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

[Misty Gray]

Woodlands/Farmland Area
~ The Baskins, Dublin ~

Adam Harper​

It had only been a couple of minutes, but as Adam remained crouched behind the kitchen counter awaiting further hostiles, the silence was deafening. Even the sound of the creaking floorboards upstairs had stopped, which was concerning as all kinds of thoughts about what was happening to Elena began flooding his mind. Despite his physically weakened state, Adam knew he had the energy and fortitude to get up and keep fighting. His daughter was depending on him and he'd rather die trying than sit back whilst she was suffering.

Having taken the short time to refocus and catch his breath back, Adam slowly stood from behind the counter. With the gun held out in front ready to fire, his eyes darted around the room. Other than Shane's corpse in a pool of blood, there were no other enemies in sight. Maintaining his aim, he walked to the front of the room in the direction of where Jay had taken Elena. He stopped before rounding the corner that led to the hallway and stairs. He could hear struggled breathing and a muffled groan coming from a man. Gripping his gun tighter, he quickly turned the corner ready to fire. On the floor at the bottom of the stairs, he saw Jay sprawled out on his back, apparently dazed and unable to move as blood poured out the back of his skull. The sight caused a small smile to appear on Adam's lips. Regardless of whether or not Elena was responsible for Jay's present state, it was well deserved. Adam approached the man, a slight limp from his wounded leg as he walked. He stopped and looked down at Jay. Thoughts of how to make the man suffer in that moment overcame him. There was a temptation to torture the man to death, and under better circumstances he would have gladly done it. This time, however, his priority was getting to Elena. Without hesitation, Adam fired two bullets; one in the skull and another in the heart. It was a quicker end than Jay deserved, but Adam didn't had the time to waste on someone who meant nothing.

Adam cautiously walked up the stairs. Although he believed there were only three men inside the cabin, all of whom were now dead, he still took the careful approach in case others had been hiding out upstairs. The first room he reached was the bathroom where the door was already open. After seeing the room was clearly empty, he then moved on to the main bedroom. Pushing the door open, he aimed his gun ready to fire, but soon found the room was also empty. The final room he reached was pitch black - even though the sun had set, the other rooms still had some light coming in from outside, the the last room didn't seem to have any form of illumination from outside. What he could easily figure out was that Elena was in the room as he could hear the young woman's sobbing. Feeling around the wall with one hand, whilst still holding the gun in his other, he found the light switch and flicked it on. A quick look around the room made his heart sink. The window had been boarded up and the room was devoid of any furniture. All that was in the room was the blanket Elena was sat crying on in the corner and some chains that had clearly been used to hold her. Shoving the gun in the back of his belt, he rushed to his daughter's side, trying his best not to start imagining what the men had done to her whilst they'd had her imprisoned in the room.

Adam crouched down in front of her and pushed any loose hair out of her face so he could look at her bloody nose. "Ven conmigo," he gently urged her. Reaching out, he helped Elena to her feet before wrapping his arm around her to support her. The room they were in was unsettling and he didn't doubt upsetting for her. Instead, he walked her into the main bedroom and helped her sit down on the floor with her back resting against the side of the bed. Grabbing a cotton throw from on the bed, he he lowered himself down on the floor beside her and carefully draped the throw over her shoulders to keep her warm. He then kept his arm around her shoulders if she let him. Leaning his back against the bed, he sat with his legs stretched out in front. He was aware he needed the stab wound tending to but it wasn't high on his list of priorities in that moment. "All three of them are gone. They won't come back," he reassured her. "Está bien."

Adam was fully aware they weren't out of the woods yet - literally or metaphorically. Though their three attackers in the cabin were all taken down, he was fully aware of the gunmen guarding the cabin from outside. He was severely outnumbered and his current state meant he wouldn't stand a chance at attempting an escape without any backup. It was difficult to be stealthy with both a limp and potential concussion from taking numerous blows to his head. In that moment, he had to hope Thomas and Leo knew what they were doing; that they wouldn't lose their cool. With no landline phones and no signal rendering his pager useless, Adam and Elena were stuck on their own. He set his gun on the floor beside him, ready to grab it if needed. But for now, he turned his focus onto Elena.

"Are you hurt bad?" he asked, turning to look at her, the action causing him to grimace as his skin tugged at the cigarette burn on his neck. "Quédate aquí," he told her before standing back up, grabbing on to the bed to help him. After leaving the room for a short time, he returned with a wet cloth and a hand towel. Once he was sat beside her again, he wiped the bulk of blood from her face with the wet cloth before placing it into her hand so she could hold it herself. He then set about wrapping the towel around his bleeding thigh, using his belt to tightly secure it around his leg until he could get it treated properly. He knew Elena had aided him with a gunshot wound in the past, but right now he didn't want to put any further stress on her.

Putting his arm around her again, he let her sit as close to him as she was comfortable with. Looking down to his lap, Adam thought about the life Elena had left in Cuba. She hadn't had the best childhood and she had been glad to reach Dublin, but he couldn't help but wonder if she was regretting her choice now. "Lo siento," he said, his eyes now filling with tears. "You came here to find me and all I've done it lead you into danger. Te he defraudado tantas veces." He turned to look at her, the tears now rolling down his cheeks as he struggled to hold back his emotions. "You deserve better than me... Estoy tan orgullosa de ti. Te amo niña."

Sucking in a deep breath, Adam knew he had to ask his next question, no matter how unsettling her answer might be. "What did they do to you?" he finally asked her.

Pyroclast (Elena, Jay)

 

[Pyroclast]

Erik's Apartment
~ Hackney, London ~

Billy King​

Billy grinned at her when she called Erik neurotic, in reference to the extensive list of chores and errands he had left for them. Someone else might find it annoying or tiresome, but Billy loved it about him because he was neurotic too, and obsessive, and loved things being tidy and clean. Lists like the one Erik had given them was just a reminder of how well they understood each other.

There was a strange pause after Billy offered Ava a drink and he wondered if his accent had confused her, but when she said that it was the language he used, he had to laugh. Given how much of a staple tea was in his daily life, it amused him whenever the Americans he met didn’t understand what a kettle was. “Stay ‘ere long enough, you’ll pick up plenty of Britishisms,” he assured her. “I’ll send ya’ back to New York speakin’ proper Cockney rhymin’ slang!” When she asked him to put a splash of vodka in her tea, he laughed again. For as much alcohol as he habitually drank, he never combined it with tea, so it was amusing to receive the odd request. “I like you, Ava,” he said with a grin as he made his way towards the drinks cabinet. “You can come again.”

The pair were soon settled down with their teas - both alcoholic and non-alcoholic - and the conversation moved onto Billy warning Ava of his healing process. Her calling the apartment their ‘love den’ made him blush - he hadn’t even thought about the prospect of having sex while they had a guest staying, but he supposed it ought to be off the cards. He would be mortified if she heard anything. Ava did confirm that she was planning to stay, which Billy was starting to come around to despite still worrying that he would struggle to be fully himself around her. Erik had become the only person around whom he felt comfortable letting his guard down and showing his weak side, never having to pretend that he was fine when he wasn’t; however, with Ava being a woman and barely more than an acquaintance, he didn’t feel nearly the same way with her.

Ava’s response was more than kind, though Billy couldn’t really tell if she was just being polite. She assured him that she was used to people going through recovery, mentioning the trouble Erik used to get into when he was younger and the injuries she had had to help him with. An image of a young, boisterous troublemaker version of his boyfriend popped into his head and it made him smile - but in reality, seeing him injured, on drugs, sick and generally troubled had been nothing but worrying. As if reading his mind, Ava told him his love for Erik must be real else he wouldn’t put up with him. “Well, it’s no effort, really,” Billy shrugged, blowing on his tea in an attempt to hide his blush. “Not when it’s him.”

It was hard to look her in the eye when she gave him an honest account of what she thought of him. Perhaps it would have been easier if it had been negative, but hearing that he was the first person Erik had been with that had sat well with her, Billy wasn’t sure how to take it. Certainly it was a compliment, but it also sounded like she was subliminally putting pressure on him. That was made clear when she clarified that she didn’t yet trust him and went on to bring up Erik’s hopeless history of relationships, implying that he had had his heart broken too many times. It saddened him to hear about the damage Erik had taken, and so Billy understood why Ava would be worried about him.

“I guess I need to try extra hard not to be a twat while you’re ‘ere, then,” he lightly joked. “Honestly, though, Ava, I…I can’t picture my life without him. He opened my eyes, made me see myself for who I really am. It’s…” He trailed off and his gaze dropped, very aware that he was sharing something very personal with someone he didn’t know well enough. “It’s hard. Knowin’ that the world ain’t ready for ya’. I wanna be as free with him in public as my brother can be with his wife - there’s just so much hate out there and so much to lose. But I know he’d rather be free and live with the abuse and the risk, so I’m doin’ my best…I’m actually out to a few family members, now.” Billy looked up at her again and sent her a small smile. “I wouldn’t give him up for nothin’, Ava. He’s essential to me.”

Though the thought of having a third person staying in their apartment was still daunting to him, it was becoming clear that having Ava around would be good for all three of them. For Erik because he was getting overwhelmed keeping on top of everything whilst looking after Billy; for Ava because she needed a break from her empty house and to be with her cousin in the wake of her husband’s death; and for Billy, so that he could spend time getting to know Ava and work on earning her trust. Besides, she seemed grateful to be there and with everything she was going through, Billy didn’t have the heart to ask her to stay somewhere else.

When a silence fell between them, Ava changed the subject and asked what sort of honest work Billy did. He grinned at her and took a sip of his tea. “I’m an architect,” he told her. “Currently workin’ on rebuildin’ my brother’s nightclub. It’s still in the early stages, and now my arm’s out of order there’s certain parts of the job that’ll take me a bit longer, but I have plenty of ideas and I’m keen to get back to it. It’s the best way I can help Spencer out after everythin’ that’s been goin’ on. Plus, I love it!” With another smile, he settled back in his seat, careful not to agitate his shoulder. “So yeah, if you’re thinkin’ of movin’ over to London and learnin’ all about kettles and shit, you can commission me to design you a house.

“What about you, then?” he asked. “You said work’s been a distraction for you, but what is work for you?”

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Ava

 

[BloodLightning27]

~James Edwards & Stella Kwon~

---

Textile Factory | Dublin City Centre > Nearest Hospital

Before Edwards could figure out who to call next, things became grimmer and what followed prompted Stella's blood to run ice cold. Looks like Edwards patching up Phelan didn't work out for as long as he had hoped. Suddenly his body temperature dropped and he started feeling anxious, the same way he would whenever he and his team were backed into a corner and things kept going wrong while he struggled on what to do next, because thinking on the fly while being shot at was no easy task. In the end, each and just about every time, he would get his Brothers back home. At the moment, sure he didn't know Phelan, but he wasn't about to let the man die. Although Stella disliked him, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Sure, he may have been a problem a few months ago, but she didn't really want him to die. He hasn't done anything wrong since then. The two Sullivan soldiers looked at each other, before nodding.

Looking back at Phelan, who was looking way worse for wear then a couple of minutes ago, Edwards started to regret his decision of bringing him to the Textile Factory as he did not know what the hell happened to the man before their encounter. Stella gagged when the poor man proceeded to vomit blood and unfortunately missing the nearby bucket.

"I think... I think he needs a doctor."

Upon hearing Patience's worried voice, Edwards put his phone away, deciding that calling for help could wait. If Phelan was gonna wait any longer, he would surely die. Edwards wasn't about to let that happen. Calling an Ambulance though would surely draw unwanted attention from Law Enforcement, but that didn't matter right now. Hopefully, it would not be a long ride to the nearest hospital. He proceeded to go help Phelan in any way that he possibly could. "Just hang in there. You're gonna make it, alright? I don't think it's in God's plan for you to die today." He said, the tone of worry laced into his voice.

Stella proceeded to frantically go search for a car key. Grabbing the first one she could find, she ran outside as fast as she possibly could to go find the vehicle. Thankfully, it did not take her long to find it. Firing up the SUV's engine upon getting into the Driver's Seat, she proceeded to pull around the back so that they could get Phelan in as quickly as possible. Once Stella opened the backdoor, Edwards quickly got to work. "Alright, let's help him into the car outside. If we wait for an Ambulance, he's not gonna make it."

Edwards proceeded to help Phelan off the couch and made a mental note to come back later to clean up the blood. Once everyone was in the vehicle, Stella shifted it into drive and it was pedal to the metal, en-route to the nearest hospital. Since it was a little into the evening, Traffic was a little bad, but not enough for Stella to get stuck. From weaving around other cars to running through traffic lights right before they turned red, Stella did her best to ensure that they'd arrive at the hospital as quickly as possible, while at the same time not getting everyone killed trying to do so. During the chaotic ride, Edwards made a prayer. "Dear Heavenly Father, let this man be spared as it is not his time to leave this world." He said aloud as he closed his eyes.

Stella felt the urge to roll her eyes upon hearing Edwards say a prayer. But considering that they were both trying to save a life, she did not and respected Edwards' efforts. After what felt like an eternity, they made it to the hospital and Stella stomped on the brakes as soon as they were close enough to the front door. "I'll go clean up back at the factory room, you guys go get him to a doctor." She said.

Edwards quickly got the door open to help Patience get Phelan out. Once Patience, Edwards and the heavily wounded Phelan were out of the vehicle, Stella proceeded to take her leave to go back to the Textile Factory...

---

Interactions: Patience Davenport, Phelan Sweeney Misty Gray

 

[BasDorcha]

Harper's House
London
Jeremy Gray​

Jeremy didn’t flinch when Trevor mentioned him being uncomfortable. If he was uncomfortable he wasn’t going to show it. While he wasn’t going to outright disrespectful without a reason, he also wasn’t going to show any signs of weakness to Trevor. Instead he just shrugged, looked at Harper for a moment, then at Trevor, “I’m here as Harper’s friend right now, I don’t have to report anything. When I’m on duty that’s a different subject entirely.” He sipped down the rest of his tea, looking at a few leaves that slipped through, thinking it formed… nothing, absolutely nothing. How did people ever see things in tea leaves?

Shaking his head in a silent but firm decline to explain why and how it happened, Jeremy had intended not to tell him anything, but his quick follow up on Jeremy’s comment on being in bed suddenly caught up to him, and instead of leaving it alone, Jeremy watched the painful scene that happened before him. Trevor, trying to make a joke that thoroughly made Jeremy finally break the blank face for a very crimson colored one, was not fast enough to butt in before Harper’s mind to mouth reaction hit the air. Wincing, he knew it was about to get bad fast. He gave Trevor a look of like, are you kidding me? Sighing, he sat back quietly, listening to the woman absolutely make it evident he was nothing important to her.

When her words screeched across the room between the three of them, he glared Harper down, feeling completely rejected at her words. A soundless scoff whiffed across his expression before he carefully put it away. Her bad excuse was not believable even to him, he doubted Trevor fell for it. When she finally wound down, calling him a sorry ass, he gave her a small smile. Standing, he turned his cup upside down on the plate, leaned both hands on the table and looked her dead in the eyes with a shit eating grin. “Thank you. Now, I believe my warden will get mad if I don’t take my medications on time, so I’m going to go take them and lay down for a few minutes.” Truth was, he didn’t really need them in his opinion, but he had a feeling that things had just turned to a conversation that was meant to be more private. Giving Trevor a cautionary look – whether regarding not bringing back up the topic that already set her off, or something else entirely – he lingered just a moment before he moved away.

The journey to his room seemed much longer than it should have been – and since when was he calling it his room? Shaking away the ideas, he stretched out on the bed, staring at the ceiling again. He might hear a bit in here if they spoke loudly, but otherwise, he would be lost in his own thoughts.

Mentions Misty Gray - Trevor
Bellz - Harper

 

[Misty Gray]

Harper's Apartment
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Trevor Stewart​

Trevor's question about whether Harper and Jeremy were dating had clearly struck a nerve in the young woman. He'd simply asked about what was on his mind based on the signals and body language the two had been giving off. If they weren't dating, there was clearly some kind of sexual tension between them. Judging by the way Harper asserted that she wasn't dating Jeremy, Trevor decided against pointing out the fact that he'd merely spoken what appeared to be true on observation. Maybe youngsters behaved differently to when he was their age, but he was certain he wasn't mistaken in recognising some energy between the pair.

When Harper cleared her throat and assured him they were just friends, Trevor nodded in understanding. They were just two friends who were both injured and were now taking care of each other. "Got it," he replied to her assurance. Harper soon turned her annoyance onto Jeremy and Trevor took a slow drink of his tea to stop himself from saying anything further on the matter. He'd had enough of Bruce's and Spencer's short tempers without needing to experience anything similar from Harper too.

Soon enough, Harper brought attention to the fact that Trevor was still in London at all. He'd wondered how long it would take for the penny to drop with her. Trevor had been about to respond without hesitation, but Jeremy spoke up first to excuse himself. "Yes, you go look after yourself," Trevor suggested upon hearing the excuse he was going off to lay down and take his medication. He caught the look Jeremy gave him on the way out and simply flashed a relaxed smile back at him. Trevor wasn't one to cling on to caution and he didn't need Jeremy to make verbal or non-verbal suggestions on how to conduct himself.

With Jeremy out of the room, Trevor focused back on Harper and her question about what he'd done to still be in London. "I'm not going to sugar-coat it. Your brother and uncle came to me threatening to kill me if I didn't leave London. Spence was there playing the hard man, bringing his gun with him like some kind of thug." Trevor shook his head. "I've got my heart set on staying in London and I'm particularly fond of doing so whilst alive. So I responded in kind and reminded the pair of them that they don't own London. Your family might keep you out of the loop on a lot of things, but I'm sure you know the kinds of things they get up to. As do I, and I informed Spence that I have evidence against him that could put him away for a long time. I don't want to use it and I'd rather not be forced to. But to stop Bruce and Spencer from putting me six feet under, I had to put your brother in his place." Trevor sat back and sighed. "I'm trying to be a better person and I understand if this puts an end to us two speaking again in the future, but when it's my life being threatened what choice is there but to stoop to their level?"

Bellz (Harper) BasDorcha (Jeremy)

 

[BasDorcha]

Sullivan Family Home
Dublin
Michelle Romano​

Michelle looked around at the ladies and everyone seemed to have something weighing on them. They all definitely needed some fun. Once they had all gotten the discussion about Elena out of the way, Michelle cast about for something to say or do. She tipped her drink back, enjoying the spiked lemonade. Looking about she saw a record player in the corner and jumped up, moving over to turn on some music and crank it up a bit. “Ladies, we need some smiles around here, no more talk of depressing matters, lets have some fun!” She smiled and danced her way back to the group of women, stopping only to pick up a bottle and a few shot glasses from the liquor bar.

“Now, here’s what we’re going to do! We are going to play a game called eu nunca, or never have I ever. The first person – me in this case – will say things they haven’t done. If you’ve done it, you put down a finger. Oh, we start with 5 fingers up. When you get five fingers down, you take a shot.” She grinned, opening the bottle and pouring out shots. Settling back into her seat, she raised her fingers out in front of her, waving them at the other ladies. “We’ll go clockwise – so Ali you’ll be next. Never have I ever… been the first to kiss someone.” She tried to find lighthearted, girly things to talk about, and hoped it would help the other women relax and do the same.

In the background, the music floated with an upbeat rhythm. Michelle knew there was so much going on lately that they all just needed some time to unwind. With all the negative energy expended from her body, Michelle felt confident she could join the ladies without her mouth over running her this time. She winked at Aliana, waiting to her what the had to say. Mentally, Michelle tried to remember the last time she had real fun, and was disappointed to find it was long before she divorced her husband, so it seemed she was right on time to get some new energy back into her life.

Mentions Misty Gray - Sinead
Melanin-Gxdess - Aliana
Bellz - Lucy/Blake

 

[Pyroclast]

Lorelei's Place
~ Dublin ~

Jason & Cian Costello, Kurt Reznik​

Once Cian had zoomed out of sight in search of the chest of toys, Jason listened out carefully for signs that the other party had already arrived. Knowing his son could be boisterous and overly talkative at times, and given that he had never met Benjamin’s father before, he wanted to make sure he was there to supervise the young boy when they all met for the first time. When he heard nothing but his son playing, he relaxed and turned his attention back to his daughter.

After accepting his compliment, Lorelei gave him a rather back-handed one in return, suggesting that he had only dressed up because Gwen had forced him to. Jason stepped back with a mock-offended look and said to Gwen, “The gob on this one!” But his wife was quick to defend him and he let out a chuckle before following them indoors.

The scent of the roast pork almost had him salivating; despite being a carer from a young age, Jason had never properly learned to cook until he was married to Gwen, having very rarely had the money to afford nice food or even the gas or electricity to cook it with. To say that he was proud of the well-adjusted adult that Lorelei was turning out to be was a vast understatement.

They began to set the table together while she told him of her apprehension about meeting Kurt and that she didn’t want to make a bad first impression. “With this roast?” he said. “How could ye’ possibly.” His words were meant to reassure her, but from the anxious expression on her face he could tell there was something more on her mind. Sure enough, she began to infer that her feelings for Benjamin were stronger than any she had harboured for anyone else in the past, and asked him how he and Gwen knew they were meant to be together. He smiled - the story was a long and complex one, filled with ups and downs and more than enough moments he was less than proud of, but one he truly believed to be a great love story. Before he could pinpoint the moment she was asking for, there came a knock on the front door. Lorelei rushed off to answer it and while Jason did as asked and continued to set the table, he raised an eyebrow at Gwen, wondering what she thought about their daughter’s apparent feelings.



Out on the front step, Benjamin was making Kurt smile at his light-hearted concern about being clumsy or embarrassing around Lorelei’s parents. “How ‘bout I start droppin’ things, too?” he jokingly replied. “That way you can pretend you got it from me and not your mom, and it’ll make you look less of a klutz.”

Benjie sweetly assured him in return that he only needed to look like Benjie's dad, which he did, and reminded him that Jason had also done time as well as the fact that Gwen was closely connected to the Irish Mob. Kurt hummed in acknowledgement, and turned towards the front door. "Guess I won't be no good at scarin' them after all," he teased. "Sorry, kid!"

Once the pair had no other reason to stall, Benjamin knocked on the door. In a matter of seconds, a pretty young woman with blonde hair appeared and invited them inside. Kurt could see from the very first glance at least part of what his son saw in her - she was conventionally attractive, with a friendly demeanour that oozed charm. Her warm welcome made it hard to be nervous, and Kurt found himself smiling back at her with ease. She mentioned that she had heard a lot about him and he glanced at Benjie, wondering the sorts of things he might have told her. Whatever it was, it clearly hadn't put her off him in any way, so he figured he had no reputation preceding him that he had to worry about. "I've heard plenty about you too, Lorelei," he said with a smile, returning her handshake. "It's good to put a face to the name. And please, call me Kurt - I ain't a formal guy."

Seeing the lovestruck way she looked at his son, Kurt briefly turned his head to give the young couple a moment. Only seconds later, a beautiful red-haired woman appeared behind Lorelei, her sparkling eyes and bright smile a clear indication that she was her mother. She offered him a handshake and complimented him on the good looks he had passed down to Benjie. Unable to remember the last time a woman complimented his appearance, Kurt blushed a little and simply said, "Likewise."

His smile only grew when she brought up James and the things he had said about him since returning to Dublin, and he suddenly remembered that he was talking to James' sister. "Yeah, he's a good guy," he said. "I'm very lucky to know him."

Lorelei and Gwen then sprang into motion, with Lorelei excusing herself to help her father in the kitchen. Kurt wasn't sure which family member he had been most apprehensive to meet - obviously, for Benjie's sake, it was important that he got on well with Lorelei and to make sure that his son wasn't dating a monster, but he felt a need to make sure her parents liked him, too. He hoped, given that Jason had also spent time in prison, that they would approach each other from a place of understanding instead of hostility. But besides that, Kurt wasn't used to being around women or children and so wasn't sure he knew how to behave around them. He only hoped that he wouldn't make a fool of himself or offend anyone.



The time came to test it out when Gwen led the pair into the living room where the young boy was standing in front of the television, some superhero cartoon that Kurt didn't recognise on the screen. Gwen switched the television off and Cian jumped out of his trance and turned around. He was holding an action figure in one hand and a rubber dinosaur in the other, apparently in the middle of some cartoon-inspired imagination game. "Bennieee!" he roared, barrelling head first into the young man as if trying to gain enough momentum to take off into the air. Kurt raised his eyebrows at the high-pitched squeal of excitement, not used to the energy of a four year old. It was sweet to see how Benjamin seemed to have made a place in the family, from Lorelei's mother to her young brother. He couldn't say much for her father yet, but it didn't sound like it had got any worse since the unfortunate first impression Benjamin had made on him.

After apparently trying to squeeze the life out of Benjamin, Cian then walked up to Kurt and looked up at him. "Who are you?"

The boy already had a rather strong Irish accent, but it was nothing Kurt couldn't understand. "I'm Benjie's dad," he said, smiling down at him. "You can call me Kurt."

Bundling his toys under one arm, Cian stuck his little hand out for a handshake and Kurt laughed as he accepted it. "Welcome to our house," he announced, and zoomed off to the kitchen before Kurt could even respond, leaving him reeling from his youthful energy. Still wearing a smile, Kurt shared a look with Gwen. "Cute kid."



When he arrived in the kitchen, Cian approached his father, following him closely as he moved about, setting the table. "Daddy, there's a man here."

"I know, Cian," Jason said. "They're here for dinner wit' us. Will ye' sit down at your place? It'll only be a minute."

Of course, Cian couldn't wait a whole minute, and ran off again to cram in more activities. Jason shook his head and looked to Lorelei. "So?" he asked her, curious to know how their first interaction had gone. "What d'ye think, then? Does he seem okay?"

Interactions
Misty - Benjamin
Bella - Lorelei, Gwen

 

[Pyroclast]

Cabin in the Woods
~ The Baskins, Dublin ~​

Spoiler: Content Warning

References to sexual abuse

Elena Velazco​

How Adam had managed to track her down, Elena had no idea - nor what he meant by everything being his fault - but since he seemed to have come alone, she could only imagine the trouble he was in now. With Jay lying at the bottom of the stairs, dead or not, she figured that the others would make Adam pay for it - likely with his life - before punishing her in turn. It was just so hard to know what to do; she knew she was weaker than them all, that causing Jay to fall down the stairs was a stroke of luck and that she didn’t stand much of a chance against the other two, so going back downstairs to help didn’t seem wise. On the other hand, she hated the idea of leaving Adam alone with them whilst his injury put him at a disadvantage.

Except, it was she who had injured him in the first place. That thought alone was enough to tip the scales, and so she did her best to swallow back her sobs and, with a hand against the wall to steady her, lifted herself to her feet. She had barely taken one step forward when the sound of two gunshots echoed through the cabin and she fell back against the wall, both hands clasped over her mouth. With the fresh image in her mind of one of the men holding a gun to Adam’s head, her thoughts went immediately back to it and pictured her father lying dead on the floor. Elena slid down the wall, the nausea and hopelessness returning to her in full force. Then a set of footsteps began to creak along the floorboards outside her room.

The door opened and she squeezed her eyes shut tight, muffling a scream behind her hands as more tears flowed down her cheeks. She heard the light switch on and then someone rushing towards her, and the panic spiked and she let out a distraught scream - but when her eyes flew open and she saw who it was crouched in front of her, she stopped. It was Adam, alive and on his own. At first she was too startled to react when he told her to come with him - she just stared at him, wide-eyed and shaken, until he wrapped his arm around her and helped her to her feet. The relief hadn’t set in yet, too shocked to see him alive. Her cries simmered down as she walked with him to a room with a bed, and he lowered her down to the floor where she could rest her back against it. He sat down beside her, gently draping a blanket around her shoulders. The way he held his leg outstretched in front of him brought her attention back to his stab wound and she found herself staring at it. He didn’t seem too fazed but before she could summon the strength to ask him about it, he spoke first, informing her that all three of her tormentors were gone and wouldn’t be coming back. It was the two of them, now - safe.

Adam asked her if she had been badly hurt, but she wasn’t sure - all she could see was the pain that he was clearly in, and so wanted to ask him the same question. Before she could, however, he told her to stay put and left the room for a moment. Being flung into a solitary silence, she began to shake even more, part of her ready to believe that she had imagined the whole thing. But he reappeared soon enough, bringing with him a wet cloth and a towel. After gently dabbing some blood away from her face, he let her take it, but instead of continuing to clean herself up, she extended the cloth to his leg, which was bleeding desperately. Adam wrapped the towel around his wound and used his belt to secure it.

With Adam being injured and herself being in a complete state of shock, Elena wasn’t sure what their next move was. Being in the presence of her father was calming her down but that only meant the exhaustion was setting in, and she couldn’t imagine either of them managing to leave the place. When he placed an arm around her, she curled up against him and rested her head on his chest, still not quite believing that it was really over, or that it wasn’t just a dream. Still, real or not, lying in his arms made her want nothing more than to fall asleep.

Her eyes were just starting to close when she heard Adam utter a quiet apology. His voice carried an emotional weight heavier than she had ever heard from him, and she pushed herself upright enough to look into his eyes and see that they were full of tears. It took her a moment to work out what he was talking about when he expressed his regret for doing nothing but letting her down and leading her into danger since she arrived in Dublin in search of him. Elena had begun to get an emotional hangover from the intense distress she had been in only minutes before, her head pounding, so weak she could hardly lift a finger, let alone cry anymore - but when he told her he loved her and that he was proud of her, more tears managed to spill down her cheeks. “Te amo…” she echoed back to him. Somehow, when her voice returned, so did her strength to cry, and she began to shake again, realising how upset her father was. Although he had shown these same concerns when he first learned that she was his daughter, she hadn’t realised that he still held them - that he still didn’t believe he was good enough to be her father.

“I only want you,” she whispered, and buried her face against his chest again as more sobs rolled out. “Sólo te quiero a tí!”

As she clung onto him, it finally began to sink in that it wasn’t a dream. Her father had really found her and killed her abusers, and they were going to be okay. But then he asked her what they had done to her, and it took her straight back into the pitch black room next door. She fell silent for a while as some of it replayed in her mind. “They chain me,” she uttered, in a daze. More seconds went past, the brain fog making it hard to reach the memories and words she needed to answer his question. “Touch me…con sus manos…y s-sus lenguas.” Her vision clouded over and her grip on him loosened completely as she gave into the exhaustion. “It’s so dark,” she uttered, her mind still in the room. Finally she rolled her head back and her eyes found his. “Can we go home?”

Interactions
Misty Gray Adam

 

[BasDorcha]

Christian's House
London
May Thatcher​

May shrugged when he talked about Darcey not working her hard enough. “She works me plenty hard, but she’s also very understanding. If I asked for some time, she will work with me.” She gave a bright smile, watching his cheeks redden to match hers. It seemed the man was finally starting to pick up a little of the hints she had been dropping. Looking down at where they were just barely touching, May wondered if she would be safe to make a more… obvious move, but she didn’t. Instead she felt nervous and giddy and waited. When he ended with saying that it was going to take time and patience, she made a goofy face, laughing, “I have nothing in the world but time and patience. I think I can handle that. Some things I have infinitely patience for, other things, not so much.” She kept her eyes carefully turned down, toying with the bandages in her lap.

“I wont lie, I am not sure what I would do if I ran into the man – but how much like the one picture I have of him does he still look? I don’t know if I’d even recognize the man. Truth is, I have a father. I don’t know what happened to him, or where he went, but Arthur Thatcher was the only father I ever knew. Shortly after he found out I wasn’t his daughter, he disappeared. Mom says I ran him off… but he never acted like the kind of man who would let something like that affect him. I always felt something must have happened to him and she was just too out of it to care… or maybe she was behind it, I am not sure. In either case, it’s nice to know who I genetically came from, but he’s not my father, he’s just my donor.” She shrugged, a few strands of hair falling down across her eyes as she seemed to be thinking through her answer as she spoke it.

Afterwards, she stood, sorting away the medical supplies, warming the kettle, and bringing a try for drinks over to him, helping herself to his kitchen as if she had been there many times. It didn’t occur to May not to help herself – she had always helped herself – but it wasn’t until she sat everything down, her hair half fallen and hiding her face, trying to blow it away with quick puffs while her hands were full that she realized she didn’t even ask. “I’m sorry, I was thinking about you trying the tea blend I picked out, and just sort of helped myself to your kitchen after I put away the medical supplies. I was thinking more about what you said, and I think the only way that I could see myself risking my current place in life for a man I’ve never met is if he got on better terms with the King’s in general, but I don’t see that happening.”

She set down the tray, stepping backwards towards the couch but tripped over her own feet, crashing back into Christian’s lap. Instantly, her face turned cherry red, her face inches from his and covered with her loosened hair. When she tried to speak, her voice stuttered out, “I-I-I-I’m s-s-sorry. I’m such a cl-cl-clutz.”

Mentions Misty Gray - Christian

 

[Bellz]

Thomas Porter
En Route to the Cabin
~ The Baskins, Dublin ~​

Thomas could barely hear anything but the sound of his own heart pounding in his chest, adrenaline threatening to consume him thus possibly rendering him useless. Shaking his head slightly, he tried to concentrate on something physical to keep him tethered to reality. The gurgling sound coming from where Leo was made him snap his head towards the man as Leo sprung up. The guard was left dead in his wake. Thomas saw the blood which normally would have sent him spirally but made sure to keep in control, at least for the time being. His cousin's voice sounded eons away over the roaring in his ears but Thomas shook his head once more, the movement seems to help get rid of the clogged feeling in them. He gave Leo a once over, making sure he was alright before nodding his head forward. "We keep pressing on." The man said simply, his voice low and void of any emotion. The darkness from the sunset was starting to melt any lasting sunlight that they needed as Thomas and Leo walked side by side, he kept his hands free of his rifle...at least for the time being. Each snap of twigs beneath his shoes made him wince, his head turning in all directions like prey assessing to see if someone would come to devour him. Wondered if they were being hunted.

Off in the very far distance, Thomas could see the slightest sliver of unnatural light. It must have been the cabin. It had to be. Thomas wanted nothing more than to run to it, and jog the rest of the long distance to her. But he knew that would draw far too much attention, too much for them to be able to handle. He wouldn't be responsible for any lives lost, not again. Voices alerted him and Thomas lifted a fist in the air to stop Leo. He pushed his cousin towards the tree line, "Hide!" He urged before diving behind his own tree. Thomas' breath caught in his throat, forcing it to cease as he listened to the voices. One...two...three...four. There were four of them. It wouldn't be as easy this time, they could very well draw unwanted attention to themselves with this many people involved.

Thomas was scrambling to think, about what to do. The dark was continuing to blanket the forest like a blight, the inky night oozing from almost every corner as stars were finally starting to appear. Thomas debated waiting until nightfall completely consumed them...knowing they may have a better chance but with Leo being...new to this, the dark could be terrible for the untrained eye. "I can't wait to get my hands on that Spanish beaut." One of the men mused another one of them let out a low chuckle. "You know they won't share in there. They've been keeping her to themselves since the moment she was dragged in."

Thomas ground out a growl forming past his lips, though the sound was enough to cause them to stop talking. "You hear that?" Another asked, "Who's out there?" He demanded, his footsteps getting closer and closer to Thomas. The veteran withdrew a handgun, holding it low and crouching down lightly. He briefly glanced at Leo...nodding his head subtly for him to do the same. If they were doing things to her in there, if Adam....didn't get the chance to save her. Thomas didn't want to wait much longer. To hell with taking his time, he wanted these men to meet their deaths swiftly and quickly. They were just pawns being used in this fucking game and Thomas wanted Elena back, he swore he'd protect her from anyone taking advantage of her again...it seems that he'd failed. Now he could only make it up to her by making sure she got home safe...even if that mean he didn't.

Thomas mouthed the countdown to Leo, listening as the footsteps got closer and closer. 1...2... Thomas leaped out from behind the tree, coming face to face with the man who dared to step closest to him. Wide eyes stared down the barrel of Thomas' handgun and he didn't hesitate to fire. Hopefully, with Thomas being somewhat of a distraction, seeing as the remaining three idiots were trained on him, Leo would be able to sneak up from the rear. Thomas didn't shy away from it as the men clumsily reached for their own handguns now. Thomas' fist connected with the man closest to him, hitting his face so hard that he felt the bridge of his nose snap. The man let out a line of curses, clumsily shooting his gun without looking towards where he last saw Thomas but he was already behind him. Grabbing him from behind, Thomas wrapped his arm around his neck and pulled as hard on him as he could before whipping around the two remaining men's guns already trained on him, ready to shoot. "Don't fucking shoot, you idiots!" The man in his arms screeched. His two idiot friends hesitated, gauging if they could shoot Thomas without shooting their mate. "You shoot me, you shoot him." Thomas said, noting that Leo was about to sneak up behind the man closest to himself. "Tell you what, you want him?" Thomas said, lifting his gun to the man's head, "TAKE HIM!" Thomas shouted, placing a bullet in the man's skull before shoving him toward the man in the front. The man out of instinct went to grab his friend and Thomas leaped at him, them both falling to the ground.

Both of their guns went flying out of their hands and Thomas reached for his other handgun, though it managed to get tangled, making it impossible to pull out swiftly. His eyes widened as the man he now sat on top of reaching blindly for something from his pocket. Thomas tried to grab whatever it was but the knife firmly lodged itself into his shoulder causing him to roar out in pain. Thomas reached for his handgun once more, this time managing to untangle it from the holster before putting a bullet between the man's eyes. Blood splashed all over Thomas's face and front as he shoved himself off the man. Turning to help Leo if he needed it...the knife still jutting from his shoulder which Thomas momentarily forgot about in his adrenaline rush...
with: Leo Melanin-Gxdess
mentions: Elena Pyroclast ; Adam Misty Gray

 

[Bellz]

Harper King
Her Apartment
~ London ~​

Harper immediately felt terrible for her reaction and when Jeremy excused himself from the table. Harper felt like a dick. He had given her a smile, trying to hide any hurt from his features before heading back into his room. The blonde felt like stopping him, felt like apologizing profusely but her pride stopped her, especially with her father present. So she just let him go as she would continue to do until he got the hint that it was for his benefit.

Her attention soon turned back to her father as he told her about what happened between him and her family. She respected that he wouldn't sugar-coat things for her, she was tired of her family attempting to do so. Things were getting worse and would only get worse from here on out until someone valuable died. Anxiety crept into the back of her mind but she pushed it down and away needing to be able to hear exactly what Trevor had done to stay.

Harper wasn't surprised as he said Spencer and Bruce threatened to kill him if he didn't leave. They had made their intentions crystal clear the day they told her about May. His description of Spencer was spot on, all he did nowadays was act more like a thug than anything else. Harper felt like she was losing all of her family to this war...even Jeremy. She was seeing them all in a new horrific light despite not seeing them actually hurt anyone. The pain that was being caused on both sides...

She pulled her attention to Trevor again as her eyes burned. He reminded her of the things her family got up to behind her back and Harper nodded her head, she wasn't stupid. It impressed her when Trevor said he merely used the information against Spencer and Bruce to keep himself from being slaughtered. He was remorseful over using it, however, which impressed Harper even more than all that.

Trevor told her that he was trying to be a better person and Harper believed him even more than she had before. He had shown up here to ask about Billy and check on her. Harper shook her head, "You were backed into a corner...anyone would do it, Trevor." She murmured. He was willing to accept his consequences with her if she didn't like what he'd done to Spencer and Harper saw that as a genuine effort to become a better person...even if the actions weren't great. Her brothers still called themselves good people despite tearing families apart...including their own.

Harper's eyes glanced to where Jeremy had walked down the hall, "I'm not blind to what they are doing...what they have done. As protective as I am of them, their actions have grave consequences. My brothers and Uncle and even...him", She nodded her head towards Jeremy's room, "Don't seem to understand that there are far more casualties in this damned war than just the people killed. Far more consequences. What you did with Spencer pales in comparison to the pain they are causing those Irish. I feel like I don't even know who any of them are anymore." Harper said honestly.
with: Trevor Misty Gray
mentions: Jeremy BasDorcha

 

[Misty Gray]

Harper's Apartment
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Trevor Stewart​

Trevor was surprised when Harper didn't seem angry or disappointed upon hearing that he'd used information he had on Spencer as leverage. He hadn't had much interaction with Alex or Billy since his return to London, but he was at least glad Harper wasn't blindly loyal to their uncle and eldest brother. "You're more understanding than I expected you to be. Given how stubborn Bruce and Spencer have always been. You think for yourself - I like that," he said, firmly nodding his head.

He stayed quiet as Harper told him she knew about the things her family and Jeremy did, and what they continued to do. Trevor didn't know much about how their Pharmaceutical business factored into things, but he was by now aware of the Kings' gang ties. You couldn't hide a reputation like that and the fact Trevor had been looking into them meant he learned more than he'd first imagined. When Harper mentioned what her family was doing to the Irish, it was obvious she meant the Sullivans. During his time in Dublin in the early 1960s, the Irish Mob were hard to ignore. Talks of their war with the IWU from 1960 were still had when Trevor spent time there in 1963. He wasn't sure which side was most to blame back then, but he knew the violence was destructive and innocents were caught up in it too. Hearing Harper say the Kings were causing the Irish pain suggested to him that she saw the Sullivans somewhat more the victims than her own family. His return to London was always going to come with drama and complications, but he'd never imagined the kind of complications them being at war with the Sullivans created. "Was it the Irish who blew up the nightclub? From what I understand, isn't my gran--" Trevor stopped himself and shook his head. "Isn't Callum's mum one of the Irish lot? It all sounds pretty complicated."

Thinking over what Harper had said about not knowing any of her family anymore, Trevor rubbed his chin for a moment as he thought it over. Sitting forward, he rested his elbows on his knees but looked to his daughter's face. "I'm not going to pretend I was ever a good dad or try defend any of my behaviour from before I walked out on you all, but... Spence was always trouble. He was cocky and aggressive, always getting into fights. I often had to go into his school to grovel for them not to expel him. Your mother, bless her soul, she was too soft on him and would let him get away with murder. I was always the bad guy because I was the one who gave him a thick ear and disciplined him. He's always been hard work!" he assured her. "But it ain't right for me to be all negative just because me and him will never get on... Spence has a big heart, he did then and I can see he still does. I don't know why him and Bruce want to be throwing their weight around London like some bigshot gangsters, but they both care about you. Spence was always protective of his family and friends when he was a boy, and that's probably why he's the way he is with you now. Though you're right, this war they've got going on with the Irish will always have casualties and perhaps you wouldn't need protecting at all if the lads weren't going 'round creating all this danger."

Bellz (Harper)
Nearby: BasDorcha (Jeremy)

 

[Bellz]

Julia Avvocada
Biancardi Residence
~ Queens, New York City ~​

Julia rolled her eyes at Ricky's joke but laughed nonetheless. He was silent for a moment and she wondered what he was thinking, about to ask if he needed to get something off of his chest before he took off his glasses and looked up at her. Her heart fluttered in her chest at that look, her cheeks warming slightly. He made yet another joke, referencing the shining, her laugh was low and hummed in her chest as he then slid his hands up her thighs. "I did. Figure it's the one thing you and I could agree on without getting into another fight about what we want to eat." Julia said with a dazzling smile, her bright white teeth almost sparkling in the lights glowing in his office.

"Good boy." She hummed sweetly, at the mention of Gabe being gone, Julia frowned, "Oh yes, I completely forgot that he's across the pond kissing the Kings asses on their throne. For someone who's homophobic...he seems to be really good at that." Julia said with a smirk. "I wouldn't dream of leaving such a mess for Elvian...we can table it and wait for him to return. It would be entertaining to see her boss him about again."

Ricky told her what they did was up to her, but if he didn't like her ideas then paperwork would be their activity for the rest of the day. "Oh the pressure is really on then! I don't think my poor hand can take much more writing, it's already sore from..." Julia trailed off, allowing Ricky to remember the night they had recently, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes as her cheeks warmed.

"Anyway...I know it's raining cats and dogs out...but I like walking in the rain. We could save some money on delivery and walk to pick up the pizza? Take our chances getting struck by lightning." Julia said, smiling once more before moving to wrap her arms around him, laying her head on his chest for a long moment as she just listened to his heartbeat. "I will say it puts you at a disadvantage...you are the taller one...you have a better chance of getting struck than I do. But that's a risk I'm willing to take if you are..." Once again she hummed a laugh, her head lifting just slightly to press a kiss on his collarbone.

Of course, Julia wanted nothing more than to spend time with Ricky...but perhaps she also wanted to talk about things. Things had been pretty stagnant on their end of things. Julia wondered if Ricky had given up on getting back what was his or if he simply was planning something and didn't want to say it yet. She hoped he would have learned after what happened last time...but with Ricky, you never knew what you were gonna get.
with: Ricky Misty Gray

 

[Bellz]

Harper King
Her Apartment
~ Bethnal Green, London ~ ​

Harper smirked ever so slightly as Trevor said that he liked that she could think for herself. It was a trait that either people loved or hated. In terms of her family, she believed that they were irked by the fact that she was able to think for herself. While they understood she needed to be her own independent person, the overprotectiveness that came from not just her blood family, but those around her put a terrible taste in her mouth. Trevor listened to her with the attention that not many people were willing to give her these days, well at least without brushing her words off. Her eyes looked towards the hall, to where Jeremy had walked into his bedroom. The worry was evident in her eyes as she spoke but when Trevor responded to her, her focus fell back onto him.

When he asked if it was the Irish who blew up the nightclub, her muscles tensed. Harper had been able to successfully ward off any memory of that night when she was awake...the nightmares still gripped her when she eventually slept though. When Trevor mentioned that night it brought a lot of anxiety that showed on her face as she tried to force it aside. He asked about Callum and Savannah, stopping himself short of calling the boy his grandson. Harper had been forcing herself not to think about the family she lost either. The mention of them made her mouth dry and she was unable to say anything, only nodding to confirm that Savannah was in fact, a Sullivan. Complicated was an understatement for what all of this was.

Harper analyzed her father's movements, taking in the way he rubbed his chin before leaning forward. Their eyes met and he spoke of no pretending to ever be a good father, which made her raise an eyebrow. He wasn't going to defend his behavior from before either but recalled Spencer being trouble. Harper let out a small breathless laugh, she knew more than most just what Spencer was right but that didn't mean he deserved anything that Trevor had done to him. Hearing that their mother was too soft on her eldest brother wasn't surprising either. Everyone in her life had painted Laura to be a saint, a gentle woman who wouldn't hurt a fly. Minus the startling similarities in looks, Harper had the suspicion that most people who knew her mother understood that they were nothing alike personality-wise.

There was a gentle side to Harper, one that she didn't display often...only with those who she felt she could truly trust. Jeremy had been seeing more of that side lately, what that meant, Harper didn't even want to begin to think about. Harper was wondering where her father was going with all of this before he finally clarified that her brother had a big heart. She was well aware of that. It was what made him annoying, and hard to be mad at him when she needed to be. Trevor reiterated the obvious, that Bruce and Spencer cared about her.

Her face was stony as she allowed him to continue. He did give her credit for being right, that she wouldn't need protecting at all if they weren't acting like such big dicks. "Well...while I trust that you've changed...I'd never guess you would say something good about the people who threatened to kill you and smashed your hands to bits." Harper said, her tone low as she looked at his hand for a moment. "I know they care about me and love me...but my anger still remains. I may not have the gentle disposition my mother had but it doesn't mean that my heart doesn't ache for the destruction that my brothers and Uncle are causing." The blonde said, her eyes burning just thinking about it.

"And sometimes, love can be suffocating...even if it comes with the best intentions." Her eyes automatically looked back towards the hall, as if she could see into his room, him laying there. She was sure he was listening...he always did. "I don't want to drag him into this mess any further than he already is." Harper suddenly changed the subject, her eyes still looking towards Jeremy's room.

"I quit cold turkey a few days ago...it's not going as well as I hoped it would. Your question, while innocent, brings a lot of feelings that I can't place. As I'm sure you figured out with my mother, she couldn't completely give herself to you when her very lifeline was dictated by the next high." Harper's eyes slid to her father, "It's in his best interest...in case...I don't make it."
with: Trevor Misty Gray
mentions: Jeremy BasDorcha

 

[Misty Gray]

Lorelei's Place
~ Dublin ~

Benjamin Reznik​

As soon as the front door was opened, Benjamin saw Lorelei and a great big smile covered his face as his eyes met hers. He composed himself as his girlfriend greeted him and Kurt; reminding him that it wasn't just the two of them tonight and they had company with them for dinner. Stepping inside, Benjamin let Lorelei and Kurt interact as she noticed the red wine the older man had brought with him. Benjamin had been anticipating having to introduce his girlfriend and father to each other, which had him hoping he wouldn't start waffling on and make it all a little embarrassing. Thankfully, Lorelei was pretty confident in herself and wasted no time in introducing herself to Kurt. "Oh yeah, I might have said one or two things about you, Dad," Benjamin joked when Lorelei said she'd heard so much about his father. Once she'd gretted Kurt, Lorelei turned her focus to Benjamin and the way she looked at him he could tell she was likely thinking of the last time they were together - when he stayed the night with her. "Did I scrub up well, then?" he rhetorically asked when she said he looked handsome. He leaned in to kiss her cheek and handed her the roses. "You look beautiful, as always," he complimented her as his cheeks reddened.

"Hi, Mrs. Costello," Benjamin politely greeted Gwen when she joined them. He watched as the woman greeted Kurt with a handshake. Benjamin couldn't help but blush even more when the woman said Kurt had passed down the good looks to him. So far, the introductions seemed to be going well, at least as far as Kurt meeting Lorelei and Gwen was concerned. Soon enough, Lorelei suggested the two men got comfortable in the living room whilst she went to help Jason with setting up dinner.

Once in the living room, Benjamin was about to greet Cian when Gwen alerted him to their presence and the child excitedly rushed at him. Giving the kid a quick hug, he looked down and grinned. "Alright, Cian. What have you been up to? One of the Superman films was on TV the other day, y'know," he pointed out, having noticed the superhero cape he was wearing. "Did you watch it?" Benjamin then watched on as Cian switched his attention on to Kurt and asked who he was. He smiled to himself as his father interacted with the kid and introduced himself. A handshake and a welcome later, Cian had rushed off into the kitchen. "I think he's enjoying his evening," Benjamin commented, but mostly he was just happy with the introductions so far. The ladies and Cian seemed to have been happy meeting his father, so he hoped Jason would be too.

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

 

[Pyroclast]

Bournemouth Beach
~ Bournemouth ~

Shona King​

Even with all the trials the family had faced in recent weeks, it would have surprised Shona to hear Spencer express doubts about their marriage - especially whilst on holiday - but it still came as a relief that his insecure questions didn’t open up a deeper discussion. He assured her that he felt lucky to be with her, someone whom he loved and who understood him. Shona returned his playful smile with a calmer one, stroking his cheek with her fingertips. Being such a confident man in most respects, she could only assume that it was his ex-partner Letitia who had given him a need for reassurance. And she was sure she would give it to him every time.

The beach hut was still restful, no cries or stirring from Eddie, but Spencer went to check on him just to be sure. When he returned with a large blanket, Shona smiled and stood up to make room. Sitting close to her husband in the warm seaside sunshine was the sort of thing that made her feel like they were in a honeymoon phase and yet equally like they had known each other their whole lives. She kissed his bare shoulder as he looked out across the sea, drawing in the scent of suncream and the salt left on his skin from his earlier swim.

After a moment they came to be laying outstretched next to each other, Shona lying on her back while Spencer held himself up on his elbows. Squinting from the sun, his expression didn’t make it easy to tell what he was thinking - but given everything that was going on, it didn’t surprise her when Spencer began to address a family issue that was apparently on his mind. She sighed, remembering how bitterly Harper had acted towards him, then invited him to continue with a hum of agreement.

What she wasn’t expecting him to reveal was that there was something developing between his sister and Jeremy. Shona pushed herself up onto her elbows to properly look him in the eyes, her interest piqued. He asked her if it was weird, and she hummed again. “She is your sister and he is your best friend, that’s true,” she agreed. “But ain’t it nicer to know that your sister is seeing someone you already trust, ‘stead of some random bloke? I mean, from her perspective, as well…” She kissed him on his shoulder, then tilted his head to will him to look her in the eyes. “I love you, Spence, and I bet havin’ three protective older brothers has had its perks, but I can also get why Harper feels kind of overpowered by you three. Datin’ must be hard when every man she likes has to be ‘okayed’ by her brothers. If she’s already fed up with ya’, don’t ya’ think that sort of thing would throw fuel on the fire?” She squeezed his bicep, hoping that he didn’t mind the point she was making. Of course she would stand by him no matter what, but she had to express her understanding of Harper’s predicament, as a woman. “Jeremy’s probably a good option for her in that respect. I mean, not just that - he’s also a great guy. Not to mention very handsome.” A teasing smile spread across her face and she leaned in to kiss him.

When she pulled away, she tilted her head and tried to read into his concern. “If it don’t work out - is that what you worry about?” she asked. “If it don’t work out, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Just, with the way things are with Harper, make sure you don’t interfere too much…she don’t want your opinions right now or to get in her way. And if things don’t work out, just do your best to keep your sister on your good side. Things are strong with you and Jeremy, right? Your friendship ain’t at risk over this?”

Shona leaned back on both elbows and looked out across the sea as she mulled over the situation. “Maybe I should reach out to her, give her some girl time,” she suggested. “I’m worried about her…she’s always been strong-willed and independent, but she don’t seem like herself since she was injured.” For a few seconds she just thought about Harper’s recent behaviours - being withdrawn, acting hostile and more argumentative than usual. “You don’t think the medication could be messin’ with her a bit?” she pondered. “I mean, she must have been on some pretty intense stuff, given what happened. And the trauma of it all, too…does she ever talk to you about that night? Or to anyone?”

Interactions
Misty Gray Spencer

Mentioned:
Bellz Harper
BasDorcha Jeremy

 

[Misty Gray]

Woodlands/Farmland Area
~ The Baskins, Dublin ~

Adam Harper​

When Elena curled up against him with her head on his chest, Adam held her closer with the arm he'd put around her and gently rubbed her arm for a brief time to comfort her. In doing so, he couldn't help but taken some comfort and warmth from the embrace too.

Adam managed a soft smile when Elena told him she loved him in return. His smile broadened and he had to choke back more tears when Elena assured him that she only wanted him. Despite his absence in just about all of her life and the fact he wasn't some perfect father or any kind of typical role model, she still wanted him to be her dad. Reaching up with his free hand, he wiped the tears from his face with the back of it. Looking down to see the damp red stain on his hand, he lightly shook his head and wiped the blood on his trousers. "I must look a mess," he commented. As well as his own blood, he was aware much of the mess on him came from slicing Shane's throat open. As long as Elena was happy for him to be sat in a mess, he wasn't about to get up and disrupt her comfort to clean himself up.

When he asked his daughter what the three men had done to her, there was a silence that filled the air and Adam could only think the worst in that time. When she confirmed they'd chained her up, he nodded his head. Having seen the small, dark room she'd been kept in it didn't come as a surprise that the chains had been used on her. Then when she confirmed the men had touched her, Adam's jaw tightened as his body tensed. The fact the men had taken her at all was bad enough, but hearing what they had done whilst they had her was sickening. They'd terrified, imprisoned, and violated her. It was a horrible thing for him to think any woman could go through, but far worse for it to be his own daughter. For a moment he wished he'd kept the men alive, if only so he could kill them more slowly. More painfully. He'd kill them over and over if he could. "They can't hurt you ever again. Bastardos ... Ellos se pudrirán en el infierno," he quietly assured her.

Elena loosened her hold on him and then looked to his face, prompting him to meet her gaze. When she asked if they could go home, he paused before reluctantly shaking his head. "Not yet. Soon," he told her. "I need to rest a little before we go anywhere. If there's anyone outside, I want to be able to fight back," he explained. Given his blood loss, potential concussion, and being hindered by his wounded leg, he knew he was in no state to attempt taking down an unknown number of gunmen outside. "Maybe the guys will get here first," he told her. He'd hesitated from mentioning to two young men in case they never made it to the cabin, but now he wanted to reassure Elena they weren't alone so as to give her more hope. "I told Thomas and Leo we'd be here," he explained.

Pyroclast (Elena)
Mentions@ Bellz (Thomas) Melanin-Gxdess (Leo)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

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

"I knew I'd heard Erik sayin' something strange," she teased, following him out of the bedroom. "Guess I've you to blame for that then?" Being in London for the past couple of years, Ava wasn't at all surprised that her cousin would be losing parts of his accent; or rather, his accent becoming sort of muddled up. He sounded very strange to her some days and others it would work its way back. She'd even teased him with the idea of him coming back to New York for a few weeks to get it back. "Although, I would love some new things to say to people who piss me off." When he commented that he liked her, Ava couldn't help but give him a cocky grin and nod. "Of course you do- it was only a matter of time!"

Ava couldn't deny that she liked hearing Billy talk about Erik. Being able to watch the way his eyes lit up and the way his cheeks got red fed her curiosity. Did he actually love her cousin or was it all for show? Was he acting as if he did to throw her off his trail of lies or did Erik make him act like this? She was determined to get to the bottom of it, which is why she'd stated her comment the way she had. Anyone pretending to care about someone and acting as if they loved them would put on a front. "Well, I can handle anything," sort of attitude. But with Billy, it was the opposite. Their gazes were soon split apart - Billy being the one to break away. He suddenly felt different and from behind her glass she watched him.

Ava Moretti hadn't always been a skeptic. In fact, she wouldn't even consider herself to be one right now. No, she was cautious. Having your head on a swivel and making sure you understood people was important to her. Reading people to discern whether or not they were out to get you was essential in life. Ava had made it a point to always learn how as she grew up; Erik didn't seem to do the so. Therefore, Ava would do it for him and unfortunately Billy was no exception to that treatment. However, as she listened to him respond to her blunt words she couldn't help but laugh. "You can be a dick if it's warranted. Erik can be a real I'm uncultured sometimes," she said, shaking her head. She let Billy continue before nodding along in understanding. Though Ava would never quite relate to the things both Billy and Erik would have to go through, she would forever support them. Whatever protests she needed to attend or events she needed to have she would. Simply because she loved her cousin and, was starting to like his boyfriend.

"That's lovely Billy," she started after he finished. "I'm glad you care so much about him and he's got someone like you in his corner. And that you both feel like you can be open with your family! I'd love to meet the rest of them one day- Shona and Darcey are some true rowdy bitches, I think. Oh, and baby Eddie - the cutest." For a moment, Ava seemed to drift off, thinking about the she so desperately wanted to have with her now deceased husband. And for a moment she thought she was about to burst into tears. There'd only been a handful of moments like that, however, she wasn't about to do that. Not here and not in front of Billy. Instead, she cleared her throat and smiled. "You've got two brothers, yeah? A sister and your uncle. I've heard about Bruce through the walls," she said, implying that she had - on more than one occasion - been eavesdropping on meetings about the King family.

"An architect you say?" She nodded drinking from her cup once more before continuing. "The one that designs stuff? Impressive!" He then offered to build her a house here in London and - for a brief moment - Ava truly considered it. "Mmm... I'll take your card," she said playfully, "And we'll see about that." When he asked about her line of work she seemed to perk up from her seat. It wasn't very often that she was asked about the sort of work she did so any opportunity she had to talk about it she gladly took. "I'm a woman of many hats. Some legal, some not so much but only because of stupid laws put in place by stupid men. I own a bar in New York... And a little hidden tattooshop. Very '20s speakeasy style. But really, I consider myself an artist. I just bought a gallery and plan to have another show with some of my own pieces in a month or so."

Billy ( Pyroclast )

En Route to Cabin
~The Baskins, Dublin~
Leo Sullivan

As much as his mind and eyes were playing tricks on him, Leo knew he needed to stay focused. By reminding himself that his mother was safe and she wasn't here in these woods Leo was able to keep himself grounded. She was at a cutesie, little tea party with his aunts and sister and that was it. The moment he was able to remember that he was able to stand to his feet and look towards his cousin. Though he knew this whole mission was something he was sure to have done before, Leo couldn't help but wonder what was going through Thomas's head. When was the last time, he wondered, Thomas had killed someone? Had his therapist or someone told him he would never have to do so again? He hoped not, considering where they were now. But the moment Thomas responded to him with more instructions, Leo was sure he was find... At least, for the time being.

By the time they were finally able to see something that resembled their target, the two men were once again forced to hide and stay silent. Leo reacted quickly the moment he saw Thomas' fist shoot up and he did as he was told. He tried to make sure he didn't move and kept quiet. His breaths were heavy, however, he made sure to keep them quiet and under control. Well, as much as he was able to anyway. He doubted the men would be able to hear him amongst their talking, but he remembered not to bank on that completely. Leo tried his best to pay attention to them to try and count them, but for a moment he struggled. They sounded the same and it wasn't until he calmed his shaking nerves that he was able to finally do it. The moment he had, however, had been when they started talking about Elena. The moment they did, Leo immediately turned his attention to his cousin.

Thanks to the light nearly succumbing to the darkness, it may have been hard for Thomas to see Leo's facial expressions. Leo didn't want to say anything for fear of giving away their positions, but that went down the toilet the moment he heard a noise emit from Thomas' throat. Leo prayed it was quiet enough that the four others couldn't, but the moment they paused and shouted out for them he clenched his eyes shut. Maybe, he thought, if they just stayed quiet they'd pass it off as some weird noise and keep it moving. Unfortunately, they hadn't. Leo followed Thomas' lead and crouched down, drawing his own handgun from his side. Clicking off the safety he waited again for Thomas' signal. Which was to let him take one of the men hostage while Leo got into position. Despite his heart trying to leap from his chest, Leo tried to keep calm. He didn't like his cousin being out on his own that way, however, he didn't wanna fuck things up either.

Taking a deep breath he remained patient until he and Thomas were able to make eye contact and once he had he was able to wrap his arm around one of their necks. He didn't want to shoot his gun off again, but the struggling guard made that difficult. With the barrel of his gun shoved into the man's back, Leo pulled his trigger twice until two bullets tore right through him. The man slumped to his knees faster than Leo thought he was going to, catching him off guard. While Thomas struggled with a guard on the ground and Leo regained his bearings, the last man had been trying to figure out who to shoot next. Leo had momentarily forgotten about him but the moment he heard the whimpers, he turned around and shot blindly. Leo managed to get three shots in him - two in the chest and one in the abdomen before watching him fall dead to the ground. The guard had managed to get a shot on Leo's lower torso, but he wouldn't notice nor feel it thanks to the adrenaline coursing through his veins. It was non-fatal and had gone clean through.

Leo quickly made his way over to his cousin and met him in the middle. "Are you-," his eyes immediately looked to the knife sticking out of his shoulder. "Want me to... Get... That?" He asked, unsure if they should even be pulling it out in the first place. But then again, he figured, Thomas wouldn't be able to do what they needed to do if it stayed stuck there so it needed to be.

Thomas ( Bellz )

Sullivan Family Home
~Sutton, Dublin~
Aliana Sullivan

Hearing that Rhiannon hadn't been the only teen in the family starting to question the business was both a relief and a worry. They all wanted to keep their children away from the negative effects, however, it only seemed to work while they were a certain age. Maybe then, Aliana thought to herself, she and Conor would just need to sit Rhi down and explain things? But, how? Instead of frustrating herself with the thought, she smiled at Sinead when she suggested taking Rhi to do some cheering up. "May have to take you up on that! Since she's on a break from skating she could definitely use the pampering, I think." Ali had no idea where her daughter got such a workaholic attitude from, but she was hoping whatever time she could spend with her aunt would relax her a bit more.

It was nice to finally see her sisters and best friend in one place. As of late, it seemed like she hadn't seen them in years; which felt crazy considering they all lived so close to each other! Ali felt like she didn't know what was going on in any of their lives- minus the Savannah, Adam, and Elena thing, of course. More so with their husbands and boyfriend and children and just overall life. Ali didn't know if it were because she wasn't taking a pause to check on them more or because they were simply being consumed by their individual lives. Whatever the case, she wanted to make sure they would be able to do something like this at least once a month - a proposal she would make towards the end of their gathering.

Blake then sat next to her, commenting that the more she drank the further away Conor would be from her mind. Ali couldn't help but raise her glass in testimony. "Oh, yes! I second that comment. Do you think I keep that cabinet stocked because it looks nice? No, no. I've learned that trick a long time ago, and that was before I was married to your brother," she joked, taking a sip from her cup. She then glanced at Blake, hiding her mischievous smirk behind her glass. "And I'm sure you'll be using similar tricks when you secure our dear boy Adam once and for all," she teased, alluding to marriage. Ali liked seeing the two of them together and though there were days she felt guilty for thinking such a way, she had to remind herself that maybe Jackson truly does want Blake to be happy now...

The conversation then once more shifted to Elena and Savannah, to which Ali could feel the air in the room grow tense. As if feeling the same, Lucy shifted the conversation to their children and Ali offered her a silent thank you. "Uh, well. Rhi's on a break from skating, but the practice season starts up again in a few months. She expects all of you to see her debut! Sydney is surprising me more and more every day," she paused and turned to Sinead. "By the way, the two of you have to go to an opera. I've no idea when or even which one but she demands it. And Leo, well," she rolled her eyes, looking to Blake. "We know how that's going. How's Nat handling it?" The moment Lucy mentioned a family gathering, Ali verbally and playfully groaned. "Ohh, by 'we' do you mean you? We'll be your assistants! You can have all the rights you want- I'll even give you the house," she then gestured with her hand around the place before lacing her fingers together and pleading. "Please. I hate planning parties and we've already agreed you're the planning queen!" Besides, she thought to herself, the last time she tried to throw a party she was kidnapped and nearly killed...

Michelle then spoke up, suggesting they play a game. It was a never have I have, to which Ali figured she was sure to lose. She'd been a wild one when she was younger and tried to keep most of her... Exploits a secret from her family. Once she'd explained the rules and everyone understood, Ali was the first to go. The moment her fingers were up she had already lost one of them. "I'm a very forward person," she explained, shrugging her shoulders. "Plus, even if I wanted to lie several people in this room know about a couple so... Anyway, um, let's see..." Ali took what would be assumed to be a very long pause as she thought about things she had never done before before finally landing on one. "Oh! Okay, here's one. Never have I ever taken a nude picture. I've been hearing about them, and maybe I should!"

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

 

[Misty Gray]

Harper's Apartment
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Trevor Stewart​

The way Harper tensed when he asked her if the Irish were behind the nightclub explosion was all the confirmation Trevor needed about something he was already certain of anyway. With Callum's mother being one of the Sullivans, he understood how tricky a situation that was for them too. At least his own family dramas only resided within London' between himself and the Kings. With them likely never letting him know Callum, there was no need for Trevor to be personally concerned about the Irish... or so he thought.

Trevor kept quiet whilst Harper spoke about how the destruction her loved ones were causing was hurting her. He lightly nodded in understanding. He wasn't about to pretend he was a good man or one with many morals, but he believed he hadn't done anything nearly as bad as the actions of Bruce and Spencer. Contrary to what the two men would say about the circumstances of Laura's death, Trevor would always assert he was not a killer, unlike them.

When Harper spoke of how love could be suffocating, Trevor watched as she unconsciously looked towards the hall where Jeremy was. As she added that she didn't want to drag the young man into her mess, Trevor nodded in understanding. There had been times when Laura's love had been suffocating, albeit through no fault of her own. At the start, he'd welcomed having someone so devoted and dependent on him, especially as it had been a further kick into Bruce's gut. But with that intense love, Trevor had eventually felt suffocated by it, which had been part of the reason he'd go off to do his own thing and admittedly, end up in the bed of a woman who wasn't at all attached to him. Whilst his reasons were no doubt more selfish than Harper's, Trevor still understood how love could be suffocating. Only now, having spent time looking back and acknowledging his many mistakes of the past, Trevor's biggest regret was always going to be leaving Laura. No woman had ever come close to her. The love his younger self had found overwhelming, he now found himself missing and longing for.

"Love can be suffocating, especially if it comes at an inappropriate time." Before he could elaborate, Harper told him she'd quit cold turkey some days ago. Trevor took a moment to drink what was left of his tea as his daughter's revelation served to remind him of his own struggle over the last few days. He'd only just managed to stop himself from turning to the bottle after the visit from Bruce and Spencer, so hearing Harper's admission only served to highlight their shared struggles. It was a shitty thing to have in common with his daughter, of course. "Yes, as the years went by, the addiction did get in the way. It wasn't enough to just have each other," he admitted. He recalled many of his and Laura's arguments leading up to him walking out were about the drugs and their dire financial situation making it harder to get hold of their next high.

The fact Harper was already thinking of a scenario where she wouldn't make it was more than enough to trigger alarm bells. "So what's your plan?" he asked, placing the mug down on the table as he looked directly to his daughter. "You've said your uncle and brothers are too much for you. You've decided to push Jeremy away because it's in his best interest. Who are you going to turn to for support on this?" he firmly asked her. "You've already quit cold turkey because it wasn't going the way you hoped? What were you expecting, Harper? It was never going to be easy. You're already talking about the possibility you won't make it, which sounds to me like you're already giving up. From the conversations we've had, you've led me to believe you're independent and strong-willed. Stubborn, dare I say. So you already talking like a quitter, that doesn't add up." Trevor ran his hand over his hair before looking back to her. "Going to a support group will help, but that alone won't cut it. You can't do it alone, so you need to swallow your pride and let someone in. You've got a lot of people caring about you and I doubt any of 'em would turn you away."

Bellz (Harper)
Nearby: BasDorcha (Jeremy)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Sullivans Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

James Porter​

James raised a curious eyebrow when Tom said he'd wish it was mechanics they were going to be talking about. So much for a peaceful pint in the pub away from his family's or the business' drama! He wondered what it was that he could help with that Syd or Leo would have been the first choices to take the matter to. Apparently Conor had been an option too, but given the man's ongoing recovery, James wasn't sure how that would have gone down. Granted, he didn't yet know what the conversation was that could have been taken to Conor. "I don't think Conor's up for any further burden's right now anyway," he commented, repeating the word Tom himself had used.

Tom mentioned the trip to London and how he'd come across Christian. "Yeah, I know him. Former cop, turned professional nosy bastard," he gruffly remarked. It was interesting to hear that he'd already met the Scottish man at his sister's flat. "Did Christian see you at the restaurant the other night? That's got to be all kinds of awkward," he remarked. Despite his comment, James didn't care about what Tom's sister did in her personal left. There were bigger concerns in the back of his mind, but for now he'd let Tom keep talking. If May was involved with the Kings, as Tom was suggesting, then that was going to be a problem all round.

"You realise how much of an issue that is, don't you? You're working for this family's business whilst your sister is no doubt tied to, if not working for, the Kings. That don't sit right with me," he said, never one to sugar-coat matters. "I'm not saying you're up to something, but I don't trust people easily. You working here and your sister all friendly with the Kings and their pet detective? That raises a lot of red flags and if I were still running this business, I wouldn't be comfortable involving you in it. I appreciate you coming clean about all this, but it's dodgy, Tom. As long as she's in London, it's going to raise suspicions here. I suspect if the Kings knew your involvement in the restaurant job, then your sister would be in big trouble down there too. Doesn't sound like she should be hanging around in London at all, unless she's working for them." James paused to take a drink of his pint before looking back to Tom. "What were you really expecting me to say to all this?"

BasDorcha (Tom)

 

[Misty Gray]

On the Beach
~ Bournemouth, England ~

Spencer King​

Spencer listened as Shona gave her thoughts about Harper and Jeremy being together. At first, it seemed like she was going to agree with him about it being weird, but as she continued speaking that didn't seem to be the case. "Yeah, I get that..." he trailed off when she pointed out it was better his sister was with someone he already trusted than a guy he didn't know. That was certainly a good thing, especially as he found it hard to trust people, but his sister and his best friend together still felt weird. When his wife kissed his shoulder and started her next sentence with "I love you..." he was awaiting the part where she followed with a "but", which soon enough came. He kept a straight face as she pointed out how difficult it was for Harper having overprotective brothers. He let out a scoff when she said Jeremy was handsome. "Really? Nah. I think it's time we got you to the opticians," he teased her as he returned her kiss.

Shona asked if he was worried in case the relationship didn't work out, which caused him to lightly nod his head but then shift the motion to shaking it, clearly torn about her question. His elbows starting to become uncomfortable in his current position, he sat up properly, positioning himself so he was facing his wife. "Yeah, if it don't work out, that could be a problem. I don't want to get stuck in the middle of that and have it affect my friendship with Jeremy. But..." he awkwardly chewed his lip before continuing. "If it does work out, then that's a problem too. There's things I tell Jeremy that I wouldn't want my sister knowing and I don't doubt she'll tell him shit he has to keep from me. I don't think that's a good position for him to be stuck in. That, and... He came out of the restaurant attack looking a mess and he could have been much worse off. The job we did in Dublin could have gone even worse than it did. So if she gets in deep with Jeremy and he gets himself killed for this business, then not only do I lose a best friend, but Harper's going to be heartbroken, and guess who'll be to blame?" he asked Shona, as he pointed to himself. "I get it, and I won't interfere, but I'm going to have to create some distance somewhere." Pondering over whether he thought his friendship with Jeremy was at risk, he shrugged his shoulders. "It took him long enough to tell me, didn't it? And I know others knew about it before me. Between him, Harper, Billy and probably Alex, I think things have changed. It doesn't feel like they're close to me or can confide in me. Maybe because of the way I am or because of my place in the business... or both. I can't have the best of both ways though, can I? I can't have the position I've got in the business and still expect them to open up to me."

When Shona suggested she reached out to Harper, he sent her a small smile. He figured his wife would have a much better chance with his sister than he did, assuming Harper was open to anyone reaching out. "She might appreciate it more from you, rather than her overbearing brothers." Hearing Shona speak about how the medication could be affecting Harper only worried Spencer more. He'd hoped it was just his own overprotective mind that had considered it, but hearing his wife say it only made it seem more likely to be true. "I think the meds and what happened at the club is affecting her, yeah. She doesn't open up to me... if she opened up to anyone, surely it would be Billy," he suggested. However, with Billy having a lot on his mind lately, Spencer wondered if he'd not been as available for Harper as he'd been in the past. "This is the worst possible time for Trevor to be sniffing around. She's already let him speak with her twice and I dread to think what damage he might have done in that time. And to make matters worse, we can't even make him go away."

Pyroclast (Shona)

 

[Misty Gray]

Christian's House
~ Hackney, London ~

Christian Brooks​

When May admitted she wasn't sure what she'd do if she ran into Trevor, Christian nodded in understanding. Then she asked about how much her father could still look like the photograph she'd seen, to which the former detective couldn't help but pull an uncomfortable expression. "May... The second you handed me the photograph I knew who he was, and not just because I'd already been investigating him for the Kings. You'd recognise him from the photo, plus you can see some resemblance he has to Alex and Spencer." May had gone to to say the only father she'd known was Arthur Thatcher and that Trevor had simply been a sperm donor. "Of course, that makes sense," Christian agreed with her, taking a moment to study her expression despite some strands of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes. Perhaps that was symbolic of a metaphorical barrier she was trying to summon where her biological father was concerned. Whatever it was, Christian wasn't convinced by her answer. And even if she did mean it, he wasn't sure if she would feel the same in reality, if she was faced with Trevor directly.

Christian sat back on the sofa and watched as May went to put the medical supplies away then sort their drinks. The young woman seemed to have already made herself at home in his kitchen, which he found quite interesting. By the time she'd finished making their drinks and started apologising for taking over his kitchen, he didn't much care, just happy to have a drink made for him. He was so used to always making his own drinks and generally being the only one familiar with the arrangement of his home. "Hey, I get a cuppa out of it, so no need to apologise. Thank you," he assured her. "I don't see Trevor and the Kings getting along either. There's a lot of bad history th--"

The man was cut short as May tripped over and fell into his lap. Thankfully, she'd already set the tray down on the table else they'd likely have been soaked in hot tea. He looked up to her as she stuttered out an apology. With her face inches from his, the hair restricting her view became apparent to him. "Well, if you do insist on letting your hair hide your pretty face... and block your view!" he was quick to add. Reaching up, he moved her loosened hair, pushing it behind her ears to secure it in place. "Much better," he softly assured her. There was a brief pause before he finally broke eye-contact and pointed to the cups of tea. "The drinks are safe, so no harm done," he reassured her, expecting her to moved into the empty spot on the sofa beside him.

BasDorcha (May)

 

[Pyroclast]

Cabin in the Woods
~ The Baskins, Dublin ~

Elena Velazco​

Without any knowledge of what had been going on outside her cell of a room, it was hard for Elena to figure out what Adam’s plan was, or if he even had one. Whatever it was, he told her that they couldn’t go home yet. It made sense that he needed to rest before fighting off any more potential soldiers or guards surrounding the cabin, since he was bleeding incessantly from his thigh. “But your leg…the blood does not stop,” she pointed out, placing a hand on the towel he had strapped over the wound. “You only get more weak if we wait.” Curling her trembling hand into a fist, she reached up to rub the tears away from her eyes. “I will do it,” she pouted with a determined frown. “I will kill them. I - I just want to go home…”

Her darkened eyes filled with more tears and she choked back another sob, letting her head fall against Adam’s chest once more. He spoke up again, but she was too tired to meet his eyes this time. “The guys?” she wondered aloud. He then clarified that he had told Thomas and Leo where they would be. "My Tomás come here? To take us home?"

After being convinced that both Adam and Thomas were dead, just hearing her boyfriend's name was enough to overwhelm her. Fresh tears flooded her eyes and she tightly gripped Adam's bloody shirt. "When you come…do you see men outside?" she dared to ask. The thought that all hope was now riding on Thomas and Leo making it to them would have been okay had it not been for the thought of them having to fight there was through. She doubted that they would turn up unprepared for a fight, but she hasn't seen daylight for days and had no idea if there were any other men on the premises besides her three tormentors. If they did face another fight on their way the cabin and ended up losing, then all four of them could still end up dead; worse still, she could lose all three of them and end up back in her chains.

The thought made her feel sick with fear and she clung onto her father in case it was the last time she ever saw him alive. It was hard not to just melt into his arms and surrender to the exhaustion and emotions that threatened to overpower her, but she knew she had to be strong a bit longer - after all, neither of them were safe yet. So, after allowing herself some time to take deep breaths, she did her best to focus on the present. "¿Cómo…how do you know where I am?" she asked. "If…if…" A hand flew to her mouth involuntarily as a sob attempted to escape. "If Tomás y Leo, if they don't come…do more people know where we are?"

Not only was she concerned about the safety of Thomas and Leo, but also about Adam's leg. "And if I stab you too far and the blood does not stop," she continued to fret. "Then I…I don't know wh…what I do then…" Her chest was growing tighter as the air in her lungs seemed to escape too fast to keep up with. Elena suddenly pushed herself away from her father and bent forward over her knees, her unzipped dress falling open across her back and causing her to shiver more. As the panic continued to rise, so did the speed and depth of her breathing. Whoever's blood was on Adam's t-shirt was now on her hands and it only made the nausea stronger. "Lo siento," she whispered through shuddering breaths. "Lo siento, papá…"

Interactions
Misty Gray Adam

Mentioned:
Bellz Thomas
Melanin-Gxdess Leo

 

[Misty Gray]

Woodlands/Farmland Area
~ The Baskins, Dublin ~

Adam Harper​

When Elena pointed out to him that he would get weaker if they waited and let his leg bleed more, Adam gritted his teeth but lightly nodded in agreement. She was right. Despite how much he wanted to rest, he knew he couldn't do that when Elena was relying on him to get her home. The way his daughter pouted and asserted that she would kill any enemies just to get home made him want to find the energy to adopt the same kind of motivation.

Adam softly rubbed her back as she rested her head against his chest again. When Elena picked up on what he'd said about the guys, he faintly smiled. "Your Tomás," he repeated to her. "He's been out looking for you the whole time you've been gone. Of course he'll come here," he reassured her. Regardless of whether or not he believed the lads would make it, something about Elena made him only want to comfort her and give her hope. However, she soon asked him if he'd seen other men outside. "I did," he admitted to her. "I warned the lads there'd be men outside this place, so they're not going to rush on over here without being prepared for them. Despite any faith he had in Thomas and Leo, Adam was now starting to become restless. Although his leg was still bleeding beneath the makeshift dressing, he'd at least managed to regain control of his breathing and shake off the effects of the blows that had been dealt to his skull. As long as he could still stand up and walk, he decided he didn't have an excuse for staying down on his arse.

When Elena clung onto him, Adam looked down at her before placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. "Those men told me you were here. They told me if I didn't come here, straight away, and alone, they would kill you. Nothing would have stopped me from coming here for you. The same goes for Thomas and Leo," he assured her. Seeing she was starting to fret abut his stab wound and the sudden anxiety she was displaying, he couldn't sit any longer. "No. No más lo siento. No más," he firmly told her. "This is all on me," he asserted. "Do you have enough energy to fight a little more?" he asked her.

Having seen the way she looked sick after touching the blood on his shirt, he stumbled up onto his feet and towards the wardrobe opposite them. Opening up the door, he removed his shirt before grabbing a fresh one from the hanger. He grimaced as he pulled it over the head. Despite the top clinging to his muscular chest more than he'd have liked, it otherwise fit. "Bingo," he then mumbled as he sighted and retrieved the rifle that was laid down at the bottom of the wardrobe. As he loaded the firearm, he pointed to the handgun he'd left on the floor next to the bed. "Take that one," he commanded his daughter, wanting her to take the pistol from the floor.

"My car is parked too far for us both to risk getting to," he told her, having been forced to leave it parked a short, albeit visible, distance from the cabin. "But it has a shitload of weapons... Muchas armas! Once on the main road there will be a public payphone," he informed her. "First I need you to help me get downstairs," he told her, unsure how steady he'd be on his feet. "We can't sit up here and wait, so we both need to find the strength to keep going a little longer. Okay?" Adam wouldn't take no for an answer and when they did get to the bottom of the stairs, he told Elena to ignore the sight of Jay's bloody corpse. "Do you know how to drive, kid?" he asked her as he led her back into the kitchen area. Being back in the room suddenly triggered his thoughts back to what he'd seen around the room earlier. Some keys. "Ignore that one too," he casually instructed as they walked past Shane's body which was left laying in a pool of blood. From on top of the counter, he retrieved John's bunch of car keys and briefly studied the insignia engraved on the keyring. "There's a pick-up truck... Camioneta. Parked next to this cabin," he said, pointing to the right side of the building. "It's dark outside, so if you stay low, crawl if you have to," he said, motioning downwards, "nobody should see you, but I'll cover you in case they do," he said, glancing to the rifle. "No matter if I make it into the pick-up or not, you drive. Okay? Can you do this?" he asked, looking her in the eyes. "¿Puedes pelear un poco más? Mi valiente hija."

Pyroclast (Elena)
Mentions Bellz (Thomas) Melanin-Gxdess (Leo)

 

[Pyroclast]

Erik's Apartment
~ Hackney, London ~

Billy King​

The way Ava described Shona and Darcey as 'rowdy bitches', Billy couldn't help but laugh. Darcey always seemed to have her hands full, the sort of woman integral to a family because she held everyone together, but throughout all the drama, she had kept her head up high and remained consistently reliable as always. With that sort of disposition, Billy supposed she could have as much fun as she liked and still get everything done. Shona, too, he had always known as sensible and street-smart yet an unstoppable thrill-seeker. "Well, Shona's got mum duties now, but I'm sure she and Darcey would both jump at the chance to go out on the razz if you suggested a girls night," he offered. "I wouldn't mind babysitting the little nugget. He really is the cutest thing. Definitely don't get that from his dad!"

With his face set in a smile at the thought of his little nephew, he almost missed the wistful expression that took over Ava's features. Her sadness shone through in a way she couldn't quite hide and he was about to ask if she was okay, but she quickly and consciously shook it off and smiled instead. Since he didn't know her too well, Billy didn't feel it was his place to pry so he went along with it. "Yeah, they're both older," he explained of his brothers. "Alex is 32 I think, and Spencer's 37 or something. Then there's my sister, Harper, who's 24..." Normally when talking about his sister, Billy would be able to describe her as being the sibling he was closest to, but when he spoke of her now he was reminded of how she had changed...how she was distancing herself from the family, becoming hostile towards them, and not even he was able to get through to her anymore. Seeing her in such a way was upsetting, but the worst thing was the fact that their once-unbreakable bond was now rapidly falling apart. "And now, I've actually got another sister. Well, a half-sister. Her name's May, and we just recently found out that we share a dad, so...maybe I could introduce ya' to her as well."

With a sharp inhale, Billy focused instead on Ava's comments about his uncle. "Only heard of him?" he asked. "Oh, we'll have to do proper introductions some time soon, then. Don't let his reputation precede him - he might have a lot of influence 'round 'ere, but he's a friendly bloke. Not like Gabriel Moretti." As soon as the Italian boss' name left his lips he remembered Ava's familial connection to the man. "I mean - I'm sure Moretti's nice once you get to know him, but - I just mean, he can be a bit...he can come across a bit...well, you know." He paused, awkwardly gesturing with his hand. He hoped she did know. "Imposing."

Clearing his throat, Billy tried to move on. "Anyway, since you're 'ere for a while, I'll introduce you to 'em all if you like. Get to see all the craziness Erik puts up with on a day to day, put faces to names and all that." He made it sound like he was doing her a favour, but mostly he wanted his and Erik's families to become familiar with each other because it felt like an important step in their relationship. "Only thing, though, is that not everyone knows," he warned her, bringing his voice down a notch as if someone might hear him. "So please don't talk about me and Erik like we're a couple when we're around everyone, yeah?"

On the subject of occupations, Billy ended up blushing slightly when she called him impressive. He found it charming when she narrowed down his job description to someone who 'designs stuff', and shot her a playful grin when she asked for his card. His offer to design her a house in London was light-hearted, but having her around permanently would lower any chance of Erik someday wanting to move back to New York, so he rather hoped she would take him up on it.

Ava showed off some more of her bright, bubbly personality when she sat up straight and keenly explained to him her business ventures in New York. Another broad smile crossed Billy's face when she mentioned that not all of them were legal - a good sign that she wasn't a snob with her morals - but his interest only grew as he listened on. "Why hidden?" he asked with a curious smile. "Do you ink gangsters and wanted criminals or somethin'? I don't think I'm the sort who'd ever get inked. Not cool enough for that." With another sip of his tea, Billy brought his feet up onto the armchair and shifted to take more pressure off his shoulder. "Wow, you bought a gallery? A business woman and an artist, then? My, my, that is a lot of hats." Picturing the mental image of New York that Erik had described to him, he imagined Ava presenting art in a gallery and wondered if Erik had plans to go. "I wish I could come to your show, Ava," he said with an honest smile. "I'd love to see your art. What sort of stuff do you paint? What inspires you?"

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Ava

Mentioned:

Bellz Harper
Misty Gray Gabriel, Spencer