Realistic or Modern The City: 1990s Gangs - IC Thread [ENDED]

[Melanin-Gxdess]

The Frost/Fitz Residence
~ Wouldn't you like to know, England ~
Riley Frost​

Hearing that the burning smell triggered something caused Riley to immediately worry. Not just about how it made Rachel feel but because it could've been another sign her memories were coming back. And if her memories came back, well... She didn't even want to think about what would happen when she did. Riley bit her lip at the thought and tried to keep it from showing on her face. Rachel attempted a joke of her own and Riley just smiled. "I'll write it in the journal," she said, referring to the book she'd been keeping. It was for Rachel to keep track of every trigger she had. It was detailed and had dates and what she was doing when it happened. Riley figured it would help them both - Rachel in getting better and Riley in making sure not to trigger her on accident. "They have cooking classes for that one," she pointed out, gently stroking her hair. "We could go together and then one day I can cook something for you that's not just boxed macaroni." Riley winked at her before returning her kiss and watching her return to dinner.

Riley couldn't help but feel like there was something Rachel wasn't telling her. More to the recent trigger and how it made her feel. What she thought about when it happened. And as much as she wanted to press her for more information she didn't. Their therapist was clear that there were some things Riley didn't need to know. It'd pissed her off to hear and she stormed out of the session. The last thing she wanted in her relationship with Rachel was secrets. It was the reason they had broken up the last time, amongst a plethora of other reasons. When she finally understood it wasn't about her nor did it have to do with keeping secrets, she let up. But, it was still a struggle with knowing when to pry and when not to. This seemed to be one of those moments not to and she dropped it for now. Rachel thanked Riley for going to the market and Riley moved toward Laura to take a look at what she was drawing. "The nap was great. Didn't hear you come home at all." She stood next to Laura and watched as she tried to draw the fire extinguisher. "Hm? Oh yeah. I almost didn't get them because they're the worst vegetable ever," she looked at Laura and stuck her tongue out, pointing to the back of her throat and gagging. "But I knew you'd send me back out if I didn't."

Rachel then informed her that Laura had made the exact same face as Riley when it came to vegetables. Even though Laura wasn't biologically hers, she could see some of her own mannerisms in the young girl. "It's 'cause she knows the truth. Broccoli sucks." Laura then said no broccoli and Riley repeated it. Rachel threatened with extra broccoli and she and Laura made the same face at the same time. "Why would you torture a poor, innocent child that way?" Then she promised her dessert and Riley shot her wife a mischievous grin. "Do I also get dessert if I finish my broccoli?" She then moved to the living room to retrieve the journal. The brown, leather-bound notebook had Rachel's name on the cover. Written on the spine was the date they started the journal and a dash for when it was full. Riley quickly jotted down the most recent trigger before tossing the journal back down on the coffee table.

When she returned to the dining room Rachel had already set about putting plates on the table and setting things up. Riley took a deep breath thinking about what she wanted to drink. "London pride will do," she said yawning. "Thanks." She watched as Rachel moved about the kitchen, wondering if she kept so busy that she wasn't able to think about her life. Her past life, that is. "How was your day today? Get everything accomplished?"

Interpol Headquarters
~ Berlin, Germany ~
Erik Snowden​

Klaus' next words offered Erik a bit of reassurance. He wanted to make sure that Klaus was really, truly thinking and not missing anything important. After all, the last time he was supposed to take care of them he ended up separated from Billy and Charlie. Erik listened to Klaus explain his reasoning behind hiding them in the first place - having to bite his tongue and prevent himself from saying anything smart. So many things, he thought, there were so many things he could've said just then but he was trying not to be a dick. It was counter-productive and Klaus was trying his best... But just because he didn't verbally say anything didn't mean his face didn't. It was going to take some convincing, Erik thought, before he believed that Interpol was back to doing what they were supposed to. Yet another thing he wasn't about to bring up to Klaus and would save for Wesley instead. So he just nodded his head in understanding. "And this deal will include clean slates? Immunity from being locked up doing whatever it is that needs to be done? And I mean clean slates for everyone - Ava included." While she may not have been a part of the illegal drug trade for the Moretti family, she was still affiliated. Then there was the business of her illegal tattoo parlor and the illegal work she used to do for the Mavericks MC. Erik shrugged his shoulders. "I just want to make sure all the bases are covered."

Erik listened further as Klaus explained that Spencer had been itching to get back to his life. His distraction from accidentally mentioning Billy seemed to work... Or were both men just being polite and not calling him out on it? Whatever the case Klaus' words applied to them all. When asked if he would pass up such an opportunity Erik didn't immediately respond. He thought about his words first and let Klaus' settle in. "I'd pass it up if it meant Interpol would come after me once I completed the task. Immunity, Nikolaus, immunity. Otherwise, it's a risk far greater than the reward and some people ain't gonna go for it." Erik knew what it meant to go back to that life. The chaos and carnage and the things they would have to do in order to succeed? In the regular world, they'd get arrested. Now they were about to be allowed to do so with no consequences? Erik couldn't wrap his mind around it. Klaus then announced he needed to get to dinner, Erik nodding in understanding. "Let Ava know I'm comin' by with that part she needs for the Harley. Just gotta pop by to see Nicky first."

Once Klaus was gone and it was just himself and Wesley, Erik let out a deep sigh. Wesley broke the silence in the air with one of his weird Irish sayings and Erik shook his head. "You and your fuckin'-," he cut himself off, letting out a chuckle as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Would it kill ya to speak English for once?" Erik then looked over at him as he spoke about having to be Switzerland between the two of them. Erik shrugged. "I'm tryin' to let bygones be bygones and all that. Better than it was a decade ago, so." Which, it was. Ava had forgiven Klaus. Married him, had kids. But Erik? It had taken Erik much longer to even accept him being a part of their family. It was silent between the two of them for a moment before Wesley spoke up again asking about his relationship with Spencer. Erik hung his head before turning to look at him, grin on his face. "Everyone always thought I was into Billy but really it was his older brother," he joked, gesturing to his face. "The beard. He grows a sick beard." It felt nice to joke for a second before the look on Erik's face grew serious. "I don't think... He was ever cut out for this. The crime life and all that. I wanna make sure they don't force him into it if that's not what he wants." Billy was still very important to Erik and he always would be. There was no questioning it. And even though they now lived different lives and were with different people he would always want him and Charlie to be safe.

"Let me ask you somethin'," Erik said, his face contorted into one of confusion. "You believe what he was sayin'? About Interpol bein' good again? Cause it sounds to me he's being manipulated by the higher-ups. Like they're playin' him. And we all know how easy it is for him to be swayed," he said, referring to his cousin. "I don't know - it don't feel right. Like we're puppets and someone is yankin' at us. Making us do what they want." The more he said his thoughts out loud the crazier they sounded. He scratched the back of his head and shrugged. "I don't know. Today's just... Today's just a shit day for all this nonsense. I might just be thinking too much into it."

Bar Street
~ Gran Canaria, Spain ~

Christina Donovan
(Rhiannon Sullivan)
​

Lucas was now the second person to tell her Leo would be glad or even proud that she started up again. It gave her hope that maybe he would and maybe she should keep it up. She smiled at him and nodded her head. "Yeah, maybe. It felt so good to get back out there again too. Like I hadn't even stopped." There was a dreamy, reminiscent look in her eyes. A look that had disappeared when she hung up her skates but now returning thanks to her skating earlier that day. When Lucas began to explain his own day the look disappeared once more so she could pay the utmost attention to him. He'd gone and saved someone's life earlier at the beach and her eyes grew wide with excitement. "Oh my god, good work dude," she exclaimed, grabbing hold of his arm and shaking it. "That's like, the pinnacle of anyone's lifeguard career and here you are reaching it in your 20s. I'm proud." She picked up on him nearly forgetting to use his fake name - the excitement drowning out of his voice. She knew how hard it was to keep up with this fake persona and name. There were days she felt like she wasn't living her authentic life whatsoever. Christina Donovan wasn't who she was. Rhiannon Sullivan. That's the name given to her. Named for people she hadn't met but a name she held great pride in. "One day," she started, glancing over at him. "We'll be able to use our real names again. Then when you tell the story about how you saved someone you can shout from the rooftops that it was," she lowered her voice. "Lucas Sullivan who saved the day."

"Searching for the one or waiting for him?" Rhiannon raised her eyebrows knowingly at him with a smile before shaking her head. "One day, dear cousin, one day." Rhiannon had watched her cousin go through failed relationship after failed relationship. She wasn't surprised, either, considering none of them would ever compare to Collin. But still, she thought he would find someone that would get his mind off of him even for a bit. "Well love," she opened her arms up to the sky and laughed. "Is in the air! Anything it possible tonight."

Once settled at the bar, Lucas mentioned how disgusting the bathrooms were, Rhiannon making a gagging noise. "Okay, not bathroom sex tonight. Short term it is." She nodded her head at the option and even playfully set about looking for a couple of options. When asked if she needed help, she laughed. "Oh god, probably," she admitted. "But, I don't even know what the hell it is I'm looking for." Rhiannon had been struggling with herself and her interests and even her sexual preferences as of late. She wasn't sure if she were into men or into women or into both and it was all so confusing. Some days she thought she'd want to be with another woman and others another man. The sexual encounters she'd had with both groups were always fun and left her satisfied at the moment but afterward? Sometimes she regretted them afterward. "Maybe someone will just drop down from the sky and be my perfect match, I don't know." Thankfully, before she had the opportunity to get down about it, their drinks and shots arrived and she immediately picked on up and slid the other over to him. "To getting drunk enough to stumble out of here!" She threw the shot back and shivered, making a face. "Ugh, tequila. Why do I do this to myself?" Shaking her head she turned to him. "What've your parents been up to then? I forgot to ask."

Bryne Family Home
~Dublin~
Declan Bryne
(Leo Sullivan)
​

You handling a dead body fucks up their way of life. For some reason her words pissed him off. He wasn't seeing it from her perspective but then again they never did see things from the other person's eyes. "Then what the fuck would you have me do, Natasha? Call the police? Leave room for error? I handle it myself and I make sure it gets done properly, you know that." He felt his volume rising and forced himself to bring it back down. He didn't want a screaming match. Not today and certainly not right now. "We've flown under the radar this entire time and I'm not gonna let something like that mess it up for us, alright? So just-," he couldn't even find the words he wanted to say, instead sighing and moving for the liquor cabinet. The night was already shot, he figured, so he may as well pour himself a drink. He reached for a glass and wasted no time in filling the cup to the brim. The silence that settled between the two of them was deafening and Leo used that opportunity to down his drink in one go. It didn't help. The burning sensation that flowed down his throat did little to nothing to help ease his emotions and calm his mind even a little bit. So he poured another. Only, this time he wasn't able to drink it before Natasha started up again.

"I'm not thinking about them?!" Leo suddenly placed his cup on the counter, brown liquid sloshing out and creating a mess. "Everything I do is for them! Is for you! You were the one who told me not to make promises I couldn't keep, right? But every promise I've made I've fuckin' followed through on because it was what we always talked about, Nat!" He gestured around them - the house, the kids, the location. "A house in the country. The kids at the best schools so they have the best opportunities to be successful. I kept my end of the bargain and not out of obligation, but because I love you and I love our kids." When she mentioned the phone call again, Leo pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes. "Oh for fucks- how many more times do you want me to apologize for that?! You- you want me on my hands and knees begging and pleading for forgiveness? Tell me what you want just this once," he said, his voice both pleading and full of anger. He could see the look on her face and the tears in her eyes and it broke his heart knowing he was the cause.

The moment she mentioned Seana and how things had been a decade ago, Leo looked away from her. It was one of the hardest times of their lives. And the fact that he'd just been thinking about it just that morning definitely didn't help things any. He picked up his glass again and when she mentioned prison he let out a dry chuckle. "Yeah fuckin' right," he took a sip from his glass and set it down. "You let me handle my shit the way I need to and we won't have to worry about prison, now will we? I'm not gonna end up like Conor, alright, so thanks for the vote of confidence." He rolled his eyes and shook his head when she mentioned Jaxson and his issues in school. Once upon a time he had been the exact same. Whether it was because Conor had been absent for a few years or because it ran in his blood remained unseen. "Can't what, huh?" Leo was staring at her now - hand on his hip with his eyes narrowed. "What, do this alone? Raise the kids alone? God, you really don't have any faith in me do you?" Leo let out a laugh of disbelief. "Ahh, at least one of us keeps our promises right?" Leo turned from her so she wouldn't see the hurt in his eyes - downing the rest of his glass once more before filling it right up.

Elle was brought up again and, as per usual, Natasha showed her distaste for the woman. He let out a breathy chuckle and shook his head. "Right, I'll let mousey take care of something important and then I'll really end up in prison. And please. It wasn't like I woke up because she called me I was already awake and in the basement so please, spare me the dramatics this once Natasha."

 

[Misty Gray]

Daisy's Cocktail Bar & Nightclub
~ Soho, London ~

Zachary Costa​

Zachary turned towards the dancefloor when Melissa told him her friends were over there dancing. He turned back to her, about to comment on how bad of them it was to leave her at the bar alone, but when she said she wasn't the clubbing type, he nodded along in understanding. "Ah, so you're the supervisor? The grown up of the group?" he asked with a smile. "Mature and protective, I do respect that in a person," he told her. Not only was she extremely attractive, but he liked her individuality, the fact she was comfortable sitting alone rather than conforming to go dance just to stay a part of the group and not missing out on anything.

When Melissa asked him what he was doing at the club but quickly told him he didn't have to answer the question, he smirked at her before shrugging his shoulders. "I'll let you ask me whatever you want," he told her. "Sadly I'm neither out with friends nor on a date. I'm working tonight., even if not in the setting you're used to seeing me in. I had to collect a package for the boss," he told her. "Though right now I wish I was out on a social call. Something about this club tonight is making it more appealing than usual," he said, flashing her a playful smile.

When she thanked him for blocking the drunken man's view of her, he firmly nodded. "I did notice he was gawping, so now he gets to stare at my arse instead. Lucky for some, huh?" he teased. "You look good," he told her when she began to brush off the outfit she'd chosen. "If you like it and you want to wear it, then don't let some loser spoil it for you. Do you want me to go fix his staring problem?" he asked, using his thumb to point in the direction of the man in question. Though he was speaking in a joking manner, Zachary really wasn't against knocking some sense into the man. "You just say the word and I'll teach the guy a lesson in manners."

Bellz (Melissa)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Alex King's Family Home
~ Bethnal Green, London ~
Alexander & Elizabeth King
​

Alex was happy that Kerry shared his sentiment and distaste when it came to Carter. It wasn't just him who thought the guy was an absolute dick and a hindrance to everything he was trying to do. Everything had fallen to him and it was hard enough to deal with without an egomaniac breathing down your neck every chance he got. But, there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. At least not right now. He watched with a warm smile as Lizzie quickly ran over to give her mom a hug, smiling up at her. "Daddy's gonna put apple juice on tap at the pub." Alex immediately shook his head. "Uh, no love. I said we'd ask Mommy how she felt about the idea." Crossing his arms in front of his chest he chuckled. "That new one we put out is costin' us more than it's bringing in so it's gotta go and Lizzie suggested apple juice." Alex gave Kerry a look that told her that they were absolutely not going to do that.

Kerry updated him on the whereabouts of his sons - informing him of the attitude Callum had been giving Kerry. And when his eldest appeared, he got to see it for himself. Lately, Alex was unsure of what to do when it came to how Callum had been acting toward Kerry. He understood the boy missed his mother. Things were tougher now that he was older and understood things better. But, that didn't mean that it was okay for him to take it out on his wife. Alex was starting to sound like a broken record when he explained Kerry came after his mother and that she wasn't the reason he and Savannah broke up. Alex had come to the realization he was raising himself and while it was a bit humorous at times, it was also very stressful. "I'll handle it," he reassured her. "Christian is his name, Cal, we talked about this," he shouted after him. He turned to his daughter and instructed her to go wash up for dinner before following behind Kerry.

Alex reached his hand out to shake Christian's, a smile on his face. The two had come a long way from where they stood a decade ago. Alex didn't trust him one bit. But now, seeing as he had come around and stuck around, he'd earned more of that trust. Unlike his son and father, he didn't necessarily have an issue with the man being a cop. But maybe that was because of Trevor's own occupation with Interpol... "Nah," he said, not a lie but not exactly the truth either. "Just the usual pain in the ass antics. Nothing too serious." He appreciated Christian checking in on him in such a regard, however, he wanted to play it safe. Involving the man in his issues just didn't seem right. "How're things goin' with you? Still in love with my sister?" Alex regretted the words the moment they left his lips but he couldn't take them back now. He and Kerry had discussed the tension they'd feel between the two of them in private - asking such a question was probably insensitive. He then moved to greet May with a smile on his face before pulling back and allowing his daughter to greet them as well. She soon disappeared with Chloe toward the dining room.

Alex opened his mouth to ask for drink orders when Harrison made himself known. He looked up at Christian and Alex watched in curiousity of what he was about to say. The words that left his mouth soon left Alex horrified. Hearing Callum laughing from the living room told him everything he needed to know. "Oh for fucks-," he turned to Christian. "Sorry," he mumbled before looking at Harrison. "Apologize to your uncle right now, Harry, and stop letting Cal trick you into being a di- er, a jerk." After excusing himself Alex made his way to the living room and immediately snatched the phone from him. "We talked about this, alright? Quit bein' a dick to your Uncle and to Kerry would you?"

Callum, Kerry, Christian ( Misty Gray ) May ( BasDorcha )

 

[BasDorcha]

Daisy's Cocktail Bar & Nightclub

~Soho, London~​

Maverick Tudyk

Maverick had been roped into helping Zachary pick up tabs tonight, not Mav's favorite line of work. He preferred to stay out of the public eye and pissing people off, the silent arm behind the scenes as he enjoyed being able to go out in public without having to watch his back. Still, when the boss said jump, the only question you could ask was to say 'how high'. You didn't even consider saying 'No', much less 'I don't want to do that'. So he made the drive around town with Zachary, trying to keep the mood light with jokes and side bars the whole trip. When they finally got the Daisy's place, Mav got excited. Last stop of the night, maybe they could finish their work and have a cold drink to unwind the day. As they entered the nightclub, Mav in his excitement stumbled over his own two feet, catching himself on the doorway as he entered to keep his balance. A laugh bubbled past his lips, "Oops, don't know my own stride sometimes." He elbowed Zach, trying to get the man to laugh with him.

Instead, Zach was straight to business, which was pretty normal to say the least. Maverick was always a bit too goofy for most of the serious guys and therefore spent a lot of time with Isaac, his best friend instead. When he mentioned it taking longer than the others, Mav pouted, his hopes crushed that it would be over quickly so they could enjoy the rest of their night. He nodded with a diminished enthusiasm, forcing a smile back onto his face. "Welp, here's to hoping it goes the way you hope bud." He followed him to the bar where Daisy sat with another woman and gave her a lazy grin. Pretty girls were always his weakness. It's how he ended up with his kiddo.

"You got it, I can handle that." Maverick nodded convincingly, standing up straight and putting his back against the bar, eyes scanning the room for trouble on a steady path and rhythm back and forth. It didn't escape him, the movements the other woman was making trying to decide whether or not it was safe to speak with him. He just relaxed until she made up her mind, carefully watching her out of the corner of his eye so as not to stare and make her uncomfortable. It took a few minutes, but she finally spoke up, bringing a broad grin back across his face. "Aye, Mav it was. Don't think I caught your name though. What's a lovely gal like you call yourself?" He asked, his voice light and flirty.

He turned just slightly, resting his elbow on the counter top so her could provide her with his more direct attention. Of course, he still scanned the room periodically, but he now included her in his movements, looking at her directly when speaking to her, and looking away when there was silence between them.

neverbackdown - Cassie
Misty Gray - Zach/Daisy

 

[Bellz]

Carter Technologies
~ City of London, London ~

Reign Carter ​

Reign hadn't been able to relax but looked to Will as he commented on Xavier hacking into the elevator, "Solidify his place as my favorite if he could do that." She said lightly, just jamming her finger against the button again as if that was going to get it to arrive faster still. When he offered to speak with Sophie before the night's end, Reign knew that she was still meant to go with him, "I can still go after I change out of this. No use in walking around soaking wet."

The confines of the elevator made her feel like she could breathe a little easier. Reign hadn't realized she'd been holding a lot of her breath in until Will had pressed the button to the floor of her office and the doors had safely closed. The air that escaped past her lips was brief but what she needed as she tried to calm herself. Will agreed that the suit was a good suit, causing her lips to twitch ever so slightly. When he mentioned arranging drying cleaning, Reign nodded her head, "That would be helpful actually, thank you." She said, her tone still cold. It was sometimes hard to turn off, especially after an embarrassing moment such as that. Reign didn't allow herself to show many people how she felt about things, emotion was a weakness in a business like this, especially for women who were already deemed weak. The lines tended to blur together and a lot of the time Reign didn't have an off switch.

Reign's face turned to look at Will as he said he didn't doubt she had many other good outfits. He said he didn't think he'd ever seen her make a bad choice on that front and her cheeks burned as he was quick to insinuate that he didn't pay attention. "As much as I hate listening to her, my mum always says that a woman's greatest asset is her first impression when walking into a room full of men. Women are plenty more than their looks I feel, but...I do enjoy dressing the part. So thank you for paying attention...or not paying attention." Reign murmured, her voice warming up a bit further now as she met Will's eyes, a slight smile forming on her lips. While she normally didn't fuss about her behavior, especially how she treated people so far below her...she knew that she had been...coarse.

"Nice catch in there. Excellent Reflexes." She murmured, " And, uh, I know my cold behavior towards people can be a bit much. I know I may have nothing to apologize for but...if I did make you uncomfortable, I am sorry." Reign had always struggled with her ability to empathize with others even as a kid. While her mother, the overbearing, empathetic one, thought it was the most tragic thing in the world and worked hard to fix it...her father had accepted her as she was. Leaning into her father's encouragement of who she was, she ignored her mother a lot of the time and ran with it. That little display of ruthlessness with the waitress was only a small preview of just how quickly she could turn on someone. The woman was wondering if maybe she overreacted but that waitress could have cost them serious business in another scenario.

"I consider us friends, which for me are far and few, given the scary behavior I displayed in there." Reign let out a soft laugh before she rolled her eyes at herself, "If I weren't absolutely busy tonight I would have grabbed a drink myself on the way out, loosen me up a little or something." The words came out and she stiffened, turning away from Will now embarrassed by what she'd said. Jesus, what the hell?
with: Will Misty Gray

 

[Bellz]

The Gray Residence
~ Berlin, Germany ~

Nicolas "Bucky" Gray ​

"Hey!" Bucky laughed, holding onto Atticus as his dad scooped them both up into his arms. "A warnin' dad! would be nice!" He complained, though was all smiles, relieved to see him in a good mood. "Are you callin' us fat?! Would it kill you to make me a vegetable?" He heckled his father in return, rolling his eyes as he was dropped on the couch with Atticus, releasing the dog who hopped onto the carpet. Bucky looked at him. "Okay, Atticus is looking a little wide. I'll give you that." Bucky smiled up at Jeremy as he sat next to him on the couch, watching as he pulled out the phone book.

Animatedly, the boy rubbed his hands together, "That's a lot of options, pop. Think they've invented a Chinese Pizza Burger yet? That oddly sounds appetizing, but it could be the starvation talkin'." The boy gave his father a cheesy smile, scrunching his nose before leaning in to look at the options. When he did, his dad ruffled his hair and Bucky frowned and swiped at his hands, "Dad! My haaairrr!" He complained lightly but his tone was teasing, giving him a lopsided grin before looking back down at the dinner options. Things had gone quiet which to most kids would have most likely felt uncomfortable. Bucky was used to it with it just being the two of them, it was the awkward silences he couldn't stand. These silences that were natural were okay to him.

Bucky's attention span, unfortunately, didn't last as long as he'd have liked but decided on pizza for dinner the minute he saw it. As he'd normally done after his mom had gone missing, he sometimes stole glances as secretive as he could be toward his dad. The man could say he didn't need to be checked on all he wanted, Bucky wouldn't hear it. Parent or not, while Bucky's memory of his mother was starting to become...hazy, something he had a lot of anxiety about, he did remember she checked on everyone. This time his glance caught his dad staring at a picture in their living room, one that Bucky himself often stared at. The boy's brows furrowed ready to ask him if he was okay, not able to read his face but seeing him wipe at his eyes when Jeremy grabbed the phone.

"Oh yea." Bucky said, turning back to the phonebook. "Pizza! Just our usual please!" He asked politely, allowing his father to place the order. When it was all said and done, Bucky looked at his dad, repositioning himself on the couch. Atticus hopped back on the couch as if sensing the energy shift in the room, which Bucky appreciated as he rubbed behind the dogs' ears, something he'd done since he was small for comfort. Talking about his mom always made him anxious because depending on the person, he wasn't sure how the conversation would go. With his dad, he knew it was safe, but still...the thought of making him upset in any way just would eat him alive. "D-do...?" The boy started, stuttering slightly as he shook his head. It was hard to verbalize sometimes, the questions in his head. He had so many and some he felt were just so...stupid to ask. "I miss her." He started finally, admitting to what he was feeling before nodding towards the picture. "I'm starting to forget her voice." Anxiously, he lifted his index finger to chew on his nail a little bit. "I close my eyes...to try to imagine it...and-" Bucky then cut himself off, knowing that this was hard to talk about as he shook his head over and over, eyes watering as he looked down at Atticus who had curled up in his lap.
with: Jeremy BasDorcha

 

[Bellz]

Bryne Family Home
~Dublin~

Natasha Sullivan
Let it Go - James Bay ​

Not a single thing about this shocked her. It was like some terrible horrible play, and they each had their role that they were hopelessly devoted to. Why? Who the fuck knew anymore. The drink he'd pour himself was simply a prop, predictable as if written in this script they were both trapped in. "What are you insinuating, Leo?!" Nat had hissed back, hearing him talk about the promises he kept for her. The ones they made when she was 20 and he was 24. Childless, with family surrounding them. When she felt like she wasn't constantly having to hold herself above water every single waking moment or she'd drown. When she felt like she could talk to him about anything and he'd listen, the best friend she loved with every fiber in her being. That was who he'd been before any of this, the house, the kids, the location. The materialistic things that stupid naive 20-year-old Natasha had wished for, in a quiet life surrounded by her family with kids who could go play with Thomas and Elena's kids and all of the cousins in Leo's family. But they didn't have any of that. And now here he was trying to overcompensate but she didn't want that now, she just wanted to ensure he came home to her every single day. To his kids.

"Faith in you, Leo! Do you think that's what this-?" She started to ask over him but then his words about at least one of them keeping their promises stabbed her like a knife to the chest. More tears burned in her eyes and fell over, a sob bubbling past her lips. Both of them turned away from one another. Natasha had said something about Elle but she hadn't really registered it, not after such a low blow from her supposedly loving husband. Before Nat could formulate possibly an even lower blow, Jaxson, one of their triplets poked his head in, looking upset. "Mam, Dad! We're starvin'!" He told them both, his voice sounding more than irritated before looking towards where the others must have been, "Veronica's cryin', and all you guys are doin' is yellin'! Can we fuckin' eat!?" Nat's eyes went wide, "Jaxson! Language!" But the dark-haired boy just scoffed at them both, crossing his arm, "I'll stop when you stop." He said defiantly and Nat shook her head at him, knowing he was right but would refuse to verbalize it at that moment.

"Dinner's nearly done. I'll let you all eat in the living room tonight. Find a movie to watch and I'll bring you your plates." Nat murmured softly and Jaxson nodded looking between his parents for a long moment before exiting the kitchen. Silently, Natasha turned back to dinner, shoulders shaking as she sucked in a few deep breaths to calm herself. Fixing the kids' plates with expert speed she'd picked up on in the years they'd been parents, she hurried it along, even fixing Leo his despite feeling so angry towards him at that moment. She was just on autopilot. Without saying a word, she balanced two plates on her forearm and two plates in her hands and moved to the living room to give the kids their dinner, her tears having since dried.

"Who's hungry?" She asked gently, moving to set each plate in front of her children. None was the same as the other, each of her children liked their meal a certain way that she paid attention to, and while other parents might have thought it was spoiling them...they had no idea what they'd lost. Veronica was still crying, wiping angrily at her eyes and sniffling and Jaxson's arm was wrapped around her shoulder as he glared up at Nat. Unfazed by the look he was giving her, she knew it was her fault her daughter was crying and knelt beside her. "Hey, Ronnie...i-it's okay." She murmured softly, moving to wipe at her daughter's tears before looking at all of her children. "We're okay." Jaxson scoffed but Natasha ignored him, "Parents fight...when they really really want to make it all work. Mam and Dad are trying really hard for you guys...even if it doesn't seem like it. We love you all so much." Nat's eyes burned as she looked each of her kids in the eyes before settling on Veronica who was still crying, "Are you going to leave Dad?" She asked and Natasha's breath caught in her throat. There were days when she swore she would, up and down in her mind that she was going to walk out the door and never come back. But she knew that besides their few friends who knew who they truly were...Leo Sullivan was it. And whether she chose to believe it or not, she loved him more than she was willing to admit now. Even if he felt like she hadn't kept her promise.

"Of course, I'm not," Natasha said softly, moving some hair from Veronica's face before turning to look at all of her kids. "Like I said, parents...just fight when they really want to make it work. We really love each other and really want to make it work. And we love you all more than anything. Now don't worry okay? We won't fight anymore. Eat some dinner, watch whatever movie you want to and I'll make some dessert once it's over." Nat kissed each of her kids on the forehead before slowly returning to the kitchen. The smile she'd given them slowly faded as she faced Leo again. Turned to look out the window in the kitchen, the rain had just started to fall in their backyard. "We both aren't thinking about them, Leo." She finally said, staring at the rain. "The house in the country, the schools for them...those were dreams we had before we lost everything. Dreams can change. Should change, in fact, with the times." Natasha looked away from the window and walked to where she left Leo's plate, grabbing it before walking toward him.

" And as far as our promise-keeping goes, do you honestly believe I've been keeping score? Take it all away, love, and if you are still standing here with the kids...that's all I'd ever need. Not the house in the country, not the fancy schools...Just you, and them." She set the plate down in front of him gently before nodding her head towards where the kids were in the living room, taking his drink from him seeing it was still full, and downing the rest of it before setting it on the counter.

"I let you handle your shit the way you needed to today with your business but when it comes to our kids, you handle it my way. Now go in there and be the father for them that I didn't get to have because of the business you so badly want to be a part of. Make the memories with them Collin and I never got to make." Her voice was thick with emotion but no more tears were shed, if he tried to hug her or attempt to reach out to her, she'd take a step back and then another. Shaking her head.

"Because while I may not have a lot of confidence in your ability to stay out of trouble, Leo Sullivan, when it comes to staying on the right side of the law. I do have a lot of it when it comes to you being a good father. I'll be back down in a little while." With that, she left him in the kitchen, alone. Just as he had all day, with his thoughts, just as he did to her.
with: JERKY JERK Leo Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Misty Gray]

Bar Street
~ Gran Canaria, Spain ~

Lucas Sullivan (Niall Donovan)​

Lucas couldn't help but feel happy when Rhiannon expressed her pride about him saving someone's life at work. When she then went on to reassure him that one day they'd be able to used their birth names, he sadly smiled and nodded. He hoped she was right. When she quietly used his birthname to say he'd saved the day, his grin broadened into a natural one.

When she knowingly questioned if he was searching or waiting for the one, Lucas shook his head and looked away. She knew about Collin and so he figured he understood what she was getting at. "I don't know. I just hope the right guy shows himself soon," he told her. One-night stands and short flings may be okay for a little fun and to feel whole, but nobody had been able to fill what was missing. He had wonderful friends and family around him, but he wanted to find someone who he could truly care about on a romantic level. "I like your optimism. Maybe tonight will be the night," he agreed with Rhiannon, resting his hand lightly on her shoulder for a moment. For a brief moment, the loud music, flashing lights, and lively atmosphere overwhelmed him, despite usually thriving on the chaos to his senses.

Rhiannon admitted she might need help finding someone too. "Then rest assured, I will do everything I can to find someone who deserves you!" he told her. "Drop down from the sky?! Are you crazy? That sounds painful and messy. How about we keep an eye out on those who are already on ground level?" he joked. When the drinks arrived, Lucas didn't hesitate to knock back the shot of tequila that Rhiannon had pushed towards him. "Start as you mean to go on!" he encouraged her, knowing they had plenty of drinking time ahead of them before they were stumbling out of the place,

When asked what his parents had been up to, Lucas thought for a moment. "Oh, the usual you know... Dad - George - has been..." he trailed off, a vacant look on his face for a moment. "Yeah, he's been..." Pinching the bridge of his nose as a wave of nausea and light-headedness overcame him, he pointed to the nearest empty seat. "I just need to sit down for a minute." He knew he'd hardly had anything to drink yet, so it couldn't be the alcohol kicking in already. No sooner had he slumped into the seat did he black out, to Rhiannon it would be clear he'd fainted. He was only unconscious for a few seconds, but it took him longer to come around, the room practically spinning as he tried to focus again. The loud music and movement around him felt overwhelming as he tried to ground himself. He managed to focus on Rhiannon and let out a nervous laugh. "Okay, that was pretty weird," he commented, rubbing his forehead with his hand. "Can't blame the booze. I've hardly had anything yet. Maybe we need to speed this up," he suggested. As he pushed himself up from the seat, he felt dizzy again and immediately sat back down. "Do they do table service here?" he commented, trying no to dwell on the fact he'd just blacked out. It hadn't been the first time, but none of his family had been around to when it had happened before.

Melanin-Gxdess (Rhiannon)

 

[Bellz]

The Frost/Fitz Residence
~ Wouldn't you like to know, England ~

Rachel Fitz ​

Rachel was pleased to hear that Riley had slept well, when she said she didn't hear her come home, Rachel laughed but proceeded with dinner. The information about the same facial expressions seemed unsurprising to Riley as she pointed out that Laura knew the truth, Rachel laughed, shaking her head. Her threat seemed to go unnoticed by both as her wife questioned why she would torture a poor innocent child in such a way, causing her to roll her eyes. On the subject of dessert, Riley gave her a mischievous grin which Rachel only raised her brows at, biting back a smile herself. "Guess we'll just have to wait and see if you finish every single floret on your plate huh?" She asked before watching Riley move to the living room.

The journal was something that both Rachel appreciated and hated. While it was a great tool to keep around, it was just a glaring reminder to her of all the things she felt were wrong with her. Of course, it was something she'd never ever vocalized to Riley and certainly never vocalized at any of their sessions. As her wife had come to learn from those sessions, Rachel was allowed to have her feelings and not every single one of them had to be on full display for the whole world to see. That journal sometimes felt that way. But she knew it was important to make sure triggers were avoided, no matter how many Rachel thought she had, she couldn't understand how the woman could love her after all the eggshells she had to walk on. It was something new every day, something that set her off. A smell, a sound, a sight...even the taste of something could depend on what it was. Intimate moments they shared could also be damning for Rachel and it had been embarrassing the first time it happened.

When Riley returned, Rachel set about getting her the drink she requested as well as one for herself and her plate. "Here you go, love." She said, handing her her drink before smiling and looking at Laura. "Start chomping on those broccoli pieces kid, or no dessert." The young girl just whined but picked up a piece of broccoli with her fingers and shoved it into her mouth with a look of contempt. Rachel chuckled, shaking her head as she idly wiped down the counters. Aware that Riley was watching her, she noticed often how closely her wife watched her. Rachel knew he worried but sometimes she wished she wouldn't worry so much. When prompted about her day, the blonde smiled widely and moved to grab her plate and her drink before moving to come next to Laura at the head of the table so Riley could sit next to her at her usual spot.

"I've enjoyed my day off. Nearing 10 kilometers in preparation for that marathon has been a challenge but I've made it to 8 today! Started with 3 and then decided to push myself which I know the doctors at the hospital won't be too pleased about but...oh well." Rachel hummed, moving to take a sip of her beer as she shrugged her shoulders, "Only thing that keeps my bones from not aching as this weather starts to get cold." She admitted, "That and cuddling under a million blankets but can't cuddle all the time with our busy schedules." Her nose scrunched as she giggled.

"Dawson was sweet enough to make another CD for me, trying to expand my music knowledge and all that. This reminds me Rosie and Laura are meant to have a playdate this week. I'm due to report to him on what I think of some of his song choices. Other than that, I just finished working out in my office and then finished grading some papers that'd put off grading. And tried to keep up with this little veggie-hating machine over here," Turning to Laura, she caught her trying to dump a piece of broccoli on the floor.

"Laura! No! Not on the floor, young lady! There are children starving who would love to eat that. Come on, I'll eat mine too. We'll eat it together won't we, Riley?" Rachel turned to Riley as she stabbed a piece of broccoli and brought it to her mouth, taking a bite.
with: Riley Melanin-Gxdess

 

[BasDorcha]

Carter Technologies

~City of London, London~​

Abel Stewart


The room stilled around them as he listened, a pit forming when Ezekiel mentioned Alice being a mother. It wasn't public knowledge, but Alice was unable to have children. While Abel had accepted it, and loved her still, it didn't stop the pain he felt when he had to think or talk about it. Abel had always looked forward to children, and now would likely never have one. It was a large pill to swallow. Instead, he cleared his throat and simply nodded in return, choosing not to respond to the comment. Instead, he waited to hear the rest of Zeke's response, eyebrows furling into a pinched position as he wondered how he'd be able to make things run smooth for the Carter's. No doubt he was about to be asked something unfavorable.

He leaned forward to look at the papers that shifted as they were passed around, catching familiar names and information from the pages. The hotel? Abel glanced back up quickly, confusion on his face at first. The man across from him continued on and Abel listened with intensifying look of distaste on his face. There was no way that he could be expected to do this, it would damage the business. Flabbergasted, Abel sat back, rubbing his hands down his face. The how was pretty easy to understand, when Abel asked himself again how Carter thought he could get away with asking him this, but that didn't stop him from wanting to shout and ask if he was officially crazy.

"Ezekiel, common-" Abel growled and rubbed his face again, standing to take a few steps then back again. "You know what that's going to cost me. I'll spend months repairing the reputational damage it will cause when Farrington is done running my name into the ground. Not to mention the financial cost." Abel steadied himself, though he rubbed his face again. Quickly, he had to think of a better way to respond to this. Finally he looked at Ezekiel, face clouded and unreadable for a moment. "You're a good businessman, Carter, so maybe I'm short selling you in thinking you don't have something by way of a better deal for me? What do I get out of this for doing this? Surely there's something to possibly soften this blow?" Abel hoped he didn't sound like he was asking for a bribe - because he wasn’t. Zeke was a smart man, he would plan to try and ply the requestee to make it easier.

Abel's mind spun a bit trying to think like a shady mobster, he was just trying to keep his cool and get another angle on this before he opened his mouth and straight out said 'no'. He had a feeling that reaction would get him shot on the spot. He knew enough about the man before him to know he liked to throw his weight around, he'd heard plenty from Alex and Kerry and even some from Daisy and his Mom. No, pissing him off was not the move a wise man would make. He moved back into his seat, eyes steady on Ezekiel. He braced himself for what would surely come next.


Misty Gray - Trevor/Ezekiel

 

[neverbackdown]

The Bodyshop
~Dublin, Ireland-
Violet Murphy ​

Violet couldn't help the smirk that played on her lips as Alejandro commented on the difference of her and her father. When she was a younger girl saying the pair were alike would have been the ultimate insult but as the years passed and Violet began to experience his side of life and become harder herself through the experiences she couldn't help but wonder how similar they really had become. The smirk grew as he stepped towards her and commented on her own ego. She allowed her head to tilt slightly to the left as she raised her eyebrows in an amused manner "well what can i say, Ive learned my ego from you" she teased him amusement and yet a hint of seduction playing on her tone as she stared into his eyes, his eyes that she could easily have gotten lost in had they not been in a public place.

He stepped back and Violet snapped back to reality, quickly replacing the small frown on her lips with a smile as she grabbed her bag and made her way to the changing rooms. Once changed Violet made her way back out and took a seat as she allowed Alejandro to wrap her hands. She couldn't help but think of how sweet of a man he was as he continuously made sure that the wraps were ok on her, her mind wondering if this was just genuinely his behaviour of if it had something to do with the fact that it was her hands.

The cardio was rough as usual but she fought through, the one thing Violet hated was appearing weak and that hatred allowed her to push through the pain. "I could do this all day" she muttered as they climbed into the ring but the breathlessness of her voice would give away how tired she actually was. Sometimes she did wish she took a normal job, a 9 to 5 desk job that physical athleticness was not necessary for but as much as she hated working out, their time alone definitely made it worth it.

As he reminded her of tell tale signs in eyes and body movements, Violet gave a small nod as she took her hands of her hips and placed them up in front of her, her eyes catching his as a small mischievous smile spread on her lips. She kept her facial expression blank as she tried to come up with an unexpected move, her eyes remained staring into his unlingering. Finally with a plan in mind she was ready to go, she gave him a small wink before false stepping onto her right foot, her arm lifting just enough in that direction to throw him off before she ducked quickly moving her entire weight onto her left side as she gave into gravity allowing her body to almost fall to the floor, Violet threw out her right leg catching the back of Alejandro's leg and kicking back with enough strength to buckle it but not to actually hurt him.

Standing quickly, Violet stood above Alejandro with a victorious smile on her face "so did i pass, have i now become the master"

Int;- Melanin-Gxdess ( Alejandro)

 

[Pyroclast]

The Loch Inn Pub
~ Fort William, Scotland ~

Alicia Miller (Shona King)​

Shona’s life had been full of unexpected twists and turns. She could look back on any chapter in disbelief, whether it was awe that she had ended up in such a happy marriage with the man of her dreams, or that it had been 12 years since she had last set foot in London. In her heart, the big city would always be home, and yet, somehow she felt settled in Fort William. The Loch Inn Pub was the only home her children had ever known - they hadn’t experienced city living unlike she and Spencer had. To remember London was to remember a time when Eddie was only a few months old and before Lottie was even born, and while some days it felt like just yesterday that they had the rest of the King family all around them, it also somehow felt like a lifetime ago, or like some faraway dream.

She missed them dearly, of course, as she did the city…but not like Spencer did. That was the hardest part about settling into their new life for her - seeing her husband so out of place. In their years in London together she had seen him endure all sorts of struggles: the return of his estranged abusive father; his nightclub burning down; almost losing Harper and Billy and even his own life at the hands of the Sullivans; not to mention Harper’s suicide attempt. It had all been extremely tough to deal with at the time, but somehow, away from all the danger and violence, their peaceful life in Fort William was even harder for him. Shona came to realise that the only thing worse than seeing their family go through such pain was to not see them at all. To not know where they were, how to reach them, if they were okay…It made it impossible to appreciate the quiet of their new life in Scotland.

Even harder on him was what had happened to Shona. Becoming pregnant for a second time was supposed to be a blessing, and at first it was…until it began to play on Shona’s mind. The nagging reminder of what her body had been through during her first pregnancy kept her awake at night, constantly afraid of the changes she was about to face. The changes she had worked hard to reverse as much as she could, like the weight gain and the sagging skin. Shona wanted the baby, of course she did, but she also couldn’t help but fret about her body during the course of the pregnancy. She found herself lying to Spencer about eating while he was out, so she could skip meals without him knowing. She would wear baggier clothes so that no one could comment on her figure, self-induce vomiting and blame it on the morning sickness, and withdraw from social events. Some days simply going down to the bar would be too much for her. It pained her to lie to her husband and when she thought back on it now, she could see that she really hadn’t been herself at all.

Lottie’s premature birth had been horribly traumatic for everyone involved, and when Shona was consequently sectioned and diagnosed with anorexia, it took several weeks of rehabilitation before she felt like herself again and was strong enough to produce milk for her baby. During the pregnancy, Spencer had had to watch her deteriorate, and then to almost lose their little daughter as well as looking after Eddie and the pub while Shona was in hospital…well, she knew it wasn’t her fault but she still felt awful for what they had all been through because of her illness. Once she was home, they agreed that it wouldn’t be safe to have any more children in case the pregnancy triggered the anorexia again. It was an upsetting decision, but one she was adamant to stick to. She was just grateful that Lottie survived the traumatic birth and that she and Spencer had two beautiful children to raise and love.

Shona had always enjoyed cooking, but never had she loved it more than when she had a family to cook for. She found peace and respite in the kitchen, getting to experiment with different recipes and flavours. Even though it was just another daily responsibility of hers, she found that it allowed her to be creative and gave her some freedom - something that she was especially grateful for ever since being effectively banished from London. It also filled her with warmth to be the one to bring her husband and children together around a table, to end each day with conversation and good food.

That Sunday evening she was making a cottage pie with sautéed asparagus and roasted tomatoes that she had harvested from their back garden. Just as she was pulling the pie out of the oven, she heard Lottie cry out from the next room. It didn’t set alarm bells off - Shona knew the girl was doing some last-minute maths homework and was bound to get frustrated as it wasn’t a subject she found easy or enjoyed. Before Shona had even set the steaming dish down, Spencer’s voice sounded from the same room, clearly having turned up just in time. Knowing that their daughter was being tended to, Shona tuned out of their conversation for the time being and continued to sort out the meal.

She was just serving out the vegetables onto the warm plates when she heard Spencer come into the kitchen diner and felt his arms wrap around her waist. “Careful,” she lightly warned, giggling as he kissed her neck and greeted her in his best Scottish accent. Setting the utensils down, she turned to face him so that she could kiss him back. “Mm, my day’s been alright,” she replied, returning to her serving duties. “Did some gardenin’ a bit ago and harvested a few things. We got a lot of courgettes and tomatoes this year, so expect a lot of ratatouille!”

Spencer might have seen her hesitate over the empty fifth plate, because he went on to clarify that Logan would be joining them shortly. Since neither he nor the children had shown up yet, Shona turned to listen to her husband as he explained his intention to help Lottie with the rest of her maths homework after dinner and then to bring her to the gym the next day. “Just don’t wear her out too much, yeah?” she warned. “I think it’ll do her good, but it’s hard to keep her focused and interested durin’ school hours if she’s too energised or too tired - you gotta get her in that happy medium!” She sidled up to him while he was drying his hands and leaned in close. “If you can do that for me, I’ll make you very glad you did,” she whispered, and reached up to kiss him on the cheek.

The man proceeded to help set the table, and Shona moved back to serve out a plate for Logan. Spencer asked her if Eddie was busy getting ready to go back to school before pointing out that he was excelling at his football training and lamenting that he would have better opportunities for the sport if they were in London. Shona sighed. Before she addressed the issue, she went to the window to look out at the playing field behind the pub. Eddie was still there kicking a ball around, having been out playing with his friends for hours already. Shona opened the window and leaned out. “Eddie!” she called out to him. “Dinner’s ready!”

“Five more minutes, mum!”

“Alright, we’ll eat yours for ya’!” she teased, and closed the window before he could argue. She watched him with a fond smile as he said goodbye to his friends and raced home. When she turned back to face Spencer, he offered her a smile and asked him what he could do next to help. “You can pour me a nice big glass of wine, love,” she said, and started bringing the plates over to the table. “Listen, Robbie, I know the opportunities in London are better but you need to stop,” she added, her voice going quieter. “We can’t even dream about goin’ back there. I don’t even think we’re allowed to move house without Klaus’ permission, let alone to another city…” She let out a sigh as she sat down at the table, wishing as much as Spencer did that they could give their son something better. “Maybe if we can get him a scholarship to a sports college, they’ll let us send him somewhere with higher prospects. But you need to let go of London. I can’t hear about it anymore...”

Interactions
Misty Gray Spencer, Logan, Lottie

 

[Misty Gray]

The Harper Family Home
~ Manzanillo, Cuba ~

Adam Harper and Jasmine Zegarra
(Julian Santana and Lana Villanueva)​

Adam smirked at Blake when she told him not to make his grandchildren do unpaid labour. "What?! They've got to start earning their keep already," he joked. He then smiled as Thomas assured him the children were perfect angels. "You'll tell us anything," he commented. After a brief chuckle he shook his head. "Nah, they're much better behaved than I was as a kid. I'll give 'em that," he said. Of course, Adam adored his grandchildren and whilst he did believe in giving them chores to teach them the value of hard work, he wasn't about to go party pooper on them when they were having fun tonight. And as Blake leaned in and made her suggestive comment to him, his mind was quick to move away from thoughts of of his grandkids. "Don't tempt me," he quietly replied to her.

Jasmine laughed when Chase suggested sending Safia to church with Michael. With Emilia's positive and upbeat nature, Jasmine had dodged any teenage mood swings and tantrums with her, but it seemed they weren't so lucky with Safia! When Elena enthusiastically suggested sending their youngest to her for a girly get-together, Jasmine softly smiled. "Oh, I think she'd like that. Emilia certainly loves spending time with you," she assured her. "And it's good to keep the men around here busy," she said at the suggestion of Thomas doing the work around the B&B. "There's a couple more guys here who could muck in," she teased Chase and Adam. Adam had noticed Thomas had seemed to snap out of some thoughts, but he decided not to pursue it and risk putting him on the spot, especially as he was now back with the conversation.

When Elena and Thomas brought to light the issues with the water pressure, Adam thought for a moment before nodding his head. "I think I can do that," he said, nodding affirmatively. "Used to have some issues with the showers at my old gym back in Dublin, so I should be able to help you sort it and stop the guests from whinging, Thomas," he assured them. He then looked to Jasmine. "That good with you, boss?" he teased her back. Elena also mentioned martial arts classes for Enzo, but Adam stopped short of answering straight away as she looked at Thomas to ask for his thoughts on the idea.

Adam waited for the pair of them to talk it out between then. With Thomas raising his concerns he decided to play down his initial urge to encourage the suggestion. "Well, I'm not aware of any classes targeted towards kids, but I'd do it for free," he offered. "And what's more fun than hanging out with Grandpa Adam, huh?" he lightly asked. "Offer's there for when you decide. I've got plenty of time on my hands here in Cuba," he reminded them, given his busy mob days were a thing of the past.

Pyroclast (Elena, Chase)
Bellz (Blake, Thomas)

 

[Bellz]

Interpol Headquarters
~ Berlin, Germany ~

Wesley Roberts ​

"I will have ye know I am speakin' English, ye New Yorkers think ye are speakin' English. Hate to be that guy but ye all sound like ye got somethin' in yer mouth half the time!" Wesley teased in return. "But ye are right, definitely better than a decade ago, I'm lucky for that aren't I?" He offered lightly, grinning. The man barked out a laugh as Erik went along with his joke, "The beard? Erik didn't know ye liked 'em hairy!" Wesley could remember 4 years ago when it had been hard to smile. When it had been hard to roll out of bed. To look at himself in the mirror while he brushed his teeth. Living had been hard. It felt nice to have these small moments, even if they only lasted a few seconds. It almost felt like things had returned to normal. Erik's face grew serious and Wesley let his smile fade naturally as he listened to him explain that he thought Billy wasn't cut out for the crime life. Wesley had the absolute honor of getting to know Billy and Charlie well during his wellness visits.

While Wesley might have agreed with Erik years ago...Billy definitely was a tough one, like the rest of his family. He would never assume Erik underestimated Billy because that wasn't it...but it had been 12 years since they'd seen each other, and a lot changed. A pang of guilt bubbled in his chest, causing Wesley to twitch in his chair slightly. He hated the fact that he could experience the things that Erik and Harper couldn't. That he had to bring updates back. It had left his mind utterly conflicted. No amount of therapy, he had decided long ago, would ever change it. "It's a noble thing to offer, the choice. A very democratic thing, really." Wesley said, knowing that Erik still cared about Billy even if they were living different lives now.

"Shoot." Wesley said, willing to let Erik ask him whatever he wanted. Of course, while Wesley had been promoted to second-in-command only a year prior...it didn't mean he had all the answers. But, he knew a lot and sat in on a lot. Klaus seemed to have been grooming him for the position long before he was offered it, even after what happened with Harper. Even when the organization was ready to throw him in jail. Realizing he was focusing on the wrong things, Wesley focused in, listening as Erik asked him about Klaus and believing what he was saying, about Interpol being good again. All of what Erik was saying, had been questions in Wesley's head. It seemed like he was thinking them out loud and then thinking that they sounded crazy. Wesley looked around them for a moment, at the security cameras for a slight moment in the conference room. They could only see things, the sound on them was shit.

"It is..." Wesley started and then stopped, trying to find the right words to say. "Now how do I translate this into New Yorker?" He said, giving Erik a teasing grin to try and lighten the mood at the mention of the day, knowing Erik was having a hard time. "I know there's been a lot of shiftin' on the higher level. Different people are in, old ones...those bastards we were concerned about before, are all out. This whole program, this whole division..." Wesley motioned around them, "Klaus started all of this. Ye have no right to trust him, after all he did to ye. But he's not an eejit...sorry, an idiot. He knew back in '85 when it was time to defect. Yer concern isn't stupid, it's necessary, after all ye have been through. But I'll make sure this shite gets handled properly. I'll push to be in this meetin'. Higher-ups don't like me but maybe it'll get them to agree to what needs to be agreed to." The man watched Erik, hoping what he was saying was making sense. "Better English? New Yorkers think youse on top of the world! Just cuz good ole Mr. Sinatra sang that damn song like one time!" His voice was painted with laughter, smiling at Erik before he let it all fade naturally at the thought of the day.

"She'd nag you about being all gloomy today, you know? Remind ye that today is actually meant to be a weird day for celebration? Like that Mad Hatter and his very merry unbirthdays or some shite." Wesley found himself smiling faintly but looked away from Erik, down at the conference table as he tapped it slightly. "I-...I know it might not be my place...but I can run ye over to see her. If ye want." Wesley hadn't been over to her grave since they'd had the service. Not allowing himself to. "I was plannin' on it...today, at some point. Shrink said I should try. Told her that I was afraid I'd run into a billionaire dressed up as a ghost, which she was not amused by. Clearly not a Scooby-doo gal. First real step I'd be takin' in this healing bullshite..." Wesley was rambling and he bit his cheek to stop himself, tapping the table again a few times before shaking his head.
with: Erik Melanin-Gxdess
mentions: Billy and Charlie Pyroclast

 

[Misty Gray]

Carter Technologies
~ City of London, London ~

Ezekiel Carter and Trevor Stewart​

Ezekiel silently studied Abel as the younger man processed what had been said. Of course he was shocked by the request, only a complete idiot wouldn't be. What Ezekiel was waiting to find out was how long it would take Abel to process it and come to his senses. He watched on as Abel stood up and began to protest what he'd told him to do. He was clearly agitated, but Ezekiel remained calm and relaxed as he kept his eyes fixed on the younger man. He listened as he expressed his concern about the financial and reputational damage pulling out of the contract with Farringdon would cause. He nodded his head in agreement but didn't rush to argue, instead letting Abel get his initial thoughts out in the open. A knowing smile crept onto his face when Abel asked what was in it for him if he pulled out of the deal with Farringdon. At least he had the guts and sense to ask. Whether it got him anywhere or not remained to be seen, but at least there was some fight in him.

Trevor maintained a neutral expression despite Abel's words giving him cause for concern. Whilst it was perfectly reasonable for his nephew to ask the questions he was asking, he knew by now that Ezekiel would only compromise on his own terms. Hell, from what Trevor had seen over the years, he figured he should be grateful the Carters weren't taking a shadier and more violent approach to putting Farringdon in his place. Trevor wanted to speak up and echo Abel's words, but the look on Ezekiel's face told him he might not need to step in just yet. He just hoped Abel's words hadn't irritated Ezekiel as he would have to find the happy medium between defending his nephew and not getting on the boss' bad side.

Ezekiel had remained silent, waiting until Abel finally sat back down. "Yes, I'm aware of the effect it would have on you, financially and with regards to your reputation. One way or another, Farringdon's hotel will not be getting built in this city. You'll be grateful you distanced yourself from him when his plans fall through." Sitting forward, Ezekiel pointed to Abel and nodded his head. "What you will get out of this is not only the privilege of continuing to work in my city, but also the ongoing security of your business. But more than that, I have a proposal that will bring more business your way - more profit than you would have been making with Farringdon. I'm offering you the contract to build the new research lab I'm opening across the other side of the river," he said, briefly looking over his shoulder to the view of the River Thames. "And from that, I may also decide to enlist in your company's services for further projects I have in the works for this city. You won't need to worry about your reputatation, because I can make it so that bad press will go away," he assured him. "So that's the choice I'm laying on the table for you Abel. You're either working with me or you're working against me, for a nobody like Farringdon. The choice is yours. What's it's going to be?" he asked him.

BasDorcha (Abel)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Bryne Family Home
~Dublin~
Declan Bryne
(Leo Sullivan)
​

When asked what he was insinuating, Leo said nothing. At least, verbally. His eyes and the way his brows lifted said so much more than his mouth ever could. She knew the answer to her own question and there was no reason for him to even explain himself. The fact of the matter was that he felt he'd been the only one keeping those made promises. The idea that those promises were created during a very different time didn't occur to him. All he saw was his desire to show his wife how devoted he was and that she could trust him. However, the line of between convincing her and convincing himself had become blurry the past couple of years and he couldn't tell the difference anymore. Of course a simple conversation could've stopped all of it. But the problem was how to articulate how he was feeling and what he wanted to say. Even now as he tried to figure out how to say it to her in their argument he struggled and in the end, left it alone.

"Yes! Faith in me, Natasha because clearly you don't-," he stopped. The moment he heard the sound of his son's voice he stopped. Leo never wanted to argue in front of his children or within earshot of them. Unfortunately, it always seemed to happen regardless. Leo hadn't turned around just yet while listening to Jaxson demand dinner. However, the moment he heard Natasha begin to discipline him and his smart response, he frowned at him. "Jaxson. We've talked about this. Respect your mother and quit causin' trouble." Jaxson reminded him a lot of himself, especially these days. A part of him felt like his behavior was in response to the arguing he and Natasha did. And the more they argued and fought the worse his behavior got. Similarly to his mother, however, he didn't know what to do about it. What worked for him may not necessarily work for his son and he didn't want to come off as too overbearing. It was the reason why he often let Nat discipline him while he took care of the others.

Jaxson left the kitchen then, Nat returning to fix plates for the children while Leo stood in silence. He was processing her words- his words and when he replayed them in his mind he couldn't believe he'd said them. Hurting her was the last thing he ever wanted to do. The sad look on her face and the tears that fell down her cheeks was frozen in his mind. Even now as he watched her move about the kitchen he'd felt like a proper jackass. It was one thing to think such a thought about his wife. And a completely different one when it came to expressing it aloud; especially when she was already having a bad day. Leo stood in the kitchen for a bit longer before standing at the opening, quietly listening to her console their children. Seana was sitting nearby watching them and when she noticed her father's presence gave him a soft look. A look that silently told him she knew he was trying but that he was going about it the wrong way. It was the same sort of look his mother shot his father at times, silently across the dinner table. It wasn't that his eldest daughter was disappointed in him or her mother. More like she wished they would get their shit together.

Meanwhile, Wayne hadn't said anything. He hadn't reacted to his parent's argument and had been sitting quietly. At what point he began to disassociate was anyone's guess but he had gone somewhere far far away. A place where his parents still loved each other and didn't argue. Where whatever issue they had between them didn't exist. A loving family housed in a loving home. Leo noticed this but, as with Jaxson, he didn't know what to do about it. Natasha turned to return to the kitchen and he watched the smile fade from her face. After a couple of seconds, he returned to the kitchen and stared at her back as she spoke to him. She mentioned how dreams should change and adjust to the times but Leo couldn't bring himself to agree. Dreams didn't change, to him, the way you achieved them did. But in an attempt to avoid another argument, he said nothing. Which is what most of the problem was. The inability to share their disagreements without harsh words being exchanged. The inability to step into each other's shoes and see it from the opposite perspective.

It wasn't until she directed him to go and eat dinner with their children that he felt a sharp pain in his chest. The reminder of what she had lost hit him harder than he thought it would. She'd mentioned it before, the night they broke up 12 years ago. And just the sound of her voice brought him back to that night and he relived it all over again. He stepped forward and the moment she stepped back he stopped. "Nat," he whispered, wanting to apologize but nothing more came out. Instead, he let her leave him in the kitchen alone. And for what felt like an eternity he just stared at the plate of food in his hand. He never could understand how things got to this place and wondered if he ever would. Shoving the thoughts aside for the moment he joined his children. It was hard pretending like he and their mother didn't just have an argument and that she wasn't in the room with them, but he was going to make it work. "So," he started, looking around the room. "You guys excited to start school tomorrow?"

 

[BasDorcha]

Alex King's Family Home

~Bethnal Green, London~​

Maeve and Jensen Brooks

May let the subject drop with Christian's last comment. It wasn't a good day for fighting, she didn't have the energy today to deal with it. She knew he wasn't happy with it, but there were a lot of things in the world lately that made them both unhappy and that was just the way it was going to be. May of course could quit her job, be a stay at home mom, away from Carter, but then she'd just be miserable at home, feeling trapped in the walls the way she had towards the end of her recovery from being kidnapped and raped, held hostage. The memories crept in like a slow moving fog and brought tears to her eyes that she quickly blinked away. Her life had changed so much then. Everything she thought she knew had been turned upside down and inside out, and it had taken so long to come back from. These days she didn't think about it as much, but when she did, she could feel the clawing sensation trying to worm its way back into her mind to take over.

Pushing the thoughts from her mind, she smiled at her kids and removed her hand from his unresponsive knee. She had learned a long time ago that he didn't always react to actions she thought would be seen as a loving caress or inspire the grasping of hands, affections to be given. It kept the edge on her heart sharp and clean, her barrier in place. Over the years she had developed a wall that was filled with holes for brief interaction, short cross overs. Her kids had ways to get past every time, and sometimes even her husband would break down her barriers, but then a moment of coldness would pass between them and the stones that built the so high walls would start rolling back into place. The constant destruction and rebuild never let up on May, a silent battle that she kept locked in her mind and breathed a word of never. No one had pried a way past all the protection she had made for herself, not that there were a lot of people around anymore who wanted to.

Alex and her were on better grounds now than they had ever been back in the past, and one might say they were as close as could be expected of siblings who found themselves late in life, but they were in no means best friends. Her and Kerry were close when they were younger, but family life had drawn them out of the bar scene and into a more set routine that meant not hanging out as often. May withdrew and stayed silent, unintentionally distracted and in her own world.

Jensen watched his mom teetering on the edge of disassociating and swallowed hard. How was it him and Chloe were the only ones who seemed to pick up on it? He stared out the window, quiet. He smiled at his dad when he encouraged him to proceed with game developing. He could have said anything, and they both would have supported him, of that he was certain, but he was glad to hear it none the less. As the rear door opened, they all climbed out, mom included and headed for the door. May hugged Kerry back, lingering a fraction longer than normal before pulling away. Jensen, hearing food, perked right up and hurried in the house, straight for the kitchen. May smiled at the King's and hugged Alex as well, moving into the house. Some of the tension melted as she began to feel the warmth of the room around her, the love from Kerry and the kids, and things felt more normal.

When Kerry asked if she was doing okay, tears formed in her eyes, but she carefully blinked them away before they could fall. She shoved her mental health to the back corner and smiled brightly, squeezing Kerry's arm lightly. "Work has just been hard lately, Christian's working more than normal and of course he doesn't like where I'm working, even though I technically don't work with Carter directly just some off branch department. I've rarely even seen the man in the building." She shrugged, moving further in, watching as Chloe and Elizbeth teamed up, Jensen had moved to the food and was already sniffing around, and Harrison asked his question. May's mouth dropped for a second, before a giggle passed her lips, her hand slapping over her mouth to block it. Christian was a cop, and before he got back into it, May would have cracked the same jokes.

Overhearing Alex's question behind her back, the men unable to see her face but on full display for Kerry, a crushed look formed. It was like she expected him to admit he never loved her to even now right in that moment. She blinked a few times, then pasted the smile back on her face, dragging Kerry with her to round up kids and set the table. "Come, I'll help you." She called as she forced her to come along. She didn't want to hear Christian's answer, scared of the words that might come out.

 

[Misty Gray]

The Loch Inn Pub
~ Fort William, Scotland ~

Spencer King (Nathan Miller)
and Logan Thomson​

For the last five years, this time of year had always been one of the hardest for Logan. It had been in June 1992 that Logan had been working behind the bar when he received the most devastating phone call he could have imagined. The death of his wife and unborn child had destroyed him. His whole life before meeting Katie had been a series of loss, abuse and worthlessness, but she had been the much needed light he hadn't realised he'd been yearning for. In his grief, Logan had isolated himself in the months that had followed and September had been particularly hard for him, and continued to be on each anniversary. It was exactly five years ago that his daughter had been due to be born. He and Katie hadn't even agreed on a name before the accident and to this day he still hadn't been able to settle on what they would have named their child. It was also exactly five years ago that Logan had been about to end his own life, stopped only when Spencer had forced his way into his apartment. Although Logan still has bad days, he remains grateful for everything Spencer and Shona had done for him over the years. They were not only his closest friends, but by now he considered them family, along with Eddie and Lottie who he cared greatly for.

"Earth to Logan!" the bar manager's, Fiona's voice repeated as he leaned against the bar in a daydream. "Weren't you meant to be going for dinner? Don't have Nathan dragging your arse upstairs," the older woman teased him. Despite her joking, she carried a softened expression. "Go on, you've been working hard enough all day," she encouraged him.

"Shit," Logan said, snapping out of his thoughts and glancing to the clock on the wall. "Lost track of time..." he trailed off as he rushed to join the Millers for dinner.

*****​

Spencer had listened as Shona spoke of her day, mentioning the vegetables she'd harvested whilst gardening. He couldn't help but smile, not only at her warning to expect a lot of ratatouille, but mostly at seeing how content she seemed. Scotland was relaxing, that was for sure, so he couldn't help but feel selfish during the times where he found himself wishing for more excitement, more opportunities for them and their children. Spencer was at least glad that Shona had settled into the life they'd never have chosen. He loved her and seeing her smile back at him would never get old.

When Shona warned him not to wear Lottie out too much with taking her to the gym with him, he let out a sigh but didn't speak until his wife had continued to explain. She told him it could be hard to keep her focused during school hours if he didn't find a happy medium between the girl being too tired or too energised. "I get that," he said, nodding his head. "I just think we also need to find the happy medium between coddling her and pushing her. She's going to have to learn to control and redirect her anger because we won't always be there to calm her down." As Shona had moved up close and suggestively whispered to him, he softened his stance and let out a low chuckle. "But I'm sure I can find those happy mediums, for you..." he flirted back.

As they moved on to speaking about Eddie, Spencer paused from setting the table as Shona moved to the window to call out to their son for him to come to dinner. Spencer peered over her shoulder and out of the window, seeing Eddie playing football with him friends. The man smirked as the boy asked for five more minutes, then returned his focus back to preparing for dinner to leave Shona to threatening the boy that they'd eat his food for him.

His wife then closed the window and turned back to Spencer, telling him he could pour her some wine. "Sure, love," he agreed. Realising he was still wearing the glasses he wore for driving, he removed them and slid them into his waistcoat pocket for the time-being. As he reached for the bottle, Shona addressed his comment about there being better opportunities for Eddie in London. The fact she'd used his affectionate name and in a lowered voice somehow told him she wasn't happy with what he'd said. As she went on to remind him they couldn't dream about returning to their home, Spencer grabbed the neck of the bottle in one hand and pulled the cork. He then poured her glass of wine as she pointed out they couldn't even move house without Klaus' permission. Tightening his jaw, he dumped the bottle back on the table, with Shona's glass filled. There was a time when he'd never have asked anyone for permission for anything, so the reminder of where they now stood still got to him as it often did. He stepped aside as Shona took her seat, briefly glancing to the doorway where none of the others yet showed a sign of appearing. He nodded along as Shona suggested getting Eddie a scholarship so Klaus' lot might let them send their son somewhere with higher prospects. Spencer couldn't disagree with that idea as he wanted to do everything at his disposal to give Eddie better opportunities than he'd had as a kid. However, his agreement with the idea was overshadowed when his wife told him to let go of London and that she couldn't hear about it anymore.

Spencer walked away from the table and her, returning into the kitchen area where he opened the fridge to grab himself a bottle of beer. Frustrated by the feeling of them in his pocket, he removed his glasses from where he'd stored them and lightly tossed them onto the counter. Grabbing the bottle opener, he removed the bottle cap and took a drink before turning back to Shona, gripping the drink in his hand. "Maybe you can't hear about it anymore, but I don't just have an off switch." Spencer returned to the round dining table and sat in his place beside her. "Just like I don't have an off switch when Gary is banging on about his fucking lawn mower. I love you, the kids, our little family here, but it ain't possible for me to just forget about everyone we lost," he quietly told her.

Spencer fell silent as he heard footsteps approaching and Lottie entered the room. "What're you drinking, love?" he asked his daughter as she took her seat at Shona's other side. When she asked for orange juice, Spencer got up to prepare her drink. He then noticed Eddie enter the room and poured him a drink of what he wanted too. "Have you had fun with the lads?" he asked, referring to the kids he'd just been playing outside with. Handing Eddie his drink and letting him sit next to Lottie, Spencer didn't sit back down, figuring he'd have to get up again when Logan showed up anyway. "You looking forward to school?" he asked Eddie, a grin on his face. "The holiday's over now, mate," he teased him.

Logan soon entered the room and Spencer offered him a drink. Once he'd taken his seat between Eddie and Spencer, Logan looked to Shona and smiled at her. "Alicia, dinner looks amazing, as always. Thank you," he told her. "How are you?" he asked her. He then turned to the two kids and flashed them each a smile. "You both okay?"

"Yeah! Dad's going to let me work out at the gym tomorrow and soon I'm going to be tougher than everyone here," Lottie excitedly informed him.

"Is that right?" Logan asked, glancing to Spencer as the man sat down at the table and told everyone to start eating. "I guess I'd better not cross you, Lottie. I don't want to get beaten up by a girl!" he joked.

Spencer briefly put his arm around Shona and gently squeezed her shoulder, aware of the conversation they'd been having about London before the kids and Logan joined them. He wasn't certain, but it looked like they'd been heading towards a disagreement and he didn't want them to sit through dinner with that thought weighing them down. Despite Logan's seemingly chipper mood, he and Shona were both aware that today was one of the rougher ones for the younger man. It was why Spencer had made sure to have him over for dinner and had also kept him busy with running errands all day. Now they were all together though, he hoped the younger man would relax and if he was struggling he hoped he'd speak up to himself or Shona. Another glance to Logan allowed him to pick on the heaviness behind the man's eyes, even if he was trying to put on a brave face.

Pyroclast (Shona, Eddie)

 

[Misty Gray]

Carter Technologies
~ City of London, London ~

Will Roberts​

Will didn't argue when Reign confirmed she was still able to see Sophie once she'd changed. He'd had little doubt she would still want to go ahead with business, but he wanted to offer to cover for her regardless. Even someone as independent and hardworking as Reign might need to take some time out once in a while. She at least accepted his offer to arrange for her suit to be dry cleaned, so he made a mental note to arrange that the next day. When she spoke about how her mother had asserted the importance of a first impression, Will turned to her with his full attention on her as she spoke. He nodded in agreement when she said women were more than just looks. Whilst in his time he had come across women who played on nothing more than their looks and expected to go far from being a pretty face, most he was able to see beyond their appearance to acknowledge their intelligence and hard work. Reign particularly stood out as someone who was more than just a beautiful face. She would give most men a run for their money in business and it annoyed him that not every man was wise enough to acknowledge or accept that about her. He flashed a smile when she thanked him for not paying attention. "You're welcome," he knowingly told her. Of course he'd paid attention. It was far from being the only good quality about her, but her style and meticulous appearance did not go unnoticed.

When she complimented his reflexes in catching the glass, he sent her a single nod. "One has to be quick-thinking and fast to act in this job," he commented. Being Ezekiel's senior assistant was a high pressure job and he'd had to learn to think fast, as well as grow a thick skin, over the years. Will was taken by surprise when Reign then apologised for her cold behaviour. He studied her for a moment, trying to work out if it was something weighing on her mind. Before he replied, she told him she considered them friends, pointing out she didn't have many given the way she acted. "You don't need to apologise to me. I wouldn't have lasted this long working for your father if that sort of thing made me uncomfortable," he assured her. "And for what it's worth, you reacted how I would have expected given that waitress' incompetence. It was bad enough it ended up with you getting wine spilled on your suit, but it could have very easily resulted in an important client being the target and costing your father business. The waitress had one very simple job to do and she failed to do it adequately," he pointed out.

Just as Reign had said she'd have grabbed a drink on the way out if she wasn't so busy, the elevator doors opened. Stepping out, he noted nobody was within ear shot as they walked alongside each other. "I don't see any reason why a drink is out of the question once the conference ends," he said, looking to his watch and noting there was only an hour of so to go. "If you don't have any further tasks after that, the evening is surely yours to control," he suggested to her.

When they reached Reign's office, Will made a point of stopping outside the door, wanting to give her some privacy to get changed. "I'll wait here until your done," he told her.

Bellz (Reign)

 

[Misty Gray]

Alex King's Family Home
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Kerry, Callum and Harrison King
Christian and Chloe Brooks​

When Lizzie told her that apple juice was going to be put on tap at the pub, Kerry looked to Alex with a puzzled expression. When her husband explained they were going to ask her how she felt about the idea first, she knowingly nodded her head. "That's a wise idea," she drily commented. Then Alex explained the new beer wasn't bringing in any profit. "Well, there's a couple of beers I have at the Sunrise that are doing well and might be worth getting in at the pub too," she suggested, The Sunrise Nightclub & Cocktail Bar being the club she managed. "As for apple juice, I'm afraid we can't get that on tap, Lizzie. But check in with me later and we can try come up with a new cocktail that has apple juice in. I could see if it takes off at my club," she suggested to her daughter.

Christian understood when Alex told him Carter had just been up to his usual antics. Antics was certainly a light way of putting it, given the kind of crimes the businessman got up to behind the scenes. He was about to make a comment about Ezekiel being a crook when Alex took him by surprise with his question as to whether he was still in love with May. Christian blushed and hesitated for a moment, clearly caught off-guard by the question being asked in front of the others. He could see Alex regretting asking, but he still felt like he had to answer. "Of course, Alex," he said, displaying a fond smile.

When Harrison asked his question about bacon at Christian's expense for being a cop, it didn't take a detective to know the five-year-old had been egged on by Callum to ask the question. Whilst the teenager's behaviour was becoming tiresome, he knew Harrison had no malice in him. Christian could see Alex was shocked by his youngest's comment, but he gave him an amicable smile when he mumbled an apology. "It's fine..." he trailed off. His brother-in-law then asked Harrison to apologise, prompting the child to look up to Christian with a sad expression. "Sorry, Uncle Christian..." he sweetly apologised. Smiling back at the boy, Christian lightly ruffled his hair. "It's okay, Harrison. Thank you," he said, not hesitating to accept the apology.

Callum had been laid across the sofa with his feet on the arm rest when Alex snatched the mobile phone out of his hands. "Oi!" he protected as he sat up straight and turned to face his father. When Alex told him to stop treating Christian and Kerry badly, Callum rolled his eyes but relented and nodded his head. "Fine. I'll stop. Wouldn't want to hurt their fragile feelings," he remarked. "It was funny though," he quietly added. He stood up and approached Alex, holding his hand out for the phone. "Is dinner ready now?" he asked.

Kerry hadn't been oblivious to the lingering hug May returned and was certain much of the reason for her friend's demeanour was because of things with Christian. It wasn't exactly hard to miss. Kerry had practically cringed when Alex asked Christian if he was still in love with May. This was followed by even more embarrassment when Harrison went ahead and asked the question Callum had put into his head - the kind of question she had specifically told both of the boys not to ask. Given her stepson's behaviour towards her as of late, she left it to Alex to berate Callum this time.

With Alex's question about if Christian still loved May, Kerry had seen the clear upset on the woman's face and no smile painted on afterwards could hide that. "Kids. Dinner time!" Kerry called out for them all to hear as she was led into the kitchen by May. As the two women set about serving dinner, Kerry thought back to May's earlier comment. "Being a detective does mean Christian works long and awkward hours," she tried to reason. She nodded in understanding about May working in a department of Carter Tech than wasn't directly associated with Ezekiel. "If there's one thing I've learned about Christian over the years, it's that he's very literal and absolute where the Carters are concerned. I get his concern, but at the same time, it seems like he's fretting over nothing. Want me to try make him see reason?" she suggested. Kerry herself wasn't sure why May would choose to work for the Carters, but she also understood the business was huge and May's area was not one that crossed over with the illegal side of operations." She looked May in the eyes. "But is it more than that? Has something been happening between you and Christian? You looked upset a moment ago," she softly asked.

Spoiler: Seating Plan

The others soon made their way into the dining room and took their seats, Kerry telling Harrison to sit next to her so she could make sure he didn't play with his food. Callum and Lizzie also took their seats at the same half of the table as their parents, leaving Christian to sit next to May with Jensen and Chloe across from them. As they started eating, Kerry sent a glance to Alex, wondering if he too had picked up on the tension with the Brooks couple and if he knew anything she didn't, from Christian's side of things.

Between the Brooks' marriage tensions, Callum's and Harrison's comments, and the general stress the Carters were placing on her and Alex, things felt a little tense around the table for Kerry. There was a time when Kerry would be shocked to think it, but she now found herself wishing Trevor was present. Despite the man's faults, he had a way of breaking an uncomfortable silence and knowing what to say to liven up a conversation. Perhaps he was just a good actor, but whatever it was, his charm tended to work on diffusing a situation.

Glancing to the empty spot on the far end of the table, Callum rolled his eyes. "Is Grandad coming round after his work thing has finished?" the teenager asked.

Christian couldn't help but raise a curious eyebrow. What could Carter and Trevor possibly need to be doing on a Sunday evening? Nothing about Trevor working for Ezekiel sat well with the detective, yet everyone else seemed fine with it. Perhaps that was partly why May thought working there was safe for her too. "I didn't realise Carter had his sales staff working on a weekend," he said, referring to his father-in-law's official job title as the Head of Sales. "They'll be trying to get you working weekends soon, May," he half-joked.

Melanin-Gxdess (Alex, Lizzie)
BasDorcha (May, Jensen)

 

[Misty Gray]

Billy King's Residence
~ Utrecht, The Netherlands ~

Hendrik Janssen​

Hendrik had spent the afternoon working at the gym in his role as a personal trainer, seeing two of his clients. When he'd returned to the home he shared with Billy, he went straight for a shower and to change so he was freshened up for dinner. He'd only made his way into the living room when he heard Billy call out for him. Smiling to himself, Hendrik didn't hesitate to get up from the couch and head into the kitchen where his boyfriend was making dinner.

Standing in the doorway, he rested against the frame and folded his arms as he watched Billy from behind. Being a chef and often taking the lead on preparing meals, he didn't want to muscle in when Billy was doing the cooking and make it look like he was trying to take over. However, when he beckoned him over, Hendrik approached him at the stove and leaned into him as he put his arm around his waist, placing a kiss on the side of his forehead. When the spoon was brought to his mouth, he had a taste of the gravy. "It's good," he told him, nodding his head. He then took on the role given to him and set about stirring the gravy. "Maybe just a little more seasoning," he said, pinching his finger and thumb together. "You English need a little more spice in your lives," he teased to Cockney boyfriend and gave him a playful nudge in the bicep.

As he tended to the gravy, Hendrik hummed along to some song without lyrics that had been stuck in his head all day at the gym. Dancing a little as he stirred the gravy, he suddenly stopped when Billy called Charlie's name to get the boy's attention. Hendrik smiled to himself as he thought about the happy life he had now. He loved Billy and even though it'd only been a couple of years since he'd known him, he couldn't imagine a life without the Englishman in it. He was aware Charlie hadn't exactly warmed to him yet and he knew better than to push the boy into accepting him. Hendrik was a patient man and his love for Billy meant he was going to be as sensitive as he could, hoping that one day Charlie would accept him.

As Billy addressed the boy about reading whilst walking, Hendrik looked over his shoulder to the two and couldn't help but smile as the father and son interacted. He was then snapped out of his thoughts when Billy called on him to pour the gravy on Charlie's dinner plate. "Alright," he said, carrying the jug to the table. He carefully focused as he poured the gravy onto the boy's plater, working as if performing the most delicate operation. Charlie was very particular about his vegetables remaining untouched by the gravy, so he didn't want to disappoint.

The three of them were soon seated at the table with their meals. As Billy and Charlie spoke about the book, Hendrik listened along whilst eating. He didn't want to interrupt their moment, especially when Billy then questioned the maturity of the book. His boyfriend soon shifted his attention onto the fact Charlie was pushing his vegetables around on the plate. Hendrik stayed silent on the matter, knowing better than to butt in when it came to parenting Charlie, considering the boy still hadn't fully accepted him in his life.

Billy then asked Hendrik what his week's plans were and if he wanted do do something on Friday. The Dutchman swallowed the food that was in his mouth before answering. "I have a full schedule of personal training sessions Monday to Thursday, and will be covering a shift at the restaurant Wednesday evening, but Friday is free for me," he explained. Hearing Billy asked if he wanted to do something Friday, Hendrik's eyes lit up and he smiled at him. "Friday is good. I would like that," he confirmed. He briefly glanced to Charlie before continuing. "What would you like to do? Nightclub, concert, dinner... all three?" he asked, quirking his eyebrow. Despite his heavy workout regime and healthy living, Hendrik was more than capable of pulling a drunken all-nighter and giving himself a day off once in a while.

Pyroclast (Billy, Charlie)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Bar Street
~ Gran Canaria, Spain ~

Christina Donovan
(Rhiannon Sullivan)
​

Rhiannon couldn't help but laugh at her cousin's humor. It didn't matter what sort of day she was having she knew she could always count on him to bring a smile to her face. And it had always been like that, now that she thought about it. Even when they were kids living in Dublin. If she couldn't get to Jeanie, Lucas was there to help. She was more than grateful that she'd had him in her life - even more so since losing the rest of their family. And as wild as he may have gotten over the years there was no one she'd rather be with right then than him. The shots placed in front of them prevented her from any more reminiscing - fingers wrapping around the small shot glass and bringing it up to her lips. With his words of encouragement ringing through her ears, Rhiannon knocked the shot back. The tequila both warmed her body, a warmth settling into her, but also made her gag. She did so every time she had tequila and yet... "Oh god," she exclaimed, quickly reaching for her cocktail. "Why do I do that to myself," she questioned rhetorically. Clearly, it was because she hated herself.

"Don't try too hard," she said in reference to the task of finding her someone to date. Rhiannon was still stuck in the stage of figuring out who she was and what she wanted. Up until 1985, she knew exactly who she was and what she wanted for her life. A famous ice-skater turned coach. She didn't really have plans outside of that dream and she wished that she had. Then she wouldn't be in the predicament she now found herself in, struggling to figure out so many things at once. She'd zoned out again but once Lucas started to talk about his parents she forced herself to pay attention with a smile on her face. That smile wavered, however, as she watched her cousin with concern. He was trying to give her an update on how they were but hadn't managed to get it out. "Yeah, sure." She moved the two of them to a small booth instead and no more than two seconds later he fainted. "Lucas?!" With her hands on his shoulders, she gently shook him, examining his face and pulse and to make sure he was breathing. When he came to she placed her hand over her chest. "Jesus, Lucas, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" He didn't seem to be too worried, though. In fact, she watched as he tried to brush it off and frowned when he got up trying to get more drinks.

"Absolutely not," she stood up, pointing toward the exit. "I'm taking you home. If you think I'm just gonna let your little fainting spell slide, pfft. You've got another thing comin'." Rhiannon threw money on the table before grabbing Lucas' wrist. "Now, come on. Marco is out front and he'll take us home." Rhiannon wasn't about to listen to any protests. With every argument given she gave a retort of her own. Once the two of them were outside she flagged down Marco. It'd only taken him a few moments to pull up next to them, rolling down the window. "Everything okay?" Rhiannon shook her head, pointing to Lucas. "Young, wild, and free over here just blacked out." Though she was frowning, her voice indicated just how worried she was. She'd seen Lucas party hard before; blacking out and not remembering the night. Relying on Rhi to tell him what they'd been up to and have no recollection. But for some reason, this felt different. "Ah, well. You two hop in. Vamos. I'll take you home."

The ride over to Ginn's was full of questions from Rhiannon. "How long has that been happening? Did you take anything else? How long had you really been drinking before I got there?" She was concerned, hoping someone hadn't slipped something into his drink when they weren't looking. Her pestering was persistent and it wasn't until they returned to his place that she had stopped. She asked if he wanted her to keep quiet or if it were okay to talk about - knowing how much his parents could worry too. "I mean, I think we should tell them but it's whatever you want," she said once they were out of the car. "And you know Marco won't say anything either. I, however, would like to know. Has that ever happened before?"

 

[Bellz]

Carter Technologies
~ City of London, London ~

Reign Carter ​

Reign hadn't outwardly reacted to Will shrugging off her apology but was relieved to hear that he hadn't been put off by her behavior. He even went as far as to say that her reaction was expected given the waitress' incompetence. The words she had regretted about grabbing a drink seemed to not hit Will the same embarrassing way they hit Reign as the elevator doors opened, giving Reign a small distraction as they both stepped out into the hallway. Keeping her jaw set and chin held high despite the wet attire, they walked towards her office, Reign not noticing Will glance around before he said something about a drink not being out of the question after the conference ended. This had her head turning towards him just a fraction, eyes peering towards him as he glanced at his watch. The slightest closed-lipped smile graced her once serious face again, and Reign wondered if this would become some habit...smiling too much with him around. Bad for business, that was definitely a yes. But bad for her? She couldn't answer that question.

"You make a fair point, Will. After a long work week like this, think a drink is exactly what I need. Preferably one that I don't wear." The left side of her mouth twitched a little higher than the right before they reached her office and when they stopped in front of the door she hesitated. Realizing he, of course, wouldn't come inside with her for this part, Reign was berating herself for thinking such a way before nodding her head. "Of course, thank you. I'll be only a moment." With that, she grabbed the key to her office from her purse, unlocked it, and pushed the door open. Once inside she moved to close the blinds that gave a view to the hallway and shifted to grab the spare change of clothes she had from her cabinet in the corner of her office. While her office wasn't nearly as large as her father's, it was a decent space, tucked away in the corner of the building where she liked. Opening the cabinet with the other set of keys she grabbed from her top desk drawer, she shoved open both doors to find only one change of clothes.

It was an appropriate outfit at least, nothing too flashy but it wasn't necessarily business attire like she'd hoped. Sighing softly, Reign held the purple fabric between her fingers for a moment wondering if she should just brave the wet clothes or throw this thing on. She was nearly done with what she needed to do anyway, if anything this outfit was the perfect outfit to get a drink in afterward. Reign's eyes slid to the door for just a moment, knowing Will was standing outside waiting for her. Not wanting to keep him waiting much longer, knowing her father had given him a job to do as well as herself, she grabbed the dress and closed the blinds that gave views of the city below. Peeling the wet clothes from her body, she made a disgusted face while doing so, trying to dry off as best as she could before moving to slide into her purple dress.

Unzipping the back, she stepped in feet first, shimmying a bit as the dress grew a bit tighter around her curves at her waist and hips before shoving her arms in the sleeves. Then she went to move to zip up the dress from the zipper in the back, grabbing it and zipping it up halfway with ease, only for it to get stuck halfway, at the middle of her back. "Come on!" She hissed, tugging and tugging at it. The last thing she wanted to do was ask for help. She had already been embarrassed enough tonight and she knew Will would help if she asked but it was like a walk of shame for her. "Come on, come on, come onnnnn!" Her voice was low as she tried to grab with both hands reaching around one and then the other, but the zipper was stuck, unwilling to move.

"Damn it." She growled, blowing a piece of hair from her face with force before turning to look at the door. Straightening out, Reign smoothed her hands down the dress to get rid of any evidence of struggle before hanging up her ruined suit on the hanger that the dress had been on. Leaving that in the cabinet for now, she walked towards the door, opening it slowly and peeking her head out to look at Will. "I have a favor to ask of you." She murmured softly, turning her head to look up and down the corridor to see if anyone was around. She watched a few people further away chat and walk but they didn't seem to notice them. Waiting until they rounded the corner towards the elevators, Reign then opened the door a little wider and beckoned him into her office, having him close the door. "C-could you pull this irksome zipper up? I've tried to for the past 2 minutes. It won't budge. Please?" Reign met his eyes, her cheeks warming but her face serious.
with: Will Misty Gray

Daisy's Cocktail Bar & Nightclub
~ Soho, London ~

Melissa Sullivan​

"Supervisor? That's a new one. I like that! Better than being called Mom all the time." Melissa chuckled, "But yes, definitely the grown-up." She said, her cheeks growing warmer and warmer by the minute. When Zachary said that he respected maturity and protectiveness in a person, she felt like she was floating in the air for just a moment. Two things Melissa was very well known for both in and outside of her career. There were quite a few other things she was known for, like not liking to be a part of crowds, being introverted, and tending to talk just a little too much when nervous which was on full display but Zachary didn't seem to be put off by that in the slightest.

He smirked her way, causing her to relax as he shrugged his shoulders telling her that he would let her ask him whatever she wanted. That brought a full smile to her face and a sheepish laugh which she moved to hide behind her wine glass. Hearing he wasn't with friends was a bit surprising so she was about to assume he was on a date, but he quickly squashed that thought as well. Once again, she brought her glass to her lips to hide the smile from her face. Hearing he was in the club for work caused her brows to raise in surprise, wondering what he could have been doing here of all places for work. Collect a package for the boss. Melissa wondered what that meant but didn't dare read into it, at least not in the present moment. When he said he wished he was out for a social call, saying there was something about the club that made it more appealing than usual tonight, the playful smile didn't go amiss. Melissa smiled again, words had escaped her, however, but she counted it as a blessing...not wanting to say anything stupid.

Her appreciation for him blocking the creepy drunken man went over well and when he made a joke about the man being lucky to stare at him instead, she giggled. "I wouldn't mind the view." She boldly said. The wine definitely hit her now, she was never so bold with her words. Never so flirty, especially with her co-workers. "T-Thank you." She murmured, returning to her normal nervous self as he complimented her outfit. Zachary was just the confidence boost she needed, though growing up in a house full of men, she had never really needed confidence. But after losing most of her family who had told her she didn't need others to be happy or need others' positive opinions to feel good about herself, she receded back into herself in London. "Ahh, no need for that, Zach. Though if he continues to stare at you the way he is now, he and I might have a problem." The words moved past her lips before they could stop. When had she gotten so confident? Surely she hadn't had that much to drink? Looking over at her glass, she realized that the wine was nearly gone. It had been a pretty large glass, she realized, as she eyed the rounded bulb of it. Maybe that's why the price had been so criminal.

"So, you on duty all night or do you clock out after you drop that package off? I mean I'm supervisin' right now but I'm sure I don't have to stick with them for too long. Just want to make sure none of them break a leg or anythin' while they flail about out there." Melissa looked to where her friends were for just a split second before her attention turned back to Zach, her eyes roaming his appearance. "You seem like much more down-to-earth company than those crazies out on that floor right now, if you don't mind me sayin'"
with: Zachary Misty Gray

Just for You!

 

[BasDorcha]

The Gray Residence

~ Berlin, Germany ~​

Jeremy Gray

Being around Nicolas "Bucky" Gray always made Jeremy feel better, his son literally being the sun in his constant cloud of darkness since his mother and unborn sibling died. Jeremy still spent most of his free time trying to track down leads, possible sightings, and any mention of a blonde woman named "Harper", but it always ended with a roadblock, cold leads, and people who had never seen her. It was heart wrenching to always get to many hopes up and then be crushed. It had happened so often at this point, Jeremy never really got excited anymore - not that that would stop him from following through on anything that came across his way.

"Ok, I'll make you a vegetable, which one are you going to be. Let's see…" Jeremy thought deeply as he watched his son going through the phone book menus. "I'll make you a potato. You already like to lay about, so couch potato should be right up your alley." He teased. "Chinese pizza burger? Kid, if I didn't know better, I'd think you had the munchies." Jeremy laughed out loud, the joke possibly flying over his kids head at the mention of stoner munchies. The cute lopsided grin he got in return was a sharp reminder of himself, as if looking into a much younger mirror, and it always made him unbelievably proud.

The comfortable silence between him and his son was not uncommon. Jeremy was a quiet guy to begin with, so Nicolas had gotten used to it after the past few years. When he finally decided on pizza, he dialed in the number and quickly placed the order - grateful that the place knew their order thanks to new technology and he wouldn't have to give it one thing at a time. Once complete, he hung up the phone, dropping it on the hook, before leaning back in the couch and propping his head against his hand, elbow on the arm of the couch. He silently was lost in thought, thinking about his family, his life. It often took him over without notice and frequently threw him into lingering quiet states without him realizing what was going on around him.

"I miss her too, buddy." Jeremy said, pulling out of his zone. "You're forgetting her voice?" He smiled, surprisingly, and stood, headed to the row of videos along the TV wall. He pulled out a few home videos, blank on the outside with the exception of dates. He popped one into the VCR and made his way back to the couch. "Here, let's fix that. Now you'll never forget her voice again. I forgot you were probably to young to remember these videos being made." He sat down this time next to his son and wrapped an arm around him, pulling him closer. "I think I have some karaoke recordings somewhere too, as well as a few times when she was on stage but I'll have to dig back to childhood boxes and such to find those for you."

As the screen came on, a Christmas scene came on, Jeremy behind the camera, following Harper around as she shooed him and baby Nicolas away from the food. His eyes grew misty, watching the love of his life on the TV and knowing he could never touch her again. His arm around Nicolas grew tight for a moment, hugging him, as he let his son absorb the sound of her voice and her face, her actions, on the video. Carefully he watched him, making sure his son was alright.

Bellz - Bucky Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

Bar Street
~ Gran Canaria, Spain ~

Lucas Sullivan and George Sullivan
(Niall Donovan and Cillian Donovan)​

"Hey, I'm good. As our uncle used to to say - I'm fine," Lucas told Rhiannon as she told him he'd nearly given her a heart attack. Of course, his cousin turned best friend was having none of it and she pointed to the exit rather than giving in to his desire to continue partying. "You don't need to worry..." he trailed off. She made it clear she wasn't going to ignore him blacking out and as much as he wanted to fight her, he knew she wouldn't let it go now and he didn't want to put a downer on her night if she was going to spend the whole time worrying. When she grabbed his wrist, he got up and followed her, placing his free hand to his mouth as a wave of nausea hit him.

When they were outside, he paused and looked around. "Fresh air, good idea," he told her. "Maybe after a bit of air and a break from the flashing lights we can get back to it. Plus, you didn't get dressed up for five whole minutes of fun," he pointed out. Despite his protests, Rhiannon kept firing back with her own retorts and not giving in to him. Truth was, he was still feeling a dizzy and worse for wear, he just didn't want to admit it and come across as a lightweight. When Marco pulled the car up alongside them, Lucas gave him a sheepish wave. "Hey," he greeted the man before Rhiannon went on to explain he'd blacked out. Without further protest, he climbed in the back of the car with his cousin.

Being in the car didn't help him feel better and he tilted his head to rest on the backrest of the seat, closing his eyes tightly as he willed himself to get back into shape before reaching home. When Rhiannon began firing out her questions, he turned his head so he could look to her. "It's only happened a couple of times before," he calmly assured her as if it was perfectly normal. "I only had one drink before you got here and I can handle my booze, I can assure you," he told her. They eventually reached home and as she reassured him Marco wouldn't say anything if he wanted to keep it quiet, he shrugged his shoulders. He was sure his fathers would end up finding out one way or another, he just didn't want them to worry. He'd never given them cause for concern before. "It's all self-inflicted. I hardly sleep and I skip meals a lot. I take energy pills to keep me awake. Because if I'm working either of my jobs or out partying, I can keep living in the moment. Then there's no time to think or dream too much about what we used to..." Lucas stopped talking as he rushed out of the car with another wave of nausea hitting him. Thankfully, he wasn't sick, but he still appreciated the fresh air. Feeling a little embarrassed, he looked to Marco in the driver's seat. "Thanks, mate."

George had been hoping Lucas would take a night off from working or partying, but his son had been keen to head out. Still, at least he'd promised to stay home and relax tomorrow. As was often the case, George and Finn had the place to themselves for the night, which of course never got old for George. He'd decided to put the books away for one evening and relax in front of the television with Finn. Having told his husband to get comfortable on the sofa, George returned to the lounge from the kitchen with a bottle of wine and two glasses. "Would sir care for a drink?" he asked, putting on an English accent to mimic the actor Hugh Grant, as he often did in reference to Finn's undercover first name.

Once they were settled, George reached for the TV Guide to see if there was anything worth watching on or if they should put on a movie. "Lucas said he'd join us for a film tomorrow. We should treat him after he saved that woman today," he suggested. He then cleared his throat as his tone turned more serious. "I think we need to talk to him though. Between working and clubbing, I never see him eat a proper meal and he sure can't be getting enough sleep. The lad needs to slow down."

As if on cue, George heard the front door close, prompting him to look to the living room doorway. Seeing Lucas and Rhiannon enter the room, he smiled at the two. "Do my eyes deceive me?" he asked, making a point of looking at his watch. "Did you forget your wallet or something?" he asked his son, unable to believe Lucas would be home for the night this early. "Lovely to see you, Christina," he warmly greeted his niece.

"Maybe we both just wanted to gatecrash your night in," Lucas teased his fathers, his voice sounding groggy.

As Lucas struggled to walk in a straight line towards an empty seat, George sat forward to take a closer looked as his son's glazed over eyes. "What's wrong with him?" he asked Rhiannon, figuring he'd get a clearer answer from her.

Lucas was about to speak up to try come clean, but instead covered his eyes with his hand, the light-headed feeling returning as the room seemed to spin around him. "I just need to ea--" he began before briefly falling unconscious again...

Bellz (Finn)
Melanin-Gxdess (Rhiannon, Marco)