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jobrookekarev · 3 years

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My Sweet Joy, Always Remember Me

Chapter one of one

Words: 8715

Summary: In the midst of quarantine, Levi convinces Jo to download Tik Tok, and she quickly becomes addicted. So when a certain trend comes around, Jo couldn't pass up the opportunity to poke fun at the man who left her. Back in Kansas, one of Alex's teenage patients shows him the video of Jo and Luna, and he instantly goes back to Seattle to meet the girl he assumes is his daughter, only to find that Jo has another surprise in store for him.

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy

Relationship: Alex Karev/Jo Wilson.

Characters: Alex Karev, Jo Wilson, Levi Schmitt, Luna Ashton, Izzie Stevens (Mentioned), Eli Stevens (Mentioned), and Alexis Stevens (Mentioned).

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences.

Additional Tags: Angst and Fluff, Babies, Pregnancy, Tik Tok, The Intimacy of napping together, Rated T for swearing.

Read at AO3

Read at FFN

AN: Did I write a fic about a Tik Tok? Yes. Do I regret it? Absolutely not! Link to the Tik Tok this is based on: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMebyxQeQ/

A big thank you to the jolex group chat for once again distracting me from what I should be writing with ideas of what I could be writing. They supplied some of the lines and ideas for this story, and I am thankful for all of their help and support.

……………………………………………………………………

It was a slow June day on the Pediatric Ward at the Children's Hospital where Alex worked in Kansas City. Ever since the pandemic, things had slowed down, although he still had his regular surgical patients.

“Hey Marco,” Alex said, coming into the room of the teenage patient. He had assisted in a leg amputation due to cancer on the kid a few days ago and was eager to see how he was progressing.

“Hey, Dr. Alex, do you have Tik Tok?” Marco asked as he still looked at his phone but even bothered to glance at Alex as those little clips of music played.

“Nope,” Alex said as he checked over the kid’s vitals and pulled the bandage back to look at the incision. “Everything looks good. Are you having any pain?”

“Not really, you guys got me on the good stuff,” Marco replied, giving him a nod as his mask hid his smile, and Alex could tell that he was a little bit out of it. “Okay, but you have got to see this one. I think it's you?”

Alex's eyebrows came together. He didn't know anybody in his life that would make a Tik Tok of him. Except maybe Zola, but according to Meredith, she mostly just made dance videos. Nonetheless, he went over to Marco’s bedside and waited for him to pull up the video expecting to see Zola. Alex was, however, surprised when a video of him and Jo popped up.

“I'll never forget you,” the artist sang over the video. “They said we'd never make it.”

The video was of the two of them on their wedding day as they kissed and then turned to the crowd, all smiles, and the little caption read. “To the man who left me in a letter, thanks for the gift.”

The video changed and suddenly, it was a video of Jo sitting in a rocker in the loft holding a baby. She smiled at the camera before tilting it down to the baby in her arms, who looked up at the camera with newborn colored big blue eyes from where she was swaddled in a pink blanket.

“My sweet joy, always remember me.”

“Sorry, man,” Marco said, having read the expression on Alex's face. “The videos are funny but, it's a sucky way to find out you got a kid.”

Alex just stood there in shock as the video replayed again before he grabbed the phone. He waited for the video of her and the baby to play again before he paused it. He couldn't believe it. Jo had their daughter. She must have been pregnant when he left. Jo had gone through a pregnancy, and high-risk preterm labor, and now she was taking care of a medically fragile preemie, their preemie baby girl, all alone. All because he had made the dumbass decision to move to Kansas without even talking to her. Because he had left, Jo and their daughter were alone.

Their preemie daughter. The baby girl didn't look very big, she was definitely a preemie, and she was still on supplemental oxygen with oxygen cannula tubes in her nose. His mind filled with the possibilities of any health complications their daughter could’ve had, from brain bleeds, lung issues, hip dysplasia, or congestive heart failure, and so on.

Why didn’t Meredith tell him? Although, they hadn’t spoken since he left. Of all the people he thought would tell him if he had a daughter, Meredith was at the top of his list. He understood why Jo didn't want to tell him, although the fact that she didn't still hurt. The fact that Meredith, his best friend in the world, didn't tell him that he had a daughter, hurt even more. A sense of karma came over him as he wondered if this was how Jo felt when she found out about the twins.

He let the video reply again and stopped it on Jo and the baby. Jo was dressed in a tie-dye T-shirt with her hair thrown up in a bun. She looked tired but happy as she showed off the baby in her arms. Alex thought she was absolutely beautiful, as beautiful as she looked the day he said goodbye to her.

He remembered what she looked like when he turned back to look at her, one last time, after he made it through security. Her dark hair was flowing over her shoulders in beautiful waves, and she had a gorgeous smile on her face. She excitedly waved to him and blew him a kiss before the crowd surrounded him, and she disappeared from his view. The image of her smile as she blew him a kiss had replayed in his mind over and over again the past six months.

He just stared at the photo of her for a couple of minutes as the ache in his heart consumed him. He had a heartache, a longing for her since he left, and he had carried it around every day. He missed her more than he had ever missed anyone. He missed her more than words could describe. He missed her more than anything else in this world and every day, he fought the urge to go back to her.

Now he had a reason to go back because she had had their daughter. Their beautiful, wonderful little girl. She already looked a little bit like Alexis with her little tuffs of blond hair. Alex couldn't stop staring at them in the video. He tried to quickly do the math, he had left six months ago so, but she must have been pregnant before then, although the baby looked small, about 5 lb or so. It was June now, so Jo had to have gotten pregnant in November or October. Maybe she knew before he left, maybe she didn’t. They were so focused on arranging the witnesses for Meredith’s trial, and he was so busy working at Pac North before he left. Some days he barely saw her except for when he crawled into bed.

That was the thing that he regretted most, that he didn't spend enough time with her, which was why, the week after Meredith’s trial, before he left, he spent as much time with Jo as he could. He visited her on her lunch breaks, he was there when she got home, he made dinner with her, and watched TV with her on the couch, and he made love to her every night. At the time, he had lied and said it was so he could spend as much time with her before he went to visit his mom, but he wanted one last perfect week with her before he broke both of their hearts. The memories of that week, of Jo’s beautiful smile, were something he thought fondly of as he slept alone in his one-bedroom apartment.

“Can I have my phone back now? I can send you the video if you want?” Marco said as his words brought Alex out of his head.

“Umm yeah,” Alex said as he handed the phone back to Marco, still in shock at the fact that he and Jo had a daughter. “Please send that to me.”

He was absolutely floored at the fact that Jo had had their baby, as Marco sent him the video. Alex quickly clicked on it and downloaded the app as his feet carried him out of the room. As he waited for the app to download, he wondered if Jo had posted any other videos. As he found a quiet spot in the halls, the app loaded, and he clicked the link and followed the icon to Jo's page. There he was greeted with a handful of videos. Some of them were of Jo dancing with Levi or by herself, but there were one or two videos of their daughter.

One was of their daughter, which was a series of photos to the song, you're my sunshine. The photos started off when the baby was in the incubator, looking no bigger than his hand, and Alex guessed that she was about 26 weeks old. Alex looked over every photo, every video of the little girl. He was so distracted by the photos and the videos of the baby that he almost ran into a nurse. Alex quickly apologized before he came out of his daze.

He had to go back to Seattle. He had to see Jo and their daughter. He had to be there for them. He had missed so much of her life already, including Jo’s pregnancy and her first breath, her first days of life, and he was filled with guilt and regret. Alex ran over to the lounge to get his things, cleaning out his locker while he quickly called the chief of surgery and quit on the spot. Alex hated this job anyway, he loved the kids, and he wanted to make sure that his patients, including Marco, were okay, but he needed to go home.

Alex rushed over to the apartment he had in Kansas City. He had been staying there since the start of the pandemic. He and Izzie had agreed that since he was still working in direct contact with patients at the hospital, he would move out and get a separate apartment as they didn't want to risk transmitting this to the kids. Izzie had stayed home with the twins as with her job in oncology, she could do mostly remote consults, with only having to go on to the clinic on an as-needed basis with covid negative patients. Alex had been video chatting with them every single night and had distance visits with them at the park every Saturday and Sunday. Although, he had been considering getting his own place since before the pandemic started. He thought that he could make it work with Izzie, but the two of them were never in love.

It only made his homesickness all that much harder, and the urge to go back to Seattle all that much larger. The one thing Alex had realized during this pandemic was that he didn't have to be in Kansas to be a good dad to his kids. He could see them part-time and visit them on the weekend, and he could do that from Seattle. Lord knows he was rich enough to fly out every weekend. He had made up his mind as he packed up his car with everything he would need to move back to Seattle. Alex got in his car, setting his GPS for the address of the loft in Seattle. As he drove past the endless crop fields, he smiled in anticipation of soon seeing their daughter and his wife, it never did feel right to call her his ex-wife.

……………………………………………………………………

Going back to Seattle was like coming home. Everything was so familiar in Seattle, whereas everything had been so foreign in Kansas, even though he had been there for months. The drive over to the Loft was just muscle memory as he allowed himself to enjoy his surroundings. The thought of seeing Jo and his daughter filled him with excitement, despite how he knew that Jo may not be happy to see him. He hoped that she would at least let him meet his daughter, and then maybe they could work out a schedule where he could see her.

As he pulled up to the Loft, he couldn't help but sigh in relief. He was home. For the first time since he left, he was home. He had stopped back at the hospital and had tested negative before he left for Seattle as he knew with a medically fragile child, he would have to be extra careful. Still, he grabbed a mask and hoped that he would at least get to hold her.

He ran into the apartment complex and took the stairs two at a time up to the metal gate that led to the laundry room. It was locked, as usual, so he used his key but stopped in front of the familiar red door. He paused and knocked because although it had once been his home, it wasn't anymore, and Jo earned as much privacy as she wanted. Alex heard wrestling and footsteps with muffled voices until the door slid open, but instead of Jo on the other side, he was greeted with Schmitt in a grey mask.

“Oh boy,” Levi said, before he turned around, and Alex followed his gaze until his eyes landed on Jo holding their baby.

For a second, he froze as he stared at her. There she was, standing before him, no longer a memory but real. She looked better than the photos and videos he had seen, even as she looked tired with her hair up in a messy bun. She was wearing his grey Iowa Hawkeyes t-shirt, which definitely had spit up on it despite the burp cloth thrown over her shoulder.

The little girl was dressed in a blue onesie with pink flowers and green leaves, and she had a matching bow on her head. She also had the oxygen cannula tubs taped to her cheeks and had the heart and oxygen saturation monitor wires trailing down to the floor. Jo’s lips were parted as she stared at him. Alex wanted to take a step forward, to go to her, to see their baby in her arms with his own eyes, but he kept his feet planted in the entryway as he just stared at them. The girl that was possibly his daughter and his wife.

As he thought about it more and more throughout the long drive from Kansas to Seattle, he questioned whether this baby was truly his. However, the video was pretty damning evidence. Then again, Jo had always had such a soft spot for the little orphan NICU babies, and sometimes he joked about her adopting one, so maybe she finally did. Somewhere in Montana, he thought about turning around and going back or just calling Meredith and demanding an answer, but he couldn't bear the thought of going back to Kansas. He knew he belonged in Seattle, regardless of whether she had Jo or a daughter.

“Is she, is she mine?” Alex asked, finally finding his voice.

“No,” Jo said with a shake of her head as she looked over at Levi. He went back over to her and she quickly transferred the baby into his arms. Alex was confused at first until Jo pulled up the T-shirt to reveal her rounded pregnant stomach. “But this one is.”

……………………………………………………………………

From the moment Jo laid eyes on Alex, all she could do was stare at him. She felt relief that he was finally home. He was finally going to meet the child growing inside of her. He would be there for her and for their child. Alex was finally home. Yet, the relief and excitement faded as reality set in. She felt so betrayed because he had left without a single thought to her, nor the child growing inside her.

He seemed to stare at her as she handed Luna off to Levi. She put a hand on her belly as she felt her baby kick again. From the moment she laid eyes on Alex, the baby had done flip flops inside of her as if they could sense that their father was near.

Alex still seemed to be in shock, but so was she. Jo didn't even know why he would assume that Luna was his. Nor why he didn't already know she was pregnant, especially after she had left so many calls, voicemails, and text that had gone unanswered. He was back, but only for their child, not for her. Yet, seeing as they were one in the same for now, Jo knew that she owed it to her child to allow their father into their life.

“We should talk,” Jo said as she finally let her shirt drop before she walked towards Alex.

Alex just nodded as he continued to stare at her. His eyes flashed between her face and her belly, looking at her and their unborn child. He finally seemed to come back to reality and looked around the room, his eyes glancing at Levi and Luna.

“Is this a good place to talk? I tested negative before I left, and I drove straight here from Kansas. I haven't seen anyone since I left two days ago,” Alex seemed so unsure and so worried as he looked at her. It was so strange to see it on the man she knew was always so confident even while groveling with her.

“I can take Luna for a drive, it might help her fall asleep anyway?” Levi offered, already moving around. He gathered Luna’s things to transfer her oxygen to the portable tank they kept in a backpack by the door and placed her in the car seat.

Jo knew the loft had changed so much since he had left. It looked so different yet still the same where his weights used to be there was now a twin bed set up with a dresser and a few other things as Levi had moved in. Where the dining room was, there was now a crib, a dresser with a changing station, and a rocking chair where his lounger used to be. Next to a rocket-shaped shelf, a rocketship carpet completed the space themed Nursery that Jo had set up for Luna and their baby.

Alex seemed to watch her every move as Jo helped Levi get Luna in the car seat and send her off with a kiss and a wave. Levi gave her one last look, but Jo just gave him a nod before he closed the door behind him. She had been so thankful to have him around. Even in the midst of covid with everything else they all had going on in their lives. Between being pregnant and adopting Luna, he, Meredith, and Link had all been there for her. Jo had still felt so lonely because the one person that was supposed to be there wasn't.

She put a hand on her stomach as she felt the baby do flip flops inside of her, so she rubbed up and down. It always seemed to calm the anxious baby inside of her. Alex took a step forward, and his hand moved as if he wanted to reach out and touch her, but then his hand quickly dropped, and he just looked down at the floor. She wanted him to feel their baby, but she could tell that he was hesitant to touch her again.

Jo went over to the couch, their couch. The one that she bought for him, that they had spent countless nights on together. She fell in love with him on this couch, she made love to him on this couch, hell she was pretty sure they made the baby on this couch. She sat down on one end and moved away the pile of Luna’s laundry and the extra pillows and blankets to create a space for both of them. She wasn’t sure she was ready to have him so close, but it was just instinct and habit and the love she would always have for him. Jo patted the spot she made for him next to her as he slowly made his way over to her.

He still seemed to be a little weary, and she could tell that he was nervous as he sat down next to her, and looked at her bump. “How far along are you?”

Jo knew he was asking just to be sure, but she guessed that he had already done the math in his head. “24 weeks as of yesterday.”

“Are you, are they, are you both healthy?” Alex asked as he rubbed his hands up and down his pant legs as he tried to find something to do with his restless hands.

“Yeah, we're both fine, she’s measuring big, but Carina says we've got the dates right. She looked perfect at the 20-week anatomy scan and at the ultrasound I had a few days ago,” Jo said with a nod as she continued to rub her belly up and down.

“She, it's a girl?” Alex asked, catching her words as he looked up at her with a little bit of a smile.

“Yeah,” Jo said, watching his smile as his eyes seemed to light up. “It's a girl.”

Alex looked so happy and his eyes were bright as he laughed. It was the expression she imagined he would have when she told him she was pregnant. She was happy to see how excited he was for their daughter. He reached out again and put his hand on her belly. She remembered the way that he pulled her in for their first kiss and the shock of electricity between them. It had been pulling them together ever since. She felt that shock now and she knew Alex felt it too as he looked up and briefly caught her eye before he looked down at his hands again. His hands on her body for the first time in six months were an instant comfort. She immediately relaxed as she moved his hand to where the baby was kicking. As his hand settled, his thumb absentmindedly rubbed her belly and Jo relaxed further back into the couch.

“Hi baby girl, it's your Daddy. I'm so excited to meet you,” Alex said, letting out a little laugh as she kicked his hand and he leaned down to kiss her belly without even a second thought.

This was how it was meant to be, the two of them, together for this pregnancy. For a moment, Jo pretended that he had never left.

“She's strong like you,” Alex said, looking up at her as the baby continued to kick his hand. “And like Alexis too. She'll climb anything and she runs all over the farm.”

At the mention of his children, Jo immediately froze up. She didn't resent them, but they were the reason why he left. They were a constant reminder that she was in this alone. Alex felt the tension in her body as his thumb stopped moving and he looked up at her.

“Jo, I know I left, and I'm sorry…”

“No,” Jo said, instantly getting up and putting some space between them. “You don't get to do that. You don't get to try and walk it all back with I'm sorry. You left me, Alex.”

The tears instantly spring into her eyes as she began to cry, and her breath hitched as she tried to inhale. She just felt so broken, so hurt by everything that he did. Alex just looked up at her with his big puppy dog eyes. He gave her the same eyes in the front yard of Amelia and Owen's house all those years ago after he assaulted Deluca. She knows that he had grown up again since then, but after what he did, she doesn't know how things could ever go back to how they were before.

“After everything we've been through, after you promised me again and again, every day that we were together, that you would never leave and then you left!” Jo said, her voice rising as she yelled at him. “You left me pregnant, and alone, and scared. I called your mom and I knew that you weren't in Iowa. You didn't return any of my calls or my texts. You didn't even text Meredith back. I thought you were dead or that worse, that you were cheating on me, and then to find out that you were cheating, it broke me, Alex! But I couldn't let it break me because I was pregnant, and I had to keep it together for our child, and I did. You left and I, I carried on. I went to work, I went to my doctor's appointment, I built a nursery, and I got support from our friends, but not from you. I did everything without you. I am so furious at you for leaving. I am so hurt that you cheated on me. I am so broken because you left. You ignored me and you ignored our daughter. I am more hurt for them than I am for myself because they didn't ask for any of this. I get you leaving to be with your kids, but you had a kid here with me, and you ignored her. I sent you texts and photos and calls and emails, I sent you a freaking letter Alex, and you just ignored all of it!”

“What? Wait, Jo, hold up,” Alex said, standing up and shaking his head as he closed his eyes. “What phone calls, what letters, what texts, I haven't heard from you in months. The last text I got from you was a week after I left asking me if I was okay and how my mom was doing?”

Jo paused, gently wiping away her tears as she just stared at him as confused as he was. There was no way he was lying to her. He looked so genuine and Jo knew that regardless, Alex would never lie to her. She knew him almost as well as she knew herself. Alex Karev was many things, but he wasn't a liar. He dropped everything to be there for his and Izzy's kids and she knew he would never ignore his daughter with her.

“When you stopped returning my calls, I got worried. As soon as I found out that I was pregnant, I called you, and when you didn't pick up, I sent you a photo of the pregnancy test and then later of the ultrasound photo. I left you voicemail after voicemail, and I kept texting you, right up until I got your letter and the divorce papers, back in early February. I sent them back to you with a letter telling you that I was pregnant. When you didn't reply, I thought, I don't know.”

“Jo, I swear to you I never got any of your phone calls or your texts, or the letter, look, check my phone if you don't believe me,” Alex said, as he looked at her holding his phone out to her and she knew without having to see it, he was telling the truth.

Regardless, Jo took the phone and opened it up. The lock screen was a picture of Alexis and Eli. She paused as she stared at them. She had never seen a photo of them before, but the second she did, she knew they were Alex’s kids. Eli was the spitting image of his father and Alexis had his eyes and his smile. They were so beautiful, and she knew that he had instantly fallen in love with them the moment he had seen them because she fell a little bit in love with them too. The two little mini Karevs staring up at her were absolutely adorable and innocent in all this.

Jo put in the password that was still the same and quickly scrolled through his text until she found her name. Sure enough, there was the text that she had sent months ago, asking about Helen, and then nothing. She clicked on the little sidebar and quickly discovered the reason why.

“You blocked me,” Jo said, crossing her arms as she handed the phone back to him.

“What? Alex asked, his eyebrow shot up in surprise as he looked at the phone. “I swear I didn't.”

“If not you, then who? Your other ex-wife or your current wife or girlfriend or whatever the hell she is to you,” Jo couldn't help the malice in her voice and the hatred she had for the woman who had torn them apart with her actions. She was so angry at them both, but especially Alex as he was her husband, and he had made the choice to cheat on her.

“Izzie, fuck,” Alex said as he turned away from her and let out a cry of frustration. “I knew it was weird when I hadn't heard from you. She said it was for the best, but I knew, I knew you wouldn't just stop texting me, but then I thought that maybe you figured it out already, and I don't know.”

He clenched his jaw and looked like he wanted to throw or kick something. Jo grabbed one of Luna’s stuffed animals from the couch and held it out to him. He looked back at her with soft eyes as they both remembered when they used to throw things at the wall together. That memory seemed like a lifetime ago. Alex grabbed the toy and threw it against the wall. It made a satisfying clunk as it hit the metal doors of the cabinet. Alex let out a heavy sigh, having gotten all his frustration out before he sat back down on the couch.

“I tried to teach that technique to Eli and Alexis, but Izzie blew up on me for it. She said it would teach them to be violent and throw things, but honestly, it's the only thing that ever calmed me down. You were the only one who understood my anger,” Alex said as he looked over at her before shaking his head and looking away. “This whole situation it's so messed up. It was all a mistake.”

Jo looked down at the situation in her belly as her baby kicked her hand again. This whole thing was a mess. She didn't want to put Alex in the same position that Izzie had, having to choose between the life that he loved and his responsibilities to his child.

“Look, Alex, we’re fine. We're both doing fine without you. When you left, I stepped up and I figured out how to do this on my own. I've done everything alone, and you know what, I'm pretty damn good at it. So good that when I fell in love with Luna, I didn't even think twice about applying to adopt her and becoming her foster mom. I'm good on my own. I can raise our daughter without you.”

“But you don't have to, Jo. I want to be there for you and for our daughter, for all of it, I want to be on the phone with you for all your appointments, and I want you to hold my hand while you're in labor and screaming at me for knocking you up. I want to be there for our daughter's first breath and when she starts walking and talking. From her first day of school to when she graduates and goes off to college and every sleepless night in between. I want to be there for you and for her,” Alex said as he pleaded with her, all but begging on his knees for her. “I am so sorry, Jo. I swear to God, I didn't know that you were pregnant. The other day this kid showed me this Tik Tok of you and Luna with a photo of me saying that I was her father. That's why I thought she was mine.”

Jo couldn't help the smile as she let out a little laugh and shook her head. “ I downloaded Tik Tok during the pandemic and kind of got hooked. I thought it would just be a funny video for our friends and I don't know. I guess a part of me did think that you would find it, or at least I hoped that you would.”

“If I had known and if I had seen your messages, I would have never....” Alex trailed off as he shook his head, looking down, still ashamed.

“Would you have left?” Jo asked, her voice just a whisper. She knew the answer, but she needed him to say it.

“Leaving Seattle was the worst mistake I've ever made,” Alex said, looking up with her voice and his eyes full of such hurt. “I love my kids, I do, but Kansas isn't my home. Izzie and I, we. I didn’t sleep with her while we were married, I want you to know that. However, once we were divorced, I did try to start a relationship with her, but we were so different she didn't get it. She didn’t get me, not like you do.”

As Alex talked just looked up at her, his eyes full of longing as he got up and came over to her. They were so close that Jo could smell the familiar scent of his cologne and she could see the sparks of gold in his eyes. Her body involuntarily relaxed as he got closer. She longed for him too. All she wanted was to be in his arms again, to wrap her own arms around his neck, to hold him and have him hold her. However, the distance they created between them kept them apart.

“And now, with the pandemic, I barely see them.” Alex continued with a shrug. “I live in a crappy one-bedroom apartment in Kansas City and it sucks. Izzie stays home with them and I only see them through video calls. They meet me at the park on the weekends, even then we stay six apart and they miss me, but they're okay without me. I'm not okay without you and I know you're not okay without me either.”

It's a bold statement, but they both know it’s the truth. Jo felt the tears collect in her eyes again as Alex mirrored her expression, looking about two seconds away from falling apart as well. Just the acknowledgment that she needs him, that he needs her, and that they need each other, was overwhelming.

“I never wanted to do this without you. Every time we talked about kids, I was so terrified, but I knew that I could do it if I had you by my side. When you left, I realized that I could do this regardless, but I don't want to do it alone. I don't want to do any of this without you.”

Jo dissolved into a mess of tears as they streamed down her face. Alex took a quick step forward and he wrapped his arms around her as she truly fell apart. She fell apart in Alex's arms and buried her head in his shoulder, feeling the warmth of his body and feeling his lips against her head. His arms instantly wrapped around her waist and it was everything she had wanted for the past six months. It was in that moment she realized that Alex was truly back. She cried even harder, especially as she felt his chest shake under her as his body was wracked with sobs of his own.

Alex pulled her over to the couch and she sat on his lap as he wrapped his arms around her. They just sat together and cried. Eventually, they cried themselves out and just sat together in silence. Jo curled her fingers into his shirts and pressed her forehead against his shoulder. Alex ran his fingers through her hair like he always used to do as his other hand rested on her belly, feeling their baby move under his hand. She inhaled the sweet scent of his cologne and felt completely surrounded by him. For the first time and six months, Jo felt like she could breathe again.

Everything was how it was always supposed to be. Even if it was just for a moment, it was like a spell had been cast upon them, freezing them in time and allowing them to have just this moment together. Between being pregnant and having a newborn, Jo was exhausted, and she knew Alex hadn't slept since he left Kansas. They both fell asleep in each other's arms on their couch, truly resting for the first time in six months.

They must have slept for a few hours as by the time they woke up, the sun was low on the horizon, streaming golden beams in through the windows. For a moment, Jo pushed away the harsh memories as she woke up in Alex's arms. She pressed her nose into his neck and he seemed to forget it too as he laid a kiss on her forehead. They heard the door squeak open and finally got up. Jo could feel Levi’s eyes on them, but he didn't say anything about it.

“So we went for a little car ride, but she took a nap. Then after she woke up, I took her to the park, and we just watched the birds and sat on the grass and hung out,” Levi said as he lifted Luna out of her car seat and Jo greeted her girl. “I had some ice cream, and Luna had her bottle. She ate about 3 oz and then proceeded to spit up all over me.”

“Oh did you have fun with Uncle Levi at the park,” Jo cooed at Luna as she held her close and pressed a kiss to her little head before inhaling her sweet baby scent.

Levi moved to transfer Lunas oxygen tubes back to her machine. They kept Luna’s oxygen machine next to the couch on the side of her nursery as the 25 ft. oxygen tubes allow them to move around her nursery, the living room, and even into the kitchen.

“Let me help,” Alex said as he stepped forward and quietly helped Levi set up the machine.

After they started a machine and sure that it was working, Levi escaped to the bathroom. He gave them one more look before he disappeared and turned on the fan as if to give them added privacy.

Luna seemed content as Jo smiled down at her oldest girl. Of all the hurt she’d had in the past six months, Luna had been a wonderful bright spot. Jo couldn't help but fall in love with her, especially after Val died. Jo felt the need to step up and take care of her. Besides, she couldn't imagine sending her into the foster care system, so she had started the process of adopting her. The baby in her belly made her a mother, but Luna made her a mom. She made Jo realize that she could do this, but as she looked over at Alex, she knew she didn't have to do this alone.

Alex leaned against the couch as he watched them with curiosity. As Jo turned around to look at him, he smiled at the little girl in her arms. She walked over to him as he tentatively stepped closer before Jo transferred Luna into his arms.

“Alex, this is Luna, my little liver baby,” Jo said, smiling down at Luna with such affection as she rubbed her thumb over Luna’s cheek. “She grew on the liver of a patient that came into the ER. I operated on her mom, Val, and Carina delivered her. When Val didn't make it, I decided to adopt her. It was kind of impulsive, but I just looked at her, and I knew that she was mine. She came home with me a few weeks ago. She loves the little star mobile that I hung above her crib, and she only falls asleep to the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star song. She hates bath time and loves snuggles, so I babywear her all the time. I talked to her, and she just stares at me, but I know that she’s listening. I love her so much and she's just, she’s perfect.”

Alex just stared at her, taking in her words with a large smile before he looked down at Luna. She waved her arms up at him, reaching out for him as he reached down to grab her finger and shook her little hand. “It's nice to meet you, Miss. Luna. I'm Alex, I'm your Sissy's dad, but I look forward to getting to know you as well.”

“Autumn, I was thinking of calling her Autumn, Attie for short, since I'm due in October,” Jo said, putting a hand on her belly and feeling her baby kick again.

“Autumn, that sounds perfect, and I guess I owe you full naming rights,” Alex said as he smiled back at her before looking down at Luna again and sticking his tongue out at her as she cooed.

There was something about seeing Alex with her daughter that was just so perfect, and After everything that had happened today, Jo found herself falling back in love with him again. It was one of the reasons why she fell in love with him in the first place because he was so good with the kids, and he was kind to her after he found out about her past. He was gentle, and kind, and understanding throughout this whole thing. He never once blamed her or tried the force his way back into her life. He just wanted to be there for her and his daughter. He was the Alex that she had fallen in love with. Although she knew, he was still the Alex that had left her.

Luna fussed and began to cry as Jo stepped forward to take her back. She waved her arms around and reached up and pulled out her oxygen cannulas as Jo cursed.

“How well does she do off oxygen?” Alex said, quickly moving to put the tubes back in her nose as he looked over at her oxygenation monitor. He swayed back and forth as Luna continued to fuss and throw her arms around.

“Okay, for about 20 minutes or so. She had a branchial cyst, so they had to resect part of her lung. Hayes thinks she’ll have to be on oxygen for a few more months or so,” Jo said as she went over to Luna’s dresser where she kept all of her medical equipment and grabbed the extra tape and things so they could redo the tape.

Alex set her down on the bed as Jo came back over. They worked together as Alex used the wipe to remove the stickiness for the existing tape while Jo held Luna’s arms to keep her from pulling it out again. Alex put the nose part in Luna’s nostrils before he gently taped down both sides of the tubes on her cheeks, and Jo adjusted the tubes positions. It wasn’t the first time they had redone an oxygen cannula together, and they worked as a team so effortlessly. It was the same way that they used to work together at the hospital.

As they finished, Jo picked up Luna and bounced her as she calmed down. With Luna now calm and content, Jo set her in the bassinet at the end of her bed. She just looked at him and felt a pull to him as she took a step towards him. Alex’s lips parted as she pressed up against him, as close as she could with her baby bump in between them. She reached out to put her hand on his cheek as he closed his eyes and tilted his head into her hand. She knew that he missed her touch as much as she missed him. Jo couldn’t help but wrap her arms around him as she leaned in for a kiss. They deepened the kiss as he wrapped his arm around her, and Jo moaned into his lips. Alex eagerly pressed his lips against her, and it was like coming home. Nothing about the Loft, or the hospital, or anything in Seattle had felt like home since Alex left, but his lips, they felt like home.

They didn't break apart until they heard the squeaky door to the bathroom open again as Levi appeared. Jo turned around and pressed her fingers to her lips as if it would keep the kiss on her skin. She glanced over at Levi as he looked between them and instantly read their body language. For someone who could never figure out if a guy liked him back, Levi sure as hell read Alex and Jo like a book.

“So I'm guessing you're back,” Levi asked, raising his eyebrows and looking between the two of them. “Does that mean you're staying here? Do I have to move out? Like I know I could move in with Taryn if I needed to, but we're in the middle of a pandemic and her roommate is really mean!”

Jo wasn't sure as she looked over at Alex, who just shrugged. “It's up to you, whatever you're comfortable with. I can get a hotel room or maybe stay with Meredith?”

“Well, I guess you can stay. Besides, I need someone to send out at 2:00 in the morning when I get a craving for burgers or when Luna runs out of diapers, but maybe you should sleep on the couch for now,” Jo said as she bit her lip as she looked over at him, but Alex just nodded.

Alex moved around the apartments as if he had never left as he began to make dinner for them. Jo picked up Luna again and sat down in the rocking chair in her nursery space as Levi started to help Alex relearn where everything was after he had organized the fridge. An easy banter started up between the three of them and Jo put a hand on her belly as Autumn started to do flip-flops again while Luna was the opposite as her eyes fluttered close. Jo held one of her daughters in her arms as she put her hand on her belly where her other daughter was. She looked up at her ex-husband and baby daddy as he made dinner with her gay best friend and little brother. It was the weirdest family dynamics she had ever had, but she was content.

……………………………………………………………………

Later that night, Jo stared up at the skylights. She had just gotten Luna back down after a bottle, and now she was trying to return to sleep herself. Yet, sleep evaded her and part of that was due to Autumn doing flips in her belly. She was currently swimming around like a little fish and keeping Jo up as they pressed against her organs. Jo took a deep breath, which quickly turned into a yawn before she realized she had to use the restroom. Her quick trip to the toilet only made Autumn more active. Jo sighed as she laid back down and she rubbed her belly up and down. This usually helped to calm Attie down, but tonight she must have felt particularly acrobatic as she moved around. Jo wasn't sure what she did, but suddenly, she felt a twinge of pain in her stomach as Autumn kicked her, hard.

“Aw fuck,” Jo swore as she rubbed her hand against her lower abdomen.

“Jo, you alright?”

She jumped and sat up as she looked over to see Alex sitting up on the couch. “Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. It's just the baby moving around and she kicked a little too hard. I'm not used to having to be quiet as Levi usually puts earplugs in at night, and Luna will sleep through anything.”

To her surprise, Alex just chuckled as he got up and came over to her, sitting next to her on the bed and putting his hands on her belly. “Hey, Attie, you be nice to your mom, yeah?”

Instantly the kicks in her belly became softer as Attie quieted down. Jo raised her eyebrows in surprise as she looked up at him. Throughout her pregnancy, no one had been able to get her to calm down so quickly.

“Wow, I can't believe that worked,” Jo said as Alex smiled, he pulled his hand away, but Attie’s kicking started up again, and she got Jo good in her kidneys as she cringed and held her side. “Or not.”

“Lay back,” Alex instructed as she complied and laid back down as he adopted that adorable grumpy look that she loved so much. He put his hands back on her belly and leaned forward to whisper to Autumn. “Hey you, I thought we agreed that you were going to be nice to your mom? It's been a long day, and she agreed to let my sorry ass stay with her. I think the least that you and I can do is let her get some rest.”

Instantly Attie calmed down to the sound of her father's voice and Alex looked up at her. He seemed so proud that he had gotten his daughter to calm down and looked up at her with a smile.

“Thank you,” Jo whispered, letting out a breath of relief.

“No problem, besides, it's the least I can do as I’m part of the reason why she's kicking you,” Alex said, as a soft look appeared on his face and he just seemed to stare at her for a moment.

She could tell that he was head over heels in love with her. She used to catch him with that look when she was on his service as an intern, and it was that same look he gave her when she met him at the end of the day when he worked at Pac North. It was the look he had given her all throughout their relationship and even on the day he left. After he walked through security, he turned around and gave her that look before he paused and waved at her before he disappeared into the crowd. Jo remembered that day like it was yesterday, just as she remembered the hurt of the letter that was still fresh in her heart.

After a moment, Alex got up again, but the second his hands left her belly, Autumn started up again, and Jo scrunched up her face, and she beckoned for him to come back. He instantly came back and put his hands on her belly. Once again, Autumn calmed back down as her hard kicks and flips became light flutters in her belly.

Jo let out a sigh as she reached out to grab his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Could you stay?”

“Are you sure?” Alex asked as he tilted his head just a little bit.

Jo just nodded because the truth was that she wasn't sure that she should let Alex back into her bed, but he seemed to be the only thing that calmed down their daughter. He crawled in bed behind her like he had done when they were together. As he moved back to his spot in the bed and laid behind her before he wrapped his arms around her to rest on her bump. She had missed being held by him like this. They were never one for cuddling, but she liked knowing that he was right there next to her. She missed the way that he used to roll over in the middle of the night and hold her close just for a moment.

Attie seemed to have calmed down for the night and Jo closed her eyes. Jo didn't know where they would go from there, but she trusted that he wasn’t going anywhere. She knew she shouldn't trust Alex again, but somehow she did. She always knew that he would be a good father and that it would be one of his best traits. He left her to be with his children, but a part of her knew that he wouldn't leave her child and, by extension, her. Jo would always allow Alex to love their daughter.

Alex seemed a little hesitant, but eventually, she felt him relax against her as he pressed a kissed her cheek just like he used to. Jo both loved it and hated it, as she felt a mixture of hurt and love for him right now. It wasn't something that she was unfamiliar with when she was with him. She knew there was still hurt and the need for healing, but the love was always there, and she wanted that love for her daughter. So she let him stay and fell asleep in his arms.

……………………………………………………………………

AN: This is absolutely just a one-shot, so don’t ask for a sequel.

#jo wilson #alex karev #grey's anatomy #jolex #otp: home and heart #grey's anatomy fanfic #levi schmitt #luna ashton #izzie stevens #alexis stevens #eli stevens #my work #my writing #my fanfiction #luna wilson

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holylulusworld · 5 years

Text

Dark days of our past

Request: Would you please write for Bucky & reader, wherein he's in love with Natasha but is forced to marry reader, he's never home ignores her even when she tries hard. She even has to work as a waitress for money, one-night Brock tries to rape her, Steve arrives just in time and saves her. They become good friends. It's on you if you want her to stay with Bucky or get married to Steve. It could be an au where they are not Avengers.

Pairing: Mobster!Bucky x Reader, Mobster!Steve x Reader (platonic), Arianna, Sam Wilson, Clint Barnes, OFC’s

Warnings: angst, blood, scared reader, violence, characters death (implied), shot wounds, torture, language, violence

Consolation Bride Masterlist

When you wake up your head feels heavy and your throat is dry. You don’t want to open your eyes when you hear someone groaning, obviously in pain.

“Look who finally woke up, Steve. Your best buddies little wife…” Arianna chuckles striding toward you, a bloody knife in her hand.

Your eyes round seeing the blood, Steve’s blood dripping down the knife. Shaking you look at Steve. He’s bound to a chair, one eye swollen, his left arm cut open he spits blood onto the floor.

“Let her go, Arianna. Y/N has nothing to do with this shit. She was only sixteen, a young girl when this happened.” Steve tries to get you out of here, tries to make sure the woman wielding the bloody knife in front of your face won’t torture you too.

“Why should I let James Buchanan Barnes's wife go? Huh?” Mocking Steve Arianna turns around to hit his nose, causing him to groan in pain. It’s already broken but the woman kidnapping you and Steve won’t stop hitting it.

“What do you want?” Bucky is struggling against the ropes holding him to a chair, his eyes dart between his best friend and you. “I thought you are in Italy…”

“Oh, I was to kill Maria Hill. Do you remember the hot brunette? Hmm…” Now Arianna walks toward Bucky, swaying her hips. Towering over your husband she presses the tip of the knife into his shoulder. “The chick you fucked after little Y/N over there got sent to Paris…”

“What did you do?” Eyes cold Bucky tries anything to get his hands free. He can see what Arianna did to Steve. Bucky knows what happened to Maria and the others. He can’t let anything happen to you too.

“I had my revenge, James.” Pecking Bucky’s cheek, she presses the knife further into his shoulder, twisting it but James doesn’t even flinch. “I killed everyone you ever liked or worked with. Maria…Marcos…Pietro and sweet Wanda. Your brother is already dead so I couldn’t get hold of him but…” Now Arianna chuckles devilish. “I got your best friend and your wife. Who shall I kill first?”

“I got no clue why you are doing this, but I swear I’ll kill you if you touch my girl,” Steve warns and Arianna cocks a brow.

“Your girl, Rogers? Is this a sick polyamorous relationship?”

“No! She’s only mine. Bucky never wanted her, Arianna. Whatever you are holding against Bucky, Y/N means nothing to him.” Steve tries to buy Bucky time. Tries to distract Arianna long enough to get you out of this nightmare.

“He doesn’t love her…awe…poor girl…” Glancing over her shoulder she sees the tears well up your eyes. A hint of pity crosses her face before she turns her attention toward Steve again. “Then I’ll just kill you right here and now. Slit little unwanted Y/N’s throat open before I take care of James over there.”

Steve growls when she slides her knife over his arm once again. “Why are you doing this?” Your question caught her attention and she let go of Steve, turning around to walk toward your chair.

“James over there killed my beloved brother. I don’t know why, as your father refused to answer this question before he died…” Arianna smirks at the gasp leaving your lips. “Oh, I forgot to mention I killed Daddy, sorry…” She coos patting your head before she slides her knife over your thighs, drawing blood.

“Leave her be!” Steve is struggling to not lose consciousness, nodding at Bucky as his friend tries to distract Arianna. “I thought you do not love her…” Arianna starts smiling as she walks toward James. “Was that a lie, Barnes?”

Grabbing Bucky’s jaw, she forces him to look up at her as he shakes his head. “I don’t even like her. She’s only a rat stealing my leftovers but her empire, her fathers’ legacy could be mine as Y/N is my wife.” Bucky lies, praying she will fall for his lie.

“What a pity, pretty girl. Loving a man not wanting you…” Arianna is turning around once again, walking toward your position she drops the knife to get her gun out. “I’ll save you, Y/N. Make it all go away…”

“If you let her go, I’ll tell you why I killed your brother…” Bucky gasps seeing her gun aimed to your forehead. “I’ll tell you everything you want to know.” James is glancing at Steve who is slowly loosening the bindings holding his wrists.

“He just saved your life, little girl…” Arianna chuckles turning her attention toward Bucky. “Now tell me everything.”

Steve nods, silently begging his friend to distract Arianna longer so he can get out of the ropes. “I was jealous of your brother. He had so many sexy girls back then, was a ladies man. One day, he wanted Natasha and I got mad.” Bucky lies. If he tells her about you, she will kill you.

“Hmm…why didn’t Y/N’s father tell me so? He told me about that night, your brother and that he helped you. He said that you made a deal too.” Arianna eyes Bucky suspiciously when he glances at you gulping. “Her father, he forced me into a loveless marriage. I had to give up Natasha for her. That was his price.” Bucky gasps seeing Steve slipped one hand out.

“Why did you have to kill him, Barnes?” Her eyes darken seeing the look Bucky gives you.

“I had no choice. We fought, he had a knife and it just happend. I shouldn’t have been there; this is all my fault. Kill me but let Steve and her go. I’ll take the blame for everything. My brother is dead, just like Y/N’s father. Only I’m left…” Arianna points her gun at Bucky’s head and a tiny whimper leaves your lips, catching her attention.

“Awe…she loves you, James. Such a drama!” Loving the game, she’s playing Arianna walks toward you. She can hear Bucky breathing heavily the moment she grabs the shotgun from a table. “You know, your father refused to tell me the reason why James killed my beloved brother but I can count one and one…” She smirks down at you, aiming the shotgun to your chest. “YOU…”

“No, please let her go. I’ll do anything. I give you my empire, money and my life but let her go…” Steve’s eyes round hearing Bucky begging for your life.

“Everything?” She coos now, toying with James as she passes Steve who is freeing his other hand, nodding at you.

“Everything…I lov…” Before Bucky can end his sentence a bullet hits his body.

He doesn’t know what hits him when the shotgun almost rips his left arm off his body. Losing consciousness, he calls your name before another gunshot echoes through the hangar.

----

“Please, tell me anything! How is he? Is he alive…dead…” Gasping you watch the nurse fixing the wound at your thigh. You barely feel the pain too busy to slowly lose your mind.

“Ma’am, I can’t tell you anything. I’m not a doctor.” The nurse tries and you ball your hands into fists. “I’m Y/N Y/L/N! My father just died or rather he got murdered. This means I’m the only one left to take over his empire.” The nurse turns pale hearing your father’s name as you keep on yelling.

“I had to watch this crazy whore torturing my best friend and shooting my husband. Not to mention she aimed more than one gun at my head. You will move your lazy ass and get a doctor here right now or my men will take care of you!”

“Y/N, thank god…” Sam is storming into the room, nodding at Clint who called him after he traced his boss’s phone. “Sam, do you know anything? How is he?”

“They don’t want to tell me anything. Not a family member and crap.” Sam is watching the nurse rushing out of the room, almost crashing into Steve.

“Man, you look like shit.” Clint teases.

“I had better days for sure.” Steve deadpans slowly limping toward your hospital bed. “How are you, Y/N?”

“How am I? You look like you had twenty rounds with Mike Tyson and ask me how I’m?” Steve is patting your thigh, glancing at Clint. “Do you know anything about Buck?”

“They don’t want to tell me anything. I’m his wife! I got the right to know if my husband is still alive!” Yelling once again you give the doctor entering your room a death glare.

“Mrs. Barnes, can we talk in private?” The doctor tries but you shake your head. “Sam and Clint are my cousins and Steve is part of my family too. You can tell me anything in front of these men.”

“You see…” Clearing his throat the doctor glances at the gun Sam is trying to hide underneath his jacket. “We tried anything but…” Your lips start quivering seeing the fear all over the doctor’s face. “We couldn’t save his left arm. The damage was so extensive all nerves got destroyed, just like the bones. In the end, we had to amputate that member.”

“Wait! He lost his arm…?” Sam is glancing at your stoic face as you try to let the doctor’s words sink in. “He’ll need a prosthesis, but we are positive he will survive.”

“He will survive…” Steve is squeezing your hand, nodding. “I’ll call Tony. His company is well known for its technology. He designed a leg for a friend some years ago.”

“Okay…can you call him right now. I need to tell Bucky something…” Sniffling you get up to let Sam lead you out of the room. “Sam, call all our men, including my fathers. Arianna is dead, but her father and cousins are still alive. She didn’t do this alone…”

“You are telling me to kill them all?” Sam glances at you as you look up at him. “Dad refused to tell her I was the reason Bucky killed her brother; Bucky did the same. I’ll avenge them. My husband will need some time to recover, my father is dead.”

“I’ll make the calls.”

“Sam?”

“Yes…?”

“I’ll take over my father’s empire and Bucky’s for the time being. Prepare everything to make sure we can strike back. Hard. Merciless. Bloody.”

Sam nods, watching you straighten your back as you limp toward your husband’s hospital room.

Your whole posture changed and he can hold back the smile as you push the nurse away who tries to stop you from entering Bucky’s room.

“Hell of a woman.” Clint chuckles. “Shall I call our men too, boss?” Steve nods, grinning at the nurse as she passes by. “I guess we have a new boss in town…”

All works Tags

@yolobloggers, @meganywinchester, @shikshinkwon, @miraclesoflove , @mogaruke, @shatteredabby, @soryuwifeyxx, @letsdisneythings, @i-love-superhero, @psychicforest

Marvel Tags

@stuckys-whore, @notyourtypicalrose, @voltage-my2dlove, @thedoctorscamanion, @officialmarvelwhore, @randomgirlkensy, @juniorhuntersam, @lumar014, @doctorswife221b, @sister-winchesters99, @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog, @the-soulofdevil, @chonisberonica , @redroomproperty

Steve Rogers/Chris Evans Tags

@hhiggs, @roonyxx, @stylesismyhubs, @multisuperfandom, @mrspeacem1nusone, @shadowcatsworld , @fallenoutofrose

Consolation Bride Tags

@booktease21, @mc225g, @i-alyssa, @retrxbarnes, @cloudyskylines, @plums-and-peaches, @thisartemisnevermisses, @ohmygoditsanthonyedwardstark, @donteatmycookiesplease, @aruvdreeh, @scarlett-berserker @secretsihideinside

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gokinjeespot · 5 years

Text

off the rack #1282

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

We left for a trip to the US of A last Friday and returned home last evening. Spent most of our time in South Freeport, Maine (motto: So Free Me, get it?) Freeport has the big L. L. Bean campus of stores which are open 24/7, 364 days of the year. They only close Christmas Day. I did not buy anything there. We also went into Portland where I discovered Casablanca Comics, a clean and spacious store down a few steps from street level. I got a copy of "Is This How You See Me?" by Jaime Hernandez that they fortunately had in stock. It was their last copy. Unfortunately, I fell ill and spent the last 24 hours of our trip in bed back at the motel. I am so happy to be home now.

The Immortal Hulk #24 - Al Ewing (writer) Joe Bennett (pencils) Ruy Jose, Belardino Brabo, Marc Deering & Roberto Poggi (inks) Paul Mounts (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). We've seen a lot of changes since this book hit the racks and there are plenty more to come. This is a crucial issue and you don't want to miss it.

Daredevil #12 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Marco Checchetto (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Matt tries to rescue a bogus Daredevil from some crooked cops but he's out of shape and practice. His new teacher lends a helping hand. I haven't felt this good about a reunion since Bruce and Selina got back together. Meanwhile Mayor Fisk trying to go legit finds it hard to let go of old habits. How is he going to cover up this impulsive act?

Absolute Carnage Immortal Hulk #1 - Al Ewing (writer) Filipe Andrade (art) Chris O'Halloran (colours) Travis Lanham (letters). Now this is interesting. We get a recap of the most recent goings on in The Immortal Hulk for most of this issue and then the big surprise on the last page raised so many questions in my mind that I feared it would explode. This is a one-shot so I wonder where this new Hulk is going to go. The end doesn't line up with what I just read in The Immortal Hulk #24. I hate when that happens.

Superman Up In The Sky #4 - Tom King (writer) Andy Kubert (pencils) Sandra Hope (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Here's a story that I am reading only because it's so well written and drawn. There's no reference to Action Comics or Superman but I care about what's happening to Clark and Superman in this issue because they've become separated somehow. Meanwhile, the little girl Superman wants to rescue finally shows up again.

Runaways #25 - Rainbow Rowell (writer) Andres Genolet (art) Federico Blee (colours pages 1-9, 13-20) & Matthew Wilson (colours pages 10-12) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). We meet a possible new mentor for the young heroes and it's not who I thought it was based on the cover. Plus it's moving day. These kids are a lot less super hero-y than Young Justice. Maybe that's why I like them so much.

Fantastic Four #15 - Dan Slott (writer) Paco Medina with Bob Quinn (art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Introducing The Unparalleled: Sidearm, Elementa, Kaylo, Kor, Belter, Citadel and Sky, protectors of the planet Spyre. Where are the FF? Don't worry, they show up after the introductions of these new super heroes and their powers and there's a big fight of misunderstanding. Then Reed gets the translators working and off we go with a new adventure. I think that's it's cool that when the FF first appear on the planet that their word balloons have alien lettering to show that the Spyricans can't understand what they're saying but I felt ripped off not being able to read the FF's dialogue. Especially since there was a lot of FF dialogue. Please don't do that.

Young Justice #9 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Andre Lima Araujo (art pages 2-11, 15-18) John Timms (art pages 1, 12-14, 19-22) Gabriel Eltaeb (colours) Wes Abbott (letters). They're still stuck on Earth-3 fighting evil versions of themselves but this issue also tells the origin story of Keli, the sort of Green Lantern of the team. They're going to be here for a little longer because Red Robin has decided he wants to kick some evil twin ass.

Spider-Verse #1 - Jed MacKay (writer) Juan Frigeri & Carlos Lopez (art pages 1-4, 16-17) Stacey Lee (art pages 5-6) Arthur Adams & Federico Blee (art pages 7-8) James Harren & Dave Stewart (art pages 9-10) Dike Ruan & Carlos Lopez (art pages 11-12) Sheldon Vella (art pages 13-15) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). So you say you liked the animated feature with Miles, Spider-Gwen and Peter Porker from last year. Well, this comic book is for you. The Web of Life & Destiny is sick and Miles must save it. I'm sure there is going to be lots of action and plenty of villains. I know there's going to be mucho Spider-Folks. If that's your poison then enjoy. Me, not so much.

DCeased #5 - Tom Taylor (writer) Trevor Hairsine (pencils) Stefano Gaudiano (inks) Rain Beredo (colours) Saida Temofonte (letters). This is it folks. The penultimate issue and it looks like all is lost. When the Flash is infected Superman is the only one who can stop him from infecting the remaining survivors. But in doing so, the Man of Steel bends. I don't know how the human race is going to keep from going extinct.

House of X #6 - Jonathan Hickman (writer) Pepe Larraz (art) Marte Gracia & David Curiel (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). The Council of Krakoa, the new Mutant Nation, start making laws and sits in judgment of one of their own. Sabretooth is charged with crimes against humans. Read this to find out the verdict and punishment. I really liked the use of the 9-panel grid for the heavily dialogued pages. Now that this mini is finished I anxiously await the next project that Pepe Larraz gets to draw. (Pepe just informed me that it's a one-shot but he couldn't tell me anything more)

Batman #80 - Tom King (writer) John Romita Jr. (pencils) Klaus Janson (inks) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). They're back in town and ready to rumble. Batman and Catwoman return to take back Gotham City from Bane. I await their reaction to the news of what happened to Alfred. The art disappointed me. It had a boring sameness quality that turned me off. The threat on the final page didn't even move me. I hope this story doesn't end with a whimper.

Contagion #1 - Ed Brisson (writer) Roge Antonio (art) Veronica Gandini (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The Thing fighting off infected Moloids on the cover looked interesting and the art inside looked good otherwise I would have passed on this new 5-issue mini. Then I read the first page and went ugh. Someone in the mystical city of K'un-Lun saying to the blindfolded Yu-Ti "there is something you need to see" really bothered me. Then he says "you can see" two pages later. She's blind folded! "I need to show you something" would have been better and the "you can see" wasn't even necessary in that word balloon. Boy, did that burn my britches. I don't know what it is about all these infection type stories on the racks these days like Absolute Carnage and DCeased, but they're not very appealing to me. The Fantastic Four are featured this issue and Iron Fist and Power Man the next. I'm going to let the CDC take care of the rest of this one.

Lois Lane #4 - Greg Rucka (writer) Mike Perkins (art) Paul Mounts (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). It's therapeutic to read something good after something not so good and boy, is this ever good. I love this depiction of Lois. I'm jealous of Clark now. When a writer makes me care about a character so much that's when I'm happiest reading a comic book. It also helps that I think the art is really good too.

Ghost-Rider #1 - Ed Brisson (writer) Aaron Kuder (art) Jason Keith (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Fans of the Spirit of Vengeance rejoice, Johnny Blaze is back on the racks. Here he's the current King of Hell and he's back on Earth hunting escaped demons. Danny Ketch even makes an appearance. Meanwhile back in Hell, Lilith is fomenting a coup. If those names don't mean anything to you but you like mystical fantasy on the dark and bloody side you might enjoy this. I thought the art was fantastic.

Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium #2 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Nicola Scott, Jim Cheung & Jeff Dekal (art) Tomeu Morey & Jordie Bellaire (colours). There was no list of creator credits so I don't know who lettered this issue. This 2-issue mini was a great way to introduce the new team even though you don't get to see them until the end of this issue. I loved how Rose & Thorn was used and the sneaky way that Booster Gold was snuck into this story. I am so looking forward to the regular Legion book with art by Ryan Sook.

Future Foundation #3 - Jeremy Whitley (writer) Will Robson & Paco Diaz (art) Greg Menzie & Triona Farrell (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The word count in this issue is huge. Find out everything you need to know about Rebecca "Rikki" Barnes as her origin story is told as a prelude to the kids getting out of their current predicament. The surprise on the last page will make you gasp.

Savage Avengers #6 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Kim Jacinto (art) Tamra Bonvillain (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Not even in the good old days of Marvel Team-Up would we have seen an adventure with Conan the Barbarian and The Punisher, but here we are. Frank is bringing the remains of his family home while Conan goes off exploring when they part ways. This would be a fitting end to this title but the next issue teaser has a beautiful rendition of Elektra by David Finch so now I can't wait to read it.

Black Cat #5 - Jed MacKay (writer) Travel Foreman (art) Brian Reber (colours) Ferran Delgado (letters). The fight with Blastaar takes up most of this issue and I don't remember what Felicia was trying to steal from the Fantastic Four. I had to read the last issue recap to find that out. I think the heist was a success. Now to see what's next.

Marvel Comics #1001 - There aren't 1001 writers, artists, colorists and letterers listed on the credits page but way too many to list here. Just turn to the back page to see who did what. I liked reading these one-pagers because I'm a Marvel Maniac and get all of it. If you're not a Marvel fan then you might be scratching your head at some of the references. Maybe it may make you want to seek out the old comic books to read about some of those old timey characters or see where these heroes and villains started from. The Eternity Mask is supposed to be the big deal with this title and I am still curious to find out what the heck that thing is going to be.

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