Realistic or Modern Family Ties: 1980s Gangs - IC (Ended)

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Mercury Nightclub and Cocktail Bar
~Bethnal Green, London~
Darcey Hargraves​

Darcey liked May, felt for her even but if the girl thought she wasn't going to look into this she was sorely mistaken. No part of the woman thought she was a threat nor did she think May would betray the King family. Based on what she had just told her about them she wanted nothing to do with the Sullivans. It was more so curiosity that she wanted to settle and it made sense. There were unanswered questions that needed to be addressed and Darcey would help her if that's what she wanted and if it wasn't then Darcey would do it to satisfy her own curiosity. " 'S long as you haven't had any contact with them I don't see there bein' a problem," she said shrugging her shoulders. "However, I'm not so sure how they would feel about you going to Dublin to visit. We're big on family, no question, but it could become a sticky situation in the near future." With things going the way they were in the past few weeks Darcey wasn't so sure any of them should be making journeys to Dublin, however, she couldn't keep the girl from the family she had there.

When she brought up the boys and how they needed to settle she laughed. "You're telling me! They make me glad I never had kids." She shook her head and lifted her glass to take another sip. Though she didn't have children of her own she still considered Alex, Spencer, Billy, and Harper family. She was just the cool, rich auntie they often ran to when Bruce was being mean. "Spence is about the only one that has their life together. Shona's straightened him up quite nicely, I think. Alex and Billy, on the other hand, seem to elude the idea altogether." She rolled her eyes before sitting back in her seat, crossing her arms. Darcey was more than upset with Alex when he had ruined things with Savannah; she was furious. When everything went down she had given him an earful and smacked him several times as well. If there was anything she wanted to teach them it was to treat women with respect and he had gone and done the exact opposite. "Harper is doing well, I think. Enjoying her youth, as she should." Of the King siblings, Harper had been the one she paid closer attention to. She was the only girl, after all, which meant she would need more attention.

Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen them all in some time and made it a mental note to check on them tomorrow. For now, she focused her attention on the girl across from her and offered a smile. "Anyway, how are you doing as of late? Staying out of trouble, I’m hoping. I can only handle so much.”

May ( BasDorcha )

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter​

Syd quirked an eyebrow when Tom said the adage of taking the man out of the army but never the army out of the man. His mind instantly went to his younger brother and all the trauma he had suffered with since his time as a hostage in the Iran hostage crisis. It was never going to leave him, just like Syd was never going to fully escape his own traumatic past. “Yes, I’ve heard that,” he mumbled vaguely, adding another note in his book almost purely to avoid Tom’s eye for a second.

He looked back up when Tom started talking again, listening as he recounted the kills he had made during his time as a Marine. A simple yes or no would have sufficed, but the way he reeled off the facts so swiftly it was almost as though he had been practicing saying it over the years, as if to numb himself. Tom’s plastered smile flickered for a second, but it wasn't quite enough to suggest instability - Syd would be keeping an extremely close eye on the young man anyway, so what he mainly took from it was that the man had experience in killing and would hopefully therefore be more prepared if the repair shop was ever under fire.

Despite Syd's threats, it wouldn't have surprised him if Tom chose to lie about knowing nothing about Pitstop Repairs for the sake of maintaining an innocent guise. Given that the Sullivan's had had a media presence for several decades, it wouldn't be too hard for the public to find information on mob territory - that was why Syd had decided to make the job advert as anonymous as possible, to avoid attracting the wrong sort. Tom, however, just mentioned his mother having been a customer of the garage in the past and asked if he might have remembered her coming in some time over the last 10 years or so. Syd blinked at him in slight disbelief. He barely remembered what he had had for dinner the night before, let alone some passing customer. Sensing that Syd wasn't going to have an answer, Tom waved the question off and instead moved on to give a brief overview of his background. Nothing so far had come up as a red flag to Syd, and it came as some relief that he didn't have a criminal record, and equally that he wasn't too fussed about abiding by the law.

The amount he talked, Syd doubted that Tom would have be employed as a gang member, either presently or in the past. So unless he had a skill for acting and this whole happy-go-lucky air about him was all a ruse, then it seemed unlikely that he was a spy. Either way, after doing one of his thorough background checks that Syd was known for, he was sure to find out soon enough.

Clearing his throat, Syd opened up his drawer, and pulled out a form from under his concealed .44 Bulldog that he forgot he had stashed away in there. He slid the form across the desk to Tom and passed him a pen. "Five references and mailing address," he said, rubbing at his brow lightly. He was getting a headache by this point, struggling to keep up with Tom's energy, and was eager to wrap things up. "Once you're done you can follow me."

With the forms out of the way, Syd got up and beckoned Tom through the door and back into the main garage area. He led him over to the man who had welcomed Tom into the building.

"Hey, Chris," Syd spoke up. "This is Tom."

Chris, a heavy set man in his late 40s, wiped his oily hands on a rag tucked into his overalls and came over with a grin on his face. "Wow, you already hired him? What is he, some distant cousin or somethin'?" Turning to Tom, he offered him a hand to shake, despite still being covered in grease. "Will you teach me how to kiss his ass sometime, kid? That's a rare skill -"

"Yeah, yeah, alright," Syd stopped him, holding a hand out defensively. "Don't get too used to him. He's gotta prove himself first." Whilst he still had little reason to trust the young man, he was willing to give him a shot. Maybe it was because he reminded him of his younger self. Whatever it is, he thought it wouldn’t be a terrible idea to give him a trial job to do. He would only be starting out as an apprentice, after all. A list of tasks began to form in his head as his eyes scanned the room, trying to figure out where to place him. A lot of the jobs were complex safety issues that were best handled by an expert.

Letting Chris get back to work, Syd put his hands in his pockets and ambled over to an old Austin Allegro brought in a few days ago by a young man who had taken it off-road and damaged almost every safety feature. Syd always liked the reckless ones, as they tended to give him the biggest challenges. “You know this one?” he said to Tom, keeping his eyes on the vehicle while he beckoned him over. “Sure the owner didn’t know what he was getting into when he took this one on...one of the shoddiest designs in history. Took it off-road and the piece of shit fell apart. Though it must have been on its last legs to begin with...Why he wants it repaired and not scrapped is beyond me, but hey, it’s a project for us.”

Taking a step forward, Syd reached out and pulled open the door, prompting what was left of the passenger window to pop out and fall at his feet. He stooped to pick it up before tossing it onto one of the seats. “Repairs to major safety features are my job. On this one, that includes brakes, fuel pump, shock absorbers and timing belt. You try to impress me by touching those, you’ll lose your chance at this job. We take safety seriously here so no bullshit bravado acts, okay?” Dusting off his hands, Syd turned to Tom and looked him in the eye. “How about this,” he proposed. “You come in tomorrow morning, 7am. I put you in charge of battery and filter replacements, tyre rotation and fixing the blown fuse. I’ll time you, assess the job, and give you my verdict then. Sound good?”

Interactions
BasDorcha Tom

 

[Misty Gray]

The Sullivans Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Adam Harper​

When Blake agreed that she wanted to go home, Adam nodded in understanding. He removed his arm from around her shoulder and smiled when she suggested they had a drink at her place whilst she had the house to herself. "I'd like that," he told her, his gaze lingering on her face before he turned away to look at the half-full pint in front of him. He picked up his drink and as Blake addressed the other three to tell them she was heading home, he downed the rest of his beer.

Adam's attention had been mostly on Conor after Blake spoke, wanting to see how the man reacted. Conor maintained a neutral expression but soon returned the smile Blake had sent his way. Though he was sure his topics of conversation had been a large part of why she wasn't sticking around, he took her reassurance to mean there were no hard feelings. "Alright, love. You look after yourself and give me or Ali a call if you need anything, alright?" He then chuckled when he was told to treat Aliana like a queen. "Hey, I always do! I get down on my knees for her and everything," he mischievously joked. Before anyone had much chance to react to his comment, Conor stepped up from his seat enough so he could reach across the table and shake Adam's hand. "Good work tonight, mate. We'll discuss matters in my office tomorrow," he reminded him. Even though he did only intend on talking business, it was still an unconscious flexing of his power and how he extended it to ensuring Blake wasn't messed about by Adam.

Adam shuffled out of his seat after Blake and walked around the table. "Ali, you have a great birthday. I'll make sure I don't come to your house empty-handed tomorrow," he told her. He then turned to Chase. "Cheers for the backup tonight, sweetheart," he teased him. He then patted him on the shoulder and smiled. "Say hi to Jas and the kids for me. I'll be over to see them soon."

Adam followed Blake out of the pub. Noticing how she had walked ahead of him, he made a point of not rushing behind her, giving her whatever few moments she needed to be alone to compose herself. When he did catch up to her, she was running her hand through her hair. "If there's a time when you're not fine, you know you can tell me," he calmly told her, not wanting to force her to explain herself, especially not in public.

Adam placed his hand lightly on Blake's lower back as he led her to the secured pub car park. Although his black Ferrari was in sight, he slowed his pace before reaching it, instead focused on what she was saying about her conversation with Conor. Hearing her mention feeling guilt had set heavy in his mind, but he continued letting her speak. Reaching the car, he unlocked it and opened the passenger door for her. Once they were both seated in the front, Adam didn't turn the engine on, but instead turned to face her as she continued to speak. "Maybe I'm biased, but I don't think you're doing anything wrong by moving on. Jackson seemed like a man who would only want you to be happy. Granted, I haven't been in your situation and people deal with grief differently," he told her. It was something Adam wasn't sure he could give too much of his opinion on, in case it came across as selfish on account of his own romantic feelings for her. "Syd is a grown up and he cares about you. I'm sure if you tell him you want to speak about it, he'll hear you out."

With mention of Kerry and Savannah's desire for her to move to Dublin, Adam looked away and started the engine. Reversing out of the space to buy some time, he tried not to let his frustration show. Once driving on the road, he was able to speak up on the matter. "Sav means well, but sometimes too well. She doesn't have to go out of her way for everyone - especially not for fucking Kerry. I lost friends and comrades that night, but I stopped myself from killing her. I'm not sure I could show the same mercy if I saw her walking these streets in the future. Conor is right to refuse Sav's request."

Adam let out a breath when Blake explained she was having to deal with the adults rather than the kids. "Blake, if your kids are on board, then you now have to do what is right for you. You can't always please everyone, but there comes a time you have to think about yourself and your own happiness."

After parking the car in Blake's driveway, Adam followed her into the house, taking a moment to look around and study his surroundings. As Blake had invited him over for drinks, he asked her where the alcohol was and offered to pour their drinks for them. "This is a nice place you've got here. Though you really shouldn't let dodgy blokes into your home," he playfully teased her, hoping to help her relax a little. He didn't like seeing her so down. "Unless I'm the one who should be worried. Being lured into your home by the promise of free alcohol. Feel free to take advantage of me whilst I'm still sober, mind you!" he joked. They were seasoned in sharing banter, so much that Adam was certain he could take her rejection on the chin.

Bellz (Blake)
Mentions: Pyroclast (Chase) Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana)

Ride to the Sweeneys
~ North Strand, Dublin ~

Phelan Sweeney​

Katsya asked him who had keyed his car, but Phelan shrugged his shoulders. "Ah, bugger knows. It's happened to other people's cars too. No doubt idiot kids being vandals. I should know - I was one!" he informed her.

Phelan looked curiously as she swerved the car to park it up. Soon enough, it became clear she was shuffling around to remove her bra. "Hey, lady. I ain't into dogging or anything like that. All the dirty, innuendo stuff I say is all talk. Just kiddin' around with the lads." Regardless of his protests, he took the bra that was handed to him and sheepishly set it on his lap. He then let out a dirty kind of laugh at the suggestion of using the strip poker cover story. "Well, alright. Whatever cover story makes me look good works for me."

With the question about the bikes, Phelan shrugged his shoulders. "That's a lot of questions, lady," he told her, after listening to the questions fired at him. "But nah, we don't race. We just drive around looking cool. The Garda don't take kindly to street racing and you only get away with it if you've bought favour from 'em," he remarked, clearly referring to the Sullivans' control over the cops. "Getting wasted is pretty fun, to be honest. Dublin's a dump, so a bit of alcohol makes the place look better."

When asked if he wanted to join her on the clean up, he shrugged his shoulders. "Is that really a choice? Because no, I don't want to see that mess again. I didn't take a close enough look, but I'm expecting chunks of brain all over the wall. I think I want to remember Ross with his brain fully tucked away in his skull."

@Mitheral (Katsya)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Sullivans Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Emery Callahan​

Emery recognised the familiar woman approaching and smiled at her as she went to retrieve the darts for her. She stood behind the fading marker line on the wooden floor as she waited for Stella to retrieve the darts from the board. As Stella approached her, Emery held out her hand to accept the three darts. "There's always room for one more," she assured Stella, before the men had chance to agree. She flashed the woman a playful smirk before glancing down to the three darts in her hand. "Alright, boys. Here's how it's done," she told the group of men whose game she'd already placed herself into.

Emery focused her aim before throwing the first dart and hitting a triple twenty. The second dart also landed in the triple twenty, evoking a proud smile from Emery. Having been trained by members of her family as well as some of the employees within the gang, Emery had learned when to switch on the focus as well as developing exceptional aim. It was another reason she was frustrated at not being able to put her physical skills to use. As she focused on throwing the third dart, she felt someone poke their finger in the centre of her back just as she threw the dart, causing her to falter slightly and land the dart above the triple twenty spot, landing a single twenty. Emery spun herself around quickly and glared up at the man she had earlier distracted by coughing loudly during his shot. "Ohhh, you're done for, Mister. Next time it's your turn, you'd better watch your balls," she teased him. "That was totally going to be a full 180, by the way," she made sure to inform the group.

"Yeah, sure it was," one of the other men playfully teased her, putting his arm around her and squeezing her shoulder to pull her in close for a moment. Emery laughed along but soon stepped out of the physical contact, not uncomfortable by it but certainly not interested in giving the older man any hope with her.

The redhead brought her attention to Stella and acknowledged the bandaged wound on her face. "Have you been in the wars, then?" she asked her directly. "Which prick did it? The same on who tried to shoot me?" she asked. She frowned as she spoke, not so much about being shot at as that had happened weeks ago and any shock was short-lived, but her frustration was mostly because she hadn't been allowed on the job too. She'd have loved to have made the shooter suffer, or at least watch it happen. "Is dead though, right?"

BloodLightning27 (Stella)

 

[Pyroclast]

Shona King​

Given her own condition, Shona had had to imagine the real possibility of not being able to make it to the hospital while Shirley was giving birth, but the thought of her best friend going through it all alone with no family or other friends there to comfort her was so sad that she was determined to let nothing get in her way if she could help it.

Shirley referred to her as being someone she loved, which tugged at Shona's heart. Already feeling emotional from seeing her friend wake up from her coma, Shona felt her eyes well up with tears. She was finding it hard to control her emotions with all the pregnancy hormones so she didn't bother pretending to be unaffected in front of her friend, instead tilting her head back and raising her free hand to catch the tears before they could fall. "Oh Shirley, you'll make me cry," she warned her with a breath of laughter. "And I wouldn't be too upset if the babies don't recognise my voice, love. It probably just sounds like distant vibrations to them, muffled by all the juices and stuff keeping them safe and warm. Besides, I'm confident I can make them love me in a heartbeat - just push 'em out already so I can work my magic!"

With a tender smile on her face, she listened to Shirley's name decision. "A boy and a girl," she repeated, dreamily. Although she knew it would be even more hard work than just one baby, Shona couldn't deny that she was jealous of Shirley for getting one of each. She spent a great deal of time picturing life with a son or daughter and she had decided that she would love either just the same. "Those are interesting names, I've never heard of a Pyrrha or a Perseus. What inspired that, then?" she asked. "You're so lucky to be getting one of each. After this one is out, I'm just going to have to persuade Spencer to roll the dice again!"

Looking down with a smile as Shirley reached out to place a hand over her belly, she waited for a moment to see if her little someone would respond. "Oh, they'll have to be best friends," she answered confidently. "They'll be growing up beside each other, won't they?" Just then she felt a stirring in her belly and a small kick, followed by a second that made Shona gasp lightly, before raising her eyes to Shirley with a beaming smile. "That one was for you!"

Interactions
BloodLightning27 Shirley

 

[Pyroclast]

Billy King​

There was a mixture of relief and dissatisfaction in Billy upon hearing that depression wasn’t the cause of Erik’s drug abuse. Despite not really knowing what depression felt like, he was of course relieved that Erik wasn’t suffering from it, but at the same time, he still didn’t have an answer. After a moment’s silence, during which Billy could see Erik carefully forming sentences in his head, he finally admitted that he took drugs because he was gay. Billy frowned, not understanding the connection. But Erik went on to clarify that while it wasn’t to mask his sexuality, and when he started talking about his dad, Billy knew that the issues went much deeper.

His story resonated with Billy strongly, though he couldn’t exactly understand why. He recognised the fear - what homosexuals would be faced with if their families, friends, work colleagues were to find out or suspect something. It was the anxiety he felt when he saw an openly gay man in the street - the risks he was taking, of losing his family, his job, his friends. What kind of life he must be left with after losing everything he had grown up with. To Billy it was so stupid to want to give all of those things up in exchange for a lifestyle that was ridiculed and shamed by the public that he couldn’t understand why they did it, and wished that they didn’t. Losing family, work, often even tenancy, was a far greater sacrifice that simply giving up sex with other men. Especially with the AIDS epidemic going on - it wasn’t safe to be indulging in that lifestyle, anyway.

What had given Erik’s dad the impression that his son was gay, he couldn’t even guess. In Billy’s eyes, Erik didn’t look gay - he wasn’t feminine, didn’t wear flamboyant clothing nor speak with an effeminate voice - he didn’t really hold any of the traits that Billy associated with homosexual culture. He had even seen the man leave clubs with women when they had gone out together. If Erik hadn’t told him with such conviction that he was gay, he would never have guessed - so how his dad had picked up on it, he couldn’t imagine. Whatever it was didn’t matter, though. Billy frowned as Erik told him of the things his father did to try and make sure he turned out straight, and when he admitted to losing his virginity at the age of 12 to a grown woman, he felt a sickness roll through his stomach. Still, he couldn’t find the words to react. He just looked away for a second as he tried to process what Erik had been put through.

The drugs issue completely left his mind, temporarily replaced by what Erik’s father had forced upon Erik. The atmosphere was growing heavier by the second, as was Billy’s heart. The confessions about his past were already taking a toll on Erik, making his leg bounce and putting a slight weakness in his voice. Billy looked up to observe him for a moment and saw the familiar pain begin to dawn on his features. He told him that it wasn’t just his father who had abused him, though quickly clarified that Ava had been there for him, which Billy was relieved about. From the way Erik had spoken about her and also from the short phone call they just had, Billy got the impression that Ava was a positive influence in his life - but if it had turned out that she disapproved of Erik or had ever tried to change him, he wasn’t sure he would be happy to have her come and visit. But the people he actually mentioned weren’t family at all, but rather sexual partners who were still in the closet and who would turn violent against Erik if they got caught together. Turning away, Billy hung his head. Perhaps noticing this, Erik apologised, but the discomfort he felt from Erik’s story wasn’t for the reasons his friend thought. A memory of his childhood best friend David crept into his mind: the last time they had ever seen each other, only a couple of years ago, when Billy was trying to push David out of his life for being in love with him. Billy had ended up shoving him off his front doorstep, and the last thing he remembered seeing of his friend before he passed away was him lying there on the gravel, a heartbroken look in his eyes. He had felt disgusted by David’s love for him at the time, but now, hearing Erik share a similar experience from the opposite perspective, all he felt was disgust at himself.

Not even realising that he still hadn’t said anything in response, Billy took a drink of his beer to remedy the dryness in his mouth. He let Erik continue, and his friend admitted that drugs had helped him throughout all the abuse and betrayals that he had faced, and that somehow it had resurfaced since coming to London, prompting him to take up the habit again. He assured Billy that he wasn’t an addict, and given that he had been so open and so vulnerable with him, Billy felt inclined to believe him. Or at least, to believe that that was what Erik believed. It took more effort this time to raise his head and look Erik in the eye, but when he heard a familiar tremble on the man’s voice, he had to. He could see the tears in Erik’s eyes and felt a surge of emotion in his chest, like his heart was being gripped and squeezed. They continued to well as the man spoke until one broke over, spilling down his cheek. Caught by surprise, Erik paused to wipe it away. The man then told him that he took the occasional party drug besides cocaine, but it was coke that he relied on to help him when he was struggling. So, it wasn’t his sexuality he was trying to avoid confronting - it was the trauma that came as a result of it. He concluded that being gay was only really fun when night time came around - it was a clandestine lifestyle that couldn’t be lived in broad daylight without facing some kind of consequence.

Even after finding out that Erik was gay, Billy hadn’t managed to re-evaluate his own opinion on homosexuality. It was only now that he was hearing what his best friend had been put through and the impact it had had on him that he was realising the damage his attitude might have caused people over the years. He wished he could think of something to say, but his secret guilt had rendered him into silence. Instead, letting his gaze fall elsewhere, he hesitantly reached out and touched Erik’s shoulder; for a few seconds he just gently caressed him from a distance, until he eventually drew himself nearer. “Come ‘ere,” he whispered, and gently pulled Erik into an embrace so close that their heads rested against each other. He relaxed into the sofa with him in his arms, saying nothing as he simply processed Erik’s pain. “I ain’t gonna let a single shitbag hurt you and get away with it,” he murmured in his friend’s ear.

Never in his life had he shared such an intimate moment with another man, but he couldn’t think of a more natural way to express himself than to hold him close, like he was the most precious thing in the world. He could have stayed in that position indefinitely, but instead he pulled back just enough to gaze into his friend’s tearful eyes and gave him a sincere look. “If we’ve got to fight for your right to live in this fucked up world then we do it together, yeah? We hunt those pricks down and bash their skulls in, together.” He wished he could promise the man freedom, but he knew the world wasn’t ready to accept homosexual people and Billy’s change in perspective over the last five minutes didn’t give him the power to change that. “But you don’t have to keep it to yourself if this shit happens again, or, or...y’know, turn to cocaine to help you deal with it. You can turn to me. I’ll help you deal with it.”

Cupping the man’s cheek in his hand, his heart pounded more heavily than it had been before and a sudden urge to kiss him filled his entire body. Alarmed at the thought, Billy blushed and let Erik go, leaning back into his own space on the sofa. He took another drink of his beer to try and recover from the feeling. “So, um,” he began, clearing his throat. “You said movin’ to London made all that shit come back to you? Listen, if you’re gettin’ abuse here, I can arrange some protection if you want. Don’t have to tell guards nothin’, just who or what to protect and who to watch out for. Whatever you want kept a secret can just stay between you and me.” His eyes found Erik’s again and he sent the man a small smile. “You can keep goin’, by the way, if there’s more you want to chat about. I wasn’t tryna’ stop you. I’m still listening. I ain’t got nowhere else to be ‘cept here with you.”

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Erik

 

[Misty Gray]

Starry Nights Bar
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Benjamin Reznik​

Benjamin looked to Lorelei as she groaned at her father. She was clearly unimpressed by the way Jason had approached the situation. The fact she was defending him might have brought a smile to Benjamin's face, were it not a serious situation and one where he needed to be respectful towards the older man.

Be it stubbornness or an aversion to coming across as a coward, or a mixture of both, Benjamin refused to escape the situation. As uncomfortable as he felt being confronted in the club in front of his date, he didn't have the ability to walk away. Not only would it be abandoning Lorelei, but he also believed his own father wouldn't be proud of him if he ran away. He hid away the night his mother was killed, and so he'd since vowed to face his fears and discomfort head on.

Lorelei soon spoke up in his defence, pointing out that Jason had been in prison himself. She pointed out how she'd got arrested for giving the cops a hard time, before stating how Benjamin had been defending another woman. He lightly nodded as she mentioned the woman was being abused. He was glad to know that Lorelei still believed he was in the right, even after she'd had weeks to consider it. A very subtle smile briefly formed on his lips as she mentioned how she had her mother's mouth. He then straightened up as Gwen appeared on the scene just in time to point out she simply had a louder voice than other people. The older woman addressed Jason, making it clear she hadn't been on board with the current confrontation. At least it wasn't both parents who were disappointed in him. "I... Nice to see you too, Mrs. Costello," he very politely greeted Gwen in return.

Benjamin watched as Jason gave Gwen some cash to go to the bar, which made him realise the conversation wasn't over with yet. As the man spoke directly to him, Benjamin maintained eye-contact. He made a point of mentioning he'd be breaking his legs if he hurt Lorelei. "I'm not a guy who goes around hurting ladies, not in any sense of the word," Benjamin firmly assured Jason, almost offended to be misjudged in such a way. "And that's the first time I've been in trouble with the cops. I work for Mr. Sullivan at his restaurant, but every penny I earn is legitimate," he assured him, making it clear he wasn't part of the mob, even if he was employed by the boss. "My Dad is in prison, but I don't ever intend on ending up there myself. I've seen enough from the visiting rooms to know I don't want to go anywhere near the inside of a prison cell." He quickly nodded his head when told to put Lorelei's safety first in future. "I hear you. I will," he firmly assured the man.

Once Jason had left the two of them to continue their date, Benjamin turned to Lorelei with a sheepish expression. "So, that just happened..." he remarked, lightly shrugging his shoulders. After taking another drink from his glass, he placed his wallet in his back pocket. "Are you ready to go home?" he asked her. Even if her suggestion of going home was no longer relevant now Jason had already confronted them, it felt a little too awkward to remain in the club knowing Jason and Gwen could be watching them all evening. "I completely understand if you just want to end this date, but at least let me accompany you so I can make sure you get home safely."

Bellz (Lorelei)
Pyroclast (Jason)

 

[Bellz]

Blake McCarthy
Blake's House
- Sutton, Dublin -​

Blake gave Adam the smallest of smiles as he opened the car door for her. Sliding in, there was a moment of brief silence as he rounded the car before getting into the driver's seat. Instead of turning the car on like she thought he would, Adam turned to her and stated that he thought that she wasn't doing anything wrong by moving on. This brought another smile to Blake's lips before he went on to say that he hadn't been in her situation and people dealt with grief differently. It was true, Blake had learned all too much about grief in the past 13 years since Jackson died. There were moments when she felt ready to get her life back together earlier on in her grief but then it was taken away all too quickly by the guilt she felt. Guilt was a selfish pastime, however. Adam stated that Syd was a grown-up and he cared about her. He insisted that the man would hear her out if she spoke with him. She didn't doubt that at all but she just didn't want to have to see the look in his eyes when she did tell him she was moving on. Blake assumed that Syd would act much like Conor did but Blake could see the look behind the one Conor had been giving her.

At the mention of Kerry and Savvy, there was another brief moment of silence as Adam pulled out of the space and got onto the road. Blake discreetly glanced at Adam and she recognized the way his jaw set when he was frustrated or irritated. She knew the topic of Kerry was just as sensitive for him as it was for her. Looking away to give him the privacy he required, Blake turned to the window to watch the familiar buildings pass her by. Adam spoke up a few moments later, causing Blake to once again look his way. She nodded in silent agreement as he stated that Savvy meant well, but sometimes she meant too well especially for people who didn't deserve it. Blake was silent as Adam stated who he'd lost that night because of Kerry and was honest with Blake when he said he wasn't sure if he could show the same restraint he had if he were to see Kerry again.

Having expressed her frustration about dealing with the adults in her life rather than her children, Adam's answer was something that she had been told time and time again, not only by herself but by the people around her. She needed to do what was right for her. Blake really tried hard to please everyone but she was now seeing that wasn't exactly possible in some situations. Despite the frustration and confusion she felt, the blonde found herself smiling at Adam as he finished telling her what he thought she needed to do. "Ah, words of wisdom from such a wise man. It's refreshing to hear this from you, you know? Really puts me at ease. Conor was rigid in his assumption that you were still a womanizer but I have to tell you, you go and say shit like this to him...you'd change his assumption real quick." Blake murmured just as he pulled into her driveway.

Smiling much wider than she had been before, she reached over to give his cheek a kiss. "Thanks for the talk, love. I promise not to be such a damper the rest of the night." Blake said before getting out of the car. Waiting for him to lock the car, Blake led him towards her front door before unlocking it and walking inside the dark house. Moving to turn on lights quickly, she sighed as she moved to place her bag on the table in the entryway and slip her shoes off. Adam asked where the alcohol offering to pour her a glass. Blake pointed him in the direction of the liquor cabinet in her kitchen before following him to point to where she kept the glasses. Once drinks were poured, Blake led him to the living room to sit on the couch, moving to curl her feet beneath her as she took the glass he had got her from him.

Adam complimented her on her home which caused her to smile before he stated that she shouldn't be letting dodgy men in her home, which in turn made her laugh. He then alluded to the fact that perhaps he was the one who should be worried, luring him into her home with free alcohol and all. He then insisted she was free to take advantage of him while he was still sober. Blake rolled her eyes, "I'll have you know you are the first dodgy bloke I've ever had in this home and if I'm luring you into my home to take advantage of you, I think I'm doing a pretty good job at scaring you away at this point with my depression." Blake said teasing him back. Her expression then turned mischievous as she scooted closer to him, "But if you are giving me the opportunity to take advantage of you, I might as well act on it while I can. Drunk sex is sloppy, I'm really not into that." She hummed before leaning closer to kiss his lips gently.
with: Adam Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

Wycliffe Family Home
~ Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn ~

Valentina Wycliff and Riccardo Biancardi
Gabriel Moretti​

Valentina smiled brightly when Teddy told her everything was amazing. She playfully pouted when he told her he couldn't explain why until later. "Well, now I'm really curious. It's not often you return so happy after having a business conversation with my father." She leaned into him when he put his arm around her, letting out a small laugh when he told her Cristina had informed him of the rule of no business talk being allowed. "Ah, she's a great second-in-command. I'm looking forward to having a fun evening, then."

Valentina stepped aside to let Teddy greet Ricky. Soon after, Ava and Julia arrived, prompting Valentina to greet her sister-in-law and friend, giving each a friendly hug. She wasn't bothered they'd arrived late, being just glad they'd been able to make it at all.

Ricky gave Quadir a pat on the shoulder, returning the man's comment about looking forward to a long friendship with the man he'd now identified as a new business ally and potential friend. Ricky then looked to Teddy as the man greeted him, mirroring his open arms and giving the man a quick, friendly hug. "Is Gabe watching? He'll be getting gay vibes right now," he quietly joked. He pulled away and gave him a firm nod. "I could hardly be late to Val's birthday party. The Moretti women scare me," he remarked. "In all honesty, I was ready to unwind a little after all of the business we've been sorting out. I figured this would be a warm-up for when I get dragged out around this clubs this weekend, with you wild Wycliffs." Seeing Julia had arrived, Ricky looked to Teddy to excuse himself. "I'll let you get back to your wife, before she suspects we're talking shop."

As people began to settle down with their drinks, Gabriel stood and approached Valentina, with Teddy and Elvian close by. He handed Valentina a brown A4 envelope which felt like it had some kind of documents inside it. "Happy Birthday, Valentina," he said, flashing a smile as he willed her to look inside. "I was going to save something like this for a significant birthday, but I decided you need it now." Valentina raised a curious eyebrow as she pulled out some stapled papers and something almost resembling a holiday brochure. After quickly scanning the paper contract, she handed it to Teddy to read so she could then look at the photographs in the brochure. Despite having read the words, she was still looking confused. This prompted Gabriel to explain. "It's not feasible for you to keep traveling to Miami, but I feel you need more vacations, even if short ones. So I've purchased a beachside lodge for you on Long Island. All you have to do is sign the paperwork and it's yours." Gabriel knew how busy Teddy was and how much busier he would be, but the New York based beach was the best compromise he could make.

"Papa! That's amazing! Thank you so much..." Valentina excitedly told him, stepping forward to give the man a long hug and a kiss on the cheek, before moving to give Elvian one too. Although in the back of her mind she was sure it was part of his plot to get her to relax more, she was willing to cave and simple accept the kind gesture. She loved being by the beach and considering Miami was out of the question, she couldn't deny the gift was more than enough.

Ricky held back on any jokes or usual dry comments, simply standing in surprise as Moretti's gesture. In a way, it made him feel bad that he couldn't be completely honest with the man about certain things that were transpiring behind closed doors. He genuinely cared for the Wycliffs, which made matters even more difficult for him. When push came to shove, Ricky had decided some time ago that if he had any choice, he would ally with the Morettis over the Sullivans.

With some of the others distracted by Gabriel's grand gesture, Ricky approached Julia and stood facing her. "I'm glad you managed to get here. I think Val was hoping you'd make it," he told her. He then leaned in to kiss Julia, something she would be open to accept or brush off. "Did you manage to finish all of the work you had to do?" he curiously asked her.

With Valentina and Gabriel: Melanin-Gxdess (Teddy)
With Ricky: Bellz (Julia)
Also present: Melanin-Gxdess (Ava, Elvian) BloodLightning27 (Harmony, Quadir)

 

[Misty Gray]

Blake's House
~ Sutton, Dublin ~

Adam Harper​

Adam hung his coat on one of the hooks before following Blake into the lounge with the drinks in hand. He handed the blonde her drink before sitting next to her on the couch. "Cheers, love," he said, clinking their glasses together before bringing his tumbler to his mouth to swallow some of the Bourbon he'd poured for himself. After placing the glass on the coffee table, he turned to sit so he was facing Blake, resting his left arm across the back of the sofa and using his fingers to gently stroke her hair.

The banter between the two was a pastime of theirs, but very recently, the flirting within it was much more obvious and unreserved. Adam couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as she told him he was the first dodgy bloke she'd had in the house. "I should hope so. I'm the only dodgy bloke you should trust," he playfully warned her.

Adam quirked his eyebrows as Blake shifted noticeably closer to him. He then used his right-hand to waft in his face, making the suggestion he needed fanning down in the heated moment as she turned the flirting up a few notches. When Blake leaned in to kiss him, Adam slid his left arm down from the back rest, instead placing his hand on her shoulder as he moved closer to reciprocate her gentle kiss. Pulling away from a brief moment, he looked Blake in the eyes and quickly nodded. He listened as she said they needed to take the opportunity whilst they were sober. "Then we're in agreement. Plus, I don't want to be known as the Sloppy Sex Guy."

The man moved into the kiss Blake again, this time more passionately as he lifted his right hand to place it at the back of her hand. With her head supported, he moved his body closer to hers, naturally causing her to lie back on the sofa. When her head was rested against the cushion and sofa arm, Adam broke away from their kiss and sat up straight so he could swiftly remove his shirt. Before he could return to his position on top of Blake, his eyes briefly caught the boy's toys in the corner of the lounge and the family photos on the nearby wall. In the past, he wouldn't have thought twice about where he had sex with a woman, but the fact he respected Blake and her kids made him more inclined to respect her family home in the process. Tossing his removed t-shirt over his shoulder, he stood up from the sofa. Looking down at Blake, he held his hands out towards her to help her get up, keeping his own mischievous smile on his face. "How about you," he began, cocking his head in the direction of the staircase, "lead the way and take advantage of me in the bedroom?" he playfully suggested.

Bellz (Blake)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Erik's Apartment
~Hackney, London~
Erik Snowden​

The moment Erik and Billy were sharing reminded him of the time in Alex's kitchen when Billy was almost killed, except it had been Erik comforting Billy and not the other way around. The man had been so shaken up that he almost lost his life that he allowed Erik to be so close to him - so intimate; just like the moment they were sharing now. His heart was beating just as fast as it had back then and he worried that Billy could hear it. How embarrassing would that be? A lump formed in his throat following the silent tears that had started running down his face. The tears were a shock seeing as he wasn't feeling them on his face and was blaming it on the fact that his cheeks had warmed. The heat had numbed up his cheeks to where he couldn't feel a thing. That is, until Billy started speaking to him. His friend's warm breath tickled his ear but despite being ticklish there he didn't laugh. Instead he was processing the words he was hearing and trying his best not to fall apart a second time. What was he saying? That he would... Protect him? Just how much did Billy care about him to be declaring something so important? So meaningful?

Obviously Billy cared a lot about him considering the lengths he had gone through to make sure he still had a job. Had it been anyone else and he was sure he'd have been put on the first plane back to New York. Gabe would have probably fired him and Ava would be severely disappointed - though she wouldn't show it nor tell him. She'd just quietly suffer in silence at having to figure out what to do with him to keep him out of trouble; London had been his last shot. You'd think he would be doing everything in his power to make sure he kept his job and wouldn't be messing up so much, but no. He was still out living recklessly but this time he had someone watching out for him; Billy King. As if he didn't already know why he had feelings for him or why he was in love with him, Billy was showing him again. Not only did he let him speak but he hadn't judged him for anything nor had he shown him pity. The last thing he wanted from anyone was pity and Billy was doing a good job at not showing him any. Billy had jumped through hoops to cover for him and make sure he stayed in London that he started to wonder why.

It couldn't just be because they were best friends or because he was a good person. He was both, but Erik refused to believe that was all there was to it. If the taxi situation had never happened then Erik would have left it alone but alas it was a memory that consumed Erik every waking moment of his life. There was something there, something behind the mans eyes that told him he felt the same way but because Billy was so afraid of what other people thought of him he would never admit it. Therefore, Erik would have to either wait or coax it out of him. But that whole thing could wait until later. For now, he was focused on looking at Billy as they broke their embrace, listening to every word coming out of the mans mouth. He was here for him and Erik believed it.

"A-Are you saying- Are you saying you want me to stop?" He asked in reference to the cocaine. Looking away from him laced his fingers together in thought. No, there was no way he could handle all the emotions and trauma on his own he definitely needed the drugs. "I don't think you understand. The same way smoking calms you down coke does the same for me, Billy. I 'preciate the help, you know that, but if I stop now then I'll be a mess like I was in the park." He tried to explain, to get him to see reason as he continued to avoid his gaze. Hearing himself say it all out loud he realized that he was, in fact, a junkie and it was a problem. Before he could dig himself a deeper hole into despair, Billy cupped his face and turned his head towards him. Just like in the kitchen their lips were inches away from connecting and Erik could feel himself get excited. Was this it? Was Erik's sob story all he needed to make Billy see reason?

Until he pulled away. To say Erik was disappointed was an understatement, but again he understood the circumstances. Billy simply wasn't ready. He changed the conversation quickly and asked if he were getting abused to which Erik just laughed. "No, no, I have not. Trust me, I may not look like it but I have put on some muscle since I was a teen and ain't no one layin' their hands on me now." Billy then asked if there were anything else he wanted to tell him about and Erik paused. Maybe he should say something about why he was so quick to take out Trevor and why it was so easy...?

"Nope," he said, standing up to get another beer as he wiped the tears from his face. "Nothing else, I don't think."

Billy ( Pyroclast )​

 

[BasDorcha]

Mercury Nightclub and Cocktail Bar
~ Bethnal Green, London ~
Maeve Thatcher

May laughed, nodding when Darcey asked her if she was staying out of trouble. “Mostly. Spend most of my time here. I have never met Harper, maybe you could introduce us. I need some friends. It would be nice to have someone to get in to trouble with.” As she said this, the fat man she had tricked into cards early, roared across the room, causing May to tense up.

“WHERE IS THAT MONEY THIEVING WHORE AT?” May was frozen, hoping he didn’t see her, shrinking into the furthest reaches of the room. In the main area, Laura was already on crowd control. ”Now, now, what seems to be the problem?”

“SHE STOLE ALL MY MONEY! ALL I HAVE LEFT IS ENOUGH FOR BUS FAIR!” The roar got louder as he presumable started to move around, closer to the door. “I KNOW SHE AINT LEFT, I WATCHED HER COME BACK THIS WAY WHEN THAT SLUT FRIEND OF HERS LEFT! THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD PULL THE WOOL OVER MY EYES?” Realizing this was not going to end well, May sat up straight, clearing her throat.

“Darcey, you should leave, please. Go out the back, away from me, I don’t want you caught in the middle.” Pulling out about half the money she had in her pockets, she shoved it into Darcey’s hands, then strode up to the door. If ever there was a movie star smile, May was wearing it now, looking as sweet as possible.

“What’s the problem sir?” A second later the man was on her, a hand wrapped in her shirt and he pulled her out the door and against the wall.

“I WANT MY MONEY BACK, YOU THIEF. YOU HAD TO HAVE STOLEN IT, YOU CERTAINLY DIDN’T WIN IT, I TOOK ALL YOUR MONEY WHEN YOU WENT ALL IN.”

Clearing her throat, she gently placed a hand on his, pulling down away from her neck as he pressed on her windpipes. “If you know you took my money, why do you think I stole it?”

“Because you little bitch, I counted it shortly after you walked away, and it wasn’t there! All I had was the money from that last hand!”

May calmly kept a hand pressing on his, using a soft touch to draw his hand down as a thick pouty lip formed on her face. Confused, she blinked up at him. “I don’t have your money. If you’ll kindly let me go, I’ll show you.” With a growl, the man dropped his fist, but did not move away. She quickly tipped out her pockets on the closest table, coins and paper scattering across it. “See there, all I have are tips from tonight.”

Frustrated, the man snatched it up and counted. About twenty pounds and change, May had been careful to leave all the big bills with Darcey. “If you need it that badly sir, you can have it.” The man stared at her with dark eyes, but a confused look. She clearly wasn’t hiding anything as she had actually pulled her pockets inside out on her pants, and even grabbed her brasier and shook it, so anything hiding could fall out of her shirt. At that, the man gawked, watching the girls shake before physically shaking himself away.

Grumbling, he handed her back the money. “My mistake, just don’t let it happen again.”
Interactions: Melanin-Gxdess

 

[BasDorcha]

Pitstop Repairs
~Drumcondra, Dublin~
Tom Thatcher


Tom had fell silent after his last spiel. Tom was a talker but the look on Syd's face told him enough was enough for now. In silence, he filled out the form that was handed to him, though he struggled to come up with five referenced. In the end, he listed his mother, his brother, and three of his fellow soldiers. One was his commander, one was a fellow soldier, one had been a grunt beneath him during the last part of his tenure with them.

Following like the soldier he was, Tom went out of the office and into the main garage with his new employer, taking the grimy and oily hand from Chris in a firm grip. "Not family that I know of, but I think he hired me just to get me to shut up." Tom grinned and winked at Chris, releasing his hand. When Chris laughed and waved them off, Tom followed him around in the same steady pace.

"Sure, I know it. 1980, Austin Allegro, 1.5 HL. Manual. 4 door, fastback. Goes zero to sixty in twelve seconds. BMC E-series 1500 4-stroke engine. Runs on petrol. 2 carburetors. 56 KW horsepower." He kept rattling off facts for a moment before looking at Syd, seeing that face again and stopping. It was hard to tell whether he was nervous or excited, but in either case, he was picking up some of the social cues, so someone must have given him that face before since he knew it meant Shut the fuck up.

With careful control, he listened while still remaining with a gentle smile. When he was finished, he nodded, his hands clasped behind his back at an at-ease stance. "Roger that, boss man. Seven a.m., bright and early. I'll be here." He gave one last tilt of his head, cast a waved hand at Chris and let himself out. It was dark out, he wasn't sure when that happened, but happy to be back in the garage he headed back to his hotel.

Interactions: @Pyroclast​

 

[BloodLightning27]

~Pregnancy Tracker~

Pregnancy Progression: 39/42 Weeks

Countdown to Labor & Delivery: 274/294 Days

Weight Gain: 70/71 Kg

~Shirley Kwon~London, England | London Royal Hospital, Intensive Care Unit

Shirley continued to take comfort with how Shona was here for her, despite being pregnant herself. However, she wasn't gonna compare what both of them were facing, or talk about who had it worse. There wasn't a need to compete for Worst Pregnancy Ever. Both of them still faced the same hardships of growing another human being (or in Shirley's case, two...), like frequent trips to the bathroom (like every thirty fucking minutes...), back pain, nausea, feet pain, cankles, trouble putting shoes on, gaining weight, LOOKING AND FEELING FAAAAAT because of the big bellies, swelling fingers, weird food cravings, moodiness, having absolutely ZERO control over their emotions...but hey, you know...free boob job. So it wasn't soooo...baaaad. Well, at least as not as bad as being stared at in public because it was hard not to look at the huge belly. As she thought about all the negatives in pregnancy, Shirley ended up being in a sappy mood, though she snapped out of it when she saw Shona tilt her head back to keep tears from gushing out of her eyes, prompting the red-head to pout, thinking that she had said something to make her Best Friend cry.

"Oh Shirley, you'll make me cry. And I wouldn't be too upset if the babies don't recognise my voice, love. It probably just sounds like distant vibrations to them, muffled by all the juices and stuff keeping them safe and warm. Besides, I'm confident I can make them love me in a heartbeat - just push 'em out already so I can work my magic!"

When she said that she wouldn't be too upset if the twins didn't recognize her voice, Shirley mostly disagreed, mainly because they did have a lot of time to pick up on Shona's voice. That pout turned into a smile when Shona expressed confidence that the twins would come to love her quickly, before laughing when she said to push them out so that she can prove it. "Maybe in the next week or two, I'll be able to do that." She shook her head.

When asked what inspired the names for her babies, Shirley looked back down at her belly, gently caressing the firm baby bump. "I'm not sure if you're into Greek Mythology at all, but Perseus was the Demigod Son of Zeus and Pyrrha was the Daughter of Epimetheus and Pandora. I wanted them to have a matching initial, so while looking through names, Perseus and Pyrrha was what I settled on." She said, patting her belly after feeling a kick.

Shirley smiled once Shona said that she'd persuade Spencer to 'roll the dice again', the red-head giggled a little, as she knew that Shona meant that she wanted to try for another baby. Shirley smiled as she felt a kick from Shona's belly. One thing that she definitely looked forward to was their children growing up together. All the play dates, attending the same school, birthday parties close together. They were definitely going to be seeing each other a lot because their Mothers were Best Friends. "Oh I'd be the saddest momma bear if our children weren't Best Friends like we are!" She said, her hand still on Shona's belly, smiling as she felt another kick.

"That one was for you!"

"How sweet." She giggled. "Hello little one, I'm your Auntie Shirley. And I can't wait to meet you too." She smiled, hoping that the unborn baby would respond with a kick.

---

Interactions: Shona King Pyroclast

 

[Bellz]

Lorelei Costello
Starry Nights Club
- Dublin City Center, Dublin -​

Gwen narrowed her eyes as her husband passed his wallet to her, but she didn't pull away from him as he moved to kiss her forehead. He stated that he wouldn't do anything and while she knew Lorelei would have been more pleased with her if Gwen would have dragged him away right then and there, Gwen understood that Jason wouldn't leave the two alone unless he said his peace. "Oh alright, these shoes weren't made for excessive walking but I think I can manage. Don't keep me waiting too long, love." Gwen murmured before handing Jason his wallet back. "You know I won't be needing the money, one flirtatious smile is all it takes to get a free drink in a place like this." Gwen said in a teasing tone before looking to Lorelei and Benjie. "Don't let him spoil your night, ya hear? Let him get what he needs to out and we can all move on. Love you, kiddo." She said specifically to Lorelei before heading towards the bar.

"Yea yea, love you too." Lorelei huffed before listening in as her father continued on. "Dad!" She said, her voice making it clear the threats of breaking Benjie's legs was too far in her eyes. Benjie spoke up and told her father that he wasn't the type to hurt ladies and Lorelei nodded her head in agreement. It was upsetting to Lorelei that Benjie had to even explain himself further with her father but she hoped that once everything was said and done, the incident would be left alone. She knew Jason's heart was in the right place but it was annoying nonetheless.

Hearing Benjie say that he would put her safety first was sweet and made her smile despite her irritation. But then her dad had to ruin it by telling her to keep her big mouth shut. Lorelei scoffed wanting to say exactly what she was thinking at that moment but decided against it, wanting to end the conversation so they could all get back to their night. "Got it. Mouth shut. Can you go now?" Lorelei asked. Her father complied and stated that he had a table to get back to. "Have a good night, dad. Love you." She stated softly despite her irritation. It was hard for her to not say she loved her parents, even when they were in a disagreement. She had come to understand that any moment, good or bad could be her last with them or vice versa.

Once they were alone, Benjie turned to look at her with a sheepish expression on his face. "Yep, it did. You definitely passed the scare test. Thanks for remaining so calm, cuz I was ready to chew his head off." Lorelei admitted with a chuckle. Benjie asked if she was ready to go home and Lorelei nodded. "Yea, I don't want to risk having my parents eyeballing us for the rest of the night." She stated with another chuckle. Making sure she had everything she had brought with her, Lorelei listened as Benjie said he understood if she wanted to end the date which caused her to look up at him with confusion written all over her features. "Why would I want to do that? We barely got to talk! Come on, we can go back to my place and have a drink, maybe watch a movie or something? I'm not done with you yet, mister!" Lorelei said as she moved to take his hand, leading him towards the exit so that they could get to her car parked in the lot.
with: Benjie Misty Gray
was with: Jason Pyroclast

 

[Bellz]

Julia Avocatta
Wycliff Family Home
~ Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn ~​

In that brief moment that she was standing in the doorway, all Julia could think about was how Ricky wasn't being honest with her. She was more than just irked by it, mostly because her heart was invested in him and that was a slippery slope she probably should have just avoided. She helped him pull off plenty of things in the past but she wasn't sure how she could help him keep this from Gabriel...or if she even wanted to put herself in that position.

Her face was still and expressionless until the door opened wide with Elvian looking as glamorous as ever. Julia mimicked her excitement with a huge smile but before she could greet her Elvian greeted another person who was apparently behind her. Julia smiled kindly to the woman as they both entered the home. Julia looked around for a moment before her eyes focused on Elvian and Ava as the older woman asked if she and Ava had met. Julia shook her head to confirm that they had not met and Ava introduced herself. "Pleasure to meet you, Ava, as you've already heard I'm Julia...Ricky's..." Julia hesitated on what to call herself in regards to Ricky as she felt extremely betrayed. "Girlfriend." Julia quickly clarified. "I haven't seen much of Marcus lately, how's he doing?" She asked curiously before Elvian directed them towards the main room where everyone was at.

Whatever Ava filled her in on, Julia listened to with great interest before Ricky approached her. She managed to place a small smile on her face as he greeted her. "Ah I'm glad I could be here for her, what did I miss?" Julia asked. Ricky leaned in to kiss her and a part of her really just wanted to shove him away, but another part of her was relieved by the gesture. She accepted the kiss and offered Ricky another smile, this one being much more organic and didn't feel as forced. He asked her if she'd finished all the work she had to do and she subtly stiffened before clearing her throat. "Yea actually, I thought it would take me a lot longer so I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up about making it here on time but...I'm pretty good at my job, I must say. I think I deserve a formal raise. And before you go saying that sleeping with you is plenty enough, I'll have you know that most people have proper 401ks for retirement and I don't even have that." Julia said teasingly.

Besides, what am I to do if you suddenly were to pass?" Julia asked, maintaining a playful expression but her tone was serious. With the way he was currently trying to play her and the man who was only a few feet away from them, she doubted Ricky would live well into his old age if it continued. "Men statistically live shorter lives than women. If I don't have any money to save for retirement then I will be working for the rest of my existence, that doesn't sound fun to me." The blonde stated, pouting gently.
with: Ava/Elvian Melanin-Gxdess ; Ricky Misty Gray

 

[Pyroclast]

Elena Velazco​

Elena couldn’t remember the last time someone had comforted her like Thomas was doing. Of course, she was all too familiar with the feeling of a man’s arms wrapped around her, but it was never in this context. She felt safe in his secure embrace. She had wanted to comfort him too when he had broken down in tears, but since he had explained that he could hurt her, she wasn’t sure if touch would make it better or worse and so had let Lucky do that job. Now that he had broken the physical barrier between them, however, she let herself cuddle into him, wrapping an arm around his chest as she let her pent-up emotions pour out.

After a moment, Thomas asked her to look at him and used a gentle hand on her chin to direct her. Elena sniffed, blinking away any fresh tears in her eyes. Her brows furrowed in concentration as he spoke. He seemed to be offering her a place to stay with him, in his apartment - but it sounded like too good an offer to be true, and she was afraid of mishearing him. What confused her even further was that he claimed to want nothing in return. She had never heard of such generosity, and had to search his eyes for signs of deception.

But all she saw was that same genuine affection as before, and somehow she could think of no reason not to trust him. Besides, it had to be better than going back to Fergus. If she wasn't sure she was understanding him correctly, she was more assured when he got up and led her into what appeared to be a spare room. He told her she could paint it, do what she wanted with it, make it her own. Essentially, it would be hers.

Elena gazed about the room in awe, stepping almost tentatively across the floor. She couldn't believe what Thomas was offering her. "This room for me?" she asked, hands spontaneously reaching to cover her mouth. "You want to live with me?" Her eyes filled with tears again, but this time she was smiling behind her trembling hands. The man had just told her that he had left his family to live alone, yet here he was, openly suggesting that she come to live with him. "Tomás, I -" she started, but her eyes then caught sight of the adjacent bathroom he had spoken of and she couldn't resist darting inside to check it out for herself. It was like the hotel, having her own private bathroom, except Thomas' apartment was a thousand times nicer and this time she could really settle in.

When she stepped back into the room she was practically shaking with excitement and she ran over to Tomás to give him a tight hug. "I don't know why you do this for me, but you are the most kind man," she said, her voice muffled by his chest. "And I don't live for free. I pay you with money, like rent and food and water, okay? And I can do the work in here also, clean and cook…" Still with her arms around him, she leaned back and smiled up at him, her cheeks flushed from pure happiness. "And I hold you when you want, and we can talk in the day and the night, about everything. You can be solo or with me, if you are happy or sad, I am here, okay?" Closing her eyes, Elena rested her head against Thomas' chest, letting a tear fall down her cheek. "Thank you…" She was a bit uncertain of how his PTSD would affect him and what she might see whilst living with him. But she wasn't afraid. She was sure that just knowing how kind-hearted he was would make it easier for her to bear any emotional outbursts he may have. Even despite his warning that he might hurt her, she still had never felt safer than right there in his arms.

Interactions
Bellz Thomas

 

[Misty Gray]

Savannah Callahan's House
~ Dollymount, Dublin ~

Savannah Callahan​

Savannah was pleased to hear that Roxie and Syd were compromising and stepping up for the sake of their kids. Coming from such a close family, she knew how important it was that everyone worked together, for the sake of the kids, if nothing else! If only she and Alex were capable of doing the same...

Listening to Roxie tell her about the man at her firm who was into musical theatre, the blonde raised an intrigued eyebrow. "Oh, he sounds like a really interesting guy, and one with good taste," she assured her, given her own theatre background. But as it happened, Savannah was more taken in by Danny to be able to give the other man enough of her interest. She let out a small laugh when Roxie claimed she was offended about not being told sooner. "I guess with the upset me moving has caused with the Kings, and me worrying about Callum, it felt wrong to be gushing over a man. Like, now isn't the time to be thinking about my own love life," she sadly told her.

"Oh, I'm sure he still has good weed hook up," she assured her friend, though rolling her eyes. "I guess Dublin is much smaller than New York, and London too, really. Besides, I'm sure if I hang around my uncle Conor's place for long enough, I'm bound to bump into Danny again at some point," she joked. Her features then softened as she looked her friend in the eyes. "You really think it's okay for me to be pursuing Danny? It's not insensitive or ill-timed?"

She warmly smiled when asked if Danny had met Callum. She firmly nodded her head as her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red. "He met him a few weeks back. It was quite sweet, really. Callum seemed to like him. Of course, Callum likes almost everyone he meets, but he definitely liked Danny," she assured Roxie. "Danny told me he'd wanted children with his ex, but things didn't work out so well. I bet he would be a good dad and probably a good father figure to Callum too. Of course, I wouldn't dream of trying to replace Alex, no matter how much of a jerk he's been to me. But I think Danny would be a positive addition to Callum's world."

Savannah noticed as Roxie scrunched up her nose. "Oh, hey now. Don't you be going off the wine and making me look like I'm an alcoholic!" she teased her. In reality, Savannah wasn't exactly one for wild parties nor excessive drinking, but she was partial to a few glasses of wine in civilised environments. "You need to put a lock on that cellar door. Can't have the girls drinking alcohol at their age. They can catch up when they're old enough!" Seeing her friend was looking quite ill, she quickly nodded and rushed to her feet. "Maybe you should lie down - you can have the whole sofa," she suggested, before going to get glass of water. When she returned, she handed the drink to Roxie. She then cleared the nearby armchair of boxes and pulled it up close to the sofa so she could tend to Roxie whilst letting her lie down. "I hope you're not coming down with the bug that's going around. Liam was off sick from school a couple of days recently, although Emmy is certain he was faking it. I think she's just suspicious because it's what she used to do!"

Bellz (Roxie)

 

[Pyroclast]

Billy King​

The question of whether Billy wanted Erik to stop using cocaine didn’t really require an answer. He filled the silence with the smallest of shrugs, his eyes fixed firmly on his friend as he could see him battling with the idea. In the end what came out suggested that he needed the cocaine to calm him down, just like Billy used cigarettes. Billy knew he himself wasn’t great at dealing with things without a bit of help, whether that was a strong cup of tea, a cigarette, throwing himself into his work or getting too drunk to form a coherent thought. Come to think of it, he couldn’t remember the last fully sober day he had had. Still, he didn’t think he was too far gone. Erik, on the other hand…

“I thought you said you wasn’t addicted,” he quietly reminded him. “Look, you was a mess that day in the park, but I handled ya’, didn’t I? And I will again. I don’t care if you wanna scream in my face, cry your eyes out, puke in my car, throw fists at me, whatever, alright? I’ll take it, I’ll take whatever you throw at me. Be as ugly as you want, see if I care. You won’t put me off. You never could.” Feeling himself blush, Billy looked away and lightly scratched his cheek where it could feel it turning hot. It was then that he noticed the almost stifling tension in the air - once or twice an intrusive urge to kiss his friend would try to overcome him and he didn’t know what to do besides bring his hands together in a firm grip to stop them from reaching out to him. He had a message to get across, and kissing him wasn’t going to send the right one. “I just want to be what calms you down, Erik,” he admitted, his voice lowering. Despite his blushing, he looked up again to find Erik’s eyes and looked directly into them. “I want to be your first choice, so you don’t need the drugs anymore. Get to a point where you’d rather have me than a hit of the drug. That’s all.”

Billy was fully aware that not sticking to his word could tip Erik over the edge, but he had faith in himself not to abandon him. Billy didn’t tend to abandon anything or anyone, either from obsession or from fierce loyalty. In Erik’s case, he wasn’t sure which one it was - all he knew was that he couldn’t rest as long as Erik was in a bad state, and that his heart compelled him to be at his side.

Erik’s response to the question of him receiving abuse since moving to London made Billy smirk. He had shown enough times that he could handle himself in a fight, and his muscles weren’t to be missed. “Don’t have to tell me!” he commented, though the second the words left his lips he realised how flirtatious they sounded. Maybe it just sounded that way to him because of where his head was, with all the weird tension in the air and a memory in mind of seeing Erik undressed, his toned physique on full display... He just had to stop thinking about it and he could just go on as normal.

Without realising, his hands had slackened their grip and when Erik stood up Billy was just reaching out to touch him, only barely missing. He cleared his throat and readjusted himself in his seat, trying to settle his thoughts. “Oi, get me one, too, would ya’?” he asked, noticing Erik making his way towards the fridge. He tipped his beer back until it was empty and then thumped his chest to let out a playfully loud belch. There he was again, back to feeling like his masculine old self. But it didn’t last too long, as Erik soon returned and Billy couldn’t help but soften once more upon seeing the tear stains on his friend’s face. He thought about his phone call with Ava and what she had advised him about not leaving Erik alone when he was in a bad place. Leaning forward to pick up a slice of semi-cold pizza, Billy thought he'd casually ask, “Is it alright if I crash here tonight? Thought we’d make this a late one, and I can’t be arsed gettin’ the train home, anyway…”

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Erik

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Mercury Nightclub and Cocktail Bar
~Bethnal Green, London~
Darcey Hargraves​

At the mention of introducing May to Harper, Darcey debated it in her mind for a few seconds. Not just about whether or not Harper would take a liking to her but also about the sort of influence they would have on each other. Harper was a bit on the wild side, though to be quite honest, so was May. The thought of them just being each other's enablers was the main thing that worried her but then again they were adults. What more could Darcey do other than point them in the right direction? "Perhaps I will, though not because I want the two of you getting into any sort of trouble," she warned. "I'd hate to come rescue you from being arrested or something in the middle of the night." She leaned back in her seat, drink in hand as she took a sip.

Darcey was just starting to settle when she noticed a shift in the air. It came from a man who was shouting about someone and Darcey craned her neck to try and find out where it was coming from. She turned to May to make a comment but noticed the scared look she had on her face. "Wha-," she started only to be cut off by Darcey shoving money into her hands. Was this the money that the gentleman was screaming about? Now how did May get all twisted up into this? Darcey didn't question nor hesitate when it came to listening to May. Instead, she took the money and shoved them into her purse before disappearing from sight. She stayed close, however, in case the person of interest decided to do something stupid like putting his hands on her. To say Darcey was annoyed was an understatement. She had just managed to relax only to have it ruined because of this man and what she deemed to be a foolish action by May. Her drink was sitting idly by being diluted with the ice cubs and would no longer satisfy her tastebuds.

Watching in silence, Darcey noted how May handled not only herself but the situation altogether. The older woman was sure this girl had conned him out of money and even looked in her purse to try and make sense of how much. There were larger bills crumpled up together which could only mean she took the smaller ones. It was a clever move, but an even better one would have been her not getting caught in the first place. She closed her purse back up before turning her attention back to the altercation. He was calling her names and had even gotten physical with her, but May didn't break her cool whatsoever. It was impressive, really, to watch her handle this situation with such a level head. Darcey was sure she herself would have gotten violent if the man had stepped even within a few feet of her person. The man soon walked away, allowing Darcey to wait a few moments before coming out from her hiding spot. She immediately shoved the money back into the young woman's hands and scowled. "I want no part of any of your scandals, Maeve. Especially when they're in Bruce's club!" She harshly told her. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to say Darcey Hargraves had been up to something scandalous in a club she didn't even own. Unwanted attention wasn't her style. After she took a few breaths she looked at her. "It was clever, though. I'll have to teach you the most important rule to stealing money from chumps." She paused for dramatic effect. "Don't hang around here after."

May ( BasDorcha )

 

[BloodLightning27]

Final Chapter 7 Post

~Stella Kwon~Dublin, Ireland | Dublin City Centre, The Sullivan's Pub

After God knows how long its been since they've last seen one another, Stella was simply happy to be in Emery's company again, especially after an evening in the woods with the boys. With a smile on her face, she placed the retrieved darts back into Emery's hand. "Well that's good, I was worried there wouldn't be." Stella simply chuckled before stepping aside as to move out of Emery's way so that she can start throwing darts.

Stella herself was rather impressed when she saw where the darts had landed. Her accuracy was exceptional. If she was like this with darts, how was she with a gun or even throwing knives? Sadly, the Bounty Hunter didn't think that she'd get to find out anytime soon, especially since she heard that Conner was not allowing Emery to be out on the field and stuck her behind a desk. Hopefully that will change soon. In the mean time, Stella definitely wanted to take the beautiful Callahan out on a date, but what would they even do? Her train of thought was disrupted when she saw one of the men they were throwing darts with put his arm around Emery. And already having a bad day, jealousy washed over Stella almost instantly, but since Conner was nearby, she had to be on her best behavior, so no bar fight tonight. She was nearly shot in the face, no need to add more possible injuries...right?

Shortly after, she followed as Emery decided to get away from the drunk and rowdy men. It wasn't long until Emery had asked her about who had shot her, having noticed the bandaged wound on her face. "One of the Sweeney Brothers' friends decided to take two potshots at me. In return, he took two to the chest, one to the head. Just like how Chase and Adam taught me a year ago. As for the fucker that shot at you two weeks ago...He's dead now. So you won't have to worry about him anymore." She replied, adjusting her hat. "But with him out of the way, are you...are you free at all next week?" She then sighed before looking Emery in the eye. "If you're free, I was hoping I could spend more time with you. You know, maybe go somewhere nice for dinner, catch a movie, shoot empty bottles and soda cans out on the field, go for a drive...maybe even sit at Sandycove beach at night and watching the waves while also taking in the breathtaking view of the Dublin Bay..." She trailed off a little before realizing what she just said. "Oh God, I sound corny, don't I?" Her eyes widened a little as her cheeks turned red.

---

Interactions: Emery Callahan Misty Gray | Four Bar Patrons

 

[Misty Gray]

Chapter 8: Something Gained, Something Lost
Friday 31st May 1985
...15 days later...
Dublin: Early Evening - Sunny, Mild, Breezy
London: Early Evening - Overcast, Warm, Breezy
New York City: Noon - Sunny, Warm, Clear Skies

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Rikers Island Prison
~ Rikers Island, New York City ~​

James Porter

3 hours ago...

When he'd eventually been permitted to make a phone call two weeks ago, James was shocked to hear about the plan Conor had concocted in order to get him released from jail. The fact his brother-in-law was making another deal with the Morettis didn't exactly sit well with the former mob boss, but in his present situation, James had nothing to lose. Knowing all of his family were safely out of New York, he was willing to go along with the plan and he could get any concerns or criticisms off his chest once back in Dublin. If he ever made it back to Dublin, of course. He wasn't the only one not to trust Gabriel and it seemed that Conor had made arrangements for insurance on that front. James didn't like Conor's backup plan, but considering he only learned last night what exactly that plan was, there was no time for James to talk him out of it and certainly had no weight of authority over a phone call with the wing governor in earshot.

Early that morning, James had what he hoped would be his last prison breakfast. He'd spoken with Kurt and Bradley that morning, during which time he assured the former that he'd look out for Benjamin in Dublin and make sure the lad was staying out of trouble, even if he did sound like a sensible young man already Then once breakfast was over, James was escorted away to be processed for his release and have his personal belongings returned to him.

After a few snide remarks from the COs who had been hoping to see their prisoner dead before he was ever released, James was lead out of the hellhole and through the various security gates. Eventually, he stepped through the last gate, not even bothering to look back as he heard it being locked behind him. He was soon greeted by the familiar face of one of the mob's gang members who led him to the car where their trusted driver was waiting. Climbing into the back of the vehicle, James' serious mood didn't go unnoticed by the two men in front who commented on his lack of smile. "You boys get me to the airfield in one piece and then I'll smile," he seriously assured them. "Keep focused until then."

The drive seemed to be going smoothly, with little in the way of traffic along the bridge across East River and into Queens. As they approached the underpass tunnel, James' alertness intensified, especially upon realising the road for the opposite side of traffic had been closed. Flashing lights were seen ahead in the tunnel before the police cars blocking their road came into view. Looking over his shoulder out of the rear window, James saw another police car behind them. James' driver had no choice but to slow the car to a stop, especially upon realising the half a dozen cops standing ahead were armed and wearing body armour. As the law enforcers approached, one of them directed his firearm to James' driver and another to the front passenger. "Step out of the vehicle, Mr. Porter. Then turn around and place both hands flat on the roof of the car," the third, much larger, police officer ordered.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You'd better have a damn good reason for this, considering I was just cleared and released from Rikers," he grumbled. Despite his protests, there was little choice but to comply. After getting out of the car, he turned to place both hands on the roof of the car. The non-descript white transit van approaching caught his attention. As it was brought to a stop and the driver gave one of the cops the thumbs up, James knew he wasn't being arrested and it was pretty clear Gabriel was involved. "Before you do anything, you should tell Moretti--" he began, but paused as he felt the needle of the syringe enter the side of his neck. "He needs me alive..." James managed to add as he felt the effects of the drugs begin to kick in. He tried to say more but no sound left his mouth and he soon blacked out completely.

****************

Biancardi Mansion
~ Queens, New York City ~​

Riccardo Biancardi

2 hours ago...

Parked in the usual spot in the reserved driveway, the black SUV was shadowed between two five-storey Brooklyn apartment buildings. It was a quiet and wealthy neighbourhood, one almost as quiet as the inside of the stationary SUV. There, the two men; driver and passenger, sat lifeless in their seats. Anyone who happened to pass by and decide to take a close look through the tinted windows might make the reasonable assumption the men were sleeping. In reality, they'd been strangled to death less than a quarter of an hour ago. Their surveillance duties on the school across the street was usually a boring and uneventful affair. After all, who would dare carry out an attack on Moretti soil? Uneventful was no doubt preferable to being dead. It was also preferable to the fact four men, concealing their weapons, had since snuck onto the school grounds and snatched the child as she hid during a playground game with her friends.

A short time later, the telephone rang in the Biancardi Mansion, situated in Queens. Regardless of the time of day, Ricky knocked back the double shot of vodka and slammed the glass tumbler down on the coffee table. He pinched the bridge of his nose and he briefly squeezed his tired eyes shut. He hadn't slept in days, with the constant feelings of dread weighing heavy on his mind. At times, it was easier to give in and let the other guy take the driving seat. Maybe he should just let his darker side cut off his conscience completely. Right now, there was no escaping what he had done. Conor had demanded an answer as to whose well-being would be enough to make even Gabriel Moretti back down. Ricky had told the truth, but on this occasion, he was beginning to wish he'd told yet another lie. Perhaps Elvian would have been enough and that way he might have felt a little less inhuman for naming her instead of her young granddaughter.

Why couldn't Gabriel just let James Porter go? Cristina would never have had to become involved.

Lifting the receiver to silence the ringing, Ricky waited for the caller to speak. "They did it. The Irish have the kid." Ricky let out a heavy sigh before confirming he understood. Ending the call with a heavy slam of the receiver, he then slumped down on the sofa. Once again, he couldn't help but return to the memories of being a kid and left in the violent hands of Father Miller during his many detentions. Though evil himself, the priest had claimed to be beating the Devil out of Ricky for the kid's many childish misbehaviours. Looking back now, Ricky couldn't help but think his abuser had really seen the cruelty within him. Maybe it would have been better all round if the religious man had gone too far one time and killed the unruly young teenager. Maybe it would have saved the suffering of those around Ricky now. It had taken some time to believe he was worthy of being loved, but Julia had been helped change that. He'd even formed friendships with Teddy, Elvian and Valentina, as well as enjoying the company of Harmony and others under Gabriel's employment. Then there was his dear cousin, Roxie. If she wasn't already repulsed enough by him, she would be. They all would be. Repulsed and betrayed.

For now, his own well-being wasn't his greatest concerned. Right now, he hoped Conor would stick to his word that no harm would come to the Gabriel's granddaughter.

****************

Moretti Base - Riverside Diner - Basement
~ Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, NYC ~
​

James Porter and Gabriel Moretti

Present...

There had been a short time where Gabriel felt justice had been served. In 1972, he'd ripped the Irish Mob apart and forced them to hand New York to him. The knowledge he'd managed to killed James' brother, Warren, along with Jackson and many other close friends and employees of the Porters had brought some joy to Gabriel. Watching James' loved ones suffer had eased some of the anguish from the Italian's own mind. It lasted a while but it still hadn't been enough. Making sure James was locked away, beaten and tortured in Rikers Island had provided temporarily relief to Gabriel, but eventually, that wasn't enough for him either. It had become clear the only way to avenge the many loved ones who were killed in the explosion arranged by James was to kill the man himself and without mercy. Evidently, Teddy also had unresolved business with the Irishman and he was owed the opportunity to get revenge on the man who had tortured him thirteen years ago.

Gabriel had been accused of being theatrical in the past and as he stood in the basement, surrounded by the tools and equipment Damian had left behind for him to use, the Italian boss was willing to embrace the spectacle of it all. James Porter might not enjoy it, but he would get exactly the show he deserved.

James had been strapped into the old dentist's chair for two hours, half of which he had been unconscious after the heavy dose of anaesthetic he'd received. This was followed by muscle relaxants which had rendered James conscious but unable to move. He'd been aware of his immediate surroundings and of the presence of others, but had been able to work out Gabriel and Teddy were also accompanied by two armed guards who stood silently by the thick, steel door. Hearing the quiet mumbles and intermittent moments of being directly addressed by Gabriel, it was frustrating being unable to move or respond. He'd been in many life-threatening situations in the past, but even at his lowest, where he feared death was imminent, James had always been able to at least retaliate and know he would go down fighting, be it physical or verbal retaliation.

Part of James was willing to accept this death. Hell, it wasn't like he could fight back and give the Morettis the full satisfaction of hearing him suffer if he remained physically unable to react. But with his judgement returning to him, so did the knowledge of the fact he needed to stay alive. He didn't care about the Morettis and he'd never met Teddy's daughter, but if he died then there was a good chance the child would be harmed too. Conor had assured him it wouldn't come to that, but James wasn't sure what changes the Conor had undergone in the six years he'd been in Rikers Island. But what he knew from before then was that his brother-in-law's grief for Jackson's death had changed the man; made him colder than the loveable giant he'd once known. James himself had killed many people and he wasn't ignorant to the fact innocents had been attendance at Francesco Moretti's birthday party the night of the explosion. He didn't want Conor to cross this line and be directly responsible for the death of a child. As he attempted to speak, all that came out of James' mouth was a struggled splutter of half a incohesive word.

"Have you had enough time to contemplate your situation, Mr. Porter?" Gabriel's voice suddenly boomed as he approached the Irishman, signalling for Teddy to join him. "I suppose the only saving grace is that my family didn't have all of this time of purgatory, just waiting for the final blow. No, at least their deaths were quick. I will not grant you the same mercy. Nor will Theodore here," the Italian said, motioning to his son-in-law and watching as James' eyes followed them. "As fun as it would be, don't worry. I will wait until you regain all of your functions, as I'd hate to go to all of this effort and not witness your suffering to its full extent. I don't believe you've met my good friend, Damian, but the man let me borrow his things and this room - the room where you will take your last breath. Though not until after I grant you some last words... I heard you had a message for me and I would love it hear it when you figure out how to speak again."

Gabriel wrapped his hand around James' throat, tightly squeezing to block the man's airways. He noted the lack of physical reaction other than quick movement of the Irishman's eyes. With a sinister smile, he relaxed his grip and let go of his enemy's neck. It was too soon to put James out of his misery. After mockingly slapping James' face twice with his open palm, Gabriel let out a small chuckle. "It'll wear off soon, Porter. In the meantime, it would be rude of me to do all of the talking." Looking to Teddy, Gabriel invited him to speak. "Theodore has a few things to get off of his chest."

Melanin-Gxdess (Teddy)

Moretti Family Home
~ Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, NYC ~
​

Valentina Wycliff

Valentina was fully aware that Teddy and Gabriel were out dealing with James Porter. With the three children at their relevant schools for the day, Valentina had little in the way of distracting herself from worrying about her husband and father. Just as her family had planned to ambush James, she knew there was every chance the Irish had some kind of plan of attack up their own sleeves. She just hoped Teddy and Gabriel would make it home safe. Rather than fret about it on her own, Valentina had asked Harmony to take her to her parents' house so she could at least offload some of her concerns to her mother.

Having brought Rocco with her, Valentina was comfortably seated on the sofa with the dog snuggled up beside her. "Mama, don't be snitching on me for letting the dog up on your sofa," she playfully asked. "Out secret, right, Harmony?" she asked the young woman. She then smiled as she thought about the birthday present she'd recently received. "I can't wait to spend some time at the lodge. Nice little mini-breaks and being able to hang out at the beach," she gushed. She knew with Teddy's increasing responsibilities it would be difficult to get many vacations in, but it was good knowing they had somewhere to go even for just a couple of days at a time.

The conversation was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Valentina leaned back on the sofa to peer out of the window and see two of the smartly-dressed Moretti guards standing at the front door. Nervously biting her bottom lip, she turned back to her mother and Harmony. "Are you expecting them?" she asked. They looked even more serious and uptight than normal. Surely nothing could have happened to Gabriel and Teddy.

When Elvian opened the front door, the tallest of the large men had a serious look on his face as he address Elvian. "Ma'am, we have a problem and I am unaware of your husband's present whereabouts," he quietly told her, knowing only a select few were privy to Gabriel's present location. "It relates to Mrs. Wycliff's daughter," he admitted, unsure if he should speak to Elvian first, in the boss' absence, or directly to Valentina.

Melanin-Gxdess (Elvian) BloodLightning27 (Harmony)

The Sullivan Residence
~ Sutton, Dublin ~
​

Conor Sullivan

The day had arrived for James to be released from prison after Gabriel had seen to it that evidence was found to clear the man of murdering the cop back in the seventies. Handing over the rest of Queens to the Italians was to be set in stone once James left American soil. Regardless, Conor had expected all along that Gabriel would cross him in order to seek revenge on James for what the man had done to his family. That was why he'd had to arrange insurance - someone to use to bargain with the Morettis to ensure James' safe return home. Lucy, Syd, Thomas, and Olivia didn't need to suffer any more, which meant James needed to return to them alive and well.

Conor hadn't slept in his and Aliana's bed last night. There was too much on his mind and he knew he wouldn't be able to settle. Not to mention, he felt too ashamed to lay next to her knowing what he'd had to arrange to ensure his brother-in-law's safety. Instead, he'd shut himself away in the office for the night, making clear he had a lot to prepare for the day ahead. It wasn't strictly a lie, he'd just failed to mention the part of the plan that included abducting Moretti's granddaughter. Having two young children and two young grandchildren himself, he knew how unethical his decision was. He understood what it was to love them and how devastated it would be for any harm to come to the children, but that was why he'd done it. He was fully aware of how cold, detached, and brutal a man Gabriel was. As such, there was an extremely limited number of people who could be used as leverage to make the man back down. Unfortunately for everyone, one of such person was the Italian's granddaughter.

The telephone rang, prompting Conor to get up from his office sofa and sit at his desk to take the call. As he listened to the voice addressing him, his eyes fixed on the unopened bottle of whiskey that had been tempting him since the night before. As he was updated on the situation, he gripped the telephone receiver tighter. The Morettis had ambushed James and as a result, Conor's men in New York had taken Cristina. "You listen to me and listen good," he began. Resting the elbow of his free arm on the desk, he massaged his forehead with his fingertips. His distraction and the shielding of his vision meant he didn't notice his office door being opened. "Nobody touches a hair on that girl's head, you understand? You don't do anything without direct approval from my mouth alone. Don't go scaring the kid. Just let her watch TV or colour some pictures. Moretti will come to his senses to keep her from harm, I'm sure of it."

Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana)

Currently Active Cast: Misty Gray Bellz Pyroclast Melanin-Gxdess BloodLightning27 BasDorcha​

​

 

[Bellz]

Chapter 8: Something Gained, Something Lost
Friday 31st May 1985
...15 days later...
Dublin: Early Evening - Sunny, Mild, Breezy
London: Early Evening - Overcast, Warm, Breezy
New York City: Noon - Sunny, Warm, Clear Skies

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Lucy Porter
Outside Sully's Diner
-Dublin City Center, Dublin - ​

Thinks had been rather eventful, to say the least, Thomas had decided to move out and was in a place of his own. Lucy was not allowed over...not that he explicitly said that but she rather assumed that she wasn't welcome given the way they had been with each other recently. With Thomas out of the house, Lucy felt that she didn't have anyone to worry over as Olivia was a very independent woman and Syd had finally grown into his own. Luckily, Shinoa and her new little bundle of joy were frequent in the woman's life. Lucy had practically adopted the teen making sure she had a loving family around her and her little one to call their own. Not everyone was absolutely thrilled with the idea BUT Lucy didn't pay them any mind, she never changed what she wanted to do for anyone and she wasn't going to start compromising now. With James in Prison and her grandbabies becoming far too cool to spend time with grandma on their own, Lucy was extremely happy that she had Shinoa and the baby to keep her busy. This week in particular was extra busy for Lucy, as she was looking for a place to purchase in Dublin. Although she wasn't exactly sure why James had been so insistent on her going to Dublin with Olivia, she had an inkling and she knew that this stay was most likely going to turn permanent. Even if it didn't Lucy still wanted to have a place of her own to stay when she did come to visit.

As lovely as it was staying with her eldest son, she knew that if she stayed too long he would more than likely become dependent on her and while she loved for him to depend on her, she learned long ago that she needed to keep some distance in order to make sure that Syd could pick himself back up off the ground when she eventually passed. Lucy was due to meet with Shinoa, compromising with the young woman to meet her at a diner in the middle of the city. "Now although this house isn't as big as the others I've shown you today, I assure you Mrs. Porter that it has plenty of room for your family and friends." The realtor stated. Lucy looked up at the older country home, the vines that wrapped the front part of the house added character and color. The house exterior paint wasn't well kept and awful grey color, but Lucy was looking for a home that she could style herself this time around. All of the homes they had in the past were very new and most modern, this house was...quaint. While Lucy hadn't ever really experienced what it was like to live in such a simple-looking home, taking one look at the place she knew she could get very used to it.

As they walked inside, the interior was much more kept up which relieved the blonde a bit. While she wanted a home to work on, she didn't want to have to completely start from scratch as she wanted to move into the place as soon as she could. "The house has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. As you could see when we pulled in the ground around the home is large but it's in need of a lot of work. A special quirk about this house is that it has two master bedrooms, which you don't see in a lot of newer homes." The tour of the home went by just as quickly as the rest and Lucy told the man who showed her the homes that she would have a decision for him in about a day or two. Looking to her watch, she knew that if she didn't get a move on she would be late for her little get-together with Shinoa. She had asked the woman to meet her in the city hoping that Lucy could treat the girl to a nice little outing as she was sure the young girl was exhausted. Lucy had been there with her almost every day making sure she had everything she needed with the birth of her little one but she had taken the last two days off to search for a place to live.

After parking her car in the diner lot, Lucy locked her car before walking around the back towards the front of the building the diner was located in. She had hoped Shinoa had made it okay but when she didn't see her out front at first she got a little discouraged. She started to feel a little bad that she hadn't driven to Finn and George's place to pick her up but the drive was a bit long and by the time Lucy would have gotten there and took herself and Shinoa back into the city it would have been far too late for the baby to be out. She just hoped that when she brought up Shinoa moving in with her to the young woman that she would be excited about it. While she knew she was in great hands with Finn and George, Lucy had made a connection with Shinoa as she had with all of her adopted children.
with: Shinoa
meeting with: Beautiful Shinoa BloodLightning27
mentions: Syd Pyroclast

Blake McCarthy
Blake's House
- Sutton, Dublin - ​

Despite the way their last date had ended, Blake continued to feel unsure in her decisions which led to her not being very responsive over the last two weeks. It wasn't that the conversation with Conor had scared her or anything but she just realized how many people were watching her at that moment. She was never the one to shy away from what she wanted to do normally but she was very aware that other people's feelings were involved outside of her and Adam's. She had talked to him a total of 2 times over the phone in the last 15 days and they hadn't seen each other since they came back from the pub that night. He'd spent the night which Blake had been fine with, but Natasha had come home unexpectedly early the next morning and the whole encounter was awkward. Although her daughter didn't say anything, she could see the uncertainty written on her features and she assumed that her daughter thought that maybe she was taking things a little too fast for her. Collin complained about Blake being gone constantly after that so she decided to take the last two weeks to sit on her feelings and on her children's feelings and spend some quality time with them.

She could hear the surprise in Adam's voice as she called him earlier. He had been the one to call both times over the last couple of weeks so she assumed he was just surprised to see her take the initiative to call again. He seemed further surprised when she invited him over again. She already had dinner in the works and drinks ready to be served but she was unsure of how this night was going to end. Blake had realized that maybe she wasn't ready to take on a relationship...as much as she wanted to. But then it felt like she was just allowing everyone around her to make that decision for her with their skepticism which made her feel conflicted.

Natasha had been kind enough to once again drop Collin off at his friends' house before she headed out to solve the never-ending issue between Thomas and Leo as Blake was continuing to prepare dinner. "Good luck trying to sort those two out, they are as stubborn as their fathers." Blake told Natasha with a smirk. The young woman groaned and rolled her eyes, "Tell me about it, nothing a plan and alcohol won't fix." She stated before Blake shook her head. "You call me if things take a turn, Ali and I will be there faster than those two eggheads can throw a punch." Blake murmured before beckoning her daughter over to kiss her forehead. "Collin! You ready to go?" Blake called out to her son who she could hear heavily running down the stairs. "I'm ready, I'm ready! I was just getting my clothes." He stated with a huff as he entered the kitchen. "Alright come give your mam a kiss." Blake insisted as the boy rolled his eyes moving to kiss her cheek as she knelt forward to allow him to. "I love you, kid. You call me if you have any trouble okay?" Collin nodded his head. "Have fun you two! Don't do anything I would do!" She teased as they both groaned their goodbyes and headed for the door.

Once they were gone, Blake finished setting the table before moving upstairs to her bedroom to change her outfit. She had taken down most of the pictures of her late husband throughout the house, allowing her children to keep the pictures they wanted in their rooms. Walking past Natasha's room, Blake's eyes immediately caught one picture in particular. Opening the door, she walked towards it and picked up the frame to get a better look. It was taken about a week or so before he died. Natasha was smiling sitting on her father's shoulders and Jackson's smile was just as big as Blake got a picture of the pair standing in front of the Empire State Building. A small smile played on her lips as her eyes watered. Before she could catch it, a stray tear had fallen onto the glass but Blake was quick to wipe it away. Letting out a heavy sigh as she shook her head, she placed the picture frame down where she found it before moving out of Natasha's room, making a note to tell the woman to pick up her damn clothes when she got home.

Heading to her room, Blake spent a little time getting ready, settling on a casual outfit, and keeping her hair straightened before heading downstairs to sit on the couch and wait.
with: Adam Misty Gray

Roxie Carriveau
Roxie's New House
- Dollymount, Dublin - ​

It had been 4 whole days since she'd gotten the news she thought she'd never hear and yet, she was still completely in a state of shock. 2 weeks ago Savvy had stated that Liam had gotten a bug at school and that she had hoped that Roxie hadn't caught it. Seeing as her kids went to the same school, it was only logical to assume that her feeling nauseous and sick was due to a stomach bug. Despite her sickness, Roxie had managed to take Savvy up on her offer to help her look for a new place to live. As luck would have it, Roxie had found a really nice home only 2 blocks away from her best friend and she didn't hesitate to put in an offer. Her offer was approved and although her children weren't thrilled about moving out of the home they grew up in, Roxie knew they would come to love the place she had picked out in time. After a whole week of being sick, Roxie had decided that it was high time to go see a doctor. Her children hadn't been experiencing any sort of illness so she found it odd that she was so sick. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to get an appointment as quickly as she would have liked and only four days earlier her primary care doctor revealed the absolute impossible. She was pregnant. At the appointment, the doctor ignorantly congratulated her and despite feeling as if her heart was being ripped out of her chest, Roxie managed the faintest of smiles while holding back a flood of tears. The night after she had found out had been spent in emotional and physical agony but Roxie had quickly pulled herself together for the sake of her children and keeping herself in the right place to get the rest of her house packed. Although Syd normally had the children on the weekend, Roxie had been insistent a few weeks prior that she would need them to help her move things into the house. However, she was quickly realizing that the process would be much faster and a lot quieter if they went to their fathers so she asked Syd to pick them up this evening so they and she could be spared the chaos that was likely to ensue from trying to get everything unpacked.

Yesterday, they had officially moved into the new home. The furniture was all moved in so they had all slept in their new rooms. However, there were quite a few more boxes at her old place so she piled JJ in the car with her while leaving the girls with Reina, telling the woman to go out with them to grab some pizza for dinner. She hadn't told any of them her news because she simply didn't know how to do it but it was clear that her children were worried about her, especially JJ who was currently staring at her. They had just picked up the second to last load and were bringing it back to the new house. "Momma?" JJ asked lightly and Roxie turned to look at him briefly before moving her eyes back on the road. "Yea, J?" Roxie asked, making sure to place a smile on her lips already seeing the concern on his face. It was a face his father made, the little crease in the center of his brow as he looked at her with wide wondering eyes. "Are you sure your okay? Is the medicine the doctor gave you working?" JJ questioned, "Because I don't want to embarrass you...but you were throwing up really loud last night...and I was so worried I didn't sleep too well." He stated with a soft sigh, running a hand through his hair. Another habit of his fathers. Roxie looked to her son and moved to take his hand in hers. "Hey, I'm okay...I promise. No need to worry. The doctor said the medicine will take a few days to work. I only picked up the prescription the other day remember?" She asked gently. "I can't help but worry mom, Matthew's not around to worry about you so I've got to be the big man of the house now and take care of you and my pain in the ass sisters." JJ stated which Roxie scoffed softly, "Language!" JJ rolled his eyes but held his mother's hand a little tighter. "Who told you that you have to be the big man of the house now?" Roxie asked her son before he shrugged. "No one...but I just feel I need to be there. I mean, I have you and Jeanie and Jane to look after me. But you don't have anyone to look after you."

Roxie went silent for a moment, biting the inside of her cheek as her eyes welled up with tears. Taking a deep breath through her nose to calm herself, Roxie cleared her throat. "It's not your job to take care of me, JJ. I love that you want to but...I'm your mom, it's my job to look out for you kiddo. Besides, I did just fine without Matthew before I met him...you remember don't you?" JJ nodded his head gently, "Sure but, it's nice to know someone will take care of you when you need it." he argued softly to which Roxie went silent again. "Dad used to take care of you, didn't he?" Roxie looked to JJ briefly once more before she turned her head, turning her blinker on as she came to a stop at a sign. The car quietly idled as Roxie looked ahead into the dark for a moment, "Yea...your dad did take good care of me, J." Roxie murmured softly as she turned right down their new street. Pulling into the driveway, Roxie came to a gentle halt and put the car into park before turning off the engine. "Alright Mr. Man, that's enough questions for now. Go grab pizza before your sisters eat it all, I'll be there in a second." JJ nodded his head before opening the door and running inside.

Roxie could hear JJ yell at one of his sisters, something about eating all of the cheese pizza. Leaning against her seat, Roxie sat in a comfortable silence as she thought about what her son had been pointing out. After another long moment, Roxie had gotten herself out of the car and began walking towards the house. She was feeling a little better than she had been in previous days but she knew that it most likely wouldn't last too long...
with: Possibly Reina Melanin-Gxdess + gremlins
mentions: Syd Pyroclast (Just wanted to get a quick explainer intro in there, you can start with him making his way over and possibly ending your post with arriving at Roxie's new place so that I can go ahead and set up the scene aha)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Chapter 8: Something Gained, Something Lost
Friday 31st May 1985
...15 days later...
Dublin: Early Evening - Sunny, Mild, Breezy
London: Early Evening - Overcast, Warm, Breezy
New York City: Noon - Sunny, Warm, Clear Skies

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The Sullivan's Pub
~Dublin City Center, Dublin~

Leo Sullivan

Leo’s date with Natasha had gone better than expected. Taking her to the beach and laying out food and drinks that held sentimental value had been a good idea. It was probably one of his more creative ideas and knowing that it worked put a smile on his face for the next few days. The best part about all of it is that he went in single and came out with a girlfriend. It wasn’t until he watched her laugh at something he said in the sunset that he realized how much he actually liked Natasha. Sure, he had thought about it before but because they were such old friends he didn’t want to risk messing anything up. Thanks to Aliana and Rhiannon both he found out it was a stupid thing to worry about and swallowed his fear. Now the two were dating and so far, things were going great. That is, until she brought up his and Thomas’ relationship.

What started out as a simple miscommunication between two cousins and best friends had turned into a bigger, stupid argument that could have been settled with an apology from both sides, but no. Leo saw Thomas as entitled and a prick who wouldn’t listen to reason and therefore he wasn’t about to give him an apology - especially after he had already given him one. before. Well, actually, the apology would be for punching him in the face during their party, but Leo thought he deserved it. Leave it to Natasha and she’d so they were being stupid and needed to apologize to each other. Which is exactly what she told him. He thought the two of them were going to have a nice little time watching their siblings together, but he was wrong. She brought it up again and talked about how he and Thomas were the best of friends up until a year or so ago. All the trouble they caused when they were younger and how much time they spent together. No one understood him like Thomas, that much was sure, but why should he be the one to fix things? Ali informed him that it was his job since Thomas had been through so much. James going to prison, family members dying. Leo was about to retort with the fact that Conor has also gone to jail and that he was grieving dead family members too until she mentioned his time overseas. It was no secret that the military changed Thomas - for the worse, perhaps, and that’s why it was important the two made up. Thomas probably needed his friend way more now.

As per usual, the women - and this time around his own father - had managed to get Leo to have a sit down with Thomas. He was still reluctant to make any sort of phone call to him, so he asked Natasha to set it up for him with a time and a place. If he didn’t show then Leo knew where he stood in their friendship and would assume there was no fixing what was broken. It would suck and his feelings would definitely be hurt but he would learn to move on from it. When they would have family get-togethers Leo would act accordingly and not cause any sort of scene, but it would be as if they were strangers. Strangers with memories, that is. Running around various houses breaking things, Leo edging Thomas on to throw things at Syd, and even staying up late watching R-rated movies. Leo had nothing but fond memories of their time together and it was all being poisoned by this stupid disagreement. Thinking about it now even Leo had to admit that he missed when times were simpler. When all he had to do was ask Ali to take him to Lucy's so they could hang out.

Then they grew up.

Leo had planned for them to meet at the Pub. It was in public and Leo was more inclined to be on his best behavior since it was his father’s place. He’d arrived a bit earlier than planned to allow himself a moment to get his thoughts and emotions under control. What was he going to say? That he missed him? He did, but that wasn’t the purpose of this meeting, now was it? No, he was supposed to be apologizing for punching him in the face and seeing where it took him from there. But what if he got stuck? Then what was he supposed to do? Leo was never really good at expressing his feelings that weren’t anger (thanks mom and dad) but a part of him wanted to try this time around. If he could confess to Natasha that he saw her as more than a friend then he could confess to missing Thomas… Or, was that too emotional? Thinking about how to act was stressing him out as he moved to sit at the bar. He bounced his leg to try and calm his nerves before just ordering a beer for himself. It wasn't too early to have one and he was going to need it for this conversation. Tonight's bartender was Nolan, a burly man with more hair on his body than his head. He slid over a pint towards Leo before throwing a towel over his shoulder. "What're you doin' 'ere, baby cub?" Leo chuckled at the nickname before shaking his head. "Reconciling with an old friend," he paused, tracing the rim of his glass with his finger. "Well, hoping so, anyway."

Thomas ( Bellz )

Mercury Nightclub and Cocktail Bar
~Bethnal Green, London~

Erik Snowden

The past ten days of Erik's life had been a fucking nightmare. Erik had been forcing himself to get clean all without a rehab center or an accountability partner. Had Billy not expressed such a disdain for Erik's drug use and the fact that Erik was, indeed, on the road to severe addiction he wouldn't have even thought twice about it. He would have kept up with his bi-weekly visits to the park to meet his dealer and snorting cocaine whenever he was coming down from a high. But because of that look in Billy's eyes when he realized Erik had lied about being semi-dependent on the drugs, Erik wanted to change for the person he had fallen for. So, after he finished the stash he had - he didn't want to waste the money - he stopped. The first few days were the worst. Vomiting, sweating, shaking, the works. He had almost failed after four days but when he remembered what he was doing it for he soldiered on. By the sixth day he was feeling a bit better, less shaking and less vomiting but still sweaty and now lethargic. The sunglasses he wore did very little to hide the fact that he was often nodding off in public spaces when he was supposed to be paying attention. By day ten he wasn't sweaty and had stopped vomiting, though now he was restless, nervous that he was going to break at any moment and working hard to adjust to this new, nearly sober Erik.

Sober Erik was far different from high Erik and he was beginning to see the signs. Sober Erik was more in tune with himself, more aware of his surroundings. Before he would only see in tunnel vision and focused on one things at a time but now that his mind was clear he could see everything at once. It felt nice, he admitted, being nearly fully sober but at the same time he was worried. What happened if the voices came back telling him he couldn't do this? That it was all for nothing? What happened if all the negative emotions about his past came back to haunt him once again? What then? Then he remembered Billy told him - that he'd be there for him through anything. If Erik could just remember that he could and should call Billy the moment he was having an issue or a hard time then everything would be okay... Right?

At the thought of Billy, he couldn't help but think about how tense things were during their talk. The physical touches, how close they had been to each other, all of it was a lot. Erik tried not to think about what would have happened had their lips touched but it was unsuccessful. Erik spent a lot of time thinking about Billy and their interactions with each other the past few months and one irrefutable fact remained; something was going on with Billy. Erik had his fair share of men who were in the closet to know the signs and Erik had been thinking about ways to cox Billy into coming to terms with it. Full out telling him wasn't going to work so what about something else? Something more... Playful. And that's when he decided he would just continue to flirt with him, put him in intense situations where he would be forced to come to terms and they would take it from there. Sure, it may have been juvenile, but sober Eri was all about juvenile activities. Whenever the two of them were around each other whether in public or private Erik would subtly flirt with Billy or make sure the two of them were physically close. The look on Billy’s face was priceless and changed drastically depending on if people were around or not. It still amused Erik to no end and he found great joy in it all. If Billy wanted Erik completely sober then he was going to have to deal with his shenanigans too.

Once he deemed himself presentable, Erik set out to get his shit together as far as his job was concerned. With the Moretti-King alliance well underway Erik had a lot to do to make sure everything went smoothly and his first step was to help forge that relationship. He was aware Damian had already been briefly introduced to Spencer and the others, but he felt this would be a good time and opportunity for the three of them to sit down, talk, and get to know each other better. Afterall, the three of them were no doubt going to be working closely together in the upcoming months so why not get acquainted? The Mercury Bar, where they had their meeting with Gabe and Bruce, would be their meeting place once again. It was a nice place to be especially with the private room tucked away from prying eyes and ears. This would be Erik's first time running such a meeting or even putting one together and internally he was freaking out. All he wanted was just a little bit of coke to calm his nerves and nervous jitters but knew better. He was making progress and he couldn't go back on it now.

Instead he found another outlet in alcohol and ordered himself a drink and a couple of shots before either man arrived. While waiting he paced the room trying to think of things he wanted to say and bring up. Things that should be planned out for the integration and the like. He wished Tatiana would be here as well seeing as she was in charge of the security (and because she was fun to be around) and her input would be appreciated. However, he was sure himself or Damian would be able to catch her up on the things they discussed at a later time. When his drinks arrived, the waitress tried to leave him with the shot glasses and Erik beckoned her to wait. In rapid succession he took all three back to back and used his small glass of bourbon to wash it all down. He made a face as the liquor burned his throat going down while the waitress watched in awe. "Yeah, it's quite the skill, eh?" He joked. She just nodded and asked him if he wanted water or something. "Ah, come back when the other two get here. And make sure you pretend this is the first time I ordered." The waitress nodded her head and left, leaving Erik to take a seat and nervously bounce his knee, waiting for Damian and Spencer to arrive.

Spencer, Damian ( Misty Gray )​

 

[Pyroclast]

Chapter 8: Something Gained, Something Lost
Friday 31st May 1985
...15 days later...
Dublin: Early Evening - Sunny, Mild, Breezy
London: Early Evening - Overcast, Warm, Breezy
New York City: Noon - Sunny, Warm, Clear Skies

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Harper's Place
~ London ~

Billy King
​

As Billy continued to keep up his promise of looking out for Erik, he ended up creating more of a distance between himself and his family. He was enjoying Erik's company but it was beginning to feel more and more personal to him in a way he didn't want anyone else to see. Erik became the only person Billy wanted to spend time with, so invested in his efforts to quit cocaine and equally worried about him going through his withdrawals. When it came to everyone else, however, he couldn't get away from them soon enough. Spending time with Erik felt so indulgent that Billy felt himself begin to change… There was nowhere he felt more at home than when he was with him, not even his own house or the Royal Taphouse, and even though not every day was easy while Erik was in the process of easing himself off the drug, he still felt more comfortable there than anywhere else. Comfortable enough, in fact, that he had begun to let go of the image and reputation he had spent a lifetime building up and instead just let himself be intimate with the man. He no longer stopped himself from holding him or touching him like he had before. He was familiar with him in a way he never thought would get with a man; he knew the weight of Erik's head in his hands, the difference in height when they hugged, the smell of his sweat, the tiniest of flaws on his skin. The difficult thing was that nobody else in the world was aware of how close he had let himself get to Erik. Every time he left the man's apartment he felt like he was left with some kind of telltale sign on him that would betray his image. And if his family noticed something was different about him, he wasn't sure what he would say. So he simply avoided them.

On his nights alone, however, he had time to reflect on everything...including how Erik was making him feel. As he did his house chores, his mind would be replaying all the moments in their day together that had made his heart flutter and put butterflies in his stomach. Then he would go to bed, close his eyes and imagine that Erik was lying there beside him. It was a dirty little fantasy that both left him feeling elated and equally ashamed. Deep down he knew what was going on, but he didn't want it to be true. Alone or with Erik he could let himself enjoy the feeling, but elsewhere he only found it terrifying. He thought maybe it would go away if he just didn't act on it, but he couldn't leave Erik whilst he was battling his addiction and spending time with him, with his endless flirting and teasing, only made it clearer that these feelings were all too real.

Eventually, it got to the point where he couldn't keep it inside any longer, and after a long debate with himself and a couple of pints to boost his courage, he managed to drag himself to Harper's doorstep with a bouquet of flowers. He hadn't forgotten how he had offended her back in the club when Gabriel Moretti had come to visit, and whilst he still believed it was important to keep the family's image in mind, he understood his argument had also come from a place of homophobia - now he was beginning to realise that it wasn't embarrassment at seeing her displaying her sexuality in public, but jealousy for not having the guts to be himself like she did.

Ten whole minutes went by before Billy managed to summon the courage to actually make his presence known. He rapped their signature rhythm on her door so she would know it was him and the moment he did, his heart rate picked up and his mind went blank at what to actually say to her. He wanted to tell her everything and at the same time, nothing. When the door opened he plastered a big smile on his face, anxiously turning the flowers in his hands. "Hey, Harp," he greeted her, hesitating for a second before leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. “How are you? I’ve...I’ve missed ya’.” His smile faded as the guilt crept in - the two siblings had always been closer than close, but since Billy had been so preoccupied recently he hadn’t made any effort to fix the damage his hurtful comments had done to their relationship. And now that he needed her...well, he would have to just understand if she would rather turn him away. Peering over her shoulder to look for signs of company, he looked back into her eyes and lowered his voice. "Um...is now a bad time or d’ya mind if I come in for a quick chat? There’s just...some things I’d quite like to get off my chest."

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Bellz Harper