So, I was going out to buy kimchi when I heard yelling on the emergency stairs. Then I heard you clamoring up to the rooftop. Naturally, I followed you. What I want to say is...don't read too much into us running into each other again like this.

LOST (2021)

Peach and Poppy

Characters: Declan Harp x Scarlet Dixon (OFC)

Summary: Declan Harp AU. Set in the 1970′s, Declan is a misbehaving psychiatric patient and Dr. Dixon or Dixie as he likes to call her, is a tenacious and underestimated new hospital director. Will this new job get the best of her delicate sensibilities like people are warning her? Will the charm of one of her patient’s awaken something in her she can’t come back from?

Warnings/Tags: Talk of manipulation, graphic language. 

Click on my screen name then go to Mobile Masterlist in my bio for my other works and chapters. Please leave a like, reblog or comment if you enjoyed this! It makes me want to write more of what you want if you let me know!

1975 was an exciting year for psychiatry and it was shaping up to be one for Scarlett. She sat in the driver's seat, something she’d had to work so hard to accomplish. Her father had insisted with her new position of such importance it would look proper to be driven around again. But she’d only been living on her own for a few years now and she wasn’t ready to give up that freedom again.

She supposed he truly had a soft spot for her because he hadn't been entirely dismissive of this rebelliousness. But he always gave in to her in the end.

“Those feminists out there in… heathen California and such. Dixie darlin, I brought you up to be a respected little lady. You’re a dang doctor! Miss Georgia! You’re smart and gorgeous as the day is long honey, why would you wanna go and act ugly like that?”

This always came with the intimidating insinuation that it would sure be a shame if her actions were what lost him the next election.

With a wide-eyed, “It won’t be a problem, daddy.” He’d give her a hug and lift up her chin, tell her she looked like her mama and she’d be proud.

If he’d wanted a daughter to fall for that maybe he shouldn’t have let her become a psychiatrist.

But Scarlet or Dixie as those close to her called her, her daddy had been right about one thing, she was smart. She’d learned how to play the game in her favor long ago. In a public and pressured life like hers, looking how she did, she learned early what was expected of her and how men were going to treat her. She was allowed a bit of protection. Her father wasn’t just some kiss ass politician. He’d been known to make a few people disappear, and the whiff of a threat always around him, so his daughter would understandably come with some consequences. But now she’d become her own person, a doctor, and had a house and life of her own that she was still having fun exploring.

She was an accomplished psychiatrist. Engaged to one of her daddy’s lawyers and now the head chief of a psychiatric hospital. Which was where she was headed right now in the new car her daddy had bought her. A slick thing that made her feel confident and a bit bad if she were being honest. This is not a feeling she was accustomed to, and on this morning drive out of the city into rural Georgia for her first day on the job, she was feeling a lot of things she never had before.

It wasn’t a dream job by any stretch. This was going to be work. But with so many specialty fellowships, she felt like she had what it took to turn the place around.

When she pulled into the parking lot it was clear the job was bigger than anticipated. She stood outside her car with a bag stuffed full of files and looked up at the daunting hospital. It’d been around much longer than she had. Served as a sanitarium during the TB outbreaks, now showing its age and functions as Sunny Valley Psychiatric Hospital. Much preferred to the dated terminology of lunatic asylum it had formerly held. The old chief had been there for over 30 years. A lot had changed outside of Sunny Valley but the inside hadn't. She was going to have to gut and rebuild this place from the ground up, she thought as she took a deep breath and made her way in.

———-

The murmurs started long before she’d stepped foot into the hospital. She hadn’t expected a warm welcome, it’d been a stressful time for everyone with a regime change, but the doctors, some older than her father, and all men weren’t going to be an easy sell on her as their new boss.

She understood from a statistical standpoint. She hadn’t been practicing for that many years. But in that time she had been published and was known for her unique approach to care. Her father had also donated a large sum of money to the state's Psychiatric Association. Which certainly didn’t hurt her chances. —————

So she came in with a positive, self-assured attitude. She had a game plan and now the hard work began. She meets with the doctors on staff with bold new orders. She would meet with each individual to go over the patient and their care plan. She would lay out new directives and goals, telling them she was bringing them into a new age of medicine where new research and medicine are all utilized with psychotherapy, medication, and the arts. It went over about as well as she expected. At least she was prepared for every rebuttal and excuse as she was an avid reader of medical journals. She’d infuriated a handful who resigned, but she preferred to bring in new life anyway.

She met with every employee, from groundskeepers and kitchen to housekeeping. She gave them her plans for updates and explained she was going to start looking for funding immediately and to expect changes and upgrades. Most of the staff liked her new hands-on approach, not the idea of more work but instead the idea of someone who would listen to them being in charge.

She spent days buried in files with arguments on treatment and headaches. The lingering stench of cigar smoke still hung in her office no matter how widely she opened the windows. She’d laid the base for her work, now it was time to move onto the most important part, the patients themselves.

————————-

It was Friday and the exhausting week was nowhere near finished. However, she thought she’d been able to check off a huge phase of her plan, a satisfying thick line through it on her goal list.

“There is actually one other patient that we uh… forgot.” A male nurse says as he hangs in her doorway.

“Forgot?” She says with the tone of a scolding mother. “How do you FORGET a patient?”

“He’s been in isolation and we don’t go down there much so the night crew didn’t tell us he was still down there.”

She wanted to bang her head into the desk. She thought she’d processed how poorly they were treating people but they kept on surprising her.

“This...this will not happen again. We don’t lose track of patients...of PEOPLE. We are not that sort of establishment now. I want a new record-keeping system for this sort of thing. Have it to me by the end of next week.”

“Yes ma’am." The frustrated younger man said.

“It’s Doctor Dixon. Now show me to him.” She shoos him out of the doorway.

Not even the golden hour light could salvage the depressing aesthetic of the hospital. Peeling paint and chipped tiles she had to skip over with her heels were everywhere she went. She pulled her white lab coat over her matching suit set as they made their way into an even more dreary sort of hallway. Some doors weren’t even on the hinges and inside were torn padded cells in a neglected wing of the building.

“I’d expect to find something like this in the old abandoned B building but not here. You still keep people in these things?” She says with a heavy sigh of frustration.

“Just this one. And we don’t have to use it often. Well. Just for him.” She shrugs as he finds his key.

“Who is him?”

“Harp. He’s… difficult.”

“How so?”

“Prone to violent outbursts, sleeping with other patients… staff.”

Scarlet lets out a scoff. “And he should be forgotten in a dark tiny room for that?”

“Uhh.. it’s… where we put him when he won’t listen.”

“Just… open it? Okay. I’ll deal with you and this… horrid treatment plan you have allowed here later."

“You sure you don’t want me to get someone else to help, he mi-“

“Open the damn door.” She ordered more sternly, whatever it is I can handle it.” she insisted loudly and with a glare.

For a few heavy moments, nothing happens, just an open door into a very dark room that the light doesn’t reach. The white noise of the bodies inside the building beyond the wing’s heavy double doors was slight, just a steady beat of her pulse in her ears as her eyes tried to focus. The nurse stands in a defensive body position as Scarlet peers into the room taking tentative steps forward.

She waits and then hears movement. The aid moves into the room and she follows behind, seeing how this is going to go.

“C’mon Harp.” He grunts and uses his foot to roll the man onto his front.

“Did you just…” the face of the aid turns fast to a very angry face staring daggers into him. “...kick him?”

“No ma’am I was just rolling him so he could get up easier.”

She hears a muffled grunt from the man on the floor who’s slowly moving.

“Shut up.” The aid mutters down.

Dixie takes a deep breath to compose herself. “Go to your supervisor's office and wait for me.” She states coldly.

“Ma’am I-“

“I don’t care what you have to say anymore alright? Every time I’ve given you a chance you have only continuously failed so you’re fired. Go tell HR, and send one of the female nurses this way, please.”

She gets the death stare she’d seen a million times before when correcting and enacting her authority to a man. “Yes ma’am.” He grits through his teeth.

As she hears his footsteps down the hall she begins to kneel next to this unfortunate man. “I would like to apologize for this treatment, Mister Harp.”

She sees his face, a beard just started to fill out and as unkempt as his shirt and greasy hair. It laid in the way his sleeping had moved it, he had crusts on his face and his eyes were squeezed shut from the light. She helps him sit up, being gentle but having to exert to help the large man. She let his eyes adjust and when he finally opened them to look at her his face contorted into a very confused expression.

“I’m Doctor Dixon. The previous Chief passed away and I’m his replacement. I’ll be taking care of the hospital now. And I would like to personally apologize for the mistreatment you’ve been given here previously. This is archaic and holds no scientific grounds to help patients based on formal studies.”

He really only heard a few of her rushed words. She’d lost him towards the end there but whatever she said it had sounded nice. His ears worked better than his eyes at the moment and the almost husky, thick, and sweet feminine Georgia accent rolling out of her painted mouth like sweat dripping down a glass was making him melt too.

“So the old guy finally bit it?” He croaks out after clearing his throat.

“Yes. Heart attack they said.”

“Mmmph.” Was his emotionless reply. From how he’s been treated she didn’t blame him for not being upset. So far no one had really acted upset about the news. It was very telling.

“Who are you?” He focuses his eyes on her.

“Doctor Dixon. I’m here to replace the Chief that just died.”

“Ah.” He nods and then winces.

“Would you mind if we got you out of here and cleaned up? We could speak over a good meal, I'd love to hear what you have to say about the previous administration. I want to help.”

As another nurse swept in, a broad farmer's daughter, helped her loosen the jacket and get him to the washroom. “You want to… know what I think?” He lets out a hoarse chuckle.

“Of course. You’re a part of this hospital and if I’m running it I want to know everything. Good and the bad.”

He nods and focuses on using his legs, the journey to the bath hadn’t felt this long in a while. “You take your time, schedule him down for some Physical Therapy tomorrow please. I’ll go make sure your room is ready.” She says reassuringly. He sees her disappear into the fuzz of the distance, his injection still making him groggy. —————— He’d slicked back his wild and uneven hair with water and was currently hunched over his desk in his room being allowed to eat in peace. It was nice.

“Hello? Mr. Harp?” A slightly familiar voice from his doorway says. A little redhead with a daughter of a dentist smile and perfectly coiffed big hair came and sat in the seat next to his desk. “I managed to grab an extra pudding. You want it?” She sits it on his desk as she has a seat.

It’d been a while since he’d seen anyone new and she was bright and shiny and there was plenty to look at. He looks her over and then to the cup. “A bribe?”

“No. I thought for all the hell the former establishment put you through that at the moment an extra pudding cup is the least I could do.” She gives a real smile and a huff of a laugh. Been a long time since someone had interacted with him like he wasn’t in a psychiatric ward.

“Hmmph.” He grunts and accepts the offer.

“I did want to hear about your treatment here. As I said. I want this hospital to be a place where people can receive the help and support they need to achieve their goals. I’m not here to be a warden. I’m here to be a doctor. I took an oath to help others and I seem to be one of the few around that took that seriously.” She huffs.

“You don’t act like a doctor.”

“I’m a horse of a different color I presume.”

He nods in acknowledgment and continues eating.

“I wanted to know the good and bad of the hospital previously. Because I want to fix things. The men responsible for putting you in that cell have all been fired I'd like you to know.”

“Really...taking charge of the place aren’t ya?”

“I’m being met with much resistance.” She admits with a smile.

“Let me add to it then. I have conditions.”

“Conditions? What for?” She leaned closer and he could smell her perfume. It’d been a while since he’d been buried in the neck of a woman that smelled expensive like she did.

“For this information you want.”

“Oh. Well okay. What would you like Mr. Harp?”

“For starters call me Declan.” He waves his hand. “You’re gonna be my doctor right?”

“Yes, I am.”

“So I’ll be having sessions with you now?”

“Correct.”

“We starting tomorrow?”

“If you wish.”

“I do. And I want you to have me something waiting in your office when I come in.”

“What would that be?”

“A cheeseburger.”

“A cheeseburger?” She laughs.

“The biggest you can find from the greasiest place you know of.”

She laughs and nods enthusiastically. “Consider it done.” She says happily.

“Really?”

“Why not?” she shrugs. “Perfectly reasonable request.”

He blinks in surprise at her but with dark narrowed eyes. “I’ll sing like a bird for you after I have that burger then.”

“Consider it a deal.” She holds out her hand to shake on it and the trust she was showing for him not to yank her down and have his way with her was astounding.

“Lookin forward to it, Doc…?” He shakes her hand.

“Dixon.” She adds with no annoyance for repeating it.

“Doctor Dixon. Alright. See you then.”

“Looking forward to it.” She repeats back playfully and he’s left with a visible confused expression on his face for the pleasant interaction he’d just had with someone in charge. He didn’t know if he was happy about or ashamed of himself. But she had certainly caught his interest.

——————————

“Hey, there jailbird.” says the woman in the worn chair. She was sitting incorrectly as always, this time with her legs over the arm of the chair.

“Hey, Alex.” He sighs to his only real friend in the hospital.

“Was this a new record?” She asks, turning her head from the old television in the activity room towards a tired and beaten up looking Declan.

“I don’t know. I was the one in the box I don’t know what day it is.”

“Thursday.”

“Fuck me.”

“Yeah, you really pissed them off last time.” She laughs. “Can’t keep your charm to yourself can you?”

“No ma’am.” He wears a sly grin. “Speaking of have you seen that new doctor?”

“New doctor director.” She corrects with a point of a finger. “Yes, I have.”

“What do you think about her?”

“I like her.”

“Really? You like no one.” He questions her motives.

“I saw her today. She’s...different.”

“Yeah. Different. That’s what I thought.” He hums in thought.

“I’m surprised you haven’t made sweet sweet love to that little peachy assed firecracker.” Alex jokes.

“Oh, it’s been on mind ever since I came to and saw her walk out of my room in that tight little skirt.”

“She is...yeah.” Alex blushes slightly. “But she was actually nice to me. Was strange.”

“Yeah me too. It was...new.” He runs his arm and settles into his chair.

“She wrote down my complaints. Apparently, she has for everyone so far. She called down to the office and fired Jones because I told her what he did to me.”

“Yeah, she fired numb nuts that threw me in.”

“You should play nice with this one. She might be a good one.”

“I wouldn’t bruise that peach.”

“You’ll have to practice your lying. You’ve gotten rusty.” She grins.

“I don’t plan on it. If she comes through with my request I’m gonna tell her about all this bullshit.”

“She even mentioned… getting out.” She adds in a quieter more serious tone and Declan immediately notices and changes his focus.

“What’d she say?” He whispers with great interest.

“Apparently a few years back the...psychiatry people said homosexuality was no longer a mental illness. So she’s going to work to get that removed from my paperwork and we can work on the rest. It’ll “improve my chances of being released tremendously” Alex mocks the doctor's heavy southern drawl.

“Yeah she’s a little belle isn’t she?” He laughs.

“I mean her name is Scarlett for fucks sake. She is a debutante.”

“Well fuck me that’s a sexy name.”

“Don’t I know it. About creamed my cotton panties when she told me. Dr. Scarlett Dixon.” She mocks again.

“I’m gonna make her cream hers.” Declan promises with wiggling eyebrows.

“I’m sure you will stud. But play nice. She could be useful. Plus she has a fiancé. Didn’t you see that big rock on her hand?”

“I didn’t.” He shakes his head. “Never stopped me before.”

“Not much has.”

——————————-

Scarlet got home late, almost nodding off from overwork and the calming quiet of the drive. She yawns and wakes herself up before entering her house she shared with her fiancé currently.

“Hello, Phillip.” She sighs out, seeing him with his glasses on and hunched over his desk in his office by the front door. “Did Wilamena make dinner as I requested?”

“Yeah. It’s...in the fridge.” He doesn’t look up when responding.

“Do you have a minute? I had a big day today.” She says sheepishly.

He looks up and sighs. “What is it?”

“I just wanted to tell you about my day is all. Big changes coming with this job.” She bounces on her feet excitedly.

“You’re working in a nuthouse Dixie how interesting can it be?”

“Very. Actually. And that’s a rather offensive term so please don’t refer to it in that way. Especially at the fundraiser coming up.”

“When was that again?”

“Tuesday.” She sighs. She’d told him so many times and it was so important to her.

“Mmm.” He answers.

“What does Hmm mean?” She asks with her irritation showing.

“I might have something that night.”

“Of course you do.” She mutters and rubs her temple.

“I’m a busy man.” He says lazily but defensively.

“Yeah. And I’m a busy woman and still manage to find time for everything.” She says quietly but sharply.

“Do you want the work I do for your father to suffer? Do you want me to mess up one of his legal proceedings and have him arrested? Because that’s what happens when I don’t work Dixie.”

With her jaw tight she huffs air out of her nose in frustration. “Of course I don’t.” She says bitterly. “I just wish you had time to be my fiancé and not just my father's lawyer. We don’t even… sleep together anymore. You realize it’s been months?”

“Has it?” He asks rhetorically with his eyes back to his desk.

“Yes. I had a good day and thought I could share my successes and you could validate my hard work and I could have some attention from you to celebrate things going well.”

“I need to know these things in advance. I can’t just up and be in a mood to give you attention. I’m-“

“A busy man. I know.” She sighs and lets her hands hit her hips. She went to bed frustrated and alone after eating cold leftovers while standing in her kitchen. Who was she to give people advice anyway? She certainly didn’t have her shit together.

@vale0413 @littledeadgirlwalking @jaegeeeeer @phillipkopusimagines-and-stuff @mjolnir96 @xmother-mortemx @this-isnt-madness  @thors-hair-extensions @divadinag @s-h-e-w-r-i-t-e-s 

Down The Rabbit Hole

John Kennex/OC

KennexWhump!

Hello, my loves! I have another request here from @zecklein! I really, really hope I did good and that you like it. This actually my first whump fic so it took me a while.

The city abuzz with activity despite the late hour. The sound of a persistent ringing broke the peace in the previously quiet apartment. A soft groan blindly reached over to grab the offending object off of the coffee table. “Speak and it better be good,” came an irritated female voice. “Sorry detective, we have another scene for you,”  a voice said softly over the line. Another groan and the woman slowly moved off the couch, “Thanks Lewis, gimme the address and I’ll be right over.” she whispered tiredly. A soft chuckle echoed from the phone, “fall asleep on the couch again Thea?” 

Thea scowled, “no,” she lied and winced at the crick in her neck and the shooting pain in her shoulder. Lewis paused hesitating, “the killer crossed districts,” he said as Thea sniffed at her laundry hunting for something clean. She froze holding a pair of jeans halfway to her nose, “You’re shitting me. He’s back, he’s been dormant for months! Same M.O. the same?” she asked. Lewis sighed, “Yes, and don’t get too crazy on this,” he scolded. Thea scowled putting her phone on speaker, “When am I not crazy?” she asked, pulling on the pair of jeans. She could practically see Lewis rolling his eyes, “How about all the damn time. Not a lot of people can work with you,” he said patiently. 

Thea grabs a shirt that hung over the railing to the stairs that lead up to her bedroom, “I got nothin’” she said, pulling it over her head quickly. A huffed laugh made her smile, “I sent you the address and Max is waiting for you downstairs with coffee,” Lewis chuckled. “Oh Lewis if you weren’t gay I’d think you were being sweet on me,”  she purred before hanging up. Pulling on her boots and shrugging on her cheap faux leather jacket Thea grabbed her bag and was out the door. She was ten feet from her door when she remembered she forgot her gun, “Oh it’s gonna be that kind of day,” she muttered, turning on her heels to go back. 

A solid fifteen minutes and ten flights later; “the damn elevator is broken, really?” Thea was grumpily stalking over to her waiting MX. “Good morning detective,” he said in his usual monotone, Thea huffed and took the coffee he held out to her. “Not really Max,” she quipped back, getting into the driver's seat. Max tilted his head and moved to the passenger side after closing her door, “You’re blood pressure is unusually high, are you alright detective?” Max asked, looking at her like an over-talkative X-Ray machine. Thea wrinkled her nose and shifted in her seat, “I’m just tired Max, and maybe the fact that the killer I’ve been working so hard to catch has decided to meander over to a different district after taking a six-month-long cat nap!” she growled not taking her eyes off the road. Max was quiet for a moment as if he were thinking of the right words to say, “I pulled up the file on the detective you are working with,” he said with a blink of his eyes. Tightening her grip on the steering wheel Thea let out a breath; she picked up her coffee and took a long sip, “Okay, give it to me,”

Max looked ahead, “Detective John Kennex, 41 years of age. He has a successful career and he is single-” he said but stopped when Thea waved her hand, “What are you-stop. No, don’t even think about it,” she said whining. Max looked over at his human pointedly, “You are increasing in age detective Redding. It would serve to be in your best interest to procreate at-'' Thea screeched cutting off the android again, “No Max, you need to stop doing this shit! God, you’re worse than my mother!” she yelled. The MX closed his mouth and kept silent, the silence made Thea relax a little. “I can’t believe I got the MX who might have a personality, I blame the lightning that hit you last year,” she muttered, picking up her coffee again. 

Max opened his mouth but closed it again with an audible click. After sitting in traffic a moment too long Thea turned on the siren and proceeded to drive up onto the sidewalk. Finishing her coffee in one long swig, she rolled down her window and tossed it in a garbage can as it passed by. Max turned his head to stare at her for a long moment, face void of emotion but Thea knew the look he was giving her anyway. It read, ‘really?’ 

“Don’t you fucking judge me, mister let me set you up with a murder victim’s husband,” Thea said pointing a finger. Max looked away again, “We are coming up on our destination,” he warned as Thea turned into a relatively abandoned parking lot. “Really? damn, I didn’t know that,” she said putting the vehicle into park. Thea got out of the car and strode over to where numerous CSI milling around with their arms crossed. She moved through the holographic police tape and nodded at the officer who had waved her on; knowing Max was right there she held out a hand for some gloves and they promptly appeared. Pulling them on Thea stopped by one of the two bodies, squatting down she checked the neck first. “No ligatures,” she whispered with a sigh. 

“See John, I told you that you made a wrong turn.” a smooth voice echoed from behind Max. “I was just taking a detour!” another voice shot back. Thea rolled her eyes and held out her hand again, a penlight was dropped into it. She gently pulled open the dead woman’s mouth to peer inside, “Nothing obstructing the airway, and…” Thea turned the victims head to check behind the left ear, “the killer’s signature. Just perfect the asshole got brave and hunted outside his comfort zone,” she muttered. Standing up Thea turned around to see two men bickering close by, one android and one detective who was kinda cute. In a grumpy, ruffled kind of way. Thea cleared her throat looking at the two with raised eyebrows, “Murder in your own district and I beat you to the scene?” she joked testing the waters. The cute one opened his mouth to retort but was elbowed by the DRN in the ribs. 

Max scrunched his eyebrows together, “But detective Redding you drove fifteen miles over the speed limit and then cut traffic by driving on the sidewalk,” he said matter of factly. A snort of laughter from Kennex made her eye twitch. Pinching the bridge of her nose and looking at the ground Thea pointed to the car, “begone you oversized lightning rod, you’ve lost crime scene privileges.” she said flatly. The MX hesitated before striding over to the car and getting into the passenger seat. Looking up again she saw that Kennex’s android had a hand covering his mouth to keep from laughing. Kennex laughed openly, not caring what so ever, “he’s such a handful,” Thea muttered with an eye roll. She held out her hand, “Detective Thea Redding. Sorry that this guy came into your neck of the woods, he’s been dormant for six months and I guess he wanted a change of scenery,” she said with a wince. The other detective took Thea’s hand; his engulfing hers, “John Kennex and that disco ball is Dorian. This is the twelfth body?” he asked letting go.

Thea huffed, “Yeah, he officially turned into a serial killer at body three and four. Married couple. What’s strange about the killings though is that they die of asphyxiation but they aren’t strangled and they didn’t choke on anything, and the tox screens come back normal. We’ve been working on going through each victim's histories hoping to find a connection between them but so far nothing besides the obvious,” she said nodding towards the wedding rings on each victim's left hands. She turned the dead woman to the side again and showed them the small carving behind the woman’s left ear. A heart.  

“A heart?” Kennex asked, looking at Thea questioningly and she nodded lips in a thin line. The sun had come up by now and people who were walking by were starting to linger. Thea looked into the crowd with narrowed green eyes, “He’s meticulous but he seems random, I know for a fact that he’s not. I managed to narrow him down to a specific area then he disappeared, and now he’s outside his hunting grounds.” she ranted in frustration stepping aside letting the M.E. get to the body. “Maybe you were getting too close, were there any close calls?” Kennex asked almost reassuringly. Thea bit her lip and nodded, “Yeah the Pier. I managed to track him back to one of his dens. He managed to get there first and torched it. I saw him, sort of. Too much smoke and the flames were too big. I ran after him anyway and got shot in the shoulder for my trouble,” she said glaring at the growing crowd behind the police barrier. Dorian winced, “I’m guessing that’s when he disappeared?” he asked and Thea nodded and patted her pockets when her phone rang, she pulled it out of her back pocket and walked away to a quiet corner. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Kennex looked at the crowd that gathered outside the police line, “Dorian do a scan, see if anything pops up.” he said quietly the android nodded and quickly recorded and scanned the crowd, names popping and saved for later. “What do you think?” Dorian asked looking over at him. John shrugged, “ I’m not sure yet. I do know she’s close to this one, it’s personal for her now-” 

“No, not the case! I was talking about detective Redding herself!” Dorian interrupted smiling. John looked at his partner with a raised eyebrow, “What about her?” he asked, quickly turning his eye to the crime scene. Dorian’s lips twitched into a smirk, “I saw how you looked at her. And your heart rate increased when you shook her hand, not to mention your tes-” John whipped his head around and clapped a hand over Dorain’s mouth. “Don’t you even dare. Plus you promised to never do that again!” he hissed. Dorian held up his hands in surrender. John took his hand off Dorian’s mouth as Thea walked back to them pushing her phone into her back pocket, “I got word from my tech guy. On the last body, there was a cell phone, it didn’t belong to the VIC and it had some crazy encryption and obviously, it has taken them months to get into it. The thing is, it unlocked by itself,” she said shoving her hands into her jacket pockets with a deep frown on her face. John cleared his throat after he realized he was staring too long, “what did they find?” he asked, crossing his arms, “a single voicemail. They said they sent it to your precinct.” Thea said with a sigh. A CSI walked up to her side and handed over some evidence bags, “thanks,” she whispered, taking them and tech nodded before rushing off. 

“Do you mind if I get a ride with you? I want Max to take these back to-'' Thea stopped when she saw John and Dorian’s faces, “You named your MX?” John asked with a surprised laugh and Thea nodded almost sheepishly. “Yeah, it sort of just happened, and then it stuck. He was struck by lightning and became like a Jewish mother,” she said grimacing. John opened his mouth to say something smart but he just couldn’t come up with anything, “Wow,” he muttered running a hand through his hair. “We’ll wait in the car detective,” Dorian said kindly. Thea smiled at him before jogging over to her police-issued vehicle.  John shook his head, “how do you do that?” he asked the android who had just shrugged, “I don’t know man, but you should consider asking her out,” he said opening a door to the backseat of the car. “Stop that, what is it with you and my love life?” John asked, glaring at Dorian in the rearview mirror. The passenger side door suddenly opened making John jump ever so slightly, “Okay let’s go!” Thea said buckling. As John pulled out from the scene Thea bit her lip, “can we stop and get coffee?” she asked and John huffed amused. “Woman after my own heart,” he said heading for the closest shop. He didn’t notice the light pink of a blush spread over Thea’s cheeks. But Dorian did, he smiled and began to scheme. 

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“- and then boom! He was struck by lightning!” Thea said gesturing wildly with her hands. John wheezed from laughing so hard while Dorian had a huge grin on his face, eyes dancing with amusement. “I don’t believe you. That is too perfect to happen in real life?” Kennex said with a shake of his head. Thea held a mock offended hand to her heart, “Why detective Kennex are you calling a lady a liar?” she asked with a mock southern belle accent. Kennex smirked and had the perfect retort when he was cut off by a voice over the main screen, “You’re no lady Redding! I’ve seen you drink alcoholics under the table,”  Thea flipped off the screen but with a smile, “Fuck off Toby, and that guy deserved getting hustled in pool. He was an idiot. God that night...I’m never drinking tequila again.”  she said with an eye roll and a grimace. The man on the screen tilted his head back and laughed before becoming serious again.  

 They walked into the bullpen, Thea’s eyes darting everywhere taking stock of the differences. A lean frazzled-looking man stood there holding onto a tablet bouncing on the balls of his feet. As soon as the trio was in range, the guy held out a hand for Thea to shake. “Hello, detective Redding! I heard from your techs Lewis and obviously Toby they had sent every report and bit of information you gathered on the killer, and I must say you’re very thorough,” he said it all without letting go of her. John sighed, “Rudy,” he said and the tech quickly let go and backed up. “Sorry, I’m Rudy,” he said nervously. Thea gave him a kind smile, “it’s nice to meet you Rudy. What do you have for me?” she asked sweetly. Rudy stuttered for a second before hitting a button on the tablet wordlessly, the disguised voice made Thea tense. She looked up at Toby but his image was gone. 

“Hello detective Redding, how’s the investigation coming along? I’m sure an intelligent woman like yourself can figure it all out in time; before the next two bodies drop. Bodies eleven and twelve,” the killer clicked his tongue in a disapproving manner, “I disappointed detective, you’ve missed me again, though I do have to give it to you. You almost had me, that one sunny afternoon. The pier is such a big place, so easy to get lost. I had to cross district lines ahead of schedule. It took me some time I grant you, rabbit holes can be deep. How’s the shoulder?” the voice chuckled darkly adding in the last like an afterthought and Thea’s arm automatically jolted in pain at the memory. She hissed as the voice continued, “Detective Kennex I welcome you to the fold and I wish you luck; I feel like you’re going to need it.” he chuckled and then silence. “I feel like that was a threat,” Kennex mused unconcerned. 

Thea was silent staring off into space biting her thumbnail, the room around her was busy bustling with people but the small bubble around her was silent. A silence that was almost deafening. Someone brought her out of her thoughts by gently placing a hand on her arm. Looking up she saw Dorian looking down at her with slight concern in his eyes. “I’m okay, I’m just-” she trailed off and pulled the tablet from Rudy’s hands. She scrolled through the written transcript of the voicemail. “He said that he had to move districts ahead of schedule,” she said and tapped at the screen in her hands. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the pictures and profiles of each victim to the big screen. Thea looked at Kennex, “What do you see?” she asked expectantly. John looked at the crime scene photos, eyes darting back and forth. “Married couples,” he frowned, and then his eyes widened a fraction. “They’re successful, a bit snobbish, “ he said touching the screen bringing up their social media accounts. “Arrogant is the word you’re looking for.” Thea pointed out. Dorian stepped forward-looking at the giant screen in front of them, “Do you have a map of the body drops?” he asked and Thea wordlessly brought up the map she and Lewis had made. The map of the district appeared and each crime scene location popped up one by one.  They formed a large circle that covered several miles, “That’s how we narrowed it down to the pier,” she said with a sigh. Thea quickly expanded the map so it showed delta and the new crime scene. “He’s found a new den,” she scowled, running a hand through her hair so the brown waves were pushed back.  Kennex appeared on her other side looking at the map intently,  Thea mentally tried to connect the dots.

“Rudy do you know when the voice message was left?” Redding asked, turning toward the man. Rudy looked like a deer caught in some headlights for a minute before consulting his phone. “Uh, six this morning,” he said looking up. Thea sighed expecting the answer, “He was watching us,” she muttered irritated. “Dorian, did anyone in the crowd today look odd to you?” Kennex asked leaning against what Thea assumed was his desk. Dorian stared into space for a moment and tilted his head to the side, “I have an adult gender unknown with a hood covering their face. Their body language is relaxed and he’s staring in detective Redding’s direction.” he said, turning his full attention back to Kennex and Redding. John seemed stone-faced as he eyed the big screen in front of the room, while Thea closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I have an idea but neither of you will like it,” she said biting her lip. Dorian and John looked at each other almost nervously. 

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“You’re right, I hate this plan,” John deadpanned over the secure comm. Thea chuckled and walked the dark street holding a warm cardboard cup of coffee to keep the cold away. Snow slowly trickled down from the blackened sky, “He’s going to go after one of us, trackers and teams are in place. It’ll be fine. I hope,” she said discreetly. Kennex snorted over the line, “when this is done you and I are going to have a talk about what’s fine,” he said a slight smile in his voice. “I look forward to it,” Thea chuckled and took a sip of her hot drink. “You two are just adorable, I think SWAT has an ongoing bet on when you go on your first date,” Dorian teased over the line. Kennex cursed the DRN out, while Thea blushed and cleared her throat. John abruptly cut out, his harsh insults stopping. “Aw come on John, I’m just teasing,” Dorian said with a light chuckle, the laughs of the SWAT team could also be heard. Thea smirked but it melted away when the man didn’t answer, “John?” Thea questioned voice even. No reply. “Is there a visual on Kennex?” she asked, stopping at the mouth of an alley. There was a long pause, “No visual,” 

“Fuck!” Thea shouted, dropping her coffee she started to run toward Kennex’s last known position. Thea stopped in the middle of the abandoned street panting; Dorian ran up to her with SWAT on his ass. “How in the hell did someone get past us?” he asked looking up and down the street. “He’s a hacker and a good one. We were compromised,” Thea growled angrily. Mostly at herself. A shrill ringing broke the tense silence. Gritting her teeth Thea pulled out her phone, “Hello?” ground out. A dark chuckle over the line made her freeze. She looked up at Dorian with wide eyes; his face immediately lit up hoping to trace the call. “Nice try detective but you can’t trace me, tell the DRN better luck next time,” the disguised voice hissed. Dorian shook his head at Thea and she scowled, “Where is he?” she growled out.

 “Oh, I assure detective Kennex is quite safe, waiting for you in fact. Come alone and you both will be free,”  the voice purred over the line. Thea met Dorian’s eyes; he set his jaw and shook his head. “No tracker, no android,” they whispered, making Dorian shake his head again. “Fine,” she said and the android in front of her huffed, tossing up his hands. “Good detective, now walk.” the killer growled. Thea looked at Dorian apologetically and stalked down the street phone attached to her ear. “What do I call you anyway, I can’t just keep saying ‘the guy’ in my head,” she inquired, trying to keep the conversation going. The voice snorted “Call me Hatty,” the voice-Hatty said in amusement. Thea paused midstep, “So you’re a woman,” she muttered. Hatty laughed openly and dropped the voice changer. “Very good detective! I almost lost hope in your abilities! Turn right at the corner and keep going until the end,” she instructed proudly. Thea did as she was told, “Hatty short for Harriet?” she asked matter of factly. Hatty hummed undoubtedly smirking “Can I asked why you killed them?” she asked bitterly, “they deserved it, detective. They had no souls, they only thought of themselves and cheated to get what they wanted. They didn’t work hard as I did! But you’d never understand, all you have to do is bat your pretty eyes to get what you want! I’m the main character now!” Harriet shrieked, losing her cool.  A male voice shouted something in the background and then a resounding crack echoed over the line, “Hatty, what did you do! You said you wouldn’t hurt him!” Thea hissed angrily into her phone. The woman huffed a sigh, “Relax, he’s fine. Just a little reminder on who’s in charge,’ she said mildly annoyed. Thea gripped her phone tighter and came to a stop at a series of abandoned buildings close to the wall, “straight ahead and down the stairs detective, see you soon.” Hatty chuckled and Thea heard nothing but the dial tone. 

Taking a deep breath Thea opened the front door of the old apartment building. Dust covered every surface making the woman wrinkle her nose; using her phone as a flashlight Thea eased forward toward the labeled basement stairs. Nudging the door open with her foot Thea looked down into the darkness, “Yeah, this isn’t creepy at all,” she whispered. After hitting the hard cement at the bottom Thea looked down each long hall on either side of her. One was pitch black, while the other had a light at the end, “I’ll take the less creepy hall for two hundred Alex,” she whispered to the dust mites. Thea moved quickly and quietly until she came to a wide-open room, which was filled with books and a desk housing monitors, and a jammer. “There go the trackers,” she grumbled under her breath. On the monitors were dozens of pictures of her; at home, at work, at her favorite coffee shop. On the desk sat an old copy of “Alice’s adventures: Through the Looking Glass” she tapped the book with her knuckle curiously before turning to the rest of the room. That’s when she saw him, “John!” she ran over and knelt down by the bloody unconscious man. Placing two fingers on his neck Thea sighed in relief, shoulders slumping relaxing ever so slightly. “Welcome to your repentance detective,” a feminine voice hissed, and then there was nothing. 

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Thea groaned when someone shook her shoulder, “Hey Redding. Thea wake up.” someone whispered to her gently. Her eyes fluttered open only to meet soft green ones staring right back at her, “Hey there,” she whispered slowly lifting her head from Kennex’s lap. “You okay?” he asked and Thea waved her hand with a grimace, “I’m just peachy,” she slurred squinting at the brightness of the room. “Concussions are fun,” she muttered, swallowing hard. They both got to their feet and gazed around the room. Mirrors, all they could see was themselves reflecting endlessly. The room dimmed, and the harsh light from before was gone. The sound of a vacuum made them freeze and it became hard to breathe; Thea looked over at John who had clamped his mouth shut to save his air. ‘This is how she does it then,’ she thought dryly holding her breath as well. The floor glowed in a red hue revealing words on the floor. The world tilted and began to grow grey around the edges. Thea couldn’t hold it anymore and choked falling to her knees; Kennex was beside her hoping to do something. Thea pointed at the inscription on the floor but he didn’t seem to understand it. She fell to her side gasping for air that wouldn’t come, she stared at the words mindlessly. She couldn’t process what it said, Thea felt a hand cup her cheek. Kennex turned her head so she was looking up at him; he was fading fast. He brushed the hair out of her face and took one last breath; and then he slowly gave it to her. Their lips connected and air filled her lungs. Thea gasped and snapped her mouth shut to hold the air in. She watched as Kennex fell to the floor twitching, eyes wide. 

Thea rolled over eyeing the quote again, ‘ She who saves a single soul, saves the universe.’ it read. She pushed to her feet and staggered over to the mirrored wall; she put her hands on the cold, smooth surface hoping to find something; anything. Her vision was starting to blacken again, she was running out of time. Placing her forehead against the mirror Thea pushed her mind. She thought back, ‘A heart. A heart meaning what?  Hatty. An angry little girl...who loves Alice in Wonderland.’ she thought, “Rabbit holes are deep.” 

Thea pounded a fist on the mirror in front of her in frustration, everything was fading. ‘Alice in Wonderland what did it teach you? Six impossible things, high caterpillars, off with their heads...and nothing is what it seems.’ she spun around to take in the room again. Her infinite reflection seemed to mock her, ‘not as it seems,’ she chanted to herself as she staggered to the center of the room where John lay unconscious. Narrowing her eyes Thea looked at the floor, it was so smooth and inviting. She let her knees buckle so her eye was level with the ground below her. ‘No, not the ground. Tinted glass.’  she thought dimly. The exit was below them; down the rabbit hole. Thea with the last of her strength picked up her foot and slammed it down on the glass below her. It cracked. She opened her mouth in a silent gasp and brought her foot down again. The crack grew in size so it spiderwebbed beneath her and John. The strength left her as quickly as it came, she slumped to the side over John’s torso eyes giving in to the spreading darkness. 

As Thea closed her eyes she failed to notice the glass cracking and spiderwebbing to each corner of the room, or better yet the modified shipping container that they were housed in. The sound of shattering glass filled the empty space; a large empty parking garage and the two detectives fell six feet to the ground. Twenty long seconds passed before Thea took a gasping breath. She rolled to her side and coughed harshly, she yelped and winced at the glass biting into her. “K-Kennex.” she gasped out seeing his prone form. He wasn’t moving his chest was rising and falling as it should; Thea pulled herself to her knees and crawled painfully towards him. Thea bent over John and listened for a heartbeat when she found none she laced her hands together and began chest compressions. Counting thirty compressions Thea pinched the man’s nose and tilted his head back, she puffed two breaths into him. Nothing. She counted thirty more and did two more breaths. Nothing. Thirty more compressions and the tear were falling down her cheeks. Taking another big breath Thea breathed two more into him. Kennex gasped into her mouth making Thea quickly straighten. A hysterical laugh bubbled past her lips and she fell painfully backward onto the glass-covered floor. “You’re okay, you were only dead for a minute or two,” she said reaching an arm over to pat his chest lightly.“That’s comforting,” he wheezed taking her hand and holding it.

 “I’m never reading The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland again,” Thea muttered as she gingerly got to her feet. She winced when she saw that they were covered in little shards of tinted glass. She braced herself and pulled John to his feet, “Oh I’m going to feel this tomorrow,” he gasped clutching onto his newly broken ribs. “Sorry about that,” Thea said guiltily and John waved it off. “You saved my ass, and all you should be concerned about is what type of drink you’re gonna have when I buy it for you,” he said casually as they wandered down a pitch-black hall. “Are you asking me out Kennex?” Thea asked teasingly and John huffed trying to hold in a laugh. “It’s possible Ms, Redding. It depends, is that a yes?” he asked tilting his head down towards her. Thea smiled softly, “I’ll give you an answer when we catch the killer detective Kennex,” she said coyly. John sighed and nodded and then groaned when they reached the basement stairs. 

It took them ten minutes to reach the street and another five to get far enough away from the jammer to make a call. Thea turned on her phone and was greeted with a functional but heavily cracked screen, she looked over at John who was leaning heavily against the brick wall of an old storefront. Thea tapped at her phone and frowned, “The lights are on but no one's home,” she said holding up the useless device. Kennex groaned tossing his own phone aside, “If we keep walking I’m sure we’ll find Dorian. He probably has everyone looking for us,” he said shoving off the wall. Thea nodded and took some of Johns’s weight as they walked. As soon as they had a view of the main road they were engulfed by light and swarmed by people. Cops and EMS alike. Dorian darted forward and pulled both detectives in for a hug, “Ah come on Dorian, enough!” Kennex whined. The android laughed and scanned each of you, “Hospital, now.” he ordered waving a few EMTs over with their stretcher. “What about-” Thea asked but Dorian cut her off, “We found Harriet Chase running from the area, she had John’s badge and an old book. She was being interrogated for your location but she wouldn’t speak a word except for Alice in Wonderland quotes,” he said gently pushing Thea onto a waiting stretcher. The EMTs strapped her in careful of the glass embedded in her skin, she looked over at John who was already watching her. Thea raised an eyebrow making Kennex grin, “How about that drink, detective?” he asked as he was being lifted into an ambulance. Thea grinned back, “You’re on Kennex, I’ll even kick your ass in pool!” she called out before the doors slammed shut. 

Thea chuckled as she was placed inside her respective ambulance and was shocked to see a stoic MX sitting there back ramrod straight. “Max?” she questioned and the android looked down at her, lip twitching. His version of a smile, “Hello detective,” he greeted before falling silent. Shaking her head Thea smiled, “I have a date,” she said in a whisper. The MX looked at her emotionless to others but to her, the twitches in his face said differently, it said ‘about damn time,’

If this is well-liked I'm willing do another Chapter where Hatty and Thea meet face to face and the date!

Tags:

@zecklein

@thottiewithashotgun

@writerdee1701

@lauraaan182

6. Passion Project

“What the hell am I reading?” The woman squealed in his ear, “And why is it ALWAYS something bizarre with you?”

“Did my favorite perennial flower get my emails?”

“Simon… you do know that I have both college AND a job to do, right? That not all of us achieve our dreams the first try?”

“I pay you good money for the work that I ask you to do!” Simon complained. “Unlike your day job that both pays you less than your male counterparts and less than you deserve in general.”

“Yeah, well… I live in the real world. Not like there’s some magical train to take me away from society and all it's problems. But, seriously… researching is one thing, but this feels oddly like stalking. First of all… I had to do some very illegal things to get this information - which, yes, I went ahead and did it, because by the time I got to that point I was feeling a little bit insulted by the thought of failing. Secondly… who IS this woman, Simon? How do you even know about her and what are you going to do with this information?”

“I met her in my everyday life and was interested in her, but found a simple background check difficult. I was people watching for a new story, but it’s become more like a passion project, now. But, I feel like you’ve got a lot to tell me about her!” He was teeming with excitement.

“I… found out things, things that I never would have wanted to ever know about anybody and am now honestly considering charging you for the therapy it’s gonna take me to get over this information… Where in your everyday life did you meet this person?”

“Why… what’s… what’s wrong with her?” Simon asked.

“A LOT. But… I don’t know… I guess she’s doing better, if you’re just seeing her out and about, but… I just…” Tulip yelped.

“Tools???” Simon called out.

Deep breathing. Then, she was back. “Sorry. Mikayla’s out, so I’m by myself and EVERYTHING is startling me. I’m gonna send you everything I found and my charges for this information. And Simon… please don’t ever send me anything like this again, and I mean it.”

“I only wanted to find out if she changed her name and why. How difficult could the information have been?”

“Most people don’t just change their names out of boredom, Simon. Also… it isn’t right to look into somebody this way. I’m only giving it to you because I don’t deserve to be the only person who has had to look at this.”

“That bad?” He heard sniffling. “Tools…”

“No, Simon! This is messed up! Don’t ask me for another favor again if you don’t know ANYTHING about the situation!”

“I’m sorry. I won’t do it again, I promise.” 

She let out a deep breath. “Is your mom going to the retreat or whatever this year?”

“Yeah. She’s super excited about it. She says that she hasn’t seen yours in too long. Is she going?”

“Yeah, she was able to scrape up this year to reserve her spot.”

“Mom’s already pulling out all of her Single Mom Squad shit.”

Tulip groaned. “I’m really glad that they had a support group and stuff, but honestly. Why did it become their entire personality for so long?”

“Because it was their little escape from having smartasses like us at home.” Tulip laughed and Simon reiterated, “Really sorry about whatever you read about Grace.”

“I… Is this somebody that you think that you could care about, Simon?”

“Yeah?”

“Okay. Just… be careful. I don’t see how they’re even still standing, much less how they’re in a position to care for someone else. I don’t know if I’m more afraid that you might get hurt if you get attached or that she might, but… it just looks like it’d be super hard to build with this person. They’ve got… a lot of... history.”

“She’s tried to warn me of that and I ignored her and will most likely ignore you.”

“Well, I did my part, anyway.”

.

Her name was not Grace St. Catherine… Well, it was, because she had it legally changed four years ago. But it had been Grace Monroe when she was born… up until when she was 10.

She was kidnapped when she was 10. Apparently there was a ransom requested, and whenever it was set to happen, the kidnappers took the money and did not return the child. Nobody who knew her before saw her again for 8 years.

When she was 18, she was arrested for assault and when giving her name to arresting officers, said 148, but eventually Grace Monroe. From there, she was discovered to have been missing for 8 years and her parents were contacted.

The Monroes conducted every possible test available to check the well being of their now 18 year old daughter. She was treated for several illnesses, including STDs and a number of mental issues...

She was committed at age 18, and declared a ward of her parents, instead of convicted, and spent the next three years recovering. At age 21, she was allowed to be classified as an adult. She changed her name, and lived with her parents until 2 years ago...

When she began working at the bookstore...

Tulip had even been able to find court documents, police records, and psychiatric files. So… yeah. He owed her big time, even beyond payment for having read even a portion of this stuff. Some of it was simply things Grace had reported to her doctors. Some were things that she had not spoken of, but there was physical evidence enough to grant some ideas. 

Years of damage to her uterus… Bruises and scars on her back, knees, thighs, wrists… A symbol carved into the back of her neck… He clicked on the images given from medical reports and saw the same A that had been spray painted on targets’ doors. He now knew who these people were, and why they deserved whatever Grace and her friends were doing to them. He looked at the photos of the girl before her disappearance vs the teenager in the mugshot. That didn’t even look like HIS Grace. She was the same person. He saw familiar features - her perfect round nose and beautiful full lips, the shape of her face a little more shapely there - probably wasn’t eating as well… but… that was a stranger. Only her eyes looked the same. Passionate but filled with pain. Beautiful and wide enough to get lost in, but dark, cold, and freakishly mysterious. 

He quickly called her and she picked up, “Did I not just see you a few hours ago?” she teased.

“I was just thinking about you… hoping that you’re okay tonight. Are you okay?”

She laughed, “Are you?”

“I just… want you to know… whatever happens, I’ll always be here for you.”

She was quiet for a long time. He wondered what she was doing on the other end of the line. She was looking at a selection of masks and knee pads, but her mind was no longer on the outfit for her Date Night, but the man on the other side of this phone conversation.

“Thanks, Simon… Um… Are… you sick? Is something happening to you? This just really feels out of nowhere and quite frankly, I’m a little worried.”

“There’s nothing to worry about! I’m fine. I just… really care about you, and had to tell you that.” 

Grace could’ve sworn that she saw a chorus of red flags being twirled around before her. Dancers, circling her and performing tricks with them. She was never one for rose colored glasses. She learned a long time ago that those weren’t for her… so these were red flags. She also knew that she often saw red flags where there were white ones. Because she didn’t believe in surrender, only blood for blood. She was angry in general, and usually seeing red. Simon’s red flags were probably no more red than any other poor guy that tried to simply make her smile over the past few years. But then he said,  “Grace, I lo…”

“Simon, I really can’t do this right now. I’ve got something I’m in the middle of. So, like… Just… I’ll talk to you another time.” She hung up and snatched a mask that looked like it was crying blood and a pair of purple knee pads. “Not L words, Simon. For fuck’s sake…”

.

Simon had learned so much, then she was just gone. She wasn’t at the bookstore in days and whenever he finally asked her coworker, they said that she had a no call, no show and they hadn’t heard from her since. She didn’t respond to any of his texts. She seemingly deactivated social media (or worse, blocked him), and she wasn’t even staying at home, because he drove by several times for two days, then literally camped outside for another two. If she was inside, she hadn’t answered, and he hoped that she wasn’t just ignoring him pining through the door. He hoped that she just wasn’t there to hear him beg her to please at least tell him what he did wrong.

He went into the flower shop and the guy that he had become super familiar with as “152” online, even though his nametag said “Heath,” asked him what he could help him with. Simon ordered a bouquet and wrote out a card for Grace, apologizing for whatever he did wrong and asking her to come back, He sighed and asked Heath, “Could you make sure that Grace gets this, please?”

“Grace?” the guy repeated, eyeing Simon suspiciously. “I don’t know any Grace, Mister.”

“148, maybe?” 

Now, the guy looked downright ready to fight. “I don’t know what you mean, but you’re making me uncomfortable, so I’m going to have to ask you to leave, now.” He even tried to refund him for the flowers.

“No, no… Please, just… tell her that I’ll be waiting, if she ever feels better…” He left and Heath followed him out of the door, watched him get into his car and drive off before he went back in to call Grace, panicked about that visit.

“Who the hell is this person and how does he know where I work?” Heath asked. 

“Let me guess, a little taller than me, skinny, blond with gray eyes and something on his head trying desperately to be a ponytail? That was Simon. I must’ve mentioned the flower shop, or something.” She knew that she never had, but to tell her friend that this person had potentially stalked her and learned about him in the process just seemed like it would cause more harm than taking the blame.

“You must’ve mentioned it? Grace. Either you mentioned it, or you didn’t, and YOU would know. It isn’t like you to be careless about our personal information!”

“I know, I know, but maybe I said that it was my favorite flower shop or something. Heath. You know that if you want, I can get you a job at basically anywhere else that I own.”

“I like flowers!”

“Then, I’ll buy another flower shop you can work at, if he made you feel threatened.” 

“Are you safe? He seems a little attached. He bought a really expensive bouquet and left a card. It’s sealed but I can read it to you.”

“No, I’ll stop by. I’ve got some job hunting to do, but…”

“Why don’t you just work somewhere that you’re familiar with, or somewhere that you own?”

“I don’t know. Because, I’m suddenly hyper aware of how messed up I am again, and I wanna feel like a normal person.”

“Well, I hate to break it to you, but normal people don’t get to just start over when life seems to be too much. We’ve gotta just continue to live it out, and change only ourselves, and maybe eventually our circumstances. Normal people would have called out of work (if they could even afford to) and came back, whether or not they were better and pushed through being miserable.”

“Are you suggesting that I return to the bookstore and ask for my job back?”

“Yeah. If it’s normal that you’re shooting for. But… I’ve got the feeling that you’re avoiding this creep.”

“I think things are moving way too fast. That’s terrifying.”

“Good news… that’s terrifying for normal people, too. Not everything that we do and feel is because of what the Apex did to us. If your manager likes you and values you, you can probably coax them into forgiving you for vanishing, with a good sob story.”

“Gonna go with dead homie,” she said. “Meds, etc. The whole works. If that doesn’t work, guess I’ll buy the bookstore. I really don’t feel like looking for another job, anyway… And I guess I can’t avoid him forever.”

.

She was back at work the next week. She noticed Simon sitting in the coffee shop whenever she came in. She skipped going for her old routine, to clock back in and get to work. She had to take down the Read Across America stuff and make sure to have all the Easter and Earth Day stuff situated… When was Easter this year? She checked her calendar as she grabbed her legal pad to start planning displays whenever she almost ran into Simon. He’d come over when he saw her return to the floor. She was startled. Then annoyed. “Simon. Please…”

“What did I do?”

“You’re… getting a little bit too… familiar. You didn’t do anything, I just don’t know how to handle having somebody else in my space this much. I just… need some space.”

He frowned and nodded his head, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Okay. You’re the boss.” She wanted to say something… explain why she was like this… why she could only trust her friends, who were more like her immediate family than her parents… even that she desperately wanted Simon to be in her space and to wait for her to be comfortable with having him there…

But, she couldn’t find any of those words. Even if she had, what if she were wrong? What if Simon catching feelings would be the worst thing to ever happen to her, or to HIM, for that matter. She watched him go, and hoped that after she had some time to chill out a little bit, she might be able to contact him again, and get another chance. So, she watched him leave the bookstore and get into his car. He peeled off, and she didn’t know if that meant he was angry or if there was a fluke with the car. She just hoped that he didn’t just show up at her friend’s job or anything else like that. Or something worse. The last thing he wanted while sad was to get on her friends’ bad side. The last thing she wanted was for him to learn that the hard way.

Simon overthrew every piece of furniture in his home. Samantha rushed into her room and hid, terrified of the noise. He cried, shook, paced…. How could he show her that he was on her side? Why did she want space?? Was she afraid of him??? DID SHE HATE HIM???? He flopped onto the floor, holding his head and shivering with tears, trying to catch his breath. 

He needed some place else to handle dealing with her, he realized as he glanced around his demolished home. A storage unit, maybe… He collected all of his stuff pertaining to her and put it all together. He stuffed it into one of his bags and put it into his trunk. He could clean up his house whenever he stored things away safely. He needed a big storage unit. He had a feeling that he was going to be collecting more while giving her some “space.”

This was how he might cope. He turned on the light in the new storage space and set down a few boxes. He hadn’t been back into the bookstore. There was no need. He wasn’t writing right now, anyway. He had more important things to do. He’d printed out  everything Tulip had researched for him and made plans to visit places he highlighted from all of the files. He got some photos professionally printed up - some poster size, some not as big, and some he simply just had various photo sizes. He just thought they would make nice decor for his new space. Grace had deactivated, but he still had just about every photo of her saved to his phone or computer, and they had taken a few as well…

He also… was starting to take them of her whenever he watched her… He just really missed her. It was only a couple of months in her presence, but that was longer than he had been interested in another person in a while, and he had never been this interested in anyone before. Any time he ever thought that he might be going too far, he reminded himself that she had both done and been through much worse than anything that he was up to at the moment, and that became his truth up until the very last time that he ever had to tell himself anything. 

That was May. By May… he didn’t think. It was simply part of his lifestyle. Following, watching, studying, photographing, sometimes recording. But, she still hadn’t reached out to him, and he wasn’t sure if she wanted him to reach out to her. He tried to test it, by leaving her a bouquet of those red poppies that he’d seen her and her friends put on their friend’s grave. He watched, recording her reaction whenever she got home and saw them on her doorstop. She looked around, startled, kneeled to check the card. “Missing you. - S” She looked… relieved. He wasn’t sure who she thought they were from, but she grabbed them, went inside, and moments later, came out with an overnight bag and her turtle. She didn’t come home for days.

Next, he texted and said, “Hey. Sent you flowers. My mom asked about you. Hope you’re okay.” He watched her check the text before she went into the train station, but she didn’t reply. So… she still wasn’t ready, but he was letting her know that he was still waiting. By that time, nothing felt unreasonable to him. He was simply waiting for her to realize that she’d had enough space. He was curious about where she went to when she’d leave for days. The next time he scared her into not staying home alone, he’d follow. It was all that he could do at the moment.

07. Things Went Wrong

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: A Hat in Time (Video Game) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: The Conductor (A Hat in Time), The Conductor's Grandchildren, Hat Kid (A Hat In Time) Additional Tags: The grandchildren have names because I could not find a way around it that would be believable, Don't think too hard on them, This was mostly canon compliant until I decided to be self indulgent at the end whoops, Parental Conductor, THIS IS VERY MUCH A FIC I HAD WANTED TO READ BUT HAD TO WRITE Summary: Of all the things that could have happened on the cruise, The Conductor definitely hadn't bet on the ship sinking. He has to find his grandchildren before the worst can happen.

Aka, It kills me that you find The Conductor in an empty playroom in Rock the Boat. There's no way he could have known the babies were safe while he was stuck there, and if he even remotely cared about them, I wouldn't imagine him taking it well.

-

The Conductor hadn’t even spent a full day on the ship, and when he was back on dry land, he was going to file a complaint. He’d been searching for a bathroom for the better part of an hour, and he was extremely lucky he literally stumbled upon a seal who knew where it was.

Said seal was trying to clean a giant mess in front of the only door to said bathroom.

“WHY IS THERE ONLY ONE BATHROOM ON THIS PECKING SHIP?!” He was practically jumping with anger as he yelled. The pleasant buzz from the alcohol had long since worn off, and his irritation about the situation was only building to a proper explosion.

“I’m vewy sowwy, but we’we wowking on it.” The seal seemed appropriately apologetic, but was otherwise unfazed by Conductor’s loud anger.

The moon penguin in front of him snapped literally and figuratively, "Stop bothering them! I can't hold on for much longer, and if you-"

He checked out of the tirade the penguin clearly needed to direct at someone. Even though the penguins had a strong loyalty to that peck neck Grooves, he really didn't have the energy to fight them with the same fervor. They weren't the one constantly driving him up the wall, and he had other things to focus on.

Such as getting through that door.

Somewhere between getting called "a has-been director" and "the worst thing to happen to bird cinema since The Birds," the Conductor realized that the seal had made absolutely no progress on cleaning the mess. Every spill that was sopped up with the mop was replaced by a new glass falling out of the cart.

It was like watching the new tech owl trying to wrangle the lights.

Making an executive decision, he decided he would take matters into his own hands and jumped ahead of the still ranting penguin. He heard them squawk indignantly, but he was already bolting towards the wall by the blocked off door.

He used his momentum to climb up the wall and hopped onto the walkway that apparently served as a roof for the bathroom. The seal had ignored him as they continued their neverending task, but the moon penguin’s dropped jaw was hilarious. Apparently they forgot that he still did his own stunts.

Cackling, he turned away and dropped down the other side. There was a tool cabinet flush against the wall, and at the top, he saw what he was hoping for. The opening didn’t even have a vent cover, which made things even easier. Clambering up the drawers as if they were stairs, he was FINALLY inside.

Along with another seal with a dining cart.

He had more urgent matters to take care of though, so he brushed away the question of, “How the peck?!” For later.

He had to pass by the seal again as he washed his hands, so he asked, “Ah, need some help?”

“No thank woo. My fweind will let me out once they’we done.”

He still had a drink with his name on it and, and was not about wast time arguing. “If ye insist,” he casually said before jumping for the vent opening and climbing out. Once he was on the tool cabinet again, he paused as he tried to figure out the quickest way to the bar.

This ship was convoluted, not like his train, which was mostly a straight line. Sure it would get tweaked for certain movies, but for a train to actually go, you couldn’t deviate from the norm. But this thing didn’t have stairs where they should, and in order to get anywhere, he had had to jump and climb.

That was not an easy task while toting around five rowdy little ones.

He hopped onto the balcony so he could get a better look at where the next jump was when the entire ship violently tipped to the side. The Conductor gripped the railing to keep him self grounded, but he nearly lost his grip when the ship tipped the other way.

“WHAT THE PECK IS GOING ON?!” He screeched at a seal that flew by. Whatever was said was lost in the ruckus of the ship tipping once again, and he caught them with one hand as they were flung back in his direction.

One of the bulky Mafia humans on a balcony across from him yelled, “Driver must have lost mind!”

“Captain was on bweak!” The seal helpfully added.

They were jerked as the ship swerved, causing him to scream,“THEN WHAT PECK NECK IS STEERING?” If he wasn’t clinging for dear life, he would be stamping his feet.

Any further conversation was cut short by a loud metallic screech as the ship jerked to a dead stop before tilting. With the side that the Conductor was on sinking straight into the water.

The seal started to squirm before insisting, “Let go, mister! I can swim!”

Given that he couldn’t hold onto the struggling seal with only one hand, he had to take their word for it. The water was already close enough that the fall wouldn’t even faze them, and he needed to get out quickly.

Once the seal was in the water, a few others were already pulling up a lifeboat to their area, and they directed all the passengers towards it. If it wasn’t for the owl and penguin clearly calling the shots from the boat, he would have wondered where the sudden competency came from.

Shifting his grip, he pulled himself upwards so that he was balanced on the railing. At first he was going to make a jump for the lifeboat, before something icy gripped his heart. “OI, PECK NECK!” he yelled towards the boat. He didn’t care which one answered, “Have ye been to the children’s playroom!?”

“No, sir! we’re trying to get everyone close to the water first,” The owl responded. That was all he needed to know, and he jumped for the still intact bounce pad. “S-sir!” He could hear the owl call for him as he used the spring to trampoline upwards, but he had other priorities.

The little ones were in danger, and he couldn’t wait for someone else to find them.

His jump carried him almost half-way up the side of the ship, but there wasn’t an easy place for him to land. Expletives left his beak as he realized this fact, and his claws screeched against the metal as he slipped back down the side. The fall was halted when he managed to grab onto a window ledge and pull himself up.

All he could think was to jump to the next balcony he could see and keep going up. Even as the ship leaned further over, he fought gravity itself to reach the next hand hold.

He couldn’t let them die. He promised his daughter he would take care of the children on this trip, and that they would all have a good time. She wasn’t supposed to worry about them drowning while they were with him. He couldn’t let her down. He couldn’t let them down.

Even if it meant he died trying to save them.

With the speed that had carried him through the opening of Train Rush, he managed to climb nine-tenths of the way up when he saw a problem. There was a patch of pure white and then glass before the railing at the top of the ship.

Nothing to hold onto.

And the water was only climbing higher.

His best bet was to jump and pray that he could reach the railing. With no time to lose, he took his only available option.

Which thankfully worked out; he was able to grip the railing that kept people from falling off the top of the ship and pull himself over. Just in time for several pool toys and floats to slide down and bounce into him.

If he popped one or two out of frustration when trying to get them out of the way, no one needed to know.

With everything turning on its side and sliding, the path to the playroom was perilous. He could even see the icy pool water spilling out and flooding the lower level of the deck. From his position, he could see that the remaining vacationers were scrambling to the exit on the opposite end from his destination.

None of them were carrying little balls of yellow feathers.

All the pool chairs on the upper level where he was were heaping together into a miserable pile. At least one tipped over the edge once it hit the glass. But, it meant there was a mostly clear path to the dome that he knew covered the playroom, and he took off running.

Until the angle became too much for him to keep his feet on the walkway.

His chin hit the boards before gravity rolled him back towards the railing he just left.

He couldn’t fail. Not now. Not when he was so pecking close.

Pulling out a knife, he jammed it into the wood to stop his descent. The pain in his shoulder told him he would feel that in the morning, but he would worry about that when the little ones weren’t in danger.

He tugged the knife a few times to ensure it was well and truly wedged in before pulling himself up and grabbing the edge of the deck. The angle of the ship now meant that once he was over the edge, he could stand on it, and once there, he prepared himself for a dive towards the still open door to the playroom.

The landing was a bit rough, but he was finally in there.

And it was empty.

Unable to believe what he was seeing, he called out, “Ainsley? Maisie? Innes? Rory? Alister? Yer grandpa’s here!” As each name came out, his voice became more desperate and pleading, and it nearly cracked by the last word.

All he heard was silence other than the sound of water leaking in.

Speaking of which, he could feel the chill of the arctic ocean through his shoes, and he clambered onto the desk before the water could soak more of his clothing. Still frantically looking, he noticed that the circular playpen, while still attached to the floor, was tilted so that the opening was hanging over the water that had already accumulated.

His heart stopped.

The little ones couldn’t swim.

He jumped into the water in a panicked frenzy. With frantic movements, he swept his arms around as he searched. His arm bumped into something, and without hesitation, he grabbed it and swam up. Once he surfaced, he got a better look. A part of him was afraid of the answer, but he needed to know.

It was a dinky toy.

“RAAAAUGH.” Screaming in frustration, he threw the toy against a wall, uncaring of where it landed. Which, after bouncing a few times, it slid right back into the rapidly swelling pool. “WHERE ARE MY PECKING GRANDCHILDREN?!”

Any further screaming was halted as he felt the cold bite of the water finally getting through his desperate and angry haze.

He already knew that he couldn’t handle arctic water well after the incident in the pool.

They have no chance of surviving that.

The thought weighed him down even more than his currently wet clothes. Climbing out of the water was difficult thanks to his shaking limbs, and he wasn’t sure if that was thanks to the physical or emotional numbness.

With the ship almost completely on its side, he couldn’t see a way out, so he pulled himself into the concave curve of the glass-like dome that was once the ceiling of this room.

And waited.

He wasn’t sure for what. Even if he was found, would he be able to live knowing that he had failed his precious grandchildren? He shouldn’t have left them to drink for hours. He hadn’t even explored the boat for other activities he couldn’t do with them around. He had just wasted his time in one spot on alcohol and not spending the last few hours of their lives with them.

He was an awful grandfather. An awful father. Maybe his other daughter was right. Maybe he was just a selfish bastard who never cared for his family.

Thoughts continued to spiral as he stood up, and he couldn’t help but contemplate the water before him.

Until a loud splash brought him to the present, and jerked his attention back to the very crooked entrance.

It was the hatted lassie.

She was jumping across the platforms with the skill and speed he expected from her, but he couldn’t figure out what she was doing here. She should have been on one of the life boats! He was about to say as much when she got to him, but she picked him up without any preamble.

He couldn’t help but squawk at the sudden action, and he gave a half-hearted reminder about his feathers that she clearly wasn’t paying attention to.

Unwilling to potentially drag her down with him by struggling, he kept quiet as he let her carry him out of the playroom and to the last life boat. He couldn’t help but shiver as his damp clothing was exposed to the wind, but the minor tremors did not deter the lass.

When they made it to the boat, there was a fair amount of rescues there, including two Express Owls. Who looked overjoyed when he saw them.

“Conductor, your grandkids have been looking for you! We went ahead and sent the other boats on-”

“Don’t wait up for me pup. Get in a boat and scram. This is my dang ship, and I’ll go down with it,” the Captain’s voice echoed over the water.

The immense relief at finding out the little ones were safe was then shattered when the lass started running back to the boat. Likely to rescue the stubborn captain.

“Wait, lass, where yer going? You wanna save HIM?” He shouted at the fleeing child. The Captain was a Walrus for Peck’s sake! He could hold his breath long enough to swim away if he wanted to! And if he didn’t want to… well, the lass shouldn’t be risking her life!

“I’m not gonna hang around a sinking ship! If you don’t make it back quick, we’ll leave without yer!” Some part of him had hoped that would scare her back, but she was already climbing into the top of the ship and had clearly ignored him.

“She saved some of your kids, you know?” The moon penguin whispered to the frustrated owl. “I don’t think she has it in her to leave anyone behind.”

While he knew that was true, it didn’t ease his agitation. The ship was already halfway sunk; they didn’t have much time before they would be endangered too. They couldn’t wait forever.

The boat couldn’t stay so close to the ship and had to move, but between the seals moving some capsized life boats around and some of them staying back to guide, there was a clear path from the ship to their boat. He could only hope she saw it.

Waiting was agony, and there wasn’t much room to pace. “Where’s the lass? The ship is sinking, we gotta get out of here.” After about a minute, he yelled again, “Get over here, lassie, We’re leaving NOW!” It was only thanks to his light weight that he was able to jump up and down to express his impatience.

The Express Owl that had the misfortune of being right next to him rubbed his head to clear the ringing from his ears.

After a minute, the lass hopped down from an icy ledge while carrying the Captain. The sight made the Conductor do a double take. Sure he knew that she was light on her feet and good at jumping, but that didn’t necessarily translate to carrying someone ten times your weight. He hadn’t thought much on her carrying himself since he wasn’t much taller than her and significantly lighter, but this was strange.

The relief returned, however, and overpowered the confusion. She was a strange one, yes, but she was consistently strange.

And safe now.

Everyone gave their thanks to the lass as the boat caught up with the others, and the Conductor threw in his own deeply felt appreciation. “Aye, thank you lass. The little ones haven’t learned to swim yet!”

Speaking of.

He could hear the excited peeps from his grandchildren when they saw him. Alister was waving his rubber knife around with excited glee, and it was only thanks to a strangely alert seal that kept him from jumping out of the boat and towards his grandpa. Of course the Conductor couldn’t help but wave and make a silly face at him.

When he could tear his attention away from the little ones, he noticed something… familiar glowing in the middle of the boat with his grandchildren. A glowing hourglass.

Oh PECK.

He heard the Captain say something about the shiny thing on the glacier, and while that caught his attention, he was a lot more worried about something so dangerous in the middle of his grandchildren.

Before he could make his own path, the lass must have come to the same realization and booked it over to claim the Time Piece to send back to her ship and away from clumsy and curious hands.

The time piece itself vanished in an instant, but the lass remained this time. She sunk onto the bench, and he could tell even from this distance that she looked exhausted.

He decided to hop over now that the lass had claimed her prize, and the little ones immediately started to climb all over him. Unfazed, he picked them all up for the best group hug he could deliver. Maisie was initially reluctant to let go, clutching him as tightly as her beak held her pacifier, so he cradled the little one in one arm as he placed the others down.

With the little ones assured of his presence, he joined the lass on the bench. Innes crawled up to sit on his lap still clutching their sunhat, and the others all hovered around him before settling near his feet and leaning against his legs.

He wasn’t sure why the lass hadn’t left yet; generally, once she had her Time Piece, she would leave as soon as possible. He opened his beak to ask the question, but as he turned, he noticed that she was hunched over and trembling.

Thinking about how they were in the arctic and how she had just been hopping and running around in the water, it concerned him. Quietly, he asked, “Are ye cold, lass? Need anything to warm ye up?”

What he hadn’t expected was the lass to turn her face up to him and for her to be crying. “I’m sorry!” she sobbed before burying her face into her hands.

At first, he was confused. “Why are ye apologizing? It’s not like this-”

Before he could complete that sentence, she wailed, “Yes, it is! I saw that Time Piece and. And.” She couldn’t keep talking before another sob broke out. Whatever she had been about to say was lost, and she instead said, “Almost hurt everyone...”

The puzzle put itself together. The Time Piece. She wrecked the ship and endangered all of their lives for one of those hourglasses? A part of him really wanted to be angry. It was a very loud and vocal part of himself.

But the other part saw a clearly guilt-wracked child, and his parental nature told the angry part to peck off.

He shifted the little one in his arm to the other side before reaching out to gently touch her shoulder. “Ye didn’t mean it to turn out like this,” he stated when she looked up at him in surprise. “Everyone was talking about how the ship couldnae sink, and well. How were ye supposed to know?”

She clearly didn’t accept that. “It doesn’t matter… I still-”

“Beatin’ yerself up over it isn’t gonna help, trust me on that one, lass. We all make mistakes. Some of them terrible. But everyone got off that death trap, thanks to you.”

The lass glanced around at the few lifeboats that were around them. “There’s no way that’s it!”

“Lass, ye saw the way to get on before the boat left the dock. It thinned out most of the crowd since they couldnae get on board. Everyone who got that far had to fly or jump.”

After a moment, the lass leaned into his touch until she let him give a one sided hug. The shaking had lessened by then, he noted.

They stayed in that position for a while, and now that he was still, the dampness in his clothes was making itself known again. The lass noticed and asked, “Why are you so cold?”

“I uh, might have taken a dip earlier. While trying to find the little ones.”

The somber look returned to her face, and he kicked himself at his callous reminder of what they had just gone through. The moment was interrupted by a seal with a penguin perched on top approaching their boat, and the penguin asked, “We got some blankets stored in our boat, need any?”

“YES!” The lass shouted. “He’s like a birdcicle at this point!”

That got a loud laugh from the Conductor. “Ye need one too, lass!”

After they got blankets brought over, the Conductor got the little ones wrapped up in their own so that they would nap for a while. Their rescue boat was still a distance away, and he didn’t want them to get into any trouble before then. He noticed that Ainsley’s white hat was damp somehow, so he plucked it off. She chirped in protest but calmed down when he let her hold onto it like a toy.

With his limbs free, he cocooned in his blanket and watched the lass follow suit with hers. Eventually, she ended up leaning against him again, and he finally said, “Ye could just go back to yer ship, right? It’ll be safer for ye.”

“Not fair to you guys...” She mumbled.

It really didn’t sit right with him that she insisted on suffering along with them, but arguing wasn’t going to change her mind. “… How about ye head back once the rescue boat gets here? We’ll be safe by then.”

The lass mulled it over before finally agreeing. “Sure. That’ll be… fine.” A yawn interrupted the reply, and she jerked away.

“Ye can sleep, there’s not much to do other than wait.”

She must have been tired enough to not argue, because she simply leaned back against him, and her breathing slowed after a few minutes.

With all his charges accounted for and resting, the Conductor smiled in relief. He was tired, for sure, but he would deal with that later.

“Rest well, lass.”

Out of the Shadows

Pairing: Peter x Reader, Platonic!Loki x Reader

Summary: After finding out that you feel like a complete outcast, the team tries hard, too hard, to include you. And when a mission comes up, well, their efforts lead to disaster.

Warnings: Language, Fluff, Angst, Injuries, Violence, Fluff

Word Count: 1.6K

A/n: Um, hi. Idk what Im doing anymore. It seems like everything I write just ends up flopping so idk what to do.

PART ONE MASTERLIST

“Can I help you with anything? Do you need anything? A-are you comfortable?” You groan and put your face in your hands.

“Listen, Holly, I get it that you're trying to... make up for whatever Loki put in your head, but please stop hovering. I need some space so I can work and focus on what I’m doing. We have a mission coming up and I want to be as prepared as possible, okay?”

Your sister nods and looks away, “I just... I never knew you felt... so excluded. I never intended to make you feel like that.” You look up from the file in your hands and smile lightly. “I know. And I’m fine. I promise.” She sighs, knowing you’re lying, but drops it.

“I’m gonna go train with Nat. Feel free to join if you want.” Right as she leaves, someone else walks in.

“Hey (Y/n).” You smile at the voice, warmth filling you. “Hi, Peter. I’ve missed you.” He walks to your bed and leans down, hugging you tightly.

“I’ve missed you too. Are you ready for the mission tomorrow? Stocking up on carbs tonight? Its kinda like going to a basketball game o-or track-and-field. You’ve gotta have energy for tomorrow. Especially if you’re gonna be throwing things with your mind and-” you silence his jabbering with a gentle kiss.

He sits down beside you, his hands hesitantly wrapping around your body to pull you closer to him.

You push him down onto his back, the file for the mission long forgotten, and straddle his waist. He grabs your hips and squeezes tightly. Through his actions, you can almost feel the anxiety he feels about you going on this mission.

You pull your lips from his and pant softly, holding his cheeks and pressing your forehead to his. “I’ll be safe, Peter. I promise.” He kisses your lips again then sighs, “I know, but I’ll still worry about you. You... I... I think that you’ve made my life so much better. And I really don’t wanna lose you.” You smile and open your eyes, looking up into his deep beautiful brown orbs.

“You mean the world to me, Peter. Without you... I’m not sure what I’d do. I’m so glad that I have you.” He kisses your lips a third time then leans his head down on the pillow.

You lie down on his body, legs tangled with his and head on his chest. He traces light patterns on your back and you exhale deeply, relaxing into your boyfriend.

~*~

“Shit! Nat! Help!” Your sister’s voice calls through the comms.

Your blood runs cold at her cry of pain and for a moment you see red. Moving with speed and determination that you didn't know you possessed, you tear through the HYDRA agents on the outside of the building, quickly getting inside the base and running to the room where your sister and Nat are supposed to be gathering intel.

Holly’s on the ground, a HYDRA agent holding her throat.

You muster up your powers and launch the man off of her, running to her side and helping her to stand. “Okay ladies, I’ve got the hard drive. Let’s get the Hell out of here before someone gets seriously hurt.”

You and Holly follow after Nat towards the door, each of you with a weapon raised.

A small round ball-like thing rolls into the room and you gasp, eyebrows raising to your hairline.

“Get back!” You yell, twisting your arms in a circle and creating a shield just as the grenade explodes.

You get thrown across the room and hit the wall hard enough for all of the other people in the room to hear the cracks of your bones.

“(Y/n)!” Holly cries, running towards you while Nat takes care of the HYDRA agents.

“What happened?” Steve’s voice asks in her ear.

“We need an evac. Now,” Nat’s voice says. Holly grabs your cheeks and sniffles, pleading softly for you to open your eyes. Her fingers find your neck and she feels for a pulse, a sob bursting out of her as she feels nothing.

“Nat! There’s no pulse! W-what do I do?!” The redhead appears next to your sister and takes a deep breath. “I need all the help I can get, guys. Starting compressions.” Nat starts pumping her hands on your chest, trying to get your heart beating again.

Holly sits beside you, one of your hands cradled in both of hers.

“Please (Y/n). I’m so sorry for not being there. I’m so so sorry. Please wake up. Please. Please wake up.”

It takes hardly a minute for Tony to meet them in the room, tears in his eyes as he sees your lifeless form on the ground, Natasha still doing compressions. “Get her to the Quinjet. Get FRIDAY to do something to save her!” Holly almost yells.

“I can give her a shock, Boss. 200 joules should do it.” Tony looks at his hands then nods.

“Charge ‘em up FRIDAY.”

He kneels in front of your body and, after FRIDAY giving him a quick tutorial, presses his makeshift defibrillators to your chest. Your body jolts with the contact and Holly sobs.

“Read vitals,” Tony whispers.

FRIDAY takes a moment but eventually responds.

“Heartbeat detected.”

He lets out a sigh of relief then carefully scoops your body up in his arms, flying you to the Quinjet. As you lie helpless and vulnerable in his arms, he realizes just how important you are to him and everyone else on the team.

~*~

You wake up to a soft voice whispering near your ear.

It takes you a few minutes, but you eventually manage to figure out how to work your body again.

“...and I swear I’ll never let you go. You died out there and I thought I was going to die when they told me. I can't live without you cause you mean too much to me. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe cause I love you. They don’t really want me in here, I should be training, but there’s no way I’m leaving you until you wake up. So please (Y/n), open those pretty eyes for me. Please wake up. Please.”

It takes a lot more energy than you expected, but you manage to pull your eyelids back a tiny bit, squinting against the harsh lights in the room.

“Peter?” Your voice is scratchy and hoarse and sounds absolutely awful.

“Oh my God, (Y/n)! You’re awake! I-I need to get the doctor! Or mister Stark.” He jumps up, freezing in his tracks as you squeeze his hand. “Don't leave me, Peter. Please don’t leave me.” He hesitates for a moment then sits back down. “I really oughta tell someone that you’re awake. You might need painkillers or something.” Your eyes water and he’s quick to kiss away the tears. “But I won’t leave you, (Y/n). I promise I won’t.” You nod, wincing as your head throbs.

“FRIDAY? Can you please call Mister Stark and the Doctor? (Y/n)’s awake now,” Peter says. The AI agrees and in a few minutes, multiple people come barreling into your room.

“(Y/n). I’m glad to see that you’re awake and talking. You had us worried for a little while there,” The doctor says with a kind smile. You look up at her then over at your sister. “Did... did I actually die?” Tony and the Doctor sigh while your sister makes a noise of pain.

“Your heart stopped beating, yes. And if Mister Stark and Miss Romanoff hadn’t acted as fast as they did, you wouldn’t be here right now.”

You ponder this for a moment then look up at each person in the room.

“You... why?” Tony sits at the foot of your bed, Your sister and Natasha right behind him. “(Y/n), you sacrificed your life for the team. You gave your life for these two morons here. We... we might not be the best at showing it, but you mean an awful lot to us. We’d... we’d be lost without you. Your little snarky remarks whenever Cap says something you don’t like... the way you can always comfort anyone, no matter what. You’re loved and you’re needed. Don’t even get me started on how much the Spiderkid needs you. When he found out you were hurt he almost went crazy. He hasn’t left your side the whole week. Took a lot of convincing and Capsicle physically removing him from the room to get him to take a shower.”

“We love you, (Y/n). And I’m so so sorry that we ever made you feel like we don’t,” Nat says with a small smile. You nod, looking down for a moment. “I’m sure you’re feeling overwhelmed right now. We’ll give you some time. If you need anything at all, let us know, alright?” You nod at Tony and watch as him and Nat walk out.

“(Y/n)... you’ve been saving my life since we were kids. Thank you. I... I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay you, but I’ll spend the rest of my damn life trying. I’ll be annoying and overbearing, as long as you know how much I love and appreciate you,” Holly whispers, gently patting your leg before getting up and leaving the room.

A dark-haired man enters the room after a moment, a small smile on his lips. “I’m glad to see that you’re alive and well, (Y/n). They haven’t stopped worrying about you ever since you were brought here. I don’t think you’re quite as forgotten as you’d like to think.” A few tears slide down your cheeks and you sniffle.

“Thank you, Loki. For always being there for me when I felt so alone. Thank you.” He dips his head in a mock bow then leaves the room, letting you sit in silence.

“I hope you know that no matter what you feel, I’ll always be here for you,” Peter says softly from beside you, his eyes cast down to where your hands are joined.

“Of course I do, Peter. I love you with my entire heart and I know you love me. I know that we’ll always have each other.”

He kisses your cheek gently then sighs.

“Always.”

~*~ crappy ending I know. Sorry.

TAGS:

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LOKI:

@arttasticgreatnessoftheawesome77

Bodyguard

Pairings: Do Kyung Soo x OC

Genre: Mature,  Romance, Angst (But not love angst), Smut in future chapters

Warnings: Main character under trauma.

Summary: Ae Ra is a singer who has been receiving threatening messages and letters for a while now, but she didn’t give them importance. Until one day the sender decides to act and kidnaps her. Its then when her agency decides that she needs protection, so they hired two bodyguards for her. Mister Do and Mister Park.

Chapter 1

“Thank you, everybody! I had a great night and I hope you did too, one of the reasons I love what I do is this, get to see all of you and share this amazing experience, so thank you, thank you to each one of you, take care on your way back home and I’ll see you all soon” The cheering from the public came to her as a strong burst. She bowed for the last time and walked out the stage waving at the sea of people that came to the last concert of her tour. As she walked to the backstage, everybody involved in the show came to great her. Dancers, band, make-up artist, stylist, everybody.

She walked into her dressing room where her manager gave her a long tight hug. She could swear he was crying. Everyone gets a bit emotional by the end of the tour. She changed into her street clothes, grabbed her bag and walked out her dressing room into the back door where her driver would be waiting for her.

She opened the door and there it was, her modern carriage waiting for her so she could go home and rest for a week. She dashed inside the car, waving at a group of fans who came to greet her. She threw her bags into the back seat and got inside the car, greeting at her usual driver “Goodnight Mister Yo, take me home please” She heard a chuckle coming from the front seat. She looked up, and she didn’t recognize the eyes reflecting in the front mirror “I don’t think I can do that Miss Ji” She didn’t know that voice. That taut, hoarse voice was completely unfamiliar to her. The driver turned on the ignition and started driving at an insanely fast speed. She started shouting, trying to pull down the windows. She knew this wasn’t right. This wasn’t just a change of drivers, which by itself was very strange. This new driver had other intentions. She had started looking for her phone when she lost consciousness. A hand came from behind and covered her nose and mouth with a wet piece of clothing. The sting of odor hurt her head and felt like fire up her nose. The last thing she registered was the screen of her phone showing that her call had been answered. She tried to scream but she couldn’t. Maybe her manager would suspect. Maybe some fans saw the strange behavior of the van. Maybe Mister Yo would arrive and noticed that her usual client wasn’t there waiting for him. There were at least 15.000 people on that Arena. Someone, just one person must have seen something. This was going to end. She would be alright.

+ Kyung Soo and Chanyeol walked into their boss office but he wasn’t there yet. His secretary told them to wait for him. Chanyeol started fidgeting with the tip of his tie as Kyung Soo remained composed as a statue “Aren’t you nervous?” He asked Kyung Soo “For what?” “Why they called us here, for example, our last job ended last week, what if there is no new client, you think they are going to fire us?” Kyung Soo remained calm, which made Chanyeol feel a little bit less worried, just a little bit “We have been working here for 5 years, I don’t think is convenient for them to fire us, they would have to pay us, is cheaper for them to have us here…don’t worry, they would assign us our new client, that’s all” Chanyeol nodded at him, 100% convinced by his partner’s words. Their boss arrived a couple of minutes later, holding two big folders and a very pleased smile “We got a new client” He said very cheerfully, sitting across them “And is a big one, you now miss Ji Ae Ra?” “THE IDOL?!” Kyung Soo was startled by the loud shout of his friend “The idol…maybe you heard about her kidnapping some days ago…she ran away from her captors, but that was only the tip of the iceberg, she has been getting threatening letters,  phone calls and emails for a month now, the police haven’t helped a whole lot, and the people behind the threatens got physical now, so her agency asked for protection” “What would be our job?” Asked Kyung Soo, trying to tune down his surprise “Shouldn’t be too hard, but since she has a very weird schedule, you need to be always ready, we are talking 24/7 vigilance, outside and inside her agency, house and extras like tv shows, fan meetings etc, one of you needs to be with her all the time” “Yes sir” They answered at the same time “She is currently living in a hotel room, but she is moving back to her house right now, the information you need is in this file” He handed them the folders he was caring before “By the way, no bodyguards outfit, she doesn’t want to worry her fans, so she wants you two to pretend you are just part of her staff, just street clothing” Both nodded, already focused on their assigned work “Questions?” Kyung Soo raised his hand, his eyes focused on the folder “We have to present ourselves at her house tomorrow?” “Yes, she will be waiting for you both there since she will be working at her home studio” The three of them stayed for an hour covering details regarding their new job and Kyung Soo and Chanyeol were politely invited to leave the place because their boss had another meeting. They went to the building’s cafeteria to come out with different plans to work with their new protégé. “You seem happy” Chanyeol commented as he munched his sandwich meanwhile Kyung Soo wrote some notes on his notebook “I’m always happy, I just don’t show it so openly” “Sure, sure, so you are happy that we are working with an idol?” “Sure” Chanyeol knew he could stir the pot a little bit more. Kyung Soo was very focused on his notes, and those were the perfect moments to get more information from him “You are happy that we are working with this particular idol?” Kyung Soo didn’t even react to the question, he only answered “I really admire her” Chanyeol lifted his fist triumphally “Yeah, admire her, you like her you liar! who’s picture you had next to your bed when we were doing our service” “She was my emotional support idol, nothing more” Chanyeol laughed at it, Kyung Soo retorts always made him laugh “Look, I know you like her, is ok I can understand that, just remain professional ok?” “Are you trying to mentor me?” He asked, looking at him with a grimace “Leave me alone, you are the one who is in love with our next client” “I’m not in love!” Everyone around them looked in their direction, and it was clearly Chanyeol’s fault, so he kicked him under the table. Chanyeol almost turned the table because of his over-exaggerated reaction.

++

The next morning, they drove together to Miss Ji’s house. Or Ae Ra’s house.  Kyung Soo didn’t know how to call her, so he asked his partner “I think Miss Ji is good enough, she is Miss Ji, we are Mister Do and Mister Park, How about that?” “Appropriate, good thinking”

They parked outside the two-floor house, located almost at the top of a hill in a fancy neighborhood in the north of Seoul. The first thing they did was check the perimeter in their way to her house. Kyung Soo took pictures from the surroundings to create a database on his head, just in case. Chanyeol admired his methodical work in this kind of jobs, he was glad he had him as a partner, so he didn’t have to do all that boring job. They arranged their things and themselves and went out of the car to her house “Chanyeol?, I think I don’t need to remind you that the fact that I’m one of her fans is a secret right?” “I would never Mister Do” “Good Mister Park” A tall middle age man opened the gait for them. He looked like the school teacher who is never popular between his students, not because he is bad, but because he is meh, he just doesn’t capture anyone’s attention. Kyung Soo knew him better though. He was Ae Ra’s manager. Mister Min. He was known to be a very serious man, very strict and very protective with Ae Ra, but a sweet man overall “I’m so glad you are both here, Ae Ra is at her studio downstairs with a friend, she would be here soon, meanwhile, can I offer you anything” He said as he walked them inside the house “No thanks, we would like to check the house, would that be ok?” “Oh, don’t need to ask, you are free to do what you need, now this is your house too” “Thank you, we appreciate the trust, Mister Park would check the inside of the house and I will check the garden” They excused themselves and started working. Kyung Soo walked around the garden slowly, checking the fences, the length of the threes, how much could the neighbor see from their houses, and all those tiny details that could threaten the peace of their client’s life. He realized he had walked around for almost an hour, so he went inside the house to talk to Chanyeol. He knew where he was immediately because he could hear his laughs. Kyung Soo walked inside the kitchen and found Chanyeol talking with Mister Min, Ae Ra’s manager, and Ae Ra herself. He clenched his fist, trying to control himself. Yes, Chanyeol was right, he liked her, but he was a very casual fan. He had all her records, yes, but he never went to one of her concerts. He watched all her TV appearances, yes, but he never bought a magazine with her face on it. He supported her, but he never lost his chill over her. But she was there now. She was real. She looked just like in the video of the single from her third album ‘You bet’, jeans, a printed t-shirt and her long, black hair up in a ponytail. He was just a tiny bit mesmerized, but he kept it cool, professional. Somebody had to do it since Chanyeol was drinking coffee and laughing with them. “Ah, there he is!, this is Mister Do Kyung Soo, my partner” Chanyeol walked to him, and grabbed his forearm pulling him inside the kitchen. Ae Ra walked around the kitchen isle to meet him. She bowed at him and Kyung Soo was conscious enough to do the same. Ae Ra introduced herself, glad to feel a very trustful aura coming from her two new co-workers “Mister Do, I was telling Mister Park what a relief is two have you both here, as you know I’m in need of some help” “Miss Ji was telling me about how she ran away from her captors, sit down so she can tell us the rest” Kyung Soo was relieved that at least Chanyeol was using the name they agreed on, he hoped he did at least a good check on the security inside the house. He sat down next to his partner and thank Ae Ra for the cup of coffee she gave him “I was telling Mister Park about the amount of cursing I threw at them, just to put them off, I woke up as they were pulling me out of the car, they knocked me out with chloroform, but they didn’t use enough I guess, I was about to freak out, but then I remember something I saw once in a TV show, I needed to stay calm, so I did that, I waited until they opened my door and I jumped out of the car, I didn’t look around, I just focused on run, my legs were kind of numb, so I just focused on not tripping on something and run fast, thank god I’m a good runner, I ran for around 20 minutes until I found someone, it was a worker from the road who was doing some maintenance in a couple of lighting posts, he called everyone immediately” His manager was shaking his head in disbelief, pinching the bridge of his nose “I can’t believe you were so lucky” “I know, everything could have ended so badly, I’m glad I’m here” “And that’s why we hired your services” Ae Ra looked at his manager and then at her new bodyguards, feeling lighter for the first time in a while. She never feared the letters or the calls she had been getting. Mostly because she knew she wasn’t alone, and now with these two guys adding to the equation, she felt even safer. She just wished all this came to an end because she wasn’t very worried about all this, but all the people around her were, from her mom to her stylist. Kyung Soo took note of everything they said. Ae Ra’s manager gave them the details regarding the letters and calls. There was a police investigation going on, but with no avail. It wasn’t like he and Chanyeol will solve the case, that wasn’t their job. But this was related to her surroundings, and they needed to have a clear view regarding possible threats. Chanyeol made the questions and Kyung Soo wrote down the details. In the middle of the interview Mister Min had to leave for a meeting, so they stayed with Ae Ra. They were talking about her schedule when Chanyeol got a call and he left the room to answer the phone. Kyung Soo didn’t register this quite clearly since he was checking his notes, so he was startled when she called his name “Mister Park says you are a fan of my work” Fuck him, fuck Park Chanyeol and his stupid face and ears and height. He was going to ask for a change of partners. Fuck it, he was going to get him fired. Ae Ra saw the discomfort in his face, so she was quick to clarify “Please don’t worry, I hope we can work well together, I’m glad that I get to work with someone that I can trust” Ok, fuck Park Chanyeol a little bit less. He bowed at her, not sure how to answer, so he just remained polite “I hope you can collaborate with us” “Yes, for sure, I was told that you two are in charge from now on” “Yes” “Well, as a fan, you must know that I suck at following instructions, but I respect your work and I understand how difficult this situation is, so I will follow yours and Park’s orders diligently…I will try” Kyung Soo didn’t grab what she said at the end “Sorry?” He asked her to repeat herself “Nothing” She only smiled at him, a smile that was very familiar, but he was seeing for the first time in person. He couldn’t avoid feeling a bit nervous. Chanyeol came back announcing that he was going to take the first night shift because they needed him at the agency tomorrow.

+++ Kyung Soo arrived at her house at 8 am to change positions with Chanyeol. He gave him a small summary regarding any event. There was none. “She spends a lot of time at her studio though, and I checked the place and the only way to get in is through the door, also there’s no place to hide there, so that’s good, what else?...nothing, she makes a very good  coffee and she gave me breakfast, yours is waiting for you” “Ok buddy see you tomorrow, by the way, thanks for telling her I’m her fan” Kyung Soo made sure to spit venom through his eyes and tongue when he said that to Chanyeol. He backed up, his head down and hands up “I’m so sorry, I just spilled it, it was a moment of weakness” Kyung Soo only glared at him and walked inside the house.

Breakfast was indeed waiting for him. He already had his protein bar and a cup of coffee, but he wasn’t going to refuse it. So, he ate a bit of egg and toasts. Chanyeol was right, she prepared an amazing coffee. He made sure to let her now “Well, coffee is one of the dishes that I prepare the best” She joked, and to her surprise, he laughed. And it was adorable. When she met Mister Do yesterday, she was a bit struck by how stoic his presence was. She was intimidated by him and in a bad way. His deep voice was way too serious, and his eyes made him look as if he was having a bad time. His shaved head and thick eyebrows didn’t help. But when she talked to him, she realized that it was just his image. And now that she saw him laugh, she was sure he just looked serious and scary. Because his eyes, nose and lips transformed when he laughed, and he went from stoic to babyface. Also, during his shift, Mister Park gave her a full heads up regarding his friend and colleague. Whatever she asked, he would answer. It was amusing how different they were. Yet she was kind of jealous about their partnership. They were like a duet. Sony and Cher. Mister Do was Cher.

Watching Mister Do eat was very pleasing. He ate with delight, in silence, tiny dimples forming at the corner of his lips, a frown of concentration on his face and he made sure to not make any sound while he chewed. It occurred to her that he was the best in his class. She couldn’t avoid but ask “No I wasn’t, quite the opposite, I hated school, I only enjoyed recess, what makes you think that?” “You look very put together” “I wasn’t the class clown, but I wasn’t a top student either, I just look like this, people often assume that though” People never had a clear view of who he was. They always saw him as a grumpy old man, or a goody church boy, as Ae Ra did right now. He didn’t consider himself any of those, although his friends often told him that he was both.

Her schedule said that they had a photoshoot at a hotel on the other side of Seoul, so they had to leave around 11. Kyung Soo was introduced to Mister Yo, Ae Ra’s driver, a man in his fifties who had been driving her for five years. He sat in the front seat next to him, and he gave him all the details regarding the day of the kidnapping “I was told to pick her up at 12 right after the concert, normally I arrive 10 minutes early, I went to the back door and someone told me that I had to go to the other back door…I obeyed, of course, I should have been more careful, time passed and miss Ae Ra didn’t arrive, I called her and her phone was dead, I called Mister Min and he told me she was gone, after that it all went nuts. I did my best to remember who gave me the fake info, but I just couldn’t” The man looked frustrated and saddened by his own story “Mister Yo, don’t keep thinking about it, police say it could be just some rando they paid to tell you that, it’s in the past” She patted his shoulder, but Kyung Soo saw how he remained worried and regretful. But Ae Ra was right, there was no one to blame, yet.

Kyung Soo met boredom that day at the hotel. One hour of make-up and hair, one hour of getting the outfits together and then 2 hours of staying in front of the camera. Of course, she looked lovely in all of them, but the photographer didn’t think the same, apparently. Or he just really love having her in front of the camera.

By 6 they were finally ready. She walked to him and patted his arm in support, he hoped he didn’t look mad or tired. Because he wasn’t. He was just bored. They took her and her manager to another room where she could get ready to leave. Her own crew was waiting for her there so she could be ready for the recording of a TV appearance. Kyung Soo was introduced to Byun Baekhyun, her make-up artist, Kim Minseok, her hairstylist and Oh Sehun her stylist “Waaa, another handsome man for your harem” Commented Baekhyun and the other two nodded “Leave him alone, or he is going to kick your ass” Answered Mister Min, and Kyung Soo was grateful for it. He informed them about the job Kyung Soo was doing, and the three men were glad to hear about it “Finally she asked for help” Stated one of them. Ae Ra went into the bathroom without being noticed and came back with her eyes blown up like plates, her lower lip trembled, and her hands were shaking when she grabbed the sleeve of his jacket, pulling him with her into the bathroom. Kyung Soo instinctively brought his hand to the small gun attached to his waist. She opened the door and pointed at the mirror where a small piece of paper, like a post-it, was stuck. He walked towards it so he could inspect it, with Ae Ra following him closely. - Rats don’t live long – It said with  horrifying handwriting “Take that out!” Shouted one of the guys, but Kyung Soo stopped him “No one touches anything in this bathroom, we need to call the police, they need fingerprints, and I need to ask, did any of you used the bathroom when you arrived?” Minseok was quick to answer “No, the tree of us arrived at the same time, just 5 minutes before you guys arrived” Kyung Soo believed them. Anyway, the police could confirm all that with the security cameras of the hotel. Kyung Soo looked at Ae Ra, and she looked mad. Not scared, not jittery. Just mad. She was frowning and her hands were resting on her hips, her right foot tapping the floor. Kyung Soo felt mad with himself too. He completely underestimated the situation. He should have checked the room before she got inside, if only he knew about this change of plans. From now on, Ji Ae Ra couldn’t get inside a room before he or Chanyeol had checked on it.

The police arrived and as Mister Do said, they check every corner for fingerprints. They put the note in a tiny plastic bag and took the statement of Baekhyun, Minseok and Sehun.

They all rode the van to the next location in dead silence. Mister Min sat next to Mister Yo, her style crew in the back and she sat next to Kyung Soo. There was this very heavy aura coming from him. He was angry, that was clear, but there was more there “Are you okay Mister Do?” Kyung Soo was shocked by the question. Why would she be worried? She should be the one worried and terrified “I’m not okay” He answered. Just that. Ae Ra had to dig a bit more “Are you concerned?” “Yes” She kept digging “Are you annoyed?” “Very” She imagined that much “Why?” “They were there, maybe before we arrived, or meanwhile we were in the next room, I should have been more careful, also we need to change our approach, we underestimated this” He looked at Ae Ra as she was looking ahead absentmindedly “Are you okay Miss Ji?” She looked at him startled and took a second to answer, “I’m not okay” She answered, quoting him “I’m very mad, I’m not scared, yet, now I have you and Mister Park next to me, so I feel assured, I just don’t like how vulnerable this makes me feel… hey! let’s talk about this tomorrow when Mister Park comes, for now, I want to focus on my next job, Baek!” She shouted to the back, and the guy jolted on his seat “Yes?” “Sing something so we can relax” “Roger! I’m going to sing Naruto’s opening theme” Kyung Soo was surprised that he actually did that, and he was even more surprised when he did so with a beautiful voice.

The recording of the variety show took three hours. This time he wasn’t that bored since he got to hang out with the other guys. As they were waiting for Ae Ra, they told him everything they knew about the situation. Baekhyun was especially talkative, he was worried about his friend and co-worker. Kyung Soo took the liberty to ask them who they thought was the culprit “I think is an anti, Minseok thinks is an ex-boyfriend, Sehun thinks is people from another agency” “No, is definitely an ex-boyfriend, remember two years ago, Ae Ra only dated idiots, at least one of them was a psycho, all men are” Stated Minseok, clearly forgetting that he was in fact, a man “No, is definitely people from another agency trying to scare her,  Ae Ra has been topping the lists for years now, nonstop, maybe they want some time free from her, jokes on them, this makes her stronger” The tree of them nodded, Baekhyun even high fived Sehun. Kyung Soo found all three possibilities probable. He needed to write down all this new information.

Mister Yo drove them home by midnight. Kyung Soo asked her to stay in the front door until he gave her a signal to come in “Are you kidding me?” She answered, and Kyung Soo did his best to look more serious than before “From now on, I’m inspecting the house before you come in” “Mister Do” She tried to refute, but he stopped her raising his hand “Please Miss Ji, let me do my job” She couldn’t say anything else, his expression didn’t leave room for any complaint. That intimidating feeling she got from Mister Do the day she met him was back. Maybe worse than before. She took a step back and signaled him to go on. After 10 minutes he was back, his posture less tense than before “Everything clear” “You think they could break into my house?” “I was sure they wouldn’t, but after what happened today, I’m not sure, I need to be one step ahead” She understood. She was quite shocked by what happened. For now, she should follow what he said. It was the smart thing to do.

Kyung Soo was ready to go to bed when his stomach grumbled. Ae Ra was walking in front of him and hear it “May I offer you something to eat?” “I’ll take care of it, you should go to sleep” ���I’m not tired, I’m hungry too, but I better eat something light, I already gain 4 pounds” Kyung Soo couldn’t avoid looking at her head to toe. To his bad luck, she saw him “I know it doesn’t show, but the TV will notice it, haters too” “You care?” She laughed drily “No…well, I care just a little bit, but you know, is important, and is easier to sing and dance if I stay fit, you must understand” He nodded. It felt like an intimate issue, so he didn’t want to comment on it. He ate a sandwich and a cup of tea, she ate a light salad and a glass of water. They were in silence, but Kyung Soo felt her eyes on him. She was unsettled. Her foot kept taping the floor, her eyebrows were knitted together and the hand that was resting on top of the table formed a tight fist. He could tell she wanted to say something, ask something “Mister Do?” And she finally did “Yes?” “I heard Baek say something today, and it worried me a lot…you think there’s a possibility that bullets could be involved in all this mess” He chewed the last bite of his sandwich with calm, pondering his answer, Ae Ra looked at him expectantly “I don’t think your attackers are that radical” She trusted him, but she couldn’t quite believe in his answer, someone who kidnaps could also grab a gun and shoot  “Ok, but if there are bullets…I don’t want you to get involved” “Sorry?” “What you heard” She held his stare, and she saw his lips twitch a tiny bit. Was he amused? “It’s my job to do that” “No, your job is to take care of me, protect me, taking a bullet is much more than that, it is too much! You can control the possibilities, but you can’t get in the middle” “I insist, is my job” “No, is not, do I have to sign something?” His lips twitched again. She wasn’t being funny, she did her best to sound dead serious “Actually, yes, there’s a form you need to sign” “Then I’m doing it, none of you are putting your lives in danger for me, it would be a waste if you are risking your life for someone let that someone be the president or…I don’t know, someone who dedicates their lives to help the poor or something like that, not me” Apparently, her short monologue got him because he didn’t look amused anymore. He was back to seriousness. He drank a long sip from his cup and stood up, bringing his dishes to the zinc. He came back to his seat and stood behind his chair “I understand if that’s what you want, I will take care of the paperwork…but I would like you to not look down on the importance of your existence, maybe you are not saving or changing the world, but you are definitely helping some people” He bowed and walked outside the kitchen. Ae Ra stayed there, mouth wide open, fork hanging from her hand, about to fall. She stayed like that for a long while.

Notes: You must have realized that I write Kyung Soo (all separated) and I write Chanyeol, Sehun, Baekhyun (all together) and this is only because of the aesthetics. I like how Kyung Soo looks more than Kyungsoo.

Also, I started using Grammarly and I’m so happy with it. Just the free version helps a lot. 

Thanks for reading, and please, if you liked it, reblog. It helps us writers so much. Whenever I read a fic I like, I comment and reblog. I know how great it feels when someone does that with your work. 

The Library Beneath the Clock Tower - Chapter 3

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply 

Relationships: Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Belle/Gaston (Once Upon a Time)

Characters: Belle (Once Upon a Time), Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Red Riding Hood | Ruby, Widow Lucas | Granny, Grumpy | Leroy, Maurice | Moe French

Additional Tags: Bookshop On the Corner, slightly AU, Cursed Storybrooke (Once Upon a Time), Alternate Universe - In Storybrooke | Cursed (Once Upon a Time), Eventual Smut

Summary: Storybrooke has no library, and neither does Belle, not since the library where she worked in Boston discovered her past as an inpatient at a mental hospital. Taking her future into her own hands, Belle travels to Storybrooke where her intention is to open up the town library, but all does not go according to her plan. Obstacles and false starts, and diversion along very wrong pathways interrupt her journey toward fulfilling her dream, as well as taking her rightful place and becoming a part of the Storybrooke community.

Chapter 3 - Ending Before It Began - Read here on AO3

Bolstered in both confidence and determination by Maggie’s bannock, Belle took the short walk to Game of Thorns.  There was a white van parked outside, and the back was open, presumably for the loading or unloading of flowers and potted plants.  Belle, therefore, took the opportunity to peer inside, and to use her imagination to picture the interior of the van with shelves all around, full to bursting with books and with a small circulation desk where the passenger seat was currently.  It would be quite the refit, but it would be worth it to see the faces of the residents of Storybrooke as they began enjoying a library again.

She ran her fingers over the floor of the van, the wood was damp, and somewhat grubby.  That would need a good clean, and… perhaps even some carpet, and maybe a few bean bag chairs to encourage people to stay and read.

She was so lost in her daydreaming, that she didn’t hear the footsteps approaching, so when the voice sounded behind her, it made her jump.

“Can I help you?”

She spun around and found herself face to face with the florist, Moe French, and as she tried to get her startled breathing under control, she offered him a smile.

“Belle Marchland, remember?” she said softly, “We arranged for me to take the van… a test drive?”

She watched him frown, and the same reluctance that she’d seen in him earlier, resurfaced, but stronger somehow. She saw a flash in his eye that almost spoke of the wrongness of allowing this to go any further.

“A test drive, right,” he repeated at last, “I remember, yes.  Only… I had a sudden order come in, a large one and I’ll need the van to make the delivery, so… it may not be possible, and--”

She frowned deeply.

“Is this that same rot you were spouting earlier… worrying that I”m a ‘girl’?” she accused. “I can assure you, I’m more than capable.”

“I’m sure you are,” Moe French’s voice was not without a hint of doubt, but he ploughed on before she could open her mouth to protest again. “And anyway, it’s not about that. I told you, I need the van for deliveries.”

“It’s not as though I’m going to take all day, Mister French,” she said to him, “A quick spin around the block, just to see how it runs, and we’ll be done.”

“You drive a hard bargain, Miss Marchland,” Moe said, glancing around, as if looking for something, or checking that they weren’t being watched.  Belle’s hackles rose a little as she started to believe what Leroy and Maggie had warned her about - that there was definitely something ‘not quite right’ about this man’s intentions.

After another moment or two, Moe finally relinquished the keys and began walking with her to the driver’s door, listing the short catalogue of things to watch out for. It certainly seemed like the van had… personality.

She climbed up into the cab, and as best she could, adjusted the seat to accommodate her short legs, and being very careful to adjust the mirrors so that she could see all around her. The last thing she wanted was to crash into something on her test drive. That would create a very poor impression after all.

As per Moe’s instructions, Belle pumped the gas twice and then turned the key, listening to the engine cranking before it caught and not-quite-roared into life.  A tune up then, she thought to herself, and then gradually, almost gingerly pulled out onto the quiet streets of Storybrooke.

At first, she kept her speed down, since she was unsure of the brakes and how well they’d function, but after a stop sign or two she discovered they were more than adequately to the task of stopping the vehicle. After that, she drove pretty much as she would have done normally.  It wasn’t so different driving a van after all, no matter its size. The steering was a little heavier on one side than the other, and she figured that Mister French didn’t get much of a chance between deliveries to have the van serviced all that often. That would definitely have to be her priority… when she bought the vehicle.

All too soon, having thoroughly enjoyed the ride, she was pulling up in front of Game of Thorns, having made up her mind.  She wanted to buy the van. Climbing down, her cheeks flushed with exhilaration, she made her way toward the shop door, intending to go inside and find Moe French and make him an offer.  As it happened, she didn’t need to. He must have seen her arrival and hurried out of the door to meet her, his expression… stricken.

“Mister French,” she began almost beaming with happy excitement, “It’s perfect, absolutely perfect.  I would be…”

Moe French held up a hand in a kind of ‘wait a minute’ gesture, and began to walk a little way away, but in full flight as she was, Belle was not to be deterred.  She hurried around to put herself directly in his path and his line of sight again, as she continued, as though he hadn’t just completely blanked her.

“I would be happy to take it off your hands,” she continued, oblivious, and as before, not hearing the ambient sounds around her.  “Provided the price isn’t too steep. Then I can--”

“What the hell is this?” The voice that came from behind her this time was also one she remembered, and belonged to the man with whom she had collided the previous day.  She turned and stepped aside from between that man and Moe French.

As before, the newcomer was immaculately dressed, this time in a black suit with a midnight blue shirt, and a tie that was darker still, and was inlaid with a patterned texture. In one hand he held his cane, and tucked under the arm of the other was a large manilla file folder, since his hand held a folded up newspaper.

“Gold,” Moe stammered, “I can explain.”

“Oh, I was hoping you’d say that,” said the man, whom she had now learned was called Gold. “Because from where I stand, and from what I read,” he took a step forward and slapped the newspaper against the middle of Moe’s chest, completely unconcerned, or so it seemed, by the man’s additional height and bulk, “it would appear you are trying to sell my van.”

“ Your van?” Belle sang out in confusion, but was ignored.

“Not the van, Gold, no,” Moe stammered, “Just...just…”

Belle’s heart sank as she listened in on the conversation and heard, it would seem, that either Moe was lying to this Mister Gold, or he was lying to her and never intended to sell her the van in the first place.

“Just…?” Gold prompted.

“Just the loan,” Moe spluttered finally. “I thought that if I could find someone willing to take over the loan, it wouldn’t fall so far behind and…” he trailed off and Belle found herself looking from one man to the other, her anger and bitterness rising again, to think she had been so easily played… well… almost.

“I don’t know whether to be flattered or insulted, Mister French,” Gold drawled in the same condescending tone he had used while talking to her, and she bristled again, though without much fire. Her disappointment accounted for most of that.

Gold turned, just a little then, enough to include her in the conversation, such as it was. “Well, Miss Marchland, it seems I must apologize on behalf of our friend here.  It appears he has no integrity.”  He turned and gave Moe a terrible glare, before he added, “I’m truly sorry you got caught up in all of this.”

“No need for you to apologize, Mister Gold,” Belle said, “At  least I found out before we made any kind of transaction.  Other than a test drive of course.”

Then, feeling the need to show her own integrity, and having gleaned from the conversation that French had attempted to resell his own debt in order that he could avoid repossession of said van, she reached out with the keys that were still in her hands, and gave them to Mister Gold.

“You have my thanks, Miss Marchland,” Gold said, nodding to her, “But now, if you will excuse us, it would seem that Mister French and I have some business to attend to.”

“Of course,” Belle said curtly, and without another word to Moe French, turned away and began to head back toward the diner.  She was seething inside, and wanted nothing more than to leave this wretched town, and get back to Boston, before she lost the chance altogether, to find a new job in time to be able to support herself.

That, however, would have to wait until morning, as the bus out of Storybrooke had long since left that day, and as she walked into the diner, she caught sight of Leroy looking almost expectantly in her direction.

When he saw the expression on her face he instructed, “Whatever the lady wants, it’s on me.”

The Lost Winchester: Part 3

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I had a bit of writers block. I hope you enjoy this part. I decided to switch the prospective to Dean’s for this part, because why not. If you want to be tagged in this series let me know.

Word Count: 1,970

Warnings: language

POV: Dean

       The case me and Sammy were working was starting to become a pain in the ass. After we arrived last night we quickly got to work looking at the case. So far from what we could tell, all signs pointed to a ghoul. From what we could tell,  all the bodies had been missing for a few days before being found. The thing that pointed us towards ghoul was after a day they would miraculously call and say they were on a quick trip out of town.  Then Bam! They show up dead, missing a body part.      We had just spent the whole day asking everyone questions about the recent deaths. We only had one person left. Her file described her as having long brown hair with bright green eyes and was about five foot four.  The bell rung, flooding the hall with anxious teens. Everyone was rushing to leave this hell hole, and I can't blame them. It smells like teen desperation. I caught sight of her and signaled Sam that I'd found her. Seconds before she was able to leave the school we caught up. I politely tapped her on the shoulder trying to gain her attention. She noticeable tense at my touch swiftly turning to greet us. For a flash, her eyes shown with annoyance before relaxing a small amount.  I quickly started in hope to get out of here as soon as possible.    "Ma'am I'm Agent Page and this is my partner Agent Plant," I said motioning to Sam. "We need to ask you some questions."    "I am not trying to be rude sir, but I have work down at the mechanic shop. If I miss one more day I will lose my job." she quickly stated.    I was not in the mood to come back and question this chick. I glanced over at Sam to see his reaction. He looks along the same lines as me. Ready to leave.    "Ma'am I am sorry, but this cannot wait."    Reluctantly she made her way to a private room the school had loaned us for use. On our short trip to the small room, I noticed how odd her stance was. She was slouched, but her shoulders were tense. From what I could only assume as an injury. I pointed to my shoulder getting Sam's attention and then pointed to her. He quickly caught on and saw it for himself.  The room was small with white cement bricks and short grey carpet. I motioned for her to take a seat, allowing her to sit before we followed suit.  Diving right in I started with questioning her.    "Sorry to take up your time, Eve is it?"    She sat waiting for us to start the questions. We started asking normal questions as to not lead her to be suspicious. Slowly we worked our way through the odder questions we had.    "Have you see anyone you could have sworn was reported to be missing?"     "Now that I think of it the other day before I went to the hospital, In P.E. before I passed out I caught a glimpse of my teacher's kid. I did not even remember it until you pointed it out."    "One last question before you go. Why were you at the hospital?" Sam asked. I did not see his point in asking such a question, so what she went to the hospital.    "Um, nothing I just fell that's all." Her gaze shifted to the side. That caught my attention, why would she lie about why she went to the hospital? Maybe this was something we needed to check out. With that last answer, the questioning was concluded. On her way out, before she made it too far out the door I caught her wrist. She immediately tensed at the touch. I gave a quick apology and handed her my card, telling her to call if she needed anything. I took note of her reaction to tell Sam. I watched as she half walked, and half ran out the school building. Turning to Sam I was met with the same look that I was feeling. His face was written with a look of questioning.    "Looks like we need to go to the hospital, Sammy." Without a second word, we broke out into a walk to Baby. At first glimpse of Baby, a smile etched its way onto my face. She looked as great as always with her shiny black coat. She started up with a purr. The doors squeaked with rust as Sam shut his side door. The drive to the hospital was quiet. Not a word was spoken between us, just the purr of Baby as I drove. Pulling into a parking spot I put Baby into park. Stepping out of the car we both checked our ID's putting them into our inside jacket pocket. After readying ourselves we entered the hospital in an attempt to find out what really happened to Eve. I was hit with the extremely potent smell of disinfectants and the cold dry air of the hospital. Finding the nurses station was not too hard, nothing me giving the receptionist lady a charming smile would not fix. We were soon at the nurse's station.    "Hello I'm Agent Page and this is Agent Plant." Quickly we flashed our fake badges.    "We need the file of a patient that was just in here the other day. Her name is Eve Warner."    "Sir we cannot give out patients files just because you say your FBI agents." Sam or should I say, Agent Plant, quickly interjected.    "If you want we could have our boss from the FBI call and tell your boss you were denying our request."      Look at Sammy being bad cop. It was hard to not smile at his closed demeanor. The nurses face contorted in panic and she quickly apologized for her behavior rushing to get the file. She returned bearing a vanilla folder. Sam accepted it with a polite smile before turning to leave. We were quick to leave the hospital in hopes to not draw attention. The last thing we need is someone telling everyone FBI is in town. We went through the file as soon as we got back to the motel. I sat opposite of Sam at the small table in the corner of the room. The beginning of the file said the normal stuff like age, gender, race. Found out her parents are just foster parents, which got me thinking what is her actual last name. Looking at the doctors report it says that her shoulder was severely swollen and discolored. Her shoulder was dislocated with other evidence of injury. No wonder her shoulders were tense. How did she not cry out in pain when I touched her shoulder. I pointed this out to Sam.    "How did she not show any signs of pain?"    "I don't know Dean, but get this. It says that when they took an x-ray of her shoulder while she was passed out. There was evidence of tons of broken bones that never healed properly."    "Sam, are you saying what I think you're saying?"    "Dean I think Eve is being abused."    "Son of a bitch!"    This poor girl was getting beaten and there was nothing we could do about it or was there.    "Sam I have an idea. Call Bobby and ask him if he can dig up any information on Eve's parents. Maybe they would take her back if they knew what was happening to her."    Sam called Bobby explaining what we had found out about her situation. Before I knew it we were back on the case trying to find hints on who our ghoul could be. Searching town records and reports on grave robberies. So far nothing had popped up. How is it possible that there have been no reports of grave robberies. Sighing I shut the file I had been looking at. Picking up my keys I got ready to go get some food from a local dinner.    "I'm going to get some grub. Do you want anything?"    As normal he asked for some dawn type of salad and some fruit. I mean it is good for you but at what cost. I placed my order and was waiting when I saw Eve come out the back sporting a bruise on her jaw. Soon after I was given my order. I was furious, how could her foster parents do that to her. It was sick. I slammed the door to the motel room, dropping the food on the table. Sam jump up at the loud sound. His face was filled with concern and curiosity.    "What happened?'    "I swear to god if Bobby does not find anything soon I am going to report those disgrace of foster parents!"    My blood was boiling at this point. It took all I had not to go over and beat those foster parents senseless. I don't even know why I cared so much, I just did.    "Dean calm down, what happened?"    I inhaled sharply before starting to explain.    "I went to the dinner up the road and right before our food was given to me, I saw Eve sporting a new bruise on her jaw."    My heart had now returned to a normal pace. Realization dawned on Sam's face, as he understood how it probably got there. His face mirrored the one of mine. Anger.    "I am going to call Bobby and get an update on what he has found."    I turned to look at the clock to find bright red letters flashing 2:30 am. Before Sam could call Bobby I threw the closest thing I could find which happened to be a pillow. I was met with his classic bitch face.    "Sam it's 2 in the morning, we should wait until tomorrow."    He reluctantly agreed and went back to researching on his computer. I, on the other hand, turned in to catch my four hours of sleep. I woke to the sun peaking through the crappy motel window. I looked over to see Sam wide awake with coffee in hand.    "Hey, mister I never sleep, got any more of that coffee."    "Ha ha, very funny Dean. There is some left in the pot, I just made some. I have an idea of what might narrow down our search for the ghouls."    "Ghouls as in more than one? I'm listening."    "I got the idea that there might be two because of the recent spike in disappearances.  I think that they might live near a graveyard. This would allow them to dig from their house to the graveyard without anyone knowing. So what do you think?"    "You're right Sam. That would explain all of the recent kills, but how do we find out which family is our right family?"    "I already know which house but you're not going to like it, Dean."    "Just spit it out Sam, it can't be that bad."    "Dean it is Eve's parents."    "You have got to be kidding me. What even lead you to that conclusion?"    "Just hear me out. They are the only house that lives close enough to reasonably dig to the graveyard and we know her foster parents are violent."    As much as I wanted it to be wrong he was right. Her foster parents do match the profile down to a T, even the location matches. I can't just brush it off as an odd match in information. We need to take them out soon before anyone else dies. I could only hope Eve is not one of them. I could not explain it but somehow I knew she was not one of them. Sighing I turned to Sam.    "Ok, you're right. When is the best time to move out Sam?"    "Tonight."

Tagged People:

@jackjackljaqui  @leave-me-alone-im-lonely @problematicpastry  @bellero

@cuddleskitty  @fangirl-moment-x  @internationalmusicteacher 

Have Heart (Cinematic Plan)

I found this in my old onedrive files, enjoy Alistaire’s cinematic plan :)

Beep beep… Beep beep… Beep beep…

“Alistaire are you even listening to me?” His mother was looking at him expectantly, but that heart monitor was driving him nuts. Life support, he knew he would end up here eventually but he had never expected it this early.  

“Alistaire!” His fathers attempt at get his attention, shouting always with the shouting. It only earned a flinch and tears from Ali’s miss matched eyes.  

He was dying, and all that effort to try and stop it. The cybernetic heart of all things lay incomplete on his desk at home. Fingers were gently pulling his face to look at his mother, he was scared and he felt alone. He wished he had done more with the time he had, he then pulled his head away and his parents just kept quiet though quickly after a nurse came in to tell them visitation hours were closing. “We’ll come back tomorrow lad.” Though he didn’t answer as they left.

“Alistaire, it isn’t their fault you can’t ignore them forever.” His nurse, Sasha watched him as she spoke.

"They aren't doing anything, t-they’re accepting that I'm going to die! I don't want to die and they aren’t helping!” He sniffled and allowed his tears to fall, his breath catching in his throat. Sasha walked over and gently pet his hair, she was very motherly towards him since he first arrived at the hospital.

"I know you don't...” She helped him sit up and she turned on the TV knowing he liked to watch it in the afternoons. “How about, I refill your drip and we watch some of that show you love?” Sasha also picked up a tissue to dry his tears, she then smiled at him.

“T-that sounds good.” The drugs kept the pain away but he knew sometimes they did make him act strange, they made him feel distant at times like now. Watching TV did make him feel better.  

(Paragraphs when there is a time jump.) After some TV and his food he was left alone watching out the window as the rain pattered against the glass. The hospital was something familiar to him his mother had told him he had been born with a weak heart and often needed check ups, people who are born with holes in their heart usually heal up but Ali’s was one of those who’s hole just got bigger.

He had often made jokes about it being because he was missing his soul mate but the humour had only been a façade. His fingers gripped the duvet tightly, he had many regrets one of them being he had never confessed his love to his best friend. He had been too scared of telling someone he was gay, his parents didn’t even know. Everything seemed in such a blur before he knew it he was in a hospital bed waiting for his very last breath to come. He let out some sobs and found he fell asleep morning had already come and Sasha was waking him up for his breakfast. Ugh, the food here was terrible he would kill for a greasy fry up back at home in his warm comfy armchair.

"Sasha, do my parents have to come today?” He watched her and she looked at him.  

“Maybe you should listen to them Alistaire.”

“I know what they want to talk about. They want me to help make arrangements for my own funeral, I don’t care it’s not as if I’ll be here to see it.” He wheezed and coughed. Rasp, air.

“Alistaire? Are you alright?” She came to his side and looked at the monitor frowning she took the plate away almost throwing it down on the bedside table, using the remote to make the bed go flat.

His chest felt like it was on fire, and his eyes were wide. This was it wasn’t it? This was the end. It felt so hard to breath and so many voices. “Get me oxygen! Now!” His whole body hurt so much, his eyes felt so heavy. Though he could hear Sasha amongst what he guessed was other doctors and nurses.

“Alistaire, stay awake come on. You can do it lad!” She could feel her hand petting his forehead. His eyes closed and it felt like a moment to him of silence and nothing. But when he reopened his eyes a little it was clear sometime had passed he could hear his mothers crying but he felt so weak. His father Eoin was the first to notice he was watching them.

“Bethany, he’s awake. Look.” His mother looked up.

“Alistaire! Baby.” She pet his head looking distraught, he tried to speak but she stopped him “You focus on breathing alright?” He nodded a little, he couldn’t remember what had happened his breathing sounded terrible his body was giving up on him he knew that. Noticing the blue on the table at the end of the bed he realised they had brought his blueprints, but why? He wasn’t able to complete them… His gaze returned to his parents who realised what he was looking at.

“We were hoping we could help you finish them.” Bethany’s eyes were hopeful, she knew her son was strong but maybe this was too much now. “But if not baby, if you don’t feel strong enough you can go. Know that we’ll always love you.” His eyes watered, maybe there was still hope for him if they were willing to help. Though his father left, his mother stayed and helped him with the blueprints. Alistaire would point and try to use as little speech as possible since the breath intake without the mask was horrible. Together they figured out why it wasn’t working mathematically…

Wait, had he fallen asleep? Well his mother was gone, but someone else was here his eyes looked over to the side since it hurt to move his head. Though he spotted his best friend Jaimie the only one to stick with him through all of this, a small smile appeared on his face. Though Ali himself stayed quiet Jaimie's voice felt like silk to his ears "Hey... Sorry I couldn't get here earlier they were only letting family in."

"S'alright." The oxygen mask was making Ali's voice sound strange but it was helping his breathing. Why did he have to have a crush on him? It was so hard to look at him and know it was never going to happen. Thump thump. He watched as the other leaned closer to him, both of their eyes were watering.

"You be ok if I lift this?" Alistaire nodded a little, his breathing becoming a little uneven when the mask was taken away from his mouth but as quickly replaced with a pair of lips soft and gentle like he had always dreamed. Tears fell down his face as he closed his eyes and lifted a gentle hand onto Jaimie's chest, he didn't care if this was a pity kiss. It felt so good and he didn't want it to stop. Rasp. Instead of Jaimie pulling the mask back onto Ali's face he breathed for him through the kisses.

Though it had to end somewhere and their lips parted. Ali pulled his mask back on and breathed in deeply. “Such a nerd Baird. Look at you, blushing because you just got kissed.” Jaimie ran his hand through the others hair “I’m sorry we never got to be… I’m so sorry.” Ali didn’t reply not that he couldn’t but because he didn’t want to, if he did it’d mean the end it’d mean he was giving up and he didn’t want to give up. “Hey, if you want to go now it’ll be alright… I know what your parents are like. I’ll be here, I promise.”

Ali looked over to the window maybe it was his time to go, he felt so tired and he wasn’t sure how much more he could be bothered to fight. He would then allow his eyes to slide shut… thump thump… thump thump… thump thump…

“Mister Baird… I am Angela Ziegler. You already kn….” Ugh why was his hearing dipping in and out? His eyes felt so heavy he couldn’t open them. “…You are a smart young man, I am here to help you. Could you try and squeeze my hand?” He felt like he had almost forgot how to move it was so hard to even make his fingers twitch, but he managed it feeling skin against his own. “Very good, you are a strong young man.” Was he? In what way was he strong? His heart had given out once and he had already accepted he was going to die. He wasn't strong in anyway at all.

"We are going to run you through surgery, we have made your heart and now we are going to put it in you." Wait, had they completed his design? Ali felt confused but also hopeful and how was he still alive? Was he on life support? Oh god, the pain. It hurt so much. He could hear himself crying and screaming, what was gong on?!

"Alistaire! Calm down!"

"Doctor Angela we have to put him back to sleep! His heart cannot take the strain!"

"Ja! Do it! I will take care of you Alistaire, be strong." Everything went quiet again, why was this happening. He was so scared... so alone. Lost in the darkness of his own mind, he wanted to go but they weren't letting him he just wanted to pass over happy not forced to be here for the rest of his life in this unfair world.

The next thing he knew though was that he was taking a needy breath like his lungs had been starved of oxygen for years. He wasn't sure if it was a good feeling because it felt so nice to take a breath or a bad thing that he had been starved of it. Ali then looked around the room it was pure and clean just like the hospital, he hated it. The door then opened and a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes walked in along with another doctor he guessed.

"Alistaire, good morning. It is good to see you are awake." He raised a brow at her feeling confused about the whole situation. "I hope you are feeling well this morning." She walked over to the windows pulling the blinds up and lighting up the room, which caused Ali to cover his eyes giving them time to adjust.

"W-Where am I?"

"You are in the medical ward of an Overwatch base. I am Doctor Angela Ziegler and I helped complete your designs for your cybernetic heart. Do you have any unusual pains Alistaire?"

"No, not that I can feel. So... How did you do it?" There was always that risk when switching the hearts that the patient might slip away.  

"Well. After we switched the hearts we revived you, not a simple task might I just say but you are quite the fighter." She smiled at him and moved to the side of his bed to change the IV drip. "We also have something we'd like to discuss with you. Seeing as you are a somewhat expert in cybernetics we'd like you to join our team here."  

"Wait, what. Really?" He looked surprised at the doctor and then at the other man who was here. Were they really recruiting him?! This was amazing! "Yes. Of course." Ali tried to remain professional despite how excited he was to work with the worlds best medical team.

"Good, when you are better we shall get you settled in and you can meet everyone. I shall leave you to rest then, shall I?" She nodded and walked out with the other doctor leaving Alistaire alone.

Well this was a turn of events, wasn't it?

Boredom in the rain

Author: Dalila Ship: Sherlock x Reader Word count: 1.961 Request: “161 and 204 for Sherlock? I love your blog!” Prompts: 161: You braided his hair?                   204: I leave for just a minute and this happens.

     “… and then Michaela decided to get the scissors, can you imagine? I don’t know what the hell was he… Are you even listening to me?” your older brother nudged you gently with his elbow, finally getting you out of your thoughts. It must have been a while since you stopped paying attention to his words.

     “Of course I’m not listening – you’re boring me to death.” You whined, sinking deeper into the couch you were both sitting on. There was nothing to do, nothing interesting enough to talk about. It was just another day in London – dark, cloudy and full of rain.

     You hated that weather.

     “You know, you could be nicer if you only tried.” He told you, raising one of his eyebrows. Your brother was the only family you had left, but it didn’t change the fact he had that ability to be incredibly annoying. His presence often felt too… overwhelming.

     “I could try, but what’s the point?” you asked rhetorically before getting up from the couch. “It wouldn’t be true.” Without any explanation, you began putting your hair up in a ponytail and reached out for your coat.

     “Care to tell where you’re going?” your sibling didn’t even try to convince you to stay. Never in your life could you be persuaded to do something you didn’t want to and he knew that. He just wanted to know what place called for you.

     “The only place which is capable of keeping me entertained.” With a smirk you pulled the phone from your pocket. You could already picture some interesting murder case lied down in front of you, ready to be explored. “Don’t wait up, I might end up staying there for the night.” Only a quick wink was sent your brother’s way before you finally walked out the flat and dialled a taxi service.

     “What destination?”

     “Baker Street.”

     As soon as you entered the door with the number 221, you could hear someone firing a gun. You hesitated on the doorstep, taking in the sound. Three bullets fired, approximately ten seconds between each bullet. Your face lightened up with a smile. It wasn’t a gun fight, but yet another person being bored. Just like you.

     “Hide your gun, I’m coming in!” you shouted three seconds before opening the door to Sherlock’s flat. What you witnessed was a total mess. Files and all sorts of papers scattered around the room. Little pieces of dust dancing in the air. And a curly-haired man in a blue dressing gown lying in his chair, his face turned towards the floor and his gun on the table. “Three gunshots, that means serious boredom, am I right?”

     There was no reply, only Sherlock turning in his chair to face you. You’d known each other only a few months, but somehow you managed to get on his good side. John once told you that Sherlock found your attitude quite unique. Always honest, forthcoming and never taking no for an answer. But there was something more to that. You just refused to stay away. He could push you, but you remained sitting on his couch with your wide smile aimed at him like a gun. Too stubborn for him to fight you.

     “Okay, Mister Mess. Now you’re getting your ass up and going to your room to change. This flat needs to be cleaned right now otherwise you’ll drown in those documents.” You forced him to get off his chair and pushed him towards his room. He was much taller than you so it looked at least ridiculous when he just stood there and refused to go forward. “You’re not making it easier, Holmes.” You chuckled at him, your hands still pressing against his back. You could feel every muscle underneath his skin.

     “I don’t want to get dressed.” His words made him sound like a child to you and you couldn’t help but smile at his attitude.  “There is no case, no murder, no reason to get out. And the weather is…” he pointed at the window with a resigned sigh coming out of his lips. You knew him well enough to know he also hated when it rained. Mostly because it meant no one felt like committing any extraordinary crimes.

     But you needed him to get out of his unhealthy laziness.

     “You never know, Lestrade might come in any minute. So get ready for whatever is to come and I’ll start tidying this place up.” You ruffled his hair before finally getting him to move towards his room. For some reason he found it hard to restrain your orders. Rarely disobeyed you. “And if you won’t come here fully dressed before I’m done, I will personally go and dress you, as if you were a baby.”      “I hate you sometimes.” He scoffed, opening the door to his room.      “You love me, but you’re too ashamed to admit it.” you giggled, before gathering all papers in one place. You also put all the books on the shelves and placed the used cups in the sink. Tending to his mess took you long enough for him to finally come back from the bathroom.      For a moment he just stood there, taking in the way the room changed after your cleaning. “Are you done wrecking my flat?” he got to the couch and rested there with a sigh. You rolled your eyes at him before sitting beside him.      “Not really, but I guess this will do. Now tell me – how shall we get rid of this boredom?” you asked, resting your head on the back. “That’s the reason I came…”      “I know, your brother got too annoying. My theory – talking too much about his new girlfriend. Am I right?” he looked your way, before reaching for his gun.      Before he could grab it, you kicked the table so it was out of his reach. “Yes, you’re right and no – no gun shots. Let’s play history!” your eyes suddenly widened as you shifted on the couch. Sherlock didn’t even have time to reject your idea, because you already got up and searched through his book shelf.  “Come on, it’s been ages since we played. What do you say about… Jack the Stripper?” you raise your eyebrows at the article in your hands.      “I think you mean Jack the Ripper, (Y/N).” he rolled his eyes at you before positioning himself more comfortably on the couch.      “Apparently there was another killer, named after Jack the Ripper. ‘The Stripper’, because he murdered 8 prostitutes. That sounds…”      “Boring! Move on.”

     “How about… the Black Dahlia case?” you asked, hopeful lights glittering in your eyes as you smiled his way. Sherlock was already positioning himself to deny another offer when he looked your way.

     Your smile was too wide, too much hope in your eyes. Sherlock Holmes was considered a master in disappointing people but he just couldn’t find it in himself to disappoint you. “Fine…” he gave in, his fingers meeting under his chin. “This might take a while, you know…”

     “Oh, I know.” You jumped to his side, watching in awe as he entered his mind palace in an attempt to solve this old case. You loved it when he tried to solve things that’d happened before he was even born. How he got lost somewhere inside his own mind, in search for clues scattered all over his memory.

     “I’m wondering, is your mind palace as messy as your flat? Or are you actually capable of keeping something tidy?” you asked, even though you knew he wouldn’t hear you at that moment.

     Suddenly, you grew tired of just staring at him. It took him longer than you expected, so various thoughts appeared in your mind. Until you thought of something that would keep you entertained while Sherlock was busy.

     You tried your best not to pull him out of his thoughts as you positioned yourself behind him. Sherlock didn’t even move as you began shamelessly playing with his hair. You loved the way his dark locks completed his features. But at that moment there was something else you wanted to see. Slowly, you began braiding his locks.  Luckily, he always took his time to get his hair cut, so they were long enough for you to actually braid them. You managed to make 5 braids on his head before you decided that soon he might exit his mind.

     But before he did that you decided to take a photo of your masterpiece. Trying your best not to giggle, you took three photos of him and sent to John and Molly.

     Twenty-five minutes passed before Sherlock moved. At that moment you were already lying on the couch with your legs resting on his, almost asleep.

     “I think I got it.” proud smile was taking over his face as he turned to you. “Were you sleeping?”

     “Almost.” You yawned, trying your best to hide a smile. Your eyes were closed for quite a while, you almost forgot about the braids on his head. Now the view was even funnier. “So how was it done?”

     As he explained the case, you couldn’t bring yourself to actually listen to him. The way his braids were moving was just too much for you to handle. “You’ll tell me the rest in a while, I’m gonna make some tea.” You got up and walked to the kitchen. As you settled the kettle on, you felt your phone vibrating in your pocket, with a text from John.

     You braided his hair?!

     A wide smile began spreading on your features at the thought. At the same moment you heard how Sherlock moved to the window. “(Y/N)!” his angry shout filled the flat, you were sure that Mrs. Hudson could hear him. But you said nothing, only texting John back.

     Hell yes, I did.

     You didn’t even manage to send the message when Sherlock stormed into the kitchen.

     “I leave for just a minute…” he started slowly, building the tension in his words as he always did when frustrated. “I go into my mind palace upon your request… and this happens?” he points at his hair with a deadly glare. At this point you could no longer hold yourself from laughing at him.

     “You gotta admit though, they do look sexy on you.” You mocked him further, turning towards the kettle. But then he grabbed your arm and turned you towards him. Your laughing eyes locked with his as you lifted your chin daringly.

     He didn’t say a word for a while, just piercing you with his eyes. “There are times when you’re driving me mad, woman.” He said, getting dangerously close to your face, his hand still gripping your arm.

     “Because I know you love it.” You granted him a proud grin, only now realizing how close you two were standing. As our smile got thinner, you could almost feel his breath on your cheeks.

     You didn’t understand it. He never got so close to you. But now you stood together in his kitchen, your back meeting the cupboard as Sherlock’s face lowered down towards yours. You couldn’t help but swallow as your heartbeat fastened.

     “You might be right about this one…” he said with a slight smirk before grazing his lips over yours. It wasn’t a kiss but rather a slight touch, like butterfly wings tickling your lips. You looked at his eyes and noticed that he was hesitating. Somehow lost, afraid of moving forward. This was something new to him and he was scared. Of how it may affect him.

     So you decided to help him by making the decision for him. You stood on your toes, your hands resting against his cheeks as you kissed him tenderly. The way you kiss for the first time in your life.

     With innocence and hope.