You’re right. I’m 103.”

“No you’re not.” John chimed in.

“He’s right, you're too pretty to be over 28.” His cohort stated.

“And you would be?”

“Battlestar, but you can call me yours.”

“Stop the car!” Bucky yelled, and the truck came to a stop.

Bucky grabbed my hand and got out. We started walking off, and I could hear them still talking to Sam, “what’s his problem?” Walker asked.

“That’s his girl. He’s the father to her child.” Sam snapped, getting out, and catching up to us.

We walked on, Bucky and Sam still discussing how we should handle those super soldiers. That’s when Bucky remembered something, and he told us we needed to head to Baltimore. We could find the answers to all of our problems there.

We headed to the airport, and headed off to Baltimore. We headed into a very sketchy part of town with Bucky leading the way. I stayed as close to him as possible. People watched us as we walked up the street to an old semi-worn down house. Bucky knocked on the screen door, and a young man answered the door.

“What do you guys want?”

“Is Isaiah Bradley in?” Bucky asked.

“No. Now go away.”

“Just tell him Goyang. He’ll know what you mean.” Bucky stated.

I looked confused at him wondering what he could possibly mean by that. I swear half the things that come out of that boy's mouth are just nonsense. I thought that at first until an older gentleman came to the door and let us in.

“Are you here to end me once and for all?” The man asked, looking at Bucky.

“That’s me. I don't do that anymore.” Bucky looked at him sadly.

“Then what do you want?”

“Bucky said you may be able to help us. We ran into these people who we may believe have taken the super soldier serum.” I spoke up, very shyly.

“Of course he would come here thinking I could help. Little do you know that I can’t help. More like won’t.”

“Isaiah and I met back in Goyang. He had been given the super soldier serum, and he took off part of my metal arm.” Bucky spoke up.

“After that I came home, and I was arrested and experimented on. Became a lab rat for the government. I lost everything. Everything. You don’t have the right to come into my home, and ask for my help.” He got very angry very quickly.

“Of course the government would do that. The one they didn’t do that to was Steve.”

“You don’t have the right to say that young lady. You worked for the government. I know you. You’re Y/n Y/l/n.”

“Look, just because I worked for a government agency doesn’t mean I agreed with their beliefs. I worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. because my best friend asked me to be a part of it. To help it grow. I agree that the government shouldn't have treated you like a lab rat. That was wrong.”

“I’m going to stop you right there. You don’t have the right to say any of that. Just get out of my house.”

“Come on. You guys need to leave now.” The young man said, leading us outside.

“I had no idea that someone like him existed. I guess those who weren’t Steve went through a lot more than I thought they did. The government is a horrible mother.”

“It’s not your fault. I didn’t know he was going to go off on you like that.” Bucky apologized.

“No, he’s right. I should have known. I didn’t have the right to say that.”

“You thought you were trying to make things better Y/n.” Sam said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

“Thanks.” I give a small smile.

“I think the world needs to know his story though. He probably isn’t the only one who has suffered injustice.” Sam stated.

“No. It was probably a bad idea to bring you here.” Bucky stated.

They started to argue again which got the attention of the neighbors. That’s when I heard the sirens, and turned around to see a cop car. The police got out and walked over to Bucky and Sam.

“Sir, is this man bothering?” One asked Bucky.

“What? No. Do you know who this is?” Bucky queried.

The other cop whispered in his partner’s ear, “oh I’m so sorry Mr. Wilson, sir.”

“James Barnes you’re under arrest.” The other cop stated, getting his cuffs out.

“Woah, woah, woah. What’s going on!? Why is he being arrested?” I began to panic.

“He has missed his court mandated therapy session.”

“Can’t we talk about this?” I felt tears sting my eyes.

“I’m sorry miss. He knew the rules if he missed his therapy session.” They cuffed him, and put him in the back of the car.

I fell to my knees as the cops drove away. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and saw Sam kneel down next to me. He pulled me into a tight hug as I let all my pent up emotions flood out. I cried hard into Sam. He lifted me up and carried me to the car.

“We’ll get him out. I promise.”

“In a span of two days, I watched him fall off the edge of a truck...I thought I lost him again like I did in 1945...now he’s being arrested...this is all my fault.” I sobbed.

“No. None of this is your fault. None of it.” Sam tried to reassure me.

“Had I not stopped him...he would have been back in time to make his therapy session…”

“Hey. It’s okay. We’ll get him out. He’ll come home to you and Jamie. I promise.”

“What if we can’t...what am I supposed to tell Jamie…”

“Don’t say that. We will get him out. I won’t let you leave here without him. That I can promise you.”

I just nod. I didn’t have the energy to fight him on this. I just hoped he could hold up his promise. I had a hard time believing people nowadays when they promised me something. I was a broken down girl who had so many promises broken over the years, but this was one I hoped would be kept.

Sam drove us to the police station, and we waited in the waiting room. I laid my head on Sam’s shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me, rubbing my arm gently. He knew how much I needed Bucky. He knew how broken I was without him. He witnessed that first hand. He really became a really good friend to me over the years. I was thankful I had him.

“I’ve come here to get Bucky Barnes out. I have his therapist here.” A man’s voice rang out.

I looked over to the desk, and saw an older woman with dark brown hair standing there next to Walker. I rolled my eyes irritated already. Not long after though, Bucky was escorted out. I stood up as soon as I saw him.

“Thanks for bailing me out doc.” Bucky thanked.

“I didn’t.” She turned to John and his sidekick.

“Bucky.” I ran up and hugged him tightly.

“Hey, doll.” He hugged back just as tightly.

“You must be Y/n. I’m Dr. Raynor, James’ therapist.” She said, offering her hand once we pulled away.

I shook it gently, “it’s lovely to finally meet you.”

“Hey doc.” Sam spoke up, walking over.

“And you must be Sam. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’ve heard a lot about you both.” She spoke, shaking Sam’s hand.

“Mommy!” I heard a little boy’s voice shout.

I turned and saw Jamie running over, “Jamie.” I pick him up and hold him tightly.

“We rushed right over as soon as we heard what happened. I figured you could use a little happiness.” Miranda said, walking over.

“Thank you.”

“Daddy, why are you in trouble?” Jamie asked, all innocent.

“I broke one of the rules I needed to follow.”

“Is that what happens if I don’t follow my rules mommy?” Jamie whispered.

I just looked at Bucky with heart eyes. That was the cutest thing I had ever heard, “don’t break any rules, and you won’t have to find out.”

“I promise I won’t, mommy.”

“James therapy session.” Dr. Raynor stated, “you too Sam and Y/n. Bring the kid too.”

“I’m okay.” Sam stated.

“That wasn’t a request.” She shouted as she walked away.

I just shrugged and followed, carrying Jamie. I felt Bucky wrap his arm around me as we walked into an empty interrogation room. I stood behind Sam and Bucky as they started.

“So, who would like to start?”

“Look Dr. Raynor? I get it, why you want me to talk to Freaky Magoo over here, but I’m one hundred percent fine.” Sam said.

“We’re going to do an exercise. It’s something I use with couples when they are trying to figure out what kind of life they want to build together. Are you familiar with the miracle question?” Dr. Raynor asked. Maybe this would be useful for Bucky and I in the future.

“Absolutely not.” Bucky spoke

“Of course not.” Sam spoke over him.

“Suppose that while you’re sleeping, a miracle occurs. When you wake up, what is something that you would like to see that would make your life better?”

“In my miracle, he would talk less.” Bucky answered quickly.

“Exactly what I was going to say. Isn’t that ironic?” Sam stated.

“In mine, you both would just get along. Be happy, and be able to work together without getting into an argument.” I spoke up.

“Y/n has the right idea.”

“Daddy would have stayed with mommy and me. That the big, scary alien didn’t take him from us.” Jamie spoke out of the blue.

I saw Bucky’s head go down for a second. I knew that hit him really hard. He had no idea how hard not having him around was for us, but hearing Jamie say that, I think he understood now.

“You two are leaving me no choice. It’s time for the soul-gazing exercise.”

“I like this one better.” Bucky stated.

“Oh, my god. He’s going to love this.” Sam said sarcastically.

“Now look at each other. You need to look each other in the eyes,” Bucky and Sam turn and face each other, locking their knees together, “There, you see? That wasn’t so hard.”

Bucky and Sam look into each other's eyes. I knew this was a bad idea. They started to stare at each other in the eyes, but I knew that there was a catch. This was so unlike them, but the thing that was happening was just like them. A couple of kids I tell you.

“Wait, what are you doing? Are you having a staring contest? Just blink,” Dr. Raynor snaps her fingers, getting Sam to blink, “sweet Jesus.”

“I knew this wasn’t going to go well.” I spoke.

“You need to keep a positive mind. Negativity gets you nowhere Y/n,” she turns her attention to Bucky, “alright, James, why does Sam aggravate you? And don’t say something childish.”

Bucky didn’t even have to think before he spoke, “why did you give up that shield?” There it was.

“Why are you making such a big deal out of something that has nothing to do with you?” Sam retorted.

“Steve believed in you. He trusted you. He gave you that shield for a reason. That shield, that is everything he stood for. That is his legacy,” his vice was breaking. I knew he was so heartbroken about what Steve did, “he gave you that shield, and you threw it away like it was nothing.”

“Shut up.” Sam spoke over him.

“So maybe he was wrong about you. And if he was wrong about you, then he was wrong about me.” Bucky raised his voice slightly. He was broken. This was the most he had shared about why it meant so much to him since Steve went back.

“Maybe this is something you or Steve will never understand. But can you accept that I did what I thought was right?” Sam diverted his gaze slightly, then looked back, “You know what, Doc? I don’t have time for this. We have some real serious shit going on. So how about this? I will squash it right now. We go deal with that, and when we’re done, we both can go on separate, long vacations, and never see each other again.”

“I like that.” Bucky agreed.

“Great. Well, let’s get to work. Thanks, Doc, for making it weird. I feel much better.” Sam said sarcastically, standing up.

I move out of Sam’s way, and he gives me an apologetic look. I smile letting him now it’s okay. I knew that there was little hope that they could work out their differences. Bucky stood up, and shot Dr. Raynor a look, before turning away.

“I know that look. What’s wrong?” She asked.

“What was rule number two again?” He asked, defeated.

“Don’t hurt anyone.”

He nods, “goodbye, Doc.”

He walked out, and Jamie wiggled out of my arms to follow him. Dr. Raynor closed her book, and saw I was still standing there. I was lost in thought, I didn’t hear her speaking to me at first.

“Y/n, are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry. This week has just been overwhelming.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“How do you help patients with secondhand PTSD and survivor syndrome?”

“Depends. Usually just talking their problems out seems to help, but seeking further help than just an hour long therapy session may be beneficial.”

“Thanks Dr. Raynor.”

“Cute kid by the way. I hope having around James will be beneficial for him.”

“I hope the same thing as well.” I walk out and meet Bucky in the lobby.

“What took you so long?”

“I decided to maybe seek some advice. Maybe look into getting some help with my own issues. I still have nightmares every now and again. The premonitions have stopped, but whatever Wanda unlocked 8 years ago has messed me up more than I thought.”

“I know, but you helped get me, and everyone else, back. I’m not going anywhere anymore. Other than now.”

“Oh no you don’t! You are not leaving me now. I’m going with you.”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“Yeah it is.”

“So you’ll stay here?”

“No! I’m going. You can say it’s dangerous all you want, but I’m not letting you go without me.”

“Why don’t you trust me?”

“I do trust you.”

“Then what’s the issue?”

“I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t lose me.”

“Oh yeah then tell me why on that shipping container I saw the train all over again!?” I was breathing heavily, trying to stop the panic.

That’s when everything finally clicked. I thought he had put everything together before, but I was wrong, “I-I didn’t even think, doll. I-I thought you were exhausted. I didn’t even realize that.” He pulled me into a tight embrace.

I absolutely lost it. I wrapped my arms around his waist, and he stroked my hair as I sobbed heavily into his chest. “I thought I lost you again. I thought you were gone. I wouldn’t have known what to say to Jamie. I would have lost it. I lost it when they arrested you. I fell. I panicked. I cried into Sam. I didn’t know what to do. What to think. I thought I would never see you again.”

“Shh. It’s okay,” he lifted my face, wiping the tears that were falling down my face, “I’m right here. I’m free. I’m not going anywhere. You can come with okay? If that’s what you want, I won’t fight you on it anymore.”

I nodded as he wiped more tears from my eyes. I loved how gentle he was with me. He always knew what to say to calm me down. I felt we truly were meant to be. No matter how much the universe tried to tear us apart, we always found each other again.

Bucky lifted Jamie, and we walked outside to meet up with Miranda and Sam. Jamie rested his head onto Bucky’s shoulder ready to fall asleep right there. Miranda smiled watching us together as a family. I felt happy with the little life we had.

“Well, I feel better.” Sam joked.

“I feel awful.” Bucky said all serious as Jamie clung to him tighter.

“This is just the picture perfect, little family ain’t it? So what do you say we start over again. I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I think if we teamed up, we would have better success. They have to be stopped. What do ya say?” Walker spoke from the shadows.

“Things are really intense for you, aren’t they Walker?” Bucky queried.

“Take it easy. Look, Walker’s right. It is imperative that we find them and stop them. But you guys have rules of engagement, and all kinds of authorizations you have to get. We’re free agents. We’re more flexible. So it wouldn’t make sense for us to work with you.” Sam spoke out.

“A word of advice then. Stay the hell out of my way.” Walker snapped.

Bucky handed Jamie to Miranda, and we said our goodbyes before we walked away. It took all I had not to punch Walker in the face. But I contained my rage for that comment, and what they said to me earlier for the sake of my son. I didn’t need him to see that.

“So what are you thinking?” Sam asked.

“Well, I know what we have to do. When Isaiah said ‘my people’.” Bucky responded.

“Oh, don’t take that to heart. That’s not what he meant.” Sam tried to help.

“This better not be going where I think Buck.” I groaned.

“He meant HYDRA. HYDRA used to be my people.”

“Not a chance.”

“I agree with Sam on this one Buck.”

“Walker doesn’t have any leads.”

“Bucky no.”

“I know where you’re going with this.” Sam groaned.

“He knows all of HYDRA’s secrets. Don’t you remember Siberia?”

“Remember Berlin? This is a very bad idea.” I shot back.

“So you’re just going to go sit in a room with this guy?”

“No.”

“Yes.” Bucky spoke over me.

“Okay, then,” Sam sighed, “we’re going to go see Zemo.”

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes #sam wilson x platonic!reader #sam wilson #tfatws spoilers #the falcon and the winter solider spoilers #tfatws episode 2 #waiting for forever

26 notes · View notes

jobrookekarev · 3 years ago

Text

One Step Forward and Three Steps Back: Chapter Four

Chapter Four of Six

Words: 3486

Chapter Summary: Meredith arrives at the hospital and Stephanie tells Alex about Jo’s marriage to Paul. Later, when Paul wakes up, he tells a different story of what happened in the loft.

Summary: Jo wants to marry Alex more than anything, there’s just a few hoops she has to jump through before she can make that a reality. When she finally takes the plunge to free herself from her past, it all comes back to haunt her.

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy.

Relationship: Alex Karev/Jo Wilson, Jo Wilson/Paul Stadler (Past).

Characters: Alex Karev, Jo Wilson, Stephanie Edwards, Paul Stadler, Meredith Grey, Nathan Riggs, Jackson Avery, Miranda Bailey, Ben Warren, and Isaac Cross.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Physical Abuse, Domestic Abuse, Assault. Medical, Hospital, Police, and ER.

Read at AO3

Read at FFN

……………………………………………………………………

Meredith walked into the Grey-Sloan’s ER with Richard by her side. She watched Bailey speaking with the police and security before she went over to the trauma rooms. She didn’t know exactly where Alex and Jo were, but the trauma rooms were her best bet. Jackson came out of trauma room two, pulling out a stretcher with Cross and Warren. The face of the man on the stretcher was black and blue as his eyes were swollen shut, and his nose was set. Jackson caught her eye and walked over to her.

“Is that him?” Meredith guessed as Cross took the man over to the elevators.

“Alex called you?” Jackson asked, crossing his arms, knowing her answer.

“Yeah, where are Jo and Alex?” Meredith said, looking over at the empty trauma room one.

“We’ve transferred Jo up to Pre-OP Alex and Stepahine are there with her. I’ll walk up with you. Riggs, can you scrub in with me on Jo’s surgery?” Jackson said as they all walked over to the elevator.

“Yeah, of course,” Nathan said with a quick nod as they all followed Jackson.

“What happened,” Meredith demanded, putting her hand on Jackson’s arm to stop him. “Alex said that Jo was attached, but he was too distraught to say anything else.”

“Meredith, you know I can’t break HIPPA and tell you, as much as I want to,” Jackson said as he pressed the button for the elevator.

“Do you need a general surgeon?” Webber asked as they got on the elevator. “You said you needed Cadro, so surely you must need a general surgeon as well.”

Jackson hesitated, but Meredith glared at him and he knew Richard was right.

“Okay fine,” Jackson said, pulling up Jo’s chart on the tablet and handing it over to her. Meredith quickly read over the chart and was shocked to see her injuries. Although they weren't extensive, they could have been. Meredith had seen injuries like this in car accidents or hangings, but never at the hands of another person.

“Heart and lung functions look good, and it seems that there's good blood flow in both carotid arteries, and although she was responsive at the scene and in the ambulance. I want to do a Neuro check post-OP,” Nathan said, reading over the cardiologist report and looking at the MRI and CT results. “I also want to make sure that the swelling I saw on the scans doesn't extend further into her lungs.”

“Which is why I asked you to scrub in with me. I'm about to do a rigid bronchoscopy to check her airway. Stephanie said that she could hardly pass the tube down when she first intubated Jo at the scene, and I suspect that I’ll have to do an airway stenting,” Jackson said as they stepped off the elevator and walked over to the pre-OP rooms.

“I'm going to go get changed into scrubs and I'll meet you both in the OR,” Nathan said before he left, giving Meredith a nod.

Meredith knew she should do the same, but she had to talk to Alex first. Three of them walked into pre-OP and Jackson led them past the other beds to a space that was closed off with curtains. He pulled it back to reveal Alex and Stephanie sitting at Jo's bedside. Jo was still unconscious and the bruises on Jo's neck made her pause. Meredith had watched Jo grow from a shy and unsteady intern to a confident and assertive resident. Seeing her unconscious on the bed was unsettling, especially given the circumstances.

“I'm going to go up to the OR and scrub in, but I'll tell the nurses to wait a few minutes before they bring her up. Do you have any more questions?” Jackson said, his voice soft as he spoke to them, putting his hand on Alex's shoulder.

Alex only shook his hand in a no as he continued to stare at Jo. Jackson left with Webber, leaving the three of them alone. Meredith came over and put her hand on Alex's shoulder, rubbing his back.

“Thanks for coming, Mere,” Alex said, glancing up at her, and Meredith frowned as they both looked down at Jo.

“Jackson told us what happened and I'll be scrubbing in on the bronchoscopy to keep an eye on her,” Meredith reassured him.

“Thank you,” Alex said as he grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

“How did it happen?” Meredith asked, looking between Alex and Stephanie.

Stephanie cleared her throat and sat up straighter. She was holding Jo’s other hand and rubbing circles on the back of her hand with her thumb.

“I met Jo at the bar earlier today. She was drunk, really drunk, so I took her back to the loft. Alex came back and the three of us fell asleep. I woke up to the plant breaking on the floor and I sat up and looked over to see that he was on top of her. He was choking her and digging his knee into her chest. Then Alex punched him and got him off of her. Jo was, she was awake, conscious, and moving around, but she couldn't breathe. I had to intubate her and we called for an ambulance to bring her here.”

“Who was that guy that attacked her?” Alex said, looking up at Stephanie, Meredith could see the desperation in his eyes, and she watched Stephanie take a deep breath.

“Jo only told me about his existence a few hours ago and she didn’t tell me his name. She was drunk and I think that's the only reason she told me. Jo was crying, and she just said that he was physically abusive to her and that she ran away from him, but…” Stephanie paused as she was barely able to keep her voice from breaking as she spoke.

Stephanie trailed off as she looked between the two of them. She bit her lip as if she was still hesitant to spill all of Jo’s secrets, but given the current situation, Meredith knew they would all come out eventually.

“Alex, she said that she was still married to him.”

“What?” Alex whispered in disbelief.

“Jo said she was trying to divorce him. I don't know how. She must have a lawyer or something. She wanted to be with you, but she was afraid he wouldn't sign the papers or that he would, well, that he would do something like this,” Stephanie said as she looked down at Jo’s wrist and picked at the hospital ID bracelet. “She said that Josephine Wilson wasn't her real name. I think she changed it when she ran away from him so he couldn't find her.”

“That's why she said she couldn't marry me. That’s why she said no,” Alex said with wide eyes as he rubbed his hand over his jaw, looking away in shock. “This morning, I went back to the loft to get a few more pairs of clothes. Jo was there, and she told me that she was all in, that she loved me, and that we could be a family, but I didn't think that was enough. I told her I was done with drama, that I wanted her to be my wife, and the look on her face, I thought. When she said she couldn't marry me, I just thought she didn't want to. I didn't think it meant that she couldn't actually marry me. If I had known, I would have, I don't know, I just, I never would have forced her to divorce him if she didn’t want to. This is my fault. I pushed her to do this.”

“Alex,” Stephanie said, reaching out and putting her hand over his as they both held Jo’s hand. “You and I both know that Jo doesn't do anything she doesn't want to. If she started the divorce proceedings, it wasn't just because of you. It was because she wanted to divorce him.”

“But I gave her the ultimatum. I said be my wife, or I’d end things, but if I had known, I never would have said that. I should never have said that,” Alex said, shaking his head as he looked down at Jo. “Why didn't she tell me? I would have helped her. I would have protected her.”

“She knew that,” Stephanie stressed as he looked up at her. “But I think she was scared of him hurting you or something, and she said she had to do it on her own.”

Alex shook his head as he pulled Jo’s hand to his lips, kissing her hand before holding it against his cheeks as more tears streamed down his face. “I should have known. I never should have left her. I should have woken up earlier before he got there. I should have protected her.”

“You came back. If you weren't there, lord knows, I wouldn't have been able to stop him. You did protect her,” Stephanie whispered as they both stared down at Jo.

“Stephanie's right,” Meredith said, rubbing his shoulder. “You went back to her, you were there. You fought him off, you helped Stephanie save her. You brought her here, and you did everything right, Alex, and Jo knows that.”

“She's right, Alex. You saved her,” Stephanie said with a slight smile before she shook her head. “I thought I knew all Jo’s secrets after she told me about how she lived in her car as a teenager, but that was only part of the story.”

This was news to Meredith, although it didn't surprise her, given what Alex had said about Jo's past. Alex hadn't shared much with her, other than she had it rough like he did as a foster kid. Meredith didn't push the details because, like Alex, Jo’s past was her own. She, of all people, knew how everyone deserved to have their secrets.

“Yeah, I thought, I knew all of them too, but I get why she kept this from me,” Alex said as he reached down and put his hand on Jo’s head as he rubbed his thumb over her forehead. “For the longest time, I never told anyone about my Dad. Jo only found out about it because she showed up when I was taking a paternity test to be sure it was him. She took care of him when I couldn't. She was there for me, even when I didn't let her, but I wasn't there for her, but I promise you, Jo, I'm here for you now,”

Alex said the last line only for her as he leaned down and kissed her forehead before closing his eyes as he pressed their foreheads together.

Several of the nurses, including Bokhee, came over and pulled back the curtains. “They're ready for her in the OR.”

“I'll walk up with her and change when I get there,” Meredith said, putting her purse and coat on a chair, knowing that they would watch over her stuff.

Alex nodded and brushed the hair away from Jo’s face. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the corner of her lips. His lips lingered on her skin and Stephanie looked away for a moment before he pulled back. Alex stepped back, finally letting go of Jo's hand and gently placing it on her stomach. Meredith remembered how Jo always wrapped her arm around Alex's neck. It was possessive and sweet, and every time Meredith watched them together, she knew they were meant to be.

Meredith helped the nurses put up the railings and switch Jo to manual intubation as they took off the brakes. She stood at the side of the bed next to Bokhee and pushed the bed forward. As they pushed open the doors out of pre-OP, she took one last look at Alex. He stood there waiting for them as another nurse directed him and Stephanie towards the waiting room. Alex just stood there with his hands in his pockets, staring at Jo. Meredith knew that it would break him if anything happened to Jo, and she was determined to watch over her and make sure that never happened.

……………………………………………………………………

The nurse took them to the waiting room, but Alex barely registered what was going on around him. He had barely had any time to process the fact that Jo was married and that she was getting a divorce. He could hardly believe it. All he could think about was the image of Jo lying on the ground with him on top of her. He could still remember the way she gasped for air before Stephanie intubated her and how fragile she looked on the hospital bed as they wheeled her into surgery.

“Dr. Karev, Dr. Karev?”

Alex looked up from where he was staring at the floor to the black female officer standing before him before he looked over at Stephanie, who was seated next to him, holding Meredith’s things that he had forgotten.

“Yeah, sorry.”

“It's alright,” the officer said, giving a slight smile as she sat down in front of him on the coffee table. “My name is Officer Tatum, and I've been dispatched by the detectives to take your statements. Could you please tell me what happened tonight?”

Alex nodded, and he and Stephanie did their best to give a detailed statement to the officer as visions of what happened flashed in his head. To be honest, from the moment he saw Jo on the floor to ending up in the hospital, it was all just a blur. Luckily for him, Stephanie seemed to remember most of it and was able to give the officer everything she needed

“Thank you,” Officer Tatum said as she finished writing. “I have a few questions for you both, if you don't mind?”

“Yeah, sure,” Alex said, not entirely sure that he had a choice anyway.

“Do you know why Dr. Wilson was attacked in your apartment tonight? We have reason to believe that Dr. Wilson let her attacker into your apartment as the door was open, and there was no sign of forced entry,” Officer Tatum said, looking between the two of them before her eyes settled on Alex.

“Yes,” Stephanie said before Alex could even think of an answer. “Jo said that he was her abusive husband. She mentioned that she ran away from him a few years ago and told me about some of the abuse she endured when they were together. She also mentioned that she was in the process of divorcing him.”

“Did Dr. Wilson tell this to you?”

“Yes, she told me about her husband and the abuse, and after he attacked her, I asked her if it was him, and she nodded yes.”

“Okay,” Officer Tatum said, writing everything down before she looked back at them again. “And what kind of abuse did Dr. Wilson alleged happened?”

“She said it was physical. That he would hit her and that's why she ran away from him.”

“And what did Dr. Wilson tell you about her divorce proceedings?”

“Nothing other than the fact that she was divorcing him. I asked if she had a restraining order against him, but she didn't answer.”

Officer Tatum just nodded as she continued to write everything down. “Do you happen to know Dr. Wilson's husband’s name?”

“No, actually, we don't even know Jo's married name. She said she changed it when she ran away,” Stephanie said with a shrug and she shook her head.

Alex just kind of watched the exchange happen. He was still trying to process everything. The fact that Jo was married, that her abusive ex-husband had shown up, and that he tried to kill her.

“Okay, is there any other relevant information that I should know, such as Dr. Wilson’s lawyer's information or other documents she kept from her marriage or proof of the abuse?”

Stephanie stayed silent and it took Alex a moment to realize that they were both staring at him. “Um, no, I didn't know, maybe, I didn’t even know she was married until tonight.”

“So for five years, you had no idea that the woman you've been dating, your friend, was married?” Officer Tatum asked, raising an eyebrow at them.

“No,” Alex said as he looked over at Stephanie, who just looked as floored as he was. He could hardly believe it himself.

Officer Tatum softened as she took in their expression before she closed her notebook. “One last thing Dr. Karev, do the detectives have permission to search your apartment?”

“Um, yeah, but what for?”

“We’ll be searching for any information that can link Dr. Wilson to her husband, the man who attacked her. I'm sure that Dr. Wilson will make a statement and clear everything up when she's out of surgery, but in the meantime, We'd like to contact our own investigation in hopes that we can shed more light on the situation.”

“Okay,” Alex said as he nodded. He could tell that the detectives didn't quite believe their story, but he knew that the truth would out. It always did.

Officer Tatum returned his nod and handed him her business card before she left him and Stephanie alone in the waiting room. Alex looked up at the clock as he calculated how much time passed and how much longer Jo would be in surgery. Then he sat and waited as he processed the events of the night.

……………………………………………………………………

“What kind of person does this to Jo? She's so sweet and her hair is so nice. Who would want to hurt her?” Cross asked as he sat staring at the unconscious man on the gurney after they settled him in Pre-OP, waiting for Jackson to call them up after he was done with Jo’s surgery.

“I don't know,” Ben said as he finished up the paperwork, shaking his head. He still didn’t know what happened but, Cross was right. Jo didn’t deserve this. “According to his wallet. It says that his name is Paul Stadler. His business card says he’s a doctor at Orlando Medical.”

“Orlando, that's weird. Jo never mentioned anything about Florida,” Cross said before jumping away from Paul. “He just moved.”

“Yeah, it looks like he's waking up,” Ben said as he walked over to the bed.

Paul Stadler turned his head back and forth as he opened his eyes. He squinted in the harsh light before he looked over at Ben. He tried to move his hands but couldn't because of the restraints. “Where am I? What, what's going on?”

“Mr. Stadler, don't try and move. You’re at Grey-Sloan Memorial,” Ben said, putting a hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to stop jerking at his restraints. “Cross, go get Bailey and the police.”

Cross nodded before quickly running out of the room.

“The police?” Paul asked, looking confused before his eyes went wide and he looked over at Ben. “Yes, please get the police, and please tell me, is Brooke okay? I think she said she goes by another name now, maybe Josephine?”

“You're talking about Jo? The woman you beat up? I can't disclose her personal medical information, but I can tell you that she's pressing charges.” Ben said, glaring at him. Even if it wasn’t fully true, Ben wanted him to know that he wasn’t getting away with this.

“What, what are you talking about?” Paul asked, looking confused. “Why would Brooke press charges against me when I was trying to help her?”

“Look whenever you say went on…” Ben started to say, but Paul cut him off.

“No, you have to believe me. Look, I know we’ve been separated, but I got a call from Brooke last night out of the blue. She was crying and she said she was scared. She said that her boyfriend was hurting her and so I rushed over to her place. When I got there, I found him on top of her. I pulled him off and then he punched me. I guess her other friend woke up or something. I don't remember but, I remember this guy with a scruffy beard and a gray shirt. He was on top of her.”

Ben shook his head, of course, he didn't believe Paul's story about Alex. He was occasionally volatile, yes, but he would never hurt Jo.

“You have to believe me. I would never lay a hand on my wife?”

“Your wife?” Ben asked, his eyes going wide as he stepped back.

“Yes, I have a picture of her in my wallet. It's from our wedding day, please just look at it. You have to believe me,” Paul begged him, looking into Ben's eyes.

Ben narrowed his eyes at him, but stepped back and turned around. He opened Paul's wallet and looked through it until he found the photo tucked in one of the cardholders. Sure enough, there was Paul and Jo, pressed up against each other with happy smiles. Jo in a white dress with a bouquet and Paul and a pristine suit. Behind it was an ID with Jo’s picture with the name Brooke Stadler, meaning he wasn’t lying. They were married.

“Please, I would never hurt your wife. You have to believe me,” Paul said as Ben looked back at him. He had to tell Miranda.

11 notes · View notes

pagingevilspawn · 4 years ago

Note

Can you write something in the timeline for season six in which Alex leaves Izzie and leaves Seatle for Jo. After a few years, Jo ends up in the hospital having a baby, and they go to the emergency room where Izzie, Meredith and the others are, and while she's nervous she talks about her husband leaving her for a wife with cancer and so on, and then Alex shows up.

moving on, letting go

PLEASE DON’T SKIP THIS!

I was intrigued by this prompt, but I had to change some things up. This seemed like another affair thing, so I wanted to change that. I don’t like affairs, (I’m serious. I don’t). Here’s some things you gotta know!

1) Alex and Izzie got a divorce. he didn’t leave her while she had cancer. I'm going with what’s exactly canon in season 6. Alex didn’t leave izzie and seattle for jo, he left on his own account and met jo later on. 2) after leaving seattle, izzie returned to grey-sloan for her fellowship. (it’s before she would’ve had the twins in canon-verse). 3) There’s less of an age gap between them than there is in canon.

also, i don’t know how to write izzie. so if she’s OOC, that’s why. it’s actually izzie-centric though, because i couldn’t see this going any other way. the ending is also a bit rushed, because i really jut wanted to post something.

three years after alex leaves seattle, he finds himself back there, with his ex-wife as the one to deliver him and jo’s child.

“Incoming trauma! Thirty year old female who was rear ended on the 95. No damage was done except for the fact that she was in active labor. They’re bringing her here now. Page L&D, and get a room ready!” Doctor Miranda Bailey shouts, her booming voice heard by everyone in the ER. Interns scuttle around, trying to fulfill their bosses wishes at her beck and call. She may not be the chief, but she sure seemed like she was. She had the ability to command anyone in the room, and never took no for an answer. Taking over the ER that day wasn’t something that she had planned, but both Hunt and Kepner had come down with something nasty and she was the only surgeon available.

It was only a few minutes later when the gurney comes rolling in, carrying a pretty brunette who was wincing through her contractions, gripping the handle bars so tightly her knuckles were turning white.

Izzie Stevens rushes over to her, as for she was the on-call OB, following the gurney into a room. She snaps on a pair of gloves, brushing a stray piece of blonde hair out of her eyes. “Hi there, I’m Doctor Stevens. I’m gonna lift up your shirt so we can make sure your baby isn’t in distress. Is that okay…” she trails off, pulling the ultrasound closer to the gurney and grabs the jelly, shaking it as both a way to prepare it and stall some time while she waited for a response.

“Doctor Wilson,” the girl in the bed answers, nose scrunching up as she feels another swift kick to the ribs. “Sorry—” she stutters a laugh, “Habit.” she answers “Jo. Jo Wilson. But I am a doctor, so no need to give me all the watered down crap.”

Izzie gives the woman a sincere smile, appreciating the upfrontness. “Good to know Doctor Wilson.” She lifts up the woman’s shirt, squirting on the ultrasound jelly, smearing it around until the woman's stomach is properly covered. She moves the wand around until the heartbeat thumps through the monitor. “Steady and strong. You’re very lucky Doctor Wilson. I’m gonna send you up to L&D now, but I’ll be sure to be there to monitor you.” she adds some notes into her tablet before turning back to Jo. “Is there anyone you would like to call? Are you waiting on the father or are you doing this independently?” she asks, peeling off her gloves and dumping them in the bin.

Jo shakes her head, loose curls flying back and forth. “No my—” she’s cut off by another contraction, and she lets out a large, staggering breath as she clenches her eyes shut, waiting for it to pass, and it does twenty-three seconds later. “My boyfriend is on his way.”

Izzie nods, “Well, we’ll get you set up and I’ll be up in a few minutes so I can check your cervix Doctor Wilson.” she says, getting closer to the door, ready to assess another pregnant mother.

“Thank you. And please, if you're going to be looking up my vagina, you can call me Jo.” she grins, her voice taking a teasing undertone.

The blonde gives a small chuckle, her ponytail shaking as she moves her head back and forth. “Will do Jo.”

She turns out of the room and uses the stairs to take her to the L&D floor, where the sound of expecting mothers in labor couldn’t be missed. She checks on a few patients, seeing how far they had advanced while she had momentarily stepped away. Not too long after she enters a new room, where Jo was glaring at a spot in an empty corner, trying to get through yet another contraction.

When Jo sees the woman enter, she lets out a low laugh. “I swear, if he doesn’t get here soon I am going to murder him with my bare hands.” she says, only half serious.

The blonde laughs, shaking her head fondly. “Is he close?” she asks, putting on yet another pair of gloves, this time pink.

“Thankfully,” she sighs. “This baby wasn’t supposed to come for another two weeks. My boyfriend has a conference here at UDub, and he told me so many times that I can’t go but of course I fought him on it, because I can’t sleep if he’s not next to me and neither can the baby. I realized about five hours in that I made a stupid mistake, because I had to pee every thirty minutes, and I was sure my boyfriend wanted to toss me out of the car. He didn’t though, because he loves me way too much. Thank god. So he cancelled his flight and quite literally drove across the country with me so that I can sleep at night, and now I’m going into labor two weeks early, while he’s at a lecture.” Jo rambles, not letting out a single breath until she was done.

Her eyes widen, an embarrassed flush creeping up onto her cheeks as she avoids eye contact, biting her bottom lip between her teeth. “Sorry,” she apologies. “I tend to go into long speeches when I’m nervous.”

Izzie just smiles, giving the woman a reassuring pat on the leg. “It’s okay, I would say labor is a good time to be nervous. Is it okay that I lift up your gown?”

Jo nods, “Yes, sorry. Let’s see how close this baby is to coming out of a very tiny hole.” she chuckles, trying to lessen her nerves to the best of her ability. She really was terrified. Her pregnancy had not been planned what-so-ever. It hadn’t been easy, between all-day sickness and the occasional spotting, she had been in constant fear. But besides all of that, she had to come clean to Alex about everything, her abusive husband, her abortion, her name-change… It was something that she had worried about immensely, the fear of him leaving and wanting nothing to do with her once he found out about her past keeping her up some nights. She still had the occasional dream that she would wake up to an empty bed with only a note left on the pillow, ‘I can’t do this’. Alex helped her through it though, and when she spilled her past to him all he did was envelope her in his arms while she cried, placing kisses in her hair as she wet his shirt with her tears.

I’m not going anywhere Jo, he told her, and after nine long months, she knew that he was sticking to his word. She just really wished he was here right now, because contractions hurt like a son of a bitch.

“So,” the blonde snaps her out of her thoughts, “You’re a doctor. Where?” Jo knew she was trying to distract her from the pain, and for that she was more than thankful.

“Johns Hopkins. I’m a surgical resident and my boyfriend is a pediatric fellow.”

The woman at her feet looks impressed, giving her a small smile as she checks Jo’s cervix. “When you said you were a doctor I was kind of expecting it to be from some kind of hospital I’d never heard of, no offense.”

Jo laughs, “None taken.” She was used to it by now. On multiple occasions when she was asked where she worked she was met by a bit of silent surprise. Even if you weren’t in the world of medicine, you knew Johns Hopkins.

Izzie flips the gown back down, “You’re about four centimeters dilated, if you want an epidural now would be your last chance.”

The brunette shakes her head. “No thanks. I’m gonna push this baby’s giant head out drug-free and regret it later on.” she brushes back a stand of hair, “That wasn’t sarcastic. Well,” she scrunches up her face, “It kinda was. But no, no epidural.” she settles on, just as another contractions comes through. She hisses through her teeth, and both of them waiting until it was over.

The woman chuckles, “I’m seriously gonna kill him if he’s not here within the next thirty seconds.”

As if to prove her point, Jo grabs her phone from the bag next to her bed, scrolling through it until she reaches Alex’s contact. Harshly slamming on the call button, she brings the phone to her ear, not needing to wait long until the familiar voice reaches her ears.

“Hello?”

“Where the hell are you?!” she hisses into the phone, clutching it closer to her ear as if it would make her words even louder and bring him to her quicker.

“I’m about twenty minutes away. There’s some really bad traffic and I'm backed up pretty badly. Taking the side streets isn’t an option either. Just remember to breathe, and I’ll be there soon.”

“Okay,” Jo sighs, rolling her chapped lips together. Him telling her to breathe in all honesty wanted to make her slap him, but she resisted solely because of the fact that he wasn’t there yet. “I love you.”

“Love you too, —oh wait, you do know you’re where I used to work right?” Alex asks her through the phone, and she can practically hear the smile in his voice.

“What? I thought you worked at Seattle Grace?”

“I did. Turns out they changed the name. Grey-Sloan Memorial. Guess I know who died.”

She tries to muffle a laugh, but it still comes out in a huff. “Be nice!” Typical of him really, no respect what-so-ever for people, even the dead. He already knew about the passings of his fellow co-workers though, so it wasn’t like he wasn't affected by their deaths. He was still in touch with Meredith Grey, as he told her, texting and skyping on birthdays and holidays, and any free time they had in between. Plus, she’d met the woman multiple times via video calls.

“Alright, I’ll be there soon, bye.”

“Bye.” she pushes the end call button and flops against the bed as gently as she can, because it seems to be as though every small movement sent a pain through her body.

“He almost here?” the blonde questions, lingering in the doorway of the room, waiting to see if she should stay put or check on some other laboring moms.

Jo nods, “He should be here in about twenty minutes.” she sighs. “Fair warning, he’s a peds surgeon, so he’s gonna come in here all high and mighty, acting like an asshole because he doesn’t think anybody can take care of his own baby better than him. But,” she lets a small smile escape. “Just because he acts like an asshole doesn’t mean he is one. You know the type?”

Izzie just laughs, “Oh, believe me, I know the type.”

____

Twenty-five minutes later Izzie is checking Jo’s cervix once more, pulling down her gown once she was done. “You’ve moved up to five centimeters Jo, congrats.” she gives the woman a smile, about to stand up when a man comes through the door.

“Jo, I’m so, so sorry it took so long,” he rounds to the side of the bed, pulling the woman into a side hug and kissing the top of her head.

Izzie froze at the voice, a voice she knew all too well. A voice she hadn’t heard in over three years. The voice of her ex-husband. The voice of the one and only Alex Karev.

“I tried but all of these assholes wouldn’t let me in no matter how many times I blasted the damn horn. Hi, I’m Doc—” his eyes widen comically when he finally turns to face the blonde, hand stuck out straight in front of him.

His mouth hung open, finally clearing his throat after a few seconds of straight silence. “Hi, Izzie,” he settles on, giving a tight lipped smile and a subtle nod of his head.

Jo looks between the two, eyes scrunched until an expression of frustration crosses over her face. “Alex freaking Karev,” she all but seethes.

“Please, please tell me that your ex-wife isn’t the woman who is going to be delivering our baby!” she practically screeches, digging her sharp nails into his hand as she goes through another contraction.

Izzie perks up immediately, “I’m so sorry Doctor Wilson. If you think that this is too weird or a conflict of interest I can gladly recommend another doc—”

Jo immediately shakes her head. “Nope. No, no, no, no, no. I like you, Doctor Stevens, and you’ve already seen up my vagina and I would prefer there not be another person who needs to look up there.” she wipes a bead of sweat off her forehead. “So as long as you two can be professional divorcees, I would greatly appreciate it for the sake of this baby.” she grins sarcastically at the two of them.

She knew it really wasn’t the greatest idea to have her boyfriend’s ex-wife deliver her baby, she knew. But Doctor Stevens was nice, and switching her OB no would just add to the stress that was currently accumulating through her body. If one more thing were to go wrong, she wouldn’t trust herself not to throw something at a wall.

Izzie nods, biting her bottom lip. “Of course. It’ll be no problem Dr. Wilson. I’ll be back in thirty minutes.” With that she turns out of the room, stopping when she was out of sight to bang her head against the wall.

“Oh god.” she mumbles to herself, letting her head stay in its position for a little while longer.

It was going to be a really long day.

____

She drops her tray onto the cafeteria table with a loud sigh, burying her head in her heads for the umpteenth time that afternoon, letting out a long groan as she does so. Meredith and Cristina exchange suspicious looks until the blonde eventually shakes the other woman. “You good?” she asks hesitantly, still unsure of how to act around her old friend.

Izzie had transferred back to Seattle Grace (now Grey-Sloan) just over four months ago to pursue her OB GYN fellowship. They had all changed a bit since the early years of their residency, so most of the time Meredith was overly cautious of how to act. They weren’t the same person they were three years ago. New traumas, relationships, losses… knowing the person they knew then wasn’t the same as knowing the person they did now.

Of course, they still got along well. Izzie had surprisingly made quick friendships with Jackson and April, since all rivalries were now in the past. But knowing how to talk to someone you didn’t know all too well with emotions you haven’t seen on them in years was difficult and something she wasn’t quite sure how to deal with.

“Alex is here,” she lifts her head up from the table, only to be met with one wide-eyed stare, and another confused.

“Yeah,” Meredith pipes in, taking a bite of her fries. “He’s in Seattle, giving a lecture at UDub. How do you know that?” she asks suspiciously.

“Wait, how do you know that?” the blonde asks, furrowing her brows.

Meredith shrugs, “We talk. Skype. We actually have plans to meet up tomorrow as long as I don’t get called in. Why do you know that Alex is here?” she prompts again. Last time she checked, Alex wasn’t in contact with his ex-wife.

“He’s here,” she emphasizes, throwing her hands up in the air.

Cristina smirks, “Stevens, we know he’s in Seattle, but if you’re going around stalking your ex-husband then—”

“No! He’s here here. He’s in the hospital,” she huffs.

Both of the women’s eyes widened, “What happened?” Meredith asks, getting up from her seat, fries already forgotten, while Cristina looks concerned. “Is he okay? Why—”

“No, no he’s fine.” she shakes her head, the gravity of the situation suddenly hitting her full force. “He’s here, with his pregnant girlfriend, who’s in labor.” she states slowly, snatching a fry from her friend’s plate and shoving it into her mouth.

“Jo’s having the baby?!” “Evilspawn knocked someone up?!”

Both women exclaim at the same time, Izzie looking at the two with skeptical eyes. “Wait, Mer you knew?”

The blonde only scoffs, “Of course I knew,” she quickly runs over to the nearest trash can and dumps her tray in, jogging back over immediately after, a tiny bit of ketchup left on her thumb from her fries.

“Mer you never told me anything,” Cristina hisses once she returns, sending her a sharp glare. Her and Alex weren’t really in contact with each other anymore, but whenever she would barge in on a call or Skype session between the two she would join in the conversation easily.

Meredith rolls her eyes, “I forgot,” she states. “But that’s not the point. Izzie, what room are they in?” she asks, eyes wide and frantic.

Izzie only looks stunned. Meredith knew that Alex was seeing someone, more-so, having a kid —and didn’t tell her? It’s not like her ex frequently came up in conversation, but knowing that he was so… far ahead in life was worth mentioning, right?

“What’s that face? I don’t like that face.” she says quickly, noticing the look of disappointment flash across the lighter blonde’s features.

She sighs, composing herself quickly. “Nothing. It’s fine,” she brushes it off, holding eye contact in hopes that it will disarm them. Meredith only raises an eyebrow, and she knows she has to let them know.

“I was thinking about using the embryos,” she says quietly, gauging their reactions. It was the truth. She was at a good place in her career, making a healthy living… she was prepared to take the next step. She’d wanted kids for as long as she could remember, and she felt like now was as good a time as any to move forward.

The blonde only bites her lip, while Cristina takes a sip of her empty drink, practically slurping on ice. “Were you planning on getting back together with him, Stevens? Because that seems like a long shot,” she deadpans, raising her brows.

“God no. I wasn't planning on getting back together with him, I—” she huffs, burying her face in her hands once more. “I wasn’t even planning on telling him.” she sighs dejectedly, averting her eyes away from the two.

“Well that would’ve never worked,” Meredith tells her, flipping her hair behind her shoulder. “I would’ve called Alex you know.”

“I didn’t know you were still in contact with my ex-husband Mer!” she explains.

The darker blonde only chuckles, “Yeah, I would’ve told him if you were planning on it Iz,” half scolding, half disbelief.

“I get that now.”

Meredith sighs, perking up when she remembers why they were having their conversation in the first place. “Which room is Jo in?” she steers the conversation away, knowing that this was a topic for another time and another place.

“119,” she says. “Give me one second to throw my stuff away, I need to do another dilation check.”

The other woman scrunches her brows, “You’re still her doctor?” she asks. If Addison were to suddenly become her OB because of unexpected labor, she wasn’t sure how she would react. Then again, she’d actually met Addison and knew that she was the best of the best, while Jo had never met the blonde before today. She was just known as ‘Alex’s ex-wife’. She wasn’t sure if she would be so easygoing about the situation, but she had gotten to know Jo in the three years she’d been with Alex, and she had quickly learned that when the brunette was thrown curveballs, she found a way to work around them.

“Yeah, she said she didn’t want to change doctors since she already trusted me,” Izzie answers, mentally brushing off her nerves.

She was more than just thinking about using the embryos, she was planning to use them. When her and Alex got divorced, he gave her full rights to the embryos, so whatever she chose to do with it was her choice. Using them or not was entirely in her control, and was going to go through with it. But now… now things were different. She was planning on doing it on her own, raising a little boy or girl by herself, maybe with her friends pitching in every now and then. She had no obligation to tell Alex before, and well, yeah, it would’ve been the right thing to do, she didn’t need to. But Alex was already expecting a kid, and she could tell from their brief interaction, that while he was terrified, he was also over the moon.

She could still go through with it, if she wanted to. Try to find a way to make co-parenting work. But, Alex lived in Maryland, and sending a child across the country every couple of weeks or fighting for custody was something she would hate more than anything else. Plus, Alex already had a family, him and Jo, and the little baby that they were now going to be bringing into the world. For some reason, she didn’t want to disrupt that.

“Then what are you waiting for?” Cristina’s voice snaps her out of her thoughts. “Time to see a baby evil spawn!” ____

Six hours, twenty three minutes, and thirty-four second later, Emily Meredith Karev is brought into the world, screeching at the top of her very healthy lungs, hands curled into fists and kicking her little legs everywhere, only settling down once she was placed on top of her mother’s chest.

The new mom had tears streaming down her face, a mixture of happiness and pain after over forty-five minutes of pushing. Alex had a look of pure joy on his features, a smile so wide it practically reached his ears.

Izzie hustled out of the room a few minutes later, once all tests were done and everything was okay, leaving the new parents to be with friends to celebrate the baby girl. She walks to the nearest vending machine, sliding in a dollar and paying for a bag of barbecue chips. She takes a seat on the nearest gurney shoved against the wall, taking a few moments to finally breathe. Her eyes drift closed as she relaxes, leaning her head against the wall, thankful that no laboring mothers currently needed her attention.

It wasn’t too long after when she heard footsteps coming her way, pausing when they stopped in front of the vending machine. She cracks an eye open to see Alex facing the glass, punching in the buttons A7 for a packet of red-vines.

“Congrats,” she speaks up, causing him to jump, relaxing when he turns around and sees that it was just her.

He gives her his signature half smirk, “Thanks Iz.”

“You’re in trouble though, Alex Karev,” she grins. “That little girl looks just like Jo.” she laughs softly. She may have only been around the newborn for a few minutes, but that was enough to see that the little girl already had a tuft full of dark brown hair, golden-hazel eyes, and Jo’s nose. Already a mini version of her mom.

Alex groans, running a hand through his hair. “Don’t remind me. She’s not allowed to go near anyone until she’s at least thirty-five,” he states, already shaking off the thought of the little girl he loved more than anything in the world dating someone.

Izzie scoffs playfully. “With those looks? You’ll be lucky if she makes it through a day in the nursery without having all the other babies whipped.”

He only smiles good-naturedly, giving her a small smile, letting a few beats of comfortable silence pass between them.

“I’m happy for you, Alex,” she reassures him. And she was. She would always love Alex, but he was a part of her past, the same way she was a part of his. Being in love with someone was different than loving someone, and that was where they both were with each other.

“Thanks Izzie,” he sighs, grateful that she knew that he was still a bit anxious about their whole encounter. “You have any kids?” he asks, hoping for a way to settle his nerves.

She only shakes her head. “No, but I’m thinking about adopting.” It was true. Just because she decided that the embryos were no longer in the running, she wasn’t going to give up on being a mom.

He gives her a smile. “That’d be good for you,” he says. “You’d make a great mom, Iz.” and she knows that he whole-heartily means those words.

She bites her lip, “Thank you, Alex.” she perks up, nodding towards the end of the hallway where Jo’s room was. “And you’re already an amazing dad.”

With that he heads back down the hall, and she smiles to herself, because he already got his happy ending, and she was on the way to having hers.

Things really do happen for a reason.

18 notes · View notes