@shermphibia

"Listen, if I want to eat an entire tub of ice cream out on a bench then I'm going to do that. Judge me and I'm flicking globs of this at you."

She'll have no regrets either because her mood is currently rock bottom. "I'm just...going through a rough patch, okay? I deserve sympathy points, not judgement."

I officially have a Carmen Vandenberg folder in my google drive

Start Somewhere

TITLE: Start Somewhere CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: One-shot (for now) AUTHOR: MaliceManaged ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine waking up to find Loki asleep in your bed. You have no idea how he got in, or how he didn’t wake you, but he looks completely exhausted and doesn’t even stir when you get up, so you kinda just leave him to it and get on with your morning. Maybe there’ll be an explanation later, maybe this will just be a weird story you tell your grandkids one day that they won’t actually believe; for now, though, you’ll just leave breakfast for the supervillain crashing in your bed and go to work before you’re late. RATING: T NOTES/WARNINGS: Because I clearly don’t have enough going on, my brain gives me this. And before anyone yells at me for the ending, I will eventually write more for this. I have no idea when, but I will. XD

__________________

    There were several things Carmen might have expected upon opening her eyes that morning; finding herself staring at the sleeping face of someone who most definitely hadn’t been there when she went to bed was not one of them. Least of all finding herself staring at the sleeping face of Loki, of all people. Hadn’t the Avengers arrested him the other day? She was pretty sure she’d seen that on the news. She wasn’t really sure what he’d been doing that warranted arresting other than being in the general vicinity of the bad guys they’d been fighting, but that was none of her business. More pressing was the matter of the alleged supervillain deeply asleep in her bed.

      Very deeply asleep, she noticed, as he hadn’t even stirred when she’d shot up in her initial alarm. Actually, he looked exhausted; if the dark circles under his eyes were any indication, he wasn’t getting a whole lot of sleep. Which she supposed made some sense if he’d just broken out of prison. She really ought to call the Avengers, or at least the police so they could call the Avengers…

    She hadn’t realised she’d raised her hand and moved it towards him until she was lightly poking his cheek, and hastily pulled it back, holding her breath and watching him closely. But while his face did twitch the slightest bit at her touch, he didn’t wake. That pretty much made her decision for her; she got up and went about her morning routine as usual, if taking care not to make too much noise while getting ready for work. Maybe there would be explanations later, maybe this would just be one of those stories she’d tell her future grandchildren about that they would dismiss as ‘abuela being weird again’. Who knew? All she knew was she had better hurry up lest she be late for work. And so, she made breakfast for two and left a note for him on the counter before leaving the house.

  ****

      Loki was tired. There was no other way to look at it. He was completely exhausted; the kind of weariness that seeped into your bones, that weighed down your very soul. Tiredness that had not been helped by having to break out of the cell the Avengers had tossed him into, despite the fact that he hadn’t actually done anything, but alas. His plan had been to lay low for a while in the house he occasionally stayed in, but while some foggy part of his mind reasoned that the room he’d teleported into had just a little too much stuff in it, he’d been too tired to really care about the implications of that and simply got into the bed. He was asleep before his head even hit the pillow.

      Upon awakening late the next morning, Loki noticed three things: 1) This was not his bedroom, 2) this was someone’s bedroom, and 3) that someone had been there with him, if the unmade section of bed beside him was any indication. And he’d slept through their being there and, more importantly, leaving. He was up and alert in moments, looking around for any signs of the house’s inhabitant, creeping silently out of the room and examining every doorway he passed carefully. Upon reaching the kitchen, he found a note on the counter informing him there was breakfast for him in the microwave and to help himself to anything in the fridge.

      Well, then. How curious.

      He considered it might be a trap - surely the house’s owner would have called the authorities upon finding a complete stranger, especially him, in their bed - but if it was, he could deal with it when it sprung. Tired as he still was, he could still manage that. Instead, he retrieved the indicated plate and sat down to a really quite delicious meal while pondering his next move.

  ****

      Carmen hadn’t really expected to find Loki still in her home when she got back from work, but there he was, sitting on her couch apparently waiting for her. She dropped her keys into the bowl by the door and hung up her coat in the coat closet, then walked over and sat on the other end of the couch.

      “You didn’t call anyone,” Loki more stated than asked.

      “I did not, no.”

      “Why not?”

      She shrugged. “You looked like you needed the rest. You weren’t really hurting anyone just sleeping.”

      “You made me breakfast.” That part he was still confused about.

      “I did, yes.”

      He frowned at the non-answers. “Why?”

      “I don’t know; made sense at the time.” She turned her head to look at him. “Why were you in my bed?”

      He considered lying, it would certainly be less embarrassing and wasn’t as though she’d be able to tell, but instead admitted, “I thought it was mine. I seem to have miscalculated my destination a bit.”

      She hummed. “Well, you probably shouldn’t be teleporting that tired, then.”

      He breathed a laugh despite himself. She wasn’t exactly wrong. “Noted.”

      “So, what happens now?”

      “Well, we have two options: I make you forget I was ever here and leave…” He let it hang there, curious whether she would then assume the worst.

      Instead, she calmly asked, “Or?”

      “I leave and we keep this our little secret,” he replied simply, strangely pleased she hadn’t taken the bait.

      She pretended to think about it. “I pick ‘b’.”

      He laughed. “‘B’ it is, then,” he said then stood, intending to leave.

      “Want to stay for dinner?” He stopped and looked at her a bit oddly, and she shrugged. “It’s more fun to cook for more than one person.”

      He thought for a moment, then decided, “If it pleases you.”

      She smiled then stood and went into her bedroom, grabbing some casual clothes before heading to her bathroom to wash up. She walked into the kitchen, pulling her hair into a ponytail, to find him sitting at the counter flipping through one of her grandmother’s recipe books curiously and she smiled a bit to herself. “Any requests?”

      “I’m not familiar with any of these things,” he admitted.

      “Well, then we need to broaden your culinary horizons,” she replied, taking out some pots and pans.

      “If it will be anything like that breakfast, I dare say I wouldn’t mind.”

      She chuckled. “Nothing like a proper dominican breakfast to get you up and about!”

      He watched her work as she got out ingredients and prepared a meal - pastelón, she called it, with rice and beans on the side - then joined her at the table. They ate in silence, but it was a pleasant sort of quiet, and he sat observing her curiously afterwards as she took their dishes to the sink to be dealt with later. She caught him at it when she turned around and raised a questioning eyebrow, and he rested his elbow on the table and propped his chin on his hand.

      “I’m merely wondering if you fear me at all,” he explained.

      “Well, I wouldn’t say I’m not at least a little worried, but you haven’t really given me reason to be afraid. I mean, all you’ve really done is trespass, but, assuming you were telling the truth, that was an accident.” She walked back to the table and retook her seat across from him. “You haven’t harmed me so far, and well… I’m not so sure I agree with the whole ‘getting arrested’ thing the other day. I mean, from the video I’ve seen of that mess, you didn’t seem to actually be doing anything.”

      “I was not, thank you for noticing,” he huffed, “But when you’re me, just being where something is happening is enough to damn you, apparently.”

      “That’s rough. What’re you going to do? They’ll probably be looking for you soon, if they aren’t already. Is it even safe for you to be on this planet at all?”

      “I’m not certain there is anywhere in this universe that is safe for me,” he replied vaguely, then smirked. “Is the lady concerned for my well-being?”

      “And if I am?” she challenged.

      “Then I can warn you that is both dangerous and a waste of time.”

      She hummed noncommittally. “If you say so.”

      He narrowed his eyes. “I don’t need your pity,” he said sharply.

      That got him a very indelicate snort. “Good, ’cause you don’t have it.” He eyed her skeptically and she rolled her eyes. “It’s not pity to be concerned about someone else; that’s just being a decent person.”

      “That has not been my experience.”

      “Then you need to surround yourself with better people.”

      “Like you?”

      “Gotta start somewhere.”

      He laughed softly. What a strange woman. “Then I suppose I’ll have to get to know you, won’t I?”

Fighting Blind, pt 3

Part I ~ Part II

In the bloody aftermath, the three of us stared down at the huge, inhuman hand that William had severed from the beast with a single clean strike.

“Tao Tei,” I murmured, recognising them from the intricately woven murals on the armour in my exhibits.

“You know what this is?” William demanded. “How?”

“Where I work, I’ve seen them. Woven into art.”

Both men stared at me as if I’d grown an extra head on my shoulders. When neither of them spoke, I stomped moodily over to the horse I had unwillingly shared with Tovar and snatched the water canteen off it, drinking deeply. Drops of water ran down my throat and I savoured the brief coolness.

I surveyed the carnage. The Tao Tei had come over the ridge like a battleship on legs, decimating the bandits, tearing them limb from limb, its reptilian eyes somehow seeing everywhere at once. Its huge jaws rent flesh from bone in scant seconds, and the stench of death, emptied bowels and blood hung in the misty air. I had never longed for a dream to end more in my entire life.

Tovar moved towards the ridge and without thinking I grabbed his arm.

He snarled at me. “What?”

“What are you doing? There could be more.”

He looked me up and down, his face black with a scowl. “I think you know more than you are letting on, princesa.” The word was absolutely not a compliment.

“Fine,” I yelled into his face. “Die, then. It’s only a dream anyway! You aren’t even real.”

Tovar froze, and six feet away, so did William.

They shared a look I couldn’t read. I shoved the crude lid back into the water canteen and tried to scan William’s face.

“What?” I demanded, finally snapping. “Look at me! I’m killing monsters and bandits wearing jeans and a summer t-shirt! In the middle of a desert! With two, what, I don’t know, mercenaries straight out of an action film! What else could this be but a dream?”

I was full on yelling by the time I’d finished, the ends of the words petering out as I screamed myself hoarse.

William held his hands up, palm out, walking toward me slowly like you would with someone who is very likely to brutally stab you in the face with a butter knife. “Your first time in battle? It can muddy things. It happened to boys training in the mercenary guild with me. Taking a life can weigh heavy on your mind.”

Tovar watched us avidly with his big, dark eyes, saying nothing.

“And please, stop yelling. It might attract more of those…. Creatures.”

“Well it doesn’t matter!” I yelled, one hundred and fifty percent done with all this nonsense. I wanted to wake up, watch crappy breakfast television and go to work, hang out with Emma, write applications for funding, maybe do an interview on the radio, catch the tube home, think about updating my profile on OK!Cupid. “It doesn’t matter because-hmmmpf!”

Somehow, Tovar had crept up behind me and shoved a hand over my mouth. I thought about biting him but I didn’t dare. Who knew where those hands had been.

“If you don’t shut your mouth, so help me God, I will shut it for you,” he hissed into my ear. 

The half-octave drop of his voice and the hard press of his armoured body against my back made me feel things I should absolutely not have been feeling.  But hey. Dream-me isn’t always in charge of all her facilities.

“Am I making myself clear?” Tovar ground out, his beard tickling my ear.

I nodded. It seemed the sensible thing to do.

He dragged me closer to his armoured body and I shivered, half in fear, half in… something else. “Listen carefully. We are going to leave this razed camp and find another. By that time it will likely be nightfall. You can come with us now and we will do our best to keep one another safe, or I will turn you loose and leave you to whatever beasts - four and two-legged roam these desert lands.”

I looked over at William. He made the universal palms-up I don’t know gesture. “We’ve no quarrel with you, miss. If you wish to strike out alone….”

For the first time since I’d woken up in this world of blood and guts and desert scrubland, I entertained the fear that maybe this wasn’t a dream.

My knees started to tremble, the little rabbit of terror scrambling up and down my spine relentlessly. Heat swept up through my body, and I recognised it as a precursor to fainting. Again? I was never usually given to cases of the vapours, but I suppose finding that you’ve somehow ended up very very far from home can do that to a normally level-headed person.

“I’m-” I started to say against Tovar’s hand, and then I knew nothing else.

**********

"Do you believe she knows something about this creature we killed?"

"Hard to say. Perhaps dehydration has addled her mind."

I opened one eye and listened as Tovar pontificated about how I might be insane.

It was late, the sun, blisteringly red, setting on the horizon in a blur of crimson, orange and gold. 

A fire crackled in the centre of our little camp, and the sound of rushing water made me sit up, rubbing my sore head.

"Ah, you're awake. Are you feeling better?"

I glanced over at William where he sat idly turning a spit over the fire. Something that had once had fur rotated at the whim of his hand. He looked… clean. The scent of rosemary soap hung in the air. His hair curled, damp.

"A bit. I think. Where are we?"

"You slept most of the day as we rode. We're travelling north."

I blinked away sleep, the scent of roasting meat making my stomach growl greedily. "Where…. Where's Tovar?"

William inclined his head to the left. "Washing in the stream."

At his words I noticed the surprisingly neat pile of armour, furs, fabric and weapons in front of the wall of scrub. I felt a furious blush creep up my neck, and glanced at William to see if he had noticed, but he was occupied with carving a sliver of meat and checking it for readiness.

At the very edge of my hearing there was a soft melody in Spanish. Soulful, barely there, and the possibility that it could be Tovar making the sounds that pulled on my heartstrings gave me pause.

"Tovar!" William called out. "Time to eat."

"Is she awake?" he demanded, grumpy as ever, husky-edge voice carrying over the scrub.

"Yes, she is," I called back.

"Forgive my companion, miss," William muttered. "He only thought to check if he should dress before joining us for our meal. We’re not used to accommodating a lady."

Heat at the instant image of Tovar unclothed flared low in my belly, but before I could quell it, the irritable Spaniard rounded the scrub, dressed in breeches and an untucked black tunic, unlaced at the neck. He had scooped his hair back in a que, and washed his beard. It hung damply, curling around his jaw. The scent of lemon oil unfurled towards me on the evening air, jolting me from gazing at him. Lemon oil, like in my dreams.

This was not a dream. 

And I was suddenly overcome by the intense urge to scream until I vomited, and then curl up into a ball and cry myself dry and hollow.

Thanking my lovely beta, @rzrcrst​ !

Tagging: @songsformonkeys​ @keeper0fthestars​ @hopelessromanticspoonie​ @just-the-hiddles​ @agentpike​ @littlemissthistle​ @alldatalost​ @ly--canthrope​ @starlight-starwrites​ @stylelovechild​ @maryan028​ @seawhisperer​ @synystersilenceinblacknwhite​ @restingnurseface​ @emesispo​ @havenforafrazzledmind​ @tardisfangurl @holographic-carmen​ @pedropascalito​ @thewaythisis​ @mstgsmy​ @jaime1110​ @10-96dispatcher @talesfromtheguild​ @kindablackenedsuperhero 

Drafted Chapter 4: Preview

Up to 25,000 words, still writing. Until then, an extended preview.

Pinwheel Universe: Original Timeline, August 2008

Staten Island, New York City

About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him-and I didn’t know how potent that part might be-that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

Rogue rolled her eyes as she looked up from her book, sighing heavily as she glanced around her darkened bedroom. The sun had set and the room was humid, and she was only in a tank top and underwear, lying on top of the bedspread. It was always hot in the attic and she kept the ceiling fan on constantly, not only because it had been such an unbearably hot summer, but also because the residential feline, Zues, was scared of ceiling fans when they were off. An odd quirk about the cat she was beginning to truly adore. Rogue yawned for a moment, before moving to turn on the bedside table lamp. As soon as she did, she noticed a set of green eyes staring at her from the foot of the bed, and Rogue smiled at the intruder. Zeus had made his faithful nightly appearance, rubbing his head momentarily against the side of her foot, demanding attention.

“I really don’t get what the fuss is all about,” she said out loud to the cat, gesturing to Twilight, which she had closed in frustration and plopped on the bedside table. She’d purchased the book at the Borders in Penn station as a recommendation from her coworker Carmen-oh, trust me, Marie! You. Will. Love. It!-- to read on the long rides home on the Staten Island Ferry, and so far she was unimpressed. Falling desperately in love with a hundred year old vampire. Ridiculous, Rogue thought, while she pet the black cat with the white belly, who arched his back and purred at her touch.

Zeus was technically Mrs. Mable’s cat, the woman whose attic she was currently renting. The house was a cozy bungalow, which had regrettably seen better days, settled in the heart of Staten Island. Still though, the house had good bones, which Rogue appreciated. It reminded her of the old homes on her street where she grew up, down to the antique hardware and floral wallpaper.

Just like her feline companion, Mrs. Mable had taken a liking to Rogue, mostly because Rogue paid rent on time and helped her take out the trash and would often listen to the woman’s stories of the city in the 1940’s when the woman worked for Western Union, even though Rogue had failed to tell the woman she was vastly undercharging for rent, being this was New York City. Rogue was only paying $200 a month, although that was about all she could afford from what she was making at the desk job she was currently temping at in the city. It was a long, expensive trek to work each day, and she had bought the book to get her mind off of the fact that, one afternoon, she’d glanced out the dirty window of the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty in the distance, and a cold shadow of a feeling had gripped her heart.

Suddenly, in a rare moment of conversation, the cat meowed, bringing her out of her thoughts, and Rogue smiled.

“What do you think, Zeus? Team Edward or Team Jacob?” she asked playfully as she continued to scratch the cat behind the ears, savoring the feeling of the soft fur, the body  underneath that.

She’d touched many things in the last year. She’d shaken hands and held open doors and hailed taxis, all without gloves. She’d gone dancing with Carmen. She’d kissed boys and girls while drunk. She’d hugged people. She’d casually touched them. She’d made out with some, gone to second and third base with a couple of others. She’d flirted and smiled and laughed. It had been everything she had imagined it to be, she had quickly realized. The only part she missed, of course though, was the company. She had been surprised with how long Logan’s presence stuck around in her mind after the torch, but from the day she had the injection onward, they all had disappeared, and for the first time in a long time her head was simply...empty. Voiceless. Still. At times, it was still disconcerting. Rogue alone in this tiny bedroom apartment with the seventies avocado-green kitchen and the bubbling wallpaper and the hallway that smelled like cat litter, but it wasn’t Westchester, and that was enough.

Rogue frowned at the thought. It took two days after she’d come back from taking the cure. Bobby had kissed her, and the look on his face told her he regretted it. Perhaps she’d known it from the beginning, how he’d react, but it was everyone else who made it hurt worse. Jubilee was fake around her, Kitty stopped speaking to her. She had even remembered Logan barely acknowledging her, walking around with a dead look in his eye, although Rogue assumed that was more from the events that had transpired in San Francisco than anything else.

After the funeral, she had gone to bed exhausted, and sad. And, when she had woken up the next day, she knew he was gone. Not Bobby, but Logan. No goodbyes this time. No dog tags to be handed off. She knew he had one foot out the door already, but...she would have thought he’d at least warn her. Say goodbye. And she knew, this time, he was gone for good.

It wasn’t long after that, she left too. She couldn’t face them, couldn’t face it. But, of course, away from the shelter of Xavier's, she had no money. It was rough, in the beginning. She’d been beyond lucky to find the posting of Mrs. Mable’s room, and she thanked the world for small favors. Slowly, as spring became summer, she found steady work, and steady friends, and her fears eased. She stopped seeing herself as the other, and, instead, the same as. And that was also enough.

--

The next morning, she frowned slightly at the book, but decided against her best judgement to take Edward and Bella with her on the ferry. She rolled her eyes through most of it, and by the time she got to the office, she dreaded talking to Carmen about whether or not Bella had made the right decision to stick with the vampire. Luckily, however, they were busy today, so Marie forced a smile on her face, tucked in her cheaply made button down shirt into her black slacks, fixed her headset in her ear, and pretended not to be tired as she answered the phone for HR at the pharmaceutical company in midtown she worked for.

“So are you coming out on Friday or not?” Carmen said after a particularly long phone call, before downing half a bottle of Evian. Rogue shared a cubicle with Carmen, a desk on either side of the eight by eight space. Carmen was a beautiful woman of Italian descent with a thick Long Island accent who had immediately taken a liking to Rogue when she first arrived there. Carmen had helped Rogue learn the ropes, and Rogue knew Carmen found Rogue ”exotic” because of her southern accent, and was always trying to set up Rogue because of it. Carmen was also always drinking water and chewing gum between calls. “To get the bad taste out of my mouth when I deny another claim,” she explained one day to Rogue early on.

“I don’t know. I’m kinda tired this week. It’s been a long one,” Rogue said about the weekend, cracking her knuckles as she glanced at the time. 3:22pm. Ugh. Time didn’t move fast enough inside a cubicle.

“Well, you should come out because I have a date,” Carmen said, a spark in her eye. Rogue laughed out loud at this, shaking her head.

“Why would I wanna come with you on your date, hun?” she asked, and Carmen rolled her eyes.

“It’s not a date date. I’m...checking him out. Meeting him and his friend for coffee. I could use a wing woman. Rosalie from payroll is setting me up with him. He’s her cousin, or something” Carmen said, and then, looking around the cluster of cubics and leaning in a little bit over her desk she dramatically, “I guess the word is he’s a mutant.”

Rogue almost spit out the gatorade she had been drinking, but managed to swallow and feign...surprise? Funny thing was, other than the rising anti-government sentiment, most humans out in the real world didn’t think twice about mutants, not their plight, their struggle to be accepted, none of it. Marie had been shocked to find this out, but, after some time, she had come to realize it was always this way with a group of people who had privilege over another- the privileged group never thought it was that big of a deal and it couldn’t be that bad for them. Anyway, this news was surprising coming from Carmen, because she usually liked the blonde, athletic, cookie cutter type.

“That so?” Rogue finally asked.

“Yeah. Apparently...he has a tail,” she said, winking.

“Why does that matter?” Rogue blurted out, before she could stop herself, but then Carmen was grinning.

“Girl, use your imagination. Think of the sex,” she grinned, and Rogue must have made a face because Carmen was frowning.

“Didn't take you for a speciesist, lady,” Carmen said through a pop of her gum.

“I’m not-” Rogue sighed, but then Carmen threw up a finger, spit her gum out, and raised her eyebrows. Rogue frowned, but then turned to see their boss walking down the hall toward them. Mr. Henry MacIntire, Vice President of Human Resources,  was a studious looking man, fairly young for his position--Rogue guess early thirties at most--always dressed nicely, with a pair of tortoise shell glasses settled on his nose that Rogue found herself taking a liking to. He was polished, poised, a gentleman, she thought upon meeting him. Unlike Nancy who was in charge of the Admin assistants, he was never gruff with the underlings, never condescending or patronizing, and he always checked in on all the HR staff from time to time, but especially Rogue. To the point where Carmen had suggested maybe their boss had a thing for her, which Rogue had immediately shrugged off.

“Hello ladies,” he greeted them, stopping for a moment to hover outside their cubicle.

“Hello Mr. MacIntire,” Carmen smiled her brilliantly white smile, and Rogue simply nodded at him.

“Busy day today, yeah?” he said, directly addressing Rogue.

“Uh, yeah,” she muttered, through a quiet smile. “You too?” she asked and he grinned.

“The worst,” he said, his blue eyes dancing behind his glasses, and she found herself a little lost for words as he focused on her.

“Oh, Marie,” he finally added, extending a file folder her way. “ Do you mind sticking around a little later today? I need you to make some calls. We need to extend invitations to the additional names listed here for the web seminar on Friday, sort of last-minute. I hate to put this on you, but I trust you to get it right,” he said through an honest smile, and when Rogue found herself taking the file folder, she noticed their fingers just momentarily brushed, and a surge of adrenaline coursed through her. Of course, he was completely fine, hadn’t even likely noticed it had happened.  

“Of-of course, Mr. MacIntire,” she finally said, and, again, he smiled at her and pushed his glasses up his nose.

“Thank you, Marie. You’re the best,” he replied, and then, just before he was about to walk down the hall, he stopped, turned on his heel, and added, “Remember what I told you both. Call me Henry,” he smiled.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry, Henry,” Rogue murmured, and then he was nodding and Rouge watched as  he walked off to his office down the hall. She smiled a bit, and when Rogue turned back to Carmen, the other woman was grinning devilishly at her.

“What?” Marie asked defensively.

“Nooottthhinnngg,” Carmen said, before holding up her finger as her phone began to ring. Rogue frowned a little, before turning back to the manilla folder. She opened it up to look at the list of names, mostly other HR heads of other pharmtech companies, only to notice there was a post-it note on bottom of the piece of paper with a note scrawled in Henry’s handwriting.

I really do need to thank you for doing this. I know it’s annoying to ask you to stay late. Maybe wanna grab a drink with me sometime so I can make it up to you? My treat. - H

Rouge’s smile widened as she quickly closed the manila envelope, grinning like an idiot now, just as her own phone began to ring again. But even the ringing telephone, even the bad novel on her desk, even the long ferry ride she’d have home tonight, sailing alongside the memories of her past, memories of him, couldn’t shake her current mood, as she set down the folder and put her headset back on, answering a little more cheerfully than normal with her rehearsed response.

“Transigen Incorporated, Human Resources Division. My name is Marie. How may I help you?”

Pt 2

—

“Aw, Carm, this is a beauty,” Zack praised, running his hand affectionately over the dashboard. “Listen to her purr.”

“Why are all your cars girls?” Ivy asked disdainfully, hiding her pleasure at seeing Zack so excited again. So genuinely happy.

“Because I love women and I love cars—and I also love boats and planes, and trains, and motorcycles, and...”

“I’m glad you like it,” Carmen said, getting in. “We need a quiet car for quiet getaways. Can’t leave a noisy car running at the ready.”

“This is gonna be so great,” Zack said, hugging the steering wheel like a long lost lover, “This is already so great.”

Ivy rolled her eyes.

“So,” Carmen said, sitting next to Ivy in the backseat, immediately grabbing all of her attention and making the space seem so much smaller, “tell me about yourself, partner.”

Ivy felt her heart leap into her throat.

“Well, I’m from Boston,” she started, trying to make herself sound as casual and natural as if she were meeting a normal, regular human being, not the (muscle muscle muscle HOT GIRL muscle pretty) partner-in-crime of her dreams, “born and raised, haven’t gotten out much. Enrolled in the toughest undergraduates my college had to offer for my major last year and breezed through ‘em so fast I took nothing but graduate courses this last semester and a half.” She didn’t normally feel any particular need to brag, but, well, she really wanted to impress this woman who’d been raised from infancy to be a thief and special operative. “Make gadgets. Joined the white hat hackers for something to do and ended up gettin’ invested.”

“They’ve got a certain allure,” Carmen agreed, nodding. Ivy was too tongue tied to make any kind of slip about the other alluring component of her very current situation.

Underneath them, the car purred just a little louder, and Ivy realized that it had been accelerating smoothly, seamlessly, without her even noticing. The scenery was rocketing past them.

“Zack, I don’t think we should get caught by police this early in the game,” she said, just a tiny bit irritated.

“Relax, Ivy, we’re in the middle of nowhere! Where are the cops gonna be in the Midwest? Hiding in a corn field?”

“Most major cities in Midwestern America do have state patrols on the interstate not far out from city limits, precisely to catch people who share that mindset,” Carmen informed Zack, oozing that well-earned, deceptively simple confidence that Ivy knew was deserved. “And while it’s known for corn, a large number of farmers grow soybeans as well, which can be chocolate coated and eaten like candy, harvested for oil for biodiesel fuel, and can even be turned into crayons.”

Ivy stared at Carmen, rapt.

“The Midwest is often referred to as ‘tornado alley,’ or its more traditional moniker, ‘The Great Plains.’ The plainlands are notorious for their green, electric skies that foretell tornadoes, and also have some pretty stark shifts through seasonal changes. Though, no one ever seems to think that spring lasts long enough.”

“Well aren’t you just a walkin’ geography book,” Zack said, sounding about as stunned as Ivy felt, and the car slowed a little.

“Thanks. But Zack is also right. This far from the city, nobody with a badge is going to see us until we hit the next small town.”

There was a beat, and then Ivy heard the engine rev, climbing speeds with renewed vigor. “Awwww yeaaaah!” Zack crowed.

Carmen turned back to Ivy, and she kinda hoped she wasn’t blushing as hot as she felt like she was blushing. Carmen was an ocean. Ivy didn’t get to see much change on the surface, but there was a deep power and awe-inspiring quality to Carmen that lied just beneath, so close to the surface Ivy could practically feel it thrum. She wondered what it would be like to see Carmen storm.

She was staring, oops, uh, conversation, normal-people talk!

“So, tell me about you,” Ivy choked a little on the word, “partner.”

Carmen arched a single eyebrow and Ivy internally bemoaned how it wasn’t fair. She could never make her face do that! “I thought Player already debriefed you.”

“He gave me the basics,” Ivy nudged Carmen’s shin with her sneaker, like she would any other casual, regular-friend acquaintance. “I wanna hear from you.”

“It’s gonna have to wait,” Zack warned from the driver’s seat, “according to Player’s GPS, we’re gettin’ close.”

Far off, a semi truck was just becoming visible. Carmen nodded with determination, brown eyes locked on the distant figure.

“According to our intel, V.I.L.E. has probably already stolen the pipe. It’s an important relic that dates back centuries, and V.I.L.E. knows it’s a sacred part of Oglala Lakota culture. Plenty of shady museums are willing to pay a hefty price for the stolen artifacts of Native cultures. We’re going to make sure it gets back where it belongs.”

Ivy felt something electric in her pulse—and for once it wasn’t attraction to this pretty lady. It was something bigger, faster, far more exciting. Like the buzz of working with Zack to get into mischief, but amplified, nameless.

“Right,” she agreed, with a passion she was surprised to feel. They all activated their comms—tiny, closed-route devices Ivy made that linked them all to Player and each other—and got ready.

Zack slowed as they got to the semi, and Carmen leapt deftly through the open top of the car onto the hood. Zack kept a steady pace, bumper to bumper despite moving down the interstate, and Carmen fastened one of Ivy’s gadgets to the lock. The door of the truck swung open and—

Carmen had dodged and blocked before either of the twins had registered there were assailants inside. Deftly, competently, confidently, Carmen jumped into the metal cavity and punched an operative straight in the nose.

“Really, it’s like none of you remember to protect the face,” Carmen said as she dropped low to avoid a punch and then slammed the underside of her aggressor's chin. “Coach Brunt gives very good advice. You should listen.” Ivy distantly noted that the audio quality of their comms was perfect, exactly what she’d hoped.

Ivy watched Carmen move like Zack watched his video games. Utterly immersed, not wanting to even blink. There was fire in her gut, sparks inside her veins, a drumming noise inside her head that swelled in her lungs and threatened to burst from her ribcage.

Then someone got an arm around Carmen’s neck and Ivy knew, instinctively, in her very bones, what she needed to do. She pulled the grappling hook from her bag and leapt into the passenger seat, one foot propped on the rim of the windshield as she attacked the hook.

“What are—Ivy, Ivy you haven’t tested that yet!”

“Perfect time then, eh?” Ivy asked, barely hearing her brother over the thrum in her skull and veins. She aimed while one of the operatives picked himself up off the floor, grabbing a baton while Carmen struggled against the arm pressed to her windpipe.

“Not a perfect time! Now is not the—“

With a click and a woosh and a surge forward off the windshield, Ivy was airborne. She kicked her legs out hard and planted her feet right into the fellow with the baton, cushioning her landing but knocking him out cold. And maybe breaking a rib. Who knew—who cared?

“Hiya!” Ivy screamed as she rounded on the other man who—who was. Not standing anymore. Carmen stood, like she hadn’t been choked or bothered at all, and Ivy felt just a tiny bit silly for her shout but mostly she felt alight with something that could’ve been adrenaline.

“Nice gadget,” Carmen praised, and Ivy grinned, heady with their seeming victory.

A booming noise and blue light from the open door grabbed their attention, and the truck gained speed like it was a bullet train.

“That’s Dr. Bellum’s nitro,” Carmen informed swiftly, scooping Ivy up in her arms, “We’d better bounce.”

Carmen leapt, Ivy in her arms like a princess in the embrace of a valiant knight, from the semi’s open door into the open top of the car that was just barely still close enough for them to make the jump. Carmen shoved Ivy down as they landed, so that she bounced into the seat, head knocking against the headrest, and Ivy held onto Carmen, keeping her body from rocketing into the metal rim of the roof (or worse, toppling over it). Carmen and Ivy were both breathing hard, eyes locked as Carmen flopped into the seat, and they shared twin grins as Zack slowed the car and took off down a highway, branching from the interstate into the endless, gentle hills of the plains.

“That was great,” Carmen told Ivy as she pulled the pipe from her red coat, grinning triumphantly, “especially for a rookie.”

Ivy laughed and punched Carmen playfully in the shoulder, still high off whatever this was. “That was amazing. Zack, Zack, we are never going back to Boston.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” Zack crowed as well, “I mean, unless there’s a caper there.”

“I will allow one excuse for Boston capers. Oh my god!” Ivy said, laughing again, flopping bonelessly in the backseat as the adrenaline crashed. “That was so cool.”

“Yeah,” Carmen said, sounding pleased.

—

<<Player you ain’t gonna BELIEVE what happened today!>>

<<Is it that Red swept you up in her arms and jumped from the back of a moving vehicle? Or that you discovered your passion for benevolent crime that was latent inside you all along?>>

<<SHE’S SO STRONG!>>

<<Yeah, Red already told me about it. Glad the first caper went well. It’s always nice to get off to a good start>>

<<She picked me up like it was NOTHIN’. Do I even weigh anythin’ to her?>>

<<It’s probably like lifting grapes or something>>

<<Player oh my god what have you done? How am I supposed to survive this?>>

<<You’re welcome>>

<<On a more serious note, yes I did discover my love of crime and theft and kicking dudes really really hard and you were absolutely right about me wantin’ to go on an adventure; how’d you know?>>

<<Eh, some wishful thinking and a lucky guess>>

<<I’m gonna go pass out now.>>

<<Make sure you hydrate>>

<<That goes double for you, cave goblin.>>

—

<<HER SKIN WAS SO SOFT>>

<<There there, Red>>

<<PLAYER SHE SMELLED SO GOOD>>

<<It’ll be okay; you’ll get through this>>

<<She hadn’t tested it yet! She risked her life specifically to come help me!>>

<<It was very cash money of her>>

<<Did I tell you about how she counterbalanced me so I didn’t crack a rib or go over the rim?>>

<<You did>>

<<She doesn’t have any training, Player. She just DID THAT! For me!>>

<Mmhhmm>>

<<Player I think I have a crush>>

<<I think so too>>

<<Help I‘ve never had a crush before>>

<<You liar>>

<<Well okay yeah I’ve had crushes before but never when I could actually DO anything about it! I was always ‘that island kid’ to all the people I had crushes on, and by the time I was finally old enough to maybe date one of the students there weren’t any options.>>

<<Mhm>>

<<El Topo and Le Chèvre have been an item since practically always, Mime Bomb was just… no, Tigress hated my guts, and Crackle was basically the brother I’d always wanted.>>

<<Yeah>>

<<Wait, what if that’s it? Ivy is the first real option I’ve ever had, so my brain is going haywire and overreacting.>>

<<What do you feel about Zack?>>

<<...>>

<<,’:)>>

<<I like him, and he’s attractive, in the way that humans are attractive, but he’s not very attractive to me.>>

<<Mhm>>

<<I have a crush on Ivy.>>

<<Yes>>

<<Player what do I do?>>

<<Well, my mom says all good relationships are built on the solid foundation of good friendships. Start there>>

<<So focus on being her friend and not the dumb complicated feelings that are dumb and complicated, got it.>>

<<I wouldn’t ignore them entirely. It’s normal to have crushes, and most people see them as a good thing. Just don’t let it be the ONLY thing, you know?>>

<<Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense.>>

<<I always make sense, you should listen to me because I’m always right.>>

<<Haha>>

<<I am a font of wisdom, don’t play>>

<<Yeah. Hey, Player?>>

<<Red>>

<<Thanks. Talking to you always makes me feel grounded.>>

<<Hey, what are besties for?>>

Part 1 | Part 3

@blueshieldca  been begging for over a yr to get somtreatment for my back and health, its a nightmare, while CEO makes 42 million, i fight for hard worked benifits.  told to go to er???    my pain doctor told me yesterday he will buy the book of my death by bs of ca, as they dont care >>>>> 

all the notes they want me to go to a place that does not understand billing and i will be out of a 8 week program in 7 days

 paul goeltz 0aaaaa663 is social, and out of state, so special CS, heck they try, but i think i spend to much money and cutting cost to pay the ceo seem to be of more importance then helping ppl16 JAN 2019, 07:57btw i’m half dead from lack of case management, ur doctors that deny my back the right ops, meds, now i guess my pain meds is a no no so retire have to pay 30 its all profit so that fat white man can make 35 million dont worry the world will see it all, you all should be ashamed at your corupt industry money over health16 JAN 2019, 10:55Thank you for supplying your info, Paul. One of our Specialists will reach out shortly to assist. – SR18 JAN 2019, 07:10and thank for calling, but we had to hang up as i was waiting forBS of ca to call, she said she would call back yesterday was here all day, will be back here today, after pt so after10.30am MTand no call so maybe u can let them know here latter today..18 JAN 2019, 10:03I apologize for missing our call yesterday. I’ll call you after 10:30 today. – KristaTHURS 22:10well here we are 6 months later almost dead still zero@BlueShieldCA thanks claiming to #care #fastservice #CustomerService &blah blah blah, i have been trying 2get treetment 4almost a yr, ur #contractor doing #casemanagement has no clue, ur #phone reps dont call back, i dont think BS cares if i live or die its all #money and #F me.ask Esperanza Ramos RN she can explain how sick ur case mangement is and how mr goelts is stuck in the middle of hell and getting nothingwell i can start going to the er every 2 days that will cost about 100k real quickas ur call center says all the help is at the er they will help[ you and call us to figure out what to do with you, thats from ur call centerFRI 08:09anotherday waiting while BS and records and doctors try to figure out why or how paul can use benifits in both medical and mental, oh no, if we?BS keep hold off and FOOLING HIM WE WILL NOT HAVE TO PSAY AND CEO MAKES MILLIONS AND GETS GRT MEDICAL CARE, WELL STILL WAITINGI SHOULD BE TAKING PICTURES OF ME WITHERING AWAY 40 LBS ALREADY….FRI 09:58We’re sorry for your frustration. A Specialist will reach out to you shortly. – JessicaHi Paul. I’ve reviewed your policy and see that you’re trying to receive inpatient detox care. I also see that your case manager Esperanza is currently out of the office, which is why she hasn’t reached out to you. In some of your case notes I see that you stated the appeal filed on your behalf is incorrect. Can you please clarify if this is true? The appeal was assigned to a coordinator this morning, so if I need to remove the appeal I can. Also, if you could clarify exactly what you are wanting, I can work with your case manager to get you the required treatment. Please let me know as soon as possible. – Cortneymore than that if you want to talk call plsi dont have a case managerthey were fired as no brains4066423052FRI 11:45fyi Esperanza is not my case managedr she is trying to help after seeing the messing your case management co got me in, i have no case manager, and i need one to work both side of this medical and mental, So shortly is that longer than 3 hrs? yes the appeal that was filed is all wrong, meanwhile that much closer to death, hope everyone is getting a good laughno you dont need to remove tghe appeal it should have been filed a month ago as i called to file and the lady did nothing not even contact esEsperanza , and the grievence filed is wrong, i dont have time for this i needed help almost a yr ago when does this stopper doc kemple i need a level 4 detox or better, and admit in to a pain program such as siera tuscon, hohn hopkins miami jewish health this all are for pain ppeole not drug addicts, while i explain this for the 300th time why dont you ask sherly jones who screwed it all up and that case management cohello anyone calling so i can blab for 302 times to see if i can get helpFRI 16:33Hi Paul. Your case has been escalated to upper management. You should be receiving an answer from them by Tuesday. We have our very best working on your case. – Cortneyon Wed, May 1, 2019 at 10:00 AM paul goeltz <[email protected]> wrote:Attn: Carmen G.”/  Cortney W.So the grievance is all wrong, those are not my words. the program if opened1 per doc kemple i need a medical detox 4 or higher and inpatient pain rehab or best might end up back on a pump, reeading mjh, not sure they do detox and what levels?there is many pain clinics that are hooked to hospital, for ppl like me with medical conditions.the couple i gave was my research.i also want to complain about the company you hired to do case management, they did nothing and left this in a mess.that said i need case management or help with this.  are you saying in one week if  the codes are not right i will be in the first week of a 5-8 week in patient stay, as the detox is part one learning to try to live with out pain meds are reducing them takes learning, so i might as well shoot myself now, it took a year of begging to get this and now it being forced down my throat, i have talked to no one about any of these places!! Sheryl and that company was to help me decide and make a wise choice but what happened?  so ur saying the hell with Paul  after one week, it gives the hospital no faith in blue shield and they probably will not give me the care i need seeing BS want to still play games.Another part is why no case manager/ i don’t know how when I’m out of it both detoxing and with out pain meds, you can get me out and who will fight for me,  you tell ppl don’t should NOT! make decision when on opiates, well over 20 yrs so your asking me to make a life decision even though it bad a dangerous//??  why is this all messed up you ask us to make the bad decision even though you know your to help??if this is what there is, your blue shield doctors don’t talk, how do you sign them up, this is real said, messing with ppl life’s here, no case, you figure it out goeltz, i have been but now its all wrong, well the best is after a week when they boot me, i;ll go er to er.  so what about the case manager telling me to go to drug and booze detox, for 2 months she had me calling those places and listing to there lies you’ll be fine with the serenity bed etc, and Sheryl just said yes to everything, like she had to help another person with one place, does it not take 3-5 place to make an informed decision??  i wanted kemples medical necessity letter and records sent to 5 to make the right choice for me and bs so you get value.  you should be a part that what Sheryl was do do not just chicken out.miamijewishhealth.org/healthcare-services-programs/rosomoff-center/  maybe not best fit, but maybe lowball for you and no one has even compared them, does BS not want whats best??https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/psychiatry/specialty_areas/pain/patient_information/inpatient.htmlhttps://www.sierratucson.com/programs/pain-management-recovery/https://lasvegasrecovery.com/pain/so it appears all the help for a week in a long program, is just insane? is the bottom line the only thing BS of ca cares about.DO I JUST NEED DETOX?It’s important to know that detox alone will not solve a drug use problem. Some individuals find that once they have successfully completed detox, they still need to enroll in a program to help them rebuild their life after prescription pain killers. Freedom Model Retreats offers a Cognitive Behavioral Learning program that uses self assessment and self change to teach guest to reevaluate their choices and decisions and to make choices that are more productive. Guests learn the importance of forming habits and behaviors that are positive and more purposeful and they realize that they have the power to take back control of their life and to have a life that is permanently free from substance use. see most detox is for abuser, they get to learn to cope and so do i it takes tiome 5-8 weeks to tryiong out different meds, drips, etc, we dont get this right i will be back, i will take this to the highest court.  the boozes and dopers dont have any issues but paul goeltz who omnly takes what is giving noting lost stolen etc, i been told your not hooked so no detox and you can go to any detox and blue shiled will get with the place to decide?? ok what is the plan after detox? is there detox what level, can i pay for higher like 5/anyway please dont leave me after one week if you want me to go to miami jewish is a program, they are layughing at BS all ready, your showing your card, they know you dont want to pay.  i can say if i dont get into a good programthis just seems like here toss paul a bone and we dont even know if this is right placepgso i spoke with a couple doctors< they all came to the same conclusion, BS could care less, and this will make a great best seller, why paul died while trying to get help/   kemple told me he spoke with higher ups there, and going into a program that is 5-8 weeks with just a week approved is a death sentence!  people detoxing from drugs or booze don’t have to deal with this?It sounds like MJH does not understand the codes and billing, which would mean me suffering, and having to appeal a program??  Not even sure if MJH does detox, i was told they do from that case management company you hired and relieved??    Did we get all of there case notes??What happened to https://lasvegasrecovery.com/pain/ orsierratucson.com/programs/pain-management-recovery/https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/psychiatry/specialty_areas/pain/patient_information/inpatient.htmlmiamijewishhealth.org/healthcare-services-programs/rosomoff-center/http://med.stanford.edu/pain.html how can BS pay for drinkers at these places but not a rehab pain patient??also why cant that company that you hired to do case management help? yes they got tossed off, but that is there job i have the sheet in front of me, it does no say i can have case manger if just using medical or mental, as i had them with just medical, so i demand there help. and a nurse that will help me make informed thoughts ideas etc, this also is in the job description.  there number is 1 866 567 6195, i called them again week ago asking for help and was told they will be in touch this seems to be very common at BS, were laddies say oh we will call back or i will file a grievance and have not … i called 3 times about grievance and the last one went but not my words, 2 ladies did nothing, same with that company, they claim an inability to help.yes @blueshieldca is paying the ceo over 42 million, meanwhile my pain doctor is trying to get spinal rehab 5-8 weeks inpatient, yes it will cost, but no BS wants to pay there #nonprofits brass billions, and us the workers we get #Death sort of like living in #gaza @scvwdANONdaisypgöeltz added,Sauk River Review@OldSaukRiverReplying to @OldSaukRiver @pgoeltz and 10 othersHow can Uaccept it’s ok4 some 2die while others can live? This is the kind of choice Nazis offered -what our pol system in DC -overrun by insur & pharma interests turns them in2 w/this fully unacceptable form of bargaining.…WERLL HOPE YOU CAN SEE THE ISSUEShare this:

He lays his head on the pillow and, staring into her eyes, he curls a lock of her hair around his finger. “When you left home to become a pirate—a captain, no less—did no one stop you? Not even your mother? You were fairly young, and I’d presume…inexperienced. Someone had to be concerned.”

❤ @pilawforhire

She smiled softly, not quite believing Law to be asking such a question, while believing it enough all the same. It was silly of him to think anyone in a town of pirates would stop her - the Lord’s only daughter to boot - from becoming one herself. They would not stop her from becoming any other thing, either. 

Still, instead of feeling bitter over the fact his question hinted at him deeming her too soft for a world of pirates, a woman best left to her homely comforts and entertainments, Morgan preferred to focus on the sweet idea such a notion entailed: that Law cared about her. She did not think him the type of man who would make such remarks, though his crew’s deficient female contingent did not do much to put him in any headstrong woman’s good graces; and she could not blame him for accusing her of a crime she had indeed committed in her younger days: naïveté.

By the way Law spoke, one would think Morgan to be much older than she actually was. It was true she had matured in a few years what many others don’t in many more. She could not be mad at him but he certainly was fond of having her upset, wasn’t he?

She pressed the tip of her nail to Law’s cheek. Then once again and another time, as the words were punctuated with non-verbal provocation. “Are you calling me old, Old Man? Saying my youth has passed?” And a more soothing caress was offered as an ending to the jest.

Had Law asked it differently, Morgan might have joked about who, exactly, would stop her from doing as and travelling wherever she pleased? Would he? Her own father knew better.

But Law asked about Morgan’s mother and that, while not necessarily a painful topic, did not deserve a laugh or dare. Why he would ask about Elizabeth when her name had never, not once, been delivered to his ears, Morgan could not tell. Maybe that was exactly the reason why. 

Whatever it was that prompted Law’s sudden curiosity in the Carnahans, he would find no disappointment in his lover’s reply. Oh, she would just tell him everything he wished to know! Open up to him like a book.

“Father was concerned, naturally. I imagine that should be any parent’s natural response. However, he knew the day would come. It was to be expected that I, being a pirate’s daughter from a pirate town, should become one myself” Morgan couldn’t help giving Law a new smile, a silly one this time, to remind him of his own silliness. “As for my mother… Well, she could not have stopped me for, you see, she’s not among us anymore. She died shortly after birthing me”

She expected to hear him express his sentiment, not doubting it to be real even his voice came out devoid of emotion. But, finding the words not to be that important in the present moment, Morgan continued her story, not giving Law a moment to either talk or keep quiet as a means of expressing his lack of knowledge regarding what to say in a situation such as this one.

“It’s a simple story that should not take more than a minute to tell. My mother was always sick. All her life, I mean, at least my father never knew her as a healthy woman. I guess pregnancy took a toll on her and…” Her lips wobbled as though they contained not only the emotion she felt, but the one Law might have expressed, too. 

God. There were tears in her eyes and a woman only seen in photos on her mind. Morgan could have made use of her lady privileges and asked for a moment - as the gentleman, Law should give her as much time as she needed to get her strength back; all the time in the world if needed - yet she removed the tears off her cheeks with her fingertips and carried on.

Unlike others in the same situation, the woman did not blame herself for her mother’s fate. Firstly, it was a matter of logic. Then, it was a matter of faith. 

Morgan knew there would be times her religious father would ask God ‘why?’. Why had He taken his Beth away? Why had He made her sick in the first place? They never spoke of it, but silence in itself did not mean the absence of ideas, questions, feelings. Silver would cope by accepting things the way they were, how God intended them, and perhaps he was right in doing so. It certainly helped trusting things to another, higher, more powerful being instead of hoarding volumes and volumes of emotional and mentally precarious baggage.

Of Elizabeth’s disease, there was not much for Morgan to tell, as she lacked the knowledge to talk about it. If it was a medical chat Law wished, then he would be luckier if he spoke to Silver in Shipwreck, if he ever visited the island. When he visited the island, for Morgan would have him see it someday.

“But you are right. Carmen, my nurse - my babysitter, if you will - was concerned about my becoming a pirate. I had never left Shipwreck; never seen any of the world.” Morgan fondled Law’s goatee the way she loved. He should like it enough as well, because he had not complained about it to date. “I thought I was ready. I was wrong.”

Morgan fell quiet, exchanging words for caresses as her fingertips brushed against Law’s cheek, forehead, played with his hair. Though his question was personal and practical, now partly answered with efficiency, it did stir a thought. 

Law was wrong in saying Morgan was young when she’d left home. Why, she was already a lady of marriageable age then and no longer virginal. He was right in assuming so if by that he meant she was still too foolish to believe things would go her way. ‘Inexperienced’, that had been the word he had used, a more polite term than the one she would use in regards to herself: stupid. Inexperienced she had been.

“Law…? Do you think anyone is ever ready to face this world of ours?”

Who was to say Morgan would have been luckier if she hadn’t left home until her 19th birthday? The 20th? The 33rd? The world wouldn’t become any better, life any easier just because she collected years and years. It would always be the same shit to a woman regardless of her age - as a young woman, Morgan had found no respect or affection in Bones’s men; as an older one she might have been seen as too decrepit for setting sail anyway.

The question made her think of Law himself. He was older by seven years but he couldn’t have started his life of piracy just a handful of years ago. Well, he could, but Morgan had the faint idea she’d heard Bepo talk of the many years they’d known each other for. It just didn’t seem likely that he and Bepo would wait years between befriending each other and starting the Heart Pirates. For all she knew, Law could have started sailing just two years ago, that much was true. However…

Law could speak as though he’d seen much of the world and done much in his not too old lifetime. Compared to her, he had. He’d been to the New World. The question was, had he seen all of this during a great span of time or condensed in just a couple of years? He seemed fierce enough for it… Morgan had no idea what to make of him. He was a mystery under crudeness and eye bags and that was partly what enchanted her about him so much.

“Were you inexperienced, when you became a pirate?” Morgan was itching to know, as she found out the moment she asked. Coincidentally, there was also a sudden urge in her to share more of own past and both wills fought for attention with the same ardour.

She felt as though this was the proper time to talk of Him. If she didn’t do it now, she might never tell Law of Him, even if she wished it so to tell him everything, to put her story as bare before him as if it were her own body. Perhaps Law would find no interest in it, but Morgan wanted to be sincere. No one but Silver knew and she wanted Law to be just as knowledgeable.

“Forgive me. You do not have to answer me, unless you want to. I do want to hear your story but I wonder... Would you rather listen to mine for tonight? Darling?”

A Perfect Game

Rafael and the Caterer adjust to life as parents!!! And Mrs. Barba is struggling some!!! Read on to see what happens next!!! As always, for @svu-stories!!! Enjoy!!!

They were like two peas in a pod.

What would have been the nursery became heaven on earth for a little boy in no time flat adorned with a border resembling railway tracks and several sets of trains scattered around the space. More of the same dotted his sheets, his quilt, and Zachary was even more excited when he learned that his Pop took a train to his office. Albeit one underground.

Is the engineer your best friend, Pop?

At that Rafael smiled and started to explain that the subways were infinite, that catching an early ride or running late made all the difference when it came to the person that piloted the city’s spin on a Pullman. He was already into his opening argument of sorts when you saw Zachary’s eyes glaze over as he tried to work this brave new world out, and you lightly tapped your husband’s shoulder, crinkling your nose and cocking your head to one side until he received your message.

But that doesn’t matter. You and Mama are my best friends.

And I yours!

Before he even finished the sentence, Zachary hopped off his chair and rushed into Rafael’s waiting arms. Holding your son tightly, Rafael reached for your hand and pulled you in. Whoever said that three was a crowd knew nothing of the joy swirling around your apartment. Mentally, you upped the figure to four when Jingles rubbed against your legs. Life was beautiful.

Until it wasn’t.

“Hey. You okay?”

Your barely registered the sound of Derek’s voice as you tried and failed to craft a pickled radish rose for one Wallace McNair’s seventy-eight birthday bonanza. Zachary had clapped his hands during breakfast at the thought of all the birthday parties that he had to look forward to before losing count on his little fingers.

Then he left for the office with Rafael.

“Hello? Earth to anyone.”

Dropping your work, you met Derek’s worried expression and sighed heavily.

“Sorry,” you muttered.

“Want to talk about it?” Derek asked with a light hand on your arm.

“I… no.”

But you knew that he wouldn’t let it go and swallowed hard when he sat beside you.

“It’s… Christ,” you continued. “You’re going to think I’m horrible.”

“Sweetie, I’ve seen you knocked out cold after being set on fire,” he teased, and you shuddered at the memory of the intern turned amateur arsonist.

“Not my finest moment,” you recalled.

“Wasn’t your fault,” he said. And then he waited, chewing the inside of his cheek until you planted your palms on the table. Derek’s fingers drifted down your arm, and as he held your wrist you drew in a deep breath.

“Zachary is with his father today,” you began.

“Now that’s cute!” Derek said. “Like take your kid to work day or something?”

“No. He… he always wants to be where Rafael is.”

Derek’s grasp neither tightened or failed, but when your slowly lifted your head you saw his face full of confusion.

“And that’s a bad thing?” he finally asked. Now you started to pull away, but his hand kept you in place.

“Uh uh,” he said. “You don’t get off that easily.”

“See I knew I shouldn’t have said---”

“Isn’t it a good thing?” Derek inquired. “They’re bonding. You know you were a little worried about that.”

True. Not that you had ever breathed a word to your darling husband. But in the deepest corner of your soul was the smallest tinge of fear that his own father’s example would rub off… not that even in your wildest imagination could you fathom Rafael raising his hands in anger. But what if he opted for distance simply because no one had ever taught him this dance? And Derek knew as much.

“I was,” you said while tapping your nails against the tabletop. “But… but it’s not…”

“Sweetie, out with it.”

Derek’s laughter always had a way of putting your mind at ease, and you shifted in your seat, only able to voice your frustration in a weak whisper.

“I think Zachary likes Rafael better than me,” you confessed. “I mean, I’m glad. It’s precious that he wants to dress like him. He… when he colors he pretends he’s working on legal briefs.”

“The kid’s a Barba all the way,” Derek said.

“But I feel like… like I’m just the nice lady who makes their food.”

“Come on,” Derek said, patting your back. “You’re his Mama. It’s just… you know boys and their dads.”

“Was it like that with your father?” you asked, already knowing Derek’s answer and seeing his eyebrow arch.

“Do not use me as an example,” he said. Standing, he started to massage your shoulders. “But as for your little piece of paradise, I wouldn’t sweat it. Why don’t you take a break and join your boys for lunch if you don’t believe me?”

It took a few gentle nudges to the ribs on Derek’s part to get you out of your chair, and he told you that he could handle the party for however long you needed. With that you snatched your coat and purse and took the subway to Hogan Place. Briefly, you considered calling ahead, asking if you could bring anything for lunch, but then you thought better of it. Because you wanted your visit to be a surprise.

And you knew that Zachary looked forward to the treats from the food trucks.

“Hi, Carmen!” you chirped once you stepped off the elevator.

“Mrs. Barba? What are you doing here?”

Her tone caught you off guard. Why shouldn’t you show up at your husband’s place of work?

“Is there a problem?” you asked, hearing how defensive the words sounded as soon as they dribbled off your tongue. You were about to apologize, tell the assistant that you’d been on the edge when she giggled and waved one hand in the air.

“Of course not,” she quickly assured you. “It’s just… Mr. Barba isn’t here.”

“Isn’t…?” For a second, your mind played worst case scenario. A sudden call to court on a day when no trial was scheduled. Some mad man or woman smuggling a gun into the gallery and placing the boys you loved best in harm’s way. Maybe it wasn’t quite that dramatic; maybe Zachary took a tumble running down the hallway and brought forth a bruise or broke a bone. You were on the verge of asking which hospital you needed to hightail it to when Carmen’s voice cut into your dark daydreams.

“He knocked off a little early,” she continued.

“Early?” you echoed. “Where did he go?”

“I think he said something about a ballgame,” Carmen said. “Maybe the Yankees.”

Your heart caught in your throat before falling to the pit of your stomach. Even though Rafael was a boy from the Bronx, the boys in pinstripes were  hardly his first choice for a day playing hooky. Likely Zachary wanted to… and to the best of Rafael’s knowledge you were tied up with the septuagenarian’s celebration. But had it even occurred to him to make a call, draft a text message, see if you wanted to join in the fun?

No. And before Carmen could utter another word, you turned on your heel to leave. Walking through the street in a daze, you remembered to call Derek and tried to tell him that you were on your way back through your tears.

“No, sweetie,” Derek said over the line. “Not that I love the idea of you being on your own, but carrying on like that, you’ll make the gravy way too salty.”

“Derek, I---”

“Listen to your friend,” he said, his tone far firmer. “Why don’t you go buy yourself something outrageously expensive? The ADA deserves a scare when he gets his credit card statement.”

That made you laugh, but after thanking Derek and ending the call, you could do nothing but keep pounding the pavement until you wandered into a park. You settled on the nearest bench with a heavy heart and watched other little boys playing with their mothers, being pushed towards the clouds in swings, letting the other ladies wipe their noses and snuggle them to their sides. Time would come when those boys would want less and less to do with the women and their daddies would be the only sun in the sky. But you had thought… that was supposed to be a long way off. Weren’t you supposed to at least share the little boy during the first act of the play? After waiting forever, you felt hurt, cheated…

…and all you could do was cry your way home through a sea of concerned glances and cuddle with Jingles on the couch until the day turned to dusk.

You knew you looked a fright by the time the key turned in the door.

“You’re home!” Rafael said when he crossed the threshold with Zachary’s hand in his. His tie was loose and his smile bright, but both boys stopped short in their tracks when they saw you curled up with your knees pressed close to your chest.

“Mi amor?” Rafael asked as he took a step towards you, his arms opening. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” you said through clenched teeth. You wiped your nose with the back of your hand and glanced down to see Zachary’s face wrought with worry. Odd woman out or not, there was no reason for him to be distressed.

“Did you have fun at the ballpark, baby?” you asked, avoiding Rafael to peck the little boy’s rosy cheek. “Good game?”

“Well we… Mama, what the matter?”

Starting to speak, your speech came out as a sob, and Rafael moved fast to scoop Zachary in his arms.

“Hombrecito, why don’t you go play in your room for a few minutes?” Rafael suggested, moving away from you quickly. And spiking your anger.

“But why Mama sad?” Zachary pressed.

“I don’t know,” Rafael admitted. “I’ll fix it. I promise.”

You felt your eyes roll. Flopping back to the couch, you absentmindedly stroked Jingles’ ears. Closing the door quietly, Rafael returned to the living room and reached for your hand.

You flinched before he could find your fingers.

“What is it?” he asked. “Did something happen at the party?”

“No,” you answered in an icy voice. “Derek handled it.”

“Derek handled… you’re not sick, are you?”

He gulped at the end of the sentence and tried to sit beside you when you leaped up and began pacing the room. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Jingles looking between the two of you like Rafael was standing on a mound and misreading his catcher’s hand signals.

“Would you even notice if I was?” you hissed.

That was a line drive that seemed to hit his heart. The cat ran away, but Rafael recovered his stance quickly enough, rushing forward to catch your meaning and stop your play at first base.

“Of course I would!” he insisted. Grabbing your arms, he held you fast and peered into your eyes. “Unless… you’re not hiding something, are you?”

“I’m hiding?” you shot back, beating him to the plate and standing sure. “And what if I am?”

“Mi amor, if there’s a problem, I want to know---”

“The problem is that I’m an afterthought in my own home. My own family! It’s a boys’ club, and I don’t even rate an honorary membership.”

His face softened and you swore you saw a smile when you slapped his wrist away.

“Do not laugh!” you barked. “You’re not the one being ignored.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I mean that Zachary wants to be with you. Always and only you. I don’t get the fun days or the afternoons off. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?”

Your tears returned, and Rafael tried to hold you when you avoided his embrace and circled the couch, wanting to hide in your bed and weep into your pillow.

“Mama, no!”

Zachary’s door suddenly swung open, and his little lip quivered as he clutched the hem of your tunic top.

“I go with Pop so we can make plan for your birthday!” he started. “We need to do it in secret so you don’t hear! We… we have…”

Your heart came to a stop when he couldn’t continue, and your hands trembled as Rafael drew near to lift him off the ground again.

“It was Zachary’s idea,” Rafael whispered. “And we didn’t see a ballgame today. We got tickets for when the Red Sox come to town.”

“Pop, no!” Zachary wailed. “You spoil the surprise.”

As Zachary cried, Rafael held him close and his gaze grew frosty over the boy’s heaving shoulder.

“I know,” he muttered. “I’m sorry, hombrecito.”

You felt small and silly and wanted to climb into a World Series’ worth of shadows and stay there, wish for a better brand of instant replay to wash your worries away. Hating yourself for being petty, for underestimating your husband, your tried to voice something in the way of an apology. But nothing came out, and you bit down on your lip as you finally fell into the bed, wallowing in the bad call and wishing that you could go back to Spring training and start over.

Everything was ruined. Zachary had to think that you were a crazy lady that he was stuck with. At least you could cook. But would he even want to eat your food anymore? He’d probably prefer the food trucks and the fun size Milky Ways and pretzels that Rafael kept stashed in his deck. The season was over. You’d never get another chance at the title of Mama. Feeling like you were doomed to wait in limbo, no one ever signing you to the best team of boys this side of the Bronx or Boston, you began to bring the blanket over your head when there was a light knock at the door.

“Mama?”

Sitting up in surprise, you saw Zachary and Rafael approaching the bed. The little boy had a small envelope in his hands as your husband helped him to sit close to your side.

“Mama,” he repeated, “These the tickets to see the team from where you from and where Pop from. And we… and before we going to go to this shop where they make yarn so we can take a co… a crochet class. And then we have a picnic in C--- Central Park.”

The perfect day unfolded in your mind. Pulling Zachary close, you started to cry all over again.

But the tears didn’t sting nearly as much when Rafael wrapped an arm around your shoulders and tenderly kissed the top of your head.

“We never meant to keep you in the dark,” he whispered, his kisses drifting towards your ear, and you when you saw his smile you touched his cheek.

“And I… I…”

Working to make your words hit the air, you were still at a loss when Zachary stood up straight on the bed and cradled your chin in his small hands.

“Pop and I need to get better at secrets,” Zachary said. “But is it okay now?”

“More than okay, baby,” you assured him. Folding him into your arms, you glanced at Rafael.

“I am sorry,” you murmured.

“No need,” Rafael said. “Just…”

With a sigh, he eased you and Zachary to the pillows, and you all held one another as Jingles revealed herself from her hiding place and settled at three sets of feet. All different sizes but…

“Just never forget that this family is nothing without you, mi amor.”

…but still a grand slam. Because even a bad call or an error on the play could never do anything to stop this winning streak. This team was set in stone.

And you were all playing a perfect game.

After listening to a variety of reviews , podcasts and youtube and print, I am  very disappointed at how these commentators and watchers  seem to fail to do (Or just do not bother to do ) due ‘deep diving’ (aka research)  into the actual persons and history of the ORIGINAL GLOW  when discussing the the Netflix ‘Bizzaro’ GLOW.

I very well understand that GLOW creators and writers,  Liz Flahive  and  Carly Mensch , have had to bend and twist and blend and combine and modify persons and events in the Original Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling saga to prevent being creatively shackled into a ‘mockumentary’  of Original GLOW.   This post is to point out those differences for those people who have not bothered to fall into the GLOWHole of the events and history of the ORIGINAL GLOW timeline.

  The Original GLOW was the creative brainchild of David McLane, who had this brilliant idea of forming an all women Professional Wrestling while living in Indianapolis  . In Netflix GLOW David McLane is replaced with the character of Sebastian (Bash) Howard , a massive wrestling fan and enthusiast .  Where this difference is is that David McLane is not ambiguously or unknowingly  gay ( that anyone knows of or speaks of)  NOR is he from Malibu area ,NOR was he from “Old Money” , NOR did he have a butler (Or a GLOWBOT ) .

Things David McLane DIDN’T own. Possible exception on the Elvis costume

TIMELINE and LOCATIONS

Much of season one was accurate on a larger scale, but the storyline mixes some elements and changes a few others  .   In the Netflix story , the first audition and training takes place in “Chavo’s Gym”  (easter egg nod to Chavo Guerrero , the cast’s wrestling trainer) in Reseda ,Ca that was bought instead of rented, by Bash  .  In Original GLOW , David  held initial auditions at a GOLD’s Gym  ,then moved everything over to the Broadway Boxing Gym in Watts, L.A.  Where training was initially started by Mando Guerrero ; Uncle of Chavo Guerrero Jr  who trained the actors of the NEtflix series.  In the series script, Mando is replaced by  Salty “The Sack” Johnson (played by wrestler JJohn Hennigan aka Johnny Impact (TNA IMPACT!) and Johnny Mundo (Lucha Underground) .

Just as “The SACK” was inexplicably replaced  by Cherry Bang in the Netflix show , Mando was also inexplicably replaced by  Professional Wrestler Cynthia (GLOW name ‘Pepper’) Peretti.  The scene where Cherry puts a sleeper on Melrose (girl had it coming), to prove to her how ‘real’ wrestling is , is totally based on truth , except it was Mando that “Sun Tzu – Art of War ” moment.**  According to the ‘myth’  , he left her “flopping on the mat like a fish”

Naptime for Rosen- oh and that look on Cherry’s face ? I am NOT gonna mess with her because of that look.

***(Sun Tzu was once hired by the King of Wu  to train an all women’s bodyguard composed of the King’s Concubines .  When the women failed to take training seriously, he , personally beheaded the woman who he had made their capitan for failing to have those women take training seriously–AB)

THIS  is where Netflix had jiggered the official timeline.  Netflix GLOW puts the moving of GLOW to Las Vegas FAR later than it actually was .   Netflix put the hiring of a director (Sam Silva) WAY earlier than the real GLOW .  In Original GLOW history, a director (Matt Cimber) wasn’t hired until AFTER GLOW moved to Vegas.

David McClain WAS the ring announcer for original GLOW seasons 1 and 2 (recorded 85  and 86 ) They DID get that part spot on with Bash Howard doing the Announcing.  Chris Lowell /Bash did a great job replicating  David McClane’s announcing style.

The “Dusty Spur /GLOW-tel” (though it MIGHT be possible the GLOWgirls when the training was taking place in Watts MIGHT have been housed in a motel. I have no history from that era to go with — AB) . -Netflix got this MOSTLY right . There was no “Dusty Spur” that I am aware of while GLOW was training in LA  but the rules were the same, no booze, no drugs, no boys a 10 pm curfew AND, (in case of the ORIGINAL GLOW girls)No watching themselves on television ( The GLOW producers ensured this by not allowing syndivation in Vegas) . Of course, just like the Netflix GLOW girls, the Original GLOW girls did have their rules breakers . (Coff coff HOLLYWOOD coff coff )

The Original GLOW girls were later housed in apartments they dubbed “The GLOW-tel”  with same restrictions.   Of course, some GLOWgirls went with the rules , some did not.. (coff coff ..Hollywood.. Coff) some got away with it , some did not. I assume  there were plenty of  “Rosen” types who liked to snitch.  A big difference between the Original GLOW  and NETFLIX GLOW is that the original glow girls were required to ALWAYS be in character . They were always to refer to each other by their ring names ..Full on “Method” acting.  The  ‘Sweethearts’ and the ‘Killers’  were not even allowed to fraternize with each other except during rehearsals  , working matches and doing the skits.

This never happens

Bash and Debbie going to NAPTI season 2 happened ; real world season one.  There was a trip to NAPTI , (who actually WENT is currently unknown)  but with better results , gaining distribution in 30 US markets and 6 overseas.  I think that , maybe, in season three, there is a more successful NAPTI visit?  Hmm you will have to see my season three predictions posting.

  The crush Carmen has on Sebastian, the creator  / producer?  Well, in actual real life, Mountain Fiji ( Emily Dole ) actually DID have a crush on the director of REAL GLOW  , Matt Cimber.  She admitted her crush to him in 2012 during a reunion for  the GLOW documentary .    Watch the NETFLIX GLOW Documentary for more on that  .

Carmen and Sebastian, sitting in a tree…

The Dance number between Zoya and Chola Junk Chain was an ACTUAL thing! But it was Ballet where Zoya and Junk Chain did breakdancing .

Col Ninotchka and Susie Spirit Dance sketch  :

Casting

I am not talking the actors playing the characters, I am talking the characters themselves .

Creator / Producer –  David McLane / Sebastian Howard . Other than what I  have already covered,  It seems NETFLIX did a pretty fair job with representing Mr. McLane.

Director -Matt Cimber / Sam Silva  The only traits that Matt and Sam had in common was having a long directorial background.  Oh, and a fair bit of sexism.

Executive producer(s)  – in seasons 1 and 2 of Netflix GLOW doesn’t have any “executive” producer  ,unless you want to count Birdie Howard as the executive producer, since Bash;’s money came from HER .  Real world – Executive producer  was Meshulam Riklis , ‘owner’ of Rapid American Corp and owner of the Riviera Hotel and Casino .

Owner- In Netflix Glow , there was no actual “Owner” unless you want to say it was Bash Howard, but he was more of the “father” of GLOW. In Original GLOW, Jackie Stallone was written in to be the ‘OWNER” of GLOW . IT is no outside realm of possibility for a “Scripted in” owner to show up in NEW GLOW .

Managers-  Professional Wrestling has a long tradition of ‘managers’ who ‘owned’ either individual wrestlers or a “stable” of wrestlers. There were no managers in season one and two of Netflix GLOW. Original GLOW had two managers, Jackie Stallone ( also ‘Owner’) managed the stable of “good girls (baby faces) ” called Stallone’s Sweethearts  and Actress Kitty Burke Municino was brought in to play “Miss Kitty” , the Manager for the “bad girls” “Kitty’s Killers”

Wrestlers/Ring Personas

Liberty Bell/Debbie Egan –  Every wrestling promotion in the 80’s and 90’s had an “all American Patriot”  in GLOW it was ‘Americana’ who was succeeded by ‘Liberty’ .  Debbie added a good touch of “southern belle” personality and accent so add in any of the three “Southern Belle” wrestlers .

  Zoya the Destroyer / Ruth Wilder – Easily based ring persona on Ninotchka /  Lori Lynn Palmer. Alison Brie (Ruth/Zoya) has stated in an interview that she studied Ninotchka for hours  to get Zoya right.

Machu Picchu / Carmen Wade   With no doubt in the least, Machu “the gentle Giant” Picchu was directly based on the GLOW wrestler Mt. Fiji / ZEmily Dole .  Both were the largest wrestlers in the showa and both were ,indeed , “Gentle Giants” . Even the Heels ,out of ring, liked her .

  Cherry Bang/ Junk chain  we already cover her , she was very likely to have been based on  “Soul Patrol”  .  Where Cherry Bang differs from Ms. Pieretti is that Cherry has NO previous wrestling experience but TONS of stunt work experience .

  Cherry Bang / Black Magic There are two GLOW wrestlers that were drawn from one more than the other , Big Mamma the Lousiana Voodoo Queen  and The Princess of Darkness  for the ability to control other wrestlers with a “spell” . Black Magic used zombie powder, Dark Princess used a “mojo bone”  .

  Sheila the She-Wolf / Dementia   They  few similarities..  primarily “Crazy eyes” makeup  animalistic tendencies outside the ring , seldom speaking ( I think Dementia only spoke ONCE – in Japan)   and being brought to ringside  tied up or in a cage or both.

The Beatdown Biddies- KKK women -Toxic Twins / The Housewives (Arlene and Phyllis) – the Hicks – Heavy Metal Sisters  – These two sets of persona’s  were NEARLY verbatim.

  Melrose – well she seems to be more unique But she DOES come from a family with  more than a little money. The Rich Girl..Daddy’s money girl   she has qualities of  the tag team of Tina Ferrari and Ashley Cartier  or Roxy Astor  and  Tiffany Mellon  with a healthy dose of Early Madonna .

  Beirut the Mad Bomber  / Palestina  the Terrorist.. ALMOST EXACTLY  one to one .

Britannica / Godiva and Zelda  An interesting pairing, but I supposed had to be . Goddiva the British Bombshell and Zelda. Beauty AND brains ( whis is ironically hilarious because Rhonda is a bit of a ditz).

  Scab –  Justine’s persona is also a difficult one , she is a bit of “Hollywood and Vine” blend ,being a ‘lawless’ little punk rock girl.

  Fortune Cookie  / Matilda the Hun    No!No! No! bear with me with my logic  .. Both China and East Germany were allies with Soviet Union , but where Matilda is large  lumbering  strong and not very clever,  Fortune Cookie is small, agile, quick and sneaky.  Some I have seen will say Little Fiji and even though Little Fiji is/was of an asian descent. Seeing as Wrestling Personas are /were built on stereotypes, this MAY be possible but I think it is more of the russia-china-germany relationship.

A Evil Vile Person Example

  Welfare Queen . I am also giving Matilda the Hun influence on Welfare Queen for no other reason than to provide balance against Machu Picchu. Giantess to Giantess

A Evil Vile Person Example

Chola Junkchain .. totally lost on this one . From what I can tell, she is ALSO a unique persona .clues will develop in season 3 . Thought it was important for her to be in storyline to show the comings and goings of wrestlers  within GLOW AND to give Arthie somone to crush on 🙂

But if I were to  really stretch things, Chola Junkchain would be paired with Spanish Red ESPECIALLY visually last half of season 2

GLOW

    Well , GLOWbugs, that seems to be all I have, for now,  covering the “plot deviations” between Original GLOW and the “Looking glass” Netflix GLOW. If I made any errors in timelines, or missed any plot point / historical deviations or just want to argue ( okay DISCUSS) the recharacterizations between the REAL GLOW  wrestling personas and the NETFLIX ones, shoot me a line at either Twitter or Facebook ( I don’t IG for  I am not photographically oriented.  I do ,occasionally , Tumblr but not often )  or in the BLOG comments OR email me through the CONTACT ME page. Until next posting,

  Did you know: The Original GLOW girls first trained at the Broadway Boxing Gym in Watts .It is still in business in same location retweet & #GLOWon After listening to a variety of reviews , podcasts and youtube and print, I am  very disappointed at how these commentators and watchers  seem to fail to do (Or just do not bother to do ) due 'deep diving' (aka research)  into the actual persons and history of the…

The Semi-Quotable 2017, Part 3

... again, Thank you Tumblr... very nearly almost done.

——

"So, using the Monty Hall theorem in current event terms, behind 1 door is Kendrick Lamar, and behind the other 2 doors is Lamar Odom." -Gordon

"I hate to say I told you so, but I don't really." -Amanda

“PLATE TACO!” -Festivus party

"A favor owed is better than money in the bank." -Steve

“STRIKING A NOSE.” -Actual Wheel guess

"A Hemi is not a license to drive like you don't have any sense!" -C

“You’re going to lift this with good form because I don’t want you sitting there with a sore back while you’re face-fucking a pumpkin pie on Thursday.” -... somebody at Shannon’s gym

“I can’t spell today...” -C

“T-O-D-A-Y.” -C’s boss

“It flows like diarrhea.” -Jordan

"No picture, no puss." -drunk Asian gambler

"I traveled 3000 miles to yell numbers at strangers." -TPIR shirt

“What state’s nickname is the Badger State?” -Michael

“My nether regions.” -Christina

“... Between waxings.” -Q

“Personally...I’m a smizer. It lets my soul express it’s happiness without all that pesky wrinkling.” -Jen

“I don’t mean duck! I NEVER MEAN DUCK!” -Q

"Sorry we couldn't get Brad Rutter." -Sara

"An-taaaaaawn Jamison!" -Michelle

“Parents who have massages have children who have massages.” -Q

"GODDAMNIT, PAUL!" -C. It should be noted that no one named Paul was in the vicinity

"I feel like I'm on cocaine, I have so many ideas right now." -Amanda

“Susie, you're going to pay for my hip replacement if you knock me over again!!” -Jules (Dana’s daughter)

“You need to settle down and put your clothes back on.” -Q

“I’ve heard THAT one before.” -Jordan

“Love my beautiful comical sweet babies!!!” -... some girl

“That's my new go-to insult, ya jacknog.” -Tony

“HQ app needs to monitor their fiber intake for a while, because their shit's not together this week.” -Adam

“Pumpkin pie is mah BITCH!” -Laura

"Don't overthink it. It's trivia, not your oral defense." -Michael

“Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.” -Q

"It's like getting C. Diff of the mouth!" -Christina

"Gracefully disconnected." -Cat

“I had fun once. It was awful.” -Grumpy Carter (Molly’s son in a Grumpy Cat mask)

“If you don’t have PMT, you don’t have anything.” -I meant to say “PMA”

"Because this is what you do when you're 37. Dress up like Barbarella and Storm Troopers... and act like idiots on stage covered in glitter." -Shannon

"Molly, ok this is where I bow out of this thread. We all know how flexible you are. Duh." -Jenni Leigh

"Oh fuck me in the ass with a sandpaper lube." -Q

Gordon: "One, two, three..."

C/Joe/Jason: "SORRY, GORDON!"

"That came from the colon." -Steven

"PBS, 1994! I used to watch that all the time; I'm STILL looking for that bitch!" -Tiffany Haddish. The question: "Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?"

“🎶 Spinarak, Spinarak, does whatever a Spinarak does... 🎶” -C & Jordan

"What's the ICD-10 code for demon possession?" -Q

“While working in TV news I was told by management I was a fat loser who should just be grateful anybody put me on camera. I once had to do an extra long traffic and weather break because the female anchor was boning the news director in the building’s gym (they were both married to other people). When all but two traffic cameras went out and I had to use them a lot in a six-hour show, I got screamed at for not using different cameras and when I pointed out there WERE no other cameras, I was screamed at again that they didn’t want to hear any excuses. I’m not saying any of this to justify shitty behavior, I’m saying TV news is a flaming hellhole of a business and most of the people in it are rotten assholes who wouldn’t be welcome in an opium den.” -Drew Harmon

"I beat Gordon, I get his property, and I claim prima nocta on his wife." -C

James: "I'm not that type of guy."

Cindy: "LIES!"

"I need something that will keep me awake and alert and fresh like a daisy. And unlike you, David Muir's come-hither stare isn't going to do it for me!" -C

"... oh shit, is it 6:30?" -Q

"Welcome to the Gordon Pepper Experience." -Gordon

“Maybe your apple crisp is trying to tell you something.” -Angela

“I don’t pay it to tell me anything! It knew what this was.” -C

"Asking me to create the state of the art Jquery menu widget for version 3.2.1 when you have version 1.10 is the equivalent of you telling me to create a program to help steer the best lawn mower of the world capable of shearing acres of land a day and you giving me a goat." -Gordon

“Sarcasm drips from your tongue like drool from a baby’s mouth.” -Ellen

“The sea is emotion incarnate. It loves, hates, and weeps. It defies all attempts to capture it with words and rejects all shackles. No matter what you say about it, there is always that which you can't.” -Christina

"Hey Colorado Board Shorts! Can you please close your legs? We can all see your Denver Nuggets." -C

"Trump's so classy, even his showers are golden." -Jessica

“UNC is going down quicker than Blair St. Clair on a Breathalizer.” -G

"(Jon Snow) is the heir to the Iron Throne... AND THEY'RE BACK TO FUCKING." -C, on "The Dragon and the Wolf"

"Where are the TRASH people?" -Mike

"Karnowski! HE FAT!" -C, on Gonzaga's big man

"Kill it. Kill it dead." -Jordan

"I'm confused. Facebook is stupid." -Cindy

"My opinion, and you can quotewall me on this, is the following: Everyone should be treated equal, which means that the minority should never be empowered to think they are above the majority. Equal? Yes. But not greater than." -G

"How I know I'm getting old: my Facebook wall has, over time, turned from petty angry status updates to woke angry status updates, and babies." -Mama Shrub

"You didn't see the movie. You don't get to make the joke." -me, on "I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!"

"I try to remember things could be worse. I could have been born a Siamese twin about to go on a date with my gay brother....while sharing only one butt." -Leslie

"Imagine Quisla's mind is like a presidential strip club. The sign outside says "43 beautiful men and one ugly one."" -C

“... Still waiting for that cosmo.... Jordan.” -Q

"Asking Trump to denounce white supremacists is like asking a rose bush to denounce Miracle Grow." -Clint

"Sometimes the one way to respect the power of fire is to get burned." -C

"That's so deep Adele is rolling in it." - Jordan

"The only thing I've accomplished today is using my boobs to make a waterfall in the shower." -Leslie

“Glitter is the herpes of arts and crafts. It gets everywhere and you can’t get rid of it.” -Q

"We don't ask about the boxers." -C

"SPF 100... for Pasty White Ninja." -Jason

"Aren't you tired of all these bad hair days?" -Cat

"Lady, I haven't had a bad hair day since 1993!" -C

"What the rass happen ta Tiger? 'im all gon' in an' rass up, look like some criminal!" -Q

"Trump is a traitor, Bannon wants to launch the Crusades, Conway is slowly evolving into her final witch form, Spicer is about two days away from spontaneously reenacting the head-explosion scene in SCANNERS, Miller is the psychic projection of every asshole you hated in high school, and Pence calls his wife "Mother" *jazz fingers* The Aristocrats." -Jennifer

"Will whoever left their tequila shot with a lime wedge on our table please come by and retrieve their lime wedge and their shot glass?" -C

"¡Mierdoso!" -Q & Lenora

"That tastes like Tussin." -Tohry

"I'LL BE GOD DAMNED. THERE IS AN ICD-10 CODE FOR DEMON POSSESSION!" -C

"You talk about taking your pants off, and then I have to Skype you." -Jason before WLTI

"You're gonna end up touching someone inappropriately." -Q

TO BE CONCLUDED... eventually.

Movies worth seeing this holiday season, none about Santa Claus

The second category includes exclusively seasonal fare: “A Bad Moms Christmas” (now in theaters); the Nativity-themed animation “The Star” (Nov. 17); and “The Man Who Invented Christmas” (Nov. 22), a story about Charles Dickens and the writing of “A Christmas Carol.” But those films have, by definition, a short shelf life, with sell-by dates of Jan. 2.

“Holiday,” in the first and loosest sense of the word, suggests a break from routine. Although looking forward to a great new movie brings a sense of anticipation akin to an unopened present, it’s a gift that, if chosen carefully, will keep on giving regardless of the season. With that in mind, here are 14 upcoming films to put on your wish list. Some of them we’ve already taken a peek at, and others we can’t wait to unwrap.

Opening dates are subject to change.

Trailer: 'Justice League'

Months after the events of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince assemble a team of meta-humans to face the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf. (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Justice League

Cast: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Henry Cavill, Ciarán Hinds

Despite “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” ending in the apparent death of Clark Kent — let’s not forget that dirt levitating off his coffin, suggesting a resurrection of some kind — it’s virtually certain that the Man of Steel (Cavill) will show up in the new sequel, and we don’t just mean in that dream sequence from the trailer. With luck, Gadot’s Wonder Woman will bring a little of the mojo that made her recent movie a megahit. Returning director Zach Snyder and his collaborators have indicated that the new adventure — which features Hinds as the main villain, Steppenwolf — will be a lot more fun than “BvS,” as Batman, played by Affleck, teams up with Wonder Woman to recruit the Flash (Miller), Aquaman (Momoa) and Cyborg (Fisher) as allies. (Nov. 17, PG-13)

Mudbound

Cast: Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, Mary J. Blige, Rob Morgan

Based on Hillary Jordan’s 2008 novel— winner of the Bellwether Prize for fiction — this 1940s-set drama by filmmaker Dee Rees (“Pariah”) retains the book’s technique of rotating narration between six characters: three members of a poor white farming family in rural Mississippi (Mulligan, Clarke and Hedlund) and three members of a family of black sharecroppers (Mitchell, Blige and Morgan). Set before, during and after one man from each family (Hedlund and Mitchell) is shipped off to fight in World War II, the epic tale — which will also be available on Netflix — explores the theme of racism, with heartbreaking potency. (Nov. 17, R)

Trailer: 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'

Mildred (Frances McDormand) is a single mother grieving and feeling immense guilt over the rape and violent murder of her teenage daughter. When the police fail to act, she rents three billboards to air her grievances. (Fox Searchlight)

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Cast: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell

McDormand delivers a tour de force as the mother of a murdered teenage girl who channels her grief and guilt into anger directed at the small-town police chief (Harrelson) who has yet to make an arrest in her daughter’s case. By turns serious and darkly funny, filmmaker Martin McDonagh’s drama — which also features a complex performance by Rockwell in the role of a violent, racist cop — feels significantly more substantial than the English director’s previous work, which includes “In Bruges” and “Seven Psychopaths.” (Nov. 17, R)

Coco

Cast: Anthony Gonzalez, Benjamin Bratt, Gael García Bernal

The voice-over in the trailer for “Coco,” an animated adventure set in the Land of the Dead of Mexican folklore, intones: “No living person has ever visited their world — until now.” Um. Maybe the folks at Disney/Pixar forgot a little animated feature from 2014 called “The Book of Life,” which features a Mexican hero traveling to — you guessed it — the Land of the Dead. Setting accusations of plagiarism aside for the moment, Pixar’s new film is about a little boy (Gonzalez) who accidentally gets stuck in the underworld. “Coco,” which was visually inspired by the art of Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada, won’t be the last word on the Day of the Dead theme. A sequelto “The Book of Life” is already in the planning stages. (Nov. 22, PG)

Trailer: 'Roman J. Israel, Esq.'

The plot follows the experienced lawyer of Roman J. Israel, who begins to manage a large firm after his boss has a heart attack. It stars Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell and Carmen Ejogo. (Sony Pictures)

Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Cast: Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo

Writer-director Dan Gilroy’s legal drama about the existential crisis that results when a pro-bono crusader for the disenfranchised goes to work for a fancy firm, making a morally compromising decision in the process, may share some themes with Gilroy’s “Nightcrawler.” Like that 2014 examination of journalistic ethics — a bravura performance by an emaciated Jake Gyllenhaal — the new film features Washington transformed for the title role of a disheveled legal savant, with a shaggy Afro, aviator-frame glasses and mismatched suits. (Nov. 22, PG-13)

Trailer: 'The Disaster Artist'

The film is based on Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell's non-fiction book of the same name and chronicles the making of their 2003 cult film "The Room." (A24 Films)

The Disaster Artist

Cast: James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Zoey Deutch, Alison Brie

Is it possible to make a good movie about a bad one? A very, very, bad (yet hysterically funny) one? Based on the 2013 book by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell about Sestero’s experience as an actor in “The Room” — a film that has been called “the ‘Citizen Kane’ of bad movies” — “The Disaster Artist” stars James Franco as the cult film’s enigmatically accented writer, director, star and producer, Tommy Wiseau. You’ll probably want to bone up on the source material — meaning Wiseau’s film, if not the book — first. It’s frequent midnight-movie fodder. (Dec. 1, R)

Trailer: 'Darkest Hour'

Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) faces a crucial moment against Adolf Hitler's army at the beginning of WWII.(Focus Features)

Darkest Hour

Cast: Gary Oldman, Lily James, Kristin Scott Thomas

Call it the flip side of “Dunkirk.” Opening in early May, 1940 — just before Winston Churchill was named prime minister of Britain — this period drama tracks, in minute detail, the backroom strategizing that took place as Parliament and Churchill’s war cabinet struggled to find a way to rescue British soldiers stranded on the beach at Dunkirk. In its essence, “Darkest Hour” — which boasts an award-worthy performance by Oldman as Churchill — is about the buildup to a single speech: Churchill’s “We shall fight on the beaches” address to the House of Commons on June 4, 1940, which galvanized the nation for the coming Battle of Britain. (Dec. 8, PG-13)

Trailer: 'The Shape of Water'

Director Guillermo del Toro's latest movie is a romantic fantasy horror, starring Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon and Octavia Spencer. (Fox Searchlight)

The Shape of Water

Cast: Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Doug Jones, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Michael Stuhlbarg

The latest adult fairy tale from Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth”) centers on the unlikely bond that develops between a mute cleaning woman (Hawkins) and an amphibious humanoid creature (Jones) who is being kept in a secret government lab. Set in 1962, at the height of the Cold War, and referencing midcentury monster movies and musicals, del Toro’s swooningly romantic film is less thriller than love letter to old Hollywood. (Dec. 8, R)

Trailer: 'Call Me By Your Name'

Based on the 2007 novel, a young man named Elio (Timothée Chalamet) living in Italy in the '80s, meets Oliver (Armie Hammer), an academic who has come to stay at his parents' villa. A passionate relationship develops between the two men as they bond over their sexuality and Jewish roots. (Sony Pictures Classics)

Call Me By Your Name

Cast: Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet

Based on the 2007 novel by André Aciman, “Call Me by Your Name” centers on a summer romance in scenic Italy between a 20-something academic (Hammer) and the 17-year-old son of his mentor. (Chalamet, who has drawn praise for his performance as the precocious boy, also makes an impression in the new film “Lady Bird”). The buzzy film, which has proved to be a popular favorite at recent festivals, has won praise for its sensitive portrayal of forbidden love, while also reportedly drawing comparisons to a “Moonlight” for rich, white people. (Dec. 15, R)

Trailer: 'Ferdinand'

This 3D animated movie tells the story of Ferdinand, a Spanish fighting bull who prefers smelling the flowers and practicing non-violence. (20th Century Fox)

Ferdinand

Cast: John Cena, Kate McKinnon, Anthony Anderson, Bobby Cannavale, Gina Rodriguez

Wrestler-turned-actor Cena voices the title character: a pacifist bull who refuses to face the toreador in this animated adaptation of Munro Leaf’s classic children’s book. The style of animation — from Blue Sky Studios — deviates, as it must, from Robert Lawson’s charming black-and-white illustrations in the original 1936 book, but the story comes courtesy of a reliable, if not familiar, name: Carlos Saldanha, who directed or co-directed five films in the studio’s popular “Ice Age” and Rio” franchises. (Dec. 15, PG)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Cast: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Carrie Fisher

The demand for early tickets to Disney’s latest installment in the Star Wars franchise — which centers on Rey (Ridley) as she learns to control the Force under the tutelage of Luke Skywalker (Hamill) — was so great that Fandango and other sites experienced digital traffic jams last month. Now comes news, courtesy of the Wall Street Journal, that the studio is so confident in its new product that it plans to take an unprecedented 65 percent cut of revenue from theaters (compared with the more typical 55 to 60 percent). Theater owners will also be contractually obligated to screen the film for four weeks on the largest screen. Sounds like the Empire is feeling pretty good about its new Death Star. (Dec. 15, not yet rated)

Trailer: 'Downsizing'

"Downsizing" imagines what might happen if, as a solution to over-population, Norwegian scientists discover how to shrink humans to five inches. Paul (Matt Damon) and his wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig) decide to leave their lives behind and shrink themselves. (Paramount Pictures)

Downsizing

Cast: Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Christoph Waltz, Jason Sudeikis

Social satirist Alexander Payne has turned his magnifying glass on the Midwest (“Nebraska”), Hawaii (“The Descendants”) and California wine country (“Sideways”). In “Downsizing,” he tackles the whole planet. Written with longtime collaborator Jim Taylor, this futuristic fantasy imagines a world in which people can opt to miniaturize themselves to the size of dolls as a solution to the Earth’s overpopulation crisis. As Damon’s character finds out when he agrees to undergo the procedure, when one man shrinks, his problems grow, along with the size — metaphorically — of his heart . (Dec. 22, not yet rated)

Trailer: 'The Post'

Directed by Steven Spielberg, “The Post” stars Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, and tells the story of the paper's handling of the Pentagon Papers. (20th Century Fox)

The Post

Cast: Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Alison Brie

Going Out Guide newsletter

What to do and where to go in the Washington area.

Sign up

Call it Star Wars for wonks. In Steven Spielberg’s latest slab of Oscar bait, Hanks plays the late Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, with Streep as the paper’s late owner, Katharine Graham. The fact-based drama is about the newspaper’s 1971 decision to publish classified documents — known as the Pentagon Papers — that showed that the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson had lied to Congress and the American people. Calling all Washington policy and media types: Your popcorn-movie awaits. (Dec. 22, not yet rated)

Trailer: 'Molly’s Game'

Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, "Molly's Game" tells the story of Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) as she builds an underground poker empire for Hollywood celebrities.(STXfilms)

Molly’s Game

Cast: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner

Writer Aaron Sorkin (“Steve Jobs,” “The West Wing”) makes his directorial debut in a film based on Molly Bloom’s 2014 memoir of her time running an underground poker club catering to such Hollywood elites as Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio. Chastain, in a title role that continues the multiple-Oscar nominee’s habit of playing steely, successful women who have virtually no personal lives, “roars through the performance,” as the Hollywood Reporter put it, “with a force and take-no-prisoners attitude that keeps one rapt.” (Dec. 25, not yet rated)

via Blogger http://ift.tt/2yRdicj

A Hard Lesson in Valiance: Chapter 12

Authors’ Note: Happy Tuesday, everyone!!! Lots of surprises last night. And now Rafael is a man on a mission. Read on to find out what he has up his sleeve! @vintagemichelle91 and I hope that you enjoy!!!

          “You sure he’s not like a cousin of yours or something?” Fin asked.

           Peering through the mirror into the interrogation room, Rafael saw Ramirez tap a can of soda before cracking open the aluminum for a drink. He looked no worse for the wear. Because Natalia had endured the brunt of his cruelty. Wanting to smash the glass, he watched Rollins circle the room as Liv stayed fixed to her chair.

           “Nevada Ramirez,” Liv began. “You got a rap sheet a mile long.”

           “My reputation precedes me,” he said.

           “Does it ever,” Liv replied. “Makes me wonder why you came back.”

            “I have interests to attend to.”

           “Do those interests extend to accosting Natalia Barba in the park this afternoon?” Rollins asked. Ramirez lazily looked over his shoulder and shot her a small smile as his hands trailed down his legs.

           “That was different,” he said. “Eso fue un asunto personal. We were just getting reacquainted when your thug busted in.”

           “Man’s digging his own grave,” Fin said. But Rafael feared that the dirt could… that it would choke Natalia if Ramirez stayed close.

           “What is this really?” Ramirez questioned. “I’m the injured party. You should be slapping the bracelets on her.”

           Not if he could help it.

          “Can you give us a moment?”

           Fin had his back as Liv’s eyes centered on his face. But Rafael focused only on Ramirez. The man slouched in his seat, his smirk stretching the length of the room. What would have happened had he met him years ago in the Bronx? No doubt Rafael would have said too much, been bloodied before Eddie managed a few well-placed punches.

          Now he had to take him down on his own.    

          “Barba?”

           Looking to Liv, he nodded towards the door.

           “The lady wants to help,” Ramirez sneered. “Do you need a niñera?”

           “I’m good,” he said. “Do you need the backup?”

           “What do you think?”

           Sitting across from him, Rafael folded his hands against the tabletop as Rollins took the cue to exit, Fin almost following her.

           “Next time you cross my path you won’t be so lucky,” Fin threatened.

           “We’ll see about that.”

           With that they left. But Liv lingered.

           “Barba?” she asked. “Do you know what you’re doing here?”

           “I’m handling this, Lieutenant.”

           When he glared, her eyes glazed over. Still a fight for another day, and as soon as she slammed the door shut, Rafael looked to his hands, allowing himself a moment where he envisioned them forming fists and pummeling the smug expression from his double’s face.      

          “Your esposa just can’t keep away from me.”

           And Ramirez seemed ready for the fight.

           “That’s quite an active fantasy life you have,” Rafael said, slowly meeting the other man’s eyes.

           “You didn’t see her in the park,” Ramirez responded. “All weak in the knees for our reunion. Tell me something?”

           “That’s vague,” Rafael answered. “You want to talk about the weather?”

           “Hot out there tonight!” Ramirez said, rolling up his sleeves and taking a sip from the can of Coke. “Steamier when Natalia showed up. Tell me…”

           He leaned closer, and Rafael felt his carbonated breath tinged with tobacco wash over his face.

           “She look like that good the first time around? She’s got this glow about her.”

           A part of him wished that Natalia had managed to plunge the knife into his heart. Or whatever he called the organ beating in his chest. But he kept that secret to himself and unfolded his hands, planting his palms on the table.

           “She always looks beautiful,” Rafael said.

           Even when she was crying. Even when the sight of her sad sliced his soul.

           “Don’t I know it,” Ramirez hissed.

           “My turn,” Rafael muttered.

           “You didn’t answer—”

           “That’s all you’re getting,” Rafael said, his voice thick.

           “Guess you don’t put out. But Natalia does.” Ramirez fell back with a laugh and coiled his fingers behind his head.

           “You son of a—”

           “Natalia plays hard to get, but I know she likes what we have.”

           “You have nothing,” Rafael insisted.

           “So sure about that?” Ramirez asked.

           Counting to ten, willing his want to kill away, Rafael took a deep breath before starting in again.

           “I have a proposition for you.”

           Ramirez’s eyebrows arched, and his cheeks expanded, another stream of arrogant air filling the room before he downed the rest of his drink.

           “You offering the blonde or the bull dyke?” Ramirez asked, looking towards the two-way mirror. “Can’t really say that either one is really my type. But together they might be worth the price of admission.”

           “You couldn’t handle them,” Rafael said.

           “Speak from experience? They good fucks?”

           “I speak as someone who knows that they could send you to the tombs with your limp dick ready to fall off if you cross them.”

           “Whoa!” Ramirez clapped his hands together and kicked at the legs of the table. “What do you get up to around here?”

           He almost honored that with a retort but just as quickly dialed his rage back and stilled his feet on the floor.

           “A conversation for another day,” Rafael said. “Let’s talk about you.”

           “I’d rather talk about those lady cops. Or better yet… Natalia.”

           Ramirez spoke her name as if she belonged to him.

           “Must be problemas en el paraiso,” he said. “Couldn’t manage to knock her up again. Bet you tried. And look at me. One and done. Natalia knows it. She can say all she wants that it’s yours. But la verdad duele.”

           Why hadn’t he hired anyone else but Carmen… kept a closer eye on Ward…?

           “Usually I am un hombre que perdona,” Ramirez continued. “Tonight she came into my club, got out of line, and—”

           “What if we found a way to let that slide?” Rafael asked. Obviously emboldened, Ramirez rose from his chair, his smirk intensifying.

           “What’s on the table?” Ramirez asked.

           Something that stuck in the back of his throat and threatened to turn his stomach inside out if it dropped too deep and festered in his bloodstream. Rafael gave himself five seconds, let his wrath cool. Only then did he leave his seat and join him beside the window, their matching reflections meeting like some twisted joke.

           “More than the likes of you could ever fathom.”

           One image left the glass, and Rafael felt Ramirez’s eyes burrowing into his cheek as he gripped the windowsill.

           “You have my attention,” he said.

           He needed much more than that.

           “I… how would you like a life where you could conduct your… business and never have to worry about the long arm of the law?” Rafael asked, quietly.

           “Interesante,” Ramirez said. “You gonna keep talking or—?”

           Seizing his hand, fighting the urge to crush his bones and leave him howling, Rafael found the other pair of green eyes and spoke fast.

           “I’m talking no threats from the policia,” he started. “Or the DA’s office. I’ll fix it so that you can do what you will without any fear of repercussions. Let’s call it a gold card that you can cash in over and over again.”

           “Go on.”

           Seeing that Ramirez was intrigued, Rafael moved in for what he hope would be another kind of kill.

           “No one will try to take you down. Only your rivals locked up if there’s a raid. Think of how much product you could move. The territory that would be yours alone.”

           And the ways that he would have to scramble to keep up with the promise and his nose clean. But he was willing to do chance it. So that Natalia could fall back into his arms contented and never have to so much as think of Nevada Ramirez again. So that Violetta would get the chance to be a big sister.

           So that the twins would be well out of his reach.

           “Rafael…”

           Ramirez fell against the wall and shook his head.

           “You think I would put my faith in you abogados again?”

           Shit! It hadn’t worked. And now he had doomed Natalia to a life where was forever tied to this creature. His legs felt as if they would give out from under him.

           “Maybe… maybe you didn’t hear—”

           “Claro como el cristal,” Ramirez said. “You’re all the same. Ward thinks I’m back in the palm of his hand. So I came home but…”

           Ramirez’s words trailed off, and Rafael looked up in time to see his face cloud over as he held his tongue.

           “What did you just say?” the ADA asked.

           “I… nothing. Just one more tonto in his pen, right? Me and Carmen and all the rest.”

           It should have made enough sense. But Ramirez suddenly seemed nervous.

           And Rafael pounced.

           “How did you know about the babies?” he asked.

           “Babies!” Ramirez echoed, his eyes wide. “You’re still running second to me!”

           “That wasn’t the question. It would have been wiser… why take the risk of returning?”

           He had him speechless and just curled his hands around his throat when Liv and Fin burst into the room and tried to pull him away.

           “We’ll take it from here, Barba,” Fin said, but Rafael held fast for another second, two, only releasing Ramirez when he gasped for air.

           “This fuck is crazy!” Ramirez cried, his hands on his throat. “I want him charged with assault.”

           “Like my wife?” Rafael challenged.

           “Thought… thought we were negotiating?” Ramirez asked from the floor, sputtering.

           “No hago tratos con escoria.”

           His mind was running a million miles a minute as he left the interrogation room and ran right into—

           “Rollins!”

           “Barba, what the hell were you thinking?”

           “Who ran the test?” he asked quickly.

           “Who… some tech. She’s worked on cases with us before.”

           “And she didn’t ask any questions?”

           “She… no. I told her to keep it quiet.”

           “Ever wonder why she did that? Why she said nothing when you just showed up off the record?”

           “I…”

           He watched her eyes flicker and her head nod as they started to leave the squad room.

           “Hey! What’s up?”

           “I’ll tell you tomorrow, Sonny,” Rollins said.

           “It is tomorrow,” he said, glancing at his watch.

           “Then let’s hope it’s on our side.”

           They raced back to the hospital, and Rollins promised to learn Ward’s new room number. Letting her go, Rafael calmed his breath and found his way to his wife’s door.

           “Natalia?”

           She was asleep. Thankful for that much, he minded the one palm clutched in Alessia’s grasp and found her free fingers, holding them fast, leaning forward to kiss her slumbering brow.

           “Rafael?” Alessia asked. “What’s going on?”

           “I don’t know yet,” he muttered, smoothing Natalia’s hair from her face and kissing her once more.

           “But I’m going to find out.”

Translations

Eso fue un asunto personal- That was personal business

Niñera- Nanny

Esposa- wife

Problemas en el paraiso- Trouble in paradise

La verdad duele- The truth hurts

Un hombre que perdona- A man who forgives

Interesante- Interesting

Policia- Police

Abogados- Lawyers

Claro como el cristal- Clear as crystal

Tonto- Idiot

No hago tratos con escoria- I don’t make deals with human waste