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sunlightmurdock · 1 year

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Safe Zone | 0.2 | Jake Seresin / Bradley Bradshaw x Reader AU

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Synopsis: A team of elite naval aviators holding down the fort at the North Island Air Base while they wait for reinforcements after a virus sweeps the continental U.S. - only, it’s been three months and no one has shown up.

Warnings: throughout the fic - gore, death, violence and pretty graphic mentions of all things zombie related, love triangle, smut (18+, minors dni), angst etc. No specific warnings for this chapter

…

The summer heat seems to be getting to people. There was a fight amongst two men this morning at breakfast, Cyclone’s been walking around screaming orders all morning, and every civilian that Jake has seen today is seemingly on a mission to piss him off.

It’s been a hard morning, Jake’s already pissed off and Admiral Cain won’t get off his ass about getting someone to fix the leak in the roof of Block C.

He drops the bucket of supplies on the ground and starts towards the idiots near the wall. A group of teenage boys. One of them is hunched over with a taller kid standing on his back, reaching for the top to pull himself up.

“Hey!” Jake barks. The one being used as a human step stool turns his head quickly, eyes going wide as he sees Jake.

Jake watches him whispering ‘dude, dude, dude, dude’ and tapping his friend’s ankle to alert him. The taller one curls his fingers over the top of the wall and pulls himself up.

Luckily, he’s skinny and weak so Jake has already reached them by the time that the boy has pulled himself up enough for his chin to be over the top.

Jake doesn’t have much of a temper, and he isn’t angry - but he knows that this isn’t a slap on the wrist kind of situation.

Jake grabs a fistful of the taller one’s t-shirt and yanks him backwards. His intention is to scare them. They should be scared.

“What the fuck is the matter with you? - Huh? - Are you stupid or something?” Jake barks as the teenager lands in the dirt and scrambles, eyes wide, trying to push himself up. Jake leans over him, curling his fists into his shirt and pushing him harder into the ground.

“If I catch any of you idiots near that wall again-“

“You’ll what?” He’s interrupted.

He looks up and almost groans in annoyance as he realises who he’s holding. Jake looks back down at your terrified younger brother and drops the hold that he has in his shirt.

“They were trying to go over the wall, I was just-“ Jake straightens up and sighs.

“Our ball went-“

“Luke, go back inside.” You order. Your brother frowns at you and then looks to his friends. He sighs softly and the four of them turn to head back for the building.

“I wasn’t going to hit him.” Jake sighs.

“If you ever,” You step forwards and point a finger into Jake’s chest, narrowing your eyes at him, “Touch him again - I’ll-“

“You’ll what?” Jake taunts, copying what you had said back to you. He stands firm and tilts his head slightly. “Pull a knife on me? - Take my keys?”

You know that you shouldn’t really be stepping on the nerves of a man that could turn you in at any moment, but you’ve been fighting Luke’s battles since the day he was born and it doesn’t look like you’re likely to stop any time soon.

“I wasn’t ever gonna hurt him.” Jake reassures you, his tone still cold. Just like he knows you weren’t ever going to hurt Coyote. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do.

“You don’t touch him again,” You warn, deadly serious. Jake catches his first glimpse of what Coyote experienced. Except, Jake can see your face when you say it - the fear in your eyes. “Ever.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jake’s lips quirk up into a smirk. He’s never been one to show his weaknesses. He keeps his guard up and his poker face strong. You turn away from him, shaking your head.

“Hey.” Jake calls you before you get too far away. “What’s your deal?”

You roll your eyes and keep walking, “I’m not a fan of grown men beating up on kids.”

“I already told you, I wasn’t going to hurt him - and he’s hardly a kid, he’s taller than I am.” Jake replies. You hear him walking after you. “But that’s not what I was talking about - why didn’t you sign up?”

“It’s voluntary, right? - Maybe I just didn’t feel like volunteering.”

“Y’know, signing up comes with some perks.” Jake continues to follow you, picking up the bucket he had dropped as he passes it. It’s not that busy right now, most people are at lunch or inside - it’s too hot to be hanging out here in the middle of the day.

“Like getting to spend time with you?” You scoff, unimpressed.

“You should be so lucky, sweetheart,” Jake smiles, catching up to you and rounding, standing in your path. You’re face to face, about as close to him as you’ve ever been. He’s pretty up close. Neatly shaven, hair still perfectly trimmed, exceptionally clean. He smells like pine. “But no, I’m talking about the access. Level two clearance, almost the same set of keys I have.”

“You guys have level four.” You point out.

“Well, you currently don’t have any clearance at all,” Jake reminds you, adjusting the black baseball cap he’s wearing. He makes no effort to hide it as he looks you up and down. “Might get to see some pretty interesting stuff. Gotta be better than walking in circles every day.”

You stare at him. You’ve dealt with people like Jake before, and you aren’t phased.

“Outside?” You quip.

“Your family are free to go any time you like, if you wanna be on that side of the wall so bad.” Jake declares calmly, knowing that you won’t go.

“I don’t want to be out there. I just want to see.” You answer.

He shrugs. “So sign up.”

This time, it’s Jake’s turn to walk away. He likes you. Jake’s always had a thing for girls that don’t like him much. It does wonders for his ego to take someone that thinks he’s an asshole and just watch the tide change as they start to soften for him.

You glare at the back of his head.

Rooster’s day has gotten significantly more interesting. Rather than just watching cameras in the quarantine zone, that’s been passed to one of his staff and he’s walking the new medical team around the infirmary.

“So, Rooster, is it?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Rooster answers your mother politely. She smiles at him. They get to talking, actually. About how she wound up here.

About her son, the clumsiest wannabe pro-athlete in the world. About her daughter, the kindergarten teacher.

“No way — she was not a kindergarten teacher,” Rooster chuckles, shaking his head slightly as he helps her carry her paperwork back to her building. “She seems so…”

“Mean?” Lindsay offers with a small laugh. The two of you have had your differences. She adores you, and the two of you get along well now, but it’s easy enough to compare you to your brother.

Luke’s a very happy-go-lucky type person. You’ve always been a little more uptight. Well, from what she has experienced anyway. Lindsay’s always had a feeling that she doesn’t get you as wholly as she gets Luke.

Rooster grins, but shakes his head, “I was going to say tough.”

He doesn’t think you’re mean. You could’ve actually killed Coyote, that would’ve been mean. Stealing meds for your mother would suggest to him that you’re actually the opposite of mean.

Lindsay raises an eyebrow at him, “Have you ever been in charge of thirty five year olds all by yourself? — That takes guts.”

“Don’t doubt it.” He agrees.

Parents have always loved Bradley. He knows how to behave and was raised by a single mother, so he knows how to impress Moms. By the end of the afternoon, your mother is laughing at his jokes and letting him carry her new supplies back to the suite.

He sets the paperwork down on the dining table and smiles politely, “Alright. Well, I guess I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow, Doctor. Shaw.”

“Hey, Rooster — do you have anywhere to be tonight?”

He turns and raises his eyebrows, ready to help with anything else that she might need. He checks his watch and shakes his head, “I have to take over at the control tower at midnight. Not ‘til then.”

“Well, would you like to stay for dinner?” Lindsay offers. Bradley smiles at her, giving a soft nod of his head.

“Sure. Can I help?”

“Luke, you little bitch-“

Bradley’s head turns. He and your mother turn their heads to look at you in tandem. You freeze in the doorway. It’s clear that your brother isn’t here. His lips quirk upwards, amused.

Rooster seems bigger when he’s standing in the middle of your cramped family space. You cringe, not taking the time to question how or why he is standing here in front of you now.

“Where’s Luke?” You breathe.

“Outside? - Why, what did he-“

“Nothing. I’ll be right back.” You answer quickly, shaking your head. Your mother frowns and closes her eyes for a moment.

“No — I’ve told you a hundred times that it isn’t your job to discipline him. I’ll talk to him when he gets in. What did he do this time?”

Rooster looks between the two of you as you step inside and close the door behind you. He can certainly see the family resemblance. He takes a seat on the couch, feeling like standing between the two of you is just awkward.

“The idiot was trying to go over the fence to get his ball! — Almost got his ass handed to him by one of the dickheads in green.” You frown. Your gaze trails to Rooster, “No offense.”

“None taken.” He shrugs. In fact, his lips quirk up slightly and you frown as he begins to smile. He knows it would’ve been Cyclone or Jake that threw your brother around and, by how irritated you seem - he figures that it’s Jake.

Lindsay sighs softly.

She busies herself in the kitchen, ignoring what she was just told. She always lets Luke get away with absolutely everything - perhaps this is why you feel the need to discipline him. No one else ever does.

You swallow, then turn your attention to Rooster. He smiles politely at you.

“Rooster’s joining us for dinner tonight.” Lindsay changes the subject.

You look between him and her. It’s times like this that you start to miss having your own apartment. You miss the luxury of just being able to leave, to go home and to have an entire one bed apartment to yourself.

“I’m going to take a shower.” You decide. The bathroom is the only place around here you can get any privacy anyway. Lindsay rolls her eyes and hums an agreement.

Rooster hears the lock click behind you.

“Sorry about her.” Lindsay mumbles, she shakes her head softly. Rooster’s lips quirk as he shakes his head. He doesn’t mind the attitude one bit.

Luke shows back up whilst the water is still running. He’s bright red and sweaty, he comes in and chugs a glass of water before he even notices the pilot sitting on his couch.

“You’re Rooster, right?” Luke pants, pushing his soaking wet hair back off of his face. He remembers the note with the heart on it from two weeks ago. He looks between Bradley and Lindsay, wondering for a moment if this guy is here to hit on his Mom or his sister.

“You’re Luke.” Rooster agrees, nodding his head. “Heard you got yourself in some trouble this afternoon.”

Luke laughs, nodding his head, “Uh-huh. The little one is mean.”

Rooster grins, knowing that Jake would be furious about being called the little one. Lindsay grimaces and nudges Luke further away from her.

“Honey, you stink.”

Luke walks over to the bathroom and bangs on the door. Rooster almost stands up when you leave the bathroom. He takes one look at the furious look on your face and thinks he might have to break up a fight between you and your brother in the next couple of minutes.

He can tell you’re feeling cagey around here. You roll your eyes, dressed in clean clothes and scrunching your hair with a towel as you step past your disgustingly sweaty younger brother.

The air conditioning hits your skin and Rooster catches you shiver. He can’t blame you, he knows the water around here is freezing. Cold to the point that when he slept with with a girl on the first floor two months ago, he couldn’t bare to stand under the water for longer than two minutes at a time.

That was before Admiral Cain’s no fraternizing rule.

The room is tense when you all sit down for dinner. Rooster knows that the only person that wants him here is Lindsay, and that he’s also the only thing stopping the three of you from arguing right now.

“Stop looking at me.” Luke mumbles grumpily, twisting the pasta around his fork. Rooster lifts his gaze and looks between the two of you.

“I just want to know what your dumb ass thought you were going to do if you made it to the other side of that wall.” You answer sharply. Lindsay sighs.

“Kids, can we please not do this-“

“I wasn’t going to go over, I was just getting my ball-“

Rooster looks back and forth like he’s watching a tennis match as the two of you begin to bicker. His eyes linger on you, lips quirking softly. You’re cute when you’re mad. He knows to keep his mouth shut, but he’s on your side through the argument.

“Maybe you should get out more and stop worrying about what I’m doing.” Luke mumbles.

“Where would I go, idiot?”

“You could’ve signed up.” Luke answers back.

“Fuck that. I’d hate it even more than I hate watching you.” You scoff.

“Well, you could come with me,” Rooster says quietly, sitting back in his chair and parting his knees. He gives a soft, casual shrug. He looks between you and your mother. “See what it’s like before you commit to it. I’m just in the watchtower tonight, it’s like the safest spot.”

Lindsay looks to you and nods.

“I’m good. Thanks, though.” You reply.

“Can I come?” Luke asks.

“No.” You interrupt. He groans and sits back in his seat.

“Yeah, no - you’re grounded,” Lindsay agrees, shaking her head at her son. Rooster bites his cheek to keep from smiling. He has missed this normalcy. Annoying teenagers being grounded makes him feel like the world outside of these walls is the same as it was before. “And you have school tomorrow.”

Luke groans again, leaning his head back.

“You, though - you’re going.” Lindsay declares.

“Cute, but I’m not a child. I’m not going.” You reply calmly, standing up and clearing the plates, taking them over to the sink.

Ten minutes later, you’re walking silently across base beside Rooster.

“It’s not that bad - and you seriously don’t have to sign up after this if you don’t want to,” He says gently, feeling the annoyance practically radiating off of you as you walk to the control tower. You lift your head to look at him, remaining silent. “You could always sign up to teach if this isn’t your kind of thing.”

You stare at him. He slips his keys from his pocket, twisting it in the lock and pulling the door open. It’s as he holds it open for you that he notices the look on your face.

“Why would I sign up to teach?” You ask calmly.

His brows furrow just slightly.

“Because your Mom said you used to teach kindergarten…?” Rooster says softly, uncertain as he presses his back to the open door at the bottom of the control tower.

“Please stop talking to my Mom, it’s weird.” You step past him and into the bottom of the tower.

Rooster locks the door behind the two of you and follows you up the stairs, confused, “Why is it weird?”

His eyes are on the shorts you’re wearing, a tight pair of black athletic shorts as you walk in front of him.

“Because I’m not going to fuck my Mom’s new BFF.” You reply. You aren’t planning on sleeping with him anyway, but you know that’s what he wants. Calling him out on it feels like the right thing to do.

Rooster stops. You continue up the stairs without turning to look at him. His lips quirk upwards, smirking to himself as he follows you up the stairs.

…

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obeiii-mee · 3 years

Note

Can I angst for Mammon where he is in a really bad mood and his brothers are at it again calling him names. And already ask them kindly to leave him alone but they keep at it. And Levi says something and it's the last straw. The air around them get cold for a moment as he slowly looks up and he flat out threatens them to shut up before he puts them back into there place with a really dark and threatening voice, before leaving. And the look could rival Satan's or even Lucifers glare.

I think Mammon takes the abuse of his brothers but sometimes he isn't in the mood and want a little peace and it is very very rare for him to get pissed

Like he's the kind of person who would yell when he's upset but when he's down right pissed it's like really fucking scary

People forget that as much as he lets his brothers push him around he is still the second oldest and is powerful so 😬

Brothers+ undateables reaction

Mammon snaps:

___________________

This is something I’ve mentioned in previous posts, but I basically second everything you said. I believe that Mammon dislikes getting into confrontations but isn’t by any means weak or stupid. He is the second eldest. However he is also, arguably, the one with the most self control out of them all. He has an overwhelming amount of patience when it comes to his siblings and I like to think he puts up with all of their insults because he loves them. Then again, it’s very possible for him to go berserk after years worth of build up.

Thanks for the request!!! I had a bit of trouble at first because I didn’t know how I was going to format it but I like the way it turned out so I hope you do too. Uhh also I reached my word limit writing this so I couldn’t include Simon, Luke and Solomon. I do plan on writing for them as well but at this point I’m just trying to get this done. Let me know if I made any grammatical errors! I double check my writing all the time but sometimes mistakes got over my head! The undateables are short because honestly I view the brothers as the ones who will suffer the most out of everyone. I hope you enjoy reading it anyway!!

•Characters: Lucifer, Leviathan, Satan, Asmodeus, Beelzebub, Belphagour, Diavolo, Barbatos.

⚠️Warnings: Cursing, mentions of blood & gore and that’s about it.

___________________

For the past few months, Lord Diavolo’s pleasure of hosting parties and inviting people over had become more and more noticeable. It was pretty obvious that the Prince was lonely, isolating himself from others due to the responsibilities he has as the heir to the throne and a leader in the making. Attending his gatherings seemed like a down right chore for most of the brothers but you never had any problem tagging along. Besides, it felt nice knowing he seemed you worthy of coming to such important meetings. Your seven demons were, of course, also invited and per Lucifer’s orders, they all got cleaned up and dressed in fancy clothing to impress the regals prancing about the castle. Though the outfits themselves came with their own set of problems. Levi’s was way too tight; the collar seemed to annoy him more than anything else, judging by the patches of red skin on his neck. Satan accidentally ripped one of the buttons from his jacket off in a fit of rage earlier that day and was now silently fuming while poking his finger through the hole he made. Even Asmo spilled some water on his shirt before they arrived, ruining his pretty pink suit! Not to mention Beel was munching on his tie, having last eaten about 15 minutes beforehand. Lucifer pulled it out of his mouth and scowled at the saliva stains that were left behind. Safe to say they were all in a miserable mood to begin with.

“I expect all of you to behave in a respectable manner,” Lucifer flicked Belphie on the back of the head just as he began dozing off, making the youngest growl at him. He shot Mammon an irritated look “I’m especially talking to you Mammon. Don’t try to steal anything or I’ll cut your hands off.”

“I told ya big bro, ya don’t have to worry about me! I’ll be a golden child today! Promise!” Mammon held up his pinky as if he was committing to some kind of oath. The eldest darkened his glare and opened his mouth to say something else, but you interrupted in hopes of avoiding any bickering that might’ve followed.

“Look, there’s our table! Let’s go sit down. Lord Diavolo’s speech is going to start any minute now.”

Beel leaped at the table as soon as he sniffed out the appetisers, which were neatly arranged on the expensive tablecloth, shoving at least half of them in his mouth by the time the rest of you caught up with him. Having been seated, you quickly glanced around the room in hopes of spotting Diavolo. You bumped into Solomon and the angels before entering the castle, chit chatting with them for a while about the event. Even now, Luke was excitedly waving at you from across the room, using both of his arms. However, Lord Diavolo and Barbatos were the ones in charge of this party and you were yet to see either of them.

Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Mammon eyeing the golden utensils laid out in front of him. Not the biggest of surprises really. Anytime Mammon sees something along the lines of gold, he can’t help but snatch it away. And there’s obviously so many valuables scattered all over the place, including the silverware that was proudly presented on every table. You sucked in a breath of anticipation when he reached for one of the spoons, only to exhale in relief when he placed it on the bridge of his nose, trying to balance it.

“MC, look at this!” He tapped your shoulder, as always wanting your full and undivided attention as he demonstrated his newfound skill. You giggled at his antics with fondness as he accidentally let the spoon drop with a clatter and a quiet ‘shit’ coming from him. Lucifer pulled on his ear, like a mother scolding her child and whisper-yelled at him to stop acting like an idiot. The only reason the oldest chose a sit right next to Mammon was to maintain order and peace. Basically, he did it for disciplinary reasons.

“I understand that being impertinent is your full-time job, Mammon but keep this up and I’ll throw you in Cerberus’ room. Let him do with you as he pleases.”

“Lucifer, it’s not a big deal-“

“Yeah, OK,” Mammon hissed, picking up the spoon from the recently polished floor with a slight grin that didn’t quiet reach his eyes “I gotcha. Can-“

“Speaking of Cerberus,” Levi suddenly piped in, no longer fussing about his collar or nervously twiddling with his thumbs because of the massive crowd of demons surrounding him “Didn’t you force me to walk him last week when it was your turn to do it?? I only agreed because you promised to buy me the newest Ruri-Chan limited edition body pillow that came out last Tuesday! And you never did! And now they’re out of stock, you scummy piece of-“

The third eldest would’ve leapt across the table and aimed for the throat if you hadn’t pressed a gentle hand against his chest, making him sit back down with a huff. People were starting to stare at the commotion coming from your table, turning heads and muttering between themselves. You were slowly dying from embarrassment by the way, since you guys definitely became the topic of conversation for the other guests. The brothers were being too noisy to even notice and Lucifer himself was too preoccupied to see the scene they were creating which made you further slouch down into your chair, silently hoping for the ground to swallow you whole. The night really wasn’t going as intended. You could hear Solomon laughing at the brothers’ antics from three tables down.

“I guess that’s Mammon for you,” Belphie yawned, barely raising his head from table “He lies everyday, all day. What exactly is new here? And that says something since it’s coming from me.”

“I apologised for that!” Mammon whined, referring to Levi’s accusation and choosing not to address Belphie’s insult “I was gonna buy it but then I realised I spent all my money earlier that week anyway so I couldn’t!”

“Perhaps that wouldn’t happen if you learned how to save the money you earn properly,” Satan muttered, sipping from his glass of whatever beverage he had snatched from the servants earlier “Not like you know how to earn money in any way besides stealing it.”

You watch as Mammon clenched his fist “Can we please just move on-“

“I can’t believe that I was cursed with this moron for a brother,” Asmo sighed, almost theatrically, as if he was performing. And, in a way, he was. People were getting really interested in the drama unfolding over there. It was making you even more anxious, all those eyes staring at you. The Avatar of Lust was leaning so much on his chair, you were sure he was going to topple over and at this point, you kinda hoped he would. Anything to stop this momentum of hatred aimed at Mammon “You’re always getting us in trouble, you know. Hmph, we can’t go anywhere with you Mammon! You always end up ruining it for us! With your stupid schemes and-“

“I’m hungry-“

“Not now, Beel!”

“Cutting him up into tiny pieces for the witches will always be an option,” Lucifer chimed in, smiling at the thought.

Mammon snapped his head upwards at that. It was such an abrupt reaction, it made you jolt a little in your seat. You couldn’t miss the tension radiating from him, how quickly his body stiffened and exactly how hard his hands were gripping the edge of the table. His brothers were still paying him no mind, blaming him for this and that under their breath or being silently judgemental in Lucifer’s case. You worried for him because Mammon rarely acted like this; feral, in a way. Just so you know, he definitely noticed it. The look of concern plastered all over your face. That’s the only reason he released the table from his vice-like grip and slouched back against his chair. Satan went quiet and was staring at Mammon in bewilderment.

He disliked the idea of you watching him lose control of himself. He was your guardian. Your first pact. It’s important to him that your relationship is build around a pillar of trust. And he can’t even expect you to trust him if he exposes you to his demon form every time something inconveniences him. Mammon would rather cease to exit than have you fear him. So he kept his breathing regulated as the fog cleared his mind. The Avatar of Greed isn’t an angry demon. Snuffing out the the flame of rage he had fanned up until then was relatively easy. He just needed to get through tonight, then he could go home and complain to you about it once he got out of his brothers’ earshot.

“Why does he get to spend so much time with MC anyway? He’d probably sell them for a few Grimm any time of the day, wouldn’t he? It’s so fucking unfair. He won’t change no matter what so why risk MC’s safety? I will summon Lotan on him if he starts getting on my nerves.”

It would be an understatement to say that those words rubbed Mammon the wrong way, judging by the lack of immediate response. It was unexpected for him keep his mouth shut at a time like this. What was even more unexpected was the abrupt, delayed reaction he had a few seconds afterwards, resulting in his chair being flung back about 5 feet in that general direction. The seemingly deafening thud it made when it collided with the floor echoed around the dining hall, bouncing off walls and whacking people over the heads with the aggression behind it. A moment of pure, indescribably loud silence filled the crowded space as everyone else stared in shock at their brother, mouths agape and eyes bulging out of their sockets. Mammon would’ve laughed at their faces if it weren’t for the circumstances leading up to that point.

“What gives any of you the right to treat me like some sort of punching bag?” Mammon drawled, accentuating his obviously superior nature to almost every single demon at that table. He laughed, in an oddly half hearted way, before his sea struck gaze landed back to his siblings “Do not try to push me into a corner, because I will not handle it well. You’ve been having a field day with me for centuries now and I’m starting to get really ticked off, ya know? But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’ve done everything in my power to keep MC alive for the past few months and y’all are acting as if I’m out here playing with their life. Complain about me all you want. But...” He thumped the table, loud enough to make all the noblemen in the room flinch.

“Don’t you dare insinuate that I would ever put MC in danger, willingly or not because I will rip out your insides and paint the walls of this palace with them while hanging your intestines from these chandeliers. I will pluck your hairs out one by one, then your nails, then your eyeballs and then your teeth. You’re the ones that have put MC in danger’s way time and time again in the past few weeks, and you’re out here trying to suggest that I would even think about hurting them? Unlike every single one of you, who almost killed my human-you’re lucky I don’t have your fucking heads.”

He smashed his fist into the table again, using even more of his strength this time and effectively breaking the whole thing, the wooden legs giving out and shattering into thousands of splinters. Mammon spoke again, his voice lowering “MC forgave you. I didn’t. And I have no reason to. Not with how you’ve been treating me.”Once he spit that out, Mammon turned on his heel and left, slamming the door shut behind him hard enough to shake the whole building, leaving his siblings in dazed awe.

......

Even more silence. For some reason, all of the brothers at the now broken table ended up looking your way, silently questioning what they should do. It often ended up like this

You gave them all an unimpressed stare and a half-assed shrug “Don’t look at me. You guys fucked up.” Before sliding out of your seat and following Mammon out of the castle, sending an apologetic smile to Diavolo on your way out. Hopefully, you could manage to calm him down before everyone else gets home otherwise this might drag on for a while.

Lucifer:

-In all honesty, he probably saw the signs from a mile away and still decided to ignore them

-Maybe because he believed they weren’t being all that harsh on him, even if in Mammon’s eyes they were

-‘Harsh’ in Lucifer’s vocabulary usually means being hanged upside down from a ceiling or publicly executed, not a couple of mere insults

-Not to mention the eldest had always been horrible at communicating with his brothers when it came to emotions

-Despite Mammon clearly suffering from the treatment he received from his brothers, Lucifer refuses to believe he’s the root of the problem

-As the Avatar of Pride, he always had a hard time realising that all those words and the constant teasing, which he deemed to be pretty harmless, scarred Mammon a lot more than expected

-Once he actually comes to that conclusion, and after getting over the initial shock, Lucifer would probably feel the guiltiest out of them all

-Being the eldest means he carries quite a few burdens on his shoulders as most responsibilities fall on him due to his prideful nature

-He would blame himself for Mammon’s outburst simply because he’s the older brother and he should’ve known better, not just because he sees how a big of a role he played in all of this

-Usually, if his brothers do something bad, then he’s there to fix it within hours, that’s how it always worked

-Except he doesn’t know how to fix this exactly

-The problem is he has no idea how to approach Mammon after that sudden meltdown and he has no idea how to talk it out with him because he sucks at expressing himself verbally

-And since this took place in a public space, Lord Diavolo’s Palace no less, he felt really conflicted on what should have been done at that moment in time

-There was a lot of frustration, embarrassment and confusion in him for a good five minutes after Mammon slammed that door shut behind him and even after he gathered his thoughts together, he was still in shock for the rest of the night

-In any case, the whole event was promptly cancelled and everyone ended up going home earlier than expected, after Lucifer apologised to Diavolo about the spectacle they created (several times)

-When they finally get home, he decided to give Mammon his space instead of trying to knock at his door and instead went back to his room

-He knows they will need to solve this matter soon but there’s no way Mammon will want to see, let alone talk, to any of them just yet

-He’s sort of hoping he can apologise best he can next morning at breakfast, cross his fingers and wish for the best but judging by the venom that laced Mammon’s voice the night before, it’s not likely he will forgive any of them that easily.

Levi:

-If I were to guess, he saw the ending credits of his life flash before his very eyes as soon as those words left his mouth

-Levi felt a panic in him like never before, not even while playing his engaging horror visual novels at 3am in complete darkness or that one time he used Lucifer’s credit card to buy merch before being found out

-Must’ve forgotten his brother technically ranks higher than him on the power scale for a second there

-Or maybe he didn’t think his insults were going to affect him much

-They usually don’t

-Or at least that’s the impression he’s been under for a while now

-Mammon doesn’t snap easily under pressure but Levi must’ve really hit a nerve there that night

-While everyone was sitting in a short silence after Mammon left the building, he started twiddling with his fingers again the more he thought about it

-Because now he went from nervous to fucking terrified of what the hell was waiting for him when he finally got home

-He does feel guilty, nowhere near as much guilt as Lucifer feels but still pure shame

-However most of that guilt is swallowed by a steady fear and the constant worry of ‘how do I stop my brother from killing me?’

-Unlike Lucifer, I honestly don’t see him taking any sort of initiative when it comes to apologising to Mammon

-Not even because he doesn’t want to, but he would freeze up if he were to come face to face with him after that incident and then scamper back to his room like a rat in hiding

-So without your help, it’s likely the two won’t be speaking to each very soon which can honestly make life at the House of Lamentation so much more miserable

-In the end, if either you or Lucifer forced him to, he would say sorry by selling some of his merch and then giving him the profits (in secret but we all know it’s him)

-That is a big sacrifice on Levi’s part considering how precious his merchandise is to him

-But the idea that he’s gonna get murdered in his sleep by his older brother was getting a tad too real

-Besides, Mammon is still his brother and if he has to sell a couple of items in order to make him less mad, he would do it, albeit with a bit of grumbling

-Despite that, Mammon still refuses to come out of his room and sort of relies on you to bring him food because he doesn’t want to see his brothers

-Levi and Mammon would probably have to rebuild a lot of their relationship after this but it could easily take months for that to happen since Levi is too terrified to look him in the eye and Mammon is too upset to even hear his voice

Satan:

-He wouldn’t be the Avatar of Wrath if he couldn’t spot the anger within someone from a mile away

-He’s always been able to recognise the fury building up inside of him so for Satan it’s second nature to just know when someone’s on the brink of snapping

-It’s no surprise to say that he probably noticed Mammon’s wrath spilling out before anyone else did

-But alas, he realised it too late

-If he had reacted quicker, maybe he would’ve been able to diffuse Mammon before he exploded on them. Or not

-It’s difficult to tell if he could’ve actually helped because who was he to tell Mammon to calm down??? If anyone told him that while he was throwing a fit, he would probably break their necks-

-In the end, he just pressed his lips into a straight line and watched his brother throw his chair across the room

-Not gonna lie, he found it a bit entertaining purely because of the look on Lucifer’s face

-Satan had to try really hard not to crack a smile because he knew Mammon would probably smash a glass against his head or something

-Even so, he was the first to stand up and offer to go after him, though he wasn’t sure he could do much consoling

-Being so experienced with anger meant that he knew Mammon had built himself into a rage that he won’t be able to escape out of too easily

-Which is why he advises Lucifer to give Mammon his space once they get home

-Overall, the most understanding out of all of the brothers

-At this point in time, probably the least judgemental out of everyone and once Mammon comes out of his room for the first time in a while, either him or Beel is going to apologise to him first

-He may push and push him alongside the rest of his siblings but I feel like Satan doesn’t want to reach a certain low, like cornering Mammon into the frenzy he had that day ever again

-He might get pissy with him if he’s being too stubborn to forgive anyone after coming down from his intrusive thoughts

-And he really hates that Mammon had to remind them about all the times you had nearly died because of them, because he knows they won’t be able to make it up to you so why is Mammon upset about this????

-But he will try to maintain respect for his older brother from then on

-Even if the sharpest of remarks is on the top of his tongue!

Asmo:

-Asmo is the type to laugh it off and then start feeling really upset about it later on, the longer he thinks about the whole thing

-After Mammon storms out, he just assumes it’s another one of those ‘Mammon’ things and tried to brush the feeling of unease off him

-Even so, later that night the memory of Mammon kept coming back to him while he laid in his bed, unable to have a nice rest for the first time in how long? He’s always been really strict about his sleeping schedules after all

-Asmo’s observant, almost on par with Satan himself when it comes down to it. He definitely saw the gleam of anger, pent up frustration and hatred in his brothers’ eyes that moment and it legitimately scared him, even if it was for just half a second

-Honestly, he begins neglecting himself out of anticipation and worry which is a huge red flag for the Avatar of Lust who always holds himself at such a superior level compared to everyone else

-It may start out slow, but it has the same effect as a snowball rolling down the hill. It becomes more of a problem the longer it’s ignored

-Because he spends most of his days now debating whether he should try to coax his brother into coming out of his room and apologising to him, he forgets about himself

-Skincare routines are missed, pedicure appointments have been cancelled; hell, if Mammon’s keeps being stubborn, he may let his hair become absolutely filthy

-Asmo sort of relies on his brothers to provide the living environment he revolves around. If something is off with his brothers, he can not work properly either because it doesn’t feel right to do so

-Imagine a machine not working anymore because one of the clogs in it got stuck

-I can see Asmo feeling a decent amount of guilt when it comes to the situation but he still blames Levi for completely pushing him over the edge at dinner

-So now those two aren’t talking (it’s honestly so exhausting since they’re shoving the blame onto each other without stop)

-If Mammon decides to come out and hear them out, Asmo might get on his knees and beg because that guilt bubbling up inside of him may end up being his demise

-No seriously, MC might need to keep an eye out on him too while comforting Mammon because whatever he is doing isn’t healthy

-Takes Mammon’s outburst pretty badly and tries apologising to him many times but the second eldest still hasn’t said a word to any of them

-And that’s driving him into a fucking swirl of insanity at this point

-Of course, much like Mammon’s mental breakdown, this builds up over time but the result can be devasting

-If you pass by his room at night, you could probably hear him sob about how his brother hates him and it’s really heartbreaking to hear pained cries like that coming from such an overly confident demon like Asmo

Beel:

-Literally the only one here that doesn’t dish out insults onto Mammon every hour of the day

-He joins in very rarely and even when he does, it’s usually in good nature rather than malice

-Unless food is involved. Feelings (and Mammon) might be hurt if that’s the case

-Beel wasn’t listening to his siblings as they were diminishing Mammon, he was way too hungry to comprehend what the hell they were on about

-So he just started wolfing down appetisers until he noticed you looking all weary

-That’s the first thing that put him on alert

-And then the second born’s aura was also...off putting

-Might’ve actually tried to nudge Belphie to stop him from saying anything offensive to Mammon in this state when he realised how tense the atmosphere got

-Flinched when his brother left the palace, almost cracking the whole doorway on his way out

-Hunger is all but gone and at this point he wants to go home to check up on him

-Beel is a bit of a softie and he wears his heart on his sleeve a lot of the times

-He never did anything particularly bad to Mammon, not on the same scale his brothers did certainly and yet he still felt extremely bad

-Perhaps because he didn’t step in as much as he should’ve...?

-Either way, when his loved ones suffer, he has a tendency of putting the blame on himself because he feels it’s the only logical answer

-Honestly, he feels guilty enough to the point where it’s affecting his eating habits-which is obviously not normal for the Avatar of Gluttony

-Beel knows Mammon doesn’t want to talk to him but he still brings him food and leaves it at the doorstep of his room since he doesn’t want to come out and have dinner with them

-Or he relies on you to give it to him

-The thought of Mammon being so mad at them that he doesn’t even want to eat makes him feel so vulnerable

-As soon as he sees him for the first time since that night, he will probably be the first to apologise, even if Mammon isn’t in the mood to hear apologies

-Again, he’s trying to use food to make up to him (bringing him his favourites and paying for them)

-Even if he gets ignored, he’s still going to do it

-Beel is trying his best to say sorry to his older brother the only way he knows how to do so, but Mammon still doesn’t give in

Belphie:

-Could’ve been asleep the whole time Mammon was thrashing about

-Or at least that’s what it looked like to the average passer-by

-Kept one eye open to watch as Mammon finally snapped under pressure, having to raise his head once his brother broke the whole god damned table

-“OK, alright, storm off I guess-I have a splinter now-“

-Don’t trust that sarcastic commentary, he’s in deep thought on the inside

-Maybe he should’ve expected this but then again, he never would’ve guessed Mammon had it in him to be so aggressive

-Will narrow his eyes at him when he talks your death and scowl

-As if he didn’t already feel like the world’s biggest piece of shit, he had to bring that up

-As soon as he leaves, he turns to Lucifer and goes “See what you did? You broke Mammon. You suck, Lucifer.”

-The shifting of blame suits Belphie really well (it takes Beel side glancing him to get him to shut up)

-The Avatar of Sloth is too tired to even try to communicate with his brother so he goes straight to bed after getting home

-However, he actually visits Mammon’s dreams that night

-Or at least tries to, if Mammon is getting any sleep after that showdown

-It’s his way of checking in with his brother, helps him evaluate the situation

- Whether that works or not, there was definitely an attempt that required a lot of effort and you don’t see that very often with Belphagour

-It really demonstrates how much he actually cares for his family, even if he hides behind snide remarks and the likes of it

-However, if Mammon refuses communication, then he can’t do anything but give up

-He clearly won’t be able to convince him to step aside for a chit chat and why waste energy trying to force him to do so

-When the time comes, Belphie knows his brother will willingly talk to him (or at least someone else because he knows he’s not any good at comfort or apologies)

-At the same time, a lot of the things Mammon said during that party rubbed him the wrong way and seeing his twin suffer because of it is also pissing him off so patience may be running thin with Belphie

-Like Levi, there may be a lot of ice between the two from then onwards so it won’t be easy for them to find the middle ground in this whole argument either

-It could lead to a strained relationship if no one intervenes or even a physical fight if the youngest pushes all of Mammon’s buttons properly

Diavolo:

-The Future King feels guilty too, for some reason

-He is clearly not involved but he’s under the impression his party was a catalyst of sorts to the fight that broke out that night

-Diavolo wasn’t even in the same room when it happened-he heard shouting and growling from next door whilst talking to a noble about future arrangements in DevilDom and rushed in

-The sight was something to behold really; Mammon cornering all of his brothers and threatening them with pure venom in his voice wasn’t something you saw everyday

-More often than not, it was the other way around so the Prince had every right to be concerned

-He tried asking Lucifer what was going on after the second eldest slammed the door shut behind him and left but to no avail; the Avatar of Pride was in a state of shock and the only thing he did was apologise to him about a million times before his departure with the rest of his siblings

-Despite his worry, Diavolo tried not to get involved in the aftermath either, believing it’s not his place to interfere and hoping they would solve it out amongst themselves

-He did give Mammon permission to miss RAD classes for that week, thinking a small break is what he needed most

-Even drops by every now and then to check up on him (he just asks you how he’s holding up because he doesn’t want to pry)

-He can’t do much but watch from the sidelines, I mean this is a family dispute so it would be wise to just give them all a bit of space

-If it drags on for too long, however, he will be forced to do something because the brothers are all distracted and can’t get on with their student council work because of it

-Lucifer is even more stressed than usual and can’t even focus during their meetings so for the sake of his friend, if nothing gets resolved quickly, he will intervene and it won’t be pretty

-For now, he’s counting on you to make sure there are no further incidents but it’s unlikely you can stop a train once it’s set in motion so just hope Mammon doesn’t come out of his room until he’s calmed down

Barbatos:

-The butler is a Time Lord so it’s probably no surprise to find out he already knew this was going to happen eventually

-Not like he believed Mammon was going to take his brothers’ insults for much longer anyway

-Being the quiet and observant demon he is, he’s been keeping a close eye on the Avatar of Greed knowing damn well he was going to lose his patience soon enough and go on the offence

-If he knew this was going to happen at such an important moment in time, he would’ve warned his majesty beforehand but he failed to see the potential catastrophe awaiting his breakdown

-Again, he has no right to intervene

-Unless, of course, Lord Diavolo asks him to do so but really the most he can do is give you tips on how to deal with miserable demons

-I mean, you’re the one that’s going to be stuck with them for the rest of the year and this isn’t the type of conflict that gets resolved too easily

-Barbatos is clever so if there is still bitterness between Mammon and his siblings after an amount of time passed, he might try to change timelines (with the permission of Diavolo)

-He’s had enough of Beel coming over to eat his cakes and cry about his older brother hating him (believe it or not, the butler is definitely a bit fond of the sixth eldest so his cries did pull at his heartstrings)

-Basically, in the same position as the Prince

-He relies on you to get them all to make up but he knows it’s not likely to happen any time soon

-For now, he’s getting ready for the chain reaction this fight set in motion because there was no easy way to end this, considering they’re all vicious demons and all

—————————————————————-

Al~ im mad I couldn’t add Simon, Luke and Solomon-I want to write for them too >:(

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walkerwords · 3 years

Text

“The Savior Sessions” Part 18 of 33 - Negan x GN!Reader

IMAGE CREDIT: AMC

SERIES MASTERLIST

Summary: The fair is in full swing, but an unseen enemy still has her sights set on the ones that took her daughter from her. How will this play out when people go missing? And what happens when the reader is faced with a new kind of horror while Negan waits for them to come home to him?

Word Count: 7939

Warning: Swearing, Death of Major Characters, Angst, Graphic Description of Gore

Song I Wrote To: “You Are The Reason (Duet Version)” by Calum Scott and Leona Lewis

Note: I’m Sorry. This is where we get some canon divergence. I will be changing a few things. For one, I don’t think Aaron went to the fair in the show, but he’s there in this story with Gracie. As we move into season 10, I have changed quite a bit. Thanks for sticking with me so far! ALL OFFICIAL DIALOG IS PROPERTY OF AMC

—————

It had been a long time since you had seen the walls and roads of The Kingdom.

King Ezekiel had just given his big speech as he welcomed everyone to the first community fair. Aaron had run off with Gracie as soon as you had arrived. The two of you had left Alexandria before Michonne and Judith were about to head out. Michonne assured you that she would be fine even though you offered to go with her as a security escort.

It was so strange to see so many of your old friends in one place. Tara was there with her people from Hilltop, Alexandrians milled about, and you even spotted Rachel smiling with her women from Oceanside.

If you weren’t feeling the dread from what was waiting for you beyond the safety of the walls, you would have been smiling along with her. However, you couldn’t. The entire ride to The Kingdom, you had been on edge and you thought your reins were going to shred beneath your fingers.

Aaron had told you to relax. He figured Alpha wouldn’t be stupid enough to do anything on the main road. While you wanted to believe that, the sheer fact that you didn’t run into any of the Whisperers made you even more nervous.

Still, you tried for Aaron, for Ezekiel and Carol, and especially for yourself. Aaron had been right, you needed a break. Negan’s tired eyes and concerned smile were still fresh in your mind as you walked among the stalls. He said that you would have a lot to talk about when you got back and he was right. Perhaps then, you would be able to finally get words out that weren’t drenched in frustration.

Till then, you needed to learn to breathe again.

Enid walked next to you, smiling as she too, took in the joys of the celebration around you. You noticed her in the crowd with Alden as soon as you arrived and she had just gravitated towards you, chatting away about the stall she was going to be doing.

“Did you hear what I said?” Enid asked you and you turned to her.

“Sorry, what?” you asked. She gave you a sheepish smile.

“I was just asking if you thought about setting something up?”

“A stall for the fair?”

“Is that such an odd idea?” she asked.

“I just don’t know what I would do,” you said with a shrug.

“You’re a great shot,” Enid reminded you.

“With a gun,” you said. “Not many of those around these days.”

“Yeah, I guess not,” she said with a shrug of her own. As the two of you headed for the main gate, Enid peeled off to go find Alden and you pushed on to meet Carol.

You had briefly said hello when you had arrived, but she was doing her “Queenly” duties and you hadn’t had much of a chance to speak to her. Now, she looked to be gearing up. Ezekiel was next to her along with Kelly, Magna, Luke, and Yumiko.

“What’s going on?” you asked as you approached.

“Henry isn’t back yet,” Carol explained.

“He’s not? But they left last night. They should have beat us here,” you said with a furrowed brow.

“That’s what I thought,” Carol said and you could see a worried look in her eyes. A look you were all too familiar with. A weight settled on your chest as your hand rested on the pommel of Paul’s sword. “I have to go look for them.”

“I’ll go with you,” you promised. While Carol was worried about her child, you were suddenly very concerned for the other teen in the group.

Where was Lydia?

“You don’t have to,” Yumiko said as she pointed over your shoulder. You all turned to see the large doors open. Running ahead of a horse-pulled carriage was a familiar dog with its tail up in the air.

Michonne and Judith sat in the front of the carriage as Daryl walked alongside it. In the back were Connie, Henry, and Lydia. Dog began making circles around everyone as Henry hobbled out of the makeshift carriage and towards his parents.

Carol didn’t hesitate to pull him into her arms. Connie was doing the same thing with her sister and the rest of her family. As Ezekiel grabbed onto his wife and son, you went for Daryl.

“Ya showed,” he observed as you hugged him.

“Aaron suggested I needed a break,” you said and then stepped back so Carol could launch herself at her best friend. Henry was still hugging his dad and that’s when you noticed Lydia watching the interaction with an awkward stance.

You moved immediately to her side and slipped your arm around her shoulders. “Hey, kid,” you greeted and she gave you a closed-mouth smile.

“Hi,” Lydia said.

“Ya alright?” you asked, checking her over in case she was hurt. Lydia just nodded and fiddled with the wooden pendant around her neck.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Lydia whispered and you squeezed her shoulder, pulling her tighter against you.

“I figured it would be boring without my winning personality,” you teased and she laughed a bit at that. She then became very stiff next to you. “What’s wrong?” you asked, but she was staring at something ahead. Looking up, you saw Tara staring at Lydia with venom in her eyes.

“What is she doing here?” Tara said and you placed Lydia behind you protectively. Henry then moved to her side and took hold of her hand. Tara watched the movement with anger.

Michonne, who had been speaking with Ezekiel and Carol as they got acquainted with Judith turned to the King and Queen.

“Gather the leaders,” Michonne said and then nodded at you as an invitation, “We need to talk.”

—————

“I know I haven't always seen eye-to-eye with everyone in this room,” Michonne began, “but I never stopped caring about any of you. I was just trying to protect my family and do right by my people. Alexandria's future is here. Together, with you. And we lost sight of that for a while. But... I'm here now. We're here now.”

Michonne then turned to you and gestured for you to speak. “Michonne, Gabriel, and I have all spoke with the other council members at the fair, and we all agree. Alexandria is willing to grant asylum to Lydia. She's one of us now. We hope the rest of you can join us in doing the same.”

“Since when do you speak for Alexandria?” Tara asked.

“Since I asked them to,” Michonne defended. “(Y/N) has taken up a role that I had never expected. They are more than capable of not only speaking for us but defending us as well.” Tara was quiet after that and you couldn’t help but feel pride swell in your chest at her words. You had been so worried about how Michonne would see you after everything that had been going on with Negan, but she was still the woman you had met all those years.

“Thank you,” Lydia spoke up from her spot between Judith and Henry in the theater seats. “I'll do whatever I can to earn my keep and pay you back.” You sent her a wink and she gave you her signature closed-lip smile.

“If her mother retaliates, it's gonna be against Hilltop, not Alexandria. I have to do right by my people. I thought we were on the same page,” Tara said.

“We were,” you said.

“Look, when she came to my gates,” Michonne said, “I asked her to run away. And when she didn't, I was angry.”

“Then you know why I'm not okay with this,” Tara said.

“I do. I also know why Rick didn't trust me when I showed up at the gates of the prison. And how people didn't trust you after seeing you on the other side of the Governor's firing line,” Michonne said.

“Or how Daryl nearly took my head off when he met me,” you added and Daryl raised a brow at you, remembering the moment.

“I was gonna kill you on sight when you washed up on our shore,” Rachel added.

“Okay, okay,” Tara said. “That’s fair.”

“Lydia didn’t choose where she came from,” you said. “None of us did, but she deserves the chance to be apart of something. She deserves a family who will care about her.”

“Second chances don’t come around often,” Rachel added, supporting you. You thought that statement was ironic considering who was constantly living in your mind.

“I left some of my best fighters at Hilltop, but if Daryl's right about these skin job numbers, it's not enough people,” Tara said.

“We should take a group to Hilltop to protect ‘em just in case,” Daryl said.

“I’ll take some from Kingdom,” added Carol.

“Oceanside can spare some,” Rachel said.

“Alexandria, too,” finished Gabriel.

“Nobody is going to fight this war alone,” you said. “The only reason we won the last one is that we were together. If Alpha does come after us, we can’t afford to be on different sides anymore.”

“So, we head out in the morning?” asked Rachel.

“Nah, we go today,” Daryl said. “Best not to give them any more time.” Michonne then spoke up again.

“In order to face this threat, the four communities have to present a united front. Which is why I'm proposing a mutual protection pact. An attack against one community is an attack against all of us. Together, we can make these people think twice before moving against the Hilltop,” Michonne said and you and Gabriel nodded, backing her up.

“The leadership of the Kingdom is very amenable to this idea,” Ezekiel said after looking to his Queen.

“Oceanside is in,” Rachel agreed.

“So, how do we seal it?” Tara asked. “Cause I’m not doin’ a blood oath with (Y/N).” You just smiled sweetly at her.

“I have just the thing…” Ezekiel said as he got up and walked into the wings of the stage. From a crate, he pulled out an old theater poster frame, and from it, he pulled the community charter.

“You’ve had that thing this whole time?” you asked, impressed.

“I’m a man of many surprises,” he said and you raised your hands in surrender.

“Fair enough.”

Ezekiel lay the charter on the table and one by one, the leaders of the communities signed. Rachel signed for Oceanside, Tara for Hilltop, Ezekiel and Carol for The Kingdom, and Gabriel for Alexandria. You looked at all the people in that room as you stood next to Daryl and you felt as something big had just happened.

Everything was finally coming together and your family was finally whole again.

--------

You and Judith began walking laps around the fair.

The young girl picked at a candy apple that she held in her hands. “Can I ask you something?” Judith asked, peering up at you from under her hat.

“Go for it,” you said.

“Did you talk to him before you left?” she asked.

“Subtle,” you said, flicking her hat.

“I’m just making sure you’re okay,” Judith said. “I don’t like it when you two fight.”

“When did you become such a matchmaker?” you asked.

“I’m not!” she said. “I can just see that he likes you a lot...maybe more than a lot.” You paused in your tracks.

“What do you know?” you asked, your eyes narrowed.

“Nothin’,” Judith said, but you weren’t buying it.

“Remember Jude, I watched you grow up. I can see through you,” you said.

“Nope, I’m a wall!” she announced as she bit into her apple again.

“Right,” you snorted.

“But are you okay?” she asked, this time her voice was a bit more serious. Well, as serious as a ten or eleven-year-old could be.

“Yeah, kid, I’m okay. I actually think I figured it all out,” you said. Which was true, you had figured it out, but now you were just trying to get the courage to do something about it. All in all, no matter how angry you were with him or how upset, what you felt for Negan was bigger than all of it.

“Good,” she said with a smile. As the two of you walked, you began to feel a chill in the air. You noticed Lydia and Henry up ahead walking hand in hand and as your breath became visible before you, you shivered. “I think a storm is coming,” Judith said.

“Yeah?”

“I can feel it,” she said.

“Where’d you learn that trick?”

“From Mom who learned it from Uncle Daryl,” Judith said. You couldn’t help but smile at her then.

“Smart,” you said and she laughed before grabbing your hand and dragging you further into the fray, her candy apple swinging alongside her.

---------

Back in Alexandria, Negan lay on the floor of his cell as he tossed a ball in his hands.

When the door to the cell opened, he had no idea who it could be and because he knew it wasn’t you, he didn’t care. However, when he heard the person clear their throat, he did sit up.

“What do I owe this pleasure?” he asked. Laura stepped further into the light and in her hands was a new winter coat.

“there’s a storm on the way,” she said. “I was asked to give you this.” Negan stood as she passed it through the bars.

“Thanks, Laura,” he said and she nodded. Negan hadn’t spoken to his former lieutenant since the fall of the Sanctuary, at least no more than a few words here and there.

“I’m sorry,” Laura suddenly said. Negan was confused as he braced a hand on the bars.

“What are you apologizing for? Isn’t that my job?” he asked.

“I’m sorry that your life ended up like...this,” she said, but Negan was already shaking his head.

“Don’t apologize for the shit that I did,” he said. “You know better than anyone that what I was doin’ was eventually gonna get me dead or locked up. I guess I can just be glad that Rick didn’t cut any further than he did.” Laura nodded, hearing him.

“Still, you were always fair to me and kind. I also wanted to thank you. While being a Savior wasn’t the most moral of things, if you hadn’t found me all those years ago and brought me to the Sanctuary, I’d be dead.”

“Silver lining, then?” he offered.

“A small one,” Laura said. Negan smiled softly at that.

“I’m proud of you, Kid. You managed to make a new life, one that I should have tried to give you years ago. Don’t screw it up.”

“I won’t if you won’t,” she said and then offered her fist to him. He bumped it with his own.

“I’ll take that deal,” Negan said. Laura smiled and then went to leave, but right before she left, she turned one last time.

“Oh and if you hurt (Y/N), I’ll castrate you with a rusty spoon,” she said with a grin before leaving. Negan stared after her and he was suddenly very aware of everything on his body.

“Fucking hell.”

-------

Eventually, it was time to head to Hilltop.

When you told Aaron you were going to help, he wasn’t surprised. “I knew you couldn’t sit still for long,” he had said. “Just be careful.”

You promised that you would and headed to the main gate to prepare to leave. Daryl was getting his bike off the trailer when you found him. You were tightening your sword’s scabbard when he looked up.

“Ready to go?” you asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “Lydia is gonna stay here and then Aaron and Gabriel will bring her to Alexandria.”

“Sounds good,” you said.

“Mmhmm,” he said. “Are you in any rush to get back there?”

“You and Judith spend too much time together,” you said with a knowing look.

“So, you and Negan…”

“We really don’t need to talk about it, D,” you said.

“Are ya sure?”

“I’m so over talking about it,” you admitted. “I just gotta do something.”

“When ya do, I don’t need the details,” he snarked.

“Asshole,” you muttered and he just smirked. “Where ya gonna go after we get to Hilltop? I heard Ezekiel offering you to make Kingdom your home.”

“Not sure if this place is gonna last much longer,” he said with a sigh.

“You know that Alexandria is always going to be your home, right? No matter how long it’s been.”

“I know,” he said.

“We can’t keep running, Daryl. Come home,” you said. He was quiet for a moment before he dropped his head.

“Alright,” he agreed, “but after we handle Hilltop.”

“Okay.”

Soon everyone was saying goodbye and assuring that they would all be safe. Tara was sending her people out first before following after. Ezekiel was trying to get her to stay for the rest of the fair, but she said that she needed to get home. So, Dianne was going to lead her soldiers home.

As you were securing Daryl’s bow to his bike, you noticed him with Dog as he spoke to Connie. It was subtle, but there was something about his body language that told you a lot. Perhaps Connie was more than just a friend. You watched on as he awkwardly waved to her and when he turned back to you, his eyes narrowed.

“Shut up,” he said as he went up to you.

“I didn’t say anything,” you said.

“Nah, but you were thinking it. I can see it on your face,” he said.

“She’s pretty,” you said.

“And yer annoyin’,” he countered.

“Hey, who am I to judge?” you said with your hands raised.

“Yeah, exactly.” With a roll of your eyes, you climbed onto the back of Daryl’s bike as he took the spot in front. Michonne waved to Judith as you and the others pulled out of Kingdom. You hadn’t seen Lydia before you left, but Ezekiel said that he would keep an eye on her for you.

It was odd that you had essentially become her advocate with Daryl as her main protector. You never imagined you would essentially become a parent to a messed up teen, but here you were.

Yumiko and Magna rode behind you, their weapons at the ready and you kept your head on a swivel as you all move through the woods. Walkers were around, but only a few at a time and were easily taken out by the archers. Still, any time one would make itself known, you could feel Daryl tense in front of you. It was going to be a long night.

You were well into the ride when you came across three men who flagged you down.

Carol seemed to know them as she walked up to meet them. “What’s wrong, Ozzy?” she asked.

“Ya gotta see this, Boss,” the man, Ozzy, said. He seemed very concerned as he gestured you all forward. Daryl shouldered his bow as he followed and you and Michonne were right behind him, both of your hands on your swords.

The Highway Men, as Carol referred to them, had been acting as security and watchers for The Kingdom. They were good trackers, fighters, and were the newest addition to the community. What they had found on their patrol, worried you a lot.

It looked as if a pack of wild animals had attacked a caravan. “We were clearing the roads. Spotted tracks leading here,” Ozzy said.

“It's from Hilltop,” Yumiko said, holding up one of the wooden pendants that were crafted there. The same one that Lydia wore around her neck.

“Walkers didn’t do this,” you said with a glance to Daryl “This was people.”

“Skins?” Michonne asked and then looked to the Highway Men. “You know about them?”

“We got the download,” Ozzy confirmed. “We would have seen any people out here with my patrols, but not if they were covered in Skins.”

“Fantastic,” you said, your nerves growing.

“(Y/N),” Daryl called, “look at this.” You met him down by the broken carriage and realized what he was seeing.

“They fought back,” you said. “They were dragged away. That way,” you said with a point.

“Come on,” Daryl said.

“We can’t all go,” Dianne said. “If this was the Whisperers, then they would have followed this from Hilltop. We need to get back.”

“Michonne and I will go with (Y/N) and Daryl,” Carol said. “Rest of you ride for Hilltop.”

“We can continue our patrols around here,” Ozzy said and Carol nodded.

“Alright,” said Michonne. “We’ll see if we can find them and bring them home.” You nodded to Michonne and then everyone was shaking hands and promising to meet up later. Yumiko then joined you, offering her bow.

“Stay close and if you see Walkers, don’t hesitate. They could be Whisperers,” you said.

“And if they are,” Michonne said, “go for the kill.”

—————

“I really don’t like this,” you said as you walked next to Yumiko. Carol and Daryl were in the front while Michonne was at the back, her Katana in her hand.

“Neither do I,” Yumiko said as she gripped her bow tighter. “Do you people do this a lot?”

“Only when it’s necessary,” you said. “We try not to get involved, but we usually end up doing just that.”

“I don’t know how you do it,” she said.

“We do it because nobody else will.”

“And your families, are they okay with this?”

“My family is right in front of me,” you said. “We’ve been fighting since day one, I don’t think any of that is going to change.”

“Then I’m glad that I have you on my side,” Yumiko said and you gave her a half-smile.

“Me too.”

Daryl was tracking the Hilltop members that were attacked. You kept back, but mirrored his steps, just in case he missed anything. He never did, but it was a force of habit. All you could think about was Alpha’s face and every shadow in the woods was keeping you on edge.

“Don’t give her an inch…” Negan had said. He had wanted you to be strong and you weren’t going to let him down. Whatever happened when you saw him again, it didn’t matter. You just needed to see his face again. That was what kept you going.

You had to get home to Negan.

“Magna is worried about me,” Yumiko said, trying to change the mood. You nodded, grateful for the distraction.

“That’s actually a good thing. It means she cares about you,” you said.

“Do you have one? A Magna?” Yumiko asked.

“Sort of,” you said with a sigh. “It’s complicated.”

“Word of advice,” Yumiko said. “Uncomplicate it because if you are lucky to have them, you better keep them.”

“Thanks, Yumiko,” you said and she knocked your shoulder with her own.

As you walked, Michonne and you both took down Walkers with your blades, taking their heads off their shoulders. It took you a few to get the hang of the new weapon, but it was beginning to feel natural. You would definitely need to do some proper training with Michonne when you got home though.

It was after dusk when Daryl told everyone to halt. Then, from out of the trees came Walkers that you instantly recognized.

“They’re from Hilltop!” you said as you went for the first one. In a long arc, you swung your sword at the Dead man who came at you. His head was cut from his body and you pierced the brain as it rolled to your feet.

From there on, more and more Dead converged as the sun set and darkness wrapped around the five of you. “I can’t see,” Yumiko said.

“Stay together!” Daryl shouted, placing you at his back as you and Michonne leveled your blades. The archers, all three of them, let go of their bows and drew their knives. Daryl held two blades in each of his hands as he prepared to strike.

“Watch their hands!” Michonne yelled as the Walkers fell upon you. You could feel the blood from the other Dead splashing on the back of your neck as you fought your own Walkers.

Your arms stung from the exertion, but you couldn’t slow down. Fear settled into your bones as you fought, but Negan’s voice returned to you.

“You are stronger than them and the only way they win is if you let them,” he had said and with those words being screamed in your head, you swung again, feeling your adrenaline spike.

“Back to the road!” Daryl yelled and everyone began running. “This way,” he grunted reaching for you, but before you could find him in the dark, the sound of a gun cocking had everyone freezing in their steps.

“Drop them,” a horrific whisper said and if you hadn't already been scared, that sound chilled you to your soul. More and more whispers came from around you and your grip loosened on your sword. “I won’t ask twice.”

“Beta…” Daryl sneered and you felt your heart fall into your heart. Beta was alive and you could feel the anger that echoed around him. One by one you all dropped your weapons and the Skins picked them up. Seeing the dirty hands of a Whisperer touch Paul’s sword made you sick.

“You just had to give me the girl,” Beta whispered. “No one else had to die. Now that deal...is done.” His words washed over you and no matter how many times you tried to focus on Negan’s face or his voice, all you heard was Beta’s horrifying voice.

“You touch the girl and I’ll tear your throat out with my teeth,” you snarled. Beta walked up to you and grabbed you by the throat, angling your face to meet his. You stared back with unwavering disgust.

“You make veiled threats,” he said.

“Come a little closer and we’ll see how veiled they are,” you said, pushing in closer. Beta shoved you back and you stumbled into Carol who quickly righted you.

“Take them,” Beta ordered and his people moved in.

One by one, you were tied up. The Skins tied your hands behind your back and pressed blades to your backs, forcing you to walk ahead, leading you somewhere. Your heart was trying to leap from your chest, but you took deep breaths as you tried to keep a level head.

You could still smell the rot that revolved around Beta and it made your stomach churn. You were forced to walk behind Yumiko whose hands were moving. In the moonlight, you could make out some of the shapes and realized she was signing.

“Stay calm,” she was signing over and over again. You were very grateful then that you knew ASL well enough to understand her.

You walked for a bit longer before you reached a clearing and suddenly, you were seven years younger. You half expected for headlights to light up the surrounding area. Daryl and Michonne must have felt it too as they were tense as well.

However, this time, Negan would not be there to just kill two of you. Beta could slaughter all of you for no reason and then turn his sights on Kingdom, Alexandria, and then Hilltop and Oceanside. This was it, you thought, you were going to die.

The Whisperers pushed you into a semicircle, making sure your hands were still secured. You were between Daryl and Michonne and tried to focus on their breathing, but it was difficult. Even if they were thinking of an escape plan, nobody could voice it and nobody was coming to save you.

From the darkness, Alpha finally made herself known. She crept through the night like a predator stalking her prey. Expect, Alpha didn’t kill for food, she killed for sport.

“You ain’t getting her back,” Daryl said, facing down the Matron of the pack.

“You think this is about my daughter?” Alpha asked, tilting her head. “I ran into some trouble on the road,” she said, wiping blood from the knife in her hands on her pants. You struggled against your bonds, wanting to rip her eyes out with your nails. “It was unavoidable.”

“Bullshit,” you shot, but Alpha ignored you.

“Do you like my new camp?” she asked. “My people like to keep moving, keep roaming.”

“We’ve granted Lydia asylum,” you said. “You try to take her and we will fight back.”

“What is your name?” Alpha asked, stopping in front of you.

“...(Y/N),” you said.

“Do they speak for you?” Alpha asked the others.

“We speak for each other,” Daryl countered. Alpha sniffed, unaffected by Daryl’s attempt at camaraderie. Instead, she continued to pace in front of the five of you.

“My daughter isn’t a concern anymore. She was weak, she never lived up to expectations.”

“Was?” you asked as the worst-case scenario entered your mind. “What did you do to her!” Still, Alpha ignored you.

“To be clear,” she said, “your group is in no position to threaten me. That is a habit that needs to be broken.”

“Oh, I’ll break something,” you threatened and Alpha merely smiled at you as if you were some child she was humoring. Turning her attention back to Daryl she pointed at him.

“Come with me,” Alpha said. “Just you.” Beta cut Daryl’s bonds and then pushed him forward. You struggled to go after him, but you couldn’t move.

Daryl glanced back at you once more before following Alpha into the darkness of the trees.

-------

Daryl was gone for a while, and with every minute that ticked by, you grew more fearful that his body was somewhere being torn apart by the Dead.

You, Michonne, Carol, and Yumiko were sitting together by a fallen tree as you waited to be released. Beta was across from the four of you, watching the woods, waiting for his orders.

You began to think about Rick. What would he do right now? What would he say? You also began to think about the conversation you had once had with Negan about evil and humanity.

Alpha and Beta were evil and there was no doubt about it. Evil was around you and you could not find a shred of light to hold onto. Rick had wanted to build a new world, but if this is what it was going to look like, you didn’t want it.

“This is not how I’m dying,” you whispered.

“Nobody is going to die,” Michonne said. “I don’t think Alpha wants to kill us.”

“She said ‘no one else had to die’, meaning she already killed those Hilltop people and now she’s going to keep going. With us.”

“Just try to stay calm.”

“This is me calm. I’m calm and I’m pissed.”

“We’re going to get out of this,” Carol said who hadn’t taken her eyes off of Beta since she sat down.

“I left too much shit unfinished,” you admitted, unable to stop yourself.

“I know,” Michonne said and there was a bit of pity in the tone of her voice. “You know, I actually wish for his psycho ass right about now,” Michonne said and you couldn’t argue with that.

“Don’t we all,” you agreed.

“Who?” Carol asked and Michonne hesitated, but you just shrugged.

“Negan,” Michonne said.

“Who’s that?” Yumiko asked.

“Asshole who we have locked up back home,” said Michonne.

“You think he could take on Beta?” Carol asked, but you shook your head.

“I don’t think a bulldozer could take on Beta,” you said with a glare in the man’s direction.

“Negan would be a good distraction,” Michonne figured and then stopped speaking as she saw the look in your eyes. “Or not.” Carol looked at you in confusion.

You couldn’t imagine Negan going up against someone like Beta. Everyone you had seen him fight, he had been the bigger one. He had been the one in charge and the one with the edge. Negan fighting Beta would have been like a Mustang charging a Semi Truck. That was not something you wanted to see.

“Am I missing something?” Carol asked.

“No,” you and Michonne said at the same time. Carol narrowed her eyes but didn’t push it any further. Instead, you all sat there in silence as you waited for the fate you were sure you were about to meet.

You didn’t know how much time had passed when the sun began to rise again. Nobody spoke and nobody moved as the Whisperers began to disperse. Beta then gestured to you and your companions.

Slowly, his people approached and cut your bonds. Nobody dared to move as Beta watched over you. He then ordered his people to hand back your weapons.

“Go West,” he sneered. “You’ll find your man.”

“Come on,” Michonne said, moving Carol in front of her as Yumiko followed. You hesitated, glaring at Beta who leveled his knife at you in something that felt like a promise. Almost as if he was saying that the next time he saw you, he was going to kill you. In your mind, you made the same promise.

The sun rose quickly as you hiked through the woods, following Beta’s orders. “Something feels wrong,” you said as you fastened your sword to your side. Carol was holding Daryl’s bow and blades as you walked.

“We got out, that’s all that matters,” Michonne said, but you had a feeling something was very wrong.

It didn’t take long for you to find Daryl.

He seemed unharmed, but you could tell he was angry. Carol reached him first, handing him his bow and kissing him on the cheek. Michonne hugged him too and Yumiko clapped him on the shoulder. When he reached you, you hugged him tightly.

“I thought she was going to kill you,” you said.

“Nah, not yet,” he said and then nodded his head in another direction. “This way.”

You all followed Daryl who seemed to be on a mission. Whatever Alpha had told him had him set on a path and you were willing to go with him no matter what.

You walked until the sun was finally above you and then, Daryl picked up his speed. “Daryl?” you called, but he just kept running. Eventually, you saw what he was running towards. “Oh my god.”

“Siddiq!” Michonne yelled as she ran up the hill towards the Doctor who was leaning against a dead tree and behind him, was another.

“Enid!” you yelled as you saw her struggling as well. You slid to her side, using one of Daryl’s knife that he tossed to you to cut her bonds. As soon as she was free, she nearly crawled to you, gripping you tight. Enid was shaking and so was Siddiq who held onto Michonne. “Shh, it’s okay,” you assured her.

“What happened?” Michonne asked, but both of them could barely speak.

“I… I…,” Siddiq stuttered out as Enid pointed up the hill with tears in her eyes. Slowly, you pulled Enid into you and began the trek up the hill.

“No…” you whispered in horror as you saw what was ahead. It was too far to make out details, but the smell of fresh and Dead blood wafted towards you. Enid was trembling in your arms as tears fell down her face.

Nobody spoke as you crested the hill, but nobody needed to as you got closer. As soon as it became apparent what was before you, Yumiko fell to her knees and Michonne gasped in pain.

At the top of the hill were nine pikes and on each one, was the head of someone you knew.

You started at the beginning, your bones as cold as ice as milky white eyes stared at you. They hadn’t killed the brain and as you looked at the first pike, Ozzy, the Highway Man, was staring at you with vacant eyes and a gaping mouth. Next to him was Alek, and then, DJ.

Your heart sank as you saw who was next. Frankie, one of Negan’s former wives and a spitfire of a woman. Her red hair blew in the wind as blood and gore dripped from the flesh at the base of her severed neck.

Tammy was next and Enid cried harder as she saw the older woman. A woman you knew who had taken care of Enid at Hilltop. You struggled to keep the young woman upright, but it was difficult as you nearly collapsed when you saw the next two.

Rodney and Addy.

The teens that you knew from Hilltop were gasping with their breathless mouths as their gray skin dulled in the sunlight, but who was next made you crash to the ground.

“No!” you screamed as you saw Tara’s dark hair blowing in the wind.

Enid fell next to you as the woman who she saw as a sister stared at her with empty eyes. Sobs echoed out of you as you stared at her, but that wasn’t compared to Daryl who immediately began yelling.

“No, No!” he yelled as he ran for Carol “Just look at me, just look at me,” he said as he held onto his best friend. That’s when you finally looked at the final pike and everything around you broke.

It was Henry.

Enid was leaning all of her weight onto you just as Siddiq was doing to Michonne. Carol had fallen into Daryl and Yumiko was crying as she beheld the horror.

Alpha had done this. She had taken these people from you, but left two alive as witnesses. She had killed children, friends, leaders, and left you feeling empty.

You had been through so much, lost so much, and, yet this felt as if someone had torn your soul from your body. As the wind continued to blow, all you could hear were Enid’s screams and Carol’s sobs as yet another child was stolen from her.

---------

“We were there,” Siddiq began as he stood on the stage in The Kingdom.

You stood next to Daryl and Lydia was in front of you both as you listened. Enid was across from you in the protective arms of Alden who hadn’t let her go since you returned.

“Enid and I were taken with the others. And I saw... We were supposed to die with them and I was ready to.” Siddiq went on, speaking for both him and Enid considering she could barely say a word. Aaron was sure she was in shock.

Siddiq went on, “Then, Alpha whispered in our faces as she knelt before us, ‘Tell them’, she said… she then said that two sets of eyes were better than one. Then, something hit me, and everything went black.”

Lydia leaned back into you and you gripped her tight. You noticed that Daryl was holding onto the other side of her. You knew that you needed to protect her now more than ever.

“And when I woke up, it was just the two of us,” Siddiq said with a look to Enid who stared back with red-rimmed eyes. “What happened was evil. It was evil. And I think she left us alive to tell you that story. To scare you and to drive us all apart again. But I want to tell you a different story.” Siddiq then looked at you and you could see that he was struggling. You gave him a nod of encouragement.

“See,” he went on, “before the end... Ozzy, Alek, and DJ found us and they gave us an opening. And everyone fought back. They fought like hell. And what they did was more than brave. 'Cause they defended each other. And they sacrificed for each other... And some of them... they didn't even know each other, but they still fought like they did. Like they were family. 'Till the very end.”

Tears were flowing from his eyes and your own, but you tried to put on a brave face for him, for Enid.

“And in the end, they... Their time was cut short, but ours keeps going. So we have to keep going. For them and for all of us. We need to honor them. We need to honor them, and we need to remember these friends, our family, died as heroes. That's the story that I want to tell you. That's the story that I want us all to remember.”

In the quiet of the fair as Ezekiel and Carol cried in silence, you swore that you would remember and when it came down to it, you would avenge them.

—————

Once the pikes were taken care of and the tears stopped, for the time being, people began to move out.

However, as winter moved in, The Kingdom was no longer capable to house the members of the community. They would need to move and Michonne was going to stay to help them do that.

While you wanted nothing more to help, you needed to be somewhere else, with someone else. As you stood by the main building of The Kingdom’s square, Michonne approached you.

“There’s a storm coming,” she said quietly, her voice a bit hoarse from crying. You were sure that yours sounded the same.

“I know.”

“We need to move these people to Hilltop and Alexandria,” she said and you nodded in agreement. “(Y/N),” she said, “can you get her home, please?”

Turning to look at her, you were surprised to hear the desperation in her tone. “Michonne?” you asked.

“Please, get Judith home and protect her. Protect my daughter,” she said, once again on the verge of tears. You pulled her into your arms and clutched at your friend. You hadn’t been the closest with Michonne since she arrived at the gates of the prison, but you had a feeling that was about to change.

When you pulled back, you held her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “I will,” you said. “I will protect her with my life.”

“They were brave,” Michonne whispered and you knew who she meant.

“Yes, they were,” you agreed. “And we will not let their deaths be in vain.” Michonne nodded, gripping your arms.

“Go to him,” she said.

“Michonne…”

“No, you listen to me,” she said as it was her turn to be serious. “I do not care what people think about him. Don’t worry about that. He could have lost you and as much as I have my demons when it comes to Negan, you have to go. Trust me when I say that Death does not discriminate when it comes to the man someone loves. Even if that man is...unconventional.”

“But…”

“No,” she cut you off. “Take Judith and go home. Stop overthinking it, (Y/N). You said you had left things unfinished, right?”

“Right.”

“Then, finish them.”

—————-

The ride to Alexandria was very different than the departure.

You rode on a horse alongside the carriage that held Gabriel, Aaron, Gracie, Judith, Eugene, and others. Nobody spoke and nobody relaxed until the comforting gates of Alexandria were in view.

For the kids’ sake you put on a brave face, but as soon as your horse came to a stop and the gates slid closed, you could barely keep it together. “Scott!” you called as you dismounted. He ran up to you as you helped Judith down from the makeshift carriage. “Take her,” you begged the man. He nodded as he gathered his bag. You then turned to Judith. “You need to go to your brother,” you said.

“What?” she asked.

“Go find RJ and give him the biggest hug he can handle, okay?” Judith nodded at your words.

“Are you going to be okay?”

“Not for a while,” you admitted, and then she was wrapping her small arms around you and you let a tear slide down your cheek. “I’m going to come over later and we’ll have dinner, okay?”

“Okay,” she whispered and with a final squeeze, you let her go as she ran after Scott who was waiting for her. Ignoring Aaron, Eugene, and the others, you turned your back on the stables and began to run.

You didn’t slow as you ran towards the main street. Your boots slid on the slick spots of ice that littered the ground, but you kept going. Stopping before the Grimes house, you searched your pockets for your key ring.

You couldn’t get your hands to stop shaking as you found the right one and jogged down the steps towards the jail. Slipping the key in the lock, you shoved the door open.

The loud noise alerted Negan to your presence. He was laying on his cot, but when he saw the tears that flowed down your cheeks and coated your collar, he launched to his feet.

“(Y/N)?” he asked, staring at you in shock. You kept moving, switching the key on the ring and inserting it into the lock of the cell itself. You wrenched it open and faced him, taking him all in. “What happened?” he asked, staring at you with concern.

You didn’t answer him right away. Instead, you took your time to memorize his face, the set of his jaw, how his shoulders were settled on his torso, and especially that wonderful light that was in his eyes. You choked back another sob as you moved into his space.

“(Y/N)?” Negan asked you again. Reaching up, you placed your hands on his face, feeling the warmth of life beneath his skin. With a deep breath, you got your voice back.

“Don’t make me lose you, too,” you whispered and then, you gripped him by the back of his neck and pulled his lips to yours.

Negan immediately wrapped his arms around you, holding you closer to him as he kissed you back without hesitation. It was as if a dam broke inside you as light burst behind your eyes. Negan kissed you tenderly, but it was full of urgency as well.

Pulling yourself tighter against him, you were worried that he would be pulled away at any moment. He didn’t seem to be ready to let go either as he lifted you up, tilting his head back to get a better angle.

Your tears dripped down onto his face, wetting the stubble on his jaw, but he didn’t care. Negan didn’t care about anything else at that moment. All he cared about was you in his arms as he finally got to show much you meant to him.

When you pulled back to get some air, he set you down. Negan looked at you in awe and while you knew you had to explain what had happened, there was something you had to say first. Something that you had felt for a long time.

“I love you, Negan,” you said, your voice soft as it mingled with his own breath. He looked in your eyes and you watched as the words resonated with him. His eyes grew softer and all the tension in his body dissolved. Negan reached up and placed his hand against your face.

“I love you, too,” he said and then pulled your lips back to his.

You clutched at the man in your arms, your new reason for living. You knew that war was finally coming and that Death was not done with any of you yet, but in that small cell, in the arms of the man you loved, you let it all become whispers on the wind as the first snowflakes began to fall.

TAGS:

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@yes-sir-hotchner @boom-bunny @delusionalteenagewhispers

@scootankle @ritajammer21 @writteriguess @tea-atfive @jennydehavilland @waspyyy @yespleasejayhalstead @fmunegan @hoemadegrace @writingdeadangel

@pulplorrd

#the walking dead #walkerwords #the savior sessions #twd imagines #negan imagines #negan imagine #negan x gn reader #negan x reader #angst #the walking dead fanfics #whisperers #canon divergence #twd #twd fanfiction #negan x you #negan x y/n

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multiharlot · 4 years

Text

swat / spencer reid x fem!reader

summary: y/n captain of the fbi swat team that leads the bau team into a high-risk arrest / counter-terrorist attack and gets hurt protecting her team, sending her loving boyfriend into a crazed panic.

warnings: blood, violence, slight gore, guns, bombs, and shooting. (hello it’s criminal minds)

masterlist

y/n’s pov

“spen, don’t worry. i’ll be okay. this is what i do. just stay behind me, got it?” you say, giving your worried boyfriend a stern gaze as you strapped on the rest of your gear.

“is this on tight enough? i don’t think it is. here, i got it.” he says, completely ignoring your order and pushing your hands away.

he tightens the straps on your kevlar vest and you groan as he pulls the velcro tightly, slapping it into place.

“there. much better.” he says, letting out a short breath.

you roll your eyes, readjusting the slightly suffocating vest and clicking the helmet into place.

“spencer reid. i am going to be just fine. i’m not captain for no reason. you just stay behind me, and let me and my team do our job. and we’ll let you do yours, alright?” you sigh and you place your hands on his shoulder, looking at him through your protective goggles.

“okay...okay i can do that. yeah.”

“good, now let’s go.” you nod, ruffling his hair slightly as loading the magazine into your gun.

you push open the van doors and you and your team head up to the entrance, leaning against the wall beside the warehouse door. you reach down, clicking the coms button on the radio attached to your shoulder.

“operator to HQ. TRT going for dynamic entry, weapons hot, preparing for immediate contact.”

you wait for headquarters to respond, giving you the go ahead.

“HQ to operator, you’re green.”

you turn your head back towards your team, and nodding softly as your gaze met spencers.

“move!” you shout, kicking down the front door and immediately being met with a downpour of bullets.

your team crowds around spencer, jj, and alvez as they lead them to take cover down the hall.

“agents take the tail and give me a status check!” you shout into your radio, pulling the trigger and letting your automatic weapon exchange casualties with the the terrorist group.

“we’re good, cap.”

“green”

“good to go, y/l/n.”

the responses from your team pour in a you feel a slight relaxation cloud your senses. you continue moving through the first floor of the building and you nod your head.

“alright, let’s move.” you sigh, gesturing your team through the now calm floor and heading up the stairs of the building.

you move slowly, your boots clunking slightly against the metal stairs. you see the other half of your team moving through the other end of the corridor with matt, rossi, and emily on the parallel end of the building.

“TRT 2, status check.” you mumbled into your radio, and your lieutenant, corey o’malley, turns, looking your way before leaning into his shoulder.

“we’re smooth, operator. north end corridor is clear.”

“say smooth operator again and i’ll demote you....and watch each other’s sixes, it’s too quiet for my liking.” you sigh, and your lieutenant sends you a quick thumbs up before heading into another room.

you turn to the team, nodding your head and making your way down the corridor, inspecting the first open room and then stopping in front of the second. this one had a door, oddly enough. your eyebrows furrow as you slowly approach the door, you tighten your grip around your rifle, reaching for the handle and sliding open the metal sheet door. as soon as the door opens, your eyes widen as you catch sight of the men with c4 strapped to their chests and automatic rifles in their hands.

“bomb! fall back!” you shout, and your teams begins running out before the men open fire.

you cry out as bullets make their way through your shoulder, abdomen, and upper thigh. you fall to the ground, attempting to quickly push yourself back up.

“cap!” your sergeant, jessie mack, yells out, catching everyone’s attention.

she runs back pulling you up from the ground and helping you run out the building. just as you two make it out of the doorway, the explosions go off and smoke fills your lungs. you both fall to the floor, gasping for breath and your vision starts to go in and out as you feel your blood soaking through your uniform and spread underneath the kevlar.

“this is sierra one to HQ, we need medics on the scene.” corey says frantically into his radio as he kneels next to you, practically ripping off your layers of protective gear to get to your injuries.

“what’re the chances those sons of bitches managed to hit me in the tiny sliver of skin that wasn’t covered?” you chuckled, coughing slightly as the metallic taste of blood filled your lips.

mack and corey chuckle sadly as they place pressure on the wounds. you could hear spencer calling out to you and your eyes wander, blinking slowly as you felt the drowsiness blanket over you. you want to yell out for him, but you hear jj and alvez shouting for him to calm down and let my team handle it.

“where are those fucking medics!?” mack shouts frustratingly.

“tourney her thigh, mack.” corey instructs, ripping off the bottom end of my shirt.

“hey now, o’malley. i have a boyfriend.” you scold sarcastically, making him smile.

“how is it that you’re bleeding out and you’re still making time to be a pain in my ass, huh?” he chuckles sadly, wiping his tears of frustration.

“w-well...someone’s gotta do it.” you cough, the blood beginning to pour from your lips.

“exactly, so you better live. you better keep yourself alive and always be my pain in the ass captain, you hear me?”

“mack...mack get spence.” you slur, and she sniffles nodding her head and calling out to spencer.

in probably less than a millisecond, spencer is sliding onto the ground next to you, looking over your blood ridden body. he pushes corey’s hand away from my shoulder and he presses firmly into your wound, making you groan loudly.

“sorry but no. you’re not dying. you’re gonna live and i’m gonna keep getting angry at you for leaving your pants all over the place and you’re gonna keep yelling at me for leaving case files on the floor which makes you trip all the time. and we’re going to keep arguing over what color we should paint the house and how you’re always so sarcastic even when you shouldn’t be. okay?”

“i love you, spen. i need you to know that.” you say weakly, your eyes beginning to flutter shut.

“hey no. keep your eyes open, look at me baby. look at me.” he pleads, and you force your eyes open, screaming to whatever higher power is out there in your head that if you die, you’ll kill them for letting that happen.

“i’m not gonna die. i’m too stubborn for that.” you smile softly, and you finally hear the sirens and the screeching of tires.

you weren’t sure what really happened next because you were fading in and out of consciousness, but you remembered spencer’s pleas and words of reassurance, and you remembered telling the ambulance driver to turn up the radio because your favorite song was playing. you never were one to be all that serious, even when you should be. it just wasn’t how you worked. but for just a moment, you prayed, to whoever was out there, that they’d let you continue being not so serious.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

third person pov

both teams waited anxiously in the waiting room, y/n’s blood still staining corey’s fingernails, and mack stared blankly at her hands. all she could picture was y/n’s blood coating her hands and wrists and she could still hear your blood splattering coughs. spencer paced nervously as the bau attempted to get him to sit down.

“come on, spencer. she’s going to be just fine. just calm down-”

“no, luke. i can’t calm down. i’m not sure if you knew this, but i don’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to relationships. and i finally- finally think that i get to have what everyone else has, and it’s about to be ripped away from me. again. so please forgive me for not being able to sit down and wait patiently.” spencer says, making everyone look up at stare sadly at him.

he shakes his head, running his hands over his face before muttering a small apology.

“sorry...i’m sorry. i just can’t lose her.” spencer whimpers, causing the teams hearts to clench in their chests.

“we know, spence. we know. we don’t want to lose her either.” jj quickly reassures, taking her best friend into her arms.

garcia sat quietly next to luke, reaching over and grabbing his hand.

“she’s gonna be okay.” she nods, and luke gives her a tight smile, squeezing her hand in his.

“she’s gonna be okay.” he recites.

a short silence fills the room until one of her teammates lets out a snort.

“do...do you guys remember when she told the brass the from now on they could only refer to SWAT as Sexy Without Actually Trying?” he smiles, making her team erupt in soft laughter.

the bau smiles, nodding their heads. that definitely sounded like her.

“or when she started the ‘Bureau’s Best Butts Contest’?” mack laughs, making emily snort.

“she did what?” she smiles.

“oh yeah. this was before she ever met any of you, before she even met spencer. she was just brought on as captain and as our team bonding exercise, she started a contest between the team on who had the best butt...usually private jeffords wins every year” mack smiles, and corey nods his head.

“and i’m damn proud.” private jeffords says, straightening out his jacket.

“or remember what she said to strauss when strauss tried to give her some talk about following protocol?” private murphy speaks out, standing up against the wall.

“oh yeah! she said, ‘the only protocol i’m meant to follow is to create orderly chaos and save lives. so call me captain i don’t give a shit, because i really don’t.” corey says, imitating his best y/n voice.

the team laughs and spencer smiles sadly.

“she really loves you guys, you know?” he says, his bottom lip wavering.

the laughter ceases and mack stands up, taking his hands into hers.

“it’s nothing compared to how much she loves you.”

he lets out a short breath and more tears stream down his stick cheeks. he opens his mouth to respond when the doctor walks into the waiting room.

“i’m assuming you’re all here for y/n y/l/n?” he asks, tucking his hands into his pockets.

spencer pushes his way through everyone, making his way to the front of the small crowd.

“i’m her boyfriend. her family lives on the west coast and won’t be here until tomorrow.”

the doctor nods his head before taking in a deep breath.

“it was...touch and go for a while. she flatlined once she reached the table, but we were able to resuscitate her and stop the bleeding. she was given a blood transfusion and she’s alright now, but she’s going to need a lot of rest. you can see her now if you’d like.” he says, smiling softly.

mack giggles excitedly as everyone felt as though they could finally breath.

“what room is she in?” spencer asks, about ready to run down the halls.

“524″ the doctor says, nodding his head and walking off.

spencer then runs out of the waiting room area and down the halls, nearly pushing over the dozens of nurses in the hall and almost breaking the down the door to her room. he stops as soon as he sees her laying on the bed, her eyes closed softly and the ekg machine echoing through the room. he lets out short gasps as he tries to regain control of his breathing and he takes a seat next to her bed, taking her hand in his.

“i love you so much.” he mumbles as he places a kiss on her knuckles.

spencer sat at her bedside all night. he sat through everyone’s visits and everyone’s gifts. he sat there, with her left hand in his right hand, and his head on his left. y/n’s eyes flutter open and she grips his hand tightly.

“i told you i wasn’t gonna die.” she croaks out.

his head snaps up and he sniffles, a tight smile on his lips.

“you almost did, though. you flatlined. i could’ve lost you.” he whimpers.

“but you didn’t. i’m okay. death tried to knock at my door, but death learned it’s lesson. he ain’t coming back anytime soon, baby. for me or for you. i made sure i gave him a big ol’ fuck you.”she reassures, making him scoff and roll his eyes.

“can you stop being sarcastic for like ten seconds?”

“well, i did make a promise to stay alive so we can argue about it some more.”

he smiles as he rubs his thumb softly over her knuckles. he’d never tell her this because she’d never shut up about it, but her never-ending humor and sarcasm made his days better. her way of processing made it easier for him to cope. she took the weight of the world off his shoulders.

“and we can argue about it for the rest of our lives.” he smiles, pressing a gentle kiss on her hand.

she smiles, closing her eyes and leaning her head back.

“the rest of our lives...i like the sound of that.”

“me too, y/n. me too.”

“speaking of.....jello?”

“you’re my soulmate.”

“i know.”

taglist:

@dreatine @slytherinintj13 @mileven-reddie @eleventhdoctorsangel @haileymorelikestupid

#spencer reid #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid x reader #x reader #reid x reader #Criminal Minds #criminal minds imagine

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blackbutterfliescal · 4 years

Text

He Wanted Love, I Taste Of Blood

A Muke One Shot

Pairing: Michael Clifford x Luke Hemmings

Word count: 2.3K

Rating: E for Everyone

Content: college AU, major character death, light discussion of sexual situations (no actual smut), gore mention but nothing explicit/drawn out

A/N: I’m so excited to share my first ever collab event fic!! This kinda became it’s own monster and is pretty different from anything I’ve tried before. My prompt was “The legend said it only goes after virgins…so sucks for you I guess.” The title is from the song Love Like Winter by AFI, which has nothing to do with this fic but it’s a jam 😅 Big thank you to @spicycal and @devilatmydoor for encouraging me to stick to my guns while writing this. It’s a little shorter than I’d like but 🤷‍♀️

✨ Masterlist ✨

Event Masterlist 🦇

Let me know if you want to be added to or removed from my taglist 🌺

AO3 Link

Feedback is always appreciated! 😊

———

The scratch of dead leaves skittering across the pavement in the twilight breeze is the only thing occupying Luke’s mind, causing his skin to crawl the same way that nails on a chalkboard do. With every scuff of his shoes along the hard ground, he traps another smattering of decaying foliage under his sole, leaving deep hues of carnage on the sidewalk in his wake.

A warm presence quickly spreading across the inside of his palm causes his head to stop its constant nervous swivel, snapping towards the sensation. Luke lets out a breath of laughter when realization dawns on him - it’s just Michael. “Are you even listening to me at all, Luke?” Michael’s tone holds a gentle tease as he slots his fingers between Luke’s and prods his side with an elbow. Luke timidly returns a smile but his eyes are still wild. He can’t stop thinking that Michael is much too calm as they look ahead to see the lights down the street flicker on; the resulting buzz loud enough to drown out leaves crunching under their feet.

The two of them had spent the better part of the chilly Saturday afternoon at the park down the street, holding warm cider in their sweater paw-clad hands and trading off bites of the various pumpkin treats they’d picked up from the bakery across the street. When Luke had transferred to the local college a little more than a month ago, he hadn’t known anyone. He’d intentionally chosen a school far from home, wanting a new start after spending his first year at a community college near home. Starting over without knowing anyone was stressful and he was thankful that Michael had so quickly introduced himself. Luke always felt terribly awkward trying to make new friends, especially since so many people met their friends through events like freshman orientation, which Luke missed out on. He’d met Michael through his roommate and he’d immediately taken Luke under his wing, appreciating that Luke could match his banter and weird sense of humor. They’d hung out a couple of times in the dorm commons where Luke lived, playing video games until the wee hours of the morning. But today, as the sun casts the vibrantly colored trees in deeper shades of yellow and orange, Michael is thankful it’s just the two of them. It means that there’s no worry of prying roommates and he feels free to pull Luke into him, planting a soft kiss on his lips under the sprawling oak tree. It’s warm and sweet - the lingering cider and confections still clinging to their lips. Luke’s expression leaves Michael panicked that he’s gotten everything mixed up yet again but it didn’t take Luke long to fall into Michael once more. And then again. And again. Until he feels like he’ll crash and burn without the taste of Michael on his lips.

Neither of them are sure how long they’ve spent hiding from the world under that oak tree before Michael volunteers to walk Luke home, but Luke is sure they’ve stayed too long to make it across campus to his dorm before dark. It’s getting more and more difficult to see Michael’s soft features when they pass through the dim spaces between worn out street lamps. As they take the turn to Luke’s block, Michael can feel Luke’s pace pick up - clearly wanting to be in the safety of his building. They pass a newspaper box and the print pressed against the plexiglass window catches Michael’s attention. “THREE ATTACKS IN THREE WEEKS” reads the bold letters atop the page. A slightly smaller line below calls out the newly-implemented dusk curfew due to little police progress in the investigations. Michael keeps quiet about the papers, not wanting to add to Luke’s frenzy, but the way Luke averts his eyes tells him that Luke is already well aware.

Michael had heard the wildest rumors - that there was some sort of inhuman monster to blame for the deaths or that it was occult related. And sure, he knew every New England town had its share of weird cryptid stories and weirdos, but he couldn’t bring himself to believe it was anything other than a particularly bold black bear. He’s lived nearby his whole life and has never seen anything like the hysteria that was gripping the sleepy little town now. It makes sense to him that a newbie like Luke would be overly terrified though, especially as the days grew shorter with the approach of the harsh grey winter.

As they approach the loop in front of Luke’s dorm, Luke is practically dragging Michael behind him in a sprint. Any trace of daylight is completely gone from the sky and each passing second seems to increase Luke’s panic. They come to a sudden halt in front of the large glass doors that lead to the commons and Luke drops Michael’s hand, beginning to fumble for his keycard between ragged, panting breaths. Michael is doing all he can to not giggle at Luke’s frantic nature. Michael couldn’t be less worried about the dark; he knows there’s not a black bear in the world brazen enough to come up to them right now. Assuming it was a black bear causing all the trouble... It seems like an eternity that Michael watches Luke’s hands struggle to make the machine on the door read his card.

“Why does this stupid thing never work! I live here!!” The shadow suddenly casting over Luke’s clumsy hands is enveloped quickly by Michael’s frigid fingers. Michael’s hands feel firm around Luke’s and Luke lets him pull the flimsy plastic from him. Michael does his best to calm Luke as he runs the card through the machine slot a couple of times until the latch clicks open to grant them access. “See? We’re okay. Nothing to worry about.” Michael’s tone is gentle as Luke releases the air that’s been burning in his lungs. The nip in the air isn’t doing Luke any favors when it comes to catching his breath or the flushed tint on his face. And the kiss Michael places on the rosiest part of his cheek definitely isn’t helping either.

The offending keycard lands in Luke’s palm as Michael flashes a comforting smile. “Well, now that I’ve been a gentleman - walked you home and kissed you goodnight - I should get home too. Curfew and whatnot...” Michael sheepishly tucks his hands in his pockets, trying to keep them from freezing stiff, and turns away from Luke.

Without a second thought, Luke reaches out to wrap his spindly fingers around Michael’s wrist and doesn’t bother to hide worry on his face. “Maybe you should stay. Just to be safe, I mean. I don’t want you to walk across campus alone with god knows what out there.” Luke tosses a quick glance beyond the well-lit drop off loop, eyes wide. “Come on! I’m pretty sure that my roommate’s gone for the weekend, so there’s even an extra bed. And I’m sure I can find something of mine for you to sleep in.” The surprised look on Michael’s face brings back the panic in Luke’s chest as he spits out a quick “Only if you want!!” trying to play it off.

The smile that lifts Michael’s cheeks is amused while he assures Luke that he’s walked home in the dark plenty of times and lived to tell the tales. “Besides… even if it is a monster, the legend says it only goes after virgins…” The teasing on Michael’s face vanishes completely, watching Luke hug his arms around his own stomach and chew on his bottom lip. The concern on his face makes Michael reconsider - though he feels like there’s something else hiding behind Luke’s pleading gaze. Was Luke worried about still being a virgin? Or maybe he was worried because now he knew Michael wasn’t?

“Ohhh. Oh!! That’s why you’re so scared.” Michael turns back toward Luke and lets his hands rest on Luke’s too-broad shoulders, trying to use the most calming tone he could manage. “Listen, it’s just an urban legend. Some stupid frat guys probably made up to get their girlfriends to sleep with them!” Luke wasn’t expecting this turn of conversation after only three dates and he’s fallen quiet, hyperaware of the fact that the automatic lock on the door had clicked in place again and they still hadn’t made it inside yet. His steely blues meet Michael’s soft green eyes and the wind howls around them.

“Is that why you want me to stay over so soon, Luke? I mean…. I like you. I really do! But I don’t know about taking your virginity just because of some crazy rumor…” Luke lets out a small laugh and stares down at his feet. He unravels his arms from around his middle and holds out his hand for Michael. “No, you goon. I just really don’t want anything to happen to you. You’re the only friend I’ve got here!” Michael scoffs, feigning offense at Luke’s use of the word “friend”.

“Sucks to be you, I guess. You’re never gonna lose your virginity if you keep making out with guys and then calling them your friends,” Michael teases as he bumps Luke’s shoulder with his own. Luke rolls his eyes in response, earning him a fit of laughter as he scans his keycard again, managing entry on the first try, and pulls Michael through the main doors and down his hallway.

Once inside the warm air of Luke’s room, Michael sinks down onto Luke’s bed with an overexaggerated sigh, immediately making himself at home and watching as Luke roots through his dresser to find sweatpants for the pair of them. He eventually finds suitable options and makes his way across the room, offering Michael his pick of the outfits he’s gathered up. As Luke stretches out his hands to show Michael his choices, Michael grabs them both with a playful grin and tosses them onto the bed beside him. Luke begins to protest at his disregard but Michael reaches for Luke’s now-empty hands, ever so slowly pulling him forward until his knees knock against the bed. He holds Luke’s gaze as his hands move toward his hips, gently tugging him onto the bed so his long legs can fold over themselves on either side of Michael’s hips. Luke lets his lips part in anticipation as he settles onto Michael’s lap.

Michael’s hands have warmed from their previous state and Luke thinks they might burn right through him where they snake around his waist. Luke’s thawed fingertips land softly on each side of Michael’s full cheeks as he smiles up at him. The space between them is alive with electricity as they move closer before Luke finally leans down to close the gap. This kiss was different than the ones underneath the oak tree this afternoon, full of something Luke had never let himself experience before. It was soft and slow and filled with the kind of tenderness that only appears in timid new relationships.

Not wanting to rush into anything Luke might regret, Michael breaks the kiss and begins to speak while tracing feather-light touches up and down Luke’s back.

“‘S cute that you worried about me, you know? You’re sweet.” Luke smiles before pressing his puffy lips to Michael’s again briefly, leaving them behind to trail down the side of his neck, causing his reply to come out muffled.

“Not as sweet as you’ll be.” Michael hums inquisitively, assuming he misheard.

“I said, not as sweet as you. I can still taste…” Luke leans into Michael’s lips again. “Pumpkin...apples…and….” Michael smiles under the kiss this time. “Cinnamon!” Luke lingers over Michael’s mouth for a few beats, a hungry look in his eyes. “I’m glad you decided to stay tonight. Much better with you here.” Michael pulls Luke’s body flush against his, the mischief on his face matching Luke’s.

“You know, I still don’t think we should do it just so you won’t be a virgin anymore, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still have fun…” Michael bites the corner of his lip and pulls Luke down to him with much more purpose this time. A flurry of hands begin to tug at fabric and rush over heated skin. Luke nips down Michael’s neck again and he’s sure to leave bruises but that doesn’t seem to bother him.

“We don’t only go after virgins, just so you know,” he offers to Michael between shallow breaths. Unsure he heard correctly, Michael sits back to take in Luke’s face. “What? What does that mean? Who’s ‘we’?”

“Just that you shouldn’t believe everything that you hear,” Luke states very matter-of-fact with a glint of something indiscernable in his eyes. “Luke… I don’t - What? You’re scaring me. What are you talking about?” Michael’s sure that Luke’s messing with him, probably as payback for the virgin jokes earlier.

“Well. Virgins are sweeter - like getting to eat dessert for dinner. But the rumors are wrong. We don’t only go after virgins. That’s not really practical, is it?” As he speaks, Luke looks directly into Michael’s eyes and runs his thumb across Michael’s glossy lip before trailing over the marks already appearing on his neck.

The little bit of color that was flushed over Michael’s cheeks previously is gone and the horror that’s taken over his sweet face almost makes Luke second guess what comes next. Almost. And someday he’ll learn not to play with his food but he admits that it makes things so much more fun. Michael thickly swallows and squeezes his eyes shut. Maybe if he doesn’t open them, it won’t be real. Maybe he’ll wake up from a nap in the park under that old oak tree.

When his curiosity gets the better of him, he unscrews his eyelids to see Luke, still on his lap, with eyes that glow a deep amber. The sinister smile that stretches across Luke’s face reveals multiple rows of pointed teeth, which he uses to make quick work of Michael’s throat, desperate pleas and screams still trapped inside.

———

taglist: @easierlftv @haikucal @mashlums @youngblood199456 @calumbroutledge @alltimesos @another-lonely-heart @castaway-cashton @itsjen223 @bloodyoathcal @vapor5sos @myloverboyash @justhereforcalum @karajaynetoday @spicycal @devilatmydoor

#my writing #muke #michael clifford #luke hemmings #muke one shot #michael clifford one shot #luke hemmings one shot #i dont even know what to say but feel free to yell at me about the ending

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wontlastimokwiththat · 3 years

Text

Witches Mates- Chapter 2

Part 2 of Witches Mates. Hope you guys like it. Let me know what you think!

Warnings: Witchcraft, Blood (not gore)

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6

As I walked outside to the backyard, I was met with cheers and applause. I smiled and waved before joining the crowd and talking to as many people as I could. Eventually, I made my way to Liam and his friends.

"You look beautiful," Harry greeted.

"Thanks," I smiled.

"This is one hell of a birthday celebration," Calum told me.

"That's not what this is. I don't like celebrating my birthday," I said.

"Then what's this?" Ashton asked.

"This is the best Halloween party in New Orleans. And since the queen can legally drink, it'll be the best in history," Damien said, walking up with two drinks in his hands.

"Queen, huh?" Michael quizzed.

"J's Halloween parties are as iconic as Mardi Gras on Burbon Street. After her first one, she was branded the queen of All Hallow's Eve," Damien told him as he handed me one of the drinks he was holding. As I went to take a sip, someone walking in caught my eye.

"Um, Damien," I said, pointing in the direction of the door. He turned to look and his smile fell quickly.

"Who's that?" Calum asked.

"Someone who shouldn't be here," Damien hissed before walking towards the door. I looked at Liam.

"No one leaves," I told him.

"Is that who I think that is?" Liam asked. "Jonathan Moore?"

"Yes," I nodded. "Just, stay." I started walking away.

"We're not dogs!" Louis yelled at me.

"I wonder sometimes!" I yelled back as I made my way through the crowd and into the house, where I'd saw Damien drag Jonathan. Damien had Jonathan cornered in the empty house.

"Why are you here?" I hissed. Damien moved so Jonathan was facing me but Damien pinned his arms behind his back.

"Can't I come wish my little girl a happy birthday?" Jonathan asked.

"No, you can't," Damien growled. "Not now, not ever."

"Why are you really here?" I demanded.

"To warn you," Jonathan said.

"Warn me about what?" I asked.

"My kind who are coming for you. They know you're the most powerful of your kind and they want you stopped," he told me.

"You could be killed for being here, why come?" I quizzed.

My dad is a vampire who was turned when I was nine. When he turned, he left as a way of protecting my mother and I. Unfortunately, he wasn't turned by the good type of vampire. He was turned by the kind who hates witches and everything we stand for, which is what he must do as well or he'll be killed, for good this time. Witches are the glue of the supernatural world, we keep the peace and make the laws. We're the judge and jury. We protect the supernatural world from mundanes and mundanes from the supernatural world. Most supernatural creatures respect us but there is a few who don't. Rouges are the name we use for the vampires and werewolves who stand against us.

"I might not like what you are but you're still my daughter and I'll still protect you at every cost necessary," he said.

"She doesn't need your protection," Damien told him. "And you have no right calling her your daughter. Not after everything you've done." I heard the door open and turned to see Zayn and Ashton walking in.

"Let him go," I told Damien. Damien looked at me warily but released Jonathan's arms. "Message received, you need to go."

"Jessica, I'm serious. Th-"

"She said go," Damien growled, shoving him towards the front door. "So go before I change my mind." Jonathan looked between me and Damien before nodding and walking out the front door.

"Is everything okay?" Zayn asked. I turned to look at him.

"I told you to stay where you were," I said.

"Liam said he was bad news," Ashton told me.

"He is," Damien nodded. "And he ruined a perfectly good night."

"Who is he?" Zayn quizzed.

"My dad," I said.

"If you'd have said that sooner, I'd have killed him," Zayn told me.

"I've been trying to get her to let me for years," Damien said. "It's pointless."

"I don't know the story of what happened but there's still an awesome party going on outside. Maybe that'll cheer you up," Ashton said. I smiled.

"You guys go on. I should reach out to Mom and let her know," I told them. "I'll be out there in a minute." They nodded and walked outside. I went into the kitchen and grabbed a piece of paper from a drawer. I quickly wrote down that rouges were coming for me before folding the paper into a paper airplane and sitting it on the island. "Air, I need you to take this to Mom." The paper airplane lifted into the air and flew out of the house. I went back outside and met back up with Liam and his friends.

"You okay?" Liam asked, hugging me.

"I'm fine. I just stopped a murder but I'm fine," I told him, pulling away.

"That was a quick call with your mom," Ashton said.

"Um, yeah. She's busy and couldn't talk long," I lied. Damien smiled and mimicked throwing a paper airplane. I laughed and nodded.

"What was that?" Michael asked.

"Inside joke," Damien grinned.

"Well, let's have some fun," Louis said before climbing on top of the bar. "Can I have everyone's attention?" he yelled over the crowd. I saw Damien make a down motion with his hand and the music went quiet. Everyone turned to look at Louis, who held his cup up in the air. "A toast! The wonderful Jessica Lebeau, the queen of All Hallows Eve, has done it again! To the queen!"

"TO THE QUEEN!" everyone yelled with their cups in the air. Damien magically turned the music back up and Louis jumped off the bar.

"C'mon," Calum said, grabbing my hand and pulling me into the crowd of people. I smiled as we started dancing with everyone else. Eventually, we went back towards the bar, but our friends weren't there anymore.

"Can I ask you something?" I quizzed.

"Of course," he nodded.

"You're friend, Luke. He doesn't like me, does he?" I asked.

"It's not like that," he shook his head.

"Can you tell me how it is?"

"I heard you and Ash talking earlier about how you know about witches, do you know about Liam?" he asked.

"Liam's a werewolf," I said. "Like Harry, Louis, Niall, and Zayn. Why?"

"Ash, Mike, and I are vampires," he told me.

"That's cool," I nodded. "But Luke isn't?"

"Luke's a hybrid, half werewolf and half vampire," he explained.

"So, why does he hate me and you don't if he only has half the bloodlust?" Calum smiled.

"Well, Luke's a lot younger than us so even with half the bloodlust, it's hard. Plus, you aren't a normal girl," he said.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"You're our mate," he told me.

"Our? You and Luke?"

"And Mike and Ash," he said.

"I didn't see that coming," I admitted. "So, Luke hates me because of what?"

"You make him feel vulnerable," I heard a voice from behind me say. I turned to see Ashton standing there. "And he doesn't like being vulnerable."

"Who does?" I asked.

"Luke's just a dick," Michael said, walking up. "He'll adjust."

"Until then, I'm gonna need a drink," I told them, motioning for the bartender to pour me a drink. "Why did ya'll come with Liam anyways?"

"We were visiting him and the boys and he told us about a girl who throws awesome parties," Michael told me as I took a sip of the drink the bartender had made.

"And we never turn down a good party," Calum smiled.

"Jessica!" I heard a woman's voice call. I turned my head to see Annette, Damien's girlfriend. She was in her usual attire, a blue shirt and green jeans with blue eyes shadow and a black choker that had a blue pendant dangling from it. Her dark pink hair was down, ending just below her shoulders, and her caramel skin seemed to be glowing. I smiled as I walked to her and hugged her tightly.

"I thought you were in Paris with Mom," I said in her ear.

"I came as soon as she got your message," she told me as we pulled away. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I assured. "Damien made sure he didn't lay a hand on me."

"Is everything alright here?" she asked. "No spirits? No unwanted creatures?"

"Everything's great." I paused. "Kinda."

"What do you mean?" she quizzed.

"Those guys I was with at the bar. Those three are vampires and a hybrid's somewhere around here. The four of them are my mates," I told her.

"J, four mates for a witch isn't good. It never ends well," she said. "And you're a Firelight. You're easily one of the most powerful witches to ever exists, even in your bloodline."

"Which is why I haven't told them what I am. You can't tell them either," I said. "They think Damien and I are mundanes."

"Okay, so I'll pretend to be a mundane," she nodded. "Got it." I looped my arm through hers and led her to the boys. Liam and his pack had joined Calum, Ashton, and Michael.

"Liam, do you remember Damien's girlfriend, Annette?" I asked.

"Of course," Liam smiled, giving Annette a hug.

"It's been a while. What? Was it last Halloween that I saw you?" she asked, pulling away. Liam nodded. "Damien told me about Dani, congrats."

"Thank you," Liam grinned. "Where have you been? Normally, you're at Damien's side."

"I just got back from Paris," she told him as Damien walked up between us. I felt him slip something in my back pocket before he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"That must've been a long flight," Michael said. I saw Liam fight back a laugh as Annette nodded. Annette's best powers are space and time, meaning she can travel from one place to another without a portal and she can freeze time.

"It was but I wouldn't miss one of J's Halloween parties for anything," she said.

"Wow. You really are the queen, huh?" Ashton asked.

"You have no idea. There's people over there from Sweden," Damien said.

"Oh, those are some of Mom's friends from one of her work trips," I told him. "They've been in town for a few days."

"Not to ruin the mood or anything, but I haven't seen Luke since after the confrontation with Jonathan," Niall said.

"I'll go try to find him," I announced before walking away from the group and towards the house. As I walked in, I pulled the paper from my back pocket and read it quickly:

Use a spell of protection around the house, one that keeps out anyone who means you ill will. I'll be home soon. Love you. -Mom

I threw it in the trash before I walked around the house, looking for Luke. I found him in the study sitting on one of the couches with his head in his hands.

"Are you okay?" I asked, slowly walking closer to him. He held one of his hands out to stop me so I stopped.

"Go away," he said, not looking up at me.

"You know, Calum told me about ya'll and why you don't like me," I told him. "Honestly, I don't blame you but that's no reason to miss a party as epic as this."

"That's not why I'm here," he stated. He looked up at me and his eyes were glowing a bright red color, which I knew happens to vampires when they need to feed.

"Oh," I mumbled. "Give me a second." I left the study and ran down to the basement. I opened one of the refrigerators and pulled out an O negative blood bag. I grabbed one of the whiskey glasses and pulled open the bag, pouring it in the glass before walking back upstairs to the study. "This should help." He looked between me and the glass in my hands.

"Why do you have a glass of blood?" he asked.

"With all the people I come across in this town, I have a variation of friends. This is good to keep on hand." I sat the glass on the table in front of him. "When you're ready, you're friends are looking for you." I left the room and walked back outside to the bar they were still standing at.

"Did you find him?" Ashton asked.

"Yeah," I nodded. "And I handled the situation."

"The situation?" Michael asked.

"J, ten till midnight," Damien told me. Liam grabbed my waist and helped me get on top of the bar as Damien turned down the music before he and Annette jumped on the bar on either side of me. Everyone turned to look at us and went quiet without us having to yell over them.

"Thank you all so much for coming tonight," Annette said, wrapping one of her arms around my waist and I wrapped one of mine around her waist.

"Halloween is a night where everyone gets to be themselves, humans and supernatural creatures alike. It's the night to celebrate our differences and embrace what makes us stand apart from everyone else," Damien told them as he wrapped his arm around my waist from the other side. I wrapped my other arm around his waist.

"As All Hallow's Eve comes to an end, we wish you all merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again. From our family to yours, blessed be!" I exclaimed.

"BLESSED BE!" everyone yelled as we did a small bow. Damien and Annette jumped off the bar and offered me their hands, which I took as I jumped down.

"That sounded witchy," Calum told me.

"I run a witchcraft shop," I shrugged. "Gotta stay on brand." He laughed.

Everyone was gone around one a.m. so the rest of us went inside. As Damien, Annette, Liam and his pack, and my mates made themselves comfortable in the living room, I went upstairs to my room and changed. I pulled my hair into a messy ponytail before changing into a pair of black leggings and a tank top. I went back downstairs and sat in the floor at the coffee table that had five elemental candles sitting on it. I noticed they were no longer burning.

"Should we light them?" Annette asked me. I looked at her.

"Why would you?" Ashton asked. "Aren't they elemental candles?"

"They are," I nodded. "Who blew them out?"

"What do you mean?" Harry quizzed.

"I lit them before the party," I told him. "They shouldn't have gone out."

"Wait, are you a witch?" Michael asked.

"No, but I do believe in asking the elements for help, like my family," I said. "Tonight, I asked for their protection."

"They were blown out when we got in here," Zayn told me.

"Damien, did you do it earlier tonight?" I asked. He shook his head.

"It would've had to have been done between the time of your speech and the time we sat down," Luke said. "They were still lit when I came back out there."

"So, they were blown out and we don't know if the person who did it thanked the elements or not," Annette mumbled. "Awful thing number three tonight." I nodded.

"We could relight them and send them away properly," Niall suggested.

"I wouldn't be against that but I'd need representatives," I told him.

"And the elements don't take to kindly to werewolves," Damien added.

"Oh, I have an idea," Annette said. "J called them in the first place and all four of her mates are here so let's use them." I sent her a death glare.

"You're the only person I told," I said through my teeth.

"Oops," she frowned.

"Hold up, mates?" Liam asked, looking at Luke.

"I'm not the one who told her," Luke shrugged.

"Calum did," Michael said.

"Dude!" Calum exclaimed, punching Michael's shoulder.

"Can this wait until after we properly dismiss the elements? I'd rather not have them angry with us longer than need be," Damien said, standing up.

"Where are you going?" Louis asked him.

"Outside. The best place for something like this," Damien told him.

"Right. Okay. Here." I handed Ashton the blue candle and Michael the green one. "Ashton, you'll be water. Go outside and find west. Michael, you'll stand in place of earth at true north." I handed Calum the yellow one and Luke the red one. "Calum, you'll represent air in the east and Luke, you'll be fire in the south."

"Hate to burst your bubble, but I don't know south from north," Luke told me. I sighed, grabbing the purple spirit candle and a box of matches.

"Follow me," I told them before walking outside the the back yard. "Michael, stand there." I pointed to the north as Annette pulled up a chair where I was. I sat my candle on it and turned to the east. "Calum, there." Calum took the place I pointed at and I turned again to face south. "Luke, you'll be there." He nodded and stood where I directed. I turned to Ashton, who had already completed the circle by standing in the west. He had an adorable smile on his face. "Ashton, you're perfect."

"Yay!" he grinned.

"Okay, so I'll light the candles then dismiss the elements. Once I dismiss your element, you'll blow out the candle. Understand?" I asked.

"Got it," Michael nodded.

"Yep," Calum agreed.

"Sounds good," Ashton smiled.

"This is stupid," Luke mumbled.

"I heard you and it's not. Trust me," I said as I struck a match and walked to Michael. As I lit the earth candle in his hands, I was able to smell the grass like it had been freshly cut. I looked at Michael.

"Do you smell that?" he asked.

"Earth likes you," I smiled before walking around the circle to Calum. "Ready?"

"Yeah," he nodded and I lit his air candle. I felt the wind blow through my ponytail quiet hard and watched as it rustled Calum's hair a bit but it didn't blow out the candle. "That's awesome."

"I know," I grinned and walked to Luke.

"Do I have to-" He stopped talking when the fire candle lit itself and it immediately got really warm around us. "What the hell?"

"Still think this is stupid?" I asked, walking to Ashton. I smiled at him as I lit the water candle he held. As soon as it was lit, I was able to hear the ocean and feel the waves hitting my feet.

"Wow," he breathed out. "Can you hear it?"

"I can," I nodded. As I walked to the center of the circle, I noticed there was a silvery white line floating in the air, connecting each of the boys. I made a mental note to look through some of my family's old grimoires to find out what that meant before lighting the spirit candle still sitting in the chair. Once it was lit, I got a tingly feeling up my spine.

I faced north once more before speaking. "Earth, thank you for your presence here tonight. I apologize for not properly dismissing you. You may go." Michael blew out his candle and I was no longer able to smell the freshly cut grass. The silver line between him and Calum and him and Ashton disappeared as well. I turned to Calum and spoke to the air. "Air, I thank you for your help here tonight. I apologize for not properly dismissing you. You may go." Just as Calum started to blow out his candle, it went out on it's own. With it, my hair stopped being blown around and the line between Calum and Luke vanished. I turned to look at Luke, who still seemed wary of the whole thing. "Fire, thank you for the protection you provided tonight. I apologize for not properly dismissing you. You may go." Once Luke blew out his candle, I got a little cold and the line between him and Ashton was gone. I turned to Ashton with a smile. "Water, I thank you for the safety you brought into my home tonight. I apologize for not properly dismissing you. You may go." Ashton blew out his candle and I was no longer able to hear the ocean or feel the waves. I picked up the spirit candle and looked to the sky as I spoke. "Spirit, thank you for allowing the happiness to flow from one person to the next. I apologize for not properly dismissing you. You may go." I blew out my candle and smiled at the sky.

"That was so cool!" Louis exclaimed as we all walked inside. The boys sat their candles on the coffee table and I arranged them in the respective spots before sitting on the couch between Ashton and Calum.

"I've never seen a circle like that," Harry stated.

"At least, the elements are happy with us," Michael smiled as my cat walked in the room. She looked at all of the people before jumping into my lap and laying down. I ran my fingers through her soft, white fur.

"Who's this?" Ashton asked, reaching out to pet her. She hissed loudly at him and he pulled his hand back quickly.

"This is Snow," I told him.

"Snow doesn't like anyone except J," Damien said. "I've been her friend since we were kids and Snow still won't let me pet her."

"How old is she?" Calum quizzed.

"Seven," I lied. Truth be told, Snow is twenty-one, like me. She's my familiar and she won't die until I do. A familiar is a companion a witch gets at birth. A familiar takes a shape of an animal but is actually something created by a coven at a witch's birth to keep them company and offer protection. Most familiars do well with other people/supernatural creatures but Snow doesn't seem to care for anyone but me. She doesn't like Damien, Annette, my mom, or other witches in our coven. She certainly doesn't like Liam and his pack, normally she doesn't come around if they're in the room.

"Guys, it's getting late," Liam said. "We should go to the hotel."

"You're more than welcome to stay here," I told him. "There's a room for each of you and it's a lot homier than a hotel."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course," I nodded. "Damien and Annette are in the room opposite of mine but the rest are empty."

"What time do you have to be at the shop tomorrow?" Harry quizzed.

"I'm have the morning shift and Damien has the afternoon," I said.

"No, you should hang out with them before they go," Damien told me. "Annette and I will work the shop." I looked between the two of them. Damien was sitting on the ground with his back against the hearth of the fireplace and Annette was resting against his side. Damien's arm was thrown around Annette's shoulders and she was almost asleep.

"How about none of us go in?" I suggested.

"An off day would be nice, considering the last one we had was, like, two months ago," Damien nodded.

"So, it's settled. We'll all go to breakfast at the café down the street from the shop," Niall said.

"I'm out on that one. I'm sleeping in," I told him.

"Meaning she might be up by dinner time," Annette said sleepily. Everyone, except Luke, laughed. Liam and his pack called their rooms and went up the stairs, followed closely by Damien and Annette. I led Luke, Michael, Calum, and Ashton to the rooms they would be staying in.

"Are you going to bed?" Michael asked me.

"No," I shook my head. "I'll be in the study for another hour or so and my room's that one if you need anything." I pointed to the door at the end of the hallway.

Taglist:

@lukeshemmo @hybrid137 @liati2000

#luke hemmings #luke hemmings imagines #luke 5sos #ashton irwin #ashton irwin imagines #ashton 5sos #michael clifford #michael clifford imagines #michael 5sos #calum hood #calum hood imagines #calum 5sos #5sos imagines #5sos #5 seconds of summer #5 Seconds Of Summer Imagines #5sos!au #5 seconds of summer au

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thorne93 · 4 years

Text

Inside the Criminal Mind (Part 2)

Prompt: You’re married to Dr. Spencer Reid of the BAU, and are a distinguished doctor yourself on the team. You’re sent down to Miami, Florida for teaching and as a side request from the FBI, to investigate a string of missing persons. When you think you’ve figured out who the unsub is, your life becomes more complicated than you ever could’ve imagined.

Word Count:

Warnings: (throughout the fic -->) death, blood, gore, killings, language, disturbing mental notions, mentions of rapes/murder/etc (You know, Dexter and Criminal Minds related business)

Notes: Thank you so much to @arrow-guy, @carryonmyswansong, and @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo - without each of you, I couldn’t have finished, written, or properly navigated this story. Each of you helped me fish out details that were incredibly important to me. Beta’d by @carryonmyswansong and @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo... Aesthetic by @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo

This is a crossover of Criminal Minds x Dexter. First time writing Dexter.

Also, the timeline is after Season 1 of Dexter, but during season 14-ish of Criminal minds into Season 15. Enjoy!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, I got a job offer,” you started as you picked at your meatloaf.

“A job offer?” Spence questioned from across the table. “I had no idea you were even looking. What about the BAU? What about being together? You and I agreed this was the only way to ensure the other person is safe--”

You held up a hand to stop his onslaught. “I’m not leaving the BAU, and I wasn’t looking for a job. This just sort of fell into my lap.”

“Is this what Emily wanted to talk about today?”

You nodded. “Yeah. It’s a teaching position.”

“Teaching? I never knew you were interested in that.”

You shook your head. “I’m not. Well. I wasn’t.”

Spencer and you had been married for eight years. You fell in love quickly when you came to work for the BAU. When you met him, it was like stars shone for the first time in a dark sky for you. He was unlike any man you’d ever met, thankfully. He was kind, sweet, intelligent, and slightly awkward. Almost as if he was made for you. When the two of you met, it was a meeting of the minds. He saw you as his equal, and he was yours. You might not have the IQ of a genius, or read as quickly, but you deduced things faster than anyone else on the team. At first, you were worried he wouldn’t be impressed by you or see you as a peer, seeing as he’s a genius. But that fear quickly fell to the wayside when you realized you had quite a lot in common, especially books and chess. You two bonded over Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as the nerdier side of things such as Star Wars and Star Trek.

Even though you were the greatest of friends, spending all your time together, it still surprised you when he asked you out to dinner. Apparently to everyone else on the team, it wasn’t a surprise, as Spence had confided his feelings long ago to them and they encouraged him to ask you out.

After a year of dating, he asked you to marry him. There wasn’t one thing you didn’t love about this man. He was everything you could ever ask for in a husband and more. You two had shared your ups and downs. Dealing with his mother, him going to prison falsely, you working on a book, somewhat like Rossi. It’s all been a lot of strain for a marriage that was just beginning. But each day, you wake up looking at him with more love than before.

“So what is it, exactly?”

“University of Miami. They’re opening a new course and want me to teach in the Spring.”

“And you think you might want to do this?”

You shrugged slightly. “I think… I think I’d like a break from the BAU.”

He frowned at you, concern coloring his face. “Is this because of the trial?”

“Ten, Spence,” you reminded in a calm, sad voice. “Ten cases that we solved, that we arrested the bastard and for what? So some hotshot defense attorney could get them off? To paint them sympathetically? To put that seed of doubt in the jury’s head. These are ten people who have just… just walked! They’re out on the streets. I know we like to live in this world where once we capture the bad guy it’s over but the reality is these people aren’t serving time. Justice isn’t being done. After today I just… I need a break from it all. Maybe teaching some people will help remind me why I wanted to do this in the first place.”

“We do this because even if they don’t get sentenced they’re off the streets and less people are in danger for the time they’re jailed.”

“And what about after they get off? Hmm? What then? They just learn to be craftier, sneaker, erase their trail? Do they go overseas to torment other countries? A few months isn’t good enough, Spence. Not any more. Alan Rochester is out, hell he could be hunting us down for all we know.”

He said nothing. He knew it was true. Both of you knew the dangers you lived in from the possibility of criminals getting out to hunt you or the others on the team down.

“I know it’s scary. I know it’s tough but just… leaving the BAU to do this…”

“I’m not leaving, Spence. It’ll be temporary. It’s a needed break.”

“But it’s a break from me, from us. I won’t see you for almost six months.”

“I know that. We can meet on spring break though and I can fly up at least once a month to come see you on the weekends… we can video chat…. I just really think I need this sort of mental break from catching bad guys that might end up being for nothing.”

“Are you sure this is really what you want? If it is, I’ll support if. Or we could go away on vacation, perhaps?”

You shook your head. “I’m not sure a two week vacation would be long enough, and with our luck we’d be called back after three days.”

A look of powerlessness fell over his face as he slumped slightly in his chair. “I’m just going to miss you, that’s all. We’ve never been without each other. Even before we dated, we always stayed in the same hotel room and now… now you want to leave for five months to a different job in a different state.”

“It’s not like that, sweetie. I just need the break. You teach here. I’d like to give it a go and see if it’ll help me regain some sanity.”

He bobbed his head, understanding. “I get it. Alright. If you think it’ll help, I’m all for it.”

“Thank you.”

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

Over the course of the next month, Spencer helped you devise a school plan, a curriculum to which you could go by. You told him everything you wanted to cover, and a book you thought the students might enjoy. You tried to remember professors from college and the way they taught so that you could incorporate that into your lectures. This was daunting to say the least.

On your last day at the office, everyone was in tears.

“I can’t believe you’re leaving,” Garcia stated as she walked over to you as soon as you and Spence showed up.

“It’s not forever,” you reminded with a slight laugh. “Nothing to cry over.”

“What do you mean nothing to cry over? You’re going to be gone and Lord knows how well Reid here is going to take it.”

You chuckled. “Spencer will be fine in my absence. So will you. All of you will.”

“But you crack about half of our cases. Without you…”

“I’m still available for calls during certain parts of the day and all hours of the night. Emily knows this.”

“Yeah but--”

“But nothing, Garcia. This is okay.”

She peered at you unsure, but then she nodded, walking into the office with you and Spence.

“Hey, you ready for this?” Tara asked as she stepped forward, putting her hand on your shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m pretty excited to be honest.”

“That’s good. We’re going to miss you though.”

“I know. I’ll miss all of you. I’ll be back over spring break and I’ll try to fly up on the weekends,” you informed Tara, Luke, and Matt.

“You better, or we’ll come kidnap you,” Luke joked, slightly punching your arm, making you laugh.

“Is that our new professor?” Rossi asked from behind you.

You grinned, blushing slightly before turning.

“You’re gonna knock ‘em dead, kid, I know it,” he assured as he walked up. “And we all pitched in to get you this,” he stated as he handed you a wrapped gift.

A grin popped onto your face as you took it. “What is this?”

“Open it up and find out,” Rossi encouraged with a coy grin making you chuckle lightly.

You tore into the paper, opening the box, to discover a clear glass apple inside with the words “To your first day of class, Professor Reid,” etched on it.

Tears sprang to your eyes as you laughed. “This is great. Really great. Thank you!”

Before you could get too cozy or caught up in goodbyes, Emily called you all in the conference room for a case. The team had to start a local case, and you helped out all day while you could, but then you had to get home to finish up packing, and get sleep for your early flight.

You had packed three big suitcases full of the essentials, you would spend the first week down in Miami in a hotel, looking for an apartment in the meantime. Once you found an apartment, Spence agreed to send down the boxes of clothes that you had already put together.

On your way out of the door though at the office, an agent stopped you, one you had seen a handful of times before. “Dr. Reid?” he addressed, looking at you.

“Yes?”

“Could you come with me?”

You peered at Spence with a curious look before nodding. “Sure. Can my husband come?”

“I believe so.” He took off and you two began walking beside him. “Don’t worry, you aren’t in trouble. The director merely wants to see you before you leave for Florida.”

You nodded, keeping with his pace. He led you two to the director’s office, and opened the door for you, announcing your arrival. The two of you stepped over the threshold and the agent closed the door behind him, leaving only you, Spence, and the director.

“Ah, Dr. Reid, I’m so glad we caught you before you left,” she stated, smiling at you.

“Is everything alright?” you questioned, slightly worried.

“Oh, of course, of course. I brought you in because I hear you will be working down in the University of Miami?”

“Mhm.”

“Well, we have a case I’d like you to look at while you’re down there. Several, actually.”

She lifted a box off the floor and put it on top of her desk, lifting the lid off of it, exposing a full box of files.

“These are missing persons that have been going on for a few years.”

You picked up the top file and flipped through it. “Cold cases?”

“Yes, for the most part. Most of them have been in jail, prison, or suspected of illegal activity, never to be seen or heard from again.”

“Not typical related crimes, such as a gang offing or…?”

“I want to believe that, but this is a high rate of missing people in these sort of circles compared to other cities in Florida.”

“So why don’t you have the Florida division investigate?” you wondered, peering up at her.

“We did. They didn’t have much of a lead or much to go on.”

“What makes you think I will?”

“You’re the brightest agent we have. You’ll be in the terrain. While you’re down there, we would appreciate it if you worked this case on the side. You have full range to question people. This is a real investigation, it’s not under the radar. Feel free to use whatever resources you need.”

“This… this is a lot to take on,” you commented. “I mean, by myself, that’s just... “

“I’m sure you can do it. If you need to consult your current team, feel free to do so.”

You slowly nodded. “Alright. Thank you. I’ll do my best.”

She smiled a dazzling grin at you and shook your hand. “Thank you, thank you very much. Check back in by the end of the month, if you don’t mind.”

“I will.”

“Thanks. Have a safe trip.”

“Thank you, I’ll try.”

With that, you grabbed the box and left her office, your husband beside you.

“So now you’re doing a case, several, all by yourself,” Spence noted.

You let out a huff. “I guess so.”

“This is going to be a lot. Teaching, grading, doing this case.”

You nodded. “I know, but I can handle it.”

He grinned at you and kissed your forehead. “I know you can. I just… I’m just worried. This was supposed to be a break and now--”

“Spence, it’ll be fine. This sort of case won’t piss me off. There’s no one who is going to ‘get away’.”

With a nod, you two exited the elevators and went home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tagging:

Forever Tag:

@essie1876

@magpiegirl80

@letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked

@iamwarrenspeace

@marvel-imagines-yes-please

@superwholocked527

@missinstantgratification

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Spencer Reid

@camigt1999

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@lenawiinchester

@esoltis280

#insider the criminal mind #spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #reid x reader #spencer reid fic #dexter #dexter fic #dexter morgan #dexter morgan fic

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spn-safeandsound · 4 years

Text

01. The Beginning

Safe and Sound

Dean Winchester x Original Character

Episode: 1x01; Pilot

Word Count: 10,001

Warning(s): Mature language, canon violence and gore, dirty thoughts

Author’s Note: Here is the first chapter of my Supernatural rewrite! I hope you like Julia! Just know that more of her personality is shown the further we go along. Let me know what you think. Don’t forget to reblog and like!

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Throwing the damp motel towel on the dresser, Dean wandered over to the bed he didn't plan on using to zip open his duffel of clothes. He quickly pulled on one of the last clean pairs of jeans he had and a black t-shirt that he sniffed to make sure didn't stink. He had only managed to slip the necklace Sam gave him years ago over his head when there was a knock at the door.

Dean paused, narrowing his eyes over at the door covered in chipped red paint. He had just paid for the room and didn't plan on staying more than a couple of hours. He didn't think that gave anyone much time to know that he was in town. Besides, the only two people he knew in Palo Alto didn't even know he was there.

He grabbed his gun and held it cautiously behind his back, peeking through the peephole. He didn't see much, just the top of a girl's head. And then the girl stepped onto her tip toes and waved at him, knowing that he was watching her.

"Trick or treat!"

Dean pressed his lips together and set his gun back down on the table. He opened the door and set his unimpressed expression on the younger woman, who smiled sweetly at him.

"What are you doing here, Julia?"

Julia Petersen didn't drop her smile as she slipped past him into the motel room. Dean rolled his eyes, already exasperated with her, and shut the door. He looked her up and down as she paced around the room, studying the furniture with a curious gaze.

She was dressed in a black t-shirt with a ridiculous cartoon ghost on it and khaki shorts that made her legs seem longer than they actually looked. When she turned toward the bathroom, he got a look at her ass and almost groaned before controlling himself.

This is Julia, he reminded himself, cute little Julia who is six fucking years younger than you.

"Julia."

"Right," Julia shook her head to focus and turned back to Dean. "I was looking for some candy but I guess someone's not in the mood for Halloween."

"Halloween's stupid."

"Yeah, I know," Julia rolled her eyes and wandered over to his duffle bag. "All you Winchesters are the same."

"Woah, hey," Dean rushed toward her and pulled her hands away from his clothes. "Keep your hands to yourself, Junior."

"Sorry, I forgot about the weird boundaries you have," Julia gave him an innocent smile and sat on the bed.

"They're not weird. Everyone has them."

"Not me."

"That's cause you're crazy," Dean playfully snapped at her

"That's true," she conceded. "Uh, what was your question again?"

Dean sighed impatiently. It had been almost a year since he had seen Julia and he was already getting annoyed with her. He wouldn't say that she was annoying all the time but she was a kid. A kid who never stopped talking, was always distracted, and the human embodiment of sunshine.

"What are you doing here," he repeated. "and how the hell did you find me?"

"Oh, I tracked your phone," Julia informed him. "and I'm here because Dad left me a message to find you."

"Luke told you to find me?" Dean asked thoughtfully.

If Luke had asked his youngest daughter to find Dean, he probably knew about his dad being missing. Why else would he want Julia to find him? She was already with Sam so it wasn't like she needed protection.

"Yup."

"Well, what'd he say?"

"He said that John was missing and that you needed my help to find him," Julia informed him, scratching her cheek nervously. He caught her tell, having experience from over the years.

"You're lying," he pointed out; she pouted. "Seriously, Julia. Come on."

"I'm not lying about that," Julia stated honestly. "but...I did kind of have a bad feeling."

"What kind of bad feeling? Like you ate something bad for lunch or you forgot to do your taxes?" Dean raised his eyebrows.

Julia's smile slipped from her face. "The kind of feeling where I knew I needed to find you. My dad's message just confirmed it."

Dean appraised her, pressing his lips together. When she was growing up, Julia had bad feelings all the time. There was one time that she knew that her older sister, Beth, had broken her arm and when he used to indulge Sam and Julia and play hide and seek with them, she would find him every time without fail. It was common knowledge that she had some kind of sixth sense but no one really talked about it.

"Okay," he accepted her answer. "Is that it?"

"That's it," Julia nodded, a smile back on her face. "What time were you going to talk to Sam? I wouldn't wait long because we're going out tonight. Well, maybe it would be best if you waited to talk to him until after he was drunk. He might be more likely to hear you out. It's gonna be hard to convince him to go with us but—"

"Hold your horses, Junior," Dean cut her off. "I already had a plan."

"And that is?"

"Private."

Julia fixed him with an unimpressed stare. "If you break into my apartment I'm gonna kill you."

"I won't break into your apartment," Dean rolled his eyes. "I'm not a heathen."

Julia hummed, giving him a doubtful look.

"Okay, anything else you needed?" Dean sighed.

"Nope," Julia jumped up from the bed walked toward the door. "I'll be packed and ready by the time you come to get us."

"Sure thing," Dean nodded sarcastically. "Now leave."

"Oh, one more thing—"

"Nope. Bye," Dean gently pushed her out of the room and shut the door before she could finish what she was going to say.

"Dean!"

Julia heard the crash out in the living room and sighed, shaking her head as she finished shoving a pair of boots into one of her duffle bags. She had warned Dean not to break into the apartment and he had said he wouldn't but he lied to her face. She had to start getting better at detecting lies, especially if she was gonna be trained to be a hunter.

She was actually excited to go on the road with Dean. She had wanted to be a hunter for a long time. It had been years and her father still hadn't trained her like he trained her older sister, Abby. He had told her to get an education, which she did, and then they'd see. Well, it was now that time and she was itching to learn everything.

Her family had always been in the business of hunting supernatural creatures. Her father's side, the Alexanders, was a well-known family in the world of the supernatural as they had a special talent for getting rid of demons. Her mother's side of the family—the Petersens—were famous, too, though not for the same reason.

Her mother's family owned Petersen Sports Co., a sports store that catered to regular citizens who needed soccer balls and football pads but also to hunters who needed salt rounds, holy water, and all the guns and knives they could buy. The secret hunter part of the store also provided ways to get ahold of other hunters and provided lawyers in case something went south during a hunt. It was a family business, with her older brother Levi as head of sales, Beth and her husband—Taylor—as lawyers for the company, and her Aunt Maggie as CEO.

Either way, she was a bit of a legacy. And, since Abby was the only child out of the four who had gone into the hunting business so far, Julia had to step up.

Julia finished packing by setting her backpack on top of her other bags and left the room. As soon as she entered the hallway, she ran into Jess, Sam's girlfriend and one of her closest friends.

"Jules, I think Sam's fighting off a robber," Jess said hurriedly, cheeks flushed. "Should we call the police?"

"No, no, it's fine," Julia hurried to assure her. "Sam and I were expecting someone."

"At one in the morning?"

"...Yes," Julia laughed awkwardly. "Come on, I'll show you."

Jess nodded and by the time they entered the living room, the fighting between Sam and Dean had stopped. Julia flipped on the lights in the living room, illuminating the Winchester brothers so she and Jess could see them clearly.

"Sam?" Jess called her boyfriend's name, looking wearily between him and his older brother.

"Jess, hey," Sam sighed and introduced her to Dean. "Dean, this is my girlfriend, Jessica."

"Wait," Jess paused, giving Julia a curious look; Julia nodded. "your brother, Dean?"

Dean grinned sleazily at her, his eyes flitting up and down Jess' model figure. She wasn't dressed the most modestly but it was nighttime and Julia's usual pajamas showed just as much skin.

"I love the Smurfs," Dean complimented her, gesturing to the low-cut top Jess was wearing. "You know, I gotta tell you, you are completely out of my brother's league."

Julia rolled her eyes while Jess gave him an unimpressed smile. "Just let me put something on."

"No, no, I wouldn't dream of it," Dean shook his head coyly. "Seriously."

"Dean, stop being a creep," Julia sighed, smirking at the annoyed look he sent her.

"Mind your own, Junior," he snarked at her and then addressed Jess again. "Anyway, I've gotta borrow my brother and this dwarf here—" Julia scoffed in offense. "—to talk about some private family business. Nice meeting you."

"No," Sam objected, walking over to Jess' other side, wrapping an arm around her. "No, whatever you want to say, you can say it in front of her."

Dean looked over to Julia and she shrugged, giving him the choice of whether or not he would divulge what was going on. He must have decided that he would just tell Sam anyway because he gave in.

"Okay," he nodded. "Um, Dad hasn't been home in a few days."

"So, he's working overtime on a Miller-Time shift," Sam shrugged, not worried about his estranged father. "He'll stumble back in sooner or later."

Dean pressed his lips together and looked at his feet for a brief second before looking back at Sam. "Dad's on a hunting trip," he elaborated. "and he hasn't been home in a few days."

Sam's face went blank like it usually did when Julia brought up their families and what they did for a living.

"Jess, excuse us."

"What did Dean mean by his dad being on a hunting trip?" Jess asked as Julia tied her hair up in a messy bun and packed her toiletries that she had almost forgotten. "Sam seemed pretty upset about it."

"Well, John Winchester had always been a fan of hunting," Julia sighed, scratching her cheek. "Big game, as far as I know. Usually he gets drunk and passes out for a few days before heading back home."

Jess made an indignant noise. "Charming."

"Yeah, no kidding," Julia agreed, giving her an amused smile. "That's John, all right."

"Poor Sam," Jess sighed as they moved back to Julia's room; Julia made a noise of agreement. "So, why do you have to go with them again?"

"My dad called earlier and asked me to," Julia informed her. "I found Dean earlier today and it seems like he's really concerned."

"Well, how long are you gonna be gone?" Jess' eyes scoured over Julia's two duffle bags and backpack. "You're packed for a long time."

"I'll be back by Christmas," she assured the blonde. "and Sam will be home in time to make his interview. I'll make sure of it."

Jessica sighed heavily but nodded, knowing that Sam would probably give in and go with his brother and Julia for the weekend.

"Just be safe, okay?" she requested. "For me?"

"Course I will," Julia gave her a quick hug and grabbed one of her duffle bags, along with her backpack. "I'll send Sam up, okay?"

"Okay," Jess nodded. "Bye, Jules."

"See you later, Jess."

Julia left the apartment and made her way down the stairs, through the gate, and to the parking lot where she assumed Dean parked. She spotted the two giants across the lot and quickly approached them just as Dean was convincing Sam to listen about the case John was hunting.

Dean nodded at her in greeting and grabbed her bag, dropping it onto the concrete before unlocking his trunk. He pulled up the flap that hid the weapons underneath and began rummaging through the various guns, spell ingredients, knives, and other things necessary for hunting.

"Where the fuck did I put that thing?" Dean mumbled, looking for something.

Julia and Sam exchanged a pointed look, knowing that Dean was a slob for the most part, and waited patiently for Dean to grab whatever he was looking for.

"So, when your dad left, why didn't you go with him?" Julia asked him curiously.

"I was working my own gig," Dean answered. "Some voodoo thing down in New Orleans."

Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Dad let you go on a hunting trip by yourself?"

Dean gave him a pointed look. "I'm twenty-six, dude," he located a manila folder and pulled it out of the trunk, grabbing some papers that he had printed off. "All right, here we go. So, Dad was checking out this two-lane blacktop just outside of Jericho, California."

"About a month ago, this guy went missing," he continued, handing some of the articles to Sam and the rest to Julia. "They found his car but he vanished, completely M.I.A.."

Sam scanned the article on top of his pile. "So maybe he was kidnapped."

"This article is from April," Julia spoke up, showing Sam the articles she had been going through. "And this one is from December of '04."

"There's one for '03, '98, '92," Dean added. "ten of them over the past twenty years. All men, all same five mile stretch of road. It started happening more and more, so Dad went to go dig around. That was about three weeks ago. I hadn't heard from him since, which is bad enough, but," he pulled a recording device out of the trunk. "then I get this voicemail yesterday."

He pressed play and John Winchester's voice came out of the small speaker. "Dean...something big is starting to happen. I think it's serious. I need to try and figure out what's going on. It may...Be very careful, Dean. We're all in danger."

"You know there's EVP on that?" Sam looked to Dean.

Dean smiled, pleased. "Not bad, Sammy. Kinda like riding a bike, isn't it?"

Sam shook his head while Julia chuckled.

"All right, I slowed the message down, ran it through a gold wave, took out the hiss, and this is what I got..." he pressed play again.

It was a woman's voice this time. "I can never go home."

Julia shivered at the creepy voice while Dean looked at Sam expectantly.

"Never go home," Sam repeated thoughtfully.

Dean nodded and set the recording device back into the trunk, along with the articles he had collected. He threw Julia's bag in, shut the trunk, and leaned on it, giving Sam his version of a guilt trip and puppy-dog eyes.

"You know, in almost two years, I've never bothered you or asked you for a thing."

Sam sighed, quickly giving in. "All right, I'll go. I'll help you find him."

Dean smiled happily.

"But I have to get back first thing Monday," Sam informed him, turning away to walk back to his apartment. "Just wait here."

"What's first thing Monday?" Dean called after him

"I have an interview," Sam told him.

"What, a job interview?" Dean shrugged. "Skip it."

"It's a law school interview," Sam said proudly. "and it's my whole future on a plate."

"Law school?" Julia saw that Dean looked a little impressed.

Sam nodded. "So, we got a deal or not?"

Dean didn't say anything but Sam got the gist that he agreed with him. Julia told him to bring down her last bag as he ran off to the apartment stairs, getting a wave of confirmation in return.

"How many damn bags do you need, anyway?" Dean asked Julia as she turned toward him with a happy smile.

"Three," she told him simply. "Clothes, shoes, toiletries, books, schoolwork, computer."

"Jesus Christ," Dean sighed as he stood from his position against the Impala's trunk and started walking to the driver's seat. "You're in the back, shortcake."

Julia grumbled, already annoyed with the short jokes, and slipped into the backseat. She pulled her pillow into her chest and snuggled into it, getting ready for the long drive to Jericho.

The breeze was cool and welcoming as they stopped at a gas station, just outside of Jericho, California. It was still early in the morning, around seven, but all three of them were already up. Dean was inside, getting some things to eat and drink while Sam went through Dean's cassette collection and Julia read through her emails.

"Did you see these, J?" Sam asked her, sorting through the cardboard box the cassettes were kept in. "He's got cassettes. I don't think he's heard of a CD before."

"Uh, Dean doesn't like change, remember?" Julia shrugged. "It's not really surprising he has every old white man's collection of music."

Sam laughed and continued his search. Eventually, Dean came out of the gas station, carrying a plastic bag of goodies he had scored.

"Want breakfast?" he asked them as he started pumping gas.

"No, thanks," Sam mumbled.

"Oh, did you get the—?"

"Cherry cheese Danish and apple juice," Dean cut Julia off, slipping them through her open window.

"Thanks!" Julia immediately tore open the Danish, taking a large bite out of it.

"So, how'd you pay for that stuff?" Sam asked cautiously. "You and Dad still running credit card scams."

"Yeah, well, hunting ain't exactly a pro-ball career," Dean excused himself, finishing with the gas. "Besides, all we do is apply. It's not our fault they send us the cards."

"Yeah and what names did you write on the application this time?"

"Uh," Dean slipped into his seat. "Burt Aframian and his son, Hector. Scored two cards out of the deal."

Sam scoffed. "Sounds about right," he shook his head. "I swear, man, you've gotta update your cassette tape collection."

"Why?"

"Because they're cassette tapes," Julia spoke up, finished her breakfast with a sip of apple juice. "And then there's the music itself."

"Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Metallica," Sam listed the tapes he had been through. "It's the greatest hits of mullet rock."

"Ooh, good one," Julia giggled.

Dean gave them annoyed looks, not liking the fact that they were gaining up on him, and grabbed the Metallica tape from the box. "Well, house rules, Sammy," he put the tape in the stereo. "Driver picks the music, shotgun—and backseat—shut their cakeholes."

Julia rolled her eyes while Sam gave Dean an exasperated look.

"You know, Sammy is a chubby twelve-year-old," he reminded Dean as the tape started, not fond of his childhood nickname. "It's Sam, okay?"

"Sorry, I can't hear you!" Dean said loudly, a cheeky smile on his face. "The music's too loud!"

Julia laughed and leaned forward so her chin rested on the seat between the brothers. "Don't worry, Sam, you weren't chubby when you were twelve."

Sam gave her a flat look. "Thanks, J."

Julia winked at him and leaned back in her seat. While Dean drove closer to Jericho, Sam took the time to call the hospital and the morgue in town to see if there was anyone matching John's description. It was only when they were five miles out of town that he got off the phone.

"All right," he sighed. "so, there's no one matching Dad at the hospital or the morgue. So, that's something, I guess."

Dean raised his eyebrows and nodded. Julia shut her Bible, as she had started to reread Romans for her New Testament class, when they came upon the bridge that went into Jericho. There was what looked to be an abandoned car, a cop car ahead with its lights on, and a couple of police officers milling about.

"Check it out," Dean pointed the scene out to Sam and Julia.

He pulled to a stop at the side of the road and leaned over to the passenger side of the car, opening the glovebox and pulling out a box. The box contained numerous fake FBI badges with Dean and John's names on them; Dean picked a federal marshal badge out of the box and smirked at Sam and Julia.

"Let's go."

Julia didn't think that plaid and jeans—and in her case, a t-shirt and shorts—were the best clothing they could be wearing while they pretended that they were agents of the law. She didn't even have a badge, nor did Sam, and they were all kind of young to be federal marshals. Nevertheless, she got out of the car and followed Sam and Dean over to the police officers on the bridge.

"All right, first lesson," Dean quickly looked back at Julia. "Stay quiet and observe."

Julia fought the urge to roll her eyes and smiled brightly at him, acting like she was zipping her lips. Dean sighed heavily and continued on, giving Sam a pointed look that Julia caught but didn't react to.

As they got closer to the bridge, they saw that the officers had search and rescue down in the river, looking for the missing man.

"No sign of struggle, no footprints, no fingerprints," one of the officers told his partner. "Spotless. It's almost too clean."

The other officer nodded. "So, this kid, Troy, he's dating your daughter, isn't he?"

"Yeah."

"How's Amy doing?"

"She's putting up missing posters downtown," the first officer informed him, shaking his head.

"You fellas had another one like this just last month, didn't you?" Dean announced their presence, raising his voice so the officers could hear him.

The second officer looked toward them, straightening up so he stood taller. "And who are you?"

Dean held up his badge and quickly closed it before the officer had a good look. "Federal marshals," he gestured between himself and Sam before pointing back at Julia. "Intern."

"You two are a little young for marshals, aren't you?" the officer asked suspiciously.

Ha! Julia thought. I knew it.

Dean chuckled. "Thanks, that's awfully kind of you," he walked over to the victim's car. "You did have another one just like this, correct?"

"Yeah, that's right," the officer confirmed. "about a mile up the road. There have been others before that."

"So, this victim, you knew him?" Sam asked him.

The officer nodded. "A town like this, everybody knows everybody."

Julia noticed Dean gesturing for her; she left Sam's side and walked around the car where he was standing. He pointed into the car, mumbling for her to take a look to see if she found anything.

She did as she was told, searching the front seats and dashboard of the car as best as she could while not touching anything. She didn't see anything particular; no blood, scratches in the leather, or dirt on the floorboards. Like the officer said, it was spotless.

"Any connection between the victims, besides that they're all men?" Dean spoke up.

"No, not as far as we can tell."

"So, what's the theory?" Sam wondered.

"Honestly, we don't know," the officer shrugged. "Serial murder, kidnapping ring..."

"Well, that is exactly the kind of crack police work I'd expect out of you guys," Dean commented with a scoff. Julia looked over at him in shock while he winced, Sam having stomped painfully on his foot.

"Thank you for your time," Sam told the police officer with a gracious nod.

Julia hurried to his side as the three of them started walking hurrying off the bridge. Once they were a few feet away from the Impala, Dean took the opportunity to slap the back of Sam's head.

"Ow!" Sam hissed. "What was that for?"

"Why'd you have to step on my foot?" Dean retorted.

"Why do you have to talk to the police like that?"

Dean narrowed his eyes at Sam and stepped forward, cutting him and Julia off so they couldn't walk any further. "Come on, they don't really know what's going on," he stated. "We're all alone on this. I mean, if we're going to find Dad, we've got to get to the bottom of this thing ourselves."

Julia's eyes swept past the brothers, wincing when she saw three older men walking toward them. She cleared her throat loudly, getting Dean and Sam's attention; Dean whipped around to face the men himself.

"Can I help you three?" the man who looked to be the sheriff asked them sternly.

"No, sir, we were just leaving," Julia shot them a dazzling smile. The sheriff almost melted in her presence while the FBI agents walked past Sam and Dean to go question the police themselves.

"Agent Mulder, Agent Scully," Dean nodded at the agents as he grabbed Julia's arm and pulled her past the sheriff; Sam followed them. "Nice work, shortcake."

"I have one of those smiles, I guess," Julia shrugged sheepishly as she slid into her seat.

Dean scoffed. "I guess you do."

Dean, Sam, and Julia walked through the town square, searching for the girl they overheard the police officers talk about. Amy was her name and she was the victim's girlfriend who was hanging missing posters up over town.

It wasn't hard to find the girl, especially in a town this small. The police officer had been telling the truth when he said that they knew everyone around here.

"I bet that's her," Dean pointed to a young brunette hanging up posters outside of a post office. They approached her carefully, trying not to scare her off. "You must be Amy."

Amy had to be only a couple years younger than Julia and around the same height. She was dressed in dark clothing and had dark make-up on like she was taking grieving to a whole other level.

"Yeah," the girl confirmed.

"Troy told us about you," Dean went with the easiest story he could come up with and introduced himself, Sam, and Julia. "We're his uncles—I'm Dean, this is Sammy—and our little sister, Julia."

Amy gave him a skeptical look and started walking away. "He never mentioned you."

Dean quickly followed her. "Yeah, that's Troy, I guess. We're not around much, we're up in Modesto."

"So, we're looking for him, too," Sam took over; Amy stopped walking to look up at him. "and we're kinda asking around."

"Hey," a girl Amy's age walked up to her. "are you okay?"

"Yeah," Amy assured her.

"Do you mind if we ask you a couple questions?" Sam asked her politely.

It wasn't hard to say yes to Sam's puppy-dog eyes so Amy agreed to answer some questions for them. They settled at a nearby diner and on the walk over, Dean quietly answered some of the questions Julia had for him. He informed her about what kind of questions to ask people—like whether they noticed any cold spots or anything strange that occurred around them.

He had to admit, despite her ADHD, Julia was a quick learner. She soaked the information in like a sponge and it impressed him a little bit.

"I was on the phone with Troy," Amy informed them once she and her friend were settled at a table with Dean, Sam, and Julia. "He was driving home. He said he could call me right back and..." she hesitated sadly. "He never did."

"He didn't say anything strange or out of the ordinary?" Sam took over the questioning, seeming to have a better response than Dean did.

"No," Amy shook her head. "Nothing that I can remember."

"I like your necklace," Julia suddenly spoke up, pointing to the pentagram around Amy's neck.

Amy sadly smiled down at the charm. "Troy gave it to me," she sniffled and laughed a little. "Mostly to scare my parents with all that devil stuff."

Julia grinned at her. "Actually, it means the opposite," she corrected her, recalling some of the information she had learned in one of her classes. "A pentagram is protection against evil. It's really powerful if you believe in that kind of thing."

Dean pursed his lips at her, unimpressed with her change of discussion. "Okay, thanks, Unsolved Mysteries," he snapped at her, earning a frown in return, before addressing the girls, "Here's the deal, ladies, the way Troy disappeared, something's not right. So, if you heard anything..."

Amy and her friend exchanged hesitant looks that Dean caught.

"What is it?"

"Well, it's just—" Amy's friend, Rachel, started. "I mean, with all these guys going missing, people talk."

"What do they talk about?" Sam and Dean asked at the same time.

"It's kind of this local legend," Rachel sighed. "This one girl, she got murdered out on Centennial, like, decades ago. Well, supposedly, she's still out there. She hitchhikes and whoever picks her up—well, they disappear forever."

Dean and Sam exchanged knowing looks. Not all myths were based on fact, but most of them were. If there was a local legend around town, there had to be some truth to it—even if some of the details were blurred.

It was nighttime by the time Julia, Dean, and Sam headed back to the bridge on Centennial Highway. After getting some information at the library about the so-called hitchhiker the girl was talking about at the diner, they headed there to take a look around. The bridge was much spookier at night, especially once they found out about this mysterious hitchhiker.

The article they had found was about Constance Welch, who committed suicide at the bridge in the eighties. She took a dive into the river and drowned only an hour or so after both of her kids died in the bathtub. Her husband had said that she just couldn't handle her grief.

After Dean parked the impala on one side of the bridge, the three of them walked the length of it. Julia bit her lip nervously as she looked around, hoping that this spirit wouldn't just appear out of nowhere. Then again, she wanted the training, so some of her nerves were from anticipation.

"So," Dean walked over to the ledge of the bridge, looking down at the black river below. "this is where Constance took the swan dive."

Sam nodded and leaned against the railing beside him. "So, you think Dad would have been here?"

"Well, he's chasing the same story and we're chasing him."

Julia wasn't assured by Dean's statement. "What now?"

"Now we keep digging until we find him," Dean informed her, his eyes darting toward Sam. "It might take a while."

"Dean, I told you, I've gotta get back by—" Sam started to remind him but Dean cut him off with a nod.

"Monday," he recalled somewhat sourly. "Right, the interview."

"Yeah."

"Yeah, I forgot," Dean lied. "You're really serious about this, aren't you? You think you're just gonna become some lawyer and marry your girl?"

"Maybe," Sam shrugged. "Why not?"

"Does Jessica know the truth about you?" Dean started to goad him, irritated and a little jealous that Sam could leave hunting so easily. "I mean, does she know about the things you've done?"

"No, and she's not ever going to know."

"Well, that's healthy," Dean's tone was dripping with sarcasm. "You can pretend all you want, Sammy, but sooner or later you're going to have to face up to who you really are."

Dean turned and started walking away, knowing that he pushed his little brother's buttons. He was right; Sam started following him at an angry pace while Julia hovered nervously at the same spot by the railing. The conversation was none of her business and even though she was definitely going to eavesdrop, that didn't mean she was going to interrupt.

"And who's that?" Sam stomped after Dean.

"You're one of us."

"No," Sam's voice was sharp as he caught up with his brother, staring down at him with a glare. "I'm not like you. This is not going to be my life."

Dean paused to confront him. "You have a responsibility to—"

"To Dad and his crusade?" Sam scoffed. "If it weren't for pictures, I wouldn't even know what Mom looks like and what difference would it make? Even if we do find the thing that killed her, Mom's gone and she isn't coming back."

Dean lunged at Sam, grabbing him by the collar and pushing him against the railing on the other side of the bridge. Julia gasped softly and started to rush over, practically feeling the rage in Dean's veins.

"Dean!"

There was a long pause as Julia gently touched his elbow. Dean calmed down a little bit and quietly warned Sam, "Don't talk about her like that."

He roughly let go of Sam's collar and brushed off Julia's hand, turning to walk back to the Impala. He stopped in his tracks, seeing a woman dressed in a white dress standing on top of the railing of the bridge, her skirt blowing in the wind.

"Sam, Jules..."

Julia gawked at the woman as she looked over, made direct eye contact with both of the Winchesters, and jumped down into the river. Dean, Sam, and Julia took off running to where the woman jumped, hearing no splash and seeing no one down in the river.

"Where is she?" Julia asked loudly, her nerves wracked.

"I don't know," Sam shook his head, his eyes still searching the water below them.

The sound of an engine roaring caught their attention. Julia looked over, her eyes widening in horror when she saw that the Impala had started up with no help. She looked over at Dean in confusion, sincerely hoping that it was just a carjacker and not the spirit messing with them.

"What the fuck?"

'Who's driving your car?" Sam asked Dean.

Dean simply reached into his jeans and pulled out his car keys.

"Oh, no," Julia whimpered.

Whoever—or whatever—was in the Impala pressed on the gas. The car sped forward, going way too quickly, and started driving toward them. Sam grabbed Julia's arm and urged her to run as he and Dean took off running.

Julia ran sometimes when she had the time but that was nothing like running for your life. She had adrenaline pumping through her veins as she sped up to keep up with the brothers, almost overtaking Dean. The car was too fast, however, and they had to jump.

Dean vaulted over the railing and dove into the river. As Sam jumped, too, Julia ran behind him and, before she could even process what she was doing, grabbed his arm to keep him from falling.

Sam looked up at her in surprise as she grunted, half of her body practically hanging off the railing so she could keep him from dropping into the water below.

"Oh, my God, you're so heavy!"

Sam scrambled to reach up, grabbing the bottom of the railing so some of his weight was relieved from her. He easily climbed up with Julia's help; once he was back on his feet and Julia was wincing at the strain in her muscles, they looked into the river to see if Dean was okay.

"Dean?"

"Dean, are you alive?"

"Dean!"

"Are you okay?"

"Dean?" Sam and Julia chorused together.

They heard an annoyed groan before, "What?"

"Hey, are you all right?" Sam called down to him, relieved that his brother hadn't drowned in the nasty-looking river.

Dean crawled onto the muddy bank and made an 'okay' gesture. "I'm fucking super."

Julia broke into a relieved snicker and Sam chuckled, growing amused and joining in

They didn't stay at the bridge long after Dean pulled himself off the bank and walked back up to the highway. He didn't waste time waving the other two into the car so they could drive back to town and get a motel room for the night.

Once at the closest motel, Dean took a few minutes to check out the Impala for any damage.

"Everything okay with Baby?" Julia asked him tentatively, wrinkling at the horrible smell wafting off his muddy hair and clothes.

"Yeah, whatever she did to it seems fine now," Dean sighed and shut the hood. "That Constance chick, what a bitch!"

Sam smiled at him, amused. "Well, I guess she doesn't want us digging around," he commented; Dean scoffed in agreement. "So, where's the job gonna take us now?"

Dean huffed and threw his arms into the air, frustrated. At the same time, Julia gagged, the smell coming from the mud covering Dean making her feel nauseous.

The brothers looked at her expectantly and she shrugged, covering her nose. "You should take a shower," she advised Dean. "You really stink."

Dean glared at her. "Thanks for that, Junior."

Julia gave him a sweet smile as he rolled his eyes and Sam chuckled. Dean pulled out his wallet and started toward the motel office, Sam and Julia dutifully following after him. Once at the front desk, he threw his credit card on the counter.

"One room, please."

The old man working the desk gave Dean a reluctant look-over and then grabbed the card, reading the name on the front. "You guys having a reunion or something?"

Sam furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"I had another guy, Burt Aframian," the man informed them. "He came and bought out a room for the whole month."

Julia looked at Sam and Dean, surprised, while Dean made an expression that told her that he was thinking he should have known his dad would rent out a room. Sam quickly made an excuse that they were coming to check on their father while Dean paid for another room.

Once they had their room key, the three of them went straight to the room that John rented out, picking the lock. Sam yanked Dean into the room after him and Julia and firmly shut the door.

Julia looked around the room, her eyes wide. The room was an absolute mess that made her skin itch; there were clothes all over the place, numerous papers taped to the walls, and old food sitting around. Dean turned on the lamp closest to him so they'd have more light to look around, picking up a half-eaten burger on the table below it.

He sniffed it curiously and silently gagged at the rank smell while Sam and Julia stepped over the salt ring on the floor to get a better look at the walls. "I don't think he's been here for a couple of days."

"Salt, cat's-eye shells," Sam listed as he looked at the salt on the floor. "He was worried. Trying to keep something from coming in."

In the back of her mind, Julia remembered that salt was like a barrier for all sorts of supernatural creatures, but at the moment her focus was on the papers taped to the wall. There were a bunch of articles about the disappearances over the last decade, as well as some local lore that he dug up.

"What have you got here?" Sam walked over to her.

Julia wrinkled her nose as Dean came over to take a closer look as well, and said, "Centennial Highway victims."

"I don't get it," Dean mumbled. "I mean, different men, different jobs, ages, ethnicities...There's always a connection, right?"

Julia gave him a questioning look. "So, what do these guys have in common?"

Dean shrugged at her and Julia frowned, looking back at the profiles John had made for the victims.

"Dad figured it out," Sam spoke up, having moved across the room where more papers were taped on the wall.

"What do you mean?"

"He found the same article we did," Sam gestured to the wall where the article about Constance Welch was taped. "Constance Welch, she's a woman in white."

Dean smirked as he looked back at the victims. "You sly dogs."

"What's a woman in white?" Julia wondered, her eyes darting between Sam and Dean.

"It's a sort of phenomenon," Sam explained to her. "They're spirits that have been sighted for hundreds of years in dozens of places. They're women who had husbands who were unfaithful so they suffered from temporary insanity and murdered their children. They take their own lives afterwards and become cursed, killing any unfaithful man they find."

Julia winced but mentally stored the information in her head until she could write it down in the journal she brought with her. She'd been cheated on before but she was never angry enough that she would take a life—let alone a child, if she had one.

"Wow," she breathed; Sam nodded in agreement.

"All right, so if we're dealing with a woman in white, Dad would have found the corpse and destroyed it," Dean spoke up.

"She might have another weakness," Sam suggested.

"Well, Dad would want to make sure," Dean insisted, crossing the room to stand next to Sam. "He'd dig her up. Does it say where she's buried?"

"No, not that I can tell," Sam's eyes brushed over the article on the wall. "If I were Dad, though, I'd go ask her husband if he's still alive."

"All right," Dean nodded in approval. "Why don't you, uh, you guys go to the room and see if can find the address. I'm gonna get cleaned up in here."

Dean started toward the bathroom but Sam soon stopped him. "Hey, Dean?"

Dean looked at him expectantly.

"What I said earlier, about Mom and Dad," Sam said sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

Dean held his hand in the air, stopping Sam from speaking further. "No chick-flick moments."

Sam laughed and nodded. "All right, jerk."

"Bitch," Dean mumbled in reply before heading into the bathroom.

Julia furrowed her eyebrows and walked over to Sam. "Your brother has some serious issues dealing with emotions."

Sam scoffed. "No kidding. Come on, let's go."

He turned to leave but paused when he saw a picture stuck in the full-length mirror. He pulled it out of the frame and smiled softly when he saw that it was him, Dean, and his dad more than a decade ago, sitting on the hood of the Impala.

Julia took a peek at it. "Were you born in plaid?" she joked, sensing that he needed a little cheering up; it worked and he smiled slightly. "You look happy."

"We were," Sam sighed as he pocked the picture.

It was noon the next day when Dean finally woke up and started moving, having caught more than his usual four hours of sleep. He went straight into the bathroom, ignoring the happy greeting Julia sent him, and got ready for the day.

Julia rolled her eyes at the grumpy man and went back to her laptop, reading the website that Sam had showed her. There was a lot of information about women in white that Sam hadn't touched on earlier and she made sure to record it in her journal so she could look back on it later if she needed to.

It was while Sam was listening to a message from Jess he had missed earlier that Dean came out of the bathroom.

"Hey, I'm starving," he informed them as he slipped on his hand-me-down leather jacket that was a little bit too big for him. "I'm gonna grab a little something to eat in that diner down the street. You guys want anything?"

"Nah," Sam declined, continuing to listen to the message.

"Aframian's buying," Dean tried to tempt him but Sam shook his head. Dean sighed and turned to Julia with raised eyebrows. "What about you, shortcake?"

Julia bit her lip, thinking about what she wanted to eat. Dean subtly checked her out while she decided, enjoying the pajama shorts and cotton tank-top that she was lounging around in.

"A turkey club?" she smiled up at him.

Dean winked at her. "Coming right up."

Julia's heart raced and her smile fell as he left the room. That man was just too gorgeous for his own good. Dean was attractive, everyone knew that, but Julia had a crush on him when she was five years old and he was an awkward-looking preteen going through puberty. Luckily the crush went away by the time she was in high-school and Dean was a very legal adult. If she wasn't careful, though, she'd be sucked in again.

Her phone rang only seconds later. It was Dean.

"Yeah?"

"Five-oh," Dean warned her quietly; she stiffened nervously. "You and Sammy take off."

"What about you?" she asked worriedly.

"They kinda spotted me. Go find my dad, all right?"

He hung up and Julia stood up, quickly grabbing a pair of joggers to pull up over her shorts. "Sam, the police are here," she informed him hurriedly, grabbing her laptop and sliding into her backpack. "Let's go."

"All right," Sam nodded and stood up. "Come on, there's a window in the bathroom."

Out in the parking lot, Dean smiled charmingly at the police officers approaching him. "Problem, officers?"

"Where are your partners?" one of the officers—the one they spoke to the day before—asked.

"Partners?" he played it cool. "What partners?"

The officer nodded over at his partner and gestured to John's room and their room. The partner made his way over to John's room first, which relieved Dean. It'd give Julia and Sam more time to get away without being noticed.

"So," the first officer looked back at him. "Fake US Marshal, fake credit cards...You got anything that's real?"

"My boobs," Dean stated matter-of-factly, flashing the officer a cheeky grin.

The officer didn't like that very much. He called over his partner and grabbed Dean, hauling him over to their cruiser. He was slammed down on the hood and cuffed behind his back but he didn't care. Sam and Julia got away and he hadn't committed any crimes—yet—so they didn't have anything on him.

He was processed quickly when they got to the station and sat in an interrogation room while the officers gathered evidence from John's room. It was an hour later that the sheriff came in, holding a box of things they had taken.

"So," the man grumped, sitting the box on the table in front of Dean. "you want to give us your real name?"

"I told you. It's Nugent," Dean insisted cockily. "Ted Nugent."

The sheriff gave him a flat look. "I'm not sure you realize just how much trouble you're in here."

"Are you talking like, misdemeanor kind of trouble or squeal-like-a-pig trouble?" Dean asked smartly.

"You got the faces of ten missing persons taped to your wall along with a whole lot of Satanic mumbo-jumbo," the sheriff informed him needlessly. "Boy, you are officially a suspect."

Dean scoffed; this guy was an idiot. There was no way that Dean was gonna go down for these murders since all they had were a bunch of printed out pictures of the victims. That's not actually enough evidence to do anything.

"That makes sense," he snarked at the man. "cause when the first one went missing in '82, I was three."

"I know you got partners," the sheriff was deterred. "One of them is an older guy. Maybe he started the whole thing. So, tell me, Dean—"

Dean paused when the sheriff said his name, a cocky look on his face. The older man grabbed a book out of the box and threw it on the table in front of him. It was his dad's journal.

"—is this his?"

Dean's heart sank in his chest at the sight of the familiar, leather bound journal. His dad never went anywhere without it. Everything they knew about the supernatural creatures they've come across was recorded in those pages, along with a lot of personal information that Dean didn't like to be shared. Information about his mom's death and the way he grew up wasn't something he wanted random strangers to know about.

The sheriff recognized the look on Dean's face. "I thought that might be your name," he acknowledged, walking around the table so he could open the journal. "See, I leafed through this. What little I could make out—I mean, it's nine kinds of crazy."

Dean stared passively down at the pages he flipped through, the pictures of his ancestors, his mom, him, Sam, and their hunter friends filling some of the plastic sleeves inside.

Finally, the sheriff stopped on a page toward the back. "I found this, too," he pointed at a page with Dean's name and coordinates. "Now, you're staying right here till you tell me exactly what the hell that means."

"It's my locker combination," Dean lied easily.

"Bullshit."

"I'm not lying," he insisted. "It's from years ago, when I was in high school."

The sheriff, rightfully, didn't believe him but Dean wasn't budging. He didn't know where the coordinates led to, but it had to be something important. Something that police officers or anyone who didn't know about John or the things that go bump in the night needed to see.

He questioned Dean for an hour, asking about many things. After a while, he veered the interrogation away from the coordinates and asked about his dad. He asked about Sam and Julia, too, but Dean insisted adamantly that he was alone. The sheriff didn't believe him but he didn't give a flying fuck—he wasn't a snitch. He enjoyed riling the old man up, too, seeing his face turn red with frustration and anger.

"I don't know how many times I gotta tell you," Dean sighed when the sheriff asked him about the coordinates again. "It's my high school locker combo."

"We gonna do this all night long?" the sheriff asked him grumpily.

A deputy poked his head into the room. "We just got a 9-1-1," he informed his superior. "Shots fired over at Whiteford Road."

The sheriff looked over at Dean. "Do you have to go to the bathroom?"

Dean gave him a weird look. "No."

"Good," the sheriff pulled handcuffs out of his belt and locked Dean to the table before leaving the room, the door shut firmly behind him.

Dean rolled his eyes and pulled the paperclip he had been eyeing from his dad's journal. He quickly set himself free and grabbed the journal, slipping it into his jacket. He waited until all the police officers left and then escaped, having the time to whistle a little tune.

"Finally," he heard a sigh as he walked out of the building. "I'm been waiting for ever."

Dean gave Julia an impressed look as she walked over to him, her arms folding across her ample chest. "You did that?" he pointed back at the station with his thumb; she nodded with a grin. "A fake 9-1-1 call. Impressive and very illegal."

"You're welcome," Julia beamed at him, pleased with his praise. "Come on, Sam went to question Joseph Welch."

"Ah," Dean nodded and walked by her side as she lead them to a car parked on the curb a block down. "Did you steal the car, too?"

"Sam taught me."

"He taught you?" he gave her a skeptical look. Even he had a couple lessons before he was successfully jacking cars. Julia was good but she wasn't that good.

"Okay, he stole it for me before taking off," Julia admitted. "but I paid attention."

Dean hummed and slid into the driver's seat, starting up the car. He asked Julia to call Sam as he started driving toward Joseph Welch's house and she did it without protesting.

"Hey," Sam answered quickly.

"You taught Jules the fake 9-1-1 call?" Dean greeted him. "I'm proud, Sammy."

Sam laughed. "Well, you're welcome."

"Listen, we gotta talk."

"Tell me about it," Sam sighed. "So, the husband was unfaithful. We are definitely dealing with a woman in white and she's buried behind her old house. That should have been Dad's next stop."

Dean sighed in frustration. "Sammy, could you shut up for a second?"

"I just can't figure out why Dad hasn't destroyed the corpse yet."

"Well, that's what I'm trying to tell you," Dean stated. "He's gone. Dad left Jericho."

"What?" Sam's voice stiffened while Julia looked at Dean in shock. "How do you know?"

"I got his journal."

"He doesn't go anywhere without that thing."

"Yeah, well, he did this time."

"What's it say?"

"Ah, same old ex-Marine shit," Dean grumbled. "when he wants to let us know where he's going."

"Coordinates. Where to?"

"I'm not sure yet," Dean admitted.

"I don't understand," Sam said, frustrated. "I mean, what could be so important that Dad would just skip out in the middle of a job? Dean, what the hell is going on?"

Dean stiffened when they heard the tires screech on the other line. It sounded like Sam had stopped very quickly.

"Sam? Sam?" Dean asked frantically.

Sam didn't answer, though, and the call quickly died out. Dean tossed Julia her phone and stepped on the gas, speeding up toward the address listed on the article about Constance Welch's suicide.

"Do you think he's okay?" Julia asked him nervously.

She was worried to death about her best friend and from Dean's reaction, he could be in seriously danger. She knew Sam was faithful to Jess but maybe the spirit didn't care. Apparently some of them didn't follow rules.

"I don't know," Dean said tightly. "We just got to get there fast."

"Okay."

"You know how to shoot a gun?"

"Of course."

"Good."

They pulled up to the old Welch residence, spotting the Impala parked right out in front. Dean and Julia jumped out of the car they stole and ran toward it; Dean handed her one of the spare guns he kept in his jacket—thankful that the police didn't do a body search—and used his own to shoot out the driver's window where the woman in white was straddling Sam.

The woman in white disappeared but promptly became visible again. Julia shot without thinking, her bullet disturbing the spirit. Sam took the opportunity to start the car and speed into the house, going through the front wall.

"Oh, my God!"

"Jesus Christ, I hope he didn't hurt my car," Dean mumbled furiously as he and Julia ran into the destroyed house.

"Sam?"

"Here!"

Julia ran over to the driver's door. "You okay?" she asked, ripping the door open; Sam nodded. "Can you move?"

"Yeah," Sam breathed as Dean rushed over to them. "Can you help me?"

Dean reached in and practically pulled Sam out of the Impala, getting him to his feet. Julia wrapped one of Sam's arms around her shoulders and allowed him to settle his very heavy weight on her as Dean stepped in front of them in case Constance came back.

Constance sure didn't look very happy with them. She threw down the portrait that she was looking at and waved her hand. A heavy dresser flew toward them, painfully pinning them to the wall.

Julia squeaked in pain as she was pressed against the wall. She was officially unable to move and unable to get away from the pain that the furniture inflicted on her stomach. Dean and Sam tried pushing the dresser away from them but it wouldn't budge.

Then the lights in the house started flickering and water started pouring down the staircase. Two creepy-looking child-ghosts appeared, getting Constance's attention. She stared at them in horror and a deep sadness.

"You've come home to us, Mommy," they whispered in unison.

Julia shivered, creeped out.

The children appeared behind Constance and promptly hugged her, causing her to scream. Her body flickered for a few seconds before all three of them burst into a weird fire that had Julia turning away and disappeared.

With Constance's spirit gone, Dean and Sam were able to move the dresser away from the three of them. Julia sighed in relief now that the pressure was gone and wrapped an arm around her torso. She was pretty sure she had bruised a couple of ribs.

My first hunting injury, she thought proudly.

"So, this is where she drowned her kids," Dean assumed, looking at the spot where the three spirits appeared.

Sam nodded. "That's why she could never go home. She was too scared to face them."

"But I fought we had to burn her corpse to kill her?" Julia spoke up, kind of confused.

There was only so much she knew about hunting but she thought you got rid of ghosts by salting and burning their corpse. That didn't happen here.

"Sometimes you can find a spirit's weakness and that can take care of them," Sam informed her.

"In this case it just happened to be her kids," Dean added, clapping Sam on the shoulder. "Nice work, Sammy."

Sam laughed loudly and grinned at his brother. "Yeah, I wish I could say the same for you," he mocked him. "Where were you thinking, shooting Casper in the face, you freak?"

Dean gave him an offended look.

"By the way, J, nice aim," Sam added, just to tease Dean further.

"Thanks, S," Julia grinned at him before sticking her tongue out at Dean.

"Children," Dean scoffed, shaking his head. "I'm working with children. And another thing," he warned Sam. "If you fucked up my car, I'll kill you."

It was almost midnight by the time they arrived back at Stanford. Sam had successfully found where the coordinates that John left them led, a place in Colorado, and had turned Dean down when he offered to drive there now, wanting to go to his interview. Dean was visibly upset but he didn't argue.

Dean pulled up the apartment and parked in the lot. Sam slid out of the car and grabbed his bag from the back before leaning down to talk to Julia and Dean through the window.

"Be careful, J," Sam poked her in the forehead. "Listen to Dean, all right?"

"I will."

"And call me."

"Yes, Dad," Julia playfully rolled her eyes at him. "Say hello to Jess, would you? Love ya."

Sam winked at her and then turned to Dean, his face falling when he saw the sullen look on his brother's face. "Call me if you find him?"

Dean nodded.

"And maybe I can meet up with you later, huh?"

"Yeah, all right," Dean agreed easily. "You know, we made a hell of a team back there."

Sam smiled, his dimples popping out. "Yeah. Be careful."

Dean nodded and pulled out of the spot he had parked in. He quickly drove away from the apartment building and Julia assumed it was because he didn't want to dally and be sad about Sam's departure.

"You all right?" she asked Dean.

"I'm fine," Dean answered gruffly and changed the subject. "So, you survived your first hunt. How do you feel?"

"Good," Julia grinned. "Yeah, it was—"

She paused, scrunching up her nose as she got a bad feeling. She couldn't explain it and it felt different from the one she had about Dean but she knew something was wrong.

Dean gave her a worried look when she stopped talking. "You okay?"

"No," she shook her head. "I have a bad feeling."

As if the universe was agreeing to her statement, the radio glitched out. Dean looked at the dash, noticing that the clock had stopped working. He quickly turned the vehicle, his heart starting to race, and started driving back to Sam.

By the time they got there, the apartment was in flames and Jess was dead.

(Gif is not mine)

#supernatural rewrite #dean winchester x oc #dean winchester x reader #supernatural #dean winchester #sam winchester #dean winchester fanfiction #supernatural fanfiction #dean winchester x original character

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tran5rightsos · 3 years

Text

My Systems are Critical

Summary: Luke and Calum meet a friendly gleth on Zsashos V who just wants to help.

Genre: Sci-fi

Relationships: Luke/Client

Word count: 1711

Tags and Warnings: Blood and Gore, Prostitution, Alien Sex, Body Horror, Angst

Leave Kudos?

“Fuck, you’re big,” Luke whined desperately.

It was basic, but the quovroli seemed to like it anyway, grunting proudly as they fucked Luke into the bed. They panted, showing off wickedly sharp teeth and a pointed tongue. Luke could feel their hot breath on his chest, their claws on his thighs, and if he’d known the fear of being eaten by a client was this fucking good, he would have offered his services to quovroli a long time ago.

Even without the unfortunate reputation the human meat trade gave them, this quovroli was a surprisingly good fuck. Luke had had his fair share of prehensile dicks and aphrodisiac cum, but there was a simplicity in just getting fucked hard that he liked.

The quovroli’s grip on his thighs tightened, claws digging in painfully. Luke gasped and let go of the bedsheets to jerk himself off. He vaguely thought that he should remind the quovroli to be gentler, but he was so close.

As he came, so did the quovroli, growling and shoving into him one last time. Panting, Luke felt the whitenoise slowly fade from his head and he watched them pull out, realising that he was bleeding where their claws had been holding him. Oops.

The quovroli leaned down and Luke watched with bated breath as they drew their tongue up his inner thigh, along the wounds their claws had left.

“Relax,” they laughed as they straightened up, “I’m not gonna eat you. Just wanna know what you taste like.”

Luke exhaled and sat up, pulling his pearlescent white shirt back onto his shoulders and doing up two buttons. His wristcom, a sleek silver band he’d treated himself to when his old one finally kicked the bucket, beeped with the credit transfer tone and he checked it to see the rest of the quovroli’s payment and a surprisingly good rating, given that Luke had mostly just laid there while the quovroli did all the actual work. They must have appreciated the post-orgasm snack.

“I’ll be back,” the quovroli promised, eyeing the mess between Luke’s legs satisfactorily.

“Anytime.”

As they left, Luke got up and smoothed out his skirt. It would need a clean, but would be fine until he got home. He’d be wearing his coat over the top of it anyway, so it wasn’t like anyone would notice anything they couldn’t smell already.

Once he’d cleaned up a bit, Luke let his human friend, Calummintha, know that he was on his way home. Calum tended to worry for his safety, which made Luke feel just a little bit guilty about some of the clients he chose, but he liked the element of danger too much to stop allowing them.

Calum replied that he’d meet him on the way there and Luke headed out. He found Calum at the marketplace they often frequented, snacking on something smoky-smelling as he waited.

“How was work?” Calum asked, eyes falling and widening, “Shit, are you okay?”

Luke looked where Calum was staring, at the blood running down his legs.

Luke groaned and lifted his coat and skirt just enough to see the wounds. “Shit.”

They were deeper than he’d thought. Probably still not enough to be dangerous, but they weren’t going to close on their own.

“I was gonna clean them up when I got home…”

“Luke,” Calum snapped, “What the fuck happened?”

“Are you okay?” someone else asked.

Luke looked up at the gleth that had stopped to stare. Even being over a head taller than Calum, he still didn’t match the height of any mature gleth.

He lowered his skirt. “Yeah, they’re not as bad as they look. I can close them at home.”

“They should be checked for infection,” the gleth fretted, “I have specialised equipment for humans at base camp.”

Luke shared a look with Calum. Normally he wouldn’t go to a client’s home, but it might be okay if Calum stayed with him. If this gleth really did just wanna help, Luke could possibly get a lot of credits out of them and whoever else was at their base camp. Hopefully they had plenty of Storm so he wouldn’t get tired.

“Okay.”

The gleth’s antennae lifted happily. “I’m Kakkin. What are your names?”

“I’m Tekka.” Luke never gave clients his real name.

“Daxun,” Calum said, apparently coming up with a fake name on the spot.

Although Luke was willing to walk, Kakkin looked scandalised by the suggestion and begged to be allowed to carry him there. Luke immediately switched into poor injured human mode and said that he was feeling lightheaded from seeing all that scary blood. Although Calum rolled his eyes hard, Luke would play into whoever Kakkin wanted him to be and he had to admit that he liked that they kept patting his head and telling him it was gonna be okay as they headed for their base camp.

Their camp was only a few corridors away from the marketplace, what looked like a collection of life pods surrounded by temporary fencing with some kind of logo printed on it, though the pods were in much better condition than the run-down one Luke and Calum lived in.

“Guards?” Calum observed as they passed the two armed gleth at the gate.

“Zsashos V is a bit… infamous,” Kakkin explained apologetically.

They took Luke and Calum to a large medical pod with green crescents printed on the walls and Luke stared as they went in. A human was inside, cleanly dressed and watching them expectantly. At least three more were lying half submerged in tanks full of greenish liquid on the far corner, making for more humans than Luke had ever seen in one place in his life.

“This is Tekka,” Kakkin told the conscious human as they took Luke to an examination table, and gently set him down, “His legs are bleeding, poor thing. Not badly, but the wounds looked deep.”

“I’m Athiid,” the human told Luke and Calum as she took some insanely clean medical stuff from a shelf.

“Could you open your legs, please?” Kakkin asked, pulling gloves onto two of their hands.

Luke obliged.

Kakkin lifted his skirt enough to see the goods. “Your clothes may get in the way. Would you like some clean undergarments to cover yourself with?”

“That’s okay,” Luke replied as he hopped off the table, unzipped his skirt and pushed it to the floor, giving his freed tail a seductive wiggle.

Calum rolled his eyes.

Kakkin helped Luke back onto the table and used a wet cloth Athiid had brought over in a bowl to dab around the claw wounds. “Can you tell me what made these?”

“Quovroli client.”

Calum frowned deeply.

“They weren’t trying to hurt me,” Luke rushed, “We just got kinda carried away.”

“You’re a hybrid human?” Athiid asked, tapping at a tablet she’d set on the exam table.

“Yeah. Gleth-augmented.”

“And you do sex work?”

“Yeah.”

She nodded. “We’ll check for damage and run some infection tests along with genetics.”

“Oh, I test myself at least every rotation,” Luke assured her, but she was already moving on.

“What about you?” she asked Calum.

Calum answered her questions as Kakkin cleaned and sealed Luke’s wounds. When they were done, they told them to wait while they prepared the tests.

“If you start fucking anyone, I’m leaving,” Calum threatened quietly as Luke pulled on the clothes Kakkin had left him. They were much cleaner than anything he’d ever worn before, even though he took a lot of care in keeping his work clothes tidy.

“I don’t think they want to,” Luke said with a pout, wandering towards the humans in the corner, “Looks like they actually do just wanna help.”

“They could be working for a kitchen,” Calum said lowly, “Speaking of which, why the fuck did you take a quovroli client?”

Luke rolled his eyes, then gasped. “Mikey!” He ran to the nearest tank and stared at the human lying there.

There was a mask with a bunch of tubes attached to machines over his mouth and nose, bandages covered half of his face and it had been longer than Luke could remember, but it was definitely Michael.

“You know that human?” Athiid asked, hurrying over.

“His name’s Yovamaikle.” Luke looked down at his legs. His thighs were almost bone-thin and there was skin missing around the middle of them, almost like a messy strip had been dissolved away, exposing what remained of the muscle underneath. “What happened to him?”

“These three were found in a quovroli kitchen. They were being kept in cloning tanks.”

So it wasn’t just his legs and face. They could have been cutting away and regrowing pieces of him this whole time and Luke had had no idea.

“Luke,” Calum said gently.

“I thought he was dead,” Luke choked out, gripping the edge of the tank.

“We found him,” Athiid assured him, “And he’s doing very well now. How long has he been missing?”

“I don’t know, since we were kids,” Luke told her, tears spilling over.

“He could have memory problems when he wakes up,” Athiid said gently, “But if you knew him and want to assist with his recovery, seeing and talking to you may help.”

“How long will it take?” Luke asked her.

“To fully get his memory back? Could be the rest of his life, if ever.”

Luke sobbed.

“We can get him walking again, though,” she told him, “And we can take all of you to a sanctuary on a gleth planet. You can spend as much time as you need helping him heal and remember there.”

Calum put an arm around Luke. “We’ll think about,” he promised, “This is a lot, though.”

“There’s plenty of time,” Athiid told them as she turned to leave, “If he wants to stay here, we’ll stick around until he’s well enough to survive on his own.”

Luke mashed at his eyes with his palms. “I thought he was dead.”

“Me too,” Calum said quietly as Luke bent down to bury his face in his shoulder, “We’re gonna help him, though, yeah? As much as we can.”

Nodding, Luke peered at Michael again. “Is he gonna remember us?”

Calum squeezed him tighter. “We’ll find out when he wakes up.”

#my fic #au: zsashos v #nsft

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noodlecupcakeswritings · 4 years

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With A Heavy Heart - Chapter 4 (A Kylo RenxCora fic)

The long awaited sequel to A Call to the Light. Cora and Ben’s relationship is non existent after Ben murdered his father but with Cora being pregnant, Bens trying his hardest to make things work. It’s not as easy as he would have liked.

I’m so sorry this took me forever to write, but with how bad TLJ was it really put me off writing this for a while. Needless to say theres gonna be some big differences in this fic. Please leave comments, kudos and reblogs if you like it. It really helps me out as a writer, lemme know if you wanna be on the taglist as well :)

Varidun is my other half’s OC so thank you to @mk-vi for letting me use him <3

Warnings: Language, Angst, Medical stuff, Violence, Gore, Feels

Chapter 4

Cora’s P.O.V

Ben seemed slightly in a better mood today as he left our room to go about his daily duties. I waited about ten minutes after he left before leaving the room myself. I couldn’t let him find out about my visits to Varidun. Varidun had been another mentor to me as a child, along with Luke at the temple. Luke had taken him in after the fall of the empire, seeing the good in him. Whilst the other padawans had been scared of an ex inquisitor I had been the first to strike up a friendship with him. After the fall of Starkiller Base Luke had contacted me through the force and told me to find Varidun. He hadn't given any other instructions but he didn’t need to. Varidun needed me to keep him from falling to the dark side once again. I’d lost Ben, I was not about to lose another friend. I’d been seeing him for a week now and it was still a lot to take in.

I made my way to the medical room he was being kept in, although it was more like a torture chamber. I opened the door, one hand on my belly as the pain and anguish ran through me. The force allowed me to feel his agony for small moments. The first time I thought the pain would kill me. He didn’t deserve this pain but there was nothing I could to lessen it for him. I hated feeling so useless. I needed to help him and yet I couldn’t. I wrapped my shawl around me tighter as the coldness of the room hit me. I headed inside and took my usual seat next to his beside. The room was dark and filled with medical equipment, the only light being on Varidun. He lay, strapped down to a medical table, unable to move. He was barely coherent most days. Various tubes were coming out his arms, legs and chest, filling him with various drugs and suppressants to keep him docile. They knew if they didn’t, he would be able to escape easily. I kept thinking perhaps I could turn the dosage down a little each day but I’m sure someone would soon notice.

Varidun looked over at me with his one working silver eye. They’d taken out his cybernetics, making him look even more monstrous. But I knew he was more of a gentle giant. The hole where his left eye should have been was dark red and angry looking, the scar tissue blooming across his cheek. His left arm was also missing from the shoulder downwards. His grey hair was now long, dirty and unkempt. He was getting old now, bordering on 67 years yet he had still managed to keep a good physique. I forced a smile, wanting to take his hand to offer him comfort and reassurance. But then I would only feel his pain once more. “Ben put up the crib yesterday as a good will gesture. I want to stay mad at him, but I know eventually I’ll be stupid enough to forgive him. I always am,” I spoke. Varidun remained silent, yet I knew he was listening. He always listened, what else was there for him to do. I just wish sometimes he could respond, give me the answers I needed.

Luke had introduced all of us to a new member of the Jedi order. The padawans had taken one look at him and exchanged shocked gasps and fearful glances. Varidun was tall, taller than Luke meaning he was a giant to us. And then there was his cybernetics and scars, that’s probably what put most of the children off. That and we knew he was an ex inquisitor, a Jedi killer. But if master Luke trusted him and saw good in him then so should I. Varidun sighed at the reactions of the others, seemingly having expected but still disappointed. Luke placed a hand on Varidun’s shoulder and offered him a kind smile. “They’ll come around,” Luke reassured.

Later back in our bunks we were all discussing Varidun’s arrival. Most of the padawans had a negative view, wanting to keep their distance from him. One of the boys stood up, drawing his saber. “If he tries anything, I’ll end him swiftly,” he said, showing off. “Put that down, you’ll take your own arm off,” Ben scolded, “you should have faith in my uncle. It's not like he’s going to let anybody in here to teach us, he must see some good in Varidun.” “That’s right Ben, I’m glad you’re as open minded,” came his aunts voice. We turned to find Mara Jade stood in the doorway, cradling her and Lukes child. Rey was only one years old, but we all treated her like she was one of us. She would be eventually. Ben adored his little cousin, using most of his free time to play with her and care for her. She would be walking soon thanks to Ben.

“He was alone when Luke found him, he’d isolated himself from everyone and had turned his back on the force. We need to show him the good there is in him, the goodness in the force,” Mara Jade continued. Some of the padawans were feeling guilty, unable to look at her. Others mumbled apologies. Mara Jade let Ben say goodnight to Rey before she made us all get into our bunks. She then used the force to extinguish the candles before turning and leaving. I tossed and turned for a while, unable to sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Mara Jade had said. Varidun had been alone, like me. And then Luke had found both of us and given us hope. We were more alike than most would think. I crept out of bed and out of the room. I ventured to the temple entrance, finding Varidun sat alone outside. He might be meditating, and I knew how annoying it was to be interrupted but I still wanted to offer a kind gesture.

“You should be in bed Cora,” came Luke’s voice. I felt my stomach drop, having been caught. It was no secret that I was a goody two shoes, never doing anything wrong in the eyes of my master. I didn’t want him to be disappointed in me for being outside after dark. “I’m sorry master, I just couldn’t sleep,” I explained. “What's on your mind?” I turned to face him, registering that he was more curious than disappointed, that put me at ease somewhat. “I just wanted to make Varidun feel welcome here, make him feel less alone,” I explained. “I see. That’s very kind of you.” He motioned with his head to go over to Varidun. I found a daisy growing amongst the grass and picked it.

I continued to approach the tall man before me, stopping a few steps away. I cleared my throat to get his attention. “Excuse me, Varidun,” I spoke. Varidun seemed surprised as he turned to face me. He remained on his knees, so he wasn’t towering over me. “Yes, little one?” He answered. I held out the daisy to him, smiling kindly. He glanced between me and the daisy, unsure of the gesture. It was obvious nobody had been kind to him for a while. Varidun took the small white flower from me with a hint of smile on his lips. “Thank you,” he spoke, he still seemed unsure. “Nobody deserves to be alone,” I gave my explanation. Varidun seemed to want to say something to counteract that but instead he decided against it. I turned, heading back to the Jedi temple, knowing better than to push my luck and stay out any longer.

I glanced at the clock, I couldn’t stay much longer. Ben insisted we spend lunch together now, so he was with me and the baby. So we could start rebuilding what we once had. Probably because he didn’t trust me either and wanted to keep an eye on me. I promised Varidun I would be back tomorrow and left the room. I headed to Ben’s quarters, opening the door only to already find him waiting for me inside. Shit. Snoke had let him go early and now I’d been caught. Unless I could think of a believable excuse quick. “Where were you?” Ben asked, “don’t lie either.” I swallowed, avoiding his gaze. Even if I did lie, he’d be able to go in my head and find the truth. I was fucked either way. “When were you going to tell me you were keeping Varidun here?” I asked. “You shouldn’t be going anywhere near him.” I sighed, looks like another argument was coming our way. This was starting to become exhausting.

“I don’t want to argue Ben-“ I started. “You should have thought about that before lying to me! Before having your little secret meetings with him,” he snapped. I took a deep breath to calm myself. Nothing he could say or do would stop me from seeing Varidun. I thought Ben would understand the loneliness, obviously I was wrong. I needed someone to talk to throughout the day, Varidun was that person. “You’re never seeing him again. I can’t trust you around him,” Ben insisted. “Don’t you think I would have done something by now if that were the case?” “Whose to say you won’t?” “You really think your in any position to lecture me about trust?” “That’s not fair.” “Neither’s me spending every waking hour in this room with only you to talk too. I might as well be taken down to the holding cells at this rate.”

“Keep this up and I’ll have no choice but to put you there.” “Oh because your precious Supreme Leader ordered you to do so?” I stepped closer, getting in his face, “You wanted power and freedom? You would have had it more as a Jedi. Here you’re just a lapdog.” Ben glared at me, his jaw clenching. I braced myself for an assault, not backing down in fear. If he wanted to hit me then he could go ahead and suffer the consequences. He took a step back, instead taking his frustration out on the wall, putting a dent in it. “You don’t know what the fuck your talking about!” He spat. “Don’t I? You know I think that Snokes afraid of Varidun, why else would he have him strapped up like a lab rat? He’d just need his dosage lowered and he’d wreak havoc on this place. Not even you would stand a chance against him.” “Oh so you’d want him to return to his murderous ways all for freedom? He’s valuable to us just as he was to my grandfather.” “He’s wiser than that now. if he’d wanted to join you then he already would have.”

“You know he was there the night the temple fell, he tried to escape with some padawans, he got them killed instead.” “No Ben, that was all you. You are the fucking reason we are in this damn mess, you’re the reason are friends are dead! Owning your mistakes is the only way to grow from them, instead you just run from them like a coward. Snoke didn’t want you because you were powerful, he wanted you because you were a frightened weak little boy that he could easily manipulate and control.” I could feel his rage radiating off his in waves, this time he was definitely going to hit me. I didn’t regret what I had said but I was still afraid of the consequences. There was a moment of silence between us. Ben sidestepped me, storming out of the room. I breathed a sigh of relief as the door closed behind him. I rubbed my stomach to comfort myself and my baby. The flutters had gotten pretty intense, she must have felt everything then. I knew though that Ben wouldn’t be back for a while.

Taglist: @sweetfictionalworld, @belathora, @sarahlee8793, @cltex84, @momobaby227, @jana-banana-fana, @xxstarwalker, @siobhanlovesfilm, @dark-night-sky-99

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carlgrimeschandlerriggsimagines · 5 years

Text

Negan’s daughter Chapter 16: Lydia

Word count: 1,250

Need to catch up? (Click me!)

Warning: Cursing, Gore?, Mentions of smut, Lesbian action

I'm back bitches!

Summary: You and Cara go to the hilltop to help out with Lydia but you end up becoming friends

Feedback is appreciated!

Taglist: @heyworld07 @namelesslosers @smallfryalixa @ask-kakashihatake @emobabygirlsworld @hilove7575

I got off Darling as the gate to hilltop closed Cara untied the backpack "I'll put her in the stable." Cara says I nod as Daryl jogged over to me he pulls me into a hug "I heard about what happened...You ok?"He mumbles I nod "I'm fine." I say "You know how to stitch up wounds right? We found a girl in the woods Enid refuses to help her." Daryl says "I can't but Cara can she went to the stable I can clean the wounds you go get her." I say Daryl nods "She is in the Cell." Daryl says as he starts to walk off I walk over to the cell opening the door and walking down the stairs I notice the first aid kit on the table in front of the cell Henry sits next to it "Hey Y/n." He says I notice the girl sitting in the corner of the cell covered in dirt "Is she apart of the whispers?" I ask as I open the first aid kit "Yeah her mom is the leader." He says I chuckle "I've been in that boat before." I say I turn around noticing she has stood up "Is it her arm?" I ask she nods "Can I see?" I asked walking towards the cell she slides up her sleeve and puts her arm between the bars I notice the marks on her arms and a gash on her forearm "She only needs a couple of stitches...and a bath." I say (1 hour later) After Lydia showers and gets her arm stitched up I sit in the cell with her brushing her hair "I can braid it if you want?" I say "No it's ok." She says quietly I nod I walk to the cell door and Henry unlocks it opening it I step out and he locks it "I'm gonna head to bed...You should too Henry." I say grabbing my jacket "I'm gonna stay with her tonight...Keep her company." Henry says I chuckle "Ok...Keep your dick in your pants." I say opening the door I walk out the cold air sending a shiver down my spine I close it I walk inside the house and up the stairs into Cara and I's room she lays on the bed her blonde hair in a braid and she is fast asleep I smile when I take off my boots and my jeans I take off my leather jacket and I climb into bed I wrap my arm around her waist kissing her shoulder I close my eyes then drift off to sleep I sat in front of Lydia's cell as she ate her breakfast she told me everything that happened to her and even more when Henry left for a moment It made me feel sick at what those people did to her "Are they gonna kill me?" Lydia asks I chuckle "Well my people killed around 20 people and I'm not dead yet so I think you're safe for now." I say chuckling "Your dad sounds like an asshole." She says quietly "He is until you get now him and learn to tune him out." I say I hear the doors to the cellar open and Cara steps in "Morning." She says "Morning." I reply she gives me a quick kiss "I brought you some pain pills to help with your arm." Cara says pulling them out of her pocket she puts two in her hand then hands them to Lydia "Thank you." Lydia says quietly Cara nods "See you later babe." She says then kisses my cheek and walks out of the cellar "I didn't know you where-" "Gay?" I say cutting off henry's sentence "No- I mean yeah." He says I chuckle "I'm bisexual you nitwit." I say chuckling Lydia chuckles "Y/n!" I hear enid yell I roll my eyes "The bitch calls." I say standing up I walk out of the cellar "They're here the whispers." Enid says I run to the front gate a group of whispers stand there "Bring me my daughter or there will be conflict!" The leader Alpha says I grab Cara's arm "Get Lydia out of here." I whisper to her as Alpha shows Luke and Alden "Bring me my daughter or they die!" Alpha declares "Get her out of here take Henry with you." I whisper Cara runs off into the cellar Daryl climbs down from the guard post and walks out to alpha I follow "You can't let her take her." I say quietly "I'll do what I can." Daryl grumbles after a while of Alpha and Daryl talking Daryl finally comes back inside the walls "Go get her." Daryl says "Are you kidding me! Her mother beats her and you're sending her back to that!" I spit "We ain't got a choice!" Daryl spits back Daryl pushes past me and goes to the cellar moments later everyone realizes Henry and Lydia aren't there and they begin searching Cara joins me on the guard post "Where did they go?" I ask quietly "Henry said there is a house nearby thats where they went." Cara says quietly I notice Connie run out and grab a baby from the ground "Shit!" I say as whispers and some walkers follow her into the sorghum field I climb down from the guard post and run out of the gate I jump over the small fence "Move you psycho bitch!" I say as a whisper tries to attack me I run into the sorghum field killing a few walkers and maybe a whisper I grab Connie's arm she turns around then begins to follow me I get her out of the field I take the baby from her arms and I try to calm it down we make it to the back gate and walk back inside someone takes the baby from my arms Just as I see Henry, Lydia and Enid my stomach drops

Lydia went back with her people and now we all have to live with the fact that we just sent a 16 year old girl back to an abusive mother and back to a life of being raped by the men in her group I sat on my bed the only light in the room was the candlelit lantern and the moonlight I wiped my tears as I hear the door open "Hey." Cara says "Hey." I replied she sits next to me she places her hand on my thigh she kisses my shoulder "You ok." Cara asks "We sent that girl into a torture pit." I say "She will be ok. It will be ok." Cara assures I lay my head on her shoulder "I love you." I say quietly "I love you too." She replies "Come on let's go to bed." Cara says I take off my boots and jeans I climb into bed and so does Cara she wraps her arms around my waist I lean my forehead on hers her hand travels down to my underwear I kiss her and at that she pulls me closer to where I'm basically on top of her she shoves her hand in my underwear and starts to rub my clit I tighten my grip on her hair I let out a light moan she smirks “Careful baby girl.” She whispers I begin to kiss her neck as she enters two fingers in me suddenly she flips us over then starts kissing my neck as well biting down I let out a whimper “God I fucking love you.” She says quietly then kisses me again Cara grabs my wrists putting them above my head then I hear someone clear there throat we pull away and she pulls her hand out of my underwear I look at the door to see Daryl and dog sitting next to him "What!" I snap "I need your help."

#The Walking Dead #thewalkingdead #negan's daughter #carl grimes #carl grimes imagine #carl grimes smut #the walking dead smut #Rick Grimes #rick grimes imagine #rick grimes smut #rick grimes fluff #daryl dixon #daryl dixon smut #daryl dixion imagine

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saltier-than-a-pbg-in-the-ocean · 5 years

Text

Jade Dagger AU

warning for mentions of eye gore and death.

Luke is a robin hood style thief with morals and Jeff is a prince completely oblivious to the fact his kingdom is starving and general doing terribly. Royalty like Jeff have magic that manifests itself as basically one (1) specific superpower-like thing. The magic only manifests after one extremely emotional event. Jeff does not his. Jimmy does not have his. Ian received his after his brother was kidnapped and presumed dead, though I have no idea what it is.

Luke goes incognito to a ball so he can steal shit. He and the prince talk for like 20 minutes and Luke gets to look forward to A King Who Doesn't Suck And Make Morally Compromised Decisions

Luke goes off to steal shit from monarchs who don't act in the best interest of the people and overhears some people, who aren't very thought out planning to kill the prince for having morals. So he's like, cool, guess I'm kidnapping the prince now and shoves some more jewelry down his shirt

He slides over to Jeff and is like, hey gorgeous, you have beautiful eyes and also there's a plot against your life and I'm an undercover knight who needs you to get the heck out of here right now

Jeff's logical rodent brain is like "wait, is he really?" but the gay human brain is like "hnnngh boy pretty" and is very enthusiastic about riding out of the castle on a horse with him

Halfway to the forest where them thieves hang out when some knights show up. Turns out they noticed the definitely not knight sweeping him off to who knows where. A few thieves show up and help Luke beat their asses.

Jeff's like. Hey, wait they just. Fucking murdered like a dozen knights. And Luke's like yeah, I just needed to get you out of there. There is an attempt on your life tho. And Jeff is logical enough to know that he was technically just kidnapped and that's probably bullshit

Jeff's like lol im out but the thieves are like lol nope we have knives and rope!

Luke laughs at the rhyme as his bros yeet Jeff into their horse-drawn wagon and covers him with hay. And then like... idk they sit on him to keep him still

Jeff wakes up at the den of thieves to overhear Luke telling his co-leader about why the hell he kidnapped a prince

Said co-leader, Mai, shows up and makes him drink water. And then he falls back asleep. When he wakes up he gets introduced to some of the thieves before Luke shows back up, bringing food. He's like, "Oh you met my pals! Have you realized you live in a country where the thieves have better morals than monarchs yet????" and Jeff just glares at him

Eventually, Luke gets frustrated and shows him "Hey look, literally everyone is starving and dying and the food we distribute with money from stolen goods is literally keeping everyone alive" And Jeff's like "Damn that shit sucks... I'll just fix it when I become king! :D" and Luke's like "BITCH NO" except he can’t say bitch. he is not snatcher luke he cannot say bitch

Jeff "Just found out my entire country is starving, damn that shit sucks" Fabre

Luke convinces him to help them raid a few manors and Jeff is really good at it. Also, he kissed Luke. So that's cool. They celebrate shoving jewelry down their shirts for a few hours with a party and he wakes up cuddling with his new bf

This continues on for almost a year when Luke's like hey wouldn't it be super funky neat if we got married and Jeff's like yeah bitch. Also, Jeff still thinks there was no plot on his life and that he could fix it if he went back so there's that. Mai rescues a maid and a golem and starts flirting with them.

He and Luke are happily engaged for a while until some knights show up like. Hamster bastard we know you're here if you come back with us we won't kill your fiance. So Jeff's like well fuck then and goes back with them. Also one of them is like. A relative involves in the murder plot. So he's gonna get stabbed.

Well, after that Jeff nearly get's stabbed but Mai happens to be in the area

They run off and Mai's like "Hey bitch rescued yo future husband" and Luke runs over from where he was crying and gives him near-death situation cuddles

Jeff accepts that most of the royal family is after his life and he and luke decide that quietly undermining the royal family is a good idea.

and by quietly I mean murder.

Luke and his gang break into the castle to scout but Jeff sneaks in to see his brothers (Jimmy and Ian) and accidentally wakes Jimmy up. He walks calmly over to Ian. Wakes Ian up. And points at his presumed dead brother.

So they very quietly scream at each other before Luke walks in and is like "Hey sweetheart the gang's ready to-" and is rudely interrupted by Ian stabbing him in the eye. Luke's the guy he was last seen with so Ian's p sure that's the kidnapper.

Jeff's like DUDE WTF YOU JUST STABBED MY FIANCE IN THE EYE and Ians like yeah what about it he kidnapped you-WAIT YOUR FIANCE

Jeff explains what happened in very few words before stealing his brothers.

Austin takes one look at Ian and goes

They run off in the night to the woods

night in the woods

and Jeff bandages Luke who walks off a life-changing injury. And by that I mean they cuddle because it hurts real bad and then the next day he acts as if nothing happened.

I don't know what happens from here but I know it's not as simple as overthrow the government with some difficulty? I want other things to happen.

Please send asks

#Asagao Academy #jade dagger au #spacetown #asagao jeff #asagao luke #asagao jimmy #asagao ian #asagao pbg #asagao mai #kakasu #asagao hana #peanutmoose #hana/mai/kakasu #i like this au v much #send asks and help me develop it

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madscientistjournal · 4 years

Text

Fiction: Disinhibited

An excerpt from the journals of Combat Search & Rescue Consultant Lana McGee, as provided by Myna Chang Art by Luke Spooner

Don’t call me a mercenary. Those guys are pricks. Kidnappers and murderers, the lot of them. I’m not like that. Sure, I get paid for my work, and yeah, I love a good explosion. Who doesn’t? But my job is to save people. Pull them out of bad situations. Bring them home safe.

I’m not an asshole.

“I didn’t think you were, Ma’am.”

Oh shit, did I say all that out loud?

“Yes, Ma’am, you did.”

Wow, this pilot doesn’t look old enough to shave, let alone fly a chopper.

“I shave, Ma’am.”

“You heard that, too?”

“Yes, Ma’am. My CO warned me this might happen.”

“Name’s Lana, not Ma’am. So, they told you about my disability?” Their word, not mine.

“They said you got a piece of shrapnel in your head. War souvenir. Said you blurt out whatever crosses your mind.”

“Yep,” I nod. “Frontal Lobe Disinhibition. Basically, if I think it, I say it. That’s why I’m freelancing now.”

“Yes, Ma’am. Not a merc. Got it.”

Pilot’s quick. And he does shave. Sexy stubble. Yum. Like to run my tongue up that jawline and–

“Due respect, Ma’am, I’m authorized to tell you to shut up.”

I bite my rogue tongue hard enough to draw blood. Damn it, Lana. Stop scaring the cute flyboy.

He flicks his eyes toward me and grins. “Truth is, Ma’am, I don’t scare easy.”

Oh. Well, then. I smile and shift in the seat. “Just to be clear … You wouldn’t mind–”

“Approaching the drop zone, Ma’am.”

I chuckle. His smile turns to a blush. Tease. “Fine, kick me out of your helicopter. Come on, Diamond, we’ve got people to rescue.”

My German Shepherd sits while I attach a jump harness to her K-9 armor. Takes about three seconds. We’ve done hundreds of these short jumps, and it never gets old. She woofs, ready to go.

“Godspeed.”

“You talking to me or the dog?”

“Both of you, Ma’am.”

He maneuvers the chopper over the moonlit compound and flashes a cheeky grin at me again. I try to keep my mouth shut, but as usual, the words tumble out.

“I’m probably gonna lick your stubbly jaw when this mission’s over, Pilot. Diamond might, too.”

“Countin’ on it, Ma’am.”

I laugh and step into the air.

The research facility sits on a swath of blacktop, devoid of plant life, a big wart on a bald head. The gate hangs open. I toss a handful of debris at the razor-wire fence, but it doesn’t spark. Looks like the power’s out. Not a good sign.

I was hoping this job would be a quickie: rescue the dashing scientist, secure his peculiar research, get home in time for dinner. Guess I should’ve known better. Anything involving Chase Mathews isn’t going to be easy.

“At least the compound hasn’t been bombed yet, huh girl?”

Diamond doesn’t respond. She’s good like that.

A Jeep sits abandoned near the fence. Wet-looking handprints smear the windshield, and a case of medical supplies has toppled onto the asphalt.

We skirt it, watching for movement, hoping for some sign of life as we approach the entrance. Nothing stirs. I tighten my grip on the MTAR submachine gun strapped across my chest, and we enter the facility.

Lobby’s dark, except for orange warning lights at the guard’s terminal. My NVGs flare in time with the flashes, so I pull them off. Diamond’s night vision is more reliable than the goggles, anyway. She’s the most capable combat partner I’ve worked with; I trust her with my life.

She nudges me. I nod, and she ghosts away, into the darkness. Nothing will get past her. A low growl, five yards to the right, alerts me to an enemy combatant. I bring my MTAR to bear, just in time. Two quick bursts, and the bad guy goes down.

I love this fucking gun. Compact and efficient, with a little kick. Kind of like me.

Diamond circles the lobby, vigilant, then returns to my side. I prod the body splayed in front of me. Scrawny dude, white lab coat. Blisters all over his face.

Or are those pustules? Jesus, that’s nasty looking. Diamond keens and backs away. I follow her lead. A blister-thing quavers and ruptures, spurting out thick goo. Hard to tell in the darkness, but I think it’s green.

I’ll never eat lime Jell-O again. Diamond rubs her head on my thigh; she won’t either.

“Come on, girl. Our dashing scientist isn’t going to rescue himself.”

She snorts her disapproval. Diamond had never liked Chase. She’d peed on his shoes every chance she got. My dog’s smart. I should have listened.

We creep down the hallway behind the guard station. Emergency lights flicker, strobing the corridor in snapshots of weirdness.

Flash. Body on the floor.

Flash. Smear of blood.

Flash. Heap of clothing, soaked with green sludge.

I wish the freakin’ light would either stay on or go dark. Vertigo pulses with every disco blink.

Diamond lets out a cautionary rumble, and I pull up my gun, ready to fire. A woman covered in angry boils slumps on the floor, back against the wall. She reaches out blindly, hands grasping air.

My first-aid kit’s in my pack, but I’m not ready to take my finger off the trigger guard; Diamond’s hackles are still up. The woman’s mouth opens and tainted saliva gushes out. Looks like pond scum.

I don’t think my emergency band-aids will do you much good, lady.

She jerks toward my voice, moaning. Spit froths on her lips. Several of her boils burst, popping like firecrackers, loud enough I can hear them over my thundering heartbeat. Syrupy goop, smelling of burnt licorice, oozes from the sores. Her body cants sideways and her shoulder hits the floor.

Nothing I can do will help her now. Maybe we’ll find a miracle cure in the lab. Diamond and I hug the far side of the hallway, avoiding her still-seeking arms. The thick fluids pooling around her body seem to throb in time with the emergency lights, and the cloying odor intensifies as we pass.

I’m not sure what we’ve gotten ourselves into, but I sure hope this bug isn’t airborne. Our combat armor should protect us from physical contaminants, but it doesn’t do anything to block out the stink.

We come to a junction. I remember the blueprints and hang a left. The bulb in this hallway’s dim, but at least it’s not blinking. Unfortunately, the path is blocked by a mass of writhing bodies.

All naked–explains the abandoned clothes back there–dotted with throbbing cysts. Many have already ruptured, leaving curdled trails of emerald slime. I stare, fascinated. The people are fusing together; everywhere the goo touches, their skin melds. Limbs, feet, heads, all merging into one giant blob.

Diamond paws the floor. One of the faces snaps up, focusing its attention on her. We back away. A distorted jaw juts out, leering. It trembles, and a body begins to emerge from the fused clump of flesh, first a shoulder, then a torso. Straining to reach us, it makes a squelching slurp and tears free–an arm, two legs.

The legs don’t match.

My stomach turns. The newly assembled monster stumbles and lurches at Diamond.

I shoot it in the head. It stops, but doesn’t fall, so I pop it again, center mass, where a heart and lungs should be. It totters for a split second before collapsing.

Diamond whines; the rest of the entangled mound of creatures squirms toward us. Maybe the gunfire got its–their?–attention. They stretch and heave, inching closer. Unnatural liquids gurgle and flesh splits as they rip themselves apart, rubbery appendages groping relentlessly in Diamond’s direction.

I flip the toggle on my MTAR to full auto and spray the clusterfuck. No way in hell those abominations are gonna get sticky with my pup. I let up on the trigger and watch for movement, then give them another blast, just to be sure.

I guess a full magazine was enough to do the job, which is good because, damn, that’s a scary pile of monsters. But now the hallway’s coated in weird-colored gore. Not gonna risk going through that mess. Doesn’t matter, though. According to the map, all hallways lead to the inner lab, where the research stuff should be stored.

And Chase. Can’t forget him, the handsome, charming scientist. My ex.

Don’t call me a mercenary. Those guys are pricks.

The electronic lock is toast and the lab door won’t open. Something’s wedged it shut. I kick it, hard, but that only hurts my foot.

“Chase? Are you in there?” Hope he’s not glued to the mishmash back in the hallway.

Diamond watches my back while I pound on the reinforced steel.

“Lana? Is that you?”

“Yeah, and I wanna see if you still turn me on.” Damn it.

“Are you infected?”

“I can still talk, can’t I?” Of course I can. It’s my biggest problem.

The door cracks open. He squints at me.

“Why’d they send you?”

“No one else’d take the job.” True story.

Diamond and I squeeze through the door and shove it closed again.

“Did you bring a platoon of Marines to save me?” Chase demands.

I spread my arms. “Just us.”

He groans.

Not as charming as I remember.

“If you’re all they sent,” he says, “they’re going to nuke the whole island, aren’t they?”

“Probably. I figure we’ve got another hour before the bombing starts.”

“No, no, no, it’s too valuable,” he mutters, already ignoring me.

Feels like old times.

His motions are jerky. He grabs a backpack and shoves miniature computer drives and scraps of paper into it.

Definitely not a turn-on anymore. Looks like hell, all bug-eyed and twitchy. Kinda soft around the edges.

He stops and glares at me.

Stinks, too.

“Still the motor-mouthed bitch.”

Oops. “I didn’t mean–”

“Yeah, you did. You’ve always been an asshole. The piece of shrapnel just makes it more obvious.”

That hurts. Gotta admit it. A muffled thud from the hallway preempts my snarky response. Diamond snarls, low and intense. The warning tone sends goosebumps up my spine.

“Chase, what happened to those people?”

He shrugs. “Sample got out. Spread a lot faster than I expected.”

“Sample? The research I’m supposed to retrieve?”

“Thought you were here to rescue me.”

“Yeah, but boss-man said you’re low priority. ‘Get the research,’ he said. ‘Grab the scientist, too, if you can.’ That’s what he said.”

“God, I hate the military,” Chase spits.

I have to agree, at least a little. CO didn’t mention the rest of the research staff. Guess the woman in the hall is zero-priority in his book. I call bullshit on that–I’ll save whoever I can.

“Is there a cure, or an antidote?”

“Why?” he asks, backing away from me. “Did you get any of the transfer medium on you?”

“You mean the green goo? No. But maybe some of the others are still alive.”

He goes back to rifling through the science junk on his desk. “I only make the contagions. Cures are someone else’s department.”

Seriously? “So you’re a full-on mad scientist now?”

“I prefer bioweapon engineer.”

I stare at him. Has he always been this cold-hearted?

Diamond barks, two short yips. That’s a yes.

Chase rolls his eyes and I realize I’ve spoken out loud again. He glares at Diamond.

“Bitch.”

“You talking to me or the dog?”

“What do you think?” He shoulders past me, opening a biohazard safe. Polished steel containers crowd the shelf. They look like those expensive vacuum insulated tumbler thingies. He yanks one out.

“You keep your weaponized slime in a fancy coffee cup?”

He sneers and shoves the container into the backpack. “I can’t believe they sent a brain damaged mercenary to rescue me.”

That’s ‘value-priced consultant’ to you, jerkface. Diamond snarls, exposing her fangs.

“Can you both shut up?” His hands shake.

Wait. Faster than he expected? How did the sample get out?

“A test,” he answers. “Proof of concept for the buyer.”

“You infected those people on purpose? So you can sell that stuff?”

He laughs. “You weren’t very smart, even before the shrapnel.” He zips his pack and turns.

Something’s wrong with his face.

Diamond’s growl modulates into a high-pitched howl–her extreme danger signal. Almost too late, I realize why: Chase is infected. I didn’t see it before. Hard to miss now.

I raise my MTAR. A smudge of emerald gel shimmers on the edge of the safe behind him. “Don’t move.”

He gapes at me, incredulous. “Put the gun down, Lana.”

I shake my head. “You must’ve gotten sloppy with your death jelly.”

“How dare you?” He frowns and scratches at a freshly blossoming pustule on his right cheek. His fingers drip green. “No!”

Diamond moves into a defensive position, guarding me. Chase stares dumbly at his stained hand. He raises frightened eyes to mine.

“Lana, help me.”

My gun barrel wavers. Diamond barks, short and sharp, warning him to stay back, reminding me to follow protocol. Chase reaches out to me.

“Please–” His voice devolves into a mewl. Sanity, whatever’s left of it, drains from his eyes. His face morphs, cheeks melting in a slurry of jade-colored paste. Pus drips from his scalp. He screams and launches himself at me, and for the first time in my professional career, I freeze.

But Diamond doesn’t.

She meets him mid-air, bashing into him with her shoulder. She ricochets off his body, crashing to the floor a few feet from where he lands. Teeth bared, she’s up in an instant, but he’s already charging toward her, crablike, faster than I’ve ever seen him move.

Diamond! Don’t bite him!

I don’t know if I’ve screamed or if she’s read my mind, but she keeps her mouth off him. We slide into a familiar rhythm of charge and retreat, strike and evade. She dodges, giving me a clear shot. I squeeze the trigger. Chase’s head explodes.

Clabbered wet tissue splatters across his desk. Ears ringing, I inch closer and nudge the slack body, but it doesn’t move. His entire head is gone. I doubt anything could survive that, but I give him a double tap, two to the chest, to be safe. Then I drop the gun and rush to Diamond.

You stupid dog. Did the goo splash you? I run my hands over her armor, up and down her legs, check her mouth and her teeth. After examining her doggie armpits for the second time, my panic dissipates. She’s okay; the K-9 gear did its job. She nuzzles my face, and I realize she’s cleaning up my tears. I wrap my arms around her, trembling. Good girl.

I call for evac and wait for the thump of chopper blades to split the air.

On a normal mission, I’d feel rotten about failing to bring my target home alive. This time, not so much. I drag a clean duffel behind me. It’s filled with Chase’s notes and computer drives, but not the bio sample. I left that crap behind for the bombs to take care of.

The chopper circles. I flash my light, three quick blinks, and it lands.

“Look, Diamond, it’s the yummy pilot.”

She woofs and thumps her tail.

“Oh, you approve of this one?”

She barks twice; that’s a yes.

“Okay then, let’s go give him a lick.”

Combat Search & Rescue Consultant Lana McGee specializes in the retrieval of personnel and property from high-risk environments. McGee is assisted by a Hero-Class German Shepherd named Diamond. McGee has recently raised her consultation fees, and now charges a premium for any “mad scientist bullshit.”

Myna Chang writes flash and short stories. Her work has been featured in Daily Science Fiction, The Copperfield Review, Defenestration, and Dead Housekeeping, among others. Find her @MynaChang or read more at mynachang.com.

Luke Spooner, a.k.a. ‘Carrion House,’ currently lives and works in the South of England. Having recently graduated from the University of Portsmouth with a first class degree, he is now a full time illustrator for just about any project that piques his interest. Despite regular forays into children’s books and fairy tales, his true love lies in anything macabre, melancholy, or dark in nature and essence. He believes that the job of putting someone else’s words into a visual form, to accompany and support their text, is a massive responsibility, as well as being something he truly treasures. You can visit his web site at www.carrionhouse.com.

Fiction: Disinhibited was originally published on Mad Scientist Journal

#Genetic Engineering #Lana McGee #Luke Spooner #Myna Chang #Virology

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humansunshineao3 · 6 years

Text

Fighting the Good Fight [Ch. 13]

Alec Lightwood just wants to run his Institute in peace.

This is the story that could’ve unfolded if Jace didn’t exist.

Rating: Mature

Pairings: Magnus/Alec, Clary/Izzy

Tags: Jace doesn’t exist, transgender alec lightwood, retelling of the TV show, Internalized Transphobia, Panic Attacks, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fluff, Lightwood Siblings Feels, Izzy and Alec are parabatai, Family Dynamics, Homophobia, top surgery, Trigger warnings in chapter notes, in depth trigger warnings

AUTHOR’S NOTES

Anxiety/fear: Simon has to come face to face with Camille, who obviously killed him. Additionally, Magnus is very anxious around Camille, and it’s clear that he bears some emotional scars from his time with her. Clary sort of switches off from anxiety in the last section of the chapter because of the fight with Valentine and his shadowhunters. Alec also experiences some anxiety, but is distracted from it by Magnus.

Violence: Camille lashes out at Raphael and knocks him unconscious. Alec beats the ever loving shit out of Hodge, which is immensely satisfying. There’s a fight scene towards the end that has some mild gore including tongues being bitten out and achilles tendons being severed, but none of our heroes get injured too badly, so all is well. There’s some violence between Izzy and Valentine as well, but nothing too severe.

Emotional abuse: Camille employs several tactics to break Magnus down, including body shaming, belittling his feelings, gaslighting and slut shaming him. Magnus is upset by it but not devastated. Camille also tries to tear Alec down but he shrugs it off. Valentine tries to get inside Clary’s head by insinuating that they’re the same kind of person, while simultaneously insulting her ability by referencing Ragnor and Simon’s death.

Sexual Assault: Camille kisses Magnus against his will, and pierces his lip with her fangs. Magnus is almost immediately reassured by Alec after this happens.

References to racism: Alec and Magnus talk about how shitty the shadowhunters used to be in centuries gone past. It’s canon-typical but it’s there.

Sexual tension: Nothing happens but Magnus and Alec have a Moment™ in the third to last scene.

Previous Chapter

Episode 13: Morning Star

Raj had been walking around the city for hours. He’d been on worse missions, but there was nothing as mind-numbingly boring as wandering aimlessly around a ten block radius looking for a fugitive. This morning he’d spotted this deli that made his mouth water every time he passed it, the smell of sourdough and cured meat making his stomach rumble. He’d promised himself a break at 1pm, and when he just happened to walk past the deli at 12.53, he shrugged and decided it was close enough.

The last hour of his patrol he’d been considering what he’d order, so he already had ‘pesto ciabatta with salami and prosciutto’ on the tip of his tongue, but then he saw this huge crusty loaf come fresh out onto the display shelf and he had to start from square one all over again. As he weighed his options, he glanced out the window.

His eyes met the pale blue ones of Hodge Starkweather, who was standing looking in through the window.

Hodge ran for it, and Raj grunted, abandoning his place in the queue as he stumbled out the door to sprint after the traitor. “Fuck you, man! Fuck you!” Raj shouted, activating his speed rune.

As Hodge skidded around a corner, Raj pulled out his phone to call Alec, stopping in his tracks as he turned the corner after Hodge and found himself standing in a dead end. Raj groaned, letting his head tip back as Alec answered the phone.

“Report?” Alec asked, and Raj sighed.

“I saw Hodge. He was headed west, nearing the park. I almost had him, but he disappeared in a dead-end alley. Guessing he infiltrated a mundane’s home and got out the back.” Raj explained, running his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Lightwood. I fucked it.”

Alec sighed. “It’s alright, you did all you could. I’m calling in the wolves to help us,there’s no way we can track him through the city with the manpower we have. Get up on the roof and see if you can find him, keep me updated. Well done spotting him, at least we have a lead now.”

“Just doing my job.” Raj answered, and after a brief goodbye, hung up. He kicked the wall next to him, embarrassment making him want to scream. First Hodge uses his sexuality, which he’d stupidly revealed on a night out to the Hunter’s Moon, as a way to con his way past Alec, and now he just let him slip away through his fingers. He wouldn’t be surprised if Alec sent him back to the academy for this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Alright, everyone. Here’s what we’re going to do.” Alec raised his voice to get everyone’s attention, standing at the front of the ops centre with his hands behind his back. “Raj spotted Hodge just east of the park, heading west. We could try and predict where he’s going, but Hodge is clever, he was most likely taking a route to throw Raj off. I’m going to liase with Luke Garroway of the New York pack, he’s promised us the help of the wolves. Lydia, I want you to stay here and triangulate communication. I need to know of any new developments, I’ll instruct everyone to report to you every half hour, it’ll be in your discretion to keep everyone updated. Anyone doesn’t report back, send back-up to check on them. Everyone else, I want you out on the streets, checking big empty spaces in the city. If Valentine’s creating an army he’s not gonna be hiding in a downtown loft. Everybody understand?”

There was a hum of affirmation among the shadowhunters, and Alec nodded, dismissing them.

“I’m going to take Clary to the Hotel DuMort to retrieve the Book of the White,” Izzy took Alec aside the moment the attention was off him, “Camille has it. Simon’s promised us an audience with Raphael to get it back from her.”

“Don’t bother reporting to Lydia, just keep me updated. Magnus is creating portals to get our people out faster, I’m sure he won’t mind making one for you and Clary.” Alec told her, heading towards the door. “I’ll see you later.”

“Be careful, Alec. Hodge is dangerous.” Izzy insisted, and Alec shrugged.

“Always am.”

“Did he okay us going to the Hotel DuMort?” Clary asked, appearing at Izzy’s elbow. She had daggers strapped to her thighs and a seraph blade in her hand, and if they weren’t in the middle of a crisis, it might have distracted Izzy.

“I don’t think he even registered what I was asking, honestly, but he did, yeah. Let’s go. Is Simon in good standing with Raphael?” Izzy grabbed a wooden stake to put in her hip holster, she and Clary falling into step together as they made their way towards the entrance.

Clary shrugged sheepishly. “I’m assuming so; in all the excitement I haven’t been able to talk to him much. He sounded happy enough on the phone, though.”

Magnus was standing next to a portal that was bigger than average, monitoring the shadowhunters passing through it. He’d cast a flexible portal rather than a one-destination one; it meant less magic consumption, and he had a feeling he’d need to call on his magic a lot more before the day was done.

“How are you holding up?” Clary asked him as they approached, and he shrugged.

“I’m the High Warlock of Brooklyn. I’m fine.”

“Do you think you can keep it up long enough for us to use it?” Izzy checked.

Magnus held out his arm towards the portal, inviting them through just as the last shadowhunter hopped through to their assigned area. “You’re the last ones I need to transport.”

“Thank you, Magnus,” Clary smiled at him, tugging Izzy through the portal and staggering on her feet a little as they came out the other side, right on the doorstep of the Hotel DuMort. Simon and Raphael were waiting just inside the door, out of the reach of the sun. Simon rushed forward to hug Clary once the door was shut, his face turned carefully away from her skin. Raphael and Izzy nodded at each other in greeting.

“So you want me to let Camille go?” Raphael drawled, leading them up to a reception room. The windows were all boarded up with bricks, and it was decorated so lavishly that Clary couldn’t help but wonder if all downworlders were filthy rich. It reminded Isabelle of the tombs of the Pharaohs of Egypt, full of wonderful things but without that life-giving touch of sunlight.

In the vampires’ case, she supposed, it would be the opposite of life-giving.

“We need to know where she hid the Book of the White,” Izzy explained, remaining standing as Raphael sat down on a hard-looking leather sofa. “No doubt she’ll want something in return for it.”

“She’ll want her freedom,” Raphael insisted, “there’s no way she’ll accept anything less. And I can’t afford to give that to her.”

“She kills mundanes, Isabelle,” Simon reminded her, “people will die if we let her go.”

Clary put her hands on her hips. “Can we trick her? Make her think we’re going to let her go and then recapture her?”

“It took a hundred vampires to subdue her the last time,” Raphael pointed out.

“We need the Book of the White to wake up my Mom.” Clary explained, pushing her hair back from her face. “She knows Valentine better than anyone, she can help us defeat him.”

“Or she’ll just run away again and leave you all to deal with it.” Raphael replied coolly.

Simon shook his head. “Jocelyn would do anything to protect Clary. That’s the only reason why she ran before. Now Clary’s involved in the fight, she’d never abandon it. She was like my Mom, too. She’s a good woman.” He insisted.

“Can we at least talk to Camille? Maybe we can offer her a plea bargain with the Clave?” Izzy suggested.

Raphael pursed his lips, considering it. “You can speak to her. But I will not allow her to leave these walls. Not until the Clave arrests her and takes her away.”

Clary and Izzy looked at each other for a long moment. Simon glanced at Raphael, who was watching a silent communication pass between the two women. Suspicion rose in him, and he raised his chin.

“Alright, let’s do that.” Izzy answered, “we agree to your terms.”

Camille’s casket was so thickly covered in chains that Izzy couldn’t tell where they begun. Raphael pulled a string out from under his shirt, revealing a key that had been hanging around his neck. Clary and Izzy watched as he bent down to grasp the padlock that hung down underneath the table the casket was sitting on, and with a flick of his wrist it fell away. He and Simon moved the chains slowly off the ivory coffin, letting them drop to the ground at their feet.

“If she makes a move to escape, do I have your permission to stake her, Raphael?” Izzy asked, her fingers wrapping around the stake at her hip.

“I’m way ahead of you,” he admitted wryly, pulling a stake out of his back pocket.

“Are you ready, Simon?” Clary asked, rubbing his back.

Simon looked paler than usual, and that was saying something. “The last time I saw her was when she killed me,” he said quietly, straightening his spine. “I’m ready.”

Raphael and Clary opened the coffin, and Izzy readied herself as the lid lifted up to reveal Simon’s sire. She’d never seen a vampire at rest before, and she was surprised to note that Camille didn’t look as dead as Izzy had expected her to. She wasn’t breathing but there was colour in her cheeks, and it was only when Izzy noticed the IV drip in her arm, attached to a blood bag strung up next to the coffin, that she understood why.

“Keep your guard up,” Raphael urged, his eyes fixed on Camille’s still body, “she can probably hear us, she’s waiting for an opening.”

“Let her wait forever,” Simon muttered, “I’m never relaxing around her.”

Camille’s eyes snapped open, smirking when she saw Izzy raise her stake threateningly. “My, my, my, what on Earth do we have here?” She drawled, her dark eyes looking at each of them in turn. “Have you brought me some angel-flavoured snacks, my little caramel?”

“They’re not snacks,” Simon snapped, his voice trembling despite himself, “and I wouldn’t bring you anything!”

“Tell us where you hid the Book of the White.” Clary demanded.

“The what?”

“Don’t act smart. The only reason this coffin is open is because the shadowhunters need something from you.” Raphael insisted. “The second we deem you useless, you get chained right back up again.”

“It’s a warlock spellbook,” Izzy explained, “Ragnor Fell gave it to you.”

Camille’s eyes lit up, and she started to sit up slowly. “It’s only taken him a hundred years to notice it was gone, he must be taking his vitamins.”

“We need it for my mother,” Clary raised her chin, “to help stop Valentine.”

“Valentine? My goodness, you really do need me.” Camille laughed, pushing her hair over her shoulder. “Well, we’ve got no time to lose, then. Step aside, Raphael, there’s a good boy.”

“Oh, you’re not going anywhere,” Raphael chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re going to tell them where the damned book is or I’m going to let Isabelle here stake you through the heart. It would save us all a lot of time and energy.”

“Are you really going to let them kill me? I made you. I’m your sire.” Camille said to Simon, her eyebrows furrowed.

Simon put his hands on his hips. “You say sire, I say murderer. You can rot in hell, Camille. I bet you don’t even remember my name.”

Camille pressed her lips together, and Clary clenched her jaw.

“You really don’t remember? You’re sick.” She spat. “Tell us where the book is!”

“What, so you can just put me back in this box?” Camille shook her head. “No. What you’re going to do is, you’re going to let me go and I’m going to lead you to the book. Otherwise no deal. If you kill me, you’ll never find it. I promise you that.”

Izzy bit her lip, considering their options. If they let Camille go, it would be difficult for the Clave to recapture her, but not impossible. They’d wake Jocelyn and save countless mundanes and downworlders from Valentine’s plans. If they left Camille here, they’d have to find a way to get to Valentine without Jocelyn, which would make everything a lot more difficult. Thousands of downworlders and dozens of mundanes could die.

“We have to,” Izzy murmured, making eye contact with Clary.

“You are not taking her.” Raphael warned them, his fangs dropping.

“What choice do we have?” Simon asked miserably, “we need to wake Jocelyn. Alec will catch her. We know he will.”

“She’s too dangerous,” Raphael insisted, grasping the coffin and beginning to close it.

Camille rolled her eyes, and moved as quick as a flash, diving at Raphael and ramming him into the wall behind him, his head knocking into the brick. He slumped to the floor as she let him go, unconscious. Straightening up, she flipped her long hair over her shoulder and flashed the others a smirk. “Let’s go.”

“Is he alright?!” Simon asked, his eyes wide. Camille grabbed his wrist, dragging him towards the door.

“He’ll be fine,” Camille shrugged, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Clary and Izzy were following. “And I’ll need one more thing from you, my little caramel.”

Simon blanched. “What?”

“I need a written agreement that you asked me to turn you,” she explained. “That way I can go free to start again, far far away, without the Clave yapping at my heels.”

“No way, that’s too far. Simon isn’t signing anything.” Clary growled, catching up to them. “You killed him, he isn’t giving you a damned thing.”

“If you don’t, I’m not helping you find the book.” Camille warned. Simon swallowed hard, and nodded.

“You don’t have to do that, Simon,” Izzy insisted, but Simon wrenched his hand out of Camille’s grasp, falling into step next to her.

“Yes I do. Jocelyn’s like a Mom to me too, Iz. I’ll do anything to save her.”

“Excellent!” Camille purred, “I know just the warlock to draw it up.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It hadn’t taken too long for Luke’s pack to locate Hodge. They cornered him near the docks in just over an hour, keeping him pinned down, quite literally, until Alec was able to reach the scene. Hodge looked pale with terror, on his back underneath a shifted werewolf, and Alec felt a twist of satisfaction to look at it.

“He doesn’t have the mortal cup. He must have already given it to Valentine. Maia, let him up.” Luke ordered as Alec neared them, and the beta wolf growled in Hodge’s face before reluctantly getting off him, padding over to stand next to Luke as Alec yanked Hodge to his feet.

“Thank the angel you’re here,” Hodge muttered breathlessly, gripping onto Alec’s jacket with wide eyes. “The Clave are trying to frame me, because of Raj-”

Alec punched him in the nose, flooring him in an instant. He didn’t even feel the anger, he just fell to his knees and rained down punches on Hodge’s face and chest, and it was only when Luke rushed forwards to grab him did he realise he was shouting, roaring in anger. As Luke pulled him up, the beta wolf, Maia, tilted her head to the side, and bared her teeth like she was smiling.

“Alec, we need him. Get a hold of yourself.” Luke reminded him, though he patted Alec on the shoulder.

Hodge didn’t move a muscle, totally unconscious, and Alec sniffed, wiping his hands on his trousers.

“He got past me, Luke. Just ‘cause he said he was gay. And then he has the nerve-”

“I get it. I get it better than most.” Luke soothed, squeezing his arm. “Valentine was my parabatai, I understand betrayal and I understand the drive for revenge.. Just sit down for a minute. He’s not going anywhere.”

Alec nodded, lowering himself to the ground with shaky knees. “You’re right. You’re right.” He turned his face away from Hodge’s prone form, looking out over the water.

“You stay here, alright? I’ll deal with this.” Luke promised, backing away from him, and Alec frowned.

“What are you talking about? I’m not going to just sit here while you take him back to the institute; they wouldn’t let you in, for starters.”

He glanced over at Luke to see him dragging a barely conscious Hodge to his feet, slapping him a few times to wake him up. As Alec moved to get up to help, Maia and another wolf rounded on him, Maia putting a warning paw on his chest.

“This is between me and Valentine, Alec. It’ll take too long to interrogate Hodge, I have to go after Valentine now before he creates a rogue army. We don’t have time. I’m sorry, Alec.” Luke said, pulling Hodge away. Alec growled under his breath, looking up into the faces of the two wolves holding him there.

“You’ll need backup!” Alec shouted, but Luke didn’t look back. He sighed and let Maia push him back down to sit. “You know, I could arrest the two of you for interfering with Clave business.”

Maia huffed, and Alec pressed his lips together.

“I’m just saying I COULD.”

The two wolves looked at each other for a moment, and then back at Alec.

“Can I at least use my phone?”

Maia took her paw off Alec’s chest and sat next to him on the curb. Alec glanced at the other wolf, who looked a little more antsy, but who turned their head when Alec slowly pulled his phone from his pocket.

“Hey, Iz, where are you?” Alec asked as she answered the phone, crossing one ankle over the other.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Alec’s gonna meet us at Magnus’.” Izzy told the others, tucking her phone back into her pocket. “He’s got a couple of wolves tailing him. Luke took Hodge and went after Valentine himself.”

“They have unfinished business,” Clary nodded, glad that Luke was in control of the situation. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Alec to do his job, but she knew Luke’s stake in this was more personal than anyone’s. He wouldn’t let Valentine go again, not this time.

“Shadowhunter drama is exhausting,” Camille sighed. “Don’t you ever just take vacations?”

Clary, Izzy and Simon glared at her, and she shrugged. The door of Magnus’ loft opened before Simon could knock, Magnus standing in the hallway looking pensive.

“What do you want?” He asked, his uneasy eyes on Camille, who just smiled sweetly at him.

“Magnus, you look just as lovely as I remember. A little heavier, perhaps, but…”

“What do you want?” Magnus repeated, closing his robe a little tighter.

“She wants a contract saying Simon asked to be turned.” Izzy answered, giving Camille a little shove into Magnus’ loft. “She won’t give us the Book of the White without it.”

Camille and Magnus were looking at each other like they were having a silent conversation, and Simon felt uncomfortable just watching them. He was terrified of Camille and he’d only been on the receiving end of her manipulations for a couple of weeks. He couldn’t imagine how Magnus was feeling at that moment. Clary and Izzy sheathed their weapons, satisfied that Raphael hadn’t managed to follow them.

“I’m going to go and wait for Alec outside, check the wolves aren’t giving him too much grief.” Izzy murmured, glancing at her phone.

“Simon, can I talk to you for a minute?” Clary tugged Simon out to the balcony, leaving Magnus and Camille alone.

“How long has it been, hmm? One hundred? One hundred and fifty years?” Camille asked, reaching up to run her fingers across Magnus’ cheek. He flinched away from it, and led her into the apothecary.

“One hundred and thirty eight,” Magnus answered, lifting his chin. “And oddly, I haven’t missed you at all.”

Camille glanced around the room, laughing lightly. “Of course you have, my love.”

“I thought I was done with you.” Magnus muttered, reaching for a piece of parchment.

“We’ll never be done with each other, you and I.” Camille purred, perching on the desk next to him.

“Oh, I put you in my past years ago. That is never going to change.”

Camille leaned closer to him, giving him a whiff of that same perfume that she used to wear all those years ago. “Don’t be like that. We had so much fun together. Besides, it’s petty to hold grudges.”

“You may have had fun picking me apart piece by piece, but it’s not one of the highlights of that century for me, let’s just put it that way.” Magnus snapped, contorting his fingers over the parchment, making the contract appear on the sheet.

“You’ve always been sensitive.” Camille sighed, trailing her fingers down his arm, “that must have been why I left you, I can barely remember.”

Magnus hated himself for letting that sting, but he couldn’t help it. How could she not remember the show of strength, decades overdue, when he finally left her? When he finally packed his bags and told her that he was done? How could she have forgotten?

“Oh, yes. Now I recall.” Camille mused, shaking her head with a smile. “You were upset by my dalliance with that short-lived Russian. Always with the monogamy unless it was you in the middle, hmm?”

“That’s not why I left and you know it.” Magnus replied coldly, his eyes on the parchment. “I feel nothing for you or for anything that happened between us. Gave that up over a century ago.”

Camille smiled. “You see? I was right. Love is fleeting.”

“And yet true love cannot die,” Magnus shot back. He regretted it as soon as he let it escape his lips, and with a glance at Camille he knew that she had figured it out.

“Oh, my darling. Have you fooled yourself thinking you’ve fallen in love… Again?”

Magnus clenched his jaw, finishing up the writ with a flick of his wrist. “That is none of your concern.”

“True love may not die,” Camille smirked, “but people can.”

“If only you’d do us all a favour and prove that yourself-”

“So touchy.” Camille cooed, stroking his chest. “So I’m right. Two hundred years later and you’re still as naive as the day I met you. It’s almost endearing. But we both know what lurks underneath this pretty shell, Magnus. What kind of darkness hides in your heart. You wouldn’t know what to do with a true lover if you found them.”

Magnus pursed his lips, snatching up the writ from his desk. “You know nothing about me.”

“Oh… Oh, Magnus, my love.” Camille tutted. Her red manicured nails wrapped around his cravat. “I know everything about you. Including…” She sniffed the air delicately. “Oh, darling. You stupid, beautiful boy.” She laughed, grasping his chin with her free hand. “A shadowhunter. You’ve given your heart to a shadowhunter.”

“He’s everything that you are not.” Magnus snarled, his eyes gleaming amber.

Camille flashed him her teeth, and tugged him in for a kiss, the sharp edge of her fangs catching his lip and making him gasp. She hummed into it, and Magnus shoved her back, wiping at the swell of blood on his mouth. He felt a little sick at the satisfaction on her face, the hunger in her eyes at the taste of his blood, and he turned his face away from her to see Alec standing in the doorway.

For a moment, Magnus and Alec just stared at each other, Magnus’ heart going cold in his chest. Camille must have smelled Alec and Izzy coming, must have timed it just for this. Alec turned his attention to Camille and glared at her, rolling his eyes when she smiled sweetly at him.

“You certainly have a type, don’t you, darling? Brunette, tall… A little… Sassy. He’s cute.” She drawled, looking Alec up and down. “Too bad it won’t last.”

Izzy’s face was cold with anger, and Magnus shrank away from the Lightwood siblings, shame crawling through his veins. “Say that again,” she warned, her eyes intent on Camille, “and you won’t last.”

Alec snorted, and walked past the vampire, going to Magnus’ side. “You alright?”

“She pounced on me, I didn’t-”

“I know, it’s okay. Exes can be a lot, huh?” He murmured, and Magnus smiled, sucking his lower lip into his mouth to soothe the sting lingering from Camille’s fangs.

“A lot.” Magnus agreed, the tightness in his chest easing a little. “Now, Camille, we’ve fulfilled our end of the bargain. Where’s the Book of the White?”

Simon and Clary wandered in, the two of them looking a little less depressed after checking in with each other. “Yeah, I’ll sign your stupid contract once you tell us where the book is.”

Camille rolled her head on her neck, pulling a hairpin from her head and walking over to Simon. “Sign first, book later.” She pressed, and Simon looked to Alec for advice.

“Just do it, she’s not getting out of here with all five of us ready to kill her.” Alec shrugged, and Camille smirked at him over her shoulder, pricking Simon’s finger with the hairpin and making him yelp.

“Oh, that explains it. You’re a murderer. Magnus never liked virtue in his lovers.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Clary snapped.

Alec didn’t bother to grace her with a response. He knew her type, he’d been bullied throughout his time at the academy in Alicante. He’d been called a lot worse than a murderer.

“Where do I sign?” Simon sighed, holding out his bleeding finger with a grimace on his face. Magnus took his shoulder and showed him, handing him a quill to make it easier. The moment Simon finished writing the ‘s’ of Lewis, Camille snatched it from the desk and rolled it up, tucking it into her dress.

“Excellent.” She purred, cupping Simon’s chin. “Now we’re both free to live our lives without fear of the Clave.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Alec sing-songed, tangling his hands together behind his back. “I’m still the head of the institute, and if I get a whiff of you in New York after today I will send my entire staff after you.”

Camille glanced at Magnus, who looked nervous, and tilted her head to the side. “Then I suppose we’d better hurry, hmm? The sun will be up in a couple of hours.” She looked at Clary, adjusting her dress. “The book is at my apartment in Manhattan.”

“I’ll drive,” Simon volunteered, and everyone looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. It took him a moment, but he smiled when he remembered, “portals exist.”

Magnus chuckled and turned towards the wall to cast them a portal. “Still the same place?” He guessed, not looking at Camille.

“Of course, darling. I’m a creature of habit.”

Izzy scoffed, and put her hands on her hips.

The room was tense and silent as Magnus finished creating the portal, everyone except Camille looking serious and withdrawn. They were so close to retrieving the Book of the White and waking up Jocelyn. Izzy and Clary went through the portal first to keep Camille from running away, followed by Camille and Simon, and finally Magnus and Alec. Alec reached out to grasp Magnus’ sleeve as they stepped through the magic gateway, and Magnus twisted his wrist to take his hand, squeezing his fingers gently.

“I’m fairly sure it’s in the drawing room, but it could be in the library. It’s been a long time.” Camille sighed, gesturing at the walls of books around them. “Better get looking.”

“Are you kidding me?! You don’t even know where it is?” Izzy demanded, shaking her head. “This is not a fair deal!”

Clary was walking towards Camille to give her a good punch again when her phone rang, her heart leaping into her throat as she saw Luke’s name flashing on the screen. “Luke? Did you get him?”

“No, there were too many of them. Still got Hodge, though.” Luke panted, “He’s heading for you, kid, you have to get out of there. He knows you’re trying to wake Jocelyn.”

“We can’t leave, we have to find the book.” Clary insisted. “We have to wake up Mom.”

“Clary-”

Clary hung up the phone, and turned to the others. “We haven’t got time to deal with Camille, we have to find that book now. Valentine’s on his way.”

“We’ll check the library, there’s more books there.” Magnus suggested, gesturing with his head for Alec and Simon to follow him. He was sort of familiar with Camille’s library; it hadn’t changed much since he was last here, and he’d spent a lot of time reading in here while Camille had her way with whatever mundane she’d picked to cheat on Magnus with that week.

“What does the book look like?” Alec asked. His head was tilted back a little to look up at all the shelves.

“It’s white and gold,” Magnus told them, striding over to the sliding ladder to start checking the higher shelves. “On its spine is the word ‘album’.”

“Album?” Simon repeated, “what, does it have photos in it?”

“Album means white,” Alec explained before Magnus could open his mouth. “Why is a warlock book bound in the shadowhunter colours?”

Magnus pressed his lips together, scanning the shelf in front of him, “Because originally it was meant to be a reference for shadowhunters. But Ragnor’s mother, or adopted mother, decided against granting the shadowhunters access to the spells and potions in there. The shadowhunters were too big a threat back then; the angel blood in them wasn’t as diluted and they had access to a touch of magic.”

Alec hummed, his fingers running along each shelf in turn. “I heard that. About our ancestors having magic. I don’t blame the warlocks for wanting to keep their secrets. Shadowhunters back then were savages.”

“Like Valentine?” Simon pressed tentatively, and Alec nodded.

“The only thing that kept them from totally wiping out downworlders was the fact that they enjoyed hunting them for sport.” Alec said quietly, his eyes darting up towards Magnus. “They were animals.”

“Seems Ragnor did his job of teaching this generation the truth of their lineage,” Magnus mused, his tone light to break the macabre tension in the room. “Any luck down there?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Magnus said before that the book is white and gold.” Clary explained, “most of these books are brown or black, so it should be easy.”

Izzy nodded and went to the opposite side of the room. Camille had scarpered the moment Magnus left the room, and neither Izzy or Clary made a move to stop her. They’d get her another time. “What’s the plan for when Valentine shows up?”

“No idea,” Clary admitted, “but we can’t let him get this book.”

“Alright,” Izzy chuckled, shaking her head as her eyes swept along the shelves closest to the door, “I guess that’s worked for us up until now.”

“I got it!” Clary yelped, plucking the Book of the White off the wall. “This is it! Look, it has the Latin for white on the side, this must be it!”

Izzy turned to cross the room to see, but ran into a solid chest. With a glance up, she saw it was Valentine, but before she could flick out her whip, his seraph dagger was pressed to her throat. One of his new shadowhunters grabbed Clary, and to Izzy’s dismay, Alec, Magnus and Simon were marched in too, all held like her with blades to their necks.

“Well done, Clarissa. You came so close.” Valentine sneered, yanking Izzy around to face Clary by her hair. “You’ve done well. Assembled a little army, figured out the problems that arose. You did lose one soldier,” Valentine smirked at Magnus, who clenched his jaw, “and of course, you let a dangerous vampire run free, but… You are promising.”

“What do you want, Valentine?” Clary spat, meeting Magnus’ eyes, who tilted his head just a little, as if to say ‘keep him talking.’

Valentine pulled Izzy along with him as he walked over to Clary. “That’s very simple. I want you by my side, helping me lead our army. It is your birthright, after all.”

“She’s not interested!” Simon insisted, making Valentine turn to look at him, Izzy hissing in pain as the dagger dug into her skin.

“Oh, yes, I forgot about you. You really should have kept a better eye on your little mundane friend, Clarissa. Letting him get turned into a filthy vampire. Should’ve let him die, he would have been better off.” Valentine mused. “Ah, well, there’s always a chance to right our wrongs.” He nodded at the shadowhunter who was holding Simon. “Kill him.”

The shadowhunter holding Magnus, next to Simon, collapsed to the ground, and Magnus burst free from his arms, sending a shockwave from his body and knocking everyone in the room to the ground. Alec had his seraph blade out before he even hit the floor, and lunged back up to his feet before the shadowhunter that had been holding him, cutting his achilles tendon and incapacitating him. The shadowhunter that had been holding Simon was quicker than his friend, and bore down on Simon. Alec only just reached him in time to block his killing blow, and the two of them started exchanging swings of a sword, Alec putting his back to Simon to protect him.

“Simon, run to the institute and bring backup,” Alec ordered, glancing over at the others between blows.

Izzy was trying to get Valentine’s blade from his hand, but he had years of experience on her. Clary was standing over a dead shadowhunter looking shell-shocked, and Magnus was on his hands and knees, gasping for breath. Izzy cried out, and Alec’s stomach lurched to see Valentine grab her, abandoning his fight with the shadowhunter to run towards them.

“Wake your mother, Clarissa. Soon we’ll all be together again,” Valentine smiled, smashing a portal stone into the ground and dragging Izzy with him.

“No!” Alec screamed, sprinting for the portal, but Magnus caught his ankle and sent him flying. “Magnus, let me go!”

“If you go through that portal,” Magnus panted, squeezing his eyes shut as it closed, “you’ll be lost. You don’t know where it was coming out, you’d have been stuck in limbo.”

Clary screamed in rage as the last shadowhunter, the one that had been fighting Alec, went for Magnus, and stabbed him through the stomach. The moment he hit the ground, Clary dropped her seraph blade, hands shaking. Magnus heaved himself up off the ground, and pulled her into a hug.

“It’s alright, Biscuit,” he told her, “you had to.”

Clary stared at Alec over his shoulder, and Alec stared back, both pairs of eyes empty and lost.

Izzy was gone.

Alec got up silently, stepping past Magnus’ offer of a hug and walking over to the shadowhunter he’d incapacitated, dragging him to his feet. “Where did they go?” He demanded, but the shadowhunter said nothing, opening his mouth in a bloody grin. His tongue fell out and onto the floor, and Alec dropped him, recoiling. He’d bitten out his own tongue. He looked over at Magnus, who looked grim but unsurprised.

“We’ll find her, Alexander. I promise.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luke was waiting for them back at the institute, his clothes torn and blood-spattered. “Werewolf healing, I’m fine,” he assured Clary as she checked him over for signs of injury, “Hodge is in custody.”

Alec walked right past the two of them once he’d handed the mute shadowhunter over to Raj, going up to Lydia. “Have you sent a team to the docks?”

“Yes. We think that Valentine has access to a cargo vessel. He’s gone over water to avoid our tracking.” She explained. “I’m so sorry, Alec.”

“Izzy’s fine,” he replied, “she’s unharmed, she’s just trapped. If he planned to kill her he would have done it already.” Alec was trying to convince himself more than anyone else, forcing himself to think rationally so the panic clawing up his throat wouldn’t overwhelm him. Magnus came up behind him, and took his elbow gently.

“You need to get out of your binder, Alexander,” he reminded him, and Alec nodded, letting Magnus lead him to his room. Magnus hesitated in the door when they got there, but Alec pulled him inside.

“Stay?” Alec asked, “just for a while?”

“Of course.” Magnus answered, “do you want me to turn around while you-”

Alec pulled his shirt over his head, quirking his eyebrow at Magnus. “Do you want to turn around?”

“I…” Magnus’ mouth open and closed a few times. “Alec, I…”

“How about I turn around?” Alec suggested, sucking his lower lip into his mouth before turning his back to Magnus and peeling off his binder, his toned muscles bunching and relaxing as he lifted his arms. Magnus swallowed hard as Alec reached for his sports bra. “You doing okay back there?”

“I’m great.” Magnus insisted, wringing his hands together as Alec wriggled into his clothes. “I’m, uh, I’m sorry that you had to see me kiss Camille. I didn’t want to.”

Alec turned back around, settling his shirt back over his hips. “Anyone with eyes could see that you didn’t want it. It’s fine. She seems… Well, I don’t like to use the word insane, but…”

“Something is definitely off in that twisted little brain,” Magnus agreed.

“She was right about one thing, though. This won’t last. At least, not for you.” Alec sighed, walking over to his dresser and picking up the framed picture of he and Izzy that sat there. He looked at it hard for a moment. “My whole life will go by in a flash for you. What’ll happen when-”

“Alexander,” Magnus said softly, putting his hand on Alec’s waist. “I may be the High Warlock of Brooklyn, but even I can’t tell the future. We’ve only just met. Who knows what’s going to happen between us in the weeks and months to come, hmm?” He stroked Alec’s back soothingly. “Besides, right now we need to focus on Izzy.”

“I don’t know where to start,” Alec confessed, putting the picture down. “I have no idea what to do. It feels like I’m staring at a brick wall.”

“Well, we can start by waking Jocelyn. She might have a better idea about what Valentine’s plans are than we do. And now he’s made himself an army of shadowhunters…”

“There’s no telling what his endgame is,” Alec finished. Magnus was right. Jocelyn could provide insight into what Valentine was up to, and if they could just get ahead of him, there was a chance of them getting Izzy back. No doubt Izzy was doing her best to escape too; Alec had faith, deep down, that she was strong enough to come through this. Still, Alec hated the thought of her all alone, surrounded by Valentine and his army of new shadowhunters. “Let’s go.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clary sat in the infirmary with her mother and Luke, staring at Jocelyn’s sleeping face. Her mind was totally blank, as blank as the look on her face, as she saw the lifeless bodies of the shadowhunters she’d killed, over and over again. There was an awareness in her that she should feel something. But she just… Didn’t.

“What happened back there, Clary?” Luke asked softly, touching her shoulder. “Come on, kid, talk to me. I’m here.”

“I’m alright,” Clary answered, tearing her eyes from Jocelyn’s face to look up at him. “We just have to wake up Mom so we can get Izzy back.”

Saying her name hurt, and Clary was somewhat relieved to know she could still feel something.

She should have been quicker; if she hadn’t been so absorbed in that dead shadowhunter, she could have helped. She could have stopped Valentine from grabbing Izzy. Maybe Valentine would have been just another dead body slumped at her feet. Maybe Izzy would be sitting there next to her, squeezing her hand. But she’d hesitated, and now Izzy was gone.

“Biscuit?”

Clary looked up at the sound of Magnus’ voice, but she couldn’t quite summon a smile. “We’re ready,” she told him, giving he and Alec space beside Jocelyn’s body.

Magnus nodded and opened the book, flicking through the pages deftly. He swept his hand over Jocelyn’s body, and frowned when his magic fizzled. “Must still be a little low from the fight,” he muttered, glancing at Alec. “I don’t suppose you could…”

Alec offered him his hand, but Magnus tilted his head a little, a small smile on his face. “What?”

“A kiss would be more efficient.” Magnus told him, and Alec snorted through a reluctant smile, leaning in to press his lips to Magnus’.

“When did this happen?” Luke muttered to Clary, who smiled weakly at him.

Magnus hummed into the kiss, feeling Alec’s energy fizzle through his veins, and pulled away. “Thank you, Alexander.”

“You are very welcome,” Alec murmured, eyes warm.

“Luke, put your arms under her ready to catch, or she’ll fall.” Magnus instructed, waving his hand over Jocelyn once more and nodding when it took, the blue-silver magic crackling in the air. He said the incantation, his magic rumbling and sinking into Jocelyn’s skin in thunderous bursts, and after the third burst, the green energy surrounding her dissipated, and she tumbled gently into Luke’s arms.

“Mom?” Clary stepped forward, and Magnus tugged Alec back to give the family of three a little space.

Jocelyn’s eyes fluttered open, and she smiled to see Luke holding her. “Oh. It’s you.”

“Yeah, it’s me.” Luke’s eyes filled with relieved tears, and he lifted her slightly, cradling her close to his chest. She kissed his cheek gently, resting her forehead on his temple.

“Mom?” Clary repeated as Luke let Jocelyn down. As Jocelyn turned to look, Clary fell into her arms, burying her face in her mother’s shoulder. “You’re alright.”

“And so are you,” Jocelyn sighed, clutching her close. “Oh, Clary, I am so…” She noticed the runes on Clary’s arms, and pulled back. “You’re…”

“A shadowhunter. Yeah.” Clary nodded, squeezing her hands.

“A pretty good one, too.” Alec supplied.

Jocelyn looked between Alec and Clary, and then to Magnus and Luke. “How long was I asleep?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Izzy was thrown careening onto the deck the moment that the portal closed behind them, barely catching herself. She turned over to see Valentine standing over her, three shadowhunters jogging over to them. Not one of them was familiar to Izzy, and her heart sank. Valentine really had created an army.

“Take her to the cells.” Valentine ordered, smirking at Izzy as she was dragged to her feet. “You’re lucky that you look like your mother, Miss Lightwood.”

Izzy spat in his face. “Traitor.”

“You’ve got her fire as well,” Valentine chuckled, wiping his face. “How nice. Take her away.”

“You don’t have to listen to him,” Izzy insisted, digging in her heels as the three shadowhunters pulled her below deck, “he’s not what you think!”

Valentine turned to watch the sunrise, leaning on the railing in front of him. “A new day begins,” he muttered, raising his chin.

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