"I'm the dork?" Bold of Eli to not include himself in that description. "Just thinking of the routine alone is making me bummed out, so I wouldn't be surprised if elevators did get depressed. Hey, you asked and I answered!" Laurel leaned against the elevator wall, head tilting slightly while they built this story for the elevator. "Oh, that's tragic. Eventually though, they would meet. Even in passing? The elevators get a happy ending, right?"

The thought of Austin, Texas becoming a special place would've made a younger Laurel laugh. In her mind, no place could ever be as special as her home state, California. But, meeting certain people slowly changed that notion. "You are really good at keeping the boredom away," Laurel couldn't recall the last day she felt that. Her nose scrunched up, a chuckle falling from her lips. "Why's Jared catching shade now? But imagine him trying to take anyone sightseeing, uh...this is the Texas Capitol. It's...cool." And there it was, her best impression of the bland, tall guy they met a few days ago.

She shook her head at him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Lost hobo is a bit harsh, I thought it was a cute look. Okay, well I did reach out because you looked lost, but I stuck around for other reasons." The sad elevator came to a stop, doors opening to the first floor, leading him away from their newest shared space. "Pity wasn't one of them Eli."

"Dork," He replied as the laughter soon bubbled out of him. "When you put it that way, no wonder I feel melancholy. Wonder if elevators would be depressed. That reminds of a twilight zone episode and it is sad. Thanks a lot for making me feel bummed out over an inanimate object." He hummed and then answered. "I will say that one of the elevators must be sad. What if one of them likes another and they can never cross paths because one is always inevitably going down."

That was true, Texas wouldn't be as much fun as it was with Laurel. The state didn't really do much and the townsfolk didn't add anything to the good column. "That is very true though. You need me to cure your boredom. Who else would take you to sight see? Jared?" They had met Jared briefly for a second a couple days ago and he was bland as a cardboard box. Tall motherfucker but that was all that he had going for him.

"Should I also thank me looking like a lost hobo that you took pity on and befriended?" He thought back to the moment he met her and to say he wasn't dressed presentable would be an understatement.

She waited in the restaurant's parking lot for his message, the order that she requested, but it never came. Laurel wondered if he got distracted, or if his shower took longer than anticipated. Now, that she was alone in the car, her mind ran with her worries. Trying to figure out how to help someone who was brought back was not easy. On the surface, everything seemed normal between them, but Laurel could sense a silent barrier between them. She didn't think to ask Maria for guidance, Laurel wished she could now.

After some more silence, she went into the restaurant and picked a couple of items from the menu. She lingered a few extra seconds before pushing the apartment door open, almost like a heads up that she was walking back into their home. Laurel heard his breathless voice, a sense of panic beginning to form on her chest. Their latest mission had left her on constant high alert. She walked slowly to the kitchen island, taking a couple of deep breaths as she set the food down. "Um, couple of items." Laurel opted to not mention the text message she had been waiting for. "Thought we could just share. I got a quesadilla, something called a Kentchilada which is just chicken and green sauce, and a plate of fajitas."

She walked over to him, her hands softly cupping his face. Laurel held him in a very delicate manner, like he was made of glass or like he'd vanish at a moment's notice. After a moment, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "How are you feeling post-shower?"

The apartment was too quiet as he went around straightening up whatever was in his way. Getting dressed in his hoodie and jeans, like he was already preparing for an inevitable fight. A fight for his life. Flashes of what had happened, the gunshot ringing in his ears like someone had popped one off right in his eardrum and the sound of shuffling feet crumbling under concrete as he felt his back hit the ground even with an energy force field surrounding him, he still got the displayed bullet making it hard for him to breathe. Flashes of sounds and voices, one in particular rang loud. Laurel's. He had promised her he'd give his life for her no matter what and that was what he had kept.

The vision switched to his body jolted up like his insides were being pulled out. Eyes semi closed as a soft male voice urged him to stay awake and look at him. The directive was nearly impossible for him to follow as he bled out and could feel the thing sloshing around inside. Soft whimpers came from him as the male placed his hand over his heart. Then everything went dark.

Rustling of the door had him break from his memory and immediately reach for his hip. Noting he didn't have anything on that side he let out a sigh of relief. His voice was breathless like he had just ran the marathon. "What did you end up getting?"

Of course he knew, he just failed to use her name. "Whatever." The nickname was not the greatest, but she didn't interact with him enough to bother correcting him further. Phoebe was under the impression that the irritation was one-sided, just her really. But, she supposed she expected him to mirror her attitude. After all, she started this. She quickly shook her head denying his suggestion. "You know I can't do that," she grumbled. The family had very strict rules on the Greys' plus ones. Hell, they didn't even offer the option. Serious relationships only, or highly vetted friends. Phoebe recalled the rule fairly quickly. Unfortunately, her friendship with Tony didn't make the cut. Neither did a lot of the Greys' other relationships. That was why, for the most part, they usually attended alone. "And there's your smart thought of the day. Yes, like all the other years, we'll be there. If you want some brownie points, you could offer up an item for auction."

Drew couldn't help the satisfied smirk on his lips when she huffed in clear annoyance. He'd never meant for their interactions to go this way, but the first time he'd met her she had such an unwarranted attitude toward him that now he always got a kick out of pushing her buttons. "Mhhm. I know." he mused. A little chuckle followed at the way she said his last name and he simply shrugged. He knew she had zero interest in following in her father's and...if he remembered right the middle brother's footsteps in the taste for business, hell, he hadn't planned to be here either, but life had a funny way of working out. "If you care so much whether he goes or not why don't you make him your plus one." he teased, unable to hold back his smirk. "Even if you don't participate in the business side of things, I highly doubt your parents want you to miss this." The Grey Charity Gala had been an annual tradition since he was a kid, since before he was born he was pretty sure, and that meant whether happy or not; all three Grey kids were supposed to be in attendance.

The two longest minutes of her life had come to an abrupt stop as she heard him speak. Words were escaping her, everything stuck in the form of a lump in her throat. She heard Maria, and looked over at her, still processing what she was saying. But, they only echoed in her mind. Revived, fine, not fine. Her eyes trailed down to his shirt, the dry blood and the bullet hole that ripped through. Her hands were resting on his shoulder, still kneeling next to him. If she wasn't currently holding on to him, she wouldn't believe that he was back here with her. Leaving his side was just not an option. Not again.

Laurel looked up at Jim, then the others in the room. All eyes were on her, and she was dumbfounded. Stupefied, and everything else in between. Yeah, what a brilliant agent. They had a perfectly valid question, and Laurel had a big pile of nothing to show for it. This is what they had discussed so long ago; the difficulties of being a field agent. What she was too naive to worry about then. Her attention turned to the man she now owed the world to. Max was a natural leader; that much was evident as he took the reins of this meeting. "We can't do that." Right? This is what they had worked so hard towards, revealing that truth was admitting defeat. It was letting all of Eli's previous work be in vain. Laurel shook her head dismissing the idea, though she failed to present an alternative at the moment. Just give her brain a second to compartmentalize the events from earlier, and she would be okay. But, how does one compartmentalize losing the love of your life? Her eyes turned to Eli when he spoke up again, her grip of his shirt tightening just the slightest. Ideas were beginning to flow back into her mind. He was out, no way he could come back into the field after today, but, maybe they still had a shot at getting them out safely. Coordinating with Jack, that could be an option.

"I'm fine." Words tumbled out of him like they were routine. He stated as any eye contact was avoided. Michael and Max were in the corner talking to Jim while he got flanked by Maria and Laurel. He was beginning to feel like a fish at an aquarium.

Maria bulldozed through his fine comment and sat across from him. Eyes rolling as she believed that with zero confidence. "Sure, yeah. Anyone who just got revived by Max says they're just fine. I've had my best friend literally go through the same thing and let me tell you, bud. She was not fine." She looked at Laurel as if to say she was trying her best but he wasn't currently reachable.

"What's our next move?" He heard Jim ask the room, eyes looking at Laurel first since she was the agent here and then at Eli who looked like he was drifted off into the sea. His hair wet and his clothes showing signs of dried up blood. The hole in his shirt evident from the gunshot. Calling it in would do more harm than good at this point so everyone looked to Laurel for guidance. Eli would jump in but currently was still processing what happened the last half hour.

Max spoke up next as he took on that leader role even now. "You two will have to go back and reveal your findings. They want an alien. You'll give him one." Eli huffed out a sigh as he finally met his eyes. "Got them by the bundle now?"

The nickname caused a huff of air to leave her lips, good to know he remained annoying as ever. "I have a name, you know. Besides, the details of your family business don't concern me Goldman," the last name leaving with a tone of disgust. It would, if she became more involved in her family's company, but she was still resisting those efforts. Did he really have nothing better to do than keep tabs on his brother or being a royal pain? Perhaps that just came with the company, a perk. "Nope, don't believe in it. I've told you this before." He kept holding up the envelope she handed, and Phoebe had to keep herself from yanking the invitation back. Honestly, he probably wasn't too terrible, but her parents' comments in her ear was enough for her animosity towards him grow. "I don't know? Because he's your brother, and maybe somewhere deep in there, you're not a total jackass?" Somewhere super super deep probably.

Andy laughed softly before bringing his hand up over his heart and feigning hurt. "You wound me Little Grey. I run a nice place here." he teased, his smirk growing. It was no secret than Andrew and Anthony were no where near close, but that didn't mean that Drew didn't occasionally still keep tabs on his brother, which meant he was well aware of the close friendship he had with the youngest Grey sibling. It also meant he knew full well how much her parents disapproved. "You tell me." he commented simply, holding the envelope up once again. He knew the answer to the question when he'd asked it; Tony was the Goldman family disappointment, there was no way he'd be invited, he just wanted the subtle win a usual. But her words had a fuller laugh leaving the man. "And why in the fuck would I ever do that?" he asked through laughter, shaking his head as though it were the most ludicrous idea he'd ever heard.

They exchanged the usual pleasantries for first dates, and he badly hoped they could move past that fairly quick. It was too awkward for his liking. "Well, a good wine selection should make up for their terrible parking situation." He couldn't help the smile at the mention of first bottle, a bit optimistic but it was amusing. "We're off to a good start, I'll take the second bottle."

Henry looked up at her at the mention of their common friend. "Elise, she works in the same building I do. One weird girl, that one. She didn't really give me much of a choice for this date, you know. Just came to my office, and threatened to kill me if I didn't show up today. How about you?"

For @overnightheartbeats continued from here

Taking a seat, the brunette offered a kind smile when he introduced himself. "Nice to meet you too" she returned the sentiment and hoped it would turn out to be truer than the last two times she'd uttered the statement. A light laugh left her at his question and her brows rose as she picked up the wine menu. "I've only been here one other time, but they did have a great wine selection." she teased. "First bottle is my treat." she added with a small smirk.

It wasn't like blind dates were something Rina looked forward to, but she certainly tried to make the best of them. And dating was hard, especially if people recognized her first. They always seemed to have a preconceived notion of how she'd be, or expected her to act a specific way, or worse, wanted her for her money. "So, how do you know Elise?"

"Agreed. I wouldn't be caught dead here willingly. Shut up," she replied at the mention of his brother. It was no secret that she got along much better with the younger Goldman, partly because he wasn't a constant reminder of what she should be. Andrew was that reminder, especially when her parents threw hints that he was an ideal person to join the Grey clan. Phoebe always suspected that spending time with him would lead to her eventually joining in on the corporate kumbaya. "Sure, a lovely point. Come on, you really believe in that alliance?" She pursed her lips at his question, one he knew the answer to. Her parents did not pay his brother any mind, certainly not enough for his own invitation. "No, but he could be your plus one. They can't say no to that."

For @overnightheartbeats continued from here

Andrew couldn't help the slight chuckle that left him at her retort. He'd always thought that sass of hers was amusing. "It would be odd if it were a social call coming from you, since you usually reserve those for my brother." he mused. Blue hues glanced down as she dropped the envelope on his desk. "The point is to probably maintain the Grey-Goldman alliance, clearly." he said with confidence as though it were obvious. Their parents had been friends since he was a kid. He reached out and grabbed the envelope holding it up slightly. "Tony get one of these?" he asked, unable to help his curiosity.

"Yeah yeah," he couldn't help the snappy attitude. Matt knew that she no longer danced, it was just his feeble attempt at being a smart ass. He knew that her attempts to look after him came from a good place, and any other time, Matt would even tease her for being so warm with him. But, he was exhausted. How many stages were there in the grief process? Because lately, he felt like he was just stuck on the second step. It wasn't her fault, or anyone's really. Still, Matt knew he was sour company at the moment.

Matt shouldn't have been surprised by her next action, however, pushing right through him and into his place. He had begun cleaning, but clearly it was not enough to hide his mess. "Hey it's a work in progress," he countered as he turned to face her, stepping into his living room. "It's not that," a sigh fell from his lips. "I just think your time can be better spent elsewhere. That's all. It's nothing you haven't seen before, this sadness." He was reluctant to listen, but it was pointless to argue with her. So, he scoured his cabinets for a bottle of red wine. "No need, I'l pour you the wine and I'll clean up, before I get judged more."

Piper couldn't exactly say she had many friends. She had a naturally abrasive and withdrawn nature that didn't necessarily rub most people the right way. But somehow Matt had been able to break down the walls she'd thought she had well reinforced, yet she was beyond grateful for that, because he was the closest thing to a best friend she'd had in a very long time.

As such, when his engagement fell apart, she didn't hesitate to be there for him in everyway and anyway she could be. Even when he didn't really want her there anymore. She'd never experienced the kind of heartbreak he was going through, but that didn't mean she couldn't be there as a shoulder. It took him a few moments to answer the door and she wondered what he was trying to hide or quickly clean before opening the door. A small chuckle left her at his greeting. "I don't know how many times we have to go over this, I don't dance anymore, I direct, I manage." she reminded with a small nod. "Now, move." she demanded, slipping between his arm and the doorway and into his home that was thoroughly and completely in disarray. A slight whistle left her. "Wow, this is....a disaster." she said, unable to help herself. She turned to look over her shoulder as he was closing the door. "No wonder you didn't want me over, but why don't you crack open a bottle of wine and we'll get it cleaned together, yeah?"

Being home before him was odd, only because they were usually coming back from the office together. Today had just been an off day, and despite it being rare, she opted to take a half-day. So, Laurel had already been home a few hours - showered, in her old college sweats, and snacking in the kitchen.

Things had changed since they returned from Roswell. It was palpable, even if neither had broached the subject yet. Laurel wanted to, the question was burning on her tongue, but she wanted to give him time to readjust to being back home. From the kitchen island, she caught the glimpse of his reaction to the noise. And, she rethought her decision to wait for him to come around. Seeing him like this weighed heavily on her heart. ❛Mhm, yeah that works. I'll go pick up food from that new Tex Mex spot in downtown, the one we've been meaning to try.❜ He did say he wasn't hungry, but any sense of normalcy couldn't hurt. Anything to bring him back to their world. ❛Just text me your order?❜ She asked, a reassuring smile present.

She moved into the living room, the stack of mail catching her eye. The amount of junk mail they received was getting worse, wasn't it? Well, they'd sort through that later. Once she grabbed her wallet and keys from the credenza, she was out of the apartment before their plans changed. Thoughts beginning to swirl in her own mind. He had smiled at her earlier, but there was something slightly different about it. It was beginning to eat at her. Perhaps, she would need to ask over dinner after all, before she lost him to the thoughts in his mind.

Eyes flickered from one end of their apartment to the other. In an attempt to ground himself back to this world. Roswell had changed him and he knew that if he didn't work through it, he'd lose her too. Walking to the corner table where their keys often got placed, he set them down and sighed. Hearing the clank of the metal against the glassware he slightly jumped.

His pstd was on full display and that made him cringe. With half his back turned from Laurel he spoke, "I'll grab a shower then we can eat. I am not really hungry but whatever you want to eat I'm fine with." He smiled at her and ran his fingers through his hair.

As he passed the coffee table he dropped the mail down not realizing the yellow envelope was stuck between flyers for a new place opening up in Austin. He knew they'd read the mail after at some point so didn't make a fuss on it.

He was dreading writing the report but that was also something for later. The soft shuffle noises of feet and hands as he grabbed the clothes from the drawers was heard as he went through the motions of routine. Exhaustion didn't get the better of him but he was still stuck in his head.

"Relax, I literally just walked into your office." There was that dumb smirk, which only caused an eye roll on her end. "It's not a social visit if that's what you're asking. Doing my mom a favor, dropping these off." She gestured towards the stack of envelopes in her hand. Of course, the woman still liked sending out physical invites when the rest of the world opted for a digital calendar invite. After a day of dropping off envelopes rather than spending her time working on her latest article was only mildly frustrating. "She thought there was some point inviting you, and your family to our annual auction and gala. It does cover plus ones, but if you're planning on bringing people let us know in advance so they're not fighting security day of."

Open to: Females (21+) Age gap is allowed Muse: Andrew Connections: fwb, exes, crush, assistant, employee, lover, etc. go crazy

"You still haven't gotten around to telling me why you're here." he mused, a slight smirk on his lips as he raised his hands before setting them back in his lap as he leaned back in his chair. He hadn't been expecting them to show up to his office, but since they were there, he wanted to know why.

FitzSimmons in every episode

↳ 1x08: The Well

@cursivebloodlines

my calendar just reminded me today is watering day for my 50 something plants...lord 😳😳

so may need to take a break from writing while I take care of that

loosely based on this // @ruinedsoulsrp

Two weeks in, and the moping was still in full swing. He had already taken so much time off work, Matt was lucky he had all those hours saved up. Piper had texted earlier, like she had been doing every day to check up on him. He had already said he was fine, no need for babysitting, but that didn't seem to stop her. Who said that girl did not care about anyone. He had showered today, right? Matt sniffed his shirt to confirm, that yes - he had showered today. She'd be arriving soon, and his place was in shambles. An unusual occurrence for him, but losing the girl he was planning to marry does that to a guy. He heard the knock on the door, and after tossing the pile of clothes in his bedroom hamper, Matt finally went to get the door. "Piper, hey." An attempt at a smile was present. "No offense, but don't you have somewhere to dance or something? I'm fine, seriously."

Getting set up on a blind date had to be his lowest moment, hands down. Nothing screamed 'he needs help' more than someone doing all the work for you in the dating scene. Henry refused to indulge his friends, but they knew him so they didn't ask. They just showed up one day and gave him the details of a confirmed date. He had arrived minutes earlier, just so he could say he waited and leave if the other didn't show five minutes after the scheduled time. As she approached, he recognized her from the picture he was shown. Eager beaver or punctual, Henry didn't know but he hoped the latter. "Marina, hi. I'm Henry, great to meet you." Hey, he wasn't exactly here willingly, but he wasn't an asshole either. "So, you a fan of this place or did our friends point to a map and pick the most random spot in the city?"

Open to: Males/Females/NB Muse: Marina Plot: Loosely Based on this and a blind date type plot

Marina didn't know why her friends kept feeling the need to set her up on these blind dates. She was perfectly content being on her own, she didn't need someone. But they insisted that she couldn't be happy just sitting around reading and doing yoga alone all the time, so here she was, her third blind date in as many weekends. The last two had been a disaster and she didn't have particularly high hopes for this one either, but she had a hard time just saying no.

When she walked in she noticed them already sitting there. At least they were punctual, she liked that. Still, she kept her guard up a bit as she approached, though she offered a polite smile. "Hi, I'm Marina."

me relating songs to my muses: