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everyonelives2025-10-11 07:15 am
praevaricatio) wrote in everyonelives2025-10-11 07:15 am
BALTIMORE | EVERGREEN MANSION | MATT, JO, AND THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH
woodenbullets
2025-10-11 02:40 pm (UTC)(link)
( Blood has always been a powerful thing. Blood bonds. Blood keeps us alive. Blood courses through everything we do. Elena had been taken for her blood. The Colony's blood has been keeping them alive for centuries. Too much blood has been shed.
Especially tonight.
**
Once the action is over, Russell laughs. It's the end of a long curse for him, so Dean cuts the guy some slack. Sierra seems to have a different expression on her face. In the face of brutal death, what proceeds couldn't be called pleasantries, but politeness. People are introduced, dead bodies are explained.
At the top of the stairs, Dean presses harder. What did Matt do. It's made clear to him Matt didn't do anything. The spell Elena was under called him in, sort of like a spirit guide, but Elena guesses he was meant to be a distraction. He didn't do this, she swears. Can they all just get downstairs?
As Sierra leads them back down the third floor hallway, on the first, Stefan and Elijah take care of the final fleeing witches, while Jeremy and Buffy do a sweep of the first floor. He wants to be there when his sister comes down, to see she's in one piece, and Sam says that Dean messaged him. Like they all felt when it was done. Everyone's dead.
Jeremy and Buffy come upon a gruesome scene in the makeshift chapel.
Outside, Allison sits, bow poised, but not up, just in case. Sam has given her the signal. It's okay. But, she knows she should be out here in case there are runners.
There are always runners.
Years before, Jo Harvelle is released, her unwanted debt to Osiris with it. The lighter drops as gas pours into the small motel room. When she reappears, it's not at Peace, it's not in Heaven, but under the cover of a gray sky. Without the cloaking spell, the infernal night that covered is now an overcast gray.
Allison, at the ready, here's the change in weight when Jo materializes and her foot touches a pile of pebbles. She spins her crossbow around.
"Hands up," she says. )
Especially tonight.
**
Once the action is over, Russell laughs. It's the end of a long curse for him, so Dean cuts the guy some slack. Sierra seems to have a different expression on her face. In the face of brutal death, what proceeds couldn't be called pleasantries, but politeness. People are introduced, dead bodies are explained.
At the top of the stairs, Dean presses harder. What did Matt do. It's made clear to him Matt didn't do anything. The spell Elena was under called him in, sort of like a spirit guide, but Elena guesses he was meant to be a distraction. He didn't do this, she swears. Can they all just get downstairs?
As Sierra leads them back down the third floor hallway, on the first, Stefan and Elijah take care of the final fleeing witches, while Jeremy and Buffy do a sweep of the first floor. He wants to be there when his sister comes down, to see she's in one piece, and Sam says that Dean messaged him. Like they all felt when it was done. Everyone's dead.
Jeremy and Buffy come upon a gruesome scene in the makeshift chapel.
Outside, Allison sits, bow poised, but not up, just in case. Sam has given her the signal. It's okay. But, she knows she should be out here in case there are runners.
There are always runners.
Years before, Jo Harvelle is released, her unwanted debt to Osiris with it. The lighter drops as gas pours into the small motel room. When she reappears, it's not at Peace, it's not in Heaven, but under the cover of a gray sky. Without the cloaking spell, the infernal night that covered is now an overcast gray.
Allison, at the ready, here's the change in weight when Jo materializes and her foot touches a pile of pebbles. She spins her crossbow around.
"Hands up," she says. )
Edited 2025-10-11 18:46 (UTC)
( Blood has always had a ripple effect.
The girls of Can Can Seattle are throwing an impromptu bachelorette party for one of their own. They're hooting and hollering. It's a miracle Tess let them use the space, but her only rules are any girls working that night can't get so toe up they need to swap shifts, Ally can't and shouldn't work tonight, it's her day, and Jack can't set foot inside the establishment.
Sean's handling the bachelor party anyway.
What's better than a bunch of horny, drunk women, men doing their best burlesque routine. Mostly men. There are two women so lifts can be done and when they're not performing, shots can be passed around. It's a full service company.
The girls are off stage while the more R-rated routine is going on. Coordinating strip-choreography, boas, and very well-sized g-strings are doing their thing.
One girl suddenly yells, "Booo, make him take it off, too!"
All the men, of course, have. Auggie looks to Cameron, who - doesn't have much left on besides what they like to call floss. But, as they look to Rodney and Quentin, and the backups behind them pull off their pants and reveal their asslessness, palms slap those asses.
As they bend upwards, turn, and gyrate off stage they reveal a man who wasn't there a moment ago, right? No, because, this was a closed event. But he looked shellshocked. Less than the older woman who's also appeared. She seems to be assessing, perhaps ready to have just ended up here.
"Simone, did you invite your grandma," Nikki asks, looking up from texting Marcus for the fifth time that day. )
The girls of Can Can Seattle are throwing an impromptu bachelorette party for one of their own. They're hooting and hollering. It's a miracle Tess let them use the space, but her only rules are any girls working that night can't get so toe up they need to swap shifts, Ally can't and shouldn't work tonight, it's her day, and Jack can't set foot inside the establishment.
Sean's handling the bachelor party anyway.
What's better than a bunch of horny, drunk women, men doing their best burlesque routine. Mostly men. There are two women so lifts can be done and when they're not performing, shots can be passed around. It's a full service company.
The girls are off stage while the more R-rated routine is going on. Coordinating strip-choreography, boas, and very well-sized g-strings are doing their thing.
One girl suddenly yells, "Booo, make him take it off, too!"
All the men, of course, have. Auggie looks to Cameron, who - doesn't have much left on besides what they like to call floss. But, as they look to Rodney and Quentin, and the backups behind them pull off their pants and reveal their asslessness, palms slap those asses.
As they bend upwards, turn, and gyrate off stage they reveal a man who wasn't there a moment ago, right? No, because, this was a closed event. But he looked shellshocked. Less than the older woman who's also appeared. She seems to be assessing, perhaps ready to have just ended up here.
"Simone, did you invite your grandma," Nikki asks, looking up from texting Marcus for the fifth time that day. )
( One minute the road is empty, quiet, the Mystic Falls sign sits, bathed in what little sunlight peeks through the overcast sky. A bus approaches an empty bench. It passes, stopping for the two people now sitting on the bench - looking like they're waiting. It actually takes the bus a little too long to stop, the familiar engine and muffler coming to life as it backs up to reach the bus stop again.
It opens the doors in front of the man - sexist, Carol might think, the bus driver leaning forward.
"I almost didn't see you there. Light must be playing tricks on me. You coming?"
The last he remembers, Charlie the well-meaning fireman was being broken up with by Wynonna Earp, the hottest girl he has probably ever been with. Word around Purgatory is Charlie is way too nice for a girl like that, but Charlie's got his dirty side too and she learns that. Except, there are other things, glimpses behind the eyes of someone else. He's not just Charlie. He is, he is Charlie, but he's more than that and that has him a little dazed as he remembers being attacked by Doc, the vampire and meeting the daughter he now thinks doesn't math out right.
The bus driver takes a step down from his seat and comes out to ask the woman, then.
"He alright? Do I need to call someone?" )
It opens the doors in front of the man - sexist, Carol might think, the bus driver leaning forward.
"I almost didn't see you there. Light must be playing tricks on me. You coming?"
The last he remembers, Charlie the well-meaning fireman was being broken up with by Wynonna Earp, the hottest girl he has probably ever been with. Word around Purgatory is Charlie is way too nice for a girl like that, but Charlie's got his dirty side too and she learns that. Except, there are other things, glimpses behind the eyes of someone else. He's not just Charlie. He is, he is Charlie, but he's more than that and that has him a little dazed as he remembers being attacked by Doc, the vampire and meeting the daughter he now thinks doesn't math out right.
The bus driver takes a step down from his seat and comes out to ask the woman, then.
"He alright? Do I need to call someone?" )
Edited 2025-10-11 18:38 (UTC)
( She wakes up on a large stump.
Much like she remembers waking up with a gasp in that ring of fire. The agonizing last few minutes of her life play through her mind as she fights tears at the corner of her eyes. ) Elena ( She gathers herself, sniffing back sadness, as she slides off the stump - ow, there is an edge to that stump and almost steps on - is that a person?
Pushing past and dropping next to the body, she goes into - she doesn't even know, her brother-in-law was a doctor, is it triage? Mode? And she rolls the - oh no, naked - woman over. Removing her coat, she covers the woman. An impulse she's never had and has never wanted to experience - never even thought about experiencing even after the few hours she had to learn about the supernatural - comes over her. She can hear the woman's faint pulse. ) Alive, you're alive.
( She sits back, looking away, fighting the urge and the red around her eyes. )
We're not doing this now. We're getting answers. We're -- getting her and us away from Klaus and then we're going to stop talking to ourselves.
( She moves forward again to rouse the woman, shaking her lightly. ) Hey, you have to wake up.
( Liz was done. She did her job. She came out the other side a beautiful parent proud of her extraordinary daughter. And then she succumbed to her natural causes.
Something feels very different as she comes into herself again, standing. She had been with Carol Lockwood, doing something. She decides the further from her Peace she is, the more it must blur. She doesn't recognize her surroundings. But, apparently, her clothes came with her. Not a hospital gown. That would be something to explain.
Getting her bearings, he scans around her before spotting:
"Jenna Sommers?" )
Much like she remembers waking up with a gasp in that ring of fire. The agonizing last few minutes of her life play through her mind as she fights tears at the corner of her eyes. ) Elena ( She gathers herself, sniffing back sadness, as she slides off the stump - ow, there is an edge to that stump and almost steps on - is that a person?
Pushing past and dropping next to the body, she goes into - she doesn't even know, her brother-in-law was a doctor, is it triage? Mode? And she rolls the - oh no, naked - woman over. Removing her coat, she covers the woman. An impulse she's never had and has never wanted to experience - never even thought about experiencing even after the few hours she had to learn about the supernatural - comes over her. She can hear the woman's faint pulse. ) Alive, you're alive.
( She sits back, looking away, fighting the urge and the red around her eyes. )
We're not doing this now. We're getting answers. We're -- getting her and us away from Klaus and then we're going to stop talking to ourselves.
( She moves forward again to rouse the woman, shaking her lightly. ) Hey, you have to wake up.
( Liz was done. She did her job. She came out the other side a beautiful parent proud of her extraordinary daughter. And then she succumbed to her natural causes.
Something feels very different as she comes into herself again, standing. She had been with Carol Lockwood, doing something. She decides the further from her Peace she is, the more it must blur. She doesn't recognize her surroundings. But, apparently, her clothes came with her. Not a hospital gown. That would be something to explain.
Getting her bearings, he scans around her before spotting:
"Jenna Sommers?" )
( There's a calmness that settles over you, she'd explain to anyone, when you realize the life you're living isn't yours to live. When a nondescript ship's maiden voyage was supposed to capsize. When the marriage which irked you to holy hell on its' best days, but that you'd fight tooth and nail for to keep - isn't right either. You keep it from your other half. (You're the better half and he don't forget it.) You do the kind thing. You wait for oblivion. Cause you're not gonna remember it. You're a cosmic loose end.
And then you fall into literal mud.
It's gross and damp and hot because of the trees around you. Around her. Around Ellen Harvelle.
Her first thought would be she needs a shower, but she's been through the dirt, the grime, mudwrestled a vampire before. This is nothing. )
I'm gonna kill those boys.
( She gets to her feet, wiping her hands on her pants before grabbing for her phone. )
No damn signal. 'Course not. Cause if you'dve jumped me anywhere else, you know I'd be speed dialing your sorry asses...
And then you fall into literal mud.
It's gross and damp and hot because of the trees around you. Around her. Around Ellen Harvelle.
Her first thought would be she needs a shower, but she's been through the dirt, the grime, mudwrestled a vampire before. This is nothing. )
I'm gonna kill those boys.
( She gets to her feet, wiping her hands on her pants before grabbing for her phone. )
No damn signal. 'Course not. Cause if you'dve jumped me anywhere else, you know I'd be speed dialing your sorry asses...
( The Salvatore siblings have, for the most part, been kept out of everything directly supernatural. When they were old enough, their parents never shied away from their pasts, what their dad was, who their uncle was, what aunt Caroline and Bonnie are. Cousin Josie. The list goes on. For the most part, they're raised with a normal childhood. Forbidden from seeing Salvatore: The Musical. Private school is discussed but decided against. Damon is in the against category. His kids are already special and he wants to use the money on better things. The kids do get to travel because their parents never did. They fly to see their aunt Caroline before she returns to take back her headmistress mantle. Aunt Bonnie is always somewhere sending postcards. And one particular birthday, they each received blood from both Caroline and Bonnie and they were asked not not disclose that.
Gray's world is rocked earlier than his sister's. An old enemy of his father surfaces and, first, befriends him, looking like his age. He makes him feel like he belongs, like his town does have a legacy. The new kid also gets into the historical society. And then the new kid kidnaps him and uses him as leverage and kind of poisons his mind about how horrible his dad was at one time.
He tries laughing it off, agrees to go to therapy at the Salvatore School with Ms. Tig.
It hurts. It's impossible to reconcile and he acts a lot more like his sister for a few months. After a run-in with the new sheriff, his mother gets him out of trouble, has a frank discussion about alcohol (that goes all ways and it's the first time he realizes his dad might have a problem), and then she promises to answer anything honestly. She even gifts her embarrassing journals. For his research. He reminds her of Miranda.
He goes off to Whittemore, more because it's technically his parents' legacy. He protests one of the Augustine societies which is now much more an on campus fraternity and even gets them shut down.
He has a damn fine first year.
Halfway through his sophomore and her freshman year, he has a bright idea, to spend winter break in New Orleans. A) to party like they should not at the Falls or the Old Mill (they snuck their twice) and B) to get out of their own heads. Finals are a bitch, vacation doesn't have to be. He even convinces their mom and dad to meet them a few days later so they can celebrate Christmas as a family.
He even pays for everything. He's a good brother.
Lenore, the proprietor is nice enough, if kooky. Very old British, which confuses him. He annoys his sister asking about the French history of the quarter. And then they never see her again. Which, he assumes, is how air b and b's work. This is his first.
After waking up from a leisurely nap, he showers. It's during that shower when things shift. The water catches, like they're a sudden clog, and then it resumes, except it is cold, cold and he has to get out. Not. Cool.
Returning to his room, he quickly dries and dresses before noticing something in the mirror. Something anyone else wouldn't notice, but he's a details guy. She tugs his shirt down and turns to look at the bedspread. Had Lenore come in while he was showering and -- change the sheets?
Barefoot, he heads past his sister's room to check the living room, and the door - which is still locked. The TV's still playing whatever MTV show is on mute. He calls out to his sister. Is he there? Maybe she went exploring while he napped. Or, did a really weird load of laundry because she couldn't nap. )
Steph? You here?
Gray's world is rocked earlier than his sister's. An old enemy of his father surfaces and, first, befriends him, looking like his age. He makes him feel like he belongs, like his town does have a legacy. The new kid also gets into the historical society. And then the new kid kidnaps him and uses him as leverage and kind of poisons his mind about how horrible his dad was at one time.
He tries laughing it off, agrees to go to therapy at the Salvatore School with Ms. Tig.
It hurts. It's impossible to reconcile and he acts a lot more like his sister for a few months. After a run-in with the new sheriff, his mother gets him out of trouble, has a frank discussion about alcohol (that goes all ways and it's the first time he realizes his dad might have a problem), and then she promises to answer anything honestly. She even gifts her embarrassing journals. For his research. He reminds her of Miranda.
He goes off to Whittemore, more because it's technically his parents' legacy. He protests one of the Augustine societies which is now much more an on campus fraternity and even gets them shut down.
He has a damn fine first year.
Halfway through his sophomore and her freshman year, he has a bright idea, to spend winter break in New Orleans. A) to party like they should not at the Falls or the Old Mill (they snuck their twice) and B) to get out of their own heads. Finals are a bitch, vacation doesn't have to be. He even convinces their mom and dad to meet them a few days later so they can celebrate Christmas as a family.
He even pays for everything. He's a good brother.
Lenore, the proprietor is nice enough, if kooky. Very old British, which confuses him. He annoys his sister asking about the French history of the quarter. And then they never see her again. Which, he assumes, is how air b and b's work. This is his first.
After waking up from a leisurely nap, he showers. It's during that shower when things shift. The water catches, like they're a sudden clog, and then it resumes, except it is cold, cold and he has to get out. Not. Cool.
Returning to his room, he quickly dries and dresses before noticing something in the mirror. Something anyone else wouldn't notice, but he's a details guy. She tugs his shirt down and turns to look at the bedspread. Had Lenore come in while he was showering and -- change the sheets?
Barefoot, he heads past his sister's room to check the living room, and the door - which is still locked. The TV's still playing whatever MTV show is on mute. He calls out to his sister. Is he there? Maybe she went exploring while he napped. Or, did a really weird load of laundry because she couldn't nap. )
Steph? You here?
Edited 2025-10-11 16:07 (UTC)
I'm telling the truth.
( The brunette speaks as Jody gets back from her lunch break. The woman in handcuffs is dressed in a paper gown tries walking closer to the officer walking away, but the line catches to the bench she's been attached to. )
If you can just get me in touch with someone from Wolfram and Hart. I'm not crazy and I did not break into that laundromat. Why would anyone break into a laundromat?
( The officer pointedly looks her up and down. Without clothes. Barefoot. )
Okay, yes, I see why someone - not me - would break into the laundromat. But it was closed. People don't do laundry when it's closed. If I was trying to find clothes I could change into then it wouldn't be a very good plan, would it?
( The police officer shuts the drawer after filing some important file, not about her case, which is a case! "Your words." )
I swear, I woke up inside the laundromat.
( "Then why can't you tell me where you were before you woke up inside that laundromat?" the officer asks. Which is a valid question. )
I told you, it - it wouldn't make sense to you and I wanted to avoid this. ( She holds her shackled wrists up. ) I get one phone call!
( The brunette speaks as Jody gets back from her lunch break. The woman in handcuffs is dressed in a paper gown tries walking closer to the officer walking away, but the line catches to the bench she's been attached to. )
If you can just get me in touch with someone from Wolfram and Hart. I'm not crazy and I did not break into that laundromat. Why would anyone break into a laundromat?
( The officer pointedly looks her up and down. Without clothes. Barefoot. )
Okay, yes, I see why someone - not me - would break into the laundromat. But it was closed. People don't do laundry when it's closed. If I was trying to find clothes I could change into then it wouldn't be a very good plan, would it?
( The police officer shuts the drawer after filing some important file, not about her case, which is a case! "Your words." )
I swear, I woke up inside the laundromat.
( "Then why can't you tell me where you were before you woke up inside that laundromat?" the officer asks. Which is a valid question. )
I told you, it - it wouldn't make sense to you and I wanted to avoid this. ( She holds her shackled wrists up. ) I get one phone call!
( Immolation. Hurts. Not as much as disappointing your daughter, surprisingly, but it does come close. There's a quick, burning agony, her daughter witnessing what she'd been compelled to do, her colossal disappointment and then everything goes black. No sound. No sun.
Well, some sun.
Some sun breaks through the windows of the store that's been locked down for the day, illuminating locked display cases, mannequin heads, and two women lying face down in the middle of it all, as if they were cosmically chosen to end up together.
Her fingers move first, like she's testing if she has them. Digitally tapping the rug beneath her, Isobel moves to rub the surface, fingers running along - not a rug, carpet. She sticks a head up, looking around her. Like a cat, she sits up and back sitting on her back legs. Her eyes settle on the other woman.
Her hands check for her - no - there is no necklace - because she's torn it off.
She checks with her system. She doesn't have - the desire or the compulsion - she's herself. That's something. Balancing on her heels, she leaves the woman there for the time being to stand fully before a beam of light hits her cheek and starts to singe. She seethes, dropping back down.
Because it's day. She huffs, sitting back down, stretching a leg out.
Moving forward, she goes to crawl, reaching an arm out. No light this low. She must look ridiculous. Speeding over to the woman, not at her side, she peers down at her. She hears a heartbeat. Human. And, as she rolls her over. Covered in blood. Had she sacrificed something for her? Or is this a coincidence? Is this Klaus? She sits back, before shaking the other woman. It's the only way she'll get answers. )
Wake up.
Well, some sun.
Some sun breaks through the windows of the store that's been locked down for the day, illuminating locked display cases, mannequin heads, and two women lying face down in the middle of it all, as if they were cosmically chosen to end up together.
Her fingers move first, like she's testing if she has them. Digitally tapping the rug beneath her, Isobel moves to rub the surface, fingers running along - not a rug, carpet. She sticks a head up, looking around her. Like a cat, she sits up and back sitting on her back legs. Her eyes settle on the other woman.
Her hands check for her - no - there is no necklace - because she's torn it off.
She checks with her system. She doesn't have - the desire or the compulsion - she's herself. That's something. Balancing on her heels, she leaves the woman there for the time being to stand fully before a beam of light hits her cheek and starts to singe. She seethes, dropping back down.
Because it's day. She huffs, sitting back down, stretching a leg out.
Moving forward, she goes to crawl, reaching an arm out. No light this low. She must look ridiculous. Speeding over to the woman, not at her side, she peers down at her. She hears a heartbeat. Human. And, as she rolls her over. Covered in blood. Had she sacrificed something for her? Or is this a coincidence? Is this Klaus? She sits back, before shaking the other woman. It's the only way she'll get answers. )
Wake up.
Edited 2025-10-11 16:06 (UTC)
( she thinks they're both itching for an actual case, but she knows they both want a much-needed vacation as well. she's always taken to vacations better than her boyfriend, but hunters aren't built for them. she insists they go to chicago and do it right before making any other decisions. also, she wants veto power for anything going forward. doing one favor cost them months off the radar. hunter credibility is a real thing. people probably think they've died.
she directs him to an address she's never disclosed to him before, a nice condominium overlooking navy pier. she insists he parks. she had fished out her parking pass at the rest stop twenty miles back and she has it ready to display on the dash.
she lets him know it's hers.
the condo?
the building.
armand greets her from the front desk, comes around and kisses her hand. politely, she brings it back and down and she introduces her boyfriend. armand is - shocked is a polite way of putting it - katherine doesn't introduce people. and the last time she brought someone here, well, the last time he asked about mason, he was told that mason had died. and that was a very long time ago.
the elevator takes them up to the penthouse. katherine slips the elevator key into his jacket pocket with a smirk.
the elevators open to an open concept layout with a loft-style bedroom up above and a view she did kill for. she lets damian step out first. )
What do you think?
she directs him to an address she's never disclosed to him before, a nice condominium overlooking navy pier. she insists he parks. she had fished out her parking pass at the rest stop twenty miles back and she has it ready to display on the dash.
she lets him know it's hers.
the condo?
the building.
armand greets her from the front desk, comes around and kisses her hand. politely, she brings it back and down and she introduces her boyfriend. armand is - shocked is a polite way of putting it - katherine doesn't introduce people. and the last time she brought someone here, well, the last time he asked about mason, he was told that mason had died. and that was a very long time ago.
the elevator takes them up to the penthouse. katherine slips the elevator key into his jacket pocket with a smirk.
the elevators open to an open concept layout with a loft-style bedroom up above and a view she did kill for. she lets damian step out first. )
What do you think?
( something happens when a habit finally breaks. there's a release from the obligation. the same thing happens when a curse breaks. he feels it all at once. he assumes his siblings do, too, but there's no reason to talk about it out loud. the weight holding them down their entire lives - it's been lifted.
and what does shepherd do?
he screws everything up.
nah, that's not a fair assessment. but, after watching his ancestor disintegrate into nothingness, well, he feels life is fleeting. the first thing everyone does is get breakfast. bloody mary's or mimosas. one has to be chosen, there is no option for neither. rowena gets one of each. there is a large cheers to a job well done.
what there isn't is a discussion about what shepherd pulled. not only the massive win for all Gemini kind, but the impulse he followed. his lips. annie's lips. lips met. and then he kept her close. but, highs don't last. his last mentor would know that.
everyone separates in the hotel lobby. a job well done sits silently on every expression. a promise and the knowledge that nobody has ever done what this group has done. everyone has calls to make or sleep to catch up on, or in shepherd's case, as he lets annie close the door to their room behind them, a talk.
he's always been way too good at talk.
unless that talk is about something.
he can't shipp his was out of this, but he also doesn't want to. he just doesn't know how to proceed. so, he cracks open two beers to start. he hands one to his best friend and clicks the bottle against hers. )
Thanks. For coming with me.
and what does shepherd do?
he screws everything up.
nah, that's not a fair assessment. but, after watching his ancestor disintegrate into nothingness, well, he feels life is fleeting. the first thing everyone does is get breakfast. bloody mary's or mimosas. one has to be chosen, there is no option for neither. rowena gets one of each. there is a large cheers to a job well done.
what there isn't is a discussion about what shepherd pulled. not only the massive win for all Gemini kind, but the impulse he followed. his lips. annie's lips. lips met. and then he kept her close. but, highs don't last. his last mentor would know that.
everyone separates in the hotel lobby. a job well done sits silently on every expression. a promise and the knowledge that nobody has ever done what this group has done. everyone has calls to make or sleep to catch up on, or in shepherd's case, as he lets annie close the door to their room behind them, a talk.
he's always been way too good at talk.
unless that talk is about something.
he can't shipp his was out of this, but he also doesn't want to. he just doesn't know how to proceed. so, he cracks open two beers to start. he hands one to his best friend and clicks the bottle against hers. )
Thanks. For coming with me.
( The Parker siblings stay behind in the quaint diner, ordering another round. They're young and wired. )
Rowena's how old?
( Like any siblings, before anything serious is discussed, gossip is the first priority. They've already talked about their brother's kiss - not the time, Rowena's might, and Freya's power. But they haven't talked about the spirits. Or, their dad and uncle. Or, Tyler and Robin, if anything feels like it changes with them.
For the first time, their lives aren't on hold.
Have they always been?
But they're not talking about that. They're talking about the fries they must have. And the gross bathroom. And the costumes that people are still wearing this early in the morning. Maybe they work here, Liv says. And the children that almost come inside with their parents and both siblings hold their breath until they keep moving.
They dodged chattering, loud bullets.
They also ended their dark legacy.
But, they also need refills. )
Rowena's how old?
( Like any siblings, before anything serious is discussed, gossip is the first priority. They've already talked about their brother's kiss - not the time, Rowena's might, and Freya's power. But they haven't talked about the spirits. Or, their dad and uncle. Or, Tyler and Robin, if anything feels like it changes with them.
For the first time, their lives aren't on hold.
Have they always been?
But they're not talking about that. They're talking about the fries they must have. And the gross bathroom. And the costumes that people are still wearing this early in the morning. Maybe they work here, Liv says. And the children that almost come inside with their parents and both siblings hold their breath until they keep moving.
They dodged chattering, loud bullets.
They also ended their dark legacy.
But, they also need refills. )
( the heirs leave their parents bodies where they are. at least, in the immediate aftermath.
max should probably be feeling more overwhelmed. he contributed to his mother's death. except, this was his mother's body, not his mother. and as soon as she started implying certain things and moving into slimy, sleazy, centuries-old slutty territory, he was out.
also, he was fucking stabbed.
that's what he's not dealing with great. his mom. celeste. whatever the hell name she went by. she's compost. not worth his shock. but he almost died. because he lost it and gave her the advantage he was looking for. he can still feel the knife. feel like he was experiencing his slip slip away and out of his hands. he brings a finger to his lips, tasting the blood bela fed him.
he starts the clock. 24 hours.
he has other things he's thinking about. like, rusty's one-time long ago love for the woman that was inside his mom's body. that was a visual he just didn't need. and her baseless claim that rusty cared about him. where are the receipts, huh? he does have questions. like if rusty's curse is done. is he dead now? eventually? he gets to die? in how long. should he care.
he shouldn't care.
he does care.
the cold bannister feels nice against his forehead as he sits on one of the steps leading down to the main level. his hand absently grazes where the knife went through, his shirt still sporting a hole and dried blood.
he's alive. his sister's alive.
which is where he should go next. he wants to go find rusty, which is why as he stands, he decides to find his sister.
properly congratulate her on his wedding.
fuck, where's his husband? )
max should probably be feeling more overwhelmed. he contributed to his mother's death. except, this was his mother's body, not his mother. and as soon as she started implying certain things and moving into slimy, sleazy, centuries-old slutty territory, he was out.
also, he was fucking stabbed.
that's what he's not dealing with great. his mom. celeste. whatever the hell name she went by. she's compost. not worth his shock. but he almost died. because he lost it and gave her the advantage he was looking for. he can still feel the knife. feel like he was experiencing his slip slip away and out of his hands. he brings a finger to his lips, tasting the blood bela fed him.
he starts the clock. 24 hours.
he has other things he's thinking about. like, rusty's one-time long ago love for the woman that was inside his mom's body. that was a visual he just didn't need. and her baseless claim that rusty cared about him. where are the receipts, huh? he does have questions. like if rusty's curse is done. is he dead now? eventually? he gets to die? in how long. should he care.
he shouldn't care.
he does care.
the cold bannister feels nice against his forehead as he sits on one of the steps leading down to the main level. his hand absently grazes where the knife went through, his shirt still sporting a hole and dried blood.
he's alive. his sister's alive.
which is where he should go next. he wants to go find rusty, which is why as he stands, he decides to find his sister.
properly congratulate her on his wedding.
fuck, where's his husband? )
( it isn't often that emi ends up at other locations, much preferring her perch in california. but, business happens. her brothers bail and she has to show face. something else is happening, something else is brewing and the hunters have been feeling it. there's a rise in deaths, both civilian and hunter, and after investigating, witch.
emi knows where this is coming from. she has an in. but she holds things close to her vest and looks after her people.
she doesn't sound the alarm and create panic.
there is no formal rule in her casinos, that witches or other supernaturals can't come in, but there is an alert they get when they get one. it's a signature. in this case: two. not human. magic.
witch.
emi chooses the witches she entrusts, but all others, she doesn't. it's just her thing. witches are crafty. witches are out for themselves. and witches strike hard.
the zhaos are a witch family she trusts, or did, before they disappeared off the face of the fucking planet. ignoring her calls, especially when she learned about this gauntlet and her boyfriend's resurrection. unfortunately for everyone ever, once emi writes you off, you're gone. fortunately for elton, when he parks himself at her casino's bar, she's the one who's alerted. she's the one who recognizes his face and instructs her security not to do anything.
she says it without meaning. he's harmless. he's not. he's got a fire in him. she can see it in his eyes. maybe he's been gone for actual reasons. is this him asking for help?
it's a curious place for him to be.
downstairs, on the floor, emi walks into the hunter's bar. because, that is what this is. not all of her casinos have them. but this one does. it's empty, because it's late in the day. no happy hour yet. just a really sad witch. from behind him, she gestures to her bartender, another for him and one for me. same.
she slips onto the seat next to him. )
I'd say some people call beforehand, but you'd have to be answering my calls for me to answer yours. You look certifiably desperate.
emi knows where this is coming from. she has an in. but she holds things close to her vest and looks after her people.
she doesn't sound the alarm and create panic.
there is no formal rule in her casinos, that witches or other supernaturals can't come in, but there is an alert they get when they get one. it's a signature. in this case: two. not human. magic.
witch.
emi chooses the witches she entrusts, but all others, she doesn't. it's just her thing. witches are crafty. witches are out for themselves. and witches strike hard.
the zhaos are a witch family she trusts, or did, before they disappeared off the face of the fucking planet. ignoring her calls, especially when she learned about this gauntlet and her boyfriend's resurrection. unfortunately for everyone ever, once emi writes you off, you're gone. fortunately for elton, when he parks himself at her casino's bar, she's the one who's alerted. she's the one who recognizes his face and instructs her security not to do anything.
she says it without meaning. he's harmless. he's not. he's got a fire in him. she can see it in his eyes. maybe he's been gone for actual reasons. is this him asking for help?
it's a curious place for him to be.
downstairs, on the floor, emi walks into the hunter's bar. because, that is what this is. not all of her casinos have them. but this one does. it's empty, because it's late in the day. no happy hour yet. just a really sad witch. from behind him, she gestures to her bartender, another for him and one for me. same.
she slips onto the seat next to him. )
I'd say some people call beforehand, but you'd have to be answering my calls for me to answer yours. You look certifiably desperate.
Edited 2025-10-11 18:51 (UTC)
( Jeremy doesn't search as hard as someone else (Buffy), because he's preoccupied. After coming upon the bloody scene in the chapel, he begs out completely and Buffy says she'll finish the sweep. Go get his sister.
As he comes around the side of the stairs, his sister makes it down with her group. Like Dean, he's momentarily distracted by Matt, but then he sees his sister. She's okay, but bleeding through her hand covering her arm, but alive.
She says she's fine. She insists and just asks him to find Ezra because she needs to be stitched up. He tells her Ezra's not in a great position to help her but from behind him the man itself says, "I'm good. Let's take a look at that, shall we?"
There's a small room off the first floor they used for things like these, smaller injuries, first aid, and Elena finds herself sitting, holding gauze to her arm while Ezra gets what he needs. Returning, he sets the supplies down and then rolls his chair over to her.
"Okay, let's see what we're working with," he says. )
As he comes around the side of the stairs, his sister makes it down with her group. Like Dean, he's momentarily distracted by Matt, but then he sees his sister. She's okay, but bleeding through her hand covering her arm, but alive.
She says she's fine. She insists and just asks him to find Ezra because she needs to be stitched up. He tells her Ezra's not in a great position to help her but from behind him the man itself says, "I'm good. Let's take a look at that, shall we?"
There's a small room off the first floor they used for things like these, smaller injuries, first aid, and Elena finds herself sitting, holding gauze to her arm while Ezra gets what he needs. Returning, he sets the supplies down and then rolls his chair over to her.
"Okay, let's see what we're working with," he says. )
( Ezra takes Elena while Dean nods to David, who seems to take charge of the entire scene.
At first, Sam and Dean are called to the second body drop of the day: Jo Harvelle and that goes about as how you'd think it goes, but it's still playing out. Suffice it to say, Dean does leave Jo with Sam and Allison and eventually Matt before going back inside to meet back up with his now stitched up girlfriend.
All that said, he owes something to someone and he doesn't really know how to say it. Or do it. Or, if he even wants to.
But, in his mind, grudges aren't going to do him any good. And a lot's apparently going wonky. So, he feels like having an ally is better than holding her feet to the fire. He has a son now. And the bile in his throat that threatens to come up every time he hears her name -- it's gone. He tests it out on his mind. He thinks of her differently now. She also saved the two wildcard witches. Though, Ezra gets a lot of points back at the end of this. Elijah's also not that half bad - and a snappy dresser. But that's neither here nor there.
He waits for Bela to check in with Max and Ezra and little Gilbert and do her spiel everyone sees coming. Take care of themselves for the next twenty-four hours, or else there will be ever harder decisions that must be made. Not to mention what that could mean for their coven.
She must sense Dean is behind her, because she gives a chance for that to sink in with the men as she turns around.
Well, don't make him say it. )
At first, Sam and Dean are called to the second body drop of the day: Jo Harvelle and that goes about as how you'd think it goes, but it's still playing out. Suffice it to say, Dean does leave Jo with Sam and Allison and eventually Matt before going back inside to meet back up with his now stitched up girlfriend.
All that said, he owes something to someone and he doesn't really know how to say it. Or do it. Or, if he even wants to.
But, in his mind, grudges aren't going to do him any good. And a lot's apparently going wonky. So, he feels like having an ally is better than holding her feet to the fire. He has a son now. And the bile in his throat that threatens to come up every time he hears her name -- it's gone. He tests it out on his mind. He thinks of her differently now. She also saved the two wildcard witches. Though, Ezra gets a lot of points back at the end of this. Elijah's also not that half bad - and a snappy dresser. But that's neither here nor there.
He waits for Bela to check in with Max and Ezra and little Gilbert and do her spiel everyone sees coming. Take care of themselves for the next twenty-four hours, or else there will be ever harder decisions that must be made. Not to mention what that could mean for their coven.
She must sense Dean is behind her, because she gives a chance for that to sink in with the men as she turns around.
Well, don't make him say it. )
( ezra is hungry.
it's probably not what he should be feeling, but he is.
so he takes it upon himself to let elena have all of her reunions and thank you's and he disappears into the back kitchen, sticking a head in the fridge. he finds deli meats and enough bread and - oh, mixed salad - to feed the dead coven. he contemplates doing a spread and thinks it may be in poor taste. maybe he should stick to sandwiches for the heirs. here's a job well done sandwich? it doesn't feel like enough. and again, a little insulting. they did a big thing. he did a dark, big - thing.
and so he starts to make one sandwich. he makes it with care. he cuts it in half and then he holds the knife in his hand. looking down at it, he can picture his husband's mother standing there. her eyes egging him on. or maybe he's telling himself that. maybe she couldn't do anything. she was frozen in place.
the blade feels right in his hand, like it's always belonged there. he can see a little of his own distorted reflection in the polished steel. it wouldn't take much to just... )
it's probably not what he should be feeling, but he is.
so he takes it upon himself to let elena have all of her reunions and thank you's and he disappears into the back kitchen, sticking a head in the fridge. he finds deli meats and enough bread and - oh, mixed salad - to feed the dead coven. he contemplates doing a spread and thinks it may be in poor taste. maybe he should stick to sandwiches for the heirs. here's a job well done sandwich? it doesn't feel like enough. and again, a little insulting. they did a big thing. he did a dark, big - thing.
and so he starts to make one sandwich. he makes it with care. he cuts it in half and then he holds the knife in his hand. looking down at it, he can picture his husband's mother standing there. her eyes egging him on. or maybe he's telling himself that. maybe she couldn't do anything. she was frozen in place.
the blade feels right in his hand, like it's always belonged there. he can see a little of his own distorted reflection in the polished steel. it wouldn't take much to just... )
( Sierra recedes.
After Rusty laughs and the cavalry comes together, she fades into the background and finds the old piano she used to play as a kid. People move around her, or in the main room and, of course, the chapel, but Sierra just sits.
She thinks back to her childhood. She always had loving parents. They encouraged her and signed her up for everything she wanted. They celebrated her achievements and stood up for her when she was wronged. They talked down her suspension which she and David rightfully deserved, and her mother said nothing when she found her with Jaqueline.
When she thinks about these moments, these isolated moments of good parenting, she doesn't understood.
How could she feel so out of place. So lost. Because her friends all had monsters for parents? How did that make her question her own worth? What's wrong with her that her parents treat her well. That they champion her. It was too perfect. It was too curated. Too beautiful. Even the family portrait.
She thinks back to her recital in the eighth grade. Jaqueline's parents wouldn't let her go. Max would never go. David did go. But, her father filmed it. And her mother cried. She starts to play a song she's played a million times. Every time she starts slow, she speeds up, keeping to the tempo as she replays her childhood. All her conversations. Her quiet resentments. Crying herself to sleep at night.
Running away.
This had to be done. She had been the one most for it.
Why now does she feel like this? )
After Rusty laughs and the cavalry comes together, she fades into the background and finds the old piano she used to play as a kid. People move around her, or in the main room and, of course, the chapel, but Sierra just sits.
She thinks back to her childhood. She always had loving parents. They encouraged her and signed her up for everything she wanted. They celebrated her achievements and stood up for her when she was wronged. They talked down her suspension which she and David rightfully deserved, and her mother said nothing when she found her with Jaqueline.
When she thinks about these moments, these isolated moments of good parenting, she doesn't understood.
How could she feel so out of place. So lost. Because her friends all had monsters for parents? How did that make her question her own worth? What's wrong with her that her parents treat her well. That they champion her. It was too perfect. It was too curated. Too beautiful. Even the family portrait.
She thinks back to her recital in the eighth grade. Jaqueline's parents wouldn't let her go. Max would never go. David did go. But, her father filmed it. And her mother cried. She starts to play a song she's played a million times. Every time she starts slow, she speeds up, keeping to the tempo as she replays her childhood. All her conversations. Her quiet resentments. Crying herself to sleep at night.
Running away.
This had to be done. She had been the one most for it.
Why now does she feel like this? )
( david lets them go upstairs to wash up and change. buffy thought they'd need a change of clothes and knew they were traveling faster, but that the trip back probably wouldn't be the same.
while he showers first, she finds herself undressing behind him and without asking, stepping in with him. this isn't erotic or sexy, but cleansing. she sees him. she's always seen him and she hopes that he sees in her the same thing. she and him haven't been as brutal and violent together as they were on the riverboat and in this house. she's used to it, being the hammer when she needs to be. but stefan has always been backup. italian and charming and warm and funny. not...
she doesn't say it out loud, what she read about. and he isn't. not him. not that.
everyone has their heads.
but she would be foolish to think it didn't affect her, seeing him like that and then being involved. and, if she's honest with herself, not very effective. she tripped up quite a few times. they were witches, fine, but she's a slayer. and they took down stefan with the snap of their fingers.
she lets the water cascade over the both of them as she finally lets herself breathe. in many ways, this is her revenge too. they did this to her girls. innocents. )
while he showers first, she finds herself undressing behind him and without asking, stepping in with him. this isn't erotic or sexy, but cleansing. she sees him. she's always seen him and she hopes that he sees in her the same thing. she and him haven't been as brutal and violent together as they were on the riverboat and in this house. she's used to it, being the hammer when she needs to be. but stefan has always been backup. italian and charming and warm and funny. not...
she doesn't say it out loud, what she read about. and he isn't. not him. not that.
everyone has their heads.
but she would be foolish to think it didn't affect her, seeing him like that and then being involved. and, if she's honest with herself, not very effective. she tripped up quite a few times. they were witches, fine, but she's a slayer. and they took down stefan with the snap of their fingers.
she lets the water cascade over the both of them as she finally lets herself breathe. in many ways, this is her revenge too. they did this to her girls. innocents. )
( the underground has several tricks up their sleeve when it comes to travel, but taylor's quickie marriage to a route-witch (she follows her heart, shut up) lands her a very nifty tool. and it helps her help others. she wears many hats for the underground, but the one hat she most prefers to wear: therapist and confidant. and, she prefers to do it in person. she finds the subtle nuances are lost over a screen or on a phone, but, in an emergency, or in a pinch, sure, give her a call. she's here. she's always here.
hermidwest battlecreek office is funky, like her. one of her gophers (literal, but glamoured to be a helpful human secretary), lets ben know dr. townsend is ready for him, but to take his time, because she knows this is a big step. and it must be taken with seriousness and purpose. )
her
( damon salvatore wishes he had the best excuse to skip therapy. but, he has to do it because it was his own idea. it can't be westley the vampire wonder's idea, because then he's doing it for the wrong reason. but after berating elena, saying his goodbyes and finding someone new, he kind of realizes he has a pattern and that has him waiting outside cami's office, early, reading an out of date magazine.
he doesn't try to overthink, come in there with all the answers, do her job for her, what have you. he knows she's going to shrink his head enough for the both of them. he knows the buzzwords. unpacking. unreleased anger. trauma. patterns.
he thinks he's ready for therapy. well, he thinks he's here at therapy and he knows that's a start.
he lingers on a text to freya, almost hitting send before the door opens and - yeah he can do it later. he stands, slipping his phone back into his pocket. )
he doesn't try to overthink, come in there with all the answers, do her job for her, what have you. he knows she's going to shrink his head enough for the both of them. he knows the buzzwords. unpacking. unreleased anger. trauma. patterns.
he thinks he's ready for therapy. well, he thinks he's here at therapy and he knows that's a start.
he lingers on a text to freya, almost hitting send before the door opens and - yeah he can do it later. he stands, slipping his phone back into his pocket. )
( lizzie has the day completely planned out. while double checking her itinerary, she receives a text message from her dad. )
I KNEW IT.
( danny, having gotten up to shower, and presumably with a few more things to do in the bathroom bursts out.
lizzie crawls over the top of the covers and holds her phone out. )
Dad confirms it. Mom's safe and sound. But, how could she be safe and sound if she weren't in place to not be safe and sound before being safe and sound you might ask! ( he probably wouldn't, but her rant continues. ) He's always been a bad liar, but he's like a worse liar through text, Josie thinks so too. ( she tosses her phone in frustration.
danny is towel-clad but dry. she misses the impact her outburst makes. )
Weren't you going to shower?
I KNEW IT.
( danny, having gotten up to shower, and presumably with a few more things to do in the bathroom bursts out.
lizzie crawls over the top of the covers and holds her phone out. )
Dad confirms it. Mom's safe and sound. But, how could she be safe and sound if she weren't in place to not be safe and sound before being safe and sound you might ask! ( he probably wouldn't, but her rant continues. ) He's always been a bad liar, but he's like a worse liar through text, Josie thinks so too. ( she tosses her phone in frustration.
danny is towel-clad but dry. she misses the impact her outburst makes. )
Weren't you going to shower?
( mia's all over the place and preoccupied, jay michael has a boyfriend whose family is still in town and wants to be elsewhere. verdant is played out and said family is finally seeing it for the first time. it's the first time in a long time life feels a little more mundane. which, he knows, it bound to happen. but, slaying's not doing it. and as far as the papers and obituaries know, there haven't been any sudden or mysterious deaths.
it's mia's idea to show him a place. he just takes her lead.
unbeknownst to him, zoe sent mia a message calling the squad.
that is, there used to be a bigger squad before mia disappeared and jj got bitter. and connor went off to rehab.
they arrive at an office building which, okay. jay michael just takes her word for it and follows. one secret elevator later and...
yep, you can blow a vampire's mind. if the narration was wondering. )
I know you said you had a 'where,' in mind, but this feels a lot more like a 'what.' ( secret lair! secret lair! well, her father was the green arrow. ) Zoe?
it's mia's idea to show him a place. he just takes her lead.
unbeknownst to him, zoe sent mia a message calling the squad.
that is, there used to be a bigger squad before mia disappeared and jj got bitter. and connor went off to rehab.
they arrive at an office building which, okay. jay michael just takes her word for it and follows. one secret elevator later and...
yep, you can blow a vampire's mind. if the narration was wondering. )
I know you said you had a 'where,' in mind, but this feels a lot more like a 'what.' ( secret lair! secret lair! well, her father was the green arrow. ) Zoe?
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