#you receive a gun for to search for a key- then lose it immediately after

[aanonymu-s]

Fucking hell I was rambling in the tags and ran out of tag space. Ok.

a (late) comic for octo expansion’s anniversary! it was important to me, so I wanted to write about how it felt to play.

[wonderland-journals]

round two ☆

🔞🔞**CHARACTERS ARE AGED UP 21+**🔞🔞

★ pairing: Manjiro "Mikey" Sano & f!reader ★ word count: 4.8K

When he came to, the rattling in his inebriated mind clearing at the feel of cold steel against his heated skin, he made no effort to move. “You vicious little whore.”

You leaned in so your lips were next to his ear, the pressure of your chest pushing the blade just enough to draw a drop of blood. “That sounds good… Say it again.”

“Enough.”

The familiar, commanding voice that boomed across the room made you straighten up immediately. Your eyes met the onyx black ones of Manjiro Sano, the leader of Bonten.

“Mi-key~” Immediately jumping to your feet, you skipped over to the snow-haired male with a smile. “I’m back~”

“I see.”

★ cw/tw: illegal Activities, underground fighting, gambling, implied/referenced drug use, violent thoughts, hair-pulling, weapons, makeout, gun kink, knifeplay, choking, breathplay, branding, bloodplay, degrading,light sadism, possessive behavior, aged-up character(s), post-time skip, Bonten future timeline

This fic is also located on my AO3. Feel free to like and kudos ♡

**This fic is not intended for immature audiences and does contain dark content. You must be 18 or older and mentally mature to enjoy. Don’t like it, don’t read it. The author is not responsible for your sense of comfort and your preferences.**

The roar of the crowd always made your blood thrum through your veins. A rush of excitement shot up your spine with every swing that missed you by inches. This is what euphoria must feel like, dancing around this makeshift, underground ring. Dodging swing after swing and occasionally dishing out a few of your own with such tactical precision that you were guaranteed to never miss. You were always paired with the meatheads who swore they could take you down, making your earnings so much higher when you proved them wrong.

Just like the asshat before you, already swaying from side to side from exhaustion. You smiled at him, taunting him with a flash of your teeth in that faux smile you liked to give to the unfortunate victims who ended up on the receiving end of your wrath. It shouldn’t be this fun hearing the crunch of bone and tissue when your fist collided with his nose. You shouldn’t be this… aroused at the sight of another man’s blood on your fists. Even when your opponent went down though you simply jumped on top of them and kept swinging until someone finally came and pulled you off of them. The corners of your vision blurred dark with an immediate spike in rage, but after a few deep breaths and the pinch of your nails digging into your palms, you calmed down.

It was so easy to lose yourself in the cheers of the crowd, easy to disregard the boos of the men who lost their money to you. Money that you were more than happy to now claim as yours. Though it wasn’t the only reason you were here tonight… Eyeing the man that led you down an empty hall, devoid of photos, security, or any other way in or out other than the path you followed behind him. Sometimes they just made it too easy…

“Looks like another good night for you.”

A small smile graced your features as you hummed, shifting your gaze to the pink-haired male who leaned back comfortably on one of the single chairs with his gun on the small table in front of him. You had only walked into the building a few minutes ago, your high still thrumming through your system. His piercing, ice blue eyes would have intimidated anyone else, but not you.

“Always a good night.” Adjusting the strap of the duffel bag on your shoulder, you searched the room for any of the other members that normally hung around. “Big bad pup left on his own?”

You didn’t have to look at him to know that he was glaring daggers at you. The empty bottle and array of pills before him were set aside as he stood from his chair, letting it scrape across the floor. He always hated that nickname, you knew this, but it was just too fun to pick on him.

“Be a good pup and go find Mikey for me.”

You walked over to the table he had his spread set up on and dropped your duffel bag on the empty chair next to you. Regardless of any personal feelings you had towards him or any of the other Bonten members, there was still a certain level of respect you all had for each other – most of you anyways.

You could see the vein in his neck throbbing in irritation, his hands clenching and unclenching with a need to wrap themselves around your neck. Maybe squeeze until that irritatingly pretty smirk that seemed to be a permanent fixture on your face more often than not fell and your eyes widened in fear. He could practically see it, and it was beautiful. His hand moved quickly for the weapon he kept tucked into the waistband of his pants, aiming for you without a second of hesitation.

“You forget your place here, bitch.” Sanzu hissed, taking a single step in your direction.

His words only made you laugh, the sound grating against Haru’s ears like nails on a chalkboard.

“Sanzu, you forget yourself!” Not even a tremor in your squeal. He watched you with narrowed eyes as you turned to face him and stepped forward until your forehead was directly against the barrel of the gun. “Did you forget where you stand next to me?” Before he could blink, your hand was cupping his cheek. Thumb gently caressing the outline of his diamond-shaped scar on the corner of his mouth “You are in my shadow.” Your smirk only grew, enjoying the rolling waves of tension and anger that came off of him. “Act like it.”

With one hand you grabbed the weapon from his hand, tossing it somewhere across the room behind you. The hand on his cheek slid back to grasp at his hair and tug it backward at the same time you hooked your leg behind his to trip him to the floor on his back. Spit flew from his mouth at the impact, and you took advantage of his momentary lapse to straddle his chest between your legs and pull the knife you carry on your back holster out to force it just under his Adam’s apple.

When he came to, the rattling in his inebriated mind clearing at the feel of cold steel against his heated skin, he made no effort to move. “You vicious little whore.”

You leaned in so your lips were next to his ear, the pressure of your chest pushing the blade just hard enough to draw a drop of blood. “That sounds good… Say it again.”

“Enough.”

The familiar, commanding voice that boomed across the room made you straighten up immediately. Your eyes met the onyx black ones of Manjiro Sano, the leader of Bonten.

“Mi-key~” Immediately jumping to your feet, you skipped over to the snowy-haired male with a smile. “I’m back~”

“I see.” He answered plainly, face devoid of any signs of emotion save for the small sparkle of life in his eyes when they flicked over to you.

Mikey had always held a sort of soft spot for you, his favorite little assassin.

Placing the knife back in its sheath, you cocked your head to the side curiously eyeing the short-statured mafia leader. “Did you want to see my winnings, boss?”

“No.”

He lifted his chin only slightly to you. A silent motion for you to follow him when he turned on his heels. Having known Sano for more years than you wanted to count, you could read his subtle tells and decipher his secret requests even better than his subordinates. That was why you wordlessly walked away from Sanzu, who was still on the ground dumbfounded by your mood shift, and followed Mikey into his office. Not even phased by the click of the lock behind you, making yourself comfortable atop his desk after pushing some of the papers aside.

“You love to antagonize him.”

It wasn’t a question, but you answered anyways. “He makes it too easy.”

“Tch.” He sucked his teeth, walking over until he was in front of you, eyes darting down to your closed legs and back up to your eyes. Already you could see the arousal swimming in them. “You’re trying to bait him.”

“How so?” You played coy, blinking innocently at him. A single finger tapping your chin. “He started it.”

Honestly, you didn’t hear his response, too lost in your rampant imagination, as it did earlier in the ring, watching his lips move to form his words. The soft pout of his lower lip made your imagination run wild remembering the long nights after a hit when you would come back, and he would ravage you until you were a whimpering mess for him. Picturing all the pretty ways he could bring you to your knees. Your nails drag over your covered thigh in an attempt to pull your focus back on reality. It didn’t work, your mind replacing your touch with his. Stoking the pooling desire in your core, its heat flowing through your body, making your heart flutter in your chest and your palms tingle with the need to reach out and touch him.

“Well?” His curt question brought you back to the present.

“Sorry I think I zoned out there.” Slowly you spread your legs just wide enough for him to stand between them. Your words a low purr as lust clouded your mind, admiring how he took his place between your legs so naturally with that lazy, amused smirk gracing his features. “Could you say that again?”

“My dumb little whore…” Mikey reached up to caress the apple of your cheek with the back of his hand. Obsidian eyes watching the stuttered rise and fall of your chest and chuckling at how easily affected you were. “I haven’t even done anything and you’re already putty in my hand.”

A soft sigh left your lips when his fingers drifted over the expanse of your neck down to your collarbone. Something in his touch hooked you, pulling at your strings with ease to bend to his will. From the moment you first had him, the night you shared the first of many kisses with him, you knew you would do anything, everything for him. Your eyes had already fluttered shut to enjoy the simple pleasure that was his touch, so you didn’t see him lean in until his mouth slotted over yours.

Lips moving in tandem with each other, speaking words that would otherwise never be said aloud. Such an effortless action, yet it made your heart soar. Beating so loudly in your chest there was no doubt in your fuzzy mind that he could hear it, though he never commented on it if he did. The kiss grew quickly in intensity, lips parting to allow his tongue to slide over yours. Your hands come up to grab fistfuls of his hair to pull him closer to you. Your body was acutely aware of him, a shiver of pleasure running up your spine when his other hand gripped your waist and forced it to press against his. The feel of his hardening cock straining against his pants made your mouth water. You could feel your clit already throbbing with the need for some kind of friction, his hand that had been gently tracing from the left collarbone to the right, yanking your top down until it ripped from the force enough to expose your chest to him.

Shoving his hand into your bra to fondle your breast, his thumb swiping over your already pebbled nipple. “Sensitive.” He murmured against your lips.

You couldn’t help but shake your head at the word, squirming where you sat.

“Mikey…”

“I know…”

Grinding his hips against yours, you threw your head back and mewled at the pleasure of the friction you desperately craved finally being given to you. Teeth tugging on your lower lip for a second before releasing it. Parting your lips with his own to slip his tongue in your mouth, letting it battle for dominance.

The quiet moan of his name that slipped past you was cut short by the familiar click of a safety being released. You didn’t even realize that he has released his hold on your waist until the cool metal of the barrel was pressed against your left temple. It should have made you flinch, push him away, something. Instead, you just pulled back, so your face was a few inches from his. Eyeing the string of saliva that connected you when you broke the kiss. Not even batting an eyelash at the fact that if he wanted to, he could pull the trigger with ease. Wouldn’t even think twice about it.

“Now that I have your attention-“

“You always have my attention.”

He pushed the pistol harder against your temple. “Only because you want my cock.”

Meeting his gaze, your smile grew wider. “Does it matter how you have it?”

Sano’s eyes narrowed slightly, observing you with that cold, calculating look in his eyes. Standing in front of you silently, the air was calm between you, for a few minutes before speaking again. “Strip.”

The urge to resist, talk back or do anything that may push his buttons further attempted to push reason to the side, but you resisted said temptation. You craved this man like a drug. Your mind filled only with the thought of him bending you over his desk and filling your cunt with his essence. A comforting warmth creeping over your skin, whispering promises of pleasure in your ear if you just obeyed. So, you did as he asked, a single digit on his chest to compel him to step back so you could slide off the edge of his desk and begin shimmying off your pants. Mikey was kind enough to move the pistol from your head, watching you remove the garment from your body with no more expression on his face than if he were in a board meeting. Any other girl would’ve taken offense to that, but not you. No, you knew better, knew him better. He was aroused, needy. The tent in his pants was obvious and it took everything in you not to drop to your knees before him.

“Well, this isn’t very fair…” You pouted playfully, fingers reaching for one of the loops of his pants. Tracing over his belt buckle, your eyes cast down to eye the bulge that strained against his slacks. “You’re still fully clothed and-”

A hand shot out to grasp your neck in a tight hold, effectively cutting you off. Your hands scrabbled behind you for the edge of the desk to keep yourself upright when you felt cold metal press itself against your sensitive clit.

“Have I ever let you down?” Mikey cocked his head to the side, eyeing your immediate reaction to the stimulation. Rubbing the ridged slide of the gun against your clit, he leaned in with the hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “I asked you a question, sweetness.”

All you could do was nod at him. Eyes wide in surprise from the pleasure rushing through you.

“Use your words.”

“Y-Yes- No! No.” The subtle threat of not getting to reach your peak made only known by how he slowed down his actions despite tightening the hold on your neck, had you correcting yourself quickly for him. “No. Sir. No, never.”

“Have a little faith in me, yeah?” He continued his ministrations, rubbing the weapon against you with a little more pressure. It felt like the air was punched from your lungs when he taunted you, slipping the barrel in and out of your entrance. “Little slut, getting off to me fucking you with my gun.” Manjiro laughed, a taunting sound that tugged at your focus to stay on him, though you wanted nothing more to give in to this toe-curling high your body was chasing. “Haven’t even gotten to the question-answer portion of the night either.”

You could only respond with babbles of his name, keening and spreading your legs wider when he pushed the weapon further inside of you.

“Always playing the line, aren’t you?” He leaned in to whisper in your ear. “You know just easily I could-” You screamed as he shoved it even further in, the raised sight on it scratching over your g spot. “-slip and pull this little trigger.” Squeezing the sides of your neck with his thumb, index, and middle finger, he pushed you back onto his desk. “You don’t care though. You just want to be fucked.”

His name was a mantra, the only thought in your fuzzy mind was him and the pleasure that ebbed and flowed through your system. The snow-haired male didn’t expect you to answer him but was impressed at your stubbornness to try.

“Want your cock, Manjiro.” You moaned out, fingers finding purchase on the hardwood surface of his desk.  “Can I- Can I please?”

Though your immediate desperation amused him, a sure sign of how he’s broken you – trained you – for his use only, there was a tiny bit of information he wanted to know first.

“Not yet, pretty girl.” He hummed. “Just need you to answer one. tiny. question.” Each word was punctuated with a shallow thrust of the gun.

You nodded your head, trying to clear your mind long enough to hear his question. “Yes, yes, yes. Anything-Anything just – oh fuck – just wanna- wanna cum please. Please!”

“Dirty girl…” Sano chuckled, the absence of his warmth over your body from him standing up straight making you whine at the loss. Stuttered gasps escaped you with each slow twist of his wrist, turning the weapon on its side before beginning to pull it out. “Did you take care of your mark?”

“My- My what?”

The Bonten leader had to stifle a laugh. Only a few minutes had passed and already it looked as if he had pushed all thoughts from your mind.

“Your target.” He reiterated. “Your job. The whole reason I let you out to begin with. Ringing a bell?” He relished in the keen of your voice from the sudden emptiness. Licking the side of his piece, letting the sweet essence of your slick burst across his tongue. Suppressing an inward groan, he looked at you with a new fire in his obsidian eyes. “Did you take care of him?”

“Yes.” You propped yourself up so you were leaned back on your forearms, staring down the man that could either be your heaven or hell depending on his fickle mood. “Have I ever let you down?”

The clink of his belt being undone excited you. “Tell me.”

“Tell you what?” You eyed how he undid his pants smoothly, pulling them down just enough for you to get a clear view of the bulge in his boxers.

His fingers hooked into the waistband of his boxers and teasingly pulled them down. “Tell me what you did to him. How did the little rat suffer?”

Grinding his erection against your core, you threw your head back from the sensation. The material of his boxers catching on your clit so deliciously that it made your mouth water. Your breaths came out as ragged gasps, hands curled tight so that your nails dug into your palms and made you hiss.

“Tell me.”

“Fuck! I-” You had to rack your brain for a second of clarity, praying for this sensation curling in your belly to subside for a brief moment to answer him. “I- I followed him. To his office.” A forceful thrust against you made your eyes flutter shut and your mouth falls slack. “One-way hall, no security.”

“Go on…”

He pulled back for a moment and you gasped at the feel of his bare cock thrust against your waiting cunt. Eyes shooting open to see the engorged tip tucked between your folds. Every thrust of his hips smearing your leaking juices on the underside of him. The reddened tip caught against your puffy clit, hips against hips met on every pulse felt below.

“He-” You gulped for air, trying to push past the invisible obstruction blocking your airway. “He congratulated me. On winning the f-fight.”

“Of course you fought.” Though his words seemed to come out easily, you could see the flush crawling up his neck, painting the tips of his ears a bright red. Hear the hitch in his voice. He never stopped his agonizing pace, swatting your hand away when you would reach for him. “Go on.”

“My-My winnings. In the bag.” You struggled to get your words out, watching him pull back again to fist his cock, spreading the pre that spilled from his slit along his length, and tease the tip against your fluttering opening. “Manjiro- Mikey please sir.”

“Keep. Going. Use your big girl words for me.”

His voice, his words, all of it matched with the way he was toying with you, dragging you back and forth on the edge of insanity, it felt like, made your head spin. “I made- I won a lot of money, Mikey. All for you-u!” You laid flat on the desk, teeth clenched together, and legs locked around his waist in a weak attempt to pull him in when he pushed the bulbous head of his cock past the tight muscle of your entrance. “Please, please, please. Want you to fill me already!”

“Keep. Going.”

Groaning in frustration, you threw your arm to cover your face. “Fuck me… Fine!” He pushed an inch inside and then pulled out. “I told him – shit – I told him I was after – fuck me, Sano, feels good~” This aggravating man pushed back in, punching the air out of your lungs with the feeling of being so full, though you knew he wasn’t even all the way in. Still the slight curve he had pressed his tip just right against your soft spot, making you let out a choked moan from the pleasure.

“After-?” Mikey prompted.

“After- After a different reward.” In through the nose, out through the mouth. Deep breaths that burned as they filled your lungs. Thighs shakily squeezing tight on either side of his waist. “I sat- on his lap.” Your words were forced through gritted teeth as he pushed in another inch or so. “Took his face in my hands and-” You could feel the lusty fog drawing you under its spell. Eyes glazing over, tongue poking out to lick across your lower lip.

“Hm?” Pinching your cheeks between his fingers, he made you to look at him. “My pretty little whore sharing what’s mine?” The last word was emphasized by a particularly hard thrust that fully sheathed him to the hilt. You shook your head, a strangled, unrecognizable sound escaping you. “Maybe – hah – I should be selling you on the corners with the others. Since you’ll take anyone apparently.”

“N-No! No! No.” You exclaimed, the corners of your eyes stinging with the onslaught of oncoming tears. “It wasn’t – please! It wasn’t like that!”

Another thrust that had him kissing your cervix. “No?” The demon before you laughed. “Then tell me exactly what it was like.”

You cried out as he pinched your clit. “Manjiro!”

Angry Mikey was actually the safest of all the different sides of him. He was predictable. Releasing his hold on your face, he pulled out his own knife from the back horizontal carry sheath. Lightly skimming the jagged edges of the blade along your jawline, placing the sharpened edge under your chin.

“I wanna hear what my little toy has to say for herself.”

There was that thrill that came in associating yourself with the likes of him. Never knowing if today would be the day he would fully give in to his dark impulses, his rage, and end your existence. You didn’t care, you never cared. You loved the thrill, lived for it. It was a hard sought rush of adrenaline to the system that you craved in the day-to-day. Paying no mind to the warm liquid that rolled down your neck from where the knife bore into your skin.

“I wanna show you…”

When he hesitantly removed the cool metal from your overheated skin, you released the breath you didn’t know you were holding. “No.”

There was no bite to his word, but he wanted you to tell him what happened. You could see the silent plea to reassure him that his irrational fear was just that: irrational. You had to read the silence between you to understand that, though, as all that could be heard was soft breathing and the humming air conditioner that hung on the wall of his office running. He was watching your movements, body on edge. Prepared to react at a moment’s notice. Tentatively you held his face in your hands, bringing him down to you as if you were going to kiss him.

“I took his face in my hands…” You whispered, lips a breath away from each other. “Brought my lips this close to his, and-”

Wincing, you were cut off by the jagged touch of metal pressing into the soft give of your skin above your hip. A single, slow long slice downward that sent a shockwave of pain through you, and you had to resist the urge to flinch or move, or else the semi-deep cut he was making would become fatal. Another smaller cut next to the one he just made, then another, and then a final long cut.

Oh.

“And then?”

You peered down between your bodies to see the bright red ‘M’ that was now carved into your skin. Ignoring his lust-blown eyes that studied you, taking in the way your brows furrowed together and your left cheek was a bit more sunken from your habit of biting on the tender skin on the inside to hold back any other external sign of pain or discomfort. Deep in his twisted mind, he still admired just how perfect you were for him. Your demons dancing alongside his own without overpowering them.

Bringing your lips next to his ear, you answered him. “I broke his neck.” You released a shuddering breath, smirking at him when you met his gaze. “He made it too easy for me.”

“Is that right?” He noticed the twitch in your eye when he pressed his thumb down on his mark. Eyes flickering down to watch the beads of red well up from the cut and spill over his fingers as they dripped down to the desk underneath you. “Well, who wouldn’t get distracted with a pair of tits like this in their face?” His other hand grabbed at your breast roughly, rolling his thumb over your nipple. Setting a slow, hard pace that had him knocking the entrance of your cervix with every thrust. “The bastard only got to look, didn’t he?” Another thrust, this one was harder as he tried to stop you from holding your voice back. “Who do you belong to?”

Shifting your legs so that they sat on his shoulders, he held the back of your knees and pushed them until they practically touched your chest. Exposing you to his hungry eyes and the bite of the air. You hissed when the soft flesh of your thigh was pressed against your fresh wound, eyes shut tightly, and jaw clenched to bite back the curse you almost let out.

“Look at me.” He growled.

And who were you to disobey your leader?

His thrusts alternated between fast and hard to slow and teasing. Bringing you to the brink of a high and then ripping you away with little remorse. “I asked you a question and you won’t cum until you answer it.” A wicked smirk stretched across his face. “Dumb little thing,” he cooed watching your eyes roll back. “Can’t even think straight anymore, can you? Does my cock feel good?”

Nodding, you grabbed his forearms unsure if you wanted him to let you go or fuck you harder. “Feels good. So good. Feels good – fuck! God, Mikey-”

“That’s fucking right.” The heavy sound of his balls slapping against the curve of your ass as his thrusts got harder again. “I’m your owner, your god. You serve me. Now say it. I wanna hear you scream out and tell everyone who you belong to.”

Try as you might, there was no holding back your moans of pleasure anymore. His pace was harder, faster with every second you fought back. Moans of his name as your nails clawed down his forearms, unable to get your arms to respond to your mental command to reach out for him and hold him close. That tight knot inside of your core wound tighter and tighter until-

“Fuck! You, Manjiro! I’m yours!” You keened as your orgasm crashed over you.

“Fuck fuck fuck!”

The muscles in your lower abdomen convulsing from the intensity of it. Back arching off the desk as a silent scream left you. Powerful as he was, Mikey didn’t last too much longer after you. Hissing from the way your cunt squeezed around him, milking him of every drop that spilled inside of you. Cursing under his breath as he continued to fuck you through the pleasure until it bordered pain. When he was sure there was nothing left in him, he lowered your legs to lay flat on the wooden surface. His fingers gingerly pressed against the brand on your skin, tracing it, and smearing your blood over it.

“That’s my girl.”

You wanted to ask what compelled this possessiveness in him tonight, but you knew he wouldn’t give you a real answer, so you left it alone. Nodding in agreement to his claim over you. Besides, since the day you swore your allegiance to him, he owned you anyways.

© wonderland-journals || All rights reserved. Please do not plagiarize or translate my work on other platforms without my permission.

[introvertguide]

Saving Private Ryan (1998); AFI #71

The next film on the list is one of the best films of any genre, Saving Private Ryan (1998). This is what I consider the best war film of all time despite how overwhelming it is to watch. Maybe it is because it is so difficult to watch, since the movie was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and received five trophies. Because of the ensemble cast and almost complete lack of women, the film was never going to garner much in the way of acting awards. Like the soldiers who they hoped to portray, these actors shouldn’t have expected much individual recognition. This movie affected me greatly, and I would like to delve into that after going through the story line.

MAJOR SPOILER WARNING!!! BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE FILM, EVERYTHING THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE REVEALED AS FAR AS PLOT IS GIVEN AWAY BELOW!!! 

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In the present day, an elderly man visits the Normandy Cemetery with his family. At a tombstone, he falls to his knees in anguish. The establishing shots showing the mass of grave stones is overwhelming from the get-go. The movie transitions from the graveyard to a landing boat at the battle of Normandy. Be prepared because it is about to get rough.

On the morning of June 6, 1944, American soldiers land at Omaha Beach as part of the Normandy invasion. Everything goes bad immediately as machine guns and mortars literally tear the landing soldiers to shreds. Soldiers are screaming for their mothers as they die on the beach. There is no going back into the ocean so the soldiers have run into the machine gun fire. Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) of the 2nd Ranger Battalion leads a breakout from the beach that makes it through to the German encampment. It is about 15 minutes of carnage and nobody will blame you if you want to forward through this until the action cools down. Elsewhere on the beach, a dead soldier lies face-down in the bloody surf; his pack is stenciled Ryan, S. It is at this point I would recommend taking a breather if you need one.

Continuing on, we are shifted to Washington, D.C., at the War Department (keep an eye out for Bryan Cranston with one arm), where General George C. Marshall learns that three of the four sons of the Ryan family were killed in action within a short time of one another. Daniel Ryan in New Guinea shortly before D-Day, Sean Ryan at Omaha Beach, and Peter Ryan at Utah Beach: all dead with letters arriving the same day for their mother. The fourth son, James Francis Ryan, is with the 101st Airborne Division somewhere in Normandy. After reading Abraham Lincoln's Bixby letter, which is meant to comfort grieving parents, aloud, Marshall orders Ryan found and brought home.

Three days after D-Day, Miller receives orders to find Ryan and bring him back. He chooses seven men from his company for the job—T/Sgt. Mike Horvath (Tom Sizemore), Privates First Class Richard Reiben (Edward Burns) and Adrian Caparzo (Vin Diesel), Privates Stanley Mellish (Adam Goldberg) and Daniel Jackson (Barry Pepper), T/4 medic Irwin Wade (Giovanni Ribisi) and T/5 Timothy Upham (Jeremy Davies), an interpreter from the 29th Infantry Division. The group moves out to Neuville where they meet a squad of the 101st engaged against the enemy and both Ted Danson and Paul Giamatti show up. THe group searching for Ryan bump into a stranded French family who try to give over their children but a German sniper breaks up the party. Caparzo is killed by a German sniper, who is then killed by Jackson (who makes the most amazing shot that legends are made of). They locate a Private James Ryan (Nathan Fillion), only to learn that he is James Frederick Ryan. On the point of giving up, the Captain starts asking random passing soldiers and learns that Ryan is defending an important bridge in Ramelle.

Near Ramelle, Miller decides to neutralize a German machine gun position at a derelict radar station, despite his men's misgivings. It does not go well and the medic, Wade, is killed in the process. They take a German soldier that they name Steamboat Willie (Joerg Stadler) who gives up willingly and pleads for his life. The men are angry and want to kill the soldier since they can’t take any extras, so, at Upham's urging, Miller frees the surviving German soldier. Losing confidence in Miller's leadership, Reiben declares his intention to desert, prompting a confrontation with Horvath, who threatens to shoot him. Miller defuses the standoff by disclosing his civilian career as a high school English teacher in a small Pennsylvania town.

At Ramelle, they find Ryan (Matt Damon) among a small group of paratroopers preparing to defend the key bridge against an imminent German attack. Miller tells Ryan that his brothers are dead, and that he was ordered to bring him home. Ryan is distressed about his brothers, but is unwilling to leave his post. Miller combines his unit with the paratroopers in defense of the bridge. He devises a plan to ambush the enemy with two .30-caliber machine guns, Molotov cocktails, anti-tank mines, and improvised satchel charges made from socks. It is basically suicide so the bridge is wired to explode in case it can’t be held. 

Now is a time to take a breather if you need one because it is about to get bad again. Elements of the 2nd SS Panzer Division arrive with two Tiger tanks and two Marder tank destroyers, all protected by infantry. The small American group holds off the force the best they can, Although they inflict heavy damage on the Germans, nearly all of the paratroopers, along with Jackson, Mellish and Horvath, are killed. It turns out that Steamboat Willie joined the group and he personally kills Mellish with a Nazi youth knife (it is horrible) and shoots Miller Captain Miller as he attempts to blow up the bridge. Miller crawls to retrieve the bridge detonator, and fires ineffectually but defiantly with his pistol at an oncoming tank. As the tank reaches the bridge, an American P-51 Mustang flies overhead and destroys the tank, after which American armored units arrive to rout the remaining Germans. With the Germans in full retreat, Upham emerges from hiding and shoots Steamboat Willie dead, having witnessed him shooting Miller, but allows his fellow soldiers to flee.

Miller tells Ryan to “earn this” before dying from his injuries. As the scene transitions to the present, Ryan is revealed to be the veteran from the beginning of the film, and is standing in front of Miller's grave expressing his gratitude for the sacrifices Miller and his unit made in the past. Ryan asks his wife if he was worthy of such sacrifice, to which she replies that he is. The final scene shows Ryan saluting Miller's grave and fades to the American flag gently waving in the breeze.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I really have a hard time getting through this film without pausing and taking a breather. I saw the film in the theater when I was 18, so my friends and I were all around the age that these soldiers would have been that rushed that beach and retook France. It was truly terrifying. Now I am old and have back issues, so I wouldn’t be put on a front line, but the kids that I work with and care for would be the exact age to be caught in a draft and that scares me even more. The creative ways in which man finds to kill one another is the greatest threat to humanity. 

The first two times I saw the film, I did not realize that it was the same German soldier that the group had captured who eventually killed many of the group we were following. It really changes the message in the end. I had thought that Captain Miller had showed his humanity showing mercy, but it turns out that this mercy is misplaced. Now it seems like Spielberg is saying that neither humanity, nor religion, nor innocence, nor skill, nor even intelligence can save a man in the heat of battle. The only way to live is to watch the back of your group and protect each other like family.

There was a little bit of a travesty that occurred at the Academy in early 1999, because this film lost out in the Best Picture category to Shakespeare in Love. This is the same year that also saw Saving Private Ryan, The Truman Show, Life is Beautiful, Elizabeth, and The Thin Red Line. There had to be something behind that because I wouldn’t consider the winner even in the top 5. Shakespeare in Love is considered one of the worst Best Picture winners along with Crash and The Artist. Oscars are not everything and this movie is one of the best examples of this.

When I say that some of the scenes from this movie are difficult, I really do mean it. There was a hotline set up for people who have PTSD that was triggered by the film. One of the actual members of the 101st Airborne, Major Richard Winters, was consulted about the occurrences surrounding the attack. He said that it brought up many memories that he had worked hard to suppress because he had been taught that war veterans couldn’t express the psychological pain of battle. He also said that it was an important film that revealed what war was really like.

On Veteran’s Day in 2001 and 2004, ABC aired the film uncut with limited commercial interruptions. Living in California, I was able to watch the film on both of those occasions and remember getting my girlfriend at the time to watch in 2004. The film has become like a memorial to Americans lost in the European Campaign during WW2, so I treat viewing as a badge of honor and understanding, no matter how difficult it is to watch.

This film is a pretty easy answer when it comes to the standard questions for the most part. Does this film belong on the AFI top 100? Of course. It is the new benchmark for which all American war films will be judged. It is historically accurate, it is beautifully shot and directed, and it leaves a lasting impression far longer than just about any movie I have seen. Would I recommend it? This one has an age warning. It is not appropriate for young children because the first and last battle scenes are nightmare fuel. Even worse, they are apparently very realistic. It is hard to recommend something that is so scarring, but it will keep people for glorifying battle. It is horrific and should be avoided as much as possible. And that is a lesson that I believe this movie teaches better than any other. So please give this movie a watch and feel free to take a break if you need it.

[the-blackholeus]

2k16!Shredder x Reader

Hey^^ Another Shredder X Reader because I love this dude. Have fun reading, as always please excuse any gramatical mistakes, and the female version is below.

(After Y/N has been discovered to be Shredder’s lover by his enemies, he began to get overprotective in fear of losing him/her. As s/he really got in trouble, however, he got to watch what this innocent being could do if s/he gets angry)

Male

“Saki! Stop it! I swear!”, Y/N growled as he swatted his boyfriend’s hand away, shooting him a glare that was powerful enough to kill someone. The older male chuckled softly and pulled him against him, pressing a kiss to his neck. “You are just too beautiful, my love, there is no way that I can restrain myself from touching you.”, Oroku Saki, also known as the Shredder, growled into his ears, and pressed another kiss to his cheek. The young man rolled his eyes and pushed him away, running his hand over his hair one last time before he put his jacket on, ready to go.

“You’ll have to restrain yourself if you don’t want to be arrested in the next few minutes, my powerful ninja.”, he huffed in a teasing voice, earning another chuckle and a nuzzle against his neck. “You know that those words only flatter me, my dear Y/N.”, he purred, laughing after he showed him the middle finger. “Idiot.”, he muttered as he went outside, his boyfriend following after him by climbing on the houses, always making sure that he was close, but out of people’s sight. Getting his phone, he called him so that they could talk on the streets without getting arrested. “Why do you even want to accompany me to my way to work?”, he sighed. “I know you’re worried about me, but I can take care of myself.”

“I don’t to risk it, my love.”, he grumbled and jumped over a gap between buildings, his figure not leaving his eyes. “I don’t want to lose you.” The young man gave another sigh and thought back to the night where some of Shredder enemies found out that Y/N was Shredder’s lover, and since then, there had been assassinations attempts. One almost killed him, and he still remembered the evening the older male hugged him, almost in tears, telling him that he would never leave him out of his sight. Since then, he had become overprotective.

It was cute, but it wasn’t needed. What Shredder didn’t know was, that Y/N was a good fighter and able to defend himself better than anyone would think. He hadn’t mention it yet, and didn’t show it, but the longer his boyfriend talked about how he would be too weak to fight against trained assassins, the closer he got there. “You won’t.”, he softly said, hearing a soft chuckle on the other side. “But seriously, don’t you think that you’re overdoing it? Don’t you have a clan to take care of?” “Nothing is more important than you my love, and Karai can run my clan for a few hours until you get back. She did it while I was captured, remember?” Oh, yes, hedid, and he certainly remembered the kick he gave his balls when he got back and the hour scowling him for this naïve deal with an alien before kissing him into Oblivion.

“Yes, I do. But you’re their leader! I can take care of myself for a while, they need you. I love you Saki, and I appreciate your worry and your love, but I am not a toddler anymore. I might be younger than you and I didn’t survive a crazy warlord, but I have gone through some shit myself.” He heard a heavy sigh. “I know, but I am worried.”

“I know, but I have to end this call now. I’m there.” Surprised, Shredder searched his  figure and saw him standing in front of the building that he worked in. He waved at him, a small smile on his scared face before he watched him enter the building, making sure no one was coming too close to you that seemed dangerous.

---

Y/N sighed happily as he finally could pack his bags and walk home. He waved his co-workers goodbye, and walked straight to the door, taking a deep breath, when finally, the cold night air hit his face. He looked around and blinked softly, not finding his boyfriend anywhere. Even though he loved him, he enjoyed the time where he could walk alone.

The young man checked time on his phone as he walked down the street, waving at an old woman who also was on her way home. He turned around the corner, smiling as his house came into sight, but that faded when two men and a woman walked straight up to him, all of them a grin on their face. He stopped, waiting until they were in front of them. “Hello, buddy.”, the woman spoke, clearly the leader of the group. “Hey.”, the young man skeptically said and lifted his eyebrows. “I see that you’re here. All alone.”, she teased and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Why is that?” “I’m simply on my way home, and I would like to continue to walk.”, he said and tried to get through them, but the biggest man pushed him back, taking a step forward. “Oh, you already want to leave us? But we haven’t emptied your pockets yet.”, she laughed and pulled a gun out of her jacket.

Y/N took a step back, clearly shocked by her actions. “What are you doing?”, he hissed, anger coming into his voice. “Are you insane!?” “No, but we need money. Get him boys.”, she ordered, and expected him to be down on the floor within a minute…that, however, did not happen.

As the smaller man lifted his fist and tried to punch him, he simply caught his fist in his hands, he tried it with the other, and he caught it again. The younger man twisted his hand, making him cry out in pain before kicking into his crotch, throwing him over his shoulders before attacking the other one, punching him in the face. A sickening crack was heard, and the other cried out in pain as he held his nose, that was surely broken now. Wasting no time, he grabbed the gun from the woman, ripping it from her grasp before smashing it against her head, sending her directly into unconsciousness. The other males were still on the floor, shivering, shocked that one man defeated them. “Could you please fuck off now?”, he wheezed, his eyes blazing with anger. Before they could get away however, he shot them in the legs and turned around, taking the gun with him, listening to their cries.

He did, however, not see the male that stood there and watched the whole scenario with his eyes. Y/N ran into him, growling as he shook his head, ready to yell at him to let out his anger…which immediately disappeared once he recognized the man who stared at him like he was a demon that really could be summoned. “Oh, hey Saki.”, he grinned awkwardly, and hit the gun behind his back. The feared male blinked a few times, looking down/up to him before he found his voice and managed to speak. “You…can fight?”, he asked, receiving an embarrassed nod.

“I…yeah.”, he whispered awkwardly, and pushed him to continue their ways as the cries of the man echoed behind them. “I can.” “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have been much less worried than I had been the last few weeks!”, he growled, his hands balling into fists, clearly angered at him

“No, love, you wouldn’t have been less worried.”, the younger male sighed and shook his head, before crossing his arms in front of his chest and let a deep, sad sigh escape his lips. “And, I…I didn’t want to tell you because I don’t want you to see me differently than I really am. You always told me that I was such a gentle person, a sweet soul in the middle of a sea of sour hate and disappointment. I…I didn’t want to ruin that imagine by showing you what I really can do…I didn’t want to repulse you…”

A few seconds passed, Shredder started to shake, and the younger male thought that he would explode with anger…but out of all sudden, deep, rumbling laughter echoed through the streets. He threw his head back, and completely lost control over himself. Almost crushing his lover against his chest, he gave him a deep kiss before snuggling into him, still shaking with violent chuckles. “Y-You are an idiot! You’re such a-an imbecile!”, he roared as another fit of laughter hit him. This continued until tears ran down his scared face, and he had trouble breathing.

“I would never change my opinion about you. Even if you can kick ass, you are still a sweet soul in the middle of a sea of sour hate and disappointment, you’re still a beautiful star at the piece of the sky that fell victim to a black hole, you’re still my beautiful and gentle love! This does not change one thing. I don’t care if you can fight or not. I have not fallen in love with your skills or looks, I have fallen in love with you, your personality, your voice, the way you greet me every time we see each other, your loyalty, the way you loose your cool if someone insults me or my or your family, and your nerves of steel if I overdo it again.” He leaned down and gave him another kiss on his lips. “I love you, Y/N. More than anything in the world…even than the thought of killing the turtles.”

A chocked laugh escaped his lips, and in that moment, Shredder realized that he cried. But it was not a frustrated crying or one of heartbreak…it was one of utter joy. “You’re an idiot.”, Y/N sobbed and kissed him again, making sure to win dominance. The older male let him do as he pleased, happy that this issue was finally out of the way. His lover wiped the tears out of his eyes and searched for the keys to his house before walking inside, preparing to have a wonderful evening, but before he put the popcorn in the microwave, he asked one last question.

“Saki, now that you know that I can fight, does this mean that you will stop worrying so much and that I can finally walk my way to work and home alone?” Shredder lifted his head to stare at him, a smug grin on his face, before shaking his head, giving him an answer that made his blood boil with anger and annoyance.

“No, my love, certainly not.”

Female

“Saki! Stop it! I swear!”, Y/N growled as she swatted her boyfriend’s hand away, shooting him a glare that was powerful enough to kill someone. The older male chuckled softly and pulled her against him, pressing a kiss to her neck. “You are just too beautiful, my love, there is no way that I can restrain myself from touching you.”, Oroku Saki, also known as the Shredder, growled into her ears, and pressed another kiss to her cheek. The young woman rolled her eyes and pushed him away, running her hand over her hair one last time before she put her jacket on, ready to go.

“You’ll have to restrain yourself if you don’t want to be arrested in the next few minutes, my powerful ninja.”, she huffed in a teasing voice, earning another chuckle and a nuzzle against her neck. “You know that those words only flatter me, my dear Y/N.”, he purred, laughing after she showed him the middle finger. “Idiot.”, she muttered as she went outside, her boyfriend following after her by climbing on the houses, always making sure that he was close, but out of people’s sight. Getting her phone, he called her so that they could talk on the streets without getting arrested. “Why do you even want to accompany me to my way to work?”, she sighed. “I know you’re worried about me, but I can take care of myself.”

“I don’t to risk it, my love.”, he grumbled and jumped over a gap between buildings, her figure not leaving his eyes. “I don’t want to lose you.” The young woman gave another sigh and thought back to the night where some of Shredder enemies found out that Y/N was Shredder’s lover, and since then, there had been assassinations attempts. One almost killed her, and she still remembered the evening the older male hugged her, almost in tears, telling her that he would never leave her out of his sight. Since then, he had become overprotective.

It was cute, but it wasn’t needed. What Shredder didn’t know was, that Y/N was a good fighter and able to defend herself better than anyone would think. She hadn’t mention it yet, and didn’t show it, but the longer her boyfriend talked about how she would be too weak to fight against trained assassins, the closer she got there. “You won’t.”, she softly said, hearing a soft chuckle on the other side. “But seriously, don’t you think that you’re overdoing it? Don’t you have a clan to take care of?” “Nothing is more important than you my love, and Karai can run my clan for a few hours until you get back. She did it while I was captured, remember?” Oh, yes, she did, and she certainly remembered the kick she gave his balls when he got back and the hour scowling him for this naïve deal with an alien before kissing him into Oblivion.

“Yes, I do. But you’re their leader! I can take care of myself for a while, they need you. I love you Saki, and I appreciate your worry and your love, but I am not a toddler anymore. I might be younger than you and I didn’t survive a crazy warlord, but I have gone through some shit myself.” She heard a heavy sigh. “I know, but I am worried.”

“I know, but I have to end this call now. I’m there.” Surprised, Shredder searched her  figure and saw her standing in front of the building that she worked in. He waved at her, a small smile on his scared face before he watched her enter the building, making sure no one was coming too close to her that seemed dangerous.

---

Y/N sighed happily as she finally could pack her bags and walk home. She waved her co-workers goodbye, and walked straight to the door, taking a deep breath, when finally, the cold night air hit her face. She looked around and blinked softly, not finding her boyfriend anywhere. Even though she loved him, she enjoyed the time where she could walk alone.

The young woman checked time on her phone as she walked down the street, waving at an old woman who also was on her way home. She turned around the corner, smiling as her house came into sight, but that faded when two men and a woman walked straight up to her, all of them a grin on their face. She stopped, waiting until they were in front of her. “Hello, girly.”, the woman spoke, clearly the leader of the group. “Hey.”, the young woman skeptically said and lifted her eyebrows. “I see that you’re here. All alone.”, she teased and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Why is that?” “I’m simply on my way home, and I would like to continue to walk.”, she said and tried to get through them, but the biggest man pushed her back, taking a step forward. “Oh, you already want to leave us? But we haven’t emptied your pockets yet.”, she laughed and pulled a gun out of her jacket.

Y/N took a step back, clearly shocked by her actions. “What are you doing?”, she hissed, anger coming into her voice. “Are you insane!?” “No, but we need money. Get her boys.”, she ordered, and expected her to be down on the floor within a minute…that, however, did not happen.

As the smaller man lifted his fist and tried to punch her, she simply caught his fist in her hands, he tried it with the other, and she caught it again. The younger woman twisted his hand, making him cry out in pain before kicking into his crotch, throwing him over her shoulders before attacking the other one, punching him in the face. A sickening crack was heard, and the other cried out in pain as he held his nose, that was surely broken now. Wasting no time, she grabbed the gun from the woman, ripping it from her grasp before smashing it against her head, sending her directly into unconsciousness. The other males were still on the floor, shivering, shocked that one woman defeated them. “Could you please fuck off now?”, she wheezed, her eyes blazing with anger. Before they could get away however, she shot them in the legs and turned around, taking the gun with her, listening to their cries.

She did, however, not see the male that stood there and watched the whole scenario with his eyes. Y/N ran into him, growling as she shook his head, ready to yell at him to let out her anger…which immediately disappeared once she recognized the man who stared at her like she was a demon that really could be summoned. “Oh, hey Saki.”, she grinned awkwardly, and hit the gun behind her back. The feared male blinked a few times, looking down/up to her before he found his voice and managed to speak. “You…can fight?”, he asked, receiving an embarrassed nod.

“I…yeah.”, she whispered awkwardly, and pushed him to continue their ways as the cries of the men echoed behind them. “I can.” “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have been much less worried than I had been the last few weeks!”, he growled, his hands balling into fists, clearly angered at her.

“No, love, you wouldn’t have been less worried.”, the younger female sighed and shook her head, before crossing her arms in front of her chest and letting a deep, sad sigh escape her lips. “And, I…I didn’t want to tell you because I don’t want you to see me differently than I really am. You always told me that I was such a gentle person, a sweet soul in the middle of a sea of sour hate and disappointment. I…I didn’t want to ruin that imagine by showing you what I really can do…I didn’t want to repulse you…”

A few seconds passed, Shredder started to shake, and the younger female thought that he would explode with anger…but out of all sudden, deep, rumbling laughter echoed through the streets. He threw his head back, and completely lost control over himself. Almost crushing his lover against his chest, he gave her a deep kiss before snuggling into her, still shaking with violent chuckles. “Y-You are an idiot! You’re such a-an imbecile!”, he roared as another fit of laughter hit him. This continued until tears ran down his scared face, and he had trouble breathing.

“I would never change my opinion about you. Even if you can kick ass, you are still a sweet soul in the middle of a sea of sour hate and disappointment, you’re still a beautiful star at the piece of the sky that fell victim to a black hole, you’re still my beautiful and gentle love! This does not change one thing. I don’t care if you can fight or not. I have not fallen in love with your skills or looks, I have fallen in love with you, your personality, your voice, the way you greet me every time we see each other, your loyalty, the way you loose your cool if someone insults me or my or your family, and your nerves of steel if I overdo it again.” He leaned down and gave her another kiss on her lips. “I love you, Y/N. More than anything in the world…even than the thought of killing the turtles.”

A chocked laugh escaped her lips, and in that moment, Shredder realized that she cried. But it was not a frustrated crying or one of heartbreak…it was one of utter joy. “You’re an idiot.”, Y/N sobbed and kissed him again, making sure to win dominance. The older male let her do as he pleased, happy that this issue was finally out of the way. His lover wiped the tears out of her eyes and searched for the keys to her house before walking inside, preparing to have a wonderful evening, but before she put the popcorn in the microwave, she asked one last question.

“Saki, now that you know that I can fight, does this mean that you will stop worrying so much and that I can finally walk my way to work and home alone?” Shredder lifted his head to stare at her, a smug grin on his face, before shaking his head, giving her an answer that made her blood boil with anger and annoyance.

“No, my love, certainly not.”

[ffangirlingsince2001]

End of the Tunnel: IV

George Weasley x Reader

Description: It’s almost been a year since Freed Weasley was lost to the Battle of Hogwarts, and for George Weasley it might as well be an eternity. He is lost in the dark, no color to be found. Until suddenly there might be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Warnings: TRIGGER WARNING, mentions of suicide, cutting, language, angst!!!! (I’m very serious if this messes with your mind DO NOT READ).

MASTERLIST

***

Hannah had been living with him for three weeks. And what a three weeks it had been. There was never a dull moment living with George Weasley. One night she had shown up to a water gun fight and the next a candlelit dinner he had cooked almost entirely on his own (Hermione had been a bit of help where magic failed). He helped her clean after work whenever the shop didn’t keep him late. He held her until morning as they curled beneath the sheets of his drafty apartment, never hesitating to grab another one of his mother’s knitted blankets when she even so much as shivered. He was loving and kind and sweet. He laughed at her stories and even added a few tales from school of his own. He was never impatient when she struggled to understand some wizarding device she had not yet encountered (“It’s a bird of prey!”). Honestly, it had been the best three weeks of her life.

Everything seemed to be perfect until she was returning to his apartment one late night. The town drunk had refused to leave, escalating to a fight with one of her waiters, drawing in cops and a medic for the cuts and bruises left by shards of glass. When she pushed her key into the lock, she immediately knew something was wrong. Nothing was out of place and there was nothing profoundly disturbing, but the air hung like tragedy was waiting to strike.

“George,” she called into the house, jumping as her voice contrasted the heavy silence of the room. “George,” she called again, gently stepping towards the slightly ajar bathroom door. She stretched her hand forward and pushed it open, unable to stop the blood-curdling scream the escaped her throat when she found what was inside.

He was sitting in the bathtub with hair askew and a bottle of firewhiskey, mostly gone, resting in his hand. But that wasn’t what worried her, it was the thin cuts that traipsed up his arm like a morbid train track.

She was on her knees in a second, crouching over him as she sobbed.

“George, George, look at me,” she sobbed, and he glanced at her, tears mixing with the streak of blood across his cheek. He seemed so lost and afraid.

“I thought you weren’t coming back,” he whispered, and she shook her head, grabbing bandages and climbing into the bathtub as she cried. She straddled his waist and pulled him close. “You’re always home by midnight, but you didn’t come, I thought you weren’t coming back. I thought you were gone.” They both were sobbing now.

“No, I promised. I promised you I’d never leave, and I don’t break my promises,” she cried trying to bandage his wrists. He yanked them away to cover his face, but she held tight, tightly wrapping the gauze around the shallow cuts. They weren’t bleeding much, but every time she glanced at them her stomach churned, threatening to empty her rushed dinner from earlier in the evening. “George, look at me.” She placed a kiss to his forehead. “Please, I need you to look at me,” she cried and eventually, through the emotional turmoil he did so.

His eyes were red from the firewhiskey and puffy from the crying, face so full of sadness he looked like a child who had not received anything on a dreary Christmas morning. She ran his hands over his cheeks, softly wiping away the tears that had been shed.

“George, there was an accident at the bar, I had to stay a bit later to take care of it. I’m sorry,” she explained, and he nodded, tears still sliding down his cheeks. “Please, don’t ever do this to yourself,” she said ushering to his wrists, “You have to promise me, please George.” He halfheartedly nodded but she persisted. “George, I’m serious. I can’t lose you, not to something as terrible as this.” She was crying harder now, fingers pressing subconsciously into the fresh wounds.

“Hannah, I promise, I promise I won’t,” he told her, pulling her tight, sobering up with every second she remained within her presence. They didn’t move from the bathtub that night, holding one another until they fell asleep and woke up with cricks in their backs.

While the three weeks before that had been the best weeks of her life, that day had been the worst, far worse than anything the death eaters had managed to inflict upon her psyche. When they had woken up she had made him promise one more time.

That must have been why when she returned to the house in the middle of the day two weeks later she had been hysterics.

Just like that night she had opened the door, and this time there was no heavy tension in the air, only his body on the kitchen floor.

She heard screaming, harsh and shrill against the silence, and it wasn’t until it was filled with crying that she realized it was hers. It was her scream echoing against linoleum, shaking the dishes and rattling the silverware as she fell to his side. His name never left her lips as she shook his shoulder, praying to whatever god that would listen. She prayed he would wake up and that the blood would return to the two long cuts up either arm. It was a sea of blood, staining the grout and her nails as she tried to pull him into her arms. God it was everywhere, spread across the floor like the cruel slaughter it was. She didn’t want to look at it, but it was impossible to look away. It coated her hands and her arms, staining her blouse all the way down to her shoes. No one should have that much blood, it seemed impossible for someone to have so much. It seemed impossible that it was his, spread across the floor. It just couldn’t be possible, not him, not now, not when he had fucking promised. He had said he wouldn’t do it, he had fucking promised. He just kept slipping back to the tile, cold, heavy… lifeless. It was a wonder none of the neighbors came as she screamed for help, the silencing charms he had once placed on their home should have been nonexistent against the wails of despair that slipped from her lips until her throat ached.

“Wake up! Wake up! Please, I’m fucking begging you wake up!” she screamed until she was hoarse.

It seemed no one would come, no one would help her pick up the pieces that were spread across the floor like a cruel joke. The world was playing a cruel joke on her, by ending when everything had just been beginning. It wasn’t fair, there had to be a way, there just had to. He was a wizard god damn it.

And then suddenly she felt familiar arms wrap around her, holding her tight as she cried. At first she was sure it was just her imagination, until she managed to hear her name through her own cries.

“Hannah,” it called and she turned to find him standing there. She blinked, rubbing away the tears, pressing her hands to his face, just to ensure that it was actually him. He felt there and the way his breath brushed her cheek felt real. She glanced behind her, and the body was still there but it looked different somehow. The alive George pushed her behind him and pulled out his wand, pointing it at the dead version of himself and the body turned to a ball of energy before being banished the a trunk that shook with vigor once it was locked tight. “Hannah, it’s okay, look at me, it’s not real.” She looked down and the blood was gone. It was just her on the floor with George holding her.

“What, I, I don’t.”

“It was a boggart,” he consoled, wiping away her tears.

“A- a what?”

“It shows you your biggest fear. Nasty creatures, I can’t believe we have one this far out of the wizarding world.”

“Oh,” she whispered, turning towards where he had once lain., “I’m glad that’s all.” And with a sudden zeal she pulled him tight against her, breathing deeply what she had thought she had lost only moments ago. He offered her a weary smile and she returned with one of her own.

“I’ll take care of it tomorrow with Ron, but now you should get some sleep.” It felt like hours since she had found the figment of his body, but the sun was still high above them.

“I have to go to work,” she protested but he shook his head.

“No, you don’t. Call someone in, you’re exhausted,” he said, noting the way her shoulders stooped over when he released her. She nodded and he carried her to bed, climbing in beside her. Her arms wrapped around him tighter than they ever had.

That night he waited until she was asleep before sweeping through the kitchen in search of every knife in the place. He bagged them all, doing his best to not let them rattle against each other, and then he chucked them into the bin outside their home. The kitchen was clear of her fears and with a nod he climbed back into bed, if they really needed them he was sure Ron wouldn’t be opposed.

[theladysexpistol]

Maybe headcanon or a scenario of a s/o finding out that her love Polnareff is actually a turtle now? Possibly being invited by Giorno to Italy where she finds out about it. Just an small idea. Anyways thanks sm, if you decide to do it! (you don’t have to though)

This request made me so sad I’m 🥺🥺

One of my friends just very recently got to that part in the manga/anime and in his words “Polnareff deserved better”. I mean we’re glad he didn’t die but now he’s stuck as a turtle! And the turtle, the MVP of Vento Aureo, died! 😂😂

🐢

Ended up with a scenario because I got inspired. You used female pronouns in your ask so I’m going to assume you wanted a fem!reader

~~~

This prompt is sad. Here he is smiling

“I won’t be long, mon chéri. Just a few things I need to help clean up for an old friend. Don’t miss me too much, now. Then we have all the time in the world together, just you and I.”

The man you loved most in the world, the one you had given your everything to, had said that to you before leaving. “I won’t be long,” the beginning would make you laugh now, if it didn’t make you want to cry every time you thought about it.

He had said it almost seven years ago, and then vanished without a trace.

Jean Pierre Polnareff, what an enigmatic man he was. You met him in the summer of 1989 - unbeknownst to you, he had just returned to France from facing certain death every single day for 50 days, avenging his sister’s death and losing three of his friends on the way to defeating the most evil being to ever exist - and the two of you began dating quite soon after. Something you both had in common was that neither of you had any family left, and so you became each other’s family.

He was a major flirt and a goofball, but in the moments of quiet between the two of you, you could always sense this strange intensity to him. His ghosts followed him everywhere, but the most you ever got from it was that it didn’t matter anymore.

“Everything’s behind me, mon amour. I’d rather not burden you with my old troubles. Let’s just keep walking forward together.”

Despite worrying over him, you respected his boundaries, trusting that he would tell you when he was ready. Still, the years spent with Jean Pierre were the happiest you had been in a long time. You felt certain that you would marry him, settle down and two of you could bring children into your blissful lives.

In 1994, he said those words to you; got on a plane, and you never saw him again.

You never heard from him, once. It was though he had vanished. The police were absolutely no help, essentially telling you to get over it as you were the only person alive who seemed to care about the fact that he was missing. They told you there was nothing they could do since he could be anywhere in the world. Essentially, your friends told you he got cold feet and ran. Though deep in your heart you were shattered by this, something inside you just felt like it was something else. One of those secrets he had been keeping to himself behind every smile.

In 2001, something strange happened to you. You had been in your kitchen cooking, and nicked yourself with a knife. As you searched frantically for a cloth or a tissue to stop the cut from getting everywhere, small droplets of blood began to run down your finger. One... Two... Three... Four.... and then suddenly, there were ten drops. You stared in silence at the blood droplets on the counter. How was that possible? You weren’t going crazy were you?

The second strange event occurred moments later, when something inside you, what felt like your very soul, felt as though you were burning. You collapsed to the floor in agony, crying out and simply waiting for it all to be over. But when it all stopped, and you found yourself alive in a mess of tears on your kitchen floor, it was though you knew instinctively. This had to do with Jean Pierre.

A few weeks later, you received a call from a number in Italy. Normally one to just ignore odd phone calls, you elected to ignore it the first two times it rang... the third sent your heart into your throat. They were trying to reach you so desperately; it just had to be him! after seven years, he was finally coming back.

Who was on the other line, though, was not Jean Pierre. It was an Italian man, he sounded very young, who introduced himself in English as Giorno Giovanna. He told you he was calling on behalf of Jean Pierre Polnareff and you nearly burst into tears. Without even hearing what else he had to say you were demanding him to tell you were he was, that you could see the man you loved so much again, to be held in his arms again-

“Sign- Miss,” the young man continued. “He does want me to tell you... he doesn’t look like how you remember him anymore. He wants you to be prepared for that.”

“I don’t care!” You exclaimed. “As long as Jean Pierre is alive, that’s all that matters to me! As long as he still loves me!”

It was faint... it was oh so faint but somehow you still heard it. “Chéri...” mumbled so softly and yet the phone still picked it up. It was his voice. A voice you had longed to hear from anywhere else but trapped inside your head for any longer.

“Jean Pierre! Can I speak to him?” You asked, but Giorno disregarded your question. He told you he would pick you up at Napoli airport, and hung up quickly afterwards.

You had said it didn’t matter before, but the way they both had acted made you realize as tears pricked the corners of your eyes, that something terrible had happened to the love of your life.

~

Giorno turned out to be even younger than you had imagined. He couldn’t even be over the age of 20. Oddly enough, after receiving you at the airport he then led you to a black car with darkened windows in which he got in the backseat with you. Another young man was in the driver’s seat, with a strange hat that covered much of his hair and a cropped sweater in loud red and blue. You noticed the gun holstered on him immediately. Who exactly had Jean Pierre gotten involved with in Italy?

All of those thoughts went out the window though as Giorno and the other man escorted you inside a beautiful Italian manor. They brought you into a beautiful ballroom with glassy floors and art across the ceiling. It had a wide window that overlooked a garden. You noticed there was a table pushed against the far wall, displaying several vases of flowers and the sculpture of a turtle on it.

“So,” you looked between the two of them. “Where is Jean Pierre? Is he hurt? In the hospital? What are we doing here?”

The two of them exchanged a glance before Giorno spoke again. “He’s... here. In the manor. I just want to emphasize again that he’s changed a lot since you last saw him. He was involved in some dangerous things that he never told you about. And for never telling you that before, he’s-“

A new voice interrupted from behind you. “For that, I am so, so sorry, mon chéri.”

With a gasp, and with tears already in your eyes, you turned around to expect to find a man standing in the doorway. Instead you saw nothing but the table with the turtle statue again. Confused and desperate, you frantically looked around for something, anything that made this make sense.

Finally, you spoke even though your voice cracked. “Jean Pierre, where are you?!”

This time, it was very clear where his voice came from. “I’m right here. L’amour de ma vie, I never thought I would get to see your beautiful face again.”

You made your way slowly over to the table, where upon approach it became immediately clear that the turtle was not a statue as it raised its head to look up at you. Slowly, you reached down to touch it. “Jean Pierre?” His name was barely a whisper on your tongue.

There was a key on the turtle’s back, wedged into the shell. You watched as the key glimmered for a moment, and a small Jean Pierre Polnareff from the waist up popped out.

The look on your face read joy - to finally see him again after all these years - to horror. You couldn’t even begin to comprehend what had happened to him.

But the explanation could all come later. Right now, you simply picked up the turtle and held him close to you as joyful tears, for now, ran down your face. You had him back. That was what mattered most.

[erickwtnr577]

The Advanced Guide To Locksmith Services Company

When You Want An Automotive Locksmith for Support

Have you ever been locked out of one's vehicle? It is a common encounter and whenever this occurs together with one, there's just one person who is able to make you out of this trouble. Your vehicle locksmith is the individual it is possible to turn to if you're locked away from one's vehicle. Vehicle locksmiths are very much sought after these days. The motive behind this trend could be the fact that with the improvement in technology, the guards are becoming complex. These locks that are sophisticated are hard to defeat. If you are left locked from your car, you will require a car locksmith to get it all unlocked. Car or truck locksmiths are able to do so with the assistance of the longrange of instruments they have for their usage. This is one of those miracles an auto locksmith may do.

Auto locksmith may solve your problem in case you aren't able to start the door of your car. It is a frequent experience you might overlook your vehicle keys into your car ahead of locking it. If this occurs, first you ought to look for a chance to open the door of the car just before calling for the auto locksmith. The automobile locksmith is going to soon be the right person to call if you're not able to start up the door on your own. Search for any spare key if you have one. Search for just about almost any open window. If none of these processes operate, you have to telephone an auto locksmith for this purpose. An auto locksmith can be a person who may make you out of this trouble by using his experience.

Although you need an auto locksmith to unlock your car if you have been locked outside, you might not anticipate every auto locksmith. If you are locked out of your vehicle, and you have lost your car keys, then you must take to to address this problem by yourself first. If you require the assistance of an auto locksmith, you also must call someone that you are aware. If there's not any auto locksmith that you consider to be trustworthy, you must go for the documented auto locksmith businesses.

These firms supply you automobile locksmith services in case you're locked out of one's car. You must attempt to discover the most useful ones in town. In this way, perhaps not just the car locksmith who will unlock your vehicle for you will be a trustworthy individual, but also, the way and processes they use to reverse the lock are also more safe. Even though in many instances when someone's locked out of his or her car exactly the problem becomes a tiny panicky, you should take careful measures within this aspect. Locate the suitable car locksmith to your own problem. A superb automobile locksmith will be attentive with the lock and also certainly can get it done without taking any damage. The automobile locksmiths visit your assistance whenever you're in genuine trouble.

Across the Clock 24 Hour Emergency Locksmith Services

Be it that you're outside at 1 ) in the afternoon picking up diapers, partying with the boys, even arriving from job or you leave and only forget there is always that chance that you forget that your keys. Now what? The humiliation could possibly seem bad but perhaps not getting into your house is quite a bit worse. You are wondering if, probably, in case there is an offered locksmith. It really is overdue however and you're worried, however, do not panic! You can find scads of all 24 hour locksmith products and companies on the community yellow pages that focus on emergency locksmith demands which may even be referred to as 9-11 locksmiths.

Even the 24-hour unexpected crisis locksmith providers are not only available for the residence or flat is well suited for those who lock yourself away from one's car. That is an best situation for an urgent situation locksmith to manage.

A 24/7 emergency locksmith is also a useful tool for a business. In case a worker locks himself out of this shop they are able to call up an emergency locksmith to appear and open the doorway upward again. In case of a break-in, you may want to obtain a 24 hour locksmith service with a professional locksmith to come and fix the lock replace it.

The building of the good crisis locksmith will be inside their tools. Most will arrive in a fully decked-out van with each and each tool that they could need to assist you to. Any old offered locksmith may possibly well not do this it's important to discover the one that specifically says 24-hour locksmith services in their advertising. Don't be deceived by anything . No one wants somebody merely splitting in a doorway. The emergency locksmiths have exclusive pick guns to start a lock while some have tooling devices which may produce a key immediately. That is what makes a excellent emergency locksmith.

If you're searching for an available locksmith it certainly is best to consult a close friend or relative for a recommendation. A emergency locksmith is someone which you must be able to trust and understanding somebody who'd applied a 24hour locksmith service before can be your best alternative for asking questions and receiving answers! In the event you perform a great deal of travel it is additionally a good idea to maintain the BusinessCard 24-hour locksmith service with you, even when you should be losing sight of condition because lots of the unexpected crisis locksmiths are franchised.

Keep in mind Murphy's regulation when traveling or only getting out of the house, and even something as simple as getting out of one's car to go to an ATM machine. Consistently double-check your wallet, purse, and keys and provide a spare set for a friend or relative you could telephone. You are able to maintain an extra key at a magnet case beneath a wheel well of one's vehicle. Doing such little things may prevent you from needing to get an available locksmith, let alone that offers 24 hour locksmith providers.

Lockouts Late at Night Are No Problem for Crisis Locksmiths

What's an emergency locksmith? To be an urgent situation locksmith or employment at a locksmith shop you ought certainly to be relatively capable. Locksmithing can be a commerce, however, by which the majority of the education process happens on the job. Locksmith training includes mending mechanical and electric locks, making new keys, and diluting tumblers and mixes onto locks that are existing. You will even need to learn to use picklocks, the right techniques when dividing repairing or into safes, and performing general care in addition to attending to crisis lockouts.

As a way to be licensed, locksmiths should get a permit, be photographed and fingerprinted. Additionally they normally have to go through a desktop CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check out.

Before picking out emergency locksmiths, then you should always check to ensure that they're suitably accredited. An attorney will probably always have documentation displayed in their van, store, or carried in their own person. Look into the procedures and policies of locksmith accreditation in your town. Hiring a locksmith that is accredited will give you the confidence that your residence and home is guarded.

There is no calling an emergency lock out issue and among those duties of unexpected emergency locksmiths will be to be there when you call. For this particular reason employ crisis locksmiths that are certified and trained to unlock your car, house, or workplace. Emergencies can occur at any instance of your afternoon through the nighttime , and you also will want an expert in order to assist you to when they really do come about. Late night lock-outs can be managed immediately and with at least trouble by unexpected emergency locksmiths. No fuss, minimum inconvenience; you're fundamentally left renewed, and also, significantly, safe access to your property.

Certified locksmiths hire technicians using portable vans which traveling your locality 2 4 hours per day, 7days a week. In the event you have locked out of your vehicle or you might be experiencing ignition difficulties, telephone on emergency locksmiths. They'll certainly be there to support you with any lock alterations that need to be produced, in addition to lock outs, dropped car keys, secure unlocking, rekeying locks, and ignition restoration.

Locksmiths are experts at making replacement keys and employing the precise techniques dealers apply to develop keys, computer deciphered to begin your own vehicle. The expense of a different and qualified locksmith will likely probably undoubtedly be less compared to dealer costs.

Telephone Crisis Locksmiths for a Important Crisis. Whenever you telephone an urgent situation locksmith you will require some body who considers your time and money since precious possessions. These qualified locksmiths can provide you an exact time and price whenever they will be there to solve your crisis lock out troubles.

You can find unexpected crisis locksmith companies that can help save time by arriving in the emergency within 1-5 minutes - ensured. Find a locksmith which will not bill you excessive fees for services that are overdue. Quickly research on the web and you'll come across excellent locksmith outlets - that will charge a relatively lower amount. You are able to see their adverts for locksmiths around the web or on the yellow pages. Offering fast reply times in any given point throughout the day, it's no surprise that all these folks call on crisis locksmiths within their hours of demand.

Hold Your Automobile and Home Safe With Diagnosis Locksmith Products and Companies

Locksmiths are all tradesmen who are certified and licensed for repairing, makinginstalling locks of homes, offices, and vehicle doors. Locksmiths offer services like Car Alarm protection, automotive solutions and residential services, and commercial locking companies. The above-mentioned locksmith products and services have been discussed below in brief.

Car Alarm Security Strategy - This may be the strongest way of making sure security to this vehicle. The alarm will be fixed inside the vehicle in such a way that if anyone attempts to come from close proximity into the vehicle, the alert buzzes aloud, alerting everyone to the fact that someone is trivial with all the motor car or truck. This system really helps one to protect his vehicle out of burglars since even the cleverest of these thieves might need to get into the car to start it, in order to slip it and also the buzzer wouldn't allow him do so, as simple as that.

Residential support - In this particular service, the locksmiths repair an assortment of faulty locks in home such as your garage. They provide effective locking systems by installing door bolts. A person does not need to be concerned about his dwelling security right after getting the locksmith support.

Automotive assistance - With vehicle locksmith solutions, locksmiths are using provide copy keys, transponder keys, and keyless remotes such as motor vehicles, so that one could continue to keep his vehicle shielded from any abuse. Along with this, if the car owner by error locks himself out of the car, then a locksmiths do not take much time in attaining the desired spot and discharging the car or truck in minutes.

Commercial solutions - Clearly, you always wants restricted protection of the commercial keep and office. For this particular, locksmiths supply extremely excellent security devices such as CCTVs and different gizmos. Thus, one could continue to keep a track of what going in and across the office space as well keep his off ice or shop protected from any kind of strike.

A person who wants a locksmith company can search online regarding the numerous locksmith businesses https://www.topnotchlock-smith.com/ by inserting simple keywords including most effective lock near me and certainly will choose a quality locksmith from the displayed list and based to demands.

However, you have to be sure to pick up the most reliable locksmith assistance as once the money is invested, it can't be retrieved. One must remember to assess whether the locksmiths are fully insured and insured, whether they offer emergency services or not, if they've got an industry-wide certification or never, and if or not they have been suiting the budget limitations or perhaps not.

How To Explain Philly Locksmith To A Five-year-old

The most effective locksmiths offer 100% client care and long duration locking approaches. If a person needs a residential or automotive or business locksmith, then he needs to bear in mind he is becoming a professional and reputed locksmith that are able to take care of most the locking problems effortlessly. An individual shouldn't make a hasty choice when choosing a locksmith.

[sablelab]

Covert Operations - Chapter 81

DISCLAIMER: This is a modern AU crossover story with Outlander and La Femme Nikita. LFN and its characters do not belong to me nor do those from Outlander.

SYNOPSIS:  When Claire fails to rendezvous with Jamie as arranged, he races back to her apartment to try and find some clues as to where she might be. He comes up empty handed except for some recorded message and one from Jonathon Randall breaking their dinner date. Jamie returns to Section One to use Section’s facilities to find Claire.

THANK YOU for reading, liking reblogging and for your comments on the last chapter. Unfortunately, things always get worse before they get better. Jamie will prevail but there will be some obstacles in his way and none more than Operations.  Previous chapters can be found at … https://sablelab.tumblr.com/covertoperations

  CHAPTER 81 Jamie wasn't surprised to discover that he had reached his destination in next to no time. Finding himself in front of Claire's apartment building he parked his car, got out and raced inside the building making his way to her floor in swift haste. The corridor was deserted and his footsteps echoed in the corridor as he quickly made his way to Claire’s apartment. His heartbeats sounded overly loud in his ears as he neared her door hoping that he would find Claire at home and that she would have a good explanation as to why she didn’t rendezvous in the park.  His thoughts then started to play tricks on his mind.

Perhaps she was unconscious and that is why she hadn’t answered his frantic and persistent calls. Had she had an accident of some sort, or a fall and was unable to call for help?  He knew she loved to take baths.  Had she fallen asleep in the bath or had bumped her head on the bathtub? Had she drowned in the bathwater? Please God no!  

These scenarios filtered through his mind at a rate of knots and only managed to increase his apprehension about his Sassenach’s fate.

Should he enter her apartment and find her in any one of these situations his heart would break.  Nothing would ease the desolation of ever losing her.  Claire was his reason for breathing.  She was his everything. She was the one who saw him for the man he was and not the cold, killing, machine operative Section One had moulded him into.  Claire Beauchamp was his life and he had no life if she was gone.

Jamie couldn't let himself believe the other alternative that she may have been kidnapped but braced himself for the worst if not. Looking around surreptitiously he paused for a few seconds as he stood in the hallway outside her apartment before knocking on the door. 

But there was no answer. Inside her apartment, the security monitor showed him standing outside but unbeknownst to Jamie this was the only life in an otherwise eerie quietness. Lifting his hand, he knocked again ... louder this time all the while breathing rapidly and wanting very much to break down the door. There was still no response even though he’d seen her car parked below in the underground parking lot. Agitated he tapped his fingers against his thigh before reaching into his pocket and removing the U-key he’d brought with him. He checked the door then inserted the key into the lock, jiggling it somewhat until he heard a soft click. As the lock snapped open, he twisted the knob and slowly pushed the door slightly open.

Peering around the corner of the door in case it was a trap, he made a split decision that it looked clear. Nonetheless drawing his gun James Fraser quietly entered but still vigilant in case there was somebody hiding inside. Once inside he closed the door behind him and looked around. All seemed to be normal with no indication of anything out of place thus far. Jamie was perplexed and made his way into the apartment to check things out.

The interior of the room was bathed in the early evening glow of the illuminated buildings around the harbour coming to life. He’d become quite familiar with her apartment in the last couple of days and Jamie felt the presence of her touch. Claire had made it a home ... a safe haven for the two of them. Hesitantly, he stepped forward looking around then entered further into her apartment. His eyes scrutinized the room. It was empty ... no Claire. There was no sign of her at home. As he walked through her apartment nothing appeared to be out of place and there were no signs of any struggle or of a disturbance.

Except for the relentless ringing of the phone peeling on the bureau drawer, the apartment was deserted. He moved to answer the phone but the caller had hung up before he reached the handset. He immediately noticed the flashing red button on her answering machine indicating that Claire had been left some messages when people had failed to find her at home too. Jamie checked her message bank. Lifting the receiver he depressed the play button to reclaim the left messages. He listened as the recording listed the amount and time of the messages. You have three new messages. No saved messages. Message received today at 6.15 pm “Hi Claire ... Just letting you know I’ve returned home from my interview at Police Headquarters. Boy was that an eye opener! We’ll have to compare notes. Let me know okay.” Then there was another an hour later... “Hey where are you girl? Getting your hair done hmm? ... Can’t talk long I’m on my way out again ... it’s work. I wanted to wish you luck with your dinner date with Jonathon tonight ... Have fun and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do! I expect to hear all about it when I get back from my business trip in two or three days. Gotta go ... Bye. Catch you soon.” Although Karen was the last caller one message in particular stood out. “Claire my dear ... I was so looking forward to our dinner date tonight but regretfully I will be unable to make it. I have unexpectedly been called away on business about my nightclub for the next few days and the police also need to interview me before I go. I do apologise but I will contact you as soon as I return to reschedule. Please accept my apologies and my rain check. I’ll be thinking of you ... until next time ... Jonathon.” Jamie closed his eyes in worried concern. Was Jonathon Randall responsible for Claire’s disappearance? Were her neighbour Karen Yee and her boyfriend responsible? If so, they would pay dearly. What if it was Inspector Jiang Ng who had arranged Claire’s disappearance? Dread at that scenario flashed through Jamie’s brain for they would never know if he was party to her vanishing as he’d already met his demise at Section One. With staunch determination he started his search in the living room. Jamie looked around the room then made his way through her apartment looking for any small clues of a struggle or disturbance of any kind to indicate that Claire had been taken, but the room was clean and nothing was disturbed. Seeing that the balcony doors were wide open, swinging in the breeze, he quickly strode toward them. Claire had obviously left them open to have a cup of tea on her balcony and enjoy the view. Although he found a used tea cup on the small table in the alcove there were no other clues on the balcony, but she had probably left that from this morning. Re-entering the apartment Jamie quickly climbed the stairs to Claire's bedroom where he saw her night attire scattered on the bed. He stared at the crumpled remains of the bed linen that lay in a tangle on the floor. Their lovemaking this morning had been playful and intense but they had left the bedroom as they left it when Claire had been called into the OCTB and a while later when Fergus had alerted him to the change in plans for Inspector Ng and his subsequent return to Section for the interrogation. The evidence of their coupling was a poignant reminder that tonight they would have repeated their dalliances now that the dinner date was cancelled. He stepped around them and looked in the closets but found nothing. Her clothes were all there nothing was disturbed. The sexy little red dress Claire had chosen to wear for this evening was hanging on a hanger, but everything was as it should be. Knowing that her dinner date had been cancelled Jamie was surprised that she hadn’t contacted him of Jonathon Randall’s change of plans ... but then again, she may not have been able to do so. She may not have even known that Randall had left a message on her answering machine, Jamie pondered.

There weren’t any clues in the bedroom, so he continued to her bathroom. Claire had not showered as the towels and shower stall were dry. So too was the bath. Next he checked the kitchen and saw that she had placed a rose in a bud vase and had left it on the table where they’d made such explosive love. Jamie couldn’t help but catch his breath.

Memories of their lovemaking here flashed through his mind too ... of his beautiful Sassenach in the throes of passion so responsive to his body, and of their simultaneous capitulation.  Memories of him lying beside her in bed, watching her sleep and then of waking up with her were all so vivid. It was too painful having these thoughts as his Claire was nowhere to be found.

Shaking those reminiscences from his mind, Jamie anxiously made his way back into the lounge room having found no trace of her anywhere in her apartment. He paused, his face thoughtful as he tried to understand what had transpired and where Claire might be.

Surely there would be some evidence of her having come back to her apartment after the Flash Mission? It bothered him that it appeared as though she had not returned at all as she’d planned even though her car was in the parking lot. Had she simply gone out or had something happened to her before she had reached her apartment? 

He took a deep breath fearing the worst.

Something was not right ... there was no sign of forced entry. Nothing was disturbed. Where was she and why hadn’t she made her rendezvous as agreed? A feeling of cold dread coursed through him. Something had happened to her; he could sense it. Something was definitely wrong. The very thing he had feared had eventuated ... Claire was missing and there was nothing to indicate that it had occurred in her apartment or for that matter who was responsible.

Jamie breathed deeply. He felt as if his heart had been ripped out of his chest. But before he left her apartment, he decided to try once more to contact her on her cell phone. Relief registered on his face when he heard a voice.

“Hello?” “Jos-e-phine.” “Who is this?” a strange voice answered. Standing quietly in the centre of the room, James Fraser pensively closed his eyes allowing the shock and pain to course through his body.

He knew that having these emotions was, and always would be, dangerous, but at that moment it didn't matter. His initial relief at hearing someone answer Claire’s cell phone was now clouded by real concern for her safety. She must have dropped her phone and somebody must have found and tampered with it. 

“Where did ye get this phone?” he demanded, but Jamie was met with stony silence from whoever had her cell phone. The caller had disengaged. He knew for certain now that Claire had indeed been kidnapped. But by who ... who would want to take her and why? Where was she? She could be anywhere in this city of millions. The real concern for Jamie was that people who went missing in China were often never found. It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack but he would find her and those who had captured her would regret doing so. If they harmed a single hair on her head, he would not be held responsible for his actions. Digging deep inside himself for the cold, calculating and logical rationalism of his personality Jamie let it take control of his emotions. He could not let sentiment cloud his judgement for he needed to keep a level head if he was going to find her. Opening his eyes slowly a steely determination registered on his face. Placing his gun inside his jacket, James Fraser left and closed the apartment door after him. Having found no trace of Claire, he knew exactly what he would do. Jamie headed to retrieve the security tape of the parking area before returning to Section One to use its facilities to find her. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~

All the way to Section One he had a steely determination to do whatever it took to find his Sassenach and who had taken her captive. Buoyed by his anger, Jamie's blue eyes stared coldly ahead. How had they done it? Why? What did they want from her? 

It was obvious that Claire had been taken soon after the Flash Mission when he had returned to Section for the interrogation of Inspector Ng. He calculated that she had been missing for at least five hours now, more than enough time for her to be taken anywhere within Hong Kong or beyond which was a worry. He was angry at himself for the recall of Abernathy and Wakefield, but their brief was only to keep Karen Yee and her boyfriend Andy Ma under surveillance until he returned. They'd done that and had already returned to Section for their new assignment. Since the Flash Mission on Inspector Ng had been called at short notice, there was little time to organise another back up team for surveillance. Furthermore, as his recall for the interrogation was a direct order from Operations, there had only been a short time span between his recall and imminent return for the Jonathon Randall mission. Obviously, it had been enough time for someone to kidnap her. 

Jamie's heart was pounding with the scenarios coursing through his mind that made sense. His gut feeling told him that she was still here in Hong Kong somewhere ... all it needed was for him to find out her location. He was certain too that it would be someone connected to the Rising Dragons’ triad who was to blame for Claire's kidnapping. In fact, he was certain of it. It was the only thing that made sense. There were several people who were on top of his hit list starting with her neighbour Karen Yee. He just knew that she was responsible in some way either directly or indirectly and he would prove it. But first he would need to elicit Fergus’ help and all the facilities that Section One could provide to track them down. Jamie would do whatever it took; leave no stone unturned until he found who was responsible. If it was the last thing he ever did, he would find a way to rescue Claire. Then when he did find the culprits, they would wish they had never been born. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Returning to Section One, James Fraser strode down the sterile grey corridors and made his way towards the Comm. area. He was intense, his eyes were focused and he walked with a determined gait. Operatives who saw him enter Section noticed that there seemed to be an urgency about him, a tension that was tangible. He seemed more imposing and formidable than usual if that was at all possible. Jamie was resolute and purposeful in his behaviour. He certainly wasn't distracted by any operative going about their duties that he walked by on the way to Comm. Just one look at him told them to veer out of his way. James Fraser missed nothing. Through his peripheral vision he saw the shocked look on their faces as soon as he'd passed. He knew what they were thinking. They wondered why he had returned to Section so soon after leaving ... yet he couldn't care less at the moment. He had more important things to do and he had little time in which to do them. Time was of the essence. As he passed, they respectfully stepped out of his path. Judging by his bearing the operatives knew now was not the time to be in James Fraser's way. He was resolute, unwavering and had the resolve of a man on a mission. Usually nothing this man did revealed anything about his emotional or mental state when he was within the walls of Section One but tonight something was different ... something was wrong ... it was obvious by his manner. There could only be one reason why Jamie appeared as he did ... something must have happened to his partner Claire Beauchamp. Although the other operatives speculated on Jamie's demeanour, his thoughts focused on one thing and one thing only ... the necessity of finding Claire and where she was being held. He would also need to convey to Operations that the Jonathon Randall mission had been aborted and that his Claire was missing. Jamie didn't want to allow himself to think of what kind of circumstances that she would be in. He knew she was capable of looking after herself and would find a way to communicate her whereabouts when she could. But that was little solace when his heart was aching. He felt like a part of him was missing. Jamie's minimalist expressions always gave little away of the man beneath the cold operative veneer, but although he appeared to be in complete control on the surface, his emotions were in absolute turmoil tonight. Unfortunately, his mind wandered to the very thing he was trying to avoid thinking about.

What were her captors doing to her? Was she okay? Had they harmed her in any way? He took a deep breath as the thought he tried to banish to the back of his mind surfaced.

Was she still alive? 

No! ... That was not a possibility he wished to consider. He needed to stay focused. Claire needed him to stay focused. She was okay and would be until he found her ... the alternative was not an acceptable option. The uncertainty of not knowing where she was, or who her captives were, was killing him. This was his worst nightmare, but he would prevail and would find her at any cost. Claire was a well-trained operative and as such could endure whatever her captors might inflict on her. Jamie didn't want to acknowledge the possibility that she could be subjected to torture techniques and reminded himself over and over that his Claire was resourceful, brave, strong and steadfast. It would take a lot to break her ... that is if they could succeed at all. He quickened his stride. He had to find her. Suddenly the gleam in his eyes darkened as his cold operative persona rose to the fore. He would utilise everything and everyone at his disposal to find her and bring those responsible for her kidnapping to their knees. Jamie's footfalls echoed across the floor as he drew nearer to this destination. Rounding the corner, he saw Fergus at his work station but before approaching him, he looked up to the Perch to make sure Operations was concentrating elsewhere for he needed to see Section’s techie first. Meanwhile ...

Kicking open the door the two men dragged Claire inside with her hands handcuffed and bundled her into the room. With eyes that studied the room's interior Steven Bonnet stated. "It's not much, but you'll call it home soon enough." 

Claire surveyed the surroundings that were now her prison. The room and amenities were minimal but not as Spartan as before. There was a bed in one corner and the basic necessities were provided. However, there was no window and the artificial lighting fixed to the ceiling was the only illumination. "You keep guard Will ... I'll be back in a minute. I have to get something from Wang." "Okay." "Watch her and if she tries anything funny ... shoot her in the leg," he stated quickly leaving and closing the door behind him. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Claire stumbled and nearly lost her footing but managed to sit down on the bed, knowing that she would need to conserve her energy for whatever lay before her. She felt dreadful. Although the wound to her shoulder was only superficial it was still bleeding and it throbbed painfully. The bruises to her face had darkened and she looked a dishevelled mess. Drawing in a breath, she wondered what these people might have in store for her next. She knew that Jamie, having by now realised what had happened to her, would be at Section One doing everything humanly possible to find her. Now it was up to her not to lose hope. In order to seize an opportunity to help her get away then, she needed to be prepared to take advantage of any situation that became available to her. However, at the moment her captors seemed to have the upper hand. She was weak from loss of blood and her strength was diminished. Her mind however, was as sharp as ever. Claire knew she needed to stay strong and focused and bide her time until a situation arose when she could make an escape or if she was indeed rescued. Jamie will find me. Over and over in her head these words resonated in her brain. Claire knew how focused he was and how determined he would be to locate her. She had utter belief in his ability to do just that and hoped that it would be sooner rather than later. She could hold on for however long it took. She was not afraid. To the contrary ... she was more determined than ever to find out who had kidnapped her and why. She closed her eyes knowing that at some stage she would know but until then she drew on the inner strength of her Section One training to play the waiting game. Patience ... Claire. Have patience. Jamie will find you.

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ to be continued on Saturday

[sugar-kisser]

I’ll Protect You - Jung Wooyoung

Warnings: Violence & mafia affiliated acts

“Y/N! Y/N! Y/N!” Your best friend, Wooyoung, calls as he runs through your apartment after using his emergency only key to get into your apartment. You turn in your bed and face the door as it opens, and a hyper boy rushes into your room with his big boxy smile. He climbs on top of the sheets that you are under, and his body collapses onto you. A small groan escapes your lips and you look down at the mess of silver hair on your bed.

“You know that the key I gave you is for emergencies only, right?” You grumble.

“This is an emergency Y/N!” Wooyoung whines, his head popping up to look at you, his russet brown eyes meeting yours.

“And what is the emergency now?” You huff out air, slightly smirking at the boy.

“I missed you! I haven’t seen you in forever,” he tells you before cuddling into you ever further.

“You saw me yesterday morning when you can over for breakfast,” you laugh. You pull your hands out from under the blankets and run them through his hair. He nudges his head further into your heads and you smile a little more. “What’s with you lately? You’re being very clingy.” Wooyoung doesn’t respond, instead he crawls up and lays next to you. “Woo… you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?” You turn on your side to face him.

Wooyoung pulls his lips into a strained smile and one of his hands gently caresses your face. “A lot is just happening right now at work. I’m beyond stressed and I might lose this upcoming deal. I just can’t afford to lose it or everything goes wrong.” 

“I don’t think it’ll go wrong,” You tell him as you place your hand on top of his, “you’re a great business man. Almost better than your father.” Wooyoung breaks into a small real smile, which causes you to smile as well.

“You always seem to make me feel better,” Wooyoung tells you.

“I would be a bad best friend if I didn’t,” you reply. Wooyoung drops his smile and looks over your face once more as if he’s trying to remember every little detail. He scoots closer to you, cuddling into you, and his head rests under your chin. He exhales loudly and closes his eyes. You wrap your arm around him and your other hand rests in his hair. You feel your best friend breathing lighten, telling you he fell asleep. 

You sigh and look down at him and notice the dark bags under his eyes and wonder when the last he actually had gotten some sleep. “Oh Woo,” you whisper looking down at him. You bend down and kiss the top of his head and you almost immediately feel his grip on you tighten and you smile. You nuzzle your face into his head and close your eyes.

————

You wake up a few hours later in your bed, alone. You sit up and look around your room, rubbing one of your eyes.

“Wooyoung?” You call out but you receive no response. You frown and your eyebrows scrunch because it’s never like Wooyoung to leave you without telling you goodbye, even if you were sleeping he would wake you up before he left. You turn over to grab your phone to find a letter sitting on top of it. Your name is scribbled in Wooyoung’s hand writing. You open the letter and pull out the folded piece of paper.

Y/N,

I’m sorry that I did not wake you up to tell you goodbye. I couldn’t bare to wake you up this time. Especially when this could possibly be the last time I could see you. I’m sorry that this might be the last piece of me you have and that I’m leaving you with this memory, and I’m sorry. But there are things going on right now in my life and they do not have to do with the business. If I’m being honest the business is a cover up for what I do. Believe me or not, but I’m sorry I never told you the truth. I could never put you in danger like I put myself in. I care too deeply for you to ever be put in harms way. 

If I do not return to you in three days time then I’m sorry… but I probably will never come back and I probably will not be found. If it comes to that. Go to the address at the bottom of this paper and find Yunho. He will take you somewhere safe where nobody can ever hurt you. He will explain to you then what happened. I’m sorry that I can’t explain it now. I hope you trust me.

I love you

Woo

Your breathing shakes and tears cloud your eyes as you drop the paper. The thought of Wooyoung possibly never coming back absolutely scared you. But what secret was he hiding from you? It was big enough for you to be hurt. What if you end up getting hurt? Wooyoung can’t protect you from whatever he mentioned.

You wipe your tears off your cheeks and out of your eyes with the sleeve of your hoodie, and you pick up the letter again. You look down at the bottom of the paper after Wooyoung’s signature and you read it over. You tap the screen of your phone which lights up, showing your lock screen. You read the time, 3:56pm, and you look at the letter once more.

You hop off your bed and toss the letter back onto your pillow and hurry over to your closet. You pull out a pair of ripped black jeans, a white t-shirt, and your favorite leather jacket that Wooyoung had bought you for you birthday three years ago. You quickly change and brush your hair out and brush your teeth before pulling on your white sneakers.

You leave your apartment with the letter, keys, and phone in your hand. You lock your apartment door and hurry down the two flights of stairs and to your car. As you sit in your driver’s seat, you plug the address into your phone and place it in the cup holder. You shift your car in drive and begin the hour drive to a nightclub that Wooyoung and you had met at five years ago when you both were caught being underage and having fake ID’s. But Wooyoung had gotten both you and him out of any charges that originally were going to be placed onto the two of you.

The drive is rough and more than enough emotional anger has built up. Tears constantly are threatening to spill out of your eyes but you forcibly blink them back. You don’t want to alarm anyone near by. You park your car in a public parking garage and walk down the block and a half to the club. A flash of light from the sky alarms you and you hear thunder roar after, signaling to you that a storm is approaching and it looks like it’s coming fast.

You walk up to the door and you notice the very long line of people waiting to get inside. You walk up to the security guard up front and you put your hands into your leather jacket. You stop in front of the him and he looks down at you, his neutral face never flinching.

“Back of the line,” he tells you, his voice deep. You shake your head, not trusting your words if you open your mouth. You can’t have a breakdown in public like this.

“Look here sweetheart, you aren’t special just like everyone else in this line. So go wait,” he tells you.

“I’m here for Wooyoung,” you blurt quickly. The mans face instantly changes.

“How do you know of Mr. Jung? You don’t look like his type of girl,” he tells you. You roll your eyes and pull out a gold necklace from under your white shirt, revealing a gold bar attached to a golden chain. On the chain, in Wooyoung’s hand writing, was his own name.

“My apologies,” he says after looking over the necklace. The tall man steps aside and you walk past him and into the nightclub. The loud music shakes the floor and you can feel the beat in your body. The dimmed colored lights constantly move around, at times blinding you as the lights shine in your eyes. You make your way around the club looking for Wooyoung or possibly any of his friends, especially Yunho.

Unaware as you look around the club, three men watch you from the their seats in the corner, their eyes glazing over you. Simultaneously they place their drinks down and leave their table. They make their way over to you as your body moves closer towards the back of the club to search for Wooyoung in his favorite booth.

An arm wraps around your body and another arm wraps around your mouth in order to prevent your screams. You eyes widen and your thrash around in the unknown assailants arms, but you are hit in the head by someone else. You’re taken out of the nightclub through the back doors and into the hallway. Rain lightly falls from the sky but you can tell it’s going to pick up.

“Hold her,” one of the three men demand. The largest of the three holds you up against the wall and the other two look you over. Their hands roam your body and you try to squirm out of the man’s grip which only causes his grip to tighten.

“Hey boss look at this,” The shortest of the three points at the gold necklace that wraps around your neck. He grips it and yanks it off you which causes you to yelp, and you feel a cool breeze against the back of your neck. A sign that your neck is cut due to the thick gold chain ripping your skin.

“Wooyoung,” he reads, “she must be apart of the ateez empire. We need her alive.” the boss explains as he looks over the gold necklace that the other had handed to him.

“But can’t we still have our fun,” the necklace ripper asks snickering. His hand rake up the side of your legs and under your almost drenched white shirt.

“Stop!” You screech. You lift your leg up and kick the man in the shin. He yells in pain and anger while stumbling back on one foot.

“You little-“ he growls raising his hand up to hit you. A loud bang breaks your ear drums and a flash of white momentarily blinds your eyes. You watch in horror as the man’s body drops to the ground, and you feel a wet liquid splatter against your clothing and skin.

“You better let her go before you end up like him,” the recognizable voice reaches past the ringing in your ears. Your head slightly turns to find Wooyoung, bloodied and bruised, with a gun in his hand. The barrel of the gun is raised and he slowly takes a step forward down the dark alley. The large man lets go of you and your knees almost give out under you. Your hand runs across your face and you pull it away to look at it. Your hand shakes out of fear and anxiety, but it doesn’t stop you from seeing the smeared blood on your hand.

You look over at Wooyoung once more and the two men stand almost side-by-side, blocking him from you. You look the other way and back over to the men. You find the will in your legs to run, and that’s what you do. You run and don’t look back. You first hear the men call after you and one chasing you. But another gun shot stops the noise. 

You run through the rain that’s now in a hard down pour and you continue to run through the crowds and towards a neighborhood. Although your legs burn with the desire to stop, you don’t. As you cross a bridge, your left foot trips over a piece of the wood that sticks up out of the flat surface. You fall but you break your fall with your forearm and hand.

You finally break down into a sob. You choke on your own air and tears mix in with the rain water on your face. You push off the ground and sit up against the railing wall of the bridge. The rain pelts into your head, and although it hurts you ignore the pain. You are too numb to feel anything and way too far gone to understand all that happened.

“Y/N!” Someone calls for you. The voice barely reaches your ears, and you think it’s just your mind messing with you. But you hear footsteps running and arms quickly wrap around you tight.

“Y/N,” Wooyoung’s voice almost breaks, “I’m sorry.” You stare off in front of you, lost and unsure of yourself anymore. Wooyoung pulls away from you and puts his face in front of yours. His silver hair sticks to his forehead, and the bruises on his face look almost covered under all the water. He brushes away the hair in your face, his hands ever so gentle. You couldn’t believe he managed to kill two people, possibly three, with them.

“I promised that nothing would ever happen to you,” he tells you, lips quivering and tears sitting on his water line, “I’m so sorry.” He voice breaks and you bring yourself back into reality. You eyes meet his closed ones as he silently sobs. Your hand reaches up and caresses his face. He places his hand on top of yours and holds it. He pulls your hand to his lips and places a soft kiss to it.

“You scared me Woo,” you hoarse voice croaks in the silence of the rain.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, opening his eyes to meet yours, “I never meant for you to get in harms way.”

“You almost left me,” you whisper, your heart breaking even more thinking back to the note, “you were going to leave me. Alone. With a broken heart.”

“I will never. Not again,” Wooyoung expresses. He moves even closer to you, resting his forehead against yours. He still holds you hand and gives it a slight squeeze.

“Y/N. As long as I am alive I will protect you,” Wooyoung’s breath ghosts your skin, “I could never live with myself if you got hurt.” You open your eyes and meet with Wooyoung’s. A few more tears escape your waterline and you push yourself into Wooyoung’s arms. He falls onto his butt and you curl up in his lap. Your grip on his shirt turns your knuckles white but you refuse to move. Wooyoung wraps his arms around you securely. He places a light kiss on top of your head before resting his cheek against your head.

“I’ll protect you till my last breath,” he whispers, promising you he’ll never leave again.

[scullyy]

Through My Eyes

Pairing: Clem x Louis

Word Count: 1660

Summary: After having a horrid nightmare, Louis distances himself from the rest of the kids. To them, it's nothing new. For Clementine, she's determined to get to the bottom of it.

A/N: Long-time no see! This is based off an ask I received a while ago where an anon asked me to write a one-shot where Louis has a nightmare and remains closed off from the rest of the kids. I really wanted to explore Louis's family here and how they impacted his self-esteem/how even one thing we hear as children can leave a lasting impression (and yes I’m just gonna give the characters the last names of their VA from now on). I hope you enjoy :))

-

Stop.

For one minute, he just wanted everything to stop.

It always began with the nightmares. At least once a week they would crawl into his head, attacking him at his weakest point. Sometimes they were about his family and the divide that he caused, other times they were about his long lost classmates, calling out his name yet he could never call back. After experiencing death and decay since childhood, they all lined up and repeated themselves like tracks on a broken CD. The same horrid imagery that once rendered him frozen in his tiny bed now only gave him a headache.

But he certainly wasn't ready for the darkness to turn his ray of sunshine - Clementine - into a monster, a physical form of every evil sensation, a vessel that his darkest thoughts could escape through.

Her voice didn't even sound like her. It wasn't soft like the tone she took to in the early mornings, wasn't strong whenever she listed off instructions or even delicate like the beautiful words she would share with him before the two would depart to bed. No. Whatever had possessed her was shrill. Each word she threw his way was like an icepick to the heart. "Better wake up before I die Louis. It'll be your fault if I do."

Louis pressed the same two keys over and over again. A and B and A and B. His thoughts held a new weight to them now that they had slithered out of Clementine's mouth. "She's gonna think you're crazy if you tell her about the dream. Everyone else does."

Stop.

He hated it. It gurgled in every part of his body, rendering him quiet and weak. Since the dream something within him was pushed to avoid Clem, pulling himself away as if she were a deadly addiction that no man or woman could survive through. "Besides, who would want to deal with me..."

-

His present didn't go unnoticed by her. How could it?

Clementine paid no attention to the fresh soup in front of her. "He's been avoiding me for almost five days now, there must be something wrong."

"He has nightmares from time to time, we all do, I wouldn't worry too much about it." Aasim directly informed her without blinking an eye. All the other kids shamefully nodded, silently admitting that they had no idea how to fix him.

Everyone hears the jokes, the piano but after that, they stop listening. You didn't.

Clementine slammed her wooden spoon down onto the table. "I'm gonna go talk to him whether he wants to or not." With great haste she made her way to the admin building, her body jolting every time Louis hit a wrong note. He never made such crude mistakes, not so many times in a row. Soft swears echoed along the hallway, she would have giggled had they not been coming from a place of obvious sorrow.

She gently pushed the door open, wincing at the obnoxious creak it made. So much for subtlety.

"Clem?" Louis quickly fixed his poor posture as she hopped into the room. "What, uh, what are you doing here?"

Her face fell at his attempt at normalcy. After years of being lied to, witnessing people go behind each other's backs, Clementine was near immune to lies. "You haven't spoken a word to me - or anyone - for days. I'm worried."

That word...worried. He heard it come from her so many times before, yet each time it simply rolled off his shoulders. "I just have these nightmares sometimes and they really fucking suck. They all start with this thing my grandmother told me when I was a kid, never really shook it off." 

He was only small. Too small to see over the edge of a table as his grandmother stood high above him, looking down upon him as if he were the cockroaches within her kitchen. "You were born a Sulieman, that is your birthright," His grandmother spat the name through her pursed lips, ashamed of her own heritage. "That is your burden."

The Sulieman empire, fucking over one person at a time. His hand had been dealt, time for his turn to bear the brute force of just how lost his family truly was.

"I didn't get it at the time, till I got older and it just...hit me. Like I was starring down the barrel of a gun my whole life, cluelessly wondering what was inside it, until the bullet got me and I wondered why I spent so long searching for what was inside," He was spilling over as if his heart was a cup that cracked beneath the weight of life itself. "When I could have paid more attention to what was around me, to what mattered." Louis merely shrugged at his words. Deep down he knew that Clementine would listen to him, willingly. She could help to mend whatever ailed him without fail. Like she said, she truly worried about him.

But how could it be true? A girl as level-headed and strong as her, worrying about a selfish boy such as himself...why? "If only you knew just how much of an idiot I was, you would clearly be disappointed."

"That's not true-"

"Yeah, it is. You're a goddamn idiot. Everywhere you go you destroy something. You can never save anything, can you? Of course you split up your parents, what else would you do? That's why Marlon's dead, that's why no one ever listens to you. What are you going to do to Clementine? What about her asshole-"

Stop.

His growing doubt stuffed his ears with prickly cotton, blocking everything except his own little voice biting back and forth at himself. He never thought it was possible for someone to lose to themselves, and yet here he was.

Clem's demeanour hadn't changed, except her eyes appeared more watery than before. "Louis, seriously what's wrong? What did you dream about?" Her palm caressed his cheek with such delicacy he almost broke right then and there. With what little energy he had, Louis swallowed the expanding lump in his throat, along with the vivid imagery playing behind his eyes every time he closed them.

“I was standing, in the woods. You were leaning against a tree that had no leaves on it, you looked clean and tidy. Suddenly you...you just started screaming. Your jaw was unhinged. Then you blamed me, for everything. One by one the trees died till it was just you and me.”

He didn't need to cry though, countless nights had been wasted that way. There was nothing but dry guilt that clogged his throat, dragging him deeper into older memories. Memories of seeing old friends ripped apart from their bones, feeling the tether between him and his best friend etch away like fog on a grim evening. If he dived in too deep, would he be able to get back out?

Before she had the chance to fight him, which she usually did in situations like these, he intervened. "Clem...do you..have a voice in your head? I mean, one that constantly talks over you, again and again, saying that you're worthless. Am I..." He didn't want to be alone in his madness. Was he mad? "Crazy?"

Her brief silence was nearly the thing that pushed him off the edge, till she moved in closer to the piano, her fingers tracing their intimate carving. Seems like yesterday it happened.

"All the time."

Louis wasn't entirely sure why he was shocked, he turned to face her completely, giving her his undivided attention. Hearing her mutter a somehow shame-free 'yes' untied the knot in his chest. "You do? You seem to always have it together."

"Gotten pretty good at hiding it, I've had to ignore my doubts to stay alive, keep AJ safe," Louis helped her to the seat, he always left a small space for her in case she ever came in. She always did. "I often wondered if I was doing right by him, if what I was doing was helping him or hurting him. But at the end of the day, I just had to trust myself and hope that I was doing a good job."

Louis scoffed, a welcoming return to his normal attitude. "I think you did better than just a good job." No one else could have done what Clementine did, she did it with such grace and patience, that's what he loved so much about her.

"I could easily say the same for you. Louis, dream me sounds like a bitch, you're amazing."

He immediately looked away from her, blocking off her words of praise. Louis couldn't move very far before her poised hand gripped his chin, forcing him to look into her amber eyes.

"You are a wonderful guy. You're kind to everyone here, you're a great role model for AJ and as far as boyfriends go you pretty much take first prize," She loosened her grip on his skin, letting her thumb draw small circles over his cheek. "You make everyone here, especially me, feel better every day just by being you."

They sat together in pure silence for a while as the last of Louis's thoughts melted away. For the first time in days, he smiled an ever so blissful smile. "Hey, Clem?"

"Hm?"

A faint sigh fell from his lips as he felt his heart mended itself, just as it always did around her and just as it always will. "Thank you."

[bluehhj]

listen to me — chapter 43

LISTEN TO ME — 0043

listen to me masterlist;

WORDS: 1.8K

Hyunjin sat and stared at the floor in a static way, as if only his body were there while his soul drifted away. Though several people circled around him, the hospital's silence was morbid and equally deafening, so that even the ticking of the clock on the opposite wall seemed to echo too loudly. And speaking of the latter, the dark hands that belonged to it marked exactly one in the morning. No news. Nothing at all.

It wasn't Woojin's personality to be silent for so long. He enjoyed telling jokes, talking loudly, making jokes, teasing his friends — anything was valid as long as serious moods were broken and smiles broke out from affected moods. Stormy atmospheres distressed him, yet, the situation was so, but so heavy, that he didn't even know what to say. The words seemed to lose all meaning, leaving only a hidden message that the silence might be less worse.

Chan and Seungmin, as hospital staff, tried to use their references over and over to at least get a peek into the operating room, but it was no use. Seungmin shouldn't worry so much, after all, he never made any kind of relationship with that group of friends — except for Woojin, who used to call him to chat on Sundays —, yet, the possibility of going home without receiving any solid diagnosis was out of the question for reasons he couldn't even see the need to understand. He was just there, steady, and would stay the same until the end.

Chaerin didn't think otherwise. Although Jisung had forgiven her, she still felt like she owed something. On closer examination, perhaps such a debt would finally be settled, since, if it hadn't been for Seungmin's little brother's birthday and the two had not gone to Mrs. Kim's house, and had chosen to take that same road as their return route, Jinah and Jisung could be much worse. Still, she thought Han was the last person in the world who deserved to go through what was happening. One loss of love had been enough, he didn't need two.

Changbin was still recovering from the scare. When Woojin called him, he thought it was some bad prank or joke — not that he had processed everything completely now, but, he forced himself to keep his thoughts in the right place and his feeling of positivity intact. Occasionally, hypotheses began to surface in his mind and, without even a clue what the resolutions were, Changbin was angry, for considering the possibility that Jinah had forgotten her seat belt after so many warnings about, his blood boiled. That's because Seo had no idea of the accident; if Jinah was really in a belt or not; if it was really an accident or some recklessness. In short, silence was widespread mental torture.

Hurried footsteps of thin heels aroused the attention of those present at the hospital's silent reception. The others turned their faces and saw the sight of a blond figure who just stood in front of the counter, not caring about the volume of her voice or the scare that the unprepared nurse took: "You have five seconds to tell me how my son is!"

Sooyoung was running right behind. She was wearing flat shoes, which should give her a certain advantage over her sister, but after being reported, Hyoyeon seemed tireless and unbeatable like a robot.

"Oh, my heart," the nurse said with her hand on her chest. On a badge attached to her lab coat was the name Son Hyejoo. "I see I'm still going to die in this place."

"It's been three seconds!" Hyoyeon kept pushing. Sooyoung touched her arm in a silent plea for her to calm down, but was promptly ignored.

"What's his name?"

"Han Jisung."

The noise of the keys under Hyejoo's fingers was nerve-wracking as she searched the system. Twenty seconds have never seemed so long in the history of mankind.

"He came in at 11:58 PM, but our floor hasn't yet received any news. You can sit and wait with the others, it is likely that-..."

"I don't want to know what's likely or not," interrupted Hyoyeon. "I want you to take advantage of your lack of what to do here, get up and check it out."

"That's not true, I have a lot to do now."

"Your phone unlocked in Candy Crush says you don't."

Hyejoo clenched her jaw and looked down at the bottom of the counter. Her finger deftly turned off the screen of the device. She was caught in the act!

"Okay, but, still, I can't leave the reception alone. I'm sorry."

"Girl, this is just the flies!" Hyoyeon gestured with her arms. "Nobody wants to steal your aspirin, you could be a little more nicer!"

And of all the times Hyejoo saw her boyfriend entering the reception, that one undoubtedly made her happiest.

"Okay, Mrs., your news has just arrived," she said with some relief, pointing her chin at the light-pink haired boy with a clipboard in his hands.

"Who is responsible for Han Jisung?" the doctor asked and everyone got to his feet, but it was Hyoyeon who ran over anyone in her path and stopped in front of the pink-haired boy.

"I'm his mother."

"Your son is out of danger" breaths were released when he announced. "The concussion wasn't severe, it is likely that he's already awake in the morning. As for the left arm injury, I must say that, if the bleeding hadn't been contained at the first moment, the evolution to a hemorrhage would have aggravated the case. I don't know who did the first aid, but I have to congratulate on the agility."

Hyunjin squeezed Chaerin's shoulder in mute thanks, and Hyoyeon brushed aside the urge she had felt to kick the Canadian's shin from the moment she noticed her presence. Later, she should also say thank you.

"Can I see him?"

"It isn't feasible to interrupt the patient's rest, so, I ask you to be brief."

"And Jinah?" asked Felix.

"She's still in surgery," the doctor subtly lifted a corner of his rosy lips, apologizing intrinsically. "I passed near the OR just now and they are doing what they can."

"Jeongin, let me have a look at her," Chan begged. He used to have coffee with the younger boy everyday, since Yang was his internship instructor. "Please, she's my friend."

Jeongin pondered for a few seconds, but abandoned puppy faces were never something he was good at ignoring.

"Alright, hyung... Just don't touch anything."

So, Chan, Jeongin, Hyoyeon and Sooyoung — this one dragged by her sister — left the reception. The rest sat down again. They were happy for Jisung, but proportionally concerned about Jinah; soon, the tension-laden silence continued to fill the air. Except for the vibration of Hyunjin's phone, which looked more like a machine gun in the pocket of his pants. He, then, withdrew from the group of friends to answer his sister, who hadn't been in touch with him for two months. Judging from this, Hyunjin had no doubt about the high importance of whatever Yeji had to say to him.

"Have you heard what happened to your friend?", she asked immediately, not even making room for a 'hello', 'how long' or 'good evening'.

"Yeah" Hyunjin wasn't friendly at all either. That was how the two had worked since they met. "I'm in the hospital."

"Alone?"

"No, the others and Jisung's mom are here."

"Don't let these people out, I'm coming."

"Why? You don't even like them."

"It happens, darling, that I'm working, and things are more serious than you might think."

Then the call was terminated by Yeji herself. Hyunjin was surprised, of course, but, considering that no one seemed willing to take their foot off that hospital before things worked out for Jinah, too, he decided to be quiet until his sister arrived and explained further.

It all seemed so upside down that Hyunjin only remembered to ask how Yoorim was when he sat back next to her. Heo was wearing a huge pink sweatshirt, practically wearing it as a dress, and her arms were crossed, staring at her sneakers as if something about them was too interesting.

"Did you get better?" Hwang asked softly. His voice could only penetrate the girl's consciousness after a few seconds.

"What?"

"Woojin hyung said you had a headache, so you went home early."

"Ah, it's true" Yoorim was so airy that, for a moment, she forgot about the migraine that caught her off guard earlier. Tired of spending so much time in the same position, she turned on the couch and hugged Hyunjin, laying her head on his shoulder. The boy returned the hug and left a peck on her forehead. "I'm better now. I think it was the fries, they almost always make me that way."

"Rest, baby. Anything I call you."

And being so well accommodated to Hwang, Yoorim closed her eyes and didn't think twice before agreeing.

On the other side, Changbin again looked at Jade without her noticing. Alone and sitting in one of the farthest sets of chairs, the brown-haired girl with two single blond locks at the front used both hands to cover her face. Dealing with the disastrous breakup of her relationship of so many years was already being very heavy, and now she also had to deal with her best friend being in grave danger of life or death. If a few days ago someone warned her that things would be so horrible, Jade would imagine any hell but what she was experiencing. Suddenly, she felt like disappearing, or maybe crying until there was no liquid left in her body. Her eyes burned.

Changbin took a deep breath and stood up. He said nothing, just walked toward the girl and bent down in front of her. His hands gripped the hands of others, and Jade jumped in place as she recognized the touch. Changbin hugged her, so tight she squeezed out a sob. The american didn't say a word either — it didn't seem necessary — and she buried her face in the crook of Seo's neck as she felt a gentle caress on her back.

Because, above all, Changbin and Jade were friends, and friends who love each other forget adversity and lean on hard times.

Time continued to pass, although the atmosphere remained the same. Hyunjin was playing with Yoorim's hair when he heard footsteps approach. His sister was very quick when she was interested in something.

She was wearing her typical black police uniform, her dark hair tied in a ponytail at the top of her head. Her keen eyes scanned the group, including Hyoyeon, who had just returned with Sooyoung.

"Good evening, or not so good," she began, seriously. "For those who don't know me, my name is Hwang Yeji..." she paused for a second, sharpening her hearing to understand the murmurs. "I know you would rather not know me, Woojin, I say the same, now shut up. I'm here to talk about the case I was responsible for, referring to Choi Jinah and Han Jisung."

"Case?" Hyoyeon frowned. "It wasn't a case, it was an accident. Wet track, I warned them to be careful."

"I'd say the wet track was the slightest problem, Ms. Han" Yeji pulled up a chair and sat down. "We have a lot to talk."

a/n: just to clarify, this suspense isn't completely intentional. the chapter almost reached two thousand words and if i put the two missing scenes to close this moment, it would be over four thousand and that would be well beyond my standards of writing, so i ask you guys to have patience

hwang hyunjin and hwang yeji, you two can end the secrecy at once and confess that you are siblings, everyone already knows, no use saying that you are only children

jokes aside, at first, who would play the role of the cop in this au would be hyejoo herself, but then i fell in love with itzy after much denial and decided that there was no one better than yeji for this girl power vibe, besides she being the perfect person to play hyunjin's sister, and i've thought they both look alike and here we are. by contrast, jeongin hadn't yet appeared here on LTM to this day and i'm so glad that i managed to fit our baby into the plot aaaaaaaa

and about minho, he’ll appear more in (d)lm, you guys will see in the next chapters of the spin-off, okay?

i'll TRY to see you guys again during the week. it's complicated for me cause i work at night and study in the morning, i think i've even said it here, idk, so there's not much free time left, but i'll do my best

i love you, don't give up on me <3

[violetsmoak]

Pieces of April [6/?]

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21099044/chapters/50202530

Summary: On the anniversary of his death, Jason’s second life takes an abrupt new turn and he’s faced with a challenge that neither Batman nor the All-Caste prepared him for.

Rating: PG-13 (rating may change later)

Warning(s): Past Jason/Isabel, kidfic, minor canon character death (pretty sure you can guess who, not either of our boys!), I’ll add more warnings/tags as I think of them.

Canon-Compliance: Takes place in between the two RHATO series, so after Roy and Kori and before Artemis and Bizarro.

Author’s Note: In which baby gets a name, and Tim is a bit of an arrogant rich boy (and gets called on it).

First Chapter

________________________________________________________________

Technically, they can both leave.

It’s not as if they can take the baby from the hospital until the paternity test results officially come back. Which is probably a good thing, because Jason’s clearly going to need a little more time for all this to settle, judging by the way he’s sitting in front of the baby’s crib. He’s watching her like he’s waiting for a sign this is all hallucination.

If his brain doesn’t move past ‘reaction mode’ soon, there’s going to be a problem.

Especially since the longer they hang around the hospital, the more likely they are to attract attention, baby or not. Someone’s bound to notice Tim Drake-Wayne wandering about, and that’s usually enough to get Vicki Vale’s attention; she’s never really given up on trying to out him as Red Robin, even after a year of moving about on crutches.

Add an apparently secret relationship and baby to the mix...actually, that’s an important point.

“Short-term or long-term, we can’t just keep calling her ‘the baby’,” he points out, once more breaking the heavy silence while firing off a round of texts to his team.

‘Won’t be back for a few days. Maybe a week or so. Bat drama.’

“I’m not naming her,” Jason says immediately. “That’s how you get attached.”

“I think that only applies to pets,” Tim answers dryly. “Besides, legally, you can’t leave the hospital with her unless she has a name.”

“Legally, I’m dead and this whole situation shouldn’t be happening.” Jason scowls, and when Tim raises an eyebrow at him, he huffs in reluctant agreement. “Fine. Any ideas?”

“You’re asking me?”

He tries not to let his amazement show through the surprise. Tim can’t remember the last time—if ever—that Jason has sought his opinion on anything. He wishes this was a topic he knew more about, so he wasn’t floundering for an answer.

He spares a glance at his phone (Cassie has texted back, ‘when isn’t there bat drama?) and then offers, “We could call her…April. Since it’s, you know, April.”

“Fuck no,” is the immediate response. “That’s so cliché I’m ashamed of you. And considering everything I know about you, it takes a lot to do that.”

“Well, it’s nice to see your winning personality is making a comeback. Must be the shock finally wearing off.”

“There’s no wearing off when it comes to this kind of shock.”  

“Well, if you’re able to make snarky comments about name ideas, you’re not in enough shock to—”

He is interrupted by a sudden commotion outside the receiving room. It sounds like the nurse from earlier, arguing with someone—another woman, sounds like—and it’s getting louder and closer.

“—Ma’am, you can’t go in there—”

“Just watch me!”

“—it’s family only—”

“I am family, I don’t care what—”

“—already called security—”

Jason tenses immediately, hand reaching for the sidearm Tim’s been pretending he doesn’t know about, and Tim automatically puts himself between the baby and the door. The infant in question merely shifts and frowns in her sleep but doesn’t wake.

A second later, the door swings open—not hard enough to hit the stopper, thankfully—and an unknown woman enters, tailed by the frustrated looking nurse.

The stranger is petite and young, maybe late twenties or early thirties, and wears a hijab; her eyes are snapping with anger and desperation, fists clenched as she takes in the scene. When her attention falls upon Tim, she appears to startle, the way her ire falters, but it’s back in an instant.

“Why is he permitted to be here?” she demands of the nurse. There’s a hint of an accent in her words, familiar to him only because Damian has a similar way of speaking. She also seems to be overenunciating. “You let a stranger in here just because his family owns the hospital and half the city?”

“That’s really none of your business, ma’am if you could just—”

“No, I can’t just.”

“What’s going on here?” Tim asks coolly, motioning for the nurse to take a step back from the stranger. “And keep it down, the baby’s sleeping.”

Some of the wind is taken from the woman’s sails, eyes flicking to the crib. A fresh flicker of pain pinches her expression, and with an effort she meets Tim’s gaze.

“What’s going on here is that you are not the baby’s father and should not be here,” she replies, quieter but with no less venom. “You barely look old enough to shave, let alone father a child.”

Tim bristles, and there’s a snort that draws their attention, and they look at Jason, who has straightened up and is no longer reaching for his gun. “You’re right about that, at least. Not too sure about everything else.”

The stranger purses her lips, eyes roving over the larger man, and then crosses her arms. “You, however, are exactly her type. You are Jason then.”

What.

“You know me.”

“I know of you. That you existed. Isabel would mention you on occasion.”

Tim perks up at this; finally, they might be able to get some answers.

“You knew Isabel,” Jason says, all his attention on the woman. “Who are you?”

Tim’s already got his phone out, thumb hovering and ready to key in the woman’s information to assess her threat level. She looks like a civilian, but he’s had too many encounters with the League to leave this sort of thing to chance.

“My name is Safiya Amin. I am Isabel’s…I was Isabel’s friend” She swallows as if around a lump in her throat. “I live next door to her. And I’m the one who’s been there for her this whole time. I even drove her here while you, you deadbeat, were nowhere to be found.”

That’s directed at Jason, the woman’s anger returning. However, now that the surprise of her arrival is fading, it’s less intimidating. It has also, seemingly, roused Jason, who is glaring at her and taking a step away from the crib.

“I can’t exactly be around if I don’t know I’m supposed to be,” he snaps back as Tim’s search for the woman’s information starts up. “I’ve known about this for a grand total of two hours.”

The woman—Safiya—seems to have a retort on her tongue, but as his words sink in, she pauses, confused. There’s some rapid thinking going on behind her eyes, and then her lips part in realization.

“She didn’t tell you.”   

“No shit.”

The woman’s shoulders slump. “I told her she needed to tell you. That she shouldn’t be doing this on her own. I can only do so much and she… She told me she had, and that you weren’t interested.” She puts her hand to her forhead as if sensing a headache coming on. “That was five months ago. She refused to tell me the details, and I never brought it up again.”

“Months…” Jason repeats.

Several files are popping up on Tim’s phone screen, everything at a glance seemingly normal. Birth certificates, social security number, high school, and university diplomas.

No immediate threat, then, but it’s only an overview. Enough to get rid of our unwanted audience, at any rate.

“I think we have a lot to discuss,” Tim says politely. He turns to the nurse, and the two security guards that have manifested behind her, and frowns. “Is that completely necessary?”

“We weren’t sure if she meant harm,” one of the men mutters.

“Maybe if you’d taken the time to listen to her,” Tim replies icily. “If someone brings another chair for Ms. Amin, then I might not mention this to HR on my way out. There should be better protocols for this sort of thing, especially in a city like Gotham.”

The three staff members are quick to leave then.

Safiya gives him an unimpressed look. “'Might’? Is that how you run your hospital?”

“Technically it’s not my hospital, we just fund it. But I’ve already sent an email about it,” Tim replies, waving his phone.

“Can we get back to the important stuff?” Jason interjects. “Like how apparently Isabel went out of her way for me to not be involved, but somehow I’m still on the hook for an entire human being?”

As if to remind them that she’s there, the baby gives a piercing whine, her little face grimacing as she smacks her lips. Her eyes are still shut, but Tim’s not sure if that actually means she’s asleep or not.

All Safiya’s prickly demeanor vanishes, replaced with a look of such grief Tim finds himself losing any major doubt about her story.

You can’t fake a look like that.

The woman takes a step forward, and then pauses, glancing at Jason, before grudgingly asking, “Can I…?”

Jason’s eyes dart at Tim like he knows the checking up he’s been doing since Safiya showed up, and Tim nods. No actual threat here.

“Yeah, sure,” Jason says, and they watch her move over and pick up the infant with ease.

I wonder if it’s a woman thing, that they just inherently know how to do that.

Safiya holds the baby with care, and the anger fades from her again; tears well in her eyes now. “She is beautiful.”

Tim will take her word for it; all babies kind of look like wrinkled potatoes to him.

Safiya murmurs quietly to the infant, rocking her in her arms. No doubt she could stay here indefinitely doing that, but they don’t have time for that.

Jason appears to think the same, because he asks, “You were close to Isabel, then.”

“I’ve been friends with Isabel since she moved into the building,” Safiya agrees. “She is—was nice. One of the only people there that doesn’t look at me like I’m about to pull a bomb out of thin air.” She glowers at them as if expecting the same look from Tim or Jason, but when none comes, she continues, “We’re both used to keeping odd hours. Her flights come in at any time of day, and I’m a grad student at Gotham University.”

Tim half expects Safiya to keep hold of the baby as she sits, but something pained flickers across her face and she carefully places the infant back in the crib.

“I was there when she learned she was pregnant—or rather, when her boyfriend walked out because he figured out the child wasn’t his,” she says. “Once Isabel decided she was keeping the baby, I helped her out when I could. It’s a lot of work, getting ready for a baby.” She looks like she wants to glare at Jason again but holds back now that she knows it’s not his fault. “She only ever said you were a former passenger. And that she couldn’t take the stress that came with your lifestyle.” Safiya studies him as if that will give her a clue. “I assumed you were a mobster or something.”

This time it’s Tim who snorts.

That’s actually pretty close to the truth.

“And you still barged in here looking for a fight?” Jason asks.

“There aren’t many things left in life to scare me,” she dismisses, which is a bit puzzling. “I’ve been going with her to her birthing classes, and I drove her here when she went into labor. It happened so fast—she’d been having the false contractions for two days, but we thought that’s all it was. She wasn’t due for another two weeks.”

“Where were you when she…?” Tim trails off.

This time, Safiya does glare.

“I had to park the car. I dropped her off at the Emergency and they took her in a wheelchair. By the time I got back and found my way around this awful maze, she had already delivered. It was so fast…” She clenches her fists. “No one would tell me anything. I found a doctor, but he said there were…there were complications. That Isabel had passed.”

There’s a long beat of silence, grief evident on both Safiya’s face, as well as Jason’s.

“I asked after the baby,” Safiya says eventually. “I wanted to know if she was alright, and they said she was fine. In good health. I wanted to see her, and they said I wasn’t family. I could see her through the glass if I wanted, but that was it. And when I tried to see my friend, to say goodbye to her, they told me I had to wait. That the birth father had been contacted.”

Her eyes snap with anger again.

“Because apparently a man not even in her life has more rights to say what happens to my friend than I do. And every time I tried to speak to someone and explain the situation, they passed me off to someone else. They said someone would speak to me with information eventually, but that was hours ago. Apparently, there’s something about me that makes people nervous.”

Sarcasm drips from her words.

“That’s unacceptable,” Tim says. “I’ll look into it personally. If you can remember the names of the people who spoke to you, I can deal with it right away.”

She looks doubtful about this.

“How did you know we were in here?” Jason asks.

“I was watching her through the window, but then the nurse came and removed her. I heard them say the father was here, and so I followed. But then I saw you,” she concludes, indicating Tim, “and thought something wasn’t right. Why are you here?”

A question I’m still asking myself.

“I’m with him,” Tim replies, electing not to go into detail.

She raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything to that.

“You said Isabel was preparing for this,” Jason says. “Was she…did she want to keep the baby?”  

“The baby has a name, you know.”

And that’s news.

“Which is?” Jason prompts.

“Isabel decided on Luisa,” Safiya informs them. “After her mother.”

Tim recalls the name from his earlier perusal of Isabel’s file, and that at least makes sense.

“Luisa,” Jason repeats, staring down at the baby.

“Would you happen to have contact information for her relatives?” Tim asks.

“She has none. No brothers or sisters and her parents died when she was young.”

Which is the same story Jason gave him.

“Of course,” Tim sighs. “Well, at least there’s some good news, she’s not entirely alone if she has you, Ms. Amin.”

“Yeah,” Jason agrees, hope causing him to perk up. “I mean, if you’re here to ask to take her, we could—”

“Hold on a minute,” she interrupts, holding a hand up. “I think you’ve misunderstood my intentions. I’m not—I can’t take her.”

“Why not?” Jason blurts.

“Isn’t that why you’re here?” Tim asks at the same time.

“I’m here to ensure my friend and her daughter are taken care of properly,” Safiya says, aggrieved. “If I could, I would take her in a heartbeat. But I have health conditions which make caring for an infant…difficult.”

“Health conditions,” he repeats, realizing he only skimmed her records quickly. An oversight, it seems. No matter. “Whatever your situation is, I would be willing to pay for help.”

Jason’s nodding along.

Safiya gives them both an unimpressed look. “It’s not about throwing money at the problem, Mr. Wayne. I was diagnosed with Juvenile Huntington’s five years ago.”

Tim’s heart sinks.

“Life expectancy for that is about ten years,” he says faintly.

No wonder she’s not scared of a potential mobster; she’s living with a death sentence.

Safiya nods. “I’ve been lucky, so far. It has not been aggressive and most of the time I’m still able to function. I can still drive, for example, though based on my last assessment I won’t be able to for much longer. But there are days I’m so fatigued, I can’t muster the energy to get out of bed. It’s true—assuming the courts get over their phobia of letting a single woman of color adopt—that I could take care of her, as long as I had help. But in a few years, I won’t be able to. And then there will be a small girl having to bury another mother. I would not wish that on any child.”

Both Jason and Tim flinch at that; they both know what that’s like.

“I told Isabel I would help however I could on my good days,” Safiya continues. “But I can’t commit to anything more than temporary care.”

Damn. There goes that option.

“Do you know anyone in her circle of friends who might do it?”

“She mentioned some friends more than others. I can give you their names and find you their contact information, but to be honest, outside of our friendship, we didn’t move in the same circles. I only just met a few of them when she had her baby shower last month.”

“She had a baby shower,” Jason repeats, strained. “She really was planning for all of this.”

“Yes,” Safiya confirms and then grows sad. “She was not planning for death. I don’t think she even had funeral plans.” She hesitates. “I would like to make sure her body is treated properly, but the staff here…”

“I’ll make sure they don’t give you any more trouble,” Tim promises. “Out of anyone here, you probably know what she’d want more than we would.”

Safiya purses her lips like she’s holding back saying something, and then tilts her head to consider Jason. “What do you intend to do with Luisa?”

Silence hangs heavy in the air.

“That’s the question of the day,” he replies wearily.

Next Chapter

______________________________________________________________

Your feedback matters! I want to know what you think of my story, so feel free to leave kudos, a comment or as many of these emojis as you want and let me know how you feel!

❤️️ = I love this story! 😳 = this was hot! 💐 = thank you for sharing this 🍵 = tea spilled 🍬 = so sweet and fluffy! 🚔 = you’re under arrest! the writing’s too good! 😲 = I NEED THE NEXT CHAPTER 😢 = you got me right in the feels

[april-december]

Myth

1830 words

A Clintasha fanfic

Fifty miles out from Odessa, and Natasha knew the mission was going south. Intel had reported that her planned route had been staked out, forcing her to choose a different road through the mountains. Not easy when Sat Nav didn’t have the greatest coverage in this part of the world. The roads here were treacherous, narrow and winding, making Natasha feel boxed in with no way out. She couldn’t have pulled a three point turn if she’d have wanted to.

In the back seat sat her mission, a nuclear engineer newly defected from Iran. He looked nervous. So was she. There was a blind bend up ahead, which made her even more anxious. Anything could be behind that; or nothing at all. Despite her misgivings about her current situation, Natasha was outwardly calm, and she drove calmly, too. Anything else would attract unwanted attention, so she glanced in her rear  view mirror and slowly breaked as she came up to the bend, before guiding the car gently round. To her relief, there was no blockade, no sign of anyone waiting by the side of the road; they looked clear until the next bend in the road as it snaked around the cliff.

‘I am beginning to regret my decision,’ the engineer said in a thick accent as he mopped his brow.

‘No, you did the right thing,’ Natasha assured him. ‘Trust me on that. And Shield’s watching out for us. Anything big moves on satellite, they’ll have it.’

The engineer nodded. What Natasha didn’t tell him was that Shield wouldn’t have any such forewarning of smaller movements; she was trying to comfort him, not scare him.

‘You sound as if you have some authority,’ the engineer said. ‘On doing the right thing.’

Natasha almost laughed. She had experience of it these days, but was hardly an authority. Still, he sounded like he just wanted to talk to ease his nerves, so she humoured him. ‘I defected from Russia, five years ago. I’ve not had much reason since then to suspect that it wasn’t the right thing to do.’

‘I see,’ the engineer nodded. ‘This is somewhat comforting.’

The words were a mere two seconds out of his mouth when there was a loud pop, and the car jolted violently. A second pop sounded a moment later, and the steering veered off path as Natasha realised what had happened. Someone had shot out her front tyres, and now the car was rapidly spinning out of control. She fought hard with the wheel, trying to drag the motion back under her control, but the car was sliding rapidly to the side of the road, and the side of the road ended in a fifty foot cliff.

Shit shit shit, no no no! Her brain chanted as the flat wheels grated against the gravel surface of the road, sliding towards oblivion.

She felt the moment the car lurched over the edge, and for a split second they were airborne. But the cliff wasn’t vertical - steep, but not vertical - and a moment later they crashed into the side of the mountain. The car began to roll through the scrubby brush that clung to the cliff, over and over and over. Natasha tried to keep her bearings, but in the end all she could do was close her eyes and wait for it to be over, and hope that when it was, she wouldn’t be dead.

The car crashed to a halt with jarring finality, and Natasha uncurled from her brace position to assess the damage. She was hurting and bruised with a banged head, but nothing felt broken, and carefully she twisted round in her seat to see her engineer. He was alive, but only half conscious and groaning, a large bloody gash splitting his forehead. The one mercy was that they had landed right way up at the bottom of the ravine, and as Natasha fought her way out of the battered car, she keyed her ear piece.

‘This is Romanoff. My car’s been hit, we dropped off road and into a ravine. Requesting extraction.’

‘Request received,’ said the voice on the other end. ‘Scrambling extraction.’

Standing on unsteady legs, Natasha went to the back door of the car and tugged it open, revealing the poor bloodied engineer inside. She untangled him from his seatbelt and lugged him out of the car, determined to get away before whoever had shot out her tyres made it down into the ravine with them.

‘Doctor Jarrah,’ she urged as she moved him. ‘Come on, wake up a bit. I need you to stand.’

The engineers eyes opened and landed on her, unfocussed and confused. ‘Stand?’

‘On your feet,’ she instructed him, pulling him up. Miraculously, he made it upright, though he swayed on the spot. It was enough. ‘Good. Come on.’

He leaned heavily on Natasha as they moved through the overgrown scrub, stumbling away from the car. Natasha was careful to keep him on her left side as they moved south, effectively shielding him from the direction of the shooter back up on the cliff. She glanced between the ground in front of her and the cliff high above, searching for any sign of whoever had sent them spiralling off the road, but there was nothing until a clear, loud shot rang out through the ravine.  

‘Get down!’ she shouted, pushing her engineer to the ground. He curled up behind her, and she crouched in front, her eyes searching for the shooter and her gun drawn and ready. She didn’t see the shooter, but she heard another shot echoing out, and in the same instant, her brain processed a sharp, blinding pain in her stomach. She fell backwards into her engineer, and a large spasm of pain shot through from her back as she landed.

Her breathing was coming in rapid pants, but she forced her mind to clear as she struggled to move, each attempt being met with a new wave of white hot agony from her stomach. It took her several seconds to process that when she’d fallen, she’d knocked over Jarrah, too, and he hadn’t moved since.

‘Doctor Jarrah?’ she asked, reaching back to push against him, to shake him and try to make him move. But her hand met a limp body, and she twisted to see his head, with a bullet hole torn through his skull. There was nothing she could do for him now, and her attention turned inward, to her own survival. She clamped her free hand over her wound, and was dismayed to see the blood almost immediately seeping through her fingers. She was losing blood, fast. As she lay there, she scanned the cliff edge high above, and keyed her ear piece again.

‘Romanoff. I’ve been hit. The Doctor’s dead. Requesting...immediate extraction.’

‘Request received,’ Natasha heard the reply faintly as the blood thrummed loudly in her ears. She didn’t have long, maybe not even long enough for an extraction team to arrive. Despite her willing it not to, her hand which held her pistol ready slowly began to sink to the ground, and she knew that within moments she’d be prone and defenceless. Her vision blurred more and more, until static began to creep in at the edges.

High above on the cliff edge, she was sure she saw something move, and she tried to force her eyes to focus. All she saw was a dark figure, clad entirely in black, save for his left arm which shone with some kind of silver metal in the sunlight. He either decided she was already dead or soon would be, because without firing another shot, he disappeared back onto the road, out of Natasha’s sight.

Seconds later, her whole world went black.

Sounds were the first thing to infiltrate Natasha’s consciousness. The gentle hum of air conditioning, the murmur of distant voices. A television was playing somewhere, and there was a steady beep, beep, beep. She stirred, and immediately regretted it, pain radiating out from her stomach and through her back, making her groan.

‘Nat?’ a bleary voice asked, and there was a tug at her hand. ‘Nat!’

She knew that voice; she’d know that voice before any other. But he hadn’t been with her in Iran, or on the route through western Europe. ‘Clint?’ she asked, trying and failing to force her eyes to open long enough to see him.

‘I’m here,’ came the reassuring voice. ‘Jesus Nat, you scared me.’

‘Where are we?’

‘Shield linked hospital in Germany. You’re safe,’ he said, squeezing her hand. ‘Do you remember what happened?’

‘Someone shot me off the road,’ Natasha said through another groan. ‘Shot me. Shot my engineer.’

‘Yeah,’ Clint said, his voice subdued. ‘But you’re okay now. How are you feeling? You need any more painkillers?’

Natasha’s stomach was killing her, even without moving, so she nodded, offering none of her characteristic refusals of help.

‘I’ll go get the nurse,’ Clint said, letting go of her hand. ‘Hold on.’

Natasha drifted in and out of painful awareness until Clint reappeared with a nurse, who asked a few questions before putting a dose of morphine through Natasha’s IV line. She took Natasha’s blood pressure and temperature and read her blood oxygen levels from the machine beside the bed and noted it all down before leaving them again. Clint retook his seat by her bed, and gently held her hand in his.

Once he was settled, Natasha asked the incongruous question that was bothering her. ‘How did I get as far as Germany?’

Clint huffed. ‘Extraction team found you at the bottom of that cliff. You’d nearly bled out. They stabilised you just enough to get you to the nearest medical facility. Once you’d had some blood and weren’t on the verge of dying, they flew you here for surgery.’

It wasn’t news to Natasha that she’d neared death. Surgery was a faint shock, though she supposed she really ought to have realised that already.

‘What’s the damage?’ she asked.

‘The bullet went straight through. Missed your spine but perforated your intestine. Surgery repaired that. Mainly it was the blood loss that nearly got you; the bullet wrecked an artery.’

‘How much did I lose?’

‘About four pints overall. Doctors just couldn’t stop it. You had transfusion after transfusion.’

‘Fun,’ was Natasha’s dry response. They lapsed into a small silence, and she felt herself drifting again.

‘How’s the morphine going?’ Clint asked, jolting her back, though she still couldn’t open her eyes long enough to look at him properly.

‘It’s working,’ she murmured.

Clint smiled softly to himself. He didn’t enjoy seeing her like this per se, but it was a relief just to see her alive. ‘Get some more rest. It’s okay to go back to sleep.’

She still felt barely conscious, and the morphine was helping to cover her pain with a pleasant fuzziness, so she took his permission, allowing herself to sink back into a not-quite-so-deep oblivion.

[rebelminxy]

Trust Me

Pairing: Sam Winchester x Reader 

Word Count: 2998

Summary: The boys come back from a hunt to find the bunker empty and a suspicious woman claiming to help them find a weapon to use against Michael. But there is something about her that draws Sam to her. And he really couldn’t put his finger on what it was. Who is this mysterious woman and why does she know so much about the boys?

A/N: It sucks because of school and exams I missed an episode of Supernatural but thinking about this piece has gotten me through the stress. I know the show has moved on ahead so take this as something that happens when the boys find out Jack is sick. I have been dying to finally put the image in my head on paper, so I hope you guys enjoy this piece and yeah won’t mind some feedback if you can.

MASTERLIST

 “Seriously Sam, we needed this win. With the useless Michael hunting and having everyone going out to deal with those things he made, a quick normal werewolf hunt was something we needed.”

“Yeah, Dean you were right. Let’s just call Cass to find out how Jack is doing. We need to find out fast how to save Jack.”

“I know how you can save him.”

              Sam and Dean raised their guns towards the voice that came out of the dark library. They moved closer and Dean turned on the lights. Both boys got a glimpse of the intruder. There, at one of the tables, sat a young woman with (H/C) hair pulled back in a ponytail, her leather-clad arms from the black jacket she wore laid out right in front of her on the table. She was looking straight forward without making a move.

“Who the hell are you and how did you get in here?” yelled out Dean, guns still pointed at her.

“My weapons are all on the next table. Got nothing else on me but if you want to do a body search, be my guest.”

              The woman slowly raised her arms and turned her body in the chair to face them. As she got up, she slowly moved to stand in front of Dean, separating her legs and keeping her arms up in the air. Dean looked at Sam who nodded, which gave the go for Dean to pat her down. Once he was sure she was clean, he grabbed her by the wrists and twirled her, so her arms were behind her back.

“So, tell me, how many of you are in here, darling?”

“I am alone Dean, but if you want to go and have a look through the bunker. And you can leave me here tied up. Trust me, I am only here to help.”

              Dean looked over at Sam, shrugging his shoulders as Sam made his way to the forgotten bags on the floor. Pulling out some rope he kept for any emergency situations. He made his way to Dean and the stranger as she sat down and positioned herself ready to get tied up.

“Looks like this isn’t your first rodeo honey,” Dean said as he watched Sam tie her up, noticing how calm she was.

“And it won’t be my last cowboy.” As she said those words, his eyes landed right on Sam as he moved in front of her to tie her arms to the chair. Sam looked into her (E/C) eyes and for some odd reason, he immediately felt something almost familiar about her. He shook his head and continued to finish his knotting.

Once he was done, both boys went all around the bunker, searching each room to make sure no one else was inside. Once they got back to the library, they were shocked to see the girl they left tied up was still in her chair, as if patiently waiting for them. When their footsteps came to a complete stop, she turned her head a bit to face them, giving them a wide smile.

“So, now that you know I am telling you the truth, why not let me go and we can talk about the reasons why I am here. How I can help you not only save Jack but also kill Michael?”

              After letting her go and getting settled in the library, Dean sat across for the woman, his eyes never leaving her. Sam was in the kitchen getting them drinks. Dean stared the woman down in silence, her eyes never leaving his. Suddenly, she smiled slightly and shook her head.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing just you remind me of someone I know. He would give me the same weary look when we first met, very protective of his family.”

“Did you give him a reason for the mistrust?”

“Yeah, popped into his life without warning. Thought I wasn’t good enough for his brother. But, he changed his mind after a few hunts together and saving their lives a few times. Proved my worth to him, especially how much I loved his brother. Now he is my best friend.”

“Well, let’s see if you can do the same with us. I mean, show us we don’t have to mistrust you.”

              She looked at Dean with a cocky smile and gave him a thumb up before Sam made his way into the room.

“Ok two beers and a cup of hot tea for you, who by the way, we don’t know your name.”

“Yeah, so time to tell us your name, who you work for, how the hell you got in here and why you are wanting to help us,” directed Dean with a narrow look in his eye, gun on the table.

The woman straightens herself up in her chair as Sam sat next to Dean. She looked at the boys with a serious face and cleared her throat.

“My name is (Y/N) Winston. I was able to get in because I have a key to the bunker. Left it with the rest of my items over on the other table. As to why I want to help you two, well let’s just say I know a thing or two about the situation and can help.”

              The boys looked at her stash on the table and then back at her.

“Dark Kaia won’t give up her weapon easily, it will be a struggle to get her to even agree to use it against Michael with you involved since she wants the glory of the kill. But I can guide you to the location of another weapon that can get the job done.”

“Guide? Oh no, darling, you will go with us to this…” Dean exclaimed before being interrupted.

“I cannot leave this bunker if I do it will cause more trouble than what I am already causing. Don’t ask I have my reasons and they are very valid. Plus, this weapon is in the hands of a very powerful witch. No not as powerful as Rowena but the bitch isn’t someone you want to confront without magic behind you. So, I suggest calling Rowena, she can probably get it without needing a fight.”

“What about Jack? You said you had a way to cure him,” Sam implored.

“For that, I will need Jack here. Like I said can’t leave the bunker.”

“Why can’t you leave the bunker?” asked Dean.

“I have my reasons ok.”

“Bullshit. You tell us right now why because if we are going to trust you we deserve the truth.”

“Dean, I can’t tell you,” she said softly, but the anger could be heard in her tone of voice.

“No, you tell us now or we aren’t going on these trips you are asking for.”

“Fuck you, Dean Winchester!” (Y/N) got up from her chair and pounded her fists into the table, staring straight at Dean as the anger in her rose. “Someone is here trying to help you two not only save someone you love but also giving you the key to destroying Michael. Yet here you are demanding things that you will never understand! I have my damn reasons as to why I must stay here, and you need to fucking trust me! Now go get Jack before you lose him because I am not going through this again!”

              Sam’s eyes were still on her fists which were bleeding when her last words made him look up.

“What do you mean ‘this again’? Sam asked, getting up from his seat carefully.

“I meant it as in losing someone.”

“No, you don’t even know Jack, yet you are bleeding, angry and at the brink of tears.”

              (Y/N) looked at Sam, revealing her red nose and tear-stricken eyes. She then turned away from Sam’s gaze and walked over to her bag, pulling out a shirt. She ripped it in half to wrap her hands.

“If I tell you two, it will ruin everything. The path you must take, the things you must do, I can’t interfere. You just must trust me and understand I am doing this for the right reasons.”

              Dean and Sam watched her carefully as she finished wrapping her hands, a small tear running down her cheek. They could see the sincerity on her face, hear it in her voice.

“Ok,” Sam said softly. Dean looked over at him like he was crazy.

“Dean, if she can at least save Jack, that is more than enough to trust her.”

“Dude what if she does something to make his condition worse?” asked Dean impatiently.

“If I harm Jack, you can kill me right where I stand.”

              Sam and Dean turned to look at (Y/N), seeing how serious she was in her eyes.

“I want Jack to live just as much as you do. He is an important part of defeating Michael.”

“How will you save him? Can we at least know that?” Sam asked, pushing past Dean to move closer to her. She watched Sam carefully for a few seconds before taking in a deep breath to let it go.

“I show you this, you are to not tell anyone else, not even Cass. There will be questions I can’t answer, not until you get the weapon.”

              Sam nodded in agreement. (Y/N) turned to look at Dean, who huffed his breath and nodded. She reached into her bag to pull out a small black box. She then grabbed a key that was hanging from her neck and used it to open the box. Once she unlocked it, she opened it to reveal a small vial with angel grace inside.

“How…?” began Sam.

“Question I can’t answer. Just know this isn’t temporary. This will cure him permanently. Now, call Cass or go get them. But I will stay here waiting.”

“Why can’t we just take that to him and give it?”

“Because I want to make sure it goes to Jack. This is only for Jack and I must be absolutely sure Jack receives it. Plus, knowing you two, the danger is bound to come hunting so I can’t risk the vial. And before you ask Sam, I am not saying how I know about you two.”

              Sam was taken back with how she immediately knew what he wanted to ask. He started moving forward, grabbing his coat as Dean followed him towards the stairwell.

“Just going to leave me here without tying me up?”

              Sam turned back as Dean made his way up towards the exit and smiled at (Y/N).

“If we are going to trust you, then there is no reason for us to tie you, up right?”

=======

“I still don’t trust her, Sam.”

              Sam and Dean were in the car, driving to the cabin Cass and Jack was at with Mary and Bobby.

“If that vial she has contains grace then maybe it will help Jack.”

“Yeah but remember what happened with Cass when he lost his grace. Grace from another angel was temporary. How can what she has be permanent unless its Jack’s grace which she couldn’t have. That bunch went away with Lucifer.”

“I don’t know but we have to try something. And if this grace at least cures him until he gets his own grace back, then I take this.”

              Dean sighed as he stared ahead on the road.

“She is a bit cocky ain’t she? (Y/N) Winston, why haven’t’ we heard that name before?”

“Her face seems familiar to me, but I just quite place it,” Sam said curiously.

“Well, she is beautiful, gotta give her that. But she doesn’t look that built for a hunter. Maybe a newbie that’s why we have we’ve never heard her name?”

“Or from another country.”

“Nah, she doesn’t give a foreign vibe.”

“And what kind of vibe would that be, Dean?”

              Dean smirked as Sam rolled his eyes. It kept bothering Sam though. There was something about her that just made him feel like he knew her from somewhere. Dean was right about her body not looking like it was built for hunting. Sam couldn’t help it when his eyes roamed her body, noticing some stretch marks when her shirt rode up when she moved around. Something about her behavior made Sam wonder why she was so protective of Jack. He mentally shook his head, thinking that maybe he was taking things out of context. Maybe the whole Michael situation became personal somehow.

              Once the boys reached the cabin, Mary came out of the cabin with Bobby to greet them.

“Hey boys. What brings you up here?” asked Mary.

“Here to get Jack, Mom,” said Dean as he hugged her. “If what we got at the bunker is good, we might be able to save Jack.”

“What you fellas talking about? There isn’t any lore on healing a Nephilim without grace.” Bobby countered.

“Well, it's more of a who. They said they can cure Jack.” Sam insisted.

“And you trust this person?” Mary asked.

“Honestly, she could be lying to us,” Sam said as he looked over at Dean. “But it seems she is being honest and sincere. Best we can do is give it a try.”

“Ok, let me go tell Cass so he can get Jack up.” Mary turned to go inside the cabin, Dean following with a mumble of going to help Cass.

              Sam stood on the front porch with Bobby, lost in thought.

“Penny for your thought Sam?”

“Hmm, eh, just,” Sam sighed as he raked his fingers through his hair. “There is something about this woman that feels somewhat familiar, but I can’t place my finger from where.”

“By familiar you mean…”

“As in I have seen her face somewhere. Her name isn’t familiar with the hunters we’ve gotten to know. I texted a bunch of hunters asking if they recognized the name and no one even heard of her name in the hunting community.”

              Sam shook his head as he leaned on the porch railing as Bobby took a seat in one of the rocking chairs.

“She says she can’t tell us details, only to trust her. She is even giving us the location of a weapon to fight against Michael. There is also that feeling Dean and I get that she really isn’t a hunter. Her figure isn’t as muscular, and I noticed stretch marks along her waist like she…”

“Had kids? She might be a mother that got pulled into this life,” said Bobby.

“Same thing I thought, but she seemed so sure of everything she was telling us. Plus, it was like she knew us. We found her in the bunker, weapons and all her things away from as she sat in a chair. She even told us to tie her up while we searched the bunker in case she wasn’t alone.”

“Looks like she knows more than what she is giving.”

“Yeah. I don’t know Bobby. Dean seems to not trust her at all and I give him reason to. But the way she talked, the way she moved and the look in her eyes. Bobby, she looked like she is being honest and is willing to help us. I just wish she would trust us enough to tell us where she is from and how she knew where to get the weapon and the thing that she says will save Jack.”

“Best I can tell ya kid, go with your gut. Sometimes that feeling deep inside you, it can be right. If you feel like you guys can trust her, do it. Just be careful as you do it.”

              Sam nodded at Bobby, feeling a bit of relief to be able to share how he was feeling. Mary eventually came out with Dean and Cass following as they carried Jack gently to the car. As Dean got Jack into the ca with Cass, he turned to Sam and pulled him to the side.

“Look, I had to tell Cass about the vial we saw, and he agreed with me. That the only way that grace can cure Jack permanently is if it’s his. Cass wants to examine the grace before it goes into Jack.”

“Dean she told us we couldn’t say a word about it!”

“Sam, I’m sorry but I had to let Cass know. I mentioned how hard she was being about telling others what she showed us so he will try his best to sneak around and see if he can sense anything from that grace.”

              Sam groaned and shook his head at Dean.

“Look, I wanna trust this chick. I really do, but she comes out of nowhere, gives us the two things we need the most but won’t at least share who she really is or how she even knows about all this. I just can’t help but be suspicious. I get you wanna trust her Sammy, but c’mon, you gotta understand. This is Jack’s life.”

“And I know that Dean. But can you trust me in trusting her? Just something in her eyes tells me she is being honest.”

              Dean looked at Sam for a minute, seeing how serious he was being about what he was asking.

“Look she does anything to harm Jack, you can shoot her in the head. No questions asked. But give her the chance to show us she really isn’t lying. So far, she has been giving us as much information as we need. So please, let her do her thing. If she saves Jack, we go and get Rowena and hunt down that witch she was talking about. Agreed?”

              Dean looked down at his feet as he thought about what Sam was telling him. He then looked at his little brother and patted his shoulder.

“Ok, we go by what you saw. But any sign of harm to Jack and she is dead on the floor.”

“That works.”

“Alright. Let’s go, Sam. We need to get Jack to her quick then.”

Part 2

[justawaywardwinchester]

Unbreakable- Part 1 (Mila)

Description: With a world full of things that go bump in the night, there is more than just one dynamic family duo like the Winchesters. Mila and Natalia Rivera are sisters who started hunting together after the loss of their parents. After ten years in the life, they run into the Winchester brothers on a nasty vamp hunt.  What blooms are relationships they didn’t think were possible.

Characters: Mila Rivera (@justawaywardwinchester ‘s OC), Natalia Rivera (@team-free-will-you-idjits-67 ‘s OC), Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Ares the dog

Relationship: Eventual Mila Rivera x Dean Winchester, Sister!Mila x Sister!Natalia.

Warnings:  Explicit Language

Word Count: 2814

 A/N: As seen per the Unbreakable Masterlist, this is my collab with @team-free-will-you-idjits-67! It’s my baby and I really hope you all enjoy it!

I slid into the vinyl booth and let out an exasperated sigh. It was so nice to take a load off after the last couple weeks. My body ached in thanks for finally resting.

The waitress begrudgingly came to take my order. “A coffee and two beers please,” I said tiredly. She looked at me with a raised eyebrow as she scribbled on her notepad. “Oh, I’m waiting for someone else. She’ll be here in a sec.” She turned on her heel with a quick nod and moseyed back towards the kitchen.

My sister landed in the booth across from me, throwing her bag down carelessly. “Wow does it feel good to sit down,” she exclaimed. I threw her a smirk. Natalia was my hunting partner and beloved baby sister. She was also my best friend, my home and I couldn't imagine trying to survive this crazy world without her. After our parents died, it was just the two of us, along our dog Ares, and my beautiful truck Xena.

“Yeah, that’s what I said,” chuckling. “I ordered you a beer, by the way.”

“Oh, thank god. I need a cold one.” The waitress returned with the drinks and took the rest of our order. “So, what’s our next move?” Nat asked, her fingers mindlessly fiddling with her necklace, after the waitress left our table.

Pulling out my laptop, I gave her a look. “You’re not going to like it. There’s a vamp nest that’s been terrorizing Sioux Falls. Apparently, it’s a bloodbath.”

Natalia looked down the neck of her beer bottle as she thought about what that meant for us. “Well that’s just great,” she said with sarcasm emanating from her voice.  I shot her a glare for her sass, but I also sympathized with her. We were both so tired of chasing down vampires. They were sneaky, a pain in the ass, and not exactly an easy hunt. You couldn't exorcise them like demons or bind them in silver like shifters. It took robbing corpses for dead man’s blood to inject them with and the element of surprise. Once they got your scent, they had it for life and the last thing we needed were a couple of bent-out-of-shape vamps on our tails.

 “Look, I know it’s not ideal. But it sounds like they've been trying to recruit.” I turned my laptop to show her what I found. The local college had a string of missing young women over the last few months. The police, of course, had zero clue what was happening right under their noses. They never do. She raised her eyebrows in agreement as I continued, “We can’t let that nest get any bigger. They’ll expose everything if they do.”

“Yeah, there’s no way we can,” she exhaled. She rubbed a hand over her face and my heart sunk a little. I still felt pangs of guilt for dragging her into this life. I was 20 and she was 17 when a car crash took our parents from us, leaving us on our own and me to look out for her. But in my mind, she will always be my 6 year-old baby sister playing school with her collection of stuffed animals.

“Can we at least stay and eat some real food for once?” She groaned.

I laughed at her plea. “Of course. I’m sick of microwaved burritos too.” Thank god the portions at the diner were huge. We were able to fill up on good food, take some to go, and even some eggs for Ares, much to my disapproval.

After our indulgence, we headed out of the diner back to the truck. As soon as we got to there, our boy was waiting for us with a tongue-hanging smile. The Belgian Malinois looked mean as sin, but in reality, he could be a giant teddy bear. Unless you’re a monster. Then you’re going down. Natalia ran ahead of me to let him out. They were quite the pair. I smiled as I watched him trot around her with excitement until she knelt down to scratch behind his ears. “Hey buddy!” she exclaimed. “Don’t worry, we got you some food too.” When she found the good stuff, he patiently sat to receive his reward. She placed it in front of him and he waited for permission to dive in. “Eat up, Ares!” she giggled. I laughed and shook my head at the two of them.  

I beamed at my boy. I was so proud of how far he’d come in his training. He was one of our best resources we had when hunting. His nose could pinpoint a monster from a mile away and he helped us clear buildings without getting ambushed.

Once he had eaten his fill, we all hopped in the truck. She roared to life as soon as I turned the key. I sat there for a moment, relishing in her purr. It was so satisfying to know all the hard work I had put in kept her running like a champ. Shifting into drive I gave Natalia a mischievous look “Let’s see how fast Xena can get us to South Dakota, shall we?”I shot her a wink and peeled out of the diner parking lot.

***

The magnificent Black Hill mountains flashed by as we made our way into Sioux Falls. There was no better feeling than the wind whipping my hair around and reveling in the rumble of Xena’s engine as I flew down the highway. She always answered my lead foot with a thunderous reply.

With my sister by my side and our dog in her lap, my lifted black ‘70 Chevy truck had never felt cozier. Nat broke the silence. “We stopping at a motel first or the college?”

I looked down at myself and cringed, “Definitely a motel. We still haven't cleaned up from our last hunt. Pretty sure I still have some dried vamp blood in my hair. We can stop at the college tomorrow morning.”

She nodded, “Hopefully the motel actually has hot water this time.” Ares yipped as if agreeing with us and we smiled at our goofy boy.

I scratched the side of his face. “You wanna take a bath too, huh?” Hi ears went flat in fear against his head as he scooted closer towards my sister. Who would have thought this fierce dog was afraid of water? Both my sister and I howled with laughter at him as she wrapped her arms around him dramatically.

“Don’t worry, bud. I won't let the evil bath monster get you!” he licked her face in appreciation and we laughed even harder.

I pulled into the first motel with a vacancy sign still lit and parked the truck, leaving my sister and dog behind while I got us  a room. I rolled my eyes when I saw the greasy, mid-life crisis type behind the counter. Great.

“How can I help ya, little lady?” he said with a suggestive sneer that sent chills down my spine.

I looked him dead in the eye with a ‘don’t even try me’ glare. “One room, please. Cash.” I placed the bills on the counter.

“You here all by yourself? What a shame.” He oozed a predatory charm.

“No, my sister and I are here. We’re… in the law enforcement business. You know, wielding guns and kicking ass.” I responded, maintaining my ice cold barrier. I gave him a look that suggested he did not want to know what I really meant.

“Interesting,” he said quietly. Taken down a notch by my attitude, he handed me a key. “Here you go. Enjoy.”

Without a word, I took the key and turned for the door. I kicked it open with my boot and headed back for the truck.

Jumping back in the cab, I realized just how exhausted I was. We pulled around to where our room was and unloaded our stuff. I unlocked the door and pushed it open for Nat, who was right behind me with her bags. Looking around the room, I shrugged. It wasn’t horrible. Not great, but we’ve seen worse.

We threw our bags on each of the beds and looked at each other. “I call shower first!” I yelled as I ran toward the bathroom.

“Oh no you don’t!” She shouted as she raced me to the door. We tussled for a minute before I had my hand on the knob and turned it to let myself in.

“Ha! Respect your elders, kiddo.” I grinned at the grimace on her face and shut the door. I shed all my clothes and started the shower.

While I was waiting for the water to turn hot, I searched the internet for the latest happenings in Sioux Falls. We needed a plan and had no time to lose. All I wanted to do was let the steam ease my muscles, get in my favorite pajamas, and go to sleep. But sadly, that was not on the agenda.

***

I opened the bathroom door wrapped in a towel and strolled toward the bed to get my pajamas out of my bag. “Ahhh, I feel so much better.” I teased and stuck my tongue out at her.

“ Mila. You will not believe what I saw.”

I immediately went for my gun in my bag when she elaborated.

“No, no, listen.” I relaxed and sat at the end of the bed. “There is a gorgeous Impala here, and the guys in it were just as attractive. I saw them when you were getting the room earlier and they left in these fitted suits that were just…..fuck.”

I brooded, daydreaming about what it would be like to be with a nice, attractive man. I shook myself out of it. “Well they sound wonderful, but we’ve got work to do. Go get showered so we can get to it.”

She rolled her eyes at me and mocked a salute, “Yes, sir!” I was about to sock her in the arm when she ran and escaped to the bathroom. She was such a brat sometimes.

While Natalia was in the shower, I put on a tank top and flannel pajama pants and started up my laptop to dive into the missing persons reports. I was gathering the details of the women who had disappeared. Things like where they were from, what classes they took, and where they lived now would tell us about who they were and how we might be able to find them.

While I was perusing social media profiles for intel, I heard voices from the room next door. They were muffled through the walls, but there was a very clear “son of a bitch!”and I dropped my head with an irritated breath. Excellent. Another motel where we are subjected to listen to a couple’s fight until 3 o’clock in the morning. I was praying for a decent night’s sleep and I did not need this. Ares growled at the voices from his spot on Nat’s bed. “I know, boy. If they don’t quiet down, you can sic ‘em,” I winked at him.

I was so lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t noticed Natalia had gotten out of the shower and put on her pajamas. She sat down across from me, breaking my focus from my screen,“What did you come up with?”

I groaned and rubbed my eyes “It’s pretty much what we assumed. The women all went to the college and lived in the same area. Within a few blocks, even. This has to be more than a coincidence.” I ran a hand over my face. I wanted nothing more than to crash, but I knew we needed to get our bearings before heading out in the morning. “This bloodsucker must have chosen them. But I can’t understand why.”

“Hm. That doesn’t make any sense.” Natalia sighed. She gave me a look. Dead ends did us no good.

I couldn’t even think anymore. Everything I was reading just came out pear-shaped and I did not have the energy to focus. “I have to sleep. I’m no help anymore. Maybe we can find out more when we hit the campus tomorrow.” I yawned through my words. I shut my laptop and climbed into bed. The soft covers and pillow felt like heaven. “G’night sis, sweet dreams”.

***

My alarm went off at 6 a.m. I groaned and hit the snooze button. After the alarm went off again, I decided to just bite the bullet and get out of bed. I stumbled to the bathroom, still half asleep, and splashed cold water on my face. I looked up at the mirror at how drained I looked. Like a vampire’s victim. It was going to take quite a bit of makeup to take me from this to Special Agent Cruz, my FBI alter ego to get information from the poor bastards that run these towns.

I washed my face and and applied a professional look; subtle eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, and just a dusting of foundation. I let out a small laugh when I looked over myself in the mirror. My face said business, but my ratty t-shirt and shorts said otherwise.

I rolled my eyes as I walked out of the bathroom to see my sister still fast asleep snuggled up with Ares. Typical. That kid could sleep for eternity if you let her. I grabbed a pillow off my bed and threw it at her. Ares just looked up towards me without lifting his head. He was used to our bullshit antics. She groaned and moved the pillow off her face, “What time is it?”

I snickered as I got my pantsuit out of the closet. “6:30. Get up and get dressed. Get Special Agent Nicks together, and quickly. We need to get to the college soon.”

As I put on my black pumps, she was finally getting dressed. I pulled my hair back into a bun that accentuated my curls. As much as I am not a “girly girl”, I did love dressing as a federal agent. I felt like a beautiful force just waiting for someone to reckon with.

I sat at my laptop, waiting for Nat to finish getting ready. I checked the latest to see if there were any new developments.

“Anything?” she asked while putting on her heels.

“Nothing new.” I shook my head. “I guess we’ll just find out when we get there.”

***

We pulled into the campus and parked in  a farther lot. We couldn’t risk being seen as ‘agents’ getting out of an old truck. It tends to throw off our authenticity.

I knew where the administration offices were from a map I found last night while doing research on the missing women.  The concrete stairs leading up to main courtyard were just ahead, so I pointed the way to Nat and we started heading up the stairs.  The path lead to a cluster of buildings surrounded by trees and manicured lawns. It was a beautiful campus, but it still felt heavy.

We passed a group of frat guys sitting in a group over some burgers when I heard a whistle. “Damn. What I would do to her.” I overheard one of the men say. He was your cliche meathead: clothes too tight, dim witted juicehead. I stopped in my tracks and whipped around to face him.

“What did you just say?” I looked at him with daggers.

“I was just saying how fine you were, all dressed to impress. No need to try anymore, baby. I’m right here,” his slimy smile sent a burst of anger through me.

I walked up to him like I was about to accept an invitation to sit on his lap and his eyes widened, thinking he was victorious. I bent down to meet his face and spoke in a whispered tone “Boy, I wear heels bigger than your dick. You wouldn’t survive this ride,” as my eyes gestured to my body. I stood back up and continued my way to the office. I heard the howls of laughter coming from the rest of his table. I smiled to myself and threw a wink to my sister. “Dumbass” I said to her from the side of my mouth.

We opened the office doors and went to the receptionist desk to find out who we should talk to. As we waited, I felt Natalia grab my arm, hard. “Ow, what the hell-” I looked over at her. Her gaze was fixed to the other side of the room. I followed it to see two men in one of the offices with the door closed, speaking to someone. “What is your deal?? Who are you looking at?”

“Those are those guys I saw yesterday when you were checking into the hotel. The Adonis types. With the Impala!” she whispered loudly.

[eene-fangirl]

Titanic: Never Let Me Ed Chapter 11

Note: Here is the next chapter of @nintendogal55 and I’s crossover of Ed, Edd n Eddy/Titanic. Enjoy!

Here is the link to the masterpost

Something was not right.

The seawater covered the entire view of the little window. And now the room was on more of a slant. Standing on his toes, Eddy tried to see out the window. It was nothing but dark ocean water glaring in at him as if it had eyes. Shivering, Eddy shook a dark memory that he didn’t want to remember right now.

Rudy was busy placing a bullet on the upside of the table and then watching as it rolled into his hand. He kept doing this a few more times down the slanted table.

“Guess ya gotta search for some fun, huh?” Eddy teased hiding how nervous he was.

Rudy looked at him darkly. He also briefly glanced at the window alarmed by the new view. Then, smiling smugly, and crossing his legs, Rudy remarked, “You know, I do believe that this ship might sink.” And he loaded up his gun.

Sink? The Titanic was supposed to be unsinkable! That’s what all the publicity for the ship consisted of. It took two years to build this whole damn thing and now it was going to sink? Guess, the press wasn’t all that reliable to keep faith in.

Then Rudy stood up, and casually fixed his coat. Eddy kept close watch on him, especially the loaded pistol he had in hand. Trying to contain his composure, Eddy could feel his heart pounding. It hadn’t beat this fast since the night he was running for his life, hiding behind trees in the forest to get away from his brother.  

He’d been alone without his parents for a good five years now. It didn’t matter how old you were. A child always needed their parents.

“Well, I better get myself off this ship while I still can,” Rudy announced, spinning himself around on one foot.

The guy is just messing with me. Calm down! “What about me?” Eddy called out, his voice shaking.

That’s just what Rudy wanted to hear. He’d report how terrified Eddy was to Victoria and they’d further mock him.

“Oh, I think you’ll be fine here. This room is as safe as ever. Especially for criminals, like you!”

Eddy lunged at him only for his cuffed hands to restrain him. He groaned and squirmed like a bull trying to get loose from his pen. “I’d punch you so hard in the face that all your damn teeth will fall out of your mouth!”

Rudy stepped closer, seeming to enjoy this. “Would you?”

Eddy gritted his teeth, growling. He averted his eyes to the floor.

The man took another step closer. Rudy was just almost as tall as him and yet he looked so intimidating. Especially with a gun in hand.

“Ms. Von-Bakewell asked me to deliver something to you on her behalf.”

Without warning, Rudy punched Eddy right in his stomach. Falling onto the ground, however hovering slightly due to the cuffs catching on the pipe, all the wind felt like it was knocked out of Eddy.

While Eddy’s back was turned, Rudy placed the keys for the cuffs into his pocket. “Good evening, Mr. McGee!”

Eddy was alone.

For the first time in the last five years Eddy felt hopeless. It was dumb luck that he found Ed again and they were able to venture around Europe together. He never cared that they didn’t have a home, or a warm bed, or even food at night. What mattered was that he was free. Now Eddy felt as if he was a little boy again trapped in the locked dark basement, crying.

And now this was happening.

Trickling tears, Eddy stomped the side of the wall.

All he wanted was Edd.

---

The lifeboats were swung over the decks of the Titanic as all the passengers mingled outside. It was a cold night. The temperature had gone down some since Edd had been out earlier. Edd could even see his own breath in the air as he shivered. He should have worn a heavier jacket.

The deck was so crowded that there was hardly any room for oneself. The officers were at work, immediately instructing women and children be the first to enter the lifeboats. Amongst it all the band still continued to play lively music.

Titanic only had an hour or more. How were they ever going to get everyone off the ship in time?

Nobody knew how serious this situation was. Edd noted how many women were laughing as if this were all a joke. Some even said how ridiculous it was and calling the lifeboats absurd since they were on an unsinkable ship. Oh, if only they knew.

Standing up on his toes, Edd searched the boat deck. Was the third class here? Some passengers looked to be second class. Wasn’t the ship notifying the third class about the danger? Their accomodations were so far below the ship that they had to have been in danger of the immense flooding.

How could Edd forget? The Atlantic Ocean was only a little below freezing! Now everyone’s lives were at even more risk.

“Come along, Eddward! Stay together!” Victoria’s beefy hand pulled him, impatiently shoving through passengers. A man scoffed eying Edd. Knowing full well of that disdainful look the man was noting that Edd needed to take control.

Take control.

Just then, a rocket shot into the air, exploding in the night sky, illuminating it like a firework. Edd had never seen one up close before. Whenever it was the Fourth of July he just saw them at a distance from his room. It was glorious. If only Eddy were here to see this.

All the children giggled at the sight while their parents were more confused.

It was a distress signal. The lights grew thin until it was no more, leaving them in the dark again.

“Better get into the lifeboat. Here ma’am, let me help you,” Nazz kindly offered to a woman with a child. She was more concerned for everyone else’s sake then her own. And she had just been told about the ship’s doom. What a kind woman.

Once Edd found his way to the edge of the ship he watched as a lifeboat was just being lowered into the ocean. Was Eddy in it? No. It wasn’t even filled to its maximum capacity!

The lifeboat that was being lowered was seconds from tipped over at the left side when one of the officers called out instructions. It lowered safely once more. Good, Edd’s heart resumed to its normal pace. So much was happening.

“Women and children first!” an officer shouted over the crowd.

Now, Edd, Victoria, and his parents were in line to board a lifeboat. Nazz was busy helping women into boats.

Edd watched as a woman tearfully hugged her husband goodbye. An officer tugged at her. He didn’t mean to cut their goodbyes short. It was orders. The man told his wife that he was sure it would only be for a little while. And he blew her a kiss. And stood back.

Edd should have gone after Eddy when the officers were taking him away.

“Don’t worry, my Eddward, I’m sure we’ll get into a boat together,” Victoria assured in a comforting tone but still continued to look at him in disdain.

Edd just looked at her. The woman had such a tight hold on him.

“I do hope these boats are organized by class,” Edd’s mother commented with a sneer.

Edd’s father’s chuckled, holding his wife’s arm close. It wasn’t often when his parents showed physical affections towards one another. They hardly spent any time together. “Those steerage passengers don’t meet the requirements to be saved in a lifeboat, my darling!”

“Foolish rats!” Victoria agreed. And they all just laughed.

Edd was just about ready to erupt like a volcano. His insides burned. Rolling his hands into fists, he wasn’t even going to hold back.

“Oh, you three are to be ashamed of yourselves!” Edd could no longer keep it in. His tone immediately caught his parents attention. And even Victoria. “The water is freezing and There are not enough lifeboats for everyone! Half these people are going to die!”

“Not the better half,” Victoria commented not taking in a word of Edd’s warning. Edd’s father even nodded in agreement. Edd’s mother however looked as if she understood, her face going pale, shocked at her son’s tone and the situation.

“Any room for two gentlemen, gentleman?” Edd’s father asked the officer in charge.

“Only women at this time, sir,” the officer responded. He was busy getting women safely aboard the lifeboat. That of which included Nazz.

“Hey, wait, not yet!”

“You’re a woman aren’t you?” Victoria sneered. Nazz eyed her. She would rather have been in any other lifeboat but the officer already sat her in this one.

Edd then watched, his mouth hanging open as his father actually bribed for himself and Edd to be let into the lifeboat! Half the people on this ship were watching! How did he grow up like this?

“Help me in, Eddward!” Victoria commanded. She leaned on Eddward nearly making him collapse onto the ground. It was only to further mock out physically inept he was.

As soon as Victoria was in the lifeboat, along with his parents, Edd flung his arm away, and stepped back.

“Eddward?” Victoria asked in surprise. She reached out to him, fury setting into her eyes.

“Eddward, what are you doing?” His mother asked annoyed.

“Get in the boat!” His father joined in. He would have gotten out but he’d only lose the seat he bought.

Edd stared at them, disdainfully, the look he received his whole life.

“Get in the boat, Eddward!” Victoria commanded again. She gulped, nervously looking up at passengers, observing the scene. “You claim your precious ship is going to sink, and now it’s not?! Come here! You’re holding things up at usual!”

Staring coldly into his parents very eyes, Edd gave the a taste of their own medicine. “Goodbye, Mother and Father.”

And Edd walked off. Feeling resilient just like a few hours ago.

But a hand grabbed his shoulder, fiercely turning him around.

“Eddward what the hell are you doing?!” Victoria shouted. She actually gave up her seat in a lifeboat?

“Doing what I should have done a long time ago, you unimaginable bitch!” Edd snapped right in her face. He struggled to free himself but Victoria’s hands were locked around him. Was she going to pick him up and drag him into the lifeboat?

“No, Eddward! Are you listening to me! Stop it right now and behave!”

“Get away from me!” Edd fought.

“You are going to him aren’t you?” Victoria spat in shock. She actually believed she had gotten a point across to Edd. “Is that it? To be a whore to that pipsqueak?!”

“I’d rather be his whore than your husband!” And Edd spat right in her face, getting loose, and running away.

Don’t worry, Eddy! I’m coming, my love! I will find you, I promise!

---

Incessantly tapping his handcuffs against the pipes, Eddy shouted and shouted trying to catch anyone’s attention.

“Help! Can anyone hear me? Help! Break me outta these stinkin’ cuffs! I swear I’m not dangerous!”

This was useless. Eddy took a breath and leaned his head against the pipe. Sea water swarmed the window. The ship was sinking. And to further add to it all he lost Edd who probably already forgot about a loser like him.

“This ain’t gonna be good,” Eddy said mainly to himself.

That was the same thing he said to himself the night his brother told him that his dad was dead. Why, why didn’t he run away that night? Was he thinking that somehow everything would have gotten better?

He could have died that night he and his brother had that brutal confrontation.

Was there a reason to why he lived?

Suddenly, a noise alerted Eddy.

Turning towards the doorway, ocean water was just leaking through the cracks of the doorway immediately filling the room!

“Oh shit!” Eddy’s blood ran cold.

Eddy climbed on top of the pipes, pulling at the cuffs until they painfully hurt his wrists. Maybe he could even break the pipe! Eddy was just seconds from breaking his bones when he gasped from the sharp frigid ocean water hitting his feet.

---

Edd raced through the mazes of hallways in the first class staterooms, again shoving right by people not even caring how they reacted. There was not time for politeness. He was on a mission.

Screeching to a halt, Eddy nearly slipped himself up on the ground. The floors were still so polished.

“Mr. Andrews!” he yelled out of breath. Thomas Andrews was just in midst of a conversation with a maid when he turned around in surprise. That expression of pure fear continued to linger in his eyes. “Where does the Master of Arms take someone under arrest?”

Having no idea what Edd was even talking about, Mr. Andrews couldn’t ask questions, “Eddward, I told you to...”

“No!” Edd burst making the man jump. “I’ll do this with or without your help! But without it will take longer!”

Taking a moment to study Edd, Mr. Andrews gave in, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Take the elevator to the very bottom, go left, down the crewman’s passage, then take a right.”

Edd’s mind was sprawling but he nodded in gratitude. “Bottom, left, right! I have it!”

“Eddward!” Mr. Andrews caught his attention just as he ran off again. “Hurry.”

Nodding at him again, Edd ran off back through the mazes of hallways until he was in the grand staircase area. A group of people were standing around one of the elevators as a lift operator was giving instructions in this annoyed tone of voice. He’d obviously given this speech over and over many times tonight.

“Excuse me, could you please take me down to the bottom floor?” Edd asked tapping the man gently on his shoulder to get his attention.

“Sorry, sir, the lifts are closed.” The man answered just barely glancing at Edd.

“No, please, I just need...”

The lift operator heaved a sigh and placed his arm in front of Edd, blocking him from going inside. “Sir, I just told you...”

Edd practically bulldozed into the man, hitting him against the wall. “I’m tired of being so damn polite!” Edd cursed through his teeth. “Now take me down this instant!”

The lift operator did as he was told immediately pulling the lever to go down. He stood as far away from Edd as he could, obviously afraid.

What was even coming over him? Whatever it was it felt like an immense weight off Edd’s shoulders.

The ride was slow as Edd breathed in and out, watching each floor go by while praying that Eddy was be okay.

As they went lower, Edd started to feel an immense chill. Right when he looked down at the next floor a huge amount of water started pouring into the elevator, flooding it!

Edd screamed, grasping the walls. The water was absolutely frigid!

The lift operator climbed onto his chair also yelling out in alert. He did stop the lift for Edd, right when they were at the floor.

Ignoring the immense cold, Edd threw open the gates and thrashed through the flood of waters into the highway. It was just up to his knees now.

“I’m going back up!” And the elevator disappeared.

Edd eyed the man for how cowardly he was.

Which way? Which way? Walking through the knee-deep water for a moment, Edd looked all around for where the crewman’s passage was. He didn’t have to go to another lower level did he? Edd had never been swimming in his life. And he wasn’t even wearing a life jacket!

Focus, Eddward, focus!

Finally, Edd found a sign that read ‘Crew Only’ leading down a hallway. Running down it, Edd pushed himself through the water and pushing objects out of his way.

That was when he came into another hallway.

Oh, which way now? Panting hard, Edd looked in each direction. Down the crewman’s passage and then take a... normally Edd’s memory could easily remember the littlest of facts but he was so overwhelmed from what was going on including the pain of the frigid water that he couldn’t get his mind straight.

“Eddy? Eddy?!” Edd’s voice echoed throughout the lone hall.

The lights dimmed, briefly going out for only a second.

Eddy’s heart jumped. He had just climbed on top of the desk for safety. No, please, anything but his worst nightmare.

“Eddy!” A familiar voice rang out from the hallway.

Feeling his heart skip a beat, Eddy listened again as that familiar voice called out his name from a distance out in the hallway.

Was that... “DOUBLE D!”

Edd stopped, turning around, looking all around for where he heard the source of the voice.

“Eddy?”

“Double D, I’m in here!” Eddy beat his cuffs against the pipes incessantly.

Edd ran in the direction of the noise, struggling through the water growing deeper by the second. Pushing open a door, the lovers were reunited, together once more.

Their lips met in hungry, fervent kisses, hardly giving one another the time to breathe. If only Eddy’s hands weren’t restrained he wanted to hug Edd so closely to his body.

Tears immediately fell from Edd’s eyes, collapsing into Eddy’s arms, continuing to kiss him. “Oh Eddy, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I am so, so, so sorry!”

“I didn’t do it! That guy, Rudy put...”

Edd stopped Eddy, hugging his lover close to his shoulder as he smoothed his hair. “I know! I know! I should have said something! Or done something! Oh, this is all my fault that you’re trapped down here! I knew they framed you but I blame it on my own niavity! If I at least just stood my ground you wouldn’t be...”

“Hey, Shakespeare, enough lamenting and get me out of these!” Eddy gestured to the cuffs.

“Right, right...” Edd took a breath. His heart was racing at a faster pace than usual. He couldn’t let Eddy notice that.

Eddy pointed towards the deck. “See if you can find the key in one of those drawers or even that cabinet! I think it’s silver.”

Edd went to the cabinet first, opening it, searching the few keys that were hung up on the hooks. “I don’t think these will do. They’re all brass!” Edd alerted.

“Check the desk then!” Eddy gestured with his foot.

Edd flung open all the drawers, throwing out papers. Right when he noticed a little box of keys, Edd ripped out the whole chest from the drawer. His breathing was building immensely again.

“What happened to your face?” Eddy asked noticing the red mark on Edd’s face.

“Huh?” Edd asked, shivering from the cold and the stress.

“Your right cheek. Looks like it was bleeding,” Eddy pointed out.

Edd touched the spot, just now feeling a cut. “Oh, Victoria slapped me.”

This riled Eddy up, shaking his head. “Oh, I’ll loosen her stitches!”

Edd smiled. “You won’t have to.”

“Why? What’ja do?!”

“Thanks to your handy lessons I spat in her face!” Edd stated matter of factly with his chin elevated high in the air.

“Wow, good for you! Wish I could have seen that!”

Edd grew lost staring into Eddy’s baby blue eyes. His heart rate just started to calm down.

“Hey, pay attention! We ain’t got much time!” Eddy ordered him half laughing.

Edd went back to his search. None of the keys matched Eddy’s description. He dropped the drawer into the flood of water. There was nothing inside any of the other drawers. Nothing.

That was when a thought flew into Edd’s mind. “I have to find help.” He announced staring frightened into Eddy’s eyes.

The water was almost two feet deep.

Eddy rolled his eyes, looking out the port window again, then back at Edd, nodding. “Okay, go fast!”

Edd kicked through the water and kissed Eddy.

“I’ll be alright,” Eddy assured him, though he knew he looked as scared as ever.

Edd nodded, then thrashed through the water back into the hallway. “I will be right back!”

“I’ll just wait here...” Eddy called out hoping it would be a funny joke. Oh please, come back soon, Double D...