[David waits until he hears word one way or the other before tracking Sierra down. He knows that she's still lying low, as she should be, but he knows how to find her now, and after waiting for Jaqueline to leave for whatever ruse she calls a day job, he lets himself quietly in the front door and settles onto the couch.
When Sierra comes in, he speaks:]
You know, I don't think I've said it yet, but I really am happy for the two of you.
( Sierra and Jaqueline tipped their hand. She knows better than to think there's a different way out at this juncture. Her efforts weren't paying off and priorities change. She's never had a problem shifting with the wind. Though, she usually is the wind.
Her dummy residence is under Talia's name, a cipher who happened to crawl out of very little history in New York, but who has roots in Baltimore, so that everyone stays together. It's not up to par with what the Colony would expect from Sierra, or Jaqueline for that matter. She's survived this long because she kept her and Jaqueline's connection from everyone else, especially their parents.
Some like it high profile and had no choice, David. Jaqueline liked to tow her parents' party line but she made sure not to color inside the lines. She gets away with it because of who her father is and because she gets results. Max is the golden child, hardly ever making a single ripple. Max has always been a factor in Jaqueline's and Sierra's plans. Sierra isn't looking to betray the woman she loves. But, she knows what war comes down to, and while she hasn't said it out loud, she knows that eventually everyone is going to come down on a side. And Max is the wildcard. Loyal to his family crest with the smallest footprint of his own. Low-impact. But, you stay low impact when your gift is charisma. As opposed to fear.
Apparently, he and his sister really are the two sides of the Machiavelli coin.
Surprised, Sierra does her very best to tighten her reaction, as she closes the front door behind herself and locks it (13). She pulls off her shoes, setting them by the door. )
Hard to stick to pleasantries when there's a coup on the agenda.
( Barefoot, and 5'3" without her black chunky pumps, she joins David by the couch, drops down beside him and claps a hand to his knee. )
[Freya called Josie, saying that she left some things at the Abattoir while she was helping Vincent maintain the spell to help free Hope, and she, sweet summer child that she is, doesn't sense the double cross or think that it might all be a ruse so that Hope could talk to her.
It's not that she's dodging Hope, exactly. She just doesn't know what to say to her given all the fallout. Given what Hope did to Lizzie, even if Lizzie claims she's fine - Josie can't feel her anymore to know for sure.
But as she steps into the Abattoir and sees Hope standing there, she freezes, before swallowing and trying to muster a smile.]
( Hope is learning to use both sides of her. Impossible not to when your darker side is literally urging your good side to do bad. But, she is a girl of balance, now. Tragady, still, and so many losses, but she is done making them define her. The trial of the gods goes about as well as it could, but the school still stands and most of the students survived. She goes to Ethan's funeral down in wherever his mother and sister moved to, to pay her respects, and because it's the right thing to do. She can't not detour back to the city her family calls home.
Her family is forgiving. They've all gone through something like it, and while she feels like she tore every connection she had asunder, she knows the Mikaelson bond is intact. Her bond with Josie, she's not so sure. But, Hope and Lizzie are square and in a more honest place.
It helps that Lizzie gets to make her own decisions.
Lizzie refuses to put her sister in the middle. It's Josie's decision to see Hope at all.
Hope has never played by the rules.
Her uncle Vincent and aunt Freya are happy to help. Josie's efforts in anchoring the spell that led her back to her humanity prove to be a kernel of hope in Josie. She wouldn't do that if she didn't think Hope were worth saving. Like their friendship. Freya does warn her that this doesn't mean being face to face will go smoothly, but it may start repairs to the bridge.
Hope would also beg to differ, Josie. Own you're dodging her. Just don't be surprised when she comes to you.
She modifies most of what Hope without humanity bought, but doesn't hate the high fashion style. She just desperately needs softness in her wardrobe, so she pairs her motorcycle jacket with a flowy top. She stopped crimping her hair and keeping it back. Some styles do stay dead. Hope doesn't.
There is a light behind Hope's eyes that has been missing for weeks. And Josie is part of that. So, if anything, she can thank her in person. )
[It had all been idle thoughts scribbled in a notebook in between treatments and during chats with friends that she ceased to care about a long time ago. It's not that she doesn't care about this coven of witches she's thrown herself in with, but more that it's a gaggle of witches who have never had a serious thing to care about in their life.
It's grating, when you know that your window of survival is getting smaller and smaller by the day. That is, until they have one bit of gossip that actually means something:
"I heard that Rebekah Mikaelson is like ... legit pregnant."
Kieran zeroes right back in on the conversation, on the refutations and skepticism, but she starts asking around and finds out that no, it's true. Rebekah took the cure. Unclear on whether or not her magic had come back at first but whatever it is, she's human again.
Then, there was also word that Hope Mikaelson had gone full tribrid, and that could be the trifecta that she's needed. Now she just needs an in. Drafting the business proposal comes easily, now all she needs is to find him.
She saunters into the bar, catching the sight of him near the dart board and makes her way closer, shifting to lean against a nearby wall.]
( His family goes from under the radar to gossip's front page news in the supernatural community. From Hope's survival and existence to Rebekah's failure at having a fiancee, their family's dealings are now more trivial than ever. It minimizes the collective target on all their backs and makes living a little bit easier.
It takes him time to get over Davina, and in his heart he never really does. But they both know he rebelled against his family and his family is everything Davina doesn't want to be tied to. The siren call of New Orleans, the appointment to be the future regent nails their coffin shut.
Kol stays in San Francisco because he likes the eclectic neighborhoods. He falls back into his old ways. Dalliances and flirtation and boredom. But, he has since learned better from his brother's near-death Hollow experience. What he has to live for is his family. When he stopped seeing Davina as his highest priority, he was able to own his place in it. Klaus still ribs him and Elijah chides him but Rebekah adores him. They disagree on what she wants, and he makes one whole attempt at convincing her otherwise.
A vampire's perfect day.
But she is nothing if not steadfast and strong in her convictions. This is what she wants. And? Kol is there. Everyone is there at her bedside. Her whole family. It is not a sad affair.
Fast forward a few years and Kol never settles down. He travels extensively, falling back in with witches of all kinds, preferring his hobbies to anything real. He falls in with a coven in Northern California during one of his simpler attempts at life. It's not Zimbabwe or Egypt, but life is more lush greenery, locals, and intriguing tourists.
Including someone he's never seen (and he would argue he knows everyone in town.)
Kol releases his dart, landing dead center inside the bullseye )
[She clocks him the moment he comes in to the DA's office. He's clever, putting his daylight jewelry on his tie pin, but he practically smells like new vampire. She doesn't have to linger on him long, only wonder what kinds of connections he has to milk the scenario enough to walk during the day.
Then he walks in to Harvey's conference room and well - Donna can't have that.
She keeps vervain on hand just in case, and she quickly stirs some into his extra strong coffee, keeping him talking long enough for him to drink at least half of it. Then, she sends him in.
It's clear that the lawyer doesn't get the answer he wants. And then he zeroes in on Donna on the way out, and maybe he's a little older than she gives him credit for, because he's waiting for her outside when she goes to lunch.
"You know, I figured it was because you didn't want someone else infringing on your territory, but dosing your meal ticket with vervain doesn't exactly do you much good now does it?"]
You have no idea what you're talking about.
[She keeps walking, and he takes her arm to keep her from walking further.
"I get it, I like my food pretty too. I'm not judging, I'm just saying we could both get what we want."]
I'm going to give you one second to take that hand off me before you regret it.
( Donna always knows how to work Harvey - and always for the better. She knows him inside and out, always has. It makes his job and, frankly, his life, much easier.
The ADA they send is something else, telling Harvey what he's going to do like Harvey's ever let anyone tell him what to do. If he agrees on what to do, he does it, but always his way. And if not, he makes sure he doesn't need to beg for forgiveness afterward. Harvey calls out his cockiness, outplays this lawyer's hand, and knocks him back against the ropes, like he does. )
Hey.
( Harvey only catches the end of the exchange, having walked out only minutes after Donna and who he thought was an overconfident hotshot. He'd remind Harvey of himself if he didn't pull this shit. Now his act is screaming mysoginy. )
I'd listen to her if I were you.
( He's never fought her battles for her, and they are in public, but he is this close to clocking this guy. )
[People - people being Cora - could argue that asking Parrish to do this makes him her boyfriend, but Malia is electing to ignore those people. Because that's not what this is at all. It's that Parrish works all the time, she thinks he deserves to come out and have some fun. And if that fun happens to coincide with her, then that's a win-win.
She also may have complained to Cora, in the process of inviting him, that it's weird that Derek is having more sex than her. Derek wishes that the two of them would stop dragging him into these conversations, and also stop talking about his sex life. No one gets what they want, because Cora still thinks she's right.
(Maybe she is. Maybe it has nothing to do with the fact that she doesn't like any of the wolves more than willing to bang her as much or more than she likes Parrish. Maybe it's because she wants this to be more than it is, but isn't quite ready to pull the trigger. Either way, she's sticking to her story about vacations, and ignoring her family's commentary.)
Still, after all of this, she's waiting outside the airport when he arrives, and as he passes through the doors of arrivals she flashes him a bright smile and waves eagerly, pushing up on her toes so he can see her over the heads of the crowd. Regardless, it's been months since she's been able to see him beyond texting and random phone calls, and she has missed him.
He reminds himself that every day, but perks up every time a message comes through and it's Malia. She's taken to leaving long, rambling on-the-nose voice messages, and then he does the same, even while driving. One captured him spilling coffee on himself. But, that didn't ruin his day. It couldn't. He tells himself he's fine with keeping things casual because he knows they aren't.
Extenuating circumstances (Scott, hunters, the pack) keep her away from Beacon Hills for longer than both of them anticipate but they don't talk any less. He knows in his heart she's not seeing anyone, or even sleeping with anyone. How can she, when she went into hiding to fake Allison's death. Her life is crazier than his on any given day of the week, but he'd rather hear about it than anything else. Her phone calls are never random and he never sends her to voicemail.
Unless he's working or showering or cooking and then it's not his fault.
The sheriff sets him up on dates here and there and he goes to be polite. But, either the chemistry isn't there, or afterward they make some kind of comment. They didn't know he already liked someone, it's fine. The sheriff gets so far off, he sets him up with a guy because Parrish must be gay if he's turning down beautiful, professional women. He doesn't have the heart to correct the professional part, or to ask if he ... means they are professional, and still goes bowling with the guy. They laugh because it's not the first date they've been on with a straight guy. And straight or not, Parrish is hung up on someone else.
Thanks, everyone else in his life.
He stops mentioning Malia to his mother. Even calling her a friend.
He tries to initiate the talk more than once. But Malia dodges the question, ignores the question, steers things into X-rated territory, or drops the call altogether, blaming it on her brother's shitty cell phone carrier. (T-Mobile is reliable, the commercials even say it.) But, he doesn't press. Or push. He just waits.
Monroe's kill switch was pulled and hunters did not fare well against the hellhound they were unleashed upon. And then he gets a perfect opening and a vacation all in one. He's not going to say no. He's just going to buy his plane ticket, take vacation time he's accumulated (it's embarrassing how much), and wait impatiently on the flight from Beacon Hills to New Orleans.
He laughs as she reveals herself behind others waiting. The group between them seems to peel off naturally, revealing a beautiful, eager (but not too eager) girl he's excited to see.
Give him a little credit, but his first thought is taking her in whatever car she's brought. He's still a man. She can probably smell that. That's probably why they're both always ready, right on the edge. He tries to tamp that part of him down, just happy to be here. And yes, happy to be here.
[Elena is elbow-deep in ancient family history records that thankfully Ric taught her how to read a long time ago. So far they haven't gotten super far in terms of the so-called Inner Circle, identifying one potential grave site out of the ten that was left for them, but one piece of progress is some progress.
As she's ready to trade very old books with her boyfriend, her phone lights up on the table next to her, flashing Ezra's name. She scoops it up, before offering Dean a smile.]
I'm going to grab us some coffee. Be right back.
[Once she's retreated to the kitchen, she answers, sliding her phone between her shoulder and her ear.]
( The last time they really talked, it felt like he and Elena had come to an understanding. While she hadn't forgiven him for lying to her, and shouldn't have to, she at least understood where he was coming from, and why. She learned a few more real things about him, including what his husband went through and why he is the way he is.
It was supposed to be the first step.
And then someone pulled Monroe's kill switch. It scattered everyone, sent him and his husband back into the belly of the beast and separated he and Elena even further. Physically, and probably emotionally. So much for a slow mending.
With pieces being put into place and the decision not yet reached to throw the Gauntlet, he knows he owes her something. He believes it's never too late to salvage something that someone wants salvaged. And they're going to need allies.
Hearing his old friend's voice brings a smile to his face. Things were simpler than. Dishonest. But simpler. )
What are the odds you think we're going to be fired?
( He knows both he and Elena left the same night. Elena, straight from work. He doesn't know what Elena's said. He waited a little too long to ask for a leave of absence and missed the call probably granting him one. His eyes glaze over every time he attempts to look at his mysticfallsgen.com email. The impending massacre keeps him mentally preoccupied.
He has a purpose to this call. But, he hasn't earned the right to come out right away and ask for the favor. He needs to ease in. )
[While Dean and Elena are in the library digging through the physical books, Sam and Allison are tucked into the main room, routing hunters to calls as needed. He and Dean have been trading off, on dispatch and research, especially since Mary and Bobby left on a call yesterday.
It's sometimes good to take a break, but not having research to focus on leaves for a bit of a lull where two people might actually be able to have a conversation. And there's a conversation with Allison that he knows he's been avoiding. He knows that she has questions about the moment he froze on the boat, as well as his hovering, but he's not sure he's ready to have it.
Even for being the Winchester with all the feelings, he still has a hard time talking about his. Allison hangs up with the hunter in question and he tries to make some small talk.]
( For as dire as it sounds, their network of hunters isn't familiar with it. )
The Colony has done good work at keeping it to themselves.
( Considering how volatile it is. And that it feels more like a last resort, like they need to clear the game board completely and start over. Why would they make something like that common knowledge.
Routing hunters is productive. It's a smaller network than she's used to, but it feels like it did when she and her dad were first starting out, when they had to distinguish from Monroe's efforts. It's like flexing old muscles. It also serves as a good distraction.
Allison was on that boat, too. She knew how close the call was. It isn't her first brush with death and it isn't her first death. She hasn't had that talk with Sam, that she and Scott and Stiles gave up whole parts of themselves to help save their parents. That their hearts stopped for hours. She can feel Sam's eyes on her, remembers how he was on the boat, how worried, when he should be focusing on staying alive, himself, and keeping David alive, for that matter. She survived. All three of them survived. )
Everyone knows to keep an eye out for heightened witch activity, like the kind Caroline and Bonnie stumbled into at the B & B from hell.
( Being playful is easy. )
Other than that, all's quiet on - every front, but I assume that's by design. ( Okay, but they do have to talk about it, right? ) How are you doing?
[Donna calls it a night a few drinks in, saying she has some people to check on. Harvey goes back to get refills for the drinks, and Lydia convinces Stiles to leave her alone with the charming attorney for however long it goes. Shockingly, he takes little convincing, which she's grateful for, and she and Harvey proceed back to his place not long after.
It's fun. Lydia can't think of the last time she had fun and didn't think of the consequences because as much as Damon intrigued her, everything around them had been too high pressure to be an escape. This feels something close to normal, and she appreciates it, even if it may only be a one off.
Harvey's already up when she wakes the next morning, and she slowly rouses, pulling her clothes back on and makes her way out into the main room where she left her purse and her phone. The scent of coffee is lingering in the air as Harvey lounges in the living room, sorting through papers, and she offers him a smile when he looks up.]
( Harvey gets the idea once Donna calls it a night, but Stiles isn't his friend and he's a gentleman. He lets his charm and his smile communicate what he wants with Lydia. With Harvey being the last one standing and knowing Lydia is only traveling through town, it's an easy offer to take things back to his place.
The next morning, he lets Lydia get her rest. He lounges on his couch, settling into his default morning mode before a customary workout or early client meeting. Work. )
Good morning. And please. Feel free to use the espresso machine if you prefer it.
I did not drive all the way to Baltimore for you to be losing your shit at me.
[Liv is annoyed, but she does her best to say it with love. She knows that Luke is nervous about her meeting his new boyfriend - the fact that she's meeting him at all says a lot about how much Luke likes this boy.
They're being led to a table on the patio of this restaurant, and Luke is giving her a look like she knows why he's being ridiculous. She sighs.]
Contrary to popular belief, I do know how to behave. I'm not looking to torpedo your relationship any more than I'm looking to torpedo mine.
I didn't say behave, I said be on your best behavior. Defend your disposition all you want, but remember, I grew up with you.
( And she can be overprotective when it comes to him. Insisting Jo merge, going after Elena, taking him to dinner to show him that his major's going to take him nowhere. He said the same thing about her werewolf boyfriend, but, hey, that lasted.
He keeps an eye out as their led to their table, noting Jonathon's not there yet. )
And, maybe it's not about you. Maybe, I'm just nervous. I like him, okay. Actually like him.
( He's going to go into inappropriate gay detail but something catches his eye behind his sister cutting his words off abruptly.
He didn't know this place had an outdoor bar. No, that's not just it. Someone familiar is sitting at that outdoor bar, finger on the corner of a coaster he turns. )
[Verdant becomes her safe space, her place where she knows she can go, but she also knows how to escape. The paparazzi still haven't quite gotten bored with her yet - the shock of her being back has faded but now people want to know what happened between her and JJ.
Questions she does not want to answer.
But, in Verdant, she can retreat to the VIP areas and most of the time be left alone, but also still be out and about in the world. And when Mickey gets escorted to the table that she's claimed for whoever of their group decides to show, she smiles.]
Hey, you made it. Zoe went to get drinks - if you want, I can text her.
( Living with his best friend's boyfriend's family is not where he saw himself, but he can't deny it doesn't have its' perks. The trust they place in Cooper's friend says a lot about them. But, they're the Queens, he knows they have the resources to make him disappear if he did do anything, so there's not as much a risk on their part. Still, he finds his own slice of life in Star City. He takes it easy with Wes, the bartender. As lame as he feels, he digs into the internet and reads about first coming out and what comes after, what it's like. And some days, he stalks his family on social media. Or, he listens to the last voicemail his brother left him.
He moderates, which is Cooper's plan. Stick with two bags of blood a day. Switch between coffee and alcohol over the course of the day. He also does research on addicts, not going so far as to go to a meeting, but successfully naming his craving but not letting it hold power over him.
He was never made for the lap of luxury, but damn does he like it.
Mia gives him a chance, too. They've come a long way from lying in London. She also helps at giving him a social life beyond Wes, beyond Laurel Queen, and the side-eye he swears he feels from Oliver. It still doesn't feel like his friend group, but if he's honest with himself, when did he have his own friend group, not including the guys in the military, or in Monroe's outfit.
No, it's Cooper.
That's why he has to push himself to connect. Because Cooper was it. And he was too late realizing what that meant. His circumstances didn't help, either. He has nightmares about the Salvatores and about the day by the river.
He doesn't want to hang around Verdant, so it's only the third time he's been there when he goes to meet Mia. He stops off to get a drink from Wes, and to flirt. He actually has a smile on his face as he's escorted back to Mia's VIP hangout.
He holds up his own drink, that he's not sure he has to pay for, but he'll swing back around. If it's on the house, a tip is still in Wes' future. Sitting down, he does consider something. )
[This is the third time Barry's phone has rung. He's still not going to answer it. The first time he missed it because he was legitimately busy. But Oliver didn't leave a message. Just hung up and immediately called again.
It's that pattern that lets Barry know he's in trouble. He knew that he shouldn't have trusted Mia and William with a secret that big, but he had hoped that they would see the value in it and keep their mouths shut. Now he's in trouble.
The third time it rings, Iris notices, and that's the end of Barry not answering his phone, because she rolls her eyes and immediately answers for him. "Hi, Oliver. What did my husband do now?"]
( Barry, you're a lot of things, but you're not a coward. He knows Barry didn't mean to carry this with him, that everything is bigger than their friendship and his family. It's the entire universe.
[When Jaqueline arrives at work, Max is waiting in her office.
She doesn't necessarily mind, but she is surprised, eyeing him briefly before striding past him to her desk. She knows Max well enough to know that this isn't going to be a pleasant conversation, based just on the way he's sitting, but she doesn't want to draw attention to that quite yet.]
( Max doesn't like not knowing where he stands. He stands with the other heirs because he has no choice. He doesn't like that ancient witches have kept in control of their coven for generations and have most recently taken his parents from him. Everything they do, everything they say, it's all called into question. He's the wisecracking golden boy that takes his seat at the table seriously.
It's not that he would ever think his sister would unseat him. Though, he does know his family even before their ascension into becoming the inner circle, and every one of them have a ruthless streak. But that's how they were raised.
Max, to be charming and Jaq, to terrifying. Both were expected to be cunning and diplomatic, of course. Of the four heirs, Max tows the shortest line. He's the face.
And now their best course of action is to betray everything he's ever known. It's not easy and it's crazy that his sister is so good at it. At strategizing. It's not the deaths that bother him. Or the collateral damage.
At the end of all of this, if the heirs are left standing, what next. Where does he fit in? )
I thought making an appointment was far too formal. You and I should talk. ( He studies her. ) How long have you and Sierra --
( He doesn't know how to put it into words, to define it. How long has she been aware of Sierra's whereabouts. When did it become Sierra and Jaqueline vs. Should he be watching his back now? Should David and Ezra? )
[The adrenaline crashes and the blood loss catches up with him, and Stefan is unconscious almost as soon as he gets back to their bedroom. He should probably eat, but he sleeps first, giving his body a chance to reset before he wakes feeling ravenous.
He paces away briefly to get himself a blood bag, and after he downs it, moves to settle back into bed, curling up around Buffy and pressing a kiss against her shoulder.]
You're awake.
[He can tell by the way she holds tension - it's different when she's awake versus when she's asleep.]
( As madcap as their Scottish adventure became, Buffy never lost sight of the stakes. Ignoring the haphazard attempts and the bungling, Stefan was taken twice and almost immolated, all because a witch believed he was the key to helping her. No, not helping her. Protecting her. Because of his blood.
Stefan knows about Spike and Angel, especially what Spike meant to her. But, for Buffy, there are parts to her life that aren't just accessible, but, present. She comes at you at face value. She's an open book. She's only lived this one life but she's honest with it and about it.
Stefan has lived hundreds of years. Buffy was involved with Angel's history directly, Spike's history directly. She's only heard about Stefan's. Read more than she'd ever care to (Willow and Xander did the rest), but she has been there before, and she didn't see what she read, only whom she'd met, whom she'd come to know.
There are still pieces to him that are mysteries to her. She doesn't know if she wants to figure them out, or if they're even for her. She sleeps on and off throughout the night. When Stefan awakens, her eyes open. But, he leaves there bed and feeds - he needs to. He was weak. She doesn't begrudge him that. She knows he's a vampire. He returns, Buffy closing her eyes as his lips touch her shoulder.
He's okay.
She can't pretend she's not awake. If he can't feel it, he can certainly hear it. She turns, facing him, taking a moment to press her own, soft kiss to his lips. )
[Scarlett and Rhett are like currents in the ocean. Sometimes they'll run together and everything will be fine. The three of them will travel and see the sights, carry themselves along with ease. And then a storm will hit, Rhett and Scarlett will tear into each other, and they will go their separate ways for a while.
Some storms are mild. Take only a few weeks to blow over, before things are fine again. This past storm in the summer of 1917? It was a hurricane. The kind that comes when Rhett is angry enough to wound and Scarlett is feral enough to strike back. She leaves them both, signing up with the Red Cross to be a nurse on the European front, because war, at least, is something she understands.
Months pass and Scarlett writes letters to Melanie, telling the plights of the bleak nature of the war. The mustard gas, the trenches, the twisted new weapons. It's a war intended to break even the most resolute mind, and when Scarlett's letters stop coming, Melanie begins to worry. She asks Rhett to come with her to find her, and Rhett refuses, wounds still fresh. So Melanie travels to Europe in the early months of 1918, alone, and makes her way to Paris. The last letter Scarlett sent was from France, so it seems the best place to start.
She climbs off the train, suitcase in one hand, eyes scanning the throng of people around her. A few easy steps carry her onto the platform when a familiar figure cuts into her line of vision:]
No, he's still going to make good. But, he can enjoy himself while he does it.
He doesn't have to stay in the shadows. He doesn't have to cower. He certainly doesn't have to feel guilty. And so he doesn't. He cuts ties with his brother and he does his own thing.
His own thing involves a ship crossing the Atlantic, something he could only dream of in his past life. He compels his way on board, takes an aristocrat's identity and has an endless parade of no-nothing, have nothing 3rd class boarders. And one engineer from down below. He delights in the revelry, takes in the novelty and decides to explore Europe.
He hears about a scintillating can-can club in Paris and he spends a few days there before it gets old. But, Europe is large, the possibilities are endless, and most points can be reached by train.
Which is where he runs into an old friend from the South. )
[Isaac usually tries to avoid ambushing people when he can help it. But he doesn't know how to broach this conversation, and he and Bonnie are leaving in a few days with Danny. He needs to clear this air before it they go because Lizzie is important to Bonnie and he doesn't like leaving things to fester.
He doesn't think he was wrong, but he also knows he wasn't one hundred percent right either.
So that is what leads to him sitting on a bench outside of Lizzie's dorm room and trying to figure out how to broach this conversation. He decides to maybe text first:]
( Lizzie Saltzman isn't used to having so many numbers saved. The Salvatore School was light on social media by design and it was clique-y enough without the need for Instagram. Between that and the obligatory numbers she had (study groups, the witches), this is the first time her network is this wide. It's probably true for her sister and for Hope. Maybe less so for Hope, her family comes out of the woodwork once a century.
The world is also painfully small, as aunt Bonnie's new boyfriend is - yes - that Isaac "Sheep in Wolf's Clothing" Lahey.
One thing slightly worse than an unasked for call, an unasked for text.
They didn't leave things on ... good terms. She didn't think she left things on any terms. She doesn't immediately connect the question to her vamptrusion. )
Danny and I already did, you don't have to say anything.
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maleficum) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
everyonelives2023-03-16 09:07 pm
no subject
When Sierra comes in, he speaks:]
You know, I don't think I've said it yet, but I really am happy for the two of you.
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Her dummy residence is under Talia's name, a cipher who happened to crawl out of very little history in New York, but who has roots in Baltimore, so that everyone stays together. It's not up to par with what the Colony would expect from Sierra, or Jaqueline for that matter. She's survived this long because she kept her and Jaqueline's connection from everyone else, especially their parents.
Some like it high profile and had no choice, David. Jaqueline liked to tow her parents' party line but she made sure not to color inside the lines. She gets away with it because of who her father is and because she gets results. Max is the golden child, hardly ever making a single ripple. Max has always been a factor in Jaqueline's and Sierra's plans. Sierra isn't looking to betray the woman she loves. But, she knows what war comes down to, and while she hasn't said it out loud, she knows that eventually everyone is going to come down on a side. And Max is the wildcard. Loyal to his family crest with the smallest footprint of his own. Low-impact. But, you stay low impact when your gift is charisma. As opposed to fear.
Apparently, he and his sister really are the two sides of the Machiavelli coin.
Surprised, Sierra does her very best to tighten her reaction, as she closes the front door behind herself and locks it (13). She pulls off her shoes, setting them by the door. )
Hard to stick to pleasantries when there's a coup on the agenda.
( Barefoot, and 5'3" without her black chunky pumps, she joins David by the couch, drops down beside him and claps a hand to his knee. )
...Thank you?
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It's not that she's dodging Hope, exactly. She just doesn't know what to say to her given all the fallout. Given what Hope did to Lizzie, even if Lizzie claims she's fine - Josie can't feel her anymore to know for sure.
But as she steps into the Abattoir and sees Hope standing there, she freezes, before swallowing and trying to muster a smile.]
Hi, Hope.
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Her family is forgiving. They've all gone through something like it, and while she feels like she tore every connection she had asunder, she knows the Mikaelson bond is intact. Her bond with Josie, she's not so sure. But, Hope and Lizzie are square and in a more honest place.
It helps that Lizzie gets to make her own decisions.
Lizzie refuses to put her sister in the middle. It's Josie's decision to see Hope at all.
Hope has never played by the rules.
Her uncle Vincent and aunt Freya are happy to help. Josie's efforts in anchoring the spell that led her back to her humanity prove to be a kernel of hope in Josie. She wouldn't do that if she didn't think Hope were worth saving. Like their friendship. Freya does warn her that this doesn't mean being face to face will go smoothly, but it may start repairs to the bridge.
Hope would also beg to differ, Josie. Own you're dodging her. Just don't be surprised when she comes to you.
She modifies most of what Hope without humanity bought, but doesn't hate the high fashion style. She just desperately needs softness in her wardrobe, so she pairs her motorcycle jacket with a flowy top. She stopped crimping her hair and keeping it back. Some styles do stay dead. Hope doesn't.
There is a light behind Hope's eyes that has been missing for weeks. And Josie is part of that. So, if anything, she can thank her in person. )
You weren't answering any calls or texts.
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It's grating, when you know that your window of survival is getting smaller and smaller by the day. That is, until they have one bit of gossip that actually means something:
"I heard that Rebekah Mikaelson is like ... legit pregnant."
Kieran zeroes right back in on the conversation, on the refutations and skepticism, but she starts asking around and finds out that no, it's true. Rebekah took the cure. Unclear on whether or not her magic had come back at first but whatever it is, she's human again.
Then, there was also word that Hope Mikaelson had gone full tribrid, and that could be the trifecta that she's needed. Now she just needs an in. Drafting the business proposal comes easily, now all she needs is to find him.
She saunters into the bar, catching the sight of him near the dart board and makes her way closer, shifting to lean against a nearby wall.]
Any interest in a challenger?
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It takes him time to get over Davina, and in his heart he never really does. But they both know he rebelled against his family and his family is everything Davina doesn't want to be tied to. The siren call of New Orleans, the appointment to be the future regent nails their coffin shut.
Kol stays in San Francisco because he likes the eclectic neighborhoods. He falls back into his old ways. Dalliances and flirtation and boredom. But, he has since learned better from his brother's near-death Hollow experience. What he has to live for is his family. When he stopped seeing Davina as his highest priority, he was able to own his place in it. Klaus still ribs him and Elijah chides him but Rebekah adores him. They disagree on what she wants, and he makes one whole attempt at convincing her otherwise.
A vampire's perfect day.
But she is nothing if not steadfast and strong in her convictions. This is what she wants. And? Kol is there. Everyone is there at her bedside. Her whole family. It is not a sad affair.
Fast forward a few years and Kol never settles down. He travels extensively, falling back in with witches of all kinds, preferring his hobbies to anything real. He falls in with a coven in Northern California during one of his simpler attempts at life. It's not Zimbabwe or Egypt, but life is more lush greenery, locals, and intriguing tourists.
Including someone he's never seen (and he would argue he knows everyone in town.)
Kol releases his dart, landing dead center inside the bullseye )
If this challenger thinks she can keep up.
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Then he walks in to Harvey's conference room and well - Donna can't have that.
She keeps vervain on hand just in case, and she quickly stirs some into his extra strong coffee, keeping him talking long enough for him to drink at least half of it. Then, she sends him in.
It's clear that the lawyer doesn't get the answer he wants. And then he zeroes in on Donna on the way out, and maybe he's a little older than she gives him credit for, because he's waiting for her outside when she goes to lunch.
"You know, I figured it was because you didn't want someone else infringing on your territory, but dosing your meal ticket with vervain doesn't exactly do you much good now does it?"]
You have no idea what you're talking about.
[She keeps walking, and he takes her arm to keep her from walking further.
"I get it, I like my food pretty too. I'm not judging, I'm just saying we could both get what we want."]
I'm going to give you one second to take that hand off me before you regret it.
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The ADA they send is something else, telling Harvey what he's going to do like Harvey's ever let anyone tell him what to do. If he agrees on what to do, he does it, but always his way. And if not, he makes sure he doesn't need to beg for forgiveness afterward. Harvey calls out his cockiness, outplays this lawyer's hand, and knocks him back against the ropes, like he does. )
Hey.
( Harvey only catches the end of the exchange, having walked out only minutes after Donna and who he thought was an overconfident hotshot. He'd remind Harvey of himself if he didn't pull this shit. Now his act is screaming mysoginy. )
I'd listen to her if I were you.
( He's never fought her battles for her, and they are in public, but he is this close to clocking this guy. )
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She also may have complained to Cora, in the process of inviting him, that it's weird that Derek is having more sex than her. Derek wishes that the two of them would stop dragging him into these conversations, and also stop talking about his sex life. No one gets what they want, because Cora still thinks she's right.
(Maybe she is. Maybe it has nothing to do with the fact that she doesn't like any of the wolves more than willing to bang her as much or more than she likes Parrish. Maybe it's because she wants this to be more than it is, but isn't quite ready to pull the trigger. Either way, she's sticking to her story about vacations, and ignoring her family's commentary.)
Still, after all of this, she's waiting outside the airport when he arrives, and as he passes through the doors of arrivals she flashes him a bright smile and waves eagerly, pushing up on her toes so he can see her over the heads of the crowd. Regardless, it's been months since she's been able to see him beyond texting and random phone calls, and she has missed him.
But she will admit it to no one.]
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He reminds himself that every day, but perks up every time a message comes through and it's Malia. She's taken to leaving long, rambling on-the-nose voice messages, and then he does the same, even while driving. One captured him spilling coffee on himself. But, that didn't ruin his day. It couldn't. He tells himself he's fine with keeping things casual because he knows they aren't.
Extenuating circumstances (Scott, hunters, the pack) keep her away from Beacon Hills for longer than both of them anticipate but they don't talk any less. He knows in his heart she's not seeing anyone, or even sleeping with anyone. How can she, when she went into hiding to fake Allison's death. Her life is crazier than his on any given day of the week, but he'd rather hear about it than anything else. Her phone calls are never random and he never sends her to voicemail.
Unless he's working or showering or cooking and then it's not his fault.
The sheriff sets him up on dates here and there and he goes to be polite. But, either the chemistry isn't there, or afterward they make some kind of comment. They didn't know he already liked someone, it's fine. The sheriff gets so far off, he sets him up with a guy because Parrish must be gay if he's turning down beautiful, professional women. He doesn't have the heart to correct the professional part, or to ask if he ... means they are professional, and still goes bowling with the guy. They laugh because it's not the first date they've been on with a straight guy. And straight or not, Parrish is hung up on someone else.
Thanks, everyone else in his life.
He stops mentioning Malia to his mother. Even calling her a friend.
He tries to initiate the talk more than once. But Malia dodges the question, ignores the question, steers things into X-rated territory, or drops the call altogether, blaming it on her brother's shitty cell phone carrier. (T-Mobile is reliable, the commercials even say it.) But, he doesn't press. Or push. He just waits.
Monroe's kill switch was pulled and hunters did not fare well against the hellhound they were unleashed upon. And then he gets a perfect opening and a vacation all in one. He's not going to say no. He's just going to buy his plane ticket, take vacation time he's accumulated (it's embarrassing how much), and wait impatiently on the flight from Beacon Hills to New Orleans.
He laughs as she reveals herself behind others waiting. The group between them seems to peel off naturally, revealing a beautiful, eager (but not too eager) girl he's excited to see.
Give him a little credit, but his first thought is taking her in whatever car she's brought. He's still a man. She can probably smell that. That's probably why they're both always ready, right on the edge. He tries to tamp that part of him down, just happy to be here. And yes, happy to be here.
But, happy to be invited. )
So, are you going to show me a whole new world?
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you just let my bold text live like that for WEEKS
sorry, sorry
lmao
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As she's ready to trade very old books with her boyfriend, her phone lights up on the table next to her, flashing Ezra's name. She scoops it up, before offering Dean a smile.]
I'm going to grab us some coffee. Be right back.
[Once she's retreated to the kitchen, she answers, sliding her phone between her shoulder and her ear.]
Hey, Ezra.
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It was supposed to be the first step.
And then someone pulled Monroe's kill switch. It scattered everyone, sent him and his husband back into the belly of the beast and separated he and Elena even further. Physically, and probably emotionally. So much for a slow mending.
With pieces being put into place and the decision not yet reached to throw the Gauntlet, he knows he owes her something. He believes it's never too late to salvage something that someone wants salvaged. And they're going to need allies.
Hearing his old friend's voice brings a smile to his face. Things were simpler than. Dishonest. But simpler. )
What are the odds you think we're going to be fired?
( He knows both he and Elena left the same night. Elena, straight from work. He doesn't know what Elena's said. He waited a little too long to ask for a leave of absence and missed the call probably granting him one. His eyes glaze over every time he attempts to look at his mysticfallsgen.com email. The impending massacre keeps him mentally preoccupied.
He has a purpose to this call. But, he hasn't earned the right to come out right away and ask for the favor. He needs to ease in. )
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It's sometimes good to take a break, but not having research to focus on leaves for a bit of a lull where two people might actually be able to have a conversation. And there's a conversation with Allison that he knows he's been avoiding. He knows that she has questions about the moment he froze on the boat, as well as his hovering, but he's not sure he's ready to have it.
Even for being the Winchester with all the feelings, he still has a hard time talking about his. Allison hangs up with the hunter in question and he tries to make some small talk.]
Anything big we need to worry about?
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No, nothing like the Gauntlet.
( For as dire as it sounds, their network of hunters isn't familiar with it. )
The Colony has done good work at keeping it to themselves.
( Considering how volatile it is. And that it feels more like a last resort, like they need to clear the game board completely and start over. Why would they make something like that common knowledge.
Routing hunters is productive. It's a smaller network than she's used to, but it feels like it did when she and her dad were first starting out, when they had to distinguish from Monroe's efforts. It's like flexing old muscles. It also serves as a good distraction.
Allison was on that boat, too. She knew how close the call was. It isn't her first brush with death and it isn't her first death. She hasn't had that talk with Sam, that she and Scott and Stiles gave up whole parts of themselves to help save their parents. That their hearts stopped for hours. She can feel Sam's eyes on her, remembers how he was on the boat, how worried, when he should be focusing on staying alive, himself, and keeping David alive, for that matter. She survived. All three of them survived. )
Everyone knows to keep an eye out for heightened witch activity, like the kind Caroline and Bonnie stumbled into at the B & B from hell.
( Being playful is easy. )
Other than that, all's quiet on - every front, but I assume that's by design. ( Okay, but they do have to talk about it, right? ) How are you doing?
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Everyone okay? There was some weird magic floating around and I'm not sure how far it went.
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Depends on where it originated. Were you near this?
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Something weird happened at the Mikaelsons. Is that a sheep?
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DONE
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just bonnie
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to the group | DONE
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DONE
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only to scott
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DONE
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DONE
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It's fun. Lydia can't think of the last time she had fun and didn't think of the consequences because as much as Damon intrigued her, everything around them had been too high pressure to be an escape. This feels something close to normal, and she appreciates it, even if it may only be a one off.
Harvey's already up when she wakes the next morning, and she slowly rouses, pulling her clothes back on and makes her way out into the main room where she left her purse and her phone. The scent of coffee is lingering in the air as Harvey lounges in the living room, sorting through papers, and she offers him a smile when he looks up.]
Morning. Coffee?
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( Harvey gets the idea once Donna calls it a night, but Stiles isn't his friend and he's a gentleman. He lets his charm and his smile communicate what he wants with Lydia. With Harvey being the last one standing and knowing Lydia is only traveling through town, it's an easy offer to take things back to his place.
The next morning, he lets Lydia get her rest. He lounges on his couch, settling into his default morning mode before a customary workout or early client meeting. Work. )
Good morning. And please. Feel free to use the espresso machine if you prefer it.
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[Liv is annoyed, but she does her best to say it with love. She knows that Luke is nervous about her meeting his new boyfriend - the fact that she's meeting him at all says a lot about how much Luke likes this boy.
They're being led to a table on the patio of this restaurant, and Luke is giving her a look like she knows why he's being ridiculous. She sighs.]
Contrary to popular belief, I do know how to behave. I'm not looking to torpedo your relationship any more than I'm looking to torpedo mine.
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( And she can be overprotective when it comes to him. Insisting Jo merge, going after Elena, taking him to dinner to show him that his major's going to take him nowhere. He said the same thing about her werewolf boyfriend, but, hey, that lasted.
He keeps an eye out as their led to their table, noting Jonathon's not there yet. )
And, maybe it's not about you. Maybe, I'm just nervous. I like him, okay. Actually like him.
( He's going to go into inappropriate gay detail but something catches his eye behind his sister cutting his words off abruptly.
He didn't know this place had an outdoor bar. No, that's not just it. Someone familiar is sitting at that outdoor bar, finger on the corner of a coaster he turns. )
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Questions she does not want to answer.
But, in Verdant, she can retreat to the VIP areas and most of the time be left alone, but also still be out and about in the world. And when Mickey gets escorted to the table that she's claimed for whoever of their group decides to show, she smiles.]
Hey, you made it. Zoe went to get drinks - if you want, I can text her.
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He moderates, which is Cooper's plan. Stick with two bags of blood a day. Switch between coffee and alcohol over the course of the day. He also does research on addicts, not going so far as to go to a meeting, but successfully naming his craving but not letting it hold power over him.
He was never made for the lap of luxury, but damn does he like it.
Mia gives him a chance, too. They've come a long way from lying in London. She also helps at giving him a social life beyond Wes, beyond Laurel Queen, and the side-eye he swears he feels from Oliver. It still doesn't feel like his friend group, but if he's honest with himself, when did he have his own friend group, not including the guys in the military, or in Monroe's outfit.
No, it's Cooper.
That's why he has to push himself to connect. Because Cooper was it. And he was too late realizing what that meant. His circumstances didn't help, either. He has nightmares about the Salvatores and about the day by the river.
He doesn't want to hang around Verdant, so it's only the third time he's been there when he goes to meet Mia. He stops off to get a drink from Wes, and to flirt. He actually has a smile on his face as he's escorted back to Mia's VIP hangout.
He holds up his own drink, that he's not sure he has to pay for, but he'll swing back around. If it's on the house, a tip is still in Wes' future. Sitting down, he does consider something. )
I wouldn't say no to shots.
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It's that pattern that lets Barry know he's in trouble. He knew that he shouldn't have trusted Mia and William with a secret that big, but he had hoped that they would see the value in it and keep their mouths shut. Now he's in trouble.
The third time it rings, Iris notices, and that's the end of Barry not answering his phone, because she rolls her eyes and immediately answers for him. "Hi, Oliver. What did my husband do now?"]
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That somehow doesn't make it okay. )
Hello, Iris. Can you put Barry on the phone?
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She doesn't necessarily mind, but she is surprised, eyeing him briefly before striding past him to her desk. She knows Max well enough to know that this isn't going to be a pleasant conversation, based just on the way he's sitting, but she doesn't want to draw attention to that quite yet.]
I didn't expect to see you until later.
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It's not that he would ever think his sister would unseat him. Though, he does know his family even before their ascension into
becomingthe inner circle, and every one of them have a ruthless streak. But that's how they were raised.Max, to be charming and Jaq, to terrifying. Both were expected to be cunning and diplomatic, of course. Of the four heirs, Max tows the shortest line. He's the face.
And now their best course of action is to betray everything he's ever known. It's not easy and it's crazy that his sister is so good at it. At strategizing. It's not the deaths that bother him. Or the collateral damage.
At the end of all of this, if the heirs are left standing, what next. Where does he fit in? )
I thought making an appointment was far too formal. You and I should talk. ( He studies her. ) How long have you and Sierra --
( He doesn't know how to put it into words, to define it. How long has she been aware of Sierra's whereabouts. When did it become Sierra and Jaqueline vs. Should he be watching his back now? Should David and Ezra? )
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He paces away briefly to get himself a blood bag, and after he downs it, moves to settle back into bed, curling up around Buffy and pressing a kiss against her shoulder.]
You're awake.
[He can tell by the way she holds tension - it's different when she's awake versus when she's asleep.]
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Stefan knows about Spike and Angel, especially what Spike meant to her. But, for Buffy, there are parts to her life that aren't just accessible, but, present. She comes at you at face value. She's an open book. She's only lived this one life but she's honest with it and about it.
Stefan has lived hundreds of years. Buffy was involved with Angel's history directly, Spike's history directly. She's only heard about Stefan's. Read more than she'd ever care to (Willow and Xander did the rest), but she has been there before, and she didn't see what she read, only whom she'd met, whom she'd come to know.
There are still pieces to him that are mysteries to her. She doesn't know if she wants to figure them out, or if they're even for her. She sleeps on and off throughout the night. When Stefan awakens, her eyes open. But, he leaves there bed and feeds - he needs to. He was weak. She doesn't begrudge him that. She knows he's a vampire. He returns, Buffy closing her eyes as his lips touch her shoulder.
He's okay.
She can't pretend she's not awake. If he can't feel it, he can certainly hear it. She turns, facing him, taking a moment to press her own, soft kiss to his lips. )
Morning. I think.
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Some storms are mild. Take only a few weeks to blow over, before things are fine again. This past storm in the summer of 1917? It was a hurricane. The kind that comes when Rhett is angry enough to wound and Scarlett is feral enough to strike back. She leaves them both, signing up with the Red Cross to be a nurse on the European front, because war, at least, is something she understands.
Months pass and Scarlett writes letters to Melanie, telling the plights of the bleak nature of the war. The mustard gas, the trenches, the twisted new weapons. It's a war intended to break even the most resolute mind, and when Scarlett's letters stop coming, Melanie begins to worry. She asks Rhett to come with her to find her, and Rhett refuses, wounds still fresh. So Melanie travels to Europe in the early months of 1918, alone, and makes her way to Paris. The last letter Scarlett sent was from France, so it seems the best place to start.
She climbs off the train, suitcase in one hand, eyes scanning the throng of people around her. A few easy steps carry her onto the platform when a familiar figure cuts into her line of vision:]
Damon?
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Wishing his brother an eternity of misery.
No, he's still going to make good. But, he can enjoy himself while he does it.
He doesn't have to stay in the shadows. He doesn't have to cower. He certainly doesn't have to feel guilty. And so he doesn't. He cuts ties with his brother and he does his own thing.
His own thing involves a ship crossing the Atlantic, something he could only dream of in his past life. He compels his way on board, takes an aristocrat's identity and has an endless parade of no-nothing, have nothing 3rd class boarders. And one engineer from down below. He delights in the revelry, takes in the novelty and decides to explore Europe.
He hears about a scintillating can-can club in Paris and he spends a few days there before it gets old. But, Europe is large, the possibilities are endless, and most points can be reached by train.
Which is where he runs into an old friend from the South. )
Melanie Hamilton. As I live.
( Maybe not breath. Hah. Get it? )
Last I heard, you joined the war effort.
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He doesn't think he was wrong, but he also knows he wasn't one hundred percent right either.
So that is what leads to him sitting on a bench outside of Lizzie's dorm room and trying to figure out how to broach this conversation. He decides to maybe text first:]
Can we talk?
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The world is also painfully small, as aunt Bonnie's new boyfriend is - yes - that Isaac "Sheep in Wolf's Clothing" Lahey.
One thing slightly worse than an unasked for call, an unasked for text.
They didn't leave things on ... good terms. She didn't think she left things on any terms. She doesn't immediately connect the question to her vamptrusion. )
Danny and I already did, you don't have to say anything.
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