Prompt 224

DCxDP

Now Booster Gold would like it known he is Not father material, or even responsible adult material. That is Ted, and even then they seem to share a single braincell when they're in each others presence.

But again, NOT anything close to father material. Which he repeats to both himself and the eldritch Time Entity who just handed him what he Knows to be pretty much an unborn child of its species. look, he Knows about Realms Beings- Espranto was literally his first language like many others of his timeline- so he knows the inherent dangers.

But Somehow him becoming a time-cop of sorts has endeared him towards this primordial one, thankfully. Less thankfully, it has given him a whole-ass CHILD. A BABY. HIM. Of all people!

Ted he needs help, he doesn't know if this counts as mpreg or something and he's freaking out man!

A Sausage Surprise

pairing: Jungkook x Reader

genre: sounds like it could be smut but it’s very much fluff, Jungkook gets you a surprise before going on tour.

word count: 1,500

No sooner had you and Jungkook had moved in together, it was time for him to leave for a world tour. Despite knowing the dates of the tour for months, it really hurt to watch him pack his bags from across the bedroom. Over the last few days, you had secretly hoped the tour would get cancelled and you wouldn’t be alone in the massive apartment you shared. However, you knew how much touring meant to Jungkook. There wasn't anything in this world that would stop him from performing - not even you! 

“I know you’re sad, baby,” He hummed as he turned around to see you pouting from just above the bed sheets. “But it won’t be long until you come see me anyway!” 

What Jungkook said was true but you hated even the thought of being away from him for two weeks. Their world tour started in Seoul before the boys flew to the States for over a month. You were planning to join them for a week in the USA to explore the new cities and watch your boyfriend do what he loved. 

“It’s just not the same!” You moaned, folding your arms across your chest. Jungkook giggled at the way you sulked like a child who didn’t get what they wanted. 

“Well, you’ll be pleased to know, I have a surprise for you before I go,” He teased. “Oh really!” You raised a brow and smirked. It wasn’t unlike Jungkook to treat you before he left for tour. Powered by the guilt of not seeing you for months on end, he would always take you out for fancy dinners or buy you some new jewellery before he left. You wondered what exactly he could have got you this time. “It’s a sausage surprise!” He giggled, folding some pants into his suitcase absentmindedly. 

“I have to admit,” A look of disappointment spread over your face as quick as he could say the word ‘sausage’. “Your penis really isn’t a surprise to me anymore!”

“First of all, that’s rude,” He said mockingly, throwing the t-shirt he had grabbed from the wardrobe at you. It hits you straight in the head and messes up your already sleep-crazed hair. “Second of all, it’s not that kind of sausage!”

“What is it then?” You laughed, chucking back the shirt he had assaulted you with and giving him a glare. “I don’t even like sausages - the food kind!”

“You’ll find out!” Jungkook replied. There was a glint in his eye that just told you mischief was in the air and you couldn’t wait to find out what it was. 

A few hours later, Jungkook is still pottering around the apartment, picking up all of his essentials for the tour. You had followed him into your open-plan living room to watch TV but you could still hear him reeling about your penis comment earlier. 

“I can’t believe my dick doesn’t surprise you anymore,” He said quietly, wandering around the kitchen to pick up a pair of chopsticks he carried wherever he went. You giggled at his words. 

“Is this what it means to be in a relationship for a year?” Jungkook mutters to himself as he moves from the kitchen to the living space. Still concentrating on the TV in front of you, you simply just shake your head and roll your eyes. He knows exactly what he’s doing! 

Rather than entertain his silly game to get you to fuck him (although it’s definitely something you would partake in later), you turn your mind to his surprise. What could it be? As you had already explained, you didn’t have a particular fondness for actual sausages. Then again, what kind of surprise is that? A plate of sausages? It’s not the type of surprise that you run to your friends and boast about! You just had to wait it out and hope that the surprise didn’t disappoint. Otherwise, you’re not sure you would be able to hide your annoyance with the man you loved. 

Your thoughts of speculation are soon interrupted by the sound of the apartment buzzer. However, before you have a chance to get up, Jungkook is running for the door - almost slipping on the tiled floor as he leaves the room. “I got it!” He yells. You quickly settle back down onto the comfortable sofa, finishing the show you had started about half an hour ago. You imagine it’s one of the guys or someone from management dropping off an essential Jungkook had forgot. Something like toothpaste or shower gel. He was always forgetting those. 

However, Jungkook is gone for nearly ten minutes and that’s when you start to get worried. Had he been kidnapped in his rush to answer the door? You started to get up from the sofa, thinking you will have to fight some attacker. Although it’s not long until you got your answer on Jungkook’s whereabout. You hear the door open and relief floods your body. He must be home. But it wasn’t the familiar sound you expected to hear! Jungkook normally entered the apartment by singing out your name and rustling to take off his jacket and shoes as quickly as possible. Instead, you heard the pitter patter of tiny feet on the flooring like raindrops. Immediately confused, you got up to see what it was.

Entering the hallway of your apartment, you saw a tiny puppy waiting for you. It looked up at you and let out a pathetic bark - the kind that couldn’t be heard even if you were standing at the end of the hallway. It was funny to see how the little dog compared in size to the rest of your things in the hallway. The dog was swallowed by even your pair of shoes - and you had really small feet! It wasn’t long before Jungkook re-emerged from outside with a smile. 

“Somebody lost their puppy!” You gesture down at the dog, which had started sniffing around the furniture in your hallway. “He just walked in!” “Oh baby,” Jungkook looked at you with so much love and adoration. He couldn’t believe how innocent you were being at this moment. “I don’t think anybody lost their dog” “Well, it’s not ours!” You quickly retorted. He sighed and said: “What breed is it?”

You looked back down at the puppy and examined its tiny body. It was no bigger than your fist with dumpy, little legs and a long body, which definitely looked out of proportion. “A sausage dog!” Jungkook smirked as the realisation dawned on your face. “You bought me a puppy?” “I thought you might need something to keep you company!” He said, looking down at the dog which was now chewing the hem of his jeans. “I both love and hate you right now!” You laughed, crouching down to tempt the puppy over to you. As you moved to the floor, you caught a glimpse of Jungkook’s face. He looked so offended at the mention of ‘hating him’. 

“You go away on a world tour and leave me to train this little one,” You said. The puppy ran towards you, bounding straight into your lap. It immediately began to play with you and you knew that this was going to be a fun few months. 

“Oh yeah,” He said dejectedly. “I didn’t think about that!” You looked up at him. All of a sudden the happiness on his face had faded away, replaced with a semi-sadness and regret. It was at that moment that you felt really bad. He always knew you wanted a puppy. You also got incredibly lonely while Jungkook was away - not to mention, scared when you were alone in the apartment. You couldn’t actually think of a better surprise right now!  “JK, I was joking,” You smiled. “This is going to be amazing. I’ve always wanted a dog - thank you!” His face immediately lit up again. “Plus, he can come with you to America so you won’t have to look after him all on your own! We can train him together.” “What’s his name?” You asked, letting the puppy chew away at your fingers.   Jungkook giggled. “How about Sosiji?”

“I am not calling our dog, Sausage!”

For the Winter Prompts #70, Captain Canary Thank you!

70. “You’re perfectly welcome to kiss whomever you wa–”

Read on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21672130/chapters/51815305

Sara knew coming to the Time Bureau’s New Year’s party was a bad idea, but apparently she didn’t realize just how bad of an idea.

She and Ava broke up less than a month ago, and ok, the wound is still fresh and she’s sure the rest of the team would’ve understood if she chose to take a rain check on the party. But she and Ava agreed they can still be professional, and that includes not going out of their way to avoid each other.

Good thing it doesn’t involve avoiding the bar.

Of course, she’s even alone here, because her drinking buddy Mick – great, she can’t even think of his name without snarling – in some truly bizarre twist of fate, has started hanging around with one of their previously dead allies which the Crisis managed to return to them. Her sister, to be specific. Her sister who is sober and she doesn’t know if Mick is trying to impress her or what but he hasn’t come near the bar all night and it is infuriating. With Mick around, no one else should ever be the most inhibited person in the room.

She, of course, feels like an awful person for thinking that.

She keeps sipping on her drink; a soda spiked with a fair amount of vodka. She’s looking to numb herself tonight, but tipping back shots of whiskey isn’t exactly the most effective way to convince everybody that you’re fine.

And, as she catches Leonard’s eyes across the room and he very quickly looks away, she is well aware that she is very much not fine.

He’s another one Crisis was able to return. It’s funny, at first she thought she’d lucked out. Two of the people most important to her who she’s lost back from the dead? There had to be a catch.

Turns out there was.

Neither of them has wanted much to do with her since getting back.

Laurel’s been a little better. At first she was the only one her sister would so much as look at. So much has changed since Laurel’s death, including the appearance of Earth-2 Laurel. Sara knows she’s changed too, a lot, but at first Laurel seemed ok with it. She asked all her questions and even boarded the Waverider when Crisis was over, but since then… Laurel seems more interested in the rest of the team than in her.

She knows that’s a good thing, and she isn’t so childish to be jealous. It’s just… she wouldn’t mind having some of her sister’s attention right now.

Especially with Leonard being back.

Unlike Laurel, he’s been avoiding her since the moment he returned. At first she thought he might need space, and he was clinging to Mick in much the same way Laurel was sticking by her, but now this is getting insulting. Mick with her sister more often than not, and instead of coming to her to gossip about it Leonard seems to have taken a shine to everybody but her.

When is an acceptable time to start on whiskey?

Currently he is across the room with Gary, talking about something or other, and she grimaces. She thought Gary would’ve annoyed him.

“Alright everybody!” One of the new Bureau agents – Archie, she’s pretty sure - says as he commanders a microphone Gary was abusing earlier. “It is officially one minute to midnight so we’re going to start the countdown, make sure you’re all near your special someone of the night. If you don’t have a special someone then, hey, I’m still looking for somebody to kiss!”

Great.

He doesn’t actually start counting right then and there, although Sara is sure he’s keeping count of the seconds. Speaking of seconds, she catches Ava’s eye for about half of one but then her ex glances away; a firm no. Fine, it’s better that way anyway.

“Thirty seconds everyone!”

Why is a time traveling organization even having a New Year’s party?

“Twenty seconds!”

She looks over at the bartender, “Can I get a whiskey, please?”

“Fifteen seconds!”

Ok, maybe it wouldn’t kill her to at least do a headcount of her team.

“Ten.”

Ray and Nora are over by a standing table, already wrapped up in each other and counting along with the rest of the crowd.

“Nine.”

Charlie’s got Zari talking over against the back wall.

“Eight.”

Huh, Behrad looks like he’s consoling Nate over something. Wonder what that’s about.

“Seven.”

Well, at least she won’t be the only person not kissing at midnight, but it still hurts that Mona’s over with Ava right now.

“Six.”

She almost face palms, watching John lead Archie into a closet.

“Five.”

Her sister and Mick getting closer, nauseating.

“Four.”

No. Gideon, Rip, do not go into that closet.

“Three!”

Oh poor Gary, he definitely noticed John and Archie’s little vanishing act.

“Two!”

On second thought Gideon, go ahead. Open that door. She wouldn’t mind seeing that particular mess unfold.

“One! Happy New Year!”

The cheer is echoed by everyone in the room, punctuated by whistles, music, and so many kisses. It seems like everyone found someone to kiss, even the most unlikely of candidates. She sees Mona drag Ava in for a quick peck, and it actually serves enough to make her laugh. Of course, the real sight to see is Behrad doing the same to Nate, except his is much more than a peck and might even border a bit on assault were it anybody else. Laurel and Mick, that’s something she isn’t going to think about until morning. Leonard and-

The amused smile vanishes from her face.

Leonard. She had idly entertained some hopes earlier today that he might want to kiss her at midnight, and when those were all tossed out the window rather quickly she at least took solace in the fact that he likely wouldn’t be kissing anyone, the same as her.

Likely, but apparently not definitely.

It isn’t a long kiss. Really, it’s probably only a second or two that their lips are touching, but it feels like it drags on forever.

Leonard and Gary. She never would’ve thought.

She tips back what’s left of her whiskey and leaves the glass on the bar; she’s had enough of this party.

“Ten.”

Great, the New Year’s countdown. Least that means he can leave soon.

“Nine.”

To tell the truth, Leonard isn’t sure why he even agreed to come to this party.

“Eight.”

He tried sticking it out with Mick, but his buddy was clearly genuinely enjoying himself, and he would hate to ruin that.

“Seven.”

Sara’s still over at the bar, nowhere near her ex.

“Six.”

Constantine is bringing the guy who started the countdown into a closet. Classy.

“Five.”

Maybe he could… No. Sara and Ava were together for almost two years. A month is too soon to... well, to make a move.

“Four.”

Lovely, Gideon’s got her eye on the closet too.

“Three!”

“Oh.”

The mutter is so quiet Leonard almost doesn’t hear it, but when he turns that poor love-struck idiot Gary is still standing nearby, eyes locked on the closet.

“Two!”

Ouch, poor guy.

“One! Happy New Year!”

He steps over to Gary, frowning amid all the other happy partygoers. That just isn’t right. He can be disappointed at midnight, but poor Gary who has probably never had a celebratory kiss in his life, doesn’t deserve that.

Gary looks up at him, looking more like a kicked puppy then any actual kicked puppy Leonard has ever seen.

“You want a kiss?”

“Uh…” Gary stammers, his eyes scanning Leonard’s face for any hints of sarcasm.

“One that means nothing.” He clarifies quickly, “Just for midnight.”

“Oh… Uh, sure. Th-Thank you. Uh-”

Oh for crying out loud.

He leans over presses a quick kiss to Gary’s lips. A little more than a peck, but he only lingers it for a second. Gary barely has any time to kiss back before it’s over, and when it is Leonard finds that the view over Gary’s shoulder has a perfect sightline for the bar.

And for Sara storming away.

Needless to say, he leaves Gary spluttering there in the middle of the room, and he’ll feel guilty about it later.

He moves quickly through the crowd, most people are still caught up in their own worlds anyway and too distracted to notice him. He does hear one shout in the distance and look over his shoulder to investigate, and man he wishes he could stick around because Gideon opened the closet door but… more important matters at hand.

Leaving the party room behind puts him out in the main halls of the Time Bureau. He doesn’t know these halls as well as he would like to, having been here only once before. He’s sure Sara knows of more places to hide around here than he does.

Click.

Or maybe not.

He hears the heavy sound up around a corner ahead, a sound that can only be made by a rather large and industrial front door being opened into a gust of wind. He picks up his pace and rounds the corner, and as he draws nearer to the Time Bureau’s main entrance he is able to see Sara through it’s glass windows; walking away.

He doesn’t even try to stop himself.

“Sara!” He calls after her, pushing the front door open. He’s surprised when she stops and turns back, and even more surprised when she stays there.

It’s cold out here. No snow, not in DC, but cold enough that she must be freezing in only that little gold dress with spaghetti straps.

“A little cold out here.” He drawls, and really, that’s all he’s got. He’s coming to the sudden and painful realization that he had no actual plan in chasing her out here. Nothing other than what? Assuring her there is nothing between him and Gary?

She shrugs, her arms crossed, giving him full view of the goose bumps that have appeared on her skin.

He shrugs out of his coat wordlessly, and when he holds it out to her she looks at it for a second, before finally she takes it.

“Thanks.”

They don’t talk while she puts it on and zips it up, her hands going in his pockets and damn, he really likes the sight of her in that jacket.

“So what?” She eventually asks, when they have been standing out here in the cold staring at each other for long enough. “First New Year’s back from the dead and you lose interest after kissing Gary for three seconds?”

Her words come with a certain… a pained venom, he’ll say. It’s a weak shot, and she is well aware of it, to the point where she scuffs her foot against the sidewalk and her eyes follow it instead of looking at his.

“Sara.”

“No, hey, it’s fine.” She insists, in a voice that is anything except for fine. “It’s fine, really. You’re an adult, you’re single. You are perfectly welcome to kiss whomever you wa-”

“Can I?” He interrupts, which he doesn’t exactly mean to do, but he can’t watch this betrayed pain on her face for one second more.

“Can I?” He repeats, stepping closer. “Because, nice of a guy as Gary is, he’s not my type, and I would very much like to kiss you instead.”

With his words his hands move to settle on her hips, and she responds by taking her hands out of his pockets and looping her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer.

“I’d like that too.”

He’s grinning like a cat as he leans into her, his lips pressing against the warmth of hers.

Hands down, best way to start the new year.

story of my life

Chapter 14

I could never do this without @niallandharrymakemestrong and @melissas173. 

WARNING:  This one is pretty intense toward the end.

Harry was sat in the kitchen worriedly picking at his bottom lip as his mum made him tea and toast.  After finding the box and the note, he had called Anne first.  He was usually so good in a crisis, always knowing what needed to be done and taking the actions necessary to fix whatever the problem was.  Not today.  He was having trouble making decisions.  He couldn’t concentrate.  All he could think about was finding Kacey. “Here, sweetheart, drink your tea.  Then you can start calling around.  She has to be somewhere and we will find her.”  His mum patted his arm gently. But she wasn’t and he couldn’t.   He had spent an hour and a half on the phone.  He called her assistant, Shelby.  She hadn’t heard from her in a week.  He called her manager, Alex.  Same result.  He called her friend Nikki, the make-up artist.  She told him about the clash on the set and how Geoff had molested her on camera.  Harry almost broke the phone he was squeezing so tightly.  He was not a violent man but if Geoff Adams had been within his reach at that moment he would have beaten him to a pulp.  It made him nauseated to think that she was dealing with all of this while he was partying in the tropics.  His desperation to find her had grown with each phone call.

He had decided to drive over to her flat in Belsize Park.  Pulling out of his gate, he turned right and drove towards the park.  He did not see the schoolgirl waiting at the bus stop though she waved at him.   Pulling onto Kacey’s street he saw that her bright yellow mini was parked in her spot.  Hopeful, he rang the bell.  Getting no answer, he let himself in with his key. She was not there and, apparently, had not been for a while.  On the short drive back to his house, he called his assistant, Jenny, to enlist her help.  By the time he arrived home, she had already contacted all the local hospitals and determined that Kacey was not a patient at any of them.   Harry remembered her flat in Henley on the Thames and he called Mrs. Crutchley.  The feisty little woman said that she hadn’t seen Kacey in months and made him promise to bring her by for a visit because she missed her.   Then a thought struck him.  Would she have gone home?  To America?  It was a daunting thought; the USA was enormous.  If he couldn’t find her in England, he sure as hell wouldn’t be able to find her in the US.  He didn’t want to call her father because he didn’t want to worry him needlessly and he also didn’t want to explain his behavior just yet.  If Kacey had talked to anyone, she would have talked to Laura.  He mentally kicked himself for not thinking of her sooner.   He went to the spare room and grabbed Kacey’s iPhone from the box.  He scrolled through until he found the number he wanted and pressed call.  The voice that answered was decidedly chilly.   “Well, well, well.  Look who’s calling.  Get tired of the little reality TV slut already? My, my, aren’t you fickle.”  Laura had never been one to mince words.   “Hello Laura, is she there?  Can I speak to her?  Please?”  He tried not to sound desperate.   “No, she’s not here.  No, I would not tell you if she was.  No, I won’t give her a message if I do see her.  Jackass.” “Please, Laura. You’ve talked to her, haven’t you?  Is she okay?”  He was practically begging but he didn’t care. “No, she’s not okay.  What the fuck Styles? Why would you do that to her?  What did she ever do to you?” “I just need to talk to her, to hear her voice.” “I’d say you’ve done enough already, don’t you think?  Just stay the hell away from her,” Laura’s voice was rising in volume. “Please, Laura.  I know I messed up.  Please let me talk to her,” he pleaded. “Are you deaf as well as monumentally stupid?  She. Is. Not. Here. Now go screw your little Kardashian and leave both of us alone.” The call ended.  He tried calling back but it was rejected.  With no idea where else she would have gone and at a loss about what to do next, Harry reluctantly dialed Jeff’s number.   * Kacey lay curled up on the chaise by the fireplace in her room, a furry blanket wrapped around her, staring into the flames.  The occasional hiss and pop of the log was the only sound in the room.  The house wasn’t particularly cold but she could not get warm.  A cold mug of tea and plate of cookies sat untouched on the table next to her.   She was exhausted but sleep didn’t seem to help.  Since the internet blew up on New Year’s Day with the pictures and video of Harry and Kendall, life had been surreal.  The initial frenzy of anger had given her the clarity to pack her things and make the appropriate arrangements. Once that was spent, the grief had crushed her.   She could barely function.  She was having a hard time breathing, as if a small elephant were sitting on her chest.  At Heathrow, preparing to board her flight to the US, she had felt wrapped in a lethargy so thick she could scarcely move.  She had slept the entire flight and staggered off the plane in Boston only just making her connecting flight home.  Laura had picked her up at the airport and they hadn’t spoken during the short drive to the house.  Once at home, Kacey had cried herself out, with Laura holding her and stroking her hair.  Now, four days later, she sat in the warm room feeling chilled and empty. She didn’t even look up when Laura walked into the room.   “Hey Honey, let me fix you something to eat.  Soup?  Pizza? Macaroni and cheese? You love mac and cheese.”   ‘I’m not hungry,’ Kacey replied quietly. “Not hungry for MY mac and cheese?  Kacey, when was the last time you ate?  You’ve not had anything since you got here,” Laura’s concern was evident. ‘I can’t eat Laur.  Every time I try, I throw up.  I’m tired of throwing up.” “Well then how about a banana?  Some toast?  You have to eat something,” Laura said firmly. ‘I’m not even hungry anymore,’ Kacey replied weakly. “Aw Hell no. Kassidy Day you eat something right this minute or I will haul your ass to the emergency room so fast your head will spin,” the exasperation causing her to yell. “Jiminy!  Okay! I’ll try some toast.  Cripes MOM.” “Yeah, well somebody has to mother you.”  Laura kissed the top of her head.  “While I’m making toast go get a shower because you, my dear friend, are somewhat less than fresh.” That one earned her a small smile.   “Oh, all right.  I will take my stinky self to the bathroom.  I love you Laur.” “I love you too.  Now get moving.  We’ll need to air out the whole house soon…” Kacey let out a small giggle and walked into the huge master bath.  Seeing the Jacuzzi, she decided against a shower.  She started filling the tub with hot water and went to look for some bubbles.  Under the sink she found a bright pink bottle.  Mr. Bubble.  Perfect.  Turning on the jets, the pink liquid exploded into giant mounds of suds.  She climbed in and sank down into the hot, roiling water and was swallowed by the white foam.   “Kace, are you still in he---oh my God!  Was there an explosion at the bubble factory?” Kacey’s giggle floated out from the froth.  “I guess I got a little carried away.” “I’ll say!  It’s like the Blob!  It’s taking over the whole room!” “You and your horror movies.  Next thing you’ll be telling me that Michael Myers is hidden in here somewhere. Or that other one, what’s his name? Freddy Krampus.” “Kreuger.” “Whatever.”   “Well, Little Miss Condescension, it is a perfectly legitimate entertainment genre.  Maybe you just need to branch out from Jane Austen adaptations and romantic comedies.” “I like Jane Austen movies. They always work out so neatly.  Unlike my life.”   Kacey choked down a small sob. “Kace...”   “Oh Laura, what’s wrong with me?  I don’t understand.  Why can’t I ever be enough?  I know I’m no supermodel but I’m not completely hideous.  I try so hard.  What am I saying? I’m such an idiot. I wasn’t even enough for my own mother to stay.  How could I possibly have thought I was enough for Harry?” “Stop that.  Your mother was mentally ill and you know it.  It had nothing to do with you, you were practically a baby.  Men are stupid. You are more than enough. And Harry seemed pretty upset when I talked to hi---“ “What???!  You talked to him?  When?” “He called the other day.  He was looking for you.   I told him you weren’t here, which technically wasn’t a lie because you were out at the mailbox talking to the neighbors.  I basically told him to go fuck himself and then I hung up.” Tears that she didn’t know she had slipped down Kacey’s cheeks.  “I miss him so much.  Oh Laur, I just want to wake up from this nightmare and have him hold me and tell me it’s all going to be okay.  But it’s not going to be okay, is it?  I’ve lost him.  I love him. I actually thought he loved me.  Why couldn’t he love me too? I am so stupid. I just don’t think I can do this.   I don’t think I want to do this.” “This is NOT your fault.  You CAN do this.  You are the strongest person I know.  You are smart, gorgeous, funny and talented and you WILL survive this.  If you even pretend to think of hurting yourself I will drag you to the nearest psych ward and buckle you into the straitjacket myself.  Now eat your cold toast or else.” Kacey sniffed and wiped her eyes.  Reaching for a piece of toast she replied “Yes ma’am.” * Harry was beside himself with worry.  He was unable to sleep.  He barely ate—he couldn’t taste the food anyway.  Anne was concerned but nothing she did could soothe him.   When he couldn’t find Kacey he had called Jeff.  Jeff had hired a private investigator to look for her while Harry had filed a missing person’s report with the police.  It had been ten days and the only thing he had learned was that her passport showed that she had left London on January 3rd on a flight to Boston.  The investigator had a colleague in the US keeping an eye on her house but, though Laura went in and out, Kacey had not been seen.   It was 7am on Thursday morning and Harry was sitting in his kitchen while Anne was making him breakfast.   Gemma had stopped by on her way to work and he looked up as she walked in.  Her face was serious and, in lieu of greeting, she held out her phone to him.  Harry glanced down to see a video paused on YouTube.  He looked at her, confused.  She tapped play and put her arm around him as the video began. Jimmy Fallon was looking onto the camera from the desk on his set. “And now we have a very special musical guest tonight.  For the first time anywhere, Ms. Kacey Day!” The camera panned to the musical stage and Kacey was standing alone at a microphone.  Harry’s eyes were wide as he paused the video to look at her.  She was very thin, the hollows of her cheeks pronounced and her dress, her favorite pink one, was hanging loosely.  Despite the makeup he could see the circles under her eyes.  He touched the screen gently with his finger, stroking her face.  Pressing play once more, he saw her smile slightly and say “The moral of this story is:  never make a bet with Fallon.”  Jimmy and the audience laughed and the band began to play a slow song. Harry’s eyes grew wide as he recognized it.

“I don’t ever ask you where you’ve been And I don’t feel the need to know who you’re with I can’t even think straight, but I can tell That you were just with her And I’ll still be a fool I’m a fool for you”

Kacey’s voice was clear and mournful and she looked directly into the camera---she was singing to him.   Harry only realized that he was crying when the first tear hit the screen.  As she got to the chorus, he could see tears welling in her eyes.  Her voice had a slight tremor as she sang

“Just a little bit of your heart, just a little bit of your heart Just a little bit of your heart is all I want Just a little bit of your heart, just a little bit of your heart Just a little bit is all I’m asking for”

When she got to the bridge she changed the words slightly, her voice breaking as she looked directly into the camera and sang:

“I know I’m not your only, but at least I was one I heard a little love is better than none Oh babe”

She got to the final chorus the tears flowing unheeded and the last line was almost lost to a sob.   Before the final notes faded Kacey turned and walked off the stage.  There was silence in the studio.   Harry stopped the video.  Gemma hugged him tightly.   “Was this last night?” he asked hopeful.  “Maybe I can catch her!  Jeff’s in LA, he can go find her and—“ “I called Jeff as soon as I saw this.  She went straight to LAX after walking off the set.  He doesn’t know where she went from there,” Gemma said quietly. * “Kacey please don’t go back there yet; just stay here a little bit longer,” Laura implored. “Laura, I need to go back to get my laptop.  I don’t know what I was thinking to not bring it.  My outlines are all on there, some pieces that I need are on there,” Kacey explained.   “I’ll call Harry and have him ship it to me and then we’ll sit down and I will teach you to use the cloud.” “I don’t trust the cloud.  People get hacked all the time.  I don’t want anyone to steal my ideas, they are all I have!” Kacey said more forcefully than she intended.  She softened her tone and said “I’ll be okay.  I’ll just slip in while he is doing James’ show and get my computer and the rest of my clothes. It’ll be quick and then I’ll come back home.  Who knows, maybe I’ll stay in America now.  There’s nothing for me in England anymore.” * Kacey had waited until 345 to go to Harry’s house to retrieve the rest of her things.  He was out doing his first solo interview on James’ special series of shows for Sky TV.  She knew that he would be gone until at least 6, later if he and James went to dinner, so she should have plenty of time to get her things without encountering him.  She hoped he hadn’t changed the security codes.  She also hoped that he had no female company waiting for him to return.  She parked her mini across the street from his house grabbing her keys but locking her purse in the car.  She had brought a duffel bag to pack the rest of her clothes in and she held that in her hand as she waited for the traffic to clear so that she could cross the street.  Stopping at the security door, she entered the passcode and held her breath.  The lock released and she opened the door and walked through.  She gave the door a little push to close it and moved to the French doors, inputting the security code to unlock them.  Again the lock released and she had just pulled the door open when she heard a noise behind her.  Turning around, she heard a shout and felt a blinding pain in her forehead. Kacey put her hand to her head as she staggered backwards through the doors into the dining room.  She stumbled and would have fallen but she grabbed the wall and then the chair.  She didn’t know what had happened.  Blood was running down her face and there was a roaring in her ears.  She was reaching up to touch her forehead again when she felt another sharp pain in her shoulder.  Her arm fell limp against her side.  She tried to raise it but the pain caused her to cry out.  She was disoriented and did not have enough time to register the fist that hit her cheek.  The force of the blow spun her and she lost her balance, falling to the floor.  She was trying to get her bearings when all the breath left her body in a huff as a foot stomped down on her abdomen.  She could not breathe, the spasm in her diaphragm not allowing her to inhale.  More sharp pains as she heard her ribs crack from several kicks.  She was doubled over in a fetal position trying to pull air into her lungs, too stunned to be afraid. Her adrenaline kicked in sending an override to the muscles and she was at last able to draw a breath.   The roaring in her ears had lessened and she could hear a female voice yelling at her.  Her head was lifted as someone grabbed her hair and pulled.  She was being dragged through the house.   The adrenaline coursing through her hit her brain and sharpened her focus.  She could hear some of the words floating down to her; ‘You’re not good enough for him’, ‘He deserves better’, ‘He’s been so sad’. Oh no! She’s talking about Harry.  She’s a fan! And she’s inside the house! As more words registered she realized that this female was going to wait for Harry.  And she grasped that the girl was going to kill her.  Terror ripped through her.  NO! She didn’t want to die. Kacey’s head hit the floor as the girl let go of her hair.  She tried to roll away from her but was stopped by a searing pain in her abdomen.  She saw the girl drawing her hand back, a bloody knife in her grasp.  Trying to breathe through the pain, she felt another sharp blow to her thigh.   She was just able to make out movement and threw her arm up to block another strike, screaming as the knife slashed her skin.  The knife, slick with Kacey’s blood, slipped from the girl’s grasp and fell to the floor.  Enraged, she grabbed her injured arm and shoulder yanked her up; Kacey almost passed out from the pain.  They were in the middle of the lounge, Kacey barely able to stand when the girl delivered another punch to her face.  Kacey fell at the edge of the couch landing on the damaged shoulder and screamed once again.  She lay there while the girl ranted above her.   Kacey could feel the blood flowing out of her at an alarming rate but the pain was fading.  She could see darkness at the edge of her field of vision but she fought it; she had to get help.  She had to get help for Harry.  He was going to walk in and find her like this and he would not see the girl waiting for him.  In his panic he would not say the right things and she would attack him too.  Kacey could not let that happen; as long as she lived she would protect him.  An image formed in Kacey’s mind of the panic button under the table next to the sofa.  Using her good arm she began inching towards it, her progress slow but steady.  Blood was running down her face and it was beginning to swell making it difficult to see, but she kept going.  Too soon the girl noticed her movement and shrieked at her.  Grabbing the knife she brandished it in front of Kacey’s face then, with a particularly vicious grin, sliced her cheek open. “Now he’ll never want you,” she proclaimed with satisfaction. Kacey barely felt it—she was going into shock.  Her attacker got down on her knees and raised the knife above her head, ready for the big finish.  Kacey knew she had one last chance, if she missed then she would die before she could summon help.  The girl leaned closer and Kacey struck with all her might, the heel of her palm connecting with the girl’s nose.  Kacey heard the crack as the cartilage broke and the girl fell backwards, unconscious.  A small sob escaped her lips, and she breathed a word of thanks.  The darkness was creeping in as she reached out and her fingers found the button.  She pressed it just as her vision went black, her last thought was of Harry.