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hologramband · 4 years

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Hollywood Ghost Club p2

(my gif)

Luke x Reader

Word Count: 4k

A/N: So glad this has taken off! I’m so sorry it took so long! I didn’t want to rush it and there's some big things happening here, most will get explained in the next chapter or two! Hope you enjoy it!

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You lay your head on your dressing room table, the aftermath of the shocks still lingering even after a few hours.

Caleb had really pushed you to give him the answers that he wanted, you resisted as much as you could, but in the end the shocks got to you.

Thankfully, you didn’t know too much, so the new boys still had a chance.

A knock at your door caused you to look up, trying to put yourself together before the person came in, but Willey had already let himself in.

“No offense, but you look like crap,” Willey tried to lighten the mood, but when he noticed it didn’t help he moved to your side, rubbing small circles on your back to relax you.

“How hard did he grill you?” He whispered, continuing his previous actions.

“I’ll be fine, it just hit hard since I was drained, but Willey,” you sat up and looked him in the eyes, “Those boys, they have something, and Caleb feels threatened. I-I don’t know what he’s gonna do to get to them.”

You sigh and check the time, seeing that you only had half an hour before you went on, you stood up to get ready for your performance tonight.

“What should I do, I can’t just not bring them here, Caleb will have my head. But I, I don’t wanna see him, erm, them hurt.” Willey was trying to sort through his options while you changed behind a screen.

“We just have to try to keep them safe. There's only so much we will be able to do, but we have to do as much as we can to get them out of here unmarked, and then never bring them back.”

You stepped out from the changing screen and Willey whistled.

“Caleb really went all out with the dress tonight.” He winked and you smiled lightly.

The dress was floor length, with small spaghetti straps and a slit from the bottom up to the top of your thigh. The color complemented your hair and skin tone perfectly, despite your slight lack of power at the moment, you were truly glowing.

“Yeah, it’s really some of his best,” You did a small spin and then sat down to touch up your makeup.

“You know, Luke will probably love it too,” Willey smiled at your reflection, you hiding a slight brush remembering his comment about being excited to see you perform.

“Oh please Willey, that boy is a total flirt. He was probably just being nice,” You shook the thought away and changed the subject, “But Alex, he’s just as cute and sweet as you described him.” You wiggled your eyebrows at the boy next to you as a smile took up his entire face.

“Well on that note, I do have to get ready so I can pick them up,” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of your head, “I’ll see you after your performance, you’re gonna be great.” You smiled at him in thanks before he poofed out, leaving you to your thoughts.

That didn’t last long as Caleb walked in.

“Ah, Darling. How’s my bird feeling?” He laid a hand on your shoulder, and you slightly tensed.

“Just getting ready, the dress is beautiful by the way, you’ve outdone yourself again, Caleb.” You forced a smile up at him, he smirked in return.

“Thank you bird, but I’ll admit my visit was for other reasons,” his grip slightly tightened on your shoulder, “These boys, they possess a power, and I want it. They aren’t allowed to leave here without my mark, or else you’ll feel the consequences.” You moved a hand to your gut where the shocks would be directed, causing Caleb to chuckle.

“No no no, you’ve felt enough of that for today. I had something, else, in mind.” He smiled wickedly and you started to feel your power levels grow to full capacity.

“You have come to realize the lock I have on your abilities, if the boys leave here with the mark, i’ll allow you to keep them where they are,” he moved his hand to your wrist, his thumb brushing over the purple fingerprint tattoo, “if they give me issues, if they leave here without me seeing them off, your powers go as well.” He drops your hand and smiles down at you.

“That would just be a shame wouldn't it.” He finished, and you nodded in agreement, trying to hide the fear that was building inside of you.

You knew that tonight had the potential to get messy, more than likely it would, so you vowed in that moment to do everything you could to ease the boys and keep Caleb elsewhere, even if that meant losing your powers.

----

You were prepping yourself up to go on stage when Willey appeared next to you, immediately noticing your change in demeanor.

“What happened?” He grabs your wrists and spins you around, looking for anything new that may have changed your mood.

“Nothing Willey,” You were getting too good at faking smiles, “just, follow my lead tonight… okay?” You sent a pleading look into his eyes and he nodded.

“Okay, but, just dont do anything stupid. The boys and I have front row seats, come talk to us after you’re done.” He slightly smiled and poofed away.

Taking a deep breath you waited for Caleb's to show up and take you on stage with him.

Just as the thought came, Caleb appeared next to you and took your hand,

“Ready?” He smiled and as soon as you nodded, you two appeared on the stage together.

“Welcome! To the party of your Dreams.” He started, the two of you appearing center stage.

“From the Egyptians, the Druids, to the person sitting next to you, we’ve all wondered, ‘Where do we go after the final light is snuffed out?’” You continued after Caleb, these lines the same from when you wrote them 10 years ago upon entering the club, Caleb calling himself your mentor.

“Let me introduce myself, we’ve got some time to kill.” you started the song, walking on air next to Caleb, showing what you two were capable of.

“Consider me the pearly gates to your new favourite thrills

We could go make history or you could rest in peace.”

Caleb again took your hand in his as he spun you around in a dance of sorts.

“But here there ain't no misery

'Cause on the other side we live like kings”

You finished your lines as Caleb spun you, poofing you mid spin to a seat on top of the piano, him now taking center stage.

“Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do?

Let your body loose, let your body loose

Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do?

Show you a thing or two

'Cause you ain't seen nothing”

Caleb moved closer to the front table while he was singing, and it was then you noticed that it was Willey and the Band he was singing directly to, all but one of them staring at Caleb in amazement.

Luke wasn’t looking at Caleb though, his eyes were now directly meeting your own, smiling at you when he noticed you had met his gaze.

You smile back and throw your head back as the next line came, the rest of the dancers with it.

“Life is good on the other side of Hollywood

Life is good on the other side of Hollywood

So welcome to the brotherhood

Where you won't be misunderstood

Life is good on the other side of Hollywood”

You watched as Luke’s eyes scanned the entire room, taking it all in.

The rest of the boys were dancing in their seats, amazed by what was happening all around them.

The next set of lines came and Caleb was pulling out all the stops, food was being brought from all sides of the club, dancers breaking from the stage and moving into the crowd, for a moment from almost forgetting what was so bad about the club.

“Everything has got a price but happiness is free

Just so happens, you're in luck

We've got a vacancy

We can set the night on fire and break out of the scene

Your soul print on the walk of fame

On the boulevard of your wildest dreams”

Caleb had moved directly in front of the table the boys were at, waving his hands over the table cloth, and you held your breath for what came next.

With a flick of his wrist and the pulling away of the table cloth you felt the pull of the magic and poofed to a standing position above all the boys.

Willey laughed as the other moved their chairs back in surprise, not expecting this to happen.

You sang the next lines with Caleb as you walked down invisible stairs to the floor directly in front of the table. Caleb grabbing your hand and pulling you to his side.

“Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do boys?

Let your body loose, let your body loose

Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do boys?

It ain't bragging if it's true

Now you ain't seen nothing”

At the start of the next chorus, the two of you poofed back to center stage and threw your arms up, belting the song and engaging in the dance that was happening around you.

The song continued and you danced around the stage, then down to beside the guys’ table, walking alongside Caleb, playing the part that you were supposed to be, his right hand woman.

“Watch me make a move

Come one and give me that noise

A tomb with a view

Ain't it something?”

He sang, and you all looked up at Kendra as she appeared on a hoop that was suspended in the air, sending a wink your way as she hung down.

You watched as Reggie shot out of his seat in amazement and Luke followed, only to grab his shoulders and sit him back down.

You giggled at the boys' antics and moved to behind and in between Luke and Reggie, placing a hand on their shoulders as the dance number continued.

They boys were moving in their seats to the music, really getting into the song.

“Life is good on the other side of Hollywood

So welcome to the brotherhood

Where you won't be misunderstood

Life is good on the other side of Hollywood”

Caleb motioned for you to join him as he walked back to center stage, you squeezed Reggie and Luke's shoulders once more before following and joining your boss.

He wrapped an arm around your waist as you mimicked the gesture, and you finished the song with your final spoken part, Caleb joining you on the last line.

“Ain't it the best?

Long live the dead!”

As soon as the words came out of your mouth a sheet was waved in front of the two of you, Caleb then poofing the pair off stage.

As soon as you were alone you felt the unease from before sinking in, causing you to step away from the man, but slowly so he wouldn’t suspect.

“Let’s go meet these boys, properly this time.” Caleb smiled and held his arm out for you to take, which you did unwillingly.

The two of you poofed out right as Reggie was talking.

“Where’d they go?” Turning he saw you two and jumped.

“Oh WOW, found them!” He laughed as the others turned to look.

You moved from Caleb's side to be next to Willey, feeling a sense of security from him.

“Hello boys, I’m Caleb Covington, and you have already met my darling little songbird, (Y/N),” he motioned to you, causing you to give a slight wave, “and I’d like to welcome you to the Hollywood Ghost Club.” He opened his arms in a way that made the boys look around them in amazement.

“You guys enjoy the show?” You spoke up, glancing at Alex and Reggie, but eyes settled when you met Lukes gaze.

“That was- I mean.. Did you like…?” Luke was at a loss of words, his amazement obvious.

Willey stepped in to stop Luke from rambling further.

“Caleb, this is Alex, Luke, and Reggie,” He gestured to each one as he introduced them.

“It’s, uh, really nice to meet you sir,” Alex smiled and took a small step back towards Willey.

Reggie followed with a ‘sup’ as Luke nodded.

“The pleasure is all mine! Nothing warms my heart more than sharing this magic with new friends, please! Sit!” Caleb motioned for the group to take a seat at the table they were all standing around, a ghost bringing him a chair to sit in, another was being brought for you when Caleb held his hand up to stop them.

“Ah, (Y/n), can you be a doll and run to check on the new girl from this morning, I believe her name was Lucy?” Caleb knew he needed to get you away from the table, you were too good at dropping hints and not activating your mark, you would spoil his plan.

“Oh, you don’t want me here?” You spoke out loud, slightly narrowing your eyes, trying not to back down too easily.

Willey looked up at you nervously, seeming to catch on to what Caleb was doing.

“Now little bird, no need to cause trouble, you just spent so much time welcoming her this morning, wouldn’t want all that to go to waste, would we?” You felt your powers lower, Calebs way of reminding you that he had a hold on you.

You just nodded, and as you were turning away you felt a slight pressure on your wrist pulling you back, turning your head you saw Luke’s hand was the reason.

“Um,” he stuttered before taking a breath and smiling at you, “will you be back later?”

You heard the message behind his words, he wanted to know if you had to go for the night or not, if he would see you again.

“I’ll make my way back around to say hello again.” You smiled and squeezed his hand before you walked away again, not missing the way Caleb was looking at the exchange with a glint in his eyes.

You walked away and found Lucy standing near Kendra, the two of them dancing together in a corner.

“Hey ladies, how’s it going?” You smile at your friend before moving down to Lucy’s level.

“Are you having fun tonight?” She smiled at you and grabbed your hand, pulling you to the middle of the club to dance.

The small girl spun in circles, then grabbed your hand, jumping around.

“She hasn’t spoken since she got here.” Kendra was by your side again, swaying beside you with the music.

“It may be due to how she died, a lot of times children who go through something traumatic either don’t talk about it, or anything, in a way to avoid the memory or feelings involved with it. They’ll distract themselves with things that bring joy.” You picked the girl up and put her on your hip as you spun her around with you, causing a small giggle to come from her.

You set her back down and she again grabs one of your hands, then one of Kendras, the three of you forming a circle to dance in.

Looking across the floor you make eye contact with Caleb, diverting your eyes and looking back to Kendra and Lucy.

Lucy stopped dancing, and looked at you with a shimmer in her eyes, then looked towards Caleb.

She looked back with a worried look, tugging you down to her level with a sense of urgency.

“Hey honey, what’s wrong?” you ask confused, you brushed her hair out of her face.

Wordlessly, she moved her hands to either side of your face, and you felt a pressure release in your head you didn’t realize was there, your vision started getting dark at the corners, but your eyes never left hers.

When your vision went completely dark, you noticed you were no longer in the ballroom, but in your dressing room, but something was different.

Looking around you noticed the decor was dated, the way you found it before you had come to the club ten years ago. Caleb had told you it was how the person who used the dressing room before you had it decorated.

This is where things started to get weird.

Two people had entered the room, they were fighting, you weren’t focusing too much on what they were saying. You were too distracted by the fact that the two people that had walked in were you and Caleb. It was like you were watching yourself in a movie from inside the screen, the weirdest part of all was that it felt familiar, like dejavu.

Caleb looked younger, his face was softer, not as many scowl lines, and you, wow.

There was so much different about you, your style was straight out of the ‘80s, and your hair was much longer than it is now.

You had no memory of this when this happened, but something was telling you that it definitely had, this was real.

“What are you gonna do Caleb? Erase me?” the other you sneered into Caleb's face.

Just as soon as it had started it was over, you came back to reality, blinking as Lucy let go of your face.

“Was that… real?” You whispered, and she nodded and bolted back at the sudden added presence beside you.

You look up and see Caleb glaring down, you standing to meet his glare straight on, feeling the overwhelming need to protect this girl.

“I think it’s time I take her to bed,” Caleb held his hand out to Lucy and she grabbed onto your leg from behind you.

“No worries Caleb, i’ll keep an eye on her,” you looked down at her still in shock from what had happened, “I’ll put her to bed in a bit.” you looked back at Caleb and he narrowed his eyes at you.

He took a step closer, trying to intimidate you, but you pushed your chest out and straightened your posture in return, a sudden burst of confidence taking over, he wouldn’t cause a scene with this many people around.

“What did she show you?” His words were quiet, and rushed, they conveyed a worried tone.

“Show me?” You tilted your head in mock confusion, deciding to play dumb, not letting him know what she had shown you, as you weren’t sure of it yourself.

Caleb shook his head and poofed away.

“C’mon Lucy, let’s go make some new friends.” You looked down at the girl again and grabbed her hand, taking her over to Willey and the boys.

As you were reaching the table, Kendra appeared beside you and linked your arms, Willey standing up and meeting you, Luke, Reggie and Alex all missing from the table.

“Where are the boys? I was going to introduce Lucy,” you asked Willey.

“Caleb showed them they could eat and they have been going crazy trying foods from all the tables, but that’s not important. (Y/n), what happened to you a second ago?” Willey was looking you up and down, seeming to be looking for anything different, or wrong.

You look down at Lucy and back up at Willey, but before you had a chance to explain you heard someone calling your name from behind you.

“(Y/N)!” Luke, followed by Alex and Reggie, rushed to you, all holding a different food in their hands.

“How did you do that before?” Luke questioned.

You tilted your head in confusion.

“Yeah, I wanna glow like you did! Can you teach us?” Reggie asked.

“I-I did what?” you looked down and saw Lucy hiding behind you again, looking at everyone with big eyes.

“Hey honey,” you crouched beside her again, “These are my friends, Willey, Alex, Reggie, and Luke!” You watched as she looked at each of them and then sank back into your side, still unsure.

Luke made eye contact with you and crouched down by your side, offering a hand to Lucy.

“Hey, It’s nice to meet you, I like your ribbon.” He gestured to the purple ribbon that was holding her hair back, and she smiled a bit, reaching out and touching his hand in a thanks.

Reggie was the next to lean down and talk to her, and the connection that sparked between them was instant.

He complimented her dance moves from before and apparently that was all it took to gain her trust. She grabbed his hand, then Kendras, and dragged them both out to the dance floor again.

You giggled as they went, glad she was starting to trust more people.

“Hey, you looked really good out there tonight. Really owned that stage, and looks like you were able to gain back all your energy from this afternoon.” Luke smiled as he spoke.

“Oh, thank you.” You smiled back, “It usually takes a few hours to regain it all, but today really took it out of me, thanks again for helping, I think she really felt safe and welcome when she got here.” You thanked Luke again, then happened to look up at the time, it was way past 9pm.

You tried opening your mouth to tell him that he had to go, that he and his band were missing the gig, but the only thing that happened was the burning on your wrist. You frantically looked around for a way to tell him without the burn getting worse, then an idea hit you.

“Oh, look at the time! I really should get Lucy to her room, she’s probably exhausted after the long day she's had.” You hoped he would get the hint, and smiled when he looked up at the clock.

“Ohmygosh,” Luke's eyes widened, “we-we are so late, Julie…” He trailed off, panic setting in.

“I’m sorry (Y/n), but we gotta go, we are so late, but um, it was really great seeing you again!” He moved towards the boys on the dance floor, then quickly turned around back to you.

“You know, we practice around 4pm everyday, you should come some time! You can meet Juile, and you know, we can hangout or something…” He scratched the back of his neck and his face held a nervous smile, which you returned.

“You know what, i’ll have to come see you guys once, see what all this hype is about.” you answered, watching as the smile grew on his face, then dropped as he remembered he had to go.

You walked with him to the dance floor where he got the boys, and you grabbed Lucy’s hand, saying goodbye as they rushed out towards the doors.

“Nice,” You heard from your side, your eyes widening as you realized it came from Lucy.

“Let’s get you to your room, yeah?” You smile at her and she nodded, holding her hands up, silently asking for you to carry her.

Picking her up you poofed to her room, tucking her into her bed, watching her eyes slowly close.

You smiled as you poofed out of her room back to the ballroom, where you saw Caleb shaking the boys hands in a goodbye, but felt anger build in your chest as you saw the marks appear on their wrists, matching your own.

“No,” you whispered, watching them poof away, Caleb looking back at you, an evil glare in his stare.

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p3 coming soon...

TagList!

@lolychu @simplysanha @-episkey- - @kristencoontz @ifilwtmfc @sarcasticsagittarius1998 @perfectlywrongformend3s @bathtimejish @lovesanimals @oswin05 @ashleyleblancx @losers-club6 @parkeret @lukeys-giggle @simplysanha @perfectlywrongformend3s @bathtimejish @lia-faerie-queen @morgandamrose

#luke patterson #luke x reader #luke patterson x reader #luke patterson imagine #jatp luke #jatp #julie and the phantoms #jatp luke x reader #jatp luke imagine #jatp luke patterson #phanfiction #hollywoood ghost club

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noodlecupcakeswritings · 3 years

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An Unbreakable Bond - Chapter 1 (Kylo RenxOC)

Supreme Leader Kylo Ren now has everything he could possibly dream of, except for someone to rule by his side. And he'll do anything to get Cora back.

The final fic in my Kylo/Cora Star Wars canon series. This is most definitely a TROS fix it fic because fuck that movie and shitty writing.

Please leave likes, comments and reblogs if you like it. If you want to be added to the taglist, please let me know.

Warnings: Language, Nightmares, Major feels, Blood, Depression, Trauma

Chapter 1

Cora

2 months later

Pain radiated across my belly, agonising and debilitating. All I could do was crawl across the floor, hoping to cross paths with someone that could help me. Breathing deeply, I waited for the pain to ease a little before moving again. I only made it a couple of metres before collapsing again from the pain. Glancing behind me, I noticed the trail of blood smeared across the floor and wall; the blood was thick and dark. The pain tripled, agonizing every cell in my body to the point I thought the pain might kill me. Laying on my side, I managed to let out a shrill scream as a final resort for help.

Waking with a start, my hands clutched at my stomach, my body covered in a cold sweat. Panting, I unzipped myself out of my sleeping bag and checked it for any signs of blood. Finding the material stain free, I breathed a sigh of relief before the tears came. Hugging my knees to my chest, the tears turned to soft sobs. This was how I started every morning now, waking from a nightmare and then crying for my lost daughter. A part of me wondered if Kylo was also haunted by the loss of our child.

Forcing myself out of my tent once I was dressed, I headed over to the small cafeteria area that had been set up. Only once again I had missed breakfast. Sighing, I put the tray back and went to find Leia for any updates. Checking her tent first, I found it empty. Next was the centre of the camp, where plans would be discussed, where we’d contact other allies. A few pilots stood around the table, but no sign of Leia. Continuing my search, I found Leia sat on a large rock watching Rey who was meditating.

Sighing, I turned, ready to leave them to it. Since Rey had shown up, she’d been very insistent on Leia training her. As if Luke training her hadn’t been enough. Yes, it was great she’d refound her family, but just because she had Skywalker blood in her veins didn’t mean she was the saviour we needed. “What do you need, Cora?” Leia asked. “Nothing, I’ll come back later.” Leia glanced over her shoulder at me with her knowing smile, “come. Sit with me.” Holding back a sigh, I gave in and sat with her, keeping my gaze on the forest floor.

Leia placed a comforting hand over mine, both of us sitting in silence for a few moments. She didn’t need to say anything, she already knew what was wrong, what had been wrong for the last few months. Once again, I was suffering from nightmares, my mind forcing myself to relive the moment I lost Kendra over and over again. As if I hadn’t suffered enough, I couldn’t even find peace in sleep. Leia knew what it was like to lose a child in a way, so she knew the pain and guilt I was dealing with.

“Rey, could you give us a moment please,” Leia broke the silence. Rey opened her eyes with a confused frown, “but I thought we were training?” “We’ve been doing a lot of training lately; you could use the break and I need to give other matters my attention.” “But I was this close, I felt something,” Rey continued to press. “Rey, that isn’t important right now. Go,” Leia replied firmly, her voice raised a little. Even I was a little stunned with Leias words. She hardly ever raised her voice at anyone.

Rey didn’t argue and left us alone, heading back towards camp. Only when we were truly alone, did Leia speak. “You missed breakfast again,” She mentioned. “I wasn’t that hungry, anyway.” “And how did you sleep last night?” “The same as usual. Not great. At least I’m far enough out that I shouldn’t be waking anyone this time.”

Leia entwined her hand further with mine before squeezing it comfortingly. “You didn’t need to do that. If anyone has an issue with you, they can come to me.” They wouldn’t, they were all too respectful of Leia to raise their concerns about me. A potential First Order spy who had been sleeping with the enemy. Of course, they had issues with me. Frankly, I wanted nothing to do with either side now, but I had no choice thanks to sentiment. My debt to Leia would always make me a part of this fight.

“I know your blaming yourself, but what happened was not your fault, it was beyond your control,” Leia spoke. “Yeah, that’s what I keep hearing. I’m just having a hard time believing it.” “What could you have done differently?” Exhaling, I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, “I shouldn’t have stayed as long as I did. I should have made him take me to a safer location, somewhere Snoke couldn’t have...” I trailed off as my voice wavered and tears filled my eyes. “You know, he’s too far under Snokes influence that he wouldn’t have listened. Snoke likely did it turn him further to the dark side.”

Whilst Leia was right, that still didn’t stop me from feeling guilty. It didn’t stop the feeling of being a failure. As a mother, the top priority is to protect my child, and I had failed to do so. Now I had to suffer the consequences. “I don’t know what to do with myself anymore, Kendra gave me a sense of...purpose and hope. Everything seems pointless now without her,” I explained, one hand pressed to my stomach, “I feel…empty.” “You need to take the time to focus on yourself, time to mourn your loss. I feel your trying to bury or run away from these feelings instead of facing them because your afraid of the pain.” “That’s not what I’m scared of.”

“Then what is it?” Shaking my head, I got up from the rock, “it doesn’t matter.” I couldn’t give her my reasoning, she wouldn’t understand. None of them would, they’d think I was stupid or melodramatic. “Cora, your feelings and reasoning matters to me,” Leia attempted to draw me back in to the conversation. “Its fine, you have more important people to be dealing with right now. Like Rey.” Leia started to give me her signature look of disappointment, but now it didn’t have the same effect on me.

“She might have Skywalker blood running through her veins, but in my eyes she has yet to do anything to earn that name,” I spat. Before Leia could say anything else, before I could feel guilty for snapping at her, I stormed further into the forest. After trying for years to bring Ben home to end this war and failing, it infuriated me how they now thought Rey could do so. If he would not come home for his lover and lost child, then he wouldn’t come home for his estranged cousin. If anything, another reminder of his past and the Skywalker family would drive him further away.

Having walked for a while, the camp was now completely out of sight and earshot. It felt good to be well and truly alone for a few moments. To have the peace of the forest to myself. Closing my eyes I took a few deep calming breaths, listening to the sounds of leaves rustling in the breeze, some thinner branches creaked and groaned. The force was the only comforting presence to be felt. Opening my eyes, I froze, eyes widening at the person before me. There was no way he was here, that he could have found me. Fear, hatred, and anger filled me at the sight of Kylo Ren. Every part of me wanted to run, knowing he was likely here to kill me. But this time I knew I had to face him whether I was ready or not.

Taglist: @sweetfictionalworld, @sweetsec-93, @cltex84, @jana-banana-fana, @neeharlow

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favefandomimagines · 3 years

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I Never Planned on You 3

AN: chapter 3 even after the first two parts kind of flopped but hey i like this series and i’m hoping it’ll get better since harry potter tiktok is still somewhat thriving

sorry for going awol!! i was on a family trip and wanted to unplug for a bit! but i appreciate your patience and i’ll try to have a more structured posting schedule! i also apologize that this was so short, the next chapter will be much longer!!

taglist: @x-lulu

After Kendra’s talk with George, she knew that she needed to find Harry. Professor Trelawney said that he was the only other student to have the Grim in his tea leaves. What were the odds that both her and Harry Potter had the same fortune?

She caught up to the young before he entered the Gryffindor common room. “Harry!” She called. “Oh, hi Kendra.” He greeted her. “May I talk to you for a moment?” She asked. “Of course.” He said. Harry told Hermione and Ron to go on without him as he hung back with Kendra.

“What did you need to talk about?” Harry asked. “This afternoon in Divination, Professor Trelawney saw something in my tea leaves. She said that you were the other student to have the same thing.” She started. “You had the Grim too?” Harry questioned.

Kendra nodded her head slightly before Harry spoke again. “Do you think it has anything to do with your father?” He asked. “I-I really don’t know. Everyone thinks I know what’s going on but I don’t.” Kendra answered. “I believe you. You haven’t spoken to your father in 11 years, how would you know anything?” Harry replied.

“Thank you, Harry.” She smiled. The two entered the common room, splitting up to go to their respective friend groups.

“Kendra, we need to have a little discussion.” Angelina said as Kendra approached her three friends. “And what might that be?” She questioned. “What’s going on between you and George?” Alicia asked. “What? Nothing, we’re just friends.” Kendra said.

Angelina, Katie and Alicia all exchanged a look before looking back at Kendra. “He’s always the first person to defend you and the first person to check on you. Especially with recent events.” Angelina said. “Fred is also your friend and he doesn’t do that nearly as often as George.” Katie added.

“We’ll just wait and see tomorrow. We’re all going to Hogsmeade, maybe he’ll personally invite you.” Alicia teased. “Actually, you can count me out for Hogsmeade. I’m not really feeling up to it.” Kendra said. “What?” The twins interjected in unison. “Kendra, you have to come. We’ve been waiting all term for this and even with recent events, they’re still letting us go.” Fred said.

The older twin nudged his brother, knowing if anyone could make Kendra join them at Hogsmeade, it was George.

“Please, Kendra. We haven’t been able to hang out like we did over the Summer before you left.” George said. “You’re really laying it on thick aren’t you, Weasley.” Kendra commented. “If it’ll make you say yes.” He replied. “Fine. I will come to Hogsmeade. But I’m only doing it for you.” She finally said, earning soft cheers from friends. “Only for George, aye?” Fred poked. “And for all of you.” Kendra corrected herself before shooting Fred a glare.

Fred had been trying to set up his brother and best friend since third year. To no avail. They were both too scared to tell the other in fear of ruining their friendship with each other. But Fred knew better. He knew both like the back of his hand and if they needed a few friendly nudges, then so be it.

Later that evening, when everyone went to bed, Kendra couldn’t sleep a wink. She tried everything and she didn’t want to bother Madame Pomfrey at such a late hour. So she resorted to sitting on the velvet couch in the common room, reading a muggle book Hermione had lent her.

As she was just reading about the tragic affair of Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan, the sound of shuffling knocked her out of it.

“Oh, Kendra, I didn’t know anyone would be up.” Harry’s voice alerted her. “Oh, hi Harry. Couldn’t sleep either?” Kendra questioned. “You can say that.” The boy replied. “Well, we can be insomniacs together.” She said. “I actually wanted to ask you something.” Harry said. “Of course, go right ahead.” She told him.

“Do you remember anything about my parents? I know you were young when they died but you said you knew them.” He asked.

Kendra closed her book and turned her attention to the young boy in front of her. “I don’t remember much but I do remember one thing. It was before my mother was killed and we were at your house. You were just born and my mother was good friends with yours. It’s my earliest memory actually. I was sitting on the floor, my mother and Lily were fawning over you,” Kendra started with a laugh.

“And your father sat down on the floor with me and gave me this little doll made out of scraps of clothing. Lily had made it in case they had a girl so James gave it to me. He made sure I wasn’t going to feel left out. He was a very kind man, your father. Knew how to make people laugh, so Remus told me.” She finished.

Harry smiled at the recollection of Kendra’s memory. “So you knew Professor Lupin on the train?” He asked. “Yes. When I lost both of my parents and I was sent to live with the Malfoy’s, Remus did everything he could to get me out of that house. Him and my aunt Andromeda made sure I wouldn’t be forced to share the same ideologies that made the Black’s a very infamous pureblood family. That’s putting it lightly.” She answered.

“This might be a sensitive subject but do you think your father wants to kill me?” Harry questioned. “Of course not, Harry. My father could never hurt you or anyone who is innocent.” Kendra said.

Harry nodded his head curtly before Kendra stood up. “Seems talking with you as done the trick to make me want to sleep. So I thank you for that. Goodnight, Harry.” She said. “Goodnight, Kendra.” Harry replied.

—

The next morning, an abundance of students stood out in the courtyard of the castle, handing their permission slips to Professor McGonagall.

Kendra handed her’s to the older woman. before going to join her friends off to the side. “So, where to first?” Angelina asked. “Let’s go to Honeydukes! I told my brother I’d send him some chocolate frogs!” Alicia answered. “George and I need to run to Zonko’s. We have some new products to plan.” Fred commented.

“Kendra, where do you want to go?” He added. “I’ll come with you to Zonko’s. I really don’t need to be tempted by Honeyduke’s.” She joked. “Well come on then, Kendra! We have so little time!” George exclaimed dramatically.

The younger twin grabbed her wrist and pulled her along towards the village, leaving their friend group behind. “George, slow down! You’ll rip my arm out of its socket!” Kendra called with a laugh.

George came to a slow stop, allowing Kendra to catch her breath. “Is that better, your highness?” He teased. “Indeed it is.” Kendra replied. “Why were you so adamant on me coming to Hogsmeade?” She asked.

“Because we never spend time together just us. It’s always us and Fred or us and Ginny or us, Ron, Hermione and Harry. Do I need a reason to want to spend time with my best friend?” George explained.

George noticed Kendra’s smile falter ever so slightly before she quickly recovered. “No, you don’t need an excuse. You never need an excuse, Georgie.” She replied.

Though the word ‘friend’ was a word she didn’t like hearing from George. “So we’re just going to ditch the rest of our friends?” Kendra replied. “That’s exactly what we’re going to do.” George answered. “If I know Angelina, she’s already convinced Fred to go to Honeyduke’s with her.” He added

Kendra wanted to say she felt bad that they were leaving their friends behind but whenever she was able to spend time alone with George, she took it.

The two arrived at Zonko’s and George looked like a kid in a candy store. He’s been to the joke shop a million times and yet each time still amazed him.

“So what exactly are we looking for?” Kendra asked the boy. “I don’t know, anything that creates the greatest prank in the history of Hogwarts.” George answered. “You’ve already done that by now. At least I think you have.” She said.

“You’re biased, love. You have to think our pranks are the best.” He said. “Oh really? I have to think that?” Kendra questioned. “Of course you do.” George replied. “Alright then. If I’m being honest the last one you did with Peeves wasn’t the best. The execution was sloppy.” She told him.

George paused his browsing and looked at the dark haired girl for a moment. “Sloppy? My execution was sloppy?” He questioned. “It could have been better. That’s why Snape caught you. If you would have taken my advice, you wouldn’t have had detention for two weeks.” Kendra answered.

“You’re a minx you know that right?” George asked with a laugh. “What can I say, I get it from my mother.” Kendra said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

George smiled down at her as she stood at his side. He hoped that she couldn’t hear how loud his heart was beating or if she could tell that his palms were clammy. He just thought she was so pretty he could never think straight around her.

“Did you hear me?” Kendra asked him. “What?” He questioned. “I said did you want to go to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer before we go back?” Kendra asked. “Uh, yeah, yeah, sure. I’ll pay.” George stammered.

“If I didn’t know any better, Weasley, I’d say you were considering this a date.” Kendra teased. “No, no, definitely not a date.” George lied.

He wanted nothing more than for it to be a date but he didn’t have the courage to ask and what if Kendra said no? It would ruin their friendship forever. Kendra ignored the way her heart felt as if it were tightening in her chest at his words.

Would going on a date with her be that bad to him? Then again, she didn’t want to jump to conclusions. But she also didn’t want to ruin the friendship she had with George if she were to confess her true feelings.

So Kendra did what she did best when it came to her true emotions; and that was to hide them for as long as she could.

#imagine #harry potter imagine #george weasley #george weasley imagine #george weasley x reader #fred weasley #ginny weasley #ron weasley #draco malfoy #hermione granger #sirius black #sirius black imagine

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maisondenachtai · 4 years

Text

Shea Butter (Baby) (NSFW)

Pairing: Erik x Black!Reader.

Summary: I mean…. another man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

(author’s note: so, okay...I had this idea of mash-up monday where we all take two songs with the same title, or same general title and write a fic based on what you are inspired by from listening to both songs. I’m sure there are enough songs to do this with. my songs were Shea Butter by Pardison Fontaine and Shea Butter Baby by Ari Lennox and this is what I came up with. I hope people try this as well! It was fun.)

Song Lyrics That Inspired Me: I want you, gotta have you, I don't think you understand (You don't) I heard you when you told me you already got a man (So?) That nigga probably love you but can't fuck you like I can You need a man in your pussy, not a pussy as your man (Ayy, woo) - Pardison Fountaine

You lost in the shape of my hips Hope there is a move And if you really down, we can find it Lost in an alley, make love by a trash can, ayy - Ari Lennox

You felt uncomfortable, to say the least. You were smashed right between your boyfriend, and his homeboy. Your boyfriend’s hand was slung around your waist, hand on the curve of your hip. He could definitely feel the vibration of your phone, notifying you of text messages that you were receiving.

“Damn baby, you got the hotline tonight.” Devon said drink to his lips, eyes glued to the tv screen. You laughed then, nervously, out of the corner of your eye you could see his homeboy, best friend, supposed god father to your future kids, put his cellphone back down on the arm of the chair.

Good lord you were playing with fire. You had been striking the match for a long time now, ever since you had drunkenly kissed his homeboy during a kickback, on the side of your brownstone. He was holding the trash, that he was supposed be throwing out, with one hand and your ass in one hand. You were holding his face pulling him deeper into you. You were supposed to be showing him which trash can was yours. That was months ago. Ever since then you had been trying to avoid Erik Stevens. You made sure that you were busy on nights like this, studying at your own place, working night shifts at the pharmacy. Hell, you had even taken up night soul cycling with your crazy cousin who was into the crystals. But somehow you had gotten caught slippin’.

But you were an adult, you could handle a little awkwardness and as long as Erik was cool, you could be cool.

As least that’s what you thought.

It all started at the door. You opened it and was instantly hit with that familiar fragrance of man, cologne and Irish Spring. You felt dizzy and were tongue tied when you looked up to see Erik smiling, wolfishly, back down at you.

“Damn girl, where the fuck you been?” He leaned against the doorframe looking you up and down. When his gaze traveled back up and paused at your lips, he bit down on his own and you knew right then that you were in trouble. “You been hiding from me?” He asked, low enough to where only you and him could hear.

Before you could respond by pushing him out of the doorframe and slamming the door on your troubles, Devon walked up and made that noise men make when greeting another male of their brotherhood. While they did their handshake and greeted each other, you slipped under Devon’s arm and made your way into the kitchen to make sure the spread was right…and to get out of Erik’s eye sight.

Fifteen minutes later you still had not made it out of the kitchen, still picking over the food. The living room was now full with Devon’s friends and their girlfriends or girls they were seeing at the moment. You busied yourself putting out more food when the men made their plates, engaging their girlfriends when they came into the kitchen to grab a drink or a little food. Anything you could do to avoid being in the same space as Erik. At one point you had started to arrange the cups in his cupboard.

“Baby. Stop fingering my cups and sit down. Damn.” Devon said earning a laugh from his crew. You turned and huffed, the jig was up and you had to face your demons. And your demon was patting the cushion between himself and his boy.

And that’s how you found yourself between a rock and a hard place. Devon had wrapped his hand around your waist somewhere after the 1st quarter ended and that’s when the text messages started. You knew it was Erik because he nudged you discreetly once your phone started vibrating. You made sure Devon was focused on the game before grabbing your phone from your pocket. You unlocked it and read the message.

You didn’t answer my question.

What question?

U been hidin from me?

Y would I hide from you?

I don’t know baby. U tell me.

Don’t call me baby.

With that you slid the phone back into your pocket and cuddled up into your man. But that of course didn’t stop Erik from messaging you. You pulled out your phone again and brought it closer to your face now that you were closer to Devon.

Y not? You my baby.

No I’m not, Erik. I have a man.

Nah, you got a boyfriend. I’m ya man.

Can your boyfriend make you cum like I can?

His sentence made you go back to that day, in the alley, next to your garbage can. You’re not sure who touched who in what way to make Erik push you against the wall like he did. You’re not sure what signal you gave him that made him know that you wanted him to kiss you like he did. By the time you figured what you were doing was wrong, he had your legs around his waist and your dressed hitched up so you felt him against your panties.

You pushed him back, breathless, your lip gloss smeared around and on his lips. His and your breaths came out in white puffs, going up together in a cloud of vapor.

“What ma? Why you stopping me?” He leaned towards you again capturing your lips in another heated kiss but you pushed him back again before you both got in too deep.

“We shouldn’t be doing this, Erik? Devon is right upstairs.” You searched his face for regret or memory* but the only thing you saw was undisguised lust. It made you even more turned on.

“I don’t give a fuck about fucking Devon.” His lips brushed up your neck. “He knew I wanted you anyway but nigga fucking pushed up before I could.” He bit gently right under your earlobe and you shivered, but not from the cold.

“Wait what?” You pushed him back again and this time he made a noise that sounded close to a growl. “The fuck does that mean?”

Erik looked down the alley where people were passing by, not looking towards the sounds you know they could hear coming from the dark alley. He looked back at you. “That day Devon approached you at the party, I saw you first and I told him about you. How good your ass looked in that yellow dress.” He gripped your ass at that and you groaned. “How I liked how you bit your lips when you danced with your girls. How I wanted to take you home that night. How bad I wanted you to sit on my fucking face.” He kissed you again and when he pulled back, you immediately followed his lips with your own but he kept talking.

“But D, fucking D always has to have what I want, so he pressed up on you first.” He pressed against you then, hard and big. Your pussy clenched. “And now you with him. But I don’t give a fuck. I want you.” With that he rocked against your clothed pussy, sending a sharp jolt as if he was inside of you. You moaned softly.

“Yeah, just like that.” He said encouraging your moans as he continued his dry humping. “When he fucks you tonight, you remember I made you feel like this without being inside of you.” He rocked harder. “You remember how wet you got from just my kisses.” He sucked a line from your neck to your lips biting down. You moaned as his thrusting became harder, giving you enough friction to throw you over the edge hard.

You clenched your legs around him hard, pulling him into you. He chuckled softly in your ear before giving you soft kisses on your neck.

“Then when he finally makes you orgasm with that weak shit he gives you, you remember how good you felt with me, and how much better I can make you feel with just one stroke” When your legs stopped shaking, he dropped you down and picked up the trash, putting it in the trash can where it belonged.

A buzzing brought you back from your memory, and you noticed that you had clenched your legs up tight.

I didn’t think so.

Answer ya ‘man’.

“Huh?” You slid your phone back into your pocket and looked over at Devon who was looking back at you as if you had two heads.

“You bored huh bae? I’m sorry.” He kissed your temple. “I was just asking who was texting you?”

“Oh.” You chuckled, placing a smile on your face. “Just Kendra. She was telling me about her date with the NBA player.”

“Your girl is a trip, I swear.” Devon settled back and got back into the game, even moving his arm from around you and pointing out a bad call.

After fifteen minutes your phone had buzzed several more times, yet you ignored it instead spending your time really focusing on the game. Devon and several of the men had taken to standing up around the TV as if their energy could be transmitted through the TV. The girlfriends were gathered in the kitchen picking at fruit and talking. You had tried to join them but Erik gripped your shirt, keeping you in your place. He had hung back from the guys, instead choosing to antagonize you by brushing his knee against yours every five minutes.

Erik leaned towards you and whispered in your ear. “Since you ain’t answering my messages, I’m just gonna tell you what they said. The first one said, I want your pussy against my mouth.” He licked your earlobe before pulling back just as whoops went up.

“Stop it.” You said out of the side of your mouth.

Erik smirked and leaned closer to you, “Nah. I wrote them messages and you gon’ know what I said. The second one said, I want you ride my face. Period. Hard. Period.”

“Erik, please.” You begged quietly, you could feel your resolve crumbling.

“No ma. You been hiding from me. I don’t like that shit. You got a nigga fucking weak and shit, hoping to see you but you don’t never show up. So you best believe I’mma tell you everything I want from you while you’re here.” He smiled. “That reminds me, the third one said, after you cum against my mouth, I’m going to bend you over whatever’s close and take what I want. Hard.”

You bit your lip and clenched your thighs together. You looked at Devon who was focused solely on the game.

“Oh and the fourth one is my favorite one, it said, 15 minutes, my crib.” He brushed his hand over your knee and then stood up going over to Devon and patting him on the shoulder.

“Oh man, you’re leaving already?” Devon said doing their handshake again but ending it with a chest bump. “You must got a pussy appointment?” Devon smirked.

“I hope so.” Erik grinned at Devon and then said his goodbyes to the other men before waving goodbye to the ladies and then finally at you. He mouthed ‘13’ before walking to the door and leaving.

You looked around and found the girlfriends looking at you. When they found you looking back at them, they turned whispering to themselves again. Honestly, you really didn’t give a fuck about what they thought. In fact, you didn’t give a fuck about anything at this point.

You looked at the clock on the wall.

In 11 minutes, you were going to get dicked down.

#erik x reader #erik killmonger #killmonger smut #black panther fanfiction #erik stevens x reader #killmonger x reader #black panther killmonger #killmonger imagine

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undercoverwizardfanfiction · 3 years

Text

A Winter Night: A ROTTMNT Holiday story

Rating:G

Word Count;2358

for: @snakeeyesdraws

Characters: Donnie, Leo, Kendra

pairings: [takes breath, pulls out sword] LISTEN

update; i accidentally uploaded the draft the first time ^^’ i fixed though this is the finished version

An overtly saturated neon sign of a Santa selling sandals catches him in the corner of his eye. He uses his forearm to protect his aching eyes as he passed the sign. When he passes the blinding neon of Santa, the turtle takes a deep breath, a soft mist escaping his mouth. Honestly, he is grateful the streets aren’t more crowded. But not for his slowly numbing hands. He stuffs his hands into his unlined pockets and moves forward. Grateful more than ever that he had updated Shelldon with a heating unit so he didn’t have to weigh himself down with a heavy coat. It was making the walk to Hueso’s a bit more tolerable. He’d have to remember to update his brothers’ gear to include a heating unit like his. Course knowing them they’d probably use it to heat up marshmallows in their pockets and that was a mess he was NOT going to clean up for-

He is so wrapped up in the nightmarish scenario of having to clean marshmallows out of circuitry when a loud shriek of anger followed by a trash can flying past his line of vision causes him to jump on one foot with a shriek of fear

“Stupid AIDEN!!”

It takes Donnie a moment, and another trash can flying by his vision to realize he is not the source of anger, or in danger. He blinks and peers down the alley before having to duck in time for another trashcan to get stomped in the middle with enough strength to crunch it in half before, in a mixture of amazement he blinks. “Kendra?”

In a feral rage Kendra stomps a trashcan nearly in half before swerving around and glaring at him snarling. Her thick purple hair twisted in half ragged tangles, her beret lay on the ground as though she had thrown it to the ground before deciding that wasn’t enough to help vent her rage. Her half-crazed eyes narrowed at him. “What do YOU want?!” she bites and for a moment Donnie wishes he hadn’t stopped, “Are you here to ruin my day again?! Wreck my plans?!”

“Um,” Don blames his lack of ability to come up with a snappy come back on his even more urgent need to survive the next five seconds, or at least not end up like that trashcan. ”Are you doing something that should be stopped?”

Kendra narrows her eyes at him. “NO.”

“Do you HAVE an evil plan that I should stop? Again?” With a snarl Don worries he might have said the wrong thing.

But then she lets out an angry sigh, “No, not now.”

“Um.” He really didn’t want to end up a Donnie shaped hole in the wall, “Then, no?”

Kendra narrows her eyes at him, Donnie could barely see the little puffs of steam burst out of her nose like a bull trying to figure out if he was a matador worth charging. But then she lets out an angry growl, ”Fine, go away then,” she says, crouching down and yanking the trash can back into a standing position kicking at it a few more times to try and un-dent it. Donnie glances back at the trash cans in the road and sighs. He pulled off his gloves, cursing the fact that he didn’t bring any extra rubber gloves, and pulls one of the trash cans off the street. Kendra glares up at him before eyeing the trashcan in confusion, “What do you want?”

“To not see cars hit trash cans? Is that supposed to be a hard question?” he asks, again berating himself when Kendra narrows her eyes at him, but lets him stand his trash can next to the one she had ‘undented’, she doesn’t thank him when he drags by the other one too. But to be honest he doesn’t really expect it. But he does finally notice that, even though she traded out her leggings for sweatpants, she’s lacking her purple dragons' jacket and is wearing a dark grey sweater and boots. All signs indicated she had not been planning on being outside in December and is using all the anger she had been trying out on the trash cans to not shiver, “Where are you going?”

“What’s it to you?” she demands.

Donnie raises his hands in mock surrender. “Honestly? I was just trying to help but if you’re going to keep acting like a jerk, I’ll-“ he wasn’t sure how he was going to finish that thought. ‘Walk away?’ ‘Blog about it angrily later?’ But it ended with someone shouting ‘heads up’ and something hard slamming into the back of his head, his vision exploding in bright colors and the breaking of a snowball contacting with his head. Off balance he finds his world spinning and himself on his knees, hands holding his head trying to make sense of the pain and his disorientation.

“Hey!” Kendra’s voice was far away, but that could be ‘cause she had stormed over to yell at the kids who had thrown the snow ball. “The hells your problem?! That was basically an ice ball you weebs.” Don could barely make out their mumbled sheepish apology. He pulls off his hat and touched the soaking bandana underneath. Any hope that it had just been snow went out the window when he drew his bloody fingers off his head.

“Holy-“ Sounds like Kendra was back, his vision was spinning so bad that he assumed the spinning purple mass by his side was her. “Hey how many fingers am I holding up?!” she said holding out her hand. He could barely make out her fingers but gave a weak, “Four?” with strength surprising for someone her size, she took his arm and lifted him to his feet, pulling his arm over her neck, “Come on there’s a hospital nearby-“

“NO,” he answers quickly.

“Are you kidding me you’re HEAD is BLEEDING.”

“And I'm a giant talking turtle which do you think will matter more to a hospital staff?!” He often wondered how Yokai managed in the city without access to a hospital. He had been meaning to ask Hueso about-. He blinks, there was no way he could let Kendra take him home. But he was already close to the pizza place “I have a place I can go. But you can’t go with me-“

“Again, your HEAD is BLEEDING,” she snaps. “I’ll take you where you need to go but I won't get any closer got it?” Donnie knew she wouldn’t take no for answer and only answered with a sigh and a nod. She pulls harder on the arm wraps over her neck and took more of his weight. Despite their height difference he barely touches the ground which only added more to the feeling of being disoriented.

“Thanks,” he muttered weakly.

“Don’t thank me til we get there.” Donnie struggles to keep his eyes open but his swirling vision forces him to keep his eyes closed, a hand slaps his face lightly. “Hey stay awake nerd.”

“Pot calling the kettle-“ Donnie bit off the end of his statement as he tried not to dry heave. He could feel Kendras frozen bare arms through his coat and feels even worse for being out in the first place. “H-Hold on,” he says, stiffening his legs up to drag her to a stop. He manages to pry her arm off him long enough to peel his coat off leaving him in his long sleeved dark pink Atomic Lass shirt. “You’re obviously cold.” As callous as he is sometimes, he finds it’s better to be honest than to dance around the subject, “Shelldon has a heating unit that’ll keep me warm.” Though it wouldn’t help his arms, he could handle a few blocks though. Thankfully his vision is returning to some extent, enough that he notices Kendra looking to his pack and for a moment Don struggles not to shift to put the pack out of her sight, “That’s Shelly right? Is he still mad at me for tricking him?”

“Oh definitely. He has a stack of crayon drawings dedicated to his revenge on you.” He feels the shoulders on his back tighten as though Shelldon was reprimanding him for revealing his secret plans.

Kendra lets off a small shrug “Yeah fair enough, I’d probably do the same thing” before smirking directionally at the pack, ”But for the record little buddy, blue prints are a much better way to plot out revenge.”

Don tries to grin before dizziness settles in again. Kendra must have noticed since she ducked under his arm. “Hold on nerd, keep talking to me.”

He manages a nod, mentally keeping track of their location. “Wh-what were you doing out here kicking trash cans?” he asked. “And who’s this Aiden guy who has you so mad? Not that it's any of my business, but I’m kinda hurt there’s someone out there you currently hate more than me,” he says with an added offended tone that makes her glare at him in confusion. ”I mean not to brag, but I sorta consider it a pride and joy to have an enemy worthy of my intelligence.”

Kendra narrows her eyes. “Please, he’s not worthy of my time,” she says through her teeth. “There’s this guy in the robotics club with us, Aiden. A loser who couldn’t tell a snickers from a soldering pen. There was a contest to submit the best blueprints, and who ever won would to be our project for the semester.”

“I’ve seen you build stuff on your own though. “

“That wasn’t the point,” Kendra lets out an angry huff, “I won, like I knew I was going to. But he got second place, I checked the points and he was twelve points away from wining. Twelve! The loser pretty boy who had his private tutor help him.”

“But you still won-“

“-He shouldn’t have gotten that close. I did all my work by myself. Didn’t ask for help, spent nights coding and drafting. I should have left him in the dust a broken swaddled nerd with broken dreams. But no. I made sure he knew how I felt about it, but the creep tattled on me. Freaking snowflake got freaked out because his blue prints ended up on his front porch on fire. Since when is that illegal.”

“I mean,” Don pauses, “I think always.”

“Anyway, I got kicked off the club and that’s why I'm out here.” She shrugs. “If my Dad or step mom saw me getting this mad then they’d make me do the ‘breathing exercises,’” she said with air quotations, “Being all ‘Kendra we’re worried about you’ ‘Kendra we love and support you we just don’t want to see you go down a bad path’ and ‘Kendra where do you keep getting access to all this fire!?’” Her frustrations forced her to kick out at a sign they passed but thankfully not hard enough to knock it over, “So as soon as I’m done helping you, I’m going to see my Mom. She’s the only one who gets me.”

Donnie blames his concussion on being so surprised Kendra had a mom but tried to keep it off his features. But judging by the quiet scoff from Kendra he hadn’t done a very good job, "How about you Greeny? Why did you come out here if you already had a concussion? Don’t pretend like you didn’t have one, I saw the bandages when I was checking your scalp. You already had a head injury before you got hit in the head.”

Figures his hat would blame him, and his own disorientation for forgetting that Kendra had checked his scalp. “It's complicated.”

“More complicated then plotting revenge on a spoiled white boy in a Vanilla Ice t-shirt?” she says in a tone that tells Donnie she’s trying to make a joke. And despite his best efforts not to, he snorts slightly, “No, I'll agree it’s not that complicated.” But it still feels weird to share with a certified enemy who once tried to steal the Spirit of Labour Day (don’t ask can’t explain). Thankfully she doesn’t rush him as he tries to collect his thoughts. “I got into an argument with my brother.” He still doesn’t want to let her in on too much information. “My brothers are all protective of each-other but he's’ protective in a way that makes me nuts. He thought it was too soon for me to go out with this whole situation,” he said gesturing to his head bandage, “And I disagreed. Except I didn’t really do it in the best way.”

“I think I know what that means,” Kendra says. “Did you say something bad?”

For a moment, it takes all of Don’s remaining mental energy to not think about Leo’s face, watching his concerned features fade away to one of hurt. So hurt in fact he hadn’t even called after Donnie when he stormed out. He lets out a sigh. “I did. I wish I had a reasonable excuse for it, but to be honest I don’t like feeling like I'm depending on people. I don’t like feeling like he’s always concerned about me. I especially don’t like him being right about it.”

“Sucks when it feels like you’re under-appreciated huh?”

“Yeah.” He could make out a familiar sandal store that housed Hueso’s alley. “We’re here,” he says.

Kendra looks around, and for a moment Donnie is concerned Kendra is going to insist on taking him ‘inside’ but she ducks from under shoulder. “You sure?” she asks, “I can take you further.”

“I’m good, thanks though.” He tries to give her a confident smile but his lips only twitch in response. She gives a half shrug before she starts pulling off his coat. “Keep it. You have a long way to walk and I still have Shelldon to keep me warm.”

“Thanks,” she says pulling the coat back on. “I’ll catch you later Greeny,” she says. She looks like she's’ about to walk off when she pauses. “But for the record, it still must be nice to have brothers who have your back.”

“It is.” Don nods. “And honestly Aiden sounds like a little bitch.”

For the first time since their strange encounter began Kendra put on a full smile. “Thanks,” she says before walking off.

(#)(#)\/(#)(#)

Leo didn’t snore.

So when his phone went off amongst his makeshift ‘pillow floor’ in the living room he did not ‘snort’ awake. He made a strangled noise before sitting up. Patting his sweatpants and hoody pockets before diving into the mass of pillows. Breaching a moment later like a whale with his phone in his teeth. Hueso’s ID is flashing across his screen. With a scoff he answers. “For the last time BONE man I don’t work today-“

“First of all, that is NOT how you politely answer a phone,” Hueso starts with a snap of his teeth. “Second that’s not why I'm calling. Your brother is here with me.”

Leo blinks, he blames his previous hibernated state on why it took him so long to remember which brother had left the lair. “Donnie? Is he ok?” he said already going to his room and looking for his sword under his bed.

“He is alright, but it looks like he got hit on the head pretty hard-“

That’s all it takes for him to charge out of his room, lingering only long enough to grab the toolbox he used for a first aid kit, and grabbing his portal sword from the kitchen (vaguely remembering he had used it to cut some cheese for his peanut butter and cheese grilled sandwich earlier) and slicing the sword down to activate a portal to Hueso’s office. Without saying bye, he hangs his phone up and jumps through.

The aforementioned skeleton, who had been glaring at his phone as though offended Leo had hung up on him, gave a shriek as the turtle appears by his side. “BAH! Leo, I hate it when you-“

Leo immediately tuned him out when he saw Donnie laying on Hueso’s couch with an ice pack over his forehead, he hurried forward and knelt down. “You ok buddy?” he asks.

Donnie looks up at him from under the ice pack with a weak smile. “I don’t know, are you really uglier than the last time I saw you or is that my head talking?”

Leo couldn’t help but grin. “I thought brain injuries were supposed to make people nicer,” he says. He turns to the toolbox and starts going through the first aid supplies inside. “Thanks for letting him rest. In your office,” he tells Hueso as he sets aside a pen light and some new bandages.

“Why wouldn’t I? Out of your brothers he’s most definitely my favorite.”

“Wait you have a favorite?” Leo looks to him. “Then who's your least favorite?”

After a pause, Hueso gives a wide and strained grin. “I will leave you two to it. If you need me just call me,” he says before ducking out quickly.

It’s only then that Leo turns his barely contained worried energy on Donnie “What happened? Who did this? Do you have their address and sleep schedule-“

“Leo,” Don starts in a pained voice, “Please, my head feels like someone tried to split it with an ax. It was an accident. Some kids hit me in the head with a snow ball.“

Leo was about to start on another tirade of questions when he forced himself to take a deep breath, “Yeah, ok, I'm sorry,” he says. Also trying to ignore Donnie’s missing coat. He looks back to his supplies and pulls out a pen light. “I’m going to check your pupil dilation, but only if you're up for it.” He waits for Donnie to give a slight nod before he lifts the pen and carefully pushes the ice pack away from his eyes. Using his thumb to cover Don’s opposite eye without actually touching him, with a flash the pupil constricts and dilates as it should. He does the same process to the other “Well that’s good at least,” Leo says. “How’s your vision?”

“Spinning, but I think that’s from the pain.”

That would make sense. The red slider turtle rose to sit on the edge of the couch, carefully unwrapping Don’s scalp as gently as he can, checking his facial expression for any signs of increased pain before he lets out a sigh of relief. “It's just a surface bleed. It doesn’t look like the actual injury itself reopened.”

“That’s good,” Donnie says with a soft sigh. “You’re doing a good job.”

“I had a good teacher.” Leo made sure to give Donnie a soft smile that the turtle barely returns. “Let me just change the bandages and we’ll head home when you feel up for it. Maybe we can order some pizza; I've had a monster craving for anchovy and chocolate syrup pizza for days-“

“I was wrong.”

Leo blinks, pausing from unwrapping the new bandages with his hands. It takes him longer than he should to realize what Don’s apologizing for and when he does, he only returns to digging through his kit. “You were a little right,” Leo says quietly putting aside a bottle of alcohol, “I mean it's kinda right, right?? You're usually right-“

“No, Leo.” Donnie tries to sit up but fails to get up more than a few seconds before Leo’s grip on his arm forces him back down. “Leo I was wrong. I was angry, my head was killing me I would have said anything to hurt you. You don’t mess everything up-“

“Except I do?” Leo lets out a soft laugh. “I mean I do. Between the minotaur's pizza and Big Mama I'm surprised I get anything right-“

Don’s hand grabs his shoulders and before Leo can stop him, the soft-shell forces himself into a sitting position with pure grit alone (judging by the pain filled grimace on his face, “Would you listen to me?!” Donnie demands shaking him by the shoulders, “I shouldn’t have even said it but I would have said anything. I was angry at feeling so helpless and dependent. I was angry because you were right for trying to stop me from going out. I did need your help and I shouldn’t have been so difficult. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry-“ his last sentence is interrupted with a sob that helps him notice the tears running down his face. Donnie lets out an aggravated huff as he presses the heel of his hands against his streaming eyes to help spare his dignity in some way.

He feels the couch shift as Leo shifts closer, wrapping his arms around him. “Ok, ok you were wrong. I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing Leo,“ Donnie manages to say from his brother’s shoulder. “I’m the one apologizing not you, idiot.”

“Alright, alright I apologize for apologizing. You were wrong I was right. Is that what you want to hear?” he asks. Don nods into his shoulder. Leo rests his cheek on Dons’ shoulder rubbing his shell for a few moments as Don’s erratic breathing finally starts to calm down.

After a few seconds Don lets out a small sigh, “Damn it, I was doing so good too. I can't even tell anymore if these are meltdowns or panic attacks.”

“As long as you don’t have to deal with them alone when you don’t want to, that’s all I care about.” Leo gives him a final squeeze before reaching up and taking Don’s shoulders, gently guiding him down to lay down again. “Ok buddy. I’m going to rewrap your head, and then I'm going to go order us some food and portal us home. You just relax ok?” He waits for Donnie to nod before Leo starts applying some alcohol to a cotton ball. “I’ll be honest though, I’m sorta surprised you made it here safely.”

Don for the first time since Leo entered Hueso’s office looks him with his tired blood shot eyes. A soft smile forming on his face as he relaxes. “Yeah,” he whispers. ”Me too.”

#rottmnt #rottmnt fanfiction #Rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #leo #donnie #kendra #christmas #gift #what a long year

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angelbabyszn · 4 years

Text

Only You (Cesar X Reader)

OMB Masterlist

"This is ridiculous. I'm not getting this done today." said Monse as she starts to stress about the math problems in front of her during math class.

"Come on, Monse. We got this. Ms. Allison agrees that we can work together on this." you said sitting next to her.

"Oh really? We can work together?" said Monse and you nodded. Monse grew a smile on her face and motivated herself to start working on the problems again with you.

A few minutes later, somebody came over and quickly sat down on the other side of the table which startled you and Monse.

"Hola muchachas!" said Jasmine in a sassy tone and waving her hand at both of you.

"Ugh, Jas, can you leave us alone? You know I'm not good at Math." said Monse annoyed.

"Oh hush. Math that we won't ever need in our life could wait." said Jasmine and Monse rolled her eyes. She pushed the worksheet in front of her off to her left side aggressively and let it fall to the ground.

"My birthday is this upcoming Saturday so you already know I'm throwing the biggest and baddest party ever! And I'm inviting both of you exclusively so you have to come!" said Jasmine excitedly to serious, causing you and Monse to widen your eyes in fear.

"Sure, we'll go." you said and Monse gave you a face like you made the biggest mistake of your life.

"Y/N!"

"What? It would be good for you. Are you doing anything this Saturday?" you asked Monse and she didn't respond in a few seconds.

"Your Saturday is taken away. You're going to the party, whether you like it or not." you said and Monse drops her head down on the table in regret and annoyance.

"See y'all chicas!" said Jasmine getting up from her seat and blowing a kiss at both of you. She leaves the table with two invites on the table.

"You're lucky. Cause if I never became your girl best friend, you would be stuck with a group of boys." you said. looking at Monse with a certain face.

"Yeah. I guess so. I should appreciate you more. I probably will be stuck with Jasmine and I can't stand her." she said and both of you continue to work on the math problems.

You felt a presence come to the table. You turned your head to the right to see Cesar literally just looking at you with a huge grin on his face.

You looked at him for a few seconds and back to the problem you were working on repeatedly for a few moments until you sigh and drop your pencil.

"What you need, Cesar?" you asked, looking at him with your head leaning against your left hand with your elbow on the table.

"I, um, well..." Cesar stutters and starts to feel heat on his face. Monse looked up from her paper and looked at him annoyed.

"Cesar, we don't have time for this. We need to finish this by the end of this period so goodbye." said Monse strongly at Cesar with glaring eyes.

"But I-"

Monse glared at him even harder with her furious face, causing Cesar to get up and go back to his seat next to Ruby.

"Monse, you didn’t have to scare him like that.” you said while giggling, remembering how fast he left the table.

“Who cares. I want to get these problems and sleep for the rest of the period.” said Monse seriously and go back to the problems.

You go back to work and you feel somebody looking at you. You have an idea who it is but dare not to look back and find out who it is.

"This is going to be the best party I throw yet! It's all for my babe." said Ruby as him and his guy friends walked together after school ended.

"Now, we need to work on food, drinks, and decorations. Any ideas?" asked Ruby, stopping in front of Jamal and Cesar to stop them from walking. Jamal and Cesar have no ideas so they stayed silent.

"Don't worry baby. My ideas are right here."

All the guys jumped in shock and Ruby turned around to see Jasmine standing in front of them with her binder in her hands.

"How did we not see her?" asked Jamal, leaning on Cesar's left ear.

"I don't know but that was freaky." said Cesar and Ruby rolled his eyes at his friends.

Ruby walked over to Jasmine and gave her a sweet kiss. After the kiss, Ruby took her binder and started to look through it.

"Fireworks, carriage, chocolate fountain, sparkly dress...I can definitely do this." said Ruby as he was looking through her binder. Jasmine did a jump excitedly and she kissed him on the cheek.

"Can you please stop with that? I'm not used to both of you together yet." said Jamal, causing Cesar chuckle. Ruby looks at them with an angry face.

"Don't worry about them. They are just jealous I have somebody and they don't." said Ruby, looking at Jasmine with heart eyes.

"I've actually had Kendra so Cesar's the only one over here lonely." said Jamal and he starts to laugh. Cesar quickly punches Jamal's left arm, causing Jamal to open his mouth wide with no sound coming and hold his left arm in pain.

"Excuse me."

Cesar turned his head to the voice and his eyes widened along with his eyebrows lifted by the sight. He saw you trying to pass Jasmine and Ruby with Monse right behind you.

"Hey Y/N. Where are you going?" asked Ruby with a smile and Monse gave him a glare.

"So you're just going to ignore the fact that I'm here? Wow, what friends you are." said Monse with an attitude looking at the guys.

"We're going to the mall for the party. What about you guys?" you said, causing Monse to quickly turn to you with a puzzled face.

"I thought we were going to the library and hang out," said Monse upset.

"See y'all later." you said and you start to pull on Monse's right hand and start to walk again with her behind starting to whine.

"Sorry Y/N." shouted Cesar at you. You turn back and give him a small smile before turning back straight. You continue going to the mall with Monse.

"You're such a dumba*s." said Ruby and Cesar quickly turn his head to look at him in confusion.

"Y/N could've been your girl right now if you weren't scared of just talking to her." said Ruby looking at Cesar with a certain face.

"I'm not scared. I'm just...I don't know man. I really like her but I don't want to make the wrong move or say something stupid." said Cesar as he starts to stress out of nowhere.

"Why are you stressed? You know she has a thing about you back in junior high right?" said Jasmine looking at him and he nodded.

"She honestly made it easy for you and you're taking too long to talk. Sooner or later, she is going to be taken unless you confess." said Ruby and Cesar starts to think deeply about his feelings about you and what he should do.

"Please welcome the beautiful princesa, of the evening, Jasmine Flores." said Ruby over the microphone in his hand. Jasmine came out to the backyard in her beautiful purple dress that Abuela made her, making everybody clapped and cheered for her.

Ruby walks over and hands her the microphone for her to speak.

"Thank you. Thanks for coming to my quince. It wouldn't be possible without my amazing boyfriend so let's get this party started!" said Jasmine in a sassy voice and the music starts again.

Ruby and Jasmine walked over to the rest of the group hand and hand.

"Okay girl. I see you rocking that blue dress." said Jasmine looking at Monse as she awkwardly stands in with a drink in her right hand.

"Thanks. I would've come in my favorite hoodie if Y/N wasn't here." said Monse with a small smile.

"Trust me. We know." said Jamal and the whole group started to laugh except for Monse.

"Happy birthday Jasmine."

The group turns around and Cesar's heart skips a beat. He starts to stare at you with your outfit on.

You were wearing your favorite color body-con dress that shows your whole body at the perfect spots with your hair down and straight with silver jewelry and clear heels and strap heels.

Cesar couldn't keep his eyes off of you. You look beautiful and hot in his eyes. His eyes go from the bottom of your outfit to the top and then repeats but reverse.

"Cesar?"

Cesar widened his eyes and shook his head to get out his imagination to see the whole group and you looking at him puzzled.

"You're okay?" you asked and Cesar quickly nodded.

"I hope you enjoy your new camera. For your YouTube channel." you said looking at Jasmine holding a camera that Cesar didn't notice until now.

"Y/N, this is amazing. Thank you so much." said Jasmine and she hugged you and you immediately hugged her back.

"I'm going to get a drink. I'll be back." you said with a smile and started to walk away.

Cesar starts to look again at you as you walk away. His imagination went into another place as he saw you from behind.

"Man." said Cesar underneath his breath and he holds his right hand over his mouth and wipes it.

"Still a dumba*s."

Cesar quickly looked at Ruby with a glare.

"But seriously though, you are." said Ruby and Cesar rolled his eyes.

"What are you going to do about it? She's right there. In front of you. Talking to nobody. All alone." said Ruby.

Cesar looked straight to see you drinking and swaying with the music as you looked at people dancing all by yourself.

"Um-"

"Go Romeo!" said Jamal and he pushed Cesar towards you. Cesar stumbled a bit and he looked back at his group of friends in confusion.

"...Go!" said Jamal looking at Cesar with wide eyes and waving his hands towards Cesar with them dipped to move him towards you.

Cesar does a huge sigh and he turns back around and he sees you still at the same spot you are all alone with your drink.

Cesar starts to slowly walk up to you. He starts to get nervous and his heart starts to beat faster and faster at every step he takes as he walks up to you closer and closer.

All of the sudden, another boy comes in front of you and starts talking to you.

He stops and stares at you talking with him. You look so comfortable talking to him, making him feel hurt in his heart.

He never saw you like this with anybody. He didn't know what to do now. Should he go over there and say something? Stay where he is and do nothing about it?

Cesar's eyes widened to see you and the guy starting to dance with each other and looking into each other's eyes. That did it.

Cesar quickly walks over to you and the boy, grabs your right hand, and starts to pull you away quickly making you drop your drink on the boy by accident.

"I'm sorry!" you shouted as you were still being pulled by Cesar.

Cesar pulls you inside Jasmine's kitchen. He walks in and closes the door that went out the backyard after you enter behind him forcefully.

"Cesar, you wanna explain why the heck you pull me away from him? I was trying to get his number." you said with your arms crossed against your chest while leaning against the counter.

"You can't be serious right now." said Cesar looking at you crazy.

"Yes I am. I like him. He's interesting." you said looking at him crazy back.

"You can't date him." said Cesar walking up to you. He pinned you against the counter.

"And why not?" you asked with an annoyed face looking at him.

"Because...because..." started Cesar but it wasn't coming out.

"Bye Cesar." you said and you quickly moved one of his hands off of the counter and you started to walk back out. A moment later, you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist.

"Wait." said Cesar softly in your right ear, causing you to gain heat on your face and a warm feeling through your body.

Cesar slowly unwraps his arms from your waist after a few moments later and you turn back to him with a puzzled face.

"Y/N. I like you." said Cesar, finally confessing and your eyes widened and your heart beating fast.

As much as you want to jump into his arms and kiss him right there, your brain gets you back into reality.

"Are you sure? It doesn't seem like you're into me. Also why are you telling me this now? You know I've liked you ever since junior high." you asked, reminding Cesar about your little crush on him.

"I didn't say anything because I didn't know how to approach you." said Cesar.

"Really? Cesar Diaz, the confident and the flirt of Freeridge High School, didn't know how to approach me?" you said and Cesar slowly nodded.

You started laughing a moment later, causing Cesar to look at you in confusion.

"Ha, that's a great joke. Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to go back to Andrew, a.k.a. the guy that you took me from and get his number." you said and turn back around.

A moment later without you even realizing it, you were sitting on the counter with Cesar in between your legs looking up at you.

"You sure about that?" asked Cesar with his voice suddenly being deeper, causing your eyes to widen and a warm feeling through your body.

"Yeah." you said softly as you looked at his face. Just being in this position with him is making you feel nervous and your heart beating out of your chest.

"Look, I really want to be with you. I don't want to be with anybody else. And I don't want you with anybody else but me." said Cesar looking into your eyes deep.

"Um, when did "Property of Cesar Diaz" came on my forehead uh? I don't belong to you. You ain't my boyfriend." you said with a strong voice.

Cesar was amused by your voice. He never expected that out of you and that honestly made him interested in you more.

"What about if I give you a kiss? Maybe that would remind you who you're with." said Cesar with a smirk.

"Did you not hear me? You're not my boyfriend. I can kiss anybody I want and whenever I want." you said and you cross your arms against your chest and look away with your head high.

"You sure you don't want to kiss me?" asked Cesar. still smirking at you, enjoying this person you are right now.

"I'm sure." you said looking at him again.

Cesar pulls you closer to him which causes your eyes to widen. He put one hand on your waist and put the other hand on your left cheek and moved your hair behind your ear. He got closer to your face and started to caress your right cheek.

"Just say the word and I'll kiss you, right here. Right now." said Cesar looking into your eyes and getting close to your lips.

You couldn't take this tension any more so you quickly pull Cesar's top of his shirt and pull him to your lips to connect it with his.

Cesar quickly kisses you back and he takes over being dominant of the kiss. He pulls you even closer than before while you went through his hair with your hand. You pull his head closer by his neck to continue kissing him.

About half a minute later, both of you finally ended the kiss and looked at each other deeply. You were breathing hard and seeing both of your lips pink and flushed out.

"You're mine...got it?" said Cesar and you nodded knowing you ain’t going to get rid of him now.

"Okay, we see you."

You and Cesar both turn your heads to see the whole group looking at you two with grins.

“What is happening?” Jamal said, confused and looked at both of you kinda frightened, making the group laugh a little bit

Cesar gives you a sweet kiss and helps you down from the counter as the group left back to the party.

"Never thought our first kiss would be me sitting on the counter." you said as you pulled down your dress.

"Well expect it. I'm going to be the best boyfriend you ever have." said Cesar with a grin. You rolled your eyes in the silliness of him and walked back to the party hand and hand.

Cesar wasn't wrong. He was the best boyfriend ever and you were never more happier than with him.

#onmyblock #onmyblockimagines #on my block imagine #on my block x reader #omb season 3 #cesardiaz #cesar diaz imagine #cesar diaz x reader #rubymartinez #jamalturner #jasmine flores omb #jasmine flores #jasmine omb #monsefinnie #cesar diaz omb #monse finnie #cesar diaz

239 notes · View notes

myonechicagoworld · 3 years

Text

CHICAGO FIRE – LEAVING THE STATION (S01E08)

Matt Casey: Why the hell are you studying Japanese?

Mouch: I read online that once you turn 50, your brain starts to

atrophy unless you keep it in shape.

Leslie Shay: I think that train’s already left the station, Mouch.

Joe Cruz: Say something in Japanese.

Mouch: I just started

Peter Mills: Hey, uh, where’s Herrmann?

Matt Casey: Tony Robbins seminar.

Otis Zvonecek: I got 20 bucks says in two weeks, you won’t be

able to string along a sentence.

Joe Cruz: [chuckles]

Mouch: Easiest money I ever made.

Otis Zvonecek: Done. What’s today?

Gabby Dawson: Um, 29th.

Matt Casey: Ah, damn it.

Gabby Dawson: Everything all right?

Matt Casey: Yeah. No, I just forgot something.

Chief Boden: Hey, everybody. We have the pleasure of hosting a

couple of visiting firefighters again. This is Gavin

and Presley. They will be observing over the next

couple of shifts.

Lieutenant Casey, Lieutenant Severide, and… the rest

of the knuckleheads.

Gavin: Hey guys, thanks so much for allowing us to be here. And let

us know if there’s anything we can do to help out.

Mouch: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Was that a Canadian ‘out’ I heard?

Gavin: Yes, sir. Toronto.

Presley: We both just finished our probationary period.

Mouch: You know what?

Uh, welcome aboard, guys.

No offense, but someone else will have to give you the

tour, ‘cause it ain’t gonna be me.

[door closes]

Matt Casey: Ignore him.

[alarm blaring & beeping]

(Over PA): Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61. Injury on the blue line,

Logan Square Station.

[sirens wailing, horn blares]

[sirens stop wailing]

Chief Boden: (over radio) Be aware, men, the third rail could still be

hot.

Matt Casey: You heard him, guys. Everyone keep your eyes

forward. Let’s do this the right way.

Chief Boden: (over radio) Main, do we have a hold on the

(into radio) blue line power at Logan Square?

Dispatcher: (over radio) Stand by. We’re waiting for confirmation.

Conductor: I think I hit someone.

Matt Casey: (into radio) Chief, we might have a victim on the

tracks. (over radio) Conductor thinks he hit

someone.

Chief Boden: (into radio) You and Mills walk back down

(over radio) toward the tunnel. Mind that third rail.

Matt Casey: (into radio) Copy.

Joe Cruz: All good.

Dispatcher: (over radio) CTA confirms power has been shut down.

Chief Boden: Cruz, we got the all-clear. Throw the chain.

Peter Mills: Yo! Hey, I see somebody!

Joe Cruz: Three, two, one, go!

[power sizzling]

Chief Boden: (into radio) Main, we still have power on the

southbound track!

Victim 1: Please, help me.

Matt Casey: (into radio) His leg’s stuck in the axle. I need this rail

turned off.

Chief Boden: (over radio) We’re working on it, Casey.

Matt Casey: My name’s Matt.

Victim 1: [exhales] Jacob.

Matt Casey: What happened, Jacob?

Victim 1 (Jacob): My sister Kayla and me went into the subway

through an access door, just to look around

but it locked behind us [panting] We were…

we were trying to get out through the tunnel.

Peter Mills: I’ll go.

Victim 1 (Jacob): [panting]

Matt Casey: (into radio) Chief, there’s another kid in the tunnel. Mills

is going (over radio) inside.

Chief Boden: (into radio) I have two victims on the track. I need that

damn power off now.

Peter Mills: Kayla!

Call out!

Dispatcher: (over radio) Supervisor has confirmed power has been

shut down.

Chief Boden: Cruz, throw the chain again.

Joe Cruz: Three, two, one, go!

Power’s off!

Kelly Severide: What’s his name?

Matt Casey: Jacob.

Victim 1 (Jacob): [groans]

Kelly Severide: Jacob, my name is Kelly. We’re gonna get you out

of there, alright?

Gabby Dawson: Let’s get that pressure dressing ready.

Kelly Severide: There we go.

Alright, right there. That’s good.

Peter Mills: Kayla!

Kayla!

[saw whirring]

Victim 1 (Jacob): [groans]

Kelly Severide: This is gonna hurt, buddy.

Victim 1 (Jacob): [groans]

Kelly Severide: Okay, buddy, hang on, hang on.

Victim 1 (Jacob): [groaning in pain]

Gabby Dawson: Watch his head.

Right here.

Hey, Jacob?

Victim 1 (Jacob): My… My sister…

Matt Casey: We’re looking for her now.

Leslie Shay: Alright, pressure dressing’s in place. Let’s go.

Gabby Dawson: One, two, three.

Victim 1 (Jacob): [groans]

Matt Casey: (into radio) Mills.

Gabby Dawson: You’re gonna be okay, Jacob.

Matt Casey: Mills.

(into radio) Yeah, we, uh… found the victim. I need two

body bags, more lights, latex gloves.

Two teams scour each side of the tracks. Call out

whatever body part you find.

Hey… You okay?

- Title Screen -

Chief Boden: Department counsellor.

Wasn’t easy what we saw today and there is no

shame in reaching out to talk to somebody.

Matt Casey: Hey, take a seat guys. Make yourselves at home.

Gavin & Presley: Okay.

Chief Boden: Hey.

Act right.

Mouch: Copy that, Chief.

So how’s that socialised medicine working out for you

guys?

Joe Cruz: Mouch.

Mouch: To get your tonsils out, I heard you got to wait in a line

around the block for the same doctor who just finished

a colonoscopy.

Otis Zvonecek: You’re the only guy I know that could have a beef

with Canada.

Mouch: Let’s just say I got a snoot full of how things really work up

there.

Nothing against these two but pull that curtain back a little

bit. You might be surprised at what you find.

Matt Casey: Yeah, uh, again, you can ignore him.

Joe Cruz: [laughs] Mouch, you are out of your damn mind [laughs]

cutscene

[shower water running]

[buzzer sounds]

Joe Cruz: (over PA) Shay, you got a guest on the apparatus floor.

Leslie Shay: I thought you were going home.

Clarice: Well, Daniel’s not back from Phoenix until later today, so…

you want to have some lunch?

Leslie Shay: It’s not a good time, Clarice. I got to get back to…

Clarice: Look, it’s turkey and brie with cranberry, from Martinelli’s.

Leslie Shay: I thought they closed.

Clarice: They opened up again over in Forest Glen.

Leslie Shay: [chuckles]

Clarice: Mmm.

Here, here, here, feel this.

Leslie Shay: Whoa. What is that?

Clarice: It’s his elbow. Wait… or no, maybe it’s his foot. That is

crazy, right?

Leslie Shay: Yeah.

Did you guys pick out names yet?

Clarice: (sighs) No, we are still in the middle of negotiations. Daniel

really wants to name him after his father.

Leslie Shay: Oh.

Clarice: Gilbert.

Leslie Shay: Oh.

Clarice: Yeah, I know.

I remember when we used to pick out baby names.

Leslie Shay: Yeah.

Yeah.

Clarice: Look, maybe I shouldn’t have said that.

[alarm sounds & buzzes]

(Over PA): Ambulance 61, difficulty breathing.

Leslie Shay: I got to go.

Uh… thanks… thanks for lunch. I…

[clears throat]

What? I can’t eat a sandwich?

Clarice: Hi, Gabby.

Gabby Dawson: Hi, Clarice.

[siren wailing]

Lady 1: [tearfully] She had a seizure, then couldn’t breathe.

Leslie Shay: Grace, can you hear me?

She’s responsive.

Gabby Dawson: Has this ever happened before?

Lady 1: No. I mean, yes. Sh-She’s had a seizure before.

Gabby Dawson: Is she taking any anti-seizure medication?

Lady 1: No, the doctors never found anything.

But she has Celiac disease. She’s… she’s been on a gluten

free diet for the last two months.

Leslie Shay: Diminished lungs.

Gabby Dawson: Okay, let’s get her to Chicago U.

Lady 1: No.

Gabby Dawson: Ma’am, we got to get Grace to the hospital.

Lady 1: Not Chicago U. My father died at that hospital. Please don’t

take her there.

Gabby Dawson: Okay, fine. Lakeshore. But we got to go now.

Hey. Easy, Grace. Easy.

Victim 2 (Grace): I don’t like the way it smells.

Gabby Dawson: You don’t like the way what smells, sweetheart?

Leslie Shay: Six year-old girl, respiratory distress, history of

undiagnosed seizures.

ER Doctor: Exam room two. We’ll take her from here.

Lady 1: I’m right here but we… [continues indistinctly]

Oh my God. Please don’t… please don’t hurt her.

Gabby Dawson: Something’s up with that chick.

cutscene

Kelly Severide: Works better if you turn on the heat.

[rubbish bag rustling]

[metal clanging]

Peter Mills: [sighs] [breathing shakily]

[sobbing]

cutscene

Matt Casey: Hour, hour and a half, tops.

Chief Boden: Okay, I’ll have Cruz cover truck until you’re back.

Matt Casey: Got it. And I’m sorry about this. You know this isn’t my

style, but…

Chief Boden: Handle your business.

Matt Casey: Oh, uh… keep an eye on Mills for me.

Chief Boden: Yeah, sure.

Gabby Dawson: Hey, quick favour?

Matt Casey: Sure.

Gabby Dawson: Shay and I feel a little weird about this call we just

went on.

We need someone to pull some medical records

for us. So I was wondering if maybe Hallie could

do us a solid.

Matt Casey: Yeah, uh, the only thing is me and Hallie are taking a

break, so…

Gabby Dawson: Right. Got it.

Say no more.

And I’m sorry to hear that.

You’re calling Kendra.

Leslie Shay: Ugh.

This is gonna cost me a dinner or two. I mean,

guaranteed she asks me to dinner, and I really

don’t want to hear about her drama…

[clears throat] Hey Kendra.

Yep. Yeah.

Uh, huh. Okay.

Alright, thank you so much. And hey, this conversation

never took place.

Yeah.

Friday? [clears throat] Um, can I get back to you?

Thanks.

Uh, so Grace was taken to the ER twice in the last six

weeks for seizures… no mention anywhere in her

record of Celiac disease.

[alarm sounding & buzzing]

(Over PA): Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61. Heart attack victim,

Dearborn and Elm.

[sirens wailing]

Man 1: Frank’s dead!

He must’ve had a heart attack or something. One minute,

he was fine.

He was dropping branches to me. And the next thing I

know, he’s just hanging there.

[branch creaks and starts to break]

Chief Boden: Cruz! You get that aerial up in that tree now.

Joe Cruz: I can get close but there’s a lot of branches. I don’t see a

clean path.

Kelly Severide: Well, then we make one.

Vargas!

Jose Vargas: On it.

Presley: Won’t you need a Stokes basket?

Chief Boden: That limb’s not gonna give us enough time. We rig a

two-to-one pulley system. We bring him down the

fast way.

Vargas: Got it.

[chainsaw buzzing]

[siren wailing]

Vargas: Path is clear.

Firefighter: Here we go.

Chief Boden: When Severide drops his line, you take up the slack.

When he cuts the old line, it’s on you.

Victim 3 (Frank): [groans softly]

Kelly Severide: Hey! He’s alive!

[branch continues to break]

Gabby Dawson: Get him down here fast.

Kelly Severide: Agh! [groans]

Chief Boden: Hadley, move. Get his back.

Kelly Severide: [grunts]

Grab it! Grab that rope!

Otis Zvonecek: Got it, Kelly.

Chief Boden: Tie it off.

Kelly Severide: [grunts]

Mouch: Set.

Victim 3 (Frank): [whimpers]

Chief Boden: Load is yours.

Steady.

Hadley: You okay?

Kelly Severide: Yeah, fine. Just… Let’s get on the ground.

Leslie Shay: Easy, easy.

Gabby Dawson: Watch his head.

Leslie Shay: There we go.

Alright, he’s breathing… shallow respirations.

Gabby Dawson: Hey, he’s carrying candy. He could be a diabetic.

Leslie Shay: Yep.

Gabby Dawson: Let’s check his blood sugar.

[machine beeping]

Leslie Shay: Okay, it’s low… below 20.

Gabby Dawson: I’ll give him an amp of D50.

[indistinct radio chatter]

Victim 3 (Frank): What happened?

Leslie Shay: Okay, sir, you’re gonna be okay. Your blood sugar

dropped. Are you diabetic?

Victim 3 (Frank): Mmhmm.

Leslie Shay: Okay.

cutscene

Lady 2: Hey Matt.

Matt Casey: Christie.

Jim.

Man 2 (Jim): Matt.

Lady 2 (Christie): Sweetheart, do you remember your Uncle Matt

from Thanksgiving a couple years ago?

Matt Casey: Hey Violet.

You’re so grown up [chuckles lightly]

15 years… that’s crazy.

Lady 2 (Christie): I still miss him

Matt Casey: [exhales deeply]

Lady 2 (Christie): Well, we’ll, uh, let you have some alone time.

Matt Casey: You don’t have to go.

Lady 2 (Christie): No, it’s okay. We were just leaving. We’ve been

here awhile.

I guess I’ll see you in a couple weeks.

Matt Casey: Yeah, I’ll see you there.

cutscene

Chief Boden: We’ve all been there. It usually happens first few

months after being on the job. Right now, you

have nothing to compare it to.

But you will.

The longer you work, the more good you do… you’ll

be able to take days like this, put them into context,

and then move forward.

Peter Mills: It’s just that afterwards, I’m… I’m looking at Mouch

telling stories and Cruz playing video games. I don’t

know how they do it.

Chief Boden: Everybody has their own way in how they deal with

things. You will get on the other side of this, Peter.

You know what? Take the rest of the shift off.

Go easy.

I’m serious, though. Talk to someone. Counsellor’s

available.

So am I. So is your Lieutenant. Okay?

Peter Mills: Okay.

cutscene

Otis Zvonecek: [chuckling] Oh yeah, it stays with me. For sure.

Thank you, dude.

My buddy, Eddie, over at 61, ‘sworn to secrecy.’

Uh the Canadians? Guess where they’re from?

Mouch: Canada.

Otis Zvonecek: Cleveland.

Mouch: What?

Otis Zvonecek: Herrmann put ‘em up to it.

Mouch: Oh that sneaky son of a bitch. He’s the only one I confided

to about me and Canada and this is what he does to me?

Otis Zvonecek: I don’t know what Herrmann’s end game is in this

prank but if you’re asking me, I say we beat him

to it.

Mouch: Yeah.

Otis Zvonecek: Yeah?

Mouch: Yeah.

Otis Zvonecek: Yes. All right.

Joe Cruz: Hey Shay, you got a visitor again.

Gabby Dawson: Ugh, Clarice again?

Daniel Schwartz: Her husband [clears throat]

Leslie Shay: Nice to see you.

Daniel Schwartz: I’m looking for my wife and my unborn son.

Would you be kind enough to point me in the

right direction?

Leslie Shay: Yeah. She’s been staying with me a couple days.

Daniel Schwartz: So, in the light of the fact that you have zero

boundaries, I will tell you now very directly

that if you think I’m gonna stand…

Leslie Shay: Daniel, you might want to bring it down a peg, because

this is your problem.

Daniel Schwartz: Right, you… you have nothing to do with it.

Leslie Shay: She came to me as a friend needing a place to stay.

So I, as a friend, took her in. I sympathise with what

you’re going through and I wish I hadn’t been brought

into this, but if you keep coming at me like you’re

coming at me, I’m gonna tell you to kiss my ass in

two seconds.

Daniel Schwartz: [sighs] What can I do? This is my family we’re

talking about.

cutscene

Peter Mills: I can’t get it out of my head. Just… I can’t get it out of

my head.

Ingrid Mills: There was a time when your father couldn’t either.

And his way of fixing it was to just shove it down.

And then that turned into shutting off a part of

himself. It’s the part that makes us human.

Peter Mills: Then what do I do?

Ingrid Mills: Walk away. You come back to the restaurant. I don’t

want you to become a block of ice. And having seen

that in your father, believe me, you don’t want that for

yourself.

It’s not who you are. Hmm? Just… come home.

Peter Mills: [sighs]

cutscene

Kelly Severide: Anna. Hey, it’s me. Look um, I need a refill…

uh somewhat urgently.

I know, I know, I know (stammering) I-I just… I…

can you please just help me out?

I can’t. I… I don’t have the time.

I could… I could pay you for them, if that’s easier.

Anna? Hello?

[sighs]

cutscene

Leslie Shay: Oh, she’s pissed.

Hey, Kendra. Thanks for doing this.

Dr. Kendra: I thought I was done.

Leslie Shay: Ah, well, you know…

Gabby Dawson: Anything on Grace Wilkinson?

[keys clacking]

Dr. Kendra: Yeah, she accidentally swallowed some turpentine.

Leslie Shay: Her mom told us she had Celiac disease.

Dr. Kendra: Uh, mom told us she was doing some painting and left

the turpentine out by mistake. We pumped the girl’s

stomach, then moved her upstairs for observation.

Leslie Shay: She didn’t want to take her to Chicago U, remember?

Could be hospital jumping to hide abuse.

Gabby Dawson: Abuse that she’s causing for attention.

It fits. That would explain the mom’s behaviour,

the inconsistent symptoms that Grace is having,

that smell that she was talking about…

Dr. Kendra: Munchausen by proxy? It’s quite rare.

Gabby Dawson: I don’t really care what you call it. That woman is

poisoning her own kid. I want this reported to

DCFS. Right now. Will you back us up?

Leslie Shay: Dinner, Friday… on me.

Dr. Kendra: I’ll get the number.

Gabby Dawson: Four years ago [exhales], my old partner and I

reported this girl with cigarette burns all over

her arms and legs to DCFS, and the investigation

was a mess of red tape from beginning to end.

They eventually sent the girl back to her father

and that same week, she died of a brain bleed

from a beating he gave her. That ain’t happening

again.

cutscene

Kelly Severide: Hey, Mrs Mills.

Ingrid Mills: Hello Kelly. Chief Boden’s office is this way?

Kelly Severide: Yeah.

How’s Peter doing?

Ingrid Mills: He saw a girl cut to pieces today. I believe you all did.

How are you doing?

[door opens]

Chief Boden: Ingrid, uh… it’s been a long time.

Ingrid Mills: Yes it has.

Chief Boden: Uh, please, have a seat.

Ingrid Mills: No, I won’t be long.

Peter’s not like Henry.

Chief Boden: No one expects him to be.

Ingrid Mills: He does. And Peter’s got this whole idea of living up to

his father’s memory.

But that is not the life I want for him.

Peter’s not coming back to 51.

Chief Boden: If that’s what he decides… I’ll abide by it. You have

my word.

Ingrid Mills: You’re not hearing me. Peter’s time as a candidate…

is done. I’m asking you to respect my wishes. Now,

you owe me that at least.

cutscene

Joe Cruz: I can tell you this soup already smells like socks, Otis.

Otis Zvonecek: Oh, just wait till it hits your taste buds, man.

Gavin: Listen, if we’ve done anything to offend you…

Mouch: Oh, no, no, no. Eat up. Enjoy your free American meal.

Presley: Is Peter coming back?

Matt Casey: Of course. He’s just clearing his head. Today was a

tough one.

Otis Zvonecek: Here we go. Dinner’s served.

Matt Casey: What the hell is this?

Otis Zvonecek: Borscht, baby.

Mouch: [sniffs]

[grimaces]

Otis Zvonecek: Mama’s Sunday night go-to.

Matt Casey: [slurps]

Otis Zvonecek: Huh?

Matt Casey: [grimaces]

Otis Zvonecek: Eh? It’s good right?

Matt Casey: We’re ordering in.

cutscene

Kelly Severide: [groans]

[footsteps approaching]

Chief Boden: Hey. Nice job up there in that tree.

Kelly Severide: Thanks, Chief.

Chief Boden: What up with your arm?

Kelly Severide: What’s that?

Chief Boden: I said, “what up with your arm?”

Kelly Severide: Tweaked it a couple days ago lifting weights.

Chief Boden: Looked like more than a tweak.

Kelly Severide: Really, I’m fine.

Chief Boden: Okay. I see it again, you’re going in for an x-ray,

for your own safety.

Kelly Severide: No. Yeah, absolutely.

cutscene

[door opens to bunk room]

Gabby Dawson: DCFS looked into the Wilkinson girl’s case…

not gonna pursue.

Let’s take a ride.

[ambo door opens]

[door alarm beeps]

[ambo door shuts]

Leslie Shay: Listen, all I’m saying is, I told you after your suspension

hearing that I’d pull up on the reins if you started to go

sideways. This is me pulling.

Gabby Dawson: We’re just having a friendly conversation.

Uh, Mrs Wilkinson, sorry to bother you like this.

Uh…

Lady 1 (Mrs Wilkinson): You’ve got some nerve… fabricating lies

against me?

Gabby Dawson: Lies? You want to talk about lies? What was that

today… a seizure related to Celiac disease or

accidental ingestion of turpentine?

Lady 1 (Mrs Wilkinson): This is harassment, and I’m calling my

lawyer.

Gabby Dawson: You should call your doctor, because you need

help. You are poisoning your own daughter.

We’re not gonna stand by…

Lady 1 (Mrs Wilkinson): You have no idea how miserable your life is

about to get.

[door shuts and locks]

cutscene

Chief Boden: I’ve been on the phone for the last hour, getting my

ass handed to me, and there wasn’t a damn thing I

could say in your defence, because what you did

was dead wrong.

Gabby Dawson: Chief, she’s poisoning her daughter.

Chief Boden: Did you talk to the DCFS?

Gabby Dawson: Yeah, but…

Chief Boden: But nothing!

You let them handle it. What you don’t do is go

knocking on doors, start throwing out accusations.

Do you not get it, Gabriela?

Leslie Shay: It’s not just her, Chief.

Chief Boden: I will get to you in a second.

Answer my question.

Gabby Dawson: Yeah, Chief, I get it.

Chief Boden: Do you not like your partner?

Leslie Shay: I like her very much indeed, Sir.

Chief Boden: Well, she’s a hothead. What you do when you have a

hothead for a partner is you talk them out of doing

stupid-ass things that can get them into serious

trouble.

Gabriela, this, um… crusade that you are on, it ends

now. You take one step further, there will not be a

suspension hearing. There will be a good-bye party.

You two, my office. We need to talk about Mills

cutscene

[bells chiming]

Kelly Severide: [exhales]

Elise Mills: Hey Kelly.

Kelly Severide: Hey.

Is your brother here?

Elise Mills: Last we talked to him, he said he was gonna go for a

drive but I haven’t heard from him for a while.

Kelly Severide: Yeah, he hasn’t been picking up his phone.

Elise Mills: I’ve never seen him like this.

Kelly Severide: Okay, well, if you talk to him, could you tell him that

I stopped by? I just wanted to check on him.

Elise Mills: I will. Thank you.

cutscene

Leslie Shay: You have to go home.

Clarice: To what?

Leslie Shay: To a husband who’s at least owed an explanation.

Clarice: Okay, but I just… I didn’t even realise how unhappy I was

until you showed up at the baby shower.

Leslie Shay: You don’t get to come back married and pregnant

saying that you miss me.

You walked away. You broke my heart. And hey, that’s

the way it goes, but this isn’t good for me right now,

Clarice. I’ve been fooling myself these last few days.

Clarice: I made a mistake.

[knocks on door]

Leslie Shay: [sighs]

Clarice: Okay, if that’s Daniel, I’m just… I’m not here. I will leave.

I will go home. I will. But just not right now, please.

Corrine: Hey.

Leslie Shay: Hey Corrine.

Corrine: I texted you a couple times.

Leslie Shay: I know. I’m… and I’m sorry. I’ve just been dealing with

something.

Corrine: Is everything okay?

Leslie Shay: Fine. Yeah, it’s fine.

Corrine: It’s just… I think I left my earrings here.

Leslie Shay: Oh, I’ll find them and I’ll get them back to you.

I’m sorry. Just… now is really not a good time.

Clarice: What was that?

Leslie Shay: Nothing.

Clarice: Okay, um… I’m gonna go.

Leslie Shay: Okay.

Clarice: Look, I didn’t mean to bring up any bad memories.

Leslie Shay: I don’t have any.

I just can’t go back.

Clarice: This should’ve been ours.

[door opens & closes]

cutscene

Peter Mills: [sighs]

Ingrid Mills: See, this is where you belong, baby.

Peter Mills: Just give me a little room, mom.

cutscene

Mouch: Alright everybody, gather round.

We’re gonna trade t-shirts and patches in a bit but first, a

little competition.

The first one of you to climb up to the top gets a CFD

jacket. Sound good?

Gavin: That jacket’s mine.

Presley: Yeah, we’ll see.

Mouch: All right. And… one… two… three!

[water splashing]

Mouch: [laughs] Take that back to Cleveland, boys! [laughs]

Chief Boden: What the hell are you doing, Mouch?

Mouch: They’re not from Canada. Herrmann put them up to it.

Gavin: We’re from Canada!

Mouch: [laughs] No, no, no. Otis said… Otis… Oti…

[alarm sounds & beeps]

(Over PA): Ambulance 61, respiratory distress. 26 Orchard Street.

Leslie Shay: That’s Grace’s address.

Chief Boden: Hit it.

[siren wailing]

Housekeeper: I didn’t know what to do!

Gabby Dawson: Grace. You okay?

Housekeeper: In here! In here.

Gabby Dawson: [exhales sharply]

Leslie Shay: Doxepin, 150 milligrams.

Gabby Dawson: Oh man.

[zipper opens]

Gabby Dawson: Uh, why don’t you take Grace back into the living

room?

Housekeeper: Come on. Come with me.

Leslie Shay: Shallow breaths, rapid pulse.

Gabby Dawson: Alright, let’s get her to Lakeshore.

I’ll start an IV in the rig, you get an order to push

bicarb.

[exhales] She’s gonna be okay, Grace.

cutscene

[knocks on door]

Otis Zvonecek: You wanted to see me, Chief?

Chief Boden: That time you put all that hot sauce in Hadley’s

burger, that was funny.

Otis Zvonecek: Oh, I can’t take credit for that, Chief. I got that from

Dumb and Dumber.

Chief Boden: And the other time you put the blow-up doll in

Herrmann’s bunk, that was equally funny.

Otis Zvonecek: That was all me.

Chief Boden: Today, that was not funny. I mean, breaking balls is

one thing. But those men… they did not pay their

own way and drive ten hours...

[door closes]

Chief Boden: ...to come here to be the butt of a joke. When we

have a guest in this house, you will treat them as

such. Do you understand me?

Otis Zvonecek: Yes, Chief.

Chief Boden: So now you’re gonna walk back out there like the man

I know you to be.

You’re gonna look ‘em in the eye, shake their hand,

and apologise, because when they go back home

and their men ask them what the CFD were like,

they will be able to say we are stand-up.

[door opens]

Connie: Chief. You need to get to Lakeshore.

Chief Boden: That’ll be all.

cutscene

Mouch: And she couldn’t get into the United Stated, so I agreed to

meet her in Toronto. An immigration attorney there was

going to facilitate her American citizenship. I gave her the

five grand for his fees… never saw either one of them

again.

Joe Cruz: Well, yeah, but if she was Russian, why hate on Canada?

Mouch: Two extra weeks I’m up there getting the run-around from

various government agencies. I end up at the Canadian

anti-fraud centre.

Want to know what they said?

Buyer beware. And didn’t the weasel behind the counter

get a little chuckle at my expense?

Gavin: Mouch, on behalf of the commonwealth of Canada, we

apologise.

Mouch: I appreciate that.

[door opening]

Presley: Lieutenant?

I-I don’t want to get in anyone’s business here, but if I

may...

Matt Casey: Please.

Presley: Only because I was recently in Peter’s situation. Uh, I

received a call that involved… an infant mortality. And

uh, it-it really got to me. Uh, but our Lieutenant at the

time… he did something that really helped us out.

cutscene

Chief Boden: She’s on a ventilator now, and dialysis to help clear

the doxepin.

We just have to wait and see.

Man 3: Are you Gabriela Dawson?

You’re the one who accused Nina of poisoning our

daughter?

Chief Boden: Sir, your wife…

Man 3: You did this! You did this to her!

Chief Boden: Gabriela… I notified the Union, just in case the cops

want to talk to you. You need to be ready.

cutscene

Matt Casey: Mills, it’s Casey. Listen I know lots of people have been

talking to you today, uh, but before you make a

decision, I want to show you something. I can swing

by the restaurant after shift. And, um, please, just trust

me on this.

[cell phone beeps]

cutscene

Leslie Shay: Don’t worry, we’ll get through this.

[door opens]

Man 3: It’s all right, sweetheart. Tell her what you told me.

Girl 1 (Grace): She made me drink it.

Gabby Dawson: [sighs] It’s okay.

It’s okay, sweetie.

cutscene

Mouch: You really outdid yourself this time, Otis.

Otis Zvonecek: I feel horrible.

Mouch: Well, you should.

Otis Zvonecek: And what’s worse, they were so classy about it.

[sighs] So you were in love with that woman?

Mouch: Nah.

Lesson learned though.

Lesson learned.

[liquid splashing]

Otis Zvonecek: Oh those dicks.

cutscene

[knocks on door]

Corrine: Is Shay here?

Kelly Severide: She’s not.

Corrine: I just want my earrings.

Kelly Severide: Um… come on in.

[door closes]

Kelly Severide: You want a beer?

Corrine: Sure.

You know, I don’t know why she’s been so opposed to

calling me back.

Kelly Severide: She’s been going through some ex-girlfriend drama.

Corrine: See, all she had to do was tell me. I’m not looking to bring

any drama to her life. I’m just looking to have some fun.

Kelly Severide: No, I hear you. Keep it short and sweet. That’s my

policy.

Corrine: Exactly.

Kelly Severide: Hmm.

[cell phone vibrates]

Kelly Severide: Hey, it’s me.

Leslie Shay: Hey.

Kelly Severide: Um, real quick, Corrine… Um do you have any

claim to her?

Leslie Shay: Kelly, why?

Kelly Severide: Because if you do, then I’ll walk her to the door.

Leslie Shay: [scoffs] Knock yourself out.

Kelly Severide: You all right?

Leslie Shay: Have fun.

[kissing sounds]

[buttons ripping]

cutscene

[car door shuts]

[knocking on door]

[door opens]

Man 4: Lieutenant Casey.

Matt Casey: Gary. Thanks for letting us stop by.

Man 4 (Gary): Yeah.

Matt Casey: This is Peter Mills.

Man 4 (Gary): Hey, how you doing?

Peter Mills: Hey, nice to meet you.

Man 4 (Gary): Come on in.

Make yourselves comfortable.

Matt Casey: Thank you.

Man 4 (Gary): Sophie, Lieutenant Casey is here!

Matt Casey: Their last house burned down a couple years back.

We responded to the call.

How’s she doing?

Man 4 (Gary): She gets her learner’s permit next week. Can you

believe it?

Matt Casey: Sophie’s driving?

Man 4 (Gary): Well, not till next week, she’s not.

Matt Casey: [chuckles]

Girl 2 (Sophie): Lieutenant Casey!

Matt Casey: There she is.

Peter, this is Sophie.

Peter Mills: Hey.

Girl 2 (Sophie): Come on, I want to show you something.

Matt Casey: What have you got?

What is this?

‘Second place, girls sectional finals.’ Congratulations.

Girl 2 (Sophie): Thanks.

Peter Mills: Sorry.

Girl 2 (Sophie): Don’t be. I don’t mind. Lieutenant Casey pulled me

out of that fire.

[chuckles] I’m alive.

- end -

Definitions:

Tony Robbins = American author, coach, motivational speaker, and philanthropist

CTA = Chicago Transit Authority

Axle = A rod or spindle (either fixed or rotating) passing through the centre of a wheel or group of wheels.

Colonoscopy = An exam used to detect changes or abnormalities in the large intestine (colon) and rectum, During a colonoscopy, a long flexible tube (colonoscope) is inserted into the rectum. A tiny video camera at the tip of the tube allows the doctor to view the inside of the entire colon.

Celiac disease = A chronic digestive disorder resulting from an immune reaction to gliadin, a gluten found in wheat, barley, rye and sometimes oats. It involves inflammation and destruction of the inner lining of the small intestine and can lead to the malabsorption of minerals and nutrients.

Diminished lungs = Normal lung sounds are decreased and harder to hear.

Respiratory distress = Respiratory failure characterised by rapid onset of widespread inflammation in the lungs. It occurs when fluid builds up in the tin, elastic air sacs in your lungs. The fluid keeps your lungs from filling with enough air, which means less oxygen reaches your bloodstream. This deprives your organs of the oxygen it needs to function. Symptoms include shortness of breath, rapid breathing, and bluish skin colouration.

Stokes basket = A device used to both immobilise as well as transport a victim over terrain.

Two-to-one pulley system = System consisting of two pulleys (wheel on an axle or shaft that is designed to support movement and change of direction of a taut cable or belt or transfer of power between shaft and cable or belt) with a rope running around them to lift a load. Using two or more pulleys reduces the amount of effort needed.

Amp = Ampule is a small sealed glass capsule/vial containing liquid, especially a measured quantity ready for injecting.

D50 = Used in emergency care to treat hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and to manage coma of unknown origin. An amp of D50 is 25 grams of glucose in a 50ml prefilled syringe (50% glucose). An amp of D50 provides 5 times the amount of glucose in a normal adult’s blood.

Turpentine = Fluid obtained by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. It is mainly used as a solvent, and as a source of material for organic syntheses.

Munchausen by proxy = Mental health problem in which a caregiver makes up or causes an illness or injury in a person under his or her care, such as a child, an elderly adult, or a person who has a disability (See the Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her mother Dee Dee’s case for a famous example of Munchausen by proxy)

DCFS = Department of Children and Family Services

Doxepin = Medication used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, chronic hives, and trouble sleeping.

Bicarb = Sodium bicarbonate is an antacid used to relive heartburn and acid indigestion.

Stand-up = Loyal; that you can rely on to defend you

Dialysis = Procedure to remove waste products and excess fluid from the blood when the kidneys stop working properly. It often involves diverting blood to a machine to be cleaned.

Girls sectional finals = Basketball tournament

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justjessame · 3 years

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Home Sweet Home Chapter 4

I could hear the lyrical sound of Aria’s giggles ringing from the kitchen as I came down the stairs barely twenty minutes after Harvey had taken her downstairs to get breakfast started. The scent of vanilla and cinnamon mingled with the sweeter fragrance of maple syrup warned me of a sticky welcome waiting for me in the form of French toast and a happier toddler.

Sure enough, she was in her booster seat with what I felt certain was her second piece of perfectly made, just messy enough breakfast bordering on dessert with a far jollier disposition than what she left me with upstairs.

“Mama, look,” she waved her fork, holding a piece of her toast and I bit my lip, hoping that she’d stabbed it tight enough to keep it in place until she got it to her mouth. Either my prayer, or her will to keep every piece for herself was strong, because it made it to its proper end and her grin was infectious.

Smiling, I moved closer and leaned over to rub my nose against hers, pleased to see it was still free of sugar and goop. “You’re gonna be so hyper and ready to play with Grandma,” I murmured, pulling back as Harvey’s body molded into mine to helpfully place my plate on the table beside Aria’s before he joined his two girls. “I’m sure Daddy wanted to make sure you two had so much fun, that’s why he picked French toast.” Our eyes met over our little girl’s head and his were twinkling with the mischievousness that told me I was correct. “I’m surprised you didn’t think to add powdered sugar for an extra kick,” shaking my head I took a sip from my juice before skipping the syrup and adding just a bit of butter to my slice.

“Considered it,” Harvey admitted, making me giggle. “Thought it might be pushing it just a bit.” His nose crinkled and that did it, the giggle grew and Aria, not quite sure what was so damn funny went with it and joined my laughter.

Breakfast with the three of us wasn’t all that rare, but after what Harvey had dealt with in Chicago, we lingered a bit longer. I lingered longer, needing the reassurance that we were still alright. That he was real and fine. That Aria’s daddy and my husband was - I didn’t really understand why it took this particular case to force me to face the reality of what Harvey actually did for a living, for a calling, but it was a harsh dose.

When we heard my mom’s voice calling out, Aria had forgotten that she was sad that Grandma was coming to visit. She forgot that Grandma coming meant less time alone with Daddy. She clapped and was nearly as excited about her visiting as she had been about the big ‘monee’.

The same could not be said of Harvey. “Here we go -” his eyes closed, as if he were mentally preparing for the worst, or praying for strength and I sighed.

“There you are,” Mom said, coming into the kitchen with a grin, her eyes focused on Aria. “There’s Grandma’s little peacock.” She held out her arms and Aria held up her own as Mom clucked her tongue. “I see SOMEONE thought starting out the day with copious amounts of sugar would be the best way to jump start tiny little minds. Guess you and I are starting OUR day with a bath, Aria.” Mom shook her head and smiled down at me once she got our little one settled in her arms. “Today’s a regular schedule, isn’t it Everlea?” I nodded, suddenly thinking that MAYBE Harvey was right. “That color really looks lovely on you, sweetheart.” I was about to remind her that Harvey was RIGHT THERE, but then she sniffed. “I suppose that YOU are going to be underfoot today?” She barely glanced at him, but a shift of her eyes included my husband in the conversation. “After that mess you all made of Chicago yesterday, I’d have thought YOUR people would be on hand to clean it up. Isn’t that what you brag about doing? Cleaning CRAP up?”

My eyes widened, how had I missed this? It wasn’t even that hard to see. Dear God. I glanced at Harvey and his eyes were on me in a clear message of ‘told you so’. “I get to paper push today, Evelyn.” He was being polite, and short. “As soon as I’m done, you can head on out and me and MY girl can have Daddy and mini me time.”

“Mimi Me time!” Aria picked up the thread and ran with it, forcing Mom’s eyebrows to try to meet in the middle. Shit.

“Chicago was a poo-show,” Mom was adamant that we NOT curse around Aria, and she was the poster woman for it. Little did she know, Aria might be a parrot about most things, but we’d managed to figure out the code for how to keep her from NOT repeating THOSE words. “Surely you’ll be up to your poo colored eyeballs in paper pushing to clean it up.”

I was watching them lob verbal hits back and forth, because Harvey had a comeback locked and ready for her. “Why, Evelyn, I didn’t know you paid attention to the color of my eyes. I’m flattered.” That damn dimple of his coming out even as he followed up with more on the likelihood of work taking all day. “As for the paperwork? How hard is it to write ‘big animals wrecked city, fix it, now’? I’m not a genius, but even I can type that over and over.”

It was like a tennis match of words, and I was in the middle of it, but my eyes managed to make a detour to the clock and I knew I had to go. Standing up, which forced a time out, I kissed Aria first. Telling her to be good for Grandma, let Daddy work - which got a smirk from Mom - and then I turned to Harvey. The look in his eyes made me want to shake my head, but seeing that he was right, my mom really did have a grudge against him, for some reason had me react in a completely different way.

Instead of a nice, staid, we’ve-been-married-for-long-enough-to-be-comfortable type of goodbye kiss - I stepped up to him and when our lips met the same passion flared up that had in the shower, or the bathtub, or our bed. If my mother wanted to freak out because Harvey had helped me create our daughter. The same little girl she was holding and who she couldn’t spoil enough, I’d like to add. Then this kiss would sear into her brain that the love and passion that went into making Aria still burned bright and wasn’t ending any time soon.

“Honestly,” Mom muttered, when we finally broke apart, but our eyes were still locked on one another. “Do you think that’s appropriate for Aria to see?”

“I’ll see you tonight,” I promised Harvey, ignoring my mother for a beat. “We’ll continue THIS -”

The rough skin of Harvey’s thumbpad brushed the skin under my eye. “I’m holding you to that.” He looked like I felt like parting today felt wrong and was harder than it ever had been. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.” With a sigh, I pulled away to face Mom who had let Aria down. I guess her arms got tired. “Yes, Mom, it’s appropriate for Aria to see that her parents love one another. There is NOTHING wrong with a child seeing displays of affection. It’s not like we were having sex.”

Mom sniffed at me, as if our kiss - which was admittedly bordering on a makeout session in the kitchen - was far greater than a display of affection. “You’re going to be late, Ever.”

“It’s MY office, Mom.” I was moving toward the door anyway. “Thank you for coming over,” I kissed her on the cheek as I passed her. “Be nice to him? Please?”

“No promises, Everlea Grace.” Her tone wasn’t nearly as stern though, so I had hope that I’d come home to a house still standing and my family intact.

The best part about leaving my position as the attending physician in the emergency room and starting up my own practice wasn’t just that it was less stress or the shorter hours. It was the small group of people I’d brought together to create a clinic that felt warm and comforting, while also managing to give our patients the confidence in our expertise.

I was thankful that the day went as smoothly as I expected from a regular day, no surprises, no upheaval to my routine. As I hung up my stethoscope after my final patient was on her way out the door, having gotten her next appointment scheduled and I double checked that I’d sent her prescriptions through to her pharmacy, I was debating whether I should call home to see if I was walking into a disaster area or if Mom and Harvey had called a truce.

“Everlea?” I’d been grabbing my bag and keys from my office when my receptionist, Kendra, ducked her head through the door. Looking up, she took it as an opening to continue. “Harvey called while you were with Mrs. Callahan.” I waited, hoping it was something benign, and not a call telling me he was off to make another shitty bed. “He wanted me to ask you to pick up a bottle of wine, whatever your mom prefers?” She shrugged her shoulder and I nodded.

“Thanks, Kendra.” I pulled my bag across my chest. “I think Mark is still in Exam 3 with Mr. Randolph -”

She grinned at me. “Yeah, it’s his monthly, so it’ll take a while to get through the list.” Mr. Randolph did like to be thorough when he had his monthly visit. “Don’t worry, Everlea, we’ll lock up.”

“I know you will,” I assured her. “I just wanted to make sure I remembered.” Shaking my head, I thought how long the past twenty-four hours seemed.

“Hey,” my eyes met hers. “Harvey’s practically indestructible, Everlea, and he’s home, right?”

I sighed. “I know, I know.” Moving toward the door, Kendra moved with me, following behind so she could lock the entrance behind me so no one wandered in after hours. Letting Mr. Randolph out was nothing compared to telling someone we weren’t a walk-in clinic. “I can’t seem to shake it this time.”

“Well,” Kendra took her time before she spoke, obviously thinking about my predicament. “I guess, if you think about it, it was bound to happen eventually. I mean, the stress has to compound to the point that it gets too heavy at some point, right?”

Another sigh and I nodded. “I guess, but I really wish it hadn’t.”

Kendra was chuckling as I crossed over to outside. “No one wants that kind of stress, but you and Harvey will figure it out -”

“We always do,” I supplied, my smile returning, thinking about how that was Harvey’s line.

#Agent Harvey Russell/OFC #Rampage 2018 #alternative universe

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heistmaster69 · 4 years

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pariet lilium (5)

pariet lilium chapter five by @heistmaster69

warnings: a little self deprecation, blaise and theo making fools of themselves, otherwise none.

A/N: we are now in GOBLET OF FIRE1!!!11!!1!!!11! I have been waiting to get here, i wanted to start my story here but i thought i’d give some background before we get JUICY. enjoy loves!

a very nice and good and lovely 1.8k words

chapter one / chapter two / chapter three / chapter four

gif by @basicamenteno

It was the same thing, every time. The same nightmare Frankie always had, ever since the second to last week of her second year. A third year boy, tall, with kind blue eyes, floppy brown hair and a smile that could give you butterflies. His name was Spencer, but everyone called him Spence. He was a Gryffindor, with strong shoulders and stronger bravery, playing as a Chaser on the team. Frankie met him in the Library, the sunset was shining through the windows-he looked like he was glowing.

“What are you reading?” Frankie looked up and her stomach fluttered.

“I-uh,” She laughed. “Um, it’s a book on the spiritual plane.”

“Advanced stuff for a second year.” He nodded towards the chair across from Frankie. “Can I sit here? The rest are full.”

“Hey!” She scoffed “I’m the same age as you, I just started late. My parents didn’t want me to be the youngest in the class, or something.”

“August birthday, huh? Still, spiritual stuff is fifth or sixth year-you’re an overachiever.” He smiled, sliding her copy of Magic and Spirits: A Guide across the table, looking into the page Frankie was reading.

“I’m Spencer.”

“Is it weird to say I know?” They shared a chuckle, before she added; “I’ve seen you play Quidditch, of course. I’m Frankie.”

“Is it weird to say I know too? You’ve thrown one too many bludgers at my face,” He slid the book back to her. “You’re good.” Spencer winked.

But after that, his smile gets distorted, twisted, sickeningly into a wicked grin. The butterflies, the fluttering, changes instantaneously into nausea. Heat rolls over Frankie, and she feels like she’s choking, not in the good way, either.

“Spence?” Her eyes were glossed over, sore.

“What is it, doll?” He leaned against the stone of the Hogwarts corridor.

“Spencer, are you messing with me?” Frankie couldn’t meet his eyes. “I heard you. I heard you talking to Cedric.”

“He’s my best friend, I talk to him every day.”

“Did you ask me to Hogsmeade on a dare?”

“I-what?”

“Don’t lie to me, Spencer, please, I heard you.”

“I’m sorry Reed, they told me to.” He didn’t even care, his eyes were cold, barely the smallest glint of remorse.

“I trusted you. I hope the galleon is worth it.”

August 31, 1994. 15 years ago today, Francesca Josephine Reed was brought into the world at St. Mungo’s hospital by her mother and her father. Since that day, the two ‘parents’ have been waiting to ship their only daughter to a wealthy, pureblooded heir to a notable family name and fortune. They cursed Francesca for being a girl and spent every waking hour ignoring her existence, wishing she would be 18 already so they could try for a son, free of any distractions. But of course, no one could know of their contempt for their daughter, so, yearly on the last day of August, the day before students return to Hogwarts, her parents throw Frankie a ‘party’, which is just an excuse to show everyone how well they raised their kid. Only, they didn’t raise Frankie. Kendra did.

Kendra, her tutor. Kendra, the kind woman with sad chestnut eyes that sparkled in the sun. Kendra, the one who taught Frankie everything she knew. Kendra, the one who acted like her mother when her birth mom pretended she didn’t exist. And Kendra is gone. Died in her sleep from Dragon Pox. The only family Frankie had, gone in her sleep, like she never existed. Her mother had insisted that Francesca was; “Better off without the blood traitor.” And Frankie had to bite her tongue, tasting metal and seeing red, while those who were supposed to love her most showed that they, truly, didn’t know her at all.

This ‘party’ was more like a stuffy ball for uptight pricks with wallets bigger than their brains. A ‘show and tell’, per say, for those who had surnames worth showing. Her parents got a chance to play dress up with their favorite doll, spewing distasteful comments about everything they didn’t find up to par.

“This should be flattering, I guess,” She started, laying out an emerald green gown with long, translucent bell sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. It was gorgeous, but due to the way her mother had worded it, Frankie didn’t want to wear it. Yet, if Frankie refused, her mother would make her life hell. “Do you want to wear it?” As if I have a choice. If I say no, yikes.

“Yeah! Thanks.” Frankie ran her fingers over the soft fabric. A silk bodice with a flowing, sheer, skirt. She would look like a princess. “I’ll see you downstairs?”

Her mother was already out the door.

The clinking of champagne glasses and the sounds of hushed conversations echoed into Frankie’s room. She laid on the bed, hands intertwined, unwilling to go greet the guests downstairs.

“I feel like I’m watching a muggle movie. A princess sprawled across her bed just to look cool.” Frankie sat up, seeing Cher and her smiling dark eyes, wearing a golden satin gown, contoured to her body. “You look amazing. The only thing missing is your tiara.” She cocked her head and outstretched her arms. “I missed you, Frankster.”

“Cher, you whore, I missed you!” Frankie slid off the four poster bed and tripped into her friend’s arms. “You sexy beast, you get more gorgeous every time I see you-that includes when I blink.”

“Well I could say the same to you. The curves on you are unreal.” Cher poked Frankie’s hip. “But you know why I’m here. It’s because you’re not down there.”

“I know, I know. The longer I wait the more annoyed she gets. Every year.”

“Let’s go, Frankie. Happy Birthday!” Cher held out her arm and linked it through Frankie’s.

The estate had an exterior of brick, with white trims and pillars making it swallow the appearance of anyone approaching it. A tall fence encased in forest green hedges, locking the Reeds away, keeping them ‘safe’ from everyone and everything else. The interior was cold. Always cold. The long hallways and staircases were so dark. Wooden floors would creak below her footsteps and she was lonely. Always alone in the cold, dark house that felt too big and too small all the time.

But tonight? Tonight she wasn’t alone. The first day all summer that she saw her best friends. She felt the fog leave her head as she saw them one by one. Cher, next to her, Daphne at the bottom of the staircase, standing next to Pansy. Theo and Blaise talking to a pair of French girls in silver dresses, and Draco.

Oh, Draco. How could he get more attractive? Frankie had hoped the lack of contact over the summer would etch away her feelings, but they remained, ever as persistent.

His eyes lit up when he saw her, but they shifted quickly away from Frankie. Cher. She had to make sure her smile didn’t falter, so as to keep the perfect daughter facade from slipping.

“Happy B-Day, Frankster!” Pansy crushed Frankie in a hug as soon as they reached the ground. “We missed you, as usual.”

“I missed her more!” Daphne wrapped her arms around her in a more gentle way, giving her a tight hug that felt like home. “Theo and Blaise better pull themselves away from those girls soon, I give them fifteen seconds before they find out they’re dating.”

“I want some love. Where can I get something like that?” Cher whined.

Daphne placed a hand on her shoulder. “Baby don’t worry about it, you’ll get that.”

“Yeah, but at least in Wizarding France people can marry who they want. If only Bartemius Crouch Senior wasn’t a bigoted prick-”

“He’s on his way out anyway. His denial of You-Know-Who is going to give him the boot. We can just hope whoever comes in next will support us. If not, living in France it is.” The girls shared a sigh, looking over their shoulders to catch the end of Theo and Blaise’s conversation with the ladies, it appeared to have ended with an awkward handshake and a brisk walk away. Draco was caught up in a boring discussion with Torquil Travers and and a Carrow. Seemed to be very dull, as he kept sending glances towards the group of teens near the stairs. He was swirling a glass full of something dark, family ring adorning his hand.

“I feel really bad, you guys.” Theo said, rubbing the back of his neck. “We were talking to them for like, ten minutes, I bet they think we’re creeps.”

“No, Theodore, the way that conversation was going, they probably thought we were dating.” Blaise wrapped an arm around Theo’s shoulder. “I don’t blame them. Sometimes I wish I could be in love with this sexy beast.”

Theo patted Blaise’s arm. “I feel the same way.”

“With that, my loves, I must go forth and mingle, or face the silent wrath of my mother. Happy birthday to me!” Frankie hugged Blaise and Theo, then moved throughout the room, having boring conversations about politics, how school is going, what profession she should choose, or just small talk to pass the time. She had an alright time, sipping chilled butterbeer and having quick, fun conversations with her friends in between long, drawn out ones with tired purebloods. Draco didn’t have the time to talk to Frankie.

After the party it was quiet. Quickly hugging her friends and returning to her room to check her trunks for her return to school. Frankie knew she didn’t foget anything, but she couldn’t seem to calm her mind enough to be tired. She also couldn’t unzip this dress to save her life, so she came to terms with the fact that Frankie would be sleeping in this elegant ballgown tonight.

Her room was her safe place, smelling like lemon and vanilla, with candles on her desk giving it a calm, orange glow. Plush pillows on a four-poster bed, silk sheets and a velvet throw. It was luxurious. Too luxurious. She sometimes felt like an impostor in her own home, undeserving of the riches her family name allowed her. Sitting on the edge, Frankie pulled her journal out from her pillowcase. She outstretched her arm and opened her hand, palm towards the ceiling.

“Pariet lilium.” It came out as a whisper, but immediately, deep red rose petals materialized from her palm, unfurling into a beautiful bud, then into a flower. Frankie could feel the satiny touch of the petals on her skin and watched as the stem emerged from the bottom of the flower. It was beautiful.

Frankie lifted the rose to her nose, inhaling the floral scent and beginning to relax from the long day.

She was just about to lie down when there was a knock on her bedroom door.

“Chess?”

TAGLIST I FORGOT PEOPLE LIKE MY WRITING OOF: @chaotic-good-gemini ily

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singledarkshade · 4 years

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Draining The Swamp

Part Four – Final Part

(Part One, Part Two and Part Three.)

Gideon brushed her hair out and smiled at the woman she was sharing the room with who came out the bathroom in her pyjamas, “That was fun tonight.”

“Yeah,” Veronica laughed, “We enjoy each other’s company.”

Pulling her long hair into a messy ponytail, Gideon said, “I heard you’re singing three of the songs on the new album solo.”

Veronica laughed, “Yes. I was surprised but Jordan wrote them for me, well two of them we wrote the third together.”

“I can’t wait to hear them,” Gideon told her.

“We’ll be recording once we get home,” Veronica smiled, “As much as I love singing live, getting to record the albums are so much fun.” The other woman yawned deeply and gave an apologetic shrug, “I should get some sleep.”

Gideon nodded and slid under her own covers.

“Thank you for being here with me,” Veronica said, “I feel safer knowing that you’re here with John and your friend Rip are next door.”

“I know all this must be scary,” Gideon whispered softly, “But the police are downstairs, and I can be terrifying when I want to be.”

Veronica chuckled, “I don’t doubt it.”

Flipping the light off, Gideon slid down and closed her eyes. She’d closed and made sure the door was locked fully but she couldn’t relax. Her mind was going round and round over everything.

Finally, she threw her covers off and sat up, she needed to talk to Rip.

Rip groaned as his sleep was suddenly interrupted when the door to the room opened slowly, squeaking as it did. It closed with a bang and a soft curse then a shadow moved through the room. Sliding his hand out to grab the lamp he heard a whisper from the other side of the room.

“Rip?”

“Wrong bed,” John groaned.

Rip lifted his arm, “Over here, Gideon.”

A second later, Gideon was on the bed with him a vague outline in the moonlight, “I’ve had a thought.”

“Did you leave Veronica alone?” Rip demanded.

Gideon shrugged, “It’s the middle of the night and I made sure no one saw me leave.”

Groaning came from the other bed, “I’ll watch over her,” John switched on the light making Rip squint, “Just make it quick.”

He left the room and Rip frowned at Gideon.

“This couldn’t wait until the morning?” he demanded.

She shook her head, “I think Jordan is ill.”

“You do?” Rip frowned confused, “Why?”

Gideon crossed her legs and explained, “He’s moving back from being the lead singer, writing more stuff for Veronica to sing.”

“Anything actually medical?” Rip asked.

“I saw him swallowing painkillers earlier,” Gideon explained, “And he looked upset by the fact.”

Rip rubbed his eyes, “It could be any number of things.”

“He sang very little tonight,” she continued, “And I could hear his voice was hoarser than it usually is when he did.”

“That’s great thinking, Gideon but this could have waited,” Rip reminded her, “You know that.”

She pouted and curled up beside Rip cuddling into him, “I couldn’t sleep until I talked to you.”

Rip hugged her tightly for a few moments before he placed a soft kiss on Gideon’s temple, “But we’re on a case. So, please go back to your own room and stay with the woman we’re here to protect.”

“Fine,” she squirmed out of his arms, “I’ll see you for breakfast.”

Rip sighed, closing his eyes again when John staggered back in from the corridor and dropped on his bed. The door opened again making them both groan.

“Gideon!!” Rip snapped annoyed.

“She’s gone,” Gideon told them, “Veronica is missing.”

Both men jumped up.

“How?” Rip demanded, turning to John.

John shook his head, “No one came past me while I stood guard. Gideon?”

“Well, I didn’t check if she was asleep or not,” Gideon winced, “She could have snuck out when I came to talk to you.”

Rip frowned, “Or someone could have got in.”

“How did you get in our room?” John demanded.

Gideon shrugged, “I hacked the lock.”

John stared at her in amazement, “How?”

“I taught her,” Rip brushed it away, “It’s more likely someone got another keycard to the room and used it when Gideon slipped out.” He grabbed his phone, “Get dressed, I’ll call Detective Wells.”

*********************************************

“You had one job,” Wells snapped angrily, “All you had to do was stay in the same room as her. But as usual you had to go off in your own little world. Now the person you were meant to be protecting is missing and could be dead for all we know!!!”

Gideon’s head dropped and tears filled her eyes.

“Harrison…” Kendra started.

“Enough, Wells,” Rip snapped cutting her off, he wrapped his arm around Gideon pulling her close, “We need to focus on finding Veronica and working out who did this.”

Gideon sniffed, “Freya.”

“What?” several voices yelled.

“We can get that information after we find Veronica,” John said.

Wells turned to the officers standing around, “Sweep the hotel. I don’t care who you wake just check every part of this building.”

“What about outside the building?” John asked.

Kendra moved to the surveillance and began to scan the footage quickly. She stopped it suddenly and they all crowded round seeing two figures getting in a car, one being forced at gunpoint.

“Does the car have GPS?” Wells demanded.

Gideon spoke up, “You don’t need it, she’s going to the arena. Where all the bands stuff is kept.”

Rip started Gideon moving, “We’ll meet you there.”

“I’m sorry, Rip,” Gideon whispered as he drove them to the arena, “I was meant to stay with Veronica, but I left her alone.”

Rip sighed, “It wasn’t your fault. Gideon.”

“I wanted to talk to you,” she continued to berate herself, “Because with you I could work things out in my head.”

“Is that how you knew it was Freya?” Rip asked.

Gideon nodded.

“Then what’s our plan when we get there?”

She let out a slow breath, “I think I can talk her down. As long as we get there before Harry does and spoils it by sticking his huge feet in.”

Rip began to drive faster. Reaching the arena Rip and Gideon ran in skidding to a halt as they saw Veronica tied to a chair on the stage with Freya pointing a gun at the other woman.

“Freya,” Gideon called making the woman spin, “Don’t do this.”

“Stay back,” the other woman snarled.

Rip grimaced as Gideon started to walk towards the stage.

“Dammit, Rider,” Wells appeared behind Rip, he stopped and held up his hand so that no one moved giving Gideon time to talk Freya down.

“I understand,” Gideon took a few more steps, her hand touching her temple, “You love him. He never saw that, but you love him. You looked out for Jordan, you made sure you were the PA on the tour.”

“I didn’t want to hurt Keane,” Freya said, her gun never wavering from Veronica, “But he wouldn’t let me have this job and Jordan needs me.”

Gideon took another few steps forward, “With Veronica getting more and more songs to sing you felt Jordan was being pushed out the band.” “The bitch was stealing his band,” Freya snarled.

“No,” Gideon held up her hands, “She wasn’t. Veronica was being given more because Jordan is sick.”

“How do you know that?” John demanded from nearby.

Gideon glared at him before turning back to Freya explaining with her voice soft, “His vocal chords…”

“He has nodules,” John completed for her, the way most people did when she spoke this way, “He’s going to have surgery when we get home.”

A few more steps forward and Gideon was on the stage, Rip barely a few feet behind her, “You’ve been trying to protect Jordan from Veronica taking over his band, but she’s not. He’s giving her more to do until he’s better. He’ll need you then.”

Freya was getting more panicked the gun wavering and suddenly it turned on Gideon, “You’re lying. I’m not an idiot. They’ll never let me stay and it’s your fault. If you hadn’t been here…it’s your fault.” Gideon felt Rip tackle her to the ground just as a shot sounded above her then Harry and Kendra rushed forward.

“Are you okay?” Rip asked as he allowed her up.

Gideon nodded and he enfolded her in his arms, while she buried her face in his shoulder for a moment. Getting off the floor, Rip held Gideon close to him as they watched Harry pass a handcuffed Freya to the officers while Kendra untied Veronica. John moved to the young woman and hugged her tightly before letting Kendra take her to be checked out by the paramedics.

“Thank you,” John said as he joined them, “Gideon, you are incredible.”

She gave a sweet smile, “You’re welcome. I’m going to check on Veronica.”

Rip squeezed her hand, watching her leave.

“Well,” John said clapping his friend on the shoulder, “You definitely have a type.”

Rip frowned, “What do you mean?”

“The way you feel for Gideon is obvious,” John laughed, “And there is a resemblance to…” “I don’t see it,” Rip cut him off, “And I told you that you were not allowed to mention that anywhere near Gideon.”

“I can’t believe she doesn’t know you were ma….” John trailed off as Rip glared at him, before shrugging, “I want to be a fly on the wall the day she finds out.”

Rip smiled as he watched Gideon dance to the music in the VIP area they’d been given tickets to that night. The band insisted on continuing with the concert. Kendra and her friend Caitlin were also there, Harry had declined the invitation.

John had met them when they arrived with drinks and made sure they had badges so they would get free drinks all night. They were also invited to the party after the concert with the band.

"Admit it," Rip said as the band began one of their ballads and Gideon leaned against him to sway, "John wasn't that bad and you did like him."

“He’s leaving in the morning,” Gideon asked suspiciously, “Isn’t he?”

Rip nodded, “Yes.”

Gideon shrugged, “I guess he was okay.”

Rip tugged her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek.

“But,” Gideon added turning to him and smiling, “I’m obviously better.”

*********************************************

Rip got out the taxi, happy to be home after his six months in London. He could see Gideon sitting in the kitchen waiting for him and smiled. He had missed her so much over the past six months, calls and letters were not a substitute for his best friend. Opening the front door, Rip dropped his bags just in time as Gideon ran out the kitchen and flung herself into his arms.

“I missed you,” Gideon’s arms and legs wrapped around him tightly, which was why he’d asked them not to meet him at the airport “I missed you so much.”

Rip rubbed her back, “I missed you too.”

“Gideon,” Mary spoke up, “Can I say hello to my son?”

Sheepishly Gideon let go and slid off Rip, who smiled at her before hugging his mother.

“Now,” Mary smiled, “Leave your bags. I will make some tea and you two can catch up.”

Rip leaned over and kissed his mother’s cheek before he wrapped his arm around Gideon’s shoulders as she latched onto his waist.

Dropping onto the couch, Gideon looked up at him studying him furiously.

“Your hair is shorter,” she noted with a slight grimace.

“It got long, and I had to get it cut,” he rolled his eyes, “But I promise I did nothing on the list.”

Gideon rested against him, “So, you didn’t get a new…”

“I didn’t get a new best friend,” he assured her, “Why would I need another one? I have you.”

#fic #legends of tomorrow #rip hunter #gideon #john constantine #psych au #psych verse

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raywritesthings · 4 years

Text

Not Set in Stone

My Writing Fandom: Arrow Characters: Cisco Ramon, Laurel Lance, Oliver Queen, Barry Allen, Thea Queen, Quentin Lance, Felicity Smoak, John Diggle, Iris West, Samantha Clayton Pairings: Eventual Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen Summary: Before the Flash and Arrow teams return home from defeating Vandal Savage, Cisco's powers warn him about an event in Laurel's future. The limited knowledge of this possible future has a ripple effect all of its own. *Can be read on my AO3 or FFN, links are in bio*

Things were winding down at the farmhouse now that Vandal Savage was little more than ashes. Cisco wished he could enjoy the victory, but he was too busy watching Kendra standing with Carter across the room as they talked to Barry and Oliver. Cisco was pretty sure he was officially dumped, even if they hadn’t had the conversation yet.

Before he could get too deep into his wallowing, however, a voice pulled him out of his musings. “Hey, Cisco, can I ask you a favor?”

He looked up and to his left. Laurel stood there, and a part of him still had trouble believing someone as awesome and gorgeous as her would give him the time of day. He’d thought the same about Kendra, too, and look how that had turned out.

“Sure. Uh, step into my office?” He suggested, gesturing towards the far less crowded hall. She nodded with a smile and followed him.

“So, I don’t know how much any of the others may have said, but my sister is back. Sara.”

“The Canary?” When Laurel nodded, Cisco’s brow furrowed in confusion. “But, I thought she was dead.” Caitlin had run a DNA test on the murder weapon and everything.

“She was, but there was this magic that I used to bring her back,” Laurel explained. She seemed to sense he was pretty bowled over by that news, for she quickly added, “And it can’t be used anymore, so it doesn’t really matter, but the point is she’s struggling to figure out what she wants to do with her life now. She had trouble suiting up in the field. Her old suit, I think it reminds her of her life with the League and that makes it harder.”

“Okay,” Cisco agreed, still at a loss.

“I wanted to see if you could make her something new, like how you did for Oliver.”

Oh. That was better, much more familiar territory. “Yeah, totally. I mean, I’ll need measurements and idea input and stuff, but I can get on it. Might not be done in time for Christmas.”

“That’s okay,” Laurel assured him. “She’s traveling right now, so I’d just like to have it for the next time she visits.”

“Great.” He was excited just thinking about a new project, and it helped distract him from his romantic woes.

“Okay, do you have an estimate on what that might cost?”

He waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it. I just bill STAR Labs for the materials. Barry should probably get on that, though.”

“Alright, well, thank you so much.” Laurel smiled again and offered a hand to shake on it. He grinned back and took it.

Then the whole world shifted around him.

Everything became tinted that blue color he associated with his visions, and Cisco gasped at the sudden transition. Then he nearly did again when he was able to focus enough to see what was in front of him.

Laurel, on the ground, an arrow embedded into her abdomen through the jacket of her Black Canary suit. Blood trickled out of her mouth as she barely kept herself sitting up with a hand braced on the concrete floor.

And the arrow, even with the blue haze that covered everything, was green.

He jolted back to himself, gasping for breath.

“Cisco? Are you okay?” Laurel’s other hand was on his shoulder as she watched him with concern. He gripped the hand that he still held even tighter as his head shook.

“No. Oh, no, no, that can’t be possible.”

“Cisco, talk to me.”

He stared back at her. How did he even try to explain? What would explaining do? “I- I vibed just now. With my powers.”

“Your powers?”

He nodded. “They let me see things. Like on other Earths or in the future. I… I may have just seen the future. Your future.”

Laurel took a moment to process that information. “Something tells me it wasn’t good.”

Cisco shook his head, his eyes stinging. His throat threatened to close up just thinking about it. If that was the future — Laurel dying, her own teammate’s arrow the murder weapon — why was he shown it? Why did his visions always seem to herald some kind of doom?

Some laughter came from the main sitting room. The room where Oliver was. His breathing picked up just realizing that fact. Cisco pulled on Laurel’s hand to lead her further back into the house. They ended up in the kitchen.

“Okay, okay, if I saw it, then it has to mean something. I have to be able to do something about this, to fix it or- or I don’t know…”

“Maybe if you told me what happened in the thing you saw, we can figure it out together,” Laurel suggested.

“I really don’t want to,” Cisco said. “But okay. What I saw was, I think, you dying.”

Laurel sucked in a breath, her eyes wide. But she didn’t scream, didn’t cry. “How did it — does it… happen?”

“You were, or will be, in some kind of fight, or you were wearing your suit at least,” he told her, his voice hoarse. “You get stabbed by an arrow. Right here.” He placed his hand on his abdomen, closer to the right. “You were struggling to breath, it was- it was horrible. And the arrow… it was Oliver’s.”

Laurel’s face drained of the little color it had left. “No.”

He blinked to try and clear his blurry vision. “I don’t like it either, but that’s what I saw.”

“Did you see him?”

“No,” he admitted reluctantly.

Laurel’s chin raised, defiance in her eyes. “Then I refuse to believe it. Oliver would never.”

“He’s put arrows in people before,” Cisco couldn’t help pointing out, wilting under the sharp look Laurel threw him.

“He’s changed. And even in those days, he wouldn’t have done something like that. He was never cruel.” Laurel licked her lips and paced the tiny space in the kitchen. “It could be an imposter. That’s happened to him before. Or, worst case scenario, he’s drugged like Thea was last year. That’s the only way Ollie would ever do something like this.”

“We got to figure out how to stop him,” Cisco decided. “Or how to stop that happening to him,” he amended to avoid upsetting her again.

But Laurel just looked at him, lost. “Can we even do that? You said you saw the future. Doesn’t it have to happen?”

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I mean, it can’t be, right? What’s the point of me having these powers if, if I can’t do anything with them? Save people?”

“Cisco, it’s not your job to save me,” Laurel said, watching him with compassion.

“But I—”

Footsteps and a shadow falling into the room caused him to snap his mouth shut, and he was grateful a million times over that he had. Oliver stood in the kitchen archway.

“I was just getting some water,” he said, nodding to the refrigerator over Cisco’s shoulder. “Was I interrupting something?”

“No.” Laurel said right away. “Um, I was just asking Cisco for some help with a present for Sara. Let me get that water for you.” She turned to the cabinets to search for a clean glass.

Oliver shifted one step further into the room. Cisco placed himself in between him and Laurel, shaking in his shoes with both anger and fear.

In an out-and-out fight, he could never hope to do anything against Oliver. The man had held his own against Barry while the speedster had been in a meta-induced rage, for crying out loud! But was that going to stop Cisco from trying? No.

Oliver eyed him for a moment, his expression unreadable. Did they really even know each other? Did Cisco really know what he might be capable of? Laurel trusted him, but was that trust unfounded given what they now knew?

“Here.” Laurel’s hand landed on his shoulder as she moved around him to give Oliver the water glass.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” And he didn’t know how Laurel continued to keep smiling at the man she’d just learned would have at least a hand in her potential death — except Cisco knew that look in her eyes, of watching someone slip away from you to stand with someone else across the room. Of pretending to be happy with all the rest. Cisco had worn that very look barely twenty minutes ago, even if it felt like a lifetime from now.

She loved him.

As Oliver disappeared through the archway, Laurel turned back to Cisco and spoke in a hushed tone. “We can’t tell anyone else what you saw.”

“But they should know if he’s—”

“We don’t know what Oliver will do. It’s an unsubstantiated claim based on circumstantial evidence. It would destroy the team, disrupt his campaign and throw everything we have all worked for the last four years into question.”

“But it’s your life!” He barely managed to keep his exclamation to a whisper.

“So it’s my choice. Please, Cisco. At least until we can learn more.”

She was begging him with her eyes, and what could he really do? March into that sitting room and declare they throw Oliver in the pipeline? He’d look as crazy as Barry had when locking up Jay. His shoulders slumped. “Okay.”

She gave him a last, strained smile and disappeared through the archway, going upstairs as opposed to joining the others in the sitting room. Cisco’s eyes narrowed as he noticed Oliver following Laurel’s movement before Felicity got his attention again.

Laurel would never believe Oliver capable of striking the killing blow, so it would be up to Cisco to look at this objectively and make the necessary precautions. They’d just prevented history from repeating itself by saving Kendra and Carter tonight.

Now it was up to him to change the future.

---

Laurel didn’t sleep at all that night, a fact she thankfully managed to conceal from Thea who was sharing her room in the farmhouse. If Thea had asked about it, she wouldn’t have known what to tell her.

How did she even begin to describe knowing she was going to die?

She didn’t know much about how these metahuman abilities worked, but they seemed to be accurate. If Cisco had seen it, was there any real way of avoiding it? Or was he just saying they could prevent it to try and give her some false hope? Laurel wasn’t sure if she wanted that or not.

The team packed their things back up and waited for Oliver, Barry and Cisco to return from seeing Cisco off. Cisco was almost dogging Oliver’s steps as he approached them at the van, and Laurel gave a little warning shake of the head. Oliver was far too trained not to pick up on repeated aggression like that, and she didn’t want Cisco getting in trouble over all this — not that she thought Oliver would hurt him. She couldn’t see Oliver hurting any of them, so how could that vision be real?

“We ready to go?”

Laurel nodded along with the rest of them and got in the van. She tuned out the conversations being had, trying to think her options through.

She might be dying soon. She needed a will. Did she have much to leave people? There wasn’t much she really owned beyond clothes and her car.

Her lease. Thea needed to sign on in order to keep the apartment after. She’d have to make up some sort of excuse as to why she was asking her friend to do so now. Something that didn’t make it sound like she was getting her affairs in order so Thea wouldn’t wind up homeless once she was gone.

It occurred to her halfway into the drive that Oliver didn’t look to be contributing much to any talking in the van, either. His gaze was turned towards the window, watching the scenery pass as John drove on. What was he thinking about? Did she even dare to ask?

They returned to their daily routines back home, and Laurel did her best to pretend nothing was wrong all the while preparing. She took a lunch meeting to get her will officially filed. She attended a couple AA meetings with her dad to check up on his progress and make sure he was sticking to it. She started leaving detailed notes about each of her cases, for whoever might have to pick up the pieces of her job and her life after her.

Every time she suited up with the others now, a tiny voice asked in the back of her mind, Is it tonight? Am I going to die? She forced herself to ignore it. Forced herself to ignore the flutter of fear that went through her every time she passed by the line of newly hardened arrows on a table in the base, green tips pointed upward.

It couldn’t really be him. There had to be some other reason or person involved. By the time she was racing down the streets on her bike or in the thick of a fight with her tonfas and her fists, it was barely a thought in her head. It was the only time she could truly let go of that thought and just be.

And then the others were all abducted at Oliver’s holiday party and Malcolm arrived to play the Green Arrow’s double to help rescue them.

It could be him. Laurel’s heart thudded in her ears as she finished suiting up, watching Malcolm every second out of the corner of her eye. Was he really here to help, or was he about to betray her for the final time?

But it didn’t come. Malcolm helped them, and all her friends were safe. Back at the Bunker, they regrouped as a team.

“I’ll have to thank him,” Oliver noted and stopped there. Laurel didn’t know what to think. Was her thanks implied or just not deemed necessary?

She turned away and walked off to the empty side room, ignoring the confused or surprised looks of her team members. It wasn’t that she did this for thanks or for credit — but was it so hard for him to acknowledge when she actually did something right? He’d promised to be a better friend, but here she was wondering already if that promise was sincere. If he was supposed to kill her…

No. Laurel gave a sharp shake of the head. She couldn’t let herself give into those doubts. Oliver was a good man. He was the man, God help her, she still loved; broken and jagged and ill-fitting as they had been, he held her heart in his hands, not her life.

And of course he was the one to follow her to where she’d retreated. “Laurel?” Oliver stopped just a couple of feet from her. “Was there something wrong?”

“No. It’s just—” She shrugged. “Malcolm wasn’t the only person there tonight, you know?”

Oliver’s head bowed as his eyes squeezed shut for a moment. “He wasn’t. You’re right, I — thank you,” he said.

Laurel’s lips pressed tight together, trying to force a smile. It was stupid, dragging it out of him like this.

“Are we okay?”

“You should get Felicity home. She went through a lot tonight.” John and Thea had as well, but the former would likely only let his wife in on any fear or vulnerability leftover, and Laurel would see to the latter. She marched past Oliver to do just that, skirting around him with a wider berth than necessary.

“I know it wasn’t easy for you to work with him after everything,” Oliver said, making her pause in the archway for a moment. “So really, thank you.”

Laurel looked back at him. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep the people I love safe. Just like you would.”

“Yeah.” He nodded, and she couldn’t detect even the slightest hesitation or deception. She wanted to believe that wasn’t just naivety on her part.

Laurel left and was barely home with Thea for an hour when they got the call from Oliver that Felicity had been hospitalized after an ambush on the couple’s car. They went to join him, but Oliver hardly seemed to want to be there. He was manic in his need to see Darhk pay, making reckless decisions and risking the progress they’d made in bringing peace to the city, in working together as a team. She couldn’t believe he’d broken Machin out without even talking to the rest of them so they could show him just how badly that could go wrong.

“And when your master plan doesn't work, you just sent a murdering psychotic back on the streets,” she told him.

Oliver advanced a step, his face thunderous and eyes flashing and she—

She couldn’t help it. She backed away. She wasn’t in her suit, there was no bow and arrow in his hand and it was Oliver. But had she finally gone too far, pushed this strange contentious thing between them, stood in defiance too many times?

He froze, his shoulders dropping back, his fists unclenching. “Laurel?” Something like hurt, like fear of his own took over his features.

“What’s going on?” John’s voice seemed to startle both of them, and Laurel realized she’d completely forgotten what they’d been fighting about.

“I… you tell him.” She rushed out of the room, wiping at the few tears that managed to slip past her eyelids.

How could she have really thought that? In all their fights, in all the various ways Oliver had ever hurt her, had he ever struck out at her physically? She was losing control, too much knowledge of her own impending future clouding her common sense and making her jump at shadows. She needed to get a grip. The team needed her, for however long she could be with them.

And she didn’t want anyone thinking she couldn’t handle this life; however it ended, being the Black Canary was the one thing that kept her going when everything else seemed to fall around her. They’d have to kill her first to ever take it away.

So Laurel managed to regroup in time to take care of Machin with Speedy and Spartan while Oliver finally went to see his fiancée in the hospital. She told herself to live in the moment and forget about the future for now. No more living in fear.

And then, of course, her sister came back just in time to turn everything upside down for her.

“Time travel. I can’t believe we’re talking about it like it’s actually real.” Seeing the future was one thing, but being able to go there and interact with it?

What if Sara could go to that day that was waiting for Laurel? What if she was the key?

Yet she still couldn’t say when it would happen. She’d be sending her sister on a wild goose chase if she told her what Cisco had seen, and what if there was nothing she could do? She didn’t want Sara blaming herself for Laurel’s death the way their father had blamed himself all those years Sara had been away thanks to the League.

In that same vein, it would be better that Sara was as far from here as possible, so she couldn’t feel it was her fault. “I think you should go.”

She couldn’t ask Sara to stay. She never could, and Laurel didn’t want to be treated as some invalid on her deathbed. She didn’t want to keep Sara to herself if it meant the pallor of death hung over all their final memories. So she gave her the suit she’d asked Cisco to make and sent her to find herself. It was the best thing for her sister. It was all she could give her.

She hoped it was enough. For Sara, for the others. She hoped she was doing the right thing for them.

---

Barry wished he knew what had gotten into his friend.

At first he had thought Cisco was acting strangely thanks to being left behind by Kendra. Now that he and Patty had gone their separate ways, he could relate even. But Cisco’s behavior spoke of more than a broken heart.

The engineer had been keeping late hours. Now that Barry was in charge of the running of STAR Labs, he noticed things like that more and more, when he bothered to look at the papers. Cisco had also been ordering a lot of textiles, which told him he was working on at least a fair number of extracurricular projects.

But what really had Barry concerned was the sheer mania Cisco had exhibited earlier today when they’d been working against the clock to save Dr. McGee’s life. When Barry had gotten to her, averting the death Cisco had foreseen, his friend shouted for joy so loudly Barry had been tempted to take the comm out of his ear.

Of course, he was glad that Dr. McGee was still with them, too, but he suspected there was something more to it than that. Especially since Cisco was right back to feverishly working away.

Cisco had rigged something like those machines that fired baseballs for people to practice hitting. Only instead of baseballs, this machine fired arrows straight into a mannequin torso wearing a black bodysuit. Previous models stood in the background, testament to repeated failures.

“Damnit!” Cisco smacked his fist against the wall as the latest arrow pierced the material the mannequin was wearing.

“Uh, dude?” Barry asked, feeling he’d seen enough to warrant stepping in. “What’s going on?”

“Testing some designs.”

“Okay, well it’s getting late.”

“I’m fine, dude,” Cisco said, his voice terse as he moved the mannequin to the side to join its fellows.

“I’m not sure you are.” He took a couple steps further into the room. “You should get some rest.”

“It can wait.”

“Cisco—”

His friend whirled around to shout at him. “It has to wait, Barry! We- we changed time today without time traveling and that is huge, and I have to figure out how to do it again because if I don’t? Laurel’s going to get killed with a green arrow!”

“What?” He couldn’t have heard that right.

“I vibed. Last time we all met up, Laurel was talking to me and we touched hands and I vibed that she was… she’s going to die, Barry.” Cisco’s eyes were red-rimmed and his voice wavered badly. “Unless I stop it, he’s gonna kill her.”

Barry shook his head. “Not- not Oliver. You didn’t see him. Right? It wasn’t him in the vision.”

“I didn’t see anyone else. But it was his arrow, man, I know it was.”

Barry sat hard on the end of the table Cisco had covered in spare materials and notes. He just couldn’t believe it. Oliver wasn’t the killer he had been, and even then he had never killed someone as good and loyal as Laurel. His friend had just discovered he was a father; he would be doing everything he could to be the kind of man William could look up to. So how could this be?

“Walk me through the vision. Everything you remember seeing. What did it look like?”

“I don’t know. It was kind of… gray? I think the walls and everything were concrete.” Cisco walked over and sat beside him, one hand dragging through his hair as he concentrated. “But there was something else.”

“Another person?”

“No. But I think it might have been a sign on the wall. Something- something about a security level?”

“Just focus on that, forget about Laurel or the arrow for a second,” Barry encouraged him. He was sure that was all his friend would have been concentrating on when he first had the vision, and likely the subsequent nightmares. “Is there something else in the room?”

Cisco’s eyes were squeezed shut. “Maybe… a table. Like in a cafeteria. There’s some weird statue-thing sitting on it. That’s all I got.”

“Okay… you don’t see a time or a landmark or anything?” When his friend shook his head, Barry blew out a breath. “So this could happen any time.”

“Any time they’re both out in the field, yeah.”

“Who else knows?”

“Just Laurel.”

“Just — dude, you told her she was gonna die?”

Cisco stood back up just seconds after he did. “Well, I wasn’t exactly able to hide my reaction to seeing her die when she was standing right in front of me, okay? These powers — I barely understand how they work and it’s rarely in any kind of way I want. I’d rather have not seen it at all, but I don’t get that option!”

He knew that, and he knew blaming Cisco was useless, but God, imagining going through life with an imminent death sentence hanging over you… what did Laurel have to be feeling right now?

“Has she told anyone? Her family? Oliver?”

“Why would she tell him?”

“So he can figure out how to keep it from happening?”

“We don’t know that he’s not the one who’s going to do it,” Cisco pointed out darkly. “Telling him might just be like some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy.”

“She really thinks he would?” Barry considered Oliver a good friend, and he believed in him. But Laurel was his teammate, worked with him every day. He actually didn’t know how long they’d known each other, come to think of it. If she really thought it was possible, what did that mean?

But Cisco gave a shake of the head. “No, she’s with you. Thinks there has to be something else, and that’s why she doesn’t want him to know. She’s more worried about him than herself,” he said, hitting his palm with his fist in frustration.

“Wow.” He’d had no idea Laurel cared that much for Oliver. If he found out tomorrow that one of his friends might be implicated in his death, would he have that same capacity for care, even over his own life? Maybe if it was someone he loved; after all, he had forgiven Patty with hardly a thought for trapping him with the B.O.O.T. while she went after Mardon.

Did Laurel love Oliver? His head felt like it was spinning with all these new revelations, and Barry knew even one secret more than everyone else: William. Had Oliver told anyone else? Who all knew what?

Whatever anyone knew, the thing he knew right now was that Cisco looked dead on his feet. “Look, I get how important this is. But you’re working yourself into the ground. Get some rest, and we can attack it from a whole new angle tomorrow.”

Cisco sighed in defeat. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I just don’t want…”

“None of us want that,” Barry assured him. Certainly the Oliver he knew wouldn’t. “And we won’t let it happen, alright? Just like with Dr. McGee.”

His friend nodded, looking heartened, before he left the workroom. Barry’s gaze swept over the skewered mannequins, his lips pressing tight together. What were they actually going to do?

There was very little that could stop an arrow once it was fired at a person, provided they weren’t a metahuman with some kind of exoskeleton or invulnerability. The best way to protect Laurel would be to figure out precisely where and when the vision Cisco had seen was to take place.

Despite his own advice, Barry found himself tossing and turning alone in his bed as he thought it over. He wasn’t sleeping well without Patty there to wake and calm him from his nightmares about Zoom anyway, so he told himself it was probably better to put his mind to use.

A concrete room, with cafeteria-style tables and a sign about a security level. Barry wasn’t an expert in Star City geography or its landmarks, but something about Cisco’s description stood out to him, made him feel like it meant something. Maybe one of the others would have a better idea.

But how many of them could they tell? Did knowledge of Cisco’s vibes pose the same risk as knowledge of time travel? And if he told one member of their team, it was likely to get out to the rest.

If he could just talk to one person, like his dad…

And it hit him suddenly why the place Cisco had described seemed familiar in some way to him. He had been there countless times throughout the years, ever since he was eleven and his father had been wrongfully imprisoned.

Barry sat straight up in bed.

“It happens at Iron Heights.”

---

Oliver didn’t know what the right decision to make anymore was.

He had agreed to Samantha’s ultimatum because it was the only way for him to get to know his son. He had proposed to Felicity because it was the only way to keep her from thinking he was having second thoughts about moving their relationship forward. No matter that he should be happy, having just become a father and a fiancé, he found himself plagued by a sense of unease. And the source of that unease had shocked him.

Laurel.

He couldn’t quite pin down when it had started. Around the holidays, he thought. Laurel had grown tense and withdrawn; her usual smiles seemed strained and she’d stopped seeking him out for partner training, turning to John or Thea instead. He’d been so caught up in his own adjustments since learning about William that it had taken some time for these changes to register in his conscious mind, and it had taken their argument about Machin for it to really break through.

The way she had taken an involuntary step back from him, her sharp gasp of breath and the widening of her eyes — he had only ever been faced with that look from her once before; when she had stopped him from beating a man to death in Iron Heights prison. It was fear.

He hadn’t known what to do, a rash, ill-thought out retort dying on his lips as he’d realized she was afraid of him. When had that happened? And why?

Did she somehow know his secret? The affair he had never disclosed? Was it making her question him? His very character, his intentions?

He couldn’t stand the idea. Lord knew Laurel had every right to doubt the efforts he was trying to make to better himself for his city and for his loved ones. But she had always put aside her own hurts to encourage him; at her best, she had always believed in him before. Was this just one hurt too far?

Guilt kept him awake as he lay on the couch in the loft, Felicity needing the bed to herself with her condition now that she had been released from the hospital. He just couldn’t see an easy solution to this. Telling Laurel the truth on his own might restore her faith in him, but it broke Samantha’s ultimatum. Leaving things be meant losing his oldest friend and possibly destroying the team’s functionality.

The thing was, he was so sick of always letting her down. He still felt the bitter sting of her words from almost a year ago: it’s hard to remember a time when I was ever in love with you.

He wondered uneasily for a moment why that hurt so much. It wasn’t as if he would want Laurel to be in love with him still while he was with someone else. She deserved to be happy someday. She deserved so much better.

He found himself rising from the couch and stepping into his shoes, grabbing the keys to his bike from the pocket of his coat on his way out the door. His decision was made.

It was late, he knew, but he also knew Laurel tended to stay up past even their forays into the field in order to catch up on work from her day job. She had always been that way. And people wondered when he slept.

Sure enough, Laurel answered the door in a baseball tee and pajama pants. “Oliver?” He was glad to see it was mostly confusion on her face rather than the fear from before. “Is everything okay with Felicity?”

“Yeah. She’s fine. Resting, but as fine as she can be, considering.” He was let into the front hallway and studied Laurel as she closed the door. “I guess I’m wondering if we’re okay.”

She tensed, and her voice was carefully light as she asked, “What do you mean?”

“Things have been different the last month or so. And I think I know why, and I’m sorry.”

Her face scrunched up for a moment. “You’re sorry?”

Was that so hard to believe? He turned, walking a little into the living room while he figured out just how he was saying this. “I am. It wasn’t fair to you. It never was, and I know I should have just been honest all those years ago—”

“Ollie, wait. What’s this really about?” She’d followed him and looked just as confused as he felt.

“Then… you don’t know?”

Laurel shrugged. “Safe answer when it comes to you is yes.”

He winced. Now he’d really done it. Laurel didn’t know about William, but she had to be incredibly curious as to why he’d brought up the past. And her not already knowing didn’t change the reasons why he’d felt compelled to tell her. “You might want to sit down,” he said quietly, eyes on her rug.

“Okay…”

He pursed his lips together, and began, “Do you remember Samantha Clayton?”

Laurel blinked. “Yeah. She went out with everyone to the clubs a few times, why?”

“One of the times she was there and you weren’t, we…” He hated himself for being unable to just say it. He was a damned coward, no matter how many people he saved at night.

Laurel’s breath caught, and he saw her blink back the shock and the pain. “I see. Why tell me now?”

“I should have told you years ago. It wasn’t fair to pretend it never happened, especially because — I’m a father, Laurel.”

It was the first time he’d truly gotten to say the words out loud. Barry had told him and Samantha of course had already known.

“How’d you find out?” He was sure she was using the questions as something different to focus on rather than the betrayal she had to be feeling.

“I ran into her when we were in Central City. She’s been living there, since… well, I was always told that she’d lost the baby, but it turns out my mother paid her to tell me that and then move away.”

“Oh, Ollie.” She half-stood. “I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t know what to think about that. I mean, Lord knows the person I was then wasn’t ready. But why couldn’t she have told me when I came back? When she could see that I’d changed? I — I‘ve lost almost nine years with him.” He knew he was ranting and that she was the last person who deserved to have all of this unloaded on him. “Or why couldn’t she have just left me to pick up the pieces of my own mess? I would have stayed home and never taken Sara on the Gambit.”

“But your son would have been made into a spectacle,” Laurel pointed out, the same as his own inner voice did. “Considering how much you’ve struggled with being your father’s son all these years, I’d hate to have watched him grow up under a scandal like that.”

“William,” he murmured to his toes. “That’s his name.”

“What are you doing about William now? Has Samantha agreed to look at custody arrangements?”

He shook his head and sank wearily onto the other end of the couch. “She wants to be sure that I’ve changed my ways before even telling him, and she asked me not to tell anyone in my own life. Barry knows because I had him run the paternity test.” In one version of time, at least, or so he’d been told.

“Then why tell me? You’re risking your chance with him.”

“I know. But you deserved the truth.” He finally forced himself to meet her eyes; they were shining in the lamplight, and he knew that was from her holding so much back. “I want to be in William’s life, but I want to teach him to be better than me, too. If I can’t be honest to a woman I wronged and who is kind enough to still consider me a friend, how can I be the kind of father or role model he needs?”

Laurel reached across the space between them and took his hands. He watched her lips press tight together as she swallowed once, then said, “You’re more than that. You’re a hero. And one day, William will know that.”

He gripped her hand tight in his, so much feeling in his heart he worried his chest might burst. Relief, regret, gratefulness and, beneath it all, an old, bone-deep longing, so raw and so powerful it took his breath away for a moment.

He forced himself to let go and push the feelings back down, clearing his throat with a gruff, “Thanks.”

“Thank you for being honest,” she returned.

“I am sorry.”

Laurel’s lips pursed, a smile that hadn’t quite made it. She drew back and waved a hand over herself. “Hey, ancient history, right?”

There was a warble in her voice that made the joke fall flat. Oliver knew he should go. She was putting on a brave face so he wouldn’t have to see the hurt he had caused. But he couldn’t help this strange need to be there by her side, to help ease the pain he himself had brought on her.

“Can I get you anything?”

“Maybe just some water,” she said after a moment, her gaze far away.

Oliver got up to get it, glad to have some space to himself in the kitchen for a moment. He still didn’t understand; if Laurel hadn’t known about William, then what was going on between them? Why did her mind seem to be somewhere he just couldn’t quite reach her?

He got the glass down from the cabinet she kept it in, his motions as familiar as if he were in his own kitchen he knew the place so well. It was a comfort, being here and opening up to her like this.

Oliver couldn’t help questioning Barry’s warning about Felicity's reaction in the original timeline. Surely if Laurel, who would have had every reason to hate him, scream and throw him out of her home, had handled the information with such grace and compassion, his own fiancée would do the same. Felicity loved him as he did her, so why wouldn’t she be understanding? He would talk to Samantha tomorrow about having told Laurel — he could hardly see how she could object considering Laurel had been involuntarily involved in even a tangential way — before asking her again about telling Felicity.

Just as he had decided this, there was a whoosh of air out in the sitting room, and then he heard none other than Barry’s voice. “Laurel! Great, I caught you awake. Listen, I think I figured part of the vision out.”

“The vision?” He heard the creak of Laurel’s floorboards and had a feeling she’d just stood up. “Cisco told you?”

Oliver frowned. What vision was this? What did Cisco and Barry know? He crept out to the hall on the balls of his feet, minimizing the sound it made.

“It kind of slipped out. But he described some of the surroundings, and I have a pretty good idea of where it’s supposed to happen: Iron Heights.”

He peered around the corner. Sure enough, Barry was gesturing excitedly as he talked, but Oliver was forced to momentarily duck behind the wall again as Laurel’s nervous gaze flickered in his direction.

“Okay, but Barry, wait—”

“As long as we keep you away from there, you’re not going to die!”

There was a shatter of glass, but it was only when water started seeping through his shoes into his socks that Oliver realized it had been from him dropping the glass in his hand.

He couldn’t have heard right, or he was missing something or he just misunderstood. Why would Barry say Laurel was going to die? She couldn’t.

In a flicker of sudden movement, his friend was standing in front of him, eyes wide. “Oh, God, I did not realize you would be here.”

Laurel appeared in his line of sight next, a hand over her mouth and her eyes glossy and wide. Oliver didn’t think he pushed Barry aside, but it was hard to say in his sudden move to reach her. His hands landed on her shoulders. “Laurel, what’s going on?”

“I…” Laurel drew in a shaky breath. “I was told by Cisco that I’m going to die. That I’ll be killed,” she amended. “I don’t know when, but probably soon.”

This had to be some cruel joke. Or a nightmare. It couldn’t be real.

But Laurel was real under his hands. Her pain and worry and the certainty in which she spoke told him this wasn’t some lie.

He looked back at Barry. “What happens at Iron Heights?”

His friend shifted, uncomfortable, then spoke towards the floor. “All Cisco saw was Laurel bleeding from an arrow in her side.”

“An arrow?” His stomach flipped, and a vision of his own — a reoccurring nightmare he’d had all of last year — rose to the forefront of his mind. Laurel in the place of her sister, dead on a table in the base.

“Not just an arrow,” Laurel spoke, barely above a whisper. “Cisco says… it looks like one of yours.”

“No.” In all his worst, darkest fears, nothing so horrible as that had ever crossed his mind. “It can’t- I would never—”

“I know. I know you wouldn’t,” she said, shifting one step closer, and he couldn’t believe that she could possibly be smiling at a time like this — except he felt her shoulders shaking and saw the relief in her eyes. “I know it’s not you, Ollie.”

He pulled her close without a thought, her head tucked under his chin and his hand running through her hair. He still had so many questions, but for now all he could do was hold her, wondering at how she had been carrying this burden practically on her own. She was so strong. Even the thought of losing her was enough to make his eyes water.

What caused them to spill over was the realization that she did still believe in him. She had overcome her fears, the very instinct to protect her own life, to keep working alongside him every day all while knowing what she did about the circumstances Cisco had foreseen.

Oliver gave a shaky exhale, his lips pressing to the top of her head for the briefest moment, and he felt Laurel’s hands clench the fabric of his shirt. She fit so perfectly here, he couldn’t ever imagine losing it much less being the cause. He had hurt her in the past — no matter what he did, he’d always seemed to hurt her — but by God, it ended tonight.

What was it they were missing? A copycat like the League last year? Someone else gaining possession of his weapons? He thought of Ra’s ripping the sword Oliver had chosen from his hands to plunge it through his side and shuddered. There was no way in Hell he could allow that to happen to Laurel. He would have to be dead first.

“Iron Heights,” he muttered, glancing over his shoulder, his cheek brushing against Laurel’s hair. “Barry, you’re sure?”

Barry hung back rather than approach, watching them. “Without seeing the vision myself? No. But everything in Cisco’s description of the place matches up. He also mentioned some sort of statue thing?”

A statue in the prison. Something didn’t add up, but he couldn’t think of it. Probably because he was exhausted. Laurel didn’t look much better. He thought he might likely be the only thing holding her up soon if he kept rubbing her back in soothing circles.

“You should rest,” he told her softly.

She shook her head. “I have to clean up the glass first.”

“I’ll get it,” Barry offered immediately and was gone and back with a broom and dustpan in the blink of an eye.

“Come on.” Oliver noticed her socked feet and chose to scoop her up in his arms to avoid anything while Barry finished sweeping. As he passed the spare room, he had to be grateful that Thea had always been a heavy sleeper even before the late nights that came with patrols.

He only set Laurel down once they reached her room. “Will you be okay?”

“I will. I think I needed to tell someone, even if I’m worried.”

He could understand that better than most anyone, he thought. Having the truth out with her about Samantha and William just before this had been both relieving and one of the most terrifying things he had ever done.

She glanced up at him, raising a hand to cup his cheek while she implored him with her gaze. “Please don’t think, whatever happens, that this is your fault.”

“I won’t,” he promised. Maybe in another time, he would have thought that way. Been defeated before he even began. But it wasn’t his fault; it was his responsibility to ensure what Cisco had seen would never come to pass.

Laurel held his gaze for a long moment, and he thought neither of them dared to breathe. Then she withdrew and slipped through the doorway.

He shuffled back towards Barry, who regarded him with sympathy. “The less people that know about this, probably the better. It’s not exactly a science, but we don’t want to risk somehow setting things in stone.” At Oliver’s nod, Barry stepped up and placed a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll make sure Laurel’s safe, Ollie. Cisco thought he saw Dr. McGee die earlier this week but his vision helped us prevent it instead. It is possible.”

Hope, however faint, bloomed in his chest as he looked back at Laurel’s door. She could live through this. She could go on being with them. They still had time.

“Did, um, did something happen?” His friend’s question startled him, and Oliver turned with a frown towards Barry. “I mean, obviously the vision, but — you’re here kind of late. Is Felicity…?”

Right, Felicity. He needed to get back in case she had need for anything, though he thought the chances were slim considering most people were asleep at this time of night. “She’s at the loft. I should- I should go.”

“Yeah, me too,” Barry said, still scrutinizing him with the strangest look. But the speedster was gone in the next instant, leaving him alone in Laurel and Thea’s apartment. Oliver let himself out and made the solitary trek back to his own residence.

He called Samantha early the next morning to tell her the decision he’d made. “Laurel won’t share this with anyone, she’s not that kind of a person. But I should have been honest with her.”

“No, I agree,” Samantha said after a pause. “And if she wants to talk to me, you can pass on my number. I’ve always regretted that I didn’t apologize when I knew how much she — well, you’re a lucky man to still have someone like her in your life, Oliver.”

“I know,” he replied with solemnity, thinking of just how lucky he would be if they pulled this off. If they saved her.

There was another woman in his life, of course, and as he opened his mouth to ask Samantha for just the slightest bit more leniency, he heard that woman call down from the bedroom for assistance. “I have to go,” he said with some regret. “Thank you for understanding.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

Oliver hung up, his mind on the various futures he had been warned about. Could it be possible that Felicity’s reaction to learning the truth would be different than what Barry had seemingly experienced in the first timeline, just like Laurel’s fate would be different than what Cisco had foreseen? He felt hope for the latter, yet, as he climbed the steps to the bedroom he’d once shared with his fiancée, there was a sense of trepidation towards the former. If experience had taught him anything, it was that life was a series of choices. It wasn’t very often a person got both of the things they wanted.

What did it say that he already knew without hesitation which he would choose?

---

Felicity had always hated feeling like the odd woman out. In joining the team with Oliver and John along with now being engaged, she thought she’d never have to feel that way again.

And yet, here she was. On the outside looking in once again. Watching Oliver and Laurel.

Nothing had happened, from what she could tell. Laurel wasn’t that sort of girl to be the other woman, not after Oliver himself had cheated on her. They were just friends, and yet…

There was just a closeness that hadn’t been there for a long time. She didn’t know a better way to describe it. It seemed every time the group was down in the base, Oliver was working with Laurel on some aspect of her training. Strength on the salmon ladder, dodging and blocking, even catching arrows from midair!

He was using ones with foam tips for that purpose which he’d designed himself, along with a whole series of projects he had decided to take on for himself. “You know, I can work out the specs a lot faster,” she’d pointed out.

“I’ll run them by you. I just want to be sure.” Where this newfound interest in trick and non-lethal arrows had come from, she didn’t know, but he was honestly starting to remind her of the early days with his micromanaging tendencies. And with the whole Laurel thing.

Was this just his defense mechanism? Every time he got close to another woman, he started backing off and then would inevitably try to endear himself to Laurel again. He’d been pushing Felicity away before this latest turn, ever since they got back from Central, and if her mother hadn’t found that ring box who knew if they’d be here right now.

It wasn’t like he was ignoring the others when it came to training or teaming up in the field. She could just be exaggerating, letting insecurity get to her since her paralyzation. There was no proof of the suspicions she held, even if someone with Oliver’s track record didn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt.

And then she heard it. Late one night, as she lay somewhere between sleep and waking, a creaking of the couch downstairs. His voice crying out.

“Laurel… Laurel!”

Felicity struggled to force her body to sit up. “Oh, he is so not dreaming about her while I’m literally upstairs,” she grumbled under her breath before calling as loud as she could, “Oliver! Oliver!”

It took a demeaning amount of time for him to make it up to the room, with bloodshot eyes and a deliberate slowness to his breath that spoke of having to calm himself down. “Hey, everything okay?”

“Not really. I heard you,” she said pointedly.

He winced and sat down on the corner of the mattress. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you.”

Wow, that was what he thought she was upset about? “Well, you should have maybe thought about that before you started dreaming about another woman.”

He startled. “Felicity, I wasn’t — it’s not anything like that.”

“Really? Well, if you have a good explanation for why you were literally screaming Laurel’s name, I would love to hear it.”

His lips thinned into a line. “It’s not something I can share safely right now.”

Felicity scoffed. “How convenient for you. You know, I’ve been trying to put up with the secretiveness lately, trying to believe better of you, but this is not going to work if you can’t be honest with me.”

“Felicity, wait,” he said, reaching for her hand. “I promise, when the danger has passed, I will tell you everything. But it is not what you’re thinking.”

There was danger? But they were all in danger, weren’t they? As long as Darhk was around. She wavered, some of her anger receding.

“Laurel is my friend, someone I will do whatever I can to protect,” Oliver continued. “And she is always going to be in my life. That’s something anyone I love should know.”

And she had known it. But, the more she thought about it, the more she just couldn’t help it getting to her. No matter what happened in Oliver’s love life, Laurel was going to be there. Felicity could marry him or leave him, and it wouldn’t change that. She was not the constant in his life; Laurel was.

“I think Alex was right before,” she said quietly, surprising herself. And Oliver, judging by the widening of his eyes. But she wasn’t one for backing off a position once she’d taken it. “There’s too much history and baggage between you two for me to be comfortable with, especially when it just seems to draw you back together like this.” Even if he and Laurel were both determined to keep things totally platonic, there was no ignoring the deep care and even love that was in the looks they exchanged every so often.

“Laurel’s a part of the team, and we need everyone,” Oliver reminded her.

“Okay, but in the future I am asking for you to partner with either John or Thea in the field and to let John or Thea train with her.” She squeezed his hand, which had gone somewhat limp in hers. “That is not an unreasonable request considering your past.”

His head bowed. “I know I don’t deserve your trust, but Felicity, I have to keep training Laurel. That doesn’t change my love for you. Please don’t make me choose.”

“Because you can’t decide?” What sort of a man couldn’t decide between his fiancée and his ex?

But when Oliver remained silent, she realized he was decided. Felicity drew back, her hand pulling away from his. “I need you to go. Right now.”

“Felicity—”

“Go!” Couldn’t he respect the fact that she was trapped here and couldn’t leave herself? Once the door shut behind him, Felicity let herself cry into her pillow. Why did it always end like this?

—-

Thea wasn’t sure what was going on, but she didn’t exactly disapprove.

Oliver and Felicity had apparently decided to take a break, and Oliver was refusing to explain the reasoning behind it. This was frustrating John to no end, but Thea thought she’d found the cause in her mother’s finances.

Finding out she was an aunt was shocking, but listening to Oliver talk about his son when she’d brought her findings to him made her happy for him. He had always loved being part of a family and she knew he wanted to have his own one day. Though his prospects didn’t look good at the moment.

“Does Felicity know?” She guessed. It would be reasonable to expect the woman needed some time to process this information.

But Oliver shook his head. “No. And it is really not the time to tell her.”

Thea’s brow furrowed. “Then why the break?”

“We, uh, had a separate disagreement about something,” he told her. “Actually, the same disagreement Alex and I had last fall.”

It took a moment for Thea to realize just what he meant by that, but when she did she couldn’t help her eyes widening. “Felicity wants Laurel off the team?”

“Not that extreme,” he hurried to say.

Good, she thought, because if Laurel was to be kicked off the team then Thea would be going with her.

“Just… she wants me to keep my distance, or something,” he continued miserably. “I tried to tell her that Laurel and I aren’t like that, but she didn’t believe me. Now I’m not so sure.”

“Ollie?” Was he saying what she thought he was?

He studied his hands rather than meet her gaze. “Do you ever think about what it would be like to lose someone — a specific someone? When I try to imagine the people I couldn’t stand to lose, the one that would, would change a part of me forever and not for the good, there’s you.” He looked up and caught her eye for a moment. Thea tried to smile for him and took one of his hands. “There’s William, now. And… there’s Laurel.”

“But not Felicity?” She asked softly.

“Not because I don’t care for her,” he said, “but you and Laurel and John would stop me. I know that. If I lost Laurel or you, I don’t think I could be stopped.”

“What’s got you thinking like this?” She had to know. He could just be taking his and Felicity’s problems hard, but it seemed to be for reasons other than a broken heart.

“A few things. Darhk, for one. He took you all at the party because he wanted to get at my loved ones. By sheer luck, Laurel wasn’t there, and because she wasn’t in danger she was able to help me. I was able to fight back. And I guess it made me remember the first time I ever told Felicity I loved her.”

Thea raised an eyebrow which caused a wry half-smile. At least he recognized he was hardly making any sense.

“It was almost two years ago, right before the Siege. I knew Slade was planning to go after one more person, the person I loved. I also knew he’d planted cameras in the Manor. So, I took Felicity there and basically played out a scene.”

“So Slade wouldn’t target Laurel,” Thea realized.

He nodded, and his shoulders drooped. “I convinced myself that it wasn’t really a lie, and I- I wanted this with Felicity, I know that. But if she makes me choose between having her in my life or Laurel…” his head bowed once again. “What does that mean?”

Thea sat back, her breath leaving her in one big whoosh as she thought about all of this. “I think,” she finally began, “it means that, whether you still love her romantically or not, Laurel is important to you. More important than just about anything. Does she know about William?”

“I told her,” he admitted.

Thea threw a hand up for a moment. “Then I think that says it all, really, Ollie. Laurel’s the person you want involved in your life and in your family. And, truth be told, she would never make you choose like that.” As far as Thea was concerned, that settled the matter right there and then. “But you should probably stop worrying yourself sick about losing her. Highly doubt that’s going to happen after everything she’s stuck with you through.”

“I hope you’re right,” Oliver said, with a weariness that caused her teasing grin to fade. He rose from his seat. “I’ll ask Felicity if she wants me to stay as a carer, but if not I may need to make arrangements to move my things out of the loft.” Her brother looked at her again. “Thank you for letting me work through that, Speedy. I needed it.”

“What are little sisters for besides relentless teasing?” She asked. “And hey, I’m proud of you for facing these things head-on. I’ll support you whatever happens.”

“When did you ever get so wise?”

They shared a smile before Oliver left to have his talk with who Thea suspected would become his former fiancée. Thea, for her part, left for the apartment she shared with Laurel.

A part of her felt kind of giddy upon entering the place. She’d meant what she’d said about supporting her brother no matter what; that had included his engagement. But there was just something special about the idea of him and Laurel. Maybe it reminded her of happier, simpler times. Maybe she could picture their mom’s delight that she’d been right all along. Maybe it was just that these were the two people Thea held dearest in the whole world, and she wanted to see them both get a happily ever after. If it was together, so much the better.

So she practically skipped into the living room where Laurel sat at her desk, frowning over a pile of documents. “Hey.”

It took her friend a moment to look up, and when she did her smile was strained. “Hey, yourself.”

Thea paused. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. I’m just trying to figure out the best deal for selling my car,” Laurel said.

“Why would you do that?”

Laurel shrugged. “I don’t use it much. John tends to drive the team around, and I can always borrow my dad’s if I really need one for an errand. It’d just be kind of a hassle to hang onto.” Her friend flipped the folder she’d been looking through shut and turned fully around in her chair. “But how’s it going? You stayed kind of late to talk to Ollie.”

“Yeah, well, we had some family stuff to discuss,” she said with a significant look; Laurel clearly understood by the slight widening of her eyes followed by a nod. “And he wanted my advice on something.”

“Is it something he wants discloses to the rest of the team or a private matter?”

Thea shrugged. “You’ll probably find out sooner than later. I think he and Felicity are over.”

Thea considered it a very near thing that Laurel didn’t fall right out of her chair. “What?”

“Apparently Felicity gave him a bit of an ultimatum,” Thea informed her with a grin. She’d never quite been able to quell her inner gossip, after all. “Only she’s not getting the answer she was probably looking for.”

“It wasn’t about William, was it?”

“Nope.” She could only try to imagine Felicity’s reaction to learning about that one. “Turns out it had a little bit more to do with you.”

She watched Laurel freeze for a moment, a whole range of emotion flickering in her eyes as she asked, “Me?”

“Yeah. I guess all the training you guys were doing lately spooked her and she wanted Ollie to promise to keep his distance, and he’s not exactly prepared to do that.”

“But he- that’s not— I can’t believe him sometimes,” Laurel grumbled, standing roughly enough to cause her chair to rock back on two legs. Thea backed up in surprise. “Where is he?”

“Telling Felicity his decision.”

“I have to stop him.”

“Wait, what?” She moved in front of her friend before she could go for the car keys — the ones she had just been talking about getting rid of. “Laurel, there’s no reason to stop him. He decided you’re important enough to stand up for, and if that’s a deal breaker for Felicity then it might as well end now.”

“But he loves her.”

“So you don’t want Ollie to love you?” Thea asked, fixing her friend with a look.

“Of course I—” Laurel seemed to realize what she’d been about to say and drew in a calming breath. “I’m happy that Oliver cares about me enough to put his own relationship on the line, but he’s throwing away his chance to be happy.”

“Maybe he can be happy with just us,” Thea pointed out.

But Laurel shook her head. “He and Felicity have a future, he’s only wasting his time—”

“What do you mean?”

But Laurel clammed up, arms folding over her chest and cheeks paling. “I— never mind. You’re right, it’s his decision. I should get some sleep or something.” Laurel retreated back to her room, shutting the bedroom door with a snap.

Thea felt more confused than ever as she slowly crossed to the couch. What did Laurel think Oliver was wasting his time on? Her? But why would that be? Why did Laurel seem to think he and Felicity had a future together and that she and Oliver couldn’t have one?

But that wasn’t exactly what she had said, Thea thought, reconsidering Laurel’s words. She had merely said that Oliver and Felicity had a future. That could be together or apart. And by contrast, it was as if Laurel was saying she didn’t have one.

Thea looked over at the desk with its documents. Laurel was selling her car. Last month, she’d put Thea’s name on the lease after procrastinating on it for the better part of a year. She’d been cleaning some, too, organizing things and boxing them up as if to make them easier to pack up and move somewhere. All of these incidents when combined seemed to paint an image of a woman who was getting her affairs in order.

A cold chill went through her, setting deep in her heart. Was Laurel dying?

Tears stung her eyes just at the thought, try as she might to tell herself she was overreacting and jumping to conclusions. Laurel was just as healthy as ever, just as active in the field and in training, if not more so. She wouldn’t be doing those things if she’d received some kind of diagnosis, would she?

Unless she didn’t want anyone to know. She hadn’t said anything to Thea, and the others hadn’t been acting all that different — except Oliver. She’d chalked her brother’s strangeness up to finding out about William reordering his priorities, but what if it was more than that? What if Laurel had confided in him and now he was making the most of whatever time they had left?

Her tears spilled over. Thea felt totally unsure of what to do. Did she confront her friend? Pretend nothing was wrong? What was the best way to help her?

Ollie has been wrong; she didn’t feel very wise right now. She felt scared.

---

Quentin had learned over the years that there were few things more reliable than his gut. Detective’s instinct, honed from long nights on the case. And right now, his gut was telling him something was wrong.

The trouble was, he couldn’t see what. The impossible had finally happened; Darhk was captured. Even more than that, Oliver’s heretofore secret son had been rescued unharmed.

Maybe that was it. Maybe he was worried about what this news had to be doing to his daughter. Quentin had done the math in his head and knew this young boy, innocent though he was, was proof of Oliver’s less than honorable character from years past. Laurel had seemed unaffected when she’d come to his office to loop him in on the search for the kid, but he also knew better than most that his daughter tended to push everything aside to avoid dealing with the emotions of it. Until it became too much to ignore.

He went to her apartment, but found no one home. His next stop was the base. He found Diggle packing up for the night and Thea sitting in Felicity’s old chair — the latter having chosen to take a break from the team thanks to her and Oliver’s breakup, which he’d heard some about through Donna.

“Hey, is Laurel still in?”

“She and Oliver are talking,” Thea said, gesturing to a room off the side that she had been watching pensively until now. Quentin nodded his thanks and marched over there. Better for him to hear some of this for context if his girl needed comforting later on.

But Laurel’s voice was all business as he approached. “He’s being held in Iron Heights, and assuming our office can get a judge to deny him bail, that’s where he’ll stay until his trial.”

“Iron Heights,” Oliver repeated, something about the weight he gave the words making the very air sound heavy.

“I know.”

Quentin frowned at the worry creasing both their brows, the tension that seemed to fill the small space. “Know what?”

Laurel jumped and turned to face him, and Oliver tensed. “Dad! Um, we were just talking about Darhk.”

“Yeah, and I’d have thought there’d be a little more of a celebration going on here considering,” he replied. “How come it feels like I just entered a wake?”

“We’re just concerned about him having a backup plan,” Oliver said when Laurel looked to him seemingly for help. “His idol Mari broke, it has some ability to repair itself. If he can get a hold of the whole thing again, we’ll be right back where we started.” With a deliberateness Quentin couldn’t help noticing, the younger man took his daughter’s hand. “Our best bet is to figure out a way to separate the idol’s pieces as permanently as possible and remove Darhk from Iron Heights before he can instigate trouble that requires our intervention.”

“He say something about doing that?”

“It’s only a matter of time.”

“If we want to keep the idol’s pieces as separate as possible, we should get some of them out of the city, right?” Laurel asked. “I could take some of them to Central on a visit? But I don’t want to leave them with mom if it puts her in danger,” she added, worrying her bottom lips with her teeth.

“She would want you out of danger,” Oliver insisted, “but I think I have a different idea about Central.” He took out his phone and left the room.

Quentin stepped forward before his daughter could follow. “Honey, what’s going on?”

“Um, we have somewhat reliable information that Darhk might be able to stage something within the prison, and that if he does it could… I could get hurt.”

He blinked. “What exactly does that mean?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t really say anything more than that.”

“Well, Oliver seems to know,” he pointed out. “Seems pretty worried about it.” And if Oliver was worried then that had to mean something worse was coming.

A rush of wind and crackle of light from the next room over drew his attention, and Laurel led them back out into the main room where they others stood around the Flash.

“Do you think this is the statue?” The Central City hero was asking.

“I know it is,” Oliver answered. “Which is why it has to stay broken. I need you to scatter the pieces, Barry. Nowhere with any significant meaning or ties to any of us. Just as far and as wide as you can run.”

“Oliver, are you sure we shouldn’t be keeping track of the pieces?” Diggle asked with a frown.

“If we know where they are, then Darhk could find out from spying on us,” said Oliver. “The goal is that no one can keep track of the pieces.”

The Flash nodded. “I can do that.”

“Thank you, Barry. I’ll owe you one.”

“Actually, I will,” Laurel said, stepping up beside Oliver again.

“Neither of you owe anything. Oh, but I was asked to bring this along,” the Flash said, picking up a box Quentin hadn’t noticed set on a side table. “A new suit. Cisco’s pretty confident in this design.”

Laurel took it from him, hugging it to her chest. “I’ll have to come out and thank him sometime.”

“He’d like that.” The Flash scooped up the broken pieces of the idol. “Scatter to the winds?”

“To wherever you can,” Oliver confirmed. The other hero nodded, and was gone in a Flash like his namesake.

Diggle gestured to the box still in Laurel’s arms. “How come Cisco made you a new suit?”

“I didn’t ask him to. I guess he just wanted to do his part.” She set it down, lifting the lid and smiling wide.

Oliver leaned in close, too, touching the material inside. “It’s good work. Sturdy.”

Quentin started to come forward to get his own look, but Thea’s timid voice seemed to cause them all to freeze. “You’re still gonna be out in the field?”

Laurel looked up. “Yeah, Speedy, of course.”

“Then… you’re not dying?”

Quentin’s mouth dropped open as he watched Laurel pale and exchange a panicked look with Oliver.

“What’s Thea talking about?” Diggle asked, giving voice to the question foremost in his mind.

“I, um…”

“Cisco had another vision,” Oliver explained, “warning us about something that might happen. But we’re taking steps to prevent it.”

“He saw Darhk killing Laurel,” Quentin said, his voice gruff. He’d known, hadn’t he? The minute he realized what a dangerous man Darhk was, the minute he had threatened Laurel’s life, he should have known he’d placed his own daughter on borrowed time.

“We don’t know for sure,” Laurel said quietly. “But the evidence seems to point that way.”

“Then we take care of him first,” Diggle said. “He brainwashed my brother for years. I’m not letting him take away someone else.” He walked up to Oliver and Laurel, placing a hand on her shoulder. “How long have you known about this?”

“A few- a few months,” she admitted.

“You could have told us. All of us,” John said with a glance towards Oliver. “We’re a team, and we help each other.”

“Cisco’s not sure how his visions work, if more people knowing is a bad thing or not,” she told him. “And I didn’t want to worry all of you. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“And that’s why you put me on your lease and were looking at selling your car,” Thea murmured, almost to herself as she looked up at the ceiling.

As she said it, Quentin started thinking back through the months, too. Her seemingly random drive to make sure they got to AA regularly even amongst all the chaos in their lives, the sorrow on her face as he’d explained all the things he had done, both for Darhk and as a double agent against him, to keep her safe, the smile she had forced on at the tree ceremony when she’d watched Oliver propose. All the time she’d thought she didn’t have much left, and she’d spent it on others.

Laurel winced. “You weren’t supposed to notice that.”

Thea sniffled, looking even tinier than she normal. “Well, I didn’t, until you kind of implied you didn’t have a future. I thought you’d been told you had cancer or something.”

Laurel shook her head, moving forward to the younger woman Quentin knew counted as a sister in her heart. “No. And, hopefully, I’ll be okay now. I’m sorry.” She hugged Thea tight, and Thea held on just as much.

“We’re removing the idol from Darhk’s reach, Laurel will be wearing Cisco’s new suit instead of her old one, and I’ve taken some steps of my own,” Oliver outlined. “All designed to prevent that future from playing out as he saw it. It’s the best defense we have.”

“I’ll do one better,” Diggle added. “Lyla can probably get jurisdiction over Darhk, or convince the Feds that he’s too dangerous to leave just in Iron Heights. We’ll get him moved.”

Laurel looked back around. “Thank you, John.” As she said it, her gaze drifted in his direction, and the smile she wore slipped off her face. “Oh, daddy.”

“This would’ve been my fault. If Darhk has come after you.”

She crossed the room to him, already shaking her head. “We don’t know why he would’ve targeted me. It could be he’s planning to break out and I would be one of the people stopping him. This life… it is dangerous. If anything, this experience has made me confront that. I could die,” she said, looking him straight in the eye as she did. “But I know for certain now that if I’m not going out there as the Black Canary helping my team, I don’t really feel alive inside.”

“I want you to be safe,” he told her. “But... I know it’s more important you’re happy.”

She smiled before pulling him into a hug. He squeezed her to him, unsure if he could ever really let her go. Just the thought of losing her made it hard to breathe.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the room when at last they separated. “Damn, I should’ve worn the waterproof mascara,” Thea joked weakly, earning a couple watery chuckles. “I’m just gonna fix this in the bathroom.”

“And I’ll call Lyla now,” said John, leaving the room as he took out his phone.

Laurel wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand as she headed back over to the table. “I really want to try this on,” she murmured, her hand running down the side of the box. “But maybe it’s best we call it an early night.”

“Yeah,” Oliver agreed softly.

“What did you and Samantha end up deciding?” She asked. “If you don’t mind…”

“No, you all probably need to know,” he replied. “Um, we both agreed that, that William’s safer the further away he can get from my life.”

“I’m so sorry, Ollie.” Laurel turned away from her new suit to face him. Quentin was surprised at the amount of compassion in her gaze. Sure, his girl had the most generous heart he knew, but news like this would have to take days if not weeks to really process to be able to have this kind of talk.

Unless she had had weeks. Had she known? This closeness he was seeing between the two; had Oliver finally stepped up to do right by Quentin’s family?

“It’s what I had to do. This life that I lead, it’s not something I can do and maintain a family or- or a relationship,” Oliver said, looking down.

“I think Thea would disagree,” Laurel pointed out, though as Oliver frowned she added, “Yes, right now William might be too young and vulnerable, especially with enemies who know your identity out there. Enemies like Malcolm, I might add.”

“You might,” he acknowledged with chagrin.

“But,” Laurel continued, “when he’s older, I think you and Samantha both need to talk to him and let him decide for himself what he wants to do. Let him make the choice when he’s ready.”

“I sent a video with Samantha for her to give him when he’s eighteen,” Oliver told her. “Telling him why I couldn’t be there for him. I hope he understands, that he can… forgive me.”

“There’s nothing to forgive.” Laurel brought one hand up to his shoulder. “Oliver, you and William were kept apart through circumstances beyond your control, and now you are making the best decision you can to protect him. You’re sacrificing more for this city than anyone should expect of you.” Her smile turned wistful. “I was trying to make sure everyone was okay before, well, whatever Cisco saw might have happened. I think I did a pretty good job except for you.”

“You’re here,” Oliver said. “So I’m okay.”

They didn’t seem to realize anyone was still in the room. That was, Quentin hoped Oliver had forgotten he was in the room if he was going to look at Quentin’s daughter like she was the most precious thing in the world.

He cleared his throat as the pair of them seemed to sway forward a little. Oliver froze and Laurel quickly stepped back, removing her hand from Oliver’s shoulder as if it had been burned. Good to know he could still return them to their young adult selves.

“Uh…”

“Look, I don’t mind exactly,” he began with a look to both of them. “But maybe take things a little slow, huh?”

Oliver’s lips pressed together as he looked down, and Laurel’s cheeks were pink with embarrassment. Just doing his job.

Thea came back into the main area, looking around at them all. “What’d I miss?”

Quentin smirked and shook his head, turning and walking to the elevator. They could fill her in if they wanted. When they were ready.

---

He’d been worried about events in Star for so long, it took Cisco by surprise when things turned really hectic in their own neck of the woods.

Caitlin has been taken. He was so scared for his friend it was hard to even think sometimes, but he needed to because his other friend was in trouble, too. Barry had given up his speed in exchange for Wally, which meant that they were not just powerless against Zoom once again, but also that there was no one to fight the regular crime in Central City.

No one, that was, till their substitute came in.

“Wow, it’s great to meet you,” Iris said with a smile. “And that you’d come out here for this.”

“I owe Barry and Cisco a few favors,” Laurel explained with a smile. “And it’s better for all of us if we help each other out now and then. Next week is Oliver’s turn, since I’ll have to be getting back to work.”

“It hopefully shouldn’t come to that. Harry’s got a plan to give Barry back his speed,” Joe said. Cisco wondered if he just didn’t want Green Arrow hanging around their city.

“Well, I hope for Central’s sake it works.”

It didn’t.

Cisco ran down from the roof after transferring the lightning through their specially-built wand only to find the others mourning the charred remains of Barry’s suit. All of the others except Wally and Jesse, collapsed in the hallway, and Laurel, lying still by the machine.

He hurried to her side, panic rising as he reached to check her pulse. Just as his fingers brushed the skin on her wrist—

He was plunged into the blue-tinted world he associated with his visions. Cisco looked around, terrified of what he might see this time.

He ducked reflexively as a ripple of sound raced past him accompanied by a loud scream. The source was none other than the Black Canary, standing in a protective stance in front of Green Arrow who knelt on the ground. Cisco watched, amazed by the power her Cry now possessed, and it occurred to him he couldn’t see the choker he’d made around her neck.

The Laurel of this vision stopped her cry, turning to pull Oliver up from the ground. But Oliver remained kneeling, holding Laurel’s hand in his own as he took out a ring box.

Cisco found himself back in the real world, gaping as his mind caught up with what he’d just seen. Laurel groaned and turned over, not quite awake and aware.

“Cisco, is she okay?” Iris asked, a waver in her voice from her anguish over Barry’s disappearance.

But Cisco couldn’t help smiling as he answered. “Yeah. She’s gonna be just fine.”

#lauriver #laurel x oliver #laurel lance #oliver queen #cisco ramon #arrow #the flash #green arrow #black canary #my writing

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