#i could probably survive cali on my own but I~ don’t wanna

[mossywizard]

When you get fucking teary eyed because the grad school responds in a way that’s more positive than you could ever dream of

#not applying yet cuz I am~ still getting BA but- goodness gracious #why am I this emotional what’s happening?? #doesn’t help that I was already reading about Inanna and Dizumri (sp) which is both so messy and so beautiful and god inanna I love you so #goddess of heavens in love with the farmer and Shepard #I’ve only read a few translation of the story and they weren’t inanna or ishtar’s verison but it still #ugh #oohghaa #death and rebirth got a hold on me #death needing love but realizing the world needs her loved too? #oooohhaaaaaaaa #old school enemies to lovers #i might also simply be tired but #💃💃💃 #grad school that’s awesome and close to home #i could probably survive cali on my own but I~ don’t wanna

[hargrove-mayfields]

Day one of the Horror on Cherry Lane Challenge! I’ll be participating this month as a writer! The prompt for today is Knife!

warnings for mentions of suicidal ideation and attempts, death, child abuse, and blood.

Billy met Steve in the psych ward.

Well, they met officially at Tina’s party, but that wasn’t the real Steve. That was the King Steve. Deeper than that though, even the Steve Harrington everyone else saw even after the breakup and the fall from grace still wasn’t the real thing.

That was fake smiles, overdone nonchalance to cover up the wound from his fallen status. Now he was stripped down to himself, all bloody bandages and tired eyes, the boy he was pretending to be finally broken down to reveal this.

Apparently, Ruthie Harrington found her son with his grandfather's switchblade- all the other objects in the house sharper than a spoon and with less sentimental value had already been tossed -bleeding all over her freshly polished linoleum floors. She dropped him off at the hospital a night ago and nobody’s been by to see him since.

Now, it’s by pure coincidence that Billy’s already in on the same day Steve’s admitted.

He’s been locked up the past three days compared to Steve’s one. These small town hicks are jumpier (ha) than he thought, and don’t think doing the walk and turn test on the edge of the quarry after downing a bottle and a half of fireball is as funny as he does. Whatever. Cid would’ve thought that was badass as hell.

So he was admitted, on suicide watch for a stupid joke that wasn’t really worth it, or even really a joke. Max came to visit once. She punched him in the chest as hard as she could and cursed him out for an hour. She’d never done that before. By the time she left they were both in tears, and maybe Billy realized a thing or too about his carelessness. Realized for the first time that someone cared.

But he’s still in here for another week and a half by law, so. He’s not going to mope about it. And while Steve Harrington showing up is about the last thing he’s expecting, he decides that’s at least something he can work with. Definitely brings a little life to the place.

He waits until Steve’s intense watch period is over to bug him, once they’re out of their cramped little rooms for a couple of hours to “socialize” (see, the more sound of mind keep an eye on the other patients while the nurses take their smoke breaks) Billy goes straight to Steve. Him and Harrington are far from friends, but that’s pretty much irrelevant when the only other choices for company are kids younger than them too scared to approach them and people too deep in their midlife crises to bother with teenage drama.

Throwing himself down in the blue plastic chair across from where Steve settled in, Billy kicks his feet up on the table,, “What’s up Harrington? Didn’t expect to see a familiar face in here.”

But Steve, poor Steve, takes one look at Billy with those haunted brown eyes, and his face just falls completely apart. There are tears on his way too pale cheeks before Billy even has a chance to breathe.

The smile drops off of Billy’s face, “Jesus Harrington, I know m’not looking my best surviving on hospital food and cigarettes without a hairbrush, but that’s a little unwarranted.”

“Shut up. Not everything’s about you, Hargrove.”

“Oh I disagree with that. But I get the point. I’ll let ya be.” Billy hums, scooting his chair back and getting up. He stops when Steve starts to speak, “Y-You outta be careful saying that kinda stuff in here.”

“What?”

“That the world revolves around you. They’ll come up with a diagnosis for that and keep you here forever. Drug you ‘til you forget your own name, let alone your status.” Steve tells him with humor, wiping the tears off his face.

Billy nods in understanding, sits back down with an interested smirk, “This ain’t your first time here, is it?”

“Is it yours?”

“Nah. I’ve done some shit on purpose, some on accident. Once it wasn’t even me. But s’never done anything to help so far.”

Steve puffs out a sigh, “Don’t I know it.. I’ve been in and outta this place since I was like, ten. Clearly nothing’s changed.”

“Why? What’s your dirty little secret, Harrington?”

“I cut myself, dumbass.” He deadpans, looking at Billy with a bluntness in his expression that reads more concerning, more like indifference to what he just said than matter-of-fact.

“No shit. But that ain’t the secret.” Billy probes further, can tell he’s getting under that mask Steve wears, “Why do you do it?”

“Legally, I can't tell you. And I don’t think I would anyways.”

“What about if I tell you all about me first? I got no reservations ‘cept the one that got me a bed here.”

“It’s not a hotel, Hargrove.”

“Eh, might as well be. Feels like the damn hotel California.”

“Is that why?”

“Huh? Oh no, I been pullin’ stunts like this long before we left Cali.”

“Like what?”

“Like downing two full bottles of my mother’s meds after she left. Not at the same time obviously, or I wouldn’t be here. Mostly ‘cause my dad didn’t even wanna take me to the hospital either time.” Billy doesn’t look at Steve while he elaborates. Not because he cares, he’s an open book, if a random old woman at the grocery store asked about his last attempt, he’d tell her.

But. He doesn’t like watching people’s faces. Seeing sympathy and concern there. It makes him feel all stupid and guilty. It’s usually not like that with other kids like him, but Steve’s different. He’s got a big heart. Even if there’s no room for himself.

And Billy hurt Steve before. He doesn’t want to see someone he caused pain caring so much about him. He already cracked when Max came to see him. This could be what splits him open, spills out all the things he’s covered up.

So he keeps going, “And like runnin’ out in front of traffic with my friends. They thought we were just playin’ chicken ‘til I stopped dead in front of a station wagon. Metal rims’d done me in for sure if one ‘a the older boys hadn’t pulled me outta the way. Damn near ripped my shirt in half how fast he grabbed me.”

“I’m guessing your parents are the reason why then?”

“Yessir.” Billy deflects, not good at getting deeper into it, “You wanna tell me yours then?”

“I started cutting because Tommy Hagan told me about it. He thought it was freaky, but when he ran his mouth about how they found the neighbor kid in his room, drained of all his blood from his wrists, I wanted to try it. I’ve tried liquor and drugs and all kinds ‘a shit I shouldn’t, but nothin’ stuck like cutting.” Steve pauses for a long time, his eyes going blank, staring right past Billy, “When my mom found out she.. she.. Forget it.”

“Hey, you seen my skeletons. Can’t I see yours?”

“No. I don’t wanna fucking talk about it anymore.” Steve answers, despite his assuredness, his tone wobbling with some unidentifiable emotion.

Talk about mood swings. Billy doesn’t get how nobody would’ve noticed something was up before Steve started carving into himself. Really, he knows someone would have seen it and just ignored it.

It only gets worse though, the reservedness turning to sadness and frustration. None of the words are coming out, but he can tell Steve’s thinking of the stories, reliving all that got him to the here and now. Billy can also tell there’s nothing he can do no to stop him from doomsdaying.

So when Steve is inevitably in the thralls of a panic attack, he tries to hug him tight, to try to get it to stop maybe, that always worked for him at least, but Steve swats him away. Judging from the way he winces, it’s not easy for him to do either, with those thick ass bandages constricting his wrists, but the tears and the pain on his face are buried behind his resolution.

He’s hiding something from Billy.

In hindsight, talking to a new patient about past attempts probably wasn’t his brightest idea anyways, so he switches the subject while Steve works on coming down from his panic attack. He brings up Max and her little nerds, trying to bridge the healthier connections between him and Steve that they’d both been ignoring since the fight. He mentions basketball too, another something they have in common other than trying to kill themselves.

It doesn’t really work, though Steve does stop shaking as bad, just curling up in his little chair and sniffling, pretending not to listen while Billy rambles on and on. But he doesn’t talk. It’s probably better for him not to anyway. Billy himself has been known to say some dumb shit when he’s in distress.

Ultimately, even once the conversation runs out, he stays with Steve until dark. He can tell from the way his gaze sticks to the floor that Steve recovered from his fit a while ago, but he’s embarrassed by having a breakdown in front of him, as if he isn’t in here for the same reason. It helps that he gets it though, and they sit in a comfortable, albeit very prolonged, silence.

Long after Steve gets xanned up and knocked out though, while Billy is still free to wander until the midnight curfew as a low risk patient, he decides to stick with him in his room. Billy’ll never admit it, but he gets nightmares, and he doesn’t want to face that just yet, so with a new friend as an excuse, he’s up half the night watching Steve sleep.

He remembers what happened earlier, how focused Steve was on keeping him away from him, despite his panic, and decides, with a glance at how deeply Steve is sleeping, his greasy hair all strewn about on stiff pillows, that he’s going to figure out what it was.

He snoops around in his bedside drawers, in the bathroom, in the locker in the corner. It’s there he notices the knitted jacket Steve was wearing before, hanging heavy to one side, like there’s something in its pocket. He touches it and feels the outline of something small, so he pulls it out.

He regrets checking though, because it’s a knife. Judging from the old looking engravings on its handle, and the coppery stains within the grooves, it’s specifically the very same one that got Steve hospitalized.

He shoves it in his own back pocket and keeps looking, with a quick glance at Steve, finding a note tucked where the knife had been. Written in perfect scrawl on bond paper that’s been folded a dozen times and stained with tears,

“Do it right next time, why don’t you? Your mother is too soft on you. I’m not paying for this again.

- J.Harrington.”

Billy doesn’t know what to do but throw the note in the trash. Not really in shock, but definitely more than a little fucked up from reading that, he sits on the end of Steve’s bed. His own dad, who'd more than once been the one putting him in the hospital, had never even said anything like that to him.

He didn’t get to talk to Steve much today, but they’ve got as long as Billy’s stuck in here together to fix that. Longer if he just pulls something in front of a nurse. And he wants to, really really wants to.

Because he knows he just met the real Steve, can recognize another broken boy when he sees one, and he knows too, that he never wants to meet a pretty boy like this again.

And if that’s his declaration to get clean, then so fucking be it.

But. He never promised not to hurt anyone. Ultimately he’d still need that outlet.

He keeps the knife. To make sure his pretty boy doesn’t get hurt again.

#CherryLaneChallenge #harringrove #billy hargrove #steve harrington #ej writer #story by ej! #tw self harm #tw attempted suicide #tw blood #happy October! #I’m so excited! #I’m gonna try to do all of this but I’m real busy coming up! #im not sure what vibe I’m goin got in this challenge #but I think it’s mostly haunting? #not scary but like that oh moment y’know

[solaneceae]

Stars

Dave wakes up in the jungle. AU where Mateo got out of the plane with the other two, because frick u QCODE my boy deserves better than this and i will NOT accept he’s dead until i see a body-

Read on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21035054/chapters/50876287

---------------

A comforting warmth surrounding him. Something soft cushioning his oh-so heavy body. An earthy, grassy scent filling up his nostrils.

Dave blinked into awareness slowly, like he was being dragged out of a quagmire. He was greeted with mostly darkness, though he could start to make out a mess of intertwined wood and large, glossy leaves above him. He was laying on his back on a mass of long, lush grass, his face and fingertips tingling with lingering sleep, in the very same position he’d fallen asleep the previous… evening?

For a second he felt disoriented, a jolt of panic making his breath hitch; but then he remembered.

They had made it. All three of them. They’d finally found the Whale, and those strange tribesmen, the Morandi.

For now at least, they were safe.

“Dave? Holy shit, you’re awake!”

Dave rolled his head to the side; Mateo was sitting next to him, his back propped against one of the support beams of the shelter. He felt his heart swell at the sight; Mateo was here. He wasn’t alone.

He noticed his friend’s arm had been dressed in clean, off-white bandages, reminding the smaller man of the dozen or so cuts he’d caught sight of back on the boat, and he was hit with a rush of pride and admiration -and only the slightest pang of guilt and worry- for his long-time partner; god, Mateo really had gone above and beyond to fly them all the way here. The tall male definitely looked better than he had back then, which Dave was grateful for.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear out his vision; ew, crusty. “ ‘teo… where’s Linda?”

“She’s fine, woke up a lil’ while ago. Went to talk to the old man, try to get some more answers out of him. How you feelin’?

Dave considered the question silently, assessing his current state. “Mmh. Sluggish. Like my body’s made of lead. And… kinda loopy. What time is it?”

“Dunno. Late. Early. My phone and watch died back in the plane.”

Mateo looked up; as he followed his friend’s gaze, Dave noticed an opening in the roof of the shelter, letting in pale rays of moonlight. The night sky was a pitch black, an inky darkness home to hundreds and hundreds of stars. They ranged from pale yellow to bluish white, shining bright and strong and unperturbed by any light pollution; a far cry from the California sky the night guard was so accustomed to.

“ ‘bout one or two in the morning maybe?” Mateo mused aloud, stirring him out of his reverie. Dave sighed; the sun had been setting when they’d conked out. “Shit. No wonder I’m still tired.”

“Dude. It’s Sunday. We slept through last night and the whole day after that.”

Dave’s eyes widened in shock.“Wh- What? We’ve been asleep for more than a day? How?!”

“After three days without any shut-eye it ain’t that surprisin’ to me,” Mateo shrugged. “Also Linda said somethin’ about the meds we took messing with our brain or some shit?”

Dave groaned, trying to pull himself up into a sitting position; but he was struck by a sudden dizziness and his trembling arms buckled under his own weight.

“Wow, hey!” Mateo caught him before his back could hit the ground, gently supporting his head to lay it down in his own lap. “Don’t move too fast. You haven’t eaten anything since we left California, if you try and get up you’re just gonna pass out again.”

Ah. That would explain the slight nausea and steady rocking of the ground under him. The former night guard breathed in slowly, letting the sudden discomfort fade before gratefully peering up at Mateo. “Sorry…were you waiting for me?”

“Duh. Gotta watch over our local dream warrior, right?”

Dave groaned at that, hiding his face in his hands. “Oh my god, don’t.”

“What? It’s true, isn’t it? Those guys over there,” the latino gestured at the other side of the clearing, where a few tribesmen were conversing quietly, “said they’d been waiting for you. Specifically you, Dave. I mean shit, there’s obviously something going on with you.”

“No there isn’t! Why the fuck would it?”

“Oh, I can think of a few reasons. You survived after falling asleep, twice.”

“You woke me up the first time-”

“You,” Mateo continued, all but ignoring Dave’s protests, “had scars all over your chest, and now they’re gone. That’s not a thing that happens, scars don’t just magic out of existence.” He waved his hands around in bewilderment. “And to top it all off you went all oracle on us, right before this shitshow went down. You told us about the whale, you told us where we needed to go!”

Dave shook his head in denial. His hair rubbed against the fabric of Mateo’s pant leg. “Wasn’t me. The old man did it. Robbie was the one who came into my dreams. I would’ve-”

His breath hitched. He remembered the torture he went through in that desert. The thirst. The despair. The insanity. “I- I would’ve died like everyone else if he hadn’t come.”

Mateo sighed. “Maybe. But he came to you, Dave. Out of the millions of people who’d been asleep at the time, you were the only one who saw him.”

A second of silence. Dave slid his hands down his face, peering up at his friend with confusion. “How do you know this?”

“Robbie told us. Me and Linda.” Mateo said, looking down at him with a curious look on his face. It looked suspiciously like awe.

Dave hated that look. It made him feel like the world was pressing down on his ribcage.

“He said… something about reaching out. Spreading the warning to the world.” Mateo continued, unaware of his partner’s inner turmoil. “Nobody outside the tribe responded, Dave. Except you.”

He let Mateo’s words sink in for a few seconds, his face twisting into a sorrowful grimace. The implications of those words were far too daunting, too terrifying to consider. He didn’t want this. He never wanted this. He didn’t need supernatural bullshit sprinkled on top of the already massive pile of issues that was his life.

“Listen…” he breathed out, his baritone on the verge of breaking, “I… I know, okay? I’m not an idiot. I know I’m… involved in this mess, for some fucking reason.”

He grabbed Mateo’s sleeve, something desperate flickering in his warm brown eyes. “I know I’m probably about to- to learn some stuff here. About myself. And that shit… that shit’s terrifying. So…”

Mateo stayed silent, attentive. Dave was grateful for that.

“So…” he took a deep breath. “Can we hold off on that? Can I just be a normal dude for just a little longer? Just Dave, local insomniac and night guard at DeckSalont. That’s me. Just your friend. Please?”

For a few seconds, only the sound of the wind blowing through the jungle answered him. Then Mateo rolled his eyes with a huff.

“Okay. Okay, Davie. I gotcha.” the latino relented, gently patting the smaller man’s hair draped on his thigh. “Linda and the old guy should come back soon anyway. They’ll be glad to see you’re up, they were getting worried.

“What about you?”

“What?”

“How are you taking all this? This whole time you and Linda have been worrying about me, but what about you?

Mateo blinked, then snorted humorlessly. “Man, I don’t even know anymore.” He shook his head, eyes clouding over in confusion. “Everything feels so… unreal. I guess it didn’t really sink in yet.”

Dave felt a pang of sympathy for his friend; he remembered the latino’s worried glances at his phone back in Cali. His dismissive attitude when Dave had asked about his family.

Everyone’s dead, Dave thought to himself, testing out the concept in his mind. Everyone’s dead. How could the human mind comprehend this without breaking? Were they even capable of truly comprehending that the three of them, save for the strange tribe that had taken them in, were probably the last living people on Earth?

“Mateo… I’m so sorry.” he said quietly, peering up at the taller male. Mateo Leon, veteran, pilot, and god damn hero for flying them all the way here. His best friend, and partner.

Dave’s chest seized; he was starting to understand how precious he and Linda were to him. Without them, he’d be completely and utterly alone, even among the tribesmen scattered in the jungle.

Mateo waved him off. “Don’t be. We all lost a lot these past few days, if not everything.” He chuckled, rubbing his face in his hands. “S’all too fucked up, we're too fucked up at this point.”

Linda’s face came to the forefront of Dave’s mind. Her striking green eyes, the way her nose would scrunch up whenever she was annoyed. Her airy laughter. Her blinding smile.

He shook his head, biting back a mournful sigh. “I know. Still, you’re my friend, I care about you. I- fuck man, I don’t wanna lose you too.”

“You won’t!” Mateo asserted, flashing him a cocky smile. “You won’t, y’hear me? I’m a vet, I can deal with some tough shit. Those spirit things? Let ‘em come at us, I’ll fuck ‘em up.”

Dave blinked, taken aback by the sudden mood whiplash. Then let out a chuckle, almost immediately followed by a yawn. Jesus, he still felt drowsy. How was he still drowsy?

“Dude, are you serious. Wasn’t a whole day enough?” his partner asked him incredulously.

Dave shifted into a more comfortable position, the edge of his vision blurring and darkening every second that passed. “Just…” he mumbled, “You’re fuckin’ comfy, okay? Anyone ever told you that?”

Mateo let out a fake, overdramatic sigh. “Fine then, you lazy fuck. Ya can snooze a lil’ bit more. But I’m waking you up when the others come back, got it? Linda said she’d change our bandages, and you need some food in you. Like, badly.”

Dave hummed noncommittally, eyelids already drooping close. He let out a relieved sigh as he curled up against his friend, relishing in the warm feeling of Mateo’s thigh under his head and his hand on his shoulder. “Mh. Thanks, buddy.” he murmured drowsily, before letting sleep overtake him once more.

Just a little longer. Let things be normal again. For just a little longer.

-------

thanks @believeinasmilinggodtoday for the prompt! i kinda deviated from it, but it helped me get it out :D @caustic-synishade @teosbc @thepurple-n @shrinkthisviolet @mother-dweller

#caori's stuff #the edge of sleep #theedgeofsleep #edge of sleep #teos #markiplier #fanfic #teos fanfic #dave torres #mateo leon #daveteo #if you squint

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #154

“the wind is screaming, it’s screaming your name; it sounds like fear.”

What is your opinion on sex without emotional commitment?  nononononoNONONONO. Last time you puked from drinking?  Never. What books, if any, have made you cry?  Johnny Got His Gun, Old Yeller, The Outsiders (I think; I know the movie did), The Notebook, uhhh others, I'm sure. Does it get annoying when somebody says they’ll call you, but doesn’t?  It depends on the person, but honestly, almost never.  I hate talking on the phone. What is your favorite simple ice-cream flavor?  Usually vanilla, but sometimes I'm all about chocolate, especially if I can't put chocolate syrup on it. When was the last time you slept on the floor?  Jeez, probably when me and Jason did at my house.  I've slept on an inflatable mattress since, but I'm guessing you mean literally on the floor with blankets and such. If you could eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?  I dunno.  I doubt it really, but don't potatoes have all the nutrients you actually need to survive?  If so, then probably that, but otherwise, uh.  I dunno, I'd get tired of things or die 'cuz I'm not getting what I need. I could say shakes, but I consider those drinks. Have you ever given someone oral sex?  Yeah, fucking hated it.  I'm bi, yes, but visually, penises are disgusting to me.  I don't want it in my mouth.  I only ever really did it to make him happy.  I'm open to trying it with a girl, but who knows if I'd like it. What's your favorite lyric from the last song you listened to?  "Hey, hey, NRA, how many kids did you kill today?" ("Shelter In Place" by Otep) Are you friends with someone that has a baby?  My best friend does. How many different towns/cities have you lived in?  Three. Have you ever had a kinky dream about a celebrity?  No. How many pets do you have? Would you like any more?  Six, and I kinda want another snake to breed with Venus when she's big enough.  I want to keep at least one of the babies to help with Sara's snake breeding passion. Is there a song you can’t stop listening to atm?  Oh yeesh, yeah.  I've fallen in love with Powerwolf recently and thus play a number of their songs repeatedly. How many bedrooms does your home have?  Two. How many times do you use a bath towel before washing it?  Once.  Annoys the hell out of Mom but like, I feel like there may be leftover germs I'm getting off + maybe dead skin 'cuz my skin in dry as fuck??? What time do you usually eat dinner?  This can vary from 6:00 to like almost 9:00.  I can't cook and Mom works late, so.  I'll make my own microwavable things if I can't wait for her to make something. Do you know any narcissists?  Jason????? Dillon????? dat u???????? Have you ever been falsely accused of something serious?  I don't believe so? In which were you happiest: elementary, middle, or high school?  Elementary. What was your favorite thing to do as a little kid?  Video games. You can bring back one dead pet to life. Which one?  Cali, for Mom.  She misses her so much. Rock, paper, or scissors?  I think I usually do scissors. Who was the last person to ask you out? Girt. What are your favorite pajamas you have? My purple, black, and white Jack Skellington ones ahhh What’s your least favorite ice-cream flavor?  Strawberry is disgusting. Do you prefer it when it gets darker earlier?  NOOOOO.  This is totally inverted from how it used to be, but I'm more likely to feel down when it's dark. Are there a lot of cookbooks in your house, or just a few? Or maybe none at all?  Mom has tons she never uses. Who are your godparents?  I don't think I have any. Can you touch​ your nose with your tongue?​​  No. What brand is your toothpaste?  Crest. Are you currently broken out?  No. What was the last hotel you stayed at? I dunno. Do you have a favorite NASCAR driver?  No. Eyeliner. Yes or no?  If I wear makeup, that's the bare minimum. What’s the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make?  Let Jason go or continue to let what we had ruin my life. Where is the last beach you went to?  Myrtle Beach, NC. Have you ever been rock climbing?  Nah, not interested. Have you ever played Gamecube?  No. What has been the biggest event for you to overcome?  Recovery.  It changed me for the better so much. Do you have a favorite pet?  No one can beat Teddy.  I doubt any pet ever will. When someone drops something do you immediately go and pick it up for them?  If I’m close, unless they're already reaching for it, yes. Could you call your best friend right now and tell them your biggest secret, and trust them to keep it?  HAHAHAHA NO tbh.  I love her, but she tells people everything. Have you ever played Wii Fit?  Yup.  Everyday one summer, lost 40 pounds, got in great shape. Have you ever touched a caterpillar?  Yeah, loved picking up the ordinary ones as a kid. Is there a YouTube channel whose videos you always watch?  I will watch literally any video Mark makes. How often do you feel lonely?  This is like.  Almost a daily struggle. Do you struggle with depression?  I'm diagnosed with it, but it's well-controlled now! While in a relationship, do you ever think about its possible end?  I worry about it BADLY.  Even in my current one where I feel completely secure, I have some spans of "what if" anxiety. What is the worst treatment you’ve had to put up with from someone else?  Ummmm.  I dunno. What’s the longest you’ve gone without eating?  24 hours, probs. Do you like watching music videos?  No.  I just care about the music. Which, if any, drug have you ever abused?  None. Do you know your mail (wo)man?  No. Honestly, are you often high-maintenance/hard to please?  No. Are there any flags flying outside at your home?  No. Will you vote in the next presidential election?  If the remaining candidates don't fucking suck, yes. Tell me about someone that you know dislikes you. What do you think is about you they don’t like?  The one person I know doesn't is my best friend's mom, but I can't tell you exactly why.  There's no telling what Colleen told her after our fight, but.  Colleen has told me her mom thinks I could "hurt" her son somehow.  I was fucking livid.  I adore that boy and would do anything to protect him.  Oh yeah, know she mentioned I was a bad influence, too.  But hey, the hate is mutual, I've never been able to stand her. Tell me about something you’re afraid of. Why does it frighten you?  Getting heartbroken again.  Last time tore me the fuck apart, I seriously don't know if I could do it again.  Worst pain I have ever experienced. Is there someone you could hang out with all the time, without ever getting bored of them?  Sara <3 Have you ever liked someone else when you already had a boyfriend/girlfriend? What happened?  Yup, first high school crush Sebastian.  And nothing really happened; he was taken (though I'm pretty sure he had at least mild feelings for me too), though it was at a complicated point.  Then I met Jason. What mountain ranges have you seen?  The Appalachians. Where would you most like to go in your state, etc that you haven’t been?  THERE'S AN ABANDONED WIZARD OF OZ-THEMED PARK IN THE WEST AND I WANNA VISIT. Have you ever seen or touched an iceberg?  No. Where was the most remote location you’ve ever been to? I dunno. What is your most unhealthy habit? Not exercising? Has your house ever been damaged in a storm? A tree fell on our old house during a hurricane.  It didn't cause severe damage or anything, though. What’s the least amount you’ve weighed since reaching your full height? ~118.  Hilarious. Do you think it’s cruel to keep an animal in a cage while you’re away?  Depends on the size of the cage and how long they're staying in there. Are you scared of reptiles?  Not at all. Does death scare you?  Not that much. Do you use a comb or brush?  Comb now that my hair's short. When you were younger, did you ever do that exclamation point that looked like an upside down triangle and had a really big dot?  No. What kind of relationship do you have with the last person you kissed?  She's my girlfriend. Are there things in your life that you’ll never be able to get over?  If I could get over my breakup, I can get over anything. Have you ever turned to smoking or drinking to solve a problem?  New Years of 2017 I actually did try to get drunk for that purpose. Would you mind dating someone significantly shorter than you?  No. What’s on your bedside table? Yeesh, a lot.  A fan, a basket with all my meds in it, sketchbook, notebook, my folder full of things from Holly Hill as well as my therapy homework folder.  There's other miscellaneous stuff too. How much money would it take to get you to give up the Internet for one year?  This is pathetic, but probably like... no amount.  My life sadly revolves around it, just about. What are some things on your holiday wishlist?  Always tattoo money lmao.  But I'd really love a drawing tablet, but a decent quality one.  Can't have both. Who accompanied you to your first concert?  Jason, Mom, and Nicole. What’s the temperature outside?  Phone says 79.  Gonna get to 90, though. Have you ever been in detention?  Yes, too many tardies getting to school. Do you wear black to look skinnier?  Not for that reason, but it's a plus lol. Do you have scars on your wrists?  You can barely see them, but they're there. How about anywhere else?  Yeah, quite a few. Do you post things on Facebook that are personal?  No. Has the last person you kissed ever taken their shirt off in front of you?  Just to change it. Would you ever get in the passenger seat of a car with someone who’s been drinking?  Fuck that. What is a topic you definitely don’t want to talk about with anyone?  How I'm 99% sure I lost my virginity. What is the craziest hairstyle and color you’ve had?  Style, probably what I had before this where I had short hair on most of my left side and it faded to long.  Color, purple. What was your first gaming console?  Original PlayStation. Which fictional villain is your favorite?  Um obviously Darkiplier???????? What’s the last thing you’ve made with your hands?  Hm.  Dunno. Which hair color would you never want to have?  Yellow. Who’s the last person you talked to about sex?  Sara. What is the wallpaper on your phone?  My lock screen is a heavy reminder that I am still straight as fuck for Mark, home screen is my favorite pic of me and Sara. What was the last thing you wrote down?  Stuff at the tattoo/piercing parlor to get my tongue done. What is your least favorite color?  Puke green or olive. What’s the most boring sport to watch?  Golf.  Sara, don't tell your dad I said that.

#survey #quiz #questions #random

[captainsbabysitter-blog]

Double Trouble: Ch8

Masterlist Here

Pairing: McKirk

Rating: G

Length: 1275 words

Summary: Back with Jim, Leonard’s sister has come home and decides to jump into some show and tell with Len’s photo albums.

~*~*~*~

Back at the ranch, Jim was amusing himself coordinating with his gallery curator in between investigating the house. Leonard’s sister apparently lived there as well and came home from a trip to their mother’s house at some point. She sat with him with album upon album of photos. All of them either taken by Len and were of Joanna, or were taken by other family members and were of Len with Jo. “I figured you might wanna see what Jojo’s life has been like. You know… If she is your daughter and all.”

There were thirteen albums. One for each year “except that first year. Len couldn’t take enough pictures when he brought that little girl home.”

He flipped through page after pages of a newborn Jo, Jo learning to hold herself up, Jo being fed by a moon-eyed Leonard, Jo and Len fast asleep in a chair where the doctor had obviously been trying to get her back to sleep and dozed off himself (a parallel to his own experience Jim remembered very clearly), and on and on and on. First steps, birthdays, first days of school, science fairs, camping trips, summer vacations, everything. Each and every one made it clearer and clearer that Jim couldn’t have picked a better parent outside of his own.

With every page, Jim felt him fall a little bit further. He cursed his luck silently and finished going through the albums while asking Donna a million questions.

“Why did he decide to adopt?”

“Well Len always wanted to be a daddy, but he never found the right person to do it with. Adoption was just the best option,” she explained with a smile. “We always knew he’d be the best father.”

“Why Joanna?”

She shrugged. “He always said there was just something about her. I have to agree, but I might be a bit biased.”

He nodded in agreement as he ran his fingers over a fairly recent photo of Len with Jo clinging to his back like a little monkey. He’s laughing and Jo’s grinning at the camera like she must have just told the funniest joke on the planet. Donna watched him for a while with a shrewd, calculating look before she asked, “You like him, don’t you?”

A deep flush stained Jim’s cheeks and crept down his neck. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just met him yesterday.”

“Mmhmm… Then I’m imagining those stars in your eyes, I guess.”

“He’s engaged.” His voice sounded strained even to his own ears.

“If Ellie’s gonna be here with Jo often enough, I doubt Charlie will be around much longer. I’ll be surprised if he survives this trip. Jojo hates him, and he’s never been big on kids.” Donna frowned as she thought through her next words carefully. “I love my brother, but he has this fool notion that Jo’s missing out only having one parent. As if he weren’t enough on his own. I’m not sure how much of all this is him really loving Charlie and how much of it is him just not wanting to be alone anymore.”

Jim took all of that in with probably a little more hope than he should really be allowing himself. He was about to open his mouth to say something else when his phone chirped from its place on the coffee table. A quick glance gave told him it was the hospital and he gave Donna an apologetic look before picking it up. “Hello?”

She watched him curiously through the whole conversation. His face went from cautiously curious and quickly evolved into a bright smile. “Yes, that’s me… Well that was fast. Yeah. So she is mine? Alright, thank you! No, I don’t have any other questions. Yes, I’d like a copy sent over. Thank you again yup you too bye.”

“So I guess congratulations are in order.”

He stared at his phone, a mix of shock and awe taking turns flickering across his face. “Yeah… Wow, I kept thinking that this would end up being a big coincidence.”

“You don’t seem unhappy about the results, though.”

“No, not at all… Excuse me, I need to call someone.” He got up and closed himself up in the guest room so he could call Phil. The second the other man picked up the phone, Jim launched into a rushed, “She’s mine, Phil. Joanna’s my daughter and I don’t know how to handle all this what do I do?”

Phil sighed on the other end of the line. Jim could hear him shifting into a more comfortable position before answering, voice the same soothing croon he’d used when Jim had nightmares as a kid, “I think you already know how to handle this, Jim. You left here with the knowledge that this might happen, and if I remember properly, you and Joanna’s father had already talked preliminary plans. What’s really bothering you?”

“He’s… So much more than I thought.”

“Ah,” god, did Jim hate that all-knowing tone sometimes. “I see. Well… What do you think you’ll do about it?”

“I don’t know,” he grumbled to himself, falling back against the pillows so he could stare up at the ceiling. “I can’t exactly swing in playing homewrecker when he’s already taken, you know? His sister says it won’t last, but how do you get to the point of engaged if it’s not going to last?”

“Not everyone is as lucky as Chris and I have been,” Phil reminded him gently. “Sometimes someone picks the wrong person for the right reasons. Where is he now?”

“Camping with the girls and his fiancé.”

“When does he come back?”

“Tomorrow. I, um… Might have told Ellie she could be a little wild.”

“Of course you did.” There was nothing accusing in his voice, only pure amusement. “You gave a world-class mischief maker permission to raise hell. You’re just as bad as your father.”

Some mumbled protests from Chris could be heard in the background. Jim couldn’t help but smile at the antics of his dads. What he wouldn’t give to have what they had in each other.

“Was there anything else you needed, Jim?” Phil prompted. “I know you said you don’t want to try and gain custody of Jo, but have the two of you talked about letting the girls spend time together?”

“We decided we’d wait until we got the results. Now I have the results and well… These feelings or whatever they are I don’t even know if it’s just me loving that he’s a good dad, I don’t know what I want to happen.”

“You’ll need to figure it out. They’re not coming back until tomorrow, right? I know you brought a sketchbook, so just sit and sketch out nonsense and think. You can always give one of us a call back if you need to.”

“Yeah I know. Thanks, Phil.”

“And Jim?”

“Yeah?”

“Just remember we’re three hours behind you next time you call.”

Jim glanced at the clock and cursed at himself when he saw it was only 9am back in Cali. “Sorry. You work last night?”

“Had a birth. Didn’t finish up until almost 3 and Chris stayed up waiting for me.” Phil didn’t sound even a little annoyed and Jim was thankful for it. “I’m going to get some more sleep. You do some thinking.”

Back in California, Phil set his phone back on the bedside table and burrowed his face against Chris’ neck, mumbling, “Our little baby has a crush, Chris.”

“Mmmn… Good.” Chris probably didn’t even register what he said yet. They curled around each other and slipped off to sleep.

Tagging: @auduna-druitt @pinkamour1588 @gracieminabox @thevalesofanduin @mccoymostly @yourtropegirl @randomlittleimp @southernbellestatues @emmkolenn @goingknowherewastaken @bubblegum-star-trek @loisrose @feelmyroarrrr @outside-the-government @arrowsshootyouforwards @eyeofdionysus @goodnightwife

#mckirk #jim kirk #leonard mccoy #parent trap au #tia writes

[a-winterprince-blog]

Family Ties (13/15)

Summary: Not long after receiving a strange warning in a dream, Killian finds himself forced to go to Camelot and deal with a long forgotten enemy. The heroes follow to aid him, but soon they are pulled into a net of family secrets and intrigues, with a foe who seems to bring back the dead. Killian is reunited with his family, but can he trust them? Rating: Mature Content Warning: Mention of rape and minor character death. Corresponding chapters will be marked accordingly.

As always, a huge thank you goes out to my wonderful beta @onceuponadisneypotter (AO3) and my two amazing artists:@thisisartyannaand @captainodonoghue! You can find the story on ff.net, as well.

"If we know where Morgause is keeping Calie, what are we waiting for?" Milah asked.

They were all sitting around the table in the main hall, save for Nimue, Regina, Henry and Kara. They tried to keep the children out of the fight as much as possible, much to their dismay, but it just seemed irresponsible to let them participate. Regina was still nowhere to be found. The Lady of the Lake, on the other hand, had kept her promise to not help them, and Morgana's interference, which gave Morgause free passage to Avalon, had only made things worse.

"Nimue mentioned a place Morgause used for cover a long time ago," David reasoned. "We don't have any proof that she still does, and even keeps your daughter there."

"It's the only clue we've got," Milah said stubbornly.

Killian thoughtfully scratched his beard with his thumb.

"It might be worth looking at," he said.

Emma raised an eyebrow. Was he seriously considering this? Milah was grasping at straws.

"If she does keep Calie there, she will likely guard it. How do we get past her?"

"We need a distraction," Milah said as a matter of fact. Her voice was commanding, as if she was giving orders rather than making suggestions. "Then, while she's gone, one, maybe two people sneak inside and get our daughter."

The way she looked at Killian left no doubt as to who she thought that second person should be.

"We don't have th means to distract her," Emma said, deciding to intervene before anyone thought this was a good idea. "We already saw how powerful she is, there is nothing we can do to make her leave that place and risk losing Calie. If she is keeping her there, of course. We still don't know that."

"Yeah, she could probably fight all of us at once," David agreed. "Especially if Gold is helping her."

"Exactly," Emma said firmly. "I get that you want to find her as soon as possible, but if we attack her, we lose."

She suddenly realized that with Gold and Regina gone, and Morgana and Calie bound to Avalon, she was the only one with magic if they decided to fight Morgause. And she was clearly no match for her.

Milah didn't seem happy with the answer, but she seemed to accept that she was outvoted. For now.

"In that case, we should focus on finding Regina," Robin said. "She is probably in trouble. And we need her if we want to stand any chance at all."

"I'm worried as well," Snow said. "She wouldn't leave for this long without telling anywhere."

"Well, she did," Emma said. "Robin, no offense, but Regina chose to go off alone. I get that you wanna find her, and so do I, but we don't even know where to start searching. She has magic, she can just poof herself wherever she wants to go."

"So you just want to sit here and do nothing at all?" Milah asked sharply.

Emma opened her mouth, but before she could respond, Kara entered the room.

"That's exactly what we should do," she said, sitting down at the taböe. Henry closely followed her, not looking up as he sat down next to Belle.

"I thought you were told to go to bed!" Morgana said, looking at her daughter.

"Morgause plans to sacrifice me and Henry's sister, this concerns us, too," Kara said stubbornly. "As I said, we should just wait. Force her to make a move."

"How would that help us?" David asked. "We're not prepared to fight her, especially not on her terms!"

"It wouldn't be on her terms," Kara argued. "She needs mother and me, and if we don't come to her, she has to come to us."

"It's brilliant," Henry agreed. "Morgause can come to Avalon now, so we should let her. Nimue won't let Kara and Morgana leave, but if the fight is here, they can help. Together, we can bring Morgause down."

"Plus, if we're fighting in her precious home, Nimue will help us," Kara added.

"We can't just leave Calie in her power until she decides to come here!" Milah protested.

"She will be safe," Kara said. "She needs her alive for the ritual, she won't risk anything happening to her, as Nimue said."

"Just because Nimue said it, it's not okay," Morgana said sharply. "Quite the opposite actually."

Kara raised an eyebrow at her across the table. "Are you afraid I'll turn into her? Don't worry, I won't. But it's the smart thing to do."

David sighed. "I hate to admit it, but I think she's right. There's nothing else we can do, she's too powerful."

Killian nodded slowly. "I think you're right. Besides, if we bring the fight to her, Calie will be in danger, we cannotrisk her getting caught in the crossfire."

Milah quietly muttered an agreement, but she didn't seem happy. Emma couldn't blame her. Looking at Henry, she realized that she would act exactly the same if he was being held captive somewhere. And Calie was just a baby and therefore a lot more vulnerable and fragile.

Unbidden, a picture of Calie came to her mind, lying in her crib and sleeping. And suddenly, Emma truly realized that her life was on the line. They might not get her back. She might die. Killian would be devastated, and so would she. So far she had only seen this as another mission, and Calie as what stood between her and Killian.

But maybe she had gotten attached to her in the last few months. And maybe she had acted stupid and jealous by making a baby responsible for problems in her relationship. Calie, after all, only wanted a home with a family who loved her. She didn't mean to drive anyone apart.

Emma felt stupid for just thinking these obvious things, but somehow, it felt as if she was only now thinking clearly. She clutched her hands into fists under the table, where no one could see, nails digging into her palms. They just had to find her.

"It's not enough," Milah said when everyone else had left. She was furiously pacing the room, arms crossed in front of her chest. "We can't just wait, there has to be something else we can do."

"I know," Killian mumbled. "But they're right. We can't beat Morgause on our own."

"What happened to you?" Milah asked, clearly disappointed. "You used to do whatever you thought was right, without looking back or spending hours worrying about what might g wrong!"

"You mean without thinking about the consequences," he said. "Like when I took you with me and didn't think about the child you were leaving behind."

"That wasn't you," she snapped. "It's not your burden to bear. I left him, and I will never forgive myself. But I made that choice, not you."

"But I didn't care," he said. "I didn't even question it, because I was scared that you would change your mind and stay with him. It was selfish. And you're right, a younger me would've plunged into this fight head first and gone to find her. And maybe I would've survived. Maybe she would've. But I can't rely on a maybe, not with my daughter. I have more than me to think about."

"She's my daughter, too, you know that, right?" she said quietly.

"Of course she is, it just slipped out...," he mumbled.

She shrugged, fingers threading through the material of the dress Nimue had given her. "It's fine, I understand. You raised her so far, with Emma. You didn't even know I was alive."

She tugged her hair behind her ear, giving him the chance to better look at her from the side.

His mother had healed her, but she was still incredibly thin and worn out. He wondered how she had managed not to lose her mind in that cell. He himself had never been imprisoned for more than a few weeks. Most of the time, in the waters that he faired, you didn't survive much longer than that. You could either flee from prison or be executed.

But Morgause had kept Milah for nine months, and another four in the knowledge that her child was in the hands of a lunatic witch. But she had always been mentally strong.

"I'm glad you're alive," he said, earning him a surprised look. "I know things are different now. Me being with Emma, 200 years later. I'm not the man you knew anymore. But it's still good to see you."

Milah smiled. "Thanks," she whispered.

Emma dug through piles of linen and leather on her quest for something more comfortable to wear. The wardrobe that they were allowed to use was quite big and contained more clothing than she had ever seen in one place, but most of it were dresses. Not really her first choice when preparing for a fight.

It seemed ridiculous, but choosing the right outfit was the only way she felt she could prepare. If she wore something that she could move and wield a sword in, no matter how useless a sword would be in this fight, then maybe she'd feel like they stood a chance.

She didn't even know if she needed to be ready now, or in a week, or maybe even a month. Waiting for Morgause to come to them might put them in a better position because that way, they could choose the ground, but Morgause could choose the time. They had no way of knowing when she would strike. They had to be ready every moment of every day and night. It had only been a few hours, but it was already straining.

None of them knew how she would strike. Would she announce her arrival? Would she sneak in and quietly take them out one by one? Try to kidnap Morgana and Kara when they were alone? Bring Calie with her and use her a leverage?

Every creak was suspicious. Every shadow could try to kill her.

Emma closed the wardrobe with an exasperated sigh. She wouldn''t find anything here. Maybe she should try to find another one. It would certainly keep her busy.

"Swan?"

She jumped at the sound of her name, spinning around and half lifting her hand in case she had to protect herself.

Killian was standing in the doorframe, still dressed in his ballrobes, save for the coat. He looked tired and worn out, with dark bags under his somewhat cloudy eyes. When was the last time he really slept? When was the last time anyone of them really slept?

"Hey," she said with a fleeting smile.

"What are you doing?" he asked, nodding towards the wardrobe.

She shrugged, sliding her hand over the closed wooden door.

"Trying to find something better to wear. This doesn't exactly qualify as combat clothing."

She pointed down her dress.

"I'll doubt you'll find anything here," he said, pronouncing what she had already suspected. He pushed off the doorframe, stepping into the room.

"The le Fay's seem to be very fond of their long dresses. I suppose if you have magic, you don't need  practical clothes to force an enemy to his knees."

"It still wouldn't hurt," Emma muttered.

He nodded, coming closer yet again. He was now standing so close that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body, her shoulder still turned to him. She sensed that there was something he struggled to say. She looked up, turning to face him.

"What is it?" she asked.

Killian swallowed, and his forehead slightly creased.

"If I... If I don't make it, I just wanted to say goodbye," he said quietly.

"What are you talking about?" she whispered, eyes blown wide.

"Morgause doesn't need me," he continued. "I'm just in her way. I won't hold back, I can't, not with my daughter in her hands, but I don't have magic to defend myself. She could kill me with a thought if she wanted to."

Emma stared at him, refusing to let the truth of his words sink in.

"That won't happen," she stated, trying to convince herself as much as him. "You've been in so many fights, you survived in Neverland for two hundred years. You won't get killed by some crazy witch!"

Even as she said those words she was aware that her argument was weak. Suddenly it hit her that she could lose him. Not just him; her parents, her friends, her own life. And if they failed, Morgause would get through to Henry and little Neal.

She felt the fear clawing at her gut and gripping it with icy hands.

"I was just lucky," Killian said, but she barely heard him. "And I never faced a demon as powerful as her.

She saw her own fear reflected in his eyes. He wasn't just saying goodbye in case he didn't make it, he expected that he wouldn't. Morgause was an enemy he'd feared since childhood, and normally he would do anything to avoid a confrontation with her, but she didn't leave him a choice. She had his child.

"If I should die, promise me that you will take care of Calie," he continued, nervously licking his lips. "Please. I need to know that she'll be safe."

She nodded, stubbornly blinking away the tears stinging in her eyes. "We'll take care of her together," she said. She raised her hand to his face, cupping his cheek and feeling the scruff. It was longer than usual, since he didn't really have the time to shave. "You'll see her grow up. We'll raise her together."

She tried not to think about where Milah stood in that equation. That was a problem they could tackle once all this was over. She and Regina had found an agreement, as well, after all.

"But just in case," he insisted.

"I promise," she whispered.

Emma's hand slid to the back of his head and she pulled him in, kissing him slowly and deeply. She pressed him closer, standing on her tiptoes as he slid his arms around her. She came up for air, but dove right in, trying to inhale every part of him. Maybe, if she held him closely enough, he wouldn't go away, and she wouldn't lose him.

Their kiss grew more passionate, and her hand raked through his dark hair, trying to hold onto him. The door closed at a flick of her hand as she pushed him towards the bed, fingers already working on the thread on his linen shirt.

He let out a gasp when his knees hit the bed and he was forced to sit down, but it was muffled by her mouth on his. She straddled his lap, finally breaking the kiss to rest her forehead against his. Her fingers were still gripping his now loose collar. She could hear him quietly panting.

"My parents could come in any second," she whispered, trying to be reasonably.

"Mmh," he hummed, leaning forward to pepper her neck with light kisses.

Her hands slid to the back of his shoulders for support.

"And we should be ready to fight in case Morgause comes."

She heard a quiet groan of disapproval as Killian's hands slid down her legs to the hem of her dress. She couldn't agree more.

"To hell with her," she muttered, dragging his shirt up over his head and lunging in for another kiss.

That witch wouldn't destroy this quiet moment.

When Killian entered the room, he found his mother and sister talking. They didn't notice him at first, and he stood in the doorframe, watching them with a smile on his lips. Sometimes he felt the urge to pinch himself, to be certain that he wasn't dreaming. His mother and sister, alive and well, could that really be true?

"When I had to stay at the castle, I told you to go to Avalon," Morgana said quietly. "Why didn't you?"

Kara shrugged, grinding her teeth and looking at the ground.

"I wanted to save you first."

"You would've been much safer with Nimue, and she could've helped me as well," Morgana argued.

"All I knew about her was that she abandoned you as a baby!" Kara snapped.

Killian couldn't help but smile. She had a point. He didn't trust Nimue either.

He shifted on his feet, and Morgana turned his head. She smiled, gesturing for him to come and sit next to them on the bed.

"I already told Kara about Liam," his mother said.

Kara looked away, her eyes shining suspiciously. Killian remembered how close she and Liam had been. Back then, he'd been the annoying baby brother they had to look after. They were much closer in age, always taking off together. Only later, when their father had left them, things had changed. Liam had started taking care of him, acting not just as his older brother, but as his parent, as well.

For Kara, Liam's death must be a shock. She remembered all of them as children, and suddenly she heard her best friend and brother was dead, and her baby brother a two hundred year old pirate.

"You told me about Liam, but what about Brennan?" Morgana asked. "Did he die, too? Did you and Liam grow up alone?"

Her eyes were filled with worry.

Killian felt a lump in his throat as he remembered his father lying on the ground, the knife protruding from his body. How could he tell them?

"He left us," he said. It was true, he had. Did he really have to tell them what happened more than a century after? "He booked passage on a ship and sailed away in the middle of the night, trading Liam and me for a boat."

"What?" Morgana asked, sucking in her breath.

"He wouldn't do that!" Kara exclaimed.

"He did," Killian said grimly. "He gambled away all his money, and when the soldiers waited for him to arrest him, the only thing he had left to offer were Liam and me."

"What happened after?" Morgana whispered, eyes blown wide.

"Well, we served on that ship for almost ten years. First under one captain, then another when the first one died. And then we managed to get into the Royal Navy." He decided to leave out Captain Flint's general treatment of the crew and the eye of the storm. "You know what happened after."

"And you never saw our father again?" Kara asked in disbelief.

Killian hesitated, deciding that he had to tell the truth.

"I did," he said quietly. "One more time, centuries later."

Quietly, he told them what happened and how he killed him to help his quest for revenge.

"You killed our father?" Kara whispered, looking at him in utter disbelief.

He could vividly imagine how he turned from her grown baby brother into a monster in her eyes within seconds.

"It did," he said, closing his eyes. "I wish I hadn't, but it's too late now."

His mother gently grabbed his hand. "You were angry," she said calmly. "And he hurt you."

"How could you?" Kara said between tears.

Killian opened his mouth, but he didn't know how to respond. Kara stormed out, wiping away her tears.

He wanted to go after her, but his mother stopped him.

"Let her. She'll calm down eventually," she said.

"No, she's right," Killian mumbled, turning to her. "I killed our father."

He frowned, looking at her. "Doesn't that bother you?"

She gently brushed a strand of hair out of his face. "It's not how I imagined things, but I'm glad you're alive at all."

He shook his head. "The last time you saw me, I was a little boy. I came back as a pirate. I was a villain. I killed dozens, probably hundreds of people. I killed my stepfather, your husband. You didn't even blink. How can you pretend like that doesn't bother you in the slightest?"

"Because it's nothing compared to what she did," suddenly someone said behind him.

Killian spun around. Regina stood in the doorframe, her face stern as always.

He raised an eyebrow. "You're back," he stated.

"I didn't expect you to miss me," she said cooly. "Aren't you curious where I went?"

"I assume you're about to tell me," he sighed.

Regina entered the room. If she was in any fight while she was away, her clothes didn't show it, being smooth and clean as always.

"I went to Dumnonia. Or, what's left of it."

"Dumnonia?" Killian asked, growing more and more confused. "Isn't that the kingdom Morgause destroyed?"

"Morgause didn't do that," Regina said, looking at Morgana. "Did she?"

"How can you be so sure?" Killian asked, looking at the two women.

"Because the spell is still up. Arthur said Morgause found a way to break it, but it's not broken. I couldn't enter. I only saw the damage from outside the gates. Whoever did it wasn't affected by the blood magic."

"A relative of Igraine?" Killian asked, still confused. "Who has magic in her family?"

"Not of Igraine. You know, I have given it some thought. Arthur mentioned he visited Dumnonia with his father, which means that Uther could enter. And so could Igraine and her family. The only person tying them together is Arthur, which means that the spell is linked to him. So whoever destroyed the kingdom and killed everyone has magic and is closely related to him."

Regina looked at Morgause. "I can only think of one person who fulfills these criteria."

Killian looked at his mother. "Don't be ridiculous," he said, half laughing.

Morgana's eyes met his before fixing on the ground. She was nervously picking her fingers.

"No," he whispered, his heart sinking to his stomach.

"She's Morgause's secret weapon," Regina continued. "I knew we couldn't trust her."

"Killian," Morgana started, breaking off.

"Please tell me this isn't true," he said quietly.

"I didn't have a choice!" she said, her voice shaking.

"No choice but to... slaughter an entire kingdom?"

"Morgause was threatening you, she would've killed you!" Morgana whispered.

Killian shook his head, clenching his jaw. Without another word, he left the room.

#csbb #csbb 2017 #captain swan big bang #Captain Swan #captain hook #killian jones #emma swan #ff #ouat #family ties

[josephstoontown]

Fox Hunt, Ch. II

Chapter II of "Fox Hunt," a Joseph's ToonTown story. (Originally one-half of a one-part story of the same name.)

Logistics once again decided that I should split this story in twain.  I'm okay, with this.

Word count: 5,657 – Character count: 32,878 Originally written: December 18th - 19th, 2016 Slightly revised: January 18th, 2017 Revised further: August 30th, 2017

The search for Joseph continues… and ends in the strangest sort of location.

Woody Woodpecker, Winnie Woodpecker, The Woody Woodpecker Show, and related characters and properties created by and © Walter Lantz Productions Moe Syzslak, Moe's Tavern, The Simpsons, and related characters and properties created by Matt Greoning and © Fox Broadcasting Company

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    Woody’s first thoughts were to head to the Disney District and ask around.  He figured that Winnie had a good point about the fox being unique enough to be memorable.  He briefly even considered going straight to Shinko’s apartment… but, when he remembered Joseph moaning about there being no reply to his Christmas letter, he decided against it.  He then decided that there was no sense in even going to the Disney District at all… since he couldn’t think of a single reason for Joseph to go there if he and Shinko weren’t in contact.

    “Now if I were a wanderin’ fox,” Woody started to say to himself, “where would I go?”     A lightbulb appeared over Woody’s head and he brightly smiled.     “The Henhouse!  Of course!”     The light suddenly went dark, his face turning thoughtful.     “Wait, no…  He kept sayin’ he wasn’t a ‘toon so that’d be too obvious…  But…”     The light once again turned on.     “That does give me another idea!”     Woody pulled a somewhat reckless U-turn, driving his car to the southeast.     “I bet I know where he went…  I know it’s where I’d go if I just got kicked out!”

    While Woody headed south, Winnie decided to head farther east from Woody’s apartment, though still northernly.  Just as she’d said she would, she arrived at a bus station situated outside the tunnel connecting ToonTown and Los Angeles, built some 20 years prior.     If he’s been through here… Winnie mused as she pulled in, I’m sure someone would have seen him…     The woodpecker stood in the small terminal building a moment later.

    For as far as she could see, there were rows-upon-rows of blue-colored chairs, all lined-up side-by-side.  Some of the chairs had ‘toons and even a few humans sitting in them, all presumably waiting for their bus.  A further examination revealed a long counter at the far side of the well-lit building.  As she saw the few people lined up and awaiting service, there, she couldn’t help but be reminded of your average airport terminal.     Well… she thought a moment later, I should probably ask the staff about him.

    Winnie calmly walked up to the left-most service counter.  Though the clerk was busy with a customer, she decided to ask about her friend.     “I’m sorry to interrupt,” she started, “but, I was just wondering…  Did you happen to see a tall fox come through here?”     “Tall fox?” the clerk repeated, typing on his computer.  “Probably.  Can you be a bit more descriptive?”     “Um, okay…  He’s just under six feet tall and his fur is kind of an… amber, olivey color?”     “Not ringin’ any bells…”     “He has a trio of bangs that hang off his head like of like spikes or quills?”     “Like one of those anime characters?” the clerk asked as he started to print the customer’s ticket.     “Something like that…  And, um, he kind of looks like Tails, from Sonic the Hedgehog or Sonic Boom, if you’re familiar with that?  But, add a few years and remove the goggles?  He was probably wearing jeans and a T-shirt of some kind, too…  Oh!  And, a backpack!”

    “Hmm…”  The clerk handed the customer his ticket before turning to Winnie.  “I actually did see someone like that, the other day.  I think he was heading to Nebraska…  But, he was shorter – about your height – so, it probably wasn’t him.”     The clerk paused…     “Say, how recently did this ‘amber-olive’ fox guy come through here?”     “That’s the thing…”  Winnie shyly rubbed her fingers together, lowering her head.  “I don’t know…  Within the last 10 days, is my best guess…”     “Oh!  Well… that’s a long time, in this business,” he laughed.  “But, ah, maybe one of the other clerks saw your friend?”     As the clerk started to turn toward the other windows, Winnie stopped him.     “It’s okay!  I’ll ask them, myself…  Um, thank you for your time!”     “Sure, sure…  Sorry I couldn’t be any help.”     The male clerk gave a wave to the friendly little bird as she walked beside the counter.  It didn’t take long for Winnie to reach the next occupied window.  And thus, the chain of inquiry resumed…

    By the end of Winnie’s questioning, she was absolutely no closer to finding Joseph than she had been 15 minutes earlier.  Apparently, none of the on-duty staff… clerks, bus drivers, the snack bar operator… none of them had seen anyone even remotely close to what she’d described – at least no “Tails doppelganger.”  She did get a lot of information as to where the actual Tails had been going… but, of course, that was of no use to her…     Darn it, Joseph… she thought to herself as she walked back to her car.  Did you leave by bus?  Did you even leave at all?  Maybe you rented a car?     With that thought in her head, she set her own car’s navigational computer to take her to the nearest car-rental place.  At the very least… it would tell her where Joseph wasn’t… –––––

    The search for Joseph had reached the 2-hour point and Winnie was starting to get frustrated.  She had searched every car-rental location and any place that could have possibly provided a way out of ToonTown for a wanderer… as well as nearby hotels, motels, and a couple of flop-houses… but, to no avail.  Not one single person had recalled seeing any sort of “tall, amber-colored Tails clone.”     “This is ridiculous!” she said into a wireless earpiece connected to her cell phone.  “We don’t even know if Joseph’s still in ToonTown, much less where!”     “Gee, that sounds familiar!” laughed a voice on the other end.     “Oh… you’re no help, Woody!”     “Heeey, nooow…!” he replied, sounding mildly offended.  “I’ve been lookin’, too, ya know!  I looked around every diner, drive-in, and dive I could find from Disney to Warner and ain’t no one seen him!  But, if you wanna know where Tails ‘s been, this last week…”     “No, thanks…” Winnie muttered, shaking her head.  “I already know that.”     “That fox gets ‘round, doesn’t he?”     “Focus, Woody!  We need to– gah!!  Hold on a second, would you?”     The next thing Woody heard in his own wireless headset was the sound of one very angry bird who was shouting, presumably, at nearby traffic.

    “Trouble on the mean streets of ToonTown, babe?” he asked with a grin.     “Some… arrogant fop cut me off!” Winnie replied with a huff.  “Just because you own a luxury sedan doesn’t mean you own the road!”     The male woodpecker winced at Winnie’s loud voice but grinned all the more.     “Now who needs t’ focus?”     He could hear her give a frustrated growl… but, even knowing that it wasn’t aimed at him, he had to laugh.

    “Anyway…” Winnie said after taking a few cleansing breaths, “I’m going to keep looking for another hour, then I’m going home.  I can’t keep searching forever and if he wants to play hide-and-seek, well… then, he can play with himself!”     “Uh…”     “I know, I know…” she sighed, realizing her unintentional innuendo.  “Woody…”     She paused for a moment.     “If you find him… or any information that might be helpful…”     “You’ll be the first to know, babe!” he assured her.     “Thank you…”     Winnie gave another sigh.     “Talk to you later, Woody.  And, thanks for helping…”     “No problem!  Catch you later!”     And, with that, they terminated the call.

    “Gee, Winnie sure seems down in the dumps…” Woody thought aloud as he continued driving.  “Maybe I should get her some pretty flowers on th’ way back…  I think she likes flowers, anyways.  All girls like flowers…  Don’t they?”     Woody briefly stared at his reflection in the rear-view mirror of his car.  It gave a casual shrug before going back to driving.     “Some help you are!” he said with a grin before turning his full focus back to the road.

    Another twenty minutes flew by as Woody continued his search.  He really had tried a number of eateries, both formal and non, but to no avail.  Not sure where else to look, he eventually decided to go to the one place he thought Joseph would avoid…

    “The Red Light District…”

    True to its name, that area of ToonTown was a bit less family-friendly than the other districts.  The streets and sidewalks were dirty with refuse, though the buildings seemed fairly clean.  They also looked a lot more lit-up than most other areas of ToonTown, some places advertising their services… often shamelessly.  However, attractions of the Red Light District weren’t limited to just the risqué… but, also, the addictive.     ToonTown was one of the rare places in California where gambling on non-Indian land was legal.  In addition, it seemed like there were a lot more bars… both upscale and dive… in that area, in particular.  Oddly enough, Woody started to realize, as he drove through the seedy underbelly of the place he lived…     “This… might actually be the one place Joe would go, now that I think about it!”

    As booming as businesses were in the Red Light District, there were also more than a few ‘toons and even some humans hanging around in darkened alleyways, vacant lots, and other private-public places, just trying to survive.  And, unfortunately… Woody thought he’d recognized more than a few of them, himself.     “We should really do something to help those old ‘toons…” he thought aloud.  “But, there just ain’t enough work in Cali to help everyone…  Plus, not everyone can go from check-to-check like I used to.  Money just ain’t what it used t’ be, after all…”     Woody gave a sympathetic frown.     “Maybe one day, when I’m rich ’n famous, again…  Hah, that’ll happen!”  He gave a smirk at his reflection.  “Knowin’ my luck, I’m more likely t’ get mugged than get another job in Hollywood!”     The woodpecker suddenly tensed.     “That… prob’ly wasn’t th’ smartest thing t’ say, considerin’ where I am…”     He shook his head… then, he continued driving and looking.

    Woody’s luck seemed like a mix of good-and-bad as he cruised around the district, checking to see if Joseph was among the homeless or even the people out-and-about.  On the upside, he didn’t get mugged or even stopped by a homeless person.  But, on the downside…     “That fox ain’t nowhere t’ be seen!”     Once he’d driven around the large part of the area, he decided to check what time it was and give Winnie a call.  He’d had enough searching…  Unfortunately, though…     “What– my cell phone’s dead…?”     Despite being plugged into the car’s charger, his phone was indeed completely blank and no amount of button-pressing would wake it back up.     “Well, that’s just great…” he grumbled.  “Now, I don’t know what time it is and I can’t call Winnie!  Guess I’ll have t’ find a pay-phone…”     He paused for a moment…     “Preferably one inside some place…  I could prob’ly knock some heads if I need to… but, better-safe-than-sorry…”     With that thought in his head, he drove around his immediate surroundings until he found a place that was likely to have an indoor phone.  Strangely enough…     “What?  I didn’t know we had one’a those in ToonTown!”     Woody’s search had led him to an unexpected location.

    He pulled up to the curb next to the somewhat generic-looking square building he’d recognized.  The outside of the location was dull-brown, not unlike dirt.  It had some purple, wooden slats decorating its top as well as surrounding the frame of the two green-and-orange, stained glass windows and free-swinging door.  A large, plain-looking sign above the door, which had been the thing to get Woody's attention in the first place, told him exactly what it was.     “Moe’s Tavern!” Woody said as he stepped out of his car.  “Well, I’ll be darned!”     Amazed to see such a place right there in ToonTown… even in the Red Light District… the woodpecker walked right in.  His surprise didn’t end there, however… for standing behind the service counter was none other than…

    “Moe Szyslak?!” he called without thinking.     “Yeah, who wants ta–”  The bartender paused, his sloped brow furrowing.  “Woody Woodpecker?!”     “Hey, Moe!  Whaddaya know?”     Woody was quick to hop up on a bar stool, a big smile on his face as he greeted the tavern’s owner and founder.  Moe seemed pretty thrilled to see the bird, as well.

    “Woody Woodpecker!” he repeated with a smile of his own.  “I ain’t see ya fer so long…!  What’cha been up t’?  Here, lemme pour ya a cold one!”     “I prob’ly shouldn’t…” the woodpecker warned.  “I gotta drive back home.  Plus I’ve got work, in the morning!”     “Aww, c’mon!” Moe said as he poured a tall, frosty mug for the bird.  “One beer ain’t gonna hurt’cha!”     “Weeeeell…”     “For old time’s sake?” he pleaded, pouring himself a mug as well.     Woody paused to think…     “Oh… I can’t say ‘no’ t’ those beady li’l eyes!  Hit me, Moe!”     “There’s my favorite woodpecker!”

    Even though Woody was several years older, the two still had their fair share of stories to regale the other with.  And, along with those stories… Woody was convinced to have more beer.  Much more beer, in fact…

    “Awright well,” Woody said sometime later with a slur to his voice, “I sh’uld pro’ly call Winnie ‘n tell ‘er ah’m comin’ home empty-handed ‘n fully-loaded…”     “Hey hey, before ya go…”  Moe gave his best puppy-dog face.  “Would’ja do th’ laugh one time, fer ol’ Moe?”     “Th’ laugh…?” Woody hicced, wobbling on his seat.     “Ya know!  Yer Woody Woodpecker laugh!  Hoh-heh-huh-haaah-huh!”     The woodpecker gave a sloppy grin at Moe’s pale imitation.     “Tha’s not how it goes…  Is more like… huh-hah-heh-haaah-huh!”     “Naw-naw-naw, that ain’ it…  It’s… hoh-hee-hoo-haaaah-huh!”     “No, Moe…!” the woodpecker said with a chuckle, “I know Woody ‘n he’s got a laugh like… ‘hwee-hee-huh-haaah-hoo!’”     “C’mon now,” the bartender said with a grin.  “I ain’t lettin’ ya leave ‘til ya does it right!”     “Oh.  Okay…  Um…”  He gave an uneven blink.  “How’zit go again…?”

    Moe and the woodpecker exchanged odd-sounding laughs back-and-forth, each getting closer to Woody’s trademark but still missing the mark, thanks to Moe’s bad mimicry and Woody’s intoxication.  It might have been maddening to listen to, for any other patrons of the bar.  But, save for one lone figure in the corner, no one else had come in.     “Hey…  Hey…!”     Unfortunately, said figure had clearly had their fill of noise pollution…

    “Oh, look,” Moe said as he crossed his arms, “we woke Sleepin’ Beaut-y.  Enjoy ya nap, ya drunk skunk?”     “I’m a fox, you f–”     Woody gave a jolt as the figure spat a vulgar word at his friend.  Slowly, the wheels began to turn in his head…     “Fox…?” he thought out loud as he slowly turned around in his seat.  “Saaay…  I been lookin’ fer a fox…  Maybe you can help me?  I’m lookin’ fer a fox about…”     The woodpecker sized up the figure that had walked toward the bar.  Eventually, he got to his feet and held a hand up to the fox’s forehead.     “Yeeeeea tall?  Kinda weird, pukey-gold fur… kinda like this,” he said as he brought the fox’s olive-gold arm into view.  “Blackish-brown gloves ‘n ears ‘n feet… kinda like this…  White mask… goldish eyes…”     Woody narrowed his eyes, looking at the fox’s own irritated orbs.     “Yeah!  Kinda like that!  Answers t’ th’ name of ‘Joe-seph…?’  Ya know ‘im?”     The fox narrowed his bloodshot eyes all the more and gave a growl.  He yanked his arm free of the woodpecker’s gloved hand, causing him to rapidly spin around on the stool.  After a few rotations, he came to a stop and held his head, wobbling…     “Oooh… I see ya got some twin brothers…”

    “Woody, you idiot!” the fox snarled.  “It’s me!  Joseph!  The guy whose life you ruined?!  Ring a bell?!!”     “Joe-seph…?” Woody repeated.  “Joe-seph…  Joe-zef!  Oh, hey!  I been lookin’ all over th’ place, fer ya!  Where ya been, ‘Bro-seph?’”     Joseph growled again, glaring at the seemingly oblivious bird.     “Dude man bro man dude…” Woody continued, “wait until I tell Winnie this ‘s where ya been hidin’!”     “You will do no such thing,” the fox said in a warning tone.     “Oh, no, you dun under–”  Woody gave a hiccup.  “– understand…  See, Winnie was all like, ‘We gotta go find Joe-seph,’ ‘n I was all like, ‘Why we gotta go find Joe-seph,’ ‘n she was all like, ‘‘cause I wanna go find Joe-seph,’ so I was like, ‘So let’s go fuh-hind Joe-seph,’ ‘n she was like–”     “Wait…”  the fox interrupted, giving a blink.  “Winnie wanted to find me?”     “Oh yeeaaah, Bro-seph…” Woody said with a nod.  “She wanted t’ ask’ew some stuff!”     Joseph looked to one side, his ears folding back.     “Well, maybe I don’t wanna talk to her…” he coldly stated.     “You’re gonna turn down a chance t’ talk wid the Winnie Woodpecker?” Moe interjected.  “Ah, you young 3D ‘toons don’t know nothin’ ‘bout nothin’!  Why, there’s plen’y’a toons what would give their left ear t’ meet Winnie Woodpecker!”     “Yeah, Bro-seph…!” Woody drunkenly added.  “Consider yerself lucky she wants t’ see ya!  I tol’ her there ain’t no reason fer it… but, you know how gals are…  Ain’ that right, Moe?”     “Most dames ain’t nothin’ but trouble,” the bartender mused, “but, that Winnie’s a classy lady!  ‘sides, any friend’a Woody’s ‘s a friend’a mine!”

    “Yeah!  So,” the woodpecker said, jabbing a gloved finger against Joseph’s chest, “you gotta do it.  ‘cause any friend’a Moe’s is a friend’a Woody’s.  And, brother?  You wanna be a friend’a Woody’s ‘cause that woodpecker’s one powerful enemy!  Why, just a few days ago, this bum fox thought he could mess with Woody’s girlfriend!  But, he showed ‘im!  Threw ‘im right outta his place and– heeey…”     Woody paused, examining the angering Joseph.     “You kinda look like that bum fox…”     “I am that bum fox, you drunken jackass!”     “Wait a sec…”     Moe looked over to the fox from behind Woody.     “You’re that low-life what thought they’d break Winnie’s heart?!”     “Yes!”  The fox paused to blink.  “Wait– no?  What…?”     And, just like that, he found himself looking down the barrel of a cartoony… but, very dangerous-looking shotgun.

    “We don’t serve yer kind here, fleabag.  I suggest you mosey on along now.”     The fox slowly lifted his hands as he heard Moe priming the shotgun to fire.     “Elsewise, I guess I’m gettin’ a new fox-skin rug fer my bat’room.  Get it?”     For a moment, Joseph felt afraid…  He was one little motion away from ceasing to exist!  But, as he stared down that shiny, metal barrel and smelled the scent of gunpowder… a new thought entered his head.     “Fine…”     Joseph lowered his hands and his head, looking down at the floor.     “You’ve got me fair-and-square.  I’m the bad-guy.  I’m at-fault.  I said some horrible things to Winnie which, apparently, broke her heart.  But, you know what?”     The fox jerked his head back up, his teeth gritted and his ears folded back.     “I don’t give a shit, anymore!”     Moe jerked back as the fox shouted.  He looked genuinely surprised!  Still, the fox continued, starting on a rave…

    “For the last 11 months of my life, I’ve been the butt of so many senseless and pointless sight gags, pranks, jokes, and japes!  And, most of them were from him!”     Woody jerked back as Joseph pointed at him.     “During those 11 months, I’ve been a stranger in a strange land… lost and alone.  But then, as if by-chance… I ran into the girl of my dreams.  Literally!  I couldn’t remember who she was or where I would have ever seen her… but, somehow, I knew she was someone I knew and, slowly… as I hung-out with her… I started to remember who she was.     “Her name was Shinko.  She was a half-animated ‘toon from right here in California.  And to her, I was like a breath of fresh air to her otherwise unhappy life.  Things were going great!  For about… three hours.”     Joseph looked back down, closing his eyes.     “I made a mistake that changed everything… changed her opinion of me…  I ruined everything that could have been…  All because I couldn’t keep it in my pants…”

    “Yeah, that’s real nice ‘n all,” Moe muttered, keeping his shotgun aimed at the fox, “but, I really don’t–”     “Fast-forward to later that week…”     The bartender gave a labored sigh…  He wanted… really wanted… to just pull the trigger… but, for some reason, he just couldn’t.  And so, he put the shotgun back behind the bar and leaned against the rear counter, arms crossed and eyes half-open.  He knew he was in for a long story…

    Joseph had started from the very beginning of his entry into ToonTown and gone into great detail about his rotten luck… but, during the course of the story, something else seemed to pop up.  A lot, in fact.  And, that was one name… and, it wasn’t “Shinko.”     “It was such a weird feeling… knowing that Winnie thought of me as a friend…” the fox said, coming to the end of his thoughts as he rubbed his arm.  “But, I guess, for whatever reason… she did.  And, that’s why it hurt so much when things ended the way they did…”     “Yea’, I feel ya pain,” Moe said in an unconvincing way.  “I really do.  Now I’m gonna have t’ ask yas t’ leave ‘cause I don’t like ya face, no mo’.  Get out.”     The fox gave a sad look to the bartender, a frown on his face and tears in his eyes.  However, Moe came right back with a cold look of his own which told the fox he just didn’t care.     “A shotgun to the face would be less far painful than what I’ve been feeling for the last ten days…”     “Yea’ well, shells ain’t cheap, fleabag,” Moe spat.  “Now, mosey on outta my bar b’fore I change my mind.”     “Wait…”     Both the fox and the bartender looked at Woody.  He’d been quietly sitting there, taking in every word Joseph had to say, up until that point.  However, as they looked at him, he had his hand on the fox’s arm and wore a curious look on his face.

    “Is… is what you said true?” he quietly asked.  “Do you really feel that way… about my Winnie?”     Joseph gave a blush… but, slowly, he confirmed the thought with a nod.     “I didn’t want to upset you… or, hurt you…” he said, “but…”     “Well, now… that’s an eye-opener…”     Woody looked down, putting his hands on the bar.     “Guess that explains why she was so eager t’ find you, too…”     “She was…?”  The fox tilted his head, watching the bird nod.     “I didn’t think it was worth botherin’ with…”  He looked up with a smile.  “Kinda glad I was wrong, though.  You are, after all… the best friend I’ve had, in a while.”     For some reason, that just made Joseph blush even more…

    “Eh-ehhhn…”

    The two jerked, startled by Moe’s sudden sigh.     “If you two loveboids ‘r done huggin’ it out…”     “You know something, Moe…”     “Yea’?” he said with a glare at Joseph.  “What?”     Suddenly, the fox slammed what looked to be fifty dollars on the counter.  He had a glare of his own, by that point.     “Thank you for your service, over the last couple of days,” he said in an angry tone.  “I sincerely hope business picks up, for you.”     “Ah…  T’anks?”     The bartender gave a confused, somewhat worried look as he took the fox’s money.

    “Where’s your car, Woody?” Joseph said in a calmer tone.  “I’ll drive you home.”     “Oh, ya don’t need t’ do that, pal…” he laughed.  “I can drive m’self home!”     “You can’t fool me, Woody.  You’re still pretty drunk.”     “Yeeaaah… I prob’ly am…” he bashfully admitted.  “Alright.  Let’s go.”     “Hang on just one second there, woodpecker!”     The two looked back to Moe.  He still had his cash register open and appeared to be looking directly at Woody.     “Friend ‘r not, ya still owe me fer dem twelve beers ya drank!”     The sudden sound of a hand slapping against a counter alerted the bartender and his client.  Once again, Joseph had offered up money.     “Keep the change,” he said with an scowl and an attitude.  “C’mon, Woody…”     The two immediately headed outside, leaving Moe baffled… but, eighty bucks richer.

    The drive back home was a curious one.  Woody seemed content to just sleep the whole way while Joseph, despite being cramped and curled into a ball by the small vehicle, drove at a moderate pace back to the Universal District.  Soon enough, they’d arrived back at the Rubber Arms apartment complex… and, it seemed that someone had been waiting for them.     “Woody!”     The woodpecker snapped out of his nap and groggily looked out through the passenger window… just to see the smiling face of his girlfriend staring back.     “Oh…  Hey, babe,” he quietly said.  “Look who I found at Moe’s Tavern…”     “Moe’s what?  We have one of those?” Winnie asked before turning her attention to the driver’s side door.  As she watched a figure spill out and on to the pavement, her heart skipped a beat.     “J… Joseph?” she quietly called.     “Nngh…”  The olive-gold fox slowly got to his feet, brushing himself off before stretching with several audible pops.  “I really hate this car…”     “Joseph!”

    He turned around just in time to see Winnie climb up on the tiny car’s roof.  Her hands were clasped together and she wore a bright smile, her eyes sparkling in the lights of the apartment complex.  He couldn’t help but wonder why she was so happy to see him…

    Slap!

    That thought, however, quickly escaped him as a gloved hand left its mark on his left cheek.  When he started to rub it, he could see Winnie’s expression had become an angry scowl, her hands on her hips and her foot tapping on the roof of the car.

    “I…” he started to say.  Suddenly, he changed his mind, asking, instead, “What was that for?”     “What do you think, you stupid jerk?!” she shouted, throwing her hands up.  “How dare you make Woody worry about you, like that!  What were you thinking?!”     “W… Woody?” he repeated, his ears flicking.  “The way he tells it, you were the one who was worried about me.  Or at least… curious?  I guess?”     The female woodpecker gave a huff, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away.     “I couldn’t care less about where you’ve been!”     “You know…”  Joseph smiled.  “You’re a terrible liar.”

    Smack!

    “Don’t assume you know me, Joseph Lithius!” she scolded after making his right cheek match his left.  “That’s how this whole mess started, to begin with!”     “Yeah…” he said as he rubbed both cheeks.  “About that…”     Winnie narrowed her eyes as she watched the fox fidget on-the-spot.  He looked down, his ears folding back, a thoughtful look on his face.  It seemed like he had something to say…     “I’m… sorry,” he whispered.  “I’m sorry I said you weren’t funny.”     The bird’s eyes narrowed further.  It didn’t seem like she was buying his apology…     “I’m serious, Winnie…” he said, cautiously turning his eyes her way.  “I’m really sorry I said you weren’t funny…  It was… I just…”     The fox gave a sigh.     “I wasn’t in the mood to be messed-with…  I was in the mood for…”  He quickly looked down to the dozing woodpecker in the car before finishing with, “s-something else.”     “‘Something else,’ huh?”  She tapped her foot again, giving a suspicious look.     “Y… yeah…” he hesitantly admitted.  “I just… I was getting frustrated when you wouldn’t quit pulling pranks on me and…”     “Joseph.”     The fox looked up at Winnie.  She still seemed upset with him, her half-open eyes piercing into his own and her brow curled downward.  However… she didn’t seem quite as mad as she had been, a minute prior…

    “What you said to me,” she started to say in a stern tone, “was unacceptable.  It was horrible.  It cut me to the bone and made me question all the work I’ve done over the years.  Even after you were gone, I couldn’t get those words out of my mind…  ‘You’re not funny.’”     Her eyes opened wide and her voice filled with emotion, then.     “Do you know what it’s like for a ‘toon like me to hear someone they care so much about telling them, point-blank, that they don’t think they’re funny?!”

    The fox winced, ducking down and frowning…  He felt worse than ever…     “I was made to make people laugh, Joseph…” Winnie mused, looking up at a nearby street lamp.  “And, if I can’t do the exact thing I was made to do…”     She gave the fox a sad, scared look.     “Then, what’s the point of living…?”     The guilt was rising in Joseph’s soul… and, that look she was giving was killing him…     “Sure, I can keep working my 9-to-5 job at the hospital,” she said as she looked away, “or, any other job, for that matter…  But, those would be… are… just that.  Jobs…”     She looked back to Joseph with a frown.     “My creators put me on this planet… in this world… to make people laugh.  Even if I’m not being paid for it, that’s what I was made to do!  I can’t fight that… can’t change that…  But, I also don’t want to.  A ‘toon going against their very nature… the reason they were created…”     The woodpecker shivered.     “That could lead down a very dark and very dangerous path…”

    Once again, Winnie looked directly into Joseph’s eyes.  He could see… practically feel the weight of her words as she continued.

    “I have been to a lot of places in my life…  Some of them, good.  Some of them… not-so-good.  When you told me I wasn’t funny, Joseph, I…”     She looked away, inhaling in a very broken way.     “I should stay mad…” she whispered after a moment.  “I should hate you for taking me back to that dark place… that place I hadn’t been for… for a long time…”     She looked back toward Joseph.  He noted a mix of anger… and, sorrow… to her gaze.     “I can’t trust you, right now, Joseph…  I can’t trust that you won’t say something horrible like that, again…  I just can’t…”     The bird paused, closing her eyes…     “I hope you understand…”

    The fox stared at the woodpecker, his ears folded and his body tense.  There was a terrible, sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach… and, he was sure it wasn’t from whatever alcohol was still in his system.  He had hurt Winnie… really hurt Winnie… and, she wasn’t afraid to let him know.

    “I guess what that one guy said is true…  ‘You can drop anything on a ‘toon’s head and they’ll be fine,’”  he paraphrased with a sad smile, “‘but, break their heart…’”     “‘And, they go to pieces…’” she finished, slowly opening her eyes.     “Boy, that quote feels so relevant to my time in ToonTown…”     The fox gave a hollow laugh, rubbing his left arm as he stared up at Winnie.

    “I can’t forgive you right now, Joseph…” she began again.  “But, that doesn’t mean it’s forever…  I want to forgive you… but, I may never forget just what you said…”     “I don’t blame you, Winnie…” he assured her.  “And… while it’s not ideal… at… at least you’re talking to me.  Ya know?”     The two went silent.  Winnie seemed to know exactly what Joseph meant…

    “Maybe you should just forget about her,” Winnie offered.  “There’s plenty of fish in the sea and this one’s been driving you crazy for a while.  Just… cast again and hope for the best?”     “What?”  The fox gave a blink.  “Cast again and… what?  And, forget about who?”     “You know…”     Joseph paused to think…     “Oh.  O-oh!  Oh!” he suddenly said, his eyes widening as he realized what Winnie was talking about.  “Oh, no, no, Winnie!  I– I didn’t mean to imply…”     Joseph gave a frustrated growl, putting his hands over his face.     “I’m sorry…” he whimpered.  “I’m so sorry…”     “No… no…” Winnie rebutted.  “I’m sorry.  I jumped to conclusions.”     This did little to comfort the fox, however.

    “But…”     Winnie looked up.  Joseph had removed his hands from his face and spoken again.     “You’re not wrong,” he continued with a slight smile.  “On both counts.”     The woodpecker tilted her head, confused at what he meant.     “Shinko’s a sweetheart… but, there are plenty of other people… ‘toons or otherwise… ones actually looking for love.  And, maybe it’s time I started looking for them…”     He crossed his arms, lightly grinning at he looked toward the sky.     “You know, I do have some options, come to think of it,” the fox mused.     “Oh?”  Winnie seemed genuinely curious.     “Sure.”     Joseph looked back her way, gesturing with one hand as he spoke.     “That Velma lady seemed pretty interested in me, last year.  I mean, I haven’t really kept in contact with her, since our last meet-up…  I work days and she’s a night-owl… but–”     “Hang on…”     He gave a blink as Winnie suspiciously looked at him.     “You know Velma?  As in… Velma Dinkley?”     “Yyyes?”  He blinked again.  “The girl with the glasses and an orange turtleneck?”     “That’s her.”  She hummed, crossing her arms.  “You know Velma… but, you don’t know anything about Scooby-Doo?”     “I don’t– wait.”  He narrowed his eyes.  “Is… was Velma a character on the Scooby-Doo show or something?”     “You know… we should really get you guys a subscription to Netflix, or something.  Maybe, if you actually watched some of these cartoons I keep bringing up…”     “Well… when you’re literally in a cartoon, every day…”         The two shared a bit of laughter then a quiet smile…  Even though Winnie had told him it would take a while, Joseph had faith that she may find it in her heart to forgive him… even if he would never forgive himself.  Even so, it was just comforting to know that, despite his colossal mistake… Winnie still saw him as an acquaintance… if not, a friend.  He just hopped Woody would, as well, when he sobered and woke, later that evening…

#Fox Hunt #commercial characters #The Woody Woodpecker Show #Woody Woodpecker #Winnie Woodpecker #The Simpsons #Moe Szyslak #original characters #Essence of Ragnarok #Joseph Lithius #drama