#also yeah at first i just put mr nolan and then i was gonna change it but i couldn't come up with anything so i am christopher's teacher 😌 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

noelliza · 3 years

Text

The Pursuit of Two Left Feet Ch 1 - Anderperry

Hello! I started a cute anderperry fic that includes dancing and sneaking out to an underground swing dance club. Thank you @poetrusicperry for the idea! This is the first part out of two. You can also read this on ao3 here. Enjoy! :)

Part 2

“Charlie, no.”

“Charlie, yes!”

Neil rolls his eyes in exasperation, convinced that his best friend has finally lost his mind. “How the hell do you think we could get away with this? It’s one thing to sneak out to the cave, but another to sneak out into town!”

“Neil, you doubt my abilities, it’ll be fine! Meeks is a genius, and he can help me work the whole thing out,” Charlie says, trying to appease him.

“So you don’t even have a plan?” Neil asks incredulously.

Charlie leans over conspiratorially. “Yet,” he says with a wink.

“Well let me know what you come up with, it’ll be a good laugh.”

“You bet. Later, party pooper.”

Neil huffs and shuts the door, walking over to his closet to grab his night clothes.

“So uh… what was Charlie on about this time?” Todd asks from his bed, closing the book he was reading.

“Something totally ridiculous,” Neil says.

Neil realizes from Todd’s silence that his paranoia is creeping in, assuming that Neil’s vague answer is him not wanting to fill Todd in on their conversation. Hastily, he turns to look at Todd and gives him a reassuring smile.

“He wants us all to sneak out and go dancing at a club in town. But there’s no way we could pull that off,” he explains.

He watches as Todd’s body relaxes at his words, the tension leaving his features to form a shy smile. “I don't know… Charlie somehow always finds a way,” he says, holding Neil’s gaze for a moment before returning to his book.

Neil laughs, beginning to unbutton his shirt. “So far he has, but one day he’s bound to get caught. I’m all for mischief, but I think this is pushing it.”

“Since when does Charlie not push anything?”

“You always make a great point,” Neil says fondly, rushing over to ruffle Todd’s hair before he can stop him.

Neil finishes changing and leaps onto his bed, landing on his back with a relieved sigh, the weight of the day leaving his body. Today Neil was moving nonstop with soccer practice, math club, and chemistry club that he hasn’t had a moment to breathe in the last 13 hours.

Neil turns his head towards Todd to glance at the cover of his book. He instantly recognizes it as Fahrenheit 451, which is a book he’s been wanting to read but never dared to buy in fear of his father finding it. He’s afraid of Neil ever discovering new ideas, diverting from the cut path he’s had him set on since birth. His father would be disappointed to know that Neil has been forming his own beliefs and sentiments for a long time now. He refuses to live a meaningless life, void of passion and love. But, he doesn’t want to create suspicion, so he doesn’t discuss anything that his father could potentially disapprove of.

“So, are you gonna go?” Todd asks.

“As if I have a choice. If I thought for even a second Charlie would let me get out of it, I’d be the dumbest person on the planet.”

Todd lets out a beautiful, warm laugh, his eyes wrinkling into a bright smile. It’s rare Neil gets to see it, and he’s grateful every single time he does.

“Are you?”

Todd falters, his smile falling slightly. Neil’s heart hurts at the sight. “Well... am I… invited?”

“Todd, of course you are,” Neil says gently, knowing that sometimes Todd needs reassurance.

“Then, uh, yeah I’m coming,” Todd says, his voice shaking slightly.

He knows what a big deal it is that Todd is willing to break the rules to be included, and he’s glad that he’s starting to feel like he truly belongs.

Neil has always loved dancing—almost as much as acting. Letting your body move to the beat of the music, allowing the sound to fill you and set your mind free, all the thoughts and obligations draining out of you. He feels light, like no worries or obligations ever existed in the first place. So of course at the sound of Charlie’s idea, his heart sings at the opportunity to go, but he knows if he got caught that would be his father’s last straw. He can’t risk his father pulling him out to send him to military school, away from the few things, or people, who are vital parts of his life.

He loves his poets more than anything, talking to them is his favorite part of any day. Charlie is his best friend, without his crude jokes and lawless energy, school would be utterly dull. Mr. Keating is the reason Neil feels inspired, like he has a chance at living a fulfilling life. The hope that had once been squashed down into nothing by his father was taking root once again, the weed never having been truly destroyed. However, Neil doesn’t know how he’s going to do it—betray his father and live the life he desires—but the thought that he will one day is what keeps him going.

And Todd. Todd is everything. He’s the air he breathes, the light shining through the murky tunnel, and the monologue to his play in an empty crowd. If he never got to see Todd’s furrowed brows while deep in thought, or his bright, infectious smile again, Neil’s world would crumble on top of him, leaving him to suffocate, entrapped in everlasting misery.

Neil envisions stepping onto a crowded dance floor with Todd’s hand in his, his heart swelling with joy. He hears Etta James’ “At Last” filling the room, the sound of the violin strumming the chords of his heart as they sway together. This picture makes Neil yearn for the opportunity to go dancing with the poets, but he knows it's only a mere fantasy, and nothing more.

At the mention of this, however, Charlie wasn’t willing to accept that; he doesn’t understand that it’s just not doable, it’s out of reach. The town is too far, they would never make it back to the school before a teacher discovered their absences. Once he said it, Charlie wouldn’t let it go, and Neil had to grudgingly accept that it had officially been put in motion.

“Good. Let’s just hope Charlie doesn’t fuck it up,” Neil says, settling into bed.

Todd laughs and moves to set his book aside but Neil stops him. “No it’s okay, I’m so tired I could fall asleep through Charlie’s snores right now. Keep reading.” Neil finishes with a mumble, turning toward the wall.

“…Y-you sure?” He asks hesitantly.

“Of course, don’t be silly. Good night Todd,” Neil murmurs, already beginning to doze off.

“Good night, Neil,” Todd says softly, his voice. A few seconds go by and Neil can sense the light of the room behind his eyelids, and he smiles to himself. It’s good to see Todd doing more things for himself, not sacrificing every bit of himself for the sake of others. It makes Neil’s heart full, knowing Todd is finally coming into himself, growing to be the person Neil always saw inside him that was crying to be let out into the world.

Neil quickly falls asleep, the image of swinging Todd around the dance floor, his untamable laughter echoing through the room filling his thoughts.

***

Neil’s studying Chemistry in his room when Charlie barges in, a dangerous grin spread across his face. Neil shudders, knowing that expression all too well.

Charlie settles himself on Neil’s bed, leaning his head back on his hands with one leg crossed over the other. “We’ve got ourselves a full-proof plan.”

Neil scoffs, disbelieving. “Yeah right. It hasn’t even been a full day.”

“Well, it just shows you we’re that good,” Charlie says smugly.

“Or, you’re too sloppy, missing some of the potential obstacles,” Neil says shortly, looking back down at his book.

“Not in this case! All of those have been strategically avoided. We’re all set to go this weekend!” He affirms.

“So, aren’t you going to tell me all about your ingenious plan?”

Charlie laughs. “No, because you’ll obsess over it trying to find a mistake. And there’s no need to, because it’ll work out.”

“Like the time you broke into Nolan’s office and left rotten eggs only for him to have seen you walk right out of the door?” Neil says, raising an incredulous eyebrow.

“That was one time!” Charlie objects. “And I was a complete amateur back then. Right now, you’re speaking to an expert of mischief.”

“Dear Lord, help us all,” Neil groans.

“Hey, Jesus didn’t assist with this plan, so he doesn’t need to be involved.”

Neil just sighs, not deigning to respond.

“So, have you planned your dance with Todd? How are you going to ask him? ‘Todd Anderson, the love of my life, will you do me the honor of dancing the night away with me?’” Charlie teases with a crooked smile.

Neil throws a pencil at him, his cheeks flushing. “Shut up, I wouldn’t ask him like that.”

“Well, you have four more days to think about it.”

“I doubt he’ll even want to,” Neil sighs.

Charlie scoffs, arching his brow. “Yeah, that's as likely as Nolan and Keating becoming lovers.”

“Thank you for that horrible image,” Neil says with a grimace, earning a laugh from Charlie.

“You’re welcome.”

Neil shakes his head, wanting to get straight to the important details. “So who’s coming along?”

“Meeks and Pitts, Todd obviously. As soon as I told Knox he could bring Chris, he was in.”

“And Cameron?” Neil asks resignedly, already knowing what his answer will be.

“As in Richard Cameron? Dick up my ass? And not the good kind,” Charlie snorts.

“Uh, yes, him. The only Cameron we know, did you ask him?” He pushes, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

Charlie huffs a laugh. “Ask him if he was dropped at birth? No, but I’ve been pretty close.”

“You know what I meant,” Neil says, looking at him firmly.

Charlie avoids his gaze, guilt flashing across his face for a moment. “No, I haven’t…”

“Charlie—”

“Nuwanda!”

Neil takes a deep breath to calm himself. “Nuwanda,” he says pointedly, to which Charlie gives an approving nod. “Come on, you gotta invite him or I will. You know I don’t like excluding anyone. It’s not right.”

“I know, I know, you’re a better person than the rest of us. I’ll mention it, letting him know that the chances we’ll get caught are very, very high—” Charlie cuts off at Neil’s reproving look. “Fine,” Charlie says with a tired, dramatic sigh. “But if he finks, it’s on you!”

“Alright that’s fine, but I really doubt he will. He has no reason to,” Neil says.

“You always give people the benefit of the doubt,” Charlie says, and Neil shrugs helplessly, unable to deny it. “But, I happen to like that about you,” Charlie finishes, grinning.

Neil rolls his eyes playfully. “Good to know, but if you want me to tell you I like how rash and rebellious you are, I’m not planning to.”

Charlie laughs as the door swings open, revealing Todd who briefly glances at the pair before walking over his desk to drop off his bag. Charlie walks over to him, placing his hands on his shoulders and shaking him lightly.

“Toddie! Ready for Friday?” Charlie asks, his excitement spilling out of him.

Todd chuckles, craning his neck to look back at Charlie. “I— yeah I am.”

Charlie whoops, giving Todd’s shoulders a final pat before bouncing back towards Neil, getting way too far into his personal space. “It’ll be fun!”

“When is anything you’re involved in not fun?” Neil asks dryly.

“That’s the spirit!” He shouts triumphantly before bounding out of the room.

“Make sure you talk to Cameron!” Neil shouts after him despite knowing Charlie most likely won’t hear him. With the amount of energy radiating off him, he’s probably halfway down the hall by now. Todd laughs softly and heads over to his bed, opening up a book as he leans his back against the wall.

Neil looks back down at his book, trying with every cell in his brain to comprehend the material. It’s been much more difficult lately to study as the pressure of finals looms over him and the voice of his father invading his mind, telling him he’s not working hard enough. He’s been trying to overcompensate by spending more of his time focusing on his studies, but so far Neil has felt more exhausted than ever, almost falling asleep on his textbook a few times this past week. Charlie caught him after the third time, insisting that it was enough and Neil needed a break. But Charlie didn’t understand what it was like having a father with outrageous expectations. Neil has to put every bit of his time and energy into his studies in order to meet the bare minimum, or else his father will accuse him of slacking off.

Neil turns the page, barely remembering any of the words he just read. He can feel Todd’s stare from the bed, and he knows Todd is most likely considering saying something. He pretends not to notice, not wanting to open this can of worms with him. With just a few words, Todd can convince him of anything, and if he urges him to take a break, Neil knows he won’t be able to refuse--he’ll fold like a deck of cards. But he can’t afford that right now, so he doesn’t budge.

After a few moments, Todd turns away and grabs his book from the nightstand to continue reading. Neil is conflicted, part of him glad Todd didn’t press the issue while the other aches for him to say something, anything to pull him out of this state of mind.

They stay like that for a while—Neil loses track of the time—and then, Todd breaks the silence.

“So, uh, I think Meeks is having a study group for Latin tonight. Are you coming?” He asks, closing the book he was reading.

“I don’t know… I think I’m gonna skip out on it,” Neil says, ruefully.

Todd pauses. “Why?”

“I gotta do some history,” he lies, keeping his head down to avoid Todd’s eyes.

“B-but we just had a test yesterday, we haven’t learned anything new. And you always go to the study groups.”

“Well, I’m just trying to get ahead.”

Todd makes a noise of disappointment that pains him. “But—”

“Todd,” Neil cuts in, harsher than he intended, “just, drop it. Please.”

Todd doesn't respond, returning to his book silently. Neil feels awful talking to him like that, so dismissive. He doesn’t know why he’s doing it to himself, but he feels out of control. It’s like the words are coming out for him, the flood bypassing the barriers he’s placed in his mind.

After a while, Todd gets up to go meet up with the other Poets, grabbing his books and putting them in his bag. He hears Todd hesitate at the door before leaving, presumably deciding not to bother Neil again.

The second the door shuts, a wave of guild floods over Neil, settling in his chest. He rests his head in his hands, trying to take deep breaths.

It’s fine. He’s too busy for study groups right now, it’s not a big deal. There will always be more. He’s not avoiding his friends because he thinks he doesn’t deserve them. Neil just needs to focus on his own studies right now, to make his father proud. After a few seconds, he lifts his head and gets back to work, ignoring the pounding headache and the heaviness of his eyelids…

“Neil?”

Neil jolts awake, lifting his head to look around and realizing he’s still at his desk, his drool soaking into the corner of his notebook page. He sees Todd standing above him, his expression filled with concern. His brows are furrowed in that way he does when he’s trying to solve something, and he has the impulse to smooth it out with his thumb, just the gentlest touch. But the familiar, demanding voice in his head prevents him from doing that.

“Hey! How’d it go?” Neil asks, false brightness in his tone.

Todd’s face doesn’t change, still searching his features as if the answer is hidden in them. “Uh, good,” he says, breaking his gaze away and walking towards his closet. “I’m still struggling, but Meeks helped me understand it a bit better at least.”

“Oh good, I’m glad!” Neil says, forcing a cheery smile.

Neil doesn’t move from his desk as Todd shuffles around the room, getting changed for bed. As Todd is pulling his shirt off, Neil blinks back to reality, looking away to hastily pack up his things. He feels Todd’s eyes again, and Neil has to fight against the pull to meet his gaze. He puts his books on the shelf, the silence in the room stretching longer with every taken breath.

“Charlie accused me of drugging you and locking you in our room,” Todd says after a few minutes, breaking the tension filling the room.

“It’s probably because he’s more likely to do that to someone,” Neil replies, laughing faintly at the thought.

“I’m sure he’s already done it to Cameron.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Neil says with a sigh.

The silence creeps back in, louder than he’s ever heard it.

“There’s gonna be another one tomorrow night,” Todd says, his voice level with the smallest hint of hope peeking through.

“I don’t think I can go to any this week. Maybe next week,” Neil says weakly, quickly making for the bathroom to escape the awkwardness.

He hates doing this. He knows it hurts Todd and the other poets, as well as himself. But if he lets himself get distracted then he won’t make it through finals. For once, Neil just wants to make his father proud.

When he returns, the lights are out, Todd’s breathing slow and even.

***

That next night when Todd is about to leave for study group, Neil busies himself in his Latin textbook, hoping he won’t hassle him about coming along. If he does, it’ll be even harder to refuse him. He hears Todd walk toward the door when suddenly, Neil’s book is stripped away from him, slammed shut and thrown onto his bed. He looks up and Todd is standing above him, looking nervous but resolute, a fierceness in his eyes. Neil meets his gaze, bewildered.

“Todd, what—”

“We’re going for a walk.”

“But I have—”

“It’s a nice night.”

“Todd.”

“Neil,” Todd says firmly, his tone grabbing Neil’s attention. Neil stares, unable to break away from the set look on Todd’s face. One look into those warm, soft eyes is enough to make Neil forget why he insisted on studying in the first place.

“I kind of like when you tell me what to do. Tell me something else,” he says, his mouth curling upward.

Todd flushes, turning away. “N-not right now. Just put your jacket on.”

“You got it,” Neil winks, grabbing his coat and following Todd out the door.

Together, they walk down the hallway and Todd leads him outside, the rush of crisp, winter air refreshing on his skin. Neil didn’t realize how suffocating his room was until now, his lungs filled by the outdoors. He feels like his mind is being pulled out of the mud, regaining his senses, his rational thoughts. Why was he cooping himself in his room?

“Thank you, I needed this,” Neil beams, feeling grateful Todd managed to drag him out here. Sometimes, Neil wonders how he managed to survive this long without Todd in his life—before this school year, just a few short months ago.

Todd nods, keeping his head towards the ground, his hands shoved in his jacket pockets. He’s so adorable, Neil can’t handle it. He wishes he had the words, or the drawing skills to capture this sight forever, something he could hold onto and never let go.

“So… are we going anywhere in particular?” Neil asks, unable to help himself. His silences with Todd are always comfortable, but his curiosity is buzzing, eager to know their designation.

“Maybe,” Todd says coyly.

“Come on, Todd, you’re a poet! I know you can be more descriptive than that,” he teases.

“Y-yeah I know I can. I’m… I’m choosing not to.”

Neil’s smile gradually grows wide. “Alright, I can accept that answer. As long as you’re sure.”

“I am,” he says.

Neil laughs softly in response, his heart aching. He looks around, taking in the dark figures of the trees, listening to the whispers of night as it awakens, the faint hum of life, and feeling the gentle movement of wind caressing his skin. It feels like a dance of itself, moving to the beat of its own sound, the music of the forest.

“You know, everytime we sneak out to the cave, none of us ever actually take time to really absorb our surroundings.”

“Yeah, I think because of the chances we’ll get caught if we’re out here,” Todd says, briefly glancing upward to the sky.

Neil chuckles, “True, but we’ve been really missing out.”

“Yeah.”

They continue their trek, the sounds of their footsteps on the ground echoing around them.

“You know, I never used to like the dark, but something about the woods at this hour is so peaceful,” Neil muses, looking up at the moon shining through the trees. Todd hums in response.

“I… I’ve always liked the dark,” Todd adds after a few beats.

Neil turns to him, but can’t catch his eye as Todd is looking resolutely ahead. “Have you?” He says, the corner of his mouth quirking up.

Todd nods, “I—it was comforting…” he says reluctantly, as if more words are bubbling inside him, but he’s scared to let them out.

“I was always afraid of it as a kid. When I was in trouble, my father would put me in the coat closet to have me think about what I had done. I felt like it was eventually going to swallow me whole,“ Neil shares softly, hoping it’ll encourage Todd to speak about it.

Todd lets out a harsh breath, as he already knows how horrible Neil’s father is. Neil glances at Todd again, unable to help it, and nudges him lightly. “Why do you find it comforting?” He asks gently.

Todd keeps his eyes glued to his feet, presumably focusing on his footsteps as he considers what to say. Over the last few months, Neil has begun to catch onto Todd’s small mannerisms. When he’s anxious over an upcoming event, he’ll pick at the hems of his clothes. When he doesn’t want to say yes to something, his eyes widen in the slightest bit and he’ll look sideways, as if he’ll find a proper excuse. The one Neil finds most endearing is when he’s given a compliment, Todd bites the inside of his lip and glances downward.

“I was afraid of it too, actually,” he starts, his breath a bit shaky, “I thought there were monsters in the dark. At least, that's what some of the others at school used to say. But then one night, there was a power outage at my house. It—it happened right after my parents lectured me for not making the baseball team,” Todd pauses, taking a deep breath. Neil waits patiently, holding onto his every word dearly.

“I… I was in my room, alone, in the dark… and I realized it… it made me feel less lonely. I couldn't see the emptiness of the room. I could only hear my breath and my heartbeat. It was… calming,” he finishes in a whisper, only heard by Neil and the hush of the delicate wind.

Neil feels the breath in his lungs being snatched away, and he swallows back a sob threatening to escape him, not wanting to make Todd feel guilty for sharing about his past. Everytime Neil hears something new about Todd’s horrible childhood, his heart tears further apart. He wishes he could strip him of that pain and take it for himself, easing him of that burden.

“I can understand that,” Neil says, making an effort to keep his voice even. “Just… I hope you know you’re not alone anymore, right?”

“Y-yeah I know,” Todd says.

“Good,” Neil breathes, hoping Todd meant it.

They approach a clearing, and it’s one Neil has never seen before. It’s wide, the surrounding trees acting as a safe cocoon. The closer they get, the more he sees the flickering lights blinking through the air, dotting the open space. Fireflies.

“Here we are,” Todd says, a shy smile gracing his face.

Neil walks towards the center, spinning as he gazes around. “How did you find this place?” Neil says, feeling dizzy yet unbound, like he could fly straight to the moon without wings.

“I-I go on walks sometimes… when I need to think. One night, I saw the fireflies… and they led me here.”

“Amazing,” he says, his voice soft as a whisper, watching a firefly buzzing past him in awe. He’s never seen one so up close before, but they’re mesmerizing. Neil doesn’t want to look away.

“Y-yeah, it is.”

Neil wanders around the space, letting his body move on its own accord as his eyes follow the various glowing bodies traveling in every direction. He hums absently, the chorus of a song stuck in his head. He feels Todd’s eyes on him as he walks, and his face burns.

“‘The Twelfth of Never’?” Todd asks.

Neil stops and looks at him, the sight of Todd lit up by the scattering bugs making him weak at the knees. “Yeah, you know it?”

Todd nods. “Mhm, it… it was my favorite song a few summers back. I snuck the vinyl from Jeffey’s room and played it w-when no one was around.”

Neil takes a step towards him. “You ask how much I need you, must I explain?” he sings.

Todd’s eyes widen, his face vulnerable and open. Neil smiles warmly. “I know you’re more of a poet, Whitman, but... join me?” He asks, hopeful.

Todd blinks, looking unsure. After Neil quirks an amused smile, he gives in with a harmless eye roll. “I need you, oh my darling,” he mumbles, looking away as Neil approaches him.

“…like roses need rain.”

Once Neil is standing in front of him, he holds out his hand. “May I?”

Todd looks back at him and pauses as he notices his outstretched hand. Slowly, he reaches out his hand and places it gently in Neil’s palm, allowing him to grasp it. He leads them to the center, placing his other hand on Todd’s waist. They stare at each other for a moment before Neil starts to move his feet. He keeps the pace slow in order to give Todd time used to it, and gradually, they make circles around the clearing.

“W-where did you learn to dance?” Todd asks breathlessly, his eyes shining.

“My father made me do cotillion when I was nine. I hated everything about it except for this,” he says, his eyes focused on Todd’s expression.

“You’re really good,” Todd says with a faint laugh, fumbling to keep up. Neil tightens his grip on Todd’s waist the slightest bit, keeping him in place as they glide.

“You ask how long I’ll love you, I’ll tell you true…” Neil spins him around, eliciting a startled laugh out of Todd that makes his heart swoon.

“Until the twelfth of never, I'll still be loving you,” Todd sings back through his giggles.

“Hold me close.” Neil dips Todd suddenly, leaning over to catch a close look at his eyes.

“Never let me go,” Todd adds, looking at Neil as if to say he means it literally.

“Oh, I’d never,” Neil smiles, holding the position for a beat longer before pulling him back up.

They go on, waltzing around the space as if the leaves are harps and the forest is a string orchestra, playing the melodic tune of the music in the expanse and beyond. Neil is so enraptured with the pure joy on Todd’s face that he hardly registers when Todd steps on his feet a few times. He’ll take all the foot pain to have Todd look at him like that.

“I'll love you till the poets run out of rhyme.”

“Until the twelfth of never and that's a long, long time,” Todd sings softly, finishing in a whisper as they slowly come to a stop. Suddenly, all the movement of the woods cease, the air stilling. Neil can feel Todd’s soft breath, feeling his head spin as Todd blinks slowly, the light making his eyes glisten. He’s absolutely, and utterly breathtaking.

Neil’s heart and every muscle of his body know what he aches to do, encouraging him to give in to the desire. The craving in his heart for months, buried under bouts of doubt and self loathing. Do it, he thinks, imploring himself to be brave, seize the day.

Then, the snap of a branch makes them jolt apart, the world returning to its place with a crack. Neil clears his throat. “Thank you for showing me this place, Todd. I really appreciate it.”

“Course,” Todd nods stiffly, averting his gaze as a blush creeps up his neck.

The pair walk back the same way they came, the atmosphere now charged with an energy between them. Neither dare to speak a word, feeling silenced by the gust of the wind.

Neil lays awake that night for hours, the vision of his lips on Todd’s coursing through his mind until he’s eventually pulled into sleep.

Part 2

#dead poets society #anderperry #todd anderson #neil perry #dps fandom #dps fic #dps #todd and neil #todd x neil #anderperry fic #anderperry fanfic #fluff

36 notes · View notes

365days365movies · 3 years

Text

January 15, 2021: Casino Royale (2006) (Part 1)

So...we meet again, Bond. What’ve you been doing for the past few years?

...What. Not who, James, WHAT. Jeez.

Whatever. BrosBond had 3 movies after GoldenEye, and they were...not great, from what I’ve heard. Remember, I wasn’t as big of a fan of GoldenEye as many critics and fans were; so, I can’t imagine what I’d think of the latter three. Maybe one day, but not today!

Today, I’m focusing my sights on the revitalization of the brand. See, in 2002, Die Another Day came out, and that movie was apparently crazy. TOO crazy. So crazy, in fact, that audiences and critics accused it of losing the plot, and the production studio in charge (Eon Productions) had a yearning to change direction. And their inspiration came from...a surprising place.

See, Joel Schumacher’s campy, over-the-top Batman films were basically wiped out by Christopher Nolan’s 2005 reinvention of the character in Batman Begins. Which is, in my opinion, a highly underrated classic, Seriously. And in 2005, this film was absolutely a smash-hit. Batman was cool again, which a lot of people never thought would happen in film. Eon saw this, and thought...how can we apply that to Bond?

Out with Brosnan...in with Craig.

The first of the new, darker, reinvented Bond films is planned for release in 2006, starring Daniel Craig as the suave, sophisticated spy. And the director of the film was selected to be...Martin Campbell? From GoldenEye? The guy who kinda sorta started the modern over-the-top Bond? Really? I mean, OK. The writers this time are different...except for one. I didn’t talk about the writers last time because I don’t like putting people on blast if I don’t gotta. This time...maybe. We’ll see.

If this Casino Royale is basically Bond Begins, I’m definitely interested. Maybe this’ll revitalize that Bond-love from the Connery days. Let’s find out! We’re also gonna look at the Bond checklist again!

Gadgets: better have more cool gadgets than GoldenEye, I swear...

Bond Girl: GoldenEye’s Natalya wasn’t bad, to be honest; let’s see who his Inevitable Love Interest is this time.

Villain: Alec Trevelyan had so much potential. I need my dastardly villain, let’s do this. Oh, and let’s throw the henchman in here, too. Xenia Onatopp was...a lot...but she was a memorable henchman, at least.

Music: Of course. GoldenEye’s theme was good, and we’ll see how 2006 does.

OK, movie time. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap

We start at an office building in Prague, where a man makes his way up to his office. Waiting there for him is, of course, James Bond (Daniel Craig). The man is Dryden, section chief at the British Embassy in Prague, whom M has accused of selling secrets, a big no-no. But Bond...isn’t a double-0 agent. Huh. You got me interested.

Apparently, agents get the two zeroes once they’ve killed two people on file. James hadn’t killed anyone...until recently. Which is when we get this.

OH SHIT

This is an absolutely BRUTAL fight. It’s not choreographed flashily, it’s not pretty...it’s rough. It’s intense. And it’s...oh my God, wow. Made me feel it. And what’s astonishing is that it’s SO short.

On learning this, Dryden tells him not to worry, the second one is...

...YOU GOT ME. I’M IN FOR THE FUCKIN’ RIDE

HOW??? How is it that in 3 minutes of screentime, I’m already more satisfied by Craig’s Bond than I was for the ENTIRETY of GoldenEye? That is masterfully done, right off the bat. WOW. We even get a smooth-as-silk segue into the classic bullet turret sequence, and that takes us right into the song and opening credits. And...wow.

youtube

Here’s the thing about Bond openings, as I mentioned last time: they were all directed by one guy up until GoldenEye, and were basically all silhouetted women with themes and scenes from the movie projected around them. The Brosnan movies followed suit, always having silhouetted women in one way or another. Die Another Day used CGI women and...a really bad Madonna song. It was...it is NOT GOOD, guys. Look it up, it’s the most 2002 thing I’ve ever heard.

But here’s the fin bit about Casino Royale. This is the first Bond movie opening with no women in it. Yeah. It’s the first one. And the song is Chris Cornell’s You Know My Name, and it’s good! Not sure it’s going in my soundtrack, though.

Finally, the opening credits sequence itself: it’s once again Daniel Kleinman doing it, and it’s actually inspired by the first James Bond book Casino Royale, which had already had a TV special and unofficial Bond movie made from it! The cover had a playing card motif, and the opening carries over that motif creatively. I really dig it, if I’m honest! Definitely a welcome break from the 44 years of Bond films preceding it.

Uganda! And we meet the villain of this film: Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen). And GODDAMN if that isn’t a Bond villain! He’s a banker, making a deal with a rebel leader, Steven Obanno (Isaach de Bankole), via their liason Mr. White (Jesper Christiensen). Setting up an attack by supplying Obanno with money, he sells his stocks of a company called Skyfleet, knowing that they’re about to fail.

Meanwhile, a ferret’s fighting an Asian species of cobra. In Madagascar. My zoology senses are EXPLODING, OH my God. So much wrong there. Anyway, there’s a bombmaker in the crowd watching the fight. He’s being tailed by Bond and another agent, Carter, who tips off the guy by being a bad spy. Bond chases him to a construction yard. What now, James?

Awesome. Why is this awesome when I said that the tank was dumb? Because at least it makes sense for a bulldozer to go haywire in a construction yard, just sayin’. Plus, this dude clearly isn’t the best, as he fires on construction workers and cops.

Eventually, this chase sequence brings us to the top of a crane, where this exchange happens.

I, uh...I love this movie already. That’s goddamn great.

The chase scene as a whole is also fantastic, as it continues off the bridge and into an abandoned building, then escalates into the streets, brings in law enforcement, and eventually ends with Bond at an embassy, facing down both the military and the bomb maker. He kills the guy, shoots some gas tanks, grabs the bomb, and then gets the hell out of there.

...Y’know what, that was fucking amazing, but he also almost certainly caused an international incident there. And I should be annoyed about that, but guess what! It makes sense! This is an inexperienced Bond, one who’s JUST been promoted to 00 status as 007, as the prologue explained. So, y’know what? I’m into it!

Cut to a yacht, like you do in a Martin Campbell Bond film. There, we have our villain, Le Chiffre, playing a card game. Also, he weeps blood. Yeah. HE WEEPS BLOOD.

OK, if that isn’t some Bond villain shit, I don’t know WHAT is. He’s also asthmatic, because I love it. I love it so much. He’s a mathematically-brilliant asthmatic that weeps blood. More, please.

He’s also a person aware of what Bond did at the embassy, as it’s already become an international incident! Thank you for showing consequences, movie! Damn! I love it! This has two additional consequences. One, Le Chiffre notes that the code “Ellipsis” used by the bomber may be soon to expire, indicating a connection between the two. And the second consequence? M’s pissed.

M! DAME JUDI DENCH! One of my favorite things about GoldenEye was bringing in Judi Dench as M, and she made it through the reboot! And she’s still as entertaining as she was before, calling Bond out for his stupidity, and explaining that she misses the Cold War.

In her apartment, M does her normal exposition schtick, and her interactions with Bond are fantastic here. She’s understandably angry at him, and gives him what for, but she’s also clearly impressed that he FIGURED OUT WHERE SHE LIVES, as well as her REAL NAME. Shows her opinion of Bond and aspects of Bond’s character in a single, masterful stroke.

Well. Goddamn. Done.

The Bahamas! Bond’s here to find Alex Dimitrios (Simon Abkarian), a Greek businessman who’s believed to have a connection with Le Chiffre himself. And, as James Bond is wont to do, he finds him at a party, playing cards. And here’s where the reinvention of Bond comes full circle.

See, Bond’s doing all the typical Bond things, yeah. But there are some differences present here, as well as some neat nuances. Bond isn’t wearing the suit, first of all. He actually hasn’t worn a suit the whole movie, which makes perfect sense for a spy. Suits aren’t exactly the least conspicuous thing in the world; bound to get you noticed if you don’t want to be.

And then, there’s the girl. This is Solange Dimitrios (Catherina Murino), the wife of Alex who was treated BADLY by him at the party. That gives her a reason to take Bond’s offer for a ride to his place, outside of just his raw animalistic charm that he seems to have in some of these movies. Look at that, already more chemistry than he had with Natalya in GoldenEye.

And yes, this results in her cheating on Alex. Is her cheating justified from a moral standpoint? No, of course it isn’t. And of course, this leads to the typical Bond-handsome-sex-GOOD sequence, but again, some nuance here! First of all, he doesn’t win her over with corny clever lines, like what we saw in GoldenEye multiple ties. Second, this is actually all an attempt to get some infomation from her about her husband. Bond might be enjoying it, but his womanizing here actually has a purpose. And that’s rare!

That’s further punctuated by the fact that he STRAIGHT UP LEAVES BEFORE ANYTHING HAPPENS. Yeah, she tells him that Alex just made his way to Miami, and he leaves! Dick move, yeah, but it makes sense! James isn’t here for pleasure, he’s here for work!

He follows Alex to a Bodies at Work exhibit (you know, the preserved and skinned cadavers put into poses that used to tour around the USA? I saw it in Times Square at the end of its popularity. A little ghoulish, maybe, but I think it’s pretty cool), where the two of them get in a very tense close-up knife fight in public.

Alex is dead, but not before passing off a package to someone else at the exhibition. Bond tails the guy to Miami International Airport, where the largest airplane in the world is set to be unveiled. Using the code sent to the bombers, Bond gets into the back, and goes to intercept the disguised bomber who’s set to blow up the SkyChonk (I mean it, that giant airplane is THICCC).

Time for another cool chase sequence! Some luggage is destroyed, along with a bus, the cops join in on the chase, an airplane is prevented from landing (making someone on that plane probably very upset), and Bond somehow manages to prevent the plane from blowing up. And it’s by the SKIN of his teeth, lemme tell you. Also, he blows up a dude with his own flashlight bomb.

Nice. Somehow, Bond isn’t arrested, and makes his way back to the Bahamas. And it looks like Solange isn’t the Bond girl after all. Because she was thought to be the information leak (which she was, to an extent), she was tortured to death. Whoof.

M’s in the Bahamas now, and the exposition continues. She’s done with Bond’s bullshit, and she plants a tracker under his skin. She explains that with the big boi plane destroyed, somebody stood a lot to gain financially from the stock crash to come. Except that the plane wasn’t destroyed, and that person lost $100 million by “betting the wrong way.”

That person, of course, was Le Chiffre, a manthematical genius and chess prodigy, who plays poker for fun, and plays the stock market with his clients’ money. Bond’s the best poker player in MI6 (a good addition that we already saw foreshadowed earlier! See what I mean?), and she’s sending him to a high stakes poker game that Le Chiffre’s looking to regain his money from.

Bond FINALLY dons his suit, and gets on a train in Montenegro, where he meets...

Vesper Lynd (Eva Green). THERE’S our Bond girl! Although, there’s a reference to Miss Moneypenny in their introduction, which is interesting. But Vesper is an agent for the British Treasury, supplying the money for the buy-in for the tournament. And their conversation on the train...wow. Now THIS is chemistry, seriously.

Vesper’s a great character, and she gives Bond NO quarter. She reads his character, and calls him out very accurately. They also explain why both Bond and Vesper are good at poker: it’s all about reading people. I’m genuinely impressed by how this movie is put together, and how well-thought out Bond is as a character. And this is the dimension I love to see in a Bond girl as well!

GODDAMN, I am in love with this movie. More coming in Part 2!

13 notes · View notes

felix-sullivan · 3 years

Text

HOMECOMING 2020

Tammi // "I can't believe it. Look at them," Tammi exclaimed, looking over at Paddy and Mina who were currently at the bar getting something to drink. "How ridiculous." She rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink.

.: Aly //Aly, who was watching Charlie and Dani from across the room, was snapped out of her day dreaming at Tammi's voice. She turned to look at the two at the bar and rolled her eyes at Tammi as well, though her annoyance was minimal in comparison to Tammi's. "Honestly? Her whole appearance just looks a little try hard." She scrunched her nose up so Tammi would see. "Why do boys fall for that so easily?"

.: Cari // "Don't you look so uncomfortable, Mister!" She elbowed Roman in the side, grinning from ear to ear. Her face got a conspiratorial expression. "I got some Vodka in my purse. Really takes you back to senior year, doesn't it? You ready for a shot?"

....: Roman // "Hello, I'm not uncomfortable at all. Maybe a little, alright, but it's weird being back here. Also seeing Mr. Garrison again, after all this time.." Roman laughed and shrugged. He eyed her at her second comment, once again feeling a sense of nostalgia as he grinned. "Have you? You really haven't changed a bit. If tonight doesn't call for a shot, what does."

.: Freya // She finished pouring them both a drink, handing Chris a cup when she as done. "They really did play a good game today. Really felt on the edge of my seat for the last bit. I just hope they behave now and we don't have to intervene much tonight, they deserve a bit of a party after that."

....: Trevor // "Alright, Lucas and I put a little bit of vodka into the punch. A small amount. Barely noticeable. Mostly me, but he helped," Trevor admitted to the group that was still at their table with a shrug, "I'm simply helping everyone to have a good time. No harm done."

.: Cari // "It is weird, isn't it? I talked to Garrison earlier and he barely seemed to remember me.. I feel a little offended? I thought we caused enough trouble back in the day." She was still grinning at him, already fishing for the flask in her purse. "And neither have you, it seems. Still as easily swayed.." She cocked her head at Roman, standing closer to him as she held the flask between their bodies. "I'm thinking so, too. You first?" She asked, as she looked around her shoulder once, as if they were actually students again. "I don't want any of my younger siblings seeing this." She explained.

....: Chris // "Cheers," Chris said, clinking their cups together once Freya's finished pouring them both their drinks. He looked into her eye as he did and then took a big sip, if not even two. "I felt the same way. What a good game. I don't know much about football, so I was surprised how invested I was. They really did good. Especially Benji; I had no idea he could play that way. It was my first time actually watching," he admitted, not shameful but as a matter of fact. "Let's hope so, yeah. I feel like it's going well so far, though."

.: Andy // "Yeah, boys!" He exclaimed enthusiastically, going for a high five with both Trevor and Lucas. "But do you think we should tell people who are gonna get any? Maybe they don't wanna drink.." He added, a little thoughtfully.

....: Tammi // "I really don't know? Especially Paddy. I thought he was better than that. Right? We both thought so but they're all the same," Tammi complained annoyed, "Her dress is terrible. It doesn't even fit the theme. Ugh. Anyway. We shall not let that ruin our night. Speaking of, know who keeps looking your way?"

.: Freya // " I never thought I'd be into American football, either. I had to watch a couple Rugby championships in my time, but this is feels actually exciting. Maybe because they're our students. Yeah, he was good!" She gave him an amused smile, swaying in her place a little. "It did only just start. So for now, I'd be inclined to agree. I'm always so scared about parents here, is that the same for you? Or is that because I'm secretly afraid of Americans?"

....: Roman // "Talk for yourself, because he definitely remembered me," he said, grin still in place as he watched her fish for the flask. "You're an adult, you know, you're allowed to drink alcohol," he said, looking down at her as he took the flask into his hands. He took notice of their height difference; it was still the same as back in the day. He put it to his mouth and took three sips, his face grimacing after. "Uff. God." He hands her the flask.

....: Trevor // "No, what the fuck, of course not," Trevor said to Andy, as if it was the most obvious thing. "We'd get in trouble if someone snitched on us. And also, like said, no harm done, it's not like we put a whole bottle of vodka in it. Just a small amount. Don't worry, Ands." he said, leaning forward to ruffle through Andy's hair.

.: Aly // "Yeah, I guess they are all the same.. Kind of." She was fixing Charlie with a longing stare again, daydreaming about how she would act as his date to Homecoming and wondering whether she could compare to any of his friends.. or his actual date.. At Tammi's comment, she looked over at Mina again. "Honestly, I know. She's one of the ones who wouldn't get dressed up for Halloween because she's too cool. It also doesn't really fit her? It's so short." She joined in on Tammi's rant, looking back at them and scrunching up her nose. "What? Who?" She asked, genuienly stumped.

.: Cari // "Well, I'm not the slightest bit surprised he'd remember you. I think you and Brandon were in his office every two weeks at one point during senior year." She coyly shoved him again. " I do know that!" She excalimed, looking around once again. "Once again, my siblings are here. They're /babies/. Also, I weirdly feel like I'm gonna get in trouble again being here." She grinned as he took his sips, making a little face as he handed the flask back to her. "You really still haven't got used to these?" She took a swig and another one with ease, suppressing the need to scrunch her face up in disgust. "What have you been doing all these years?"

....: Chris // "That's right. I probably wouldn't have cared as much if it wasn't for our students." Chris smiled at that realisation and looked across the room, his eyes falling on Felix for a second, before looking back at Freya. "The parents?" Chris had to laugh, "It is the same for me still, yeah. I like to think it's gotten better, but it's still a thing. I don't think it's an American thing. It's a parents thing. They can be ruthless and will also blame for absolutely everything."

.: Paddy // "You got something on your face," he said reaching to wipe at Mina's cheek. He didn't realise it was glitter she had put on earlier. "Right there."

....: Chelsea // Chelsea's eyebrows were raised at the conversation between Andy and Trevor, but her expression was light and she was fighting a smile These boys. She sat next to Toby, her hand intertwined with his, both of theirs resting on his lap. She started playing with his fingers and leaned forward to rest her head on his shoulder. "Hey, do you feel like dancing?"

....: Mina // "Oh," Mina giggled, watching Paddy remove whatever she had on her face. "Thank you," she smiled at him in a bitter-sweet manner and grabbed his hand to look at whatever was on her face.

.: Andy // He ducked Trevor's ruffle through his hair, laughing a little. "Yeah, but like. I just think, like, if someone's not wanting to drink, you know." He eyed the punch again before getting distracted by Trevor's attempt to assure him. "Imma worry about whatever I want to, Trevor. If you only put a bit, have you got any tp spare?"

....: Tammi // "She also didn't? If you remember? She simply straightened her hair and put on black eyeliner and said she's going as emo. There was nothing emo about her," Tammi rolled her eyes again. She watched as Paddy, from her point of view anyway, reached to caress Mina's cheek. Her blood started to uncontrollably boil, so she had to take another aggressive sip from her punch, and another, and another until the cup was actually empty. She took a deep breath and put the cup down on the table. "Nolan Kellerman. He's over there with Finn, and he keeps staring." Tammi nods over to where they are stood.

....: Nancy // "Hi boys!" Nancy sing sang as she approached the table with a cup, quickly letting herself down on Andy's lap. "I was just on the dancefloor, and let me tell you, I'm feeling this punch a lot," she said as she smiled widely and took a sip.

....: Chelsea // Chelsea watched as Nancy let herself down on Andy's lap, eyeing them for a second before averting her eyes back on Toby.

....: Roman // "If you genuinely believe they haven't done any of this, then high school must be farther away for you than I thought," Roman joked with a smirk, thinking back to their High School days. It stayed plastered on his face this entire time as he watched her drinking from the flask. "I'm not that much of a drinker these days," he admitted with a laugh. "Work usually takes up most of my time, so I barely get to drink, or attend school dances. You still seem like a natural though," he teased with a laugh.

////: Freya // She weighed it for a moment before shaking her head. "I think I have to disagree. I think it's an /American/ parents thing." Her voice got a little quieter towards the end, though she smirked jokingly at him. "In the least offensive way, because it's great! I feel like barely anyone cares in the UK."

//// joined the chat 13 hours ago

....: Chris // "Maybe I should've been a teacher in the UK, then." He said with a smile. "Are you going to go home over the holidays?"

////: Toby // He was idly holding Chelsea's hand, not really participating in or even really listening on the conversation going on around them. His eyes were lost at nothing particular in the crowd and his mind elsewhere. Perhaps he was keeping an eye out for someone in particular, perhaps he wasn't at all. When Chelsea spoke up, he turned to look at her, craning his neck a little awkwardly, but giving her a toothy smile. "Yeah, we can dance." He brought their hands up to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. "But.. let's wait for the next song? This one's kinda.. he's not amazing in my opinion."

////: Paddy // "No, wait, it's still there." Only then, upon looking more closely between her face and his finger did the realisation dawn on him. He laughed. "Oh, I think it's actually.. supposed to be there. Whoops. Here. I'll put it back," he joked, teasingly pushing his thumb on her cheek again.

....: Chelsea // Chelsea smiled at Toby when he kissed her hand, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Sure. We can wait for the next song. Are you feeling okay? You seem to be zoning out a lot."

////: Aly // She laughed into her cup a little as Tammi recounted last year's Halloween. She noticed the annoyance on her face multiply, following her line of sight and seeing Paddy and Mina having a seemingly flirty interaction. She looked back at Tammi, who was throwing back her drink now. She thought of what to say, but came up short, so she was glad when Tammi pointed out Nolan and Finn in the other direction. "Oh god, I know.." she said, her cheeks getting a little hot but not being able to suppress a smile. "Oh, he's looking again! Tammi." She pushed her in the side a little to prevent Nolan from noticing they were looking back at them.

....: Mina // "Paddy, you're going to destroy the make up if you keep that up," she giggled and moved out of his touch, momentarily turning to the beverages in front of them. She put a strand behind her ear and reached for an empty cup. "Would you pour me a punch, please?" She handed it to him, her eyes glistening.

////: Andy // He laughed good naturedly as Nancy sat down on his lap, momentarily fidgeting with his hands, unsure where to place them. He ended up with one arm around her middle, the other one resting on his own leg. "Yeah, we saw you! You looked so good, you have to teach us. Girl's got those moves." He looked over to Chelsea for a second out of the corner of his eye, but quickly averted his attention back to Nancy when he noticed her and Toby having a moment. "Yeah!" He exclaimed with a laugh. "Got our boys Trev and Lucas to thank for that." He leaned over her shoulder and stole a sip from her cup while she was still holding it.

////: Cari // She looked at him with furrowed eyebrows but an amused expression. "Oh, please. I don't believe that for a second. I know for a fact that's not the case.." She said, raising her eyebrows with an expression that meant to say there was a lot of moments she remember that she wouldn't mention. "I just mean, I'm like the responible sister, you know. I don't wanna be the bum that crashes their dance and then gets fucked up. But.. that's what we're gonna do, so." She eyed him with a glimmer in her eye, teasing but friendly. "Yeah, I can tell. You're really out of practice, aren't you. So responsible. Need to get you back in shape now." She shrugged at his last statement, neither confirming nor denying it, but pointedly taking another swig from the flask. "Okay, two more for you, Sullivan. Let's go." She held out the flask to him.

////: Freya // "You can definitely be a little more creative with your teaching over there." She said with a nostalgic smile, though she wouldn't change being in the US right now for anything. "Oh, most likely, yeah. I was talking to Kian and we've been talking about New Year's as well, which he said he might enjoy spending that across the pond." She told him with a happy smile, swaying in her place for a moment. "What are your plans? You have any yet?"

....: Lucas // "Hey, hey. First of all," Lucas started, leaning forward. "I had no idea Trevor was going to put vodka in the punch until it was too late. I'm not an accomplice by choice," Lucas corrected, raising his cup as if to drink a toast to something before drinking.

////: Toby // "Huh? Oh yeah, sorry, totally, yeah." He gave her a reassuring smile and went to kiss her cheek. "I'm not really zoning out, I'm just.. yeah, I don't know." He grinned when he blanked for a a good excuse, hoping his smile was glossing over it enough. Alright. Wanna dance?" He got up, still holding her hand and looking at her expectantly.

....: Trevor // Trevor let out a laugh and flipped Lucas off, followed by a slight shove with the elbow from their seats, almost making Lucas' drink spill over. "Fuck off, I thought we were brothers and shit?" He shook his head, but the playfulness evident in both their features. He turned his attention to Andy and Nancy, "I put a little bit of Russian water to the punch." He raised his eyebrow for a moment and then winked. "Glad you're enjoying it, Nance."

////: Paddy // "You don't need the make up anyway." He said rather matter of factly. "But it looks nice. The colour dusty thing on your eye is really cool," he said with a grin, holding his hand up for a second to show he was stopping and pointing at her eyeshadow without touching her again. "Yeah, sure." He grabbed another empty cup for himself, holding it between his teeth while he fixed up Mina's drink.

////: Dani // "I know! This boy has a kick." She scrunched her nose up at Charlie and momentarily took his chin into her hand. She was standing with Charlie, Alex and a couple other people talking about the game. "So proud of him. Of ALL of them," she added importantly, looking around at everyone and slipping an arm around Charlie's waist to lean into him a little bit. "Alex, you played, didn't you? Do you still?"

....: Tammi // Tammi bit back a giggle. She looked past Aly, but there he was, looking over again. "He's still looking! Can he make it any more obvious?" she screamed at her best friend in a whisper. "Oh God, I think... he's coming over," Tammi warned, again in the same whispering manner. "Aly.. he's coming. He's. He's coming." Tammi watched as Nolan approached. "He's here." Tammi said to Aly and then proceeded to put on a smile. "Hi, Nolan!"

////: Aly // Her eyes widened at Tammi and she looked at her best friend imploringly, shaking her head the slightest bit but not being able to suppress the giggles. "Oh Tammi.." She stayed focused on Tammi until the last second, her cheeks still growing a little hotter, when Tammi greeted Nolan behind her. She turned around as well, smiling. "Heyyy. How are you doing, Nolan?"

....: Nancy // "I try," Nancy thanked, throwing her blonde hair behind her shoulder in a swift motion at Andy hyping her up. "Practice, Andy, practice. It really does make perfect," she winked at him and then looked over to the three boys on the other side of the table, Benji, Lucas and Trevor. "Oh," she exclaimed a little dumbfounded, looking down at the cup in her hand to examine it. She shrugged and downed the drink in one quick go. "That explains it." She grinned and leaned forward to poke Trevor's nose. "At least someone wants everyone to have a good time." She got off Andy. "I'm getting some more. Anyone else?"

....: Chris // Chris smiled. "I guess it'd be a complete culture shock," Chris said as he thought about it. However, the thought was also interesting. "Oh, really? That's great, I had no idea. He hasn't told me. Then again, we've only been texting back and forth these days. He's quite busy with the club. But, wow! That's huge. Meeting your family?"

////: Finn // He gave Nolan a friendly push to his shoulder when the other had already turned to approach the two girls. "Go." He stayed behind, watching Nolan for a moment and tapping his foot to the music. He eyed his cup's contents, then back up to look around the room. He felt a little awkward standing around by himself now, so he started wandering aimlessly, taking a sip from his drink every now and then. He saw a girl standing off to the side also by herself, transfixed by her phone. He recognised her as Hazel Caldwell, a senior and from what he could tell, pretty cool. Nice and not quite as intimidating as some other people. He wandered over, trying to seem casual and came to a stop next to her, still keeping a good distance between them. He swayed on his feet for a moment, trying to think of something to say. "Hey." He blurted out after a moment. "Hey, sorry, I didn't mean to.. Hi. I just wanted to say hi because you were on your phone and I was thinking.. that.. I would just say hi." He said all this very quickly, closing his eyes for a second when he realised how everything just came out of his mouth.

....: Noah // "Felix and I!" Noah announced loudly as he swung his arm around Felix's shoulder, "We'll be getting drinks. Anyone else feeling anything?" He asked into the group, already pushing Felix towards the buffet. He didn't really wait for an answer as he continued, "No? Alright, we'll be right back!" He smiled big at his friends, gave Liam a a quick kiss. "Love you," he professed before walking away with Felix. Once far away enough, he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Okay. You're ruining the whole night."

////: Benji // He watched his friends' interaction with a grin, leaned back into his seat and sipping his spiked drink happily. "You're never an accomplice /by choice/, and you still always let this guy rope you into shit, man," he joined in on the joke, shoving Trevor back when he'd shoved Lucas prior. "Stop picking on people smaller than you." He laughed loudly when Trevor also almost spilled his drink. He looked over at Nancy, holding his cup up at her with a shake of the head. "I'm good, Nance, thanks."

////: Andy // "Yeah, can do with a refill." He hopped up with her, smiling at her. "M'going with you. Who else then? Trevooor, yes. Finish that, we'll get you another one."

////: Freya // "Yeah, he's so busy recently." She agreed with a slightly disgruntled look on her face, though she shrugged a few moments after. "Yeah. Yeah, possibly." The grin was back on her face at the thought of Kian coming for New Year's. "We've only talked about it, nothing's actually set. But he might.. Like you said, he's super busy with the club and he's not sure he can just not be on site yet, but we'll see. It'd be nice, that's for sure."

////: Felix // Felix let Noah push him towards the drinks a little reluctantly, looking at him with a slightly confused expression. Once his intentions became clear, he rolled his eyes at him. "Uh, you're ascribing me a bit much power here. I don't think I'm ruining an entire night. And also, I'm just not?"

....: Charlie // "Thanks man," Charlie thanked the person complimenting him on the game. As Dani spoke up, he turned to look at her and he couldn't fight a smile when he felt her arms around his waist. He reciprocated the affection by slinging his arm around her middle as he planted a kiss to the side of her head. "You played?" He asked, turning his attention to Alex, genuinely surprised by the information. "I had no idea, I didn't take you as a player," He mused with a grin.

....: Nolan // Nolan turned around to his friend when he pushed him, giving him a 'what the fuck was that for' face. "Okay. I'm already on it." Shaking his head, he ran a hand through his hair and made his way over to Tammi and Aly. Definitely feeling more nervous than he'd admit. "Hi, you two," he said, his voice friendly. "You look beautiful tonight." He looked at Aly with sincerity but his gaze momentarily dropped to his feet. "Uh. Your brother's DJing, right? Do you know if he takes song requests?"

....: Hazel // Hazel was so focused on her text conversation with Nick, she barely took notice of her surroundings. She bit on her nail as she watched Nick typing, an habit she's unsuccessfully trying to get rid of for years now. It wasn't until she saw someone from the corner of her stop next to her that she looked up. She only looked up for a split second and then returned her attention to her text conversation. Nick had stopped typing, but no new message. She eyed the person who's came to a halt next to her again when they started to sway. Who was he? Hazel had never seen the guy. "Hey." She said a little confused, but her features were soft and warm as she locked her phone and put it away. One second later, she felt it vibrate in her pocket, but this time she ignored it. "You're fine. Don't worry. I also don't like being the girl who's on the phone. I'm just. Trying to make a friend come." With a nod, she looked over the dance floor and then back at the guy. "Why are you by yourself?"

////: Aly // "Oh, thanks," she replied coyly, dropping her gaze and tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. She looked at Tammi for a second out of the corner of her eye before smiling at Nolan again. "Oh yeah," She nodded at him, momentarily looking at Tammi again like she was entirely sure how to navigate this by herself. "Yeah, he is. Uhm.." She looked at Tammi once more. She knew Caleb was quite uptight about his music sometimes. "Yeah, I'm sure he would. Yeah, definitely. You can just ask him. What song do you want?"

#im just posting this as felix but maybe it would make more sense on like gossip blog or even clarendon hills blog tbh #so maybe just reblog this or whatever so its more accessible mwah love u

1 note · View note

nothingeverlost · 4 years

Text

Henry Gold (Chapter 7/?)

Summary: Regina asked for Gold’s help in procuring a child, but when he held the wee boy in his arms he couldn’t give the child up. Ten years later it’s Henry Gold who arrives in Boston, looking for Emma.

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3/ Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6

A/N: There's a few chunks of dialogue here from Heart of a Lonely Hunter (1x07) that I needed to keep for plot reasons.

This chapter referenced the Regina and Graham relationship. And by relationship I mean rape. Graham does not fully understand yet what it was but there is references to it not being consensual.

_________________ “Can we talk, Gold?” She walked with him to his shop the next morning after Henry had caught the bus to school.

“It seems rare that those words lead to anything good. Should I be worried?” He unlocked the door and went straight for the back to turn off the alarm. Emma was relieved to see that he’d already had the broken glass pane replaced on the door.

“I don’t think it’s anything that would trouble you, but I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.” It would change things. Taking a job meant that she was committing to something more than an open ended vacation.

“Don’t keep me in suspense. Please.” He turned, but didn’t make any other move, showing no interest in returning to the front of the shop to open the store. The backroom felt a little stuffy, or maybe it was just her.

“Graham offered me a job.” She didn’t mention that it had been days ago and her first answer had been no.

“I presume we aren’t talking about a volunteer position at the animal shelter?”

“Deputy.” She had to laugh a little. How many times had she run from cops? Or ducked around a corner because they made her nervous?

“And you’re thinking of saying yes.” It wasn’t a question. “Henry will be pleased.”

“Are you okay with that?” She’d come for a day and it had been a couple of weeks already. “I can find my own place, of course, you’ve already been more than generous in putting me up. Henry’s your son, and I would never try to change that, but I like knowing him. I’d like to see him sometimes. It’s not just Henry, though. Boston is just the most recent place I’ve lived. This place, there’s something different about it.”

“You’re making connections to people. The sheriff, Mary Margaret, might even add myself to that list.” He offered her a lopsided smile, as if adding himself to the list was a joke. Then again he seemed as bad as she was at having friends. After a couple of weeks there still wasn’t anyone she could name that she’d call a friend, other than herself. “I think our living arrangements at the moment are quite satisfactory. Henry and I would be quite happy if you’d continue as our guest.”

“You’re sure?” It was surprisingly easy, for the first time she’d lived with anyone in a decade. “You should at least let me pay rent or something.”

“We can discuss that later, if you wish. But you’re good with my boy, Emma. He’s happy when you’re around and if I knew nothing else about you I’d like you for that alone.”

“Alright.” She shifted uncomfortably, not quite sure how to respond. “I’m just gonna go now.”

“Good luck,” he offered as she left. “And you could switch the sign to open on your way out.”

The walk to the sheriff’s office was a short one, and Emma figured now that she’d made up her mind she might as well commit. She’d mentioned to Graham the idea of coming over already. It was also easier doing something rather than letting herself think too much about her conversation with Gold and just what it all meant. The idea that even a part of Henry’s happiness relied on her was terrifying.

“Hey Graham, are you doing anything or can we…” Emma froze in the doorway of the sheriff’s station. Graham was sitting in one of the chairs. Regina Mills was standing over him, her hand tugging on his tie, her mouth all but consuming his.

“Ms. Swan.” At the sound she turned, looking over her shoulder and smirking.

“You’re doing something.” Emma gripped the doorframe, trying to focus on the feel of the worn paint under her hand and not the scene before her. She didn’t need to notice that the buttons of Graham’s vest were undone or that his hair was more tousled than usual. “I’ll come back later.”

“Emma.” He tried to get up but Regina didn’t move, something that Emma was weirdly thankful for.

“No, really, it’s okay. It’s not that important.” She was glad to be gone before he was able to follow her. Then again maybe he didn’t try. Maybe he and Regina had simply resumed what they were doing. It shouldn’t bother her so much, but she really didn’t like Regina. And, a tiny voice in her head admitted, she really liked Graham.

Her main thought was getting away from the sheriff’s station. Somehow that lead her to the docks. She’d never spent much time looking at the water in Boston, but there was something calming about it. Calming enough that she didn’t realize at first that she wasn’t alone. “Hey.”

“What the hell?” She turned, steeling herself for Graham, but feeling both relieved and confused when it was David. Coma guy. “Aren’t you supposed to be in the hospital?”

“Nothing wrong with me,” he said with a shrug. “I have to go back in a couple of days for tests to make sure, but they let me out this morning. It took me this long to convince Kathryn I could take a walk on my own. I have to admit, though, that I might be a little lost.”

“I’m not sure about that doctor of yours.” After all he’d almost died last night, drowned in the river, and that wasn’t even accounting for the mysterious wake up from the coma. “Guess it’s nice to not be in a hospital bed, though.”

“It’s nice to be anywhere.” He leaned against the railing, his arm just a few inches from Emma’s. “I’m sorry but I don’t remember your name.”

“Not sure if you ever learned it, we only met last night. It’s Emma. I’m new to town.” She wondered if that was true, or if she was still just a visitor. Working with Graham seemed a little less certain than it had an hour ago. She couldn’t stay without a job; even without paying rent she needed to do something. Or she could go back to Boston. “And you’re apparently David, not John Doe.”

“That’s what they tell me.” Another shrug. “I suppose I’ll remember at some point.”

“Maybe you won’t. Sometimes not remembering the past could be a blessing.” There were plenty of things in her past she wouldn’t mind forgetting. Hell, there were things in the past 20 minutes she wouldn’t mind forgetting. The mental image of Regina and Graham was not a pleasant one.

“Maybe forgetting the past is a curse. I left my wife, and I don’t know why. I don’t even know if…” He looked out at the water and was silent for a minute. “When the only things you know about yourself are what other people tell you you have to have a lot of trust. Trust in them and trust in yourself, that you’re not forgetting something important. Someone important.”

“Not everyone has someone important.” Crap, she really didn’t need to be unloading on the guy who had been in a coma twenty-four hours ago. “Henry would say that if someone matters that much you’ll find them. He’s very into happily ever after.”

“Henry’s the kid that was with you yesterday? He’s the one with the book, right?” David cracked a lopsided smile. “Apparently I owe him a thank you.”

“I’m sure it’s just coincidence.” The last thing they needed was anyone supporting Henry’s stories and ideas about another world that didn’t really exist. “Or maybe the story was really bad and you were trying to get away from it.”

She didn’t even get a sympathy laugh. “I don’t remember the story, just the voice.”

“Yeah, sometimes the voice tells you more than the words.” It was always a person’s voice that told her they were lying. It was the voices she remembered, too. Henry’s laugh. The way she knew Graham was calling the moment he made a sound. She could still remember Neal’s voice. Voices were the only thing she really remembered from her first years with the Swans, just a vague impression.

“Emma can we talk?” Behind her a familiar voice signaled that they weren’t alone.

“And sometimes a voice is the last thing you want to hear.” She resisted the impulse to turn around. She didn’t need to look to know that Graham was only a few feet behind them. David, however, had no such compunction.

“It’s the sheriff.” He nodded politely. “Hey.”

“Mr. Nolan, are you supposed to be out of the hospital?” Graham sounded concerned. He was a good sheriff. Whatever else she felt about him she knew that was true. There was a world of difference between cops who wanted the job for power and those that wanted to help people.

“They released me, but I should probably head home. Kathyrn will worry. Or maybe not. I don’t know.” David looked out at the water again, lips pressed together.

“You mentioned that you weren’t sure how to get back; I’m sure the sheriff can help you home.” For the first time Emma turned away from her view of the water and looked at Graham. “Unless you have something else to do?”

“You’re not giving me a chance to explain.” He took a step forward. She wished she could take one back but the railing stopped her.

“There’s nothing to explain. You’re an adult, you’re allowed to be with anyone you want. I’m just sorry I interrupted something and glad I didn’t show up any later.” She really didn’t want to think about how far they might have gotten in the station, but Regina hadn’t looked like she was just there for a morning peck on the cheek. She looked at David and hoped he understood what she wasn’t saying.

“I wouldn’t mind the help, sheriff. I’m afraid I wandered a bit, hoping to find something that looked familiar.” David gave her a look, tilting his head to the side. She figured she’d have to say something to him later. “See you around town, Emma. Give Henry my thanks.”

“Yeah.” Graham looked like he wanted to say something else but decided against it. Emma was relieved when they walked off together in the opposite direction of Gold’s house. She just wanted to go somewhere she didn’t have to talk to anyone for a little while.

“What the hell? You could have hit me.” Emma stared at the dart now lodged in the doorway.

“I never miss.” Maybe it was her talk with David about voices earlier but his accent seemed thicker as he walked towards her. Then again maybe it was the alcohol because he’d clearly had more than a couple of drinks. “You’ve been avoiding me all day.”

“I haven’t been avoiding you, I just had other things to do. Your love life is your choice. I don’t care.” When she realized her voice was getting a little too loud and people were staring she pulled the door open and left. Her plans to get a drink had ended when she’d realized that Graham was there.

“If you don’t care why are you upset?” Of course he had to follow her. Not just follow but jog ahead, turning so she had no choice but to look at him.

“I’m not upset.” Man, that was an obvious lie, probably even to him.

“Good, then let’s go get a drink. I’ll buy.” He reached for her hand. Emma pulled away. Coffee and donuts was one thing. Drinks the same day she’d seen him with Regina Mills was another. He hadn’t made any promises but she’d thought there was maybe something between them. Just the start of something, but different from the other friendships she’d started in town. “One drink, Emma. We can talk. I need you to understand.”

“Why?” It seemed pretty straightforward. He was in a relationship, they weren’t. The only question was did she still want to work in the sheriff’s station knowing that Regina Mills was apparently a frequent visitor, and not in her capacity as mayor.

“I don’t know, maybe so I can figure things out? I don’t feel anything with her, can you understand that?” He almost lost his footing on the curb; the last thing he needed was another drink even if she had wanted to spend more time with him.

“I get bad relationships, Graham, trust me I’m kind of an expert. But your bad relationship isn’t my issue and I’m pretty much the last person to ask for advice. Maybe you can talk to Archie.” She’d met Henry’s therapist once, he seemed like a nice guy. He had to be better at listening to Graham talk about Regina than she was.

“I don’t want to talk to Archie, I want to talk to you. You don’t know Regina yet, what she’s like. Please, Emma.” He stopped, and she had no choice but to stop too. It was that or run into him.

“Please what?”

“Just please.” Because she could figure out what he was asking his mouth was on hers, his hands cupping her face in a way that was strangely gentle for the desperation in the kiss. A moment later he pulled away.

“What the hell was that?” The last thing she expected from him was a kiss, especially when she clearly wasn’t interested. He didn’t seem like that kind of guy.

“Did you see that?” He looked around as if searching. Emma almost laughed.

“If you mean did I see you kiss me, yeah, hard to miss. That was way over the line.” Her hands tightened into fists. It wasn’t going to happen a second time, she was certain of that.

“I’m sorry. I just…” He pressed one hand to his head.

“You’re just drunk, Graham, and you seem to be in a bad place but you’re not using me to find whatever you can’t with Regina. I’m not that person.” She’d found herself in that place once and it had left a sour taste in her mouth. It wasn’t as bad as the bloody nose her boyfriend had gotten, though, when she’d overheard him on the phone with his wife. “Go home. Or don’t. But you need to stop following me.”

Emma was going to stay. It was good, not just for the curse but for his boy. Even, he thought, for himself. It was a long time since he’d had anyone he could call friend and Emma was strangely becoming that. The worlds were ironic places, that he could consider the Savior his friend. However it meant he needed to prepare for her to settle in for the long hull and there were a few changes he needed to make. The first and most important was that he couldn’t risk her - or anyone else - finding his dagger. Little did he expect to run into anyone while he was in the forest burying the wretched thing.

“Did I forget to shave?” he joked when the sheriff spoke of wolves. He’d never seen wolves in the forest, but then things were bound to start changing. That it was Graham, formerly the huntsman, that was looking for wolves was very interesting. “To the best of my knowledge, Sheriff, there are no wolves in Storybrooke. Not the literal kind, anyway. Why are you looking?”

“You’ll think I’m crazy.” If Gold hadn’t known any better he might have agreed with the assessment that many would make, that Graham was crazy. He was wearing the clothes from the day before, eyes bloodshot and racing around after animals that weren’t supposed to exist in the forest. He, however, did know better.

“Try me.” Something had happened yesterday. Emma had been withdrawn when she’d gotten home, and certainly not in the mood to celebrate or tell Henry about a new job and a more permanent stay in Storybrooke.

“I saw one in my dreams, and then I saw one for real. Just a few hours ago.” He looked around the forest, less at home than he would have been in another life. The wild creature was a pet now, even more so than he’d been back home.

“You know, Sheriff, they say that dreams… Dreams are memories. Memories of another life.” The only “they” that said such a thing was himself, but then again it wasn’t a pretty little fairy story made up to make people feel better. For whatever reason Graham was starting to remember who he really was.

“And what do you believe?” Graham was confused enough that he didn’t seem to care where help came from, as long as someone could explain what was happening.

“I believe that you might want to be a little more selective about who you let in your bed, Sheriff.” It would be better for everyone if Regina didn’t learn that Graham had memories of another life. “You might find that you have more pleasant dreams.”

“Emma told you.” Graham’s shoulders sagged; for the first time he didn’t seem to be looking for the wolf. So Emma knew about the mayor and the sheriff. That would explain the mood last night.

“Madame Mayor is hardly the most subtle person in town, Sheriff. It was evident well before my houseguest came to town.” He hadn't cared then, or understood the nature of their relationship. Two city officials having an affair was hardly more than an annoyance. One being a victim without a heart was another matter entirely. He was guilty of a great many things this world called sins, but he had never had even as much as a kiss from someone who couldn’t refuse.

“I don’t think I have a choice,” he confessed, more self-aware than he had been even a few days ago.

“Look for your wolf, Sheriff, and perhaps give yourself a break for a day or two.” Regina had very poor impulse control; if she was going to react to Graham’s ‘dreams’ she wasn’t going to wait. Maybe, if she did act, there was something he could do. Without tipping his hand, of course.

“Yeah, I think I’ll just walk a little more.”

“I wish you luck.” Gold picked up his shovel and headed towards his car. He had some thinking and plotting to do.

The last person Emma expected to come out the front door at the Gold house when she pulled up was Graham. He looked like crap. “What are you doing here? Mary Margaret said you stopped by after school and looked like you needed to be in bed.”

“I’m not sick,” he protested. It wasn’t even fair to call it a lie, it was so obvious. Mary Margaret had mentioned a fever when she’d called and he looked flushed. Despite what he’d had to drink the night before it didn’t look like a hangover.

“Did you come to see me?” She hoped not, since she’d made it pretty clear the night before that she wasn’t interested in talking right now, but couldn’t think of any other reason for him to be at the house.

“I came to see Henry. He showed me his book.” He looked up at the window to Henry’s bedroom.

“Oh for the love of… are you serious?” The very last thing she expected from Graham right now was talk about fairy tales.

“He helped me to figure out what’s happening. All of this.” he touched a hand to his chest and gestured in the general direction of town.

“He’s a ten-year-old kid.” He already thought he needed to fix something huge and it was a weight on his shoulders he didn’t need.

“He’s the only one that understands, and now I know what I need to do.”

“Mary Margaret was right, you really need to be in bed. You’re sick, Graham.” She reached out to see if he had a fever but Graham dodged her. She might be angry at him and confused but she was worried too. By now she’d say worry outnumbered everything else.

“I need to follow the wolf, he’ll lead me to my heart.”

“You have a heart, Graham. See?” She approached him as carefully as she would an injured animal, resting a hand on his chest. She could feel the beat of his heart under her hand. Picking up his own hand she placed it against his chest, covering it with her own. She could feel him shaking. “See?”

“You don’t understand, it’s just an echo. It’s not real.” He said real the same way he’d explained last night that he didn’t feel anything. “ I have to go.”

“I’ll come with you, but first we’re dropping Henry off at the pawnshop. I told Gold I’d be home this afternoon.” She didn’t know what Graham was planning exactly when he said he was going to follow the wolf, or how long it would take. She knew that he didn’t need to be alone.

“I could come with you,” Henry said hopefully when she shouted up the stairs for him to put on his shoes. She didn’t dare leave Graham alone even long enough to go up and talk to him, though she really needed to know what he and Graham had talked about. Emma looked at Graham and shook her head.

“I need you to tell your dad whatever it is you and Graham talked about, okay? We need to help him.” She knew Graham was upset the night before but this was something else. Something Henry didn’t need to be around.

“The wolf is a friend, when you see him. Don’t be scared of him.” Henry slipped his hand into hers. Emma might have rolled her eyes except for the fact that a minute later she saw a wolf, standing at the edge of Main Street. It was huge and its eyes were two different colors. One glowed red, and one was black.

“Really?” Was it possible that there was something in the water? Or gas lines, that was a thing wasn’t it? Mass hallucinations happened in some places.

“I have to go, Emma.” Graham was staring at the wolf, so she wasn’t the only person that saw it.

“I can walk by myself. I promise I’ll go straight to dad.” Henry let go of her hand. “He needs you.”

“Yeah, okay.” She waited just a moment to watch Henry walk away, still unsure if she should let him go even the couple of blocks alone, but when Graham started running she followed. He ran away from town; she couldn’t see the wolf any longer but he either knew where it was going or they were both running blind. They stopped on the edge of the forest, a mile outside of town.

She hadn’t seen the cemetery yet. “Why are we here?”

“I don’t know. This is where I lost the trail.”

“The trail to your heart?” Emma hoped that the trail didn’t end in the cemetery; she didn’t want to think about what that was supposed to mean.

“I know it…” Graham stopped, his attention drawn to the mausoleum just outside of the cemetery. If someone didn’t know differently it looked almost like a stone cottage in the woods. “Look above the door, it the same as the picture in Henry’s book.”

“We can’t go in there.” Going into someone’s crypt was weird, but the name on the outside said Mills. She was pretty sure that investigating the final resting place of the mayor’s family wasn’t going to go over well. And yeah, maybe the symbol above the door looked a little like a picture she’d seen in Henry’s book but that didn’t mean anything.

“I have to see what’s inside. This is where she keeps it.” He sounded so certain. She sighed and tried the door. It was locked. After looking around to make sure they were still alone Emma kicked it hard enough to open the door. The mayor was really going to hate her, but it was the least of her concerns. She followed Graham into the small room with the casket in the middle. Henry Mills. It was a weird feeling knowing that would have been Henry’s name if the adoption had gone through as planned. Apparently he was supposed to be named after his grandfather.

“There’s nothing here Graham.” She wasn’t sure what he expected, but he clearly wasn’t finding it. He muttered about hidden doors, levers, the usual things you expected from Saturday morning cartoons, not small-town cemetery mausoleums.

“There has to be.” She caught him as he tried to pass her, holding him with a hand on each arm. A little closer and she could kiss him if she wanted. Closer still and she could hug him. “If it’s not…”

“What are you doing here?” Of course Regina Mills would show with flowers in her hand now of all times. That was the way her luck was running. Emma followed Graham out of the room. It was probably a good idea to be out of the small space but moving closer to Regina wasn’t her favorite plan. She wasn’t sure she loved the way Graham was putting himself in front of her either.

“It’s not her fault, this is all me. I was looking…” Graham swayed, not quite losing his balance but looking a moment away from falling.

“You don’t look well, dear. Let’s get you home and in bed.” Regina grabbed his arm with the hand not holding a bouquet of flowers and held on tight, starting to walk away without pausing. Emma was reminded of a childhood fight and a neighbor huffing home with the bike she’d been trying to teach Emma to ride when Emma had insisted on trying on her own.

“I’m not going home, not with you.” Graham pulled away, putting a few feet between them. “I don’t want to go anywhere with you.”

“You don’t mean that.” Regina looked honestly shocked. Emma figured it said a lot about how often anyone said no to her. How often Graham said no. “Everything we have…”

“What do we have? It’s not a relationship. We don’t talk, we don’t go out. You expect me to be there when you want me and leave when you’re done.” The more Emma heard the worse she felt in the pit of her stomach. “I thought that the fact that I don’t feel anything was on me, but it’s not.”

“You’re confused, Graham. You’re sick and you need someone to take care of you.” Regina spoke as if she was talking to a stubborn child. Emma was well familiar with that voice.

“I’m thinking clearly for the first time in a long time, Regina. Clearly enough to know that whatever we do have is over now.” It was hard to stay back and not step in front of Graham. The one thing Regina wasn’t wrong about was the fact that he needed to be in bed.

“So this woman shows up in town and now you’re done with me?” For the first time Regina turned her attention to Emma. Crap. “You’re leaving me for her?”

“This has nothing to do with Emma or anyone else.” Graham shifted, again putting himself between her and Regina. “I’m leaving you for me, because I deserve better.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying, Graham. It’s this fever.” She tried to take his arm again, but he pulled away too fast. Already unsteady, the misstep was enough to send him to the ground. He was too damn still.

“Graham?” Emma scurried down next to him, unsure if it was safe to roll him over and check for injuries or if you left a person where they were to avoid making things worse. It was a relief when he groaned and struggled to sit up. She helped him, frowning when she saw the blood trickling down the side of his face. He must have hit a rock or something.

“Let me help, dear.”

Emma pushed the offered hand away. “You’re not very good at listening, are you? He doesn’t want you around him.”

“You don’t belong here, Ms. Swan. You’ll be gone soon, and Graham will still be here.” It sounded like a threat.

“Didn’t you hear the news, Madame Mayor? I’m the new deputy, and I’m not going anywhere.” She was glad when Graham was able to stand, and with her help walk away from Regina without another word. The woman made her skin crawl.

“New deputy?” Graham asked when they were out of earshot. She was glad that he was finally distracted from his talk of hearts and wolves.

“It was your idea,” she reminded him. Anything else they needed to say could wait; it was going to take a lot longer to get back to town than it had to run after imaginary - or not so imaginary - wolves. They needed to conserve their energy.

They were too far from the mausoleum to hear the sound of the coffin moving, revealing a staircase, or to see Regina’s determined stride down the steps.

“I need you to stay here for a little bit. When I get back we’ll have hamburgers,” he promised. Granny looked about a second away from rolling her eyes at him, but she’d agreed to keep an eye on Henry for a little while. He was lucky she and Ruby both had a soft spot for his son. The discount on their rent didn’t hurt. When he needed someone to watch Henry they were his first stop.

“I could help if people let me. I figured out how to find Emma, didn’t I?” Henry looked at his dad hopefully; it was the second time that day he was being left behind.

“Yes, and you scared ten years off my life by taking a bus to another state.” He was the only person Gold knew of every leaving Storybrooke. He had nightmares that it didn’t work, and Henry’d had an accident at the border of town like Ashley and anyone else that tried to leave. “I’m just checking on Emma and the sheriff, I’ll be back soon. You can have a hot chocolate while you wait.”

“Is Graham going to be okay?” Henry frowned, pressing his lips together. “The Evil Queen took his heart so she could make him do whatever she wanted.”

“I’m sure she can’t use a power like that in Storybrooke, even if the rest of the story were real.” He was distracted enough that he almost forgot to give his answer carefully. If Regina was after Graham and Emma was with Graham she could be in trouble too. He couldn’t risk anything happening to her, not as the Savior or as someone that Henry cared about. “I’ll be back soon, alright?”

He left Henry with Granny taking his order for hot chocolate, extra cinnamon. From Henry he had a general idea of the direction that Graham and Emma had headed, but more importantly from his own explorations of town he knew that there was only one place that Regina could be hiding her crypt full of hearts.

He frowned when he saw that the door to the mausoleum was open. Inside the staircase was still revealed. Regina had to be inside. It was sloppy work, leaving everything so revealed. Gold shook his head. It was good for him, for course, as long as she hadn’t gotten too far but for someone who had once been a student it was disappointing how little she had learned.

Carefully he started down the stairs.

“I’m sorry.” Graham sat on the edge of the desk in the sheriff’s station while she got a couple of paper towels wet and wiped away the blood dripping down the side of his face. There was a cut just an inch or so from his eye; he was lucky it wasn’t any closer. “I don’t know what happened today. Why it happened.”

“You’ve had a fever and I would guess not a lot of sleep on top of however much you drank last night.” There was some antibiotic in the first aid kit he’d opened for her. She dabbed a little carefully on his cut. He winced a little. “Don’t be a baby, it didn’t hurt that much.”

“That might explain the last day but it doesn’t explain why I was with her. I don’t even like her, Emma. When I think of being with her…” He closed his eyes, his breathing coming quicker. Emma set down the tube of cream and touched his cheek with one hand.

“Sex with someone that doesn’t matter can be easy and safe. Not feeling anything is an attractive option when what you really feel sucks.” She’d lost herself for a few hours more than once with someone that didn’t matter at all. She didn’t even remember their names.

“I don’t remember how it even started with her.” He opened his eyes to look at her. She covered his cut with a bandage. “I’m just glad it’s over.”

“I’m glad too.” He had kissed her yesterday and it had been unwelcome. It hadn’t been about her. Now, though, he was staring at her like she was the only person that mattered. After a deep breath she used one of her fingers to touch his lower lip. “Feel that?”

“Yeah.” It was barely a whisper.

“It’s just you and me here, Graham. No one else.” She waited a beat before leaning in, one hand on his shoulder to support herself. It was everything their first kiss wasn’t, gentle and warm, the taste of whiskey and desperation replaced by the taste of Graham and the scent of pine.

“I felt that too.” He smiled at her, and her heart beat double time. She was pretty sure the room was spinning, and not because she had a fever.

“I think we should get you home now. It’s been a long day.” They needed to move slow. She needed to move slow.

“I think…” His eyes flared and his hand pressed against his chest. She hurried to wrap her arms around him, barely catching him before he fell again.

“Graham?” She helped him to the ground and frantically felt for a pulse.

No matter how many things changed the core stayed the same. Regina might wear a suit now instead of ridiculously corseted dresses, but she was still a petulant child who preferred to break her own toys rather than share. She held a glowing heart in her hand. Graham’s, no doubt. He was glad that she was turned away from him and too focused on what she was doing to notice that she wasn’t alone. He couldn’t stop her from squeezing the heart, he was too far away, but before she had a chance to do more he used his cane to hit her on the back of the head. She crumpled in an inelegant pile on the crypt floor.

“If I’ve told you once I’ve told you a hundred times, guard your perimeter, dearie. It also helps to be a little less predictable.” He stooped down next to her, prying the heart out of her hands. It was still red and glowing, a good sign. It was a little large for the pocket of his coat but he made it work. Regina didn’t stir before he made it out of the room and back up the stairs. She might have her suspicions later, but she wouldn’t know for certain. She certainly wouldn’t be able to ask him.

Before he returned to the diner Gold stopped back at the house, descending down another staircase into the little-used basement of his home. He needed a safe place to keep the sheriff’s heart, and for the moment a box in the basement was as good as he could do. At least it was in one piece and not a small pile of ash.

“Say something.” She shook Graham again. He was breathing, and he had a pulse but all his color had drained. She’d discovered that 911 did work in Storybooke and the only ambulance the hospital owned was on the way.

“Graham, please.”

“My heart.” His eyes fluttered open briefly but closed again.

“Don’t tell me you don’t have a heart because I’ve felt it. It beats the same as mine.” She held a palm flat against his heart, needing the reassurance. She felt the beats and the rising up of his chest. His lungs continued to fill.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, be better.” She couldn’t lose him. Maybe he was a friend and employer, maybe he was something else. But he mattered. She was just starting to let people into her life, and she wasn’t going to lose one. “Be better, Graham. Help is coming.”

#verse: henry gold #fic: henry gold #my fic #emma swan #henry gold #mr. gold #graham humbert #david nolan #papa charming #though they don't know it yet #emma swan & mr. gold #david nolan & emma swan #emma swan & henry #gremma #finally

12 notes · View notes

swanqueeneverafter · 6 years

Text

25. Transformations, Pt. 3

Storybrooke. Present. Blanchard Loft. (The Charmings and Henry enter the loft. Emma goes to sit on the stairs.) Emma: “Henry. (Waves him over:) We gotta talk. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I lied to you about your dad. I promise I will never lie to you again. Just don't push me away.” Henry: “I won't.” (The two embrace, leaving Mary Margaret and David alone downstairs.) David: “Ready to tell me what's going on?” Mary Margaret: “Yes. But before I do, you have to promise you won't get mad.” David: “That always means good news. I promise.” Mary Margaret: (Sighs:) “David... last week, I went to Regina's house and confronted her.” David: “Are you... are you out of your mind?” Mary Margaret: “You promised not to get mad.” David: “I'm not mad.” Mary Margaret: “I can see that.” David: (Reigning himself in:) “She could have killed you.” Mary Margaret: “I know. That's why I went... so she would kill me.” David: “What?” Mary Margaret: “I couldn't take the guilt over what I did to Cora. I could barely breathe. I told her to end it, and she ripped out my heart. And when she took it out, my heart, David... it has started to blacken because of what I did.” David: “Why didn't you tell me?” Mary Margaret: “Because telling you makes things real, and I needed to believe it wasn't, that I could find a way to stop it, that redemption was possible.” David: “It is. Look at August.” Mary Margaret: “But it cost him... everything.” David: “Oh. (They hug:) You are not him, Mary Margaret, and you sure as hell aren't Regina. Which means those are not the only two options. We'll find another way. I know it.” Mary Margaret: “What makes you so sure?” David: (Puts his hand on her heart:) “This does. And I know it better than anyone.” Storybrooke. Present. (Tamara walks down a hallway and knocks on a door. As it opens, she smiles.) Tamara: "So, I'm new in town and I heard that you're the type of guy who's looking to cause trouble. Am I right?" (Slowly, the man behind the door is revealed. It is the D.A., also known as King George.) Spencer: "Oh, absolutely."

The Enchanted Forest. Past. (Snow White begins cooking the livestock she killed for her and ‘Wilma’ to eat. Regina wakes up, and Snow comes into the mossen tent.) Regina: “Morning already?” Snow White: “We have one every day. Well, you look better. I think you slept off the last of it.” Regina: “Yeah, I think I did. Mm. You don't waste any time.” Snow White: “Oh. (Listens:) Noises in the woods. Maybe a patrol. (Begins packing up, hands Regina a weapon:) We stayed too long.” Regina: “You're arming me?” Snow White: “Well, just in case. Her soldiers are ruthless. Stay behind me.” (They go into the woods.) Regina: “If the stories are to be believed, the Queen sent the huntsman to tear your heart out.” Snow White: “She did.” Regina: “How horrible. If you had her in front of you now... would you kill her for that?” Snow White: (Sighs:) “Regina wants to hurt people. I think she's in constant pain and is always looking to figure out whom to blame for it. We lived in the same household, and still, she could never see that I was on her side. She wanted revenge more than she wanted love. And I can't imagine living that way. I want to be guided by love. So, no, I wouldn't kill her.” Regina: “No one's that generous. People aren't that good.” Snow White: “Oh, I think they are—even her. She's just afraid to look vulnerable.” Regina: “You... you believe there's good inside of her?” Snow White: “I know there is. I've seen it. I wish she'd give herself a chance to be that person again.” Regina: “You don't think it's too late for her?” Snow White: “Oh, I don't think it's too late for anyone.” Regina: “So if she... if she wanted to change, if she wanted to be a family again, if she... wanted to be good, would you forgive her for that? Would you let her back in?” Snow White: “If she really meant it, yes. I would love that. I wouldn't mind a feather bed either, but neither one is happening. So there's no use thinking about it. She wouldn't offer.” Regina: “Well, sometimes people can surprise you.” (They come upon piles of bodies in the village where Regina ordered her henchmen to ‘Do whatever it takes to find Snow White.’) Snow White: “No.” Regina: “We've gone further than I thought.” Snow White: (Voice breaking:) “These people are dead because... they helped me.” Regina: “No. You didn't do this.” Snow White: “Oh, I know. She did it. I take it back. It is too late for her. I could never forgive her. There is no good in that woman. None. I was wrong. There never was.” Regina: “What about when she rescued you? The horse.” Snow White: “What are you talking about?” Regina: “Your story, about being saved.” Snow White: “I never said it was her.” Regina: “I read between the lines.” Snow White: (Draws an arrow and points it at Regina:) “It was you. Regina, your dark magic is hiding you somehow, but it is you.” Regina: “Yes, it is me. But there is good in me.” Snow White: “If this is your idea of ‘good’... I want no part of it.” Regina: (Tries to summon magic, but remembers that the disguise disables her from using magic:) “Damn. Rumplestiltskin!” (Regina drops her sword, running off into the woods.)

Storybrooke. The Next Morning. Present. (David drives Mary Margaret and Emma. They get out of the car.) Emma: “Why are we in the middle of nowhere? Why aren't you guys telling me what's going on? Why the secrecy?” Mary Margaret: “Because you need to see it.” Emma: “Great. That always goes well for me. Listen, whatever it is, it can wait. August was trying to warn me about something... someone dangerous.” David: “Doesn't matter.” Emma: “Why not?” Mary Margaret: “Because of this.” (They enter the cloaked fields of magic beans.) Anton: “Emma!” Emma: “Hey.” (Anton jogs over and they hug.) Anton: “Are you here to help? It's not quite harvest time yet.” Emma: “Beans. You're growing magic beans. That's what you were up to when I was in New York? Why didn't you tell me?” David: “We are telling you. We kept it a secret to protect the crop. Mother Superior, she cloaked the area. That way Anton can do what he does best.” Anton: “Actually, you haven't seen me play darts. But, yeah, I do this pretty good.” Emma: “Um, Anton, don't take this the wrong way, but w-why-why are you so...” Anton: “Small? Cora. She did some magic to make me human-sized. Kind of like it.” Leroy: “Enough lollygagging! Back to it.” Anton: “Wow. Dwarves really like to work. It's great to see you, Emma.”

Emma: (To Anton:) “You too. (To Mary Margaret and David:) You want to use the beans to make a portal, to go back to the Enchanted Forest. That's the real reason you didn't tell me. What about Ogres and destruction and danger?” David: “We can fix all that. We did it before, we can do it again.” Mary Margaret: “We can start over, Emma.” Emma: “So, you've changed your mind. You wanna go now, too.” Mary Margaret: “Not my mind. My heart. After what I did to Cora, I think restoring our land is the best way to mend it.” David: “It'll be good for all of us, the whole family. Henry and you.” Mary Margaret: “We're from there. You're from there.” Emma: “No, this world is... my home.” David: “And it's been nothing but cruel to you. If we go back, I think you might be able to have your happy ending.”

Storybrooke. Present. Granny's Diner. Granny: “Ten bowls of chilli. No beans. You and the dwarfs got something against beans?” David: “Let's just say we've had our fill over the past couple of weeks.” Granny: “What exactly are you boys up to, anyway?” Leroy: “Just a little landscaping.” Mr. Gold: (Enters:) “Is this seat taken? You might want to run along. I need to chat to the Prince.” David: “It's all right, Leroy. I got this. (Leroy leaves:) What do you want to chat about, Gold?” Mr. Gold: “Regina. She helped jog Belle's memory.” David: “That's good, then.” Mr. Gold: “No, no. Wrong memories. She now thinks she's a scantily-clad barfly named Lacey. She has a false life. As you did, under the curse with Kathryn. Only hers apparently involves a lot more alcohol.” David: “What do you want with me?” Mr. Gold: “I want to know how you did it. Even when both your heads were filled with false memories, David Nolan still won Mary Margaret's heart.” David: “You want me to help you?” Mr. Gold: “Well, I'm certainly not here for the over-praised lasagne.” (Granny turns around and glares at Mr. Gold.) David: “You got my wife to murder someone.” Mr. Gold: “Yeah, someone who would have killed all of you. Look, if you don't want to help, that's fine. But if you do, for the first time ever, I'm gonna owe you a favour.” David: “All right. When Regina cursed Mary Margaret and me, there was still a sliver of Snow and Charming, the real us, inside.” Mr. Gold: “So how do I bring back the real Belle?” David: “Show her the man she fell in love with.” Storybrooke. Present. Storybrooke Harbor. (Emma sits waiting on a bench as Regina approaches.) Regina: “Didn’t think I’d be hearing from you, Miss Swan.” (Regina takes a seat.) Emma: “Look, Regina, I know things have been tense since I got back from New York but I should’ve told you about Neal myself. In fact, I was going to tell you, but I was kinda busy trying to stop you and your mother from killing me and my entire family.” Regina: “My son arrives home along with his father and the news that Rumplestiltskin is his grandfather. How exactly was I suppose to react?” Emma: “You should’ve trusted me.” Regina: (Sighs:) “What is he doing here?” Emma: “Neal? Relax. He just wants to spend a little time with his son.” Regina: “Funny. He didn't seem to want to spend time with him the first 10 years of his life. But then again, neither did you.” Emma: “He didn’t know, all right? And after he let me go to prison for him, I didn’t exactly feel like letting him know. Anyway, Neal’s not the problem.” Regina: “For you maybe. What if he decides he wants to take Henry to New York and the three of you decide to play happy families. Where does that leave me?” Emma: “Look, Henry has only just started forgive me for lying to him about his dad. Henry hates being lied to. That’s his trigger. Mine, is being abandoned by the people I love. So you have nothing to worry about as far as me and Neal are concerned.” Regina: (Sighs, softens:) “Fair enough. So, if Neal isn’t the problem, what is?” Emma: (Hesitates:) “I know you think I’ve taken Mary Margaret’s side since Cora’s death. I haven’t been there for you and I’m sorry. After 28 years without a family or people I care about, I don’t want to lose any of it.” Regina: “You made your feelings about being put in the middle this feud a long time ago, Emma. I respect that.” Emma: “Good, because what I’m gonna tell you is delicate.” Regina: (Cautiously:) “Okay...” Emma: (Takes a deep breath:) “They’re growing magic beans in secret.” Regina: “What?” Emma: “David, Mary Margaret and the dwarves, they’re growing the beans on the outskirts of town. They’re planning on going back to the Enchanted Forest.” Regina: (Understands:) “Without me?”

Emma: “I don’t know that for sure, but the fact that I’m the one telling you this makes me think that’s their plan, yes.” Regina: “And what, you’re going with them? (Rising to her feet:) If you think I’m just going to let you take Henry-” Emma: (Grabbing her arm and pulling her back down:) “Will you keep your voice down? I am the last person who wants to go back to that world. Except for maybe Neal. Look, I get why they want to go back - there’s no consequences in that land. My parents flat out told me this morning that if they can just rebuild their Kingdom, killing Cora won’t matter. Do you think I want Henry to grow up in a place like that? For better or worse, this world, the real world is my home. And I thought, especially after the curse lifted that we could all live here together in Storybrooke.” (There is an uneasy silence between the two for a long moment.) Regina: “You may never want to go back there, but Henry does. (As Emma looks at her confused:) While you were trapped in the Enchanted Forest, Henry confessed to me that one of the reasons he wanted the curse broken was so that we could all return home. He wanted to ride horses and live in a castle.” Emma: “He’s eleven, of course he does. (They share a smile. Seriously:) Look, I don’t know the full history between you and my parents and, frankly, I don’t care. All I know is that when you cast the curse you made it so you were all still together. Which means that somewhere deep down inside, you thought there was a chance to reconcile.” Regina: (Scoffs:) “I think you’re giving me just a little too much credit there, Emma.” Emma: “The point is, whether it’s the Enchanted Forest or Storybrooke, we all go there together, or not at all.” Regina: (Considers:) “All right. But shouldn’t you be telling David and Mary Margaret that as well?” Emma: “Trust me, they know how I feel. This feud is between you and them, it’s down to you three to work it out.” Regina: (Leans in:) “Just tell me one thing. Did they know you were going to tell me about the magic beans?” Emma: “No. (Regina nods:) I’m giving them the chance to show me that they’re willing to do things the hard way and not just cut and run when things get bad. (Getting to her feet:) If, when you meet, they don’t mention the beans, I guess we’ll have our answer.” Storybrooke. Present. The Rabbit Hole. (Belle is taking shots at the bar.) Keith: “Another round for the lady. I've had my eye on you for a while.” Lacey: “Thank you. Not my type.” (David and Mr. Gold enter the Rabbit Hole. Mr. Gold observes Keith and Lacey from a distance.) Mr. Gold: (To David:) “You might want to wait outside.” David: “Yeah, yeah. Bad idea. (Keith walks away from the bar and from Lacey:) Come on.” (Mr. Gold and David approach Lacey. Mr. Gold takes a seat beside Lacey.) Lacey: “Huh! Mr. Gold. You're... uh... you're back.” Mr. Gold: “As are you.” Lacey: “Well, what can I say? Love the ambiance. (Lacey takes a another drink from her glass, and turns around looking at the jukebox:) What the bloody hell is that? Let's get some Panama goin' on in here. (She turns back to Mr. Gold:) You- uh... You like Van Halen? You're a Hagar man, aren't you? Huh?” (She leaves the bar.) David: “What are you doing?!” Mr. Gold: “We have nothing in common.” David: “That doesn't matter. You just... need a way in. Ask her out. Go on.” (Mr. Gold approaches Lacey at the jukebox.) Mr. Gold: “Uh... Lacey?” Lacey: “Yeah?” Mr. Gold: “Now that you're... back to your old self... Perhaps we could spend some time together.” Lacey: “Like a date?” Mr. Gold: “Yes, a date.” Lacey: “Well, you do know that I'm not this 'Belle' that you're always talking about?” Mr. Gold: “Yes, of course.” Lacey: “I've heard about you, you know? People in town... They're afraid of you, Mr. Gold.” Mr. Gold: “Don't let that deter you. Give me a chance, please.” Lacey: (She pauses in hesitation:) “Okay. Tonight. Granny's. 8 o'clock.” (Lacey exits, and David approaches Mr. Gold at the jukebox.) David: “Not bad, Don Juan.” Mr. Gold: “Don Juan was nothing before he made his deal with me.” David: “Regardless, you got her to go out with you. Congrats.” Mr. Gold: “Indeed. Now I just need her to fall in love with me.”

#sq #swanqueen #Swan Queen

7 notes · View notes

hillbillyhippiemusicreview · 5 years

Text

POST #11 - Festival of the Red 2019

Y’all, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, about 50 miles east of the Horse Capital of the Word, is what I often refer to as “my favorite place on earth.” The Red River Gorge National Geological Area. The Red River Gorge is known for many things worldwide. Native American Artifacts, Petroglyphs, and Moonshiners made this place a hotbed among researches in years passed. The Red, as it is referred to by many who call it home or frequent the area, is also a Mecca for outdoor activities. Activities such as Rock Climbing, Hiking, Backpacking, Camping, Kayaking and now Music Festivals make the Red an outdoorsman’s (and outdoorswoman’s) destination.

Yeah, y’all heard me. Soon enough the Red will be known for what I believe is one of the best music festivals in Kentucky. And y’all, with the musical talent in Kentucky, that’s saying something. This year Chase and Miranda Fallen put on the 2nd Annual Festival of the Red! The festival was a stacked 3 day event with good country music and some rock that snuck their way to be headliners. And before I catch any grief, if y’all don’t think Justin Wells and the band are a rock band, just ask him.

While Festival of the Red was primarily Kentucky artists (and rightfully so, I mean Kentucky is known for horses, bourbon, basketball and music, if you disagree you’re wrong), the Fallen’s were able to sneak some talent in from all over the country. Our good friends from the Midwest, Chris Stewart and Chad Vaughn were there, along with a our favorite Alabama boy Ritch Henderson. It’s always good to see these fellas along with General Jim and his better half Victoria from The Honky-Tonk Hotel. If y’all aren’t familiar with them, check em out and give em a follow. They do some amazing things to help the small time artists that are trying to make it in this crazy business.

The lineup in no particular order was as follows: Ed Hughes, Spooky Fox, The Handshake Deals, Waylon Nelson, Jinx Machine, Aaron Boyd, Jeremey Short, TA Clay and the Soulminers, Donovan Howard, Ritch Henderson (with special guest MarDe Brooks), Jen Richardson, Luna & The Mountain Jets, Chris & Jen Shouse, Chad Vaughn, Chris Stewart (aka King of Algeria), Charles Wesley Godwin, Eric Bolander & These Assholes, Laid Back Country Picker, Josh Nolan, Sean Whiting and the Handsome Bastards, Chelsea Nolan, Justin Wells, Don Rogers, The Local Honeys, Ethan Wayne, Tyler Smith, Seth Ferguson, and finally John Clay. Y’all, if you don’t think that is an absolutely incredible lineup then your moonshine is gonna make you go blind, your beer is hot, and your bourbon ain’t from Kentucky.

While we got there to setup camp on Thursday (in what felt like the Sahara), the music didn’t start until Friday. At 2pm on Friday Mr. Ed Hughes broke the stage in and kicked things off. This was a simple set with Ed playing and singing while sitting on a stool. Honestly, because it was the first set on a Friday, the crowd was a little scarce , but it was pretty cool just to see him give it his all anyways. Y’all, Ed is one hell of a guitar picker and is pure country when he sings.

After Ed, a new act that I hadn’t seen before graced the tie dye stage with his presence. Spooky Fox came out and just filled the holler with energy. He had one of the best stage presence acts I have ever seen. Jumpin up and down, head bangin, jumpin off the the stage and shreddin guitar. He was one of my wife’s favorite acts of the night. Not to mention he is a great and personable guy. Y’all check out ol Spooky Fox on which ever fancy device you listen to your music these days. He is an electrifying entertainer and will not disappoint in a live performance!

After Spooky Fox, The Handshake Deals took the stage. Y’all, honestly I’m not sure there is an instrument that these fellas (and lady) can’t play. Acoustic and electric guitar, drums, stand up bass, mandolin, accordion, vocals. Y’all they switched every song and absolutely killed it. If you have a stand up bass and play real countryish music I’m an instant fan. I think they have an album coming out soon and I can’t wait to review it!

When The Handshake Deals finished their set, another Eastern Kentuckian Waylon Nelson took the stage. First off, I only got to talk to ol Waylon for a few minutes, but I’m pretty sure that is his real name. Waylon Nelson. Hot damn, it just sounds cool. I mean Willie, Waylon and Jesse Colter were all pretty tight together, so having your name as Waylon Nelson, you were born to play country music. So Waylon, if you are out there, start marketing yourself more, work at it a little more and play some country music. I’m pretty sure that’s what you were born to do. But, back to the review...Waylon’s type of music is really chill. As soon as he started singing, I looked over at my wife and said “now this is some whisky drinkin music.” It’s tranquil and relaxing with great lyrics. When y’all get a chance, check out his music page and give “Colorado High” a listen! I also wouldn’t do this bit justice if i didn’t mention who he had on stage with him. The lovely Kris Preston played with Waylon and y’all she is talented. She can sing and play multiple instruments, including the mandolin and the banjo. Yes, the freaking banjo. If you can do that on stage, you are talented and can put on a good show. I always say that you never see super young people play the banjo, because it takes a lifetime to master. Kris however, is young and killed it. She’s definitely a great musician!

After Waylon, a lineup change gave the Alabama boy Ritch Henderson a chance to play 2 sets. Y’all, I saw Ritch at Tumbleweed, I’ve got his EP and I’ve gotten to know the guy well. He served our country in the Marines and he is a heck of a guy. When it comes to his singing and songwriting, he is next to none. If y’all dig a down home fella that has a passion for music and is giving it literally everything he has, then listen to Ritch Henderson. “The Story So Far,” “We All Fall Sometimes,” and “Lonesome, All I’ll Ever Be” are masterpieces that can stand up to the likes of Jason Isbell, Arlo McKinley and so on.

Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen circumstances, my night ended there. I’m disappointed that I didn’t get to see the other sets, especially Aaron Boyd and Jeremy Short, but hey in the words of the late great John R. Cash, “I guess things just happen that way.”

Saturday came early with a 9am set from Livingston Kentucky’s Donovan Howard. Y’all, as unfortunate as it is, someone has to start the day off and Donovan pulled that straw. There were “maybe” 20 people out there watching, which is a shame, because Donovan is stone cold country. The guy was reppin’ a “Death Before Pop Country” shirt and playing a vintage guitar. It was acoustic set with just him singing and it was a great way to start the morning. The fella has a traditional sound and will throw a little new age flare in there every once in awhile. Donovan writes about things he knows and he does it well.

When the big hand struck 10am, Ritch Henderson got another chance to grace us with his presence. Unfortunately Ritch’s voice wasn’t allowing him to sing a lot. I blamed it on the eastern Kentucky allergies. Ritch however, told us that the real reason is because he played back to back shows and sang for an ungodly amount of time in 3 different venues over just a few days. So, Ritch sang one song before giving the Stage to MarDe Brooks. MarDe is another Bama boy who I had recently met and y’all he’s talented. MarDe is one of those fellas that helps to “make country music sad again” and he likes to write songs about whisky. Sad country music and whisky, the fella has my vote. MarDe Brooks 2020. Y’all, MarDe also covered “Hurricane” (no not the Luke Combs one...) and freaking knocked it over the hills. I’ve been debating recently if I liked The Band of Heathens’ version or Shane Smith and the Saints’ version better. I was having trouble deciding and then this guy threw his hat into the ring and I’m at a stalemate. MarDe, if you are reading this, RECORD HURRICANE AND RELEASE IT!

When Ritch and MarDe finished up their set, Ed Hughes took the stage again, but this time he was accompanied by Jen Richardson. I’ve already talked to y’all about Ed, but y’all Jen can sing! She’s extremely talented and her voice is like that of yesteryear women singers. She can stand with Trisha and the best of em! A cool little moment was when Jen and Ed had some “special guests” on the stage to sing Ed’s son’s favorite tune. Y’all can catch a glimpse of that below:

After Ed and Jen were finished filling the holler with good country music, another great Kentucky band took the stage. Luna & the Mountain Jets laid out a great set full of mountain music. I tell y’all, Dave and Teresa Prince put together one heck of a band and can jam out like no other. Y’all just ask ol Timmy Tyler Childers and Kid Rock if you don’t believe me. And if y’all don’t know what I’m talking about somewhere on the internet is a video of Tyler, Teresa, Dave and some other great musicians singing with a smiling Kid Rock runnin around filming it. Without me getting too long winded, I’ll just tell y’all to check them out when you get the chance, you can thank me later!

After Luna & The Mountain Jets, the heat got to me and I had to take a little break in the AC. So, I’ll talk about the sets I caught and then I’ve got a special surprise for y’all. With that being said, the next 2 sets I did see were Chad Vaughn and Chris Stewart. For those of y’all that aren’t familiar with these two, they are from the Midwest. If I remember correctly, both from KC, just from different states...Yeah KC works that way. It’s weird. Actually I think there are 2 Kansas City’s, but whatever, we are hear to talk about music, not geography. Anyways, despite attending 2 years of Tumbleweed right in their backyard, this was the first time I was able to catch a live set of either. Chad went on first and y’all I was impressed. Chad isn’t a hard core honky-tonk type musician. In the words of the lady standing by me, Chad is a technical singer. He hits all of those notes perfectly and knocks it out of the park every time. He is also a great song writer! You combine a mellow and technical voice with a great song writing ability and you’ve got one heck of an artist right there. But y’all Chad doesn’t stop there. He is also one heck of a picker. I’ve only been playing guitar for a few months and I’ve been bad at practicing. But seeing Chad Vaughn, Ed Hughes, Josh Nolan, Dave Prince, Donovan Howard and Jermey Short out there, y’all i was inspired again! Y’all look this fella up on the YouTube and follow his music page.

Chris took the stage right after Chad and y’all, Chris is another fella making country music sad again. Now, I know I say that a lot, but its true. I’d be willin to bet that this guy can play more sad songs than David Allan Coe. While Chris doesn’t move around and put on a show, he doesn’t need to. His voice and song writing fills the presence of the stage. He draws you in to listen to his songs and to feel the emotion! It’s also worth mentioning that he has what may be the best beard in the business. And apparently there are rumors of him becoming a leader in Algeria or something? Y’all check him out before he head overseas, or wherever the heck Algeria is!

The next set that I caught was Laid Back Country Picker. If y’all ain’t sure who ol Laid Back is, then crawl out from under your rock and give him a google. Laid Back is actually Dave Prince as the frontman, with Teresa Prince, as Honey. Y’all this set was awesome! Laid Back just about couldn’t keep Honey contained as she was so excited to perform at Festival of the Red. Laid Back may also be one of the best guitar players I have ever seen and can put on quite the show. His crowd engagement, stage presence, antics, song writing and vocals are Kentucky gold. If you’re from Eastern Kentucky like myself, Magoffin County Cadillac is sure to make you chuckle and remind you of times when you would drop from 70 to 55 in about 0.3 seconds. Y’all just do me a favor and check our ol Laid Back Country Picker. You might even be able to catch him on the party line now and then.

After Laid Back, the next set that I watched was Josh Nolan. But, as I hinted at previously, I’ve got a surprise for ya on this one. I collaborated with a “contributing writer”, yeah that sounds fancy. Anyways, her coverage of Josh was top notch, so I’ll just post her notes on him in just a minute.

I capped my “official” night off with Chelsea Nolan followed by Justin Wells. Chelsea took the stage about dark and led us down a rockin’ path to end the night. Chelsea played some off of her album and some new ones. With live versions of “Rock Bottom,” “Bootlegger,” and “Yard Sale Yolanda,” Chelsea kept us entertained! When she writes songs, she tells stories from experiences. Just like any great song writer, especially from Kentucky, that is what makes her special. When you have Chelsea’s powerful and energetic voice on stage with Josh Nolan, John Clay, AND Jeremey Short, you know you’re in for a treat. Her set was nothing short of flawless. From her down home humble attitude, her story telling, vocals, instruments, y’all it was a good time. If I had to guess, it was also special for Chelsea to play in front of a hometown crowd and get a response like that. Her and the band gave it their all, and you could tell!

My “official” night ended with the headliner; another Kentucky product in Justin Wells. While up until now, Festival of the Red was stone cold country, somehow when Justin and the fellas took the stage, a rock band was suddenly headlining a country music festival in the middle of the Eastern Kentucky Mountains! After coming off of a hiatus to rest up his vocal chords from a scary situation, Justin ended the night with a bang! Along with some hits off of his previous album, Justin played a couple of new ones in “Ruby” and “Temporary Blues” This fella is another song writer that writes about experiences and what he knows. Justin’s lyrics tell a story and put you in the right in the middle of a scene. Justin’s passion shows through in his lyrics and in his performance. If y’all don’t believe me, just take a look at thie picture below. If that ain’t a passionate performance then I don’t know what is. Especially for a guy that recently had his vocal chords on the verge of hemorrhaging! I can’t stress enough how much y’all need to catch Justin. I mean heck, I’ve seen him 3 times this year. I also cannot wait for his new record “The United State” to come out. All I know is what Justin told the crowd. It will come out when it comes out.

Y’all unfortunately I had “responsibilities” back in the city and didn’t catch any other sets. It was nothing against any artist, because everyone there was extremely talented! However, I do have a write up from our new contributing writer, Amy Fletcher! Amy knows her way around the music scene and I am honored to have her write with me. And, shameless plug, her daughter Hannah Fletcher is also an artist so y’all be sure to look her up! Anyways, I’ll quit ramblin’ and let y’all hear what Amy had to say about a few of the sets that I didn’t catch:

Charles Wesley Godwin. This guy put on an amazing set. His music is a wonderful representation of Appalachia. His voice resonates a beautiful vibrato with lyrics so simple and well put together. His song "Coal Country" strikes a sympathetic nerve with his description of the struggle of the fading world of the coal miner.

There aren't enough adjectives to describe Josh Nolan. His newly released Album, "Kind Heart To Follow" is one that cannot be missed. Not only is Josh a lyrical genius, he is an arrangement genius. He was joined onstage by a band who worked together like a well-oiled machine. His song, "East Kentucky Skyline" allows an opportunity for listeners to put themselves in a relatable situation of the colors peeking over the trees during the sunset. One can tell that Josh disappears in his mind during his performance, giving so much emotion it's as if one can reach out and feel it. This album is a must on the playlist.

Sean Whiting.....there are no words. Joined on stage by Laid Back Country Picker, Sean put on a performance that cannot he forgotten. His talent of raw southern rock-and-roll put him in a special class. His lead guitarist (I can't remember his name) made his guitar speak. For 20 years old that person was something special. Sean celebrated his birthday Saturday but the audience were the ones who walked away with the prize. His performance was one to stick with you.

The only show I caught Sunday was John Clay. John and his guitar is all that was needed. His audience consisted of about 6 people as his set was the last of the day. The rain had set in and drove many home earlier in the day. John has an uncanny ability to tell a story through his music and put the audience in the specific location. He finished out Festival of the Red and those who rode out the weather were given the treat of witnessing his performance.

Earlier, I kept saying my “official set” and other mysterious things. That was because I stuck around until a little after 2am on Saturday Night/Sunday Morning for a Song Swap around the campfire. Ritch Henderson, Chad Vaughn, Chris Stewart, Jermey Short, Sean Whiting, Josh Nolan, MarDe Brooks, and Hannah Fletcher stood around a campfire with 25 or so people and just played guitar, sang and just had a good ol time. There were a ton of originals mixed in along with Outfit, Can’t Ya See, In Color, Mama Tried, Queen of My Double Wide Trailer, Seven Spanish Angels, Ring of Fire, and a slew of other great tunes. Ya’ll it was a crazy surreal time as it was my first campfire song swap surrounded by that kind of talent. There was even a freaking tetradactyl screeching occasionally! Yeah, you read that right. Weird things happen in the mountains at night. If you don’t believe me ask Amy and Hannah. They will back me up on that!

Alright y’all, that’s my write up on Festival of the Red. Make sure to check out the photo album on the facebook page! Share and give us a like so others can discover the greatness that is Festival of the Red and these artists that deserve WAY more recognition than they get!

A special thanks to Chase and Miranda Fallen for putting on a great festival and letting me cover it. To Amy for teaming up with me and writing part of this! And to my wife, Lauren, for taking notes, editing this post, and enduring the heat with me! Until next time...

-Cheers, N.

*This is an independent review. The Hillbilly Hippie Music Review was not compensated for this review.

*The opinions expressed are solely that of the author(s).

*The artwork shown is not ours, nor do we claim it in any way. Rights belong to Festival of te Red.

0 notes

smartgirlsaremean · 7 years

Note

Expanded universe ask game for fanfic writers!: Avonlea Books + 5?

OOPS MY HAND SLIPPED

Previously on Avonlea Books, Belle and Gold attended a launch party for her first children’s book. They were engaged to be married.

TEN YEARS LATER

Warmth and savory smells washed over Henry as he let himself into the Park Avenue brownstone. He’d barely had time to take off his coat before there was a thundering of footsteps in the hall, and three small bodies launched themselves at him. Grunting, he stumbled slightly on impact, but tried his best to hug all three kids back at the same time.

“Mama! Papa! Henry’s here!” yelled the youngest of them, her big brown eyes shining.

Henry reached out and ruffled her dark hair. “Hey, Aunt Miranda. You ready for some turkey?”

She nodded and grinned. “Papa bought two! He said with this many people and your hollow legs, we’d need enough food for an army. Do you really have hollow legs, Henry?”

“That’s just an expression, Randy, it means I eat a lot.” Henry put an arm around the boy nearest him and squeezed. “How ya doin’, Jake? Ready to get your butt kicked at Mario Kart?”

“Yeah, right,” his kid brother snorted. “I’m the best. I beat everybody.”

“That’s not true,” piped up eight-year-old Gideon. “Mama beat you last night.”

Jake frowned at the other boy. “I let her win.”

“You did not!”

“I did too!”

“You can’t argue with me, I’m your uncle!”

“Nuh-uh! You’re younger than I am, and uncles are older. Right, Henry?”

“Uh…well, Gid is Dad’s brother, Jake. So…I mean, yeah, he is our uncle.” Gideon stuck his tongue out at his nephew, and Jake scowled. “But that doesn’t mean…”

“Gideon, be nice to Jake.” Henry looked up to see that Belle had appeared, her face stern. “We’ve talked about this - just because you’re his uncle doesn’t mean you can boss him around.” Jake made a face at Gideon and Henry sighed. He loved them both, but they were so…competitive. Adolescence was gonna be a nightmare. “I wondered where my helpers had gone,” Belle continued. “Who wants to peel potatoes.”

“I do!” Jake said quickly. “Can I use a real knife instead of the peeler?”

“Not til you’re older, sweetheart. Come on, I’ll get you started. Gideon, will you help Miranda change her dress again?” Belle eyed her daughter’s outfit, which was covered in flour and butter and God knew what else. “Actually, Randy, darling, don’t worry about a dress. Put on some of your play clothes and you can change right before dinner. Honestly,” Belle confided to Henry as Gideon led his sister upstairs, “I don’t know why I thought the dress was a good idea. She’s the least dressy person I’ve ever met.”

Henry smiled and put his arms around her when she hugged him. “Your dad and grandpa are in the study,” she said. “Jefferson and Grace should be here any minute.”

Henry swallowed around a suddenly dry throat, smiled, and headed down the hall. He’d known Grace for years - her dad worked for his, and had once worked for Belle - and they’d been friends since middle school. They’d even shared a high school graduation party. She was cool, if a little weird, but that wasn’t surprising considering that her dad wore top hats and smiled like a Cheshire cat. He’d gone to school in Boston while she’d stayed in New York, and for one reason or another they had dropped out of touch, never quite managing to be at home at the same time, even during the summer. And then he’d run into her in Atlantic City on Spring Break, and…well, he hadn’t remembered her being quite so pretty. Or so funny. Or so…everything.

He took a breath and reminded himself that the last thing he needed was his grandfather figuring out he had a thing for Grace. Roderick Gold might be ruthless as a businessman, but he was an equally devoted family man, and the merest whiff of a possibility of a granddaughter-in-law would have him on high alert. Not that Henry’d even had the nerve to send Grace more than a couple of friendly emails, but that wouldn’t stop his grandfather from speculating.

“That’s a pretty good location, but when you retire aren’t you supposed to stop working?” his dad’s voice sounded fondly exasperated, and Henry walked in to find his grandfather and father hunched over some papers at the desk.

“I haven’t had a full night’s sleep in eight years,” Grandpa said dryly. “I’m quite looking forward to spending a few hours a day in a dark shop surrounded by inanimate objects.”

“Hey,” Henry said, drawing their attention.

“Hey, Henry,” Grandpa smiled.

Dad stood and walked over to pull him into a hug. “The roads weren’t bad, were they?”

“Nah, just a little wet. Did you guys finally pick a place for Grandpa’s store?”

“Yeah, it’s a few blocks away from the Greenwich Village store, so I can still bug him if I need to.”

“You’ve just done fine without me,” Grandpa pointed out. “You could probably have done even better if you’d taken the CEO position, though.”

“Nah, I like the VP spot better, you know that. Smith’s doing fine.”

“Is anyone from Belle’s side coming this year?” Henry asked. He didn’t know his step-grandmother’s family very well, but Joan was a hoot and Maurice was nice.

“No, they’re spending the holidays with Joan’s family.”

The doorbell rang and Dad waggled his eyebrows at Grandpa before heading to the door. Henry grinned when he heard his other grandparents’ voices. Grandma and Grandpa Nolan were very nice, and he loved them, but they always treated his Grandpa Gold like he was a tamed beast ready to snap its tether at any moment. Gold rolled his eyes and limped out into the hallway to welcome his guests properly.

Henry took a deep breath and looked around the study. Belle’s books had a place of honor just behind the desk - the two best-selling kids’ books that had made her name and the four others that hadn’t done quite as well. There was also a chess table set up to one side, the pieces in the middle of a game. As he looked over the game, trying to determine who was closest to checkmate, he heard the doorbell ring again.

He hoped there would be enough room for everyone, and that Ruby and her grandmother got here soon. Ruby had taken over the diner when her granny retired, and she always brought pie. Really, really good pie.

“Hi, Henry.”

His hand jerked and he knocked over one of the pawns on the board. He reached for it, trying to right it, but he missed and sent a few more pieces flying. “Shit,” he muttered. Panicking, he tried to duck down to pick up the dropped pieces, and his head hit the board, sending everything scattering across the floor.

“Are you okay?”

He turned to look at Grace, who looked like she wanted to laugh. “Yeah, I just…wow, Grandpa’s gonna be pissed.”

She pressed her lips together and fought a smile, her blue eyes sparkling, and Henry flushed. “It’s good to see you.”

He smiled mutely and gathered the pawns to set them back on the board. Of course he had to act like a complete idiot around a cute girl. His dad and grandpa had been the same way. Why couldn’t he have inherited his Grandpa Nolan’s smooth charm?

Grace seemed determined to talk to him, though, so that was good. “Are you still majoring in creative writing?” she asked.

“Double majoring. Creative writing and business management.” Henry gathered the pawns and set them back on the board. “How’s biology going?” Grace was going to be a veterinarian, which made sense because she was crazier about animals than anyone he knew, except maybe Ruby.

“Not bad. A lot of labs and late-night cramming sessions.” She bit her lip and looked behind her. “Look, you didn’t…you didn’t tell anyone that we met in Atlantic City, did you?”

“Uh…no. I mean, it’s not like I was supposed to be there either,” he pointed out. Neither of them were twenty-one yet, and it was sheer luck that they hadn’t been caught. Spring Break was supposed to be for good times and minor rule-breaking, but he knew neither of their parents would see it that way.

“Okay, good. It was nice to see you and everything, but if Dad knew…”

“Yeah. It’ll be our secret.”

Grace smiled. “I like that. Our secret.”

“Yeah.”

She leaned past him and looked at the board. “Who was winning?”

“No idea.” She was too close, and Henry leaned away. “Probably Grandpa, though. He’s the chess master, after all.”

“Yeah, but I bet Belle has ways of distracting him.”

“Don’t go there,” Henry warned. “Just don’t.”

“They have two kids, Henry. It’s not like you don’t know…”

“I can pretend they hatched out of eggs, can’t I? I mean it’s bad enough with my parents, but…”

“I think it’s sweet. They’re obviously still crazy about each other.” She shook her head. “I’ve always hoped I’d find someone I loved as much as Belle loves Mr. Gold.”

A soft smile worked its way onto Henry’s face. “Yeah, me too. Or my parents. They’re still pretty distressingly into each other. Of course, they did meet stealing a car, so I don’t think I wanna copy them too closely.”

“And I’d rather not fall for my future husband while he’s putting me out of business.” Grace looked thoughtful. “I guess what I like most about your parents and grandparents is that they’re friends, y’know? I mean they love each other, but they also really like each other. That’s important in a relationship, don’t you think?”

“Uh…yeah, that’s…that’s important.” Henry realized he was holding his breath and released it. “I was, uh…I was wondering if you…”

“Hey, kid, Grandma Nolan’s looking for you.” His mom poked her head in the door. “Hey, Grace.”

“Hi, Mrs. Gold.”

“God, call me Emma, please. Henry, come out here before she drives your grandpa crazy,” Mom said, and Henry couldn’t quite keep the slight grimace from his face. “Or…is this bad timing?” Her eyes turned speculative and she glanced between them with a sly grin.

“It’s fine,” Henry said hastily.

“‘Cause I can make your excuses, tell everyone you’re in here entertaining a pretty young lady all by…”

“Oh my God,” Henry groaned. He moved to the door, but Grace stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“Yeah,” she said.

“Yeah?”

“We should get coffee tomorrow. Catch up.” Her eyes searched his. “That’s what you were going to ask me, right?”

“Yeah. Um. Cool. I gotta…” At her nod and smile, he walked to his mother, who was smiling widely.

“Don’t,” he muttered.

“Your grandpas are gonna be thrilled,” she teased.

“Why do I come back here?” Henry asked the ceiling. “Why do I torture myself like this?”

“Because you love us,” his mom pointed out, taking his arm.

He tried to scowl, but he couldn’t, because she was right. They were weird and mixed-up and complicated, but they were his family, and during the holidays there was nowhere else he’d rather be.

#rumbelle fic #extended universe ask game #avonlea books #my oldest child #anonymous

6 notes · View notes

swanderful1 · 7 years

Text

A Cold Awakening: Ch 9/?

Summary: Modern crime AU. Twenty years have gone by since Storybrooke was shaken to the core by a gruesome crime that went unsolved. Sheriff David Nolan and his partner, daughter Emma are forced to revisit the crime. At the same time, Killian Jones and his older brother Liam have been drawn back to the town they had longed to never see again, struggling to find their own answers. As taunting notes and clues show up they are taken on a journey to finally bring justice for the Jones family. And Emma Nolan finds herself caught in a situation more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.

Notes: Thank you so much for all of the wonderful feedback I have been getting on this story. I cannot express how much it means to me. Here’s another chapter, and I hope you all enjoy! Read the whole thing on AO3 or ffnet

Emma had spent so much of her time wishing for another clue to arrive at the police station. She had used so much energy wondering what the next piece of the puzzle would be. Laying awake at night staring at the ceiling trying to figure out the sequence of events that would have led to the murder of Brennan and Moira Jones. She had spent even more time with their son who was still very much so alive and very much so involved. And now here she was, given a massive piece of information and all she could think about was how much it would hurt Killian.

The man had promised her his loyalty that day she followed him into the woods. That was the day he told her how badly he wanted to find out what had happened to them. For his mother. Whom he loved more than anything. And now he was going to find out that it hadn’t been his father stepping out on their marriage. No, it hadn’t been Brennan at all. It had been his mother, Moira, the woman who had protected him from his father’s wayward behavior.

Emma thought back to the first day the case had reopened. The day she met Graham when she and David had driven out to the Jones mansion to scope the place out. It was also the day she had the clear memory of being in the home for the Christmas party when she was young. Running through the halls, playing with all of the other kids. And the very adult conversation she had walked in on. She hadn’t seen who the people were who were having the tense exchange but she could still hear their voices.

“For god sakes control yourself.” the woman had said.

“I could say the same to you,” the man responded.

At the time Emma was young. She had thought little of it other than her social cues telling her it was a conversation she should not be in the room for. Now, years later, she wondered if it had been the beginning of a fight between Moira and Brennan. Moira, frustrated by the state of her marriage, yearning for another. Or could it have been that her lover was in the room with her, angry with her for not leaving her husband? Perhaps the affair hadn’t even started yet and that had only been the start to the wreckage that became their relationship?

“Em, you okay?” Ruby’s low voice in her ear brought her back to reality. She was still in the evidence room. Her father and Graham not two feet from them. Emma hadn’t realized that her jaw had dropped at the discovery so she quickly shut it hoping no one had really noticed. They had.

“Yeah I uh, I’m fine. Just a little surprised I guess,” she lied.

“The Jones brothers and their lawyer will be here in an hour. I called Miss Mills this morning telling her to notify them to come in today,” David said. Emma looked up at him. There was no way he could know why she was so nervous about telling them.

“So we will need to come up with new lists of possible people this affair could have been with. I have Belle and the rest of the research analysts from Graham’s team looking into names Mrs. Jones associated with.” David took a few steps closer to Emma, trying to survey her odd behavior for himself. “Killian and Liam will have to come up with ideas of their own. We’ve contacted other members of the family.”

“Is there anything you would like for me to do specifically?” Emma asked, hoping with all of her might that he would say no.

“We’ll need you to be in the conference room taking notes when we tell them. I’ve had some photographs taken of the letters but I’d rather not have several new hands touching the actual paper so if you would compile them onto a flash drive we can use,” Graham looked at her as he spoke. Perfect. They were about to lay this awful information out and it was Emma’s job to make the fucking slideshow for it.

“Emma and I will work on it.” Ruby answered for her. Picking up on her friend’s hesitation. She pulled Emma’s arm out of the evidence room and into the hallway to give them some privacy. “What’s wrong, Em?”

“Nothing. I’m fine. I just… this is gonna be hard to tell them about.”

“You mean, this is going to be hard to tell Killian about?”

Emma looked at Ruby. She couldn’t deny it. Her reaction had been too telling. It was frustrating beyond belief. She wasn’t supposed to have any kind of emotional response at all.

“He will be really upset,” Emma said finally. But that didn’t necessarily explain why she was so upset.

“Do you have.. Feeli-” Ruby began to ask, looking at Emma with an understanding face.

“Don’t.” Emma put her hand up cutting her best friend off and walking toward her desk. That conversation was over as far as she was concerned.

An hour had gone by. Emma knew she could call Killian. Give him some time to process this before he got to the police station. She knew it was the right thing to do. Given how strongly he felt about his mother. It was easier to cope with it being Brennan who had the affair. His relationship with his father was never good. But his mother? She was the only source of light in his life that he spoke of, however rare it was. The news would not be easy to swallow.

But in the end she didn’t call him. She made every excuse in the book not to call him. It was a cowardly move. And she could come up with a hundred reasons why she didn’t do it but she knew there was really only one. She didn’t want to be the one to tell him, she didn’t want to be the one who hurt him. Couldn’t bear the thought of delivering the news. So she waited until they arrived with their lawyer.

Once she saw him though. Her thoughts shifted. He walked through the main room of the office where she was sitting at her desk pulling together the last bits of photographs Graham had wanted she and Ruby to assemble. His blue eyes met hers and he already seemed a little off. He didn’t smile. He was probably wondering why she hadn’t warned him he would be called in today, as she had been doing lately. She had made sure she kept him several steps ahead of what was going on within the police force. But today she hadn’t. And it was perhaps one of the most crucial time of all to have done it.

Gathered in the conference room, the usual group was around the table. Killian, Liam and Regina on one side. Graham, David, and Emma on the other. Though everyone else in the office was milling about trying to catch glimpses through the glass walls of what was going on inside. Emma was facing Killian. Of fucking course. And he seemed tense, the fact that he didn’t know what was about to happen making it all that more difficult to look him in the eye. She directed her gaze down at her hands that were now folded across the table.

“This morning we were given another piece of evidence that shifts the tides of which way we were looking at the investigation,” Graham began to speak. Emma still couldn’t look at Killian though she could feel him looking at her. “Uh, Emma why don’t you pull up the photos.”

Well if there was any chance of her playing this off like she didn’t know what Graham and David had discovered that was blown now. As she walked over to the laptop at the far end of the room and set up the photos. They began playing on a loop on a large projection screen at the head of the table. All eyes were on them, except for Killian’s who still had his on Emma. He looked angry. So so angry.

“We received a box of torn love letters that indicate an adulterous affair between two people. While we do not know who was on the other end of the letters we do know that one of the parties involved was your mother, Moira Jones.”

The photos now were zoomed in to show the depictions of their mother’s name scrawled out in ink. Slide by slide they went through showing as much of them as they could while Graham continued to speak.

“As you can see this changes the direction of the investigation. We are no longer looking for the person having an affair with your father. The main focus will now be toward Moira and discovering whom she was involved with.”

Emma glanced at Regina who was taking notes down on her legal pad, ultimately unaffected by the news. Then she looked at Liam who looked pained but composed, taking in the contents of the photos before him on the large screen. Then she braced herself to look at Killian. Whose blue eyes glistened with the barest hint of tears as he watched the screen. She watched him take a deep breath in and pull it together, only to look in her direction. Anger. She only saw anger. His jaw was clenched. His body language was the same. He was wound tighter than a top. And most of it right now was all directed at her. Her stomach lurched. She felt awful.

The rest of the meeting a large knot formed inside her. With every glance at Killian he seemed to be more and more frustrated. But everyone else in the room was unaware of it except her. She knew.

Graham and David led most of the meeting. Telling them there would be a televised police press conference tomorrow in front of City Hall if they would like to come. After their meeting in Boston the chief had thought it would be a good idea to get the word out that the investigation had reopened and to call in if you had any information.

The only time Emma had to talk was toward the end when she instructed the boys to come up with lists of people they remembered their mother associating with that could have been a potential candidate. They also needed contact information for close family and friends that Moira may have confided in about the affair. It took all Emma say those few sentences without blurting out an apology. He felt ambushed. She was supposed to have Killian’s back. She had promised.

“That will be all for today, we thank you for coming in and we will see you in a few days to go over the lists.” David shook everyone’s hands as they left. Neither he or Graham any the wiser to the conflict between Emma and Killian.

She wanted to chase after him. Follow Killian to his car and explain herself. Apologize for him feeling like she betrayed him. Hold him, comfort him, drive away with him. Tell her she regretted not calling him before and how about they go for that drink tonight instead? She didn’t want him to be angry with her. But he was. And judging by the look on his face that he gave her before storming out, he didn’t want to talk to her. She would give him space.

Emma ran to the bathroom needing a few minutes to herself before going back to work. There would be no time for her to get in her car and drive off today. There was enough to be done. She locked herself in a stall and took deep breaths trying to calm herself. You’re a cop, Emma. She told herself. At the end of the day you’re a fucking cop not a therapist. You don’t owe him anything for doing your job. Eventually she regained enough composure to get back to work. She had a job that needed to be done. Whether Killian liked the answers they came up with or not she was still going to find out what had happened to Moira and Brennan Jones. And she knew the solution would not be pretty.

The next day was the press conference held by the police force. Emma was beyond nervous. She wasn’t great at public speaking… or being on television… or being the one answering questions instead of asking them. But it was an order. She had to go with the rest of her team. They were being broadcast nationally to inform the rest of the country that the case had reopened. And they needed tips. The Boston detectives and their chief were getting tired of waiting on the anonymous note sender to give clues. The hope was that people would begin calling in as soon as they got word. While they knew most of it would be absolute garbage, there would always be some useful information that came from it. No matter how small. Publicity was publicity.

The entire police force met at the station beforehand for a briefing. Everyone wore their dress uniforms. Dark blue with gold buttons. Emma’s was a blazer with a pencil skirt. She wore dark tights and heels that pinched her feet. It was probably the most dressed up she had been since her graduation.

Mary Margaret had made Emma come over to their house an hour before going to the police station so she could take pictures of she and David.

“Oh, look at you guys. All dressed up.” She snapped a picture of them standing on the porch.

“Mom. Relax.” Emma was already irritable due to the nature of how things had gone in the office yesterday. Following the departure of the Jones brothers and their lawyer she threw herself into her work. Not even breaking for lunch.

“Okay, one more picture and I’ll let you go. I’m DVR’ing the whole thing,” Mary Margaret gushed. Continuing to take twenty more pictures before she relented and let them go.

“We clean up good,” Ruby noted looking around at the rest of the people in the room who usually came to work in jeans and a t shirt. The office was a casual place, not a whole lot of need for the formality of a uniform.

“Yeah but these shoes are killing me already.” Emma bent to adjust the thin strap that went over her ankle. This would be a long day.

When they arrived at City Hall, a large crowd of people had already assembled. A mix of photographers, local newspapers, television stations, most of the people who lived in Storybrooke. Henry and Mary Margaret were amongst the crowd, missing part of their school day to be here. Emma felt her throat tighten a little when she saw that Liam Jones and Regina were also there. Waiting near the front of the clump of people where the podium was. She scanned but did not see Killian.

The entrance of the police force caused a silence amongst the crowd, signaling that it was alright to begin soon. David was up first, he would be giving most of the address as he was the Sheriff. Graham would be giving a brief speech about his team’s involvement. Then Emma would be ending things requesting that if anyone had any information to call the hotline. She was not looking forward to this. Not even a little bit.

“Good morning, Liam,” Emma greeted the elder Jones brother who was arguably the more pleasant Jones brother as well.

He smiled in kind at her, the wrinkles near his eyes showing. “Good morning.” He gave her a knowing look as he saw her eyes searching around him. “He isn’t coming, Emma. I’m sorry.”

To say she hadn’t expected Liam to explain his brother’s absence would have been a lie. She had. She just didn’t expect he would explain it to her so directly. But the look on his face wasn’t spiteful or angry, no he was being sincere.

“I understand.” And she did. She had a job to do. Today and everyday she was the deputy sheriff of the Storybrooke police department. Liam smiled back at her as she walked away. He was awfully friendly compared to his brother.

“You ready, Em?” David turned from his spot at the podium and looked at her. He hadn’t begun speaking yet, but he was about to. The camera crews for all of the local news stations were lined up. Microphones shoved from each and every direction. Flash bulbs went off seemingly every second.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

He placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a look of encouragement. Which was just the look she needed. To remind her that no matter what her dad was always here.

“Good morning, everyone. As most of you already know, but for those of you that don’t I’m Sheriff David Nolan, Chief of the Storybrooke Maine police department…” he began and launched into a lengthy but organized speech about the efforts of the police department to bring justice to the murder of Mr. and Mrs. Jones. Then Graham took his turn at the podium, he was also a wonderful public speaker and addressed the crowd with confidence. She had big shoes to fill after those two.

Finally it was her turn to speak. She had brought a few notecards with talking points on them but found that as soon as she stood in front of the microphone she knew exactly what to say. And the words all fell out of her mouth one right after the other just like they’re supposed to.

“Here in Storybrooke, we’re a tight knit community. It’s a place you want to raise a family in,” she looked out of the corner of her eye and saw Henry standing next to her mother and David not far away, “where the local diner isn’t just a restaurant, it’s a place to gather and see the familiar faces of everyone you know. You don’t worry if your kid walks somewhere alone after dark or locking your doors at night. That’s the town I grew up in. It’s the only place I know. And it’s been an honor to serve this community as a law enforcement officer. But in this town we have a past. The murder of Brennan and Moira Jones is one of the most unsettling of our time. And it has gone unsolved for far too long. Someone out there clearly knows things we do not.” She paused thinking of all of the cryptic notes and hints that had been delivered recently. “And whoever it is needs to speak up. If you or anyone you know, has information about the crimes committed against the Jones family please call our hotline or send anonymous tips to our email service…. Thank you.”

She stepped down from the podium to a surprising round of applause from everyone who had gathered. Looking around she saw all of the support, and all of the love from the local people. There were years and years of history and relationships between the people of Storybrooke. Realizing the immense amount of loyalty so many people had toward the town, Emma felt confident that someone would step forward and offer what they could about the case. It would get solved. And the tragedy could be put to rest.

“You did great, Em.” David grabbed her by the shoulder not long after she stepped down. She felt like she could finally breathe now that it was over. “I owe you a grilled cheese. What do you say about lunch? I’m starved.”

“I could really use some food. I didn’t eat breakfast,” she admitted sheepishly. Between the press conference looming and the fact that she was on not-so-great terms with Killian making her insides too shaken up to eat anything. But now that one was out of the way and taken care of she could certainly make room for her favorite meal.

Everyone left the press conference and went straight to Granny’s for lunch. Ignoring the hounding questions from the media outlets. They had asked enough questions for the past two hours. The whole force was just about sick of having microphones shoved in their faces. The team took up most of the entire diner, it wasn’t all that big plus everyone had their families with them.

“Hey Liam…” Emma had called to him right before they all walked to the diner. He looked like he was about to get into his car and drive off to wherever it was he was staying. “Why don’t you and Miss Mills come to Granny’s with us.”

He looked uneasy. So did Regina. But in the end they agreed and joined the rest of everyone else for some food. It wasn’t necessarily a ‘pop the champagne’ celebration. The case was still open-ended with a killer at large and a phantom note writer lurking, but everyone had been working rather tirelessly. Always on edge waiting for the arrival of the next clue, trying to gain as much as they could from the ones they had. It was exhausting. And a quick lunch at Granny’s wasn’t undeserved by anyone. She just wished there had been someone else here.

Emma grabbed her phone and went outside to try calling Killian. Maybe now that the morning was over and things were looking a little brighter he would be willing to come down. Or at least have a conversation with her. The phone rang and rang. To no answer. Fuck. She said to herself. No one was outside on the patio with her so it didn’t matter anyway.What a stubborn man. But in a way she understood, she imagined her reaction in his position would not have been all that different. She spun on her heels, which she couldn’t wait to get out of, and began to walk back inside when she ran into a dark and heavily cloaked figure.

“Miss Nolan.” It was Neal’s father. Cane and all. Making his way out of the diner.

“Sorry, didn’t see you there,” she said when she regained her wits. But he still hadn’t moved from his spot in front of the door.

“The fault is entirely my own.” She caught a glimpse of his one gold tooth he had when he gave her what he was trying to pass as a smile. A slight chill went down her spine when she caught sight of it. “Lovely speech you gave back there, dearie.”

He finally stepped out of the way and began walking down the cobblestone path to the street. An odd feeling settling in her stomach as she watched him go. What Belle saw in the man she would never understand.

Following the lunch at Granny’s it was time for everyone to return to the office. There was plenty to be done and it was hoped that some information had come through the phone lines after the televised segment aired. Emma immediately got to work, wasting little time the rest of the day. She researched several people in the Jones family she could bring in and question. Searched the evidence files to see if there had ever been any record of an address book taken from the Jones house. She figured contacts from there would be a good place to start since the crime had taken place far before the smartphone era. It was well after dark when she shut her laptop deciding to call it a night. She looked at the clock, 8:30 pm. Neal had left several hours ago to take Henry for the night, promising to make sure he had a good dinner. She was off the clock. She could do what she wanted….

Emma got in the car after she left the office and just drove. She didn’t drive to her house where she should be going. She didn’t drive to the diner where she could maybe grab something to eat before the kitchen closed. She didn’t drive to her parents house to visit. She drove further. Outside of Storybrooke. About twenty minutes away to be exact. Where she would find the hotel of a certain someone, who she desperately needed to speak to right now.

She felt bound. Tightly. In the clothes she still wore from the press conference. Her pencil skirt riding up as she pressed her foot to the gas pedal. She unbuttoned more than was necessary of her blue dress shirt. She had removed the matching police jacket. Her hair had fallen from the tightly clipped bun and now fell halfway down her back in loose curls. She didn’t call. She knew he wouldn’t answer. They hadn’t spoken at all since he found out the truth about his mother. Whether he was angry with the situation or with her for not properly warning him before he came in that day she was not sure. But he had taken a firm stance on shutting her out. So she drove. She drove to him to try to fix this in any way she could. She was supposed to have had his back but she didn’t.

Pulling up to the hotel she felt more nervous than she had when she initially got in the car. She could feel her heart beating out of her chest. He could very well not even answer the door. Mustering all of the confidence she could she put her stupid pinchy heels back on her stockinged feet and marched inside headed straight for the concierge. For once she was dressed properly to be in the classy lobby, not her usual attire of torn jeans and knee high boots adorning her today.

“Hi. I’m looking for Killian Jones’ room,” she said to the man at the front desk who was way too smiley for how wired she was right now.

“Is Mr. Jones expecting you?”

“Um, no not really.”

“Well you need key access to get to his floor so if you would like I can call up for you?”

What the fuck floor needed key card access couldn’t she just take the elevator and hammer on his door till her answered? Unless…

“Yeah you can tell him that…” who could she possibly pretend to be that he would allow up? “Laura Jones is here to see him. His sister-in-law.” She remembered Liam’s wife. Seeing her at the diner that day with their little family. Laura was about Emma’s height, blonde hair. That was where the similarities stopped but the concierge didn’t have to know that.

“I most certainly can, Mrs. Jones.”

“Laura’s fine.” She smiled. The gravity of the use of the formal name a bit more than she could handle being called right now, even in this short exchange. The man had picked up the phone and began dialing. He looked at her apologetically as it appeared no one was picking up. And then his face became hopeful again.

“Good evening, Mr. Jones. So sorry to have disturbed you but there is a Laura Jones here to see you. Can I-?”

Apparently he was cut off before he could finish the question because he was handing her a key card. If he had recognized her from the time she was here before or seeing her on the news today, he didn’t mention it. Instead he politely directed her to a man standing next to the front desk. He was massive, probably three heads taller than Emma and wore an all black suit with an ear piece. What was this guy supposed to be? Secret service?

Emma looked down at the card in her hand expecting there to be a room number on it but the only indicator of where Killian’s room was came in the form of two words written in gold cursive script across the front: Penthouse Suite.

Of fucking course.

“Are you the gatekeeper?” Emma joked with the giant sized man. He led her to the central elevator that had a specific slot and key for the penthouse floor.

“I’m just the escort, ma’am.”

“Have a lot of people visited this particular floor um… recently?” she asked. She was fishing and judging by the break in his scowl as she asked her question, he knew it.

“No, ma’am. You are the first.” He looked down giving her a knowing look. A wave of relief came over Emma. Even though she was no way entitled to know whether or not Killian had night time guests. He was a grown up. He could do what he wanted. Obviously.

The elevator light above her head dinged, signifying they had reached the penthouse floor. The gold doors opened to what appeared to be the foyer of a very large looking suite.

“I’ll leave you here, Mrs. Jones.” The man in the elevator winked at her before pressing the button to close the doors. And like that he was gone, with her standing in the massive space. Alone.

“Killian?” she called out, hearing her own voice echo. The foyer was made of some kind of marble. A single spiral staircase scaling the rounded wall that was furthest from her. Central to the room was a circular mahogany table with an ornate floral arrangement in the center. The sound of the pitter patter of little feet came closer to her and she looked down to realize Princess, his dog, had trotted in to greet her. She licked Emma’s hands before running herself up the steps because her work as pseudo guard dog had been done. “Killian…. I’m sorry to do this but I needed to talk to you…” She called to no answer still.

Her heels clicked on the marble floor as she made her way down a hall that opened up into what appeared to be the great room and kitchen area. The high ceilings were continued throughout making it seem huge. An entire wall of windows faced the city and all of its lights. She could see a few of them were actually doors that opened up to a patio. One of the french doors was left slightly open and a breeze blew at the gauzy drapes hanging across.

“Killian…?” she walked towards the patio. Rounding the corner to find him sitting on a chaise lounge, staring out into the night sky. He looked so effortlessly handsome as he sat. A glass of amber liquid twirling about in his hand. His suit jacket thrown over top of another chair. His white dress shirt unbuttoned so far you could see much more of his glorious chest hair than the small amount that usually peaked out at the top. His legs were crossed and he made no move to look over at her as she stood mere feet from him.

“I had figured it would be you,” he said after a few moments but not drawing his gaze away from the view of the city. She watched his hand swirl the glass with ice in his hand before taking another measured sip. “Mrs. Jones, is it?”

He wasn’t wholly amused but he also hadn’t thrown her out yet so she followed his lead. If he wanted to be cold and distant she could out-stubborn him any day. But she knew she had been in the wrong. She felt she owed him some sort of an apology. That was what she came here for after all.

“Killian… I had to talk to you. One on one.” She took a few steps closer to where he lounged but he still did not make any move to look at her. “I want to apologize. I should have tried harder to warn you what was coming. I made a promise to you.”

“You were just doing your job.” Still not looking at her. But she was looking at him. God. He was handsome. In the pale light of the moon he was even more gorgeous. But he looked angry, sad, and she knew she was partly to blame.

“I promised you I would help find out what happened to your parents and that you wouldn’t have to be blindsided by the circus that is this investigation. But I was scared…”

“What on earth could you have possibly been scared of?”

“Of hurting you.” There. It came out. Now he was looking at her. Good God was he looking at her. Baby blues darkened with anger and hurt now fading into some sort of expression of understanding. “I knew how much your mother meant to you. It was easy for you to dismiss your father as an alcoholic.. And a maniac… and an adulterer but your mother? You hold her in such high regard. It was selfish and I shouldn’t have done it but I didn’t want to be the one who ruined that for you.”

“Emma, you don’t have to apologize, darling.” He stood from his seat finally, crossing the little space that remained between them on the patio. Her eyes darted down ever so quickly to glance at his exposed chest hair. She hoped he didn’t notice. “You’ve done more than enough for me during this investigation. I have no right to be angry with you for doing your job.”

There was a hint of forgiveness in his voice the closer he got to her. And now they were face to face less than a foot apart. She looked into his eyes searching for something, anything, the smallest sign of him not being genuine in the way that he looked at her. She found nothing but… relief.

“The real anger is directed at my parents… but as they’re not here I took it out on you. And for that I am truly sorry.” He pushed a lock of hair from her face as he spoke, his fingers just barely grazing her skin. The act itself feeling so intimate for the conversation they were having. But she wasn’t upset by it. On the contrary, the way her skin ignited when he touched her, she would go as far to say she liked it. “Sometimes I can be a real stubborn ass. Ask anyone.” His humor now making the air a bit less suffocating.

“You’re not the only one who’s a bit hard headed.”

“And just who might that be?” he teased.

“I’m not the most… receptive person. But just know that I didn’t mean for you to end up angry with me over all of this. Even if your anger was misguided.”

“You’ve kept me sane… for the most part while I’ve been back here, Emma. Turning on you at this point would be unwise.” He was being utterly and fully honest with her. She knew it. And it terrified her. Because she felt the same toward him.

“I meant what I said the other night. I don’t mind your company, Killian.” She smiled and looked down at her feet that were screaming at her for still continuing to wear the heels.

“Aye, and I meant what I said. The feeling is mutual.” He took a step closer. She didn’t even know that was possible. Her breath held in her throat looking up at him, their eyes boring into one another. She inched a bit closer, not sure what else to do. Not sure what else she wanted to do. It certainly wasn’t be farther away from him, she knew that much.

“Emma...” he was looking down now, his voice sounding like he was almost in pain. She looked at him trying to gauge what he would say next. Her stomach twisted in on itself as she waited with held breath for the next words to come out of his mouth. “Your heel is on my foot.”

Fuck. She looked down and quickly pulled her black pump off of his right foot. She felt like an ass. Of course he wasn’t going to pour his heart to her right there. This wasn’t going to be an emotional confession of feelings. Because there weren’t any feelings to confess. That would be crazy. Because she was crushing his fucking foot.

“Oh my god. I’m so sorry, does it hurt badly?” She started to bend down checking to see if it had reddened at all but appeared fine.

“You’ve not much practice wearing those, have you?” he asked joking.

“I’m not really a skirt and heels kind of girl.”

“They suit you rather well though, love.” He eyed her up and down, fully taking in her figure. He was so used to seeing her in jeans and leather. Not a form hugging skirt and tights. She rolled her eyes at his choice to not hide his wandering gaze. Though there was a part of her that liked it. And a warm feeling appeared in low in her belly.

“Was I supposed to take that to be a compliment?”

He walked away from her, lifting his hand to signal she should follow him in the double doors that led to the great room. “Take it however you like, darling.”

The lights were dim in the great room. A large white sectional couch being the focal point of the space. A modern glass fireplace was lit on the wall that contained the television. Princess had made her way back downstairs and was asleep on the couch.

“Would you like a drink?” he asked, walking over to the bar in the corner of the room. “I have rum, whiskey, vodka, tequila…..?” She should probably just go home. He had forgiven her. They had reached a good point. Just leave.

“Actually, do you have any tea?”

“I’ll see what I can do.” He smiled and went to the kitchen that was open to the living room. He seemed to be scoping out the cabinets and found some lavender tea that would do just fine. She plopped down on the far side of the couch so as not to wake the sleeping dog. One cup of tea wouldn’t hurt her. She would leave right after.

“This room would be perfect for movies,” Emma said as he returned with not one but two cups of tea. Leaving his rum at the bar. “We have a room in my house where Henry and I watch movies but the screen isn’t nearly this big.”

“Henry?” He looked puzzled. Had she never told him about her son?

“My son. Henry.” She gauged his reaction to see if he was at all overwhelmed but his expression remained engaged in what she was saying. “We’re big movie critics. So I converted the dining room.”

“Seems practical.” He sipped his tea and smiled at her, this time it reached his eyes. “And the boy’s father?”

“Neal… he’s a cop too. You’ve met him.” She wasn’t sure if she was disclosing too much but he didn’t seem to mind. He had asked her about the father after all. “I got pregnant in high school.”

He seemed to be nervous to say whatever he was going to say next, his fingers toying with the handle of his mug, looking down at the steaming liquid. “And are you and Neal…?”

“Not together. We haven’t been for a long time.” Had she answered that a little too quickly?

“Ah, I see.” He sipped his tea, she wasn’t sure but she swore he was hiding the hint of a smile.

They sat on the couch for a while. For far more than one cup of tea. The only thing between them being the sleeping form of Princess the dog, who was oblivious to the physical boundary she was setting. They talked, about things unrelated to the investigation. Asking each other simple questions as the conversation flowed easily. Killian, absentmindedly stroking the head of his sleeping dog. It was comfortable. The way she felt right now. Slowly she relaxed into the couch, tucking her legs up underneath her. Outside of the high charged intense environment they had been in before, it seemed like the two could let their guards down if only just a little bit.

Emma hadn’t realized how late it was until she peaked at her phone. 2:06 am. Jesus. She thought. When was the last time she had been out this late someplace that wasn’t a bar? He watched her check the time and prepared for her to get ready to leave, following her to the elevator doors in the foyer where she had entered. Much to her chagrin she put the stupid pinchy heels back on to walk back to her car.

“Well, thank you for letting me in even though I sort of ambushed your hotel room,” she joked. He smiled at her. They were standing face to face now, as she was a bit taller in her shoes.

“Perhaps next time you won’t have to pretend to be my sister-in-law to get in.” His eyebrow quirked up as he looked at her. She caught herself glance at his lips that had gone from a smirk to a stone cold stare in seconds.

“Yeah well, scaling the walls of the hotel wasn’t an option in this outfit.”

“Of course not.”

They stared at each other. The light air in the room had gone thick the longer they went without speaking and moving. The electric current between them more present than ever. Emma couldn’t ignore it. This didn’t happen when she was near anyone else. It was… intoxicating. He was a hairsbreadth from her face, his lips so close to hers, his eyes glanced down at hers. She turned and took a step away, needing to think clearly. She hit little yellow elevator button. He didn’t move.

When the elevator arrived the doors opened to reveal that the big, giant elevator man who had escorted her up was not there like Emma was expecting him to be.

“Good night, Emma.” She turned one more time to look at him. As he stood there in his massive hotel room. His chest hair hanging out of his shirt. She wanted to run her fingers through it. Just to feel him. Just to be that close. But instead she put her back to him and began taking steps toward the elevator. She paused at the threshold. Fuck. Don’t do it, Emma. Keep walking.

“Killi-,” she started to say as she turned back around to face him but she didn’t have to finish. He had grabbed her hand and pulled her entire body flush up against his in one swift movement that left her breathless.

In an instant his lips were on hers. Meeting for the first time. Moving slowly but urgently. His hand went up to the back of her head, resting the other at the small of her back. The fluttering inside her traveling until it rested right at her center where she felt her desire for him growing more and more. She released the barest of moans as his tongue darted to her lips, demanding they open to allow entrance. She granted it with willingly, their tongues engaging in what could only be described as a passionate tango for dominance. Coming up for air only when necessary.

Their close proximity gave her full access to feeling his entire lean form. His hand reaching up and pulling her hair, allowing him to enter at a better angle. Deeper. Harder. With his tongue unapologetically chasing hers. His other arm roving over the most intimate curves of her body God did it feel good. Finding a spot on her thigh just beneath her ass. She could barely contain herself. The leg he had grabbed began to wrap around his hip, pulling them closer as her arms went around him. One grabbing the hair at the nape of his neck.

How was it possible that they were this close and still not close enough? He growled as she began to roll her hips into his. Needing the fire burning at her core to find some sort of relief. Any relief. Feeling his desire for her evident against his pants. Hard against the tights on her leg. She got carried away and wanting to taste him she bit his bottom lip, sending a moan from the back of his throat before she felt him pull away.

“Emma… darling.” He was breathless as he spoke. His lips now no longer on hers and she missed them. Wanted him back immediately. But she didn’t push. She just looked at him. Incredulous. Her heart about to beat out of her fucking chest. His piercing eyes on her green ones. She could see the mark she had left on his lip, a small amount of blood beginning to coat the bottom. “That was… If we don’t stop… I can’t…”

His inability to form a clever, quick witted sentence was both satisfying and relatable to her. She wasn’t sure she could come up with anything either. But she knew what he was trying to say. So with all of her willpower she released her hold on him and took a few steps back.

“I’ll um, I’ll see you tomorrow.” She was certain her cheeks were bright pink but she didn’t care. All she could see was blue. A deep, gorgeous blue.

“Good night, Killian.” She stepped into the elevator and slid the card into the slot to go down.

“Good night, love.” The last thing she saw as the doors to the elevator closed was the sight of him bringing his fingers up to the spot on his lips she had bitten, tasting the blood, as a smirk came across his face.

#captain swan #cs ff au #cs fanfics #cs au ff #cs au fic #captain swan fan #captain swan fanfiction #cs modern au #a cold awakening

11 notes · View notes