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bratshaws · 2 years

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goodness gracious 1. brb x oc

THIS FIC IS 18+ ONLY! MINORS PLS DNI!

a/n: * pulls up megaphone * Rooster was raised right by his mom and doesn't care about body types. The lack of plus size fics made me upset so I literally returned to Tumblr to create this blog and write this. This is the first time I'm writing for this fandom so... I HO PE YOU GUYS LIKE IT??? its been centuries SINCE I WROTE aNYTHING ( also god im not creative with titles, please forgive me )

check out the fic's playlist made by the sweet @wiipes !!

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20/21/22/23/24/

25/26/27/28/29/30/31/32/33/34/35/36/37/38/39/40/41/42/43/44

45/46/47/48/49/50/51/52/53/54/55/56/57/58/59/60/61/62/63/64

65/66/67/68/69/70/71/72/73/74/75/76/77/78/79/80/81/82/83/84

85/86/87/88/89/90/91/92/93/94/95/96/97/98/99/100/101/102

warnings: mentions of bullying, self doubt, aNGST, mutual pining, Rooster being a sweetheart.

“Hello!” Beatrice calls once she enters Hard Deck by the employee’s entrance, popping out her airpods to slide them inside her bag shoulder, “I’m not late, am I?” she calls to Penny who’s currently fixing the tables ahead of her.

“No, you are just on time!” she calls, her voice a bit muffled since Bea put her bag inside the little closet area for employees. She checked her appearance before going out on the mirror hanging on the wooden wall, pulling her dark brown hair up in a bun and fixing her Led Zeppelin shirt, wiping the dust off her jeans before finally walking out. Once she gets out, Penny is turning the lights on in the back area of the bar that leads to the beach.

Meanwhile Beatrice grabs one of the bags of ice, carrying it to the ice machine behind the bar, plopping the cold cubes down the container, crumpling the plastic bag once it was empty to toss in the recycler. “I’m here, babes!” a voice calls, then a blonde head of hair shows up, “Hope you two didn’t do everything with me gone!”

“Just waiting for your presence,Michelle!” Penny calls, looking over her shoulder to press a kiss to her niece’s cheek, when she hugs her “Hi, honey, Bea is already here.”

“Bumblebea!” Bea smiles when the blonde comes over to the employees closet as well, removing her denim jacket to expose the low cut red tank top and jeans. “Need help?” Bea nods, pointing to the other bags of ice in the corner, “Friday night, tonight will be a long night huh?”

“Sure will.” Bea noted, the two of them dumping the rest of the ice “How was your date though? With the policeman?” the brunette asked, chuckling when the blonde girl rolled her eyes with a sigh.

“I swear, police officers are the clingiest guys.” Shells said, grabbing the empty bags from Bea’s hand to shove down the recycler, “He didn’t want to leave! I kept saying, ‘hey i gotta go to work,’ and he asked where I worked and I told him he didn’t need to worry about that.”

The two of them then marched to the storage room area where Shells grabbed a box of handkerchiefs. “Then he said ‘oh it’s not a problem, I can take you’ and–and! Then he said ‘I like you a lot.’ Like!! We’ve only hooked up twice!...” she shakes her head, “I just told him it’d be better if we didn’t contact each other anymore and it was fun while it lasted.”

“He accepted that?”

“Course not, called me a bitch all the way out, I think I saw tears in his eyes before he left.” Shells shrugs, waiting on Bea to grab the recycled straws from the upper shelf, then turns off the light once her friend walks out “I swear, I’ll give up on Tinder like you did. It’s insane!”

Bea chuckles, opening the bag of straws to put them inside a glass, “I mean, you know my sister found her husband on Tinder.”

“Um, yeah, but he’s a handsome doctor from London with the body of a god and deep bronze skin. He’s like a beautiful statue!”

“I shouldn’t have never shown you their wedding picture.” Bea laughs, shaking her head with amusement. “and to think I just wanted to show you how pretty the location was.” the two of them looked at the clock, seeing they had little time before the bar opened for the public, so they had to finish everything up quickly.

Once they did and the bar opened, it exploded with people, the voices getting louder the more people entered. Music floated on the air, much to Bea’s delight as she hummed to herself with the songs.

To think, just a few months ago she was looking for a job to help her with the bills and if it wasn’t for Shells and Penny, she’d never get it.

Beatrice is from a tight, traditional Italian family. While they are progressive in certain areas, most of her family doesn’t think women…should do much. If they have a job it should be a useful job, like banking or something like that, not Liberal arts. Which was what she always wanted to do, being a creative person since she was a child, she just wanted to work with what she liked.

But being the youngest of six siblings, the literal baby that had to stay home while her older siblings went out to live their lives out of state or even out of the country she had very little control in certain choices. Maybe it was the empty nest syndrome, with all her siblings gone from the house, her parents only had herself to… take care of in a way. It took years for her to actually go to her choice in college,juggling between work and long study hours, choosing to leave her job once she had enough money saved up to help herself once she got her place.

During college was when she met Michelle, or Shells, who took her to the Hard Deck a few times. It was distant from her job and her parents’ house and Beatrice loved it. She loved the atmosphere, she felt welcome by Penny and even if this was a Naval bar she didn’t feel like she was intruding in some way.

When Shells mentioned they needed one more person at the bar, Bea said yes immediately. Her parents weren’t happy with her choice, but they couldn’t stop her, especially since her own siblings supported it. So now she was here, working, happy, focusing on how she’d continue her career as an artist.

The bell rang, drinks were served, people were dancing. It was a nice night so far. Bea was washing one of the glasses when she heard a cacophony of voices that she heard a few times and her body heats up. She couldn’t help but just stare at him, he stood out of his group like a beautiful floral patterned thumb. With her eyes following him until they all sat down on their usual spot, Bea couldn’t help but bite her lower lip, feeling her cheeks warm up even more when he laughed at something.

“Ohhhhh, cock-a-doodle-doo huh?” Shells’ teasing voice snapped her out of her staring, Bea’s green eyes wide as saucers, seeing her friend’s teasing grin, “How long until you finally make a move?”

“I…I don’t know what you mean.” she continued washing the same glass, the squeaking sound of the sponge rubbing against it giving her some of a distraction.

“Bea, please,” Shells took the glass from her hand, then tilted her head, “You look at that man like he hangs up the moon every time he comes by.” but her friend then turned to the opposite side, focusing on checking the liquor bottles. Shells sighed, coming to her friend’s side and crossing her arms, the brunette trying too hard to keep her eyes on the label.

“This is a 1975, right?”

“Bea.”

“I can’t really see, the label is a bit faded–” the bottle disappears from her hand, Beatrice snapping her gaze to Shells, who holds the liquor under her crossed arms, her eyebrows going up to her hairline. Beatrice sighs defeatedly, “I…I don’t know what you want me to say.” she shrugs “He’s so…” she groans, covering her face with her hands, “He’s so…so hot,Shells. and he sings! and-and he’s funny and…he’s everything I’ve always wanted in a guy.”

“One more reason to go to him.” Shells whispers, “He’s single and handsome. You are single and gorgeous.” the blonde held her fingers up in a V position, before joining the two with a kissing sound, “Perfect match.”

Bea frowned, “It’s not that simple.” she murmured “I…I mean…look at me Shells.” she spread her arms to emphasize. But her friend just frowned, “Oh come on, like…look at me I’m not the type of girl who gets guys like that.”

She was a curvy gal, always had been. Normally, she wouldn’t mind it, but when it comes to guys, more especially when it comes to Rooster she just lost a good amount of confidence. He was literally adonis personified, just the most beautiful man she had ever seen. and she felt less than pretty when she remembered the type of girls that surrounded him or worked with him.

“You know that’s not true.” Shells said with her voice low, a kind smile on her face, “You have as much chance as any girl out there.” Bea however scoffed, “You gotta believe in yourself Bea. You are gorgeous, any guy would be lucky to have you.”

The brunette’s eyes stung with unshed tears, the same eyes she clenched shut in hopes to hold them in. Memories of past relationships flooding her brain, bringing memories she wished to forget “Can we not talk about this anymore?” Shells is about to say something else but a customer calls for a refill, which Bea thanks every powerful being for, slapping on a smiling mask, “Coming right up!”

Shells only watches her friend go to the opposite side to serve one of the guys there, laughing when he says something to her - clearly drunk - before walking away. Shells’ stare broke when she heard the bell ring, turning on to face the person.

She immediately smiled wider, “Hi Bob.”

She likes Bob, she thought he not only was sweet he was also so smart. He knew he had a hard time with the group, especially Jake, but he was getting there. She leaned on her elbows, giving him a sweet smile, “What can I get you?”

The way his cheeks flushed and his eyes tried to look anywhere but the cleavage she put on display was so cute, “Oh, uh, just more beer?”

“Sure! Should I put it in your tab?”

“Yes,please.”

Shells went to the fridge to grab the beers, then paused, sending a look to where Beatrice was currently talking to two female customers. She then looked over her shoulder to Bob, who smiled at her, then past Bob to where his group was…a devilish thought showed up in her brain, “Why don’t you wait with the others? I’ll bring it to you.”

“Oh, okay! I’ll be there then.”

With the beers on top of a tray, she sent one last look to her friend who was still busy, then sped her step maneuvering through the crowd until she reached them. “There you go, more fuel for the pilots.” she teased, making them laugh while switching the empty bottles with the full ones, throwing some quick looks to her brunette friend, “So,” she rested the empty tray on her hip, “What else can I get you?”

“Your number would be nice, sweetheart.” Jake was quick to say, sending her a wink with the bottle to his lips.

Shells chuckled, “I meant something achievable,Hangman.”

“I think we are all fine.” Phoenix says, “Thanks Shells.”

“Hey, not a problem. Oh, just letting you guys know, I’ll go on a break in a few minutes so if you guys need anything else, you can ask Bea.” She kept an eye on everyone, but especially Rooster. The way his eyes just snapped to her friend made her insides flip in triumph, the little smirk on her face hidden by her biting the inside her cheek, “She’ll gladly serve you.”

Rooster’s eyes finally left the brunette at the bar counter, meeting Shell’s knowing blue gaze only to clear his throat and look away again, “Well” she drawled, walking backwards, sending them a salute, “Enjoy the night!”

The moment Shells approached the bar, she ran to her aunt, whispering something in her ear. Both Penny and Shells looked in Beatrice’s direction, who was leaning down to pick something behind the bar, unaware of the scheming happening behind her back.

Once the time came for Shells to have her break, Penny kept an eye on Beatrice. It took just a few seconds for a known pilot to approach the bar, the bell rang and Beatrice turned around with a wide smile, a smile that faltered for a quick second before returning - albeit a lot milder than before - “Hi!” her voice was higher, so she cleared her throat, “Um,hi.”

“Hey.” Rooster replied, leaning his elbows over the counter, which made Bea suck in a hard breath once she saw the curve of his pecs underneath the white tank top, “Can you believe I came here to get more beer? Just three this time though.”

She couldn’t help but huff out a chuckle, covering her mouth with her hands then “Well, it is a bar.” she adds, “I would be surprised if you came here for groceries.”

When he laughed at her joke she almost felt like fainting, biting her lower lip hard with her head dipped, “I-I’ll go get it.” practically power walking towards the freezer where she stood for a few minutes, letting the cool air hit her cheeks as she tried to calm herself. She shook her head for a quick moment, grabbing the beers between her fingers and turning back around, almost letting out a yelp of surprise to see he was still looking at her “There you go.”

“Thanks.” but he didn’t leave, pointing his index finger at her “Bea, right?” she nods with a small smile, “It’s weird, I’ve seen you for a while and never got your name.”

Maybe because she chickened out every time he seemed to want something, ending up telling Shells to do it, “Oh, well,” she only gave him a weak shrug, then felt like her arms were too exposed, quickly lacing her hands behind her back to hide them the best she could, “I haven’t been here long.”

He hummed, a tiny smile on his face, “I’m Rooster.”

“I know,” she blinks when his eyebrows raise in amusement, “I-I mean, I heard Penny and Shells talking about you and heard your name being called around.” her face was so warm she felt like she was boiling. She hoped the light above her head hid her blush from his view. “I…is there anything else I can get you?”

“I don’t think so, no.” he looks back at his friends, seeing they are still chatting amongst each other. Then his eyes travel to the splotches of ink on her upper arms, the parts that weren’t hidden behind her. However before he could ask her about them, she snaps her head ahead when she sees someone on the table lifting their glass.

‘Sorry I–” she moves her own finger over his shoulder, “I gotta go get this.”

“Oh, oh no no, yeah, go ahead.” he smiled and her knees almost buckled just like that, “I’ll go back then.”

“Okay.”

They stood there for a bit longer, until Rooster shook his head, picking the beers with one of his hands “I’l see you around then,Bea.” he smiles then turns on his heel back to the other pilots. Bea just stood there, face flaming and eyes wide, then she cleared her throat walking out from behind the bar to the table.

Penny, who watched the entire ordeal, just smiled, sending Shells a quick text once no one was looking:

“It’s on.”

#bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x oc #top gun maverick #boy am i down bad #like woof man #bradley bradshaw x reader #ill go freak out now ha h

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socially-awkward-skeleton · 1 month

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All Along the Watchtower (Chapter 14)

[Can also be read on AO3]

Pairing: Captain John Price x Fem!OC (3rd person POV)

Word count: 3.5 K

Warnings: Minors DNI - canon typical violence, swearing, smoking, military inaccuracies

Summary: The intrepid duo head to the Syrian base controlled by Zorokov's PMC, and a full-scale invasion occurs

A/N: Rory Sinclair is a dual citizen (both Canada and the UK) who's been living in the UK since she was 14. She is 28 at the time of this fic, Price is 32. This series is set in 2017 before the events of the first MW game. Rory's thoughts are bold and italicized, other italics are used for emphasis

*I have struggled with this chapter for a while now, it's not perfect but it had to get done so I could make the ship finally sail for these two. (Only 4 chapters left after this) Throwing this chapter at the wall and running*

November 2, 2017 14:52 - Al-Hasakah, Syria

Helicopter shadows stretched across the arid sand, massed together, flying in formation. Rory could practically hear the Ride of the Valkyries playing in her head as the forces of the US Marines and SAS all rained down upon the outskirts of one city near the border of Turkey and right in the path of Iran’s slowly growing power in the region. However, this was in no way a move to stop the encroaching involvement of a foreign government, this was a controlled, confined operation against the hired goons owned by Zorokov and ISIS forces, with one clear directive – wipe them off the map completely .

As the approach began, the nose of each helo pointed down towards the compound in the distance, the doors opened on each side and ropes dropped, soldiers rappelling into the coming battle and armed to the teeth. At the door of one such helicopter, the wind whipping through her hair, rocking side to side with the turbulence, Rory looked down through her aviators at the mass of golden sand and the gray smattering of rocks that passed below. Her cigarette clenched between her teeth, smoke coiling up past her cheek, holding the mesh beside the door for stability as she stood by Price – his boonie hat looking as though it wanted to fly off his head any moment – and listened intently as he gave his orders.

“We’ll be at the X in three. Gonna fight our way through to the designated area f’ the nest. Expect heavy resistance. Ground troops will take care of clearin’ us a path and keepin’ enemies distracted. Stay on me, yeah?”

Nodding at his orders, she mused, “Feels just like the good old days.”

“Gettin’ sentimental about the job already, Sinclair?”

“I’ll be the first to admit, sometimes a good fight’s in order.” She tossed her nearly spent cigarette butt out of the helicopter and watched as it fell to the ground below, fading out of view that farther it got. “This is my bread and butter. Nothing quite like it to get the adrenaline pumping,” she stated, checking the rope tied into her harness by tugging on it.

His gloved hand came to her shoulder, resting there. “Lookin’ forward to seein’ you in action again, Lamb .”

A half grin curled at her lips with the use of her call sign. “I was wondering when that was going to come out.”

Meeting her with a smirk, he tipped his head towards the open exit of the helicopter. “Go on, sweetheart. I’ll meet you on the ground.”

Giving him a little salute, she jumped out of the helicopter door, rappelling down the rope into the flurry of gunfire that had kicked off down below. The wind whipping through her hair, she forgot just how terrifying yet freeing this all felt, having to rely on training and her team to get out alive. A shiver crawled down her spine as the adrenaline started to spill throughout her body. Sniper rifle strapped to her back, assault rifle in her hands, she found cover below and waited for Price before making her next move.

In the distance, heavy tanks began to roll out from the compound, treads cutting through sand as mortar shells went off, and even from this far away, vibrations still traveled up her legs and made her pulse quicken. She was in the thick of it. There was no turning back.

The radio crackled with chatter from other units, heavy fire and casualties were already being called in as artillery fire continued and black smoke started to rise into the sky – their forces were powerful, but not unstoppable.

As Price descended, Rory picked off the insurgents that started to move in. Even with an assault rifle she had the same precision as with her sniper scope, and with just a few quick shots, bodies dropped and rolled down the sandy dunes. Boots hitting the ground running, Price was quick to reach her side behind cover. All hints of the humor he had had with her before were gone. This was the hardened Captain at her side, ruthless and determined, the man who had no fear about getting his hands dirty to get the job done. “Let’s push up, stick close,” his voice a husky whisper as if he were saving it for the real heat when he would start barking orders.

Following in his wake, Rory kept hunched behind the burnt-out ruins of armored vehicles. Picking off those who popped out of hiding like the targets on the training ground, she never wasted a shot, every one had to count.

The sound of incoming tanks grew steadily, the loud metal clink and then boom of artillery being loaded and fired increasing. Missiles sailed towards their targets from the helicopters above. Pockets of sand blown sky high. This was never going to be any walk in the park, but it did remind her just how close she walked with death at any given time while out in the field and on the front lines. In the grand scheme she had gotten away with little damage in her time as a soldier, a few bullet wounds, some scars from shrapnel, but nothing life threatening nor career altering – at a moment’s notice that could all change however.

A muffled yell caught Price’s attention and he stopped, his eyes narrowing until realization hit and he was shoving Rory backwards to the ground with him.

“ RPG! Incoming! ”

Hitting the ground, the force of the blast wave shook through her chest, the plate metal weight crushing down onto her ribs. Ears ringing, head spinning, nausea spilled over as her inner ear was left trying to find its point of balance. Sand in her eyes began to sting as they watered and she tried to blink the debris out. With a groan she rolled onto her side and watched as the Captain was the first to get back up to his feet, dusting himself off.

His piercing stare focused on Rory still laying on the ground. “You broken?” He asked, head tilted, concern painted on his features.

She couldn’t quite make out the words, his voice muffled in her ears like she was swimming underwater, the same odd droning it had been during that ride back to the safehouse after her fight for survival with Zorokov. Her head fuzzy like it was stuffed with cotton, Rory looked at him stupefied.

“Sergeant, you broken?” Speaking in a rough bark as he moved closer, Price held out his hand for her to take.

His brusque tone clearing the daze from her head, she gave her head a shake and dragged her hand down her face, wiping the sand off that clung to her. Fighting to get her bearings once more, her vision still somewhat blurred, she looked up at him trying not to appear quite so foggy. “No.”

His grip on her hand was powerful, a forceful pull to drag her back up to her feet. An appraising glare swept over her as he chose to decide for himself whether she was actually telling the truth. “Good.”

She nodded and grabbed her weapon from the ground, her first few steps were a stumble until her center of gravity was restored, but her boots marched on.

Fighting their way through the abandoned town that led to the outpost, Price led her towards a branch away from the middle of the ongoing battle around them. A shelled-out husk of a mosque would provide ample coverage of the warzone, a bird’s eye view of the entirety of their surroundings, and that was to be her sniper’s nest.

“Take overwatch up top there,” Price said pointing to the roof of the building.

“Affirm. “I’ve got your six out there, just keep your head on a swivel, eh?”

“You bet your arse I will. Give ‘em hell, Lamb.”

Splitting off, she raced down the emptied street, and entered through the blown out doors of the mosque. Climbing up through the rubble to reach the sun that came through the weapon-made skylight above her, beams of golden light caused the dust and dirt around her to glow as it drifted through the air. Careful with each placement of her hands and feet, she made her way to the top, given no time to appreciate the view before she was setting up her rifle and laying on her belly amidst the debris from a previous attack upon this part of the city, overlooking the entire warzone that led up to the outpost.

Rory watched through her scope, keeping her eye on the action and the many enemies that still scattered the area. There was no shortage of targets for her to set her sights on, but rather than just pick off every one she could see, her focus remained on the Captain and keeping him protected as he moved forward, taking out the threats that remained unseen from his vantage point, but not from hers. She had promised to watch his back, she wouldn’t fail in that duty, she wanted to shield him all the same.

As he moved through the hordes they had come to fight, she realized upon closer inspection that there was something about the way Price moved – it was entirely predatory. Danger lurked in those steely eyes, unknowable, impenetrable, and buried below all the control he aimed to enforce upon himself (and everyone else for that matter). Slipping for just a moment in the heat of battle, something feral growled up to the surface as he tore through the enemy like they barely existed at all. A fury that lay dormant until such a time as violence was required, when a threat deserved his attention. Quick and dirty, sharp and biting. Whether with his guns or the knife he carried, if he set out to end a life he surely would. Her chest tightened just at the thought, like if her heart beat any harder it might explode inside her – a ticking time bomb.

Rubbing at her eyes, she jammed her thumb and forefinger into her tear ducts until phosphenes danced across her vision, pretending as though she were fighting the glare of the sun shining into them – but that didn’t explain the coiling knot in her abdomen or the shortness of breath she suddenly felt. Definitely a leftover daze from the bomb… Now was not the time or the place – she knew better than that.

Lighting a cigarette to settle herself, she let it dangle from her lips as she scanned the derelict cityscape, recognizing a squad of enemy soldiers headed in Price’s direction. Eleven targets . Lining up her aim, accounting for wind speed and direction, as if just the feel of it over her skin gave her all the answers – an instinctive art – Rory took out each one in rapid succession with one shot through the head. Efficiency is what she had come to be known for in her time as a sniper. Bullets tore through the air, the concussive force of them crumpling bodies like ragdolls as the back of their skulls were ripped open, spraying those next in line for death in blood and brain matter. Easy picking .

The radio crackled, and Price’s voice was deep and rich over the broadcast, congratulating her. “ Good shit. ”

There was an undeniable pride in his voice. A man all too willing to shower her in praise. If she had her scope trained on him she was sure she would see the blush on his cheeks, overcome by a fluster from her skills and acumen in this situation.

“Couldn’t have done better yourself?” she teased.

“ There’s no goddamn way I'm admitting to that. Keep it up, Sinclair .”

She chuckled quietly and kept scanning the environment for enemies as Price moved ever closer with the rest of the forces, clearing out enemy troops on their way towards attacking the outpost. From her place in the nest, she could see it all: buildings slowly cleared by squads, the streets emptied of tanks and armored vehicles as bombs rained down from the air support above, fires spreading, the heat building, the way the sun glinted off the scraps of metal and rebar that dangled off the destroyed buildings… and off the scope aimed out a top window near the Captain’s location. Quick to warn him, she called out the threat’s position over the radio. “Captain, you have a sniper above you. 10 o’clock.”

Cover fire sprayed from his weapon and from the soldiers that had collected on his position, a squad of marines having been slowly picked off earlier by the threat she had located, they hid behind the leftover remains of a wall already riddled with bullet holes.

Noting the enemy sniper’s nest, she aimed down the scope, adjusting slightly to the right, and took out the sniper and the spotter that shared a window with one bullet, as precise as a Swiss timepiece.

“ Fucking hell, Sergeant .” He gave a low whistle. “ I can see why the CIA loved having you about. Weren’t lying when it comes to being a damn good shot, were you? ”

Laughing, she picked up her cigarette from the sand and took a drag. “I certainly wouldn’t lie about something like that, Captain.”

“ Just how many confirmed kills have you got? ”

“I’ll tell you when this is over.”

After hours pushing forward at a slow crawl and with the exterior cleared, the sun had nearly begun to set and the orange hues of the sky met with the bloodstained sand at the horizon. The outpost, their objective, was all that remained in their efforts for diverting further conflict between nations in the Middle East.

A quick brief later, the invasion began. Rules of engagement: weapons free .

Ally tanks rolled out, armored vehicles with turret guns following in close proximity and the wave of soldiers that still stood - drained, but not beaten - bringing up the rear.

One foot in front of the other they marched steadily. Night vision ordered to be used.

Rory’s hand twitched and with a quick flex of her fingers, she swallowed back that feeling of deja vu. Groundhog day. Repeating the mistakes of the past, or rather, making up for them. Back in Syria, sweeping an outpost – at least this time she already knew there were ties to something less than savory. She could expect the very worst and then be surprised not to find it, if she were lucky.

Flicking down the night vision goggles, she once more delved into that world of black and white. Shades of gray, just like everything else in her career. She moved forward, following on the heels of Price as he started the charge. Gunshots sounding off, endless rounds of muzzle flare. The milieu of constant war that she had panged for at her desk in relative safety at Stirling Lines surrounded her, the jealousy that had bubbled up inside her for having been left on the sidelines now converted into hunger, a drive to see the mission complete and successful pushing her forward past the fear and doubt that holed up inside her head.

Spreading throughout the outpost, multiple small squads took it floor by floor, clearing it like a pack of wolves, swarming their prey and tearing it down to nothing at all. Put on the defensive, the enemy started to become more desperate and short sighted, fighting reflexively rather than methodically. It made them weak to interception moves and flanking, it also made them extremely dangerous the more rash they became. Explosions on other floors brought with them flashbacks to Afghanistan and Iraq, and the reminder of IEDs permeating Rory’s thoughts. That fear of entering a known weapon production site and wondering whether one would meet their demise via bomb vest detonation was a near persistent threat on a person’s mind. She held her weapon a little tighter to her and carried on moving forward, following Price who firmly held point. While the others took care of the threat, they were headed to the command center, the heart and brain of the enemy operation.

A large, metal bunker door was shut tight before them, a security panel on its side, the most high tech and hard to break protection this outpost had shown to have thus far.

“Have we got thermal imaging on how many are in there? Last thing we want is to walk into a bloody firing line,” Rory whispered as she took her spot to the side as Price set up the C4 to breach the door.

“Walls are too thick, can’t get anything accurate.”

“So we’re going in blind.”

“Welcome to the special forces, Sergeant.”

She stretched out her shoulders, twisting her neck from side to side. Stress climbing up her nerves and tensing her muscles. Combat readiness caused her nerves to jump and twitch, moving reflexively, body on high alert.

“We blow the charges to breach, then toss flashbangs, keep ‘em stunned. Then take ‘em out.”

“Two on however many. I’ll take those odds.”

Moving to a safe distance, the charges were detonated and the metal of the bulkhead door was shorn open, leaving jagged, smoking edges. With a quick toss of the first grenade, leaving the enemy in shock and disadvantaged, unaware of how much resistance they were actually up against. Rory and Price took point at opposite sides of the door, ducking in to pick off the enemy soldiers inside.

As the smoke eventually cleared and bullet fire stopped being returned, the two soldiers waited to make sure the room was entirely clear, doing a sweep of the room from the safety of their cover before entering inside.

Bodies of hired guns, PMC soldiers, lay in a haphazard mess around the room. Blood dripping from the holes bored through their kevlar, riddled with bullets. Slowly but surely, scanning the bodies, their fingers at the ready on their triggers, Price and Rory made sure there were no survivors left, ready to spring up and attack them.

On the table in the middle of the room, a laptop sat, one of the enemy corpses hunched over the keyboard, blood sprayed across the screen. Pushing the body out of the seat, letting it fall to the floor heavily, Rory wiped her arm over the screen, clearing it of the red bodily fluid and bits of viscera that had landed upon it.

Taking a seat at the chair, she managed to gain access to the laptops files, reaching the main PMC server and a database of contracts. “What are we looking for specifically?”

“Anythin’ that will leave Zorokov out in the cold, leave him without allies.”

“So Russian contracts,” she stated quickly.

“Get mother Russia involved and they’ll be happy to let us deal with ‘im.”

“Good old-fashioned blackmail.”

“Thank goodness we’ve got Kate to help get us that information quick.” Pressing on his radio, Price got in contact with Laswell. “Kate, just hit a goldmine for ya.”

Connecting to their server, Laswell began searching through the PMC’s database of contracts. Finding each and every op they had been hired for and by who, a list of shell companies attached.

“ You weren’t kidding, John. ”

There was a silence as Laswell got to work digging, finding the right knife to sever the ties that kept Zorokov safe.

“ I’m guessing you haven’t dug too deep into these contracts yet, have you? ”

“Why?” Price’s tone became severe as he stared at the screen still smeared with drops of blood.

“ One of the more recent contracts. It’s Russian .”

“Where?” he growled, all ready to take on another fight.

“ Urzikstan . Support against Al Qatala and the Liberation Force .”

Steely eyes narrowed at the info drop. “Barkov?”

“ How’d you know? ”

An almost distant look appeared in Price’s stare, memories coming forward of a time years ago when he was a Lieutenant. A war that never ended, had started long before he got there and – if the Russians had their way – would likely continue on.

“Seems as though you have history with him,” Rory said softly.

“You could say that,” he rasped.

“Urzikstan? Isn’t that where you’d been serving that first time we –”

“Yeah.” His jaw clenched. “Surprised you remember that.”

“Got a good memory for things.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, his glare darkened. “Country’s been war torn for twenty years.”

He stated it matter-of-factly, so jaded by years of war, of fighting, of being a soldier. It didn’t even seem to faze him anymore speaking in numbers like that. It was just the cold, hard facts. Blunt and brutal. There was no point in sugarcoating it when the people of those countries couldn’t turn a blind eye to it, they lived it every day.

“Jesus Christ,” she said, rubbing at her brow. “Well no wonder Russia’s been looking out for Zorokov. It’s not just the money, he’s helping the bloody war effort. Destabilization in the region.”

“ I’ll make sure this gets to the right people .”

“Thanks, Kate.”

This was it, the noose they had been looking for to tighten around Zorokov. The tourniquet to chop off the gangrenous arm. The rotten job of ending one oligarch’s reign was nearly complete. They could come home.

#call of duty #fan fiction #john price #john price x oc #oc: rory sinclair #fic: all along the watchtower #chapter 14

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ladyfogg · 11 months

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May I? - 43/52

Fic Summary: Ensign Faith Diaz struggles to hide her mental illness from her fellow shipmates aboard the Enterprise until an intrigued Data goes out of his way to try to understand her behavior. At his insistence, Faith tries to figure out what she’s truly passionate about and eventually seeks the professional help she needs. Fic Masterpost.

Fic Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Data/Female OC

Warnings: tw: depression, tw: anxiety, fluff, friends to lovers, eventual smut

Data came back to himself slowly and with disorientation. As one by one his systems came online, he became aware of the sounds around him: two voices having a conversation, though he was unable to distinguish exact words at first. There was pain throughout his body and occasionally his limbs twitched involuntarily, the aftershocks of some kind of electrical weapon, powerful enough to render him unconscious for a time.

“When…back…?”

“…hours.”

“…what of the others?”

“They were…not the delegates. No telling where they were... We have to keep moving if we want to stay ahead of the Federation.”

His processes started to catch up and bit by bit he caught more of the conversations and put the pieces together.

“Only sentient android in existence in our hands. Didn’t think he could pull it off.”

“Yeah, me neither. I know we’re supposed to wait but I want to get in there and see how this thing is constructed.”

“What about—”

“Nothing he can do about it once it happens. Hand me that toolkit.”

Data heard all he needed to hear. The moment he felt someone move in close, he reacted. Eyes flying open, he had enough time to take in two Cardassians leaning over him before he lashed out. One man went flying into the wall as Data punched him as hard as possible which, even without his usual strength, was enough to do significant damage. Certainly enough to knock him out.

The other proved more of a struggle. He seized Data from behind, locking his arms around his chest. Data threw his head back, satisfied with the sickening crack of the man’s nose breaking. He released his hold in an attempt to reach for a com panel but Data seized the back of his head and smashed it into his knee until the man lay limp on the ground.

While still somewhat disoriented, Data had processed enough to know that he was on his own. The room they had him in was small, meant for nothing other than storage and it was not until he stood still that he could feel the subtle sway of a ship, a small transport one if he had to guess. His uniform was gone, leaving him nude which only served to increase the vulnerability he felt. A quick look around produced a spare jumpsuit from a cache of emergency supplies.

Once dressed, he turned to the door, which unfortunately would not open when he tried the panel. It seemed to require a handprint so Data grabbed the arm of the nearest unconscious Cardassian and lifted it high enough to press his hand to the pad. There was a click and then the door slid open.

He found himself at the end of a short hallway, which made him pause, ears straining to hear something, anything that could give him more information.

With nowhere to go but forward, Data pressed on. Through another door lay a semi-open area that narrowed again several feet ahead. To the right, a table and chairs beside a replicator and, to the left, one more door. Hesitation tossed aside, Data went through it and came face to face with one more Cardassian.

The room, if it could be called such, held a desk with a terminal and chair, and nothing else. Data’s abductor jumped to his feet.

“What are you doing loose? And what have you done with my men?” he demanded.

“It is I who will be asking the questions.” Data reached across the terminal and yanked the man over it even as he struggled to get away. “Where are you taking me?”

“It’s no use fighting,” the man told him with a wild grin. “Whoever delivered you is long gone and they have no idea where you are. The Cardassian empire will be most pleased to have such an exquisite piece of technology in their possession.”

Data understood him to be correct. He did not have his communicator and if they were no longer on the same planet, as was clear by the ship, it would be difficult for the Enterprise to find him without assistance. However, he also knew they would not stop until they did.

“I will not cooperate,” he said. “And when the Federation learns what you have done, they will react accordingly.”

The man yanked himself out of Data’s grasp, straightening his clothes as he did. “If they learn,” he said. “Obara is far from Federation space. By the time they figure it out, it will be too late.”

“Who are you?”

“Konro. Vorbos Konro.”

Data could not imagine the person in front of him was the imposing figurehead they had thought him to be. Though his words were strong, his posture was anything but and his eyes kept darting to the door behind Data, as if waiting for someone or attempting to find a means of escape.

He would imagine someone with such extensive reach as Konro would not be flying in a small transport vessel with only, as far as Data could tell, two crewmen. Nor would he have been caught unaware.

On a hunch, he asked, “Are you the only Vorbos Konro?”

The man tilted his chin up as if attempting to make himself seem bigger than he was. “I am the current one,” he said.

“What happened to the last?”

“Vorbos Konro is a moniker, not a single person. When one leaves, someone else comes in to take their place, to use the name for whatever they need. It helps maintain the reputation and connections.”

That was what Data was afraid of. Another seemingly dead end. Another path in the wrong direction.

“I see,” he said, slowly moving around the desk. The man tried to back up but the wall was already behind him. “I have another question and I want you to think hard before you speak because my reaction will depend on your answer. Why were you highly focused on Faith? What did you want with her?”

His abductor blinked, looking confused. “Who?”

Data had a sinking sensation he associated with dread. “Faith. The young woman whose picture was in your files thousands of times, the one who was photographed with me and then alone.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Data concluded there was no reason for him to lie. “I believe you,” he said, then he lunged.

It was not much of a struggle. Konro was clearly not used to physical combat and Data overpowered him quickly, knocking him out as he had done the other two. Once the man was in a heal on the floor, Data sat at the terminal, however, it quickly became apparent he would need to find the main computer to have full access to the ship’s systems.

After storing all three Cardassians in the room he had woken in, and breaking the panel to prevent them from leaving, he went in search of the cockpit. The ship was indeed small and he found what he was looking for just beyond the small sitting area.

It was on autopilot, which suited him fine for the moment, but provided an additional dilemma. The main console was locked and Data was unfamiliar with Cardassian ships. If he had his processing power and full android technical skills he could infiltrate learn in a matter of seconds.

But he did not.

Frustration welled within and Data felt tears streaming down his cheeks. A moment later, his breathing became erratic and when it dawned on him that he was experiencing an oncoming anxiety attack, he forced himself to remember the breathing techniques he had instructed Faith in numerous times. It was infinitely harder than he imagined it to be and took several long moments to help.

You can do this, he told himself. You have to do this. There is no other option. Breathe and then think.

Data made several attempts to gain access, though they were unsuccessful. He was moments away from using some particularly colorful language he had learned from Faith when one of the buttons in front of him started to flash and beep. Not knowing what else to do, he pressed it.

The view screen lit up as Data opened the message, he found himself looking at, well, himself. Almost himself. The visage had several deep scratches across his face which showed the barest hint of flashing lights.

“Hello, brother,” Lore said with a smile. “I thought you’d be waking soon.”

Hands clenched into fists, Data’s body tightened with tension as he gazed at the image of his nefarious brother. “Lore, what have you done?” he demanded.

Lore chuckled, his grin widening. “Me? What makes you say that?”

It all made sense. Data was finally starting to see the full picture. “You were behind everything,” he accused. “Fajo’s escape and our kidnapping, the information and photos taken from the Enterprise, Konro…”

“How quickly you catch on.”

“Why?”

“Many reasons. Care to guess a few? You’re gonna be there a while, might as well get comfortable.”

His lack of a proper answer got under Data’s skin and he felt his anger grow. “Whatever your plan is, I have stopped you before and I will stop you again. The Enterprise—”

“The Enterprise isn’t even looking for you,” Lore cut him off. “Well, that’s not true. They are but in the wrong direction and for the wrong reasons.”

“You took my place.”

“Now you’re getting it. You disappoint me, brother. I thought you were smarter than this. I thought you would have already figured everything out by now. Perhaps screwing around with that human has been a distraction.”

Hearing his brother so easily diminish Data’s relationship with Faith only added fuel to the raging fire.

“Lore, whatever you are planning will not work.”

“You don’t even know what my plan is so how do you know it won’t work?”

“Faith. She will know you are not me.”

Lore’s face changed and his arrogant smirk melted into a look of annoyance. “Yes, your little girlfriend. She did put up quite the fight. She’s a lot smarter than I thought she would be. And she’s scrappy. I’ll admit, I underestimated her.”

“Unsurprising and an incredibly stupid thing for you to do.”

“Listen to you. You’re all snippy now.”

“I have learned a lot since we last saw each other. And, you should know, there is not anything I would not do for Faith. Brother or not, I will disassemble you and send the pieces into the nearest sun.”

“Wow, this relationship has changed you, brother,” Lore said, impressed. “You know, even though humans are so beneath us, I can see why you are drawn to this one. She does have a certain irresistible charm.”

Data slowly stood, leaning on the console to bring himself closer to the view screen and, by default, Lore. He caught Lore’s use of “this”. He understood what that meant.

“Where is Faith? What have you done to her?” he demanded.

Lore grinned. “Oh, don’t worry about Ms. Diaz. I am taking very good care of her. We’re going to get to know each other.”

Vision tinted red, it took every ounce of Data’s willpower to refrain from punching the view screen. “Lore, if you hurt her—”

Lore rolled his eyes and lifted his hand. “I won’t harm a curly hair on her pretty head. Scout’s honor.”

“I do not believe you.”

“Good because I’m lying.” Lore glanced off to the side for a second before looking back at Data. “Oh, it seems our sleeping beauty is waking up. I’ll tell her you said, ‘hi’. Goodbye, brother. As always, I enjoyed our little reunion.”

“Lore! LORE!” Data yelled but it did not change anything. The message ended and he was left alone in the cockpit of a ship he could not fly in a section of space he did not know.

Data was unfamiliar with the sensation of hopelessness until that moment. With all his training and knowledge, the overwhelming combination of emotions he could not control, in a situation he could not get out of, nearly sent him into another spiral. The only thing holding him together was the fact that he needed to get to Faith.

But he knew that would not be enough.

It was in that desperation that he realized what he must do.

Looking up at the ceiling, or rather towards what some would call the heavens, Data took a deep breath and said, “Q? Q, I know you are watching. You have proved your point. Please respond.”

There was a moment of silence before a voice sounded behind him, “Now, who could have predicted this would happen?”

Data turned to find Q leaning against the wall behind him, his arms crossed the typical smug expression on his ageless face.

“You knew from the beginning that it was Lore who was after us,” Data said.

“Not from the very beginning. I do have a life outside of you humans, you know. But yes, eventually I became aware.”

“Then it is your fault Lore has kidnapped Faith.”

Q looked bemused. “Come now, Data, I thought you had evolved passed the blame game. I didn’t help him. He did it all on his own.”

“But you did not stop him either. You could have told us so we would have been prepared. Instead, you decided to test me. If anything happens to Faith, it is on your conscience.”

“How dare you accuse me of having such a human thing as a conscience? You take that back!”

“I will not.”

“Really, Data, I did you a favor. I let you experience what it would be like to be mortal and how things would change if you didn’t have those android capabilities you rely so heavily on.”

“I am under no illusions that this was for my benefit.”

“Alright fine, a little bit was for my amusement but I was honestly trying to help.”

Data supposed in Q’s twisted mind, it made sense. Of course, he would think he was helping. Never mind that Data has staunchly refused, to Q, he was all-knowing and therefore was always right.

“I believe you think that you were,” he said.

“See? I knew you’d see it my way. I’ll take that apology whenever you’re ready.”

“Not until you reverse what you have done to me.”

Q raised his eyebrow and stood up straight at that. “Finally come to the realization you are better off as you are?”

“I would not say I am better or worse,” Data clarified. “Both have their advantages and disadvantages. While I will cherish the time I had with Faith living as a human, it is my android capabilities that will require me to save her. And her safety is worth more than any emotion. I will also remind you of what I said to you before: she fell in love with me as I was, therefore there is no reason to change.”

“Yes, yes, that’s all well and good and noble. But, until I hear you say that I was right—”

Data bit back a heavy sigh. “You were right.”

Q’s face lit up and he snapped his fingers. “Done.”

Everything around Data brightened and the noise of the ship increased to such a degree that he would have become overwhelmed if he had not anticipated the change. That storm of emotion diminished significantly though did not fade away. It lingered just on the precipice without overtaking him. His mind was brought back into focus and before he could lament any loss, he turned his attention back to the console.

“Thank you, Q.”

His hands and mind went to work, resulting in gaining access to the main computer within seconds.

Q patted Data on the shoulder and leaned in. “Good luck. Let’s hope your realization of your talents doesn’t come too late.”

Data paused for a fraction of a second to contemplate what he meant, however, when he turned his head to ask, Q was gone. He could not bring himself to care about the being. There were other more pressing matters to attend to.

Once in the system, Data was able to find out what sector he was in. He quickly engaged warp drive and headed back in the direction they came. Unaware of what the Enterprise’s heading was, he could only hope that they would be within range to receive subspace communication quickly.

“Enterprise, this is a message from Lieutenant Commander Data,” he recorded in a message. “I was taken from the planet by Konro and his men, while Lore was sent in my place. I have commandeered a Cardassian transport vessel and am on my way back to Obara. Please respond.”

The message was sent, and all Data could do was wait for a response.

Meanwhile, he downloaded the ship’s logs and monitored sensors to ensure he was not being tracked or followed. It was nearly two hours later when that red light started flashing again. Except this time, Data already knew who it was from.

“Captain,” he said with relief as the Enterprise appeared on the view screen. “I am grateful you were still in this system.”

“And we are grateful for some answers to your odd behavior,” Picard said. “Though, Mr. Crusher had put the pieces together right before receiving your transmission. The Enterprise is on its way to intercept. We’ll have you back within the hour.”

“Sir, Lore has Faith.”

The grave expression on the captain’s face spoke volumes. “We’re aware, Data. We are doing everything to track them. Sit tight. Picard out.”

Data was left alone with his racing thoughts. He did everything in his power to increase the speed of the ship which shaved off several minutes of travel time. Meanwhile, he mentally ran through numerous scenarios and computations, trying to think of where Lore could be headed. In an infinite universe, how can he catch an android who thought and anticipated as he did?

By the time he was beamed aboard the Enterprise, his list was astronomical.

“You will find three Cardassians in the store room of the ship,” he told Lieutenant Worf who stood by the transporter, waiting. “One is Konro, though I have learned that name is a moniker.”

“They will be taken care of,” Worf assured him, motioning for his waiting security team to handle it. “Commander Data, I must once again apologize.”

“For what, Lieutenant?”

Worf huffed, signaling his displeasure. “Yet again, I failed to take care of Lieutenant Diaz. She was taken literally from my grasp! If had been more vigilant—”

“Lieutenant,” Data interrupted. “Lore posed as me and has been planning this switch and abduction for months, possibly years. There was nothing you could do. If anything, I should have figured it out sooner.”

Worf motioned to the door and the two of them left the transporter room. “It looks like she put up quite the fight,” he explained. “From what I saw, she did not go willingly.”

“I must see our quarters,” Data said as he moved passed the lift to the Bridge. “There may be a clue as to where he has taken her.”

“We haven’t found any.”

“I may have better luck.”

Data was aware that he was supposed to report to the captain but, for once, he ignored regulation. His protective program had taken control and nothing could override it. Worf kept pace, using his com to let Picard know where they were headed.

The first thing Data noticed when they reached his floor was the wall panel across from his door had been broken, glass littering the floor. His keen eye picked up small drops of blood amount the rubble.

Lore did not bleed, but Faith did.

Geordi and Beverly were already in Data’s quarters. The former was scanning every inch with his tricorder while the latter had Spot in her arms, giving her a full examination.

“Data!” Geordi exclaimed when he saw him. “I’m so sorry. We didn’t know it was Lore.”

“As I told Lieutenant Worf, there is no need to apologize.” Data crossed towards Beverly with concern. “Is Spot injured?”

“No, she’s okay. Just a little ruffled,” Beverly said, handing the feline over to her owner. “She was a little dazed when I got here but quickly came around. I found some synthetic material on her nails. Looks like she knew what we didn’t.”

Data cradled his cat, grateful she was unharmed. “Thank you for trying to stop Lore,” he said, earning a light head-butt from Spot. After which she jumped out of his arms and made a beeline for the closet. He let her hide as he turned to his crew mates. “Have you found anything?”

“Traces of Faith’s blood in the hall on that panel and floor,” Beverly said, putting her tricorder into her pocket. “But it’s small. She’s injured, most likely with a concussion judging by what Worf saw. I don’t know if Lore hurt her in another way.”

“I do not believe he has,” Data said. “He spoke to me while I was on the ship and made a comment about getting to know her. I do not think injuring her on purpose is his goal.”

“Otherwise he would have done so as soon as they were alone,” Geordi supplied as he examined the remains of Data’s coffee table. “None of her blood is here so not sure what happened to the table.”

Worf spoke up. “When I saw them, she was a few seconds ahead of him out the door, meaning she broke free of his hold,” he said. “I have been training Faith over the last few days. She must have used his weight against him, thrown herself backward to knock him off balance. It was a technique we had tried once or twice.”

“Backwards, onto the coffee table,” Geordi said, mostly to himself as he constructed the fight in his mind. “He lets go so she scrambles away, manages to call for security, but he’s too fast.”

“Not fast enough,” Beverly picked up. “He wasn’t anticipating Spot. She attacks and scratches him, giving Faith a few seconds head start.”

“She gets into the hall but he grabs her again, they smash into the panel,” Worf finished. “And he transports them away.”

“Which must mean he had a ship nearby,” Data pointed out. “One that could avoid the sensors. He is familiar enough with our systems to know how to surpass them and given the cloaking technology Fajo had, Lore may have it as well.”

“We might still be able to track it now that I have all the spec information on that type of cloaking, but none of that means anything if we can’t even figure out what direction they’re going,” Geordi said.

“And, we also have to assume he has Faith sedated somehow,” Beverly suggested. “So she won’t be able to break free and try to get away again.”

Data felt a nudge on his leg and he looked down to find Spot head-butting him. He found her behavior strange considering her affinity for hiding when other people were in the room. She wound her way through his legs, looking up at him with her wide eyes.

“Now is not the time to play, Spot,” Data said, gently shooing her away. He turned back to his friends. “As well as I know Lore, I do not know the reach of his deceptions or resources. He has had much time to—”

A loud drawn-out meow interrupted him, followed by a nip at Geordi’s ankle.

“Ah! Goddamn cat, I swear to God, Data…” Geordi swore, shaking his foot. “What’s her problem?”

Frowning, Data looked down, confused about Spot’s overt behavior. Seeing she had their attention, she meowed louder and trotted over to the closet. It was not until she began pawing at the clothes on the ground that he realized she was trying to show them something.

“What did you find, kitty?” Beverly asked. As she was the closest, she knelt to rummage through the cloth. When she stood back up, she extended her hand to show Faith’s communicator.

“Lore must have thrown it in the struggle,” Worf said. “He would have known she could use it to reach out to us.”

Data’s heart sank and took the device from Beverly.

Geordi closed his tricorder and swore. “Shit,” he said. “There goes tracking her badge.”

Data’s fingers closed around the cool metal as he stood rooted in place. He touched the place where his own badge normally would be, only to remember it wasn’t there. At first, he assumed Lore would have taken it along with his uniform until he remembered something extremely important.

Which gave him an idea. “Computer,” he said. “Where is Lieutenant Commander Data?”

“Lieutenant Commander Data is not aboard the Enterprise.”

Data swung around to face the others. “Faith took my communicator before I left, which means if it is not registering that I am on the Enterprise—”

“Then Faith still has it on her!” Beverly exclaimed.

“Which means we can still track her,” Worf said.

“Again, only if we have a direction,” Geordi reminded them.

Data had to think. Even with the massive list of places he had compiled he needed something, anything, that could narrow it down.

“Let us go to the Bridge and tell Captain Picard our findings,” he suggested. “At the very least we can scan for my badge in this system. Lore may have had a head start but he is limited to his ship’s speed.”

“Agreed,” Worf said.

“I’ll head to Engineering and make sure Lore didn’t do anything that would slow us down. I don’t think he had time but I don’t want to take any chances,” Geordi said.

“I’ll do a final sweep here and make sure we didn’t miss anything,” Beverly offered.

The group separated, with Data and Worf heading for the Bridge with quiet determination. The captain, Commander Riker, and Counselor Troi were there, as well as Wesley, who was running Ops.

Picard turned to them the moment they step off the turbo-lift. “Good to have you back, Commander,” he greeted Data.

“Sir, we have discovered that Faith does not have her communicator, however, she does have mine which means we can still track her with our sensors,” Data explained, skipping the pleasantries.

Picard nodded towards Worf, who was already inputting the information at his station. “Lieutenant, anything?”

A moment later, Worf sighed. “Nothing. She is no longer in his system.”

“Where would Lore take her?” Wesley asked. “What does he want with Faith in the first place?”

“That is what I have been trying to deduce for the last hour,” Data answered. “There are too many variables to consider.”

“Maybe not,” Deanna spoke up. “Data, Lore has been obsessed with you and now that obsession has transferred to Faith. We all know how insanely jealous he is of what you have, to the point of stealing the emotion chip meant for you. Finding out where he is going may lie in those emotions rather than logic.”

“You know him and Faith better than anyone else, Data,” Riker said. “Where is somewhere significant to you and Faith? You met on the Enterprise, yes, but—”

Data already had the answer before Riker could finish.

“Tridas 6S,” he said. “The Sunterre Isles, where Faith and I had our first shore leave together. It is a special place, one where we truly cemented our relationship and intimacy. Faith had been quite paranoid when we arrived and was questioning if we were truly alone. At the time, we assumed it was her anxiety and I assured her that we were but—”

“But maybe you weren’t,” Deanna said. “Lore could have easily spied on you without you knowing.”

“Ensign Ro, set a course for Tridas 6S,” Picard ordered.

“Already on it, Captain,” Ro said, her hands dancing wildly as she inputted the coordinates. “At maximum warp, we can make it there in two days. However, they do have a five-hour head start. We might be able to catch up.”

“Engage!”

Data made a move to relieve Wesley but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

Picard was stern though there was a gentleness to his gaze. “Mr. Data, I understand your determination and concern,” he said. “But I’m also aware of how exhausted you must be. You need to rest.”

“I no longer feel exhaustion,” Data told him. “Q has returned me to the way I was, at my insistence.”

He could sense a change in his crew mates at his announcement, particularly those he was close to. Deanna and Riker both had expressions of sympathy which Data understood, yet felt was unnecessary. He was more concerned about Faith’s safety rather than his own personal situation.

“Data,” Wesley said. “I’m sorry you had to give that up.”

“I did not give anything up, only regained what I needed to help Faith.”

“Well then, take your station, Mr. Data,” Picard ordered. “Let’s get our Lieutenant back.”

“Aye, sir.”

Wesley moved, allowing Data to sit at his console. He was filled with determination. Determination to catch up to Lore and not leave or even move from his station until they reached Tridas.

He only hoped they would not be too late.

#Lt. Commander Data #commander data #lt commander data #data tng #data soong #data x oc #faith diaz #may i?#star trek next generation

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ccornersstone · 9 months

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Head Case (Rewrite’s rewrite)

spoilers for Case 52 of the conspiracy (like the victim is still the victim and the killer is no longer the same killer and opinions on ccharactershave changed so the portrayal will be different from original work.) and a massive Trigger warning for attempted Suicide.

Caroline is my Oc tothdhdgsjs and uh, tw for like being shamed for an suicide attempt too

David cleared his throat to excuse himself from speaking with Gabriel, the man lifts his head as if to acknowledge the action and David’s nails dragged across the back of his neck and he offered a weak smile. “I’m sorry, Gabriel, But I promised I would visit Zoe before it got too late and now is probably the best timing I’m going to get today.”

Gabriel nodded and gave an apologetic smile for keeping his friend before he went to speak. “I could join you,” he offers with a smile, “To keep you company, of course only if you want.” He sets his clipboard down on his desk as he awaits an answer.

David peered at Gabriel as if debating the offer, though, in the end, he agreed and explained he needed to make a stop before they arrived. He pulls up in front of a quaint little shop and Gabriel craned his neck to scan the building they’d arrived at. “Is that what I think it is?” Gabriel questioned with a slight smile forming on his face as he laughs watching David open the door and walk back in with a bouquet in one hand.

“I got her flowers every day before everything, I don’t see why to stop now.. it’s worth it to see her face light up when I hand them to her.” David’s words are left to sit with a small smile on his face as he sits them in his lap as revs the engine back up.

Gabriel looked out the window watching cars pass by. “I’m sure it means the world to her, especially being away from you.” He commented as he looks at David, whose eyes are focused on the road.

“She hates it there,” David states simply, eyes still on the road though he peered down at the flowers now and then to make sure they didn’t fall. “She says she doesn’t feel safe and it’s cold and the staff doesn’t care… I wish I could do something but. I’m sure they are trying to help, right? She’s just having trouble adjusting.” the question at the end is left open-ended and there are a few beats of silence before Gabriel responded.

“There might be something to what she’s saying, don’t you think? After all, you know Zoe the best.” Gabriel answered and David remains silent as the drive continues until they pull up he parks the car in the parking lot and he removes his keys from the ignition. The pair get up and David gripped the fluffy bouquet and his eyes scan the area for the door as he came to a halt at the front entrance with a sigh that read: ‘Grimsoborough Psychiatric Hospital; Bromden.’

David gave Gabriel a hesitant glance. “You ready?” Gabriel nodded.

David walks ahead with a bit of a stride, he speaks with the staff, and with a number memorized in his head he begins to walk, Holding the bouquet in one hand as his eyes scan the door numbers as he waits to recognize the given number. ��Why don’t you go ahead? I wanna speak with someone and That’ll give you and Zoe a bit of privacy before, alright? I’m sure you’ll appreciate some private time.” Says Gabriel and David agrees he continues his walk until he’s pulled aside by a panicked-stricken staff member.

An orderly, clad in light blue scrubs and her hair pulled back. “You’re a Detective, right? I was just in the women’s Bathroom and - and -“

David seems taken aback but he retains a calm demeanor. “Yes, I am. Now, Ma’am, it’s alright, what about the women’s bathroom?” He questioned, coaxing the woman to speak.

“There’s a body in there.” The woman stated with eyes as wide as saucers.

“A body?” David repeated and the orderly nodded rapidly.

“I’ll show you.” She insisted on guiding David down the hallway to where the women’s bathroom was located.

“In here?” David asks, waiting for confirmation there’s a nod in response and he hands the bouquet to the orderly to hold he opens the door, the light still appeared to be on and there’s a sound of the door pushing against something solid. he Wasn’t coming here expecting to find a body, a murder. But it was his job so the unexpected detour was accepted. He would have time to visit Zoe still.

David’s eyes are locked on the floor as he stepped in and noticed an arm sprawled out on the floor, the scarlet liquid still streaming down the woman’s arm as if still fresh, and wet. The hand froze in mid-action as if in an attempt to defend herself to no avail as the scene concluded. He bent down to get a closer look at the deceased’s body as if a rock is lodged in the man’s throat as his eyes scan.

It couldn’t be right, David blinked repeatedly.

The woman’s head lay on the floor of the bathroom floor, right above her was located the sink which the once white porcelain was stained red it dripped down like a leaky faucet. The dark curls were soaked in scarlet and so was the floor. The dingy light shone on the woman’s damp skin and the spillage of blood down her face is evident. David takes a step back practically stumbling as his chest tightens almost simultaneously with his throat.

hoop earrings dangling from her ears, silver but stained as red as her skin. There was no mistake in identifying the woman as Zoe.

And he had just seen her hours earlier, smiling and eager to see him despite the gloomy conditions. Not his Zoe…. HIS Zoe. her beautiful, once smiling face forever stained red. David’s eyes dart around from the bloodied sink as if scanning for any sort of weapon despite the stains on the sink and positioning of the body pointing to an all too likely grim conclusion…

Who would want to do something such a thing to Zoe? She Wouldn’t hurt a fly. Ironic, given they murdered someone… under tough circumstances. She didn’t deserve this, she didn’t deserve any of this. Just earlier today they had discussed plans for when she got out…finally settling in together with a life of their own and…and maybe getting married. That was the one thing he was sure of she was gonna be his forever and if it meant legally binding it, he would.

Zoe had simply kissed him goodbye, it had lingered for longer than before. Neither wanted to part but David had to go and his hands leave the woman’s skin. She was just okay, just this morning! Despite why he’d come to speak to her about it. She’d put a smile on her face. How could she…. How could she…. David can’t begin to fill in the blanks as the hot, tears burned his eyes and they faced down his face.

A sob lodged in David’s throat slipped out as he peered down at the sight before him, unable to avert his eyes. The woman he loved, the one he was going to have a life with. That side of the bed was forever going to feel empty and cold now. what kind of monster would do such a thing to Zoe? Left to just bleed out on the bathroom floor. In her blood, all that blood had come out of her. Out of her head.

David let out a shaky breath as his shoulders sink and he slams his eyes shut as the sobs wrack his entire body. There’s a deep ache that welled up deep inside his throat and it’s incurable. All alone, all by herself.

(“What’s your biggest fear? Take a minute, think about it.”

Zoe seemed reluctant at first and she’s deep in thought as she brings her hand into her line of sight as she examines her nails, her eyes dart around. “Dying alone.” She answers, throat tight. “If I have to die, I don’t wanna die alone.”)

That’s the one thing Zoe didn’t wanna do. And here she was all alone, all by herself. David had to report it … so he could catch the bastard who did this because when he gets his hands on them —- whoever it was — he was gonna make them wish they were never born — that they were dead - how he wished for that now. David can’t bring himself to walk away from her though.

Just allow her to lay waste on the bathroom floor, in her blood? The thought alone was nauseating. David couldn’t just leave the woman he loved the most like that, could he? In such a state. David bent down, his knees digging into the grout as he lifts Zoe off the ground with the utmost care as he had previously done with the bouquet. Unlike the treatment she had received like she was just an — and body to be discarded.

it’s like positioning and doll as David lifts Zoe, he cradles her head to his chest as it falls languidly into his chest. Like the dolls, Caroline always used to tot around as a child. Except the skin was nothing like plastic, soft and still warm to the touch despite being stained. He shakes on The woman’s cheek and his thumb attempts to rub the shade of red from Zoe’s cheek. it doesn’t wash away and it only soaks the stain more into Zoe’s skin David shuts his eyes as he places his hand on her head carefully running trembling fingers through dark curls, starting to get matted with blood that stained his fingers.

He finally stood up, the metallic scent filling his nose and overpowering all of his senses and the weight in his arms telling him he wouldn’t be waking up in a cold sweat any time soon. If it wasn’t for all the blood David could have mistaken Zoe for sleeping because despite everything she did look more peaceful than she did in months, even all of this year. And maybe it was like that because she wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon. Look past the gruesomeness and Zoe was blissfully unaware of what was to come and finally at peace. He wanted her to be at peace, but not like this.

Maybe if he and Gabriel had arrived sooner she would’ve been okay, if they hadn’t made all those stops. That stop to get those damned flowers just to see the grin on Zoe’s face. He never should’ve stopped. He never should’ve left Zoe’s side when she begged him not to. This raises the question, did she expect this? Did she know something was gonna happen and she just didn’t tell him?

But in the end, it was his fault. David should’ve known better and now she was dead because he left her all alone when she’d said she felt unsafe. He should expect this at this point death follows him everywhere, its grip was lethal to all ensnared in its claws and what everyone had in common was him.

This was never supposed to happen, this wasn’t a part of the plan — their plan. They had something special, nothing like David had in any of his previous relationships. Charlotte, for instance, married that woman and loved her with all of his heart but she had been hesitant about marrying a man with that career path, and she’d told David he needed to see a therapist, she gave him an ultimatum because she couldn’t handle the prospect of him coming home in a body bag, she couldn’t be a widow. And in her words, he’d chosen his job over her. Which, now, David understood why now and he wished he hadn’t said she was overbearing. After Charlotte David never thought he’d ever love someone as much as her again.

And by chance, David was allowed to meet Zoe. And no one ever had the same effect on David as Zoe did. An infectious laugh and a smile lit up the room. And a fiery passion for what she did. The look she got in her eyes when speaking about her job and the children she worked with. The people she worked with. Her voice was nothing but silky to him He could listen to Zoe go on for hours about her job and the children, the people she helped, and music to his ears. Zoe had so much love to give and she took the chance on him, on him and his job. Everything about her was beautiful. The way she would get a spark in her eyes and what made her tick. How she got talkative when she was tired and her head would slump.

“Jones?” Gabriel’s concerned voice cuts into David’s train of thought and he watches as the man’s eyes widen. “Is that - no, it can’t be -“ Gabriel stopped mid-sentence as the Shock delivered its blow “Is that Zoe?” He finally utters as more tears rush down David’s face.

“Jones,” Gabriel is cautious with how he approaches his distraught friend and what he says. “You need to put her down…” he gently coaxed, his eyes darting around as he peered trying to gauge David’s reaction and actions. “You shouldn’t have picked her up… why did you pick her up?”

No response.

“Please, just put her down.” Gabriel practically pleads. “We can’t catch the killer if you contaminate the … scene and her body.”

David shakes his head finally looking back at Gabriel's grip tightening as his eyes swim with tears. Gabriel watched over and he placed comforting hands on his shoulders and he squeezes them gently. “You need to put her down, I know you’re upset… but so we can catch who did this, Jones.” his voice is barely above a whisper as he attempts to soothe and the sympathy clear on his face.

David buried his face into Zoe’s dampened hair and he sniffles, tears falling onto and mixing with the blood. “They’ll take her away…” he breathes out.

“It’s what we have to do. Please, put her down.” Gabriel repeats, his fingers rubbing circles into David’s back.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Jones?” Gabriel’s voice is soft and gentle as he knocked on the door before opening it, his expression softened upon seeing David look up and see his red and puffy eyes. “How are you holding up?” He questioned as he clutches his papers to his chest. “I know you may not like this and it may not seem the time or place for this but, I need to ask you a few questions.” He explained.

Gabriel took a deep breath as David averts his gaze from his. “Your fingerprints were all over Zoe’s body, I have to ask why? I know you didn’t do anything but I must put that aside for now. A few questions, that’s all.”

Gabriel waits for an answer but gets no response and then he decides to rephrase it. “Why were your fingerprints all over Zoe’s body? Why did you tamper with the scene? I know you didn’t mean to just… I need you to answer.” More questions are raised but he received no response and Gabriel sighs, seeing as this wasn’t going anywhere and he needed help.

“If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be right back.” Gabriel excused himself and exits the room leaving the papers on the table and he goes to request assistance.

Gabriel cleared his throat as he approached Chief Parker’s desk. “Ma’am, Chief, We have a bit of a situation…” Soon enough the indistinct chatter is heard by David and Gabriel Returned with The Chief.

“What’s the issue, Gabriel?” Asks Diane.

“He’s not answering any of my questions,” Gabriel explained. “Just… know I don’t believe it’s on purpose.”

“of course not,” Diane responds, as she pushed the door open and she takes a seat beside the Detective. Surely, if he wasn’t answering to Gabriel, he’d answer to his boss. Parker had always seemed to have a soft spot for David anyways but that would have to be pushed aside to some degree in such a severe situation in an investigation.

Diane reached over placing an comforting hand on David’s shoulder and she offers one of her signature smiles, it’s almost motherly. “Jones, you can’t just answer. You know this protocol, we both know you wouldn’t harm a hair on Zoe’s head but we must cover all grounds.” She squeezed the man’s shoulder as she spoke gently. “You out of all people must understand, right? And I can’t begin to imagine how hard this must be but we have a job and you have a commitment to Zoe and if you want this solved we need you to cooperate.”

“I want that bastard Caught, I swear -“ David cuts himself off.

Diane turns her attention back to Gabriel shortly after. “Now, Gabriel, what were your questions?”

Gabriel offers a weak smile and he repeats the question. “Why were your fingerprints all over Zoe’s body? Why did you tamper with the scene?”

David’s hands come up over his face and his words are muffled by his hands and tears.

Gabriel goes to speak but he hesitates before Diane looks at him as if to tell him to ‘go on’. He clears his throat. “Chief, I… have an Idea if you will hear me out.”

Diane nods. “Gladly. Any ideas are welcome now. What is that, Gabriel?”

“Martine,” Gabriel states the room is filled with silence beside David’s sobs for a few moments.

“…Martine? did I hear that correctly?” Diane questions as she folds her hands in her lap and her brows furrowed.

Gabriel nods.

“I suppose I will have to trust you on this, after all, you are our profiler,” Diane answered.

Gabriel goes and gets Martine and they walk back into the room together. Martine wasn’t sure why she was being called in right after Chief Parker was called in, was she in trouble? The woman’s initial confusion and concern are replaced when she sees the scene unfolding before her and connecting the dots between that and the body.

“It - is he okay?” Martine Questioned, referring to David who was slumped in his chair.

Gabriel sighs, he leans in close to Martine. “That’s why we need you here, he messed up a bit when… everything happened and we’re trying to get him to answer the questions just so we can… rule everything out.” He explains.

Martine’s eyes lock on David. “Alright.” She said, beginning to pull her rubber gloves off sticking them into the pocket of her lab coat. “What do you need me to do?” She asks.

“Gabriel,” Diane began, she turns to him. “Could you ask your questions one more time?”

Gabriel obliged and reiterates each carefully. He watched and David begins to grow agitated with the continued questioning and he finally looks up. “I don’t wanna talk about it.” He snapped.

Diane scoots closer and she keeps a comforting hand on David’s shoulder and she lays a hand over him to keep him seated. “I don’t wanna talk about it!” David choked out, louder than before and he palms at his burning eyes attempting to quell the tears streaming down his eyes.

“You don’t have much of a choice in this,” Diane said with an sympathetic expression painted on her face.

“Jones, please,” Gabriel shoots David a pleading glance. “Just answer the questions and then you can go. We need to ask to solve this the longer this takes the longer Zoe’s killer is at large.”

Martine had enough of listening to the back and forth and she wanted to solve this and get it over with because she didn’t want this to continue any longer seeing how distressed David already was.

The blonde woman stood up, practically knocking her chair over as she pushed it aside surprising everyone in the room including herself. Martine walked over kneeling and her hand grabs David’s chin forcing him to look at her, her fingers digging into his face.

“David,” Martine says, snapping David’s attention towards her. “Answer. the. question.” She states calmly. She frowns as David looks at her, fighting back the onslaught of tears.

“I couldn’t just leave her there!” David chokes back a sob, his throat closing up. “on the dirty bathroom floor… how could I just leave her like that?” His voice cracks at the ends and fresh tears stain his face. “I know it was a bad idea, I know I shouldn’t have… I wasn’t thinking… she was just laying there… what was I supposed to do?”

“When … when did you find her?” Gabriel Questions. “And where?” He adds, carefully as Martine’s grip loosens.

“I told her I’d come back when I visited her earlier today —- she - she was perfectly fine! And…and then … I was told there was a body in the women’s bathroom … and it was her…” David’s voice cracks. “MY Zoe.”

Gabriel took a deep breath for what he was about to ask. “And she was dead when you found her, correct? You saw her alive this morning, correct?”

“She was completely limp.” David’s voice cracks and he leans into Martine, slumping into the woman’s arms and burying his face into her shoulder.

“David? David, we’re going to catch the bastard who did this to her, I swear.” Martine promised as she pulls him closer. “It’s gonna be okay.” Martine rolls her fingers over his back in gentle circles. “even if it’s the last thing we do,” Martine adds, with a gentle voice. “We’ll get her justice… it’s gonna be okay.” David’s tears soak Martine’s coat and after a while, he pulls away. In any other situation, she’d be pissed her lab coat was wet but it wasn’t time for such affairs when a killer is at large and David is so distraught.

Martine goes to pull away once David indicates he didn’t wanna be touched anymore. She speaks up again quietly. “I know it’s not what you wanna hear..” Martine pauses, “I’m sorry…”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“I heard you finished the Autopsy, right, Martine?” Player questioned.

Martine nodded in response stepping closer to disclose the information. “I wish it hadn’t turned out this way and we could’ve respected her wishes, but had we been able to she’d probably be alive.” The woman’s voice is solemn.

“Zoe did in fact die of blunt force trauma,” “According, to her head wound her head was bashed against some solid, likely the sink of the bathroom she was found in… I found a bit of porcelain imbedded in her head…” Martine sighed, pulling her gloves off and rolling her sleeves up. “It was quite violent… and I found something very interesting,” Martine continues.

“One of Zoe’s nails was broken and there were bruises on her arms and wrists,” Martine explained. “Meaning she must’ve put up a fight and the killer should have an injury from the struggle when they murdered Zoe.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Gloria and Player have interrogated multiple people about Zoe and they are now back at the hospital and questioning an Orderly, Tobias Randall, who had handled Zoe this morning.

“When was the last time you saw Ms. Kusama?” Gloria Asks.

Tobias took a minute to think. “Well, I wheeled her for some fresh air after breakfast and then back to her room afterward as all the patients were to be returned for some quiet time… and when I went to check on her she wasn’t there anymore, and a staff member informed me of what occurred.” He explained.

Gloria nodded in response. “And do you know anyone who would have wanted to harm Zoe?”

Tobias shook his head. “Who would attack and killer? Who was friends with a murderer?” he questioned and Gloria is taken aback.

“What do you mean by that, Tobias?” Gloria asks.

“Killers stick together. And clearly, they do because Zoe became friends with that Serial killer, Rosamund Wilcox.”

That was certainly unexpected but it was a lead nonetheless.

Gloria gives Rosamund a curt expression before she jumped into the question, her stomach churning at the thought of speaking to the woman who had previously kidnapped her. “One of the staff kindly told us you befriended a woman here by the name of, Zoe Kusama, is that correct?” Gloria continued. “Unfortunately, she was murdered today. Do you know anything about that?”

Rosamund frowned. “Zoe was murdered? She was sweet, I wonder who would’ve wanted to harm her… but it is a tough world out there, and if you can’t defend yourself….” She trails off. “We became good friends. I just happened to learn who she was dating…. Quite unfortunate, she could’ve done better.” She added.

Gloria’s eyes narrowed at Rosamund as she noticed the scratches on the woman’s arms, running up and down both of them, angry red lines consistent with being scratched. Oh, you’re done for. Gloria thinks.

“Cut the act, Wilcox. When you found out Zoe was dating Jones you decided to kill her to get revenge, didn’t you?” Gloria said accusingly.

“Fine, fine, you caught me,” Rosamund said, beginning to clap. “I had nothing against Zoe, nothing at all. She was great company even…. I wish I didn’t have to she was a good friend… but here I am. having the last laugh.” She chuckles. “I did what I had to do, he stopped me from protecting all of those children… I couldn’t just… stand by idly!”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Diane smiled gently as David entered the station slumping down into a chair in front of the woman’s desk. He avoided eye contact, eyes sore and still red and puffy indicating how long he’d been crying for. “I’m so glad you agreed to come in, Jones. We have much to discuss.”

David swallowed thickly, finally lifting his head towards the Chief. “And what is that, Chief?” His voice is raw and hesitant.

Diane reached out taking David’s hands into her own and strokes them. “We found out who murdered Zoe.” She stated and she feels David immediately perk up.

Diane’s expression softened, as she looks at David’s still-watering eyes as she strokes gently. “Can you please look at me?”

“Tell. Me. Who. Did. It.” David practically begs, his eyes shut. “Who was the bastard who killed her?”

“Rosamund Wilcox,” Diane Responds, squeezing David’s hands and she feels him stiffen.

“That —- that —“ David choked on a sob, his shoulders trembling. How is he surprised? He’s not surprised at all. “She just admitted to it, didn’t she?” He wants to laugh and cry all at the same time. It was over. He was done.

“Sweetheart, I’m so sorry —“ Diane corrected herself quickly. “Jones, Jones… I’m so sorry…” abruptly David pulled away.

“I have to go, Chief…” David pulls away. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” This earns him a few glances and a bad feeling sinks in Diane’s gut and she sends Gabriel off to follow David.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Guess who’s having the last laugh now?” David paused, “it’s spiritually healing seeing your ass behind bars and knowing you’re going to rot in here.”

“Is that so?” Rosamund laughs.

“Why did you do it?” David snapped. “You hurt her because of me, didn’t you? To hurt me? That’s why you hurt my Zoe.” He squeezed his eyes shut, hands balled up into fists at his sides.

“I had nothing against your little girlfriend… Zoe was lovely… but she was valuable… I could hurt you in a way no one ever could… she… she fought… she was so… surprised…she asked for you, you know.”

Rosamund’s eyes are averted from David’s.

“What?” David snaps, leaning towards her. “What did you say?”

Rosamund’s eyes peeked up from behind her glasses eagerly watching David’s reaction, she lets out a laugh looking back at him. “Oh, you know, … to save her… she wanted you to save her..screaming … crying… so shrill… for you… but I guess you were a little… late…” her lips curl upwards.

“Her voice was shrill… I just wanted her to shut up fast…” Rosamund giggles. “Some Hero you are….you were that to her…and oh, well, you failed…”

“Shut up.” David snaps, unable to keep his fists at his sides this time.

Gabriel walks in just in time Grabbing David by his shoulders and practically having to drag him out despite David’s protests and Rosamund's evidence laughter. She’d had the last laugh purely just with her mind games…she knew how to get into someone’s head even when she did the bare minimum.

A few hours pass and David entered the station again he thanks Diane, Gabriel, Martine, and Player before he grabbed the water bottle he’d brought with him and he entered and completely empty room though unbeknownst to him he had been followed into the room.

Uncap, pour, cap, swig, swallow.

“What did he do?!” Martine let out when she hears the thump and sees the bottle on the floor.

“I don’t know!” The player Grabbed the bottle reading the label as Martine rushed to call an ambulance through her panic. Everything is a blur, her eyes swimming with tears as she made the panicked call.

Caroline had known what she’d gotten into when she became an EMT, but she sure as hell wasn’t prepared for when she entered the station unsuspectingly and she’s looking down at her older brother who she hadn’t seen in over ten years —- he was the call she was responding to - It clicked at the very last second.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

David’s eyes finally opened, and he slammed his eyes shut again as the bright fluorescent is practically blinding. He throws an arm over his eyes, shielding his eyes from the assault of light.

He was awake… and that only meant one thing.

He’d failed at this too, not only had he failed His Zoe and his team. He Couldn’t even put an end to his problems and he fails at even bringing himself to see Zoe again. He wanted to be with her, anywhere but here. Again. He didn’t wanna live in a world without Zoe.

Amir is the first person to see David when he wakes up and a wave of relief has washed over him as he raises his hand to rub his eyes. “How are you feeling?” He asks softly.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“I think he’s awake…” Martine whispered to Gabriel and she finally lets out the breath she’d been holding. The tightness in her chest slowly began to dissipate. “How are you feeling?” She questioned. Martine takes David’s hand and her brows furrowed in concern. “We’re so glad you’re okay.”

“They said you’ve been in and out of it….” Martine sighs, she gives him a nervous smile.

Why did they have to stop him?

Tears burn his eyes and stream down his cheeks and he hiccups.

“David…” Martine whispers.

“Why did you have to — why did you all have to?”David sobs, tears furiously pouring down his cheeks. “I don’t wanna be here! I wanted to be with her! I wanted out… I was gonna be out… why can’t you let me be with her?” He sobs.

Martine’s mouth dries, she hadn’t expected this. “David, no… don’t….you need to be here…” she breathed out attempting to console him.

“I can’t do this anymore — just let me -“ David pulls away from Martine as her very touch burned. “It doesn’t matter anymore… she’s gone…”

“David, we love you…it’s not….it’s not over… please, just think about it.. you have a lot … to be here for…”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“You have someone who wants to see you,” Caroline said as she finally popped in and David’s eyes widened upon seeing her.

“Caroline?” His mouth is dry.

Caroline gave a weak nod. “…Mom and Dad are here.” She states and David’s expression quickly shifts, it sours.

“They don’t have to stay long…” Caroline pipes up. “They just want to see you for a minute.”

David reluctantly agreed and he quickly came to regret it once his parents came in, bombarded with questions and he doesn’t wanna answer. Tears threatening to fall as they sting his eyes.

“Are you really crying over this? We should be crying.”

David chooses to attempt to ignore his father's words at first and he can see the increasingly agitated look on his younger sister’s face.

“Look at what you’ve done to this family, your mother? What’s gotten into you, David? You know better than to pull this. You aren’t a coward, are you?”

And that’s it when the floodgates break and Caroline intervenes stepping in the middle, she’s hesitant at first. “That’s enough,” the woman snapped staring directly at her parents. “David needs to get his rest… and those comments are very unnecessary.” Caroline continued on.

“Caroline, stay out of it. I’m not speaking to you -“

Caroline interrupted her father. “I don’t care, enough. I said enough. Now, if you can’t listen you need to get out, you are causing a disturbance.”

“Caroline, stop this nonsense.”

“I said get out,” Caroline repeated crossing her arms over her chest, voice stern and unwavering. “Or I’ll call someone.”

Their parents opt on leaving rather than being forced to leave, rather unlike them.

“I’m sorry, about them…” Caroline said. “I shouldn’t of…let them in…” she sighs, she walks over towards David and finally reached out to give her brother an warm embrace and he reciprocated. He leaned into the hug.

“Don’t… apologize…you didn’t …know.”

Caroline shook her head. “I should’ve known better, knowing them…” she paused, clearing her throat as they finally part. “I never got to ask…how.. how are you holding up?”

David doesn’t respond.

“Oh, I …. Got something..” Caroline quickly pulled something out and she placed them in David’s lap and she felt his expression shift as he peered at the flowers.

“Where’d you find these?”

“Gabriel.. did, I didn’t… I thought you would want to have them.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And as it turns out that wasn’t even the worst part of being stopped in his solution. Stuck in a damned hospital like Zoe was. Was this how she felt? No wonder she hated the place. Pitied looks and being treated like a child in case he were to try something again —- at least that’s what he saw it as. Everyone saw it as something different. David doesn’t get it.

David is there until they deem in stable enough to leave and he isn’t even sure about leaving completely but he didn’t wanna stay in that place even if he wasn’t sure. It was either that or miss Zoe’s funeral and he didn’t want either.

David never thought he’d be getting ready for Zoe’s funeral ever in a thousand years would he be preparing for this. He stared down at the bouquet, in one way he finally was gonna be able to give these to her as he had originally planned but… not in the way he wanted to.

David unfolds the paper that he’d written on that had been folded and unfolded millions of times at this point and his legs are wobbly, he feels as if they are gonna give out on him as he stepped in front of the casket, he peered inside.

She looked so peaceful, finally at peace.

David shoves the piece of paper back into his pocket instead, he doesn’t wanna read it anymore he wants it to come straight off of what he is thinking… what he is thinking isn’t describable.

David’s knees want to buckle as he takes another look at Zoe. Peaceful expression and arms crossed in front of her chest. Dark curls cascaded down and fanned out in the back as if a display. Sickeningly beautiful still.

He choked on a sob and his throat ached and clenched and David’s eyes shut, he couldn’t pry the memory of seeing her on that floor, bloodied, and the feeling of fresh blood against his hands, her blood.

David took a deep breath as he began to speak. “I’m so sorry, Darling. I don’t think I’m ever gonna be able to love someone the same way ever again. you were mine. everything.. my sun… my moon… all the stars in the sky you used to point out with your head on my shoulder… I’m not gonna have that back….because I failed you..” David’s voice cracks as his shoulders tremble with each sob.

“You made me feel something no one else ever did and no one else ever will do that for me…. And I’ll never forgive myself for losing that, losing you. I just hope one day you can forgive me for failing you, even if I never can… you were the most beautiful soul I ever had the pleasure of meeting and loving.” With a final glance, David leans closer, blowing a kiss towards the casket. “I love you, Zoe. So much.” He gently moves Zoe’s hands and places the bouquet on her chest and puts her hands over it…

David took his seat and he spotted a few familiar faces, he can’t believe they came. They came here? After his little outburst?

He swallowed thickly when he was approached. They expected him to ask them to just… go but to everyone’s surprise, all David can muster is a small “thank you.” And he requests Martine, Gabriel, and the Player to stay. They do so. Diane leaves but not before telling David to call her if and whenever he needed anything.

“I can’t thank you enough…” David says his face tucked into Gabriel’s shoulder as the pair share and embrace.

“We’re family, right? That’s what we are for, you should know that.” Gabriel assures before they part.

Next, David hugged Player, and then finally came to Martine who had waited patiently before walking up. It was odd seeing her so quiet and mellow.

David leaned in pulling Martine into an embrace and it lingered longer than the rest and she happily welcomed it not wanting to let go herself. “We all love you still, I hope you know that… even if we fight all the time…” and they parted. “we’re family….” Martine leaned up on her tiptoes, pressing her lips against David’s cheek letting that do all the speaking. “I love you.”

#criminal case #david jeremiah jones #zoe kusama

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gravphobia · 1 year

Photo

RAHHH NEW OC

meet Rabbit :) she’s part of an idol duo that’s the front of this underground area known as the Apex Arena (god im so cringe) (also me rambling about said area under)

basically, Apex Arena is basically just the normal game modes but underground modified and illegal, some of the game modes would probably be like the scrapped game mode concepts in the game like the 8 ball mode or sth

aside from that, it also has its own gear and weapon shops, i should probably add on to this in a different post rahh

but the gear and weapons are fucked up, like the most unbalanced modifications and terrible abilities lol

Rabbit’s .96 i decided was fucking stupid fusion between 96, 52 and aerospray Aerospray spread and fire rate, but the damage is inconsistent, sometimes it deals 96 per shot, sometimes it’s 52, sometimes it’s 24.5 modded line marker, basically, they can use the line like an ink rail HSHHSHDA

#splatoon #splatoon oc #splatoon 3

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babeyvenus · 2 years

Text

My Future

Derek Hale x OC

Samantha, Stiles and Scott are always joking about the impossible. Who wouldn't when your best friend's dad is the sheriff of Beacon Hills? All jokes stop when they realize the impossible is indeed possible.

Chapter 52: New Enemies

As Sam drove home after dropping the girls off, she still felt bothered. She hadn't even talked to her mom after that whole situation.

How did she even feel about it? Now that Sam thought it, it had to have been the most awkward family reunion anyone had to have witnessed.

She should've kept a better leveled head in front of her friends. She shouldn't have blown up the way she did, but she couldn't help it. She felt used. She didn't feel missed.

And in spite of that, she was hurt. Rightfully so. But she also felt guilty. Guilty for letting them leave. Guilty for making a scene instead of talking to them calmly.

However...

They abandoned her. What the hell did she have to feel guilty for? It wasn't her fault they decided to leave and get bit.

And now they have their own pack. So what the hell were they looking for her for?

Sam sighed, parking outside of her house. She didn't wanna go inside yet. She couldn't face her mom. Not yet.

Instead, she started her car up and drove down the road near the old Hale House. Parking by the road, she got out and walked through the woods that led to the cliff Derek had taken her to.

She sat down at the edge and sighed. The wind blew softly, making her lips quirk into a smile at the familiar feeling.

She should've made time to appreciate something as mundane as this. Looking over the town as it bustled with its citizens.

What should she do…? Should she team up? Even if she wanted to, how would she find them in order to agree to help?

She didn't wanna do it for them. She wanted to do it for the people who were losing their lives over someone else's selfishness.

"I thought I'd find you here.", she heard and smiled at the voice, turning to see the older Hale walking up to her.

Derek sat next to her. "What's going on? You're thinking awfully hard there."

Sam sighed once more. "I can't decide."

He raised an eyebrow. "On?" She shrugged. "Whether or not I want to team up with them. This decision has to get back to Scott, but still."

Derek frowned. "Well… they're your family. I'm pretty sure Scott'll be willing to discuss this rather than let it go if that's not what you wanted."

Sam shook her head. "After the whole thing with Theo, I'm still a little iffy with his decisions and judgements."

He nodded. It was understandable. Scott was still getting used to being an alpha but at the same time, he wasn't treating his pack right either.

"It still depends on you.", he says. She nodded. "Whatever decision you make, I'm on your side.", he declared softly. She smiled at him and laid her head on his shoulder. "Thank you."

After more contemplating, Sam discussed her decision with the pack, much to Stiles and Scott's reluctance.

They weren't too happy about working with a new pack in town, much less the same people that abandoned their friend.

"I'm not doing it for them. I'm doing it for the victims. The quicker we find out who's doing this and we stop them, the quicker they can go back to wherever they've come from.", Sam promised.

"I can get down with that, but just working with them is…", Stiles shook his head. "Do they even know what they're doing?"

Sam shrugged, sighing. "That's what we're about to go find out."

Sam sent Scott out to send the message. She wasn't exactly ready to have a conversation even though it was inevitable.

Scott recognized their scents and went to an abandoned factory north of Beacon Hills. The area around it was vacant and practically nothing but trees. It was perfect for the supernatural.

He knocked on the old, rusty metal door and waited for an answer. Heavy footsteps padded to the door and he stepped back a bit as it opened, revealing the alpha.

"You.", the alpha spoke, recognizing the younger alpha.

Scott gave a nod in greeting. "I came to talk."

The older alpha frowned and eventually let Scott in, leading him inside the factory. As Scott looked around, he could see eyes peering at him from every area. It was almost creepy.

A lot creepier than Deucalion's own pack of alphas. The alpha took a seat in a plastic lawn chair and looked at the boy. "What didn't you want to discuss? We're not in any territory, as far as I know. Why are you here?"

"Sam wants to work together. To stop the shadow woman.", Scott confessed. Jax's eyes widened a bit. Was she trying to forgive them? Not only that, the shadow woman? That's who's been taking people captive?

The alpha nodded. "Okay. When should we discuss this?"

Scott sighed and shook his head a bit. "The earlier the better, so tomorrow. She doesn't want to waste any time."

Jax smiled a bit, appreciating his daughter's urgency to help people. He nodded and agreed, letting the young alpha leave.

As Scott left, Jax sat thinking about Scott. "How'd the boy even become an alpha…?", he hears Jayson ask. "He looks soft.", the beta slandered.

"He didn't just become an alpha on a whim.", Jax said. Not really. The boy didn't look like a killer. At least, not from his mannerisms. It wasn't that he looked soft, but kind. Merciful.

He wasn't willing to kill just because. At least, not for something as petty and trivial as power.

"So Sammy wants to talk?", Jayson asked. Jax sighed. "I have a feeling it won't be the most pleasant conversation, but it needs to happen. This needs to stop."

Back at the Wilson residence, Sam sat in her room, looking over the book her grandmother lended.

The shadow woman was powerful and even more powerful at night.

"That's when she does the hunting…", Sam mutters as she reads. The shadow woman has lived for more than 200 years.

She takes restless people that wander the streets alone and even torments people in their own homes. If they were strong enough, she'd take them and use them as a boost of power.

"But instead she's using them to make herself younger… why?", Sam asked herself as she laid back against her floor. "If I wanted to look younger after living more than 200 years… I guess it would be an issue if other people saw that I was growing old and hadn't died yet. Especially after 100 years."

She frowned. "I'd be like the Cullens."

She sighed. "But why people…? Why not something organic? If this woman is physical during the day and becomes a shadow at night, why not make an organic thing that'd help her stay young?"

Sam began to get frustrated. "The only way to disperse her is to overpower her."

With the amount of people the woman had been taking, how was Sam supposed to do that?

She doesn't get powered up by taking energy, it just happens.

The woman needs energy in order to survive. It kind of reminded her of Jeepers Creepers.

The only person she could think to go to was Deaton. He was a druid… it was close enough, right…?

Arriving at the clinic, the girl entered the supposed closed lobby and looked around. "Deaton?", Sam called.

"Back here.", she heard and followed the voice to the back.

She saw the vet organizing his cabinets. "Knock, knock.", Sam says from the doorway, making the man smile and turn to her.

"How can I help you, Sam?", Deaton asked. Sam sighed and walked in, stopping to lean on a counter. "So… my dad and brother came back."

Deaton's eyes widened a bit in interest. "How'd that go?"

Sam frowned. Deaton took note of that. "Not good, I take it."

She shook her head. "Not at all. They're both werewolves now.", she said. "Not only that, they came to make me a part of their pack.", she told the vet, making him frown.

"That's not okay. They didn't even ask how've you been? They couldn't tell you had already been bitten?", he asked.

Sam shrugged. "Guess not. I don't even think they missed me."

Deaton sighed. "Sam, there's just some things you can't control about people. And what they missed was their fault. You can't pin that on yourself."

She nodded, now quiet. Deaton walked up to her. "Was that all?"

Sam shook her head. "I needed to know if you knew more about the shadow woman. I'm only reading what I can, but it feels null. I can already control shadows as best as I can, but she's taking people to fuel her own power. I don't do that."

"She's literally the shadow woman. I can't beat her in her own game.", Sam shrugged.

Deaton agreed and frowned in thought. "There is a way that you can stop her physical form. Belladonna is one of them."

Sam frowned. "I gotta kill her?"

Deaton raised an eyebrow. "It's either that or let her roam free doing what she wants. The last you tried saving someone by giving them a chance to redeem themselves ended up with people dying. If you want less deaths, you're going to have to tie a loose end. The loose end being her, that is."

Sam frowned in thought. Could she really do it…?

That'd mean they have to find the physical body of the woman first in order to kill her.

"Where would I even find belladonna anyways?", Sam asked. Deaton smiled. "All you need to do is ask."

Sam's eyes widened as Deaton went to a perfectly organized cabinet and pulled out a small container that was labeled 'Belladonna'.

"You just have everything, don't you?", Sam asked. Deaton amused and gave a shrug. "Almost everything."

Sam smiled and gave the man a hug. "I never got to thank you for everything. Thank you for helping my mom out.", she said. The man gave her a hug back. "You're welcome."

The next day, Scott brought his pack over to the factory where the new pack in town was taking refuge.

Sam looked around. "I guess.", she muttered. "They couldn't have picked a better place?", Stiles asked. "I think that's hard to do when you don't have a job anymore…", Liam said.

"Or money.", Sam added.

"Good thing we have someone that has bucket loads of money.", Stiles said, pointedly at Derek. Derek frowned. "That money's eventually gonna run out, y'know."

Stiles frowned, and rolled his eyes as the door opened. Jayson's face popped out of the crack of the door, peering at everyone and settled once his eyes stopped on Sam.

He opened the door fully to let everyone inside. Jayson greeted his sister, only to receive a soft grunt in return. She wasn't ready to talk so casually yet.

The pack looked around seeing the place. "It looks like a trash wrestling ring…", Stiles muttered to Sam, making her snicker.

"It's about time you all showed up.", a pack member said.

8 other pack members walked up to the younger group. Jax appeared behind them, sitting in the same plastic lawn chair. "Cut them some slack. They didn't know where to find us.", he says.

He waved a hand to a table, addressing the younger pack to sit. They did.

"This is it? A couple of werewolves and three humans?", a woman scoffed. Sam raised an eyebrow at the woman. Lydia, Kira, Stiles and Scott frowned.

"Well, some of us aren't exactly fully human.", Scott corrects.

Stiles raises his hand. "Yeah, I'm technically the only human."

"What the hell is your problem? Genuinely.", Sam asked the woman.

"Amy.", Jayson called in a soft warning.

The woman continued. "This is a weak pack. A couple of teenagers and one adult. You have 4 werewolves, and 3 other… whatever you are and one human. This is weak. How does this even work?"

"It's been working fine, I'd say. There's been a couple of issues here and there, but who needs to get into that detail, huh?", Stiles shrugs with a blank smile.

Amy scoffs. "You're not even the alpha.", she turns to Derek. "I'd assume you're the alpha, but we all know now.", she sneers.

Derek frowned and Sam glared at the woman. Amy turned to the girl. "Your father's a great alpha. Why don't you stick with us instead of this sad excuse for a pack?"

Jayson looked at his father before looking at Amy. "You might wanna stop while you're ahead.", he warned in a mutter.

Before Amy could defy, Sam spoke up.

Sam shook her head. "Because this "sad excuse for a pack" is still my pack. And out of respect, I was waiting for you to correct yourself, but it looks like I'm gonna have to."

She got off of the table and stood in front of her friends. "I don't know how things work around here, but we don't do that shit."

She walked up to the woman. "You're talking an awful lot of shit for someone that doesn't have visual potential.", Sam said.

"What would you know about potential? I can barely smell the bite on you. That's half baked.", Amy insulted.

"And that's exactly why that type of shit will have you on your ass without you realizing it," Sam shook her head. "And you really don't want that to happen."

The woman glared at the girl. "Is that a threat?"

"No. It's a promise.", Sam stated, peering at the woman, stopping right in front of her. "If I have to fuck you up, I will.", she determined with raised eyebrows.

Amy opened her mouth to say more, appalled at the girl's behavior, but Sam cuts her off. "I will turn this place upside down and have all of your asses handed to you for dinner.", she exclaims.

Jax and Jayson looked at Sam with deep, concerned frowns before turning to her pack who looked at them with an expression that made them understand.

They didn't have time to be divided and Sam was only thing that could technically bring them all together.

The youngest Wilson tilted her head a bit as she glared at the woman with flickering yellow eyes. "So, you might wanna check yourself."

Sam looked at the older werewolves in the factory. "Each and every one of you will understand why we're here in the first place. Even if that means I have to make you," She says, just as another large, glowing resin illuminated under their feet, making the adult werewolves in front of her freeze.

Bewildered, they looked at the girl. Sam looked at her father. "Considering you came to us first, y'all have no choice but to shut up and listen anyways.", she says with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, and by the way, dad," Sam called, gaining the man's attention.

"I'm a werewitch."

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shadowjax · 2 years

Text

The Dragon’s Blade

Sore Muscles

A03

Natasha Romanoff x reader/oc

Maria Hill x oc

Oneshot

“You’re tense.”

52 “I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”

“I’ll have no choice but to find someone else.”

Warnings: hurt/comfort

A/N: Taking some time off writing the main series cuz of school, I want it to be put together and make sense. So for now enjoyed these shorts.

*Shares are appreciated*

1.3k Words

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

You’ve never seen Natalia so stressed before, whenever you’d approached she'd just snap and you’d walk away. Clint advised you to find a new approach, saying you have to physically move her from her seat. She’ll never admit it out loud, but she wanted you to carry her to bed and do nothing but cuddle while watching movies. Having the weight of the world on one’s soldiers didn’t make rest easy, others have it worse and she’s lucky enough to even get the bare minimum of sleep.

After a moment to collect yourself you sucked up a breath and made your way to her desk. The only light was illuminating off the computer. Crumpled papers brushing against your shoes in the closet you moved into the room. Paper coffee cups were scattered around the desk and she was hunched over in her chair. Her hair was a tangled mess, finger tips flat from typing, back hunched over, and her usual scent overpowered by sweat. The hues of the various screens lit the spacious room.

“You're tense.” Your statement caused her to pause for a moment then went back to typing on her computer. Her silence pulled at your heart from where you stood. One quick move and you turned off the computer, that got her attention. Her eyes were red, dark circles standing out under her pale skin, face a bit skinnier than usual, and her forest green eyes were now mossy.

“And you’re distracting me.” Her words were cold but left no effect. Refusing to look at you she began to reorganize her desk a bit.

“Everyone is worried. I’m worried.” Her well being was your well being, guilt washing over knowing she’s been working non stop while you were resting.

“Keeping the world safe does not give us the luxury to relax when others have it worse. You all know what this job requires.”

Candles spread around lit up the area, the smell of apple cinnamon filling the room. Gentle music played in the background, a simple harp with the sounds of a river flowing. You gently tossed her onto the bed and began to remove some of her unnecessary layers, leaving her in a tank and sweatpants. Feeling her limbs on the soft bed left her immobilized, allowing you to gently remove the dirty layers.

Before she could tuck herself under the covers she felt her body being turned over onto her stomach. Your weight moved from one side of her hips to both, throwing your leg over to straddle her waist. She found her mind spacing out at the feeling of the comfy pillow against her cheek. Soon there was a pressure against one of the muscles on her shoulders, a sigh escaping her lips. Your smooth hands are losing days worth of stress held in her muscles. Sleep crept up and she finally caved in, allowing herself to enjoy the moment.

~~~~

When she woke up laying on her back with the sun shining through the window,the sunlight almost hit her eyes. The blankets were tucked around her like a burrito and the sun made her feel warm but not too warm. It was uncomfortable. Gently turning around to find you weren't in the room, a plate of stacked pancakes still steaming on her bedside table and a cup of coffee. Halfway through her breakfast her attention focuses on the door as you enter her room.

Your appearance is a bit more laid back having no mask, hair sticking up in random places, the baggy sweatpants, and short sleeve shirt that showed off your scars. “Feeling better?”

“Much, thank you.” Her gaze lowered for a moment, “I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”

“No worries.” The grogginess in your voice mixed with your accent threw her off guard, it sounded more natural. You rarely speak without the mask that gives your voice a more robotic accent. Sometime afternoon you led her to the hot tubs that had recently been installed.

You wore a simple tank with trunks and she wore a black one piece. Both of you are growing comfortable enough to expose your scars to one another. Only to each other aside from doctors. The moment was left quiet, sounds of the jet echoing against the walls. You found yourself dozing off to your surroundings, eventually falling asleep and sinking shoulders deep into the tub. Waking up to find yourself already dried off and under her covers laying beside her, sounds of a movie coming from her laptop on her lap. You were wearing an oversized shirt and a pair of gym shorts.

“I think we both need to learn to take breaks.” You sat up, laying your head over her shoulder.

“Who gave you the idea to physically force me into taking a break? Clint? Also, who taught you the muscles of the body, I’m impressed.” She quickly glanced at you beside her.

“Yes, Maria recommended that technique. She’s used it on Dr.Lee a few times.”

“I’m glad to see you’re more comfortable when it comes to wearing short cut clothing.” Tossing her laptop aside and placing gentle kisses along the scars across your arms. Ending up with her laying her head on your chest both enveloped in each other’s arms. “Thank you.”

~~~~

“Lee.” Maria tried to keep her voice as calm and less commander-like but her patience was wearing thin. She stood in the doorway, arms crossed with a neutral look on her face.

“Dep-Director!” She jumped out of her seat too quickly. Causing a cup of coffee to spill across her desk, soaking the papers scattered around. “Awww DAMNIT! That was a week's worth of work!” As much as she wanted to move from her straightened stance to salvage as much as possible, Maria’s tone was more intimidating. It’s been ages since Lee’s used her title, clearly showing she wasn’t alright somewhere.

“So I was right, you haven’t been getting sleep again.”

“If YOUR field agents would stop getting injured I wouldn’t have to be working so much.” She didn’t mean to put an emphasis on the attitude but with no energy her emotions slipped.

“If you’d just allow the work to be equally divided among your acquaintances in the division, you wouldn’t have to carry all the weight.”

“I know there are others but they’re backed up as well…” Tossing her hands in the air then rubbing her eyes she almost began to cry.

“If you don’t start taking care of yourself and learn to balance yourself I’ll have no choice but to find someone else.” She knew the moment those words left her lips she would regret it. Maria knew her words hit a little too close to home for the doctor, guilt washed over.

A week’s worth of little sleep finally came rushing forward, Lee’s eyes felt heavy as they gazed to the floor. Out of everyone to call her replaceable she didn’t expect it to come from the person she cared and respected the most. Having little natural talent and struggling in school caused a deep rooted fear of being expendable ever since she was little. Almost being married off only strengthened the fear. She tried to make a run for it but Maria was in better shape, tossing Lee onto the couch and restraining her with the blankets. Laying face first into the cushions, while Maria knelt above her.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.” Her words were more calm, feeling Lee still struggling under the covers.

“Get off and leave me alone! Of course you meant it or you wouldn’t have said anything knowing how I feel about that.” The fear had always lingered in the back of her mind, sometimes hurting more days than others. It didn’t take long for her body to relax, her mind dozing off to sleep. She allowed Maria to remove her glasses and pull the pins out of her hair. Fingers gently wiping the tears that had fallen down her cheeks.

“We’ll talk tomorrow.” Her voice was nothing more than a low whisper.

~~~~

When the doc woke up again her office was dark, surroundings annoyingly fuzzy. Slithering out of the covers and rubbing her dry eyes she checked the time.

“18 hours, you really overworked yourself.” A figure was faintly lit up by the string lights hanging on her bookshelf behind the desk chair.

The doc’s shoulders perked up for a moment then lowered. Her eyes met the fuzzy figure sitting on her desk. “Thought you could win me over with food?” The smell of pad thai made her stomach growl, holding her hand out for the bowl.

“Lysandra I’m really sorry for what I said. It just slipped, it’s a habit being in charge of so many people with a few incompetent needing to know their place. You are irreplaceable, no doubt about it. The kid would have my head if that happened. Please forgive me.” Maria handed her the bowl and knelt beside the couch. The doc’s heart melted when their eyes met, her hair looking beautiful flowing freely.

“No...” Not yet, the words almost slipping. Maria’s heart sank, eyes pleading. “Clearly we both need to take a break and cash in some vacation hours.”

“Where would you like to go?”

“I’ve always wanted to visit Paris. Now give me my glasses back, I can’t see shit.”

#natasha romanoff x gender neutral reader #natasha x you #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff fic #Natasha Romanoff x reader #maria hill #maria hill x OC

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photogirl894 · 2 years

Text

"Sun and Rain"

Chapter 51

"Eradication"

A "Bad Batch" fanfic!

Pairing: Hunter x fem OC, Echo (more best friend pairing)

A/N: I LIIIIIIIIIIVE!!

Gosh, so sorry for the incredibly long wait! My inspiration has been sorely lacking and would come in small spurts here and there, which was maddening! Here is a nice long chapter to make up for it that I think you all will like 😊 I apologize if the action seems rushed, I was just trying my best to get through it and just get the chapter done lol

Taglist: @the-sad-batch , @nimata-beroya , @intrepidmare , @tmnt-leo-simp , @tech-aficionado , @ladykatakuri , @d1n0-dan , @sammi9498 , @darthzero22 , @scarlettroseog , @tech-deck , @thebadbatchscyare , @chxpsi , @ilikemymendarkandfictional , @4pplecider , @locitapurplepink , @l-lend , @nekotaetae , @eternalwaffle , @merkitty49

《 Chapter 50

》 Chapter 52

All chapters

Explanation: Now inside the Eradicators hideout, the Koriena Force's plan to rescue the Bad Batch and all the Clones is underway. Will it be successful or will they too end up as prisoners themselves?

The Koriena Force was led through a series of corridors to a large lift that they all got in and went downwards towards the Eradicators’ detention level. Jax kept looking at Kimber and trying to make small talk with her. She was hating every moment, but knew it was imperative to the plan that she go along with it. Mostly, she just wanted to tell him to throw himself in a Sarlacc pit and end his miserable existence. Sadly, she couldn’t say that…yet.

He kept going on, “As you may have seen, our establishment here and our entire enterprise is well-hidden from the eyes of the Republic. Their precious Clones disappear and they have no idea where they go.”

“And yet Irys was able to find out everything about this place in a matter of minutes on the holonet,” Kimber thought to herself. “Shows how arrogant you are.”

“Do not be so sure of that sir,” Kimber spoke aloud, using her deep Alpha voice. “The moment you let arrogance rule your words and actions is when your enemy will rise up and strike against you. The Republic is resourceful. While yes, you have the upper hand, it would be unwise to underestimate them.”

He chuckled. “Already so concerned for me and my work, I see. You flatter me, Lady Alpha,” he replied.

“You wish,” she thought, annoyed.

Very soon, the doors to the lift opened and they proceeded down another hallway to a door that Jax put in a code for on a keypad. Kimber kept a close eye on his hand movements so she could memorize the code, but even if she didn’t, she knew Irys would be able to override the code anyway. The door swished open and they came into the detention level, which was an open area at first with a main computer console and then had a long corridor with several doors on either side.

Jax then said, “This is where we keep the assortment of Clones we’ve captured thus far. I think you will find our selection most satisfactory.”

Then behind her, Rina spoke up, elbowing Rex in the side, “Though, first, we need somewhere to put this nuisance.”

Rex glared at her, keeping up the act.

“Oh yes,” said Jax. “I will find a place for him…but we will get to that momentarily. I want him to see all of the so-called brothers of his that we’ve captured.” Then he turned and began walking ahead of them.

Kimber’s hand curled up into a fist at her side, but Kida subtly reached over and placed her hand over hers. She gave Kimber a very light shake of the head, signaling her to keep her calm as they followed after him.

He went up to the first door on the left, pressed a button off to the side and the door slid open. Inside was a group of about six Clones that Kimber had yet to meet, but her heart still wrenched at seeing them in the cell, each bound at the wrists and looking either angry or hopeless. They were dressed in simple white armor with no color to them.

Now that he was presenting the Clones to her, Kimber gave a tiny nod to Irys, giving her the signal to begin hacking into the main console while Jax was occupied with showing off the Clones. Rina, Lex and Kida also casually assembled themselves behind Kimber so as to block Jax’s view of the computers and he couldn’t see Irys.

“What do you think of these ones?” Jax asked Kimber, making her remember that she had to act interested in buying them, which was making her sick to her stomach.

She took a moment, pretending to be analyzing the Clones in the cell before her. “A very good collection of specimens here…but I wish to look further.”

They walked down to the next cell and he opened up the door. Inside, there was another group of Clones, this time four of them. Their reactions were the same, glancing up at them with hate in their faces. She just acted uninterested and moved on to the next one.

However, it took every ounce of strength she possessed to not react to the next group of Clones she was shown; a group she was not expecting to see.

In the third cell, she saw the Wolf Pack.

Comet and Sinker were on the floor to the left, Boost was close to the door and then Commander Wolffe was standing towards the back, leaning up against the wall, looking more stoic than usual.

Kimber was surprised to see them. It was no wonder neither Rex nor Cody had heard anything from the Wolf Pack recently. Who knew how long they’d been imprisoned? She had to somehow let them know that they were going to be rescued. She’d already thought of a way to get a message to her squad, but this, she hadn’t anticipated.

To try and get in and get a message to them that she was there, she spoke up, feigning interest, “Oh…what do we have here?” She stepped down into the cell and the Clones all watched her come in. “These ones certainly might fit the part.” Her eyes found Wolffe and she walked forward, leaving everyone else behind her. “You look like a strong, able-bodied specimen.”

Wolffe just glared at her.

“Though, your eye is curious,” she commented. Then she said, hoping to get the signal across, “You remind me of someone I came across on a job on Falleen. We ended up in a scuffle with some Droids in the middle of it and the Vulture Droids gave us the most trouble.” She then asked over her shoulder, hoping to further sell the bit, “Do you remember that, ladies?”

With a scoff of disgust, Kida played along and responded, “Don’t remind me. Those Droids cost us a lot of credits on that job.”

Kimber grinned under her mask, grateful that Kida was going along with her.

Keeping her eyes trained on Wolffe, Kimber then said, “I recall that day having to attach a cable to a Vulture Droid in order to reach an outpost on the side of a mountain. That was quite the ride.”

His eyes narrowed at her curiously. It seemed that her bringing up what she did during her outing with the Wolf Pack on Falleen was jogging his memory. Just as she could tell the realization was hitting him, she then asked, “Would you say that is an impressive feat, Clone?” Then she gave him an affirming wink.

There was definitely some confusion in his expression, but there was the smallest hint of understanding in it, as well, as if realizing who she was, but wondering what in the world she was doing. However, he simply stated in answer, “Impressive indeed, ma’am.”

She gave an amused hum before looking back to Jax and declaring, “I like this one. I definitely have my eyes on him.”

“Do you wish to trade the Captain for this one?” Jax inquired.

“Possibly,” she answered contentedly as she made her way back to the open doorway. “That Clone with the cybernetic eye and maybe the rest of his crew, I’m highly considering, but I wish to view the other Clones you have on hand first before making a final decision.”

Jax bowed his head. “But of course,” he said, stepping aside so she could walk through, hitting the button to the cell door behind him as they moved away.

Once they were gone, Wolffe spoke to his squad, “Well, boys…I get the feeling we’re not going to be in this cell much longer.”

Confused, Comet asked, “What makes you say that?”

“And what was that whole thing about?” then asked Sinker, gesturing to the door.

“Remember that woman we picked up on Mon Gazza?” questioned Wolffe.

Boost answered, asking, “You mean the one that was in a Clone squad?”

“The one you said was a pain in your neck?” added Comet.

Wolffe reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah…I don’t know how, but she’s here…and somehow, she’s going to get us out.”

Back out in the hallway, Kimber, the Koriena Force and Rex continued along with Jax, observing other Clone prisoners in their cells. So far, there was no sign of the Bad Batch and luckily, Kimber didn’t see any other Clones that she recognized, which was a good sign at least. That didn’t stop the pain and the hate she was feeling with every cell they went to and every squad or group of Clones she pretended to survey. She wished she could just shoot Jax and free all the Clones right then and there, but she knew they’d never make it out with all the other Eradicators and bounty hunters waiting elsewhere in the fortress. She had to bide her time and keep her act up as much as possible.

After about six more cells--and what felt like an eternity--Jax opened up a cell near the end of the hall and Kimber’s breath hitched.

There they were: her boys, all spread throughout the cell. Hunter and Crosshair were standing near a back corner, Wrecker was sitting on the floor to the left while Tech and Echo were on the floor near the right side of the room. Their eyes drifted up to them and they gave them looks of indifference.

“Finally!” she thought. “Now’s the time to really sell all this.”

“Rex!” cried Echo upon seeing the Captain in their possession.

“Oh my…!” Kimber exclaimed, acting immensely intrigued upon seeing the Bad Batch as she walked into the cell. “Now, these Clones are incredibly unique. I have never seen ones like them before.”

They were watching her suspiciously and with caution and she didn’t like it. How she wanted desperately to rip her mask off and tell them she was there!

Then Jax said behind her, coming into the cell himself, “This is Clone Force 99. They are enhanced Clones, which makes them different from the rest.”

“Different, indeed,” she said back, eyeing the Clones closely and pretending to be fascinated by them, hoping in the back of her mind that they would forgive her later for how she was looking at them.

Her gaze went from Tech to Echo over to Wrecker and then lastly to Crosshair and Hunter. From what she could tell, they seemed okay and still in good health, surprisingly. She had been afraid she would find them beaten and bruised, showing possible signs of torture, given the Eradicators’ hatred of Clones. She felt fortunate that this was not the case and overwhelmed with relief.

Then she locked eyes with Hunter. He was faintly scowling at her and she couldn’t blame him. There was no way he would recognize her, not with the tattoos, the mask and the eye color changing discs she wore. There was no way he would know…but she had an idea of how to get a subtle signal to him that she was there, just like she had done with Wolffe, only this one she had actually prepared for.

“Are these not the Clones that are due to be eradicated?” inquired Kida.

“They are, indeed,” replied Jax, a tone of distaste in his voice,

Seemingly ignoring their conversation, Kimber stepped up to Hunter and could see Crosshair tense up out of the corner of her eye at her approach and she stole a look at him, as well. “These two have certainly piqued my interest. Though, in truth, all of them are just what I’m looking for. Strong physiques, built for endurance, special abilities…wouldn’t you agree, ladies?” she asked, turning over her shoulder.

“Oh yeah, I completely agree,” answered Rina and it was then Kimber noticed that she was making eyes at Wrecker as she voiced her agreement, who looked a bit put off by it. Kimber never would’ve imagined Rina would have a thing for bigger guys, but then again…she was a smaller woman, so she guessed that sort of thing made sense.

Then Lex said in addition, “I think these Clones would serve us well, my lady.”

Kimber put her hands behind her back underneath her cape, directed her attention to Jax and raised the question, hoping she would be able to convince him, “Why send these Clones to their death as punishment for what they have done? Would it not be more satisfying to see them as servants at someone else’s beck and call, performing hard labors as recompense for their crimes? I would be willing to pay an exceptionally handsome price for these Clones and take them off of your hands where they will certainly be punished for the wrongs they inflicted upon you.”

“We’ve done nothing wrong,” Hunter spat behind her.

This was her chance to send the signal.

“Forgive me, Hunter,” she prayed in her mind.

She pulled something out of a pouch on the back of her belt where Jax couldn’t see and hid it in her clenched fist as she then whirled around and struck a hard blow straight to Hunter’s side. As he cried out in pain and moved to clutch at the side of his abdomen with his bound hands, she ever so carefully put her fist into one of his open hands and slipped the item into it before forcing his hand closed with her own, pretending as though she were grabbing him defensively. She saw the other Clones all flinch and look like they wanted to move to Hunter’s aide, but knew they couldn’t, so their expressions were full of rage.

“I will not be spoken to in such a way, Clone!” she bellowed in his face. As his eyes, filled with disdain, lifted to meet hers, she then added in a more stern tone, “As the twin suns of Tatooine blaze in the desert, you will learn to be obedient like the massiff mutts you are.”

At any time, Kimber would’ve never believed that would ever say such words to Hunter and it killed her to speak to him this way, but as usual, it was necessary to preserve her cover in order for their plan to work. If her subtle hint about the twin suns wasn’t enough to let Hunter know it was her, then the object she’d slipped into his hand would be.

As she turned back around, Jax came up to her, an impressed smirk on his face at her display. “While your offer is indeed tempting, my lady,” he said, “I am afraid myself and the masses demand an example be made of these Clones. There are too many who have come here for the Eradication for it to be withdrawn. I am sorry, but I’m afraid these Clones will still be terminated.”

Unfortunately, he wasn’t budging and Kimber didn’t like that. She tried again, this time batting her eyelashes a bit at him and saying in a smooth, sultry tone, “Surely, sir, we can come to some sort of…arrangement about this.”

“Forgive me, but these Clones are not for sale,” he said in conclusion.

Just as she was going to try and argue some more, she saw Irys casually step up behind Rina, which gave Kimber the indication that she had successfully finished hacking into the computer system and the override was in place. The next big step of their plan was now in motion.

With that in mind, Kimber decided to reluctantly relent and replied with a heavy sigh, “Oh well, what a pity. I had so thought these Clones would serve us well.”

“Shall we finish surveying the rest of my collection and find a new place for our newest addition?” asked Jax, motioning to Rex.

Keeping up appearances, Rex cast an apologetic glance to the members of the Bad Batch.

“I say we shall,” replied Kimber, once again looping her arm through his and resisting the strong urge she had to break it as she exited the cell. She wished that she could look one last time at her boys, but Jax was quick to whisk her out of the room that she didn’t get the chance to.

“Who the heck was that?” questioned Wrecker, annoyed.

Hunter, still on one knee and doubled over from the hit he took to the abdomen, brought out his hand and looked at the object that he had felt get slipped into it. His fingers unfurled and his eyes went wide with shock.

It was his credit necklace!

How was that possible? He had thought it had been lost or the Eradicators had taken it when he realized it wasn’t with him upon waking up in the cell they were in. Yet that woman had it…who was she and how did she have it? Something wasn’t right.

Then the last thing she had said to him came to mind:

“As the twin suns of Tatooine blaze in the desert….”

Tatooine…the necklace…

“Kimber!” he gasped.

“What?” asked Crosshair, looking down at him.

“What are you talking about, Hunter?” then questioned Echo.

Hunter held out his hand so his brothers could see the necklace he now held as he said, “I don't know how, but I think that woman was Kimber.”

“That’s your necklace,” Crosshair pointed out.

With a nod, Hunter explained, “She snuck it into my hand after she punched me.”

“Which, wow, she hits pretty hard!” he then thought to himself as he acknowledged the twinging in his side.

Then Tech seemed to catch on as he pointed out, “She also mentioned the twin suns of Tatooine.”

“That’s got to be her, then!” cried Wrecker.

Unable to hold back the pleased grin on his face, Hunter stated, “I knew she would find us. I knew it.”

“Though, I’m curious as to how she managed to locate us,” commented Tech.

“Does that really matter?” Echo asked in return. “Kimber still found us and she also got inside this hideout.”

“Do you think the squad she brought is on her side?” inquired Crosshair.

“Given the way she spoke to those ladies, it would appear she holds a form of leadership over them,” Tech stated in answer, “so my theory is yes, she is in league with those women and they are all undercover as bounty hunters in order to infiltrate the Eradicators’ secret base.”

Wrecker got kind of a cheeky grin on his face as he added with a tiny shrug, “That tiny girl with the gray hair was kind of cute.”

“Duly noted, but now’s not the time for that,” said Hunter. “Kimber’s here and she’s brought help. Looks like we’re going to survive this after all, boys.”

A wave of relief crashed over him. For the past couple days, he had been secretly wallowing in doubt and misery, fearing that Kimber would never find them…and he’d never see her again, but just as he had hoped deep down, she had proven to be as capable and innovative as he always believed and found them against all odds. Even then, she still managed to surprise him.

Now that she was there at the hideout, he knew without a doubt that Kimber was going to make Jax Orocco pay dearly for everything he had done.

The moment Jax left the Koriena Force in their guest room for the night, Kimber ran straight for the refresher and vomited violently, now that the adrenaline of being undercover was wearing off and she could drop the bounty hunter act. The pressure of it all and having to act as the exact opposite kind of person that she was had built up so much within her that she finally couldn’t hold it back and the contents of her stomach unleashed themselves rather quickly.

Rina had gone in with her and was rubbing her back soothingly. “There you go, boss lady. Just let it all out. You did great,” she said.

With a gasp, Kimber replied, "The sooner we get this all over with, the better. I don't think I can take doing much more of this. I hate acting and speaking so abhorrently to the Clones! It sickens me!"

"Yeah, I can see that," replied Rina.

"Well, hopefully you won't have to do it much longer," Kida piped in outside the open door as the two ladies came out of the refresher. "We'll enact our plan tonight, free the Clones and put an end to the Eradicators, Jax Orroco along with them."

After taking a few deep breaths, Kimber stood back up and asked, "Irys, you got that override ready?"

"I assume that's a rhetorical question," Irys stated back.

"Good," Kimber replied.

Lex then posed the question, "Now that we've gotten a look at your Bad Batch boys...which one was your Sergeant?"

Kimber snickered timidly and told them, "The one I punched."

Right then, Rina let out a laugh and declared. "I knew it! That's five credits, Lex."

To Kimber's slight astonishment, she watched Lex pull out some credits from a pouch on her belt and begrudgingly put them into Rina's hands, who accepted them with a triumphant grin.

"Excuse me?" Kimber questioned.

Pocketing the credits, Rina explained, "While you were throwing punches and schmoozing up to the enemy, Lex and I took bets on who we thought your Sergeant Hunter was. I totally had you pegged going for the tall, dark, handsome and broody type."

It was amazing how easily Rina seemed to figure her out. Kimber then turned to Lex and asked, "Who did you think it was?"

"I thought it was the silver-haired one. He seemed to have an air of authority about him," Lex answered.

"Oh no, that was Crosshair. He's the one who saved me on Kuat and killed the Rodian. I love him very much like a brother and nothing more," clarified Kimber.

With a small shrug, Irys added, "Though, he was pretty handsome."

"So was the big lug in the corner. I definitely like a guy that can lift me...out of my depression," said Rina, quickly changing her tune once she realized where her mind was going.

"They were all handsome," put in Kida, smirking.

With a small roll of the eyes, Kimber said back, "You would say that."

"Yes, though I still have eyes for the blonde Clone Captain," said Kida.

“Anyway…,” said Irys, trying to move the conversation along. “I’ve got access to the security cameras, so once night comes, I can guide all of you as you make your way back to the detention level, make sure no one gets in your way.”

Kimber’s expression then turned somber as she asked, “Where is Jax Orocco’s room?”

“Naturally where you would suspect it might be: on the top level of the base above everyone else,” Irys informed her. “Most of the uppermost level is his living quarters.”

“Good. Once the Clones are freed, I’m going up there,” Kimber stated.

“Alone?” questioned Rina.

Without hesitating, Kimber told her, “Yes. Jax, I need to deal with alone. I’m the reason all of this is happening and I’m going to make sure that, before all of this is over, that I cut the head off the snake. I need you ladies to ensure that all of the Clones get away safely while I take care of that. Can I count on you?”

“Oh please, would we have come with you on this mission if you couldn’t?” Kida asked in return.

With a grin, Kimber responded, “Fair point.”

Nightfall came quickly, much to Kimber’s relief. Once they were certain all parties within the fortress were in their respective rooms and should be asleep, the Koriena Force put their plan into motion.

Once Irys scanned the corridors on the cameras and gave the all-clear, the rest of the ladies stealthily snuck through the halls, being sure to stop at each corner until Irys told them to go over their comm units. As they went along, Lex placed several explosive charges along the walls for when it was time to blow the base. They moved as quickly and quietly as they could and so far, everything was going well.

Kimber couldn’t help but feel a bubble of nervousness growing in her stomach. What if all of this went wrong? What if they got caught and she would almost certainly ensure the extermination of all the Clones? What if she was leading these ladies under her command to their deaths? They didn’t deserve to die, not there on Nar Shadaa and not for something that was her fault to begin with. Even though they were willing to follow her, she still felt that if something were to happen to them as a result of this mission, she would be directly responsible. Would she even be able to live with that guilt?

Was this how Hunter felt all the time leading his squad; his brothers and her on missions every day? Did he feel this kind of guilt constantly? Was he always worrying like this wherever they went? This sort of pressure was almost unbearable…and most likely, the man she loved experienced this every moment of every day of his life. Being in this leadership position herself now made her realize that Hunter was truly stronger than she ever imagined. To deal with this sort of pressure and expectations all the time and still come across as calm, collected and level-headed as he was, was exceptional. She only hoped she was even a fraction of the leader he was.

Soon, they made it back to the detention level and crowded outside the door. Kimber keyed in the code she'd seen Jax put in on the keypad and the console flashed green. With that, the doors swished open.

"We're in. Irys, start looping the security feed. Also, what cell is Rex in?" Kimber inquired over her comm as they quietly walked in.

"Got it. He's in the closest cell to you on the right," said Irys. "Unlocking the door now."

There was a beep and the closest cell door to the right came open. Kimber stepped into the doorway and found Rex standing near the back.

"Ready to get your brothers?" she asked him, pulling her mask down.

"I've been ready since we got here," he said back, moving to the door.

Once he was out of the cell, Kimber ordered, "Lex, get your final charges set."

Lex nodded and got her explosives set on the main computer console.

Then Kimber said over the comm, "We've got Rex and the charges are in place. Activate the override."

"On it," Irys responded.

They then saw all the locks activating on all the cells and the doors opening up as well as the weapons closet off to the side. Rina and Lex went over and started getting some of the weapons out ready for the Clones. A few seconds later, some of the Clones started peeking warily out of their cells.

Kimber spoke up, "Everyone, listen up. This is a rescue operation. We're here to free all of you. The Eradicators and bounty hunters are currently asleep, so we need to do this as quietly and stealthily as possible. Move quickly and my team will supply you with weapons. They'll lead you to safety along with Captain Rex here. We're stealing some ships or boarding gunships nearby which will take us to a Republic cruiser that's on standby. You're all getting out of here."

"Our freedom is just within reach, soldiers. Let's move!" then commanded Rex to rally the troops.

Right after that, the hallway was suddenly crowded with Clone soldiers and Kimber was scanning as hard as she could through the mass of people, looking for Wolffe as well as her boys. She spotted Wolffe first and called out his name as he came by.

His eyes found her and he couldn't hold back a small smirk. "Well, well...it is you," he commented.

"Surprised?" she asked.

"Quite, actually. I didn't think we'd run into you here, of all places," he told her.

She snickered and replied, "Trust me, I didn't either. I'm glad you guys are okay. Hurry and get moving. I'll see you on the other side."

Wolffe simply nodded and sped off with the rest of the Clones.

Kimber kept watching for her boys in the midst of the fray and before long, she could spot their armor towards the back. She started making her way through the Clones to get to them.

"Bad Batch!" she called out to get their attention.

Sure enough, they all looked her direction and their eyes all lit up at seeing her.

"Kimber!" cried Echo.

The person closest to the front of the group was Crosshair and Kimber jumped up and hugged him, not even caring that he wasn't a fan of hugs. However, she still felt him gently embrace her back.

"We knew it was you! We knew you'd come for us!" exclaimed Wrecker, clapping her on the arm.

"Was there ever any doubt?" she asked back, grinning.

Hunter then stepped up from the back and answered with a pleased grin of his own, "Never."

She smiled at him, overwhelmed with joy at seeing him and seeing all of her boys were okay. "I'm so happy I found you all. I'm glad to see you," she told them.

"The feeling is mutual," replied Tech with an adjustment of his goggles.

"Now, let's hurry and get out of here before the Eradicators figure out we're escaping," Crosshair stated.

The others all ran off, but Hunter lingered behind for a brief moment with Kimber. He was searching her face, as if trying to understand how it was really her standing in front of him. The disguise she had probably wasn't helping matters much, but his mouth also wavered up and down as if he was wanting to say something, but didn't know quite what to say.

She took the initiative and told him, "I'll explain everything once we're off world, I promise."

His hand came up to her shoulder. "I'm just glad you're safe," he finally said.

"Same to you," she said. "Let's go."

Just as they got up to the weapons room, Crosshair came out with his helmet donned and rifle on his back, said Hunter's name and tossed him his helmet and vibroblade. Hunter caught them both, put the helmet on and sheathed the blade just as the rest of the boys came out with their weapons. Echo then handed Hunter his blasters.

"First group has made it out of the base and I've directed them to the junkyard to get to the gunships. I'm on my way to your position, Kimber," reported Rex over the commlink.

Then Lex chimed in, "Second group has reached the hangar and they're boarding a couple ships. I'm heading back now. It probably won't be long before the Eradicators hear the hangar doors opening or the ships powering up."

"Don't worry, I've got the doors to all the bedrooms on lockdown," replied Irys. "It won't hold them back permanently, but it'll at least buy you all some time."

Rina came out of the weapons room with Kida and, upon seeing them, Kimber replied over the comm, "Looks like the rest of the Clones are out of the detention level. We're headed to the hangar."

"Lead the way, boss lady," invited Rina with a sweep of her hand.

With a nod, Kimber gestured with her head to the two ladies as well as the Bad Batch to follow her and they moved quickly into the lift, which took them back up to the main level. However, just as the doors opened, they heard a blaster shot not too far away. Everyone pulled out their weapons and ran off towards the sound. They rounded a corner to see Lex in a fistfight with a bounty hunter, his blaster on the ground.

"Karabast!" Lex cried out as she fought off the man.

Before anyone could react, Rina suddenly leapt forward, withdrew a rope dart with a rounded object at the end from around her waist and flung it towards the bounty hunter, hitting him square in the side of the head and knocking him out. She might’ve been shorter than everyone, but she showed the Clones that she was certainly not to be underestimated.

"How'd he get out?" questioned Kimber.

"He somehow disabled the door," answered Lex.

Then Tech spoke up, "We'd better get moving. There's a high probability that the blaster shot woke some of the other Eradicators or bounty hunters and we'll soon be overrun."

Just then, one of the doors behind them exploded and the door itself crashed to the ground.

"You spoke too soon, Tech," said Echo.

A group of three people came out of the room, spotted them and one of them cried, "The Clones are escaping!" Then all three of them pulled out blasters and darted towards them.

Lex pulled an orb from her belt, activated it and threw it towards their attackers. Two seconds later, the detonator went off and a big cloud of smoke erupted from it. While they were distracted, Kimber and Rina jumped in and started throwing punches, trying to incapacitate them.

Hunter watched in awe as Kimber fought the people who tried to come at them. She was fighting in a way he hadn't seen from her before. Her combat form had improved and she seemed stronger now. He could definitely tell she was holding her own better than normal and he almost felt he could watch her do that all day. This was a new and improved Kimber...and he liked what he saw.

Once she took down the last one, she caught his eyes and flashed him a sly, almost cocky grin.

Just then, Irys's voice came over the comms, "Guys, we've got a problem: that blaster shot caused a ruckus and there's a lot of Eradicators and bounty hunters getting out of their rooms in the corridors ahead."

"Which means our only exit is blocked off," Kida concluded.

Right then, Rex came running around the corner in front of them, calling out, "She's right. I could hear shouts and shots behind me as I was running. They'll soon be headed this way. Looks like we're gonna have to fight our way out of this one."

"Not necessarily," spoke Irys. "There's a ventilation shaft above you that leads throughout the lower level and can get you closer to the front entrance of the base. If you can get up in there and crawl through, you should be able to bypass the incoming mob, get outside and make your way to the junkyard where our ship is waiting. Get in the shaft and once you're clear, I'll lock down all the corridors and seal everyone in."

Kimber looked up and could see a panel high up in the ceiling that most likely led to the ventilation shaft. She said, "Well, everyone pretty much knows we're here already so...." Then she withdrew a small explosive and threw it up at the panel. It stuck to the ceiling and in seconds blew the panel of its hinges.

"Let's go. There's not a moment to lose," she said.

Tech stepped up and said, "Wrecker, give me a boost."

Wrecker got down on one knee and braced his hands up as Tech stepped onto them. Then with a small throw, Wrecker pushed Tech up into the air where he grabbed the edge of the hole and pulled himself into the shaft.

"All right, Wrecker will help everyone up and I'll pull them in," Tech stated loudly for them to hear.

Suddenly, a blaster shot whizzed right by the group and they saw more Eradicators and bounty hunters coming their way with blasters at the ready. They all began to fire back at them, causing the attackers to duck behind the corners ahead.

"Wrecker, get the boys to safety! We'll cover you!" Kimber cried out. Not giving any of her boys a chance to refute, she then cried, "Koriena Force, with me!"

All the ladies let out a yell of conviction and charged towards the Eradicators, shooting their blasters at them or using other weapons to fight them.

Once again, Hunter found himself stunned at what he witnessed before him from Kimber. There she was, fearlessly leading a team of women he didn't know into combat and they were fighting together as one unit, as if they'd been together for years. Whoever these ladies were, they were skilled fighters. Not only that, but it was clear to him that the entire rescue operation had been led and probably orchestrated by her. He was impressed and deep down, he was proud to see the incredible leader she had become in their time apart.

"That's my girl," he thought, a smirk creeping up on his lips before Wrecker interrupted his thoughts by telling him it was his turn to go up into the vents.

At the front, the Koriena Force was holding the Eradicators back as best they could. They managed to wound a few of them, but they weren't aiming to kill; mainly just incapacitate. One Eradicator managed to get a shot on Kida, wounding her in the shoulder and sending her to the ground.

"Kida!" Rex cried out in alarm. He whipped his blaster in front of him and shot the one who shot her square in the chest before rushing over to her side.

While taking cover behind a corner, Kimber called to him, "Rex, get Kida out of here!"

Without a word, Rex swept Kida into his arms to get her out of harm's way.

"My hero," said Kida through a groan as they ran off.

After knocking another Eradicator off their feet with her rope dart, Rina looked to Kimber and stated, "Well, this is certainly going well."

"Rina, it's your turn. Get to the shaft. Lex and I will follow," called Kimber.

"Got it!" Rina replied. She ran back to Wrecker, craned her neck to look at him as he towered over her and said, "Hey, big guy! Mind giving a small girl a lift?"

With a hearty chuckle, he responded, "Oh, you bet!" He then proceeded to grab her underneath her arms and launched her up into the hole in the ceiling like she literally weighed nothing.

There was a cheer up in the shaft followed by Rina calling down, "Okay, that was amazing!"

"Lex, go!" called Kimber.

Lex obeyed and, after taking a couple more shots, ran to Wrecker, who threw her up in turn.

Right then, Kimber got on her comm and said, "Rina, get Wrecker into the shaft and get out of here."

"Wait, what about you?" Rina questioned.

"I've got to end this. I'm going after Jax. Now go!" Then she resumed blasting back at the Eradicators.

Up in the shaft, Rina knew what she had to do, even though she wasn't necessarily pleased about having to do it. She reached out a hand and, calling to the Force around her, used it to pull Wrecker upwards to the hole.

"Whoa, what's happening? Oh, not again!" shouted Wrecker as he was suddenly floating in the air up into the vent.

As he came up and landed in the shaft, Lex turned to Rina and asked, her eyes wide, "Did you just--?"

"Yeah, we're not talking about it. Let's go," Rina stated abruptly.

"What about Kimber?" asked Wrecker.

Rina informed him as they began crawling through the shaft, "She'll catch up and meet us at the junkyard. The boss lady has got one more thing to take care of."

The doors to the lift opened on the top floor of the Eradicator base and Kimber released a heavy sigh before pulling her mask back over the lower half of her face. The time had come to face her demon and to bring about the end of the Eradicators beginning with the one at the head of it all.

She walked down the single empty corridor that led to a large door. Her heart was beating rapidly with every step she took towards Orocco’s office. Her hands were trembling at her sides. She knew what she was going to do and she prayed that she would have the strength to do it. This had to happen. This had to end and this was the only way it would.

Before long, she reached the door and spoke quietly over her comm, “Irys, I need you to override the lock on Jax’s door.”

A few seconds later, the locking mechanism beeped, flashed green and Kimber heard Irys’s voice say, “Override complete.”

“Good. Now get yourself out and meet up with the others at the junkyard. I'll meet you all there back at our ship when I can,” Kimber ordered.

“Understood. Good luck, Kimber.”

With that, Kimber put her comm back in her pocket and steeled herself. This was it. She pressed the button to open the door and it opened right up for her. She stepped into a vast office room lit up by lits on the walls and where the back wall furthest from her was one big viewport where she could see out into the city below. There was a huge holotable in the middle of the room and then a desk near the viewport, where Jax Orocco was looking at holographic security footage.

“How is this possible? I hear blasterfire and yet nothing is on the security feed!” he complained aloud.

Going back into her Alpha voice, Kimber spoke up as she sauntered into the room, “What seems to be the trouble, sir?”

Jax flinched at hearing her voice in the shadows, but then relaxed slightly when he saw it was her. “Lady Alpha,” he greeted her. “I don’t know what is going on. I hear blasters being fired, but I’m seeing nothing on my security cameras. It would seem someone has hacked into the system.”

“That certainly won’t do,” she replied, feigning concern.

“Certainly not,” he agreed, turning the hologram off. “Have you any idea what might be going on?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” she replied. Then she took out her blaster and pointed it straight at him.

His expression changed from apprehension to displeasure. “You disappoint me, Lady Alpha.”

She then decided to switch back to her normal voice and responded to him, her tone now cold and determined, “You see, I’m not here to buy or trade Clones. I’m here to free them. Also, it’s not Lady Alpha. It’s Kimber Sallaros.” Then she reached up and tapped the button in her bandana to deactivate the color discs in her eyes, revealing her normal amber eyes and then she pulled down her mask, showing him her face.

There was a brief moment of confusion on his face before it suddenly dawned on him and he exclaimed, “You’re the Clone lover woman I fought at 79’s on Coruscant!”

“And incidentally, the same woman who had a run-in with Carson D’gall on Kuat,” she added.

“That was you?” he growled.

With a defiant smirk, she said back, “Yes...and I have no regrets over anything I’ve done.” She walked a couple steps closer. “It’s over for you, Jax. You and your Eradicators will be put to an end tonight. Before I leave this office, you will be dead on the floor.”

He eyed her both with anger and slight curiosity, his eyes darting between her and the blaster in her hand. “How did you find my base? We are well-hidden from the eyes of the Republic,” he stated.

Now, she could react the way she wanted to and she let out a laugh of disbelief. “Oh please! You think you’re so clever? One of my ladies found out everything about you, your location and your endeavors on the holonet in just minutes. You’re not as covert as you think.”

He just simply glared at her, unamused at her comments.

Holding her blaster just a little higher, she declared, “I am a friend to the Clones and I will protect all of them from the likes of you or anyone like you. You will never capture or harm any of the Clones ever again, including my squad, Clone Force 99.”

Hearing that, Jax’s eyes narrowed at her. “Now it all makes sense…,” he mused.

She gestured to the floor with her blaster and commanded, “Down on the ground. Now.”

Jax continued to just stare at her with a frigid look in his eyes. “You won’t succeed, Clone lover,” he said with a sneer. “Your precious lab experiments will be recaptured and all the rest of them throughout the galaxy will be permanently silenced. I’ll see to that myself.”

Growing frustrated, Kimber took her free hand and struck Jax across the face with a yell. He didn’t seem too bothered by her actions.

“On the ground…now!” she cried out, returning her blaster to pointing at him.

With a begrudging scowl, he slowly got down onto his knees in front of her. Her hands started trembling again, now that the moment was finally upon her. This was the time to finally put an end to Jax Orocco, but now she was having doubts. Echo had once told her that she was no killer and had stopped her from taking out Wat Tambor, who was just as bad as Jax. Even though she believed that, too, about herself, if she didn’t take out Jax now, she ran the risk of him escaping and their problems wouldn’t be solved. She had to do this!

“Your hands are trembling…you can’t kill me, can you?” Jax taunted her.

“Shut up!” she yelled at him.

All of a sudden, while she was distracted, Jax threw his arm up and knocked her blaster out of her hands, climbed back to his feet and tackled her back into the edge of the holotable. In response, she brought her arms up and drove her elbows down straight into his spine. When he cried out in pain and his hold on her slackened, she threw a couple punches into his stomach and then shoved him away, going back for her blaster on the ground. However, he reached back and grabbed a hold of her cape to stop her. The cape caught against her throat and he pulled her back towards him. He whipped her around and closed a hand around her throat tightly.

Bringing her close, he growled in her face, “Tomorrow, your Clone Force 99 will be executed at the Eradication…and so will your lady friends. I’ll kill all of them and I’ll make you watch as they die!”

“Never!” she choked out.

Kimber brought up her leg, reached down and pulled one of the vibroblades hidden in her boot. Once it was in her hand, she brought it up and sliced the arm of the hand that held her by the throat. Jax let out a pained yell, released her and clutched at his injured arm. Unfortunately, he was quicker as he then grasped her wrist, pulled the vibroblade from her with his other hand and then thrust the blade into her side. She screamed in agony from the pain of both the knife and the electricity from the blade running through her. As he withdrew the blade, she felt her strength beginning to fail and she collapsed to the ground. He now towered over her and she tried to inch away from him while holding her wound and her blaster was still just out of her reach. Now like this, she wasn’t sure if she would be able to defeat him. He now held the advantage over her.

There was only one thing left to do.

She pressed a button on her commlink and hoped her friends would follow through.

Back in the ship they came in, the Koriena Force, Captain Rex and the Bad Batch were waiting for Kimber's return when a green light started flashing and beeping on the main console.

"That's Kimber's signal!" cried Lex, looking to Irys beside her.

"Signal for what?" inquired Crosshair.

The sad look on Lex's face, however, did not inspire much confidence. She then answered, "To blow up the base."

The Bad Batch's eyes all went wide in shock.

"But we can't! She's still inside!" Echo refuted.

"She'll blow up, too!" cried Wrecker.

"I think she's aware of that," Rex, who was bandaging Kida's wound, said solemnly.

Kida straightened up and declared, "No! Kimber didn't come this far to die on this Forceforsaken planet with those barbaric people!"

"We have to go back for her!" urged Hunter.

Rina waved a dismissive hand and replied, "Relax, lover boy. Do you really think we'd leave your girl and our leader behind? Not a chance. Of course, we're going back for her."

Hunter seemed unsure how to react at hearing the small woman call him "lover boy" and saying "your girl".

"Tech, get us up to the top of the base!" ordered Rex.

With a nod, Tech replied, "On it, Cap!" Then he jumped into the pilot's seat and got the ship ready to take off.

Inside Jax's office, Jax was walking towards Kimber, who was trying to crawl backwards away from him, but was having difficulty due to her wound.

"Poor Kimber," he taunted, tossing the vibroblade to the floor. "Such a disappointment. Your feeble attempt at bringing down my establishment has failed."

Through a grunt, Kimber spat back, "That's what you think."

"Why would you risk so much for a race of beings who aren't even real people?" he inquired.

Angrily gritting her teeth through the pain in her side, she said back loudly, "If they're not real people, then why are you wasting your time trying to get rid of them?"

"When one suffers a plague of pests, you exterminate them," he said back.

"Which is exactly what my team and I are going to do with you and your Eradicators," she told him, glaring up at him.

He chuckled menacingly before withdrawing a blaster of his own and pointing it down at her.

"I won't kill you, but I will make good work of you before I make you watch the Eradication that will take place tomorrow," he said.

"I'd like to see you try and make me, sleemo," she antagonized him.

His eyes flashed with anger and he raised his blaster higher, getting ready to shoot, and Kimber prepared herself for more pain.

Boom!

The viewport wall by them was suddenly blown into pieces by big laser shots and, after ducking away from the debris, Kimber looked and realized it was the ship she had come in. Her friends had still come for her, despite what she wanted them to do. Taking the opportunity while Jax was distracted by the explosion, she mustered up what strength she had to get to her feet, stagger over to her blaster and pick it up. Then she swiftly turned around, caught his eye and pulled the trigger.

The blaster fired...and there was a smoking hole in Jax's chest.

His eyes wide and his mouth agape, Jax Orroco dropped his own blaster and slumped to the floor, dead.

Kimber gasped in astonishment. She'd actually done it.

Right then, she heard a whirring sound and saw the docking bay of the ship opening up just outside the blown wall. Hunter stood at the edge of the platform, waving to her.

"Kimber! Come on!" he called to her.

She stole one last look at the lifeless form of Jax on the ground. It took a moment for it to hit her that he was actually dead and she had killed him...and the Clones were now truly free.

With that, she clutched at her side and started running as best she could towards the broken viewport.

"Jump!" cried Hunter, holding out a hand to her.

Placing her full trust in him, she got to the edge and leapt through the viewport, reaching out to him as she jumped. Hunter caught Kimber by the hand and pulled her up against him as she landed on the docking platform.

"Thank you, Hunter," she gasped out.

He gave her a sincere nod.

Then she shouted into the ship as it started flying away, "Lex...blow it to hell!"

"With pleasure!" Lex cried back.

Kimber looked back at the Eradicators hideout below and a few seconds later, watched as several small explosives going off at once created one big explosion and absolutely destroying the fortress. With a sigh of relief, Kimber let herself fall into Hunter as he led her back into the ship.

All of the Clones, including hers, had been rescued and the Eradicators had been, as they would say, eradicated.

Kimber and the Koriena Force had succeeded.

#star wars the bad batch #the bad batch #bad batch hunter #bad batch fanfic #hunter x oc fic #sun and rain fanfic

37 notes · View notes

movieexpert1978 · 1 year

Text

I posted 5,363 times in 2022

That's 1,462 more posts than 2021!

226 posts created (4%)

5,137 posts reblogged (96%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@illiana-mystery

@faemorningstar

@morelikedoccock

@heythereimashley

@curbitkirby

I tagged 316 of my posts in 2022

#alfred molina - 183 posts

#fanfiction - 63 posts

#doc ock - 53 posts

#maxim horvath - 52 posts

#the sorcerer's apprentice - 36 posts

#otto octavius - 33 posts

#fluff - 30 posts

#fanfic - 30 posts

#christoph waltz - 29 posts

#maxim horvath x reader - 24 posts

Longest Tag: 45 characters

#it’s one of those days where i feel worthless

My Top Posts in 2022:

Crescendo

So I wrote a big chunk of a story a while back. Another story between Andres Galan and my OC Luna. Luna starts seeing someone her own age. Andres respectfully takes a step back. However, things soon start spiraling for Luna.

This is just a little Prologue to see what people think. So please feel free to leave a comment. Thanks!!!

Prologue

“Andres, I wanted to talk to you about something,” Luna speaks nervously.

“What’s that?” He asks, looking up from the papers on his desk.

“I…I wanted to start seeing someone…I hope that’s ok.”

“Luna, of course you can see someone,” he says assuring as he gets up. “I’m happy for you, truly,” he says as he caresses her face.

“I wasn’t sure how you would react.”

“Luna, I want you to be happy. I know our relationship wouldn’t last forever.”

“Andres, I still want to be friends.” He takes her hands gently and kisses her palms.

“I know…and I’m very grateful for that. I will always be here for you,” he says tenderly.

Xxxxxxxx

“So who’s this guy you’re seeing?” Senna asked eagerly. Luna moan dramatically into her palms. Senna smirks and nudges her gently. “Come on, spill it!”

“Well, he wants to be a sports journalist…”

“What! Oh no! He’s not for you.”

“What do you mean?” Luna laughs.

“I’m willing to bet he wants to do stuff for the Riots. Trust me, a lot of people around my dad are sketchy as hell,” Senna emphasized.

“He’s not sketchy and he does want to do some with the Riots but right now he’s working on stuff for the L.A. Chargers too alright,” Luna explains quickly.

“Well…what’s his name?” Senna huffs.

“Jason Schultz.”

“Uuuugh…that has rich white boy written all over it,” Senna groans.

“Hey, come on! Why are you being so critical?” Luna asks genuinely hurt. Senna squirmed as she realized that she over did it with her attitude.

“Sorry, I know that wasn’t the right way to do it, but I just want to make sure he makes you happy…ok?” Senna says.

“Thank you, I’ll be ok. He does make me happy,” she nods.

“He better!” Both girls laugh.

37 notes - Posted November 3, 2022

Happy Birthday to Alfred Molina!!!

46 notes - Posted May 24, 2022

Totally taking advantage of the Alfred Molina open requests. But i hope i do it right… .

How about Doc Ock (or even Bob Aldrich) being insecure about his physique. But his girlfriend changes his mind!

Thank you regardless 🐙🕷🥰

Here you go!!! Sorry this took me so long to do.

short but lots of fluff promise!!!!

tag list:

@illiana-mystery @randomfandomtrash28 @doctoraceus

@curbitkirby @tsukiakarinobara

Otto groaned as he stretched and stood up. His legs and back felt sore. It didn’t help that he had been sitting and tinkering in his lab all day.

“Uuuhgg,” he mumbled. He scratched his chin and could feel the stubble of a beard growing. He was well aware of the grey hairs starting to poke their way through his auburn hair. He was frowning as he went to the open kitchen area where his girlfriend was making dinner.

“Hey you,” she smiled at him.

“Hey,” he nodded weakly.

“Something wrong?” She knows that tone.

“It’s nothing,” he shrugs. She waits a few minutes as she works on the food.

“What’s wrong Otto?” She asks gently.

“I’m getting old…my body sucks,” he says in defeat.

“Hey! Get that out of your head right now mister!” She huffs as she hurries over to him.

“But it’s true! My legs and back ache. I’m turning grey and getting fat!” He sighs.

“Otto stop!” She laughs gently. “You could take a shower.” She suggests.

“Oh great now I stink too!”

“Hey I didn’t say that!” She playfully smacks his arm. “You work too much. Your body has been through a lot of trauma.” One of the arms shakes it’s head in denial. “It doesn’t help you have these stubborn things on your back.” She teased. “Yes, Larry I’m talking to you.” He turned away and ignored her in defiance, making Otto smirk. She straddles his lap and faces him. “I think you’re amazing Doctor Otto Octavious,” she whispers sincerely. He wraps his arms around her and rests his head on her shoulder.

“You think so?”

“Of course Otto…I mean that…and I mean it when I say I love you so much.”

“Thank you honey…that really means a lot to me.” He whispers. She kisses his cheek and then his temple. She turns his face towards him and kisses his forehead. When he looks into her eyes she smiles and gives him a tender kiss.

“You should take a break from work. You’ve been stuck in that lab basically for the last four days.”

“No I haven’t…have I?” Flo nods an eager yes making Otto huff. “Fine.” He relents with a smile. He helps her finish dinner and they sit down to eat. “You’re right…a shower sounds good after dinner…care to join me?” Otto smirks.

“I’d love to.”

47 notes - Posted May 30, 2022

Aftercare

Doc Ocktober 31: Aftercare

As promised, the part 2 to Submissive

lots of fluff!!! Otto taking good care of his submissive. I have no doubt he would be great with aftercare.

https://movieexpert1978.tumblr.com/post/675601347692953600/submissive

Otto gently takes the belt off as carefully as he can and puts it with his coat.

“Hey…darling are you ok?” He whispered.

“Yes Otto.” She gives him a small smile.

“Wait a moment.” He says. He leaved and she hears the sound of the shower running. Otto comes back in, fully naked now and helps her to her feet. He helps her into the shower with the arms being careful not to damage anything. Otto kisses her skin gently as he lets the water run over her. “I wasn’t too hard was I?” He asked.

“Only when you held my hair too tight.” She said.

“Oh I’m sorry. Do you want me to get you an icepack once we’re out?” He asked sincerely.

“No thank you, can you just massage my head a little bit?”

“Of course love.” Otto takes some of her shampoo and gently rubs it into her head. He smiled as he hears her hum pleasantly. He loves that sound. Next, he washes her body, being as gentle as he can. The belt marks are already fading. He doesn’t want to bruise her despite her asking him to sometimes. She helps clean Otto off before the water is turned off. An arm gives them towel, making her giggle. Otto is playful as he dries off. He puts his boxers back on as they go back to the bedroom. She puts a t-shirt and panties on before getting back into bed.

“Do you want to talk about anything?” Otto asks.

“Later please.”

“Alright, sleep now my dear.” He kisses the top of her head as she drifts off listening to his heartbeat.

52 notes - Posted February 8, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Garden Stroll

Just saw your message about your requests being open. How about a fic with his character from Breakable You? I’d love to read a fic where the OC doesn't leave that wonderful man for his BROTHER (who happened to be an ex). 😅😊

sorry this took me so long to get done anon. I wrote this and then I lost motivation to get this posted. I’ve just been going through a lot right now. I haven’t been motived to write at all either, so sorry about that.

This is NSFW, safe sex, swearing,

She wasn’t surprised to see Paul out front tending to his garden. He must have gotten an early start as he had certainly built up a sweat. She hurried inside with her things and grabbed a cold Gatorade for him.

“Hi Paul,” she smiled coming over to him.

“Oh hey there,” he nodded as he got up.

“I figured you could use a drink,” she said handing him the bottle.

“Oh thank you very much,” he nods and starting drinking. “Ahhhh…that’s good, nice and cold.”

“How’s the garden coming?”

“Oh, it’s coming, been putting in all kinds of flowers.”

“Any veggies?”

“No, even though I probably should. I’m not one for a vegetable garden. I’m a flower guy,” he says holding up a tulip.

“Your garden is always beautiful regardless. I need to do some of my own.”

“What’s that?” He asked curiously.

“Removing tree stumps,” she groaned.

“Yeah, those are always a pain. If you need a sledgehammer let me know and you can borrow mine.”

“You got a sledgehammer?”

“Yup.”

“Awesome, thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,” she smiles. They go back to their own houses, and she starts working in her back yard. Paul chuckles to himself as he sometimes hears her moaning and groaning. “Damn tree stumps,” she huffs. “Get out you stupid roots!” She shouts at one point. Paul has to cover his mouth to keep from laughing too loudly. Once he’s done with his plants he heads back inside. He sneaks a glance in her backyard to see her refilling a hold she dug up, with a small stuff off to the side. Paul puts a water in the freezer and gives it a few minutes before he goes outside to return the favor.

“Here’s some water,” he announces.

“Thank you,” she sighs and eagerly drinks. “I’m sorry…I was probably way too loud,” she blushes.

“No, you were fine. I found your colorful commentary quiet hilarious actually,” he chuckles.

"Yeah...I do that a lot when I work. I didn’t need the sledgehammer this time thankfully, just went around digging them up and cutting up the roots.”

“That’s not a bad method. It saves you a bit of money.”

“For now,” she sighs. “How have you been doing Paul?” She asks kindly as she starts to pick up her things.

“I’m alright, just keeping myself busy,” he nods. He knows what she means as his divorce had just been finalized a few weeks back.

“Not too busy I hope.” He helps her put some of her tools back in the garage.

“No, just the garden and a little house work every now and then. I’m alright,” he nods in appreciation.

“That’s good. Well, thank you for your help. I need to take a shower ASAP,” she groans fanning her face.

See the full post

72 notes - Posted August 31, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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bratshaws · 1 year

Text

through the hourglass 105. brb x oc

a/n: I pulled stuff out of my ass to write this but......i liked it.

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: none.

brad: :(

bea: * exists *

brad: :)

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

50/51/52/53/54/55/56/57/58/59/60/61/62/63/64/65/66/67/68/69/70/71/72/73/74/75/76/77/78/79/80/81/82/83/84/85/86/87/88

/89/90/91/92/93/94/95/96/97/98/99/100/101/102/103/104

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist! )

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @shrimping-for-all @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix

@lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi @lexhalstead3 @lorilane33 @legendarydreamersharkparty @luckyladycreator2

@emilybradshaw @j-6o @louisahale @leobabbyyy @kulicny @winter-run @ktjmac @graciereads @bigpoppajes @taytaylala12

@caitsymichelle13 @becks-things @caatheeriinee07 @dhwanishah09 @jesfreedark @katiemcrae @lilmonstrjedi @hobiismyhopeu @teacupsandtopgun @insominac23 @gh0stsgoodgirl @mygyn @chavivaelisheva

She’s still petting him once they are both lying on the bed, his head on her chest and his arms around her waist as the silence takes over. She dared a look towards him and frowns at how red and splotchy his face is, rubbing the pad of her thumb against his cheekbone comfortingly.

His breathing still hiccuped from time to time, but he was quieter now, just keeping his eyes closed and breathing in her scent, still partially clad with his uniform. Thankfully Nicole didn’t hear them, because if she did Beatrice was sure she’d end up crying herself, a quick look to the monitor showed that she was still asleep.

Beatrice sighed, still caressing his head, scratching an area in the shaved part that makes him relax even more. She didn’t want to speak yet, she wanted to give him enough time to break down everything that happened that day.

She knew he was nervous but she couldn’t understand what exactly happened.

It’s not until he moves a bit, pushing himself higher against her chest that she waits for him to speak, but his quiet groan only makes her frown more, “Do…” she hesitates, licking her lips, “Do you want me to get you some water,Roos?” a negative shake against her chest, “Do you need anything?”

“...you.”

“Huh?”

“I need you.” he whispers, his deep voice sounding frail and broken from crying so much, “I need you with me…please don’t leave.”

Beatrice’s body jolts in actual pain over those words, clenching her eyes to hold back the tears as she hugs him closer to her chest, kissing his head, “I’m not going anywhere, I’m with you,Roos…all the way.” he just relaxes in her hold, breathing evenly but not sleeping, undoubtedly he was trying to calm himself down the best he could. “Look at me?”

He takes a while to comply, but once he does his eyes are puffy and red, still glazed over with unshed tears and his nose is as bright crimson as paint. Beatrice smiles sweetly, brushing her thumb over his eyes, leaning close to kiss them - his lashes tickle her lips when she does so - before pulling back, “I look like shit, don’t I?”

She smiles fondly, still caressing him, “I just see my handsome husband, I don’t see anything bad with him.”

“Bea.”

“Crying is normal Brad.” she whispers, knowing exactly where he was going with this conversation, “Especially when you are so sad…and it hurts me to see you like this, but I know you needed to. You were holding so much in,baby…” another brush against his eyes, “So much…you can tell me when you feel comfortable,okay?”

He wasn’t going to wait long, he tells her that, he just needs a few seconds to recompose himself and then he could blurt everything out. Bradley just holds onto her, like a lifeline,like she’s the one thing bringing him close to the surface in the vast ocean that was his thoughts.

And she just didn’t move, she let him use her as his personal pillow, like she was the softest thing he had ever touched and didn’t want to let go. She waited more, she wanted him to open up when he felt ready, kissing the top of his head and keeping her lips there.

His next sigh was lighter, but still pained, “I’m okay.”

“You sure?”

“No.” he chuckled dryly, “But I can’t keep this shit in much longer,I’m going to explode.”

Beatrice frowned, adjusting herself on the bed a bit so she could look at him better, his head still on her chest, his arms still locked around her waist and she knew he didn’t want to meet her eyes when he began, “Okay…whenever you are ready,Roos.”

Another dry laugh, more like a ‘hmpf’ through his nose but he squared his shoulders and licked his lips, “Alright…so.” he keeps his mouth open without speaking for a bit, as if preparing himself because he couldn’t figure what was going on “...okay, so…” he stalls again, his jaw tight, “I…I don’t know if I can–”

“You don’t have to tell me now,Roos.”

“I want to.” he says, firm,”I need to.I..need to.”

“Okay…”

And he inhales again, deeper this time, his chest expanding and pressing against her side even more, “Mav told me…things, things about me.” she blinked at him, still caressing his hair, “I asked him how long he and my mother planned on doing that, on pulling my papers. He told me to sit down after closing the door and I knew I knew I was going to hate whatever it was he was going to say.”

His shoulders bunched up with nerves so Beatrice gently caressed the one closest to her while kissing his head, “He told me it was always talked about, that my mom always asked him if there was anything he could do to prevent me from…getting it.” he groans, “And Mav…he said he always voiced how that wouldn’t be fair for me, because I had the right to choose whatever I wanted to do in life. But he also felt…bad because of my dad, he– he blamed himself a lot because of it, for years.”

Rooster’s brows knitted in the center of his forehead, “I asked him how it was possible for me to just…not join when my father was KIA and he was a Naval pilot as well. And Mav said…there were just things he couldn’t elaborate really, because it involved something more. And I asked what it was and he still refused to tell me.”

“Do you have any idea why?”

“It might involve some higher up or power pulling and maybe he was nervous about telling me when we were so close to others.” he mumbles, “But I just…I couldn’t–why? Just why? I had my arguments with my mom,I did have them and I understood why she was scared but–”

But it wasn’t fair. That’s what he wanted to say.

He was conflicted and confused, it was something he never thought about until now, and now he just wanted this to stop. He was angry and he was hurt and he was just…standing on the precipice, barely clinging to the edge.

"Why did they do this to me?" he sounds so angry and upset that Beatrice just allows him to grit out the words, heavy like concrete. "The only thing, the one thing I could have control over was taken from me...and I am hurt. I'm so fuckin' hurt."

“I know…”

“And why? For what? My mom knew I wanted this, but I–” another groan, heavier, filled with confusion and angst that Beatrice could barely hold back her own tears once she heard him speak. Rooster was a strong man, mentally and physically, most of the time he could handle things thrown at him, he could, he would, he should.

But now he felt so small and frail,like he was a little boy again.

“I know Roos…” she hushes him, kissing the top of his head as he drops to her chest one more time, “You aren’t wrong for feeling this way, you know that.”

“I know–I achieved so much Bea…why am I hurting? I managed to do everything I’ve wanted professionally, I–”

Beatrice cups his cheeks, stopping the rambling and she sits up a bit to meet his eyes, “Baby…” she smiles sweetly, gently brushing his face, “You are a good man, you have a good heart and yeah, you achieved so much even with everything thrown your way…but you are human and you have the right to be hurt.”

“I don’t want to hate her,Bea.” he tears up again, his lower lip trembling with the weight of his confession, “I don’t want to hate my mom.”

“Roos…your mother loved you. So much, she did. And she thought that what she and Mav did was the best option for you, but it wasn’t. It…wasn’t right, at all. Things like that,I told you this before, she couldn’t have control over your choices after a while…what happened is terrible and you…can admit that your mother messed up. That Pete messed up, even if he partially didn’t want to hurt you like that.”

Rooster sighed painfully, dropping his head to her neck and she feels the hot tears sliding down her collarbones, “You don’t hate your mother.” she whispers, kissing his temple, “You hate what she did. You hate that she took over something like that, even if to her it made total sense.”

He inhales shakily,so she continues, “You are such a lovely person,Rooster. You grew up with a loving mother who, like all moms, messed up. She did mess up and it’s okay to admit that. Does that mean she’s evil? No.” she says softly once his eyes turn to hers, “It means she was…mistaken, maybe consumed with grief…the fact she didn’t show you how much she was hurting, didn’t mean she wasn’t.”

He frowns, sniffling a bit, keeping his cheek on her chest, closing his eyes when her hands brush through the sandy colored strands, “She thought it was the best for you. But it wasn’t, she probably thought she was doing the right thing, but it wasn’t…she made a mistake and it’s hurting you. She’d never want to hurt you like that. She loved you so much.”

“I loved her too.”

“And now, well, now you are a Lieutenant. You rose up the ranks smoothly, even with that huge obstacle in your life.” she says softly, kissing his scalp, “You can feel hurt, you can feel betrayed Roos. It’s okay, God, it’s so okay. We all get upset with our parents…we always do. Just because you aren’t a child doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”

Rooster’s breathing relaxes a bit as she talks, his eyes closing, he could only hear her soft voice calming him down. Only Beatrice could translate feelings into words so easily, she was so open and so genuine with everything she did that he could only listen to her, like she was the soft wind hitting his ear, calming him down.

“...how are you feeling now?”

“Like trash.” he mutters, “Like I want to sleep for twelve hours and call in sick for work.”

“...can you do that?”

“No.”

The silence lasts a few seconds, before the weakest chuckle comes out of him, with Beatrice joining in a few seconds later, still holding him against her chest. She inhales his shampoo with a small smile, “At least you are laughing.”

“I think I cried all my tears.” he mutters, ‘My eyes…hurt so much.”

“It’s been a long time since you cried like that,huh?”

“...yeah.” he says with his eyes directed to the wall, “A long time…felt…felt good though.”

Beatrice smiles more, kissing his temple then his forehead, “You are going to be okay. You know that,right?” he hums, hugging her tighter to himself, “Are you hungry? I can make something for you if you don’t feel like getting up. Or we can have dinner on the couch,watch some tv…what do you think?”

Rooster pauses for a second, then slowly lifts his head to meet her eyes, “What are we watching?”

He looked like a little boy with his eyes shining like that, even if the puffiness made it obvious his humor was less than happy,”Peaky Blinders?”

“Second season?” she nods, “Baby you know me too well.”

“I do.” she kisses his head again, “Take a shower, as long as you need,I’ll be waiting for you.”

He slowly sits up to let her go, leaning into her touch when she cups his cheek and smiles,kissing his lips once. He gently holds her hand for a few seconds, it slip out of his hand and his own palm landed on his leg, he offered Beatrice a kind smile when she walked out of the room, “...I know you will.”

Rooster walks downstairs after a long, long shower, turning his phone off because he didn’t want to talk to anyone. He felt better, he felt a lot better actually and his anger was…minimal now, he still needed time to talk to Mav and…deal with this.

He stops by the middle of the stairs when he sees Nicole’s little head poking from the edge of the couch, his daughter’s gummy smile immediately lifting his humor, “Oh is that Birdie?” she gurgles, making another head appear next to her - Jolene’s who was there just to protect her so she wouldn’t fall. “Is that my baby girl?”

‘Dada!”

“Oh god,I’ll never tire from hearing that.” he speeds his step to grab Nicole under the armpits, kissing her cheeks over and over before hugging her close to his chest. His eyebrows furrowed as he kept her there, inhaling the cotton flower soap that clung to her small clothes and hair, letting that little presence warm him up from the inside.

His daughter vocalized something, more ‘dada’s’ and then lifted her head to look at his face, gently brushing her hands on his cheeks and furrowing her brows, “What?” he smiles, “What’s it? Why are you staring at me?” Nicole blew a raspberry, giggling at the face Rooster made and squealing when he just lifted her above his head to walk to the couch, “Okay, that’s it missy, spitting? That’s illegal.”

She laughed more, kicking her legs as Jolene leaped out of the couch to trot into the kitchen where Beatrice was, “Illegal!” he playfully spins Nicole in the air and gently sets her on a pillow. Her laughter was so loud and full of joy that everything that happened earlier that day seemed irrelevant, “Again?” he asks while grinning, her little face was so red but he repeats the movement just as carefully as before.

More laughter and he couldn’t help but join in.

“Oh,my God!You are so cute!’ he groans, kissing her face all over, “You are so cute! That’s not fair!”

“Dada!!”

Rooster kisses Nikki’s head as he sits down on the couch, keeping the little girl on top of his stomach as he hears Beatrice’s foot coming from the kitchen, holding two bowls in her hands, “There we go.” she smiles, placing them in the coffee table and gently shooing Jack when he tried to sniff it, “I reheated some of the chilli, I knew you’d like it.”

“Thank you,gorgeous.” he smiles, watching as she walked away before he turned his eyes to the tv, the pale face of Tommy Shelby looked back at him from the screen, “You know, maybe you should sleep when we watch it.” he mutters to Nikki who was too busy ‘kissing’ his sleeve, “Babe! Did Nikki eat yet?”

“She did!Why?”

“She’s nomming on me.”

“Ah, she’s just kissing you. Probably felt that her daddy was upset.”

If she did, he wasn't complaining, grinning down at the little girl and kissing her head, “You are too cute, just like your mama.” he boops her button nose when she looks at him, grinning more when she tried to grab his index finger, “We might need your paci though, so you can enjoy time with us.”

“You know, we can leave it on mute and read the subtitles.” Bea suggests, smiling at the scene of her husband and daughter, “Watch Peaky Blinders after Nicole falls asleep.”

“Hmmm…true.” he smiles, “Maybe we can just watch something lighter, I think I’m feeling like it…maybe All Stars?”

Beatrice grins, sitting down next to the two, “Which one?”

“Trixie Mattel’s one, it’s one of my favorites.” he says, kissing Nicole’s head as she snuggles up to him, seeing his wife quickly choose Rupaul’s Drag Race, the colorful image immediately catching Nicole’s attention and she turns her head to watch what was going on.

Meanwhile,Rooster was watching Bea.

His wife, his best friend, his person. What would he do without her? Probably suffer in self desolation and depression, maybe eat a cheap sandwich while sitting in the dark, maybe pop open an old lemon soda that he forgot he even bought…but no, she was…so magical. He rarely felt safe sharing his past, sharing his problems, yet with Bea he was comfortable, he was so comfortable because she offered actual input and wanted to help him out however she could.

Beatrice must’ve felt his eyes on her, because she turned to face him after setting the remote down, “Hey,” her smile was so sweet, “You feeling better? Really?”

“Really.” he replies, “Thank you,gorgeous.��

“You don’t have to thank me.” Beatrice scoots closer to her favorite people, propping her chin on his shoulder, “I’m glad you are feeling better. At least you’ll have a nice night of sleep,hm?”

“I think so.” his smile falters diminutively, “...I’m still…digesting everything but,I think I’ll be able to talk to Mav again about it, just…not now. Not when I just found out about it.”

“Of course.”

“I don’t want to lose him again.” he whispers, “He’s the only family I have left.”

Beatrice smiles sweetly, grabbing the hand that wasn’t holding Nicole up to interlace their fingers together, “I know. I’m sure he feels the same about you…you guys will be okay. You two will be alright.”

“Yeah…true.”

“Will you…be okay for Marcus’ party next week? We can say no,I can tell him something came up, he’ll understand.”

Of course she would ask that, he thinks with a smile, “Nah,I’ll be okay. I’ll be okay enough,I promise…now, we should show Nicole how cool Drag Race is, don’t you think?” seeing him smile like that was enough to make Beatrice’s heart flip with joy. She nodded, grinning back at him before pressing play on the episode.

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