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speechlessxx · 4 years

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Requite (Andy Barber x Reader)

Summary: A visitation to a prison invites new emotions.

Warnings: slight CHEATING (it’s a kiss and like feelings), slight SPOILERS, for Defending Jacob, language, implied AGE GAP, this was just a brainstorm I had, unrequited requited love kinda not really (if that makes sense), mentions of ABUSE

Word Count: 2.5k

Hope you enjoy!

READ PART 2 HERE

It wasn’t your place – and you knew that. So, why were you here – trembling in front of a glass barrier and fumbling with the cord of the telephone in your hands?

The man in front of you looked tired and rugged. The years he spent behind bars evident all over his face. But when you looked in this murderer’s eyes, you couldn’t help but see Andy’s. They were the same pristine blue shade. The only difference was that Andy’s were warm, inviting, and full of light whereas the man in front of you looked as if the light had been snuffed out of him – perhaps it was never there to begin with.

“You’re the wife?” He asked. He looked you up and down and cocked an eyebrow up. “You’re younger than I expected.”

“I’m not his wife,” you muttered.

“So, what are you, then?” The man gave you an amused look. He was taunting you, trying to make you snap. Your eyes narrowed at his words.

“That’s not your concern.”

“Then why are you here, honey?” You cringed at the pet name. You remembered your abusive father coo that very word at you to apologize for laying his hands on you. You remembered your husband do the same.

Why were you there?

Andy was your friend… of kinds. He was a neighbor in your picture-perfect suburban neighborhood. However, you were treated like an outcast among the other suburban ladies. You always attended parties and gatherings with, or without, your husband. And in the crowds, you always felt so alone.

You were young – still in your twenties – and married to a wealthy businessman that was old enough to be your father’s younger brother. You pretended you couldn’t hear the gossip – the whispers and snickers calling you a “gold-digger” or a “trophy wife”. You married because you needed financial stability to pay off your student loans. You couldn’t do it on your salary alone. Afraid no one else would love you or help you, you said yes to the first wealthy sleaze that got down on one knee.

You tried to make your marriage as picture-perfect as your neighborhood. To strangers, it was. You were good at framing. Your framework made it impossible for others to see the truth behind the photos.

You were a doting wife to a man who was always gone on “business trips” to Vegas with a barely legal bottle blonde on his arm. When you finally got the courage to call him out for his numerous affairs, he threw one of his foreign beer bottles at you. It smashed against the wall, beer staining the paint and scratching it up as small shards of the glass cut your skin. It followed with a “honey, I’m so sorry” which reminded you of your father’s abuse.

After then, the incidents gradually got worse. He’d hurl things your way when he grew aggravated with you. Then, he began to throw punches. He held you down by your wrists before when you threatened to walk out. You felt like your adolescent self again. Instead of your father beating you, your abuser became your husband.

It was Andy, your next-door neighbor, who first asked you about the finger-shaped bruises wrapped around your wrists. You played it off, calling yourself a klutz, but Andy saw right through it. When the bruises, marks, and cuts became a staple of your appearance, Andy knew something was wrong. You weren’t clumsy. You were being hurt.

He confronted you about it. He was relentless in trying to get an answer from you. One night he heard crashes and screams from your home. He rushed over although Laurie had told him to stay out of it and call the police instead. He reasoned that if you were in danger and something were to have happened to you, he’d feel responsible. He found you crying in your living room, picture frames smashed and your coffee table demolished, a dining room chair was lodged into it. You had a bruise forming on your temple, a bloody cut on your cheekbone, and you were cradling your arm to your chest. Your husband had driven off in his luxury car. Whatever doubt he had about the abuse vanished. The scene itself answered all his questions.

It was Andy who saved you from the dangerous home. It was Andy who helped you with your divorce.

After your divorce, your husband took off, leaving you the house and alimony checks. As your injuries slowly healed, you slowly built a relationship with the Barber family – primarily Andy. He’d often check in on you and invite you over, trying to make that big house of yours feel less lonely.

“I’m here for Andy,” you finally answered. You stared into the man’s eyes.

“Oh?” The man sneered. His teeth were yellow, maybe even rotting. He smirked at you. “You’re here about his boy.”

“Jacob’s a good a kid,” you nodded. You babysat and often drove the Barbers’ son to and from school when Andy asked. Aside from his standoffish and strange behavior (one time you swerved around a dead cat and Jacob seemed so fixated on the animal), he was a good kid.

“So, I’ve heard… But good kids don’t become murder suspects.”

“He’s innocent until proven guilty,” you frowned. “Why won’t you do it? Andy just wants you to swab your mouth. It’s easy. Hell, you don’t even have to do it, the guard will.” He crossed his arms and leaned forward to the glass. His stare was unwavering and cold – just like your father’s… just like your husband’s. “You want to punish Andy.”

“He won’t help me and he knows he can. He doesn’t even acknowledge the fact that I’m his father.”

“You haven’t given him a good reason to,” you snapped. “Andy’s a good man. A better man than most will ever be. And he’s a damn good father. He wouldn’t even have come down here if it weren’t for Jacob.”

“You talk like you’re in love with the man.” He smirked. He leaned back on his chair as he studied you. “You are, aren’t you?”

“That’s not your concern.”

He laughed. It boomed and made you flinch. You looked down at your hands. You weren’t trembling anymore. In fact, you were just frustrated. How can a kind, compassionate man like Andy be the spawn of this heartless killer?

“What kind of a good man turns his back on his own father,” the man asked.

“He turned his back on a murderer.”

“And you don’t think he won’t do the same to his son?”

“Jacob’s innocent until proven guilty,” you repeated. “What will it take to get you to do it?” He smirked at you and you felt a wave of disgust as you remembered the reason he was here in the first place. “Not like that, you sicko.”

“I’ll do it,” he nodded.

“What?” You stared at him in disbelief. He repeated the three words. You frowned at him. “Just a second ago – “

“It’s good Andy has someone on his side. Arguing for him. Defending him and his son.” He smiled, wickedly. “Too bad you aren’t the wife, huh? How is his wife? Laurie, is it?”

“I’m not as close to her as I am to Andy,” you admitted.

“I wonder why you two are so close that you’re willing to drive up here to talk to me.” The man gave you a knowing look.

“It’s not like that!”

“Okay, okay, calm down, honey,” he chuckled.

“You’re not fucking with me? You’re actually going to do it?”

“I will,” he nodded. “You got a spark in you, honey… It’s a shame you aren’t the wife. I’ll do it for my son.”

“Thank you for your time, Mr. Barber,” you muttered and popped the telephone back onto its stand. There was no reason to stick around and hear his taunts.

You did what you came there to do.

-=+=-

Andy was relieved and a bit confused. Joanna had informed him that his father agreed to the swab. After the brief conversation that the father and son had, his father had made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with the trial – that he didn’t want to help Jacob. So, what made him change his mind?

He remembered talking to you about it. You were the first person he saw on his way back from seeing his father. He unloaded his frustrations on you, and you sat and listened to him. It reminded you of the times when you would confide in Andy about the abuse you endured from your father and your husband. It was the least you could do.

“Go inside. Tell your mom about the fish,” Andy told Jacob as the two began to unload the car. His son nodded and began to make his way to their front door. With a frown, Jacob looked over and saw his dad hastily walk towards your home. He shrugged before going inside.

Andy walked past the “For Sale” sign posted outside your lawn next to your mailbox. He frowned at the sign. When did you plan on leaving?

He knocked on your front door a few times and even rung the doorbell. He stood outside for a few long moments and just as he sighed and turned to leave, you opened the door.

“Sorry!” You apologized. Your hair was tied up and your forehead had a sheen of sweat.

“No worries… Mind if I come in?”

You widened the door and gestured for Andy to come inside. He gave you a small smile and a nod as he stepped through the door. The walls weren’t as decorated as he remembered. You must’ve taken down the picture frames. It made sense. Your husband was out of your life. Why keep the memories around? The hardwood floors were littered with boxes. Some were taped shut and had words scribbled on their sides – “kitchen”, “bedroom”, “donations”, etc.

“Sorry about the mess,” you muttered when you noticed that he was looking around the house.

“It’s not a problem, (Y/N), really,” Andy grinned.

“What can I do for you, Andy?”

“I think you’ve done enough.”

“What?” You frowned.

“You spoke to my father?” He asked. His tone was angry – or at least you registered it as so. Your eyes widened as you desperately looked around the room – staring at anything but Andy’s eyes. You crossed your arms as you tried to pull into yourself. It was a reaction you had when your husband raised his voice at you, an indicator that his patience was wearing thin and you were going to need an ice pack later. Andy’s brows furrowed in realization – you often held that posture whenever you spoke of your husband’s abuse. “I’m sorry… I’m not upset or anything, (Y/N). I just wanted to know why…”

You relaxed your arms as you found the courage to look at Andy. They did have the same eyes. “For you… and for Jacob,” you rushed. “I know it wasn’t my place, but you were so upset about it… I figured I could… I could give it a shot? Maybe talk some sense into him or convince him? I dunno… You helped me when I was in a tough spot, I thought I should at least try to return the favor.”

“You didn’t need to,” Andy shook his head. “But thank you.” You smiled at him and nodded. “No, really, thank you,” Andy sighed. To your surprise – and maybe even his – he wrapped his arms around you. You felt your cheeks flush as your ear was pressed against his chest. Andy’s chin rested at the top of your head.

You two stayed like that for a few minutes – it felt like eternity. You had forgotten what it felt like to be held, to be cared for, and appreciated. Perhaps Andy was the first man in your life that made you feel safe and you were grateful. Maybe that’s where your crush stemmed from. Andy was a kind man and an amazing father – things that were missing from your own life.

In turn, Andy had forgotten how it felt to hold someone. His and Laurie’s intimacy had been challenged for years now and their marriage took another hit with Jacob’s upcoming trial. He remembered how much he wanted to help you and get you out of your abusive marriage. It was a distraction from his own marriage that was slowly falling apart.

“You’re moving?” Andy asked after the long beats of silence.

“Yeah,” you said. “Nothing’s really keeping me in town anymore.”

Andy felt a pang in his chest. Nothing keeping you in town? Sure, your divorce was finalized – your husband had skipped town when his abuse came to light – but nothing was worth sticking around for?

“What about me?” Andy asked. It was wishful thinking, at best. Andy didn’t know why he asked the question. He had no justification for his next action either.

When you looked up at him with confusion, you had the intentions of asking him what he meant. But Andy leaned in and kissed you. His eyes were closed as his lips pressed against yours while yours were wide open with shock. But the kiss was sweet, gentle – you don’t remember being kissed like this. With your hands pressed against his chest, you meant to push him off and pull away, but your body refused – it loved the affection even if it was just an in-the-moment action on Andy’s behalf (he wasn’t sure if it was), but the kiss was nice.

Instead, your eyes fluttered closed and your hands went up to his cheeks. His beard was rough against your lips and hands, but you didn’t mind. You began to kiss him back, allowing yourself to get lost in the moment.

Then your brain and your conscience flared up. Just as sudden as the kiss began, it was abruptly cut short. Your mind made you pull away and with wide eyes, both you and Andy unwrapped yourselves from each other.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, taking a step back.

“No, no,” Andy shook his head. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have – “

“It was nothing, okay?”

Andy was taken back from your words. He wanted to argue – to tell you that it wasn’t nothing, that he felt something, and he was sure you felt it, too. But he stopped himself. He wasn’t thinking straight. The stress – whether it from his marriage or from the trial on the horizon, he didn’t know – was getting to him.

“Okay,” he finally agreed. “Nothing.”

“Okay,” you muttered. Arms crossing again. Your eyes darted around the room as you licked your lips. You could still taste him. “Well, um… you better get going.”

“Right,” Andy nodded. You walked him to the door and gave him a tight smile. “If you need any help with the moving or the packing, I’ll be happy to help. Repay the favor for the thing with my dad.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Andy,” you tried to smile. You closed the door after your farewells and a hand flew to cover your mouth. Tears brimming in your eyes.

You weren’t going to take him up on that offer. The guilt was already killing you. Although abuse was a major factor in your marriage’s demise, your husband cheating with much other women was the spark that started it all.

Now, here you were. You were the other woman.

READ PART 2 HERE

#andy barber imagine #andy barber #andy barber x reader #chris evans x reader #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers x reader #chris evans #chris evans imagine #Requite #defending jacob #defending jacob imagine

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captainallthingspurpleme · 3 years

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35 & 46!

35. Who are your top 5 TV characters right now?

Oh Gosh! This is hard! I actually don't watch a whole lot of conventional TV (I'm more of a streaming TV watcher). Also, I have been HEAVY into Korean Dramas and Anime recently, so some of these may not ring a bell to most people. Let's see....

1. Hinata Kawamoto, "March Comes in Like a Lion" - I watched this show almost religiously on Netflix while processing my dad's death. The series itself is really amazing, and the manga is even better, but I love Hinata because no matter how hard life gets and how frustrated or angry she is, she never loses herself. She knows who she is, is proud of it, and has a family that loves and supports her. She also has this ability to care and empathize with others that makes me just want to hug her endlessly.

2. Choi Seung-kwon, "Itaewon Class" - He's a side character in this series, but he's one of my favorites because he meets the main character when they're both in prison. He is a former Korean gangster turned restaurant worker, and while he does struggle with leaving behind his old habits, he also genuinely cares about DanBam (the name of the restaurant) and the people he works with. He evolves over time and I just love how his arc progresses, even as a supporting character.

3. Stanley Hill, "Good Girls" - I had to go with someone outside of the girls, because all of them are my favorites for different reasons. Stanley, though, portrays a father and husband in a realistic, loving way. He and Ruby are SOLID, and even when things get insanely rough, he's with her 100%. Plus, he brings out a side that I don't feel is generally displayed with the men in Good Girls (with the exception, potentially, of Rio in later seasons with Beth) where even when he vehemently disagrees with Ruby's choices he still supports her. I have not yet seen all of Season 4, though, so PLEASE NO SPOILERS if this changes.

4. Kang Dan-i, "Romance is a Bonus Book" - another K-drama, and one I absolutely LOVE both for the premise of the show (it's on Netflix, highly recommend) and for the main character. Dan-i has gone through a really hard time recently in her life, and the series documents her efforts to a) find a job after being a stay-at-home mom for over a decade, b) find her own sense of agency after her marriage and financial situation has imploded, and c) growing in her relationship with a childhood best friend and the other people she works with. Dan-i is diligent, hard-working, and also not afraid to call people on their shit when she's had enough. As a character, I love that she portrays a working woman and mother so realistically, while also showing she has her own passions and desires. Sometimes I want to shake her and tell her to ask for help, but that's part of what makes her real to me.

5. Devi Vishwakumar, "Never Have I Ever" - Devi is, quite honestly, a mess. However, especially given the premise of NHIE, I relate to her A LOT throughout the first season, even when I shake my head at her attempts to burn down her entire life rather than confront her emotions surrounding her mother, as well as her father's death. She is in no way perfect, but that's part of what I love about her. Some of the stuff in Season 2 made me want to scream, but at the same time I can see how it fits with Devi's MO and I love the fact that she grows across both seasons. Plus, how can I NOT love someone who says their life decisions are based on Megan Thee Stallion?

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46. Do you prefer to watch TV alone or with friends?

This really depends on the show and who I'm watching it with. My husband is not a fan of TV, period, so if I want to watch a show it's with my friends. Certain shows I watch by myself because their either a guilty pleasure (True Blood) or because they make me feel all of the things (Violet Evergarden or It's Okay to Not Be Okay come to mind). However, especially for comedic shows or dramedies, I typically watch with friends. One of my best friends and I watched our first episode of Good Girls together, and we were both hooked!

#OMG this is SO LONG #I did not mean to write a book #it just happened lol #tv show asks #I really need recommendations for new shows to watch #especially in the US #I don't have cable though #so if it can be streamed that would be great

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streetsofsecretswegone · 3 years

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@tcpimpabutterfly said : ✩—Nick & Janie

Under the cut because long!

Disagreements:

Who is more likely to raise their voice? Janie when she is entirely sick and FED UP of Nick’s trifling ways.

Who threatens to leave but never actually does? I know in my heart that Janie has no problem turning her back on Nick when she feels enough is enough and Nick, who believes he will get over her and look back on her as a fond memory -- has a hard time getting over her. So, yeah, Nick can’t find himself leaving if he says he’s done with all the “crazy shit.”

Who actually keeps their word and leaves? Janie!!

Who trashes the house? An argument can lead to Janie trying to get physical with Nick, him restraining her, her fighting back - things fall and get broken along the way. Chowder is barking and also ready to whoop Nick’s ass.

Do either of them get physical? ^^ Nick would NEVER hit Janie unless he thought she was going to try to kill him forreal. Then he has to knock her out.

How often do they argue/disagree? Nowadays? Their relationship is fucked up so they argue more often than not. Like, “Nick get off my property.” “Nick don’t post my picture on Instagram.” It’s been a long time since they’ve been civil with each other.

Who is the first to apologize? Nick!!!!! He’s out here like Usher releasing his woe in confessions, or Jay Z apologizing in 4:44.

Sex:

Who is on top? Varies, but usually Janie.

Who is on the bottom? Varrieesss.

Who has the strangest desires? Janie be on that freak shit.

Any kinks? So, Janie’s into safe knife play and rope play. Nick was cool with rope play, handcuffs, but then Janie whipped out the knife and he was like 😲

Who’s dominant in bed? You know powerplay is probably a big thing with these two.

Is head ever in the equation? I honestly feel like Janie isn’t into giving head, like regardless of if she loves her partner or not. I can just envision her pissed at Nick over something petty and she’s like, “my tooth hurts.”/“I’m trying to sleep, leave me alone.”

If so, who is better at performing it? Nick. He felt like giving Janie good head could put him on her good side.

Ever had sex in public? Yes, it leads to some AU babies.

Who moans the most? Janie.

Who leaves the most marks? Janie.

Who screams the loudest? I mean Nicky’s the one getting sliced.

Who is the more experienced of the two? I feel like the two have them have gained a lot of experience from being each others firsts in a lot of ways. They explored kinks together and what not.

Do they ‘fuck’ or ‘make love’? Fuck.

Rough or soft? Rough as hell.

How long do they usually last? It ends when Janie’s sadistic ass says it ends. 💅🏾

Is protection used? Sometimes. Typically. If they were to fuck now, I can imagine Janie telling Nick that she doesn’t know where he’s been so he needs a condom.

Does it ever get boring? Nope!

Where is the strangest place they’d have sex? Strange by JANIE’S standards would be when she slept with Nick at the house he and Jerrold were sharing at the time. Jerrold was gone, of course, but Janie was still trying her hardest to conceal her sneer.

Family:

Do your muses plan on having children/or have children? In a better AU, Janie’s twins were the result of a PRISON VISIT. Nick always wanted to have a family with her, though. If so, how many children do your muses want/have? In main, Janie and Nick have Simone who tells Janie that she’s NOT her mother. In a better AU, Janie and Nick have Leticia and Levi. Nick has brought up the potential of them having a third kid but, I don’t know. Janie has strong reservations with Nick’s record of legal troubles. Who is the favorite parent? Both Nick and Janie are loved well by their kids. Though, granted, Simone loves her dad more on default. Who is the authoritative parent? Both - but in different ways. Who is more likely to allow the children to have a day off school? Nick! Who lets the children indulge in sweets and junk food when the other isn’t around? Also Nick.

Who turns up to extra curricular activities to support their children? I can imagine it can be difficult for Janie due to work purposes, and Nick has missed out on a few things due to his prison stint when the twins were 7 years old. There are fill-ins though, like Louis will pop up. Jerrold too because he views these kids as his niece and nephew!! There’s also Sal and Delores of course.

Who goes to parent teacher interviews? Janie has had to go to some alone when Nick was i n c a r c e r a t e d. 😔

Who changes the diapers? Both, because Cassandra specifically told Nick: “how the fuck do you not know how to change a diaper?”

Who gets up in the middle of the night to feed the baby? Both, but mostly Nick since Janie is getting ready for work by 4 AM.

Who spends the most time with the children? Nick...because he would have tea parties with Leticia or take her on her annual Friday shopping spree at Toys R Us. Plus, he’s bound to go see the latest superhero movie with Levi, if not play video games with him. He gets really engaged in doing whatever the kids wanna do, and he will be offended if he’s disrupted by it. I mean really, Sal can say: “the warehouse is on fire!” and Nick replies, “I’m paintin’ baby girl’s finger nails!!” Who packs their lunch boxes? Janie. Who gives their children ‘the talk’? I feel like Janie would jump on it, because she has to tell Leticia to cut their hands off if things are no longer consensual. Who cleans up after the kids? Janie...has spent some time doing that. Nick isn’t as prompt as he should be. Who worries the most? Nick gets paranoid sometimes. He tends to be paranoid with a lot of things. Who are the children more likely to learn their first swear word from? From............someone in the family. (Cassandra/Cassandra’s kids)

Affection:

Who likes to cuddle? That’s pretty much Nicky.

Who is the little spoon? 😌 Janie because she lowkey likes to feel safe.

Who gets naughty in the most inappropriate of places? Nick tends to initiate this shit lmao

Who struggles to keep their hands to themself? Nick.

How long can they cuddle until one becomes uncomfortable? You mean how long can they cuddle until someone has to go to work or someone calls or he tries to initiate sex.

Who gives the most kisses? Nick.

What is their favorite non-sexual activity? Going out to eat Italian Food.

Where is their favorite place to cuddle? The bed!

Who is more likely to playfully grope the other? Nick, though I feel like this question is dangerous.

How often do they get time to themselves? You know in main she ain’t trying to be around him!! But even aside from that I feel like they find the right space and time to be together.

Sleeping:

Who snores? Nicky!

If both do, who snores the loudest? ^^

Do they share a bed or sleep separately? This is verse dependent. Cause they are not at a living together stage yet in main.

If they sleep together, do they cozy up together or lay far apart? Dependent. Who talks in their sleep? Neither.

What do they wear to bed? Night clothes. Pajamas. What else? 😤 Are either of your muses insomniacs? Nick can be sleep deprived sometimes, but not a insomniac.

Can sleeping pills be found by the bedside? I’mma say nah. Do they wrap their limbs around each other or just lay side by side? Varies! Who wakes up with bed hair? Nick’s been bald for some time now and, I’m certain Janie wears a bonnet. Who wakes up first? Janie at 4 AM! Who prepares breakfast in bed for the other? Nick would. 😍😭 What is their favorite sleeping position? Nick likes to lay on his back with Janie slightly on his chest. Who hogs the sheets? Janie. Do they set an alarm each night? Yes, Janie has a alarm set for work. Can a television be found in their bedroom? Yes. Who has nightmares? Both. Who has ridiculous dreams? Nick. Who sprawls out and takes up most of the bed? Nick is guilty of this. Who makes the bed? Janie - because even though she leaves first, Nick isn’t the best at getting the sheets together. What time is bed time? Janie has a more set bedtime than Nick does. Because the night, for Nick, can mean he has some serious work to do. Any routines/rituals before bed? Janie does what she has to do, while Nick kind of just flops in bed.

Who’s the grumpiest when they wake up? BOTH.

Work:

Who is the busiest? I feel like they’re both quite busy. Janie at the news station while Nick is (at certain point in times) a nightclub manager. These are equally demanding occupations. Who rakes in the highest income? I’d say Nicky. Especially since he got that $cozzari money. Are any of your muses unemployed? Nope. Who takes the most sick days? Nick. Who is more likely to turn up late to work? Nick. Who sucks up to their boss? Nick is his own boss soooooooooooooooooo probably Janie. What are their jobs? Janie is a reporter who also moonlights as a serial killer, Nick is a nightclub manager who is also a high-ranking gangster. Together they’re quite the pair! Who stresses the most? Nick, he’s always obsessing with thinking three steps ahead of everyone else. Do your muses enjoy or despise their careers/occupations? Yes. Are your muses financially stable? Yup!

Home:

Who does the washing? Both. Especially when it comes to getting blood out of their outfits as soon as possible-

Who takes out the trash? Nick.

Who does the ironing? Both, Nick a little more.

Who does the cooking? Nick REALLY likes to go out to eat.

Who is more likely to burn the house down just trying? Nick, especially if he gets distracted by the kids, sports, or an invasive Jerrold.

Who is messier? Nick.

Who leaves the toilet roll empty? Nick.

Who leaves their dirty clothes on the floor? ...Nick.

Who forgets to flush the toilet? Neither, Nick has been scolded by his mother -and sisters- for forgetting to put the toilet seat down all his life.

Who is the prankster around the house? Those darn twins!!

Who loses the car keys when it comes time to go somewhere? Neither, they’re very prompt when they have to get out or get the fuck out.

Who mows the lawn? Nick - or Levi.

Who answers the telephone? Both, but Nick is more inclined to.

Who does the vacuuming? Both, but catch Nick doing it when he’s trashed the house too much while Janie is away and its important that he speed cleans.

Who does the groceries? Janie.

Who takes the longest to shower? Janie.

Who spends the most time in the bathroom? Janie x3!

Miscellaneous:

Is money a problem? Not one bit.

How many cars do they own? Janie has hers, Nick has his - so two.

Do they own their home or do they rent? Own.

Do they live near the coast or deep in the countryside? Neither.

Do they live in the city or in the country? New York City Baby 😜

Do they enjoy their surroundings? Nick can’t imagine being nowhere else, personally. Yet even with that said, I can imagine that Janie hates half of the population. She’ll find some reason to hate. Some way.

What’s their song? Nick’s so in love with Janie that it isn’t uncommon for him to hear a song on the radio and think about her. I mean, this is a man who made her so many mixtapes in high school. At the moment, Nick lays in bed and thinks of Common’s song “Faithful.” He’s also stared out the window while Jaheim’s, “Find My Way Back” plays. 😔 The main song that made him realize he was in love with her was, “All I Do Is Think Of You” by The Jackson 5 and it still rings true to this day smh

What do they do when they’re away from each other? Work and kill. Kill and work. Janie also bonds with Chowder while Nick bonds with Louis and Jerrold, who are not nearly as wonderful as Chowder!

Where did they first meet? HIGH SCHOOL, English Class!

How did they first meet? They had some boring classroom introductions on day one but Nick didn’t pay her much of any attention. Afterwards, He heard the name Janie said by the teacher, but he thought that the teacher was mispronouncing the name of another girl, Janet. Later, when Janie rose in the class to read something he would realize that she was, in fact, not Janet. Later on they would have their first actual conversation when Nick asked to copy her homework. He had to work a little charm on her too. 😏 because she was like :| “No.”

Who spends the most money when out shopping? Janie. Nick isn’t much of a materialistic man. This was a guy who wore bootleg Bart Simpson shirts when he was a kid.

Who’s more likely to flash their assets? Janie.

Who finds it amusing when the other trips over? Janie because she’s evil inside.

Any mental issues? To the roof. Who’s terrified of bugs? Janie!! Who kills the spiders around the house? Nick has to! Their favorite place? Spaghetti Warehouse because that’s where they had their first date back in the day. Also, there’s specific areas in Florida they love. Who pays the bills? When they’re living separately they pay their own shit. When they live together, Nick has no issue making sure Janie never spends any of her hard earned money. Do they have any fears for their future? Janie may fear going to jail for her murders when she has her kids rgbmvfg Nick doesn’t fear a damn thing. He has a tattoo that says NEVER SCARED because he’s been through so much. Who’s more likely to surprise the other with a fancy dinner? Nick all the way! Who uses up all of the hot water? Janie. Who’s the tallest? Nick at 6′0. He’s even taller than his dad! Who’s more likely to just randomly hop into the shower with the other? Nick, but he second thinks that a lot. Who wanders around in their underwear? Nick. Who sings the loudest when singing along to the radio? jkhnk Nick, especially when those oldies come on. What do they tease each other about? I don’t think Janie necessarily teases, I think she complains about certain things like Nick’s music tastes, his grumpiness with the youth, all that. Who is more likely to cringe at the other’s fashion sense at times? I think Janie would get so tired of seeing him in that same damn leather jacket. Do they have mutual friends? Chowder is their mutual friend. :) No one else. Who crushed first? I feel like Janie had a crush on Nick that she effortlessly brushed off because he would always do something dumb to ruin it. Like flirt with some other girl in their class and that reminded her men ain’t shit. Any alcohol or substance related problems? No. Who is more likely to stumble home, drunk, at 3am? Nick. Catch him drunk calling her like, “i’m just sayin’ you could do better........” or, “I NEED TO APOLOGIZE”

Who swears the most? Nick doesn’t swear as furiously as Cassandra, but I feel that he does more than Janie all the same.

#tcpimpabutterfly #tcpimpabutterfly : janie.#rel : nick & janie.#answers : nick.

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tabloidtoc · 3 years

Text

National Enquirer, January 18

You can now buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Bill and Hillary Clinton

Page 2: Katie Holmes’ friends are warning her to wise up about her hot-tempered beau Emilio Vitolo Jr. after he went on a profanity-laced rant -- Emilio’s been in an edgy mood over his family New York City restaurant losing money while they’re forced to stay closed because of the pandemic and he’s definitely let his nice guy mask slip and it’s affecting their relationship and everything was all peaches and cream before but now it’s strained and difficult at times -- Emilio showed his ugly side when he raged against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for shutting down indoor dining on his Instagram Stories

Page 3: Tom Cruise’s chemistry with his latest Mission: Impossible co-star Hayley Atwell has spilled over to real life but it’s no surprise because the British beauty is the mirror image of Tom’s ex-wife Katie Holmes and Tom deliberately hunted down a Katie clone to be his on-screen leading lady and Hayley is everything Tom is looking for in a partner and more -- physically Katie was Tom’s definition of total perfection which is brunette with an athletic build and he’s been quietly looking for a girlfriend for some time who had the features he loves which is brown hair and a squarish jaw and hazel eyes

Page 4: Stressed-out and scandal-scarred Ellen DeGeneres in binge eating her way toward an early grave and Ellen is burying her sorrows by bingeing on junk food and milkshakes -- she’s packed on 30 pounds in 30 days after Kelly Clarkson beat her in the ratings for the third week in a row -- Ellen is convinced the world has turned on her and hides in her dressing room and locks herself in her bedroom and eats until she can barely breathe and it’s the only thing that gives her any comfort these days and the results speak for themselves because she’s bursting out of her clothes

* Radio shock jock Howard Stern has blasted back at former staffers who painted him a cheap and petty monster -- the King of All Media said at the end of night he sleeps fine

Page 5: Concerned mom Andie MacDowell is fearing for the safety of her starlet daughter Margaret Qualley after she was caught canoodling with accused abuser Shia LaBeouf -- no one can understand why she’d be with this guy after he’s been accused of such horrible things and Andie is beside herself with worry and she fears Shia may have staged his PDA with her daughter to polish his tarnished image

Page 6: TV couple Chip and Joanna Gaines have prepped for the reboot of their wildly popular Fixer Upper reality show by undergoing extensive renovations on their looks and they spared no excuse in getting personal makeovers for the show’s return -- they are splurging on trainers, stylists, new clothes, designer makeup, at-home spa days and pricey hairstyling plus other indulgences

Page 7: Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani have called of their spring wedding plans after they were caught on camera in a vicious street fight -- they’ve been fighting about everything since they got engaged and all that tension finally exploded in a brutal screaming match -- the ruckus erupted over groomzilla Blake’s feeling that Gwen has given him little support after he’d spent endless hours and millions of dollars planning their over-the-top nuptials and after all his plans Gwen suggested they simply elope and Blake blew his stack -- Blake was already bristling because Gwen seemed more focused on jump-starting her career than their wedding plans

* Jennifer Lopez recently confessed she and retired slugger Alex Rodriguez are mulling never getting married after benching their wedding plans amid the coronavirus crisis and she’s been spotted without her engagement ring

Page 8: Barbra Streisand and James Brolin have bounced back from the brink of a $400 million divorce and now they’re even talking about making a movie together with Babs feeding him directing tips -- they’ve had their ups and downs but they’re getting a second wind and believe doing a project together will give their relationship the kick-start it needs -- James has seen his career revitalized with his role in the sitcom Life in Pieces and directing several TV movies and his recent success is pretty exciting to both of them -- James’ dream is to direct a big-budget feature starring his son Josh Brolin and Barbra wants to help him realize that goal

* Barely a year after leaving Britain broke and beaten Meghan Markle has regained her Markle Sparkle with Hollywood flooding the former D-list actress with movie scripts and big-bucks deals -- the wife of Prince Harry is savoring her triumph as Hollywood’s newly crowned queen and thumbing her nose at the royals -- since leaving the cable TV drama Suits Meghan has missed acting and now she’s looking for the right big-screen project to relaunch her career

Page 9: Sex and the City is on track for a reboot only this time without black-sheep cast member Kim Cattrall -- Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis are all reuniting for what Sarah has called a revisit of the hit series -- Kim who has had widely publicized spats with series star and producer Sarah over the years has complained about the fan backlash she received for bowing out of a third Sex and the City movie follow-up

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Tiger Woods hit the links at a Florida tournament with son Charlie, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen walked hand-in-hand during a hike with pals in St. Barts, Pete Davidson took a stab at knitting, Paris Hilton with white roses

Page 11: Bill Cosby is refusing to shower with his fellow prisoners because an outbreak of COVID-19 in the SCI Phoenix prison has caused the fallen funnyman to steer clear of the showers

* Martha Stewart turns 80 in 2021 but the scrappy senior’s been working her farm like an energetic 20-year-old -- the domestic diva has been riding out the pandemic at her 153-acre farm in Upstate New York but she’s doing anything but taking it easy as she’s up early milking cows, shoveling snow and even chopping wood for the fireplace and she hasn’t ignored her Martha Stewart Living lifestyle empire

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- Ryan Seacrest personally tapped Billy Porter as his co-host on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve because Ryan is Billy’s biggest fan

* Kanye West and televangelist Joel Osteen have parted ways -- Joel loves the spotlight as much as Kanye but he wasn’t prepared for the backlash after they were criticized for their walking-on-water stunt and that was when things started to sour

* The Kardashians’ new show on Hulu promises to spark even more controversy as it will show a much more X-rated version of the family

* New Bachelor Matt James gets in a round of golf near his home in Jupiter, Florida (picture)

Page 13: Michael Douglas was over the moon after becoming a grandfather again at 76 and has big plans for the Douglas family dynasty -- reformed bad-boy Cameron Douglas and longtime partner Viviane Thibes welcomed son Ryder nearly three years after their daughter Lua -- making him a grandfather again is the greatest gift Cameron could have given his poor old dad and Michael hopes he loves to be 103 like his dad Kirk Douglas so he can watch Lua and Ryder grow up

* Reba McEntire’s new beau Rex Linn is a junk food junkie and she’s worried he’s digging his own grave with a knife and fork -- Reba loves Rex and he’s the sweetest guy in the universe but it’s just troubling the way he eats everything in sight -- Reba’s worried he’ll be six feet under if he doesn’t change his ways soon and she’s desperate for him to lose 25 pounds and she’s determined to put him on a sensible mostly vegetarian diet but Rex keeps sneaking chips and sweets when he thinks she’s not looking

Page 15: Four years into their brutal divorce battle Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are entering into a new custody battle this time for their pets -- the fractured couple’s clash over their five youngest children remains at a standstill as Angie refuses to budge on her demand for full custody -- while Brad continues to battle for shared custody of the kids he’s now making moves to ensure he has equal time with their critters as well -- Angie’s house is full of animals many of which Brad helped choose and raise and while he doesn’t want full-term custody of them he’d like to at least have them accompany the kids when they visit because Brad has noticed the children miss their pets when they’re with him and he wants to rectify that and he thinks they’ll want their visits to be longer if they have their pets with them

Page 16: Scandal-tarred Prince Andrew faces a shocking new investigation into how he lives like a billionaire despite being cut off from British taxpayer funds -- the disgraced playboy stripped of royal duties in 2019 over his involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal has no steady stream in income to explain his lavish lifestyle of private jets and ski chalets and luxury cars -- but Randy Andy has apparently been secretly trading on his blue-blood roots to sponge off Arab princes and score lucrative deals with shady tycoons and cash-rich international oligarchs like Qatar’s Minister of Economy and Trade Sheikh Mohammed Bin Ahmed Althani and Secretary General Issa Abu Issa -- a probe of his financial dealings could see Andrew further shamed and banished from the royals forever

Page 19: Taylor Swift’s heady brew of mysticism in her new album Evermore has fans wondering is Tay Tay a witch -- in a music video for her song Willow she pursues a magical glowing thread through an enchanted forest and joins in with a witchy circle of cloaked revelers -- Wiccans are rushing to embrace her but others are wondering whether Taylor’s interest in witchcraft is merely to boost sales

Page 22: Devastated Lisa Marie Presley struggled through Christmas as the heartbroken mom is still coming to terms with the suicide of her only son Benjamin Keough -- her holiday was somber after she wasn’t included in her mom Priscilla Presley’s holiday plans -- Lisa Marie arranged to spend one night at Graceland to be with Ben at his final resting place

Page 26: Health Watch

Page 34: Kat Von D has made herself at home in a haunted house -- she left L.A. with her husband Leafar Seyer to give their son a more normal environment and instead they wound up in a seven-bedroom Victorian mansion in rural Vevay, Indiana that has 13 fireplaces and a local reputation as a retreat for ghosts

Page 36: Grateful Dead fans have been dying violent and mysterious deaths for decades sparking fears the hippie band’s superfans are being targeted by a bloodthirsty serial killer

Page 38: John Mulaney chatted up young girls on sex sites and sent nude selfies that suggested he was doing cocaine before checking into rehab -- the married star decided to get help after girls who partied with him online threatened to expose how he’d broken his 15 years of sobriety

Page 40: Garth Brooks confessed his life in lockdown with wife Trisha Yearwood hasn’t been in perfect harmony because he’s driving her bonkers with his nonstop whistling

* Hollywood Hookups -- Joe Giudice showed off his new squeeze who is a lawyer, Tyler Perry and Gelila Bekele split, Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez engaged

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Duchess Kate Middleton in 2020

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- Tichina Arnold and Beth Behrs on the sitcom The Neighborhood

Page 47: Odd List -- two months after hoofing it from a New Jersey slaughterhouse a runaway goat was captured and given a new lease on life according to the animal rescue that snagged the fleet-footed critter, a Texas man helped his boss turn the page on an old debt by settling his 48-year-old library fine as a joke

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raywritesthings · 5 years

Text

What Have They Lost? 3/?

My Writing Fandom: Arrow, The Flash Characters: Laurel Lance, Oliver Queen, Connor Hawke, Ted Grant, Barry Allen, Iris West, Barbara Gordon, Wally West, Cisco Ramon, Caitlin Snow, Joe West Pairings: Barry Allen/Iris West, Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen, Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel Summary: “I can definitely tell you that there’s a way we’re going to bring [Laurel] back and she’s going to be alive and well. And Flashpoint might have a little bit to do with that.“ -Wendy Mericle AKA: The AU where that wasn’t a blatant lie, and Flashpoint has bigger repercussions for Barry’s friends and allies than he first realized. Notes: Much thanks to @colorofmymindposts for beta-ing as well as to the Lauriver discord server for helping with world-building and character histories. Anyone interested in joining the server should follow this link: https://discord.gg/gp9ANVr *Also can be read on my AO3*

He hadn’t meant to fall asleep. Damn age getting to him.

As it was, Ted woke on his couch to the sound of a key trying to find the lock and muttered curses. He got to his feet just as Dinah pushed through the door and slammed it behind her, glancing back through the window.

“Alright, we expecting company?”

She looked at him. “Ted, it happened again.”

He sighed. “Okay.”

“I don’t know what it is,” she burst out. “I mean I do, but — I mean, why me, right? Babs is fine, Helena’s fine, and Pam—” she drew up short. “Well, nobody’s really sure what’s wrong with her. But at least it’s consistent.”

“Not getting worse?”

Dinah chewed her lip. “Harley says they’ve had to up her dosage again, or that rash keeps coming back. If that stupid explosion hadn’t knocked her back into that ivy…”

“Or hit you when you were holding the mic?”

“Yeah.” Dinah looked down and sighed. “I just need to, I don’t know, take a breather or something.”

“Stuff’s in your room.”

“Thanks, Ted.” She touched his shoulder distractedly as she made her way down the hall into the spare room she used whenever they stopped here. A few minutes later, he could hear sounds of a familiar melody on the guitar. Ted shook his head.

It wasn’t any wonder she’d gotten worked up and that this whatever-it-was had activated again. Dealing with that washed up excuse for a father, being back here…

He found his phone on the coffee table and went through the recent contacts. His call was picked up after a single ring.

“Hey, Ted.”

“Barbara. You got any time?”

“Yeah. Dad’s got another night shift. He won’t be back for hours.” He could hear fingers clacking away at a computer’s keys rather than a keyboard’s. “What’s up?”

“Dinah’s had another accident. She’s a bit shaken up.”

“Put her on. I’m switching over to video.”

Ted went down the hall and knocked on the door. It wasn’t completely shut, so it swung in a few inches.

“I tried to look for you in the dark water, but I got lost along the way,” Dinah was half-singing, half-saying under her breath. She really wasn’t giving that one up, was she?

“Hey, it’s Barbara.”

Dinah smiled up at him and set the guitar aside. “Thanks, Ted.”

She took the phone and set it up so she and Barbara could each see each other’s faces.

“So what happened?” Barbara never was one to mince words. Probably got it from the old commissioner.

“There were some creeps trying to force a woman into having their sick idea of fun. I didn’t like the look of it, so I said something.”

“And then screamed something, huh?”

“He was running at me. It was, I don’t know, instinct. Something like that.” Dinah dragged a hand back through her hair. “I thought for a second somebody else saw — but nobody was there. I must be getting paranoid.”

“Well, we do need to talk about what to do going forward, Dinah. This clearly isn’t something you can ignore or force to stop happening.”

“I know. But what do you want me to do, announce to the world I’m a metahuman? The Flash would just zip up onto the stage and have me in handcuffs,” Dinah remarked, the humor in her tone only barely masking contempt.

“Who says you have to tell people you’re the metahuman?” Ted asked. Dinah turned towards him and it was clear that Barbara was listening as well. “Nobody knows who the Flash is. That’s why he isn’t in prison.”

Dinah looked back at the phone screen. “What do you think, Babs? You’re the masked crusader expert.”

“Don’t remind me,” Barbara replied with a grimace. “But I do think you need to find a way to separate your identity from the woman who can knock down walls with her voice. If only so the latter can do some good.”

Dinah stood, her arms crossing over her chest. “You sound like dad. He was just reminding me tonight how I used to want to do something for the world with my life.”

“Well, don’t you?”

Ted held his breath, watching and waiting.

“I can barely do enough for myself,” Dinah said. “I’m not some hero, Babs, or even a guy in a bat suit with an ax to grind. I just got dealt a bad hand.”

“And why let that stop you?” Ted asked. “You climbed out of poverty with your music, Dinah. You got yourself out of the foster care system. You’d be free of the abuse if you’d cut the old man off.”

She scoffed.

“I know you feel you haven’t done what you set out to do,” he continued, placing his hands on her shoulders. “But don’t you think you might find out more about yourself if you look to the future instead of the past?”

“I can’t stop looking, Ted,” Dinah said, her eyes wide and pleading.

“And you won’t. But tell me, where did that little girl who snuck into my gym ‘cause she kept getting into scrapes go? Where’d that young lady who kicked guys in the head for harassing women in the crowd go?”

“You know I’d be out there if the answer had come back different,” Barbara offered.

Dinah scowled. “Who cares if Batman said no? You could still do it.”

“Maybe now that I have some money behind me,” Barbara allowed. “But I don’t have the kind of power that accelerator gave you, Dinah.”

“I could hurt someone,” Dinah stated. It was the fear first and foremost in her mind ever since they’d learned what she could do, after all the months of worrying that the accident had stolen her voice. Maybe it had in a way; it was making her hold herself back.

“With the right kind of training, I don’t think so,” Barbara countered. “But that’s gonna take practice, the same as all our other lessons.”

“So where am I supposed to practice? I don’t exactly have my own city lying around somewhere unless you two are surprising me this Christmas.”

“Well, you are home,” Barbara said.

Dinah raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t Star already have a guy?”

Babs shrugged. “Just Green Arrow. Batman never took him that seriously. Thought he liked to make speeches more than get anything done.”

“Forgive me if I don’t hold Batman’s opinion that highly,” Dinah said with a cool tone, “considering he clearly doesn’t know talent when it knocks on his door.”

“Things might have been different,” Barbara said not for the first or probably the last time. “Just my dad being the GCPD liaison with him...it complicates things.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say that involved of a discussion with Batman would necessitate you knowing who you were talking to,” Ted remarked.

“Nope, not falling for it, Ted.”

He grinned. “Worth a shot. I really am starting to wonder if I should make the rounds and get these new boys into shape.”

“Yeah right,” Dinah said, some of her old bite back in her voice. “You like us too much to go over to that boys’ club.”

“All the more reason to get you out there, Dinah.”

She sighed, looking down at her guitar. “Just...let me think it over, okay?”

“Sure thing.” He retrieved his phone and headed for the door.

“It’s not that I don’t want to help,” Dinah said before he had quite left. “It just feels like every time I try...someone gets hurt.”

“That’s just the growing pains. But I think you’re ready to fly now, Dinah.”

She nodded once, and Ted shut the door behind him as he left.

“You think I might have pushed too hard?” He asked Barbara, who had stayed on the line.

“She doesn’t think she’s the right person to be a hero,” Barbara said. “But that’s exactly why she is.”

“Right you are, Babs. Think I’ll go air out the old gym here. We might be needing it soon. You feel like joining in?”

“Give me two weeks. I promised my father we’d spend some time together.” Barbara gestured around the empty apartment she currently sat in. “You can see how that’s going.”

“Well, you hang in there. We’re gonna get you your chance, too.”

“Thanks, Ted.”

He hung up and smiled to himself. Much as he liked his role with the band, he was looking forward to being a teacher again.

—-

Combing through the old family papers was easier said than done. Back when he’d first returned from the island, he had found out that they’d all been boxed up and stored in a warehouse. Walter had been meticulous about the organization of it all, but Oliver had just gotten out what was necessary to declare himself alive again and then looked for a new place to live. Even if the old Manor hadn’t been sold, he couldn’t have gone back there. Too many empty rooms.

Now, he was looking for something entirely unrelated to him, something among his mother’s things. He had to stop every now and then, smiling with watery eyes at her handwriting or an old photo. She’d kept every one of his school pictures, notating them on the back: Oliver, 6th grade.

God, why’d she let him have that hair?

Eventually, he came across an old lock box. Walter must not have touched it beyond moving it here, though he clearly hadn’t found the key.

Oliver looked up at the ceiling. “Sorry, mom.” He broke the lock.

Inside were a number of yellowing papers, some looked to be about financial matters while others were of a more personal nature.

There was also a checkbook tied to an account number Oliver didn’t recognize, nor was it from their family bank. It recorded monthly payments to one of the local orphanages, up until the last month before they all got on the Gambit.

Heart thumping in his ears, Oliver reached a birth certificate at the bottom of the stack of papers. Mia Dearden, was the name given to the child, born January 21st, 1995. She was ten years younger than him. He had a kid sister?

There was a photo paper-clipped to the back of a tiny baby sleeping in a nursery. It was irrational, maybe, but he felt a fierce longing for this tiny life he’d never known.

But he should have. How had his parents kept this from him?

The birth certificate was from a hospital whose name he didn’t recognize. A quick search on his phone showed that it was out of state. He tried to remember that year. Had his mother been away on a trip? Had she hidden the pregnancy that way? His father’s name wasn’t on the certificate. Did that mean…?

There was nothing to indicate if his father had known, or what he had thought if he had. But there had to be some reason Mia Dearden hadn’t been raised alongside him in their home. Never mind that his mother must have purposefully brought her back to the city and kept up payments that must have seen the orphanage well outfitted. At least until 2007.

She would have been twelve, or around that age, Oliver realized. What had happened to her after? Would the orphanage know? Had she found another family, someone to provide the love and care his parents had either been unwilling or unable to give?

“Dad?”

Oliver looked up from his desk, spotting Connor in the shadows by the door. It had gotten late, and the single lamp he had on was the only source of light in the room.

“Hey. Sorry. I got, uh, caught up with all this. You eat yet?”

“Did you?”

Fair enough question. Oliver set the birth certificate and the photo of his baby sister aside, standing up. “Okay, what do we want? Chicken? Chicken tacos? Think we still have some wraps.”

“We could order a pizza,” Connor suggested. “You look tired.”

Oliver looked down. His son was probably right; he’d been at this for three days now, only stopping for meals or to go out on patrol.

“Okay. You pick the toppings.”

They settled out in the main room to wait after Oliver called the order in. He looked Connor over during the silence. He had failed to be the father this boy should have had for the first several years of his life, and now he was finding that was an all too common mistake of his when it came to family. Even if he really had been a kid in the case of Mia Dearden.

“So,” Connor began, “what did you find out?”

Oliver grimaced. “Uncle Barry was right. Sort of, anyway.”

Connor’s eyes were wide, in excitement or worry he couldn’t tell. “So there is a Thea Queen?”

“I don’t know about her, but my mother had a daughter she never told me about. Her name’s Mia,” Oliver said, his voice cracking slightly on the name. He cleared his throat. “Mia Dearden. She has mom’s maiden name.”

“How come your mom never told you?”

“Well, if I had to guess...my parents were partners in the business sense. They built the old company together, as equals. But in their relationship, it wasn’t exactly like that.”

Connor nodded sagely. “She had an affair.”

“Seems that way. Not exactly the best example us Queens are setting for you. Don’t get any ideas,” Oliver quipped when Connor made a face. He was definitely glad that his son still seemed uninterested in the dating scene, and prayed it would last at least a little longer.

“What are you gonna do about Mia?”

That was a question he hadn’t let himself contemplate yet. “She’s a young woman now. Probably out on her own. I don’t know how happy she’d be to learn the truth now.”

“But you wanna meet her.”

It was remarkable how well the kid could read him.

“It’s hard not to wonder. How different would things have been, you know? The way Barry was talking...it sounded like he thought she’d be here.”

What would it have been like to return after those five years to family, to someone he knew had missed him and cared about him? Someone who could’ve been the listening ear he’d needed when Connor had first arrived, who could’ve helped him.

“You know, she’s not the only one Uncle Barry thought should be around.” Connor’s voice pulled him out of that wondering, and when he looked up his son was grinning. “How are you supposed to know the lead singer of one of the hottest bands in the country?”

Oliver shook his head. “That’s maybe the one thing hardest to buy.”

He’d been vaguely aware of his parents’ infidelity. The idea that one of them had had a child in that context was not unthinkable. But where would his path have met up with someone like Dinah?

Barry had said something about the team. “Laurel’s still — I mean, Dinah. Dinah’s still…”

Still what? Singing? Way out of Oliver’s league? Barry had been worried about Thea’s — or Mia’s — existence. Had something about Dinah not been right? And who was Laurel?

A knock at the door interrupted them, and Oliver got up to get their food and tip the delivery man. When he came back over to the couch, Connor held up his phone. It was displaying a social media page of some sort. He could never keep the sites straight.

“Think this could be our Mia Dearden?”

The profile picture was of a young woman with short brown hair and delicate features, almost like a pixie if he had to put a word to it. But her eyes...those were his mother’s eyes.

“Says she’s a bartender on 4th and Wells in the Glades,” Connor continued. “We could go check it out?”

A part of Oliver wanted to throw his coat on and take the elevator down to the lobby right now. But he looked down at Connor.

“Are you sure? I still feel like you and I are figuring out how we work together now, and this would be a lot. I don’t want you to feel like you’re being pushed aside in favor of the next surprise relative I have.”

Connor put his phone away. “I came to Starling to get to know my family. All of it. If this lady is your sister, then that makes her my aunt. I’ve never had one of those.”

Oliver felt himself smile. Trust his kid to look on the bright side.

“And anyway, it’s not like you’d just forget about me,” Connor joked half-heartedly. There was only the slightest hint of vulnerability there, but it was enough for Oliver to read.

He dropped a knee onto the couch and wrapped his son in a hug. “No. Never.”

They settled back in to enjoy their pizza, another night as father and son. Maybe in a week or so, they might have more company. Oliver eyed the armchair across from the couch, trying to imagine the small girl in the photo sitting there. Would she be happy to join them?

Barry had been right about his sister. Could he really be right again about Dinah? Oliver sent Connor to bed and went back to his office, shifting his mother’s old things aside to unearth his computer keyboard. He scrolled through articles and photos alike.

No one knew the woman’s full name. It was likely she came from Gotham, as the rest of her bandmates had. And Gotham was hardly his territory.

But the more he stared at her photo, he thought he should know her. Was it the old paranoia, the placebo effect resulting from Barry’s words, or was there something more than wishful thinking to his wondering if those lips had smiled up at him once before?

—-

Barry sat on the information he had about Dinah for a few days, nervously turning it over in his head. The trouble was, he didn’t really know who to go to.

If he alerted the police, they wouldn’t really be prepared for the kind of power that sonic scream held. If he went to Oliver and his team, he wasn’t sure what they would think. He’d already probably said way too much to Oliver in his distress.

Truthfully, Barry wasn’t sure what to make of this new version of his friend. Oliver wasn’t as different as some of the others had been in the Flashpoint timeline, but there seemed to be a subtle sort of change to him hard to pin down. And Barry just didn’t know if he should trust this Oliver to handle something like a Black Siren. If that was even what they were dealing with.

It was up to his team, as Iris kept nudging him into realizing over the week. They knew how to manage a metahuman, even if the weapon they’d used against Siren wouldn’t work against a Laurel of this Earth. But he needed Cisco and Caitlin’s help if he was going to brainstorm a backup.

With some trepidation, Barry entered the lab that afternoon to the now-familiar sounds of Laurel’s voice on the speakers. Since learning Barry had next to no knowledge of Birds of Prey, Cisco had taken it upon himself to play the band’s entire discography, along with anything and everything he could find with Dinah’s vocals attached. This particular song didn’t even sound like rock at all, come to think of it.

“Uh, dude?”

Cisco swiveled around in his chair and seemed to understand Barry’s confused point up towards the ceiling at the music.

“Oh, hey. Yeah, this was released a year or so after the accident, all studio-recorded. She did an album of the Great American songbook sort of stuff, sort of for the slower crowd, you know? People still went nuts over it.” Cisco’s sigh had a dreamy quality to it as he added, “She could sing the phone book.”

“Is everything alright, Barry?” Caitlin asked, watching him carefully. He must not have hidden his nerves as well as he hoped.

Joe came through into the cortex, followed by Wally, and he knew it was now or never. He was going to need his team behind him for this, however willing they were to be.

“Okay. Guys, um, I really hate to bring this up again, but we’ve got to talk about Flashpoint.”

Immediately Cisco’s shoulders hunched, and Caitlin grimaced. Joe shifted a bit on his feet. Wally alone seemed ready to talk.

“Alright, what about it?”

“It’s not really to do with anything here,” Barry was quick to reassure. “Not exactly. It’s...it’s the Arrow Team.”

The others looked at each other. “They’ve been affected? How?” Caitlin asked.

“Well,” Barry hesitated, looking to Iris for support. She gave him an encouraging nod. “It’s about Dinah from Birds of Prey,” he admitted.

“Oh no, what did you do to her?” Cisco immediately said.

“I — nothing! I mean, it’s confusing, but she is different because of the timeline changing, yeah,” Barry admitted. “I tracked her down the other night and saw her knock a guy down with sonic waves. From her mouth.”

There was a long beat of silence as the others digested that bit of news. As before, Cisco was first to react.

“Dinah from Birds of Prey is a meta? Barry, this is the best news you’ve given us in forever!”

“No, not great news. Because we’ve already met a Laurel — I mean Dinah — who was a meta, and she was evil. Does nobody remember Black Siren from Earth-2?” Barry looked around but received mostly quizzical looks from the group. He should’ve expected it; Cisco would’ve said something if the rockstar he idolized had a double he’d met.

“So, you’re worried that this timeline’s Dinah is also evil,” Joe surmised.

“I don’t know,” Barry admitted. “I mean, when I saw her use her powers, it was to help this other woman. But then what’s her goal long-term? I’ve seen her powers in action when Siren used them. They’re powerful.”

“Tell them about Laurel,” Iris spoke up unexpectedly. “The one you knew, Barry.”

“Who’s Laurel?” Caitlin asked. “And why do you keep correcting yourself by calling her Dinah?”

“Because that’s how I knew her before. How we all knew her. As Laurel.” Barry looked around the room, watching their intrigued but otherwise blank faces. Not for the first time, he wished somehow he had the power to show them what they had once lived along with him rather than just tell them. But he couldn’t.

“Dinah Laurel Lance was the ADA of Star City, and at night she was part of the Arrow Team as a vigilante called the Black Canary.”

“That’s her real name? Dinah Lance?” Wally asked.

“Uh, yeah.” Barry blinked, though it occurred to him a moment later that in this timeline he’d had yet to hear anyone else use her full name. Thea — or Mia — had even been surprised to learn who Laurel’s father was. What was Dinah’s story, really? What could’ve had such an effect on her past?

“She- she died last spring. Before Flashpoint. There was a sorcerer they were fighting, and he killed her. But now none of that ever happened.” Barry was aware he was pacing, but he couldn’t really stop himself. “She’s a singer instead of a lawyer, Oliver and the others don’t know her, Oliver’s son showed up a whole year early and is Connor—”

“Whoa, what’s wrong with my man Connor?” Cisco demanded.

“Nothing, just, you know, he’s different! Oliver had a whole different kid named William who apparently doesn’t exist anymore!”

“Oh, Barry,” Caitlin sighed, disapproval inlaid in every syllable.

“I know,” he ground out. “This is not good. I just don’t know how to fix it.”

“Don’t.”

The single word came from Cisco, and Barry blinked in surprise. “Don’t?”

“Yeah. Trying to ‘fix’ things was what caused you to mess everything up in the first place. So just live with it like the rest of us.” His friend stood and walked out of the cortex, likely heading for his workroom.

“Cisco’s right, Barry,” Caitlin added. “Your time travel never seems to put anything back fully the way it was. It’s better for you to just leave it alone.” She, too, turned away. He could tell by the look on Joe’s face that he was thinking something similar, even if he’d probably say it in a gentler way.

Barry looked to Iris. “We still need to be prepared to deal with- with Dinah if she’s more like her Earth-2 counterpart was.”

“Give the others some time, Bear,” was her advice. “You’ve just dumped a lot of information on them. It’s going to take some time to process.”

“We’ll be ready when it counts,” Wally added with a confidence Barry wished he felt. “And hey, maybe she is on our side.”

“Maybe.” Barry sunk down into Cisco’s abandoned chair and felt Iris walk up behind him, her hands massaging at his shoulders.

“We could start with some recon,” Wally was suggesting, using Joe as a sounding board just as much as he was using Barry and Iris. “Most of the band’s from Gotham.” Wally snapped his fingers. “Maybe Batman knows her!”

Barry’s head lifted sharply in bewilderment. “Bat-who?”

At the same time, Joe gave a sharp shake of the head. “Oh, hell no. Not that nut job.”

For someone extremely used to the feeling of deja vu, Barry seemed destined to find himself unaccountably lost.

#lauriver #westallen #laurel lance #oliver queen #barry allen #arrow #the flash #iris west #ted grant #barbara gordon #connor hawke #cisco ramon #wally west #caitlin snow #joe west #laurel x oliver #green arrow #black canary #my writing

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justanoutlawfic · 6 years

Text

Why Did It Have To Be Me?: 3/3

Trigger warning: mentions of child abuse, marital abuse, rape and incest.

This story took a different turn than I expected. There will be a sequel to this fic, I promise. In the meantime, let me know what you think.

Also on AO3

Mary Margaret walked into her house, her eyes feeling heavy. She wanted to sleep for the next 10 years, pretend like she didn’t just go through the worst night of her life. She was the reason why David and Kathryn weren’t working out.

Inside of her was a tiny life, one that would be dependent on her for the next 18 plus years. It scared her to death to think about. She thought of her mother, who had always been so patient and kind to her. Her mother who never seemed scared.

How had she done it?

As Mary Margaret turned down the hallway, she heard her father clearing his throat. She flinched, clamping her eyes shut. Once upon a time, Mary Margaret and Leopold had been close, they had all been. Then Eva died and everything changed. He poured himself into his work and was barely ever home. She had Johanna to help her mourn her mother, but it still wasn’t easy.

Not 2 years after Eva had died, Leopold was getting married again. This time, it was to Regina Mills. Mary Margaret knew of her, the daughter of Cora and Henry Mills. She wasn’t much older than her, barely out of high school. She didn’t know at the time, but it had been a complete business arrangement between Leopold and Regina.

She could hear Regina’s screams every night and saw how she went from a kind, sweet woman to a hollow shell, who barely ever smiled. She tried to keep a brave face for her step-daughter, but it was too late. Mary Margaret tried to stand up for her, but it was no use. Bruises covered both of their bodies and there was no use in fighting. They were both his prisoner.

Until Regina finally broke free. She had fallen in love with their gardener, Daniel Colter. She told Mary Margaret she would’ve taken her with her, but she had no legal claim to her. While Regina had begged Leopold to let her adopt her, he knew better. He knew that their marriage wouldn’t last forever and he wouldn’t risk losing his daughter. After a messy divorce, Regina had settled out of town with Daniel on a farm. It had been 3 years since then and Mary Margaret would sneak off to see her when she could, but it was difficult.

“Hi Daddy,” she whispered softly.

“You’re home earlier than I expected.”

“It wasn’t that much fun.”

Leopold nodded. “That…or were you just not feeling that well?”

“Huh?”

He reached into his robe pocket and pulled out the pregnancy test. Mary Margaret felt her stomach flip flop. She had hidden it well, hadn’t she? She wanted to hide it from her father until she could find a way out.

“Daddy…”

“Who is the father?” Leopold asked quietly.

“I…I don’t know.”

She couldn’t let anything happen to David. Leopold was possessive and cruel, there was a reason why David was the first person she was ever with.

Leopold rose from his seat and walked over to his daughter, allowing the test to fall from his hands. He grabbed her by the chin and looked her directly in the eye.

“Tell me who the father is.”

“I don’t know, I swear!”

“Don’t lie to me!”

“I…I got drunk and slept with someone at a party! He was gone when I woke up the next morning! I never got his name!”

“So, you’re telling me that my daughter is a dirty little slut?”

“Daddy, please.” Mary Margaret trembled under his grip. “You’re hurting me!”

“How could you let this happen? I thought I raised you better than this! I don’t want some bastard for a grandchild!”

Mary Margaret snapped, feeling violently protective of her child. “Well, just one year ago, it could’ve been yours!”

Leopold’s eyes widened and he moved his hand from her chin, smacking her across the face. She held her cheek and felt the tears falling down her stinging skin. Leopold had come home drunk one night, claiming that everything was her fault. She had picked Daniel to work for them, she had known about his affair with Regina. If not for Mary Margaret, he’d still have a wife.

She wanted to make people happy so damn badly, she could please him.

“Get the fuck out of my house,” he whispered.

“Gladly.”

She turned on her heel and headed for the stairs, but he grabbed her by her arm.

“No. Everything you have is mine. You leave with that dress on your back and trust me, that is a pleasantry.”

Mary Margaret knew that some of the stuff upstairs wasn’t necessarily from him. She nannied for the neighbors down the road and had used it to buy some of her own things. Still, it wasn’t worth the argument.

“I’m taking my car,” she said.

“I’ll impound it.”

“Fine.”

She grabbed her keys, anyway. She knew where she was going and they’d help her with transportation. Storming out of her house, Mary Margaret got behind the wheel. Looking in the mirror, she could see the bruises forming on her chin, the red handprint on her right cheek. It wasn’t as bad as it could be. At least she had escaped alive.

David managed to convince James to go to the after party without him. Kathryn went as well, not saying two words to him after their dance. David couldn’t blame her, he’d hate him too. He had been leading her on for far too long.

He walked into the house and threw his keys up on the hook. Ruth was puttering around the kitchen, making tea.

“Hey, Ma.”

Ruth jumped and turned around, chuckling. “Oh, David. I wasn’t expecting you home, I swore you and James were going to the afterparty.”

“He did...I wasn’t in the partying mood.”

She studied his face, walking closer to him. “What happened, baby? Did you and Kathryn have a fight?”

The worried look on her face brought guilt to David’s stomach. She was such a good mother, she worked her butt off to give him and James a good life. How could he do this to her? How could he give up Yale and the whole life that she wanted for him?

Mary Margaret would understand, she’d have to. She had a full ride to an Ivy League, too. They could give the baby to someone that could give him or her the best life possible. If Mary Margaret was insistent on keeping the baby, he’d find a way to pay child support and visit as much as he could.

He had already broke one heart that night, he couldn’t break another.

“We broke up,” he managed to get out. It wasn’t exactly a lie, it just wasn’t the full truth either.

“Oh, honey.” Ruth put her hand on his cheek. “I’m sorry, I know how much you liked her.”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe it’s for the best. You’re about to head off to college. You don’t want any distractions.” She let out a content sigh. “College. You and James will be the first people in this family to go. I am so incredibly proud of you, baby boy. You know that?”

David bit down on his lip, his stomach twisting. “Yeah, Ma. I know.”

Mary Margaret tossed bac

k and forth in her sleep that night. She had driven to Regina and Danie’s, telling them everything. Regina iced her bruises while Daniel said he’d call the police, but Mary Margaret knew it’d be no good. His lawyer, Albert Spencer, would have him out within seconds and it’d only further put her and the baby at risk. She told them about the baby and her plans, and they said they’d support her. She could live with them and they’d help her raise it.

It should’ve been enough to comfort her and yet, she still couldn’t sleep.

Around 2 AM, she headed towards the bathroom to pee. She paused when she heard Daniel’s voice traveling from upstairs.

“We can’t afford another mouth to feed, Regina.”

“You heard her, she’ll get a job.”

“She’s got a high school education and will be attending class plus raising a baby. How much money can she really make? And where will it go when we all have to work? We’re going to end up financially responsible.”

“Daniel…”

“I want to help her, I do. I just don’t see how we can make it work.”

“We have to try! I’ve been her, Daniel. I was in her shoes and I got away. I was lucky to have you, we’re all she has.”

“I want to help her, I do. Just look at it realistically, Regina.”

“We’ll make it work,” Regina insisted, the firmness in her voice. “I won’t let her go on the streets.”

“Well, what about the father? Do you think he’ll be able to help much? She goes to a private school, doesn’t she?”

“He’s a scholarship student, his mom owns a failing farm in town.”

“So, in short…no help there.”

Mary Margaret shut her eyes, biting down on her lip hard. She should’ve known better than to come to Regina and Daniel’s. They were some of the kindest people she had ever met and they’d risk everything for her, but it wasn’t fair. They already had a 2-year-old son to tend to.

They didn’t need two more mouths to feed on top of it. She’d go to David. Like Daniel said, he didn’t have much, but maybe they could be more help.

Mary Margaret didn’t hear from David for the rest of the weekend, but didn’t think much of it at first. He didn’t have her phone number and it wasn’t like they ran in similar circles.

On Monday, she walked down the halls, her hand instinctively going over her chin every few seconds. She didn’t have any makeup and Regina’s skin tone was too different from hers to lend her any. She didn’t know how she was going to explain it to people, but most seemed to be giving her the cold shoulder anyway.

When she turned the corner and saw Kathryn, it didn’t take long for her to figure out why. She knew and she had told her friends, of course she had. Keeping her head held high, she walked straight past her and headed towards her locker. Before she could start her combination, David approached her. He opened his mouth, then shut it, his hand touching her chin.

“What happened?” He whispered.

Mary Margaret jerked away. “Let’s just say my dad didn’t have the best reaction.”

David’s eyes widened. “Mare…I am so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. Look, I’ve been staying with my ex-step-mom and her husband, but it’s not the best situation. They can’t exactly afford two more mouths to feed and well…I know your family isn’t much better off and we’re not exactly together, but maybe…” She trailed off and saw the guilty look on his face. “What?”

“We need to talk. Do you um, do you think we could meet up later?”

“Why can’t we talk about it now?”

“Mary Margaret…”

“If you have something to say, just say it.”

David sighed and looked around. Everyone was staring at them. He took hold of her hand and gently lead her into an empty classroom, shutting the door behind him.

“I didn’t tell my mom.”

“Do you want me to go with you? I could make it easier.”

“I mean…I’m not going to tell her.”

Mary Margaret tilted her head. “What?”

“I think…I think I’m going to Yale after all.”

Mary Margaret felt her heart sink in her chest and he reached out to touch her arm, but she pulled away from him.

“You said you would stay,” she whispered.

“I can’t. My mom worked so hard her entire life to give me and my brother a good future. I can’t let her down.”

“What about the baby? What about…” She trailed off before she could ask about herself. She didn’t matter to him, of course she didn’t. “What about it’s future?”

“I think…I think maybe we should consider adoption.”

“Adoption?”

“We’re kids, Mare. What kind of future can we offer it?”

She ducked her head, trying to not think of what Daniel had said. She knew this was the best option, but she didn’t want to go there.

“You could go to Columbia. You can give yourself a future. This baby needs parents. Not…not…”

“Two kids that slept together after one of them got into a fight with his girlfriend?”

“We were more than that.”

“Were we?”

David bit his lip and looked away. Mary Margaret stuffed her hands into her skirt pocket, looking around the classroom.

“Maybe you’re right,” she whispered.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to pressure you into anything…”

“I can’t give this baby anything and it’s not fair to them. I’m only holding on so tight…because they’re all I have. But…a parent does what’s best for their child, always.”

She thought of Regina and the lies she had told to keep her son safe. She thought of how Regina had spent the last of her inheritance to fudge the papers to keep the world from knowing who Henry’s father really was. She knew that she could never let Leopold know the truth. Daniel was an amazing father, he loved Henry as though his blood ran through his veins.

Being a mother meant giving your child their best chance.

Mary Margaret knew what she had to do, to give this child hers.

4 Months Later

David walked into his dorm room, throwing his backpack down on the bed. He knew college was going to be tough, but it seemed to be harder with each passing day. He looked over to the bed on the other side of the room and saw that his roommate was fast asleep. Thomas was from the city and didn’t seem interested in bonding with David very much. It definitely wasn’t the college experience he had been expecting.

Kathryn had reversed her acceptance to Yale and had managed to beg her way back into Stanford after all. David was glad that she was chasing her dream, but it meant that she was alone. Even James was attending a different college and was barely in touch, only texting to brag about his latest conquest.

He settled down at his desk, ready to take a crack at the homework that was due the next day. Before he could crack the lid on his psychology textbook, the phone in his pants buzzed. He fished it out and saw he had a text from Mary Margaret. They hadn’t spoken since she left early for Columbia. She promised to keep him updated on the baby and send him the papers when the time came. He peered down at the screen, reading the simple three words.

It’s a girl.

That was it, nothing else. Had she decided to find out the sex of the baby after all?

He walked back over to his bed and pulled out the copy of the sonogram that Mary Margaret had given him from under his pillow, the only picture he had of his daughter. She would grow up without him, possibly not even knowing that he existed. There was a good chance her adoptive family would choose not to tell her that she was adopted. All he could hope for was the day that he got to hold her before she was given away.

He gently kissed the picture, before stroking it. “I’m sorry, baby girl,” he whispered. “You deserve more than a coward for a father.”

Mary Margaret was in pain, but she convinced the doctors that she was well enough to make the trip down to the NICU. She had to go there first, she had to see her baby girl.

Baby girl, she had a baby girl.

She wasn’t supposed to deliver so soon, her due date wasn’t for another 3 months. She had only been at 26 weeks, she was supposed to have more time.

God, why didn’t she have more time? She was supposed to have until January to save up enough money, to get an apartment and work her butt off to raise the baby. She had only just gotten a job a week prior. The plan was to drop out of Columbia after she found a decent place to live.

Now, all she had was a couple of hundred bucks and a college roommate who had barely woken up to give her a ride to the hospital.

There was no way she could keep her now.

The nurse parked the wheelchair in front of an incubator towards the back of the room. The baby inside barely looked real, almost like a doll. Her eyes were shut and she seemed to have a million monitors attached to her.

“Can I hold her?” She asked.

“I’m sorry, Miss Blanchard, I’m afraid she’s too weak. In a few months time…”

“I won’t be here in a few months,” Mary Margaret whispered. “I’m giving her up for adoption.”

“Oh.”

“I…I don’t even have a couple lined up. I wasn’t planning on this, I was supposed to have more time.”

“If you leave her here, we’ll find her a family.”

Mary Margaret looked up at her. “Really?”

The nurse nodded. “It happens more often than you think. You’ll sign away your rights and we’ll contact someone to take her when she’s strong enough.”

Mary Margaret let out a deep breath. She wouldn’t have time to pick someone, she’d have to trust that the family was good enough. She remembered learning that most agencies had strict qualifications. Her daughter would end up somewhere good.

“Do you think you could give this to her when she’s old enough? Make sure it goes home with her?”

She held up the blanket that was folded on her lap, the one she had been working on since graduation. It had purple ribbon and a name stitched in the corner. The nurse took it, studying the name.

“Emma,” she said, softly. “What a pretty name.”

“I know whoever adopts her can change it, but…I’ve had it in mind since before I even knew what she was.”

“I’ll make sure Emma keeps this, I promise.”

The nurse draped the blanket over the second half of the incubator, before walking away to check on another mother. Mary Margaret forced herself up, holding onto her IV as she did. She peered into the incubator, tears gathering in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Emma,” she whispered. “I wanted to keep you, I had it all planned out. It was going to be the two of us against the world, just you and me baby girl.” A single tear fell down her cheek. “But you came early, and that’s okay. You were just so excited to make your mark on the world, weren’t you?”

She reached her hand through one of the holes and stroked her hand.

“I love you so much, it may not seem like it since I’m leaving you here, but I do. I love you more than all the stars and the moons in the sky. You’re my miracle, you know. You’re the reason I’m still here. I have to give you, your best chance. And that’s not with me.”

The baby barely moved and for a moment, all that could be heard were the sounds of her respirator.

“I hope one day I’ll see you again,” Mary Margaret said. “Until then…be happy, be good for your new mommy and daddy. Just know you’ll never leave my heart, ever.”

The nurse came back around. “Miss Blanchard, you really need your rest.”

Mary Margaret nodded and sat back down in her wheelchair. The nurse pushed her out, forever separating mother from child.

#why did it have to be me verse #snowing #snowing au #tw: Incest #tw: rape #tw: child abuse #tw: marital abuse

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khrow-shinku · 3 years

Text

The Great War S12.5

D&D 5e Campaign

The Great War

Aravari’s Mysteries

Ara begins looking through the records. She finds out that her mother’s family was one of the founding families of the town along with a map of the town before it was destroyed. Ara keeps digging through the records and finds out her mothers birth year and her grandparents' names. Suddenly things didn’t add up. According to this her mother was born 85 years before Ara was born, almost 86. She had always told Ara that she was much much younger. She keeps digging a bit further and finds out her mother was actually married twice before being married to her father. “Why would my mother never tell me about any of this… she always talked as if dad was her first love, the first person she married. WTF is going on?” Ara thought to herself.

Ara kept reading and found her mother’s first husband was a human named Desmond Miles who was captain of the guard and a local who was born 20 years before he married Bekari. She also found his death certificate which says he died 5 years after they got married, cause of death was mysterious circumstances. “That’s strange.” Ara mumbled. Ara dug deeper into this first marriage. She found an arrest certificate dated 30 days after his death, her mother was arrested, accused of his murder however she was released 30 days later. “Oh no, mom you didn’t…. There’s no way you could have…. “ Ara mumbled as she began to fear the worst. Ara then found another arrest certificate attached to her mother’s release paper. Za’an Miles who was sergeant of the guard at the time of mothers arrest and was Desmond’s sister was arrested for the murder for her brother. There was also an amendment to the death certificate saying that Desmond was poisoned with iocane. There was also a written confession from Za’an that simply stated, “I Za’an Miles killed my brother Desmond Miles.” There was no listing of motivation or how in the confession. This was odd and too strange. Ara, knowing what her bloodline could do, went searching to see if there was some contact between Za’an and Bekari. Ara began to say “No, no, nooo, mother you didn’t… please, you surely wouldn’t charm his own sister into falsely confessing just to free yourself.” as she read where just 3 days before the confession Za’an had visited Bekari in prison.

Bekari paid off all debts of every member of the Miles family 15 days after she was released. “Hmm perhaps mother didn’t charm, but made a deal.. Still just no mother no....” Ara thought reading this. Za’an was beheaded in prison only 3 days after she was arrested in prison by prisoner 37, the real name was smudged and not legible. Ara did some more digging and found that her mother was a sergeant of the guard and vouched for Za’an to join the guard just 5 years before she married Desmond. Ara began to question if her mother was really deep down evil as she began to wonder if the entire thing was a long con or something and all of it premeditated. Not satisfied believing this about her mother she kept digging for answers. Ara found that prisoner 37 was her uncle, her mother’s brother… he was also arrested by Desmond, who was captain of the guard when he arrested him just 5 years before mother had sponsored Za’an to join the guard. Uncle was arrested for ripping off the head of a shop's merchant with his teeth. The merchant’s last name was Miles. “Oh god no no no no no. Mom… why. You did set up this long con all because…” Ara mumbled as tears streamed down her face. Ara steeled her nerves and resolve, then dried her tears. “No, there were still too many holes in this story. Maybe her mom wasn’t the one responsible” she thought.

Still not satisfied, she went even deeper into the files. Turns out her uncle died just 4 days after killing Za’an, poisoned by iocane. “Wait, what? Whoa whoa whoa. This has really confusing things.” Ara thought. So she checked to see who had visited her uncle leading up to his death. He had only 1 visitor, it was on the day he died. The name was smudged but she could tell that the first name started with an S and the last name started with a B. Upon further digging of info on Bekari she found out that Bekari’s father, Ara’s grandfather, was an alchemist named Shalashaska Birion. Ara gasped, “S B.” It was her grandfather who had killed her mother’s first husband, and her uncle, and likely convinced Za’an to confess. She knew too well the lengths a father would go to for his daughter. If he did not see Desmond as good enough, he likely killed him, then when they accused his daughter he had to kill one after the other to cover his tracks. It all suddenly fit into place in Ara’s mind, however one thing still bugged her, where did her mother get all of that money from to pay off the Miles family debts? She did a bit more digging and found out a contract between Bekari and another person for the sale of her grandfather’s alchemy shop. Grandfather had contested the sale of his shop even though the money was already paid. Seems the shop was in debt for 10,000 plat. Mother used the money from the sale of the shop to pay off the debts of the Miles family, likely because she knew about what grandfather had done and felt guilty for his actions. She also found a death certificate for grandfather, apparently his debt collectors caught him because he had been found neck broken twisted around 180 degrees and shoved up his own ass and his body shoved on a pike.

Ara was now curious though as she had yet to find any evidence on when Desmond entered the guard or of him or his sister living in the town before mother entered their lives. She did some more digging and found that Za’an couldn’t have children so she had adopted a child and he was who got the financial benefit from Bekari. However there was no proof of Za’an and Desmond’s parents ever living in the town or any proof of any one from the Miles family living in that town before Desmond and Za’an. And no evidence of him actually being in the guard other than on that arrest paper. Then Ara stumbled upon another death certificate for both Za’an and Desmond. This one says that Desmond died before arresting uncle and Za’an died before joining the guard. Ara came to the conclusion that they had their identities stolen. “Perhaps the real reason grandfather had done what he did was to protect mother from the impostors. Maybe he knew they weren’t who they claimed to be and just wanted to protect her.” Ara thought for a moment. Ara decided to go with that as she didn’t like the idea of her grandfather being a cold murderer, even if she never met him.

Ara leaned back satisfied finally with that chain of research and decided to look into husband number 2 when suddenly a locked book fell from a top shelf and smacked her in the head. Ara looks and sees where it fell from and for some reason this book looks to be in pristine shape, not an ounce of dust on it even though the shelf it fell from was covered in layers of thick dust. Ara quickly solves the sliding picture puzzle lock with ease on her first try. As it pops open Ara sees her family tree. It even includes her name written in her mother’s hand writing. Ara gasps and thinks out loud, “Is mom still alive?” At that moment a being steps out from the shadows, and says “No, she isn’t.” Ara screams “Who the fuck are you?” visibly startled as she thought she was alone this whole time. In an ominous voice the being says, "I am no one and I am someone but for your purposes you can call me X" and with this the being’s eyes glowed red as the rest of it seemed to almost be made up of shadows. Ara then wondered, OK so she isn’t alive but she has obviously been here some time since I was born in order to have written my name here. X as though reading her thoughts responds, “Yes, very recently even. I’m sorry I’m not speaking directly to you, but someone through you.” Ara shrugs off the ramblings of this bizarre creature. She feels no malice or ill intent so she keeps searching for answers. And looks to see if there is any indication of her having a brother on her family tree and sees that there is no indication of it, just some erased lines from other branches of the family where mistakes had been made.

X begins to laugh at Ara’s sad attempts to make sense of everything, so to assist her X begins throwing papers at her from all over the building for her to read. At first Ara wasn’t sure where the papers were coming from but she noticed X’s fingers moving ever so slightly which gave away who was doing it. Ara quickly began reading page after page as they flew in front of her. Bekari’s 2nd husband was the mayor of the town and died of natural causes after being married for 23 years to her. As Ara reads this only one thought enters her mind, “If mom had all these years of marriage and a full life here where she seemed happy enough for the most part, why call this place a cult and run away from it? Why hide this all from her? Sure it wasn’t all peachy but why lie about it to both her and her dad?” It is at this time X drops a stack of 17 pages in front of Ara. Ara begins to read this new stack as it describes an incident where several females of the town created a lynch mob that marched on the mayor's house the day after he died. They bared the doors from the outside and set fire to the house, all the servants died in that fire, yet for some reason Bekari did not. After she didn’t die they accused her of being a witch. They tied her to a pike in the middle of town and piled wood around the pike and proceeded to burn her, but could never figure out why the flames would never touch her. Because they couldn’t kill her with fire they ran her out of town. As Ara reads this X begins to take on a more physical form and gets closer to Ara. Ara continues to read, after Bekari was run out of town the women showed their true selves, they were demons. Ara begins to read the last page which is a recounting from the only survivor, a child, about how the entire village was destroyed by those demons years ago, long before Ara was born.

As Ara finishes reading the last page, the building starts turning to ash except the papers and the table which are glowing. Once the final page is read X’s eyes stop glowing and a female form appears out of the shadowy mist. Ara then turns to look at the woman as the papers and table turn to ash and the book with her family tree and the lock fall to the ground still intact. The female figure reaches down, grabs the book and the lock, locks the book back up, then hands it to Ara saying "keep this". As Ara grabs the book, she can’t shake this feeling in her gut so she reaches for the hood covering the woman’s face and moves it back gently, brushing the woman's face as she does. X speaks up, “All you had to do was ask and I would have removed the hood. I swear in all my years working for your family I’ve never had to go through so much trouble.” Ara responds, “Sorry, I had to know who you were. To be honest for a moment I thought maybe you were my mother’s spirit here to guide me.” X replies,”Sorry dear she really is gone. However I am indeed here to guide you, as I have assisted every member of your bloodline. You wouldn’t know me though, you met me only once, that was the day you were born.” Ara responds back, “It’s OK. I just felt like for a moment ...she was here with me. I still get the feeling that I’ve known you for years. So you said you’ve worked for my family for years, tell me, do I have a brother?” X answers very formally, “Yes and no. You had a twin brother who died at birth, but you lived. It was my job to show you what happened and to help your mother to birth her children and once I failed to give one of them a proper burial.” Ara takes a deep breath “OK, well obviously he is alive again somehow, as I have heard I have a brother who is currently plotting to destroy the world. How is this a thing if he is dead? Please fill in the gap for me of how my family got to this point. What don’t I know?” Again very formally X responds, “Yes M’lady that is the part that I am afraid scares me and the reason why I was in the state I was in when I found you. You see, the Dracolich revived your brother, and… your mother. I was able to kill your mother which is what she had asked me to do if such a thing ever befell her. Your brother however, was raised by the Dracolich and sees him as a parental figure. He is also quite powerful and deeply brainwashed. If this is all that you need I’ll go back to protecting you from the shadow.” Ara grabs her hand and puts a finger on her lips. “Nonsense. If it is true you are bound to me then no more hiding. Talk to me, stay with me. Be a proper servant to me. I have many more things to ask. Besides beauty such as yours has no business being hidden. “ X nods, “As you wish M’lady.” Ara then says, “OK first what is your name. This whole X business is getting old.” X responds, “Right, let me properly introduce myself. My name is Thefa, I am an Ifrit created by Slaanesh with the task of guarding, guiding, and forever watching your bloodline, the 1st bloodline. As long as a member of your bloodline is alive so shall I too live.”

“Whoa, whoa, hold up, OK Thefa what is all this 1st bloodline stuff and a creature of Slaanesh? Mother always told me that he was like some evil deity that created demons. However given the giant lie about this town just to keep me from finding it… I imagine that isn’t exactly the truth so please teach me about my full past, and why exactly you have to protect my bloodline.” It was at this time Thefa suggested they start heading back to where her friends would no doubt be waiting for her and informed Ara that she had been inside that hall of records for 2 and a half months. In order to keep that room together so that Ara could learn the truth she had to create a space outside of the normal realm to keep the building together. As they walked together to the nearest town they continued to talk. Thefa informed Ara that Slaanesh wasn’t good nor evil, he just gave power to people, what the people did with it was up to them. Some did good, some did bad. Slaanesh is a god of pleasure, lust and excess. A god of all the decadent things in life. Once he was born his very first creation was a line of succubus who were given a country to rule over. This country has been ruled by her bloodline for thousands of years. Ara’s mother, Bekari was supposed to be the next in line to rule the country, however she refused and handed the country over to her 2 viziers so that all decisions made for the country had to be agreed on by both in order to be enforced. Well the first thing they did was agree to divide the country and both control their half. She also explained that Ara was now the last living member of that original bloodline and the one true heir to that country should she decide to go and reunite it and take over. She also explains that her countries were not a part of the alliance that had held the summit meeting because until recently they were actually underground and not surface countries, but due to changes happening the country had risen to the surface. That was about all she knew concerning the country as she hadn’t been back since her mother gave up her rights to it. Ara and Thefa continued to get acquainted over the next 2 and a half months traveling back to the town where Ara had left the party. During that time Ara had seen Thefa’s true Ifrit form in battle. While some would regard it as beastly and ugly, Ara saw it as a beautiful bright flame and was in awe of how majestic Thefa looked as she easily disposed of 49 bandits in a single swipe of her flaming claws. Ara continued to tease Thefa that she was so beautiful that she wanted to someday have her as more than just a servant. Thefa every time responded, "That to be with her was to kill oneself." Ara always just vowed to become stronger so that someday she could handle her flames and repay her for the service she has given her family and especially to her.

Once they got back to the town where the summit was, Ara met with her long lost party member Baruch, where he had informed her that everyone had been in a coma for 5 months. There they took turns watching over their party members. Ara in her boredom and curiosity got Thefa’s help in measuring everyone. She now knows every woman’s bust, waist and hip measurement and the length and girth of every males Johnson. The mammoth’s was a challenge as it took both of them and Ara’s tail to hold it up to get a good measurement.

#d&d #d&d5e #homebrew #campaign #the great war #session 12.5

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abcthought · 3 years

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Hmmm I don’t know what to say.

To read that you felt you have been abandoned by Ven and myself felt really strange and almost insulting right off the bat. But I realize you and I do not know each other and your view seems skewed by that. I’m writing this out not for you to attack but to understand my feelings and maybe cut us some slack when you reference our “abandonment”.

My relationship with the family is strained. And it has always been, since I was a baby. My father and my mom did not have a great relationship. My mom was pregnant with me at 20 years old, and my dad 19 (I think). We lived with grandma and grandpa for a while. Aunt Jissel was like 15 and your dad was also super young. But idk if you know this but the relationship between my parents was violent and turbulent. They fought constantly, my dad did drugs, my mom did drugs, she went to jail, he went to jail, her parents disowned her, and lots of other messed up stuff. My great grandma was actually the one to bail out my mom. She had no parental support at all. My grandma and grandpa were genuinely all we had for a part of our life. Until they couldn’t be anymore.

My dad punched my mom in the face during a violent fight. I saw the whole thing. I was about three, maybe four years old. My dad punched my mom and broke her nose. Blood splattered everywhere. She was screaming, I was screaming, my dad was demonic. I remember my mom bent over the sink, sobbing and sobbing. I remember running to find my little sister, so we could hide. I was so scared of him. My mom ran to my sister and I, grabbed us as quickly as she could, and ran for the car. I remember my mom holding me, as she ran down the stairs. Here I am, getting buckled into a car seat with my father, literally shouting from the apartment stairs, threatening my mom.

She was finally able to move in with her parents, my grandparents. My mom was suddenly a very young single mother. At like 23 years old... with two toddlers. Not to mention she suffered a miscarriage from my father sometime before this. She was put through the ringer. I don’t remember much on why or how we were allowed to see him again, but they would meet at a McDonald’s in Fontana, off of cherry and foothill. Then my dad would bring us over to gma and gpas house. I used to play all the time over there with your dad and uncle Bobby even. You were born shortly after, and we would visit as much as we could. Except my dad would sometimes not show up to pick us up. My mom told me that we would cry and cry, not understanding what was happening or why he wouldn’t show up. To protect us, she decided that he wouldn’t be allowed to hurt us anymore. That we had been put through too much by him.

Then, she remarried my step dad. He was an abusive piece of work too. He was emotionally abusive to my mom. She wanted us to see grandma and grandpa, but he would not allow it. I went like a good few years not seeing anyone.

Your parents and our aunt/uncles etc were also just starting their lives. They were young adults with their own families, schooling, careers etc. The last thing they had time for was to reach out and care for us. They trusted my mom enough.

We also had our own family now. We had a dad, an older brother, and an older sister. That was really important to me. Because for a few good years I actually had a family. I experienced a lot without the Monarrez’s. And that was literally never my choice. I was a literal child. From first grade to fifth I pretty much heard nothing.

I had actually told my friends that my dad had died, that’s how in the dark I was. But my dad made no effort to contact us, or get better, or just be good. He had the power to grow up and change, there was literally nothing I could do.

Eventually, in middle school my dad came back to ven and I’s life. This is predominantly the years you remember. And they were good years. Things seemed good until he went to prison. Nobody told me where he was. We had no idea where he had gone. Then he’s back, then he’s gone again. I never understood and it hurt a lot to be with family, the not, then with, then not. Aunt Jissel one day pulled ven and I aside and said, “we actually do know where your dad is, he’s in jail”.

And to her credit she did what she could, like take us to knots scary farm etc. But for the most part, all of the grownups in our family danced around the fact that our dad was not there for us, and that they did not know how to be there for us either. Something I don’t hold against them. Honest to god, I have even had this conversation with aunt Jissel.

Anyway, one day, I get a call from him in jail and he says I have a baby brother. And by this point I’m in 7th grade. Barely beginning to be a teenager. And that same year my mom and stepdad get divorced, and my older brother is beaten up by my step dad. The last time I even saw my dad before that was when he picked up ven and I to go look at Christmas lights. But he had his girlfriend there the whole time and rarely said anything to us. Ven and i sat quietly in the backseat. Then we we got home, him and his girlfriend snuck away to his bedroom. Ven and I were left alone in the house, just trying to feel like he wanted us there.

We were allowed to see my dad a lot more after Caden was born, because he was “changing”. Also my mom was back to being a single mom, so she asked us if we were ok to see him again and we said yes. Literally the first time I saw him again I called him dad, and he didn’t even respond to it. Because he wasn’t used to being called dad.

He took us to his church, he showed me his job, he really seemed like he changed. At some point he moved out to Arizona with you guys. In freshman year of high school, he came back. He had for some reason brought a girlfriend back home from Arizona with her two daughters. He pitched to us “being a family” and we went to see twilight together.

I was told after that, he broke up with her and drove her back to Arizona. At this point, I’m a teenager. A brilliant one. I took five AP courses, I took advanced math, I played three Instruments, I acted in plays, and I was in every band or after school activity. The reason I got to do those things? My grandma and grandpa on my mother’s side. They are the only reason I am alive. My grandma is basically my second mom. She did everything, sacrificed anything, and loved us more than I have ever seen a grandparent love someone. This is not to say I don’t love grandma Esther with all my heart, because I do. I love her very much. But my relationship with my maternal grandma is special. So when it came time for me to graduate, I was only allowed 13 tickets. I chose my moms family over the monarrez’s because of every sacrifice they made for us. For every moment they were there. For how much I loved them.

But when I told me dad he yelled at me. He called me a liar. He drove to my house to say mean things in my front yard and after sending me a cruel Facebook message accusing me of not caring about them and leaving them behind.

I was 18. Just barely an adult, about to graduate with honors, and my father who had not raised nor cared for me was yelling at me. Instead of being happy to graduate I spent it with anxiety, nausea, pain, and guilt. Feelings I don’t think we’re justified. The experience was so awful my sister chose to not even walk the next year.

At this point I’m in college, I have my first job, I have a lot happening. I was not responsible for repairing a bridge that someone else destroyed. I sought therapy for the things I saw with my dad. I have problems every day with the guilt. But it is most painful to me, to see my grandparents age. I do my best with what I have got. I visit them when I can, I send them pictures, I’ve bought them stuff during covid, I had them at my college graduation. I did not have anyone at my wedding other than my mom and sister. Not even my maternal grandparents. No aunts, no uncles, etc.

I have been through a lot of pain with my father and the family. I have never felt like I belonged. While you all were the same age (cousins) ven and I were the older kids. I was an adult before any of you. And now? I’m married, I have a home, I have a family of my own, I am educated, I am passionate, I am talented. There is not a single quality that I have that had come from the family. That was all my own and with people who supported me indefinitely and without question.

The reason I don’t make it to the invites? They’re last minute or I have other priorities. For your graduation I was working so my mom and I could have rent that month. I did the grocery shopping, we only had one car, we were scraping buy paycheck to paycheck. And i worked very hard to make sure my mom was never alone to bear the burden. I am the oldest, so I gave up everything to take care of my mom and sister. We never got a penny of child support or any financial help.

Also, getting a call at 5pm ON thanksgiving and being told to come down is not the same as getting an invite ahead of time. It is not the same as someone asking us to join as a family. It’s last minute, it’s hurtful, and it always stung because we always felt like an after though. I didn’t even know grandma was in the hospital because NO ONE told me, except my baby brother. It was not the responsibility of a young boy to tell us that. And the blame is solely on the adults of the family.

Now I am a fully grown adult woman. I have a degree, a career, credentials, a cool husband, and a good family. I have chosen to only really engage with grandma and grandpa, as they are the only ones I can bear to see. I will not let you accuse us of “abandoning” them or leaving them to rot as they age. I do what I can, when I can. My responsibility is to my own life. I do not have a relationship with my father. I do not have a relationship with you. It will always be so, because the damage is done. I have worked through the trauma on my own. If you choose to still believe that we had any choice in the matter, or that any of it was intentional, you are sorely wrong.

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weeklyhumorist · 4 years

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80s Movies Mash-Up

Full Metal Jedi

A young farm boy named Luke leaves his boring home planet to join the toughest branch of the Rebellion in the hopes of becoming “the first kid in his sector to get a confirmed lightsaber kill.” He soon learns in basic training that getting there won’t be easy. Luke will have to endure the stern and scary presence of his senior drill instructor Obi Won Hartman who teaches his recruits how to use the Force while he hurls profane insults at them at the top of his voice like, “Only womp rats and ass bandits come from Tatooine and you don’t much look like a womp rat so that kind of narrows it down.”

Luke is paired with a slower, dim-witted cadet named Anakin who the sergeant cruelly nicknames “Vader Pyle” branding him as an idiot. Soon the sergeant starts punishing his fellow recruits whenever Anakin messes up and the whole platoon assaults Anakin in his sleep by using their force powers to make Anakin whip himself with a bar of soap wrapped in a towel. Anakin begins to improve even beyond Luke’s abilities but Anakin’s new found powers take over his sanity and turn him into a homicidal maniac who murders the sergeant before turning the lightsaber on himself.

Luke is sent to Hoth to fight for the rebellion as a journalist capturing the harsh realities of war from the front lines. He writes “Born to Force Choke” on his helmet and a peace button on his body armor as his way of speaking out about “the duality of man.” The hard lined Gen. Rieekan notices the pin and berates Luke saying the Rebellion is occupying Hoth because “in every tauntaun, there is a human trying to get in it in order to stay warm.”

Luke reunites with his basic training recruit Pvt. Flyboy who’s joined a rogue squadron called the Lustgamorrean Squad that includes a brooding, bullish, hairy meathead named Wookie Mother. Luke joins the squad as they are sent to monitor activity on Endor where they eventually get pinned down by a sniper who kills Flyboy and other members of the squad. Eventually, they fight their way into the sniper’s nest and kill the gunman who turns out to be a small, orphaned Ewok.

The Running Elephant Man

Acclaimed British actor John Hurt takes on the title role of Joseph Merrick, an English man suffering from severe physical deformities caused by a rare, 21st century illness called Pachyosteosclerosis. He becomes a police helicopter pilot for a corrupt police state who frames him for opening fire on innocent protestors during an adorable British orphan riot. He escapes by forcing a woman named Mrs. Kendal to be his hostage before both are captured while trying to flee the country. Merrick is thrown into a work camp where he befriends renowned surgeon Frederick Travers.

During this dark time where death and truth are twisted for control and the public’s entertainment, the most popular show on TV is a reality game show called The Running Man. Contestants are picked from prison and given a chance at winning their freedom if they can survive a gauntlet of ruthless killers known as “stalkers”. The show’s ruthless host and producer Damon Killiam played by Sir John Gielgud offers Merrick his shot at freedom and when Merrick accepts, Killiam double crosses him by sending Travers and Mrs. Kendal into the game with him.

Merrick and his spandex sporting team of underdogs fight through a series of chainsaw wielding, electricity shooting, flame throwing stalkers winning over the crowd that usually bets on the show’s roster of fighters. Killiam offers Merrick a chance to become one of the show’s star stalkers along with a beachfront condo and a hefty salary but Merrick declines. He pulls a security camera off the wall and yells in Killiam’s virtual face, “I’m not an animal! I am a human being! I’m a man who’s going to ram his fist into your stomach and pull out your goddamn spine!”

The three go off the grid and Travers discovers a way to hijack the show’s broadcast. He hacks into the studio’s satellite feed by pretending that the control box is a patient with typhus. Travers obtains the password to hijack the feed and tells Mrs. Kendel to remember it just before he’s killed by the electricity slinging Dynamo.

The network decides to fix a fake video of Merrick’s death to placate the audience. Merrick and Mrs. Kendal find an underground hacker den that’s willing to broadcast the undoctored footage of Merrick’s frame job. They break into the studio after the fake video airs shocking the audience who thinks Merrick has died. They chase off the audience and get in a shoot-out with police leaving Killiam alone on stage with Merrick. Killiam tries to tell Merrick he was just giving the audience what they want by putting a deformed warrior on TV. Killiam realizes he’s been bested and that he underestimated Merrick who is about to launch Killiam into the grid to his inevitable death. Just before Merrick does, Killiam panics and tells him to “Drop dead.” Merrick remarks, “My life is full because I know I am loved” before launching Killiam down the chute and to an explosive death.

Born on the Friday the 13th

During one of his many rampages on the camp staff of Camp Crystal Lake, Jason Voorhees is shot in the back by a camp counselor. He manages to fight through his seemingly fatal wound and take out a couple of counselors before a second shot sends him to the ground in a catatonic state. He wakes up in the camp hospital that’s been slashed financially to the bone by President Nixon’s administration. He fights with the staff to get him to save his machete throwing arm because they won’t allow him to kill like his mother taught him to and he often has flashbacks about the one night that a horny teenager bested and almost killed him.

He recovers but is confined to a wheelchair paralyzed from the chest down. The camp feels so bad for the homicidal maniac that they hold a rally in his honor. They invite him to speak but forgetting that he’s unable to speak, Jason sits before a quiet crowd confused at his behavior and what they are even doing there. The sound of a helicopter causes him to flashback to the night that took his body as the whirling of the helicopter blades reminds him of the “whooshing” sound made by his powerful machete swinging. He starts to feel remorse for the lives he took. Jason turns to booze, drugs and prostitutes to cover the guilt with the numbing feeling his vices produce. He moves back into his rundown shack where he fights with the remains of his dead mother questioning her motives for the values she instilled in him and forced him to kill for mother. She breaks down and throws him out of the shack.

He befriends another ex-serial killer named Charlie played by Willem Dafoe who was also paralyzed by one of his escaped victims and the two imbarge on a drug and drinking binge in Mexico. They get stranded in the desert by a cab driver because Charlie killed him with a spear and the two get into a fight over the atrocities they committed. Charlie spits in his face and Jason tries to spit back but forgets he’s wearing his hockey mask. The two struggle and fall out of their chairs.

Jason returns to the States where he sobers up and realizes he has to face his past and admit to his mistakes. He visits the family of the teen he failed to kill and apologies for not doing his duty. The family falls short of forgiving him but the mother says she understands his pain. He turns anger and grief into a driving force of protest against camps for not doing more to protect their staff from people like him. He’s dragged out of a convention for the camp’s presidential election. His staunch activism leads him to write a book about his harrowing experience and is hailed as a hero for speaking out against the camp that made him carry such a heavy emotional burden.

Ferris Bueller’s Nightmare on Elm Street

Popular teenager Ferris Bueller is awakened by his parents before school. He coughs and sounds weak as he attempts to get up but his parents insist he stay in bed because he’s too sick to go to school. Meanwhile his sister Jeanie has a nightmare that she’s being pursued by a mysterious figure with burned skin wearing a red and green sweater and a bladed glove who chases her down and slashes her across the chest. Her injuries are transferred to the real world where an invisible Freddy drags Jeanie’s screaming body to the ceiling before dropping her to the floor in a bloody heap. Her parents scold her for mocking his brother’s illness and insist she get dressed for school.

Ferris talks to the audience about a dream he just had about the same mysterious figure from his sister’s dream before sharing his rules for avoiding school by faking an illness. Some freshmen from the school begin talking about the mysterious dreams and injuries that the school’s rumor mill claims Ferris has suffered. When one of them calls to check up on Ferris, he realizes he’s not the only one having the dream so he calls his best friend Cameron who is actually sick to pick him up so they can go to a sleep clinic. Cameron also scams the school into letting Ferris’ girlfriend Sloane out of school by pretending to be her father. They leave the car with two parking garage attendants who take it out for a joyride.

Ferris convinces Cameron to let him drive his father’s super rare 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California for their impromptu day off so they can pick up Sloane without anyone recognizing them. The three fall asleep at the clinic where Ferris dreams about the mysterious figure again and wakes up just as he attacks him. His injuries in the dream are transferred to the real world along with the figure’s Fedora hat which has a tag on the inside revealing his name: Freddy Krueger. Ferris makes it back home in time for his father to call and he confronts him about Freddy. Ferris’s dad breaks down and tells him about the man in his dream who was the high school’s evil vice principal. Years ago, the parents killed Vice Principal Krueger in a warehouse for flunking so many of their children for unfair truancy punishments.

Ferris and his friends figure the best way to avoid Freddy is to stay awake for the entire day so they venture to downtown Chicago to a fancy restaurant where they scam a free meal out of a snooty maitre-d, the Art Institute of Chicago’s art museum and a Cubs game where the Cubs’ poor performance almost puts them to sleep. They realize they need to confront him assuming that the vice principal pursuing him for skipping school is real.

Freddy tracks down Ferris to his home where he thinks he’s hiding out during his “day off” to kill him for skipping school and breaks into Ferris’ house losing his shoes in the muddy lawn in the backyard. He’s fooled by one of the booby traps Ferris set for him consisting of a mannequin in his bed that rolls over when he peeks through the door and a snoring sound effect played on a loop in Ferris’ synthesizer. Freddy also encounters the family’s attack dog who chases him out of the house.

Ferris, Cameron and Sloane get the car back where they realize the mileage is different from the one that Cameron’s emotionally abusive father will definitely notice. They try running the car in reverse to push back the mileage but when it doesn’t work, the usually depressed and emotionally repressed Cameron starts kicking it before realizing that he needs to confront his dad. Freddy catches them skipping school and is about to drop the boom on them by stabbing and then expelling them from school when Cameron leans on the car causing it to run Freddy over through a window and into a ravine beneath the house. The three stare at the heap in horror.

Suddenly, Ferris wakes up and realizes the whole adventure was just a dream. He’s greeted by his parents who’ve just returned home to check on him. He hears the distinctive horn of the Ferrari outside and tells them he is feeling better and would like to join his friends for their afternoon “study group.” Ferris joins Cameron and Sloane in the red Ferrari as the doors lock and the windows roll up of their own accord. The convertible roof closes on top of them showing the same red and green pattern as Freddy’s sweater. Freddy’s unmistakable laughter can be heard as they are driven away screaming in terror. Ferris’ parents wave goodbye to the kids from their doorstep as Freddy violently yanks them through the mailslot.

Do The Right The Thing

A UFO crashes into the street of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn on the hottest days of the summer. Mookie, an undriven pizza delivery man for Sal’s Pizza run by an Italian family, starts his day greeting his family and various members of the neighborhood. A stray dog that doesn’t appear to be one belonging to anyone in the neighborhood runs past him as a helicopter crashes in the background. Sal takes in the dog who Mookie finds creepy and unnerving for some reason. Mookie’s sent on a delivery to a nearby neighborhood only to discover that the entire neighborhood has been demolished and abandoned. He also discovers a large block of melting ice that appears to have been thawed out from the inside.

Mookie returns to the pizzeria to discover that the dog had eaten and assimilated some of the other neighborhood dogs. Sal and Mookie realize the dog had been around for most of the dog and could have made a copy of one of the neighborhood residents. Mookie’s friend Buggin’ Out shows up announcing that he’s starting a boycott of Sal’s for taking in the dog and creating the rising tension in the neighborhood. He gets support from the boombox toting Radio Raheem and Smiley.

Later that night, Radio Raheem and Buggin’ Out confront Sal in his restaurant forcing him to reveal if he’s an alien by blasting Public Enemy on a boombox. He insists that they give him some of his blood so they can apply heat to it to see how it will react. Sal loses his temper and smashes the boombox with a baseball bat. Radio Raheem and Sal begin to fight in a struggle that spills into the street. Two police officers break up the fight and unfairly target Radio Raheem and kill him in front of a full crowd while trying to apprehend him. They flee the scene with Raheem’s body while the crowd confronts Sal who begins to shake until his head splits open in the shape of a giant claw that engulfs Buggin’ Out. The crowd forces Sal into his restaurant and things get violent when Mookie tosses a trash can containing a loaded stick of dynamite into the pizzeria burning it to the ground presumably with the alien creature still inside of it. Mookie shows up the next day to the smoldering remains of the building where he meets Smiley neither of whom know if the other has been assimilated by the alien creature.

Revenge of the Scanners

Lewis and Gilbert, two nerdy friends who have a unique ability to make people’s heads explode using telekinesis, are about to attend their first day of college. They soon realize that the college’s football team rules over the campus through intimidation and bullying. The two get a dorm room together but are thrown out when the team’s frat house burns down during a drunken party. Lewis and Gilbert explode the heads of the entire football team and their overbearing coach.

80s Movies Mash-Up was originally published on Weekly Humorist

#1980s #80s #funny #mashup #movies

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agecfmiracles · 4 years

Text

BIO - GRACE HOWARD

GENDER ↠ CIS WOMAN AGE ↠ 29 SPECIES ↠ HUMAN

All Grace Howard has ever wanted is the one thing she’s never had: a real home, and a real family. She had a parents, of a sort. Most kids worship their mothers, the center of a universal orbit, but looking back, Grace really did liken her mom to an angel who got kicked out of Heaven. Mom was pretty, and kind, and always a little sad. Their tiny double-wide trailer on Staten Island was filled with pictures and posters of beautiful desert landscapes that Mom called her home, a long time ago. She never talked about her own family, or why she ended up so far away, and it never occurred to her little daughter to ask. Kids are inherently selfish; they don’t know any better. Still, it would bother Grace for the rest of her life that she never bothered to ask. That Jessica Howard wasn’t really her mom’s name. That she’ll never know the things you start to learn about your parents as you both get older, because Jessica Howard didn’t get to grow old.

Enter Dad. He didn’t come around often, and never stayed long, and that’s exactly how Grace and Jessica liked things. Visitation was his right in the custody agreement, though, in exchange for child support, so once a month (but never on the same day) he would show up with a check, give Grace a cursory pat on the head, and find a reason to fight with Mom over the money. She was always asking too much, or wasn’t grateful enough, or was too eager to take his money and must be blowing it all on drugs or gifts for her boyfriends. Mom’s pride never could stand much damage, and Dad knew it. Within a few minutes of him showing up they’d be locked in the bedroom screaming at each other, with Grace in her room on the opposite end of the trailer pretending she couldn’t hear him hitting her.

Sometimes, Grace tried to help her mom. Once, she tried to break the flimsy lock and get inside and tell him to stop. Dad heard her screaming and swung the door open so hard and fast that it broke her nose. Afraid of losing the child support, Mom told the ER nurse that Grace stepped on a rake in the yard and the handle hit her. Grace didn’t blame Mom for lying; it was her own fault for getting in the way. And every time she got in the way after that, too.

A few weeks after Grace’s tenth birthday, a woman called the landline and said she was Harlan Meyer’s wife in a hard, scary voice. Mom took the phone into her room and didn’t come out for hours. Grace played outside until it was long past dark, then put herself to bed.

She never found out what the woman wanted, or why she sounded so scary saying Dad’s name, because a few days later Dad came unexpectedly. They argued, Mom screamed and cried, then went silent. Dad left the bedroom and warned Grace that if she told anyone he was here, he would kill her. Mom never came out of that room. Grace didn’t know what to do. For a few days she tried to help, she brought Mom glasses of water and cleaned the blood off her face, but then Mom stopped groaning and went cold. It was another few days before a truancy officer came to check on Grace, and found Mom’s body.

The police came and took Grace away, and she was scared, so she told them everything, and next thing she knew Dad was in jail. Grace identified him in court, and told the jury everything she saw that night, and she told the jury all the times she could remember him hitting Mom, and told the jury about her own broken nose and bruises. Harlan Meyer was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison, due to the disturbing and violent nature of the act.

For the next eight years, with no living family to claim her, Grace was a ward of the state. She doesn’t like to think about that time. There were a few sleepovers with foster parents; some went well, some went badly, and a few went really, really badly. Tired all the time, miserable and alone, she kept to herself intentionally throughout high school, because her middle school classmates treated her different when they found out her dad murdered her mom. Some kids tried to be nice, but she knew they were scared of her, like being evil was catching and she was Typhoid Mary.

After burying herself in her studies to get through high school alone, but with no idea what she wanted to do with her life, she tried to join the army and failed the physical exam. Asthma since she was little. She went to a community college in New York, unable to find the point in it but with nothing else to do with her life.

It wasn’t until shortly before she finished her general studies that it occurred to Grace she barely remembered her mother’s death. That maybe she owed it to Jessica to learn the details she couldn’t handle at ten. Looking at the original police report, though, only made her feel worse. Sick and sad and just as helpless as she had felt those long nights alone, waiting for Mom to wake up. No one had thought to check on her, Jessica’s self-sufficient girl, abandoned to fend for herself every time a new man came sniffing around. All that loneliness and fear and desolation came rushing back as if it was only yesterday, and at 20 years old Grace decided what she would do with her life. She was going to devote her life to helping other people through awful times like these—just as long as she didn’t go anywhere near children. Nothing too close to home. She would live her life as well as she could, and maybe she would learn how to be happy.

For the next two years of college Grace shifted her focus to major in psychology with a minor in education, and she did it with a sense of purpose she had never felt before. So many years had been obscured by her own tragedy that she didn’t have the chance to form any opinions about life other than alive was a terrible state to be in. By the time she finished her bachelor’s degree she was eagerly making plans to move on to her master’s in...something useful. Only her financial aid ran out, and she couldn’t afford to take on any loans.

A blessing came in the form of an end-of-semester careers fair, where the still-legitimate SHIELD organization had a booth stationed. A bored-looking recruiter gave her a pamphlet about continuing education on the government’s dime while gaining valuable experience; it seemed too good to be true. Probably because it was. Other than a few crappy part time jobs waitressing, Grace had never had a career; walking into the SHIELD’s New York headquarters for her interview was a culture shock like no other. People were serious but friendly, they were tidy, professional, everyone seemed to know their place, and before she even had the job she felt herself breathing a sigh of relief. Order in a world of chaos. This was perfect. Twenty-two and scared out of her mind, she fumbled her way through the interview and got a job as the counseling office’s assistant, where she would be able to train under the SHIELD mental health counselors and study part-time for her master’s degree. Within four years, three if she worked very hard, she would be prepared to take the licensure exam and become a counselor herself.

By the time she was 23, Grace was transferred to be a counselor at the Triskelion, in Washington, DC, and with the change of scenery she felt like she could finally let herself settle into adulthood. No chance of running into classmates who heard about the trial because their uncle worked at the courthouse. She was finally free of the shackles that had bound her to her childhood. Never since she was eleven had Grace been so happy. Still, Grace wasn't used to having friends. It took her a long time to warm up to her coworkers, even though they were all perfectly kind. Especially Mason, who was a few clearance levels above her — but not technically her supervisor, it turned out when she couldn't help herself asking. Mason made it his responsibility to make sure she knew exactly what was what around the office. He showed a kind interest in her that didn't feel like the interest some of her foster parents had shown, or the interest a particularly malevolent TA in college had shown, either. Just interest. He asked questions, and didn't push if she couldn't answer them.

When she couldn't tell him about herself, he told her about himself instead. How he grew up in foster care after his parents died in a car accident, and he was adopted at the age of seven by the nicest couple in the world who had been fostering kids for twenty years. Grace was intensely jealous of him, and the first time he took her to a family birthday party she had to leave early and cried all the way home. They were all so happy, and only reminded her of her own miserable experience in foster care. But Mason didn't shy away from any of that. He just let her hurt and remember and made sure she knew he was there if she wanted him. And eventually, she did want him.

They started dating, and after six months of pure happiness Grace found out she was pregnant. Maybe it was stupid, being her first serious relationship, but they were in love and decided this was a sign they should get married. They went to a jeweler, picked out rings, and were planning a quiet courthouse ceremony — and then came Insight Day.

It was a quiet morning. Everyone was a little excited about the big day, a little nervous because apparently Captain America was a fugitive, but it didn't have a huge effect on the counseling offices. Grace did her work around the office, worked on some homework, when suddenly Steve Rogers's voice came over the intercoms and half her coworkers pulled out weapons and started firing on the other half. It was instant pandemonium. Grace hid under her desk and hoped she would be passed over, but then a different kind of screaming started. The Helicarriers were colliding and careening toward the Triskelion. Mason dragged her out from under her desk and they ran for the stairwells along with everyone else on their floor and the floors above. The stairs became instantly congested with bodies trying to flee, being picked off from above by the armed agents. A few flights from the bottom, a falling body hit Grace from behind and she was trampled, losing consciousness in the tumult. Hours later, Grace came to in a hospital crammed to overflowing occupancy. She had a broken arm, two broken ribs, a concussion, and had miscarried at eighteen weeks.Two days later, Mason's body was pulled out of the Potomac.

On the third day, she was sent back to her apartment. No family, no SHIELD to return to, half her belongings in boxes in anticipation of moving in with Mason. In the span of a few hours the life she struggled to build had been destroyed. She went back to the Potomac and tried to throw herself in. Her broken arm was just enough of a hindrance, though, that a bystander was able to restrain her and call the authorities, who brought her back to the hospital for 72-hour observation.

With nowhere else to go and an incomplete education to get her counseling licensure, after being released from the hospital Grace returned to New York and started working as line staff at the foster group home where she lived from eleven to eighteen. It was the last thing she ever wanted to do with her life, but the staff reached out to her when news of SHIELD's collapse broke, and the current climate didn't leave an ex-SHIELD agent with many alternative choices.

Salvation came in the form of the newly founded SHIELD, working underground until it could gain some legitimacy and desperate for support. She didn't ask but drew the conclusion for herself that there was no one left to ask besides herself. Still, working with children who reminded her too much of her own upbringing was a daily torment, so she agreed to rejoin SHIELD as an unlicensed counselor. It was better than nothing, for herself and for the agents who were wrestling with the morality of their actions every day.

She did have one condition to re-joining, though: Grace asked to be trained in the same way a field agent would. Not because she wanted to work in the field, but in case anything like Insight Day ever happened again. She had been completely helpless when the insidious Hydra presence started firing on her friends and coworkers, and needed to be prepared and capable of protecting herself, if not others.

The events of Insight Day have left their toll on Grace that will never leave her. After an early life struggling with self-harm and suicidal thoughts due to so violently losing her mother, she also started drinking to help herself sleep at night after returning to New York, and still struggles with those tendencies, severe anxiety, and PTSD.

#mobile bio #grace bio #ic: grace #answered: grace #hc: grace #aesth: grace #oc bio

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