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cheri-translates · 3 years

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[CN] Season 2 Summary (Volume 2: Ch 2 - 5)

🍒 Warning: Detailed spoilers from S2 🍒

Along with the update on 3 June 2021, the CN server released a “Plot Review” which contains bullet-point summaries of S2 :>

Volume 1 Summary: here

Your company is suspected of distributing prohibited “Small Syringes”. While being questioned by reporters, Gavin handcuffs you, and you cooperate

“I’ll escort her myself.”

In the STF interrogation room, you don’t flinch despite repeated questioning, because you’re very clear about what you have to do. When Gavin comes to the interrogation room, he is very straightforward and asks what you wish to talk to him about

[Extra tidbit from Cheri] The person who interrogates MC at first is Tang Chao, whose Evol enables him to detect lies. Afterwards, he gets scolded by Gavin because he wasn’t supposed to be there LOL

It turns out that he already guessed that you were the one who lodged the report. This way, you could talk to Gavin in an absolutely safe location, and also lure the actual middleman involved in the distribution of the drugs

He never doubted your innocence

Gavin plans to use this opportunity to purge the STF of traitors. Through the surveillance cameras of STF, you watch as Gavin organises all sorts of work in a systematic manner. In his spare time, he pays close attention to you

After investigating them one by one, Gavin finally lock onto one particular STF agent

While an STF agent is sending you out, you feel that the situation is odd. Just as you formulate your conclusion, you hear Gavin’s urgent voice

“Get away from that person!”

Gavin fires a shot, and the bullet whizzes towards you

“That person is F-45!”

F-45, the traitor, has an ability to swap objects. He has a companion. Not only did he swap positions with his companion, but he also swapped positions with a STF badge. He has been lying low, waiting for an opportunity to take action. Now, he swaps positions with you, leaving you to die

At imminent peril, Gavin expedites his Evol to stop that bullet, then uses this chance to strike down F-45, who attempts a sneak attack. The identity of the other traitor is also confirmed - he’s a member bearing the serial number U-2. His ability is using sound to create explosions

U-2 uses his Evol to create a series of explosions. You and Gavin are left deep in the scene of the fire

Knowing full well that fire has a significant meaning to Gavin, you can’t help but feel very worried. But Gavin is far stronger than you think. Because of himself, and because of you, Gavin doesn’t retreat in the large fire, and finally subdues U-2, handcuffing him. Unexpectedly, U-2 uses his own body to create an even greater explosion!

You and Gavin eventually obtain a narrow victory, while the two traitors die in the sea of fire

From F-45′s final memories, you discover that they chose to serve an anti-Evol criminal organisation called Gray Rhino. It seems that there are more complexities and darkness hidden behind this incident

Gavin is sent to the hospital, and your company is formally cleared of all suspicion regarding the distribution of prohibited drugs. More importantly, you and Gavin have reunited again

In your heart, you're certain that even though the both of you are in different camps, you have mutual trust in each other, walking shoulder to shoulder on an even more rugged path, heading towards a future which won’t be destroyed

Your subordinate from Black Swan tells you that the STF has found the production factory for the “Small Syringes”. They seize the opportunity to shift ten boxes away in secret, and you tell them to analyse it as soon as possible

At the same time, you decide to produce a show related to Evol after a series of discussions in the community spring up after what happened with the company before. This way, more people can pay close attention to and ponder over Evol

Lucien accepts an interview on the show

Just as you recall how he had once said similar words, you sense that there’s something strange about a mother berating her son along the roadside. Under the mother’s continuous provocation, the boy’s Evol is stimulated and goes completely out of control. The gravity in the surroundings changes

You notice that this child was once given a dose of the “Small Syringes” by his mother

Being rolled into the area where gravity is in chaos, Lucien protects you with a white protective screen. With your assistance, Lucien replicates the boy’s gravity Evol, averting a disaster

Worried about this mother-son duo, you inquire about what will happen to them in the future. Lucien doesn’t give you a direct answer. Instead, he asks you a question - would you choose to pursue this matter or stay far away?

“In that case, continue searching. I look forward to your answer.”

You can see a glint of admiration in Lucien’s eyes

Afterwards, in order to make it easier for you to rest, he takes you to a desolate train station. Perhaps you didn’t realise it, but the two of you have already entered a strange space

The two of you board the train. While conversing with Lucien, you verify the importance of CORE, and also make clear that whether or not there is Evol, the world will continue to advance, and will continue to progress

You fall asleep on the train. When you wake up, what meets your vision is a wheat field with heavy snowfall

You once again hear the conversation you shared with Lucien when you were a child, but you hear an overlapping echo. Lucien explains that the dreamworld seems to be a suppressed memory

The two of you open a door. You see that the world is divided and upside down

Lucien says that this world hasn’t been divided, but “folded” - things that appeared to be going backwards are perhaps undergoing another form of advancement

In the dreamworld, the way you’ve pushed yourself over the years and the negative emotions surge forth. Fortunately, Lucien creates a tiny safety zone for you

“You can walk slowly. Knowing that you’re always walking is enough.”

Even though it’s a dreamworld, Lucien also tells you that the future you want will definitely exist

As Lucien leaves the dreamworld, he once again confirms the sense of misalignment that he had sensed

He vaguely senses that he has tossed aside a very long past, and decides to begin research on this world

At this moment, he notices an invitation card in his drawer

“You’ve worked hard.”

Away from the shoal, in the depths of a boundless ocean, Lucien continually sinks, gradually closing his eyes

You send a report containing the components of “Small Syringes” to Victor. However, he doesn’t check his e-mail as quickly as he usually does

While you’re feeling puzzled, you receive shocking news -

The CEO of LFG has met with a car accident

You immediately rush to his ward. Fortunately, he isn’t in a serious condition

For his safety, you arrange for a bodyguard to protect him in the hospital, but Victor flatly rejects this

“Since you’re this worried, stay behind personally.”

As such, you stay in the ward next door, keeping watch on Victor

In the ward, you hand over the results of your investigation to Victor. The analysis shows that there are extremely small traces of CORE in the “Small Syringes”. Gray Rhino, which allowed the drugs to be distributed, has always been against Evol. Perhaps they intend to use the drugs to harm people who wish to obtain Evol. You can’t help but wonder how that person with inky ash eyes is related to everything

Late at night, you spot Victor along the corridor as he observes the city lights. He tells you that he’s looking for someone. Meeting his meaningful gaze, you recall the promise you once made to “find the him from the past”. During this conversation, he also tells you that joining BS was meant for a greater benefit, and to see how far one can go with an Evol ability

You receive news that the driver who caused the accident has regained consciousness, and you plunge into his memories. You discover that because he became bankrupt after a lawsuit with LFG, he participated in the Hunter Game

While attempting to escape the game, he witnessed his camaraderies getting killed in the process. Just as you wonder if he attacked Victor because he had no other choice, a shadow slips into his ward, and he doesn’t have good intentions

You give Victor an urgent signal while attempting to flee

At this dangerous moment, you receive a message from the “past” -

“Why are you in a daze? Run!”

You take action, following Victor’s commands in your mind as you dodge

The person is stalled in the lift, and you fall into Victor’s arms. He pulls you to hide in a nearby room, and you manage to escape

When you had sent the warning earlier, Victor also received a message from the “past”, which enabled him find you

After Victor is discharged, the two of you conjecture that the Hunter Game could have been designed to target Evolvers. The reason why people were silenced after trying to escape could perhaps be due to the mastermind wanting to hide something

After you leave, Victor receives a corgi plush that you sent. He senses that when it comes to things related to you, he will inexplicably become a little more amiable

There are many problems to resolve, and all these conflicts point towards one source: the Black Swan CORE. He decides to personally take part in the Hunter Game as an individual participating in matched betting

On a certain day, the helicopter lands on the roof of LFG. Like always, Victor clarifies information pertaining to work with his employees

“The remaining approvals for today are to be left with Goldman for now. I’ll make time to have a look.”

At a certian location, a sniper rifle takes aim at him. In the next second, the trigger is pulled

You receive an invitation to the Hunter Game. At this moment, Kiro gives you a call to ask if you’ve seen anything strange. You mention the Hunter Game

Kiro’s voice turns disjointed. A man with inky ash eyes suddenly appears. Your mind grows hazy. Just before you completely lose consciousness, you see the symbol of a stone tablet, which has thistles and thorns on it

When you reawaken, you discover that you’ve been roped into the Hunter Game

You do your best to defeat a player who is attacking you. Unfortunately, you meet another person who is better skilled than you. Just as you’re suppressed and losing all hope, you hear a familiar voice. The person in front of you is Kiro

After dealing with the player, he pastes a microchip on the metal necklace you’re wearing. This way, your movements won’t be tracked. He also guides you to a hole of a tree which is concealed very well

In this insane game, you can finally rest for a while

“In this game, the only way to accumulate points is to attack others.”

You look at him, telling him resolutely that the two of you must leave this place safely

Just as you wonder how Kiro managed to enter the arena, the metal necklace gives out a reminder: it’s time for tools to be circulated

The two of you witness as a player is killed while fighting for tools. From this, you discover that players can temporarily strengthen their own Evol by injecting themselves with drugs provided by the game

Through an analysis, the two of you conjecture that the mastermind is also searching for CORE

At this moment, the game announces a mission - you have turned into the target of every single player

Fortunately, due to the tacit understanding you share with Kiro, your coordination enables the both of you to shake off numerous players. Afterwards, the two of you accidentally discover a strange building. Closely compacted infrared rays surround the building, which might result in gunfire. Withstanding the stress, Kiro opens his mini laptop and resolves the crisis before him

“This is the magic of a superhero!”

After saying this, he pulls you into a run towards the forest. The sudden explosions leave you two falling next to a precipice

Kiro grips your wrist tightly. Noticing that he’s straining himself, you think of asking him to let go. Seeming to see through your intentions, he tells you not to give up, and that he has already made arrangements

You choose to believe him

Just as what Kiro says, someone pulls the two of you up the cliff just before Kiro completely exhausts his energy

Kiro finds a way to remove the metal necklace. He looks at you with a gentle gaze, but you feel that something’s wrong-

“Now, have a good sleep. When you wake up, don’t mention this game to anyone. Then... forgive me.”

His Evol puts you into a deep sleep

He removes your silver necklace, puts it on his own neck, then leaves by himself

When you wake up, you find yourself in an underground passage. Just as you think of finding the exit as quickly as possible, you hear Shaw’s voice from the other side of the wall

You attempt to call out to him, but receive no response. Thinking it was just a misperception, you accelerate your footsteps, continuing to search for the exit

On the other side, Shaw has been trying to call you. Because your phone is turned off, and his phone is out of battery, he’s unable to contact you

[Extra tidbit from Cheri] He also attempts to charge his phone with his Evol but fails LOL

He pinches a photograph of a stone tablet. A symbol “8″ is engraved on the stone tablet which is surrounded by thistles and thorns

At this point, you, who were innocently roped into the Hunter Game, arrive at the exit and meet Shaw

“I didn’t expect you to be the one here.”

Shaw sits on the railway tracks as he looks at you, an icy smile on his lips

You pause where you are, testing the waters and asking him what he’s doing here

His tone brims with disdain and alienation. Even though you don't understand what he’s saying, you can sense a certain danger, and there seems to be a misunderstanding between the two of you

In the next moment, accompanied by the roar of a train’s whistle, the sound of thunder completely fills the horizon

Volume 3 (Ch 6 - 9): here

More S2 content: here

A detailed translation of Gavin’s part is available here!

#mlqc #mlqc cn #mlqc spoilers

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fandomscombine · 4 years

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The Hargreeves Kerfuffle Part 2: Family Reunion

The Hargreeves siblings x Hargreeves!Reader (Familial Relationship)

BG: The Reader is Number Eight. It follows how you fit into the structure of Season 1 and the family dynamic of the siblings.

This part follows the collapse of The Umbrella Academy during their youth and having the family back together after years apart for the very first time.

I have mashed up the information and some events from both the comics and the tv series. So a heads up for readers who haven’t read the comics, it was hinted in S2 but in the very beginning of the comics, it’s canon that Reginald is indeed an Alien.

The series will consist of 10 parts. Where the reader would have a focused interaction with each sibling. (Eg. After this part, it would be Luther x Reader, then Diego x Reader and so on! –Yes Ben is included)

WC: 4786 (never had I written so much for one part before!)

Contains: Angst. Death- Reginald and Ben (so not exactly a spoiler, but while writing Ben’s scene had my eyes water a bit.) Crap childhood and the Hargreeves being a mess.

A/N: You guys are literally the best! Reading your replies and comments about how much you enjoyed part 1 and are looking forward to the rest of the series, really warms my heart!

>>GENERAL MASTERLIST<<

>>THE HARGREEVES KERFUFFLE SERIES MASTERLIST<<

READ: [PART 1] [PART 3] [PART 4]

>>JOIN MY WRITING CHALLENGE!<<

March 21, 2019.

Never had you thought that you would be back here, looking up the gates of The Umbrella Academy, 13 years later.

There was and still is so much pain associated with this building, this entity, this identity of The Umbrella Academy. That you hadn’t seen it coming- well not exactly completely blind to it. Sir Reginald Hargreeves’ upbringing of children-your siblings, your childhood- had always been shit but you had never come close to imaging it to be as emotionally and mentally damaging as it did.

Children at aged 7 finding out they had powers was great. To a kid, it was a dream come true to be a real-life superhero. It all started out as fun and games but soon, training started to be competitions to outshine your siblings-your competitors whist being told to work together at the same time. It was quite a hard concept to grasp as a young kid, but in order to get any attention and praise from a distant father, a kid would do anything.

By the age of 9, the superhero team of ‘The Umbrella Academy’ was officially announced to the world. The group consisted of the 7 Hargreeves children, publicly known as: Spaceboy, The Kraken, The Rumor, The Séance, The Boy, The Horror, and Foresight.

An 8th child with seemingly no superpower, had been secretly tucked away, hidden from the world and too, distanced away from her own siblings. It was though Vanya Hargreeves didn’t exist.

You did try your best to spend time with Vanya and keep the Sunday sister bonding time with her, but with all your training and missions, combined with all her violin lessons and some other private lessons she often go on with in long periods of time - though she wouldn’t mention what they were- there was absolutely no time to be in each other’s presence, so soon you along with the rest of your siblings slip away from Vanya.

At age 10 was a big year for the Hargreeves siblings, they had kind of successfully protected the city of Paris from the chaos of the Eiffel Tower being a spaceship- yes it did flew away but at least the people were saved- The mission became world wide news and soon every move they made caught the public’s eye. With this led to more intense training and additional etiquette workshops to better the group’s public image.

Reginald being a helicopter parent took a toll on the children, who had coped in their own ways. Luther taking the role of ‘leader’ to heart, Diego with his never ending hero complex, Allison using her power to get whatever she wanted, Klaus fell into the world of drugs and alcohol, Five-the rebel who thinks he’s smarter than everyone even dad, Ben into the world of video games, Vanya became ever more quiet and more to herself, and you-a yes person to dad who calls you his most valuable asset that has ever crossed his path, never wanting to let him down.

Things really started to get out of hand at the ripe old age of 13. Breakfast had been a mess, Five had a massive argument with dad and stormed out of the house. You ran after him, caught his coat just as he passed the gate- the very gate you are standing in front of now.

‘FIVE! WAIT!’

‘WHAT?’ He turned, looking angrier as ever.

‘Please don’t leave.’ You place your hand on his shoulder- damn when did he become taller than you? ‘You both can talk this out. Rationalized things out’ You pleaded.

He shook your hand away. ‘Talk? REALLY Y/N? You think good old dad would dare listen to someone younger than him? TO HIS OWN CHILDREN?’ He snorted. ‘You are daft y/n. I thought you were smarter than this-‘ Five sighed. ‘But a guess you are too much of a daddy’s girl to see things clearly.’

‘I know you didn’t mean that’ You stammered, not letting the tears fall. ‘that’s just your anger talking.’

‘oh but I do mean it. Now if you’d excuse me, I have to get going to prove dad wrong.’

Five makes a step forward but you blocked his way

‘GET OUT OF THE WAY Y/N’ He pushes you. ‘I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE ANYMORE.’

As you fell to the ground, you see him blip away.

That was the last time anyone had seen Number Five and his final words still haunts you to this day.

‘get out of the way y/n! i don’t want to see your face anymore.’

To make matters worst from having a sibling disappear and to never come back was to have another sibling lose his life.

The media was quick to publish the news. It was all the tabloid and news outlets seem to care about. The headline would vary but all in all still carry the same heart-breaking news. Be it from ‘The Horror dies in mission.’ , ‘The Umbrella Academy loses the life of another of its members.’ to ‘RIP to teen superhero Ben Hargreeves aka The Horror.’

Oh Ben, dear Ben. Why must he be taken away? You thought. Why?

The mission was meticulously planned and prepared for. You were sure to have extracted all the information on what was to go down and what the villains’ moves were from your vision.

You had memorized that every aspect of that dream- you had 2 weeks to prepare. Everyone was supposed to be safe, but why wasn’t Ben?

Why didn’t reality play out as to what you foresaw? You had never slipped up before. Why had the one time you did cost you the life of your beloved brother? Why?

While sobbing your eyes out onto Ben’s grave, a memory of what seemed so long ago came rushing back.

>>‘I’m sorry y/n.’ He said leaning on your door frame.

‘Ben!’ You exclaimed. ‘I’m so glad you’re back up and running!’

Ben was caught off guard. ‘You—You’re not mad at me?’

‘Why would I be mad at you?’ You questioned, genuinely confused at your brother’s words.

‘Cause, Cause I almost got you killed. I am a monster.’

You sat up straight at those words, your ribs hurt a bit at the sudden movement, but you didn’t care. Your brother was blaming himself for something he couldn’t have controlled.

‘NO BEN!’

Ben jumped from your sudden outburst.

You motioned for him to come closer.

‘Ben…’ looking into his eyes. ‘Ben you are no monster.’

‘But—’

‘uuh uh I’m not done’ You held his hand in yours. ‘You are no monster what happened then was an accident, nobody knew, heck nobody expected powers to just show up. It was beyond anyone’s control. It took us by surprise.’

His shoulders relaxed.

‘It wasn’t your fault. I don’t blame you for what happened.’

He gave you a bone crushing hug. ‘Thank you y/n. You don’t know how guilty I was feeling.’ Voice muffled by your shoulder, which is now wet with his tears. ‘I kept thinking about the pain I caused you and I wasn’t allowed to leave my room even when I begged dad to see you and say sorry. y/n’

‘Shhh shhh’ Rubbing his back. ‘It’s alright Ben. What’s important is that we’re all here now. Alive, Safe and sound.’. <<

‘I’m sorry Ben…’ You choked out.

‘I’m so sorry Benny…’ Wiping his gravestone of your tears. ‘I—I got you killed. I am a monster. I am THE monster.’ You hiccupped. ‘It is MY job to keep everyone same, to do the reconnaissance, to ensure that everyone in the frontline is safe. It is my power to foresee what could go wrong, to avoid disastrous mistakes. And….and I failed, Ben. I failed. I failed you, dad, The Umbrella Academy.’

‘I miss you Ben so much…’ You lie down with an arm across the lawn. Picturing that is was him you’re hugging, that he is really there.’ more than your annoyingly sweet ass could ever believe. I wish you were here Ben, safe and sound. And if you could hear me Ben, I wish you could forgive me.’

Your eyes slowly fall shut from the emotional guilt you’re feeling but a warm breeze passes through like a warm embrace lightening the heavy burden within.

A soft whisper of reassurance and familiar words brings you to peaceful rest.

‘I forgive you y/n. It wasn’t your fault. I don’t blame you for what happened.’

You stirred from your sleep as you felt yourself lifted from the ground.

‘Careful Diego! You might wake her up.’ You hear Klaus say.

All this trauma, stress and was just too much to handle by minors and as quickly as all your powers came, the same goes for the people who left.

Klaus was the first to leave the academy at age 16, who choose to be self-checked at a rehab centre, stating that that was a way healthier environment then this shithole that was ‘home’. Who could blame him? Especially when you yourself were planning to leave.

As much as you wanted to get up and leave in the dead of night, you can’t. You don’t have the heart to leave your remaining siblings behind. No, not in this environment. If you were to leave, you wanted them to go with you, to at least know they would have a good life ahead.

Under Reginald’s watchful eye, it would take time to sort the plan out, but it would be worth it.

And you know just the person to talk to.

‘Heyya Diego.’

‘You’re up to something y/n/n and I don’t want to be in any part of it.’ He says without glancing your way. ‘Not after the pineapple incident.’ Diego’s eyes finally landing on you.

Rolling your eyes, you chuckled. ‘Oh come on Diegs! That was years ago! It was just a childish prank—’

Diego gives you the finger.

‘-Oi! It is not MY fault what Luther did to you; besides you were supposed to take the EAST stairwell, NOT the West.’ You say matter of factly, shaking your head. ‘Ughh no, we are getting out of topic. Diego, I need your help and you have to promise not to tell anyone-’

‘You’re devising a getaway plan, aren’t you?’

Your brows scrunched together. ‘How’d you—’

‘I’m not blind y/n, I recognised the look of someone who too is planning to escape.’

You raise a brow. ‘Too?’

‘Yes, Too.’ Diego edges closer to you. ‘Now, why don’t we save the trouble of potentially ruining each other’s individual schemes and join forces. Team up. More brainpower. And whatnot. Deal?’ Offering his pinky out.

You ignored the outstretched gesture. ‘What happened to being a lone wolf huh? I thought that was your thing now?’ You countered.

‘Like a said y/n, the more brainpower, the higher the success.’ He explained. ‘Say, we do manage to get out or perhaps just leave, like Klaus. Where would we go? Where would you? Hmm?’

‘I… I…’ You honestly don’t know.

‘Exactly. That’s why we team up and once we’re out of here. We stick together for a while till we get back on our feet and figure out what we want then go our separate ways.’

You nod, digesting his words. It seems like a solid plan with ample flexibility before deciding on what to do with your life after. But….

‘Okay…..’

‘Okay!’

‘…On one condition. It would not only you and me. We’ll try to get to convince the others to come along too.’

‘What?! y/n no, that’s too many people on the plan-‘

‘More brainpower, higher the success. Your words Diego. Not mine.’ You retaliated. ‘Besides, we can’t just leave everyone here. It’s miserable here. They’re family Diego.’

‘Fine we’ll tell Luther and Allison.’

‘Everyone, Diego.’ You stared him down. ‘And that includes Vanya. No buts.’

‘Ugh.Fine.’ He points a finger towards your face. ‘We tell Luther, Allison AND Vanya. But I swear y/n if anyone of them rats us out or backs out of the plan. We leave them behind. No pity if they choose to stay in this shithole of a house. They are old enough to make their own decision and to face the consequences.’ He leans back to the bed’s headboard. ‘That’s my final offer. Deal?’

‘Deal.’ You interlock your fingers, sealing the pinky promise.

It was easy to get Vanya on board, as she was the child that received the crappiest treatment from dad. Allison was hesitant at first but after convincing her the real world had so much more to give compared to that of the imaginary perfect bubble she created for herself here in the academy with the use of her power, she was on board.

Luther that ever loyal ‘leader’ of the academy would never dare cross dad, the idea wouldn’t have even crossed his mind. Diego had failed to make him see reason and so have you. Luther only came around to be a part of the escape because Allison had agreed to it.

It took almost 6 months. The time has come. You all had saved up enough money to rent a loft apartment downtown and pooled enough to last at least 3 months on your own.

At 1:00 am. All the remaining 5 Hargreeves are to ready with their backpacks to sneak out in groups, boys and girls, and meet at the rendezvous point, Giddy’s Doughnuts. There, a van would be available for them to drive to the apartment.

The boys were to go first, as to let Diego deactivate the security features of the house while Luther stands guard.

It was only supposed to take 15 minutes tops, it was 20 minutes past now. Something was wrong.

Deciding as a team to check up on the boys, you, Allison and Vanya head down to the foyer.

Upon arrival, you see Luther with his hands covering Diego’s face, Diego who seem limp as a log.

‘Luther what’s going on?’ Allison’s voice rang out beside you.

‘I’m sorry….’ He looks down unto the unconscious Diego in his arms. ‘I just… I just couldn’t.’

‘Number Eight! How could you! How could all of you! Three! Seven!’

The room seemed to turn colder by the sound of the voice. You turn and see Sir Reginald Hargreeves.

‘Dad…’

‘YOU ARE ALL A DISGRACE.’ Reginald spitted.

‘But dad!’ Luther pleaded. ‘I was the one who informed you about their plan!’

‘ENOUGH! NO MORE OF THIS FOOLISHNESS, BACK TO BED---’

‘That’s right NO MORE dad!’ Shouted Allison. She glances at dad then at Luther. A frown etched her face as she commanded. ‘I heard a rumor that you couldn’t move your legs.’

The effect was immediate. The lower half of Reginald and Luther stayed still as a rock while they tried their best to break free. But alas, Allison had the upper hand. ‘I heard a rumor you let us go freely.’ At once, both men calmed down.

And to add insult to injury. Allison focused on Reginald and rumoured ‘And you would leave Diego Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves, Vanya Hargreeves, Y/n Hargreeves and Allison Hargreeves alone.’

Luther’s betrayal felt like a stab in the back.

Moving on and creating a new life from the ground up for oneself was hard but having your siblings with you had definitely made it easier.

It took a while to get the hang of things, being 4 young adults with nothing. You missed Mom and Pogo, but you knew that they, like Luther would stick with Dad.

Vanya was the first to take up stack, she provided the finance to pay rent and groceries with the salary she would get from her violin performances at the local theatre. Soon Allison would also chip in from the money she received from her acting gigs.

Diego showed interest into joining the police academy while you wanted to get away from the lifestyle as much as possible, opted to move across the country and pursue tertiary education-because that was what normal 18-year-old do right? For once you want to be ordinary and what better way than experience what student life is all about.

Though there is one teensy detail that was hindering your application. You were home-schooled by your robot mom. There weren’t report cards or grades that any university would accept. Even if there were, you wouldn’t want to go back to that dreadful house.

Both not wanting to lose your newfound passion, you and Diego had an enormous favour to ask.

‘NO not a chance!’ Allison crossed her arms. ‘It’s unethical!’

‘Yes we know-‘ you replied.

‘But it’s the only way.’ Diego reasoned. ‘It’s not fair for y/n and I to not be able to follow our dreams and to finally FINALLY move on with our lives, Ally. While you and Vanya get to live out yours.’

You nodded along. ‘We ask you just this one thing and we’re out of your hair.’

Allison looked between you two as if to decided whether it would be worth it. ‘Fine, just this once.’ She sighs. ’And this doesn’t get out kapeesh?’ pointing her finger.

‘kapeesh.’

‘I’m gonna miss you so much!’ Vanya admitted.

You pulled both your sisters into a hug. ‘I’m miss you gals more!’

Allison wipes her tears away. ‘Don’t forget us okay? Remember we’re only a text away.’

‘Tell Diego that I’m gonna miss kicking his butt when he come back from his officer training, ye?’

Over the years you hadn’t lost touch with your family. It’s been a while since you’ve all together physically, but you do video chat every once and a while and you have a general tab on each of your siblings. Vanya is currently the 3rd chair violin at her orchestra, Diego had channelled his inner batman and believe to be a vigilante keeping the streets and public safe.

As for Klaus, Diego had told you that he hasn’t managed to keep off his ~happy place~ and had seen him in and out of nightclubs.

Allison….Well who wouldn’t know about what she’s up to. A-list celebrity with numerous critically acclaimed movies to her name, one half of Hollywood’s hottest couple and amazing role model for mothers. Ahh Claire that sweet angel, who says that you’re her favourite aunt, that smile of hers melts your heart.

The last you’ve seen of Luther is when his journey to the moon has been televised a couple of years ago. There’s been no news since.

The rattling of the gate brings you back to the present.

‘AH yes, Miss.y/n. He has been expecting you.’

‘Pogo!’ You exclaimed, wrapping him in a hug.

‘So I’m not to late then? Where’s mom?’

‘Grace is with Sir Reginald, my dear.’ Pogo leads you up the stairs.

Looking around, everything is as pristine as usual. ‘I see that nothing’s change’ You noted.

‘Yes, well I was asked to keep it as it always was.’

He opens the door to Reginald’s quarters. There on the bed was dad, looking sickly pale but still alive unlike to what you had seen in your vision.

Beside him wiping away the sweat on his forehead was mom. ‘Oh, my dear y/n I’m glad you could join us.’ She says as if years hadn’t gone by without your presence.

You reach the foot of the bed. ‘Dad…’ you begin.

But Reginald cuts you off. ‘Number Eight. Glad to see that logical and curious side of yours overrides that irrational emotive side.’ His voice weak yet still holds its signature condescending tone. ‘It is your disposition to the voice of reason and mysteries of the unknown that led you here, despite your supposed hatred towards me-‘

‘There’s no grey area, I do hate you.’

He waved his hand to dismiss your interruption.

‘As I was saying, it is of this reason- your control over the impulsiveness that is apparent to all of your siblings who lack control- is why you are my favourite.’

You scoffed.

‘It is true, my dear y/n.’

‘Oh please. You only see me as a “valuable asset”. Remember?’

Reginald nods. ‘I do, but I believe the exact words were “You would do great things Number Eight. To see into the future is a valuable asset to have indeed”. Thus, implying that your ability is the asset not you.’

‘Sure, just rub it in don’t you.’ Rolling your eyes.

‘I hope that you do too remember that also in my own words that you were and still are “the cleverest of the bunch”.’

‘So why am I here, you’re clearly not dead.’ You looked at him again. You’ve never seen your dad so fragile ever. ‘….yet. So there must be something to do with that. Perhaps find your killer?’

On the bedside table, you took note of the cup of tea and medication. Your brain is in super speed, running through ideas on what could have cause him to be so sickly.

‘It could be your meds…..’ You look up. ‘Mom who else has access to Dad’s medication?’

‘Just us dear, Pogo and I.’

‘Number Eight there is no killer. I am dying because of old age, it is quite normal for-‘

‘NO No but the mortality rate is 350 years for the species of—’

‘Ah!’ Reginald’s face showed of surprise which slowly turned into cunningest. ‘so, you know then’ He chuckled.

‘Yes.’

‘Since when?’ He asked genuinely curious.

‘When we first showed signs of powers, some of your notes were written in a language I did not recognised.’ You recalled. ‘So, I did some digging, it took a while but when I found about the secret safe under this very bed and what it contained. Everything became clearer.’

‘Very good. Y/n. Nobody knew about the safe expect myself.’ He looked over at Pogo. ‘Did you know of it?’

‘No, Sir.’ Pogo admitted. ‘Not until now.’

‘Very well indeed. You knew all this time, yet you didn’t say anything. Why?’

‘Because it didn’t matter.’ You shrugged. ‘The only thing that matter in this household was our powers.’

‘Did the others-‘

‘No, they didn’t know. I hadn’t told a soul. It is not my secret to share.’

‘And soon it will be yours.’

‘What?’

‘Number Eight, it is without a doubt my time here is limited. Perhaps as little as an hour.’

Never had you seen someone talk about their death like this. You shiver at the thought.

‘By the fact that you are here now and had seen a vision of me dead means that the block I had place on you to prevent you peering into events regarding me is failing. Failing as my health is.’

You want to be angry. How dare he supress your power. But you stand still as a rock by his confession. ‘why?’ A soft whisper was all you could muster. ‘why?’

‘Because I had to keep my real identity a secret. To prevent you from exposing me.’ He coughed. ‘But turns out, you hadn’t need to use your powers to know that, as what you’ve told me.’ He looked at you with watering eyes. ‘You found that all on your own, yet you did not disclose anything.’ He reached out for your hand to which you accept. ‘For which I am delighted that at least I can say that I have one child, a daughter to be proud of.’

A daughter to be proud of.

You would like to think that you are strong and independent. And those are true. But that small child that all that wanted was to experience a parent’s love and affection. That emotional support of that small child which you thought you had successfully tucked away came clawing its way back to the surface.

‘y/n’ You had almost missed it, wiping away your tears, you leaned closer.

‘Listen carefully….’ Your dad’s chest was barely moving. It was a struggle for him to get the following words out. ‘The end is near, get the others ……and save…..the…..tttiiiimmm’

You never head what came next. Sir Reginald Hargreeves is dead.

Under the setting sun, Reginald looked at peace.

A half moon shines brightly above the house. It had been 3 days and 7 Hours since it happened.

Exhaustion is starting to catch up with you but there is still so much to do.

News channels had broadcasted the breaking news of your father’s death.

You had personally called your siblings to deliver the news, they are to arrive tomorrow for the funeral at noon.

Luther who had been expecting to relay dad his daily report status on the space radio, cussed at you in anger-those were the first words you heard in 12 years- calmed down and said that he will be there in 3 days, in time for the funeral.

‘Sweetie, I brought you some tea.’

‘Thanks mom.’ You take a sip. ‘Hey mom did you think you’re gonna be alright now that you know…. That dad is gone?’

She runs her fingers to your hair. ‘I’m gonna be fine dear, I am stronger than you know.’

You smile at her. You just can’t help but to think what’s gonna happen to her now that your dad is gone. Pushing that thought away-like she said, I am stronger than you know.

‘Now, why don’t we get you to bed.’ She cuts you off before you can say a word. ‘Uh uh. You have done so much already. You need rest especially with the funeral in 9 hours. Pogo and I can handle the remaining task.’

‘Thanks again mom.’

She tucks you into bed. ‘Good night y/n/n. Sweet Dreams.’ She kisses the top of your head. ‘I love you.’

‘I love you too mom.’ As she leaves your room, you realised that you didn’t want to be alone. ‘Mom…’ You called out, almost childlike.

‘Yes dear.’ Grace makes her way back in.

‘Well you stay with me? Sing to me until I fall asleep?’

‘Ofcourse dear.’ She smiles, pulling up a chair beside your bed.

The lull of your mother’s voice sends you to sleep with the memories of the childhood before power. When everything was simple. When there was love in this household.

You awoke to sounds of screams and flashes of blue light. You hurry to your window, it shows the courtyard, a ball of blue chaos small black figures.

You pull on your jacket and ran downstairs, the clock in the foyer shows 11:37am. Crap you overslept! But that means…..that the figures you saw were your siblings. There are early….that’s new.

You arrived in the courtyard just as you see Klaus throws a fire extinguisher at the blue light.

‘What are you doing?!’ Shouted Luther.

‘What is that gonna do?’ Allison questioned.

‘I don’t know!!’ Klaus turned around ‘Do you have a better idea?—Oh hey y/n! Nice to see you!’ He ran over and gave you a tight hug. ‘What a family reunion ehh?’

Before you could reply, the ball of blue gave out a crackle of electricity.

‘Everyone get behind me!’ Luther pushes in front of everyone.

‘Yeah! Get behind us.’ Diego chimed in, pushing Vanya closer to you.

Vanya ignores Diego, trying to get a better look herself. ‘It looks like something is coming through!’

The ball of light exploded, the sudden burst of energy was blinding that you had to cover your eyes.

Then nothing, total darkness.

THUD. You heard Vanya scream.

‘Argh!’

The blue chaos had expelled something….someone.

Luther was the first to speak. ‘Who’s there?’

‘Show yourself!’ said Diego.

As a collective group, you walked towards the mystery person.

Your eyes go wide with shock. No it can’t be, it’s impossible. You must be seeing things.

‘Does anyone else see little Number Five, or is that just me?’ wondered Klaus.

Klaus looked around and saw that everyone showed that same face of disbelief. Pleased to know that it wasn’t the drugs, he snickered. ‘Now THIS! THIS IS WHAT I CALL A FAMILY REUNION.’

Little Five who didn’t seem to have aged a day since you last saw him,

It’s been years but seeing him looking like he did back when you last saw him, you recall the last words he had shouted at you.

‘get out of the way y/n! i don’t want to see your face anymore.’

Five looks down at himself drowned in tattered oversize clothes, wining. ‘SHIT!’

Something is wrong, something is very wrong and you know it.

No way was this all a coincidence for your father to warn you about some impending doom and have Five to reappear 17 years later. It must be related somehow…What’s next you thought……For Ben to come back to life too?

END OF PART 2

READ: [PART 1] [PART 3] [PART 4]

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jess-rewatches-prodigalson · 3 years

Text

Exit Strategy (S2, E10)

My time-stamped thoughts for this episode are below. As always I reference Malcolm’s mental health. A lot. So if that’s going to be a trigger for you, don’t keep reading.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

0:40 - Oh it’s Capshaw’s dream. Well. That’s upsetting.

1:10 - .....she was performing surgery on herself?!!? WTF?

1:37 - The fact that Jessica broke into her adult child’s home to steal Martin memorabilia is hilarious to me. Also deeply upsetting. Because - dysfunctional.

1:40 - “In my loft? Where I live?” hahahahahahaha sassy!Malcolm for the win! Also - there is something so so cute about the way Tom delivers this line. <3 It’s precious.

1:46 - “I don’t always wake up screaming.” ....so historically we know this is true. Malcolm didn’t wake up screaming at the beginning of 1x15 when Eve was in his loft....but still... Malcolm’s mental health has been in tatters. I find it highly unlikely that he wouldn’t be waking up screaming. Especially since he was hallucinating last episode!!!!

1:55 - The Never. Ever. Room?!?!?! I’m shook. I’m amused. I’m horrified. I can’t believe that Jessica would let Malcolm keep that stuff in his loft. Why isn’t it locked up in a storage container or something? Jessica let Malcolm - the boy that Martin traumatized - sleep in the same building as all of Martin’s belongings?!?! Nah. Jessica is so overbearing .... I just don’t buy it.

2:21 - “I am ignoring the Surgeon altogether.” Awww look at how proud Malcolm is to tell Jessica about his serial killer cleanse. He’s like, “I finally have news that will make Mom happy!!” <3 <3 Precious.

2:36 - “He’s been calling. Non-stop.” annnnnnnd there’s are sad profiler. He’s putting on a good act for Jessica but he’s still clearly in a lot of emotional pain.

3:15 - Really? The writers have Jessica riding the Brightwell train now? For real? I’m here for it but it feels kind of fast? Forced? Out of left field? I mean Jessica’s totally the type of mom who meddles in her kid’s love life (remember Eve?) but in the middle of the whole Ainsley-Endicott fiasco? Jessica should be more concerned about Malcolm’s mental state and less concerned with his relationship status.

3:17 - Did Malcolm really just admit (sort of abstractly, but still) that he’s interested in Dani romantically? Doesn’t he realize that Jessica will try to interfere?!? He’s basically given her his blessing!!!

3:25 - awwwww....the pic of baby!Malcolm and baby!Ainsley is so cute. <3

3:40 - UGH. I want to know more about that key and what it unlocks so badly!!!

3:46 - “Oh great. Detective Mom.” <3 I love it when he calls Jessica “Mom” instead of “Mother”. <3

4:36 - ......Mr.David and Martin have such an interesting dynamic. Martin listens to Mr. David without showing any signs of anger, resentment, or his usual psychopathic manipulation. Mr. David controls Martin much the way a parent controls their well-behaved child. I just find it so fascinating that Martin treats Mr. David with respect. That’s not Martin’s usual reaction when things don’t go his way.

5:00 - I’m so happy we keep getting more screen time with Hector. <3 This dude’s great.

6:05 - soooo the fact that Jessica stabbed Daryl in the neck is probably going to inhibit Daryl’s ability to speak right? Making Daryl a useless source of information regarding the breakout?

6:24 - I love everything about this scene with Gil’s new car. I love that Malcolm’s “wow, the Coronet’s looking good.” is said with this little smile. As though Malcolm doesn’t really care about the car, but he knows mentioning it will make Gil happy. I love Gil’s rant about “No more Whitly’s around my car.” and Gil’s glare when JT asks about Tarmel’s around the car. I love Dani’s “boys and toys” line. UGh. It was just the little dose of found family that I craved. <3 BUT I do have one small complaint/concern. Gil. He said, “No more Whitly’s around my car.” Whitly’s. Why did he refer to Malcolm as a Whitly?

6:54 - “Some major Japan-y vibes.”.....I’m sorry the word you’re looking for is “Japanese”?!?! Anyone else get super distracted by this line?!?

7:56 - “Old people” HA. OMG. I love this so much. <3 <3

9:11 - As someone with severe social and general anxiety that has at times bordered on a form agoraphobia - Dani’s dismissive tone when she says “he’s afraid to leave the house.” hurts. Especially since it feels really out of character for Dani. She doesn’t usually dismiss people so quickly. Maybe there’s a story there? She had an agoraphobic family member?

10:14 - “NYPD. Adjacent.” Why isn’t Malcolm a member of the NYPD yet? He trained with the FBI. He’s clearly capable of being employed as a detective for the NYPD. Is it because he doesn’t want to carry a gun? Is it because Gil doesn’t want Malcolm to carry a gun? Is it bureaucracy (probably)?

10:44 - Malcolm explaining why the antique pistol won’t fire is adorable.

10:57 - This dude hasn’t left the house since March of 1997. Martin was arrested in 1998. Is this supposed to have some sort of double meaning? Like maybe Malcolm discovered that Martin was killing people in 1997 but the chloroform confused him for a while and he didn’t call the cops until 98′? Is this supposed to be a metaphor for the fact that Malcolm hasn’t been truly alive since 1997? He’s just been in survival mode - he hasn’t been living.

11:22 - “I’m not too good around people.” This dude is Malcolm. Malcolm lives in a state of constant fear and anxiety. Malcolm isn’t so good with relationships or casual human interactions.

11:30 - It makes perfect sense to me that Dani is the detective that Malcolm brings in to talk to Gerald. Forget the Brightwell agenda. Gerald is a scared old man. JT and Gil are authoritative men (they’re teddy bears but they can also be scary). Dani is a woman. Women are typically seen as less of a threat. Though Dani could totally kick just about anyone’s ass. But it makes sense to me that a scared witness would feel more comfortable around the smaller female detective than the large male ones.

12:03 - Ugh. I feel so bad for Gerald. The dude is clearly experiencing some sensory overload on top of his anxiety. :(

12:15 - hahahaha the absolute best part of this little Brightwell moment is Gerald’s reaction. This old man just connected the dots and you can see it ALL over his face. ....but also, it’s a really cute moment. <3

12:38 - “Too late if you ask me.” Is it just me or does Gerald seem protective of Rosalie here? Almost paternal?

13:03 - “You still think like a grand master” Is this supposed to be an illusion to the way that Malcolm thinks about cases? He thinks like the killer in order to solve the case?

13:13 - WHY DOES MALCOLM KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT A CHESS LEGEND FROM THE 70s and 80s?!? Did baby!Malcolm have a chess phase? I want details.

13:22 - I love Gerald. He’s such a cute little old man. He’s scared but you can tell that he has a good heart and that he’s extremely smart. Look at how impressed he is with Malcolm. <3 He’s a lot like Malcolm.

13:27 -”Memory was always my gift.” Memory is Gerald’s gift but it’s been Malcolm’s curse.

15:04 - Malcolm is so close to snapping. Look at this poor boy. He’s at the end of his rope. :(

15:14 - “Looks like you got some sleep.” Awwww proud!Gil <3

15:40 - “Agoraphobia often comes from trauma.” Yep. Malcolm identifies with Gerald. I wonder if Malcolm ever went through a period of agoraphobia? Maybe as a teen?

15:48 - .....is this foreshadowing? When the truth about Endicott comes out is Malcolm going to be deemed an ‘unreliable witness’? Or maybe that’s how Ainsley is going to try and pin the murder on Malcolm?

15:58 - annnnnd we finally got a good shot of concerned!Gil. There’s no way that Gil isn’t reading between the lines here. He knows Malcolm identifies with Gerald and he knows Malcolm is having issues with his mental health, identity, and self-worth. SOMEONE CONFRONT HIM. WHERE IS THE MALCOLM INTERVENTION?!!?

16:20 - “Are you alright? Don’t answer that.”.....because Martin doesn’t actually care about Malcolm’s mental or physical health. Martin is a narcissist who has a story to tell.

16:27 - “No. Me first.” I’m. So. Proud. Of. Malcolm. <3 <3

16:56 - “That felt good.” :) Awwww... <3 I’m proud of Malcolm for this but Martin is totally going to hold it against him in later episodes. It’s going to fuel some sort of anger. Just wait for it.

17:05 - Again. Mr. David acts like Martin’s dad. If Martin were 8 years old.

17:40 - Chrisitan Brole is a treasure. His acting is incredible. Friar Pete is creepy, likeable, funny, and terrifying. Honestly. Give him an Emmy.

20:00 - “*sigh* kid.” This breaks my heart. You can see Gil’s doubt and concern all over his face. He’s doubting Malcolm’s ability to make an accurate profile of Gerald because he knows how much Malcolm identifies and sympathizes with Gerald. He’s concerned about Malcolm because....I mean have you seen him lately? The boy is spiralling and it hurts to watch. But Gil is scared for Malcolm right now. Gil is now worried that the cases aren’t enough to distract Malcolm. That Malcolm can’t work on cases anymore. That Malcolm’s mental health has compromised his ability to work effectively.

20:50 - “We’re friends. Partners” Listen to the longing in Malcolm’s voice when he says “partners”. He wants to be romantic partners with Dani - not just work partners. It’s obvious. This boy is an open book when it comes to how he feels about Dani.

21:08 - “And she never will.” there is something about the way Tom delivers this line. How he sort of trips over the words. I can’t tell if it’s intentional or not but it works. It somehow makes it more raw and emotional. Malcolm wants so so badly to tell Dani how he feels but he’s convinced that he’s a monster. That she deserves someone more stable than him. Someone with less trauma. Malcolm is convinced that he’s not safe for anyone to love. Malcolm is convinced he’s going to snap and become Martin.

21:17 - “Sounds lonely.” I love the way Malcolm immediately dismisses this as ‘tactical empathy’. Malcolm has accepted that he will be alone forever. He’s convinced himself he deserves it. I’m willing to bet that Malcolm rarely (if ever) actually feels lonely. Between coping mechanisms, hallucinations, and trauma - I doubt his mind is ever quiet enough for him to notice loneliness.

21:27 - “You’ve spent your life mastering a game. I’ve spent mine mastering how people think.” .....ok but chess is basically about predicting your opponents moves and then Gerald graduated to people watching soooooo they’re really not that different.

22:06 - I love this. I love how Malcolm turns on Gerald only for Gerald to emphatically explain how he lives through that window. Because - isn’t Malcolm the same? How many people have accused Malcolm of being a murderer when really he’s just a man who only feels alive when he’s solving murders and putting away killers?

22:50 - Rosalie helped Gerald much like Dani helps Malcolm. But Gerald couldn’t help Rosalie because he was trapped in his trauma. .....sooooo what’s going to happen to Dani? Or is this just supposed to be a reference to the fact that Dani can’t trust Malcolm because he’s keeping Endicott a secret and she knows something is up?

22:51 - ummmmm 60bpm??!?!? That’s a borderline athletic resting heart rate for a man in his 50s. There’s no way Martin’s in that great of shape. He’s trapped in his cell most of the day.

24:28 - oooookkkkkayyyy so maybe Capshaw isn’t as smart as I thought she was. Martin is playing her like a fiddle. Although that dream sequence from the intro did make it seem like she was only interested in Martin because she craved medical power and respect.

25:22 - Martin didn’t call Jessica his wife to screw with Capshaw. He genuinely still thinks of Jessica as his wife.....this is not good for the future. This tracks with the dreams Martin’s had throughout this season of going back home to his family.

25:44 - Oh yeah. Jessica knows that woman is into Martin.

26:41 - “Isn’t it obvious? It’s the key to my heart.” LMAO holy shit.

26:56 - “I can tell when you’re lying.” “Not historically.”......Martin has a point.

28:27 - This counts as my “someone confronts Malcolm about his mental health” bingo square for the episode right?

28:35 - Look at Gil. He knows Malcolm is lying through his teeth and he’s so so tired of it. He looks so sad and annoyed. Gil loves Malcolm so much and he’s clearly concerned about Malcolm but I honestly think Gil just feels helpless right now. Malcolm is spiralling and Gil can’t help because Malcolm won’t open up.

29:15 - “When she didn’t give up Clayton he killed her. Brave girl.”.....does this mean there’s going to be an attempt on someone’s life this season? Maybe Martin tries to kill Ainsley because she’s going to pin Endicott’s murder on Malcolm? Or Malcolm tries to kill Ainsley because she doesn’t give up Martin’s location? Or Ainsley/Martin try to kill Malcolm because he tries to come clean about everything?

29:26 - “If anyone can get through to this guy it’s you.” THANK YOU. Malcolm really needed that assurance. This dude is so full of negative emotions, self doubt, and pain. Every moment he feels supported, believed in, or loved is immensely treasured.

30:26 - Oh Capshaw. You dumb dumb dumb woman. Look at Martin’s face. Capshaw has freed a monster. That’s Martin’s “I’m a raging serial killer” expression.

30:29 - Holy shit. Look at how quickly Martin put the “I’m a harmless doctor” mask. In the span of about 1 second he went from killer to angel. Michael Sheen is incredible.

31:04 - “You don’t have to be trapped in here.” It breaks my heart to hear Malcolm encourage Gerald to break free from his trauma when Malcolm is still a prisoner to his own.

31:10 - “This is your next move” “No. It’s not”. THIS. This sums up anxiety disorders. Everyone tells you to ‘move on’ or ‘take a deep breath’. They all tell you that ‘everything will be fine’. They ask you ‘what’s the worst thing that could happen.” The problem: most people with anxiety disorders know the majority of their fears (or at least the severity of them) is irrational. Most people with anxiety disorders have tried therapy, drugs, coping mechanisms, breathing techniques, ect. Anxiety doesn’t go away because you want it to. Telling someone to move on - just makes it worse. Especially someone who has lived with severe anxiety so long that it feels like a crucial part of their personality. I’ve had a severe anxiety disorder for as long as I can remember - I don’t want to heal. I don’t know who I’d be without severe anxiety. I’m scared to find out.

32:10 - “Family comes first”........soooo is Martin escaping to groom Ainsley for the family business (murder)? For Malcolm (to save him from Ainsley)? To protect Malcolm from a new Surgeon related skeleton (akin to Endicott)? WHY?

32:33 - ahhhh Papa!Gil. I’ve missed you.

33:25 - I have this headcannon that baby!Malcolm had pet rats at some point (he’d had snakes so I feel like rats would be in his wheelhouse). One day while Malcolm was at school the rats escaped from their cage and scared the crap out of Jessica. Jessica demands that the rats be removed from the home. That’s it. That’s the scene that plays in my head.

33:39 -.....Jessica is wearing a ring on her left ring finger. Why?

34:03 - “Jess it’s good to hear from you but -” They’re dating again now. Right? <3

34:06 - “What?!” Fear and confusion. That’s the look on Gil’s face. We love to see it.

34:25 - “Martin is escaping.” Look at Gil’s face. He’s terrified. He’s staying calm and acting like he’s in control but this dude is terrified that the people he loves most in the world (Jessica and Malcolm) are in serious and immediate danger.

34:50 - .....last I checked Malcolm was claustrophobic with specific closet-related trauma......

35:40 - “There’s only one play for a pawn.”.....does this mean Malcolm considers himself a pawn in Martin’s game? Disposable. Limited options. Replaceable. Of little worth? :(

35:57 - “What would you know about it Judas.” Huh. Pete is pissed at Martin. Is it because Pete views Martin’s nasty relationship with Capshaw as a betrayal akin to Judas’ betrayal of Jesus?

36:36 - Jessica using her heels as a weapon is honestly such a mood. hahaha

36:54 - Poor Jessica. The moment she realizes that she’s trapped with a killer who not only hates Martin but also has an hallucinatory friend is haunting. This woman goes from terrified to petrified. But look at her poker face. She’s brave. She tries to talk her way out of it. She tries to think her way out of it. She’s like Malcolm.

37:42 - Jessica firmly telling Daryl not to take another step right before she stabs him in the neck with a high heel is everything. Listen to her terrified screaming. She can’t believe she just stabbed the man (even if it was self-defence). This woman did the impossible while scared to death. She is a badass. She’s my hero. I love her.

38:12 - “All she had to do was tell me where my brother was. Except they were in love”.....does this mean Ainsley or Martin is going to try and kill Dani?

39:32 - “Don’t you think that’s what Rosalie would’ve wanted for you? This time make the right choice.” Wow. Malcolm is really metaphorically berating himself. What I heard was “Don’t you think Dani would want you to live without fear and guilt? This time - tell her your secret. Come clean. You’ll feel better.”

40:12 - ....so did Dani steal Gil’s keys or did he give them to her? Can we see how mad Gil is about this? Please? .....also the not-so-subtle “Dani is going to be a part of the Whitly family because she hurt Gil’s car” is not lost on me. I’m just more interested in Gil’s reaction to Dani hurting his baby.

40:21 - “I see why you like her.” hahaha Gerald is all of us. Whether or not you ship Brightwell, you can’t deny that Dani is a badass and a good friend to Malcolm. That’s reason enough for Malcolm to like her - not necessarily in a romantic way.

40:30 - Where the hell did Daryl go? If Jessica was trapped where did the man with a high heel in his neck go?!!?!

40:33 - “It’s okay. It’s okay. You’re okay.” <3 <3 The whump whore in me is in love. Forget Gillica. I’ll listen to Gil comforting a traumatized member of the team or Jessica any time, any day. <3

40:50 - I have so many questions about this escape. Are the guys sticking together? If not - do they know where the other guys plan to go/do? Where will they be getting the post-escape change of clothes (you know the ones that aren’t property of Claremont)?

40:55 - I’ll be honest, I’m shocked. They’ve been teasing Martin’s escape all season but I really thought he wasn’t going to escape until the finale. Now I’m so excited for the finale. If it’s not a Martin-Ainsley-Malcolm showdown or a Gil-Martin showdown I’m going to be sad.

41:13. - Martin and Gerald both just took their first breath of fresh air as ‘free’ men after 23-24 years. The symmetry of this episode’s two main plot lines is more obvious than usual.

41:44 - Look at Gerald being Malcolm’s wingman. hahaha it’s so cute. He’s self-appointed himself as Malcolm’s grandpa and I’m here for it.

41:51 - REALLY MALCOLM?!!? YOU CHOOSE TO LISTEN TO A VOICEMAIL FROM THE SURGEON NOW?!?! #MORON

42:29 - Martin’s entire message for Malcolm is haunting. Even now, he’s trying to manipulate Malcolm. “I’m not the man I used to be”. I’ll promise you right now - Martin will be killing at least one person in the next 3 episodes. He’s addicted to killing. End of story.

“I’m doing this for you” ....Is Martin going after Ainsley? I’m genuinely concerned that Martin thinks Ainsley is going to try and kill Malcolm or pin the Endicott murder on Malcolm. I think Martin caught wind of it and is planning on ‘taking care of the problem’ (Ainsley).

42:35 - Look at Dani. She’s terrified. For Malcolm. For Gil. For New York. For herself. She knows how bad this is and she’s scared.

42:44 - “You fath-. The Surgeon.” THIS. Dani realized that Malcolm doesn’t need to be reminded that his father is a serial killer. Dani realized that family is more than blood. The Surgeon escaped. Malcolm is in danger. But Malcolm’s father didn’t escape. Malcolm’s father has been dead since 1997/1998 when Malcolm found out he was a serial killer.

42:55 - Malcolm. :( Look at our baby. :( He’s done. Absolute horror and terror. He looks like he’s going into shock. I honestly thought (*cough* hoped *cough*) he was going to pass out. THIS is what’s going to remove Malcolm as a suspect for ‘aiding/knowing that Martin was planning on escaping’. Same with Jessica. Ainsley doesn’t have a terror driven alibi though. At least - not that we’ve seen.

AHHHHHHHH this was such an intense episode. I can’t wait for Tuesday. <3

If Malcolm doesn’t have a full on mental breakdown soon I’m going to have a stress-induced breakdown for him. Seriously.

Thanks for hanging out.

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imperfekti · 4 years

Text

Tenipuri Party: Echizen Ryouma profile translation

TN:

In the absence of an official English version, this translation is intended to help those who can’t read the material in the original language. Please support Tenipuri by getting your own copy of this book - it is worth it! There are various ways of purchasing it even for those not living in or visiting Japan.

The pictures I have included in this post do not show full pages.

On Echizen’s style of speech: he uses boyish style with pretty straightforward and brief sentences. In Japan it wouldn’t be considered exactly polite in style, even if the content is not exactly rude.

I’m still working on Japanese, so there might be mistakes. Please let me know if you spot any translation errors so I can fix them here!

U-17 Japanese representative, middle schooler Seishun Gakuen tennis club player 33,432 votes

Leading to the stars, going beyond Tenimuhou - the samurai that conquers any heights!

Message

You’ve always been looking at me, haven’t you. I’m grateful for that. Thanks. Regardless of the ranking, I’m your number one. Right? Cheer for me more and more. Because I’ll take you along and go even higher.

Profile

Middle school 1st year / December 24th / Capricorn / O type / 151 → 152.5 cm / 50 → 47 kg / Left handed

Special techniques: Twist serve, Drive A, Drive B, Drive C, Drive D, Cool Drive, Muga no kyouchi, Tenimuhou no kiwami, Samurai Drive, Hope (kanji: Hikaru Dakyuu)

Play style: All-rounder

Family: Father, mother, female cousin, cat (Karupin)

Father’s occupation: A temple’s substitute head priest

Hobbies: Clearing borrowed games, watching cat videos

Favourite saying: All or Nothing

Favourite color: Silver

Favourite foods: Fried fish (the type with not much bones), Chawanmushi, famous sweets

Favourite book: TENNIS LIFE (an American tennis magazine)

Favourite music: J-pop

Preferred type of person: Someone who looks good in a ponytail

Preferred date spot: Santa Monica Pier Pacific Park

Most wanted thing right now: A smart watch

Weakness: Early wake-ups, paparazzi

Elementary school: Los Angeles State Saint Youth Middle-school

Committee: Library committee

Strong subjects: English, chemistry

Weak subjects: Home-ec (cooking), Japanese

Often-visited place in school: Under the big tree behind the school

Uses allowance on: Fanta

Skills beyond tennis: Being liked by animals, peeling fruits cleanly, horseback riding(?)

Routines during tournaments: Soaking in an open-air bath

Favourite anniversary: Any day as long as there’s tennis

Preferred travel destination: Snow viewing onsen

Present for a special person: Just tell me what you want

Interview

“As long as I can play tennis, I don’t care which team I play for”

Congratulations on being reinstated as Japan’s representative! For Echizen-senshu, what was the experience of fighting as an American representative like?

What was it like…? Normal. As long as I can play tennis, the country is irrelevant.

Did you have a strong desire to play on the same team as Ryouga-senshu?

No, I wanted to play against him. But in the end, he was being evasive and escaped.

Where there any impressions you had looking at the Japanese team from the outside?

They’ve changed a bit, somehow. Fuji-senpai, Atobe-san, that person called “the child of god”. And… Akutsu-san too. Not bad, everyone.

Is that the reason you returned to Japan’s team?

Not really. It’s just that when I thought about who were the people that made me strong… If you’re fighting together with someone, I guess I’d do it here.

Sometimes, a samurai-like aura can be felt around Echizen-senshu.

Hmm… I don’t know since I can’t tell myself. When I was fighting the French prince, I guess it was said that he was a knight and I was a samurai. He was a troublesome guy, but the match with him was fun. Well, I’ll win next time too. The horseback match was a tie, but next time I’ll win that one too.

Party Talk

Q: Is there any table with players you’re interested in? A: Not really… But I guess there are strong looking guys at the German table. Well, I’d beat all of them.

Q: You offered Fanta to Tokugawa-san, didn’t you? A: He drank it in one go. I wonder if it was that good.

Q: Could it be you’re having taiyaki for the first time? A: Yeah. Why is it shaped like a fish? I’ll eat from the head side.

Q: Your suit is wonderful. Did you tie the necktie yourself? A: …How about not treating me like a kid? Well, I had it tied for me.

Q: Ah, suddenly a cat is clinging to Echizen-kun...! A: The Australian rep’s cat? There, there…

Fashion

“When we met by coincidence the other day, you were wearing a T-shirt with a strange design. What country’s brand was that?” (Yukimura)

“I’ll give you some hand-me-downs next time. But maybe they’ll be too big for you, Chibisuke?” (Ryouga)

“Koshimae is always wearing a cap! Lend it to me too!” (Tooyama)

“Basically I like clothes that are easy to move in. I guess I wear half-pants and shorts a lot.” (Echizen)

“Heeey Echizen! Are you wearing the socks we bought for color variation when we went shopping?” (Momoshiro)

Album

This is an album that happened to be in my backpack when I came to Australia. I think I got it after the nationals when I was leaving for America. Look at this and remember, they said. …But email and phones exist. Mada mada ne.

Room

Looks like stuff from America has increased While I was gone, mom and the others have rearranged my room, and exchanged stuff like the TV for a new one. The stuff I was made to take to the camp has also increased. I always play tennis at home too, though, so I’m only in the room when I sleep.

History

Age 0 December 24 Birth

Age 5 Eats his beloved dried kombu at home Lives together with Ryouga for a short while in Los Angeles During elementary school, wins American Jr. tournament 4 times in a row

Age 11 September Graduates from Los Angeles State Saint Youth Returns to Japan with his family Goes to an onsen for the first time, likes it too much, sticks to using a bathtub (*1)

Age 12 April Enters Seishun Gakuen's middle school department, becomes a regular in the tennis club At a family restaurant, orders a kid’s meal recommended by Momoshiro Victory at district preliminaries finals (Fudoumine), wins against Ibu in S2 Loses to Tezuka at the courts under the overpass

June In Tokyo prefectural quarterfinals (St. Rudolph), wins against Yuuta in S3 Victory of the tournament (Yamabuki), wins against Akutsu in S2 Struggles with classics at the end of term tests, study session at Fuji’s house

July In the first round of the Kantou regionals (Hyoutei), wins against Hiyoshi as the reserve player Second round (Midoriyama), wins against Kiraku in S3

July 24 Wins against Kirihara at a tennis club in Kanagawa

July 27 Tournament victory (Rikkai), wins against Sanada in S1

August 17 Nationals tournament second round (Higa), wins against Tanishi in S3

August 19 Quarterfinals (Hyoutei), wins against Atobe in S1 Semifinals (Shitenhouji), has a one point match with Tooyama that ends in a draw Drinks “Cola” in the yakiniku battle

August 21 Loses his memory during the training with Nanjirou in Karuizawa

August 23 Nationals finals (Rikkai), arrives at the stadium by Atobe's helicopter Regains his memory through playing against his past rivals Wins against Yukimura in S1, wins the nationals championship

August 26 Goes to America

November Returns to Japan, participates in the U-17 camp Doesn’t play against Minami in the friendly-fire matches, loss Participates in the mountaintop training With Tanishi and Kenya, finds a secret passageway at the depths of the cave Protects Tokugawa, has to leave the camp; goes to America together with Ryouga Beats 24 American representative contenders, becomes an American representative Does BBQ with Kiko and Dudu, fries fish

December U-17 pre-world cup begins Faces Tube Republic, wins the first match U-17 world cup begins Match against Sweden, wins against their captain (*2) Calms his worries, returns to Japan’s team and becomes a representative Beats Aramenoma in an unofficial match Gets lost with Tooyama in the athlete village (*3) Quarterfinals (France), wins against the Prince in S3

TN:

*1 I don’t really understand the sentence fully, so this is a bit of a guess.

*2 In the magazine release, this match was against Denmark, but was changed into Sweden in the volume release.

*3 Literally “becomes a lost child”.

#my translation #prince of tennis #new prince of tennis #echizen ryouma #echizen ryouga #tenipuri party

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kiss-my-freckle · 4 years

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7x17: Sin Eaters

So, I’m gonna do what i did last time for this rewatch. I’m gonna type as I watch. But before I begin, I’m just gonna say that I never expected a Spader-less episode to be this damn good. The writers really brought their A game. Megan brought her A game too.

1994 for Tom Keen. 1995 for Donald Ressler. Donald looks to be about 15 in this episode. This is where Ressler runs opposite Tom in S2 when they ran Major’s episode. I believe they’re showing the difference in these two men and their different paths. I think that’s what they’ve been doing from the start... Ressler running opposite Tom in most everything.

“Cut the crap, Bill. You acquired Tom Keen when he was a boy. You trained him to be a deep-cover operative. It’s all he’s ever done. It’s all he knows.”

Robby trying to talk to Donald about their father, but we know Ressler. Good ol’ Rez. Mr. Emotional Support. Understandable that he doesn’t want to see his mother at a time when he’s having to move a body, but I’m glad we got to see her.

Another back to 2x17. Knew I’d miss at least one hit back. My gif set for those 2x17 hits can be found here.

Cindy: So, you got anybody special back in D.C., Donnie? When am I gonna start seeing some nieces and nephews? Ressler: Uh, no one special right now, Aunt Cindy. But I'm looking. I got my eyes open.

Red: Share it with someone special. Liz: I’ve been saving this for a special occasion.

His Aunt Cindy has a brighter shade of red than his mother. Likely dyed.

Keenler baby to Rederina -

Lisa Ressler: And he bought me a fancy new watch. Donald Ressler: It's never gonna happen. Not on my watch. Ressler outside of Laurel’s. Both Ressler and his mom are right-handed. Red is ambidextrous, like Katarina, but makes himself appear right-handed. That’s why they use close up magic and mirrors to show he can use his left hand. Most noticeable was his scene with The Corsican and his scene with Liz at the end of Rassvet.

Young Donald mentioning dice. Three-card Monte aka Find the Lady uses three cards. Cee-lo uses three dice. Find the Queen lol... Major. “I don’t care if she’s Queen Elizabeth and screwing her made you king.”

They really nailed the soundtrack with this episode, Soundgarden... my god. I see Red Hot Chili Peppers, REM, Beastie Boys, and Korn on their teen walls. Nice shit.

As I said on the TBE podcast, I didn't expect Ressler and Robby to be so opposite from their adult selves. I expected Robby to be the problematic teen. And the meat behind that switch is so beautiful. The older brother protecting the younger brother, seeing the kind of man he could become, just all of it. Ah... great writing. I didn't expect a brother storyline to be so beautiful, but then I think... ah, the Winchesters are beautiful, so yeah... the writers brought it.

Prince Charming.

St. Michael, patron saint of police officers. St. Michael is an archangel, Prince of Heavenly Host. In late medieval Christianity, Michael, together with Saint George, became the patron saint of chivalry. He’s usually depicted with a sword.

“I am the cops.” Tommy Markin sounds a lot like Tom Connolly here. “I own the Bureau.” This similarity continues. “What are you gonna do? Shoot me? Shoot a cop?” Quite interesting, given my memory wipe theory. “What are you gonna do, Agent Keen - arrest me?” Young Donald drinking... gee, I wonder if Liz was high on Krilov drugs lol.

Dead Markin runs parallel to dead Raymond. I find it interesting how young Donald drank his pain away as older Donald used oxy to deal with his loss of Audrey. All of this makes me think of The Informant’s episode ... dead bodies and booze. “Sins should be buried like the dead. Not that they may be forgotten, but that we may remember them and find our way forward nonetheless.” Liz helping Ressler and Robby do just that.

“You remember Tommy Markin, don't you, Don?” Interesting question. Seeing young Ressler hunched againt the wall in tears, my god. These two young actors nailed their roles. They start running opposite with these two shootings. No witnesses in the murder of Tommy Markin, while Liz shot Connolly in a banquet hall full of witnesses. But the end result is the same. Robby tells Donald to go home. Cooper tells Liz to run. “Forget this happened. Understood?” It’s gonna be wonderful when they reveal Liz’s secocnd memory wipe lol.

Robby: You ever lose sleep at night 'cause of what we did back then? Donald: Some nights. Not many. Robby: Ever wish you could take it back? Donald: This man killed our father. Then stood at his wake and lied to our faces. He was a disgrace to the badge he wore. The one you were going to wear. The one I wear every day. No, this scumbag got everything that was coming to him. So, no. I wouldn't take it back. You?

Robby has a hard time living with what he did, while Ressler doesn’t - even though he believes he’s the one that killed him. How interesting, given their direction for Liz.

Liz: I killed some men. Doesn’t matter that they were bad. That it was them or me. What matters is that I did it and I was good at it. And I didn’t lose any sleep over it. Red: You will. One of these nights you will. It’s just a matter of when.

And she was fine with shooting Connolly.

Fulton: She murdered the attorney general of the United States - Liz: I killed a key member of a global conspiracy - Fulton: - and went on the run with you like a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde. Liz: - and in the process, I helped prevent a false flag operation that could have put this country on war footing with Russia.

Liz and Ressler are so alike. I’d say they’re like Bonnie and Clyde.

"Unsolved cases. I fixate on them. How unfair they are. That people get away with murder. I - I know it sounds corny, but I um- I obsess over the need for justice.”

For Robby, it destroyed his chance at a career in law enforcement because killing Markin affected him that much. Or perhaps it was his allowing his brother to believe he killed him that affected Robby so much. I like how the badge caught Donald’s eye.

Donald: I never thanked you. Look, you saved me. That night, everything in my life changed.

Sounds familiar.

Liz: What you’ve done - what you’ve made it possible for the Task Force to do - you know, I’ve never thanked you for that.

Ressler: I didn’t go home, but I never crossed over. I never thanked you for that.

Interesting how he went home after he shot Markin, but desn't go home now.

Robby: You're shocked what your brain can come up with when you're on autopilot like that.

Probably how Katarina was, throwing the body in a suitcase and burying it by the apple tree.

Robby: I thought a lot about how most people's lives hinge on a few key moments. I think mine only had one moment, and then it was over.

Red in The Vehm.

Red: I hurt people. I kill people. And each time I do, in that moment, another part of me dies along with them.

"Letting me die... won't make us even..." My god, this is powerful stuff.

"It... It was... business..." And there's Tom Keen. "But for Tom, it was business."

I do believe both necklaces are gonna come back into story somehow.

Robby: And I knew I was the only person that could protect you, Don. From Tommy Markin, and anyone else like him who might come along. I had no choice..."

Robby & Katarina, the sin eaters having no choice.

Katarina: What would you do if you knew... knew... that as long as you drew breath, as long as you continued to exist, her life would be in danger? She would be hunted, and she would be killed. What would you do?

"I did it for you. For me. And for Daddy. In the end, all I was thinking about was you. I was protecting your future." That's Rederina in a nutshell. She did it for Masha, for herself, and for Raymond. "To the future." And it’s all there. "Yeah, but why? Why didn't you tell me? What - Why keep this a secret all these years?" Sounds just like Liz in the motel in 4x22 lol. “Why didn’t you just tell me who you were? Why keep it a secret?” Sin eaters have their reasons. "I did that to protect you too. Whatever that night had done to you, it was driving you. I carried the weight. I never regretted it. Because it did exactly what I thought it would do. It made you the person that you are today." Carrying the weight. Again, Katarina acting as Masha’s sin eater. “He told me he didn’t want me to live with the weight of knowing I killed my father.” Liz and Don became federal agents thanks to their sin eaters. "How to be good, like him.” Their path to follow. “Be good, little one.” Robby just handed Ressler everything he needed to hear to discover Red's truth. Because Robby is the sin eater, just like Katarina. Ressler's gonna find out Red is Liz's mother.

"Because it did exactly what I thought it would do. It made you the person that you are today."

"If you’re asking whether it was a surprise that you became an FBI agent, the answer is no."

What “Raymond” did to Katarina. What Robby did to himself. “We become who we are.” Becoming Reddington. Katarina becoming Raymond would be like Robby becoming Markin to protect his brother. Basically. As I said before of the pilot scene when Red turned himself in... Black and white, male and female. Rewatch those first few minutes of 1x1 before they cut to Cooper and Ressler. Ressler’s statement at Fagen’s paraole hearing. The world isn’t always black and white. There’s a grey area. Just like men aren’t always men and women aren’t always women. Rederina is that grey area.

“Well, I think we can finally put this behind us and move on.”

Back to The Informant’s episode again.

Red: Sins should be buried like the dead. Not that they may be forgotten, but that we may remember them and find our way forward nonetheless. I hope this will help you do just that.

Onto Keenler lol.

Ressler: Bad time?

This goes back to S6 lol.

Red: Bad time?

it’s a “bad time” if you’re hiding someone in your apartment. Is it a bad time? ahaha So much focus to watches lately. Because Red told Liz in Ruin it’s just a matter of WHEN. One of these nights, she will lose sleep because she will not be able to breathe.

Liz can’t stand still. Folding blankets, keeping her distance. Standing still would cause her the need to look him in the eye, allowing him to see what she feels. So much Keenler foreplay in this scene. Knucklehead & dipstick. Two perfect words for this pair, they’re both idiots, that’s why it works. There’s nothing like saying, “Fuck you, I love you.” As she talks about Ressler being her island of calm, her hand gesture is everything. Many hits back to 2x17, but I already posted the link to that gif set somehwere up top.

“And somewhere in the middle of that FEMA disaster of a life... Somewhere is just a tiny island of calm. And if that weren't there, I would be swept out to sea.”

Uhm... yeah. Bad news is coming, and it’s gonna come on Ressler’s watch. Liz had her memory wiped, and they have no idea. Keenler baby. Her Djinn fantasy right here. Turned upside down, turned rightside up. Liz is an ocean, Ressler is an island.

Disaster paths' aftermaths One splash To the ground And I'm at best an island And you're an ocean You surround And you came in like a wave Through the same pale grin, I gave I can just breathe

Their hit back to Lady Ambrosia. Liz breathing in Ressler’s arms. Under the same skylight she hugged Tom, welcoming him home. Under the same skylight Tom was stabbed by Garvey. Under the same skylight she hugged Jennifer goodbye. Under the same skylight she hugged Agnes, welcoming her home. And under the same skylight stood the WIcked Wolf. Little Red Riding Hood.

Robby: Okay, I'm sorry. I... I didn't know... Donald: What, Mom was gonna host a family reunion? Good call on that one.

Mother-daughter reunion with the addition of a Wicked Wolf. Not on Ressler’s watch if he’s laying quietly in Liz’s bed, and woman from Paris has no idea. But just as possible she gets kidnapped just like Dembe kidnapped Aram while Elise was in the shower.

Liz: You’re not gonna stay for dinner? Red: And intrude on your mother-daughter reunion? I don’t think so. And we need to be someplace.

This episode basically supports my theory/belief that Ressler is gonna play a huge part in things going forward. Especially given the storyline between him and Robby. Ressler-centered. After all, he's Red’s future in-law. Makes me wonder if Red knows Robby acted as Donald’s sin eater just as he did for Liz... so he knows what kind of man Ressler is. What’s best for his daughter.

Back to Tom and Ressler running opposite.

“I know a great many things about you, Donald.”

“Tom was a man of many truths.”

#Rederina #7x17 rewatch #Anti-Tom Keen #Anti-Keen2 #Keenler baby theory

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azritesx3 · 4 years

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“A Devil’s Love” Chapter 5: Goodnight

Description: Chloe’s best friend is back, and Lucifer’s charm can’t seem to affect her either. Is she also a miracle child? Or something…more? [Story starts during S2 Ep4, Female Reader Insert]

—————————————-

AN: Updated March 14, 2020 - Grammar AN: Updated July 19, 2020 - Grammar, Major story change

Rating: Teen Warning[s]: Swearing

Show Timeline: Season 2, after episode 11

Spotify Playlist /// AO3 Fanfiction Net Wattpad DeviantArt

Tag List: @ayanna-wild, @anushay1998, @emiwrites3reads, @i-am-canada-13, @heart-of-pots-and-pans, @tinyybiceps, @jessicarene99, @lucifersnipnips, @givemebooksorgivemedeath, @sailor-earth-1

—————————————-

Despite you being extremely nervous about having Lucifer of all people take care of you, the drive from the hospital to LUX was pleasant.

Lucifer followed all traffic laws. He even went five miles per hour under the posted speed to ensure you didn't bump around too much. He also picked up on your "outing" that music calms you, so he plays the radio at a reasonable volume to an alternative pop station.

The song "Devil Devil" by MILCK starts to play, and you hum along.

"You're going to have to sing it, darling."

"What?" You look over at him and get a bit defensive, "Why?"

"As your nurse, I have to make sure your lungs are all right. Since I'm sure you won't let me rest my head on your chest for a listen," he looks at you sideways and gives a cheeky grin, "or let me kiss you until your breath gives out for a test."

"Well, you're right about that." You look straight ahead at the road and wish you could cross your arms effectively.

"Then sing."

You sigh loudly and stay quiet. You decide to sing the last part of the song to please your "nurse", but also because you couldn't resist any longer.

You take the shape of Everything that I'm drawn to You take the shape of Everything that I'm drawn to But your eyes Are dead and red, red as rust

Do not try me Devil, Devil Cannot buy me Devil, Devil You won't make a fool of me, oh no What makes you so special, special To think I would ever settle For that devious dance between me and The Devil, Devil

You look over at him when the song ends and give him an eyebrow raise, "Does that satisfy you, my nurse?"

"Perfectly." His wide smile and gleaming eyes are trained on the road.

For the next fifteen minutes of the ride you and Lucifer sing along to the radio. You hum towards the end because your throat starts screaming for water.

The calm atmosphere of the car ride is abruptly cut when Lucifer pulls into his parking garage.

You two pass by the part of the garage where your car exploded. The damage to the garage was fixed with new cement. The area where your car was parked was still surrounded by crime tape, but your car was gone and there was a cleanup crew. You also pass by Agent Monroe who was getting the footage inside the security office.

When Lucifer felt the air change around you he grabbed your left hand and rubbed his thumb soothingly over your knuckles. He parks his car in his spot, then releases your hand and steps out of the car. He steps over to your side and opens the door, but you don't move. You're still frozen from the memory of the explosion.

"I can carry you if you'd like." He leans down and whispers in your ear.

That snaps you out of it, "What?"

He chuckles, happy to have you back, "I know you feel safe in my arms." He winks at you.

"Just get me my crutches, Lucifer." You pull your legs over the side of the car.

"Come now, darling. You let me push you once, so how about you let me carry you once?"

"You already did when-"

"Yes, yes let's not bring that back up. It doesn't count anyway. You were, well." He stops himself then looks at you with the saddest puppy eyes you ever saw on a man, "Please?"

"Ugh." You sigh up to the ceiling, then look over to the side trying to hide the blush forming, "Fine." You barely audit out.

Lucifer doesn't even reply, and in a blink of an eye he has you in his arms bridal style and walking towards the elevator. You refuse to meet his eyes when he looks down at you with a smile, but you do admit to yourself that you do feel safer...for some reason.

Thank God no one is seeing this.

The elevator bings and the doors open up to the penthouse, "Where would you like to go, darling?"

"I actually want to rest for a bit," you answer truthfully. These emotions and memories from that night were draining you a considerable amount.

He starts walking towards his bedroom.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" You say, "Don't you have another room?!"

"Just Maze's old room, but her mattress is much too firm. Little demon likes it rough." He smiles down at you, "My bed is much softer."

"But-"

"Not uh, darling." Lucifer puts his finger on your lips and you freeze, "Only the best for my patient." He continues the walk. When you two arrive he pulls his sheet aside and lays you down on his bed.

"Oh…" you cover your mouth with your hand as your face heats up. Lucifer just laughs.

His bed is very soft, but not too soft that you instantly sink down.

He pulls the sheets over you, and you have to force yourself to keep from nuzzling into the soft fabric.

Lucifer kneels down in front of your face, "I'll wake you in an hour or two. The doctor said these bandages have to come off soon so you can wash and get fresh ones."

"Mmm," you hum a reply, your eyes already drooping.

Lucifer chuckles again and gives you a soft kiss on your head, "Rest well, K9."

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"You still haven't fished anything up yet?" Lucifer talks on his phone to Maze as he walks back to his car to get your belongings.

"These FBI ticks are real pains in the ass, Lucifer." Maze responds agitated.

"Guess I'll have to pull the Devil charm on them." Lucifer frowns at the crutches in his backseat. Anger refueling a bit.

"I doubt their 'desire' would be to tell you whatever they know."

"Come now, Maze. I can get anything out of any human." He slings the duffle bag over his shoulder and holds the crutches under his arm.

"Well if you find this guy before me you better let me know! I want to kick his ass, too."

"Devil of my word, dear." Lucifer hangs up and starts back to the elevator.

"Mr. Morningstar!" Lucifer looks behind him and sees that FBI agent, Monroe, walk towards him.

"And here I thought you were done with me," Lucifer tells the man as he approaches.

"I thought I should give you my card." Monroe pulls a business card from his suit pocket and hands it to Lucifer.

Lucifer takes it and eyes it, "And why would I need this?"

"Just in case you learn of anything, or if anything happens here during Ms. Earth's stay."

Lucifer raises a brow at the man, "Are you expecting something to happen, Mr. FBI Agent?"

"Not in my hopes at all, Mr. Morningstar. Just a precaution. If need be I can provide extra security-"

"K9 doesn't need your protection." Lucifer stands full height at the man in intimidation. He smiles at the human, "She has the Devil watching over her."

"Of course." Monroe takes a small step back and bids Lucifer farewell.

"Hmph." Lucifer huffs at the man's back and continues back on track to the elevator. He crumbles the card and throws it in a trash can.

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The sound of nearby running water makes your throat scream, reminding you that you forgot to ask for a drink before the nap.

You stretch on Lucifer's soft bed and squint your eyes open. You see from the wall of windows that the sun is now setting and that Lucifer left you a glass of water on the nightstand. You slowly lift yourself up and grab the cup.

"Good evening, darling!" Lucifer comes from his closet with a smile, holding your crutches. You hum in acknowledgment and thanks as you down the water.

"My shower is running lukewarm water to the Doctor's orders, sorry." He lightly chuckles at the inward groan you make. Lukewarm showers were basically cold, and you hate cold showers.

Stupid burns.

Lucifer positions the crutches on either side of your arms when you finish the water. You grab onto them as Lucifer helps you on your feet. Once you achieve a balance you head into his bathroom in his much too large closet.

Seriously, how many expensive suits and shoes does one guy need?

You step into his bathroom that's as big as his closet. The decor is the same sleek black with hints of brown and gold. To your left was the largest double vanity set you've ever seen. Each sink was accompanied by its own large antique mirrors on the wall. To the right, you see he has two toilets and they had their own little room with doors. Straight ahead almost the entire wall was his shower, with the right corner housing a large jacuzzi tub.

"You look like you have many questions about my washroom, my dear." Lucifer laughs at your various facial expressions as you take in the room.

"I do, but considering your lifestyle and just how many people you bring up here, it all makes sense."

"Smart woman."

You walk further in and just now notice that Lucifer had laid out your pajamas on the vanity, as well as all your bathroom essentials around a sink. He even brought one of his dining chairs in for you to sit on.

Lucifer motions you over to the chair and you sit, leaning your crutches against the vanity. Lucifer starts unbandaging your left arm.

He looks at your already scabbed up arms quizzically, "Do burns usually heal this quickly on you humans?" He asks as he undoes the right arm bandage.

"Don't think so. Every doctor I see are always surprised by my healing rate. Their only explanation for me is that it must be something genetic."

"And you have no idea if that's true because you have no recollection of your parents?"

"Yup." You reply as you raise your now free arms slightly in the air and work your fingers and elbows.

Lucifer kneels and undoes the bandage knot at your left ankle. You allow him to untie it up to your kneecap before you stop him, "I can do the rest from here." Lucifer just pouts at you and you raise your brow in a pointed look that said: "you really think I'd let you go all the way up". He starts at the right ankle as you finish up the left side.

"Need me to help you get undressed, or help scrub you up?" Lucifer smiles flirtatiously down at you as you finish the right leg.

You smile genuinely and shake your head before looking up at him, "You already know my answer to that, Lucifer."

"Can't blame a Devil for trying." He walks over to his shower and opens the glass door for you, so all you have to do is hop on in with your crutches, "Scream my name seductively if you need me." He winks at you then leaves the bathroom, closing the door.

You catch yourself smiling at the door before shaking your head to snap out of it.

You slowly stand. You lean against the vanity as you slowly put more and more weight on your feet. Satisfied you wouldn't fall, you remove your shorts and place them on the vanity. Both hands go to opposite bottom corners of your t-shirt and you lift up-

"Hello there!"

You push your shirt back down and slam back onto the chair, biting your cheek from the pain of such fast movement. Face blushing madly, you grab your shorts and lay them on your lap, covering yourself the best you can.

"LUCIFER!"

"Oh drat, I was hoping to catch you in your bra as well. Oh well. Those lovely lacey boy shorts will have to do." He winks at you from the bathroom door.

"What do you want, Lucifer?!"

"Oh, just popping in to ask what you'd like for dinner." He answers nonchalantly.

You give him dagger eyes, "You couldn't have asked me before you left?"

His shrug is such a big fat lie, "I forgot."

"Liar." You hiss.

He just smiles devilishly at you, "Sooo?"

"I don't care, Lucifer. Surprise me. Now get the hell out!"

"Alright, dear. I promise I won't enter again without you asking me to." He nods his head then closes the door once more. After waiting a minute to make sure he was gone, you grab your crutches and hobble your way to the door, locking it.

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The shower took a bit longer than you expected. Not only did you have to go slow to make sure you didn't peel the scabs too soon, and boy was that hard while in that freezing water, but it was hard to not think about all the women and men who have probably showered here. Plus knowing you had to sit in the very spot where a lot of…stuff had most likely happened and came out, was very distracting.

Once you were completely dried, clothed, and hair had been thoroughly combed you crutch your way out of the bathroom.

Stepping around the corner into the entryway of Lucifer's bedroom you see that Lucifer had set up two trays on his couch. From what you can see there's two black cereal bowls that hold something white and two small white bowls that hold an assortment of cut fruit. Each table also has its own drink, one with whiskey and the other with what you hope is water and not vodka.

Lucifer puts some silverware on the trays then turns around. When he sees you he gives a wide smile and gestures to the food, "Dinner is ready, my dear!"

You go over to stand next to him and look down at the trays. What was in the black bowls was ice cream.

"Ice cream? Really?" You look up at him with a smirk on your face.

"You disapprove?"

"Of course not! It's friggin' ice cream, but why?"

"Apparently a good thing for patients to eat after spending time in the hospital is fresh fruit, dairy, and protein. You seem like the kind of woman who would skip right to dessert after leaving that dreadful building."

You raise a brow at him. He's right, but you hide the feeling of how he seemed to already know you from your face. You can't tell what that feeling is in your chest.

"And how do you know what's good to eat after a hospital? Experience?"

"Hardly. I, how you humans say, 'googled it'."

You burst into laughter, "You're taking this nurse thing really seriously."

"Why wouldn't I? I truly do want to make sure you heal fully."

You stop laughing when you hear the seriousness in his tone. You look up at him and see no humor in his eyes. Instead, you see the look of worry in a man who thinks he's guilty.

You hold onto his hand in a comforting way, "I'm fine, Lucifer, and I do very much appreciate what you're doing for me right now. So please, stop thinking that what happened is somehow your fault." He looks into your eyes and gives a small smile, giving your hand a small squeeze in response.

You smile, satisfied, "Now let's dig into dinner-ssert already."

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You wake up to the morning LA sun streaming through the penthouse's wall of windows. You stretch your entire body out on Lucifer's bed and revel in the aftermath of having the best sleep of your life.

Last night with Lucifer was actually pretty fun. As you two were eating he turned the tv on to some comedy channel. "Laughter is the best medicine I'm told," he had said. You two had enjoyed some friendly banter while also making fun of the comedian's bad jokes. When midnight rolled around he noticed your struggle to keep your eyes open. He turned off the tv and helped you up off the couch and sent you to bed, like a good nurse.

You stretch your arms above you to take in the damage. You told Lucifer that it was best not to wrap up your arms and legs. Since the wounds were already scabbing it was best to let nature's air do its thing. And you were right, a lot of the scabs on your arms were already ready to come off.

Don't know what it is about my body, but damn if I'm not always grateful for fast healing.

The urge to pick them off was strong, but you knew that would be incredibly rude and disgusting to do on Lucifer's bed.

You rise to a sitting position and turn to the side of the bed. You stand up slowly to test pressure on your feet. Thankfully, it feels like you're able to walk on your own now, but only as a slow waddle. The wounds on your feet and ankles still aren't fully healed yet.

Maybe I should at least wrap them up.

You waddle your way into the bathroom and run into-

"Butt." You stand stone still in the doorframe. Eyes wide, you take in Lucifer's naked body as he stands in front of a sink brushing his teeth.

He rinses his mouth then turns his head to you, "Good morning to you as well, K9!" He says with a shit-eating grin, "Like what you see?"

You believe your body has turned as red as a lobster. You quickly turn around and give him your back, "Why are you naked?!" You ask his closet.

"I sleep naked." He replies so damn nonchalantly.

"Well can you please put some clothes on!"

You hear him sigh, "You know, I'm getting a serious case of deja vu right now. Are you and the Detective related?"

"Lucifer."

"Fine fine." You hear some shuffling behind you, "Alright, I'm all covered. Promise." You turn slowly around and see that Lucifer has wrapped a towel around his waist. He's facing you with a motion of his hands that says "all good now". You take in a breath of relief and Lucifer scoffs, "I'll never understand why you humans fear seeing your own kind naked."

You were going to reply to him, but he turned around.

And you saw his back.

Those scars…

You could faintly hear Lucifer call out to you as you fell to the ground. You couldn't see the real world anymore. Visions of what you think are memories you've forgotten flash by.

He stands before you. His glorious wings the color of your darkness. Dressed in armor with a sword at his hip, he addresses you, "He has heard you and has sent me to give you what you seek." His voice is booming. Deep and rough. Not kind.

Your body screams at you-

"Earth!" You blink away the visions. You're back inside Lucifer's bathroom.

Lucifer kneels to your left. His arms hold your back up so you are sitting instead of laying. His eyes and face are filled with concern for you.

For me.

"Darling, what happened? Are you alright? Should I call the hospital?" His eyes are searching yours.

"What happened to you?" You ask. Your voice sounds dead to you.

Lucifer pauses, noticing your voice tone as well, "...to me?"

"Your back." You press on, "What happened? Who did that to you?"

Lucifer stares at you, "Maze did. That's where my wings were and I told her to cut them off as a spit in my Father's face."

You shake your head violently, "Stop with that whole Devil shtick, Lucifer! I need to know the truth, please."

"It's not a shtick, K9!" You could see the pleading in his eyes. He wants you to believe him. Needs you to, "I never lie. Especially not to you." You close your eyes and take deep breaths in and out.

Calm down, Earth. Those visions were fake. You're crazy. Lucifer's crazy. None of it was real.

"K9?" Lucifer whispers to you and you open your eyes again.

You're back to normal, "I'm sorry, Lucifer. I don't know what came over me. I'm fine."

Lucifer just stares at you for a bit, then he places a hand on your cheek and keeps locked eye contact with you, "Earth," you felt the air change and could hear a slight difference in his voice.

What's he doing?

"Earth," Lucifer repeats, and he keeps your eyes locked with his, "What's wrong? What happened to you, darling?"

You just stare back with a look of complete confusion, "Umm. Are you trying that mojo thing Chloe talks about?"

Now Lucifer is looking at you with complete confusion, "...Yes. What...Are you sure you're not related to her?"

"Lucifer. I'm ok now." You remove his hand from your face and break eye contact. You lift yourself up and walk over to one of the stalls, "Just...just leave me alone for a while today, ok?" You close the door, not waiting for his reply, and rest on the toilet.

It's a long while before you hear Lucifer move, but eventually he does, "Alright, darling. I'll be down in the club if you need me." You hear Lucifer shut the bathroom door. Finally, you are alone with your thoughts.

What in the actual fuck is going on?

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"Lucifer!"

Maze walks down the steps and heads to her Devil, who was currently hunched on a stool at the bar counter with the ever trusty whiskey in hand.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Maze asks as she leans on the bar next to him.

"Just stewing over whatever His 'plan' is, yet again," Lucifer replies to the bar and takes a shot of his drink.

"Well, maybe this will cheer you up because it sure does cheer me up."

"What?"

Maze leans her face to his and whispers with an evil grin, "Want to go deal some punishment on one of those bomb fucks?"

Lucifer lifts his brow. His sour mood all gone, now replaced with his Devil side, "Just one?"

"The ticks still haven't found the one responsible for the bomb that actually blew, but that other bomb? They found the kid who's known for making that kind, and," Maze's grin grew more and she licks her lips, "with my own persuasion I got him to tell me who ordered it."

"So, who's the champ getting a special treatment from the Devil?" Lucifer stands up and fixes his suit, making himself more presentable.

"Dear old 'Mum'."

Lucifer's body went completely still. Maze watches as his eyes process the information. They go from shock, to disbelief, to those beautiful red eyes she loves so much.

Lucifer says nothing. Just takes long strides out of the building. Maze laughs mechanically and runs to catch up with him. No way was she missing this.

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You're curled up on Lucifer's couch watching some mind-numbing television when you hear the elevator doors chime open. You brace yourself to talk with Lucifer, but when you turn your head to look it's Chloe who steps out.

"Hey, girl." Chloe motions for you to stay sitting. She comes over and sits next to you, "How are you feeling?" She asks as she hugs you.

Confused. Scared. Sad.

"A lot better." You say hugging her back.

"I can tell." Chloe smiles as she takes in your appearance, "No bandages, barely any scabs left, and you're curled up in your weird sitting position."

"Haha." You give your BFF a sarcastic laugh and an eye roll.

"Where's Lucifer?" Chloe notices now the vacancy of flirts and sass remarks.

"He said he'd be downstairs for most of the day."

"I didn't see him down there."

"Really?" A small bubble of relief pops in you.

"Yeah. Some nurse he is then for not telling you." Chloe shakes her head in disapproval.

"Actually Chloe he's been-" You pause for a second to relive the time you spent yesterday with him. You can't help the small smile that appears on your face, "He's been a pretty good nurse. I'm only alone right now because I asked to be alone. Not his fault."

"Hmm, well anyways I came to not only visit you, but to also tell you some good news!" Chloe's smiling now.

"Yeah?"

"I didn't have any news for you last night, but this morning Agent Monroe made a breakthrough. A small one, but that's better than nothing." Chloe sits crossed-legged on the couch facing you, "He managed to find out who the maker of the second bomb is, the one that didn't go off."

"Any way I could guess who?"

"Doubt it. Remember back when I asked you to look into that real estate murder because Dan was too busy with another case?"

You think back to that day when you and Lucifer first worked together. Now a bubble of happiness pops in you, "Yeah."

"Well that case was a bomb one, and he found the guy responsible for it. More of a kid than a guy, actually. He's a pizza boy who makes bombs on the side."

Your eyes go wide.

"Yup." Chloe continues, "Turns out that bomb was one of his, but he claims that he only makes them. He doesn't actively use them."

"So, who'd he sell that bomb to?"

"He won't tell, of course. Before Monroe was about to break him his lawyer stepped in." Chloe scoffs in disgust and annoyance, "Mrs. Charlotte Richards has become a real thorn in the precinct's side."

Your jaw falls open, "Charlotte Richards is a pizza boy's lawyer?"

"Yeah. That is pretty weird...why?" Chloe looks quizzically at you.

"She was at the restaurant Lucifer took me to that night, and I did not get good vibes from her. She really didn't like me being out with her son."

Now it was Chloe's turn to have her jaw drop, "What?!"

"What?"

"Charlotte Richards is Lucifer's mother?!"

"Yeah. Or stepmom, I'm not entirely sure," you take in Chloe's shocked appearance, "You...didn't know did you?"

"No, I didn't!" Chloe flops back on the couch, "Honestly, though, it makes complete sense."

"Sooo," you try to continue the conversation, "You said Charlotte stepped in right when that boy was about to spill the beans?"

"Yeah...she even paid his bail for making the bombs." You could see the wheels turning in her brain, "You said she was there that night with you two?"

"Yup."

"Did it seem like a coincidence that she happened to be there?"

"She said it was a company dinner, but I somehow doubt that."

"Hmm...maybe I could go question her colleagues," Chloe says this more to herself than to you.

"Woah, wait a sec Chloe. You think Lucifer's mom might be on this?"

"It's just speculation. You said she didn't seem to like you, and she has some sort of...aura about her." Chloe gives you one more hug then stands up, "I'm going to head over there to investigate. I'll call you if I find anything." Then she's in the elevator and the doors shut.

Oh shit.

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The Goddess of creation stands over her wooden work desk. She gathers up the last of the report papers and puts them inside her bag.

"Mother!"

The Goddess looks up to see her Lightbringer enter her office. She wasn't surprised to see him. She could hear his strong footsteps enter the building.

"Yes, son?" She walks around from behind her desk to the front to be closer to him.

"How could you?!" Her son's clearly angry. She sees that demon of his enter the room to stand behind him. It draws out its blades and twirls them while grinning at her.

"How could I, what?" She tilts her head at her son. Complete innocence.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" He points his finger at her. His voice grows deeper and deeper with each sentence.

The Goddess just crosses her arms and leans against the desk. She rolls her eyes, "I don't see why you're so upset. She's just a human."

"First Azrael's blade," he steps closer, "and now you tried, nae, wanted to kill Earth.". He's right in front of his mother's face now.

"Well, I didn't kill her."

"That's it mother." Lucifer's Devil face is fully out now. The Goddess cringes at that hideous face her ex has given their beautiful son, "Your time here on earth is finished." Lucifer's demon steps closer, daggers ready.

"You can't kill me, Lucifer." The Goddess stands her ground. She doesn't fear this "Devil".

The demon scoffs, "Of course he can. Stop stalling."

"I'm not stalling, creature. I'm telling the truth." She sees her son's Devil face raise what would be a brow at her, "You can only 'kill' me by destroying this body. Do that, and you've murdered a human."

"The human, Charlotte Richards, was dead before you entered her," Lucifer responds.

"True, but when I entered her I felt her soul." The Goddess lifts her head in triumph, "Charlotte Richards has been connected back to her body, even in death."

"You've gotta be fucking with us." The demon peers at her.

The Goddess gives the demon a disgusted look, then focuses back on her son, "Kill me and you murder a human. Your Father's number one rule."

"Like I care about His rules."

"True, but you, my son," the Goddess holds the Devil's face in her hands, "you are not a murderer."

The Devil's eyes search her face, but she ends up winning. Lucifer drops his Devil face.

"We can still punish her!" His demon pleads to him.

He raises his hand to silence her, then he removes his mother's hands from his face and takes a step back, "You even think about going after her again, and I will become a murderer."

Lucifer walks out of her office and, after a lot of evil glaring, his demon follows him out.

He may be pissed now, but he should thank his Father for Chloe having her back turned to him and being too focused on questioning the workers to notice his departure.

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Lucifer steps out of his elevator entering his penthouse. He looks up and sees you standing by his piano with your belongings packed up next to you.

"I'm feeling better now." You reply to his questionable eyebrow raise, "I don't want to take too much of your hospitality."

"You're no trouble, K9."

"I...I know." You look down at your clasped hands, "I just want to go home now. Get back to life."

Lucifer's silent for a bit, "I'm sorry if-"

"No no." You raise your hand and walk to him, "You have nothing to be sorry about, Lucifer. You've been a wonderful nurse." You give him a small smile, "Thank you."

He looks slightly taken back, but returns your smile with his own, "You're quite welcome, my dear." You nod to him, then grab your things and head to the elevator.

"K9, wait." Your finger hovers over the elevator's button, waiting. "How do you plan on getting home?"

"Oh, I was just going to call a cab."

"Please, let me take you home instead." You couldn't tell what kind of emotion was showing in his eyes, and you don't think he knew either.

Your heart constricted and your stomach was doing flip flops, but you give him a smile and nod your head, "Ok."

The ride to your apartment building was a quiet one, but it was a welcoming silence. Every now and then you'd catch Lucifer looking at you, and he would catch you looking at him.

You arrive at the building and Lucifer walks with you inside and to your door. You unlock it and step halfway inside before turning around to face him.

"Goodnight, Lucifer."

He smiles at you, "Goodnight, Earth."

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Lucifer sits at his piano. A lite cigarette laying in an ashtray and a glass of whiskey in front of him. He plays the tune to Les Friction's "Torture", but stops when he hears his elevator door ding open.

"Detective?" Lucifer can't help the surprised tone in his voice, "It's a bit late for a case isn't it?"

"I'm not here for a case, Lucifer." She walks closer to him and he stands up from his piano bench to face her properly.

"Is everything alright?"

"I hope so." Chloe's hands interlace together in a nervous matter, "Earth told me she went home. I figured now was a good time to talk to you."

"About?"

"Us, Lucifer." Chloe walks closer to him until they're almost touching.

"I want to talk about our kiss."

#a devil's love #lucifer netflix #lucifer morningstar #lucifer morningstar x reader #lucifer x reader #lucifer #azritesx3 #azookiex3 #fanfic #fanfiction

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hopeless-not-serious · 4 years

Text

The Order S2 EP10 (spoilerish!)

Last one! I can already tell we're going to need a S3...

Simply

Jack is right. About making Salvadore a martyr.

And Jack Morton just got benched.

"I said thank you." Vera Stone is and always will be able mood 👌

Or maybe not. On the waking up front

I'm confused. Didn't Jack choose Midnight and not Silverback? Can someone please explain that hide loop to me? 🙈

Alyssa. You should be smarter than this.

Good plan...thou

I give up. Gabrielle gains name brownies. Poor baby.

You shall be named...something. God. My naming abilities are low today. My apologies.

"I was going to be a marine biologist." You're in the middle of the woods. No water in sight. And you dont have a major but you have thought about a philosophy/ human-whatever that department is called in english? 😅 Never going to understand US College/University system 🙈

Nope. Thats a mayor. And not his end goal?! And it has nothing to do with your subjects we've seen you take? (Which are only philosophy and secre society 101.) Or film school? Everytime I watch or read something about the US education system...I start getting a headache. Maybe its a learning by doing thing? And yes, not the point. Sorry. Moving on.

Yaldsons 😅😅 aka Hurensöhne?

Please tell me they're going to figure it out fast.

Also! The werewolves remind me of Avatar 😀

Nope. They're not figuring out.

Jup. Should have seen that one coming. 🙈

A vortex. Nice 😂👌

Hamish...I love you, but...baby?

"What did you idiots do?"

Alyssa. Here we go again. Please don't hurt my Queen.

Randall is great at pep talks.

Ya. Going for medieval-latin instead of hiberno-latin? Been there done that. (Almost literally. God 🙈 I'm such a nerd)

Opening a portal to the demon realm needs a human sacrifice. Who could have guessed? Sacrificing an owl sounded just about right. 👌

Huh. Interesting. Gabrielle vs Jack and ...that happens

My Queen 😟😭 nooooo

We stan Vera Stone 💪👑

Weirdly ticklish. Nice detail. Thanks Hamish. Didn't need that one

Why does no one notice a human lying lifeless on the ground? Ever?

God. That train sound needs to stop!

I love how they didn't forget about S1 things!

Alyssa. Nope.

Howw can they still be or want to be the White Sneakers Couple? Jrgh.

Nicole no. No one is gonna kill you.

Yes! Ma boy doing some memory thingy (spoiler?)

Two owls. That one sounds right.

Good choice Randall...but she's got a kid. You're gonna do the right thing.

Huh. Never would have guessed that.

But she is just his aunt. So thats okay. I guess.

He just killed two owls

Pay attention dammit. You need to learn about timing!

Lilith! My sweet summer child 🤓😍😍😍

Oh no.

This is S3 stuff. Probably.

Points to Jack. But I'm lowkey over this hero complex?

"I like beig the center of attention." You dont say? Always making it about you.

You made a deal Ms Drake!

Yes. Thank you. Midnight.

The heart! Its tradition! Eat it.

Another grave in the woods.

Hamish...not a fan of your attitude.

Huh. Nice closing? ending? Without a real cliffhanger, I guess. Except Lilith of course. Its probably for the best in case we dont get a S3.

That being said: We need S3 😭😭😭😭 Now! Or maybe in a few weeks? But not next year. I dont want to wait so long 😭

Probably going to do a summary or an overall review of the season? If someone is interested? Just not today. I have to think about it first and I also need a break.

Thank you for staying with me ✌ (and for tolerating my posts. Its going to be a wilde ride rereading this...)

#The Order Netflix #The Order Spoilers #My Order Tag #The Order S2 EP10 #Episode Tag and Commentary

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honestgrins · 5 years

Text

Fair Warning || Klaroline

@313etanonymys: Can you do like a drabble where Katherine warns Caroline about Klaus or something?😍😘💖🔥 (TVD S2 AU) Thanks for the prompt, I hope you like it!

Katherine crashed against the invisible barrier, seething as Caroline waved cheerily through the doorway. Her tears of terror were instead replaced by a beatific smile at having successfully trapped the she-devil. “What did you do?”

“Nothing you don’t deserve,” Caroline answered. Her eyes tracked over the doppelganger’s shoulder to where Stefan was hiding. “Have fun!” She turned to leave and rejoin the party, but it seemed Katherine wasn’t done with her yet.

“Everything I do, I do for a reason!” she shouted. “You’ll be sorry when he comes, and I’ll be there to make sure of it.”

Forcing herself not to look back, Caroline couldn’t help the frozen feeling of dread crawling down her spine. When who comes?

“His name is Klaus,” Elena explained as they hiked through the woods, each step closer to the tomb worrying Caroline just a bit more. “He’s supposed to be the oldest, most dangerous vampire, and I need more information that Damon and Stefan refuse to help me get."

The unease grew to a seize of panic that stopped Caroline in her tracks, the sudden motion happening too quickly with her still-new vampire abilities. "If Stefan doesn't want you talking to Katherine, he has to have a good reason. Maybe we should leave, convince him to come back with us."

Rolling her eyes, Elena didn’t even pause, her pace even along the familiar paths of the woods. “It’s not like she can hurt me, she’s sealed in the tomb. And we can’t get her out, so there’s no chance she can manipulate us to break the spell.”

Caroline wasn’t proud of the moment it took her brain to process, only for her thoughts to immediately spill from her mouth. “Is that the only reason you asked me and not Bonnie?”

"No," Elena answered as patiently as she could. "Stefan would also be pissed if I came her without vampire supervision in case something goes wrong. Do you want to leave?"

"Not without you." Mustering her courage and anxiety, she followed Elena down through the church ruins. Her enhanced senses for both smell and magic left her recoiling, but she think she managed to hide it. Mostly. By the time she'd rolled the giant rock door away from the mouth of the tomb, she felt almost confident with the energizing feat of strength.

But then the dark cavern seemed to grow darker the longer they waited for Katherine to appear. Elena reached into her tote, and Caroline's fangs nearly dropped at the blood bad she pulled out. It took more strength than she realized to stop herself from launching toward where Elena tossed it past the safe line, her eyes greedily staring at the jostling liquid inside when it landed. Only the raspy breath coming from the starving vampire it was intended for allowed her to finally look away.

Dragging her feet as she leaned heavily against the stone wall to help her walk, Katherine looked...rough. Still, her expression was haughty as ever when she saw Elena sitting just outside her prison. “What are you doing here?”

“I want answers about Klaus, and I think you have them. No funny business, I swear.”

Katherine raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t sound very fun for me, you see, so I’ll pass.”

She couldn’t help it, her fangs dropped as anger overwhelmed her sensitive emotional balance. If she could find a therapist that specialized in the supernatural needs of the recently dead, Caroline would be all over it. Faced with the woman who killed her and the impertinent personality of such bitch, her already frayed nerves were obviously on a razor’s edge. “Just take the peace offering and answer her questions, it’s not that hard.”

“Or what?” Canting her head to the side, Katherine turned that teasing gaze on her. “You’ll nag at me from the other side of that pesky line? Unless you’d like to join me. We could have fun, Caroline,” she teased, voice full of promise - whether for violence or more pleasurable experiences, Caroline didn’t know. “And trust me, when Klaus comes, you’ll wish you were in this damn tomb. You all actually did me a favor with this set-up, I’ll be the safest girl in town.”

Elena leaned forward eagerly. “So you do know Klaus.”

For a split second, smoothed faster than any human sight could register, Katherine Pierce actually looked scared. But she made her way to the ground as gracefully as possible and snatched the blood bag up to drink. After a longing pull of the straw, her eyes flicked up to her mirror image. “Yep. It’s cute you all think I’m the big bad, when you have no clue what evil is really out there. I do what I need to survive. Klaus...he doesn’t stop at survival. Try to stop him, and he’ll make your life a living hell.”

“Is that what he did to you?” Caroline asked, surprised at the wistful warning and that it was coming from her of all people. It bled of bad memories and worse nightmares; a bad feeling crawled up her spine at what might have haunted her murderer’s centuries.

Licking her lips, Katherine squinted up at her, as though measuring her up. She smirked when Caroline’s back straightened in reaction. “He wishes. But now he's got bigger fish to fry than little, old me."

"You know what he wants."

Her eyes rolled before they landed on Elena, who patiently watched for any reaction to the accusation. Katherine, however, didn't seem all that willing to rise to the bait. Shrugging, she jutted her chin toward the tote bag Elena still held in her lap. They stared at each other for an uncomfortable moment, the tension making Caroline shift in her stance, though she didn't dare interrupt.

Finally, Elena frowned and pulled out another blood bag. She lifted it in warning. "What does he want?"

"You," Katherine sighed. "He needs a doppelgänger, a human one. I ruined his plans five hundred years ago by transitioning, something he has yet to forget or forgive."

Caroline shook her head. "Then why not come get her? Mystic Falls isn't exactly a fortress."

Tongue clucking, Katherine's expression turned almost pitying. "You're not asking the right question. When the time is right, I'm sure Klaus will do just that. Violently, with a lot of collateral damage." Her eyes flicked down the line of Caroline's body. "By the way, how is Tyler? I've been so worried about him since he triggered his curse," she whispered, like it was dirty word.

A sudden fear clenched around Caroline's throat. "Leave him out of this."

"Too late." The sing-song tone grated on her nerves, and she really didn't like the way Katherine's teasing gaze stayed trained on her. "Tell me, baby vamp, what do you know about the curse of the sun and moon?”

They spent a good hour with Katherine, gleaning every detail and rumor they could about her dealings with Klaus and what trouble he might bring for them. But even days later, all Caroline had in her mind were more questions and a deep, deep fear she couldn't shake. Between that and trying to keep up the human act for her mom and Matt, she was a jittery mess scrambling for control.

And then Tyler went missing.

A part of her hated to even notice, let alone worry for him after the kidnapping and torture he enabled at the hands of his uncle’s pack. Carol had approached her directly at a fundraiser, though, concerned that he’d stopped answering texts. “He knows better than this, to miss so much school,” she said, near frantic despite the breezy smile she held for the other guests. “To go camping, of all things, with some people he just met. I know you’ve had a falling out, but if you hear from him...”

Caroline had brushed it off as wolf business; the closest thing to camping she’d ever seen Tyler do is pass out at the watering hole after a particularly impressive keg stand, so it stood to reason that it was a convenient cover for running around the woods in nothing but fur. Sending a text was the most she was willing to do. As the days dragged on with no answer, especially given the groveling he’d tried to do before he left, she reluctantly felt her own concern growing.

Things didn’t click in her mind until Damon made an off-hand remark about one less wolf to beat to the curse. “Not that Lockwood is likely to solve any puzzle first. Katherine had it right, wolves make better brawn than brains, best used for cannon fodder."

"They're still people," Stefan had sighed.

But Damon just shrugged. "Collateral damage, whatever."

Collateral damage.

Horror seeping into her awareness, Caroline almost charged her way back to the tomb. The rock barrier rolled away with a crash, her control frayed by sudden realization. "You've been collecting us," she accused, her voice echoing into the darkness. "You're working for Klaus, to help him break this curse."

Silence held for a long moment, then a slow clap rang out. Katherine's croak was strained, but her amusement clear. "Give the girl a prize." Clawing her way toward the entrance, the older vampire's eyes were oddly intent for the physical weakness she was showing. Her skin had become gray and flaky in the week since their visit, the slender frame Caroline so envied in her doppelgänger wasted away to look almost skeletal. "But I'm no one's lackey, cupcake, and definitely not Klaus's."

Caroline frowned as she crept to the edge of the doorway, fighting down the impulse to take a step away. Even without blood and spelled into captivity, Katherine would always prick her confidence for fear of dying again; worse, she was pretty sure the scheme already put into place was going to get her killed anyway. "Because of what he did to your family," she guessed, though the story had haunted her dreams. Finding nothing but blood and devastation where her home stood left her waking in a cold sweat, a sudden fear only soothed by the sound of her mother's undisturbed snores in the next room.

"Klaus is a monster," Katherine answered in a dry whisper. "Whatever you think of me, I can promise he'll deliver tenfold. I've seen it.”

"Then why do his evil bidding?"

Her withered tongue traced her cracked lips, eyes closed in apparent exhaustion. "I've been on the run for five hundred years, and not once have I been able to outsmart him other than to keep running. Mystic Falls has a human doppelgänger, a moonstone, a werewolf, a very powerful Bennett witch, and a vampire." Her eyes flicked open, squarely landed on Caroline. "If that's not a ticket for freedom, then I don't know what is."

Sneering with more venom than she knew she could muster, Caroline curled her hands into fists to keep from tearing the bitch limb from limb. "I should make Bonnie let you out so you can be the goddamned sacrifice."

"Funny, love," a new voice said, its lilting accent confusing and endearing all at once. "I was thinking the same thing."

About to turn, Caroline froze as Katherine scrambled further into the tomb, like she was trying to disappear entirely. The natural curiosity she felt at the stranger was soon overpowered by an utter awareness of the power he was exuding, made worse considering she hadn't noticed him sneak into the cavern. Slowly, she moved to face him and the threat he posed, careful to keep her back to the solid rock wall. Shorter than she’d imagined and sporting a deceptively pleasant smile, she found a very attractive man staring at her with obvious calculation. "Klaus."

His smile spread, deepening the dimples she hadn’t noticed yet. Added to the artful curls and pink lips, he might have stepped right out of an angelic painting rather than the hell he supposedly ruled as the Original Vampire. But she’d seen a pretty face and gotten a monster before, and Caroline wasn’t fooled. “I’d be impressed for one so young to recognize me, but I think Katerina’s been telling tales. Surely a smart girl like you knows better than to believe a word out of her mouth.”

Wetting her suddenly dry lips, Caroline did know better than to let her eyes slide away from Klaus with his focus solely on her. “I’m something of a gossip. Information is valuable, and even bad sources tell the truth sometimes.”

Eyebrows lifting, Klaus took a step forward. Once more, she had to fight the instinct to move back. Her fear was more rational considering he wasn’t magically locked behind a barrier, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of showing the terror he inspired. “I happen to appreciate information, sweetheart. Perhaps you’d be willing to share?”

She forced a smile of her own. “Sorry. Mom said to never talk to strangers or crazy old vampires intent on killing my friends.”

“Ah, but the good sheriff isn’t a fan of any vampires,” Klaus said, eyes narrowed on her reaction. “Is she, Caroline?”

Swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, her teeth clenched to keep from trembling.

Klaus smirked as he closed the gap between them, and he raised a knuckle just under her chin. “Now, Katerina would say otherwise, but I believe family is important. I wouldn’t dream of harming your mother, and I’m prepared to make assurances to that fact.”

Slaughtered, all of them. The entire village only because they knew me. Katherine’s story rang in her ears, and the hands that wrought that destruction within inches of her throat. And he was promising to keep her mom safe. “Why?”

His head canted to the side, like he was assessing her. “Because I think you might be the key to solving my little curse, dear Caroline, and I’d like your help.”

“And if I say no?”

Lips curling up, Klaus let a thumb coast along the edge of her jaw. “I have many means of persuasion, love. I’d hate to have to choose harsher methods.”

Caroline breathed in deeply, her brain working in overdrive to think through her options. Almost tempted to dive into the tomb, she knew it would leave her mom and her friends to the harsh methods he promised. Worse, she would be helpless to do anything but watch Katherine desiccate, knowing the same would happen to her.

Had Klaus truly wanted to kill her, she would have been dead already. She didn’t particularly want to help him break the stupid curse, mostly because it ended up with her also dead. Even if she managed to earn enough goodwill to save herself, Elena and Tyler were still at risk.

But if she refused, they’d all probably die anyway.

“What do you want me to do?”

Klaus just tapped her chin, immediately stepping back, though she didn’t relax her posture. “I want that information you’re so keen on collecting, love. The Salvatores, the Bennett witch, your precious Elena. I like knowing the pieces on the board.”

She scoffed. “This isn’t a game.”

“Sure it is,” he laughed, looking at her like she was a cute animal chasing its own shadow. “Think it over, as to whether you’d like to play on the winning side.” He nudged his head back toward the gaping hole in the stone. “You’ve already seen what it means to lose.”

Biting her lip, Caroline watched him walk to the edge of the cavern where he’d make his exit. “I don’t want anyone to die.”

He had the audacity to wink at her. “Then it sounds like you ought to win, Caroline.” Easily jumping up to the church ruins, Klaus was gone, leaving her to consider his offer - as vague as it was.

"You just landed on the wrong list, blondie," Katherine croaked, leaning out of the darkness just enough for Caroline to make out the shape of her. "Palling around with Klaus is only going to get you killed."

"It's your fault he's here at all," she hissed back, nerves frayed to the point of exhaustion.

A huff of laughter, then a ragged cough. "To be fair, he did seem to like you. Didn't even draw any blood. Must be getting mature in his old age," she whispered teasingly. "He is pretty great in bed, if that helps. You'll still end up dead, but at least you'll have some fun first."

She wanted to scream. "Shut up."

"Whatever," Katherine sighed as Caroline stomped away. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Hopping out of the cavern without nearly the grace Klaus had managed, Caroline tried to focus on anything other than the idea of Klaus's bed and what it'd mean to pick him.

#klaroline #klaroline drabbles #to rely on the kindness of strangers #313etanonymys #thanks for the prompt!#i hope you like it!#not so prompt prompt #my bad #I'm sorry it took so long #and that I messed it up the first time

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orrtala · 7 years

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Allura a.k.a. the DreamWorks Princess we all deserve

It’s a liveblog! I only finished season two, please no spoilers in the comments/reblogs!

Princess of Altea (shouldn’t she be a Queen now? Am I to expect a coranation in a future?) King Alfor’s only child, now only one of two (or three, apparently) Alteans still alive. Shiro might be a Voltron leader, but if you want to go to the boss of this whole operation you seek Allura.

When we first meet her it’s the middle of the war for her, King Alfor puts her to sleep and she wakes up in arms of some flirty alien guy with atrocious ears. She promptly kicks his butt and then she learns she was in cryopod for 10 000 years, her whole civilization is dead and all she has left is Coran, the mice, the Castle and Voltron Lions. Oh, and also the guy who took everything from her is somehow still alive. So what happens next? Allura takes five alien newcomers, assigns Lions to them and gets straight into business.

Her loss is fresh (and then kept on losing even more, thanks Voltron writers,) and sadly, didn’t really allow herself to contemplate about it. The only ‘person’ she kind of talked about it with was her father’s AI and exchanged one or two comments with Coran. That said I get that wallowing in grief wouldn’t help her cause and she decided to focus on fighting Zarkon. Which is a noble cause and she’d do that no matter what, but I also think she’ll need a shoulder to cry on at some point.

She behaves ‘like a princess’, composed and serious, refusing to show weakness to anyone. “I must portray strength, so no one can tell how concerned I am about the fate of our mission.” - Is what she said to the mice back in “Fall of the Castle of Lions.” Which doesn’t mean she can’t have fun, but she usually hid that side from Paladins. She gradually started to open up to her new family in that context, laughing with others, stopped hiding her playful side.

Allura’s comment about combat simulator implies she was training from the youngest days and it shows! She is great at fighting (…at least when it comes to melee weapons) from what we’ve seen so far (her confrontation with Haggar and her druids in “Blackout” is one of my favorite sequences in a show so far.) And let’s not forget the rather unorthodox way of teaching Altean language. While I’m not sure if these used to be normal Altean things (considering who they kept as pets it’s actually probable) or just Castle things, but we know for certain her childhood was rather unique. At least in terms of our understanding.

Being Alfor’s daughter also means high expectations. Her beloved father was a hero, a legend who apparently created Voltron himself and became one of the Paladins (either Red or Yellow, I’m still hoping for the latter, but based on Coran’s comments he might have been the former.) She does her best, fighting Galra Empire with determination. It’s also one of the main reasons why she refuses to show vulnerability to others. But, similarly to her playful side she starts trusting her new family, and I expect to see more of that in the future as well. However when dealing with an enemy/person she doesn’t trust she’ll either attack (her meeting with Zarkon in “The Black Paladin”) or remain cold, not allowing others to see her hurt.

Sadly we don’t know much about her mother except that Allura seems to remember her and has fond memories of her.

While she does want Zarkon to pay for his crimes her main drive is compassion, justice, and making sure anyone else won’t suffer how she did. And she’s ready to make sacrifice for that cause. When an opportunity presented to save Balmera she went along with it for the sake of her inhabitants, even if it meant she died. She saved Shiro, stayed behind on Galra ship and got captured. Transporting Zarkon’s ship to the different galaxy used up a lot of her energy which could result in her death - she knew it and did it anyway. In order to save Paladins and Voltron she attacked Zarkon in “Blackout” which almost resulted in her demise. Then she went to attack Haggar and her druids and- We all see the pattern here, right. “As leaders, we have to do what’s right for our people, even if it means great sacrifice” are her father’s words she lives by. And right now ‘her people’ is literally everyone in the universe.

I guess I should also mention her problem with Keith in S2 arc. And while their relationship itself is a topic for another post, let me just say this clearly: she was not racist. It was a complicated situation she didn’t know how to handle; Galra took everything from her, of course she’d have trouble and doubts believing them. Zarkon himself was one of her father’s friends and look how great it turned out. And now one of her family memebers who must have known something beforehand about this (and he did have suspicions) didn’t say anything until meeting rebels. However she is willing to work with Blade of Marmora depite that. And with Keith, well, while it wasn’t a great situation she gave him a cold shoulder (which hurt him more than she probably thought) and in the end reached out to him on her own.

Her role in a team? She’s the leader. Sure, Shiro is the Boss Paladin so to speak, but when it comes to making up decisions he turns to Allura. Even when he disagrees with her the final word belongs to her; she decided to relent and follow Ulaz to his base (despite her better judgement,) but if she did refuse to go there they just wouldn’t go there. Of course there are moments like in “Space Mall” when Coran tells her she shouldn’t go with them, but it was more of a dad thing since at the end of the day their group is more of a family than anything else.

Allura’s the person who pilots the Castle and creates the wormholes so the team could travel quickly through the galaxies. She can shapeshift, which is apparently common for Alteans. And she’s strong. Like. Really. Really strong. She’s also has space magicks, apparently very powerful (and sparkly) which is something that most probably will be expanded on in a future.

Also I expect to see her in her dress and with loose hair in S3. S2 deprived me of that and that’s a shame.

Tl;dr: Beautiful badass alien Princess who was not a part of my childhood ant that makes me sad. Headstrong and energetic she faced a terrible loss and keeps on fighting despite and because of that.

(more character analyses)

#Allura #vld #Voltron #vld character analysis #Voltron Legendary Defender #not liveblogging #orr blogging #non episode

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sapphicalexaandra · 7 years

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I Will Follow You Into The Dark

Pairing: Jace/Alec

Rating: T

Summary: When Jace is taken by Valentine, Alec would do anything to get him back.

Notes: What is this, a proper, long sequel? It didn't take too long, did it. Anyway, this is a rewriting/retracing of the start of s2, set after 'We're Not Lovers', and it includes scenarios that I had envisioned before the season even aired. Hope you will like it, and, again, this is NOT the end for this series. The title is from the song of the same name by Death Cab for Cutie, which is kind of fitting, as well as the song 'Follow You' by Bring Me The Horizon.

Alec’s whole body was twitching. First one finger, then a knee, then a muscle on his face; random parts of him all rose from the bed or moved inexplicably from their resting place, time after time, breath after breath. Only his eyes were unmoving, wide open and burning from lack of moisture.

Every spasm seemed to spell one name – the only name that mattered. Jace.

Two whole days had passed since Valentine took Jace through a portal, and Alec hadn’t slept. Two whole days, and Jace still hadn’t been recovered! Everyone was against him, against Jace, from Victor fucking Aldertree, to his mother, to Jace’s own mother – all people who were trying to get his parabatai killed and, as a result, Alec himself. And then there were those who just couldn’t hurry up and who thought Alec was just getting worked up over nothing. Half of his own soul was lost in the clutches of the most dangerous man of the Shadow world, and Alec was expected to sit down and hope for the best?!

He got up, pacing the room like a caged animal, the spasms in his body only worsening. He’d started having them ever since Jace’s disappearance had sank in, or that was what he thought. Yet, Alec had no idea what they meant. Jace was less than a ghost, a veil seeming to have been drawn on him and their bond…so maybe Alec’s body was simply receiving ripples from whatever the hell was happening to his parabatai?

In any case, Alec didn’t think it could be anything good, knowing Valentine. The uncertainty, and the certainty at the same time, put him in a restless state as more and more time went by. Jace was in pain, alone, back with the person who had hurt him the most in his entire life, and he would need Alec now more than ever. He needed to do something!

Tracking him had been a waste of time, since Jace had appeared back in New York right in that very moment, before vanishing once again – still, should Alec try again? Would Magnus accept to help him a second time? Except, even in that case, he’d have to wait for the day to start, when the ban to leave the Institute – put on him after his insubordination – would be redacted. Too many hours, when every minute he wasted meant agony for Jace!

He should try on his own; that was something. Alec went to pick his stele up from his bedside table…but he stopped before his fingers touched it. Memories of pain and a weakened bond rushed back to him. He couldn’t. He couldn’t do that to Jace, to them, again. He had promised not to ever risk their bond like that, not anymore.

What could he do?! He couldn’t sleep, he couldn’t find a solution in the confinement of the night and of his room, he couldn’t blast the walls down since nothing would be gained from revealing that particular power, except the assurance that he’d truly never see Jace again…

Alec was just about ready to tear his hair out.

He went to the training room instead.

One. Two. Three.

Punch. Punch. Punch.

His hits echoing in the chamber all around him, Alec hoped that if he strained himself enough, he’d stop thinking…or, if his hands started bleeding, the pain would fill the void inside him.

His breath came out in puffs. The sweat on his body trickled on the floor. He was so focused that his vision encompassed only that patch of leather where his fists fell down over and over again.

When, suddenly, he saw something else.

Another fist, directed right at his face.

Alec jumped backwards, his heart missing a beat, and he blinked a few times. There was only the punching bag in front of him, nothing else.

His heart was now thumping wildly, his mind a question mark. What the hell was that?

But when nothing else happened, Alec could only resume his punching, brow furrowed.

One. Two. Three.

Punch. Punch. Punch.

The strained tendons in his arms screamed at him to slow down, but he didn’t care to listen. He had seen something, he was sure of it. He needed to take another look.

It took him longer than before, to get to that trance-like focus, but in the end he managed it…and that fist came back into his line of sight, intermittently, as if someone was switching the light on and off on that scene every other second. That hand seemed to be hitting him over and over again, a bald and brutish face attached to it, but Alec never felt it get to him.

When, suddenly, he realized what was probably going on. Someone was hitting Jace, not him…

Something like this had never happened. Their powers (mostly) included things that runes could do – enhanced ten folds, without actually having to use the runes, yes, but hardly more than that. It surely didn’t allow them to see what the other saw.

Until now.

Somewhere, somehow, someone was hitting Jace, and Alec could see it through Jace’s own eyes.

That is, until he started only seeing red. Someone was hitting Jace – his Jace! And the anger behind his punches became thunderous, the pain shooting up his arms every blow striking him like lightning bolts…but he couldn’t care less about his own pain, because he now knew what was happening to Jace. But at what cost?! His wish to know had been fulfilled, yes, but he had no more a way to help him than before!

It only felt like a cruel joke.

Jace, if you can hear me, I’m here! Just hold on a little longer, I swear I’ll find you! Just you wait for me!

Then, not only metaphorically anymore, a gush of actual red erupted in front of him, and Alec realized it came from Jace. He was coughing up blood, but the man that was torturing him wasn’t sparing him any mercy. He was about to rain down on Jace once more.

Alec couldn’t allow that any longer.

Irrationally, hopelessly, he brought a leg back, then sprung it forward, toward the punching bag, with all of his strength …only to have his calf collide with the brutish man’s ribs instead.

It didn’t look like his own leg, though – it was Jace’s leg…and Alec found himself hanging by the hands, his upper half naked, the pain in his entire body so much worse than before that his strained arms had been practically nothing. As he kicked at Jace’s torturer, however, fueled by a rage he had never felt in his life, he didn’t care. The man doubled over, falling on the ground, and Alec broke out of his chains with a growl. It was Jace’s voice coming out of him.

Ignoring just as well the new wave of pain that hit him as he landed on his hands and knees, he didn’t waste any time questioning the hows and whys of the situation, because he needed to get Jace out of there, wherever he was! Alec started running, barely taking in the cages and more chains hanging in that giant room; he only knew, somehow, where the stairs were, and he started climbing them at breakneck speed. Whenever he encountered someone trying to stop him, he fought them back with a strength he didn’t know he – they – had. Only when he reached the deck – of Valentine’s ship! – did he stop. Dozens of people, as well as Valentine himself, were surrounding him. He would’ve fought them all, he could’ve killed them all, and then he would’ve opened a portal to get Jace back to the Institute, he just knew he had enough channeled energy in that moment to do it…

But right as Alec was about to act, his head was suddenly split in half by a ringing sound. He grabbed at his head, unable to stifle a shout, everyone looking at him as if he were a madman…the view behind them looked very familiar…and he was on the ground of the Institute training room.

“Alec, wake up, please, wake up!”

Alec’s eyes shot open and his sister’s worried face hovering over him was the first thing he saw. He bolted upright, a weird sense of panic settling in him as he slowly found his bearings again.

Why the hell was he on the floor? Why were Izzy, his mother, and Victor Aldertree, all in their nightwear, surrounding him and looking at him as if he was going to pass out again?

“What is the meaning of this, Mr. Lightwood?” Aldertree addressed him, unsuccessfully hiding his annoyance at the situation.

Izzy looked up at their new boss with equally hidden reproach, as her hands tightened their hold on Alec’s, but before she could do anything, Maryse stepped up. Sending a quick, nervous side-glance in Aldertree’s direction, she crouched down next to her son, and started speaking in a hushed, seething tone, “Alec, how could you do this? Your behavior is becoming unacceptable…first you run off, then you break Institute property? Apologize, immediately.”

Alec had stayed unmoving with his mouth hanging open during the entire exchange, his head threatening to explode any minute, but his mother’s words got a reaction out of him. Turning his head, he noticed for the first time the literal…mess in front of them. The entire back window of the training room had fallen down, a punching bag laying on its remains – a bed of broken glass.

That sight sent a spark to Alec’s brain. “Jace!” he shouted aloud without even meaning to, as he struggled to get on his feet.

“Excuse me, what?”

Aldertree’s crossed voice forced Alec to turn his gaze away from the glass and towards him, where he found three sets of confused and expectant eyes staring at him. He had to give an explanation, quick. “I – I mean, I’m sorry, I just…”

I know where Jace is. I can get us all there, and take him back.

But how could he explain how he had gotten that information without revealing his and Jace’s incriminating powers?

His mind started scrambling for an answer at the rate of his accelerated heartbeat. “I – I didn’t mean to – I will get it fixed, I promise! I just…couldn’t sleep and needed to unwind, so I came here, when – when I received a fire message! From Jace!”

Three pairs of eyebrows shot up.

“What are you saying, Alec? Mr. Aldertree, I apologize for my son’s behavior, he’s clearly not thinking lucidly, he must’ve hit his hea–”

“My head’s perfectly fine, and I know what happened!” Alec interrupted his mother, feeling more and more frantic. “A message appeared and it distracted me, so I accidentally sent the bag flying, okay? It had the coordinates of Valentine’s ship, by the Angel! Don’t you see? Jace managed to send it to me! But then – then the message exploded and I fell on the ground and must’ve passed out. Wait a minute, though, how did you all find me here?”

“A guard heard the crush and saw you hurt, so he sent for us,” Izzy told him distractedly, clearly still thinking over what Alec had said. “It was scary, you weren’t waking up for so long…but really, what did the message say exac-”

“Just make me understand, Mr. Lightwood,” Aldertree said then, slowly, as if talking to a mental patient. “You’re saying that Jace Wayland sent you a message containing his and Valentine’s whereabouts?”

Alec spoke over his mother’s impending protest, “Yes.”

“Do you realize that this could very well be a trap?”

Alec gulped, but didn’t budge under Aldertree’s stare. “It might, yes. But do you really not want to use this information, trap or not? You’re going to sit here and not send a raid over to Valentine’s ship…sir? You could end up capturing Valentine himself, and Jace too! Think of how much the Clave will be pleased with us, with you, sir. But I assure you that Jace’s as much, if not more, a victim in this as anyone who gets played by Valentine. You might not believe that, you don’t need to believe that, but I think Jace’s done the Clave’s work for enough time to deserve a fair trial.”

Alec, Izzy and Maryse all stayed silent, watching Aldertree with trepidation as he took his time to respond. The new Head of the New York Institute furrowed his brow. “I’ll take this information to the Inquisitor, and we’ll see what’s to be done about it. I give no guarantees to what will happen to the traitor Jace Wayland, but if he’s really as innocent as you say, the Soul Sword will be the one to decide that. In any case, neither of you, as well as Clary and Jocelyn Fairchild, will be allowed on this mission.”

Alec’s and Izzy’s protests were inevitable.

“We’re the best team you have around here, you can’t–”

“He’s my parabatai, he sent this message to me! I have the right–”

“Alec! Isabelle! Don’t talk like this to the Head–”

“QUIET! All of you!”

The Lightwoods shut up. Aldertree was furious.

Alec more so. “I will not give this information if me or Izzy aren’t in on this mission, unless you torture me out of it! And do you really want to lose this much time and resources, when Valentine could strike us down any minute? Send us both, as well as whoever you want, and we’ll do whatever you say...sir. These are my conditions.”

Aldertree’s face twitched for a moment, before he regained his cool. “I am in charge here, I set the conditions and decide what needs to be done! So you will receive notification of my, and the Clave’s, decision tomorrow. Now, guards, bring them all to their rooms, and make sure they stay there. And find someone to clean up this mess!”

Alec and Izzy shared a meaningful look when they were about to be lead their separate ways, and Alec mentally debated whether he should tell her the truth – but he decided he would not. They had never explicitly brought her in on their secret, and he wouldn’t start now. The stakes were too high.

At least, Alec was practically sure Aldertree would see it as he did and cave to his demands. His new ‘boss’ had been quite easy to read – he was a calculative, ambitious man, and he’d go as far or as near as would be more convenient to his ultimate goal: power and influence with the Clave. Alec had to admit he found himself in that, and he wasn’t entirely pleased by it. Still, that meant two could play at this game, and Aldertree was but an amateur, a mere nuisance in Alec’s path to Jace. He didn’t stand a chance.

Until morning, however, Alec was left to turn around in his bed once again, images of what had truly happened swirling in his mind. The sheer scope of that new ability he had discovered should’ve been a bigger concern for him right then – after all, him and Jace were broken up, they were supposed to be moving on from their romantic feelings for each other, and the fact that apparently that wasn’t keeping their powers from getting stronger didn’t sound good. Yet, it was rather the thought that his stint in trying to break Jace free had caused Jace even worse repercussions – Valentine couldn’t take well to an escape attempt – that tasted bitter in Alec’s mouth. No…it was real physical agony, right under his ribcage.

I’m so sorry, Jace. But I will get to you…I promise.

The abrupt way in which the pain stopped took Jace’s breath away. Only his hands and arms were still stinging, but compared to what he had been feeling before, it was nothing. That new blissful sensation positively made him dizzy, as well as the fact that the adrenaline was starting to fade now that he didn’t need it.

That was why Jace let himself unceremoniously drop on the ground of…the Institute training room? He was pretty sure it was that, just as he knew it, except that the entire back window was now broken, a punching bag the apparent cause for it. Weird, but Jace didn’t particularly care. He was probably passed out, and was dreaming of being – home. Therefore, there was no reason not to lay down and enjoy that moment of peace, until a bucket of water woke him up again.

Except…why did the pain on his knuckles feel so real? And why were the runes on his arms different? He could’ve sworn the one on his left forearm was the exact same Alec had…

Jace looked down at his body with a more critical look, and there was no mistaking the fact that it was entirely too big. He didn’t have such long legs, nor were his hair so dark. He touched his head and the mop there didn’t feel like his own at all. And he could clearly feel it, so could this really be a dream?

But what other explanation could there be? He was apparently in Alec’s body – not in the fun way, but in the impossible kind of way, because people didn’t just suddenly switch bodies. So, it must’ve been his imagination running wild.

Too bad, then, that the dream wasn’t more on that first line of thought; after all, if he really had to keep his senses in a bloody dream, why not have it there be pleasure instead of pain? His entire life seemed to be made of pain, with only Alec as his bright spot, his peace, his home – which he had lost…so maybe he should make this new kind of ‘being in Alec’s body’ fun.

Laying down on his back, Jace’s – Alec’s – hands started wandering on their own. It was thrilling, how instead of his own skin Jace felt that same body he had loved and worshipped so many times that he would recognize it anywhere. And it was almost narcissistic, the rush of feelings and affection – that he had suppressed, with a few exceptions, ever since Alec had broken them off, but especially under Valentine’s watchful and calculative eye – that rose in him for what was, right then, himself. It was exhilarating, too.

Before he could get too into it, however, Jace heard rapidly approaching voices and footsteps coming from outside the room. Dream or not, it wasn’t polite to be touching oneself in front of other people, unless they happened to be Alec in Jace’s body.

Chuckling softly to himself (what a scenario that would be...), Jace closed his eyes; he had the feeling that was the best course of action, for whatever reason. Something was telling him that he ought to pretend he couldn’t hear what those people were saying.

“Sir, I thought it was best to come inform you,” a first, nervous voice was saying.

“All good, all good. Stay outside the door and don’t let anyone come in,” an authoritarian, accented voice replied.

“Wait!” Jace knew who that voice belonged to…Izzy? “Let me in! I want to see my brother!”

“Miss Lightwood, what do you think you’re doing here? Who called you?” the accented voice asked her, rather coldly.

“He’s my brother, of course I’ve been called. Mom! Something’s happen to Ale–”

“I know, Isabelle. Mr. Aldertree, I apologize for my daughter’s…exuberance, but, please, let’s just go see what is going on with my son.”

The one called Mr. Aldertree must’ve agreed, because the next thing Jace heard was the door opening and three sets of footsteps walking towards him. Jace tried to slow down his breathing.

“By the Angel!” he heard Izzy exclaim.

Then she was rushing to him. The feel of the new presence next to him, the way her hands were touching him to make sure he had a pulse…were entirely too real for this to be a dream. Everything that was unfolding seemed way too detailed, slow, not foggy, weird or out of time as any dream should be.

Was Jace actually in Alec’s body?

When that thought occurred to him, Jace started searching his brain for a recollection of what he had been doing that could’ve led him there, but all he came up with was that, one moment he was being ‘taught’ by one of his father’s henchmen, and the next he had found himself in the Institute. So it must’ve been Alec…maybe he was the one who had figured out how to switch places with Jace. Probably by accident. Alec was most likely the one punching the bag now on the ground; he must’ve sent it flying out of anger, which had made him unable to keep in check his powers…

This wasn’t good. If Jace’s hypothesis was right, Alec was now on Valentine’s ship, being tortured…and if he was still raging, he might not care to hide his abilities, and he could start hitting back. This wasn’t good! Jace had tried so hard not to let Valentine have even a hint of what Jace was truly capable of, or the reason why it was so. Valentine wouldn’t care that they had broken the Law, on the contrary; his father would start his own experiments on the limits and scope of parabatai magic. And he would use the knowledge of Jace’s love against both of them, but especially Alec!

Trying to stay calm and unmoving under scrutiny became harder as he realized what Valentine now had under his care, even if Alec happened to not outright lash out. Cause what if his father, with his uncanny perspicacity, figured out anyway that the Jace there wasn’t exactly him?

His parabatai – his…everything – had never been more in danger!

“Alec, please, wake up,” Izzy whispered to him then. Jace could feel her hovering over him.

“Use an irazte on him,” ordered Mr. Aldertree, who Jace was starting to get more and more fed up with every second. Who the hell was he and why were they deferring to him?

Raising his shirt, Izzy did as she was told. Jace had no doubts that she did that only because it meant helping her brother.

As the healing effect of the rune started soothing his body, Jace could only think, Please, Alec, don’t do anything rush, please, stay quiet, even though he knew Alec couldn’t hear him.

He needed to act quickly. If he pretended to wake up, he simply had to tell the others it had all just been an accident, and they’d sent him to his – Alec’s – room, where he could try to figure out how to reverse the process.

Just as Jace thought that, however, a ringing sound suddenly sparked into his head, splitting it in half…and he would’ve screamed, if he didn’t find himself kneeling on the ship’s deck, surrounded by Circle members, his father in front of him.

“I would’ve thought you were smarter than this, Jonathan,” Valentine said.

It was pointless trying to fight back as two men went to grab Jace by the arms, while two others pointed swords at him. They marched him back to his room – more of a cell – and his only defiance could be a stubborn silence as Valentine kept scolding him like the disobedient child that he saw him as.

“What were you thinking, Jonathan? Really, tell me, because I honestly can’t understand you. I’m trying to make you the soldier you’re meant to be, and you repay me with the most brainless escape attempt I’ve ever seen in my life?”

Jace painted a grin on his face. “I was just testing your security, Father. I’d advice you to train your guards a little better.”

“Don’t make light of the situation, Jonathan. Don’t you know that humor is the sign of a weak mind?”

Valentine was pacing the small space, hands behind his back, shaking his head from time to time as he probably thought back to all of his son’s failures. Jace forced himself not to laugh in his father’s face – if only he knew what had really happened – as he sat cross-armed and cross-legged on his cot.

“Since you say everything about me is weak, I don’t see why fighting it at this point,” he quipped.

“Not everything about you is weak, Jonathan.”

Valentine stopped in his tracks, turning towards Jace with that stricken look on his face that always made Jace’s heart clench painfully, because it almost resembled…affection. It’s all a lie, he had to remind himself, he doesn’t care about you.

Jace dreaded to imagine what kind of state he’d be in if he hadn’t known what true affection felt like. The jumble of thoughts and feelings…even now, when he could feel the difference between this and what he had experienced since Valentine had faked his own death, it was hard to reconcile what he knew of his father and what he wanted him to be. A real father, whom he could love without fear of the consequences, because he’d be expected to and he wouldn’t be punished for showing such emotion.

Instead, Jace was left with one lesson, which still hadn’t been proved entirely wrong. To love is to destroy, and to be loved is to be the one destroyed. The way Jace always seemed to end up hurting Alec the most was the prime example of that.

“You have true potential,” Valentine continued, “the ability to turn around your weaknesses for the better. Jonathan, you have to believe that I’m only doing this for your own good.”

It’s all a lie, Jace forcefully thought, or if it isn’t, your ‘love’ will only destroy me.

“Are we done here, Father?” was all that Jace voiced. “Or do you have another lesson to give me?”

Valentine frowned. “I realize I have to change tactics with you, so we’ll see.” He made to leave the room, a fist almost on the door to call to be let out, but he stopped. “One last thing. I could swear I saw something strange in the way you behaved earlier. You almost didn’t look like yourself. Do you have any idea why I had that impression?”

Valentine’s eyes were piercing like a hawk’s, uncomfortably fixed on him while Jace tried to keep his body in check, unflinching, unmoved. He hoped his father couldn’t hear his tellingly accelerated heartbeat, as he responded, “No. Why would I? I told you I was testing you.”

“Clearly, you still have a lot to learn,” were his father’s parting words as he got out and locked him in.

Jace didn’t know when that door would open again, or if he would eat any time soon…but it didn’t matter. He was full enough of the worry for what his father had noticed and could decide to investigate. No cell in him believed Valentine had been persuaded so easily out of that line of thought.

Jace brought a hand to his side, where his parabatai rune was. The coldness, the numbness he felt there was the most depressive of his feelings. Ever since they’d tied their souls together, Jace had relied on Alec’s reassuring presence to be there with him, in him, at all times. Not being able to feel him, either as a comfort or a way to make sure he was fine, was the cruelest of his punishments aboard Valentine’s ship.

Alec, are you okay? He asked him anyway. I swear, I won’t let him get to you.

The next day was worse than all the ones before. He was given pain instead of bread, while he walked on eggshells, trying to circle around his father’s suspicions. Valentine seemed truly interested to see anything strange coming from him, like he knew something ought to be there. Yet, he couldn’t know the truth, or Jace wouldn’t hear the end of it. He doesn’t know, he can’t know, don’t let him know, was his mantra, then, every time he caught his father watching him. He pushed his powers down even further than before, and Jace could only hope nothing would come from Alec’s side again.

He did get that Alec must’ve been desperate, not knowing what was going on with him, wishing to have him back, just as Jace did. More than maddening, worse than hell, it was truly a silent death when a soul couldn’t be with its other half. Jace, after all, always felt as if he were about to fade away, every new day making it feel more and more remote a time when he used to be so entangled with Alec that he had forgotten what was like being without him.

Jace would’ve never wanted to be reminded. Even at their worst strives, in their weakest moments – the last one far too recent – their bond had never been…nothingness. It was true that Alec wasn’t his lover, wasn’t his - a fact that in the past had made them even closer to one another – anymore, and hadn’t been for a while, but they had still always been one. Suddenly not being anymore…no, he couldn’t fault Alec for that accidental mess.

And if he let himself think about it, the fact that they had actually switched bodies was rather incredible. Still, it was no true way to be with him, and what was power to an empty soul? Jace couldn’t even deny to himself the fact that thoughts of Alec were what made him get through the days on Valentine’s ship.

He shouldn’t feel that way, Jace thought then, as he was reminded of everything that had transpired on that same ship. If he couldn’t take the separation, he should want something else for Alec. He should be glad that Alec was free of him and his poisonous, demonic presence.

Demon. Jace had demon blood. That was why everything he touched died. If he was really pure, he should want to spare Alec that same fate…but it wasn’t in his nature. He only wanted Alec back, and felt some kind of relief at the knowledge that Alec wanted that just as much, to the point of almost screwing everything up.

Fighting his nature was also exactly the opposite of what his father was trying to make him do.

That was how Jace found himself kidnapping a werewolf girl, for no other reason than the fact that she was the perfect scapegoat for Valentine’s crusade, and he had been ordered to.

“Kill her,” was his father’s demand.

But he couldn’t. Not like he had killed that vampire, Maria; breaking the Accords. If he did that, he’d truly be the traitor the Clave thought him to be, and he’d never be able to go back home.

And, truth be told, no matter his demon blood, he didn’t want to do that. While his father had some valid points, thinking that the Clave did his job very poorly in securing the safety of the world, Jace believed - had to believe - that there was good in the Downworlders, just like there was bad in Shadowhunters. Killing them would make them the demons, and the fact that his father had no problems becoming just that, had had no problems making Jace one, showed just how far gone he was. How could he preach getting reed of demonic presence in the world when he had let it thrive in himself and in the people closest to him?

Fortunately - or unfortunately, depending on the point of view - Jace got out of having to make a decision by the opening of a giant portal right in the middle of the ship’s deck.

That shouldn’t have been possible. Only someone who knew the exact location of the ship could manage to pierce the barrier set by Valentine’s pet warlock, Dot. (Thinking of her as that caused bile to come to Jace’s throat, because it was nothing but the truth.) And judging by the widening of Valentine’s eyes, that portal hadn’t been opened under his orders.

Alec. He had done it. He had figured it out when he had been on board. Jace fought to contain a smile as the ship was flooded by Clave’s soldiers.

It wasn’t exactly the time to smile, though. Jace was still technically a traitor, and he didn’t know what the Clave would do to him. Not wanting to fight them either way, Jace resorted to take advantage of the confusion, and, for once, draw back.

Arrows flying over his head, shouts and the clash of swords echoing all around him…Jace retreated towards the superstructure of the ship to try and get a better look at what was going on. If he admitted it to himself, he hoped to get a glimpse of his parabatai.

Because he knew he was there. He could feel him. The bond had come back to life like a switch had been flipped, and Jace felt wired and ready to reunite with Alec. If things didn’t go south, that is.

One way or another, however, he was getting out of there. His time with Valentine had been terrible, eye-opening, and deserving to be just over. Even though Jace hardly thought he’d be able to return to the Institute as if nothing had happened, and he would likely never fit again among the people he once called family, everything was better than this hell. He’d take Clave judgment as a whole person over Valentine’s teachings as a cripple any day.

Jace, from his hiding place behind a few storage boxes, could see Alec, Izzy, Lydia, as well as other familiar faces from the Institute, fighting side by side with other Shadowhunters he didn’t know. He wondered if the mysterious Mr. Aldertree was there with them, not knowing what he looked like.

Opposite them, the members of the Circle fought back with all they got, but since most of them had just recently been turned, it was clear the odds weren’t in their favor. Valentine must’ve realized it too, because Jace saw him draw back as well. All his subjects covered for him, keeping the enemy off their leader’s back, to let him get to Dot, the only way to escape.

Magnus was on the deck, too, Jace noticed a moment later; he had probably been the one to open the portal. His presence was most likely why Valentine didn’t bother using his warlock to turn the battle around with her magic; the High Warlock of Brooklyn was clearly on a whole other level than her, judging by the people he sent flying against the deadly barrier with a flick of his wrists, and it would be a waste of time trying to fight him off, warlock for warlock.

Valentine, instead – Jace was still watching attentively - had Dot open a new portal. His army, if inexperienced, was still large enough that, despite their superior forces, the Clave members were only closing in on him very slowly. Too slowly. He was going to get away.

Jace had to act, now.

He was Valentine’s perfect weapon; it was easy for him to get past a battlefield. Moving like a leaf in the wind, his blade a whirlwind as it cut down the enemies it encountered, he reached Valentine in no time.

“My son! I was hoping you’d show up. Let’s go,” Valentine greeted him. He was looking at Jace pointedly, so Jace knew his father wasn’t so thick as to not realize what was really going on.

“Surrender, father. You can’t escape forever.”

“Oh, I don’t plan to. If you’re really so set on getting back to your precious Clave, I’m sure we’ll see each other very soon. Keep in mind, though, when your friends will reject you, that you’ll always have a place right by my side, where you belong.”

Ignoring the jab, Jace shouted over the sounds of the battle, “You really think that I will just let you go like this?!”

He raised his sword, and quickly got rid of the last men standing before his father. Valentine had his own sword at the ready by that point, and he didn’t back down when Jace charged on him.

Jace would’ve liked to, but didn’t have the confidence that he’d be able to defeat his father. He was the one who had taught him how to fight, after all, and the way Valentine always anticipated his every move, so much so that he had the time to constantly throw him advice, was way beyond frustrating.

Jace just needed to distract him long enough to keep him from getting out before the Clave reached them. Still, the fact that Valentine didn’t try to stop him from engaging him was way too suspicious, showing that his father had very few concerns not to make it out. Jace gritted his teeth.

“You’re still too slow to cover your left side, son,” he kept nagging at him, smiling. “Think of what you could do, if you just applied yourself more!”

“Valentine Morgenstern!” a shout finally came. “By order of the Clave, you’re under arrest!”

It was the voice of Mr. Aldertree, and Jace could finally see him in the face. But he didn’t bother focusing on it for too long, because beside him there was Alec. Jace’s heart gave a pang, and their bond quietly locked into place, strengthening, boosting Jace with new confidence.

Izzy by his side snapping menacingly her whip, Alec had his bow drawn on Valentine, and eyes darker than Jace’d ever seen on him. “Not one move. Slowly drop to your knees with your hands on your head, or I’ll make you,” he literally growled. Jace felt a shiver of pride run down his spine.

But Valentine was quicker. He jumped off the side of the ship towards the portal hanging above the water, before everyone could even take a breath. Alec’s arrow flew right past him…just as Jace felt a force drag him backwards.

Before jumping, Valentine had grabbed him by the back of his jacket, and he was now pulling Jace along with him.

And Jace was falling, pushed over the edge by the only father he’d ever known. The one thing he could focus on, however, amidst the blur of figures shouting on the deck, was Alec’s horrified look as he watched the scene unfold.

Jace didn’t know if he’d ever be able to see him again.

I’m sorry…my love.

Jace was about to close his eyes, and brace himself for what would await him at the other end of the portal, when Alec started running at full speed towards him. A yell was stuck in Jace’s throat, as Alec dived and managed to grab him by the foot. Jace felt Valentine’s grip leave him as his fall wasn’t halted, but by that point the momentum was too strong, Alec was leaning too much outside the edge…and their combined weight could only bring them down.

Everything had happened in no more than a few seconds, and even less passed before darkness engulfed Jace. Suddenly blind, his back hit a hard ground with a force that pushed all the air out his lungs. He was still gasping when Alec’s heavy form fell on him right after.

Not wasting any time to recover, but rather ignoring the sharp pain sparking in his body, Jace pushed Alec away from him.

“What did you just do?!” he shouted. For how loud he was, the sound barely filled the space they were in.

And the only other sound was their heavy breaths, before Alec shouted back, “Why the hell didn’t you think of a destination?!”

“I was too busy worrying over you jumping after me, you moron! Now we’re both dead, stuck in limbo forever!”

“Well, I’m sorry!”

After a beat of absolute, unnatural silence, Jace’s hands started feeling the dark space in front of him until they found Alec…and he sprung forward, circling his arms around Alec, their bodies crushing together as if they’d starve out if they didn’t. Sounds were coming out of them, desperate, soothing, incomprehensible noises of regret and relief murmured against skins and souls that had been parted for too long, always too long.

Jace had wanted nothing more, needed nothing else than the only other being that in his entire life had ever come close to bring him true, untainted happiness. Alec, his Alec, his soul, his love, his sin, his salvation. The way they held each other's broken pieces in that moment was everything that Valentine’s looming rhetoric would never understand, could never touch.

He’s wrong, he’s wrong, he’s wrong.

Because none of Valentine’s teaching methods to make Jace stronger could ever compare to one word said to him with the rawest, most unbridled sentiment by the rightest, most genuine person.

“Parabatai,” Alec whispered hoarsely, reverently, gazing into Jace’s eyes – as they were lighted by the glow of their combined runes – like a blind man seeing for the first time.

Only that could make Jace feel like he’d be able to face everything and everyone who’d ever dare cross his path.

Jace wanted many things in that moment, and cared very little about anything else beside the wish to lose himself into Alec, Alec’s lips, Alec’s heart whose every beat seemed to echo into Jace’s own, Alec’s soul that pulsed next to Jace’s, finally back to its rightful place. It was only his mindfulness of what they had decided together that kept Jace from doing exactly that, and he instead resorted to only press his forehead against Alec’s, breathing in the air coming out of Alec’s lungs. (Jace hadn’t thought there’d be air in limbo, but he was grateful for it).

“Parabatai,” he whispered back, a prayer on his tongue.

Alec closed his eyes as if to better take in the sound of the word, and everything was still and quiet as Jace kept watching him, mapping him to mind.

“I’m sorry,” came Alec’s strained voice in the end. “I didn’t want to be separated from you again, so I just–”

“I know. It’s okay.”

“And I’m sorry for my stint of yesterday…I hadn’t meant for that to happen, and I shouldn’t have just run off like that when I was on the ship. Did–” Alec swallowed. “What did Valentine do to you?”

Jace’s thumb caressed Alec’s cheek. “Don’t worry about it, it wasn’t your fault. It was kinda cool, actually, finding myself in your body.” He smirked.

Alec rolled his eyes before lowering them. One of his hands was playing with Jace's fingers, as if he needed the reminder that he was really there. “So, what do we do now? We’re stuck.”

“You know we’re not. We can create a portal.”

“Do you think it’ll work here?”

“Only one way to find out. And I’d rather not die in utter darkness.”

That non-place didn’t seem feasible for a long stay.

“Me neither,” Alec said. “But to do it, we need to…”

“I know.”

Alec looked at him, and Jace felt suddenly shy. On one hand, even though he knew this would set them back way too many steps, he couldn’t help but feel the thrill of anticipation; on the other, the fact that Alec would probably not want it, now that he had a new boyfriend and all – their runes glowing was just an aftereffect of their closeness at this point, nothing more, right? – made it all just desperate on his side. A one last taste of what he couldn’t have.

Alec was still the one to look at Jace’s lips first, his own slightly parted…before he cleared his throat to speak, “First, we need to figure out a plan. We should say the portal brought us somewhere in New York, far enough from the Institute that it would justify us arriving late. Who knows how much time is passing over there right now…what do you think?”

“Long Island?” Jace suggested. “It’s as good a place as any, and one you could easily come up with.”

“Okay.” Alec paused, before adding hesitantly, “Jace, you know that when we get to the Institute they’ll arrest you, right?”

Jace nodded morosely.

“But they can’t not give you a fair trial, it’s just not protocol…plus, I pretended that you sent me a message telling me about the ship’s location, and since it turned out not to be a trap, they might be more inclined in your favor. So, I’m sure you’ll be fine in no time.”

“Alec, I–” Jace shook his head. “I’m not so sure about it.”

“What do you mean? You’re not on Valentine’s side, they can’t not realize it.”

“Yes, but I mean…listen, I know Valentine is crazy and what he’s doing is truly terrible, but–” That wasn’t something he would ever want to admit to law-abiding Alec, but the risk was too high. Jace sighed. “He does have some points. The Clave is old, prejudiced, and it’s not doing the job it should be doing. I can’t – I don’t trust the Clave, and to them it’ll sound as if I side with Valentine no matter how I explain it. They’ll prosecute me. And I can’t lie if they use the Soul Sword on me.”

Alec bit his lower lip. “Then you’ll have to stress how wrong you think Valentine is, and that you’d never do what he’s doing! Please, Jace, you’re not a criminal, you’re not a bad person. The Clave will see it too.”

“Alec, I don’t think they’ll care if I’m a ‘good person’. Not trusting the Clave is capital crime. And just think of everything that could go wrong! If I touch the Sword, do you realize what else could come out?”

Have you ever broken the Law? they could ask. Yes, he’d have to answer. What crime?

Eros.

The word seemed to hang in the darkness all around them, spelled by the glow of their runes.

“Then you must take it,” Alec broke the heavy silence.

Jace had come to that conclusion, too.

Years earlier, Catarina had come up with a failsafe for them. A little black pill containing a spell; if they happened to be under suspicion without there being proof, they only needed to ingest it and it’d suck in all their memories of their affair, all the knowledge that they’d ever committed that crime. The memories not being in the brain anymore, but in a capsule stuck in their stomach, they could pass the trial without revealing anything…since it wouldn’t register as a lie to the Soul Sword. Then, to reverse the process, only a kiss would be needed; it’d trigger their powers like it often did, and the pill would be activated again to give back the memories.

They had tried it only once, in turn, to make sure it worked, and it had been surreal…two whole minutes in which Jace had looked at Alec, and then Alec had looked at Jace, and they hadn’t remembered having ever kissed each other. And when Alec had approached him and kissed him out of the blue, Jace had felt shocked, if thrilled, before his memories had come back...and he had returned the kiss with doubled fervor in the hopes that he’d never have to forget it again.

The time had come, instead. It wasn’t the worst-case scenario, one when they both had to take the pill; if that ever happened, only if the them-without-memories acted on their feelings and kissed each other again, they would ever remember. Knowing that for them to kiss the first time had taken the most favorable – or unfavorable – circumstances, they were both aware that the chances of that happening would be impossibly slim. They were both too stubborn and emotionally stunted that even when they were together they had had trouble expressing their feelings…it’d take a miracle for them to get together again.

Compared to that, this was nothing. Alec would keep his memories and he’d know to kiss Jace, once – if – he managed to pass his trial. Right?

A sudden thought occurred to Jace. “I’ll do it, but…Alec, I’m telling you now, you need to promise me that you won’t let me live forever without memories of our times together.” Judging by the guilty look on Alec’s face, Jace had been right to doubt his intentions. “I swear, if you don’t do that, you’d be betraying me, you get that?! Every time you’d look at me, obliviously being your parabatai, you’d be doing exactly what I didn’t want, and if I could remember, I’d hate you for it! Please, promise me. You must give me my memories back, I don’t care what bullshit noble reasons you might be thinking of right now. I won’t touch you ever again, I won’t ask you to get back together…just, let me remember the best moments of my life.”

“It was just a thought, Jace. You really think I’d be able to live alongside a you who does not remember us? I’m entirely too selfish for that,” Alec chuckled. “I never want you not to love me.”

“I’d still love you even without my memories, and you know that,” Jace put in stubbornly.

Alec smiled. He took both of Jace’s hands in between his own. “I swear on our parabatai bond, I’ll give you your memories back.”

Jace just had to hug Alec then, savoring the precious moment of being in Alec’s arms, until he was still whole. “Thank you,” he whispered against the crook of Alec’s neck, before allowing himself to place a kiss there. He had kinda earned it, after all, right? He felt Alec shiver and tighten his hold on him.

It was time, but Jace didn’t want to let go just yet. Ironically, the non-place that was the limbo was giving them a moment of absolute privacy that they couldn’t have anywhere else, and who knows how long it’d be before they could be side by side again. No matter their precaution, Jace didn’t know if he’d manage to convince the Clave of his innocence.

They both needed to believe that he’d make it, though, so he chose to not bring that up.

“I don’t know how to thank you for coming to rescue me,” Jace said instead, his voice cracking in some places, “and for, for not giving up on me.”

Jace didn’t want to think of all the reasons why Alec should’ve given up on him in that moment, because Alec’s eyes were shining so bright in their bubble of light amidst the darkness, before he said on an exhale, “Never.”

And they were kissing, a sigh of joy starting right from somewhere inside of Jace.

Every time their lips met, no matter how much time had passed in between, felt like they were starting a conversation never ended. And right then, they were truly the only two people in existence. Closing his eyes, Jace could feel nothing but Alec, and his lips already ached from the knowledge that this would likely – almost, quite – never happen again. Fate was especially cruel on them; after all the times they’d tried to move on, they were still brought back together once again for a new separation only worse than the one before.

Thus, Jace put everything of himself into that kiss, trying to convey everything he’d have to forget, and he reveled in the fact that Alec seemed just as desperate as him, as he held him in his arms and opened his mouth to deepen the kiss. The glow of their joined hands had grown ten-folds before they finally broke apart with a gasp and trembling lips. Not wasting any more time, they raised their hands and projected the strengthened energy to the side, where a portal immediately appeared.

Jace was about to step into it, but Alec surprised him by crushing their lips together one last time. They were both breathing hard afterward, so Jace was glad when Alec took his hand and entered the portal side by side with him.

Landing back on Earth felt disorienting for a whole few minutes; everything was so damn loud and bright. Their hands broke their hold and they took a few steps apart to let their runes turn back to black. They were a few blocks away from the Institute, and soon they started walking in silence. No reason to add to the noise, especially when everything they could talk about was too complex for a walk in the street. Jace could feel Alec itching to know everything that had happened to him on Valentine’s ship, while Jace was himself curious to know what the hell was going on with the Institute’s chain of command. Instead, they simply enjoyed each other’s presence and the steady hum of their bond that flowed, unclouded, between them. Jace hoped that being able to feel it again would be enough to let him get through what awaited him.

When the Institute was in sight, Jace summoned the pill from the place inside of his room where he always kept it. (He’d dread to know what the Clave would do to both of them if it got out that they could pierce the Institute’s magical shields).

After one last lingering look at Alec, he had no other choice but to swallow it.

Watching Jace swallow the pill, this time not a test run, caused such a jumble of emotions to spring in Alec that he felt like he could be sick any minute. But especially when, as soon as it was down, Jace started blinking hard and looking around with a startled look on his face, before settling on Alec.

“Alec! Why the hell did you jump after me?! We could’ve ended up in limbo if we weren’t quick enough to think of a destination!”

If it weren’t such a terrible situation, the incredible power of that spell would be worth to marvel at. Jace’s entire brain had reshaped itself around the missing parts…

No, it was too terrible to think about to be awed by it. Alec swallowed down his bile. “I’m sorry. I just – I didn’t want to be separated from you again.” He could never lie about that.

Jace looked at him softly, which wasn’t that different from those times, so Alec managed to calm down enough at the reminder that Jace’s feelings were still the same, to not freak out when Jace crushed him into a hug. Instead, he returned it with just as much need.

“How – how did you find the ship? It was shielded so well,” Jace said after breaking apart.

The situation still strangled Alec’s heart as if a snake was coiling tightly around it. “I – Magnus managed to track it. He said he knows how the magic of the warlock Valentine used works.”

Jace nodded at Alec’s words. “Dot. Makes sense.”

They both fell into silence as they looked at the Institute behind them.

Alec would’ve preferred finding a better explanation, to not be reminded of Magnus. But, after all, he told himself, the situation had been dire, and kissing Jace had been the only way to power parabatai magic enough to create a portal or, later, to let him have his memories back…it didn’t count as cheating, right? Plus, him and Magnus hadn’t technically defined their relationship yet. It was nothing, and Magnus didn’t need to know.

And all that mattered right then was making sure Jace was safe.

Alec impulsively grabbed Jace by the arm. “Listen, Jace. As soon as we get inside they’ll arrest you, and I just want to tell you that I know you’ll get out. I know you, I know your heart, and your soul, and they will have to see the goodness in you. Just hold on, okay? And remember that I believe in you.”

Jace listened to him with wide eyes, and Alec hated to think that he probably didn’t know just how much he loved him. The Alec in Jace’s warped mind had probably never declared or been too out-front about his feelings, and the real Alec knew how much his Jace had had problems feeling loved, so imagine this one!

But before either of them could add anything else, the guards doing the rounds outside the Institute noticed them.

Letting them take Jace away felt like tearing his own arms out one by one. It felt like a betrayal. Was he wrong to trust in the Clave’s fairness? Should he have tried to find another solution? Should they have gone away, instead of coming back? He more than anyone should know by now how cold the arms of the Law could be…but they had both decided a long time ago that they’d do everything to keep their lives and family together before resorting to the worst. This was what Jace had wanted, right?

The question hung at the back of his mind all night. Only the steady presence of their bond, which told him Jace was sad but he wasn’t hurt, let him sleep enough to be functional the next day, and to keep his cool until he knew what was to be Jace’s fate. Jace, after all, might not believe that he could make it out, but Alec had the utmost faith in him, he would also never lie about that. That didn’t prevent him from designing an escape plan, yes…if worst came to worst, he’d ravage the City of Bones and leave the Shadow world with Jace without looking back…but first he’d believe everything would be fine.

“Aldertree is miffed with you for jumping after Jace,” Isabelle gave him a heads-up the next morning. “But he can’t really do anything about it since being parabatai does still mean something to the Clave.”

“Good.” Alec nodded to his sister. “What happened on the ship after that?”

“Valentine might’ve escaped, but his army has considerably dwindled down, either dead or captured. And even if he has more people elsewhere, it might be a good guess that he’ll regroup first. Leaves us more time to find him.”

Alec returned Izzy’s grin. “Well then, I think I’ll go–”

“See Jace? I don’t think it’s a good idea to attract more attention on you two and your bond.”

Alec would’ve sighed and agreed with Izzy, if her uncharacteristically bitter tone hadn’t struck him as unusual. He turned around to take a better look at her. She tried a casual smile at him, but he could feel something was wrong.

“Is…everything okay, Iz?”

She pursed her lips. “Why wouldn’t there be?”

“Come on, I can tell when you’re holding something in. Spill.”

She averted her eyes for a moment, before looking back at him with unmasked irritation. “Why should I? It’s not like you ever tell me anything.”

Alec paused, the force in that statement taking him aback. “Is…is this about me and–”

“No shit, Alec. It’s not like we have any other life-threatening things going on in our family.”

“Life...wait,” Alec grabbed Izzy by the arm and quickly led her to a more deserted corridor. “Life-threatening?!”

Izzy huffed. “Don’t tell me you don’t know that you’re breaking the damn…”

“Shhh, lower your voice!”

“…Law.”

“And since when do you care about the Law, if I may know?”

“Since I was almost convicted!”

They glared at each other. Alec gritted his teeth before opening his mouth, “We’re not…breaking the Law anymore. Or we’re trying not to.”

Izzy shrugged. “Cool, but again it’s not like I know what goes on between you two. First you are at each other’s throat and you kiss someone else, then you completely freak out without him and jump after him to who knows where…you must admit it’s hard to keep up.”

“Iz.” Ignoring his sudden shame, Alec waited for her to meet his eyes. “You know why we can’t tell you anything. What is this really about?”

She lowered her eyes again, crossing her arms, and Alec realized that her tacit support throughout the years might’ve cost her more struggle than he had ever thought. Not talking to her about their forbidden relationship had always seemed like the wisest way to go...but he had never held into consideration what she might think of it.

“I just – I’m scared,” Izzy admitted then, and Alec’s heart sank. “For both of you. All these years I always waited for the moment you were found out, when they’d take you away from me. I – I didn’t want to be that person and tell you what to do, but…” She shrugged again. “It’s not that I don’t love Jace, but I don’t want to lose you just for…” She bit her lip. “You’re my family and I–”

“You won’t,” Alec interrupted her, pulling her into a hug. “You won’t lose me, I promise. We know it’s too risky, for all of us. It’s – we’re done, we won’t be that reckless again.”

Izzy finally returned the hug, wrapping her arms tightly around him, and she nodded against his chest, sniffling a bit.

Now more than ever, Alec knew him and Jace had made the right decision. That didn’t mean that his heart – his soul – wouldn’t bleed for as long as he lived…but that was the only way.

“Jace will be out of there soon enough, right?” Izzy asked him after breaking apart, careful not to smudge her make-up as she rubbed at her eyes.

“Yes, he will,” he told her firmly. There was no other possible outcome…none at all.

The next hours went by painfully slowly, punctuated only by an encounter with Magnus, who had come by to make sure he was alright, during which Alec realized sooner was a better time than never to quick-start their relationship. As soon as he went on that damn first date with Magnus, he could say he was actively moving on.

As it turned out, however, the agonizing, depressing slowness of the wait would’ve been preferable to what came next. Anything would’ve been preferable to being possessed by a demon that made him the killer of Clary’s – Jace’s – mother, and that almost got him killed by the hands of his own little sister.

At the end of the day, Jace coming back from the City of Bones couldn’t even bring the joy that it’d deserve…and that fact was only more depressing. As he carried Izzy to the infirmary, Alec could barely wrap his mind around the fact that, knowing what he had done, he’d have to talkto Jace eventually…how could he kiss him?

Should he kiss him? After hearing of Izzy’s fear, maybe letting their relationship be forgotten, forever, would be an even better course of action. He could take the pill, too, and it’d truly be over.

Every time you’d look at me, obliviously being your parabatai, you’d be doing exactly what I didn’t want, and if I could remember, I’d hate you for it!

Jace’s words stung, but Jace had told him it’d be a betrayal only if he was the only one without memories…both of them wouldn’t count, right?

Alec chuckled bitterly to himself, as he started wandering the corridors aimlessly…because he knew he was bullshitting himself. It’d be the worstkind of betrayal he could ever do, and not only to Jace. He knew that he’d never be able to let it all be forgotten, because just the thought was making him choked up. He could never erase from existence, not even for Izzy, what had filled his life the most, the best. Just as he had told Jace, he was entirely too selfish for that, and he felt dirty having even thought of it.

His feet had brought him in front of Jace’s room. Alec’s hands still reeked of blood, either way. He’d go in there, surprise-kiss Jace before he could overthink it, let him have a moment to remember it all, and he’d get out of there. After all, Jace would hardly want to see a…killer like him, for more than was necessary.

Seeing Jace stare outside of his window, still in his bloody and dirty clothes, hit Alec more than he would’ve thought, and he knew he couldn’t just leave him. Jace only gave him a glance when he heard him enter, before averting his eyes again.

“Is Izzy okay?” Jace asked him in a monotone.

“She will be,” Alec replied, suddenly nervous.

“How are you?”

That question took him completely by surprise. “How am I?” he burst out, almost scandalized. “How are you, you mean?”

“I’m fine. I got out, right?” Still monotone.

Alec was about to protest…but first he had to fix something. Setting any embarrassment aside, he strode over to Jace, who looked up at him with a start once he saw how close he was. Alec didn’t let him question it. “Just…don’t freak out, okay?”

Jace was still puzzled, but at least he trusted him enough not to flinch back when Alec grabbed his face and kissed him right on the mouth. He could feel Jace’s shock in the curve of his lips, but Alec could’ve sworn he had started easing into it – and he didn’t know why that surprised him, since he knew the spell didn’t erase feelings – before Jace suddenly froze and let out a groan of pain. Alec held him to his chest as he trembled through the process, his entire brain being refilled with too much all at once…then he finally relaxed. When he looked up at him, Alec realized just how much it had been different before. Jace had still been the same person, but the other Jace had been so painfully closed-up in comparison. No more than a day, and Alec had already missed this Jace – who looked at him as if he had just hung the moon for him - more than he could ever say.

That was why he let Jace kiss him one last – last, last, last – time, a self-indulgence that’d cost a lingering presence on his lips even harder to let go of, before Alec forced himself to break apart. Not too far away, because Jace was still wincing.

He was still holding him when Jace finally spoke, rather breathlessly. “Thank you. ‘Don’t freak out’, really?”

They both chuckled lightly. But the mood wasn’t of the best, so they stopped soon enough, until only silence was left. It was Jace the one to take a step back first, averting his eyes.

Alec cleared his throat. “Just, could you tell me what happened at the City of Bones, please? Then I swear I’ll go.”

“Why – why are you going? You don’t have to.”

Alec frowned. “I thought, you might not want...to be near me right now.”

“Why wouldn’t I? I waited all day to come back here…to you…and I should be allowed to be near my parabatai, right?”

Jace seemed genuinely baffled by Alec’s reticence, and Alec didn’t understand why, since he thought he had been told what had happened. “Jace, I – I was the one to kill…”

“Wait, are you really talking about that? Alec, that wasn’t your fault, that was the demon.”

Of course, Jace would be one not to blame Alec for his actions under possession. Suddenly, that wasn’t something Alec could stand. “Still, it’s Clary’s mother…your mother! How can you look at me and not see…” Alec stared down at his own hands, where he could only see red, even though he had cleaned all of it up. “Please, just tell me if you’re alright or if something happened at the City of Bones, and I’ll go.”

But his plea was followed only by silence, and Alec took that as his leave. “I’ll just go, then.”

He was half-way to the door before a shout stopped him. “Alec, wait! I just – I know that so much has happened and we should talk about it, but everything’s such a damn mess, and I swear my head is going to explode if I…and I just want…please, don’t leave me right now.”

After staring at his feet for a long moment, Alec backtracked all the way to pull Jace into a hug. His body sighing into it, the bond seemed to thank him. “Of course. I’m here, whatever you need,” he whispered into Jace’s ear.

They ended up just getting into bed, after Jace took a shower and Alec retrieved some night clothes from the closet. Some were his anyway.

The softness of the mattress felt heavenly after everything they’d been through. They laid facing each other, carefully apart, but it didn’t matter that much given that they were still together. Alec would take this over anything else.

Understandably, they both had trouble sleeping. Alec didn’t fall asleep at all, while Jace woke up after a while completely restless. Seeing Alec by his side seemed to calm him a little, but it also made him nervous…until he just exploded.

“I’m sorry, Alec,” he said brokenly, before unsuccessfully trying to rein in the tears.

Alec caught him in his arms. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. Why are you sorry?”

“Valentine, he – he experimented on me, when I was a baby. I have demon blood, Alec.”

Alec’s gut twisted painfully as he searched Jace’s face for an explanation, and what he found there made him only hold Jace harder. “Jace, it’s o–”

“If I had known,” Jace interrupted him, “I would’ve never made you enter a parabatai bond with me. Who knows how much it’s been corrupted by me and…what if our powers are because of–”

“Hey, no, stop, Jace,” Alec held Jace’s face in between his hands. “Baby, stop.” He had not called Jace like that in so long, but the word still rolled on his tongue as if it belonged there. “We have been in this bond for a long ass time, I think I would’ve noticed if it did anything wrong to it. And even if, honestly, Jace, I don’t care. I mean, it’s horrible the things Valentine would do, and did, to his own family…but you’re still you, and I know you. You’re the best person I know, actually.”

He wiped the tears from Jace’s face, before kissing his forehead. Jace looked at him. “Like you’re the best person I know, demon possession or not?”

Alec huffed. He hated when Jace turned his own logic against him…but he still had to give in, chuckling, almost feeling like tearing up himself, when Jace hugged him back, kissing his cheek.

“Maybe two demons could make an angel?” Jace whispered with a broken kind of hope, but that sounded so ridiculous that Alec started laughing instead, quickly followed by Jace himself.

Then Alec just had to press another kiss on Jace’s face, his nose this time, before they both buried their faces against each other’s necks to try and calm down their unrelenting hysteric fit of laughter-crying.

At least, they weren’t kissing each other on the mouth, and that was an improvement, right? They weren’t doing anything wrong, and Alec thought he could live like this. He didn’t need to kiss Jace to love him, after all, and all that mattered was having him back.

#shadowhunters #jalec #jalec fic #my writing #strangers au #i will follow you into the dark #my fic

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cheri-translates · 4 years

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[CN] Company Upgrade Dates (Eng Translation)

🍒This post contains detailed spoilers for dates unreleased in English servers!🍒

I accidentally skipped the first set of Season 2 dates, the “Company Upgrade” Collection, thinking they were just Rumours & Secrets:

These dates are important as a starting point for future S2 dates! They are mostly in bullet-point form, but all plot points and important dialogue are covered ❤️

⚡️ Shaw’s Way Home Date (归路之约) ⚡️

MC arrives at Loveland City airport after a business trip and receives a text from Shaw stating that he’d be picking her up

(even though she didn’t give him any details of her flight)

He appears, in all his glory, on a skateboard

Shaw picks up her luggage and also shows genuine concern for her work and how tired she looks

MC: I can carry it myself.

As soon as I stretch out my hand, Shaw spins the luggage around in a circle so I can’t reach it.

Shaw: If you carry it yourself, I wouldn’t have any purpose for coming here.

DELICIOUS BANTER

MC: Oh right, why did you think of picking me up?

Shaw: It was along on the way. Or I did it on a whim. Whatever reason you like.

MC: ...

Even after a week of not seeing him, this brat’s words are still as annoying.

MORE DELICIOUS BANTER

MC: Don’t you have class in the afternoon today?

Shaw: There’s class, but I skipped it.

MC: It’s not good to skip classes.

Shaw: It isn’t good, so I informed the teacher beforehand.

MC: Eh? What did you say?

Shaw: I said that I hadn’t seen my girlfriend in a month, so I want to pick her up.

MC: What...!?

Hearing this, my heartbeat goes into a frenzy.

Shaw: You really believed me?

Shaw asks MC to cook him dinner as thanks for travelling the great distance to pick her up

They return home by subway, but it’s incredibly packed

Shaw pulls her to a corner

My back leans against the wall of the train carriage. Standing in front of me, Shaw places a hand on the wall beside me, separate me from the crowd.

MC: What are you doing?

Shaw: Can’t you see?

He lifts his other hand and places it onto the wall of the train carriage, encircling me with this pose, which is reminiscent of a hug. He creates an empty corner in the crowded train.

She falls asleep, and he holds onto her shoulders so she doesn’t sway

Shaw: Hey. We’re going to miss the stop. If you don’t wake up soon, I’ll have to carry you back.

MC: !!

After they leave the train:

MC: I didn’t think I’d actually fall asleep.

I turn and sneak a glance at Shaw’s side profile. He senses my gaze and meets my eyes.

Shaw: Not only that. You even drooled.

MC: N-no way...

I hurriedly look at his shoulders, but can’t see any traces of dampness. I let out a huge sigh of relief.

MC: Is it very fun to lie to me?

Shaw: It’s your fault for having such interesting reactions.

At home, Shaw wolfs down her cooking. It turns out he was busy and didn’t have lunch T^T

He even helps tidy and wash the dishes for her

Afterwards, she finds him in the balcony and asks what he has been busy with

Shaw brushes them off as “unimportant things”

MC suddenly says she wants to hear him play the bass

Shaw re-enters the house and brings out an erhu instead (since MC doesn’t have a bass)

Shaw makes the erhu play her name and a “you are stupid”

MC: Why are you scolding me?

I suddenly feel a little gloomy, but he continues playing a few notes. Even though my mind hasn’t figured it out yet, my heart beat speeds up.

Shaw: Do you understand?

Shaw puts down the musical instrument and crosses the handrail over to me.

The dim light from behind the curtains is reflected in his eyes, as though filled with unwavering momentum.

Shaw: You have a really slow reaction.

Accompanying his ridicule, what enters my ears is the rumble of thunder from the clear sky.

Shaw straightens up, and his corners of his mouth hook upwards.

Shaw: It’s going to rain.

Shaw’s Call: here

🌻 Kiro’s Show Date (戏中之约) 🌻

This date basically shows how MC and Kiro share a very light-hearted relationship, where he likes teasing her

MC is at the scene of Kiro’s filming location, and comments on how realistic the effects are

Kiro is filming a gunfight, and the atmosphere is very tense

The famous Kiro Pointing A Gun At Himself™ scene occurs as part of the filming

Kiro: Since we can only pick between one of us, take my life, and you’ll be safe. It’s nothing worth being surprised over. There’s only one person who I’m willing to exchange my life for. So, tell me your answer.

There is mockery and paranoia in his eyes, but not a trace of fear.

It’s as though he already knows the other party’s choice... even if his bet is wrong, he will continue enjoying this game.

Even if death is what awaits him at the end.

Director: OK, cut!

Kiro’s seamless performance garners applause from the audience

After that, Kiro and MC head to an open air restaurant

Kiro what choice MC would make if she were the protagonist of the show and one of them has to die

MC: I’ll change the script, so the both of us can live.

Kiro keeps teasing her e.g. eating her half-eaten biscuit

She suddenly hears a loud sound, and she grabs Kiro’s hand

There are a series of explosions below as part of the special effects from the filming site

Kiro: Even though almost everything you saw today was artificial, you can remember the me of right now. The me in front of you is the real me.

I turn back to Kiro, who looks at me at the same time. His fingers are on the back of my hand. The temperature and touch are extremely real.

And the memories belonging to us will always remain in this real moment.

Kiro’s Call: here

🌹 Victor’s Secret Date (隐秘之约) 🌹

MC wakes up and finds herself in an unknown underground facility. From the unknown voices in the beginning, it’s clear she wasn’t the target of the kidnap

Victor is with her too, and they briefly go through what happened beforehand: MC and Victor were on their way to the carpark at around 7pm after going through a report

The doors aren’t locked, and they aren’t tied up

Victor: I’ll give you five minutes to adjust your state of mind.

His sentence, which came out of nowhere, startles me slightly.

Looking at his expressionless face, I suddenly realise something and laugh.

Victor: What are you laughing at?

MC: Are you... concerned about me?

Victor: ...instead of asking unrelated questions, spend your time on something useful. You still have 4 minutes and 8 seconds.

Victor gets her to check the area right outside the door. When she returns, Victor tells her to stay close to him, and grabs on to her

He reveals that he can no longer see

Despite his temporary blindness, he’s very calm

He speculates that the reason why they’re here is to keep Victor away from an auction taking place the day after they got kidnapped (which is the present moment)

Victor hands her his cuffs, which are actually electronic transceivers

MC: Boss, actually... you can give me a direct order to bring you out of here. This place looks like an abandoned experiment site, so...

I leave the remaining speculations in my heart. The people who threw us here... did they do it just to prevent Victor from participating in the auction?

We’re surrounded by darkness. I hold the electronic transceiver to find the exit.

Victor follows behind me, sometimes pointing out the correct direction.

MC: Victor, are you sure you really can’t see? Is this just a test for me...

Victor: ...you’re the one who is testing me. Do you want to get hit and become even more stupid?

He gently pulls me to his side, preventing me from turning around and hitting the wall in front.

Victor: After walking for such a long time, you still don’t know the approximate distance?

MC: Right now, I think you might be able to make it in time for the auction.

Victor: Being optimistic is good, but...

Suddenly, they hear someone walking around and shouting extremely loudly

Victor uses his palms to cover MC’s ears <3

MC musters her courage, stops herself from trembling, and finds a place for them to hide

Right now, there’s no time to figure out who this person is. No matter what, I can’t let Victor get hurt here.

I promised him once before.

The sound of the footsteps eventually disappear

MC: You weren’t worried that I’d accidentally bring us to that insane person?

Pulling Victor into a dark corner, I do my best to adjust my breathing, and force my voice not to tremble.

Victor: Since I said that I’d trust you, I wouldn’t doubt you.

Victor guesses that the people who brought them here aren’t out for their lives, or they wouldn’t be allowed to roam freely

MC then wonders why they had to blind Victor, and points out that the man just now seemed deranged. She guesses that it’s a result of simply being in the underground facility. Someone wanted him to know about the existence of the facility, but not give further details

MC: I have a question, but I’m not sure if I should bring it up.

Victor: There will be Arab merchants bringing new reagents to the auction. They contain certain special elements.

MC: I haven’t even asked.

Victor: Was my answer wrong?

I smile secretly, lowering my eyes to look at our overlapping hands.

MC: You answered wrongly. I wanted to say that even the dignified CEO of LFG can get kidnapped in such a confusing manner, and even get his eyes hurt.

Victor: If you want to obtain a precious prey, you need to prepare a cherished bait.

MC: Could it be...

Victor: That auction is also a bait.

At 7pm, there’s a signal from the electronic transceiver, and they leave the underground facility

Security reaches the scene, and Goldman comes rushing over

Victor sends a few men to the facility to investigate

Victor asks MC to follow him, and it’s clear that he doesn’t want anyone to know of his temporary blindness

MC watches as Victor successfully clips on his seatbelt:

Victor: I’m able to feel it.

MC: ...I wasn’t looking at you!

MC wonders where they’re heading to since they’re late for the auction. Victor tells her that they’re going to a winery

When she looks at the rearview mirror, she sees that the place they were at has caught on fire

MC: Did you already sense that something was amiss with the auction?

Victor: Mm. That Arab merchant is just a guise. Behind him is a private arms organisation. They used the Arab merchant just to gauge the interest level for their reagent.

MC: Didn’t you say it was an auction you needed to attend?

Victor: They just wanted to ensure good faith.

MC: And there’s no need now?

Victor: Now, there is a different way to show my sincerity.

Once they reach the winery, Victor hands MC a gun

Victor: Can I continue trusting you?

MC: You have no other choice.

In the winery, the merchant tries to push the reagent to Victor

Merchant: Does CEO Victor have doubts regarding the efficacy of the medicine? It has already gone through tests, and it can...

Victor: I need to doubt medicine that causes mental breakdowns when injected?

Merchant: ...

Victor: I’m not interested in your medicine. The thing I want is your newly mined ore field. All of it. I don’t need technical staff.

Merchant: CEO Victor’s transaction seems to be overly greedy.

Victor: I’ve said it before - I’m uninterested in your defective products. Apart from LFG, no other company can meet your capital needs.

Merchant: Aren’t you being too confident? The world is pretty big. Maybe the STF can give us similar support.

Victor: In that case, you better ensure your safety and leave Loveland City before obtaining their support. One thing LFG doesn’t lack is business partners. Meeting you personally is enough to express my sincerity.

The transaction is completed

They head to LFG, and Victor tells her to drive back

BRACE YOURSELF FOR A CUTE SCENE:

MC: Victor, I’ll send you upstairs.

Victor: No need.

MC: Your eyes...

Victor: I’ll handle it, don’t worry. You did very well today. I owe you a favour.

Victor doesn’t give me a chance to respond. He opens the car door and heads towards the main entrance of LFG.

I release a secret sigh and hastily leave the car to walk to his side.

MC: That’s the side entrance. The side entrance of LFG doesn’t open at night.

Victor: ...do you know LFG better than I do?

Switching his direction, he walks confidently towards the railing near the main entrance.

I hurriedly grab onto his sleeve in order to make this brave man stop.

The night has softened his cold edges. His shoulders are straight. Ever since what happened with his eyes, he hasn’t uttered a single word of frustration.

Perhaps he’d never say such words.

Sensing my quietness, Victor lets out a soft sigh. He turns his head slightly, then closes his eyes in resignation.

Victor: Since you want to be responsible, take responsibility till the end. Before my day lights up, don’t think of leaving.

Victor’s Call: here

🦋 Lucien’s Bondage Date (束缚之约) 🦋

MC receives a call from the newest member of Black Swan. He proudly proclaims that he has caught a “big fish” who has agreed to provide important information only if MC personally goes to the interrogation room

She receives a photo of the “big fish” - it’s Lucien.

And she knows something is amiss because Lucien isn’t someone who would get caught so easily

When she reaches the interrogation room, Lucien is tied up and injured

Even so...

His smile and posture are not those of a caged prisoner. Instead, it’s as though he’s waiting in the dark for his prey to enter a trap...

A successful hunter.

Lucien: What’s wrong? You’re not happy to see me like this? Just now, someone mentioned that... I’m a surprise prepared for you.

I clench my teeth hard, and exert more strength as I grip the iron cage.

MC: ...are you okay?

Lucien: Are you showing concern for me?

MC: I just want to know what exactly you’re planning.

Lucien: I don’t quite understand Miss MC’s meaning. Shouldn’t you tell me what you’re planing to do with me, since you were the one who made me like this?

MC: You...

MC clarifies that she didn’t know Lucien would be brought here

Lucien keeps toying with her so she snaps

MC: Professor Lucien, I think you can clearly see the situation before you. Right now, you are a “guest” invited by Black Swan. If you want to get out, you have to prove your worth. If you don’t give us something of equivalent value, we won’t let you leave.

Lucien: Equivalent value... you make sense. In that case, what do you want then? Perhaps with more specific questions, I can give you more satisfactory answers.

MC: ...I’m not a student who’s asking you questions!

Lucien: My student would never be so fierce towards me. I’m already like this, and you still don’t believe my sincerity? I’ve thought of a piece of secret information you may be interested in. This matter involves Black Swan and core members of the STF, and it’s a secret I’ve been keeping.

MC: Lucien, are you being serious?

Lucien: It would be revealed sooner of later. Knowing it earlier could be of some help to you. If you want to know, come closer to me.

I freeze involuntarily, casting a glance at the single-sided glass separating us from the surveillance room.

Lucien: As a representative of Black Swan, shouldn’t you show me some good faith if you want the information?

She goes closer to him, but he keeps toying with her e.g. telling her that he’s cold so she should come closer to warm him up. Finally, he speaks.

Lucien: Actually, I have an arrangement with someone in Black Swan.

MC: What you mean by “arrangement”? An agent you planted?

Lucien: If you put it that way, I can't deny it. A person I planned on bringing along with me when I left this place. It’s just that back then, the timing wasn’t ripe yet.

MC: After you left, did you remain in contact with the person who kept you informed about the organisation’s internal affairs?

Lucien: Yes.

MC: ...who is it?

I stare at Lucien, my heart beating rapidly. I can’t tell if my emotions can be called anger or something else.

Lucien’s eyes continue to sparkle. He arches the corners of his mouth, as though in a good mood.

That layer of suppressed anger dissipates, and I suddenly realise something.

MC: ...Lucien, don’t speak nonsense.

Lucien: I never lie. You should know that clearly.

MC: You...

Lucien: That person is a female.

MC knows that every word and action is being watched by the people in the surveillance room

Lucien: We’ve known each other for a long time. After leaving the organisation... she has been the one taking the initiative to look for me most of the time.

MC: Nonsense! You’re just-

Lucien: Of course, I miss her a lot. Perhaps there is a tacit understanding between us. Whenever I miss her, she will appear.

MC: But the relationship between the two of you is simply sharing the benefits of exchanging information, am I right?

Lucien: ...is that so? It sounds like there isn’t a relationship at all. Did you know? Sometimes, feelings are part of a beneficial exchange. Many people simply don’t realise it, and lose out in the process. With this thought in mind, perhaps those people are the ultimate winners.

At this point, the STF barges in. Lucien frees himself from the ropes.

Lucien: I wasn’t speaking nonsense. I do have someone I want to take with me.

I feel a tightening on my wrists and I exclaim in surprise. Both my hands have been gently bound in front of me, bringing with it a silky touch.

Lucien: Now, can I take you away?

MC: ...that’s not possible.

I look him in the eyes. In the darkness, the rotating red lights occasionally flash across his face, looking blurry and dangerous.

MC: I’ve said it before. It’s all right if you choose to walk down another path, because I’ll walk the remaining half of this path on your behalf. I’ll prove to you that the decision we made at the beginning was not wrong.

Lucien ...I got it.

At this moment, I seem to understand the true loneliness in this man’s eyes than ever before. At the same time, I feel as though I’m the person he has lied to the most in the world.

Lucien: In that case, sleep for a while...

Realising what he’s about to do, I try to escape.

Lucien’s palm has already covered my eyes, the warmth reminiscent of a cloud which has been under the sun for a long time.

MC: Lucien... you're lying to me again.

Lucien: What?

MC: You...

His voice trembles in my ear. In my hazy state, I don’t know if I said the words in my heart.

He lied so that I would enter this cold iron cell and warm him up.

But his hands are burning hot, as though the temperature had been stored for a long time, reserving it for the lady who has gotten frozen in order to find him.

MC: Lucien, you don’t... feel cold at all, right?

When MC awakes, she’s at home. She feels an itch on her wrist and sees rope marks

She receives a notification on her phone telling her that the underground interrogation room has been sealed by the STF, but there aren’t any traces left of what happened yesterday

The interrogation materials have also been wiped

The doorbell rings, and it’s Lucien

MC: Are you Mr Advisor, or Professor Lucien?

Lucien: Right now, I’m just a neighbour who is inviting you for dinner. Will you do me the honour?

MC: Mm... I happen to be a little hungry.

Lucien smiles. When he takes my hand, his eyes fall on the ribbon tied to my wrist.

Lucien: Is this... a new ornament?

...oh no, I forgot to take it off last night.

Looking at his expression, which clearly shows that he knows what’s going on, I nod and pretend nothing happened.

MC: Even I don’t know where it came from. Come to think of it, could it have been you?

I ask Lucien, lifting my head while changing my shoes at the entrance.

He smiles, his warm fingertips gliding across my wrist. He chuckles lightly while unravelling the delicate knot.

Lucien: Next time, I’ll tie it a little more tightly.

Lucien’s Call: here

💔 Gavin’s Stray Date (迷途之约) 💔

MC is in a hut on a cliff by the sea looking for someone

She spots a familiar figure 👀

She tries to sneak away because she doesn’t want trouble, but the wind lifts her off the ground and brings her over to Gavin

Gavin: Care to explain?

Gavin lifts his head and arches his brows slightly. Both hands are crossed in front of his chest as he watches me hover in the air.

MC: I... was just preparing for a future photoshoot.

While he tries to catch her in a lie, he uses his Evol to gradually make her hover above the ocean...

MC: You... this is against the rules!

Gavin: I’ve always used my own methods to resolve issues.

MC tries to suppress her trembling, and reaches out to maintain her balance. She then realises that the air currents around her are controlled very well to ensure she doesn’t fall - Gavin is just trying to scare her

She calms down and relaxes her posture, even smiling at him

Gavin: [sighs] You’re not afraid?

He closes his eyes and sighs softly, bringing me closer to the cliff. He still doesn’t put me down.

MC: I said it before - I’m not afraid of you. So, you can’t scare me.

Gavin: What relation do you have with that person?

MC: Does STF’s mission have something to do with that person?

Gavin: This has nothing to do with you.

MC: In that case, my answer also has nothing to do with you.

His fingertips tremble and he looks straight at me. I sit on the air current and clench my fists, staring back at him.

MC: Gavin, I also have things I want to use my own methods to resolve. He has taken something he shouldn’t have. I’m not sure about the rest of it, and I don’t want to know.

The strength of the air current gradually becomes weaker. I try to maintain my balance, but Gavin suddenly holds me gently.

With one hand, he grabs my wrist. With the other, he brushes my back so I can stand on the ground steadily.

He must have stood here for a long time - he smells of the ocean breeze.

Gavin takes half a step back. This wordless hug was so brief that it almost feels like a hallucination.

Gavin: He has always been on the STF’s wanted list. For three years.

A few days later, MC uses intelligence from the STF to look for the man

Under the cover of the sprinkler system of the hotel, she looks for the USB drive in the man’s room

Gavin suddenly breaks the window and enters the room

The first thing he does is to scan the room for a fire... and only after he sees there isn’t any, he rushes to MC (does this mean he still has a phobia of fire?? 😭)

Just when you think this isn’t painful enough:

After pressing the off button, he casually wipes off the water droplets from his forehead and fringe. When his hair curls up in the air, it actually looks pretty cute.

That strawberry hairband and resigned expression suddenly flash before my eyes.

A curtain of water clouds my vision. I blink repeatedly, forcing myself to focus on the present.

[Note: It’s a reference to Gavin’s Prank Date]

While they talk, they discover that it was neither STF nor MC who set off the fire alarm. The man had escaped with the help of somebody else

Gavin puts a jacket over MC and carries her out of the window

MC asks if they can work together, but Gavin says:

Gavin: That’s not the way I work. The thing you’re looking for is unrelated to Black Swan, so I won’t look into it. But this doesn’t mean it’d be the same next time.

When he reaches the ground, he holds me in his arms and walks to the ambulance, blocking me from the sight of onlookers.

Gavin: She suffered some injuries just now. Bring her to the hospital.

After speaking, he lifts the jacket that’s covering my face, and leans close to my ear.

Gavin: Don’t involve yourself in this matter again.

Later, MC leaves the hospital, hugging Gavin’s jacket. She’s at the port.

A few minutes ago, she received a call telling her that the man plans to leave Loveland City through the port that night

It’s also revealed that the man betrayed Black Swan

Suddenly thinking of something, she calls Gavin, who already knows of the man’s plans to leave Loveland City

MC voices her suspicions that the person helping the man isn’t simply helping him escape out of kindness. From her investigations, the man hasn’t kept in contact with anyone after leaving Black Swan three years ago

Gavin says he’d head to the port, but MC says there isn’t enough time

Gavin: I know what you’re thinking. You don’t have to worry about these things. All you have to do is keep yourself safe, and leave the rest of it to me.

MC persuades him to direct her so she can find him quickly, since STF would need some time to arrive

MC: Gavin, you have to trust me. Trust me, all right?

Gavin: You have to promise.

MC: I promise nothing will happen to me, and that I have my ways of protecting myself. And I also trust that you’d give me the correct judgments.

I’m no longer that person who only knows how to let you stand in front of me. This time, I’ll stand beside you, and will not back down.

MC: Gavin, I’m at the unloading zone.

The lights from the cold machine are reflected in his eyes. Beneath his palm is the entire port.

He forces himself to lean against the chair instead of immediately rushing to the girl’s side.

Gavin: In 50 metres, there are two people at two o'clock. The target is moving towards Area C. There’s no rush. Your speed is faster than him.

MC: That’s a shuttle bus I “borrowed”.

Hearing the girl’s slightly satisfied tone, he can’t help but let out a secret smile.

Gavin: [softly laughs] Turn right.

MC: Did you just laugh...

Gavin: No.

MC: Don’t think you can lie just because I can’t see you.

Gavin: ...

MC: I guessed correctly, right? If it’s you, you’d definitely say something along the lines of “I won’t lie to you”.

Gavin: Didn’t you lie to me in front of the hut?

MC: ...

Gavin: Turn left in front. He’s stopped.

MC: I don’t have a choice sometimes...

The girl sounds as though she’s been wronged. Her voice goes round and round, worming into the tip of his heart, and gently prodding it twice.

Gavin: I...

MC: Gavin! I think I see him!

I hide behind a container secretly, watching as the man looks around furtively, as though waiting for someone.

A red dot appears on his back, and trails upwards.

MC: !!!

I rush forward quickly, throwing two black objects in the direction where the red light came from.

In the dense smoke screen, the man sees that things are amiss, and whips out a detonator from the pocket of his coat.

A massive explosion sounds. I grip the man’s collar tightly, but am held in a warm embrace the very next second.

MC: Gavin?!

Gavin: Did you really think I’d let you come here alone?

Gavin: So this is your way of protecting yours-

Comical ribbons fall lightly on the top of Gavin’s head, hanging in front of his left eye.

His bright amber eyes blink. Gavin turns his head to look at the sky full of coloured ribbons.

A gigantic inflatable man holds a banner with the word “surprise”, and it sways in the wind.

The man freezes in place while holding onto the detonator, looking as though he doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

MC: I knew early on that there’d be something “special” here. How is it? I said I had my ways. Unexpected, right?

Gavin lifts his hand, gently removing the ribbon next to my ear. He fails to suppress a smile.

Gavin: Unexpected. But we’ll talk about this later.

He stands up, looking coldly at the man cowering in the corner.

Gavin: MC, turn around.

MC: Okay...

I listen to Gavin and turn around obediently. The moon hides behind the clouds, as though carrying a sense of pity.

Soon after, Gavin receives news that the sniper has been brought under control.

After explaining how the sniper was caught, Gavin places something on the top of her head - it’s the USB she’s been searching for

MC: Even though I really didn't do anything bad, you’re just giving it to me directly? You don’t need to check it?

Gavin: I’m taking it away if you keep asking.

MC: I won’t ask, I won’t ask.

However, MC has another question - how did Gavin appear at the scene when he should have been in STF’s command room?

Gavin doesn’t give her a straightforward answer

Gavin: I was at the control system, but I could also come here. That’s it.

[And then Papergames cuts me deep by playing Gavin’s S1 bgm out of nowhere...]

At this moment, sirens blare in the distance. The special reinforcements have arrived.

I dig into my bag and realise my car keys are missing.

A bunch of bright keys slide in the air and fall into my palm.

MC: I even thought you’d detain me for an investigation.

Gavin: Aren’t you...

He pauses, and he retracts the words on his lips. After a long time, he speaks slowly.

Gavin: You didn’t do anything bad, right?

Gavin turns his head to the side. The crescent moon hides his eyes in the night.

Gavin: Didn't you ask me to trust you?

His voice is very light. It’s so light that once the words leave his lips, they are immediately swallowed up by the night wind.

MC: What?

Gavin: You’re still not leaving? Do you really want me to detain you?

I purse my lips at him, then grip the car keys as I run in the direction of the car park Gavin told me about. I suddenly think of something, and turn around.

MC: Isn’t it very convenient to work with me? If you keep rejecting me, you’ll lose out. I suggest you consider it properly next time.

Gavin: All right, I’ll consider it. The next time you face danger, you don’t need to rush into it alone. It’s quite silly.

MC: You...

Gavin: You can call my name.

Do you know why this hurts so much? Because he’s unintentionally referencing his very first date - the Relieving Date:

Gavin’s call: here

🌸 MOMENTS 🌸

Gavin’s Post: Another coincidence?

MC: I even feel like I'm staging it.

Gavin: Having your car break down doesn’t count.

[Note: I translated “staging it” from “碰瓷”, which refers to how some drivers manoeuvre unsuspecting motorists into crashes in order to make false insurance claims.]

Gavin’s Post: Another coincidence?

MC: I didn’t think my car would break down outside the STF entrance, causing trouble for you again.

Gavin: It’s okay, it’s no effort at all.

Gavin’s Post: Another coincidence?

MC: My engine might have its own ideas... but thank you for your wind in helping me move the car.

Gavin: Ahem, it’s just safer that way.

#mlqc #mlqc cn #mlqc spoilers #dates are arranged according to how much they hurt my soul in ascending order T^T

280 notes · View notes

kiss-my-freckle · 4 years

Text

Tom Dominoes.

My 7x15 rewatch post. Forewarning, this is a lengthy post.

Second memory manipulation, Keenler, and Keenler baby.

"A ghost. Life’s full of ’em."

Disappearing before Red's eyes.

"I learned that from you, how to prey on the emotions of those that love you most."

"You’re just like your husband. You’re exactly like him. Like all the sick, psychopathic animals we lock up."

They just ran full parallel right through Ilya for Liz's second memory manipulation. Extraction to flashback, extraction to flashback.

Red: All you need to do is take care of yourself. And stay safe.

Red: I have an appointment. This is a war that must be fought on many fronts. You have yours. I have mine. Be safe.

Cooper: Listen to me. I know we've looked the other way or even helped blur the lines from time to time in the interest of justice. But going after a legal shipment because you personally believe it deserves to be stopped is over the line, and I won't allow it. Red: Well, how are you going to do that? By sending me to my room without supper?

Bounce back to The Deer Hunter, pulling in Tom's murder of the harbormaster and falls in parallel with Alina Park's 7x14 Anchorage storyline. Mentioning this due to my opening lines of dialogue regarding Liz.

Liz: Are you scolding me? Red: Yes. Yes, I’m scolding you. That was foolish, Lizzy. You could have been - Liz: Killed. Red: Exactly that. Killed. Liz: What are you gonna do? Ground me? Take away my phone privileges?

Cooper: By stopping you. Red: Touché.

Bounce back to Liz in 1x19.

Liz: Finding you, stopping you. You’d think I’d be happy you’re gonna spend the rest of your life in prison. You’d think I’d get some satisfaction out of that, but I don’t.

Red kicks on his record player, which taps us back to S6 with Red's record player, and S5 - S6 with Tom's record player. I'm talking about Fowler's murder and my Tom domino for that. I believe Red framed Tom for her murder at the time in which he murdered her as a result of the Fokin frame. Soundtrack, "Who We Are" by Welshly Arms. Red's murder of Kemp plays out a bit like Fowler's. I may have to compare those scenes at some point.

"Ever since that woman broke into our apartment and dragged him off and tried to access his memories... I mean, whatever they did to his..." - Linda

Blue Malibu to Blue Mustang.

Ilya: The blue car is back.

Ilya: The blue car. It was back. It was right there.

Dembe: Is he having another episode? Red: Yes. Blue Chevy again.

Ilya: I know what I saw ... Raymond. She's watching.

Tom and his blue Ford Mustang and that deer blood on the windshield comment in 2x22 for Liz's second memory manipulation. Ilya suffering flashbacks while suffering the blue Chevy Malibu. The blue Chevy, the blue Chevy. Yeah... that second memory manipulation is coming.

Doesn't matter Liz's position with Ressler, I suspect she'll have flashbacks that coincide with the 2x22 fake boat sex with Tom, and they should parallel Ilya's flashes in these scenes. Taking note, he flashes to the Belgrade explosion in this scene. This should parallel the Orea bombing because I believe Keenler had sex that night rather than the night of her birthday dinner.

More for Liz’s memory manipulation.

Ilya: Dembe. I know what I saw, Dembe. Wife: You're tired. You should lie down.

Liz waking on Tom’s boat. She "saw" what Tom wanted her to "see" just like Rostov saw what Katarina wanted him to see. Illusions tricking the senses. Dr. Krilov back to Stenhil.

lya: You know I'm not making this up. I know what I saw.

Ressler: Everyone seeing what I'm seeing?

Liz: I've got eyes on Carly.

Liz: She's a wreck. He'd have to be blind not to see it.

Red: I’m not sure I’d associate a high-security containment cell with my girlfriend, but I guess love is blind.

Red: The idea that a whole world that I couldn't see had suddenly revealed itself and been brought into focus... felt like a miracle. Cassandra: Because it was, given how often we miss what's right in front of us. Red: What I see right in front of me is someone I misjudged.

Who's in front of Liz in 6x22? Ressler in the box. Romeo & Juliet.

Cooper: The hell with the heat. I'm asking if you think Kemp is guilty Ressler: Yeah. Cooper: Then take him. But do it quietly.

Bounce back to Liz on the run in S3. Ressler let her go.

Laurel: Do you believe she’s innocent? Ressler: My job isn’t to determine her guilt or innocence. Laurel: You didn’t answer my question. Ressler: My job is to apprehend Ms. Keen, and I have no problem doing that. Laurel: I am not asking about your job. I’m asking what you believe. Ressler: Elizabeth Keen is not a terrorist. Laurel: So you believe she’s innocent? Ressler: Yes, I do. And I believe that if she is given a fair trial by a jury of her peers, there aren’t 12 people in America who wouldn’t agree with me.

Cooper: We're done here. Mr. Kemp's attorney just secured a hearing on his arrest. Kemp: Is this a great country, or what?

Sounds like Solomon in S3.

Ressler: You know of the damage you’ve done? That your organization has done to this country, to my friends? Solomon: I don’t care about your friends, and I hate this country. Well, “Hate’s” a strong word. I like the part where I make bail and catch the next plane to France.

Linda: Things in our life were normal and quiet and ordinary before you came back. And I know the two of you share a past I can't even begin to imagine, but Frank and I had a life too. Together. Our life was good. It's his life with you that's troubled. Ilya: Is it fair to blame Raymond? Red: Listen to your wife.

Linda’s dialogue fits several of Liz’s throughout the series. Like these two.

“I had it all figured out. I was gonna have a baby. And a husband. And then he showed up.”

"I had a very simple life. A husband I loved, a dog. It was my first day on the job. And suddenly, I was flying over restricted airspace."

When Linda speaks of their history, it reminds me of the many dialogues where everyone talks about Red and Liz and their connection because they have a shared history.

Connolly: All this talk about some personal connection between Reddington and Keen, why he chose her, some shared history - what if Reddington doesn’t care about Agent Keen and it’s all been a manipulation?

If they don't hide well enough, if they remain unsafe like Liz did in S2, this could become a problem later in the season or series.

Linda: You're sick, Frank. Something is wrong. And we need to get you help. Red: She's right. You need help. There are people I know who... Linda: Raymond. You don't understand. We need to do this on our own.

Bounce back to Liz in 2x22.

Red: Andropov - do you have a lead? Liz: I do, and I’ll handle it on my own because that’s what I’m capable of.

I keep thinking about Naomi Hyland.

Dembe: There's someone in the driver's seat. Red: You know what the hell this means.

Back to 7x2, and I will be putting this to gif.

Liz: My question is, what the hell happened? Red: You did. You and Agent Ressler.

Keen2 in S2.

Cooper: You've seen the video. Carly Ambers is 24. A pawn being used by her boyfriend - a two time felon. She was visibly nervous. She was paying in cash, a classic indiction of an illigitimate purchase.

Liz being an unwed mother.

Liz: I was nobody to him. The illegitimate daughter of a childhood friend.

Woman: His arrest is all over the press. This is outrageous.

Man: What's outrageous, is Mr. Kemp's disregard for reality. Your honor, you know what happened here. Carly Ambers didn't wake up one morning and suddenly decide to collect 60 identical guns over the span of four months. That is unreasonable to believe.

They are all over this memory wipe of Liz's. Like Liz waking up one morning and deciding to shoot the AG. "You've seen the video. Carly Ambers is 24. A pawn being used by her boyfriend - a two time felon. She was visibly nervous. She was paying in cash, a classic indication of an illigitimate purchase." Again with illigitimate. Liz, Tom's pawn so he could help get a bullet in Red's chest just like that cashier. Illigitimate purchase, meet illigitimate child...Agnes. "Who's the father?" This run of dialogue falls in with The Corsican in S6, and you can throwback to Glen last week with his Eye of the Tiger mantra.

Red: Do you like magic? I love magic. Card tricks, coin tricks, close-up magic. Even those guys with the tigers. I heard they trained their cubs by masturbating them. Is that even conceivable? I’m sure it’s just a vicious rumor. But talk about a commitment to one’s craft. A tiger? Quite a handful. Moreau: What are you talking about? Red: You. You’re the tiger. A wild creature someone is trying to stroke. A magic trick is a con, and you’re the mark in the middle of a very complicated one. And the only reason I’m still alive is because you know it. You could have tracked me down anywhere. In a dark alley, in the bathtub. Instead, you came here, to a public place. Why? Because you know you’re being had.

Dembe's scene with Liz's PI parallels the homeless girl in S6, but it also parallels Tom and Liz in 1x22 when Red told her they can't leave him alive.

“You better not leave. I’ll kill you.”

Liz: You lied to me.

Sounds like Liz when she showed Red that DNA report in 4x22. A test taken by Cooper himself. Playing opposites now because Ressler will be the one with the DNA report this season to play opposite Tom.

Liz: When you told me I'd be carrying the guns. You knew you were sending them with Ressler. Cooper: Yes. Liz: That whole conversation was fake. Put on for my benefit, so that I'd think I had the guns. You don't trust me. Cooper: I'm sorry, you're actually angry at me? You betrayed us. You told Reddington which truck to hit. I was right not to trust you. You chose them over us, over your job. Over the law. Liz: Some laws deserve to be broken. Cooper: Not by you. Not while you're carrying a badge. Liz: You knew I would tell him. Cooper: I thought you might. And I couldn't take that chance. I'm angry at you, Elizabeth. And disappointed. But most of all, I'm worried. With Reddington, we blur the lines so often, it's sometimes hard to see, for all of us. What worries me, is that - at times, it can be especially hard for you. Liz: Because I have dark impulses. Cooper: Yeah. And today, you gave into them. Liz: So, what now? Cooper: I just delivered 6,000 guns to a man I believe have no moral compass. God knows how many people may die as a result. Today was a terrible day. Andi t might be more than I can handle if I thought you and I couldn't forgive each other.

This conversation also taps back to Liz's conversations with Dr. Fulton and Red's dialogue to Liz when she was searching for Tom's killer. Also to note, Cooper's plan played out like the conversation Red and Liz put on for Kirk's benefit back in S4. Because they're now playing who's the mommy instead of who's the daddy. Here are those dialogues.

Cooper: Wait a minute. You two have been working together on this? Liz: Yes. Our public disagreement was staged for Kirk’s benefit. Aram: You think he’s got a tap into the Post Office? Red: I know it. René Le Bron’s death was proof. Ressler: You sicced us on Le Bron as a test. You knew that if Kirk was listening and he heard that we were going after Le Bron, he’d try to get to him first. Red: We set the bait. He took it. Cooper: A human sacrifice. Red: I prefer the term “tethered goat.”

Tethered goat, meet the lamb they chose to take to slaughter - the woman from Paris.

Dr. Fulton: Anger is not an unhealthy emotion. It generates passion, risk, the desire to paint outside the lines. I’m drawn to that. And my guess is that you are too.

Liz: Unsolved cases. I fixate on them. How unfair they are. That people get away with murder. I-I know it sounds corny, but I, um - I obsess over the need for justice. Dr. Fulton: Even if it means painting outside the lines - or the law. Liz: Yes.

Dr. Fulton: In our sessions, you were everything I could’ve hoped for - comfortable with your darker impulses.

Red: I’ve cautioned you that in your pursuit of Tom’s killer, you need to restrain your darker impulses. Liz: Which I’ve done, mostly - more or less.

Liz: Cooper says we blur the line between right and wrong so often, we can't see it clearly anymore. I know, I can't. Red: I disagree. I find you increasingly clear-eyed. I'm sorry that the task force had to take sides today, but it meant a great deal to me to know you were on mine.

Red: Any news? Dembe: The woman in the blue Malibu. She's a private eye, Raymond. Hired to learn what she can about Ilya. It was Elizabeth. She hired her. She knows you're not Ilya, and she's been keeping it from you. Red: I understand. Liz: Is everything alright? Red: To being on the same side. (Red toasts) Liz: At long last.

"Same side" bounces back to Minister D and Ruin.

You pay no mind the truth If it ain't on your side Well who's on your side? Who is on your side now? While I lived the fall From your letting down Did you mine your ruin? You can't blame it all On the set of your ways You can raise your walls And protect what you've lain But you're cracking your roof

Red's "Any news?" goes back to S5, which also plays into S3 & S4.

Red: Tell me you have news. Dembe: I was able to trace the suitcase to a bus station in Columbia Heights. But it’s gone. No witnesses, no surveillance.

Tom: God, I missed you. I have some news. Liz: You’ve got news? I’ve got news. It’s about Reddington.

Ressler: We understand your reservations, but - the fact is, the last time we met, we were just doing our jobs.

Back to Tom in 2x21 with this one.

Tom: Look, I know things are complicated. I know you’re going through a bad breakup. But from what I heard, the guy’s a total loser. Couldn’t cook, made crappy pancakes. So, I wanted to see if you would join me for dinner - tomorrow. Uh, I made a reservation at 7:00 at this great little place on the corner of 32nd and M.

Tom: I was doing my job.

Tom: I told you that I was in love with her because that is exactly what I am supposed to be. That - is my job.

Not only was Dr. Krilov and Tom reintroduced, but so was Brimley - the very person who handed us a double unicorn foreshadow in S6.

Brimley: You'd be surprised. The real breakthrough actually happened during Oregon Trail. And then, there was such a great feeling of comfort and familiarity with Chutes and Ladders. A real sense of nostalgia. Dembe: Did she tell you who hired her to watch Ilya? Brimley: Not yet. But I think you're gonna be very surprised with the level of detail we're going to get with Scrabble.

I suspect Liz will find Ressler “familiar” when the two share their scenes in her apartment in the Brothers episode, all pertaining to her second memory manipulation.

Red's plan vs Cooper's. Red's looks a lot like Park's truck ride in Twamie's episode. Cooper's looks like Red's duck hunting plan when they faked Liz's death in S3 as well as Sutton Ross's with the vans when he took Red in 5x22.

Cooper: Thank you, Mr. Reddington. It's a pleasure doing business.

Family.Business.

Alter Ego marks.

Ressler: So this guy really is the luckiest half-wit in history. Samar: Or the biggest mark.

Liz: What’s the catch? Red: No catch. A bet. On yourself. A dance with Lady Luck.

This one bounces back to 2x21.

Tom: I just want to apologize because I should have done it a long time ago. Liz: What’s the catch? Tom: There’s no catch. It’s just a little hope. Liz: Hope? That what, we’ll just work through this screwed-up situation we’re in and go back to playing house?

"Three-card Monte" - "Find the Lady" - "Find the Queen"

Dembe: We'll have to guess and get lucky. Red: Lucky? There's no luck in Three-card Monte. It's a sucker's game. I play sucker's games, and I don't like to guess.

Three cards - three identical vans

The Ressler - Liz - Tom love triangle.

“I assume Tom is the father.”

A confidence game in which the victims, or "marks", are tricked into betting a sum of money, on the "assumption" that they can find the "money card" among three face-down playing cards.

Eye on the lotto sign while Red talks to Glen on the phone. Not just any lotto. West Virginia. Pete and Lena from S5. Virgina is for lovers tshirt. Dumb luck of a gambler. Lady Luck. This taps back to Glen, blowing up balloons and betting on red in 7x8. King and Queen cards in the background during that scene.

"Find the Queen"

Glen: Save it, Chief. Another time. If I can get to the Eagles Club now, I can still make it in time for a little roulette and a cup of Trudy’s raspberry sherbet party punch. Wish me luck. Red: Roulette - that’s your game? Glen: Of course, baby. And you know I always bet on Red.

Glen calling Red Chief like Tom did in S5.

Tom: Nice work, Chief.

Turning back time.

Red: Yes, it's right up the street from Cher's hotel. Yeah. We get the ice, pick up the diva, and in a half-hour, she's serenading Trudy with "If I Could Turn Back Time." Best retirement party ever. Yeah. No, Glen.

Yes. "You should be looking forward, not back." The Blacklist about to turn back time for Liz.

"She'd just been accepted to college. The girl, Sophia. Had her whole life ahead of her. All the good and all the bad. The triumphs, the mistakes - gone. Like a story, erased."

Liz's story with Ressler, erased by Dr. Krilov. Back to what Red said to Cassandra about a whole world that he couldn't see suddenly revealing itself.

Kemp: What consequences? Red: The wrath of men like me. I object to what you're doing, and I don't need to convince any court to agree with me. In my world, if I think you're guilty... I just execute sentence. Kemp: Please. Please, don't do this. Red: I heard... heard someone else beg at the point of one of your guns. She said "please" too. And then she was murdered. Now, I understand it can be hard to see tragedy for what it is until that tragedy befalls you or a loved one. Well, I'm here to tell you that's happening to you. About an hour ago, a violent criminal bought one of your FineCal 9s on the street for $100, and now that criminal is going to shoot you with it. Tragic.

Kemp sounds like Alistair Pitt.

Pitt: Please. Don’t. Don’t do this.

Red's wrath. His conversation with Kemp is a lot like his conversation with Liz in S6.

Red: But in my world, there are no laws to hide behind. You can act in bad faith as long as you're willing to face the consequences.

Liz: Are you upset? Red: Conflicted. Liz: About what? Red: I live and work by a very strict code built on loyalty, justice, trust. I survive because I eliminate those who betray it. Up until now, no one has been spared, not even my closest associates. Not even Kate Kaplan. Liz: So that’s what you’re conflicted about? Whether or not to kill me because I betrayed some “code”? Red: You can mock it because you live in a world with institutionalized codes, where order has already been imposed by powerful forces outside of yourself, where there are laws and rules for everything. I live in a world with no laws, no rules, and certainly no order. So I have to impose my own. I’m not conflicted about killing you. I’m conflicted because I can’t. Because I can neither kill nor trust nor forgive.

"The wrath of men like me" bounces back to Dembe in The Mombasa Cartel.

Red: You see that, Geoff? That is what a good man does. That is what separates men like him from men like you - and me.

$100. That's how much Jennifer paid the homeless girl in S6 to get Red arrested.

Dembe and Brimley with the board games reminds me of Red receiving the record player in prison. Scrabble and Parcheesi. Oregon Trail. Scrabble bounces off The Endling. Oregon Trail bounces off Garvey Conclusion.

Dembe: “Two of your oxen have died. One round of play without an oxen card, and everyone in your party has died.” Red: I have oxen. “You have died of dysentery.” Damn it!

Red: The guns they make are the tools of my trade. In the right hand, that's exactly what they are. A proper tool.

A bit like Red's conversation with Jennifer.

Red: You haven’t asked any real questions yet. You’ve expressed curiosity about the tricks of my trade - a pedestrian form of legerdemain mastered by any number of experienced outlaws.

They bring up "red flags" in the gun purchase.

"I got a few red flags. She bought 30 FineCals a few months ago, and she wants 30 more."

"The dealer knew there were red flags. He warned Mr. Kemp that she might be a straw purchaser."

Ressler in 2x17, both on screen and in deleted scene.

"You know, not everyone’s so anxious to leave. Put a flag on Tom, all his known aliases - he hasn’t left.”

"Looks like Tom's in a little bit of trouble and he's gonna bring that trouble to you. So... be careful.”

Red: This is a moment that woman will never forget. We should buy her something to celebrate.

Ressler: What you’re doing here, is celebrating your birthday, with me.

Liz: It was Cooper. He checked me. Red: You seem put out by it. Don't be. Take it as a compliment. Liz: That he doesn't trust me? Red: That he knows you're a person of conviction and principle. Liz: A lot of good my principle did. Kemp got all of his guns. Red: Yes. He got his. Liz: What'd you do? Red: I acted on my conviction and principle.

This bounces back to S2 & S3.

Liz: Am I a good person? I’m not so sure anymore. Red: I’m sure.

Principle.

Cooper: Guess my principles aren’t what they used to be. Neither are yours. Connolly: That’s where you’re wrong, buddy. I never had any principles. That’s why I’m on a rocket to the top.

Ressler: My father was a cop. He died because he wouldn’t go on the take. Was set up by his own partner, Tommy Markin. You know, I spent all these years wanting to believe that he died for the right thing. I’m not so sure now. Tom: Principles are a bitch, man. I avoid them at all cost.

Red & Liz without Wing Yee's and moon eyes.

Red: Edward's gonna make a run to this restaurant he loves... China Moonlight... for some of that tea-smoked duck. You should look at the menu. If everything goes as planned, we'll be in and out by dusk and have dinner on the flight home.

Almost bottomless bottom. "Yeah, but I saved your butt." Fake boat sex, 2x22.

Red: How proud Sam was when you got into the FBI academy.

Red: Happy birthday, Lizzy. You’ve become everything Sam dreamed you would and more.

Red: Share it with someone special.

Ressler: It's Special Agent.

Wear it for someone special.

Red: Write down the relevant details and, please, gift wrap one bottle of Rossi No. 1.

Ressler & Liz on opposite sides in S3.

Red: To being on the same side. Liz: At long last.

Saram to Keenler, now on the same side.

♪ At last... my love has come along... My lonely days are over... and life is like a song ♪

Red: How proud Sam was when you got into the FBI academy. How proud you'll be.

This bounces back to 4x9 and 3x14.

Tom: Hey, here’s Daddy wondering how much damage we’ve done to our sweet little girl. Liz: Well, it’ll make for an intriguing college essay.

Liz: I know, the whole idea that Mozart will improve cognitive skills is a myth, but they say babies start learning in the womb, so on the off chance it’ll get him into Harvard...

Liz: She's a wreck. He'd have to be blind not to see it.

lmfao!! Sounds just like Liz. A wreck. I think perhaps a car wreck is coming, given they've placed both Agnes and Liz in the rearview mirror.

Final note: Cooper and Ressler seem to be switching S3 positions with each other, which is interesting.

Cooper: Given what we’re up against, I’m willing to - Tom: Throw out the rulebook. Cooper: Bend the bindings a little.

Ressler [To Tom]: You are a lying scumbag, and I don’t trust you. Ressler [To Cooper]: If you do, you’re a fool.

Cooper couldn't trust Tom, but went with it anyway to save Liz. Now he can't trust Liz because she's become more like her dead husband. But, Cooper's getting ready to look like an ass. Spent a great deal blaming Red for the danger Liz has been in. Trusted Tom enough to marry them. I can't wait for him to find out Tom wiped Liz's memory as they switch Ressler over to the other side...

Red: I don't know. My hunch is - Harold put the shipment with the badass in the bunch. I think I think it may be you.

... you knew you were sending them with Ressler.

#Keenler thoughts #Keenler baby theory #Anti-Tom Keen #Anti-Keen2

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