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

[Misty Gray]

Trevor Stewart's House
~ Islington, London ~
Tuesday 23rd July 1985
...2 days later...

Trevor Stewart and Spencer King​

Spencer raised a sceptical eyebrow when Trevor claimed he was a murderer. Whilst it was indeed true, he doubted Trevor would have any evidence or weight behind such an accusation. However, Spencer couldn't deny that he was concerned when his father went on to claim he knew something that could put him in prison for life. With Trevor then directing his comments to Bruce and Spencer himself realising he might need to choose his own words carefully, he allowed his more experienced uncle to respond before him.

When Bruce asked to know what it was Trevor had to hold over Spencer, the man nodded before explaining. "Back in '79 I started up my own business in Watford, which I already told you about. By '81 I had some cashflow issues and I'll admit, Spence having paid me to disappear 12 years ago inspired me to go back to him for more. But that time, I sent someone to watch Spence and find some dirt on him I could use to squeeze more money out of him. I admit, it wasn't one of my finest moments!" Trevor said, holding out his hands and trying to reflect he wasn't proud of it.

"I'd say you've done worse," Spencer grumbled but silenced himself as he was keen to know what it was Trevor thought he had on him.

"Not worse than murder, though," Trevor seriously pointed out. After shaking his head in disappointment he shared his focus between the two men seated across from him. "16th September 1981, Spence murdered a bloke named Gregory Fisher and had three other men bury his body out in the woods."

"Bullshit," Spencer was quick to respond. Despite him managing to keep a straight face, the look in his eyes couldn't completely hide the fact that the name did indeed ring a bell. As the memories of stabbing Fisher to death after beating the shit out of the would-be snitch flooded into Spencer's head, he suddenly began to feel a wave of sickness in his stomach. Fisher had attempted to blackmail Bruce and Spencer, threatening to give out information that could have significantly damaged their pharmaceutical business. Spencer had been tasked with getting rid of Fisher and cleaning up any loose ends. It had been successful and the threat completely removed, at least until now they were learning Trevor knew about it. "You're talking out of your arse," Spencer firmly told Trevor, sending Bruce a glance to determine what his uncle was feeling. "Got any proof for this supposed murder?" he scoffed.

"Cut the crap, Spence. We all know it happened. I have a photographs that put both you and Gregory Fisher at the scene of the crime at the same time. Not to mention, just one word to the cops about the location of the body and with your name put forward as the culprit, it would be enough to have them look into you. I can only begin to imagine what else they'd find about you and anyone else involved in your thuggish lifestyle," he assured Spencer. "And... If anything happens to me now, the information will still come out. I covered my back on that." Despite his confidence, Trevor faltered and pinched the bridge of his nose, his expression visibly softening to something seemingly genuine. "But I already said I don't want to do it. Even when I first found out what you'd done, I had doubts about going as far as to blackmail you. Then I had my accident, from which I got my act together, so I didn't want to cause you lads any more grief. And now, I don't want to do it either, but it's the only way I can secure my own safety. You both need to stay out of my way and let me get on with my life here. Everyone involved in this is a grown adult; capable of making their own decisions," he said, referring to Harper, Billy and Alex in particular. "That is my counter-offer and I believe it's the one that works out best for everyone involved - the one where we all get to continue living out our lives here in London."

Pyroclast (Bruce)

END OF CHAPTER​

 

[Misty Gray]

Chapter 15: Point of No Return
Friday 26th July 1985
...5 days later...
Dublin: Early Evening- Warm, Sunny, Breezy
London: Mid-Afternoon - Hot, Sunny, Humid
New York City: TIME- WEATHER

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The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, London ~
​

Damian Nicolosi and Kerry Patrick

When Damian heard about the Sullivan attack on those at the Chinese restaurant, he'd somehow perked up at the thought of the Irish being stupid enough to retaliate on London soil again. Whilst Erik was on the same side as himself and he regarded the man in a positive light, he couldn't help but feel disappointed he'd escaped the attack unscathed. Even if it were just a black eye or a minor cut, Damian would have favoured the outcome where the Irish had inflicted some damage on Erik. The reason, of course, being that he saw no benefit or fun in the peace deal between the Morettis and the Sullivans, so any reason for the agreement to be scrapped would have been welcomed. Damian thrived on dishing out torture and being involved in plotting attacks, so who better to face the Morettis wrath than the Irish lot?

Damian had been glad to hear Gabriel was planning a visit to London so he could meet with Bruce to discuss recent developments. Ideally, Damian would have liked to have been present in such a meeting, but Gabriel and Bruce were only to be joined by Erik and Teddy, both of which he believed would be more inclined to favour the existing peaceful approach. Still, Damian was sure it was only a matter of time before someone took matters too far and made a big enough mistake to end Gabriel's patience.

Upon their arrival at the pub, Damian had briefly greeted Gabriel and Teddy before the two men joined Bruce and Erik in the meeting room. Quadir had bee one of the men to accompany the Morettis as security, but he'd been told by Gabriel to wait in the main area of the pub during the meeting. From his standing position, casually leaning against the bar, Damian beckoned Quadir over. "Well, well, look who it is," he greeted the man with a broad smile. Although they'd only recently seen each other when attending Marcus' funeral in New York, it still felt like they had much to catch up on. "How is London treating you so far? The weather is often both questionable and a popular topic here, but the sun has decided to make an appearance today."

Having seen the horribly familiar figure of Gabriel Moretti enter the pub, Kerry had been quick to duck behind the bar and make a good job at pretending to be doing something of great importance down there. It turned out she didn't need to pretend too much as there was a mess of till rolls and unused beer mats to straighten out. Thankfully, Bruce had handpicked Toby to deal with the drinks for the duration of the meeting, saving Kerry from having to make any excuse to avoid serving the Italian Boss his drink. When Toby had finished preparing the drinks and was ready to deliver them to the meeting room, he looked down to Kerry. "You're going to have to leave that mess down there and serve the customers," he told her before he walked away with the tray of drinks Bruce and the others had requested.

"Service is usually better than this," Damian informed Quadir. He leaned over the bar, knocking on the wood and sending Kerry a bright, patronising smile as she looked up to meet his gaze. "Any chance you could get us both some drinks, Kerry? The usual for me, please?" he asked, by now familiar with the barmaid from his time with the Kings.

"Of course," she said as she stood up straight. A little flustered, her eyes darted around the pub in case there were any Morettis other than Gabriel who would recognise her from her time in New York. Satisfied there wasn't, she looked back to Damian and Quadir. "What can I get for you?" she asked Quadir.

BloodThunder27 (Quadir)
Mentions: Pyroclast (Bruce) Melanin-Gxdess (Erik, Teddy)

Christian's House
~ Hackney, London ~​

Christian Brooks

Christian was sat on the sofa holding the telephone receiver in his hand as he spoke with his brother who had called him from Scotland. "No, listen to me, Ewan," Christian firmly began, glancing down to his bandaged arm. "Tell Mum and Dad I will come to Scotland soon. There's no reason for them to waste their money travelling all the way down here when I've already arranged a trip to come see you all in August," he assured him. It was a lie, but now he'd told it he realised he would have to cover his tracks and actually visit his family in Scotland. For now, the last thing he wanted was his parents showing up in London with all the trouble he and the Kings were caught up in, not to mention, he needed to give his arm time to heal enough so he didn't need to explain why he'd been shot. Were he still a Detective, it would have been easy to explain. But his circumstances now would lead to too many questions from his nosy mother.

After his call had ended, Christian returned to doing what he could with only one fully functional arm, making sure the house was presentable enough before May arrived. With her now knowing the truth about Trevor, Christian felt more able to speak openly with May. He'd felt bad keeping such a big secret and now he hoped he could explain himself to her. He was also interested to know how she felt about the whole matter. It was one thing to find out who her father was and that she was related to the King siblings. It was another to then be told to choose between her siblings or her father, to have to decide never to meet the man she'd wanted to find out about to begin with. Christian was keen to know how she felt about that now, without the pressure of Bruce and the others telling her to decide.

Once satisfied the house was clean enough, Christian sat down with the television on. Whilst he could still sift through his paperwork as he recovered, he had found himself growing restless stuck alone in the house after a few days. As he toyed with the bandage around his arm, he couldn't help but think back to the man who he'd shot and who had then returned fire. There was something familiar about him that he couldn't ignore.

BasDorcha (May)

On the Beach
~ Bournemouth, England ~​

Spencer King

The last few months as a whole had been heavy ones, with the last couple of weeks being particularly stressful. Spencer felt like his tolerance was being tested and as much as he believed he was mentally able to handle everything, he knew himself it was starting to affect him and in turn filter down into his marriage. That was why he'd had no intention of cancelling the trip away he'd booked some weeks ago. It had been difficult packing for the trip last night; feeling a pinch of guilt for taking time away from London and its ongoing problems. It had been five days since Billy, Jeremy and Christian had been injured in the attack. Whilst all three of them were going to pull through, it didn't stop him from feeling concerned about them. Along with his concern, he was torn between wanting to retaliate towards the Sullivans and trying to respect Billy's request for him not to fight back. Spencer understood where his brother was coming from and he didn't want to keep the war going, but he worried the Kings would appear week if they simply cowered down.

Frustration also emerged from a source within London. Along with Bruce, Spencer had paid Trevor a visit a few days ago to give the man his marching orders. The attempts to persuade the man to leave London, along with the threats on his life, had failed. It turned out that Trevor had proof that Spencer had killed a man six years ago. Granted, Spencer had killed far more people than he cared to admit, but Trevor knowing about just one of them was extremely serious. Not only could such a revelation result in Spencer being imprisoned for murder, but it would open up a whole can of worms which would land most of his family and friends in trouble. Suddenly, Trevor had leverage over the Kings and Spencer felt like his hands were now tied. As it stood, he couldn't get rid of Trevor, so the man was seemingly free to saunter around London. For now, at least.

Spencer had thought about Harper a lot since the day they told May the truth about her father. Harper has shown a level of disdain and upset towards him that had hurt him, even if he didn't show it to anyone. After everything he'd done for his siblings since Trevor ditched them and Laura died, Spencer was shocked to hear how his sister felt. Whilst he understood he could be overbearing at times, he always hoped his brothers and Harper knew he was doing what he thought was right and that he was trying to honour their mother's request for him and Bruce to look out for them. Now, he felt the distance between himself and Harper, and alarmingly, he felt one edge that Trevor was sticking around and his sister had been willing to give the bastard the time of day. On top of that, Jeremy had come clean to Spencer a couple of days ago; telling him about his feelings for Harper. Whilst he'd suspected something was going on as far back as the nightclub explosion, having Jeremy finally confirm it to him was a whole other story!

Following the attack at the restaurant, Gabriel Moretti had been made aware due to Erik having been involved. The Italian hadn't hesitated to arrange a visit to London so he could have a meeting with Bruce. Not only did Moretti rub him up the wrong way, but Spencer wasn't about to cancel his long overdue break because Moretti had snapped his fingers. Thankfully, Bruce had everything in hand and Spencer's presence wasn't mandatory, so he was able to avoid having to hold his tongue for the smug Italian... on this occasion.

After getting on top of business the evening before, Spencer had driven to Bournemouth with Shona and Eddie so they could spend the next few days on holiday. They'd checked into the 4-star hotel and spent the rest of their evening relaxing before their first full day. The following morning, they'd had breakfast before leaving for a day out on and around the beach. Spencer had rented out a beach hut for the day, kitted out with a table and chairs, along with enough space for Eddie to sleep in his pram out of the hot sunshine. Spencer wasn't used to been able to just sit out and switch off from work, so it was of course difficult for his thoughts not to revert back to everything that was troubling, especially in the moments of peace where he and Shona sat back in their sun loungers soaking up the sunshine.

With Eddie still asleep inside the beach hut and their chairs positioned directly in front of it, Spencer had left Shona for a short time as a burst of energy and need to cool down had led him to going off for a swim in the sea. Feeling fully refreshed, he rushed back to Shona with a boyish smile on his face. "You should get yourself in the water for a bit to cool off," he told her, pushing back his messy, wet hair. "Not that I think even the chilly sea could make you less hot. Nothing could," he added, leaning in to give her a kiss. Staying only in his swimming trunks, he picked up his jeans from where he'd left them on his lounger and retrieved his wallet from the back pocket. "I'm feeling ice-cream. Want one?" he asked her.

The ice-cream van wasn't far away and after only a few minutes, Spencer returned, walking barefoot in the sand with a cone in each hand whilst still managing to grip his wallet in his right. He gave Shona her ice-cream before sitting down next to her. There was a brief moment after gazing to his wife that he fell silent and appeared to switch off. The pleasant memories he had of both of his parents together were very few, but in that moment, he was dragged back into one. The odd occasions Trevor took the family on a day out, Spencer recalled how the man wouldn't often dig into his pocket to treat them, not without being pestered first, but when it came to buying ice-cream the man didn't even need to be asked. Not only that, but the gesture always seemed to make Laura brighten up, even on her bad days. Spencer brought himself back to the present, for a moment looking ahead to the calming waves in the sea as they rolled in towards the sand. He wasn't sure now if his natural urge to treat them both to ice-cream was a bad thing. On the one hand, it suddenly made him feel like he had something in common with Trevor, which was never a good thing. On the other, the association also reminded him of the few times Trevor and Laura took him and his brothers on days out, as well as the fond memories of seeing Laura genuinely smile for something as simple as ice-cream. "It's just fucking ice-cream," Spencer thought to himself, kicking himself back into the reality where all he'd done was treat himself and Shona to ice-cream on a sunny day.

Spencer looked back to Shona and smiled at her. "I can't wait 'til Eddie's old enough to appreciate all this. Can just imagine him building sandcastles and kicking the ball about with Callum," he fondly told her. Pausing, he took a moment to lick more of his ice-cream, eventually looking back to Shona. "I don't know how you put up with me, love. Between Bruce and Harper kicking off at me lately, along with Billy taking time to point out I'm a moody bastard, it's you I feel sorry for. We're both happy though, aren't we?" he asked her, more so wanting to know Shona was happy as he knew there were no doubts in his mind when it came to her. "The business, I know that's rough and weighing us all down. But what about me and you? Being with each other - are you happy?"

Pyroclast (Shona)

BodyWorks Gym
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~
​

Adam Harper

Adam had returned home to Dublin from London to learn Elena had gone missing the night before. Having already been unimpressed after learning Thomas had got himself arrested whilst on a date with Elena, Adam was inevitably going to be pissed off upon learning his daughter had gone missing during a double-date. Adam had demanded to know how Elena could have disappeared whilst out with both Thomas and Leo whose positions within the mob automatically dictated they'd be capable of preventing anything bad from happening to Elena and Natasha. Despite his angry gut reaction, Chase had been able to talk Adam into calming down and seeing reason. Having then spoken properly with Thomas and Leo, Adam decided it was fair that they couldn't have been glued to Elena's side every minute during what had been intended as a casual double-date. There was no suspicion in anyone's mind that Elena had disappeared on her own accord, given that she had every reason to stick around where Adam and Thomas were concerned. That unfortunately only left them to figure she had been taken against her will.

The last few days had been spent trying to find out who would take Elena and why, not to mention where she was. Adam wasn't willing to entertain the thought that she could be dead, focusing his attention on finding her and no doubt punishing whoever was responsible. Unfortunately, for as sweet and innocent as Elena was, there was a long list of potential suspects due to those she associated with. Although he still looked into it, Adam doubted Isabella was at all behind it, even if their daughter had left Cuba for Dublin without her mother's blessing. It was the fact Elena was his daughter and also that Elena was dating Thomas that was the most worrying. Adam had his fair share of enemies and people he'd crossed over the years, and the fact Thomas was Syd's brother, James' son, and Conor's nephew only illuminated Elena's link to the mob further. Anyone with a score to settle with the Irish Mob could be a suspect, which made it much more difficult to find her.

Today, Adam had asked Thomas and Leo to meet him at the gym so they could share any information they'd been able to find before discussing their next plan of action. Adam had barely had chance to speak to the two young men when his attention was drawn to the reception telephone which Olivia answered. "What do you want?" Olivia coldly spoke down the receiver, seemingly out of character for someone who was generally polite and professional at work. After pursing her lips, she beckoned Adam closer. "It's sleazy Phelan. Says he has information about your daughter," she told him, handing him the receiver.

Adam didn't waste any time taking it from Olivia and telling Phelan to talk. "Are you sure? If you're fucking with--" he began, pausing as he listened to what the youngest Sweeney brother had to say. "The same cabin? Alright. I suggest you lay low." Without further word, Adam ended the call and rushed past Thomas and Leo to make his way to his parked car. It was out of character for Adam to rush off without leaving any form of action plan or instructions, but then it wasn't often someone he cared for on a personal level had their life in his hands. Before getting into his car, he opened the car boot and reached into the large black holdall, retrieving a handgun and hunter's knife from within the bag full of firearms and other weapons.


Bellz (Thomas) Melanin-Gxdess (Leo)

The Sullivans Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~
​

James Porter

With Lucy spending time with some of the other women related to the mob, James had decided to get himself out of the house too. Retirement came with its perks, especially those where he didn't have to take the weight of the world on his shoulders and have to deal with the likes of the Morettis and the Kings. Still, James couldn't help but struggle to occupy himself and keep from getting bored. There was only so much time he could spend working out, babysitting, and fixing cars before he got bored. With Syd in charge whilst Conor recuperated, it made it even harder for James to distance himself from the business.

The best James could offer without putting himself in Lucy's bad books was to help where it came to Adam's searches for his missing daughter, Elena. With the young woman working at the pub and it being a hub of information and activity, James had offered to station himself there for the night. Should any calls come through or Elena herself show up, James would be able to step in. Seated in the corner where he could see everyone entering and hear the pub's telephone if it rang, he'd been quietly enjoying his pint.

On his break, Dermot had joined James for a short time, giving him an update on how things had gone down during the attack on the Kings. "Well, I suspect anyone involved in Elena's disappearance won't be as lucky to walk away," James pointed out, on the subject of Adam not killing any of the Kings that night. "He's right though. This shit's just going to keep going around in circles. Take it from someone who's somehow survived the Romanos, IWU, and Morettis. Things are getting too personal for the business and it's hard to get out of that kind of war. Negotiation becomes impossible. Not only that, but I know Benjie wouldn't want to hear someone else was killed and using Aidan as an excuse for it."

"Retirement's turning you sentimental, James," Dermot teased. Looking at his watch, he knew he had to get back out and check in on things back at base. With Adam and others focused on finding Elena, he knew they couldn't be distracted from everything else that could be going on in Dublin. Seeing Tom enter the pub, Dermot nudged James. "The ginger lad enjoyed his first mission. Took a bullet home as souvenir," he joked before walking off and giving Tom a friendly acknowledgement on his way out.

BasDorcha (Tom)

Textile Factory - Mob Base
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~
​

Patience Davenport & Phelan Sweeney

Phelan had been keeping his nose clean and staying well away from causing trouble, especially since the Sweeneys became officially allied with the Sullivans. Unfortunately, some of his former friends hadn't been about to let Phelan avoid any dramas. They had not taken kindly to hearing the Sweeneys had sold out to join forces with the Sullivans. Of course, Phelan was the only one of the three brothers who had been friends with the Flanagan gang and one of its senior members, John Nolan, had seized the opportunity to involve Phelan in his plan to get revenge on Adam Harper. Since the day Adam and his fellow gang members had gatecrashed the Flanagan-owned cabin, killing both Ross and Eoin, as well as triggering a asthma attack in Doug and overall humiliating John, the latter had vowed to get revenge on Adam. Along with Jay and Shane who were also present on the night in question, he decided the best way to get to Adam would be to use the man's daughter, Elena.

With John, Jay and Shane all waiting at the cabin where they'd been holding Elena for five days, Scott had stayed in Dublin and with the help of a friend had ambushed Phelan into making a call to Adam's gym upon getting words the man in question was there to answer the call. Surrounding Phelan as he used the public payphone, the two men held a knife to his back as they made sure he told Adam exactly what they'd commanded him to. "Olivia. It's Phelan Sweeney..." he paused as the young woman was clearly unimpressed to hear from him due to a past altercation a couple of months ago. "I need to speak with Adam. I have information about his daughter." Pausing, Phelan looked uncomfortably to Scott before hearing Adam's voice. "Adam, I know where Elena is. John Nolan took her because of what happened back at the Flanagans cabin with Ross and Eoin. Listen, you have to go there, right now. They told me the only way she's safe is if you go there alone and hand yourself over. And you've on got thirty minutes to get there, so no funny business." Phelan quickly nodded as Adam questioned the location, forgetting the man couldn't actually see him. "Yeah, the same cabin, over in the Baskins," he confirmed. When Adam finished the call by telling him to lay low, Phelan suspected he might not have any choice given the two men towering over him.

*****​

A few minutes' walk from BodyWorks gym, one of the Sullivan bases was located, on the upper-level of a Mob-affiliated textile factory. Patience had been walking towards the nearest bus stop so she could return to Sutton after a visit into the city. However, as she took the shortcut through one of the alleyways, she was approached by a vaguely familiar man. By the time he reached her, she could see his bloodied and bruised face, but the way he was clutching at his abdomen with his blood-stained hands told her his face was the least of his worries. This was the second time lately she'd been confronted by the sight of someone bleeding out, with Sinead Callahan being the first on the day she was attacked outside the church.

Edwards had been asked to check in on the bases around Dublin City Centre and as he was making his way to the textile factory, he would soon notice the young blonde woman walking towards him as Phelan held onto her for support whilst he limped along. "Help us!" she worriedly called out to Edwards. On closer inspection, she recognised the man in question as someone who often came to the church she worked at with Father Healy. "He's been stabbed," she explained. The young woman's face was almost as pale as Phelan's, though his was down to the blood-loss, whilst hers was down to the shock and fear at the sight of so much blood. "Is there a phone? We need an ambulance," she said, unaware that she was close to a mob base Edwards could make use of.

BloodThunder27 (Edwards)
[OTHER AVAILABLE CHARACTERS CAN JOIN IN AT THE BASE, LET US KNOW]

Currently Active Cast: Misty Gray Bellz Pyroclast Melanin-Gxdess BloodThunder27 BasDorcha​

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Chapter 15: Point of No Return

Friday 26th July 1985

...5 days later...

Dublin: Early Evening- Warm, Sunny, Breezy

London: Mid-Afternoon - Hot, Sunny, Humid

New York City: TIME- WEATHER


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Erik's Apartment
~Hackney, London~
Ava Moretti
​

The moment Ava received a call that her cousin had been involved in an attack she was on the first red-eye to London. It didn’t matter that she had both the bar and the gallery to run; that’s what assistants are for. Whatever disaster lay waiting for her when she returned she would deal with but until then Erik needed to be checked on. She was told he hadn’t been hurt, but Ava knew better. Just because they didn’t lay a finger on him doesn’t mean he hadn’t been hurt in any other way. Erik may have held up a strong front when it came to not letting things bother him, but she knew behind closed doors it was the opposite. He had a tendency to let things build until he couldn’t handle them anymore. It usually led to his abuse of drugs and alcohol, mixed in with partying. Anything to take the edge off the negative emotions he no longer desired to feel. Though he sounded okay during their weekly phone calls, Erik was a master at hiding the truth from his voice. Just like the day he'd called her to update her on everything that had happened.

Ava hadn't told Erik that she was coming either. The latter thought by the former just hearing his voice things would be fine but he was sorely mistaken. He'd just left his apartment to grab things for Billy when he bumped into her on his stoop. While he stood frozen in shock, Ava let her bags drop to the ground while she threw her arms around him. Actually being able to put her eyes on him and feel him instantly made her feel better. And, Erik had to admit, it made him feel better too. Having his cousin around he felt safer and more at ease than he'd felt without her. It made being in London while she was in New York so much more difficult, but they always figured it out. Ava pulled back from him to examine his features and she could tell he wasn't sleeping. "Well, Billy got hurt," he explained, "And I've been makin' sure he's alright. He's actually inside." Ava nodded in understanding, but she couldn't help but worry. "And who's takin' care o' you? I'm stayin' for a while." She hadn't even waited for him to respond before picking up her bags once more and barging into his place.

Having been there before she quickly made her way to the guest room to set her things down. The state of the apartment wasn't exactly what she was expecting. Unfolded laundry - some clean, some dirty -, dishes in the sink, trashbin overflowing. Erik had been so tired and worried about Billy that he hadn't even bothered to complete all of his chores. "Where's Billy," she asked, to which Erik simply pointed to his bedroom. "Ah, but he's asleep. So please be quiet." Ava nodded and looked around again, placing her hands on her hips. "Gimme some cash 'n a list of things you need. I'll clean up and go shopping." Erik started to protest, telling her she didn't need to but he knew not to continue arguing. She was more than capable of kicking his ass and that was the last thing he wanted.

By the time Ava had come back, it was already the evening. Billy and Erik were up, the latter changing the former's bandage. Erik invited her inside his bedroom to say hello to Billy and she gave a polite wave. "I heard they were tryin' to turn you into swiss cheese," she joked, Erik elbowing her in the side. "Ava." With her hands up she apologized and smiled at Billy. "Teasing's off-limits then?" Erik nodded his head. "Well, sorry, Billy. I'm glad you're okay though." Hearing about the attack, Billy was probably the second person on her mind. Despite Erik trying his best to hide the emotions from his voice she could tell he'd been torn up about it. And now, looking at the two of them stealing glances from one another she could tell why. Erik had loved a lot of people in his life and it worried Ava. He was always so quick to fall in love and fill that hole in his heart that not even she could. But seeing the way he looked at Billy, she knew this was different.

Today Erik was to sit in on a meeting with the Kings and Morettis to recall the events of the attack. He asked Ava to stay with Billy and play nurse and she happily agreed. "And I don't want you two gettin' too close, huh," he said, pointing his finger at both of them. "No promises," said Ava, glancing at Billy and shooting him a wink. When he'd finally gone, Ava started to go through the morning routine Erik'd set up. He even left detailed instructions as if he were going to be gone for a few days. "You'd think he didn't trust us to know what to do," she said, sliding him the paper Erik had given her. He even numbered them- 30 things to take care of. But because she knew he would check, she set about doing them starting with tidying up the bedroom. She even took this opportunity to learn more about Billy, only having spoken in person twice. On her first visit they were dealing with Trevor, so she didn't want to get in the middle of that. "So Billy," she started, opening the window to the room. "What updates do you have on Erik now that he's gone?" She turned back to look at him, raising her eyebrows. "He hasn't, uh, had a problem, has he?" She rubbed her finger under her nose, trying to subtly ask about his drug problem. Erik had slipped and told her that Billy found his drugs, but she never got the story about what happened after.

Billy ( Pyroclast )

Sullivan Family Home
~Sutton, Dublin~
Aliana Sullivan

The days following Aliana's big blow-up with Michelle had been both hectic and peaceful. The two women were able to fully discuss what was wrong and their thoughts and feelings with one another. And because of it, both of them were left with a greater understanding of each other. One could also say it brought them closer, which was something Ali always wanted. With her issues with her step-daughter finally solved, she had one less stressful thing to deal with. Well, she did for about 30 minutes. The moment they'd walked back into the dining room to apologize to the others, the phone rang. Receiving a frantic phone call from her son was never something Ali wanted to experience. Hearing it at night, however, was even worse. Someone had taken Elena from the casino they were frequenting, Adam already investigating his daughter's kidnapping. When asked where Nat and Leo were when it all happened and if they'd seen anything, she was met with silence. Leo and Natasha had been in the process of breaking up outside the casino. As much as she wanted to know why right then, she was fully aware that it wasn't something to ask right now. Elena was missing and for the moment it took precedence.

As if that wasn't enough, Ali had been brought up to speed as far as Savannah and Callum were concerned. The involved parties were all in agreement when it came to sending them away. It seemed to be the best course of action against a family so hell-bent on getting their way with Callum. When she'd told Conor about the plan involving Savannah, however, he was less than impressed. He didn't want her to be so far from her family and she understood his reasoning. Ali informed him she would have Danny protecting her and other incognito guards at all times. It may have seemed like a bit much but she'd rather do too much than too little. Eventually, they came to an understanding and the plan was pushed into motion. Informing Sinead had been the hardest part about it all. As a mother herself she would hate it if she ever had to send one of her kids away for their safety. But, it was all for the best. When things with the Kings calmed down and it was safe, Ali was going to find a way for the two women to visit one another- Sin being the one who was more than likely to be going.

As Ali rattled off the list of things she wanted to keep Conor up to date on, Elena hadn't been one of them. A kidnapping, she felt, was sure to add even more to his stress and that had become Aliana's sole purpose and favorite excuse; "You have to keep your stress levels down." She figured she would update him fully the moment Elena was brought back home safely. And therefore, she had asked that no one tell him and that they solve it on their own. Ali knew Conor wouldn't like having certain things hidden from him - especially when it affected one of his best friends - but she was determined to get him back to full health first. Whatever argument that was to ensue afterward she would admit that he was right, but until that time came she kept her mouth shut.

In an attempt to destress and distract, Ali invited the women of the family over to her home. Thanks to the summer sun, she decided to hold their gathering in the conservatory, surrounded by green plants with big leaves. The drink of the day had been a spiked lemonade. Of course, if anyone wanted anything else there was another small bar in the corner stocked with alcohol- as per usual. The table had all sorts of finger foods laid out for them to munch on while drinking. As if just knowing there was food in the conservatory, Sydney came running up to her with a smile; the one that Ali could never resist. It was very clear that she was being played but because Sydney was adorable and didn't cause too many issues she would ignore it. "You get one cookie and then you're out of here. It's a... Mommy's day. Go tell daddy you want to get in the pool." She pointed to where she figured he'd be before watching her run out of the room. Letting out a deep breath, Ali was just about to take a pause for herself when she heard the doorbell ring.

Sinead ( Misty Gray ) Lucy, Blake ( Bellz ) Michelle ( BasDorcha )

 

[Pyroclast]

Chapter 15: Point of No Return
Friday 26th July 1985
...5 days later...
Dublin: Early Evening- Warm, Sunny, Breezy
London: Mid-Afternoon - Hot, Sunny, Humid
New York City: TIME- WEATHER

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INSERT BANNER IMAGE
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The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Bruce King
​

These days, Spencer was so often present in important meetings that it felt unnatural not to have him there. It was for the best that the man took some time off to be with his wife and young baby, though, given all the mounting stress. Trevor’s threat hung over them still, and Bruce wasn’t over being stripped of his power by a man he wanted dead, or at the very least, far away from his family. He hadn’t seen the evidence that Trevor claimed would put Spencer behind bars, but the very fact he knew the details of the murder in question made it believable enough and therefore a risk not worth taking. Like the man said, if the police started trailing Spencer, all sorts of other secrets could be unearthed, sending any of the rest of them to prison as well. For now, at least, he would have to resign to Trevor staying in London. At least he was able to grant Spencer a well-needed break where he could hopefully let go of some of the stress. Bruce wanted him at his best, ready and able to take on more when it inevitably came. Besides, he didn’t really need him at the meeting with Gabriel Moretti. This was, after all, about Erik.

“How’s everythin’ been goin’ at home, Erik?” Bruce asked, while the pair sat in the front of the pub awaiting Moretti’s arrival. “Can’t be easy lookin’ after someone twenty four seven. He behavin’ himself? You keepin’ him off the drink?” Having checked in on his nephew every day, either in person or on the phone, he didn’t need much of an update on his health, but it interested him to hear Erik’s perspective. It was the first time since the attack that Bruce had been able to speak with Erik alone and he hoped he would be more honest whilst Billy wasn’t present. More often than not, Billy hadn’t been too keen to talk to him, too irritable, fed up or reserved to want anyone to see him in such a state - as if Bruce hadn’t been there to clean him up, carry him to bed or console him from his childhood through to his adult life.

Eventually, when they spotted Moretti and his associate walking through the pub’s entrance, Bruce stood up to greet them. “Afternoon, gentlemen,” he warmly greeted them, stepping forward to take their hands in his for a welcoming handshake. “How was the trip? You both feelin’ good?”

Once he had taken everyone’s drinks requests, he left the bartender with their order and instructed him to bring them to the function room, reminding him to knock first. “Right, then, if you’d both like to follow us,” he suggested, and proceeded to lead their two guests into the function room. “Sit where you like.” He took his own seat on a brown leather couch beside Erik and opposite Teddy and Gabriel.

“Thanks for makin’ the effort to come out ‘ere,” he began, linking his hands together. “It’s been a little while since we last had a meeting - April, I believe? Well, you may have heard from Tatiana that things have taken a turn for the worse since you last visited. I regret to say that our business with the Sullivans has soured significantly. There’s been lives lost in the attacks, though fortunately no one in the family - but we’ve suffered plenty of close calls. Harper’s still recoverin’ from her severe injuries after Spencer’s nightclub was blown up by the Irish, and just last week my youngest nephew, Billy, along with two of my close associates were very nearly killed and are recoverin’ from some serious injuries of their own.”

The knock on the door interrupted him then, and Bruce called for them to enter. The drinks were set down on the table and Bruce smiled up at the bartender. “Thank you, Toby. I’ll get the door.” He followed the man until he had exited the function room and then locked the door for extra security. Once he had taken his seat again, Bruce took a small sip of his Dalmore’s and then straightened up to continue their meeting.

“Where you come into all of this, Gabriel, Teddy, is this man right ‘ere,” he explained, briefly patting Erik on the shoulder. “The Sullivans ain’t so thoughtful with their attacks, it seems. Not only has Erik suffered what could’ve been a life-threatenin’ injury to the leg in the nightclub bombing, but he was also present for the shooting that almost killed my youngest nephew. Now, Erik was the only one of the four in that restaurant who didn’t get hurt, which leads me to believe they still on some level respect the treaty they set up with you. However, it worries me that Erik has been put in multiple dangerous situations now, and I thought you ought to be aware of how things are goin’, in case you wished to take this up with the Sullivans yourself.”

Misty Gray Gabriel
Melanin-Gxdess Erik, Teddy

Lorelei's Place
~ Dublin ~

Jason & Cian Costello
​

Since his first time meeting Lorelei’s boyfriend, Jason had almost been forced to soften to him. The fact that Benjamin had been arrested whilst out on a date with her made a very poor first impression on Jason that had lingered, his reaction to the young man creating tension between himself and his daughter. However, as time went on, what had seemed like a red flag appeared to have simply been a one-off occurrence, and the poor boy’s grief over his guardian had melted the ice around Jason’s heart. He supposed their relationship must be strong for them to be getting over such a high hurdle together, and so he decided he wanted to make more of an effort to get to know the lad. So, when Lorelei told him and Gwen that she was inviting Benjamin’s ex-convict father over to dinner, it seemed like the perfect occasion for them to join.

With no knowledge of the kind of man Benjamin’s father was, Jason had been reluctant to bring Cian along to the dinner, but Lorelei insisted that the boy would be safe and so, not wanting to start a fight at was supposed to be a pleasant evening, he relented and let the young boy come along. It was only being hosted by Lorelei but he made an effort with his appearance nonetheless, putting on one of his more expensive casual shirts and styling his hair neatly.

“Roryyyy!” Cian squealed when the front door opened, launching himself at his sister. The boy had insisted on wearing his superhero cape, which Jason had given into, and it billowed out behind him as he pulled away from Jason’s hand and ran through the door.

“Hi, my love,” Jason greeted his daughter with a smile. “Aren’t you lookin’ nice, then?” He let Gwen inside first and shut the door behind him before stepping inside and kissing his daughter on the cheek. “Are ye’ needin’ a hand with anythin’? It smells great in here.” Once he had followed her into the kitchen, Jason looked his daughter in the eye. “So, the boyfriend’s da’,” he said, in a quiet, teasing tone. “How d’ye feel about finally meetin’ him?”

Bellz Lorelei, Gwen

Kurt Reznik​

After everything he had heard about Lorelei and the way his son smiled and gushed about her, Kurt was looking forward to meeting the girl. He hoped she wasn’t put off by him - after all, he already had a naturally intimidating physique and the twenty one years spent in New York’s toughest prisons had only made him look the part even more. Despite having no money of his own to help sort out his appearance, Benjamin sharing his house with him had at least helped to soften him a little - they had proper soap, soft towels, and Benjie had even let him spend some of the inheritance money from Aidan to buy himself some new, modern clothes.

Never having been able to meet his son’s friends or girlfriends until now, Kurt didn’t really know what the etiquette was. Did he bring flowers? Wine? Or was that deemed too romantic, something only appropriate for the boyfriend himself to bring? In the end, he brought a bottle of mid-range red wine, hoping it would pair well with whatever Lorelei was cooking.

There was irony in how nervous he was to meet her, given everything he had dealt with in prison. It was a completely different world on the inside but at this point it was all he knew. There wasn’t any kind of fight he didn’t know how to win, any bad behaviour he didn’t know how to handle…but on the outside, in the world his son lived in, Kurt felt clueless. It was like mastering a game only for the rules to suddenly change. But he trusted Benjamin to guide him through it.

“You ready, punk?” he asked his son, clapping a hand on his shoulder as they walked up to Lorelei’s front door. Not only was he about to meet his son’s girlfriend for the first time, but he was aware that Lorelei’s parents were going to be there, and Benjamin’s first time meeting them hadn’t gone very smoothly. If they were hard on Benjamin in front of Kurt, he wasn’t sure how he should react. When they got to the doorstep, Kurt turned around to face his son. “Okay, last time I ask - do I look like a scary ex-con or a friendly dad?” He tugged at the collar on his shirt and adjusted his cuffs before opening his arms out slightly for Benjamin to get a proper look. “If Lorelei’s dad gives you shit, I can always put on my scary ex-con face,” he assured him, keeping his voice down so they couldn’t hear him through the door. “Nah, he won’t say nothin’ in front of me. I got a good feelin’ about this.”

Misty Gray Benjamin

 

[Misty Gray]

Lorelei's Place
~ Dublin ~

Benjamin Reznik​

Benjamin was glad his relationship with Lorelei had got back on track after he apologised to her five days ago. Granted, things had gone much further than expected that evening, with them spending the night together at her place. The two had also discussed inviting Kurt over so he and Lorelei could finally meet each other. As they planned the dinner, it seemed to escalate to the point that Lorelei's parents and brother would also be in attendance. Whilst Benjamin thought it was a good idea for everyone to meet, his first meeting with Jason was still fresh in his mind. Lorelei's father had been unimpressed when Benjamin had got himself arrested during one of their dates and he still felt on some level like the man would now always be judging him more harshly than he would others guys.

It still felt weird getting on with normal life when Aidan hadn't been buried yet, but Benjamin had been trying to keep going, knowing the man wouldn't have wanted him to wallow in grief or stop living his own life. It had certainly helped having Kurt home and having the distraction of helping his father settle into his life outside of prison. Granted, it was still difficult to block out the things that were going on around them. The latest news to have reached him was that Adam's daughter had gone missing and everything Benjamin had heard seemed to point towards it being suspicious. Considering what happened to Aidan and Conor, he couldn't help but feel worried something serious may have happened to Elena. He didn't know her personally, but he and Kurt knew Adam enough to share the concern.

Whilst Kurt had brought a bottle of wine for everyone, Benjamin had bought a bunch of roses for Lorelei. He was sure his father was feeling even more awkward than he was, given the man had been in prison for over two decades and the evening's plans were not something he'd be familiar with. So when they approached Lorelei's front door and Kurt asked him if he was ready, a part of Benjamin figured it was probably his father who needed the most reassurance. "Ready as I'll ever be. I just need to avoid being clumsy and doing something embarrassing," he joked, hoping to take on some of the apprehension from Kurt.

When Kurt asked again how he looked, Benjamin flashed a fond smile. "You look like my dad and that's all that matters," he told him. "I mean, you've definitely got the ex-con vibe going too, but you won't be the only ex-con at the table tonight. Also, don't forget that Gwen is James' sister. This won't be anything new to them when they know the Sullivans," he reasoned. "You look good," he said, nodding as he looked his father up and down.

He let out a small laugh when Kurt said he'd put on his scary ex-con face if Jason hassled him about getting arrested on his date with Lorelei. "Hopefully he's over it by now," Benjamin said. He still stood by his decision to punch the guy in the restaurant and had said as much to Kurt, but he also knew how bad it looked to Jason. He didn't want to end up in a debate about it this time. "I've got a good feeling too," he said, his cheeks reddening in the process. After a deep breath, he knocked on Lorelei's front door...

Bellz (Lorelei, Gwen) Pyroclast (Kurt, Jason, Cian)

 

[Pyroclast]

Erik's Apartment
~ Hackney, London ~

Billy King​

Five days since being shot and Billy was growing bored out of his mind. He had stayed in Erik’s apartment since the night he was discharged so that the man could look after him. As he still struggled to get about and got tired easily, his outdoor time was pretty much limited to smoke breaks out on the balcony. Despite being unable to go to the Mercury Nightclub’s construction site or attend meetings, however, Billy was hoping he could at least spend all his downtime working on draft blueprints and sketches. Unfortunately, it turned out that even drawing or writing caused him significant discomfort, having been injured on his dominant arm. The lack of stimulation had been agitating him and he kept sending Erik out on errands so that he wouldn’t end up snapping at him. Then, when he was alone in the apartment, he would find little things to tidy, small things that annoyed him that he could fix like the arrangement of fridge magnets on his fridge or the order of the books on the bookcase.

Since reading was the only hobby of his that he could do without causing himself further discomfort, he had Erik bring over a few of his favourite books from his house and sent him out to buy him some more. He was getting through at least one a day - it was really the only thing that got his mind off everything. He didn’t think about his injuries, or about Jeremy’s or Christian’s…he didn’t think about the fact he had almost died, or about Aidan, or about May or Harper or Trevor or even what sort of retaliation Spencer and Bruce were planning behind his back. When he was lost in fiction, he stopped craving alcohol that he wasn’t allowed to drink, he forgot how weak he felt, stopped noticing all the unbalanced, jaunty, imperfect features of Erik’s flat and even tuned out any teasing remarks for reading ‘girly’ novels. Reading books and lying in his boyfriend’s arms were about the only things that kept him calm throughout his recovery.

Of course, neither of those things did much to energise him and he kept finding himself waking up at strange hours of the day, often spending more hours asleep than awake. When his eyes fluttered open that afternoon, it took him a moment to orient himself. The room was warm, light seeping through the cracks in the curtains, and Erik wasn't with him. It wasn't until he spotted the book on his bed stand that he remembered he had been reading, approaching the second part of the grand Doctor Zhivago, and that he must have fallen asleep by mistake. He smiled upon seeing that Erik had slotted his bookmark in for him. The man did so much for him, everything from cooking and shopping to helping him wash and changing his dressings, right down to the small details like making sure he didn't lose his page. Billy never imagined he would find someone who loved him enough to look after him so well, but Erik's effort never faltered.

He was glad to hear that Ava had shown up, though he was a little worried that she would want to stay in the apartment with them. It wasn't that he was shy or didn't want to spend time with her, but he just didn't like people seeing him look so weak. His recovery was very personal to him - he had chosen Erik as the one person he could bare all to, and with someone else around he wasn't sure he would be able to be so candid about how he was feeling. Still, she had flown all the way from New York, and Erik needed support too, support that Billy wasn't exactly in a fit state to give him. So he didn't make a fuss, and mentally prepared himself to greet her.

Unfortunately she returned to the apartment from her errands at a moment that he wasn't at all ready, and when Erik called her into the bedroom Billy shot him a look in protest. "Erik, she doesn't wanna see this!" he whispered. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, shirtless and trying not to react to the discomfort of having his wounds cleaned and dressings changed. He felt both disgusting and disgusted in equal measure. Unlike his brothers, Billy had never been one to comfortably parade around without a shirt on, and the hideous seeping wounds on his body only made him more self-conscious, not to mention a little nauseated.

Still, Ava entered the room and gave him a small wave. Trying to cover himself with what he could, Billy sent her a somewhat uncomfortable smile before dropping his gaze in hopes that she would, too. She casually joked about him almost being turned into Swiss cheese and Erik quickly stopped her, but Billy found her lack of tact endearing. "It's fine," he assured her, his smile turning genuine. He got an apology anyway, and when she told him she was glad he was okay he quietly thanked her, still looking down as he gritted his teeth against the discomfort of having fresh bandages applied.

Once Erik had helped him get dressed again and put his arm back in its sling it was time for him to attend the meeting with Gabriel and Bruce. He asked Ava to take over the role of nurse while he was gone and even though Billy appreciated his concern, he had already decided that he absolutely did not want anyone taking care of him besides Erik - especially a woman, and especially a woman he didn't know very well. As he watched him gather his things and head to the door, Billy suddenly felt like a child left behind. Since the shooting, Billy had developed a compulsive superstition that if he didn't kiss Erik goodbye when he left the apartment then something bad would happen to him while he was out. In the seconds before he left, he felt the stress and pressure building up inside him, torn between not wanting to kiss him in front of Ava and not wanting to let him go without it.

"Wait!" he finally blurted out, marching urgently past Ava until he was right in front of Erik. He hesitated slightly in Ava’s presence but ultimately stepped forward and gave his boyfriend a quick kiss on the lips. "Love you," he mumbled, hoping only he would hear. He knew it was silly but he couldn't help it - he was compelled to kiss him because the one time he didn't, something would happen and it would feel like his fault.

With his mind now at ease, Billy let Erik leave and turned back to Ava, still not really sure how to be around her whilst he was in his current state. However, she didn’t seem interested in hanging about either, and showed Billy a list of things Erik had asked her to do, ready to get started straight away. Everything on the list made him smile, especially all the details. It was no fault of Erik’s that the apartment had turned into a bit of a tip - after all, he had been working around the clock taking care of Billy instead - but the clutter and chaos had been eating at Billy’s nerves so much that he would sometimes end up trying to bear through the pain and exhaustion to try and straighten the place out while Erik wasn’t there to stop him. He never got very far with it, but now that Ava was there to help, perhaps the three of them could maintain it a little more easily.

He followed her back into the bedroom, hoping there was nothing in there that he didn’t want her to find while she was tidying. He protectively moved to his side of the bed before she could, and proceeded to straighten up the contents of his bed stand. Just as he was about to thank her for her help, she spoke up first, asking for updates on Erik now that he wasn’t there to listen. When she brushed a finger just below her nose and asked if he had had a problem, Billy’s mouth fell open. Even though he understood how much Erik and Ava cared about each other and what they meant to each other, it still felt like a betrayal to talk about his issues behind his back. “Uh…” he stalled. “Erik’s fine...”

Turning away awkwardly, Billy tried to turn his focus back to tidying the room. But he wasn’t over the surprise of being asked, and after several seconds he started to feel slightly guilty that he was being so stand-offish with Erik’s cousin. Though she spoke light-heartedly, it wasn't as if she was some tabloid reporter pressing Billy for gossip - she was just concerned about her cousin’s well-being. “I mean, ever since we…became…y’know,” he tried to explain, feeling his cheeks redden slightly as he realised he hadn't yet used the word 'boyfriend' around anyone else but Erik. “He ain’t been on nothin’. I know what it looks like on him, so I’d notice if he was. You don’t have to worry, Ava - I was there makin’ sure he kicked it for good, and I can tell ya' he’s doin’ much better these days.” He paused, sending Ava a smile that he hoped would at least partly make up for his awkward behaviour. “Was a tad worried when they put him on morphine for his leg, but he was fine in the end. So, you really don’t have to worry about it. He’s doin’ good.”

It wasn’t long before his bed stand was organised, and Billy moved around to Erik's dresser, happy to neaten that up, too. He wasn’t sure how Ava managed to speak so light-heartedly about such heavy things, but he wished he knew her well enough to do it for her in return. “But, Ava…what about you?” he tentatively asked. “I was really sorry to hear about your husband. I can’t imagine…” Losing Erik? Billy blinked hard as an intrusive thought popped into his head that maybe the kiss hadn’t been enough. It was stupid to even connect something so serious as losing him to something so trivial as a kiss goodbye. Before he could start obsessing over it again, he turned around and leaned against the dresser, fixing his attention on Ava. “How're you doin’, then? You got people back home lookin’ out for ya'?”

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Ava

 

[BasDorcha]

Christian's Place
London
May Thatcher​

May had been so busy this past week with work and trying to figure out what the new changes meant in her life that she felt like the time had flown by in the blink of an eye. After spending some time with Shona and waiting for Darcey and Harper to come back out, her and Darcey had headed back out, Darcey kindly checking on her before letting her have the rest of the day off. That night, May had spent a lot of time going over her decision and deciding whether or not she had made the right choice. Best she could figure, if it wasn’t the right choice, there was no way of knowing at the moment based on the information she had.

After the meeting at Spencer’s house, she had called around Christian’s place until she reached him, After hearing the story about the Chinese restaurant, she had called and checked on him daily, usually keeping the conversation short so he could rest as much as possible. After a few days, she offered to come over and spend some time with him, and she also wanted to thank him for helping her find out about Trevor, Harper, Billy, Alex, and Spencer. It opened up a new side of her history she never would have known about otherwise.

She had prettied up, and with a nervous but bubbly energy, she had headed over to his place, stopping along the way to pick up some sweets cakes. Stopping at a local tea shop, she created a blend of her choosing as the lady behind the counter packaged it. The tea with butterfly pea, rose hips, and chamomile was fragrant and very lightly sweet. A few minutes later the shop keeper had had blended it all together in fine pieces, placed it in a tin with a silvery tea steeper in the top, and handed it to her in a decorative store logoed bag.

Hugging her purchases to her chest, she hurried on to Christian’s place, smiling to herself. She had remembered Christian mentioning he liked tea, so she figured this would be an ideal gift for him. Once she got to his place, she knocked waiting to be let in. Even though he knew she was coming, she felt nervous – butterflies in her belly fumbled around loftily. It had been the reason she chose the butterfly pea flowers for the tea. Once he answered, a light pink flushed across her cheeks as she smiled and greeted him. "Hey there, Detective Danger. Going crazy yet? I brought you some stuff to help out.”

From her pocket, she pulled a pack of cards, adding it to the bag she carried. Once they were settled, she handed him the bag, with the tin filling the bottom of the square bag perfectly, the sweet cakes of different flavors piled on top and now the cards slid to the side. “It’s a thank you… And a get well soon gift. A little of both really. How are you feeling, anyways? Are you okay?” She looked at the bandages he had been picking at, looking in need of a change. “Do you need some help changing those?”

Interaction Misty Gray - Christian

 

[Bellz]

Harper King
Her Apartment
~ London ~ ​

It was only the middle of the afternoon, but the heat paired with the humidity and Harper's will to stop taking any more pain meds left her feeling that she could pass out at any moment. Jeremy and Billy had her worried sick and after that moment she had in the bathroom with Darcey a few days prior Harper had made her keep her prescriptions, even bring the ones over that she had left over in her cabinets.

Despite feeling better about herself the first few days with zero withdrawals, yesterday the symptoms hit her like a ton of bricks with a 4 am wake-up call of vomiting in the middle of the night. Since then, she'd felt sicker than a dog and her patience was thin.

But, Harper put on her bravest face for Jeremy, who she insisted stay with her despite the standoffish attitude she had been having with him previously. She had exactly anticipated just how terrible shape he would be in but when he showed up at her doorstep a few days ago with another family employee helping him, Harper was nearly on the verge of tears. Since then, she had forced him to stay in the spare room, only helping him move from the bedroom into the living room when he requested it. She had moved the television from the living room into his room with the help of the other guard that was sticking around her front door so that he didn't get bored and she would even sit with him in the armchair beside the bed and watch whatever he wanted to put on.

She had never been someone to be at a person's beck and call, but she had also never been in a situation where she needed to. Her brother's never needed to be taken care of, they always had someone looking out for them more or less each other and if they got hurt when Harper was younger, they concealed it well.

Even though she felt sicker than a dog and extremely tired, Harper had managed to trudge into Jeremy's room - refilling the pitcher of water she had been forcing him to drink as well as switching out ice packs and giving him new ones. Once he was comfortable enough, Harper fanned herself, sweating profusely as she fought off a wave of nausea. There were moments throughout the last day where she would nearly forget about the aches and pains in her torn body, her brain distracted by feelings of sickness and taking care of Jeremy. But once she had a moment to truly think about herself and evaluate how she was truly feeling, her body didn't hesitate to remind her just how much pain she was in.

She woke up the last few days feeling as though she didn't sleep at all, her eyes crusted over from crying in her dreamless slumber. Getting all of the tears out so that Jeremy didn't have to be concerned about her in his state she supposed. Despite having seen Billy the day after they had all been hurt, she hadn't heard from him. Spencer was on a vacation with his family, Alex was doing god knows what with god knows who, and as for her Uncle, well he never followed up on his promise to speak with her one on one....which unfortunately surprised Harper less than it should have. She hadn't really thought about Trevor in a minute but she was wondering if it was time to talk to him soon now that she was trying to get clean, Jeremy was going to help her go to support groups but...he was going to be down for a while. And May...she'd been doing her best to avoid for now.

The blonde moved to sit down in her usual spot at the armchair beside his bed, she stared at his face still freshly swollen and bruised, she had to bite her lip to keep it from trembling. "Hey you, how are you feeling? Need anything?" She asked, her voice hoarse from her throwing up fit the previous day.

"I was figuring we could order something for takeout for dinner tonight...I'm not really feeling up for cooking tonight and I haven't sent one of the minions to the store yet. Anything you are craving in particular?"
with: Jeremy BasDorcha
mentions: Trevor + Spencer Misty Gray
Billy + Bruce Pyroclast
Alex Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Erik's Apartment
~Hackney, London~
Ava Moretti
​

Ava had never seen her cousin be so affectionate with someone. Not in person, anyhow. Through the phone calls she often heard - both on purpose and accident - she knew he was capable of it. But seeing it in person was a different story altogether. Erik seemed like a totally different person when he was around Billy and though it was nice to see it absolutely terrified her. She'd seen Erik get absorbed in someone before and it didn't end well. Because she knew very little about Billy and had hardly spent any time with him, she didn't fully trust that he was able to reciprocate her cousin's feelings and energy. Even though he abruptly made a point to kiss Erik goodbye - something she glanced away from to give them a modicum of privacy - it wasn't enough just yet.

Back in the bedroom, she took note of how quickly Billy moved to his side- how protective he was of everything. Instead of indirectly causing a fight she didn't even go near the bed. She leaned against a wall, arms crossed while watching as he tidied up. Her eyes were narrowed as she tried to read him; find any signs of red flags so she could threaten him to leave her cousin be. The moment she asked about Erik's status, however, Billy stalled as if trying to figure out what to say. This only made Ava suspicious of him and even more so when he said he was fine. She knew better than to immediately take his word for it, so she looked at her feet and chuckled. "Don't tell me he's got you lyin' for him? Trust me, Billy, I won't say anything if he's back on it." It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the truth either. She absolutely was going to say something to him if he was on drugs again, however, she wasn't going to say it was Billy who told her.

The bond that he formed with Billy seemed to be a tad higher than the one he had with Ava and she respected that. She was his cousin and they were adults. The two of them couldn't be each other's superheroes forever, right? At one point, Marcus was the person Ava had turned to when she had a problem, not Erik. So seeing that Erik had done the same with Billy was a bit of a relief. "I'm a bartender, right? I can tell when people are lying to me," she said, a tight smile on her face. Her tone may have been light but she meant it to sound more menacing than friendly. After a few more seconds, Billy seemed to have a change of heart and turned back to face her. The reddening of his face she found to be adorable, the slight smile on her face growing as she watched and listened. This time Billy shared the truth about Erik's condition; he was doing a lot better. He had kicked the habit thanks to Billy and was clean. Which was a good thing, of course, but she still worried about him relapsing. Wasn't like he hadn't done so before. "Thanks, Billy. I appreciate it, really. He's been a bit of a handful since he was a kid, so," she trailed off, joking about her cousin.

Even when the two of them were younger Ava worried about Erik. With a father like Roger, it was obvious that we would have some sort of issue when he got older. She was a witness to the trauma he had gone through and the way it shaped him into the person he is now. Erik Snowden, from the time he had entered her life, had become her biggest stressor. But, she wouldn't complain about it because she loved him to pieces. Billy's shuffling about the room brought her attention back to him. It was definitely awkward right now and she could sense it. Maybe because he was injured? Erik did warn her that he'd been grumpy lately so maybe he was trying not to be grumpy with her. If he did, however, she wouldn't hold it against him. Poor guy had been shot through of course he'd be grumpy! When he took a pause to look at her, she locked eyes with him. He seemed like he was debating on asking her something, to which Ava raised a curious brow to. He asked about her and for a moment she wondered what he meant. She didn't think he would ask her about Marcus.

For some reason, hearing his name made her chest tight. It had only been 16 days since the funeral and she hadn't thought much about it. Not because she didn't care, but because she was trying to move on. Marcus' death had been more difficult than any other death she'd experienced. Perhaps it was because of their relationship or because he had been the first person she felt so strongly for. Whatever the reason she was having a hard time moving past it. She hadn't even slept in their shared bedroom because her heart was so broken. Her eyes grew solemn and though there was still a faint smile on her face, one could see the heartbreak shining through. She softly shrugged her shoulders before responding to him. "Death happens. What can you do?" It was the only thing she could manage to say without breaking down in tears; a single one trailing down her cheek. When she realized it had she quickly wiped it from her face and cleared her throat. "Um. Elvian and the others they've been great. And now that I'm here it's been a welcomed distraction. I haven't slept properly in weeks but here? Here I was able to. I think it's the house. They trap ghosts in them, you know? Haunt you forever."

Billy ( Pyroclast )

 

[Misty Gray]

Sullivan Family Home
~ Sutton, Dublin ~

Sinead Callahan​

Sinead wasn't entirely sure if joining the ladies was such a good idea, given how irritable she was feeling. However, it was the other emotions she was feeling that were the reason she'd dragged herself out of the house. Savannah had left with Callum and Danny the day before to go God knows where with no idea when or if they would return to Dublin. It had broken Sinead's heart when Savannah told her what was happening, and no amount of reasoning could change her daughter's mind. It was bad enough knowing she wouldn't be able to see her eldest child, but the thought of not being able to see her grandson growing up was killing her. As her mood circled between grief, anger, upset and self-pity, she knew she had to start back up on her medication again. Though it didn't stop her from being upset and short with those around her, it at least stopped her from relapsing into the deeper depression she'd managed to control over the more recent years.

It had been intended for Liam to accompany her to the Sullivan house so he could hang out with Rhiannon, but his opinion that Savannah had done the right thing leaving hadn't gone down well with Sinead. In the end, he opted to hang out at home with Lucas instead of being around his mother. When she arrived at the front door, Sinead pressed the doorbell. She folded her arms whilst she looked the mansion over, hoping it was big enough for her to avoid Conor. Maybe he did need to avoid stress, but maybe he also wouldn't be so stressed if he hadn't let things escalate so far with the Kings, she thought. On the list of people she blamed for Savannah having to leave and for helping her to leave, Conor was very high up.

When Aliana answered the door, Sinead let out a relieved sigh that it wasn't her brother standing there. "Hey, honey," she greeted her. Though she leaned in to give Aliana a hug, it didn't have the usual warmth or enthusiasm that a Sinead embrace would usually deliver. "Please tell me the alcohol is ready," she remarked once inside the house. As they walked towards the conservatory, Sinead caught sight of Conor sat out relaxing by the swimming pool, which prompted her to turn her nose up. "Stress or no stress, he better stay out there while I'm here!" she complained. "I'm sorry you have to be married to that jerk," she went on as she helped herself to a glass of spiked lemonade. "In fact, I'm looking forward to some time away from all of the dumb men in this family."

Taking a long drink from her glass, she sat herself down in the conservatory. "How are you and the girls doing?" she asked. "Is there an update on Elena yet?"

Bellz (Lucy, Blake) BasDorcha (Michelle) Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana)

 

[BasDorcha]

Harper's Place
London
Jeremy Gray​

It had been five days since Jeremy got the living hell kicked out of him. His voice was back in strength, but still had a permanent roughness to it that he had never had before. His eye was open now, but still discolored and still fractured. On the plus side, his focus was getting better, and the concussion was having less affects on his brain for the most part. Harper had been trying to slave away over him after demanding she stay at his place while he recovered. Part of him was angry she felt she could demand anything of him with how standoffish she had been with him, but the other part of him was just eating up being in her company.

Harper had even gone so far as to bring the TV into his room, which was nice for background noise once in a while, but he mostly read while Harper watched the TV sitting in the armchair next to him – not that he’d ever point out to her that he thought it was just her trying to justify a reason to be in the room with him all day. Regardless of the reason, he was glad she was there and often caught himself gazing at her lost in a day dream, having to shake it off before she looked up and seen him. If she did, at least he had the excuse he was still recovering from minor brain damage.

Harper had firmly put him back in bed when he tried to help her at four AM, and he had told her to rest herself and stop stressing out about him. She wouldn’t hear it. Seeing her as she walked in today, he could see how flushed and sweaty she was, but still insisted on doing for him. She fixed his water pitcher and asked how he was feeling, if he needed anything, and what did he want for dinner. His mind instantly wanted to call out that he wanted her, but it never reached his lips. “Hm, let’s have Thai food.” He smiled, knowing it was her favorite and not his. “Can I also have a washcloth?”

When she came back with the cloth, her hand extending out to him, his eyes suddenly got a smoldering look as he reached to take it, only grabbing her wrist instead. A soft jerk and a second later, he had pulled her into his lap, her back cradled in his right arm with her feet off the opposite side of the bed. He held her gently but firmly, as he dipped the clean cloth into the water beside his dead, squeezed then brought it to her face. Slowly he started to wipe her face from her forehead to her chin, then her neck, his breath lightly blowing across the newly damp spots.

“Harper,” The huskiness in his voice seemed strained to remain just under a growl when he called her name, “You have to take care of yourself too, even more so than me.” He kept slowly moving the cool fabric over her exposed skin, careful to not make her feel he was being ungentlemanly. His eyes watched her, then drifted down to watch his hand and make sure he didn’t travel to far in one direction or another. “Let me cool you off.”

Interactions Bellz - Harper

 

[BasDorcha]

The Sullivans Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~
Thomas Thatcher​

Tom had been working hard right up until he got shot. Even though he wasn’t much good around the shop with only one hand to really put force behind anything, he still showed up and did what he could. The week between the trip to London and now had been fast, filled with working out his arm as much as he could to keep the muscles from getting tense and unused.

He had come to a decision about his sister, and after work he headed to the pub nearby that James had talked about a few times. If he was going to keep doing work for Conor and his company, he needed to make sure that anything that would come across as double-crossing was public. He felt bad a bit, like maybe he was ratting out his sister, but he couldn’t risk her getting caught in the crossfire and getting hurt. May was the one good thing that happened to him in his life, and the only person he cared about except for his brother Alfie. His mom felt more obligatory then like he didn’t really have a choice.

Entering, his eyes scanned the pub until he saw Adam and Dermot, waving at them as he headed over. He must have just missed Dermot because the man stood up and left before Tom could get to the table. Nodding with a goofy grin as he passed him, he stopped beside James and offered him his hand, “Hey again, James. Mind if I sit down?” Assuming that James said it was okay, he would take a seat across from the man, waving down a waitress. He placed an order for Bourbon on ice and turned to the older man across the table. “I have something I need to talk to someone about, about something to do with my sister and the not mechanical work I’ve been doing. I wasn’t quite sure who to talk to, so I thought I’d try you first. I would talk to Syd, but he’s been pretty busy lately, I haven’t had a chance to get him for a one on one convo.”

When the waitress brought his drink, he gave her a friendly smile, but a careful eye would notice it never quite reached his eyes. His expressions were all correct, and someone in passing likely wouldn’t even notice something was wrong, but for all the goofy smiling his face did, his eyes were emotionless. There were no crinkles at the corner, and no spark in them. “Mind if I run my concerns by you?”

Interactions Misty Gray - James/Dermot

 

[Bellz]

Thomas Porter
BodyWorks Gym
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~​

While sleep was something Thomas rarely got in the first place, there were small moments of rest that he had managed to get in the past that allowed him to move forward throughout the day when the sun did rise as scheduled. Ever since Elena went missing, Thomas didn't even allow himself the luxury of sitting down to rest. Adam should have let him know just how he felt about his behavior recently after Thomas told him that his daughter had gone missing and the man had every right to get in his face the way he should had that day. Luckily, Chase had been his saving grace, though the man didn't owe him that as Thomas stood willing to accept anything Adam said or did to him at that moment without so much as flinching or acting like he would fight back. He deserved every bit of what could have happened to him but it never came.

Over the next few days, Thomas wished that Adam would have just done him a favor and ended his misery right then and there...but again, he didn't owe him that peace either. When Adam wasn't searching, Thomas was out by himself in the middle of the night, evading sleep like it was some sort of virus. He drove throughout all hours, getting out on foot at times to look in places where she could have been held captive...or worse...could have been buried in a shallow grave.

Thomas allowed too much of his mind to get the best of him, continuing to imagine the worse case scenarios every hour of every day. During the day, when Adam was awake, Thomas would work with him to figure out why she would have been taken in the first place before looking with him in places Thomas hadn't been able to get to in the middle of the night before. Leo hadn't left his side during the day, wanting to make sure he could help in any way he could...but Thomas had the sneaking suspicion that it was also to distract himself from the fact that Natasha had in fact, broken up with him just as Thomas had predicted.

If he weren't so wrapped up in his own shit, worried sick over the fact that Elena was gone and could have been hurt or possibly dead...Thomas would have made every effort to console his cousin during his time of need. Even Natasha. But nothing could pull his attention away from his own misery at that moment and nothing would until Thomas was able to find Elena...even if they found her...

He could force himself to finish that thought as Thomas walked inside the gym with Leo. Adam had requested that they meet with him to share any information that they had been able to find the day before...or in Thomas' case, way earlier this morning. They were now standing face to face in the gym, Thomas hardly able to meet the man's eye as his own glazed over blurring his vision completely. If it weren't for the pure adrenaline in his veins keeping him at least coherent enough to talk and look for his girlfriend...Thomas was sure he would have passed out days ago.

Adam didn't even have the chance to say what he wanted to before his sister's phone rang at reception and Thomas, desperate for any sort of news, straightened and pivoted so sharply that it made his head spin as he stared at the device...willing it to be a phone call that would come with answers. With all the guilt Thomas was feeling, he also felt angry...not just at himself...but at the fact that he couldn't seem to have a normal life without his namesake or familiar ties fucking everything up.

The situation felt like a strange sense of deja vu...remembering long ago when Syd had gone through a situation hauntingly similar to his own. In Thomas' case, he didn't reach out to his parents or brother or sister...they had showed up at his doorstep unannounced and he simply didn't have enough energy to push anyone away. It had been nice to cry in someone's arms for a change instead of stuffing his face in a pillow to muffle out the excruciating cries. But since that moment days ago, he had been too busy to contact any of them even with his sister only a few feet away.

Olivia greeted whoever was on the other end so sharply that Thomas knew someone with answers was on the other end. When she waved Adam over, Thomas followed behind the man, and the name she spoke caused Thomas' jaw to clench as she said that he had information about Elena. Thomas looked to Adam, trying to hear anything from the other end as he responded to Phelan. Adam mentioned something about the same cabin before telling him to hang low and hung up. Without another word, he walked past them and took off towards the parking lot. Thomas looked to Leo briefly before following the man outside without any more hesitation. "Adam!" Thomas called struggling to reach him for a moment but just catching the man as he opened the trunk of his car. "Where are we going? Does he really know where he is? What if-what if it's a trap?" Thomas asked. He normally wouldn't have asked so many questions but he didn't trust Phelan of all people to give them accurate information and while he was eager to find Elena...he didn't want to risk losing anyone else in the process of finding her.
with: Adam Misty Gray ; Leo Melanin-Gxdess
mentions: Elena Pyroclast

Gwen Costello
Lorelei Costello
Lorelei's Place
~ Dublin City Center, Dublin ~​

Gwen could see that her husband was tense ever since they got into the car. No matter how hard he tried to conceal it sometimes, there was always that familiar way his jaw set in place after he told her that he was perfectly fine. On the car ride over, Cian was talking a mile a minute and Gwen did her best to keep up and respond to him, though it was easy to keep the boy entertained. Looking over at Jason in the driver's seat, Gwen smile at him sweetly and reached out to caress his jaw, running her fingers down the curve of it. "You're so quiet, love." She observed, looking at her husband closely. "You know James has said nothing but good things about Kurt and if my brother trusts him then I think that's enough for us." She said casually before moving down the sun visor in the car so she could look in the mirror and apply some lipstick.


She knew that he was worried about bringing Cian along and while Gwen had been confident things would go smoothly, she understood the reasoning. "Tonight's going to be great. You look as handsome as always, Jase." She said, just as the car pulled up to the house. Cian was already out of his car seat, having recently learned how to get out of it which was nice for the older couple to not have to bend down so much, but would spell trouble later on Gwen was sure of it. He even opened the door and hopped out, clearly excited to see his sister.

Lorelei had just finished garnishing the last of the crown of roast pork that she had spent the whole day slaving over with the other side dishes completed and on the table. She may or may not have called her Aunt Lucy the night before for recipes and the woman may or may not have stopped by shortly before heading over to Ali's for a ladies' night. Lorelei had never been prouder to get her Aunt's seal of approval on dinner and it was relieving to her once the woman said that she had no doubts it would be great. She just finished getting ready an hour or so ago so she was just about to plop herself on the couch for a moment's rest when the doorbell rang.

Looking at the time, she hadn't realized how much time had passed and she quickly pulled her apron off and moved to answer the door, straightening her dress out before pulling it open. Cian attacked her with a hug, wearing a superhero cape he adored. "Cian! Don't you look like a handsome hero!" She gushed before kneeling down to his level for a moment, "If you go into the living room, I put some new toys in the chest for you." She said, watching as the boy bounded off towards the play chest she kept at her house for when he came over to spend time with her. Smiling after him, Lorelei turned to smile at her mother and father, with her Dad greeting her first. "Why thank you, dad! And you are looking nice as well, mom forced you to dress up I see." She teased and accepted his kiss on the cheek before returning her own along with a hug.

"Hey I didn't force him to wear anything, he did this all on his own." Gwen murmured before moving to hug her daughter, "You look stunning, Rory." Gwen said, kissing her daughter's cheek lightly to avoid getting lipstick on it. "As do you, momma, but what's new there." She said with a wide smile. Once greetings were out of the way, her dad asked if she needed help and Lorelei nodded her head, "The only thing left to do is set the table if you want to help me with that." She offered and when her father agreed Gwen told them both that she was going to check on Cian who was being suspiciously quiet now.

Once in the kitchen, Lorelei reached to grab some of her nicer places from her cabinet and that's when her dad asked her about Benjie's father and how she felt about finally meeting him. "Uh...a bit nervous. Mostly because I don't want to make a bad impression on him." Lorelei admitted, biting her lip as she set her plates in front of Jason on the island. "I really..." Was it weird to say to her father that she loved Benjie? She knew that they hadn't gotten off to the best start. "I just haven't felt this way about someone before. How did you know that you and mom would end up together?" She asked but before he could answer she heard someone knocking on her door. "Oh shoot! Would you be able to start setting the table while I let them in, I'll be right back I promise. Thanks, Dad, you're the best!" She pressed a kiss to his cheek one last time before walking quickly to the front door.

She hesitated just shy of opening it, her fingers curled around the knob before forcing herself to take a deep breath. Once she felt centered and her nerves calm, she put on her brightest smile and opened the door. Her first impression of Kurt as he stood side by side with his son was that she could definitely see the resemblance. "Hi you two, you are just in time, come on in!" She said in a chipper tone, opening the door wide enough for them both to enter before closing it behind them. Seeing the bottle of wine in Kurt's hand, Lorelei smiled at the man widely, "Red wine huh, I think you've won over my mom without even meeting her yet." She teased sweetly, "It's so nice to finally meet you, Mr. Reznik...I'm sure you know but I'm Lorelei...I've heard so much about you!" She reached out her hand to shake his. Once they shook hands, Lorelei looked at Benjie sweetly her cheeks warming as she remember the last time they saw each other. Seeing the roses, Lorelei bit her lip in an attempt to hide the smile hurting her cheeks, "Don't you look handsome." She said sheepishly before hearing her mother's heels behind her.

"Oh, Mr. Reznik, this is my mother, Gwen and my brother-" She stopped short as she turned around, seeing that Cian wasn't with her, "He's currently glued to the TV watched cartoons." Her mother explained before smiling kindly at Kurt, "Well I can certainly see where Benjie gets his good looks from." She complimented, reaching out her hand to shake his. "It's great to meet you, Kurt. My brother has said nothing but good things about you. And James doesn't compliment people often." Gwen then turned to Lorelei for a moment, "Where did your father go? She asked, noticing he wasn't in the room. Lorelei's eyes widened a moment, "Oh I forgot to finish setting the table with him! Why don't you make yourselves comfortable in the living room while I finish setting it with him and when we are done we'll come to get you." Lorelei insisted before looking at Benjie and Kurt, "I'll be back shortly." With that, she headed back into the kitchen to help her father again. "I'm so sorry dad! I got caught up for a moment, let me help you finish."

Gwen looked to Benjie and Kurt, knowing that perhaps being left alone with just her could be uncomfortable. "I can introduce you to Cian, Kurt. Lorelei's little brother is always a fan of new people, but I have to warn you, he is a handful." She said teasingly before waving her hand for them to follow her into the living room area where Cian was glued to the TV as she had said.

"Cian love, we have company. You remember Benjamin?" She asked the boy, turning off the TV so he could pay attention for a moment.
with: Jason + Cian + Kurt Pyroclast ; Benjie Misty Gray

Blake McCarthy
Roxie Carriveau
Roxie's Place
~ Dollymount, Dublin ~​

Blake had insisted that she would help Adam find Elena, pushing him into letting her help him with it all. She hadn't seen action in years but she was willing to lay down her peaceful life to help him find his daughter whom he just started having the chance to know. She was met with resistance and when she tried to fight him on it she was met with him telling her that he couldn't risk losing anyone else. Blake was speechless after that and relented, backing off and giving him the space he needed to find her. With free time on her hands over the last few days, she had nothing but time to think about all the things that could go wrong and think about Natasha who had locked herself in her room and refused to leave it. Blake was leaving food by her door three times a day and thanks to the fact that she had a bathroom in her bedroom, the girl never came out. So besides having Collin to talk to, Blake had too much time to think.

Today, he was going to hang out with the Carriveau-Porter kids at Roxie's place. She had been invited to the ladies' evening that Ali was putting on but she seemed to be pretty broken up about Savannah leaving just as everyone else was. Blake wasn't sure what she would do without Ali or Lucy in her life so she sympathized with the woman not having a friend. Blake knocked on her door gently with Collin standing beside her and when Roxie answered it Blake gave her a wide smile, the woman looked exhausted and her eyes were all red evidence that she had been crying recently. "Hi you guys." Roxie said softly, doing her best to give Blake a smile. "You can come on in." She said, opening the door for them both to let them inside. They both stepped in and once the door was shut, Roxie looked to Collin, "The kids are in the playroom if you want to go find them, they are so excited you are here." She said softly and Collin hugged his mother before running off to find the kids. Blake looked to Roxie for a long moment before saying, "Thank you for watching him tonight...you really didn't have to do this." Blake said and Roxie tried her best to smile, "He's a good kid, I'm hoping he rubs off on mine a bit." She joked, though her tired voice lacked any sort of humor.

"You know, Ali, Sin, and Lucy are going to miss you tonight. So will I, are you sure you don't want to come?" Blake asked again and Roxie nodded her head weakly. "I'm not in the best mood lately, plus, Syd's been busy with all the business stuff so I don't want to throw anything on him last minute. Plus...it just doesn't feel the same without-" Roxie couldn't say her best friend's name as her emotions got the best of her. Her lip trembled but she was able to keep the tears at bay. Blake gave her a sympathetic look before moving to give her a hug. "It'll be alright, love. You've lost a lot lately. You know you can call me whenever you need to." Blake murmured to which Roxie buried her head in her shoulder before nodding silently. Blake held her for as long as she needed to be held before Roxie let her go first. Blake pulled away and Roxie wiped at her eyes, "I guess I'm just feeling guilty about a lot of things lately...with Savvy...with Matthew...it's...hard to explain." Blake tilted her head curiously wondering if Roxie was going to tell her what was on her mind. While Savvy wasn't dead, she was sure she was feeling guilty that the woman just had to up and leave. With Matthew...Blake didn't miss the way Syd still talked about his ex or looked at her...she wondered what was going on there.

"Hey...just remind yourself this okay...you deserve to be happy. Let the little monsters distract you for the evening and when I come to pick up Collin you and I can have a little ladies' night of our own okay?" Blake promised and Roxie gave the woman a genuine smile. "That sounds like fun." She said.

***​

Blake McCarthy
Lucy Porter
The Sullivan House (Front Door)
~ Sutton, Dublin ~​

Blake had pulled into the driveway of the Sullivan home just as Lucy did. "Well hey there, stranger." Blake said to her fellow blonde as they moved to give each other a hug. "Long time no see!" She teased Lucy and the woman shook her head, "I feel like I haven't seen any of you lately since James came home. I'm so sorry about that by the way, my mind has just been preoccupied making sure he's okay, and with this whole thing with Elena, I'm just trying to make sure Thomas doesn't fall apart." Lucy said with a tired sigh. "How are you, how's Adam? And Natasha, Thomas told me that Leo and she broke up the night Elena was taken? I thought they were doing so good!" Lucy said with a look of sympathy and Blake shook her head, "You know just as much as I do, she hasn't been out of her room since she came home at night." Sighing, Blake looked up at the Sullivan home before noting that Sinead's car was also in the driveway.

"Ready for a little girl time?" Blake asked Lucy to which the woman nodded her head eagerly, "It's nice that I don't have to host one for a change." Lucy said to which Blake raised an eyebrow, "You, Lucy Porter, not wanting to host a party? Color me surprised!" She said to which Lucy laughed, "Well Blake, I'm just full of surprises, what can I say!" They had made their way up to the front door before Lucy knocked on it for the both of them. As they stood there, Luce bit her lip nervously and Blake was curious to know what she was nervous about. "You okay?" Blake asked and Lucy looked at her for a moment before her eyes darted to stare at the door again, "I know that Sinead is not in the best mood, Peter had me talk her down the other day and she's furious with our brother...I just hope she can contain herself enough to let this be a fun evening. We don't have a lot of fun anymore these days."
mentions: Ali + Leo Melanin-Gxdess ; Sinead Misty Gray

Julia Avvocada
Ricky's Place
~ New York ~​

Lately, all Julia and Ricky had been doing lately was working. And while Julia was a goal-oriented, hard-working type of woman...she was getting tired of the same old thing. Her head was still scheming with ways to make sure that Roxie paid for what she had done to Ricky the last time she was in town but since then, Roxie hadn't dared to show her face in town. Things were laying low in New York and things were relatively straight forward but Julia wasn't sure just how long that would last. So, she decided that she and Ricky needed a day out. Somewhere they could just be themselves for a while. The sudden humidity and spontaneous thunderstorm and rain had left the activities for the day rather narrowed as they couldn't go outside without getting soaking wet.

So far, Julia had been sitting in the living room and Ricky was in his office attending to work once again. After having sat watching tv for a while, Julia became bored and restless. With a huff, she pushed herself off the couch and stretched out her stiff limbs before turning off the TV altogether and heading towards Ricky's office. Things between them had been better, but there were still moments when Julia was doubting their relationship, feeling that the man was lying to her about things. Without knocking on it, Julia opened his office door before letting herself in a shutting it.

Julia gave him a sweet smile when he looked up from the paperwork he was hunched over. "Hey you." She said, before moving to walk towards him slowly, rounding the desk before sitting on his desk and the papers he had been looking at. "I'm borreeed." She said with a bit of a whiny tone. "All we've been doing the last few weeks is working. I wanna go do something, be adventurous..even if it's walking down the street to get a pizza in the rain...anything but sitting in this damn house doing work for another minute!" She said before shuffling off the desk to straddle his lap as he sat in his big leather chair.

"What do you say? Wanna give up work for the rest of the day and play hooky? We could even go to TP old man Gabe's house if you want to? I hear he's a real grump!"
with: Ricky Misty Gray

Harper King
Her Place
~ London ~ ​

Harper gave Jeremy a curious look as he mentioned getting Thai food, knowing that was not his favorite food but hers. She hadn't eaten in a few days and Thai food actually sounds more appetizing than anything else in that moment. "Thai food it is." She said, forcing herself to smile at him in return despite the way she was feeling. "Sure, I'll be right back." Harper said, getting up slowly to retrieve a clean washcloth that was folded on top of her dryer waiting to be put away.

She had fallen behind on her usual chores but her house still looked clean for the most part. Her room was a mess but she didn't really care at the moment since she was the only one who saw it. After ordering the food, knowing what Jeremy usually likes from her normal Thai place, Harper moved back into his room. Stopping beside his bed, she glanced at him curiously once more as she moved to give him the cloth. Everything happened so fast and Harper's brain was terribly slow with fatigue. She had fallen into his lap and he was now cradling her there. Normally she would have squirmed out of his grasp but the blood rushed to her head, causing her to get so dizzy that she had to close her eyes.

Over the roar of blood in her ears, Harper couldn't hear the washcloth being dipped in the water pitcher beside his head so when he pressed it against her warm skin, Harper let out a soft sigh of relief. She kept her eyes closed, too tired to fight him or think about the fact that she might have been hurting him in the position she was in. Exhaustion threatened to consume her to the point where she felt like she could fall asleep right then and there but Jeremy's voice caused her to pay attention, opening her sore and tired eyes just enough to see the silhouette of his face. "Hmm?" she mumbled, not able to will herself to open her mouth as she just enjoyed the cool cloth still on her skin.

"I am taking care of myself." Her stubbornness finally willed her to speak, opening her eyes to give him a defiant type look even in her exhaustion. "You are the one with a concussion you know." She reminded him as her face slumped against his chest and her breathing started to slow, sleep threatening to take her. There was a moment of silence. She hadn't had the chance to tell him about her trying to suddenly get clean. She shifted in his arms slightly but hissed when her body punished her for moving in such an awkward way. "I gave them away...the pills. I made Darcey take them from me. I didn't realize how sick it was going to make me to come off so suddenly. That's why I've been so focused on you instead of me...My mind keeps telling me just to take them back. They would not make me feel like this and never had. But I know if I take them again I won't make it back again."

"Besides, when's the last time you had anyone take care of you? You don't always have to be my caretaker, Jere." Harper mumbled as she settled back into a comfortable spot against him.
with: Jeremy BasDorcha

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Body Work's Gym
~Dublin City Centre, Dublin~
Leo Sullivan
​

"I cried when your father told me he was taking over," Ali said, sitting on the couch in her robe. It was nearly five in the morning and only a few hours since Leo had returned home. After searching as much as they could in one night, Leo was sent home. While he and Natasha were breaking up someone was kidnapping Elena. A part of Leo felt like if he hadn't chosen tonight to tell Natasha about his decision, hadn't been such a pussy about it, then maybe only one travesty would've happened that night. Instead, he had to watch his best friend slip into despair and listen as Adam yelled at them for losing his daughter. All the while stealing glances at his now ex-girlfriend. If anything, this night had proven her point about him not being able to protect everyone but now wasn't the time to think about it.

Once he got home, the emotions he'd been holding in seemed to start pouring out in the foyer. He wasn't sure when his mother had made her way downstairs nor noticed the gun in her hand. She thought she had an intruder on her hands and when she saw it was her son quickly clicked the safety back on and slipped it inside her pocket. "Leo? What's going-," her words were cut off the moment Leo wrapped his arms around her, shocking Ali. It'd been a long time since she'd seen him this way and she knew immediately that something was off. And when he'd finally calmed down and caught her up on everything, she understood what was happening. Deciding to call Adam in the morning pertaining to Elena - only because she didn't think he'd be home right then - she figured she'd help him with his Natasha problem first.

"Did you," Leo asked, sitting back against the couch, arms folded in front of him as he looked at his mother. "Why? What did he say?" Ali chuckled, shrugged her shoulders, and smiled. "James is retiring and I'm taking over the business," she said, remembering verbatim the words he used. It was quite a dramatic time and she would never forget the sound of his voice when he said it. "I was tired. The bodies. The worrying. The- The anxiety that stuck around whenever your father would leave me. It was too much for me to deal with back then," she waved her hand at him. "Plus, Blake'd just lost Jackson during that time too," she said, a slight pause in her speech. "Natasha got a small portion of him but Callum didn't; Blake never even got to tell Jackson she was pregnant. I was pregnant with Rhi at this time, too. And I didn't want the same for the two of you." Ali was sure that if she had lost Conor during that time she'd never have been able to get over it. Blake was a stronger woman than she in this department, for sure. "So, what changed your mind," Leo asked, rubbing his hands together.

Ali had to think for a moment, the answer evading her. "My love for him. So many things nearly got in the way of the two of us being together and yet we managed to make it work. And continue to do so. But Leo," she said, placing her hand on top of his. "That's not the case for everyone. For some people love isn't enough to watch you go through what you will when you take over. You may not think that you will, love, but trust me. This life has a way of changing you before you even realize it has."

***
​

For the next few days, Leo had purposely not called Natasha to pester her. As much as he wanted to check on her in regards to Elena he stopped himself. She needed her space- deserved it, even. Ali's words echoed in his head, reminding him that he couldn't, "Ask her to compromise herself out of love for him." It was a hard pill to swallow but one he'd heard for the second time- Thomas being the first. So instead he decided to focus his attention purely on trying to help his cousin and Adam find Elena. For the first time, it felt like they were helpless and at a loss. With no clues as to who took her, when, or how, there wasn't much they could do. The only thing Leo knew he could do was to offer his services and try to be there emotionally for Thomas as much as he'd allow him to be. Leo could, to an extent, relate to how his best friend was feeling so he tried to be as sympathetic as possible. Having someone you loved and cared about kidnapped was never easy.

The two stayed up late to search and investigate, Leo not wanting to leave his side again. He'd done so once before and Thomas ended up being kidnapped for weeks. Plus, his separation anxiety was starting to make a reappearance and he wasn't yet aware of it. Leo leaned against the receptionist's desk and greeted Olivia with a neutral smile as she answered the phone. He was about to make a half-hearted joke about her manners when she mentioned the name, Phelan. Leo immediately frowned as Adam quickly took the phone from her, demanding information. He looked between Adam and Thomas as he perked up, ready for action. The phone was then slammed back down and Adam swiftly moved past them and towards his vehicle. Leo and Thomas wasted no time running after him, hot on his heels. It wasn't until they reached the man's car that they were finally able to ask questions, Thomas starting.

His cousin brought up the possibility of it being a trap and his mind immediately flashed back to the last time someone did something like that to them. Thomas and Leo had ended up getting lured from the alley where his father ended up fighting for his life. Leo agreed with him, nodding his head. "He's right, Adam. Last time we rushed into something without thinking and it was a trap too. I mean, how much can you trust this guy? We wanna help you get Elena back but we need to be smart about this." He tried to hide the worry from his voice that anything was going to happen to Elena and the two men standing near him. Leo was more than capable when it came to being on the job and doing whatever it took. He wasn't capable, however, of properly healing when someone he cared about was taken from him; that was a work in progress.


Adam ( Misty Gray ) Thomas ( Bellz )

 

[BasDorcha]

Harper's Place
London
Jeremy Gray​

The heat suddenly increased between the two of them, and Jeremy found it hard to breath between the two of them. When she relaxed against him, her head against his chest, he fought very hard not to lean down and kiss her senseless. Instead, he simply kept moving the wet cloth, occasionally dipping it to keep it from warming up in his hand and on her skin. He gently brushed the hair from her face, admiring each angle, each shadow, and with Spencer’s answer in his mind he had a lightness in his heart that hadn’t been there before. “You are not taking care of yourself… I’ve barely seen you eat, I hear you up all hours of the night, you spent most of yesterday trying to hide that you were getting sick from me…” His voice rumbled softly, the vibrations filling his chest as she rested.

When she confessed she had given the pills to Darcey, it made sense; she was exhibiting all the symptoms of withdrawal. Nodding, he let a few drips of water land as he squeezed the cooling clothing, then smoothed them away. When she said she had been so focused on him as a means of distraction, his resolve gave way and a knot formed in his throat. He swallowed as hard as he could, pushing it down. He didn’t want to rush her, especially in this form, even if every fiber in his being said she was the only one and that he needed to take her for his own before someone else did.

Jeremy had spent some time with Spencer and the other boys on more than one occasion in the wrong side of town, learning a bit about aspects of his nature the others didn’t know. Jeremy learned he could pleasure women without having to even remove his clothes when he had met a woman who called herself a submissive. Over the next few months, he had seen her again several times learning more about this type of desire, learning that the feeling deep within him was the need to be dominant, yet somehow, he had fallen for one of the most strong-willed women he had ever known. He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself for the predicament he was in.

Playfully, he pushed the tip of the cloth under the edge of her shirt, right where the hills of her chest started but no further, letting the shirt hold it in place. “Well then, I’ll just have to do a better job distracting you." Grinning, still ugly as can be from the beating he took, he rubbed her arm, then her back, sweeping her hair up into the hand cradling her to keep it off her neck. Unintentionally he pulled it a bit rough at first, unuse to playing with women’s hair, but then it eased and he simply held it off her skin. The free hand gently stroked her, brushing random strands away from her eyes and cheeks. Without realizing it, he leaned down close to her face throughout it all, his breathe creating warm puffs across wet spots.

When he could stand it no more, ignoring all the pain that reared its head when he squeezed her closer between both arms, he slid his free hand around her waist and made the space between them almost nonexistent. His breathing was rough, his lips hovering near hers, but not pressing them. Then, he started to hum gently, before singing softly to her as if he was trying to help her fall asleep. “There use to be a greying tower alone on the sea, you became the light on the dark side of me, love remained a drug that’s the high and not the pill…” He hummed a few more bars, choosing to skip some lines he felt did not apply, before starting again. “Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey, oooh, the more I get of you the stranger it feels, yeahhhh. And now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the grey.”

[/I]Mentions Bellz - Harper

 

[BloodThunder27]

~Chapter 15: Point of No Return~Friday 26th July 1985
...5 days later...
Dublin: Early Evening- Warm, Sunny, Breezy
London: Mid-Afternoon - Hot, Sunny, Humid​

---

---

~James Edwards & Stella Kwon~Textile Factory | Dublin City Centre, Dublin

Following his outing in London with the Sullivan Strike Team that was deployed, Edwards took a few days to catch his breath and reflect on the mission aftermath. And the previous day, he ended up shaving his beard, leaving behind a six-o'clock shadow. However, it wasn't gonna be long until it grew back anyway. Unfortunately, while they were away, Adam's Daughter, Elena, was kidnapped. While Adam went to tend to that, Edwards was tasked with check in on the bases around the City Centre after going to confession earlier in the day.

Midway through checking in at each base, he soon found himself being accompanied by Stella, the Sullivans' Bounty Hunter. Early on, she had a bit of a dislike towards him because of how fast he had been rising in the ranks of the Sullivans, not to mention his combat experience completely dwarfing hers. To air this out and hopefully go in a different direction though, Stella decided to get to know the new blood. As they walked, Stella began wandering about Ruby, whom she saw last at Karate Practice two days ago. They were having a lot of fun enhancing their hand-to-hand combat prowess for sure and Stella enjoyed the Firearms Training that they had started shortly after. They would need to brush up on that, and although she was reluctant about it, she did want to ask Edwards about it, as his Military Expertise could teach her and Ruby a thing or two, which would not be taught in the streets, let alone in Dublin since the man was an American and served in the US Military, which she has heard tales about in the past, not to mention the small talk at the Sullivan gatherings.

Before they could reach the Textile Factory, a young Blond woman carrying a badly injured man began walking towards him and called out for help. Once the other duo was close enough, Edwards got a better look at their faces. In particular, he immediately recognized the young woman as she attended the same church as him. Once Stella recognized Phelan, she did scowl a little bit, but the animosity quickly faded once she saw the young woman's face. Edwards' mind soon went back to the day that Sinead had gotten stabbed. Could it have been the same culprits? Sadly, now was not the time to look for proof of that. The man before them was bleeding out and if he didn't do something soon, he would surely die.

"Is there a phone? We need an ambulance."

Edwards took a quick look at the man's wounds. He had already lost a lot of blood. "There are no phones nearby, but if I don't help him soon, he's gonna bleed out. We know a place not far from here. It'll have the medical supplies I need to help him, at least enough to stop the bleeding." He proceeded to go to the opposite side to help support Phelan. "Here, let me help you."

******​

It wasn't long until they were inside the Textile Factory. Going into one of the available rooms, Edwards proceeded to help Phelan onto one of the couches before laying him down. "Stella, can you get me a first aid kit?" He looked at her briefly, with a concerned look. "Please?"

Stella proceeded to go grab the nearest first aid kit before taking it over to Edwards, who quickly got to work with the stabbing wound in his abdomen, cleaning the wound before stitching it up and bandaging it up before cleaning the blood off of his face and icing the bruises. "It should hold for now. We'll get you to a real doctor in a bit, but for now, just take it easy, alright?" He said, before standing up, turning to see Stella looking at him with a shocked expression. "What?"

She asked. "How were you able to treat his wounds so fast?"

"I'm trained in Combat Triage. In war, I had to be able to treat the wounds of my Brothers in a swift manner, especially on the battlefield." He replied before looking at Patience. "He's gonna be alright. Let's sit down for a minute, yeah?" He said before wondering on who to call, knowing that Adam was on a personal call, looking for his kidnapped daughter.

---

Interactions: Patience Davenport, Phelan Sweeney Misty Gray
Mentions: Ruby Miller BasDorcha

---

~Quadir Griffin~The Royal Taphouse | Bethnal Green, London

For at least the last month and a half, things have gotten relatively quiet in New York. Business as usual, nothing out of the ordinary, no firefights, not too much action. While the peace was nice, Quadir did find himself a little board and having a routine in his day still felt strange. Checking in on the Cocaine Business, delivering the Boss' cut on the daily dealings, going to Karate regularly with Harmony. The only upside really was that he was losing weight and felt a lot better, more energetic even. When Don Moretti had invited him to fly overseas to London as part of the Security Detail, Quadir was thrilled. This was his first time leaving the mainland United States and first time traveling long distance since moving to New York City from Atlanta. With things amping up between the Kings and the Sullivans. Quadir began to wonder what that would mean for the Moretti Family as he was not exactly privy to a lot of the details due to mainly managing Moretti's Cocaine Business.

Quadir's travels soon brought him to the Royal Taphouse, where he was told to wait out in the main area while the Don attended a meeting. He wasn't exactly thrilled by the humidity and how hot it was, but at least it was somewhat cool in the bar. Upon hearing Damien's voice, Quadir looked over to see him leaning on the counter. The last time he had seen Damien was at Marcus' Funeral, but they didn't really speak, with Quadir wanting to be respectful during such a sensitive time. Not to mention Damien, from his perspective, was a man of few words anyway. Despite the man's affinity for torturing his enemies, the two did get along fine and Quadir was mostly unbothered, but was weary early on because the whole torturing thing made his younger brother uncomfortable. Once his train of thought settled, he simply greeted Damien with a smile in turn. "Good to see you, too, Damien." He replied.

"How is London treating you so far? The weather is often both questionable and a popular topic here, but the sun has decided to make an appearance today."

"Not so bad I suppose. It's my first time out of the US, so it's a lot to process." He said, briefly looking at the Barmaid out of the corner of his eye, granted she was mostly cleaning under the counter...or so it seemed. "I was hoping for a little rain today, but I guess it was too much to ask for." He chuckled, as he was used to being in a duster or fur coat with a sweater or some other long-sleeve shirt.

For once though, Quadir wasn't wearing all white. This time around, he was wearing mostly red. Damien proceeded to inform him that service is usually better before leaning over the counter to get the Barmaid's attention, even addressing her by name and got to ordering a drink. Checking his watch, he thought it was a little too early for that. Nonetheless, since the meeting was likely to be lengthy. However, he had to be mindful because anything can happen at the drop of a hat and he wanted to stay sharp.

"What can I get for you?"

"A pint of London Pride. Thank you." He responded as he relaxed on the Bar Stool.

---

Interactions: Damien Nicolosi, Kerry Patrick Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

Harper's Place
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Trevor Stewart​

Trevor would be lying if he said Bruce and Spencer showing up at his place with their threats a few nights ago hadn't had an affect on him. He had been expecting it and he'd been confident in the delivery of his counter-offer, but that didn't mean he was happy with how things had played out. He hadn't wanted to use the leverage he had over them to assert himself, but they presented him with the very situation he knew it would come in use for. He was under no illusion that he could ever have anything of a positive relationship with his eldest son, but he still didn't take lightly to threatening to ruin Spencer's and his young family's lives. But when it came down to it, this was a fight for survival and his only chance to show he was a better person now.

The situation had installed some moments of doubt and temptation to relapse in him. As soon as Bruce and Spencer had left, he'd found himself rushing for the bottle of whiskey he'd kept in the back of the cupboard. Partly there for an emergency like the moment presented, but mostly as some test of his will and self-control, he'd refused to dispose of the alcohol. But that night, the bottle was finally opened and a glass tumbler was soon filled. However, after the first glass, Trevor reminded himself of why he was back in London and what he had left behind over the last few years. Whilst alcohol wasn't the worst thing he could be losing control with, he'd soon come to his senses, remembering a time when alcohol was no longer enough. He didn't want to end up back onto the path that leads to drugs. Having given himself a pep talk of sorts, most of the whiskey ended up being poured down the kitchen sink. Trevor had shown up to one of his group therapy sessions the following evening, deciding he'd had too close a call to ignore and not wanting to prove his many critics wrong by throwing away everything he'd worked hard for lately.

*****​

Trevor had been to visit his mother at the nursing home earlier in the day, knowing what time he had left with her was limited. The old woman had cuttingly delivered some motivational words about him needing to make up for all of the mistakes, bullshit, and selfish actions he'd committed in the past. Since putting Bruce and Spencer in their place, Trevor had found himself tempted to see Harper again to make sure she was winning her own battle. Then when he'd been passed on some gossip about Billy apparently being injured, he felt even more of a need to visit his daughter.

Trevor hadn't quite reached the front door when he noticed the guard standing watch outside. "If she doesn't want me here, I'll go. Back off until then," he firmly told the King employee. Trevor proceeded to knock loudly on the door, sending the guard a brief glare once he had. When Harper finally came to the door, Trevor subconsciously glanced to his bandaged, reminding himself it was because of him talking to her that Bruce had inflicted the damage to begin with. Still, it hadn't deterred him from doing it again, so he held his head high in time to meet Harper's eyes. "Evening, Harper. I was just on my way home, but I decided to stop by and check in with you. I get it if it's not appropriate - I'll walk away before Mr. Personality over there decides to get all handsy," he remarked, pointing to the guard.

Bellz (Harper) BasDorcha (Jeremy)

 

[Pyroclast]

Bournemouth Beach
~ Bournemouth ~

Shona King​

Though she may not be at the centre of it, Shona felt the impact of everything hitting her family. Spencer was being hit by wave after wave of serious issues to handle, from finding out that May was his half-sister, to his youngest brother and two friends getting injured in a Sullivan-led attack, straight to Trevor revealing that he was holding evidence over Spencer’s head that could get him sent to prison for life.

Shona could see how much it was affecting him, and that’s exactly why she was doing her best not to let it affect her. She had faced hardship and adversity all throughout her past and so she had no reason to doubt her strength this time. But the truth was, she was terrified. That her brother-in-law had come so close to death, and that there was evidence out there - held by Trevor, no less - that could take her husband away from her and Eddie…no amount of fortitude could make those situations less frightening.

Of course, as much as it pained her to see the stress take its toll on Spencer, Shona know that he also had plenty of strength in him to get through it - and so she knew that when he didn't cancel their holiday to stay and deal with it, it wasn't because he was running away. It was because he recognised that he needed the time to relax, which Shona was relieved about. The business they were in was often so demanding, so consuming, that it could make people forget they were only human and needed breaks as much as anyone else.

She watched from her lounger as he ran back over to her, his hair flowing behind him, damp and wavy from the sea. She hadn't seen him look so relaxed in such a long time that it was almost possible to imagine that their problems back home didn't exist. A warm laugh escaped her when he delivered a corny line about her being too hot for the sea to ever cool her down. "You charmer," she teased, reaching up to comb fingers through his wet, salty hair as she kissed him back. Her eyes stayed on him as he went to rummage in the pocket of his jeans, his skin appearing to glow in the warm sunshine. “I’ll have a dip in a minute, but I wanna spend some time with you first. Sun looks good on you, Robbie…”

Soon they were both lying on the sun loungers next to each other, eating ice creams that Spencer had treated them to. The 99 was melting quickly in the warm weather, and when she found him smiling at her she wondered if it was because she had ice cream on her face - but instead he started to fantasise about their future holidays when Eddie would be old enough to build sandcastles and play ball with Callum. The mental images put a smile on her face. “My mother and I used to make sand boats,” she told him. “We’d sculpt the sand into the shape of a boat, just big enough to sit in, and pretend to sail away. I can’t wait to do that with our boy…We should take him back here, to this same beach, every summer. Make it a place he loves!”

From the way he was smiling after getting out of the sea, Shona didn’t expect anything to bring Spencer down that day. So when he turned to face her and so when he asked - in such a self-deprecating manner - if she was happy in their relationship, she was completely caught off guard.

“Put up with?” she asked with a frown, sitting upright and swinging her legs over the side of her lounger. “Spencer…you really need me to tell you why I love you?” Her hand reached over and rested on his knee, willing him to look her in the eyes and really listen to her. “Look, I get things are rough right now, with our family and all the fighting…I ain’t gonna lie and say it don’t scare me. Your brother gettin’ shot scares me. Your nightclub, Harper’s injuries, all this stuff with Trevor…it all scares me.” With another lick of her melting ice cream, Shona moved herself away from the lounger and came to kneel in the sand beside her husband. “But don’t think for a second that it’s gonna scare me away, Spencer King. Sure, I can imagine a happier life, but you will always be in it. You and our family and our little prince. You’re the only thing I can’t imagine livin’ without.”

Resting an elbow on his leg, she pulled the chocolate flake from her 99 and used it to spoon ice cream out of the cone. It was a simple ice cream, but had always been her favourite. “You’ve got to remember the life I had before I met you,” she went on. “You didn’t marry some soft, sheltered little mouse, Spencer. Violence, crime, poverty, dysfunctional families, all that was normal on my street. What wasn’t normal was the love I get from you now…that’s somethin’ special, and I ain’t about to walk away from it. You’ll have to do a lot worse to get rid of me, my king.” She looked up into his eyes, searching them deeply. “Unless there’s somethin’ you wanted to say?” she added, realising that he might not have simply been asking for reassurance, but for permission to tell her that his feelings had changed. “Are you happy?”

Interactions
Misty Gray Spencer

 

[Bellz]

Harper King
Her Apartment
~ London ~​

Harper knew why she had zero energy to tell Jeremy that right now he needed to focus on getting himself better because he looked like the grape at the bottom of the packaging kinda smushed by all the others. Also, she wasn't exactly sure what she wanted yet. But she knew if she wanted to give in to his temptations, it would only hurt him in the end. Harper could be a bitch but she wasn't cruel. Despite all this, she couldn't move her tired limbs from the spot she was in now. Her eyes looked up at his face, but the tiredness in them blurred her vision making it hard to read him.

He spoke of needing to do a better job to distract her and Harper let out a short laugh, though it was void of any humor. It had to be selfish, what they were both doing, using one another as a distraction rather than pursuing these feelings for the right reason. Well, at least that's what she was doing now as she let him continue to explore places with his hand that would have surely been bit off by now if she had enough energy to care. Despite his best efforts to cool her down, he was only starting to make her sweat even more at that point as her heart pounded in her sore chest almost painfully.

Jeremy pulled her hair a little unintentionally rough and Harper winced closing her eyes again. When she opened them, he was so close to her fact that their breath mingled in the short space between them. "Jer-" Harper started to say, about to tell him that this was the last thing either of them should be doing at the moment before he pulled her even closer than she was now. His lips hovered near hers and Harper's eyes watched him carefully. Would he even remember any of this after the beating his poor head took? Maybe that was reason enough to just be selfish for a moment. Harper was about to throw all caution to the wind when he started singing to her softly. Harper had just enough energy to cock a curious brow at him.

After that, she managed to tug the curves of her mouth upward in her usual Harper smirk, "Don't ever go to karaoke." She said breathlessly, only teasing before her head scooted closer to his, about to meet his lips when someone knocked loudly on her front door. Harper's head suddenly snapped up, lifting half of her body out of the bed they were in to stare through the wall towards the front door as if she could see who it was from there. There was another knock. Whoever it was, the guards outside her door were letting them try to talk to her. "Don't move." She ordered Jeremy before untangling herself from him, careful not to hurt him while her poor body took the brunt of the twisting and turning. Before she knew it, she twisted too much and fell off the bed, landing on her back on the floor causing the breath to be knocked out of her chest, silencing her from letting out a yell from the pain it caused her. Groaning, she raised two hands up to give Jeremy a thumbs up. "I'm okay." Harper rasped before turning on her side slowly and pulling herself up to her feet.

The blood rushed to her head all too quickly again and she saw stars as she stumbled, hands out to grasp the wall nearest her. Though she couldn't see Jeremy, she knew he was too annoyingly polite to watch a woman stumble like she was now. "Stay!" She ordered, her tone now strong and the breath having returned to her lungs. Her tone was clear that he shouldn't test her. No matter the moment they just shared, Harper would always be the bossy one.

She could hardly see through her tunneled vision but she shook her head a few times to clear it and before she reached the door it had been fully restored. Harper had hobbled over rather slowly before looking through the peephole in her door, utterly surprised to see it was Trevor standing there. Quickly opening it, Harper gawked at him for a moment. Spencer and Bruce were hellbent on getting him away from London...she wondered what had happened with that. She had been rendered speechless but luckily Trevor greeted her first. Did he want to check on her? Why?

Harper was trying to register what that meant but when Trevor pointed to the guard calling him Mr. Personality, Harper let out a little laugh. She looked at the guard a moment and remembered Jeremy in her spare room, as the thought of inviting her father crossed her mind. Well, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place now, wasn't she? But perhaps it would be safer for her Father to come in where no one else could see him standing at her doorstep...

"Would you like to come in? I could put on a kettle or something...?" Harper asked tiredly. She was sure she looked like a mess considering she had just dive-bombed out of Jeremy's bed like a kamikaze pilot in World War II. Not only was she tired from the withdrawals but now she was all sorts of flustered in ways that she wouldn't think about with her father standing in front of her now. Stupid Jeremy...

"You don't have to come in if you are uncomfortable...but...Spencer and Bruce made it clear to me that they were going to send you away. I'm just...surprised.." relieved She said in her head, "to see you here, intact that is. How's the hand?"
Left: Jeremy BasDorcha
Now with: Trevor Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Gabriel Moretti​

It had been over three months since Gabriel's previous visit to London, but there had still been frequent contact with the Kings. Not only through Tatiana, Erik, and Damian, but also through Bruce and Spencer themselves had he been kept updated on business that relating to his own. Although he'd been in contact with Bruce since the failed attempt on Conor's life, he hadn't spoken to Spencer since prior to the attack. A lot of planning had gone into the attack by the Kings, not to mention a significant amount of input and advice from Gabriel himself. So when he learned that the mission had failed, he wasn't overly impressed and was keen to hear from the horse's mouth the reason why the job wasn't finished. Of course, he learned prior to the meeting that Spencer wouldn't be present to offer up his own explanation. For now, the Italian was left with the belief that the likes of Conor, James and Syd were like filthy cockroaches; somehow lucky enough to keep surviving when the odds were against them.

Gabriel was sure he'd get chance to speak with Spencer on another occasion. Whilst he himself rarely made mistakes, of course, he understood they happened with others. It was how Spencer explained his failure and how he was going to succeed in the future that mattered now. On the plus side, the purpose of Gabriel's visit was mostly down to the fact Erik had been caught up in the attack in London and how they were all going to deal with the Sullivans moving forward. Not only that, but he was sure the meeting would run more efficiently the fewer the people present.

When Gabriel had announced his London visit to his family, Valentina had been eager to join them and he had hoped to bring Elvian to meet the Kings at some point. However, given the fact there had been attack on the Kings just a few days ago, he wasn't willing to take the risk of bringing the women with him. Having arrived the night before, Gabriel was up bright and early, fully prepared for the meeting that afternoon. Whether Teddy and Quadir had jetlag or not, they would have had to be up early too. After spending some time getting a feel for the city, the men arrived at the Royal Taphouse. Gabriel told Quadir to stay in the bar area with Damian, who he would catch up with later in the day.

Gabriel wasted no time in greeting Bruce, giving the Londoner a firm handshake and a friendly smile before doing the same with Erik. "The trip was a smooth one. Everything running on time, just as it should. I trust you are well too?" he asked Bruce. After putting in his order for a large brandy, Gabriel then followed the King boss into the function room. When offered a seat, Gabriel placed himself on the couch alongside Teddy, facing where Bruce and Erik were to sit.

Gabriel remained patiently silent as he waited for Bruce, their host, to start the meeting. He nodded in agreement when Bruce pointed out their last meeting had been in April. He listened on as he was told about the close calls the Kings had experienced, with Harper, Billy and other associates being injured in the process. "I'm glad to hear none of your family have been killed as a result of the Sullivans' recklessness, but nevertheless, I do hope those injured on your side are recovering well. I was concerned when I heard Billy had been shot," he admitted.

The conversation was interrupted when Toby brought in the drinks. After the barman left and Gabriel had a small drink of brandy, he focused back on their discussion. He looked to Erik when Bruce put the attention on him and how he'd previously been injured during the nightclub bombing. When Gabriel then heard that Erik had been caught up in the restaurant attack a few days ago, he did find it concerning, but was still grateful the man had got out of it all uninjured. Bruce spoke about the treaty and how the Sullivans had seemingly respected it by not hurting Erik. Then the King boss suggested he might want to take it up with the Sullivans that Erik had been put in dangerous situations by them multiple times now. Gabriel for a moment wondered if Bruce was in some way trying to push him towards taking action against the Irish, or if he was simply pointing out the obvious, that it did warrant a discussion between the Morettis and the Sullivans.

"It certainly does look bad that they've put my family and my associates at risk," he agreed. "I would like us to agree on how we will approach this, moving forward, as I won't have my family put at risk. Not only that, but for our deal to work I would like to make sure London is safe for your family too," he told Bruce. Sitting up straight he took another sip from his glass before continue. "Before that... Considering the attack a few days ago is more than likely Irish retaliation for what your lads did to Conor, I had hoped to be briefed in person about what went wrong in Dublin. I had hoped to hear it from Spencer himself, in his absence I hoped you could enlighten me. For Conor to have been hospitalised in the condition he was, I have to ask why he wasn't killed. You and Spencer had a strong plan in place, so what happened?" he asked.

Melanin-Gxdess (Erik, Teddy)
Pyroclast (Bruce)

 

[Misty Gray]

BodyWorks Gym
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Adam Harper​

As soon as he slammed the weapons-loaded car boot shut, Adam heard Thomas shout his name, prompting him to look to see the young man and Leo approaching him. "Yeah, Thomas, it's probably a fucking trap, but it makes sense that Elena's there. So I'm willing to walk into that trap if it gives her a fighting chance in my place," he abruptly told Thomas. Leo also spoke up, reminding him of when he'd recently been lured into a trap himself. "Difference is, I'm expecting it," he told him, reaching for the handle of the car door but not yet pulling it open. Adam was always a man with a plan - one who wouldn't walk into a situation without meticulous consideration and multiple backup scenarios. However, his objective thinking was compromised somewhat by his natural desire to protect Elena. It wasn't something that tended to be a problem for Adam, but then, he hadn't had people he cared for on a personal level depending on him. The fact it was his daughter, who he'd grown to care strongly about in such a short amount of time, was a good reason for his emotions to take the lead on this occasion.

"She's at the Flanagans' cabin over in The Baskins. If you don't know it, Chase can help you out with the location," he informed them, not having time to start drawing it on a map. "It was specified that I go there alone. The bastards gave me thirty minutes to get there, which is only just long enough, so this conversation we're having right now? It's eating into that time."

Opening the door, Adam paused before looking back to them. "I have to get there alone and you have drop back for a bit in case anyone's watching us right now. I need a head start before you guys show up. If they see anyone else with me, it could put Elena in more danger. So I need some time to distract them... to weigh up the situation." Getting into the driver's seat, he looked up at Thomas and Leo. "Prime objective is to get Elena out of there safe. If that means you leaving me behind or some shit, then you do that. Elena's innocent in all of this and it's my mess," he admitted. "And lads. There's a lot of places to hide in those woods, so be vigilant."

*****

Woodlands/Farmland Area
~ The Baskins, Dublin ~​

When Adam drove along the dirt road into the woods and the cabin came into view, he was immediately made to stop the vehicle a good 50ft from the building. With two gunmen aiming their weapons straight at his front windscreen, he didn't have much choice but to get out of the vehicle. He wasn't about to do anything risky and brave whilst he still needed to assess Elena's situation. As he took a step forward, one of the men told him to leave his weapons behind. He retrieved his pistol and set it down on the nearby tree trunk. He then reached to his hip and retrieved his hunters knife. With the blade extended, the stabbed the into the bark of the tree, embedding the weapon into the wood and leaving it stuck in place. Despite disarming himself, he still had to clasp his hands together behind his head as one of the men began frisk searching him to be sure. The urge to break the man's neck in that moment was extremely difficult to resist, but his concern for Elena was more than enough to keep him compliant for the time-being.

"Keep walking, asshole," one of the gunmen then commanded Adam.

Adam walked towards cabin as instructed, all the while taking in his surroundings. Nothing much had changed since the ambush he'd led some weeks ago, so he felt confident in his existing knowledge of the surrounding woods and potential escape routes. What he wasn't certain of was how many men were hiding out. John never struck him as a greatly intelligent or resourceful man, but he wasn't about to underestimate him. Given the time taken for the retaliation, and the fact he had enough balls to challenge the mob at all gave enough reason to be open-minded about what the guy was capable of.

"You finally made it!" John's voice was heard a second before he stepped into view out of the cabin doorway. "Well, isn't this a turn up for the books? We've got unfinished business," he informed him. Looking down to the ground nearby, John was reminded of being made to lay there face-down whilst Doug was having as asthma attack just feet away. And that was after seeing Eoin gunned down next to him whilst Ross was being slaughtered in the cabin. As the ringleader of that whole ambush, Adam was the one John blamed and wanted to get back at. "The party's inside..."

Bellz (Thomas) Melanin-Gxdess (Leo)
Mention/To be discussed: Pyroclast (Elena)

 

[Misty Gray]

Christian's House
~ Hackney, London ~

Christian Brooks​

Hearing the knock at the door, Christian got up from the sofa and made his way to answer it. A brief look through the spyhole in the door confirmed it was May who had arrived. Despite expecting her, he knew to be cautious given his line of work and associations. Unlocking the door from the inside, he pulled it open and greeted May with a warm smile. "Good afternoon," he said, letting out a small laugh at being called Detective Danger. "It was only a matter of time before I did go crazy. I suppose it's part of the initiation into the Kings' business," he remarked.

Christian stepped aside so she could enter the house, then secured the door closed behind them. "Are you trying to butter me up, May?" he teasingly asked. He had almost called her May Thatcher but it suddenly seemed strange given she'd recently found out who her father was. Sitting next to her on the sofa, he accepted the bag she handed him and began looking at the contents. First the cards and then the tea and cakes. "Oh, you're actually trying to fatten me up," he decided. He took some time to study the tea before looking back to her. "Have you been doing some research? Not only getting me tea, but pulling out all the stops with the fancy stuff. Thank you, May," he said, sending her a grateful smile. "Though I'm curious at what you need to thank me for," he said. Of course, she had asked him to find her father and he'd done that. However, he'd kept the truth quiet from her for some time and he was aware Trevor's involvement brought on issues of its own. He briefly got up to switch the kettle on to boil before rejoining May on the couch.

When she asked him how he felt, he let out a groan. "Lethargic, isolated, frustrated... I'm feeling all kinds of crap that being stuck in this house all day isn't helping with," he admitted. "But in the grand scheme of things, I shouldn't complain. I'm alive and not as messed up as the other two fellas were," he said of Billy and Jeremy.

When May offered to change his bandages, he hesitated before nodding his head. "If you don't mind, that would be good," he told her. As she set about tending to the dressing, Christian sat in silence to gather his thoughts before speaking. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you about your father sooner. As soon as I realised it was Trevor, I knew I had go through Bruce first. You understand, right?" he asked. "How did it go when you were told the other night? I expect they filled you in on why Trevor is an issue... Are you happy with the choice you've made? No doubts or anything?"

BasDorcha (May)

 

[BasDorcha]

Sullivan Family Home
Dublin
Michelle Romano​

Michelle and Aliana had finally gotten everything out in the open, and it had healed a lot of issues. Michelle finally got to the root of her problem, which really had nothing to do with Ali and had to do with Malcolm, their falling out, and Michelle feeling inadequate as a mother and a wife. Michelle also decided it might be a good idea to see a doctor about antidepressants and something to stabilize her moods. The appointment with the doctor would happen soon, but for the moment just talking to Aliana and clearing the air had done a lot to alleviate the stress.

Today, Michelle had hired a sitter to watch the kids as she needed some time to relax and continue bettering her relationship with her family, so they had stayed home watching television and setting up their rooms as most of their things had arrived over the last few days. Michelle had also dropped off the application for mayor, which would soon be an upcoming election time. She wanted to get into the politics of the area and use it to help her father and his corporation, at least she could be doing something useful.

As she pulled up to Aliana’s and her father’s home, she parked the car and got out, looking at the family stead in a new light. She also realized, belatedly, that she had been feeling a bit left out and like a stranger, but that feeling no longer swallowed her whole when she walked up to the door. She knocked, but didn’t receive an answer immediately and knocked again, before Rhiannon let her in. She ruffled the girls hair, much to her dislike, and then walked her to the conservatory where everyone else was. Hugging Aliana, then Sinead, she helped herself to a whiskey and soda before finding a seat near her aunt. “Where’s dad? Is he doin’ alright? I wanted to let him know I dropped an application off to run for mayor in the upcoming election. Also, is there any updates on Elena and Savannah?”

Michelle knew that Savannah was a choice, not a mystery, but she still wanted to check on her cousin. Elena was new to her, she didn’t know the girl personally, but she had been here when the news came in and therefore, if she wanted to be more involved she needed to bring herself in and actually be more involved.

Mentions Misty Gray - Sinny
Melanin-Gxdess - Aliana/Rhi/Syd
Bellz - Lucy/Blake

 

[Misty Gray]

Spoiler: Warning

Suggestion of sexual abuse. Threat. Generally gross men.

Woodlands/Farmland Area
~ The Baskins, Dublin ~

Adam Harper​

30 minutes earlier...

What was the smaller of the two bedrooms in the cabin had been stripped of any furniture. All that remained on the wooden floor was an old, large rug for the owners' captive to sit on. With the chain secured to the corner of the wall, Elena's wrists and ankles were shackled so she couldn't move beyond the area of the cold room. Despite it being light outside, the boarded up window and out of reach light switch meant the young woman was forced to sit in the pitch black room all alone. The times she wasn't alone, she was being tormented and assaulted by the men who had abducted her.

Out in the kitchen and living area of the cabin, things couldn't be more different. With the music playing and the sun shining through the windows, the three men inside were in high spirits. Just as he finished tucking into his sandwich, the telephone on the far wall begin ringing, prompting John to rush up to answer it whilst Shane turned down the radio. After listening to Scott update him on the situation, a crooked smile crossed John's lips. Once he hung up the telephone receiver, he turned to Jay and Shane whilst rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "We're on, boys. Adam's on his way." Retrieving his walkie-talkie from the dining table, he spoke down it to instruct their guards who were on standby outside to be on the lookout for Adam arriving, reminding them of the possibility the mobster might have some kind of trick up his sleeve.

When he was done, he put the communication device down before making his way to the room Elena was being held in. He opened the door and flicked the light switch to illuminate the bulb hanging in the centre of the ceiling. The light seemed blinding for the young woman having been sat in darkness for hours. For a moment John stared at her sat in just her underwear before breaking the silence. "Hola!" he greeted her, maintaining his thick, Dublin accent. He moved to sit alongside her and placed a firm, likely unwelcome, arm around her shoulder. "It's a shame you're related to Adam - far too pretty for all this mess," he spoke directly into her ear as he ran his free hand up the inside of her leg. He stopped before reaching the top and gave her thigh a firm squeeze. "We don't have time for that, now," he said, referring to what he and the other two men had subjected her to over the last few days. "This time you get to put your clothes on," he said, moving his hand away from her leg to instead stroke her face. Suddenly, he got up to his feet and swung his arm, hitting her across the face with the back of his hand to draw blood from her nose and lip.

After getting Shane to join them, John temporarily freed Elena's hands before throwing the dress at her. "Put it on. We've got a surprise for ya," he commanded. Physical abuse wasn't all Elena had been subjected to since her abduction. The men had tormented her, convincing her that both Adam and Thomas had been killed; that nobody else cared enough to help her. Once Elena was dressed and her hands secured in the shackles again, John returned to the living area to await Adam's arrival.


Presently...

"The party's inside..." John said as he beckoned Adam to follow him into the cabin. "Look who it is lads," he spoke to Jay and Shane, letting out a mocking laugh.

"You piece of shit. Where is she?!" Adam growled at John before sending the other two men a fierce glare. He took a step forward ready to turn the place upside-down to find Elena. He was immediately punched in the gut by John who proceeded to aim his gun at his head. He quickly recovered from the blow, but the gun at his head and his daughter in danger stopped Adam from lashing out in retaliation.

"You don't get to call the shots this time! Maybe when you've been knocked down a few pegs and beg for it, we might let you see her," John hissed at him. "Have a word will him, would ya, boys? Let him knows who's in control this time round," he asked Jay and Shane.


Pyroclast (Elena, Jay, Shane)
Mentions: Bellz (Thomas) Melanin-Gxdess (Leo)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Sullivan Family Home
~Sutton, Dublin~
Aliana Sullivan

It came as no surprise to Ali how downtrodden her friend and sister-in-law had been. She picked up on it in her voice when they spoke on the phone and even now as they greeted each other. Sinead seemed to be trying to accept Savannah's departure, but knew it would take time. "The alcohol is ready for you to drown your sorrows in," she reassured, closing the door behind her. She led her back towards the conservatory where they both caught sight of Conor. Ali was admiring the view whilst his sister was steaming. She blamed him for the events leading up to Savannah leaving Dublin and had even made a comment about him staying away from her. Ali couldn't help but let out a brief laugh and shook her head. "Oh, but then we wouldn't get to be sisters!" She was trying her best to make light of a heavy situation, knowing it had been hard on Sin.

"The girls are doing great! I think. I mean, Sydney is Sydney so she's always bubbly but Rhi... Rhi's been a little- off, lately. Think everything that's been happening is starting to get to her and she's starting to question things." Her eldest daughter had been subtly asking about some of the attacks in the past couple of months. Rhiannon knew that her family was involved in all sorts of things - both legal and illegal - but she never knew what. Now, she was wanting to know the extent and Ali didn't know how to explain it all. Until recently she thought it to be a good idea to keep that sort of information away from her daughters. Now she wanted to be semi-transparent.

"Elena," she repeated, focusing on Adam's daughter. "No updates yet. The boys are still out looking for her and investigating." With a frown on her face, Ali folded her arms. "There's not been any demands or clues or anything yet, which is worrisome. Whoever took her is keeping everything close to their chest. But, I know they'll find her." The faith she had in Adam and the others hadn't wavered ever since she'd heard about Elena's kidnapping. She trusted they would find her and bring her home physically unscathed- her mental well-being something completely different. She wished she didn't have to experience it at all, but when everyone wanted to hurt your family and those connected, that wasn't something they had the luxury of. "As for me, I'm-,"

Hearing the knock on the door, Aliana turned her head towards the front door. After excusing herself she went towards and smiled seeing Blake and Lucy. She hadn't seen the latter in the weeks following James' release so when she hugged her, she almost didn't want to let go. "Lucy! I'm so glad you managed to tear yourself away from your loving husband to grace us with your presence," she joked before turning to Blake, kissing her cheek. "The actual love of my life, how are you?" After the pleasantries had been exchanged Aliana then moved the group of ladies to the conservatory where Sinead sat waiting. "Look who I found!" She said, taking a seat. While the three of them said their hellos, Ali poured herself some of the spiked lemonade as well as shoved a cookie into her mouth.

Meanwhile, Rhiannon had been about to walk upstairs with a bowl of ice cream and a face mask on when she heard Michelle at the door. Her older sister then tried to ruffle her hair, to which she frowned and swatted her hand away. Some days she enjoyed having an older sister and other days she wanted to put her in the same category as Leo; annoying. Rhiannon then pointed to where the conservatory was and gave her instructions before making her way back upstairs and to her room.

Aliana returned Michelle's hug in kind, relieved that their talk had yielded positive results. It lasted this time and was so different compared to the hospital situation. She asked about Conor and she immediately pointed to where he was outside. "Sunbathing. He's taking full advantage of his time off. Maybe a little sun will do him good." Hearing that Michelle had decided to run for Mayor was surprising, but given her political background, it made sense. "Oh wow, that sounds great! A little Sullivan influence never hurt," she joked, hiding her smile behind her glass as she took a sip. When she mentioned Elena and Savannah, however, her smile faltered. She was trying her best to steer the conversation to something more pleasant, but she knew the others would have questions too. "Nothing yet from the boys as far as Elena is concerned. Savannah, however," she started, looking towards Sinead. "She and Danny and Callum are safe. I don't know where they are because it keeps us maintaining deniability, but I know they're safe."

Sinead ( Misty Gray ) Lucy, Blake ( Bellz ) Michelle ( BasDorcha )