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thecandywrites · 3 years

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Jewel Of The North Chapter 12

Woo, I know it’s been a hot minute. But I gotta show Doug and Alorna getting their comupance because JUSTICE and REVENGE. Also, I wanted to send our little blended family on a cruise. Not just any cruise, but a Disney Cruise. Have I have been on a Disney Cruise? No. Do I want to? Yes. Did I watch three and a half hours worth of cruise videos talking about the Disney cruise ships and clubs and concierge level stuff for research? Yes. Is it crazy stupid expensive? Yes. Is this an escape fantasy from The Plague I’m living in? Yes. Also because this is a fantasy story. I’m smudging reality. Becuase those pictures are from the Disney Dream, but last I knew it was the Disney Wonder that was in Alaska. But can I leave things there? No. Because I’m a Dramatic Bitch. And I live for the drama. And yes this has been sitting in my drafts for...way too long. But a few more bumps in the road, some hurdles AND THEN happily ever after. We are getting there.

Jewel Of The North

Chapter 12

Noah’s jaw was on the floor when you came out of the bathroom in the “infamous” gold dress as Noah wolf whistled.

“Wow. That’s the gold dress eh?” Noah asked as he openly gawked at your body in it.

“Yep. It’s the “gold maneater”. Every time my kids see me in it before now, they’ve always complained, because both already have to deal with enough of the “your mom’s a MILF” comments as it is and they think it's too risque for a woman my age. I actually got this dress as a dare from Tasha who said I need a “back on the market and on the menu” dress. Blossom calls it my “get dicked down dress”.” You laughed as you struck a few poses for him as Noah had a hard time forming a coherent sentence and simply made a string of half word-like sounds along the lines of ‘yeah’ ‘mmhmm’ of agreement as he simply settled for gestures of approval and agreement cause his words were failing him.

“Yeah..that’s...that’s exactly what’s going to happen.” Noah reassured you which made you laugh even harder.

“Oh I know. It’s the last night of the cruise, I wanted to go out with a bang.” You shrugged as you slipped your shawl on.

“Ready?” You asked him.

“I uh, I’ll need…” Noah tried to hint as he tried to adjust the bulge in his pants, it had only been hours since you had sex shortly after lunch, but he couldn’t help his reaction to you and he doubted he ever would get used to you or stop reacting to you like this.

“A moment?” You guessed as you beamed smugly, happy to elicit such a reaction from him, even after you thought he would be sated, at least for a few hours but you would be lying if you claimed you didn’t want Noah to try to rip this dress off of you and ravish you- preferably after dinner because you had worked up an appetite.

Being married to your former husband, Andrew, he was ok in bed. But he wasn’t necessarily “sexy” to you, at least in looks. He meant safety, security, stability and comfort for you when you met him and married him but eventually, the spark left, the more narcissistic traits you saw and experienced and the more of an ‘asshole’ he acted and the less natural chemistry you had. He didn’t always know how to get your engine revving and keep it revving. Mentally or emotionally which eventually bled into physically.

But Noah? Oh, all you had to do was think about him and your whole body was humming and buzzing with delight, anticipation and- what you had thought was your long past dead sex drive- which thanks to the awakening it received from Noah, was very much alive and well and practically insatiable with Noah and even though you were losing count of how many times you had had sex, or made love in all of it’s forms, you hungered for more. And with just a look, a touch, or gesture, or especially warm, wonderful words and deeds from Noah and it was all over for you. He was...everything you had ever wanted or needed and you were so grateful you had waited for him because he had been worth the wait and definitely worth all the effort and he made all the bad times and obstacles and trials and tribulations up to this point- worth it and was the last piece of the puzzle and completed everything and you couldn’t wait for him to fully join and complete your family.

Once Noah “recovered” enough, you went to dinner and if Noah had thought you garnered a lot of attention in the red dress, it was nothing compared to the attention you received in the gold dress. He never heard so many ‘god damn’s’ or ‘wow’s’ or even ‘holy fucking shit’s’ from guys and even other women when you strut past, with your arm happily hooked in the crook of Noah’s elbow.

You were happy that his own gold tie matched your dress flawlessly so that it was clearly evident that you were a couple and one hell of an attractive one and you couldn’t help but notice how the women who weren’t looking at you, were staring in awe at Noah. And while you, understandably, weren’t necessarily one of the jealous types, it filled you with pride to be on his arm to show him off, cleaned up and looking like a million bucks himself and you felt so lucky to be with him.

Even after dinner, when you went to one of the “clubs” on board, it was wonderful when Noah danced with you. Andy didn’t dance and hated to dance with you even though you loved to do so and would begrudgingly dance with you at weddings, only when you begged and pleaded for him to.

Noah though? The man, thank the gods, had rhythm, and could keep up with you on the dance floor and the two of you danced really well and the chemistry you had in the bedroom spilled out everywhere else. You were so focused on grinding on Noah with his hands possessively on your hips and riding the hypnotic beats from the music to notice how Doug stared in disbelief as he watched from a safe distance while Alorna was in the restroom and felt jealousy eat him alive, that could have been him. He could have been the one to dance with the hot millionaire MILF. What did Noah honestly have that he didn’t? Was it because he was an ice orc instead of a “traditional” green one? Or was it the plane? Probably the plane.

When Alorna came back she scuffed in disgust to see you and Noah on the dancefloor cutting it up, like you were in your own little worlds as she watched how all the guys who had been staring in desire at her, were now staring at you, their jaws on the floor and their hard ons tenting their pants.

“Come on Baby, lets go back to the casino, let her have this little tiny club, I’m feeling lucky tonight.” Doug insisted to get Alorna out of there before she started a fight because he could see the fire in her eyes that she wanted to start one.

“So do I.” Alorna cooed as they strut out of there and went back to the casino and in the beginning they were winning back all their previous losses, but just like any casino, the longer they played, the more they lost until they lost even more than what they had previously won and then some.

But all of that was a world away from you and Noah.

You barely made it back to the room before Noah hiked your dress up, pulled your breasts out, moved your slimming panties to the side and fucked you into the back of the door of your room while sucking on your tits as you moaned and keened in ecstasy, to the point no one could pass by the hallway without knowing exactly what you were up to inside the room and by the time you made it to the bed, your dress was ripped, Noah’s buttons on his shirt had popped off and the room looked like a hurricane had torn through it and Noah and yourself slept like the dead, having worn each other out half the night.

In the morning, you both got the remainder of your things together and checked out of the room and were happy when even with some shopping on board, you still had left over credit and you had the cruise cut Noah the check for your surplus and just as you disembarked, you watched as Alorna and Doug were arrested by four police officers as they had tried to disembark.

“Get your hands off me!” Alorna screeched as she struggled as Doug was struggling too before both of them got tazed and pissed themselves as you and Noah gasped as you watched on from a safe distance before you two couldn’t help but snicker a laugh as everyone else watched on eagerly and laughed as they recorded it to upload it onto YouTube as the cruise simply handed them a very hefty bill, from not just their room and drinks and spa services and add ons but also a bill for tens of thousands owed at the casino.

“Wouldn’t want to be them.” You practically sang to Noah as you both laughed, watching them get their comeuppance.

“Me neither.” Noah shook his head as you both eagerly watched as they were hauled off and you and Noah got your baggage and got a taxi to the hotel you would be staying in tonight before you would have to go to the airport the next day and each of you would fly your separate ways home.

Once at the hotel you went ahead and booked the Disney cruise for the dates that worked best and went ahead and booked things for all the kids, the extra experiences and excursions you could, you wanted Sakura to have the princess treatment, and knew that Skylar, for as tomboyish as she was, she wouldn’t say no to some pampering, nor Zane for that matter as you did the same for things for you and Noah as Noah made plans of where he was going to park his plane and stuff and meet back up for the cruise before you made more plans of how you were going to move Noah and his own animals and pets and things down for the winter and when and even ordered new things to decorate Sakura’s room with because you were taking Sakura, and her pets home with you after the two families met and would hopefully, with all fingers crossed, would get along and get her on your insurances, get her in school and get her room ready for her so that moving in would be as easy and hopefully seamless as could be and even made plans so that Noah could fly his family down to see where Noah and Sakura would settle in for the winter and have a chance to have a really big, proper gosbe and merging of the two families in September as everyone in your family was eager to meet Noah and Sakura and their family too.

You spent the last night together holding each other tightly, making promises and plans as you made love slowly, savoring every nano second because it would be a while before you would have the opportunity to have this pleasure with each other for a while. The next morning at their airport, Noah waited with you at the gate since your flight left before his, not wanting to spend a single second without you- that he didn’t have to and gave you one hell of a kiss goodbye.

Several hours later, you both arrived home and while you were happy to be home, you missed Noah and Sakura especially and once the kids were dropped off at home, you sat them down to bring them up to speed with the first part of your plan and were surprised when both of them were ok and at peace with it, and strangely- eagerly looking forward to it and when they asked about the second part of the plan, of Noah and Sakura moving in with you for the fall, winter and spring and Noah working on flipping the estates while they were in school and you were at work- they were actually impressed and relieved that Noah would be “pulling weight” and working with your dad on the houses too and were more interested in the how rather than the why of the matter because they could tell that you genuinely loved Sakura and Noah and they were grateful that at least Noah was “connected” to people they knew and trusted, mainly, your father.

“Ok, I’ll be honest, I totally thought I was going to have to do a lot more convincing.” You admitted to them once you seemed to have laid all your cards out on the table to them.

“Grandpa Gru vouched for him and when Grandpa Gru talked with Noah’s dad Ukluk and Noah’s former father in law Tonrar, we were right there and got to hear most of it and we got to talk to them too and they’ve been talking back and forth ever since and Grandpa Gru has been telling us about him and Sakura and they were really nice, and we got to talk to Summer and Isla and we got to talk to Noah’s siblings, well, all of them except Alorna, who’s apparently in jail for slandering you as a priestess, which isn’t cool, but you can’t please everyone. But otherwise we got to talk to his former siblings in law too and even Sakura’s cousins who all seem really cool and they’re all pretty normal, which is a good thing. And to hear all of them be honest about Noah and his situation and especially about Neena and their relationship and how he treated her and how he treats his family as well as the circumstances of her own death and how he’s dealt with it, in particular how he didn’t turn to the bottle or any other vices, or even his own temper, impressed us, like a lot. And instead of a “sales speech” about how great he is, to hear he’s imperfect and makes mistakes but tries his best and treats the people around him respectfully and really well and has honor and a strong sense of duty and was already making sacrifices for people around him, and has similar values that we have and has a very similar situation that we have. That was enough for us. We also comprised a list of questions for him.” Xander revealed before they showed you the list.

“Aww, this is really comprehensive.” You praised as you looked it over and grinned when you already knew the answers to most of these but you’d leave it to Noah to confirm them himself.

“Can I copy this?” You asked.

“Please do.” Skylar nodded before you went to your office and took a photocopy of the list, both sides before you took pictures and then took a pen and added a third page of things they didn’t come up with that Noah had to offer and things to talk about before you copied that and handed it to them to look at before you got a call from Noah.

“Yes?” You answered when you picked up only to hear Sakura’s voice on the other end.

“Hi Mama,” Sakura greeted you sleepily as you looked at your watch and noticed that it was bed time in her time zone as you yourself were feeling quite tired.

“Hi Honey,” You greeted, your heart melting in your chest as your soul ached to be holding her again.

“Can I have a bedtime story?” Sakura asked.

“Of course,” you readily agreed.

“I gotta read Sakura a bedtime story.” You informed your kids who both grinned knowingly and were happy to see you happy before you went upstairs to the bookshelf in your kid’s old playroom and got an appropriate story to read her and once Sakura was put to sleep, you talked with Noah and told him about the list and the developments with Sky and Zane and what your dad had done which Noah was very grateful for as Noah revealed that after you had boarded your plane and he was waiting for his own, that he got a call from your dad and the two talked for a couple of hours while he waited as your dad got to have a good conversation and came to an understanding and was surprisingly sympathetic and really nice and welcoming and Noah had a really good feeling that they were going to get along just fine and when he talked with your Mom, all your mom wanted to know was about his pets and horses and what he liked to to eat and drink and otherwise welcomed him with open arms which made you blow out a breath of relief you suggested that for next year that he would probably need to put an addition to his house for everyone which he was more than happy to agree to because his house currently was only a cottage sized house, big enough and cozy enough for Noah, you and Sakura but with adding Skylar and Xander and the menagerie to the mix, not so much. And even the barn would be cramped but Noah’s plot of land was definitely big enough to accommodate your needs and it could be made to work.

In just the span of three weeks, you had turned one of your guest bedrooms into a bedroom for Sakura and worked overtime to make it perfect while also working with your dad, your brothers and brothers in law to make sure the outbuilding, aka the man cave- was ready for Noah and and looked into zoning for several acres of land to see if you turn it into a runway so that Noah wouldn’t have to rent a space at another air field and looked into commissioning an airplane hanger to be built on the property too since you had bought up the surrounding farmland.

But that time seemed to fly by and now your children and yourself were waiting in the lobby of a hotel, waiting for Noah and Sakura to arrive while you and your children all played games on your phones as they were also waiting, having brought gifts for Sakura which were in gift bags while your own gifts had been a new suitcase full of new clothes and things for them both.

While all of you were excited, you were particularly anxious because the weather forecast told you that this week was going to have some storms and you weren’t sure how the cruise was going to go if the weather was bad, but you had an abundance of seasickness medicine and other medicines, just in case. You were prepared.

Finally Noah and Sakura made it into the hotel and the moment she saw you, she let go of Noah's hand and bolted for you.

"Mama!" Sakura shrieked in delight as you readily got up and closed the distance as you caught her in your arms and tried and failed not to cry, when you got to hold her again as you kissed each other all over as Noah came over and simply kissed you sweetly before the three of you made it back over to where Xander and Skylar were still hanging out in the lounge area, gift bags in hand and friendly smiles on their faces before Sakura got down and practically tackled Skylar and Xander with hugs which made the kids laugh as Noah was holding Sakura’s gifts for your own children.

“Hi, I'm Noatak, aka Noah, nice to meet you both.” Noah greeted your kids with a handshake which they were happy to give him, staring up at this mountain of a man, kind of awe but still a trace of fear because he was still just a little fear inspiring in person but they weren’t terrified or anything. His smile and demeanor and especially his energy was friendly and while they could tell he was nervous, he seemed to radiate calm and warmth, which is what Skylar picked up on the most and just by this first impression, she was cool. Xander, was still reserving his final judgement though.

“Hi, I'm Skylar, you can call me Sky for short,” Your daughter mirrored and echoed back to him as she watched as her little hand disappeared into his much larger one.

"And I'm Xander but you can call me Zane for short too." Xander replied before Sakura happily exchanged gifts as Zane and Sky were excited to see what Sakura would get them before a discussion was held about where to get dinner at before a place was decided that was within walking distance where the kids happily walked with their gifts, eagerly talking and getting to know each other which left you and Noah to walk hand in hand only a step behind them.

“Here, you left this.” Noah said as he tried to hand you a check for the entire amount that you had left him on the day he flew you out.

“Oh no you don’t. You need to keep that, it’s our money now, who knows when you’ll need it, moving can be expensive, as are planes, I know you already had plans to upkeep the plane this winter, I just made the “how” a little easier.” You argued as you took the check and promptly tore it into little pieces and stuffed the pieces into your pocket to burn later.

“Nice try though.” You cooed to him.

“Well then the moment we get back, I need to put you on my bank accounts so that you can access it anyway.” Noah insisted.

“Only if you’ll let me do the same for you and my own accounts.” You proposed.

“Only the small ones.” Noah gently countered.

“Fair enough.” You grinned with a soft chuckle.

Over dinner the kids brought out “the list” of questions as you and Noah sat side by side in the booth while the kids sat on the other side of the table as they went down the list while you waited for the food.

“So what was your first job?” Zane began.

“Well officially, the first job I had that came with a paycheck, was actually on a fishing boat, fishing for snow crabs and just about everything else under the sun up there and that’s how I saved up my money to buy the plane. But otherwise I have been flying with my dad in his plane since before I was old enough to legally drive as did my brother who actually flies for USPS.” Noah revealed which got all but Sakura to blink in surprise.

“Well that might come in handy, there’s supposed to be storms this week on the cruise, I’ll need your help getting my sea- legs.” You murmured.

“Oh there’s plenty of tricks to getting the seasickness to abate.” He reassured all of you which made you feel better about the prospect of spending a cruise on stormy seas as he simply squeezed your hand reassuringly.

“So how did you know that our mom was the one for you?” Skylar asked which got Noah to bark a laugh for her bluntness.

“Direct, I like it, actually, she was the answer to a lot of prayers, the least of which was financial.” Noah began.

“I had been praying, ever since Neena died, so for a while now, for the right woman to look at Sakura and see a daughter, her daughter specifically and love her just as much as I do and would want to be her mother and would be an excellent mother at that and be what Sakura needed to help her heal from the loss of her first one. And have a future with her without erasing or ignoring the past and who would respect our culture and not look down on it, and would help her embrace it. And your mom did all of that and more, like so much more than I ever could have thought to hope for, much less pray for.” Noah answered as you practically glowed with pride next to him and smiled so adoringly at him and thanked all the gods for a man who finally recognized your contributions and gave you credit where it was due.

“Because she prayed with me to the same gods my first mama and all my grandparents pray to and then she showed me how she prayed to hers and we shared a lot of the same ones and she made me my summer solstice outfit, just like my first mama did, only better. And hugging her felt like I was hugging my first mama, that she loved me just as much.” Sakura volunteered which melted everyone’s hearts.

“And it became immediately apparent to me just on that first day that it was The Gods Will that everything that I packed for Taylor and her family, I packed two, and both sets made it and it just so happened that Noah needed everything that I had packed but he didn’t ask for any of it and I sincerely doubt he ever would have either. But he did appreciate it and was more than deserving of it too and while his house wasn’t the biggest or grandest house I’ve ever been in, he built it with his own two hands and he built it well and it was full of more love than anything which was very keenly felt. And I could tell that Noah took care of his house really well too, everything was in good working order, and well maintained and neat and orderly and pretty clean too. He’s been used to doing all the domestic chores along with earning an income and providing for his family just like me and trying to carry everything all by himself which is hard and a burden- I’m all too familiar with myself and he cooks really well too. So, win-win.” You added with a proud smile which got Sky to smile fondly and even Zane to grin as he sat on one side of Sakura while Skylar sat on the other side of her which Sakura couldn’t be happier about, being surrounded by her new family.

“So how did you know that Daddy was the one for you Mama?” Sakura asked you in turn.

“Well he also answered a lot of prayers for me too. So on the trip up to the Frozen Tundra, I had to take a flight and a short cruise up there and it was just non stop men with a few women too, both married, divorced, single, in and out of all kinds of relationships and it was just a barrage of mostly guys wanting to buy me every drink at every bar that they could make- in an effort to have sex with me and I was really sick of it, been sick of it for years now and I was worn down and weary of it all. Like even the spa manager on that first cruise ship tried to have sex with me so my guard was up and I figured I wouldn’t have a break from that until I got to Taylor’s house when surprise- surprise, even there, I ran into the same thing from her brother in law and the whole way up I had been praying that I would find a friend and find relief from all of that and lo and behold- Noah was there waiting for me to get off the boat and he didn’t flirt with me once on that first day or even the second and not really on the third either. He was nothing but respectful and professional to me even before I met him and after he met me in person he showed unbelievable restraint and self control which encouraged me to do the same, because the moment I saw him in person, I thought he was the most handsome man I had ever laid eyes on and there was that instant attraction, connection and chemistry and even with all of that, he let me just hang out and help him in exchange for flying me all over which I love flying and at the first subtle sign of discomfort from other’s advances, he didn’t hesitate to protect me and shield me from those unwanted advances from everyone else and it was such a welcome relief, like it was walking into a cool air conditioned room to rest and get replenished and feel completely safe while also feeling completely free and it was so wonderful to feel that after being in the oppressive heat all day with buzzing mosquitoes trying to suck every bit of blood and joy and peace from me they could and it was really nice and refreshing.” You began which got Noah to huff a laugh.

“That’s funny I felt the same way but kind of the opposite.” Noah said.

“I was oppressive heat?” You laughed.

“No, no, no, it was the opposite in that for me it felt like it was the never ending winter and oppressively cold, but with you- it was like getting that first warm breeze of summer, where the winter finally shakes it’s hold on everything and wishy washy spring where it’s cold one day and hot the next only to be cold the day after that- it felt like winter was finally over and once that warm summer breeze rolls in, it’s even and stable and you can trust that it’ll stay warm instead of trying to rip it away in two seconds, and you did smell like some tropical blooms in paradise, and what was really poignant, was that morning when I dropped Sakura off at my mom’s, my mom said her tea leaves told her that I would find Paradise that day and at the time I had no idea what she meant but the second I met you, it was crystal clear.” Noah explained.

“Which is why I called you Paradise at first Mama and because she showed me the tea leaves and then did some more and they told me that you were a really good mama, one of the best.” Sakura sighed dreamily as she smiled adoringly at you as you mirrored her.

“Aww, that’s so sweet!” You fawned as you picked up his hand and kissed the back of it sweetly before you reached across the table to stroke Sakura’s cheek with your palm and smiled even brighter when she leaned into your touch as Zane and Skylar smiled fondly too as that seemed to cement things for Skylar especially, the gods themselves picked Noah and Sakura out for them and through destiny itself, brought them together.

“So anyway, when I first came up, when I finally got to him- others tried to flirt with me, once he observed that I was tired and uncomfortable, he shut them down and stood up for me without asking for anything in return or trying to flirt with me himself even though at the time I would have probably flirted back but because he showed restraint, I showed some too and he was generous with me without any thought of being paid back for any of it and treated me like we’d been friends for years and we just got along and we clicked on just that base- friendship level because he thought I was married and I thought he was married and we both deeply respected those boundaries and didn’t push them and when we found out that we were both widowed, it didn’t jump straight from friends to romantic, it stayed friends and it grew very organically from there and he went above and beyond for me, helping me with my luggage, helping drive half my crap to Taylor’s house, and hugging him that first night felt like hugging home, only it wasn’t a home I had known yet and it was such a relief all around and a very welcome change.” You explained.

“Yeah except, because you were that wonderful paradise compared to everything else and it’s not like I wasn’t immediately attracted to you either. You were wonderful on the phone and then when I saw you coming down the pier with a plane load of cargo, I figured you were my fare but the closer you got, the more I could see and I had every intention of meeting you halfway but once I got a good look at you, my whole body just froze and my brain shut down and my eyes got tunnel vision and I just watched completely bewitched as the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life who looked like paradise incarnate, coming down the pier and so that’s why I just stupidly stood there and stared at you like an awkward teenager and then when you saw me, smiled politely and turned and called me and pulled me out of that daze, I almost said ‘sorry, we don’t get too many drop dead gorgeous women up here’ but that would have been incredibly unprofessional and inappropriate and my mouth has never worked that smoothly with my brain and then when I was driving you to the plane and I’m seeing every sailor, every passenger, every guy with a pulse stop, stare and do a double take, I thought I needed a warhammer strapped to my back and I thought I was going to be fighting all of them off just to keep you safe because we may live in a polite- modern society but that can change in a hot minute and I had to hide behind my sunglasses and I was terrified something was gonna happen to you and so I had to call Taylor and voice my concerns to her because again, didn’t want to be rude to you and told her that you needed a bodyguard and she told me to volunteer basically before she laughed and hung up.” Noah confessed.

“Really?” You and the kids all laughed in delight, grateful that there was that instant attraction and chemistry.

“Yeah, so like I just had to put myself on my best behavior because I did not want to mess up anything with you.” Noah explained.

“Well obviously it worked.” You reassured him.

“Plus when I met Sakura, I had the most overwhelming mothering urges towards her, like every instinct in my mind and body was telling me to love her and take care of her and do everything in my power to make sure she was ok and help her in any way I could, whether it benefited me or not. And when I got to hug and hold her for the first time, it was like I was holding you guys after I first gave birth to you. That ‘there you are, I’ve waited so long to finally meet you and I’m gonna love you forever.’ feeling.” You repeated and even now Noah still got misty eyed just thinking about it as Skylar had her arm around Sakura and hugged her tight too.

“And that’s exactly what I prayed for.” Noah repeated.

“And then to know that he wasn’t a stranger or just some guy- but to know that it was Grandpa Gru’s old airforce brother from another mother, that- that- was his dad and that our families had actually been old friends before my dad had moved us away, that if my parents had stayed we would have grown up together and probably would have been friends starting then too. And the fact that Taylor also vetted him for me, and that Taylor knew him and knew his family too so that I had not just that childhood connection but also have that mature adulthood character reference and his reputation alone was outstanding and the fact that he not only respected me but respected my profession too which is a really big deal, especially for me, when so many think it’s an invitation for solicitation, but not him, he recognized that it was, not just my bread and butter but actually my calling and was really helpful and supportive.” You mused.

“Well and likewise, because you were the first client since Neena died that didn’t haggle me or look down on me because I was an ice orc and a pilot and you didn’t treat me and my family like tourist attractions which has happened a lot before and you respected me and my profession which also went a long way too.” Noah confessed.

“Yeah, being objectified sucks, we just get objectified for different things. I’m actually worried that’s gonna happen on the cruise, that you and Sakura will get patronized because you’re ice orcs and get roped into posing for other guests who think you’re part of the experience.” You confessed.

“Nah, I wouldn’t, if Sakura and I brought our native regalia, maybe, but since we didn’t, I doubt that’ll happen, I don’t think people will care enough to notice us because usually we get ignored everywhere we go that isn’t home where we know everyone.” Noah reassured you.

“But, back to what we were talking about, the moment you came into my life, suddenly money was the last thing to matter to me, all that really mattered was Sakura and you, and making sure both of you were ok and taken care of and most of all safe.” Noah professed.

“Aww, I had the same feeling but especially for Sakura, like I knew you would be ok and could take care of yourself and I knew Sakura would be ok as long as you would be successful so making you as successful as possible so you could continue to care for her became my immediate goal. Which is why once I found out that your competition was undercutting you to steal your already limited pool of clients, I felt I needed to try to help any way I could and it ended up working out really well. And what worked out even better was that all the money that I made that first day, even when I went and didn’t expect to make any money at all, I spent helping you even more so that it was in no way a burden and the more I gave and the more I helped, the more blessing and happiness I got in return and the blessing didn’t stop at you and Sakura, it went to your family and Neena’s family too and even the clans, despite Alorna and Doug’s attempts to sabotage that because the seeds and things I brought from the lower 48 that I barely spent anything on- ended up getting split up and going to all the clans and it all got used and appreciated which is, at the end of the day, what matters.” You added.

“And it proved to everyone what a fine woman you were that even in the face of deep disrespect and sabotage that you kept your cool and kept your composure and were classy and gracious and respectful and still honored the clans and the council, which was the right thing to do, it wasn’t easy and I didn’t make it any easier on you either.” Noah confessed.

“How did you make it hard?” Zane asked with a frown.

“I took her concession as her giving up on me and Sakura and it wasn’t that at all, she was in her own priestess regalia and in regalia, she has a code she needs to abide by and I didn’t take that into account or consideration at all and I, very wrongly jumped to the conclusion that she was giving up and I will probably regret that mistake till the day I die.” Noah readily confessed which impressed Zane and Skylar that he was humble enough to admit he made a mistake and owned up to it and didn’t sugar coat it or downplay it but was actually very factual in his recounting which was very honest and forthcoming, which they respected and admired.

“Well you need to forgive yourself for that, I know I have, and beating yourself up for a mistake won’t get you anywhere.” You comforted him with another squeeze of his hand.

“No but it sure did teach me some humility and the lesson to not to jump to conclusions and to actually talk things out and figure it out instead of just emotionally reacting.” Noah gently countered.

“And it taught me to explain myself before misconceptions and misunderstandings happen because the difference in culture is still there.” You allowed.

“Huh,” Zane hummed and shrugged it off.

“But that’s still a really good thing that you would admit that you were in the wrong and obviously you apologized and tried to make amends and that you’re humble enough to admit that you were wrong and learned lessons, even as an adult.” Skylar praised.

“And what an apology it was.” You grinned cheekily which got Noah to blush and smile bashfully.

“It wasn’t just sex was it? It was an actual apology right?” Zane pressed.

“Yes, it was an actual apology, like, crying, on his knees, begging for forgiveness and admitting fault and promising to do better and then following through with actions.” You reassured Zane.

“And then yes, sex.” Noah took a chance and teased Zane which got Skylar to snort a snickering laugh as Sakura giggled too as Zane just sighed tiredly and resigned himself to this even though secretly he was relieved that it was Noah that you had chosen, or the gods rather, because now that you were in a serious relationship, his friend’s dads would hopefully now be deterred and stop drooling over you already.

“Yeah, I guess that’s inevitable and part of a healthy, committed monogamous relationship right?” Zane returned, trying to be cool about it because he could tell Noah was being harmless, in his joking and appreciated the gesture and could humor him.

“Yup, very healthy,” You nodded.

“And very committed and monogamous.” Noah nodded in turn.

“So have you ever killed anyone?” Skylar asked which got you and Noah to laugh because she just- came in from left field with that one.

“No, I have killed many animals though, for hunting purposes because hunting and trapping is legal and absolutely necessary if you’re going to live up there.” Noah answered.

“What’s the biggest thing you’ve killed?” Skylar asked.

“A bull moose that was just over 1500 pounds, getting that thing to my plane was the hardest thing because you have to dress it in the field and carry it out in pieces and carry it out quickly before the wolves and bears get wind of it. But thankfully I was hunting with my dad and my brothers and brothers in law so we all helped and we got a few moose that day, it set up the families for most of the winter actually.” Noah began before he recounted his other hunting expeditions and by the end of dinner, Sky and Zane seemed happy and satisfied with Noah’s answers to his questions and Noah in turn got his own questions about you and them, answered too.

You went back to the hotel and you tried to “ease” everyone into this by getting two hotel rooms, one for Noah and Sakura and the other for your kids and yourself, but they were right next to each other and had a door from one to the other that you kept open and once the kids got dressed to go swimming in the hotel’s pool and Noah got to see you in a bikini again, he nearly lost control and had to actively remind himself that not only was Sakura around, but your own children and the guests at the hotel meant he couldn’t just scoop you up and fuck you against the closest surface. The bikini wasn’t even all that “sexy” it was actually modest compared to most but your body in it was giving every ounce of will power he had a run for its money.

“Did you miss me?” You cooed to him as you caught him staring at you as you laid out the kid’s towels down over the sun chairs as you taunted him by wiggling your butt just enough to make it jiggle a little.

“You have no idea.” Noah returned huskily as he simply came up behind you and wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you flush to him to pin his hardening cock to your backside and left the most salacious kiss on the side of your neck, your knees almost buckled from under you as you dropped your own towel on the ground as your whole body betrayed you and you were ready to rip your bikini off of your frame and offer yourself to him poolside.

“Fuck.” You cursed under your breath as it was suddenly unbearably hot in the sun, because Noah had practically set you on fire with just that little touch and kiss.

“You kiss your mother with that mouth?” He teased you.

“You keep pushing it and this will end in one of two ways, I get away from you so I don’t fuck you in front of the gods and everyone- right here, right now and scar the kids for life or you can figure out a way we can both sneak away for five or ten minutes so we can get our own private business taken care of.” You offered as you bent at the waist to pick up your towel and to feel his shaft tried to spear the cleft of your ass as it laid against the length of it.

Thankfully the kids soon made friends with the other kids swimming at the pool and Noah and yourself did manage to “sneak” into a family’s restroom.

That door was barely shut and locked before Noah ripped your bottoms off as you barely had a chance to step out of them before he picked you up, pinned you against a wall and entered you roughly then started up a very earnest and powerful rhythm as he kissed you like a man starved while you clung to him like a lifeline while you tried to stamp down your whimpering keens and feeling rejoined was feeling like you were whole again.

“Gods I’ve missed you.” You confessed between scorching hot kisses.

“Missed you too, my hand has been a poor substitute.” Noah confessed which got a giggle to bubble from your throat.

“Likewise.” You returned as his hips snapped forcefully into yours and the pleasure was almost overwhelming, after three weeks of just talking on the phone, seeing him again in person, the magic and the sparks and the chemistry was still there, if anything there was more of it. That three weeks had felt just as long as the two years between losing Andy and finding Noah to begin with and it was crazy how in a month, what once was a stranger was now the center of your life and the same could be said for Noah.

But at least you had all the texts, phone calls and emails. And thankfully Noah had been busy with his business while you were gone, having practically worked nonstop once he got back. And you talked to both him and Sakura at least once a day, especially at night, reading stories to Sakura to put her to sleep and then talking to Noah about his day after putting Sakura to bed. And sometimes it was just decompressing or heart and soul bearing conversation and other times it turned into some really amazing phone sex. But none of it held a candle to the real thing and way faster than you were expecting, you came in a shuddering keen, nuzzling your face into the crux of his neck and shoulder while your fingertips dimpled into the meat of his shoulders and back and it took less than ten pumps later before Noah finally let loose himself and pumped you full of his seed, a growling groaning moan as he simply pinned you against the wall and held you tight and nuzzled his face in the juncture of your own neck and shoulder and breathed in your scent deep into his lungs, feeling anchored by it because now, that he had you in his arms, he didn’t care about anything else. Everything else seemed so far away now.

By the time you made it back out, Sakura was on Zane’s shoulders as he and some of the other kids there were playing chicken and didn’t notice that you and Noah had stepped away it seemed as you both slipped into the warm water and swam around until the sunset and you finally got to go back to the rooms where you happily put Sakura to bed, snuggling with her in her bed as you read a story from your phone to her as Sky and Zane got ready for bed in their own bed across from you and watched on fondly before they fell asleep after Sakura did before you happily crawled into bed with Noah, made love and then fell asleep in his arms, finally sleeping well for the first time in weeks and Skylar and Zane didn’t have any issues with it in the morning which was a relief for you and Noah.

Before loading the cruise ship you had Noah take you and your second set of luggage and a huge crate of gifts for kids, all of Sakura’s cousins on both sides of her family since you and your kids had insisted on also getting gifts for their soon to be cousins and loaded those up on the plane so you wouldn’t have to worry about those gifts getting dirty or damaged before they could reach their recipients and your kids got to explore Noah’s plane which they thought was really cool, Skylar actually did summersaults down the cargo hold as Zane sat in the cockpit and eagerly looked at all the controls and was asking Noah about what each one was and did which made you happy as Noah promised that after the cruise, he would let them fly the plane for a few minutes on the way home which made them really happy and excited for. Which made you so excited to see everything again, but instead of the eyes of a visitor but from the eyes of a soon to be local.

Thankfully you got onto the cruise ship early because you were in the concierge royal suite and not surprisingly, Zane and Skylar seemed to make new friends right at check in, some of them had even been at the hotel the night before and even Sakura made new friends too which gave you some relief that she wasn’t being left out or ignored. Skylar and Zane could make fast friends wherever they went when they wanted to and for a week long cruise, they could do so freely to make the trip more enjoyable and Skylar and Zane had gifted Sakura a little notebook to write down all the names of all her friends so that once they got on board they could send each other gifts and “pixie dust” to other guests which Zane and Skylar insisted that all the kids staying in all of the handicap rooms on board get pixie dust in particular which damn near made Noah cry because of how thoughtful and inclusive they were to include them as Sakura also agreed to do the same which made you particularly proud. You had also spent the last three weeks making sure that you would have all the extra touches and flourishes that would make the cruise memorable and special for everyone.

Once you were invited to board, you got your pictures taken and then it was announced to the welcoming crew that the Kintucks and the Kingsleys were arrived which Sakura thought was really fun and once onboard the concierge lounge on the ship, you got each of them the program for the cruise and your highlighters out and brought out the list of things you had already put into your agenda, like princess makeovers and royal tea service for the nights you would be going to Rapunzel’s Royal Table for dinner where it was basically Disney’s version of “formal nights” as all five you got to have your choice about activities for the cruises.

Noah, unsurprisingly, was happy to just be along for the ride. Sky and Zane were really looking forward to all the kids clubs and since this was Sakura’s first cruise, much less a Disney one, she was just eager to experience everything she could as Skylar and Zane were equally eager to share the experiences with her while you were eager to have some good proper alone time with Noah because your suite had two huge whirlpool tubs, one for the master and one for the kid’s room and while you brought plenty of bath bombs for the kids, you also brought some for yourself too along with some amazing lingerie just for Noah’s enjoyment, as all of you tried to get used to the rocking of the boat.

“So...what’s that trick to getting your sea legs?” Zane asked Noah as you could tell from his expression that he was getting a little queasy as he sipped on his ginger ale.

“Ok so back when I was on a fishing boat, what we would do is we would fill the hold up with sea water, get our gear on, as if we would go overboard and we would take turns throwing each other into the holding tank, like throwing each other as high in the air as we could, with more flips and twists, the better and when the body gets thrown around like that, it’s forced to re-calibrate itself and even in a really bad storm there is always a rhythm to the waves that your body gets used to, we would barely be out of port and we would start doing this, usually on the third throw, maybe the fifth throw if you’re really bad off, you’re good to go, now the biggest trick is when you get back on land, your body will still want to follow the rhythm of the sea and you can get “land sickness”, which is getting sea sick sitting perfectly still, but again, it’s the same trick to get out of it.” Noah explained.

“So you yeet us basically.” Skylar grinned excitedly.

“Yeah, into the pool.” Noah nodded.

“Yes!” Skylar cheered which got Noah to laugh as he looked around casually and noticed something...odd.

“Hey, not to be a worry wart but we might have a problem, 8’oclock.” Noah murmured to your family as he looked around casually again which got everyone’s ears to pick up.

“What?” You asked, as you instantly looked around yourself before you noticed the family in the direction Noah alluded to before your own stomach dropped.

“They’re looking at Zane pretty hard.” Noah realized.

“Ah, fans, this happens quite a bit, hopefully they’ll be cool and not swarm me.” Zane muttered in resignation.

“Cause of your YouTube channel?” Noah asked.

“Most likely, they don’t look like the ballet following type.” Zane answered.

“If they come over and bother you- do you want me to get rid of them?” Noah offered casually.

“Uh, well, there’s no reason to be rude, but yeah if they get bothersome and hound me, please do.” Zane answered, happy and relieved that Noah would even offer before the family couldn’t help it and came over.

“Hey, are you Zane Kingsley, with King’s Snakes?” Another boy asked Zane as the family from across the lounge had been staring and gawking at Zane the moment your family had been waiting to board the ship and Noah noticed Zane plastered on that same, forced polite smile you did that first day when that whole tavern tried to buy you drinks as Noah looked from Zane to you to see you did the same thing as Skylar didn’t bother hiding her annoyance at the intrusion while Sakura looked on curiously as she ate her snack.

“Yeah, that’s me,” Zane reluctantly confirmed before the whole family seemed to gush and fawn and geek out that they met a “celebrity” on the cruise before they all got pictures with Zane as Zane humored them and gave them autographs while he tried to keep it about the snakes, asking if they had any and was happy that they were looking to buy one soon.

“Oh my goodness, look at us being so rude, are you vacationing with your family?” The mom asked.

“Yup, that’s my mom Zara, my sister Sky, my soon to be stepsister Sakura, and soon to be step dad Noatak.” Zane introduced which brought a more genuine smile to your face.

“Oh wow, you guys are ice orcs aren’t you?” The dad asked.

“Yup, we’re from the Sungilak tribe too.” Sakura volunteered.

“Oh that’s so awesome, do you mind if we get pictures of you guys too? We’ve never met ice orcs before, you have such beautiful coloring.” The mom tried to flatter.

“Sure.” Sakura agreed before she smiled really brightly for them as you and Noah shared a meaningful look before the family seemed satisfied they left you alone.

“Gods, please let that be the only time that happens.” You muttered to Noah worriedly as you squeezed his hand as you walked the halls to your suite to get changed into your bathing suits since the luggage that wasn’t your carryons had already been delivered.

You all got to your room and just as the other guests were boarding, Noah took the lifeguard aside and explained what he was about to do to you and your family and got special permission to do so since he would be throwing you guys much higher and farther than would normally be allowed but they trusted Noah for his word and his experience.

Skylar had never screamed more gleefully in her life, even on roller coasters, she didn’t squeal so loudly and Sakura did about the same and Zane even let out a shout or five as you marveled at Noah’s strength in not only picking you up but throwing you just as high and just as far as the kids but it worked like the charm it was. Then Noah jumped and did flips in the air to calibrate himself to it and once done, all of you happily went back to the room to fully settle in and get ready for the sailing away party as Sakura got to be on your shoulders while Skylar requested to enjoy it on Noah’s shoulders and was happy to be the tallest in the crowd that was gathered.

The first two days of the cruise were perfect, everyone got to have all their fun events that they wanted to go to and no one had issues with seasickness at all and you and Noah got to fully reconnect and Noah loved the lingerie and loved getting it off of you in record time too while the kids were in their kid’s clubs and do a lot of crafts in the oceaneers clubs.

The third day however, the storms hit and thankfully you were in the middle of the ship so you didn’t have to have deal with the bow going up and down with the waves, but the winds and rains hitting the glass of the veranda was the scariest thing you had encountered on the sea as all three of the kids huddled close to you in your bed as Sakura was squarely on your chest, Zane was under your right arm and Skylar was under your left and Noah was on the other side of Skylar as Noah simply smiled fondly to see you comforting all your children through the storm and was relieved that none of you were faring badly because of the seasickness as you all huddled together under the blankets during the worst of the storm.

Then after that, the storms passed and things went back to normal however, for the rest of the cruise, your family soon garnered more and more attention every time you left your cabin as Zane got an exorbitant amount of attention and “pixie dust” from just about all the kids on board because the news of “a celebrity” had traveled fast and even Noah and especially Sakura was approached a lot too, to the point that Noah actually did have to intervene and remind the other guests that you were all on a family vacation and that if they wanted pictures with ice orcs, to get them on shore with the others who were actually dressed to cater to tourists but that he and his daughter were not part of the attractions themselves and that Zane was also on a private family vacation and appreciated his privacy which Zane had never been more grateful and thankful for Noah to do as Skylar was more adoring of him in those moments than she had been yet because usually you fiercely protected Zane from “fanatical fans” but with Noah, he was the best deterrent yet and she had immediately claimed him as her step dad and had instantly started calling him "Dad" which Noah got used to pretty quick as Zane had to get a second piece of luggage to pack all of the “pixie dust” from the cruise.

Then when you got off the boat with your luggage, Noah flew you back to your family’s new home away from home, to meet his family which your kids thought was the coolest thing to be flown in and all took turns in the cockpit with the head gear and help steer the plane and then the kids happily loaded themselves into the back of the pickup truck with their luggage and thought the Frozen Tundra was really, really pretty, with the mountains and the greens and the swaths of wild flower blooms in the other fields and you had them also pack gifts for their soon to be cousins as well, making sure that all the kids were accounted for and prayed that the kids would like the gifts as you went to Noah’s house first to unload all your luggage as Zane happily poached stickers and other items from all the “pixie dust” that he got form all his “fans” on the cruise and added them to the gift bags for a special Disney touch to them.

You were never more relived to see Neena's family with the Noah’s family again as they still gave you the same warm welcome that they had done last time and Sakura was so proud to introduce her new siblings to all her cousins who were thrilled to get presents as you and Noah watched on, as Skylar of course, wanted to wrestle with her new boy cousins while Zane was content to simply sit and talk with his new girl cousins as they all happily played with their new things of slime happily around the card table in the game room.

“Ok, you guys can wrestle if you want but here are the rules, no broken anything, no broken noses, wrists, elbows, knees, ankles and obviously necks, we don’t want to take anyone to the ER today, that kind of thing. No pulling hair or braids or anything like that, and anything that a bathing suit would cover is off limits and of course, honor the tap out code and only displays of good sportsmanlike conduct is allowed. And boys, if you’re not cool with a girl like Skylar getting the best of you and beating you, don’t wrestle with her in the first place. She’s had a lot of formal training. Skylar, only match what you’re about to be given, no ganging up on anyone, lets play fair, one on one or two on two or however it has to go to be even. No breaking furniture or windows or anything like that, let’s be respectful of each other and the space. No trash talking or anything like that.” You specified, making sure you made eye contact with all of them before they all eagerly nodded their agreement.

“Ok, have at it then.” You agreed before you backed away before it descended into controlled chaos.

“Does that happen a lot?” Isla asked as she sat next to you on the couch with Summer as you all watched as Skylar happily started pinning each one down to the ground as all the boys were beyond happy and excited that a girl was willing to play this rough and could go toe to toe with them and they didn’t have to worry about holding back to keep from hurting her cause she was one tough cookie.

“Yeah, now don’t misunderstand, the two of them could just as easily switch places. And at home, Zane is Skylar’s workout and sparring partner so he knows everything that she does martial arts wise and in school he was the one to restrain her when she would get in fights in school so he knows those holds better than she does. But he prefers to make interpersonal connections through talking. Skylar, is obviously more physical and they’ll both bond to everyone else, just through different means. And Skylar, is actually a really gifted, graceful dancer and Zane can do all kinds of lifts with her and it helps her keep her own balance in the martial arts, but she prefers the skin on skin contact and getting to know each one by playing like this.” You explained before you watched Skylar actually kick one particular boy cousin off of her with so much power he practically went flying backwards about 10 feet, a few feet off the ground as Zane saw him coming and pulled the other girl cousins out of the way so they didn’t get pulled into it and hurt as the boy got up and laughed and dove back in as the other fathers watched their sons play fight with amusement as the other women were puting the finishing touches on dinner as Noah had never beamed with so much pride at seeing Skylar seem to take on two at a time with ease and judging by all the bright smiles on all the faces of the kids, they were all definitely having fun.

“So how was the cruise?” Noah’s brother Nago asked from the pool table.

“Uh, it was a mixed bag honestly. The first couple of days were awesome. Then word got out that “a celebrity” was on the cruise and then it wasn’t so great. Zane has a YouTube channel about breeding ball pythons and he’s only ten but he’s already making money as a breeder and he’s actually really, really smart when it comes to their care and genetics and medical care. And so, because of that exposure, he gets recognized a lot and he got recognized on the ship and he signed more autographs than Mickey Mouse did. It was insane. And it got to the point that he had me step in and remind these people that he wasn’t at an expo, he wasn’t on this cruise for any kind of publicity but he was just on a private family vacation and it’s a good thing I have a mean glare to keep them at bay but it was the same people who objectified Sakura and I the whole time, thinking because we were ice orcs that we were part of the cruise and the experience too, that wasn’t cool and Zara showed her claws a few times trying to keep Sakura safe and not hassled either and the staff of course was really cool and understanding and helpful. And then of course we had those storms roll in and it got pretty dicey a few times and if I had not done the water tank trick on all of them and myself, all of us would have been sicker than a dog that whole time. But even with all of that going on, Zara never faltered once. She was amazing and kept everyone safe and together and having a good time and to Sakura, she just thought it was the best family vacation she had ever been on and thankfully didn’t think the attention she got was a bad thing as Skylar warmed right up to me and loved it that I was bigger and taller than anyone else on board and loved to sit on my shoulders to watch all the shows that weren’t canceled due to weather. Zane is of course reserving judgement which I can’t argue with or find fault in. So, like I said, mixed bag.” Noah surmised.

“Well of course it wasn’t going to be perfect. Nothing ever is.” Ukluk noted.

“No, I wasn’t expecting it to be but I just wasn’t exactly expecting what we got either.” Noah muttered as he continued to watch Skylar closely to make sure she wasn’t getting hurt before she put one of Sakura’s cousins, Kako into a choke hold.

“Hey! Kako! Tap out, she’s gonna make you pass out buddy.” Noah suggested as Suka laughed at how his son was being put into a choke hold as Kako never looked happier to be in such a state.

“I’m good!” Kako tried to say as he waived off his uncle in between trying to squirm out of the hold only a minute later he went limp into a pile on the floor before Skylar let him go and rolled him over with the help of his siblings and other cousins as they all cheered that she had knocked him out before they clamored for her to do the same thing to them.

“Really?” Skylar asked.

“Yeah!” They insisted before Skylar looked at you and then to Noah and the other dads for permission.

“Go for it!” Nago, Yakone, Tonrar, Dave, Max and John all encouraged her.

“If that’s what they want, go for it Sweetie.” Ukluk laughed and gave her the nod before she beamed and outright tackled the rest of them until she had all the boys passed out on the floor around her and stood and caught her breath and appraised her handiwork while Noah and his brothers and brothers in law and his father and father in law all give her high fives and teased that she needed to come over to their house for sleep overs to do that to their sons that night for bed.

“If this was two hundred years ago, she would be getting marriage proposals left and right for that.” Isla practically cackled to you which made the rest of you laugh with her.

“Yeah, most of the boys at school already view her as this little warrior goddess as it is. And she’s only 8, just turned 8 too, I can’t imagine what she’ll be like at 18, but my rule is, no dating while in elementary, middle or high school. If you want to date in college that’s your choice but nothing before that.” You insisted.

“Ooh, that’s gonna be hard, especially up here, most are matched before high school graduation.” Isla grimaced.

“Well then she’ll be one of the few who aren’t as will Zane, and Sakura. Because they’re children right now and they should focus on being kids, having fun, enjoying hobbies, learning life skills and school. Not anything romantic, they’re still growing and developing and maturing for their age, romance should be the last thing pushed onto them.” You insisted.

“Agreed.” Noah practically boomed from across the room which made you smile even brighter as Skylar then joined Zane’s group and met all the girl cousins and sat next to Sakura and put her arm around her.

“Can you show me how to do that?” Sakura asked Skylar.

“And me?” The other girls chimed in.

“Yeah sure, wait for them to wake up first.” Skylar said as she nodded over to the boys who were still passed out before their mothers came down to get everyone.

“What happened to the boys?” Samantha asked worriedly, seeing her sons passed out on the floor.

“Oh Sammie, you should have been here! So the boys found out that Skylar can wrestle, asked her to put them in choke holds which she did! It was the single coolest thing I’ve ever seen.” Nago laughed giddily as he went over to his boys and picked up their arms and let the arms drop.

“The boys...asked for this?” Samantha repeated.

“Yeah, and of course I was cool with it and gave her permission too.” Nago insisted.

“We all did.” All the guys insisted.

“...ok. Well dinner is ready, and they need to wake up for dinner.” Samantha insisted before all the guys murmured their agreement and woke up their sons who almost jolted awake.

“Hey bud, how do you feel?” Suka asked Kako.

“I feel fine, that was really fun!” Kako beamed happily.

“Good, I’m glad you had fun, time for dinner.” Suka insisted as he helped his son to his feet before all the other boys as they all happily got up and went upstairs and happily told their mothers all about how awesome Skylar was and how she plays just as rough as they do which made their mothers happy to hear that they were getting along and you and Noah were finally relieved that this time, things were going much smoother.

#Jewel Of The North #Jewel Of The North Chapter 12 #ice orcs #jewel orcs

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the-spindly-lady-faith · 3 years

Text

Finally [Evan Buckley]

Warnings: Descriptions of gore/injuries, mentions of death

Word Count: 2.5k

Requested: Yes

Request: Based off of [S3 E18]

(You can tweak up it if you want)

Can you make one where me and Buck have always been close seeing as we grew up together so I’d been with him though thick and thin, but little did he know the reason I was always by his side was cause I love him. Anyway when he sees Abby at first I’m just as shocked as him when he sees her and all the hurt feelings I had back when he was first with her, but when his face falls at her mention of a fiancé that all goes away and I try to hug him, but he kinda pushes me off telling me not to worry about him and get our job done. We then end up getting separated to go do the job in separate parts of the wreckage. When all is said and done I try to call him, but he doesn’t answer so I just go home. The next day I just decide to go over to his place {which is just down the hall from his} when he doesn’t answer the door I just use the key he gave me and decide to wait for him. Eventually he comes home, only to find me on his couch asleep. He ends up going to get ready for the party deciding to just give me a few minutes to get a little more sleep, so when he’s done getting ready he comes and crouch’s in front of the couch and wakes me up very sweetly. He then sits next to me after I sat up and we end up talking and he ends up telling me he talk to Abby who made him realize something. He then continues on and says that he’s in love with me. I then tell him sweetly that I am to then we lay back and cuddle for a while before I get up and he wines asking why I’m getting up and I remind him that we have a party to get to and he groans as I get to the door trying to get to my apartment to get ready and he try’s to convince me to stay, but I just keep walking and say no. I then get ready and we get to the party and everyone is happy to see us holding hands with a smile and Athena throws her hands up in the air saying “FINALLY you two,”

Love.

It was a strange word to associate with your life long best friend but it felt right. Something I truly feared was his rejection if I ever confessed to him because I only had eyes for him. Sure, other guys looked nice but something about Buck was different. Maybe it was the birthmark at his eyebrow, his sharp jaw, that beautiful smile, or his enticing, ocean blue eyes that held stories upon stories in them.

The day was going smooth as I sat on a barstool, overlooking Buck's shoulder at a pamphlet Eddie handed him for a children's summer camp. "Summer camp?" Buck questioned, his brows furrowed in confusion "It's all he can talk about" Eddie casually replied "Some of the other kids from school are going... It's only two weeks" I kept looking at the colorful paper before what Eddie had said finally came to me.

"Whoa, whoa. Two weeks away from home? Isn't Chris kinda young for that? I mean, what if something happens? What if he gets homesick" The concern in Buck's voice was clear but Eddie just kinda rolled his eyes with a small, annoyed sigh "I'm pretty sure I brought in the brochure so you guys can make me feel better about him going"

Chim lightly waved a wooden spoon at him before resuming his stirring "Clearly, you did not think that plan through to its logical conclusion." "I started going to sleepaway camp when I was 8. I loved it. Camp Weegeewagen.. Eedee-idee-odee-ooh-hoo... Looked forward to it every year" I lightly chuckled at Bobby, munching on a quick made sandwich, enjoying the playful group banter.

I was in shock at the scene despite having being part of the LAFD as long as I have, crushed cars, debris and so much more as I secured my helmet onto my head while I hoped & prayed with all I got we could & would save everyone.

"Please, if you can just let me up into the car. Please! I've gotta get up there" The voice that spoke in a worried plea sounded familiar yet my mind worried not on that but the person infront of me who luckily wasn't seriously hurt, just a few cuts, bumps & bruises which gave me the smallest bit of relief.

"Wait, are you from the 118?" The woman asked as Eddie responded with a simple 'yeah'. "Abby?" I turned to look at Buck, seeing the look plastered on his face as the name he called registered my mind as I had an almost equally shocked look on my face. This definitely was not the proper situation to be meeting your best friend's ex in.

"Buck." Her voice was almost relieved but I could sense that bit of surprise & maybe even pain, they never had a proper breakup so I understood. "Wait, you were on the train." She just nodded "Yeah, I've gotta-" Buck quickly grabbed her arm, pulling her away "We need to get you checked out" She carefully pulled herself away, looking back to the train car sticking straight in the air "No, no, no. I'm fine. I need to get up there"

"Abby--what? No, that's crazy! No, no, Abby, Abby, stop!" I swallowed back nervously, my eyes darting to Eddie for reassurance before back to the other two "I'm trying to find somebody!" She hoarsely screamed, panic more then evident all over her. I walk up, gently resting my hand on her shoulder "Okay. Well, just tell us who. We're going-" She turned to me "My fiance!" I looked from her to Buck with my brows knitted tightly together.

"He fell asleep and I went to the bar car." Her voice was break more & more with each word as Eddie gave her soft, calming eyes "Okay. Can you give us a description?" She nodded, sniffling through her tears, pulling her phone out as the three of us look at it, studying it to remember the man but Buck seemed more focus on how happy she looked & the thoughts that were more then likely running in his mind were hurting him more then he'd ever admit.

The climb up the car was an exercise with the back board I was carrying as we ended up using the seats as leverage. Black tag. Not our first on this job but it still hurt regardless, knowing we weren't quick enough to save these poor people. "Sam! Sam, can you hear me?" I grunted, hoisting myself up to basically stand on the seat back as he groaned, barely lifting his head "Hey Sam. How you feeling?" I sighed, a cut just below his hair line but nothing bad from what I could physically see.

"It hurts" His voice was tired & small "Yeah." I looked around, looking at Eddie before looking back to Sam "Hurts when I breathe. Please. My fiancee.. She's on the train" I quietly sighed to myself "Yeah, hey, hey. She's okay" I looked at him, bringing my walkie up "Cap, I got a passenger pinned up here. Looks like the support bean from the observation deck broke through the floor. Need you to send up the jaws okay?"

Bobby quickly responded as I carefully lift Sam's head up, pressing my feet into the back of the seat to keep myself from slipping. I can only hope we all get out of here alive with these people. The train shifting truthfully scared me as I clung to the seat with dear life, losing my footing for a moment, letting out a heavy breath that was trapped in my chest.

To have Bobby here made me feel much better about this, some more, needed hope. "He's got a collapsed lung from the blunt force. O2 levels are dropping. I can relieve the pressure, but we gotta move this beam off him" I looked at Bobby, then to Eddie and back at Buck as the four of us were all buddied together tightly in the car, not at the moment realizing their were others here.

"It's not moving Cap, too heavy" He nodded "Alright, let's try the hydraulic ram." It was normal but scary as we all carefully watched Bobby until a scream of utter pain alerted us as I carefully spun around to go look for the girl who was only about a seat or two down. I grabbed the back, tossing it off to the side & her visible physically injuries were horrible "How you doing?" I pursed my lips together, bringing my med bag up beside me with a slight grunt.

"My side really hurts" I nodded, moving my light in area of her side, carefully lifting up her shirt to find what I could only make out to be a bone broken out of the skin & despite the things I've seen, certain things like this made my stomach crawl. "Force of the crash pushed her leg up into her torso"What?" She said tiredly but with heavy panic while very weakly trying to move the beam off her. "This is gonna hurt a little bit" Eddie commented, carefully slipping her boot off "There's still a pulse in her foot. Blood's still pumping to it"

"Hey what's going on?" Buck questioned as we all were so tired, so out of it. "The beam is trapping both of them. If we take the pressure off either one of them, the other with probably die" I sighed, replying to Buck in hope both could be save as I fidgeted with my gloved fingers. Let everyone get out alive.

I watched, my brows furrowed with pure anger and sadness. There has to be a way to save them both, I refuse to let another person die on my hands. "There has to be a way. I can't let this girl die on us & watch the pain on her family's face!" I was mentally fighting myself as I sighed, the tears threatening to fall at any given moment, Bobby giving me a look of pity "(Y/N).... you gotta accept these losses at some-" I groan "I know I have to but I can't! It never gets easier Bobby!"

Buck turned to us with bright eyes "I have an idea that could save them both." I quickly turned to Buck & for a quick moment, I saw my bright, happy & adventurous life-long friend as I smiled, my heart gripping the love it held for him.

Bobby seemed to agree to the plan after Buck explained it even though they bickered over it & radioed for needed supplies to be readied, there was hope even though small, it was there. "We're almost there Sam. Okay? You'll see your fiancee and kids.." He just tiredly nodded as the train shifted again, nearly standing up straight, sending aggressive amounts of fear through my veins.

I kept myself by Sam to hold him up as the pressure of the seat crushing him slowly came off with the lucky help of the jaws, the relief on Sam's face made me happy as we helped him towards Buck. We did it, we saved them both as I let out a heavy, shaky breath, forcing myself to hold back tears as me & Eddie both carefully slipped out the hole Buck made. At least something good came from today & it was something to be the smallest bit happy about.

The hazy night glow casted through the curtains as I tiredly groaned, not wanting to do anything but forget about last nights job. I looked around Buck's cozy apartment as I shuffled over to the couch, tossing my bag off to the side as I lay down with a heavy groan, feeling the many pins & needles all over my body as I stared at the ceiling for what seemed like forever until I finally passed out, only awake enough to hear Buck walk in.

[BUCK]

Yesterday was hell, the wreck, Abby, everything. I stared at my door for a moment, seeing the doormat disturbed a bit as I just lightly chuckled, knowing (Y/N) was here as I quietly open the door & just as quietly shut it behind me, placing my things on the kitchen counter.

I made way towards my couch to sit but to see (Y/N)'s sleeping form made me smile & in that moment, it had come to me. All the girls I dated before was just for me to forget the way I felt for her, my life long best friend. I sighed lightly before heading off to shower, letting her get the more then needed rest, getting ready for the upcoming party at Athena & Bobby's place.

I lingered in the shower a moment longer, staring at the steamed shower walls before shutting the water off & dressing up as I'd usually do before going back over to (Y/N), watching with a smile on my lips that spread from ear-to-ear before crouching down to get a more straight foward look at her face.

"Hey, gotta wake up hun. We got somewhere to be" I kept my voice soft, pushing hair from her face & I swear I felt my heart skip a beat. "I know you want beauty sleep to maintain your own beauty, which I understand. There's something kinda important I wanna ask you and I don't wanna wait anymore" She stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering open then shut a few times before she finally woke up.

She looked at me, holding her hand up infront of her to keep the sun out of her eyes before she carefully sat up & stretched "What's up?" She slumped over as I sat aside with with a heavy sigh, sliding a cup of coffee over. "I talked to Abby today" She looked at me, seeming to already know where this was going. "I wanted to clear things up about us, about why she never bothered to talk to me while she was gone"

My leg started bouncing at her gentle hand rubbed small circles on my upper back, laying her head on my shoulder "I'm sure she meant to Buck.." I sighed "That's the thing (Y/N), even though she explained everything, I still don't understand. Did I do something wrong? Did I rush things? Was she with me out of just pity?" I heavily sighed, wiping my hands over my face "I can't understand it at all..."

She looked at me with soft eyes that held billions of stars & galaxies in them, if only I could look into them forever. "It isn't your fault Buck, it never was. All relationships can feel rushed at any given point. Don't blame yourself for this. You helped her through a great deal of pain when she lost her mom. You're an amazing man Buck, I know cause I grew up with you & Maddie my whole life"

I looked at her & just smiled "I'm..." I had to process everything "I'm in love with you (Y/N) and- and I get if you-" She laughed lightly, her hand holding my cheek gently "I'm in love with you too Buck. I have been for as long as I can remember. I laugh happy as I wrap my arms around her & laying back on the couch & right there, I had all I ever wanted.

It was calm, nothing but pure happiness between the two of us as I admired the person I held so close to me & this is all that mattered, I finally had her, my favorite person to ever exist & maybe, just maybe, this is what true love felt like when you didn't hide from it.

[YOU]

"Hey, I need to get ready & we gotta get going for that party" Buck groaned "But we could have more fun if we just stayed here and kept cuddling" I smile, drawing small circles on his shirt "While I do agree, I don't think we'd hear the end of it from Bobby" He whines "Please? I don't wanna go anymore, this is better" I sat up, shaking my head "No Buck. I'm not getting my ear chewed out" He pouts, his eyes sad but in a joking manner, dropping his hands. "Fine but you're making this up when we get back" I nod, putting my hands up "I will do just that okay? I promise. Pinky promise?" He smiles as our pinkies interlock before I finally stood up, changing in the bathroom.

We parked outside of Athena & Bobby's place as Buck rushed from the drivers side to me, opening the door & showing off his big goofy smile which made my heart swoon. I took his hand, sliding out of the jeep as he locked it up & the two of us made our way inside, hand in hand, smiles painting both of our faces.

We only stopped when we noticed everyone looking at us with smiles as Athena shuffled foward, her smile big & proud as her hands raised up in the air & dropped down with a happy sigh "Finally you two! We've all been wondering when this would happen" I smile, my cheeks burning red as I hide my face in Buck's shoulder as we stepped down the steps & the night went on with smiles & laughter. Most of all, I was finally in love with the right person. My person, Evan Buckley.

@faithie-brock-gillespie01

author note: i hope you enjoyed this & its what you wanted. im sorry this took a while to get out but i really hope you like it & thank you so much for the request!!

#9-1-1 #evan buckley #athena grant #abby clark #chimney han #hen wilson #bobby nash #eddie diaz #maddie buckley #9 1 1 fanfiction #lovers #9 1 1 season 3 #LAFD #LAPD

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newtxtinaforever · 4 years

Text

Happy Birthday Tina!

Hello there! Today's one shot is sponsored by @neighborhood-newtina-reblogger, a tumblr that I greatly admire. Okay, it's not technically sponsored by the blog, but it did provide the prompt/idea for this one shot, which I will include at the very end in case you want to know what it is. Also, the fanart above belongs to @sydsketch and partially inspires my fanfic as well. Don't want to put the prompt at the beginning and spoil the story, so without further ado, I hope you enjoy this little piece of my Newtina heart. Oh, and happy birthday Tina! ☺️

3rd POV

"Oh, Newt. She's perfect!" Tina exclaimed happily, a smile brightening up her usually tense features. It wasn't that the American witch held a grudge against smiling or having fun; quite the opposite, in fact. She was so used to being responsible that her default look was to come across as a professional who took her job seriously. When she was with Newt, however, she couldn't help but smile. His light-hearted nature simply had a way of making her feel like she could let her guard down and didn't have to worry about what kind of person Newt was. Having fought alongside him in the fight against Grindelwald, Tina knew she could trust Newt. It was a good thing because he had just given her a creature to call her own.

"Really? That's wonderful to hear. I hoped you would like her but I wasn't completely sure if you would be interested in-" Newt was quickly interrupted by Tina's warm words of gratitude. "I love her, Newt. Thank you," she replied. Her eyes sparkled with a light reminiscent of the creature that currently rested in its small glass case. "What's her name?" Tina asked softly as she admired the speckled salamander. Newt blushed before replying, "Well, I thought you might like to name her seeing as she's yours." Both pairs of eyes connected for the briefest of moments.

"Of course!" Tina blurted, although she soon regained her composure. "I'm not quite sure where to start, but I'm sure we can think of something." Newt's tender smile at Tina's inclusion of the word 'we' went unnoticed for the most part, yet the tone of their environment was clearly evident. It was nearly impossible to miss the delicate care each person felt for the other, so alive and tangible was it. The silence that settled in during certain moments of the conversation were not uncomfortable, but peaceful instead. Surprisingly enough, Newt was the next one to speak up.

"Keegan," he uttered cryptically. Tina tilted her head to the right by a dozen degrees. "Who?" she wondered aloud, her sharp eyes fixed on Newt. The famous magizoologist remained quiet for several seconds until Tina cleared her throat. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was simply suggesting Keegan as a name, but I understand if you don't like it. She's yours, so feel free to choose whatever name you feel is best."

Tina lowered her gaze to the ground, then extended her head upward. "The name's fine, Newt. And I want you to be included in the naming process, trust me," she said with reassurance in her voice. Newt smiled. "What about Thea? She's the Greek goddess of light, which is fitting since salamanders feed off of fire, right?" Tina inquired. She waited for a response from Newt, but he appeared not to have heard her. Beginning to wonder if something was wrong with him, Tina repeated the end of her previous sentence. "Right, Newt?"

The man in question displayed signs of life after what seemed like forever. His nose was scrunched as if he had caught a whiff of rotting maggots while his eyes blinked ferociously. What was going on? Tina prompted Newt to explain his behavior, although it took some serious persuading. "The name sounds a bit like... well... like Theseus, my brother." Tina nodded her head in agreement and decided to move on. The last thing she wanted was for her new companion to remind Newt of his older brother.

"Perhaps you might consider Idris. It's Welsh and can mean 'fiery' depending on the language." Newt explained gently. His voice was rich and full of childlike wonder, much to Tina's delight. It was rare to find such a kindred spirit in a world where brute strength and power was often congratulated. Tina tried not to let her emotions become too obvious as she lovingly murmured, "I think Idris is a lovely name. Thank you, Newt." Once again, both pairs of eyes connected and lingered; the result was pure fascination and ultimately love.

With their eyes still fixed on each other, Tina closed the space between them. Her long, thin arms wrapped themselves around the middle of Newt's back. Much like their prolonged glances, this embrace was personal and private, something that was special between them. Tina was keenly aware of Newt's reservations regarding the hug, so she made sure to take baby steps while reassuring Newt at the same time. Her fingers brushed lightly against Newt's back, the warmth from her hands radiating through his pale blue shirt. With a great amount of hesitance and care, Tina tightened her grip on Newt. Hopefully he wouldn't feel uncomfortable; that was the last thing Tina wanted. Nevertheless, she held on to him, refusing to let go just yet.

Nearly a minute had passed before Newt reciprocated the hug. Unbeknownst to Tina, his eyes watered and a huge grin spread across his face. Both sets of arms rested gently on the other's back, a sign of peace and acceptance. It didn't take long for Tina to pull Newt in closer, more confident this time. Any lingering doubt as to whether or not Newt would perceive such intimate physical contact to be desirable was gone. She knew that he would understand just as she had learned to understand the roundabout way he comforted and complimented her.

With an overflowing heart, Newt Scamander enveloped Tina in his arms; pure, sentimental emotion surrounded them. Every part of him wanted nothing more than to freeze that moment and remember it forever. Not only was it rare for Newt to desire physical contact, but it was also rare for him to feel so content as a result of it. In Tina, Newt found appreciation and compassion. Despite miscommunication being a continuous issue between them, the two old souls always managed to make things right. If Newt was honest, Tina completed him — to a certain extent. He hadn't felt that his life was 'less than' without her, but he did notice a change whenever she was around, whether physically or in Newt's thoughts. She was someone who helped him restore his jaded view of humanity, and for that, Newt was grateful.

The embrace continued for several more minutes, Newt mentally recording what it felt like to be so close to Tina.

The scent of her hair, the touch of her hands. Newt was so mesmerized that he even dared to lift Tina off the ground, just a couple inches, and spin her very gently. It was instinct and had occurred before he could stop himself. Never before had he allowed his emotions to come off so strongly in the presence of another human being, and he had to admit: it felt freeing.

As for Tina, she experienced similar sentiments during their embrace. Mind racing, heart soaring... Since when did Newt display such sudden outbursts of affection? While Tina was slightly confused by this, she didn't question it because of her elation. If Newt was comfortable enough to be so physically close with her, she took it as a sign of growth and was proud of him. Each second that passed served as a reward earned by the energy both had spent in order to fight against the evil forces that threatened wizards and muggles alike. After years of fighting, Newt and Tina were given a moment of reprieve. A moment to be still, but more importantly, to be happy.

For Newt, happiness took the form of feeding his creatures. This was nothing new, but having Tina by his side — her eyes full of adoration — made the event much more enjoyable. For Tina, growing closer to Newt served as her main source of happiness, although she also happened to find it in the pursuit of wizardkind's most elite criminals. After all, being an Auror was an important part of Tina's life. The fact that her devotion to justice nearly managed to get her killed was unfortunate, yet Tina had put it in the past where it belonged. She needed her job because it allowed her to protect innocent lives, and that was something Tina would never stop pursuing. Whether it was a sideways smile or a lengthy yet tender hug, both Newt and Tina were fond of the little things in life as well as each other. Nothing, not even Grindelwald, could take those feelings away from them.

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

Author's Note: Below is the prompt for the above one shot ⬇️⬇️

I want Tina to initiate newtina’s first embrace. And I want it to happen in a happy context. I want her to realize that maybe Newt isn’t bold enough just yet to make that move, so she takes control and latches onto him. It won’t be like when Theseus hugged him, arms and back stiff the whole time. It will be at first, while he takes a few seconds to process what’s happening. In those few seconds, Tina is fully aware he’s processing the situation, so she holds him even tighter to reassure him that yes, she’s here. She wants this. She will wait. And once he finally accepts that, I want Newt to reciprocate her embrace with an enormous grin on his face (bonus points for misty eyes). I want him to wrap his arms around her back and tentatively return her gesture. Tina pulls even tighter to erase that last bit of questioning how far he should go. Then, Newt fully wraps her up in him, encasing her with his arms and body as completely as he can (bonus points for a little pick up and spin or something extra cute like that). And they stay like that for a while, just appreciating each other. Wordlessly processing their emotions. Surrendering to their feelings. Just being together like they want.

#AugustNineTeenie2020 #fantastic beasts #newtina #newtina fanfiction #newtina fanart #tina goldstein #newt scamander #salamander #happy birthday tina #tina goldstein birthday

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b0n-chann · 4 years

Text

YOU GUYS. I’m so sorry I let this one sit for so long. BUT WE’RE HERE MY DUDES. Special thank you to @tiffdawg for the motivation I needed to finish this and I’m so glad I did. My mind would wonder to this story from time to time, trying to decide how I wanted to finish this series and I’m glad I finally found the time to do it. So please enjoy and sorry again for such a long hiatus!

To Love and Protect ( Part 4)

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3

Pairing: Din Djarin x reader

Warnings: none really, just typical violence and some good old fluff 😘

The lava river was your only way out and it never seemed to end. Flames lick the side of the ferry from time to time as it travels through the molten rock and you look on in amazement. You never knew that such things existed. Granted, you didn’t know many wonders in the galaxy existed before you met the Mandalorian. You hold the child a little tighter to you and he looks up, flashing you a toothy grin.

“That’s right, sweet thing,” you coo, comforting the small bundle in your arms. “We’re almost out of here.” Din places an arm around your shoulder, admiring his small clan before him.

“That’s it,” Karga points to the end. “We’re free!”

“No. No we’re not,” Din says steadily, the thermal imaging in his helmet detecting several life forms. “Storm troopers. They’re flanking the mouth of the tunnel. It looks like an entire platoon. They must’ve known we were coming.”

The child seems to register the tone in Din’s voice as his ears droop immediately, worry filling his inky black eyes. The child clings on to you tightly and you hold him closer to you, a comfort for both you and him. You are exhausted, mentally and physically, but you know you can’t back down now. There’s too much at stake.

“Stop the boat,” Cara orders the ferry droid. “I said stop the boat!” Frustrated, she stalks over to the droid who continues to push the group forward. “Hey! I’m talking to you!” In a moment of frustration she pulls out her blaster and shoots the droid, its head flying from its body. The ferry, however, does not slow down, creeping forward towards your group’s demise.

“We’re still moving,” Karga says, looking around for another way out. But there is none. The lava river surrounds you from all sides and it continues to flow to the end of the tunnel, slowly bringing you closer what you thought is your escape, but now the uncertainty looms over all of you.

“Looks like we fight,” Cara says, preparing herself for the stormtroopers.

“There are too many.” Din tries to reason, however he, too, realizes that they are running out of options. He brings you closer to him on instinct, placing himself between you and the end of the tunnel.

“Then what do you suggest? Cause I can’t surrender.” Cara snaps. She holds a blaster out to you and you readily accept. The power in her voice is enough to steel your resolve once again.

“They will not be satisfied with anything less than the child,” you hear IG-11’s voice from beside you. You close your eyes in realization. But you couldn’t; you couldn’t give the child up. “This is unacceptable. I will eliminate the enemy and you will escape.”

“You don’t have that kind of firepower, pal. You wouldn’t even get to daylight.”

“That is not my objective.”

“We’re getting close. Saddle up.” Cara scrambles around the ferry, gathering every gun she could get her hands on, preparing herself for the worst.

“I still have the security protocols from my manufacturer. If my designs are compromised, I must self destruct.” Your blood runs cold when you hear IG make this statement. It dawns on you then, that the droid means to sacrifice himself.

“What are you talking about?” Din demands. However, you know he must realize what IG is planning to do.

“I am not permitted to be captured. I must be destroyed.”

“IG...” you start but realize quickly you have no idea what to say.

“It is alright, miss.” The droid gives you a quick glance before bringing his attention back to the Mandalorian. “I can no longer carry this for you,” he hands over the jetpack the Armorer had bestowed to Din earlier. “Nor can I watch over the child.”

“Wait, you can’t just self destruct,” you argue, panic setting in. Yes, IG was a droid but you had grown to care for him in your time together. “Your base command is to watch the child.”

“That supersedes you’re manufacturer’s protocol, right?” Din asks. He also seems unsettled by the plan the droid has laid out before you.

“This is correct.”

“Good. Now, grab a blaster and help us shoot our way out.”

“Victory through combat is impossible. We will be captured. The child will be lost. Sadly, there is no scenario where the child is saved, in which I survive.”

“Listen, you’re not going anywhere. We need you, let’s just come up with a...” Din starts, trying to reason with the droid which catches you by surprise. For as long as you’ve known the bounty hunter, he has never shown any compassion for droids.

“Please tell me the child will be safe in your care. If you do so, I can default to my secondary command.”

“But you’ll be destroyed.”

“And you will live, and I will have served my purpose.” Your heart aches when you hear IG say this. Even though you know droids do not have feelings, it almost seems as if IG cares for all of you.

“No.” Din refuses. “We need you.”

“There is nothing to be sad about. I have never been alive.” The droid’s intention had been set and you know there’s no way to change it. Tears threaten to escape your eyes.

“I’m not sad.” Din lies, the pain evident in his voice, even through the modulator.

“Yes, you are. I am a nurse droid. I’ve analyzed your voice.” You’re not sure if you want to laugh or cry at their interaction. IG turns towards you and the child and affectionately touches one of the child’s ears. “Miss, please continue to protect the child. A mother is the fiercest warrior to behold and you were a vicious companion to have. The Mandalorian will do well to remember that if he so chooses to hurt you again. I hope I served you well.” You bark out a sad laugh at his words. The short amount of time you spent with the droid was enough to endear him to you and your heart breaks knowing what will happen next.

“Thank you, IG.” You say softly and he places a hand on your shoulder which provides you a small comfort. He turns and walks into the lava, and you watch as he struggles to make his way out. Din draws you and the child closer to him as you watch the droid leave the tunnel. He doesn’t say anything but you imagine a sad frown marring his features. You whimper and press your face into the crook of his neck as you watch the droid self destruct, effectively taking out the platoon and securing a way out for your group.

“IG did this for us,” Din soothes. “He did this for the child. We’re almost out of here.” His words are reassuring but you still feel slightly uneasy, the feeling growing in the pit of your stomach. Somehow, now, this all seemed too easy.

The light is blinding as you exit the tunnel and you have to squint to take a look around. Stormtroopers litter the ground looking like broken toys, obviously having lost against IG-11′s destruction. An engine roaring overhead captures everyone’s attention, and a tie fighter comes into view. “Moff Gideon!” Cara yells. The engine’s roar is so deafening, it almost brings you to your knees. Everyone takes aim at the ship, unleashing hell as he flies overhead before disappearing once again behind the mountain line. “He missed!” Karga exclaims.

“He won’t next time. Our blasters are useless against him.” Din replies, knowing that he has to think up of something quickly to get out of this safely. He’s already put you and the child in too much danger already.

“How about your girl and the baby? Make them do the magic thing again?” Karga waves his hand in front of the child and it takes your entire being to keep yourself from rolling your eyes. “Do the magic hand thing!” The child laughs as he waves back at the man happily, not understanding the severity of the situation. Karga looks at you in exasperation. “Well, I’m out of ideas.”

“I’m not.” Din says, pulling the jetpack from beside him. He attaches the heavy equipment to his back, the pack seeming to magnetize onto his armor easily. Before you can even stop him, he takes off, launching straight into the air as the Moff’s tie fighter dives over your group again. It’s almost impossible to see Din from the ground, but you realize he’s harpooned himself to the ship. You can barely watch as he whips around like a kite behind the ship before they disappear behind the mountains again.

“Cara!” you exclaim, and the shock trooper looks over to you. She sits you down immediately, noticing the color drained from your face.

“Hey, hey” she appeases, attempting to calm you down. “He’s gonna be fine. He’s got...he’s got too much to lose now.” She looks over you and the child. Her words do little to calm you down, and you feel your power simmering just under the surface, ready to burst out of control. Cara seems to understand and tries to reason with you again. “Look, you can’t do that right now. If Moff Gideon finds out you’ve got weirdo powers too, they’ll chase you until the end of time.” She places both of her hands on your shoulders and gives you a slight shake. “Please,” she tries one more time. “For the kid and for Mando.”

Her statement grounds you and brings you back. You nod your head slowly. “I’m okay.” Cara looks at you in relief for a moment, before you both jump at the explosion overhead and watch as the Moff’s tie fighter crashes in the distance. More importantly, you watch as the Mandalorian makes a less than graceful descent back to the ground. You take off in a sprint towards him.

“Don’t ever do that again!” You yell at him, hitting your fists pathetically against his battered cuirass. Din allows you the moment before enveloping you into his arms. “I’m sorry,” he offers weakly. “But I had to protect you both.”

“Maybe some notice would have been nice!” You stamp your foot down in frustration and Din can only laugh. You’re about as ferocious as a baby ewok. Cara and Karga make their way behind you, the realization that everything is over finally creeping in. Karga promises the pick of the quarries to Din upon his return back to the guild while Cara states that she intends to stay on Nevarro for the time being to help with any stragglers.

“Take care of them, will you?” Cara says to Din as she shakes his hand, and wraps you in a tight embrace before rubbing the child’s ear affectionately.

“Or maybe, they’ll take care of you.” Karga offers. Din looks down to you and the child once more before nodding to the both of them. You offer a small wave to Karga and Cara before Din lightly pulls on your hand.

“Ready?” He asks.

“For what?” You look up at him, confusion in your eyes. Din bends over swiftly, cradling you behind the knees as he picks you back up. “Wait, are we...” You don’t even get to finish your sentence as he takes off into the air. You shut your eyes tightly, completely taken off guard. You feel a low rumbling in Din’s chest as your bury your face into his shoulder even more. “No fair!” you snap at him. But he continues to laugh, a full bodied laugh that wraps around you like the finest fabric, warming you from head to toe.

“Open your eyes, Beautiful.” Din’s voice is full of happiness. “Trust me.”

You open one eye, and then the other, and the view below you is magnificent. The desert plains seems to stretch on for miles, the sand glittering below you. You never considered the oppressive desert terrain to be your favorite but the view is undeniably beautiful. You hold the child closer to you as he also looks on in wonder, chittering away happily in your arms.

As quickly as you are in the air, you begin to feel Din descend as the Crest comes into view. He brings you back to the ground smoothly, the roar of his jetpack slowly diminishing to a dull rumble. Carefully, he places you back down on your feet and looks you over, assessing you for any injuries.

“I’m fine,” you promise him but you know he won’t be satisfied until he’s completely checked you over so you wait patiently. Happy with his assessment, he pulls you tightly to him, the child settling in between you.

“I’m sorry. I never should have put you through any of this. I never should have left you on Arvala-7. I shouldn’t have lied to you,” he explains. As much as you want to tell him he is forgiven, you allow him to apologize; to start new for the both of you. His hands come up to your face, his thumbs caressing your cheekbones tenderly. “I am so, so, sorry. I hope I can earn your forgiveness.”

You place your own hand on the side of his helmet. “You are already forgiven.” Din, once again, gathers you and the child to him, as if holding the most precious treasures in the world. And to him, you both are.

Although exhausted, you and Din give Kuiil a proper burial. After placing one final rock on his grave, Din places the ugnaught’s old leather helmet on top, marking his grave. You both stand there for a few quiet moments, fingers intertwined, as you send off your final thoughts to Kuill. You thank him one last time for protecting the child with his life and hope that he can rest peacefully.

You both make your way back to the Razor Crest and head into the cockpit where the child is waiting in his pod, going between playing with his silver ball and chewing on Din’s mythosaur pendant. “Hello, little thing.” You greet the child as you take a seat next to him. He instantly holds up both arms, making grabbing motions with his hands in a demand to be picked up. You let out a light laugh and indulge the child, cradling him to your chest. A feeling of relief washes over you, something you haven’t felt since before Karga sent his message to Din.

Din takes in the scene before him and has never felt more greater joy than in this moment. However, he knows that he can be even happier, if he could just gain the courage to do so.

“A Mandalorian is able to show his face to his clan,” Din hesitates, his eyes trained on your face and watches you break your gaze away from the child in your arms as you look to him. He sees a beautiful smile grace your lips and his breath is taken away.

“Din, that’s wonderful.” You take one of his hands in yours and give him a squeeze before handing the child off to him. “I’m sure the child will be so excited to know what his father looks like beneath the helm.” You move to get up, hoping to give Din and the child some time to themselves. However, as you try to take a step away, Din holds you firmly in your place and you look back to him, slightly confused.

“I’ll just be...” you attempt to explain but he cuts you off.

“You misunderstand me, Beautiful,” he starts again nervously. “A Mandalorian’s clan includes his children, foundlings,” Din takes a big breath before leaving his pilot’s chair and kneeling before you, “and also his wife.” He takes his hand away for just a moment to remove something from his side. You peer over through watery eyes but he returns to face towards you again before you can see what he was searching for. He presents to you a simple chain with a mudhorn to match the one on his pauldron. Din Djarin’s clan signet.

“You are everything to me. Never, not even in my dreams, did I think I’d ever find someone like you. I had resigned myself to traveling the galaxy alone, getting by from planet to planet. I only existed before you. But you have shown me how to live, Beautiful. And if you will have me, it is my greatest wish to live each day with you, side by side, for all the days that we have. I have loved you for longer than you know, and I will love you even after my last breath.”

Happy tears flow freely from your eyes and you wrap your arms around him and the child. You nod your head yes and the Mandalorian lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He clasps the necklace around your neck and he lays his hand over it where it rests on your chest.

“How does one marry a Mandalorian?” You muse.

“Just a few spoken words, a promise between the two of us to bind us together as one,” Din murmurs against you, still dazed at the fact that you said yes.

“Here then, right now,” you urge but you can sense hesitation from the man before you. “Unless...that’s not okay? I know I must look awful...” you trail off but are quickly cut off.

“No! No. You are always a vision of beauty and I can never deny you. I just want to give you everything you deserve.”

“I can’t think of a better place. This is the place where I realized I loved you,” you confess, extending your arm out into the cockpit. Din’s eyebrows shoot up from behind his helmet and you continue as if you can sense his surprise. “The late nights talking in here and learning more about you, realizing the kind of man you are...I can’t tell you exactly when I did fall in love with you but I can tell you I realized it here.” You lower Din’s helm to your forehead.

“Here then,” he affirms. The child looks in wonder at the both of you and you can’t help but feel that he understands what he is witnessing. Soft whispers of promises pass your lips and you listen as Din makes his own promises in Mando’a and the tone of his voice is so filled with love it washes over you. He doesn’t speak it often and even if you don’t know the words, you still somehow can understand. He will give you the stars if you asked. He will protect you with his life. And he will be with you until the end of time.

Din slowly brings your hands to his head, and together, you lift his helmet off. Your breath catches as he finally reveals himself to you. His skin is tan and smooth, smudged here and there with dirt and sweat, reminding you what you all just endured. You smile at the scruff along his defined jaw and upper lip. His nose is straight with a strong bridge. When your eyes finally lock as his helmet is removed, the wave of emotion is almost too much. Beautiful, brown eyes filled with adoration look down at you and it takes everything for you to remember to keep breathing.

“I’m sorry if I’m...” Din begins but you are quick to silence him with a finger to his lips. He presses a quick kiss to it as a boyish grin forms.

“You are a beautiful man, Din Djarin.” You concede. Your smile widens and matches his own as your explore his face with your eyes and your hands. “I know this face,” you tell him. He holds your hand against the side of his face and you feel him melt into you. Gently, he tips your chin up with his hand and you share a soft, sweet kiss. You’ve had more passionate and heated kisses with each other to be sure, but this one is different. This one is so saturated with love and promise it almost makes you weak in the knees.

Small chirping breaks your moment and you both laugh at the child, demanding to be lifted higher. You take him from Din and hold him in front of you, eye level to Din.

“Hey, womp rat,” Din greets him as he smooths the wrinkles on the child’s forehead. The child brings his hand to Din’s face, taking a moment to consider the new face but instantly recognizing his father. Din feels a wave of emotion course through him, not only because it is the first time you and the child are seeing his face, but it is also the first time he can truly see you both as well. No helmet, no blindfolds, just you, Din and the child wrapped up in each other’s arms. As it should be.

“Ratiin,” he murmurs to himself more than anything, but notes the question in your eyes.

“Always.”

@momc95 @electricprincess888 @maia-hocane @lamnothome @highonsoundwaves @tedpicklez @renreypoe @mabelleen @cryptkeepersoul @holamor @mando-vibes @lustriix @katialvi @spookyold-saintjm @sarcasm-n-insomnia @awesomefandomsunited @sentimental-ghost @mrsparknuts @oloreaa

#the mandalorian #the mandalorian fanfiction #the mandalorian fanfic #the mandalorian x reader #to love and protect #the mandalorian x you #star wars #star wars imagine #the mandalorian imagine #star wars fanfiction #din djarin #din djarin imagine #din djarin fanfiction #din djarin x you #din djarin x reader #mando x reader #mando x you

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petri808 · 3 years

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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26

*Note and question for readers at the end :)

Lucy’s eyes flashed wide as her emotions swung drastically from her own distress to the blood still dripping down Natsu’s cheek. “Shit! Shit! Shit!” She scrambled away from him, stumbling on her knees to right herself as she looked quickly around the room for any fabric. She grabbed a towel off the kitchen counter and rushed back, dropping to her knees as she pressed it to the wound. Tears renewed in her eyes. “Look at what she did, this is so bad! It’s gonna leave a scar for sure! Oh god,” her eyes flit back and forth rapidly from his face to his body, “and your side too! This is so bad!” The tears flowing down her cheeks were a mixture of emotions. Lucy lifted his shirt, flinching, fingers curling into the hem in anger as she sees the jagged wound on the side of his abdomen. If it had gone just a little deeper, he wouldn’t be sitting there with her and that really set her off! “You should’a let me beat her senseless! Look at this! She deserves to be in the same pain she put you through!”

Despite the physical pain, Natsu was trying desperately to keep his girlfriend from losing it again and seeing the wound was only riling her up further. He gently moved her shaky hands away from his side to push his shirt down again. “Lucy, it’s okay, really, d-don’t work yourself up, please? What’s important is we made it.”

“But still! This wasn’t fair!”

“Shhh, baby, it’s gonna be okay...”

“No, it’s not! Stop saying that!” Lucy snapped back. She wasn’t an idiot. She could see the pain in his grimaced features which only made her even more furious. “This will never be over. Those scars won’t go away! I’m gonna have nightmares, I know it! So, don’t you tell me it’s gonna be okay!”

Her emotions were in full throttle mode as she then flailed her bound wrists at the milling officers. “And will somebody get these damn ropes off me?!?!” One of the men cut her loose as she continued to scream and cry.

“I hate her! I hate her for what she’s done! I-I’ve never hated anyone before, but right now I just wanna... I just wanna...”

Still holding onto his side, Natsu used his left arm to pull his girl into a tight hug. He knew exactly what words were on the edge of her lips, but his current priority was calming her down and agreeing would only fuel her anger. “Lucy shhh,” he cooed in a soft tone, “it’s okay, baby it’s okay...”

“It’s not! It’s not!” Once again, Lucy slumped against him as another wave of hysterical sobbing racked her body. It wasn’t okay! She’d been kidnapped and almost killed! Her boyfriend was seriously injured all because Touka couldn’t except reality. None of this was okay! She couldn’t take much more of these roller coaster emotions. Sadness, anger, relief, they continued to alternate in her mind. Leaning back and fixing him in a narrowed and pained glare. “I thought I was gonna die— Natsu I just can’t stop thinking about that! Die, do you understand?!” Her chest heaved with every word. “I was so scared... so scared—,” her hand unconsciously moved up to cup around the front of her neck as if still feeling the sensation of the knife pressed against it. “I-I don’t even know how I kept myself from losing it... I just kept thinking, I gotta get out of here, I-I gotta figure out a way to save myself. And when she raised the knife—.” Her words cut off mid-sentence and eyes drifted to the spot they’d been standing in as if her thoughts halted in remembrance.

“Lucy,” Natsu cradled her cheek, pulling her gaze back onto him, “you are so much stronger then you give yourself credit for.”

She rolled her eyes in an exasperated sob. “If I’m so strong, then why am I crying now?!”

His eyes softened. “Because you can. You did what you had to stay alive and now you can let it all go. Baby, it’s okay to let it out. Let it all out and cry as much as you need to, cause I’ll hold you for as long as you need it.”

Lucy paused her words and simply cried for several minutes against his chest. She didn’t feel strong, and how was he staying so calm?! But oh, how she needed the reassurances. Deep down she knew he was just trying to help, knew what he was saying was the truth, but even if she’d wanted to stop thinking about these things, she couldn’t. The night played out on an endless loop in her mind’s eye. What could she have done to avoid this? Was there anything she could have said to stop Touka? She didn’t know if it was her heart or her head trying to tell her no, that nothing would have changed the woman’s plans. But once the dam had broken, her mind just wasn’t ready to fully let go. It was too angry about everything, even feared just how angry this was all making her feel. Lucy didn’t like it one bit. Ugh! What was Touka turning her into?!

“I wanted to kill her, Natsu... does that make me bad just like her?”

Those words whispered out by Lucy as she rested her head on his shoulder, stunned Natsu, but he could understand the reasoning. In such a heated moment when instincts took over, it’s either kill or be killed and he could admit to himself, if he’d had the chance, he would have done so too. But Touka had proven to be a a lot tougher then she looked. Perhaps the woman was running on the same anger that now plagued his girlfriend? It was perfectly clear how both he and Lucy were going to need therapy after this if they were to get back to a normal life, but he also needed to cling to hope, to make sure Touka didn’t succeed in ruining the rest of their lives.

He kissed her temple. “It’s normal to feel that way, but you’re not a killer,” Natsu reassured Lucy in a soft tone. “That’s just not who you really are.”

His words seemed to work for the time being as the woman quieted enough for the medical workers who’d arrived to start their job. The wound to Lucy’s neck was quickly cleaned and bandaged, but Natsu’s injuries were much more severe. The EMT’s cleaned and stapled the cheek and side wounds, but he’ll need to be taken to the hospital for scans to ensure it didn’t knick any internal organs, as well as to better suture the wounds.

A flurry of more officers had descended to start an investigation, of which Gajeel took the lead. And there was a wealth of information in the apartment to document. As they’d already learned, Touka was a former schoolmate of Natsu from high school who had reams of pictures, print outs from social media, even personal information on Natsu as well as Lucy that they would need to figure out how she’d somehow obtained. The woman hadn’t been kidding about stalking the man for years.

Once the officers had arrived, everything became a blur for Lucy who felt pulled in multiple directions all at once. She was so overwhelmed by the flood of information and experiences that her mind was shutting down, body numbed in an adrenaline stupor. Medical personnel were trying to work on Natsu and attend to her superficial neck wound, while detectives were asking them questions about the ordeal. When they’d tried to separate the couple to interview them, Lucy wasn’t having it, clinging harder to the man so they’d given up.

No, she’d knocked me out, so I don’t know how she got me here. Yes, I woke up bound on the floor. Yes, she’d kept the knife to my throat most of the time. Yes! Most of the time! How long... how the fuck should I know?! She moved it briefly to think! No, I don’t know how long I was unconscious, does it really matter?!

Any strides Natsu had made at calming her down went out the window. Lucy’s whole body was shaking in anger as she cradled her head to block them out. She was seriously about to have a mental break down right then and there. “Can everyone give me some fucking breathing room?! We told you this was fucking serious, but you didn’t believe us!”

Natsu too, had grown frustrated by the pointed and emotionless questioning. Here they’d just been through a harrowing ordeal, and these police offers were victimizing his girlfriend for a second time! He snapped at one of the detectives to stop traumatizing Lucy. “The woman was seconds away from being killed, have some fucking compassion!”

That’s when Gajeel, who’d had his hands full directing everything, finally stepped in and told the other detectives to cool it for now, growling at them to remember they were the victims. “You fuckers worry about collecting physical evidence. I’ll deal with the interviews once they’re cleared by the doctors!” He then redirected back to the couple. “Levy’s gonna meet you two at the hospital, then once the doctors are done, you’ll come to my office for an interview. It’s gonna be rough, not gon’ lie, but I’ll try to make the process as easy on you as I can.”

“Thanks, man,” Natsu expressed a sincere gratitude to Gajeel who simply nodded back and directed the EMT’s to take them to the hospital.

Lucy helped Natsu to his feet and the couple are guided downstairs to the awaiting ambulance. As they pass by the other apartments, it’s obvious the whole incident had drawn the attention of residents or neighbors, who peered through windows or tracked with eyes the couple walking by. It was creepy, irritating, calling upon what little reserves she had to not stop walking and snap. She wanted to scream, mind your business! Till she realized if they hadn’t done so in the first place, maybe someone would have caught onto Touka’s behaviors sooner. Did the woman really have no friends? If anyone had visited the apartment and saw the Natsu collage plastered all over the wall, it would have raised eyebrows in the least. Or maybe... no one cared... it’s not a stretch to think any friends Touka has are just as crazy as she is. Not even the police cared enough to take them seriously. Why? Because it’s just too strange for a woman to be so mentally unstable? Probably chalked it all up to a lovers triangle gone wrong. What if?! What if?! What if?! Lucy’s mind was starting to race again with thought, after negative thought pulsing through faster then she could process them.

Her hand started tightening on Natsu’s as they sat side by side in the ambulance causing him to look over and question her. “Lucy, you okay?” His worried tone growing with each second. Her body was shivering yet tense, head shaking no, eyes wide but glassy, and breathing growing labored in rapid bursts. The EMT sitting across from them watching the events unfold, reached out to take Lucy’s wrist. She flinched but doesn’t pull it back. After a few seconds of silence, the man let go and warned that her pulse was racing.

“Miss, you’re having a panic attack.”

Question for readers below:

There was 4 more chapters planned, but depending on how things play out I may need to add more as needed. While the major things I wanted to hit upon were planned out in advance, I never know where the characters and stories will take me lol.

A question for any readers who see this note is: How much of Lucy's recovery from this ordeal would you like to see or should I delve into? It would lengthen the amount of angst, but also add to the growing relationship and bond between Natsu and Lucy.

Thoughts? Comment in the notes :)

#nalu #nalu au #nalu fan fic #nalu fan fiction #Lucy heartfilia #Natsu dragneel #fairytail #Natsu x lucy #strangers on a train #ch 22

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modern-inheritance · 3 years

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Modern Inheritance: Yellow Gerbera (Pt 4 of Torin’s Story)

(A/N: I originally planned for this to be the start of a single ‘chapter’ but to hit all the points I wanted to I realized I would need another part because it got ridiculously long.

Anyway, we get to meet a new friend! And here’s your reminder/confirmation that the ‘I’m not even into women!’ comment Torin makes in a panic in the previous chapter is Torin coming out as gay. Happy pride. Note that Torin was thought up as gay originally probably over a year ago, so this isn’t some pride month ploy. Torin is a gay, anxiety prone mess that needs therapy and friends. And we are doing the best to get him those.)

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // PART 4 // Part 5 // TBC

~~~

“Enough.”

Torin snapped his gaze back up to the Elven Queen as she stood. He had nearly forgotten she was there, speaking aloud his memories as the world faded around him. Through the corner of his eye he could see that the patch of light that wandered the floor of his cell had shifted considerably. The pale golden pinks of approaching dusk barely kissed the ground.

Queen Islanzadí drew herself up before him, expression unreadable. “Enough. I must meet my war council.” A tension that Torin had been unaware of building suddenly released, and he slumped slightly. So she wasn’t stopping to kill him. That was a good sign. He stood slowly, joints sore, and stepped back further into his cell before pausing.

Unsure if it was the right thing to do, Torin awkwardly shuffled his feet and bowed low. “Y-yes, ma’am.” When he straightened the elf was regarding him with what he thought could be the barest hint of amusement, as well as some mild thoughtfulness.

“One of my people will come to you shortly.” The door to Torin’s cell clicked shut, guided by silent magic. The display made him shiver again. “I cannot confirm your account until tomorrow at the earliest, and cannot trust you to roam free. However, that does not mean that you will remain here in your own filth. You will bathe and be provided with new clothing before we next meet.

“If you cause any disturbance or attempt to flee, you will be killed without hesitation. Am I clear?”

Torin heard himself speak in affirmation, but his mind was reeling as the Queen departed down the ward’s hall.

‘Confirmation.’ So some of the men from the High Security Ward had survived the battle. He wondered if they would be truthful when asked about their former comrade, and the consequences for both if they were not.

Suddenly lightheaded, Torin stumbled to his cot and collapsed on to it. His face pressed against the cool cinderblock, providing some anchor to the world. Every nerve tingled with static, fizzling anxiety and long forgotten hope all clamoring for the top spot in his consciousness. The dulled realization that he had forgotten to ask if the elf he had met back then was alive drifted through his mind with a pang of guilt before it too faded.

It took til the sun had set and the moon had risen to peer over the rim of the world for Torin’s overstimulated brain to wrestle the revelations and relivings of the day down. He shifted in his cot and sat up, back to the wall, as he laid out the processed information in simplified pieces to take them in with an emptied mind.

The elves were fully in control of Gil’ead, not the Empire. The Elven Queen, Islanzadí, had visited him at his cell. She was interested in the fire-eyed elf that had been imprisoned here, and in Torin’s interactions with her. The Queen would come speak to him again, probably tomorrow, and another elf was going to come and take Torin somewhere to bathe and give him a new prison uniform.

The last pieces to the day’s puzzle lingered in the young man’s mind as he tucked the rest of the information away.

Torin was not exactly a prisoner anymore, but was not free either. Not only that, but the question that had stayed with him since his arrest may yet be answered.

‘What happened to the elf after her escape from Gil’ead?’

A knock against the cell door roused Torin from his thoughts. He stood, a bit more than surprised that anyone would be so kind as to knock, and warily approached the barred window. “Y-yes?” His throat was dry from his earlier speech.

An elven woman was outside, peering into the cell with the same curiosity Torin once held as he looked in on the imprisoned elf all that time ago. “Stars watch over you, Torin Aldsson. I am Naela, of House Varan.” Her voice was the pitch and tone of a shallow river gliding over rounded stones, a smooth, rich alto with hints of lilting tones and rolling ripples.

“It is nice to meet you, Naela.”

The young man could not help but feel a small sense of relief as his gaze caught on the woman’s hazel eyes. It was clear, through them, that Naela carried the same power as the other elves Torin had encountered. But there was something different about the way she held it, almost cupped in her hands. There was a softness, almost gentle touch at the edges.

Her eyes were...warm. Like laying in the beams of light that graced the ground on a chill day. Whereas the imprisoned elf’s eyes blazed with an undying fire of ferocity and determination, and Queen Islanzadí’s were the sharp, crisp chill of a winters day, Naela’s eyes were the warm sun of approaching autumn, the last vestiges of warmth and comfort at the edge of the cold seasons ahead.

Torin wondered. If the elf from before were safe, with friends, away from this awful place and free from pain...would her eyes look the same?

With a murmured word and a gentle tug, Naela unlocked and opened the door. “The Queen has assigned me to be your guard.” She stepped aside, offering a clear path into the hall. “If you would follow me, please.”

Torin went to fall in, but stopped at the threshold of his cell. It felt as though iron shackles had snapped around his ankles, pulling tight as he tried to step over the invisible line separating him from the world outside the four little walls. A wave of panic washed through him, ice cold to the point that it made his lungs seize.

What if there were spells set on his cell? What if he couldn’t leave? The world seemed to tremble at the edges, and for an instant he felt his foot moving back, away from the door back to the relative safety of his cell–

Gentle hands on his forearms snapped the world back to an anchored clarity. Naela was in front of him, concern tipping her sharp brows inwards. “You are safe, Aldsson.”

Torin could not stop his shaking. He wanted to believe her, he really did. But how could she know? He had only left his cell with another guard before. What if there were things set in the stones to kill him if he left? Or what if the burns on the imprisoned elf’s feet were a result of an escape attempt? What if–

Naela was speaking, then. But the words were...different. They were not in common tongue, yet deep in the marrow of his bones, the very cells of his nerves, Torin somehow...understood. He did not know what she had said but in that moment he understood her meaning, that there was absolute truth in her words.

“Listen to my voice, Alddson. You are safe. Nothing will harm you here.”

The trembling eased to a manageable level.

“Would you like me to help you?” Torin nodded mutely. Following the pressure that the elf exerted on his arms, unable to resist, the young man took his first steps out of his cell in months.

The hall was the same as it always was. But in that moment, as Torin breathed deeply and tried to get his hammering heart under control, the air felt crisp and clear. The lights felt bright, almost too much so. Beneath his bare feet, the cool concrete felt polished and mirror smooth.

It felt...good. And at the same time, everything almost overwhelmed him.

“Are you back with us, Aldsson?” The young man focused back on the elf that still held his arms. Her concern was evident through the tilt of her head and tightening around her eyes.

A pang of guilt and shame washed through him. This woman had come to let him out of a dank and filthy prison cell, and instead of thanking her and doing the only sane thing and walking out, he had to have her physically drag him through the door like a nervous cat from under a bed.

“Yes.” Torin instinctively flexed his fingers, that telltale itch and tingle forming in his muscles that was only pacified through worrying at his knuckles. “I’m s-sorry. I don’t– I didn’t–”

“Do not be sorry for this.” Naela’s voice was firm, and the combination of that and the soothing pressure as she squeezed his forearms drew Torin’s eyes back to hers. “You are feeling things that are natural for some after such isolation.” She suddenly smiled at him, bright and reassuring. “If it will make this easier for you, I can keep contact with you as we walk. Would you prefer to remain indoors? There is a path that does not lead outside if you are not yet ready.”

A soft blanket of solace settled over Torin’s shoulders. He gave Naela a shaky smile, and nodded. “Thank you. I’d like that.”

With a reassuring pat to his arm, the elf shifted to a position slightly behind his right and settled a hand on his shoulder. Together, the elf and the freed man moved to the stairs.

~~~

Despite Naela’s gentle presence, Torin felt a twinge of unease in his stomach as they passed the door that led to the High Risk Ward’s open-floor showers. Another turn saw the two pass the ward common room and finally stop at the small barracks, where Naela held the door for her charge to enter and beckoned him to the door at the back.

Torin followed obediently, eyes darting to take in the state of his former bunk. Second on the right, lower berth. Like all the other beds it had been stripped, the mattress removed and placed elsewhere. The footlockers were pulled from their places beneath the bunks and sat lined up in front of the empty frames, all cleared of their contents.

With a jolt of sudden homesickness he had not felt since childhood, Torin remembered that the last picture of his family was in his locker when he was arrested. He wondered if it had been thrown away, and made a mental note to try asking Naela if there were any prisoner effects left in the lockup.

“This is to be your room for the time being.” Naela pressed her hand to the door at the end of the barracks, unlocking it with another spell.

Torin blinked. “This is the Captain’s room though....” He followed his guard inside, taking in the space. He had only been inside twice before, and had spent most of the time staring at a particular cracked cinderblock in the wall as the Captain berated him for whatever he had done.

The space was well over half again the size of his cell, but was still quite small. There was only room for a soldier's bed along the far wall, a writing desk beside the door, and a small dresser to the right. At the end of the bed was another door, revealing a tiny bathroom with a toilet, sink and shower.

Naela clasped her hands behind her back, hiding a small grin. “The Queen thought this would be the most convenient accommodation until she could investigate your claims.” She gestured towards the dresser and then the shadowed washroom when Torin turned at her voice. “There are several sets of clothes of various sizes for you to find your proper fit once you have washed.”

For a moment, Torin couldn’t speak through the sudden lump in his throat. He turned back to survey the room and hide the watering of his eyes from the elf, warmth blooming in his chest.

This was the kindness those of his own race had abandoned. The simple right to basic living conditions, to proper hygiene, space to move more than two paces and enough light to see and not feel oppressed by constant gloom. To be suddenly provided with it all, even when he could not leave and was still technically a prisoner….

‘...So the Queen is not as cold as she puts off. At least, not entirely.’

Torin wiped his eyes and breathed deeply before facing Naela again. “Thank you.” Feeling mere words not sincere enough to convey the wealth of emotions now inside him, Torin bowed.

Naela laughed and took the young man by the shoulders to right him. “You don’t need to bow to me, Aldsson!”

The sound of laughter, after so long, made Torin smile. “Are there any restrictions that I should follow while here?”

“Ah. Unfortunately, the washroom door must remain open, but I will turn my back when privacy is needed.” Torin nodded. The decreased privacy was not something he was unfamiliar with. He was living, and often showering, with twelve other men before his arrest. And it was not like the cell he was in previously was the most private of places. “If you find yourself needing anything, do not hesitate to ask. I will remain at the door.”

Still smiling, Torin nodded. It took a locking of his muscles to prevent it from turning into a bow again. With another word of thanks, he hurried to the first shower available to him in months, elation bubbling in his chest.

Yellow Gerbera: Warmth, sunshine, friendliness.

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louloudi-lover · 4 years

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Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff (part 7)

Steve reached his bedroom shortly after he managed to escape his arguing teammates and as soon as he sat on his bed he let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding.

“What a mess…” he mumbled to himself as his back hit the mattress, his feet still pressed to the ground.

He stared at the ceiling, the voices from the hallway just barely reaching him. Millions of questions were swirling in his head, though he wasn’t sure whether he truly knew the answer to any of them, nor if he actually wanted to know. But somehow, despite his best efforts to brush them off, they just kept coming back to him stubbornly. Was Tony right about his feelings after all? And if so, would he really be willing to help him out or did he just see this as a new opportunity to mock him? What about Clint?

His train of thought was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Steve closed his eyes feeling the annoyance slowly taking over his body, his mind coming up with various ways to murder the insufferable billionaire.

He was about 2 seconds away from calling Tony all the names under the sun when the door slowly opened, revealing the figure standing in the doorway.

Relief washed over Steve and his anger subsided when he was met with the sight of a young brunette with a sheepish look on her face rather than the one of the know-it-all genius he had been dreading. He smiled and motioned her to come inside. She hesitated for a second longer before closing the door behind her and sitting next to him.

“Are you okay?” Wanda asked, her voice laced with concern.

“Yeah, just a bit cranky” Steve chuckled trying to brush it off. “Didn’t really get enough sleep last night”

Wanda just stared at him for a long moment and he felt so exposed under her thoughtful gaze. It was almost as if she knew what he was thinking, what he was feeling. She averted her gaze to her lap where she was fiddling with her fingers, frowning slightly.

“You know you can talk to me, Steve”

The soldier sighed, admitting defeat almost instantly. He knew that there was no point in trying to put up a front for her because he knew she could read all of them like an open book. And after all, this conversation was bound to happen at some point, so they might as well get it over with.

“I know, but… I’m still a bit confused about my own feelings and I just… I don’t know where to start.” He said truthfully and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

“Maybe start by explaining what happened in the kitchen? With Tony…?” she suggested and Steve took a deep breath before telling her everything that happened these last few days: from the first time he felt that foreign feeling in his chest while they were watching movies, to his outburst this morning and lastly: what Tony had to do with any of it.

“And what do you say about Tony’s idea?” Wanda asked him, a glint in her eye as she studied him.

“I…” Steve stopped and thought about his last conversation with Tony.

“Maybe if you weren’t so damn stubborn you would’ve just accepted your feelings for Nat and tried to figure out a way to tell her instead of acting like a child”

Then another image appeared in his head. Fiery red hair, a confident smirk playing on perfect, soft lips and finally the slightly daring look in those piercing green eyes. And just like that, the answer became clear as day. He felt heat creeping up his neck, his face turning a deep shade of pink. “I think he might be right.”

It took everything in Wanda to suppress the smile threatening to break out on her face. Needless to say, the fangirl inside of her was doing a little victory dance while screaming in joy.

“Do you think…” Steve paused and sat upright, fidgeting nervously. It was quite an endearing sight, seeing a man his age, reputation and physique being so antsy because of a crush. “Do you think there’s a chance that she likes me back?”

Wanda’s eyes softened and she reached out to put her soft hand on top of his and squeezed it ever so slightly. She opened her mouth to reassure him, to say that yes, of course Nat likes him back. But she stopped herself when she remembered the scene she had witnessed just before leaving the kitchen: Natasha and Bucky engulfed in a conversation, their faces much too close for a casual talk and a hint of disappointment covering Natasha’s features when he pulled away. Wanda’s inner struggle must’ve been showing on her face because Steve looked at her questioningly.

“I’ll try to find out” she forced a smile, hoping it didn’t look as fake as it felt. He studied her face for a second before smiling back at her genuinely.

“Thank you, Wanda” he said gratefully as he pulled her into a side-hug. She leaned into him, her thumb gently rubbing circles on his hand. When she looked up at his pure blue eyes, she prayed to anyone who would hear her that her eyes had deceived her this morning, that her assumption was wrong.

He doesn’t deserve heartbreak. Especially not the one as cruel as that. She thought to herself, her heart twisting painfully in her chest at the mere thought of that possibility.

Just then, the door swung open and Clint walked in without knocking (a really annoying habit of his if you ask any of the other residents of the tower).

”Wanda, you-” his voice died in his throat as he caught sight of the two of them. He stood there for a few seconds, an unreadable expression on his face, before Steve cleared his throat and snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Sorry… Bruce called. You. To, umm… come out. I mean, he, uh… ” Clint fumbled over his words and the pair watched him in utter confusion. He took a deep breath and seemingly gathered his thoughts, because the next words that came out of him mouth were more coherent. “Bruce sent me to tell you that he’s waiting for you in the lab and that he needs your help with something.”

The look of realization flashed over Wanda’s face and she jumped to her feet.

“Oh God, I totally forgot about that. Thank you Clint” she patted his shoulder as she passed him and rushed to the door, but stopped just before exiting and turned to Steve once again.

“I’ll talk to you later”

They shared a small smile before she slipped out and he was left alone with the archer.

“So…” Clint started, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked like the embodiment of discomfort and everything from his posture to the look on his face screamed awkward but Steve couldn’t tell why for the life of him.

Steve gave him a questioning look which Clint didn’t catch because his refused to meet his gaze. Not knowing what else to do, he stood up and walked over to his comrade, putting a steady hand on his shoulder.

“Are you okay?”

“I should be the one asking you that” Clint laughed dryly. “Though you seem to be in a better mood now.”

“Yeah, I actually am.” Steve smiled to himself, thinking of his conversation with Wanda from mere minutes ago.

“Look, Steve” Clint said as he finally looked the soldier in the eye, a sudden seriousness washing over his features. “Tony told me about certain problems you’ve been having concerning you love life and although he took his time beating around the bush he managed to get his point across. And I-”

He stopped himself and took a deep breath. It was evident that he was distraught and struggling to put his thoughts into words, but in all honesty his friend was in no better condition. Steve felt his stomach drop at Clint’s words and color drained from his face in horror.

Clint knew. Tony freaking told him and Clint knew and now he’s here to confront him and if Steve ever gets out of here alive (both physically and mentally) their team will be consisting of one less member by the end of the day.

“Clint, I-”

“No, Steve” the other cut him off with determined voice, but he seemed less stern now and more concerned. “Just listen, okay? I’m sure that Tony has tortured you enough already and I have no intention of doing that. It’s just that… Are you sure? ”

The question threw him off.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, are you sure that you like her?”

“Of course I do” he responded quickly, feeling slightly offended. Why would Clint ask such a preposterous question? What was there not to like about Natasha? Clint of all people should know just how likable she was considering the amount of time he spends with her. Despite still feeling a bit defensive, Steve realized that in reality he himself actually came to terms with his feelings only recently. He sighed and added a bit more calmly: “I mean, now I’m sure of it. It took me some time to figure it out, but now that I think about it, I feel like there’s a chance I’ve always felt that way towards her. I just hadn’t realized it.”

They stared at each other in silence for a few moments, Steve’s face painted with newfound determination and certainty while Clint studied him intently. Then, his expression changed into a more relaxed one, corners of his lips turning up slightly as a small smile replaced his frown.

“I trust you Cap. I really do.” He said with a genuine voice. “I just wanted to check if you were serious about this. About her.”

He put his hand on Steve’s shoulder and gave it one firm squeeze which somehow felt both like a reassurance and a warning. “She’s like family to me. Don’t break her heart.”

With those words, he turned around and left the room, closing the door behind him. Steve couldn’t bring himself to move even after Clint’s footsteps could no longer be heard from the hall. The conversation took a really unexpected turn and he kept replaying it in his head, trying to let it sink in.

Did Clint really just tell him that he doesn’t have romantic feelings for Natasha, while also giving him a blessing to try to win her over?

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yourcoolfriendwithallthecandy · 3 years

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Chapters: 12/? Fandom: Incredibles (Pixar Movies) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Violet Parr/Buddy "Syndrome" Pine, Violet Parr/Original Male Character(s), Invisigirl - Relationship Characters: Violet Parr, Invisigirl - Character, Little Miss Disappear, Buddy Pine, Buddy "Syndrome" Pine, Bartholomew Pine, Original Male Character, Original Male Superhero Character Additional Tags: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Corporate Espionage, Modern AU, Spy Invisigirl, Smut, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Aged up characters, Still, A bit of an age difference, Safe Sane and Consensual, Love Triangle, Assets & Handlers Summary:

Ten years after the events in the movies yet in a modern setting. Violet Parr as Invisigirl, has since disappeared from the public eye several years ago. She became a protégé to none other than Mirage and has had an incredibly successful career still working for The Agency but working as a spy and agent behind the scenes and foiled more Villains without anyone but The Agency ever knowing that she was the one who foiled them. However Superhero Work has it's price- mentally, emotionally and most of all physically and now Invisigirl has to come out of the shadows and work one last job as a public handler for an aristobrat, genius, billionaire, playboy- Mr. Phillip Sebastian who has his own tricks and agenda and requests Invisigirl specifically. Which in turn- put's her back on the radar and put's her under an iron clad contract with not just The Agency but with Mr. Sebastian. And it's this one last job that will be the answer to all of Violet Parr's problems. After this, she can disappear for good and never, ever, be found again. It's a three year contract and she is already a year in and everything is going perfectly. Until- Buddy Pine decides to try his hand at corporate espionage. His target? Phillip Sebastian.

And just in case you don’t want to click the link- I’ll have a read more.

Why So Jaded?

Chapter 12

"What did you sign?" Violet demanded of her brother, trying to keep her rage in check as she prayed her brother wouldn't be stupid enough to sign anything without having at least one lawyer.

"I didn't sign anything." Dash reassured her before she blew out a breath of relief.

"I have a healthy enough fear of you Ms. Parr to know that if I would even entertain the possibility of hiring any relation of yours that I would have several lawyers involved." Phillip offered with a charming smile as Violet smiled politely in return but she was ready to roast Phillip on an open spit for even entertaining the idea of hiring Dash as Violet simply crossed her arms over her chest and popped her hip. She had to get Dash out of this building before he did something everyone would regret. She would never forgive herself if something ever happened to Dash and that burden would be too much even for her to carry. She needed to get Dash out of this building and away from Phillip before Dash came to any more harm. Because Dash probably had at least one suicide seed planted in his head, who knew how many others Phillip had already planted there with just him being in this office.

"A private word Mr. Sebastian." Violet urged, she needed to intervene. She would pull the overbearing, controlling bitch card if she had to if it meant her brother could walk free.

"Oh come on, give me a chance before you shoot me down Vi." Dash argued.

"Mr. Parr had quite the convincing argument as to why I should hire him along with Mr. Traeger." Phillip explained.

"Then I have a counter argument which you should find even more convincing." Violet insisted. She hated to do it but she needed to make Dash out as the worst possible candidate for Phillip. It would be like opening up old wounds between herself and Dash and rubbing new salt in them but it would save his life and make sure that he in turn would be alive to at least watch his own children grow up. She didn't care how she would come across or who would hate her for this, it was for his own good.

"Come on Vi." Dash pleaded.

"Dash, this is your one opportunity to get up and walk out of this here and now. This is not the time or the place for you." Violet insisted as she gave him her own pleading look while doing her best to keep in control of her emotions, praying that Dash wasn't going to push this because she knew he was too stubborn yet alone, mentally weak enough to fight against anything Phillip was pumping into his head, she needed to fix this before it became a catastrophe. She would never forgive herself if anything happened to Dash because of her, the blood of other Supers was already a torment to her conscience. She couldn't have Dash's too.

"Well in the spirit of fairness, please, enlighten me as to why Mr. Parr wouldn't be a good fit. But don't do him the disservice of saying it behind his back." Phillip offered and Violet was never more furious for being pitted against her own brother especially by Phillip but if Phillip wanted an entertaining show, she was going to give it to him if it meant that Dash could walk away from this. She could deal with Dash being pissed at her for "ruining" his chances. But if she had to worry about not only keeping her own head and her own wits, she couldn't handle juggling Dash's too.

"First off, what exactly do you want to hire Mr. Parr for?" Violet asked, hoping that by some miracle, that it wouldn't be that bad. Maybe he wanted Dash as a PR man? Maybe?

"As an associate handler." Phillip answered and Violet was ready to curse, scream and cry because of course Phillip would want to keep his leverage against her as close to himself as possible.

"Does Mr. Parr have any handler experience?" Violet asked as she looked from Phillip to Dash pointedly.

"I handle myself just fine." Dash answered and Violet snorted a laugh as she pretended to pat her hips down.

"Are you missing something Ms. Parr?" Philip posed.

"Yes, Mr. Parr's microphone because he's obviously trying to do some stand up comedy." Violet answered as Leo snorted a laugh in turn as he simply sat in the chair and looked over at Violet fondly. Violet was always a special treat to be in the presence of, no matter the circumstances around their meetings.

"Mr. Parr, you have never, in your life, handled yourself well." Violet answered dismissively.

"How can you say that?" Dash demanded before Violet came over and perched herself on the corner of Phillip's desk between Phillip and her brother because there was no other chair for her to sit at at the desk and she didn't want to sit in Phillip's lap or actually bring another chair over from where the living room space of his office was.

"Mr. Parr, if you are even going to apply for that kind of position, for not only a fortune 500 company but for an asset worth billions who in all respects is a very high value asset, you need to have a minimum of 2-5 years experience of being a handler for other high value assets and handling yourself doesn't count you also need to have at least three to five, preferably seven, very glowing letters of recommendation and be vetted by at least two to four, maybe five individual, independent and completely objective guarantors. Do you even know how to spell guarantors?" Violet put to Dash.

"G-u-a…." Dash tried to think.

"And have a body count of at least 10." Violet interrupted.

"Oh I got that in the bag." Dash scoffed.

"Really? You've killed more than 10 people in cold blood and buried all evidence that you were the one to kill them?" Violet asked and watched as Dash's face fell as he realized that she was asking for that kind of body count, a kill count. Not a "body count" as in had sex with at least ten people.

"Mr. Sebastian, go on The Agency's data base and inform Mr. Parr what my body count is." Violet invited as she scooted back onto the desk to sit more comfortably.

"I don't know if.." Phillip began as Leo simply raised his eyebrows and bit his lips to keep his face from splitting in half from a smile because he could sense this was about to get really ugly in the most entertaining way.

"Do it." Violet ordered as Phillip nodded and did as she asked.

"You have 3,744 confirmed kills and another 2,317 additional assumed kills," Phillip read off as both Leo and Dash's eyes got wide.

"So, Dash, what's your body count?" Violet repeated.

"Uh, well, we did kill like a dozen henchman when we stormed Syndrome's…" Dash began.

"No, you tipped off their flying hovercrafts so they could run into each other, how many people have you either shot, dismembered, strangled, poisoned, bombed, or just outright slaughtered?" Violet asked.

"Well how many have you…?" Dash asked.

"7,834." Violet answered.

"Damn." Leopold coughed like he got shot in the gut.

"And over a thousand of those were mid coitus." Violet grinned triumphantly.

"Fuck." Leo coughed again before he got his glass of water and drank it like it was whiskey, he knew Violet was lethal and one of the more dangerous Supers at The Agency, but that would put her in a league all her own as Violet seemed to appear a whole lot more sexier than she ever was in his eyes, no wonder Phillip adored her, he could see why, she was all femme fatal.

"You've killed, over a thousand guys, while their dicks were.." Dash paled.

"845 men, the remaining 347 were women." Violet smiled like 'fuck you' was written on her teeth as Dash looked downright scandalized as Leo couldn't help but whistle lowly and mutter a 'wow' under his breath.

"But moving on from the body count. Dash, you don't fucking listen. You don't listen to anyone about anything, you don't listen to your own handler or your own manager or your own coaches for crying out loud or anyone else in any position of authority. If I tell you to duck, you ask why and argue with me along with everyone else. Your immediate and unquestioning obedience to orders given, no matter who gives them, means your life in this business. Even when you don't agree with it or don't see the sense in it at the time. You had a hard enough time being obedient to Dad, let alone Mom. And your sexist bullshit has no place here because you don't listen to women especially even when those women have earned that place of authority to tell you what to do. Not to mention you're a selfish, self absorbed asshole whose ego can practically touch the moon and you need a measure of humility in this job, of which you have none. You don't know how to walk into a room and not immediately want to be in the center of attention in it." Violet leveled and even Leo had to agree with her very valid points because Violet knew what she was talking about.

"Dash, you are a great Super and an awesome hero and you know exactly how to play to the media to make yourself the star of the show because you have a ton of charm and charisma, which you get honestly from Dad. But it's because you are those things that disqualify you from this kind of position. Because in this job, you're not the star, you're not even supposed to be on the damn camera or even in the shot. You are offscreen supporting cast only and an asterisk in the credits. You don't get any limelight and when you do, it better be pointing it Mr. Sebastian because since he's the asset, he's the star of the show, he's the focus, he's the target, he's the focal point. And if you detract from that, you're not doing your job correctly. Also if you're working for Mr. Sebastian, that means that your life as White Lightning, not to mention Dash Parr the Olympian, gets put on hold and on the last back burner. Because you'll be working as yourself which means that White Lightning has to be completely separate from this. Which means you won't be able to do any stunts or any press or any media work for yourself. Which means your own popularity will wane and the focus at The Agency will focus away from you and find someone new to push onto the masses. Someone younger, prettier, bigger and better, faster and stronger. New Supers are found and practically made- every day and that eventuality is the given, it's the rule and the expectation which is why I never bought into it. Which means, that your time in the spotlight, your own fifteen minutes of fame- should you take this position, will be over. And when you're done being in this kind of position, mounting a comeback- isn't going to happen with any measure of success, because you will just be a has been and old news and a passing fling for all your adoring fans. Also your training as an Olympian will also wane and fade. Which means you won't be an athlete anymore. At least one that won't and can't compete professionally. Which means your "real life" persona, will also fade. What brand wants to sponsor a has been? Old news? Your ego already can't handle your rival's popularity if it overshadows yours, you'll implode on your own downward spiral and fall from grace and your current media darling status." Violet warned, hoping and praying that Dash was listening to a word of this because she was pulling out every stop she could think of to make him see sense and make him see that this would not serve him well in the long run and knew that Dash held his own fame near and dear to his heart and if anything was going to snap him out of the spell Phillip put him under, this should be it.

"Also, loose lips sink ships. And you can't keep a secret to save your life. For someone as selfish as you are, your own sense of self preservation is next to zero because you can't help but reveal your own secret or super identity because there's no difference between the two. I'll give you a fairly recent example. How much money, would it take for me to offer Bianca, the Victoria Secret model who you spent your weekend with to find out how many times you showed her your 'human vibrator' trick? A hundred dollars? A thousand dollars? Ten thousand maybe? You do it with almost every girl you sleep with. And it's the reason you can't keep a condom on that pecker of yours because you literally burn through them because you're a show-off. Because whoever you are fucking, her adoration and her being in a state of impressed is always like a drug to you because you're addicted to always being the best, no matter what you're doing. Because the only reason that Ashley and Amy get as much child support from you is because half of it is practically hush money which they abide by because you're a cash cow for them, and as long as they keep their mouths shut, they get to live comfortably and raise your kids in your absence because you can't be bothered to actually raise them half the time because if word got out that the reason you're the fastest man alive and the reason you're always a gold medal Olympian is because you're a Super, imagine the fallout. Every girl that you fuck, can put it together that you're really White Lightning. And everything will get taken away once that barely held secret comes out and then all your popularity, all your sponsorships and endorsements on both sides, both for Dash Parr and White Lightning will be taken away and you'll go from most popular to most hated overnight because you're a cheater in every sense, you cheated on your high school sweetheart with your first college crush for crying out loud and your two sons by two different women are only six months apart. Do you really think that speaks of your character in any kind of good light?” Violet posed.

“Mr. Sebastian has enemies in both high and low places. Enemies that pay more money than you can comprehend to find any cracks or kinks in his armor. I would give it, maybe 12 hours at the soonest, 72 at the very latest, that the moment you are even rumored to be involved with Mr. Sebastian that every deep dark secret you possess would be offered up to them on a silver platter by all their moles and hunters and then that very dirt is used against Mr. Sebastian and yourself or because you're a greedy, selfish, two timing, cheating motherfucker, who is to say you won't go to them yourself? And not only tell all your own secrets but tell on mine, or tell on Mom or Dad or tell on everyone you know or you're associated with, let alone Mr. Sebastian's? And you'd do it for one thing, money. Because you blow money faster than you spend it and you're drowning in debt and yet the moment you make a hundred bucks, you're spending a hundred and fifty? You've fired every money manager I've gotten you because they told you things that you didn't want to hear like 'stop buying everything in sight'. Do you really think that I, let alone Mr. Sebastian of all people are going to bend over backwards to protect you when all you are to us is a liability, when you can't even perform the fucking job in the first place?! You are in way over your head and you have no business in this business." Violet plainly and yet strangely, honestly appraised and didn't know if it was Phillip urging her to be honest or her own will to finally let all this air out because she had been stamping all this down since she came back.

"And the word on the street may be that I'm a hateful, mean, domineering and controlling bitch. But you know what? I perform my job with a margin of error that is in the fractions of a single percent and I have earned every single person's loyalty and respect on my team to the point we take bullets for each other all the time on the regular. I not only have to deal with ransom situations and assassination attempts but also deal with corporate espionage that makes just regular governmental espionage look like child's play and you wouldn't even know what any of that looks like because you'd again, hand over everything for a pretty face with a smile and short tight skirt." Violet accused evenly as Dash simply sat there and pouted like a child being told no while Leo sat there as realization hit him over the head how much sense she was making because while Dash was his bro. Violet was speaking nothing but truth and if Leo really had to be in this job himself, he didn't know if he'd be willing to have Dash's back when Dash was so clearly ill equipped to have his.

"And I can see it written all over your face because you have a shit poker face, that I'm just being mean right? I'm just out to ruin everything for you? That this is a personal attack on you and I've taken this all too far? Well I got news for you. I'm literally just being honest. I'm not a bossy bitch, I am the big boss bitch. I have dozens of others coming to me for mentorship and advice on how to do this job the right way and the most successfully viable way because I've been there and done that with everything that can happen. Because I have set the precedent and the standard. And it is the gold standard in this industry for very good and valid reasons. All that money that I make that you're so jealous of, because all this really is to you- is about the fucking money and nothing else. Guess what, I've earned and payed for every cent of it with my own blood and every drop of my enemies blood as well because Mr. Sebastian's enemies which in turn are my own by principle alone. Because that's what a shield does. And while on paper I'm a handler, what I really am is a shield and a deterrent and every other Super in my position, is a shield for their assets in turn and the reason Mr. Sebastian is safe is because who is left of his enemies knows that they can not strike at him without me giving a counter strike and when I strike, I hit hard and they stay down and they never get back up. I'm a hunter and I always hunt to kill and I'm always successful because my life depends on it and my life is spent serving others and I am perfectly happy and content with that and that’s your problem, you’re never happy or content with anything. And that's what's the biggest disqualifier for you, you only know how to serve yourself. You don't know how to best serve others because you've never cared enough to learn how to do it. And the reason all of this has worked so well is because I hold myself to a standard of perfection that you can't even dream of holding yourself to. I operate with surgical precision because I have to because not only does my life hang in the balance, but so does my asset, and his family and everyone he cares about and everyone who depends on him works for SEB and all of Mr. Sebastian's companies depend on me to protect the man who signs their checks and gives them their means of living along with every single person on my team and all of their families and loved ones, not to mention my own." Violet specified.

"Tell me Dash, how many back up plans do you have? If a swat team decides to storm this building, which has actually happened more times than I can count, and if they decide to blow out these windows again and open fire from a helicopter that is hovering just outside this office- right this second. What would you do? How do you protect yourself? Are you even carrying a gun or any kind of weapon or is your plan always to just 'duck' and use your powers to move faster than the bullets themselves? Do you protect yourself or do you protect Mr. Sebastian first? How do you counter attack? How do you get to safe spaces? Where are the safe spaces even located? And what happens when you get shot dead? What plans do you have in place for Dash Jr and Dillon and Ashley and Amy? So they don't raise those boys all on their own or are you going to leave it to chance and the universe to take care of them when you're not around to? Do you just get to hope and pray that whoever will marry those girls will treat their future step sons ok? Or will they be the proverbial redheaded step children who get left out in the cold? Do you even have life insurance? Who gets to bury you? And where do you want your body to be laid to rest? What kind of funeral do you want to have? You're a 'take it as it comes, I'll figure it out when I get to it' kind of person. You can not be that kind of person in this job, you need to not only have your day planned out, your week, your month, your year. But you also need to have plans, structure, protocols and contingencies in place for whatever happens and be ready to react however you need to and not always how you want to and you need to have all that memorized and your body to be ready to go into action and evasive maneuvers in the blink of an eye and do you have any idea how exhausting it is not just physically but mentally because that can happen at any moment without warning, whether you're on the clock or not. Because if you are not in complete control of every situation in every moment, accidents and chaos will happen and will always surprise you and do it's utmost to catch you with your pants down when you're not ready and recovering from the damage inflicted in those moments will take the rest of your life. However long or short that will be. You have dealt with some pressures in your life, but these pressures here, are too much for you. It will take at least a year or two or maybe three, to get you properly trained in all the disciplines you'll need to know to even attempt to hack at this job and all that time is going to cost at least seventy five to a hundred and fifty grand per year. And your value as a person and your value as a production entity, and what you produce is protection and safety- needs to outweigh your liability and your investment. And from where I sit, you're a bad fit who needs too much work to be made viable who's own liabilities are too high risk and whose value of protection will never pay out in any meaningful way. And your connection to me is a hindrance, not a help. Nepotism kills in this industry. Everyone has a 'I tried to get my nephew or my brother or someone else I know into this and they're dead now and we've had a fall out in the family since and we don't talk anymore' story. And I don't want to have one of my own, and neither should you." Violet insisted.

"With all due respect Mr. Sebastian, with respect to everything that Ms. Parr has brought to light. I will not be signing on if Mr. Parr does. Because I am in agreement with Ms. Parr on this 100%. Mr. Parr isn't right for this. The closest I would want Mr. Parr is just a friend and not a close one at that in light of all those liabilities, and frankly, I'm underqualified for this, the fact that Ms. Parr even mentioned my name in the first place is very high praise that I'm not worthy of and I'm frankly honored to bear witness that Ms. Parr lives up to her reputation of being the best in the business for every good reasons that she just demonstrated, to the point that she is so professional that she won't let familial ties cloud her judgement or keep her from making the right call and to ignore her or go against her very sage advice, would be courting disaster." Leo formally answered Phillip who frowned. Not thinking that Leo would rather side with Violet instead of Dash, here he thought he would have it easy to have a three against one but right now it was two against one and if he wasn't so hell bent on his own objectives, he would immediately dismiss Dash. He had to find a way to make everyone happy while still serving his purpose.

"But..." Dash began to argue before Leo reached over and clasped his shoulder to stop him from making a fool of himself.

"Dash, Violet has you dead to rights, to sign on with this is signing your own death warrant and you have too much to lose if anything goes sideways and you're just plain, not cut out for it, it's not gonna work out man and it's ok, just accept it. No amount of money in the world should make you want to risk not watching your kids grow up. And you may be pissed at your sister and your pride and ego might be bruised right now but she just saved your life and you're an idiot if you don't see that. I wish I had a badass sister like you who looked out for me the way she just did for you. And she honestly did you a favor and every word out of her mouth rang true and she just gave you a priceless service of pointing out, in less than, say 20 minutes, where your weaknesses are and what you need to work on as a human being to be better. She did her job right. And she did right by you by making sure you stay out of harms way, which this job has more than it's fair share of. You can't ask anything more from her. Now, let's get out of here, I'll buy you a drink." Leo offered.

"Mr. Sebastian, thank you for your time, we'll be in touch and I'll give you my answer when I have a chance to think it over and sleep on it. Ms. Parr always a pleasure to see you." Leo offered as he stood and shook Phillip's hand. then Violet's hand.

"Mr. Traeger." Violet returned.

"Thanks for at least hearing me out." Dash offered to Phillip as he shook his hand but still offered Violet a dirty glare as he passed her to leave with Leo.

But Violet could handle Dash's hurt feelings more than his innocent blood, she did it, she saved him. And what's more is she at least had Leo to back her up before she swiveled in her spot on the desk and turned around and faced Phillip, ready to take on whatever bullshit he would come up with to excuse himself.

"You were too hard on him." Phillip offered to Violet.

"No. I'm the only one who can see through bullshit apparently. What is wrong with you? Did you think that just because he shares some of my blood that he'd be anything like me? How many times have I told you about how he needs reminders to pay his own child support and bills, how he can't even function as an adult. He can't even cook or take care of himself properly and how the only thing he knows how to keep clean is his shoes, his car and his super-suit, because he can’t do laundry to save his life and he just drops all his clothes off at the drycleaners so they deal with it. The guy buys paper plates and bowls and plastic cutlery because he can't even bring himself to actually wash his own dishes. If he can't take care of himself, how in the fuck is he supposed to take care of you? What kind of sob story did he try to ply you with?" Violet posed because she knew outright accusing him of trying to hire Dash to use as leverage against her wasn't going to work. But if she could shift the blame to Dash, it would effectively make it look like she was letting him off the hook.

"You're right, I'm sorry. I didn't take any of that into consideration and as always, you did bring up some very valid points, so I conceded, I will not be hiring Mr. Parr as my handler and anyone who hires him in any position where his own liabilities endanger others is foolish." Phillip cooed to sooth her anger because her rage was palpable even without his powers before her anger seemed to abate as his own spark of genius thought of ways he could get around this.

"Before you sign anyone else, at least run it by me. I appreciate you doing everything to keep things from off my plate, but Dash was the worst candidate for that job. Or really any job that doesn't involve his own ego and his own popularity and fame, because he is shallow, like a puddle, or maybe the Habsburg gene pool." Violet teased with a laugh as Phillip simply chuckled with her.

"Anyway, do we have anything new for Mr. Pine this evening?" Violet asked.

"Nope, nothing new, good night Ms. Parr." Phillip bid her.

"Goodnight." Violet grinned as she nodded and hopped off the desk and walked down to Buddy's floor.

"Good evening Mr. Pine." Violet greeted.

"Good evening Ms. Parr." Barret greeted.

"Any new business?" Barret asked before Violet started laughing that laugh that portrayed how close she was to losing her goddamn mind.

"What happened?" Barret asked.

"Some damn foolishness, that's for sure." Violet answered as she pulled up the feed from Phillip's office from about an hour ago on her tablet. "Not to be an imposing guest, but could I trouble you for about an hour of your time and a glass or two of wine?" Violet asked with a giddy smile because she wanted Barret to see what had happened.

"You're never imposing." Barret immediately reassured her as he immediately put down what he was working on as Violet happily pressed a button on her sleeve and her outfit changed into one of just a casual outfit of a nice blouse and leggings with flats as she followed him into his apartment and took a seat on his breakfast bar as Barret went through what he had before he threw together the leftovers from the weekend as an offering for her before he got up on the other barstool next to her as Violet felt cameras and listening devices power down now that she was on this side of his space before she pulled up the video for Barret to see.

"Who's this?" Barret asked.

"That's Dash, as I'm sure you've figured out, is really White Lightning and that, is Leopold Traeger, aka Mysterio, but obviously, don't tell, anyway it's Leo who I suggested to Phil because Mysterio has a decent head count and has his own fair share of scandal and cover ups who's been around the block a few times and wouldn't judge Phil for his vices and would be flexible to work the schedule and wouldn't mind the cage too badly. He's not the greatest but he'll do for now until someone awesome becomes available because obviously I've been reassigned to you." Violet murmured quietly with a happy smile before she pulled up the video as Barret opened the bottle of wine and started to pour two wine glasses full before Violet put the tablet on the counter between them as they watched Dash try to spit his best game trying to get whatever job Phillip could use him for.

"Desperate much?" Barret muttered with a frown.

"That's Phil." Violet breathed in Barret's ear.

"What?" Barret asked as he moved his arm to rest on the back of Violet's backrest of the stool as Violet happily cuddled into his side as she put her mouth over his ear, her other hand cupping between her lips and his ear.

"That's Phillip. It's not that he can read thoughts per-say, he can read emotions, and he manipulate your emotions, even if all Dash did was look at him and go 'damn I wish he was my boss so I could make as much money' he takes that and turns it up to 11. He can make anyone feel desperate, desperate for him or what he could give them. Which in this case- is money. Phillip probably made Dash feel like if he didn't get a job from Phillip today- that he would starve to death before he would get evicted tomorrow. That kind of desperate." Violet revealed into Barret's ear as he fought not to shudder in delight, having her that close to him as his fingertips curled around her arm once the inside of his forearm made contact with her back and shoulders as her warmth seeped into his soul.

He knew it was going to be her job to "seduce" him, thankfully slowly. But he'd be lying if he tried to deny that he hadn't already fallen for her. But he also knew, the "harder" he made it for her to get close to him, the better for her in the long run because that would buy them both time to figure stuff out with Phillip, but in these moments, it was hard not to give in because his heart was ready to turn itself into an airplane runway and start waving her in.

"I see." Barret nodded in understanding before they watched the rest of the video as Barret watched on in awed amazement to see Violet do her best to try to counter all of that as he thought Leo's reactions were hilarious if not incredibly appropriate as he found himself mirroring the same reactions to everything Violet said.

"So I take it had you not been there to intervene and interfere, Dash would have been the real take." Barret realized.

"Yup. Now if Phillip goes to my father to try to do the same thing to him, I'll end him. So my question would be, should that happen, do you want me to take you with- after I do?" Violet asked.

"Please." Barret found himself saying before he could stop himself.

"Awesome, well, until then and while I'm here and while the spiders are sleeping, you and I should really talk about how we're going to proceed with 'the give'. Because I feel like the moment Philip is sure that you've fallen for me, he's going to order me to undo you. And I don't want to do that, for real at least. But even if we have to play this up for the camera so to speak, I think there's a way we can do it without hating each other's guts by the end of it. So I have an idea." Violet began.

"Ok," Barred prompted.

"I know we agreed about the Mr. Pine, Bartholomew, Buddy, Barret thing. As much as this hurts to say and I feel sick to my stomach just saying this out loud but, when the time comes for when Phillip orders for me to undo you. If I absolutely have to and have no other choice, I would prefer to undo Tully, not Barret and just in case you need to undo me for any reason, undo Eloise, Ellie for short, not Violet. Eloise is my real middle name and it's a nickname that very, very few people use or would even know to use and it'll be something that can also get by the sensors and it'll give Phillip something somewhat tangible for when we have to put on a show in here and that way I can "hurt you" at least mentally and emotionally without actually hurting you, or at least, the real you." Violet suggested and Barret was ready to kiss her because his love and adoration for her just about overpowered him.

"Violet and Barret, Ellie and Tully." Barret nodded in agreement.

"So tell me about Ellie then." Barret invited as Violet smiled happily.

"Well, Ellie…" Violet began giddily as she settled in and took advantage of the fact that they could talk for now without anyone overhearing them.

#Why So Jaded?#Why So Jaded? Chapter 12 #Synlet #Violet Parr #Buddy Pine #Bartholomew Pine #Barret Pine #the incredibles #modern AU #Corporate espionage AU

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buckleysjareau · 4 years

Note

So, for a prompt, how would you feel about the firefam meeting the BAU team?? Bc in my mind, Buck would get along shockingly well with Reid and Garcia while Eddie and Morgan just brood about their favorite ppl not paying attention to them.

omg yes!!! i love this prompt! the beginning is kind of dramatic but i wanted to give a reason for the bau to be there haha :) hope you like it!

The entirety of the one-eighteen had been on edge the entire week. Not only had their calls been emotionally and physically taxing, but Los Angeles seems to have found itself another serial bomber. According to Athena, the LAPD called in the FBI to help investigate after twists and turns and empty leads.

The reassurance from Athena that they’ve got Behavioral Analysts working hours upon hours with the police department to find the bomber did nothing for Buck’s nerves. It didn’t really do much for the team’s nerves, either. The whole team had been affected by the ladder truck bombing and though they know Freddie is locked away, trauma doesn’t let you think rationally sometimes. When they’re not out on calls, they’re hypervigilant. When they’re out on calls, they’re hypervigilant. At home, they’re either sleeping with one eye open or not at all.

Buck definitely wasn’t sleeping. He checks every possible location in his apartment where a bomb could be hidden before he leaves for work and as soon as he gets home. He sits awake on the couch when he should be sleeping, waits for a knock or a sound of someone leaving something outside of his door. He hasn’t opened his mail the entire week, just leaves it in his mailbox until his landlord has to check on him to see if he’s alive. He rushes to offer to clean the trucks before anyone else can just so he can check closely for a bomb.

Which is exactly what he’s doing when two men walk into the station. He hears Bobby greet them but doesn’t pay attention to the rest until his name is called. That makes his heart beat speed up quicker than the speed of a moving bullet.

When Buck slides himself out from under the truck - he revels in the fact that he can - his eyes widen when he notices the guns holstered on their sides and he’s terrified to find out what the FBI wanted him for.

“You must be Evan. I’m Agent Morgan with the FBI and this is Dr. Spencer Reid, we were wondering if we could ask you a couple of questions?”

“Buck. Just Buck.” He clears his throat. “Why?”

“Do you remember anything about the night Freddie Costas bombed the truck you were on?”

“Why are you asking? Why do you guys need to know what happened? I’m not the one that was targeted. Can’t you just watch the news report, I know it’s everywhere.” His voice is shaky, he knows he sounds paranoid and panicked but that didn’t matter. Why is the FBI asking him?

“We need more information from those involved with the bombings last ye-” Buck scoffs, cutting Dr. Reid off.

“Why ask me then? I wasn’t targeted, I wasn’t on that kid’s kill list, I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Is Freddie involved in this again somehow?”

“Buck, man, I know it’s gotta be tough to talk about it, this whole station was affected but you were there closest to him when you were trapped. Anything you can remember about that night could help.” Agent Morgan sighs. “Freddie Costas might have had a partner.”

Well fuck.

“Ask Bobby. He was the original target, he has a vendetta against Bobby.” Buck pushes passed the agents, practically shoving Dr. Reid in the process and he can hear the lecture Athena would give about disrespecting law enforcement.

He winces internally as he thinks about the lecture he’s about to get from his Captain. Great, this is fucking great.

Three days later of restless sleep and constant worrying, Buck gets a call from Bobby on his day off. His heart is in his throat as he answers.

The speed at which his entire body relaxes the second he hears they got her makes Buck dizzy, almost. His knees buckle, falling to his couch in shocked and relieved laughter. He listens as Bobby tells him that Freddie’s partner was a girlfriend who knew her way around making explosives and by Freddie’s orders, she had planned to send one to Bobby and Athena’s again and one to Buck’s for making Freddie’s sentence longer. The fact that he was actually targeted makes him feel a little sick to his stomach but he’s just so full of relief that it’s over again, he laughs.

He feels guilty for the way he’d treated the agents he spoke to. He goes over it in his head as he heads to Bobby’s for dinner after he’d gotten his first full night of sleep in weeks. He shoved a federal agent, cut them off, rolled his eyes. He’d acted like a child and though Bobby didn’t tell him that, he felt like he was being scolded by a father rather than lectured by his captain.

When he arrives at the Grant-Nash’s, Athena greets him at the door and takes the bottle of red wine from his hand with a smile. “Well you look more well rested than I’ve ever seen you, Buckaroo. How’re you doing?”

“Well I’m not crushed under a ladder truck or blown to-” He’s cut off by his own shock at seeing people he definitely didn’t know standing in the Grant-Nash’s living room. His eyes landed on the younger agent he wished he’d had a chance to apologize to not five minutes before. “Uh, hi?”

“Buck, these guys are from the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. I’m sure you remember Agent Morgan and Dr. Reid?”

Buck’s face flushes. “Uh, yeah, I do. Nice to see you again, agents. Sorry about the way I acted, truly. Lack of sleep does that to you, I guess.”

“There’s no need to be, there’s no hard feelings. We understand.” Dr. Reid smiles respectfully.

“Yeah, no need. The important thing is that we caught her and you can put this behind you again.” Morgan holds out a fist and Buck returns it to fist bump. “You can drop the title, by the way. It’s Derek.”

“Endearing as it is to see you guys bro out, I would like to get this party started.” A woman with dark hair chimes in as she grabs the bottle of wine that Buck brought. “Oh, and he brought the good stuff. Hello, I’m Emily Prentiss and you have good taste.”

Buck snorts as he shakes her hand. “Nice to meet you. Honored to have your approval.”

She’s about to respond before she’s cut off by a squeal. “Bucky!”

His entire face lights up as he turns towards the voice. “Christopher!”

“Mr Reid pulled a quarter out of my ear just like you can do! You’re both magic!” Buck lets out a startled laugh. “You also both know a lot of facts!”

“Oh, do we have another Boy Genius amongst us right now?” A blonde woman, who seems to embody sunshine, squeals from Buck’s right. “I’m Penelope Garcia, Garcia, PG, girl of your dreams, whatever you want.”

Buck already adores her attitude and vibe.

“Pretty Boy here’s got an IQ of 187, can read 20,000 words per minute, and has an eidetic memory. How about you, man?” Morgan pipes up.

Buck snorts. “I don’t know my IQ, I definitely can’t read that many words per minute, and I never claimed to be a genius. I just like to read, man. Random stuff in history, astrology, stuff Christopher’s into, philosophy-”

Reid’s eyebrows shoot up in interest. “Who’s your favorite philosopher?”

Thus, a conversation is started. Penelope joins in at the mention of Immanuel Kant and Buck is happy Athena invited them over before they left. He’s lost in a conversation and learning new things and more importantly, he’s made new connections for the day. Eddie joins when the conversation turns to Doctor Who, something that Buck never knew Eddie was into. When he leaves to talk to Aaron Hotchner about baseball, Buck watches as he walks away before getting sucked back into another conversation about black holes.

Across the room from him, Eddie sits with Emily, Derek and a woman he now knows as JJ. He’s laughing as Emily teases him about something. What it could be about, Buck doesn’t know, but seeing Eddie laugh makes his heart soar.

“Oh?” Penelope smirks. “Eddie, huh? What’s going on there?”

Buck’s eyes widen at the unexpected question. “What? Nothing.”

Reid, who didn’t even seem to be one for gossip, scoffs. “Do you know what the BAU does? We study human behavior. The entire time Eddie was over here, you leaned into him whenever you talked. You would brush your hand against his and whenever you’d laugh about something, you’d tap his chest. You only looked at him the entire conversation, you were hanging onto every word. The amount of eye contact between the two of you was evident. When JJ came behind us and knocked into Eddie, you put your arm out to protect him. Classic mannerisms of someone in love.”

“But Eddie does that stuff too. It’s not just me.” Buck really thinks he’s making a point.

Penelope laughs. “Oh, honey, you’re exactly right. This isn’t an unrequited love trope here. Our friends are over there probably teasing him for the same thing right now. You don’t need to be a profiler to see he’s in love with you, too.”

Buck looks over to Eddie along with Penelope and Reid. Eddie’s face is red and he’s looking down as JJ talks exasperatedly. Then Eddie is looking up and catches the three of them staring. Buck’s face is on fire as he waves awkwardly. Derek, Emily, and JJ look up as well and smirk at each other.

“I think I hate profilers.” Buck deadpans.

Across the room, Eddie says the same thing.

#buddie #evan buckley #eddie diaz #spencer reid #penelope garcia #derek morgan #911 #criminal minds #emily prentiss #bau #my fics

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what-is-your-plan-today · 4 years

Text

CSI Rogers and Barnes: The Serious Cereal Serial Killer Ep 14- Second Star To The Right

Co written with @icanfeelastormbrewing

Episode Summary: The team desperately try to figure out where Rumlow has taken Katie, and their investigation leads them to a place that’s a little far from home and a very familiar face to one of the team in particular…

Episode Warnings: Bad Language words.

Episode Pairings: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Song for Episode: Stars by Simply Red

A/N: Who’s up all night to get Loki??? As always we live for re-blogs and comments

CSI R&B Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Can’t you see that I wanna fall from the stars, straight into your arms.

Steve, Bucky and Thor sat in the squad car as it raced through the streets of Brooklyn, sirens blazing.

“Can this thing not go any faster?” Steve looked at Thor, his tone snappy.

“I know you're worried about little Stark, Captain, but we don't want another car accident do we?” Thor replied to which Steve gave a frustrated growl but before he could snap again his phone rang.

“What have you got Nat?” he demanded.

“Stark’s car left the precinct” She confirmed “And it pinged a few ANPR cams along the route so she was definitely heading to the lab.”

“Thanks Nat.” he sighed “Do me a favour, call Tony will you? Get him to head outside, see if her car is there.”

Without another word he cut the call and focussed ahead once more. At least they knew she had left, and they were following the right tracks. Even if it seemed to be taking forever.

“Are you flooring it?” he said exasperatedly.

“I can assure you I am driving as fast as I can.” Thor replied and from the backseat Bucky noted the patience in the blonde officer’s tone.

“I should have gone with her.” Steve slammed the palm of his hand over the front of the dash in front of him. “Why didn't I insist and for once ignore her fucking stubbornness?”

“’Coz you're a stubborn ass as well.” Bucky said gently, attempting to lighten mood a little.

“Buck, just don't...please.” Steve sighed.

His phone started to ring again. He glanced at the screen and swallowed, before he answered.

“Tony…”

“Her car is here but there’s no sign of her.” The scientist spoke quickly. “There's a bag on the floor, an evidence bag...”

“Fuck!” Steve cursed loudly.

“Cap…” “Just hold fire Tony.” Steve pinched the bridge of his nose “We’re not far off, I’ll explain when we arrive but don’t let anyone touch her car or the evidence ok?”

He cut the call and turned to look at Thor then Bucky “Rumlow must have gotten to her at the lab. But how the hell did he know she was gonna be there?”

“I'll call Nat.” Bucky said, “Tell her to check the Traffic footage carefully, see if it looks like she was being followed.”

Steve tapped his phone against his palm, nervously as Thor continued to speed through the streets, the traffic parting for them as the sirens and lights were both blazing and flashing respectively. With every rise and fall of the wail, he was repeating Katie’s name in his head, like a mantra. The thought that Rumlow had her somewhere was enough to knock him physically sick and the fear of what he could be doing to her cascaded over him in waves which were drowning him, suffocating him. He could feel the rising panic in his chest growing stronger and stronger and he closed his eyes, struggling to keep control of his breathing. He felt a hand on his shoulder, strong fingers squeezing softly. Just once. But that was all it took to bring him back from the brink of sliding under the surface of his panic completely and he glanced round at Bucky who simply gave him a reassuring nod.

After what seemed like an age but was, in reality, little over 15 minutes since leaving the Precinct they arrived at the lab. Thor had hardly brought the car to a stop when Steve was out, heading over to where Tony was stood, waiting by Katie's car.

“What the fuck is going on Cap?” he demanded, glaring at Steve.

“Rumlow.” Steve gulped “I think he's taken her Tony.”

Tony looked at Steve, blinking before he shook his head. “No…that’s…” he held Steve’s gaze and Bucky noticed the almost identical looks of devastation the two men wore. There were no smart quips from Tony to Steve as usual, nothing but a stunned silence which in itself was enough to tell everyone how upset the man was. Knowing that Steve wasn’t faring much better, Bucky decided to step up into his second in command role and glanced up, taking a relieved breath when he spotted what he was looking for.

“Tony.” he spoke clearly and the man turned to him as Bucky pointed to the CCTV cameras “Do those work?”

“As far as I'm aware.” he nodded.

“Ok, let's start there.” Steve said, Bucky’s observation kick starting his brain. He turned to Thor and pointed to Katie’s BMW “Thor, keep the scene secure.” “I’ll send Banner out to take a look.” Tony declared before the 3 men headed inside. No one spoke until they reached the main part of the lab and no sooner had the door closed when Tony rounded on Steve, his eyes blazing.

“How is this possible?” he spat, his finger jabbing Steve in the chest “How did you let this happen Rogers?”

“I didn't.” Steve sighed, his head dropping as shook it sadly from side to side.”I didn't let anything happen Tony.”

“Well Rumlow obviously knew where and how to take her and you didn't foresee any of it!”

“I don't know Tony ok?” Steve’s voice cracked as his blue eyes locked onto the dark irises of Tony’s holding his gaze as he assured Katie’s brother “But I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back”

“Sometimes I admire your giddy optimism” Tony shook his head.

Bruce who had been watching the pair of them from his desk gently walked across the lab, his white coat billowing slightly around him. “Erm what’s the rumpus?”

Bucky once more took the initiative and jumped in as he could see Steve was tearing up. “Katie has been taken Bruce, we suspect by our killer, Rumlow. Her car is in the parking lot but there's no sign of her.”

“Which reminds me Banner, I need you and Pete to go down and give it a sweep.” Tony turned to look at him. “And just so you know, if it takes all night, you stay all night…” “I didn't pack my toothbrush.” Bruce said in an attempt to lighten the mood but it fell flat.

Peter, in contrast, enthusiastically nodded “Yes Mr stark...whatever you need.”

The two men bustled around, grabbing what they needed for their kits before they scooted out of the lab.

“Tony…” Bucky turned to him “We need to speak to security and view the CCTV of the parking lot.”

“Yes…” Tony said, clapping his hands together, his left hand worrying the finger of his right “Jarvis, he’s our head of security…”

Steve was hearing words but not taking anything in. He was aware he was being of no use whatsoever but he felt like all his effort were being taken simply to keep him upright as the ground below was wavering dangerously as if it was going to swallow him at any moment. NO matter what he did, no matter what he tried to focus on the same thought swam to the forefront of his mind-the fate of all the other victims. His girl, his beautiful Star was completely at the mercy of a man who had shown them exactly what he is capable.

And Steve was scared.

Bucky glanced at his friend, saw the look on his face along with his slumped shoulders. He was dejected and he needed kick starting. He knew that all the needed was a glimmer, a slight lead that would give Steve something to focus on and go at like a dog with a bone. But until then Bucky had to keep him from spiralling. And when Steve was like this, the only way to get through to him was being brutally honest.

“There’s no body Steve.” Bucky said bluntly, ignoring the wince Tony gave besides him because he was being blunt on purpose. To drive the message home to Steve that Rumlow wanted her alive for whatever reason, and that worked in their favour. “That's a good thing.”

“I guess you're right.” Steve looked at him “But that doesn't make it any easier or…” “Come on pal, we’ll find her.” Bucky said, clapping his hand on his shoulder and holding his friend’s eyes. But it didn’t have the desired effect. Instead Steve gave a derisive snort and turned his head to the away.

“Yeah, because we've done such a good job of finding Rumlow so far.” he said sarcastically.

“Ok enough.” Tony snapped “We need to move and check that CCTV instead of just standing around here, kicking up a storm...”

Tony led them down to a small office on the 2nd floor which contained a desk and 3 rows of security monitors, each showing a different feed from the various CCTV inputs around the building.

“Jarvis…” Tony spoke and the dark haired man spun to face them, smiling.

“Good afternoon Mr Stark.” he nodded “What can I do for you?” “This is Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes from the 101st.” Tony introduced them.

“Pleasure to meet you Sirs…” Jarvis nodded to them.

“Yeah, erm, we need to see the CCTV of the parking lot. Start from…” Steve glanced at his watch. It was now 10 past 12 and Katie had left the station with the evidence roughly half 9, meaning had she driven straight here she would have arrived at 10 am give or take. “09:45…” Steve said, looking at Jarvis.

“Of course.” Jarvis turned and started to tap at a keyboard.

“Why does he speak like a British butler?” Bucky asked but Steve completely ignored him. As Jarvis brought up the footage, Steve instructed him to scan through and eventually, at 10:02 Steve spotted her car pull into the lot.

“Roll it from there.” he instructed. Jarvis hit play and they all watched the scene play out in front of them. Katie climbed out of her car and no sooner had she done so she was immediately approached by someone dressed in a black hooded top and jeans, their face hidden. Katie dropped the bag and her hands slowly raised to either side of her face, and Steve swallowed as he can see the form of a gun pressed into his girl's back. He watched her carefully, as she was led around the car, to a waiting black Volvo SUV at which point she turned and looked directly at the Camera, making sure it got a clear shot of her face. Then, the kidnapper grabbed her hair and shoved her in the car before slamming the door.

At that point Bucky reached over and hit the pause button.

“I'll get Nat to run that plate.” he said. Steve nodded, running his hand over his face as Bucky stepped outside of the room, phone in his hand.

“Cap need to get her face out there, get everyone looking for her.” Tony looked at him

Steve shook his head “that might risk him doing something stupid…” “More stupid than abducting her in broad daylight?” Tony’ tone was incredulous.

Steve swallowed, Tony had a pretty good point. By doing what he had, taking Katie in such a well monitored spot showed he wasn’t bothered about covering his tracks anymore. This was about ending it, in whatever sick and twisted way he had planned.

“Ok, I’ll have Gina call Fury, get him to speak to the press office” he agreed, turning to Bucky a he walked back into the room.

“The car is registered to a hire company. Clint and Nat are on their way over there now.”

“Thanks Buck. Let’s head back to the station, wait for them there.” “I’m coming with you.” Tony insisted, and Steve didn’t argue.

The Captain spent most of his time on the way back barking orders to Gina on his phone, which meant by the time the strode back into the bull ring of the office she was ready and waiting for him with a print out.

“Any news?” she asked kindly.

“No, not yet.” Steve shook his head.

“I called Fury like you told me to and he sent this over.” she waved the paper. “He said that now Pierce is dead, it seems there's suddenly information available on Rumlow, and that you and Thor should see this in particular.” “Me?” Thor frowned as Tony, Steve and Bucky both turned to look at him.

“Yeah.” Gina nodded. Steve took the paper from her, scanning the information and his mouth dropped open. "Son of a…” he grit his teeth and let out a growl “Seems like we finally found out what prison he was in..." he handed the paper to Thor.

“This…” Thor frowned “This is the same as my brother. He shared a cell with him on Asgard?”

“Asgard?” Bucky frowned.

“Yes it’s a wing of the Nine Realms Prison.” Thor replied.

“When was the last time you spoke to your brother?” Steve asked.

“They day he was charged…almost 4 years ago now Captain.”

“Then suit up, I think it’s time for a family reunion” he said, gravely a he turned to Gina “Call ahead, tell the Warden we are on our way.

***** The Nine Realms was a little further out of town than the Lab so would take a little longer to get there, even with the sirens blazing. Steve remained quiet, lost once more in his own thoughts, his eye flicking to the radio set when it blared out an all Units alert for the car Katie had been taken in.

He groaned inwardly as a sudden realisation hit him. If this was going to hit the news, then there was someone who needed to hear it first. Pulling out his phone he hit the relevant speed dial button.

“Hey Ma.” he said as soon as his Mother answered.

“Hey Son! Make my day and tell me you're coming for Lunch!” her voice was jovial and hearing it broke Steve that little bit more. “Are you bringing Star? I can make another pie and-"

He swallowed thickly “No, Ma, I just called to warn you... “ his voice cracked again and he stopped, forcing himself to keep it together.

“Warn me?” Sarah’s voice was surprised before she suddenly grew stern “What have you done Steven Grant?

“Nothing Ma...just listen.” he pressed “Try not to worry but don't watch the news, please,”

“Steven, you're worrying me. What's happening? Are you ok?”

“Not really. Katie is missing.”

There was a pause before Sarah responded, and Steve could picture the puzzled face she would be pulling on the other end of the phone “What do you mean she's missing? How? What...i don't understand...”

“We were working this case...you know....and... “ his voice choked and at that point he felt Thor’s eyes on him. Unable to hold it back anymore he drew in a ragged breath, trying to quell the sob of anguish that was threatening to rip from the very depth of his heart. Thor gripped his shoulder as Steve scrunched his face up, and he felt the phone being gently pulled from his hands.

“Little Stark has been taken Mrs Rogers. This is officer Odinson by the way...” Thor said, his deep voice calm. “Yes....ok...I understand. Yes madam.”

At that point he looked at Steve who wiped his eyes and nodded, taking the phone back off him. When he spoke again his voice was small, he felt just like that little kid from Brooklyn, way before he had gone off to University. “Ma?”

He could hear his Ma’s sniffles at the other end. “Stevie, darling, I just...”

“Don’t cry…just try not to worry and don't listen to the radio or watch the news. I'll keep you updated, ok?” he said, glad that his voice had returned to normal.

“Ok son. I love you....be careful.” she whispered back.

“Love you too.”

“Oh and Steve?”

“Yeah?” “Bring her home ok?

At that Steve could do nothing but choke out a “Yeah.” before he hung up.

"Don't worry Cap, we'll get her back.” Thor said confidently, looking at him.

“I hope you're right Thor, because I don't know what I’m gonna do if we don't.” Steve mumbled as he glanced down at his phone. His screensaver was a pic of him and Katie taken on their date. He’d changed it the moment he had chance after taking it. They were in Times Square, and he had his arms round her from behind, chin resting on her shoulder, his cheek pressed to hers. Huge smiles lit up both their faces, their eye shining with happiness at finally getting that moment together, to be with one another, admitting what they’d both been too stupid to realise for almost 10 years.

It felt like forever ago since Steve had taken that phone, but it wasn't even a week. In fact, a week ago today they were busy screaming at each other in his apartment after the whole Compound incident with Wanda and Storm, before they ended up furiously fucking against the door. He'd give anything to have her back, just in his arms...

“You and Little Star are destined to be.” Thor’s voice cut through his thoughts. “This will work out Captain, I have faith.”

Steve didn’t bother to tell him that he didn’t believe in fate. Like Howard had always told him, “You make our own luck in this world, Steve.” The problem was, right now he felt like whatever little they had made was fast running out.

**** After going through the usual security check, which took a few minutes because apart from the usual phones, wallets and keys, they were carrying their guns and badges, they were led to the Nine Realms Prison Warden's office. There, Mr. Selvig, who offered to receive them personally seeing as he was Thor's friend, explained to them he had instructed for Loki to be taken to an interrogation room so they could talk more privately and comfortably.

Thus, after a bit of small talk and thanking Selvig again, a prison officer showed them to a room just off the Asgard Wing which was where the troublemaking prisoners were locked. When they entered the room they found Loki sitting at a table, handcuffed to the ring on the surface in front of him. Thor sat on a chair on the opposite side while Steve remained standing.

Despite everything going on, the Captain couldn't help but notice how physically different the two siblings were. While Thor was huge and blond, Loki was slight and dark haired. But then again as Thor had pointed out in more than one occasion when his brother's deeds were brought up in a conversation, Loki was adopted. What was the surname Selvig had mentioned again? Lauki... Laufeyson was it.

"Great to see you brother." Loki said, and Steve was snapped from his thoughts by the silky voice of the prisoner, surprised by the smooth and elegant ways of the man. Was that even a soft British accent he could detect? Had Katie been there she would have surely spotted it, but she wasn't...

Steve tried to brush the negative thoughts out of his mind and focus the conversation between the two siblings.

"I wish I could say the same, Loki. Last time I saw you, you tried to stab me. Again" Thor snarked.

Steve could see Thor certainly wasn't pleased with his brother's behaviour and a stern look adorned his face whereas Loki merely grinned, as if he was recalling the fondest of childhood memories before sighing.

"Yes. I would rather be at home, in a robe, eating grapes but... here I am."

"You're evil, brother. This is where you belong. Father would..." Thor began again, his voice raising with anger.

Steve saw Loki's smug smile fade at the mention of his father, a second before he hissed "He wasn't my father..."

And that was it. Steve lost his temper and walked to the table. He had to get whatever information he could to figure out how to rescue Katie and he felt like the mischievous dark haired man was stalling.

"Ok. That's enough." he said, leaning over with both palms flat on the surface of the table. He looked at Loki, studying him for a few seconds, before softening his glare. "Loki, we need your help."

"What do you have for me in return, Captain Rogers?" Loki asked, studying Steve as well with curiosity.

"You're in no position..." Thor growled.

"Oh, and here I was thinking you came bearing gifts..." Loki said calmly, leaning back on his chair.

"Loki, we know you shared a cell with Rumlow." Steve offered, looking at the man. His voice was steady but his eyes were pleading and he felt like Loki might have sensed it.

"Crossbones." he said, looking at Steve in the eyes.

"What?" he asked.

"Crossbones. That's what he called himself. Rather crude if you ask me but there you are." Loki shrugged and paused at the two men in front of them who were waiting for him to continue "Yes, I shared a cell with him until his release. Now I have a cellmate called Korg. It was a bit rocky at the beginning but we have an understanding now. We discovered we both love the same videogame. It's called Ragnarok and you have to..."

"Brother! About Rumlow..?" Thor cut him off.

"Oh, yes. He was an odd man. Used to mutter in his sleep. Strike was what he would say the most. Always had letters to go into the post."

"He was writing to someone?" Steve asked, suddenly interested.

"Well, I don't think he was writing letters to himself... do you, Captain?" Loki quipped, raising an eyebrow at Steve.

"Who?" Thor asked, visibly irritated at this point.

"How should I know? I can't read minds, I'm not a witch." Loki snapped at his brother.

"Then why do you dress like one?" Thor asked, nodding towards Loki.

"Hey..." he protested.

Steve was getting frustrated by the minute. Last thing in his mind was discussing Loki's choice of attire, which truth be told was conspicuous to say the least. So he pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned on the table again before speaking.

"Loki, we need to know."

"And like I said, I have no idea. He wasn't exactly friendly..."

"You're a murderer, Loki. You killed 18 people in 2 days. You're not the friendliest either” Thor interrupted again.

"Relax brother. You've had a stick up your ass ever since Jane dumped you..." Loki jabbed at his brother.

Thor shook his head in disbelief, as if he couldn't believe his own brother had brought up this old flame of his, and looked at Steve "It was a mutual dumping."

"I don't give a shit." Steve snapped. As far has he was concerned the only love life that mattered, because it was at stake, was his own. He turned to Loki and started pacing the room, trying to calm his nerves, before speaking again. "Rumlow has taken someone very precious to me... I need to know anything you have that may help. Otherwise we're wasting time here."

"Precious, you say? A woman I presume." Loki mused and he then looked Steve up and down, his eyes stopping at the Captain feet "Kneel."

"What?" Steve asked, obviously angry.

"Kneel, Captain. The laces to your boots are undone... I'd hate for you to fall." Loki explained, shrugging.

Steve looked at him for a few seconds, dumbfounded, before glancing down only to corroborate Loki was right and, just as he was about to bend his knee to lace them up, Loki stomped his foot beside him, which startled both, him and Thor.

"Sorry, I had an ant on my boot..."

"Enough of the theatrics, brother! Now tell us what you know!" Thor yelled standing up, his large fist banging on the table.

"Ok, look... he was bitter. Very bitter. Used to mumble all the time in his sleep about revenge and striking back. When I asked him what he meant he said once he was out he had a plan. A plan to take revenge on everyone he deemed to have wronged him. He would pick them off one by one, building up a grand finale." Loki explained, loquacious all of a sudden.

Steve gulped at Loki's words and straightened up, turning away.

"But I can guarantee he wasn't working alone." Loki added, tuning his head to look at Steve's back.

"What?" Steve snapped back round.

"I said I would lay odds on the fact he wasn't working alone. He's not the brightest person I've had the displeasure to speak to... and I would further bet this is who he was writing to. If I was you I would look for someone in your immediate surroundings. Someone with a grudge against you Captain, or maybe against someone you love dearly..."

No sooner had Loki uttered those last words than Steve and Thor shared a glance and the latter growled "Maximoff..."

They burst out of the room without so much of a glance back at Loki, almost tripping on the guard that was perched outside the door, and Steve could hear a faint “You're welcome” but he couldn't care less about manners given the situation. As soon as he had gotten his phone back, he turned it on and called Bucky who immediately started talking, without giving him a chance.

"Steve, listen... Natasha and Clint got back. The car was hired by a woman. Steve... they got a copy of the driver’s license used, and it's a fake name but the photo on it is..."

"Maximoff." Steve finished for him, almost panting as he was running down the prison parking lot, Thor a few steps ahead of him.

"Yeah, how did you..."

"Doesn't matter. Gather the Avengers and meet us at Wanda's place. We're heading there now." Steve ordered.

***** When they arrived at Wanda's apartment block they met Bucky and Tony at the entrance talking to the landlord. Bucky explained they had arrived a few minutes ago and had contacted the landlord on the way after asking Gina to pull some strings from the station to get Wanda's address and the landlord's information. He informed Steve that Clint and Nat would be coming after a while as they were trying to get a search warrant from Judge Hill. They tried buzzing the intercom a couple of times but there was no answer, which didn’t surprise any of them. So, after being let in by the landlord, the three officers ran up the stairs followed by Tony, taking their guns out in the process, until they got to the tenth floor and Thor signalled to Wanda's apartment door.

He looked at Steve, who nodded, before sticking his ear to the door. Thor shook his head after a few seconds.

“Nothing…”

Steve nodded again before Thor and him raised a foot.

“Wait!” Bucky said, and they both turned to him. “Steve, if we go barging in there without a warrant, you could jeopardise the entire case.” “I don’t give a fuck about the case.” Steve shook his head “All I care about is my Girl.” with that he looked back at Thor “One, two…” With that they both raised their right feet and with a large kick each they successfully booted the door in. Steve could tell there was no one in there. But they still waited for Thor who entered first to make a quick sweep and then give them the green light before entering the apartment.

"Spread out. Look for anything that might help. Any evidence Rumlow has been staying here." Steve ordered, Captain Rogers taking over from the concerned boyfriend again.

They started sweeping the apartment looking for something that might belong to Rumlow or that might be evidence of what they were plotting and, most important, where they were planning on taking Katie. If ever there was a plan to take her seeing as the MO in her case had been a little sloppy. They rummaged every drawer and cupboard in the apartment, they even searched the kitchen high and low but nothing came out. At this point Clint and Natasha arrived, Clint clutching the warrant and they started the search but it all seemed rather pointless as they found zero evidence of anything that would help….until Tony spotted what seemed to be a small utility room or toilet which had a lock on the door.

"Really? That easy, Wanda?" Bucky heard Tony mutter when he found him bent over the lock.

"Found something?" Bucky asked.

"Might as well. Have you got a hair pin or something?" Tony asked, standing up straight again.

Bucky looked blankly at him.

"Guess that's a no. Ok, then. Do you think you can boot the door open? S.W.A.T like?" Tony asked.

"Stand back." Bucky answered, before tearing the door open with a swift kick of his foot.

"Good job. I'd have done it myself, but I'm wearing loafers" Tony thanked Bucky.

They both peered inside only to discover that the room wasn't as small as it had seemed from the outside. It was like a spare room with a wardrobe, a single bed, a desk and a chair. Bucky immediately reached for the wardrobe and found a few items of men clothing hanging on the inside.

"Steve!" he yelled.

A few seconds later Steve emerged in the door followed by Thor, Clint and Natasha.

"What's all this?" Steve asked, looking from the wardrobe to the various folders that were on the desk and that Tony was inspecting.

"I bet they're Rumlow's:" Bucky said, nodding to the clothes.

"I'll call the lab and send Banner to process all these. I don't trust anyone else with this.” Tony offered as he fiddled with his phone until Natasha stopped him.

“We already called him.” she said. “He’s on his way.” Tony and Steve both nodded. “Thanks”

Tony picked up one of the folders he had been flicking through, frowning slightly.

"What is it?" Steve asked, nodding to the file held in his hands.

"They're basically pictures but.." Tony trailed off as Steve moved to take a look. He felt the blood pounding in his ears as he looked down.

"Son of a bitch!" he cursed, snatching the pile from Tony's hands. There was shot after shot of Katie and Steve. Most seemed to have been taken outside of his apartment as they headed towards his car, hand in hand. One of them showed Steve giving her a quick kiss before he opened the passenger door for her. Another one showed them leaving the station together. Then there were several of her own, walking out of Tony’s apartment to her car. There were even a few of Katie and Bucky as they headed out of the station together.

“That was Thursday I think…” Bucky mumbled “We went for coffee. This is sick."

Steve’s chest was heaving with the exertion of trying to keep his temper at the photos of in his hands.

"Cap?" Tony called Steve’s attention and he turned as Tony held out another pile he had just inspected. Steve looked at Tony who had gone pale and felt his hand shaking a little as he grabbed the snaps off Katie

What saw as he shuffled through them froze his blood. They were single, close up head shots of each of the other victims, however they were all crossed off by a large, red X drawn directly over their faces. Only one remained still untouched as he reached the end of the pile. Katie's.

Still, Steve thought to himself as he run his thumb over Katie's smiling face.

He looked up as Banner walked into the room, nodding to them all and made his way to Tony who wasn’t listening. Instead he was frowning at another picture he had found, presumably from another pile on the desk.

"Hey Cap.." he said waving it at Steve. Steve looked at it and saw that it was a photo of Pierce and Howard in NYPD training gear, "... isn't this..?"

"Camp LeHigh" Steve confirmed Tony's suspicions "Me and Katie were only talking about that last night... " he trailed of at the memory of his girl cuddled in his arms only a few hours before he pushed it to the back of his mind. "What are Pierce and your dad doing there in their sports stuff?"

"Dad said in the 60s, before it was an activities camp, it was an old army base the NYPD used to use for drills." Tony explained. "They must have been on one when this was taken. But why does Rumlow have it? Why does it mean anything to him?"

Steve then looked at Bucky and swallowed before looking at Tony again whose eyes were glued to the picture.

"Tony... Rumlow is Pierce's son." Steve said, almost whispered.

"What?" Tony asked, his brow furrowed and his eyes wide open in surprise.

"Katie was on her way to tell you before." Steve paused, taking a deep breath "... he got a 16 year old pregnant. She died in childbirth and the child, Rumlow, was adopted. We believe he found out and was using the information to blackmail Pierce over the rape case and later the assault charge on Katie. It looks like your dad found out and..." he trailed off again, shaking his head.

"Spit it out, Rogers." Tony growled.

"We think Pierce killed your parents to keep his secret from getting out. Katie wanted to tell you herself, that's why she was alone when she brought you the evidence..."

Tony fell speechless for a moment, which was something to say the least. Steve saw him blink twice and then look at him "This...all this is what was on that drive?" he asked,his voice quiet.

Steve nodded but he didn't see what was coming when Tony rushed forward and gripped his shirt tightly. Steve stumbled backwards into the wall in surprise.

"So you're telling me...Pierce KILLED my parents, and now his BASTARD SON has my sister?" Tony hollered at him, his face only a few inches apart from Steve's.

"Tony, I'm sorry." Steve whispered, his face flinching in anticipation for what was coming. And came it did in the form of Tony’s fist connecting straight with the left hand side of his upper lip. Steve’s head snapping to the right as there was suddenly a lot of commotion in the small room as Nat, Clint, Bruce and Bucky both rushed forward. Bucky jumped straight in between the two men as he saw Steve made no attempt to fight back, reverting once more to that little kid from Brooklyn that Bucky was persistently bailing out from fights throughout their entire childhood.

And Bucky knew the reason for that was simple. Steve thought he deserved it. He believed that Tony was right, this was all his fault because Katie shouldn't have been alone.

Bucky held Steve by his arms and shook him slightly to bring him back from the place he was in.

"Hey, are you ok?" he checked.

Steve nodded, pushing him away as he wiped a trickle of blood from his split lip.

"Tony, look, I know you're upset...but this isn't gonna help anyone." Bruce said, his hands on the man's chest as he wrenched his arm out of Natasha’s hold from where she had grabbed it to stop him throwing another punch.

Thor, who had left a few minutes before to speak to his troops at the station, appeared again on the threshold of the door. Bucky saw him take in Steve’s split lip and how Bruce was pushing Tony away, but he didn't pass any comment. Instead, he looked at Steve. "Captain...dispatch called... we have a ping on the plate. It tripped one of the cameras 10 minutes ago on the interstate, heading out to New Jersey."

"Bucky, Thor, we’ll go after it." Steve, ordered.

"I'm coming too." Tony said.

"Tony...I don't." Steve began.

"Listen to me Rogers, that's my fucking sister, so I'm coming." Tony hissed.

"Tony maybe that isn't the best idea...." Bruce intervened.

"Steve, if he wants to come let him, we don't have time..." Bucky urged.

Steve then nodded and ordered Nat and Clint to help Banner get the evidence to the lab, and asked Nat to instruct dispatch to secure channel 7 and keep all related coms through that channel alone.

"Channel 7 secured." Nat said a minute later as she fiddled with a pair of gloves. "What? I can multitask." she said to Banner who was looking at her in amazement.

"Ok. Let's go." Steve said and the four men sprinted out of the building to the patrol car.

"Jump in." Thor ordered as he fired car up.

As soon as they set off heading in the same direction as the suspect car had been travelling in Steve called Fury to explain what they had discovered and where they were headed.

"Leave it with me Captain." Fury assured him once Steve had finished explaining.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Something dramatic I hope. Stark, Maximoff's and Rumlow's photos are currently being sent to all news networks...soon there will be a Nation-wide alert for them and I'll order a code red on the plate of the car too." Fury informed.

"Thank you, Sir." Steve said quietly.

"Keep me up to speed." Steve could almost see Fury nodding fondly.

As Thor sped the car along, weaving through the traffic as it moved out of the way, Steve could feel his anxiety growing and tried so hard to keep the negative thoughts at bay and focus on what they already knew. But he found himself drifting through memories, memories that went way back over the years they’d been friends. Happy memories, tense memories, fond memories, sad memories…none of them he would change for a damned second, and even the shit times he’d go through a thousand times over because it brought him to the now. To being with her, to laying with her, making love to her…

He was pulled out from his thoughts as they got a call on the designated dispatch channel to inform them that the vehicle had been found somewhere on the road to New Jersey. Steve keyed the coordinates into the navigational system and Thor concentrated on following the directions.

After what felt like an age they arrived and were met by two officers from the New Jersey force who informed them the car had been abandoned a few hundred yards or so down the small dirt track off the interstate. Thor took charge in talking to them and as the other three ran to the car, Steve could hear him instructing them to keep area clear as a potential crime scene.

"2 sets of tracks in, 1 out." Tony, who was looking at the ground as they walked towards the car, pointed out.

"So they swapped cars." Bucky surmised.

Steve was already looking around the abandoned vehicle, peering in with his hands on his hips, whilst Tony was getting his kit ready and putting a pair of gloves on. From where he was, Steve could see nothing other than an empty water bottle, but as he moved to check the back seats he noticed something sparking in the light in the footwell of the left hand side. He leaned forward to take a better look as he called for Tony and Bucky, who had also put a pair of gloves on. He was almost sure it was Katie's star necklace.

Steve had an epiphany moment as Tony grabbed the necklace and showed it to him before putting it in an evidence bag before handing it to Steve.

"Oh, Baby...you clever, clever girl...." he breathed out, shaking his head proudly. He smiled at Tony and then wheeled to the officer who was talking to Thor and barked "How far is camp Lehigh from here?"

"About 6 miles sir...but it's been shut for 6 months..." the officer said, not fully understanding what that would have to do with anything.

"Steve what is it?" Bucky asked, sensing the change in Steve's behaviour.

"Everyone, get in the car, now! I'll explain on the way." he shouted as he started sprinting back towards the patrol car.

Thor, Bucky and Tony shared a glance and Tony shrugged before the three of them followed Steve's tracks and all jumped in the car. Steve was already re-programming the sat nav as Thor sat back in the driver's side and fired the engine.

"He's taking her to camp Lehigh...Like Katie said...he's a narcissist...and he's made it personal." Steve turned back to inform Tony and Bucky as he pointed to the navigator for Thor to check it.

"Personal?" Bucky asked.

"Of course. That's the point of all this..." Tony groaned.

"She must have figured it out, that's why she left the necklace behind." Steve said, this time his eyes fixed in the road ahead. His mind picturing the moment Katie sussed where she was being taken and yanked her necklace from her neck.

"Necklace? I'm not..." Bucky asked.

"Me and Katie...we took a trip to the Camp a while back. It's where I bought her the star pendant." Steve cut him off, his hand fisting around the bag in his pocket "... to help her remember that even in the darkest of nights, the stars are always there, even if you can't see them." he explained, choking up slightly at the last part.

She was his star, always there.

Bucky saw he was getting upset again and leaned forward to squeeze his shoulder. "Star spangled man huh? Or should that be Stark spangled man..." he joked.

Steve gave a small smile. Bucky was right, he was the Stark Spangled Man. He had been over the last ten and a half years and was determined to keep it that way even if he had to strangle Rumlow himself with his own hands. He ran that mental image through his mind and felt a strange sense of satisfaction washing over him as the vision of him kicking the shit out of Rumlow hit his brain.

That was settled, he would get his girl back and Rumlow was going to pay for real this time.

When you gotta go, you gotta go and now it was that bastard’s time to go, Steve thought as the car sped towards its destination.

#csi rogers and barnes #csi au #steve rogers #steve rogers x oc #steve rogers x original female character #bucky barnes #mcu #mcu fanfiction

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chipper9906 · 4 years

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The Best Laid Plans - Chapter 7: Close Calls

LINK TO CHAPTER 1

Pairings: Kylo Ren/Rey, Ben Solo/Rey

Rating: General Audiences

Word Count: 10,378

Status: Multi Chapter Fic - In Progress

Chapter Preview:

Kylo only made it a few steps towards the exit of the AT-AT before he heard Rey speak again. “I think he would be more than ‘a little stressed’ if he found out you were leaving to help a Jedi!”

It’s enough for him to hesitate, coming to a standstill as he thinks over her words. “Yes, well…” He clears his throat, turning to face Rey and nearly jumping when he sees that she too had stood up and made her way over to him to walk him out. “I should probably get back before he gathers evidence to accuse me of that.”

Rey smiles softly up at him, and the upwards twitch at the corner of his lips has something akin to hope brewing in her chest. It wasn’t the toothy smile she wanted to see, but it was so much better than the emotionless mask he usually wore – or the occasional frown whenever he seemed to speak. She wants to see more of it, and maybe that’s why she does what she does next.

LINK TO FIC

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* * *

Arriving at Kylo’s ship should have been a relief. Sure, they had arrived in relative safety, and with no clouds in the sky, they were guaranteed a successful take-off and exit from this horrendous planet. But sat inside this oddly stuffy feeling ship, Rey was stuck in that uncomfortable situation where you have no clue what to say.

Ben was in distress, there was no doubt about that. He had killed more innocent people than his men for a lot less, so while him being so distraught over his actions now wasn’t a regular occurrence, she had been expecting for him to shake it off once some time had passed. Instead, the look in his eyes once he had pulled his helmet off his head was one Rey could only describe as ‘the thousand-yard stare.’ Looking but not seeing, moving on autopilot as he got them through takeoff, and putting the ship into… well, into autopilot.

Rey glanced sideways at him from her seated position. She hoped there was at least some reflections and insights going through his mind as he stared blankly out to the stars that whipped past them. Though, at the same time, she was worried he was going to get too lost in his thoughts. Yes, it was important for him to see the Galaxy in more than just black and white, good and bad, right and wrong. That while there may be reasons for the lives they take, it doesn’t always justify it. But if you let yourself get sucked down into that reasoning, it becomes harder to do what, sometimes, you have to do for the sake of yourself, and the ones you love.

Does she want him to murder billions of innocent civilians to reach his goal? No, of course she doesn’t. But if a situation occurs where his life is in danger from another? He needs his survival instincts -his desire to stay alive- to take control of his mind. Not the question of whether what he was about to do is right.

That’s how you get yourself killed.

“Ben?” Kylo didn’t respond to his name. Rey worried over whether it was because he didn’t hear her or if he was choosing not to. “Are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Kylo’s voice came out as more of a rumble, his eyes fixated on the windshield.

Rey sighed quietly to herself in disappointment, turning back around to stare out of the windshield herself. Of course, this is how he would react. Kylo didn’t want help, whether it be physical or mental. He was always adamant he could work out anything by himself; why would this time be any different?

Maybe because something about him feels different. Like a piece of a puzzle locked into place in his mind, and for the first time he can look at the full picture, can begin to make sense of the confusing mess it had once been. Still, she wouldn’t push him on it. That wouldn’t lead to anything good, only another argument that would put a strain on their fragile friendship, if you can even call it that.

“No,” Kylo said the word so quietly that Rey wondered if she had really heard it. She turned back around to face him, seeing him leaning forward with his elbows on his thighs, resting his chin atop his connected fists, still staring out at the Galaxy in front of them. “No. I’m not okay.”

Rey’s entire body froze. She had wanted this conversation, and now they were having it, she didn’t know what to say to him. Should she even talk? Does she just listen? Perhaps encourage him to continue speaking, to say how he’s truly feeling? Or will that scare him off? Surely he wouldn’t backtrack on his previous statement unless he wanted to talk to her.

“I know,” Rey settles on. “And I get the feeling that scares you.”

“It confuses me,” Kylo corrected her. “It used to be that I was one person, being pulled to two different sides. Now it feels like I’ve split in two, and they’re arguing with each other all the time. I worked so hard to become who I thought I should be, and now this? I don’t know who I am anymore, Rey.”

“That’s okay,” Rey tried to reassure Kylo, but she gets a confused frown in return.

“How is it okay?” Kylo straightens his back, eyebrows furrowing deeper as he speaks. “I’m lost. I feel like I’m masquerading as someone I aspire to be, but there’s another person trying to come to the surface, and I hate that person. But they’re so… overpowering.”

“Maybe because the person you’re trying to be isn’t actually someone you want to be.”

Kylo scoffed at her words, shaking his head in disbelief. “Or maybe it is,” Rey shrugged, and Kylo’s head whipped around to face her. He hadn’t been expecting for her to say something like that, something that encouraged her to be… well, to be Kylo Ren. “Maybe you want to be Kylo Ren. Maybe you want to make your grandfather proud, to become the feared apprentice he once was. Maybe that’s what you want, but maybe that’s not who you are. It’s not who you’re meant to be.”

“Then why does the dark call to me?” Kylo said the question in a way that made Rey wonder whether he was directing it at her, or at himself. “Why did I take so naturally to it? Why did I thrive under Snoke’s teaching?”

Rey didn’t really know how to answer his question. He was the one more informed about the Force, after all. She barely had any training on it, most of what she’s able to do based more on an instinct within her than calling on the limited training she had received from Master Luke.

“Because it’s easier to fall to the dark than it is to stay in the light. I mostly try to ignore that little voice inside me that asks: ‘Why? Why do we bother to stay in the light? Why limit our abilities, struggle to use them in the way of the light, when it feels so much easier, so much more natural to give in to my emotions? To let them guide my powers’.”

“Exactly!” Kylo stressed. “I… I know I’m more powerful in the dark. I’m not willing to give that up. Without my power… Who am I? Without The First Order, without my Knights… I’ll be nothing.”

“You’ll be who you’re supposed to be. You’ll be the man that changes the Galaxy for the better. You’ll be the man who realizes he’s worth more than he’s allegiance to the dark.”

“I can’t…” Kylo’s voice was harsh and ragged, and it pained Rey to hear. “I can’t turn my back on it all. This is who I’m supposed to be.” Kylo averted his gaze, defeated eyes pinned to the console of his ship.

“If it’s who you’re supposed to be, why is the over voice inside you so loud?” Rey asked him. Kylo’s eyes briefly flickered up to her, but quickly dropped back to the console in front of him. “You say you thrived under Snoke’s teachings, but that’s only because he wanted you to. You did well under Luke, too. And I have no doubt you would have been extraordinary if you hadn’t had Snoke digging into your mind.”

“It never felt right. With my Uncle, following the path of the Jedi.”

“It didn’t for me, either.” Rey admitted to him. “It still doesn’t. And now? There are no more Jedi. I’ll never become a true Jedi, not in the Jedi Order, not the way they used to be. But why should I be limited to that? Why can’t I decide the type of Jedi I want to be? Why can’t you?”

Kylo’s face twisted in his confusion. “What are you saying?”

“I don’t think I could ever follow the rules of being a Jedi. I… I know I will never be able to fully push away the call to the dark. It exists within me for a reason. There will be times where I give in, when I let my emotions get the best of me -let those emotions guide me in the Force. But surely that’s better than forcing myself to stay only in the Light? If I push myself to stay that way, then I’ll inevitably burn myself out and find myself falling to the dark. And I know that’s what you want, but that isn’t for me. I can say that with confidence. I’ll never turn fully to the dark, but I’ll never stay only in the light.”

“Then how come when I say the same to you, with the roles reversed, you can’t accept it?” Kylo’s voice had a twinge of frustration to it.

“Because we wouldn’t be having this conversation if you were sure you belonged to the Dark, would we?”

Kylo’s face scrunched up in a way that seemed like he was trying to look disgusted by what Rey was suggesting. But in the time they’ve spent together, Rey has learned to read between the lines. She’s starting to get a better read on how he’s really feeling. And Kylo? He can say otherwise, but he looks scared. And she can’t blame him. She knows of the internal battle he’s having since she has to live with it herself every day. To have one day had that battle end, to think he’s finally found himself, and now that certainty has been ripped away from him.

Honestly, she’s surprised - and quite relieved - that he isn’t blaming her for all of this. She’s bared witness to the subtle changes within him ever since the first time this bizarre bond of theirs connected them. It seemed unbelievable at first that Kylo Ren could ever change, but the evidence was right in front of her. It was slow, and he was fighting himself every step of the way, but it was happening. She would like to think this would have happened to him even if they had never met, but it can’t be a coincidence that all of this began the day they crossed paths... She had planted doubt into his mind, and so it would be easy for him to place the blame on her for it all but he wasn’t. He was struggling, and the fact that it hurt Rey to see him in this type of pain was worrying in ways she didn’t want to think about.

But this hurt? It seems necessary. Something he has to fight through, something they both have to fight through. Because this conversation isn’t one that would have existed only a few months ago. Right now, looking at the distress in his eyes, she can almost see him. And deep down she knows, she knows the other person inside of him? It has to be Ben, clawing his way to the surface. Kylo was sure he had killed Ben Solo, that by murdering his father he had quieted him for good. Rey didn’t believe that for a second. He was always there, whether Kylo liked it not. And it seemed that, right now, he certainly did not.

If what Kylo said was true, that the other person is over-powering? Maybe they stand a chance. One day, she might get to see her vision be realized.

And that is a day she can’t wait to see.

“I don’t know what you want me to say,” Rey told him. “I can only offer you the advice I have.”

“And what’s that?” Kylo’s voice had a hint of sarcasm to it, but the way his eyes were locked on hers could only mean he genuinely wanted to hear her advice.

“Instead of ignoring the other voice inside you? Just… hear him out. See what he has to say. He is you, after all. Surely the person who knows what’s best for you can only be yourself?

* * *

For the first time in what feels like her entire life, the sight of Jakku doesn’t make her stomach twist uncomfortably. That’s not to say she feels comfortable returning here, that would be impossible; Most of the people that lived on his planet didn’t do so by their own choice, and those that managed to live somewhat comfortably were only able to do so by taking advantage of the people that could barely scrape by.

If Rey were to try and name the feeling the sandy stretch of land she saw beyond Kylo’s windshield invoked in her, it would be something akin to excitement. You couldn’t really blame her, not when she knows what lies ahead. Building her own lightsaber. While she knew the hard work probably wasn’t over yet, at least she could do it in an environment she knew. Less chance of encountering surprise patrols, creatures she hasn’t seen before and, best of all, no storms.

If she was being honest with herself, there’s perhaps a little anxiety too; some uncertainty in her abilities and, even stranger, a sense of comfort in knowing Kylo will be with her the whole time. She tells herself it’s because she’s lived most of her life alone and likes the company, but deep down she knows there’s more to it than that. But thinking that way leads down a dangerous and confusing road, so Rey pushes those thoughts away.

‘For now…’ Rey pushes that thought away, too.

Kylo lands his ship a small distance away from Rey’s old AT-AT shelter. Not too far away that the trek there would be exhausting, but enough so that it reduced the chance of someone coming across both her previous home and his shuttle and putting two and two together.

“Are you sure you want to help me do this?” Rey walked in tandem with Kylo as they departed his ship, their steps matching as they tread across the hot, sinking sand. Kylo didn’t bother with his mask this time. If they were going to get caught, people would likely recognize him with or without his mask. Besides, it was infinitely more comfortable not to wear it, especially in hotter climates such as this one.

“I said I would.” Kylo’s heavier weight made him sink even further down into the sand than Rey, scowling down at his feet as he battled to move through the sand. “Besides, you have no clue on how to make a saber yourself. If I didn’t help you, it wouldn’t happen.”

Rey could already feel some beads of sweat dripping down the back her neck, soaking the collar of her shirt. Exiting from the cool interior of the ship into the dry heat of Jakku’s atmosphere was really messing with her body’s internal temperature gauge. “I don’t know how to do it right now, but there are the books Master Luke left behind, remember? There must be something in there about constructing a lightsaber.”

“You haven’t read them yet?” Kylo turned his face briefly to face her, though his eyes quickly returned to the ground to track where his next step was going to be.

“I’ve… I’ve tried.”

“They’re not exactly the most enthralling of reading material. Then again, I only got a few minutes with the one I managed to get my hands on. I ‘wasn’t ready to read it yet’, according to my Uncle.”

The AT-AT was coming into sight now, waves of heat bouncing off the shimmering silver metal of its sides. Unconsciously, they both picked up their pace, racing towards the limited cooling the shade of the AT-At would provide. “Well…” Rey huffed in the unpleasant heat. “I think it’s obvious that I’m not ready to read them yet. I couldn’t make much sense of them. It all became a bit too frustrating after a while, so I’ve mostly been avoiding them.”

A look of what could almost be described as amusement, and a little bit of exasperation, crossed Kylo’s face, pausing outside the entrance to her AT-AT. “You’ve just proven I’m right then, haven’t you? If you can’t read the books – and that’s assuming there is something about building a saber in them – how else will you get information on how to do it?”

Rey held open the makeshift door to her old home for Kylo, directing a narrow-eyed look at him. “I would have read them eventually. I needed more training before tackling them.”

“Training from who? You’re alone-,”

“Oh, so you’re just assuming I was alone?”

“I’m not assuming, I know. You were speaking to FN-2187–,”

“Finn.” Rey corrected him sharply, nearly dropping her hold on the door at the urge to give him a shove.

“Fine, you were speaking to Finn over a Holocron, meaning you weren’t within the Resistance base anymore. Since you’re so keen to remind me that they’re ‘all you have left’, there isn’t really anyone else you would go to. So, you were alone.”

The silence after his words was all the acknowledgment Kylo needed to know he had guessed correctly- and had won yet another argument. “Just get inside, would you?” If Rey had to hold this door open for a minute longer, she was going to have a nasty burn across her palm.

Kylo ducked through the small door, and Rey wanted to smack that subtle hint of a smirk off his face as he disappeared inside. That didn’t count as a real smile. It just meant he was struggling to hide his satisfaction at having pissed her off, and that’s the kind of smile she sees on Kylo Ren’s face every damn day.

The inside of the AT-AT didn’t provide much relief from the unrelenting heat, but it at least provided cover from the scorching sun. Kylo all but collapsed down into what could barely pass as a couch - more a few hole-ridden pillows and blankets thrown over some wooden crates. He pulled his leather gloves off, wiping his sweaty hands across his clothes to try and dry them. Rey made a beeline for the old water reserves she has tucked away in the coolest corner of her makeshift home, pouring it out into two canteens she keeps nearby. The water would probably be warm, but she was too thirsty to care about that.

She hands one of the canteens over to Kylo, who can barely give a quick ‘thanks’ before he’s downing the contents of the canteen. Rey sips on her drink slower, partly because she’s more adapted to living in Jakku’s heat, but mostly because she wants to savor the limited amount of water she has available.

“So, what’s the plan now?” Rey jumps up on her bed opposite him, bringing the canteen up to her lips for another refreshing gulp.

Kylo twist’s the cap of the canteen back into place, placing it on the floor with a sigh that Rey doesn’t like the sound of. “For now, I have to return back to The First Order. I can’t be gone too long without raising suspicion.”

Rey didn’t want to question why Kylo leaving filled her with disappointment. “Aren’t you Supreme Leader now?”

Kylo raised an eyebrow at her. “So?”

“Doesn’t that mean you can do whatever you want to?”

Kylo snorts, picking the canteen back up as he stands from the ‘couch’. “Unfortunately, no. Leading an entire army does mean I have responsibilities, I’m afraid.” He walks the few steps it takes to reach Rey, holding out the canteen for her to take.

Rey takes the canteen from his hands, trying to ignore the zap of electricity she felt as Kylo’s hands brushed against her own. “Will you be gone long?” She hates the almost whining tone in her voice, but not as much as she hates the part sympathetic-part surprised look she gets from Kylo, his eyebrows nearly raising into his hairline at her question.

“I can’t imagine so.” He snatched his gloves back off from the couch. “-Unless some emergency comes up that requires my attention. I’m sure I can think up of some excuse to leave that won’t get me grief from my General’s.”

“I imagine they’re tearing their hair out at your continuous absence.”

Kylo lets out a huffy breath of laughter that almost forces a smile out of him. Although his eyes have gone soft in a way that makes Rey’s stomach do somersaults whenever he looks at her. “Hux already tears his hair out at the smallest of grievances. I’m sure a little extra stress won’t hurt.”

“Stay safe.” She says tenderly, and before Kylo can say anything in response, she’s leaning forward on her tiptoes with one hand on his chest as she plants a kiss on his cheek.

Kylo’s head snaps back like she had slapped him instead, eyes wide as dinner plates and his throat working nervously as he struggles to come up with some semblance of intelligent speech. The stammering mess that comes out of his mouth could barely qualify as speech as he took a few cautious steps back from Rey. “U-uh – It – I – Y-you – I-I-I don’t-,” He trips over a few spare parts that were scattered on the ground as he stumbles backward. Rey moves to help him from falling, but he quickly straightens himself up before she can get anywhere near him. She raised a hand to her mouth to smother her laughter at the fierce red blush that spread to the tip of his ears, only feeling marginally okay about laughing at him seeing as he would often find humor in her embarrassments.

“Right, I…” Kylo cleared his throat to compose himself. “You stay safe, too. I’ll, uh… I’m sure we’ll be connected again while I’m away. I’ll give you updates to when I can return.”

Rey watches him walk out of her AT-AT at such a speed that she could almost say he was sprinting away. Truthfully, she doesn’t know why she had kissed him. She had never kissed someone before, even if it was just a cheek kiss, but it had just felt natural to do. And if that was the kind of reaction she would get out of Kylo every time she did it, she was going to have to do it more. That was definitely why she wanted to. Not for her own enjoyment.

She had the feeling that Kylo isn’t really used to physical affection. Really, that just gave her another reason for it.

* * *

His office felt stuffy and quiet. Too quiet. Which didn’t make sense, as there were background noises all around him: the ship’s engines running, officers and troopers marching past his door, speaking murmured conversations as they went by, but something just felt missing, and he didn’t like it.

Kylo’s mask stared back at him from his desk. The ebony black seemed to melt into the unnaturally polished white plastic of the desk’s surface. He used to do this a lot – stare into his mask in the hopes he can see his grandfather’s staring back at him. He used to come close, before. Now it just feels like it’s mocking him. Like a child playing dress up as their favorite hero.

Kylo’s hand lifted to his head, resting on the scratchy bandage that covered it. It had all but dried now, but the feeling of a dirty, bloodstained, previously soaked gauze made his skin itch. Really, he should get to a medic bay and have one of the medical droids take a look at it. He didn’t think it needed any stitches – Rey had said so herself after the wound had been inflicted. Still, he at the very least would need to have some Bacta patches applied to speed up the healing process.

Kylo plucked his mask up from the desk as he stood, placing it atop his head as the pristine white doors to his office slid open. He kept at a steady pace as he made his way down the ships many corridors, barely giving a glance to the troopers he passed. Not that he could get much of a glance of them anyway. Mostly, all he saw was a flash of white as they hastily moved out of his way, pressed against the wall and hands raised in salute when he walked by.

That was until he entered the medical bay. He had been stood outside the door to the room, wondering why the doors were not functioning when they had suddenly slid open. One of his troopers was standing on the other side, apparently as startled to see him as he was to see them-

The sound of his saber; Hissing and crackling as it forced its way through immaculate white armor. The sight of bubbling plastic, the white armor turned black from heat. Of raw, scorched flesh. Blank, lifeless eyes staring at nothing from beyond their visors. The sound of panicked cries, of a young man pleading, begging for the pitiful life he has.

“Apologies, Sir.” The voice of the trooper in front of him yanked Kylo back to the present. Like the rest, the trooper had flung themselves to the side, making way for Kylo to enter the room. Kylo stood frozen, any words he would usually say trapped in his throat. It felt like his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. “I was just leaving.”

Kylo’s eyes were glued to the trooper, staring at the hand raised to his head in salute. Did this nameless individual truly feel any sense of duty as he saluted? Did the thought of giving up his life for the First Order - for him - fill this soldier with a sense of pride? Or was it something that kept them awake at night, wondering why they were risking their lives for another nameless man behind a mask.

Kylo Ren. It was all they ever know him as. They didn’t know Ben Solo. No one really did. Not even his mother. Not even Rey. He was the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa. He was the grandchild of Anakin Skywalker and Padamé Amidala. He was Luke Skywalker’s nephew padawan. He was Snoke’s apprentice. He was the leader of the Knights of Ren. He was Supreme Leader of The First Order. These were all things he thought mattered to who he was. They were reasons for pride, reasons for shame, reasons for everything he has ever done; reasons to justify his actions. What were they now? Nothing more than titles. A set of expectations.

But who was he really? It used to anger him that people never knew the real him, but how could he blame them when he himself can’t decide who he really is?

Kylo’s body seemed to come back to life before his brain did. His feet carried him into the room in a few strides. He didn’t have to look behind him to know the trooper had rushed out of the room the second he had entered it. Seeing the fear his soldiers had for him used to fill him with an odd sense of satisfaction. Or perhaps arrogance was a more accurate term. Now, as the doors closed shut behind him, it filled him with an all too familiar sense of loneliness.

Kylo took a seat atop the medical table. The second he had pulled his mask off his face, the medical droids were floating in front of him, poking at the bandages at his head in their frantic attempt to examine his injury. He batted their incessant pinchers away, untying the knot that held the bandage together and sliding it off his head. Kylo winced as the sticky dried blood pulled away along with the gauze, the stinging pain a likely sign that the wound had been reopened. He didn’t have much time to think about it before the droids were back, already busying themselves with cleaning the thin stream of blood that was oozing from his head.

He stared vacantly ahead as the droids did their work. Like it often did, he found his mind had begun to drift. And, like often, he found those thoughts began to drift to her. To the scavenger from Jakku that was aspiring to keep the Jedi alive. To the girl that always found a way to take the way he thought things were and show him how utterly wrong he was. It had been a strange journey of knowing her. He hadn’t thought all that much of her at first. She had been a source of information; a scavenger on a desolate planet that had happened upon a droid containing the one thing he wanted most.

‘Think you want.’ Kylo brushed her voice out of his mind. He hadn’t thought much of her, as most probably did. And then… then she had resisted. No, she had fought back. She had forced her way into his mind, and it seemed like she didn’t even mean to do it. She just had. And if she could do such a thing without even meaning to, who knows what she would be possible of with the right training? After that, it had been an odd mix of respect and perhaps even a bit of jealousy. He had trained years to achieve the skills he has now. All that he had gone through, under both his Uncle’s and Snoke’s teachings, and somehow this girl had become his equal, and she didn’t even know what the Force was? It was outrageous, it was unfair, and he wanted her power. He wanted her by his side as an accomplice.

Where were they now? It felt off to describe it as friendship. It was tentative, and it was most definitely fragile, but it was there. He supposed the fact that the Force had connected them had helped to nurture their relationship into existence, but it had been strengthened in the time they spent together side by side. They had begun this plan of theirs as nothing more than reluctant acquaintances, but something had changed in the time they had spent together, an odd draw pulling him closer to her, and her to him - and that wasn’t just him being egotistical of himself. His people skills might not be as sharp as they once were, but he’s all too familiar with what disappointment looks like on a person’s face. And when he had told Rey he had to leave? That had been disappointment.

Calling her his friend seemed a step too far in itself, but it was the only word he could find to describe what Rey was to him. That was what he had been repeating to himself on his ship after he had left, anyway. She was his friend. It didn’t matter that his heart pounded in his chest whenever she stepped close to him. It didn’t matter that it became harder to tear his eyes away from her every time his gaze passed by her. It didn’t matter the way her touch seemed to linger on his skin whenever she touched him. Rey was his friend.

And repeating that over and over had been working just fine until she had gone and kissed him. It hadn’t even been on his mouth -just a quick kiss on his cheek. He hadn’t received a kiss like that since he was probably about five, and it had been a touch of such comfort and care that it had nearly been enough to make him fall right on his ass. It was more than he had received in many, many years, but what had shaken him even more than the kiss was the realization that he wanted more.

He wanted more than friendship, and that in itself was something he shouldn’t have with her. Rey was more than just the last Jedi. She was the last of the people’s hope. His uncle had been the last to be trained under the Jedi religion, and the only people alive whose knowledge of the Jedi religion his uncle had passed onto was himself, his knights, and Rey. There had been more… but he had slaughtered them all that night, alongside the padawans that had become his knights. Rey was the only way the Jedi Order would live on. If he were to kill her, it would be over. There would always be Force Users in the Galaxy, there was no stopping that, but if he were to kill Rey? There would be no one left alive to pass on the Jedi teachings. There would only be him. He could easily put out feelers to identify those sensitive with the Force. The question would be what he would do with those he found. One option was to kill them. After all, any other Force User was a potential challenge to his power, to his position as Supreme Leader. But if he were to take them in, to train them as he once was, just like his knights… His own army of powerful apprentices…Who would dare challenge him?

There were a few problems with all of this. With the first option… He didn’t know if he could do it anymore. If killing a single stormtrooper that was going to kill him had disturbed him as much as it did, what would happen if he were to face a child that didn’t even really know what was happening to them? Something he himself had experienced in his life…

With the second option… He wasn’t sure he wanted to be a master. To teach people in the way Snoke had taught him… It would only lead to them hating him, as he did his previous master. They’d be likely to follow the path he had once taken, and he didn’t want his life to end with being sliced in half by one of his apprentices.

The biggest problem in all of this? They all relied on taking Rey’s life. And the fact of the matter was that was something he couldn’t do. There was no if’s or but’s about that. Kylo could not kill her, and that was that.

So that left him with assisting the last living Jedi, the one obstacle in the way of achieving a goal he’s had for years, with creating a powerful weapon that she could one day wield against him. Which begged the question; what else was he willing to do for her? If he one day had to take on the entire First Order to protect her, would he do it? Would he slaughter his entire army, just to keep her alive? The fact that he had so willingly murdered his own troopers without much of a second thought to protect her brought him closer to the answer to those questions.

How much longer will it take in her presence before the answer to those questions will be an unhesitating ‘yes?’

The door to the medic bay whooshed open, the sound of it pulling him out of his thoughts. His head snapped up, pushing away the medical droid that was applying the last of the Bacta patches to his forehead to see who has entered the room. The usual sense of annoyance filled him the second he caught sight of the ginger-haired general, that perpetual look of smug arrogance stuck on his face as he looked to Kylo.

“Were you injured, Supreme Leader?” Hux’s arms were folded behind his back, looking down at Kylo from over his nose.

“Nothing incapacitating.” Kylo replied, not bothering to brush away the droids as they returned to finish off the last of his treatment. “Is there a reason you’re here, General?”

“Just a smaller matter that requires your attention.” Hux’s gaze followed Kylo as he stood from his seat. Kylo grabbed his mask as he went, not bothering to gesture for Hux to follow when he knows he’ll follow anyway. Sure enough, he can hear the pitter-patter of the Generals footsteps as he chases after him.

“I’m very busy, Hux. This better be something worth my time.”

“I suppose it depends on what you deem worthy of your time, Supreme Leader-,” Hux flinched as Kylo came to a skidding halt, trying to move his head back without physically taking a step when Kylo looms over him.

“Is there something on your mind, General?” The hint of danger in Kylo’s voice was enough, taking a bit too much satisfaction in the way Hux’s gaze immediately dropped to the floor.

“Of course not, Sir.” Hux was able to keep his voice surprisingly steady. “I’m merely noting your recent… leave of absence.”

Kylo stared down at his General for a few more tense moments before turning away, having quickly become bored of terrorizing him. He resumed his walk back towards his office, pushing down his urge to sigh when he caught sight of a flash of red hair out of the corner of his eye. “Am I expected to inform you of my every movement?”

“Your responsibilities as Supreme Leader mean that is important for us to know where you are -both for your safety and if we require your oversight.” Hux was pushing his luck dangerously close here. “It’s not like it used to be, Ren - when you could just run off whenever you felt like it-,”

It was lucky for Hux that the door to Kylo’s office had just opened, otherwise, Kylo would have just thrown him into the door rather than through it. Kylo watched as Hux in all his immaculate uniform skid across his recently polished floor, stepping into his office and using the Force to flick the door closed when the automatic system didn’t move fast enough.

“If I didn’t know any better, it would seem like you were suggesting my job as Snoke’s apprentice was to run around the Galaxy doing whatever I felt like.” Kylo took a step closer to the General, who was already scrambling to his feet. “I suppose it's fortunate for you that I know you’re not so foolish as to suggest such a thing, Hux.”

“Not at all, Supreme Leader!” Hux’s arms had snapped to his side, head held high but still unable to look Kylo in the eye – or at least, where his eyes would be behind his mask – reverting back to some instinctual loyal soldier mode he would usually go into whenever Snoke reprimanded him. “I just thought it best to inform you about an issue on Jal.”

Kylo froze by his desk at the name of the planet they had recently left, thankful that his mask and the fact that his back was turned was hiding his reaction from Hux. “What kind of issue?”

“We received word from a unit deployed to one of the outposts. They were supposed to switch out with the current unit residing there. However, when they failed to turn up for shift change, the unit went out looking for them.”

Kylo lowered himself down into a rather uncomfortable plastic white chair by his equally white desk, folding his hands in front of him as he addressed the General. “And did they find them?”

“Indeed they did, Supreme Leader. All six of them had been killed.”

The thought of Hux somehow having figured out everything that had happened briefly crossed Kylo’s mind. As much as he longed to take his life - and one he’s certain he won’t feel guilty for – Hux wasn’t someone who could just ‘disappear’ without people noticing. He wasn’t just a nameless trooper - he was one of the highest Generals on board.

“That’s not all that surprising. We already know of Jal’s dangerous climate, and we don’t know what kind of creatures may reside there, either.”

“My troopers aren’t just some regular citizens.” Hux spat the last word with such disgust that it reminded Kylo of why Snoke was so incessant on keeping Hux alive and in a position of power. “They receive the best training known in the Galaxy. An entire unit isn’t going to be wiped out by some torrential weather or erratic wildlife.”

“Then what did kill your soldiers, Hux?”

“Well, Supreme Leader, that’s why I needed to bring this issue up with you.” Hux said in a way that had Kylo itching for his lightsaber. “You see, a few of the soldiers had clear signs of blaster wounds. That would be troubling enough as it is, as it would mean we have unidentified armed citizens on the surface.”

“Then send out more units. Double the patrols, make sure there is no-one on that planet. Why are you coming to me for this, General? I thought this was your job.”

“It is, but that’s not the main problem. You see, only a few of them had blaster wounds. One was found to have blunt force trauma to the chest: broken ribs, a few broken vertebrae, ruptured organs; and the others? The others had wounds that could only have been inflicted from a lightsaber, Supreme Leader.”

Surely this was it. What else could Hux be hinting towards? This was the moment Hux had been waiting forever since Kylo had sliced their previous Supreme Leader in half. An opportunity to call Kylo out for the traitor he believed he was, but now… Now he had proof.

“We believe the unit that had been killed had been the one to send us a message the day prior.” Hux continued. “They informed us that they had received a surprise visitor to Jal. They said it was you, Supreme Leader.” Hux somehow managed to straighten himself even taller. “There’s only one person who could be responsible for their deaths.”

Kylo really didn’t have a choice anymore. Questions would be asked, and he would have to find a way to answer them. There had already been rumors of a spy within his men - it wouldn’t be too difficult to place the blame on Hux. No one would question him if he was to point the finger towards the General, and no one would say a thing if he were to kill him for it. Kylo keeps his eyes fixed on Hux, moving his arm down to his side as slow as he can until his hand is wrapped around the hilt of his saber, his thumb resting on the ignition switch.

“It must have been that scavenger girl.” Kylo nearly ignited his saber in his surprise at Hux’s guess. “We believe she may have gone to Jal in search of Kyber Crystals, Supreme Leader. She must have run across the patrol during her search.”

Of course… they didn’t know that his grandfather’s saber had been destroyed on the Supremacy. As far as The First Order was aware, Rey still had access to her own saber. “How did she discover the truth of Jal’s value? How did she even locate it?” Kylo encouraged Hux’s theory.

“We don’t know for sure, Sir, but…”

“But what?”

“We think she – or the resistance - may have found a way to track you, Sir. Or at least, your ship. I’m sure you’ve heard the reports of information slipping into the enemies’ hands. It wouldn’t be too surprising if some information about the Kyber properties of Jal made its way to her.”

This wasn’t good. Looks like he has to give Hux credit after all - the man does know what he’s doing. Now came the problem of what he was supposed to say. Obviously, he doesn’t want Hux digging any deeper into this. The further he digs, the more likely he is to find out the truth. The First Order is already doing all it can to find Rey – that he can’t prevent. If he ordered his army to stop searching for her, it would be as good as writing ‘Traitor' across his forehead for all of them to see.

But he can’t exactly encourage Hux to increase their search efforts. If he genuinely believed that Rey had found a way to track him, they would most certainly want to limit his movement. Or, even worse, keep a close eye on him everywhere he goes. Both of those options would not only put himself at risk of being caught but would also risk Rey being found by The First Order.

“Don’t you think I would be able to tell if someone was tailing me? Or my ship?”

“It’s a possibility we have to consider, Supreme Leader.”

Kylo stood from his chair, to which the muscle under Hux's eight eye twitches- his body caught between his sense of pride telling him to stand steady, and his self-preservation telling him to run before he’s thrown through a door again. “Thank you for the warning General, but I can take care of myself. If I spot anything unusual, I’ll be sure to notify the First Order immediately - as I’m sure you will do in return.”

Hux managed to stand straight, though his gaze was focused elsewhere over Kylo’s shoulder than risking making eye contact with him. “As you wish, Supreme Leader. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

“Good. Is there anything else you wish to inform me of, General?”

“No, Sir.” Hux replied.

“Then you’re dismissed.” Kylo stood still on the spot, watching as the General gave a stiff nod of his head – he supposed in some sign of respect, but it seemed to pain Hux to do so – before his General was rushing out of the room at a pace that suggested he wanted to leave the room as soon as possible, but not too fast that he didn’t appear to be scared of Kylo. Which, Kylo thought, was pointless. He could practically smell the fear and loathing emitting from Hux whenever he was in the same room.

Kylo didn’t move from his spot until he could no longer see a single strand of that glaringly bright red hair. Only then did he sink back down onto the medical bench, burying his face in his hands with a deep sigh. This was never how things were supposed to go. He had always assumed he would become supreme leader one day. He didn’t exactly know what species Snoke was, but every creature must someday reach the end of their lives. That was the purpose of Master and Apprentices, to ensure you have a worthy successor for when you’re gone; to make sure that such valuable knowledge is passed on. After all, if there’s no one left who knows that information, did it ever actually exist?

He didn’t feel thirty. Some days, he felt much, much older. Those were usually the days when his muscles ached, and when he ran out of breath a lot quicker than he used to, or when he catches himself thinking ‘it didn’t use to be this difficult’. But the other days… the other days, he feels like that young twenty-something who watched a temple filled with those he once thought friends burn to the ground, the sounds of their pained screams ringing in his ears and the sight of his Uncle holding a lightsaber over his head etched into his eyes. He had had Snoke in his mind for so long, assuring him that what he was doing was right. Any time he doubted his actions, wondering if this was the man he was supposed to be, Snoke was right there. And he never questioned him. Because all the while he did those things, trained under Snoke and followed his orders, he was getting stronger. It felt right. After years of being told what not to do, of who he should be, having someone encourage him to accept the darkness that was seated within him, and show him how to harness it instead of repressing it was refreshing.

Now, that voice was gone, cut away the very same time he ignited that saber into Snoke’s side. The only voice assuring him now is his own mind, and truth be told, it doesn’t seem too sure of itself. Especially whenever he has Rey right there, making him question every decision he’s ever made since… Well, he doesn’t even know how far back anymore. And what was he doing now? Risking all he has? That trooper was right. He was a traitor. He had made himself one. And he had done all of it for her. He had given her everything he has, and he’s ready to give more.

Rey was right. He was scared. Because he’s never been prepared to sacrifice so much for someone other than himself. He wasn’t entirely sure what that meant yet.

But he knew it was probably going to get him killed.

* * *

As much as scavenging around in fallen ships was draining, it was at least something to do. Rey hasn’t been able to do much these past few days other than try her best to salvage what she can from her fractured staff, cleaning up the shattered metal as best as she could. It was an idea that had struck her, unable to sleep on a particularly cold desert night; What if she used the parts of her staff in her saber? It felt disrespectful to simply toss the remains in a pile of spare parts. That weapon had served her for years, nearly her whole life. Why shouldn’t it get a new lease on life?

Why shouldn’t it continue to protect her?

During particularly dull moments of the day, Rey liked to place the broken shards of her staff on the workbench that sat near her bed. She would carefully unwrap the tiny golden crystal from its cloth protection in her bag, place it by the remains of her staff and just… imagine what it will be like. Envision the complex wires and parts that will go into the pieces of metal in front of her. She can’t wait to ignite it for the first time, to see that brilliant golden glow and accompanying hum of pure energy… It would be her saber. Not Master Skywalkers, or his fathers before him. Hers.

She still remembers the first time she had ignited the Skywalker Saber. That was a memory that would be forever etched into her mind, for both good and bad. She could recall the cold bite of the wind as it whipped around her, the chill of the snowflakes that landed on her skin, the aching in her chest as Kylo Ren looked at her in awe; an expression she had seen on his fathers face when he had witnessed her abilities as an engineer within the Falcon. All that seemed to melt away when she saw that flash of blue, felt the power of the weapon within her hands vibrating through her skin. It felt like it belonged. But it didn’t. That saber was never truly hers. So, while perhaps that saber didn’t belong to her, she knew that she was born to wield a saber. And very soon, she will get to hold such a weapon in her grasp again.

For that to happen though, there’s someone else that needs to be here. That, she didn’t forget. She couldn’t. Because as much as she loathed to admit it, it was all that encompassed her mind. She missed Kylo. She hadn’t understood that odd empty feeling in her chest as she watched his ship leave Jakku’s surface. It hadn’t been until later that night, rolling over onto her side and looking at the pile of blankets he had left behind from before that she was able to name that feeling: Longing. She was longing for Kylo to return. Longing for him to be by her side again.

She shouldn’t be feeling like this. She shouldn’t be missing him. She should have let out a sigh of relief the second his ship had left the atmosphere, should have blissfully gotten on with her day; happy in the knowledge that she’s finally alone again. But now she knew she didn’t like being alone. After spending nearly fourteen years of her life all alone, she was likely to cling onto someone who entered her life without the purpose of trading food or parts. She had moped about the AT-AT for the entire rest of the day, hating that that’s what she was doing but having no desire to stop herself from doing so.

Why? Why did it have to him? Out of all the people in the Galaxy, the Force had chosen to connect her with a patricidal maniac who wanted to rule over everyone with an iron fist? And why had her traitorous brain decided it was apparently ‘A-Okay’ that he was in her life and was urging her to get closer to him every second she was in his presence? It was becoming exhausting trying to fight off the little devil on her shoulder, and she wasn’t sure how much longer until that little devil started to make sense.

“You look about as stressed as I am.”

It was odd how in such a short amount of time, the sound of his voice could go from her reaching for her blaster to a sense of comfort and rightness washing over her. Still, she hadn’t expected his return quite yet, so it still startled her somewhat. Especially since she didn’t feel the usual odd tingle at the back of her skull whenever the Force connected them.

“I tend to get even more stressed when people pop out of nowhere.” Rey stood from her workbench, pushing aside some of the clutter on the desk in somewhat of an attempt to make things look neater before turning to face him. “Why are you stressed?”

“Well, you see, that tends to happen when you’re the leader of the biggest faction in the Galaxy.” Kylo was leaning against the entrance to her AT-AT, the door cracked open enough to let in a sliver of sunlight.

Rey snorted, leaning back against the workbench with her arms crossed. “That was your decision. You have no one to blame but yourself.”

“Except the other choice was to kill you.”

“So?”

Kylo raised an eyebrow at her. “So, that wasn’t going to happen.”

How did he do it? How did such words ignite that warmth in her chest? Someone saying they weren’t going to kill you should be standard really, so how did he manage to spin it into something else? “So, what exactly is so stressful about being a leader?”

“A lot.” Kylo answered in a grunt. “I was swarmed the second I stepped foot on base.”

“By who?” Rey asked.

“Too many names to count. People with problems, people with solutions that need to extensively explain said solutions to you so you can pick out the problems and fix them. Signing off on requests for resource trades, transportation, trooper training schedules…”

“Sounds boring.”

“It is.” Kylo nodded his head in agreement. “But it’s necessary if you want to keep things running smoothly.”

A realization popped into Rey’s head as she looked at Kylo, one she had had before but had all but forgotten about it. “You know, I’ve always wanted to ask – What do you do if we become connected while you’re in the room with other people? It’s not exactly like you can leave the room or anything. I mean, I assume you’re alone in some room wherever you are right now-,”

A look of questioning passed briefly across Kylo’s face, his brows scrunching into a furrow as she reached the end of her sentence. “Rey… you do realize I’m actually here, right?”

This took Rey by surprise. She had been expecting to hear back from him before he returned to Jakku – she never once considered that he might just… show up unannounced one day. She straightened her posture, nearly knocking a small engine compartment off the desk as the pushed her hands away. “Oh, you’re… uh… You are?”

“Sorry, I assumed you knew. I never exactly know when the Force may connect us – and so far, you’re the only one that’s been able to force a connection. I wasn’t just going to sit and wait around for us to be connected to tell you I’ll be returning.”

“No, no, of course not. I was just a little surprised is all.”

Kylo made a small hum type of noise in the back of his throat before walking over next to her, peering down at the parts she has laid out on the workbench. He picked up a few bits of spare metal, turning them around in his hands and studying them closely. His gaze then shifted to where she had left the shattered pieces of her staff, placing the metal in his hands back down and reaching a gloved hand out to softly touch the ruined weapon.

“Are you keeping these pieces for memory's sake?” He asked her, carefully picking up one of the pieces and turning his head to look at her as he spoke.

“Kind of.” Rey replied. “Actually, what I wanted to do – if you think it’s possible that is – is to use them as part of my saber?”

Kylo nodded slowly, looking back down to her staff in his hand. He raised his other hand to his face, scratching at his chin just below the left corner of his mouth as he thought. “I think it could be done… It looks wide enough that you should be able to fit the internals in-,” Kylo spun the piece around, closing one eye as he peered into the hollow inside of the staff. “-Though you might have to thin down the metal a bit… just enough to make space but not too much that you weaken the chassis…”

Kylo dropped the piece down from his face before handing the split pieces to her. “Have you thought about designs for your saber? What pieces you’re going to use from the staff?”

“I have actually!” Rey’s voice brightened significantly at the prospect of sharing her design ideas with Kylo. “I thought that it would be good to-,”

“Hang on a second-,” Kylo’s voice was alight with amusement, holding out a hand to stop her spillage of ideas before it even really begins. “Give me a minute to grab something from my ship.” Kylo had partly turned as he said this, squeezing through the gap of her door and mostly disappearing from her sight – just a few flashes of black as his figure blotted out the light. He hadn’t left at a particularly fast pace, but just quick enough that is suggested to Rey that he was as excited about building a new lightsaber as she was.

By the time Rey had spread out her staff pieces where she wanted to – and cleaned up the desk a little more so that the pieces of scrap she wouldn’t be using weren’t in the way – Kylo was forcing his way through the door inside once again. It seemed he was having more difficulty this time – probably due to the big, bulky box he was carrying in his hands. It was a glossy black, its edges a gleaming silver metal which gave the box it’s shape and support. There was no writing on the box, at least none she could see anyway. Kylo was holding the box close to his chest in the kind of way you held something that was precious to you, keeping a careful eye on the ground in front of him to make sure he wouldn’t drop and potentially land on or damage the box in any way.

“That looks expensive.” Rey noted, every part of her itching to reach out and take the box from his hands.

“That’s because it is. Invaluably so.” Kylo answered, gingerly placing the box on the workbench once he reached it. Rey peered over his shoulder as he flicked up the two locks on either side of the box and leaning closer once he pushed the lid open. The inside of the box had been lined with an ebony black velvet cloth (of course it was black inside too…), which held a various variety of complicated-looking parts that Rey didn’t even know how to begin to name.

“In this box is all you’ll need to turn your staff from a few broken pieces of metal to the most powerful weapon a being can wield.” Kylo told her, craning his neck to look back at her, then flinching somewhat when he noticed how close she was.

“Uh, you mean all you need to turn my staff into a lightsaber.” Rey corrected him, eyes flickering nervously between the contents of the box. “I have no clue how to use any of this stuff.”

“That’s why I’m here.” Kylo assured her. “But to be clear – I am not making this saber. This is your saber to make. Not mine. I am simply passing on the knowledge I know to aid you in its construction.”

Rey smiled gleefully up at him, her smile widening at the sight of the corner of his lips twitching -presumably because he was fighting with himself not to smile back at her. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get started.”

Link To Chapter 8

#reylo #reylo fanfiction #reylo fanfic #ben solo/rey #kylo ren/rey

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darylandbethfanforever9 · 4 years

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Downfall Of Us All: Chapter 3

Downfall Of Us All

Chapter 3

Warnings: Medical examination, mention of past sexual assault and PTSD. Past torture, and abuse.

AN: Special thanks to @jtargaryen18, who helped me write this story and the sequel as well. She deserves the credit for helping make this story dark in certain chapters.

Sophie sat silently in the back of the armoured van with Raymond, Bonnie, Reg, Clyde and Jack in the pet carriers. She noticed the dark-haired woman was staring at her intently, when she spoke.

"I saw your sister in Sokovia, Novi Grad." Wanda said carefully, Sophie frowned at hearing this information. She knew Grace had travelled around Eastern Europe, but she hadn't said anything about going to Sokovia. "I didn't know Gracie went there, she never told me," Sophie admitted quietly, and looked at Bucky wearily. "Where are we going?" She asked wearily, but Bucky could hear the anxiousness in her voice. She was scared, and he couldn't blame her. "We're taking you and your sister to the Avengers Compound, they'll wanna do tests on you and make you sign the Sokovian Accords." Bucky explained grimly, looking at his Vibranium metal arm that had gold on it. Sophie swallowed. "What will happen to our shop? That's our livelihood, we can't lose our customers." She asked worriedly, her mother had built this business from nothing and now they could possibly lose it. "Tony will tell you, but you won't lose the business. It won't come to that, I swear." Bucky said reassuringly, trying to comfort her.

That surprised Sophie. As intimidating as the Winter Soldier was, especially with that arm, his kindness surprised her. She hoped he was right and their shop wouldn't be lost. "Thank you, sir," Sophie told him, trying to blink back tears. "Bucky," he told her, his blue eyes meeting hers. Sophie nodded. He really was handsome with incredible blue eyes. In that moment, it was hard to believe he was the same one who'd lunged at her baby sister back in the apartment. "Grace, she's my baby sister," she said quietly. "Is she okay back there?" Bucky nodded. "Clint's a good guy. She's going to be okay." "Why in the hell is he here?" Wanda demanded. "He just lost his children, he almost died. Why does Ross have him out here with us?" "I don't know, doll." Bucky shook his head. "I was thinking the same thing. But Clint's a tough bastard. He'll make it through this." "What?" Sophie looked back and forth between the both of them. "The guy that's back there with Grace lost his children?" Wanda nodded, her eyes misty. "They were small. They disappeared in the…" She didn't have to explain that to Sophie. They'd lost their neighbours on both sides to whatever the hell had happened. They'd come back. "I'm so sorry," Sophie whispered. "There's nothing worse than losing a child…" Afraid she'd said too much, she cast her gaze at her feet. "You've… lost a child?" Bucky asked surprised, Ross hadn’t mentioned it in the briefing about the sisters. Sophie shook her head. "No, not me." Wanda and Bucky exchanged a glance at that. "So, you knew Peter?" Wanda asked, her tone careful but friendly. Sophie nodded. "When our mother was still alive, we lived in the same apartment complex. He's… really great. It scares me a little that he's doing what you do." "We look after him," Wanda assured her. Bucky chuckled. "Not like he needs it. The kid's tough." "So, you can do what Peter does?" Wanda asked intrigued. Sophie thought about not answering that, but for some reason, she didn't get any bad vibes from her. From Bucky either.

"We've been able to do it since birth, when we were toddlers we'd cling to walls or jump up on the counter. Our parents were very protective of us, they didn't really let us hang out much with people." Sophie admitted shyly, tucking a strand of dark blonde hair behind her left ear. Her parents had been very respected in the Brooklyn Jewish community, they kept to themselves but were willing to help their fellow neighbours. Wanda and Bucky exchanged a look with each other silently, it was clear that Sophie had no idea about her parents dark past. "We're here." Bucky said quietly, the van stopped, and the door was opened for them. Wanda got out, followed by Sophie and Bucky as Ross observed them. "Take Miss Melnychenko Drăgoi into one of the examination rooms, while Barton brings in the sister," Ross said coldly, and left as two nurses took Sophie to the medical wing. Bucky watched her go silently, when Peter approached looking angry and upset. "Where are they taking Sophie?" He asked angrily, upset that his two friends were being treated like criminals. "Ross wants her to be examined, and undergo tests." Bucky explained quietly, not liking this reason any more than Peter did. Something was going on, and it wasn't good.

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Clint helped Grace out of the van and frowned at some of the soldiers who treated her harshly. They entered the compound, and Grace looked anxious. "Where's my sister? Is she ok?" Grace asked anxiously, Clint tried to reassure her as they waited. "Sophie's fine, they're just running some tests on her." Clint said reassuringly, Grace nodded reluctantly when Dr Jemma Simmons approached them. "Miss Melnychenko Drăgoi, please come with me. I'm going to examine you, and just run some tests." Jemma said carefully, Grace nodded hesitantly, and followed the woman. Clint watched her go in silence, when Bucky came over and touched his left shoulder. He looked up, and Bucky sighed. "Ross wants us in the conference room."

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Grace had changed into a hospital gown, and felt uncomfortable, it was bringing back painful memories for her. How she'd once worn a hospital gown, and been forced on a bed. She suddenly felt sick and took in a deep breath before laying down on the hospital bed. Dr Jemma Simmons gave her a smile, and she tried to relax. "I'm just going to do a pelvic exam. Is that alright?" She asked gently, Grace nodded hesitantly and put her feet in the stirrups as a nurse came in. They'd know what had happened to her. Tears burned her eyes, and she tried to blink them away but couldn't. Even after three years, she couldn't forget what had happened to her.

Jemma smiled as she put on a small pair of latex gloves, looking over Grace's charts. "Looks like they got all of your vitals," Jemma said. "Everything looks good." Grace nodded, trying not to fall apart on the table. "Are you okay?" the other woman asked. "Y-yes, Dr. Simmons," Grace didn't sound as brave as she had wanted to. "Please, call me Jemma," the doctor said carefully. Her face and eyes were kind. "I'm really sorry about all of this. I know how you must feel and I know you must be scared. For my part, I want to help you if I can. Okay?" Grace nodded, struggling. Jemma pressed on Grace's abdomen gently, checking the position of the ovaries, the womb. The doctor picked up the speculum and approached her carefully. "I'm going to do just a routine pap smear, okay?" Jemma asked. At Grace's nod, she got started. "There might be a little discomfort. I apologize." Grace didn't say anything while the doctor finished getting what she needed, removed the metal, and prepped the slide. "Almost done," Jemma told her, internally checking the position of the womb with her index finger. Then the woman frowned. "You've had a child?" There it was. Tears escaped her eyes, hot and stream over her temples into her hair. Grace couldn't breathe, somehow managed to nod. Jemma peeled off the gloves, approaching Grace's side gently. "Can you tell me about it?" "Why?" Grace's anguish was evident in her voice. "I'm supposed to tell you it's procedure," Jemma explained, "and that all of the Avengers go through a complete physical examination. It's true. But I know this must seem like a horrible invasion of privacy to you. I'm so sorry." Grace squeezed the hand that was offered to her in kindness. "I had a son," Grace whispered. "His name was Zach." The doctor's eyes were shiny, like she knew the story that was coming wasn't going to have a happy outcome. "What happened?" Jemma asked gently.

"It happened when the Sokovian Accords were approved, my son Zach....he inherited my abilities and somehow SHIELD found out. A team came, and they took him away, I can still hear him crying." Grace whispered brokenly, and tears slid down her cheeks. Jenna felt her own eyes sting with unshed tears, this young woman had lost her son because of SHIELD. What on earth had happened to Grace's son, after he'd been taken. "Do you know where they took him?" Jemma asked quietly, compassion in her voice and Grace wiped her eyes with a tissue. She was trying to calm down, but the emotions were still raw. "No, I looked everywhere but I never found him. I have hope that he's out there still, but I don't know where he is or if he's even here," Grace admitted quietly, and swallowed. "Do you know who the father is?" Jemma asked finally, knowing that this had to be difficult for Grace to talk about. Before Grace could speak, Natasha was at the door and she looked angry, but it wasn't directed at her. "Dr Simmons, Agent Bobbi Morse wishes to speak to us." She informed quietly and looked at Grace who looked like she'd been crying. "I'll be right back, Grace." Jemma said comfortingly, Grace nodded and wrapped her arms around her stomach tightly.

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"What the hell does SHIELD want?" Clint asked wearily, he didn't have any fondness for SHIELD at the minute. Since Coulson was revealed to be alive, he was furious that Fury and Director Maria Hill had kept the team in the dark about Coulson. "We've been ordered by the SHIELD Deputy Director Gonzalez, to interview Grace Melnychenko Drăgoi. She is considered a threat by Homeland Security, and is required to be placed in custody," Bobbi said coldly, her voice unemotional and detached. Clint couldn't believe that he'd married her once, it had been a big mistake and it hadn't ended well. "You can interview her, but she's staying here. She hasn't done anything wrong, and neither has her sister." Clint said angrily, and Bobbi glared at him when Bruce spoke up. "When we were examining Grace, we found scars on her body, and Jenna did a pelvic exam." Bruce said quietly, as he guided them to a room. Clint looked at the photos, and saw faded scars on Grace's chest, shoulders and neck. There were a few scars on her back, as well. "Where did she get these scars?" Wanda asked shocked, and Jemma swallowed slightly before speaking. "We don't know, but when I examined her there were signs that she'd given birth at least two years ago. She had a son." Jemma said quietly, causing the room to go quiet. "None of Grace's files mention her having a child, or going to a hospital." Hope said confused, and Tony sighed quietly before he and Scott exchanged a grim look. "That's because someone wiped her medical files clean, there's nothing there except Grace's birth records. Someone didn't want any of us to find out Grace had a child," Natasha said grimly, looking at Clint who looked deep in thought. Grace had a son, she had a son. "Did she say who the father was, Dr Simmons?" Bobbi asked impatiently, Jemma frowned at her. "She was too upset, and I didn't ask." Jemma said coolly, she left to go check on her patient. "That explains what Sophie said earlier in the van, she said it was horrible losing a child." Bucky said sympathy in his voice, and Ross glared at him. "Romanoff, Morse, question her and find out who the father was. For all we know, he could be an Inhuman, a Mutant or Enhanced." The Home Secretary ordered sharply.

Clint watched the bastard walk off, lowered his voice. "These scars," he said to Jemma, pointing to a couple of them. "She was tortured." Jemma nodded. "Seems likely." Natasha and Clint exchanged a glance. He knew Nat could handle Bobbi and she'd be careful with Grace in getting the rest of the story.

Nat tapped Bobbi on the shoulder, nonchalantly telling her they had to go. To someone who didn't know Nat well, she would seem perfectly calm. Clint knew better. Nat would get the rest of Grace's story. Something told him he didn't want to know it. Nat felt it too.

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Grace had dressed, there was still no sign of Sophie, and they'd led her to a small conference room. It was cold, and she was alone, just wishing she could curl in on herself and be anywhere else. When the door opened, two women walked in. One wore a grey pantsuit with a violet dress shirt. Her dark blonde hair framed her face in loose waves. The other woman was dressed casually in jeans with a t-shirt and hoodie. Her hair was blonde and bobbed off at her jaw line. Grace looked closer, realizing this woman she'd seen on TV. Her hair had been red. Ah, that one was the Black Widow. Unlike the woman in the suit, who regarded her coolly, the famous spy's eyes were kind. It was easier to look at her. "Grace, we're here to talk to you," the woman in the suit said. "I'm Agent Bobbi Morse. This is Agent Natasha Romanoff." Grace nodded. "And then we'll be done?" Natasha smiled gently. "Then we'll be done." Bobbi shot the other agent a look before clearing her throat and turning her attention back to Grace. "You're being held because you're considered a threat by the office of Homeland Security," Bobbi started. "The faster you tell us what we need to know, the faster we can get you processed. Okay?" "Processed?" Grace asked. "By that do you mean my sister and I can back to our lives? We're not trying to pose a threat to anyone. We own a cake shop. We make cakes for people's weddings and birthday parties. That's all." "Your parents were agents for a foreign faction," Bobbi told her tersely. "So, we're being punished for that?" Grace fought to keep her voice calm and even but was failing horribly. "No, you're being held for what you've done," Bobbi shot back. Grace hated that she was trembling, hated thinking back to those days when she'd fought each day just to survive. Would either of these women even begin to understand the darkness she'd been immersed in? What she had to do to survive? How could they?

"What have I exactly done? Please tell me." Grace said resentfully, angry that she was being held for something that she most likely hadn't done. "Consorting with a known terrorist, by the name Brock Rumlow who was a former S.H.I.E.L.D agent. You met him in Sokovia, on the 14th of July." Bobbi explained coldly, showing Grace a photo of the man who had raped, beaten and tortured her. Natasha saw Grace's face pale at the sight of the photo, and her hands were shaking slightly. So, Rumlow had been the man who had tortured and possibly raped her. "I didn't meet him by choice, I was in Sokovia doing relief work with the Red Cross. I wasn't doing anything illegal, I was just trying to help people." Grace said defensively, trying to keep her emotions under control. She could feel his hands on her skin, what he had done to her all those years ago with those two other men. She shivered inadvertently and tried to keep calm. "But why Sokovia? Surely you knew that there was a civil war going on in the country?" Bobbi pressed firmly, refusing to give the young woman a break. "Because I wanted to help people, I didn't have an ulterior motive. I was travelling around Eastern Europe and to Israel, to research my family tree," Grace said calmly, trying to keep her temper under control. "Did you know that you were conceived out of rape, as was your older sister?" Bobbi asked bluntly, causing Grace to freeze in shock a time the woman's words. Her mother was raped by her father? "That can't be true, it can't be. My parents were married in 1985, the 5th of November in Ukraine, Odessa. You've got it wrong." She insisted firmly, knowing her father wasn't a rapist. Adam Drăgoi had been a very quiet man, but had doted on his wife and two daughters. Grace would always remember how he'd always hug her or reassure her when things were rough. Natasha frowned at Grace's words, the young woman was adamant that her parents had genuinely loved each other. Maybe Adam Drăgoi had genuinely loved Anya Melnychenko, in a twisted way. "I'm afraid not, you and your sister were born into a program known as the Spider Widow Program. You and your sister were both genetically experimented on while in utero." Natasha explained quietly, causing Grace to look horrified. "But, have you ever met this man before?" Bobbi interrupted harshly, giving Natasha a warning look before looking at Grace who looked at the photo of Rumlow. "I've seen him on the news, he was the one who blew himself up in Lagos." Grace said wearily, trying not give anything away. "Were you in a romantic relationship with Rumlow?" Bobbi asked sharply, studying Grace intently for any weaknesses and Grace flinched as if she'd been slapped. "No! God no." She said horrified, and Natasha intervened at that minute, seeing Grace looked close to crying. "Grace, who was the father of your son?" Natasha asked gently, Grace felt tears slide down her cheeks and she felt defeated. There was no way out. "I was raped in Sokovia, I was coming back from the clinic when a young man came over. He told me that his twin sister was in labour, and she needed help, I went to help but he knocked me out," She said numbly, staring at the wall ahead. "What happened next?" Natasha asked gently, she knew this had to be very traumatic for Grace to relive and Bobbi wasn't helping things either. "I woke up in a room, and there was a man there. He told me that he'd been watching me, and....he called me Widow." Grace said quietly, she pulled at her hair band that was on her right wrist. Natasha reached over the table and took her hand, Grace was trembling as she spoke the next words. "They did tests on me every day, and..... that’s when he came into the bedroom that was mine. He was taunting me, I tried to get to the door, but he grabbed me by the hair and started kissing me. I bit down on his lip." Grace said distantly, her mind involuntarily wandering back to the memory.

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Sokovia, Novi Grad 15th of July 2015 Grace didn't know how long she'd been here in this place, she'd been taken every morning to a room that was like a laboratory but didn't see anyone else. Dr List had taken blood from her every day she'd been on her period, and now she was stuck in this room, her bedroom. She'd tried to keep her mind busy, by reading books. Her powers weren't working either, she sometimes found herself hang upside down on the ceiling or cocooned in a web.

The door opened, and she saw a man with short dark brown hair, and hard, cruel brown eyes. He had terrible burns on his forearms, and one on his neck. "Who are you?" Grace asked wearily, trying to smooth down her dress as she eyed the man suspiciously. "Call me Brock, blondie. Strucker sent me, to babysit his pet project," Brock said coldly, and he leered at her. She could sense his emotions and grasped the glass vase. She threw it at him.

He dodged it easily, laughing. His dark eyes gleamed as his gaze slid over her body, his intention was clear. His emotions were heavy with dark intent. He liked her fear. Grace's heart thundered in her chest. No. No. Why was this happening to her? Grace had always been able to move quickly. She lunged in one direction, then darted the opposite way, trying to around him and she did throw him off balance. But he was so tall, so big with heavy muscles. She knew if he got his hands on her, she wouldn't be able to throw him off. His laugh made her begin to feel sick. "If this is how you want it," he said. "It works for me. I want you to fight. Makes it more fun. A lot more fun." Grace kept scrambling around him, trying the door and then darting away when it wouldn't open, and he almost grabbed her. "Why?" It came out more as an anguished cry. "Why are you doing this?" "Because I can," he said simply, trying now to lunge at her, done with this part of the game in his mind. "Because they want me to." "What?" Grace yelled back. When she darted for the door this time, she frantically jerked the doorknob, pleading with it, for anything to let her open the door, to run away from here. Hot tears were streaming down her face as she darted away again, only this time not fast enough. Pain bloomed in her scalp when he grabbed a handful of her hair, jerking her back by it until she was pressed against him. His other arm clamped around her to hold her in place for him. Grace shivered in revulsion as he ran his nose down the line of neck and back up again to lick the shell of her ear. "We're going to have some fun, Blondie," he whispered roughly into her ear. "While you're welcome to keep fighting me, because I do like it, you might find if you just let it happen, you'll like it." He'd dragged her to the bed at that point and at that moment, the nightmare she'd been trapped in became a thousand times worse.

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